#4 ~ The \"Up Against the Wall\" Wars

Disclaimer: All Characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine.
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Chapter 9 ~ Training Miss Granger

Tonks informed Hermione she wouldn’t be joining her and Kingsley in training the first couple of days, claiming she had to do some morph practice, and would join them at meals. But she made sure to take Hermione’s wand from her.

“Remember, this is hand to hand, Hermione, not hand to hex,” she grinned at the young witch. Hermione smiled slightly, and felt a little naked as she descended the stairs leading to the cellar. She reached the bottom of the stairs and knocked on a plain white door.

“Come in,” came Kingsley’s rich baritone.

Hermione pushed open the door and entered the room. The floor was covered entirely in mats, not particularly soft mats either, but soft enough to cushion a fall and lessen the resulting pain. The walls were completed padded also. Kingsley had one foot up on a chair, busily lacing up his trainers. He looked up at Hermione and smiled.

“You’ve been down here enough to know the first order of business, Miss Granger,” he said.

“Warm-ups,” Hermione replied and immediately started doing stretches. She bent and touched her forehead to her kneecaps, holding the back of her calves for a moment. She repeated this two more times. She then grasped her right arm and pulled it behind her head as far as it would go, and alternated with the other arm. She performed a variety of pulls and stretches working from her neck down to her feet. Kingsley watched her, nodding approval.

“Ok, now some isometrics,” he said, pointing at the far wall. Hermione walked over, placed her palms on the padding, and did her best to move to move the wall, left leg out, then right leg out. She continued this attempt, muscles straining against the immovable until Kingsley could make out a little sheen on her face. He threw her a towel and motioned her over to one of two chairs, facing each other. She sat down, and then he sat facing her, his hands on his knees. She wiped her face.

“Now, Miss Granger…” Kingsley began. Hermione stopped him.

“Kingsley, please call me Hermione,” she said, “you make me feel as if I’m still a student at Hogwarts.”

Kingsley chuckled. “Fine. All right, Hermione. What kind of attack do you fear the most? What type makes you feel weakest?”

Hermione didn’t have to think. Bear hugs. Being grabbed around the arms so she couldn’t move them. Then a round the neck choke hold applied from the back, with her wand hand held by the wrist.

Kingsley nodded. “You are a small woman, so an attacker would most likely attempt to pin you first in a bear hug, preferably from behind, although you might be charged and grabbed the same way. There are many ways to escape this hold, groin strikes, elbows to the stomach, striking with the back of your head, hooking the attackers knees etc. You have to learn a lot of different techniques because each situation will be different…for example…”

Kingsley stood up and motioned Hermione to stand with her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her body, pinning her arms in front of her.

“Can you move?” he asked.

Hermione shook her head.

“Try.”

Hermione struggled a bit but could not break free.

“Ok. When you are grabbed this way, Hermione, you have to maintain your composure and let you attacker think he has you securely.”

Hermione wriggled a bit more, and then fell still.

“Good, “ Kingsley said approvingly, “Now, you’ll make your escape quickly by stepping forward with your left foot. It has to be a step twice as long as a normal step. As you step, swing both of your arms upward directly in front of you and bend your knees to drop your body down a bit. You’ll be free of his grip, then twist and hit him with a hard elbow in the midsection. He’ll be in pain and you’ll be free to run, or to hex him. Understand?”

Hermione practiced the move with Kingsley several times, catching him with a solid elbow the last time, that made him double over.

“Good, “ he puffed, “You have nice pointy elbows. Very effective.”

Hermione beamed. “What’s next?” she asked excitedly.

Kingsley taught her the defensive moves against rear and front chokeholds, one hand neck presses against the wall, a frontal bear hug, (she almost made him speak in falsetto on that one)
and several other physical attacks designed to hold her immobile by a more powerful adversary.

Her favorite takedown was a bear hug from the back in which her arms were free. She bent forward from the waist, reached between her legs and grasped Kingsley’s ankles, yanking his legs up and rolling back with him to the ground, striking him with the back of her head and a rain of elbow blows until she was free to pull an imaginary wand on him.

Hermione was a quick study because as Kingsley had surmised, she knew many of the blows and moves from previous lessons. As her confidence increased, so did her ability to react quickly and with dispatch.

Rubbing his jaw, which ached from a well-placed, pointy elbow to the face, Kingsley said, “I thought you had trouble fighting friends?”

Hermione shrugged. She didn’t know what to say.

He laughed. “You’re just ready now,” he assured her, “it isn’t personal with you anymore. You know you need to fight well, and the only way to do that is to face any opponent before you. You don’t care who’s arse you kick, as long as you are able kick it.”

She grinned guiltily, knowing it was true.

They practiced some moves involving Kingsley charging her, and Hermione ducking to the side, sticking out her leg and sending him flying into the padded wall. Or spinning, allowing him to sail past, then helping him along with a swift kick in the arse. After every successful defense, she always pulled out an imaginary wand.

Eyeing her, Kingsley said, “I doubt very highly if you’ll be taking the running route.”

She shook her head. “I’ll run all right, but not before causing some pain first, so they’ll think twice about following me.”

Kingsley mopped his head with a hanky he pulled from his sweatpants pocket, “Hermione…I believe you’re a natural. When you get this pat, I feel sorry for whoever tries to lay a hand on you without your permission.”

Hermione grinned at the praise. Praise always inspired her to do better. “What’s next?” she asked eagerly.

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For the next three days, Kingsley and Hermione waged their small wars on each other. Tonks was noticeably absent, showing up only in the evenings to eat with them and discuss techniques. Hermione was so caught up in her lessons that the auror’s absence didn’t disturb her at all. As long as she had someone to fight, she was happy.

Kingsley was very pleased with her progress. She was quick, and instinctively knew how to take advantage of her small size. She had recently taken to flipping him over her back or shoulder when grabbed from behind. She was also good at locking her legs behind his knees and yanking his legs out from under him or using the leverage to throw him over her hip. Kingsley was a big man, standing at six-four with broad shoulders and muscles everywhere. It was doubtful that many potential attackers would meet his stature. The witch was good.

However, she did have difficulty if she were taken down. She had to count on her ability to cause her opponent pain, and Kingsley instructed her to use everything, elbows, knees, nails and teeth in order to get away. Even to pull the attacker’s own robes over his head if necessary. She did all right, but secretly was glad she would have extra help with her defensive weapons. She hadn’t told Tonks or Kingsley about them yet.

After lunch on the fourth day, Kingsley instructed Hermione to go down to the training room, saying he would follow in a few minutes. She busied herself doing some stretches and pulls. Suddenly the door flew open, and Hermione froze as Lucius Malfoy rushed in and charged her.

Without thinking, Hermione dove to the side and stuck out her leg, which tripped her attacker and sent him crashing to the floor. She dove on him, her elbow extended and nailed him several times between the shoulderblades. She then stuck her knees in his lower back and twisted his arm behind him, holding his hand tightly with her thumbs and forefingers, yanking on the bent member until he yelled for mercy…in Tonks voice.

“Gods Hermione, you got me, damn it! You’re breaking my bloody arm!”

Stunned, Hermione leaped to her feet and watched as Lucius Malfoy transformed into a very wild-haired and purse-lipped Tonks, who sat up and rubbed her arm tenderly. Deep laughter came from behind them, and both women looked back to see Kingsley leaning against the door, his brown eyes full of mirth.

“I told you,” he said to Tonks, who got up off the floor and brushed herself off. She gave Hermione a glare…and then a bright, delighted smile.

“That was brilliant!,” she said, giving Hermione a hug. She looked at Kingsley. “You think she’s ready for it?”

Kingsley nodded, “Yep. I believe she’ll be able to handle it.”

“What?” asked Hermione, excited and curious.

“Well,” said Tonks, “It’s a rather big secret. You have to take a wizard’s oath not to reveal it before we can show you what it is. You willing to do that? It will help you loads if you are.”

A secret that would improve her skills. Oh yes.

“I’ll take the oath right now,” Hermione breathed. Both aurors nodded and looked at her expectantly.

She placed her wand hand over her heart.

“I swear by a Wizard\'s oath that I will not ever reveal the secrets told or shown to me here, this day, to anyone, witch, wizard, muggle, magical or non-magical being, or divulge any knowledge into any item of magic such as a mirror or pensieve, where that information may be retrieved. If I do so, I will suffer the unfortunate consequences breaking such an oath entails,” she declared.

All three felt a surge of powerful magic as the oath took hold. When it dispersed, Tonks stepped forward and took Hermione’s hand.

“Come on,” she said excitedly. She walked Hermione to a blank, padded wall. She made a series of passes over it, and a thin line appeared from floor to ceiling. The line expanded into a large and ornate wooden door. Hermione’s eyes widened and she looked at Tonks hesitantly.

“Go on,” Tonks urged. “Open it. Don’t be shy.”

Hermione looked back at Kingsley, who nodded encouragement.

She pushed the heavy door. It swung open.

“Wow,” Hermione said weakly, her voice trembling with awe and disbelief.

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A/N: Move over, Xena... (gives blood-curdling yell of a wild-eyed bookworm)