Hermione's mother recoiled from the ward as the stunner hit it. She knew that they would be training, she was given advance warning, but almost being hit with magic somehow brought it closer home.
Hearing her daughter cast a spell that was as loud as a shot gun, but looked like it did enough damage to be a cannon ball from her wand was shocking. She knew that her daughter was capable of it, but knowing and seeing were different. It wasn't even a dark spell, even though it was clearly capable of doing a large amount of damage. Almost being hit with offensive magic though made the war that was coming more real.
Her legs shook a little bit and she was glad that her husband firmly held her and helped her sit on the couch in the warded area.
"Well it's nice to know why there are so few rape cases in the magical world. I mean, if a witch could do that on a whim, imagine what she could do scared," he chuckled at his wife trying to lighten the mood.
Abagail laughed softly. They always wondered why there was more sexual equality in the wizarding world when they were so obviously stuck in the past. Knowing what a witch was capable of first hand made more sense.
Hermione duck and rolled to the side, knowing that her parents would be safe. Her adrenaline was already pumping from the surprise attack when they entered the chateau.
As she was standing up she caught glimpse of a spell heading to where her head would be if she rose any further and ducked down again.
"Good! NEVER LET THEM SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING NEXT! You'll walk right into a spell like that!" the younger wizard barked at her.
The petite witch stood warily, making sure to keep both wizards in her view and her wand at the ready. Alastor grunted in approval.
He had worried that she would grow soft in the little bit of time that she left them and planned to surprise her. Even his pupil Tonks wasn't aware all the time, especially when she first started her training.
"Shields and self-preservation only, today," Barty said, "No offensive spells!"
Alastor growled from the wall at him and shot him with a stinging hex.
"Ow!" the straw haired wizard cried, jumping back in shock.
"That will not be all that we cover today! We have to start with her resistance, lad!" He yelled at the younger wizard.
Hermione stood on the defensive, her brow furrowed in confusion, "Resistance?"
"Aye! As much as I detest it, even so much as the idea of it! You need to be hit with the Cruciatus to build up a tolerance! Just like you can throw off the Imperio, you can build up an amount of tolerance to the Cruciatus," the grizzled wizard said as his eyes bore in the hazel ones of the young witch.
Abagail and Hermione's eyes widened in horror.
"We lost good people to the Cruciatus! YOU WON'T BE ONE OF THEM! The Longbottoms were GOOD people! GOOD Aurors! YOU WON'T BE LIKE THEM! We won't lose you OR yer mind to insanity! AM I CLEAR, LASS!?" He bellowed at her.
The petite witch's eyes narrowed in determination, fully understanding where the battle hardened wizard was coming from.
"Yes, sir," she said solemnly.
Abagail started to softly cry. They were told not to interfere no matter what happened. She was going to sit here and watch her daughter be tortured, for her own good.
Barty looked at her mother helplessly.
"I was going to give ye an option to do it or not, but it seems you're just as determined as he is," he said quietly.
Hermione squared her shoulders up and snarled at her professor,
"We are heading to war, Professor Crouch. The enemy will not care if I'm prepared or not. They will not care if I can handle it. They want me dead. Any and all training is so that I can help Harry survive this war and hopefully survive myself. If I have to be tortured every day this week so that I don't go crazy if I'm hit with it on the field or in battle, then so be it."
Moody grinned ferociously at the young witch, "THAT'S THE SPIRIT, LASS! Spoken like a true warrior. Now let's see if you can back up them words!"
With that he shot two stunners and a stinging hex at her, one in the center and two to her sides in the event that she decided to duck and roll.
In response Hermione grinned just as menacingly and batted them away and sent the last one towards Barty, who threw up a shield.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" she shouted.
Alastor gave out a gruff laugh, she had spirit she did! She didn't fire the spell, but they didn't say anything about being able to redirect it.
He took a step forward and shot forth two stinging hexes, one behind the other. Hermione responded with a quick shield that reflected the spells back at the caster. Alastor duck and rolled, coming back up with his peg leg up and his other knee down. He shot another stinging hex at her ankle and a follow up for her knee. The witch twirled out of their way and stood ready for what they had to throw at her next.
Barty sighed and made sure to watch her movements, having decided that he would send the odd stinging hex here and there to keep her on her toes since it was obvious Alastor was having fun with her.
Leeroy sat on the loveseat holding his wife. He was less than thrilled to know that his little girl was going to be tortured for her own good, but understood that it would save her from insanity should worse come to worst. Her mind was a treasure and viable asset all on its own, if she had to go through hell to keep it safe, then so be it. In the mean time watching his daughter duck, dodge, and redirect spells was captivating.
Alastor shot a few more hexes at her feet, which she swerved out of the way. Crouch Jr. decided that was the perfect time to send his own stinging hex at her. She yipped as it hit her in the arm.
"AGAIN! THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A DARK CURSE, GIRL!" Alastor shouted without skipping a beat.
He shot four hexes her way while Barty shot two of his own hexes. Hermione twirled out of the way of 3 of them, letting one of her Professor's go wide, and threw up a full body length shield for the other two that absorbed the spells instead of reflecting them.
"Good! Again!" Barty yelled at his pupil.
Hermione took a defensive stance, breathing hard as sweat started to appear on her forehead. It didn't take her long to throw her parents to the back of her mind so they wouldn't distract her. Stinging hexes were a good incentive to avoid spellwork. It hurt just enough to get the point across without making her falter. For every mark that she had from a stinging hex, could have been a spell that maimed or killed her.
Alastor was starting to fire at least 3 stinging hexes in succession with Barty covering the sides. Hermione was running, twirling, dodging, and redirecting more than shielding. She had to conserve magic even if it meant pushing past the burning in her muscles.
She hadn't been this active in a while so her breathing was labored and she was now covered in sweat, but she kept going. The carpet and the walls had small scorch marks where they missed the young witch. Abagail was at first aghast at seeing how the stinging hexes were being shot at her daughter, knowing they were a first or second year hex. She calmed down though once she saw what it looked like when it hit her daughter's bare skin, it merely looked like she was pinched hard or in some areas stung by a bee. After she saw that her daughter was just exhausted from running rather than in pain from the stinging hexes, she got more into it.
It was fascinating watching her little girl duck, dodge, and weave through the hexes without retaliating.
Hermione kept pushing though, refusing to give into her body wanting to crash. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and upper lip with the back of her hand before rolling out of way of another hex being sent her way.
"YOU THINK THEY'LL GIVE YOU A BREAK JUST BECAUSE YER OUTTA BREATH LASSIE!? THINK AGAIN!" Alastor shouted as he shot 4 stinging hexes at her feet as she ran making sure she kept up on her toes.
Barty decided to up the ante and threw a small stunner at where her head would have been. The young witch luckily caught it and backed up a bit letting the red stunner pass her, feeling the heat of the spell on her face.
She turned around and jumped just in time to avoid more of Mad-Eye's stinging hexes.
She was panting now and the burning in her muscles was starting to make her a little cranky. They had been working nearly as soon as they got to the chateau and the sun was starting to sink behind the trees.
The witch grabbed her wand tightly making a quick decision.
Alastor shot 6 stinging hexes at her on both sides of her feet while Barty followed with matching hexes aimed towards her waist.
The petite witch growled as she shielded herself before reaching over and redirecting a stinging hex back at them. After she sent it at them she started firing a mass of her own stinging hexes making the elderly wizard roll out of the way while Barty dodged a few of them before getting hit with 4 of them in his left side.
The younger wizard cried out at the shock of the unsuspecting pain, "Defense! DEFENSE!" he yelled at her.
"THE BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE!" she yelled back.
Alastor stood up and held his belly as he laughed heartily.
"Ye did good, lass! You'll have to do better tomorrow though! We're just warming up," he growled at her.
Hermione's lips thinned in both annoyance and acceptance.
"Remember! Every stinger you were hit with could have been an Avada! But you were quick on yer feet, and you didn't give in! Take a breather, meet back here in an hour. We'll start your… build up… before dinner. Have your elf make you something light," he said as he hobbled out of the room.
Hermione waited until they both left the room before allowing herself to roll over and lay on her back, taking in deep breaths. She laughed softly to herself. Day one wasn't even over yet and she was already so exhausted.
Abagail quickly got up and walked over towards her daughter, "Hermione are you okay?"
Hermione laughed more, "Yeah, mum. Just a bit tired."
"I'll say, I was breathing hard just watching you," she teased her daughter, glad that she was alright, just tired.
Leeroy stayed sitting on the loveseat and laughed heartily. He knew it was just beginning, but already he knew his daughter was something. The sass she showed at the end of the session though was something he knew he would remember gaily.
Alastor and Barty walked to the end of the hall before calling on the elf to lead them to their rooms.
"Winky, I'm ready to see my room now," Barty called.
Thimi popped in, glad to see her old boy master.
"Thimi is Thimi now," she let him know softly and firmly, "But Thimi would be most happy to be showings master Barty and Mad-Eye to their rooms."
Both wizards were startled to see the small elf dressed finely, but also looking well. It wasn't often that elves were dressed finely, and when they were it was a nice pillowcase or towel, but she had what looked like clothes, even though they were sure that wasn't the case since she was obviously owned by the Granger girl. Barty was both sad and warmed to see his old elf, she looked much better than he had ever seen her when she lived with him, but she wasn't his anymore.
Thimi walked with steady steps down the hall taking them to the guest wing instead of running and stumbling all over herself like most house-elves were won't to do.
"Thimi already put y-your trunk into the room on the right."
Barty was impressed at her grammar, normally she would have said "youse" instead of "your", but grunted to let her know that he heard her. He heard Alastor do the same before walking through the door on the right.
"Thimi also left a glass of water on the nightstands next to the beds. Thimi knows that yous was working very hard Master Barty!" as she said this she took her old boy master's hand and patted it, to let him know that she was proud of him.
Barty smiled at the small house-elf that took care of him, "Thank you, Thimi."
Thimi smiled and popped away to go check on her new mistress.
Seeing her on the floor Thimi almost panicked, but could thankfully smell that she was merely physically tired and not in pain.
"Mistress Hermione is to be taking a shower now," she announced.
"Not yet, Thimi. I still have more training to do in 50 minutes. 'm just taking a breather real quick," she said to the small house-elf with warm brown eyes.
The house-elf put her hands on her hips, not amused, "Kind Mistress Hermione will be feelings much better if she was to take a shower right now."
Hermione groaned from her place on the floor in protest.
Abagail couldn't suppress her chuckle at Hermione's petulance.
"Thimi, Hermione is going to be hit with the torture curse in 50 minutes, would it be better to take a shower before or after?" Abagail asked.
Thimi's eyes widened in terror. "Miss is to be tortured?"
"For her own good, Thimi. So if something bad does happen, she won't… lose her mind," Leeroy said gently.
Thimi looked at both of Hermione's parents for reassurance and saw the love they had for their daughter, "Miss is to be taking shower now and Thimi will be making miss broth for dinner."
Hermione groaned again in protest from the floor, knowing it was a losing battle.
"You heard Thimi, Hermione. Get up and go take a quick shower. Wet, wash, rinse," her mother said sternly.
Hermione groaned again before rolling over to stand up and do as she was told.
"Fine, fine, I'm going. I'll be back in 10," she said walking quickly to the nearest bathroom, "Thimi get me a change of clothes please!" she called out from the hall.
An hour passed by faster than anticipated and soon everyone was back in the tea room. Hermione was the only one dressed down now, since Thimi provided her with soft cotton pajamas.
Everyone was on edge now even though the room was just as a clean and spotless as the first time they entered it, also thanks to Thimi. Abagail and Leeroy went to go sit on the loveseat again. Even though they knew that nothing short of a physical object would block an unforgivable curse, they felt that having a barrier between them and their daughter would help them.
"Would you like me to petrify you? So you don't go running towards Miss Granger? We won't put her under the curse any more than a few seconds at a time, but we know the need to help her will be strong," Barty offered gently, he himself struggling to do this.
Abagail and Leeroy looked at each other and nodded, knowing that if they were able they would try to stop the wizards from torturing their daughter, despite what they said.
"Petrificus totalis," he said gently, flicking his wand at them.
Both were petrified on the loveseat.
"I'm only going to hold it for 10 seconds," he said softly to his pupil.
Moody was hobbling around the room in paces, his nerves showing. He decided to be proactive though and started casting silencing charms on the room.
Hermione was standing in the middle of the room, ready to be hit with the curse, but also knowing that she would be woefully unprepared for it. She nodded to let him know that she heard him.
Barty turned around, giving his back to the Duke and Duchess and took a deep breath. He had to dig deep in himself to find something he hated enough to cast the curse. Something good enough to be able to hold onto his hatred even while looking his pupil in her eyes.
He took a few silent steps to the side and looked in the eyes. He nodded at her and she nodded back.
"Whatever happens, Professor. I forgive you; thank you for doing this for me," she said.
Tears swam into Barty's eyes, but he refused to let her see them. She was thanking him, of all things, bloody thanking him!
"Crucio!"