I'd like to thank Balthazar23, Antar23, werewolfXZ, damadape, TheNarratingMan, WraithNX01, Vahktang, flixus, Lynix, TripsToTheRescue, fredfred and InquisitorCOC for betareading.

Chapter 39: The Training

Diagon Alley, Britain, July 21st, 1996

"That wasn't what I expected when you asked me to help you shopping for clothes," Lavender Brown muttered when she opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Shh!" Hermione hissed behind her. "We're in disguise!"

Lavender rolled her eyes. The stupid wig she wore itched. And she wasn't entirely comfortable in the muggle clothes Hermione had loaned her. They didn't fit quite right and lacked the comforts of properly enchanted robes. She should have resized her old muggle clothes. "No one is paying attention to us. They're all reading the Prophet or talking about it," she pointed out.

"Which is why we're in disguise," Hermione, currently blonde, replied.

"Four people will attract less attention than a couple," Potter added. He wasn't wearing his glasses and was wearing a wig as well, though at least Hermione hadn't managed to get him 'coloured contacts'. Lavender felt more than a little queasy about putting lenses directly into your eyes.

She looked at Ron, who was bringing up the rear. This wasn't what she had expected their first double-date to look like, either.

He grimaced - his ugly black wig probably itched too. But there was nothing to it. When Hermione dug in her heels about something, it was best to give in. Especially if Potter supported her - the two… Lavender blinked. They weren't feuding any more, so the old rule of thumb that if they agreed on something, it was probably the right thing to do might have become outdated, she realised.

And as Lavender had told them, no one was paying attention to them. Though what she heard when they crossed the room to the back wasn't exactly encouraging, either.

"...like an adventure straight out of Lockhart's books!"

"Those are fiction!"

"Exactly! You don't honestly…"

"... have been so romantic!"

"Oh, yes! To be saved by your hero from pirates!"

"And to save him from a wyvern! If I had been there, I would've…"

Lavender blushed at the last suggestion. She had thought the same when she had heard the story.

Hermione huffed when they entered the backyard. "Honestly!"

"Shhh!" Ron hissed. "We're in disguise!"

Lavender suppressed a giggle when she saw Hermione's glare. And she refrained from suggesting that they should talk about the Prophet's article as well, to improve their disguise. That wouldn't go over well. Not at all.

"Alright, we can take a shortcut to Denzel's Duelling Diorama," Potter said. "We don't need to go through the main alley."

"That might look suspicious," Hermione objected.

"Yes. But we would limit our exposure," Potter retorted.

"Is it worth it? If we catch the attention of Aurors, they might stop us," Hermione pointed out.

Lavender looked at Ron and rolled her eyes again. "Let's just go like four normal friends on a shopping trip," she said. "We'll window shop until we reach the duelling shop."

"Yes," Ron agreed. "Just act normal. Or, in your case, abnormal. Or the new normal." He grinned.

Both Potter and Hermione glared at him, but Ron remained unfazed. Lavender hooked her arm into his, and they started strolling down the alley.

After some huffing, Hermione and Potter followed.

Perhaps this would end up in a proper double-date, even though Lavender would still be wearing an itchy wig.

"But we won't enter Fortescue's," Hermione said in a low voice as if she had read Lavender's thoughts. "He would likely recognise us."

"He's like Ollivander, only for ice cream instead of wands," Potter agreed. "Never forgets a favourite flavour."

Well, Fortescue was the best for a reason. Many reasons, actually.

"We should get spare wands. Just in case," Hermione whispered as they passed the parlour.

"Good idea, but we might have to look for those elsewhere," Potter said, sounding as if that was normal.

"Spare wands?" Ron obviously shared Lavender's reaction.

"In case we get disarmed. Outside the duelling ring, I mean," Potter explained. "It's illegal to carry another wand in the ring, after all."

"Do you honestly expect an attack?" Ron asked, once more echoing Lavender's thoughts. "Here?"

"Not really," Potter said. "But better safe than sorry."

"And even if an attack is unlikely, it's better to be prepared. If you don't need what you have, you aren't any worse off, but if you don't have what you need…" Hermione trailed off while Potter nodded in agreement.

Lavender winced and looked at Ron again. She saw he was glancing around. Looking for an attacker? In Diagon Alley? But he had voiced his doubts, hadn't he? So why…?

Oh. He must be keeping an eye out for anyone who might be mistaken for an attacker.

But who would be as stupid as to do anything that could get mistaken for an attack? Most students had learned their lesson years ago and wouldn't get between Hermione and Potter. Even Malfoy, though he had taken a little longer.

They weren't at Hogwarts, though. If someone recognised them and wanted to talk to them, and got a little too enthusiastic… She winced and started looking around. So far, it seemed no one suspected anything.

"Lavender!" Hermione whispered as they passed Madam Malkin's. "Act normal! We're not Aurors on patrol!"

What? Lavender blinked and stared at her.

Hermione nodded. "Don't draw attention to us by acting as if you expect an attack."

That was… Lavender couldn't believe it. Hermione was lecturing her for acting as if she were paranoid?

"Just act natural," Potter chimed in.

"Well…" Ron started to comment.

But Potter cut him off. "Let's just go on. The shop's just around the corner."

Lavender exchanged another glance with her boyfriend, who was shaking his head. "You're impossible!" she muttered at Hermione and started walking a little faster to the duelling shop.

"What?"

Hermione didn't seem to realise what she was doing. Lavender clenched her teeth. She needed to explain things, but she couldn't do that here. This was… turning into the worst shopping trip since Binky's death.

She still kept an eye out for suspicious passers-by, but they reached the shop without anyone making a scene.

"Welcome to Denzel's Duelling Diorama!"

Lavender looked around while Potter and Hermione made a beeline to the counter, Potter in the lead. It looked… well, like a mixture of a bookshop, wand supplies shop and a tailor's. Robes in all sizes and colours were on display to her right, shelves lined the left wall, and on tables in the middle, all sorts of accessoires could be found. Mostly wand holsters, though.

"We need a set of duelling robes," Potter announced.

"For me," Hermione added.

"The best you have!"

"And in black."

Black? Lavender turned to stare at the pair. Who would want to buy black duelling robes? Those stood out and made you look like some wanna-be dark wizard, or… "You aren't planning to try and wear them to school, are you?" she blurted out.

Hermione frowned at her. "The school rules only state that the robes must be black. I checked."

"But everyone will know you're wearing duelling robes instead of school robes!" Lavender objected. The cuts of each were totally different - duelling robes were more like coats; you had to be able to run and jump and dodge in them. They had slits on the sides longer than the most daring ballroom robes.

"It's just in case," Hermione retorted. "Besides, I can recolour the robes."

"Ah… the robes are enchanted, so you won't be able to dye them," the clerk pointed out.

Hermione sniffed. "We'll see about that."

"It's not as if they stop curses," Potter added. "But we just need the best set."

"In my size."

"Alright. Let me show you the latest robes from One Ring," the clerk said - though his smile looked a little strained.

"That's a new American line," Potter explained.

"I guess they never heard of Tolkien," Hermione commented.

Potter laughed. It must be a muggle joke, then.

"I didn't get it either," Ron told her in a low voice while their friends started sifting through robes.

Lavender nodded. "The poor sales clerk," she whispered. At least, their friends weren't bickering. Not at all, actually. "They really get along."

"Did you think they were lying?" Ron asked.

"No. But… I didn't think they were like that," Lavender admitted. "I expected Hermione to try and get her way, as usual." But her friend was listening to both the clerk and Potter.

"Well, Harry's the expert amongst us," Ron said,

"You've got as much experience," she pointed out.

"But I didn't take special lessons with Sirius," Ron replied. "And I don't have as many books on duelling as Harry does."

"You wouldn't have room for them next to your Quidditch books," she told him.

He laughed in response.

Lavender shook her head. "I thought he would be focusing on Quidditch." Potter was the youngest Seeker at Hogwarts in a century. Apparently, the league scouts had noticed him in second year.

"He might try for both Quidditch and Duelling. But he'll pick Quidditch."

For the money, at least. Duelling wasn't as big as Quidditch.

She looked at the holsters on the table next to her. "Why do you need a special holster? You start a match with your wand in hand."

"It's for prestige - and the French still have some quick-drawing competitions going," Ron explained. "Never took hold in sensible countries."

"Well, I'm sure Hermione will get one." Or two - if she managed to get a second wand.

"Yes. Bill said the Curse-Breakers like the holsters as well. Sometimes, they need to draw their wands in a damn hurry."

In a tomb? Lavender would keep her wand in hand at all times. She shuddered and looked at Hermione and Potter again. And blinked again. Those were good looking robes. But they did show off your legs all the way to the hip. Like the cheongsam Su Li had shown them once. On the other hand, if those robes were allowed at Hogwarts, as Hermione claimed, then that had possibilities. Not for the lessons, of course - who would want to expose their legs like that in Potions, or Care for Magical Creatures? - but they would look very nice if you wanted to meet your boyfriend.

She glanced at Ron and grinned.

Hermione Granger looked at herself in the mirror. The robes fit, no doubt about it, and allowed her to move around freely. They reminded her of a Chinese dress. They also were a little drafty, though matching trousers would protect her legs. But Lavender had been correct - they wouldn't pass as school robes. Not even as some of the slightly altered school robes the upper years generally wore. "Well, technically, they are allowed by the rules," she reminded herself. She doubted that Professor McGonagall would agree, however.

"But everyone will be aware we're wearing duelling robes," Harry pointed out.

"It seems that that cannot be helped." Though anyone planning to attack them would be unlikely to be fooled by such a ploy, anyway. And it wasn't as if the duelling robes provided too much protection against spells - that would turn the matches into tailor competitions, and no one wanted that. Except, perhaps, for some tailors - Lavender had told her stories about the rivalries found between the best British and French tailors. She nodded at Harry. "I like those best."

"We'll take them," Harry told the clerk.

"Very well. The alterations will be ready in a day. The charms and the materials used prevent us from using Resizing Charms, alas. To whom might I send them?" the clerk asked.

Oh. Hermione sighed. They hadn't considered that.

"To Sirius Black," Harry told the man.

"Very well." The clerk didn't show any reaction. Either he had recognised them already - Harry had visited before, though not too frequently - or he hadn't made the connection. Or he might not care.

Either way, Hermione felt relieved. The last thing she wanted was a scene.

"Now we need a holster," Harry went on. "Quickdraw, with the usual protections."

Hermione nodded. She didn't want to become disarmed by a simple Sticking Charm or Summoning Charm.

"Of course. We have a design matching the robes here." The clerk held up a holster. "The latest Parisian style. It can go into your sleeve or on your hip, using extension charms to make it almost invisible."

Hermione frowned. As long as the holster did what it was supposed to do, did it matter how it looked? It would be hidden anyway.

"French? Good!" Harry said. "That means the holster was made to be used in an actual fight! In France, duels in the street might be nominally illegal, but that law's not being enforced."

"Really?" Hermione looked at him. Had Fleur told him that?

"Oh, yes," the clerk nodded. "I saw a duel happen myself when I visited an exhibition match in Paris. The Gendarmes stood and watched the fight."

That was disturbing! And Hermione didn't doubt that various thugs would abuse this 'custom' to assault someone and claim a duel. But it meant the holsters would be proven designs. "We'll take it," she said.

"Very good. Might I suggest some dragonhide boots to round out the outfit?" The clerk gestured to the shelves containing rows of boots in all sizes and shapes.

"Oh, boots!" Lavender joined them. "Let's see… you need boots that are both fashionable and functional! And in a decent colour."

Her friend was hamming it up, Hermione knew. She just didn't know why Lavender was acting like that - it wasn't as if Hermione had done anything to her!

"Now that was fun!" Lavender grinned when they finally left the shop.

Hermione Granger rolled her eyes at her. "I didn't have to try on every pair of boots."

"Of course you had! That's dragonhide - it won't easily resize. You have to find the perfect fit. It's a little like buying a wand - you don't settle for the first vaguely compatible one; you want the perfect fit.

"Wands aren't shoes," Hermione objected.

"Well, Sirius likes to say that footwork is almost as important as wandwork," Harry commented.

She glared at him; there was no need to undercut her position.

"See?" Lavender beamed. "It's important."

Her boyfriend, of course, agreed as well.

Hermione pursed her lips and slowly nodded. "So… let's leave Diagon Alley before someone recognises us."

"I'm sure that the clerk recognised us," Harry said. "But he's discreet. Bound to be - you can't run a shop like that if your customers think you'll tell their competition what kind of supplies they bought."

Hemione nodded again. That made sense.

"Are you going to visit Grimmauld Place?" Weasley asked.

"What? But you've got the whole morning you said!" Lavender protested before Hermione could answer. "Let's hang out a little more. But in muggle London!"

Wizards and witches were unlikely to spot or find them there, Hermione knew. "We'll have to change clothes, though," she pointed out. And they wouldn't be able to use magic without bringing the Ministry down on their heads. Still, it would be nice to relax a little.

"That's the idea. I want to get rid of this itchy wig!" Lavender announced.

"Yes," Weasley added. "Use the Floo and gather at Lavender's place in, say… twenty minutes?"

That was cutting it a little close - Hermione had to take the Knight Bus, after all. But it was far from impossible.

"Alright," she said.

London, Britain, July 21st, 1996

There were so many people around them. Harry Potter couldn't keep track of all of them. If there was an assassin or something following them, they could easily sneak up on them. They wouldn't have to disguise themselves. Or use a Disillusionment Charm - even if Harry had been able to cast spells without alerting the Ministry, the sheer number of muggles around them would hide anyone.

But the odds of anyone following them were very low. Almost impossibly low. Mum had taken them to London with Side-Along Apparition, and they had taken the tube from there. And anyone trying to track them with a spell would have to deal with the crowds as well.

Still… Harry looked around as they crossed the street. Better safe than sorry.

"Relax," Ron told him. "We're in muggle London."

"I know," Harry shot back.

Ron looked at him. "Do you honestly expect an attack here?"

"No. But…" Harry shrugged.

"You're safe here, mate." Ron chuckled. "Well, unless you ruin Granger's book shopping."

Harry glared at him. He wouldn't do that, and Hermione wasn't like that!

"I'm joking."

He huffed. It wasn't really funny.

"Come on, mate. Let's not let the girls pull away."

Right. They should stay together.

He walked a little faster until they caught up to Hermione and Lavender. "Too bad it's Sunday," he heard Hermione say.

"I wouldn't let you spend hours in the bookstore," Lavender shot back. "You know the rule: half an hour at most!"

Harry expected Hermione to be annoyed, but she laughed instead.

He glanced around - no one seemed to be paying attention to them. Well, two boys were looking at the girls. Probably because both Hermione and Lavender were wearing short miniskirts and matching tops. Harry still kept an eye on the two until the group had turned around a corner and started towards the café Hermione and Lavender apparently liked to visit.

Now it seemed that they were safe. Safe-ish. "So, half an hour?" he asked, cocking his head slightly to the side when Hermione turned to look at him.

She blushed a little. "It's a bit of a tradition."

"I insisted on it," Lavender explained. "Otherwise, Hermione will spend the whole day in the store."

"I never stayed longer than an hour, an hour and a half at most," Hermione retorted.

"Two hours!"

"That was an exception - there was a signing!" Hermione pouted.

"Excuses, excuses!"

"You've spent longer in Harrods," Hermione pointed out.

"That's not the same - I was sightseeing. Exploring muggle culture." Lavender grinned

"That's acceptable for the first visit. But the third?"

"Muggle customs and fashion change every year. Didn't you complain about muggle studies being outdated?" Lavender asked, then looked around.

"Muggle culture includes novels. And movies," Hermione replied. "And the café's that way."

"I knew that."

Harry doubted it.

"Get used to it, mate," Ron said in a low voice as they followed the girls.

"They weren't like that before," Harry told him.

"That's because you and Granger were waiting to hex each other."

Oh. Well, Harry couldn't deny that.

"Things changed," he said.

"Obviously."

They had reached the café. Harry checked for suspicious people before entering.

"I know the staff," Hermione said as they sat down on the terrace. "Unless someone used Polymorph to impersonate a waiter."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Really? What's next, poison in the water?"

Harry glanced at the bar. The bartender - or was that the barista? - didn't look nervous or shady.

"I was joking, mate."

"Besides, if anyone wanted to poison you, they could easily use a Switching Charm," Lavender pointed out. Harry stared at her, and she huffed. "Really, that was a plot in Wizard of the Storm."

"I should've taken some bezoars," Harry mumbled. There was one in his potion kit. Unless Rose had taken it in an emergency, of course, without telling him. Again.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "We should also look into using poisons ourselves."

Ron and Lavender stared at her. "You want to assassinate people?"

"No," Hermione retorted. "But if we could find a way to aerosolize, say, a Sleeping Draught…"

"Or a Draught of Living Death," Harry suggested. "Though people will likely be casting Bubble-Head Charms before a battle."

Hermione nodded. "So we need to find a way so it gets absorbed through the skin."

"And consider bystanders," Lavender remarked.

Right.

"Perhaps as a last resort," Hermione amended. "It's not a priority, anyway - we have more important things to do."

"And in a pinch, we can just ask Rose to brew Felix Felicis or something," Harry suggested with a grin. That would probably result in a weapon of mass destruction.

Ron chuckled, though Hermione shook her head. "That's not very nice."

"But funny," Lavender admitted. "But enough of talking about fighting. Or poisoning."

"Or duelling," Ron added.

"Or the Daily Prophet," Hermione said.

"Quidditch then," Harry decided.

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't protest.

"Have you seen the lineup of the Cannons for this season? They've got a shot at the top!" Ron was, as usual, utterly delusional when it came to the League.

"The Harpies will take the championship this time," Lavender objected.

"They couldn't even beat Puddlemere last season."

"That was last season, and Puddlemere got lucky with the referee and the Snitch. They won't be lucky forever."

"Was that when the Aurors were called in to investigate claims that the Seeker had been dosing himself with Felix Felicis?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. And it was all swept under the carpet," Lavender replied.

"Well, someone should test the Cannons if someone's been cursing them," Harry said.

"They get tested every season," Ron replied with a glare.

"Really?" Hermione leaned forward. "Always by the same person?"

"No. They checked that, too," Ron told her.

"I heard that the Department of Mysteries is investigating the Cannons for their consistent streak of losses. It's a mystery," Harry said.

Ron rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

Coming to this café had been a good idea, Harry had to admit.

Grimmauld Place, London, Britain, July 21st, 1996

"And here's the training room!" Mr Black announced as he opened the door with the kind of flourish Hermione Granger usually only saw in old Errol Flynn movies. She resisted the sudden and silly urge to curtsy as she stepped past the wizard, followed by Harry.

The room was obviously enchanted with Extension Charms - it was far too large to fit on the floor. A duelling ring took up most of it, with training dummies and shelves lining the walls. A few seats and a couch were taking up space as well, looking oddly out of place.

"Take a seat!" Mr Black told them, closing the door. "Kreacher!"

"Yes, Master Black?" An old elf peered around the curtain in the corner. There must be a house-elf tunnel behind it, Hermione realised. She hadn't seen them outside Hogwarts so far. If she hadn't already known that the Blacks were an Old Family, this would've told her.

"Serve the refreshments."

"As you wish, Master Black." The elf inclined his head and disappeared.

Harry frowned. "He's acting differently than usual. He hasn't insulted you."

Mr Black smiled in a rather wiry way. "I doubt it'll last."

Hermione glanced at Harry, but her boyfriend didn't seem to be inclined to pry further, even though it was clear as day that there was something more to this.

"So, let's sit down!" Mr Black went on. We've got a few things to discuss before we start with the practical lessons."

Hermione picked the couch, Harry joining her. "Is this conjured?" she asked.

"Yes." Mr Black smiled. "First lesson: Never put anything valuable in a duelling room - or salle, as we call it if we're pompous. Stray spells will wreck things."

Hermione didn't think she'd have to worry about that for a long time, seeing as her home had no duelling room, but she nodded. It was a sensible piece of advice, after all. And Harry flushed - there was a story there.

"And second lesson: Conjuring is your friend. It lets you shape the battlefield. It's currently not en vogue in the duelling scene, after the new rules limiting Blasting Curses, but in a real fight? A conjured wall will even block an unforgivable. Or hide you from a jealous boyfriend or girlfriend." Mr Black chuckled at his own joke.

Hermione smiled politely. If every lesson was accompanied by such jokes, this would be a long afternoon.

"Are we training duelling here or defence?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Both," Mr Black replied. "But most importantly, we'll teach you when to fight."

"That's not going to be another 'don't hex Malfoy, call the prefects' lesson, is it?" Harry asked with a pout.

"I would never tell you not to hex Malfoy!" Mr Black said, putting a hand over his heart in obviously fake shock. "Getting hexed grows character, and Narcissa's brat needs all the character growth he can get."

Hermione caught herself smiling at that. This description of Malfoy was on point.

"But," Mr Black went on, "you can't curse him." He looked at her, then at Harry.

"Unless he tries to curse us," Harry objected.

"Well…" Mr Black tilted his head. "Even then, refrain from lethal or dark curses."

Hermione pressed her lips together to refrain from starting a discussion about the lethality of spells that rendered you helpless. "As long as it's enough to stop him," she said. She wouldn't budge on that. Anyone who attacked her or Harry would be stopped, no matter what.

Mr Black looked as if he were about to object, but the elf returned at that moment, carrying a tray full of sandwiches and various beverages. "I didn't know if you had eaten already," Mr Black explained. "So I had Kreacher prepare this."

"We went to a Chinese restaurant," Harry told him.

"Was the food good?"

"Yes. They deliver if you want to try it for yourself," Harry replied.

Hermione noticed the elf sneered at that. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, we can handle Malfoy. Or any other student. We need more training to handle actual threats."

"Even Malfoy could be a threat if he learned dark curses," Harry pointed out. "Shield Charms won't help against the Unforgivables."

"That's why we're learning how to conjure walls!" Mr Black repeated himself. "The more obstacles you can put into your opponent's way, the easier it is to escape." He narrowed his eyes, Hermione noticed. "And if someone actually attacks you, escaping should be your priority. This isn't a duel, where you are prepared for a fight - if someone attacks you, they are ready for a fight, and you are generally not ready. Trying to counterattack works in duels and novels, but in actual fights, you're at a disadvantage as you are reacting and the enemy has the initiative. Escaping means you'll be able to attack later on your terms."

Hermione slowly nodded, starting to take notes. This was good advice! And Mr Black hadn't added some stupid jokes, either - he was obviously taking this seriously.

And the sandwiches were excellent.

"...and that's how you conjure a wall that won't fall on you and crush you," Sirius explained. "The trick is to add support. Or just conjure a wall with a corner."

Harry Potter rubbed his shoulder as he nodded. It didn't hurt any more, but having a wall fall on you had been a rather memorable first lesson about conjuring obstacles. Hermione's reaction had been memorable as well - she had been spitting mad at Sirius for letting Harry be hurt.

Harry smiled at the memory. She cared so much for him. As he cared for her.

Of course, Sirius might have to adjust his usual teaching style. Actually, he'd better adjust - Harry wasn't going to let him hurt Hermione, either.

"A quarter sphere would be useful, I think," Hermione pointed out. "Or a wall supported by existing walls."

"It can work," Sirius told her. "But best not to rely on that. If you're used to conjuring walls that won't fall over by themselves, you'll be safer."

"I see." Hermione nodded. "There's still the problem of blocking your own line of sight."

"Unless you find a wall that is transparent for you but not for your enemy and as hard as stone or metal, you'll have to live with it," Sirius replied.

"Maybe a composite wall, alternating layers of metal and stone, with slits for visibility? No, you'd need to be too close for that to provide any line of sight." Hermione pursed her lips. "Armoured glass?"

"That would allow the enemy to see you as well," Harry reminded her.

She sighed. "And adding a polarised layer on the side facing us might make the spell too complex to cast easily in the middle of a battle."

"Speed is essential," Sirius cut in. "All other things being equal, the faster caster wins the match."

They knew that already - that was obvious, after all.

"But all things are rarely equal. For example, casting faster might hamper your precision or aim," Hermione objected.

"Exactly. No matter how hard you train, you still have to make compromises. And judging when to cast as quickly as possible and when to take careful aim is what makes a successful duellist!"

Harry had heard that before. Several times. "Yes," he said anyway. "And we'll be training that as well."

"But we need the basics first. There's no point to focus on casting quickly if we cannot train with the spells we will cast in a fight," Hermione said. "I've made a list of the spells we need to learn, but I might have missed a few." She handed a sheet of parchment to Sirius.

Harry's godfather looked it over and blinked. "Merlin's beard! That's enough for a year!"

"We don't need all of them - the ones who take priority are at the top," Hermione defended her list.

"That's still a dozen spells."

"Fourteen, actually," she corrected him. "We should be able to finish that before we return to Hogwarts."

Harry nodded.

Sirius stared at them. "You also need to be able to relax and enjoy your holiday!" he told them. "It's not healthy to… to work like this."

"It also isn't healthy to be captured or worse because you couldn't defend yourself," Harry said.

"And it's not as if this schedule is particularly demanding," Hermione added. "I left enough time for, ah, rest and recreation."

She blushed slightly, Harry noticed. "And we spent the morning with Ron and Lavender," he pointed out.

"Also, learning new spells is fun."

Sirius narrowed his eyes slightly and looked from Harry to Hermione and back.

"It's like preparing a prank," Harry explained. "You told me that you spent hours on some pranks, learning spells and brewing potions. Only, we won't actually do what we're planning, unlike you." Unless, of course, someone attacked them. Or planned to attack them. Someone dangerous.

Sirius snorted, slightly shaking his head. "I also taught you how to act as if you're innocent."

"I'm not acting innocent!" Harry protested. And he never managed to fool Mum, anyway.

"If you taught Harry to lie, shouldn't you be able to tell if he's lying?" Hermione asked.

Sirius laughed at that. "Well, as long as you're having fun and won't hurt anyone, it'll be fine."

Harry wasn't sure if Mum and Dad would agree, but it was a sensible view, in his opinion. "Good."

"Now, I think we should learn the Disillusionment Charm first," Hermione spoke up. "It's a defensive spell, and while there are ways to defeat it, mainly the Human-presence-revealing Spell, it will allow us to escape more easily, especially if we use a broom."

Sirius laughed again. "That's a good argument. But we all know that the Disillusionment Charm can also be used to attack someone by surprise."

"Only if they aren't prepared," Hermione objected.

"And forget to take the range of the Human-presence-revealing Spell into account," Harry added.

Sirius frowned again. "Are you planning to keep casting that spell? At Hogwarts?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "We did it before. Of course, I wasn't aware that Harry didn't know the Disillusionment Charm."

"Why would he, when he can use the cloak?" Sirius shrugged and ignored Harry's wince.

"Precisely. But we didn't have an invisibility cloak with us when we were on the island." Hermione scoffed. "There's a lesson there."

A lesson Harry had already learned. He cleared his throat. "So, can we start learning the spell?"

"Alright," Sirius said.

Being disillusioned was a weird experience, Hermione Granger found. She couldn't see her own body, which was more disorienting than she had expected. She hadn't thought she relied so much on visual cues when it came to moving her limbs. Then again, she was in an unfamiliar environment. And she didn't have much experience with this. Unlike, say, Harry, who apparently had been using invisibility cloaks since he was little, once causing a frantic search of the entire village when he had stolen his father's cloak and fallen asleep under it. Mr Black might not be the best teacher, but he had a flair for telling stories.

And, seeing as they had managed to learn the spell during the afternoon - albeit not to a level Hermione would call sufficient to use in a fight; she still tended to be slightly opaque on occasion, and Harry tended to flicker a little when he cast the spell too hastily - Harry's godfather clearly was able enough as an instructor.

She cancelled the spell - something that had taken some attempts as well until she managed to do it smoothly and without having to focus on it - and walked over to the small box with the remaining drinks. There was a bottle of mineral water - French - left. Overpriced, but it wasn't her money.

Harry's marker floated over, and she saw a coke bottle suddenly float out of the box. As she watched, Harry opened the bottle and took a large swallow while still being disillusioned. The pop drink didn't vanish upon entering his mouth, she noted - for a moment, she could see it outlined by brown liquid - but upon getting swallowed.

She made a mental note to investigate the possibility of using coloured gas or liquid to detect and mark disillusioned people. It didn't seem to be practical, but there might be potential.

"So… I think we should call it a day," Mr Black said as Harry faded into view and finished the bottle. "James, Lily and the others should be arriving for dinner soon."

Hermione nodded, forcing herself to keep smiling. 'The others' included her parents, and she wasn't happy to hear them referred to like that. Then again, Mr Black didn't know them as well as he did know Harry's parents. Still…

"And Rose," Harry muttered. "Bet she wants to get into the library again."

"She won't," Mr Black said.

"Oh?" Hermione cocked her head.

"Rose thinks our potions recipes will help her," Mr Black explained. "But… apart from the standard books, and some old editions of advanced Potions, it's mostly books on exotic poisons. Great-Aunt Hyades was a poison aficionado, so to speak, and collected them on her travels." He snorted. "People kept accusing her of poisoning her enemies, but she was cleared every single time."

Hermione frowned. The wording sounded like… "Was she actually poisoning people?"

"Of course she was! She was responsible for ending our feud with the main branch of the Parkinsons - by removing them entirely. But since she was using unique and exotic poisons, nothing could be proven. On the other hand, when she accidentally poisoned herself, nothing could be proven, either." Mr Black shrugged. "Apparently, Great-Uncle Taurus didn't appreciate her attempt to take control of the family vault. Or the sudden death of his favourite mistress."

Hermione made a mental note to look into the Blacks a little more. What Mr Black had told them so far made it sound as if the rumours about the family had been understating things. Unless Mr Black was exaggerating a lot, though she didn't think that this was the case. Harry seemed to take him at face value with regards to family history. "Charming witch," she commented.

"She was actually one of the nicer Blacks back in her day. She didn't dabble in slavery, didn't cast dark curses - no more so than the average Slytherin of her generation, at least - and she minded, ah… collateral damage, as the muggles call it. Now, old Orion Black - back in the seventeenth century, mind you, not my father - dealt with a rival family by sealing their home with a variety of curses and then used Fiendfyre to set the entire building aflame. The spells kept the poor sods from escaping, but didn't contain the Fiendfyre."

Hermione winced at that. "I hope it wasn't in a city."

"Oh, no. That was Thaddeus Black." Mr Black must have noticed her reaction. "There's a reason the Black family was feared - still is, in some circles."

Ah. She pursed her lips. "And did that serve as a deterrent to attacks?" she asked.

Mr Black frowned at her. "Actually, no. The only ones who were deterred were no threat to begin with. But those who were up to challenging us actually escalated from the start, thinking they had nothing to lose. You didn't think the Blacks supported the ban on legal feuding in Wizarding Britain out of the goodness of their black hearts, did you? No, they realised that things had become too costly."

That was a good point. They would have to consider this effect as well - trying to scare off potential enemies might cause more trouble than it was worth. It certainly hadn't worked when Harry and herself had been feuding.

Although she might want to rethink calling their rivalry a feud, after what she had heard today about the feuds of the Blacks. On the other hand… She smiled. "You said the Black Family was still feared in certain circles. Is it known that you are training us?"

Mr Black narrowed his eyes at her, but Harry was smiling as well.