Chapter 9 - Defense Club
It took two weeks for everyone to finish learning Algebra for Defense, and Nanoha then moved on to the next step of Mental Focus training.
"By now, you are all capable of solving problems using simple abstract concepts in Algebra. Now we will try using it. Everyone get some parchment, and try solving these problems." She revealed the board to have several simple problems. "It is one thing to think about one thing at a time, when you are in a comfortable situation. However, when engaging, say, a Dark Wizard or any threat, there are several things you must think about. His movements, the terrain and obstacles, your repertoire of spells and his, and if there are several of them or of your own, you have to think of them as well. So, we will try solving these problems almost simultaneously. Work on one of them, then switch after maybe twenty seconds. By doing this, you will try to have several trains of thought and allocate memory separately to solve them all. This will allow you to think and keep track of the various elements in combat. We will also continue working on other mental problems singly, for pure focus, and soon, we can integrate this with running again."
Everyone then tried solving the problems simultaneously, and ended up getting confused and worked slowly. Some groaned loudly.
"Don't worry if you can't do it at first, this is pretty advanced for many people. Worry more if you didn't try enough." After that, no one complained, knowing the consequences.
Harry, Ron and Hermione agreed to meet at the Hog's Head along with all the other students who wanted to do Defense... self-study. There about twenty-five of them managed to cram into the dingy pub.
"A couple of people? How many did you tell?" Harry asked, when he saw them come in after him.
Nanoha then walked in after everyone else.
"How'd she find out? Oh no, she overheard us when we discussed it in that run!", Hermione said. "Relax, Nanoha isn't here to stop it, she'd have-" Harry tried to continue, but Nanoha interrupted.
"I'd have what?" Nobody wanted to answer that. "Anyway, if any of you remember, if you train without my approval, there will be... consequences. So Harry told me about this class, and I approved. Also, I did say I wanted to observe the classes at Hogwarts, especially Defense. Harry's probably the only one willing to show us the wizard's way of Defense Against the Dark Arts, so I think I'd join up too, just to observe." Everyone then remembered the Orders again, and realized they were this close of breaking Orders. By now, everyone was afraid of breaking Orders, and thanked whatever luck they had that Nanoha found out, and approved. "Anyway, we're all here, more or less. To start...?" Nanoha then motioned for Harry, Ron or Hermione to speak.
The meeting went by fine, and everyone agreed to join, and find a venue and schedule before actually starting. The idea of secret training reminded Nanoha of her early training with Raising Heart, then remembered what happened as a result of that reckless system. She had to make sure that no one would push themselves that far, and hoped Harry really knew what he was doing.
It had been two weeks since the meeting in the Hog's Head, and Harry and his friends still couldn't find a suitable location. Harry then decided for them to go down to the kitchens to find and ask Dobby for help in looking for a suitable room to practice DADA. When they got past the painting that hid the entrance, they found Nanoha already with Dobby.
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked when they saw her.
"I'm getting sick of eating here. I was hoping to eat some food from home after getting out from my old job, but Dumbledore sort of dragged me here, another place that serves only Western food. I miss eating Japanese, so I asked Dumbledore if I could teach a house-elf here to cook a little like my mother, and Dobby here volunteered.", Nanoha replied.
"Will this take long? We kinda came down here to ask Dobby a favor ourselves.", Harry asked.
"Miss, may we do this another time? I'd rather see to Master Harry right now.", Dobby asked Nanoha.
"Well, I'll have to hear this myself anyway, and I'd like to hear about how you know the elves in Hogwarts."
Harry and Dobby then explained how Harry saved Dobby from his miserable servitude to the Malfoy family, then Hermione convinced her to join S.P.E.W.
"You'd help free these nutters? They kind of like the work.", Ron objected.
"Some of them though, like Dobby, are miserable. I've seen children who, as the result of all sorts of... circumstances, have lived in misery and despair. They don't have loving parents, or friends, and for some, they're hated openly. My friend, one of these people, somehow managed to grow up and out of it, and in turn, she looks for these kind of children, and she gets them adopted by her mother and now she helps raise them. Miserable people can be helped if you show even just a little kindness. If more people were kinder to house-elves, they might be happy like Dobby, or even be happy while serving. I don't want to free every house-elf, they do like their work, but I agree with Hermione that for many of them, their conditions are miserable and something should be done about it. However-", Nanoha then turned to Hermione, "The house-elves at Hogwarts are neither miserable or abused, at least most of them aren't. If S.P.E.W. is to do something good, we need to find actual miserable house-elves and find a way to improve their conditions."
"Uhh... anyway, Dobby, like I said, I need some help again.", Harry said to Dobby. "We need you to look for a place that can hide us from Umbridge."
"Ahh! You might want the Room of Requirement!" Dobby then explained the Room of Requirement, and Nanoha raised her eyebrow.
"Ah, there's something I need to discuss with Dumbledore then. Don't worry, I won't tell him what you do down here, if he shouldn't know.", she said as she got up and left.
"Ah, Nanoha. Is this about a certain meeting of people of now-questionable legality?", asked Dumbledore as Nanoha stepped in his office.
"Now-questionable legality?" Dumbledore then gave her an advance copy of a new Educational Decree on the reform of all school clubs and societies.
"I take it you do know everything about the Defense group. As far as I'm concerned, I'm allowing them to do it as it's not dangerous to their health, and I really do want to see what a Defense class normally should be, without having to attack an Auror."
"Well, you seem prepared, but what are you here for then?"
"Do you know of a Room of Requirement here in Hogwarts?"
"Ahh, Dobby. I didn't expect that, so Harry must know by now. I should say that I'm glad he has a friend like you now, he needs that."
"Well, I take it upon myself to make a lot of friends, one way or another. Anyway, you do?"
"Yes, but, not a lot. If you heard Dobby's explanation, you know as much as I do. I've only ever used it once, and I only found out last year."
"Then, do you think the Room is the focal point for Hogwarts? I'm still concerned that Hogwarts is like a Lost Logia, and to think that anyone can channel so much power, just by saying he needs something..."
"No need to worry, I'm sure. Though the idea that someone would try to tap into ancient energies as Hogwarts... no wizard can actually do much with it anyway. It's not really much of a concern for me, though I do hope you're careful, both with the Room and the information on it."
"I'm not much of a researcher, but I would want someone to look into this, at least."
"I'd rather not have any more mages in here, though. You alone are trouble enough. If you want, I'll ask Filius to investigate for you."
"That would be nice. I guess that's all that can be done for now." Nanoha then turned and left.
"And you think Hogwarts is a what?"
Nanoha briefed Professor Flitwick on Hogwarts being a form of Lost Logia, without explaining the part concerning mages. They were just outside the Room of Requirement and Flitwick was to first try some detection spells.
"Well, I found nothing unusual. It might be deep within the more ancient enchantments of the castle, so no one probably could tamper with it. Also, this room provides people with what they need, and isn't that potentially harmful. It may be powerful, but the only way it could be catastrophic is if someone could draw the power beyond the room."
"Fine, we'll stop here. Can you do me one last favor, though? I want to try to put some protection here, but no one must see me do it. Could you stop anyone trying to come here by stairs?"
"Fine. Nothing drastic, though. I'll be back in two minutes."
After Flitwick left, Nanoha quietly activated Raising Heart.
"Sealing, master?"
"Exactly. we'll try to seal the magic within the door. The magic here is powerful, so be ready to deactivate if I lose consciousness again. It's worth trying though, if the danger could be avoided."
"Alright, my master. Sealing."
A circle then formed around Nanoha. She made sure this time to try not to fight the enchantments supporting Hogwarts. However, just as she tried to apply the seal, the enchantments resisted her again, and this time Nanoha was thrown back a few feet. She quickly deactivated her Device when Flitwick ran into the corridor.
"What happened? I heard something of a bang, and..."
"I tried to seal the magic to restrict it inside the Room, but there was resistance. Oh well, I don't want to try anymore either. A certain healer will have my head if I went any further on this."
Harry could not believe it when he saw the new "Educational Decree" that morning. He realized that they had been found out, and that he should've checked out the other patrons of the bar. He had the message spread, "We're doing it anyway." Anyway, they had a new secret meeting place which Nanoha had already checked out, so they can won't be found out too easily. However, the problem was that the Quidditch teams had to be reformed, and everyone was scrambling for the approval of their clubs.
"Reckon we'll apply to form thousands of new clubs, just to see her squirm under the paperwork?" Fred asked.
Nanoha, passing by, remarked, "No. She's a Ministry official, on the upper end. She probably will blacklist you and have someone or something filter all your applications out."
"I guess we can't make a 'Make thousands of applications' club then." George remarked. "Well, Fred and I have a class with Binns right now. To skive, or not to skive?"
"Skive, definitely. We have to see if the Fever Fudge works this time."
"Fred, you are in a presence of a teacher!"
"No, don't worry. I myself managed to skip most of high school to do mage work out there, and anyway, my teaching method basically is to beat people into working harder during testing.", Nanoha replied.
"You did? How did you finish? Also, they let you graduate with that?"
"Friends in higher places with big magical tools and weapons, they can get you out if a reason is valid to them. The school kinda just looked the other way. Now that I think about it, Lindy is scary when she wants to be."
"Lindy?", they all asked. "My friend's mom, and also foster mother to another friend. She was kind of in charge of us when we were younger, and she approved our missions."
"Whoa. I don't want to ask, in case I find something out that will get me killed by some mysterious person or persons. Anyway, George, the fudge?", Fred asked.
George pulled out some of the Skiving Snackboxes, and Nanoha asked to see one of them.
"You two made this yourselves? I can't believe this! And these work?" Everyone was astonished to see Nanoha, well, astonished.
"More or less. Mostly, when we make something, it's too potent. We test them on ourselves first, to see if they work right.", Fred explained. "Why, you want some? Great for laughs."
"More than that, if you made these with wizard technology, and I don't suspect much beyond a cauldron and questionable ingredients, these are working miracles! You two are geniuses, literally!"
"Really now? Between you and me, and the other me,", Fred said and pointed to George, "We're planning to ditch Hogwarts soon. We think we can open up a joke shop, and these could probably do very well."
"A joke shop?" Nanoha then realized who she was talking to. "If it were solely up to me, I'd kidnap you, bring you to mage society, force you to learn their advanced technology, and set our magic research ahead maybe five years ahead!"
"Hmmm... advanced magic, laughs. Advanced magic... laughs." Fred then turned to George, and then they nodded. "We choose laughs."
"Oh well. If you're starting a joke shop, I would invest anyway. I could give you half my salary here for an equivalent in shares in Weasley Inc."
"Don't be too concerned about money. We already have a mysterious benefactor who gave us a sack of gold." Harry winced.
"If not for you guys, for me. I'm sure if I invest now while no one knows the value of your stock, I could make double on your opening day."
"Point. We'll take it. Anyway, I'd like to see McGonagall's face when we come with her with a signed parchment that says you paid us with half your salary for stock in a business that doesn't exist yet."
"Please don't do that. Half the teachers already think I'm crazy, ever since Draco Malfoy's Stunner."
"They're still up with that? Then again, no one's figured out how you did it."
"I'll tell you what I told the teachers if you be discreet about this."
"Deal." Fred and George then looked at her. "Well?" Nanoha then explained her shield spell trick, and her increased resistance to wizard's spells.
"Well then, welcome aboard to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, new shareholder. We'll drum you up a deed to the shares, and you drum us up an agreement to pay for the shares with half your salary."
"I trust that you will give me my fair share, and please don't tell anyone, at least until your opening."
"Of course, nice doing business with you." The twins were now smirking.
As the twins turned to leave, Nanoha went back and faced Harry, Ron and Hermione. "What?", she said.
"Y-You just...", Ron stuttered.
"They have potential. I want them to be able to do this. Who knows, maybe they'll make something that'll save lives or something?"
Nanoha left them there, while they couldn't say anything back.
Harry and the students from the Hog's Head entered the Room of Requirement for the first time for their first meeting. Nanoha followed soon after. There, Hermione produced a special parchment and everyone signed their names. Nanoha even signed at the bottom.
"If someone finds this though, we're screwed.", Ron remarked.
"Don't worry, the parchment has some protection. I researched some enchantments.", explained Hermione.
"Anyway, what do we call ourselves?", asked Harry.
"Ministry are Morons group?"
"Anti-Umbridge League?"
"The 'Study Group'?" Everyone looked at Nanoha. "What? Best hide the action within an innocent idea, I'm just saying."
"How about the Defense Association? Or DA in short?"
"DA... How about, Dumbledore's Army. The one thing the Ministry fears."
"Oh dear, the best idea is already taken. I was hoping to use that for next term.", Nanoha remarked.
"Wait, what?" Several people did a double-take.
"I didn't want to spoil it, but I'm hoping we do some optional squad training next term, if we can do enough personal training before Christmas. We were going to form Hogwarts' very own army, Dumbledore's Army."
"Now that you put it that way, I really want to use that name, but I'm afraid of what will happen to our second term..."
"Use it, there's no problem. However, I expect all of you to volunteer for this next term, you guys will be most prepared after all."
"It's decided then. We're now the DA, or Dumbledore's Army." Hermione then wrote the name on top of the parchment.
The rest of the time was spent trying to schedule practices between the various club meetings and Quidditch training schedules of the members. Somehow, everyone came out pleased at their decisions.
The High Inquisitor was just about to finish writing a letter to her superior and Minister, about the goings-on on Hogwarts. The Decree seemed like it worked, and had not heard of another of those blasted meetings with that fearmongering student. She knew though, and wrote down as well, that Potter will find another way, and now Umbridge will be waiting. She'd manage like the way she found out. Fudge even allowed her to sneak a man in the Hog's Head: Willy Widdershins, a prankster wizard who they blackmailed with time in Azkaban for his last stunt unless he helped them spy on Potter.
What really intrigued Umbridge was that Widdershins came out positively spooked. He told them that they did meet at the Hog's Head to form a Defense... study group, that there were about twenty to thirty students, mostly Harry's friends, but couldn't give anymore information, and refused to testify against them. That was at least acceptable to Umbridge. They could dig up evidence when they actually met for their... sessions.
Umbridge also sent a request for an Auror to guard her as she stayed in Hogwarts. She could not manage to be with that terrifying Defense Professor.
Weeks ago, after the meeting at Hog's Head, Willy Widdershins stepped out of the bar, his mission complete. He started to quickly remove the veil and witch's clothing he was made to wear as a disguise. The Minister would be happy about the news he was going to bring, so he considered to ask for compensation as well as a pardon. After all, no one expected for a Professor to be in league with the conspirators, and that it was the new Defense Professor to boot! As he strode through an empty back alley to find a place to change back into his regular clothes, he felt a hard point prod him in the back.
"Don't move.", A soft, female voice spoke. "Slowly turn around."
Willy craned his neck to see behind him and turned. It was the Defense Professor, with an odd white staff in her hand, its golden triangular head inches from his abdomen. The tip started glowing and a pink glowing sphere of energy formed. The sphere grew to about the size of his fist, and the woman, her face giving nothing away, spoke again.
"You were going to report to someone. However, I don't want anyone to know I was here. To that person you will report to, you will try to say as little as possible. Don't lie, but say you found little. They will eventually find out about the meeting taking place, the main topic discussed, and some of the recognizable students there. However, say nothing else, nothing of me, and nothing of my... meeting you here. You have no choice in this, you will comply. Am I clear?"
Willy wanted to scream but his head just nodded.
"Good. Goodbye, but I hope we never meet again, for both our sakes."
The woman slowly turned and walked away. Left alone, Willy realized how lucky he was that he had a full change of clothes, including underwear.