Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 17: Training

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or he'd be with his true love.

Sunday morning, they woke, dressed, and walked back to the porch. Arthur and Molly Weasley were there eating breakfast with Sirius and Remus. Snape, Moody, and Ashdown were nowhere to be seen.

"Harry!" Molly said, "We've been on this island for a week and I feel like I've barely seen you!"

Harry was pulled into a hug, which he endured patiently.

"The classes are taking up a lot of our time, but they're going brilliantly. I feel like I've learned more than I have at Hogwarts… well, except for when Professor Lupin taught." Harry said.

"That's what Ron and Ginny said." Arthur replied.

"They did say they're being worked to death, though." Molly started, "You're just kids! You're not aurors. You shouldn't have to work so hard, especially during the summer. You've got this whole island, you should be exploring it, maybe playing some Quidditch."

"We're still having fun, but I've got a lot to learn." Harry said, trying to end the conversation.

Hermione thought to herself that she probably should stay out of it, even though her impulse was to vehemently disagree with Molly Weasley. The hard work they were doing was so much more valuable than wasting the whole summer doing nothing! However, she suspected that while the Weasleys liked her and always tolerated her, Molly saw her as a bad example of how a young woman should behave and she didn't want to strain that relationship any further.

"Where's Ron?" Molly asked, "We should have put you boys in the same room. You would have woken him in time to come to breakfast. I better go get him."

"Uh… no, mum, let me go get him." Harry said, thinking there was a chance Ron was sleeping in Luna's bed or Luna in Ron's. If Molly caught them, it might end this summer vacation more quickly than he wanted.

Harry ran back to the bedrooms and knocked on Ron's door. He heard a mumble from inside, but no real words, so he opened the door and rushed in.

"Ron, wake up, Mate!" Harry said, then saw who was sleeping in the bed and blushed, "Erm… hi, Luna."

Luna was draped over Ron's side, where he lay face down in his pillow. She wasn't wearing a stitch and wasn't completely covered by the blanket. He could only see her side, but her wide eyes were completely open and she gave him a little wave and a smile. Ron was going to kill him! Or perhaps Hermione would.

"Good morning, Harry!" Luna said, "You're turning red. Do you have a flaming praetox infestation?"

Harry wondered again, as he had several times before, whether Luna was insane, a genius, or simply masking her vulnerability with a façade of odd behavior. When she winked at him, he wasn't sure which option that supported.

"Mrs. Weasley wants Ron to come to breakfast. Do you think you could wake him, then grab Neville and Ginny? I'm not sure I'm willing to go into any more bedrooms this morning."

"Why?" Luna asked, starting to get out of bed and making Harry blush even deeper, "It doesn't smell funny, does it? I used a freshening charm."

"Right, well, see you on the back porch. Breakfast. Better get back." Harry said, fleeing out of the room. He gave a quick knock on Neville's door and Ginny's door, before hurrying back.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said, "Where's Ron? Where's Ginny?"

"Er… they're on their way. Said something about showers."

"Why are you so red?" Molly asked, walking towards Harry and feeling his forehead, "You're not coming down with a fever are you?"

Sirius was silently laughing and both Arthur and Mooney were smirking. Hermione grinned at him, clearly relieved he was back and she wasn't alone with Molly.

Soon everybody showed up and they finished breakfast.

"What are your plans for the day?" Sirius asked, "Your last day of freedom before another week of hard work."

Ron groaned at that. "Don't remind me."

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance. They'd agonized last night over whether to show their friends Hidden Bay. They'd each taken turns deciding yes, they should and no, they shouldn't. They hadn't really ever come to a firm conclusion, but finished the discussion still very torn. It was very romantic that they had a secret place just for them that no other living person had ever been to and nobody else could find with the wards, but at the same time these were their very best friends. Intense training was only bringing them closer together as was the knowledge that someday they'd likely need to use the training together and thus were already comrades at arms.

Hermione took the lead, because while Harry was the leader, she was the planner and she knew he'd never tell for fear of offending her. He considered it her bay and her secret to keep or share.

"I think we'll go to a new beach Harry and I found." Hermione explained. "Maybe spend the day getting some sun."

"Ok, but if it's outside our beach here, you might need me to come with and cast a shark-repelling ward." Sirius said, "Shark attacks are rare, but you don't want to take the chance."

"We already did yesterday." Hermione answered.

"You cast a ward?" Remus said, sitting upright. That was powerful magic, normally well beyond a fourth year Hogwarts education. Of course, so was the Patronus charm. He should know not to be surprised by anything from those all these children and those two in particular.

"Oh, yes." Hermione smiled, pleased that her ability was recognized, "We cast a combination ward of my design. You're interested in runes, aren't you? Here, I'll share what I did. Accio, parchment."

Both Sirius and Remus looked over her ward schema. They had both become interested in runes and wards when they were marauders. Their skill was significant, with the Marauder's Map one example of their mastery, but not the only example. When they saw Hermione's ward schema, they knew that she had matched their prowess and well before graduation.

"This is amazing!" Remus exclaimed, "You've clearly made it self-powered off the local ley lines. You've integrated more discrete wards than I've ever seen and made them synergistic rather than interfering. This is post-NEWT level work!"

"Who are you going to get to power it, though?" Sirius asked, "Dumbledore could maybe do it on his own, but if we're going to actually place this without him, we might need to all contribute and that kind of coordination is really difficult. That's the downside to this kind of combination ward and the reason wards are usually cast individually and layered on each other, even though that tends to weaken them through interference."

"We already did it." Harry said, casually. "It's up."

Both Sirius and Remus gave him a disbelieving look, but rapidly schooled their expressions. Dumbledore had been very explicit that while he knew Harry and now, by extension, Hermione, were very magically powerful, they wanted to minimize their knowledge of that. It might make him cocky and overconfident, something he could not afford in a conflict with Voldemort, one of the most powerful Dark Lords in history, who had started as the same kind of magical prodigy and increased his power through dark rituals.

"Oh, well, you never fail to surprise me." Remus said, trying and almost succeeding to sound as casual as Harry, "Hermione, you truly are the brightest witch of your age."

Both Molly and Ginny got a brief slightly sour look at that, but Luna, one of the few who should resent it, being near the same caliber of intellect, just smiled, happy to hear her new friend praised.

The children packed towels, blankets, umbrellas, but once the house elves caught them, they took over.

"Are we going to pack food? We should bring lots of butterbeer!" Ron said.

One of the house elves gave him a slightly dirty look, before assuming a more neutral expression.

"Just call for Timmy." He squeaked, "We'll bring you whatever you desire! Black elves are good elves!"

Hermione looked slight perturbed. Despite relaxing her opposition to house elves as she learned more about them, the very idea still rankled. She never wanted to take them for granted like purebloods did. Well, like most purebloods. The Weasleys, being poor, hadn't had house elves in generations.

She brought a beautiful sea shell out of her bag. To her developed senses, it pulsed with constrained green and gold magic.

"Everyone gather around the portkey!" she called, then once everyone had a hand on it, touched her wand to the shell and they all vanished.

When they reappeared on the deserted beach, Harry almost kept his feet, but stumbled in the sand and went down in a heap with the others. He never could understand why in Quidditch, flying, and defense, his reflexes were legendary, but get him near a floo or portkey and he tripped over himself. Luckily, he landed on something soft. Unluckily, when he looked up, his face was resting on one of Ginny's small breasts and she was looking down at him in shock.

"Uh." They both blushed, but then decided to pretend nothing had happened.

Others weren't so repressed.

"Neville, is that your wand?" Luna said dreamily, "I would have thought Ginny would have taken care of that for you before breakfast."

Neville turned a shade of plum that Harry had only seen on Uncle Vernon.

"Luna, stop." Hermione chided, "You've broken Neville."

All the girls chuckled.

Just then, Timmy popped in. With a wave of his hand, several beach umbrellas were in place, the blankets were laid out carefully, and a magically charmed box that would always stay cold appeared, overflowing with butterbeer, pineapple juice, and small flavored ices. Timmy was gone almost before they could notice him.

"Well, I have to admit, house elves are handy." Hermione said.

Hermione unfastened her pāreu to expose her blue string biking underneath.

"Harry, rub some of that potion on me."

Ginny dropped her cover up and handed Neville a vial. "Neville, do me."

Luna pulled her dress over her head. "Ronald, would you please?"

Nobody would have noticed anything, but Ron was making choking noises. Harry looked over, thinking he might have swallowed his food wrong, a real danger of the human food-vacuum, but what he saw was not a medical emergency. Luna was as bare head to toe as she'd been in bed that morning. He quickly looked away.

"Luna!" Ron hissed, "You forgot to put on your swimsuit!"

"Silly, I didn't forget." Luna said, "Like I told you before, I'm not used to wearing one. Most of the Lovegoods are from Sweden and when we visit there, we don't wear them. I had to wear that ridiculous thing with legs and a skirt yesterday for your mother and I decided today I want to be comfortable. You're all my friends and I trust you."

"But you're my girlfriend!" Ron choked.

"Of course, I am." Luna said, smiling, "I'm glad we've finally straightened that out, by the way. What does that have to do with this?"

"Nobody is supposed to see you like this but me!" Ron said, his face red.

"Actually, if you were to ask Mum, not even you." Ginny offered dryly, "Leave her alone. I better not catch Neville staring, but if she wants to swim in that, I think that's her choice."

Hermione hesitated, unsure of what she thought and what she wanted to say. A year ago, she would have been horrified by the situation, but now with a year's maturity and with her mind bonded to that of a teenage boy, she was a lot more relaxed and realized her earlier feelings would have been hypocritical.

"I wasn't going to say, but to be honest, I've done something similar myself, before." Hermione said.

Everyone looked at her in shock, even Harry. Her reputation around school was a shy bookworm and nobody could imagine the rules-obsessed girl ever sunning nude.

"My parents and I went to the beach when we were vacationing in France." Hermione said, sounding matter-of-fact, but Harry, feeling her emotions through the bond and knowing her as he did, could tell she was hiding embarrassment by remaining clinical, "My Mum wanted to go topless and she encouraged me. She said it was something I might not get the chance to do often and after all, I didn't know anyone. It was a bit embarrassing, but fun. I don't know if I could do it around people I know so well and will be around all the time, though."

"Isn't that strange?" Luna said, "That you're comfortable showing yourself among strangers, but you can't trust your friends that much? I think that's strange. Or sad, I'm not sure which."

There was silence as all of them thought about that.

"You know, I don't have many friends." Luna said, in a calm voice. Having thought about Hermione's hiding of her emotions by being utterly calm led Harry to wonder if that might not be what Luna was doing, as well, "Even the Ravenclaws think I'm weird and Ravenclaw is where all the cleverest kids go, which you can imagine means they're a few weird ones."

Ron and Ginny were nodding at that description of the Ravenclaws.

Luna continued, "So I've never really had friends. You invited me along when I know you didn't really intend to at first and you've really made me feel welcomed. I trust you."

Her words hung amongst the group and the silence stretched almost to an uncomfortable length.

"I grew up under a stair." Harry started. He shocked himself. He hadn't talked about his childhood with anyone. Hermione only knew because she had access to the inside of his mind. His loyalty wouldn't let him leave Luna as the only one vulnerable, though, so he jumped in.

"What are you talking about, Mate?" Ron asked.

"Shh…let him finish." Ginny said, "Go on, Harry."

"Everyone thinks I'm this big wizarding hero. Snape used to think I grew up rich and spoiled by my fame. That's why he changed, when he realized I'd grown up in a cupboard, being treated like a freak by a bunch of muggles."

He trailed off, too uncomfortable to go any further.

After minutes of silence, Neville started, almost whispering.

"My family thought I was a squib." He said, his voice shaking, "My parents are heroes of the war, like Harry's, but I don't even know them. My Gran thinks I'm an embarrassment to their legacy."

Ginny hugged him from the side.

"I'm a bossy bookworm. I didn't have any friends at Hogwarts until someone said mean things, made me cry, and then saved me from a troll in the bathroom. If they hadn't, I probably would have left Hogwarts soon after." Hermione said.

"I'm sorry." Ron said after awhile, "I was terrible. I…I was just hiding that I was terrified everyone would hate me because I was poor. I'd grown up thinking the Weasleys were trash, because I'd hear things from the Malfoys, the Crabbes, and the Goyles. I'm still getting over that."

Hermione wrapped an arm around Ron.

"Emotional range is at least a soup spoon, now Ron." She said.

Everyone laughed a bit at that and the mood lightened.

"At least I'm pretty normal." Ginny said, "I grew up with a ton of older brothers and an over controlling mum, but I turned out ok."

Everyone laughed at her statement and the tension was completely broken.

"Well, Harry, you better get my top, too, then." Hermione said, taking a deep breath and untying her bikini top.

Ginny blushed as red as it was possible to blush, but joined in, ditching her top, then running into the water. Luna laughed and ran after her. Ron ran after Luna, whooping and throwing his trunks away.

"There was something I really didn't need to see." Hermione said, shaking her head at Harry and Neville.

They laughed, but then Neville stood.

"Then don't watch." He said, as he ran for the water, ditching his trunks along the way.

"Neville?" Hermione said, now truly shocked.

Harry shrugged. "He would cut off his arm out of loyalty. He always wondered why he didn't end up in Hufflepuff because he's got no talent. I always wondered why he didn't end up there because of his loyalty. How brave does he have to be deep down for that to have been what placed him?"

Harry sighed and slowly stood. He reached out his hand for Hermione and helped her up. Then he dropped his Speedos.

"You know, you don't have anything to be ashamed of." Hermione said, her lip quirking upwards.

"Neither do you." Harry replied, cheekily.

They ran to join the others in the water, hand in hand.

As they day went on, it became a lot more normal and there were a lot fewer blushes. Luna and Hermione ended up discussing the ward architecture for the bay. Harry was surprised at what a high level of discussion evolved. He was used to thinking of Hermione as some sort of prodigy-genius, but he sometimes forgot about Luna.

"You say you calculated the Koblentz force by integrating the ley line variables?"

Harry thought that's what he heard. Even having learned arithmancy, he vaguely hoped he'd never talk like that.

"You clearly used auramancy to place the ward stones." Luna continued and Harry's ears perked up.

"You know auramancy?" Hermione asked Luna.

"You really don't know?" Luna asked, looking at Hermione in surprise.

"Know what?"

"Well, I don't know why you'd know." Luna said, "Some of my house members tease me. In my maternal line, seeing auras comes naturally, from birth. It's a lot like Ron's talent with strategy, but with greater penetrance, so instead of every ten generations or so, most of us have it. It's a bit distracting for a child. I don't just 'see' them, I hear them, smell them, touch them. I can sometimes tell people are lying, because their aura shows it. The talent made my mum a really great spell designer… before. It also made her seem a bit strange. She's lucky she found my dad. I always worried I wouldn't find someone."

"Harry and I are learning to see auras." Hermione explained, "We learned the spell from the Headmaster and now it's coming easier. I can shift into it without the spell now."

"I wondered whether Harry could see auras." Luna said, "Especially how beautiful his has always been, except for that terrible mark."

"His curse scar?" Hermione asked.

"That's more than a curse scar." Luna said, "Has Professor Dumbledore never tried to fix it?"

"Fix it?" Harry asked, "I heard they tried to heal the scar when I was a baby, but you can't heal a curse scar."

"There's a darkness that lives in your scar." Luna said with a shudder, her body breaking out in goose bumps, "I'm shocked nobody has tried to exorcise it."

Hermione looked at Harry, examining the scar. A determined look came over her face and Harry didn't have to use the bond to know that one very bright witch was going to make that her next project.

They all gathered and watched the sunset from the beach. With a bonfire going, each couple crept into the darkness, away from the light of the fire. Harry and Hermione gently kissed. He stroked her body. From being naturally slender, she'd actually put on a bit of weight in muscle with the increased exercise they were getting on the island. Harry had also, still thin, still built for speed, but now with even more whip-cord muscle. Despite being slender, Hermione had very feminine curves, both hips and breasts that were bigger than Luna's or Ginny's, the former being built like a model and the latter with a more boyish athletic figure. Harry stroked those curves, continuing to explore the body that was becoming as familiar as his own. Sometimes he thought about how he would never have dreamed of touching her like this during the first two and a half years of Hogwarts, but how he couldn't imagine not loving and touching her now. Hermione's hands were busy, too. She was more aggressive, sometimes, more goal-directed. She could be competitive, not against Harry, but trying to insure he never thought of himself as other than blessed in the girlfriend department, while he always started slowly, methodically, and careful not to push past her limits. He worshipped her body and let her know it in so many ways, with loving glances and soft touches. Until she pushed him into more passion and then his body took over, which was worshipful in its own, insistent way.

Her bikini bottoms discarded on the sand, they rolled on the blanket, hands touching and kneading. Hermione was on top, snogging him senseless and enjoying the way he felt under her. She knew it was dangerous, because both of them were so aroused that his erection nudged into her slick labia insistently. Allowing the nudging was blissful, but both always kept a small part of their minds focused on not allowing their bodies to complete the connection, still avoiding intercourse. She slid down his body, kissing his sea-salt covered skin. She hesitated around his chest, swirling her tongue around his nipple. His cock pushed up against her just under her ribcage, giving her the idea of sliding just a little lower and catching him between her breasts. She didn't have quite enough endowment to really wrap him in her cleavage, but she could come close and he didn't seem to mind when she looked up at his face. He caught her looking and said, "If you're going where I think you are… slide around here. I want to be able to reach you, too."

She grinned at him, happily complying. His messy raven hair brushed against her thighs as the thick rope of bushy brown hair, tied back in a tail, brushed his hip. She groaned with the sensation of him licking her soaking hairless sex before dropping her open mouth down on him. They'd gravitated to positions of mutual pleasure. It was easier to pleasure each other, both give and take, as their magic flowed in a cycle between them. They sometimes enjoyed focusing on one's pleasure, but it was more difficult for one to give and one to take physically, while remembering to both give and take magically, but to do otherwise led to a feeling of imminent explosion or immolation, as too much magic built in the recipient. The feeling of mutual pleasure, though, was perfect. She loved how his motions grew more frenzied, pushing his tongue to be more aggressive, sending her near the edge. Her motions became more frantic and her tolerance for his thrusting grew as her body focused on her upcoming release. She liked it when his restraint wavered, loved the feeling of her own limits being pushed, as a slightly submissive part of her, the same part that had always pushed her own needs down below whatever Harry needed, pushed her to welcome whatever he asked of her. Hermione's awareness felt like it both shrank and expanded. Shrank in that the multiple trains of thought that usually processed simultaneously from the books she was reading, the spells she was designing, the plans she was making, all were paused, push back to make room for the awareness of now. Her body awareness grew until her entire capable mind was consumed with breathing, sucking, licking, bucking her hips, the feel of the warm sand beneath the blanket and Harry's warmer body beneath hers. Her magical awareness grew as she handled vast quantities of pure magical energy without thought, with a year's worth of experience routing forces that would burn a lesser witch to a cinder. The feeling of that kind of energy singing through her body, coupled with the purely physical sensations experienced by couples throughout time were almost too intense to experience. She began to come in waves, fluid dripping down her thighs and down Harry's chin. She wasn't quite a squirter, but she was just short of it. From being embarrassed by it in the earliest days of their bonding when she would soak her pajamas as well as Harry's, she'd grown very accepting of it when she'd learned how much it turned Harry on to have this sensual feedback of how much she enjoyed their actions. Normally very verbally expressive, her cries of pleasure were muffled around Harry's cock.

The three couples had gravitated to be almost equidistant from the fire, each seeking maximum privacy while not being too far away from the shelter. Luna rode Ron, not actually coupled, but rubbing her damp sex against his erection as he grasped her breasts in each hand, her thin blonde pubes almost invisible in the night. She felt the pulsing waves of magic from across the beach through her sensitive senses and it was enough to push her over the edge. Without anything blocking them and without much inhibition, the blonde cried out to the night sky her climax as Ron spent against her.

Ginny and Neville hadn't progressed quite as far as the others, but had sought their own privacy for some serious snogging. They had gone further on the beach than they were used to, pushed to new intimacy by the sounds and awareness of the others. Neville's shyness had long counterbalanced Ginny's inherent boldness, but he lost his self-consciousness after the crazy events of the day and in light of the sexy noises from the others. Ginny had lost her bottoms, nude in front of a boy, in front of Neville for the first time, just as he was completely nude with her. With busy hands they achieved the same joy, the two shy teens muffling their cries into each others' lips and tongues.

Harry was lost in the pleasure. His careful loving motions had disappeared and he bucked into Hermione's mouth. Far from holding him back, she just steadied herself with hands on his backside and focused on breathing in pants as she rode his mouth. He was pushed halfway down her throat when he exploded, pushing her into a final climax as she felt his pleasure vibrating over their bond, offsetting whatever small discomfort he caused her. She swallowed almost every drop, losing just traces of his semen, as copious in his release as she was in hers.

They returned to the beach house late, going to sleep after working on their occulomency meditations together. It was going to be an early morning.

H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr

The next morning started with the loud wakeup Moody thought was essential to setting the tone for their training. The students formed up on the beach, performed their stretching exercises, and cast the fortifying charm. After a week, several of them were starting to feel they were able to route some of their magical power to their body more naturally than with the incantation. Luna had always had an intuitive grasp of her magic and she had quickly understood how to use her magic to bolster her body, quickly developing her endurance and her body's recuperative response after the hard work outs. Harry and Hermione were not always particularly intuitive wizards, Hermione especially, but even Harry had previously only been able to instinctively tap his powerful core under great stress or emotion, normally allowing himself to fall in the middle of the pack, happy to blend in. However, they were improving with the help of the bond, with auramancy, and with the focus that was a happy side effect of their growing mastery of occulomentic meditation. Neville, surprisingly, could tap into his core for physical strength and endurance, although speed and grace were not developing as rapidly. Ginny was just the opposite. She'd long been instinctively using her core to give her quicker reactions and reflexes, especially on the Quidditch field, much as Harry likely was. Ron's only intuitive physical use of magic was to keep his metabolism high enough that he didn't resemble Crabbe or Goyle despite eating enough for three growing boys. Every run was a slog for him and the exercise was only getting better slowly and with a lot of effort.

After stretching, John Ashdown spoke, "We're not going to go directly to our run, today. First, we're going to start the martial arts portion of our curriculum. Today, I'm going to teach you to fall."

He walked them through the proper way to fall without harming themselves and to dissipate some of the force of blows or throws in the process. Then, they ran, running twice as far as they had the first day. At the end of the morning exercises, they were all exhausted and sore from the combined workout.

Then they joined Moody for interminable spell drills. As they had progressed, they'd been able to cast more accurately, more quickly, and for longer sessions. The others were benefitting from the growth of the cores, much as Harry and Hermione had been doing for the past year. Harry and Hermione, with their unusually large cores, were potent inducers of core growth, but all of them were well above average and their constant proximity was working as was their constant magical exhaustion, forcing growth.

Their differences continued to show themselves. Harry was the star. He clearly had two in-born talents, as a Seeker and as student of defense against the dark arts. Hermione was a dedicated student and benefitted from the connection to Harry, sharing some of his talents. Luna was also a dedicated student, intensely focused. She was very difficult for an opponent to read and had unusual insight, seeing through any tricks Moody threw at them. Ginny was fast, accurate, and now could cast powerful attacks other than the bat-bogey. Neville was a power house, throwing overpowered spells, often destroying his targets. From being called a squib to barely being able to pass the basic Hogwarts curriculum with his father's wand, to now being able to lead the curve with his own handpicked wand was clearly very motivating to the boy. He worked tirelessly, often pushing himself to near delirium by the end of training. Ron was just the opposite. He was a fine wizard. He had above-average power and had been around Harry constantly, picking up an excellent foundation in DADA. His approach to any strategic application of force was masterful, exceeding even Harry's. He was just lazy and would quickly show his temper when he received any criticism. He was among the first to stop when he began growing tired and the first to gripe as Moody tried to whip them along. He got through the first day, rested from the weekend, but was clearly angry at being made to work so hard.

Sirius continued to teach them about wizarding culture, wizarding law, and the Wizengamot. Neville was clearly the most knowledgeable, even outperforming Hermione, who was at a disadvantage as a muggle-born witch. Augusta Longbottom had been grooming Neville his entire life to take over as the Head of House Longbottom. Harry was shocked at how much he didn't know. Even though he'd never paid much attention in History of Magic, he was sure they hadn't covered this material in such detail, which Sirius explained was due to it being thought elementary. The historical connection between the Potters, Weasleys, Longbottoms, and Bones was a shock. Harry had history and with his great hunger for family, the fact that his family had a name and a history was very motivating for him to study something that usually would have bored him. Ron seemed excited to learn more about the Weasleys, growing to understand they were a house with tradition of honor that had never failed. From Ireland, they were never wealthy, but were constantly associated with the Potters, often bound in fealty to the Noble House.

Occulomency training was a stress. At the end of the day, with them all exhausted, Professor Snape would swoop into the room, his robe trailing behind.

"Have you practiced since I saw you last or are you just as unprepared as the last five times I met with you?"

"Empty your minds. Legilimens!"

They never knew where he would strike. Harry and Hermione were always given tasks to perform while they maintained their shields, since they were well ahead of the others. From balls in cups they'd progressed to gently dueling each other with stinging hexes, which also benefitted Snape's plans, as it served as a mild distraction to the others. Severus would walk around the room and strike unexpectedly, penetrating their minds like a snake.

"Dunderheads!" he raged, "Not one of you can consistently keep me out of your minds. What use you'd be against the Dark Lord remains to be seen. Maybe he will trip over your bodies. We can always hope. Work harder tonight and I will see you tomorrow for our regularly scheduled waste of time."

That night, they all meditated, working hard to improve, none of them knowing why they cared enough to work hard for the disagreeable man, but all striving to reach his expectations. Harry and Hermione, after bonding, dumped their excess core into the house's wards, strengthening the already powerful defenses.

The next several days passed similarly. They all improved, but as they improved their instructors' expectations also increased. Moody, in particular, drove them hard, ranting about how his training might keep them from dying in a fight with a death eater some day.

"You bleed in training or you bleed on the field!" Moody growled in a parade ground volume, "You only THINK you're tired now. Wait until you've bled out about half what you've got in your body, you have more broken bones than you can count, and you still have to keep throwing spells to cover your partner who's hurt worse. How do you think I got these scars?"

"Bloody mental." Ron said, slowing down his casting as he fumed.

"He's just trying to help." Hermione whispered back.

"He's right, it might be life or death next time." Harry also whispered, "I hope I never face anything like I did in that graveyard, but if I do, I'll be ready."

Harry cast even faster, focusing so intently on his training he didn't notice Ron's ears growing redder and redder.

"Well, we're not all the bloody 'boy-who-bleeding-lived'!" Ron shouted, turning completely away from his targets, "We're not all the 'youngest seeker in a century'. By the way, you know how long I've wanted to be on the team, but you show up never having flown a broom and you're on after your first time on a broom? We're not all rich. We're not all so powerful we can cast all day and still be throwing spells more powerful than I start off with. We don't all get the girl I was starting to think I liked. We're not all Harry bloody perfect Potter!"

Luna and Hermione both gasped at Ron's rant, Hermione looking surprised and Luna looking surprised and betrayed.

"Cease fire." Moody said to the others, who were already stopping what they were doing. He then just stood, watching the scene without interfering.

"I can't get out of your shadow!" Ron yelled, suddenly out of nowhere buried deep in a fit of jealous rage, "First year, I get hit in the head getting you through the obstacles, but you're the hero who defeated You-Know-Who! Second year, I'm with you until the end, face a Professor with you and almost have my memory erased, but you're the bleeding hero who saves MY sister! You can imagine how that made me look. Third year, you and Hermione take off without me while I'm in the hospital wing and next thing I know you've got a magical bond and instead of the 'Golden Trio', it's the magically bonded 'Golden Couple' and their old friend, Ron, who's good enough to come up with plans to get you through the Tri-Wizard tournament, but not much else. My plans got you through the tournament, but I don't even think you thanked me when you became the youngest Tri-Wizard Champion in history. I'm so poor I almost had to go to the ball in robes that were new when the last firstie was Seeker, but do you share your winnings with your Mate who helped you get through the tournament? No, not a Galleon. I don't take charity, but given how hard I worked to help you through the tournament, I would have felt ok about sharing the prize with you and Hermione."

"Ron, I…" Harry started.

"No, you shut up!" Ron yelled, "It's not about you, now. I get to speak for once! Then we come to your own little private island. We practice defense all the time and huge surprise, you're the best, just like you're the best at everything else. Well, so I'm not the second coming of Merlin. So bloody what? You can shove your training and you can shove your being perfect and you do it all without me!"

Ron turned and ran away. Harry started to run after him.

"Harry, let him go…." Hermione said.

"She's right, Harry. Let him calm down." Moody muttered.

Harry, focused on his friend and his pain, ran after Ron anyway. Ron, on his long legs, had a good lead on him, but Harry was built for speed and caught him, just at the edge of the clearing, where they had some privacy, but were still barely in view. He caught Ron's shoulder, trying to get him to stop so they could talk.

Ron wasn't having any of that. He allowed Harry to turn him by the shoulder and used the momentum to bring his fist around in a haymaker blow towards Harry's face.

Harry didn't even notice the blow coming. Not consciously, at least. At his deepest level, though, he was a natural fighter. His left arm swept up, his forearm sweeping Ron's arm upward, ending a hair's breadth over Harry's head, just enough for the punch to miss without any wasted movement. Meanwhile, his right arm flicked, dropping his wand out of his wand holster and into his hand. With another flick, he shot a spell at Ron, blasting him off his feet without a word or more than a bare gesture from Harry.

Seeing the broadest outlines of the confrontation from where they stood, the others ran towards them, except Moody, who stumped along on his peg leg.

Harry was shocked, his conscious mind having been cut out of the decision loop by his reflexes, he wasn't even sure what hex he'd used and hoped it wasn't one of the many deadly ones he knew. In his hands, even a bludgeoning hex could destroy target dummies, built to be tough and intended to last for many uses, at least against most wizards.

"I'm so sorry!" Harry said, kneeling down to look at Ron, "I didn't mean to."

"Fuck you!" Ron said his voice coming out nasally around a bleeding nose. It appeared he was hit by nothing worse than a relatively powerful bludgeoning hex to the face. Given that Harry normally had to use the utmost restraint just to cast a bludgeon that only came out almost as powerful as any other wizard's reductor curse, it seemed that even Harry's subconscious didn't really want to hurt his best friend.

Ron stood and ran away. Harry just stood, watching, unable to even speak.

Hermione put her arm around him and rested her head against his arm.

"At least you didn't kill him." Moody said, "I don't know what the boy was thinking. You can't throw a sucker punch against a hit wizard without taking your life into your own hands."

"I'm not a hit wizard." Harry said numbly.

"You might as well be, son." Moody said, "Take a second to pull it together, grab some water, then I expect you all back at the targets. Now move!"

"He's just mad." Ginny said, "He'll get over it. You two are like brothers."

"I can't understand why he said what he said," Luna said, sadder than they'd ever seen her, "maybe he's got a heavy Nargle infestation, but I agree with Ginny. Once he gets some help with his Nargles, he'll be back."

Harry briefly wondered whether she was trying to convince him or convince herself.

Neville didn't say anything, just clapped him on the back, showing silent support.

Harry focused himself, drawing deep on the same resiliency that had brought him through a childhood spent in a cupboard. He cleared his mind as he'd been trained and placed his current pain in a compartment, to come back to and deal with later. The compartment was so full of pain that another dram hardly added to the total. Stone faced, he returned to his training, returned to his war against Voldemort.

H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr

Ron ran to the guest house where his parents were staying. They were sitting on the porch. Arthur was tinkering with a muggle typewriter that would have been new mid-century, while Molly was knitting. Both looked surprised to see their youngest son.

"Ron!" Arthur said, "This is a surprise. I thought you'd still be training."

"Ronald!" Molly shrieked, grabbing her son and forcing him into a hug.

"Mum, you're choking me." Ron said sullenly.

"We really didn't expect you, Ronald. What happened?" Molly asked, her face a mask of concern.

"Nothing." Ron said, "I just want to get some rest."

"Ronald…" Molly started, then stopped as Arthur held a hand up.

"It's ok, Ron. Get some rest. We'll be here later when you're ready to talk." Arthur said.

Ron went to an empty room in the guest house with an attached bathroom. He put a cold washcloth to the back of his neck and pinched his nose shut with another. The bleeding stopped and he finished cleaning himself up. His face ached, his body ached, even his magical core ached.

"Ronald?" his mum's voice came from the door, "Are you all right?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Ron said sullenly.

"I'm just worried for you." Molly said softly, "You came home bleeding. Tell me what happened, maybe I can help."

"We're training really hard." Ron said, "I'm working hard and I'm learning a lot, but Moody is just working us so hard. I try my hardest, but this really isn't how I imagined spending my summer. We haven't taken a break to play Quidditch, I haven't played chess in I don't know how long, it's all just starting to get to me. Not Harry, though. He's like Moody's perfect student. He just keeps going and going, so when I complain, it just makes me look bad. I finally blew up today, because I'm not some machine and I don't want to practice spells all day. I took off and Harry came after me. We argued and he hexed me."

"He what?!" Molly shrieked.

Ron wasn't sure what to say. He knew Harry had only hexed him because he had tried to punch him, but he didn't want to make himself look bad in front of his mum.

"It was just a bludgeoning hex." Ron said, "He didn't fire it full force. I've seen his bludgeoning hexes punch holes in training dummies, so I know he pulled it, but it still hurt."

"Harry hit you in the face with a bludgeoning hex?" Molly said, her face beginning to turn red.

"Yeah." Ron said, "He did. That's not the big deal, though. This training is just not for me. I want to go home."

"Well, I think that's a great idea." Molly said, "We'll pack and leave tonight."

"Molly?" Arthur said, poking his head in, "Why don't you bring Ron downstairs. Albus is here."

"What's he doing here?" Molly asked, surprised.

"I'm not sure. He said he thought Ron might want to talk to him." Arthur answered, somewhat mystified.

The three walked downstairs where they found the Hogwarts Headmaster looking around the living room.

"Ah, just the boy I was hoping to see!" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling, "How are you, my boy?"

"Been better." Ron said, eyes downcast.

"I thought you might feel that way." Albus continued, in his grandfatherly tone, "I have been thinking about your training and while I think this training may be just right for some of the others, I suspect it is not quite what you need. I have considered the options and think perhaps we could continue your specialized training instead. If your parents approve, that is?"

Ron looked up, his eyes hopeful. "That would be great, Professor! Mum, dad?"

"I thought you wanted to go home?" Molly said, confused.

"Not really." Ron explained, "I just don't want to be here. It's not my thing and I feel stupid."

"What would he be doing?" Arthur asked, more practically.

"You may have noticed he has a certain genius for strategy." Dumbledore said, entering his lecturing tone, "I have surmised this is a rarely seen wizarding talent. It has manifested in the Weasley line before. I have begun to nurture it, but he has more to learn before he is ready to continue on his own."

"Would this training be expensive?" Arthur asked, ignoring Ron's embarrassed look, "We were fortunate that this training was paid for, but you know we can't afford much."

"No, this is my lark and such, will not cost you anything. I have a theory his talent may prove useful in the future and am willing to invest my own resources and effort to test my idea. There is no cost nor risk to you should I be wrong."

Arthur looked at Ron. "You're old enough to make your own choice." He said carefully, "Just realize that you can't quit this, go with Professor Dumbledore and then come back here in a few days when you miss everybody. If you're just mad about something today, you might want to stay here."

"No, dad, I want to go." Ron said, "I need to find my own way and that's not here. I might miss everybody and I bet I'll miss the island, but I think I would be better off if I went."

"Ok, son." Arthur said, "Go with my blessing. If you have a long last talent from the Weasley family, learn to use it as best as you can. Know I'll be proud of you as long as you do your best."

"I know, dad." Ron said, hugging his father.

"I'll miss you!" Molly said, folding Ron into a suffocating hug next.

While they were hugging, Albus Dumbledore made a complicated series of flicks with his pale wand and Ron's trunk appeared.

"You are all packed." He said, looking at Ron. "We should go. It will be morning where we're going and we should get an early start."

Ron walked to the Headmaster, who touched a parchment with his wand and they both disappeared.

After the typical portkey sensation faded, they appeared in the Headmaster's office. The night sky outside was still dark.

"I thought you said it would be morning?" Ron asked.

"This is not our final destination." Dumbledore chuckled, "I have to ask you, though, have you continued to think about the question I asked you during your last session? Have you chosen?"

Ron became quiet. He had thought about it. He'd thought about it almost obsessively, because he realized his decision would have far reaching consequences for him. Thinking many moves ahead and realizing the consequences of his choices was a talent he'd shown in chess for years, but he had rarely applied it in his life, favoring a more emotional approach. Recently, with his training, his work with Harry and Hermione on the tournament, and just approaching maturity, he had realized he could use his talent on everyday questions, too, but some part of him resisted. He didn't want to make the right choice in this case. He didn't want to make the right choices in his life as he was already coming to realize he'd shown in his confrontation with his best friend.

"I have, but I don't know what to say." Ron said quietly, "I think one answer is the right choice, but the other is what I want. I don't know whether to listen to my heart or my head."

"Is it really your heart? Albus said, "Or is it your ego?"

Ron looked up at him, red starting to creep up his face, but then caught himself before he snapped at the man who might be the greatest wizard of their world. He sighed.

"You're right." Ron said, "I have decided. I want to study with Master Sun Wu."

"Good." Dumbledore continue, "To reassure you about your choice, I have spoken to both of your teachers and they agree that Master Wu is the better choice for your situation. That does not mean you might not continue to work with your other teacher at times, but Master Wu is the better choice for your primary instructor. Very well, are you ready to go?"

"Might as well, huh?" Ron said, stepping towards his headmaster again.

"Here, drink this." The elderly wizard said, holding out a vial, "This will be a long day for you."

Ron drank the potion. Seconds later, steam shot from both his ears and he felt revived. He reached out to touch a jade figurine of a lion and again felt the hook behind the navel sensation.

When they reappeared, Ron looked around. He saw a location he'd never been to previously, a garden of sorts. It was carefully constructed with not a single blade of grass, leaf, or rock out of place. They had appeared in a flat, manicured patch of lawn. In front of them, a small arched bridge led over a quiet brook. An elderly man sat on a bench in the distance. Ron continued to look around. As they crossed the bridge he noticed fat golden fish swimming underneath. Looking upwards, he saw mountain peaks all around them, snow capped and suggesting they were much higher than he felt. It was warm and comfortable around him, but given the surrounding scenery, he thought it should be frigid. He didn't have much more time to think, because they'd reached the bench, where the elderly man read from a scroll. Now, closer, it was easier to see the man's translucency.

"Master Wu." Dumbledore said, bowing his head slightly.

The elderly Chinese man, the ghost, also stood and bowed his head crisply. "Master Dumbledore. I see you have brought my student. So he chose?"

"He did choose." Dumbledore replied, "Much as you thought he would."

"Very good." Sun Wu said, "Ronald, you have passed my first test. You made the right decision. We may continue on in your training."

"Yes, Master Wu." Ron said, bowing more deeply.

"Come with me." Master Wu, said, "Master Dumbledore, I thank you for this chance to train another. It has been many years and the need is great."

"It is indeed." Dumbledore agreed, "I will depart, if you or Mister Weasley have need of me, you know how to reach me." With that, the headmaster walked back over the bridge to the patch of lawn. Apparently it was not done to portkey from just anywhere in this garden.

"Come along, student." Master Wu said, "You will not listen well until you have eaten."

They walked towards a large wooden building. There were heavy upright posts painted red supporting curved roofs of green slate. The walls between the posts were intricately carved scroll work. The building was many levels and people walked all around, quietly, looking studious. When Ron passed any other person, they became silent and bowed to Master Wu. The first to bow in this manner, a young man, received an assignment.

"Run ahead, Tsang, and tell the kitchen to prepare a light meal for Ronald, here."

The boy bowed again and took off running, never questioning his directions. Master Wu again began walking, silently, allowing Ron to think. He had a lot to think about. From the brutal training to the fight with Harry to Hogwarts and here, it had all happened so quickly. He knew he was wrong when he swung at Harry, but he was so mad! Harry had everything he'd ever wanted. He was a powerful wizard without even trying. He was a legendary Quidditch player when Ron had wanted to be good at the game since he could remember and had practiced with his brothers when they would let him. He was rich while Ron was poor. He even had the girl who Ron had started fantasizing about, although he'd never been really sure what he'd felt before she was already with Harry. Ron had been drawing hard on his better nature for years to push down his jealousy, especially during the Tri-Wizard tournament. Making Ron look stupid and lazy during their training had been the last straw. What best mate does that?

He barely noticed when they reached a dining room. Food was set at a single place for Ron. While foreign, it was tasty and he quickly ate it.

"So." Master Wu broke the silence when he saw his student finish eating, "Your first lesson will be an analysis of your choice. Reviewing our actions is often key to making right choices in the future and with every exercise in the future we will do this. Let us begin. Why did you choose me as your teacher?"

Ron was silent for several minutes, not knowing what to say. Some of his thought might offend the man...or ghost.

"Speak the truth!" Master Wu barked, startling Ron.

"Master Wu, I don't know if I can. Some of it is not exactly anything you might want to hear."

"I want to hear the truth." The ghost replied, "I am over a thousand years old. Most spirits would have moved on long ago, but I still have a duty. My duty at this time is to train you and that is more important than anything else. You will not lie to me and you will not lie to yourself. If you do not see the truth, you will not be able to see the path. You will lie to your enemies and they will make poor choices to confront you, but you will never lie to yourself. Now speak!"

"Yes, Master." Ron said, eyes downcast, "I really wanted to learn from Arthur. He was everything I want to be. King, hero, commanding legendary Knights, that's what I want, but I can't be him, because Harry's already him. I tried during training with Harry to be more of that than Harry, but he was better than me at everything even when he wasn't really trying. So I realized I'll never be more than second fiddle to Harry. You explained how things worked when you were alive and you were the General to a great King. I thought maybe there would be more there that I could learn."

"Ah, well done, student." Master Wu said, "Although you are right and wrong, you have captured the central truth before making your decision, but your mind is still clouded. Perhaps a question for you will uncloud it. Had you heard my name before I taught you?"

"Yes." Ron said, "I've always liked chess and strategy, so I read your name as one of the great generals. I even started to read your book."

"My book." Wu said, chuckling, "After a thousand years, how much of that is actually me and how much is from those who learned from me, even I cannot say, but you are right. Now answer my second question. What King did I serve?"

Ronald considered it for several minutes and finally shook his head, shrugging his shoulders.

"I do not know, Master Wu."

"No, you do not!" Wu said, "He was a great man, but few know his name. Yet, I, who was his servant, am known by many to this day. My lesson for you is to embrace your duty, embrace your inner self. Once you truly find your duty, what you were made for, you will reach your greatest actualization of yourself by seeking it. If you find it and you meet your duty with all that you are, you will be great. If you seek to be somebody else, then you will fail and nobody will know your name. I think you have begun to see this yourself. You tried to be your friend Harry and of course you failed. He will always be himself more easily than you will. He will always beat you at that. You must be yourself and seek your own path, only then can you win."

Ron looked at him, trying to absorb what he said.

"You have spent your life so far trying to be your brothers." Master Wu said, "Longing to be head boy, despite the fact that you hate academics. Trying to be the Quidditch star, despite the fact that you were not born to be a seeker, like your brother Charlie, or a beater like your twin brothers. What you have failed to ask is the most important question: who are you, Ronald?"

Ron found himself nodding, although he didn't know the answer to the question. Who was he? He didn't know, but at least now he knew enough to ask the question.

H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr

Exhausted from their training, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna walked quietly back to the beach house. It had been a long, tiring day. Harry was weighed down by his sadness that he'd fought with Ron, worsened by the fact that Ron had never come back. They all walked into the dining room, planning to eat dinner in silence before their occulomency training.

"Harry Potter!" Molly shrieked, surprising the boy who had been looking at his feet while he walked, "I never imagined you would attack your best friend like that! What do you have to say for yourself?! How could you do it after all we've done for you! We've treated you like family and this is how you repay us?"

Harry cringed, flinching away. Molly's look reminded him at some primal level of Mr. Dursley and he half expected her to take a swing at him.

"You don't have anything to say? Ronald came all this way, giving up his summer for this ridiculous training just to be a good friend to you and you hex him? He's like a brother to you!" Molly continued, sounding much like one of her Howlers.

Hermione saw Harry flinch and saw red. She drew her wand and stepped forward, her eyes blazing.

"You don't know one bit of what you're talking about." Hermione said in a normal tone, but with rage dripping off her words, "So don't you dare talk to Harry that way."

"Don't you point your wand at me, young lady!" Molly said, having stepped back in surprise for a moment, but quickly trying to recapture her momentum, "Maybe everything the Prophet said about you was right after all! You are a scarlet woman!"

At that, Harry looked up from his feet.

"Mrs. Weasley, Hermione is my fiancée and anything but a scarlet woman. Please don't say anything else bad about her. You have been like family to me and I'd hate to destroy that over a misunderstanding. I'm afraid you must have heard part of the story about Ron. We did fight, but he swung first and I didn't mean to hex him, it was a reflex after all this training. Is he around? I'd like to apologize." Harry said calmly, fighting to restrain himself.

"He's not here." Molly said venomously, "He left with Albus Dumbledore, who has training more appropriate for a young man, not like this junior auror academy. You lot are much too young to be learning hexes like this. As soon as she eats, I'm going to take Ginny back home, where she can have a normal vacation."

Sirius walked in then, cold rage on his face. He spoke softly to Harry, "Harry, why don't you take the others out on the veranda, where you can eat in peace. I need to have a discussion with Molly."

Harry grabbed Ginny, whose face was turning red, a clear sign of the Weasley rage rising, and ushered her out of the room before she could get started. They heard just the start of a conversation.

"Molly Weasley, that boy you're yelling at is my godson and this is his home. He has faced things in his life that I would have never chosen for him, but I was not here to protect him. Now I am. You will not yell at him in my home. Is that understood?"

Her reply was cut off by Remus' silencing charm.

"I'm sorry Harry." Ginny started, the red fading until her face was just pink, "I'm so embarrassed about my family. First Ron acting like an ass, then my mum."

"It's ok, Ginny." Harry said, "Ron was just mad. I know how stressful this training has been on him. It's tiring for all of us. Your mum was just trying to protect her son."

Hermione put an arm around Harry, resting her head against his shoulder. She would have once been mortified by yelling at an adult, but to protect Harry she would do anything, including killing, including dying. Yelling at Molly Weasley wasn't even a drop in the ocean of her willingness to protect him.

"He's gone." Luna said, sadly, "I knew he was having a hard time, but I didn't think he would leave!"

Harry had never seen the little Ravenclaw so sad. He truly barely knew her, but she always seemed so happy or spacey, it was unexpected to see her so down and he hoped to never see it again.

The other girls seemed to understand her mood better and surrounded her with hugs. Harry shook his head and with a glance at Neville, shrugged his shoulders.

"You all right there, Harry?" Neville asked quietly.

"I suppose, Nev." Harry said, ready to carry on, as always.

"You know I'll never leave, right?" Neville asked, "I'm with you to the end."

Harry nodded, understanding what Neville meant. From being the laughing stock of Gryffindor, Neville was rapidly becoming an exceptional young man and his loyalty was unmatched. Here was a companion to the end and given his rapid progress in the training, a good man to have by his side.

"I know, Neville. Death Eaters had better beware."

They ate and then Sirius came back out. He waited to get Harry and Hermione alone.

"I've squared things with that woman. I don't know what she thought she was about, yelling at you in my house. Let me know and I'll send her packing."

"No, that's ok, Sirius" Harry said, with a small smile, "Ginny is learning a lot and she's really good for Neville. Even if Ron didn't like the training, at least one Weasley will get something out of it."

"I didn't think to mention, the Headmaster stopped by here and left these." Sirius said, holding out two envelopes.

Opening them, the couple found school letters for the upcoming year and paired prefect pins in Gryffindor colors.

"We're prefects!" Hermione said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She wrapped Harry in a bone crushing hug, smothering him in a cloud of brown hair.

Once they broke from their embrace, Sirius clapped them on the back.

"Congrats, you two! I was never the type, but you should talk to Mooney. He was the male Gryffindor prefect our year and your mum was the female, Harry. You're following in some very big footsteps, but I think you'll do great."

That bit of excitement carried them through the painful occulomency training, setting Hermione's feet inches above the ground and her happiness pulling Harry slightly out of his funk.

"Hey there, Harry." Hermione said later, when they went to bed, "Don't let Ron get to you. You know what he's like. This is the same as how he was when you were picked for the Tri-Wizard tournament."

"I know, but I keep expecting him to be as loyal to me as I expect my best friend to be." Harry said, then became silent, seeming lost in thought. Eventually he looked straight into Hermione's deep brown eyes, "I guess I always expect him to be as loyal as you are. "

Hermione gave him a shy smile, wondering again how he could melt her heart so easily. She would have been by his side forever even if he'd never said a word of appreciation, but that one word was enough to make her heart overflow with love for him.

H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr

The training continued in much the same fashion. With Ron gone, the feeling of concentration, of focus, was palpable. Ginny had not let Molly pull her from the training, although the argument was audible all the way to the main house.

From exhaustion and being almost unable to continue, they each caught a second wind and their progress was amazing. Each of them could cast any of the basic spells Moody had drilled them with as easily as breathing. Each of them had minimized the wand movements to the point where it looked like almost just a flick for any combat spell or shield. Harry and Hermione had come the furthest, casting silently almost every time. Neville had made the greatest gains, benefitting immensely from his own chosen wand and some dedicated attention away from the mockery of the Slytherins. He was confident and powerful, a far cry from the old Neville. Ginny and Luna were also forces to be reckoned with, which might come as a surprise to someone who just saw the external appearance of the slender little girls. Luna had never quite recovered from Ron's departure, her absentmindedness now reminiscent of someone looking for something or someone missing. She would frequently look up at stray noises as if expecting someone, but then drop her eyes when he never appeared.

"All right, there." Moody said, facing his trainees who were lined up on the range, "You've made real advances this summer. We've drilled the basics into you more than I have ever done with any cadre of students. There is a reason for this. The next stage of your training will be under Filius and he didn't want any bad habits for you to unlearn. He will integrate what I have taught you. For now, though, I want to test you. Across from you are ten training dummies. I want you to destroy all ten, as fast as you can. The only catch is you can't repeat any hex until you've run through all of them I've taught you. Understood? Be careful. They may fight back."

Luna took the line first. Moody blew a whistle and the absent minded girl dropped her wand into her hand with a purpose. A flick and she blew off the first dummy's arm with a reductor curse. Another flick and a hole appeared in his head from a piercing charm. A cutting curse took the head off the next. A flame curse set the next on fire. She blocked a stunner that shot from the next dummy and her return freezing curse ended it. A bludgeon to the face followed by a bone breaker caused the next one to shatter, the internal framework exploding. A swish and flick forced all the simulated organs to shoot out the belly of the next, landing at the base in a twisted mess. Soon, the blonde was done with her dummies, a triumphant look on her face.

"Good job, Luna!" Ginny cheered, before stepping up herself.

Much like Luna, Ginny finished off her dummies competently. Moody hid his smile. Many trained aurors weren't up to these little girls' standards. Of course, those were aurors he hadn't trained.

Neville stepped up and his dummies were quickly dispatched. He might be a touch slower than the two girls, but his spells hit like an anvil dropped from a flying broom.

Hermione took her turn. She continued to cast with the precision she had long been known for, but now had some of the easy grace that had been Harry's contribution to their partnership. Her spells were powerful and varied. Moody had implied they were to only use the spells he'd drilled them with, but once she'd used all those, instead of starting over like the others had, she started using obscure spells or spells of her own creation. One dummy inverted itself, the inside suddenly on the outside. Another seemed to disappear, sucked into a dark black bead that had appeared near its center before disappearing with a pop. Another was hit with a golden lightning bolt, bursting into flames and exploding from the power.

"Nice." Moody said, "You'll have to teach me the black hole spell."

Hermione nodded, hiding a grin.

Harry stepped up. He centered himself with a deep breath, waiting for the whistle. He was nervous, always was, but once the whistle blew he knew his nerves would be gone and only the task would remain.

Moody signaled him to start. The others watched as Harry's wand danced, never stopping. Spells flew from the tip, hammering the dummies. He stuck with the basics, unlike Hermione, but his basics were perfection. The reductor turned the first dummy into dust, barely hitting before the piercing charm hit the second, the cutting charm decapitated the third, a bludgeoning charm hit the fourth with reductor level force, causing the head to explode, flame charm took the fifth, freezing charm the sixth, banishing charm sent the seventh flying into the backstop as the eighth went into orbit after being hit by a levitation charm, a disarming charm followed by a bone breaker hit the ninth, and the tenth was destroyed by an organ dispelling curse. Heartbeats after the whistle, the ten opponents were no more, none of them having time to attack Harry. Moody watched in pleasure. Here was his masterpiece, the student he'd been waiting for. Although he was nowhere near being an auror, having a complete ignorance of basic investigation work, as a hit wizard, he was umatched. Speed, power, agility, accuracy… he would soon be at the top of curve for the Ministry trained wizards. Moody wondered how much further Filius would take him.

"Very good!" Moody smiled, "You all pass. Now, keep practicing and remember…"

"Constant Vigilance!" they all shouted back in unison.

"You may be trainable, after all." Moody said with an even bigger grin, "Dismissed!"

They all walked to the house and ate a much more leisurely lunch than they were used to.

"I wonder how Ronald is getting along." Luna asked plaintively.

"I'm sure he's fine." Hermione offered.

"Probably playing chess." Ginny said.

H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr

Ron watched the horses thunder towards him, carrying mounted knights with lances lowered.

"Fire!" he cried and the longbowmen unleashed arrow after arrow. Horses fell and knights died, chisel pointed arrowheads buried in their armored bodies. As the horses closed to a pre-planned distance, he called for a retreat, sounding panicked. His men stepped back, well trained. As they shuffled back several paces, the sharpened stakes they were masking became visible, stopping the charge definitively. The bowmen rushed back in with spike-like stilletos, to end the lives of the injured knights.

"End Agincourt." Came Master Wu's voice. The battlefield faded from the magical simulation room.

"Well done." Master Wu said, "You did better than the original. Your flying ambulances made the difference, cutting your mortality significantly. The improvement to morale was significant, leading to more effective forces. I don't know that you could have done much better."

"Thank you, Master Wu."

"Thanks are unneeded. You have earned the praise." Wu said, "Your talent is a natural talent. You really need no more instruction from me. You will need to continue to educate yourself. Remember, the education of the General is infinite, as you saw from your flying ambulances. You must understand food supplies, economics, medicine, politics, human motivations. For you, you must constantly seek inner balance. You will always struggle with your weaknesses, but if you do not win that inner fight, you will not win any outer fights. I have the utmost confidence in you.

I have something for you. You are the most recent graduate of this school, which exists only for one reason and has existed for thousands of years to train those with your unique talents. Your performance is something to be proud of and I recognize you as my apprentice with this."

Ghosts were usually unable to touch solid objects, but Ron had ceased being surprised by his master. Master Wu extended forward an intricately designed sword. It was straight, clearly intended to be used from afoot. The guard was greenish, jade colored, but was clearly of some much harder material. Engraved on the blade, in the same greenish material, was a dragon.

"You will be like the dragon. You know the treasure you must guard." Master Wu said.

"I know my duty." Ron said, bowing, "I understand my role."

"Then you have learned what I have to teach you." Master Wu said, bowing.

Ron returned his bow, tears gathering in his eyes at the thought of leaving.

H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr

On Black Island, the students knelt on the carpeted floor of their training room. Behind them, a black haired wizard swept into the room, robes billowing behind him. A sense of icy dread seemed to follow him.

"My hopeful occulomens, guard your mind!" Snape said from behind them and then struck.

He rebounded from the shields protecting Neville's mind. They appeared in his mindscape much like the wards surrounding an ancient pureblood house. Even the house was obscured by the hazy wards. Snape smiled a chilling smile. That was the one he thought most likely to break, maybe with his genius instruction, these dunderheads had learned after all.

Again he struck, bouncing off a shield that looked like armored knights, shield to shield. He quickly stepped back mentally, as one of the knights tried to skewer him on a spear. This shield had more than passive defenses. Maybe he'd made more progress than he'd thought!

He tried a third student, but quickly became confused. He wasn't sure what her shields looked like, but even attempting to penetrate her mind left him with a pounding headache. He wondered again whether that was what insanity looked like, but it was certainly effective.

He gathered his strength for the next attack. He knew he'd need it. In his mind's eye he saw tower walls, etched with glowing runes. He slowly approached, looking for a gap, but none offered itself. He tried to slide a tendril of his mind between the stones, but the blocks were without gap. The runes were glowing more brightly and he could feel offensive magic building, readying to incinerate his mind should he try more aggressively. He stepped back, still within his mindscape and saw another tower, very similar, and equally protected. The two stood side by side, close enough to protect each other should they need to. He knew neither would yield to him.

"Very good." Snape said, then kicked himself for the unintended praise. "For total incompetents you have managed to exceed my low expectations. You're dismissed. Mr. Potter, a word if you please."

Harry stayed with Hermione by his side.

"I thought I asked for Mister Potter?" Snape said silkily, "I know you two have lately been confused about who is whom, but surely you still realize you are not Mister Potter?"

"Don't be an ass." Hermione said, "Say what you intend to say."

Professor Snape blinked, surprised. Maybe the bookworm had a backbone after all. She reminded him of Lily in that moment, which prompted him to bite back his rebuke.

"If you want to stay, you must lower your defenses. I must read you before I decide to trust you with this." Snape hissed.

Hermione nodded. Snape read her briefly and then smiled.

"I am surprised, but am glad you stayed. Perhaps I am not the one they should be most afraid of, after all." Snape said with an evil smile, "I have a gift for you, Mr. Potter. You have done well in my training, much to my surprise, and I want to reward you with a little trip."

"Where to?" Harry asked.

"It's a surprise, Mr. Potter." Snape said, "Do you want your present or not?"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, deciding whether to trust the professor. They eventually decided that Dumbledore trusted him, so they would too.

"Ok." Harry said, "Let's go."

"Very well, Mr. Potter." Snape said, his smile becoming more frightening, "You know what to do."

He held out a portkey and each touched it, before disappearing.

They reappeared on the curb of a suburban neighborhood. The house was well known to all three.

"Why are we here?" Harry said, his voice carrying a deep anger.

"For closure." Snape said, "Follow me."

He made some complex motions with his wand as he strode towards the door. Wards sprang up around the house, to hide their presence. Just before he reached the door, a simple flick unleashed the reductor, blowing the door off the hinges. He strode through without stopping.

"Sonorous" he said, "Muggles! Wake yourselves. I mean to have words with you."

Moments later, Vernon came running downstairs, a shotgun in hand. He pointed it at the three of them.

"Freaks! Here, have what you deserve!"

He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.

"How tiresome." Snape said, snatching the gun from Vernon's hand with a flick of his wand. Another flick threw the man onto the couch. Another flick and two more people bounced down the stairs, eventually landing on the same couch.

"Oh, no." Petunia said, her eyes wide, clearly recognizing Snape. Her eyes continued to move, much like a horse in a panic, quickly seeing Harry, "Harry, save us, this awful boy…"

"Save you?" Snape whispered, "You expect your nephew to save you? After what you've done to him? At least I'm glad to see you remember me. If you remember me, then surely you remember Lily, your sister? If you remember Lily, you remember Harry, her son, your nephew? If you remember all that, then how did you fail to remember how you were supposed to treat him?"

"Look here, freak!" Vernon started.

"Silence!" Snape raged, "You will not address me! I brought Harry here to have a conversation with you. His fiancée wished to accompany him, so I allowed her to. I saw in her heart that she would enjoy meeting you as much I plan to. You're probably not smart enough to realize, but that should terrify you. For now, I'll leave you to your nephew. Hope he does not call me back."

Snape walked to Harry and took his elbow. He spoke quietly in his ear.

"I was a friend to your mother and met Petunia before I went to Hogwarts. Seeing what I saw in your mind… I can't tell you the rage I felt and the sorrow that I had not stopped that happening to Lily's son. I know what it is to be abused. I brought you here to bring you closure. Whatever you need to bring you closure, whatever it is, you may take it. I will not think less of you and Albus will never know. I will wait for you."

He strode away into the kitchen, near enough to listen, but far enough to give them privacy.

Hermione walked to Harry's side and put her arm around him, quietly lending him strength. He looked into her eyes, "I didn't expect this from Snape." He said in a whisper.

"No, neither did I." Hermione said, "This seems to have affected him deeply for some reason. I agree with him that you need to get out your emotions regarding your childhood. This is not quite how I would have done it, but here we are."

Harry walked further into the living room, sitting in a chair facing his aunt, uncle, and cousin. The conversational setup of the living room was perfect. He took a deep breath and explored his feelings for a moment, before he started.

"Right, then." Harry said, "So why did you treat me like shit?"

"See here, boy…" Vernon started.

"I could set you on fire with a flick of this stick." Harry said icily, "And now that I'm no longer bound by the underage statutes, nobody would say a word, especially when they learned how you'd treated me. So I suggest you think about that and answer my fucking question."

Vernon's mouth opened and closed, looking like a guppy. Petunia grayed and her eyes rolled, looking more and more like a panicked horse. Dudley slumped, fainting from fear. The smell of urine was suddenly noticeable.

"Well, I'm waiting." Harry said, tapping his wand on his knee. Green and gold sparks bounced off.

"I hated your mother." Petunia said quietly, "I loved her, but then she got that letter from that school. She was prettier than me and now she was magical, too. I had nothing and she had everything. She went away and left me to be the ugly one, the useless one. Then she was killed and I hated your father for that, for taking her from us. I hated both of them and then you were left on our door and I hated you, too."

Harry let that soak in. His occulomency was allowing him to control himself, but barely.

"You hated my mum for being better than you. You hated my dad for loving her and taking her away from you, so you hated me? All I ever wanted as a child was for you to love me. Then all I wanted is for you to not hit me. What did I do to deserve any of that?!"

There was silence as the two adults just stared at him in fear. Dudley was still unconscious.

"Think about that." Harry said, finally, "I'll expect an answer when I get back. I'm going to show my fiancée around my childhood home."

Harry stood up, taking Hermione's hand. They walked upstairs and she saw the bedrooms, one of which had multiple locks, locking it from the outside, with a cat door to allow things to be pushed inside.

"Your bedroom?" she asked, horrified.

"Sort of," Harry replied, "It was really Dudley's second bedroom. I stayed there after I got my Hogwarts letter. They were afraid people would learn where I was really staying."

"Show me." Hermione said, already knowing to some extent from the bond.

Harry walked her back downstairs and turned at the end to a little doorway. A swish and it opened to show a flat mattress with a faded blanket on it. She looked around, seeing the tiny living space, with spiders making webs in the spaces between the stairs treads above. Inside, in childish scrawl, it said, "Harry's room". Hermione sobbed to think of her beloved Harry growing up under the stairs. He held her and she realized what an amazing young man he was, to comfort her in the face of her grief over his abuse. After staring in for several minutes, they eventually walked back into the living room and sat down. Harry sat on the chair and Hermione sat on his lap, glaring at his relatives.

"So, why did you treat me like you did?" Harry asked.

"Because you're a freak, boy!" Vernon said through clenched teeth, "Kill me if you want, but I treated you like I did because you're a freak! Only a freak like you would threaten those who fed and raised him out of the goodness of their hearts."

"There's no goodness in your heart." Harry said with finality, "You're right, though. I'm not evil enough to hurt you. I don't know if you knew, but my father was rich and he left it all to me. If you'd treated me like family, I would have shared it all with you and you'd be rich. Instead, I'll share with you, like you did with me, and you'll have nothing but my hatred.

Dudley, some day you may have children. I want you to know that I'll wait for that day. If you treat any child like you and your parents treated me, I will take them from you and you will never treat anyone like that again."

A pulse of magic signified an oath made.

Harry stood and began to walk away.

Hermione also stood, but she didn't turn away.

"I'm not as forgiving as Harry and you do not deserve his forgiveness." She hissed, "Here is my revenge. Tonight you will feel all the pain you inflicted on Harry. Every emotional pain, every physical pain, you will each feel the pains you visited on that little boy. Then, for the rest of time, you will never find sleep in this house in any room but the closets. Yet you won't be able to sell it. Nobody will offer a quid for it. You can walk away if you want, but nobody will ever buy it until each of you is dead. I hope you enjoy it."

She made an exceedingly complicated series of wand movements, chanting latin phrases until a glow settled into each of the Dursleys and into the house, before fading.

She followed Harry into the kitchen, where Snape sat at the table, drinking tea.

"Did you do whatever you needed to do?"

"I did." Harry said.

"Yes, we did." Hermione said, with a feral grin.

"Very well." Snape said, tossing the cup into the sink, where it shattered, then he gazed directly into Harry's eyes, "Be certain. Be very, very certain. If I had known, I would have stopped it, despite the fact that I hated your father, but I didn't, so I had to do what I could."

Then, so low Harry later wondered whether he really heard it, Snape said, "Let it go. Don't become me."

They swept out of the house past the wailing Dursleys. As they stepped over the threshold, Snape turned to look at Hermione with a smirk.

"Nice spell work, Miss Granger. 100 points to Gryffindor."

H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr

A/N: This is a chapter full of uncomfortable bits for me as a novice author.

1. The sex scene is a bit of a reach for me. I enjoy it and don't think I took any of my characters where they didn't want to go, but I purposefully took a step a bit further with that. Hopefully it's well received, but no matter, I'm happy I went there.

2. Ron's training is stilted and definitely summarized. That's intentional, as I'm not particularly interested in the training of a strategic genius. If you want to read one excellent story, although a much different setting, I could recommend Ender's Game. Imagine whatever training you think appropriate for Ron to improve his self-control and advance his strategic genius.

3. Snape is one of my all time favorite characters, but it's much easier to keep a truly dark character dark if they're mysterious. The more you show them and their motivations, the more difficult it is to keep them interesting. So I took a couple risks with Snape, but feel like his love for Lily and his hatred for muggles who abuse children would have taken him this way. I'd welcome thoughts as to whether you agree. He will continue to be a part of Harry's training, focusing on the mind arts and the darker parts of defense against the dark arts.

Next chapter will take us back to Hogwarts. Ron will have to mend fences with his friends and we'll meet the new DADA teacher.