With Percy's funeral over the powerful grief that consumed the four teenagers ebbed away to become more of an enduring sadness. Elizabeth had taken his death to heart and instead of sorrow at his passing she was angry at his murder or more precisely angry with his murderer. She was often seen storming around the castle with her cloak billowing out behind her, every time one of them saw her she had just been to see her granddad. Malfoy was bearing the brunt this time, every time he raised his hand she ignored him, as soon as he entered her room she was scowling at him openly. In the last week of March she decided that it was time to talk to her sixth years about the imminent threat to the Wizarding world.

"Everyone put your wands away you won't be needing them today," she ordered strongly. "We're going to do the most important work of your NEWT's here today, perhaps even the most important work of you life."

"Without our wands?" Neville asked.

"Yes. Today we're going to be talking about Voldemort," as per usual gasps went round the room. "We're going to start by not nearly fainting every time we hear his name. It is just a name, it's a word like any other and it cannot kill you. If I can say it you all can, I want to hear each of you say it. Harry you first," she urged.

"Voldemort," he said unflinchingly.

"Ron?" she moved on.

"Voldemort," Ron said with just a hint of a quaver.

"Hermione?"

"Voldemort," Hermione said in a more confident tone.

"Neville?"

"V-V-Voldemort," he said nervously. Ellie continued around the class, Susan, Dean, Seamus, Hannah, Parvati, Padma, Lavender, Justin, Ernie and so on, soon the fear was gone from people's voices. It was with the Slytherins that she encountered the most problems, Draco almost refused point blank until she threatened to remove him from the class permanently, and he then barely whispered it.

"Right, has everybody survived?" she waited for them to nod. "Now I'm going to surprise you by telling you that Voldemort is not the biggest threat to our world," her class looked at each other in confusion.

"The biggest threat to our world lies with the people who think that he's got the right idea, the people who aren't all that willing to pick a side. Hermione would you come up to the front for a second?" Ellie requested, Hermione didn't hesitate and she stood beside her favourite teacher proudly.

"This, as you all know, is Hermione Granger. Without question one of the brightest witches ever to grace the hallways of Hogwarts, there hasn't been a spell invented that this girl couldn't perform if she put her mind to it. She has duelled with Death Eaters and lived to tell the tale; she has fought for the preservation of our kind wholeheartedly and without a second thought. She nearly gave her life for the cause. But there are people out there; in fact there are people in this very room who would throw her from the Wizarding world, who would take her life purely because her parents are Muggles," she gave Draco a look that positively dripped with hatred.

"Does this make any sense?" several people shook their heads. "Hermione could discover a cure for a magical malady, she could be the person to find a spell that blocks the killing curse but that doesn't matter to them. All they see is 'dirty blood.' You can sit down now Hermione. Harry would you come up here?" she ever so gently guided Hermione in the direction of her seat so that Harry could take her place.

"Harry Potter. The boy who lived, the boy who has escaped Voldemort five times. Top of his year in Defence against the Dark Arts he aspires to be an Auror, he wants to protect us from the worst of our kind. But people would want him dead because he is a half-blood. His blood is mixed with that of a Muggle born, it is impure. He will be the most powerful wizard to grace the earth, but that doesn't matter to them. You can sit down Harry," she considered every member of her class carefully before she continued.

"Let me tell you a little something about Voldemort, he is a hypocrite," she boomed, Draco nearly spat out an insult but was halted by one venomous look for her. "He and his followers preach about the purebloods being the only legitimate wizards but he himself is a half-blood," her words were followed by shock. Draco could no longer contain himself at this.

"LIAR!" he bellowed across the room.

"I am no liar Mr Malfoy. The name Lord Voldemort is an anagram for Tom Marvolo Riddle; he was student here over fifty years ago. The reason he refused to use his real name in his quest for power is that it belonged to his father, a Muggle. I'm sure if you ask your beloved father he can confirm that for you. So there you go, the man who lectures on the importance of pure blood has impure blood running in his veins. Does his cause still seem right?" again she paused for the reaction of her class. There was almost unanimous head shaking.

"I'm glad that you all think that because you are the generation that matter, you are the ones who can put this right, you are our warriors, our army not of the future but of the present. It is not only our world that is in danger; the Muggle world is in even more risk than we are because they have no method of defence against magic. You are the people that need to fight, it is your future that is at stake, and we need to protect the world we live in or chance losing it forever.

"Two months ago Percy Weasley was killed by Lord Voldemort. He was a pureblood wizard and one who had turned his back on his family because he didn't agree with the stance that they were taking on Voldemort. It didn't save him and won't save anyone else either. When it comes to killing Lord Voldemort does not discriminate, he will kill anything and anyone who stands in his way. He inflicts torture upon his own followers and he shows no mercy to anyone. He rules with fear but fear is all in the mind, it can be controlled and overcome, if you can control your fear then Voldemort cannot control you. Think very carefully about what life would be like under his oppression. That is today's lesson over, thank you for listening," she returned wearily to her desk and took a sip of water from a glass on her desk.

"That was a good lesson Professor, thank you for all the things you said," Hermione blushed as she approached the teacher's desk; Harry, Ron and Neville joined her.

"Every word of it was true. How are you four anyway?" she looked at them with concern.

"Fine," Neville replied quickly, knowing that she was more interested in the other three.

"Ok," Ron responded with a grateful look.

"I'm alright," Harry answered.

"Me too," Hermione added.

"What about Ginny?"

"She's still very upset," Hermione informed her.

"Of course, you lot will have to work extra hard to take her mind off things. This is an important year for her and I want all of you to make sure that this doesn't overwhelm her," the genuine anxiety in her voice steeled their resolve to spend more time with the fifth year. "You're alright too Neville?"

"Yes miss,"

"Good, you're still making great progress. Everyone is, I'm really pleased with the way that you're all coming along."

"It helps to have a good teacher," Neville coloured.

"Thank you, Neville. Now why don't the lot of you disappear outside, it's a lovely day, go and get some fresh air in your lungs and don't forget to have fun - good, legitimate, rule-abiding fun. Percy wouldn't mind that and Sirius would thoroughly discourage it," she smiled. They chuckled the first proper chuckle in months as they left her classroom.

A/N: That was a nice, relatively calm chapter but it's time for some action. The next chapter is called…The Attack.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you think!

If you love my story, hell even if you hate it, I'd appreciate the review. Thank you.