VI. THIS IS FEAR
Harry was looking for Draco. She didn't appreciate being put in a body bind but since she could see why he would do it; she, after some time to calm down, understood. It was the last day of term and McGonagall had addressed the students that morning that the school train would not be used today, instead the floo network would be opened to the Great Hall and people were to floo straight home, the train would make them vulnerable; it was a painfully obvious target and it wasn't worth the risk. Aurors stood in pairs at each of the six massive fireplaces, students lined up by house and age at each one, the seventh years waiting up the front for the first available fireplace. Harry caught a glimpse of silver hair being whooshed away by the green flames just as she heard Draco's voice cry 'Malfoy Manor'. He didn't say goodbye to her, which had in all honesty hurt, seeing as they were still on rocky ground.
Harry looked around at the sound of her name. McGonagall was striding towards her.
"Potter, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you." McGonagall said, Harry raised her eyebrows but followed her professor to the Headmasters office, which was the same round room full of shiny buzzing whirling trinkets, but she paid them little attention, looking at the elderly man behind his big desk.
"My dear Harriet!" Dumbledore greeted her jovially and beckoned her to come in and sit down which she did, albeit apprehensively.
"I have both good and bad news." Dumbledore said, though he cintinued to smile. "The good news is, you've been permitted to remain at Hogwarts this summer." Harry looked at him, shocked, good news? SHe wouldnt have to return to the Dursleys this summer, that news was excellent. "The bad news is, Professors McGonagall, Sinstra, Markovic and myself will be helping you learn more advanced magic in preparation for, what I fear is an inevitable battle."
"Professor, I don't think that's bad news at all," She said with an excited smile. Harry was shocked to say the least, this was it, and she was now officially fighting this war. They were actually helping her, preparing her.
"Voldemort has made it apparent he is no longer interested in killing you." Dumbledore paused, "He would prefer to 'train' you. Break you." Harriet didn't know how to respond, she didn't even wholly understand. "He believes ultimate loyalty can come from immense pain and wants to test this. It is not something to be taken lightly, my dear." Dumbledore warned and Harriet couldn't help but feel her excitement ebb away.
"What exactly do you mean Sir?" She asked him.
"Voldemort intends to torture you into madness." He told her bluntly and she suddenly felt a weight on her chest, like the fear was physically sitting with her.
Harriet couldn't help but not care if he was finished talking to her or not. She had to leave. It was distressing news to say the least. She ran into Sasha in the entrance hall.
"Anastasia told me." He said, "I'm sorry."
She just nodded, forcing a smile. "Its fine." She said, "Are you staying here in the summer too?"
Sasha just nodded. They seemed to both be paying intent attention to the students moving around the hall and yelling and talking.
"Draco left without saying goodbye." Harry said quietly, Sasha gave her a sad look.
"Draco has a lot on his mind." Sasha said, she agreed but she couldn't help but be hurt. Harry did cheer up as her friends approached her, Ron and Hermione.
"I'm staying at Hogwarts for the summer," She whispered to them, they both looked delighted. "Dumbeldore want's me battle ready."
"Harry that's really really good," Hermione said, "Promise you'll work hard? Oh it will be so ineresting."
Harry nodded with a smile on her face. She couldn't help but enjoy how Hermione was so work driven.
"And teach us what they show you?" Ron pleaded, Harry laughed and nodded.
"I promise I will, on both counts, Hopefully I'll be able to come and visit, if not I'll write you. I'll definately write. Maybe you can come here to visit. I'll ask Dumbeldore." Harry promised them, Anastasia waved them off towards a free fireplace and final goodbyes were said, Harry was sad to see them go, despite the prospect of her private lessons this summer, she wanted to be going with them.
"I'm going to go," Harry told Sasha, "I'd just like to think for a bit." He nodded his understanding and she left the great hall as the students trickled away.
The extra training began the very next morning, Echo and Sasha both joined her at Professor Markovic's insistence. Sinstra was teaching them mostly defensive magic; how to take an educated guess at what spell a person would cast and recognizing spells, as well as protective warding. Anastasia would teach them more of the Dark Arts spells and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Defense Against dark creatures. McGonagall was still teaching transfiguration, but a whole new aspect of her subject. Along with learning to transfigure weapons and shields, they were learning to use weapons. It was a shock to say the least, to learn the strict older woman was deadly proficient with medieval muggle weaponry.
"There's nothing wrong with carrying a weapon as well as a wand," McGonagall was saying, "It would have to be a real one," She walked around to behind her desk and pulled out two short blades. "Its unexpected." She said with a near manic smile. "Though conjured weapons are good for one or two uses, if you are stuck.
All three students were dumbstruck. She swung them around with frightening accuracy, not a hair out of place.
"Usually they will take your wand, but you can infuse blades with charms so the can deflect magic too." McGonagall Told them before she pulled out three very plain daggers, "I brought you these to practice with," She handed the blades out.
"Now what you must do; is put your wand against the blade and wordlessly force the blade to take the magic." They were instructed by their professor.
Sasha tried to do it first, and it worked a little bit, McGonagall told him to take a fighting stance and cast a stupefy curse at him. The blade slowed it, and it only made Sasha stumble a bit. Echo did hers perfectly and was praised by McGonagall which got the sullen girl to offer them a small smile.
Harry too tried and used the Protego charm, it didn't work at all, the blade split.
"You've pushed too hard," McGonagall said, "The blade couldn't hold that much magic, you'll need a better one." She took the blade off her and waved her wand to mend the damage.
"It's good," Echo said to Harry, "That you have so much power, you can really pack a punch, but," She took the now fixed dagger off McGonagall and handed it to Harry. "It's important to be able to do very subtle magic too. You should practice."
Harry took the blade off her and McGonagall smiled at Echo.
"Exactly Miss Snape. You're so like you're father," She said. Echo spared a smile for her. "Well Potter," McGonagall snapped, "are you waiting for a formal invitation?"
Harry cast the spell again and the blade glowed and shuddered but took the shield charm without fracturing.
"Ready?" McGonagall asked and Harry held the blade in front of her like she would hold a wand McGonagall cast the curse and Harry flinched as the curse caught the dagger and rebounded but the dagger split again.
"Good, good well done Potter. I'll need to replace that dagger, though." She mumbled and Harriet handed the weapon back.
Next McGonagall brought out a crate of weapons. Sasha chose a war axe with a manic smile on his face and Echo had selected a dagger similar to the ones they had practiced with.
"You should invest in your own but can practice with these." McGonagall told them as she began instructing Sasha on the use of his axe.
Harry looked through the crate and gently tugged out a staff with a long thin blade on the end. She had no desire to use a sword after second year and the handle was ornate and smooth to the touch and the blade seamlessly melted into the end. It was as tall as she was and was unexpectedly light.
"A swordstaff?" McGonagall asked her when it was her turn to be taught how to use the weapon. Sasha and Echo were watching her, which made her a little nervous. "They're handy enough." McGonagall said. Harroet was shown how to hold it properly, not unlike a broom, really., though, of course she wasn't sitting on it.
"Now," McGonagall picked up her own short swords from off her desk. "Lesson one, you stick them with the pointy end."
Minerva McGonagall was a very dangerous armed opponent, not only did she teach them all to become efficient with their chosen weapons; Echo dominated the class by far with her daggers, but also hand-to-hand muggle fighting, at which Sasha excelled and regular dueling which Harry was by far the best.
Professor Sinstra didn't have much to offer in her classes, She was very focused on trying to predict how the enemy would think, which Harry thought was a waste of time, and how to set up protective runes to hide locations, which wouldn't be handy on a battlefield, but Echo did well in her class.
Anastasia continued teaching Dark Arts and Defense, Harry became very efficient with the killing curse, along with a strict warning to only fire it if you know with all your heart and soul that it will hit its intended target.
As much as she was enjoying the private lessons she missed Ron and Hermione, whom she was not allowed to write to or visit, and she greatly missed Draco, though she was still very upset he never said goodbye. She was also frightened, because she had private lessons with Dumbeldore now too, ones which Sasha and Echo were not allowed to join in, ones about what exactly breaking a person was.
The Elderly man sat at his desk with his fingers steepeled, their first lesson together, he leaned forward and offered her tea, which she declined somewhat stonily.
"Harriet I have let you go into situations that you were not fully informed of before but I will not this time, you cannot let yourself be captured, is that understood?" He said firmly. She nodded, though he was making her feel uneasy. She wanted to say something scathing, like being captured wasn't exactly on her daily plan but she held her tongue.
"Trust your teachers," Dumbeldore continued. "I have selected them myself to prepare you for what is to come. Have you ever heard of Breaking a person before?" He asked and she shook her head. "Merlin first wrote about torturing a person to utter obedience, that if you provide constant pain you will teach a person no matter their strength to be utterly devoted to you. It is a warped type of love that results. They will cage you, strip you naked, hang you up by your ankles, they won't feed you or let you have water. Harry it is not something to be taken lightly, and if they succeed we will have lost everything."
Harry felt as though she would be ill, "But Sir, they won't do that to me, they can't succeed, I'd never be loyal to Voldemort." She argued. No amount of pain would generte any kind of love from her for that monster, no matter how twisted that love might be.
"Harriet You must understand the question isn't will their plan work, it is how fast will it work." He said, Harry's hands were shaking ever so slightly.
"Is there a way to stop it?" She asked him, a touch of desperation in her tone.
"No." He said, "Nor is there a cure, if you will. Do you remember me telling you there were worse things then death? This is one of them, it seems that through his ignorance Tom has found a way to utterly terrify me, dear girl you must remain vigilant, if they catch you, you must not let them take you, make them kill you first am I understood?"
Harry gulped and nodded, he smiled, the twinkle in his eyes were back and it made her feel, if possible, even more sick.
"You're dismissed, go, be with your friends."
Harry couldn't leave the room fast enough, she went to the nearest bathroom and vomited into the toilet bowl before she could do anything else. She then washed her mouth and sat on the floor, frightened.