A/N: Hey all! Everyone like the new HP book? It's getting a bit darker now eh?
Anyway:
"Speaking"
Thinking
Chapter 4- Friendship
Ron found Harry in the basement of Grimmauld place, wearing only pants with perspiration gleaming on his chest.
There were open books surrounding Harry, a quick glance at the closest one was Meditation: The pathway to your soul, but right now Harry was concentrating on a different book and adjusting the Katana in his hands to what the moving picture was telling him.
Ron silently watched Harry go through an exercise with his Katana, swinging it around in intricate slashes and blows against invisible enemies.
Ron jumped when Harry suddenly pulled a gun out and shot, all in one fluid motion, at a portrait. A portrait, Ron was amused to note, was a look alike of the Black Patriarch.
"Hey Ron, nothing like a good workout to start the day" Harry said cheerfully to him, holstering the Katana and gun.
"Frankly I prefer breakfast to this" Ron joked, Harry grinned at him and spread his arm, gesturing to the room.
"How do you like my training room? I found it just this morning, apparently some Blacks didn't hate muggles as much as they thought" Harry said gesturing in particular to the weaponry adorning the walls.
"You…you think you could teach me the stuff you know" Ron asked hesitantly, Harry shook his head and Ron sighed.
"I can't teach you…since well I'm learning myself, but you can learn with me" Harry said grinning.
Ron grinned back, and bounded over to where Harry was, "Ok, firstly let's do hand to hand combat. I bought loads of books and not all of them are muggle fighting either".
Harry placed a book on the makeshift pedestal that he had made and motioned for Ron to come closer.
"Apparently the muggle-born witches and wizards who made this book tried to combine as many styles as they knew so it should be pretty cool" Harry said flipping pages.
"Ok…here we go, the jab"
………..
Harry rubbed his shoulder, "nice one mate" said Harry to a puffed Ron.
"How do you make everything seem so easy though?" Ron panted and Harry shrugged with a ghost of a smile on his face.
"You know when people say that their 'instincts' guided their actions?" Harry asked, waiting for Ron to nod before continuing.
"Yeah, well its like that for me…but it's also more than that…I swear sometimes my instincts actually talk to me" Harry joked, Ron just looked at him.
Harry shrugged again, "Anyway, lets try some weapons out eh?" Ron hopped back up excited.
Harry laughed and got his Katana while Ron went over to a nearby wall to pick a weapon, he finally decided on a Katana like Harry's and went back to face his friend.
"Ok, let's do these moves" Harry said pointing to yet another book where moving pictures were showing them moves.
After a couple of swings and practice motions, Ron put back his Katana in disgust.
"How can you stand it? It has no power at all!" Ron exclaimed, Harry just laughed at him, "we all have our differences, you should try a heavier weapon then".
Ron had just picked up a Claymore, as it said on the plaque underneath it, when Moody limped into the room.
"So this is where you two have been hiding…interesting" he growled as he looked around the room.
"I came to tell you that Dumbledore put a ward over this house that allows you to do magic…he thinks it was safer this way anyway" Moody said gruffly as Harry and Ron started a merry jig when the heard the news.
"Keep it up" Moody said simply and limped back out of the room.
"This is so cool!" Ron exclaimed, "Yeah! And now we can duplicate the book so that you can look at the Claymore exercises while I look at the Katana ones" Harry agreed.
Harry pulled out his wand and was lost in thought for a few moments before he quietly muttered the duplication spell, causing an identical book to appear next to the original.
Ron flicked through the pages until he came upon the Claymore exercises, and then the promptly started practicing again.
………
Harry tightened his grip and lunged to the left, dodging a swing from Ron's claymore.
Ron swung back around at him, and Harry dodged again, but parried it as well subtly changing the large weapons direction, causing a gap in Ron's defense.
Harry lunged forward and jabbed at Ron's chest, where his Katana hit the body turned a vibrant red and made a beeping sound.
Ron groaned, "Again?" he said as numbers appeared between them, 3 next to Harry and 1 next to Ron.
"You wanna go again?" Ron asked, hefting his claymore into 'guard' stance.
Harry nodded and settled back the balls of his feet, watching Ron grow impatient.
A slight smirk passed across Harry's features as Ron did exactly what Harry thought he would do, charge at Harry with sword held high.
Harry waited until he was in range until dropping to his knees and slashing out, causing the red to appear on the back of Ron's legs.
After Harry just completed his attack, a blow to his back sent him to the floor.
Harry groaned and rolled over to see Ron grinning down at him and just in time to see Ron get the point.
"You hit me in the spine, didn't you" Harry asked, getting to his feet.
"Damn, you got the point…again?" Harry asked peering over his glasses at his red headed friend.
Ron nodded at him and tried to calm himself down so he wouldn't rush in.
As such, he was surprised when Harry, usually the one to wait until the first attack was struck, sprinting at him.
Ron swung an awkwardly at Harry as he neared, but Harry miraculously jumped the incoming blade to head straight at Ron.
Ron's eyes widened in shock and he hurried to raise his claymore, but he couldn't do it fast enough, Harry's Katana hit him in the collar bone, and to Ron's shock, again in the back of the neck as he flew by him and finally jabbing him in the back.
Harry stood panting behind Ron, Ron turned around, eyes still wide in awe and shock.
"Bloody hell, that was fast!" Ron exclaimed loudly, Harry shrugged at the unsaid question, "Instincts" he said simply.
"But I'm not going to let you do that again" Ron said assuming, once again, the 'guard' position.
Harry flourished his Katana and settled back, into what the book had called 'Battle stance' it was a combination of offense and defense.
They were just about to attack when a shrill voice interrupted them, "What are you two doing!" Hermione shrieked from the doorway.
Harry and Ron sighed in unison and dropped their swords, and attempted to explain what was happening to a pale Hermione.
………
"Well…it's certainly interesting" Hermione said finally, after hearing the story.
"But why are you, a sixteen year old boy, training so thoroughly?" Hermione asked, peering at him so hard, Harry could have sworn she was related to Dumbledore.
Harry sighed, he knew that she was hinting at the prophecy which she did not know…but Harry would bet she had investigated it.
Harry rubbed his temples and motioned for them to have a seat, "Ok…I'm going to give you two the brief version, if you want more answers, ask Dumbledore" Harry sighed, "Do you two remember what Voldemort was after, last year at the Ministry?" Harry asked them. "Supposedly he was looking for a prophecy" Hermione answered instantly.
"Yes…you are right Hermione, as always, but he already knew the first part of the prophecy, he just needed to know the last part".
"What has this got to do with you though?" Ron interrupted, Harry waved him off, "I was getting to that, the prophecy was about me and Voldemort…or it is now anyway" Harry said trailing off.
"To make it quick it says that since Voldemort marked me as equal" Harry paused to point to his forehead, "I have to kill him…to be precise, neither can live while the other survives".
There was a ringing silence after he finished this, Harry just studied his friends expressions.
Ron's hands were clenched tightly in his lap, and he had a look of anguish on his face.
Hermione had tears in her eyes, and too had her hands clenched in her lap.
"But you said mentioned just then that, it could have been someone else" Hermione said hopefully, recognizing Harry's masked statement.
"It was either me or Neville as we were both born as the seventh month dies, but since Voldemort chose me instead of Neville, I'm the one that has to…do the deed".
………...
"Harry! Ron!" Hermione squeaked, spotting 3 envelopes all sporting the Hogwarts crest, on the kitchen table.
Hermione lunged at it, holding it reverently. Ron suddenly looked queasy, reluctantly stepping forward to pick the envelope addressed to him.
Harry's face was an emotionless mask as he indifferently opened his envelope.
Potter, Harry James
OWL results
Outstanding: 3 OWLS
Exceeds Expectations: 2OWLS
Acceptable: 1 OWL
Poor: 0 OWLS
Terrible: 0 OWLS
Defense Against Dark Arts:
Theory: O
Practical: O
Overall: O
Potions:
Theory: O
Practical: EE
Overall: EE
Transfiguration:
Theory: EE
Practical: O
Overall: EE
Charms:
Theory: EE
Practical: O
Overall: O
Herbology:
Theory: A
Practical: A
Overall: A
Astronomy:
Theory: T
Practical: P
Overall: P
Care of Magical Creatures:
Theory: A
Practical: EE
Overall: A
Divination:
Theory: A
Practical: T
Overall: P
History of Magic:
Theory: P
Overall: P
Total OWLS: 12
Possible Choices:
Herbology
Care of Magical Creatures
Potions
Defense Against Dark Arts
Transfiguration
Charms
Harry smirked inwardly, As if potions is a possible lesson…Snape made it clear that only those with an Outstanding would make it.
Hermione squealed, "14 OWLS! 14, yes!" turning around and throwing her arms around Ron, who promptly turned a bright shade of red, told her weakly "I got 10".
"That's great Ron!" Hermione said stepping back from the tall red head and turned to Harry, who had been watching the exchange with interest, a crooked smile playing across his features.
"Me? I got 12" Harry told her, causing another bout of squealing.
"Oh, we have to go to Diagon Alley! There are so many books we need to get" Hermione gushed, ticking off a number of boxes on the accompanying sheet that came with the OWLS.
Ron made his way over to Harry, "Can't believe I got 10, what classes are you going take?"
Harry looked down at his own sheet for a moment before looking back up at his friend, "I'm going to take DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, and CoMC…I don't think I will get into potions" Harry said, handing over his OWL sheet to Ron to show his scores.
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Tonks bounding into the room.
"Ooo OWL scores! What'd ya get?" she asked all of them and grabbed each of their OWLS sheets and looked over them.
"Wow, you guys did really well" Tonks praised, handing them back their respective sheets.
"And we get to go shopping!" Tonks added excitedly.
Harry groaned, "Again…I've already been", Tonks shook her head, "but you don't have your school books…and last time we had the will and everything and this time we can get you new glasses or something…maybe with special powers!" Tonks said giggling at her own joke.
………….
Harry glanced around before approaching the Ex-Auror, "What is it Potter, aren't you about to go to Diagon Alley?" Moody asked not turning his head from the parchment he was reading.
"I…was wondering if you could put an enlargement charm on one my pockets, big enough for a Katana and a Handgun" Harry said quickly, glancing around again.
Moody looked up this time, both eyes traveling over Harry.
"Good idea…don't worry I wont tell anyone" Moody said finally, drawing his wand and casting a spell over one of Harry's pockets.
Harry thanked him, and hurried up to his room to get his weapons, adding a strap for his Katana after seeing if it could fit unseen.
Harry put his wand into another pocket just for another safety measure.
He nodded to himself, and raced out of his room towards the fire they were using to travel to Diagon Alley.
……………
Harry and Ron sat down on a bench, sighing in unison, laying down shopping bags full of their purchases and those they were forced to carry.
Harry took off his new glasses once again to admire them.
They were more sleek and more streamline than his old ones, and the cashier also gave him a manual because these glasses were unusual.
Harry sighed, Tonks took the manual as soon as he touched saying that it would be fun to play around with them.
Harry slipped them back on, and leant back, relaxing into the chair as Tonks and Hermione came out from a nearby store.
Tonks shrunk all their shopping bags and put them in her pocket, and sat down beside them.
Harry let his gaze wander around the street, taking in the sights that were Diagon Alley.
Harry's gaze lingered on a particularly shifty looking wizard in a large dark overcoat, who was glancing around nervously, backing towards a wall.
Harry watched him call forth his wand from it's holster in his sleeve, briefly exposing his bare forearm…a forearm that was adorned with a dark mark…the dark mark.
Harry jumped to his feet, not hearing the inquires of his friends as he raced towards the wizard.
Harry saw the wizard's lips start to move, he had still not noticed Harry.
When he was within a meter, Harry lunged forward and delivered a quick punch to the wind pipe just a green spell shot out of his wand.
Luckily the curse, hit high on the opposite wall of the alley thanks to Harry's timing, but the alley was in shock, screams echoing around the street.
Harry glanced down at the Deatheater that had crumpled down to the floor, gasping for breath.
Harry hit him quickly in the back of the head, making him slump forward unconscious.
His friends were running over to him, trying to get through the terrified crowd.
Tonks was by his side first, inspecting the fallen man.
"Holy shit Harry" she muttered, pulling back his sleeve to inspect his Dark Mark.
She was interrupted from continuing by more than a dozen loud pops all around the Alley.
Aurors and Deatheaters in equal amounts were appearing everywhere, soon enough spells were shooting between the two.
Shoppers raced for cover, whether cover was an upturned table or a shop.
"We have to get out of here now!" Tonks hissed to the three.
"How?" Hermione asked, "the Deatheaters are blocking the way to the Leaky Cauldron.
Harry glanced up, the roofs are all flat…we could hop across and enter one of the upper storey windows of the Leaky Cauldron, Harry thought to himself.
"The roofs" Harry said to them, before running at the wall, getting one or two steps on the vertical wall before stretching out to the lip of the roof, but he only succeeded in brushing it with his fingers.
Harry stepped backward a few paces and tried again, this time getting a firm hold on the roof, he heaved himself up onto the roof.
Harry laid down on his stomach and approached the lip again, letting his hands drop over the edge and beckoned for Hermione to attempt it.
Hermione took a deep breath and jumped up, just grabbing onto Harry's hands.
Harry pulled upwards, grunting with effort, finally he managed to pull Hermione up onto the roof.
He then did the same for both Ron and Tonks.
….
They stealthily jumped from roof to roof, occasionally stopping to keep quiet or for Harry to stare out into the battle as if he wished to join in.
Eventually they came to the gap between the last roof and a window into a Leaky Cauldron bedroom.
Tonks muttered a spell, vanishing the glass from windowsill.
Harry went first jumping through the window sill tucking into a roll as he hit the ground.
Harry looked up seeing black robes and a white mask, the Deatheater stared at him in surprise for a moment before raising his wand up fast.
But Harry was faster, pulling his Katana out of his enlarged pocket in a wide arc, gouging the Deatheater.
What Harry didn't expect was the Deatheater waiting behind the fallen dark wizard at Harry's feet, and before he knew it, Harry had been blown of his feet and slammed into the bedroom wall.
"Potter…well this is my lucky day" the Deatheater said, and Harry could literally hear the sneer in the man's voice.
The Deatheater raised his wand, but got distracted by Ron rolling in through the window, followed quickly by Hermione.
The Deatheater turned and raised his wand, "Avada-
Harry's mind closed down…only one thought remained, eliminate the threat.
Harry pulled the first thing he thought of, his wand, "Stupefy!" Harry roared fiery red light exploded out of his wand, slamming the Deatheater in the back, smashing the wizard into the nearby wall.
Tonks rolled into the room just as the Deatheater slumped into unconsciousness.
"Let's go now" Harry growled, strapping his Katana to his back.
Harry led them out with Tonks covering their backs.
"Harry, you used magic" Hermione whispered shocked.
"If this doesn't classify as an emergency I don't know what is" Harry retorted, Ron nodded and drew his wand as well.
And after brief hesitation, Hermione brought out her wand as well.
A door slammed open to their left, they all whirled around wands high, A Deatheater stormed out, Tonks was the fastest, hitting the man with a stunning hex, followed by a binding charm.
Harry stepped into the room, to see a naked girl, barely in her teenage years, lying dead on the bed.
Anger coursed through his veins like never before, he didn't even know this girl, but he knew she didn't deserve what had happened to her.
"This won't go on any longer…I swear it" Harry whispered, Tonks, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks behind his back.
"Harry, we really must be going" Tonks said tugging on the back of Harry's shirt.
Harry nodded and crept down the stairs with Ron and Hermione following him, they met a lone Deatheater at the bottom of the stairs. He had just gotten a look at him when 4 stunners hit him.
They carried on, the sound of a battle getting louder and louder.
They appeared on the Deatheater side of the room across from Tom and a dozen other bar patrons fighting for the Bar.
Harry held up his hand and silently counting down from five with his fingers, when his last finger dropped. They all fired stunners into different Deatheaters, Harry's fingers twitched, as if he was longing to draw his Katana and engage into close combat.
Harry let loose a hoarse yell and fired a banishing charm, dislocating the shoulder of the closest Deatheater.
Being fired on from both sides now, the Deatheaters were slowly being felled one by one.
A flash of green light, attracting everyone's attention, but they were surprised when it came, not from a Deatheater, but from one of the Bar patrons.
Harry was the first to react after the brief pause, firing a stunner point black into the back of a Deatheater's head.
……..
A cheer went up when the last Deatheater fell to a multitude of stunners.
Harry wandered over the man that had killed the Deatheater.
The man looked up to see him coming; he had dark brown eyes, straggly black hair that came to his shoulders.
"Come to tell me that what I did wasn't right? Because you're too late, I've already been lectured" The man said bitterly.
"No, I'm not…I just wanted to ask why…not many have the guts to actually kill" Harry said staring at the man with intense green eyes.
"You're Harry Potter!" The man exclaimed, Harry nodded, "yes, but you didn't answer my question".
The older man sighed, "they killed my daughter…not before raping her before my eyes".
"I just want to get back at them, they think the worst that will happen to them is that they get sent to Askaban…it shouldn't be so!" The man said loudly.
"I just want vengeance" the man whispered finally.
Harry placed a hand on his shoulder, "You and me both"
A/N: well, another Diagon Alley visit, but I just wanted to put some more fights in before Hogwarts.
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