Harry awoke to Tonks nudging his side with her elbow. The room was illuminated from what sunlight that could squeeze in-between the heavy rain clouds that threatened to hold for the entire day.
"Harry," Tonks spoke softly with a flutter to her voice. "We need to get up. This week will mostly be team-based training and you can't be late."
"Great. So Horace will have more things to yell at me about. Brilliant."
"Now, now he means well and you will learn but remember that he knows what he is doing. There is a reason for everything he does and all of it revolves around you and me staying alive in the field. Nothing you will be taught this week will be a waste of time. All of it is critically important to our survival. You aren't at Hogwarts here; this isn't for the general masses. This is real situational training at its most intense."
"Are you supposed to be making me feel better? If so, you are doing a really dreadful job of it, Nymph."
"Harry, I had teamwork training in the academy before I joined the Unspeakables. I knew how it worked and it was easy to apply that knowledge. You are coming into this pretty lacking in these skills. You aren't going to like some of the things you are going to be told, but you must do as you are taught. There is a good reason for it. We will follow our training when bad things happen and if you don't, then everything could fall apart and all of us could be killed."
Harry closed his eyes and sighed. "On that happy note, I guess I should get up and get ready shouldn't I?"
"Yes, you should. I will be waiting here for you. Now get going."
"Fine," Harry said as he slid out of bed.
They got ready and left the house before running into Vernon. Apparently, he was running late that morning and was dreadfully behind schedule. Harry heard his uncle stomping around on the second floor as they closed the door behind them. Harry portkeyed them into the team room where they met Cal.
"Morning, friends," Cal welcomed Harry and Tonks. "Ready for a wonderful day full of torment and magic?"
"Smashing," Harry drolled out.
"Hey, Ceps, you keep your spirits high or Horace will be worse," Cal warned good-naturedly.
"I'll keep that in mind, Cal," Harry relented.
The day started with Harry, Tonks, and Cal meeting with Horace and Marcus in the training room. The room was empty except for the team and the leaders. The walls of the room felt more alive than Harry had remembered them feeling the week before. He swore a few times he saw them move.
"Normally," Horace announced firmly with a scowl on his face. "We start off team training with a big lecture and a lot of boring shite. That isn't going to happen this time. I think Ceps will learn this faster by fucking up and getting his team killed in the process. You are going to be the next leader of this team, but that doesn't mean you know how to lead."
Harry's small ray of hope that the day was going to be positive died a hasty death at Horace's words.
"I believe you can keep yourself alive when you shouldn't, but I know that you can't keep others alive while doing so," Horace stared right into Harry's eyes under the hood. "This is caused by you doing what is needed to survive. Others aren't used to that mindset, but it is how you have lived your life. Those around you, right now, have lived that kind of life. They know how to keep themselves alive. In the teams and on missions, you come first, then your team, then the mission, and lastly your target.
"For example, if your mission is to retrieve information from someone you must stay alive to have any hope of success. You must keep your team alive to accomplish your task. The mission goals are to keep your objective alive and retrieve information, but if that person threatens you or your team, then you eliminate the threat."
"You mean kill them?" Harry asked.
"In short, yes," Horace said unflinchingly. "If the bugger fires the Killing Curse at you, you drop him instantly. No mission is worth the risk of an Operative's life. This doesn't change, ever. No mission supersedes the lives of your team. I will never tell you otherwise and neither will Marcus. This is where a team leader is essential. If the mission is for shite, pull out. Never force a bad situation to work for you. It will only get worse and people will die.
"Every member of this team, except for you, knows the rules. They put themselves first, and then comes the team. Know this and plan for it. If Chamel or Cal mess up, it is their own fault. It works the same for you, too. Worry about yourself first. If you die, you are no help to anybody. Do not risk letting that happen."
Harry swallowed hard. He knew that he had put himself in danger for others in the past without regard for his own safety. 'This is going to be a tough lesson to learn and I know that.'
"How can I not worry about the members of my team first? I am responsible for them aren't I?" Harry asked of Horace.
"You are responsible for yourself. They are responsible for themselves. Trust that they will stay alive. You just keep them moving towards the goal or why are you there in the first place. We do not sacrifice members so don't worry about that. This isn't the military where it is a numbers game. We work in small teams where every member is crucial. If you lose a member, you abort.
"Enough of the boring stuff," Horace said with a smirk. "This week you will learn how to stay alive within a team dynamic. All of you must learn trust in the others at least as far as the missions go. Your personal life has no place here. Emotions have no place here. This is life and death at its most basic. On top of that, I will teach you to depend on your team to work together to stay alive. If you are confused now, just wait."
Horace handed Harry two sets of portkeys. "Standard mission procedures, we use two portkeys to get somewhere and two to get back. It is hard to trace your movements if you do it that way. Now, the goal is to get the satchel from the shed. That is all I know." Horace looked at every member and turned to leave. He walked twenty feet or so before turning around and addressing the group again. "You will use appropriate spells on this mission. Go!"
"What does that mean?" Harry asked looking at Tonks and Cal.
Cal offered an answer. "It means that you will use the same level of spells as anyone we come across. They stun, you stun. They kill, you kill. Pretty easy to figure out really."
Tonks held up a portkey with a number '1' on it. Once all three members touched the portkey, they were taken to a drafty warehouse. The air was pungent with fish and it smelled of the sea. A watery-sounding bell could be heard in the distance. Memories of a run-down shack, a storm, and a half-giant came to Harry's mind as Tonks held up the second portkey. With another tug, Harry landed in a dark and damp forest. He shivered as memories came to him of the last time he was in a similar place.
"Well, what now?" Harry asked.
"This is where you do the leader thing, Ceps." Cal muttered lightheartedly.
Harry scowled under his hood. Cal couldn't see it, but Tonks could.
"Well, we know the objective is in a shed," Tonks spoke in hushed tones. "Might want to try the Point Me spell to find it."
Harry inclined his head in understanding and drew his wand. He said the spell and he was pointed to the north. "Now what? I am new at this so help me out."
"Ceps," Tonks said. "Do what you would normally do. We are here to complete this mission but more so to learn how to work together."
"Alright, Chamel, I will do that." Harry calmed his mind and made his decision. "Cal, you take the rear. I will take the front. Let's make our way north."
Both team members nodded and followed Harry as he started walking north through the trees and underbrush. Harry used his wand to banish the brambles that kept catching on his cloak. Ten minutes into the journey, Harry heard noise ahead of them and started seeing what looked like campfire light glowing on the underside on the leaves of the tall trees.
The undergrowth became heavy and thick blocking all ways of movement except for a worn path Harry found running in the direction he needed to go. He paused and crouched behind an old moss-covered tree. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"Why are you nervous?" Tonks asked. "This is no different than your testing or any of the other messes you have gotten into. Just do what you always do."
"I was never responsible for others before," Harry complained. "This is all different."
"No it's not. Just make a plan and we will make sure it gets done."
Harry thought about the situation and decided he didn't really know what was going on beyond the thick bushes. He turned to Cal and asked him to find out if there were people near the fire and if so, how many. Cal nodded in understanding and faded into the shadows as he moved away in search of a better location to monitor who or what was in their way.
Harry turned to Tonks and searched for her eyes in the reflected fire light from the overhanging trees above. "I am not sure what you want to do now?"
"I should stay with you," Tonks answered. "Cal is used to working on his own in the shadows or hidden somewhere. I am more like you, in the middle of it all getting dirty."
"Okay, well, if we have to go in, I will take the left and you can go right, I guess."
"You have to be more forceful about your orders when you give them," Tonks instructed softly as the fire kicked up for some reason. "You have to believe in yourself otherwise how would anyone else? This is your team and this is your mission. Think of it this way, Albus doesn't want you anywhere near this kind of thing. Are you going to let him win this? Oh, and Snape thinks you are going to fail," Tonks added as an afterthought.
"You are just trying to get me mad so I will forget everything else, aren't you?"
"If it works, then I have no problems using it to motivate you, Ceps."
Harry listened for noises coming from the area in front of him, but there was only the occasional unknown sound that he could hear. Very light footsteps advanced on their position causing Harry to turn and draw down on the intruder. A familiar grey cloak emerged from the trees with a wand pointing at the ground showing they weren't a threat. Cal lowered himself level with Harry and Tonks before giving his report quietly.
"There are three people in black cloaks in the opening ahead. There are two structures on the far side of the clearing. One is small, like a shack, and the other looks more like a cheap shelter. The three moving about seem to be on guard duty since they are retracing their steps over and over. The noise is coming from the shelter I think. I have no idea who or what is making the noise."
"Are there more ways into the camp than the entrance over there?" Harry asked pointing to the gap in the wall of vegetation.
"I didn't see one," Cal admitted. "I had to climb a tree to see what I did. It is a pretty defensible location they have. One entrance and they have some felled trees in the clearing they could use as cover should they be attacked."
"Any ideas?" Harry asked feeling overwhelmed.
"What would you normally do, Ceps?" Cal asked in return.
"Normally, I would have appeared in the middle of the camp and had to fight my way out," Harry said with an edge to his voice.
"Well, then do it that way," Cal commented as if it was the easiest thing in the world. When he saw Harry not moving he figured that his point hadn't been made. "Apparate into the camp and mix it up."
"Wouldn't that be jumping into things? I am supposed to figure this thing out aren't I?"
"Play your strengths or you will never win," Cal finished.
"Don't be a tactician when you are a grunt," Tonks added. "I agree, play your strengths."
"Fine," Harry decided. "I want Chamel to wait a few seconds before coming through the entrance. Cal, can you help out from your tree perch?"
"Give me five minutes and I will be ready, Chief."
"Chief?" Harry asked.
"Nah, doesn't fit yet. You will get there, Ceps." Cal drifted into the darkness again.
"I really don't want to know what that was all about," Harry said under his breath.
The five minutes ticked by slowly as Harry became more nervous. 'My first real mission and I could stuff it all up.' Harry focused on Apparating into the center of the camp and willed himself to move quietly. A few seconds later, a grey robed figure silently appeared in the center of the campsite. Harry turned and saw two guards near the entrance. He couldn't locate the third before one of the others saw him.
A spell flew past Harry's head. The twisting green spell struck a tree instantly setting it alight and splintering it at the point of contact. Harry dropped to the ground and threw up an Absolvo and an Imprimis Shield. With his wand, Harry threw back a Reductor Curse missing his target who had ducked behind one of the tree barriers Cal had mentioned. The two foot thick tree split in half and splinters were thrown into the air.
Harry moved behind one of the few standing trees in the clearing as two more Killing Curses missed their target, him. Harry reacted by firing off two more Reductos at his attackers. One hit another barrier breaking it into a few pieces; the other hit one of the robed figures in the head.
Harry nearly dropped his wand when he saw the explosion resulting from his spell. Cloth ripped as the man's skull burst underneath its hood. Red liquid sprayed and splattered the immediate area lightly coating the ground. Parts of his head landed with a plopping-sound around his collapsing body. Harry was stunned by what he had done.
Tonks chose this moment to enter the clearing and she did so firing curse after curse at the only guard in sight. She was holding her own as the duel grew more vicious. The guard didn't have the time to concentrate enough to cast the Killing Curse at her, so he went with Cutting Curses. Tonks blocked most of them, but a few got through her shields fortunately hitting her cloak harmlessly.
Harry had watched the body of his opponent fall into a heap amongst the leaves and pine needles on the ground. He couldn't look away if he had tried. An errant spell hit his Imprimis Shield causing his attention to shift to the more important matter of Tonks and the mission. Harry rushed forward to help Tonks defeat her attacker. He joined her, side-by-side, as they fought the last guard who had retreated to another felled tree.
It was a Cruciatus Curse barely missing him that drew Harry's attention to the entrance behind them. Two more black cloaked figures had entered and they were using only Unforgivables in their assault. Harry dove away from a Killing Curse landing roughly on a bare spot of dirt. He heard something pop in his left shoulder on impact, but he ignored the pain. He regained his footing throwing a Severing Charm at the nearest attacker.
In the confusion, Tonks had taken cover behind a tree stump. She shot spell after spell trying to keep her opponents back. Harry chose to push forward and started firing curses as fast as he could. More than half were accurate enough to drive the newest people back. At the peak of the may lay, Harry caught site of Tonks getting hit by a green jet of light in the back.
Harry stopped shooting spells completely as he watched Tonks fall to the ground limply. Harry lost track of time as he processed what had happened right in front of him. The spell was the Killing Curse. Tonks was dead and it happened on Harry's first mission.
"Fuckers!" Harry snapped. His anger at the cloaked men was nearly surpassed by his own self-loathing. He sidestepped a Cruciatus Curse and fired his own Avada Kedavra at the man who had killed Tonks. The spell struck the man in the chest dropping him instantly.
Harry turned his wand to bear on the other two and kept firing the lethal curse. The camp was ablaze as Harry struck down the other two in a few minutes. His mind, lost in sorrow and hate, dulled his senses enough that he didn't see or hear the missing person sneak up behind him.
Harry turned at the last second to see another blinding, sickly green light hit him in the head. Everything went black as the green faded away.
"Up you get, rookie!" Shouted Horace as he kicked Harry in the side.
Harry's eyes flickered open as he realized that he was laying on the ground where he had fallen from the Killing Curse. The camp surrounding him was no longer burning, but smoke still rose from the remains. Harry looked to where Tonks had fallen and found it empty. His view shifted to movement on his other side where he saw Tonks and Cal standing behind Horace waiting patiently.
"That was pathetic, Ceps," Horace yelled. "Buggered this one up good, you did. Got everyone killed on your first mission. Congratulations. Maybe our enemies could use you. I know you aren't any good right now considering you are fecking dead. Where should I start, hmm?"
The relief that Harry had felt at seeing Tonks alive was quickly wiped away as the insults and criticism bored into his mind. "How about from the beginning?"
"Watch your cheek, Ceps," Horace snapped. "Good start, until Cal got killed trying to get back to his previous position. Two on one has that affect. You Apparating into the camp was good too, but you forgot to use your cloak's invisibility properties. You forgot to silence your footsteps, not that that would have helped much since the noise from your spells would have let the two outside of the camp know what was going on inside.
"Chamel can hold her own, but you just had to charge to her defense. That meant that no one was watching the entrance or for the one guy you knew was around but couldn't see. You left too much to chance and you failed. You got everyone killed here. I am out an entire team because your head was up your arse. In short, your first team mission really is a failure. Now, if you are done lying about get up and run it again."
Horace stormed away from them and past the entrance to the camp. The camp rebuilt itself with a shimmer. Harry realized at that moment that he was in the training room. He turned to Cal and Tonks and lowered his head.
"I am sorry guys. I didn't mean to get all of us killed." Harry shuddered as he replayed the Killing Curses that struck him and Tonks down.
"Your first time is bound to be a disaster. Don't worry about it," Cal said happily.
"We are here to learn first off. Anything else is a bonus," Tonks added softly. "Learn from your mistakes and figure out a better way to reach our goals. Let's try again. As you can tell, the curses aren't exactly what they appear to be. Your shoulder will need treatment at the end, but keep it moving or it will lock up on you."
They walked out of the camp and returned to their starting point from the last time. Harry breathed out as he prepared to try again. 'This really sucks. I do better not knowing what is going to happen.'
Tonks laid a hand on his unhurt, right shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "It will only get harder each time. Be prepared for that." Harry directed his team forward and they took up the same spot as before.
"Chamel, levitate me up so I can see the camp. I am going to try and Apparate in behind the shed and get the bag that way. You two will stay here and keep a look out for anyone who comes by." Tonks sighed, but did as he asked.
The camp had changed somewhat, but the shed was still near the outside of the clearing. Harry got a clear picture of the camp and the four guards roving the compound. He signaled that he was ready and Tonks brought him back to earth. He nodded to her before activating his cloak's invisibility and silencing his boots.
A focused, mental thrust and Harry appeared behind the shed. He peaked through a crack in the boards and saw a leather satchel sitting on a worktable. He looked around the corner of the shed and saw two guards walking away from him while the other two were checking the perimeter on the far side. Harry snuck around the side and reached the door pulling it open after silencing the hinges wandlessly. He grabbed the bag and hurried out of the shed and around the corner. He focused on his starting point and Disapparated.
He reappeared next to the bodies of his fallen teammates and four cloaked people holding their wands on him. Before he could react, green light flooded his vision for the second time that day.
Being awoken with another kick to the ribs did not make Harry very happy. He was fighting the urge to curse Horace for every second that passed as he was berated again.
"Not bad, but you left your team to be ambushed," Horace critiqued. "Might want to include them next time. It is just a thought, but since I am the trainer here I figured I am entitled to offer advice. Try again."
Harry tried a frontal assault on the camp, but the number of guards doubled to eight strong with six appearing from the woods. It ended in a flash of green light as well.
The fourth time, Harry tried to have everyone Apparate in and make a stand from inside the camp. Harry literally had to cut down a few of the increased guard members. Things were going well, until two men appeared behind their line of defense and Cal was struck down. Harry and Tonks were soon to follow.
On the eighth attempt, Harry had his team move around the perimeter of the camp and search out the guards in the woods. Harry had Tonks put up large, area-affecting Silencing spells since he didn't know them yet. Slowly, Harry moved his team around the camp finding a dozen guards patrolling the area in two or four person teams.
With a few scrapes, bumps, bruises, and cuts, Harry led his team to the back of the camp. The last time when they went in the front of the camp where everyone was waiting for them, it was ugly and over quick. This time, Harry intended to breech the barrier around the camp. On the fifth try, Harry learned that the wall was just that, a wall, covered by plant life. He had a knot on his head to prove that you couldn't just dive through the barrier even if you were avoiding curses.
He looked to his ragged team members and gave the signal to be ready. Harry forced out a destructive Reductor Curse and leveled a section of the wall. Cal followed that up with a strong Flame spell to burn away the undergrowth that survived the breech attempt. Harry wandlessly cast the Flame Freezing spell on himself before jumping into the flames and moving to the right of the breech. Tonks did the same, wanded, and moved to the left. Cal took cover amongst the rubble near the center of the new entrance.
Spells flew as Harry focused on his half of the camp. He had slowly come to terms with the fact that he had to count on Tonks to do her part. Helping another with their task only led you to fail on yours. Cal helped both when he could with his slow but accurate shots.
The camp had many guards firing at Harry and his team. He concentrated on what he had to at the time, systematically eliminating the defending force. He moved about the camp running from cover to cover keeping to his assigned part and fighting off the cloaked men. Now and then, a spell from Cal would drop another lessening the force Harry was faced with.
A female scream broke Harry's concentration causing him to miss his shot and earning him a broken arm. Hissing in pain, Harry finished off the last two opponents he had left. He slashed one open across the stomach and the other was launched backwards into the far wall with a loud crunch.
Harry turned to find Tonks fighting from the ground and losing the battle. Harry dropped two more as the third was taken down by Tonks. He moved to her side and saw the wound in her leg bleeding freely. "Tonks, are you alright?"
"Get the bag so we can leave," Tonks hissed through gritted teeth. "I will be fine. Now get it quick. I think I am losing a lot of blood here."
"Cal," Harry shouted. "Help her, now." Harry saw Cal rushing to the aid of his fallen teammate. His wand was already glowing as he started with quick healing spells. Harry moved to the shed and felt that something was wrong. He trained his wand and fired a Reductor Curse at the shed obliterating it and impaling a final enemy hidden inside.
Harry scanned the debris looking for any other threats before Summoning the satchel to him. He caught it with a passing thought and returned to Tonks' side. She was pale but alive and smiling.
"Good one with the shed," she spoke weakly. "It is never over until it is over, remember that." Tonks pulled out the portkeys and presented them to the team to touch.
Two tugs and they were back in a normal looking training room. Harry dropped the portkey and put his arm around Tonks cradling her to him. Cal stepped back and waited for the next step. Horace walked forward and held out his hand for the satchel. Harry pushed it to him with his foot.
"Finally," Horace began. "You beat this mission. You only died how many times? Seven wasn't it? Hopefully you learned something today, Ceps. You aren't alone and you can't do it alone. It takes a team to accomplish our goals and I think you figured that out finally. Tomorrow will be more of the same but worse. Watch the name slip up too. The wounded will still be wounded when you get done with the mission. Get Chamel to medical and you should try to learn something while you are there. Cal, help him out so he can get at least one yellow by the end of the week."
"I will, Horace," Cal responded while offering a hand to Tonks to help her up.
Harry stood and lifted Tonks up while she pulled on Cal. Once she was upright, Harry scooped her into his arms and made for the door at a fast pace leaving Cal to jog to keep up. "Good show, Ceps. I am pleasantly surprised by how well you learned on that one. Most people give up after five tries. You were still giving it your all on number eight."
"We died seven times before we got to number eight," Harry said without much thought on the matter since his attention was elsewhere. "We don't get that many tries in real life so what good was it?"
"That is why we train," Cal said. "Best to fail in training and succeed in real life. That is why we do it. It is only the first day so don't worry too much."
Harry didn't respond as he hurried down the hall to the medical wing. The door opened as Harry neared it. Tonks had drifted off in his arms and was huddled against his chest. He started to worry when she didn't stir as he gently laid her on the nearest bed.
"I need a healer out here, now!" Harry tried to keep his voice steady but he failed miserably. A healer hurried out, brushing past Harry, and began scanning Tonks with his wand. He mumbled a few unheard words and Summoned a bottle of Blood-Replenisher from the cabinet across the room. He handed the bottle to Harry and told him to make her drink the whole thing. The healer began casting a few spells on Tonks trying to bring her around and testing her reflexes.
Harry focused on Tonks pale face as he uncorked the bottle. He tipped her head up and put the bottle to her lips trying to get her to take a drink. Her eyes fluttered open for a second as they focused on Harry. Tonks moved her hand to his face and lightly brushed his lips and cheek before drifting off again.
Harry moved behind her and held her to his chest adjusting her head to a better position. He started whispering to her trying to get her to wake up. When her eyes fluttered open again, Harry told her to drink. She smiled weakly but drank a little of the potion. She stopped drinking once the taste really hit her so Harry had to urge her to drink more forcefully.
He managed to overcome her resistance by almost forcing the potion down her throat. After she gagged a little the healer told Harry she had ingested enough. Her cloak had been moved up to expose the wound in her leg revealing a deep gash in the thigh. The healer and Cal worked together to heal the open wound and more potions were Summoned to apply to the injury.
Once he was done, the healer healed Harry's shoulder and arm then started on his minor cuts, but Cal waved him off saying that Harry needed to learn basic medicine.
An hour later, Cal gave up for the day. Harry could barely keep from causing the wounds from opening up again. Cal congratulated Harry on a successful day and left the room. Harry held Tonks until she regained consciousness and was released by the healers.
Harry helped hold Tonks up as they walked back to the team room where they portkeyed to the back yard of Number Four. Harry assisted Tonks in the back door and through the empty kitchen. It was in the hallway that they ran into a Dursley.
"What happened?" Petunia asked trying not to appear too interested in the answer.
"Training accident," Harry replied dismissively. He nearly carried an exhausted Tonks up the stairs while ignoring the cross look Petunia wore. He lightly laid the metamorph on his bed drawing the sheets back. He pulled off her cloak and began undressing her carefully. He didn't remove all of her clothes but enough so she would be comfortable as she slept.
Harry left the room and retrieved some food from the kitchen. On the return to his room, Vernon stopped him as he passed the living room.
"Boy," Vernon yelled. "What is this I hear your trollup got hurt?"
Harry stopped instantly feeling the frustration from the day return. He set the food on the floor before turning towards his uncle. "Didn't learn from yesterday, did you?" Harry said menacingly. His wand slid into his hand and he advanced into the living room. "I warned you last time and you didn't believe me. Do you want me to hurt you? You will treat Tonks with respect. That is all there is to it."
Vernon seemed to rethink his words when the telly flickered a few times and turned off. "Harry, please don't," Petunia said pleading for her husband.
Harry didn't look away from Vernon as he fired four Stinging Hexes in a row at his uncle. The shock of the attack did more damage to the man than the actual spell itself. "The next time, I won't use such a weak spell. I promise you I know much worse ones."
Harry returned to the food, picked it up and left his uncle rubbing his chest where the spells had hit him. Petunia let out a breath as she settled into her seat on the couch.
Harry opened the door and saw Tonks sitting up in bed staring at him. "Not much of a guard I am today," she said lightheartedly. "I couldn't fight off a firsty right now let alone a Death Eater."
"That is why I am here, Nymph. I brought you some food since we never really ate much during lunch." Tonks started getting up but Harry stopped her. "I will feed you where you are. Just settle back and we will see if I know how to do this."
Over the next half hour, Harry fed Tonks some food as he ate along with her. All too soon, Tonks started drifting off again. Harry put the plate on his desk and joined her in bed. Once he was settled, Tonks rolled over and placed herself on top of him falling asleep instantly. Harry smiled as he brushed the hair out of her face. He kissed her lightly and held her tight as he too fell asleep.
The next day was more of the same punishment at Horace's whim. Harry failed to accomplish his task that day. It had more to do with leadership skills and less to do with teamwork. Harry started getting discouraged after lunch, but he never gave up. The mission was lost a dozen times over the course of the day.
Tonks and Cal spent another hour with Harry trying to improve his healing skills, but it yielded the same results. Harry was not destined to be a healer in any way, shape, or form. Their teamwork had improved more though. They were beginning to know what roles each member tended to lean towards and how they carried out that role.
They came home later in the night and didn't run into any of the Dursleys. The house was quiet when they came in and it stayed that way all night.
Wednesday dawned brightly and was a welcomed change from the past few rainy days. Harry stirred and hugged Tonks gratefully to his chest ignoring the aches in his body as he moved.
"Miss me or something?" Tonks asked in a teasing fashion while looking into Harry's eyes.
"I guess so, Nymph. I just wanted to hug you this morning. So, what is the plan for today then?"
"More leadership training I would imagine. You haven't wowed Horace in that area yet."
"Understatement if there ever was one. I haven't wowed him in any area yet."
"That isn't true, Harry, and you know it. You are doing really well. Horace just wants you to do your best that is all. He has high hopes for you as do I, but mine are more for fun than work."
"Naughty girl," Harry said tickling the cheeky auror. They rolled around the bed a little until a tapping at the window caught Harry's attention. He looked to the window to find an owl standing on the sill waiting to be let in. Tonks let Harry go to the window but only after getting in a quick grab in as he slipped out of the bed.
Harry opened the window and the owl fluttered to the back of the desk chair. Harry noticed the note on the owl's leg and removed it quickly as the owl watched him closely. Once freed of its burden, the owl took flight out of the still open window and pulled up and out of sight.
Harry studied the outside of the letter and broke the Gringotts seal. He read the words and smiled slightly earning an eyebrow raise from Tonks. "Ragnok has the information I asked about concerning Fudge. He thinks I should stop by and hear what it is. Do you think we can stop by the bank today after training?"
"If you manage to beat yesterday's task, I think Horace might let us leave early," Tonks said.
"What am I doing wrong on that? I just can't seem to make the right decision. How can we get the guy out without his friends killing us when we leave?"
"Harry, think about how it plays out each time. We can get to the guy, but he resists us when we try to leave. That is when everyone tries to kill us. How can we prevent that?"
"Stunning him doesn't work, though. We tried that and the alarms went off when we did. Fighting our way out didn't work since there are too many of them. What else is there?"
"Well, Harry, have you thought about portkeying him out? Do you think that would work? The key to this part is to keep your mind open to as many options as possible. Horace knows you can pretty much fight your way in and out of situations. He is trying to get you to be sneaky. He wants an able leader not a hired wand."
"I just want to get through the mission and keep everyone alive."
"That is the first step, Harry. You know the first goal. Now you just have to find a way to get there from here. You have a list of things you are working on, right? Well, how many of those things play into these kinds of situations? I would say most of them in most ways. Winning takes information, control, will power, and intent to get there. Maybe you have been over thinking the scenario. In every situation there is a balance to thought, planning, and action. I have said it before and I will say it again, play your strengths."
"My strengths seem to be action and none of the rest. That didn't work before so why would it now?"
"Because, Harry, you are getting used to trusting us and relying on us to get the job done. Every step is designed to build on the previous one to achieve a functioning team. Cal and I can help you lead, but you must make the decisions or we will fail. That is how these tests are designed. The minute we take charge, we can't win."
Tonks watched Harry go from puzzled and confused to angry and determined. "See how sadistic Horace can be, Harry? But don't get me wrong, it is necessary or things won't work when it is for real. They are forcing you to become the leader you have to be. Cal and I do not have the skills to be leaders. We can accomplish a mission for sure, but a real challenge would break us. You are made of stronger stuff. They know that and see in you what we need."
"And what do they see in me?"
"Someone who can survive when they shouldn't. Someone who can fight against the odds and win. Someone who won't break when everyone else will. Anyone else would have given up yesterday after the sixth try. You kept at it on number twelve."
"Maybe I am just too stupid not to know when to give up?"
"No, Harry, you are smart enough to know that giving up isn't an option. You have had one obstacle after another in your life. This is just more of the same."
"Lucky me." Harry looked at the letter again in his hands. "Fudge is another obstacle and I want to overcome him. He worked against us all year and I think he will do it again. I want him out of office, but should I want that?"
"Honestly, you can want what ever you want. The trick is getting what you want. The sooner we get to work the sooner we can get to Gringotts. Let's go."
Tonks got out of bed and kissed Harry deeply before moving off to her clothes bag.
Harry spent the day getting beaten up time and time again. He won the mission from the day before on his first try by following Tonks' advice, but the next two missions brought him back to constant defeat. During the lunch break, Tonks sat Harry down and told him to forget everything that was going on around him and just wing it.
The suggestion enabled Harry to win the mission he had been stuck on. He was slowly learning how to balance his innate ability and instinct with what he was being taught. By the end of the day, Harry thought he had figured out the right way to manage the tasks being set.
"I think you are getting it, Ceps," Tonks said.
"I think I am learning the balance of drive, focus, and patience, Chamel. It has been hard to do, but I think I am getting there, albeit slowly."
"Slowly is fine, Ceps. In the end, you will get there. If you haven't noticed, the number of people we have been up against has been increasing every time. As badly as you think we have been doing, we are at a level far above a normal mission. Your only reference point is what you have done before. Feel confident in what you are doing."
"So, since we are free, can we meet Ragnok then?"
"I see no reason why not. We can change and Apparate to Diagon Alley from here."