AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hmmm . . . not much reviews for my first chapter. But I guess that's normal. I've just gotten spoiled by the enthusiastic support of my LOTR readers. I just hope I can manage to get the attention of the HP fans in the succeeding chapters though . . .
Thank you to the following few who were kind enough to leave me their reviews:
I really appreciate your comments. Hope you keep reading!
Not much Oliver Wood here. It's more of an introductory chapter to my OC, Darien Blaine. He's going to be playing a BIG role in this fic, so I hope you bear with me in the meantime as I focus on him. He's a pretty cool character, anyway, and I'm sure you'll end up liking him more and more as the story goes on.
HAPPY READING!
* * *
WHO I AM
Chapter Two - DEFENSE
As she ran a brush through her long brown hair, Hermione studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror carefully and rather anxiously. What met her eyes was the face of a sixteen year old girl which was rather plain in her opinion, although very much changed from what it looked like last year.
Hermione had grown and developed quite a lot over the during her fifth year and the summer after that. Her body had acquired a more attractively feminine shape, aside from gaining at least three inches in height. Her long, formerly bushy brown hair had toned down considerably as it grew out to fall to her waist, and was now soft and smooth flowing. Her pale complexion also seemed to have gained a darker, creamier, shade- probably as a result of the two weeks she and her family spent vacationing in Southern Italy.
What's more, Mrs. Granger had fussed terribly once she began to realize that her baby girl had finally blossomed into a young woman, and went slightly overboard with her enthusiasm. What had ensued, much to Hermione's dismay, were endless trips to the beauty parlor for makeovers and feminine primping, and lengthy shopping expeditions for the trendiest in girls' fashions.
By the time September rolled around and it was time to return to Hogwarts, the nerdy Ms. Granger's transformation from duckling to swan was complete. Even Harry and Ron had some difficulty believing it was her when they met up at Diagon Alley. And her two best friends were not the only ones to notice the changes. All the rest of her male friends at school have been treating her especially nicely, and she couldn't even figure out why . . . until Harry and Ron enlightened her.
"I think they've all got crushes on you, Hermione." Harry told her with a serious look on his face.
"Crushes? On ME?!" she had said incredulously. "Why would something as outrageous as that suddenly happen?"
"Well, because you've changed." Ron replied absentmindedly . "You look like a girl now."
"I think what Ron's trying to say is," Harry put in quickly, before a reddening Hermione was able to snap back at the thick-headed Ron. "You're become really quite pretty, Hermione, and all the boys are starting to notice."
Pretty? Hermione pondered over this word as she stared at the reflection of herself in the mirror. Nobody has ever used that word to describe her before, at least not to her face. Somehow, when she looked at herself she just could not see how anybody would find her attractive. She never thought of herself as that sort of girl, and probably will never be able to.
At last, she sighed and turned away from the mirror, and made her way out of the bathroom. Oh, what the heck was she stressing herself over anyway? It was not as if she ever really cared about physical appearances anyway, be it of others or her own.
As she walked back into the bedroom she shared with Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and Ginny Weasley, she heard sounds of hysterical giggling. She found Lavender and Parvati sitting on one of the beds, deeply absorbed in a magazine that lay open on Lavender's lap.
"What are you reading?" Hermione asked, mildly curious as to what has gotten her silly roommates so worked up this time.
"We borrowed it from Seamus." Lavender replied, holding up the magazine. It turned out to be an old edition of the sports publication, 'Quidditch Illustrated'. "Honestly, if I had known they featured so many gorgeous looking guys in here I would have applied for a subscription myself much earlier!"
Hermione could not suppress an amused smile at the sight of her dreamy- eyed, practically drooling friends. "All right, so over whom are you two ogling this time?"
Parvati grinned widely. "Who else? Our very own Oliver Wood." she sighed. "Oh my God, I still cannot believe he's here, right now. In this school. And he's going to be teaching Quidditch!"
Lavender handed the magazine over to Hermione, who at once found herself staring at a full-spread article on the former Gryffindor team captain, which included a close-up of his devastatingly handsome, smiling face.
"OLIVER WOOD: Youngest Puddlemere Keeper Also the League's Newest Heart Stealer."
Hermione felt her heart give a little leap as she stared down at the deep, sultry chocolate eyes gazing back up at her. She never realized what a big celebrity Oliver was already. He really WAS as popular as all the girls have been raving about, and he most definitely was handsome enough to deserve all the fuss. What dismayed her was the fact that, for once, she could actually feel herself getting as excited as the rest of her female peers. Over a boy!
Maybe she really has changed.
"Do you think there's any chance in this world that a guy like him will notice girls like us?" Parvati's dreamy voice brought Hermione's thoughts back to earth. "I mean, maybe he was within our reach when he was just a student here like the rest of us, but he's become such a superstar now!"
"Hey, it's not impossible." Lavender said hopefully. "He's only four years older, and it's not as if he was ever the picky, stuck up type of guy. You'll never know which one of us might just be able to catch his eye one of these days."
Hermione's heart sank as she listened to this remark. That's it. That was exactly why she's suddenly become so conscious about her appearances. Just like the rest of the girls pining for Oliver, she unconsciously was hoping to be able to catch his interest, at least in some way or degree. Her run- in with him the yesterday was purely coincidental; she probably was never going to be as lucky again to get to spend a precious hour talking to him one-on-one.
If she wanted to mean more to Oliver Wood than just another face in the crowd, she was going to have to compete with legions of his obsessive female admirers. And this time, even she didn't think magic could help her there.
* * *
"This has got to be the worst case of starstruck fever that's ever hit Hogwarts." Ron muttered, as he, Harry, and Hermione exited the Great Hall after breakfast to make their way to their first class. "Not even Diggory or Krum combined ever received this much attention from the girls!"
Harry grinned. "Yeah, poor Wood." he remarked. "I bet he didn't expect to get this big a reaction from the Hogwarts students. It must be pretty bizarre for him to be treated like a huge celebrity in the school he was attending only three years ago."
Just a few minutes earlier, Professor McGonagall actually had to rescue the Puddlemere United star from a mob of ecstatic fans-- all female- who had aggressively cornered him as he tried to sneak out of the Great Hall after finishing his meal. The exact same thing had happened at lunch and dinner yesterday, and the exasperated teachers were already considering deducting House points from any student who attempted to harass the poor Quidditch instructor.
"Those girls really should buckle down and learn to control themselves as soon as possible." Ron said, shaking his head. "Wood's never going to be able to walk around freely or get anywhere with a flock of them swarming around him every other hour!"
"Besides, how on earth he going to be able teach his Quidditch class properly if all the girls in school are going to be eyeballing him everywhere he goes? If I were in his place, I'd just go mad!" Harry mused. "It was a smart idea of Dumbledore's not to announce that Wood's going to be the instructor of the AQL till after the signing up period was over. If he did, every girl in school would have probably joined- and for all the wrong reasons!"
Ron nodded and rolled his eyes. "Well, we can be thankful that we at least have a few sensible girls like Hermione left who don't let silly these crushes make them act like total idiots!"
Harry laughed and nudged Ron's arm. "Uh, I don't think we can count Hermione as one of those sensible girls anymore." he whispered, jabbing a thumb in the direction of their friend.
Sure enough, the pretty brunette who was walking alongside them seemed to be doing so in a trance-like state. She apparently had not even heard a word of the conversation of the two boys. Her eyes were slightly clouded over as though her mind was not quite there in reality but floating about in some deep thoughts of something. Or someone.
"Earth to Hermione Granger!" Ron shouted.
She gave a sharp jerk of her head, completely taken by surprise. "What?! What is it?" she asked, looking confused. "Sorry, were you talking to me?"
Harry chuckled. "We were talking ABOUT you, actually."
"You are a sell-out, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed. "I thought you would be above all that rubbish, but you're not, are you? You've turned into another one of them!"
Hermione stared back at him in honest bewilderment. "What are you rambling about?" she demanded.
"You fancy Oliver Wood too!" Ron practically roared.
"Ron, shut up!" Hermione cried, hitting him on the arm and at the same time gazing around frantically to see if anyone had heard. Luckily, nobody seemed to have noticed or cared.
"I do not!" she hissed, turning back to Ron crossly. The growing blush on her cheeks however, made it quite obvious that she actually did. "And even if I did, it isn't any of your business!"
"Look, can you two knock it off?" Harry sighed, intervening once again before the pair could begin exchanging verbal blows. "This really is a pointless argument. Ron, just lay off her, okay? If she likes Wood, then that's her decision. I mean, she is a girl, and Wood apparently is the most popular heartthrob right now, so it's not such a strange thing for her to have a crush on him. Besides, she's right. Whom she chooses to fancy is really none of our business."
Hermione threw Harry a grateful look, and Ron crossed his arms huffily over his chest, refusing to say anything else the rest of their walk to their designated classroom.
Today was going to be their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the year. Their new professor had been unable to meet them earlier that week when their first session should have been, simply because, according to Dumbledore, he was not at the school yet. He reportedly had arrived late last night, but for some reason was not at breakfast in the Great Hall that morning. Hence the students still had not seen him nor had any idea of what he looked like. All the information the Headmaster would give them was his name- Darien Blaine.
When they finally got to the classroom that had been assigned to them, they met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas standing outside. They were reading a sign that was posted on the door. Harry came over and look a glance at it too.
"Gryffindors, please proceed to the grounds beside the lake for today's Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor D. Blaine." Harry read aloud.
"Outdoors on our first meeting?" Ron said, sounding slightly excited. "Cool! Sounds like this new teacher's into practical application. Lord knows we need it after that awful, useless hag we had to bear with last year!"
By the time they made it to the lakeside, nearly all their classmates were already there, seated on the grass before a tall man dressed casually in a maroon turtleneck sweater and black denim jeans.
Ron's jaw dropped open when he saw this man. "Blimey, is THAT our teacher?" he asked in an awed whisper. "But . . . he looks even younger than Bill!"
Though Harry said nothing, he was thinking exactly the same thing. And, judging from the surprised look on her face, Hermione was too.
At that same moment, the new teacher looked up and noticed their group approaching. Immediately he lifted a hand and waved them over.
"Let's go, Gryffindors! We haven't got all day!" he called out pleasantly but firmly.
He did indeed look much younger than their usual teachers-he did not appear to be any older than mid-twenties. He had raven hair that fell about his face in soft, shiny waves, and gleaming eyes that were nearly the exact same color as the water in the lake beside them. The smile on his face was warm and sincere, though slight traces of weariness and a mysterious sadness could be seen behind it. For some reason, Harry had the funniest feeling that this fellow was going to be thought of as quite good-looking by the girls.
How right he was.
He could hear clearly the furious whispering of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil somewhere to his right, punctuated by muffled giggles. The other Gryffindor girls were acting in a similarly silly way, all of them sneaking looks at the handsome but oblivious professor every few seconds. Harry rolled his eyes. Great. Just what they needed in Hogwarts that year. Another heartthrob in the teaching staff.
He was about to lean over and whisper to Ron about this when their teacher suddenly spoke up again. His voice was deep and resonant, the sort that could catch hold of people's attention very easily.
"Since most of you are already here, I suppose we can begin." he said, smiling down at them from where he stood in front of their little crowd. "I suppose the Headmaster has already informed you of who I am, but allow me to introduce myself anyway. My name is Darien Blaine, but you may call me Professor Darien or Professor Blaine, whichever you prefer. I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for this term."
His blue eyes drifted across the sea of eager young faces as he went on. "I apologize for not being able to come and meet you earlier this week, but I had some important business to take care of before I could come to Hogwarts." he explained. "You see, I'm not really a teacher. I have no actual experience in the formal instruction of DADA, but I came because Professor Dumbledore asked me for the favor, and I owe him a lot."
"I graduated from Hogwarts myself only six years ago." He paused and grinned widely. "I'm proud to say that I too was in Gryffindor."
He had to hold up his hand to cease the applause and cheers that followed before continuing. "When you boys and girls were first years, I was a fresh graduate, so unfortunately I would not know any of you personally. I may know some of your older siblings who had attended Hogwarts during my seven years, though."
Blaine's roving gaze then stopped at Ron, taking in his flaming red hair and gangly form. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?" he asked curiously. When Ron nodded, he gave a hearty laugh. "I went to school with five of your brothers at least at one point in my life. What's your name?"
"Ron."
Blaine smiled and nodded. "Well, it's nice to have you in my class, Ron." he told him sincerely before turning his attention back to class. "Anyhow, I would just like to assure you all, that in spite of my lack of teaching experience, I AM quite knowledgeable in matters related to the Dark Arts, and would make you a fairly competent teacher. Thus, you will not have to worry about not learning anything in this class. By the time the term is over, I will make sure you are well prepared for passing the N.E.W.T.S. in this course next year. That's a promise."
Ignoring the excited murmuring among the students that his little speech aroused, Blaine clapped his hands together and suddenly became completely businesslike and sober. The class hushed up at once to listen to the start of his lecture.
"However, there is a far more important reason why you should have an effective DADA class this year. As you all know very well, a new war against the Dark Side has recently begun in the wizarding world." he said gravely, a somewhat dark look overcoming the pleasantness on his face. "Since the return of Voldemort . . ."
As a collective gasp rose from the students at the mention of this name, Blaine threw them a very stern glare. "I have never called the Dark Lord by any other title than his real name, and I see no reason why the rest of you cannot manage to do the same." he said firmly. "Let it be known that I will not tolerate any He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nonsense in my class. How are you supposed to conquer your fears of certain evils when you are not even brave enough to hear or say their proper names?"
Upon hearing this, Harry had to nod in agreement and smile, though grimly. He could already tell that he was going to like Professor Blaine very much.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Blaine went on, apparently unaffected by the impressed stares his new students were giving him. "Since the return of Voldemort and his supporters, it has become absolutely necessary for all people in the magical community to strengthen their skills in defense against the dark arts. It is crucial for even young wizards and witches such as yourself, for we will never really know when, where, and who might be attacked. We have to be prepared to handle the worst situations always, because in dark times such as these, ignorance and carelessness are what will make the difference between life and death."
At this point, Harry noticed that all the his classmates had become completely entranced by the solemn words of their new teacher. Ron's jaw hung slightly open in stark admiration. Hermione was staring up at Blaine with wide eyes, as though she had just come face to face with Merlin himself. Neville had gone absolutely pale and breathless, with beads of sweat beginning to appear on his forehead. Even the girls had stopped whispering and giggling, and were now looking at the professor with something other than stars in their eyes.
"I warn you now, this will quite possibly be your most critical and demanding class for the year." Blaine told them. "I intend to take my duty of training you to defend yourselves very seriously. You're not children anymore, and I don't plan to treat you as such. You will all learn to fight like the talented young wizards and witches I expect you have grown up to be."
A small smile finally broke through once more through the gravity on his face, calming his nervous students to some extent. "You may find that my training methods are quite unusual compared those of your past teachers, but I assure you that I will give only my best effort in our classes. I expect you to do the same for me and cooperate in all our activities, different as they sometimes might seem."
"Different in what way, Professor?" Lavender squeaked, so nervous it seemed she almost forgot her crush on the handsome teacher.
"In my class, you will be learning more than just casting spells to ward off foul creatures." Blaine responded smartly. "Our focus will be more on dueling. Or, to put it bluntly, fighting against other wizards and witches. You will discover that there is much more to the art of magical combat than just simple wand waving."
Harry hung to each and every word eagerly. This professor seemed to be exciting him more and more than any other teacher in Hogwarts was able to. It seemed that finally, they were going to be taught the forms of magic that really mattered; things that they truly needed and can put to good use.
"For today, I will simply orient you on dueling by presenting a little demonstration. It will also serve as a taste of what you can expect from this class in the succeeding eight months." Blaine said.
His gaze at the students then became scrutinizing as he appeared to study their faces at turn. "I will require a volunteer to assist me." he announced. "Anybody interested?"
There was an awkward silence and motionlessness among the class as they stared at one another uneasily. Apparently they were all still feeling a little anxious about the Professor's warning that his methods were "unusual".
Sensing their apprehension, Blaine rubbed his chin thoughtfully and tried another approach. "All right, then." he said slowly. "Maybe you can just point out to me who among you is the most experienced in when it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"That's easy!" Dean Thomas called out almost immediately. "Harry of course! Harry Potter!"
Harry felt his stomach drop as his other classmates echoed this nomination enthusiastically. Blaine's gaze immediately zeroed in on the student being pointed out and he smiled.
"Ah, yes." the young professor said kindly. "Mr. Potter. I've heard so much about you. It's wonderful to meet you at last." He gestured for him to come forward. "Well Harry, since you seem to be the popular vote of the class, won't you come up front and join me, please?"
"I've heard a lot about you and your experiences, Harry. About your run-ins with the Dark Lord." Blaine said quietly, clapping a firm hand on the boys' shoulder when he came close. "The fact that you've survived more than one encounter against him proves that you are indeed already skilled in defending yourself. But, as always, there could be room for improvement."
He stared at Harry straight in the face. "Dumbledore spoke to me about you specifically, and it seems you are the student he is most concerned about when it comes to sharpening dueling skills. After all, it is without question that you will need it more than any other student in this school." He patted the boy's back meaningfully. "So if there is anything you wish to ask me for help with, I want you to feel free to do so at any time. Understand?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you." Harry mumbled, rather uncomfortable with the idea of yet again being offered special treatment.
Blaine smiled and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning back to the other students. "Please give Mr. Potter and myself a few minutes to confer about how the demonstration will go." he told them. "In the meantime, I would like for you to copy the following notes . . ."
* * *
Later, after ten minutes of discussion between him and Harry and furious scribbling from the rest of the class, Professor Blaine announced that the demonstration was almost ready to begin.
"I talked it over with Mr. Potter, and he has advised that we take on a second volunteer to help us out." Blaine said with a nod. "Ms. Hermione Granger, can you please join us here?"
Hermione's eyes widened as she stared at the professor motioning for her to come forward. Knowing that she could never refuse a direct instruction from a teacher, she shakily got to her feet and came to stand beside her friend.
"Why me?!" she hissed in Harry's ear the moment she was close enough.
"I pointed you out and told him to choose you." Harry replied somewhat nervously. "After all, no one's mastered more spells than you, Hermione."
"But I don't get it!" Hermione said, sounding panicked. "What is it that we're supposed to do anyway?"
"It's really quite simple, Ms. Granger. No need to worry."
Hermione let out a little gasp upon realizing that Professor Blaine had come to stand right beside them. She flushed red with embarrassment, but Blaine merely smiled at her kindly and went on explaining.
"All I want is for you and Harry to throw whatever jinxes and curses you can at me." he explained. "In other words, I want you to assault me. In any way you know or choose."
Hermione stared back at him, not quite sure she had heard him correctly. "You want us to try and hurt you?"
"As best as you can, without holding yourself back." Blaine replied with a nod. "Don't worry, I promise not to harm you." he assured her. "I won't fight back. All the spells I'll be doing will be purely defensive in nature." "Just keep throwing attacks at me. Don't stop, even when I fall or get hit. That's very important, otherwise this whole activity won't work out as we want it to."
"B-but Professor!" Hermione stammered, not feeling very good about this whole idea. "Wh-what if we actually do something wrong and we hurt you?"
"Then it would be my fault for being so stupid and letting my guard down." Blaine responded firmly. "I know this takes guts Ms. Granger, but you can do it. Just remember that I'm ordering you to do it."
And with that, the teacher turned away from the two friends and walked over back to the class to tell them where they can safely stand and watch while the demonstration is going on.
"I don't like this." Hermione mumbled to Harry when they were alone. "I don't like it at all."
Harry shrugged. "Don't tell me! He's the teacher." he pointed out. "Besides, I don't think there's a need to worry. We're only students, and he's a fully trained wizard. I don't think there's anything we can possibly throw at him that he can't handle."
"You'd better be right." Hermione grumbled, pulling out her wand out of her robes as Professor Blaine called them over to begin the duel. "Can you imagine the sort of trouble we'll get into if we end up maiming a teacher?"
As they re-joined him, the professor lifted his own wand and pointed it at the ground, muttering a few words under his breath. The outline of a huge, glowing circle about twenty feet in diameter suddenly appeared on the grass.
"This is our sparring ring." Blaine explained to Harry and Hermione. "None of us will be able to step out of the circle as soon as the duel begins, and should one of our spells miss its target they won't be able to get past the circle either. That way there's no chance of us accidentally hitting bystanders."
He stepped inside the circle and motioned for them to follow. "Come on, it's about time we started."
"Now," Blaine said carefully, after they had positioned themselves at opposite ends of the circle and properly bowed to each other. "Hold up your wands . . . and at the count of three, start casting your spells." He took a stance with his wand raised over his head. "One . . ."
Her heart beginning to race a mile a minute, Hermione lifted her wand up with a trembling hand. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry do the same from where he stood beside her. Though she knew he had to be as nervous as she was, his grim face showed no signs of worry or fear.
"Two . . ."
"I can't believe I'm doing this." she thought desperately. "Dueling with a teacher . . . this is crazy!"
"Three!"
"Impedimenta!" Harry bellowed. Red sparks shot of his wand, heading straight for Professor Blaine. A few Gryffindors girls screamed from the sidelines.
But with lightning quick speed, Blaine reacted. "Expletus scutum!" he cried, tracing a half circle over his head with a flick of his wand.
The students gasped in amazement as the red sparks of Harry's spell suddenly vanished into thin air about a foot away from hitting the teacher.
Upon seeing this, Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Then, feeling more confident now of the match, she swished her own wand forward.
"Tarantallegra!" she shouted.
Sparks shot out from her wand as well, but they vanished to nothingness the same way Harry's had-a short distance away from hitting Professor Blaine. That's when she noticed that there seemed to be a silvery, nearly transparent barrier that surrounded the wizard like a protective dome.
"He's using a dome shield!" Hermione exclaimed to Harry. Then, thinking fast, she gave her wand another swish. "Finite incantatem!"
Taking the cue from her, Harry pointed his wand at Blaine almost simultaneously. "Petrificus totalus!"
But still their teacher was too quick for them. Realizing immediately that Hermione had pulled down his shield, he held up his wand to meet Harry's spell. "Declinatio!"
The sparks, instead of hitting him, suddenly turned into a harmless flash of light.
Now caught up in the excitement of the duel, Hermione decided to try another approach. She pointed her wand at a nearby log that was once the trunk of a massive tree. "Mobiliarbus!" The log easily rose several feet from the ground. With another swish of her wand, Hermione sent the enormous projectile flying at Blaine at top speed.
"Has she gone mad?!" she suddenly overheard one of the girls shriek. But, as she had expected, the worry was unnecessary.
"Orbis incendere!" Professor Blaine shouted, waving his wand in front of him in a swift, circular motion. A flaming ring of fire materialized out of thin air, and the log flew straight into it, coming out as a shower of ash at the other side.
Harry used the same spell to send a shower of rocks flying at Blaine as well, but they were all consumed by the ring of fire hovering continually in front of the wizard like a shield.
Afterwards there came a brief pause in the duel as both Harry and Hermione thought hard of what spells to throw next. Their opponent just seemed to have a ready defense for everything! But then, the teacher suddenly did something very unexpected. He dropped his wand hand to his side and lowered his head slightly, as if studying something on the ground. It seemed that he was putting his guard down on purpose, and this could very easily be taken advantage of.
Hermione lifted her wand but hesitated in casting her spell right away, so it was Harry that seized the chance.
"Expelliarmus!" the boy yelled.
There were shouts of alarm and surprise from the Gryffindors as the disarming spell sailed across the sparring ring and struck the defenseless teacher solidly. Blaine was blown clear off his feet and sent soaring back through the air. What was even more astonishing however, was the way he took the hit. While most people who got hit by the disarming spell hurtled ungracefully and landed spread-eagled and painfully to the ground, Blaine took the fall differently from anything any of them had ever seen before. By pulling his arms to his chest and rolling with the motion of his body through the air, he was able to land on the grass painlessly and scrambled back up to his feet in a split second, though his wand was now on the grass at least ten feet out of his reach.
"Mobilicorpus!" Harry cried, pointing his wand relentlessly at his finally unarmed opponent.
But with a swift dive, Blaine moved out of the path of the spell, and avoided the attempted body bind. He turned a somersault towards the center of the sparring ring, much to the astonishment and delight of the student spectators, and tried to make another dive for his mislaid wand.
Hermione, however, anticipated this intent and sent a Stunning Charm at him, forcing him to dart away and retreat to a safe distance once more.
For about the next half minute, Harry and Hermione ganged up on Professor Blaine and sent him racing around the circle using various spells, but he turned out to be as quick and agile on his feet as he was with his wand. He managed to dodge at least a dozen unsuccessful attempts until one of Harry's body binding spells finally caught him on the legs.
But Blaine obviously wasn't willing to go down easily. As his legs froze up and he began to fall helplessly to the ground, he pushed hard on his feet and gave one last great leap towards the center of the ring. His outstretched fingers closed in around his wand just as Harry and Hermione came running to finish him off.
"Immobilis!" Hermione shouted quickly, in an attempt to prevent him from regaining his weapon.
But, just as quickly, Blaine lifted his hand and gave his wand a very tricky looking wave. The sparks that burst from Hermione's wand flew directly to his and was absorbed cleanly into its tip, much to the amazement of the students who had never seen such a move executed before.
"Resonare!" Blaine cried, pointing his now glowing wand at Harry and Hermione.
Hermione let out a shriek of surprise as she suddenly felt every part of her body stiffen up and completely freeze, and she then realized that the teacher had thrown back her own spell at them.
She and Harry could only watch helplessly as Professor Blaine freed himself from Harry's leg bind and picked himself up from the ground. The Gryffindor students were cheering like mad for him at the sidelines, clearly impressed by the terrific show.
Still rather breathless from all the running and dodging, Blaine approached Harry and Hermione with a smile. He tapped them at the shoulder at a turn to release them from the Immobilis spell before speaking.
"Congratulations, Harry. Hermione. You were terrific back there." he told them sincerely. "You think fast, and are able to conjure very effective spells. It is clear you have had a considerable amount of experience in this sort of thing."
"Oh, we were no where near as good as you, sir." Harry protested, with a somewhat dazed shake of his head. "You were incredible! Where and how did you learn to move like that?"
"And those blocking spells!" Hermione spoke up excitedly, her brown eyes now sparkling with eagerness to start learning. "I've never seen anything like them before!"
Blaine laughed good naturedly and nodded. "No need to worry." he assured them. "I'll be instructing you in the use of all those tricks and much more in the coming months. Today was just the first day, and with bright students like you, I am certain you will be able to catch on most of the lessons in no time."
Hermione and Harry exchanged excited and happy glances as the teacher escorted them out of the sparring ring to rejoin the rest of the class. No doubt about it, Professor Darien Blaine was quickly proving himself to be the coolest DADA instructor they'd ever had.
Things were certainly looking up this year, all right.
* * *
COMING UP . . . Chapter 3 - Coach
Hmmm . . . not much reviews for my first chapter. But I guess that's normal. I've just gotten spoiled by the enthusiastic support of my LOTR readers. I just hope I can manage to get the attention of the HP fans in the succeeding chapters though . . .
Thank you to the following few who were kind enough to leave me their reviews:
I really appreciate your comments. Hope you keep reading!
Not much Oliver Wood here. It's more of an introductory chapter to my OC, Darien Blaine. He's going to be playing a BIG role in this fic, so I hope you bear with me in the meantime as I focus on him. He's a pretty cool character, anyway, and I'm sure you'll end up liking him more and more as the story goes on.
HAPPY READING!
* * *
WHO I AM
Chapter Two - DEFENSE
As she ran a brush through her long brown hair, Hermione studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror carefully and rather anxiously. What met her eyes was the face of a sixteen year old girl which was rather plain in her opinion, although very much changed from what it looked like last year.
Hermione had grown and developed quite a lot over the during her fifth year and the summer after that. Her body had acquired a more attractively feminine shape, aside from gaining at least three inches in height. Her long, formerly bushy brown hair had toned down considerably as it grew out to fall to her waist, and was now soft and smooth flowing. Her pale complexion also seemed to have gained a darker, creamier, shade- probably as a result of the two weeks she and her family spent vacationing in Southern Italy.
What's more, Mrs. Granger had fussed terribly once she began to realize that her baby girl had finally blossomed into a young woman, and went slightly overboard with her enthusiasm. What had ensued, much to Hermione's dismay, were endless trips to the beauty parlor for makeovers and feminine primping, and lengthy shopping expeditions for the trendiest in girls' fashions.
By the time September rolled around and it was time to return to Hogwarts, the nerdy Ms. Granger's transformation from duckling to swan was complete. Even Harry and Ron had some difficulty believing it was her when they met up at Diagon Alley. And her two best friends were not the only ones to notice the changes. All the rest of her male friends at school have been treating her especially nicely, and she couldn't even figure out why . . . until Harry and Ron enlightened her.
"I think they've all got crushes on you, Hermione." Harry told her with a serious look on his face.
"Crushes? On ME?!" she had said incredulously. "Why would something as outrageous as that suddenly happen?"
"Well, because you've changed." Ron replied absentmindedly . "You look like a girl now."
"I think what Ron's trying to say is," Harry put in quickly, before a reddening Hermione was able to snap back at the thick-headed Ron. "You're become really quite pretty, Hermione, and all the boys are starting to notice."
Pretty? Hermione pondered over this word as she stared at the reflection of herself in the mirror. Nobody has ever used that word to describe her before, at least not to her face. Somehow, when she looked at herself she just could not see how anybody would find her attractive. She never thought of herself as that sort of girl, and probably will never be able to.
At last, she sighed and turned away from the mirror, and made her way out of the bathroom. Oh, what the heck was she stressing herself over anyway? It was not as if she ever really cared about physical appearances anyway, be it of others or her own.
As she walked back into the bedroom she shared with Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and Ginny Weasley, she heard sounds of hysterical giggling. She found Lavender and Parvati sitting on one of the beds, deeply absorbed in a magazine that lay open on Lavender's lap.
"What are you reading?" Hermione asked, mildly curious as to what has gotten her silly roommates so worked up this time.
"We borrowed it from Seamus." Lavender replied, holding up the magazine. It turned out to be an old edition of the sports publication, 'Quidditch Illustrated'. "Honestly, if I had known they featured so many gorgeous looking guys in here I would have applied for a subscription myself much earlier!"
Hermione could not suppress an amused smile at the sight of her dreamy- eyed, practically drooling friends. "All right, so over whom are you two ogling this time?"
Parvati grinned widely. "Who else? Our very own Oliver Wood." she sighed. "Oh my God, I still cannot believe he's here, right now. In this school. And he's going to be teaching Quidditch!"
Lavender handed the magazine over to Hermione, who at once found herself staring at a full-spread article on the former Gryffindor team captain, which included a close-up of his devastatingly handsome, smiling face.
"OLIVER WOOD: Youngest Puddlemere Keeper Also the League's Newest Heart Stealer."
Hermione felt her heart give a little leap as she stared down at the deep, sultry chocolate eyes gazing back up at her. She never realized what a big celebrity Oliver was already. He really WAS as popular as all the girls have been raving about, and he most definitely was handsome enough to deserve all the fuss. What dismayed her was the fact that, for once, she could actually feel herself getting as excited as the rest of her female peers. Over a boy!
Maybe she really has changed.
"Do you think there's any chance in this world that a guy like him will notice girls like us?" Parvati's dreamy voice brought Hermione's thoughts back to earth. "I mean, maybe he was within our reach when he was just a student here like the rest of us, but he's become such a superstar now!"
"Hey, it's not impossible." Lavender said hopefully. "He's only four years older, and it's not as if he was ever the picky, stuck up type of guy. You'll never know which one of us might just be able to catch his eye one of these days."
Hermione's heart sank as she listened to this remark. That's it. That was exactly why she's suddenly become so conscious about her appearances. Just like the rest of the girls pining for Oliver, she unconsciously was hoping to be able to catch his interest, at least in some way or degree. Her run- in with him the yesterday was purely coincidental; she probably was never going to be as lucky again to get to spend a precious hour talking to him one-on-one.
If she wanted to mean more to Oliver Wood than just another face in the crowd, she was going to have to compete with legions of his obsessive female admirers. And this time, even she didn't think magic could help her there.
* * *
"This has got to be the worst case of starstruck fever that's ever hit Hogwarts." Ron muttered, as he, Harry, and Hermione exited the Great Hall after breakfast to make their way to their first class. "Not even Diggory or Krum combined ever received this much attention from the girls!"
Harry grinned. "Yeah, poor Wood." he remarked. "I bet he didn't expect to get this big a reaction from the Hogwarts students. It must be pretty bizarre for him to be treated like a huge celebrity in the school he was attending only three years ago."
Just a few minutes earlier, Professor McGonagall actually had to rescue the Puddlemere United star from a mob of ecstatic fans-- all female- who had aggressively cornered him as he tried to sneak out of the Great Hall after finishing his meal. The exact same thing had happened at lunch and dinner yesterday, and the exasperated teachers were already considering deducting House points from any student who attempted to harass the poor Quidditch instructor.
"Those girls really should buckle down and learn to control themselves as soon as possible." Ron said, shaking his head. "Wood's never going to be able to walk around freely or get anywhere with a flock of them swarming around him every other hour!"
"Besides, how on earth he going to be able teach his Quidditch class properly if all the girls in school are going to be eyeballing him everywhere he goes? If I were in his place, I'd just go mad!" Harry mused. "It was a smart idea of Dumbledore's not to announce that Wood's going to be the instructor of the AQL till after the signing up period was over. If he did, every girl in school would have probably joined- and for all the wrong reasons!"
Ron nodded and rolled his eyes. "Well, we can be thankful that we at least have a few sensible girls like Hermione left who don't let silly these crushes make them act like total idiots!"
Harry laughed and nudged Ron's arm. "Uh, I don't think we can count Hermione as one of those sensible girls anymore." he whispered, jabbing a thumb in the direction of their friend.
Sure enough, the pretty brunette who was walking alongside them seemed to be doing so in a trance-like state. She apparently had not even heard a word of the conversation of the two boys. Her eyes were slightly clouded over as though her mind was not quite there in reality but floating about in some deep thoughts of something. Or someone.
"Earth to Hermione Granger!" Ron shouted.
She gave a sharp jerk of her head, completely taken by surprise. "What?! What is it?" she asked, looking confused. "Sorry, were you talking to me?"
Harry chuckled. "We were talking ABOUT you, actually."
"You are a sell-out, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed. "I thought you would be above all that rubbish, but you're not, are you? You've turned into another one of them!"
Hermione stared back at him in honest bewilderment. "What are you rambling about?" she demanded.
"You fancy Oliver Wood too!" Ron practically roared.
"Ron, shut up!" Hermione cried, hitting him on the arm and at the same time gazing around frantically to see if anyone had heard. Luckily, nobody seemed to have noticed or cared.
"I do not!" she hissed, turning back to Ron crossly. The growing blush on her cheeks however, made it quite obvious that she actually did. "And even if I did, it isn't any of your business!"
"Look, can you two knock it off?" Harry sighed, intervening once again before the pair could begin exchanging verbal blows. "This really is a pointless argument. Ron, just lay off her, okay? If she likes Wood, then that's her decision. I mean, she is a girl, and Wood apparently is the most popular heartthrob right now, so it's not such a strange thing for her to have a crush on him. Besides, she's right. Whom she chooses to fancy is really none of our business."
Hermione threw Harry a grateful look, and Ron crossed his arms huffily over his chest, refusing to say anything else the rest of their walk to their designated classroom.
Today was going to be their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the year. Their new professor had been unable to meet them earlier that week when their first session should have been, simply because, according to Dumbledore, he was not at the school yet. He reportedly had arrived late last night, but for some reason was not at breakfast in the Great Hall that morning. Hence the students still had not seen him nor had any idea of what he looked like. All the information the Headmaster would give them was his name- Darien Blaine.
When they finally got to the classroom that had been assigned to them, they met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas standing outside. They were reading a sign that was posted on the door. Harry came over and look a glance at it too.
"Gryffindors, please proceed to the grounds beside the lake for today's Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor D. Blaine." Harry read aloud.
"Outdoors on our first meeting?" Ron said, sounding slightly excited. "Cool! Sounds like this new teacher's into practical application. Lord knows we need it after that awful, useless hag we had to bear with last year!"
By the time they made it to the lakeside, nearly all their classmates were already there, seated on the grass before a tall man dressed casually in a maroon turtleneck sweater and black denim jeans.
Ron's jaw dropped open when he saw this man. "Blimey, is THAT our teacher?" he asked in an awed whisper. "But . . . he looks even younger than Bill!"
Though Harry said nothing, he was thinking exactly the same thing. And, judging from the surprised look on her face, Hermione was too.
At that same moment, the new teacher looked up and noticed their group approaching. Immediately he lifted a hand and waved them over.
"Let's go, Gryffindors! We haven't got all day!" he called out pleasantly but firmly.
He did indeed look much younger than their usual teachers-he did not appear to be any older than mid-twenties. He had raven hair that fell about his face in soft, shiny waves, and gleaming eyes that were nearly the exact same color as the water in the lake beside them. The smile on his face was warm and sincere, though slight traces of weariness and a mysterious sadness could be seen behind it. For some reason, Harry had the funniest feeling that this fellow was going to be thought of as quite good-looking by the girls.
How right he was.
He could hear clearly the furious whispering of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil somewhere to his right, punctuated by muffled giggles. The other Gryffindor girls were acting in a similarly silly way, all of them sneaking looks at the handsome but oblivious professor every few seconds. Harry rolled his eyes. Great. Just what they needed in Hogwarts that year. Another heartthrob in the teaching staff.
He was about to lean over and whisper to Ron about this when their teacher suddenly spoke up again. His voice was deep and resonant, the sort that could catch hold of people's attention very easily.
"Since most of you are already here, I suppose we can begin." he said, smiling down at them from where he stood in front of their little crowd. "I suppose the Headmaster has already informed you of who I am, but allow me to introduce myself anyway. My name is Darien Blaine, but you may call me Professor Darien or Professor Blaine, whichever you prefer. I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for this term."
His blue eyes drifted across the sea of eager young faces as he went on. "I apologize for not being able to come and meet you earlier this week, but I had some important business to take care of before I could come to Hogwarts." he explained. "You see, I'm not really a teacher. I have no actual experience in the formal instruction of DADA, but I came because Professor Dumbledore asked me for the favor, and I owe him a lot."
"I graduated from Hogwarts myself only six years ago." He paused and grinned widely. "I'm proud to say that I too was in Gryffindor."
He had to hold up his hand to cease the applause and cheers that followed before continuing. "When you boys and girls were first years, I was a fresh graduate, so unfortunately I would not know any of you personally. I may know some of your older siblings who had attended Hogwarts during my seven years, though."
Blaine's roving gaze then stopped at Ron, taking in his flaming red hair and gangly form. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?" he asked curiously. When Ron nodded, he gave a hearty laugh. "I went to school with five of your brothers at least at one point in my life. What's your name?"
"Ron."
Blaine smiled and nodded. "Well, it's nice to have you in my class, Ron." he told him sincerely before turning his attention back to class. "Anyhow, I would just like to assure you all, that in spite of my lack of teaching experience, I AM quite knowledgeable in matters related to the Dark Arts, and would make you a fairly competent teacher. Thus, you will not have to worry about not learning anything in this class. By the time the term is over, I will make sure you are well prepared for passing the N.E.W.T.S. in this course next year. That's a promise."
Ignoring the excited murmuring among the students that his little speech aroused, Blaine clapped his hands together and suddenly became completely businesslike and sober. The class hushed up at once to listen to the start of his lecture.
"However, there is a far more important reason why you should have an effective DADA class this year. As you all know very well, a new war against the Dark Side has recently begun in the wizarding world." he said gravely, a somewhat dark look overcoming the pleasantness on his face. "Since the return of Voldemort . . ."
As a collective gasp rose from the students at the mention of this name, Blaine threw them a very stern glare. "I have never called the Dark Lord by any other title than his real name, and I see no reason why the rest of you cannot manage to do the same." he said firmly. "Let it be known that I will not tolerate any He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nonsense in my class. How are you supposed to conquer your fears of certain evils when you are not even brave enough to hear or say their proper names?"
Upon hearing this, Harry had to nod in agreement and smile, though grimly. He could already tell that he was going to like Professor Blaine very much.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Blaine went on, apparently unaffected by the impressed stares his new students were giving him. "Since the return of Voldemort and his supporters, it has become absolutely necessary for all people in the magical community to strengthen their skills in defense against the dark arts. It is crucial for even young wizards and witches such as yourself, for we will never really know when, where, and who might be attacked. We have to be prepared to handle the worst situations always, because in dark times such as these, ignorance and carelessness are what will make the difference between life and death."
At this point, Harry noticed that all the his classmates had become completely entranced by the solemn words of their new teacher. Ron's jaw hung slightly open in stark admiration. Hermione was staring up at Blaine with wide eyes, as though she had just come face to face with Merlin himself. Neville had gone absolutely pale and breathless, with beads of sweat beginning to appear on his forehead. Even the girls had stopped whispering and giggling, and were now looking at the professor with something other than stars in their eyes.
"I warn you now, this will quite possibly be your most critical and demanding class for the year." Blaine told them. "I intend to take my duty of training you to defend yourselves very seriously. You're not children anymore, and I don't plan to treat you as such. You will all learn to fight like the talented young wizards and witches I expect you have grown up to be."
A small smile finally broke through once more through the gravity on his face, calming his nervous students to some extent. "You may find that my training methods are quite unusual compared those of your past teachers, but I assure you that I will give only my best effort in our classes. I expect you to do the same for me and cooperate in all our activities, different as they sometimes might seem."
"Different in what way, Professor?" Lavender squeaked, so nervous it seemed she almost forgot her crush on the handsome teacher.
"In my class, you will be learning more than just casting spells to ward off foul creatures." Blaine responded smartly. "Our focus will be more on dueling. Or, to put it bluntly, fighting against other wizards and witches. You will discover that there is much more to the art of magical combat than just simple wand waving."
Harry hung to each and every word eagerly. This professor seemed to be exciting him more and more than any other teacher in Hogwarts was able to. It seemed that finally, they were going to be taught the forms of magic that really mattered; things that they truly needed and can put to good use.
"For today, I will simply orient you on dueling by presenting a little demonstration. It will also serve as a taste of what you can expect from this class in the succeeding eight months." Blaine said.
His gaze at the students then became scrutinizing as he appeared to study their faces at turn. "I will require a volunteer to assist me." he announced. "Anybody interested?"
There was an awkward silence and motionlessness among the class as they stared at one another uneasily. Apparently they were all still feeling a little anxious about the Professor's warning that his methods were "unusual".
Sensing their apprehension, Blaine rubbed his chin thoughtfully and tried another approach. "All right, then." he said slowly. "Maybe you can just point out to me who among you is the most experienced in when it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"That's easy!" Dean Thomas called out almost immediately. "Harry of course! Harry Potter!"
Harry felt his stomach drop as his other classmates echoed this nomination enthusiastically. Blaine's gaze immediately zeroed in on the student being pointed out and he smiled.
"Ah, yes." the young professor said kindly. "Mr. Potter. I've heard so much about you. It's wonderful to meet you at last." He gestured for him to come forward. "Well Harry, since you seem to be the popular vote of the class, won't you come up front and join me, please?"
"I've heard a lot about you and your experiences, Harry. About your run-ins with the Dark Lord." Blaine said quietly, clapping a firm hand on the boys' shoulder when he came close. "The fact that you've survived more than one encounter against him proves that you are indeed already skilled in defending yourself. But, as always, there could be room for improvement."
He stared at Harry straight in the face. "Dumbledore spoke to me about you specifically, and it seems you are the student he is most concerned about when it comes to sharpening dueling skills. After all, it is without question that you will need it more than any other student in this school." He patted the boy's back meaningfully. "So if there is anything you wish to ask me for help with, I want you to feel free to do so at any time. Understand?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you." Harry mumbled, rather uncomfortable with the idea of yet again being offered special treatment.
Blaine smiled and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning back to the other students. "Please give Mr. Potter and myself a few minutes to confer about how the demonstration will go." he told them. "In the meantime, I would like for you to copy the following notes . . ."
* * *
Later, after ten minutes of discussion between him and Harry and furious scribbling from the rest of the class, Professor Blaine announced that the demonstration was almost ready to begin.
"I talked it over with Mr. Potter, and he has advised that we take on a second volunteer to help us out." Blaine said with a nod. "Ms. Hermione Granger, can you please join us here?"
Hermione's eyes widened as she stared at the professor motioning for her to come forward. Knowing that she could never refuse a direct instruction from a teacher, she shakily got to her feet and came to stand beside her friend.
"Why me?!" she hissed in Harry's ear the moment she was close enough.
"I pointed you out and told him to choose you." Harry replied somewhat nervously. "After all, no one's mastered more spells than you, Hermione."
"But I don't get it!" Hermione said, sounding panicked. "What is it that we're supposed to do anyway?"
"It's really quite simple, Ms. Granger. No need to worry."
Hermione let out a little gasp upon realizing that Professor Blaine had come to stand right beside them. She flushed red with embarrassment, but Blaine merely smiled at her kindly and went on explaining.
"All I want is for you and Harry to throw whatever jinxes and curses you can at me." he explained. "In other words, I want you to assault me. In any way you know or choose."
Hermione stared back at him, not quite sure she had heard him correctly. "You want us to try and hurt you?"
"As best as you can, without holding yourself back." Blaine replied with a nod. "Don't worry, I promise not to harm you." he assured her. "I won't fight back. All the spells I'll be doing will be purely defensive in nature." "Just keep throwing attacks at me. Don't stop, even when I fall or get hit. That's very important, otherwise this whole activity won't work out as we want it to."
"B-but Professor!" Hermione stammered, not feeling very good about this whole idea. "Wh-what if we actually do something wrong and we hurt you?"
"Then it would be my fault for being so stupid and letting my guard down." Blaine responded firmly. "I know this takes guts Ms. Granger, but you can do it. Just remember that I'm ordering you to do it."
And with that, the teacher turned away from the two friends and walked over back to the class to tell them where they can safely stand and watch while the demonstration is going on.
"I don't like this." Hermione mumbled to Harry when they were alone. "I don't like it at all."
Harry shrugged. "Don't tell me! He's the teacher." he pointed out. "Besides, I don't think there's a need to worry. We're only students, and he's a fully trained wizard. I don't think there's anything we can possibly throw at him that he can't handle."
"You'd better be right." Hermione grumbled, pulling out her wand out of her robes as Professor Blaine called them over to begin the duel. "Can you imagine the sort of trouble we'll get into if we end up maiming a teacher?"
As they re-joined him, the professor lifted his own wand and pointed it at the ground, muttering a few words under his breath. The outline of a huge, glowing circle about twenty feet in diameter suddenly appeared on the grass.
"This is our sparring ring." Blaine explained to Harry and Hermione. "None of us will be able to step out of the circle as soon as the duel begins, and should one of our spells miss its target they won't be able to get past the circle either. That way there's no chance of us accidentally hitting bystanders."
He stepped inside the circle and motioned for them to follow. "Come on, it's about time we started."
"Now," Blaine said carefully, after they had positioned themselves at opposite ends of the circle and properly bowed to each other. "Hold up your wands . . . and at the count of three, start casting your spells." He took a stance with his wand raised over his head. "One . . ."
Her heart beginning to race a mile a minute, Hermione lifted her wand up with a trembling hand. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry do the same from where he stood beside her. Though she knew he had to be as nervous as she was, his grim face showed no signs of worry or fear.
"Two . . ."
"I can't believe I'm doing this." she thought desperately. "Dueling with a teacher . . . this is crazy!"
"Three!"
"Impedimenta!" Harry bellowed. Red sparks shot of his wand, heading straight for Professor Blaine. A few Gryffindors girls screamed from the sidelines.
But with lightning quick speed, Blaine reacted. "Expletus scutum!" he cried, tracing a half circle over his head with a flick of his wand.
The students gasped in amazement as the red sparks of Harry's spell suddenly vanished into thin air about a foot away from hitting the teacher.
Upon seeing this, Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Then, feeling more confident now of the match, she swished her own wand forward.
"Tarantallegra!" she shouted.
Sparks shot out from her wand as well, but they vanished to nothingness the same way Harry's had-a short distance away from hitting Professor Blaine. That's when she noticed that there seemed to be a silvery, nearly transparent barrier that surrounded the wizard like a protective dome.
"He's using a dome shield!" Hermione exclaimed to Harry. Then, thinking fast, she gave her wand another swish. "Finite incantatem!"
Taking the cue from her, Harry pointed his wand at Blaine almost simultaneously. "Petrificus totalus!"
But still their teacher was too quick for them. Realizing immediately that Hermione had pulled down his shield, he held up his wand to meet Harry's spell. "Declinatio!"
The sparks, instead of hitting him, suddenly turned into a harmless flash of light.
Now caught up in the excitement of the duel, Hermione decided to try another approach. She pointed her wand at a nearby log that was once the trunk of a massive tree. "Mobiliarbus!" The log easily rose several feet from the ground. With another swish of her wand, Hermione sent the enormous projectile flying at Blaine at top speed.
"Has she gone mad?!" she suddenly overheard one of the girls shriek. But, as she had expected, the worry was unnecessary.
"Orbis incendere!" Professor Blaine shouted, waving his wand in front of him in a swift, circular motion. A flaming ring of fire materialized out of thin air, and the log flew straight into it, coming out as a shower of ash at the other side.
Harry used the same spell to send a shower of rocks flying at Blaine as well, but they were all consumed by the ring of fire hovering continually in front of the wizard like a shield.
Afterwards there came a brief pause in the duel as both Harry and Hermione thought hard of what spells to throw next. Their opponent just seemed to have a ready defense for everything! But then, the teacher suddenly did something very unexpected. He dropped his wand hand to his side and lowered his head slightly, as if studying something on the ground. It seemed that he was putting his guard down on purpose, and this could very easily be taken advantage of.
Hermione lifted her wand but hesitated in casting her spell right away, so it was Harry that seized the chance.
"Expelliarmus!" the boy yelled.
There were shouts of alarm and surprise from the Gryffindors as the disarming spell sailed across the sparring ring and struck the defenseless teacher solidly. Blaine was blown clear off his feet and sent soaring back through the air. What was even more astonishing however, was the way he took the hit. While most people who got hit by the disarming spell hurtled ungracefully and landed spread-eagled and painfully to the ground, Blaine took the fall differently from anything any of them had ever seen before. By pulling his arms to his chest and rolling with the motion of his body through the air, he was able to land on the grass painlessly and scrambled back up to his feet in a split second, though his wand was now on the grass at least ten feet out of his reach.
"Mobilicorpus!" Harry cried, pointing his wand relentlessly at his finally unarmed opponent.
But with a swift dive, Blaine moved out of the path of the spell, and avoided the attempted body bind. He turned a somersault towards the center of the sparring ring, much to the astonishment and delight of the student spectators, and tried to make another dive for his mislaid wand.
Hermione, however, anticipated this intent and sent a Stunning Charm at him, forcing him to dart away and retreat to a safe distance once more.
For about the next half minute, Harry and Hermione ganged up on Professor Blaine and sent him racing around the circle using various spells, but he turned out to be as quick and agile on his feet as he was with his wand. He managed to dodge at least a dozen unsuccessful attempts until one of Harry's body binding spells finally caught him on the legs.
But Blaine obviously wasn't willing to go down easily. As his legs froze up and he began to fall helplessly to the ground, he pushed hard on his feet and gave one last great leap towards the center of the ring. His outstretched fingers closed in around his wand just as Harry and Hermione came running to finish him off.
"Immobilis!" Hermione shouted quickly, in an attempt to prevent him from regaining his weapon.
But, just as quickly, Blaine lifted his hand and gave his wand a very tricky looking wave. The sparks that burst from Hermione's wand flew directly to his and was absorbed cleanly into its tip, much to the amazement of the students who had never seen such a move executed before.
"Resonare!" Blaine cried, pointing his now glowing wand at Harry and Hermione.
Hermione let out a shriek of surprise as she suddenly felt every part of her body stiffen up and completely freeze, and she then realized that the teacher had thrown back her own spell at them.
She and Harry could only watch helplessly as Professor Blaine freed himself from Harry's leg bind and picked himself up from the ground. The Gryffindor students were cheering like mad for him at the sidelines, clearly impressed by the terrific show.
Still rather breathless from all the running and dodging, Blaine approached Harry and Hermione with a smile. He tapped them at the shoulder at a turn to release them from the Immobilis spell before speaking.
"Congratulations, Harry. Hermione. You were terrific back there." he told them sincerely. "You think fast, and are able to conjure very effective spells. It is clear you have had a considerable amount of experience in this sort of thing."
"Oh, we were no where near as good as you, sir." Harry protested, with a somewhat dazed shake of his head. "You were incredible! Where and how did you learn to move like that?"
"And those blocking spells!" Hermione spoke up excitedly, her brown eyes now sparkling with eagerness to start learning. "I've never seen anything like them before!"
Blaine laughed good naturedly and nodded. "No need to worry." he assured them. "I'll be instructing you in the use of all those tricks and much more in the coming months. Today was just the first day, and with bright students like you, I am certain you will be able to catch on most of the lessons in no time."
Hermione and Harry exchanged excited and happy glances as the teacher escorted them out of the sparring ring to rejoin the rest of the class. No doubt about it, Professor Darien Blaine was quickly proving himself to be the coolest DADA instructor they'd ever had.
Things were certainly looking up this year, all right.
* * *
COMING UP . . . Chapter 3 - Coach