CHAPTER 3: Training

Harry woke up the next day very early, but didn't feel nearly as tired as he thought he would be. He had been expecting to be very sore from his first day of training, instead he felt oddly exhilarated.

Harry swung his feet onto the wooden floor and walked quickly downstairs to find the ancient Scot sitting at the table drinking a cup of what seemed to be coffee, but it had an odd, green tint to it.

"Morning, Harry. It's time for your run. I'll see you when you get back." He said without looking up from.

"Where am I supposed to go? And how long should I run for?"

"Don't ask so many questions. Just run and you'll know when to come back. There is nowhere you can't go, and you'll always be able to find your way back. If you can't I'll be able to find you. Now get going, we have a busy day today."

Harry walked outside and looked around. In every direction seemed to be more mist and more forest. He decided to pick a direction and run. He ran for awhile through the mist, which seemed to be keeping him cool. He felt very calm while running, almost like he had been doing this every day of his life. He felt at ease, none of his problems could keep up with him while running through the mist. He ran for quite some time, even though it seemed like mere minutes, before he came to a clearing in the woods, he could see a building through the mist but couldn't make out any details. As he got closer he saw that it was a two story stone house like he thought he'd see in the old Highlands of Scotland. Then Harry realized where exactly he was.

"Welcome back, Harry." Came McClaggan's thick brogue from just outside the wooden front door. "I told you you'd find your way back, whether you knew it or not." He turned and walked inside, obviously thinking that this explained everything.

Harry followed the man inside his house, realizing for the first time that he wasn't tired or short of breath despite the run he just had. Obviously McClaggan was thinking along the same lines when he turned to Harry and simply said, "you look refreshed."

"I wanted to ask you about that, Breannan. Shouldn't I be tired? After the sword work yesterday and waking up early and running today, how come I feel so great?"

"I'm sure you noticed that wonderful mist you ran through?"

"Of course, it seems to go on forever." Said Harry, not really knowing where his professor was going with this.

"And as long as that mist is around, so can you. It rejuvenates you, allowing you to train harder, run faster, and feel better doing it."

"And live longer?" Harry blurted, the issue of Breannan's age was still lingering in his mind.

"To an extent," his mentor suddenly frowned, "the truth is that's not the only reason I am still alive. However some things I will not tell you right away. Some you will learn for yourself in due time, and others I will tell you, or show you." The man reached for a mug and handed it to Harry. "Here, drink this." The mug he handed to him contained the same green coffee Harry saw the Scot drinking before the run.

'What is it?" Harry asked, bringing the cup to his lips. "A potion?"

"Not quite, its an old recipe used in the Highlands. It keeps your mind strong; and a strong mind is needed whether it is for magic or sword fighting."

Harry drank the liquid, which made a warm sensation go through his throat and head. It was like the feeling butterbeer gave him, only it gave him a tingling sensation in his brain, not in his stomach.

"I see its working; now it's time to start your training." The highlander got up from the small table and swept outside in his quick, silent walk. Harry got up to follow him and realized for the first time that he was wearing the sword and sheathe around his waist. He stopped for a moment trying to remember putting it on, and came to the realization that he must have went running with it as well. "How'd I not notice that while I was running?" Harry gave up this thought and walked out the door to see Breannan standing in the mist in front of him, sword drawn.

Harry drew his sword slowly, as he held it he realized that the sword felt like an extension of his arm, he glanced down at the hilt to see a light, gold glow coming from it and surrounding his hand. He wasn't sure how to react to this, but he decided after a few seconds he would be better off looking up at the man with the sword across from him, but he wasn't there.

Harry used his reflexes born of his quidditch training to take a few quick steps out into the mist, he didn't want to repeat yesterday's mistake and let the Scot behind him. He got low and peered through the mist, he kept his sword in front of him as he was turning slowly in every direction. Soon he heard a light noise coming from behind him, when he turned around he realized that what he was hearing was soft breathing. He made a quick move to stand up and gain ground on the person shrouded in the mist, he struck with his sword and felt it blocked away, when he went to strike again he heard a WHOOSH of air, the space was empty.

Harry got very low again and held his sword up in front of him. He peered out again in every direction, straining to hear or see anything. He heard a slight crack coming from somewhere to his left, he turned his face in time to see a dark shape move very quickly in the mist. He ran in the direction that the shape was heading, and struck with his sword, however he got nothing but air. He had tried to strike so hard that Harry lost his balance and fell over, as he went to get back up he felt something cold against his neck.

"Not bad. You learned to listen and look right. I should tell you that you would never hear me normally, I was trying to impersonate what you would hear from a decently trained human. But always keep your body under control, otherwise even an unskilled swordsman will defeat you."

Harry listened to the Scot before the man pulled his sword away from Harry's neck. Harry got to his feet and they had the rest of their training session. This time Breannan stayed in plain view and started attacking Harry with relatively slow movements, giving Harry plenty of time to parry, sidestep, and adapt. By the end of the lesson, however, he was attacking much faster, making Harry react with all of his quickness. At times Harry would take advantage of a pause and attack the older man, but the attack was quickly parried and countered. Suddenly the man stopped and sheathed his sword.

"Very good. You are making excellent progress. You have an amazing ability to adapt to different situations, a talent I had been told of by Albus, but wanted to see for myself." The man took a few steps towards Harry, who followed suit and sheathed his sword. "You are going to be very good at what I teach you, whether it be magical or not. We will continue to strengthen and broaden your mind and senses, which will allow you to predict the attack instead of reacting to it. When you get good you will be able to sense a spell forming before it is cast on you." The Scot smiled and walked past him into the house, leaving Harry with his thoughts.