Chapter 14 – Snape's Reluctance
Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting down and getting out their books amidst the usual chatter after lunchtime, and Harry was reminiscing of Ginny again… After sitting with her in the common room, he felt so alive and excited about actually performing magic with her that evening that he felt more awake than he could credit to his morning naps. He was itching for the evening to come, desperate to find out more about Vallati.
Then, as the classroom door banged open, and Professor Snape swept in, his long black cloak billowing out bat-like from his shoulders, commanding a deadly silence, a thought occurred to Harry.
"Good afternoon, class," Snape murmured, striding over to the teacher's desk and beginning to send back homework with tired flicks of his wand, as if this afternoon was anything but good, and this was an irksome job to him. "Today we will be learning about Shield Charms," he informed them and flicked up some instructions onto the board behind him.
"Please, sir?" Harry raised his hand, keen to stay in Snape's good books and force himself to be polite, however much it felt unjust to do so when Snape was never polite to him, in order to get the answer he wanted.
"What is it, Potter?" Snape growled as he sent Harry's homework soaring back to him, with an 'Acceptable' grade scrawled on the top. Harry knew he'd written a perfect essay and included everything that might vaguely be relevant and more, because this was his best and most enjoyed subject, but Snape was so disinclined to admit this that all he could do to show his dislike was to not mark it as wrong and give a 'Troll'.
"Sir, I was wondering if you could explain to us what a Vallatus is?" Harry asked. All heads turned to face him when they heard this.
Snape fixed his black eyes on Harry.
"I was not aware that was the subject of today's lesson, Potter, or perhaps you are taking the lesson?" he said snidely.
"But sir, I think it is some kind of defensive magic, and as you are our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, shouldn't you be the one to explain to us what it is?"
"It may be defensive magic, Potter, but it is not what you are learning in today's class. Contrary to what you may believe, I am taking this class, not you."
Harry frowned. Why was Snape so reluctant to talk about the Vallatus Charm? "Have you never made a Vallatus then, sir?" he hazarded a guess.
Snape stared at Harry in silence, boring into his eyes. Then, after a long moment, he said very slowly, "No."
"Why not?"
Immediately Harry could tell had crossed the line containing Snape's patience. Snape's eyes flashed and colour leapt to his sallow cheeks.
"It is none of your business, Potter," he snarled. "I think ten points from Gryffindor might teach you to stop asking impertinent questions."
He turned away to face the blackboard, but Hermione's hand had shot into the air.
"But, sir," she said, "Professor Dumbledore believes that a Vallatus is one of the most important forms of defence you can have against Dark magic. Shouldn't we learn about them?"
"Miss Granger," said Snape in a dangerously low voice, turning on his heel to glare at the class, "did you not hear me tell Potter that it is I, not you, who is taking this class? Professor Dumbledore may believe that a Vallatus is an important form of defence, but I however believe otherwise, and as I am your teacher, you will be learning what I believe is most important." Hermione turned pink.
"Then what do you think is the most important form of defence?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself.
Snape turned to fix his beady eyes on Harry, a leer forming on his face. "Occlumency, and a quick mind," he said softly. "Both qualities that you severely lack, Potter." Snape stared at Harry, and Harry stared back, knowing his was being goaded into retorting, but he would refuse to give Snape that pleasure of earning himself detention. "So," Snape eventually said, casting his gaze over the whole class, "due to Potter's inadequacies we will have to start from basics. We will be learning how to perform a Shield Charm, which should be quite taxing enough for you all. I doubt anyone here can tell me what a Shield Charm does and why it is important?"
Harry had difficulty suppressing a laugh. Unknown to Snape, he, Harry, had learnt this for the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year, and had subsequently taught the others members of the DA this exact Shield Charm only last year. They had all learned it so proficiently that even Neville could consistently deflect spells that were shot at him.
Usually in Snape's class, it was only Hermione who raised her hand, but this time round many hands shot instantly into the air, including Harry's, Ron's, Dean's, Seamus', and Neville's. Snape looked slightly taken aback but quickly tried to hide this. "Yes, Weasley?" he snapped irritably.
Ron still looked rather out-of-sorts following the escapade with the pink pygmy puff tattoo, but he seemed quite determined to prove himself for once in front of Snape, seeing as he had never once managed that achievement in five years of Potions. "A Shield Charm acts as a defensive barrier so that jinxes and curses and stuff rebound and don't hurt you, or don't affect you as much as they would have done," he answered.
"That is more or less correct," Snape admitted, loath to give praise, "but whether your friend agrees is another matter altogether." He turned to face Harry. "Get up, Potter!"
As Harry stood to his feet defiantly and walked to the front of the class, Snape said, "I will now demonstrate what can happen if you fail to perform a sufficient Shield Charm. Potter, face me."
Harry took out his wand and faced the wand Snape pointed directly at his face, adrenaline but no fear coursing through his body. He knew what to do. He focussed hard on Snape's face, concentrating on how much he loathed him, and how good it would feel to stand up to him, to humiliate him for once in front of the whole class…
As soon as Harry saw Snape's lips move as he began to articulate a spell, Harry bellowed with all the strength he could muster, "PROTEGO!"
The force of Harry's Shield Charm was so strong that Snape was flung backwards into the air with a bang, and hit the wall before crumpling to the floor. Loud laughter from Harry's fellow Gryffindors filled the room and Harry felt a burst of triumph. Snape climbed to his feet, looking livid. The laughter quickly evaporated into a tense silence.
"I asked you to block me, not assault me, Potter. Twenty points from Gryffindor."
"What!" exclaimed Ron, gaping at Snape. "Harry did what you asked, he performed the Shield Charm perfectly!"
"Silence, Weasley, or I will take more points away," Snape said silkily. "Now, everyone pair up and practise the Shield Charm on each other. Weasley, you will go with Crabbe; Draco, come here and sort out Longbottom." He flicked his wand to clear away the desks and chairs; everyone who had not yet stood up found themselves falling on the floor. The room was filled with clamouring as Slytherins paired up with Gryffindors, eager to attack and defend.
Harry found himself unpartnered; after seeing his exceptional capability of performing the Shield Charm, no one seemed brave enough to face him. He watched as Neville tentatively approached Malfoy, who was laughing with glee. Come on, Neville, Harry thought, you can do this. Neville trembled as he held out his wand and Malfoy laughed even harder, but Harry could see Neville's face redden as he screwed up his face in concentration.
"Pro – Protego!" He cried, and Malfoy was forcefully pushed back a step, the smile wiped off his face. He looked shocked, as if he had been slapped. Harry watched with amusement as Snape tried to hurry over to help Malfoy but was held up by several more Slytherins falling backwards into him.
"Well done, Neville!" Ron yelled encouragingly while Crabbe also flew backwards and promptly tripped over his own big feet.
The air was filled with the bold shouts of his friends and cries of the Slytherins as they were thwarted. Harry could not resist a smile. He couldn't remember enjoying a DADA class this much since Mad-Eye Moody had taken them. Snape was totally overwhelmed by the failure of his House's students, and seemed furious that the Gryffindors were enjoying themselves so much – he clearly had never dreamed that this would be the outcome, and Harry grinned, meeting Hermione's eye: this had to be one of the moments he was most proud of his friends, and he had a wonderfully good feeling that told him they would do well in the Vallatus lesson that night.