The next days went on in a similar fashion. Wednesday morning the
Gryffindors found their house's resident ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-
Porpington, also known as Nearly Headless Nick, seated at their table.
Instead of his regular silver sheen, Nick glowed a burnished gold.
"Good morning, Gryffindors!" Nick said cheerfully as they sat down by him.
"Where've you been, Nick?" Dean said. "We haven't seen you in ages!"
"I went to visit friends in Fiji," beamed Nick. "And now I've gained a healthy golden glow!"
"Yes, lovely tan, Nick," Hermione said loudly, to cover Seamus' snorting.
In the afternoon they had their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class. The Gryffindors filed into the classroom, chatting quietly amongst themselves. Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly took desks near the front. Professor Figg was not in the room, but when Harry sat down he was swarmed by the cats, who recognized their old friend.
"Hey," Harry said nervously to Snowball, who was attempting to claw her way up his shins.
Professor Figg entered at that moment. She sighed when she saw her pets crowded around Harry.
"Get off, all of you," she ordered. Four of the cats jumped off and wandered away, but Snowball remained on his knee, staring insolently at Professor Figg. "Off," Professor Figg repeated, but the cat would not obey, and dug her claws painfully into Harry's flesh.
"Now you see the importance of disciplining your pets instead of going soft and letting them have their way," Professor Figg said to the class as she pulled out her wand. "Aboretus," she pronounced, pointing her wand at Snowball. The black cat vanished before their eyes.
"Where'd it go?" exclaimed Lavender Brown.
Professor Figg waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, she'll reappear in a few hours. Well! Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am Professor Figg. This year we will be exploring some dark avenues of strategy for protection, in preparation for your O.W.L.'s. Unfortunately, that fraud whose responsibility it was to educate your young minds never left a single lesson plan, so I've no idea what you already learned last year. But it wouldn't hurt you to learn things again, from a real teacher this time."
"Why are you calling Professor Moody a fraud, Professor Figg?" Dean Thomas asked.
"Because that is what he was," Professor Figg answered. "You never met the real Alastor Moody. The man who taught you was a Death Eater in disguise."
The class gasped in shock.
"A Death Eater! Right in front of us!"
"We could have been killed at any time!"
"No wonder he knew so much about Unforgivable Curses!"
"Quiet," Professor Figg commanded. "This is precisely why Defence against the Dark Arts is one of the most valuable courses you will ever take at this school. You must learn to discern between what is true and who is false. The Death Eaters are skillful in their profession of villainy; but if you pay attention and heed my lessons, so will you be skillful in your defensive abilities. This year we will focus our studies mainly on the Death Eaters and the history of Voldemort."
At the Forbidden Name some students flinched.
"What are you doing?" Professor Figg said sharply. "Are you scared of a word? You'll have to train yourselves not to do that. I don't mind saying the name. You can cringe all you like, it's not going to stop me saying Voldemort."
Hermione raised her hand. "Specifically what kind of history are you going to teach? I don't mean to correct you, but we are already taking History of Magic."
"That's certainly true, but it's a different subject altogether. I'm not going to stand up here and lecture you about the goblin uprisings of 1388 or Uric the Oddball and Emeric the Evil, or whatever it is."
The class giggled. Professor Figg surveyed them with a wry expression. Then she continued. "In addition to a more practical history curriculum, you will gain the benefit of my dueling experience. Yes, that means you will learn how to duel."
"Will there be a duelling club?" Seamus asked.
"The Headmaster is considering reinstating the duelling club this year; however, those plans are still up in the air at this point. But in class at least, you will learn the proper combat procedure and techniques. In fact, we will begin today. On your feet, everyone. You are going to learn a very quick, simple defense spell. Get out your wands to learn the Spellbinder."
They spent the rest of the class mastering the Spellbinder, a version to the Impediment Jinx. The Spellbinder caught certain spells and reflected them at the hexer. At the end of the class Professor Figg tested their Spellbinders by throwing curses at them, catching her own curse when it came back to her. For the most part people's Spellbinders held up quite well against the curses, but everyone had a good laugh when Seamus Finnigan got distracted during his test and his hair turned to straw.
The time flew by. There were genuine cries of disappointment when Professor Figg announced the class was over.
"Homework!" she called. "I have to assign homework before you leave. I want you to read pages one through twelve in the textbook and I want two paragraphs on the difference between a spell and an incantation."
"This was a lot more fun than our other classes!" said Seamus.
"Can we learn more spells next class?" Lavender asked. "Maybe," said Professor Figg. "Now get out of my classroom, all of you. I do have another class to teach, you know."
"Good morning, Gryffindors!" Nick said cheerfully as they sat down by him.
"Where've you been, Nick?" Dean said. "We haven't seen you in ages!"
"I went to visit friends in Fiji," beamed Nick. "And now I've gained a healthy golden glow!"
"Yes, lovely tan, Nick," Hermione said loudly, to cover Seamus' snorting.
In the afternoon they had their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class. The Gryffindors filed into the classroom, chatting quietly amongst themselves. Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly took desks near the front. Professor Figg was not in the room, but when Harry sat down he was swarmed by the cats, who recognized their old friend.
"Hey," Harry said nervously to Snowball, who was attempting to claw her way up his shins.
Professor Figg entered at that moment. She sighed when she saw her pets crowded around Harry.
"Get off, all of you," she ordered. Four of the cats jumped off and wandered away, but Snowball remained on his knee, staring insolently at Professor Figg. "Off," Professor Figg repeated, but the cat would not obey, and dug her claws painfully into Harry's flesh.
"Now you see the importance of disciplining your pets instead of going soft and letting them have their way," Professor Figg said to the class as she pulled out her wand. "Aboretus," she pronounced, pointing her wand at Snowball. The black cat vanished before their eyes.
"Where'd it go?" exclaimed Lavender Brown.
Professor Figg waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, she'll reappear in a few hours. Well! Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am Professor Figg. This year we will be exploring some dark avenues of strategy for protection, in preparation for your O.W.L.'s. Unfortunately, that fraud whose responsibility it was to educate your young minds never left a single lesson plan, so I've no idea what you already learned last year. But it wouldn't hurt you to learn things again, from a real teacher this time."
"Why are you calling Professor Moody a fraud, Professor Figg?" Dean Thomas asked.
"Because that is what he was," Professor Figg answered. "You never met the real Alastor Moody. The man who taught you was a Death Eater in disguise."
The class gasped in shock.
"A Death Eater! Right in front of us!"
"We could have been killed at any time!"
"No wonder he knew so much about Unforgivable Curses!"
"Quiet," Professor Figg commanded. "This is precisely why Defence against the Dark Arts is one of the most valuable courses you will ever take at this school. You must learn to discern between what is true and who is false. The Death Eaters are skillful in their profession of villainy; but if you pay attention and heed my lessons, so will you be skillful in your defensive abilities. This year we will focus our studies mainly on the Death Eaters and the history of Voldemort."
At the Forbidden Name some students flinched.
"What are you doing?" Professor Figg said sharply. "Are you scared of a word? You'll have to train yourselves not to do that. I don't mind saying the name. You can cringe all you like, it's not going to stop me saying Voldemort."
Hermione raised her hand. "Specifically what kind of history are you going to teach? I don't mean to correct you, but we are already taking History of Magic."
"That's certainly true, but it's a different subject altogether. I'm not going to stand up here and lecture you about the goblin uprisings of 1388 or Uric the Oddball and Emeric the Evil, or whatever it is."
The class giggled. Professor Figg surveyed them with a wry expression. Then she continued. "In addition to a more practical history curriculum, you will gain the benefit of my dueling experience. Yes, that means you will learn how to duel."
"Will there be a duelling club?" Seamus asked.
"The Headmaster is considering reinstating the duelling club this year; however, those plans are still up in the air at this point. But in class at least, you will learn the proper combat procedure and techniques. In fact, we will begin today. On your feet, everyone. You are going to learn a very quick, simple defense spell. Get out your wands to learn the Spellbinder."
They spent the rest of the class mastering the Spellbinder, a version to the Impediment Jinx. The Spellbinder caught certain spells and reflected them at the hexer. At the end of the class Professor Figg tested their Spellbinders by throwing curses at them, catching her own curse when it came back to her. For the most part people's Spellbinders held up quite well against the curses, but everyone had a good laugh when Seamus Finnigan got distracted during his test and his hair turned to straw.
The time flew by. There were genuine cries of disappointment when Professor Figg announced the class was over.
"Homework!" she called. "I have to assign homework before you leave. I want you to read pages one through twelve in the textbook and I want two paragraphs on the difference between a spell and an incantation."
"This was a lot more fun than our other classes!" said Seamus.
"Can we learn more spells next class?" Lavender asked. "Maybe," said Professor Figg. "Now get out of my classroom, all of you. I do have another class to teach, you know."
