Chapter 17: 1-7: Sensei

Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.

Given her eager and inquisitive nature, the arrival of Hermione Granger at his door that afternoon didn't come as much surprise to Iruka, who beckoned the girl into his office with a smile. "Welcome, Ms. Granger. Before we begin, I'd like to give ten points to Gryffindor for assisting a Professor. It would have been more and earlier, but I don't know whether the point assignments are recorded anywhere, and I don't want Quirrell finding out that it was you who thwarted his attempt on Mr. Potter's life this morning."

The first-year added shock to her existing expression of confusion. "Professor Quirrell? But I thought Professor Snape..."

"Ah, you thought he was the one responsible? That would explain why you set him on fire." Iruka grinned wryly. "I'd been thinking he was a target of opportunity or intended as a diversion of some kind. No, Quirrell was the only one there putting out any sakki, or murderous intent, and it was as soon as you knocked him over that the trouble stopped. I had been trying to block his line of sight using mist, but a well-intentioned colleague kept dispersing it before it completely formed. Your actions saved me from having to act more openly and revealing more than I would have liked, so thank you for that. Anyway, I'm guessing you got a favorable response from your parents?"

His student responded by numbly holding out a folded sheet of paper while wearing a similar stunned and bewildered expression to those experiencing YOUTH! for the first time. "I got my parents' reply this morning," she said quietly, "and they've given their permission to take lessons from you." Iruka found the paper to be a handwritten note from her parents granting permission for their daughter to take supplementary lessons on his native magics, with the understanding that nothing in the lessons would be harmful, dangerous, or age-inappropriate.

With a satisfied nod, the displaced ninja dropped the note into a desk drawer. "Excellent. Would you like to begin now?" Her rapid nodding drew an amused smile. "Why don't you have a seat, then? I'll make us some fresh tea while we talk." Knowing that his newest student would prefer a more structured environment, he chose to remain behind his desk for now, rather than focusing on approachability as he had with Harry and Neville.

"Now, I'm guessing that your first questions are about how I moved the way I did Tuesday night. The people of my homeland know how to use an energy we call 'chakra', which from my research seems to be related to magic but also different. One of those differences is in how we use the two energies."

"With magic, it's mostly used in wand-based spells, such as charms and transfigurations, and generally aimed at something external. With chakra, much of how we use it is internal, or at least very close to our bodies. As you saw, it can be used to greatly boost one's speed, strength, agility, and reflexes; it also can improve senses and resistance to injury. When I was running on the walls and ceiling, it was by gathering a carefully-balanced amount of chakra in the soles of my feet to be able to stand somewhere that wouldn't normally be possible. And, of course, it's all wandless, though some people do use tools or foci for specific things. There are other things that chakra can be used for, such as the mist this morning, but we'll be focusing mostly on self-application."

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After a brief bit of discussion of chakra theory (reassuring Hermione that they'd cover the topic in greater depth later), they moved on to the meditation exercises. Hermione had a great deal of difficulty entering and maintaining a meditative state - her mind was too active to easily quiet her thoughts. It was going to be a work-in-progress, though Iruka suspected that once she mastered the early steps, the later ones would come much more quickly and easily given her already-disciplined mind.

During the chat that followed the meditation lesson, he decided to broach a more difficult topic. "I had already been planning to speak to you about this, or ask Professor McGonagall to do it, but Tuesday's incident changed the timetable a bit. You've probably already realized this somewhat, but your behavior has been alienating your fellow students somewhat." The girl's expression showed shock, hurt, and at least a hint of betrayal. She opened her mouth to respond but Iruka held up a hand to forestall her. "We both know that it's not intentional on your part, and that you're trying your hardest, but you need to understand how some of your actions and words come across to your peers."

"For starters, there's your academic success. I would never tell you to slack off in your classes; any teacher worth the title should encourage their students to reach as far as they can. However, I'm sure you can see how other students are going to be jealous of your talents, the same way they're jealous of their peers who are more popular than they are, better at Quidditch, better looking, or in any other way more successful in something. That's just human nature - nothing anyone can do will change it. What we can do is change how we handle our own success. Think of the fellow student you've found yourself most resenting, either here or at a previous school. Would you even consider describing them as 'humble'?" At Hermione's scowl and vigorous head-shake, he continued. "I'm betting that they were rich, or popular, or something along those lines?" A nod. "Now think of other students that share the same type of success, and think of the ones you don't dislike. Compare them. What's the big difference?"

After a few moments' though, Hermione responded. "They don't strut around, or sneer at other people. The likeable students are humble; the unlikeable ones are arrogant or conceited."

Iruka smiled proudly at his student. "Exactly. They have their successes, but they don't flaunt them or rub them in other people's faces. Now, look at your own behavior as it relates to your academic success. Do you answer questions when asked, offer other people your knowledge, or spout information without prompting? Do you ever criticize others for not living up to your academic standards? Do you give others a chance to show their own intelligence?" He paused to allow her to ponder his questions. The look of concentration on her face gradually became more of a frown, as she was clearly not liking the answers that she was finding.

"I spoke to Professor Flitwick about the Charms class that prompted Mr. Weasley's rude comments, and while his words were inappropriate, you need to understand the mistake you made as well. When he was having trouble with the Levitation Charm, you didn't say 'would you like some help', but instead something closer to 'you're doing it wrong'. It may not have been deliberate, but you were definitely insulting and somewhat arrogant in your attitude."

"Your professors have also noted that your essays are often much longer than what was assigned. Going a bit over is fine, as long as what you've written is relevant and not padded, but constantly overshooting by a wide margin can be a problem. Remember, the professors you're handing these to have to grade dozens of essays; even if you impress them with your knowledge, they won't appreciate having to spend half again as much time reading your work as any of your classmates. Reciting facts by rote will get you by, but what they're really looking for is your understanding of the material. For another thing, consider how it looks to other students: They work hard just to make the required length, and you're visibly and blatantly outstripping their efforts. To them, it could look like you're showing off."

"Again, I'm not telling you to give less than your best effort, but try to change the way you do it. When a professor asks a question in class, give other students a chance to answer before you raise your hand. Go ahead and offer your help sometimes when someone is struggling, but be patient with people that don't grasp things as quickly as you do. If your essay is much longer than requested, especially if it's over a stated maximum length, look it over and ask whether everything you've written is really relevant. Try and condense what you've written down to its' essential points; it will impress the professor more if you can show a greater depth of understanding and draw conclusions on your own."

Hermione was staring at him with rapt attention, and her hands twitched slightly, as if wishing for some sort of writing materials to take notes.

"There's a lot of world outside your books, Ms. Granger. Make sure that you look up from the books now and then, and see the world around you. Also, always remember this very important fact: Books are written by people. People can make mistakes, they can omit facts, they can have biases, and they can lie. If a wizard writes a book about magical history, chances are that book will paint wizards from their country in the best light. This doesn't mean that books are worthless, just that they're not perfectly correct and complete. If what's written in a book doesn't match reality, chances are it's not reality that's wrong."

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"Okay, it's almost time for dinner, so we should probably wrap this up for today. We can work out a regular meeting time if you'd like to keep having private talks; you wouldn't be the only student I'm working with. For now, you should head down to the Great Hall, and I'd like you to ask Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom to follow you after breakfast tomorrow; I'm hoping we can make a start on the more physical side of training for all three of you. We can all use the room I train in: It's on the seventh floor, by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls to dance. Do you know where that is?" The shake of Hermione's head left him to think for a moment before coming to a decision.

"Flippy!" The house-elf appeared with a muffled crack, startling the girl. "Flippy, this is Hermione Granger, one of the students I'm tutoring. She'll be calling you after lunch, and I'd like you to lead her and her companions up to the Come and Go Room." He turned to his student, who was looking at Flippy with curiosity and a hint of recognition. "Hermione, this is Flippy. Since, judging by your expression, you're not particularly familiar with her kind, I should explain that she's a house-elf. They're symbiotic beings that work in magical places in exchange for room, board, and a bit of magic. Nothing makes them happier than working to take care of people they like, and they're very proud of their work. Don't try to pay them - they consider it an insult - and never try to pass them or offer them any item of clothing, as giving a house-elf clothes is considered somewhere between sacking an employee and disowning a family member. That's why they wear garments made from non-clothing items like towels, pillowcases, curtains, and the like."

"Anyway, after breakfast, call for Flippy. If the three of you can't do training tomorrow morning, just tell her to let me know. Otherwise, she'll show the three of you where to go to find the room we'll be working in. Don't go announcing things to everyone, but don't actively try to hide it either: Hiding our training sessions would imply that we're doing something we shouldn't. If asked about them, tell the truth, or refer the person to me for answers. We're not doing anything wrong, but at the same time I'd still prefer that only people we can trust know about what I can do, especially considering Quirrell's actions today."

"About that, Professor, what's going to happen to Professor Quirrell?" Hermione was clearly struggling with the situation: On the one hand, Quirrell was a Professor and thus a Respectable Authority Figure; on the other, he had just tried to murder a classmate that had the potential to be her friend.

"For the moment," Iruka responded with a slight frown, "I'm afraid the answer is 'nothing'. I and others are aware of the problem, but we don't have any real proof we could present to see him dealt with."

Now her expression shifted to a frown of concentration. "You don't want him realizing you know it was him until you're sure you can get him removed?"

"Removed, arrested, anything that would get him away from students. Today was actually at least the second time he's endangered a student." Iruka told her with a proud smile.

"The second?" He watched as she puzzled over his statement before her eyes widened. "The troll?!" She nearly shrieked the last word.

His smile widened. "Very good. Yes, we're pretty sure he let the troll in, likely to distract attention while he headed for the forbidden corridor. I doubt he was happy when almost everyone ended up staying inside the Great Hall," he commented with a slightly smug smirk, "leaving him no chance to slip away."

"Regardless," Iruka continued, "for the time being you should mostly just keep your head down and try to avoid showing suspicion while taking reasonable precautions: Avoid eye contact until you can repel a passive Legilimency scan; don't let yourself or your friends end up alone with him, or make sure an adult that's in the loop knows about it if you can't avoid it. Right now, the only faculty I know for sure suspect Quirrell are myself and the Headmaster, but I'll let you know about any others. Finally, if something feels wrong, get a member of staff involved, even if they're not 'in the know' - better we tip our hand early than let someone get hurt, after all."

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Iruka was waiting in the Room when his three pupils arrived and promptly began gaping at the configuration he had set. The door opened into a small vestibule, with a door in each of the side walls near the entrance, marked with simple male and female figures; these doors led to modest shower/changing rooms. Next to these were a small set of cubbyholes on both side walls, one of which currently contained Iruka's teaching robes, socks, and dragon-hide boots, while another held his shinobi sandals. From the wood-floored vestibule was a slight step up onto the padded floor of the main training area.

In terms of footprint, the room was a large oval, even bigger than the Great Hall (and far larger than this part of the castle should have permitted), with a running track marked out all around its edge. The vestibule was set near the left-hand end of one of the straight sides. Inside from the running track in the nearer rounded end of the room was a meter-deep pool of water, while the far end housed a circle of grass-covered earth, from which tall straight-trunked trees reached towards an all-glass ceiling high overhead. A course of low balance beams and other simple obstacles ran most of the room's length, with some of the obstacles set in or on the water or among the trees, and mirrors covered the straight portion of the far wall.

Standing just inside from the vestibule and wearing his full uniform (minus sandals), the chuunin greeted his newest group of pupils. "Welcome to my training room. Through these doors are changing areas, where I've taken the liberty of providing suitable exercise clothes for each of you." He'd gotten their sizes from the house-elves and picked up T-shirts and tracksuits in London. "Hogwarts' school robes are fine for classwork, but they're a bit too restrictive for what we'll be doing. You'll also be able to shower before changing back. Go ahead and get changed now - you can leave your clothes and shoes in either the changing rooms or the cubbyholes, whichever you'd prefer."

A few minutes later the three returned, and Iruka beckoned them up onto the mats. He began with a soft smile, "When we're not in class, you can call me 'Iruka-sensei', or just 'Sensei'. The word 'sensei' means 'teacher' in my language, and it's what all my students back home call me. In return, I'd like to be able to keep calling you by your first names during our talks and training. Anyway, this room is where we'll be doing the more physical side of your training, along with any other group lessons, though individual meetings can certainly continue either regularly or just as-needed. Now, let's get started with a little warm-up..."

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In deference to his students' relative lack of physical conditioning, Iruka had them alternating between demanding exercise and less strenuous tasks like learning the first Academy kata, or working on their balance, interspersed with occasional rest breaks. It didn't particularly surprise him that Harry handled the calisthenics best, while Neville with his sheltered upbringing was struggling the most. During the first rest break, he gave them a demonstration similar to what he'd shown the Lovegoods, though the taller and more numerous trees and the obstacle course allowed him to show off a bit more than the glen in Devon. Even Hermione, who'd seen how he could move a few days earlier and knew about his mist, was left astonished by things like his water clone. Throughout the training, he watched as the three lonely children began to make the first tentative overtures towards what he hoped would be a beneficial friendship for all three.

While their bodies were being exercised, Iruka fed their minds with some of the basic theory behind chakra, though he also made sure to review it during a break when they were more able to focus. All the while, he kept providing advice and encouragement, often explaining not just what they were doing, but also why. Occasionally, he'd even slip in bits about the Elemental Nations - the geography, the culture, the history, and some of his friends and acquaintances back in Konoha - though he focused heavily on the less-violent aspects; they were still underage civilians, after all.

A/N: Technically still the regular day, just a lot later than usual. My wife and I were visiting family for Thanksgiving, and only got back home this afternoon.

Anyway, now we see Iruka's current roster of students - three at Hogwarts, with a fourth to join at the start of the next year. A lot of this chapter was Iruka lecturing Hermione, but hopefully we're largely out of the 'lectures' part. Next chapter is much less monologue-y.

Fic Recommendation: "No Way In Hell" by Lucillia - Sasuke gets a clue as to Naruto's true parentage, and proves that denial can be a way of life.

Posted 26 November, 2017