Prompt: If you decide to write it, I would love to read a Hogwarts AU!

To be honest this one has been sitting in my folder for a while. I'm not sure I like it. So it's probably bad. Beware.

Defense Class

"Abernathy!"

Haymitch rolled his eyes at Chaff at the call of his name and dropped his wand, turning toward the Defense Professor who had just interrupted his duel.

"Anything I can help you with, Ma'am?" he asked, his voice dripping sarcasm.

This class was simply a joke, Professor Coin might know a lot about war magic and offensive curses but she had no love for anyone and wasn't a great teacher. Haymitch had gone from impressed to disappointed in three minutes flat during the very first class. Now, four weeks in, he wasn't any less disappointed and he doubted half of the Fifth year students would pass their OWLs in that subject. Either you worked on your own – which, when you were a Slytherin with a solid brain, meant you would be called a power hungry dark lord to be by your fellow pig-headed Gryffindor classmates – or you failed.

Coin shot him an annoyed look but didn't call him out on his tone. She couldn't afford it, he was her best assistant in this mockery of a class.

"Go help Miss Trinket before she pokes someone in the eye." the woman hissed.

Haymitch let out a deep aggravated sigh.

"Fate." Chaff grinned, as soon as the teacher had walked away. "Fate."

He glared at his Hufflepuff friend and looked around for the other Hufflepuff who was quickly becoming the bane of his existence.

He hadn't thought much about Euphemia Trinket before the beginning of their Fifth year. She was in Hufflepuff, he was in Slytherin and that alone assured they had next to no contact even though Haymitch had stupidly chosen a Hufflepuff for a best friend. She was a Pure-Blood – something he had learned to avoid like the plague in Slytherin, his own Muggleborn status making it, if not necessary, at least safer – she was loud and she always was followed everywhere by a gaggle of friends. She was excellent in Charms, was a little above average in everything else and sucked a lot at Defense, Potions, and Transfiguration – although he couldn't fault her on that account because Transfiguration wasn't his best subject either. He never had any reason to talk to her before that year but now people seemed determined to put her on his path at every possible opportunity: Slughorn had made her his potion partner because he was good and she wasn't, she had ended up at his study table more than once in the library because it had been full to the brink, Chaff had his eyes on her friend which meant he sometimes had to trail behind them and distract her so his best friend could work his nonexistent charm on the other girl…

She was annoying.

And arrogant.

And loud.

And she never shut up.

And he thought she was forcing herself to smile almost all the time and Hufflepuff girls weren't supposed to do that so he was half thinking she was a Slytherin in disguise.

She was cunning too.

Selfish.

Self-centered.

And pretty.

She used too much of this magical make-up thing that was the latest rage and she had dyed her hair pink which was completely ridiculous.

But she was pretty.

It was hard to ignore.

"She has the hots for you. Livia told me." Chaff insisted, wriggling his eyebrows. "You should go for it. Rumor has it she's not as stuck-up as she looks. She might even let you touch her boobs."

Haymitch tossed him an unimpressed look. Chaff's obsession with getting into someone's pants was getting tiring lately.

Not that he would mind getting into someone's pants himself… However, he thought he had more restrain than that.

"Now, Abernathy." Coin called out from the other side of the room.

He strongly resisted the urge to give the Professor the finger – too many detentions this month, McGonagall would summon him in her office if he got another and he could really go without – and finally spotted Trinket's pink hair. He headed there, noticing she looked relieved to see him. There were good reasons to be given that she was partnering with Johanna Mason.

"She's all yours." Jo cackled. "Careful, she has no clue how to use a wand."

"I most certainly do!" Trinket huffed, glaring at the other girl.

"Yeah, not this sort of wand, at least." Johanna snickered, winking at Haymitch on her way to Chaff. "Maybe she will play with yours if you're really nice, Haymitch. Rumor is she's easy."

Trinket snarled at her retreating back and then pursed her lips in annoyance.

"There are a lot of rumors about you." Haymitch commented with a smirk.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she hissed, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Jealous people spread vicious lies."

"If you say so, Princess." he mocked. He nodded at the wand helplessly dangling from her hand. "Come on, show me."

He didn't even bother casting a shield charm. The curse they were practicing was complex and she was holding her hand the wrong way. Her movements were too big, it didn't work. He corrected her a few times but she didn't seem to grasp it so, out of patience, he moved behind her, placed a hand on her hip and firmly grabbed her hand, wand included.

"Smooth, Haymitch!" Johanna called out from afar, making a few people snicker. Behind her, Chaff was giving him two thumbs up.

It was obvious that Trinket was ill-at-ease and he could understand it perfectly. He didn't like people invading his space either.

"Ignore them." he ordered. "Just focus on me, alright?"

She shuffled awkwardly on her feet and then gave a hum of agreement. He slowly guided her hand into the proper wand movements. He did it three times until he was sure she had finally understood and then took off his hand. He was still behind her so it was natural to place it on her waist. His fingers were curling around her hipbones and he was suddenly hyper aware of everything : the way her pink hair tickled his skin every time her ponytail brushed his cheek, the sweet smell of her perfume, how tiny she was compared to him…

"Show me." he requested, his mouth suddenly parched. She made the proper movements. "Now, cast it. Aim at Chaff."

That would teach his friend.

"It wouldn't be very honorable." she objected.

"Hufflepuffs." he grumbled. "Aim at Jo then."

"Oh, that I can do." Trinket grinned, shooting him a look over her shoulder. Her eyes were sparkling in mischief and he decided that maybe she wasn't as stuck-up as she looked. She cast the charm and it would have hit Jo square in the chest if not for his fellow Slytherin's protection spell. The Hufflepuff girl was over the moon, she gave a loud shriek. "I did it!" And before Haymitch could tell her to keep it down, she turned around and tossed her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank you, Haymitch!"

Haymitch wasn't sure he particularly liked her but he was fifteen and when a girl decided to press her chest against yours at fifteen, you simply didn't object. It was a rule or something. Neither did you object to her pressing a lingering kiss at the corner of your mouth for that matter, even if half the class was laughing at you.

"You're welcome." he muttered, trying to sound gruff and unaffected.

"Abernathy!" Coin snapped. "I asked you to teach her not to make out with her!"

And the other half of the class started laughing too.

Haymitch rolled his eyes but, in truth, he quite thought it was worth it.