They haven't reached 600 power stones yet, but they're close. I don't want to be waiting around to add the extra chapter when they do, so I'm just leaving it here now.
PD: I already have an idea in my head. But how do you all think Einar will react when he finds out that students and family members will be used as hostages in the second task?
,,,,,,,,,,,,
After the first task, Harry seemed calmer. He even looked happy, and his fellow Gryffindors had drawn images of him facing a great dragon that appeared to bow to his commands.
Einar watched him from afar, a proud smile on his lips. It was the same expression he had when he saw his dragon cubs improve after tough training sessions.
To give him a break, he let Harry attend one of Hagrid's classes. Since he had no classes himself for a couple of hours, he decided to join them and observe the peculiar creatures Hagrid had prepared.
There were fewer than the first time he saw them. According to Hagrid, their killer instinct only targeted members of their own species. Perhaps, Einar thought, even those creatures knew they shouldn't exist.
"Thanks for your help, Einar. It's nice having another professor around in case the students get hurt," Hagrid said with a kind smile.
Einar replied with a calm smile, saying nothing.
The students looked on with disgust and fear at the creatures crawling before them. Some were insects, others too strange to even have names. But Hagrid didn't seem to notice their expressions.
"I don't know if they hibernate… so today we're going to try to put them to sleep," he said in a didactic tone. "Then we'll put them in this box."
The boxes were filled with pillows and soft blankets, like cribs.
"We'll put them inside, cover the boxes… and see what happens," he added.
Even Einar felt the urge to laugh at his friend's pedagogical style, but as his sworn brother, he would never criticize him.
As expected, the Blast-Ended Skrewts had no interest in sleeping. In fact, they grew furious when someone tried to trap them.
The explosions started almost immediately. The students ran in all directions, dodging the glowing tails that exploded with force.
"Don't panic, don't panic!" shouted Hagrid, not even sure if he was talking to the students or the creatures.
Chaos broke loose. The Skrewts scattered, slipping into the pumpkin patch while the boxes burst into flames.
Many students fled toward Hagrid's hut, but some brave ones stayed behind to help. That's when Einar stepped in.
With overwhelming calm, he approached and caught the Skrewts one by one with his bare hands, unafraid and without effort. His body moved with the certainty of a warrior who had hunted beasts far more terrifying.
With his help, the creatures were locked up without any student getting hurt.
"Brilliant, Einar! Lucky you decided to come to class," Hagrid exclaimed with a nervous smile.
The students began to come out of the hut, relieved to see the danger had passed.
"Well… that looked fun," said a strange voice, catching everyone's attention.
Leaning against the fence, Rita Skeeter observed with clear interest.
"Who are you?" asked Hagrid, frowning.
"Rita Skeeter, reporter for the Prophet."
"Didn't Dumbledore ban you from entering Hogwarts?" Hagrid shot back upon recognizing her.
"What are these fascinating creatures called?" she asked, ignoring the question.
"Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid answered without thinking.
"Never heard of them. Where do they come from?" she pressed, with fake curiosity.
Hagrid turned pale, like his soul had left his body for a moment. Einar knew the truth: those creatures had been bred through forced crossbreeding, something forbidden by magical law.
Fortunately, Hermione intervened.
"Yes! They're amazing, right, Harry?"
"Y-yeah… they are," Harry replied awkwardly.
"Oh, Harry, I hadn't seen you there. Do you enjoy Care of Magical Creatures?" Skeeter asked quickly.
"Yes…" he answered automatically, making Hagrid smile.
"And how long have you been teaching, professor?" Rita asked as she glanced at the students, some still coming out of the hut with dirty and torn clothes, though unharmed thanks to Einar.
"This is just my second year," Hagrid replied modestly.
"Lovely. Would you be willing to give me an interview? You could share your experience with magical creatures. The Prophet publishes a zoology column every Wednesday… we could talk about these… positively-tailed scorbuts."
"Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid corrected. "And… why not?"
Harry frowned. A chill ran down his spine. He remembered his experience with that woman: the distorted interview, the lies published. He couldn't trust her, but he couldn't say it out loud in front of everyone either.
However, someone had no such qualms.
"She sounds suspicious… like someone who'd lie without remorse for a bit of fame," Einar said, his voice emerging from nowhere.
Rita flinched as she felt him next to her. She turned quickly, recognizing the young man with the mask: the professor who had spoken with authority after the first task.
"Oh… so you're the new young professor," she said, feigning calm.
"You led the entire conversation with Hagrid to push him into an interview. A clever verbal manipulation. Admirable, though predictable," Einar said serenely.
"H-how can you say that? I just want an interview, as I said…"
"In that case, you should be a reporter specializing in magical creatures. But you didn't even bother to observe them for two seconds," he replied, without raising his voice.
"I…"
"Please leave the castle grounds before I am forced to consider you a threat to my students," Einar warned, his tone as grave and ancient as a winter wind.
The air around him seemed to grow colder. Rita trembled, swallowed hard, and said in a strained voice:
"Ahem… of course. Hagrid, if you want the interview, you know where to find me."
She gave Einar one last look, but his eyes were still fixed on her, cold as steel. Rita turned and walked away quickly.
"Amateur," Einar muttered with a mocking smile.
"Hagrid, you have to be careful with that woman. She'll twist everything you say. She did it to me," said Harry, sighing with relief.
"Well… I'll be careful," Hagrid replied, scratching his head.
Later that day, Einar went to the kitchen in search of something to eat. Upon entering, his eyes fell on the golden trio: Harry, Ron, and Hermione, gathered once again. They were talking to a house-elf who clearly seemed drunk. It was probably something related to the house-elf liberation group.
"Bagman is a bad man, very bad! Master told Winky things, but Winky won't say them!" the elf shouted, swaying.
Einar paused for a moment when he heard that. He observed the scene with indifference, picked up his food, and left"like none of it truly concerned him.
...…
The next day, something unusual happened at Hogwarts.
It was the weekend"a day meant for rest. However, Einar, with that stern gaze and deep voice of his, appeared in the Great Hall and asked a simple question:
"Who wants a special class?"
To his surprise"or perhaps not"everyone agreed immediately. It wasn't just out of respect... it was the thrill, the curiosity, the desire to grow stronger.
Minutes later, the makeshift training field was packed. All four houses were there, students of every year playing with their enchanted daggers"the ones they had worked so hard to create under Einar's guidance. At last, they could use them without fear, since he had cast a spell on them to prevent any real harm… at least, not physical harm.
"Today, we won't use magic," he announced firmly as he watched them closely. "Today, you'll learn to fight with your fists"and with the daggers you forged yourselves."
"You're going to teach us martial arts?" asked a Ravenclaw, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Einar turned his gaze to Hermione, who"as always"took the initiative.
"Martial arts are physical and mental disciplines focused on combat, self-defense, and control over the body, mind, and emotions," she explained swiftly.
Einar nodded slightly before speaking calmly:
"What I'll teach you may seem similar. But the style I know has no graceful moves. It's a rough style… Nordic. Based on exploiting the enemy's weaknesses, unbalancing them with words"or a single well-placed blow. In my homeland, we fight to survive. And today… you will learn to do the same."
He walked among the students, then stopped, raising a small dagger for all to see.
"Why do you think I had you forge daggers and not swords?"
"Because we're weak!" shouted Fred, making everyone laugh.
Even Einar smiled. That was one of his favorite phrases. But this time, his answer was deeper:
"Yes… partly. But mostly because wizards are used to casting spells. They're good at aiming. And a dagger, well-thrown… can be just as deadly as any curse."
Without further words, he threw his dagger. It vanished into the air with inhuman speed. A second later, a nearby tree gave off a sharp crack… and froze completely. Then, the dagger floated back into his hand before vanishing.
"It's not just about aim. Harry, come."
The Chosen One stepped forward without hesitation, wand in hand. He was already used to being Einar's volunteer.
"If one has good reflexes"something we've trained from day one"and enough speed…"
He nodded at Harry. Harry launched quick spells. But Einar dodged them with ease. Then, he vanished, dissolving like mist. When Harry saw him again, he felt a chill at his neck. He looked down… and Einar's dagger was gently resting there.
Cedric recognized the move: it was the perfect combination of muffled steps, invisibility, stealth, and speed. The same style he had used to steal the dragon's egg.
"This was just a demonstration… perhaps an arrogant one. But the important thing is that you too can defend yourselves if someone tries to catch you off guard. Even without a wand. Even without weapons."
Then the real lesson began.
Einar taught them the weak points of the human body, where a blow hurts the most, how to throw effective punches, and how daggers could be lethal tools if used with intelligence.
It was a class without magic"but full of power.
Afterwards, he paired them off. The enchanted daggers caused no harm but marked the "defeated" with a floating word above their heads: dead, or avenged to the death, depending on the result.
For three hours, the training field was filled with laughter, shouts, and mock duels… but intense ones. Until Einar, seeing they were already exhausted, raised his voice:
"All right, that's enough for today. From now on, I'll create a game… a tournament. You'll be able to duel each day, and at the end of the month, the champion can choose between a unique enchanted object"or a forbidden spell you'll never learn at Hogwarts."
A murmur of excitement swept through the group.
"What kind of spells?" several asked.
Einar crossed his arms and listed them calmly:
"From hardening your skin like stone, to summoning firestorms, causing mass paralysis, creating explosive runes… or even transmuting metals: turning iron into silver… and then into gold."
The Weasley twins darted over like arrows.
"You can do that without the Philosopher's Stone?" they asked in unison, wide-eyed.
"Yes," Einar replied, with an enigmatic smile.
Then, he pulled out a piece of iron. He turned it into silver. Waited a few seconds. Then transformed it into pure gold"right before everyone's astonished eyes.
Obviously, only someone with his level of magicka could cast the spell consecutively. But he didn't need to say it… the seed was already planted.
The students"especially the Weasleys"were now looking at him as if he were a warrior god.
"Go take a bath," he said at last, in a calm tone. "And relax. You've earned it."
From that day forward, Einar's Dueling Club was born.
It wasn't just a magical club"it was a battlefield where they trained with fists, weapons, and wit. Every morning before class, the students gathered to face off. He watched over them, healed them… and guided them.
Though some teachers tried to complain, Einar simply registered his club like any other professor would. And he made it clear: if they wanted to question his methods… he would have the right to question theirs too.
Thus, a new kind of education was born at Hogwarts.
A harsher one.
A more real one.
And a much more exciting one.
The kind of teaching that leaves marks… even if they're just illusions floating above your head.
.....
"Professor, why are we at the lake in the middle of winter?" asked Harry, shivering as he tried to keep his balance. Einar had forced them to dress as if they were going swimming… in the freezing water.
"Well, it's an obvious answer, isn't it?" Einar said calmly as he stepped into the lake like it was nothing.
After all, he was a Nord. For him, the weather in England"even in the heart of winter"was warmer than what he was used to.
In Skyrim, he rarely needed protection from the cold. His days were filled with blizzards and endless snowfall… this kind of winter was nothing to him.
"We'll train to fight on any terrain"land, air, or water. And since we have a great lake right here, we'll continue with aquatic battles," he declared calmly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"But sir, how are we supposed to fight underwater if we can't breathe in it?" Cedric quickly asked. "We haven't learned the Bubble-Head Charm yet," he added, unable to hide the concern in his voice.
Einar stopped.
He rummaged through his gear and, without a word, tossed the Mask of Volsung to Harry and the Helm of Mortal Stigma to Cedric.
"Use these," he ordered serenely. "When today's training is over, I'll give you a grimoire with the Water Breathing spell. But I warn you: it's harder to learn, so you'll be able to study it at your own pace."
With that, he cast a spell on himself and dove once more into the icy waters of the lake.
Cedric and Harry looked at the mask and helmet uncertainly… but in the end, they put them on as their feet touched the frozen surface. They were shaking.
"You can do it!" Hermione shouted from the shore, standing next to Neville in front of a campfire Einar had prepared to warm them afterward.
"Easy for you to say from there," Harry muttered with a grimace.
The truth was, Einar had already deciphered the golden egg's message. He knew exactly what it said…
But he wanted them to figure it out on their own.
Even so, he wouldn't leave them defenseless.
Even if they failed to find the clue, they would be prepared.
And if they succeeded… they'd realize Einar had been training them for it from the start.
Harry and Cedric remained out of the water, struggling to summon the courage to dive in. But the cold was overwhelming.
Then Einar emerged from the lake.
The most interesting part…
He was completely dry.
Not a single drop had touched him, protected by the enchantments on his clothing.
"Sigh… I always forget you're not that resilient," he said with a sigh before pointing his wand at them and casting a protection spell against the cold.
Both of them, who had been trembling uncontrollably, immediately felt a comforting warmth spread through their bodies.
Even as they touched the water, they no longer felt ice"just moisture.
Without hesitation, they put on the mask and the helmet and dove into the lake with renewed confidence.
They trusted Einar.
His spells.
His weapons.
Because after weeks of training… they knew exactly what he was capable of.