a/n: Well its been way too long since i've updated but now that uni is over (for the most part, i'm only taking one summer unit) i can get back into writing something more interesting than an essay. Thank you to all of the wonderful people who left me reviews, you make this happen.

Chapter 6

'Not another bloody Lockhart.'

Ron's annoyed grumble drew Harry's attention away from his conversation with third year Kelly McDonald, and toward the staff table where Ron had been searching out their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. They never had been able to get an answer out of Dumbledore regarding who he'd hired and McGonagall hadn't gotten much more than that the position had been filled.

The professor in question was a good looking man in his early thirties with perfectly styled black hair, a sprinkling of freckles across his nose and suspiciously perfect teeth. He was wearing shiny black robes and looking entirely to clean next to Professor Sprout with whom he was having some sort of conversation. The quality of said conversation was questionable as Sprout had a pained expression on her face and kept shooting pleading looks over the man's shoulder at Snape whenever his eyes wandered from her face.

Snape grimaced when he caught Ron's gaze and then turned back to engage the professor in conversation, rescuing a relieved looking head of Hufflepuff who turned to quickly strike up a conversation with Hagrid.

Needless to say Harry's opinion of the man was firmly alongside Ron's until further notice. On the other side of Ron Hermione was gazing at the man with a curious look while Ginny, opposite looked revolted.

'What's with the pretty boy?' she grunted, still thoroughly pissed off from her encounter with Pansy Parkinson on the train.

'Time's are getting desperate, apparently,' Ron scoffed.

'Ron!' Hermione scolded. 'We don't know anything about him; he could be a really experienced teacher.'

'Or another Lockhart,' Ron repeated his earlier assumption. 'Come on, let's get this over with already,' he complained, changing the subject to the delay in the start of the Sorting Ceremony. 'I've got about a hundred things to do before classes start tomorrow.'

'What could you possibly have to do?'

'Oh shush, Hermione, its starting,' Ginny admonished before Ron could snap back about the state of his office (his own fault) and whatever else it was he'd asked Daphne to remind him to do before classes started.

Felicity Aaron was up first. The nervous looking, petite red head was shaking visibly when she moved forward to take her place on the stool and try on the hat. For nearly a minute she sat there, the eyes of everyone in the hall on her, but in the end the hat placed her in Ravenclaw. Strangely the first three students went into Ravenclaw, before a tall lanky boy became the first to join Gryffindor. It was only then, as he was watching Sam Eddy slide onto the bench between Colin Creevey and Neville Longbottom, that Harry realised just how few new students there were. Just thirty in total and all looking positively terrified, it didn't matter if they were muggle born or not, there was a palpable sense of fear surrounding the new students.

Harry tried to point his discovery out to Ron but his attention had shifted back to the new professor. The yet to be named man was watching the sorting with open fascination, obviously not an old student of Hogwarts then and Harry wondered where he was from. Another question he'd have asked, this one of Hermione, but she was too busy scrutinizing the new students to pay attention to his attempt to quietly gain her attention. With a sigh, Harry returned his attention to the new professor, maybe if he stared at the bloke he'd form some sort of opinion on where he was from and what sort of a teacher he'd be.

He didn't. About the only thing intense scrutiny revealed was that the new professor chewed his nails. Not a particularly useful piece of knowledge and certainly not something Harry felt he ever actually needed to know.

Thankfully, before boredom could seriously take hold, McGonagall placed the hat back on the stool and Filch scurried out of the Great Hall to return it and stool to where they belonged. Gryffindor only received six new students, a depressingly low number that had Ron muttering obscenities under his breath as he rethought certain defence strategies.

Dumbledore stood to make his speech but it was surprisingly short. In previous years, the pre-dinner speech had never been all that involved but his simple words of welcome were a little on the thin side even for him. Given how hungry everyone was though, no one complained.

The Gryffindor members of the ADADA ate in silence for a few minutes, Ron shovelled food into his mouth without seeming to notice what he was putting on his fork. This wasn't particularly unusual but he didn't usually do it with such a distant expression. Harry exchanged a confused look with Ginny and then had a quick silent battle to see which of them would broach the topic with Ron. Hermione seemed oblivious, her thoughtful gaze watching as Professor Sprout was once again engaged in reluctant conversation with the new professor.

'What's wrong, Ron?' Ginny eventually asked, hoping he didn't notice the annoyed sigh that accompanied her words.

'I'm thinking about all the things that need to happen this year now that Ally is gone.'

They all grimaced at that rather complex problem. Even when Ally hadn't been around for the end of the last year her teaching style and certainly her presence had still been felt in the way that the ADADA had taken control over a large portion of the students' learning. Dumbledore may have been standing at the front of the classroom but he hadn't done all that much to actively teach DADA.

This year there was a whole new teacher, a whole new group of students and the issue that was the mounting escalation of Voldemort's attacks to consider. They didn't have to be as active as last year, they could just sit back and let the new professor teach the students while they continued in the same pattern as the summer, launching guerrilla attacks on Death Eater raids, but it left a bad taste in each member of the ADADAs mouths.

'It's no good,' Ron said finally. 'We'll have to teach them something. Maybe we should offer tutoring? Or select some students who look like they could know what they're doing if we taught them right.'

'You should run drills,' Hermione contributed, surprising them because they hadn't realised she'd actually been listening. 'Like muggle fire drills,' she elaborated when no one quite seemed to know what to say. She rolled her eyes at their blank looks. 'Honestly, organise to run practices so the students know what to do if Hogwarts is attacked. Last year it was easier because Ally gave all the students a place they needed to go if such a thing happened and honestly it was a remote possibility but this year it's a great deal more likely and even more likely we'll have to stand and fight rather than flee.'

Harry and Ginny gaped open-mouthed at Hermione but Ron had a strange glint in his eyes and his grin was almost feral.

'Oh, Hermione you are brilliant.'

'I know.'

Ron looked like he could have leant across the table and kissed her but luckily, before any potentially relationship ending kissing could occur, the dishes emptied of the remains of dessert and Dumbledore stood.

'It is no secret,' the headmaster began, 'that the world we live in is a dangerous and often troubled place. The war being waged against Lord Voldemort has brought dark times upon us but here in this school we provide a beacon of light. Hogwarts will stand as a symbol for hope as long as any student wishes to come here to learn. While you are within these walls you will be shielded from the harsh acts of this war so I ask this of you, of all of you,' here his gaze locked on each of the members of the ADADA in turn, 'take advantage of this safe haven, learn all there is to know...'

Harry tuned out the rest of Dumbledore's speech, Hermione would relay the highlights and he was too angry at Dumbledore's words to truly take in anymore. Hogwarts was far from a safe haven, not only were the lessons themselves dangerous but Dumbledore was wrong when he said they'd be protected from the troubles of the war. As a beacon for the future, Hogwarts provided the most valuable target for Voldemort. Hermione was right in her warning, Voldemort would attack Hogwarts, whether in two weeks time or two months, Hogwarts would see battle. Telling the students it was a safe place to take refuge was just bollocks.

'...introduce Professor Vaughn.'

The new DADA professor bent his head in acknowledgment of the introduction but otherwise refrained from making a spectacle of himself. That didn't necessarily work in his favour but at least he'd held off on the dramatic entrance.

And then dinner was over and Ron was being dragged off to lead first years to Gryffindor tower by Hermione and Harry was left sitting at the table waiting for the masses to clear before he bothered trying to fight his way out of the Great Hall. A few of the older students were similarly holding back, some of the enthusiasm having worn off and a greater ability to stay up late after stuffing themselves with food having developed.

Stephanie slumped onto the bench beside him and watched the staff table thoughtfully. 'What do you think?'

'It's too early to say, but I reckon we're going to have our work cut out for us. If he is a competent teacher we're going to have to work around that as well.'

'You got much work to do tonight?'

Harry shrugged; he didn't really have all that much to do. Unlike Ron, he'd not left things to the last minute. 'Thought I might go over a few things, make sure we've got something organised for the first years. You need anything doing?'

Steph grimaced. 'I have a stack of reports as tall as I am.' She looked at him hopefully, 'Want to give me a hand?'

Harry shrugged. 'Why not? It's not like I've got anything better to do.'

Steph grinned at him before getting to her feet and dragging him up with her. Harry let her take his arm and steer him from the Hall. He was being honest; he really didn't have anything better to do. Ally had told him he was not to come home for at least three days unless there was an emergency. He was pretty sure boredom didn't count and he wanted to save up the missing his daughter excuse—true as it may be—for really dire circumstances.

Luna was the only other ADADA member in the offices when they arrived. She was kneeling on the floor in the middle of the sparring mat using her wand to spray paint a circle of runes on the floor. One of the oldest house elves Harry had ever seen was standing outside the ring of runes seemingly instructing her on what to do. The house elf was wearing no uniform Harry recognised but he'd come to realise that when it came to Luna some things were best left unasked. He and Stephanie simply offered a quiet greeting and went over to the desk they'd been time-sharing the year before.

Stephanie took the desk chair and Harry didn't bother to complain. Looking at the desk it was hard to see anyone but Stephanie had even used it. Most of the things Harry had brought to the desk initially had slowly and steadily been overcome by Stephanie's own belongings and paperwork as she became the one to frequent the work space.

Rather than help her with her paperwork—reports from the Ministry on possible targets for Voldemort—Harry set about removing the few things he'd left on the desk. There was no sense in asking her to move and he couldn't imagine he'd actually get much use out of the thing. He had a tendency to let his paperwork just lie about until someone else got tired of it or they needed something bad enough that they'd go looking for it and end up doing it for him.

Harry had just started the rather uncomfortable task of settling his things into Susan's old work space when Ron burst into the room looking thoroughly satisfied. If it weren't for the fact that Daphne followed him in looking annoyed, Harry might have started ribbing Ron good naturedly. Instead he moved forward into the middle room so he could get a better look at what it was Ron was so enthused about.

'Hermione is a genius!' Ron announced eliciting a small frown from Daphne but otherwise she didn't react. Ron, as usual, seemed oblivious. 'I know how we're going to save the castle and how we're going to make these new kids work.'

Harry had the feeling he was either going to love this idea Ron had or he was going to end up stressed to his eyeballs trying to catch first years up to a level that would leave them capable of defending themselves long enough for help to arrive or for them to escape.

'So here's what we need to do...'

...and Harry came to the conclusion that sleep would be a distant fond memory.