Again, HUGE thanks to my wonderful reviewers: Avatarfanx2, Chang Kuei, Sheen Rox and bhoy1888! You guys make my days shine brighter with your reviews!!
Disclaimer: Basically, if you've read about it from the books, I don't own it. That belongs to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own the name 'Meilin', that belongs to the anime Card Captor Sakura. I own the character though, I just borrowed the name.
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Secret of the Chosen Heir
Chapter 7: Swordplay
"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled.
"Protego!" Harry responded. Hermione's spell deflected harmlessly away, scattering the garden gnomes that were starting to return to their holes.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "For the last time, we're practicing non-verbal spells! You must get used to not shouting out every spell you use!"
"I know, I know! I'm just used to it alright? Let's try it again." Harry sighed.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, Cho and Draco were in the backyard of the Burrow, practicing their spells. They had decided to work on non-verbal spells, since it was hard and they did not get to practice very much last year.
"Alright fine. Stupefy!"
Harry quickly waved his wand, frantically thinking of the spell. The spell was on the tip of his tongue, ready to roll out.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, unable to hold it back any longer.
"Harry James Potter!" Hermione shouted, exasperated, "You're almost worse than Ron at this!"
"Oi! Don't bring me into this! I didn't do anything!" Ron yelled from the other side of the yard where he was practicing with Cho.
"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Harry said, throwing up his hands.
"I think we should take a break," Cho said, giggling at Harry's frustration.
"Agreed, we could all use a break," Draco agreed, putting his wand away.
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called from within the house, "Minerva wants to see you immediately! Come in!"
Harry groaned, "What now?"
Ron shrugged, "Mum's been expecting McGonagall to come over all morning, I wonder it's about."
"Well, I better go in then," Harry trudged toward the house, "You guys don't have to come with me."
"We'll wait for you out here then, mate!" Ron nodded, then turned back to Cho, "Alright, I think I almost got it, let's try again."
Cho grinned and sent a Stunner towards him, non-verbally.
Ron blanched at the sudden attack and reeled away just as the stunner went past, "Hey! You weren't supposed to do that!"
Cho stuck her tongue out at him, "You said you were ready!"
"Well, I wasn't ready for that!"
Harry laughed along with the rest of them, then turned and went into the Burrow. McGonagall was waiting for him, a young man by her side. He looked Chinese, with well-groomed black hair and deep amber eyes. He was tall and lean, but the thing that drew Harry's attention was the sword that was resting on his lap.
"Ah, Potter, here you are," McGonagall stood, "How are you?"
"Er...good, Professor," Harry responded awkwardly, "You?"
"Fine, fine, Mr. Potter. Now, after you told me about the sword that you gained possession of, I went and thought long and hard about it," she paused, watching his reaction, "And I have come to the decision that you need to learn how to use that sword properly. So, I have found you a swords master."
"A what?" Harry asked, bewildered.
She stared at him, "A swords master. This is James Wong. He may be quite young, but he has enormous talent with the sword. What's more, he has agreed to teach you without payment."
The young man beside her bowed slightly at Harry then extended his hand, "My pleasure, Mr. Potter."
Harry shook his hand, "Er...pleasure to meet you too sir."
"Good, now that it's all been settled, I must attend to my own business. Good day to you, Mr. Potter, James." McGonagall nodded to each of them and left quickly.
"So, Mr. Potter, McGonagall has told me that you are in possession of the great sword of Godric Gryffindor himself! May I see it?" James Wong asked, a twinkle in his eye.
"Er...yeah, sure. It's right here." He took the feather out of his pocket and it automatically reverted back into its true form.
James took it from hi reverently and looked at it carefully, turning it over and over in his hands. Finally, he handed it back to Harry, "A fine sword. But for the moment, you mustn't use it, or we will both be cut to ribbons. Until you are ready to use it, please keep it safe, Mr. Potter."
"Uh, James?" Harry said, feeling a little embarrassed, "Could you call me Harry?"
James smiled, "Of course. You should've said so earlier."
Harry didn't know what to say.
"Now," James said, abruptly changing the topic, "Mrs. Weasley has been so kind to offer us the attic for our lessons and practice. Let's head up there right now."
"Um, James? About what you said earlier, about not using the Gryffindor sword?" Harry ventured as they headed to the attic."
"What about it?"
"What am I going to use instead?"
"These." James waved his wand and conjured up two wooden swords, "This way, we won't give each other anything other than bruises." He tossed one to Harry.
"Why do I have to learn how to use the sword anyways? I mean, I could always use my wand right?"
"Yes, that's true. One couldn't use a wand and a sword at the same time if he didn't learn how, but for you, I think it's best if you could still attack if your wand was taken or broken."
"But wouldn't I get killed before I could get one stroke because it's more hand to hand?"
James grinned, "If that was the case, McGonagall wouldn't have thought to get lessons for you at all right?"
They reached the attic, "Ready?" James asked.
"But you didn't-" Harry was cut short as James suddenly swung the sword at his head, just stopping short of his neck.
"Rule number 1: Don't let your guard down." James said seriously, "You never know when the person next to you or in front of you or behind you will attack."
Harry gulped.
James swung again, this time, Harry dodged.
"Good, but you were expecting it. Try using your sword to block my blow."
And so it went for hours and hours. By the end of the practice, Harry was tired, sweaty, bruised, and hungry. James, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit tired.
"Very good today, Harry. You're a quick learner." James praised when Mrs. Weasley called them down to dinner.
"Thanks," Harry managed a tired grin, "Are you staying for supper?"
James nodded, "I'll be staying here until you master the sword. Mrs. Weasley has given me the attic to sleep in, the kind woman."
"Harry! There you are mate!" Ron exclaimed. His hair was a mess of leaves and dirt.
"What happened to you?" Harry asked as he slid into the seat next to Ron.
"Oh, my non-verbal spells didn't work and so I was blown back a couple times," Ron grinned, "I'm getting the hang of it though! Isn't that right Cho?"
There was no answer, Cho was staring in disbelief at James and James was likewise staring at Cho.
"Cho?" James choked out.
"James!" Cho suddenly shrieked. She threw her arms around James, laughing delightedly, "Oh James! What are you doing here?"
James hugged her tightly, "I'm teaching Harry how to use the sword. What are you doing here?"
Cho sighed, "It's a really long story, I'll tell you later alright?"
"Uh..." Ron interrupted them, "Want to tell the rest of us what's going on?"
Harry looked almost mad with jealousy, but he said nothing and just put a protective arm around Cho when she sat down next to him.
"Sorry, everyone," Cho said, sheepishly, "You see, James was Wei's best friend."
There was a chorus of "Oh"s.
"My family and his were friends since our parents were children in China. But when we moved to England, we sort of lost contact," Cho continued, "We only heard from each other once in a while and we almost never saw each other. But James would sometimes come to visit us on his own. He and Wei were the best of friends and in a way, he became part of the family. We used to sing together too. He was always a second older brother to me and Meilin."
James nodded in confirmation, then asked, "If you're here, Cho, where's the rest of your family?"
A tense silence reigned.
"Ah, well...you see..." Hermione stuttered, "They're...um...er..."
"They're dead," Cho said flatly, though quietly. Harry's arm tightened around her in comfort.
James looked shocked, "What?" he whispered.
"I'll tell you later alright? Let's not make everyone wait on us," Cho replied, blinking back tears.
"Uh, right then, everybody dig in!" Mrs. Weasley said in an awkwardly cheery voice.
A normal conversation started up and things became livelier again as the tense atmosphere slowly evaporated away. Cho and James, however, picked at their food and didn't really pay attention to much.
"Are you alright?" Harry whispered to Cho.
She nodded mutely and gave him a tiny smile, "I will be."
--A few weeks later—
"Alright, good! I think you're ready duel me now," James announced during their swordplay lesson.
"What?" Harry asked surprised.
"You heard me. We're going to duel. You win, you get to ask one question and I have to answer truthfully. I win, I get the same. Best out of three rounds, ready? Go!"
The clatter of wood lasted a long time and still neither master nor student gave way. Finally, James managed to trip Harry and pointed the sword at his neck before he could get up.
"I win first round," he grinned, "Though that was very good." He moved away.
Harry scrambled up, "Second round, go!"
Again, the two of them seemed to circle each other forever with their wooden swords for an eternity. James lunged his sword pointed at Harry's chest. Harry parried it and suddenly found himself holding his own sword to James' neck.
"How did I do that?" Harry asked, surprised.
"I dropped my sword when you parried the blow and when I went to pick it up, you swung, so the moment I got up, the sword was at my neck," he replied calmly, "Very good tactic Harry."
"Er...thanks."
"Last round, go!"
The last round did not last nearly as long as the others. James was beginning to tire and so was Harry. But fired by the opportunity to ask James the one question that was burning him kept Harry going until he at last wound his way around James arm and disarmed him, then put the sword at his neck.
Harry grinned, "I won!"
James grinned too, "Well done!"
"Alright, my question: What do you feel for Cho?"
James raised his eyebrow, "You're going to waste the question? I don't normally give out information about myself, so if you want to ask another, you do it now."
"I'm sticking with this question." Harry said firmly.
James sighed, "I love Cho like I would love a little sister. That's all, nothing romantic or sexual, got it?"
"That's the truth?"
"You can pour Veritaserum down my throat and my answer will be the same."
Harry relaxed, "I believe you."
James chuckled, "You know, you're a strange one, Harry Potter. But you really care about Cho and for that, I'm grateful."
Harry nodded, blushing a little.
There was a short pause as both of them rested a bit and caught their breaths.
"You know how you asked me the first day how you're going to win a duel if you have a sword and your opponent has a wand?" James asked presently.
Harry nodded, "Why?"
"Because now that you've mastered the technique of swordplay, I'm going to teach you how to use magic through your sword."
"You can do that?"
Now it was James' turn to nod, "Of course, the sword that you use to cast spells must be made by a witch or a wizard, so a Muggle sword wouldn't work for that."
Harry stared at him, "So I get to use Gryffindor's sword now?" he asked hopefully.
James shook his head apologetically, "Not yet. That sword is extremely powerful. One wrong word and the whole house might be destroyed. No, you'll be using a weaker sword for the spells for now, until you can control the magic." He conjured up a plain-looking sword and tossed it to Harry.
"Now, the sword is naturally an offensive weapon, so naturally, the most effective spells to use through the sword are offensive ones," James continued, "However, if you concentrate and train hard enough, you can use defensive spells with it too. But for now, we'll focus on offensive spells."
So they began lessons once more. James made everything look extremely easy, but it wasn't, as Harry found out quickly. The amount of concentration to produce even a spark from his sword was enormous. He had to pour every ounce of mind power he had.
"It's much more difficult than using a wand because there is no magical object that's focusing the power for you, you have to focus everything yourself," James explained gently after a few frustrated tries.
Harry nodded, gritting his teeth. I can do this. Now, concentrate. He took a deep breath, Flagrate.
There was a large spark and the tip of his sword began to smoke.
Almost there. He thought urging the smoke to become flames with his mind, Come on, Flagrate!
The tip of his sword smoked more and suddenly there was a small flame sitting at the end of his sword.
James was shouting something, but Harry didn't hear it. His mind was still focused on the flame. He began to move the sword a little bit. A trail of fire followed.
"Aguamenti!" James said, softly. A shower of water burst from his sword and put out the fire that Harry made.
Harry collapsed, breathing heavily.
"Harry, that was...amazing!" James said, astounded, "I didn't even expect you to do it non-verbally!"
"I did?" Harry hadn't even realized it.
James nodded proudly, "That's probably why you're completely drained now. You did it non-verbally and you held the focus for a long time. That was bloody brilliant, Harry!"
Harry swallowed. He tired, so tired.
"Now you need lots of rest. Don't worry, I'll tell Mrs. Weasley, you just hurry off to bed," He patted Harry on the shoulder, "Oh and here, have some chocolate, it always helps me."
Harry wearily took the Chocolate Frog and popped it into his mouth. Feeling the tiniest bit energized, he managed to get up and get into bed.
James watched him until he closed the door, then headed downstairs.
"Is he alright?" Cho asked worriedly after he had explained everything to Mrs. Weasley.
James nodded, "He'll be fine."
Cho sighed in relief.
"You really love him, don't you?" James commented.
Cho nodded, blushing.
"Well, he really loves you too. I can tell."
Cho looked up at him for a bit, then looked away again, smiling happily, "I know."
"Oh by the way, shouldn't you be practicing your spells with the others?"
She nodded, "I just wanted to see how Harry was doing when I saw you come down alone."
James feigned hurtness, "You didn't come to see me? Oh Cho! That hurts!"
Cho punched his arm playfully, "Live with it then, you big sissy!" She laughed and ran back outside.
"Pertrificus totalus!" a voice shouted the moment she stepped outside. Cho quickly conjured a Shield and laughed as Ron sputtered with indignance.
"I thought you would have been too surprised to do anything!"
"Then you should have done the spell non-verbally, Ronald!" Hermione shrieked. Like always, Hermione had mastered the technique before the rest of them, other than Cho since she had to do it for her N.E.W.T.S.
"Let's duel, Chang." Draco drawled lazily, having mastered it himself.
Cho grinned, "Challenge accepted, Mr. Malfoy."
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As you can tell, this chapter takes place quite a while after the previous one, so Cho's grief is still there, it's just not so fresh. How long you want the time between the two chapters to be is your choice. Oh and I hope you guys didn't mind another OC in there. James Wong is based on one of my second cousins in Hong Kong. His personality fit, so I put him in as the sword teacher. Anyways, this story won't continue for very long I don't think, a couple more chapters. But stay tuned til the end!! Don't leave me yet! lol...you guys are awesome:D
Please review :D