Chapter 3

Defence Against the Dark Arts

'I hate magic.'

'Ah, I'm sure it'll be easier next lesson, Hazel.' Remus answered sympathetically. They had just left their first transfiguration lesson which involved trying to turn a match into a needle. Lily and Remus seemed to be the only students who had managed to make a significant dent into transfiguring their match whilst Hazel had been at the other end of the spectrum and hadn't even been able to even make her match budge. Sirius, who hadn't been paying attention to class, had to swap his seat with Lily and ended up being Hazel's partner. He had found it hilarious and ended up spending the entire lesson watching Hazel's failed attempts and making no effort on his end.

'You don't understand Remus, you managed to do something. All I managed to do was make Sirius laugh for the past hour!' Lily, who had been walking on Hazel's other side, sighed and patted her shoulder comfortingly.

'It's hard for a first spell. Don't worry about it. You'll learn it eventually.'

'Yeah, maybe once you've both graduated. I mean, what kind of witch am I, if I can't even do the first spell we learn in school?!' Hazel cried in exasperation.

'Don't think about it too much. We can go through it with you at the end of the day today. Maybe your hand movement was a little wrong or you've been saying the spell incorrectly.'

'I doubt it Remus, even McGonagall looked a bit stumped that it hadn't even moved. Maybe I'm not meant to be a witch.' Lily rolled her eyes at this.

'If you were not meant to be a witch then you wouldn't have received your letter to come to Hogwarts, let alone getting a wand! Plus, you said your mum went to Hogwarts too, right? That alone says you're meant to be here.' Remus looked thoughtful.

'Unless she's a squib, Lily.' Both Hazel and Lily turned to him instantaneously.

'Whats a squib, Remus?' Hazel asked, her insides twisting.

'It means you have either one or both parents able to use magic but their child can't.' The look on Hazel's face was unfathomable.

"Oh my god. I'm a squib.' Lily rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner.

'Don't be so stupid Hazel. I already told you, if you didn't have magic you wouldn't be here! And speaking of places we should be. We're supposed to be in Defense against the dark arts in five minutes. Lets go!'

X

With a slight shiver of apprehension, Hazel stepped into the classroom, with Lily pressing in at her back. The room was spartan, with stiff wooden chairs and Victorian school desks. In comparison, the professor's desk was a beautiful mahogany, and paired with a comfortable and elegant high-backed chair. But as striking as it all was, the first thing that sprung to Hazel's mind was that it was empty. In fact, there was no sign of a professor in the room at all. Lily was still pressed up against her, and Hazel asked quietly 'Who teaches us Defense against the Dark Arts, anyway?'

'Um, let me check' replied Lily, fumbling in her bag for her timetable. 'It says that a Professor Aegon normally takes this class.'

The name meant nothing to Hazel, distracted as she'd been during the sorting. Meanwhile, at the back of the room, Sirius was energetically entertaining James and Remus with an impression of the lecture he'd received from Bellatrix for his 'betrayal.'

'Sirius, you traitorous little runt! You will go to Professor Dumbledore this instant and demand he transfer you to Slytherin House!' he shrieked in a high falsetto to James' raucous laughter. 'Hey James,' he continued, in his usual tones, 'do you think she'd give up if-'

'Silence.'

The harsh word cut across Sirius' chatter like a blade, and the entire class turned to see that the high-backed chair was no longer vacant. In it sat a tall man, with a lined, leonine face, and short grey hair. Though he had only done slightly more than whisper, the entire class fell silent at once. After a brief pause, he rose to his feet and surveyed the class. Once more, the harsh whisper cut through the class:

'Be seated.'

Hazel rushed to find a seat, and Lily sat beside her. Most students followed suit, and hurriedly sat down. Sirius, on the other hand, sauntered across the room in no hurry, and was wandering aimlessly after everyone had sat down. The man fixed him with a steely glare and sharply called him to attention.

'Mr Black. I have asked you to be seated. I am not in the habit of repeating myself.'

The voice was so cold and matter of fact that Sirius did not even think to take it lightly, but swiftly found his seat and sat down. Once he had, the man turned and addressed the class as a whole.

'Welcome, students. I am Clarence Aegon, your Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Firstly, I would establish some rules that I expect to be obeyed at all times in my class. You shall not speak while I am I speaking. You shall refer to me as Professor Aegon or Sir at all times. You shall arrive promptly for my lessons – I have no patience for tardiness. And finally, you shall obey my instructions immediately, without protest, and to the letter. Any horseplay in my lessons shall be taken directly to the headmaster, with no exceptions. Is this clear?'

A few students murmured a quiet assent, but most of them, including Lily and Hazel, stayed silent, trying to digest what they had just been told. Professor Aegon radiated an authority and confidence that made it hard for you to object to him, thought Hazel, but she wasn't sure how she felt about someone who was so openly a dictator in his own classroom. Professor Aegon gave no sign he had received only murmurs in response to his first statement and continued to introduce the subject. Hazel drew her mind from her consideration of Professor Aegon and pricked up her ears, determined to do well to redeem herself after Transfiguration.

'Defence against the dark arts is not a subject to be taken lightly. Here, I shall teach you how to protect yourself from some of the most deadly curses known in the Wizarding World, and in turn, how to use these curses, expressly for the purpose of defence. The curses and counter-curses you will learn will be vital to ensure your safety and that of the people dearest to you.'

As the cold, harsh whisper continued to sweep through the room, Hazel remembered her mother, wand at her waist, meekly pottering around the house. She must know all of this, having graduated from Hogwarts – why was she so afraid?

'That is why there is to be no frippery in my lessons – a casual attitude leads to accidents and even deaths. Each of you will apply yourselves to my lessons to your utmost capability. You are no longer learning to tend to flowers, or gazing at distant rocks. You are protecting yourselves from those who would do you harm. It has been 25 years since our headmaster defeated the threat posed by Gellert Grindlewald with the spells I shall teach you over the coming years, and there are those who would take up his mantle. That is why it is of utmost importance that you… Mr Black.'

Every head whipped round to the back of the room, where Sirius was showing James something under his desk. Sirius quickly hid it in his pocket, but it was far too late.

'I believe I have just warned you about the consequences of taking my lessons lightly. Stand up, Mr Black,' whispered Aegon with a courtesy so cold that half of the students shivered.

Sirius stood with a careless arrogance. 'If Professor Aegon thinks that being sent Professor Dumbledore is going to scare Sirius,' whispered Lily to Hazel, 'he's in for a-'

'Petrificus Totalus!'

Hazel and Lily both jumped in shock, and from the sudden scraping of chairs, they were far from the only ones. Professor Aegon's voice, which until now had barely risen above a whisper, had roared out across the classroom, and he now stood archly, wand in hand, gazing over their heads. As one, the class turned to see what he was looking at.

Sirius was no longer standing carelessly slouched. Instead, every muscle in his body was rigidly tensed, and he stood as stiffly as a wooden board. Even as they watched, he began to lose his balance and fall, his eyes wildly swivelling in desperation. James sprang from his seat and caught him as he hit the ground, while Sirius remained mutely unmoving.

'Finite' said Professor Aegon, his voice back to its usual cold whisper. At once, Sirius sprang loose, and he shuddered, doing little but moving his arms and legs.

'The full-body bind,' dictated Aegon. 'An elementary, albeit very effective curse. The victim is bound in place, and loses all ability to manipulate their muscles. Excellent for immobilising assailants, giving yourself time to escape, as Mr Black so adeptly demonstrated. Consider yourself lucky, Mr Black, as usually such impertinence would warrant a trip to the headmaster. However, as it is your first day, I chose to allow you to redeem yourself by volunteering in the lesson.'

For once, it seemed Sirius had no witty retort, or even any desire to step out of line again, lest he be chosen to volunteer for another spell. Hazel felt desperately sorry for him, but as Sirius meekly slid back into his seat, he could do little more than stare resentfully at the Professor. At the front of the room, Aegon paid him no mind, and continued.

'The curse is, however, elementary, and as such, makes an excellent starting point for those who would learn defence against the dark arts. Therefore, today, we shall be learning the rudiments of casting the spell, such as the correct wand action and pronunciation of the incantation. To begin with the wand action, you must grip your wand loosely by the handle…'

'That was so unfair of the Professor,' muttered Lily from the side of her mouth, 'using magic on Sirius when all he was doing was talking. He could have given him detention or sent him to Dumbledore, he didn't have to terrify him and make him look stupid.'

'I know,' said Hazel, equally quietly, 'I felt really bad watching Sirius like that. But I think Professor Aegon knows that detentions or Dumbledore don't scare Sirius, and so he wanted to try and keep him in line.'

'Wait, are you taking his side on this?'

'No, no! Not at all! I just think that-'

'Miss Daniels.'

Hazel cut herself short abruptly and looked up. Professor Aegon was looking right at her, wand still in hand. She realised she must have been louder than she intended in her denials.

'Since you seem to be so self-assured in your knowledge of the correct wand motion required for this spell, I would be delighted if you would come up to the front of the class and demonstrate.' said Professor Aegon with a slightly sarcastic smile on his lips. 'Please, do not be shy, your skill must be formidable indeed if you feel you do not need to pay attention to my tutelage.'

Hazel hesitated for a moment, hoping he'd reconsider and continue teaching after embarrassing her as much as he had, but Aegon showed no sign of relenting. Hazel stood up, her heart beating so hard she could hear little else. She slowly walked up to the front, hoping against hope that Professor Aegon would reconsider and allow her to sit down, but it was in vain. She reached the front, and slowly turned to face the class. She saw Lily looking worriedly at her, and for a moment felt a flicker of resentment. Lily had been talking too, but she was the one who'd been pulled to the front and was being publicly humiliated.

'Whenever you are ready, Miss Daniels.'

Hazel had no idea what to do; she'd been completely focused on Lily. She slowly drew her wand, and out of desperation, made a slight flicking motion with it. She was so nervous that on her second flick, she dropped her wand. As she scrambled to pick it up, she heard what sounded like the entire class laughing, and as she stood up, she realised that most were. Even Lily looked slightly amused, turning Hazel's embarrassment into anger again. Before she could do much more than glower, Professor Aegon was at her side again, and his cold, condescending voice shifted all of Hazel's pent up resentment onto him.

'Now that Miss Daniels has finished showing us her flawless expertise, I would like you to pair up with the student sitting directly behind you, or in front of you as the case may be. While remaining seated, you will attempt to cast the full-body bind on your partner. Should you at any point succeed, you shall call me over and I will lift the curse. Likewise, and partial success or unintended consequences merit my immediate attention. Please begin. Miss Daniels, you make take your seat, and thank you for your outstanding demonstration.'

It was the parting condescending jab that saw Hazel's dislike of Professor Aegon curdle and turn to hate. Seething, she took her seat, and ignoring Lily, turned to face the boy behind her. To her pleasant surprise, it was Remus, and he immediately set to trying to help her. As they paired up and drew their wands, Aegon called them all to attention, and asked if anyone remembered the incantation he had used to cast the spell. At first, nobody responded, until Snape shakily raised his hand. As he did, Hazel saw Sirius poke James and gesture with a grin.

'Yes, Mr Snape?'

'P…Petrificus Totalus, Sir?'

'Hmm. It is evident you were paying attention, Mr Snape. Five points to Slytherin,' replied Aegon with the faintest trace of a smile. In the corner, Sirius and James looked mutinous, having clearly had expected Severus to fail and face the same ridicule as Sirius and Hazel had.

'Yes, precisely as Mr Snape said, Petrificus Totalus, along with a wave and a flick of your wand should suffice. Now, please face your partners and begin.'

Hazel looked at Remus and began to panic again. A wave and a flick? What did that mean? Luckily, Remus saw the confusion in her eyes and began to explain, demonstrating with his own wand, and letting Hazel copy him until she felt confident. Once she was happy, they began to practise in earnest, alternating one attempt at a time. Hazel, however, began to grow frustrated after her seventh try without any results.

'PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!' she screeched, while violently waving her wand. Once again, Remus just blinked and smiled sadly.

'You don't need to be so violent with your motion, it's a gentle wave-'

'Oh a gentle wave and flick, it's just so easy isn't it! Gentle's rich coming from someone who managed to break my nose when we first met!' Hazel snapped at Remus. She immediately felt guilty when she saw his face fall, but before she could apologise, he straightened up, waved his wand adeptly, and intonated.

'Petrificus Totalus.'

Immediately, Hazel felt as though she had been encased in concrete. Try as she might, she couldn't move her arms or chest at all. She saw a brief look of elation cross Remus' face, but it was quickly replaced by concern as he called Professor Aegon over to undo the spell he'd cast perfectly. Or so he thought.

'Stand up, Miss Daniels.' Instructed the Professor.

Without thinking, Hazel did so, only realising a second afterwards that she could at all. She had been so focused on her arms and chest that it hadn't even occurred to her she could move her legs.

'Very sloppy, Mr Lupin, very sloppy indeed. Your opponent could easily feign paralysis to lure you near, and then finish you with a simple spell once your guard was down. Your idea of successful is very ill-defined. Perhaps you could follow the example of Mr Snape here, who has successfully and completely paralysed his partner,' critiqued Aegon harshly. As he did so, he gestured to where Severus sat, his partner fully immobilised and seeming to have been for a long time. 'Did you practise this spell privately, Mr Snape?'

'Yes Professor, my parents introduced me to it before I arrived,' replied Snape cheerily.

'Ah, excellent, so not only a diligent student, but also one well-prepared, both excellent qualities. It may well be that you are the demise of a dark wizard someday. Ten points to Slytherin. And with that, let us conclude today's lesson,' elucidated Professor Aegon. 'I will set you some homework momentarily if you would allow me to retrieve it.'

Hazel saw Remus' face fall and felt even worse about snapping at him. She realised that she quite despised Professor Aegon's haughty, condescending attitude, but mingled with her anger was the return of her anxiety from the start of class. She seemed to have been the only one who had had no success with her spells. Everyone else was hurriedly discussing the strange effects they'd gotten; some had even cast it perfectly, like Severus. But everyone seemed to have done something, so why had she been unable to even cast the spell?

'Very well, a simple paragraph on the uses of the full Body-Bind and its creation will suffice, at least 75 words in length. For those who felt inclined to not give this lesson their full attention; Mr Black, I will have an additional two hundred words on the importance of diligence in Defence against the Dark Arts. Miss Daniels, an additional three hundred words on the importance of wand motion and enunciation when casting spells. This is to be returned at your next Defence against the Dark Arts lesson tomorrow. Failure to turn in homework will lead to detention and further homework. That is all, farewell.'

The abrupt dismissal caught many of the students by surprise, with a brief pause before students quickly began to gather their books and pack up. Hazel, however, was in shock. Three hundred words! On a topic she'd never even heard of before, and it was due in tomorrow! That would take up her entire evening, and she'd been looking forward to relaxing with the others after lessons were done. She felt tears come to her eyes, and angrily blinked them away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Professor Aegon talking to Severus, no doubt complimenting him on his performance. The upsurge of hatred that she felt towards them both overwhelmed her, and she stormed from the classroom and down the corridor.

Eventually, she became aware of someone running after her, and turned to see Lily standing there with her books and bag. Wordlessly, Lily fell in sync with her pace as they walked towards the great hall. Lily seemed hesitant, so Hazel began to speak.

'That extra homework is going to be really difficult, do you think Professor Aegon has something against me?'

Lily looked up, and caught Hazel's eyes. 'No, Hazel, I don't. I just thinking he's stupid and strict. Don't worry about the homework. Me and the others have already decided we're going to help you do it.'

'But you guys…'

'No buts, Hazel. Sirius has extra too, so it's for you both. Besides, we're all friends, aren't we? Everyone offered to help, Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, even Severus. We'll all be right with you helping you get this done. You watch, you'll have such a great essay that even Professor Aegon will have to admit he was wrong.'

Hazel felt a wave of gratitude wash over her, and for the time being, all of her fears about her abilities were buried under how happy she felt at her friends all standing by her.

'Thank you, Lily.'