Teddy was returning from the library, his head still stuck at home and the fun he had at Christmas, so it was but obvious that he wasn't particularly paying attention to where he was going. He bumped into someone and stumbled slightly.
"Sorry." He mumbled.
"That's okay, Lupin." Dean Clarke said, "I was just looking for you."
"Looking for me?" Teddy asked bewildered, why was a fifth year looking for him?
"Yes." Dean replied, "You are going back to the common room, right?"
Teddy nodded.
"Good," Dean said, "I will come with you then."
Teddy shrugged and started walking.
"Aren't you curious?" Dean asked, walking lazily next to him.
"Curious about what?" Teddy asked.
"About why I was looking for you?"
Teddy shrugged, "I figured you would tell me soon enough."
Dean laughed. "So, Lupin, what do you know about the Dumbledore's Army?"
Teddy grinned, "It was started by some students in 1995, and it was the only group training in DADA that year. It started out as a form of protest, but during the last year of the war, it became a symbol of resistance amongst the students. It dissolved after the war and once every DA member graduated from Hogwarts."
Dean smiled, "You were right about everything, except the last bit. The DA never disbanded."
"Well, it could be argued that they never officially disbanded." Teddy conceded.
Dean gave him a fond look, almost indulgent.
"What?" Teddy asked confusedly, "You think the DA still exists?"
Dean grinned, "Took you long enough."
"But that's not possible!"
"Why not?" Dean asked, stopping at an alcove and sitting down, indicating Teddy to sit next to him. He waved his wand once and Teddy felt a ripple pass through him.
"Because I know most of the DA members and they are all adults," Teddy said, taking his seat.
"Yes, members of the original DA have graduated, but the DA still exists," Dean replied.
"And what do they do?" Teddy asked confused. "We have a DADA teacher who was a member of the original DA. Plus there are those special classes. Why would you need a DA then?"
"The name continues but the nature of the DA has changed." Dean replied, "It's not just a primarily defence group."
"Err…"
Dean smiled at Teddy, patting his back.
"A few years ago, the youngest member of the original DA, Nigel Grey, realized that he would be the end of an era and a dark memory," Dean explained. "People his age as well as those a couple of years younger than him remembered how dark their early years at Hogwarts were. So, Nigel reached out to his classmates, Hogwarts in those days was still recovering from the battle."
"These students remembered the obscure spells used on them. Spells that were neither dark nor white, neutral spells, powerful spells, the intent of their use defined their purpose. Banned spells. Nigel, now a wise seventeen-year-old Ravenclaw realized that some students, for the sake of it should always have knowledge of such obscure branches of magic. After all, knowledge is not good or bad, its application is, right?"
Teddy nodded, he had seen enough of the grey shades in human beings to know that spells could be grey too. Dean grinned.
"Nigel spent six months observing the people around him. He chose a handful of people from his year and a year below him and brought them together to form the new DA. The rules were simple, Nigel knew they would be dabbling in dubious magic. An open mind, level-headedness, as well as a sense of responsibility, were paramount qualities for a member. So, a system of invitation-only emerged. Initially, only a few people of whom they were sure of were invited, then these people invited the others who they thought were equally worthy and thus, the entire chain continued and continues to this day."
"Now Teddy, you may be wondering why I am telling you all of this. Well, we have observed you for the past six months and we believe that you will be a great representative for the Hufflepuff House."
Teddy looked at Dean and frowned as if he was concentrating on something hard.
"You can ask me anything, Lupin." Dean prompted.
"I am flattered, really." Teddy started earnestly, "But I was just wondering if you have-if you have invited me because I am related to Harry Potter."
Dean beamed at him. "The fact that you are asking that question makes me certain that we have picked the right kid." He replied, "No, Teddy. Nigel took a leaf out of Hermione Granger's book and created binding contracts, the first is about secrecy, no one but the members and the invitees know about the DA and where they meet, so we cannot go harp about it. The second being no favouritism, we cannot pick people we like even if we wanted to. All of us have to agree on a name. That's how it works."
"Why me?" Teddy asked weakly, half glad that they wanted him because of his own qualities.
"Why not?" Dean asked, "You are fair, you avoid violence and unnecessary confrontation if it could be avoided and yet know when to stand up for yourself, everyone knows of your friendship with Ashley Flint or of your relationship with Draco Malfoy. Ashley's father took the mark, so did Draco Malfoy and yet I have heard you speak affectionately of them. Even when it was his aunt who killed your mother, it tells us that you don't judge people by their names or mistakes, you judge them by their actions. You could have been a pigheaded prat about being brought by up Harry and Ginny Potter and yet you keep you are humble. You pull pranks but harm no one. So tell me Teddy Lupin, why not you?"
Teddy looked at Dean awed, "You-you-noticed all of this?" He stammered.
"It's our job to find the right candidate, isn't it?"
"I- thank you!" Teddy said gratefully, "Sometimes, it gets confusing to know if people like me for me or because of my Godfather. He is a great person, but his fame is an inconvenience."
Dean smiled at him. "No, we definitely want you for the potential you promise." He grinned mischievously, "Also I am very sure, a couple of people want to study you."
Teddy laughed, "Honestly, I would like people to explain metamorphing to me. I can do it, but I don't know what else I can use it for."
"Don't worry, we will change that."
"Great, so when do I join you?" Teddy asked.
"Not so fast," Dean said with a small chuckle. "I have a task for you. If you complete it in the time given to you, you will be invited for the meeting."
"What is the task?" Teddy asked.
"Unforgivable Curses." Dean replied, "Every bit of knowledge available, including the proper way to administer them and how much damage can they cause."
Teddy's nose flared.
"No." He said, letting out a deep breath to reign in his temper.
"No?" Dean asked, a challenge in his tone.
"No," Teddy replied with determination.
"Are you sure?"
Teddy gave him a look of badly restrained anger. "Unforgivable curses are nothing to joke about." Teddy said angrily, "They have an effect on people, which can continue for years. Even if one was to study them for the sake of knowledge, even that kind of knowledge in the first place is dangerous. What if someone feels like experimenting? Those curses are not something people below age should know about. I won't do it. If this is how I join the DA, then I am out." Teddy sprang to his feet and strode forward. He had barely taken a few steps when an invisible barrier pushed him back.
"What are you playing at?" Teddy asked Dean angrily. "Let me out."
"I can't." Dean said simply, "Not without erasing your memory of this discussion first."
Teddy glared at him, chin jutting out stubbornly. "Fine. Do it then." He replied acidly.
Dean tilted his head to look at Teddy curiously.
"That's enough." A new deep voice said materialising between Teddy and Dean, making Teddy jump in surprise.
Eijaaz Shafiq, Headboy, Slytherin stood facing Dean, his back to Teddy.
"You went too far with the memory charm." He rumbled in his deep voice, reprimanding Dean.
"Couldn't think of anything better, sorry," Dean said lightly, not sounding sincerely apologetic at all.
"Really, Clarke." Shafiq said shaking his head, "The kid's been through enough in his life, without you being a disrespectful, insensitive prat."
"I am still here," Teddy grumbled.
Eijaaz turned to look at Teddy, his dark eyes crinkled with warmth and laughter.
"Sorry, there Lupin." He said offering his hand, "This was just a test to see how well you understood the weight of the knowledge of obscure spells. Clarke could have taken a different path, but what's done cannot be undone. Are you still mad at him?"
"Yes," Teddy growled, concentrating really hard in not letting his features change.
"Well, please accept our apologies." Shafiq offered, "I am honoured to invite you to the Dumbledore's Army. We meet every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for practice. The common room is open to all members at all times, so you can visit whenever you want, in case you wish to escape others or just read a really good book. Our next meeting is next Tuesday before you come for it, you need to sign this parchment." He waved a piece of parchment in front of Teddy, "You are too annoyed right now, so I will leave the parchment here, if you accept, just sign your name on it. Once you sign your name, the parchment will give you the location of the DA common room. Am I clear?"
Teddy nodded, he was still breathing hard, he hadn't thought that a threat of mind invasion would get him so panicked. Shafiq grinned at him as he handed him the piece of parchment.
"You are a good kid, Lupin." Shafiq said, "Just think it over okay?"
Teddy nodded, feeling better. Shafiq left and Teddy was left with Dean Clarke, who grinned at him, making Teddy give him a glare.
"Come on, kid!" Dean said, "I wasn't actually going to do it. I am sorry if that scared you, I shouldn't have let my mouth run with me."
Teddy nodded, turning to go back to his dormitory. He really wanted to talk to someone about it, but he also knew that the only people he could speak with were Dean and Shafiq.
"Hey, Dean." Teddy said, not bothering to turn back, "Is there anyone else in the DA I could talk to?"
Dean clapped him on the back, "I am sorry Lupin, I really am. I wish you could just come to me, but if you still need to talk to someone, you can talk to Janet Stone, she is a seventh year DA member from our house. You can also speak to Hestia Vane, she is a seventh year DA member too, she is also a prefect, so maybe approaching her would be easier for you."
Teddy nodded, "Thank you. And don't beat yourself up, I didn't realise I would have such a strong reaction to the threat of memory tampering. I just want some more perspective before I accept."
"That's fair," Dean said, nodding his consent. "Take your time. There is no need to hurry."
"Thanks. I will see you later, I guess." Teddy said as they reached the common room entrance. Dean nodded, as he watched Teddy walk into the common room.
Teddy hesitantly approached the group of senior girls in the common room. The girls all surveyed him curiously as he approached them.
"Hestia?" He asked hesitantly, "Can I speak with you for a minute?"
The girls all rounded to stare at their friend, whose expression was carefully blank as she nodded and got up from her seat.
"It's too noisy here." Hestia said, "Come on, let's go for a walk."
Teddy trailed behind Hestia, who led him to the kitchens. They sat at a table which was directly below the Gryffindor table. Teddy watched fascinated as Hestia waved her wand, he felt a ripple cross through him again.
"What is this spell?" He wondered aloud, "Clarke did the same thing today."
"It's a grey spell, it is quite ingenious too." Hestia replied with a smile, "If someone passes next to us, they will see us talking, but unlike the Muffliato or the silencing charm which makes them unable to hear something and thus suspicious, they will hear exactly what they want to hear or whatever their conscious mind or imagination is telling them."
Teddy knit his eyebrows trying to understand the concept of the spell. Hestia grinned at him.
"Do you know Romeo and Juliet?" She asked.
Teddy nodded.
"So, say, Romeo cast this spell, now they may be speaking of love to one another but if a passerby crosses, he would see two people from warring families talk to each other and in his mind he already has the perception that they must be insulting or threatening each other, so when he crosses them he would hear them insult or threaten each other." Hestia explained, "It is a dangerous spell, as it functions on perception, and one wrong gossip along with the memory can wreak havoc."
Teddy nodded.
"I hear you received your invitation to the DA, congratulations."
Teddy nodded and then frowned, "I am not sure. I don't understand why we are doing this. Voldemort is not coming back."
Hestia nodded, "True, Voldemort is not coming back, but is there a guarantee that another evil wizard will not rise? Voldemort rose, within a couple of decades since the fall of Grindelwald, didn't he?"
Teddy nodded.
"During both the wars, people lost lives because they didn't know the nature of different kinds of magic. Wands are a mode channelizing magic, but there are other ways to do so too. The idea is to always have a band of people who know enough defensive magic to fend off any attacks, both inside Hogwarts and in the real world. We don't need this, but if we forget what the war was like, we are not really learning a lesson, are we?"
Teddy shook his head slowly. "Do you think I can do this?"
Hestia looked at him curiously, "I don't know you well enough to answer that question but I do know that Eijaaz is really impressed with you, and it's not easy to be able to impress him in one go. So, I guess you are up for the task and this self-doubt is holding you back."
"Do you think I should join it?"
"That is your decision, Teddy. I can't decide for you."
"Are you inviting someone else from my year?"
Hestia gave him a long look, "We have an open invitation policy for the first three years. Sometimes, you get invited in your first year, sometimes we like to observe some people a little more before inviting them. The third year is where we draw the line."
"I won't get a straight answer from you, will I?"
Hestia just grinned at him good-naturedly.
"Fine." Teddy pouted, "I have a last question."
"Sure."
"May I talk about this with an adult in my life before making the decision?"
"I don't know." Hestia replied honestly, "I don't think any of us really thought about discussing it with someone. For us, it was all part of a big adventure. Our parents were not DA members and, whatever, they remembered of the war, well, for us, all of it sounds like a great big adventure. But you, Teddy, you have a family of people who were in the middle of it, so, I guess you have a better picture of how awful it was."
Teddy nodded, as Hestia looked at him briefly.
"I don't know what to tell you." She continued, "Maybe you should talk to someone, but if they complain to the school and ask for the DA to be shut down, we will deny all association. Even claim that it was a prank, and your invitation would be revoked immediately. Not to mention, you would look like a fool. So, think it through. You have to sign it by May so that you could attend a couple of sessions with all of us as members. But Teddy, please be careful of your choices, okay?"
Teddy nodded. He had a lot to think through before he jumped ship. He knew his birth parents, his Godparents, George, Ron, pretty much everyone he knew would immediately join. Especially, Hermione, it would be absolutely thrilling to know so much. A part of him wanted to join up immediately, another part of him really wanted to speak with someone with a balanced approach. Currently, he could think of three people whom he trusted enough to treat him like an independent person, Uncle Bill, Uncle Draco and his Godfather. He sighed, he will be seeing Bill and Harry in a couple of weeks, so he could talk to them then. He would just have to write to Draco for help. He won't come to a decision without asking someone else for their opinion.
AN: So, here is another chapter and I really figured the DA should just go on. Let me know what you think! Happy Reading!