Deleted Scene from Trials of a Champion (Takes place before Chapter 1)

Stress Relief

Harry followed Sirius out of the castle, unable to hide the apprehension of today's lesson. Sirius had said that it would be fun but Harry had quickly learned that Sirius had a strange view of what fun actually was. After all, Sirius believed that conspiring with Peeves to prank Professor Snape was a must on the weekly 'to do' list. Harry, on the other hand, would rather live to see his fourteenth birthday. It was times like this that Harry secretly wished that Remus hadn't left on his latest mission for Professor Dumbledore. Remus just seemed to have a way to keep Sirius under control while Harry was still trying to form some sort of stable relationship with his godfather.

The first few days after Remus' departure had been a little awkward for Harry and Sirius. Harry was trying to do everything to help Sirius adjust while Sirius just wanted to know his godson better. Harry wasn't the scared little boy that had hid 'Midnight' out in his room anymore and Sirius wasn't the half-crazed man who just escaped from Azkaban. Both of them had to put their pasts behind them and concentrate on the future.

Remus had taken the luxury of filling Sirius in on everything that had happened the previous year since Harry had already told 'Midnight' about his first two years at Hogwarts. It didn't take Sirius long to conclude that Harry needed to continue his training especially considering everything that had happened in the past three years and that he would take over training since he really didn't want to venture out into the public eye yet.

Entering the courtyard, Harry nearly ran into Sirius who had stopped abruptly. Sirius shot Harry a grin before he pull out his wand and point it to the ground just ahead of them. There was something about that grin that made Harry nervous. "Mutatio superficies pando!" Sirius said with a wink.

Harry watched as the green grass slowly changed from the deep green stems to a smooth black material and started to rise. He subconsciously took a step back as the now circular material continued to rise until it reached his chest. Sirius grinned proudly as he took off his trainers and set them on the ground along with his wand. Harry watched apprehensively as Sirius pulled himself up on the surface and started to jump up and down.

"There we go," Sirius said as he stopped jumping and reached out to help Harry up. "Come on. This will be fun. Your mum always insisted that this was an ideal way to relieve stress."

Harry looked at Sirius nervously. Relieve stress? It looked like a surefire way to break one's neck. "Sirius, what is that?" asked Harry.

Sirius glanced down at the surface before returning his gaze to Harry. "Well, it's—er—it's a…what did Lily call it?" he asked himself in bewilderment. "A tangerine? No. That's a fruit." Sirius thought for a long moment before shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "Harry, trust me. This'll be fun. Remember fun? It's something every teenager has when they aren't fighting for their life."

Harry bit his lower lip as he pulled off his shoes and took off his wand holster. He carefully set his shoes and wand by Sirius' before accepting the offered hand. Sirius pulled Harry up and waited until Harry regained his balance. Cautiously, Harry took a few steps on the bouncy surface and couldn't help smiling at how weird the sensation was. It really wasn't that frightening once you got the hang of it. He felt Sirius's hands under his arms and looked up to see his godfather smiling widely at him.

"See?" Sirius asked. "Now, bend your legs and jump as high as you're comfortable with. I'm right here, Harry."

After a moment Harry carefully bent his knees and jumped in the air. He landed on the stretchy surface which made it easy for him to jump again. Sirius loosened his hold on Harry and stepped back, allowing Harry to jump on his own. Slowly, Harry jumped higher and higher until he stopped jumping and turned to Sirius. "Mum taught you how to make this?" he asked hopefully.

Sirius nodded as he ruffled Harry's hair. "It was quite a sight when Lily tried to convince James that he wouldn't break his neck," he said in an amused tone. "Of course your dad forbid your mum from it when they found out she was pregnant with you. James was extremely overprotective." Sirius let out a laugh. "I remember when you were born. James wouldn't let anyone hold you. Lily had to literally pry you out of his hands for feedings. They both loved you so much."

Harry let out a sigh as he sat down. The more he heard about his parents the more he wished he could remember them. Yes, James Potter wasn't the best role model while at Hogwarts but as a father…It really would have been nice to grow up with people who didn't hate you. It would have been nice to be loved. It would have been nice to know what being loved felt like. Stop it Harry! Stop dwelling on what can't be changed!

A hand rested on Harry's shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. Looking up, Harry saw Sirius' concerned face and had to look away. Sirius carefully sat down beside Harry and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. "I'm sorry, kiddo," Sirius said softly. "Sometimes I forget how hard it must be for you to hear about them. It's cruel that so many people know more about your parents than you do. Just remember that they loved you more than anything."

Harry nodded and glanced up at Sirius. He really couldn't blame the man for wanting to remember good times, especially since he had just spent twelve years reliving his worst memories. "Thanks Sirius," he said with a soft smile. "Maybe you can tell me more about them later?"

Sirius grinned and ruffled Harry's hair again. "Of course," he said instantly then stood up and extended a hand to Harry who accepted the gesture and was quickly pulled to his feet.

A moment later, Harry felt himself being pushed backwards and quickly tucked his chin in as his back came into contact with the surface. Bouncing into the air, Harry kicked his feet over his head and landed on his knees, trying to put some distance between Sirius and himself. He took a defensive stance as he stood, ready for whatever Sirius may attempt. Sirius always tried to be unpredictable, claiming that it kept everyone on their toes.

"Well, that's a start," Sirius said with a grin. "I thought we could start working on a sort of muggle physical defense that could be really useful in a duel. It's going to take a lot of practice but I really believe this is something that would give you the element of surprise if the situation was needed. A lot of people in the wizarding world overlook muggle defense, Harry. I used to overlook it until your mum actually disarmed your dad without even pulling her wand out. Moony said that he covered some of the basics so we'll just go more in depth, all right?"

Harry nodded. It made sense. On this sort of surface it was highly unlikely that they would get hurt however Harry preferred stable ground for balance. Sirius probably wants to test me.

What Sirius actually wanted to teach Harry was something completely different. For the next hour, Sirius patiently helped Harry learn how to flip backwards. It took quite a while for Harry to gain the courage to attempt one even with Sirius standing there to make sure Harry didn't land on his head. Eventually he grew comfortable with jumping high and arching his back as he pulled his feet over his head, allowing Sirius to step back. He still wasn't landing on his feet but Sirius assured Harry that it would come with practice.

When Harry grew tired of the repetition, Sirius transformed into Midnight and tackled Harry playfully beginning a long wrestling match on the bouncy surface. Soon all that could be heard was Harry laughing and Midnight barking. A few times Harry even managed to jump hard and send Midnight flying into the air. The large shaggy dog yelped in surprise every time before intensifying his attack on Harry. Pinning Harry and tickling him with his wet nose and paws was an easy form of revenge.

When Harry could no longer breathe from laughter, Sirius reappeared with a pop wearing a large grin on his face. "Do you yield?" he asked in an amused tone.

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to be able to speak at the moment. He wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck and held on until his breathing was back under control. He couldn't remember ever laughing so hard in his life. "Thanks Sirius," Harry said softly. "I needed that."

Sirius tightened his own hold on Harry. "I know, Pronglet," he said sincerely then repositioned himself so that he was sitting down and had an arm around Harry who was resting against his left side. "I know all of this training can be nerve-wracking at times but I just want you to be prepared. You are a target, Harry, no matter how much we wish it weren't true. I know how you hate feeling helpless. This is just another way to ensure that doesn't happen."

Harry looked up at Sirius and smiled. "I know and I appreciate everything you're doing, Sirius," he said honestly and looked over at the lake in the distance. "It just feels a bit overwhelming. Last summer everyone was teaching me how to defend myself from you and now I realize that, even with all that training, it wouldn't have been enough. If I hadn't caught you by surprise—"

"—you would have thought of something else," Sirius said in a reassuring voice. "You have a talent for thinking on your feet, Harry. Trusting your instincts is something that a lot of people have to work hard at, yet you seem to do it naturally." Harry couldn't help snorting at the comment. "I'm serious, Harry," Sirius insisted causing Harry to look at him strangely. "Don't even say it. I know I'm Sirius. Trust me. I've heard it before…repeatedly. I'm just trying to assure you that despite what your relatives or a certain teacher who's name begins with an 'S' and ends with 'nape' may have told you, you do have talent. You keep a level head in a crisis and are able to improvise like no one I've seen."

Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance at the mention of his Potions Professor. Sirius had made no effort in hiding his hatred for Professor Snape. Of course Professor Snape made no effort in hiding his hatred towards Harry and his guardians so it was sort of an even trade. Although, Harry had to admit that Snape wasn't as horrible as he used to be. Ever since last summer, Professor Snape hadn't gone out of his way to ridicule Harry for every little thing. It's probably because he discovered that my life wasn't as easy as everyone believed.

"You can call it whatever you want, Sirius," Harry insisted. "I still think it was luck."

Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry's hair. "I know you do," he said as he stood up and looked around the empty courtyard. "How about a few more tries before we call it a day?" He helped Harry to his feet then moved backwards so he was a safe distance from Harry. "No pressure. Just do your best and don't think about it."

Harry let out a sigh and nodded. He was tired and sore but he really couldn't bring himself to say no. Letting out a sigh, Harry bent his legs and jumped as high as he could once…twice…three times before tucking and pulling his legs over his head as hard as he could manage. He landed firmly on his hands and knees once again before looking up at Sirius who was smiling knowingly at him. Harry really didn't like that look. Sirius always had that look when he was about to pull a prank.

"You almost had it, Harry," Sirius said encouragingly. "You had enough height to land on your feet. You just need the confidence now."

Harry stood back up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm more concerned with breaking my neck than landing on my feet at the moment," he admitted as he moved back to the center.

"And that is what's stopping you, Pronglet," Sirius countered patiently as he took a few steps toward Harry. "I know it can be scary but you have to trust yourself. You have to let go of your fear and listen to your body. It will tell you whether you should attempt to land on your feet or not."

Harry nodded even though he really didn't believe it. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself, before jumping as high as he could three times and pulling his legs over his head. Unfortunately Harry forgot to tuck his legs in and felt his feet hitting something hard. Panic set in as Harry landed on his hands and knees. He looked over at his godfather nervously. The tops of his feet stung in pain, alerting him that he would probably have bruises there soon.

Sirius was holding his hands over his chin and mouth, his eyes closed tightly in pain. Silence filled the courtyard. Harry couldn't bring himself to move, fearful that he had actually hurt his guardian. He was too worried about Sirius' pain to even consider his own. His aching feet didn't matter. I never should have agreed to this.

Sirius slowly sank to his knees and opened his eyes to see Harry's horrified face. "It's not your fault, kiddo," he said, his hands still over his mouth muffling his voice. "I should have been standing further back." The corner of Sirius' lips twitched, showing the smile that was mostly hidden behind Sirius' hands. "However, it would probably be wise to remember that move. It could be quite useful in a fight because it really smarts."

Harry could only stare at Sirius in disbelief. Only Sirius Black could crack a joke at a time like this.

A/N: Coming up next, Harry and Cedric find their common ground.