Goblet of Fire (Male Reader x Hermione) - Book 3

Rematch

"I want a rematch," I said plainly to Rusanov's teacher, whatever his name was again. "You heard me the first time and you know how much I've improved, I want a rematch."

"Ahah...ahahahaha," the old man crackled as Rusanov stared at me with the cold stare that was permanently fixated to his face. "You want a rematch? Ok ok young man we'll give you the rematch you want. When do you intend to have this rematch?"

"Now. Let's go now," Juni said from behind me. "I can judge it and as a teacher I'm allowed to initiate this duel so let's just get it done before I have to go again. Get whatever crowds you want to and just get to the fields as soon as you can alright?"

"You seem confident boy but don't let that deceive you, you will never be a match for Rusanov. He's my student after all."

I looked firmly into Rusanov's eyes which were a few inches above my own but nevertheless still there and reachable. I backed away as Juni left but only turned around after I came to the stairs, this was going to be my fight and I felt ready for it unlike last time. The nervous energy filled me again and as we walked down the corridor I swung my arms back and forth and jumped up and down as if I were preparing for a 100m sprint.

"Y/N where are you going?" Ron asked as I passed by him, Hermione and Harry. "I thought we were going to chill by the lake."

"He's fighting Rusanov!" Seamus laughed excitedly as I passed by without a word. Perhaps it was my way of preparation but nothing could pull me out of the zone I was in now and I had nothing to do but prove I was stronger than last time. No pressure...right? It seemed Seamus and Ron somehow managed to alert the whole school about the second leg of this duel in the time it took me to reach the front entrance of the arena. I slapped the bracelet on my wrist and the repaired clothes I had received before my dragon challenge were back on, skin tight and almost sticking to me as if it were a superhero suit...funny that...guess I kind of was a superhero now.

"You sure you want to do this?" Juni asked as she pulled on the refereeing hoodie. "I learnt my mistake last time and I don't want to see you hurt like that again you know."

"I'm sure," I sympathetically smiled remembering how guilty she had felt when I was in the hospital. "You know, you act more motherly everyday and I can't tell whether that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Hey I'd make a great mother," she snuffed. "Perhaps, perhaps we can talk about getting those paternal papers so that I can actually let you out of the grounds every once and a while. Anyway enough, remember, a clear mind-"

"Means you won't be blind," I finished. She was right. I couldn't think about what happened last battle. This was a whole new challenge, Rusanov would have no mercy and he would throw techniques and tactics that I hadn't even considered could exist. Juni flashed past to her spot and blew the whistle that opened the heavy wooden doors to the destination of Fire vs Ice. Chants became louder and more apparent as I took my spot in the opposite half, most of the supportive ones from the three friendly houses and the Beauxbatons but still the dominating and mostly masculine sounding Russians and Slytherins created a clear and equal divide in the audible sounds. Chants wouldn't win me this match though. Only me and Pyra could. I zoned out and tapped into my power, spreading it out over my legs and arms so that I could simultaneously use everything I had right from the get go. There was no trapping me with ice this time and that meant I had the attacking advantage. I could throw everything I had at him.

The second whistle started and I sprinted forward, jumping over the initial ice spike trail thrown at me and swung at Rusanov who easily dodged and shifted his position to my right. Subconsciously my arm blocked three punches aimed at my liver as I too swivelled around and drew up my shield. I drove toward him as he sprayed a cold blast at me, using the spell on my arm to convert the ice into steam and hot drops of water as I chased him down but he was prepared. I drew my shield back and found that his spray had stopped due to the formation of a massive spear like ice spike which drove past my head, cutting a small section of my cheek on it's travel. In return I grabbed the spear and slammed a punch into the Russians stomach which threw him off his balance and tumbled him backward into the open...that was a mistake. I refrained from going in for another attack as I knew that in this position he would have the advantage. His ice had a 360 degree field of attack and if I were to get surrounded by it my fire could only hold me against that ice and not whatever he did or threw. Wheezing as he stood up he looked down at his stomach where a red mark had been left in his clothing, signifying that this punch had caused much more damage than my last one had done...that reminds me...I had already done what I did in the entire battle last time and I hadn't even used my trump cards.