I mean, Ranma's history in this fic will be explained by several flash backs, just look below and you will see the first of several that will eventually explain why Ranma is in England, why his fiancée's aren't around, and the whole nine yards. You wouldn't believe the type of Rant I want to write on this subject. I'll resist the urge for now, but give me some credit for having enough brainpower to consider these things.
Must…resist…urge to…rant…
oooooooooo
Potter – The Stone
Chapter 09
By Cory D. Rose
(c) 2005
oooooooooo
-Seven years ago-
The Grandmaster of Anything Goes, Happosai, sat on the table in the Tendo's dining room smoking his pipe. At just over three feet, he was one of the shortest people in the room. He was also around three hundred years old, but he didn't look a day over a hundred. An invisible aura of perversion surrounded him at all times.
Kneeling around the table were an assortment of people from Ranma Saotome's life. Ranma himself, was sitting at the end of the table watching the old man, just waiting for the old fart to pull out a bucket of water to splash him an turn him into a girl. The curse of Jusenkyo would always make Ranma keep his guard up around the old fart.
At Eighteen Ranma had finally taken on the look of an adult in both his forms. His body was perfectly proportioned, no hint of body fat, or scars marred his looks in anyway.
Beside Ranma was his mother, a tall red headed woman with dark red hair. Then came the Tendo sisters Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi. On the other side of the table Ukyo Kounji, Shampoo, Cologne, and Kodachi Kuno sat watching the scene before them.
Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo were Ranma's Fiancées. Ranma never asked for any of them. Akane had short black hair and a nearly uncontrollable temper. The next one, Ukyo, was a cook with long black hair that liked to wear boyish clothing. Then there was the Amazon Shampoo, very cute, and thought that Ranma was already married to her.
None of them treated Ranma all that well and rarely listened to him in anyway. Ranma had grown tired of the treatment over the last two years as the girls fought over him for the littlest of reasons. Usually by jumping to one conclusion or another that led to fits of jealously. Ranma was simply tired of it all.
That was why Ranma was here today. He had finally challenged his father and Mr. Tendo for the title of Master. The two men hadn't taken that challenge very well and had tried to use it to force him to marry Akane. Something the two fools always did. Ranma broke out of his thoughts as Happosai thumped him on the head with his pipe.
"Well Ranma." Happosai began. "Have you performed your first service to me?"
"Yeah." Ranma snapped and pointed out into the back yard where the beaten bodies of Soun and Genma were laying. Smoke appeared to be wafting off both men as they lay there unconscious. "I defeated them."
Happosai nodded. "Excellent. After all this time I had thought you didn't ever want to become a master of the style."
"But Grandpa, Ranma beats his father on a daily basis." Nabiki pointed out. "Hasn't he been a Master ever since he could do that regularly?"
He shook his head. "No, but Ranma has never challenged Genma for his next level until now. Though I did expect better of Genma."
Ranma snorted. "The old man knows all my tricks and moves, he's harder to beat than you would think, but he's still a moron."
"Indeed, defeating the teacher is always harder than a random opponent Ranma." Happosai cackled. He reached into his bag, pulled out a scroll, and gave to Ranma. "This Ranma is your license to train others in our style. I expect great things from you my boy."
Bowing his head, reluctantly, Ranma took the scroll and carefully opened it as his mother watched proudly. "I am honored."
"Now, you need to prove to me that you can actually teach someone."
"What do you mean by that?" Ranma growled.
"This is but the next step Ranma." Happosai said. "My style is so much more than what you have been shown till now. Genma never reached the next level. He and Soun locked me in that cave before I could show them, so their training faltered and stopped. They gave up everything because they didn't have the strength to go to the next level."
Off to the side Cologne, Shampoo's great grandmother and nearly as old as Happosai himself, rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, but no one seemed to hear her. Off to the side Nabiki smirked a little as she wondered where the old Master was going with all this. She had to find some way to profit from this situation.
Ranma was a bit mystified as well as he considered what the old man was saying. "Are you saying that my training isn't finished?"
"That's up to you Ranma." Happosai said, looking smug. "Are you strong enough to take on the next challenge, or do I look else where for my Heir while you stay here and teach for the next few decades?"
"I can take on anything old man!" Ranma yelled and slapped the table.
"Ranma, calm down and listen to him." Nodoka said.
Happosai cackled some more. "Well Ranma?"
"I can do it!" Ranma insisted. "Just try me old man."
"Oh really? Even a Mastery Quest?"
Everyone gasped and gave the old man a bit more respect.
"Grandpa Happosai, those aren't done anymore." Kasumi said. "They were banned because they were too dangerous. Nearly everyone that sent on a quest ended up dead."
The old man snorted. "They died because they were sent to soon. Ranma should have been sent on his quest the day after he defeated Saffron. That was the day he proved his skill in battle. Genma has been fighting me on this and doesn't want Ranma to leave."
All of Ranma's fiancée's nodded, though they didn't say anything. They just glared at each other covertly.
Nodoka took over from there. "Ranma, at the moment you can't leave on the quest because of the fiancée mess your father created, but I've been thinking about that and I've come up with a solution to the whole thing."
Ranma turned to his mother in shock. Every time someone interfered his life went to hell. "Mom, I don't know…"
"Hear me out son." She insisted.
"A-alright."
"The girls and I have talked on several occasions over the last couple of months and come to some hard decisions. The biggest one is how they all view you son."
Ranma nodded nervously.
"Ranma, I've talked to my dad and he says that so long as I become a Saotome he will let the engagement slide. He wants me to come home." Ukyo said.
"But I…" Ranma started.
"Hush Ranma." His mother said.
Ukyo continued a second later, although she looked like she was eating a sour lemon. "Your mother has offered to adopt me into the clan to make me a Saotome."
He nodded dumbly, more than a little shocked and a little relieved. "Uh…okay."
Akane growled. "I've told you for years that I don't want to marry you and I will stand by that. With my father out cold in the back yard I can finally say what I want."
Kodachi gazed at him in a slightly deranged, her eyes completely filled with lust, look. "I want my Ranma-sama."
Ranma shuddered. Kodachi could give anyone the creeps.
This just made Nodoka beam at her son.
Cologne was next. "Son-in-Law, I have also been thinking of a way to win the fiancée race lately and your mother has come up with an idea that will allow us to save everyone's honor."
"You got to be kidding?" Ranma asked. "There isn't any way out of this mess unless I off myself."
The old woman cackled. "Oh really? There are always options my boy, always."
"Like what? Another potion to screw me over? I don't think so, those things never work anyway."
"I've always wondered about that." Cologne said. "They seemed to work on everyone else. Just not you. When they do work, they don't work in the way they're supposed to work. Lust spice makes you jumpy instead of lusty, passion spice makes you sleepy instead of making you jump my grand daughter. Even the mind control potions don't work. It just doesn't make any sense."
Ranma gaped at her.
"We've tried everything. Even the Amazon council is stumped and ordered me to finish this mess. We have to come home by the end of the year no matter what the outcome of this mess. So a different tactic will be employed. Do it and I'll release you from the Kiss of Marriage and Death . Even Shampoo has agreed with this."
Shampoo sighed sadly and nodded. "Shampoo agree. Want to go home, see friends and family. Been to to long."
Now Ranma was just looking confused. "What's going on then."
"Ranma, as a master you have to be free to make your own decisions. So you will have one duty to perform for the girls, something they all wanted from you, and you will be free from their engagements." Nodoka explained.
Kodachi licked her lips and smiled.
Ranma sweatdropped and seriously wondered why she was there in the first place. "What do I have to do?"
"Bed them all." Happosai said. "Me and Cologne will make sure the girls get what they each want from the deed."
Ranma made a weird noise, his hair stood on end, and he fell over in a faint.
Happosai poked him a couple of times with his pipe. "He took that rather well."
The giant grin on Nodoka's face lit up the room.
"MY SON IS SO MANLY!"
oooooooooo
-Present-
Reaching out, Ranma grabbed Harry's wrist and stopped him in mid punch. "Stop, you are starting a bad habit."
Harry blinked in surprise. "Huh? I am?"
Ranma nodded. "When you throw a punch, you control the punch from beginning to end. You are just throwing your hand forward with no control and it shows in these wild swings you're making."
"Sorry."
"Now, I want you to take a basic stance and throw fifty punches, like this. Make sure the angle of your wrist and arm are exact. At the very end of your punch, give your wrist a slight inward twist, then pull your arm back the way I taught you, slightly twisting your wrist in the opposite direction."
Harry nodded.
"Accuracy now, speed and power will come with time."
Nodding again, Harry concentrated for a second before started throwing slow, careful punches. For the last couple of hours the two of them had gone through the basics of his training with Ranma showing him things he'd missed when he was younger and expanding on other areas. How the angle of the punch could affect the power of its impact and cause even more damage for example.
Harry knew most of this, but Ranma insisted on going over these moves time and again. The Gryffindor wasn't sure why though. Only that after every session Harry could feel the difference in his fighting ability. He could feel himself getting stronger as well.
At the same time Ranma had Harry incorporating his wand into more and more of the training. He explained that Harry needed to find a way to use magic without the handicap the wand created. A tool would create dependence and create a weakness that anyone could exploit. Harry had heard from several of the students that they needed a wand to perform magic. It was also impossible to use magic without a wand unless it was a really simple spell.
Ranma didn't like that idea though and said they would work on overcoming the problem later. For now they would stick with the Wand Kata so that he could use them when needed. Ranma also seemed concerned about how the teachers treated Harry when he was in class. He didn't say it aloud though, but he was going to make sure that Harry didn't have to do though the same educational problems as he had.
The potion professor's actions while Harry was in class didn't make sense to Ranma no matter how he considered the problem. Therefore, Ranma was going to make sure the boy would be able to defend himself if things turned ugly. There was enough hate in that man to make Ranma wonder about the guy. Most actions could be explained, this hate seemed to be coming from nothing.
Then there were the other teachers. Ranma wasn't sure why, but several of them seemed to be a little hard on Harry for no reason. He'd have to find out just why it was happening. Ranma thought that most of it might just have something to do with Harry's fame. Maybe they expected more from Harry than the other students?
"Finished." Harry said, although he was slightly winded from throwing so many punches.
"Did you feel the difference in the strength of the punches?"
Harry nodded.
"Good, now that you are in school we are going to do something to help you recall things. The first step is that meditation technique I taught you, but that doesn't always achieve full recall. It is good for taking in large amounts of information though."
"I noticed that I have problems recalling details." Harry said.
Ranma nodded. "From now on, whenever you are practicing or even relaxing I want you to go over what you learned during the day and commit it to memory. I used to spend several hours every morning training my body, while at the same time I would train my mind. Used to drive my father batty. Once you can do that we will strengthen your mind a bit, giving you perfect recall."
Harry wasn't sure what to say. He knew that Ranma had some odd ideas, but they usually worked a lot better than normal training did. Ranma was also helping to understand the people around the school. The teachers were rather biased, but the students were even worse with their hero worship. Ranma had him meditate for an hour every night to process everything that happened to him, to clear his mind.
"Do you want me to just add this to the nightly meditation?"
Ranma nodded.
Then Harry started to think of the one person around the school that was starting to earn his hatred. One Draco Malfoy, the world's biggest prat. Ever since they met on the train the jerk seemed to go out of his way to piss off everyone around him.
Though the boy also tried to stay as far away from his as possible, so he was setting other students on him instead. The two of them would have to have a little chat here pretty soon. Harry wondered if he could find his way into the Slytherin common room.
"What do you have scheduled for today?" Ranma asked, interrupting Harry's thoughts of revenge and punishment.
"Flying practice." Harry said as he carefully moved about trying to keep his center.
"Those brooms?"
"Yeah, Ron is really excited about them."
"Learn all you can, then worry about what and what not to keep later. You never know when some small bit of information or skill will come in handy." Ranma said, sounding just like an arrogant Genma.
Harry snorted. "Yeah right Mr. Martial Arts ballroom dancing Master."
Grunting, Ranma pretended not to hear him. "Your time is nearly up for this morning. Better start getting ready for another day of schooling."
Smirking a little, Harry ran for the showers before Ranma could change his mind. Several minutes later he climbed out of his trunk dressed in his Hogwarts uniform. He was glad that no one was there to see him. Harry was really starting to dislike his fame and it seemed to make everyone around him into stuttering morons.
"Harry!" Ron yelled as Harry came downstairs.
"Hi Ron."
"You ready to learn how to fly!" The red headed boy said excitedly.
Harry shrugged. "I heard we have to learn with the Slytherins. I'm not looking forward to that at all. Malfoy will be there, that jerk never shuts up about flying though. Every time I get around the guy I have to restrain myself from beating him unconscious." Harry growled.
Ron backed away a couple of steps. "D-don't worry about it. He's probably just all hot air anyway. You'll do fine, I'm sure of it."
"I hope so." Harry said.
Ron and Dean, one of their roommates got into a large argument on the differences between Quidditch and Football the other night. Right now the two of them weren't even talking to each other because of it. It didn't help that Ron seemed to think that everything Muggle was to be taken at face value.
So football became an actual foot, inflated and kicked around a pitch. The boy didn't seem to be able to even rationalize even the simplest muggle items either. This confused the hell out of Harry, because even wizarding items were easy to understand to him, so he expected the opposite to be true. Yet it seemed most wizarding families were actually ignorant of the muggle world.
Willfully ignorant, as if they didn't even think it was worth thinking about. Harry wasn't even going to comment on Ron standing in front of Dean's football poster and poking it with his wand, trying to make it move like wizarding posters. Then there was Neville Longbottom. Harry was amazed that the boy wasn't laid up in bed.
He'd never seen one boy who managed to injure himself as much as Neville did. The boy seemed to gravitate from one disaster to another every couple of hours. It was an uncanny ability.
Neville received a small package from his grandmother a little while later when they were at breakfast while Ron was telling about how that Granger Girl in Ravenclaw hadn't done very well her flying lessons the day before. Harry wasn't sure where the boy got his information though and appeared to be spouting rumors. It seemed the girl could recite anything from Hogwarts A History, but she wasn't even able to get more than a few feet off the ground with her broom.
Neville opened his gift and held up a palm sized ball. "A Rememberall!"
"What in the world is that?" Dean asked from across the table.
"Well if you are holding this and you forget something it…" The ball suddenly flared with a bright red glow. "…turns red." Neville said, frowning at the ball.
As the pudgy boy tried to figure out what he forgot, Draco Malfoy walked by and suddenly snatched it out of his. "Longbottom, did you forget to put on your underwear again?"
Ron and Harry jumped to their feet. "Malfoy!"
"What is going on here." Snapped a voice from behind them.
They turned to see Professor McGonagall staring down at them.
"Malfoy took Neville's Rememberall." Ron said.
The bond haired kid glared at Ron, and Harry, for a second before placing the ball on the table. "Just looking, sheesh." And walked back to the Slytherin table.
Harry picked up the ball and handed it back to Neville. "Better put that away."
The kid nodded, blushing a bit, and stuffed it inside his robe as he quickly finished his breakfast. Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as Malfoy and his two tag alongs sat down at the Slytherin table. The boy sent a death glare right towards Harry, but it was also tinged with fear.
Harry grinned at them. It was an evil grin that made Malfoy pale noticeably.
oooooooooo
A few hours later the Gryffindor students stepped outside for their flying lessons. Harry noted that it was a rather clear day with only a slight breeze rippling the thick carpet of grass next to the castle. He spotted a severe looking woman setting out two rows of brooms in the grass.
The Slytherins were already there, each of them standing next to a broom and glaring at the Gryffindors as they approached. As they arrived Harry noticed that the teacher had wild grey hair and yellowish eyes. She waved the students over and told them to take their place next to a broom.
"I am Madam Hooch, your flying instructor. Now everyone stand next to a broom, hurry up, we don't' have all day!" She yelled.
Neville whimpered a bit as he edged his way over to a ratty looking broom and looked at it fearfully. Harry tried not to snort at the odd way everyone was acting. He looked around as he felt someone looking at him. He turned to see Malfoy glaring at him a few yards away.
Harry gazed back calmly, giving the impression of boredom. Most of the brooms were beat up and he could recall the twins complaining that the school had brooms that were in bad shape. They weren't even good for playing Quidditch anymore.
They mentioned how the brooms were unstable or that they didn't corner worth a crap when it was really needed. He wondered if they were even safe to use if they were in this kind of condition. Turning back, he spotted Malfoy sneering at him.
Harry gave him a look that made several of the Slytherins pale. Several of the Gryffindor's watched and snickered. Madam Hooch didn't seem to even noticed that several of the students weren't paying any attention to her as she finished off her speech about flying responsibly.
Dismissing the Slytherins, Harry figured he could kick their asses as one whole mass if they attacked him so he wasn't very worried. Madam Hooch got their attention as she blew her whistle. "Hold your hand above your broom and say 'UP'!"
Harry started at the broom and yelled 'UP'. The broom jumped from the ground and into his hand in an instant. He blinked in surprise as he felt the broom vibrating in his palm. He looked around to see how everyone else was doing and was surprised to see that he was the only one holding a broom. Hooch eyed him for a second, but didn't say anything.
As expected, Neville's broom flopped over and played dead. Then Malfoy yelled 'UP' once more and the broom jumped up into his hand. They spent several minutes getting the brooms into all the students' hands and Madam Hooch moved from student to student showing them how to mount, grip, and keep from falling off.
"Mr. Malfoy, fix your grip!" Hooch snapped at the aristocratic boy.
"I've been flying for years, woman!" He snapped back.
"Then you've been doing it wrong! Ten points from Slytherin for talking back to a teacher!"
The boy glowered, unimpressed with the punishment.
Madam Hooch glared at him until he adjusted the grip on his broom. Then she turned to the rest of the class. "Now we are going to hover a few feet off the ground! Make sure you follow your instructions to the letter! No playing around or you won't ever fly again!"
Off to the side Harry could see that Neville was about to have problems, again. The boy melted cauldrons in potions, destroyed objects in transfigurations, and even miscast nearly every Charm he learned in class. Harry got to witness the boy screw up nearly every other day, Harry knew the signs, and so did the rest of the Gryffindor class.
Madam Hooch started counting just as Neville suddenly screamed and his broom launched into the air. She spun around just as the white faced boy jerked on the broom and made it twist to the side. "Boy, get back down here and quit messing around."
Neville yelled just as he slammed into the side of the castle, fell off his broom, and dropped to the ground. They all winced as they heard not one, but several bones breaking. The teacher ran over to him cursing under her breath. It took her a second to examine the boy.
"All of you, don't move while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. NO FLYING or you will be EXPELLED!"
Harry watched as she helped Neville to his feet. The boy had a broken arm, wrist, and a bloodied nose. Hooch helped him walk into the castle without looking back at the class. Almost instantly Harry knew trouble was brewing when Malfoy started laughing.
"That was great! One more useless Gryffindor we don't have to deal with!" It didn't take long for the rest of the Slytherins to follow Malfoy's example.
One of the Gryffindor girls stomped her foot. "Shut up Malfoy!"
No one even seemed to hear her, much to the girl's distress. Harry was about to say something when Malfoy suddenly ran over to where Neville landed. He held up a small palm sized ball. "Look! It's that idiotic thing his gran sent him this morning!"
Malfoy sneered and glanced at the top of the castle. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for him to find it. Maybe up there."
Harry stalked over to Malfoy and made a grab for the ball, but Malfoy suddenly mounted his broom and rose about ten feet into the air. "Come and get it, orphan."
An aura of boiling red power formed around Harry as he glared at the boy above him. He slowly walked over to his broom and let it rise off the ground and over next to him. He mounted it just as Ron grabbed his arm.
"Harry, calm down mate. Please, it's just a ball." The boy said.
"It's not that easy Ron." Harry said, his voice as cold as ice. He launched into the air and shot past Malfoy, making the boy's robes billow dangerously.
In the space of a second Harry realized that riding a broom was incredibly easy. He pulled quick over head turn and shot back towards Malfoy, who managed to dodge this time. Harry could tell that the boy really did know how to fly a broom.
Go figure.
"Give it back or I'll kick you off that broom!" Harry yelled.
A flash of worry lit in Malfoy's eyes as Harry flew circles around him. He'd never seen a kid fly in the way Harry did, as if he had years of experience on a broom. "You don't stand a chance."
"Oh yeah?" Harry growled as he brought his broom to a rolling stop a few yards from the blonde Slytherin. "Crabbe and Goyle aren't here to protect you Malfoy, you won't get away with this."
Malfoy looked around nervously as he realized that Harry was right. Looked at Harry, sneered, and suddenly threw the Rememberall towards the school as hard as he could. Maybe it would shatter against the school. The perfect revenge.
"Idiot!" Harry yelled as he spun the broom around and leaned forward, doing an angled dive at the ground as he pushed the broom as hard as he could. It was all instinct and Harry wasn't really thinking about his actions, just reacting as Ranma taught him, but he knew that Neville would be devastated if that little ball was broken. The boy had absolutely no confidence in himself.
The air whistled past his ears as he increased the speed of his dive, chasing after the ball. He could hear the class screaming at him as he shot towards the ground, but he focused on the little ball and reached out to catch it when he was about a foot from the ground.
The instant it touched his hand he gave the broom a savage twist. The twist sent him back into the air and he felt his control on the broom lesson just a little. It gave a little jerk right as he noticed that he was heading for the side of the castle about two stories up. He twisted around and vaulted off the broom right when it was about the hit.
His feet slammed against the wall of the castle and absorbed the impact. For a second he crouched there defying gravity, and then fell forward and performed several midair flips and landed on the ground. His broom still clutched in one hand, the Remember all in the other. Total silence greeted him as he started to calm down.
"Potter!"
Harry spun around to see Professor McGonagall stalking over to him. "I had…"
"Never…in all my…years at Hogwarts…" She yelled.
"But Malfoy…"
"You could have DIED!" The woman yelled, completely ignoring Harry.
Then Harry realized what he'd done and saw the looks of evil glee on the Slytherins faces. He was going to be expelled his conscience yelled at him. McGonagall was still yelling at him about he could have died, been injured, or even worse. She didn't even appear to be paying attention to him as she ranted on and on.
Then she grabbed the fabric of his robe and dragged him into the castle, moving a little faster than he could walk, and was forced to jog just to keep up. She continued to berate him for a few more minutes before she stopped, took a deep breath, and sighed.
Harry wanted to defend himself, but had a feeling that if he even tried he would be kicked out of school in an instant. The next few minutes were completely silent as she dragged him through the castle. For a few seconds Harry wondered if they were heading for Professor Dumbledore's office, but they eventually stopped outside a classroom instead.
She rapped on the door and stuck her head into the room. "Professor Flitwick, I need to see Wood for a minute."
Harry panicked for second, there was not way he would let the woman beat him for this. Then an older boy stepped out of the room and looked at McGonagall. The old woman didn't say anything for a second as she glared down at Harry. "Follow me."
The two boys looked at each other for a second as the old woman headed down the corridor and entered an empty class room. She didn't even pause as she banished Peeves from the room with a flick of her wand. Harry tried to ignore the dirty words Peeves had been writing on the blackboard. Some really nasty ones, but McGonagall didn't appear to even see them.
Once the poltergeist was gone, she slammed the door and suddenly looked like Christmas had come early. Harry was starting to wonder if the woman was off he rocker or something. She almost seemed to float around the room for a few seconds. Then, with a giant grin she turned to Harry.
"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood, he's your new seeker!"
The older boy gave Harry a surprised and delighted look. "Are you serious!"
"Yes, if you'd just seen what I did. The boy is a natural flyer! I've never seen anything like it before. Was that really the first time you've ever been on a broom Mr. Potter?" She asked suddenly.
Harry blinked, he was having trouble keeping up with all the questions and really wondered if this was how they expelled students. If so it wasn't really funny. Then again, as his brain caught up with his fear and beat the hell out of it, he started to wonder if something else wasn't going on.
"Um, yeah, it wasn't that hard."
Wood looked even more amazed.
"I watched as he took a fifty foot dive, full speed, and caught a little ball in his hand without taking a scratch!" She explained.
Now Wood looked like he wanted to dance. "He's got a larger than normal build on him for a first year Professor, but he's still built for the position. He'll need a broom though, something really fast."
The teacher nodded. "I'll talk to the Headmaster about bending the first year rule. I don't want to be flattened by Slytherin again. Professor Snape never lets me forget how good his Slytherins are at Quidditch. I swear I couldn't look that man in the eye for two weeks after that last match. It was horrible. I want that cup in my office this year!"
Wood nodded, his eyes shining as he imagined this mysterious cup as well.
Harry looked confused, as usual they were talking about him and not to him. Gods he hated it when people did this and why was it always a teacher? Then the batty old woman patted Harry on the shoulder. "Your father would have been so proud of you. He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."
oooooooooo
After telling Harry to keep his position on the team a secret, Oliver Wood proceeded float around the school on a cloud of happiness for the rest of the day. He kept coming up to Harry, getting a strange look in his eye, and laughing like an insane maniac. The whole thing was starting to make Harry more than a little nervous.
Was everyone in this school a weirdo? He thought to himself as he sat down to dinner and ignored Wood as the boy noticed him. That look of glee did not fit on the older boy's face. He shoveled a large portion of food onto his plate and ate dinner.
Next to him Ron looked at him. "Well!" He exploded.
Harry eyed him for a second and reminded himself that he needed to keep the Quidditch thing a secret. "I didn't get expelled."
The red head sighed in relief. Then something odd happened. Fred and George ran into the great hall and right over to Harry. They started patting him on the back and grinning like idiot.
"Congratulations! Were on the team too." One said.
"We're on the team too – Beaters!" The other one said. Harry thought he might be Fred, but he wasn't sure. They were identical twins even down to how they dressed.
Ron's eyes tripled in size as his brain put the information together. "You…" He said.
Harry made a shushing noise and glared at the twins. "I was told to keep it a secret!" He hissed.
"Bloody Hell!" Ron yelled. "You must be the youngest…"
Fred and George whapped Ron in the back of the head and the boy suddenly turned into a large yellow chicken. They laughed and waved as they ran off with a now angry yellow chicken chasing after them, feathers filling the air as it ran. The rest of Gryffindor broke out laughing.
Harry also noticed that Neville wasn't there for dinner. Shrugging, he put it out of his mind and quickly finished eating dinner. He wanted to get back to the common room, finish his homework for the day, and have some time to practice with Ranma.
A few minutest later he was turning a corner when three boys stepped out of the shadows of an unused room. Harry groaned as he realized that it was Malfoy and his two goons again. He was so tired of these idiots that he nearly lashed out at them. Instead he just calmly placed his foot back a little, taking a hidden fighting stance.
"Malfoy." He snapped.
"I hope you enjoyed your last meal, orphan." The blonde haired boy sneered. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Crabbe and Goyle chuckled as they cracked their knuckles. They were quite big for a pair of supposed eleven year olds. They were Nearly a foot taller than Malfoy. For a second Harry wondered how many times the two boys had been held back in school.
Harry laughed. "That's amazing Blondie, it seems you suddenly get brave when you have these two at your back, but you cower in fear whenever they aren't here. Family inherited trait perhaps?"
Malfoy's wand was suddenly pointed at Harry's chest. "Take that back or you'll wake up in the hospital wing." The boy threatened just as Harry's arm blurred. Malfoy jumped back as his hand exploded in pain. Cursing his eyes turned to look at Harry, who was tossing Malfoy's wand in the air.
"Little slow there as well." Smirking as he twirled the wand around. "Are you 'out of shape' wimp."
Malfoy's face turned a dark red. "Give that back, or I'll Crabbe and Goyle will…"
Harry laughed. "I've taken on larger bullies than these to morons Malfoy."
"Why you…"
"Maybe I should keep this for now. You know, so that I can turn it over to a teacher."
"My father is on the school board Potter! I'll have you expelled for this!" Draco snapped. "Give me MY WAND!"
Every fiber of Harry's being wanted to lash out and deck the smarmy little worm in front of him, but that would get him kicked out of school. So instead his arm snapped forward and threw the wand down the hall. "FETCH!"
"Duel in the Trophy room at midnight, Potter! Or else!" Malfoy yelled.
Then the three Slytherins yelled as they chased after the wand and vanished down the hall. Harry turned and punched the wall, shattering one of the stones in a hail of stone. Growling, he glared at the hole and his throbbing hand, and stalked down the corridor flexing his fingers to bring back his sense of touch.
He didn't notice the shadow further down the hall that suddenly moved to follow him. Seconds later a girl walked over and examined the hole in the wall. She frowned a little, adjusted her glasses, and moved after Harry. Torch light reflected off her glasses and highlighted her Ravenclaw badge.
"Fascinating."
oooooooooo
Notes: I was going to make the flying lesson different from the book, but the idea I had just didn't work out so I went with a modified version instead. As for Harry being a little bigger, remember he's been training with Ranma for several years, he's bulked up with muscle and proper meals. He's taller, stronger, and a lot more healthy.
As you can see by the beginning of this chapter, I'm going to be showing a bit of Ranma's history. This bit shows why the girls aren't after him like they used to be. More will be revealed every chapter from now on, or every other chapter depending on how things work out.
Omake:
Harry turned and punched the wall, shattering one of the stones in a hail of stone. Then the wall collapsed, revealing a sight Harry wasn't expecting, but would scar him for life.
Professor Dumbledore in the shower, wearing a shower cap, holding a scrub brush, and a yellow ducky.
Harry fell over in shock. He twitched a few times. There are something one just shouldn't see and a naked hundred and fifty year old man is one of them.