Chapter 4
No Pain No Gain
Harry was awoken by a knock at his door, "Okay Harry, time to get up we have work to do." came Moony's cheerful voice. Grabbing his glasses from the bed side table Harry replied "I'll be right down."
"Take your time and bring your jerkin and your dads old cloak with you." with a grin on his face.
Harry had a bad feeling about this thought left his sleepy mind as he washed and changed into his old jeans, trainers, a long sleeved T-shirt putting his jerkin over this, the garment was heavy and restricted his movement some what, but felt comfortable as he took the invisibility cloak and wandered down stairs to see Moony stood at the front door. "I won't be waking you up anymore..." said the adult quite seriously "I've got an old alarm clock you can borrow but I expect you down here waiting for me at 08:00 from now on."
"Okay sir." Harry slipped into the old routine for addressing his teacher.
"Right outside we have five minutes to make up."
They both strode to the raised platform in the centre of the lawns and Remus took the cloak from Harry explaining that they wouldn't be touching a sword for a few lessons yet and the most important part of fencing was balance. This lesson would be however how to fall and not get hurt and hopefully to get up quickly, Harry was told to stand in the centre of the platform with is feet apart and his mentor would push him over. Feeling quite confident about this, already being a good four inches taller than his instructor Harry stepped into the middle, only to see Moony disappear under Harry's cloak. Harry uttered a words of complaint, only to, a second later fall forward heavily, protecting his face from the floor at the last minute raising his hands. "Get up Harry." said the disembodied voice. Stunned, it took Harry a while to rise to his knees and push himself onto his feet. This time Harry was immediately pushed from the front and landed awkwardly on his backside. "You have to roll with blows Harry try and keep a low centre of gravity, if nothing else it is less distance to fall and a shorter distance to get up." Harry rose again this time pushed from the side, falling less awkwardly and getting to his feet quite quickly keeping his knees bent. This procedure repeated for the best part of thirty minutes Harry feeling bruised and battered but getting better, feeling the push he would roll and be back on his feet in a second.
"Good..." his mentor said finally "you can have five minutes. Then we'll try something else. There's water in the jug by the door." Harry gave Moony a steely look as his Mentor appeared from under the cloak "Your getting much better Harry a few more sessions like this and we'll go onto some other aspects of balance." drinking some of the water from the jug he disappeared under the cloak again.
"Right five minutes up, this time I want you to walk up and down the platform and I'll push you again." said a voice over to Harry's right.
Taking up a position at the end of the platform Harry walked to the far side. Just as his back foot came off the floor and swung past his standing leg Harry was pushed from the side stumbling to the side Harry fell over his legs. Rolling over he was on his feet quickly "Good Harry..." came Moony's voice "but next time I want you to try and anticipate when you might lose your balance and quickly adopt a wide stance keep your knees bent and resist falling over." This was a lot easier than it sounded and by the time Moony called a halt to proceedings Harry had taken a fair number of falls only once or twice managing to remain upright.
"I feel like I've been battered with a meat tenderiser." said an exhausted Harry drinking more of the water.
"It's important you improve your agility Harry..." Moony replied "and being able to fall will save you a lot of more serious injuries in the long run."
"Okay Harry, I expect you want to get washed up before breakfast and don't be later for Professor McGonagall." Moony said skipping through the door and up the stairs into his room, the door on the right at the front next door to Harry. Harry complied with his mentor ate a delicious breakfast of eggs, fried tomatoes, and fresh toast with a mug of tea and left the kitchen ran upstairs retrieve his wand and was waiting downstairs five minutes early for Professor McGonagall. The stern lady appeared from out of the first door on the left as you walking in the front door, next to the sitting room, and ushered Harry to come in, telling him this would be the room they studied Transfiguration in.
The Professor explained she wanted to try a new method of teaching transfiguration, the art of transfiguration she lectured requires three changes to occur to an object or animal and the duration of the effects where dependant on the similarity between the initial and final states. In order to transfigure one thing into another you usually have to change its composition, its shape and most difficulty its size, making anything bigger than its starting state obviously more difficult than making something smaller.
She also stated that she required for Harry to spend the first half hour of every lesson downing warm up transfiguration, these would be multiple transfigurations of the same object. And she would spend the rest of the lesson explaining and allowing Harry to try examples. Harry was given a bow of matches and told to transfigure these one at a time into little metal sticks, the same size and shape just a different material. Some forty minutes later Harry had them all done getting quicker and quicker towards the end. "Good Mr. Potter. Now for second warm up exercise I would like you to change these..." Said the Professor placing a dish full of ball bearings in front of him "into perfect cubes."
Going on this task was slow and completion took the remaining time in the lesson but as before Harry was getting better as he came to the end.
"Excellent Mr. Potter, I will set you the final exercise in our afternoon lesson and remember these exercises will be done in the first thirty minutes of our normal lessons, we will start with small quantities of each object and increase the number as your skill level improves. That I believe is the end of our first period and time for lunch, I will expect you to keep this level of commitment up for all your lessons Mr. Potter if you expect to succeed in your task."
Over lunch Harry talked to both his teachers asking them questions about what the forth coming year at Hogwarts and Quidditch, both he and his head of house admitted they hoped that an uninterrupted year of games could be played. Harry was also interested to learn that Cho Chang was going to be a teaching assistant in the following term but she would only me allowed to help in lessons of the third years and below and she would be living with friends in Hogsmead, Harry wondered if this meant with her best friend and wondered if Marietta Edgecombe had managed to have the pustules spelling out 'SNEAK' removed after betraying 'Dumbledore's Army' the secret DADA society to the Ministry. Harry was privately pleased Cho wasn't staying in the castle; thought of regularly running into his ex-girlfriend in the corridors at school didn't fill Harry with Joy. After lunch Harry changed into the clothing he had worn that morning and met Moony outside, the second session mirrored the first but Harry's progress was good and was quickly back on his feet after each fall and even managed to roll out and rise immediately from some of the invisible attacks. His progress in the second exercise was slower but by the end of the hour was managing to stay on his feet about fifty percent of the time.
Harry used his half hour break to wash and change again was five minutes early when he entered the room allocated as the transfiguration class room. Professor McGonagall then explained to Harry that the final of his usual exercises was to transfigure a quantity of dice from there usual size to approximately a foot in all dimensions. Harry struggled with this task, it took a massive amount of concentration to massively change the volume of an object, and by the end of the hour Harry still had several dice un-transfigured and the ones he had where of varying sizes. The stern professor reassured Harry this was to be expected and there next session they would warm up with just the first two exercises and spend the remainder of the lesson practising the final exercise.
That evening after another dinner Harry was sat in the sitting room on his favourite chair facing the fire flanked by his two teachers, Professor McGonagall reading Transfiguration Monthly and Moony some sort of muggle literature 'The Art of War'. Harry oiled his jerkin for the first hour, as Moony told him it would help protect the leather and make it more supple then Harry started reading his one of the books Professor McGonagall had chosen at Diagon Alley. The book entitled 'So what makes you an Animagus." was engrossing, avoiding the theoretical side of the subject one of the most advanced forms of transfiguration and also one of the incredibly small number of pieces of wandless magic, as Harry was informed in the foreword, it concentrated on the animals witches and wizards became. How they always shared common attributes, free spirited people tending to be birds especially if they had a love for flying, horses, and stags tended to be loyal and impetuous, Harry smiled to himself think of his father as an impetuous school boy. Harry also learned that like transfiguration with a wand the difficulty of change in both concentration and initially pain, was related to the size of the animal reading a rather sickening story of a wizard who spent a month in St Mungos after a breakdown while trying to change into a rhino. Harry questioned professor McGonagall on how much it hurt her to change into her cat form, the professor told him that the pain was only very brief and only occurred the first four or five changes as one got used to your second form.
Quite early in the evening Harry feeling black and blue from the numerous falls involved from Moony's training, he decided to retire to his room, soak in the tub for a while and then get an early night, Harry curled up in bed feeling a slight pang of dread, knowing the next morning would be his first encounter with Auror a thought he was quite apprehensive about. His thoughts troubled as he drifted of to sleep.
The night was dark and his vision blurred but he could see the smells of the forest a strange sensation and then there was the funny movement head locked pointing in one direction while swaying from side to side low to the ground. Reaching what smelt like a tree and climbing it, spiralling round and round the trunk, then onto a branch. Then a different smell, something that reminded Harry of Aunt Marge's dog Ripper after he had been out in the rain, the scent getting stronger as he swayed along the branch. Turning his head down he saw a blurry white shape against the dark forest floor and slowly descended towards it the scent getting stronger still, then the thought in his head, powerful and primal, bite it, and crush it. Harry felt his jaws widen and with a lunge his mouth closed round the back of a hairy neck and a sweet, sticky, silvery coloured substance spread filling his mouth the sound of an animal screaming sparking a memory from his past was the last thing he heard before a ringing woke Harry with a start.
Harry reached for the alarm clock switching it off and reached for his glasses, walking to the desk Harry wrote to the Headmaster about the dream which Harry knew was a vision and remembered to also tell Professor Snape, but for now Harry wanted to focus on the immediate lesson with the last of the marauders. Dressing quickly and going downstairs Harry exited the building five minutes early but Remus wasn't out yet so Harry walked and stood on the platform. Suddenly Harry was pushed hard from behind, Harry placed a forearm on the floor tucked in his head and pushed slightly with his legs whipping his legs over, and placing his feet on the floor his momentum carried him up to his feet again. The whip roll lasted a fraction of a second and turned keeping his feet apart trying to anticipate the next attack, but Remus appeared from under the invisibility cloak saying "Excellent Harry, I think your about ready to begin a bit of combat training." the older man threw Harry a length of wood roughly the same size as a sword and picked up his own.
"Okay now Harry..." smiled the professor "take up a solid fighting position and try and hit me."
Harry stepped forward raising the stave over his head and brought it down at Remus, the attack was deftly dodged to one side and Remus stepped forward giving Harry a slight push, Harry clearly off balance tumbled backward, but with a backward roll was again on his feet again.
"There were two things wrong with that attack Harry. Firstly the over head attack is slow and easily dodged the second is when you attacked you brought your back foot forward next to your front foot, making it easy to knock you off balance."
"How should I attack?" asked the young wizard "and how should I stand?"
"Right, your right handed so point your right foot toward me, now shoulder width back, place your left foot sideways. Whatever your attack or defence when you move forward you move your front foot first, when moving backward or to the side you move your back foot first trying to always point your front foot at the opponent."
"Like this?" Said Harry.
"Yeah perfect, now try the same attack but with the correct footing."
Harry did as instructed missing again, but now when Moony pushed Harry simply bent his back leg slightly and straightened it pushing the smaller man back.
The rest of the lesson Harry practised with Moony, stepping in various directions constantly trying to hold his stance and his balance, sweating considerably when the lesson was over Harry decided to go and wash and change before breakfast. Harry went downstairs and had a light breakfast finding the exercise in the morning lessened his appetite and ten minutes before his lesson, his new teacher entered the kitchen.
"Hello Harry."
"Tonks!" Harry said surprised "You're going to be teaching me?" Harry added smiling.
"Yep," smiled the young woman warmly, "and if you won't to keep on my good side you'll keep calling me that! None of this Miss or Professor and if you call me Nymphadora..." She said with a grimace. "You'll be walking with a limp for weeks."
"Right-o lets get started then." Tonks walked out of the room knocking over a hat stand next to the door, and Harry followed her into the room on the right as you entered the front door in front of the stairs.
Harry was instructed to take a seat in front of a large desk and Tonks sat in the high backed chair behind the desk crossed her legs underneath herself. Harry was instructed to clear his mind, he was to think of nothing, after three attempts Tonks performed the 'Legilimens' spell to invade Harry's mind Harry and access Harry's thoughts and memories. Harry suddenly went back to his time before he entered the Ministry and the ride on the strange winged horses, gone was the curiosity with visions and that little voice in Harry's head said 'You're not supposed to be remembering this, with a shout of "NO !" Harry blocked his mind completely and Harry was stood in front of Auror, Tonks looking at him.
"Whoa Harry, that hurt." rubbing her forehead, "I've never seen someone throw off a Legilimens before. I'm sorry about that we always had to access memories in training. I didn't mean to do that."
"Sorry for blocking so hard its just I don't much like people in my head." smiling nervously.
"Hey no harm done." Smiled Tonks concentrating for a few seconds she had a big crooked nose, slicked back black hair and very high cheek bones "I don't look like Serverus Snape do I?"
Harry laughed at the young woman's party trick and the atmosphere lightened considerably. Especially when she returned to her usual appearance of the attractive young woman with short spiky and usually wildly coloured hair.
Tonks cast the curse again, this time careful not to probe his mind but remain a spectator and Harry was unaware of her presence, blanking his mind completely turned out to be very difficult, with his eyes closed Harry's other sense where heightened and any stimuli seemed to trigger mental activity, towards the end of the thirty minutes Harry determined to not recall any more memories as the ones that occasion jumped into his mind some of them quite embarrassing, like the picture of Ginny sat tongue stuck out a little concentrating on her home work, something that brought a knowing smile to Tonks's face. So Harry concentrating very hard on blocking every function of his brain this however caused Harry to stop breathing for a clear two minutes until his brain screamed for more oxygen and Harry was removed from his trance gasping for air.
Tonks told Harry that it wasn't a good idea to try and stop the brain completely, but he should just let it do the things his subconscious did natural and try and block the higher level functions. This all sounded logical to Harry and gave him something to think about.
During the second half of the lesson Tonks was going to help Harry with the subjects that Aurors needed to specialise in, she said his DADA was definitely up to scratch and McGonagall was second to only Dumbledore at Transfiguration so they would concentrate on Charms and Potions, Harry groaned at the idea of doing potions but was told it was fun, it was like cooking in big black pots and all you needed was to know what ingredients did and you could change the recipes a bit to change effects.
Harry was surprised how much he enjoyed this part working, with Tonks was totally different from lessons with Snape, she was energetic and never scolded him just pointed out problems and explained things clearly and made sure he understood, she was just as good at Charms teaching Harry a few useful charms. Tonks told Harry there was a sort of dungeon in the cellar of the building and as Potions seemed to be his least favourite subject she would come on Saturdays to do some extra work on poisons and antidotes. The two hour session flew by and Harry thanked her and told her he couldn't wait for the next lesson, she smiled brightly and knocked a vase of the edge of the desk. Harry used 'Reparo' on it and replaced it on the corner of her desk.
After lunch Harry went to his room and found Hedwig had returned from the Burrow, and after saying hello to the owl and fussing over her for a while Harry removed the three letters tied to her leg. Harry read Hermione's letter first;
Harry,
Well done with your OWLs with everything that happened I didn't think we would all do so well, I passed all my exams with O's or E's, wizard exam marking is confusing, a E in a muggle school would be a fail, I'm a bit disappointed to not get any stars but I'm pleased I can choose whatever NEWTs I want, I'm going to take Arithmancy, Charms, Defence against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration so we might be in some classes together, I would have liked to take Potions as well but I think with all the work we'll have it would be too much. Ron and Ginny have been practising Quidditch every day but Neville is here as well so I've had someone else to talk too, hope your holiday with your relatives is going ok !
Love Hermione.
Neville's at the Burrow too, his Gran must have eased up on him after the OWLs, thought Harry. Ginny's letter was next explaining all about the twins shop and how they were really busy, they had been forced to withdraw several items from the shelves because they were described as too dangerous, but they'd found a market for them in Romania where the legislation wasn't as stick and they are selling mail order. She said about the Quidditch with Ron and his supposedly subconscious whistling of Weasley is our King, saying she was sorry Harry couldn't come and visit and hoped he had a good holiday.
Final was Ron's letter, who started as usual by telling Harry, he should be there to protect him from Hermione who was driving him nuts, Harry guessed that this couldn't be further from the truth and in reality he would rather they had the house to themselves, Ron went on to talk about the Chudley Cannons and how he'd been practising and hoped he'd be able to be keeper next year. Final Ron said how it was fun having Neville over but he seemed to be spending a lot of time with Ginny and he thought something was going on, before wishing Harry a good holiday (at this Harry felt a pang of jealousy but he liked Neville and knew he would be good to Ginny.)
Harry re-read Ron's letter several times trying to get used to the fact that Neville and Ginny where together but still feeling jealous none the less. Harry picked up the Animagus book he had started reading yesterday, Harry sat on the bed and read for most of the afternoon, half way through Harry stopped on a page about lions, they were strong, courageous and loyal, then reading about how males was ferociously protective and can sometimes a solitary figure, according to legend Godric Gryffindor had been a lion Animagus, Harry thought if he was an Animagus he would like to be a lion. Reading until dinner time, Harry ate silently and went to his room to continue reading his book before going to bed.
Over the next two weeks Harry continued his lessons, living in the routine the set time-table provided him, Transfiguration had progressed well, Harry now completed the initial exercises in the allotted time with about the same number of objects as he had started with in the first lesson, in the remainder of the lessons Harry worked combining the skills, first material and shape, then material and size, then shape and size and finally Harry had begun working on full transfigurations initially making large objects into smaller animals. Professor McGonagall was very happy with Harry's performance but had commented that this method would probably be unsuitable for general teaching; the high levels of monotony would soon make the class very unpopular, Harry found comfort in it though, constantly challenging himself to do it faster or more accurately.
His fencing had also improved dramatically, after the first week Remus had appeared with two single handed straight swords, the weight of the weapon had at first felt uncomfortable and tired Harry quickly but the regular practice quickly changed this and now for at least half the afternoon lesson Moony and Harry would spa. Neither side ever landing a hit simply blocking and parrying each others attacks then countering with there own. The two fighters almost perfectly matched.
Harry's sessions with Tonks were just as enjoyable, if sometimes exhausting, meditation was not entirely successful at relaxing him, and he found he had to concentrate a lot. Despite this Harry was more comfortable meditating, blocking higher level brain functions as Tonks called them, stopping his mind analysing sensations sent to it, he was still no where near perfect and was easily distracted but if left alone could clear his mind for a full half hour allowing his body to behave normally.
During the weeks at the house Harry had spent his weekends as instructed writing to Ron and Hermione and the occasional letter to Ginny, he found these letters hard as he wasn't sure of his feelings especially as according to Ron she seemed to be seeing Neville. The majority of time at the weekends was spent studying books examining topics which would come up during his next term at Hogwarts. Tonks walked into the kitchen on Saturday morning while Harry was eating breakfast and asked him if he was ready to brew a particularly complicated potion. Harry agree and was led from the kitchens to the side of the stairs, the she pushed a section of panelling and it slid back and sideways to reveal a granite stairs lit by torches on the wall. On the way down Harry smiled thinking that this was very similar to the dungeons at Hogwarts, the musty smell of damp walls, the thick stone walls and the complete absence of windows, this must be the right environment to work on potions thought Harry, that or the Tonks like Snape really liked the medieval feel.
The time in the dungeon was surprisingly interesting Tonks was relaxed and chatted happily with Harry and gave a running commentary of the ingredients and there effects on the potion and how the time they were added changed these effects quite dramatically. After the day Harry had developed a new interest in potions and how useful it might prove to be, he had been told the potion required a week to stew before finally ingredients could be added, Harry intended to be in the kitchen in a weeks time to provide any further assistance required.
It was the Friday before the weekend that would be the end of the month, and Harry was sat in Transfiguration having completed the task of turning twenty wooden jewellery boxes into mini terrapins, Harry had made the pattern of the shells absolutely identical and received praise for this from his teacher. McGonagall then looked at Harry and told him she had several things she wished to discuss with him, the first was not really a discussion, he had been invited to Burrow on Sunday for the day as it was his sixteenth birthday and seeing the grin on his face the professor knew he would be going and she said she would contact the Headmaster and make arrangements. Now McGonagall had a serious look on her face,
"Harry as you know, Gryffindor have lost the majority of its house Quidditch team last year and I am interested that a new team is successful, I have recently placed a permanent display case in my office and I do not wish it to remain empty (the corners of McGonagall's lips raised just a twitch.) ..." Harry let out a short laugh "I wanted to make you the new house captain Harry, however I have reason to believe following my lessons with you that your time might be better spent on another endeavour..." the professor paused looking for a sign of reaction in Harry's face but there was none he simply looked thoughtful. " Harry I believe that if you are willing, we may examine the possibility of you becoming an Animagus."
Harry's eyes became large green saucers, "Doesn't that take year's professor? I mean it took the marauders three years to become Animagi."
"Nonsense, if what Remus tells me is correct your father and Sirius managed the transformation in a year and that was completely unassisted, it was only that they spent the following two years teaching Peter." Stated the stern professor. "I believe with the correct training if we find you suitable, it would take six months to learn the transformation. This is of course if you are prepared to undergo the training. Which I must warn you is arduous."
"I've thought about this before professor." confessed Harry "and I want to try."
"You understand that you will not be able to be Quidditch captain."
"Yes professor, I think Ron would be a much better captain than me anyway." Harry smiled remembering the Mirror of Erised and Ron's view of himself as Head boy and Quidditch captain this was starting to look more and more likely as Harry had been passed over as a Gryffindor Prefect making it unlikely for him to be head boy. To be honest Harry was a bit disappointed but was pleased for his best friend who was often left out of the lime light in the shade of the boy-who-lived who really spent most of his time trying to avoid it.
"Well, we will start your lessons next week, I would like you to examine your books and see if you have a preference for the animal you might become."
"I already know Professor." replied Harry "I would like to become a lion."
A grin appeared on McGonagall's face "I thought you might choose a stag like your father, but I can think of no more appropriate animal, and a fellow feline."
Harry spent the rest of his day reading the book on Animagus feeling happy at being able to follow his fathers footsteps and hope he would be able complete his latest task, he slept peacefully that night and woke early the following morning washed and changed into his new potion robes before going to breakfast. Dobby always liked breakfast on the weekends, during the week he complained 'Harry Potter Sir' didn't eat enough but without the morning exercise Harry was starving and ate double portions eggs, bacon, tomato, sausages and fried bread, much to his small friends delight. After Harry had eaten he asked the manic elf if he would take some bacon rind up to Hedwig, who had arrived back with more letters during the night, Dobby agreed and with a *pop* was gone.
Behind him the door opened and Harry turned to see Tonks the usual grin apparent on her face, "You ready for part two Harry?." asked the young Auror knocking over the pitcher of pumpkin juice, "That was a silly place to put that." she stated to Harry's amusement but he jumped of his seat replying "Total Tonks." followed the woman down to the cellar/dungeon. Harry spent most of the day in the stone walled room, Dobby brought him sandwiches for lunch, while Harry chopped, measured, stirred, simmered, distilled and mixed ingredients, according to precise instructions from the potions master listening intently to the Aurors explanations of reactions and even ventured several questions, which were answered without malice present in Snape's teaching.
Harry enjoyed his time in the dungeon again and was finding potions considerably easier to understand without the presence of other students, that evening Harry read the course text for the potions NEWT and tried to understand the purpose of each material in the potions, sometimes cross referencing with books from his first five years at school he took notes and tried to think of ways to possibly improve the recipes something Tonks said was the only difference between a cook and a potion maker.
Harry eventually retired to bed and dreamt about being the forest again, but this was not a nightmare and he was not a snake. His eye sight was crystal clear despite the dwindling light, his body powerful yet supple, golden paws with razor sharp claws gripped the forest floor as he ran not tiring and with a light heart. He jumped fallen logs, weaved in and out of trees, when he came to a stream he dipped his head and drank deeply, feeling the chilled water on his chin then rose again and continued his run, finally coming to the end of the forest and pounced through the final row of trees roaring..."
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