Chapter 4 – Training Days
Harry dropped to the ground as if hit by a Killing Curse. Harry had been training with Mike for four weeks now. Harry also started to wonder who was really tricked that morning in Uncle Vernon's living room.
Mike started showing up in Harry's room at 6 AM every morning to chase Harry out of bed. After quickly getting dressed, they would start their run. Mike insisted that they run with weighted bags on their backs. Mike called them "rucks". He also kept adding greater distances and speed. Harry would have claimed that Mike was torturing him but Mike took every step with him.
Their run always ended at Mike's flat where a large American-style breakfast would be prepared. The first couple of days Harry had a hard time getting the food down but now he realized that he would need the fuel to get through the rest of Mike's training day.
After breakfast, Mike and Harry would go to a local gym. Mike coached Harry in the correct methods of using the various equipment and weights.
When Harry remarked on Mike's knowledge, Mike answered, "First off, I was not born with this build. I put a lot of time in to build up my strength. Also, I worked as a trainer after the military to make some extra money while going to college."
The gym time ended in time for lunch. Mike had insisted that Harry bring various study materials from Hogwarts to his flat. While Mike worked on the website project after lunch Mike pushed Harry to study and review all of his different materials. Harry felt like he was ready to take his N.E.W.T.S. right now! This was worse the studying with Hermione! At least with Hermione she was distracted by her own studies and bickering with Ron. Mike had no distractions and kept his attention right on Harry.
Fortunately, it was not all work. After they broke for dinner, they would watch movies on Mike's video recorder. Harry had never seen the Star Wars trilogy before. Mike also introduced Harry to some really odd-ball comedies like "The Princes Bride", "Spaceballs", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and "Army of Darkness". Harry would roll around laughing at the Dread Pirate Roberts and Ash. Harry really found the portrayals of the wizards in the movies particularly funny. Harry imagined that "The Princes Bride's" Miracle Max and Dumbledore would have had a wonderful time together.
It was amazing that Harry could think about Professor Dumbledore without the intense pain when he had first left school. Harry still knew that he was Dumbledore's man and always would be loyal to the great Headmaster. Mike's training had left Harry so exhausted that it gave Harry a chance to work off the hurt and anguish that the professor's murder had left in Harry.
As Harry lay in the grass and contemplated the sky above, he realized that he would miss the time he was spending here with Mike. Harry loved magic, but there was an odd enjoyment to working out physically.
"Get up kid! Didn't you learn anything yet?"
Okay, maybe Harry thought, maybe I won't miss it all that much!
Harry pulled himself up off the ground and gave Mike a grin. "I was just realizing that dying would be so much easier then getting up again to go into the gym."
"Death is light as a feather, a ruck is heavier then a mountain," Mike misquoted. "But don't worry; I have another way of adding to your torture today!"
Mike nodded for Harry to follow him into the flat. As they sat down to eat breakfast, Mike explained. "We have been working out now for about three weeks. A little less then a month from know you turn seventeen. At that point you will be an adult in your world and you have a mission to complete."
Harry sat back in his chair. Voldemort and the Horcruxes were still out there. Finding the Horcruxes and ending Voldemort's reign of terror were up to Harry. Ron, Hermione and other's would help, but ultimately, Harry was responsible.
Mike continued, "Now, I don't expect to get too far in this but I want to introduce you to some different types of fighting styles." Mike grinned. "I know you wizard types don't go much for hand to hand, but I don't think it would hurt. Someone who is expecting only a certain type of attack often forgets to defend against other ones."
"That sounds like a good idea, Mike. I have been caught a couple times where I could not get my wand out or lost it."
Mike smiled at the considered answer. "Just remember the most important weapons you have is your mind and your spirit. Keep them both about you and you'll be fine."
"Mike, you sound like Professor Moody again!"
"Hmm, you must have had much smarter professors then I had." Mike grinned at Harry's groan. "Come on kid, let's go get some breakfast."
Mike was impressed with Harry's quick reactions and highly developed eye-hand coordination. Harry was a natural as a Quidditch seeker. His natural combination of eye-had coordination, broom control and awareness of where all of the other players and balls were at any given time made Harry the best seeker that Hogwarts had seen in some time.
Mike decided to focus on different styles that took advantage of Harry's natural speed and coordination. Mike introduced Harry to a number of other people studying the different martial arts. One was a young man from South America who came to study at university in England. The man started to dance in an odd fashion with lots of leaps and twirls. Harry thought it was somewhat funny until one of those twirling leaps turned into a kick that almost took Harry's head off.
Mike also introduced Harry to an old Japanese gentleman. Master Ioshi started explaining the art of Japanese sword fighting and kendo. The first time on the mat with Master Ioshi Harry barely had time to blink before his kendo stick went flying across the room! After that, Master Ioshi just shook his head and got down to the serious business of introducing Harry to sword fighting.
Master Ioshi became Harry's primary teacher in his evening sessions. Except for learning to fly his broomstick, Harry had never picked up a skill like he took to fencing. The speed and coordination that made Harry the best Seeker in many years at Hogwarts also benefited Harry in his training.
The night of Harry's confrontation with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets was a confusing, chaotic night. Finding out that Tom Riddle was a sixteen year-old Voldemort was a shock and concerns for an unconscious Ginny made Harry forget many of the details that night.
Learning to use the sword made Harry realize how natural the sword felt in his hand. Although Harry had never even held a sword before that night, he had still been able to wield the sword enough to kill the basilisk.
At first, Harry felt he had made no progress with the sword. After one week, Harry started to feel increasingly frustrated. Harry complained of his lack of progress to Master Ioshi. The master listened and pointed Harry to the practice mat. Harry took his place and the master faced him.
"I have improved my defenses to match your increased ability. I will match you now at the level you were at one week ago." The old man bowed and launched an attack. Harry was able to defend easily and soon seized the initiative to launch his own offensive.
Harry drove the master back to the edge of the training circle. Then Harry was amazed as the master raised his level back to Harry's current level. The master indicated a pause.
After Harry stepped back the master stated, "You are here to learn. Focus on the learning. When you stop making progress, I will let you know."
Harry spent almost four weeks running and working out in the morning, studying in the afternoon and then fighting after dinner. Two evenings a week Mike would declare it movie night. Harry usually fell asleep as soon as the movie ended.
Harry woke up at 4:45 and knew that Mike would be here soon for their morning run. The Dursley's had been ecstatic about the amount of time Harry had spent out of the house this summer. Harry was gone before they rolled out of their beds. Since it was usually after 10:30 before Harry returned in the evening they almost never saw him.
Harry got up and kicked off his pajamas. Before he could put on his running clothes, he looked at himself in the mirror. Harry realized he had gained at least seven kilograms (15 pounds) since the beginning of summer. Harry would never be a large, imposing man, but no one would call him scrawny any more!
Harry looked at the calendar, and realized that today was Thursday, 24 July. Bill and Fleur's wedding was only two days away! Soon he would be leaving Privet Drive and never returning. The training had kept Harry so busy that the time had simply flown by. Harry realized that he would have to buy a wedding present soon. The Weasleys would be coming to pick him up sometime soon.
Harry heard a faint creak at the back door. He quickly threw on his running gear and grabbed his cloak from his trunk. Just as the cloak settled around his shoulders, the door opened. Mike quietly stepped into the room.
Mike stood over Harry's messed up bed and shock his head. Shame, shame! Kid should have realized weeks ago that this was a bad idea! As Mike reached to wake up Harry, he felt a finger tap him on the shoulder. Mike turned quickly, but no one was there.
Glancing around in a moment of shock, Mike stood up and let at a muted laugh. "Okay kid, you got me. I didn't hear you and I have no idea how you were able to hide on me."
Harry let the cloak drop down and grinned at his friend / teacher. "Easy, it was magic!"
Mike's eyebrows rose as he looked at the silvery cloak in Harry's hands. "I have seen you studying and practicing your magic, but that just messed me up."
Harry laughed, "Now you know how I always feel." Harry turned and put the cloak in the trunk. "Okay, I've had my fun. Let's run."
"As you wish…"
The chuckles followed the pair out the Dursley's front door and into the street.
Mike surprised Harry by allowing him to drop studying for the afternoon to go shopping. Mike took Harry to a local shopping centre. Riding with Mike was almost as bad as the trip with Ron at the start of second year. Mike kept trying to drive on the wrong side of the road and complaining that everyone else was on the wrong side.
Finally arriving at the centre, Mike and Harry went in different directions. Mike told Harry to meet in two hours near a particular store.
Harry really wished he had Ginny with him. Harry realized that she was the person he was most excited to see when he got to the Burrow. The nights that he had actually had the energy to dream, she was in every one. However, even more, Harry realized how much he hated shopping! What was he ever going to get Bill and Fleur?
Fortunately, Harry had converted a substantial amount of Galleons into Muggle money. Harry could just imagine the clerk's reaction if he had tried to pay in gold coins.
After 90 minutes, Harry found an antique silver tea set engraved with a wolf and a fox chasing each other's tails around the pieces. Harry snickered at the pun and asked the clerk to wrap the present.
Harry was walking back to meet Mike when he spotted an open bench near a railing across from a jewelry store. Harry sat down and started watching the Muggles going about their business. Harry was amazed because of their easy, relaxed manners. The entire English wizarding world walked in fear of the Death Eaters attaching. Harry started to feel anger at Voldemort in a whole new way. Ever since learning who had murdered his parents, Harry had plenty of personal reasons for hating Voldemort. This anger was due to the damage and injures Voldemort and the Death Eaters had caused to the magical community.
The wizards and witches of Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and all of the other magical places in Britain should be able to walk this freely in their own business. Living in fear, in terror, of a small group of bullies in pursuit of power or wealth they had never earned was simply wrong.
Harry suddenly felt that he was being watched. Harry looked around expecting to find Mike testing if he was paying attention. To Harry's dismay what he found was Dudley and three friends striding towards Harry.
Dudley had lost much of the baby fat, but was still a rather large individual. Enforced physical activity and dieting at Smeltings had trimmed a lot of the Dudley's weight. Harry doubted that either would continue five minutes after Dudley left the school.
Dudley's friends were all smaller then he, but none of them were tiny. They were all boys that Dudley could dominate but large enough to take part in his bullying.
Dudley spotted Harry before Harry could attempt to blend into the background. Dudley changed his course and headed directly for Harry.
Harry stood up and faced his cousin as he approached. Before Dudley could say anything, Harry simply said, "Hello Dudley." Harry really did not want a confrontation in the middle of the shopping centre. After dealing with Voldemort and the Death Eaters for the last six years, Dudley did not even rate as a distraction.
Dudley seemed a little surprised at Harry's calm greeting. Dudley glared at Harry and said, "Who let you out with the normal people you freak?"
Dudley's gang of friends chuckled at his comment.
"Dudley, I am out of here in two days forever. I have avoided you all summer. Leave me alone for the next two days and it will be all over."
"You mean my cousin Mike has been beating the crap out of you everyday! I have heard how you still can't finish one of his little runs. Mike was telling my da all about it! Little wimp." Dudley sneered, "Without your freak stuff you can't do anything."
Harry realized the other four boys were starting to move around to his sides. The situation was going bad quickly. Why did Harry seem like a magnet for bullies? First Voldemort, then Dudley and then Malfoy. It was ridiculous!
Harry placed his hands up in a placating gesture and spoke a little louder, "I am not looking for trouble. I was just here to buy a gift." Although this did nothing to get Dudley to leave him alone, it did get a couple of passersby to stop to witness the confrontation.
Dudley said, "I'll give you a going away present!" and threw a quick punch at Harry's head.
Harry ducked and stepped to the side next to one of Dudley's friends. Before the surprised boy could move, Harry pushed him into the path of Dudley. The second boy reached to grab Harry, but Harry blocked his swing and gave him a quick kick to the knee. This put the boy on the ground, howling in pain. Harry used the momentum from his kick to spin him towards the third boy.
This boy was a little quicker then Dudley's other friends and he hit Harry in the stomach with a fist. Harry turned to absorb some of the blow as Mike had showed him. Muscles developed from Quidditch also helped lessen the hit.
Harry stepped into the boy and delivered two quick hits to the boy's side, followed by a knee to the stomach as Harry stepped past him.
Harry then turned to see his cousin rising from where he untangled from the other boy. Harry jumped and delivered a kick to the side of Dudley's head. Dudley's head snapped back and he stumbled over his friend still on the ground.
As Harry stood ready for any of the boys to get up, a number of men on the crowd that had gathered stepped in to pull the four boys on the ground up. A police officer came running up and demanded to know what was going on. Seeing Harry standing alone the officer grabbed Harry's arm and shouted, "Tell me what happened here!"
A man stepped forward from the crowd and stopped the officer. "The other four boys attacked this boy. He was only defending himself."
"You saw all of this, sir?"
"Yes, I am the manager of the jewelry store and I heard the confrontation."
The officer let Harry go and looked at the crowd. "Did anyone else see what happened?"
Three people from the crowd nodded and confirmed the manager's story. "The boy was just sitting on the bench when the other boys approached and the largest boy threw the first punch."
The officer turned to Harry and said, "In that case, I have to ask you if you would like to press charges?"
Harry was really tempted for a moment but then shook his head no, "The big git is my cousin. I would never hear the end of it from my aunt and uncle."
The officer grinned, "Well, I can still run them in and make their parents pick them up. That should be good for something."
Harry thanked the officer and then approached the manager. "Thank you sir, for helping me out."
"It was my pleasure. I have watched those boys bully many other children around here for years. It was nice to see them get justice. Why don't you step into my shop until this all clears up?"
Harry agreed and entered the shop. The manager moved behind the counter. Harry wandered around the shop and stopped at a jeweled necklace. The necklace had a bright green emerald. Harry thought that it would really look good on Ginny.
The manager noticed Harry's interest and said, "That is one of my nicer pieces, but it is a little costly." Harry asked how much and the manager gave him a price.
Harry considered for only a minute and then pulled the money out. It used the last of his Muggle money, but Harry figured he could just visit Gringotts after the wedding.
The manager was surprised that Harry had the money with him, but he wrapped up the necklace in a box and gave Harry a receipt. Harry thanked the manager and left to meet Mike.
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