AN: first off, thank you all for the reviews, secondly I'm not going to detail twenty three years of Harry's training but I will give a glimpse here but the rest will come out in battles as the story progresses. Now on with the chapter.
Training and the Order of the Phoenix
Bodies of the dead or dying littered the street; buildings burned unchecked and amongst all this Death Eaters and Aurors battled one another. Spells were shouted and screams of the injured and dying ripped through the night.
"Avada Kedavra." Harry ducked as the bright green light shot at him, missing him by inches. His heart was racing, sweat dripped from his face and he had numerous cuts over his body. He had been battling in this battle for the last forty minutes and he was starting to tire.
"Reducto." Harry blasted the knee of the Death Eater who had just tried to kill him, dropping the man screaming to the floor.
"Avada Kedavra." Harry's silent killing curse hit the Death Eater in the shoulder ripping the life from him. Looking around he noticed that there were only five Death Eater's left standing, the rest had were either dead or dying, but so were countless of innocent victims and Aurors and no building was left standing or without a fire raging inside it.
As he took aim at the back of a Death Eater battling an Auror he noticed that there were only three Aurors left, the end of the battle was finally in sight, which was the furthest he had ever got in this particular battle.
"Opstupefio." The advanced stunning spell smashed into the back of the Death Eater who had just uttered the first word of the killing curse, no doubt saving the Aurors life.
"Four to go." Harry thought as he took aim at another Death Eater who had just fired a spell at him. "Three to go." He said to himself as he dropped the Death Eater with a Reducto to the face.
The three Aurors made quick work of two of the Death Eaters as Harry stunned the Final Death Eater and finally the battle was over and Harry could breathe again.
As he looked around, the dead and dying witches and wizards vanished along with the burning buildings to be replaced with the training room of the Room of Requirement, a white board appeared beside him with a tally.
Death Eater's, killed 20 Aurors, injured 17
Aurors killed, 15 Death Eater's, injured 3
Harry Killed, 15 Death Eater's, injured 7
Total battle time, 45 minutes 49 seconds.
"Well that was better than the last two times I fought this battle." Harry said to himself, the first time he had entered that battle, he had been stunned inside of ten minutes, showing just how inexperienced he really was, which was saying something to say that he had completed the 6th and 7th year courses, the three years of Auror training and was now training to be a hit-wizard.
The second time he had fought that battle he had lasted 39 minutes before he took a "killing curse" to the back, knocking him out and ending the battle, of course the room didn't throw real killing curses at him but they hurt like hell when he woke up.
Having finally beaten the battle just went to show that the duels he had against the training dummies everyday really was improving his skills in a fight. However, even though he had beaten the battle, he knew that he was nowhere near his full potential but that didn't matter as he had years of training and honing his skills ahead of him before he left the room and re-joined the war against Voldemort and fulfilled the Prophecy.
He left the training room and went to go take a shower to ease his muscles and heal his cuts and bruises.
Great hall
As Harry was enjoying the hot water running over his body in the Room of Requirement, the Order of the Phoenix was meeting for the final time before the school year started in three days on September 1st.
"I call this meeting to order." Albus Dumbledore said from the head of the Hufflepuff table, all around the table the witches and wizards stopped their chatter as they turned to look at the Headmaster. "Now before I open the floor to reports, has anybody seen or heard from Mr Potter?" he sighed as everybody shook their heads in the negative.
"The best we can hope for is that he returns for his sixth year." Remus said into the silence though if one were to look at him, really look at him, they would see that he didn't believe that Harry would turn up in three days.
"I doubt he will though, he said in that letter that he won't be back until he has trained himself enough to stand up to the Dark Lord and win." Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody spoke with approval in his voice as he took a swig from his hipflask.
"You could be right." Dumbledore nodded in resignation, he hoped that Harry didn't fall into the Dark Arts and returned as pure of heart as he had always been, maybe he should have raised Harry all those years ago and trained him for war from an early age.
"Who would like to report first?" he asked as he looked down the table at Snape, wondering if he had a report on Tom for them, the Dark Lord had been unusually quiet since been exposed at the Ministry at the end of the last school year, but he knew that that wouldn't last much longer.
"I will." Kingsley Shacklebolt said as he rose from his seat about halfway down the table. "This will all be in the paper and on the wireless tomorrow but I thought you would all like to know that the Wizengamot has chosen Madam Bones to step in as interim Minister of Magic until the election in May." With that he retook his seat as whispers broke out amongst the members.
"That is good news, Amelia will bring the fight to Voldemort." Albus smiled but his smile turned to a frown as he looked at his spy who had a troubled expression on his face.
"Is everything alright Severus?" He asked causing the whispers to stop and the people to turn and look at the sour faced potions master.
"The Dark Lord has sworn to kill whoever is chosen as the next minister, interim or not within a month of their appointment and every other minister thereafter until Lucius is elected Minister." Snape said coldly as he stayed seated.
"But Malfoy has been ousted as a Death Eater, the public will never elect that snake to be Minister." Bill Weasley said with a snort of laughter at the very thought of Lucius Malfoy putting his name forward in the election.
"Isn't Malfoy in Azkaban anyway?" asked one of the two newest members of the Order Ronald Weasley who was seated next to the other new member, his girlfriend Hermione Granger.
"Use your brain Weasley, the Dark Lord won't let his Death Eaters stay in prison too long." Tonks said with a scowl at the young redhead and at the thought of the Death Eaters once again terrorising the public. What was the point in putting the Death Eater's in prison if the Dark Lord was just going to break them out again, it was a never ending fight as far as she could see, something more permanent needed to be done about them.
"Actually that's another piece of information I have, the Dementor's have joined the Dark Lord and the Death Eater's that Potter and his ilk helped capture in the Ministry have re-joined him and he has gained fifty six more followers only two refused to join him and are now dead." Snape said causing every member to go silent and stare at him in shock.
"When did this happen?" Dumbledore asked, the first one to get his wits about him.
"Last night when he called me to his side." Snape scowled at the memory of the previous night.
"He wanted your help in fighting the Aurors at the prison." Moody stated in understanding.
"No, there wasn't a fight at all, the Dementor's turned on the Aurors and gave them all the kiss before leaving the prison to join the Dark Lord, and he wanted me to go with him to the prison as he gave the prisoners a choice, join him or die."
"How did the Ministry take the news?" Hermione Granger asked as she got over her shock at the thought of You-Know-Who getting an extra fifty six new Death Eater's, as well as the eleven that she and Ron had helped capture, a total of 67 more Death Eaters to battle.
"The Ministry doesn't know yet, otherwise I would have reported it as soon as the meeting opened." Kingsley Shacklebolt said with a scowl at the girl, he and a lot of other members of the Order didn't like the fact that Weasley and Granger had been allowed to join purely for the fact that they were Harry's friends and might know what the lad was up to, he didn't think that they were ready to join and fight in a war that was going to get very ugly, very quickly, he applauded Potter's choice to get more training before joining the war but the two arrogant children believed that they were ready after only one battle where the Death Eaters were under strict instructions not to severely injure or kill them and training a few nights a week in spells from 5th and 6th year defence against the dark arts and they foolishly believed they were ready for a real battle, to maim or kill their opponents if necessary.
Even the Weasley twins, the pranksters of Hogwarts didn't believe that they were ready for battle, the night of their induction into the order, the twins had come to him for help in duelling and spells. Ever since then, Kingsley had gone over to their flat after he finished his shift at the Ministry and the twins had closed the shop and he would duel them and teach them new spells, the two were all about fun and games but once the duels began they were deadly serious and their dedication was showing as each and every night their skills with a wand were improving and soon they would be a real asset to the order just like their uncles Fabian and Gideon Prewett were in the last war, as he looked at the Weasley twins he knew without a doubt that their twin uncles would be immensely proud of them even if Molly Weasley wanted to keep them out of the war and coddle them.
"What else is the Dark Lord planning do you know?" Moody asked Snape once everyone had settled down after the news of the Azkaban raid.
"I do not know what he is planning for sure but he is said to be planning a huge strike that will hit multiple targets at once, thus thinning out the Aurors so only so many can respond to the calls." Snape said with a bored sigh but Albus could tell by looking in the man's eyes, Snape was worried about the attacks and the fact that he didn't know much details about them had the potions master even more worried.
"Any idea where the attacks will take place sir?" Fred Weasley asked his old professor with respect, ever since joining the Order and learning of Snape's dangerous role of spy, he and his twin had a new found respect for the man who willingly put his life on the line every time he was called to the Dark Lord's side, they didn't like him anymore than they did when they were in school but they respected him a lot more than they ever did in school.
"My best guess would be either Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, the Ministry or St Mungo's or if he believes he can win, Hogwarts." Snape said with a thoughtful look on his face, an expression shared by most of the Order.
"He wouldn't dare attack Hogwarts with Dumbledore here." Ron said confidently causing more than one person to roll their eyes.
"I thank you for your faith in me but I am but one man and if Voldemort believes he can win the battle, he will attack anywhere and fight anybody, plus let's not forget that there is only one man that Voldemort is even remotely afraid off and since he's upped and left to go and train, there's not really anybody here to stop him." Dumbledore explained coming as close to telling the Order that Harry was the only one who could defeat Voldemort as he was willing to get, he knew that if they knew that only Harry could stop Tom once and for all they would all demand to search for Harry and make him face Voldemort before he was ready too.
"Oh please don't tell me that you believe that You-Know-Who fears Harry, he's just a schoolboy who's not very smart or anywhere near powerful or skilled enough to kill You-Know-Who, I mean he still needs me to make sure his homework is correct, I doubt he would stand a chance against him." Hermione said with confidence, she believed she was more smarter and much more skilled than Harry would ever be and the only reason he was still alive now was through luck and her helping him.
"Well that's funny since Harry has gone up against Voldemort four times now and he's still alive, and that's not counting the time he beat him as a baby and you were nowhere to be found every time he faced Voldemort, so I doubt he needs you, he just puts up with you." Remus said harshly as he stared at the girl.
"As professor McGonagall said, sheer dumb luck, nothing more." Hermione said as she stared back at Remus defiantly, she hated the thought that these people believed Harry to be smarter or more powerful than her.
"So when he defeated Voldemort and saved the Philosopher's Stone his first year was dumb luck or when he slayed a basilisk in his second year or when he drove off over a hundred Dementor's in his third or how about his fourth year when he was forced into the Tri-Wizard and he won and then when he stood up against Voldemort and thirty Death Eater's on his own and still he won or how about this last year against eleven inner circle and then Voldemort again and yet he's still standing and you're telling me that was all you're doing and sheer dumb luck, no missy, he's more powerful and more skilled than any of us even know but I know one thing when he's finished training and he's ready to take up arms against Voldemort and his army once again I WILL BE DAMN PROUD TO STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH HIM AS HE WINS AND DO YOU KNOW WHY HE WILL WIN, BECAUSE HE'S HARRY BLOODY POTTER AND HE ALWAYS FINDS A WAY TO OVER COME THE ODDS AGAINST HIM AND HARRY POTTER ALWAYS WINS, SO YOU CAN SIT THERE IN YOU'RE LITTLE FANTASY WORLD ALL YOU WANT BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT YOU WILL BE IN FOR A VERY RUDE AWAKENING, YOU ARE NOT NEARLY SKILLED OR READY ENOUGH FOR A REAL BATTLE, SO DON'T YOU DARE SIT THERE AND SLANDER THAT BOY, NO MAN, WHILST I'M AROUND. Remus found to his surprise that he was standing up by the end of his passionate filled rant but he didn't care, all his friends were dead and he would be damned if he just sat there and let Granger slander his cub and not say anything.
"Excuse me but we are more than ready to fight, didn't we prove that at the Ministry." Hermione said incensed that Lupin would imply that she wasn't battle tested.
"Well not really since the Dark Lord ordered the Death Eaters not to hurt or kill any of you until he had the prophecy in his hand." Snape said with a sneer at the know-it-all, he agreed with everything Lupin had just said and he like most of the order would much prefer Potter here instead, he may not like the boy but he had shed loads of power and that was more preferable than these two overconfident idiots who believed they were ready for battle, at least Potter truly was battle tested.
For the next ten minutes Hermione argued with various Order members, she would not back down in her belief that she was more powerful and smarter than Harry could ever hope to be. No matter who told her that Harry was real battle tested, she would not believe that he was any more ready for battle than she was, she read books all the time so of course she was battle ready.
"Oh Merlin's sake, just tell her the fucking prophecy Albus before she starts getting delusions that she will be the one to throw down the Dark Lord." Snape shouted in anger the girl really knew just how to piss him off and her voice rising in pitch was starting to really hurt his ears, did the chit practice screeching or something, he amused himself with thoughts of Molly Weasley sitting her down and teaching her the art of screeching.
"You know I can't do that my boy." Albus said with a sigh he was beginning to get a headache because of Miss Granger's voice.
Snape threw up his arms in exasperation before he got up from his seat. "Well I'm going to paint my dungeon and watch it dry because it's a much more productive way to spend my time." The Weasley twins covered their snorts of laughter with unconvincing coughs.
"And what's that supposed to mean." Hermione asked hotly as she watched the man leave.
"It means you little twit, that you are an insufferable little know-it-all and you are getting on my bloody nerves with your screeching." With that Snape exited the hall robes billowing behind him.
"I second that." Remus said with a glare at Hermione before he too got up and left the hall.
"Hear, hear." Said the Weasley twins as they along with Bill and Charlie followed Remus out of the hall shortly followed by Kingsley, Moody and Tonks.
"Meeting closed I guess." Dumbledore sighed as he got up and he too left the hall, they hadn't really accomplished anything tonight thanks to Hermione Granger wanting to prove herself, which was admirable but when she's trying to prove herself against someone like Harry Potter whose more battle tested and more powerful than most of the Order it wasn't really going to end well for her, Merlin how he regretted letting those two join the Order but he couldn't cast them out simply because her shrill voice gave him a headache.
"Come back soon and show the girl what real power and skill truly is." He begged as he sat down behind his desk and downed a pain reliever. Though if what Severus said was true then she would get a real taste for battle sooner rather than later, of course he would do his best to make sure she made it back alive as he would with the rest of the Order but he would be busy battling the Dark Army himself, so he couldn't protect her all the time now could he.
End of chapter
So how was it, Harry's training is coming along and Hermione is making enemies with people who are meant to be her allies.
I know that Hermione loves authority but in my story I want her to be convinced that that she is more powerful, more skilled and a lot smarter than Harry could ever be, I hope I made it believable.
i forgot to mention that there is a poll on my profile for this story if you would like to vote would be appreciated.
Next chapter, Voldemort strikes hard and Harry returns.
