Harry Potter and the Legacy of Slytherin

Chapter 11

Classes Begin

Over the next few days, life returned to what passed for normal at Hogwarts - lessons began, friendships were renewed, and old enmities were rekindled. With the exception of the new students, who appeared to be milling around uncertainly in the Common Room almost twenty-four hours a day, everything seemed to be just as it was before the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. The corridors were filled with noise, and Harry almost started to feel overwhelmed by the rush of people who suddenly seemed to be running around the school halls.

Fortunately, everyone in the school seemed intent on leaving Harry alone for the moment, rather than pestering him for details about the past few months. Even Malfoy seemed to occupied elsewhere, apart from those moments when he shared lessons with Harry. For the most part, Harry was grateful for the lack of attention, as it saved him from examining his feelings too closely, and afforded him a degree of anonymity while he became accustomed to the usual routine of Hogwarts lessons.

By Thursday, most of the fifth year Gryffindors were eagerly awaiting their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. Just like previous year, they were almost the last to experience the new teacher, and the rumours that were already circulating the school simply added to the expectations for that first meeting. Harry, Ron and Hermione went straight to the Defence classroom after breakfast, but by the time they got there, the corridor was already full of their fellow students, waiting outside the locked classroom door.

To begin with, there was absolutely no sign of Professor Shacklebolt, even when the time for the lesson was approaching. The corridor was quiet with expectation to begin with, but as the students realised that their teacher might be running late, a buzz of conversation started to build among those who were milling around the door. Most were simply talking about the events of the day, but a considerable number of them were discussing the strange rumours about their new teacher.

Seamus had overheard two third-years talking, and they seemed convinced that he was Professor Moody's protégé, sent to keep an eye on Hogwarts on his behalf. Others believed that he was a close friend of Dumbledore's, and that Shacklebolt's presence here was the result of Dumbledore trading in another of his innumerable favours. Most of the other rumours were more ridiculous, including one that claimed he was descended from one of the Vampire Counts of Transylvania, but Harry found himself wondering just what the truth behind their mysterious new teacher was.

Just as the clock in the corridor struck nine o'clock, a loud click emanated from the door, suddenly cutting off all conversation in the hallway. For a few moments, the only sound in the entire corridor was the distant sound of the second-years being ushered into the Transfiguration room, as everyone stopped talking and realised that their teacher had been inside the room all along, possibly listening to every word that had been said. Eventually, Hermione hesitantly pushed the door open, and walked into the room, with Ron and Harry right behind her. Not to be outdone, Malfoy pushed his way to the front of the group, and led the rush to follow them through the doorway.

The Defence classroom was almost the same as it was last year; the walls were the same, and the room was lit by the lamps around the room, more than by the thin, arrow-slit windows. The corners of the room were gloomy and uncomfortable, and most of the students were trying to get seats as close to the front as possible, where the light was most reliable. Ron sat down in the second row quickly, with Harry and Hermione sitting on either side of him, and Malfoy sitting in the seats behind them, much to Harry's annoyance.

On the desk sat a collection of Dark Detectors and other artifacts, similar to the ones that had once been arranged in Professor Moody's office. But everyone's eyes were drawn to the same dark form that stood behind the desk, the same one that had been sitting at the staff table all week. His hands were resting on the back of his chair in a gesture of control, and his eyes flickered impatiently over the children as they trickled into the room, and started to pull their books, parchment and quills from the bags.

"Welcome to your first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson," he said gruffly, once the noise of shuffling chairs had died down, "My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, as I hope you remember from the sorting feast. I will be teaching this class for the coming year, and-"

"Just this year?" Malfoy drawled, "You don't think you'll survive any longer than the others then?"

The Slytherin half of the room gave a small, derisive chuckle, while Shacklebolt turned to face Malfoy, and briefly glimpsed down at his register. His face stayed carefully neutral, but Harry was sure that he could see a flicker of recognition behind his dark, unreadable eyes.

"Malfoy, Draco. Is that correct?" he asked, in a no-nonsense tone. Malfoy's smirk seemed to sink even deeper into his face in response, before he replied with a simple 'yes'.

"Yes, Sir, Mr Malfoy. You will show the proper respect in this classroom, or you will explain to your father why you have failed your OWL in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly," was Malfoy's only response, although his tone showed anything but respect, and the grin on his face never flickered for an instant. Luckily for him, Professor Shacklebolt seemed willing to let it go for the moment.

"As I was saying, I will be teaching this class for the coming year. I am taking a year away from my chosen profession to bring your education up to scratch, and I expect to see that my time has been well spent. There will be no messing around, no skiving off, and no mischief of any kind. I hope that is understood."

This time, there was no doubting the flicker in Shacklebolt's gaze, as his eyes flicked to Harry when he said those last few words. His eyes didn't have the same soul-searching qualities as Professor Dumbledore's, but the scrutiny in that one brief look was unmistakable. Not for the first time, Harry wondered if Dumbledore had informed the staff about the Marauder's Map, and how it was once again in his possession.

"In this class, you will learn to defend yourselves against the weapons and tactics of dark wizards," Shacklebolt continued, "That is why you are here. You are not here to learn about what they do, nor are you here to read about other people's exploits. If you want to do that, then the History of Magic classroom might be more to your liking."

Harry wasn't sure if that was meant to be a joke or not, and nobody else in the classroom seemed to know any better. Nervous smiles were exchanged in a few places, but for the most part, the room stayed silent.

"From the notes left to me by Professor Dumbledore, I can see that you seem to know what you're doing as regards dark creatures, and even a fair bit about curses. But you know almost nothing about dark artifacts, or even dark detectors. Your defensive spells and protective charms are well short of what I'd expect, too. That will have to change, and quickly."

For some reason, Harry was certain that Professor Shacklebolt was looking at him again, but before he could meet the teacher's gaze, Shacklebolt had already turned away. But Harry still caught his breath, expecting to hear more details about Voldemort's return, which had not been easy to come by over the summer. However, he was to be disappointed by the next words from Shacklebolt's mouth.

"After all, your OWLs are coming up. And if any of you expect to get higher than an 'A' in them, you'll need to show me something much better than an essay on werewolves," he said, chuckling. With those words, Shacklebolt turned his back on the class, and resumed his place standing behind his desk, watching how his students reacted. Briefly, Harry wondered if he ever sat down in his chair, or if he just kept it for the sake of appearance.

"Put those books away," he said, after a long pause where he seemed to be sizing the class up, "You have your own time to read in, so we won't be using any of mine. Wands out, and get yourselves into groups of four."

The whole class shook themselves visibly out of their attentive stare, and immediately started putting their books back in their bags, and grabbing hold of the nearest friends to form a group of four people. Before either Ron or Harry could react, Hermione had pulled Neville over to their table, and sat him down in a nearby vacant seat, ready to start the exercise. Ron looked less than impressed with Hermione's choice of partner, but kept his thoughts to himself, rather than say something in front of his friend.

"The first two spells I want you to learn are the Shield Charm, and the Deflect Charm. Their respective invocations are Protego and Aegis, and each is a defensive spell. The Shield Charm will protect you from weaker jinxes and curses, while the Deflect Charm is for use against solid objects, like projectiles and Muggle weapons."

"Weaker jinxes?" Malfoy scoffed, "Muggle weapons? Why would we need to be protected against them? Hardly Dark Arts weapons, are they?" His outburst didn't seem to impress Shacklebolt, who sidled toward Malfoy's desk, and spoke in a deep, but soft voice.

"You have to walk before you run, Mr Malfoy," he said, "And judging from the past notes for this class, I would be surprised if some of you could crawl..."

Despite the implied insult to the class, many of the Gryffindors in the room gave a small chuckle; it was obvious that the only person meant to take offence at the remark was Malfoy himself. But just like before, all the comment seemed to do was wash over Malfoy's smugness, rather than denting it. After the brief laugh had died down, Shacklebolt returned to his lecture, dismissing Malfoy from his attentions.

"With practice," he said, "you can use these spells in an offensive manner, by turning the jinx or weapon against its user. I do not expect this to happen overnight, but I do expect to see it by the time you sit your exams next summer. That means practice, for each and every one of you. I recommend you keep your group close to you; you are going to need their help over the coming months."

Once again, Ron seemed less than cheerful about the idea of extended practice with Neville. Harry was surprised about Ron's attitude, as he had never seemed to avoid practicing with Neville before, even though Neville sometimes had difficulty with learning difficult charms. But Harry had no time to think about it, as Shacklebolt was still talking to the class.

"First, we will practice the Shield Charm. In your groups, I want one of you to choose a small, weak jinx, and use it to attack one of the other three at random. Do not tell them who - this is an exercise in preparation, as well as spellcasting. After you have made your attack, the next person in the group will do the same. Carry on until I tell you to stop. Begin."

Shacklebolt left his class to their activity, and began a slow, predatory walk around the room, observing what was happening, and making sure there was no mischief. At first, he wandered around the whole of the room, but before long he started remaining at the Slytherin half of the classroom, to keep a closer eye on Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and another boy Harry didn't recognise. Crabbe and Goyle were having their usual problems with the new charm, but Malfoy seemed to have mastered the spell already; he was already using his shield to reflect a Laughing Charm back at Goyle.

"Think Daddy's been giving him some private lessons?" Ron said, nodding in Malfoy's direction.

"Looks like it..." Harry replied, as Neville directed a Tripping Charm at him. He managed to get his shield up in time, and sent the charm flying across the room, where it dissipated against the wall.

"Maybe he's just got the hang of the charm quickly," said Hermione, watching Ron warily, waiting for him to attack.

"Nobody gets the hang of it that quickly, Hermione! Come on - he must have known this charm before the lesson!" Ron said, before firing off a charm at Hermione, just as she had anticipated.

"Just because you two don't read our set books before term, doesn't mean nobody else does..." Hermione said huffily, sending Ron's Tickling Charm straight back at him. Ron was taken by surprise, and didn't have time to erect his own shield, so he began giggling uncontrollably, to the point of bending at the waist to hold his sides.

"I just want to know why Malfoy's so prepared all of a sudden..." Harry grumbled, before casting a Jelly-Legs Jinx at Hermione. Once again, she neatly sent it across the room, although this time, she didn't return it to the sender.

For the next few minutes, all four of them fell into a more hushed rehearsal of the charm, concentrating on the spells that each were sending against the others. There were also occasional spells coming from the other groups in the room, as the deflections from other people's shields shot past. At one point, a stray Sneezing Charm struck Ron from behind, much to Harry and Neville's amusement, as he sneezed in the middle of casting a charm at Hermione, making a mess of both the charm and Hermione's robes in one swift motion. Fortunately, a quick cleaning charm was enough to remove all traces of Ron's mistake, if not his embarrassment.

"Everyone stop!" came Shacklebolt's voice. He was standing next to Malfoy, and for the first time looked less than calm about events around him. Both Crabbe and Goyle looked as if they had been hit by several minor curses, but he made no attempt to send them to the Hospital Wing. Their injuries were not serious, and it struck Harry that a belief in learning through experience would fit in well with what he had seen of their new Professor.

"Now that you seem to have got some idea of how to cast the Shield Charm, you can begin work with the Deflect Charm," he continued. "I will be giving you all some pebbles, which you can use as projectiles in your attacks on the rest of the group. Be careful to aim for people's chest, rather than their faces - I don't want anyone missing any class time for stupid injuries. Stay in the same groups, and begin as soon as I have seen you."

Once he had finished speaking, Shacklebolt plucked a handful of small boxes from his desk, and started to distribute them between the small groups. He seemed to say a few short words to most of the groups, but when he came to Harry's group, he simply handed the box to Hermione and walked away without comment. Harry also noticed that he had come to their group last; after he had finished, he returned immediately to stand in place behind his desk, in his usual, watchful position.

"I'm going to feel silly throwing pebbles at you..." mumbled Ron, still slightly embarrassed about what had happened with Hermione.

"What, you'd rather throw knives or something?" Harry teased.

"No... But couldn't we throw something a little bigger? I'm going to lose these things..." he said. Harry looked into the box, and saw that Ron had a point; the pebbles did seem unnecessarily tiny, about the size of a large pea. They were also a very eye-catching blue colour, which he assumed was to make them easy to find at the end of the lesson. He didn't feel like asking their teacher about it though, and Ron didn't seem to either, as he resignedly took a handful of pebbles, and moved aside so that the others could take some.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for their size, Ron..." said Hermione, once everyone had resumed their positions.

"Yeah... Maybe we're meant to keep track of where they go, after we block them..." said Neville, looking at the stones sadly. He didn't look confident in his abilities to watch where they went.

"I suppose so... Or maybe they're just meant to be harder to see when they're coming at you?" Harry agreed, giving Neville an encouraging grin. He knew that his friend would be able to handle the task, as long as he didn't lose faith in himself.

"Yeah, well... I still think we should be starting out with something a bit easier to see..." Ron grumbled.

"If it was easy to do, then we wouldn't learn anything, would we?" Hermione said, throwing the first pebble at Harry, who turned it aside easily, and watched it drop harmlessly to the floor.

"But what if one of these goes in your eyes or something?" he said, half-heartedly throwing another pebble at Harry.

"That's why he said to throw them at people's chests, Ron..." Hermione sighed, flicking a pebble neatly at Ron, which he didn't manage to block in time; it bounced harmlessly off his arm, and he quickly pulled another stone from his hand to throw back at Hermione. His aim wasn't as good as hers though, as the stone flew a few inches wide of her ear.

Harry shot Neville a quick glance, and he saw an all-too-familiar expression on his face. Ron and Hermione's arguments seemed to be reaching epidemic proportions, and this was just the latest of them. Harry assumed a similar long-suffering expression, and started to throw pebbles at Neville. Just because their partners were distracted was no reason for them to miss out on practicing the activity.

"Be more careful, Ron!" Hermione hissed, as she glanced behind her to make sure the wayward stone had not hit anybody.

"See what I mean? These things could go anywhere! There's no telling where they might end up..." Ron complained.

"It wouldn't be a problem if you would just watch what you were doing!" Hermione said, her voice starting to take on a distinct and unpleasant edge.

"We're here to learn, Hermione... Mistakes might happen! We can't all be as perfect as you without even trying, you know..." Ron said. Harry just rolled his eyes in their direction, earning a muffled snigger from Neville, and no reaction at all from the pair of fighting teenagers.

"You think I don't try? I work bloody hard to be good at things! Maybe you should try it sometime!" Hermione said, her voice wavering a little. Clearly, Ron had managed to touch a nerve, but fortunately, he was too busy getting angry to take notice of the fact.

"We already know we aren't as good as you are, so there's no need to rub it in all the time! Is that why you hang around with us all the time? To make yourself feel good about being so much better than you?" Ron spat out, before he could stop himself. As soon as the words were out, his face seemed to fall, as if he knew that he had gone too far, but there was nothing to help it now; he had spoken, and nothing could take the words back now.

"N-No... Of course not..." Hermione stammered, "I don't think I'm better than you at all..."

She was looking beseechingly at Ron, and he seemed to believe her. What little anger he still had visibly drained out of him at the look on Hermione's face, and for a minute, he just stood there, gaping at the look on his friend's face. Both Harry and Neville stopped their practice to look at what was happening, unable to keep their curiosity at bay. Ron started to reach his hand out to Hermione, but he held himself back at the last minute, and let it drop back to his side uselessly.

"I'm sorry..." Ron started, but he was quickly cut off by a voice bellowing from across the room.

"Alright, that's enough of that!" bellowed Shacklebolt, looking toward Ron and Hermione for the first time all lesson. "This is a place to learn, not chatter! Keep it quiet!"

Both Ron and Hermione looked somewhat embarrassed to be told off in front of the entire class, especially with Malfoy in the corner of the room, making spectacularly unsubtle gestures behind Shacklebolt's back. Hermione looked especially embarrassed, as she still had what looked like unshed tears in her eyes, although Harry didn't think anyone else in the room would be able to see that. For the rest of their lesson, they practiced the Deflect Charm in a most uncharacteristic silence, barely daring to glance at each other.

By the end of the lesson, their blushes had faded, but Neville seemed distinctly uncomfortable by the way they were acting. As soon as Shacklebolt had dismissed them, he bolted from the room, getting out of the classroom as quickly as possible. Most of the class didn't take much longer to leave, and were gone long before their Professor had collected the pebbles strewn around the room. Harry and Ron were ready to go with the others, but Hermione seemed to take longer than usual to pack her bag, so by the time they emerged from the classroom, the corridor was long since empty, leaving them some privacy to speak.

"So, what do you think about Shacklebolt now?" Harry asked, just as Hermione was closing the door behind them.

"He seems alright to me..." admitted Hermione, "I think he could make better use of the reference materials, but he does seem to know what he's doing..."

"Yeah, he's a lot better than Moody ever was..." Ron said, still a little put out by being told off in front of the class, but managing to be quite complementary.

"Not one for small talk though, is he?" Harry said.

"I don't know..." Ron joked, "Some of his talk seemed pretty small to me..."

"Just because he doesn't feel the need to chatter doesn't mean he's a bad teacher, Ron..." Hermione said.

"No, just an unfriendly one..." Ron replied.

"He's not here to make friends, he's here to teach us to defend ourselves..."

"Can you two finish this off later?" demanded Harry, "I'd hate to go to Potions on an empty stomach..."

"I just hate going to Potions..." grumbled Ron, but he obligingly let the argument drop, in favour of going into the hall, intent on devouring the hard morning's work of over one hundred house-elves.


Disclaimer: There are many things I don't own. A decent computer is one of them. Harry Potter is another.


Next chapter, everyone's favourite greasy-haired Professor will return. He was going to make an appearance in this chapter, but it just got too long for me to fit him in. I'm also planning a birthday surprise for Hermione, but I'm not sure if that will be in the next chapter, or the one after.

Anyway, thanks very much to everyone who reviewed since the last chapter was posted - Mella DeRanged, smol, Lourdes, Harsh and Inu Yokai. I even got a positive review for my Author's Notes, which is encouraging - at least I know somebody reads them. ;) I'm not sure how quickly the next chapter will be up, as I'm also working on some original stuff. But it will be as quick as possible, I promise.

Under the terms of Educational Decree Thirty-Six, all readers of this and any other
work on ff.net are hereby ordered to leave a review. Those who refuse to do so will
report to me on Monday for one week's detention.
Signed,
Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minster, High Inquisitor of Hogwarts.