Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fanfiction. Harry Potter and all characters from the Harry Potter Series are property of J.K. Rowling.

New Beginnings

Chapter Three: Training

            Harry was running, running toward a door all too familiar, the door to the Department of Mysteries. The door was slowly changing in to and old stone archway with a veil, a veil. Harry passed through the veil. Mrs. Weasley was crying in a corner shaking. Dumbledore was fighting a cloaked figure. Sirius, Sirius was fighting Bellatrix Lestange laughing at her. He was laughing like a dog barks. Harry was yelling at him; Sirius was backing into the veil. Harry was telling him to move away from the veil. Sirius couldn't here him….

            "C'mon you can do better than that!" Sirius was shouting.

            "NOOOO!" cried Harry. He had to warn him… But Sirius had already fell through the veil

            "Harry!" said the voice of Dumbledore. "It's up to you now!" Harry was still facing the veil but Dumbledore was slowly wheeling him to face the cloaked figure Dumbledore had been fighting. "It's up to you now." Dumbledore repeated.

            Voldemort faced him laughing, his hazel eyes staring at him. He reached out his hands and shook Harry….

            Harry awoke with a start, sweating. Someone was shaking him…

            "Wake up Harry, wake up!" said Mrs. Weasley. "C'mon Ron is already dressed."

           Harry suddenly remembered he had lessons with Moody today, but why had she said Ron was dressed already? He looked up. Ron was putting on a pair of white socks that were so dirty at the bottom they looked almost completely brown.

            "What time is it?" Harry wondered aloud.

            "About 6:30." Ron replied.

           Harry stared. Ron never woke up this early, he never liked waking up! "Why are you up this early?" said Harry utterly perplexed.

            It was Ron's turn to stare and Harry looked into his light brown eyes and shivered. Ron, however, looked confused. "Don't you know? We have lessons. You know me, you, and Hermione?"

            "You're taking them with me!" said Harry suddenly delighted.

            Ron smiled. "Yeah. You know, I worry 'bout you sometimes Harry."

            Harry laughed, rubbing his eyes and moved to the foot of his bed to open his trunk. Ten minutes later, Harry and Ron had ascended the stairs with Hermione to the 3rd floor drawing room, as that is where Ron and Hermione explained the lessons would be held. Harry entered the drawing room first. Moody was sitting at the desk in the corner looking at them.

            "Your late," he growled. "Sit."

            Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked around. The floor was completely bare, except for the dull green carpet which looked as though it had seen better days. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. Hermione looked apprehensive, while Ron merely shrugged and plopped down on the carpet making a flurry of dust spring up. Harry and Hermione followed suit.

            "You are hear to learn and accomplish the art of Pain Deflection," said Moody, getting up and limping over to wear they sat. "It is by far one of the most complicated branches of magic to achieve. If not done properly it can have disastrous affects on the person."

            Moody swept his magical eye over the trio that was now too intimidated to even breathe loudly, and continued. "First you must understand that Pain Deflection is nothing like that Muggle mind-over-matter crap. You have to know pain, appreciate it, and respect it. It's the only way you can overcome it. You have to build up resistance to it slowly and know that you can over come it."

            Suddenly he reached down to Hermione and grabbed her hand. He pulled out what looked like a sharp nail-file and dug it into Hermione's forefinger. Hermione gasped and pulled away looking at her lightly bleeding finger. Harry and Ron stared at Moody, too stunned to react to what he had just done.

            Moody was looking at Hermione. "That hurt didn't it? It only hurt because you believed it would. You have to believe that it was nothing; that being pricked in the finger doesn't hurt. Now you know what that pain feels like. Now you respect it because it caused you pain. Now you can defeat it."

            Hermione was looking up at Moody nodding, no longer cradling her finger which had stopped bleeding and looked like quite an old cut.

            "Now we will try this again. Believe that it doesn't hurt, Miss Granger, believe it doesn't hurt."

            Moody once again bent down and seized Hermione's hand. He once again dug the sharp point into her flesh. Hermione had her eyes closed looking oddly serene.

            Moody released her hand. Harry and Ron could see where the point had broken her skin but strangely no blooding came flowing out as before and even as they watched they saw the wound slowly close. Hermione opened her eyes and smiled.

            "I didn't feel anything," she exclaimed smiling up at Moody who was looking grimly satisfied.

            "You'll experience worse pain then that, pain much worse than a prick. Now let's see if you two can do it," said Moody gesturing toward Harry and Ron and signaling them to stand up.

            He snatched Ron's hand and held the point over Ron's palm. Ron closed his eyes to signal he was ready. Moody drove the point into Ron's palm and Ron grimaced but then suddenly seemed to calm himself. Harry and Hermione watched as his wound shrunk and disappeared.

            "Good," Moody grunted while Harry and Hermione smiled at Ron.

            It was now Harry's turn. Harry felt, that after seeing Ron and Hermione accomplish it, he was ready for anything Moody had coming…

            "Agonia!" said Moody directing his wand at Harry.

            Harry didn't have time to react. He suddenly felt as though his skull was on fire with overpowering pain, pain which reminded him so much of the Cruciatus Curse. But unlike the Cruciatus Curse, his brain was allowed to think and only one thought was emitting from it. You can beat this. Harry suddenly felt calm as the pain in his head receded into nothing and he opened his eyes.

            He was kneeling on the ground with Moody and Ron looking down at him. Hermione was kneeling next to him, her face contorted with fear. Ron's eyes were wide, but Moody was looking at him with an odd look of pride displayed on his scarred face.

            "That was the Agony Curse, Potter. One of the more lethal of the pain curses. I didn't think you could overthrow it the first time. Well done," said Moody.

            Ron and Hermione gaped at him in awe. Moody, however, continued. "I had a feeling you could handle this one, Potter. Dumbledore told me you had experienced the Cruciatus Curse in your 4th year. All of you should be able to throw this off perfectly in a week. Until then we will work on building up your resistance."

            Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent the next hour pricking themselves or holding hot coals in their hands until they could feel nothing at all.

            "Harry! Hermione! Ron!" said Tonks as she slid into chair next to them halfway through lunch. "Would it be ok with you all if we moved my Metamorphmagus training to this evening? Dumbledore wants me to do something for him tomorrow."

            "That'd be fine," Ron said quickly while Harry nodded vigorously remembering Hermione had been pushing them both to start their 3-foot potions essay tonight.

            "Great," said Tonks helping herself to some of Mrs. Weasley's mashed potatoes.

            After dinner Harry, Hermione, and Ron once again climbed the stairs to the drawing room. When Hermione opened the door Tonks was no where to be seen. The room was silent except for the tiny plop, plop on the roof from the rain which began around midday.

            Harry sat on the carpet again, enjoying the shady darkness filtering from the bay window and the soothing sound of falling rain. Hermione sat next to him and Ron drifted off to look at a tapestry hanging on the far end of the room.

            Harry looked over at Hermione. She was fussing with a whole in the carpet but drew her eyes up when she felt Harry staring at her. Their eyes locked for what must have only been for a few seconds but Harry felt suddenly trapped inside her deep honey eyes. Hermione stared back into his eyes of jade and Harry felt the same urge from last night to touch her hair, to do something.

            The door swung open and Tonks strode in carrying her wand in one hand and a lantern in another.

            "Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find a lantern anywhere."

            She plopped down in front of Harry and Hermione who were now staring determinedly at the floor while Ron walked over and sat down next to Harry.

            "Ok, ok… Where do I start," said Tonks to herself, obviously at a loss as to how to start her lesson. "You see not everyone has the ability to be a Metamorphmagus. It's a very rare gift and those who have it, have to have shown signs of being able to change their appearance. Er… so I'm gonna have to test you all."

            She scooted toward Harry, causing their long shadows on the wall to warp slightly.

            "Ok Harry, this isn't gonna hurt or anything. I want you to think about your hair…" Harry smirked. He would much rather not think about the mop on his head that some people called his hair. Tonks smiled and continued. "Think about what your hair would look like slicked back and neat, not a hair out of place. Can you picture that?"

            Harry suddenly imagined his hair looking exactly like Draco Malfoy's but jet black. He shook his head, trying to clear the thought and settled his thoughts on his hair being combed back and sleek.

            "Now look at my eyes…" Tonks said and Harry peered into her amethyst eyes as they glimmered in the lantern light. He suddenly felt as though he couldn't move his eyes at all which was followed by a strange feeling on his head.

            Hermione gasped and Harry finally pulled his eyes away from Tonks and turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide but she had on an appreciative smile. Harry turned back to Tonks and his stomach gave a jolt. Tonks hair was no longer bubble-gum pink as it had been that afternoon, but looked exactly how Harry had imagined his neater hair.

            "Specchio!"  Tonks muttered and a beautiful silver mirror appeared in her hand.

            She handed it to Harry, who lifted it to his face.

            "AHH!" Harry yelled, promptly dropping the mirror causing it to shatter. Harry had just seen what Harry had once deemed impossible become possible. His hair was slicked back and gleaming which gave him a much more mature look.

            "Reparo!" said Tonks chuckling, her hair the exact copy of Harry's. "Just as I thought, ok your turn Hermione!"

            Tonks scooted over to face her. "Now Hermione, I want you to think about your hair…" Hermione smirked. Harry got the feeling she was thinking exactly what he had thought. "Think about your hair and what it would look like straight and shiny."

            Hermione closed her eyes clearly thinking.

            "Now look into my eyes," Tonks continued. Hermione did. For a moment nothing happened then quite abruptly Tonks' hair changed from Harry's slicked back look, to long strands of chestnut brown which wove itself into an elegant bun atop of her head. It looked exactly as Harry remembered Hermione's hair from the Yule Ball in their 4th year. Hermione's hair, now however, remained quite unchanged.

            Hermione pulled at a strand of her still-bushy hair looking confused.

            "What happened? Why didn't it work?" Hermione said picking up the mirror to check her appearance.

            Tonks sighed and turned to face Ron. She studied him for a moment before looking as though she made some sort of decision.

            "Ron, I want you to think about you nose…"

            Ron gave out a cry of indignation. "There's nothing wrong with my nose!" he said hotly.

            "I never said there was," said Tonks smiling. "C'mon Ron think about your lovely nose and imagine it…shorter. Imagine it smaller and curving in the middle. You know what I mean, the stereotypical perfect nose. You imagining that?

            Ron still looked quite flustered but he nodded. "Now look at my eyes…" Ron did so and as with Hermione, nothing happened for a moment until suddenly Tonks' nose changed into a perfect nose.

            Ron reached up and felt his nose, which had remained unchanged.

            Tonks sighed heavily again. "Well I don't know what I expected…"

            "What do mean? How come Ron and I couldn't do it?" said Hermione looking agitated.

            "Because Harry is the only Metamorphmagus out of you three. I said it was a rare gift. It would have been amazing if all of you could do it."

            "So Harry is the only one who can change his appearance?!" said Hermione looking extremely put out.

            "I'm afraid so. He will be the only one I can train to be a Metamorphmagus, but I will be able to teach all three of you about Concealment and Disguise. It's not that bad really," she said hurriedly to Hermione. "I had a feeling Harry could do it from that story he told about him growing his hair back."

            "So because I'm a Metamorphmagus I can change anything about me now!" said Harry excitedly.

            "Not anything, there are limitations. Metamorphmagi usually never usually try to alter their bodies, only their faces. Only the best of them attempt that and I would certainly not recommend you to do that. But your face and hair are open territory." Tonks explained.

            Despite the fact that he wouldn't be able to change his body, Harry was overcome with delight; he could finally get rid of something that had been with him for nearly fifteen years: his scar.  

            "Can I try my scar," Harry questioned, thinking now was a good as time as any.

            "Sure, I knew that was gonna be your first choice." Tonks scooted toward him again. "I don't think you're ready to do it on your own yet so I'll help you. Focus on what your forehead would look like blank and scar-free. Think hard and look at me," Tonks instructed.

            Hermione and Ron watched, intrigued. Harry looked into Tonks' eyes, thinking hard on a blank forehead. Once again he found it impossible to move his eyes from Tonks' which was followed by a peculiar feeling on his forehead.

            He looked at Tonks' forehead. It was not blank; there was a thin outline of a lightning bolt etched there. Harry seized the mirror and examined his own forehead. The scar was still there though fainter then it had originally been.

            "Hmm, that's strange Harry. You should have been able to get rid of it if you were thinking about a blank forehead. Unless…" said Tonks feeling the scar on her forehead. "Unless if your scar is so much a part of you that you can't get rid of it completely. I've heard it's possible. A person being so closely connected with a physical feature that essentially it is so much a part of them that it can not be concealed."

            "So that's all I am!? I'm my scar, my scar is who I am?" said Harry suddenly outraged.

            "No don't be ridiculous, Harry. You're not your scar. You are what you make yourself to be. All I'm saying is that it is so closely tied to you, it will not be hidden.

            Harry's anger ebbed away, but not his disappointment of not being rid of his scar…

            "So as custom with newly discovered male Metamorphmagi, he must let a girl make you over," announced Tonks, barely holding back a grin.

            "What!" yelled Harry suddenly no longer thinking about his scar.

            "Yeah, you have to let a girl make you over," said Tonks.

            "I do not! That's not a rule!" Harry said hotly.

            "I know, it's not a rule," said Tonks chuckling. "But you should let Hermione do it. Believe me, if you are transformed physically how one girl wants you to look, I can guarantee more will follow."

            Ron and Hermione were suddenly laughing. "C'mon Harry, let me do it!" Hermione exclaimed.

            Harry muttered something about liking the way he looked but gave up and moved to face Hermione.

            "Well there's not that much to change about him," Hermione said thoughtfully while Harry raised his eyebrows. "I kinda like his messy hair actually, maybe a bit shorter," said Hermione while Tonks nodded. Ron had stuffed his fist into his mouth, to stop from laughing. "We can't change his eyes of course," she added dreamily as she looked at him. "And his nose is fine the way it is. Oh, but we should definitely change your eyebrows. Their so bushy at the end…" said Hermione breaking off into a giggle.

            Harry scowled.

            "Ok, eyebrows it is Hermione. Harry, look at your eyebrows now," she said, handing him the mirror, "and imagine them not as bushy and no stray hairs. Can you picture that?"

            Harry nodded and Tonks continued. "Now I'm not gonna help you this time. Close your eyes and picture those eyebrows. Concentrate hard now, and imagine your old eyebrows changing to the new ones…"

            She trailed off and Harry thought hard and once again felt as though he couldn't move his eyes in his sockets. This was followed by a slight prickling by his eyes.

            He opened his eyes and looked in the mirror. He saw two identically sculpted eyebrows above his eyes. Wanting to complete the picture, Harry rumpled his hair out of its sleek combed appearance so that it was once again messy. Hermione leaned over to see him better.

            She smiled warmly at him. "There, now he's more than perfect."

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Next chapter coming soon. Keep reading! ~Michelle AD