There were six of them in the class. Justin, Pansy, Susan, Leonard, Bradley, and Dillon. Some of them were familiar upper classmen from Hogwarts, some were new faces. A wizard by the name of Zathras, who looked disconcertingly like a feral animal, was their instructor. And to top it all off, Neville Longbottom of all people was his teaching aid.
They were lined up, spitting off hexes at scarecrows. Leonard's was on fire, it seemed to be more accidental than anything else. And Susan had managed to deftly dismember hers thus far and was now working on tearing the straw from the chest. Justin was focused on spells that didn't show much wear on his subject. Of course, it was difficult to be sure they'd been cast correctly, but he'd done them often enough over the years that he felt when they'd gone off properly. Sparing a glance at Pansy beside him, he noticed she'd conjured ethereal ropes to bind her dummy. He could see from the straw poking out of the popping seems that the ropes were constricting. His spare glance had turned into a full out gape as magic flowed from the tip of Pansy's wand. Char marks were becoming apparent now and slips of smoke wafted lazily into the air from the singed fabric. Her form was remarkable, statuesque really. He hadn't seen anything like it aside from Harry's, Malfoy's was nearly as good he supposed. He'd seen the boy curse enough people to now. Before he was aware she'd diverted her attention, Justin was looking down the length of Parkinson's wand and it felt as though a marble had been chucked at his forehead.
The surprise was mostly what unbalanced him. Taking a step back, Justin brought a hand to his bruised brow. He was still a bit shell shocked when Zathras began his lecture in that strange growling voice of his.
"Come off it Finch-Fletchley. A little curse like that and you drop your wand. You'd be dead if this were combat! Do you think a Death Eater is going to let you take a time out to get your boo boos kissed? Attack, Attack!!", demanded the short man with his animal skin hat, yellow and striped and flopping wildly about as he waved his arms in the air. Eye's widening, and jaw gaping Justin looked to his instructor a bit stunned. He'd never been addressed like that by anyone, and coming from this wild looking man it was really rather intimidating. Pansy's lips were curled into a satisfied grin. She nodded to him minutely before returning to her own work. Behind Zathras Justin could see Neville motioning for him to retrieve his wand. Shaking himself out mentally, Justin searched around himself and picked his wand up. His brain was out of whack it seemed, he wasn't sure what had just happened, but Zathras was shouting more of the same thing at him and he couldn't concentrate.
"You know, if this is how you react in a fight, Justin, I'm afraid you'll be dead right off. You mightn't be as well suited for this position as you'd thought." It was Neville's quiet voice beside him that nearly startled him into distraction again. "I mean, it's lovely that you know your defense and all, but it takes a bit much more than that to handle yourself in the face of danger."
Justin turned to face the boy he'd always looked at as the most bumbling and frightened in their year. Sure, he'd matured just as they all had, but he still saw the old Neville who was always losing his frog and what-not. So timid and unassuming. And he still looked it. His voice was softer than Justin remembered, he'd lost the squeakiness. But in that he'd gained some sort of stability that Finch-Fletchley couldn't quite grasp. He looked the same Neville as always, except it seemed to the curly blond Hufflepuff that Longbottom's eyes were weathered beyond their age.
"It's just I," He began to stammer in reply. 'Come on now Justin, you've done practice with surprise attacks; get your wits about you.' He quickly told himself. Only this was a bit different. Truthfully, the so-called surprise attacks in the DA meetings were rather expected. "I'll get there Neville, that's what trainings for right?"
There was silence from the Gryffindor for a moment; Justin wondered if he were perhaps considering his own training, finally he nodded. "Look Justin, we can see you know your spells, what's needed from you now is anticipation, speed, reaction. You can't stand there gaping when someone curses you. It'll be no use to anyone."
He clapped a hand on Justin's shoulder before moving off to speak with Susan Bones, not giving Justin anymore chances at weak protest. He was right, after all. Where had Neville gone to and gotten so grown up and wise? Susan bones too, he'd never seen her cast spells like that. Sure she'd been a good student, but this zeal to, well to destroy, that was new. How'd everything change in so short a time?
They were lined up, spitting off hexes at scarecrows. Leonard's was on fire, it seemed to be more accidental than anything else. And Susan had managed to deftly dismember hers thus far and was now working on tearing the straw from the chest. Justin was focused on spells that didn't show much wear on his subject. Of course, it was difficult to be sure they'd been cast correctly, but he'd done them often enough over the years that he felt when they'd gone off properly. Sparing a glance at Pansy beside him, he noticed she'd conjured ethereal ropes to bind her dummy. He could see from the straw poking out of the popping seems that the ropes were constricting. His spare glance had turned into a full out gape as magic flowed from the tip of Pansy's wand. Char marks were becoming apparent now and slips of smoke wafted lazily into the air from the singed fabric. Her form was remarkable, statuesque really. He hadn't seen anything like it aside from Harry's, Malfoy's was nearly as good he supposed. He'd seen the boy curse enough people to now. Before he was aware she'd diverted her attention, Justin was looking down the length of Parkinson's wand and it felt as though a marble had been chucked at his forehead.
The surprise was mostly what unbalanced him. Taking a step back, Justin brought a hand to his bruised brow. He was still a bit shell shocked when Zathras began his lecture in that strange growling voice of his.
"Come off it Finch-Fletchley. A little curse like that and you drop your wand. You'd be dead if this were combat! Do you think a Death Eater is going to let you take a time out to get your boo boos kissed? Attack, Attack!!", demanded the short man with his animal skin hat, yellow and striped and flopping wildly about as he waved his arms in the air. Eye's widening, and jaw gaping Justin looked to his instructor a bit stunned. He'd never been addressed like that by anyone, and coming from this wild looking man it was really rather intimidating. Pansy's lips were curled into a satisfied grin. She nodded to him minutely before returning to her own work. Behind Zathras Justin could see Neville motioning for him to retrieve his wand. Shaking himself out mentally, Justin searched around himself and picked his wand up. His brain was out of whack it seemed, he wasn't sure what had just happened, but Zathras was shouting more of the same thing at him and he couldn't concentrate.
"You know, if this is how you react in a fight, Justin, I'm afraid you'll be dead right off. You mightn't be as well suited for this position as you'd thought." It was Neville's quiet voice beside him that nearly startled him into distraction again. "I mean, it's lovely that you know your defense and all, but it takes a bit much more than that to handle yourself in the face of danger."
Justin turned to face the boy he'd always looked at as the most bumbling and frightened in their year. Sure, he'd matured just as they all had, but he still saw the old Neville who was always losing his frog and what-not. So timid and unassuming. And he still looked it. His voice was softer than Justin remembered, he'd lost the squeakiness. But in that he'd gained some sort of stability that Finch-Fletchley couldn't quite grasp. He looked the same Neville as always, except it seemed to the curly blond Hufflepuff that Longbottom's eyes were weathered beyond their age.
"It's just I," He began to stammer in reply. 'Come on now Justin, you've done practice with surprise attacks; get your wits about you.' He quickly told himself. Only this was a bit different. Truthfully, the so-called surprise attacks in the DA meetings were rather expected. "I'll get there Neville, that's what trainings for right?"
There was silence from the Gryffindor for a moment; Justin wondered if he were perhaps considering his own training, finally he nodded. "Look Justin, we can see you know your spells, what's needed from you now is anticipation, speed, reaction. You can't stand there gaping when someone curses you. It'll be no use to anyone."
He clapped a hand on Justin's shoulder before moving off to speak with Susan Bones, not giving Justin anymore chances at weak protest. He was right, after all. Where had Neville gone to and gotten so grown up and wise? Susan bones too, he'd never seen her cast spells like that. Sure she'd been a good student, but this zeal to, well to destroy, that was new. How'd everything change in so short a time?