"Warrior's Training"
"What are we doing today, Professor?" asked Hermione, as she looked at all the Hogwarts students gathered, wooden swords in hand.
Einar stepped forward with the calmness of a seasoned warrior, his eyes scanning each of the students.
"Today… I'll teach you how to fight against wizards."
Everyone stared at him, confused. After all, they were wizards.
"With wooden swords?" asked Ron, frowning in skepticism.
"Obviously," Einar replied calmly. "If I gave you real swords, some of you would already be missing fingers… or hands."
He held one of the training swords in one hand and raised it.
"These swords are enchanted. I even used the magic of this castle to reinforce them. They're strong"very strong. Even if a spell hits them, they're hard to break. We'll use them to deflect spells. Yes, hit spells."
"What!?" several students exclaimed at once.
"Like in Quidditch, a bit like a dodger?" asked Fred, interested.
"Something like that. Some spells, like Expelliarmus, will knock the sword from your hand. Others, like Stupefy, can be intercepted with the blade. So, your task is simple: quickly recognize which can be blocked and which you must dodge. Today, we'll only use those two spells. I don't want anyone ending up in the infirmary… yet."
"But why not just keep dodging like we used to?" asked Harry.
Einar didn't answer immediately. He simply raised both hands.
Sparks began to dance in his palms…
Then, a storm of lightning crashed down like a war tempest, striking nearby trees and leaving behind charred wood and smoking earth. A true magical turret.
"Can you dodge that?" Einar asked, his voice low but full of power.
"No…" Harry answered, astonished.
"And a magic shield?" Hermione asked quickly.
"That spell doesn't just damage," Einar explained. "It paralyzes… and drains the opponent's magic. If all you do is hold up a shield, eventually your energy will run out. And that'll be your end."
"But not every wizard uses spells as powerful as you, right?" said Cedric, trying to reason.
"True. But, for example, Dumbledore can summon a firestorm. I promise you, not even the best magical shield will stop the heat from cooking you like a cauldron."
"But they have spells. We… a sword. And a wooden one," Ron added again.
Einar sighed.
"By Akatosh… your blindness is annoying sometimes," he muttered as he summoned a golden sword. A dwarven greatsword floated beside him, glowing with ancient energy.
Ron stepped back, swallowing hard, and quickly hid behind Harry.
"Watch. I don't expect you to reach this level. But if you work hard… you can get close."
With a fluid motion, he cast a red spell forward. Upon touching the ground, it exploded violently. Fire and pressure spread like a wave.
Einar raised his greatsword and brought it down with force.
The explosion split in two.
The slash from his sword left a perfect line in the scorched earth, dividing the field in two.
"See?" said Einar casually. He then returned the sword to his magical sheath.
Everyone stood in silence. No one breathed. The devastation before them was proof enough that, if that spell had been cast at them, they'd be dead. And Einar had sliced it in half.
"Stop gawking. Form two teams. This will be all-out war. Only Expelliarmus and Stupefy are allowed. I don't want injuries. If anyone disobeys, they'll be expelled from the class. Understood?"
"Yes, Professor!" everyone shouted in unison, excited.
"Remember: don't just focus on the person in front of you. Anyone on the opposing team can attack," Einar warned.
And so, the battle began.
Shouts, spells, and clashing sounds echoed throughout the courtyard. Some professors had gathered to watch, concerned but attentive, making sure no one got hurt.
However, in Einar's classes, no one dared to fool around. Everyone knew that, though he was patient and fair, if he got angry, he could knock someone out with just a look.
"Why does it seem like you're training them for war?" asked Hagrid, watching alongside Flitwick and McGonagall.
Einar didn't take his eyes off the training.
"Just a feeling," he answered seriously.
Because even in a world that seemed peaceful…
Einar could feel something approaching. Something dark. Something that would endanger his students.
And if he had to challenge Dumbledore himself to protect them, he would.
With him there…
Hogwarts would be the safest school in the world.
With or without his presence.
⋯⋯⋯
"That was so much fun… even better than the snowball wars," said Fred, laughing, as everyone lay on the ground, drenched in sweat.
"Hahaha! Especially when everyone targeted Harry and he ended up rolling for his life," added George, bursting into laughter.
"I didn't think it was that funny…" Harry grumbled, pointing to the word "CORPSE" magically written on his forehead.
"What about me? I was the first one out! And it was friendly fire!" Ron protested indignantly as he sat up. Then he shot an accusing glare at his brothers. "I'm sure it was you two!"
"Hahaha!" Fred and George burst into laughter, not even bothering to deny it.
Meanwhile, Hermione was examining her forehead with a small hand mirror. She also had "CORPSE" written on it, and she frowned in annoyance. It was the first time Einar had written it on her. Until now, she'd always managed to stay safe during training, but not this time.
"Looks like you've joined the club," said Harry with a teasing grin. After all, Hermione used to be the only one of the trio who never ended up as a "corpse."
"Shut up," Hermione muttered, still staring at her reflection.
⋯⋯⋯
That day, Einar was training the third-year students in the gardens near the forest. A bit further away, Hagrid was teaching the fourth-years, guiding them through an activity with Nifflers who had to search for gold coins buried as part of a competition.
Einar's class, in contrast, was lively but orderly. They were learning to conjure magical shields and testing their resistance against each other with light spells.
Einar observed them calmly when he felt something small moving by his foot. He looked down with curiosity… and found a Niffler staring at him before nimbly climbing up to his waist and slipping into the bag he carried at his side.
"Hmm?" Einar raised an eyebrow and reached in to pull it out. Inside that bag were things that definitely shouldn't be within reach of a Niffler.
"Professor! You haven't seen a Niffler around here, have you?" asked Hermione, approaching with a worried look, scanning the ground.
"Are you talking about this one?" Einar replied, lifting the mischievous creature with one hand. The little animal was holding something shiny above its head… a crown.
But it wasn't just any crown. It was the Aetheric Crown, a jewel made of gold and diamonds that retained the power of a menhir " in this case, the power of the Philosopher's Stone. That crown could increase magical learning speed by 20%.
"Ah! I'm sorry. Professor Hagrid lent them to us for a kind of competition… we're supposed to search for gold coins around the area," Hermione quickly explained, reaching out to take the Niffler.
The little creature, upon seeing her, took off the crown and offered it to her naturally, as if it knew it had to.
Hermione took it gently. Her eyes sparkled at how beautiful it was… but she immediately returned it to Einar.
"It's yours," he said without taking it. "After all, he found it for you," he added with a smile.
"What? No, I can't accept this! It looks… incredibly expensive," Hermione stammered, visibly nervous.
"It's a special crown. It will help you learn magic faster," said Einar, extending his hand slowly to take it, giving her time to think.
"Then… I'll just borrow it for a while… I'll return it later," Hermione said, blushing slightly under Einar's gaze.
"That's fine," he replied calmly.
"Th-thank you. I need to get back to my group!" she said, turning around and almost running off, her face flushed.
Einar shook his head with a smile before turning his attention back to the students still training.
Later that day:
During his usual patrol of the Hogwarts grounds, keeping watch so that no creature from the Forbidden Forest got too close, Einar crossed paths with Fleur Delacour. The young woman was walking alone back to the Beauxbatons carriage.
"Professor Einar, it's a pleasure to see you. I'm sorry I didn't come earlier to thank you for the photo of my grandfather. I've been a bit… busy," Fleur said with a smile, although in truth she had been avoiding Einar because her sister kept teasing her about him, making her blush just at the thought.
"It's all right," he said in his usual calm and serene tone. "What are you doing out so late?"
"They just showed us the last task. It'll be a maze," she explained, visibly excited.
"A maze?" Einar repeated, frowning. He didn't like the idea. If the same incompetents who designed the previous tasks were still in charge, this one wouldn't be simple either. Part of him wanted to go rip off a few limbs, but he knew he couldn't interfere openly. After all, it was an honor for the four champions to complete the trials on their own.
Thoughtful, Einar looked at Fleur for a moment… then pulled out several magical tomes, placing them carefully in her arms.
"Candlelight, Oak Skin, Freeze, Healing, Calm, and Clairvoyance. They'll be useful in the last task. Just in case," he said before Fleur could ask anything. "But it's up to you whether you can master them."
"Spells? But… wouldn't that be cheating?" she asked, a bit confused upon seeing the runic covers of the books.
"I'll give Clairvoyance to the other champions too," Einar replied, unconcerned.
Fleur understood immediately. Only "Clairvoyance" would be shared. The other spells… were a gift just for her. She felt heat rise to her face until she turned as red as a tomato.
"Thank you…" she finally whispered.
Einar frowned, his gaze fixed on the shadows of the Forbidden Forest.
"Return to the carriage and study the spells. Stay there," he ordered in a grave voice, his eyes still on the horizon.
"All right," Fleur replied, not noticing the change in his expression. She trotted off, light and happy, as if floating across the grass.
Once she disappeared from his sight, Einar slowly drew his sword. The blade, forged from an ancient alloy, shimmered with a faint bluish glow under the moonlight. With firm steps, he ventured into the trees.
He advanced without hesitation, guided by a bad feeling. It didn't take long for him to find Harry and Cedric, crouching next to an older man covered in wounds with a lost gaze. He looked like a vagabond, a madman. But Einar recognized him immediately.
Barty Crouch.
"What are you doing?" Einar asked in a harsh voice, appearing from the shadows. His sudden presence made Harry and Cedric spin around, startled.
"Professor Einar! This man... he appeared like this, from the forest," Harry explained quickly. Cedric nodded, confirming his version.
"Should we get help?" Harry asked. But before he could get an answer, Crouch grabbed his tunic desperately.
"Dumbledore?... I need to see... Dumbledore," he murmured in a broken voice.
"Go for help," Einar ordered Cedric. He didn't hesitate and ran back to the castle as fast as he could.
"You!" Crouch shouted as he saw Einar. His voice, full of rage and madness, pointed a trembling finger at him. "You ruined me! You ruined me!! It's your fault!" he screamed while sobbing. "No... no... I did something foolish..."
Suddenly, he turned toward a nearby tree and began muttering as if talking to an invisible person.
"Thank you, Waterby... And then I want some tea... My wife and son will be here soon... we're going to see a play with Fudge... My son got twelve O.W.L.s... Yes, of course I'm proud..."
"What do we do, Professor?" Harry asked, unable to take his eyes off the man crumbling before them.
"It was my fault, Berta... dead... My son... I have to tell Dumbledore..."
But Einar was no longer listening. His gaze was fixed, tense. He felt the danger. Something was moving.
"Harry, fall back. Prioritize your safety," he said in a low voice, sharp as his sword.
"What is he talking about...?" Harry started, but couldn't finish.
A rain of spells emerged from the trees, heading straight for Crouch.
Without thinking, Einar pushed Harry aside, throwing the old man to the ground to protect him. At the same time, he summoned his bow and fired an enchanted arrow with such speed that it broke the sound barrier.
The projectile disappeared into the trees, but a scream of pain confirmed that it had hit its target.
"Protection!" Harry shouted, taking up a defensive stance with his wand in front.
The spells kept coming, relentless. Einar fired continuously, holding his position between the attackers and the boy. He couldn't move too much; if one managed to slip through and flank them, Harry would be in danger.
A green light crossed the air, heading straight for Crouch's trembling body.
Einar reacted instantly. With a brutal kick to the ground, he raised an enchanted shard of earth that intercepted the Avada Kedavra just in time.
Without losing momentum, he raised his left arm.
"Kill them!" he roared as an Ice Atronach was summoned.
The air froze. A titanic, bluish figure emerged from a runic circle, roaring with cold fury before charging into the forest, hunting the enemies with relentless savagery.
Einar stood firm in front of Harry, his senses stretched, scanning every corner, every sound, every movement.
An eternal few seconds passed. Then, the Atronach returned. With reverence, it knelt before Einar before vanishing into a cloud of frost that dissipated in the wind.
"What happened here?" exclaimed Professor McGonagall, appearing with several other teachers as she looked with alarm at Crouch lying on the ground and Harry still holding his wand up.
"Stay alert," Einar ordered sternly. Then, without further explanation, he ventured into the forest.
In minutes, he found the bodies. One by one, he examined them. Assassins. All of them.
Except one.
That one had a mark on its arm. A snake emerging from a skull. Which seemed to become more alive with every passing moment.
"Perfect," Einar murmured sarcastically, wiping the blood from his gloves. "Another day at the safest school in the world..."
With one last look at the starry sky, he turned and returned to the others.