Harry Potter and the Return to Hogwarts, 8th Year

Chapter Twenty-Five – Training Begins

Later that day Harry was released from the hospital wing in the department of mysteries. He and Ginny were sent back to Marcus' lab to go over their results. Once they arrived they found the lab empty. They sat down for about an hour before Marcus returned.

"Alright. Despite a few glitches today we've been able to collect enough data." Said Marcus as he walked into the room. He quickly crossed over to the chair in front of Harry and Ginny before sitting. "Harry, we were able to discover which of the two souls was yours. However we must take the other one into consideration as it, no doubt, has an effect on you. Still your magical core has one of the greatest potentials we've ever seen here. The raw amount of power in your soul is astounding. You have been classified as gold. You're current level of controllable power is also astounding, taking into consideration your age." he said reading the file on Harry before turning the page. "Ginevra Molly Weasley. You also were rated gold. Your magical core potential is nothing short of amazing as well. I dare say the two of you will be a thorn in the side of darkness for many years to come." He joked. "Your current level of controllable power however is not as high as we should like. Don't worry though. That should be fixed in a week or so. Alright just sit right here and Kail will be with you shortly." Marcus said standing up slowly. He gave the two a nod before leaving again.

"Is gold good?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I'd assume so." Harry replied with a smile.

"Oh shut up." she laughed just as the doors flung open.

"ATTENTION!" shouted a rather tall and well built man. His hair was shortly cropped and his face wore a few scars. Harry and Ginny shot up to their feet in surprise. The man turned to face them sharply before looking them both in the eyes. "I am Kail. I will be your instructor for the next few weeks. Since I haven't the normally required time to train you into competent soldiers I will push you beyond your limits. I will make you feel more pain than you have ever felt before, use more strength than you knew you had and maybe even make you something more than the pathetic excuses for magic users I see before me!" Harry and Ginny stood in shock as the man continued to shout his words at them. He stared them down for a good minute before a smile broke out on his face. "I'm just messin' with ya. I'm not the type to yell orders all day but everything I just said is absolutely true. The next few weeks will not be easy. This is your last chance to back out."

"Sir. Trust me when I say anything you can teach me is appreciated." Harry said stepping forward with his arm out. Kail grabbed his hand firmly with a shake.

"And you?" he asked turning to Ginny.

"I'll never leave him so you're stuck with me." She said with a cocky tone. Kail chuckled a little before turning back to Harry.

"Very well. Follow me." He said before leading them out of the lab and down a path to the left. After passing several desks they came to a black door. Kail opened it and led them into a barracks. There were dozens of bunks lining the walls as they continued through. As they approached the end of the barracks Kail stopped and pointed to the last bunk. "This will be your quarters. You will wake at 6:00am for physical training. After physical training at 8:00am is breakfast. At 9:00am is meditation until noon when we break for lunch. After lunch at 1:00pm is combat training. When that is over at 4:00pm is your free period. Use it wisely because there will seldom be more time to yourselves. Dinner is at 6:00pm. At 7:00pm is your educational period until 9:00pm which then I suggest turning in. Lights out is at 11:00pm. Any questions?"

"Will you be showing us where to go tomorrow?" Harry asked hoping he hadn't missed the tour.

"Of course Potter. I'll see you bright and early." He said with a smile before crossing the barracks and out the door.

"Top bunk" Ginny said climbing up onto the top bed. Harry was gonna fight over it but when he noticed the view of Ginny's butt when she climbed the ladder he decided that it was probably best that she had the top bunk. "You pervert!" she shouted playfully as she turned to see him staring at her rear.

"No...it's not what it looked like!" Harry said in a panic.

"Oh really? Then what were you doing besides staring at my arse?" She asked grinning.

"Err...staring at your arse." He said with a smile. She just laughed and sat down.

"We should probably get ready. Lights out is only in an hour."

"An hour? You mean I was unconscious almost all day?"

"Yeah." She said with a frown.

The next morning at 5:50am the lights of the barracks turned on and routinely everyone got out of bed and started to depart. Harry and Ginny waited at their bunk until Kail showed up at six.

"You ready?" Kail asked in a very perky voice. Too perky for the ungodly hour they had to wake up at.

"Oh yeah." Harry replied with a forced tone of excitement. Ginny held back a laugh at Harry's sarcasm.

"Great. Hope you two can run. We've got 5k to pump out this morning." Kail replied turning and leading them out of the barracks. Harry and Ginny dragged along behind him. Eventually he lead them to a giant fireplace at the back of the office room. Once the three of them were inside he pulled out some red powder from a small pouch hanging from his belt.

"Great. Floo travel." Harry muttered quietly.

"Terrance Court." Kail said ignoring Harry and throwing down the powder. Purple flames shot up and engulfed the trio sending them to a lone fire pit in the middle of an open field spotted with random ruins of old buildings. Kail walked forward and stared out at the field. "This used to be a magical military camp before world war 2. The finest wizards and witches came here to train. Unfortunately the German bombers leveled it almost immediately after the raids started. Now it serves as your personal hell." He said in a serious tone. He began to stretch his legs for a few minutes before turning to Harry and Ginny. "Follow me and try to keep up." He took off a fairly quick pace to round the field at the tree line. Harry and Ginny followed after him keeping up fairly well. They lapped the field six times before Kail came to a stop. His breath was even and relaxed as he turned to his panting students. "Not bad. Usually the new recruits only make it about four kilometers."

"Thanks." Ginny managed to say between pants.

"Oh that was easy." Harry joked again. He too was struggling to catch his breath.

"I'm glad to hear that because tomorrow we run 6k. Everyday we will add a kilometer to our quota." Kail said stretching out his legs again.

"Brilliant." Harry said in a cold voice.

"Alright. Everyone on to the fire pit." Kail said motioning for them to join him. Harry and Ginny quickly scrambled to the burnt patch on the ground before Kail again grabbed his floo powder from a pouch on his belt. "Control." He said before throwing the powder down and the three were engulfed in purple flames once more.

After breakfast Kail took Harry and Ginny to spherical shaped room The only things in the room were a few cushions on the ground. The walls were made of a very reflective silver metal which showed a thousand copies of the three occupants in the room.

"Alright please have a seat." Kail said sitting cross-legged on one of the cusions. After Harry and Ginny sat he nodded slightly. "Now I will teach you how to stretch your magical core. Close your eyes and breath deep and slow. Imagine seeing yourself from above, like you are a ghost floating over head. Can you see yourselves?"

"Yeah." Harry and Ginny replied almost in unison.

"Good. Now imagine a field of energy completely covering your body, almost like a body suit. Can you see it?"

"Yes." The others again replied.

"What color do you see Harry?"

"Er...white?" Harry replied not sure if he was being serious.

"And you Ginny?" Kail asked ignoring Harry's hesitation.

"Red." She replied calmly

"Good. Very good. The white aura is one of pure intentions and self-sacrifice Harry. Focus now on your protective feelings for your friends and loved ones. How you would do anything for them. Die for them and even kill for them. Can you feel it?"

"Yes." Harry replied searching his heart and mind. A warm feeling was starting to emanate from his chest as he continued to focus.

"Let the feeling fill you up. Focus on nothing else but this feeling. If something else comes to mind put it behind a door and lock it Harry. Can you do that?"

"It's done." Harry replied distantly.

"Good. Ginny the red aura is passion and strength. Focus now on the love you have found and the determination to be the best you can be for him. Think about how you strive to be better. Are you there yet?"

"I'm here." She replied almost in a trance.

"You're doing great. Take that feeling and let it fill you up until you burst."

"Okay."

"Now use that feeling to push out the aura to make it a sphere that surrounds your body like a bubble. Focus all your mind on that feeling. Imagine the feeling pouring out of your body to inflate the bubble around you. Are you doing it?"

"Yeah." They replied.

"Then let us continue." He said before closing his eyes and focusing on his aura. The three of them slipped out of time and space, lost in the worlds of their minds.

"Times up." Kail said pulling hem back from the real world. Harry and Ginny both opened their eyes slowly as if they were sleeping. Harry was surprised that even though he hadn't been doing any rigorous activities since breakfast he felt more worn out now than after his run. "Don't stand up yet. Your body needs to recuperate for a moment first." He warned.

"I feel exhausted." Ginny said in a weak voice.

"Good. If you don't then you didn't do it right. It takes a lot out of you to stretch your core." he said before jumping to his feet. "Lunch time."

After lunch the three of them returned to Terrance Court. This time Kail had told them to sit down while he checked on something. He left, walking into the trees to the south.

"Where do you think he is?" Ginny asked after fifteen minutes.

"I'm not sure." Harry replied looking toward the spot where he walked into the woods. It was a good thing he did otherwise he might have missed to red light shooting towards him. Quickly he jumped to his feet and threw Ginny out of the way. After the spell hit the ground, blowing a nice whole in it, he grabbed Ginny and ducked behind a chunk of a ruined building. "It's a test." He said pulling out his wand. Harry knew that if he could land a spell it would be game over. There was no way Kail was expecting this.

Harry poked his head out from behind the cover and watched. One he saw the flash of a spell being cast he jumped out casting a silent stunner at the location of the spells origin. A cold tingle bit at Harry's neck from behind causing him to whip around. He caught a glimpse of Kail ducking behind a tree. "Reducto!" Harry yelled causing the tree to explode into splinters.

"Stupefy!" Ginny yelled shooting past Harry to his right. Harry turned and caught a quick blur running to different shelter.

"Man he's fast." Harry said moving so that the ruin was between them and Kail.

"He's using his resources Harry. We can apparate too."

"Smart thinking." He said before disappearing with a pop. He reappeared behind where he thought Kail was, which is precisely where Kail wanted him. The last thing Harry saw was Ginny's face as he was stunned from behind.

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A.N.

Thanks to everyone for reviewing. Tabitha of MoonAurora, Bloom4Sky and fruityloops156. I really appreciate the support. I know that the summer seems pretty long so far but don't worry. They'll be getting to Hogwarts shortly.