CHAPTER 39: TIGER DOJO
(Severus POV)
"Merlin," gasped Alice in wonder, as she started taking a look around. Walking beside her was Rose, and while the blue-haired girl remained silent, the same surprised expression that was on the black-haired female's face can be seen on her own.
Severus Snape was not surprised with their reactions.
About a week before, Ilya had woken up the raven-haired young man to do some (against the rules) nighttime exploring. Technically, Ilya had been doing said illegal exploration alone, much to Severus' worry, so he made his girlfriend promise to let him come whenever she felt like doing so. At least that way, half of the blame will go to him (most, or all of the blame, if he was lucky) if ever they were caught, and it was then that Ilya showed him the room she had discovered.
When Severus entered the chamber with Ilya at the time, there was nothing in it. It was a large, vacant, circular room, about a third of the size of the Great Hall, which was occupied by air, literally. There were six doors, aside from the main entrance, which lead to six other chambers of the same size, all of which were also empty. Now, however…
The vacant room looked completely different to how it was before. The walls were painted white, and the once gloomy-looking room now looked lively. A wooden floor was placed on top of the concrete one, and a large sign was hanging on one side of the room, with an unfamiliar language written on it, though Ilya had told him what they mean: Tiger Dojo.
"Where did you get all these Ilya?" inquired Rose quietly, as she picked up, then inspected a long thin, finely carved, piece of wood, that was resting on one of the corner most parts of the room with others similar to it, while Alice, who had become surprisingly quiet as well, went for the shorter wooden ones which were shaped like daggers.
"I made them myself," said Ilya conversationally, which made the eyes of their two female friends widen. "With magic…"
"Magic? But they are too well-made… to have simply been crafted by magic," muttered the blue-haired girl, more to herself than to the other occupants of the room, as, to Severus' amusement, she started piercing the air with the wooden spear in her hand.
Even Severus was amazed with what they managed to accomplish, although most of it was his girlfriend's doing. In a few short days, they managed to transform it from a lonely, empty abandoned chamber, into a…
Hmmm? thought Severus to himself, feeling discomfort. This feeling…
"Hey, Rose," said a cheerful female voice.
"What is it, Al…"
WHOOOSH!
What in the name of Merlin? thought the raven-haired young man to himself.
One moment, Alice was talking in her usual cheery tone. The next moment…
It all happened in a flash. In one instant, without making a single sound after calling out, the black-haired female moved quickly, two wooden daggers on both hands, towards the blue-haired girl, who had her back to Alice. In the next instant…
CRACK!
"Guh!" voiced Alice, as she leapt backwards, her eyes widened with surprise, frowning for a moment, before it turned into a smirk.
"Now, that wasn't very nice…" growled a female voice, the beast-like characteristic of her narrowed, ruby-red eyes clearly visible…
On one side of the room was Rose, the wooden lance swung over her shoulder. On the other side of the room…
"That was impressive," said Alice, the smirk still plastered on her face, holding her two pairs of daggers in a defensive position…
Severus could not help but gasp. The wooden knives Alice was holding in her right hand… only the handles remained… the blades were completely destroyed…. And the ones she had on her left hand had cracks on them…
The raven-haired young man clearly saw what happened. The black-haired girl, who was originally on the offensive, was forced to go into defense, as the blue-haired girl thrust her wooden lance forward, before the other female could get any closer…
It was incredibly fast, and Alice barely had time to get her wooden blades into a defensive stance before it struck…
"And you're not so bad yourself…though your methods are rather underhanded," replied Rose, a feral grin, similar yet much more vicious to the one which appears when she was scolding misbehaving students, on it. "I concede…it's your win…"
Huh? thought Severus, feeling confused, knowing that there was a surprised expression on his face. He could not understand what was going on. Even though he was still a novice when it comes to non magic-related duels, he can tell that the one who was at a disadvantage was Alice. Why did…
But before the question could finish forming in his thoughts, it was answered.
"What the…" gasped Severus, as something fell to the floor. It was the tip of the wooden spear that Rose was holding, clearly sliced off.
When did she… thought the bemused former Slytherin.
"You still have much to learn, Sev," said another voice suddenly in an almost-whisper. "You did not even realize that I was already standing beside you now, did you…"
Severus turned to his right, and saw Ilya looking at him amusedly. Not only has he failed to see the strike which was undoubtedly done by the black-haired former Gryffindor to destroy the lance's tip, he was so entranced and focused on the swift confrontation between Rose and Alice that he failed to notice that his girlfriend had snuck up on him…
"…Still, I must commend you," continued the silver-haired girl in a low voice. "You managed to sense the change in the atmosphere, as well as followed their movements to an extent, despite the fact that you haven't used Reinforcement on yourself…"
The young man could not help but smile, as the tone of his girlfriend's voice contained admiration in it. Still…
"Prepare yourself," growled a female voice.
?! was the only thought that entered Severus mind at what transpired next…
The blue-haired girl, holding another spear, was the one who charged forward this time, thrusting her wooden lance forward in quick successions, while the black-haired female dodged it, clearly having difficulty doing so…
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
CRACK!
"Whaa…!"
WHOOSH!
"I win again," said Alice with a smirk, as Rose's eyes narrowed, making a beast-like scowl, weaponless, her lance sent flying a considerable distance, near the edge of the room, while her opponent still held three of her four daggers, although one was destroyed. "I learned that one from Ilya…want to go for another round?"
The raven-haired young man gulped, as he remembered the 'prying the weapon off your opponent trick' that Ilya used against Alice on the train, which she seemed to have learned, even after only seeing it done once.
"Hmmm…" mused the silver-haired girl, watching their two other female companions resume with their little 'spar'. "I guess even the Unbreakable Charm has its limits… I better make some improvements then…"
"Shouldn't we try and stop them?" inquired the young man of his girlfriend in a whisper, as the third round of the sparring partners raged on, though to Severus (Though he could tell that their murderous intent was false.) it looked more like they were trying to kill each other. "Weren't you planning to tell them something?"
"I am, but let's wait until they finish first," said Ilya in an amused tone, as the two of them continued watching the ongoing battle. "I wouldn't want to spoil their fun…"
The raven-haired young man took one look at the viciously sparring females, and then at his girlfriend, who was wearing a rather… strange smile on her face, as he felt cold sweat running down his face…
Severus felt a shiver run down his spine, as he briefly recalled the article he read in a Muggle Magazine.
Just like any other cats, tigers can be cute, sweet and playful. But if you ever cross one…
The raven-haired young man gulped as he remembered the carnage that was portrayed in the article…
And according to it as well, female tigers tend to be far more ferocious than the male ones…
Tiger dojo huh, sighed the young man inwardly, as he and Ilya watched Alice and Rose on their fifth round, both at two wins and two losses, with damage visible on their clothes, as his silver-haired girlfriend muttered about forgetting to prepare some protective gear. Definitely a fitting name…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Well, I must admit, that was a pathetic display, Severus, getting beaten up by a girl," mocked a female voice, belonging to a certain black-haired former Gryffindor.
The raven-haired young man could not help but scowl, but had no retort, knowing full well that what Alice said was true.
Flashback
"Here," she said, as Severus caught what it was that she threw at him… a wooden sword.
"Ilya?" asked Severus in a quiet voice, as he took one look at the pair of swords that she was holding in her hands, and then at her face, a smile plastered on it before…
WHOOSH!
CRACK!
THUD!
"GAH!" shouted Severus, as he landed painfully on his bottom, finally noticing that Rose and Alice had finished with their own fight, and were watching the exchange, an annoying look plastered on their faces…
Ilya, who was looking at the broken weapon beside the raven-haired young man, sighed. "I really have to find a way to makes these more durable…" And she walked off towards the stock of wooden training weapons, taking another sword…
End of Flashback
Ilya decided to postpone telling their two friends about magecraft for another time, which would be the next day, as she had planned on the four of them going to the room on a daily basis, to which the other two females agreed. They had been happily focusing on something else which, in Severus' opinion, was equally as dangerous… although for him, that wasn't the problem…
In the last week of August, Ilya had begun giving Severus training on swordsmanship. Naturally, as Ilya's 'body was made out of swords,' she was skilled with the blade, and thus Severus had no hope of beating her, even if he uses Reinforcement while she does not. At first, even though his reflexes were already good as they are, he could not tell whether or not his skill with wielding the sword has improved, as the results with his spars with Ilya never changed… he normally ended up fainting, kneeling on the floor, or falling on his butt (as well as the fact that the practice swords they were using still ended up obliterated after every match, one way or another.).
Now, he was able to at least personally tell that he may have had some improvement. While Ilya had been telling him that she had been slowly increasing the level of fighting she makes her boyfriend experience, Severus found it hard to believe. Now, however, with the exception of the first spar, Severus was now able to last at least a few minutes against her, even without using Reinforcement on his body. Even Ilya told him happily that she was impressed with his progress. Still…
Like Alice said, he was pathetic, and this thought has been nagging at him continuously, a small voice at the back of his mind. And it was not because he got beaten up by a girl, as the black-haired former Gryffindor said. No, the reason why he felt pathetic… was because of the way he was at the moment…
Yes, he knew it. He was not yet strong enough. He was still weak. He swore to himself that he would stay by Ilya's side, to be able to protect her… for them to be able to protect each other… yet the way things are at the moment… he felt so useless…
I have to get stronger… thought Severus to himself, his thoughts mostly wandering on his strengths and weaknesses, on swordsmanship, on magecraft, on inventing new spells instead of his studies, as he, Ilya, Alice and Rose continued reading (Although in his case, pretending to read.) their school textbooks in the Ravenclaw common room, to prepare for the classes for the next day…
-BREAK-
(James POV)
"You're sure it's around here?" asked the dog animagus with a growl.
"Of course I'm sure," replied the messy-haired boy with glasses, as he pulled out his wand and did some edits on the Marauders Map, brushing off a couple of moths that landed on it, double-checking it, making sure that the dots of certain four people were at a safe distance, on the seventh floor, then updating the Map, incorporating the new corridor into it. "The door is on this spot, right Wormy?"
The rat animagus nodded nervously.
James Potter was not having a good day, nor has he had one that can ever be truly considered nice ever since he entered Hogwarts for his sixth year… and it was all thanks to a certain greasy-haired git and his Lily-Evans-copycat wench.
Yes, James and his Marauders friends, knowing full well the possible consequences of continuing, grudgingly decided to stop their Snivellus-hunting habit. It was only logical. After everything they have seen and experienced, it was only natural for them to be literally…scared out of their wits, and thus opted to just avoid any confrontations, lest it cost them dearly, probably their lives included. James could not help but feel fortunate that D.A.D.A classes have not yet started, as it was the only particular N.E.W.T.s class wherein the students of all Houses are mixed together and taught as one. Luckily enough, as Snape had been transferred to Ravenclaw, the rest of his classes were held in double session with the Hufflepuffs, as the Gryffindors had them with the Slytherins (While that was not pleasant, the slimy serpents were at least more tolerable without the greasy git around.).
Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs thought that it would be for the best. Pretend as if Severus Snape and Ilyasviel Emiya don't exist, ignore them, and everything would be fine. And for a little while things seemed to be going according to plan… But then…
Flashback
(James POV)
"Hey, there Moony, want to go Maraudering with us?" inquired James of one of his best friends, early Monday morning.
"We're going to plant a Portable Swamp in front of the Slytherin common room," added Padfoot, with a canine grin on his face. "Should ensure that those Slimy Snakes are able to start the week right."
"Sorry, but I'm rather busy at the moment, you three can go ahead without me," replied the cured werewolf, who was busy reading something.
"Oh, okay then," replied Prongs, sounding disappointed. "Catch you later then…"
End of Flashback
Yes, ever since fifth year, Remus had been coming with them less and less during their Maraudering exploits. Moony was a bookworm after all, and since the O.W.L.s were coming up, it was understandable that he would spend a lot of his time studying. And now in sixth year, when N.E.W.T.s, Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, were coming up, it was to be expected that he would indulge further than ever before into his reading and studies. However…
Flashback
(James POV)
"Such a shame," sighed James, as he and Sirius headed for the dungeons. "It would have been more fun if Moony came with us. Why can't he be a bit more carefree? Studying all the time? That's no fun at all…"
"True," replied Sirius. "Still, did you notice what Remus was reading, James?"
"No, what about it?" inquired James cheerfully. "I'm sure they're just some advanced textbooks for our upcoming exams."
"No they weren't," replied the dog animagus with a growl. "He wasn't reading any of our textbooks."
"What do you mean?" said James quickly, dropping his happy-go-lucky demeanor, as he noticed the seriousness in Sirius' voice. "What was Moony reading then?"
"He was reading the Bible," squeaked Wormtail suddenly.
"Bible?" asked James and Sirius together.
The rat animagus nodded. "I was following Remus like y-you told me to, and he went to the owlery… he said h-he was ordering books on warding off evil spirits… I'm not sure why though…"
End of Flashback
Ever since he got back from being kidnapped by Snivellus and the Emiya girl, their friend Moony had been acting really strangely. And this made James, Sirius, and Peter really worried. Something was definitely fishy…
Thanks to Peter's animagus form and the Marauder's map, they were able to track and stalk Severus Snape and his company unnoticed. However…
CRASH!
"Damn it, why won't it open?" barked Sirius, as he was slammed on the wall opposite of the one which Peter reported was supposed to be a door, although for some reason, the doorknob was nowhere to be seen. They tried ever spell they knew, even resorting to the use of brute physical force, yet they were unable to force open the door, remaining stiff as the wall it was pretending to be, into the room which undoubtedly held a lot of secrets that Snape and his merry friends had been hiding…
Even though they found the entrance to what James and his friends believe will give them the answers they want, they were unable to enter it, even though it was just in front of them...
So near, yet so far…
BOOM!
"There has to be a way," snarled James, panting in exhaustion, as the Reductor Curse he used (for the twentieth or so times) on the pretend-wall did not even leave a mark, which meant that either the door was really tough or, as should be expected, was protected by powerful enchantments. He was soon brought out of his reverie, however.
"H-hey James, Sirius!" squeaked Pettigrew suddenly, his watery eyes on the Marauders Map. "Someone's coming this way!"
Without another thought, the three Marauders placed the Invisibility Cloak over themselves and ran as fast as they could from the narrow corridor, getting away just in time, as the caretaker's cat, Skittles, appeared around the corner, followed immediately by the caretaker. Argus Filch, himself...
"At least now we know where it is," whispered James to Sirius and Peter, who nodded in agreement.
All they need to do now is find a way to enter it. It will be difficult, but James was confident that they will be able to find a way to break through the protective spells and enchantments. And once they do… they will be able to get their hands on enough evidence to have Snivellus expelled, and send him and his little group packing…
-BREAK-
(Ilya POV)
Ever since she first entered Hogwarts, Ilya had done a bit of exploring the school, and found it to be quite interesting. Having the ability to grasp the basic structure of buildings, she had found out many things about the Hogwarts Castle. Thanks to Severus, Rose and Alice, who served as her tour guides, she managed to familiarize herself with the place really quickly.
The castle, unlike the rumors she heard that it was able to remain standing due to magic, actually had a strong, solid, non-magical foundation. While it was true that things seemed to be run by magical energy, like the moving stairs, the pretend walls and doors, and others, the castle was actually held up by impressive pillars, made of non-weatherable material. Although they were enchanted by magic, they were sure to last thousands of years even without it, being made with the finest mixture of metal and ceramics, keeping the castle structure firmly in place. However, there were also some places which Ilya's skill could not penetrate. For starters, there was a large portion of the castle underground which seemed like a void, black in color. She knew that it was magic of some sort blocking her vision, but no matter how she tried, she could not see past it. Another such place was a wall on the seventh floor. Ilya was sure that there was a room behind it, but for some reason, she could not see past the vision block there as well.
This fact rather frustrated Ilya, and further aroused her curiosity, but decided to leave it for another time. She did, after all, using her ability, manage to find numerous hidden passages all throughout Hogwarts, and a number of them actually led out of the school, and this fact led Ilya to wonder whether they were placed there by the Founders in case of emergency to escape the castle, or simply to give explorative and rule-breaking students a great opportunity…
And it was through one of these explorations that she found the vacant room chambers on the fourth floor, unknown to everyone else…
Or so she thought…
At first, Ilya was not pleased. In a matter of a few days, the location she had thought would be ideal had been discovered rather quickly, and by three of her's and Severus' least favorite people no less.
She was not worried about them breaking the enchantments she placed. Having had enough time on her hands, she was able to study the frequency of the Hogwarts Castle Magic and its protective wards, and was thus able to place powerful defenses around her new territory. And indeed, she was confident that the protection she placed would suffice to prevent even powerful wizards from entering it…
Well… except perhaps their Head of House Filius Flitwick and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
Flitwick was their Charms teacher, and the defenses installed around his office was enough of a testament to confirm that he was really talented with area protection magic. Ilya had once visited the short teacher with Rose to submit their essays in advance, and the silver-haired girl was impressed. As it stands, Flitwick was still her superior when it comes to this branch of magic. And anyone who is good at setting up protection is undoubtedly just as talented at destroying it…
Then there was the Headmaster, and he was an even bigger potential threat. As of the moment, save for the fact that she felt enormous amounts of magical energy coming from said silver beard, Ilya had no exact gauge of his abilities, and that in itself was troubling. The old man was dangerous, probably just as, or even more so than Lord Voldemort… And the feeling she gets from the Headmaster was similar to the one which she got from her father, Kiritsugu Emiya. Dumbledore was unreadable, and if the Marauders decide to report their discovery to the Professors, especially him… that would not be good…
Fortunately, the silver-haired girl had set up surveillance around the entrance of her recently established territory. She had placed several insect familiars, as well as placed a spell on the adjacent wall, the visions of which Ilya can access at will (As well as playback previous visions, just like a video recorder.). Because of it, what could have been a huge problem was instead turned into an advantageous position.
"Ilya, are you alright?" inquired a male voice nervously.
"Oh, yes, I'm fine Sev," replied Ilya to her boyfriend, who undoubtedly noticed the evil smile that appeared on her face. "I was just…thinking…of something…"
Sev stared at her worriedly for a few more seconds, before getting back to work on a N.E.W.T.s Transfiguration Project (Although it was not his own. Ilya knew that Sev had already finished his, and he was undoubtedly commissioned to make the current one for someone else.).
Yes, she will tell Sev, Rose and Alice about it the next day, but for now, she has an assignment to finish…
Fufufu… so they have an Invisibility Cloak… Peter Pettigrew's a rat animagus… they have a map that lets them know the current location of every single person in Hogwarts... mused Ilya to herself. as she continued answering the homework given to the fifth years by Professor Slughorn…
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Alright! Another chapter out then. Man, it's not exactly easy having a lot of things to do. Busy with school works, busy with your job, then you catch the flu and there you have it. So I tried to take the day off, but hell I couldn't sleep. And since that was just the case anyway, I settled for doing something I like instead.
Never actually expected it to get this long when I first started this fanfic, though at a later point I made additional plans and hell, at its current planned length, it is not yet even half way there.
I did a bit of editing and damn did I make another blunder. I was trying to follow most of the cannon, so I did a bit of rereading, then I found out that Filch was already the caretaker during 1973, and this story is in 1976... what a drag... I won't change the cat's name though, since they can only live an average of twenty years...
Anyway, like always, I hope you enjoy reading my fics...
Later then, people...