Chapter 15 - Overcoming Obstacles
Four yawning students in t-shirts, shorts and runners, and two prefects in robes walked across the Gryffindor common room just before 6:00AM and out of the portrait hole, heading down for their first 2 hours of training for the new day. When the portrait closed the Gryffindor tower was silent again.
A face appeared at the top of the stairs leading down from the dormitories. Colin Creevey tiptoed down the stairs and looked around. When he was convinced the others had really gone, he turned and headed back up to the dormitory rooms, sticking his head into each dormitory and repeated the same message to the stirring students "They've gone! House meeting in 15 minutes."
The common room was crowded with students in just a few minutes. "OK, OK." Lee Jordan yelled above the other students, when things had quieted down a bit he continued, "We all know why we're here. What are we going to do?"
"Dean and I have already decided" Seamus spoke up. "We're not going to sit around while the others risk themselves for us all." A general murmur of approval went through the crowded room.
Ginny spoke up, "My whole family is in this now, so you know where I stand."
"Are there any dissenting opinions?" Lee Jordan asked but was greeted only by silence.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Dean Thomas yelled and the entire student body of the house of Gryffindor arose and headed out of the portrait hole. Their progress through the quiet school was unimpeded until they were met by a crowd coming out of another passage.
The Gryffindors looked at the Ravenclaw students and the Ravenclaws looked at the Gryffindors. "I guess we had the same idea " Cho breaking the silence said. The combined houses soon continued on their way, the fellow students beginning to mix together. They had not gone far when from another passage they met the Hufflepuff students. The two groups regarded each other briefly and then the Hufflepuff prefect leading his house simply said "For Cedric's sake". These words had a powerfully effect on everyone. Without further discussion, the three houses combined numbers and resumed their march though the castle.
In the entrance hall the three houses ran into trouble in the form of Professor Snape. "And what is the meaning of this?" Snape asked loudly, obviously not expecting an answer. "You know very well students are not permitted out of their houses before 7:00AM." Snape said whilst considered the possibility of giving three quarters of the school detection. His train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of even more students. Blaise Zabini of the Slytherin house lead a small group of students into the entrance hall before he saw Professor Snape standing there.
"Mr Zabini, just what is the meaning of this?" Snape growled at the students from his own house. Now he was unable to punish the others without punishing the Slytherin students too.
But before Blaise could answer, another voice sounding outraged, echoed out of the corridor the Slytherins had just come from. "Blaise, what the hell do you and the others think you're doing?" Draco Malfoy appeared followed by the rest of the Slytherin students. Seeing Professor Snape and all the other students gave him sudden pause from following up his accusation against his housemates.
"We were going to see this obstacle course Potter and the others are using, Professor" Blaise replied somewhat taken aback by the turn of events. He turned towards Draco and said, "I wasn't aware I needed your permission, Draco."
"No, but you need mine!" Snape interjected before Draco could reply. Snape seemed to be considering his options. There wasn't much he could do now the entire school was here. Looking very displeased he said "We'll all go, shall we?" and turning lead the way out of the school.
Hermione and Ron watched on, as Harry and Neville were the first to run the obstacle course. On Professor Bond's whistle both boys lay down and began to crawl under low-slung wires. Harry was fast but Neville followed not far behind. Harry cleared the wires first. He stood up and taking a quick run jumped over a wide mud filled trench. Hermione let out a cry of dismay as Neville almost fell backwards into the trench on his attempt but he managed to regain his balance and continue. Harry and then Neville began to climb up vertical ropes to a platform. Once up on the platform the boys grabbed another rope and swung Tarzan style back to the ground hitting it running. Hermione had to close her eyes as Neville looked unnervingly out of control as he did it and he almost wasn't able to stop for the next obstacle, which was a solid wooden wall. Harry just seemed to levitate up its face and swing himself over the top in one smooth movement. Neville first attempt failed but on the second he managed to awkwardly drag himself over the top of the wall and drop to the ground on the other side. Harry was well into jumping the hurdle rails when Neville began. Harry was making everything look easy but Neville was already looking ragged, and the worse was yet to come.
The boys had reached the balance beams; long logs ran across a wide mud filled pit but not in a straight line. They were set in a zigzag pattern. To cross, you had to walk along each narrow log and then change direction as you stepped onto the next log and so on, until you were all the way across.
"This must be were Neville fell yesterday. Look at his face!" Ron said
Hermione could see the trepidation on Neville's face as he hesitated before the obstacle. Harry on the other had already begun and was about half way across walking quickly. Neville stepped onto the first log. Arms held out wide for balance, he began slowly taking small steps along the first log. He was wobbling but held it together as he made the second log.
"Got a little surprise for you, Harry." Professor Bond yelled as he signalled to the twins "Thought we'd make it a bit more of a challenge for you."
The twins held their wands out and with a flick, sent a series of sandbags, hung on ropes, swinging across the balance logs. Harry now had to dodge them and still maintain his balance. Trouble was with the twins helping, the sandbags were acting more like bludgers in their chaotic movements and Harry needed eyes in the back of his head to see them all.
"Oh! I can't look!" Hermione squealed, hands covering her eyes.
"Watch it Harry, Watch it" Ron commented beside her. "Aaarh, best you don't look yet. Hermione"
Harry had been grazed by a couple of the bags but none had hit him hard enough yet to knock him from the logs. Even Neville in his slow careful way had made it across. Professor Bond had restrained the twins from giving Neville the same treatment as Harry got, as he wanted the boy to build a bit of confidence in himself. It was after all, only his second day and he had yet to make it all the way through.
Next was a climb up cargo nets to another platform and from there, a horizontal ladder that they had to cross hanging from below. Harry swung first his left arm forward and having grabbed the next run, let go the right and swinging it forward grabbed the next and so on, one movement leading into the next. Neville was a lot more stop start about it but Professor Bond was shouting encouragements at the boy and he too eventually made it to the end without falling.
Last obstacle was a rope stretched horizontal with the ground which the boys crossed hand over hand with their legs wrapped over the rope. Once crossed, the boys ran down a slope to the finish line. Harry was the clear winner but Neville look like he had won the race of his life as he crossed not all that far behind. He jumped for sheer joy as he crossed the line and got applause from them all.
"Excellent work Neville but next time you get the sandbags too." Professor Bond told he boy to his dismay. "Now both of you once around the greenhouses double time while Ron and Hermione have a go!"
Ron and Hermione paled at these words. Their time had come.
Ron and Hermione stood at the starting line of the obstacle course waiting for the start whistle. Hermione was muttering "Oh I don't know about this!" while Ron was more positive, repeating to himself, "If Neville can do it, I can do this, I can do this…" but his face betrayed his uncertainty and the mischievous looks on his brothers faces told him it wasn't going to be as easy as Neville's turn. Professor Bond was about to blow the whistle when a large crowd rounded the greenhouses distracting him.
"It looks like the whole school," Hermione observed.
"And that's Snape in the lead" Ron said now suspicious of the sudden interruption.
"Good Morning, Severus" Professor Bond greeted Professor Snape cheerfully, "Are you leading the students on an early morning walk?"
Professor Snape looked at James Bond with an expression of consternation. "No, it would seem the students wished to see this training, we have all heard so much about."
"Well, we were about to give Ron and Hermione their first run at the obstacle course."
"Weasley and Granger, my my, this may turn out better than I thought" Professor Snape replied with a glint appearing in his eyes.
The students had fanned out to look at the obstacle course. Ron and Hermione were looking even more nervous lined up at the start with the entire school now watching. Ron spotted Draco Malfoy looking at him with a smirk on his face. Hermione could tell from his expression what Ron was thinking of doing to Draco Malfoy.
"Forget him Ron. We have to concentrate on the obstacle course." she told him. Professor Bond gave them a signal to get ready and then blew his whistle.
Hermione and Ron began to crawl under the wire. It had looked a lot easier when Harry did it and it didn't help to hear the yells of the other students urging them on. Well, most of the yells were positive, there were a few that were derogatory from the Slytherins, Draco's voice among them.
Hermione was struggling with the climbing rope. "Come on Granger, get that fat arse of yours up there!" Draco yelled to the amusement of the Slytherins around him. Ron was fuming now but Hermione caught his eye and mouthed the word "Later" to him. //Yes, later Malfoy, later// Ron thought to himself and continued to climb up the rope. Having made the raised platform, both of them swung down and hit the ground running very fast. Getting back under control was not easy and the solid wall was coming up fast. Ron gave Hermione a leg up and then followed by jumping, grabbing the top of the wall and trying to swing up and over like Harry had. The hurdles weren't too bad but all too soon, they both were at the balance logs.
Stepping onto the first log Hermione was moving along slowly looking down at her feet. Unfortunately she didn't see the sandbag headed her way until it was too late. "Ahhhh" she yelled as she was catapulted off the log and plop, into the mud.
Draco Malfoy was laughing so hard he couldn't breath. He staggered down to get a closer look at mud covered Hermione now wadding across the mud pit. "Now you really are a mudblood." he yelled at her between fits of laughter. The crowd of students were in danger of rioting. Those Slytherins around him who thought Draco's comment was funny versus the others who were outraged by it. It was only Snape's looming presence that held it in check. He did not look pleased with Draco but Draco didn't care.
Draco sneered at Ron who was still balanced on the logs, hoping to see him meet the same fate. Ron however had other plans. A swinging sandbag was heading straight for him but instead of dodging, he grabbed at it and shoved hard almost falling from the log. The sandbag swung in a wide arc away from Ron. Draco was still laughing when he happened to notice the expectant look on Ron's face and Ron's eye's tracking something behind Draco. Draco spun around but it was too late. Ron had altered the path of the swinging bag into a wide orbit and now as it was headed back towards the pit, it crashed into Draco knocking him backwards into the mud. Draco screamed as he found himself well and truly stuck waist deep in the mud.
"Hey Malfoy!" Ron yelled, and as Draco turned, Ron ran along the narrow log he was on and shouting "CANNONBALL!" he leapt high into the air. Folding himself into a tight ball shape, he hit the mud with spectacular results. A solid wall of mud struck Draco right in the face. The onlooking crowd of students roared with laughter. Even the Slytherins who had sided with Draco laughed at the sight. A mud covered Ron emerged from below the surface. Draco was trying to wipe the mud from his eyes to see more clearly and he started backing away from an oncoming Ron but the waist deep mud made it almost impossible to move. It was as if they were in slow motion. Ron coming on and Draco trying to back away. Draco should have looked behind because he was suddenly grabbed and flipped in a throw over the hip of his attacker and pushed completely under the mud. Hermione looked very pleased with herself as Ron got up to her. Draco's head re-emerged from the mud but Ron simply pushed it back down.
"Shall we go, Hermione?" Ron said offering her his arm in a very gallant manner.
"I think that might be best, Ron" She said taking his arm and together they sauntered across the mud filled pit looking very pleased and very muddy. Loud applause greeted them and they saw that Harry and Neville, having completed their run around the greenhouses, had arrived just in time to watch the final moments. Neville was laughing and clapping his friend's efforts.
"Come on you two" Professor Bond shouted at Ron and Hermione, "you still have the rest of the course to complete. Move it! Move it! Move it!"
And the two muddy students struggled out of the mud pit and began to run to the next obstacle, laughing all the way. The crowd of students followed to watch them.
Draco resurfaced and took a much-needed breath. Snape looked down at the boy and shook his head at him and turning his back, walked away towards the other students. Draco struggled to get out of the mud pit but weighed down by the mud-covered robe, he was having a very difficult time even moving.
"When will you learn that insulting my friends isn't going to get you anywhere?" Harry Potter stood alone on the edge of the mud pit looking down at Draco.
"Shut up, Potter!" Draco yelled. Potter and his gang had once again humiliated him, and even worse, this time it had happened in front of the entire school. Even his own housemates had laughed and Professor Snape was clearly displeased. Draco knew the consequences of losing the respect of his peers, all to well.
"Well, do you want a hand out of there or not?" Harry asked with his hand stretched out towards Draco.
Draco looked at Harry's offered hand suspiciously. "You always have to do the noble thing, don't you Potter!"
"No I don't, and after what you said to Hermione I am inclined to leave you there." Harry replied as he frowned, he had had enough of Malfoy's crap over the years. Harry didn't know why he gestured with his hand as he did, all he knew was he was mad, mad at Draco for being such a pain in the arse over all the years at Hogwarts. Draco was plucked from the mud and shot into the air but Harry instinctively reacted and managed to deposited Draco unharmed on the cleared ground nearby still covered in mud from the pit. But Harry hadn't finished. Another wave of his hand had Draco fearing he was about to be torn apart. It was as if he was caught in a tornado. It soon ended though and Draco discovered all the mud had been pulled from him and his clothing. He was still dirty but at least he could move. He looked at Harry Potter. Clearly Harry Potter could do advanced wandless magic. Draco saw that Potter seemed almost to be glowing, his green eyes luminous in their intensity. The impression of sheer magical power was overwhelming. Draco had, on rare occasions, seen Dumbledore show his inner potential. It had scared Draco to realise few wizards could match the old man. Indeed, it was said even the dark lord himself feared Dumbledore's power. But Dumbledore's power was on the wain as he grew ever older, or at least Draco's father Lucius had said so. Draco now saw that Harry Potter's power was easily a match for Dumbledore's and realised that power was growing stronger every day. Draco had been scared by Dumbledore's power; Harry's power now terrified him. Draco saw his death in those glowing green eyes and realised there was nothing he could do to prevent it. All Potter had to do was reach out and Draco would be no more.
"Lets get a few things straight Malfoy," Harry said with rage now plain in his voice, "I plan to destroy Voldemort and his death eaters including your father or die trying. I don't care about you and your crap. Whatever reasons you think you have to bug me, get over it. You have a decision to make. Join your father and his friends and share their fate or stay the hell out of my way and live. It's your choice." Harry turned and strode away to rejoin his friends further down the obstacle course, leaving a very shaken Draco Malfoy to make his decision.
Harry got to the finish line just in time to see Hermione and Ron cross together.
"Not a very fast run guys," Professor Bond told Ron and Hermione, "but not bad for a first attempt."
"So I guess its Harry's and Neville's turn again," Professor Bond said.
Neville groaned. He didn't fancy those sandbags coming at him. "What about us!" Seamus objected.
"Yeah when do we get a go?" Dean joined in.
"What do you mean? I thought you just came to watch?" James asked but he looked like he had already guessed their answer.
"No we came to join up." Dean said proudly, "Can't let Neville have all the fun." He slapped Neville on the back as he said it.
"Us too!", "And me!" and many similar comments swept the students of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Finally a lone Slytherin spoke up. "Me too!" Blaise Zabini stood his ground as the students from the other houses and his own looked at him in shock. "But you're a Slytherin!" Ron said loudly in a mistrustful tone.
In a loud and proud voice Blaise addressed the crowd, "Not all Slytherins support You-Know-Who. I am a Zabini, a direct descendant of the Borgia of Italy. We have been called brilliant but also evil, ruthless and treacherous and such we are! But we have also stood against all those who would follow the ways of the antichrist throughout history. I, and my entire family stand against one such now! I will stand for the light against the coming darkness and I will not be the only Slytherin to do this." Blaise turned aside to face Harry Potter and in a quieter voice said. "You have more support in Slytherin than you know. Not all can publicly declare themselves yet, but be ever watchful; some that come over will not be true. And that may be so of any of the houses, even your own. Trust no one, not even me."
Harry regarded Blaise for a moment and then smiled and extended his hand and shook Blaise's hand, loudly saying. "We will stand together, come what may, for I do not doubt your words." And he also added in a quiet voice so that only Blaise could hear "And I will also heed your warning, for the actions of a traitor cost my parents lives. I will not make the same mistake."
"Well!" Professor Bond shouted out over the heads of the students, "Who's first on the obstacle course?"
It was mayhem! Students were shedding their robes and rushing to be first at the start line. Quite a few other Slytherin students lined up behind Blaise Zabini, looking a little uncertain but the other students treated them no differently. Professor Bond was blowing his start whistle every ten seconds, sending another pair of students into the obstacle course. There were students stuck in the mud, hanging upside down in the cargo net and some fallen over the hurdle rails. A few were even clinging to a couple of the swinging sandbags.
Crabbe , Goyle and the other Slytherins not joining the forces of the light skulked back towards the school looking overwhelmed by the turn of events. Now and then, one of their number would turn back and join the line of students at the obstacle course. The house of Slytherin was now divided against itself.
When the last of the students had been given the go signal. James Bond breathed a sign of relief. He had so many charges now, how was he ever going to cope?
"And how exactly is this sort of thing going to help them fight?" Snape asked Bond contemptuously.
James looked amused at the question and replied, "The obstacle course's purpose is twofold. First the physical conditioning is useful in a warrior's ability to endure physical hardships. But more importantly the every changing obstacles help develop a mental toughness and flexibility. To be successful, you have to solve the problems in new and novel ways. Thinking on your feet. Ron Weasley did particularly well in that regard today. He turned a threat into an advantage by using that sandbag against the other boy. One day this training will allow them to use whatever is a hand to save their own lives. At least that is the hope." James Bond knew what he was talking about from long personal experience.
"I don't think sandbags are going to be much use against the death eaters." Snape stated and he simply turned and walked away.
James Bond caught the eye of Fred Weasley who had been standing close enough to hear the exchange. It was as if James Bond was able to communicate a whole idea with just a raised eyebrow and his eyes turning towards Snape walking away. Fred understood immediately and with a flick of his wand did the deed.
Snape's long years as a spy in Voldemort's camp had taught him to be ever watchful. Pity, as he noticed out of the corner of his eye the blur and reacted instinctively. The swinging sandbag missed him by centimetres as he walked next to the mud pit on his way back to the school. He glared back the way he had come. Professor Bond was watching the struggling students with an innocent expression on his face. Snape knew that James Bond, being a muggle, could not have done it himself, of course, but Snape was certain Bond was behind it all. In an odd way, Snape's opinion of James Bond went up several notches. He always respected a clever adversary. It would be the worst kind of folly not too.