Disclaimer in chapter 1. Chapter 25: In Which Lessons are Given
Chapter 25:
Ron appeared at the top of the astronomy tower stairs, fidgeting nervously. It was time for his first training session. Like that first time he appeared in the tower, the rope ladder descended on it's own accord. He went up and his training as a Seer officially began.
Again Ron was amazed (slightly) by the changes in the room. The windows were open, letting in the bright sunlight and the gentle breeze. The room had been transformed from a den of gloom and doom to a natural place of light and air. Cassandra sat by the window, watching the sunrise and looking out across the grounds. She turned to look at him, and smiled at his nervousness.
"Relax, Ron. You have nothing to worry about." Ron relaxed slightly and gave a small grin.
"I know, it's just, I'm not a very good student and I never took much stock in Divination and now I'm-"
"A Seer, the ultimate Diviner."
"Exactly." Cassandra smiled at him again and gestured to a chair near hers. He sat before she spoke.
"I understand this is a little hard for you to believe, even to a pureblood like yourself, though – a muggle-born might accept it better."
"Eh?"
"Think about it this way. A person, raised by muggles who know nothing of magic, and therefore the boundaries of magic, finds out that he or she is a wizard, they learn to accept everything as possible, since so much that they thought impossible is. A pureblood, or wizard-born, knows the boundaries and is a lot less likely to believe in something beyond them." She stopped, realizing that she had lost her audience. She sighed. "Nevermind. I think too much anyway. The point I was trying to make is, this will be beyond anything you have ever learned, seen, or heard of before, yet it will be as natural as breathing. Are you ready to begin?" Ron took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'm ready."
The Dungeons
Severus' chambers were always cold, no matter what. They were, however, dry, well lit, and soundproof. The inhabitants of the room, however, were not concerned with the cold, the dryness, the lighting, or the sound- proofing. (last night however…)
They lay entwined among the cotton sheets on Severus' bed. Methos had been awake for a few minutes, but didn't move, not wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of his lover's arms, but knowing he had to. It was Sunday mourning and he knew that if he wanted his exorcize he had to get up soon. Steeling himself he pulled away from his lover. With a note on the desk and a quick tender kiss on his forehead, Methos left.
In the Astronomy Tower
"Close your eyes and empty your mind. Don't think of anything. Let it all go. You are calm. You are at peace. All you can here is the sound of my voice. Concentrate on your breathing. Think of nothing else. Breathe in and hold…two…three…four and breathe out…two…three…four. When you regulate your breathing, block out my voice and clear your mind. Breathe in…two…three…four…"Cassandra's voice faded from Ron's consciousness as he tried to calm his fast-flying mind.
He was sitting on the floor of the astronomy tower, his long thin legs folded under him, looking remarkably like a pretzel. Cassandra sat across from him, instructing him on clearing his mind, the first step in learning to meditate. When he could slip into this stage without any difficulty, he would be ready for the next stage, where he could invite the visions without pain. Now, the clearing of his mind would help to dull the pain and organize his mind.
He was doing surprisingly well (or so he thought. He never gave himself enough credit.) His mind wasn't that disorderly to begin with (from years of playing and winning at chess). They might be able to start talking about interpreting his visions next class if he kept at this rate. Cassandra checked her internal clock. Another half an hour and she would give him a break.
In an Old Abandoned Classroom
Small droplets of sweat flew in every direction as Methos twirled, bringing his sword up to bear, slashing and stabbing at an invisible opponent. His movements were graceful, flowing like water then striking like lightning. With a snap he brought his sword up in front of him, standing at attention. He spun, sword at the ready when he heard the clapping behind him. His sword dropped slightly in relief as his audience was revealed.
"Severus."
"You're very good, Methos."
"I have to be. How else could I have survived 5000 years?" Severus smiled, and Methos continued. "Why are you here?"
"I came to watch you work, why else? I must say I'm very impressed. Dad was by no means a poor fighter and I have a feeling you could have taken him in three moves." Methos smirked.
"Probably…but only by cheating."
"Cheating?"
"Knives, daggers, guns…cheating. I haven't stayed alive this long by always playing by the rules. Sometimes the rules say you loose, and that I cannot accept." Severus nodded in agreement gravely. Methos regarded him seriously for a moment. "You ever handle one of these before?" He said, indicating the sword. Severus nodded slowly.
"When I was little. My dad felt it was important for everyone to be able to defend themselves by any means necessary, so he started teaching me the basics when I was about five. After he died I stopped practicing. That was ten years ago, a lifetime." Severus trailed off, his eyes nostalgic. Methos grinned.
"You want to learn more?" Severus paused, then a grin slowly crept along his face as well.
"Most definitely."
The Astronomy Tower
"Are you calm?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Hesitant.
"You don't sound sure."
"I'm sure." More confident.
"Good. Open your eyes." Slowly Ron opened his eyes, blinking against the suddenly bright light. "as you go through the day, this calm that you feel will dissipate. Try to stay as calm as possible and whenever you feel yourself get too excited, do your breathing and calm yourself as we have done here. Your emotions will open the door to the visions, and without your mind properly trained you will end up in the medical wing again."
"Will the visions always hurt?" Ron sounded resigned. Cassandra smiled comfortingly at him.
"No. As your training progresses you will feel their pain less and less until the visions no longer hurt. But, you must keep you mind calm and organized." Ron nodded, already finding it hard to stay calm. The good news is that visions don't come very often, only when something big is going to happen." Ron smiled wryly.
"With Harry Potter as my best friend, it'll be hard to stay away from the big stuff." Cassandra laughed and stood, motioning Ron to his feet. He groaned as he stood, his legs protesting being folded like a pretzel for the past two and a half hours.
"Stiff?"
"Yeah…I'm not used to sitting like that." Cassandra smiled.
"That too will come in time." Cassandra put a hand on his shoulder as she walked him back to the trapdoor. "Congratulations Ron. You've taken your first step into a fantastical world."
The Abandoned Classroom
The two men moved in perfect unison, dancing their way across the floor in a simple, yet elegant kata. Both were shirtless, showing pale skn and shapely muscles, especially on the clean-shaven one. Their skin glistened with sweat as they moved in their controlled manner. Though they were perspiring and muscles were starting to twitch from strain, they remained in control of their movements and breathing. With one final snap, they stood at attention, swords raised.
Methos moved first. He checked posture, sword angle, and the stance of Severus. Deeming it satisfactory Methos nodded to Severus, indicating that he could move. He did. He stood up strait and started to move to the clothes. Methos stopped him.
"We're not done yet. Come back here." Severus stopped, hung his head, turned, raised his head and shuffled back to Methos. "Kneel." Methos said, kneeling himself, 'and listen to me. The most important part of the exorcize is the cool down. Without a cool down, you can do more damage than good. Stretching is perfect, because it gains you flexibility. Muscles will stay for weeks after you leave the gym. Flexibility will decrease by half within the week." Severus nodded. "Any questions?"
"How often can we train?"
"Every Sunday. Once extra during the week if it can be spared and we'll go runny a few times per week. Next time we come here, bring water and a towel too. You'll need it." Severus nodded again and Methos clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't teach often, and when I do I expect noting less than perfection. I can be a real ass and a major jerk at times, but it's so that you learn. I'm sure you're familiar with the tactic." Severus laughed shortly in agreement. "I have a feeling you'll meet my challenge beautifully." The hand on Severus' shoulder lightened it's grip and ghosted it's way up to cup the back of Severus' head. Methos pulled him closer and kissed him, tasting the salt of sweat and the sweet that was Severus. He felt Severus' arms come around him to settle on his waist and he brought his other hand up to cup the other side of Severus' face. They stayed like that, oblivious to the world, before Severus' leg twitched and threatened to give out. Methos pulled away and grinned.
"Lets get you horizontal." Severus grinned back and gave a playful nip to Methos' nose. Methos laughed delightedly and half pulled half led Severus back to his rooms (which were closer). They met no one in the halls and barely made it to the rooms before they could get in trouble for public indecency.
TBC.
There. A Severus/Methos moment. I want to thank the play Blood Brothers, which my school put on and allowed me to have a week full of free periods. Mel, the show rocks! Great job! Again there was another Star Warsian type line in here. Did you catch it? No? read it again. Next time, The First Qudditch Match! Oh, and if you have any more prank ideas, I'm still collecting them. If any of you want to draw any PICTURES for this story, e- mail them to me and I'll post them on my webpage along with this story. Thanks!
WyldeHorse – Sorry for the understatement. Thank you SOOOO MUCH!!! For the prank ideas. I was afraid I would have to have just one prank each and only hint at the rest. That would suck, wouldn't it? Thanks again.
Annakas – I liked writing that gossip scene. It was fun to do. I was giggling in class so much; people were starting to think I hade eaten from the sugar bowl again. I still am unsure about what will happen with the Sevvie/pre-immie thing, so anything I saw now can change.
Vampire Child- You were right. Sevvie/Methos action
Cyanide Queen – Tanks for the pranks. You gave me a great idea for the twins next prank!!!! Thank you !!!!!
Aurumlupi – Yes, he turned the store green. Sorry if that was unclear. I put the cat in on a whim and, like everything else like that, he will become a subplot…but not in this story, in the next one.
Vertigo – ok…thank you, thank you for your applause! I will be giving out autographs after the show…lol!
Tea – No need to beg. I'm gonna keep going. Um…I don't want to sound ignorant, but I'm not up to date on Japanese terms (which I think this is.) what is "bishi"?
Jaded Myethos – I'm glad you liked it. The twins will find out. The teachers will know before the school, but the students wont. Not in this story. That's too much of an issue for one story. In the sequel they'll find out. The only students that will know are Harry and Co. um…G.O.D.W.A.?
Dreamer of Impossible Dreams – I AM CORNHOLIO I NEED TP FOR MY BUNGHOLE! I do not think The Twins will be up to date on Bevis and Butthead, but it is my story and the author is all-powerful…hmmm…hint taken
Lady Cinnibar – thanks for your pranks. Oh, it rhymes! Tenderhooks? Sound painful…next chapter will be up tonight. No posting tomorrow, but by the end of next week. I'm taking a break for my birthday (March 17) Thanx again!
Cal – I'm glad I could help, and thanks for the luck. – that's a great prank idea, thank you!
SilverCatOfBast – I'm glad you got them back. I thought you would like the cat. See the above answers for what will happen with the kitten. I don't want to re-write it. I understand not knowing pranks, I'm the same way. I don't mind if you ramble. I love reading reviews!
Well, Till next time, all! I'm going to go celebrate my Birthday now. Ta- ta!
Chapter 25:
Ron appeared at the top of the astronomy tower stairs, fidgeting nervously. It was time for his first training session. Like that first time he appeared in the tower, the rope ladder descended on it's own accord. He went up and his training as a Seer officially began.
Again Ron was amazed (slightly) by the changes in the room. The windows were open, letting in the bright sunlight and the gentle breeze. The room had been transformed from a den of gloom and doom to a natural place of light and air. Cassandra sat by the window, watching the sunrise and looking out across the grounds. She turned to look at him, and smiled at his nervousness.
"Relax, Ron. You have nothing to worry about." Ron relaxed slightly and gave a small grin.
"I know, it's just, I'm not a very good student and I never took much stock in Divination and now I'm-"
"A Seer, the ultimate Diviner."
"Exactly." Cassandra smiled at him again and gestured to a chair near hers. He sat before she spoke.
"I understand this is a little hard for you to believe, even to a pureblood like yourself, though – a muggle-born might accept it better."
"Eh?"
"Think about it this way. A person, raised by muggles who know nothing of magic, and therefore the boundaries of magic, finds out that he or she is a wizard, they learn to accept everything as possible, since so much that they thought impossible is. A pureblood, or wizard-born, knows the boundaries and is a lot less likely to believe in something beyond them." She stopped, realizing that she had lost her audience. She sighed. "Nevermind. I think too much anyway. The point I was trying to make is, this will be beyond anything you have ever learned, seen, or heard of before, yet it will be as natural as breathing. Are you ready to begin?" Ron took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'm ready."
The Dungeons
Severus' chambers were always cold, no matter what. They were, however, dry, well lit, and soundproof. The inhabitants of the room, however, were not concerned with the cold, the dryness, the lighting, or the sound- proofing. (last night however…)
They lay entwined among the cotton sheets on Severus' bed. Methos had been awake for a few minutes, but didn't move, not wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of his lover's arms, but knowing he had to. It was Sunday mourning and he knew that if he wanted his exorcize he had to get up soon. Steeling himself he pulled away from his lover. With a note on the desk and a quick tender kiss on his forehead, Methos left.
In the Astronomy Tower
"Close your eyes and empty your mind. Don't think of anything. Let it all go. You are calm. You are at peace. All you can here is the sound of my voice. Concentrate on your breathing. Think of nothing else. Breathe in and hold…two…three…four and breathe out…two…three…four. When you regulate your breathing, block out my voice and clear your mind. Breathe in…two…three…four…"Cassandra's voice faded from Ron's consciousness as he tried to calm his fast-flying mind.
He was sitting on the floor of the astronomy tower, his long thin legs folded under him, looking remarkably like a pretzel. Cassandra sat across from him, instructing him on clearing his mind, the first step in learning to meditate. When he could slip into this stage without any difficulty, he would be ready for the next stage, where he could invite the visions without pain. Now, the clearing of his mind would help to dull the pain and organize his mind.
He was doing surprisingly well (or so he thought. He never gave himself enough credit.) His mind wasn't that disorderly to begin with (from years of playing and winning at chess). They might be able to start talking about interpreting his visions next class if he kept at this rate. Cassandra checked her internal clock. Another half an hour and she would give him a break.
In an Old Abandoned Classroom
Small droplets of sweat flew in every direction as Methos twirled, bringing his sword up to bear, slashing and stabbing at an invisible opponent. His movements were graceful, flowing like water then striking like lightning. With a snap he brought his sword up in front of him, standing at attention. He spun, sword at the ready when he heard the clapping behind him. His sword dropped slightly in relief as his audience was revealed.
"Severus."
"You're very good, Methos."
"I have to be. How else could I have survived 5000 years?" Severus smiled, and Methos continued. "Why are you here?"
"I came to watch you work, why else? I must say I'm very impressed. Dad was by no means a poor fighter and I have a feeling you could have taken him in three moves." Methos smirked.
"Probably…but only by cheating."
"Cheating?"
"Knives, daggers, guns…cheating. I haven't stayed alive this long by always playing by the rules. Sometimes the rules say you loose, and that I cannot accept." Severus nodded in agreement gravely. Methos regarded him seriously for a moment. "You ever handle one of these before?" He said, indicating the sword. Severus nodded slowly.
"When I was little. My dad felt it was important for everyone to be able to defend themselves by any means necessary, so he started teaching me the basics when I was about five. After he died I stopped practicing. That was ten years ago, a lifetime." Severus trailed off, his eyes nostalgic. Methos grinned.
"You want to learn more?" Severus paused, then a grin slowly crept along his face as well.
"Most definitely."
The Astronomy Tower
"Are you calm?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Hesitant.
"You don't sound sure."
"I'm sure." More confident.
"Good. Open your eyes." Slowly Ron opened his eyes, blinking against the suddenly bright light. "as you go through the day, this calm that you feel will dissipate. Try to stay as calm as possible and whenever you feel yourself get too excited, do your breathing and calm yourself as we have done here. Your emotions will open the door to the visions, and without your mind properly trained you will end up in the medical wing again."
"Will the visions always hurt?" Ron sounded resigned. Cassandra smiled comfortingly at him.
"No. As your training progresses you will feel their pain less and less until the visions no longer hurt. But, you must keep you mind calm and organized." Ron nodded, already finding it hard to stay calm. The good news is that visions don't come very often, only when something big is going to happen." Ron smiled wryly.
"With Harry Potter as my best friend, it'll be hard to stay away from the big stuff." Cassandra laughed and stood, motioning Ron to his feet. He groaned as he stood, his legs protesting being folded like a pretzel for the past two and a half hours.
"Stiff?"
"Yeah…I'm not used to sitting like that." Cassandra smiled.
"That too will come in time." Cassandra put a hand on his shoulder as she walked him back to the trapdoor. "Congratulations Ron. You've taken your first step into a fantastical world."
The Abandoned Classroom
The two men moved in perfect unison, dancing their way across the floor in a simple, yet elegant kata. Both were shirtless, showing pale skn and shapely muscles, especially on the clean-shaven one. Their skin glistened with sweat as they moved in their controlled manner. Though they were perspiring and muscles were starting to twitch from strain, they remained in control of their movements and breathing. With one final snap, they stood at attention, swords raised.
Methos moved first. He checked posture, sword angle, and the stance of Severus. Deeming it satisfactory Methos nodded to Severus, indicating that he could move. He did. He stood up strait and started to move to the clothes. Methos stopped him.
"We're not done yet. Come back here." Severus stopped, hung his head, turned, raised his head and shuffled back to Methos. "Kneel." Methos said, kneeling himself, 'and listen to me. The most important part of the exorcize is the cool down. Without a cool down, you can do more damage than good. Stretching is perfect, because it gains you flexibility. Muscles will stay for weeks after you leave the gym. Flexibility will decrease by half within the week." Severus nodded. "Any questions?"
"How often can we train?"
"Every Sunday. Once extra during the week if it can be spared and we'll go runny a few times per week. Next time we come here, bring water and a towel too. You'll need it." Severus nodded again and Methos clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't teach often, and when I do I expect noting less than perfection. I can be a real ass and a major jerk at times, but it's so that you learn. I'm sure you're familiar with the tactic." Severus laughed shortly in agreement. "I have a feeling you'll meet my challenge beautifully." The hand on Severus' shoulder lightened it's grip and ghosted it's way up to cup the back of Severus' head. Methos pulled him closer and kissed him, tasting the salt of sweat and the sweet that was Severus. He felt Severus' arms come around him to settle on his waist and he brought his other hand up to cup the other side of Severus' face. They stayed like that, oblivious to the world, before Severus' leg twitched and threatened to give out. Methos pulled away and grinned.
"Lets get you horizontal." Severus grinned back and gave a playful nip to Methos' nose. Methos laughed delightedly and half pulled half led Severus back to his rooms (which were closer). They met no one in the halls and barely made it to the rooms before they could get in trouble for public indecency.
TBC.
There. A Severus/Methos moment. I want to thank the play Blood Brothers, which my school put on and allowed me to have a week full of free periods. Mel, the show rocks! Great job! Again there was another Star Warsian type line in here. Did you catch it? No? read it again. Next time, The First Qudditch Match! Oh, and if you have any more prank ideas, I'm still collecting them. If any of you want to draw any PICTURES for this story, e- mail them to me and I'll post them on my webpage along with this story. Thanks!
WyldeHorse – Sorry for the understatement. Thank you SOOOO MUCH!!! For the prank ideas. I was afraid I would have to have just one prank each and only hint at the rest. That would suck, wouldn't it? Thanks again.
Annakas – I liked writing that gossip scene. It was fun to do. I was giggling in class so much; people were starting to think I hade eaten from the sugar bowl again. I still am unsure about what will happen with the Sevvie/pre-immie thing, so anything I saw now can change.
Vampire Child- You were right. Sevvie/Methos action
Cyanide Queen – Tanks for the pranks. You gave me a great idea for the twins next prank!!!! Thank you !!!!!
Aurumlupi – Yes, he turned the store green. Sorry if that was unclear. I put the cat in on a whim and, like everything else like that, he will become a subplot…but not in this story, in the next one.
Vertigo – ok…thank you, thank you for your applause! I will be giving out autographs after the show…lol!
Tea – No need to beg. I'm gonna keep going. Um…I don't want to sound ignorant, but I'm not up to date on Japanese terms (which I think this is.) what is "bishi"?
Jaded Myethos – I'm glad you liked it. The twins will find out. The teachers will know before the school, but the students wont. Not in this story. That's too much of an issue for one story. In the sequel they'll find out. The only students that will know are Harry and Co. um…G.O.D.W.A.?
Dreamer of Impossible Dreams – I AM CORNHOLIO I NEED TP FOR MY BUNGHOLE! I do not think The Twins will be up to date on Bevis and Butthead, but it is my story and the author is all-powerful…hmmm…hint taken
Lady Cinnibar – thanks for your pranks. Oh, it rhymes! Tenderhooks? Sound painful…next chapter will be up tonight. No posting tomorrow, but by the end of next week. I'm taking a break for my birthday (March 17) Thanx again!
Cal – I'm glad I could help, and thanks for the luck. – that's a great prank idea, thank you!
SilverCatOfBast – I'm glad you got them back. I thought you would like the cat. See the above answers for what will happen with the kitten. I don't want to re-write it. I understand not knowing pranks, I'm the same way. I don't mind if you ramble. I love reading reviews!
Well, Till next time, all! I'm going to go celebrate my Birthday now. Ta- ta!