Chapter 9: DADA
Excitement about Defense Against the Dark Arts, the last class of the day, ran through the first-year students, distracting them from Transfiguration, where they continued to turn matches into needles, and Herbology, where they were introduced to magical flora by Professor Longbottom, and threatening to keep them awake during History of Magic, which Myles had been interested in before Professor Binns began lecturing.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was a Tuesday and Thursday double-period lecture class at the end of the day for all first-years. It was the only class held in the practical lecture room, a large flat rectangular room with a podium for the Professor to stand on at one end and a pile of dummies and wooden obstacles at the other end. Enough chair desks were arrayed in front of the podium to seat all the first-years with over two-thirds of the room to spare.
Professor Salem was sitting on the podium waiting for class to start when Myles arrived. The man wasn't quite old, but he definitely wasn't young. Despite the occupation he was rumored to have, Dark Wizard hunter, and his metal prosthesis arm, his face was unmarred by scars. He reminded Myles of Auror Rawlins, but more relaxed and more… free, independent.
Myles had seen a couple of prosthesis arms before walking through Diagon Alley but Professor Salem's was nothing like them. It was made of hundreds, if not thousands, of interlocking pieces of metal that were constantly being shifted around by tiny complex gears for no discernable reason. The constant motion whirred softly, audible after the bell rang and an expectant silence cut off the first-years' excited conversations.
It wasn't the imposing and strict silence that Professor Sewell inspired. The Defence Professor held himself looser, observed the students casually rather than sternly. The silence was one of anticipation, because Professor Salem's loose stance wasn't lazy but dangerous and because of the wild stories, most of which lacked even a seed of truth, that had spread throughout the school about him.
"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. The Ministry is of the opinion that first years should be taught various worthless theories and an assortment of tricks that will ineffectually aid you in defeating harmless magical creatures and household pests," Professor Salem broke the silence.
"Throwing a cucumber at a kappa will distract it, a grindylow's fingers are brittle and breakable, a Red Cap will run if you throw a beautification potion onto it. All Ministry backed ways for dealing with magical creatures. All completely useless."
"A Stunning Charm is more effective in every case. Most first-years can't manage the Stunning Charm, but even then they are better served by Incendio or Relashio, which can easily handle all but the most dangerous magical creatures you can find in Britain: trolls, dragons, and dementors. The populations of these creatures are numbered in the thousands or hundreds and are carefully contained to specific locations. Discounting executions, one or two British wizards, mostly dragon caretakers, die to these creatures a year."
"No, magical creatures are a poor focus of study for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"A magical creature didn't terrorize Wizarding Britain twice over only a couple of decades ago. Magical creatures did not conquer the greater part of Europe. Magical creatures don't rule over entire sections of countries, their Ministries too afraid to siege their lairs."
"Only a wizard can make whole nations quake in fear. Grindelwald. Voldemort." There were scattered gasps from the first-years at the sound of the last name. "That's why I'm teaching here. So that when the next Grindelwald or Voldemort appears the wizarding world can do more than watch from the sidelines and pray for a Dumbledore or Harry Potter to save them. Because if they hadn't been there to save the day then this world would be Grindewald's, or worse, Voldemort's."
He let his words sink in. Every wizard-born first-year had heard of the second wizarding war, had seen portraits of dead family members or heard stories. But none of them had heard it told so frankly, heard their families' contributions discounted so heavily.
"Now, put your book bags in the back corner. Let's have some fun," Professor Salem's smile held the barest hint of the excitement. The first-years followed his instructions and Professor Salem sent the rows of desks flying orderly into the storeroom with an impressive yet casual display of magic.
"The Numbing Charm is a simple, low-powered, and largely useless spell sometimes used by healers," he continued when the first-years had returned to the front of the podium, now standing. "We are learning it for two reasons. First, it's highly similar to the Stunning Charm in its incantation, wand motions, and feel but easy enough that anyone can cast it. Second, we'll be using it for a game today."
"The incantation is Torpefy," the Professor said, slowly enunciating the incantation. "Say it with me on 3. 1… 2… Torpefy."
He demonstrated the wand motions next, a sideways back-palm push into a full counterclockwise wrist turn, and then the full spell on a dummy, sending a thin pale red bolt into its chest to no visible effect.
"Now pair up and take turns practicing it on each other. Don't worry about hurting your partner, the spell is harmless." Professor Salem hit himself on the leg with the charm to prove it was, indeed, harmless.
"Myles!" Lyla exclaimed to his side as the first-years began to find partners. The Gryffindor girl was so earnest, her emotions so transparent and pure, that Myles couldn't help but return her smile as she approached. "You need a partner?"
They matched up and began practicing the spell. It fizzled out at first for Lyla, though Myles could see nothing wrong with her wand motions or incantations, but within a couple of minutes her spells were numbing patches of his body, which tickled as the spell's effect expired. Myles once again overpowered his first try at a spell and his Numbing Charm affected most of Lyla's body, which had her bent over laughing at the odd sensation of numbness followed by the tickling aftereffect.
The majority of the first-years also quickly managed the spell, in a way it was even easier than Lumos because the wand motions helped guide the magic whereas the Lumos charm had no defined movements. Their aim, however, sent pale red bolts everywhere, hitting neighbors as often as it hit their partners. The full wrist turn that the spell ended with made it difficult to aim, and controlling exactly when the spell released at the end of the turn made it even harder. Myles had a fair aim but Lyla's was easily the best in the class, not only could she hit him every time, she could even consistently choose where to hit him.
Professor Salem walked down the lines of students, correcting errors in wand motions and pronunciation as he passed and, when everyone was casting a functional spell, began to give them desperately needed aiming tips.
"Break!" the Defence Professor called out eventually. "Gather round! It's time for our game."
"Each one of you will get one of these," He pulled out a yellow headband and showed it to the students. "Simply tap your wand on the headband and it will turn green," he said, demonstrating and then putting it on his head.
"Now, I need a volunteer." Quite a few hands went up in the air and Professor Salem picked the most energetic of them, Lyla. "Now tap on this headband. Good. And put it on. Now hit me with a numbing charm."
The spell hit the Professor's arm and his headband turned red. He gestured to the previously blank boards above the entrance to the lecture hall, where two long tiles now held the names "Lyla" and "Defence Professor", which was crossed out, with a 1 and 0 by their names respectively.
"When you hit someone with a headband on with the Numbing Charm their headband will turn red and you gain a point and once your headband turns red the magic you cast won't affect the others' headbands. We'll be playing a game of free-for-all tag. Only Numbing Charms will be allowed. Last one standing gets nine points, each tag you get grants one point and once you get tagged you're out for good and have to move to the side of the room. Now, scatter and stand still!"
The first-years spread out across the room and Professor Salem began levitating the obstacles and walls from the back of the room to the spaced in-between the first years.
"The winner gets this collection of Honeydukes candy!" The Professor called out, levitating a basket filled with chocolate and candy up so that all of the first-years could see it. "Now! 3... 2… 1… Begin!"
Myles put his back to the wall next to him and dodged a Numbing Charm from Rose before responding with his own that skimmed her side and turned her headband red. She looked a bit disappointed but congratulated him before walking out to the side.
The students had, as usual, split into their four Houses as they spread across the classroom, each House claiming a quarter of the room, and so almost all of the early "tags" were from hitting fellow Housemates.
Myles, giving it some thought, didn't see any reason to move. He doubted anyone would round up enough points to beat out the bonus from being the last man standing so his best chance would be to avoid action.
Lyla danced through the Gryffindors around her, weaving through the first-years and their spells with the grace of a ballerina and a show of effortless ease. She was heedless of the potential cover around her, walking out into the open and daring her classmates with a wide open target. Headbands turned red all around her, each of the Numbing Charms sent from her wand finding its mark despite having to constantly dodge the spells sent at her.
Ambrose and Ambrosia's eyes had met before the Defence Professor had called for the free-for-all to start. They didn't nod or even set expressions on their faces, meeting each other's eyes was more than enough communication for the two twins.
They began making headway towards each other as soon as the chaos began, each of them dropping a few of their Housemates on the way. Neither Ambrose or Ambrosia were duelists, but they were Malfoys; their tutoring had included the basics of dueling, which was more than the other first-years could say.
Ambrose let loose the first Numbing Charm but the two were far enough away that Ambrosia only needed to twist her body to dodge it. Her reply was similarly unsuccessful, and both of them managed to side step the next set of charms. Ambrosia, however, was forced to dive out of the way of her twin brother's next spell as she cast her own in return, making him dive to the ground himself.
Ambrosia was stunned when her arm went numb and her headband turned red. She had to look around to remember all of the other first-years that were still in the game and felt extremely foolish when she did. Ambrose, having dove to the ground as well, fared no better and he was hit while rising to his feet.
The walls and obstacles around Cecilia began to float up in the air and exit the field of play. The Defence Professor was taking away all the cover on the edges of the room, forcing the first-years towards the center. Cecilia darted towards stable cover, exchanging a pair of Numbing Charms with Alexa, her muggleborn Ravenclaw roommate who had also been flushed out of cover, before landing one. She gave an apologetic shrug to her friend and Alexa wished her good luck as she went to join the sidelines.
The chaos had died down quickly in the first twenty seconds, as well over half of the class was taken out of the game. Once the cover began to float up into the air and away, however, those on the outside were forced to move in or stand out in the open and the action kicked up again. Myles ran to the next wall of cover, seeing Cecilia to his right but too far for a reliable shot, and then ran inwards again because the wall he had just reached began to rise up.
He had turned two headbands red so far and as the field of cover shortened to only a few scant walls he hit two more Numbing Charms, one on an unsuspecting Hufflepuff and another in a close call with a quick Slytherin girl. He'd been careful to watch out for Cecilia, he was sure she'd be a difficult opponent, but he caught a glimpse of her moving farther off to the right and it looked like his right side would be safe as long as he kept track of her.
A glance at the scoreboard told him there were only six first-years left and he saw Lyla had thirteen points, more than the following three names combined. As he looked to the scoreboard all of the remaining cover rose into the air, leaving the remaining six first-years out in the open.
Lyla stood at the opposite end of the circle the students had now formed, a sheen of sweat on her forehead and a wide smile on her face. Tor Yaxley, the small Slytherin bully, stood to her left, and the pair exchanged a pair of charms that saw Lyla neatly sidestepping and Tor's headband turn red.
Cecilia was to Myles's right, facing off against Thalia Zabini, the dark haired girl Myles had stood behind at Sorting, and Sam stood to Myles's left, Torpefy on his lips and wand pointed straight at Myles. Myles was too focused on dodging to aim the Numbing Charm that he responded with but Sam had the misfortune of being closer to Lyla, who hit him on the side and turned his headband red.
Cecilia, out of sight for Myles, won out against Thalia, and there were only three of them left in the game. Myles instantly shot off a Numbing Charm at Lyla , who was easily recognizable as the greatest threat, and Cecilia sent another at the Gryffindor girl's legs a moment later.
Lyla ducked under Myles's Numbing Nharm and dove over Cecilia's, somehow managing to fire off her own at Myles while diving. He jumped out of the way, but Lyla wasn't letting up. She advanced on him, dodging Myles's and Cecilia's now disjointed attacks with ease, and sent a Numbing Charm at him. Not even bothering to see the spell fly towards Myles, because she was certain it would hit, Lyla turned and fired another at Cecilia.
The Numbing Charm flew at Myles and he realized he couldn't move fast enough to dodge it. But... he could feel something from the spell, amplified through the wand he held in front of him and he acted without thinking in that split second, attempting to stop the spell by blocking it with his wand.
To his surprise his swiping wand deflected the spell heading at him and, due to an extraordinary stroke of luck rather than any intention, headed straight for Lyla's back. Cecilia's and Lyla's headbands turned red nearly simultaneously and the crowd of spectating first-years, all wearing or carrying red headbands, began to cheer.
There was some confusion amongst the first-years as it was realized that even though Myles was the last one wearing a green headband, Lyla had managed to score sixteen points and Myles, even after the bonus, only had fourteen. Lyla, who hadn't paid attention to the rules or scoring, was confused when both she and Myles congratulated each other on winning at the same time, though she was even more confused by how Myles had deflected her Numbing Charm.
Professor Salem let the clamour die down to a manageable volume before he spoke."Congratulations, Ms. Laughlin, on a hard won and impressive victory. For those wondering how Mr. Myles deflected that Numbing Charm, it appears he accidentally used a rare dueling technique called Spellcatching, which can be used to deflect or even dispel spells. Since it isn't a spell by itself and only a redirection it doesn't break the Numbing Chames only rule."
"Now," Professor Salem continued with a vindictive smile. "It's time for the test."
The clamor returned in an instant, students turning to each other with worried questions, asking if the other others had studied or heard about the test.
"Silence!" Professor Salem's magically amplified voice called quieting the students instantly. "Go to the back and grab your bookbags."
The students reluctantly returned to their bookbags, whispering hurriedly as Professor Salem returned the desks to the room. Papers fluttered through the air and landed on their desks as the first-years returned and sat down.
"Take out your quills," Professor Salem said when they were all seated. "And begin."
The test was multiple choice, and was simple enough when it asked "What is the classification of the Disarming Charm?" or "What determines the rate of travel of a projectile spell?" but became mind-numbing only a few questions later where the questions became select all of the following that apply, or rank the below options in order and asked about subjects Myles had never heard of before, much less knew well enough to answer questions about.
Myles wasn't alone in the silent struggle against the parchment. The first-years, playing a game one moment and being thrown into a test they were in no way prepared for the next, were in various states of confusion and panic. Some looked around like they couldn't believe the paper in front of them, some stared at the paper shocked, others looked like they were going to cry, and Rose was crying as she worked through the test.
He didn't know what to think. Grades were supposed to be important here at Hogwarts, but he didn't understand why exactly. You wouldn't be thrown out of Hogwarts for performing badly in a class and they certainly couldn't throw out the whole first year class for their DADA grades. Myles filled in the answers he knew, guessed on a few others, and left the rest blank.
Only a few first-years were still working when he finished and they waited out the rest of the test to the sound of the ticking clock and the few quills still scratching ink out on parchment.
"Time's up." Professor Salem announced when the clock he had set let out its' last tick. He repeated himself so that Rose, who was still furiously looking through the test, stopped and then waved his wand to release a set of quills that began to work their way through the rows of students.
The quills quickly worked through their tests, checking each question and writing a total at the end, confirming what everyone knew.
"There will be no homework in this class. Practical and paper tests will form your grade," Professor Salem said when the quills had finished their work. "As you can see from today, many of you will struggle."
"That's why there'll be an optional extra credit opportunity, worth up to half of your grade in attendance and participation." The bell rang and rejuvenated first-years began to talk excitedly.
"Sign ups," Professor Salem called, motioning for the class to fall silent again. "Are by the door, I hope to see each and every one of your names on the list. Ms. Laughlin and Ms. Lovegood-Eden, could I see the two of you in my office?"
Professor Salem turned towards his office, and the room again filled with excited conversations.
The office door had been left slightly ajar and Lyla took the opening as an invitation, barging through confidently and descending down the short flight of stairs. Cecilia followed behind, wondering why Professor Salem had asked to see her.
Lyla had been excited to see the office of the Dark Wizard Hunter turned Professor, but Professor Salem's office was nothing but plain, with a number of darkwood drawers and a large desk, empty save for a roll of parchment and the Defence Professor's only decoration in the room was an old and large gold-rimmed mirror leaning against the back wall.
"Ms. Laughlin, Mrs. Lovegood-Eden, come, sit," Professor Salem said to them from behind his desk.
"You can call me Lyla, Professor," Lyla said brightly, taking one of the two seats in front of the desk.
"Cecilia," Cecilia said in kind as she took the other seat.
Professor Salem gave a civil smile that didn't quite reach his eyes in response. "Both of you were impressive today, have you been involved in similar activities before Lyla?"
"Uh," Lyla hesitated before answering, knowing that telling a professor about throwing hexes at other kids wasn't a smart idea. "Maybe a couple of times."
"Regardless, you have a talent for it. I saw you learning the Numbing Charm and noted that you were having some issues, even with flawless wand motions and incantations and I was wondering how you got your wand; is it secondhand?"
"It's my Da's old wand," Lyla said, pulling her wand out of her pocket and showing it to Professor Salem. "I think it's hazelnut and unicorn hair."
"It's common for an inherited wand, passed from parent to child, to be incompatible with the inheritor. Talented wizards and witches can make do with a poorly matched wand, but it cripples their performance and forces bad habits. That's why, even though most families have a couple of passed down wands, they purchase wands at Ollivander's or at second-hand shops." Professor Salem said.
"I think, Lyla, you may not be well-matched for your wand though I am by no means an expert on the matter. I do, however, have a collection of spare wands and one of them might suit you."
The Defence Professor pulled out one of the many drawers on the side of the room with a motion of his wand. An assortment of wands rested inside, some showing considerable wear and others looking like they had just been pulled out of an Ollivander's box, some were labeled and others were unmarked, some were crafted into designs, varying from elegant to crude, and others were as simple as rounded sticks.
"If you can find a suitable wand here, it would be my pleasure for you to take it." Lyla had been listening intently to Professor Salem and her eyes lit up as the drawer opened. "Are you sure, Professor?" She asked with forced hesitation and barely concealed excitement. "I can't pay."
"I'm sure," the Defence Professor said with an air of finality.
Lyla jumped out of her seat and peered down at the wands. "How do I know which wand will match with me?"
"I don't know; it's standard to wave each wand until you find a suitable match," Professor Salem replied.
Lyla lowered her hand to pick one of the wands up, coming to a realization as she reached for a wand of dark black wood. The Defence Professor hadn't bought these wands; they were trophies, and there were a lot of them. The realization pushed her excitement to the brim and she gave the wand a wave. Her magic bit into a drawer on the far side of the office, tearing wood and flinging a chunk of it around the room.
"Perhaps not that wand," Professor Salem said with a slight smile as he repaired his drawer. Lyla apologized but he just waved her on and she continued testing wands with varying effects. A dozen or so wands in she waved a light brown wand that gave off a chime and seemed to settle on it.
"May I, Professor?" Cecilia asked, gesturing towards the drawer of wands. "I think there's a better match."
"You may," Professor Salem replied, watching curiously.
Cecilia rummaged through the wands for a moment before pulling out a wand and handing it to Lyla, who dutifully gave it a wave. It sent out a bright white light, but seemed to match her no better than the previous wand. Cecilia took longer this time, searching through the pile before finally coming up with one and handing it to Lyla.
"Oooo," Lyla breathed in appreciation as she waved the new wand, setting herself aglow and sending a shiver down her back. Slowly the glow in her skin dimmed down, till only the bright smile on her face remained.
"Well done Cecilia, I didn't know of your expertise with wands," Professor Salem commended.
"Just a lucky guess and some reading," Cecilia replied, blushing and lowering her head. "It's aspen I think, but the core wasn't labeled."
"You may leave, Lyla, don't forget your basket of sweets on the podium," the Defence Professor said. "I expect great things from you and your new wand in my class."
"Thanks Professor!" Lyla exclaimed, before pulling an unexpecting Cecilia into a hug and thanking her as well.
Cecilia sat back down as Lyla closed the door behind her, pulling her perfectly innocent, and slightly nervous, face up to look at the Defence Professor. "What'd you want to speak with me about Professor?"
"I'm curious, Ms. Eden," Professor Salem said, calling Cecilia by the latter half of her last name. "Why weren't you trying to win today?"
"What do you mean, Professor?"
The Defence Professor adjusted his hand slightly, and the wand underneath rotated such that it pointed towards Cecilia. A moment of silence hung in the room, in which the diminutive Ravenclaw girl unblinkingly met the Professor's eyes.
"It's nothing," the Defence Professor finally said, an intrigued smile filling his face and reaching his eyes in a way that none of his previous expressions had. "You may join your friends; we'll speak again."
The Defence classroom had, if not quickly, then steadily cleared as the first-year students crowded around the signup sheet and then left, eager to enjoy the free time they had for the rest of the day. Myles was one of the few who lingered in the classroom.
Rose was unsuccessfully trying to fight back tears and a few Ravenclaws, Kory, Myles, and Alexa, had stayed behind trying to comfort her. A couple of Gryffindors, Elias and Alissa, who were waiting on Lyla, joined them.
"Rose," Elias said in an exasperated but fond tone when he walked over to his cousin, whose face was burrowed into her arms on the desk. "Everyone failed the test, you're probably the only one that got over a quarter of the questions right. Just sign up for the club like the rest of us."
Rose raised her head from her arms and saw the score written on her paper before letting out a painful moan and dropping her head back down to the desk. Alexa wisely flipped the paper upside down to hide Rose's score from her.
"I thought it might just be me, being Muggleborn and all, but everyone really did fail," Kory said, who had been looking glum after the test but had cheered up considerably when he realized he wasn't alone and, oddly, while trying to comfort Rose. "It looks like he just wanted to force everyone to join the club; he wasn't exactly subtle about it."
"If half of the stories Teddy and Fred have told are true, it'll probably end horribly," Elias said with a grin, nudging Rose.
"Remember the professor that was sent to St. Mungo's from a flobberworm bite? Turned out he was a vampire and the flobberworms had been eating garlic herbs."
Rose managed raised her head again. "You realize every story they tell is a prank, right? They're worse than Uncle George."
"Professor Salem gave me a new wand!" Lyla exclaimed from the teachers podium behind them, having exited the Defence Professor's office.
"What? Why?" Alissa asked.
"He said my father's wand was a bad match," She explained as she pointed her wand at the basket of Honeydukes candies she'd won. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Lyla floated the sizable basket into her hands and then proudly hopped off the podium. She dropped the basket down on the desk before Rose's and declared open season on the sweets.
They eagerly passed around the sweets as they asked Lyla more about the wand she'd gotten and then about the damage she'd managed to wreck onto the Defence Professor's office while testing new wands.
"BILDYWOP!" Rose suddenly exclaimed. Her face flushed a bright blue and her tongue twisted onto itself. Elias fell into a fit of laughter, which became hysterical as he looked at the shocked faces of his fellow first-years. The laughter proved contagious and soon enough all of them had joined in, though Rose managed to keep her laughter silent.
"Ugh, what was that?" Rose glared indignantly at Elias, a look that she said she'd get him back for this.
"Well, Fred says it's one of Uncle George's prototypes - they have no idea why it makes you say "BILDYWOP" - but I think Fred might've made it himself," Elias answered, his grin holding the remnants of his laughter.
"Let me try one!" Lyla demanded, and Elias acquiesced, surprised that anyone would volunteer to eat a prank candy.
"BILDYWOP!" The group of first-years relapsed into laughter before they were drawn out of it by a new voice.
"Bildywop?" Cecilia asked innocently, and they laughed even harder while Cecilia looked on with amusement.
"They're tasty," Lyla said, grabbing the last one out of Elias's incredulous hands and popping it into her mouth. "BILDYWOP!"
Cecilia joined in their laughter this time and the group of first-years began to speculate on what would happen in the new Defence club, their theories growing wilder and wilder as they attempted to one-up the outrageousness of the previous guess.
Myles didn't give any theories and he barely participated in the conversation, but just being a part of the group, laughing and smiling along with his fellow first-years, felt good. He thought, for the first time, that this place could become a home to him, in a way the Orphanage never was.