The Midnight Duel

Hermione was sitting in the Ravenclaw Common room pondering this midnight duel she had been forced upon to agree too. It was almost eleven thirty, past the bed time of your normal 1st year and she was sitting up studying, only four people were up, including her.

The two fifth year Ravenclaw prefects who had just finished patrolling the corridors and her friend Padma, who was fighting to keep her eyes opened. Finally she turned to Hermione and said "I'm sorry Hermione but I can't fight it any longer, I'm going to bed." she finished with sleepy eyes

"That's ok, thanks for staying up this long" said Hermione grateful to the other girl for keeping her company. "Will you be coming up also" asked Padma "Yeah I'll be up there soon" she answered Padma nodded and went up the stairs.

Soon the prefects finished up with their little meeting and the boy David Watson went up the stairs. Penelope Clearwater the female fifth year prefect came over to Hermione, and stopped in front of her. "Doing a bit of light reading are you" she asked Penelope Clearwater was one of the most brilliant students Hermione had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

She was also very gorgeous with her waist length wavy brown hair and light green eyes, but she wasn't superficial like some of the girls in Ravenclaw, she was actually very kind and often helped the younger students when they were in need.

"Yes, just trying to finish my essay for History of Magic, Professor Binns wants us to do an essay on famous wizard inventors" answered Hermione

"Ah, I remember that essay, I did mine on a bloke who invented a stone of some sorts, can't remember his name at the present time though" Penelope got a thoughtful look on her face "But I can get you the book if you want, it has all kinds of great information on wizard inventions and their inventors"

Hermione smiled at her "Yes I would appreciate it very much" Penelope smiled at the younger girl "Consider it done, and don't stay up too long, you need your rest" Hermione nodded "I won't she said" Penelope nodded and turned to leave "Oh and thanks Penelope"

"No problem Hermione, good night" she said "Goodnight" Hermione called back before Penelope disappeared up the stairs. When she was sure Penelope was out of sight, she went to the portrait whole and left out. She was to meet Ginny in front of the Hufflepuff portrait whole seeing as it was closes to the Trophy room.

Hermione cast a notice me not spell on herself. She passed the annoying ghost Peeves who seemed to be waiting for something and practically ran down the corridor to the meet Ginny. When she arrived in front of the Hufflepuff portrait whole she noticed Ginny pacing.

"Finite" she said pointing the wand to herself. Ginny jumped as it seemed that Hermione appeared out no where. "Bloody hell Hermione you can't do that, you scared the crap out of me" Hermione smiled softly "Sorry" Ginny nodded "So are you ready to go"

"I guess, but Ginny do you really want to go through with this I mean, what exactly is this going to prove" Hermione said trying to be the voice of reason as the two of them started walking. "It's going to prove exactly what you said Hermione. Hufflepuff's as good as any house"

Great bitten by her own words Hermione thought. "Ok fine but the way I hear it most Slytherin's don't fight fair, and I'm pretty sure that Pansy falls under that category" Hermione answered back "Well that's why you're here silly"

"I'm not following" she answered "Hermione" she stressed rolling her eyes "You're the greatest witch to ever live, you defeated you know who when you were just one years old, if anyone can beat that stupid bint Parkinson, it's you"

"Ugh, Ginny I don't even know how or why I defeated Voldermort" Ginny flinched at his name and Hermione rolled her eyes. "For all I know you could've done it too" Ginny scoffed "But you're the chosen one"

"You make me sound like a bloody superhero" said Hermione snorting to herself. "What's a superhero" asked Ginny. "Nothing, come on let's get this over with" They walked into the trophy room and saw Parkinson with one of her Slytherin friends.

"Finally decided to show little Weaslette" she sneered

"Bugger off Parkinson let's do this so I can go to bed" said Ginny

"Fine, here are the rules, Granger and Daphne will stand off to the side of us until we call for help, that's if I call for help, If I don't Weasley you don't. Hermione didn't like the idea of this rule, and tried to figure out what exactly Pansy was playing at. Ginny nodded as she and Pansy both went to their positions

"Alright, wands at the ready" Pansy squeaked. "Count to three Granger. Hermione took a deep breath, she hoped to Merlin that Ginny could duel, because it was far too late to turn back now "1" the girls took their position "2" Ginny looked so nervous but she knew she had to prove it to them it was now or never "3" Hermione almost yelled. Pansy wasted no time in throwing curses, some that she was sure Ginny had never heard of, bloody death eater she thought.

But Ginny was holding her own, until Pansy hit her with a jelly legs jinx. "Ginny call for help" Hermione yelled. "I can't" she yelled back. "How noble of you" said Parkinson "But I suppose that if you want to call for help, then I should too" Parkinson stopped for a minute and Hermione muttered a 'finite' to Ginny who stood up right once more. "Help" Pansy called out and instead of Greengrass coming over to help her. Hermione noticed three Slytherin boys.

Blaise Zabini whom had a devilish smirk on his face. Zacharias Smith who already looked like a junior death eater and Draco Malfoy, she eyed him curiously and could tell that he wanted to be here just about as much as she did.

"Well Granger since you're the bloody chosen one, you should be able to take on all of us shouldn't you" Parkinson smirked

"You're a bloody bint you know that" said Hermione. Ginny cracked a smile and so did Draco "Well that may be, but I'm the bint that's going to kick your bloody arse"

Hermione got her wand at the ready "We'll just see about that" she said a blue fire glowing in her eyes, which didn't go missed by Draco and Ginny. Draco backed up a bit, he had never seen someone glow fire in their eyes before not even when his father was the most upset with him. He suddenly wished that he was back in his bed, why did he even come down here in the first place.

Pansy, Blaise, Daphne and Zach all shouted out cursed at the same time "Protego" Hermione yelled and the three curses hit her invisible shield. They all gasped and took a step back for a minute. Then started firing curses again and Hermione took them on well really well. Ginny stood off to the side and watched as did Draco, but then Blaise hit Hermione with a cutting curse and she was now bruised on her wand hand. She didn't cry out in pain but she was starting to tear up, her hand was cut very badly and Draco could see it.

Pansy hit her with a finite incantatem spell and she hit the ground with a thud. Ginny was firing spells as well once Hermione got hurt. But she was no match for the three of them. Draco rushed over to Hermione's side and the other four started fighting Ginny.

"Hermione are you ok" he asked as he muttered a quiet Finite. "it's just my hand, but you had better not let them see you talking to me"

"They can all just fuck off for all I care" he exclaimed. Then they both shared a laugh. Hermione sat up slowly and saw that Ginny wasn't doing as good "I have to go help her" she said "No" he almost yelled you're hurt already"

"But if I don't help her she could get hurt much worse" Just it when it looked like it was about to be the end for Ginny the door to the trophy room swung open and in walked Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. "Get away from them" Ron yelled. Caught up by the distraction, the first year Slytherin's didn't notice when Ginny Greengrass with the Finite Incantatem spells. So now it was even four on four, or three on three.

Hermione had never seen a wizards duel up close and personal, unless you want to count the four on one between herself, Ginny and the Slytherin's but when Harry fought he looked like a professional dueler. Ron looked a bit scared and Ginny was fighting the best way she could.

Hermione got up and a dreadful feeling came over her as she heard someone walking down the corridor "We have to get out of here she yelled" Harry hit Blaise and Zach with a quick Finite Incantatem and they fell to the ground.

He ran to Hermione and Ginny and Ron came over and together they went out the door. Hermione looked back to Draco as he was undoing Harry's spell 'He'll be ok' she thought "Wait" said Harry as they were all about to go their separate ways. "This'll get us to our common rooms much safer" he said as he pulled out his invisibility cloak"

She'd heard of them but she had never seen one up close before he draped it around all of them and they stood very still as Filtch came pass them to the door of the trophy room. They heard him yelling at the Slytherin's and made a break for it.

"How'd you know where we were" Hermione asked in an urgent whisper

"Susan overheard Ginny and Parkinson at lunch" said Ron

"I don't need you saving me all the time Ronald" said Ginny "Now their still going to think I'm a coward"

"Ginny no one's going to think you're a coward, you were bloody brilliant taking on four of them at once" said Harry Ginny blushed. And Hermione smiled

"I'm not brilliant, Hermione was the brilliant one, you should've seen her"

"It was nothing"

"Says you" said Ginny. They got to the Hufflepuff entrance. Ron gave Ginny a hug and then Ginny hugged Hermione "Thanks Hermione" she said. She hugged the Hufflepuff girl back and then Ginny ran in.

Harry went to the Gryffindor Entrance next. "Incase you hadn't noticed Harry I'm not a Gryffindor"

"Oh I know but I need to take you somewhere, I'll be in in a minute mate" he told Ron who nodded and ran inside the Gryffindor Entrance.

"Where are we going" asked Hermione

"You need to get that hand of yours checked out" he said as he led the way

"But we can't Harry, Madam Pomphrey will freak and I'll be in detention for weeks with that arse whole Snape" She said as she shuttered at the thought

Harry chuckled a little "We're not going to the hospital wing" he said

"Then where are we going"

"Here" he said as he pointed up. He knocked on the door twice and then it opened. And she saw her head of house in her pajamas looking into the what she thought was an empty hall way. "Hello" Professor Lily Potter called out.

"Mum, down here" Harry whispered

"Harry James Potter" she whispered furiously "I told you not to play around with that invisibility cloak, come inside" she said as she let the door stay opened and it closed when they went inside. Hermione looked around her Professors quarters. It was nice there was a small common room with a couch and a love seat. A coffee table a desk which was very neatly kept and five book shelves by the door which she was sure led to her bed room or bathroom.

"Well are you going to just stand there or will you take off that cloak now"

"I will mum, but you have promise not to be mad"

"Not to be mad Harry, it's well your bed time, I told you father not to give you that cloak yet" she went on rambling as he took the cloak off of the both of them. The professor turned to face her son, but also saw her student, whom had her hands behind her back.

"Ms. Granger what are you doing here" Said the professor completely ignoring Harry

"Well mum we're here because Hermione hurt her hand"

"Let me see it" Said the professor as she guided them over to the couch. Hermione showed Lily her hand. Which had a huge cut going down it, it was still bleeding really bad and was forming purple bluish gashes "Sweet Merlin child how did this happen"

"Well you see the thing is" Harry started. His mother rolled her eyes.

"Hermione what happened" and so Hermione told her the truth she felt that she could trust the professor more so than others.

"Uh huh, and Harry what have I told you about dueling"

"Not to duel unless supervised by an adult" Harry sang "But mum they needed help"

"Then you should've gotten a professor"

"And we would've gotten in trouble mum"

"You're in trouble now sweetheart" Lily said as she summoned some potions to put on the younger girls hands, Hermione looked at the Professor and her son, she wished that she could have moments like these, but knew that that was impossible.

"Here you go Hermione, it should heal up completely within the next day or so, but tomorrow during my class you will go to madam Pomphrey, I'll write you a note. Hermione nodded "As for you young man, you and Hermione will serve detention with me after class for a week, understood"

"But…."

"No buts Harry, but of you could've gotten severely hurt understood"

"Yes maim" he whispered

"So I trust you can guide her back to the Ravenclaw common room and get your self back as well"

"Yes mum"

"Alright off you two, you're lucky today is Friday, or should I say Saturday"

Hermione thanked the professor, she would much rather serve detention with Professor Potter than Professor Snape, she just sorry that she dragged Harry into it. As they were walking back to her common room she said

"Sorry for getting you into this"

"Hey that's what friends are for right, I'll see you in the morning" She smiled and he smiled back. Then she went into her common room. Friends she liked the sound of that. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out