Chapter Five: Untitled
The Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth-years entered the Physical Defense classroom wearing comfy shirts and either short shorts or bicycle shorts. A notice had told them to wear comfy clothes so that they would be able to move for freely and easily. Eriol was still teasing Syaoran about how cute he looked in his baggy gray gym pants and white shirt and he was still glaring at Eriol, Sakura only managing to restrain him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were laughing at them.
Sakura noticed a boy with ice blonde hair glaring at Harry, his two fat friends staring at each other blankly.
Ron was the first one to speak, making his voice louder to be able to be heard over the loud and excited chatter of the other students. "So, d'you know who our teacher's gonna be? McGonagall said he couldn't attend the Welcome Feast because of 'reasons that I don't have to tell you, Weasley'," he said, mimicking their Transfiguration teacher's stern voice. Sakura giggled.
"I don't have a clue. But you should like this class, right, my cute little descendant?" (A/N: No need to tell you who said that, right?)
A vein popped in Syaoran's forehead animé style.
"STOP THAT, YOU BAKA!" He shouted. The crowd fell quiet as they all stared at the commotion.
A sweat-dropping Sakura placed her hand on his arm. "Calm down, Syaoran- kun. Eriol-kun was just teasing you," she soothed.
"Baka Eriol," he muttered. Fortunately, the door to the classroom opened right at that second.
In walked a young man, looking to be near their age, wearing black gym pants and a black snug shirt. His hair was dark as well and he walked up to the platform in front of the room with a confident smile. He was as tall as Syaoran and Eriol.
"Okay, fifth-years. I'm your teacher for this Physical Defense Class, Professor Quinn. So."
"He looks cool enough, ne?" Eriol whispered to Sakura, smirking when Syaoran glared at him and pulled Sakura closer to him.
"Hai. He's young too, actually I think he's our age," she replied.
Apparently, the boy with the ice-blonde hair that she had noticed earlier had noted the same thing. His voice ringing with disdain, he addressed their new teacher without a trace of respect. "You're our age, and I don't sense any special power or magic from you! How could you teach us?" He sneered.
The only thing 'special' about me is that I know martial arts and you don't," he replied, still smiling. Actually, he seemed amused by the boy's protest. "My level of power is the same as everyone else's in this room, but I have more martial arts training than any of you. It's the only ability needed for this job, so I was hired easily." He shrugged, then clapped his hands twice and training mats appeared in the center of the room. "Professor Dumbledore told me that Hogwarts has decided to add a Physical Defense class to their curriculum, so that in case you students have to fight without your magic or your wands, you will not be utterly defenseless. Among the skills I am to teach you guys are hand-to-hand combat as well as fighting with other weapons. Now be honest. Does anyone here actually know how to fight?"
The students looked at each other in uncertainty. Behind her, Ron was whispering to Harry, "Er.does fighting a Basilisk, dementors, and a Hungarian Horntail qualify as fighting?"
"I really don't think so," Harry whispered back. They all stared when Syaoran raised his hand, his face expressionless.
Professor Quinn grinned. He came down from the platform and stood in front of one of the training mats, motioning for Syaoran to do the same. "So, one of you knows how to fight." He turned to the students once more. "This is just an exhibition match, so you will know what we are most likely going to be doing in this class. Mr. Li, right?"
Syaoran nodded. Sakura heard the Slytherin boy who had spoken earlier to Professor Quinn mutter distinctly, "show-off."
"Mr. Li will help me. Remember, we are only aiming to show the students how to fight, not to kill each other. Ready?"
Syaoran dropped down to a defensive stance as a response, his amber eyes completely focused on his opponent. The spectators waited breathlessly, Li's fan club consisting of Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown off to the sides and cheering noisily.
Suddenly, fist met fist and the students gasped as a reverberating thud echoed throughout the room. When they looked back at the two fighters, they were shocked to see that they had already started fighting, Syaoran's fist meeting Quinn's at the middle of the mat.
Ron gaped at them, "Bloody hell! I didn't even see them move!"
The fighters jumped backwards from each other, Quinn smiling at Syaoran's skill, the Li Clan leader appraising his opponent with newfound respect. Within seconds, they were in contact with another once again, Quinn releasing a barrage of punches and kicks and Syaoran blocking them all with his arms. Suddenly, it was Syaoran who was attacking, aiming a spinning kick to Quinn's head, which he blocked with his arm. Li lost his balance, about to fall on his head, but he extended one hand and backflipped agilely to avoid Quinn's sweeping kick.
He dropped to the ground and executed a perfect sweeping kick of his own, but the professor jumped out of the way just in time. Panting a little, he landed on the edge of the math, his smile replaced by a smirk now. "You're good," he commented.
Wiping a little sweat from his brow, Li let out his breath first before answering, "You too."
Professor Quinn grinned at him. "We're going nowhere with hand-to- hand combat. What say we use a little. weaponry?"
Syaoran smirked at him. "Why not, sensei?" Without another word, Syaoran had transformed his Elemental Sword from its necklace form and he was now holding it confidently in his right hand, assuming another stance. A glaive appeared in Quinn's hand, looking just as deathly sharp as Li's sword.
"Oi, Eriol!" Ron turned to Eriol, whose arms were crossed as he watched the fight with sharp eyes. "Li could get hurt there!"
"I'm sure Li can take care of himself, right, Sakura?"
"Hai!" Sakura nodded. Ron was still looking a little doubtful but he backed off.
Quinn rushed at Syaoran, his glaive in an offensive angle. Meeting him halfway, Syaoran parried with his sword and then did a forward flip, thinking of attacking their sensei from behind. Quinn whirled around, anticipating the move, and stabbed at Syaoran. Eyes wide, he brought up his sword, metal clashing against metal, the sound ringing in the quiet room. Syaoran deftly parried the glaive to the left, away from him and aimed a punch to Quinn's abdomen, but a second before it reached its target, their professor had bounced safely away.
He wiped sweat of his forehead. "This is getting nowhere. What say we finish this right now, Li?"
Syaoran dropped down, legs bent and knees taut. "Why not, sensei?" The other students waited in anticipation for the end of the highly exciting match. Sakura was satisfied to see that the boy who had called Syaoran a show-off earlier was now looking rightly shocked, his mouth hanging a little open.
Eriol silently counted in his mind. Three. two. one. NOW!
Simultaneous to the end of his counting, a strong wind suddenly blew from the center of the room as the two fighters charged at each other, stirring up clouds of dust and dirt. Sakura raised her arm to shield her eyes, then glanced up when she felt that no dust particles were hitting her. Blinking she looked from the slightly transparent dark blue shield surrounding them and Harry and his friends. "Arigatou, Eriol," she said.
He gave her a genuine smile. "It's nothing."
Sakura turned to their new friends. "Potter-kun, Weasley-san, Hermie- san! Are you guys alright?"
"Y-yeah," Harry replied shakily.
Hermione gaped at Eriol. "How did you do that anyway?!" she exclaimed, tapping the shield with her fingers. "I didn't even see you use your wand! And I'm positively sure that this isn't the Shield Charm that Flitwick taught us!"
"It was something I. picked up back home," he replied, shrugging. He held up his hand a little and Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stared when it started to glow a little red for a second, and then the shield disappeared.
All the students looked back at the center of the room, where the wind had erupted from earlier. They all stared when they saw Syaoran and Professor Quinn standing close to each other, Syaoran's sword point resting on Quinn's chest, the Professor's glaive positioned on Syaoran's neck. They were both breathing hard.
They stood on that position for a few more seconds, before finally, Quinn backed off, nodding at Syaoran. "Excellent match, Li. Class dismissed."
Syaoran bowed at Professor Quinn, then began walking calmly back to Sakura and Eriol. Seamus, Dean, and Neville's eyes widened even more when his sword glowed for a second and then shortened into its false form, an assortment of red strings and black beads. He pocketed it as he approached them.
"Sugoi, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura said cheerfully. "You both fought well."
Eriol nodded.
Syaoran furrowed his brow at Sakura for a minute. "Why didn't you raise your hand earlier? You know how to fight, Sakura."
"She does?" Surprisingly, this question came from Eriol.
Li nodded. "Yeah. I've been teaching her for a few months now." He turned to Sakura. "You were a fast learner, koi."
Sakura blushed at the endearment that only she, Syaoran, and Eriol understood, while Lavender and Parvati glared at her and stared in awe at Syaoran, all the while making puppy dog eyes at him that he pointedly ignored.
Ron found his voice again and exclaimed in amazement, "That was bloody brilliant!"
Syaoran blushed a little at the unaccustomed praise.
Harry came up to him, smiling friendly as well. "Yeah, Li. You are a good fighter. Teach me some of those moves, will you?"
He shrugged, smiling a little. "Why not?"
Sakura suddenly snapped her fingers, as if remembering something. As they strolled out the classroom, she turned to Harry. "Potter-kun, could you tell me who that boy is?"
His eyes followed Sakura's pointed finger towards the boy with ice- blonde hair and the disdainful voice who was now walking swiftly ahead of them. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses while Ron let out a barely repressed growl. "Him? Why do you ask, Sakura?"
"Ano, he said earlier that you were a show-off, Syaoran-kun." Her voice dropped a little lower as she winced at her next words. "and, onegai, don't be angry."
Syaoran's frown deepened at Sakura's hesitation. "What is it, Sakura?"
"He um.told me that he wanted to know me better one time we bumped into each other at the hallways. I told him that you were already my boyfriend, don't worry, Syaoran-kun."
Syaoran suddenly stopped walking. Eriol looked back at him and chuckled at his face.
"He WHAT?!" Harry blinked when Syaoran suddenly appeared in front of him, looking downright pissed and furious. "Potter-san, who was that. that. gaki who made a pass at Sakura?"
Ron grinned, knowing that they had another ally at their hatred of Malfoy. "He's Draco Malfoy," he supplied helpfully. "He's extremely rich and obnoxious because he's a pure-blood and a spoiled brat." They continued walking. "Malfoy hates us," he said, indicating him and Hermione, "but he hates Harry the most."
"Why does he hate you, Potter-san?" Eriol's soft voice interjected.
"He's jealous," Hermione replied flatly.
"He's a moron," Ron said simultaneously with Hermione.
"He's a freak," Harry replied the same time Hermione and Ron spoke.
Eriol and Sakura burst out laughing while Syaoran grinned and said, "You don't like him too much, I see."
"You really shouldn't try being friends with him, Sakura. He's bad influence, Malfoy." Ron advised.
Sakura smiled at him. "I'll keep that in mind."
The Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth-years entered the Physical Defense classroom wearing comfy shirts and either short shorts or bicycle shorts. A notice had told them to wear comfy clothes so that they would be able to move for freely and easily. Eriol was still teasing Syaoran about how cute he looked in his baggy gray gym pants and white shirt and he was still glaring at Eriol, Sakura only managing to restrain him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were laughing at them.
Sakura noticed a boy with ice blonde hair glaring at Harry, his two fat friends staring at each other blankly.
Ron was the first one to speak, making his voice louder to be able to be heard over the loud and excited chatter of the other students. "So, d'you know who our teacher's gonna be? McGonagall said he couldn't attend the Welcome Feast because of 'reasons that I don't have to tell you, Weasley'," he said, mimicking their Transfiguration teacher's stern voice. Sakura giggled.
"I don't have a clue. But you should like this class, right, my cute little descendant?" (A/N: No need to tell you who said that, right?)
A vein popped in Syaoran's forehead animé style.
"STOP THAT, YOU BAKA!" He shouted. The crowd fell quiet as they all stared at the commotion.
A sweat-dropping Sakura placed her hand on his arm. "Calm down, Syaoran- kun. Eriol-kun was just teasing you," she soothed.
"Baka Eriol," he muttered. Fortunately, the door to the classroom opened right at that second.
In walked a young man, looking to be near their age, wearing black gym pants and a black snug shirt. His hair was dark as well and he walked up to the platform in front of the room with a confident smile. He was as tall as Syaoran and Eriol.
"Okay, fifth-years. I'm your teacher for this Physical Defense Class, Professor Quinn. So."
"He looks cool enough, ne?" Eriol whispered to Sakura, smirking when Syaoran glared at him and pulled Sakura closer to him.
"Hai. He's young too, actually I think he's our age," she replied.
Apparently, the boy with the ice-blonde hair that she had noticed earlier had noted the same thing. His voice ringing with disdain, he addressed their new teacher without a trace of respect. "You're our age, and I don't sense any special power or magic from you! How could you teach us?" He sneered.
The only thing 'special' about me is that I know martial arts and you don't," he replied, still smiling. Actually, he seemed amused by the boy's protest. "My level of power is the same as everyone else's in this room, but I have more martial arts training than any of you. It's the only ability needed for this job, so I was hired easily." He shrugged, then clapped his hands twice and training mats appeared in the center of the room. "Professor Dumbledore told me that Hogwarts has decided to add a Physical Defense class to their curriculum, so that in case you students have to fight without your magic or your wands, you will not be utterly defenseless. Among the skills I am to teach you guys are hand-to-hand combat as well as fighting with other weapons. Now be honest. Does anyone here actually know how to fight?"
The students looked at each other in uncertainty. Behind her, Ron was whispering to Harry, "Er.does fighting a Basilisk, dementors, and a Hungarian Horntail qualify as fighting?"
"I really don't think so," Harry whispered back. They all stared when Syaoran raised his hand, his face expressionless.
Professor Quinn grinned. He came down from the platform and stood in front of one of the training mats, motioning for Syaoran to do the same. "So, one of you knows how to fight." He turned to the students once more. "This is just an exhibition match, so you will know what we are most likely going to be doing in this class. Mr. Li, right?"
Syaoran nodded. Sakura heard the Slytherin boy who had spoken earlier to Professor Quinn mutter distinctly, "show-off."
"Mr. Li will help me. Remember, we are only aiming to show the students how to fight, not to kill each other. Ready?"
Syaoran dropped down to a defensive stance as a response, his amber eyes completely focused on his opponent. The spectators waited breathlessly, Li's fan club consisting of Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown off to the sides and cheering noisily.
Suddenly, fist met fist and the students gasped as a reverberating thud echoed throughout the room. When they looked back at the two fighters, they were shocked to see that they had already started fighting, Syaoran's fist meeting Quinn's at the middle of the mat.
Ron gaped at them, "Bloody hell! I didn't even see them move!"
The fighters jumped backwards from each other, Quinn smiling at Syaoran's skill, the Li Clan leader appraising his opponent with newfound respect. Within seconds, they were in contact with another once again, Quinn releasing a barrage of punches and kicks and Syaoran blocking them all with his arms. Suddenly, it was Syaoran who was attacking, aiming a spinning kick to Quinn's head, which he blocked with his arm. Li lost his balance, about to fall on his head, but he extended one hand and backflipped agilely to avoid Quinn's sweeping kick.
He dropped to the ground and executed a perfect sweeping kick of his own, but the professor jumped out of the way just in time. Panting a little, he landed on the edge of the math, his smile replaced by a smirk now. "You're good," he commented.
Wiping a little sweat from his brow, Li let out his breath first before answering, "You too."
Professor Quinn grinned at him. "We're going nowhere with hand-to- hand combat. What say we use a little. weaponry?"
Syaoran smirked at him. "Why not, sensei?" Without another word, Syaoran had transformed his Elemental Sword from its necklace form and he was now holding it confidently in his right hand, assuming another stance. A glaive appeared in Quinn's hand, looking just as deathly sharp as Li's sword.
"Oi, Eriol!" Ron turned to Eriol, whose arms were crossed as he watched the fight with sharp eyes. "Li could get hurt there!"
"I'm sure Li can take care of himself, right, Sakura?"
"Hai!" Sakura nodded. Ron was still looking a little doubtful but he backed off.
Quinn rushed at Syaoran, his glaive in an offensive angle. Meeting him halfway, Syaoran parried with his sword and then did a forward flip, thinking of attacking their sensei from behind. Quinn whirled around, anticipating the move, and stabbed at Syaoran. Eyes wide, he brought up his sword, metal clashing against metal, the sound ringing in the quiet room. Syaoran deftly parried the glaive to the left, away from him and aimed a punch to Quinn's abdomen, but a second before it reached its target, their professor had bounced safely away.
He wiped sweat of his forehead. "This is getting nowhere. What say we finish this right now, Li?"
Syaoran dropped down, legs bent and knees taut. "Why not, sensei?" The other students waited in anticipation for the end of the highly exciting match. Sakura was satisfied to see that the boy who had called Syaoran a show-off earlier was now looking rightly shocked, his mouth hanging a little open.
Eriol silently counted in his mind. Three. two. one. NOW!
Simultaneous to the end of his counting, a strong wind suddenly blew from the center of the room as the two fighters charged at each other, stirring up clouds of dust and dirt. Sakura raised her arm to shield her eyes, then glanced up when she felt that no dust particles were hitting her. Blinking she looked from the slightly transparent dark blue shield surrounding them and Harry and his friends. "Arigatou, Eriol," she said.
He gave her a genuine smile. "It's nothing."
Sakura turned to their new friends. "Potter-kun, Weasley-san, Hermie- san! Are you guys alright?"
"Y-yeah," Harry replied shakily.
Hermione gaped at Eriol. "How did you do that anyway?!" she exclaimed, tapping the shield with her fingers. "I didn't even see you use your wand! And I'm positively sure that this isn't the Shield Charm that Flitwick taught us!"
"It was something I. picked up back home," he replied, shrugging. He held up his hand a little and Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stared when it started to glow a little red for a second, and then the shield disappeared.
All the students looked back at the center of the room, where the wind had erupted from earlier. They all stared when they saw Syaoran and Professor Quinn standing close to each other, Syaoran's sword point resting on Quinn's chest, the Professor's glaive positioned on Syaoran's neck. They were both breathing hard.
They stood on that position for a few more seconds, before finally, Quinn backed off, nodding at Syaoran. "Excellent match, Li. Class dismissed."
Syaoran bowed at Professor Quinn, then began walking calmly back to Sakura and Eriol. Seamus, Dean, and Neville's eyes widened even more when his sword glowed for a second and then shortened into its false form, an assortment of red strings and black beads. He pocketed it as he approached them.
"Sugoi, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura said cheerfully. "You both fought well."
Eriol nodded.
Syaoran furrowed his brow at Sakura for a minute. "Why didn't you raise your hand earlier? You know how to fight, Sakura."
"She does?" Surprisingly, this question came from Eriol.
Li nodded. "Yeah. I've been teaching her for a few months now." He turned to Sakura. "You were a fast learner, koi."
Sakura blushed at the endearment that only she, Syaoran, and Eriol understood, while Lavender and Parvati glared at her and stared in awe at Syaoran, all the while making puppy dog eyes at him that he pointedly ignored.
Ron found his voice again and exclaimed in amazement, "That was bloody brilliant!"
Syaoran blushed a little at the unaccustomed praise.
Harry came up to him, smiling friendly as well. "Yeah, Li. You are a good fighter. Teach me some of those moves, will you?"
He shrugged, smiling a little. "Why not?"
Sakura suddenly snapped her fingers, as if remembering something. As they strolled out the classroom, she turned to Harry. "Potter-kun, could you tell me who that boy is?"
His eyes followed Sakura's pointed finger towards the boy with ice- blonde hair and the disdainful voice who was now walking swiftly ahead of them. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses while Ron let out a barely repressed growl. "Him? Why do you ask, Sakura?"
"Ano, he said earlier that you were a show-off, Syaoran-kun." Her voice dropped a little lower as she winced at her next words. "and, onegai, don't be angry."
Syaoran's frown deepened at Sakura's hesitation. "What is it, Sakura?"
"He um.told me that he wanted to know me better one time we bumped into each other at the hallways. I told him that you were already my boyfriend, don't worry, Syaoran-kun."
Syaoran suddenly stopped walking. Eriol looked back at him and chuckled at his face.
"He WHAT?!" Harry blinked when Syaoran suddenly appeared in front of him, looking downright pissed and furious. "Potter-san, who was that. that. gaki who made a pass at Sakura?"
Ron grinned, knowing that they had another ally at their hatred of Malfoy. "He's Draco Malfoy," he supplied helpfully. "He's extremely rich and obnoxious because he's a pure-blood and a spoiled brat." They continued walking. "Malfoy hates us," he said, indicating him and Hermione, "but he hates Harry the most."
"Why does he hate you, Potter-san?" Eriol's soft voice interjected.
"He's jealous," Hermione replied flatly.
"He's a moron," Ron said simultaneously with Hermione.
"He's a freak," Harry replied the same time Hermione and Ron spoke.
Eriol and Sakura burst out laughing while Syaoran grinned and said, "You don't like him too much, I see."
"You really shouldn't try being friends with him, Sakura. He's bad influence, Malfoy." Ron advised.
Sakura smiled at him. "I'll keep that in mind."