Chapter 3

Harry was rudely awoken early the next morning by someone dumping a bucket of ice water on his face. He sat bolt upright, gasping and spluttering. Next to the bed, Qrow stood with a bucket in hand and an unrepentant grin on his face.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart!" he hollered, smacking the bucket and producing a few loud clangs for good measure.

Harry glared at the drunk. "What time is it?" he grumbled as he slowly climbed out of bed.

"Five in the morning. I was gonna get you up earlier, but I felt generous," replied Qrow. "Now come on, you want to learn how to use a scythe, right?"

Harry grumbled under his breath, but slowly crawled out of bed. He was already beginning to regret this decision. Qrow grinned and stuck the bucket on Harry's head, much to the teen's ire.

"Now hurry up, and wear something you won't mind getting dirty. If you're not out back in ten minutes, I'll start getting creative." With that, Qrow left the room, whistling a merry tune.

Harry glared at the man's retreating form and tossed the bucket to the side. He could already tell this would be a difficult day.

Ten minutes later, he stood across from Qrow in the backyard, weapon in hand. Qrow had drawn Harbinger and transformed it into its scythe form.

The drunk slammed the butt of his weapon on the ground. "Alright, before we get started, we need to go over a couple of things," he said. "First of all, is your Aura unlocked?" At Harry's questioning look, he rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a no. C'mere."

Harry approached warily, half expecting Qrow to take a swing at him with Harbinger.

"Oh, for God's sake…" grumbled Qrow. "I'm just gonna unlock your Aura, nothing more. No need to be scared." He put one hand on Harry's head and the other on his chest, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again a few seconds later, they were glowing slightly.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality," he chanted. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

Harry gasped as he felt his magic respond. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat, expanding a little bit more every time. He also felt something else, something more, mixing in with his magic reserves. Suddenly, the energy surged outwards with a colossal shockwave, sending Harry to his knees with its intensity. It felt like his magic was escaping through every pore of his body.

Qrow was thrown bodily across the yard, but he managed to right himself and land on his feet, breathing heavily.

Harry knelt in the center of the explosion, the grass around him pressed flat. A green-and-black aura surrounded him, flickering like a flame. Qrow felt an intense pressure weighing down on him; this kid had a lot of Aura.

Harry slowly got to his feet as his Aura died down, looking at himself with wide eyes. He opened and closed his hands a few times, trying to get used to the feeling. He felt…great. Fantastic. Like he could take on the world bare-handed and win.

There was a crash as a pajama-clad Yang, Ruby, and Taiyang burst through the back door. Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose, Yang had on a pair of golden gauntlets, and Taiyang was brandishing a red-and-yellow pump-action shotgun.

"What happened?" demanded Yang, dropping into a fighting stance.

Qrow pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. "False alarm," he replied. "I unlocked Harry's Aura. It was a bit more intense than I expected."

"A bit?" asked Taiyang incredulously. "The house was shaking!"

Harry's eyes widened. "Sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," replied Qrow with a dismissive wave of his hand. "No harm done. Now, let's get back to training." He picked up Harbinger and held it across his body at an angle, with the tip of the blade facing Harry. "This is a basic ready stance. Try and imitate this pose."

And so it went; Qrow would demonstrate a stance or technique and Harry would imitate it, with Qrow (and occasionally Ruby) correcting mistakes as they saw them. Harry learned quickly, much to Qrow's delight.

"You know," he said as they all broke for lunch, "I think we'll make a halfway-decent Huntsman out of you yet."

Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile at the backhanded praise.

Ruby sat next to them, running her hands over Harry's weapon, which he'd finally let her hold after a good ten minutes of begging. "Hey, Harry, have you thought about what you're gonna name your weapon?"

Harry looked up, confused. "Name it?"

Ruby looked shocked. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "You have to name it! It's your partner!"

Yang gave Harry an apologetic look. "Sorry about her, she's a bit of a weapon geek."

"Yaaang!"

Harry simply smiled at the two sisters. "A name, huh?" he mumbled. He thought for a minute, until the perfect name jumped out in his mind.

"Mors Umbra," he decided. "The Shadow of Death." And indeed, it seemed to fit the weapon perfectly.

Ruby had stars in her eyes. "So cool…" she breathed.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Sorry about her, she's a bit of a weapon geek."

"Yaaaang!"

Harry just chuckled while Ruby pouted. "So what's your weapon?" he asked Yang, taking a bite of a sandwich as he did so.

Yang grinned and flexed her wrists; a pair of gold bracelets suddenly shifted and expanded to form the gauntlets he'd seen earlier. "Harry, meet Ember Celica," she said happily. "Basically, they're gauntlets with shotguns. Gives my punches a bit more oomph."

Harry nodded in appreciation. "They suit you."

Yang grinned, with an almost unnoticeable trace of red dusting her cheeks. "They do, don't they?"

"Alright, lovebirds," said Qrow as he stood, ignoring both teens as they blushed and scooted away from each other. "It's time to get back to training. Ruby, come here a minute."

Ruby looked up in surprise as Harry pried Mors Umbra away from her with great difficulty. "Me? What for?" she asked.

Qrow grinned. "You're gonna spar for a bit. Oh, don't give me that look." He directed the last part toward Harry, who was about to object. "She's the only one here close to your size, and she uses a similar weapon. She'll take it easy on you, but the only way to really learn how to apply the skills I've taught you so far is to try them out in a fight."

Harry still felt unsure, but Ruby threw her arm around his shoulders. "Aw, c'mon! It'll be fun!" she said happily.

Finally, Harry relented, and the two faced off in the backyard.

"Alright," said Qrow, who would be acting as referee. "This match will go on until I say stop, or until one of you is disarmed, or otherwise unable to continue. Ruby, no using your Semblance." He looked to Harry and Ruby, who had dropped into ready stances, and raised his arm. "Ready?"

When they nodded, he brought his arm down. "Begin!"

[Break]

Harry hissed as Yang applied some peroxide to his cuts. After the impromptu sparring match, everyone had adjourned to the kitchen. The sparring match itself had been a complete beatdown in Ruby's favor, ending up with Harry unconscious against a tree.

"That actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," said Qrow. He was leaning against the counter, his ever-present flask in hand.

"Thanks for the–ouch!–vote of confidence," grumbled Harry, wincing as Yang pressed a sensitive cut.

"Well, you didn't expect to master everything in one day, did you?" asked Qrow rhetorically. "Ruby here took about two years to get where she is now."

Ruby, who was sitting on the counter, grinned happily. "Yup! Now I'm super-awesome!" she cheered.

Qrow gave her a sideways look and smirked. "Oh, is that arrogance I hear?" he asked. "Maybe we should spar next, Ruby. I kinda want to see how far you've come."

Ruby paled and made an 'X' with her arms. "No thanks! I'm good!"

Qrow turned back to Harry. "In any case, all you need to do is keep practicing. It'll take time, but I bet we can get you to an acceptable level by the time Yang leaves for Beacon."

Harry tilted his head in confusion. "Beacon?" he asked.

"It's one of the premier Huntsman Academies around the world," explained Taiyang. "There are four in total: Beacon, Shade, Atlas, and Haven. One for each of the kingdoms. Beacon is Vale's academy."

Harry nodded in understanding. "So what do these academies teach?"

Taiyang pulled up a chair and sat across the table from Harry and Yang. "Well, their main purpose is to train Huntsmen and Huntresses to fight Grimm," he said. "But fully-fledged Huntsmen or Huntresses can take missions and earn some cash."

"So it's kind of like bounty hunting?" asked Harry.

"Kinda," said Taiyang. "There are bounty missions where you earn money for killing Grimm, but you could also take missions for village security, search and rescue, stuff like that."

"Sounds interesting," said Harry, before looking at Yang. "And you want to be a Huntress?"

Yang grinned. "Yup! Me and Ruby both!" she said happily. "Wanted to since we were kids!"

Harry couldn't help but share her grin. "Sounds like fun!"

"There's still a long way to go before that happens," interjected Qrow. "If you want to apply to Beacon, we'll have to cram as much training as we can into about three months, then hope it's enough to help you pass the combat exam."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Combat exam?" he asked.

"Since you didn't go to a school like Signal, like Ruby and Yang did, you have to literally fight to be considered. It's going to be very difficult," said Taiyang. "Not impossible, but you'll have to really push yourself." He gave Harry a serious look. "It's not something to take lightly. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Harry nodded resolutely.

Qrow grinned widely. "Good to hear."

[Break]

Six days after Harry's arrival on Remnant, while the others were at school or work, Qrow and Harry were training in the backyard when Qrow called for a break. Harry, out of breath and dripping with sweat, collapsed Mors Umbra and fell flat on his back on the grass.

Qrow, who didn't seem to be tired in the least, sat down next to him and pulled out his flask, taking a swig.

"We won't be training tomorrow," he said abruptly.

Harry sat up and looked at his mentor in confusion. "Why not?"

"I have a friend in Vale who wants to meet you," explained Qrow. "His name's Ozpin. He's the headmaster of Beacon."

Harry's eyes widened. "Why does he want to meet me?" he asked. "I thought I had to take the combat exam to get into Beacon."

Qrow took another gulp from his flask. "Oh, it's nothing like that," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And even if he did offer you a place at Beacon, I'd still make you take the combat exam just because."

Harry glared at his mentor, who steadfastly ignored him.

"Anyway, he wants to meet you so he can learn more about that magic you use," continued Qrow. "I don't know all the details myself, but he's sending a Bullhead over tomorrow."

Harry felt conflicted. On one hand, meeting the headmaster of the school he wanted to attend was a great way to make a lasting first impression. On the other, he'd rather keep his magic a secret from as many people as possible unless there was no other choice.

"What can you tell me about this Ozpin guy?" asked Harry.

Qrow actually laughed out loud at his question. "You're askin' the wrong person, kiddo," he said once he'd calmed down. "Ozpin's a mystery even to the ones he works with."

'Great,' thought Harry. 'It seems there's a Dumbledore in every universe.'

"But if you're asking my honest opinion," continued Qrow in a thoughtful tone, "I'd say he's a good guy, even if he does keep secrets. He's trustworthy."

'I'll be the judge of that,' thought Harry, but outwardly he nodded.

"Excellent!" said Qrow as he climbed to his feet. "Now get up, I've let you rest long enough!"

Harry groaned, but forced himself to his feet to continue the torture Qrow called training, unfolding Mors Umbra as he did so. Across from him, Qrow brandished Harbinger in its scythe form.

"Alright then, come at me!"

[Break]

The Bullhead came for them at nine the next morning. The behemoth VTOL craft touched down just outside the house, in a nearby clearing.

Qrow and Harry walked up just as the cargo door opened, revealing a blonde-haired woman wearing a white shirt, purple cape, black skirt, and black stockings and heels. A small pair of glasses rested in front of her bright green eyes, and she was staring at Qrow with annoyance.

Qrow suddenly started sweating. 'Shit, shit, shit! Didn't think Ozpin would send her!' he thought, inwardly panicking.

After a few seconds, the woman turned her attention to Harry. Her expression softened and she held out her hand. "Hello, you must be Harry. My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and I'm one of the teachers at Beacon, as well as the Deputy Headmistress."

Harry shook the outstretched hand, fighting off memories of one Minerva McGonagall. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he replied politely. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you teach?"

Glynda gave an almost unnoticeable smile. She'd half expected the boy to take up some of Qrow's habits, but it seems she was mistaken. "In addition to my duties as Deputy Headmistress, I also teach the advanced Combat class. I also supervise the sanctioned sparring matches between students."

Harry couldn't help but be impressed. As the former Headmaster of Hogwarts and a former Auror, he was no stranger to responsibility. "I'm looking forward to your class, Professor Goodwitch," he said honestly. And he was; Qrow said he'd taken to sparring like a fish to water, discounting the first disastrous attempt against Ruby. Harry likened his newfound love of training to his skill at Defense Against the Dark Arts, not that anyone else knew that.

Glynda gave an appreciative nod. "I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Potter," she replied. "I will be keeping an eye on you when you take your combat exam." She turned to Qrow and frowned. "You, on the other hand…"

Qrow sent a panicked look in Harry's direction; Harry just grinned and shook his head. The message was clear. You made your bed, now lie in it.

'Traitor,' thought Qrow, flinching as Glynda drew her weapon, a riding crop aptly named "The Disciplinarian", and began slapping her other hand with it.

"Now, Qrow, we have an hour-long flight ahead of us," she said, malice dripping off every word. "Why don't we have a little talk about your last mission?"

"Mother," Qrow whimpered under his breath as Glynda advanced with her riding crop, intent on giving the raven-haired man a thorough tongue-lashing.

Harry just found a chair and closed his eyes, intent on taking a nap, while trying to tune out Glynda's scolding and Qrow's whimpering.

[Break]

She leaned against a tree, panting heavily. She'd been running for miles, trying to escape.

She was sure she'd lost her pursuers, but to be safe, she'd sent two clones in different directions. Better safe than sorry. Adam was a capable tracker, after all.

After a quick glance at the sun, she altered her path so she was heading south. The longer she stayed in the forest, the faster they might find her. That thought alone gave her the energy she needed to push herself off the tree.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Each tiny sound brought her hand to her weapon in near-panic. She couldn't afford to lose control. Not until she was safe.

And she would never be safe.

She stopped by a stream and refilled her empty canteen, taking several gulps of the refreshing water. She splashed some water on her face to clear her head, then looked at her reflection.

Eyes the color of molten gold stared back at her under a curtain of pitch-black hair. Her pale skin seemed even more so in the morning sun. And on the top of her head, the bane of her existence.

She drew her weapon, her beloved Gambol Shroud. With a heavy heart, she sliced off a portion of the black ribbon attached to the hilt.

With tears in her eyes, she fashioned it into a bow and tied it around the black cat ears on her head, hiding them from view.

She stared at her new look, her new identity, reflected in the slowly moving current.

She could never go back.

But she could move forward.

And so Blake Belladonna pressed onward. With luck, she would make it to Vale by the afternoon.

And that's Chapter 3! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! If you haven't, please do! It fuels my creative engine!

I'll try to avoid using author notes, but this one is worth mentioning: I had to take a creative liberty with Taiyang's weapon, since it hasn't been revealed to my knowledge. Also, regarding Qrow's teaching Harry, I'm using the basics of bo staff fighting as I was taught by my martial arts instructor.