Reborn In A Harry Potter Universe - 21 The Training Goes On

Harry’s POV:

It’s been a year and half since Dudley left and since he left, it has been like a light has disappeared from the house. Uncle Vernon has gotten quieter and Aunt Petunia has been more focused on working and tending to the garden.

I thought when Dudley left, they were going to go back to how they usually treat me but they have been treating me cordially as of late. Sometimes, I even help Aunt Petunia help with the garden and she even smiled a little one time though I think that might have been a dream.

The house has gotten more quieter since cousin left. We usually only eat and sleep there. The rest of the time is spent outside. I’ve become more familiar with the neighborhood than the people my age. I know where the hidden corners are, including where you can go without anybody questioning you.

For some reason ‘Harry Hunting’ has become a monthly event that people come and fun at. You can chose to become either me( Harry) or Dudley. I do not always play Harry. Sometimes I play as Dudley. Due to that, I have become better at spotting things and hiding from people chasing me. Though I don’t win every match, I don’t lose much as well.

From what I can see, the house has become more like a storage facility than a home with warmth that welcomes you when you come home after a tired and stressful day. Cooking with Aunt Petunia has gotten more tedious and harder. She has also been passing some secret techniques that I’m sure Dudley would find surprising when he comes home. I am familiar with most of them and Aunt Petunia says I’m learning faster than her.

In the evenings, sometimes, I hear Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon in their room flipping through the copy of photo album they have on them while laughing at some of Dudley’s pictures. One surprising thing is that, they still let me eat with them and one time they even asked about how schooling is.

Oh, at school, by some strange miracle, I’ve become the leader of Dudley’s fans and followers at the school. I asked Pierce one of Dudley’s vice-leaders about it and he said that I was the second-in-command when Dudley is not here. Also, since the bullies know that I am the boss, they don’t dare approach me for fear that once school is over, some of Dudley’s followers will drag them into one of the schools dark spots.

Honestly, I think Pierce was lying to me and that Dudley put me in second-in-command of the ‘gang’ to protect me if he is not there. Even though he is gone, he still manages to surprise the people around him.

Third POV

“Ahhhh, help me, there are devils following me!!” Someone screamed from the dark woods.

“Shut up kid or when I find you, I will put you through Hell month again.” Someone threatened the unfortunate soul hiding in the woods.

“Take it easy Marimo. You are giving our position away” a dark shadow beside Marimo says in a laid back tone.

“It is not like he hasn’t found our position yet. Spreading magic through sounds is an ingenious way of detecting one’s surroundings.” Another figure besides Marimo says in excitement at learning new stuff.

“It is not magic, it is energy. It is life force, the soul at work. Ki at its finest” Marimo grumbles to the person who just spoke.

“But magic comes from the soul too. It is the excess energy or the energy that our soul produces when it is made or formed. Technically, it is our life force at work. Our whole body produces this energy because our magical genes that are unlocked can access this energy. That’s what teacher taught us.” The figure speaks in a heated tone

“Hmph, teacher also taught us the energy can come in different forms depending on who uses it. Also call it energy or ki, It is much more appreciated and it sounds better than magic.” Marimo speaks the last sentence in a disgusting tone to the guy standing on the left side of him.

“As expected of muscle brains like you. You do not know anything and use only magic in its basic form. When teacher was teaching us you did want to learn about the other aspects, only caring about the sword ” The guy snorts at Marimo ignorance.

“What did you say?” Marimo says in an elevated voice.

“Guys, guys, calm down. You know we are not here to fight.” The guy at the right of Marimo says placidly to both of them.

“Tch” they both say. After a while of them not talking to each other, Marimo says in a whispering voice “Have you found him yet, Wyllt”

“Yes I have. Though he has gained excellent control over his magic, he still leaves traces of usage when he uses body enhancements and sense magic. Are you ready to catch him Asura?” Wyllt says as his image starts to flicker together Marimo’s.

“Yes, he will make an interesting ingredient to catch.” Asura says in barely a whisper. Wyllt says some strange words and they completely vanish from the forest.

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

Meanwhile, a few hectometers away from the teacher’s a boy of nine years of age is cursing his teachers out by comparing them to demons and other abominations of that caliber. As he is talking, he makes sure to keep his voice in a stable manner in order to detect his surroundings through echolocation.

If someone were to see him from afar right now, they would probably think they are staring at a high-quality holographic illusion due to how he looks compared to his surroundings. In fact, the image in front of them will make a good painting they would name ‘The Boy and the Forest’ due to how he compliments the forest around him.

If his xianxia counterparts could see him right now, they would proclaim that the state he is currently in as the legendary ‘One with the forest’ state not achieved by many people.

The image would be perfect if it was not for one thing if you observe up close, him, that’s right the boy. He does strange things like speak on minutes on end then stops and continue cursing in his mind.

He makes use of some colorful language that one can use to paint one of the famous artwork by Monet “Water Lilies” thrice over and would be left with some to throw away. He also makes sure to look at his surroundings every so often with glowing eyes that flickers on and off.

He suddenly hears “Shut up, kid or when I find you, I will put you through Hell month again” his body shakes and he freezes. Suddenly, he moves again and from his expression, his teacher’s later sentence is forgotten as he pays attention to the argument that arrives minutes after they are spoken.

Hearing sounds no longer, he augments his voice boxagain with magic and shouts

“You guys can’t find me.”

He waits for a while, when he hears that the area where the sound bounced of in his previous shout was empty was not coming back with the same amount of information, he knew something was wrong.

“Bollocks” He whispers and begins to move.

Suddenly, a hand appears out of nowhere and lifts him up by the back collar of his shirt and the voice whispers in a creepy voice “Where are you going my lovely ingredi.. I mean Dudley?”

The boy known as Dudley thinks ‘Bloody hell’ and struggles harder knowing who had caught him. His struggles eventually fade when he notices the hand holding him did not shake even once during the chaotic motion, he had his body perform.

Two more individuals appear in front of him and the hand holding him releases him and he falls onon his but. Dudley grumbles about the unfairness of them using a disappearing charm.

“How will you be punished today” Asura says in a laidback tone completely different from the from the creepy voice he was using previously.

“But I was so close to passing” Dudley says in a tone bordering on desperation.

‘Anything is better than punishment. What if it is surviving in the forest for a month again or what if it is…’ Dudley thought process is broken be his teacher’s question

“But did you win?” Asura asks him

“No” Dudley moans.

“A twenty minutes increase. Congrats by the way” Wyllt says and Dudley nods.

“Now, do you know what you did wrong” Wyllt says and Dudley shakes his head.

“Wait, let me go first” Asura says and the two teachers nod.

“You are still acting like a prey would and that makes you predictable. Any capable predator or hunter knows how their prey behaves so they always prepare counter measures for capture.” Asura yawns as he finishes. Dudley nods and makes note of that for the umph time.

One thing he did not like about this teacher was that, he never finishes his lessons and he makes him figure out everything himself. “Experience is teacher” is Asura’s code of arms and Dudley is someone who likes clear instructions, so he is kindda effie about Asura methods of teaching.

“Another reason why we found you was because you were leaving magical traces around the place like an animal that sheds his skin as it moves. In fact, one of the traces leed directly to you. We will increase your magical control when we go home.”

An energy field around Wyllt glows after he finishes speaking. Marimo who has not said anything since they arrived spoke,

“Your presence is permeating through this place why are you not using the techniques I thought you? Maybe I should invite her to teach you how to control your presence.”

“But I…” Dudley tries to explain but Marimo continues

“Ooyi, Marimo…” Wyllt tries to speaks but Marimo ignores him too

“Where is your sword? You never leave the house without a weapon.”

“But it…” Dudley tries to interrupt again but Marimo continues

“I don’t care if your entire body is a weapon. If you want to be a swordsman, you do not leave your sword at home. Do you understand me?” Marimo shouts

“Yes” Dudley says

“If you want to master whatever disciplines you fancy, you will fully obey what the teacher says.”

Marimo says before he exhales a huge amount of CO2.

“Congrats on the extra time.” Marimo says after a moment of silence and Dudley lifts his head. Marimo turns around and walks away. Wyllt places his arms on Dudley’s should once he stands up and says,

“Don’t blame him, you are his first student after all.” They begin to walk back home at an absurd speed.