The Gryffindors split off from the group just before they reached the castle, since they would be having Herbology class with the Hufflepuffs at the greenhouses. As a Slytherin, Oleandra shared that particular class with the Ravenclaws, but for now, she had a free period.
"Where are you going?" Daphne asked Oleandra when she deviated from the usual route. "The dungeons are that way."
"I'm going to the Black Lake," Oleandra responded. "I'm done with my homework; I already did mine for Charms earlier, and since I got none for Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures…"
For once in her life, Oleandra had done her homework in advance, so she was in the enviable position of having nothing to do. Even so, she didn't want to sit on her laurels; she wanted to grow stronger; strong enough to protect everyone she cared about.
"See you at dinner, then," said Daphne, shrugging her shoulders. "Come on, Tracey."
And so, Oleandra split off from the group of Slytherins. She went down to the beach and leapt onto the lake's surface without falling through, as if it were made of solid ground. She then walked across the lake until she reached the centre, before leaning over and plunging her hand into the waves, and pulling out a beautiful silver sword. Finally, she fished the Sorting Hat from out of her pouch and shoved it onto her head down to her ears.
"Careful not to cut me with that thing," the Hat called out from atop her head. "That sword's imbued with some powerful enchantments. Fairy-make, eh? Impressive metalwork; seems about on par with Godric's sword."
Oleandra had learned that lesson the hard way a few weeks ago when she had tried storing her sword in an enchanted bag that she had borrowed from the mayoress of Paimpont. The Sword of the Lake had cut through the bag's Undetectable Extension Charm, punctured a hole in the fabric and fallen straight through. She had nearly impaled herself with her own sword and nailed her foot to the ground!
Indeed, the Sword of the Lake could cut through enchantments, and it could also inflict cursed wounds that never fully healed. In short, Oleandra was glad to have someone to mentor her through the learning process of using such a dangerous weapon.
"Let's see," the Hat then said thoughtfully. "What would be the most appropriate fighting style for you… Quite flexible, good core strength, fairly strong limbs for a girl your age… your spatial awareness is quite developed, impressively so for a woman, but your reflexes and your height leave a lot to be desired…"
Oleandra had grown strong and flexible to quickly and accurately adopt stances, while her spatial awareness had developed itself through her Quidditch training, since flying required one to move in three dimensions. And she had to admit that she did often get caught off guard, even when she thought she was paying attention. The problem was that her Mystic Eyes saw too much, making it difficult for her to focus on what was truly a threat to her.
But even if it was all true, it felt vaguely insulting to hear the Hat comment on each of her capabilities, as if she were somehow a credit to her gender… What a sexist hat! Oleandra supposed it had inherited those features from its first owner, Godric Gryffindor.
"Well, excuse me for being a girl," said Oleandra in annoyance. "And I'm not that short. I'm of average height for my age, I'll have you know."
"The enemies you picture in your head are much taller than you," the Hat fired back. "But luckily for you, they won't be armed with swords, which will be to your advantage. You wouldn't be able to fight evenly with adult swordsmen who are much stronger than you unless you drink Strength potions; each strike you would parry would exhaust you that much faster."
The Hat then wanted to see Oleandra's physical limits; and since she didn't know them herself, he had her do all sorts of exercises: at first, simple things such as sprints, press-ups, squats, side to side jumps... and then more complicated gymnastics maneuvers such as corks, backflips, side flips, front flips, somersaults and moonsaults (the Tsukahara gymnastics vault, not the wrestling move).
Oleandra had done plenty of cartwheels and gymnastics in school when she'd been younger, but flips were much scarier; she had never done them without Cloak's aid. Ordinarily, it was quite difficult to train yourself to do flips, as you ran the terrifying risk of breaking your neck against the unforgiving ground by not fully committing to the move. However, since Oleandra was doing all of these exercises on the lake's surface, the fear factor was removed, so she quickly managed to do all the moves the Hat demanded of her.
Only one question remained, though: how exactly was learning to do backflips going to help her learn the way of the sword?
"Doing flips has nothing to do with swordplay; please do not actually attempt to perform a flip mid-combat, unless you absolutely have to," the Hat answered. "But since you're insisting on learning how to fight in close combat, I'm building upon what you already know for efficiency's sake. In any case, you really do need to master your own body… and there's no better way to learn your limits than by being forced upside-down."
The hat laughed drily.
"You're not going to be entering combat in full-plate enchanted armour, either," it continued. "Allowing a single spell to land on you may prove to be a death sentence. And unlike Wizard's duels, surviving group combat will require you to master positioning… In war, enemy and friendly spells will be flying everywhere, so you must relearn how to navigate the world; without the ability to fly, you are restrained to two dimensions in which to dodge. Learning to mantle obstacles to reposition or escape might just save your life, and learning how to perform flips and rolls may come in handy to conserve momentum on the run."
"But that's why I wanted to learn how to use a sword," Oleandra insisted. "To deflect unparryable magical attacks, so that I don't have to exhaust myself by dodging."
"But what if your enemy attacks your feet?" the Hat countered. "Or what if two attacks are coming towards you at the same time? Positioning and footwork are what you need to master first; the last thing you want is to be encircled… Learn how to move fast, learn how to recognize when and where you must move, and only then will I teach you how to wield a sword. Now, let us move to the forest."
The irony wasn't lost on her; was the Sorting Hat really asking a prefect to break school rules? Nevertheless, Oleandra obliged. Once she had penetrated deeply enough into the forest, illusory figures appeared in Oleandra's vision; but they weren't armed with swords, but with wands.
"No need to panic," said the Hat. "I'm making those appear in your mind. Now, on the count of three, you will attempt to return to the edge of the woods without being hit. One— Two—"
What, right now?
"Three!"
Oleandra sprinted off, ducking and dodging the imaginary bolts of magic flying towards her as best she could. She wasn't Fate's Chosen by any means; getting hit by enemy spells in real life would spell the end of her. Unlike Harry, she couldn't count on Voldemort ordering his minions to Stun her instead of killing her.
Just as Oleandra was nearing the finish line, a trio of illusory figures appeared right in front of her, as if they had just Apparated there. She was going too fast to change directions; there was a risk she might slip and fall. Instead of darting to the side to avoid them, Oleandra transitioned into a cartwheel, before vaulting off a half-fallen tree trunk. The tree provided an extra bit of spring in her heel; Oleandra soared through the air, before landing on her feet behind the newly appeared enemies.
"Victory!" Oleandra cheered. "Just like in gym class!"
…But where were the Hat's words of praise?
It was then that she noticed that the Hat had fallen off her head when she'd flipped through the air after vaulting off the branch— no wonder it wasn't congratulating her. Oleandra sheepishly retrieved it and put it back in her pouch; it was getting late, and she didn't want to miss dinner.
She'd reward herself with some chips, those would do nicely after a spot of exercise.