Chapter Four: Reinforcements
Harry woke at his usual early hour and after warm-ups, weapons practice and a hot shower, he dressed in his school robes and headed down to the common room. As he expected, Ginny, Mark, Jamie and Civis were already waiting for him. There was no sign of Ron, Hermione or Neville, which didn't surprise Harry - Ron wasn't an early riser, Neville's distinctive snores had still emanated from his bed when Harry came back from his shower and he had feeling that Hermione would go and wake up Ron before heading down to the Great Hall herself.
"Ready for the new year, girls?" he asked, slipping his arm inside Ginny's and giving her a quick kiss at the same time.
"I think so," Ginny admitted. "I just hope we don't get Potions first thing today, like you did last year."
"Unfortunately, you probably will," Civis told her. "The timetables tend to follow the same pattern most years."
"That's not what I wanted to hear, Civis," Ginny reminded him.
The hobgoblin shrugged and then turned into his crow form. He looked over at the portrait hole and squawked.
Harry chuckled. "You're right, Civis. It is time for breakfast."
Jamie went over to the portrait hole and opened it, then held it open for Harry, Ginny and Mark, then climbed out herself. Civis took flight and flew through the opening just as it was about to close behind her.
Ten minutes later, they were tucking into breakfast at the Gryffindor table. Ron and Hermione joined them about half an hour later, and Neville and the other seventh years arrived at about twenty past eight. About ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall moved down the table handing out timetables. Harry took his own timetable and scanned it. He smiled. "That's a bit better than last year," he noted. "What about you, Gin?"
Ginny grimaced. "Civis was right. Double Potions and DADA this morning, and Care of Magical Creatures this afternoon."
"Ouch, you'd better have a good breakfast," Harry suggested. "Snape'll probably be foul."
"You got that right," Ginny agreed and dug into her scrambled eggs with gusto.
----
"Some of the most complex magic you will ever come across is that which is used to guard things," Professor Flitwick told the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seventh years half an hour later. Harry could certainly vouch for that, he'd encountering examples of magic being used to guard things and they had always been formidable. "The most basic protection spell or ward acts as a lock and alarm in one. Does anyone now what this spell is called?"
Characteristically, Hermione was the first to put up her hand, although Ron, Susan and Ernie all put up their hands too, as did Harry himself. "Miss Granger?"
"The most basic spell which acts like that is the Gatekeeper Charm," Hermione replied. "The incantation is 'Custoportus'."
"Correct, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor." Flitwick told her. "I want you to pair off and practise placing the charm on the boxes in front of you."
Naturally, Ron and Hermione chose to work together, so that left Harry working with Neville. To Harry's surprise, Neville was actually rather skilled at protection spells and managed to get the spell right on his third attempt and without actually damaging the box at all. Harry, on the other hand had a little more trouble as his spell was a little too powerful - he had to get Civis to release the spell twice before he could raise and lower the protection spell at will.
After Charms, Harry and his classmates headed upstairs to Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall gave them a half hour long lecture about the theory behind the Venificus Mutato Charm, a spell that could be used to temporarily mimic the effects of the Animagus Charm, then told them to start practising. It was probably the most difficult spell that Harry had ever tried, including the Patronus Charm, and by the end to the class only Hermione had had any luck with the spell - she had managed to shift her eyes and ears to that of a wolf and caused her skin to take a greyish-brown cast of short bristly hair.
After the ill effects of the spell on certain students had been reversed, Harry and the rest of the class headed on to the Great Hall for lunch. Ginny was already waiting there for them, and was, as Harry suspected she might be, a little worse for wear. "The Dolorus Curse?" he asked, sitting down beside her. The other students were careful to leave the two seats on his other side empty as they sat down themselves.
Ginny nodded. "Colin must have been practising over the summer, his spells weren't that powerful last year, but his Dolorus Curse hurt almost as much as the Cruciatus Curse today."
"Will you be okay?" Harry asked.
Ginny nodded. "The Dolorus Curse doesn't do any permanent damage, and I've got some Nondolere Draught in my trunk that'll deal with the lingering aches."
"Will you have time to get it before Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but the more time I have to let it work the better. Could you ask Civis to go and get it for me?"
"Ask him yourself," Harry told her. "He's as likely to obey you as he is me."
Ginny smiled wryly. "Good point." She turned to Civis, who was perched on Harry's shoulder in crow shape. "Will you?"
The crow nodded and took off, heading towards the doors to access the Tower from the outside.
He returned ten minutes later with the bottle clutched in his claw. Ginny took it and measured out the correct dose and took it. A few minutes later, the potion took affect and she sighed. "Much better. Maybe I should work with Luna next lesson. She won't catch by surprise."
"I won't," Harry told her. "You need to be as prepared for surprises as possible. We all do."
Ginny nodded. "Unfortunately, you're right," she conceded. "I guess I'd better stock up on Nondolere Draught."
"Good idea."
----
Two days later, Harry, Hermione, Romulus, and Blaise were heading up to the Great Hall after another gruelling Potions lesson when Harry received a telepathic call from Jonas Johnson, the Hogwarts Defence Co-ordinator. «What is it, Jonas?»
«The Headmaster would like to see you in the War Room.» Jonas told him. «We have visitors.»
«Friend or enemy?»
«Friend.»
«Makes a nice change.» Harry observed. «I'm on my way.»
«We will expect you.»
Harry turned to his friends. "Something's come up, Albus wants me in the War Room. "
"Problems?" asked Hermione.
"Reinforcements, I think." Harry told her. "I'll be with you in a while."
With that he turned back towards the stairs and headed towards the Room of Requirement.
When he arrived a few minutes later, the rest of the Defence Council were waiting for him as well as two strangers. "Sorry I keep you waiting, Albus." said Harry as he took his place at the table between Professors McGonagall and Ambrose. "I came as quickly as I could, but I was in the Entrance Hall when Jonas called me."
"It's alright, Harry," Dumbledore assured him. "I would like to introduce you to the leaders of the strike force that will be joining us with their students..." He indicated the two strangers - a massive bald man in a blood- red t-shirt and loose breeches, and a leaner, more athletic man in brown. "Shi Ngau the Ox, and Shi Hu the Tiger, of the Temple of Shengming. The head of their temple, the Jushi, has agreed to aid us with both people and support in the Confederation. Shi Ngau, Shi Hu, this is Harry Potter, Professor Ambrose's assistant."
"I am honoured to meet you, Mr Potter," The Tiger declared, bowing slightly from his seated position.
"Thank you. Shi Hu?"
"Yes."
"Headmaster, what use are priests going to be to us against the Death Eaters, and everything else that the Dark Lord can sent at us?" asked Snape with a sneer that suggested to Harry at least that Snape thought they'd be no use at all. "We need wizards, not Muggles with fancy tricks!"
The Tiger's eyes narrowed and Harry began to have a sneaking suspicion that the Potions Master had just made a very large mistake.
He was right. There was a flash of steel and a small dagger appeared as if from nowhere in between the fingers of Snape's wand hand.
Harry smiled to himself, the look of horror on the Potion Master's face was priceless. "Good aim."
"What do you mean?" asked the Tiger, totally deadpan. "I missed."
"Oh."
"The enemy cannot use his wand if you disable his hand," The Tiger reminded them, then he gestured toward the dagger and it floated out of the desk and back to his hand. "I trust you understand now, Professor Snape?"
"Yes," Snape admitted reluctantly.
"A fascinating demonstration, Shi Hu," said Dumbledore. "But perhaps you could restrict it to... our enemies?"
"Of course, Headmaster," said the Tiger, bowing slightly. "We are yours to command."
"When will your students arrive?"
"Everything will in place by morning, Headmaster."
"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "If there is no further business?"
There wasn't, so Dumbledore dismissed the group.
----
It only took Harry a few minutes to get back down to the Great Hall, and he was glad to see that the main course was still being served. He made his way up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to the vacant spot between Ginny and Jamie near the far end of the Gryffindor table.
"What's up, Harry?" Ginny asked as he sat down and helped himself to some steak-and-kidney pie.
"Not here," Harry told her. "We'll go up to my office after dinner and we can talk there."
Ginny looked a little put out, but said nothing and went back to her dinner.
An hour later, Harry and his friends were gathered in his office and Jason Draper and Sandra Troy had joined them at Harry's request. Once everyone had found a seat or least somewhere to perch, Harry took a deep breath. "As most of you probably know, there was a meeting of the Defence Council." When he received affirmative nods from most of those present, he continued. "The reason Albus called the meeting was to introduce two new members of the Defence Council, Shi Hu and Shi Ngau of the Temple of Shengming. They've brought their students with them and they'll be working alongside the professors, the DA and the Guardians to protect Hogwarts."
"I've heard of them," admitted Hermione. "Aren't they Muggles though?"
Harry nodded. "At least according to Snape. But Shi Hu's got the fastest reflexes I've ever seen bar none, and he seems to have some sort of wandless magic. He did what looked like a Levitation Charm on a dagger during the meeting. I think they'll be fine"
"I heard some of the Shengming could do that," Hermione confirmed. "Apparently they use something called chi to mimic certain types of magic. I think there's something about them in one of your books."
"Well if you find it let me know," Harry told her. "Otherwise I'll ask Shi Hu and Shi Ngau next time I see them."
The group stayed in Harry's office until nearly curfew then they left, Romulus, Blaise and the Bones sisters headed downstairs to their dungeon common room, while the others headed up to the seventh floor and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers.
-----
The other ten Shengming arrived just after dinner the next day as Shi Hu said they would. Like their masters they wore loose breeches, a t-shirt and Muggle sunglasses, although theirs were mostly dark grey with a coloured armband of either brown or red to show which Shi they answered to. Harry and Civis met them at the station and showed them to their quarters. As they were the staff quarters, the Tiger came up the stairs from the Great Hall. "Have my students arrived?"
"Yes they have, Shi Hu," Harry confirmed.
"Good," replied the brown-clad old fighter. "The Headmaster tells me that you have a plan to defeat Lord Voldemort?"
"Yes, I do," Harry confirmed. "It should work."
The Tiger nodded. "You will be at the frontline of any counterattack," he said. Harry could tell this wasn't a question so said nothing. "I would be willing to teach you and the small group who will stand by your side a little of the Shengming art. If you would be willing to learn?"
"That would great," Harry told him. "We need all the help we can get. The plan will work, I'm just worried we won't be able to activate it."
"If you would all meet me in the Great Hall at seven pm on Friday, we can get started."
"We'll be there," Harry promised and after bowing to the Shengming master, he turned and headed for the stairs, intending to return to Gryffindor Tower.
----
At the agreed time, Harry and his friends arrived back in the Great Hall. Shi Hu, and two of the his students - whom Harry identified as Jie Kun Lang, the Metal Wolf and Ge Huo Lang, the Fire Wolf, his two best fighters.
The Tiger looked at the assembled company, and then focused his gaze on Harry. "Mr Potter, the Headmaster told me to expect five. I see more than this number. Please explain."
Harry sighed, he'd hoped that Dumbledore hadn't told the Tiger how many to expect. "It is quite simple, Shi Hu," he replied. "When Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Jamie and I join with my godfather in the ritual we will be temporarily defenceless. Romulus and the others will need to be ready to defend if necessary."
"I see." The Tiger paused for a moment, clearly considering this information carefully. "Very well. Then I suggest we begin."
They didn't get much that session. The Tiger lead them through a power- raising exercise as a warm-up, and then took them through the beginning of the first form. It was very complex and by the end of the session only Harry, Jamie, Ginny and Romulus had made any progress at all, and Romulus confessed once the three Shengming had left that this was because he'd studied martial arts before, although it was karate rather than the Kung fu- style art taught by the Shengming.
The next morning, most of the group were nursing aches and pains as they came down to breakfast. "Tell me this is going to get better, Harry. Please?" moaned Hermione as Ron - who was in slightly better shape - helped her into her chair opposite Harry at the Gryffindor Table.
"Sorry, 'Mione. It will get better but not for quite a while," Harry told her. "Maybe by Halloween."
"Halloween?!" Hermione groaned. "Ginny, have you got any of that Nondolere Draught left? It was the one potion that we did last year that I could never get the hang of."
"Yeah, I do," Ginny admitted and fished the bottle out of her robe pocket. "You can have one teaspoon full each. No more."
Hermione took the bottle and measured out doses for herself and Ron, then after receiving an affirmative nod from Ginny, passed the bottle to Neville, who helped himself to a dose and then passed it over to Mark who handed to Ginny.
"I'll see Luna in Transfiguration today, so I'll give her some then if she needs it," Ginny decided. "As for the others. Jamie, will you see Anita today?"
Jamie nodded. "We have Herbology this morning."
"Then take this," Ginny handed over a tiny vial containing the same clear liquid. "Give this to her." Jamie nodded her understanding and Ginny turned to Harry. "Does Romulus have any Nondolere?"
"Probably," Harry confirmed. "He's been secreting potions away for the last year same as I have, and his Nondolere Draught was perfect first time."
"Then he can see to himself and Blaise."
"And Susan." Harry reminded her. "Slytherin-Hufflepuff Advanced DADA is this morning, remember?"
"Good," said Ginny. "Can you talk to Snape or Madame Pomfrey about getting at least the ingredients for some more? I can make it, but I need powdered bloodstone and essence of belladonna. I used mine up in the lesson on Monday and I can't borrow them from anyone because they're on the restricted list: Authorised Dispensing only."
"I will," Harry promised. "I'll see you at lunch." With that he got up and headed out of the Great Hall with Civis the crow flying in his wake. Hermione, Ron and Neville followed a few minutes later.
A/N: Sorry this took so long, but this chapter was hard to write, mainly because not much happens in it. I would also like to acknowledge one or two lines that I borrowed for this chapter: 'Good aim' 'What do you mean? I missed?' is from the movie The Mummy Returns; 'The enemy cannot use his wand if you disable his hand,' is paraphrased from a line in the movie Starship Troopers; and Shi Hu's way of 'making a point' is adapted from the scenes in which the above quotes are spoken. As always, please review. I will try and get Chapter Five up ASAP but don't expect it before Thursday or Friday at the very earliest.
Harry woke at his usual early hour and after warm-ups, weapons practice and a hot shower, he dressed in his school robes and headed down to the common room. As he expected, Ginny, Mark, Jamie and Civis were already waiting for him. There was no sign of Ron, Hermione or Neville, which didn't surprise Harry - Ron wasn't an early riser, Neville's distinctive snores had still emanated from his bed when Harry came back from his shower and he had feeling that Hermione would go and wake up Ron before heading down to the Great Hall herself.
"Ready for the new year, girls?" he asked, slipping his arm inside Ginny's and giving her a quick kiss at the same time.
"I think so," Ginny admitted. "I just hope we don't get Potions first thing today, like you did last year."
"Unfortunately, you probably will," Civis told her. "The timetables tend to follow the same pattern most years."
"That's not what I wanted to hear, Civis," Ginny reminded him.
The hobgoblin shrugged and then turned into his crow form. He looked over at the portrait hole and squawked.
Harry chuckled. "You're right, Civis. It is time for breakfast."
Jamie went over to the portrait hole and opened it, then held it open for Harry, Ginny and Mark, then climbed out herself. Civis took flight and flew through the opening just as it was about to close behind her.
Ten minutes later, they were tucking into breakfast at the Gryffindor table. Ron and Hermione joined them about half an hour later, and Neville and the other seventh years arrived at about twenty past eight. About ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall moved down the table handing out timetables. Harry took his own timetable and scanned it. He smiled. "That's a bit better than last year," he noted. "What about you, Gin?"
Ginny grimaced. "Civis was right. Double Potions and DADA this morning, and Care of Magical Creatures this afternoon."
"Ouch, you'd better have a good breakfast," Harry suggested. "Snape'll probably be foul."
"You got that right," Ginny agreed and dug into her scrambled eggs with gusto.
----
"Some of the most complex magic you will ever come across is that which is used to guard things," Professor Flitwick told the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seventh years half an hour later. Harry could certainly vouch for that, he'd encountering examples of magic being used to guard things and they had always been formidable. "The most basic protection spell or ward acts as a lock and alarm in one. Does anyone now what this spell is called?"
Characteristically, Hermione was the first to put up her hand, although Ron, Susan and Ernie all put up their hands too, as did Harry himself. "Miss Granger?"
"The most basic spell which acts like that is the Gatekeeper Charm," Hermione replied. "The incantation is 'Custoportus'."
"Correct, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor." Flitwick told her. "I want you to pair off and practise placing the charm on the boxes in front of you."
Naturally, Ron and Hermione chose to work together, so that left Harry working with Neville. To Harry's surprise, Neville was actually rather skilled at protection spells and managed to get the spell right on his third attempt and without actually damaging the box at all. Harry, on the other hand had a little more trouble as his spell was a little too powerful - he had to get Civis to release the spell twice before he could raise and lower the protection spell at will.
After Charms, Harry and his classmates headed upstairs to Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall gave them a half hour long lecture about the theory behind the Venificus Mutato Charm, a spell that could be used to temporarily mimic the effects of the Animagus Charm, then told them to start practising. It was probably the most difficult spell that Harry had ever tried, including the Patronus Charm, and by the end to the class only Hermione had had any luck with the spell - she had managed to shift her eyes and ears to that of a wolf and caused her skin to take a greyish-brown cast of short bristly hair.
After the ill effects of the spell on certain students had been reversed, Harry and the rest of the class headed on to the Great Hall for lunch. Ginny was already waiting there for them, and was, as Harry suspected she might be, a little worse for wear. "The Dolorus Curse?" he asked, sitting down beside her. The other students were careful to leave the two seats on his other side empty as they sat down themselves.
Ginny nodded. "Colin must have been practising over the summer, his spells weren't that powerful last year, but his Dolorus Curse hurt almost as much as the Cruciatus Curse today."
"Will you be okay?" Harry asked.
Ginny nodded. "The Dolorus Curse doesn't do any permanent damage, and I've got some Nondolere Draught in my trunk that'll deal with the lingering aches."
"Will you have time to get it before Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but the more time I have to let it work the better. Could you ask Civis to go and get it for me?"
"Ask him yourself," Harry told her. "He's as likely to obey you as he is me."
Ginny smiled wryly. "Good point." She turned to Civis, who was perched on Harry's shoulder in crow shape. "Will you?"
The crow nodded and took off, heading towards the doors to access the Tower from the outside.
He returned ten minutes later with the bottle clutched in his claw. Ginny took it and measured out the correct dose and took it. A few minutes later, the potion took affect and she sighed. "Much better. Maybe I should work with Luna next lesson. She won't catch by surprise."
"I won't," Harry told her. "You need to be as prepared for surprises as possible. We all do."
Ginny nodded. "Unfortunately, you're right," she conceded. "I guess I'd better stock up on Nondolere Draught."
"Good idea."
----
Two days later, Harry, Hermione, Romulus, and Blaise were heading up to the Great Hall after another gruelling Potions lesson when Harry received a telepathic call from Jonas Johnson, the Hogwarts Defence Co-ordinator. «What is it, Jonas?»
«The Headmaster would like to see you in the War Room.» Jonas told him. «We have visitors.»
«Friend or enemy?»
«Friend.»
«Makes a nice change.» Harry observed. «I'm on my way.»
«We will expect you.»
Harry turned to his friends. "Something's come up, Albus wants me in the War Room. "
"Problems?" asked Hermione.
"Reinforcements, I think." Harry told her. "I'll be with you in a while."
With that he turned back towards the stairs and headed towards the Room of Requirement.
When he arrived a few minutes later, the rest of the Defence Council were waiting for him as well as two strangers. "Sorry I keep you waiting, Albus." said Harry as he took his place at the table between Professors McGonagall and Ambrose. "I came as quickly as I could, but I was in the Entrance Hall when Jonas called me."
"It's alright, Harry," Dumbledore assured him. "I would like to introduce you to the leaders of the strike force that will be joining us with their students..." He indicated the two strangers - a massive bald man in a blood- red t-shirt and loose breeches, and a leaner, more athletic man in brown. "Shi Ngau the Ox, and Shi Hu the Tiger, of the Temple of Shengming. The head of their temple, the Jushi, has agreed to aid us with both people and support in the Confederation. Shi Ngau, Shi Hu, this is Harry Potter, Professor Ambrose's assistant."
"I am honoured to meet you, Mr Potter," The Tiger declared, bowing slightly from his seated position.
"Thank you. Shi Hu?"
"Yes."
"Headmaster, what use are priests going to be to us against the Death Eaters, and everything else that the Dark Lord can sent at us?" asked Snape with a sneer that suggested to Harry at least that Snape thought they'd be no use at all. "We need wizards, not Muggles with fancy tricks!"
The Tiger's eyes narrowed and Harry began to have a sneaking suspicion that the Potions Master had just made a very large mistake.
He was right. There was a flash of steel and a small dagger appeared as if from nowhere in between the fingers of Snape's wand hand.
Harry smiled to himself, the look of horror on the Potion Master's face was priceless. "Good aim."
"What do you mean?" asked the Tiger, totally deadpan. "I missed."
"Oh."
"The enemy cannot use his wand if you disable his hand," The Tiger reminded them, then he gestured toward the dagger and it floated out of the desk and back to his hand. "I trust you understand now, Professor Snape?"
"Yes," Snape admitted reluctantly.
"A fascinating demonstration, Shi Hu," said Dumbledore. "But perhaps you could restrict it to... our enemies?"
"Of course, Headmaster," said the Tiger, bowing slightly. "We are yours to command."
"When will your students arrive?"
"Everything will in place by morning, Headmaster."
"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "If there is no further business?"
There wasn't, so Dumbledore dismissed the group.
----
It only took Harry a few minutes to get back down to the Great Hall, and he was glad to see that the main course was still being served. He made his way up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to the vacant spot between Ginny and Jamie near the far end of the Gryffindor table.
"What's up, Harry?" Ginny asked as he sat down and helped himself to some steak-and-kidney pie.
"Not here," Harry told her. "We'll go up to my office after dinner and we can talk there."
Ginny looked a little put out, but said nothing and went back to her dinner.
An hour later, Harry and his friends were gathered in his office and Jason Draper and Sandra Troy had joined them at Harry's request. Once everyone had found a seat or least somewhere to perch, Harry took a deep breath. "As most of you probably know, there was a meeting of the Defence Council." When he received affirmative nods from most of those present, he continued. "The reason Albus called the meeting was to introduce two new members of the Defence Council, Shi Hu and Shi Ngau of the Temple of Shengming. They've brought their students with them and they'll be working alongside the professors, the DA and the Guardians to protect Hogwarts."
"I've heard of them," admitted Hermione. "Aren't they Muggles though?"
Harry nodded. "At least according to Snape. But Shi Hu's got the fastest reflexes I've ever seen bar none, and he seems to have some sort of wandless magic. He did what looked like a Levitation Charm on a dagger during the meeting. I think they'll be fine"
"I heard some of the Shengming could do that," Hermione confirmed. "Apparently they use something called chi to mimic certain types of magic. I think there's something about them in one of your books."
"Well if you find it let me know," Harry told her. "Otherwise I'll ask Shi Hu and Shi Ngau next time I see them."
The group stayed in Harry's office until nearly curfew then they left, Romulus, Blaise and the Bones sisters headed downstairs to their dungeon common room, while the others headed up to the seventh floor and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers.
-----
The other ten Shengming arrived just after dinner the next day as Shi Hu said they would. Like their masters they wore loose breeches, a t-shirt and Muggle sunglasses, although theirs were mostly dark grey with a coloured armband of either brown or red to show which Shi they answered to. Harry and Civis met them at the station and showed them to their quarters. As they were the staff quarters, the Tiger came up the stairs from the Great Hall. "Have my students arrived?"
"Yes they have, Shi Hu," Harry confirmed.
"Good," replied the brown-clad old fighter. "The Headmaster tells me that you have a plan to defeat Lord Voldemort?"
"Yes, I do," Harry confirmed. "It should work."
The Tiger nodded. "You will be at the frontline of any counterattack," he said. Harry could tell this wasn't a question so said nothing. "I would be willing to teach you and the small group who will stand by your side a little of the Shengming art. If you would be willing to learn?"
"That would great," Harry told him. "We need all the help we can get. The plan will work, I'm just worried we won't be able to activate it."
"If you would all meet me in the Great Hall at seven pm on Friday, we can get started."
"We'll be there," Harry promised and after bowing to the Shengming master, he turned and headed for the stairs, intending to return to Gryffindor Tower.
----
At the agreed time, Harry and his friends arrived back in the Great Hall. Shi Hu, and two of the his students - whom Harry identified as Jie Kun Lang, the Metal Wolf and Ge Huo Lang, the Fire Wolf, his two best fighters.
The Tiger looked at the assembled company, and then focused his gaze on Harry. "Mr Potter, the Headmaster told me to expect five. I see more than this number. Please explain."
Harry sighed, he'd hoped that Dumbledore hadn't told the Tiger how many to expect. "It is quite simple, Shi Hu," he replied. "When Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Jamie and I join with my godfather in the ritual we will be temporarily defenceless. Romulus and the others will need to be ready to defend if necessary."
"I see." The Tiger paused for a moment, clearly considering this information carefully. "Very well. Then I suggest we begin."
They didn't get much that session. The Tiger lead them through a power- raising exercise as a warm-up, and then took them through the beginning of the first form. It was very complex and by the end of the session only Harry, Jamie, Ginny and Romulus had made any progress at all, and Romulus confessed once the three Shengming had left that this was because he'd studied martial arts before, although it was karate rather than the Kung fu- style art taught by the Shengming.
The next morning, most of the group were nursing aches and pains as they came down to breakfast. "Tell me this is going to get better, Harry. Please?" moaned Hermione as Ron - who was in slightly better shape - helped her into her chair opposite Harry at the Gryffindor Table.
"Sorry, 'Mione. It will get better but not for quite a while," Harry told her. "Maybe by Halloween."
"Halloween?!" Hermione groaned. "Ginny, have you got any of that Nondolere Draught left? It was the one potion that we did last year that I could never get the hang of."
"Yeah, I do," Ginny admitted and fished the bottle out of her robe pocket. "You can have one teaspoon full each. No more."
Hermione took the bottle and measured out doses for herself and Ron, then after receiving an affirmative nod from Ginny, passed the bottle to Neville, who helped himself to a dose and then passed it over to Mark who handed to Ginny.
"I'll see Luna in Transfiguration today, so I'll give her some then if she needs it," Ginny decided. "As for the others. Jamie, will you see Anita today?"
Jamie nodded. "We have Herbology this morning."
"Then take this," Ginny handed over a tiny vial containing the same clear liquid. "Give this to her." Jamie nodded her understanding and Ginny turned to Harry. "Does Romulus have any Nondolere?"
"Probably," Harry confirmed. "He's been secreting potions away for the last year same as I have, and his Nondolere Draught was perfect first time."
"Then he can see to himself and Blaise."
"And Susan." Harry reminded her. "Slytherin-Hufflepuff Advanced DADA is this morning, remember?"
"Good," said Ginny. "Can you talk to Snape or Madame Pomfrey about getting at least the ingredients for some more? I can make it, but I need powdered bloodstone and essence of belladonna. I used mine up in the lesson on Monday and I can't borrow them from anyone because they're on the restricted list: Authorised Dispensing only."
"I will," Harry promised. "I'll see you at lunch." With that he got up and headed out of the Great Hall with Civis the crow flying in his wake. Hermione, Ron and Neville followed a few minutes later.
A/N: Sorry this took so long, but this chapter was hard to write, mainly because not much happens in it. I would also like to acknowledge one or two lines that I borrowed for this chapter: 'Good aim' 'What do you mean? I missed?' is from the movie The Mummy Returns; 'The enemy cannot use his wand if you disable his hand,' is paraphrased from a line in the movie Starship Troopers; and Shi Hu's way of 'making a point' is adapted from the scenes in which the above quotes are spoken. As always, please review. I will try and get Chapter Five up ASAP but don't expect it before Thursday or Friday at the very earliest.