Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  Warner Brothers bought me out.

"I trust you all enjoyed the break?"

Harry looked up at Dumbledore, standing facing the 5th year Ravenclaw/Gryffindor Defense class, his eyes twinkling merrily.

Harry looked around the class and couldn't help but smile.  The majority of the class still looked extremely wound up from the break, and Harry wondered how Dumbledore planned to teach them like this.

"I think we'll do a little review activity," Dumbledore announced with a smile.  "If you'll follow me."

The class grew excited when they saw they were headed to the Experimentorium.  Nobody saw time in that building as studying.  Instead, it was viewed as a chance to have a bold adventure without risking a visit to see Pomfrey.  The virtual Dumbledore was rather lenient about what scenarios they could use, too, as long as you didn't violate the 'Ernie and Hannah' rule (as Dean and Seamus put it.)

The fake Dumbledore appeared and the class smiled.  Watching the two Dumbledores interact was always interesting.

"The shady impish lackey scenario?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course," answered the headmaster.  "How many syllables?"

"I'd go four," suggested the guide.  By now, the entire class was looking at them in confusion.

"That would be five students," the headmaster stated.

"Four by my count," Dumbledore contradicted.

"Interesting… but not formal, I see," Dumbledore said with a smile.  Two spheres descended from the ceiling, and the headmaster said, "Students with 4 syllables in their first and last name please enter the smaller sphere."

Harry finally figured out what the two wizards were talking about and he watched Ron.  Sure enough, the red-haired teen decided to go by 'Ron' instead of 'Ronald' for Dumbledore's purposes.  Harry wondered whether he chose that because of Hermione or Parvati – both of which would be in the larger group.

Harry accompanied Lavender, Sally-Anne Perks, and Padma and entered the smaller of the two translucent spheres.

The four chuckled as the scene started.  Dumbledore, or at least some recreation of him, stood in a mockery of a death eater outfit, while flickering torches illuminated a dark room with small windows peering out into a rainy thunderstorm.  It was a perfect satire of an evil lair.

"My minions," evil-Dumbledore said in a gravelly voice, "you must defeat the 8 aurors outside who are attempting to apprehend you.  You have 20 shades and 5 death eaters at your disposal.  Don't fail me!"  The figure disappeared with a poof of smoke, but not before sending a discrete wink which reassured them a little.

Lavender, Sally-Anne, and Padma looked at Harry for directions.  "What?" asked Harry.  "Why do you think I know what I'm doing?"

Sally-Anne crossed her arms and Lavender shook her head.  "Fine," Harry sighed.  "I've always wanted to be a dark lord."

Lavender and Padma both chuckled a little, but Sally-Anne's eyes widened a little.  What is it with people thinking I'm evil? Harry wondered, thinking back to three years ago.  Suddenly, a large number of shades and death imps appeared.  Harry was worried until he realized that they were on his side.

"I wonder what Ron'll do…" Harry thought out loud.

"Ron?" Padma asked.

"Ron will probably lead them," Harry said.  "You haven't seen him play chess – he's great with strategy."

Harry turned to the dark creatures and said, "15 shades, trail the aurors and when you think you've been spotted, split in different directions – try to draw them into small groups.  2 imps – stay together in the castle and take any one or two person groups by surprise.  Don't take any large groups on.  Everyone else follow me."

"What are you doing?" Sally-Anne asked as they walked out the main entry-way and into the storm outside.

"Simple," Harry said, keeping his eye out for any 'aurors'.  "Never do what your opponent expects."

Clearly, any sane person wouldn't expect four death eaters to sit outside in the cold rain, and after 15 minutes the three girls were glowering at him, completely drenched.

Just when Harry was about ready to go back in, voices to their right caught his attention.

"Get down," Harry hissed.  "Shades, go see how many there are."  The five ghosts shimmered to invisibility.  A moment later, the same five shimmered back into sight exactly where they had disappeared from.

"Two," moaned the shades in a pitch which sent shivers down the four 'death-eaters' spines.

"Wands out," Harry whispered and motioned for the imps to circle around the two intruders.

Harry, Sally-Anne, Padma, and Lavender popped up from hiding, taking Dean and Seamus by surprise.  But before any of the 6 could cast a spell, the three imps send stunning spells at the pair, although Dean managed to dodge the one aimed at him.

"Help!" screamed Dean, desperately battling three death imps and four death eaters.  Before Dean could be defeated, Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst emerged from the left, taking everyone by surprise.  Lavender, Padma, and one of the imps fell, incapacitated by the Ravenclaw pair's hands.

Both sides decided to cut their losses; Harry and Sally-Anne pulled Padma and Lavender from danger, while the Ravenclaw 'auror's pulled an exhausted Dean and unconscious Seamus into the small manor.

However, it was soon clear that Harry's side hadn't fared as well.  Apparently news had spread that the quartet was outside, and Ron had ordered his group to keep watch out the windows surrounding the two entrances.

The final setback came when Harry desperately ordered the imps to apparate in behind the aurors.  The classmates were obviously on guard, because none of the imps returned.

Harry realized the situation was hopeless.  They were outnumbered 8 to 4, 8 to 6 if you counted the last two imps somewhere in the manor.  Also, the shades weren't of much use at the moment.  Finally, they were going to have to try to force entry through Ron's guard of the manor entrances.

Harry actually welcomed Ron's magically amplified voice calling out, "Give it up, blokes.  We've surrounded you!"  Dean, Seamus, Neville, Terry, and Mandy stood up, forming a circle around the thoroughly soaked death eaters.

"Fair enough," Harry shouted, and the world dissolved back into the insides of the experimentorium.

"An odd result," concluded Dumbledore, which Harry assumed was the fake one.  "One auror casualty, but a live capture of the death eaters."

"Casualty!" complained Seamus.  "I was only stunned!"

"A real death eater wouldn't use Stupefy, Finnegan," Dumbledore pointed out.

Once the class had gotten back into the castle, Ron said, "Harry, that was just pathetic!"

"What did you want, Ron?" Harry asked back.  "For me to go down, wand blazing?"

"Not that," joked Ron.  "I mean, a death eater, locked out of his own manor, taken down with the smallest of efforts."

"Who are you to speak?" Dean pointed out.  "You didn't have to face him or the imps."

"Now now," Harry joked.  "He most bravely shouted out a window at me!"

"Oh?" Ron said.  "Perhaps we should settle this with a game of chess?"

"Fine," groaned Harry, "but one of these days I'm going to actually beat you."

"Keep telling yourself that, mate," Ron shot back, as the pair made their way up to the commons to get in a quick game before Transfiguration.

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A/N: I apologize for the EXTREME delay on this chapter  (over a month!  What was I thinking!?!?).  I could blame it on my internet connection, my trip to the hospital where my arm was amputated, or even the alien abductions which happened last Tuesday and Thursday.  But that would be unprofessional.  So I'll just blame it on the dog and try not to let it happen again.

All kidding aside, I did promise that this story would be completed.  And I'm going to try my hardest not to break my word.  (And if I have to for some reason, I will let you know – I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU HANGING)

Anyway, this is probably an odd place to start back up again, but I decided to go with an in depth Defense class.  Hope everyone likes it.

Kalorna: I don't know if I'd go so far to say that Lavender and Parvati like Snape.  I just think they were pulling Ron's leg.

Xan: Thanks!  You figured out what Harry was doing?  Wow!  Are you a Dilbert fan – I'm just wondering, because I would have had no clue if I hadn't seen that cartoon.

Serapotter: Thanks!

AngelOfDeath: Thanks!

MicroChick: You know, I think I've left the hall cleaning thing a mystery far too long.  Tell you what – give me 3 or 4 chapters, and I'll let the truth (or at least part of it) come out.

Katani: Disturbing does not begin to cover it :)

Kaelli: Thanks!

Mythic: Thanks!  Actually, Harry has to clean every night – it's just that I can't write too many chapters about Harry mopping the floor.  Hmmm… another issue for review?

Erinamation: Thanks!  Glad you liked the date.

Chaser: Whoops!  Sorry, Chaser!  I'll try harder…

Anyway, feel free to review