Chapter Seven- Dark Arts

"Now. Your previous teachings in this subject have been woefully minimal. I would be surprised if you could pass your O.W.L.s with only that knowledge." Of course Snape has to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Bleh. He may be in the Order, and my father's oldest friend, but I still don't like him. Even if he was friends with Lily Evans-Potter.

"How many of you can perform non-verbal Magic?" He asks. I'm the only one to raise my hand. "Not surprising. Now, by your fifth year, I would expect you to be able to at least know how to perform non-verbal Magic. I hardly expect any of you to be able to use the skill." Snape says. "Now, someone other than Ms. Malfoy explain the advantage of non-verbal Magic?" He asks.

Being a class made up mostly of Ravenclaws, a majority of the class raises their hands. A few Hufflepuffs raise their hands as well. "Ms. Marshall?" Snape points at a Hufflepuff girl with dark black hair that blends in with the dark room. I, on the other hand, being extremely pale, stick out like a sore thumb. I go back to drawing in my parchment.

"When you're duelling, your opponent can't tell what spell he's up against." The girl guesses. "Partly." Snape says. "Ms. Malfoy, since you are apparently too good for this class, would you care to demonstrate?" He caught me drawing. I look up and pull out my wand, flicking it, and causing Snape's wand to fly out of his hand and into mine. "That good enough?" I ask, irritated.

Snape grabs his wand out of my hand. "Fifty points from Ravenclaw." He says swiftly. "Just because Dumbledore deems you a capable witch does not mean I do, so until then, you will pay attention, do you understand that Ms. Malfoy?" I nod, and probe his mind instead, trying to find out more about Lily Evans.

"Look Petunia!" The red haired girl is swinging high in the air on a swing set next to her sister. She flies off the swing, flips in midair, and lands lightly on the ground. "You're going to get in trouble Lily! Mummy said your not allowed!" Petunia says, but Lily isn't listening. She laughs as a flower opens and closes its petals in her hand. "Freak!" Petunia exclaims.

A young, bat-like boy appears from the bushes. "Isn't it obvious?" Snape asks. "You're not a freak, you're a witch!" He exclaims. Lily shoots him a dirty look. "That's not very nice." She says. "But it's ok! My mum's a witch, and I'm going to be a wizard!" Snape tries to assure her.

"Ms. Malfoy." Snape finishes asking a question, jerking me to reality. "Huh?" I ask. "I was asking if it's possible to cast the Unforgivable Curses non-verbally." Snape sneers. I shudder, remembering the Department of Mysteries, and that flash of green light that hit Sirius's chest. "Yes." I murmur. "What?" Snape asks, clearly relishing this. "Yes." I repeat. "And do you know any witches or wizards with this ability?" Snape says silkily. "I think we both know the answer to that." I say. "But everyone else doesn't." Snape gestures to the class. "Nor do they know what the Cruciatus Curse is like." I point out. "Fifty more points from Ravenclaw. And answer the question." Snape says. "Fine." I snap. "Bellatrix Lestrange, and most likely Voldemort."

"And tell me, how do you know this?" Snape asks. I glare at him. "Because I saw her do it." I fling the words out of my mouth, feeling the tears hot in my eyes. "I saw her kill him." My voice drops to a whisper as I wipe the tears away. Snape ignores it. Luna puts an arm around me. That's what I appreciate about Luna. She may be odd, but she'll always be there for you.

Sorry for the wait. I was on a trip. The chapter might get shorter because this book is going to be considerably shorter, as the next one will be a two part book. I also have major writers block, so I've been writing a Quidditch World Cup story with the same characters, and I'll probably do a Hunger Games Crossover with the same characters. I've also moved on to working on an actual book, so... I'll make sure I finish this series, I promise! Read and Review!