Stepping out of the Room of Requirement August 31 was a teenager with raven black hair down to his shoulders wearing a leather jacket and simple blue jeans Harry Potter looked much different than he had just two months ago when Dumbledore told him he would be training with those people, along with himself. Then again to Harry that had been five long years ago. From his masters Harry had learned many things. Some about fighting and some about life itself. No longer was he the scrawny boy everyone knew. He had grown to a height of six foot two inches tall. He weighed at least 220 lbs but gone was the scrawny build of a seeker. Physically he looked as he would at the age of 19 but truthfully Harry Potter had just turned 15. His body had been carved from hours of grueling training under Akisame-sensei to be as strong as possible. From his masters Harry had come to the long road to the expert level of martial arts. Ma had educated him in all styles of Chinese kung-fu, Apachai taught Harry Muay Thai and Muay Braun. Apachai also taught him how to have fun even when doing the simplest of things, Shigure had drilled every weapon and how to use it and how to beat the ones using it into his head. His favorite weapon turned out to be a set of tonfa sticks.
From Sakaki Harry had learned Karate in all of its forms, but more importantly Sakaki had taught Harry what it meant to give up the things he wanted for the sake of others. Giving up five years, giving up time with his friends, and possibly even giving his life to this war. From Akisame Harry had learned Jujitsu, but beyond just another fighting style Harry learned how to heal with just his hands. From Furinji Harry had learned many things. Techniques, philosophies, parcor, but more importantly Harry had learned what type of man he was.
About a year into their training the elderly man took Harry out into a wilds of his own creation in the room of requirement. There Harry trained to learn one of the Elder's techniques. The seikuken; a technique which allowed someone to sense attack in a sphere around the body and react to it. Harry's result was a little more explosive because the energy that erupted from his body was naturally both Dou and Sei type energy combined. Where the seikuken is a naturally Sei type technique. Hayato theorized that it was because of Harry's connection to Lord Voldemort, and the Dark Lord's aggressive personality that gave Harry the ability to train in both Dou and Sei techniques.
This fact pleased all of Harry's sensei because not all of them were the same type of fighter. Being able to separate the energies away from each other allowed Harry to master the teacher's martial arts to the fullest extent possible and then make them his own by creating opposite energy variations of the techniques.
If Harry thought the training with the Ryouzanpaku was horrific then he would recall his training with Albus Dumbledore to be the most horrifying thing he had ever experienced. Dumbledore was a firm believer in training through doing and when he wasn't drilling spell chains, exotic magic forms, and counter spells into Harry's head they were dueling. Dumbledore was a master of transfiguration battle magic among many other things. Dumbledore did his best to teach Harry this art to change the battlefield to his will. Harry also learned elemental battle magic, a vast array of curses, hexes, charms, and even healing spells.
At first Harry had wondered how healing spells were combat applicable until Dumbledore sent a purposefully botched bone setting spell at Harry vanishing the bones in his right arm for the second time in his short life. Harry never questioned what Dumbledore taught him again.
The most embarrassing day of Harry's life was the day Harry became an animagus about two year into the training. *Flashback* Dumbledore had been preparing the potion for about two weeks now that would show Harry's animal form. Harry wondered and anticipated what form he would get. Would he be a lion showcasing exactly how Gryffindor he was? Would he be a stag like his father? Or maybe the unfortunate connection would once again shine through and give him a serpent form. With these thoughts running through his head as he sat in the dojo like home the room of requirement had turned into surrounded by his masters who were waiting to see what form their second Disciple would take. "I'm telling you Ma the boy is going to be something fierce. He is bound to be a great hunter maybe a panther or something." Sakaki said to the smaller man with a broad smile rare of the usually guarded man.
"No the boy's head is always in the clouds thinking about being on that broom again. If he groped that wooden handle any harder I would start thinking he was batting for the other team. He is going to be a bird just you wait and see." Ma retorted as he shook his fist at Sakaki.
"Apapapapapapapapaaaaa Apachai thinks Harry-chan will be something cuddly." Apachai said his eyes lighting up at the thought of playing with his student in animal form. Slightly jealous that Harry got to be an animal. It was then Dumbledore entered the room with a small glass vile in his hands and a smile on his face effectively ending the argument.
"It took me awhile; I have never had the best hand for potions and this one is always particularly difficult to brew. I have a whole new empathy for Severus" Dumbledore told everyone while looking down at the hard work in a bottle he had spent two weeks creating. Harry was practically bouncing with excitement as images of tackling Akisame-sensei as a panther for putting him into those training contraptions of his, or flying over Apachai when he forgot how to take training easy on him, or charging Ma as a stag when he tried to peep on Shigure and Miu.
"Can I drink it now professor?" Harry asked excitedly bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet in his training cloths.
"Yes Harry after you strip you can drink the potion" Dumbledore said simply causing Harry to gape in shock.
"Str.. Str… strip professor?" Harry stuttered and sputtered in shock. "Why do I have to strip professor? When Sirius transformed his cloths went with him." Harry asked his cheeks flushing red as he glanced over at Shigure who looked on with the same neutral look. Harry had never been naked in front of a girl before let along an entire room. Looking over at Miu Furinji the grand daughter of the legendary superman. She was sitting next to Kenichi Shirahama the first desciple of the Ryouzanpaku and Harry's sparring partner. Miu was like a sister to Harry, and she was dating Kenichi.
"Because Harry your magic doesn't know how small or large your body is going to get and can not compensate to save your clothing yet. Everyone goes through their first time nude. I did it, the marauders did it, even your mother did it." Dumbledore explained to the blushing boy.
"My mother is an animagus? Wait that's besides the point. Do Miu and Shigure-sensei have to be here for this?" Harry asked still blushing when Shigure replied.
"I don't want to be your only sensei that doesn't see you transform." Shigure said simply and Harry knew there was no point arguing with her.
"Harry-san if you don't want me to be here Ill go. You can show me your form after okay. Come on Kenichi-kun lets go find something to do." Miu said grabbing Kenichi's and hand leading him from the room. Harry stripped nervously losing the gi sleeveless top and then the drawstring training pants, then unwrapping the bandages around his hands. Losing the chain mail vest given to him by Shigure and then his boxers Harry stood sky clad in front of his sensei then Dumbledore handed him the potion.
"Now Harry don't be disappointed if you aren't something magical, or something groovy." Dumbledore said emphasizing the word groovy. Harry grabbed the vial from the head master and downed the potion. He felt his bones twisting and his body shrinking. His muscles became denser as his body continued to shrink and sprout fur. The pain was nothing compared to his master's training and certainly nothing compared to the Cruciatus however it still wasn't pleasant. Low to the ground on all fours Harry's vision changed. Everything became sharper the reds became more detailed and the the blues became more detailed. He looked up at the headmaster and tried to pose the question of what on earth he was when all that came out was.
"Meow" that broke the silence of his masters. Ma and Sakaki were cracking up while Akisame looked thoughtful. Shigure had a small smile on her normally neutral face and the Elder was holding Apachai back from coming to pet him. Looking up at the head master Harry noticed the world was a lot different from this point of view.
"While Harry is very small he is also very rare. His animagus form tells us he will have a very long life. You see my friends Mr. Potter's form is what is known as the Byakuya no Neko. The cats of the white lightning to translate; they live sometimes two-hundred years and don't reach maturation until the age of fifty. Their young sometimes look like normal tabby cats. The only identifying mark the Byakuya no Neko have when they are young is the smell. They tend to smell like a fresh storm as if lighting just struck the ground, and their fur is always white. Take a look Mr. Potter Dumbledore explained before taking out his wand and with a wave a cat-sized body length mirror appeared. His form was white, not the white-blond of the Malfoy family, not the silver of Apachai, but a bright white with emerald green eyes.
Harry started to move about the room discovering that he could now jump surprisingly high for his size as he was easily able to leap from the ground on top of Ma's wide brimmed hat and then up to the rafters of the dojo. "Harry you will probably notice that your vision is a little different. You will be able to see more than perfect 20/20. You will be able to see a little deeper into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums of light." Dumbledore said to Harry who was still wandering around in the rafters before dropping down onto Shigure's head, then to her lap settling on her legs. Shigure looking slightly surprised but reached down and scratched Harry softly behind the ears causing him to instinctively lean in. It was more pleasure than he ever experienced causing him to purr, Shigure to blush, and sending Ma and Sakaki into a fresh fit of laughter.
"Hahahahahaha the boy purrs" Ma laughed while pulling out his camera and snapping a picture. Akisame however looked deep in thought.
"Dumbledore-san, how will this change effect Harry's personality?" the philosophical jujitsu master asked the much older man.
"Well Harry will probably be a bit more playful, and maybe have a kitten's curiosity but it shouldn't be anything that drastic." Dumbledore said as Harry's purring got louder and Apachai finally broke free of Hayato's hold running over to Shigure and Harry.
"Apapapa Shigure-san can Apachai hold Harry-chan?" Apachai asked bounding back and forth with a childlike glee you wouldn't see from any other man of his stature his eyes alight with mirth.
*End Flashback*
That was probably one of the most embarrassing moments and yet one of the happiest of those five years he spent with the masters before exiting the room of requirement. Harry walked down from the seventh floor the castle feeling surreal to him. His feet making no sound as he had long ago learned to walk on instinct with stealth Harry continued to the headmaster's office. "Abazabba" Harry said the name of the muggle chewy treat as the gargoyle twisted around and up to reveal the moving stairs Harry walked up to the office noticing the proximity and visual wards. 'So that's how o-jiisan does it. I always wondered.' Harry thought entering the office. There was no point in knocking when someone already knew you were there. Harry stepped in to the office and saw Fawkes's gold and red feathers move in a blur as Harry was forced to dodge. Fawkes had taken to being his sparring partner while he was in animagus form. Harry held up his hands "Woah woah Fawkes cool it I'm not here for a bout. Where is the old man I need to talk to him before heading out to Grimauld Place so I can join the Order." Harry asked the Phoenix knowing perfectly well just how smart he was.
"I'm here." Dumbledore said coming from one of the doors and passages in the cluttered office. "Was there something you needed?" Dumbledore asked with his eyes twinkling softly.
"Yes Professor. I was wondering if before we went to Grimauld place we could visit Cedric's grave?" Harry asked hopefully. It had taken months in the room on top of Occlumancy training to get over the death of his fellow champion.
Dumbledore hesitated knowing very well that Harry would know that Edward's grave would be empty. How could explain that the death was a lie? That Cedric Diggory was just a favor called into Amos, and that Edward Cullen dead as he might be was at a coven in Alaska. "Harry I think that there are more important things to tend to. We will be able to visit the Diggory family graveyard soon, but tonight is not the time Harry. I am sorry." Dumbledore said leaving no room for argument as he walked over to the fireplace grabbing a container of floo powder. "Remember Harry Number 12 Grimauld place is the headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore told Harry very specifically as he took a pinch of powder and stepped into the fire leaving Harry alone in the office until in a flash of green flame it was off to see his friends and to show the world that Harry Potter would no longer be the boy who lived, but the man who fought back.