All rights to the names and setting belong to J.K. Rowling.
Welcome to my Harry Potter fanfiction! This first part of 'The Green Path' trilogy; a retelling of the 5th to 7th books.
No 'evil' Harry, no 'god' Harry. Simply a slightly more intelligent Harry that embraces his Slytherin side and his namesake - and becomes way more sarcastic.
This is indeed, a Haphne fic. But the focus won't be on the romance exclusively. It will have a big role, yes, but Voldy is around the corner. We have a war to win, don't we?
No Weasley bashing; No Hermione bashing; No bashing in general, not a fan of the notion.
As for the upload schedule, no idea. As soon I pump out the next chapter, I guess - within 5 days should be reasonable.
As for my other fic, I have plenty of chapters in reserve but I want to spend sometime rethinking certain aspects of it.
For now, enjoy "Harry Potter and The Revival of The Phoenix"
Edit: I seriously hope none of the readers expect Harry to be a cool badass from the first chapter straight out of the Canon. Right, dear Readers? Character growth takes time, after all.
Harry Potter and The Revival of The Phoenix
Chapter 1: Slimy Snakes
October 5th
Hogsmeade
"Well, I think that went quite well," said Hermione happily, as she, Harry, and Ron walked out of the Hog's Head into the bright sunlight a few moments later, Harry and Ron still clutching their bottles of butterbeer.
"That Zacharias bloke's a wart," said Ron, who was glowering after the figure of Smith just discernible in the distance.
"I don't like him much either," admitted Hermione, "but he overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table and he seemed really interested in coming, so what could I say? But the more people the better really - I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny -"
Ron, who had been draining the last few drops from his butterbeer bottle, gagged and sprayed butterbeer down his front.
"He's WHAT?" said Ron, outraged, his ears now resembling curls of raw beef. "She's going out with - my sister's going - what d'you mean, Michael Corner?"
"Well, that's why he and his friends came, I think - well, they're obviously interested in learning defense, but if Ginny hadn't told Michael what was going on -"
"When did this - when did she - ?"
"They met at the Yule Ball and they got together at the end of last year," said Hermione composedly. They had turned into the High Street and she paused outside Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where there was a handsome display of pheasant-feather quills in the window.
"Hmm... I could do with a new quill." She said while examining the window with obvious curiosity. Harry and Ron stopped next to her.
"Which one was Michael Corner?" Ron demanded furiously.
"The dark one," said Hermione.
"I didn't like him," said Ron at once.
"Big surprise," said Hermione under her breath.
"But," said Ron, following Hermione along a row of quills in copper pots, "I thought Ginny fancied Harry!"
Hermione looked at him rather pityingly and shook her head. "Ginny used to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago. Not that she doesn't like you, of course," she added kindly to Harry while she examined a long black-and-gold quill. "Anyhow, we have some more things to take care of regarding the lessons..." Hermione murmured skeptically, causing Harry and Ron to raise their eye-brows in curiosity.
"What is it Hermione?" Harry took initiative and moved her away from the display of the Quill Shop in order to speak more privately.
Hermione huffed in response. "I seriously don't know. I am not sure about this Harry,"
"Hermione, you are making me anxious. What is it?" Ron asked with a worry-toned voice.
"Th-there are some more people... Interested in the lessons..." Hermione tried to explain. "But I don't know if we can trust them completely."
"Who are they?" Harry asked impatiently, wanting just to get over this.
"Hermione, don't tell me they are Slytherins!" Ron added while his earlobes were turning red with mild anger. Hermione flinched.
"Y-Yes... But wait!" She added before Ron started shouting. "They have never caused trouble and sounded genuinely interested!"
"Yeah, right. Slimy snakes just want to rat us off to Umbridge!" Ron spat at his friend and his earlobes turned dangerously red, until Harry grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.
"Ron, please," he said, but his voice sounded more commanding than usual, "I will be the judge of them. As you all said, I'm the teacher here, yes? Then, I will be the one to judge them. If Hermione is on the fence about trusting them and not outright denying them a chance, then I trust her," he sent a reassuring glance at his long time best friend and she nodded in appreciation.
In silence, Hermione pointed them towards the fields outside the Shrieking Shack and they started walking. After a couple of minutes, she spoke again. "He said that him and three more girls would want to join. He also reassured me that none of them is Parkinson," she delivered the name with a shiver, but kept going nonetheless.
"And who is he, ex-..." Ron's words trailed off because Harry elbowed him weakly and pointed towards the big tree on the field. Under its leafage, a dark skinned man with short black hair and three girls - a blonde haired girl their age, a younger ink-black haired girl and an obviously cheery brunette - were lazing about, waiting for the meeting with the Gryffindor trio. Harry recognized three of them - they were Slytherin fifth year students.
"Ah! I thought you wouldn't show up!" The dark skinned man spoke as they approached. The four Slytherins approached the three Gryffindors until they stood a few feet apart of each other. "I mean, I would understand it, given the hate. But at any rate, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Blaise Zabini, pleasure to make your acquaintance," Blaise gave a small respectful bow towards them - a gesture that irritated Ron who refrained from speaking nonetheless.
Harry scanned the group in front of him before his eyes stopped on Zabini. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but did not make a move to return the greeting. "I was under the impression that you are in Malfoy's group?" Harry asked in a quiet tone. Under the - slightly - calm demeanor, he was shaking to the bone. A mixture of irritation, nervousness and some fear that everything would go south was eating his insides.
"We have never been in the same group with that wanker," Blaise responded with a scoff that earned him a slap to the back of his head by the blonde woman - the gesture was uncomfortably familiar with Professor Snape's own smacks and she somehow managed to make it look dignified. Blaise sent her an amused look while he rubbed his head as if he was hurt - the act failed miserably since he was giggling.
"In that case. I am Harry, pleasure," Harry stretched his hand towards Blaise, who accepted the hand shake with a curious look. Following their handshake, Hermione introduced herself, followed by a very reluctant Ron Weasley. In response, the brunette introduced herself as Tracey Davis (with an excessive amount of cheeriness), followed by the dark haired girl that sported the name Astoria Greengrass.
The blonde woman was left for last, but she didn't introduce herself immediately. She was watching over everyone with a scrutinizing look, her posture trying to convey the message that she was of a higher status - head slightly lifted up giving the impression that she was looking down on them with her beautifully blue eyes, arms crossed under her chest. Her eyes stopped on Harry's lightning bolt scar for a few moments, trying to digest the sight.
After a full minute of awkward silence, she shifted her gaze to meet Harry's. Sapphire eyes connected to his emerald orbs and she finally moved. "Weasley, Granger, Heir Potter - it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Daphne Greengrass, Heiress to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass," her words were followed by a respectful curtsy towards the Golden Trio. Unfortunately, the reactions were mixed.
Ron hissed in annoyance towards her actions while Hermione got a flushed expression - her mannerisms reminded of everyone of Malfoy; a very dignified and pretty Malfoy. Harry, however, was intrigued. Her words and actions were completely new to him since he had never met a wizard or witch giving such an introduction before - except Malfoy's toxic introduction - the fact that Daphne never broke eye contact with him only piqued his interest further.
"Oh so perfect, a supremacist," Ron hissed in annoyance, "What's next, Greengrass? You will start spitting at Hermione calling her a mudblood?"
Daphne's eyes flashed dangerously and she broke eye-contact with Harry. She straightened her posture and shot a freezing glare towards Ron, "I would never utter such disgraceful words towards anyone, Weasley," her tone was even colder than her glare - 'No wonder they call her 'Ice Queen' in Hogwarts,' Harry mused to himself.
"Oh that's grand! We have seen you supremacists say and do worse." Ron retorted and tried to walk up, before he was held back by Harry.
"That is enough Ron," he said, "You have no reason to act like this."
"This stuck-up pureblood never even heard of Muggleborns down in the dun-" Ron was violently cut off by the brunette speaking up.
"I am Muggleborn. And Daphne is my best friend," Tracey interjected shyly, her voice almost as quiet as a whisper, contrary to her usual demeanor. It worked, however, as Ron flushed and took a step back to reconsider his own words, while Hermione smiled kindly to Tracey. "But none of us is here to argue about colors and blood. Just as you want proper education, we also do. We are also students, green cloaks and snakes don't change that."
For a single moment, Daphne's cold mask was broken to show the pride she had towards her best friend - the only one noticing was Harry himself, courtesy of his insane reflexes and observation. "Tracey is correct. In any rate, we have arranged this meeting to discuss the possibility of us participating in your private lessons. Heir Potter, who is going to be the teacher of those lessons?" Daphne inquired after her overly long speech.
"Why are you speaking like that? You sound like some sort of Queen in a novel." Harry responded with curiosity.
"Ice Queen" Blaise quipped, this time getting smacked by Tracey.
Daphne's ice mask was broken for a split second once more, betraying some sort of shocked expression at Harry's reaction. The whole 'Ice Queen' facade was wildly amusing for Harry - almost like he saw it as a game, catch Daphne's expressions.
"I was under the impression that the Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter would be well versed in pureblood traditions..." She murmured, her tone still frosty and her eyes narrowed. "Why is that, Heir Potter?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "Please stop calling me that. Just call me Harry," was his response. Daphne's face never wavered this time and did not respond.
Her friend group was glancing at her curiously, while Ron and Hermione were both flabbergasted by the whole exchange. The awkward silence kept on for another full minute, and no one looked willing enough to break it. Daphne's eyes were locked into Harry's in a frosty gaze, while Harry returned the favor with a curious - and slightly amused - look.
Hermione coughed in her fist to clear her throat and finally spoke. "You asked who the teacher would be. Well, the teacher would be Harry."
"Harry will teach us?" Astoria responded in obvious shock.
"What could he teach us? We are on the same grade for Merlin's sake!" Tracey added, followed by a nod from Zabini.
Daphne, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes - the eye contact with Harry never broken. "Has the Dark Lord really returned?"
"Yes," Harry responded immediately.
"And you saw him?" The blonde continued.
"Yes."
"And he killed Diggory?"
"Yes." Harry's patience was slowly getting drained.
"And why are you alive?" Daphne's eyes somehow narrowed more.
"Because I bought enough time to use the Portkey again."
"How?"
"I-..." Harry visibly and verbally faltered, as if he was in pain - Hermione winced at his reaction. "I fought him." He responded with fake confidence and it sounded more like a croaking sound instead of words.
"And you actually beat him?" Daphne's eyes returned to their normal size, if only to delicately raise an eyebrow. While she didn't show it, his reaction really flared her curiosity. Not that she would act upon it any time soon.
"I managed to drag the duel out."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care." Harry hissed, patience long gone. "I don't fucking - don't lecture me about language Hermione - care if you don't believe me. I am not here to gather sympathy nor followers, I am only here because Hermione convinced me to act against Umbridge," Harry pulled the zip from his jacket up and straightened his back, ready to leave, "if that is all, I have to return to Hogwarts and plan our short lived venture."
Harry turned around after breaking the incredibly prolonged eye contact but he noticed that only he attempted to leave. Turning back around, he saw Hermione looking at Daphne with an incredulous look on her face and Ron seething in anger. Daphne, however, was still looking at him. And she spoke.
"Duel me."
Her words met silence. They managed to have an impact, however, as every single member of this small meeting looked at her in shock. For different reasons - Daphne's group never saw her even use an offensive spell, while Harry's group never saw Harry get challenged in a duel since the Second Year. The silence lingered since the blonde and the raven haired boy were staring each other down. Despite his not-so-friendly feelings towards the Slytherin girl, Harry could respect the fact that she could actually try to challenge him.
"I- I accept." He finally responded uncertainly. At his words, everyone moved out of the way, giving them enough space for their impromptu duel. Both duelists walked up towards each other, stopping when there was a meter left between them. Without missing a beat, both wizards lifted their wands to their chest and bowed towards one another, followed by them moving away to start their duel. Despite this whole act, Harry was still hesitating too much. It was a product of two conflicting things - fear that he would prove weak and fear that he would hurt the blonde. He kept staring a Daphne, silently resolving to not attacking her.
After a short stare-off, Daphne started. "Flipendo!" The straight bolt of energy flew towards Harry, who deftly blocked it with his wand. A series of relatively weak spells flew towards him accompanied with their appropriate calls and met the same fate - mostly nuisances like Rictusembra and Flipendo, with a very sloppy Stupefy fizzling out before even reaching the boy.
Whether Daphne was feeling embarrassed or angry that she could not even phase the man, she was not showing it. Since the duel began, her composure never wavered and her ice mask was still up. Finally, she connected a relatively strong Stupefy that made Harry waver slightly on impact. Her mask finally broke, showcasing a smug smirk plastered on her beautiful face.
Behind her, Blaise snorted. "That is our teacher?" he asked sarcastically, causing Ron to flare-up.
Harry suddenly flicked his wand towards Ron who was ready to respond and the ginger suddenly found his mouth shut - specifically, he found that he had no mouth to begin with. Without even a second difference he chained a Protego to block Daphne's spell.
No one realized what exactly happened and why Ron had no mouth - no one except Daphne. Her eyes widened and she gaped openly at Harry, mask long broken. She just witnessed a fifth year student Silent-Cast a spell of high enough caliber towards a completely different target between blocking incoming attacks. Between that spectacle and the duel she was currently having, she realized that Harry was not even trying. And that actually enraged her.
In a lapse of temper and control, Daphne narrowed her eyes towards her opponent and hissed, "Fight me," between her casts. She was slowly getting tired but she would not show it until her opponent respected her.
Harry, on the other hand, was looking at her with mild satisfaction - while he never wanted to show something like that to anyone, he preferred this outcome than having Ron open his mouth to starting a fight. As a bonus, no one saw it except Daphne and even that was not bad since he finally broke her mask. The mild satisfaction turned into a lop-sided grin that caused Daphne's heart to inexplicably skip a beat.
"Don't you dare disrespect our duel, Potter. Fight back," the blonde ordered after regaining her bearings, her voice dripping with irritation. The whole group looked at her with obvious shock - even Harry's friends were caught by surprise at her showcase of emotion - while they didn't even realize why she was that irritated.
Astoria was the only one that was not surprised. She knew her sister all too well. There was one thing that could destroy Daphne's self-control. The lack of respect. Not in the 'Pureblood' mannerism sense - Daphne, while a traditionalist, could not care less about the manners of others as long as she kept them at a high standard - but in the sexist sense. Daphne could not handle being looked down by other men just because she was a woman. And yet, Astoria herself couldn't understand what provoked her ire - Harry looked weak.
Fortunately, Harry would deliver when asked. Daphne wanted him to fight. And despite not knowing why she wanted that, he would not go back on the challenge.
"Stupefy." He called quietly during an opening between her casts, forcing her on the defensive. The problem was that his Stupefy was way stronger than Daphne's. The cast was followed up by three more Silent-Casts of the same spell, breaking her Protego and causing her to stagger. Without missing a beat, he followed up with a loud "Expelliarmus." A red beam of energy cleanly connected to Daphne's torso, launching her backwards with her wand flying towards Harry who deftly caught it.
Alas, he could not enjoy his victory for even a single second. Before anyone even managed to register the devastating loss, Harry had already sprinted to Daphne's body that was sprawled on the ground, kneeling next to her.
"A- Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I didn't want to... To..." Harry tried to speak, but failed miserably, "I- I mean... S- Sorry, I didn't want t- to hurt you," Harry was whispering to her in full concern, not even succeeding in forming a coherent sentence while Daphne was trying to sit up. The impact was way harder than she anticipated, but thankfully the dizziness came more from shock and confusion rather than actual pain.
Ignoring his incoherent mumbling, Daphne lifted her body and hazily looked at him with narrowed eyes. She somehow managed to steel herself and put the 'Ice Queen' mask back on before speaking, "Stop with the mumbling, Potter. You won cleanly, fair and square. You should be proud."
Harry instead winced at her words, "I have nothing to be proud of," he whispered back and stood up. Daphne lost her composure once again, widening her eyes at her schoolmate's outlandish claim. Now her curiosity was more than piqued. Before she could act on it, however, her group rushed to her side.
Harry lowered his gaze to the ground and turned around, walking away. Daphne was sharp, no doubt about that. She could notice things and observe people in mere moments. Thus, she could see the sad look on Hermione and Ron's faces. She stood back up, accepting the help of her friends, her eyes never leaving Harry's back.
She never cared about the 'Boy-Who-Lived' apart from the usual appreciation that the Dark Lord died to him when he was a baby. Her only wish was to excel in Hogwarts and make her father proud and eventually become Lady Greengrass. She believed that childish crushes and adoration towards anyone was beneath her goals.
But now, the 'Boy-Who-Lived' earned her curiosity - and a semblance of respect. But she had discarded the moniker. In her mind, one question was played on loop. Who exactly is Harry Potter? Who is the man behind that absurd fame?
Not wanting to waste anymore time dwelling on thoughts, Daphne reached out. "Potter!" the girl yelled, causing the trio to turn and look at her. "I want to join your group," she continued with a frosty, yet not hostile tone. The friends next to her looked at her and reluctantly nodded in agreement. In response, Harry nodded towards Hermione. The latter walked up to them and handed them a paper that had a great amount of signatures on it - all names that Daphne and her group recognized. With a slight flicker of amusement in her beautiful blue eyes, she signed the paper, followed by Blaise, Tracey and Astoria in that order.
Hermione smiled at them, "We will inform you of when the first meeting is but... We have no idea where to host it," the girl admitted sheepishly.
To her surprise, Blaise was the one to give her an answer that could solve many problems. "Have you considered the Room of Requirement?" His words provoked gobsmacked expressions from his group - even from the 'Ice Queen'. In response, he shrugged, "Who else could be trusted with that knowledge if not them?" Surprisingly, none of them answered.
"What is that?" Hermione asked with a very well known glint of curious excitement in her eyes, but reconsidered, "Actually, hold that thought. It must be discussed another time since we are running very late. Thank you for joining us!" She said in an almost exaggerated cheer and ran back to her friends.
For one last time, Daphne reached out, "Thank you Potter." Harry turned around and looked at her with an unreadable expression. "For the duel," the blonde added. Harry smiled, but it was half-hearted and broken. She could tell - hell, anyone could tell.
"Please, stop calling me Potter," he simply responded before he lost his smile and left with his friends.
"Call me Daphne."
After about an hour from the meeting, the four Slytherin students returned to their common room. It was relatively empty - only a couple of younger students were lazing about on the couches while some older students were busy studying. The Slytherin Common Room was made to provide plenty of quiet spots where people can gather without being noticed and Daphne's group had claimed one of them since their Third Year. Despite all the privacy these corners provided, Daphne did not hesitate to pull up a Muffliato before plopping down on her armchair, followed by the other three members claiming their own armchairs.
Blaise observed the spell Daphne used and noticed something odd; Daphne made sloppy use of it for some reason, something he corrected with a follow-up Muffliato. "You are completely off, Daph. Did you get shaken that hard by Potter?" Blaise inquired with Astoria and Tracey were observing with blatantly obvious curiosity.
Daphne, for her part, simply huffed and turned her gaze towards the windows that provided the underwater view of the lake. "I believe him, you know," her friends stayed silent to that, as if they were confused, something Daphne noticed, "Pot- Harry. I believe him."
"Well, which part? The Basilisk? The return of the Dark Lord? That he defeated one hundred Dementors?" Tracey poked with a raised eyebrow. "Do you honestly believe he did all of this?"
"Yes, Tracey, as a matter of fact I do," Daphne turned her gaze to her friend, "Do you remember the fact you told me about Pot- Harry - last year after the Second Triwizard Challenge?" Tracey nodded, "Then you can't honestly believe that he spread those rumors."
"But they are rumors, just like you said," Astoria retorted in place of the brunette, "Just over-exaggerated rumors about the Boy-Who-Lived."
"Then explain to me how he is that strong." Daphne straightened her back and shot a frosty glare to her sister, "You were not defending against his Spells. His Silent-Casted Stupefies." Her friend group remained silent at that. "But maybe you are not convinced. You noticed what happened to Weasley, Blaise?" The dark skinned man nodded, confused.
"What does that have anything to do with Potter?" He asked in response.
"Do you know the spell Oscausi?" Blaise shook his head and Daphne continued, "It is a spell that removes someone's mouth. Easily fixed with a simple Finite Incantatem, but it is relatively hard to use properly. Well, that spell was casted silently by Pot- Harry - while he was blocking my skills. Now, are you convinced that he is way stronger than all of us?"
Her words met shocked silence. Astoria was openly gaping - completely disregarding her father's teachings - while Tracey was simply wide-eyed. Blaise, on the other hand frowned, "How do you-"
"You honestly expect me to look anywhere except my sparring partner?" Daphne interrupted with a raised eyebrow and stood up. "There is no reason for a 15 year old student to be that advanced with his spellwork. 'Power like that comes from experience, experience like that comes from hardship'. Astoria, you should know better. These are father's words on how our house was created," Daphne finally moved to grab a teapot from the corner of their private space, then poured tea for everyone before sitting back down. "My point is, Harry Potter is the way forward this year. He has the knowledge, the skill and the experience - from what we have seen! If you still don't want to be part of it, you are free to leave. I, will be staying. I cannot wait to know more about him, about his experiences and what the real, dangerous world is like!"
Daphne was under the impression that her mask never failed her. That this whole time, she was speaking as the 'Ice Queen' - that she was expressionless and chilly.
The reality was far from that. Excitement and passion oozed from her expressions, her voice and temper slowly escalating during her speech, until her voice was almost squeaky. Everyone else, however, noticed. Even some other Slytherins that got a glimpse of her broken mask - even though they heard nothing of her rant.
"You are scaring me, sis." Astoria quipped with a raised eyebrow. "You have lost all your composure," Daphne looked at her in shock, "Are you seriously that shaken by Potter? You act like you got a crush or something." That statement provoked chuckles from Blaise and Tracey, while Daphne opened her mouth to speak; yet no words came out of it.
"I- ... Wha-... That is-..." Daphne got a slight pink tinge on her cheeks but she composed herself with a cough before it was noticed, "That is absurd, dear sister. I am merely slightly excited to learn more about the world outside of the castle walls; You know better than anyone that father kept us under very strict watch and kept us out of anything remotely dangerous" Daphne retorted and lifted her chin, huffing in indignation. "You have great imagination, but I seriously hope you refrain from showing it to me - you are spouting nonsense."
"Uh huh," Astoria lamely responded and stood up, "Just inform me of developments. For now, I have a Potions essay to complete." With a wave - that was not returned by the still haughty Daphne - she left for her dorm. Following her, Tracey also bid farewell to the rest of the group after confirming her own participation.
Now that only Blaise and Daphne were left, Blaise narrowed his eyes at Daphne and spoke for probably the last time, "Daphne, we are basically allying with Potter right now. And I know that when you make allies, you never back down," Daphne's mask cracked once more at his words, in an expression of resignation, "That is the decree of the House of Greengrass. That is the reason why you only have us for friends. We all know that. We are just worried that you might make a wrong alliance."
Daphne considered his words for some moments, before sighing and slumping back down on her armchair, "I know, Blaise. It might be a risk. But it is a risk I am willing to take. I believe the 'Boy-Who-Lied' - and if I believe him against basically everyone, I am his ally," Daphne restored her ice cold mask and regarded Blaise as he was considering his answer.
After two full minutes of a quiet stare-down, Blaise finally broke and lifted his arms to placate her and admit defeat, "Alright Daph. We're with you every step of the way," he stood up and walked towards his own dorm. Before he reached there however, he turned around and spoke one more time. "Just please, don't let us regret it."
Daphne contemplated her answer for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then, she finally answered.
"We won't."
"I honestly cannot believe you both!" Ron yelled, still irritated from the fact four Slytherins joined their group.
"Quiet down Ron!" Hermione hissed in a whisper.
Harry was silently fiddling with his Transfiguration book, sending quick glances around the Library. As per usual during the early months, it was empty.
"This is not a matter where I should stay quiet!" Ron retorted, whispering anyway. "How did you allow this- Heck, why did you even consider this?! They are snakes!"
"Ron, I have already told you. Not all of them are Malfoy! Greengrass is probably the most quiet student in Hogwarts!" Hermione retorted hotly - in a whisper, of course, the Library is her holy place.
"All Slytherins are bad, it's an unwritten rule!" Ron's earlobes were turning dangerously red during their argument - thankfully, Harry intervened.
"Ron, am I bad?" He asked with a cocked head, seemingly clueless. Both Ron and Hermione turned to look at him in bewilderment.
"Of course not mate!"
"Then, why would all Slytherins be bad?" Harry continued dragging his clueless façade, but Hermione narrowed her eyes - he was caught.
"You are not a slimy snake mate, there is no comparison"
"That is where you are wrong." Harry dropped his façade and looked at his friend seriously. "You see, during the Sorting, I could have gone to Slytherin."
Ron's eyes widened and his mouth was set to a gaping circle. Hermione, surprisingly, simply sighed as if she expected something like this. She also knew that you could... persuade the hat to put you in a specific house - or not put you in a specific house.
"I begged the Hat to not put me in Slytherin, Ron," Harry continued, "And the hat agreed - after it tried to convince me that I could be great in Slytherin. I could have been in there if I never met you; not that I regret it. My point is that if I am good and I could have been a Slytherin, then anyone could be good," after his spiel he simply returned to play with his book, an unreadable expression in his eyes.
Ron tried a few times to respond, but failed miserably - groaning instead. "I fucking-"
"Language Ron!" Hermione hissed, but was ultimately ignored.
"- hope that we don't regret this Harry," the ginger finished and stormed off; probably to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Hermione sighed yet again and sat on the table across from Harry to read her Transfiguration essay. Several minutes of comfortable silence later, Hermione broke the ice. "Are you alright?" She asked her friend quietly.
"Yeah."
"You don't look alright," the girl responded, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. "Talk to me, please. You can't be holding everything inside the whole year, Harry."
Harry shot her an annoyed glare, but spoke anyway. "I don't know how I will prove to be enough to teach, Hermione."
"What do you mean? You floored Greengrass!"
"Yes, and hurt her in the process!" the boy shot back.
"She wasn't hurt Harry, it was a duel. You merely proved that you are more than capable to lead," she responded calmly.
Harry did not answer. He was too tired to respond yet again - he resigned himself to that teacher position, anyway. Hermione realized that he wouldn't respond to that topic again, so she moved away from it.
"So... I see you are doing well with Cho," Hermione quipped in a whisper, causing Harry to blush.
"I- I- I don't know what you m-mean," he responded lamely, trying to hide his blush.
"Oh come on. She couldn't keep her eyes off you. Even though it was more subtle than Greengrass," she added nonchalantly.
Harry's blush faded, courtesy of his thoughts freezing. While he very obviously had a crush on Cho, Daphne had provoked his wild curiosity. Everything from her manners to the way she acted was interesting to him - it was completely new. Those were 'Pureblood' traditions? And his family also grew with those traditions? So far, no one had spoken to him about a subject like that - Sirius was cut off from those 'Purebloods', the Weasleys had a mild animosity with 'Pureblood' supremacists as they called them and Hermione was Muggleborn. Apart from them, no one cared about traditions like that. It was something that he found fascinating, a reasonable thing since his childhood love about this magical world never died - despite all the darkness. Above all, he felt the need to learn more about his family - the family that gave birth to him and what it meant to be a Potter.
"Harry? Are you alright?" Hermione's voice snapped him back to reality, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, just distracted is all," he mumbled and stood up. "Look, I'll go back to the common room, I'd like to get some rest," he added and tried to leave.
Hermione's grip prevented him from doing just that. "Are you really alright? Tell me, plea-"
"Just leave me be, Hermione," he hissed at her and shook his arm free. "I just need to rest, today was a very long day," he continued for one last time, this time not even attempting to hear her answer.
"A- Alright..." she whispered and turned back to her essay as he left from the Library.
October 7th
Gryffindor Common Room
Despite Harry's sour mood late Saturday, the rest of his weekend was enough to soar his mood to new heights of happiness and satisfaction. There were people that believed him; more than that, there were people willing to stand by him. Harry was not a very outgoing man; his exploits were shared among few people - yet he couldn't deny the completely logical feeling of accomplishment and pride, clashing with the feelings of loss and helplessness he felt when the Triwizard Tournament ended.
His newfound allies were completely in awe over his skills and accomplishments. One of them was Cho Chang and that was enough to tip him over the edge of bliss. The fact he was not treated as lying scum but as an object of admiration instead... He felt oddly happy.
And the icing on the cake; Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zambini, Tracey Davis and Astoria Greengrass were also willing to join him and follow him. The fact that these Slytherins were willing to accompany him and fight alongside him against Umbridge was not only unprecedented, but extremely satisfying as well. And that Daphne girl... She was intriguing, to say the least.
All of that happiness and bliss and pride crumbled to dust like they were nothing when he saw the massive sign on the Common Room Notice Board; Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four.
"Those slimy-" before Ron could even start his tirade, he was hit by a Silent-Casted Silencio and was ushered towards the dorms. Attempts of protesting were instant failures since he couldn't be heard under Harry's spell; more importantly, Harry's grip was abnormally strong.
The raven-haired boy shoved the ginger inside their empty dorm and canceled the spell. Ron immediately figured out that he could speak yet again.
"I told you, we should not have trusted these wannabe Death Eaters!" he seethed, pacing around the room, not able to contain his rage and animosity. "The moment we saw their puke green scarves - Ahhhh blimey mate!'' His words were accompanied by a wild flail of his hands in obvious exasperation - heck, even if he was completely motionless, the pomegranate-red coloring his earlobes was more than enough to let Harry gauge his friend's rage.
Harry, for his part, could not speak. He knew his friend was most likely right - Slytherins were probably the most likely to snitch on their plans. It was more than a coincidence that Umbridge executed the Decree just two days after they planned the secret DADA group. He was a bit dissapointed and slightly sad, but he supposed it was called for, Greengrass would probably want revenge after her loss, after all-
"Stop it Ron!" the female voice belonging to Hermione entering their dorm hissed, pulling Harry out of his thoughts and Ron out of his ever-going tirade about slimy snakes and snitches. "No one spoke to anyone about our plans against Umbridge."
"You are so naive Hermione, not everyone is-"
Hope flared inside of Harry's broken mind. "How do you know?" he asked, interrupting Ron before his friend became unbearably obnoxious about the matter.
"I didn't just give them the parchment to sign; It had protection," Hermione responded in a matter-of-fact tone. "The first protection is that anyone who tries to speak about our group is subjected to a Babbling Curse. Then, if the person broke the Curse, two things happen; First, I am notified; second, their face becomes covered enough in acne to warrant hospitalization."
That somehow calmed Ron down, yet he still wasn't convinced fully. "I swear those Death Eaters..." his words sounded akin to a spitting sound, something that snapped the patience out of Harry.
"Shut up Ron!" he hissed impatiently. "Acting like this will get us nowhere, first we need to figure out if this happened to all Houses."
Of course, all houses had the same sign - it was also posted next to the doors of the Great Hall. Hermione was understandably on edge during breakfast, trying to reassure everyone and keep their secret 'classmates' calm. The news only got worse when Harry discussed with Angelina the impact the Decree had on Quidditch teams. After he finished eating his food, he turned his gaze towards the Slytherin table.
Daphne and Tracey were sitting with their backs to the windows of the hall, Blaise and Astoria opposite of the duo. They were all silently - and slowly - eating their breakfast, not willing to discuss any matter of particular sensitivity on their table. Daphne's eyes flitted towards Harry and blue connected with emerald green. Daphne found herself observing his eyes; the almost glowing green of them was fascinating - and extremely attractive, even though she had no wish or inclination to admit something like that to herself. A single bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, betraying her nervousness about their shaky affair. Somehow, Harry noticed and sent a reassuring smile her way before he stood up and left, leaving Daphne staring at him speechless. How did he know that she needed reassurance?
Blaise, ever observing, kicked Daphne's shin, eliciting a hiss of pain from the beautiful blonde. She made no protest, however. She knew exactly why he kicked her and was thankful to him for snapping her out of her gazing.
The rest of the day went about as expected in Harry's interesting life; An injured Hedwig appeared and Harry skipped History of Magic to get her treated, getting a letter from Sirius in the process that designated their next conversation through the Floo. Potions was next with Umbridge's presence - a small event of restricting Neville from sacking Malfoy took place before class - and it was about as exciting as anyone would have imagined.
Oddly enough, Harry was paying extra attention to class and the recipe for the Strengthening Solution, producing oddly successful results. If Hermione was at any rate surprised by him, she didn't let on. She was often watching Daphne instead. She had no real reason for that; out of their year Hermione was often challenged by Daphne in academics, proving that the Slytherin blonde was an exceptional student. The reason she was watching her was because she noticed the 'Ice Queen' of Slytherin sending curious glances towards Harry - ice mask always applied, of course - during the whole duration of the class.
"Now... How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Umbridge asked Snape, pulling Harry out of his concentration on the Potion - it was almost ready anyway.
"Fourteen years," Snape replied with an unreadable expression. Despite observing Snape, Harry added the correct final ingredient to his potion.
"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" the pink toad asked the black bat.
"Yes," said Snape quietly.
"But you were unsuccessful?"
Snape's lip curled. "Obviously."
Umbridge scribbled something on her clipboard with a smug expression. "And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?"
"Yes," said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. His expression was slowly morphing to one of irritation.
"Do you have any idea-"
"Professor Snape!" Harry interjected, provoking the gazes of everyone inside the classroom. "I just wanted you to look over my potion since I have finished," he continued with mild embarrassment, succeeding in looking innocent in front of everyone's eyes - even Umbridge's. He had no idea what came over him to pull Snape out of that awkward position, but he did it nonetheless. Besides, for probably the first time in his five years in Hogwarts, he was proud of a Potion he made.
Snape walked over to his cauldron and narrowed his black eyes. He inspected the potion extensively and then the table itself for any indication of foul play from Harry's side. When he saw nothing out of place, a mask of disgust was plastered on his face as he gave Harry full marks.
The expressions around him were wildly different. Hermione was beaming with pride, Ron was gobsmacked, Malfoy was seething, Pansy was disgusted, Crabbe and Goyle were clueless, Umbridge was irritated inexplicably, Blaise was amused and Daphne had a smug look of satisfaction. The rest of the students attending were simply curious about how he pulled through today's class. All of that was not seen by Harry who was contemplating the feeling of odd success and the look on Snape's face. Harry was happy, even though he had no idea why he paid attention to class this time around. It also felt relatively easy - which was reasonable since Harry was not dumb in the slightest and could keep Hermione's annoying lectures in his mind; only his boredom and hatred towards Snape kept him from excelling in Potions.
Next came Divination with an extremely agitated and angered Trelawney - something that Harry could understand, given the reason for her agitation was Umbridge. DADA was next, droll and boring as always with their teacher. All in all, Harry was certainly relaxed when they headed to their Common Room and took their usual armchairs near the fireplace.
Nights at the Common Room were loud affairs, more often than not caused by Fred and George. That was the case for tonight, as well, though Harry could not pay enough attention to the twins. His mind was back to Saturday's revelation of Pureblood customs and that his family was part of them. Ron was already dozing off, so Hermione was his only option.
"Hey, Hermione," he started uncertainly. "You know, I've been thinking - my family was Pureblood, was it not?"
Hermione's gaze turned to him, obvious curiosity oozing from her expression. She stopped kneading clothes for the elves and Harry had her full attention. "Well, you are not a pureblood per se, you are considered a Half-Blood since your mother was Muggleborn like me. But yes, the Potter Lineage is Pureblood."
"So Daphne was correct? The House of Potter is a Noble and Most Ancient Pureblood house?" Harry asked in a fascinated tone.
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "You know, I have done a tiny bit of research for you. Your family is ancient and Pureblood, yes. Like all Pureblood families, they have wizarding traditions and customs. I can't possibly relate to any of it; think of it like the cultural differences between Indian people and Italian people, for example."
Harry nodded positively, already understanding of that. "But if the difference is just that... Hermione, are pureblood traditions filled with bigotry like Ron claims?"
"I-... I don't know, honestly. Nothing of what I have read indicates to something like that, but most of what we've seen is certainly bigotry. Malfoy, for example and most Slytherins," Hermione shuddered at her own words, but kept going. "But we cannot rule out the possibility that there are different approaches to pureblood traditions and ideals. Some might be extremists, yes, but they might be the ones that corrupt the whole affair. Just think, Christianity is not bad by any means, but even that produced the Crusades of the Middle Ages," Harry's curious and clueless look provoked a lengthy explanation of the Holy Wars of the Medieval Era and somehow led to the Second Muggle World War. It helped, however, since both of them earned a better understanding of extremism, supremacism and other notions that divide communities and races.
"Basically, we simply shouldn't judge every single Pureblood witch and wizard based on the actions of the majority or the minority," Harry concluded and Hermione feverly nodded her head in agreement.
By the time they finished their enlightening discussion, the common room had been emptied out, and they finally had it to themselves. They turned around to look at the still sleeping Ron- Except he wasn't sleeping. Just observing them quietly with obvious fascination in his eyes. Hermione narrowed her eyes in response.
"How much have you heard?" she inquired.
"Almost all of it," Ron shrugged. "And before you say anything, I agree. Not everyone is bad. Look at me, for example. I'm Pureblood and not bad, just not connected to tradition," a stupid grin decorated his face. "Muggle history is weird."
Hermione and Harry's amused looks were shattered when they heard the rustle of the fireplace and saw Sirius' head popping out of it.
"You really should have paid more mind in concealing your meeting Harry, but I have to say; A secret DADA group? Color me impressed," the pride-filled voice of Sirius was heard before anyone could even greet him.
"How did you know?" Hermione gasped in return, which provoked a chuckle from Sirius.
"The Hog's Head? Really?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I- It was better than the Three Broomsticks!" Hermione protested. "Three Broomsticks is always- "
"Always filled with people, which means you'd have been harder to overhear," said Sirius. "You've got a lot to learn Hermione. But that is not the matter of importance at this point. As for your little secret, Mundungus - yes, he was the veiled witch - was the one who overheard you, so it is safe," his gaze was then shifted to Ron. "I was 'ordered' by your mother that you are not allowed to join a group like that in any shape or form," shaking his head, he interrupted Ron's protests and continued, "I don't expect that to work, and I wouldn't want her threats to work either. Honestly, it is a great idea to teach students the proper way to defend themselves. I surely know me and James would have done the same if that frog you call a teacher denied us our 'proper education'."
Harry's chest was filled with inexplicable pride at his god-father's praise.
"Anyway, I meant to ask. Any ideas on its organization? How and where will you all meet?" Sirius inquired with pure curiosity.
"Well, Blaise told us about some room called the Room of Requirement," Hermione explained and caused Sirius's face to light up.
"But of course! That is the best place to be at! But wait, you mean Zabini? The Slytherin your age?" Sirius' face turned from understanding to worry in a split second.
"Y- Yes... We have four Slytherins in the group," whispered Harry and Sirius looked at him speculatively.
"Names."
"Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis, Daphne Greengrass and Astoria Greengrass," was the answer Harry provided and the room fell to silence as Sirius was pondering his words.
"Hmmm... It isn't bad. Zabini comes from Italian purebloods and has no connections in Magical Britain, while the Greengrasses are a Grey Family and I've never heard of a Davis," said Sirius seriously - a comment from Hermione stating Tracey is Muggleborn gave Sirius enough of an explanation and provoked his intrigue. "Well, while the Greengrasses were speculated to have connections to the Dark Lord, Albus assured everyone last year that they were not connected to him and that the Greengrasses do not ally with anyone easily. So you should be fine with them. Just - tread carefully. You know how most Slytherins are."
The trio nodded in understanding - in truth, Sirius didn't even need to remind them.
"I should be going," the older man added and was suddenly startled by something. He turned his head towards his left, seemingly staring at the bricks before vanishing completely.
The trio gaped at the flames for a moment, before they saw a stubby, short fingered hand with ugly rings appeared, trying to grasp at the ashes. The trio promptly vanished from the common room, having enough for today.
October 9th
Last day came and went as calmly as expected. The Quidditch team was approved once more and they had their first training session; the cherry on top being a scar-pain trip just after the session. Harry spared a couple of hours thinking about it with Ron and reached the conclusion that he was actually feeling Voldemort's feelings. Needless to say, both he and Ron found that piece of information deeply disturbing but couldn't spare more thought on that.
Today, just before Herbology Angelina informed them that Quidditch practice was canceled for today - for all houses - and that gave Hermione the opportunity to stage the first meeting of their secret DADA group. The rest of the day was filled with an anxious Hermione trying to coordinate everyone for their meeting outside of the Room of Requirement.
Last night, before they headed off to sleep, the trio called Dobby to explain to them how the Room worked and the elf provided them a lengthy explanation that was more than satisfactory to them. Right now, Hermione was trying to reach Ginny and Ron was trying to speak with the Twins to inform every member of their group. Harry, unfortunately, had to talk with the Slytherin members.
And that is more or less how Harry ended up pacing impatiently in front of the entrance to the seventh floor hallway. Around ten minutes ago he employed Dobby's help to give Daphne a note to coax her into meeting him. But he felt it was a tad bit too vague.
Hey. Granger told me that you would be the best student to help me with my Ancient Runes essay. Could you spare some minutes to tutor me? I will be waiting in the seventh floor hallway.
Ahhh, crap. There was no way she would believe that; trying to cover his tracks in case the letter fell into the wrong hands, he ended up writing something too vague. What if she thought it was a trap? How was he supposed to approach her then? There was no way he would visit the dungeons; apart from being a Gryffindor, he also happened to be the Boy-Who-Lived and he had a nasty reputation these days. There was no hope she would come, it seemed. These thoughts were swarming Harry's mind as he was pacing impatiently back and forth.
"Ancient Runes essay, you say?" The amused voice of Daphne Greengrass chimed right beside him, causing him to jump.
"Ah! Yes! Hi, Daphne, I, uh," he paused for a moment to consider his words before speaking again. "I didn't expect you to come, the note was too vague, I mean, yeah." Inwardly, Harry cursed his inability to form coherent speech and gave an embarrassed smile.
"Quite the contrary," Daphne giggled. "It was actually quite a Slytherin approach coming from you."
Harry shot an eyebrow high enough to replace his scar. "Uhh... Thank you? Anyway, I wanted to inform you that we will be meeting in thirty minutes. In the Room. So, if you could approach the rest of your group..."
"We figured as much," said Daphne with something that resembled a smile and paced further into the seventh floor corridor. Before Harry could voice his questions to her response, however, the answers came in the forms of Blaise, Tracey and Astoria entering the corridor.
"I have to say, Potter, I am quite happy that my suggestion was accepted," Blaise chimed after he stopped near Harry, extending an arm for a handshake.
"After a bit of research, it is probably the best place to meet. And please, call me Harry," the raven-haired wizard responded by grabbing the extended hand of the dark skinned Italian.
"Call me Blaise then!" With that, the boys caught up to the girls that were already standing in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls to dance.
"Why are we here already?" Harry inquired and Daphne cocked her head enough to lock eyes with him.
"I would expect that a meeting between us and the rest of your group would cause quite a commotion in the hallways," she responded with a slight quirk of her lip. "We are slimy snakes, after all."
Harry looked at her for a moment with a - prideful? - glint in his eyes, glad that her group wasn't affected by the nickname her house members had. With that, he started pacing in front of the empty wall, exactly three times as Dobby said.
'We need somewhere to learn to fight...' he thought. 'Just give us a place to practice... somewhere they can't find us...'
Blaise tapped him on the shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. A polished, massive door had appeared in the previously blank space on the wall. He spared a glance around him; the Slytherins seemed ready for this. So was he.
They entered the spacious room that was spawned from Harry's needs. It was more than he expected. It was extremely spacious, with the torches lined on the walls providing the necessary visibility to practice. There were no chairs; instead, large silk cushions were spread on the floor of the Room of Requirement. The left wall was lined with bookcases that were filled to capacity with various books; all of them about various spells they would surely need during 'class'. Another set of shelves next to the bookcases carried a wide variety of instruments related to their endeavors in fighting the Dark. Harry momentarily thought about Target-Dummies; shockingly enough, a row of around twenty target dummies - styled after Death Eaters - lined the empty wall on the right.
"This is surely beyond satisfactory," Daphne murmured as she approached the cracked Foe-Glass on the shelf. Before anyone could respond, however, Ron and Hermione entered with wide eyes and slacked jaws. After mumbling their greetings to the Slytherins - Harry could swear Ron had swallowed a shot of vinegar as he greeted Slytherins - they spread around the room. Hermione, of course, rushed to the bookshelves and had a weirdly heated discussion with Daphne about the books.
At that moment, Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati and Dean entered the room. They couldn't enjoy the room, however, as they stiffened at the sight of Slytherins with them. Except Neville.
To everyone's shock, Neville approached Daphne and gave her a polite, yet friendly greeting. "How are you, Daphne? We haven't spoken since the Summer Solstice" He greeted politely and caused everyone - except Astoria, Harry and Hermione - to physically recoil.
Daphne ignored them. "I'm quite well, Neville. I am very pleased that you are also a part of this group, but I should have expected it; you always were one to jump at the opportunity to serve a just cause," Daphne then giggled, causing Ginny to gag. "If only Aunt Augusta could see you; she wouldn't be complaining that you are 'soft'. Honestly, Aunt Augusta may be brilliant but she is really blind when it comes to you. You were always like this." Neville was beaming with pride as he turned and waved at Astoria who waved back at him.
"Since when do you know each other?" Ron inquired after he recovered from the shock and both Neville and Daphne turned to look at him. Yet, the one to respond was Neville.
"Since we were children, basically," said Neville as he smiled at Daphne and saw her return her gesture. "Granny Augusta and Aunt Julia are siblings," his comment met silence and caused him to elaborate with a sigh. "Aunt Julia and her husband, Adrian Greengrass are Uncle Cyrus parents; Cyrus Greengrass is Daphne's dad," he elaborated, then his face formed an expression that showed he was thinking of fond memories. "Uncle Cyrus was the one who taught me about Pureblood traditions; he also was the one who gave me sweets behind Granny's back," he said with a bright smile as he poked his belly. The mood lightened considerably with his speech - even Ron visibly relaxed as he shot a kind smile to the Slytherin group - and everyone giggled.
The following moments the room was slowly filled with the members of the group. The expressions of people ranged from curiosity to outright hostility towards the Slytherin members, causing Harry to rub his temples. 'This will be a long night,' he thought to himself. Finally, every member of the group was in attendance and with a mere thought the massive door made a locking sound and disappeared.
Tension was hovering in the air; Harry could swear that the tension was overlaid on his body, acting like a second skin. Yet he made no move to speak. He glanced towards Hermione who was sitting next to Daphne and Neville; All of them sent him reassuring smiles - in Daphne's case, a nod was enough. Harry cleared his throat.
"Well. This is the place we have found for our practices. I- um... Believe you find it satisfactory," he started.
"It's fantastic!" Cho exclaimed and grunts of agreement spread across the room. Daphne shot a weird look towards Cho and narrowed her eyes, but Harry paid no heed.
"Hey George, isn't this where we hid from Filch?" Fred murmured as he was looking around the room.
Harry smiled weakly at the twins and continued. "So- Uhhh, I've been thinking about what we should, er, do, for a first meet- " He saw Hermione's raised hand and sighed. "Yes, Hermione?"
"I think we should elect a leader," said Hermione.
Cho Chang made an attempt to speak, yet her thunder was stolen. "Harry should be the leader, naturally," spoke Daphne with a dismissive hand gesture and a calm, unreadable expression. Cho sulked that she was interrupted yet made no move to speak.
"And why should that happen, Greengrass?" Zacharias sneered at the Slytherin girl.
"Because he obviously knows best," she shot back in a monotone voice and not so much as a twitch in her facial expressions. "None of us can make a case of being more skilled than Potter."
"What a load of shit," the Hufflepuff spat and stood up. "Imagine having a Slytherin as a cheerleader, Potter. Let me prove everyone that you are not even an inch of what you are made up to be," he continued and drew his wand. At that, everyone in the room jumped out of their seats and lined up the side walls of the room. "Come on, Potter, draw your wand!" Smith hissed and Harry obliged with a sigh.
"Any bets?" George quipped and Fred conjured a hat.
Daphne broke character and rolled her eyes before addressing the raven-haired wizard. "Harry, please don't drag it out like Saturday," she said, causing quite a few heads to turn to her with obvious confusion in their expressions.
"Drag it out? He won't even be able to stand after this. If he had even the slightest bit of skill, Diggory wouldn't be dead," Smith spat, causing Cho to cover her mouth with her hand while Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously - doing nothing to hide the green fire that was lighting them up.
"Incendio!" Zacharias called and a burst of flame shot towards Harry. Everyone gasped, as they thought that trying to burn the opponent was too much for a duel. Yet Harry didn't even flinch.
Despite his seething rage at the accusation, he figured that he should not be silent-casting anything. Might as well make the best of it and turn it into a demonstration of what is to come in this class. "Glacius Tria," he shot back and a torrent of freezing wind erupted from his wand, completely swallowing the fire and hitting Zacharias. He canceled it almost immediately in order not to cause frostbites and kept going.
"Alarte Ascendare," he followed up, causing Hermione to gasp - that was one spell the failure Lockhart used three years ago. The almost invisible beam of energy shot through the frozen wind and launched Zacharias high in the air. "Immobulus." This time, his spell-cast froze Smith mid-air and he calmly walked across their duel arena that was marked by the Room when they took positions. Everyone was looking at Harry in complete shock; the showcase of skill and technique was jaw dropping. Yet, he did nothing crazy; he simply used easy spells that could be used in combat. The only difference between him and his 'students' was that he needed to study spells like that to live through his eventful life- he was actually trying to study every spell in every book he could get his hands on - while everyone else simply ignored their existence. Even weak and odd spells like Alarte Ascendare could have a great use in a fight - especially in a dog-fight like the ones between Death Eaters.
Eventually Harry stopped quite a few meters behind Zacharias; he needed to give him space so he wouldn't slam him on the wall with too much force. He sent a quick glance to Smith and he was happy to find out that the Hufflepuff was seething. With a quick motion of his wand he canceled the spell and caused the boy to free-fall. He silently blocked Smith's awkward stunner and shot back. "Depulso Maxima," Harry calmly called and Smith was launched towards the other end of the room with great force. The trip was short-lived, courtesy of Harry's "Descendo" making him fall hard on the floor, skipping like a toad across the floor with audible grunts. Smith's wand had long since left his hand, signaling the end of the duel.
Harry made sure Smith was alright physically and was pleased to see that apart from a pained hip, Smith was fine; the only thing hurt was his pride but it was more than enough to make him truly respect Harry this time. With a look around the room, he noticed everyone's shocked, yet excited expressions. He also saw Fred and George giving Daphne a hat full of Sickles and Galleons. Daphne took it with a very smug smile plastered on her frozen face. She saw Harry looking at her.
"Everyone's bet was in favor of you, so I decided to spice it up a little; my bet was that Smith's defeat would be extremely embarrassing and painful to see. And I won, so thank you Pot- Harry," she explained, the smug smile never leaving her face.
Fred and George narrowed their eyes at Daphne and started their chorus.
"I never thought you could act like that-"
"-little snake. Seems the Ice Queen-"
"-isn't made of just ice, after all."
Daphne simply shrugged. "I was under the impression that I was allowed to indulge in such activities?" she asked rhetorically and then addressed the room - after pocketing the money she made from the bet. "So, votes in favor of Harry being the leader?"
Everyone's hands shot up without hesitation - even Smith's. That gesture made Harry grin like a fool.
"Right, thanks," he lamely responded to the group in his daze. "So, our les- yes, Hermione," he hissed impatiently as he saw Hermione's hand in the air yet again.
"I believe we ought to have a name," she said brightly without lowering her hand and completely ignoring Harry's ire. "It would make us feel more united and improve our team spirit." Harry rolled his eyes but let them decide.
"How about the Umbridge Rebellion?" said Angelina, who had a dreamy expression on her face - looking awfully like Luna.
"No no, that's stupid," answered Fred and Angelina sent him a death glare which he ignored. "How about Burn The Ministry Association?"
"That is extremely aggressive," Blaise quipped and Hermione smiled at him in appreciation.
"How about a name that didn't scream of our intentions? Something we can use out of this room, maybe?" said Hermione.
Cho tried to speak, but her thunder was stolen - again - by the Slytherin blonde. "How about Defense Association? D.A. for short?" spoke Daphne, successfully earning a glare from Cho.
"How about you leave this place snake?" Cho spat. "Why are you four here in the first place? Surely Harry didn't-"
"I did," Harry intervened and Cho turned around to witness his disappointed frown. "They have as much of a right to learn proper Defense as we do. And I will surely not accept any kind of bigotry against anyone. That goes both ways; just as I won't accept hatred from them against any one of us, I won't accept hatred from any one of us against them. I believe everyone agrees?" A quick look around proved that everyone was in agreement, if their positive nods were anything to go by.
Cho's face turned red and she sat back down sulking. Whether she wanted to provoke a reaction from anyone - Harry in particular - or she was honestly sulking was anyone's guess.
"So, Defense Association?" Daphne inquired yet again, seemingly unfazed by the Ravenclaw's actions. She was looking at Harry with a weird light in her eyes that Harry couldn't decipher for the life of him.
Surprisingly, Ginny was the one to answer Daphne. "Yeah, D.A. sounds nice," she said reluctantly. "But we should give it another meaning; Dumbledore's Army. It's what the ministry fears most, isn't it?"
Her comment provoked a bit of laughter and some amused mumblings of agreement. Hermione also liked it. "So, all in favor of the D.A.?" she said bossily and all hands shot up once more - except Cho's who was still sulking. "That's the majority then!" Hermione continued who stood up and walked to a big notice board on the wall. She pinned the parchment with the signed names and wrote 'DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY' across the top in large letters.
Harry waited for Hermione to sit down again and spoke. "Right. Shall we begin the lesson, then? I believe that the most important spell that a wizard or witch can use is Expelliarmus, the Disarming Charm. I know it is basic but I have found it very useful," he explained but paused for a moment to consider his next words. "Expelliarmus was what saved me from Voldemort." Hearing that name aloud caused the entire group to shudder or flinch - only Hermione, who paid no mind and Daphne who simply twitched were the exceptions.
In reality, Daphne was shaken violently by the casual use of the Dark Lord's name, yet she would never show that kind of weakness to anyone.
Harry tried to clear his throat once more, his mouth feeling slightly drier than usual with all of the attention he was getting. "So. I reckon we should split in pairs to train then?"
Everyone in the room stood up and split up in pairs. It was a very odd and slightly nauseating sight for Harry; he never imagined himself giving orders or direction to anyone. The fact that they were followed immediately was worse somehow.
Contrary to his predictions of Neville being left without a partner, Neville got a sparring partner in his cousin Astoria. Blaise and Tracey were already a pair, as was anyone else. His eyes fell on Daphne who was quietly looking at him since was left partnerless.
"Uh, you can- umm... Practice with me, if that is alright with you." Harry shakily told the blonde and she took the place opposite of him with an amused look. "Right. Everyone, on the count of three. One. Two." He glanced around one last time and saw everyone was ready to begin practicing. "Three."
A deafening chorus of "Expelliarmus!" caused him to wince. The sight unfolding right before his eyes was even more chaotic. Blasts of energy slammed into the walls, the air was full of flying wands and people were flung back a couple of meters. Harry frowned. Starting with the basics was for the best it seemed; almost all of them were practicing very weak spell-work - apart from some notable exceptions - from wands weakly vibrating in hands to feeble spells that had no effect at all, the sight was proving that Harry would have to follow a rocky road.
"Expelliarmus!" a female voice close to Harry shouted and he felt his wand getting launched towards Daphne who grabbed it with an expression filled with subtle pride. Not a second later, Neville's cast also launched Astoria's wand from her hand.
"Great work Neville!" Harry shouted and Neville looked at him, beaming with pride. He felt his wand landing on his chest and he expertly grabbed it. "You know, you are already quite adept with spell-work. You only used the spell once and it was very successful," said Harry to his sparring partner. For her part, Daphne merely quirked her lip.
"Why don't you help the other pairs?" she inquired and Harry nodded in agreement, leaving her alone to train on a Target Dummy.
He made a couple of rounds, giving pointers and tips to every pair. Slowly, but surely everyone was making great progress. Only Cho was doing extremely badly and was also refusing to take Harry's advice to heart, causing Harry to frown.
Thirty minutes filled with coaching from Harry, Daphne quietly approached the raven haired boy-turned-teacher and spoke. "I hope you don't intend to keep us past curfew."
At her words, Harry glanced at his watch and with a gasp quickly casted a Cannonball Charm in the air, causing everyone to stop casting. "I believe we have had enough for today. Curfew is up in ten minutes, so we have to hurry. Everyone, great work today."
His words were met with roaring applause, causing him to blush. "Same time next week?" He asked the group.
"No way, I'd say even tomorrow!" said Smith, to the shock of everyone. Even more shockingly, everyone nodded in agreement except Angelina.
"We also have Quidditch guys," she said with a certain sadness in her voice.
"Alright then, the next meeting will take place next Wednesday and we will discuss for more meetings then. Thank you for coming."
Harry, Hermione and Ron let everyone out of the room in groups of three people. The last group to leave was Daphne's that left with polite words of farewell and a mysterious smile from the blonde aimed at Harry, who smiled politely back. Eventually, the Golden Trio left as well.
"It was more than great, Harry!" Ron said in excitement and Hermione nodded.
"I never expected that you would be such a great tutor," said Hermione, causing Harry to blush - for the millionth time in the same day.
"You are exaggerating," he responded lamely, not able to hide his glee and satisfaction, provoking laughter from his friends.
During their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry had filtered out Ron and Hermione's constant bickering in favor of watching the Marauder's Map. He was carefully looking over the D.A. members, making sure no one was caught by Filch. Slowly but surely, everyone made their way to their respective common rooms.
His eyes lingered for a moment on Cho's dot on the map, causing him to frown; he never expected such a show of unprovoked hostility from her. It felt disappointing. He shook his head out of that train of thought and he observed everyone they reached their own dorms; soon enough all groups were safely in their rooms, except one that had to go to the dungeons.
Harry's eyes landed on Daphne's dot nearing the Slytherin Common Room. As the trio passed the Portrait of the Fat Lady and after one last glance at Daphne's dot, Harry closed the map with a serene smile on his face.