While Will had been busy, Harry had been busy too.
But not in the same way. Harry wasn't tending a cauldron or debating the deeper principles of Magic with a former Dark Lord in long letters.
"Stop daydreaming. Open your book to chapter four," Strange said. "You're still yawning."
Harry yawned and glanced at the old alarm clock. "It's only six, Mr. Strange."
"You asked me to keep you on track, kid," Strange said. "Now stop complaining and open the book."
Harry sat down at the desk. He wished he had some Baruffio's Brain Elixir to clear his foggy head.
He opened his battered Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook. A few points were jotted here and there, mostly things Lupin had stressed in class. Harry had taken even those notes only under Strange's supervision.
The handwriting throughout was messy, the notes scattered, and Golden Snitches were doodled in some of the margins.
Harry began to read...
Summer Holiday training was nothing like he had imagined. He had expected it to be like the training Dumbledore had given him at Hogwarts in his second year: practising spells and fighting every day until his whole body went limp with exhaustion.
The reality was entirely different.
He was stuck catching up on lessons. Since students weren't allowed to use Magic outside school, Harry had to hole up in his little bedroom and review his Charms textbook under Strange's guidance.
At first, he couldn't understand why. Magic wasn't something you learned by dryly reading a textbook.
But he soon saw the point. Strange knew even more theory in some areas than Lupin did. After Strange explained some of the principles behind Expelliarmus, Harry was sure his Disarming Charm would be better. Unfortunately, he couldn't test it yet.
"The line between Dark Magic and