During the following days, Voldemort kept visiting Nicolas and observing the process. Sometimes part of the process was just waiting, and during that time, Voldemort went away to do other things. One of them was the time he spent with Harry.
"Harry."
The voice of Voldemort broke the silence in the cellar. Harry Potter, who was sitting on the soft mattress, raised his eyes from the book he was holding and saw that Voldemort was back. He immediately closed the book and got off the bed.
"My Lord," Harry approached Lord Voldemort and kneeled in front of him. He had completely submitted himself to Lord Voldemort and was obeying all his commands. After getting a nod from Voldemort, Harry got up and asked, "Are we going outside again to see those filthy Muggles?"
Since the last time Lord Voldemort took Harry to see the actions of those Muggles, Voldemort has taken Harry outside a few times more to see other aspects of the Muggles' world. After a few visits, Harry came to the conclusion that they were indeed filthy creatures that were destroying everything, including other muggles and nature.
During that time, Voldemort also gave Harry some magical books to learn more about spells and the history behind the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
Harry was having the best time of his life; there was no worry about anything else, and he was finally learning the real truth of everything.
And just like the past few times when Voldemort came to take him to visit the outside world, Harry Potter thought that this time was the same.
But this time it was different, as confirmed by his lord, Voldemort himself.
"No, I think you have seen enough," Voldemort continued, "what you really need now is training. To face the challenges ahead, you need more than just knowledge. You will be having many duels and thus need to be ready. You need to train your body to be in tune with the attacks that may come your way."
Harry, though hesitant, nodded in acknowledgment. He knew that facing the upcoming events required unconventional methods and a level of preparation he hadn't considered before.
Voldemort raised his wand and, with a swift flick, transfigured a multitude of small rocks scattered around the cellar. They appeared out of thin air, forming a circle around Harry, each rock about the size of a pebble.
"You will learn to sense and evade attacks without relying solely on your wand," Voldemort explained. "Stand in the middle, Harry."
Following Voldemort's instructions, Harry positioned himself at the center of the cellar, surrounded by the newly transfigured rocks. The stones were placed approximately five meters away from him in all directions.
Voldemort observed Harry with a calculating gaze. "To survive, you must learn to move quickly and trust your instincts. Evade these rocks without using your wand, relying solely on your body's senses."
Harry, feeling vulnerable without his wand, took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. As he began to survey the rocks around him, he realized the challenge that lay ahead. Voldemort's unconventional training methods demanded a different kind of skill and awareness.
All the transformed rocks were surrounding him, leaving small gaps in between them such that Harry could still see the room around and Voldemort standing in front. Harry took a deep breath and began darting his eyes in search of the slight movement. At the same time, Harry was slowly rotating on himself to observe all around.
Suddenly, Harry felt a presence behind him. Acting on pure instinct, he dodged left, but it was too late. Despite his attempts to evade, the small stone struck him on the back, causing a sharp pain. Harry did not have time to completely gain his footing when he felt another pain. This time, it was in the front. Harry involuntarily grabbed his stomach where the second rock had struck him.
"Do you think in a duel, a wizard will wait for you to recover from a spell before striking again? Whatever you have been doing till now was children's play. This is the real world. It is kill or be killed." Voldemort shouted at Harry.
Harry gnashed his teeth angrily and took his defensive position again. The spot where he got hit was still hurting, but there was no time to rest. He needed to resist the pain.
This time, Harry heard a slight noise as the subtle shifts in the air occurred. Without having to look, Harry leaned his body backward, and while doing so, he saw a rock passing just where his head had been just a moment ago.
"Yes," Harry shouted inwardly. He had successfully evaded one. As Harry glanced at Voldemort, he could swear that Voldemort had a small smile on his face. Harry felt proud, but the feeling was for a very short instance as he felt a wave of pain hit his face and his ankle.
"Did you think that the Auror, when fighting against me, said that, oh look, he is alone, only one of us is going to attack him?" Voldemort spoke in a sarcastic tone. "You don't have time in a real battle. Spells are sent one after another, something you have to defend against multiple wizards at the same time."
Voldemort's voice cut through the air, "Remember the pain, Harry, this is nothing compared to the pain that Dumbledore and the Muggles have caused you. Use the pain, the anger inside of you to move forward."
Grimacing from the impact, Harry nodded and refocused on the task.
He evaded some. But could not dodge all.
At first, Harry could pinpoint where it was hurting. But after getting hit more and more, his entire body was hurting.
Harry was angry at himself. He could have avoided many of them. He knew from where the rock was coming, and yet he was too slow to react.
After what felt like an eternity, Voldemort stopped the training.
His face was bloody from all the injuries.
But whenever Voldemort reminded him of all the pain and manipulation Dumbledore did to them and his parents, Harry wanted to continue the training despite his wounds.
But Voldemort always controlled Harry. He took care of his injuries, and Harry felt like he needed to get strong so that he could stand side by side with Voldemort and repay all his favor.