HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 48 A Day of Training

The summer morning was slightly cool and damp. On the green grass, glistening dewdrops slid off the tips of leaves, and the flowers were bright and beautiful under the sunlight.

The quiet morning was broken by the sound of footsteps. Two boys ran out of the garden in the distance, one after the other, splashing water everywhere.

"Harry, huff... huff, slow down, I can't keep up with you."

"Hang in there, Xiaolong, we're almost there. Look, we're almost home."

Harry and Draco continued running, thankfully Salafina's request was that they only need to complete the entire course, without adding a time limit.

By the time he reached the door, the taste of blood was almost overflowing from his throat. Draco bent over, supporting himself on his knees, panting heavily. The long run had left him completely exhausted.

"Let's walk around. If we stop running right away, we'll feel terrible again tomorrow. I'll massage you tonight."

Harry half-carried Draco towards the dining room, where Salafina was waiting for them. Every morning, they would come here, running from their front door to the center of the garden and back.

"Very good, two minutes faster than yesterday. Drink the water on the table, and come to the living room in half an hour."

"Okay, ma'am."

Draco sat in the chair, leaning against Harry. His rapid breathing gradually calmed, and the metallic taste of blood in his throat was washed away with the water. Ten minutes later, he finally recovered, and his weak legs regained the strength to walk.

A smartly dressed woman sat on the sofa waiting for them. At first, Harry and Draco didn't understand what close combat was; it was a rare concept in wizarding circles. But after their wands were snatched away at close range and they were thrown to the ground, they understood why they needed to learn it.

In the morning, Harry and Draco had different lessons. Draco was learning how to dodge and escape control, and he needed to ensure his own safety. Harry, on the other hand, was fighting Salafina, which was the fastest way to improve his strength.

"Would you like to go first today, Mr. Potter?"

"Of course, ma'am."

Harry felt sorry for Draco, who was always the first to get beaten up every day. He would let Draco rest for another half hour, during which time Draco would prepare some tea and place it next to him so that Harry could drink it after the beating was over.

"Bang"

"Stand up"

"Bang"

"Again"

Gryffindor's resilience allowed Harry to fall and get back up again and again. He considered giving up, but he had to avenge his parents and protect Draco; he couldn't give up.

"Alright, Mr. Malfoy, it's your turn."

Finally, Salafina threw Harry onto a small table to rest, then called Draco over to learn how to escape her control.

Draco shook off Salafina's hand, and before he could regain his balance, she kicked him from the ground. He instinctively ducked to avoid the hand grabbing his neck. At first, Draco tried to fight back, but he was immediately grabbed.

"Okay, Mr. Malfoy, but you could have dodged two attacks by simply taking a step back. Doing it like that was too wasteful of your energy. Let's try again."

Soon it was noon, and Narcissa arrived at the door half an hour early to knock on it and remind the three people in the room that it was lunchtime.

Hearing the knock on the door, Salafina stopped throwing Harry, went to the door to thank Narcissa for the reminder, and turned to them, saying, "Rest for half an hour before going to eat. Come here an hour after eating, and we'll continue our lessons."

The two went back to their room to change their clothes. Their clothes were soaked with sweat from the morning. Harry sat on the bed with his upper body bare, while Draco sat behind him to apply the medicine. Harry could apply it to his lower body and front by himself, but not his back. At first, Draco would blush, but now he only felt sorry for him.

Draco was afraid of hurting Harry when applying the ointment, so he gently applied it and occasionally blew on it to cool the bruise, applying the ointment with a touch of pity.

"Harry, try this. It's a new recipe the house-elf learned. What would you like for dinner?"

As Narcissa spoke, she placed a plate of roast meat in front of Harry. She felt sorry for the boy, who was the same age as Draco but had to bear so much and suffer so much.

With gentle words and a warm hand, just like the mother Harry had imagined, he blushed and thanked Narcissa, then cautiously asked for a cake he wanted.

"Of course you can, but you can only eat it after dinner. You can take it back to your room to eat, but it can't interfere with your main meal. However, if I find out that you deliberately skip dinner in order to eat cake, then your little dessert will be gone."

"I will eat my food properly, Aunt Narcissa."

Harry lowered his head to show that he would eat obediently, and he received a lot of maternal love during this period, which he had missed for many years.

Even Lucius's hidden paternal love fell upon him, and in the two weeks he had been here, he had acquired many more clothes and accessories.

When he first discovered these extra items in the room, he thanked Narcissa rather reservedly, but Narcissa smiled mysteriously and pointed at Lucius, telling him to be quiet.

It was obvious that it was a gift from the Platinum Peacock. The clothes and accessories were sparkling. Draco immediately made him wear them after seeing them. The emerald green eyes paired with the gray suit looked particularly charming. The cufflinks were the same emerald green, and the brooch was a green peacock.

This hit Draco right in the heart. He loved the shiny little peacock and pounced on Harry, hugging him tightly and refusing to let go.

From then on, Harry's wardrobe was filled with more clothes. The two peacocks would come up with good ideas for his outfits every few days, and Narcissa indulged them and would even give them advice.

Harry experienced both pain and pleasure. He often had to change clothes after a day of training so that the two peacocks could admire him, but he loved the feeling of being loved.

"Alright, Mr. Potter, please stand up. Let's continue."

Salafina had only broken a sweat by the end of the morning, but her breathing, strength, and pace remained unchanged; she was still as swift and precise as ever, and Harry was quickly left behind.

In the afternoon, their class turned into a tactical lesson. They needed to learn how to find the enemy's weaknesses, what tactics could be used to defeat the enemy directly, and how to allocate the resources they had, etc.

You could say the mornings were physically demanding, and the afternoons were mentally taxing. Della progressed very quickly in this aspect, while Harry struggled a bit. However, since they were always together, it was enough that one of them did well; Harry was very self-aware of his own abilities.

Class time always flies by. After Draco finished writing the last word, Harry went with him to the dining hall for dinner, where Lucius and Narcissa had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing that everyone at the table was present, Lucius put down his newspaper and prepared to eat. Dinner, after a busy day, is always the best. Harry ate until he was stuffed, then pulled Draco to lie down on the sofa and fell asleep contentedly.

Not long after, Narcissa woke Harry up and handed him a piece of cake, the one he had ordered at noon. Harry smiled sweetly at Narcissa, very grateful to her for waking him up.