Chapter Thirty-Four
Lessons
After the whole 'too many tutor' thing got settled Lenore found herself having to jump directly into the lessons. There was a thirty minute argument about who gets her at this time and it would have gone on longer if Hermione had not come to the rescue and presented a sheet of times. A mini-version was what Lenore had stuck by her bed and was staring at this morning. It was an every day schedule that she was expected to keep on top of, which would be why she was up at the inhuman hour of seven in the morning so she could have food before her first lesson.
8:00am-10am—Jalia, Strength in Battle
10:05am-12:30pm—Wren, Control of Elemental Powers
1:30pm-2:30pm—Baqer, Knowledge of the World
2:35pm-5pm—Jairdan, Magic-Control
5:30pm-7:30pm—Gagan, Basic Magical Powers
9pm-11pm—Taban, Night Sky and the Telling of the Future
There were very few gaps for her to rest let alone do any homework that might be assigned. With as sigh and a longing idea to stay in bed and sleep, Lenore got up and showered before getting dressed. Deciding that, since she would be outside often, she would wear her other pair of 'holy jeans'. Yanking those on she quickly braided her and pulled a baggy gray shirt on before hurrying down the stairs. That had to be a record for her, fifteen minutes to get ready. Normally she did things like straighten up, pack things away, read, or attempt to write Severus.
Sitting down at the table (which had been set) Mrs. Weasley half flew into the kitchen. "You're up early," the redhead commented handing Lenore two steaming pancakes.
"Have to be, my first class is at eight," the raven-haired girl said digging into the delicious breakfast food. Mrs. Weasley poured her a glass of milk. "Thanks so much, Mrs. Weasley."
"Hm?" the woman looked at her and then sighed, sitting down. "Oh, your welcome, dear."
"What are you distracted about?" Lenore asked taking another bite of the amazing pancakes.
"What?" the redhead looked at her sharply before conjuring up a cup of coffee. "Oh….Professor Dumbledore conjured up a hut on the outskirts of the property over there, and he's having all of your tutors staying there"
Lenore dropped her fork and peered out the window. "Well it's still standing." She hoped that was a good sign.
Mrs. Weasley moaned. "Albus has something up his sleeve I know it."
The teenager shrugged. "He usually does." She polished off the first pancake and drank half the cup of milk. "By the look of it I'm not going to have time to see anyone except at meals, do you think you can say hi to everyone for me?"
"Of course, dear." Mrs. Weasley sipped her coffee. Suddenly she jumped, dropping the mug and letting out a cry of surprise. "I didn't even hear you come in," the woman said getting out of the way of the puddle of hot liquid. Lenore turned sharply and the female elf stood there, the sword still strapped to her back.
"Ms. Keller," the elf paused before continuing. "Are you quite finished?"
Lenore looked at the clock, she still had ten minutes before class started but that was okay. "I'm pretty much done, I guess." She drank the last of her milk before standing up.
"Then follow me," the elf started to leave before she looked at Mrs. Weasley. "I am using the Southeast pasture for my training ground, please stop any…pests from disturbing us."
With that she exited the room with Lenore trailing bewildered behind her. It didn't take them long to reach the patch of the Weasley's backyard that Jalia had been talking about. But instead of the rolling grassy hill, an obstacle course was built into the ground and several practice dummies were hanging on the edges.
The cold brunette elf turned to her, looking her up and down with forest green eyes. "I am here to teach you the basics of fighting, swordplay, and survival. Please understand that I take no pleasure in teaching a…mutated inbred freak such as you," Lenore's eyes widened in horror at what her teacher was saying. "But I was requested by my government and Dumbledore because I am the best."
"Humble aren't you," muttered Lenore as soon as Jalia turned her back, taking the sword off her back. The woman looked back sharply and Lenore couldn't even manage a smile. "It's not exactly polite telling me what you think of me, I've yet to spew my opinions of you."
"Ms. Keller, if you spoke your mind, you'd be speechless."
Lenore's jaw dropped.
"Shut your mouth, Ms. Keller, you look like a fish. Not that it's much improvement." Lenore's eyes flashed but she wisely kept silent as the elf handed her a bag. "There is a fencing uniform within the bag. Retrieve it, change and meet me back here."
She started to go back to the house when the elf cleared her throat. Lenore glanced back and Jalia was pointing to a tent not four feet away, obviously set up to change in. A fierce blush spread over Lenore's face and she quickly changed into the clothes she found in the bag. Emerging she looked at Jalia, who was now dressed in a similar costume however hers had a hunter green belt wrapped around the mid-section.
"In this training there will be no helmets and we will be training with these until your skill gets better," Jalia tossed her a soft-point fencing sword.
Lenore caught it awkwardly and then studied it. "Okay. How do we do this?"
The look Lenore received was very clearly saying that if she would shut up that Lenore would find out. Pursing her lips Lenore found herself for the next two hours being taught how to attack, defend, and obtain ground. For the last half of the 'class' Jalia attempted to do a practical lesson, which ended with Lenore having several quarter size bruises along her arms, chest, and abdomen. It was clear by the end of the lesson that Jalia was more than displeased with her.
Jalia took Lenore's sword and when the teenager remerged in her clothes the bag as well. The elf looked mad and disappointed. "Tomorrow, Ms. Keller, we will begin working on muscle training so that you will not fail as appallingly as you did today."
"Yes, ma'am." Lenore said tartly.
"You are free to leave, or did that fact not enter you abysmally diminutive brain?" snapped the elf.
Lenore felt her temper start to snap. She couldn't let that happen. Last time her temper snapped the Great Hall got a new décor. "No, ma'am, I knew very well I could leave, however I do not know where I am to go to for my next class."
"Miss Keller," a voice said behind her and Lenore whirled around, her hand reaching for her wand. Wren stood behind her, the earthy-green dress she wore made the tinges in her skin stand out all the more. Wren inclined her head as a hello. "Please come with me."
"Only if you call me Lenore or Leo," the teenager said following as she spoke. If the Elves called her Ms. Keller so be it but she would not have the group she had the possibility of getting along with address her by 'Miss Keller'. It made her look for her mother. A stab of pain went through her chest as the thought of her mother flashed in her mind. No, I will not think about that right now. She said firmly to herself.
Wren stopped in a clearing not too far from Jalia's training grounds. "Please sit," Obeying Lenore sat down on the ground, noting that the pain in her leg had started up again. She really had to remember to keep stretching at night. "I was called here from our village to teach you how to control your Elemental Powers."
"I have Elemental Powers?" Lenore said in surprise.
Wren apparently found this funny because she laughed. "All Almost Humans have Elemental Powers, but what ends up happening is only a select few of them can actually harness elements."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"I am a Master, do you know what that means?"
"That you had a sex change?" Lenore burst into giggles at the look on Wren's face. "Sorry. I probably don't know what you mean by that in the context you are using."
Wren inclined her head again, tilting it to one side as if to listen to something. "I can control with some efficacy all of the elements." Lenore's eyes widened in amazement as Wren caused a seed to appear in her hand. She planted the seed and within seconds of her waving her hand over it a beautiful Iris grew. Wren picked it and handed it to Lenore. "My strongest element, if you can guess, is Earth."
"Cool,"
The Almost Human smiled. "Now, Lenore, I am sure you are anxious to discover how to control your elements, they will be both easier and harder than controlling your normal magic."
"I don't understand."
"Elemental magic is wild magic, it does not like to be tamed and used for a single person's purpose." Wren pulled two stones from a bag that Lenore hadn't noticed before. "However, because it is wild it will be easier to get in tune with it while your own magic is wild." Taking Lenore's right hand, Wren pressed a clear stone into her palm and shut it. A black stone was pressed into the other and Wren smiled at her. "Now close yourself and take a deep breath, let it out slowly. These stones will show us what Element you are the strongest in."
A breeze picked up instantly. "How does it do—ow!" Lenore dropped the clear rock as it burned her palm.
"Interesting," Wren took the stone from Lenore's hand and the girl opened her eyes, blowing on her hand. "It seems that you have a choice between Wind and Fire. Two of the wildest elements there are, amusing."
"Wind I guess. Sounds like fun." Lenore said, still smarting over her pink palm.
"Very well, for this week we shall focus on your getting in touch with the element of Wind. Once you control that element you can attempt to touch all. The more elements you control the more powerful you become."
"But I don't want to be powerful." Lenore muttered. "I just want to be me."
"This is part of you who are now, Lenore. Embrace it."
Lenore sighed as Wren began to discuss how the raven-haired girl could 'touch' wind and use it for her purpose. They attempted a practical lesson a half hour before class ended but it didn't end in much success. She was ordered to fetch lunch and in her spare time hold the black stone while attempting to use wind. Lenore tried this before she went into the house at lunch and discovered that the stones were a magical aide, healing the breach between her magic and the wild magic. When attempting it without the stone, she found it neigh impossible to do.
With a shrug Lenore scrambled her way through lunch, answering as many questions from Hermione as she could within her hour long break. Deciding since she only had a half-hour for a real dinner, she stuffed herself so full she wasn't quite sure if she could get up. It was ten minutes to her next class when she moaned and went outside, attempting to brave another class.
Baqer's class was her easiest one yet because it had nothing to do with her magical control or anything, merely taught about the history of the world (there was no bias for elves at all, she gagged when this thought entered her head.) The course was nauseating. It gave her five minutes to find Jairdan's course.
Jairdan found her with a minute to spare and they sat down in the grove of trees not too far from the house. When classes first started she was certain no class could be worse that one with Jalia but she apparently was wrong. Without explaining to her how or why, he ordered her pull her magic back into her. After an hour of insults and 'excuses' as he called them he told her that she was going to have to learn something called 'Focus' which meant drawing her magic in on herself and using it without the sight of others. Which meant absolutely nothing to the girl, but he wasn't about to explain it. After calling her exasperating with her attempts to question him, they spent the last half of the class trying to pulled her magic in. Needless to say, it wasn't a success. Parting on some less than nice words, Lenore hurried to eat dinner.
Her class after was the first class she felt like she accomplished something because without a wand she managed to pull part of her magic in (to be honest her course with Gagan and her course with Jairdan were so close in what they taught Lenore thought it would have been better if they just joined courses…bad thing to mention at all because it put the rest of the class time in a dower mood.)
She was nearly late to her nine o'clock class because she had collapsed on the couch and proceeded to fall asleep…bad idea. Taban reminded her of a Divination teacher the way she talked about the stars and such. It was, though, the only class she received reading material for. By the time she stumbled up to her bed she was groaning at the fact she had to get up at seven the next morning.
Just before she went to bed she noticed that the paper between herself and Severus was blinking. Turning on the light she grabbed it but her heart sank at what she read.
Foolish impudent idiotic girl! Do you know what troubles have risen up because you were foolish enough to write and leave it like that! If I had not come upon Wormtail moments after he wrote he would be at the Dark Lord's feet, sniveling and spilling every thing you said! Do you understand that what you did is not only idiotic but could have cost you your very life! The Oblivitate Charm I cast may not hold against the Dark Lord's Legitimacy. DON'T EVER WRITE ME WITHOUT MAKING SURE I'M ON THE RECEIVING END! Stupid, arrogant girl! Has nothing of what happened to you this summer impacted you at all? You intelligence in this matter barely exceeds that of a flea! Do not write unless I am the one you are certain is receiving!
Lenore found that there were tears streaming down her face as she dropped the paper. She didn't mean to be foolish. How was she supposed to know someone was staying with him? Better yet, why was Wormtail the man who tried to kill her staying with him? Turning the light off Lenore began to cry softly until she drifted off to sleep, unable to understand why Severus' words hurt her so deeply.
