Potter vs Malfoy, the Meeting, and Emmeline

A/N: So, here's the next chapter! :) I have a SNOW DAY! Yay! That's the only reason I've managed to get this out. I've been swamped with homework here. History Night went much better than I expected. Thanks for all your reassurance comments! Now I have Science Fair coming up...these chapters are so long and they're scaring me!

RIP Alan Rickman :( We all will miss you so much!

Thanks for all your reviews and support! :)

Enjoy the next chapter of, 'The Years of Change!' :)

Lina

The days after the Welcoming Ball were passing by quickly, and the next Saturday, there was a Hogsmeade trip.

I was applying makeup in the bathroom, and Hermione was ready to go, shifting her feet and looking very uneasy. She was taking deep breaths, as if whatever she was going to say to me would have me at her throat. "Lina…I was wondering…if you'd thought more about the Defense against the Dark Arts thing?" She says uneasily and backs away immediately after she says it.

"Well, it's not like I can forget it," I mutter, not looking up from the mirror, "With that Toad teaching us."

"I mean the other idea," Hermione says patiently, still speaking in an uneasy tone, "The one Ron and I had about you and Harry teaching it."

I blink to check that my eyeliner feels okay before putting away my makeup to stare directly at Hermione, "You do realize a load of it was luck, correct?" I say sharply as we walk out of the bathroom and get our schoolbags.

"I know, but there's no point in pretending you're not good at Defense the Dark Arts, Lina," Hermione says, "Because you are. Do you think I can produce a Patronus? No. Could I throw off the Imperius? No."

"LINA!" A shrill voice screams. I turn around to find that Lavender had taken a shower. I replaced the water with mud and warned Hermione and Parvati...revenge is sweet. Hermione and I grin.

I sigh. "Maybe I, and Harry if he agrees, can show you and Ron some tricks."

We walk down to breakfast. Hermione hesitates. "What?" I say snappishly.

"Well…" She trails off, "Please don't blow up at me, or threaten me or anything like that…but I really think you guys should teach anyone who wants to learn." She says very carefully before taking a step back from me, waiting for my reaction.

"Who'd want to be taught by us?" I snap, "No one wants to be taught by psychotic Lina Quimby," I say scathingly. I stride forward past her.

Hermione sighs as she catches up to me. "You'd be surprised at how popular you are. That thing you did with McLaggen? A lot of people respect you for it. That thing you did to Snape in the beginning of the year? Evanesco? You've gained back Gryffindor's respect from the thing with Seamus. If you let Miss Insanity's identity go public, you'd be untouchable. Don't do that though." Hermione says quickly. "I think a load of people would want to hear from you. They need someone like you, someone who will always fight for what's right no matter how much trouble they'll get into."

"But still," I say stubbornly, "What would I teach these people?"

Hermione and I slide into the table next to Harry and Ron. Harry plants a kiss on my forehead. "Any luck with Harry?" Hermione asks.

Ron shakes his head, "Any luck with Lina?"

"She's not budging," Hermione sighs.

"We can hear you," I snap at them.

"Okay," Hermione says, "Look. Ron and I have been finding people who seem interested and asking them to meet them in Hogsmeade, you know, your friend Mandy actually thought it was a good idea, and so does Ginny."

"Without our permission?" I interrupt angrily, "And let me guess, Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia don't know about this either?"

"Well, I—I was thinking, you would be the one to tell the three, if you agree," Hermione says. I narrow my eyes at her.

"Hold it, Lina!" Ron says, "We can't have the Slytherins knowing about this! Percy and Annabeth are fine, but you can't tell Thalia. As much as you try to ignore it and hang out with her anyways, she's a Slytherin!"

My eyes flash dangerously as I turn to Ron, "You two are the ones that went ahead and did this without Harry and me saying you could. And now you're saying that if I agree, I can't tell whom I chose? I think it's rather pathetic that you don't trust her simply because of the green tie on her robes. She won't tell. She's not like Malfoy. In fact, she loathes him."

"It's just, as soon as she got sorted into Slytherin, you stopped insulting Slytherins, altogether, and the very few times you did you always said. 'Slytherins minus one.'" Ron says, "Heck you've even started lightening up on Malfoy these days!"

I narrow my eyes at him, "I have not started lightening up on Malfoy!" I growl, "I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. Slick git."

This seemed to assure Harry, but not Ron. "Your tone's different," He argues, "It doesn't sound hateful anymore. It actually sounds like you're covering something up," He accuses.

"Malfoy saved me from McLaggen!" I blurt out before covering my mouth, "I swear on the Styx!" I cover my mouth again. "Lina, shut up!" I cover it again, "Idiot." I cover it once more.

The three of them stare at me wide eyed in shock.

"What?" Ron says, shocked.

"What?" Hermione gasps, "Him?"

"What?" Harry demands angrily, turning to glare at the Slytherin table.

"The slick git probably did it to save his Prefect's badge," I cover myself up, trying to fill my tone with as much malice as I possibly could.

"Yeah," Harry agrees, "Don't take it personally, love."

"I didn't," I assure.

"So about the Defense against the Dark Arts thing…what do you all think?" Hermione asks us.

Harry and I share a look, "We'll meet up with the bloody people." We say in unison.

"Wow," Mandy gushes, "You're getting so much better at Quidditch. You could ace a tryout in a month or two, let alone next year."

"Thanks," I say breathlessly, putting back the school broom.

"Also, you should think about ordering a broom." Mandy states, "I mean, you're awesome, but I have a feeling you wouldn't go far with that school broom. I'm not saying splurge and get a Firebolt, but maybe something like what Ron Weasley has."

We walk toward the castle when we hear raised voices. Mandy and I exchange a look and walk over near the greenhouses.

"Merlin!" Mandy gasps, "I mean, I always knew they hated each other…but that's intense."

Harry and Malfoy were having a fight. And not a verbal one. Or even a wand one. A hardcore physical fight.

I clear my throat, "HARRY JAMES POTTER! DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY! Stop it this instant, you two!" I yell sternly and commandingly like a mother would to two of her rowdy kids.

Harry and Malfoy look up from their spat in alarm to see me standing there with my arms crossed, glaring at them. Both boys were plenty taller than me, but they looked frightened nonetheless. "ALINA RUBY QUIMBY!" Malfoy mocks me, smirking. He then laughs nervously. Mandy and I share a look.

I give him a ferocious glare, "Don't you dare call me Alina Ruby Quimby ever again or I will make sure you're injured enough to skip the Quidditch season. I hate that name. Don't know what mom was thinking. It's too bloody formal."

Malfoy nods quickly.

Mandy was behind me, looking on in amusement, as if there was going to be some sort of showdown between the three of us that she just couldn't miss.

I continue glaring at Malfoy. "Potter started it! I swear on the Styx!" He accuses. Nothing happened to him. I cast my glare to Harry. "And you're glaring because we got in a fight? How many have you gotten into this year, hmm?" Malfoy asks.

"Piss off slick git!" I yell angrily, glaring at him, "Harry started it, you probably provoked him, and I finished it. I always finish fights, whether I'm the one in it, or not." I cast my glare to Harry again, "What the hell were you fighting about, anyway?"

They exchange looks. "Um…well…you see…it was…"

I glare at them sternly, "Harry. Draco. Tell me now."

"Um…well…you see…it was…well, Lina-flower, it was…" Malfoy stammers.

"LINA-FLOWER! That's exactly it! Malfoy's trying to steal you away from me! One step at a time!" Harry bursts out angrily, "And it's not just now! It's been since bloody third year! It's only now he's actually getting somewhere with you! And me, I've just sat there for two years, watching the slimeball and I'm DONE!" He glares at Malfoy with contempt. Malfoy had the gall to lean back against a tree while smirking at Harry. I cast him a glare.

"Harry!" I gasp, shocked, "I wouldn't do that!"

"Linaaaa, that's not true! Potter jumps to conclusions too quickly!" Malfoy counters, "Look at what Potter did to my nose! It's bleeding, Lina-flower! Such a hotheaded Gryffindor! And what if I was?" He smirks.

"It's bleeding, Lina-flower," He mimics, "That's it Malfoy! You've made my life hell for four years! And insulting my parents isn't enough for you, so now you're after my relationship!" Harry snarls at him and lunges. Malfoy clutches himself protectively, pushing Harry back as he reached to punch him. Harry lunges for him again, and this time Malfoy throws him to the ground. The third time he lunges, Harry got a good bruise forming on Malfoy's face.

I exchange an alarmed look with Mandy. "Harry James Potter! Get off him now!" I reprimand sternly.

Malfoy smirks. "You heard the lady, Potter."

Harry reluctantly gets off Malfoy and I put an arm around him, "Now. You're not off the hook yet. Draco Lucius Malfoy." I sneer. Harry smirks smugly, ready to watch me scold his enemy. "If what Harry said about you isn't true, then you should be able to swear to the Styx that it isn't true."

Harry's smirk grows wider, "Bad things happen if you lie on that oath. Tell our dear Lina, the truth."

I grip his shoulder, hard. "Shut up, Potter," I chide, "Now, Malfoy? The oath." I gaze at him hard.

Malfoy pauses for a moment, as if he were thinking how he was going to word his oath. "I swear on the Styx that my motives for you are not because I want to hurt or get to Potter. In fact, I couldn't care less about Potter right now. He's sort of just an obstacle."

Harry snarls at him, "You…you…" He splutters, thinking of an insulting name for Malfoy, but failing miserably.

"Thought like a Slytherin? Didn't say what you expected? Didn't get struck by lightning or whatever happens when you lie on that oath? Yeah. That's exactly what I did," Malfoy smirks, putting up his palm.

I poke his palm with my wand. "Slick gits don't get high fives," I smile sweetly over Harry's spluttering.

I realize in panic that Malfoy had said, 'didn't get struck by lightning or whatever happens when you lie on that oath,' which would imply that he knew my demigod secret. Luckily, Harry was too angry to connect those dots.

"Then what are your motives for her?" Harry demands, "I AM NOT A BLOODY OBSTACLE IN YOUR PATH TO LINA!"

Malfoy smirks before sauntering off. "Go to the Hospital Wing for your nose! Wouldn't want people knowing about this fight!" I call.

Harry nearly went after him, but I pull him back. "Slick gits are not worth the trouble." I chide, "Let them go free. Slick gits are dangerous creatures that are known to insult people's families, ruin happy relationships, and to generally make people lose their cool." I still gaze at the space where Malfoy walked off, "Oh, and Malfoy?" I call. He turns toward me. "You're back to a hundred percent slick git." I snarl, "How dare you ruin my relationship!"

With that, I storm off toward the castle in anger, cursing Malfoy all the way there. Harry was hot on my heels, turning around only to flash Malfoy a triumphant smirk.

Malfoy growls at Harry's retreating figure and shakes his head. "Potter actually thinks he's won this."

We completely forget about the shocked and confused Mandy Brocklehurst behind us.

"I think it's a great idea!" Annabeth exclaims, "I mean…isn't that why Chiron sent us here? To protect wizards from Voldemort?"

"I know, but what would I teach them?" I ask Annabeth.

"Look." She sighs. "You know a lot of practical spells. You know the Patronus too. Teach them that. And I think Percy, Thalia, and I will add something new to this as well."

"What?" I ask.

"Self-defense," Annabeth explains.

I blink. "Like…physical self-defense?" I ask.

"Yes," She explains. "I mean—these people can't seriously just rely on their wands. You know physical defense. I know physical defense. Percy knows physical defense. Thalia knows physical defense."

"Harry doesn't!" I protest, "Well maybe he does," I mutter, remembering what he did to Malfoy the other day.

"What if they lose their wands?" Annabeth counters. "Then what?"

"They use their knives," I reply.

"Fire-Girl, they don't have knives," She explains patiently.

"We get some?" I ask.

Annabeth sighs in exasperation. "Sometimes you are such an Aphrodite girl."

"Hey! I'm no airhead!" I protest.

"Anyways," She says, "Since they do not carry weapons except their wands—when their wands are gone, they need to know how to attack physically. It would especially help them if the enemy is physically unfit and can only attack with a wand, because therefore, the enemy would be easier to defeat. I mean come on Lina. You and I have faced far worse than this."

"Hermione and physical?" I snort. "How're we going to manage that?"

Annabeth rolls her eyes. "That's all you got out of that? You're impossible. I'll tell Percy and we'll meet you all in Hogsmeade."

"Thals, can I talk to you alone for a sec?" I ask her.

"Sure," She says.

I sigh, "Okay, so you know why Chiron sent us here?"

"He'd better have a good reason for sending us here," Thalia retorts, "If I have to sit near that little Malfoy asshole and his friends again…did you know he got in a fight with Harry Potter over you?" Thalia says in disgust, "How ridiculous. You're not a prize, and don't you forget it. I'll kill either guy if they destroy you, whether it's Malfoy, or Potter."

"I was there," I explain patiently, "I stopped the fight before one of them got unconscious in the infirmary. I'm not sure what happened, but I think Malfoy provoked Harry to throw the first punch. Anyways! The matter at hand. A Defense group. Since that crappy Toad isn't going to be teaching us, Hermione had an idea. We, Harry and I, teach people practical magic. It'll be cool, I guess. Then Annabeth had the idea of adding physical self-defense in the…er…curriculum."

"I think the physical idea's cool," Thalia says, "I mean…you cannot rely on a damn stick to defend yourself."

"That's like a to-the-point version of what Annabeth said," I note, "Thank you for talking in simple English unlike Hermione and Annabeth. Hell, even Anne. I love the girl to death, but do you know how bloody insulting it is to not understand what a ten year old is saying to you? I swear, if she goes here, she will be a Ravenclaw. No doubt about it."

"Brainiacs, the lot of them," Thalia snorts.

"Well, I'm not. Normal people high five?" I put up a palm.

She grins, "Normal people high five." She agrees, and gives me a high five, "Anyways, I'll meet up with you at Hogsmeade."

"Do you want to meet up with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I beforehand so you know where to go?" I ask her.

"No, I know where to go." She says. "I went last time."

"With who?" I ask curiously, "A Slytherin girl?"

"No. Just forget it," She says shortly.

"Malfoy?" I ask incredulously, "I thought you said you were done with him!"

"It was one time and it was to avoid that little pug-faced asshole." She says. "Plus, I needed to get out of the damn castle. I'm a Hunter of Artemis here. I've wandered the country for years. And now they expect me to stay cooped here, no way. Malfoy offered, could've gone with someone tons better."

"You could've gone with me! I'm better than a million Malfoys," I say arrogantly.

"You went to get a dress. I'd be sitting in a dress shop for hours while being asked questions by you such as 'Thals, which dress should I buy, the red one, or the blue one?' Absolutely not, Aphrodite girl." She retorts.

"Fair enough," I grin at her, pulling out a bar of chocolate to nibble on, "See you then, Thals?"

"Yeah, bye, Lina-flower!"

"Bloody hell!" I curse, letting go of Harry's hand, "I never told them where we're going! I don't even know where we're going! Hermione, where are we going?" I demand.

"Hog's Head," She replies.

"They won't find us! Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia are new!" I exclaim in protest.

"Relax," Hermione assures, "I've talked to each of them about it, and they'll find us."

We walk into the pub and examine it. The place did look rather dodgy when you think about it. "I wonder if that guy would sell us Firewhiskey," I smirk. "I bet he'd sell us anything." I had never drunken it, but was an alcoholic drink that Fred and George had told me about. I asked more and they said it brought a rush to the body that made you feel strong and powerful.

"Yeah, I'd like to try some," Ron agrees, "Hey sir, could you get us two bottles of Firewhiskey, please?"

"Ronald Weasley! Alina Quimby! You absolute insufferable idiots!" Hermione snarls making us jump, "You two will not be drinking Firewhiskey, is that clear? You'll get drunk and guess who'll have to patch you two up? I'm sorry sir, ignore the Firewhiskey order."

I suddenly snap at my best friend. Who is she to control what I do twenty four seven. "Looks like the ickle Prefect has to follow the rules," I sneer at Hermione, who looks taken aback, "You and Annabeth! Just the bloody same! 'Lina, you should know better,' 'Lina, you shouldn't do that.' 'Lina, that isn't right,' 'Lina, you'll get caught,' 'LINA EVERYTHING! I'M BLOODY DONE! HARRY, RON, THALIA, AND PERCY RESPECT ME! I LIVE MY LIFE THE WAY I WANT TO!"

She looks shocked. "Lina—I was just, looking out for you—one day you're going to—"

"Get myself killed?" I say scathingly. "Let's see how many times I've avoided that in my life, shall we? What if I want to drink Firewhiskey? Fred and George said it would make me feel strong and powerful," I retort, "What if I want to continue Miss Insanity? What if I want to swear all the bloody hell I want? What if I like hexing people?"

She scoffs. "Of course it's Fred and George that told you that. They never told you about the powerful hangover you get afterwards, did they?"

"You have no clue how to live a little," I scoff, "You little uptight Prefect." I sneer.

"I won't let you talk to her that way!" Ron says defensively.

"I can talk to people however I like," I say coolly, "What are you going to do, Weasley? Fight me?" I pull out my wand, daring him to try.

"Been spending time with Malfoy lately? You sure sound like him," Ron growls, pulling his wand out at me.

"Do not!" I growl back, "You want to know, Granger? I live every day as if it were my last, because…because every day might as well be my last!"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asks, "You have a whole life ahead of you."

I scoff. "Very likely story. Demigods don't live long. I expect to live a couple years at most. So. Just. Leave. Me. Alone." I snarl at Hermione.

She stares at me sympathetically. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know you felt that way at all. Perseus from the myth, he got a happy ending. You will too, I promise you."

"Yeah. How about I marry Malfoy while I'm at it." I say scathingly, giving her a cold glare.

Harry chuckles nervously, looking between Hermione and I, "Hey, love, look! It's Percy and Annabeth!"

"There you are!" I walk forward towards them, wrapping them both in hugs, "Did you find the place okay?"

"Yeah," Annabeth says. "Kelp Head here thought we should've taken the right path. I took the left and we got here. Thalia is on her way."

"Percy, that's the Shrieking Shack," I tell him.

"How am I supposed to tell?" He complains, "This place is confusing."

I laugh, "You get used to it."

Soon, more people come in. Clara, Lisa, and Mandy. Neville, Dean, Parvati, Padma, and to my surprise, Lavender. And to my displeasure, Cho Chang, along with a friend of hers. Luna Lovegood drifts in a couple of minutes later. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia from the Quidditch team arrived as well. The Creevey brothers arrived as well. A group of Hufflepuffs walk in before Ginny walks in with three Ravenclaw boys. Fred and George arrive with Lee Jordan. Lastly, Thalia strolls in and sits beside me.

"A couple people?" Harry and I demand Hermione.

"Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular," Hermione says. How unbelievable that girl is.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Harry hisses in my ear. The door opens, and…oh my gods…Klaus comes in.

"What the hell is she doing here?" I counter, motioning to Cho Chang.

"KLAUS! Oh my gods!" I squeal, running towards Klaus and hugging him, "You've gotten taller. You're like two feet taller than me literally! You make me look like one of the seven dwarves now! How did you get all the way south?"

"Vell, Lina, I came to visit you, actually," Klaus smiles, bending down a bit to reach my level.

"Well, we have something important going on," Harry says shortly, "So, you'll have to wait to see her. Or maybe go back to the north," He mutters that last part under his breath.

"I think we can trust Klaus! He traveled thousands of miles south just to see me!" I say cheerfully, motioning to my other side, "Sit down, sit down, of course you're welcome here! Have a butterbeer! Who could he tell, he's going back up north anyway!"

Hermione clears her throat once we were all settled. "Well, uh, hi. Well, I think you know why you're here. Well, Harry and Lina had the idea…I had the idea," She corrects after a scathing look from me, "That it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense against the Dark Arts study it, and I mean actually study it, not that rubbish Umbridge does for us."

"I think it iz a good idea for you," Klaus whispers in my ear.

"You want to pass your Defense against the Dark Arts OWL too, I bet?" Micheal Corner challenges Hermione.

"Well, yes, of course I do." She says. "But it's more than just an exam. I want to be trained because…well, Lord V—Voldemort is back."

A girl screams when Hermione says the name, and another spilled Butterbeer on herself. I huff; honestly. It's just a name.

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" A Hufflepuff boy demands. Oh, here we go again.

"We have Harry and Dumbledore's word," I speak up coldly.

"No. We just have Potter's word," The Hufflepuff boy says coolly.

"And mine. Although we know how much I'm not trusted around here. Listen. Harry doesn't want all that crap right now, so if you're here to get more info about the graveyard night, leave." I snarl, pointing toward the door.

"Who are you anyways?" Ron demands.

"Zacharias Smith," He replies smugly, "And I think we should have the proof to know why."

My wand was instantly twirling in my hand, "And I think you should have the right to shut up before I hex you senseless." I mimic his tone. "Lina Quimby, Harry's girlfriend." I elongate out the word girlfriend and smile sweetly at Cho, who stares at me. Her eye twitches in anger.

"Is it true you two can produce Patronus Charms?" Luna asks.

"I've seen both," Hermione says stiffly.

"Blimey, Harry, Lina! I didn't know you could do that!" Dean gasps.

"And Harry killed the basilisk!" Neville says.

"It's true!" Ginny and I say in unison.

"Harry and Lina fought off a hundred Dementors at once!" Ron brags like a proud parent would. We give him a look.

"Last year, he and Lina really did fight You-Know-Who in the flesh," Hermione says.

"Not only that! Lina once fought off an entire army single-handedly two summers ago!" Percy blurts out. Klaus looks down at me in amazement. I never told him of my identity. Nearly everyone's head was turned toward me, their mouths agape.

Annabeth gives her boyfriend a scathing look, "Do you want us to be found out?" She whisper hisses.

"I don't want people underestimating, that's all," Percy whispers back.

The skeptical group turns to Hermione, as if she was going to declare whether Percy was bluffing about me or not. Finally, she says, "Percy isn't lying. Lina did do that. See how capable they are?" The crowd's looks immediately changed from skeptical to plain impressed.

"We're playing by strength, aren't we?" I ask Hermione coolly. "Percy did the same thing! Annabeth and Thalia too! I think they should have just as much part of this as Harry and I!"

"Hold it one second!" Zacharias interrupts. "We have no clue if this is true! A hundred Dementors? Fighting off entire armies single-handedly! These are fifth years, not Aurors!"

"He sounds like a pain. Do you know him?" Klaus whispers.

"Thankfully no," I mutter in Klaus's ear, "Will you just shut up?" I hiss to Zacharias. "You know absolutely nothing about any of us or our lives and have no right to judge."

"So, what I'm trying to get is you and Potter are trying to weasel out of showing us this stuff?" He concludes.

I was about to hex the little asshole before Fred says, "Hey! That's not what she said at all!"

"Would you like us to clear out your ears for you?" George volunteers. I snicker as he pulls out some sort of metal stick that looks rather painful.

"Or any part of your body, really, we're not really fussy where we stick this," Fred adds.

"Anyways!" Hermione says, trying to change the subject. "Moving on, does everyone agree that they want to take lessons from Harry and Lina?"

Someone clears their throat. "Hermione, if you'd let me say something to them?" Annabeth pulls herself away from Percy.

"Um…sure?" Hermione says uncertainly, stepping down.

"How many of you thought about what would happen if you ever lost your wand in a battle?" Annabeth asks.

There were many gasps of horror. Hermione looks appalled at the mere thought. Harry had a thoughtful expression on his face, eventually nodding in agreement about how that could happen. "We'd die!" Cho's friend screams.

"The bad guys, Death Eaters or whatever, they wouldn't be like, 'Oh. She doesn't have a wand. I'm not going to attack her. That wouldn't be fair.' They'd kill you anyway, which is why, I think physical self-defense should be a major part of this as well," Annabeth says.

"You cannot rely on a damn stick to defend yourself," Thalia adds.

Murmurs of agreement rose among the group.

Zacharias Smith scoffs, "And when would you need physical defense, new girl? There's not even proof You-Know-Who's back, and the chances of you losing your wand in a nonexistent battle is rather—"

I take a deep breath. "Hey, Zacharias?" I ask sweetly.

"What?" He replies rudely.

"Petrificus Totalus." I say calmly. He falls toward Percy and Annabeth, who simply step aside in disgust and let him hit the floor.

"Was that really necessary?" Hermione asks me.

"Yes." I reply stiffly. See there it was again. Her trying to control what I do. "Yes, it was. He was being a douchebag, so I took action."

"So." Hermione says. "Does everyone agree that we should take lessons on practical magic taught by Harry and Lina, as well as physical defense, taught by…er…?"

"Percy, Thalia, and I can teach it," Annabeth offers, "And Lina can switch between practical magic and physical defense."

"Oh joy, best of both worlds," I roll my eyes.

"Hold on, we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice," Angelina says.

"Nor with ours," Cho says.

"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," Hermione says, "But this is rather important. We're learning how to defend ourselves against Voldemort's death eaters."

"Well said!" Ernie MacMillan says.

"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained is because…she's got some mad idea that Dumbledore would use the students in the school as an army against the Ministry," Hermione says.

I snort, remembering what Sirius had said. The idea really is ridiculous.

"That makes sense," Luna Lovegood speaks up, "Cornelius Fudge does have his own private army."

"He does?" I ask Luna curiously.

"Oh, yes, Lina. He has an army of Heliopaths," Luna confirms.

"What are Heliopaths?" I ask Luna.

"They're spirits of fire," Luna replies. "Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of them."

"Wow, Luna," I breathe, "Do they really exist? Are they some sort of monster species? I've never took on—"

"Lina, they don't exist," Hermione interrupts calmly, shooting Luna a look.

"Oh, yes they do!" Luna cries, "There are plenty of eyewitness accounts." She informs me before turning to Hermione. "Just because you're so narrow minded that you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you—"

"Hem, hem." A voice interrupts. We look around in horror. Did the Toad find us? We look over to see Ginny smirking and end up laughing in relief. "Weren't we deciding how often we're going to meet and have defense lessons?"

"Yes," Hermione says gratefully, "You're right, Ginny."

"Well, once a week sounds cool," Lee Jordan replies.

"Well, as long as," Angelina began.

"Yes, we know about the Quidditch," Hermione says in exasperation, "The other thing is that we need to decide where we're going to meet."

"We could meet in the library?" I suggest.

"I don't think Madam Pince would like it if we were throwing hexes at each other in the library, Lina." Hermione sighs.

"What if we did it in the middle of the night?" I suggest.

"Absolutely not!" Hermione huffs.

"I highly doubt Toadface wanders around the school in the middle of the night." I deadpan, causing people to laugh.

"Yeah." Hermione says, "But teachers do."

I sigh irritably at Hermione, "Fine. We won't meet up in the middle of the night."

"Maybe an unused classroom?" Dean Thomas suggests.

"Yeah," Ron agrees, "McGonagall might let us have hers."

"We'll figure that out later," Hermione says, "More importantly, we need to make sure Umbridge doesn't find out about this. So by signing, you promise not to tell or give Umbridge the slightest hint as to what we are doing."

I sign immediately, as well as Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia. Some others were a bit hesitant to sign.

"Wait a second," Ernie MacMillan says to Hermione, "We're Prefects. If she finds out,"

"Ernie," Hermione asks, "Do you really think I would leave this list lying around?"

"Well...um...here," Ernie takes the pen and signs it.

Once everyone had signed, people started leaving in twos and threes. I turn to Klaus and take a deep breath, "So, how's life?" I ask him.

"Vairy good," Klaus says, "I haff passed my interview for ze nearby Potions apothecary and things vith Emmeline have been going great."

"Emmeline?" I ask him, raising my eyebrow.

"My girlfriend," He explains.

"Oh," I say, "I wish you two luck and happiness."

"Girlfriend?" Harry asks, sounding relieved.

"Yes," Klaus says, looking amused at Harry's change of demeanor, "Girlfriend. Lina iz only my friend. Oh, here iz Emmeline now." A pretty blonde with blue eyes appears at the door, knocking softly. She was on the tall side, which probably made it less awkward for the two of them to be standing together as it did Klaus and I. She looked about nineteen, maybe twenty. She was wearing a sleeveless dress, which surprised me because it's sort of cold, but if she lived in the north, then this is nothing to her. "Emmeline, love!" Klaus strides over to her and pulls her into a kiss.

Emmeline steps back after the kiss and scans us. Everyone was gone except for Harry and I. She looks at me, "Klaus haz told me a lot about you." Emmeline smiles, "Lina, is it?"

I nod, "Yeah." I noticed a little edge in Emmeline's voice.

"And Harry Potter," Emmeline nods at Harry.

"Even people up there know who I am," Harry grumbles and I pat his back comfortingly.

Klaus turns to me, "Vould you like to spend the rest of the day with us?" He asks me. Emmeline tenses a bit.

"No, no, I don't want to ruin Emmeline's privacy like that," I insist.

"Emmeline's fine with it, are you love?" Klaus asks.

Emmeline nods, "I'm fine."

I turn toward Harry, "I'll see you after Hogsmeade," I give him a quick kiss before I say, "And tell Hermione, tell her I was out of line with the Firewhiskey thing. Tell her that I lost my temper once again and that I'm sorry I called her an uptight Prefect that needed to live a little, that I gave her a horrid sneer, and that I wanted nothing to do with her and to leave me alone, because it isn't true. I don't want Hermione and I to be like we were the beginning of first year again." I confess.

"Of course, love," Harry says, hugging me, "You're sure you'll be alright?" He eyes Emmeline warily.

"I'll be fine," I assure.

So, I ended up spending the rest of the Hogsmeade trip with Klaus and Emmeline. Emmeline was tense during the first twenty minutes of it, but it turns out we actually have a lot in common. She told me how she also wanted to be an Auror and how she was training in the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic. She told me stories about the pranks she played in Durmstrang, ("Haha, Volkov totally deserved it!" I laugh).

She also told me that she liked Klaus since their sixth year, and that she and him were friends since their fourth year. She also said that she was disappointed when she wasn't one of the selected to go to Hogwarts. Klaus wrote her about what was going on too.

"I haff to admit, I waz beyond furious when Klaus wrote me about you," Emmeline laughs, "Ze thought of him going after some girl from Hogwarts four years younger than ze both of us whom he barely knew at the time over me boiled my blood."

My face turns red, "Sorry about that, Emmeline..."

"I'm sorry too." Klaus tells her sincerely.

Emmeline laughs, "You were such an oblivious idiot back then!"

"Oblivious idiots? Meet Harry James Potter, everyone!" I say and we all start laughing.

"Boys are oblivious," Emmeline points out and I laugh with her.

"Hey!" Klaus exclaims indignantly, causing us to laugh harder.

Klaus, Emmeline, and I stood at our parting space an hour later. He and Emmeline were going toward the lodging for Hogsmeade and I was going the other way towards Hogwarts. "You must write sometime." Emmeline says warmly, "I made horrid assumptions on your character and I'm sorry."

"And me too," Klaus says, "Tell me how the rest of your fifth year goes, and about zat horrid teacher."

"Hopefully we can get rid of her," I say to Klaus. He gives me a hug, and so does Emmeline. The couple wave one last goodbye before walking the other direction, hand in hand.

I walk up to Hogwarts castle and up to my dormitory without encountering anyone I knew to see Midnight with a big, red box wrapped with a black ribbon on my bed. I open it to see a brand new shining Firebolt and gasp in delight and shock, "Who would give this to me...?"

I lean forward and snatch the note at the bottom.

Dearest Lina,

Who's the slick git now? Hope this makes up for the thing with Potter. I have one too. You really think I'd let you play Quidditch with a better broom than me? I'm not THAT nice. Father got a two in one deal and I didn't know what the hell to do with the second one. So congratulations Quimby, you now own a Firebolt. I really want you to make the Gryffindor team. So Slytherin can crush you, of course.

-I'm not signing my name, you should know who I am.

PS: Slytherin's not going easy on you. Fat chance.

PPS: That owl of yours. Midnight. She bit me twice! and cuffed me with her feathers three times! Bloody bird, just like her owner.

I turn to my owl, "You did that to Malfoy? Attagirl," I grin at my owl. I give her some food before she flies off to the owlery.

I turn back toward the Firebolt and grin at it, "Okay. Now you're back to eighty-two percent slick git." I continue grinning as I hear Hermione's footsteps come up the dormitory.

I can't believe he sent me a Firebolt...

A/N: So, yeah, that was the chapter! :) It was long and eventful, I think. The longtime requested Harry and Draco fight happened! Hoped you liked it! And Dumbledore's Army is starting...I hope you liked the idea of physical defense! And ooh, Klaus came to visit, and he has a girlfriend! Emmeline! I hope you liked her! And lastly, the Firebolt. So, Lina now has one and not only that, but Draco was the one who gifted it! Yes, she's joining as Beater at some point ;)

The next chapter will go into Dumbledore's Army more, and the chapter after that will be the dreaded 'No More Quidditch' match.

NOTICE: Please check out 'Clara Malfoy and Renee Black' by Hufflepufferfish. I think it would mean a lot to her if you did! ;) I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

Please R&R :)

-Ana