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Chapter 4 - "Sah, yes sah!"

His dreams were an odd jumble of basic training and Azkaban and the smell of sandalwood and fragments of memories and insights into Voldemort's inner circle. Images which included to his horror a beautiful dark haired lady with incredibly dark familiar eyes; Bellatrix Lestrange.

Harry shot bolt upright in a cold sweat and looked around half-expecting to see death-eaters in the bedroom.

"What brought that on?" he puzzled, "talk about the ultimate mood killer, Bellatrix Lestrange in my bed? It's enough to put a bloke off birds!"

He pondered that thought for just a moment; shook his head and said "nahhh!"

He had a fitful night and woke the next morning rested, but not refreshed as he had the previous three mornings.

"I guess my lady found herself another dreamer to seduce" Harry thought, "pity. I was beginning to look forward to sleeping."

His thoughts came back around to Bellatrix. How could he be having erotic dreams about his godfather's murderer?

"She is beautiful though" a traitorous thought weaseled in.

"She's gotta be like forty or something."

"More like thirty-something; she looks like she's twenty-something, and witches live a lot longer than muggles."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that when you live two to three times as long as the muggles age differences of a mere decade or two don't matter."

"She's a maniac and a murderer."

"She's twisted like a pretzel not doubt, but is she a murderer?"

"Hell yes, she killed Sirius."

"She caused his death but was it murder?"

"What does that mean?"

"Did you see her cast a killing curse?"

"No."

"What did she cast?"

"It was a stunner, I could tell by the color."

"If she wanted him dead wouldn't she have cast an A-K?"

"Maybe."

"How did she act when Sirius went through the veil?"

"Triumphant."

"Triumphant yes, because she got him with a stunning curse, but what about when he didn't return from the veil?"

"I don't know - things got a little hairy after that. . ."

"Pity you don't have a penseive, you could look at that memory again."

"As much fun as this is, arguing with myself, I think I'd like to get some breakfast before Sergeant Major Moody comes to call."

Harry went down to the kitchen and smelled eggs and bacon on a plate under some foil. Apparently Petunia had made enough for leftovers. Harry didn't really register how acute his sense of smell had become until he lifted the foil and the smell seemed to explode off the plate.

Moody arrived ten minutes later and immediately cast the blond glamour then he and Harry apparated to the training grounds. When they arrived it was more or less a repeat of the previous morning but after lunch they were scheduled to run "tactical drills."

Harry paired up with Baxter this morning and was soon having to pick up the affable recruit every other spell.

"Cor, Ha - I mean James, I'm going ta need a little help heah" he looked around and found Recruit Squad Leader Smythe, "Oi, RSL!"

Smythe looked over his shoulder at them, "all right?"

"Harry needs more challenge than I can give, how 'bout it?"

The RSL smiled "think he can take the two o' us?"

"I dunno RSL, he seems in rare form t'day f'some reason."

"Must na' have gotten a leg over las' night - makes a bloke mean."

"Is tha' why you're the best out here RSL?"

Smythe gave Baxter a withering glare and looked at Harry before asking "all right recruit?"

"Nevah bettah RSL"

With that the two on one commenced, Harry gave as good as he got. Sometimes the combined spell work by Baxter and Smythe were enough to take him down but he was able to play one man's position off another more often than not. He had just landed a spectacularly successful combination where his spell ricocheted off Baxter's shield and hit Smythe; when Baxter took his eyes off Harry to check on the Recruit Squad Leader Harry stunned him.

Harry pumped his fist in the air much the same way he did when he caught the snitch, but he had the presence of mind to keep his wand leveled on his two opponents the whole time. That, probably more than the combination shot, got Moody's attention.

"Evans" he growled.

Harry took a moment for it to register that he was Evans.

"Sah?" he replied.

Moody got within whispering distance and said in a hoarse whisper "if yer gonna play the part of a recruit the first and last word out of your mouth when speaking to a superior officer will be 'sah,' unnerstand?"

"Sah, yes sah!"

"Now to the why I hobbled ovah; tha' was some spot on sparrin' there - d'ye think you could teach the others that trick?"

Harry answered with a surprised "Sah, yes sah."

"After lunch then" Moody nodded and limped away.

"Mess call!"

Marietta jogged over and helped Smythe and Baxter up and the four of them headed for the open mess. Harry enjoyed the kebabs and a chick pea and carrot salad and had a perfectly respectable treacle tart for afters.

After lunch the platoon met back at the training grounds for a demonstration of "innovative sparring techniques." Recruit Evans was called to demonstrate. Harry put on his DA persona and described the spells he used in detail, directed other recruits to demonstrate the hexes to the group at large then had them work on their individual protegos.

"When a spell hits your shield your opponent can see if it's a flat surface or a curved surface. Most shield spells are flat and predictable."

Harry had three random recruits stand in a staggered formation then shouted "Face off!"

The three recruits didn't hesitate, they started firing stunners at Harry immediately, the only problem was he wasn't there. He had apparated behind his three sparring partners and bound them together as one mass of six arms and legs in an all encompassing incarcerous hex.

"Rule number one, don't be predictable!" Harry instructed; then called "Baxter, Edgecombe!"

He was gratified to see the real auror recruits jog up to him as if he were a drill instructor.
"RSL Smythe, if you please?"

Smythe came forward but at a more relaxed pace, more as an equal than a subordinate. "Smythe please pick two recruits and prepare to face off."

The RSL chose two of the burliest auror candidates in the platoon, both of them fellow Recruit Squad Leaders.

"Oh shite Harr, I mean Evans. . .we're gonna get right done to" Marietta groused.

"We're fine here; just keep close and when I say 'now' close your eyes tight, okay?"

They both nodded and took deep cleansing breaths.

The Squad Leader Trio spread out trying to out flank Harry's group Harry called out Edgecombe left, Baxter right, I've got Smythe!"

The stunners flew rapid-fire from the burly trainees but the shields held as Harry was supplementing his team's shields with his own.

Over the din of shielded wand fire Harry called out "when I say 'now,' close your eyes, when I say 'reducto' blast the ground at your man's feet, ready. . .now!"

Harry's wand gave off a flash that would have everyone watching seeing spots for a week.

"Reducto!"

Three blasts hit the ground at their opponent's feet and the dazed and disoriented recruits fell on their faces.

"Stupefy!"

"Incarcerous!"

"Petrificus totalus!"

And the match was over.

"Recruit Evans!"

"Sah, yes sah!" Harry called back to Moody. This was getting fun, playing auror cadet.

"Front and centah!"

"Sah, yes sah!" he shouted as he ran to the voice.

Harry had been expecting to run up to Moody, but was directed over to a taller, older man.

"Evans, this is Commandant Hayden."

Harry didn't know what to do, was he supposed to salute? He didn't even know how so he stood ramrod straight awaiting orders.

"Good show, recruit! That was some of the finest teamwork I've ever seen on this facility!"

Moody looked at Harry, then at the Commandant, then back to Harry as if to say 'say something!'

"Sah, thank you sah, doin' my best to learn sah!"

"I'd say you're doing bettah than that recruit, whot's the name again?"

"Evans sah, recruit Evans sah!"

"Now that's where you're wrong, your name is RPL Evans until I say otherwise!"

"Sah, yes sah. Thank you sah!"

Commandant Hayden strolled away in a very good mood, Harry looked dazed and confused and Moody put his face in his hands and grumbled "oh shite, shite, shite!"

"Uh, RPL Evans, sah?" Marietta asked hesitatingly, "a word if you please, sah?"

Harry let himself be led off by Edgecombe.

"What is RPL and why are you calling me 'sir?'"

"Because you are now the Recruit Platoon Leader and you have the honorary rank of a captain is why, sah."

Harry closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and repeated what Moody had said moments before.