We rise by lifting others

"Actually, I did. I was trained to kill, short and efficient, not to fight. I never wanted to become an Auror, particularly spy Auror which is even worse then just Auror." she rolled her eyes and listened to him.
"Honestly, I do not know. I've never been in a situation where my life was endangered to the point, I've always struggled with those weaker than me, at least as far as magic," she said frankly.

She looked at James and tried to copy his attitude but when she did that it looked ridiculous. It just did not work on her, she is too small for that. Opposite him, she looks like a little child who is trying to play that she is a bad and strong person.

She looked at Fenrir and stood in the same position as him. She held her hand as she was told and once tried to swing. It looked good.
James opposed and it is a moment of thought, who the hell should I listen? It's hard when you're working with a man who aspires to become the alpha male, and a real alpha is your father. Simply, sooner or later you find yourself between two fires.
For now, she decided to listen to her father because his position had more chances to help her because she is very small.

Fenrir didn't reply when she said she had ever come up against anyone at her skill level, that her opponents were always weaker. Either she was exceptionally lucky or she was ridiculously arrogant. At her young age, there were a great many wizards who were capable of besting her. No one who was just 20 was that good. For now, he decided not to discuss that with her. Perhaps she would benefit from being knocked on her arse a time or three.

"I want you to take up a hobby," he told her. "And I'm serious. Take some dance lessons. I know it sounds dumb, but, one of the easiest ways you'll be beaten is by not having well practiced, fluid footwork. Don't underestimate the importance of practicing what you do with your feet. Nor should you ever think that you'll be so cool and collected in the heat of a fight that you'll naturally be standing in exactly the right way. You have to practice enough that those movements come naturally, and that takes time and a lot of hard work.

"Dance will teach you fluid movements, balance, and agility. It doesn't have to be couple's dancing. Many professional fighters also have spent years in ballet to work continuously on their coordination. Let's look at what happens when your footwork is off."

He looked at James, "I'll use you. Let's show what happens when you have your feet in the wrong places." He had James demonstrate footwork errors--one foot too far in front of the other, or feet too close together, or too far apart, and how easy it was to use any number of simple movements for an opponent to gain an advantage.

"Are you ready for James to knock you on your butt a time or two?" he asked her.

Miriam knew the reason why she is always better than her opponents. That is because the always sent her into battle with those that she can easily overcome. They have no doubt in her abilities, do not think she would have no chance against a stronger than her, but in any case, they think she is more usefull if she is alive. She was aware of it and it was fine with her, because she never went on a mission with the idea that she could actually die there.

She looked at him and at that moment, she did not know whether to be seriously concerned for his mental health and tell him he was crazy, or that just started laughing.
Dance? Really?
When she thought about it, it made any sense. Dancers have a well-developed sense when it comes to movement. Naturally they do something that would otherwise people took time and concentration, but she could not imagine herself as a dancer, at least not now in her late twenties.
However, smart decided to keep silent about it and will later think.

When she heard the word ballet, she finally began to laugh.
"Ballet? Really? That children learn from an early age. Some other dances okay, I can deal with it, but ballet is not an option." vigorously shook her head. She is ready to try and enter a course of dance, but ballet was not on the list of possible dances.

Carefully she watched the two of them and now she finally realized what was Fenrir persistently talking about. It's funny how easy it was to break someone like James only because he keeps his feets incorrectly. He seemed like if he deliberately let the old man to beat.

She sighed and shrugged.
"Why not, sooner or later we will come to that."
Miriam knew that she has absolutely no chance in a fight against James, but if she is suposed to get hurt, at least she will do it proudly and in great style. She decided that she will not surrender without a fight, or at least without trying to fight.
She stood in front of James and took shape that Fenrir showed to her earlier. She tried to implement it as accurately as possible, taking into account the maintenance of balance.
She is small, she might has a chance to put the bar and avoid James.

"You," James said to her, "have a lot of weird ideas. Just keep them, though. Closed minded people are always easier to defeat."

"James," Fenrir said, "she's entitled to believe as she likes. This is about you showing her what happens to her if she put her feet in the wrong places. I'm not looking for you to drop her to the ground. Just show her how vulnerable she'll be if she doesn't keep her balance.

"With plasure," James said. "For this, you just need to put your feet in all the wrong places. You need to experience how it puts you at a disadvantage. Its not just about throwing you off balance physically. Its also about what it does to your thinking. When your body is in motion in a way you didn't intend, your brain's automatic defenses take over. Unless you're well trained, you naturally stop all thoughts of fighting so that your body can try to right itself.

"You'll have all kinds of time to try to beat me later. This isn't what we're doing right now. Move your feet out of position, and then we'll try it again with your feet in position. You can see the difference for yourself in how much better you balance and how much better you can concentrate."

Miriam looked at James reproachfully.
"Why are my ideas weird? You know, everyone has the right to freedom of expression," she said violated as they are just ordinary people and as if he is talking her to shut up. It is certainly a conversation like this is unusual for wizards.
However, Miriam was often known for odd behavior. What is completely irrelevant to someone, it is essential to her.

She looked once more at him with a wry laugh.
"I have a weird feeling you're going to definitely enjoy this more than I do" she rolled her eyes and then she did everything he told her.
She stood in a completely abnormal situation. Specifically, she was standing in a position that it looks right to her and is therefore assumed that this is absolutely wrong. Miriam did not have a good instinct for self-preservation.
She was standing there, ready to allow him to bring her down and without the need to try to defend.

She smiled smugly, "Oh, I'll beat you one day. My time will come. The most beautiful thoughts before sleep are the ones in which you are completely defeated, Puppy" she looked at him innocently. Puppy is her new nickname for him to hurt him as he hurt her when he called her Shorty. However, she had a feeling that he will not so much bother about nicknames as she did.

"Now why ever would you say that?" he smirked at her. She was partly right. Training was fun. Winning, though, was more fun, and this wasn't about winning or losing. Besides, Daddy Fenrir was going to be here to be sure James didn't try to eat her or anything. Not that James had an appetite for it now. Fenrir made sure that James was always very well fed before bringing him here. James, when he was hungry, became far too animalistic for things like training. He became a full predator his hunger was satiated. Fenrir didn't want Miriam to see that, not today, and most likely not ever.

James shoved her, once, twice, but on the third shove, he quickly drew his foot back behind the leg she had most of her bodyweight resting on, knowing there was very little for her to catch herself with.

"I really do not know how I thought of that," she said sarcastically and looked at him.
Miriam had a feeling that he enjoys all of this, or at least in those parts of the training when he can see her broken and exhaustion.
Unfortunately, she could not say the same for herself.
What she had to admit is that she is really afraid of James. She had heard so many horror stories about him, sometimes she felt that she is not even sure when her father is there.
She just wondered how he still not truly tried to attack her? Probably he was always in the hunt before training.

He tried to push her, and even twice she managed to maintain a balance.
The third time failed. He surprised her actually.
He pushed her and at the same time she felt her right leg separated from the ground.
She knew she was going to fall. Simply, there was no way that now hold the balance.
The fall will be nasty. Perhaps this is finally an end.
"You rotten bastard," she muttered angrily and then, like in slow motion, grabbed his hand.
He was so big compared to her that is not moved but it has to provide support.
She fell but managed to avoid violent shocks.
After a few moments she stood up and looked at him.
"This wasn't fair"

"Of course not," He replied. "If you want fair fighting, then you'll find that in dueling tournaments and in boxing rings. Outside of that, people are fighting to win. They're not looking for fairness. They'll take any advantage they can get.

"So, what would you have done if you really had been in a fight and knocked down to the ground? Any clue about how to regain yourself?"

"Git," Fenrir shook his head.

"What now?" James scowled at him.

"Of course she doesn't have that. She's just learning how to not get knocked down. If you're so brilliant, show her."

"I haven't been knocked down," He gave Fenrir a cheeky grin.

"I can fix that," Fenrir got up, and came to James. He glanced back at Miriam. "Watch and learn." He grabbed James by the shirt and before James had time to resist, Fenrir picked him up and tossed James onto the ground. It was similar to a martial arts move Fenrir had seen years ago. "Impossible as it might seem," Fenrir looked at Miriam. "You can eventually learn to do that. Your size doesn't have to be a disadvantage all the time." He looked back at James on the ground. "Okay, so, now that you're down there, show her how to get back up."

"Basic gymnastics," James told her. "Practice somersaults. Forwards, backwards, standing, every kind you can find. Use them to get back up quickly." He used a backwards somersault to get himself back up on his feet. For werewolves, some of those basic gymnastic movements come naturally because we experience them when we're transformed into the wolf. They eventually start to translate into the rest of our lives. Since you're just human, you'd have to learn not just dancing but some gymnastics. And that gets back to stretching, flexibility training, and endurance training."

She frowned as she looked at him. He was right, but of course she would never say that to him. She would rather die.
But when you finally go out on the court, can not expect a fair fight. There will not be a judge who will take care of the rules and the nice game. After all, she herself has never been fair when fighting. As he said, the only important thing is victory.

She paused for a moment thinking about his question.
"I'm just going to get up? You did not say I was tied or the like. After the fall you get up, it's easy." Looked at him quizzically. It's not a great leap to rise. She is frankly more worried about how to win in the fall as minor injuries.

Once again, she began to struggle between two werewolves. If someone gave to Miriam a penny every time they provoke each other or the like, soon she would be able to visit the Maldives.
She watched this huge man fall and she could sworn she heard one bump and felt a small earthquake.
She might imagine that, maybe it is because she took too many shots to the head, but she felt a slight jolt.

"I can do a backflip. I'm not incompetent as you think," she looked at him reproachfully.
There is no a child in the Muggle's school that did not teach somersault. It has always been the basis for further progress and a better grade.
She looked at him ready, probably he will soon break her down or something, has already demonstrated that he is not fair and that he does not care if she breaks through to land some body part. In fact, it is probably advisable.

"If I'd wanted you tied, I'd have tied you," he said. "I don't usually need to tie anyone up. They're typically dead first."

"He'd rather knock them in the head and knock them out if he wants them kept alive," Fenrir said. Sometimes James was right about that, and sometimes not so much. James listened to her once again becoming arrogant about what she could and could not do. He disliked humans as a whole, and she was much too full of herself for his liking. She was giving him lots of reasons to want to just knock her in the head and let her wake up a couple days later. He wouldn't kill her. Not yet anyway, but training accidents did happen, didn't they?

"You're awfully confident. You really think you're ready to spar with me?" he asked her.