Charms had gone well. I successfully convinced my partner, Alice (Neville's Mom's Maiden Name) that Slytherins weren't inherently evil. She got along well with Dora and Amelia, and we were sitting in the library when James showed up. "Alice, " he said, "why are you hanging with a slimy Slytherin? Come with me and I'll introduce you to some not evil people."
I saw red at that, and my hair turned on fire. "James Fleamont Potter, if you don't stop harassing my friends, I will hex you to tomorrow and back. Go hang out with your so called 'angelic' friends, and leave me alone. Mordaxus." I finished yelling, and watched as my stinging hex hit, and James ran away. My hair cooled down, but was still a very bright shade of red.
"We'll call you Fire for that," Dora said, "It's fitting. When you're mad your hair turns on fire, and your name's Sapphire."
"Fits like a glove," Alice said beaming.
The next day I ran to the defense classroom at top speed hoping to know who the new defense teacher, if they got one yet, is. I opened the door, and to my utter shock saw Newt there picking at his nails. "Newt!" I yell running into his now open arms, "you didn't even owl me back."
"Woah take it easy Ruby," Newt said chuckling, "man you have a death grip."
"What are you doing here?" I asked, "you hate Dumbledore after you figured out his manipulations from the war with Grindelwald."
"I do," Newt assured me, "but he agreed if I taught until he could get a proper teacher or stay the year, I'd be paying back for his assistance. After this he'll have nothing over me."
"That's great. Well I'd like to introduce you to my friends later," I said.
"I'd love that," Newt said smiling, " I'll send owls for them to meet me in this classroom straight after class. Who do I send the letters to?"
"Bellatrix Black, Pandora (Luna's Mom's Maiden Name,) Amelia Bones, and Alice (Neville's Mom's Maiden Name.)"
"Alright, but you better sit down the other students should be here any minute.
I sat down in the desk Dora and I had occupied the day before. When she finally got there, I quickly told her my godmother's husband would be our defense teacher."
The clock rang and Newt said, "Let me be the first to re welcome you to Defense Against the Dark Arts. My name is Newt Scamander, and I can assure you, unlike your past teacher, I'm no fraud. I am a magizoologist, as well as a veteran from the Grindelwald war. You also may recognize my surname from my brother, Theseus Scamander, a veteran from the first world war. My wife Tina, is an ex-American auror.
The first thing we'll start with is the rules of wand safety. You will notice how on each desk there are ten circles. You need to tap your wand in any circle on my mark. The amount of time it takes you will be magically recorded on this black board. On your marks, get set, go!"
I immediately slam my wand down, the spell marking me as one second. Dora got it in 5 and seemed quite proud.
"Mr. Patil," Newt said sharply, "why did it take you a minute to tap your wand in a circle."
"Well sir," Patil said nervously, "I had to get it from my briefcase, and from under my books."
"That is precisely the point of the exercise!" Newt exclaimed, "if you were out of the classroom you would be either stunned, captured, tortured, or killed in the minute it took to find your wand."
Newt suddenly pointed his wand at my shirt. "Fulgari," I cried, and Newt was bound.
"Emancipare," Newt cast, "Ms. Potter got it right. I had been attempting to mend my honorary god daughter's robes, but I could have really been doing anything. Ms. Potter demonstrated rule number two, never allow someone to point their wand at you without express permission. You may not think much of it, but this simple wand many have obtained from Ollivander's can do lots of damage."
Newt pulls out pictures of curse and spell victims. "This was caused by something that you are currently holding in your hand. That leads to rule three do not use spells you have no experience with. A miscast spell is 10 times more dangerous than a correctly cast spell. I'd like you to write the rules down, as well as any other self explanatory wand safety rules. Tomorrow we will be discussing the different types of magics, varying from dark, light, grey, mind, and etc. For today you're dismissed."