Weapon

The delay is my fault. I wrote the wrong chapter, when I sat down to write this one, then got depressed about that and refused to write this one. Silly I know. Go figure. Anyway this one finally got written and quite a lot of important stuff happens. Or at least things that will get the plot FINALLY moving somewhere.

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Weapon (Possession Chapter XCI)
Chapter XL - Training
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Dumbledore looked over at his desk, resisting the urge to disappear his paperwork. While most routine paperwork wrote and distributed itself, like the invitations to attend Hogwarts other paperwork such as the training of members of order of the Phoenix or overseeing the suggested training regime of Aurors... that did not do itself. Plus there were various letters and agreements he had to oversee as well as ensuing that the Ministry did not do something stupid... As they almost had... many times.

The old wizard sighed, feeling his age, he couldn't prove that it was Death Eater work but he suspected that many of the humanocentric bills that were cunningly being put to the Ministry were the work of Death Eaters, either to create the world they wanted or to drive the dark non human forces to Voldemort. It was rather frustrati9ng and would be solved if he took the offered position as Minister... but taking such a position would preclude him running The Order and that was more important.

It was inferred often that he liked to operate from the shadows... not so with Fawkes as a partner, he just preferred to work where he could do the most good and that meant working with the children to ensure, in as much as was possible that they did not repeat the mistakes of the past. That's why he stayed here and that's why he continued to work with the Order of the Phoenix to ensure that someone at least remembered and someone could try to redeem the past. And he stayed here because everyone knew Hogwarts and saw it as a place to rally to. Unfortunately though that also meant a lot of people knew where he was and thus where to send owls to b other him, or they thought as the 'mere' headmaster he had more time to deal with their day to day pettiness.. Maybe he should take that job...

With an irritable flip of his wand, something that would never be seen in public he sorted paperwork into several piles. He might be one o the most powerful wizards of his generation but he could still use logic to sort his mail. Thankfully those deemed urgent weren't a distressingly large pile. Those deemed reports... were though... as was correspondence meant to annoy.

Though sitting on top of one of the piles was a short missive from Sirius. The man had been understandably upset and had made a few less than subtle threats if anything happened to Harry but he'd accepted his mission from the Order and had left after spending a day or so with his godson. He was currently travelling north and would contact as many non human magical creatures as he could. As an ambassador for the Order of the Phoenix there was no one better suited to the role. His incarceration made him known, and despite the fact that he was sometimes rash, the Black name was respected still and known in some of the non human communities. He was the only one they could send. Of course for some of the non humans they would have to be more specific. the werewolves for example, they would have to rely on Remus and the Giants wouldn't come no matter how persuasive Sirius could be. He would either have to send Hagrid or go himself for some of them.

Another reason not to take the position of minister. He had too much work that required his personal touch that simply could not be done if he was the Minister of Magic. He'd promised Sirius that before Harry saw any real combat he'd be an Auror, or inducted as one and that as much as possible they would hold off until Sirius could be there. that last though... that was going to be problematic but Albus know the canine animagus would hurry because of that.

The headmaster sat down, steepling his fingers. There was another reason for sending Sirius. The man had spent the last years enclosed. Being in the castle, being in one place, while he had controlled it well had been grating on him. he still had some deep scars and the freedom of this mission would help him heal, even though his help with dealing with the werewolves would be greatly missed.

Remus had been surprisingly adamant about the vampires and everything Xeoaph had told him seemed to back up the werewolf. It was almost laughable that the two sides hated each other yet they agreed on that. The order would need them both though so he had to find some way of making them work together... or at least some way of separating them so that they could be on the same side. Perhaps that would work. Absolutely no joint missions for werewolves and vampires but they could both be servants of the light... it was something that bore thinking about. Of course the only real way to guarantee the werewolves would be to completely change the Ministries rules on them and while Dumbledore agreed they were rather unjust he could not see a way of getting them changed, not even if he WAS the minister.

He sighed, shaking his head as he considered but was interrupted by one of the paintings.

"Albus..." The picture was breathless and as he glanced up he could see that their complexion was light. They were in shock.

"You'd... you'd better get to the transfiguration class room... Now." The words were whispered but carried amazing strength... The painting held up their hand, forestalling further questions. "Nothing is wrong..." Edrion Astruia said, "Just you need to be there." With an almost audible flop Edrion sat back in their painted chair, picking up a large glass of whiskey and downing it in one gulp.

"What's happened?"

"he did it," Edrion replied, pouring himself another glass. Edrion had been the principle before he was a student but had been well respected and the other paintings were all looking at him expectantly. it was as if they Knew something was going on and were all present.

"Who did?"

"He did. He transformed."

"But nothing happened with the seeing potion," Dumbledore objected. How did he know what to transform into..?

Edrion laughed. "That wouldn't have been a problem. Just go, you will understand when you see it."

Dumbledore picked up his wand as Edrion downed another glass then took a swig from the still almost full bottle. "you once said that the most interesting students where those who surprised you," the painting said as the gargoyle rolled back. "There is such a thing as too much surprise though," was Edrion's parting words as Dumbledore descended the stairs hastily.

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McGonagall looked over at her student. He was slightly restive today which was odd given the usual attentiveness he had been giving her and his other teachers over the summer. They'd quickly worked out a routine for young Harry. An intensive routine but one that would have him read as soon as possible.

She didn't really like that bit, even if she understood. This training would make him a better wizard but it was a better combat wizard.

She stifled a sigh as she turned her attention back to her student. Perhaps they were both restive today or perhaps she should have him do his combat training in the morning so that he would be settled in the afternoon or at least be physically tired and less fidgety. Though looking at the clear skies and bright sunshine she couldn't blame him today.

"Profession?" Harry's voice was soft as he looked up from his parchment.

"Yes, Mr Potter?" Despite this being a class of one she maintained the correct protocols.

"Could we do the animagus studies earlier today?"

Minerva blinked in genuine surprise.

Harry was remarkably adept with all of his studies, something they had understood once Dumbledore had told them about the Dark Lords gift but this was one thing he'd been... shying away from. He wasn't afraid, she could tell that, it was just reluctance on his part. He had been dutifully studying and performing her tests but just under the surface there had been a reluctance, something subtle and formless. Rather than be disappointed at his reticence she had been happy. the day he mastered the animagus transformation would be a big step closer to having to pronounce him fit for combat. Not something she was looking forward to.

"Of course Mr Potter," she replied immediately, rescheduling their lesson mentally. "Which part would you like to try first?"

The animagus section of the lesson was broken into several parts - the spell, the actual transformation, transforming back and of course what to do while in animagus form. the last two sections had by force been merely theoretically and she honestly wasn't certain if there was a practical combat use for most animagi... Unless of course he transformed into something predatory.

And therein lay another small hiccup in his training.

They'd requested a seeing potion from Severus and Harry had taken it but to the surprise and some alarm nothing had happened. Sirius had been one of the few who had just shrugged and then relayed a story about James. "Just runs in the family," is all he'd commented before dismissing the matter. Others had not been so blaise and had questions the need for animagus training. Thankfully both Harry and Dumbledore had backed her up, both agreeing that the training had more applications than just the transfiguration of self.

Which of course it did.

Transfiguration was a powerful combat technique and Mr Potter would need it and every other technique he was learning this summer if he wanted to survive. Practice too but he was getting that in the combat training in the afternoons. The only problem was he didn't need all this training if he wanted to live.

And that's where the dilemma lay.

He should be living, not merely surviving, not fighting those enemies breed by the previous generations. Minerva suppressed a sigh, turning her introspection back to her student as he replied with a smile.

"All of it," he said. "I want to try it again please. You have already taught me pretty much everything in the realm of practical transfiguration and while I know I've also got the esoteric stuff, that can be awoken later. It's the practical knowledge that's necessary now and the animagus transformation is the last thing. I know you don't' want it but we have no choice at the moment."

"Indeed, your understanding and acceptance of the situation puts the rest of us to shame. Very well then," Minerva said as she cleared the desks away with a wave of her wand.

Harry came to stand in the centre of the room, and he looked at her earnestly. "I thought about it last night, and this is not the time to hold back or to be nervous. Either I will be able to do this or I won't be and that will be that. If I can't do it today, then I won't be able to do it until later, if at all."

"Later?"

"Later, when I'm more at peace with the notion of not being human," Harry summarised the fears of many a wizard succinctly.

"You will always be human," the Gryffindor Headmistress said softly. "The transfiguration takes nothing for that, and is merely a shift in physical form, not in anything else."

"I know and we have discussed if it is the mind, the body or the soul that makes humans human, and while it is agreed and I agree too that it is more than the physical form that makes a human a human, that fear is still strong and instinctual."

"Indeed," Minerva agreed. There wasn't much more but to agree. They had discussed the morality of the situation as well as the ethics and had touched upon the body of work that was available in the wizarding world about the religious aspects of the animagus transformation as well as briefly touching on a few Muggle works. Harry had shown a remarkable grasp of the principles and they had enjoyed several long theoretical arguments about the nature of wizardry in regards to the animagus transformation. If anything the young Mr Potter understood the principles and the prevailing beliefs better than the Ministry themselves did. The Ministry regarded the animagus transformation as nothing more than the indication of a truly skilled witch or wizard using their magic on themselves. Their interest was merely in keeping control by registering animagus forms so that any transgressions could be noted and controlled and appropriate punishments, if required, also enforced. They cared nothing for the other issues that may come with the transformation. Harry had and it had been another proud moment, tinged with guilt when he had brought them up. A few of this other teachers had also had similar discussions, not about animagi but about other moral and ethical considerations of magic that most never bothered to think about. All of his teachers were proud and all shared the same fear.

"So either I do it or I don't," he said with a smile that reminded her of his father so much it was uncanny. "And today I've decided that I will do." He closed his eyes, tilting his face up to the light as his expression took on a look of peace and concentration.

The Gryffindor house leader watched with a feeling of anticipation building. There was something different about this attempt, something more powerful and she could almost feel her cat form rising at the power young Harry was displaying.

Something skittered at the corner of her vision and Minerva blinked carefully as she looked back to her student. Somehow the room seemed lighter than it had been a minute ago and with a start she realised that the ever present shadows that had been there all summer were now absent. She honestly didn't know if that was good or bad but Harry didn't seem to notice, his attention was so firmly turned inward that the reanimated corpse of Fudge himself could have come through the door in a pink tutu and he wouldn't have noticed.

That, she was definitely going to have to work on. While Harry would get better in time with paying attention to his surroundings while making the change, and with enough practice the change would be almost instantaneous for the moment he would need to be aware always of his surrounds. The air around him seemed to shimmer as he hovered on the verge of the actual change and McGonagall held her breath. He'd gotten this far before but now could he make that final step...

:You're all safe?:

:Yes, master.:

:I'm a little amused you know, that you need to do this.:

:In time, master, we will be accustomed to you but you are very powerful and this is better.:

:I'd never hurt you.:

:We know master and we could endure it now, but for so long with so little, we are unaccustomed to your power. That is something though master, we wish to change as fast as possible.:

Harry smiled as his servants gave him a mental caress, reassuring him and showing him without words that they would in time not shy from him in his animagus form that they would in time revel in the power it represented for them. There was also unspoken the intriguing image that they did not wish to get sick... as if a shadow could get sick. But implied in that image were echoes of humanity. They had fasted for centuries, the abundance he represented now, while yearned for, would if not controlled properly cause them harm. Not irreversible but they would for a time be so glutted that they would be close to useless. Neither he nor they wanted that so they hid now, hovering only on the edge of awareness. They would endure his full power when required but when they could avoid it, for now, they would. He sent them back a wordless burst of understanding as he fixed his shape in mind and willed his power to flow.

Last night, when he'd been thinking about this, he'd decided that he would not show his full form. He'd be a Halfling, the physical representation of a tenshi without their blinding power, at least for now. If he had to go further in future, then it would be easy to explain that his mind had shied away from the sheer power and the loss of all physical form. After all a tenshi was a being so wrapped up in myth that most wizards didn't even know about them. Muggles knew more but their representation had a far different connotation on it though he'd wondered sometimes about the truth. It was one of the things he really wanted to talk to his beloved about but couldn't yet. He was sure their speculation would be both challenging and entertaining.

With a flash he changed. The edges of light forming a barrier that shattered almost like feathers, falling away and disappearing as the shadows grabbed greedily at the disembodied power. His wings reflected the power, blindingly white for a moment before a kernel of an idea came to him and he willed them to change, darkening to a deep charcoal, almost black. Another mark of a reduction in power. Colour was only a representation of intent, the more pure the colour the stronger the intent but it would not be hard to convince the wizards that the darker colour was because he was physically unable to sustain the higher power consumption he would imply was necessary for white wings. While Minerva had been discrete he had caught her concern for him, her fear of what the wizards would do at his power. It was touching that she cared and if she would not stand aside for her teaching and for her genuine, though sometimes remote care, he would give her what mercy he could though he hoped it wouldn't come to that. She was a good teacher, one who should be there to guide future generations. While his servants had assured him that no wizard would be able to challenge his power, until he declared himself openly, he did not need to be considered untouchable.

There was a soft plumphf' as McGonagall fell back into her chair, her eyes wide with disbelief. The expression did not suit the usually confident woman. "Ha... Harry!" she finally managed the soft call.

He grinned at her, slowly uncurling his fingers before his talons bit into his skin as his servants swarmed towards him, making the shadows on his robes deeper, and giving him an amplified sense of presence. :Stop that,: he chided them gently.

They giggled in return but did not cease their movement around him. :When you are like this, master, we are one. It would be best for them to know that now.:

"I knew I could do it," Harry said aloud, reaching out to pull one wing down to his face to examine it. "But, Professor... I never knew animagus forms could talk... or were ... well...?" He let the question trail off in an artful display of confusion.

"No," Minvera faltered slightly but her voice firmed as she looked over him. "They are meant to be an animal... not... not this. I didn't..."

"So, what am I?"

"You are something I thought to be mythical," she replied, her lecturing voice coming through automatically when asked a question by a student. "And perhaps they still are."

"Professor?"

"I don't..." disbelief once again reared up in Minerva, choking the denial she was uttering.

"You are a tenshi, Harry," a strong male voice came from the door, one that sounded inordinately pleased and proud, "Or as much of one as any human can be."

"A tenshi, Headmaster?" Harry asked, turning, lowering one wing automatically so he could look over it at the wizened man who was grinning happily, his eyes sparkling with renewed strength. Already the Headmaster was working out what this would mean for the future and harry could see that he was pleased, very pleased as new possibilities opened up.

"The mythical form the muggles would call an Angel, but we wizards would call a Lord of Magic."

"Oh."

As his innocent self once again took control that was all Harry could mutter before the world went black and he didn't even feel the stone floor rush up to meet him.

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