CHAPTER 35: UNFORGIVING DAWN
The next morning, at the ungodly hour of five o'clock, the trio—Ron, Hermione, and Adrian—shuffled sleepily towards the lake. Ron and Adrian seemed especially reluctant, dragging their feet with every step. Trailing behind them were Professors McGonagall and Snape, who had been tasked with ensuring that the students arrived punctually.
When they reached the lake, they found Harry Potter already engaged in an intense workout. Harry was executing handstand push-ups, his feet braced against a sturdy tree. His attire consisted of white sneakers, gray sweatpants, and a matching gray shirt.
"I'm quite impressed," Harry said, his voice slightly muffled by the inverted position. "I was expecting you to be at least two minutes late."
Professor McGonagall gave a slight nod, her eyes stern. "I made sure they were on time. For their own benefit, if nothing else."
Harry's gaze shifted to the trio, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Pity. I was really looking forward to telling you to run around the lake."
He completed his set of push-ups, straightened up, and ambled over to the trio. "So, what's with the attire?" he asked, gesturing at their clothes.
Hermione, ever the voice of reason, spoke up first. "It's Saturday. We're allowed to wear casual clothes."
Harry raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You're planning to train in those?"
Ron shot Harry a puzzled look. "You're wearing Muggle clothes too."
"True, but these are designed for comfort and movement," Harry explained. "If you're going to train, you need better gear. Either transfigure those or find something more appropriate."
With a resigned sigh, Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and the trio's clothes transformed into workout gear. Hermione's outfit turned a vibrant pink, Ron's a striking green, and Adrian's a bold red.
"Perfect," Harry said, nodding in approval. He then pulled out a piece of parchment from his bag and handed it to the trio. "Here's your first challenge. Run the distances listed on this paper and let me know when you're done."
Adrian glanced at the parchment, his expression one of disbelief. "Are you serious?"
Harry gave a feigned smile, though his eyes twinkled with mischief. "If it's too complex, Professor Snape can read it out for you." Snape's lips curled into an almost imperceptible grin at the suggestion. "Get moving or be quiet and start already."
Without waiting for a reply, Harry turned and strode towards a nearby tree. He deftly maneuvered around it to retrieve a punching bag. With a swift motion, he secured it to a branch before climbing back down.
As Harry wrapped tape around his hands, he noticed the trio staring at him, still processing the tasks ahead.
"Are you all just going to stand there?" Harry snapped. "Start the runs!"
The trio shook off their surprise and started tackling the distances listed on the parchment. Harry, meanwhile, was completely absorbed in his workout, his punches landing on the bag with such speed and precision that even McGonagall and Snape couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the poor punching bag. The rhythmic thuds of Harry's strikes echoed across the lake, amplifying the intensity of their training session.
A few minutes later, as the trio finished their exercises and collapsed onto the ground, Harry walked over with an air of authority. Seeing them sprawled out, he announced, "Alright, time to teach you how to fall properly. It's a crucial skill for dueling and fighting."
Adrian, still catching his breath, looked up at Harry with a mixture of disbelief and confusion. "Are you serious? Why on earth do we need to learn how to fall?"
"Come here for a moment," Harry instructed. Adrian, looking wary, walked over and stood directly in front of him. Without warning, Harry gave him a gentle shove, sending him sprawling to the ground. Adrian grunted as the air was knocked out of him. "That's why you need to learn how to fall properly. Any more questions?"
"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall's voice cut through the morning air, sharp with disapproval.
Harry, however, cut her off before she could begin. "No interruptions. I'm teaching my lessons my way. If you have a problem with it, either take them away or step aside."
Hermione, still slightly flustered, pointed at Adrian, who was now groaning on the ground. "Did you really have to do that? I doubt you were taught in such a rough manner."
"Oh, you want to hear about my training?" Harry raised an eyebrow, a hint of challenge in his gaze. "Yes?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes."
"Alright then," Harry said, pulling out his wand with a flick of his wrist. Instantly, a large concrete slab materialized beside him. McGonagall watched, visibly impressed by Harry's advanced spellwork. "I practiced on concrete when I was younger. If you prefer that over the softer grass, feel free to try it."
Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "You can't be serious. That would hurt!"
"And it did," Harry replied calmly. "Do you want to keep debating, or should we get on with the lesson? Because if you want to argue, I suggest you do it somewhere else." Hermione, now flushed with embarrassment, fell silent.
For the next few minutes, Harry demonstrated the techniques for cushioning and rolling during a fall. The trio practiced diligently, with Harry offering guidance and corrections. When they were finished, Harry gave his assessment.
"You were terrible," he said bluntly, though there was a hint of begrudging praise in his tone. "But you weren't completely hopeless. That's something. It's a step up from what the maggots will get next. I won't bother with close combat today. I want to see your dueling skills first, so I know what I'm working with." He pulled out his wand, eyes sparkling with challenge. "Get your wands out and get ready."
The trio scrambled to their feet, drawing their wands and assuming their dueling stances. Harry raised a hand to signal them to wait.
"Before we start, any questions?" he asked, his tone a mix of seriousness and anticipation. The trio shook their heads, nerves visible in their expressions.
"Good," Harry said, a determined smile stretching across his face. "Let's see what you've got."
"Stay still," Harry instructed as he paced around them, scrutinizing their stances. "I want to see how you're set up." He stopped in front of each of them, his expression growing more critical. "And they're terrible."
"What?!" Ron exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Pretty much, Weasley," Harry replied bluntly. "With the stance you're aiming for, your body should be sideways to minimize your target area. Otherwise, it's too easy for me to hit you. Do you want me to curse you?"
"No," Ron mumbled, quickly adjusting his stance as Harry moved on to Hermione.
"Your stance isn't bad, but your weight is too centered," Harry observed.
"What does that mean?!" Hermione asked, her frustration evident.
"It means you're slower," Harry explained. "If we were dueling, it's more likely that I'd get the better of you."
"Wait, are you actually going to try to kill us?!" Hermione's eyes widened.
"I will if you keep raising your voice like that," Harry said matter-of-factly. He then turned to Adrian. "As for you, you've got both problems your friends have. Position your body sideways and stay light on your feet."
"Okay," Adrian said, adjusting his stance as instructed.
"Oh, and one more thing," Harry added. "Don't spread your legs so wide unless you want me to slip my foot between them." Adrian flushed a deep red and quickly brought his legs closer together.
Harry moved back to create some distance. "Alright, what's next?" Adrian asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"I want you three to try to disarm me," Harry said, his eyes glinting with challenge.
"Disarm? We learned that in second year," Ron replied, looking puzzled.
"Just like you should've learned table manners as a child," Harry shot back. "If you've forgotten the basics, I don't have much faith in your ability to disarm anyone. Now, we'll start with three attempts. Get ready: one."
The trio prepared themselves, wands at the ready. "Two," Harry continued, raising his hand. "Three!"
In unison, the three fired disarming spells at Harry. He ducked and sidestepped with surprising agility, evading the spells. Before the trio could react, Harry dashed towards them, catching them off guard.
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as Harry grabbed her wrist, redirecting her wand towards the others. A spell shot out from her wand, hitting Adrian and sending him crashing into Ron. Both wands flew from their hands, clattering to the ground.
Harry swiftly swept Hermione's legs out from under her, sending her sprawling onto the grass. Her wand flew from her grip, landing several feet away.
Panting slightly, Harry stood over the trio, a look of satisfaction on his face. "See? That's how quickly things can turn in a duel. Always be prepared for the unexpected."
"What was that?!" Adrian demanded, his voice tinged with frustration.
"You three are slow," Harry said bluntly. "You need to learn to think faster; I could've easily defeated you all. You need to work on your speed and precision."
"You're too fast!" Ron protested, clearly upset.
"Am I?" Harry shot back, his eyes narrowing. In a flash, he raised his arm and fired two Stunning Spells at Professor McGonagall. For a brief moment, her face showed shock, but she quickly raised her wand, blocking the first spell and dodging the second with impressive agility.
"Potter! What was that?!" McGonagall demanded, her voice stern. Snape, too, had drawn his wand, his gaze intense as he waited for an explanation.
"Just proving a point," Harry said, turning back to the stunned trio. "Professor McGonagall is old enough to be your grandmother, and Snape, despite being in his thirties and teaching subjects unrelated to dueling, managed to block both spells. What's your excuse?"
"Well... we…" Hermione struggled to come up with a response, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"Exactly," Harry continued, his tone unforgiving. "You three act like you're entitled to greatness without putting in the effort. Be grateful I'm showing you how mistaken you are, and be glad I'm not a Death Eater."
"We're not spoiled!" Ron shouted, his anger flaring. "My family is poor! I have to share everything with my brothers and sister!"
"Cry me a river," Harry said coldly. "You have a family, shelter, and food. Forgive me if I don't have much sympathy for your struggles with sharing a broom or not being able to afford the latest one."
"How would you know what it's like?!" Ron spat back, his voice full of resentment.
"I don't know exactly how your life is," Harry replied firmly, "but even if I had your experiences, I'd still understand that there's always someone better off and someone worse off. Trust me; I've met people who make you look as spoiled as a Malfoy. Now get your worthless backsides off the ground."
"You can't talk to us like that!" Adrian growled, his face reddening with anger.
Harry's expression remained unyielding. "I'm not here to coddle you. I'm here to prepare you for reality. If you can't handle the truth, then you're in for a rough ride. Get up and try again. If you don't start taking this seriously, you'll never make it in a real fight."
"If I want to call you idiots or even sugarplum fairies, then I will. You have the choice to take it like a man, prove you're worth addressing with respect, or cry like a little girl and never earn respect. If I were you, I'd choose either the first or the last option; they're more achievable than the others. Now get up or I'll make you get up." The trio, grumbling, reluctantly stood up.
Harry then spent the next hour teaching them how to disarm an opponent. It was a grueling process, and Harry was beginning to regret ever agreeing to this. By the end of the lesson, he looked at the trio with a critical eye.
"Hmmm, maybe you could at least disarm a Death Eater now... if he were blind... and distracted by a loud noise," Harry said slowly, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
"Hey, could you stop being such a jerk?!" Adrian demanded, frustration clear in his voice.
"I can't; it's a full-time job," Harry replied with a shrug. "To be fair, you three are better at disarming now, but you've got a long way to go. In an actual fight, you'd be lucky to last a few minutes."
"As if you've been in real fights," Ron huffed, crossing his arms defensively.
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter has participated in Japanese war duels multiple times," Snape reminded him sharply. "More often than you and hasn't been killed."
"Yeah, but it's not like anyone is actually trying to kill people in those duels," Adrian said dismissively.
"In my last duel," Harry said, his tone growing serious, "I fought against a Japanese girl and a Japanese boy. The boy was fairly easy to defeat, but the girl was a different story. She tried to behead me with a curse, attempted the Killing Curse multiple times, and even went for my head and legs with a sword. If you don't believe me, ask Dumbledore; he was in the crowd."
"What was Dumbledore doing there?" Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Oh, he hoped to see the skirts of young Japanese girls like in anime," Harry said with a grin, enjoying Hermione's shocked reaction. "Anyway, class is over, so move your pathetic butts out of my sight."
"You don't have to insult us!" Hermione shot back, her face flushed with indignation.
"I don't have to train you either; deal with it and disappear," Harry replied bluntly.
"Come on, guys, let's go," Hermione said, glaring at Harry before leading the trio away. McGonagall transformed their clothes back to their original state before they left.
"Potter, was all of that necessary?" McGonagall asked, her voice filled with concern.
"It was a complete waste of my time," Harry said as he returned to the punching bag. He resumed hitting it with practiced strikes. "The so-called Boy-Who-Lived, and none of you thought it was a good idea to make sure he can at least disarm properly. I planned to spend today's lesson assessing their skills, and I am very disappointed."
"But you can surely see that you were too hard on them," McGonagall responded, her voice filled with concern.
"Hard? Please, that was angelic compared to the training I received," Harry said, his tone flat as he continued to punch the bag with rhythmic intensity. "I had a much worse training when I was much younger. Your lions are kittens, and if they want to survive my training, they better grow up. Otherwise, I won't be so nice in the next lesson."
"Nice?! You call that nice?!" McGonagall burst out, clearly surprised.
"Too nice, I think," Harry replied. "Let your lions know they should be here at the same time tomorrow, and the same rules apply. If I hear them complaining again, I will personally bind them and throw them into the lake to let them swim. Oh, and tell Dumbledore that I want my payment before each lesson; I'm not going near those idiots without it."
"I will make sure he is informed," Snape said, suppressing a grin as he observed McGonagall's astonishment. He then guided her away from Harry.
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