Blind Confrontations
Chapter 12: Examinations and Experiments
Silence reigned in the Dojo after Hermione's outburst. She couldn't quite believe her eyes, four years of almost no contact except birthday cards and Christmas cards and now, here in the heart of New York City, in a martial arts Dojo no less she found herself face to face with her past. God he looked good, he had grown several inches over the past three years. He had filled out as well his slight build covered with sinewy muscles, but not over developed like a weight lifter. She dreamed of meeting him again, all the different ways, and each time it would involve kisses and whispered declarations of love. Well Stone had blown that idea right out of the water cause now she found herself having to kick his ass to get the job. Well Harry Potter, love you or not you are going down.
Harry was stunned, mere moments after she had entered Stone's he knew who it was that was talking. Her voice was as familiar to him as his own and even after almost four years she still smelled faintly of vanilla and the faint smell of musty books. Only years of discipline drilled into him by Stick and later Stone stopped him from tearing across the floor and gathering her in his arms and kissing her till she passed out. So you can understand his reaction when he heard Hermione asking for a job and Stone's demand that she fight him. He was stuck, he would have to fight her, not exactly the greeting he wanted to give her, but he knew Stone would not accept anything less than his best from him.
Stone watched the pair for a brief moment; he scanned Harry's face noting the warring expressions on his face. Without a doubt the boy knew his opponent and was not happy with the situation. He turned his gaze to Hermione and noted also her expression, the grim smile and eyes that promised a severe ass kicking for his protégé.
The pair faced each other on the mat knowing the time for conversation would come after they had kicked the ass of the other. They bowed to Stone before turning and bowing to each other. Stone made a chopping motion with his arm. "Fight!"
It was elegant, spellbinding and brutal as the pair darted in towards each other and the blows they traded came fast and furious. One trained by two Mystic martial arts teachers and the other trained by the best combat instructors in British Magical Law enforcement. Kicks and punches were fired with deadly proficiency and were blocked or evaded with equal skill. Minutes passed and neither combatant seemed to be tiring, though the expression on Hermione's face was growing more and more frustrated with her inability to get through Harry's defences. Suddenly Harry was on the attack and Hermione back-pedalled trying to put some distance between them.
She swung a spinning back heel kick trying to take advantage of his advance but he ducked under the blow almost as if he was expecting it. Harry spun on his heel in a sweeping leg striking connecting solidly with the back of her knee and sent her falling backwards. She shifted her weight her hands coming down on her palms and pushed up in a forward flip landing with barely a sound on the other side of Harry. She spun into another back kick trying to connect only for him to once more dance around the blow and wrapped his arms around her waist pinning her arms to her sides and picking her off the floor. Harry pressed his lips to her ear his breath warm and soothing yet extremely confusing to Hermione and what he whispered in her ear didn't help. As his words registered her struggles stopped for a brief moment and that was all Harry needed? Suddenly without really knowing how she found herself on her back on the mats staring up at a grinning Harry.
"Enough!" Stone stepped onto the mats and bowed to Harry who quickly stepped off the mats joining the other students and Stone looked at the rising Hermione. Her face fell when she realised she had lost and knowing that the job offer was conditional to her beating Harry knew it was not going to happen.
Stone studied her for a moment before he extended his right hand to her. Nervously Hermione took it and shook it briefly. " Will three nights a week be sufficient?" Hermione was stunned he was still going to give her the job.
"B-but I didn't beat him."
Stone laughed. "My dear no one but myself has lasted more than five minutes against Mr Potter, and in all honesty I never expected to you to win, I just wanted to see our skill level and judge for myself if you were capable of teaching the classes."
Hermione nodded a slow smile spreading across her face. "Three nights is fine Sir I promise I wont disappoint you."
Stone nodded. "Right everyone class is over for today hit the showers and I'll see you all next time." He bowed to his awaiting students who all bowed in return before making their way to the locker rooms all of the talking excitedly about the fight they just witnessed.
Harry waited his unseeing gaze locked on Hermione waiting for her to finish up with Stone, he grinned just imagining her expression as finally they were the only two left standing on the mats. "Hello Mione." He oomphed as she collided with him her arms wrapping around him in a tight hug as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It's you it's really you."
Harry's arms tightened around her as he revelled in the feelings of once more holding the girl he loved in his arms. "It's me Mione." Needless to say with his arms occupied he was unable to defend himself when her small fist drove itself into his short ribs driving the air out of his lungs dropping him to his knees. "You bastard! Four years and not a word beyond Christmas and birthdays, and you can see, how can you see, Dumbledore said it was permanent!"
Harry groaned as he stood straightening out and standing. "Look I promise I'll explain everything Hermione, but we both need to shower and change and I promise after we eat I'll tell you everything."
She nodded, she had to admit both of them were fairly ripe from their workout so she turned and started towards the ladies locker room. As she pushed open the door she turned to look at Harry. "Did you mean what you said on the mats Harry?"
Harry rubbed his ribs and smiled at her. "Every word Hermione. I loved you when we were in Hogwarts and I love you now." Hermione blushed looking at the floor shyly as tears welled in her eyes. "I love you to Harry Potter." She slipped into the locker room with a happy smile and tears rolling down her cheeks.
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The first thing Alexander Dante experienced upon waking was pain, every nerve in his body was aflame and his mouth held the coppery taste of blood. He tried to move; willing his screaming muscle's to work. His eyes blood shot and raw cracked open and he found himself in a white room strapped and bound to a surgical steel table, multiple needles with tubes linked to them implanted all over his body. Slowly his memory of the previous night returned to him, his flight from danger his confrontation with the man with the silver hair. He had to get out of here, whatever reason he was here couldn't be healthy, slowly he tried to will himself to Apparate and his eyes snapped open as he struck some kind of barrier preventing it, he tried again with the same results. Slowly panic began to suffuse his body and like a wild animal threw himself again and again at the barrier that prevented his escape. He turned his head wildly to the side as he heard a lock being opened and a door opened and several men in white coats walked into the room walking out of his field of vision.
"Please let me go. I haven't done anything wrong, why are you doing this?" Alexander struggled against his bonds trying desperately to escape
One of the Techs appeared in his field of view and jabbed a syringe into his arm before disappearing from view once more. Slowly he felt whatever the tech had injected him with start to take effect and the last thing Alexander Dante heard was the powering up of machinery and the last thing he saw was the tubes attached to the needles slowly fill with red liquid.
TBC…
An: Sorry it's taken as long to update I ain't been to well recently but here it is at last
Yours truly,
The Evil Kai Lun Mau