CHAPTER 7:

TRAINING BEGINS

Harry wasn't thrown into the training straight away per se. Lily and Alpha took him to a room not far from that infirmary or lab or whatever it was. After walking in, Harry noticed (after Lily asked Alpha to) Alpha's bodysuit shifting and warping into what was quite a lovely and flattering black dress. Not that the bodysuit itself wasn't flattering: more than once, he had to stop his eyes from straying to her derriere or her bust.

Lily said, "Now, I doubt you'll be able to learn how to use your bodysuit for a while, beyond activating it and deactivating it. The main reason would be that your body is still getting used to the amplified output of your magic, and we need to use somewhat finer control of magic than most wizards would expect with their spells."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Lily, or rather, Lady Scathach, taught many of us how to wield the magic of your world. Much of it is…flashy. Inefficient. Often dependent on gestures and words as mnemonic triggers, using wands as foci," Alpha said. "When you have as much control over your magic as we do, you can use spells without speech or wands with ease. Lady Scathach thinks that you have considerable potential for this. But first, let me ask you a serious question: what is magic?"

Harry blinked, before he remembered his mother's words. "Well, Mum used to say that magic is basically using your will and imagination to change reality."

Lily chuckled. "And it's a good answer, Harry. I'm glad you remembered it."

Alpha nodded. "While that's not the entire answer, it covers most of it. True, magic is also subject to limitations and laws, so it is not truly omnipotent. And that's without going into the limits of people's imaginations, especially those of the wizards and witches of your home. But, well, looking at my outfit, you wouldn't know it's a bodysuit, would you? Or that I could do…this." Black stuff oozed around her arm, forming into a sword, which she flourished around.

"Not if I hadn't seen it used already," Harry noted.

Lily formed her own sword from her bodysuit. "The slime jelly this is derived from has a 99% magical conductivity efficiency rate. To put it into perspective, steel and most of its variants have a 10% rate, give or take, while Mythril, a magical metal, has a 50% rate. As this world's magical combat heavily relies on enhancing weapons, bodies and armour with innate magical power, as well as healing one's self and others, you can see how this is a gamechanger. In fact, you can use the bodysuit as a focus for your spells. Magic spells are almost unheard of on this world, due to the way magic usually dissipates when released from the body, and yet, spells from our world are actually usable here, as long as the person has an ability to use magic in that way. However, not every member of Dun Scaith can wield these spells, and we keep their use to a minimum. After all, if any survivors from our raids report to the Cult about our spells, then we may be targeted more."

"…Well, that figures," Harry remarked. "You use Obliviations?"

"Sometimes," Lily said. "Harry, remember, while there's a few people either forced into the Cult, or have sympathetic reasons, most of them won't bat an eye at cruel experimentation on sentient beings that would have had Josef Mengele grinning his head off. Few surrender anyway. Any who do, and who aren't that bad according to Legilimency, we Obliviate of any incriminating memories about Dun Scaith and leave for the authorities. But many in the Cult are no better than Death Eaters."

"Of Dun Scaith, apart from myself and your mother, Beta and Epsilon are the best at using spells from your world, so we are the designated mages, so to speak," Alpha said. "However, we are no slouches in physical combat either. Indeed, my aunt is Beatrix, a famed swordfighter also known as the Goddess of War, and we have recently proven that I am a descendant of one of the Three Heroes, Olivier, even if her gender was obscured by history."

"…Sorry, what? Why would they do that?" Harry asked. "Is this world misogynistic or something?"

"Surprisingly less than you'd think for a world currently at a medieval/Renaissance level of development," Lily said. "Magic power does bridge the gap in terms of physical strength, speed and endurance, so women can not only gain high status here, but they can even inherit over male heirs if they're oldest. The two princesses of Midgar are potentially able to inherit. Both are…quirky."

"…That's not a good sign, that word and tone," Harry observed with a flat tone of his own.

"Iris Midgar is a good person, but she is quixotic and prone to tunnel vision, according to our spies," Lily said. "Her younger sister Alexia is…well, not unlike a Pureblood who isn't xenophobic, just something of a bitch. Though I do agree that she is right to be suspicious of her fiancée. We suspect him to be a relatively low-level member of the Cult of Diablos. We'll be teaching you some of this. The politics of this new world, the particulars of the Cult…that being said, Harry, I'm not expecting you to kill. To fight, to survive, but…while Dun Scaith's members aren't that old, many of them being either your age or a little older, I don't want to force you, or any of them, to kill."

"…I've killed before," Harry confessed. "Did Croaker tell you about Quirrell?"

Eventually, Lily nodded. "Quirinius…I knew him, albeit in passing. I never knew that he'd be the sort to join Voldemort…but I thought the same of Pettigrew. But that was by accident, and in self-defence, the protective ritual I used on you, and that Alice fuelled doing most of the damage. Do you have what it takes to kill in cold blood?"

"…If it was someone I hated, or someone who was really evil, yes."

Alpha then spoke up. "True, but even then, you may not take it well. Beta…she was unused to killing for some time. Now…she is used to it. But killing someone in cold blood is one of those things that it is too easy to become used to."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Harry said. "Just keep in mind, I will NOT kill the innocent or someone who's job is just to guard a door and who hasn't done much to other people. Anyway, aside from you, Mum, and Alpha, who's training me?"

"Beta and Delta will be helping out. Alpha, Beta and I will be training your magic and teaching you about this world and the Cult, as well as any useful information," Lily said. "Delta is going to be training you physically. So, I hope you're prepared."

Harry wasn't sure he would be. Given how powerful Delta was claimed to be, he wondered if training with her was a good idea. Time would tell…

Harry was regretting it in some regards the next morning. As part of exercise, Harry was doing laps around the castle's courtyard with his mother, Alpha, Beta, and Delta. He knew he was outmatched by the girls, but he didn't realise how much. His mother did the best, at least for anyone who wasn't a boy or an Elf, but Alpha and Beta also beat him.

And Delta? She ran around the courtyard at speeds a racing car would envy, on all fours. She even laughed rather joyfully the whole time.

The slime bodysuit helped keep him cool, but his face was still a lather of sweat by the end of it, and he was breathing somewhat heavily. Oliver Wood had made his Quidditch team go through exercises, true, but not quite as long as this. He swigged from a bottle of water that he'd brought with him on his mother's suggestion.

"Good," Lily said. "You're reasonably fit. Base fitness works well when amplified by magical power. Now, Harry…here comes the hard part. Delta will feign attacks on you. You have to dodge. Don't worry, she'll miss you by a fair margin, but I want to see how good your reaction time is."

"Wait, what?" Harry yelped.

"THINK QUICK!" Delta yelped, and leapt over his head. Harry ducked. Delta came towards him, aiming for his right, so he dodged to his left.

This continued for a couple of minutes, before Harry was finally knocked to the ground by Delta. "Well, Boss Junior, Delta reckons that's your limit," the wolf-girl said as she straddled him, albeit with a cheerful grin, her tail wagging.

"You couldn't give me a break?" Harry groaned in exhaustion.

Lily sighed, even as she helped her son up, Delta also pulling him up. "This is a break. Unfortunately, Lambda or Zeta would be worse. Besides, enemies won't give you a break in battle. Dodging Delta while tired from doing laps was a good way of assessing you under stress. Don't worry. Delta held back considerably and deliberately missed you, and you did well, Harry. Believe me, if she was going all out, you'd probably be bisected, and no, that is not hyperbole. She is that strong, and that fast. Anyway, Croaker tells me you're a Seeker, and your captain is, or at least was, a bit obsessive."

"You can say that again," Harry said with a groan. "Damned Oliver Wood, that crazy sod. And one of the worst Quidditch matches I ever played was during a rainstorm. That was bad enough. Then Dementors came onto the field. I have…a bad reaction to Dementors."

"…If it makes you feel any better, so did I," Lily said. "I got sent to Azkaban, not as a prisoner, but to check on prisoners as part of a study into the effects of the Dementors' aura. I actually fainted, and it was only because Bode was with me that the Dementors didn't get close enough to try and sup on my soul. I still can't understand why they're used as wardens. Any benefits are outweighed by the fact that they're soul-sucking demons that barely follow orders, but when they think they can get away with eating a soul they weren't meant to…sorry, Harry, I really hate Dementors, and given what Croaker told me, I wouldn't be surprised if you did too."

"…Is there anyone in Magical Britain who'd like Dementors?" Harry asked flatly. "I mean, aside from that bitch Umbridge?"

"…Oh Merlin, you've met her?" Lily asked in horror.

"…She was presiding over my expulsion hearing/trial, as I had hindered 'Ministry business'. Sirius got a good lawyer, so I managed to avoid being sent to Azkaban, but I got expelled anyway." Harry grimaced at the reminder of that vile woman who looked like her father had an affair with an oversized toad. Even Augusta Longbottom's thin veneer of civility seemed as thick as armour plating compared to Umbridge's barely-masked attitude of condescension, malice, and smugness. And that throat-clearing. Oh dear Merlin, the throat-clearing!

As one, mother and son shuddered in united loathing of a certain batrachian bitch. The Shades looked on in bemusement. "Anyway," Lily said after shaking away her disgust, "back to your training. While training you physically is something we'll need to do as a matter of course, we'll concentrate a little more on getting your magical control up to snuff. Eta's little procedure will no doubt have helped you have a leg-up, but it'll take time. But once you do, you'll be able to enhance both your body and your magic, as well as use your bodysuit to its full potential. So, let's get started…"

Most of the actual training, Harry discovered, was how to control his magical energy. This was relatively basic in this world, and a fundamental in this world's combat. To his surprise, he found it, if not easy, then easier than he expected. He didn't expect to be able to reshape parts of his bodysuit by the end of the first day, which was more than simply removing or donning it, which he had done before going to bed last night. True, it was a far cry from being able to reshape it into clothing or weapons, but he could tell Delta was impressed.

His mother was less effusive, and less than she used to be before she disappeared, but she was far from demeaning his progress. She simply gave no impression of being, well, impressed, though she did praise his efforts in her calm, collected way. Her encouragement was considerably low-key, but still as genuine as he did his work. Alpha and Beta were similar in their own praise.

In many ways, though, it was a welcome distraction. From his expulsion, from Neville Longbottom and that bitch of a grandmother hounding every step of his life…from Hermione's death. She would have given almost anything to be on another world, leaning about this, even if he thought she would have issues with Dun Scaith. Hermione could be annoyingly moralistic, especially when she lacked context. Learning about House Elves was a major saga, for example.

He missed her, though. He missed her with every fibre of his being. Hermione may not have been a girlfriend, but aside from Luna and the Weasley Twins, Hermione was one of his few friends, at least his age. She was an opinionated, bossy and swotty know-it-all, but she was also a good, compassionate, and loyal friend who died too young…no, was murdered.

Would Hermione have been all right with him joining Dun Scaith, though? He didn't know. They weren't yet old enough to even consider themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. Hermione had a fairly straightforward morality. True, he had managed to get her to break rules, but that was a fair distance away from condoning murder, even of people as vile as Scathach and her followers claimed the Cult of Diablos was.

…Maybe that was one of the reasons he agreed to join Dun Scaith. It wasn't just the opportunity to be with his mother, or working for the Unspeakables, or exploring a new world. No, some deep, dark part of him wanted to avenge Hermione and her parents.

But to confront someone on a par with a Death Eater, he needed to be stronger. He was a powerful wizard for his age, but against an adult Death Eater, he could do little unless he got lucky. His confrontation with Quirrellmort at the end of his first year proved that. Could he have fought off Macnair at the riot? If he wasn't concussed, maybe, but he was a teenager against an adult wizard, and one who had no compunction against murder. At best, he could have Stunned Macnair and secured him for someone else to take care of, but that was no guarantee, and Purebloods like Macnair would find a way to punish Harry for the temerity of harming his so-called betters.

Whatever the truth of the matter, he was done with the universe taking things from him. Loving parents (even if his mother had returned to him, something he had finally accepted). His best friend. His education at one of the best schools in the world, for adventure if nothing else. His opportunities to have a happy, fulfilling life, shaved away by the malice of others. By this point, he needed to fight back, before anything else of value was taken from him.

He just hoped this sojourn was worth it…

CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:

I didn't realise magic spells didn't really exist in the Eminence in Shadow world until I looked up the wiki. I mean, seriously, there's nothing aside from I Am Atomic? And even that is more or less a sword technique in the novels. Meaning that Dun Scaith have an even greater advantage over the Cult than before, but said advantage is still a double-edged sword. Not all of its members can wield Potterverse spells either. Alpha, Beta, and Epsilon are the top spellcasters in the Seven Shades, though Eta and Gamma can both use some spells, as can a few of the Numbers. But Lily only teaches spells to those she can trust with their power, and who have the ability to do so. Delta and Zeta can use magic to enhance their bodies and manipulate their bodysuits, but they lack the ability to use spells.

Then again, I know that Delta doesn't need magic spells. In canon, she's a powerful berserker, a veritable wrecking ball of a somewhat literal attack dog. In this story, she's even more useful, keeping calm or at least serene, able to follow orders more complicated than 'kill the enemy'. Does she have any strategic thought and ability? Not really, she's still something of a meathead. Can she prioritise saving civilians over 'hunting'? Yes, partly because Lily eased her out of her Social Darwinistic tendencies. She's used for that because her strength and speed are ludicrous. She's also a little better at reading people, consciously, anyway, and knows better than to charge in at times.

Also, is it me, or do I get serious Raphtalia vibes from Alpha in some regards? Maybe it's just me, and I know Raphtalia and Alpha share the same actress in Japanese, Asami Seto. But there's some small parallels between them…and between Alpha and Albedo from Overlord, though those two don't share voice actresses.

Also, I'm more than a little annoyed with myself. I missed some errors that arose because I forgot to change elements that were present in previous versions of this fic. I've corrected them, but still…

Review-answering time! Jlargent: Harry is not Cid here. Lily's the closest thing. And she's not doing pranks against Cult members. The so-called great and the good of Midgar Kingdom and other parts of this world, well, occasionally, she would do so. But she's definitely cut down on the ham, though the temptation is there to say something like "I am vengeance! I am the night!" or "I am the terror that flaps in the night!" Well, I say ham in terms of the Large Ham. As Scathach, Lily is definitely being what TV Tropes would call a Cold Ham.

No numbered annotations this time.