A/N: Here's the newest chapter. No fluff! It's about time I did one of these! Oh yeah, quick update highlighting the four video game characters I introduced will be put up soon as well.
Cheers!
*****
Chapter 36
Twice a week for the next few weeks, Harry, Katrina, and Draco had their training with Cloud. Harry and Draco were starting to come along, and had even learned to somewhat respect one another. Oh they hated each other, very much, but at least they had started to acknowledge the other's skills.
Harry hated to admit it, but Draco was a damned-good wizard, and he was making strides in his swordsmanship as well.
But Katrina, Katrina was on a whole different level. She may not have had the magical power that Harry and Draco did, but she was by far the best out of any of them with a sword.
Now it was the beginning of November, October having been a rather uneventful month, and Harry finally had the first peaceful Halloween that he could ever remember.
"Draco, Harry, now attack Katrina. Work together, you have to get past your mutual dislike for one another if you are going to be able to defeat her." Cloud told them, once again in his deep, thick voice that gave no emotion. In fact, the man rarely ever showed emotion at all, except for when there was a whisper of the word 'air' and then his eyes would tear up for a moment before he continued on.
He had never hesitated to call Harry and Draco by their first names, but he seemed to dislike Katrina for some reason. He always called her 'Giggs', something that she had become very annoyed about, and soon the hatred became mutual between the two.
Katrina was also the only one that could somewhat hold her own against the sword master, by holding her own, that meant last longer than thirty seconds. Harry had no idea where the man had learned all of his skills, he had offered no knowledge of his past, and brushed aside all questions pertaining to his personal life.
He was so young, 19, Harry finally discovered after a few weeks of prying, so how could he have ever gotten so powerful? There was also something strange about the man, and all of the other trainers as well. None of them carried wands, and he had never seen them use magic. What could this mean? Were they muggles?
Harry snapped out of his thoughts and brought his sword to full height, and with his peripheral vision noted that Draco had done the same. Katrina eyed them both closely, waiting for their attack.
Harry saw Draco flex a muscle in his swinging arm, and broke into action. Because he knew exactly where Draco would attack, Harry tried to maneuver his blade into a position where Katrina could not block it.
Katrina easily parried Draco's blow, but that was to be expected. With her living sword out in front of her, Katrina kicked back with amazing agility and caught Harry's sword hand, sending the Sword of Bravery hurling across the room.
A quick step back and she had sliced neatly threw Harry's torso. He sighed and sat back against the wall to watch Katrina finish up Draco within the next few seconds, finally turning to Cloud when Draco had joined him, having a neat mark trailing from his inner thigh to the opposite earlobe.
"I like to see that you anticipated Draco's movements well, Harry. K-<cough> Giggs is just too well trained, but in time you will be at that level. Draco, you may have lasted longer, but that was because your movements put Harry in peril. Look past your pride and work with Harry efficiently, that is the only way the two of you may ever defeat Giggs."
It was not lost to Harry that Cloud had finally almost spoken Katrina's name, perhaps she was finally breaking through his barriers. He chanced a glance at Malfoy, who sneered back at him. Harry returned it with just as much venom. Cloud just didn't understand that there was a major war occurring right now, and Draco was in with Voldemort while Harry was with Dumbledore. Of course, he couldn't prove that Draco had joined Tom Riddle's forces, but he was dead sure that he had.
Sighing, Harry turned and surveyed the rest of the room. Ron was desperately trying to defend himself against Serge, who was swinging and hacking his swallow with such speed and precision that Ron's body seemed to be completely covered in the red slash-marks.
He also saw Hermione and Neville teaming up and Tifa, only to have their butts thoroughly whipped each time. Dean and Seamus were the only ones to have successfully gotten a blow on one of the trainers, but their overall record against the Gigantor Kongol was about a million to one.
The class ended a few moments later, and Harry hurried outside with Hermione, Ron, and Luna. There was a Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon, and Ron had confided in Harry that he was finally going to ask Luna out for a date.
"Erm, Luna, can I ask you something?" Ron asked abruptly. Harry grinned at Hermione and they took this as their leave, hurriedly making an excuse to go to the common room.
A solid twenty minutes later, Ron and Luna walked into the common room, grinning madly. Harry smiled at them. "So what are the two of you doing this Saturday?"
The blushing that came from this question answered all questions they may have had. "Well we can double-date then, how about that? We like to stay away from Madam Puddiefoot's, but we usually have a great time just looking at the joke shops and having some butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. What do ya say?"
"That would be lovely," Luna answered dreamily. "But we have to look out for the Chrifen Hourdots, they're all over the place this time of the year. My father said that they like to wreck havoc on young couples."
Harry forced his eyes to stay on Luna, against the powerful urge to roll them upwards. Hermione stifled a laugh with a cough, while Ron blushed and didn't say anything.
They were all looking for a distraction when Katrina came into the common room. A sudden idea came to Harry.
"Katrina!"
The straight-haired black Gryffindor Sixth Year turned to Harry and smiled. "Yes?"
Harry stood from his position on the couch and approached her. "My friends and I have this sort of…group. We train together for the war against Voldemort and -"
Katrina laughed. "You mean the Victors?"
Harry looked astonished, Katrina just rolled her eyes at him. "Please Harry, the entire school knows about your little group, even if we don't know what you do. I really only know what you call yourselves cuz I heard Parvati let it slip once while she was talking to Parvati." Harry considered, realizing that this was all probably completely true and possible.
Katrina continued. "So what is it then? You want me to join?"
Harry nodded, they sure could use her swordsmanship.
Katrina surprised him by shaking her head. "No, I hardly know any of you Harry, and I don't want to join the war against Voldemort."
Harry was taken aback by her words, but respected them nonetheless. He nodded. "Okay, if that's how you feel then I won't burden you with questions. But can you at least help me with one thing?"
She raised an eyebrow but nodded carefully. "Perhaps."
Harry gave her a nervous smile. "Well, can you…you know, help me with my swordsmanship? I mean, you're incredible at it and lord knows I need the help for when I face Voldemort, I need all the help I can get."
Katrina shifted a little. "Are you sure you want help from me? You hardly know me!"
Harry considered her for a second before responding. "Yes, true, but I feel…like I can trust you. Do you know what I mean?"
Katrina shook her head slightly, tears forming in her eyes as she slowly shook her head. "No, I don't."
Without another word she ran off to the girls dormitories and left a very confused Harry Potter behind her.
*****
"Alright Ron, you ready?"
"You bet your sorry little ass I am."
Harry grinned at his best friend and rose his sword, while Ron raised his swallow. They were in the Room of Requirement, just the two of them, to see who the better swordsman was.
All special spells were in place, of course, so neither of them could be injured by their weapons in this duel.
Ron struck first, an overhead blow intended to slice Harry's shoulder. Harry side-stepped the blow and swept upwards with his own blade, but Ron had continued his downward strike so that the opposite end of swallow was now pointed upwards and glanced Harry's blow aside.
Harry was about to cut at Ron when a searing pain in his forehead sent him to the ground.
"AARRGGHH!!"
A small group of cloaked men walked in stealth up to a house located in muggle London. The house was somehow familiar…
As they neared the house the men passed the mailbox located in the front of the driveway, one word clearly written on its side…
Granger
"Potter! He can see this! I can feel him!"
Harry woke up abruptly, drenched in sweat. "Harry! What's wrong?" Asked a very concerned Ron Weasley.
"GO TO DUMBLEDORE! VOLDEMORT IS ATTACKING THE GRANGERS!"
Ron paled and bolted from the room, not asking questions.
"Snitch! I need your help! Now!" Harry hissed, touching his wristband. The gem glowed gold and Snitch emerged from it, looking expectedly at Harry.
"The Granger's house. Now!" Harry didn't stop to think that Snitch couldn't have possibly known where the house was, but within seconds, Harry was standing in the driveway, looking at the backs of the death eaters.
"MAXIMUS REDUCTO!"
Harry blew the driveway into a million pieces, sending the death eaters flying into the air. Harry stunned them one at a time as they came down. He managed to get nearly all of them, not caring how injured most of them were by the fifty foot fall.
One man managed to evade the stunning. In a quick movement the two immediately shot a disarming spell at the other, knocking their wands away. Harry had no time to go after his wand as the man immediately charged him with a long, slick, saber.
The death eater's mask fell away to reveal Lucius Malfoy. Harry grimaced but was able to bring his own sword (he thanked Merlin that he had been clutching it when Snitch had transported them) up in a block to save himself from being decapitated.
Lucius immediately brought his sword in a sideways sweep, and Harry had to spin and deflect the sword to his left. Before he could react Lucius was attacking again, and Harry was forced to defend.
Harry couldn't tell exactly what was happening, but he knew that he was being driven backwards into a trap. But he was powerless to stop it.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry heard the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange but was powerless to stop it. Praying for a miss, he continued to block Lucius' swings, and saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye.
There was a loud thump behind him, and a million golden feathers shot out into the dark of night.
Snitch had taken the curse for him.
Harry fought back tears as he continued to defend himself against Malfoy's relentless attack.
He never heard Lestrange's muffled gasp as she was hit from behind with a curse, and then apparated away with a soft pop.
He blocked yet another slice but wound up on his back, his feet swept from under him. He stared up in horror as Lucius brought his sword down…
Clang!
Malfoy's sword was knocked to the side as another had come into contact with it. Harry rolled away and saw flashes of steel glistening in the moonlight, and pained moans from Malfoy as his arms were sliced open by the superior swordsman, who was holding a long, oddly-shaped sword.
Malfoy disapparated suddenly and Harry followed the blade from the tip of the sword to the hand that held it, then up the arm and to the face of his saviour.
His jaw dropped.
A man with jet-black hair and a muscle-bound body looked back at him.
Kris Giggs had saved his life.
*****
A/N: And the plot thickens. How'd you like it? Leave me a review and let me know! It's great motivation! (not to mention an ego booster. A good friend of mine, lady cassie, author of Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Feint - a must read (check the recommendation section at kindred spirits) has named her ego iago. I think I may go with bob for mine. Good and impersonal, not to mention there's the movie 'what about bob' that's about psychology, so it comes from that as well. Who knew that the meaning behind bob could be so insightful!)
R/R!!!