Chapter Eleven

**Of course I don't own the HP Series. If I did I wouldn't have Harry marry Ginny!**

The last face Harry saw was Hermione's and he drew strength from her. He knew she was probably cursing him to Hell and back for his departure but it was completely necessary in his eyes. He apparated himself out of London. He found himself a shack that seemed empty and made a makeshift bed with his bag as a pillow. He couldn't, or rather he didn't want to think about London or Hermione or anything he had left behind at the moment. He conjured a blanket and went to sleep.

Minutes later he was finally asleep…

He was walking aimlessly looking for something he couldn't find and he was getting ready to give up when and animal that looked strangely like a wolf appeared. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever until he had the animal's voice in his head, or what he assumed was its' voice.

"Follow me," it said. The voice was deep and male. It held authority and assurance.

"How can I hear your voice?" he asked following the animal.

"I was send here by your guardians to lead you to where you are going for your training," was the supplied answer.

"Who are my guardians? Why should I follow you? I don't know who you are? Where did you come from? Who says I need training? Why-,"

"Young Harry you have too many questions. I applaud you for your cautiousness but you don't need that with me. I am here to help you out," he said.

"How do you know my name? How do I know you are here to help me and you weren't sent by Voldemort to kill me?" he asked his voice hard and cold.

"First off if I wanted to kill you Harry I would have done so already. I wasn't sent here on bad intentions, your guardians sent me. My name is Sephraim. Follow me," he repeated and Harry followed him.

Surely it couldn't harm him in his own dream.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Where you are supposed to be for your training. I'm going to show you where you are to go tomorrow when you wake up.

The next morning at nine a.m Harry Potter woke up exhaustion out of his body but not his soul. His body ached from sleeping on the floor which brought memories of sleeping in the cupboard at the Dursleys'; he just wasn't ready to deal with. He picked his pillow/bag off the floor and made his way out of the shack.

He turned right the moment he stepped put of the shack. The more he kept walking he found he knew where he was going. He knew that if he kept walking down towards the south he would find a cabin. He knew there was something he was looking for at the cabin. He knew he had to do something at the cabin but he wasn't sure of what it was yet.

Three hours later he arrived at the cabin and walked in. His guard already up, he looked around. The place looked deserted. There was a pot on the fire-stove but it was empty and burned and the fire-stove was off. The flames that should have been there had anyone been living there were not present. Ashes to show someone had lived there once upon a time and used the stove were the only signs of life of the someone who had lived there was human.. He walked further into the room to explore, his curiosity taking him further inside.

The attack came from his left. He ducked in time for the fist coming towards his head to miss and turned for the door. He wanted any advantage he could get. He lifted his own hand about to retaliate when another attack came for his neck this time. Again he twisted his body and escaped. He threw a punch himself at the attacker's stomach. The man jumped away and laded a blow to Harry's cheek and another at his stomach, his leg swept under Harry's and Harry went down hard. It happened so quickly! How had his attacker moved that quickly? How was it even possible to move your fist and legs simultaneously without the other person seeing you moving? His attacker seemed to be rooted in the same spot as he fought but his body was definitely moving. That was the only way you could explain how he landed his legs and fists on Harry. Seeing an opening in his opponent Harry drew his wand and was about to use it when-

"Stop! That was just a test. I wanted to know what they had given me to deal with." his voice was deep. It rang of authority. A voice of someone who you want to respect.

Harry was on his back panting to catch his breath. The blow to the stomach really hurt. He came face to face with the guy who had tried to hurt him, wand held at ready. The man was huge. He was ripped with muscles he looked like a warrior. He stood at about six feet five and he had the darkest brown eyes they looked almost black. He was probably in his early twenties. Harry guessed maybe twenty-two. He looked cold and very serious. He had a sharp nose but not as sharp as Snape's. If there were women here they would probably be all over him. He stood up from the ground and materialized a stool for himself and sat down close to the door. His opponent took note of this with a tiny flicker of his lips that could have passed for a smile.

His guard still up Harry looked at the man who could snap his neck with his one hand and asked.

"Who are you? Who sent you? Who gave me to you? What do you-?"

"Hold your horses! It's true. You do ask a lot of questions. The old man was right. At least you have fast reflexes. We still need to work on your combat though. We have such short time," he paused.

"Who are you? Who is the "old man"?" Harry asked once more.

"Patience Mr. Potter. My name is Liam and Dumbledore sent you to me. He-"

"I know you are lying because Dumbledore is dead. I killed him-"

"Potter, I knew Dumbledore before you were born and he told me a day like this would come. Remember last night when you were asleep and you dreamt about coming to this place. Your wolf knew where you were supposed to be. He led you here." He waited for Harry to say something to show he had understood.

"What do you mean my wolf? When did Dumbledore tell you about me? How do I know you are telling the truth?"

"You would make a great Investigator. You don't miss details. I like that. I have known Dumbledore for almost forty-five years now. He knew things wouldn't go as he had planned ever since your parents were killed. He knew you would need to be trained one day, so he gave that assignment to me," Liam's tone didn't betray feelings about what he thought of Dumbledore dumping Harry on lap.

"You wouldn't make a very good prisoner. You don't cooperate. You have avoided all my questions leave for a few. How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't, but you know you have to train and I'm offering you the resources and everything I know," Liam answered looking him straight in the eyes.

"Okay, I'll give you a chance only if I can ask you something in return that you have to answer," Harry returned.

"Sure. If I can answer it without exposing all my secrets I will answer you,"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two," he answered as though it was that simple.

"No. How old are you really? You can't have known Dumbledore-"

"Perfect. You pay attention when you are being taught. You passed the first test. Technically I am twenty-two. Well my body is twenty-two, I am six hundred and thirty two years old," Liam answered.

"Are you a Vampire?" Harry asked.

"No. We are similar only in the aging department. I don't drink blood nor am I afraid to go out in the sun as you obviously see," That tiny flick of his lips quirking up came and went before Harry was sure he had seen it.

"What are you?"

"That's for you to find out. So, do you want to train with me?"

"Yeah." He replied hoping against all hope that he was making the right choice.

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