Author: Deathangelgw
Disclaimer: You only WISH I had them…then you could borrow them!! *cackles
madly* oh well I don’t.
Warnings: slash, humor, teasing, some violence
Pairings: Sirius/Snape, Remus/OFC, Hr/RW, HP/DM->starting
Rating: PG-13
Note: PoA is *such* an inspiration! Or a prod…aaahh! Thanks to MA for the beta!
And special thanks to Orchyd for ‘Elvish’ help! Enjoy and please review!!
‘thoughts’
Sunday rolled around almost too
fast and the students found themselves outside of Hogwarts near Hagrid's hut.
There was no platform like the last time, but, as they gathered, they saw their
DADA teachers talking with McGonagall and Snape. Padfoot was lying at Snape's
feet, watching the students come over in groups or pairs as the teachers spoke
softly.
Evie and Remus, to Harry and his friends' concern, looked rather pale and
haggard. But they stood firmly, showing their strength more as they talked with
Snape and McGonagall. Finishing, McGonagall smiled at them before taking her
leave, heading back for the school as the students gathered round the three
Professors and dog.
Harry glanced around to see who was there and froze as pale gray eyes locked
with his own. Pale knowing eyes that smirked with that knowledge, studying him
intently. He flushed and glanced away quickly, ignoring Ron's queries on his
state as he tried to regain control of his reactions. The kiss on Friday was
still seared onto his brain, teasing him constantly later at night with
fantasies of pale skin covered in sweat and writhing either above or below him,
topped with pale blond hair. He risked another glance over at Draco and found
that he was still under the intense gaze. Glancing away again, he focused
forward to see if the Club was about to start.
"Can everyone hear me?" Remus' voice floated out as he stepped forward, while
Snape walked away a bit with Padfoot. Cheers and affirmations greeted the male
DADA professor and he grinned at them. "Ah, thank you for such a warm reply. It
is good to see all of you here. Welcome to the Dueling Club." He and Evie
chuckled as cheers roared up again as well as applause and they bowed as Snape
returned with another figure, which had a hood over his face.
"In these dark times, knowing how to fight and defend yourself is vital. What
you will be learning in this club will be a combination of many techniques, all
of which could easily tip the scale in a fight. You will learn by going from one
teacher to the next and, if you pay attention, you will succeed." Evie's voice
was warm as she smiled at them as she stood next to her husband.
"I and Professor Evie, along with Professor Snape and one other shall be
teaching you these techniques. But first, an introduction to our fourth
teacher," Remus continued as he gestured for the fourth person. He came forward,
removing his hood as he did so and gasps of shock washed over the crowd. "I am
sure many of you know him from the wanted posters. Sirius Black is an excelled
duelist like the three of us and shall be helping in your training," Remus
explained softly, sternly.
"But he's a murderer!" someone shouted out and murmurs rose swiftly, whether in
agreement or disagreement as Sirius almost flinched at the words. Harry's hands
clenched into fists, but he held back, knowing he had to trust the others.
"There are only a few murderers in our time, and some are in Azkaban where they
belong or will be dead soon. His guilt is being cocky and in the wrong place at
the wrong time and being framed." Evie's cold voice stopped the whispers almost
immediately and they stared at her in awe and guilt. She pointed a finger at
them, eyes cold and filled with warning. "You know of whom I speak. You know
what we fight. Will you hold blame on someone who's only true guilt is having
trusted a traitor when he wanted to avenge his friends? I should hope that you
would have learned by now that appearances can and are deceiving."
Several heads bowed in remorse and a couple of apologies floated out as the
students stood, chastised. Sirius tossed a look of gratitude to his friend and
Harry felt like cheering. He grinned at Ron and Hermione, who grinned back. He
glanced over and blinked as he saw the proud smile on Draco's face, stunned at
the warmth there. Draco was…happy about this?
Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the front as Remus began to speak
again. "Does anyone have any objections to our choice?" he asked softly, looking
around intently as silence greeted him. He smiled warmly and nodded. "Good. I am
proud of you to know when you are wrong and willing to change old prejudices.
Now, we'll start off with a little show of what you will be learning," he stated
with a grin before going over by Snape's side.
Evie took her stand next to Sirius and they faced the other pair, bowing in
salute before moving into their first positions of defense. Silence fell over
the clearing as the four adults faced off, watched intently by their students.
This was far different than from the duel they had seen between Lockhart and
Snape.
Suddenly, Sirius moved, aiming at Remus. "Expelliarmus!"
Remus moved his hands up in a shielding motion. "Thand!" (shield) The spell hit
a shield and fizzled out before he waved his wand once more. "Glavrol dagnir!"
(babbling bane) A blue wave flashed out, just missing Sirius as he dived to the
side. The magic hit a tree and it immediately began singing some raunchy song,
earning a bark of laughter from Sirius as he grinned at his best friend. Remus
smirked back before dodging a curse from his wife.
Evie shook her head at them as she grinned before flipping out of the way of a
hex from Snape. She brought her wand up and tapped her head before crying out,
"Moeagaru!" (Flare up!) Snape snarled as he covered his eyes along with the
other two, rubbing at them in an effort to see.
Tilting her head, Evie murmured something, and then blinked as a shield popped
up around the Potions' master. Before she could counter it, he'd stood, blinded
still, pointed his wand at her and shouted a disarming spell, succeeding in
sending her flying.
"Daro!" (stop!) Remus' voice floated out commandingly and immediately, they
stood, bowed to each other, and chuckled as roaring applause and cheering washed
over the field as the four adults moved together, joking as they checked each
other over. Remus canceled the spell on the singing tree, earning laughter from
his students as Sirius made a comment on Remus' tastes.
Facing the students, the four adults bowed as the cheering went on. "What you
saw were four different techniques: Old English defense, Old English offense,
Japanese, and Ancient," Remus began as they relaxed and began to teach once
more. "There is much more than what you saw and some of it you might not be able
to learn. But all of it is essential to survival in a duel or battle."
"One of the moves that will be learning from all of us will be how to tap your
magic without the use of certain senses. You saw how Snape was able to fend off
an attack and countered?" Evie picked up from where her husband had stopped,
smiling as several heads nodded and a couple of whistles floated out, earning
some laughter as Snape glared at the culprits. "That comes from trusting his
other senses. He was able to use his magic to sense the attack and the origin
and was able to retaliate," she commented and stepped more forward as the men
went to various spots. "Now, we are going to split you all into four groups.
Each group will go to a different teacher. Listen to whatever is taught and
learn. Each Sunday we will have the groups go to a different teacher and learn
that way and it will be intense. None of us will be light on you. You are to
work your tails off or else…you are out. Does everyone understand? If you can't
handle this, then you will not even make it in a real battle," she said grimly,
eyes firm as all of the students nodded.
She smiled and nodded then waved her wand. "Alae valel!" (Behold thy Power) she
called out and a soft light shot out, surrounding them before fading. Nodding as
they murmured softly, she winked. "Each of you will have one of four colored
hands: Green, blue, red, and yellow. Green…you are to go to my husband and learn
of the Ancient today. Blue, you are to go to Sirius and learn Old English
offensive as well as Celtic magic. Yellow, you are to go to Severus and learn
Old English defensive as well as African magic. Red, you are with me and we
shall be learning Asian. Everyone understand?" She grinned as affirmatives were
called out before the students began their migration to the selected groups. She
turned and started off towards the lake, followed by the group that was
gathering for her.
Harry glanced over as Ron went towards Sirius along with Neville while Hermione
went towards Remus with Luna and Ginny went over to Snape. He was surprised that
they weren't together, but figured the spell knew something. Shrugging, he
continued after Evie, smiling. He glanced around, and then almost stopped as he
saw who was next to him.
Smiling slightly, Draco inclined his head towards Harry. "Well, well, Potter.
Looks like we have something in common," he murmured quietly, surprising Harry.
Flushing slightly as he glanced away, Harry shrugged. "Guess so," he muttered,
not certain about his feelings. He glanced up as a hand caressed his own and
blinked again as Draco smiled at him before going forward. What was that all
about? Shaking his head, he ignored the butterflies that had taken permanent
residence in his stomach as he went with the rest of his group to Evie at the
lake.
Stopping near the lake, Evie turned and smiled at them as she stood with her
hands behind her back, waiting for them to all gather around her. "Is that
everyone?" she called out, grinning as a couple of cheers came out with a few
'Yea's and she nodded. "All right then, let's get started. Wands away everyone.
For these techniques, trust me…you won't need them." She grinned as some murmurs
rose up, but everyone obeyed her quickly. "Excellent. Now, I want everyone to
stand in two lines with enough space to have your arms straight out at your
sides," she ordered softly as she stood back, eyes on them as they moved to her
orders.
Talking a bit amongst themselves, the students moved to form the lines with
space between them. Nodding in approval, Evie made sure she was seen by all of
them. "Very good. What we are going to do now is connect with your chi." She
grinned as she heard some snickers as well as comments and wagged her finger at
them. "I heard that. And yes, while it sounds funny, it is a lot harder to do.
The reason we are going to do this is because, once you connect with your chi,
you will be able to control your magic in a much different way," she said as she
held her hands in front of her. Closing her eyes, she took several deep breathes
while she concentrated, the sound of the wind blowing around them the only thing
to disturb the silence that had fallen on the clearing.
Slowly, a soft lavender colored glow formed around her, causing surprised
murmurs to float out from the watching students. She brought her hands forward,
forming a loose triangle with them before her stomach and murmured something. As
they watched in surprised fascination, a small ball the same color as her glow
formed, pulsing in time to her breaths as it grew to fit the triangle before
stopping and holding. Murmurs of awe rose up as the students watched, eager now
to learn more.
Opening her eyes, Evie smiled at them as she held the ball of energy within her
palms. "This…is chi. It is the energy that flows throughout your body,
connecting you to everything around you. It is the main source of magic. In
Muggles, it isn't so bright or clear, usually ending in pale green or other
colors. In wizards and witches, it is vibrant, especially depending on what your
specialty in magic is and how powerful you are," she explained as she stood
before them, smiling.
"Does your blood have anything to do with strength?" one of the Ravenclaw
students asked as he raised his hand.
"If you mean Muggle born, then no. Some purebloods have the weakest chi, and
then a Muggle born who is a fourth wizard might have the strongest chi ever. So,
it doesn't matter if you are pure or not, it will depend on your spirit," Evie
answered with a nod of approval at the Ravenclaw as murmurs of wonder went up
among the students. She spread her hands, dissipating her chi back into her body
before smiling at her students. "Now, why don't we all sit down so," she
instructed as she sat down cross legged, hands on her knees. "And get ready to
begin," she finished, smiling as her students sat before her, copying her
stance.
Harry grinned softly, excited. So far, everything that had been shown had been
very interesting. He'd no idea that so much went on with magic!
"Now, I want everyone to close their eyes and concentrate. Search within you for
your center of energy," Evie instructed encouragingly, smiling as the students
obeyed, some were a bit more reluctant than others, but they obeyed. "Everyone
is different in where it is, but imagine yourself sinking into yourself,
searching for a warm vibrant core. Find it and know it."
Silence fell over the group as the students worked to do as she said,
concentrating hard as they searched for their centers. A couple of soft gasps
floated out as some succeeded, soon becoming many as they all found their
centers. Harry smiled as he reveled in his own core, warmed by its familiarity
and support.
Smiling as she watched them, Evie nodded. "Now, listen to my voice and let me
guide you. Slowly return to your body and bring the warmth with you. Imagine it
blanketing you like a warm blanket on a winter's day. Let it wrap around you and
empower you," she guided them softly, smiling as she watched the serene looks on
her students' faces return to looks of concentration.
Slowly but surely, the young men and women began to glow different colors, all
over the spectrum. She nodded in approval, and then stretched a little before
continuing. "Now, I want you to focus that energy between your hands. Remember
how I had my hands and mirror that, focusing it into a ball so that you can see
it," she coached them gently, delighted at how quickly they were picking up on
everything. As they concentrated, she began stretching out her own chi, pressing
against theirs to guide them. After they had succeeded, she grinned. "Now…open
your eyes and see what you brought up!"
Eyes popping open, all of the students looked down and gasped or cried out in
surprise, laughing or nodding in excitement as they saw what they had achieved.
Some were a bit careless and spread their hands, causing their chi to dissipate
to their disappointment and dismay. Laughing softly, Evie shook her head. "All
right then…spread your hands and allow your chi to go back within you," she
instructed chidingly, winking as some whined a bit. But all obeyed her and soon
they sat empty-handed before her, curious.
"You saw what your chi looks like normal, when you are at peace. Now, we shall
work on other emotions so that you may see how it is affected and how your magic
is affected," Evie resumed as she nodded at them before standing. "Stand up and
spread your legs shoulder width apart," she instructed as she did the same,
showing them what to do. "Hold your arms up bent at the elbow so that you look
like you are going to receive something, which is what you will be," she said,
smiling as curious looks were cast around before she was obeyed. "Now, I want
you all to think of when you were very angry. Concentrate on it and focus it
between your arms. Imagine pushing that anger to the space between."
Several minutes later, all of the young people held writhing energy within their
hold, shocked at the power within. "This is what anger does. Now, depending on
what you were angry about is what decides the power. If you are angry for say,
getting caught or something menial like that, it is not as powerful. But, if it
is for say, an injustice or for the loss of something or someone dear, then it
is much more powerful," Evie said as she went between the rows, examining the
powers shown as she talked.
"What is the difference between anger and hatred?" Draco's voice floated out as
he held his power barely in check. Harry glanced over at him in curiosity and
they locked eyes once more.
"While both can be directed at others and be negative, hatred is also based in
fear. Anger is more of a predominant emotion, so it tends to be more powerful
and pure than hatred," Evie replied as she came before Draco, smiling at him.
"Very good question," she murmured, nodding at him as he smiled at her. She
glanced around and nodded. "All right. Now, what I want you to do is lift your
arms up and imagine sending that anger away from you. Blasting it out if you
will," she instructed with a grin as a few chuckles floated out.
Lifting their arms, the students did as told and 'blasted' the energy out. Some
only fizzled out a few feet in the air, fueled by weak anger. Others flared out
in bright areoles of light, changing color swiftly before dissipating in loud
booms. Laughs or shouts were heard in surprise at this and Evie chuckled at
them. They went through each of the major emotions: sadness, happiness, fear,
shame, and love. All with varying results. They then began to tap into their
magic, focusing their chi as they said simple charms and learning that the
intent behind the charm was what gave it power. Pairing off, they worked on
simple defense shields and offensive attacks.
Harry felt warm as he was paired up with Draco, since the Slytherin was the
closest to his chi type. They worked well together, easily finding their match
in the other as they searched the other's chi for weaknesses and strengths. But
what really warmed him was the almost gentle, yet firm look in Draco's eyes. He
wanted more of that, he found…more of that focused on him. And somehow, he knew
Draco wanted more from him as well.
By the time the sun was setting and the club was dismissed for the day, all of
the students were weary, but proud. Harry found Hermione, Ron, and Neville
quickly, laughing with them as they talked about what had happened in their
groups. But, as they went into the castle to get ready for dinner, Harry found
his eyes trailing over to Draco once more as he talked with his Slytherin
buddies.
Sensing him, Draco glanced over and smiled softly, a gentle smile that had no
malice and no haughtiness. Harry returned the smile before they were parted.
Yes…he wanted more.
TBC
