Dumbledore´s Army
Fifth Year
"You have to start taking this seriously Ronald!" Hermione scolded the ginger for the tenth time, as she, Harry, Eva, and a very scared looking Ron gathered on the Clock Tower Courtyard. Harry and Eva sat down on the stone fountain, their backs pressed against the eagle statues as they played Exploding Snap. Hermione on the other hand, stood a few steps away, somewhere under the pear tree, with Ron. "Being a prefect is not a game!"
" ´Course not ´Mione, whatever you say ´Mione!" Harry mocked Ron with a grin, mimicking him. His eyes still on the game.
"Stop being such a dung brain Ronald!" Eva mocked back, her voice scarily similar to Hermione´s.
Both friends snickering, oblivious of Hermione angrily stomping her way back to them.
Once she was there, she swatted her hand at both their heads, just in time for Eva´s last card to explode, startling her.
"Well crap." Eva grumbled, rubbing the spot where Hermione had hit her. "Why thank you Miss Prefect, I´ve lost thanks to you."
Harry smugly extended a hand towards Eva, who reluctantly handed over a chocolate bar she´d stolen from the kitchens last night. "Pleasure doing business with you." He was in a good mood today, Eva noticed. Harry had been impossible this past few days, but today he seemed to be a lot more relaxed.
"That´s no business." Eva spat, poking her tongue at him. "She distracted me!"
Harry chuckled, "Don´t be a sore loser Beaumont."
Hermione looked at them both disapprovingly, lately she´d been so overworked and bad tempered because of her Prefect Duties. And by the looks of their argument, Ron hadn´t been much help.
They were about to get started on a new game when a sickly sweet voice caught their attention.
"Mr. Keller, it is against school regulations to carry around that...thing. I´m afraid it must be sent away from the castle immediately."
Umbridge.
As a matter of fact, once Eva turned around she met Toad Face, as she called the horrible woman. She wore her usual pink attire, and was currently standing over a first year, who until her arrival had been playing with his pet snake.
The boy was about to say something when another distinctive voice announced itself. "Ah, Professor Umbridge. I´ve been looking everywhere for you!" Draco Malfoy emerged from the entrance, smiling at Toad Face like her presence was actually something to be happy about.
Beside Eva, Harry tried to keep a straight face, fully knowing what would unfold.
"Mr. Malfoy, what exactly is it you need?" Umbridge turned, obviously irritated.
Draco however, didn't let the old witch get under his skin. He stopped in front of her, looking down at her like she was a child. "There´s a situation on the third floor professor, near the Charms classroom." He politely answered, then pretended to be surprised by Keller and his pet snake. "Keller! Good to see you again, how´s your anxiety?"
Keller frowned, and opened his mouth, but Umbridge spoke before he could. "Mr. Malfoy, now that you´re here, I need to take this young man to my office, give notice to Mr. Filch to arrange for his creature´s departure form the castle."
"I´m afraid I can´t do that professor." Draco replied shortly, his smile not faltering, in fact, Eva noticed how it grew by the second. Harry snickered under his breath, trying really hard not to call for Umbridge´s unwanted attention. Hermione looked at the scene unfold with wide eyes, unable to hide her won smile. Ron on the other hand, eyed Draco warily, as if wondering what he was up to.
"I beg your pardon?" Umbridge stuttered slightly, looking taken aback.
Draco nodded towards the very confused kid, and pretended concern. "You see Professor, Keller suffers from a severe anxiety, and his snake here is his emotional support animal." Harry couldn't keep a straight face anymore and broke into a fit of hiccupped muffled laughes. Eva´s own shoulders shook as she tried to remain silent.
"Emotional Support Animal-Mr. Malfoy are you tricking me?" Umbridge´s face grew redder, and Draco shook his head, pretending to be offended.
"Oh no no professor I would never. It´s a muggle thing you see." He tried to explain, leaning closer to her and whispering "Kind of pointless if you ask me"
"I know what they are Mr. Malfoy, but this is a snake!" She was getting frustrated, her ears matching her outfit now.
Hermione had dropped down near Eva to get a better look at them, a grin spreading on her face, even Ron moved closer.
"Snakes are very intelligent creatures professor, specially that kind." Draco pointed at the curious noodle twisting in the hands of the silent boy, who had caught on Draco´s plan and tried very hard not to smile. "I can always contact his Doctor, that's muggle for Healer, and have him explain Keller´s situation."
Umbridge narrowed her small pork-like eyes, meeting Draco´s own cunning ones.
"That won´t be necessary." She finally concluded, probably figuring it was easier to let this pass. "Mr. Malfoy." She said with finality before eyeing the snake with a wary look, and proceeded to walk away.
"Try not to walk around with your pet, Keller" Draco calmly said once Umbridge was out of range. The boy stood up and thanked Draco silently, to what Eva and Hermione couldn't help but smile. "Snape won´t be fooled by that same story." He scattered away.
"Wow, Draco I didn't know you had a heart." Harry called out for him grinning, making the blond smirk.
"Ah, Potter." He snarled making is way to them with slow bored steps. "I see you´re in a good mood today, ran out of things to sulk about?"
Harry rolled his eyes. Draco made it to the stone eagle Eva was leaning against, and rested his elbows on it.
"That was a good thing you did back there Draco." Hermione priced him with a smile, he liked him more and more as the days went by.
"Yeah well, I guess it´s part of the job." He shrugged, hinting towards his own prefect badge. Draco had been made prefect this year as well, with Pansy Parkinson much to Eva´s dislike. "Besides, any chance I get to annoy the old Toad is welcomed."
Harry rolled his eyes at him and sighed. "Yeah well, we all know prefects are here to save the day, no need to rub it in our faces." He motioned to both Eva and him, but Eva wasn´t truly bothered with them being prefects. True, they had been outnumbered, but being a prefect sounded like a lot of work to her.
"Oh I´m sorry Scarhead" Draco sneered at him, leaning forward. "Didn´t mean to burst your happy bubble."
Harry was about to make some lame remark at him when Eva spoke, purposely cutting him off. "Well, I agree with Hermione. It was a good thing. Umbridge is just getting worse by the minute."
The sudden change of subject threw Draco off a bit, but quickly regained his own line of thought and huffed. "I still don´t know how she expects us to pass our Practical exam if she won´t let us do magic." Then he looked over his shoulder, as a group of third years walked past them. "speaking of which…"
Everyone waited, but Draco´s voice trailed off before he shook his head. "Never mind."
"What? What is it?" Hermione urged, suddenly joined by Ron who´d been so very silent since Draco appeared. It bothered Eva greatly.
"I had a thought, but it´s…well it´s not stupid of course, I came up with it after all." He added with a haughty smile and Hermione smacked his shoulder with her hand. Someone was feeling violent today. "Oi! Watch it Granger, this is my good arm!"
Harry laughed at him, but pushed him further. "What were you thinking about?"
Draco looked over to him, rubbing the sport where Hermione´s hand had landed with unnecessary force. "Well, since Professor Toad Face won´t teach us, why don´t we teach ourselves?"
Eva frowned, and Hermione opened and closed her mouth, like a fish.
"Teach our-?" Ron snarled at Draco, speaking up for the first time. He was ready to point out everything wrong with his plan, his eyes furrowed, but Hermione cut him off with a growing excited grin.
"Brilliant!" She exclaimed, asking all of them jump, all except Draco who shrugged and muttered an unimpressed 'obviously.' under his breath
"What?" Eva looked from her boyfriend to her friend, not catching up at all.
"We´ll teach ourselves!" Then, she flinched, acknowledging the fact that people had started to gather around them. She covered her mouth and blushed before leaning closer, accidentally cutting Ron off the group. "If Umbridge won´t teach us, then we´ll teach ourselves."
"You just repeated the same exact thing Draco said." Eva pointed out, eyes blank.
Hermione then looked up at Harry who still had a confused look al over his face. She gulped down with difficulty, before speaking with a low scared tone. No, not scared Eva though, more like…reluctant.
"He´s back isn´t he?" She asked, and Harry flinched, immediately knowing who she was talking about. Draco instinctively reach out for Eva´s hand, and she took it, eyes glued on Hermione. "You-Know-Who, he really is back."
Harry nodded, looking grim and ashen. Eva´s grip on Draco tightened and suddenly, the sunny day had gone slightly cold.
"Then we must prepare ourselves." She added with finality, the fierce look Eva had spotted on her their first encountered growing more intense. "We must learn how to defend ourselves."
"A secret club." Eva added with the same determination Hermione had. "It makes perfect sense."
"You´re forgetting one thing though 'Mione" Ron forcefully spoke up, opening up a space between Harry and Hermione to join in. "Who will teach us?"
"Well I believe that´s rather obvious, Weasel." Draco added, as if it bothered him how slow Ron was.
"Is it going to be you?" Ron spoke with a mean mocking demeanor. "We´re doomed then, might as well fight You-Know-Who without a wand!"
Harry grimaced, and Eva knew Ron had crossed a line. She reached out for Harry´s hand at the time Hermione started reproaching him for being so emotionless. Draco remained silent, not understanding why they´d reacted that way.
He didn´t know Harry´s father died because he stood up to Voldemort, without a wand. Harry however, was not keen on pity so he ultimately shrugged it off.
"Sorry mate, I-" Ron started saying, eyes not meeting his and his ears redder than usual.
"It´s okay." He interrupted, shaking his head.
Draco just stared at the whole thing, then promptly resumed the discussion choosing to ignore what had just happened. "Anyways, no Weaselby, I didn't mean me, you wouldn't be able to keep up." Ron made a face at him, but then Draco´s eyes darted towards Harry. "I meant him."
"What?" Harry spat, eyes going wide. "Are you mad?"
Draco rolled his eyes and added snobbishly. "Well, I´m clearly the obvious choice Potter, but I´m afraid my people skills appear to be a bit rusty." Hermione laughed, and Eva smiled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"You're mad, definitely mad." Harry ignored the sarcastic remark and shook his head. "No one on their right mind would have me as a teacher. Unless you have forgotten, everyone hates me."
Draco exhaled, exasperated by Harry´s self pity act. "Saint Potter, destined to die a martyr."
Hermione grasped Harry´s shoulder and squeezed slugtly. "Draco´s right, Harry. You´re the best at it, only you could teach us."
Draco looked at Hermione and raised a single thin finger. "I beg to differ." Eva elbowed him, making him laugh a little. Then his face went neutral and hard as he turned his eyes towards a very alarmed Harry. "Potter, let´s look at the facts. You´ve faced The Dark Lord twice and lived to tell about it, even if no one believes you did."
Harry glared, but Draco didn't stop there. "That´s because they are scared, the idea of him coming back is enough to have that effect on people. Denying the truth it´s a coping mechanism, they don´t want to believe he´s back. But, if you teach them how to defend themselves, how not to be scared, then…things will be different, better even. Teach them, and you´ll go back to your old popular condescending self in no time."
Draco´s words left a thoughtful silence in the group, Eva looked up at her boyfriend and smiled. She knew Draco believed Harry, after all, his family had talked non-stop about the Dark One´s return. But seeing him like this, finding it within himself to help Harry see what was the right thing to, it made her very proud.
Harry looked at him, both boys silently agreeing to what Harry knew was a risky idea. "Fine, I´ll do it. I´ll teach them."
