The next couple days flew by in a blur for Harry. He was constantly training and studying. He was really getting bored with his current supply of books as it mostly just contained old textbooks that he'd already been through in his classes. He also had the defense book he'd been given over Christmas to help him instruct the DA, but he'd already been through that book more than once. He longed to make a trip to Diagon Alley to expand his library and just to get out of the house and do something.
He was becoming quite proficient in his apparation training. He progressed from popping around his house to apparating around his neighborhood. He could apparate with relative ease now even across the entire neighborhood, but Sirius had warned him not to try doing a long distance apparation just yet for fear that he'd splinch himself. Harry was getting restless.
His animagus training had progressed rapidly. He was able to change every individual part of his body into either his panther or owl form at will, which delighted him to no end. He was anxious to make a full transformation, but Sirius had stopped Harry from doing it the night before and made him promise to wait until the next night to try it. Harry couldn't wait to go to sleep tonight.
He had written back to Ron berating his best friend for actually sneaking into Ginny's room to read the letter Harry had sent to her. He explained in no uncertain terms that he considered Ginny a valuable friend and that he had every intention of continuing to write to her throughout the summer. He told him that he and Ginny were just friends and that she was perfectly capable of looking out for herself and didn't need an overprotective brother hovering around sticking his nose in her business all the time.
He'd also told Ron that he had absolutely no intention of getting in the middle of one of his fights with Hermione about Viktor Krum. He told Ron that he was being rather ridiculous about the entire thing and warned his friend to drop the subject before things turned ugly.
It didn't take long for Harry to receive a reply back from Ron. He had gauged his friend correctly when he had decided that Ron would most likely fly off the handle after reading the letter. Ron had warned him off writing to Ginny any more with a veiled threat hanging over him if he continued to write her. Ron had also asked Harry just whose side he was on of the topic of Viktor Krum. Ron claimed that he was putting their friend in danger by not warning Hermione to stop writing the Bulgarian.
Harry decided not to bother responding to his irate friend. He knew that his friend would be in no state to listen to reason at the moment, so he didn't even bother trying. Ron's temper got the best of him far too often for anyone's good. Ginny was certainly right about one thing: Ron needed to grow up, and fast.
He had written to Ginny again after receiving Ron's reply. He'd talked about Ron's ridiculous threats and accusations a bit and other things as well. He told her that he had not yet mentioned the DA to anyone else yet, Ron and Hermione included, and asked her to hang onto his secret for just a little bit before he let his other friends in on his plans.
He received replies from both Neville and Luna, who were both surprised but glad to hear from him. They told him how sorry they were about the loss of his godfather. They also both asked if the DA would be continuing next year. Luna had, in her awkward way, told Harry that it was like having friends. Like so many other times, Harry had no idea how to respond to her.
Luna had also talked about the expedition she was on with her father to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. They had apparently been hot on the trail, but the animals kept eluding capture. She said she expected they will have caught one by the end of the month. Harry wondered what they were actually following but decided it might be best not to know.
Neville had seemed excited to be getting a new wand and had told Harry that he really didn't have to pay for it. He asked Harry if he really thought that his magic would improve with a wand that was suited especially for him rather than his dad. He also said that his Gran had been a little upset that he had put himself in danger but that she was proud of him for what he had done. Harry was glad to see that his friend was finally getting some positive reinforcement; maybe his confidence would improve over the coming year.
Harry had taken to jogging and working out in the mornings on his godfather's suggestion. He had said that most wizards overlooked the physical aspects of a duel. Dodging could be more effective than a shielding charm, especially when dealing with Unforgivables. And the endurance to last through duels taking up to several hours and multiple opponents was extremely important given the war he found himself in.
His running and workout routine would help him build up his endurance and his speed. His reflexes were already quite sharp, which he attributed to Quidditch practice and growing up with the Dursleys trying to avoid getting hit. He decided not to just work on that but to also build up some muscle as well. You never know when he might need to resort to physical violence instead of magical.
When Sirius had made the suggestion, Harry had no choice but to agree. Back in the Department of Mysteries, the duel with the death eaters had been as physical as it was magical. The extra quickness, strength, and endurance were sure to come in handy next time. Harry smiled ruefully at that thought. He no longer thought of it in terms of if he ever met another death eater in combat but rather when.
Harry was already considering including physical training in the DA. He knew he had to talk about the DA with his friends soon, especially Hermione. She was, after all, the brains behind the operation. He would need her help working out all the details of what he would be teaching when and organizing everything in a manner that would be acceptable to present to Dumbledore, and he could use her help with the magical contract.
Harry had settled into a bit of a routine the past couple of days. He would wake up, grab a quick bite to eat, then go for a jog around his neighborhood. He reckoned he ran a good four kilometers every morning. He would follow that up with a series of other exercises: push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, jumping rope, punching a bag that his cousin used to train for boxing, among other things.
He would then shower and get cleaned up and ready for the day. He'd eat an early lunch, then return to his room to study. After a couple hours he would begin practicing wandless magic. He would eventually move on to apparation followed by animagus practice. Afterwards he would eat dinner then spend the rest of the night studying and taking care of any personal matters such as letter writing.
His morning workout routine was leaving Harry extremely sore and tired, but he knew that it was only because he was not used to the physical exercise. It would only take a little while before he began to get the hang of it. He felt genuinely good about himself for the first time in quite a while. It is amazing what a sense of purpose can do for you, coupled with a plan of action. It is always best to keep busy lest you become bored and begin to brood. Harry didn't leave himself any time for that as even his dreams were spent training with Sirius.
That night, as scheduled, Harry made his first attempt at a full transformation into his animus forms. "Here goes nothing," Harry remarked with a grin.
"Just do what you've been doing with the partial transformations, only this time concentrate on the whole animal rather than individual parts. You'll do fine," Sirius advised practically.
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