Surprised aren't you? I didn't take two weeks to update! Don't get used to it though =]

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"Good morning class! Good morning and welcome to your first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of the year!"

The blond wizard paused his speech to beam at his class of tired looking seventeen year olds. Several of them were leaning their heads in their hands, elbows on their desks, and a few were even nodding off slowly, but that didn't bother the professor who plowed on undaunted, "Well, my name is Professor Crumlin, and to start to year off, we are going to have a brief review of what you covered last year. So, what did you cover?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at the professor's enthusiasm and whispered to his friends, "Nothing, aside from the ten best ways to lock a professor in the closet."

Remus nodded, "Yeah, last year's DADA professor was a right nightmare…the only way I learned anything was by memorizing the textbook."

Peter paled, "Were we supposed to do that?"

"No, Moony's just messed up."

"Oh, good."

At the front of the room Professor Crumlin was still waiting for a response, "Anyone? Anyone? Ah, you there, could you please give me a brief overview of the material you covered last year?"

James craned his neck to see who had volunteered to answer the question, and wasn't surprised to see Lily taking a deep breath and launching into a perfect explanation of the sixth year curriculum:

"Well, last year's focus was primarily on dueling, particularly with non-verbal spells. We also covered all of the basic OWL level jinxes and hexes, as well as common curses and counter-curses."

Professor Crumlin smiled to see that one of his students was obviously as enthusiastic about the subject as he was, so he egged her on saying, "And dealing with dark creatures…how about that, Miss…?"

"Evans, sir. And magical creatures were mostly covered during third and fourth year. We've learned how to defend ourselves against boggarts, hinkypunks, imps, grindylows, pixies and –"

For some reason, this made Professor Crumlin clap his hands with glee, interrupting her. "Ah…so then you haven't faced any of the real dark creatures yet."

Lily's brow's furrowed in confusion, "Sir?"

"You haven's learned how to deal with trolls, giants, graphorns, inferi, manticores, dementors, werewolves (this made Remus swallow hard and James put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him) vampires and dragons and live to tell the tale?"

The class was silent, which only made Crumlin smile wider, "Excellent. Oh I have so much to teach you all! But where should I begin?" He stared off into space as if lost in thought, and the class took that opportunity to discuss their new professor.

"He's nutters." Geeta whispered to her friends, "Completely nutters."

Lily frowned at the girl, "What are you talking about? He seems like a really good teacher to me so far. And he's obviously really interested in his subject."

Alice nodded, "I agree, and he seems really nice too!"

Geeta sighed, "You two find everyone really nice. You're too trusting for your own bloody good. I mean heck Lily, you even trusted Snivellous! And look where that got you."

Alice looked at Lily curiously after that, "Lily, you never did tell us…what happened between you and Snape on the train?"

"I'll tell you later, alright?"

Just then Professor Crumlin seemed to wake up from his day dream, and he gave the class another wide grin. "I've got just the thing! Class, one of the most difficult spells to perform under pressure is the Patronus charm, which as you all know is used to repel dementors. However, if we can just make this room into a cheery and warm environment, I do believe that I could probably get most of you to perform one! So, would everyone kindly put their books away and come to the front of the room."

The class obeyed, and once they were all crowded around Professor Crumlin's desk, he waved his wand to push all of their desks against the back wall. This opened up a large space in the center of the room.

"Right then, I'd like you all to spread yourselves out evenly, and then hold your wands out like this" Crumlin said demonstrating. "Good. Now I'd like each of you to call up the happiest memory you've got."

This cause several titters from the class.

"I didn't ask you to share the memory with the class, just concentrate on it!" Crumlin admonished.

Lily closed her eyes in concentration. Her happiest memory? She wasn't sure what her happiest memory was. She decided to try the moment when she had discovered that she had been made head girl.

"Have you all got your memories? Good. Now I'd like you to please hold on to those memories, and use the incantation Expecto Patronum to cast the spell. But please don't expect to get a good result the first time. That almost never happens. So on the count of three then? One…two…"

"Expecto Patronum!?!"

"Not yet lad! What is your name?"

Peter blushed crimson, "Pettigrew, sir."

"Well, Pettigrew, please wait for me to finish my countdown! It's just not the same without it!" Crumlin was practically pouting, which caused several members of the class to barely conceal their sniggers.

"Let's try again, then. One…two…THREE!"

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Despite the fact that most of the class had bellowed out the spell, nothing happened. There were a few miniscule wisps of white mist, but that was all.

Crumlin didn't seem the least bit bothered by the lack of progress, though. He merely smiled and said, "Excellent! Now, for the rest of the period I would like you to continue practicing the spell on your own. I'll be coming around to help you one by one, and if I don't get everyone, well there's always tomorrow." And with that Crumlin gestured for the class to get started.

The first student he went to check on was Lily. "Well, Miss Evans, may I watch you cast?"

She nodded and tried casting the spell again.

Then she tried it again.

Nothing happened and Crumlin looked slightly disappointed in her. "Are you positive that the memory you chose was happy enough?"

Lily shook her head, feeling ashamed of herself. She was not used to failure.

"Well then, try another." Crumlin encouraged.

"Yes Professor." Lily closed her eyes and chose another memory.

"Have you got one?"

"Yes…Expecto Patronum!'

Even before the doe burst out of her wand, Lily knew that she had performed the spell perfectly. The patronus was a beautiful white, purer than the pelt of a unicorn and with its own sort of light and pearly sheen. It gracefully pranced around her and then slowly faded away.

That's when Lily became aware of the fact that all eyes in the room were on her. Some looked jealous, some looked impressed and Potter…Potter was giving her a funny look. As if he had just realized something…

Crumlin, for his part, looked dazed, and for a moment he just stared at Lily in awe. Then he let out a loud cheer and began clapping gleefully. "Never, in all my years as an educator have I seen anyone grasp that spell so quickly. That was absolutely perfect Miss Evans! Oh, that was wonderful."

Lily smiled softly, and said "Thank you professor." She wished that he would stop making such a big deal, because Lily had never liked attention. Finally, after he had left her to see the progress of the other students, she began to think about the memory she had chosen; it had been of her tenth birthday.

She had been upset because she wasn't having a big party like her friend Holly had, but it had turned out to be one of the best birthday's she had ever had. Tuney and her had gone bowling, then skating, and then to the park, just the two of them and their parents. Tuney had still been her best friend then, it was before Sev had become a large part of her life.

"Well done Mr. Potter!"

Lily's head snapped up at these words and she saw Crumlin clapping James hard on the back and loudly congratulating him. Then she took a look at what James had conjured. It wasn't a fully formed patronus, more of a thick cloud than anything else, but Lily couldn't help but notice that it sort of resembled….

"A spoon? Bloody hell Prongs, don't tell me that's your patronus." Sirius laughed after Crumlin had left him to see Alice's progress.

"Oh shut up, at least I got something." James retorted.

"Yes…but a spoon? I mean, picture this. There's a little old witch on the street who shouts Oh no, a dementor is coming!"

Remus joined in the mocking, "And then Padfoot shows up and says Don't worry; James will save us!"

"But how? The dementor's kiss is completely unstoppable and a fate worse than death itself!"

"Well, a dementor is still no match for James here. He…has…a…SPOON!"

Both boys collapsed laughing, and James glared at them. "Honestly, Remus I never would have expected this of you."

They ignored him, and when Remus had somewhat regained his breath, he said, "So James, what exactly was your happy thought?"

"Judging from that patronus, it probably involved pudding." Sirius sniggered.

James was about to tell his friends where he would shove the pudding if the didn't lay off him, when Crumlin announced that class was over. He also told them that their homework would be to write an essay on Dementors; on their advantages and disadvantages.

"Well, Spoons, it's time for your favourite class!" Sirius grinned as they left the DADA room.

James glared, "Call me 'Spoons' again, Padfoot. Go on."

"SPOOOOONS!" Sirius laughed, but the laughter died on his face when he saw James's expression. It was murderous.

James chased Sirius all the way to Charms class, and Remus rolled his eyes and wondered if his friends would ever grow up.

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So, I guess we can see where Harry got his DADA skills from ;]

Alright, I know. There was zero James and Lily contact during this chapter, but they are still pretty mad at each other so it's not my fault. This chapter was necessary though...you'll see why later.

Oh, and if I completely messed up the seventh year DADA curriculum, I'm sorry. I just took a guess at what would be covered and hoped that I wasn't too far off. So anyways, I hope you liked it, and stay tuned because the next chapter involves Quidditch and cows!