Hello, everyone. Sorry for the wait. I'm just glad I was able to finish another chapter before the year was over. A reader requested what Harry looks like as a faunus so I'll be adding it to the story again. I'll be using feather terminology, but I don't really know how accurately it will be.


A soft buzzing made Harry open his eyes. His scroll, set at 6 am, was vibrating against the dresser beside his bed. The screen was emitting a bright, white glow, almost forcing his eyes closed again. He picked up the device and pushed the cancel button. He was tempted to push the 'snooze' button and get another ten minutes. However, a rustling and another buzzing told him Pyrrha's scroll was going off too.

Sighing, he sat up and pushed the bed sheets aside. He then softly brushed the feathers on his arms, straightening any that crumbled in the night. And then ran a hand through his hair and feathers, making sure none were bent.

The sun was barely peaking of over the horizon, bathing the room in a soft glow. Harry turned to see Pyrrha already out of bed and stretching. Weiss was in the corner of the room, still sleeping with her body facing away from them. Nora had somehow pushed the covers off the bed and was hanging one leg and arm over the side. Harry was surprised she didn't fall off.

And she was still snoring. Loudly.

Harry got out of bed and walked to Nora's. He gathered her up gently and pushed her back onto the bed center. Then he gathered the sheets on the ground and covered her up, tucking in the sheets.

He turned around when he heard a giggle.

"That's adorable," Pyrrha whispered.

"She's my partner," Harry whispered back, smiling slightly. "I just hope it won't happen often."

The two unpacked their workout clothes and got dressed. They agreed to turn around and not peak until they were both ready. Then, they exited as quietly as they could and made their way to the grounds of their dorm. Apparently, they weren't the only ones who ran in the mornings as they saw several individuals stretching outside.

"Classes start at 9, right?" asked Harry. He was on the ground, stretching his calves.

"Correct," answered Pyrrha. She was touching the ground with her fingertips. "Grimm Studies with Professor Port and History with Professor Oobleck after that."

"Dr. Oobleck," corrected Harry. "He gets upset if you miss the doctor."

"You've met him before?"

"The day Professor Goodwitch invited me to Beacon. I met all of them that day."

Pyrrha stood and pulled her leg up behind her back. "How did you get recruited a year before 17?"

"My semblance," said Harry. "Seeker. Basically, if I want to find something, my semblance points in the direction to find it. Places and people."

"That's handy. I can see why the headmaster would want a semblance like that close at hand."

"What's your semblance?"

Pyrrha switched legs. "Polarity."

"So that's how you were able to levitate over the ravine yesterday. You used your shield to hand-glide over."

"You're not the only one who can fly," Pyrrha smiled.

The duo started the run, agreeing to finish at 7:30 so they could get a shower and breakfast. Harry, even with his strength, could barely keep up with Pyrrha. The girl barely seemed out of breath when they finished, while Harry was practically doubled over. Pyrrha was very athletic compared to a lot of Huntsman Harry knew.

When they got back to their dorm, Weiss was already up. She was in the dressed into her Beacon uniform. A white, buttoned shirt and a brown waistcoat covered with a black blazer. She was wearing a plaid, short skirt and showing off enough leg that made Harry swallow. She wore socks that reached her knees, but still displayed a lot of skin. Professor McGonagall would have had a stroke if a Hogwarts student showed up to her class dressed like that, dying before she could assign detention

Nora was still asleep. Snoring, too.

"Pyrrha. Would you like to come downstairs with me for breakfast?" asked Weiss politely.

Butt-kissing Weiss engaged.

"Sure. Just let me get a quick shower and change."

Harry turned around while Pyrrha gathered her uniform and shower caddy. He gently shook Nora's body.

"Nora. Time to get up," he said.

"Five more minutes, Renny" she mumbled.

"Nora if you don't get up, all the pancakes will be gone," said Harry.

Nora's eyes snapped open, and she jumped up on top of her bed. "They better not be!" It took a moment of intense breathing before Nora snapped out of her thoughts and realized where she was. "Oh. Is it breakfast time?" she asked Harry.

"Yes, Nora. All of us are awake."

"Good. Then Renny should be here right about…."

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Now."

Weiss opened the dorm door to reveal Ren with a breakfast tray in his hand. He was also already dressed in Beacon's uniform while also wearing an apron that read 'Please do nothing to the cook'.

"Ren!" squealed Nora. She jumped out of bed and grabbed the tray out of Ren's hands. Then she sat down at her desk and began to pour an obscene amount of syrup on her large stack of pancakes.

"Wow. You came prepared," said Harry, impressed with Ren's abilities.

Ren stepped into the room. "When you've been around Nora as long as I have, you have to be." He pulled a small book out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. "Here. You are her partner now. Read up."

The Best Friend's Guide to Handling your new Nora by Lie Ren.

"Thanks. I'll brush up on it later," said Harry in relief.

"Did you bring those from the cafeteria?" asked Weiss.

"No. I made them."

"Made them? Where?"

"The student kitchenette down the hall. The rest of my team are eating there, too."

Team HPVS followed Ren down the hall to an area they didn't see last night. Indeed, there was a very large kitchen with all the basic utilities and cupboards. Stove, refrigerator, and even a dishwasher. On one side of the room there was list of rules about using the kitchen. The rest of team RXAR was sitting at a table in the corner, still in their pajamas.

Harry winced as he saw Jaune was still wearing his onesie.

"I can make some more if you want," offered Ren.

"Try them! They're awesome!" Ruby muffled through a full mouth.

"That won't be necessary," said Weiss before anyone could answer. "Pyrrha and I will be in the cafeteria. They have a selection of healthy options suitable for starting the day." With that, Weiss turned and left the room. Pyrrha gave Ren an apologetic look before following.

"What's her problem?" asked Yang. "There is nothing wrong with pancakes for breakfast."

"I'm not offended, Yang," said Ren as he started putting bowls and plates in the sink. "I imagine that Weiss grew up in a strict upbringing and has to follow a specific diet."

"And Pyrrha?"

Harry sighed and answered. "Pyrrha is too nice to say no. She probably didn't want to anger her partner on the first day of classes."

"Well, more for me," grinned Jaune as he pulled a few more flapjacks from the pile in the middle of the table. Harry rushed forward and grabbed a few before Jaune could finish the stack.

Later, after everyone helped Ren load the dishwasher, Harry grabbed his new Beacon uniform and went to the showers. Luckily, he was the only one in there now. He didn't want another run in with Winchester.

Harry showered and scrubbed off the sweat from earlier. When he stepped out, his reflection in the large mirror caught his gaze. Most mirrors he used were barely big enough to see his torso. Now, he finally got see what months of training did.

He was still wiry, that hadn't changed at all. But after two months of wilderness training, his body was now defined enough not to be called skinny. His stomach now showed the tracings of his abdomen while his pectorals were more noticeable than they were before he left Earth. His shoulders only slightly wider than Ren's, but smaller than Jaune's. He curled his left arm, showing the bicep muscle in a way Dudley couldn't achieve with his boxing training.

He was in better shape being a Huntsman than Quidditch training could ever give him.

Using his Phoenix Fire, he dried himself off and traced the feathers on his forearms. The covered his entire forearm, starting at the wrist and ending at the elbow. Feathers completely covered both sides of his arm. He learned from his studies about faunus plumage, which included vane feathers and down feathers. They had the same red-gold markings as Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. They were quilled so close together they almost felt like a second skin.

Harry turned and looked at the feathers on his back. The plumage was in the shape of wings, connecting from his shoulder blades to the bottom of his back. They were vane feathers too, but the feathers outlining the wings were longer pennaceous feathers. It really gave the illusion that actual wings were furled along his back.

He turned back and focused on the feathers in his head. His hair was long enough to reach his chin, the longest it had ever been. He didn't trust a barber to cut his hair without cutting his feathers that were poking through his long hair. Yang once commented Harry looked like he had frosted red-gold tips.

Harry then gently brushed the lone crest feather, the biggest on his body. The quill started in between the middle and front of his head. Instead of red and gold, the feather was gold and black. It curved for nearly a foot and a half over the top of his head. Even if it was his largest feather, he couldn't feel it attached to his head unless he gently pulled it.

Sighing, he pulled his uniform out of its' dry clean bag. His uniform consisted of black dress slacks, a white-button dress shirt, a blue sweater vest, and black suit jacket with gold trim. They also included socks and shoes.

Harry put on his uniform. He had a little trouble with the tie, seeing it's been years since he first used one. Nobody in the wizard world used ties except to blend in with muggles. Mr. Weasley had a tie collection along with batteries and plugs. He had the oddest collection Harry had ever seen, which included the famous fish tie.

Actually, it was his Uncle Vernon who taught him and Dudley how to fasten a tie.

"No self-respecting man gets far in life without learning how to tie his own tie."

Granted, he didn't help Harry the way he helped Dudley. He went behind Dudley and showed him each step from his point of view. Harry just tried to follow along. It was one of the few things his uncle had taught him.

Harry finished his ensemble by trying his bandana around head to keep his hair out of his eyes. He learned that some accessories could added to their uniform if they didn't stand out. It would have to do until he could finally get a haircut.

"All right then," Harry said as he straightened his tie one final time. "Let's do this."


"Monsters. Deeemmooons. Prowlers of the night. Yes, the Grimm go by many names. But the only name I call them is prey! Haha!"

"If Lockhart gained a lot of weight and grew a mustache, he could possibly be Professor Port," Harry thought.

It was their first class and already Harry was feeling bored and drowsy. His notebook was open, but unwritten. His tapping pencil was the only thing keeping him awake. While Professor Port was loud and passionate, he had a certain droll that was making Harry and a few other students drowsy.

Ruby already fell asleep and woke up when Port laughed. Harry heard her snort from his seat across the aisle. Nora, who was sleeping while sitting up with her head leaned back as far as it could, didn't budge.

"Umm…and you shall too once graduating from this prestigious academy."

The classroom was packed with students. Port's Grimm Studies class was mandatory for all of Beacon's students, no matter which year. It was the first of the few classes they had each day. The classroom was more like a lecture hall, but on a much smaller scale. Chairs and tables were on stair-like platforms that focused on the teacher, who could see every student. The front of the classroom was decorated with images of Grimm posters. Small notes doted each Grimm to focus on claws, muscles, or other special abilities.

But what really reminded Harry of Gilderoy Lockhart was the gold bust of Professor Port that was on a raised dais. It made Harry cringe to look at it, but it could have been worse. Port could have had a dozen of them scattered around the classroom.

"Now, as I was saying, Vale as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teaming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in. Huntsmen. Huntresses," he said, throwing a wink at Team RXAR. Yang groaned with annoyance.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why, the very world!"

"Yeah!" yelled someone from the back. When he realized everyone in the class looked at him, he pulled his book in front of his red face.

"That is what you are training to become. But first…a story."

Harry bit back a groan that was threatening to emerge. 'Yep. Too much like Lockhart'. He just prayed that he wouldn't ask Harry to demonstrate how to catch a werewolf in front of the class.

His gaze drifted slightly to team RXAR, who was across the stairway. Somehow, the team just barely arrived in time for the late bell, even with the early start they had. Jaune propped his elbow on the table rest his head, barely paying attention. Ren was writing in notebook, taking notes or something. Yang was sitting straight but looking over the textbook. Ruby was furiously doodling on a piece of paper, snickering slightly.

His team was not much better. The only thing written on Harry's notebook was 'Grimm Studies' at the top. Nothing else. Nora was still napping and was most likely going to have a sore neck later. Pyrrha was reading the textbook like Yang was. Weiss was sitting up at full attention, absorbing every word Professor Port was saying. But Harry noticed her eyelids were slightly drooping.

"..despite my smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter' he told me…"

Harry heard more snickering across the stairway. He turned to see Ruby showing her doodle to her team. Jaune and Yang were stifling laughs while Ren just grinned. Ruby noticed Harry staring and she showed him the paper. On it was a crudely, drawn image of a fat Port with the words 'Professor Poop' written at the top. He couldn't help but snicker too.

Port coughed, bringing Harry back to attention. As Port continued his story, he felt a light punch on his left shoulder. Weiss was scowling at him.

"Pay attention!" she hissed.

Harry frowned, but faced the front as Port continued.

"The moral of the story. A true Huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must dedicated, well-educated, and wise. Now, which one of you believes to be a true huntsman?"

Weiss immediately rose her hand up. "I do, sir!" she said.

"Very well," answered Port. "Go get dressed in your combat gear, my dear, and face your opponent." He gestured to a large cage at one end of the room that was shaking violently.

Weiss nodded and quickly got up to leave. She bumped into Nora, who snorted and jerked awake.

"Pancakes?!" Nora called out.

"Sorry, Nora. No pancakes," said Pyrrha.

"Aww."

Weiss was gone for about five minutes before she came back with her gear and sword. She stood straight and proud as she walked down the steps to the classroom floor. Professor Port took his weapon down from the wall mantle and stood beside the cage. Weiss walked to the opposite side of the classroom and prepared her stance.

"Go Weiss!" yelled Nora.

"You can do it!" called out Pyrrha.

"Be careful and stay focused," Harry advised.

Weiss turned away from the cage and glared at Harry. Then she turned back to Professor Port.

"Are you ready?" called out Professor Port. Weiss nodded. "Then began!" he called out and slammed the lock with his weapon. The lock brock into several pieces and the door slammed open.

A Boarbatusk emerged from the cage and immediately charged towards Weiss, grunting and squealing. Weiss waited until the Grimm was close enough before rolling to the side and swiping her sword at its' flank. The blade bounced off the Grimm's bony armor. The Boarbatusk quickly stopped and turned its' body to face Weiss.

"Ha! Weren't expecting that, were you?" chortled Professor Port.

"Come on, Weiss! You can't take that crap from a pig!" yelled Nora.

Harry wondered if she meant the Grimm or Port.

The Boarbatusk charged forward again. Weiss met its' charge, hopefully trying to penetrate the skull with her sword. But the blade was hooked on the Grimm's tusk and almost pulled out of her hands. She held on, trying to free her sword.

"What a bold, new approach. I like it!" cheered Port.

"Fight smarter, not harder!" called out Pyrrha.

But the Boarbatusk ripped the sword out of Weiss' grip and flung the weapon across the room behind it. Stunned, Weiss was unable to recover before the Grimm headbutted her. Weiss slide across the room but quickly got back to her feet.

"Hoho, now what will you do without your weapon," boasted Port.

"Keep your focus, Weiss!" Harry called out.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss yelled back.

Harry stilled, hurt and confused at her exclamation. He turned to his teammates, who were looking back at him with same feelings.

The Boarbatusk charged Weiss again. She was able to dodge easily. The Grimm, however, slipped on the smooth floor with its hooves and slid into the wall. It rolled on its' back, squealing loudly. While it was helpless, Weiss hurried across the room and picked up her sword. She faced the Grimm, who got back to its' feet.

"She needs to go for the stomach," Harry said.

"Then tell her that," said Pyrrha.

"She's not exactly listening to me."

Suddenly, the Boarbatusk leapt into the air and started spinning like a fast wheel. At that speed, it was easily going to overwhelm her. It quickly rolled forward. Instead of preparing to dodge or keeping her sword forward, Weiss closed her eyes, pulled her sword up, and placed her hand on the blade.

"Weiss!" Harry yelled. He jumped on the desk and rushed to floor in an instant, putting himself between the Grimm and Weiss. Harry put his shoulder forward and met the spinning Grimm's charge. His strength and Aura stopped the Grimm's momentum. It uncurled itself from its' wheel form and flew into the air, squealing. Seeing its' unprotected stomach, Harry leapt into the air and blazed his fist with Pheonix Fire. He buried it the Boarbatusk's stomach, burning it and turning the flesh into gold dust.

When he landed, panting, he turned to Weiss to check if she was okay. What he saw in front of him was one of her blue glyphs. And through it, he saw her furious expression.

The glyph disappeared and Weiss rushed forward.

"What do you think you're doing? I had that!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I forgot about your glyphs," Harry answered honestly. He saw them used at platforms yesterday. He should have guessed she had shields as well.

"And that's exactly why you shouldn't have been made leader of this team!" Weiss turned on her heel and marched up the staircase and out the door of the classroom. The rest of the classroom either watched her leave or were staring at Harry.

"Bad luck, old boy," Port said as he walked towards Harry. "I know you were just trying to help your teammates. But sometimes, you need to let them grow from their decisions. Whether they are the correct ones or not."

Harry's eyes met his other teammates. Nora was looking a little mad, either at him or Weiss. Pyrrha was looking at him with pity.

Port laid a hand on Harry's shoulder and addressed the class. "It seems our day has come to an end. Head to your next class and remember, stay vigilante."

The students stood up and gathered their supplies to leave. Harry walked up the stairs to his teammates, where he met Ruby.

"I think you did a good thing, Harry," she said.

"Thanks, Ruby," said Harry. He turned to Nora and Pyrrha. "Are you guys upset?"

"No," said Pyrrha. "I think you did a noble thing in helping her."

"I'm upset she said you shouldn't have been leader!" said Nora. "You were just trying to help. Do you want me to break her legs?"

"No, Nora," said Harry. "You can't break her legs."

"Yeah, I can. Didn't you see them? They're like toothpicks."

"I mean you shouldn't break her legs. Right now, she's right to be angry with me. She can say what she wants," Harry gathered his books and walked to the door. "Come on. We got Doctor Oobleck's history class next."


History class was the same as Grimm class: small lecture hall setting. Except the walls were lined with maps of the kingdoms and little post notes and string connected with tacks. Dr. Oobleck was not there, so team RXAR, Harry and Nora found seats in the front. Harry turned to the door, where other students were still entering and saw Pyrrha. But before she could walk towards them, Weiss appeared and stopped her. Harry saw the two begin to talk. Weiss spied Harry, scowled and turned back to Pyrrha. A moment later, Pyrrha turned to him, then back to Weiss and said something that made Weiss' scowl intensify. Weiss began to argue, but Pyrrha shook her head. Finally, Weiss turned on her heel and went to the opposite side of the classroom. Pyrrha joined them a few moments later, a look of despair on her face.

"So what did the princess want?" asked Nora snidely.

"Nora," Ren scolded.

"She wanted her partner to join her in talking to the Headmaster about reassigning team leaders," Pyrrha explained sadly.

"What?!" said the others.

"It's only been one day!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Well, Weiss believed Professor Ozpin made a mistake in selecting Harry as leader of Team HPVS. She insisted someone with more experience and training should have been made leader," said Pyrrha.

"Someone like her?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

Pyrrha didn't bother answering.

"How does Weiss have more experience in being a leader?" asked Jaune.

Before anybody could say anything else, Doctor Oobleck zoomed into the classroom to the podium. A cup of coffee in one hand and pointing stick in the other.

"Ah, good morning class! And welcome to History of Remnant and the Kingdoms. I'll be you teacher, Doctor Oobleck," the man quickly introduced himself. "Today, you begin taking your first steps into the world of Hunstmen and Huntresses. And I'm sure you're asking yourselves: 'Doctor Oobleck, what is the point of studying History when we should be out in the wilderness, saving villages and slaughtering Grimm'". Well, I say to you, history is the backbone of our society. Maybe even the liver as well. Without knowing our history, we are doomed to repeat it."

Harry, who had met Dr. Oobleck weeks earlier, learned how fast the man could speak. Everyone else had a look of shock on their faces. Especially as the man zoomed across the room with the ending of each sentence.

"Sllurrrpppp!"

And sipping his coffee, too.

"Now, let's get started!"

The next hour was unlike any Harry every had. The man was very passionate about his subject. The only teacher Harry could compare him to was Professor Flitwick, who spoke with a firm believe in what he taught. Harry would have hated to see Flitwick teach after drinking the amount of coffee Dr. Oobleck had in just five minutes into class.

The class began with the earliest recorded history on Remnant. At a time when humans and Grimm were still at a constant war with each, just as Faunus and Dust was emerging in the world. This was making Harry a little nervous because his studies didn't go back that far. He only went as far as the formation of the kingdoms. He realized that he was going to have to take Professor Goodwitch's offer in getting tutelage outside of the classroom.

"Now, who can tell me the who was the first king of what is now known as Vacuo?" asked Dr. Oobleck. He waved his pointer to the crowd. "Yes, Miss Schnee."

"Malik the Sunderer," Weiss answered.

"Correct. The oasis in which his kingdom thrived in was…."

Harry took the notes down, also wrote down a reminder on to look up the history of all four kingdoms in the future. But every time Oobleck asked a question to his students, Weiss was the first one who had their hand up. And after every correct answer, Harry noticed she sent a look his way. It wasn't a smug look. No, it was a challenge. She was basically asking him to answer a question before her.

If only I could answer.

Luckily, Oobleck never called anybody else out other than those who raised their hands. And as the bell rang, Harry blew out of breath of relief.

"That seems to be all the time we have today. For tonight, I want you to read chapters 1 through 3 in your textbooks and let's see someone other than Miss Schnee answer my questions."

Some students let out a groan, either at the assignment or the dig at their lack of knowledge. Harry gathered his books and went to the front podium.

"Dr. Oobleck," Harry greeted.

"Ah, Mister Potter. I hope you enjoyed my lesson today?"

"I did," Harry answered honestly. At least Dr. Oobleck wasn't like Professor Binns when it came to history. "It's just my knowledge of history is not quite where I want it to be."

"I see. You grew up with learning only the basic knowledge of history instead of the in-depth teachings other schools offer. I guess your family felt surviving was more important."

"You could say that," Harry answered. It was better than telling him the truth.

"Not to worry, Mr. Potter. This is a common occurrence for many students who live in frontier towns."

"Professor Goodwitch mentioned something about tutors if I needed help?"

"Indeed. But seeing how the semester has just begun, it would not be until next week when I'm able to create any kind of study group. However, if you want, I can arrange a second-year student to help you catch up."

Harry nodded. "I would like that very much."

"Wonderful. I will see what I can do. Now, I believe it's lunch. You should probably join your team."

And with a flash, Oobleck was out the door.

Harry followed the last of the students out the door and into the hallways. As he wondered if his team was waiting for him in the cafeteria, he was drawn to a loud voice coming from another hallway around the corner. He turned and saw his team having an argument with team RXAR standing awkwardly nearby.

"That class just proves our leader is not capable of handling the responsibilities of our team. A leader needs to be strong as well as knowledgeable," Weiss claimed.

"Maybe your right, Weiss," said Pyrrha. "But one class doesn't prove anything. Even I couldn't answer some of the questions and I attended Sanctum Academy."

"I couldn't answer some of them either," Ruby said shyly.

"Then that proves a child such as yourself wasn't ready to attend Beacon," Weiss replied frostly.

"Hey, back off!" Yang moved forward to Weiss, pushing Ruby behind her. "Ozpin wouldn't have offered Ruby a place here if she wasn't ready to be a Huntress."

"Then he made a mistake. Just like he made a mistake naming Potter the leader of our team."

"Really?" Harry said, announcing his presence to everyone. RXAR backed away and gave everyone room. "Listen, Weiss. I don't give a rat's ass what you say about me. But I will stand for you tearing down others who have not deserved it. Ruby is an exceptional Huntress and a great friend. Which is more I can say about you."

"How dare you," Weiss quipped, stomping her foot. "I am the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. I have trained and studied for years to be the leader the company needs. So, I deserve better than being second-rate."

"Then leave," said Harry. That caused everybody to freeze. Eyes were on him with disbelief. "You don't have to stay here. Leave and go back to Atlas. I'm sure Ozpin would honor a transfer to Atlas academy for the heiress of the Schnee family."

"What…I..," Weiss stuttered. Then her look resolved. "Why should I leave? I earned my place here."

"So did I," said Harry. "And I'm staying right here. So you can transfer out or get on board with being on a team where you are not a leader."

With that, Harry turned and left. A few seconds later, he heard several footsteps behind him. Someone grasped onto each of his hands. On his left was Ruby. His right, Nora. Everyone else besides Weiss was behind them.

"Are you okay?" asked Ruby.

"I'm fine," Harry said grimly. He gave her a small smile. "Just going over some rough patches."

"I really will break her legs," said Nora.

"Nora," warned Ren, who was on the other side of Nora.

"Don't. She might sue," said Harry.

"Ha!" Nora cackled. "I don't have a damn cent. She wouldn't get anything."

This caused Harry and everyone else to chuckle. They group made their way to the cafeteria, where all students had gathered for lunch. Harry and the others got their trays and picked a table next to the windows.

"So what else do have today?" asked Yang.

"We just have to go to Professor Goodwitch's combat class after lunch," answered Ren.

"All right!" cheered Nora. "I can't wait to hammer some skulls!"

"Not today, Nora."

Nora's face fell. "Whaaa?"

"We're just observing today," answered Ren. "Today the 2nd years have actually combat. We just need to go watch how the class operates."

"So, when is our combat class?" asked Jaune.

Ruby pulled up her schedule on her scroll. "Tomorrow. We have Professor Peach's Animal Science class after lunch, then Combat class."

"Great," said Jaune grimly. "Can't wait."

Harry noticed Ruby shooting a look of worry at Jaune, but nobody else noticed. He wondered what the story there was. Jaune was good enough to pass initiation. So why did Ruby look worried?

"Uh-oh," Nora whispered. Her gaze was toward the lunch line.

Everyone spotted Weiss gather her tray and walk away from the line. She didn't even look their way as she sat at the table farthest away from them.

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"What are we going to do about her?" asked Pyrrha.

"What can we do?" Nora retorted. "She is the one who seems to have a problem with all this."

"But…," Pyrrha started.

"We give it time," Harry answered. "We can't change her mind in one day."

Pyrrha sighed. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I, Pyrrha. But it's all we can do right now."


After lunch, the 1st years gathered into the combat hall, where everyone entered an indoor arena larger than the one at Signal. Harry and the others picked seats with their classmates. As he sat down, something bounced off the back of his head. He turned around to see a ball of crumbled paper in the seat behind him. A few seats above him, he spotted Team CRDL snickering at him.

Nora growled and grabbed the paper ball. She chucked it with the force of a bullet, which bounced off Cardin's head, snapping it back.

"You mess with my partner, you mess with me!" shouted Nora.

Rubbing the red mark on his forehead, Cardin stood up from his seat. "Does your girlfriend do your fighting for you, Chicken Boy?"

"Chicken Boy?!" yelled Ruby. Her shouting with anger really surprised both Harry and Yang. "Say that again, you racist turd!"

"Enough!" a female voice echoed throughout the arena. Harry turned to see Professor Goodwitch in the middle of the arena. She had a large screen in one hand and her weapon in the other. Harry also noticed everyone was staring at him.

"I do not want to put any teams in detention on the first day of school," Goodwitch said. "But I will if I have too. Interrupt my class again and I will see that you will all serve detention every weekend for a month. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry. The others echoed his answer. Even CRDL.

"Good," Goodwitch put her weapon back into her boot and turned to the second years sitting in the front row. "Welcome back to Beacon Academy. I hope everyone has been keeping up with their training over the summer break. Your second year will be filled with more classes, more training, as well as low-ranked missions you can take on the mission board."

That caused excited whispering among the students. It also surprised Harry. He didn't know missions could be taken while in school.

"But you will not be taking on these missions if you don't have my approval in this class. So let's get started." She turned to the scroll in her hands. "First up, Garrick Oaks of Team AGAR vs. Fox Alistair of Team CFVY."

Harry noticed a red-head boy with dark skin stand up and walk to the locker rooms. But not before receiving a word of encouragement from Coco, whom Harry recognized from last night.

Five minutes later, Fox and Garrick entered the arena with their weapons. They positioned themselves across from each other while Goodwitch stepped off the platform. Two images appeared above the arena, each a picture of the fighters. Also, there was a horizontal green bar next to their images.

"Are the combatants ready?" asked Goodwitch. Both boys nodded. "Then…begin!"

The fighters both rushed each other. Garrick, using a sword, and Fox, using bladed tonfas on his arms. Both engaging each other, striking and blocking. But Fox then scored a hit on his opponent's stomach, causing Garrick's blue aura to flair. The green bar next to his image suddenly got smaller.

Harry turned to Pyrrha. "Is this how a tournament fight is done?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Both will fight until someone's aura is at 15%. For safety concerns, the fight is stopped and the low aura fighter loses."

"And you did this professionally?"

"I did."

The fight went on for another five minutes, each fighter losing aura. Then, Garrick's green bar went red and a loud buzzer echoed throughout the arena.

"Match is over. Winner is Fox Alistair," announced Goodwitch. She walked onto the platform and turned to the crowd. "As you can see, Mr. Brown's aura has reached below the recommended safety range for tournament fighting. In most fights, as well as the upcoming Vytal festival this year, this would mean the match is over and Mr. Alistair is the winner."

Professor Goodwitch then went of the pros and cons of each fighter's performance, mainly what they needed to improve one. Then she turned back to her Scroll. "Now, for the next fight…"

For the next 2 hours, Miss Goodwitch would call two fighters to the arena and critique them on their battles. One battle included Coco. When Harry saw her weapon, a handbag, he wondered just how sane the girl was. Then he wondered how sane he was when he saw the small bag change into a large gatling gun.

"I want that!" Ruby shouted when she saw the weapon deployed.

"Ruby! Settle down!" yelled Yang.

"And that is all for today," Miss Goodwitch announced after the last fight was done. She turned to the crowd. "Now, for the 1st years. You will begin combat training tomorrow afternoon. For safety reasons, we will set safety parameters to only 50%. After a few weeks, we will lower it to tournament settings. Now, class is dismissed."

Harry sat up and stretched. He caught a flash of white and saw Weiss leaved the arena. She didn't join them and must have sat on the other side of the room. Harry sighed when she saw her leave.
Pyrrha saw her too and sighed as well.

Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "She's just going to have to learn there are some things that can't be given to her."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "I know. So, what should we do now?"

"We have a couple of hours until dinner," said Ren.

"Ruby and I want to explore the rest of Beacon," said Yang. "We've only seen a small part of it so far."

"I want to see the CCT Tower," gushed Ruby. "I never seen it before."

"Sounds like fun," Jaune added.

"Sure, why not?" Harry said.

But as the group stepped outside and into the afternoon sunlight, Harry's Scroll rang. He picked out of his pocket and looked at the screen. His eyebrows rose when he saw who sent him a message.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"Apparently the headmaster wants to see me," Harry answered.

"He what?" asked Pyrrha.

"Did Weiss complain to the headmaster?" Nora asked angrily.

"No. I don't think so. It must be something else," said Harry. He wondered if it was about what happened in the forest. Or maybe even…

"I guess I should go."

"Do you want us to go with you?" asked Nora.

"No," Harry smiled. "No reason for everyone's day to be ruined. I'll catch up with you guys later."

Oddly enough, one his way to the Headmaster's office, he saw Weiss speaking with Professor Port near the courtyard.


"Hello, Mr. Potter," said Ozpin as Harry stepped into the room. "Thank you for meeting with me."

"Sure thing, Headmaster," said Harry as he sat in his chair. He accepted another mug of hot chocolate Ozpin offered. "But I'm a little confused as to what this meeting is about."

"I was hoping we could talk about two things. The first one," Ozpin pushed a button on his table and videos of Harry's wings were displayed on holographic screens. "are the new additions to your extraordinary abilities."

Harry sighed. "I was just as surprised as anyone to learn I can fly yesterday. It was more like…instinct."

"Would it be possible to show me your wings?"

Standing up, Harry walked to the center of the room and focused on his feelings. All of his abilities have been categorized with emotions. His fire was courage and his fighting ability was confidence. Yesterday, he took a guess at the emotion that made his wings emerge.

Happiness.

He remembered the clifftops and freefalling when rescuing Ruby and Jaune. The elation of being in the air reminded him of the feeling had when he cast a Patronus Charm. Pure happiness.

Focusing on the positive emotions he felt when he saw Yang, Ruby, Nora, and Pyrrha, he felt heat from his back burn and the sound of feathers ruffling above him. He turned to his right and saw the right wing emerging, wreathed in flames.

"Remarkable," said Ozpin as he observed. "And this is similar to your flames and healing tears?"

"Yes," Harry said as his control broke and the wings disappeared in swirl of red feathers. It was harder to maintain since he wasn't feeling to joy of actually flying. "Just another ability that emerged."

"As well as singing." Ozpin tapped the screen the desk again and a recording of Harry's Phoenix Cry echoed throughout the room. It didn't have the same soul-swelling effect it did earlier in the forest, but it did make the hairs on the back of neck rise.

Ozpin tapped the table again and multiple holographic screens emerged. They showed multiple images of Grimm in the Emerald forest. When Harry's Cry played again, the Grimm began to howl in pain and become vulnerable.

"Another remarkable ability. When Glynda and I heard on the clifftops, both of us felt a wave of euphoria surge through our bodies. After talking to several of your fellow classmates during initiation, we were told by a few others who heard your song as well felt the same jubilation. All felt their spirits rise and fought against Grimm with more conviction. I applaud you in inspiring your fellow students."

"Umm…thank you, headmaster," said Harry. "But I don't think it will be possible to recreate that song like I did earlier for you at this time."

"Oh?" asked Ozpin.

"The feelings I was experiencing at the time were created after I felt preservation of staying alive when facing certain death. The desire to protect myself and my teammates was what led me to the singing."

"I see," said Ozpin as he motioned Harry to sit back down. "Well don't rush to recreating that emotion if you can only feel it when faced with your demise. Or your friends."

"I won't," Harry said as sat down and drunk more hot chocolate. "So you still believe me when I say my abilities are based on magic?"

"I do and it leads to the second topic I wanted to discuss with you."

"And that is…?"

"I know you've have explained your origins to Qrow and the Xiao Long family. And I know it must be tiresome to discuss them more. But I was hoping you could indulge in one old man's curiosity and explain your world and your magic once more."

Harry sighed and placed his empty mug onto the desk. "I can. But I should warn you it will be a long story. Even long enough to miss dinner."

"That's okay," Ozpin said as he picked up Harry's empty mug and went next to his desk to a cart that had a large silver teapot. He refilled the mug with more hot chocolate and handed it back. "When you're hungry, I can ask the kitchen staff to bring us something to eat."

Harry nodded. "Okay then. Just let me send a message to my friends and I'll start."

"One more thing before we begin." Ozpin pressed a button his desk. A section of the tabletop opened, and a chessboard rose. "Tell me, do you have chess in your world?"


I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the slow update.