Disclaimer: Not mine!
A/N: I've changed my screen name. My old one was getting a little boring so I made a new one. Do you like it?
Vincent - "Its interesting. It doesn't matter to me though."
Phoenix - "I like it. Why Alan?"
Kev - "It's my middle name. I kind of like it better than my first name."
Phoenix - "Oh! I see. Cool!"
Vincent - "That is all well and nice but the reviewers are waiting for the next chapter."
Kev - "Right you are!"
Zesuit – Its okay. I'm not really sure. I will explain several of the better weapons and I will probably hold a vote. More on that later though. That was a very good question by the way.
HarryPotterFan17 – I would be giving away way too much if I said anything. The heart and mind are two separate things. Each has its own answer to a problem. You can follow one but never both. I hope you can read between the lines because this is all your getting.
FS1 – I didn't forget you, but you really don't say anything worth paying much attention to. I appreciate your reviews but if you want to get more recognition for them you have to actually give me a reason to reply. The others that I respond to ask important questions, point out grammatical errors, ask advice, and even make suggestions. All you do is tell me to write more – which I do.
Omeganain – If you can tell me where to find it I will gladly look into it and offer it to the voters.
Athenegoddess – First, you must remember that no matter how cheerful he now seems, Harry is still mourning Sirius' death. Second, everyone he has loved something bad happens to them, Voldemort related or otherwise, and he doesn't want to risk Cho's life. Last, did you ever get an email confirming your account. If you did then you just never activated your account. If you didn't then you must create a new account with a new name and it must be with a valid e-mail address.
Chapter Nine: Heavy Metal Jam
"Heads up!"
That was all Harry had time to hear before he had to roll out of the way. He looked up and saw an arrow in the ground where he had been only moments before. He was up in a flash gripping a strong broadsword in his left hand. Another arrow whizzed past him as he ran, leaving a light scratch on his cheek. One more tore a hole in the underarm of his shirt as he narrowly dodged the missile. The next arrow hit directly where he would have been had he not seen it coming. He jumped back as another arrow hit where he had been standing. Another came, and another, the arrows were steadily pushing him back. He jumped high into the air, performing a sloppy looking back-flip and landing again. Just before he could begin another charge another arrow forced him to step back. He stumbled over a protruding root of a nearby tree and fell. And then an arrow hit him square in the chest.
He groaned and grabbed his head with his free left hand. Sitting up he picked up the blunted arrow that had hit him. He looked up at his very amused Defense Professor. His bow was lowered and one of his hands rested on his hips. His shoulder length blond hair was tied back in an ponytail, not unlike Bill Weasley's. He wore a severely simple canvas smock and a pair of leather slacks. His pointed ears and sharp features made him look like something out of a fantasy novel.
Harry had come to respect Rai Warren, and even admire him. At the moment however he loathed the elf. "Now do you see why a blind charge is so ineffective against bowmen?" Rai quipped as he walked over. He reached down and helped Harry from the ground. "A bowman can pick you off easily if you keep to the same path the entire time. All of the weapons we will cover require a certain finesse. Now," he said motioning for Harry to follow, "Tell me what you have learned thus far."
Harry strained his brain for a moment and began to repeat what he had learned in the past month. "All weapons require more than just physical force to be effective. A sword requires that you be able to control the swing of your arm as well as the strength to swing it. Spears need the wielder to place his stance firmly, moving only to take short controlled swings and well placed stabs. Some spears when used correctly can also be used as a shield." He ticked off the list silently in his mind as he walked and spoke. "Knives are best suited for stealth, where one well placed stab will solve a situation, but can be used in open combat accompanying a smaller sword or ax. Bows are nothing without arrows and require sharp eyes as well as limber arms to be effective."
Harry shivered as he finished his recitation. "Can we please go inside now? I'm freezing." It was a windy fall day. There were brown patches of grass here and there and leaves were scattered from the greenhouses to the forest. Harry looked around and saw that, as usual, their practice sessions held a captive audience of students that were gawking out of the windows of the higher floors.
"I've already told you," Rai answered, "We only train inside when it snows." They were nearing the equipment trunk now.
"I know, I know, 'The cold air is good for conditioning the body to withstand all environments', but its almost December for Merlin's sake." Harry began rubbing his arms with his hands for warmth. His armpit was as one with the cold steel blade he carried under it. That he was sweating and there was a stiff breeze only made the chill worse.
"Fine practice is over for today. But remember tomorrow at six in the morning. I expect you will be punctual as usual." It was not a question. Harry had been diligent in being on time to take care of all his responsibilities. He handed Rai the sword and made his way to the entrance hall of the school. He continued to rub his arms for warmth. He could clearly see his breath and he would bet his share of the W.W.W that his nose was red. He was so caught up in trying to get warm again that he walked right into someone outside the main entrance.
The other person dropped onto their bottom with a thud. Harry held out his hand to help the person up muttering apologies as he continued to try and warm himself.
"Harry!" came the familiar voice. "You look positively frozen!" Harry looked up in surprise to see that he had run into none other than Cho Chang. Before he could say anything she continued on. "Here," she said, "Use my cloak."
"But I..." he started to protest but she cut him off.
"No, my sweater is enough to keep me warm. You need the cloak." Harry could see the mix of concern and affection on her face. For some reason beyond his understanding this made her look even more attractive. "I can understand the need for training, but honestly... not even a sweater... could catch hypothermia..." she continued ranting as they walked into the entrance hall side by side.
"I'm fine really..." Harry said weakly not really wanting her to believe him.
"Nonsense!" Her eyes suddenly brightened and her face lit up wit a smile. "I know just what you need." She grabbed his hand and began dragging him across the empty entrance hall to one of the stairs leading down. Just before they whipped around the corner Harry thought he saw people coming down the main stairs, but he didn't have time to see their faces before he was pulled away. Cho led Harry through a familiar set of hallways to a portrait of a bowl of fruit. She had brought him down to the kitchens. She tickled the pear and opened the door, pulling him inside with her. The pair were immediately surrounded by house elves.
After they had ordered and the bustle settled down they started talking. "So," Harry said, "How was your day?"
Cho smirked at him. "My day wasn't nearly as interesting as yours I'm sure. So why don't you tell me all about it."
Harry rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea. "It wasn't a bad day," he said, pulling the warm cloak tighter around himself. "I was up early meditating with Rai and after that I just went to classes as normal. Then I went to my training with Professor Warren and after that I bumped into you." He took another sip of his tea as he wrapped up the short summary of his day. He looked at Cho but she didn't seem to be listening. She was staring at him. "What?" he asked.
She didn't say anything but put her hand up to his face. He winced lightly as she touched the place where one of the arrows had scratched him. She bit her lip in concern. She seemed to be just noticing all of the wounds he had obtained during training. "They'll heal on their own." he whispered. Still she didn't speak she moved the shoulder of the cloak and he winced again as she lightly touched a particularly tender wound on his collar. She kept inching closer to him and the more of his bruises and scratches she found the more concerned she seemed.
Suddenly their faces were inches apart. Harry looked into Cho's eyes to see a whirlpool of unidentified emotions swirling in those azure irises. It seemed that they stayed that way for an eternity just staring at each other, taking in each other's features. Then, as if in slow motion, their faces inched closer and closer together. Their lips had just barely met when they heard two gasps and then someone gagging.
They jumped apart and spun around to see Hermione and Ron standing in the doorway. Hermione looked stunned. She had been completely shocked into a rare lack of speech. Ron seemed to be having trouble breathing. Understanding of what had just happened dawned on Harry and he felt a great deal of heat rush to his face. Cho was equally red and she began to panic. She turned this way and that and then, without a word, bolted out of the kitchens leaving her cloak and book sack behind.
Ron began to splutter and Hermione's stunned face started to harden. Harry, knowing that those two things meant he was in for a stern talking to, bolted as well grabbing the closest things to him and running. He ran to his dorm first. He knew he wouldn't be safe here as his friends also had access to the room. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and took off again. He thought frantically. Where could he go?
The Room of Requirements? No his friends knew about that too. Some random empty classroom? No they would still find him eventually if he did that. He briefly contemplated the library before being hit with the perfect place. He might have to clean it up first but it would be the perfect place to hide and think. Harry pulled a very sharp turn and hurtled down three flights of stairs before coming to a halt on the second floor. He carefully wrapped himself in his invisibility cloak and set off down the hallway.
He had to dodge Mrs. Norris and two or three ghosts before he reached his destination. Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He briefly flashed back to his second year. Brewing the polyjuice potion, the basilisk's voice, and Tom Riddle's diary. He pushed the unpleasant memories away where they belonged and pushed forward. He entered the bathroom and took off his cloak. He moved to the broken sink, careful not to alert the sobbing ghost that lived in the end stall, and hissed, "Open."
A/N: There you have chapter nine. I hope to see many more reviews and please feel free to ask questions and make suggestions. Ciao!