Chapter 17
3rd POV
The Sword in the Stone
The next morning at breakfast, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione, discussing class.
"Mate, you're doing too much. Even though you've dropped quidditch, I still think you should keep going. You should drop those extra classes you're doing." Ron exclaimed; his eyes wide.
"Ron, honestly. Harry is trying to do what is best for his future. I for one think what he is doing is commendable. But..." She trailed off, a nervous expression on her face as she turned to face Harry.
"Harry, I hate to admit it, but I do think Ron is right. You are doing too much." She said, her eyes downcast.
Harry smiled at his friends, resting a hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"What would you recommend I drop then? My training with Sirius and Remus? My classes?" He asked and saw her flush.
"I-I don't know. I'm sorry, I know you've got a lot of pressure with everything that's going on." She muttered and Harry grinned.
"Don't worry about it Hermione, I'll be fine. I just need you guys to keep working on your occlumency, besides it'll help with classes." Harry smiled then looked up and saw Professor McGonagall approach.
"Mr. Potter, the headmaster requests your presence after breakfast. Never mind your classes, he said that you'd understand when you saw him." She said, her stern face not giving any sign of her thoughts.
"Of course, professor, thank you." Harry nodded before standing and looking at his friends.
"I'll see you guys later."
Harry made his way to the headmasters office and ten minutes later he smiled at the gargoyle leapt out of his way before he had even tried to guess the password. Soon enough he stood before the headmaster who sat at his desk with bags under his eyes.
"Headmaster? Are you okay?" Harry asked, rarely having seen the headmaster looking so old.
"Yes, my boy. Simply a lack of sleep I'm afraid. I just want to let you know that you are no longer required to attend classes, your studies are being deferred until next year owing to needing to train you for the current crises." The headmaster waved his hand, gesturing to Harry to take a seat.
"I hear that you have enlisted Filius in your training, does he know any of the sensitive information regarding your situation?" Dumbedore asked, steepling his hands in front of his face. Harry shook his head.
"No sir, I think I will tell him at our first training session. I feel it will help motivate him to push me if he knows as much as we can tell him, assuming he is skilled in occlumency of course." Harry shrugged and watched the old headmaster for a moment.
"Any word on Grindelwald?" Harry asked and he saw a flash of sadness on the older man's face.
"No, he is searching for something, but for what? I do not know."
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Without the need to attend classes, Harry spent most of his time training with Sirius and Remus. Sirius often had to teach, which left Harry and Remus to work on various styles of combat. Harry was growing proficient in muggle hand to hand combat, skills that Remus picked up in his travels in the muggle world.
The next week passed by Harry as he focussed on his training until it was Saturday again, and he was ready for his training with Professor Flitwick to begin.
Harry stood in the Room of Requirement set in a training room pattern. The same pattern he had been using with Sirius and Remus since they had found the room.
The bull gray stone floors, walls and ceilings gave the training room a grim spartan feeling.
Harry waited with his eyes closed, trying to focus his magical senses on his surroundings.
The colors of the room had left his brian hurting the first few times he had been trying to use the technique within Hogwarts due to the over saturation of magic in the air. But he had been wallowing in it in his spare moments and could not have his magic sense active for longer than a few seconds.
It still however was akin to staring at the son with your naked eyes.
The door opened and Harry managed a quick glance to notice Remus and Sirius' magical signatures; he had grown accustomed to them over the last couple of months of training.
But he didn't recognise the signature with them. With a mental shrug he turned off the magic sense and his vision returned to normal to see Professor Flitwick standing with the remaining marauders.
"Professor Flitwick, welcome to our training room." Harry smiled at the man who was almost bouncing in anticipation.
"Before we begin, how is your occlumency sir?" Harry asked, only to narrow his eyes at the marauders who wore matching grins
Flitwick squeaked in excitement.
"Mr. Potter, these two have told me all about the training you three have been doing and the connection between the wraiths and the inferi. They did however refuse to tell me quite how you fit into all this. But in answer to your question, I am skilled in occlumency. I assume Remus here taught you?" Flitwick asked, his voice high and fast.
Harry grinned, wishing for a chair for each of them, the room provided them each with high back comfortable chairs in a square.
"I have quite the story to tell you, I'm afraid that a chair is necessary for this step. Also, Dobby." Harry called and the excitable house-elf popped beside him.
"Yes, great master Harry Potter sir? How can Dobby help you?" Dobby gushed andHarry favored him with a small grin.
"Can you get something strong for these three to drink?" Harry asked and Dobby popped away with a crack, appearing moments later with a tray filled with various shots of alcohol.
"It all began in the third task, the Triwizard Cup was a portkey,but it took Cedric and I somewhere he had never expected..." Harry began the tale, with Professor Flitwick leaning forward, listening with a focus he had rarely seen in the small man.
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After explaining everything to professor Flitwick, diminutive Professor suggested they duel and the first time, Harry was unconscious before he realized what was going on.
Harry woke with Flitwick peering at him from about as he lay on the floor.
"What happened?" Harry asked, Flitwick grinned.
"Nothing Mr. Potter, we simply had our first round. I'm afraid I may have cheated a little." Harry frowned, still trying to catch up with what was happening.
"Let's try again shall we?" Flitwick asked and Harry agreed, standing and drawing his wand.
Harry leapt backward as a chain of spells sped towards him, though he noticed most of them were off center from him. Then it hit him, the little professor was aiming most of his spells where Harry would be, not where he was.
Harry slapped a few of the spells away and dodged the other,trying to figure out the best way to defeat the small man. He continued deflecting and dodging the spells heading his way at high speed, Sirius had mentioned chaining spells, but it wasn't something he could do especially well.
Every third spell was present because of the wand motion for it linking up parts of the spell chain, regardless of its simple effect. He noticed a few jelly legs jinxes and tickling charms as linking spells. It surprised Harry he had even noticed it while he should have been trying to fight.
Harry went on the attack, firing overpowered schoolyard jokes interspersed with stunning, binding and other, more dangerous spells though none with nasty or permanent effects. These spells were either dodged by the smallman or a tiny shield sprung in front of the spell for an instant before flitwick went back to his spell chains.
Harry growed as a jelly leg jinx got through his defense and he dropped to the ground throwing up the crimson battle magic shield. With his spare hand he endlessly tried to counter the jelly legs jinx, but he wasn't proficient enough with wandless magic for it to work.
The problem, Harry found with the battle magic shield, is that it is solid.
You cannot see through it so Harry doesn't see the dozen landmine curses.
Spells kept crashing into the battle magic shield, echoing through the room as Harry lifted the jinx on his legs.
He stood, releasing the shield and tossing a handful of powerful hexes and curses toward Flitwick who stepped backward, retreating under the weight of Harry's spell fire.
Harry took the opportunity and followed the professor ready to press his advantage before stepping on a landmine curse.
He swore and his eye darted from the translucent yellow curse on the ground at his feet and back to the professor before he clenched his jaw and glared at the little man.
Harry tossed out a handful of smokescreens before creating a small battle magic shield between himself and the landmine curse the instant he took his foot from it.
The landmine curse exploded sending Harry careening scrosse the room. Landing in a pile of panined limbs and scratches, but still conscious. He dragged himself to his feet, then limped toward the tiny professor standing without a scratch in the center of the room, the smoke screen disabled.
"So Mr. Potter, you show remarkable skill and you have far more power than I do. Why didn't you win?" Flitwick asked with a small smile.
Harry sighed, rubbing sweat out of his eyes.
"Your spell chains, you were firing far faster than myself. Not only that but your aim was toward where I would be rather than where I was toward where I would be rather than where I was. You were predicting my movements and the flow of the battle in general." Harry said, his foot ached, his shield hadn't been fully formed and thus has not fully protected him from the landmine curse.
"Yes, but there were other reasons."
Harry narrowed his eyes as he ran through the fight in his mind.
"You were more efficient. Your shields were only big and strong enough to defend against what was needed. You didn't waste magic by holding a shield that would break after a few spells." Harryreplied, still running the gith through his mind, analyzing it.
He could feel a sense of pride coming from Godric and he assumed it was because he was thinking things through. The founder had spent a lot of time in his mindscape teaching him how to think critically. He also felt a surge of approval from Merlin, though he wasn't unsure what the ancient wizard approved of.
"Yes, but I also aimed at specific parts of you, making the spells that through particularly effective. That jelly legs jinx for example, if that had hit your middle, your wandless magic would have removed it with ease. But as it hit your legs, its effect was increased." Flitwick lectured and Harry noticed Sirius and Remus off to the side taking notes, which caused a grin to cross Harry's face.
Flitwick paced in front of Harry for a few moments.
"Mr. Potter, I am what is known as a technical dueller. I have focused on my dueling skills in such a way as to make the maximum use of my magic core which is far smaller than your own. I cannot achieve the flashy spells that the headmaster can for example, I simply do not have enough power to do so." Flitwick continued with a small grin.
"But even with the sheer power difference etween the headmaster and myself, the last time we dueled, I defeated him about three times out of ten. Which I believe with no modesty is unheard of." Flitwick said and Harry gaped at the small man, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sirius and Remus doing the same.
"Really sir? You defeated Dumbledore in a duel? How?" Harry asked and Flitwick laughed.
"Mr. Potter, I'll tell you when you can defeat me, how does that sound?" Flitwick offered and Harry nodded.
"Mr. Potter I can see your talent in dueling. I don't know why I didn't see your potential until now, but now that I have, I will ensure you will defeat soon. I know that staked and I will spend every available minute with you in this goal."
Harry nodded.
"Now before we finish, Mr. Potter. To be frank, you have a ridiculous amount of power inside you. My shields only barely held, with all my power behind them. But that power will not help if you cannot hit your opponent. We need to increase your technical skills to match your power." Flitwick turned to Sirius and Remus.
"The two of you need to work on his aim, dodging and efficiency. Most of all, work on spell chains and make sure every action you perform a duel is geared toward winning that duel. I don't want to see any sloppy wand work or wasted energy in shields or dodging." Flitwick ordered and Sirius and Remus both nodded.
Flitwick turned toward Harry and gave a soft smile.
"Ready to go again?"
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Harry sat at the Gryffindor common room with Ron and Hermione at one of the study tables, they were the only ones still in the room. All the others had gone to bed after curfew and the room was lit only by the fireplace.
"Harry, are you sure that deferring your studies for the year is the right thing to do? What will you do for the rest of the year?" Hermione asked,wringing her hands.
Harry sighed.
"Hermione, I'll be able to tell you guys everything after you two learn Occlumency. But for the time being, all I can tell you is that I'm training with Sirius and Remus. I've even started training with Professor Flitwick." Harry said, moving a hand to his shoulder, rubbing it absently. His last duel with the tint professor ended with Harry thrown into the wall, receiving some nasty bruises.
Ron stared at him.
"Mate, are you getting an apprenticeship with Fkitwick then? Is that why you're not doing classes?"
"What do you mean Ron? I didn't think apprenticeships were a thing in the wizarding world?" Harry asked, Ron shrugged.
"They're pretty rare I suppose. But it would explain you getting training from him." Ron said with another shrug.
Harry sighed.
"No guys, no apprenticeship. It seems that Dumbledore believes that I need to fight Voldemort, so for me to survive that fight I need to train. School can wait, who knows, maybe the stuff I learn in training will help my school work?" Harry asked, hoping that his friends would drop it. He didn't want to shut them out of everything, but he knew Hermione was too curious.
"Any way guys, it's time for bed. I'm sure we all have lots to do tomorrow." Harry said, standing with a half-smile before moving upstairs, leaving Rona and Hermione alone in the common room.
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The moment Harry fell asleep, he found himself in the cave of his mindscape, where Voldemort's horcrux had been.
Godric and Merlin stood at the edge of the cave and smiled as they saw him.
"We have been waiting for a young one." Godric said with a smile.
"We have one last weapon for you to unlock Harry." Merlin said with a nod down toward the sword encased in glass in the center of the cave.
"Do either of you know what will happen? Are we sure it will be a good, good spirit?" Harry asked as he took a step forward with the sword.
"Yes Harry, I am familiar with that sword. you will not be disappointed." Merlin smiled.
With a nod, Harry made his way to the sword, seeing that it was embedded in the ground. He reached out to the hilt of the sword and as his hands passed through the glass, it shattered, falling to the ground with a soft tinkling sound.
Harry remembered what happened that last time, he remembered the pain and the memories. He steeled himself against them and grasped the hilt of the sword.
Searing pain through his body as he touched the sword, but he gritted his teeth and pulled on the sword, feeling it shift beneath his fingers. The agony burned through him, just like when had awakened Merlin, the pain was making his vision grow dark. But a part of his mind knew that he had to draw the sword and his body was close to failing him, judging by his darkening vision.
With a roar fuelled by exertion and agony,Harry tore the sword from the ground, his muscles tensed and veins sticking out he held the sword aloft with one hand. A beaming smile on his face, before everything went black and he sank into unconsciousness.