Chapter 16 - Advanced DADA
Harry hurried up the corridor. He had finally gotten away from Professor McGonagall. Harry knew that with almost the entire school now wearing the blue uniforms of the forces of light that things had to change. He just didn't expect a lot of the work of designing a whole new training program to fall to him. The only thing that Dumbledore hadn't wanted his help on was the class he was hurrying to join. He didn't want to be late to it. His fellow students were already there, waiting to go into the classroom for their first class in advanced defence against the dark arts. Advanced DADA as all the students called it. The 7th years were in there now and should be finishing any second.
"Harry! Thought you weren't going to make it." Ron said
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Harry replied just as the door opened and out stumbled Fred followed by the others. The look of them was a shock. Pale and drawn, all of them and a haunted look in their eyes. Some had to be helped to keep their feet. Something had plainly terrified them in that room. George appeared holding up a very sick looking Lee Jordan and helping him walk.
"George, what the hell happened in there?" Ron asked. But George just looked at Ron and shook his head. Whatever had happened they weren't talking about it. Ron looked at Harry for answers. Harry could only shrug. He didn't know.
The eagerness of the students around Harry had worn off when they had seen the seventh year's condition. They filed into the classroom. The place smelled of fear and standing waiting for the students up the front of the classroom was Professor Snape.
"Oh No!" Neville exclaimed quietly behind Harry and Ron. Ron's expression wasn't a happy one either.
"Hurry up! We don't have all day!" Snape said in that quiet but commanding voice that the students knew all to well. "You, Potter, up the front, same goes for your three sidekicks!" Snape waited for all the students to find their seats before beginning.
"This class is Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts. It is the first time it has been taught here at Hogwarts and it is not to be taken lightly. To be in this class the headmaster has set one condition. That no student discuss what is seen or heard in this room with anyone outside of this room WHATSOEVER." Snape let that word hang in the air for a minute before continuing. "You may not even discuss it with each other outside of this room. ANYONE unwilling to abide by this condition can LEAVE NOW!" The students looked at each other uncertainly but no one got up to leave. "Last chance, once I seal the doors no one will be able to leave and you are all to be held to the condition of absolute secrecy. No! Very well, don't say I didn't give you the chance to leave." Snape waved his wand and the door to the classroom slammed shut with a heavy dull sound. "No one outside of this room can now hear or see anything that occurs within this room. Yes what is it Longbottom!" Snape said annoyed at the interruption. He glared at the student that had dared to raise his hand.
"Will you be teaching this class?" Neville asked in an uncertain voice.
"If you had let me continue Longbottom you would know by now." Snape replied. Neville sunk back to his seat. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry who didn't look too pleased with this turn of events either.
"I will be teaching this class," Snape replied and a low moan went through the class. " in collaboration with… well why don't I introduce you!" Snape continued. He walked over to a door to the storage cupboard at the side of the classroom and opened it. What walked out of the cupboard surprised every student. A large black dog walked to the front of the class and turned to face the students. Several students laughed, Neville looked scared as he said, "It's a Grim!" but Ron and Hermione exclaimed, "Snuffles!" Harry just leapt from his seat and hugged the dog. He had missed him for so long.
"Potter get back to your seat. I am trying to conduct this class. Ten points from Gryffind…" Snape snapped but was cut short by a loud bark and growl of warning from the dog. Snape's expression soured.
"Professor, a dog is going to help you teach?" Seamus asked plainly puzzled.
Snape said nothing in reply to Seamus' question. He just turned his gaze towards the dog at the front of the classroom. The students automatically did the same. Harry had reluctantly returned to his seat, as soon as Seamus had asked his question, he realised what Snuffles was doing here but before he could react and put a stop to it, the dog began to change shape oddly and suddenly there was a man standing where the dog had been. Not just any man, a man whose face was known by every witch and wizard in the magical world. There stood Sirius Black.
Many students screamed, some just sat there, eyes wide, frozen in place, unable to move. Only three students were not terrified out of their wits.
"YOU ARE ALL DEAD!" Snape yelled at the students, "Not one of you has even drawn your wand. You just sit there waiting to be killed!" Snape waved his hand at Sirius as he continued "There's Sirius Black, what are you waiting for?" The students began to react slowly to Professor Snape's onslaught. It was Neville surprisingly who managed to draw his wand first and hand shaking, point it towards Sirius"
""Pe… Petrif… Petrificus Tot… Tot… !" Neville stammered trying to get the full body bind curse out. Other students where now joining him with their wands pointed at Sirius and were trying to remember a suitable curse to use against this terror that stood unmoving before them.
"STOP" Harry yelled leaping in front of his godfather. The students didn't understand what was happening. It was all too much. First Sirius Black appears and then Harry Potter wants to protect him.
"Its all right Harry." Sirius said for the first time. "This classroom has special wards preventing any curse your friends might use, from having effect. Dumbledore set them up specially. I am quiet safe. Now go sit down." Sirius said to Harry Potter in front of everyone, and then he said to the whole class of terrified students in a clear and pleasant voice, "All of you please take your seats." The students were flabbergasted. Here was the most wanted maniac in the wizard world calmly asking them to take their seats. Finally they did so but many kept their wands ready just in case.
"Hopeless, hopeless. Not a single curse!" Snape muttered from the side of the classroom.
Sirius just gave him a look as if to say shut up and Snape stopped his muttering.
"Sir," Dean managed to get the courage to ask the question that was in the mind of all the students, "Are you really Sirius Black?"
"Yes" Sirius replied calmly.
A murmur went through the classroom. It couldn't be real.
"The Sirius Black who escaped from…" Seamus tried again
"Azkaban" Sirius said as his face clouded and the dead look in his wild eye's returned.
"You killed…" Seamus continued again
"NO!" Sirius snapped frightening the students with the anger in his voice. Sirius got control of himself again and continued in a claimer voice, "No I was innocent of those charges, but you don't have to believe me. Here in this classroom are four people who know the truth."
Harry stood and facing the class said, "He is innocent, another framed him for the murder of those muggles and the betrayal of my parents."
"Harry's right," Hermione said as she and Ron joined Harry, "We heard the person confess last year. Sirius is innocent."
Some of the student looked at Professor Snape to see what he thought. He stood at the side of the class with the most unhappy expression the students had ever seen on his face, and that was really saying something. "They're right, he didn't do it." Snape finally replied, "But that's no excuse for not defending yourselves. For all you knew the mad Sirius Black was here to kill you all! And not one of you managed to even get off a single curse. Longbottom what was that muttering suppose to be?"
"Take it easy Severus, they're new to all this!" Sirius said drawing Snape's attention off his favourite target. "What curses do you know Neville that might have been effective against me?"
Neville sat there trying to think of an answer to the strangest question a Hogwarts student had ever been asked.
"Right" said Sirius Black, "that's an excellent set of curses and hexes to start with." The students had now amassed a goodly number of spells that while not fatal, certainly would render harmless most attackers. Each of them had known a few; Hermione and Ron added a dozen or so. Harry Potter had surprised them all with the large number he had come up with. But Sirius Black and Professor Snape had rattled of an ever-increasing list each, seeming trying to outdo the other. The students were now fully aware that some sort of rivalry existed between their two DADA teachers. Out of all the curses, charms and hexes, a list of twenty good ones to start with, was compiled. "Practise them whenever you get a chance but be careful, Mr Filch won't thank you for cursing Mrs Norris?" The class laughed at Sirius's little joke. They were slowly getting use to the idea of him being here.
They had also been shown the basic quick wand draw and most students thought themselves pretty fast until Sirius had Harry demonstrate. Harry Potter's wand simply seemed to materialise into his hand and Professor Snape merely called it adequate!
Sirius moved to the side of the class and Professor Snape moved to the front and turned to face the entire class. Only one of them would occupy the front area at a time, the other moving to the side of the class opposite to side the other had come from. They never came even close to one another.
Professor Snape now gained the classes attention and began, "Death Eaters!" He had their undivided attention now. "Death Eaters are the enemy against whom you will be arrayed. They are a ruthless, well trained, terrorist organisation. Failure is not an option for them. Each of them know that it is better to die than to return to the dark lord in failure. If they surrender or defect to our side their families and loved ones will be tortured and killed. This makes them extremely dangerous and difficult to defeat. Against these terrorists you will be measured! Do not expect them to abide by any set of rules, any code of honour or sense of fairplay. To defeat them you must act with wisdom, courage and speed. But above all you must ACT FIRST!" Professor Snapes words were chilling. The students had never seen him like this. An inner fire seemed to burn within him and his words carried a passion they had never heard from him before.
"Longbottom" Snape said picking on Neville once again, "How do you recognise a Death Eater?"
"Black Robe" Neville replied.
"And?" Snape asked the class, "What else?"
"Mask" Dean said "Death Eater's mask"
"Is that right? Black robe and death mask?" Snape was asking the class again. Most students agreed with that. "You are all wrong!" Snape spat out, "Do you think they wear the robes and masks all the time? No! So Longbottom how can you recognise a Death Eater?"
Neville thought for a second and then realised the answer must be. "You can't."
"The person behind you Longbottom may be a Death Eater." Snape continued as Neville turned to look at Dean Thomas who was seated behind him with uncertainty in his eyes. "Or maybe the person you passed in the halls on your way here, perhaps your own brother or sister is secretly a Death Eater. It could be anyone. And at anytime they may STRIKE!" The students jumped.
"So if you can't tell who they are, how can you act first?" Seamus protested.
"Their actions will speak more clearly of what they are than the robes that they wear. You must observe everything and learn to spot the minute giveaways. And you must be ready to ACT instantly they give themselves away. No hesitation, no mercy, for they will not give any to you." Snape let those words sink in.
"There is one thing that does distinguish a Death Eater. On their right arm they bear a mark that the Dark Lord placed there himself. It is called a dark mark. All Death Eaters carry one. If you see a person with the mark ACT! They will be a Death Eater."
"What does it look like?" Seamus asked.
"It looks like this!" Snape said pulling his sleeve up his arm. There in his flesh was a dark leering skull with a snake in its mouth.
"You're a Death Eater!" Neville croaked.
"That's right Longbottom," Snape said standing erect and menacingly over the boy. Neville drew his wand almost without thinking and let lose a series of curses but to no effect. Others around him joined in. Sirius began urging the students. "Come on, curse Professor Snape now. You never know, you might get lucky."
Snape gave Sirius an annoyed look. Sirius with a grin on his face got the students to stop muttering curses at their old potions master. The students knew it would not really work in the classroom but it felt great to actually attempt what they had all fantasised about over the years.
"Well we only have a few minutes left for today and as you cannot discuss this class outside this room you are free to ask us questions or talk amongst yourselves." Sirius announced to the class. The student began to excitedly talk to each other
"Professor" Dean asked Snape, "are you really a Death Eater?"
"I was Mr Thomas, but not now." Snape answered reluctantly.
"He was Dumbledore's spy in the Death Eaters." Hermione said loudly to everyone's surprise.
Snape looked at her for the first time ever with an unspoken gratitude in his eyes. Hermione flushed and sat down. Ron asked her "What did you do that for?"
"Because, I felt sorry for him. I mean we explained about Sirius. I thought someone should do the same for him. Fair's fair." Hermione told Ron but Ron didn't look very happy with her answer.
Harry went up to Sirius and asked "Are you sure this was a good idea? Exposing yourself like that. If the ministry finds out…"
"I have to be doing something to help. Besides the ministry now has its hands full trying to cover up all the Death Eater attacks going on. And who is going to believe any student who says that Sirius Black is a teacher at Hogwarts?" Sirius said putting his hand on Harry shoulder affectionately.
"But Snape?" Harry started.
"You should have seen his face in Dumbledore's office when he was told he was the new DADA teacher. He was overjoyed and then when he was told I would be too. Well let us just say it is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my days. It makes it even tolerable to be here with him." Sirius said happily. "Dumbledore thinks getting us to work together might help heal the feud between us. That man just loves to meddle. Oh just stand still for a second" Sirius said now more seriously and he waved his wand under his robes.
The lights dimmed and a figure appeared at the back of the classroom clad in a billowing black robe. Its hands, thin and spider-like, clasped a wand aimed at the students. A Ragged voice began muttering curses. Harry stiffened as he saw what it was and saw the white face with red glowing eyes beneath the black robe. Around him all his friends were hurling curses at the figure for all they were worth. His hand had found the wand on its own and he was already invoking a curse far more powerful than his friends knew when he realised what felt wrong. His Scar! It wasn't hurting at all. He relaxed and looked at Sirius. Sirius had a smug smile on his face as he watched the students using every curse they had covered. Even Snape looked satisfied.
"Okay! Stop! Stop! That's more like it" Sirius told the class. They slowly regained their composure and began talking amongst themselves. Everyone was avoiding the area around the gruesome figure. Everyone, except Harry Potter who moved in closer and was looking at the face, the eyes in particular.
"The eyes should be a deeper red." he suddenly said to no one in particular.
"Perhaps, yes a little darker." Professor Snape replied, now looking closely at the eyes himself.
"You made this?" Harry asked.
"Yes" Snape replied.
Harry's classmates were slowly taking an interest in the strange conversation.
"I think he's taller too." Harry said
"No, I'm sure I got that right. Perhaps it was because you were on the ground when you saw him." Snape answered.
"Yes, maybe" Harry replied slowly.
Ron was puzzled by the conversation between Harry and Snape. "Harry, is that freak suppose to be real or something?"
"It's Voldemort" Harry replied. Harry hadn't meant to have such an effect on his classmates but at his reply to Ron's question they had all jumped and were now eyeing the figure very wearily. Some had slumped down into chairs, most were shaking.
"That's… That's You-Know-Who?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Yep. That's Voldemort." Harry replied again.
"Stop saying his name!" Ron exclaimed from between clenched teeth. He had never gotten use to Harry's insistence on using the Dark Lord's real name. Most people in the wizarding world didn't even like saying You-Know-Who.
"Voldemort, Voldemort, VOLDEMORT!" Harry said laughing at the consternation this was causing to his friends, "It's just a name, a name of a sick son of a bitch I plan to kill, but it's just a name. You should be afraid of the man not his name."
"Potters right!" Snape said with that inner fire again, "If you see this coming towards you, I suggest you run, far and fast and don't stop till you get back here to Hogwarts. You are no match for him. Few are." The student's eyes were now wide and most were pale and drawn, perspiring and a little shaky on their feet.
Sirius announced to the class. "Well that's all the time we have for today. Remember no discussing this class outside this room. Enjoy your lunch." And with that he transformed back into Snuffles and trotted towards the door. Snape waved his wand at the door and it swung open. The students staggered out into the corridor after Snuffles. Some were still in shock over learning the identity of the figure that had attacked them. All of them were very alert and looked ready to draw at the least provocation. None of them wanted to be caught napping if a real Death Eater attacked. They had really learned that lesson today!