Tonks tried to move while asleep, but the resistance she met caused her to wake up. She immediately felt a sense of safety wash over her as her eyes opened and her brain started functioning. 'Oh this is heaven. What a way to wake up in the morning.' She looked down and found, yet again, Harry's arms wrapped around her tightly. Her left breast was completely covered by Harry's long-fingered hand. She took a deep breath and sighed slowly enjoying the sensation.
'Anyone else would have been at my pants from the first second, but Harry just holds me and gets embarrassed when he finds himself in personal situations. I love his naivety; it is so endearing.' Tonks closed her eyes and let herself be swept up in the moment. 'He is so rare a person. I have never met someone like him before. He is as clueless as they come concerning intimacy, but there I am, completely in over my head. I tried to tease him just for fun and he kicked my arse. I tried to kiss him a little just to frustrate the poor boy and I lose all control over myself. And that thing he does, wow that is amazing. No one could withstand that. No matter how skilled they are in Occlumency, they would crumble.'
Tonks reveled in her memories of the last two days and the feeling of warmth Harry gave off as he held her. She only stopped when she started getting too excited by her thoughts. 'I am sure he wouldn't mind being woken up that way, but I would probably scare the hell out of him by doing it.' Her thoughts threaten to shift back to more pleasant memories, but she forced them down.
'You are the adult here whether you act like it or not. Think of what people would say; think of what the papers would do to you. "Twenty-something auror seduces The-Boy-Who-Lived." That would be a wonderful headline for mum to read over morning tea. She would be shocked at first and looking to yell at me, but she would be happy for me in the end. Dad would read it, too. He would probably yell at me and congratulate Harry. Men. Stop it! This is Harry you are thinking about and he is years younger than you. Up until now it has all been for fun. Be the adult you are supposed to be and distance yourself.'
Tonks' train of thought lasted until Harry shifted slightly and pulled her close to him. 'Oh I am fucked. A simple hug and I fall apart. I have to be strong; I have to fight it. But he is so cute and sexy and…yep, I am so fucked.'
Tonks sighed again and didn't know what to do about Harry. She was going to spend a lot of time with him this summer guarding and training him but this was something she didn't expect. 'Why do I have to be such a flirt? Why did I have to flirt with him? It was just supposed to be fun and games. And now, now I look forward to the teasing as much as he does because it makes me feel good. Is it me or is it him?' A very clear voice in her mind told her it was him. He was the difference.
Tonks kept arguing with herself as she tried to figure out what to do. The only options she could think of were to let things happen as they may or to completely close herself off to Harry. 'Maybe I can just see what happens. He is young and I am nothing terribly amazing so he is likely to move on to some other young hottie when he sees her.'
Harry opened his eyes slowly and realized he was holding Tonks again. She was firmly in the grasp of both of his arms. Without moving, Harry tried to figure out where his hands were. 'Left hand is on her right hip, which is okay I guess. Right hand is…shite. Why do they always end up there? Because it is fun for some reason. Okay, is Tonks awake and will she be mad this time?'
Harry waited a few minutes until he decided that Tonks was awake and just lying in his arms. 'Tonks' is a flirt. She told me that the first or second day she was here. Why is she still flirting with me? I am no one special. I couldn't even keep Cho around, but that wasn't entirely my fault. Some things aren't my fault. Should I ask Tonks what is going on? And say what? I like kissing you so can we do it some more? Yeah right, that would be a stupid thing to say and she would probably curse you for it too.'
Harry didn't know what to do. He had never known what to do about the girls at school and this was no different. 'She is the adult. She knows what she is doing. I should let her make the decisions here. It is not like I have any clue what I am doing anyway. That is what I will do. I will follow Tonks' lead. She knows what she is doing and that is more than I know. Besides, I am having a lot of fun with her right now.'
The two stayed in Harry's bed until a vibration from Tonks' wand ended the comfortable silence. Tonks stopped her wand from vibrating and took a breath. In doing so she felt Harry's hand move with her breast.
"Harry, you need to get up. We have to be at the office in forty minutes."
"I have been awake for awhile. What are the plans for today? More tests?"
Tonks flipped over not hesitating as Harry's hand was pushed across her chest simulating her a little bit. After a deep breath, she said, "You will be tested in your knowledge, speed, and power. It will be more like a test at school though so there shouldn't be any simulations like yesterday. I will warn you that other members might be around and some of them will not like the fact that you have such high levels already. You might have to prove yourself to some of them before they start giving you the respect you deserve. I know I had to beat a few of them up before they left me alone."
"Alright, anything else I should know?"
"I had a question from yesterday. When you are casting spells with your wand, how strong is the feeling of magic?"
"I am not sure what you mean?"
"When you cast a spell you feel the magic rush out of you. What does it feel like?"
"Yesterday was the first time I had ever felt a pushing sensation or anything for that matter when using my wand. Aside from when I first got it of course."
Tonks just stared at Harry eyes. "You don't feel your magic when using it? Never? Not even when you cast your Patronus?"
Harry didn't know what to say about this comment so he went with the truth. "No, I never feel my magic when casting spells. The only time I have was when I started learning wandless magic. The only way I could get it to work right was to push the magic out of me. Yesterday, I felt the magic while using my wand because I was using the same techniques. I was forcing my intent and will into many of my spells, because I knew that I couldn't beat Horace with my limited knowledge of spells. I tried to overwhelm him with the number and strength of them and by moving a lot."
"This is another one of those times when you don't know the basic rules of magic, Harry. This is so unusual I am not sure what to do. Almost everyone feels their magic when using it. You feel it move out of you when you cast a spell. You feel yourself getting weaker when you use a lot of powerful spells. I watched your entire test, Harry. They have the ability to monitor everyone in the room. The number of spells you cast and the power you put into them would have drained most people. Your Cruciatus Curse, alone, would have drained most wizards.
"As we get older, our capability to perform magic increases a little. We get more powerful to a point, but we are able to do more spells. A student starting out might be able to cast an easy spell many times, but they will not be very powerful. A strong spell would drain the kid very quickly. Have you ever gotten tired from using magic?"
"I am not sure? I have been tired after a fight before, but I have always been injured so I don't know what caused it. When I learned the Patronus, I was tired, but I was fighting a Dementor. Really it was a Boggart but it had the same effect."
"How about during the D.A. last year? Did you ever get tired demonstrating the spells?"
"No, I only did them a few times then I walked around and helped the others."
"I am sorry, but how about one of the fights with You-Know-Who?"
"Voldemort." Harry watched Tonks flinch. "His name is Voldemort or Tom or any insulting variation thereof. Please work on saying his name."
"I will try, but it is something we are trained not to say."
"Fine. The fight in the cemetery wore me out, but the Cruciatus Curse had a lot to do with that. The Imperius Curse and the Priori Incantatem made me tired too. I had a broken leg at the time so I don't know if that mattered at all or not. The Ministry fight was nasty, but I don't remember being that tired afterwards. I was thinking about other things at the time."
"So you don't remember becoming tired from using magic? I have to tell Marcus that since he wants to know anything that you can do that others can't. This would be one of those things. I am sure Horace will want to test your magical endurance today then."
Tonks saw Harry scowl and didn't want him mad at her. "Today should be you casting spells at things or at the target drones. I doubt Horace is ready for another test like yesterday. You really surprised them, Harry. You are starting off really well. I am very proud of you."
Tonks leaned forward and kissed Harry lightly on the lips. 'Why did I do that? I just wanted to see what would happen and here I am kissing him. Oh I am so weak.'
Harry accepted the kiss and returned it as long as Tonks maintained contact. He realized his right hand had settled on Tonks hip and was holding her steady. He looked into her eyes when she opened them. They had a dark, hungry glint to them and Harry found them entrancing. He smiled at her and waited to see what she would do. He was slightly disappointed to see her close her eyes for a few minutes. When they opened again, the entrancing look was gone and the playful Tonks look had returned.
"I should shower before we leave, Harry. You should be fine since you will probably just get sweaty today. I shouldn't be more than a few minutes. Get yourself ready and don't worry about food. We can eat when we get there and I can show you the kitchen." Tonks got out of the bed and started gathering her things.
Harry watched Tonks very closely because she wasn't wearing any pants, again, and her t-shirt was shorter than the one the other day. Harry was mesmerized by the light purple, lace panties Tonks was parading around his room. He could only think that light purple was as nice a color as the blue she wore before. He watched her grab her cloak and a few things from a bag that she had under his bed. She left the room and closed his door.
Seconds later, a slight squeal made Harry grab his wand and toss on his nearest item of clothing which was his new cloak. Harry opened his door quickly and found Tonks defiantly standing in front of Petunia who was glaring daggers. Harry wasn't sure what had happened but it was his family so he would handle it.
"Tonks, I will handle this. Why don't you get ready so we can leave. Aunt Petunia, if you have something to say, say it to me."
Tonks pushed past Petunia and entered the loo closing and locking the door. Petunia stood in her place for a few seconds before she looked directly at Harry. She marched straight past him and into his room. Harry turned and followed her in. He found her standing in the corner staring at his messy bed. He waited to see if she would say anything, but after a few minutes he spoke first.
"Tonks charmed the bed larger so she had a place to sleep the first night. We left it since she is my guard. Now, what is the problem?"
Petunia looked up from the bed to Harry. She seemed to be thinking something over in her mind before opening her mouth. "I checked on you last night for the first time in years, Harry. To say the least, I was shocked by what I saw."
"And what did you see, Aunt Petunia?" Harry held his ground. According to the Ministry, he was emancipated and he could handle his own life. According to him, Petunia had given up the right to have any say in how he lived his life the day she locked him in his cupboard.
"I saw you and 'her' in your bed together. That is bad enough, but then I find her in our hallway wearing nothing but an old t-shirt and her knickers. What did you get up to last night, young man?"
Harry was astonished at the nerve of his aunt. She had never given a damn about him until now when he started living his own life. "I got up to what ever I got up to, Petunia. You have no say in it anymore. Actually, you never had any say in it. You have to act like a parent before you can be one. You have never shown me that you care in the slightest about me. Why are you starting now?"
"This is our house, Harry. You are here so you will not do things you shouldn't. Consider yourself lucky Vernon didn't find you like that. He would have been irate."
"And if he touched either one of us I would have hurt him as promised. I can use my magic now without any worries or concerns. We took care of that yesterday and now I have a job to go to as well."
"A job, you? You are too young to have a job."
"Well, I have one and there is nothing you can say about it. I am making my own choices and no one can prevent that anymore. If you wish to stop me, go ahead and try. I will do everything I can to control my own life and no one is going to stop me either."
Harry was beginning to glow again, and Petunia had moved back as far as she could into the corner. Harry was mad. He was getting worked up and his magic was starting to bleed through and become visible. 'I will not let her or these people control my life. I may just be starting out, but I am an Unspeakable, damn it. For the first time in my life, I am Harry-Fucking-Potter.'
Petunia cowered in the corner and watched Harry's aura ripple and twist around itself. She was completely overwhelmed by the anger she saw and felt. Her nephew was everything the book had said. She realized that every bit of it was accurate. Every lethal situation she read about was true. Her sister's scrawny son had lived through so much and he was not going to stop now. For the first time in her life, she felt ashamed of herself. 'He could kill me right now. I can feel it. I can see it in his eyes. He really will do whatever he has to right now. I am sorry Lily, I failed you.'
"I, she, Harry, she is older than you. It isn't proper for you and her to share a bed."
"You have no say in what I do or don't do in case you missed what I said earlier. To me, you are just a person who lives here. You are no one special to me. Tonks is someone special. She is helping me when no one could or would. She has done so much for me in the last three days I can't even begin to explain it. I may survive this war because of her help. I know that, because of her, I will at least have a chance at living through this. No one else can say that and I know of no one I will say that about."
Harry was glowing as his anger was still running high. He felt someone behind him, but before he did anything aggressive he heard the familiar sound of Tonks voice.
"Harry, please calm down. You are glowing again and you could hurt someone accidentally. Everything is fine. Calm down, please."
Harry took a deep breath and used what little Occlumency he had to calm down. He closed his eyes and found his magic swelling inside of him. Harry had never felt this before, but it was invigorating. He opened his eyes and saw Petunia still cowering in the corner. He turned his head and saw Tonks standing in the doorway haphazardly dressed with water running down her face. She was smiling at him, but she was hesitant nonetheless.
"What is wrong? Can't I get mad at someone?"
"Harry," Tonks tried to stay neutral but found it very hard to do so. "You are still glowing even though it is less than when you were raging at Petunia. Have you ever seen someone's aura before?" Harry shook his head. "Your aunt is completely beside herself from seeing one. I have seen them a few times in my life, but yours, just now, was more impressive and unnerving than any of the others. On that, can you feel your magic now?"
"Yes, I can. It is like a wave on Hogwarts' lake only bigger. I can feel it moving around and swirling. I have never felt like this before."
"That sounds like how most magical people describe their magic. The only difference," Harry scowled at the word difference, but Tonks forged on. "The only difference is that we liken it to a stream or a ripple. I can feel my magic all the time. Being a metamorphmagus I am constantly in touch with my magic. I know you have at least a little of the ability, but the most intense I have felt my magic was during my final practical after auror training. I would say it felt like a stream running steadily. You call yours a wave. Think about that if you find the time, Harry."
"Now, what did you say to make Harry this mad?" Tonks asked Petunia.
Petunia stayed in her corner and stared at Harry. Tonks looked to Harry and he was almost back to normal.
"Harry, what did she say?"
"Basically, she said that you were too old for me," Harry said fuming.
"And what is that supposed to mean, Petunia?" Tonks directed her question at the woman still backed into the corner.
"You are too old for a fifteen-year-old. How old are you anyway? Twenty-five?"
"I am twenty-two-years-old thank you very much," Tonks said. "As Harry has said, it is none of your business what he does since you have never been a parent to him. I believe we should go, Harry, since we are supposed to be there at seven."
Tonks pulled her wand and dried her hair, quickly, right in the doorway. Petunia watched her but said nothing about it. Harry stared down his aunt. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what exactly.
"Make the portkey, Tonks. I want to leave as soon as possible. I told you things wouldn't change. Petunia, get out of my room." Harry was stern in his command and he left no argument on the subject.
Petunia moved out of the corner, past Harry and Tonks, and into the hallway near her room. Harry made sure he had his things and walked out of his room. He closed the door loudly and cast a locking charm on the door using his wand. Petunia squeaked but fought it. Harry stared at her as Tonks tapped the box again turning it into a portkey.
With a tap on his shoulder, Harry held his hand out and Tonks put the box in his hand while she held onto it as well. They both flipped their hoods up and waited for the pull on their navels taking them to the Ministry. Harry stared at his aunt and felt his anger returning. He didn't care about why, he just wanted to be mad at something and she was a perfect person for it.
The tug came and Harry found himself in the atrium of the Ministry again. He let Tonks take the box away before he stormed on his way to the lift. He didn't even pause at the guard station completely ignoring the young guard who had backed away as he approached. He hit the call button with his fist and stood waiting for the lift to arrive. Tonks caught up to him and stood right next to him in case he lost control of his magic.
The lift arrived and Tonks followed Harry onto it. The lift shuddered to life and whisked them to their destination. Harry reached the doorway first and tapped out the sequence giving his password. Once inside the department, Harry made his way to the training room.
"Didn't you want to eat first?" Tonks asked but wasn't sure it was a wise thing to do. She received no response and decided to watch how Harry handled things. She was beginning to worry because he was so mad. He had repressed a lot of anger over the years and it looked like it was coming to the surface. 'He is taking control of his life. He took control from his aunt this morning and that must have been the cause of this. I hope he doesn't get into any fights today. He will draw the others' attention enough being the new guy.'
Harry walked to the training room and opened the door giving his password again upon request. There were a few people inside, but he wanted to get started and knew that Horace was the man to see first. He found Horace talking to another hooded man near the center of the room which was different than the day before.
On the right side, there was a firing range of sorts with dummies setup in a row. They were levitated off the ground a little and they moved from side to side in erratic patterns. Harry saw two others at the range shooting spells at the dummies. Above the heads of the two shooters, there were two black boxes for each station. When a spell hit the two boxes would display numbers. Harry was too preoccupied to pay attention to the numbers that flashed with each spell. He walked over to Horace and waited for him to finish talking to the other Unspeakable.
Harry found his anger subsiding as he waited. He figured it was best to calm down before talking with Horace who would no doubt want to get even for the other day. Horace sending the other off to begin range practice let Harry know he was next up.
"Well, I see our Recruit is ready to begin his first day," Horace said loud enough that the others in the room turned to watch. "Think you can get lucky again, Recruit?"
"Where do I begin, Horace?" Harry wasn't going to step into that question. Horace was trying to bait him just like Snape would; only Horace would really hurt him with spells if he got the chance.
"Wise answer, Recruit. First, let's see how much you know. I will have you fire off all the curses you know and then I will see if you should know any others."
Part of the room changed into a grassy field and there were boulders in front of Harry. Horace stood next to him and instructed Harry to begin firing. Harry started off with the first curses he learned at Hogwarts. His shots were pretty accurate for where he was aiming. Horace never said a word during the demonstration. Harry cycled through all the common curses and finished with a powerful Stunner.
Harry then started working on the new spells he had read about before the D.A. and the first day he had returned for the summer. When Harry cast the bone spells, he heard Horace make a sound, but he didn't stop firing. Harry ended his demonstration with the Cruciatus Curse. He turned and looked into Horace's face waiting for the next command.
"Not bad, for a new guy, I guess," Horace was looking down his nose at Harry very similar to how his aunt would. "That is barely acceptable, but you have a lot to learn. Now let's go over to the range and see what your numbers are there."
Harry could feel the anger returning from what happened at Privet Drive. The look Horace was using was driving it. Harry wanted to show him not to treat him like she did. Harry was going to prove to this man that he was good enough to be here whether he liked it or not.
The others at the range saw Horace coming over with Harry and stopped firing. They knew the drill and gave up the range to the trainee. Horace stepped in front of the range line and waited for Harry to take up a position on the line. A flash of a silver spell fell across the room and hit Horace in the head. He paused then smiled widely. The other Unspeakables noticed this and stepped back quickly conjuring chairs a good distance away from Harry and the range. Once Harry's feet hit the line, Horace began his instructions.
"Think you are something special, don't you? Think you got what it takes? That first test was just the admittance test. I can still boot you out if I think you are a worthless git. You have to prove to me that you have what it takes to be here every single day. Are you up for that kind of challenge?"
"Yes." Harry wasn't going to give Horace any reason to kick him out. He was going to do this and he was going to learn how to survive. He was going to learn how to keep others alive too.
"I will be the judge of that." Horace was sounding more like Snape every time he opened his mouth. Harry was getting more annoyed as time went on. "Since this is your first time, I will take it easy on you." Six targets appeared at the end of the range twenty-five yards away. Harry never saw the spectators lean back in surprise.
"This range is designed to measure your spell's power and accuracy. The further you are away from the center, the lower your score, and the more powerful your spell, the higher your score. The accuracy measurement is a simple one to figure out. It is based on distance from the core and spell selection. An area spell will score differently than a specific-target spell. Make sense, good." Horace didn't wait for Harry to respond.
"The power score is something altogether different. It is a logarithmic measure. The jump from ten to twenty is exponential and so on. Need a better explanation than that, visit a library. Normal people would score around thirty to fifty. I expect our operatives to be in the sixties and seventies. More than that, well, I doubt it will happen so I will move on."
Harry glanced up but couldn't see the score boxes at all. When he brought his eyes back to Horace, he saw a wand pointing at him and a spell forming. Harry followed his instincts and snatched his wand from the air as he released it. The spell was flying at him now and he threw up a quick shield deflecting the attack. Harry responded by returning a Stunner.
Horace still had a smile on his face as he ducked the Stunner and watched it fly past him. Harry's spell struck a target with a slight tone echoing in the room he hadn't noticed before. The audience and Horace saw the numbers register, but Harry didn't. Horace kept his face blank, but the others made a sound when 40/72 appeared on the board. Horace barely concealed his scowl as he threw up a Silencing Dome preventing any sounds from reaching the range area.
"Pathetic, Potter, and never take your eyes off your enemy no matter what." At Harry's startled look. Horace explained. "They can't hear us and we can't hear them. The last thing I need is you being distracted by them. You are hopeless enough as it is without more things getting in your way." Horace got what he was looking for, a death glare from his trainee. 'Excellent. Let's see what you got, Boy.'
"Well, what are you waiting for an invitation? I would rather find out, quickly, how helpless you are and move on to another. So get started." The glare only intensified and Horace saw defiance.
'Fuck him. I will prove to this arse that I belong here. He wants spells, I will give him spells.' Harry started firing spells at the targets. He was casting them as fast as he could too. After about a half hour, Horace stopped him.
"If that is the best you have to offer me, then leave, Boy." Horace put extra emphasis on the word 'Boy.' He waited until Harry was visibly angry. Horace saw a sparkle in Harry's eyes and it was of pure hate. 'That is what I saw yesterday before you leveled me. Use it, damn it, use it.'
"You going to use that wand or just wave it around? I am right here, Potter. You want to hurt me, then hurt me." Horace sneered at Harry hoping to aggravate him further. He got his wish.
Harry fired at Bone Shattering spell at Horace followed by the Breaking one. Horace had been slowly moving back towards the targets to give him enough distance to escape getting hit should Harry actually attack him. The targets were struck and the scores registered, 45/78, 51/81.
"Weak, Boy, weak." Horace enjoyed his job. He was paid to annoy people and teach them to use their magic to their fullest extent. He watched as Harry continued to fire curses. Horace could only spare a split second to look at the scores or he risked getting hit by a nasty curse that had quite a bit of power behind it. He saw a twisting red curse flying his way and he dove to the floor knowing how bad that one would have hurt.
The audience watched Horace antagonize the Recruit. They had all been through it and knew that he would use anything he could to get the best out of them. They watched as the Recruit lowered his body into a fighting stance and one comment started the assault. They were all prepared to joke and ridicule the new guy for being pathetic. Everyone started off low in the beginning. They had figured the 72 was a fluke, but as the spells started flying and Horace started moving quickly they knew this was new guy was not a fluke. The high 60's and low 70's gave way to low 80's within a few spells.
They could see Horace still egging on the new guy and he wasn't tiring. The first guy said, "How the hell is he keeping up? He has been tossing spells for forty minutes straight." Another commented, "Not sure, but Horace is getting a workout. I know I could barely get him to move my first day."
'That was close,' Horace thought as he picked himself up from a dive. 'This kid's a natural, and I will make him better. Time for the clincher. I may have to duck out and let him go at the sim for my own safety.' "So, you have a little bit of fight in you, eh? Is this the same kind of fight your father put up when he was slaughtered like a sick animal?"
Horace watched as the fading look of hate intensified and Harry started giving off a dangerous feel. "Did you hear your mother scream, Potter?" Horace almost dove out of the way when Harry twitched. 'I am stabbing a dragon in the eye while I am standing in front of it.'
Harry heard the words Horace was saying to him. Harry could only stand there and get angrier. He had heard similar things over the years from various people so this wasn't that bad. The only difference was that Harry had felt his magic now, and he wanted to feel it again. He wanted the feeling and getting mad was one way to get there. He was searching for the swirling sensation when Horace said something that caused Harry to snap.
"Got your own Godfather killed by your own stupidity. Maybe Tonks will be next. You think?"
Harry could feel his magic and it wanted out. It wanted to hurt someone and it wanted it badly. 'Sirius, was not my fault. I am not going to let Tonks get hurt. No one else close to me will be hurt.' Harry heard his mother dying and saw Ginny lying in the Chamber. He saw Hermione getting hit by that spell in the Department. The magic swelled up and needed an outlet. Harry gave it one, Horace.
Harry fired spell after spell at Horace. He dove and moved a few times, but soon a barrier grew up from the ground and Horace dove behind it. He popped up and moved around the range area with renewed vigor. Harry followed him with his wand trying to bring him down with every spell. He poured every ounce of magic he could into every spell he fired. He wanted him to hurt. The Reductor Curses struck the targets leaving scorch marks.
Harry didn't stay at the firing line for more than a few curses before he started advancing on Horace's position. Horace moved away and things kept appearing from the floor as cover. 'Bastard is using the room to protect himself.' Harry continued to move after Horace and destroy anything that got in his way.
The audience watched as Horace kept talking and the Recruit seemed to get angrier. They knew it was Horace's way. He forced you to wear yourself out the first day. You would be completely exhausted by lunch and then he would start teaching you spells and techniques.
They were waiting for that moment when Horace would get the Recruit to lose it. They always did in the end. Horace and Marcus did their research learning every bit of information they could on someone. They needed to know which buttons to push to get the most out of their people. A good leader knows the limits of the people under him so they know whether or not a goal is achievable.
The smiles grew as Horace continued his verbal assault until the Recruit hit his limit. The visible aura appeared and they all leaned back in their chairs. "Mother fucker," said one. "Have you seen one that bright before?" asked another. All three watched for a moment as the spells starting flying again. The scores were popping up so quickly that one of the Unspeakables activated the memory function creating an ever growing list of scores; 55/84, 44/86, 72/83, 75/88, 67/86, 66/89, 50/91.
"Merlin, a 90. Who the hell is that guy?" Asked the first. "Ten galleons that he collapses after five minutes. You can't keep a visible aura up that long," said the third. "Six minutes," replied the first. "Seven," said the second.
"I will take that bet, but he will keep firing spells and have the aura for at least ten minutes. My guess is that he can make it until lunch without burning out, too," voiced a newcomer to the group.
"You that confident, Chamel?" Questioned the third.
"Yes I am, Miguel."
"Bets are placed, any others?" Announced Miguel.
"I will say eight minutes." Horace made his presence known. He looked very tired and disheveled.
"Using the sim on the first day? Sure you aren't getting too old for this, Horace?" Asked the first guy.
"If you want to jump in there, Bitton, go right ahead," Horace said watching the numbers scroll up. "I thought you were joking about the aura, Chamel, but I see that you weren't. Every time he gets really mad?"
"Every time since he started working on wandless magic. He said that he had never felt his magic before that." Tonks was watching with a big smile on her face.
"Wandless, huh? I knew he had used a few things during the first test, but it wasn't that extensive. How many spells is he proficient in?" Horace asked.
"He told me he had learned eight so far, and he learned with no props. He just did it and there you go," she said waving her arm at Harry who was still firing spells at the sim that was moving around the range.
"Good, how long has he been working on them?" Horace asked generally interested.
"It took him one day to learn those and he had never thought of doing wandless magic before that," Tonks said simply ignoring how the others turned to stare at her.
"You picked a good one in him, Chamel. I have counted five spells that broke 90 so far and he is still going strong. I have the sim taunting him to keep him motivated. I want to see how long he can go. I think you only lasted five minutes during this exercise."
"He will last far longer than I did," Chamel said calmly. "I have felt his magic when he was working on his wandless skills. It was, overwhelming. He has never tried to do these things with his magic before. The aura, wandless magic, working himself to his full potential; none of it has ever occurred to him. He has always done what needed done and his magic has let him do that without much thought. If I really make him mad in the future, I am getting away fast."
At that moment, Harry fired a Cruciatus Curse at the sim and it hit. A score of 98/87 appeared on the board. "Fuck. Well that ends that exercise since 'I' am now a pathetic, quivering mass of meat. Kid is good, but I can't tell him that yet." Horace strode to the range area and slipped behind a barrier that had appeared.
Harry had been firing spells forever and Horace was always avoiding them at the last second. 'Why can't I hit him? I will make you pay you bastard.' Harry tried to increase his firing rate and his aim, but no matter what he did, Horace was able to out maneuver him. Harry cast back to back Crucio's and the second one landed and Horace went down hard.
Harry held him under the curse until he saw movement to his left. He released the spell, spun, and fired the Bone Shattering curse. He had gotten quite good at that one today since it was one he knew Horace had felt and didn't like. The new target dodged and held his hands up. Harry then realized that it was Horace, another one. Harry looked where his Horace had been and there was nothing left.
"Settle yourself, Recruit. That was the second test and I wanted to see what you have got and where I could take you. You aren't too bad, but you could use a lot of work. Your aim is basic and your power is variable. You need to work on consistency in both areas. Your spell selection is limited so you need to learn many more. Also, expand your wandless abilities for Merlin's sake. Learn some defensive spells first since they are great for wandless casting. Offensive spells should be next followed by the helper spells like concealment and manipulation ones."
Harry was still mad, but he was kind of weary. "So you weren't even in here?"
"I was for a while, but when you started glowing and trying to kill me; I took my leave. A smart man will fight the fights he can win. He will leave the losing battles leaving the fools to die. Only fight if you have something to gain. Fighting to fight is a waste of time and risking yourself just to do so is inane. Think, choose your battles, choose your enemies, choose your location; always be in control of the fight. Never let another control it. Never let another have an advantage over you if you can remove it.
"We are the smart fighters. We do not go blindly into a situation and just wing it. That is how people get killed who we want to live. I know you can improvise and survive but not everyone has that ability. Our operatives must think of the big picture and remember the objectives at all times. We do not settle debts here unless that is the mission. You achieve the goals and get out. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Harry choked out. He was still calming down from his fury, but the words made sense to him. 'The disaster happened here because I wasn't thinking about my friends. I was only thinking about Sirius. I lost him because there was no plan. Hermione tried to tell me that but I wouldn't listen. I have so much to learn.'
"Now that you have calmed down, I am going to draw my wand and adjust your badge." Horace drew his wand and tapped Harry's chest revealing the badge. When it appeared, Horace mumbled a few words and started moving his wand around on it. Harry waited until he was done and looked at it.
He saw five red bars, four blue, six green, no yellows still, two purple, and four blacks. Harry felt happy for the first time since the very early morning. He must have shown something during this test to get the added bars. He still remembered what Horace had said to him, but the more he thought about it the more sense it made. 'He knows that getting me mad improves my magic. That must have been his goal the whole time. He just wanted to see what I could do and he did that.'
"You work on your knowledge, accuracy, and shields and I can guarantee you will get more bars. If you can keep using that much power with every spell you cast, I might leave you alone about being so pathetically weak. I might even say you are acceptable, but we ain't there yet, Boy." Horace watched as Harry's smile dropped from his face and look of grim determination replaced it. 'That is what I want. Determination is the key to our job. Oh, you will be fun to teach.'
"I think you should go to lunch and take Chamel with you. I don't want you passing out on me later today from exhaustion."
Harry nodded curtly and walked off the range which had returned to normal. He walked up to Tonks, who was collecting galleons by the handful from the other Unspeakables. He waited until she looked at him. He could see her smile under the mask of her hood. She was beaming. She pulled out her wand slowly and tapped his badge.
"Four more bars, Merlin, not bad for your first day. My guess is you are hungry after all that." Tonks resumed dropping galleons into her money pouch.
"Yes, I am hungry. Where do we go to eat?" Harry wanted a break from the training room atmosphere.
"We have two choices, our own kitchen, or the Ministry cafeteria. You choose."
"I would like a break from here, so let's go to the Ministry one."
"Alright, follow me." They walked out of the training room and into the hallway leading out of the Department. Harry followed Tonks and kept trying to relax his mind from the morning's activities. She called the lift and it arrived quickly for once. They boarded the lift and Tonks pressed the button for the Atrium. Harry managed to settle himself as the lift doors opened up to the bustling Atrium. People in all sorts of clothing were running back and forth from the lifts and through the guard station.
A few groups of wizards were moving as one through the hordes of people. Harry saw one or two people he had seen before but couldn't name. He moved out of the lift following Tonks and they turned walking to the far back wall from the lifts. Harry saw a set of doors standing closed and wondered what was behind them. He found out when Tonks pushed the doors open and entered the large room behind them.
Harry saw tables lined up with numerous chairs surrounding them. He could only compare it to the Great Hall in its appearance minus the beautiful ceiling. People were moving about from the tables to the sides of the room. Harry saw many pots and serving dishes along the left wall. Every now and then a dish would disappear only to be replaced by another reappearing in its place. Harry watched the witches and wizards move in a line down the length of the wall to a few stations at the end. He could hear money changing hands in the distance.
Tonks tapped him on the shoulder and he followed her to the end of the line. A couple people who had been trying to get into the line readily moved aside for the two cloaked Unspeakables. Harry watched as they hesitantly took places behind them. Harry wasn't sure he liked the way people reacted to him, but it was far better than everyone gawking and pointing at him and his scar.
He said nothing and kept close to Tonks since he didn't know what to do. Tonks grabbed a tray from the pile and added a bowl and plate along with utensils and a goblet. Harry copied the actions and proceeded down the row of awaiting food. He selected a piece of steak and kidney pie, rolls, a spot of potatoes, treacle tart, and pumpkin juice.
When he reached the end of the line, Harry followed Tonks past the pay-stand and into the general populace. Harry heard someone behind him say that they hadn't paid, but another voice told him to shut up and that Unspeakables didn't pay for food in the Ministry.
They found a table in the corner that was mostly empty and they sat down on the same side keeping their backs to the wall so they could watch the room. Tonks started in on her food and gave Harry odd smiles now and then. He began eating as fast as he could because his stomach was growling loudly. The minutes ticked by and Harry was finishing his dessert. Tonks had picked out less food so she had finished earlier and sat watching the room and the people including Harry.
"Having fun so far?" She asked cheekily.
"Right, and would you be having fun trying to kill your teacher?"
"Depends on the teacher, actually. You weren't really trying to kill him were you?"
"Not exactly, but I am not sure what I was trying to do. I wanted to hurt him that is for sure."
"Every single one of us has wanted to hurt Horace at some point or another. That is his training style. He gets you good and mad and then he starts being mean. He usually activates the sim before the Killing Curse starts flying though. He is a good judge of people and what they are going to do. If you ever surprise him during training, you will win points with him. He likes to be surprised because it means you are better than he expected and he gets that much better at reading people."
"How did he know what to say to get me so mad?"
"They study every single person they accept. They know everything they can find out. They interview people about you and learn who you are."
"You mean they have asked people about me?"
"Of course, that is just the right way to do things. Don't worry though, they Obliviate who they interview. No one remembers them asking any questions about you."
"Who would they ask?"
"Friends, relatives, common acquaintances, those kinds of people."
"Hermione, Ron, the other Weasleys?"