CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: The Grueling Life of Auror Training

The Auror training center was unlike anything Ron had seen before. It looked to be half the size of the Ministry, but knew it had to have been magically enlarged somehow. The floors were bare except for painted dots and other shapes placed at random intervals throughout. There was a single bench sitting adjacent to the entrance, and the only enclosed area appeared to be a weight room from his vantage point. He knew from Moody that the Auror program only ever allowed a small number to train, so he wondered what such a large space was needed for.

Besides himself and Harry, there only looked to be about ten other people. He recognized a couple as Hogwarts graduates from a year or two ago, and the rest he had never seen before.

He stood beside Harry just inside the entrance where everyone else was huddled around. He and Harry weren't exactly on friendly terms, but he felt better just having someone there he knew.

The entrance door burst open and the noisy chatter dropped to a quiet murmuring. A single woman entered wearing a dark as night black robe with fitting pants and boots to match. Her brown hair was cut to just above her chin and even with the stony expression plastered on her face she was definitely one of the better witches he had laid eyes on. He and Harry shared a sidelong glance and it was easy to see his friend was thinking the same thing, probably along with every other bloke in the room.

"My name is Mackenzie," she said in a raised voice. "I will be your Auror instructor for this entire training program. Those of you that managed to make it to this point – some of you, just barely, will appreciate how involved the testing was. We only take the best. There are no second chances with this job. You screw up once and it'll probably cost you your life. I'm not here to coddle or mother anyone. If that's what you're looking for try Muggle Relations on the next floor." She paused briefly to see if anyone dared to move, but everyone remained standing firmly. "I'm here to make sure you stay alive when you get out there. I'm going to push you until bent over heaving, telling me you can't do anymore – and then I'm going to push you some more. By the end of your training all of you will hate me – and probably by the end of the first week many of you will refer to me using various explicitives when you think I'm not listening – but you'll thank me when all you've learned here saves your arse some day.

"As I'm sure most of you already know, the Auror office has not taken on any new candidates in the last three years. All the testing was extremely stringent, and no one seemed capable of getting past the written part. However, due to recent circumstances the Ministry has ordered us to change our stands every so slightly, since the number of Auror's has diminished by more than one quarter in the last two years and by more than one half in recent weeks due to certain events. The tests are still the same, we've just made adjustments to the scoring, so every single one of you can take comfort in the fact that without the Ministry's intervention, you wouldn't be here. We weren't told to adjust the program itself, so don't think you're getting a free ride. Six months of training will include vigorous endurance tests, spell casting – defensive and offensive, hand to hand combat – " She stopped when she heard the anxious murmuring among the assembled trainees. "If you weren't expecting to get your hands dirty, the offer for Magical Relations still stands," she said, and the murmuring desisted. "As many of the Aurors here can attest to, there are occasions when using your wand will be useless. If you're in a small, enclosed area or surrounded by a perimeter of shield charms, casting a spell could ricochet off your surroundings killing both you and your enemy. About half way through training, you will learn a variety of poisons and antidotes you will need to be able to make with your eyes shut. A med-wizard from St. Mungo's will come in and spend about a month, teaching you all about it. There are also other surprises that will pop up along the way," she said, grinning wickedly at them.

"Endurance will be an on-going theme throughout your training," Mackenzie continued. "Every morning before you get here, you will complete a five mile run – and any of you who are stupid enough to cheat, I'll know. At the end of each week we'll measure your endurance, and if I see it has dropped or not improved, you'll be running ten miles the next week, and I'll just keep adding on the distance until you learn or decide to quit, which will make my job easier. I'll tell you right now not all of you will make it through training. The Ministry may think we're too tough, but we will not pass anyone who is less than Auror caliber material.

"As you've already noticed, there is no one around you over the age of twenty-one. The Auror office has decided we need younger, more agile candidates, so we've separated you into two groups. Those over the age of twenty-five are being trained by Brandon Cooper. What we didn't want was any hostility between the groups and since they have more knowledge and experience, I doubt you would stand a chance against them this early on. But we will be going up against them in training sessions in the coming weeks, so be prepared.

"To get things started," she said, her shoulders straightening, "I'm going to pair you up and you're going to try and break each other's shield charms. I don't want to see anything deadly used, but there will be no friendliness. Use everything you know to break through their barriers, and I want your opponent to feel it when you do. Then maybe the next time they'll perform one strong enough to withstand an attack."

Mackenzie was all business. She didn't ask if there were any questions. She went straight to pairing up everyone in the room. Harry was paired with a guy named McMillan who was about two inches taller than him, and at least three years older than he. They were to spend five minutes trying to break through the other person's defenses, then switch and do the same to the other person. It was his job to break through McMillan's shield charm first. It took quite a few failed tries before he was able to find a weak spot down near his ankle and penetrate the bubble. It only stung him a bit, but it was enough that he was sent stumbling back. When it was Harry's turn to cast the shield charm, he was proud to note that it took McMillan almost as long to penetrate his. He had cast his charm a split second too late, and McMillan's hex hit him in the leg and he fell hard on his back. He couldn't even chance a look around to see how Ron was fairing because McMillan was already raising his wand for his next attack.

Mackenzie kept them at it for an hour, before calling them in and showing the assembled group the flaws in their defense and how to erase any weak spots. Then she sent them back out to try it again, and it wasn't until she was satisfied every one was doing it properly – almost an hour and a half later, did she allow them a brief water break.

Harry almost felt like he shouldn't sit down because he wasn't sure if he would be able to get back up again, but his legs were tired and sore so he gave into the temptation. He sat on the floor beside Ron, but neither one of them spoke, trying to retain the energy they had left. Mackenzie obviously was not going to cut them any breaks because it was their first day.

He had drained about half his water bottle when Mackenzie started ordering them back to their feet. The next session of training was about to start.

Ron stared up at his ceiling from where he lay sprawled out on his bed. He and Harry had got home from training twenty minutes earlier. They had muttered hello to Lupin and then trudged up the stairs to pass out on their respected beds. He had never been more sore or tired in his life, and he was going to use his remaining strength to tell whoever was knocking at their door to go away, when the person took it upon them self to walk in.

Hermione took in the sight of them lying half dead on their beds and said, "rough first day?" She didn't even have the decency to hide her smile.

"You laugh now, but wait 'til you start the grueling life of work next week," Ron said to her.

"So it was that bad?" She said, with sympathy in her voice this time.

"I've got muscles aching in parts I didn't know I had," he complained as she sat down on the side of his bed. "But you want to know what the worst part is? We have to run five miles every day before training. We're going have to get up at five thirty just to make it to training on time! But you don't hear Harry complaining because he fancies Mackenzie."

"Shut up. I do not," denied Harry, sitting up just enough so he could toss a pillow at Ron. It caught his friend in the face.

"Who's Mackenzie?" Hermione asked.

"She's the Auror trainer," Ron replied.

"The one Ron couldn't stop drooling over the second she walked in.," Harry supplied.

"Oi! I was not." He tossed back the pillow Harry had thrown at him and it landed on his chest.

Hermione arched an eyebrow at him.

"She's attractive enough I suppose," he admitted, meeting her gaze because otherwise it would make him look guilty. "But she's not my type. I like brainy, know-it-all bookworms," he said, grinning up at her. He heard Harry groan in disgust from his bed. "Don't you have an Occlumency lesson to get to?" He said in a not-so subtle way.

Harry glanced at the alarm clock and grimaced. It was almost seven o'clock. Snape would probably already be downstairs waiting for him. He knew for a fact he wouldn't go easy on him even after the day he had. If anything, he would push and insult him more tonight. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up to stretch his aching muscles.

"We should go down too," she said to Ron. "Remus said he wanted to talk to us."

"All right," he said with a sigh. "Just give me a minute."

"I'll see you guys later," Harry said dejectedly.

After Harry was gone, Ron pulled Hermione down on top of him.

"I thought you were tired," she said, a smile tugging on her lips.

"I am. That's why I said I needed a minute," he said and leaned up to kiss her deeply, lacing his fingers through her hair and pulling her closer. "How was your day?" He asked when they broke apart.

"Well, I helped Ginny a bit with her schoolwork," she said, resting her chin on his chest, "and then I had Lupin teach me the latest chapter in our Defense Against the Dark Arts text."

"You're killing me," Ron groaned. "You've got this whole week to do nothing, you should be enjoying it."

"I need a completed magical education if I want to anywhere in the ministry," she told him.

"I still say you're mental," he said, though he was only joking.

"Then you can add liking mental girls to that list of yours," she said teasingly as she moved off of him and dragged him to his feet.

They headed downstairs to see what Remus wanted, and found him already in the kitchen with Tonks and they looked to be arguing over something. They stopped when they saw her and Ron in the doorway.

"Sorry, we can come back," she told them.

"That's all right, Hermione," Lupin told her. "Tonks and I were finished anyways."

Judging by the scowl plastered on Tonks face, the Auror didn't think the conversation was over at all. Her expression changed when she saw Ron slump over to the table, holding his head up with his arms. "Training went that well, Ron?"

"If by well you mean that my arms and legs hurt so much they feel like they're going to fall off, then yes, it was a bloody wonderful first day," he said sarcastically.

Tonks chuckled. "Who'd you end up with – Cooper or Mackenzie?"

"Mackenzie," he answered.

"You'll like her better than Cooper anyways," she said in a teasing voice and winked at him.

"So I've heard," Hermione said, forehead creased and a slight frown on her face.

"This won't take long," Remus interjected, trying to spare Ron any further embarrassment. "There's just one small matter Tonks and I wanted to speak to you about." He paused, waiting until they were both looking at him before he went any further. He cleared his throat and spoke. "Molly has expressed some concerns about the living arrangements here, now that she is fully aware of your relationship." Before either one of them could look too horrified or guilty he plunged on. "Of course I assured her that you two were both mature and responsible teenagers and that I haven't witnessed any behaviour that would indicate otherwise. But I promised I would sit down and talk with you anyways. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"No," Hermione answered in a small voice while Ron vigorously shook his head.

"You're free to go then," Lupin said to them both.

He didn't think it was possible for them to get out of there as fast as they did, especially Ron who looked about ready to pass out.

"Thanks for your help," Remus said sarcastically.

"You looked like you were handling it fine on your own. I didn't want to interrupt," said Tonks. "I still say it would have been much more fun to watch if you had let Molly talk to them."

"If she had seen the looks on their faces, Molly would have flooed Ron straight out of here. As it is, if it were any one other than Hermione she probably wouldn't allow them to stay in the same house. But I suppose what Molly doesn't know won't hurt her."

Tonks snickered. "It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for." She crossed her arms and looked at Remus. "Don't think I've forgotten what we were talking about before Ron and Hermione came in."

"Tonks, there is nothing more to discuss. It's my decision to make, not yours."

"Do you plan on telling your house guests about it?"

"No," he said in a stern voice. "And you won't say anything to them unless they ask why I'm not here. Hermione will probably figure it out for herself though."

"Remus, they're not ashamed of you because you happen to transform into a wild animal once a month."

"That's not what this is about," he said, growing irritated. It was always that much harder to keep his emotions under control before a full moon, and they were on full overload the night before, like they were then. "They shouldn't have to see me go through that."

"They won't see you. You would be in the shed. That is what it was built for, and with Snape's potion you'll be as harmless as a pet poodle."

"You sound like them," he said, referring to the four other occupants of the house. "I hardly even bother to correct them anymore for calling him Snape. I don't think I have the right toughness for looking after teenagers."

"You're changing the subject," Tonks said. "But why should they respect him, when he's been nothing but a right bastard to all of them, especially to Harry. If his father were alive – " She let the unfinished sentence hang in the air.

"I know," Remus said quietly. "Things would be very different." He sighed deeply. "Severus punishes him because he's a mirror image of James in almost every way. But there's too much of Lily in him for Harry to be exactly like James. I think Sirius used to forget that."

"Now that we're officially way off topic, I still say you should tell them you plan on spending the night of your transformation somewhere else. At least hear what they have to say."

"I know what they're going to say, and that's exactly why I'm not telling them."

Tonks shook her head. "It's almost scary how much alike you and Harry are. You both are too self-sacrificing for your own good. I would have thought after spending almost a month in a house with four teenagers would have caused you to lighten up a bit, but I can see you're still the same stuffy professor you always were." She watched his back visibly stiffen and knew she had struck a nerve. She knew this close to a full moon he rattled easy, but she was going to say what was on her mind. "You've been hiding behind your condition your whole life. I know you'll never have a normal life but it's time you stopped using it as excuse."

"Are you finished?" He asked her.

"For now," she said, opening a cupboard door.

He turned around in his chair, hearing her rummaging inside the cupboard. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something to eat before I go back to Headquarters. Now that there's only adults there, there's never anything good to eat."

"Maybe you should live here," he said dryly.

"Ah, no thanks. I think you're going to have your hands full enough with these four," she said, biting into a cookie. "I'll see you tomorrow, Moony." She gave him a quick pat on the back and walked out the front door.

The scary part was he had a feeling her last comment would prove to be true.

After their second day of training, Harry didn't think it was possible to feel any more tired than he had the day before. He was very wrong. The five-mile run at five thirty that morning was probably a large contributor to that. All he wanted was to shower and then fall asleep. He could tell that Ron desperately wanted the same thing.

When they walked into the house, those thoughts were put on hold when the sounds of people arguing could be heard coming from the dining room. He and Ron went to investigate, finding Ginny, Hermione, Tonks, and Lupin all standing near each other.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ron asked.

"That's a good question, Ron," said Tonks. "Why don't you tell them, Remus?"

Harry could see the very last thing Lupin wanted was to involve them, even when it was obvious Ginny and Hermione already knew what was going on.

"Tonks is mistaken. There's nothing more to say," Lupin said. "I can't afford to waste any more arguing. I've already cut the time too close."

"It's a full moon tonight," Hermione explained to them.

"Aren't you going to transform here?" Harry questioned him.

"Yes, he is," Tonks replied for Lupin.

"No, I'm not," he said firmly. "I already have a place somewhere in town."

"Remus, this is your home. You should be able to stay here," Ginny said to him.

"It's too late to go anywhere else," Hermione added. "Unless you planned on apparating somewhere, but it's too close to sundown for you to apparate in your condition."

Tonks was looking triumphant now. They had stalled long enough that he was left with no choice but to spend his transformation in the shed out back.

"We want you here," Harry said, speaking on everyone's behalf. "None of us care that you transform – you're still a human being. You don't have to hide that from us."

"I guess I don't stand a chance against the five of you, now do I?" Lupin said after a moment's consideration.

"No, you don't," said Tonks and begin pushing him towards the back door. "Snape already put the Wolfsbane out in the shed for you."

The four teenagers followed them out, but Tonks stopped them at the sunroom. "You four, stay here. It's just a precaution," she added afterwards.

They knew there was no point in arguing, so they were content to stand by the sunroom windows and watch Tonks guide Remus into the steel shed. She closed the door and put several large paddock locks on the handle. Then she took out her wand and pointed it at each one of the locks, locking them shut. Then she started talking to Remus through the door.

Harry had seen Lupin transform once back in third year and it had been a horrible sight. He would never forget the pain on his face as his skin stretched and transformed while bones elongated and shortened. It had been almost too much to endure.

The sun had almost completely set by that point. Hermione stood on his one side, huddled close to Ron, while Ginny stood on his other, looking worried.

"He'll be all right," he said, close to her ear. "He goes through this every month.

"I know," she said. "It's just a little different to be here while it happens."

Her hand brushed up against his and after a moment of debate, he closed his hand around hers. They didn't look at each other, keeping their gaze focused on Tonks and the shed.

They saw the Auror back up slightly and knew the transformation must be starting.

Harry's eyes widened and he stumbled backwards against the wall, clutching his chest.

"Harry!" Ginny cried, rushing back to him, but Ron grabbed her arm to hold her back.

He had never felt pain like this before. His skin felt like it was tearing itself apart and every bone in his body felt like it was breaking and then realigning itself. The pain was excruciating and he knew he was going to be sick.

He didn't know how he was able to but he managed to stumble inside and make it to the bathroom before he threw up. He vomited three or four times before the nauseating pain went away and his head cleared.

"Harry?" Hermione's concerned voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Give me a minute," he rasped.

He washed his face and took some long, steadying breaths before he walked shakily back out into the hall.

"I'm fine now," he said, seeing their worried expressions.

"You felt his transformation, didn't you?" Hermione said in understanding.

He nodded weakly.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she said, chewing her bottom lip anxiously.

"No, I'm fine now," Harry insisted. "My defenses were down. I didn't think it would be so powerful. I'll know for next time."

"Harry, if Remus knew this happened – "

"He's not going to know because no one's going to tell," he said, staring pointedly at Hermione and then at Ron and Ginny. "Next time I'll have had almost four weeks of Occlumency lessons with Snape, and I can stay in the house if it still bothers me." When they were still staring at him uncertainly, he said, "look, he shouldn't be shoved off somewhere like an animal. He deserves better than that."

At the mention of Occlumency, he realized that perhaps a true test to see if he had improved would be to witness one of Lupin's transformations and feel nothing. If he could make it through something as awful as that, he could probably stand anything for that matter. Or at least that's what he thought.

Tonks walked in then and they could not say anything more on the matter. If she noticed their sudden silence she made no comment of it.

"He's all right," she informed them. "The transformation went fine. He's probably curled up sleeping right about now."

Harry straightened and tried not to make it look like he had just spent the last five minutes throwing up. He shot Hermione a look that said she better wipe the worried expression off her face or Tonks was going to figure it out.

For the moment though, Tonks was absorbed in telling them about the Quidditch match that had just started broadcasting on the wireless in the last twenty minutes. Harry gladly followed her into the den. Relaxing to a Quidditch match was just what he needed then.