Reconstruction of a Death Eater

Chapter 23 - Kung-Fu Fighting

Kingsley was a powerfully built man, the muscle rippling across his shoulders under his form-fitting athletics shirt. With his shaven head and golden earring he looked tough and mean as he lectured the group on the various exercises they would be learning. This was the second week of lectures about muscle groups, types of joints, physiology and nutrition, anything except how to actually defend themselves physically. Ron was doing his best not to snore, and Harry was picking at his fingernails until Hermione slapped him. The rest of the class were in no better straights as the boring lecture ground on. Even the novelty of having such nice eye-candy lecturing them had worn off for the girls; everyone agreed that this was as bad as Binns' lectures.

"I'm losing them," Kingsley complained quietly to Remus after a particularly embarrassing snore had woken Ron up in class.

Remus grinned. "Probably because you are so boring you could put a Boggart to sleep," he teased and laughed aloud at Kingsley's rueful agreement. "Look, these kids are active and healthy; they play Quidditch, run obstacle courses, and I believe Hermione Granger has been teaching them yoga. Forget feeding them buckets of theory, just get them up and using the muscle groups you have been talking about. Mix theory and practice in a sensible ratio."

"I'm not sure how you mean," Shacklebolt sighed, picking at his lunch.

"Alright, let me give the lecture this afternoon and see how it goes."

"Fine by me," the Auror agreed eagerly.

When Remus strolled into the gym that afternoon, there were a few double takes and even a wolf-whistle which made him blush a little. He looked rather small beside Kingsley, but he had certainly filled out over the last 'six months'. "Alright, settle down people. We're going to try a little practical training as well as some theory. Spines, what are they good for?"

In seconds the class was up on its feet bending and stretching, seeing how far the spinal column could move before it became uncomfortable. The limits of the joints were quickly reached and absolutely understood by everyone in a very few minutes, even Shacklebolt agreeing that it was well demonstrated.

"Now, what happens if you over-bend? If you purposely force the spine to bend further than its limits?" Remus asked, cocking his head to stare at them all. "Yes, Harry?"

"Depending on where it breaks paraplegia or quadriplegia, or death."

"Very good, bend too far forward and you break, bend too far back and you break, bend the wrong part and you break. So, defence first. Now, how would you protect your spine from a fall? Show them, Kingsley."

The group practiced breaking their falls, cushioning charms and transfiguration of objects to assist in the breaking of falls. There were a couple of crunches but no really serious accidents as the class laughed, rolled and tumbled through the exercises. Finally, Remus called them all to order and allowed them to loll around on the practice mats to get their breath back.

"Good, now landing is all very well, but what happens if you get tossed or if you try to toss someone and end up flipping instead? Would you use the same sort of technique or do you think there is a different one?"

"Probably similar but you would have to be quicker as you would likely be moving quicker through the air," Malfoy said thoughtfully, tapping his front teeth with a forefinger. Amazingly he still looked fresh and neat even though he really had been falling and joining in the exercises wholeheartedly.

"Good call. Now Kingsley is going to toss me and you lot watch as I land, note how I hit the ground and roll. Ready, Kingsley, let's do it."

They demonstrated the technique, Remus arcing through the air and slamming his hands down hard before his body landed and rolled. Everyone winced as a puff of dust lifted off the mat on impact. After a second demonstration, everyone was paired up and set to throwing and landing while Kingsley and Remus moved around correcting techniques and methods. When Ron failed to toss Crabbe, the heavier boy simply grinned until Remus threw him easily. When Harry and Malfoy got a little too enthusiastic with each other, Kingsley stepped in and tossed them both easily.

~~*~~

By the end of the first month of unarmed combat training the students were growing rather more competent, no matter what the pairing. Kingsley had taken Remus' first lesson to heart and was quick to adapt the usual Auror training manuals to the mixture of theory and practical which worked so well. In fact, he spent most of his evenings re-writing the manual, using the small library nearly as much as the students did. That was something which really surprised him about this group - they actually studied. Perhaps it was because they were still school students or perhaps it was because they encouraged each other with little challenges and tests all day long. Whatever it was, it worked.

Malfoy and Granger spent a lot of their free time huddled over huge tomes, the blond and the brown hair mixing together they were so close. When he inquired into what they were studying so diligently, Malfoy said 'Fairy tales' and Granger smacked his arm with a giggle.

"We're looking at the roots of fairy tales, one in particular about Snow White, or at least that's what the Muggles call it. I think the wizards call it "The Peril of Inheritance" or something like that?"

"'The Deceitful Bride'," Malfoy corrected with a shrug.

"Wasn't that supposed to be the Ravenclaw-Mortis Family?" Shacklebolt asked curiously. "She tried to make out she was dead but got caught up in the spell and was never revived to this day?"

"Mortis? Are you sure? I thought it was Morton," Malfoy said keenly, then groaned as Hermione shut the large tome with a bang. "I'm sorry, my father wasn't big on fairy stories, and Severus only knew the ones where people took poison or were eaten by wild animals. Had this fascination for Little Red Ridinghood, can't think why." Malfoy projected an air of utter innocence that fooled no one.

Progress was not very fast on the roots of the story. All the witches and wizards knew the tale, but each recounting was slightly different. A few elements remained constant though. The Bride took a life-slowing potion and was put under a timeless spell which could not be opened without a key. Her new husband killed his brother and the key was lost, end of story.

"What we really need to know is how was such a spell created and how do we open it?" Harry reminded them as they curled up in the common room.

Ginny stirred against his shoulder and sighed. "I'll bet I know who knows the secret. Professor Snape was the one who killed Professor Dumbledore, he was the one who had the snake charm that turned into a phoenix. I'll bet he knows exactly what happened and how it happened, but he is not telling anyone, mean old git."

"Oddly enough, Professor Snape is not completely horrible, you know," Harry said thoughtfully, then grinned when his girl turned to stare at him in shock. "Well, he's not. He was always mean and sarcastic and nasty tempered, but he could be quite funny too, sometimes."

"If you appreciate dark sarcasm and terror-induced stuttering as fine British humour," Dean put in with a grimace.

"Right up there with fart jokes," Seamus agreed.

Hermione and Draco exchanged long looks but remained silent.

"I wonder where he went last month? He looked pretty terrible when he came back, even paler and skinnier than usual," Ginny mused, flipping though yet another of Hermione's interminable tomes with little or no interest.

"Maybe he was on his annual hibernation?" Susan Bones suggested with a giggle as she draped elegantly over the sofa, her feet higher than her head as usual. "I wonder if he actually can relax because he is going to be a pain if he can't. I mean," - she grinned when she realised everyone was staring at her - "look at Professor McGonagall and Kingsley, and dear old Remus of course. They act like real people most of the time, when they aren't teaching us stuff. I mean, I never thought I would see the day Professor McGonagall relaxed enough to play Exploding Snap and toss her cards at Remus when he stole the pot on her. Can you actually see Professor Snape doing that? Or loafing around in jeans and a sweatshirt like Remus or.... Oh God, I have just had the most appalling image of Professor Snape in an athletics shirt and gold earring."

There was a concerted moan of horror which sent Parvati into giggles and Colin Creevey fell off the armchair in sheer horror.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad," Terry said quietly but without any real conviction.

"Professor Snape is a product of his environment, wary, alert and alive, where many of the Order are not," Hermione said flatly, killing the speculation before it became too much or grew too horrible. She could feel Draco tensing at her side and even Crabbe was looking grim.

"Too mean to kill, you think?" Ginny asked with narrowed eyes.

"He's a good man," Grabbe finally said, his low voice rumbling like distant thunder with the force of his need to say something. "He stops it being so bad."

There was a pause, but the heavy boy did not seem inclined to elaborate until Draco sighed. "Severus Snape is a powerful figure on the Dark Side, and therefore he sets the standards of behaviour for those who follow the Dark Lord, more perhaps than anyone else. If he disapproves of something then people avoid that sort of behaviour within the party structure. Example, wives and children are the property of the husband, to be treated and disposed of in any way the husband feels is correct. Severus Snape looks down his nose in contempt when a husband casually backhands his wife to shut her up and that no longer happens. If Snape does not approve, then the Dark Lord probably does not approve and therefore it is wisest to treat your property with a little more respect, do you see?"

There was a stunned and disbelieving silence, then Justin burst out, "But he hates kids; he is the cruellest, meanest bastard at Hogwarts. He is always giving out detentions and extra homework and stuff."

"I didn't say he was a nice person, just that he set the standard for the majority of the dark side. Believe me, if it wasn't for Severus' sense of justice and equality, then we would all be a lot worse off," Draco said grimly.

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me he is the paragon of virtue and saviour of the world," Ron snarled, glancing at Harry, who was picking at a hole in his jumper as he listened to the arguments.

"I never said he was, just that he has standards."

Harry looked up and pinned the others with a rather piercing stare, an expression he had mastered this past year. "I don't particularly like Severus Snape, but I do respect him. He is a difficult man doing a very difficult job to the best of his ability. His methods are cruel, but they are effective and he gets results. How many of you would have lost family if he hadn't managed to bring us good information? How many of us would have been killed in casual raids if he hadn't stuck us in detention? I can promise you Ron, Hermione and I have been saved because the snarky bastard set us too much homework for us to get out and do something we were planning, on a few occasions. He has taught me a hell of a lot, including how to hold onto my temper and channel it into something useful, so try not to let the abrasive nature blind you to the useful lessons he can give. I did and it cost me my Godfather and nearly cost me a lot of friends, too." He glanced at Ron, swept his eyes over Hermione, Neville and Luna and finally settled his smile on Ginny who smiled back gently. "Apart from that, he might hex you if you don't behave," he added to break the tension in the room.

There was an uneasy chuckle that eased as it gathered momentum and the usual hum of conversation began in the busy common room.

At the door, Remus eased back and sighed deeply, remembering Severus in his younger incarnation. These children would have enjoyed him then, he would have fitted right in, but who knew how prickly and hard to reach he would be when he finally arrived in the Room of Requirement.