Miss Moony would like to dedicate this chapter to Neo-Queen Serenity for being the first reviewer.

Miss Moony would also like to thank ikav, Jersey Princess, anonomous, Bria, Lolly O'Niell, Serenitystone, Lady Lily3, I can see Thestrals, Morgaine of the Fairies, Spaced Out Space Cadet, Skokkau vegg sultan n, girlknight, volleypickle16, deFox, SilverKnight7 and kestral-girl for reviewing.

Ouch, sorry. Miss Moony will try to make the chapters longer.

Miss Moony would also like to request that someone reads and reviews her other story "All Along" because, going by her principles, she can't update until she's had at least two reviews, and, while no-one's reviewed her most recent chapter, she has five chapters written and cluttering up her zip disc while she waits to update.

------- I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good -------

Last time: Ginny was eyeing the doors to the great hall evilly and the others suddenly found it hard to refuse her for fear of being on the receiving end of one of her bat-bogey hexes.

Harry nodded his consent and she marched forward determinedly, opening the doors with a loud bang, reminiscent of the fake Moody's entrance.

Silence fell.

Chapter 5

Dumbledore stood up, his wand raised and his mouth in a grim line.

"May I please ask who you are and why you are here?" he asked.

"You already have," Ron pointed out, only to be silenced by a look from Harry.

"Perhaps it would be best to speak privately, Headmaster," Hermione said logically.

Dumbledore nodded, though only Harry seemed to catch on to his real worry. "I can assure you that we mean no harm," he added and Dumbledore lowered his wand, slightly more relaxed, but still on guard.

Ginny mock-glared at Harry. "You just ruined my evil act," she protested, causing him to laugh nervously.

The others jumped when Harry sped out of the hall, followed by the angry red-head, with Luna, Ron and Hermione close behind them, leaving Neville alone in the hall, and the center of everyone's attention.

He gulped, looking Dumbledore in the eyes. "We'll see you there then," he managed to squeak before fleeing the hall for the safety that lies in numbers.

-------

"Have you two stopped arguing yet?" Neville asked Ginny and Harry when he reached the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"We were never arguing in the first place," Ginny answered, smiling innocently.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you call that scene in the hall then?" she enquired.

"A brilliant plan to get us out of there before Dumbledore started hexing us," Ginny stated in a matter-of-fact tone before adding, "and a way to scare the students at the same time."

Harry leant against the wall and groaned in frustration. "You mean to say that I ran all this way and you weren't going to curse me?"

"It's good exercise," Luna said, speaking up for the first time.

Harry looked at her as if she was crazy - which, might I add, she probably was, but let's not go into that. "I get more than enough exercise running away from Dudley and his gang," he said, "I don't need any more."

Ginny was about to ask why he was panting if he was so fit, but she lost the words on the end of her tongue when Dumbledore arrived.

"Why are you here?" he asked, cutting straight to the point… for once.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "We were informed that you were in need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he said, but then looked around and noted that there were six of them, "or should I say teachers."

Dumbledore peered at them over his half-moon spectacles. "And what makes you think that you are an acceptable candidate for the position?"

Harry was momentarily speechless, finding himself unable to think of anything to say that wouldn't give away their status as time-travelers. After all, hadn't Dumbledore said that he hadn't figured it out until after they'd left.

Surprisingly, it was Ron who answered the question. "We are all partially trained war mages and we have fought in several battles against You-Know-Who's Death Eaters. We were just in a battle last June."

Dumbledore looked disbelieving. "Aren't you a little young to have fought Death Eaters?" he said, "You don't look more than sixteen at the most. And those three," he indicated Harry, Luna and Ginny, "can't be older than fifteen."

Harry looked away as heat rushed to his cheeks. He had always been small for his age, but this was the first time Dumbledore - past or present - had commented on it; he hadn't realized that he was that much of a midget.

Ron was not so discreet, and a sort of laughter escaped him before he could stifle it.

"May I ask what is so funny Mr. -?" Dumbledore said.

"West," Ron finished, but found himself unable to answer the question, as he was doubled up in hysterics.

Hermione looked at him in disdain. "Myself, Ron, Neville and Harry are all sixteen," she said, gesturing to each one of them in turn, "and Ginny and Luna are fifteen, but you of all people should know that age is no measure of experience."

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Now, if we could step into my office and if you could tell me your names."

"Hermione Grant," Hermione said.

"Ginevra West," Ginny told Dumbledore, "and that's my idiot of a brother Ronald."

"Harry Patterson," Harry said.

"Neville James," Neville added.

"Luna Cox," Luna finished off and Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling and whispered the password to his office.

The six time-travelers stepped onto the staircase after him with Ron bringing up the rear, still chuckling slightly.