I was the Friday of that week that Harry chose to hold the first D.A. meeting of the year. As it turned out, he was the one who learned something that day. The room he had created for the meeting had always been large enough for every other meeting, but the number of students that showed up that year was nothing short of shocking. Even before they had all arrived, he had been forced to change the room to one that resembled the great hall so that they would have room to spread out.

Harry didn't know how he was ever going to be able to teach all of them anything. He liked to walk among the students while they practiced so he could offer one on one help. There is no way that he would have the time to make it around to every group unless they had the class last most of the day.

"Unless you have a time turner that we don't know about, Harry," Hermione began in response to Harry's latest suggestion as they sat at dinner, "I don't see how you can possibly do it that way. I don't think you realize just how much of your time that would take up. You would have to squeeze in all of your regular classes, quidditch practice, and don't forget that we'll be taking our N.E.W.T. exams this year."

"I know it won't be easy," Harry said. "I just don't see any other way unless we cancel the D.A. classes all together. I can't teach that large of a group all at once. It just isn't my style of teaching."

"I don't know, Harry," Ginny said. "Maybe you should let some of the other D.A members teach the first and second year students. At least that would only leave you with two separate classes to teach."

"I don't think that would work, Ginny," Neville said. "Think about why we all started coming to the classes in the first place. It wasn't just because we wanted to learn more Defense Against the Dark Arts. How many people would have come if you or Hermione or anyone else had been teaching it? The reason people come is because of Harry. They know that what he teaches doesn't just come from a book. He has actually faced Voldemort on several occasions and lived to tell about it. None of us can substitute for that."

They all just sat their and looked at Neville for a while, admiring his passion, before Harry said, "Thanks, Neville. I think you may be selling yourself a little bit short though. I may have fought Voldemort, but you were all the ones who were there fighting the death eaters right beside me. You deserve the same credit I do."

"Sure we know that," Ron said, "but Neville is right. In the eyes of the rest of the students, you are still the general. We may be your lieutenants, but they aren't going to accept any substitutes for the real thing."

"Then I guess that's the way it has to be," Harry said. "I'll take the first and second years on Mondays, third fourth and fifth years on Tuesdays, and sixth and seventh years on Sundays. That will still leave Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for class work and quidditch practice."

"Hold on, Harry," Ron said. "You forgot to include Thursday in that list."

"I didn't forget," Harry said. "Thursday is for Ginny."

Everyone looked over to Ginny to notice that she turned a light shade of red even as a smile spread over her face that told everyone that one of her fears had just been laid to rest.

"Hello everyone," Cassidy said, breaking them all out of their thinking. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. If I am, I'll come back later."

"It's alright," Harry said. "What can we do for you?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask a question about something I heard," Cassidy said. "Are you teaching some kind of Defense Against the Dark Arts study group or something?"

"Something like that," Harry responded.

"Well, I heard that there were flyers put up in the other common rooms about it," Cassidy said. "I haven't seen one in the Slytherin common room though."

"You have to understand," Hermione said, "this class is designed specifically to train students to defend themselves if they ever encounter a death eater. There are some of the students who are in your house whose parents are death eaters."

"Malfoy I suspect," Cassidy said.

"Along with some others," Hermione said.

"Well Malfoy is a twit," Cassidy said. "You shouldn't judge all of us just because Malfoy and his friends are bad apples. There are some of us who would love to come to the class."

"I don't think it would be a problem if you wanted to come," Harry said. "Seventh years will meet in the room of requirement on Sunday. We'll get back to you about a time by tomorrow."

"Would it be alright if I brought along some friends?" Cassidy asked.

"Anyone who wants to come is welcome," Harry said.

"Great," Cassidy said with a smile that made all of the boys watching from the other tables melt. "I'll be looking forward to it. See you all later."

Cassidy walked out of the great hall, and as usual most of the heads in the room turned and watched her go.

"Who would have ever imagined it?" Ron asked. "Slytherins in the D.A. meetings."

Harry was just about to respond when he looked up and realized that Malfoy was looking right at him with a stare of hatred.

Cassidy sat in a chair in the Slytherin common room as she composed several letters to her friends back in America. She had gotten several letters from them telling her how jealous they were that she was getting to sit next to Harry Potter in every potions class. She was wondering what they would say when they found out she was going to be taking a class where Harry Potter himself was going to be her teacher. She was sure to tell them that she thought she would need to have lots of one on one training. She was sure it was just the thing to drive them all mad.

Cassidy was just signing the last letter when she noticed that someone had stopped to stand just in front of her. Looking up, she wasn't surprised to see that it was no other than Draco Malfoy.

"For the last time, Draco" Cassidy said, "I'm not interested in dating you."

"I can't believe you would fall for that aura of fame that people have created around that fool," Malfoy said maliciously.

"What are you talking about?" Cassidy asked.

"I see the way you sit next to Potter in Potions and the way you look at him when you talk to him," Malfoy said with a sneer. "Let me give you a little piece of advice. It won't be a good idea to align yourself with Potter this year. I would hate to see you get hurt."

"Let me make something clear to you, Malfoy," Cassidy spat at him as she stood and caused him to take a step back. "I would advise you to stay out of my business. I make friends with who I need to."

"What do you mean need to?" Malfoy asked. "What possible need could you have of Potter?"

"Idiot," Cassidy said. "I bet you made your feelings about Harry known to him the first time you met him. If you had been smart, you should have done everything you could to become his friend. I'm sure your father and Voldemort would have valued what could have been gained with a supposed friendship with Harry. As it is you don't know anything about what he is like or what he really thinks or feels."

"Don't tell me you're hanging all over him because you hate him," Malfoy said. "You're only here for one year anyway. Why would you care about getting close to him?"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to do something extraordinary," Cassidy said letting her emotions spill out more than she had intended, "and have it tainted by the knowledge that someone is poised to do something even greater?"

"What?" Draco said not quite getting what she meant.

"I defeated the most powerful dark wizard in America," Cassidy said fighting to hold back the rage inside of her, "and my name should have been on everyone's lips for it. But it wasn't. It was always Harry Potter. Harry Potter and his battle with Voldemort that he hadn't even fought yet were still what they were all talking about. Who was going to remember what I had done if Harry actually managed to defeat Voldemort? That, Malfoy, is why I'm here. That is what I gain from being close to Harry Potter. So send owls to whomever you need to and let them know that they have more to worry about than Harry. I'll defeat Voldemort myself, and I'll take down anyone else who gets in my way until then."