Family Ties (Editing/rewriting some parts)

60

The next morning Percy was the first awake and had already had the house elves of Hogwarts deliver breakfast to them as they'd eat in the dorm for the morning. Hermione was up next, followed by Luna, then Neville as Luna had gone to wake him up. Then the Slytherins followed by the ever reluctant Gryffindors.

As everyone was eating Percy looked to Hermione who nodded towards Harry who was eating slowly with a face that screamed he was thinking.

So with that, Percy coughed into his hand and that got the attention on him. "Harry." He started and the boy looked up. "I'd like to teach you how to use a sword."

Silence, that is what came to all of them after what Percy said. The boy going to be given theses lessons was staring at his brother with a confused look but then nodded. "I think that would be for the best." He replied.

With that, the youngest Jackson nodded somewhat relieved. "Good, we'll start after classes. I'll have mom letter Sev to make healing potions."

"Woah there mate, healing potions?!" Ron asked looking pretty freaked out by the prospect of them even using swords to fight.

"Yeah Percy, why the healing potions?" Harry asked a sliver of fear making its way down his spine.

Neville sighed. "Because he's going to work you to the bone Harry, we'll try to get him to let off but since you already agreed, there is no escaping." He patted Harry's shoulder gravely with a look of pity.

"Oh come on Neville, I gave you one lesson!" Percy pouted at him.

"And I have since then decided to just stick with the martial arts." Neville replied back with a smile.

The group laughed, making the tense air evaporate easily within the room. Before going back to eating.

Harry looked at his little brother across from him and wondered what made him get into sword fighting. He doesn't remember him having a sword. But then again, he has seen him go out earlier then the rest sometimes, at least twice a week. Well that was before this school year, he now left their dorm every morning. Just not this time. It worried him actually, and maybe he could learn why during these lessons.

He at least hoped so.

Classes were fairly normal for the day. Except for the other schools kids joining them from time to time. And it only made it awkward because the schools usually kept to themselves. But there was also the other students of Hogwarts berating Harry for being a champion, picking in him and calling him a cheat. It didn't help with his confidence at all. But his friends stuck by him each step of the way and it made things all the better.

Free hour came, and Percy decided to show Harry the basics before they got into the real lessons.

"Stance, Harry, come on. It's simple. Think of it like dancing." Percy said as he tried to get Harry into a proper position. "You need to be in the proper stance to start the dance, and continue it in your favor, with tripping of falling, cause in a real battle, If will be you during before you hit the ground."

Harry gulped as he knew his brother was right, so he tried to get his back straighter, his legs bent and put apart enough to give him balance but not give himself any opening for the enemy, he held a stick long enough to be a sword in his hands and held it out in front of him.

"Confidence in your stance, your showing insecurity." Percy said as he stepped his brothers shoulders to have them relax. "You can do this Harry. You don't have to have confidence that you'll be alright, but in your stance and that's enough."

Harry nodded again and relaxed some more as he took in a deep breath. "Right." He mumbled.

Neville and Ron who shared their free time sat nearby watching quietly as Percy then told Harry to hold his stance for 5 minutes without messing it up, if he did he had to restart it.

"You think Harry should be doing this?" Ron asked as he watched Percy hit Harry's knee when his leg shifted.

The boy beside him shrugged. "I think it's better then not teaching him anything. Magic can only do so much Ron. If your not fast enough, your dead. Not strong enough. Your dead. You don't know how to defend yourself? Your dead." Neville spoke softly. "Here's a theory for you Ronald, what happens when your all alone, fighting death eaters, and your wand breaks. What do you do?"

Ron stared at Neville for a moment before frowning and looking down. "I'd run."

"And what if they caught up to you?" He countered. Ron stayed silent. "Exactly, our point is proven."

"What I don't get, is why you guys know this stuff?" Ron asked as he furrowed his brows and looked up to Neville's eyes.

For a second the Demi-god paused, they weren't allowed to tell them. Maybe, one day they could but, telling them puts them in danger. "Our camp, it has extra activities that me, Percy and Hermione took." He said without looking away from his brothers.

Ron couldn't help but have a feeling that the boy was lying, and he didn't like that, because that meant that the truth wasn't something he should know. That made many possible explanations come to his head, and none of them he liked.

When they got back to classes, Harry was whining about the red marks from all the hitting that Percy did. Percy only looked like he enjoyed the whole process. The boys that weren't in the lessons, Ron and Neville, assumes it was because Percy was punishing Harry and his luck.

Once classes were finished, Percy dragged Harry out once more, this time followed by most of the group as Hermione said she was going to the library for awhile.

Percy then got serious with the training, he went full on instructor mode wasn't letting up even when Harry asked. It wasn't as grueling as Neville remembers, actually it was quite light training. But Harry was whining like a baby that it was too much. Which made him and Percy roll their eyes. Because Neville knew, Percy was teaching him from the bottom up. They didn't even have real swords yet.

Draco and Blaise sat playing exploding snap as Luna read a book, all three not really paying attention to the supposed hard work that Harry was doing. While Ron watched curiously. And Neville was there to make sure no one got severely hurt, orders from his mother and Sev who gave him healing potions for just about anything.

The instructor of Harry's sighed as he tried to goof out of the lesson by half heartedly flopping onto the ground, for the third time. Percy hit him on the back of his head and glared down at him. "Get up and do it again until I say you can stop." He said annoyed before sighing and rubbing his own head.

Harry glared at his brother but stood and got into the stance and did the practices his brother gave him while mumbling under his breath.

But he would one day appreciate the lessons his brother was giving him.