12 maybe
The next day at breakfast Hermione cornered him.
"Harry, the headmaster want's me to tutor you in English. We'd better get started." Her posture broke no argument. Harry figured it might be better to humor the girl, but his mind was with "lrocky" as he'd affectionately named the three headed monstrosity in the third floor corridor. Hermione started for the Library when Harry stopped her.
"Gurenjya-san, could we have our lesson outside?" Hermione turned and he gave her a winning smile. She looked thoughtful.
"Alright, but call me Hermione."
"Hai Harmaioni-san." She frowned at the way he said her name, but didn't say anything about it.
What happened next was complete and utter frustration on everyone's part. Hermione had seen that Harry was using the translation charm in the pendent as a crutch and so had him take it off. It was then she found out that she had severely overestimated Harry's English speaking abilities. Or rather, he had none to speak of. After two hours of getting him to repeat the name of an object, then spending twenty minutes trying to correct the pronunciation, she let loose a scream and said something. Harry couldn't understand, but then again, he didn't really expect to. He did, on the other hand, try to mimic what she had said. She glared at him and gestured toward the pendant. Shrugging, he complied.
"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't speak any English?"
"Why did you assume I could?"
"Well you are in England. It's only proper to learn the language."
"You're also assuming I wanted and planed to be here." Harry's eyes darkened, "both of which are false."
She stared at Harry for a minute, confusion flashed through her eyes. After a moment she took a deep breath and said.
"Do you know anything in English?"
"Well, at the grade school I went to last year, they were teaching letters." His visage took on a hint of pride. "I can sound out most written words. Don't really know what they mean, but I can read them out loud." He shrugged.
She looked at him, took a deep breath, sighed, and said. "We'll continue later, I think I'm going to ask the Headmaster for a reader."
"So we're done?"
"Yes,"
Harry grinned and ran back into the castle. He had a "date" with fluffy. As he ran through the corridors, he noticed that though it was a break day, there were not many people in the corridors. He finally made it to the corridor on the third floor and with a grin pulled out his lock picks. The large dog was sleeping peacefully when he entered the room. Harry frowned slightly before grinning again.
"Hey lrucky, time to wake up and play." One of the heads woke and looked at Harry through a slitted eyelid. A moment later it's eyes opened wide and it started snarling. The other heads woke up and joined. Harry just grinned and waited for the dog to make the first move.
This time the fight went longer and both contestants seemed to be in better form. Harry did manage to avoid getting injured, that's a plus, but he also spent the entire time dodging and never got to attack. By the time Fluffy was too tired to keep swinging, Harry was too tired to try an offense. Harry went over and gave each of the heads a hug before leaving. Each one growled a bit, but the panting made it seem less intimidating.
Harry went outside for a cool down then went in, bathed, and found he was just in time for dinner at the Great Hall. The house elves, used to the boys appetite after a week, sent up triple portions to his place. The rest of his house, also used to his eating habits, kept their plates at a safe distance.
Things seemed to fall into a pattern. Harry was starting to balance School work with is training. Although he still felt that he wasn't getting enough time to train. The English lessons with Hermione started getting less frustrating when the easy readers arrived. Although they felt like a lesson in futility, but then again, it was only the first week. Snape had given Harry another detention, for skipping out on his first one, but had it carried out by Filch. Snape had taken something to heart after the first detention. He no longer called Harry by the name Potter, but he refused to use Harry or Saotome, so instead called him boy. All in all, that was an improvement so Harry wasn't going to complain.
Harry ignored the whispers that his translation charm never managed to catch. He could tell they were about him. The culprits would stare at him then whisper to someone. Sometimes giggle. He tried not to let it get to him, he knew that he was an outsider here. He couldn't even speak the language. The only person he really had contact with other than his teachers was Hermione, and that was because she was teaching him. The other boys in his dorm would either be out or studying by the time he dragged himself in from his training. The times where he did sit in the common room and do his homework, no one would approach him. He didn't really mind, or so he told himself. It was weird being around so many people for so long. There were times in class, like now, where he would sit staring out the window. Professor Binns didn't reprimand him, and he wouldn't have payed attention any way. His heart was out there, not confined. He wanted to wander free with his uncle and Ranma again.
The weather was muggy today, and it threatened rain. Harry sat strait up when he saw something in the distance. He knew he didn't have the best vision in the world, but the moving figure out on the lawn was familiar. He opened his senses and smiled widely when he recognized the feeling of the person on the lawn. Someone said something to him, but he wasn't paying attention.
A quick glance at the window frame showed that these windows could be opened, wide enough for him to leave, and so that's what he did. He vaguely registered the screams from his classmates as he dashed for, and jumped out the window. He used various bits of the castle as springboards to get himself down the building expeditiously.
As he got closer to the figure he ripped off the translation pendent. He didn't want to be distracted by those strange double echos. He dropped it on the ground as he hit it and rolled. The figure had his back turned.
Hibiki, he roared, prepare your self.
Hibiki Ryouga turned around at his voice and, upon seeing his charge, shrugged off his pack and got into a ready stance.
Seconds later they met. The world was a blur of strikes, blocks, and counters. Harry was having the time of his life. Or at least he was much happier and felt more at home in the middle of this battle since the day he arrived here. It didn't matter to him that he was losing. Hibiki was much more skilled than him, being several years older, and having more time to practice. Harry had gotten better at dodging, but whenever Hibiki landed a strike, Harry knew there would be a good sized bruise that would heal by morning. Harry landed more strikes than Hibiki did, but they were far weaker and didn't seem to do much to the larger boy.
The fight stopped suddenly when Hibiki's body went stiff. The boy fell over. Harry immediately pulled his punch and knelt by the fallen's side.
Hibiki-san? His voice was rife with worry. what's wrong? at that point he noticed his viewers. He glared at McGonagall, as she was the one with her wand out and pointed near them.
WHAT DID YOU DO? he shouted. His best friend had been hurt by the teacher. She said something, but it was incomprehensible. Un-do it, he growled, he would not have these people ruin his only chance to be with his friend.
AN: yes it ends abruptly, but it's a good stopping point. Anywhoo, time to answer querstions:
Gyre, Harry's only going to kick his but if he feels like it. Which is not a guarentee.
Hades, Harry's not going cat because, in my reckoning, he's getting away in time. In his case with Cats, it's out of sight, out of mind. Don't worry, he will go cat later, but I'm saving it :-) I'm working on the more Ranma bit too, it just takes a bit when the story is Harry centric, we'll get our Ranma from letters and summers.
Steve Son, Harry's not going to get cursed to be a girl, That's Ranma's stick, He is going to be cursed just before his fourth year, but I'm not going to tell you what to ^_^
Thank you SelverKnight7, and SimplySmashing for being such loyal readers, if it weren't for your reviews I'd be much grouchier.
The next day at breakfast Hermione cornered him.
"Harry, the headmaster want's me to tutor you in English. We'd better get started." Her posture broke no argument. Harry figured it might be better to humor the girl, but his mind was with "lrocky" as he'd affectionately named the three headed monstrosity in the third floor corridor. Hermione started for the Library when Harry stopped her.
"Gurenjya-san, could we have our lesson outside?" Hermione turned and he gave her a winning smile. She looked thoughtful.
"Alright, but call me Hermione."
"Hai Harmaioni-san." She frowned at the way he said her name, but didn't say anything about it.
What happened next was complete and utter frustration on everyone's part. Hermione had seen that Harry was using the translation charm in the pendent as a crutch and so had him take it off. It was then she found out that she had severely overestimated Harry's English speaking abilities. Or rather, he had none to speak of. After two hours of getting him to repeat the name of an object, then spending twenty minutes trying to correct the pronunciation, she let loose a scream and said something. Harry couldn't understand, but then again, he didn't really expect to. He did, on the other hand, try to mimic what she had said. She glared at him and gestured toward the pendant. Shrugging, he complied.
"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't speak any English?"
"Why did you assume I could?"
"Well you are in England. It's only proper to learn the language."
"You're also assuming I wanted and planed to be here." Harry's eyes darkened, "both of which are false."
She stared at Harry for a minute, confusion flashed through her eyes. After a moment she took a deep breath and said.
"Do you know anything in English?"
"Well, at the grade school I went to last year, they were teaching letters." His visage took on a hint of pride. "I can sound out most written words. Don't really know what they mean, but I can read them out loud." He shrugged.
She looked at him, took a deep breath, sighed, and said. "We'll continue later, I think I'm going to ask the Headmaster for a reader."
"So we're done?"
"Yes,"
Harry grinned and ran back into the castle. He had a "date" with fluffy. As he ran through the corridors, he noticed that though it was a break day, there were not many people in the corridors. He finally made it to the corridor on the third floor and with a grin pulled out his lock picks. The large dog was sleeping peacefully when he entered the room. Harry frowned slightly before grinning again.
"Hey lrucky, time to wake up and play." One of the heads woke and looked at Harry through a slitted eyelid. A moment later it's eyes opened wide and it started snarling. The other heads woke up and joined. Harry just grinned and waited for the dog to make the first move.
This time the fight went longer and both contestants seemed to be in better form. Harry did manage to avoid getting injured, that's a plus, but he also spent the entire time dodging and never got to attack. By the time Fluffy was too tired to keep swinging, Harry was too tired to try an offense. Harry went over and gave each of the heads a hug before leaving. Each one growled a bit, but the panting made it seem less intimidating.
Harry went outside for a cool down then went in, bathed, and found he was just in time for dinner at the Great Hall. The house elves, used to the boys appetite after a week, sent up triple portions to his place. The rest of his house, also used to his eating habits, kept their plates at a safe distance.
Things seemed to fall into a pattern. Harry was starting to balance School work with is training. Although he still felt that he wasn't getting enough time to train. The English lessons with Hermione started getting less frustrating when the easy readers arrived. Although they felt like a lesson in futility, but then again, it was only the first week. Snape had given Harry another detention, for skipping out on his first one, but had it carried out by Filch. Snape had taken something to heart after the first detention. He no longer called Harry by the name Potter, but he refused to use Harry or Saotome, so instead called him boy. All in all, that was an improvement so Harry wasn't going to complain.
Harry ignored the whispers that his translation charm never managed to catch. He could tell they were about him. The culprits would stare at him then whisper to someone. Sometimes giggle. He tried not to let it get to him, he knew that he was an outsider here. He couldn't even speak the language. The only person he really had contact with other than his teachers was Hermione, and that was because she was teaching him. The other boys in his dorm would either be out or studying by the time he dragged himself in from his training. The times where he did sit in the common room and do his homework, no one would approach him. He didn't really mind, or so he told himself. It was weird being around so many people for so long. There were times in class, like now, where he would sit staring out the window. Professor Binns didn't reprimand him, and he wouldn't have payed attention any way. His heart was out there, not confined. He wanted to wander free with his uncle and Ranma again.
The weather was muggy today, and it threatened rain. Harry sat strait up when he saw something in the distance. He knew he didn't have the best vision in the world, but the moving figure out on the lawn was familiar. He opened his senses and smiled widely when he recognized the feeling of the person on the lawn. Someone said something to him, but he wasn't paying attention.
A quick glance at the window frame showed that these windows could be opened, wide enough for him to leave, and so that's what he did. He vaguely registered the screams from his classmates as he dashed for, and jumped out the window. He used various bits of the castle as springboards to get himself down the building expeditiously.
As he got closer to the figure he ripped off the translation pendent. He didn't want to be distracted by those strange double echos. He dropped it on the ground as he hit it and rolled. The figure had his back turned.
Hibiki, he roared, prepare your self.
Hibiki Ryouga turned around at his voice and, upon seeing his charge, shrugged off his pack and got into a ready stance.
Seconds later they met. The world was a blur of strikes, blocks, and counters. Harry was having the time of his life. Or at least he was much happier and felt more at home in the middle of this battle since the day he arrived here. It didn't matter to him that he was losing. Hibiki was much more skilled than him, being several years older, and having more time to practice. Harry had gotten better at dodging, but whenever Hibiki landed a strike, Harry knew there would be a good sized bruise that would heal by morning. Harry landed more strikes than Hibiki did, but they were far weaker and didn't seem to do much to the larger boy.
The fight stopped suddenly when Hibiki's body went stiff. The boy fell over. Harry immediately pulled his punch and knelt by the fallen's side.
Hibiki-san? His voice was rife with worry. what's wrong? at that point he noticed his viewers. He glared at McGonagall, as she was the one with her wand out and pointed near them.
WHAT DID YOU DO? he shouted. His best friend had been hurt by the teacher. She said something, but it was incomprehensible. Un-do it, he growled, he would not have these people ruin his only chance to be with his friend.
AN: yes it ends abruptly, but it's a good stopping point. Anywhoo, time to answer querstions:
Gyre, Harry's only going to kick his but if he feels like it. Which is not a guarentee.
Hades, Harry's not going cat because, in my reckoning, he's getting away in time. In his case with Cats, it's out of sight, out of mind. Don't worry, he will go cat later, but I'm saving it :-) I'm working on the more Ranma bit too, it just takes a bit when the story is Harry centric, we'll get our Ranma from letters and summers.
Steve Son, Harry's not going to get cursed to be a girl, That's Ranma's stick, He is going to be cursed just before his fourth year, but I'm not going to tell you what to ^_^
Thank you SelverKnight7, and SimplySmashing for being such loyal readers, if it weren't for your reviews I'd be much grouchier.