Harry Potter and the Heir of Slytherin

Christmas with Friends

"66...67...68..."

Harry Potter grit his teeth, air whistling through the small gap in between his teeth as he breathed in and out with even, if slightly ragged, breaths.

"69...70...71..."

Sweat seeped out of his pours, coating his skin in a light, slick sheen and causing his clothes to cake to his skin. Several small droplets of salty water ran across his back, torso and down his arms.

"72...73...74..."

His muscles were aching with each contraction they made. There was a burning in his stomach as the fibers that made up his abdominals flexed and un-flexed.

"75...76...77..."

Attached to Harry's feet were a set of unusual looking boots. They were black, but had a silvery sheen to them. They were also quite large, much larger than your average, every day pair of boots. Then there was the apparatus on the bottom of the boots, a strange looking clamp made from steel. It gleamed brightly as the first rays of the morning light hit it.

"78...79...80..."

This steel clamp just so happened to be attached to one of the many monkey bars located in the park.

"81...82...83..."

He was hanging upside down.

"84...85...86..."

The boots were one of Harry's many new inventions designed to increase the difficulty of his work outs. Made from alchemy, they were probably the second most difficult item he had ever designed due to the composition of the material and the need to hold an innate understanding of the locking mechanism attached to the bottom. It wouldn't do if the locks didn't work and he ended up falling on his head.

"98...99...1...100!"

Incapable of doing anymore, Harry's torso dropped, along with his arms. He hung there, upside down, his torso heaving as he gasped for breath. Who knew doing crunches upside down while wearing a weighted vest that was over 30 lbs could be so strenuous?

Several minutes later, Harry was no longer hanging upside down. Several more minutes found him walking to Lisa's house, where he was, of course, staying at for the winter holidays. In his arms were the two new items he had made via alchemy for his work outs. The first were the boots, the second was a large vest with numerous pockets that were designed to fit several different kinds of weights in them. He was quite proud of both inventions, especially his vest. Now he wouldn't need to have anyone sit on him to increase the difficulty of his push-ups...and he could wear them when doing upside down crunches and just about any other exercise he did.

It wasn't very long after arriving at the Crawft's residence that Harry was showered, dressed, and helping Missus Crawft in the kitchen as she prepared breakfast. Today she was making waffles with eggs and hash-browns. It was a decidedly American breakfast.

"I think we're just about done here," Missus Crawft said with amicable smile as she looked at Harry. "Harry, could you be a dear and set the table?"

"Yes, ma'am."

It was while Harry was setting the table that Lisa Crawft came into the room. She looked kinda like a zombie, stumbling in with half-lidded eyes and her hair an uncombed mess. She was still wearing what she had slept in, an overly large shirt with a neck-hole so large that the left side of her shirt had slid down to show off her shoulder and a cute pair of pink flannel pants.

Harry thought she had never looked more beautiful.

A second later he was shaking his head fiercely, trying to banish both his thoughts and his blush. What the hell was wrong with him!? This was Lisa! His best friend and sister in all but blood! He couldn't be thinking about her like that! To think about Lisa that way...it was wrong!