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Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | First Interlude | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Second Interlude | Chapter Twenty-One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Chapter Twenty-Four | Chapter Twenty-Five | Chapter Twenty-Six | Third Interlude | Chapter Twenty-Seven | Chapter Twenty-Eight | Chapter Twenty-Nine | Epilogue | Timeline
Chapter Twelve
A Lesson in Beating Each Other Up
The second lesson of Wednesday was the one subject the four had been dreading. The Dark Arts. Ron especially was having a hard time getting his head around having to learn Dark Magic.
“ It's only used by evil Death Eaters,” he had complained on the way to breakfast. The fact that all four had the knowledge already in their heads never occurred to him.
Harry was the one person actually looking forward to the lesson. He had been reading his parseltongue book from Knockturn Alley and had even tried some of the spells out using Simbi and Nirah. However, most of the spells were considered dark, and he didn't want to try anything too strong without a firm grounding in the subject. He knew the knowledge was there, as it was with the others, but he knew he would feel more comfortable with it after he had had a few practical lessons.
The lesson started when Slytherin stormed through the doors, slamming his books onto his desk. Turning to the class, he looked contemptuously at anyone not from Slytherin House.
“ Today we will be talking about pain spells. This topic will be continued for the whole year, as it comprises a large part of the Dark Arts. Mr. Weasley, why are you frowning at this? Does this topic displease you somehow?”
Ron looked at the founder before stating with a haughty tone.
“ I just think that we shouldn't be learning the Dark Arts.”
“ And why not, Mr. Weasley. What pearl of wisdom are you going to use to condemn the most powerful branch of magic?” the rather annoyed Slytherin asked.
“ Well, the Dark Arts are evil, and only used by evil Dark wizards,” was Ron's confident response. Harry could immediately see by Slytherin's expression that his answer was very wrong. He almost pitied his friend. Almost.
“ Really, Mr. Weasley? Let me tell you something. The Dark Arts in themselves are not evil. They are merely types of spells which hold more power than Light Magic. You call them evil, but you wouldn't class a simple Wingardium Leviosa as evil would you?”
“ Of course not sir.”
“ Indeed. And why not?”
“ Because it doesn't hurt anybody,” came Ron's less confident retort.
“ So let me get this straight, Mr. Weasley. Wingardium Leviosa is not dangerous because it is a Light spell. Is that what you are trying to tell me?”
By this point Ron was losing confidence fast. However, he couldn't quite see what Slytherin was getting at. Harry, Ginny and Hermione, however, could see where this was going. They looked at their friend as he hesitantly nodded in response. The teacher stood there for a moment and glared at the now very nervous Gryffindor. Eventually, he took a breath and started to explain.
“ Mr. Weasley, consider this if you will. You are in a situation where somebody is annoying or insulting you. You become angry, and in retaliation take out your wand and cast Wingardium Leviosa on this person. They shout at you and insult you further. Your anger increases, and you levitate them out of a window and remove the charm. Your tormentor falls to their death. You have become a murderer, and have killed someone in a frightening and painful way, when a simple killing curse would have been quicker and kinder. In this case, is the levitation spell, something a first year learns, still so innocent? Or is the Dark Magic alternative better in the long term? Do you understand Mr. Weasley?”
A rather shocked Ron could do nothing but nod in agreement.
“ Good, now I want you to remember something. Dark Magic in itself is not evil. Dark wizards, who favour Dark Magic, are not necessarily evil. What is evil is the intent. If Dark Magic is used to help someone, not to harm them, then it cannot be classed as evil. It is also so, that so-called Light Magic can be used to do great harm if the intent is evil.”
The rest of the lesson was fairly quiet, and it was a very thoughtful group of time travellers which made their way to Ancient Runes.
*~*~*
That night the four once again met in the round room. Slytherin was already there waiting for them, dressed in battle robes. As soon as they entered the room he beckoned them over and made them stand in a circle on the central mat.
“ Now, I want you to listen. This will not be easy on you, especially as you are all so out of shape. From now on I want you to practice the moves you learn in these lessons for at least an hour each day. Your morning run will not get you fit on its own. You need more physical exercise. When you practice I suggest you work in pairs, so you can have mock fights. When you go to Hogsmeade I expect you all to purchase some battle robes. For now you will have to make do with something loose and comfortable. Now, let us begin.”
For the first hour the group learned various types of martial arts maneuvers. The style was unlike any used in their time, which would be a great advantage in a battle. Before long they were using their new skills to have mock fights. Surprisingly, despite her lean frame and lack of developed muscles, Hermione did the best out of the group. By nine o'clock they were all exhausted and were ready to call it a night. Slytherin would have none of it, though.
“ Now that you know some of the basics we will concentrate on building up your muscles. For the last hour each week we will be performing a series of exercises designed to build up you strength and stamina.”
The four moaned in protest but the Head Snake was adamant. By the end of the lesson they were all exhausted. That night, none of them had any trouble sleeping. In fact, it was a miracle they made it back to their dorms without collapsing in a pile in exhaustion.