Gentle winds plucked the autumn leaves from many trees sending a light cascade of the crisp, dry leaves down on the clearing. It was a picturesque fall day in the Forbidden Forest, yet Ranma couldn't help but think that one of his former rivals was about to appear behind a tree or even knocking one over in an attempt to break up the wedding ceremony. He knew that even with the numerous precautions that he and the elder had put in place. The recently befriended herd of centaurs would not stop any of his old rivals if they truly wanted to interfere. His experience told him that there were no fool or idiot proof plans.
"Friend Ranma," Ronan said as he stood at the supposed alter "you seem nervous."
"Yeah," he reluctantly admitted. "The last time I nearly got married the house was destroyed."
"Be at ease," the centaur elder stated. "If anything enters the forest we will know. Our marriage ceremony is quick so long as all parties are willing."
The all parties part was important. Centaurs were not monogamous. Their family units were essentially mini-packs within the herd with an alpha that led the pack. Once a foal matured they were able to leave their previous pack to form a new one with other foals or even join an established pack so long as the others in that pack were willing to accept them. Packs that lost an alpha could disperse or chose a new alpha though the alpha need not be a previous member of that pack. The pack forming ceremonies were held twice a year in the weeks around each equinox. Potential alphas would try to woo potential pack members in a variety of ways – feats of strength, a display of trophies, or some other way to draw attention to his or her accomplishments. All an alpha need do was present his or her pack to the counsel of centaur elders by sunset of the day after the first new moon after the equinox and their family would be registered.
As a master, Ranma's apprentices, who were all considered foals, would be viewed as part of his pack and thus under his protection. It was a way to strengthen his bond with his apprentices and establish himself as a legitimate master. They just had to endure the ceremony.
"Do we have to wear this?" Theodore asked as he stood in his loin cloth. It was the same loin cloth that he wore during their daily rinses but the fact that they were standing around the herd of centaurs seemed to weigh on his mind.
"It's getting chilly," Harry added.
"Elders," a young alpha centaur and his packmates approached Ronan and the other members of the council, "I present you with my pack."
They were ten centaurs, three males and seven females in all. The elders began chanting as the potential pack bowed their heads. When it was over Ronan stood tall before the young alpha. "Do you all swear to faithfully follow Banffagl?"
"We do," the others said in unison.
"Do you, Banffagl, accept your role as Alpha of your pack?"
The powerful young centaur bowed his head, "I do."
Ronan looked over the young centaurs, "It is done."
It was no surprise that the wizarding world looked down upon centaur weddings. Polygamy was frowned upon, some even thought it uncivilized and barbaric. The policies and politics of marriages still confused Ranma. He understood that his parents had a loveless marriage, and while his engagement to Akane had been rocky, he had thought that they were moving towards caring for each other. But did they love each other?
Perhaps that was why Akane had left to study martial arts abroad.
He still felt a slight discomfort when he thought about Akane. It might have been better if he'd brought her to England with him, but he hadn't considered it at the time. She had been intent on finishing school and their academic year wouldn't end until the spring. Yet she had seen fit to leave once her father had returned with a new bride.
As the sun began to vanish behind the thick canopy overhead he spotted Kasumi and Xiao-Hua approaching, behind them Su, Ginny, and Helen. All were wearing the nearly sheer silk kimonos that clung to their figures. Behind him he could sense the boys' reactions. He'd have to talk to them soon.
From what he'd gathered from Su, Neville, Harry, and Ginny, there had been at least a score of students who had undergone the temporary transformation into the opposite sex. Some had not taken the experience well, though at least none of them had complained about it to their heads of house or the headmaster. Next time he'd just have to turn them all into piglets.
With his pack assembled he turned to the council of centaur elders. "Elders, I present you with my pack."
The elders nodded before beginning their chants.
The ignorant masses thought that the centaurs did not use magic. In truth they were capable of great magic, though most of it was elemental in nature. Their magic required numbers to perform as well as the movement of the stars, moon, and sun. That was why the creation of a pack needed to be performed before the full moon after the equinox.
"Do you all swear to faithfully follow Ranma?"
"I do."
"I cannot!"
All eyes turned to Theodore Nott. From the look on his face he was surprised by his admission.
"Speak," Ronan commanded.
"I-I" he tried to resist the compulsion, "I was ordered by my father to spy on Sensei. The Dark Lord wanted a spy amongst Sensei's number."
The centaurs that were not part of the council of elders stiffened.
"Friend Ranma," Ronan leaned towards him.
Theodore's admission had been like having his first kiss stolen. The boy had been honest with him though, he could not fault him for that. "Choose your allegiance."
Theodore was on the verge of tears, "He's my father."
"You've already failed," Harry interrupted. "I was there when the Dark Lord returned. He was angry at the Death Eaters who hadn't gone to Azkaban. What do you think he'll do to your father if you leave now? Voldemort" the centaurs and the other apprentices trembled "is likely to torture your father, maybe even kill him now that you're not of use to him."
The Slytherin trembled. "You think I can lie to the Dark Lord?"
"Lying's the easy part," Ranma said. His blue eyes locked on Theodore's grey ones. "It's dealing with the consequences. Either way, it sounds like you're goose is cooked. Do you want it quick or do you want a chance to save your skin? If you accept me as your Alpha I will protect you. I've fought and slain the Phoenix King, I've fought and defeated the Dragon Prince, and bested an elder of the Amazons – what's another enemy to me?"
Reaching out he put his hand on the taller boy. Theodore's trembling subsided, his eyes shone with resolve. "I'm with you Sensei."
"Do you swear to faithfully follow Ranma?" Ronan asked again.
"I do."
The redhaired centaur almost smiled as he turned to Ranma. "Do you, Ranma Saotome, accept your role as Alpha of your pack?"
"I-I cannot." He was startled by the words that came out of his mouth but before anyone could say anything though he recovered. "I cannot accept Kasumi Tendo into my pack." Again he had no idea why he was saying what he was saying. Was it the compulsion of the centaurs' binding spell or was it how he honestly felt? He turned to the only Tendo that was willing to marry him.
"Kasumi, I do care about you, that's why I don't want us to get married this way." The young woman before him nodded, relief in her eyes as she fought back tears. "I want you to love me, not marry me because your old man wants you to. I made that mistake with Akane, I won't make it with you.
"Even if you aren't part of my pack I swear to you that I will protect you."
She smiled as she stepped back of her own volition, leaving only Xiao-Hua and his apprentices behind him. Family honor had compelled her to submit to the marriage, but his heart and conscience had at least delayed the need for an immediate marriage.
"Do you, Ranma Saotome, accept your role as Alpha of your pack?" Ronan repeated.
"I do." A magical warmth flowed through him and he could see that the rest of his pack felt a similar feeling. The centaur's magic was binding them to him and him t them. There was no going back now.
Training resumed in earnest despite the festivities of the previous night. With some of his obligations fulfilled and his heart and mind free of doubt, Ranma was pleased to find an enhanced feeling of pride and happiness as he watched his apprentices. With a need to incorporate Xiao-Hua into the training, the group no longer used the courtyard, favoring instead the shore of the lake. Hundreds of poles, piers, and rocky pillars pierced the surface of the water as Master, senior apprentice, and junior apprentices flew through the air chasing after the rocks that he threw for them to strike while avoiding Mu, Ren, and Z's attacks.
The three magical dummies required a bit of effort to control, but the simple functions of leap, land, kick or punch were well within Ranma's ability. The early wedding present from Happosai, the grandmaster and founder had procured them from some unfortunate dojos during his youth. Hundreds of years old, the three were similar to the empty suits of armor that patrolled Hogwarts. Made of magical wood and cared for over a century, they had absorbed enough magical essence to gain a semi-sentience, though their intelligence was more akin to that of elementals in that they could perform simple functions or tasks. Their ability to fight was limited to simple but powerful strikes, grappling, and blocking.
The osmium fingers on each were articulate enough to grab and strike, and could breech most magical defenses while also dealing considerable punishment. Made of a magical snakewood, their bodies and limbs were durable and flexible but not immune to magic. Instead Ranma had covered their bodies with the spare basilisk hide from the mother basilisk, making them highly resistant to even the most punishing of curses.
Little Helen Monroe had been the first apprentice to be sent into the lake, but she had also been the first to realize that the poles/logs/pillars could be used for more than just landing on as she has actually managed to leap from a log to avoid Mu's kick and grabbed hold of a pole to swing around at one of the rocks that he had thrown. Her size combined with her uncanny dexterity allowed her to navigate the forest of shafts and pillars that Theodore and Neville were not able to do.
Harry had been the first to realize that he was not limited to blocking, dodging and parrying attacks but could also counter-attack the dummies. It had taken him several dunks into the lake to figure that out, but it had paid off for him as he currently had the most stones. Su had been the first to use her peers as stepping stones, landing on Neville's head mid-air and vaulting from him with the most casual of grace. Ginny had been the first to use the stones in her hand to change the trajectory of other stones though it was proving to be a costly gambit as she had gone from second to first to third in massing the stones. Theodore had been the first to start contesting his peers for the stones that they carried and snatched, and Neville had been the one to hit the water the least as he was able to redirect the momentum of the dummies' attacks to keep himself in the air and ultimately send them crashing into the water in his place.
They had all improved so much since he'd taken them on as apprentices. The bonding ritual had truly united them as a pack under him though it had not gone the way he had expected. Still, it was a relief knowing that they were all loyal to him unlike how his former rivals would support him only to turn on him at the most opportune time.
He'd given himself a night to celebrate and Xiao-Hua had made the most of it. He was surprised at how energetic she was during the morning training considering how spent they had been that night. Then again, a few hours of sleep seemed to have done wonders for them both.
Now the lingering question – how to deal with Theodore Nott's situation. Try as he might Ranma could not find a simple solution. He did not want it to appear as though he were purposefully feeding information to Theodore to give to the elder Nott and subsequently to the Dark Lord. (Seriously, who went around proclaiming themselves the "Dark Lord"? That was, like, totally cliché.) For now Theodore would just have to (truthfully) report that they were just working on physical training. That approach would work for now, but not for long. Ranma knew that it wasn't enough to simply misdirect Voldemort and his Death Eaters; he had to protect Theodore and possibly his father.
The how was the thing that he couldn't get past. He doubted that Voldemort would be as dumb as his own rivals, but the man was supposedly vary arrogant, perhaps even more so than Ranma. It was that arrogance (and a bit of ignorance) that had led to his defeat all those years ago when he had tried to kill Harry.
This was not a problem that he could riddle through as he trained his apprentices/pack. While he was often able to think through problems in the midst of a fight, these tactics and strategies were not fight related. Having run out of rocks, he waited for Su to catch the last stone before calling an end to the morning training, "Good work everyone. Thanks Xiao-Hua, you can go now."
Though she was technically considered his wife, she was not allowed onto the school grounds and would have to return to the apartment she shared with Kasumi in Hogsmead. Both had taken up job offers in the magical village – Xiao-Hua as a waitress and Kasumi as the head cook at the Hog's Head. The formerly rundown establishment's business quickly went up as the quality of food served and the service had drown in many of the young men that usually frequented the other pubs and taverns.
"Race you back to the castle," he declared before diving into the water. He knew that they had expected to return to the northern courtyard and a trek through the forest, not the lengthy swim that he had in store for them. Attached to his quarters was a small outlet perched upon a cliff that overlooked the lake. The cliff itself overlooked the lake and was hidden behind illusions so that someone flying over the lake would not see the cliff. Only someone who knew that the cliff was there could find it, and even then it was a daunting task to reach it.
He did not mind the cold water as he swam towards the cliff. It was a good three kilometer swim and a good two hundred meter climb up the nearly sheer cliff. He'd prepared several lines for his apprentices to climb should they need it, but he was confident that they would be able to scale the cliff without any such aids.
The swim would be taxing under normal circumstances, but his apprentices were not normal even by magical standards. Even with their weights they managed to reach the cliff without any incident. The climb posed a challenge as they sought to find a suitable path in the dim light of the dawn. Physically his apprentices were easily capable of seeing the challenge through as their bodies were now able to subconsciously handle their chi and enhance their bodies to suit the tasks at hand. They would not be sprouting gills or flippers or claws, but they were changing the buoyancy of their body as well as the amount of air that their muscles needed while they swam or climbed. They would need another decade of increased training to match him physically, but they were on the right track.
"Almost done," he said as Su pulled herself onto the cliff. It did not take the others much longer to reach them. He was beaming at their progress. Ranma had promised himself that he would not follow in his father's footsteps as a mentor and teacher. While effective, the man's approach was dangerous. Somehow Ranma had survived training under his father, but just barely.
"I never knew that this corridor existed," Harry said as Ranma led them past his quarters and into the newest corridor and stairs.
The simple cavern now housed two long benches and several screens to accommodate his apprentices as they changed, "Boys to the left, girls to the right." Once they had vanished behind their respective screens he slipped out of his wet clothes as well, shifting into the silky white kimono that he wore at the end of their daily practices. "Don't forget to put on the headbands as well. Stand beneath the waterfall as long as you can."
Leading by example, he stepped into the pool and moved to assume a central position beneath the cascading water. His apprentices quickly followed suit. The cold water of the lake was nothing compared to the ground cooled waterfall.
Once they last of them (Harry) had exited the waterfall the young master did so as well. "How do you feel?" he asked as he reached for a towel.
"Refreshed," Harry said as did the same.
"Tranquil," Ginny added from behind the screen.
"This is the Misogi," he explained. "This is part of the Shinto teachings which remind us that nature is creative and life-giving. The Misogi ritual helps you reach harmony and bond with nature by purifying your mind, body and soul."
"And the headbands?" Su asked.
"The circle is meant as a sort of focal point," he elaborated. "I don't need to use one as I've gotten used to performing the Misogi without it. It'll be up to you to decide if you need it or not."
Dismissing his apprentices, Ranma returned to his chambers and changed before venturing back into Hogsmead. Having spent the night consummating his quasi-marriage to Xiao-Hua he had no time to speak with Kasumi after refusing to accept her into his newly formed pack.
"Ranma!" his beta tackled him affectionately as he approached the Hog's Head.
"Hey Xiao-Hua." He failed to match her enthusiasm and affection, but it was enough to please the cursed Amazon. Feeling her ample breasts pressing against him, he knew what she had in mind. Even though they had spent much of the previous evening and night exploring each other's bodies and mastering several positions, she was still eager for more.
"I know why you are here," she stated as she kept her arms around him. "As your beta I cannot allow you to see her."
"But"
"She is not part of the pack," Xiao-Hua stated. Her English was better than her Japanese, but there were still bits where her translation charm let a few words slip. "As alpha you are not allowed to court others until the next equinox – is centaur law. You make take any of the females in the pack as a lover, but you cannot discourse with outside females unless they are elders, pack alphas, or part of your patrol."
He'd forgotten that there were restrictions on him as an alpha. Clearly it was not a title that came easily as there were a multitude of responsibilities and duties.
"I can talk with Kasumi," Xiao-Hua stated.
Though he knew that Xiao-Hua respected the eldest Tendo daughter, Ranma still could not fully trust the Amazon to play that role. "No, you don't have to worry about that. I'll figure something out."
Xiao-Hua nodded. "Nice Tendo daughter is happier now than she was before. She no want to be married."
Ranma shook his head, "I think she didn't want to be forced to marry as she was. I think she wants to fall in love with the man that she's going to marry."
"I already in love with Ranma!" She emphasized the point by pressing her breasts into his chest.
But was what they had really love? He couldn't help but wonder even as he smiled back at her. He cared for her, and he knew that he could come to love her, but was that enough? His parents had a loveless marriage, but could he judge all arranged marriages by their standard? No, he couldn't, just as he couldn't judge all parents by the example that they had set.
"I need to stop at Gladrags," he stated.
"I go with," insisted Xiao-Hua as she turned from hugging him to clinging to his arm.
As they went several witches and wizards greeted her. She was of course glad to introduce him to them as her husband even though centaurs did not recognize spouses. Still, as the Alpha and Beta of their pack, the titles seemed to fit, though Patriarch and Matriarch seemed more appropriate.
It was odd eating with Xiao-Hua. Hell, it was odd being on an actual date with her, well, a date that wasn't the result of some trick or scheme.
"Xiao, what do you think about being here?" He was surprising himself and her at the same time. In the short time that he'd known her he'd never actually gotten to know her. But now that they were effectively married, he knew that he needed to make a greater effort to get to know her, especially if he was to come to love her as he wanted to love his wife.
"It okay," she replied after a moment of thought. "Most families are patriarchal and it shows in their laws. Family name carried only by sons; many ancient lines die out because of stupid rules.
"Government similar to Amazon in that Minister is appointed by ruling party and is usually the leader of that party. Honored Grandmother is leader because she is leader of ruling faction."
That made incredible sense really, though he'd never thought about it before. That was perhaps why Qiang-Long was doing so well navigating the political waters as she sought out those who might descent against the Minister of Magic. It was easier to seek allies within his political party and turn them against Fudge than it was to make the other political factions more appealing rather than waiting for the next election to make other political parties appear more viable.
"How do you like your job at the Hog's Head?" he asked, shifting topics as the conversation lulled. Xiao had a tendency to be short and to the point, presenting the minimal facts and glossing over everything else that she deemed unimportant.
"It okay," she shrugged. "Not as busy as café back in Nerima, but tips better. Men here weaker and like to leer more. Anyone in the pack could take them out easily."
Ranma nodded. All of his apprentices had grown stronger but physically speaking, they were reaching their first plateau. Under his intense training regiment they had gone from carrying just a bit more than their body weight to several hundred kilos easily, maxing out in the higher hundreds. Helen would benefit the most because of her youth while the three boys could only grow so much more once they hit their final growth spurts. Even another decade of training would not put them at the level that Ranma was at, but it was far above what a typical witch or wizard was able to do under normal circumstances. "I'm going to need your help training them."
"Watch out for the bludger!" Katie shouted needlessly.
In the weeks since she'd begun training under Sensei, Ginny had become aware of much more activity around her. Sure, she chose to overlook things like the way Harry pined for Cho whenever she was present, or how George and Fred tried to sneak their magical treats into someone's food, but she'd noticed that things seemed to move slower too. No, it was not that, it was that she was quicker to react.
Even now as she dove under Demelza Robins, the reserve chaser that was most likely to earn a spot next year, Ginny easily avoided the bludger that Andrew Kirk had sent her way. She flew with a fearless grace across the pitch, faking out Cormack McLaggen the reserve Keeper that sought to usurp Ron's hard earned spot on the team. Though the starters were playing against the reserves, the reserves had been provided extra players to make up for the gap in skill. It was something that Angelina had put into place as the new Gryffindor Captain. As it was Ginny had already scored five times and Harry had caught the snitch three times since the additional players had been added. If not for the arrogant McLaggen actually having some skill as a keeper, Ginny would have scored seven times.
"Nice shot!" Ron's cry could be heard from the other side of the pitch. He'd had an easy time really as Ginny, Angelina and Katie had managed to keep the four reserves from advancing past mid-pitch.
"You're sure that's only a Comet?" Katie asked as she moved to take a defensive position.
Ginny nodded, "Yeah – I just got Ron's old broom, which was Charlie's old broom."
"You're flying as though you were on a new Nimbus," Angelina stated. "Not as fast as Harry's firebolt, but nimbler and quick on the turns."
"It must be in the Weasley blood," Katie added.
"Must be," Ginny smiled.
"If we play like this on Saturday we're going to trounce Slytherin," Katie said confidently.
"They've still got a fleet of Nimbus 2001's," Angelina stated gloomily. "We might be better fliers but they've got speed on everyone but Harry."
Ginny had not been on the team under Oliver Wood but his reputation for taking the game so seriously was famous. It was also why he was now playing professionally. He never took any opponent lightly. Angelina was doing her best impersonation of the former captain as she turned her focus back to Robins as the third year advanced the ball behind the wedge that the other reserve chasers had formed.
Harry, followed by Romilda Vane, broke up the formation as he dove after the rapidly descending snitch yet again. He waited for the golden ball to adjust its path before he did the same, catching it with ease.
By the time practice had finally ended an hour or so later they had played ten matches against the reserves. Ron had let the reserves score twice but saved ten while McLaggen had allowed twenty and saved thirty.
"You're going to cream Slytherin," Roger Davis the Ravenclaw Captain said as he lead his team onto the pitch.
"Watching us, were you?" Angelina was clearly taking her role as Gryffindor Captain a bit too seriously as she strode over to her Ravenclaw contemporary.
"Just saw Harry chasing down the snitch as we were coming out of the lockers," the stout Davis said as he put his hands up before him.
"That was really amazing flying, Harry," Cho stated as she moved to speak with Harry.
"Thanks." Harry was clearly flustered by the other seeker. "I'm sure you're just as good."
Ginny knew that the two had some history. As she was dating Michael herself, she knew that she should not make any sort of reaction to the two seekers interacting.
"Don't be so modest Harry," George said as he swung his arm around Harry's shoulders. "You left Cho in the dust two years ago in the first match after you got your Firebolt."
"Yeah," chimed Fred. "If you hadn't been so nice you'd have ended that game earlier, though if you had done that we probably wouldn't have seen you hit Malfoy and his goons with your Patronous."
"Speaking of Malfoy," Roger said with a slight scowl "your match has been pushed back two weeks to allow his jaw to heal. I heard that Professor Snape wanted to have us play you instead but the Headmaster opted to switch the booking of our matches instead."
"Tell Longbottom thanks," sneered one of their chasers. "Now we've got two less weeks to prepare for the Hufflepuff."
"Well, we have to get on with our practice," Roger said as he led his team away from the Angelina's before the tensions between the two teams got out of hand.
Not even bothering to shower, Ginny merely changed into her training gear before setting off for the lake shore. Harry quickly joined her after he exited the boys' locker room and the pair rushed to make it for evening training. There were only a few select times when they were allowed to take their weights off outside of training - in the bath and during Quidditch practice. Whenever she took off her weights she felt so much stronger and lighter than she had ever thought possible. She knew that the others felt that way too.
As she and Harry turned the bend they saw the training grounds on the lake shore. As the others had not had Quidditch practice they had already arrived and were doing their now usual bit of pre-training stretching since Sensei did not believe in dedicating time during their limited training periods to stretching. As such Neville, Su, Helen, and Theodore were already leaping amongst the poles, pillars, and piers that stood out from the lake.
"Is Sensei standing on the lake?" Harry asked.
Taking a second look at her sensei, Ginny realized that Harry was right – he was standing on the lake. The surface was frozen over but in a near glass-like clarity making it almost indistinguishable from the water. As she came closer to the training grounds she could feel the chill.
"Now that everyone's here," Sensei's voice had gravity to it that she had not heard since the first days of training under him "I want you to take off your weight vests and belts."
The six of them rushed to the shore and promptly removed the weights discretely as the girls turned one way and the boys turned the other. Carrying around nearly three kilos of non-magical weights had been tiring, but also misleading as it had made her look like she'd put on considerable weight to go along with all the food that she'd consumed. Only the girls in her dorm (if they had cared to even acknowledge her) and on the ones on the Quidditch team and Michael knew that she was in fact wearing the bulky weights beneath her robes.
"Xiao-Hua, give them the ankle and wrist weights."
She judged the weights to be about twenty kilos each, a significant departure from what she'd been wearing before. For once the boys and girls were given the same amount of weight.
"After wearing the vests you won't feel these as much, but trust me, you'll notice them soon enough," the grin he gave them hinted at the cruel training they were about to endure. "I'm sure that you all know that you're physically far stronger than the average witch or wizard, quicker too, but now you're in for some real speed training. Assume your positions."
With casual ease the six apprentices leapt atop a pole. Free of their vests they were able to spring further and faster than they had before, though some of them had not judged the difference well enough as Neville overshot his desired pole and had to grab another before settling atop it.
"Take these out," Saotome directed them. "And try not to let them bite you."
They watched as their sensei tossed half a dozen icy cages full of dark little creatures at them. The frozen constructs shattered, freeing but angering the swarms of tiny little pixy-like bugs. Freed but furious, the doxies quickly targeted the closest apprentice.
'Doxy's prefer the dark and the cold.' Hermione's voice advised as Ginny recalled the bright summer day that she and the others had spent dealing with the doxy infestation of the Black ancestral home. 'Their bites are venomous – any witch or wizard that receives a bite should take the antidote immediately.'
Instinctively her hand shout out, severing the head off of the first of the doxies headed towards her.
"Why did you attack the head?"
"They're humanoid in appearance," she rationalized. She brought her hand around to take another doxy out only to have a rock hit her wrist. "Wouldn't taking out the head kill them?"
"Why not take out the wings?" Ginny blinked, dumbfounded. She tried to move away from the swarm. "A decent body shot from one of you would have knocked one out as well but you opted to kill them."
"They're only doxies," Theodore protested. He too was dealing with a barrage of rocks that prevented him from swatting away the doxies.
"And we're only human," Sensei shot back. "Do you know how many creatures see us as just food? Killing is always a last resort, even the killing of doxies. You kill only if your life is truly threatened, or for food – and never for fun or revenge."
There was an edge to his voice that hinted at anger, though they had never seen him angry. Xiao appeared conflicted but said nothing.
"No killing," Sensei stated firmly. A sudden chill swept through the shoreline, emphasizing his point. "You kill any more of them and I will leave you as helpless as a baby."
By the time all of the remaining doxies had been neutralized or flown off Ginny and the others were exhausted. While she had not been bitten, there had been many attempts by the little flying devils. The stunning body blows and an occasional bop to the head were enough to convince the doxies to set aside their frustrations and anger. After a few minutes most of the doxies had flown into the forest rather than continue attacking the apprentices. A few fluttered down to their stunned brethren and aided them in their flight to the forest.
"Your next exercise is to keep these in the air." They watched as their sensei produced several balls and threw them high into the air. "Use only your legs. Once you kick one you have to take to the air. Each time one hits the ground, ice, or water you all have to do a lap around Hogwarts – on your hands. If you break one, well, you'll see."
His warning was enough to make them hold back. She could feel the fluid inside the ball as she kicked it to Su.
"Sensei," it was Neville as he launched a ball high into the air, "did you not tell us that when you enter a duel you should be prepared to pay the ultimate price as well as knowing that you may have to take a life?"
"I did," the raven haired young man replied. "But just because you must be prepared to take a life does not mean that it is necessary to take one. If you were to enter a duel with a first year, would you not show them mercy and incapacitate them instead of killing them or breaking their jaw needlessly?"
Neville nearly missed his landing.
"With what you are now capable of, it would be easy for you to kill someone in self-defense, but just because you could do that does not mean that you should. The martial arts are about mastering yourself and your environment. Taking a life is a choice that you make and should not be a choice made lightly, even the life of a doxy. There will be times when it is necessary but most of the time it is avoidable."
"Sensei, did you not slay the basilisks and several hundred acromantulas?" Theodore presented a valid point.
"I did," their sensei answered. "Basilisks are unnatural creatures twisted to evil to serve dark purpose. Even the young cried for blood and death. Had I allowed them to live they would have attempted to kill everything that they came across just because they could.
"The acromantulas had nearly overrun the forest. The parts that they controlled were devoid of life. Even the trees were suffering because of them. Without any natural predators they had nearly overrun the forest. Only the centaurs were keeping their numbers at bay, and even then they were fighting a losing battle. By reducing their number as I did I kept them from destroying the forest, gave the centaurs better odds against them, and minimized the threat that the spiders presented to Hogwarts."
Harry was the first to discover their sensei's surprise as he kicked a ball with a little too much force. The dark green, viscous fluid was stink sap and while it did little to hinder Harry's movements it did make his clothes cling tightly to him as well as make him fairly repugnant. The others were careful to use the appropriate force after that.
"Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should," Sensei lectured. "Like Spider-man's uncle said, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' All of you should think about how you use what you learn – not just what I teach you, but what you learn here at Hogwarts as well."
By the end of training the apprentices were spent. Fortunately they only had to run back to the castle over a freshly created icy bar. Physically she was beat, but mentally her mind was racing. The rinses had been useful in helping her reign in her tangent thoughts, and the Misogi was proving to be even more effective despite the fact that she got to see Harry and Neville (and Theodore) standing around in nothing but a loin-cloth as water dripped from their now chiseled torsos.
She suddenly found herself in the lake submersed in the now chilly water. The how had been simple as her sensei shook his head. "Always be on your guard. Do not let your mind wander."
Swimming back to the icy path proved to be far easier as she no longer wore the weighted vest. The ankle and wrist weights were but a fraction of what she'd bore with the vest though the combined weight of the four were more than her own weight.
The icy platform itself was over a meter thick and sent chills through her body as Harry helped her onto it. "Thanks."
He averted his eyes as she set her feet. Suddenly he was in the drink as their sensei taught him the same lesson he'd given her. Neville and Theodore rushed towards the castle, neither one willing to volunteer themselves for that lesson.
Su's fake cough caught her attention. The smaller but older girl was pulling on her gi.
It had been so cold that Ginny hadn't realized that her gi had come open while she'd been in the water. She wasn't sure if she could turn as red as Ron, but she knew that she had cause to be embarrassed.
"Don't worry," Sensei said with a shrug. "I've done that plenty of times. It's a great way to distract your opponent."
Su appeared as though she wanted to say something but thought better of it.
"Most of my rivals are guys my age," Sensei added. "I wouldn't suggest trying it on the more experienced fighters though."
"If Draco ever demands a rematch with Neville, I'll suggest that strategy for him," Ginny replied with a forced chuckle.
"You don't want to do that," Su said. "His head might explode."
"Well, one of his heads would explode." Helen teased. "I heard that sempai looked adorable."
Sensei suddenly stopped and turned around to face the three girls.
Su immediately bowed her head, "Sensei, I"
"Just don't let it slip again," he held out his hand to stop her "especially within Hogwarts. I wouldn't want any undue attention being called on us."
Su and Ginny nodded, both hoping that word would not spread too far but knowing that it would eventually reach each of the students. There were few secrets in Hogwarts that remained secrets for long, merely things that came to other peoples' attention sooner or later and may or may not be taken into consideration.
"What I teach you as my apprentice should only be discussed with others in our school or pack," he added. "Freely giving others information about what you are capable of only means that they will be better prepared to face you when you inevitably face them."
"Are you thinking about the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who?" Su asked timidly.
"Them and others," he replied. Seeing the look on their faces he shrugged. "I've made plenty of enemies back home."
"But you've got the support of three different foreign Ministries," Su remarked.
"I didn't always have their support." That was a valid point. "At one time I had actually made the leaders of two of those ministries my enemy and they nearly killed me. Of course I won them over in the end, but still, if they knew what I was capable of they might have killed me instead of me beating the sense into them.
"Now that I've said that aloud I have to say that sounds weird." Maybe I just don't completely understand this language, but you don't knock sense into someone, you tend to knock them senseless."
"It's a play on words," the Ravenclaw explained.
"Anyways, going back to the point I made earlier," he glanced at the boys to ensure that they were within hearing distance. "Had I simply slain them I would not have them as my allies now. Even though they sought to kill me and those close to me, I prevailed without having to resort to killing. Well, there was one exception. Had the death toll been higher I am sure that they would not be as willing to aid me now.
"Killing begets more killing and only continues the cycle of death. If you can, you should refrain from killing when necessary."
"When will we know that it is necessary?" Theodore asked.
"When you have no other options left to save your life or the lives of those important to you – that is when killing may be necessary." For a moment he considered them. "And if you do kill something, I will make sure you eat it."
"But you didn't eat the basilisk," the sly Slytherin pointed out.
"The flesh is magical and not ideal for consumption," Sensei ceded. "I did make use of the hide, scales, fangs, and everything else that I could salvage. I was going to save it until after the Misogi, but you might as well find out about it now. I had each of you fitted for a special dogi and cloak. It took a while to cure and sew, but the basilisk hide will provide you with more protection than a simple gi or cloak. Because the hide is so tough it will protect you from minor spells as well as most blades, but it'll probably still hurt if you get hit with a weapon or boulder.
"I suggest you wear it under your usual clothes or school robes and make sure to keep it with you whenever you aren't training."
Their sensei's words seemed ominous but Ginny and the others had no idea how important his words would be.