The Lecture we don't talk about.

Professor Lupin was waiting for the class as they noisily came into the defence classroom.

He glanced at his wristwatch, checking the time.

The bell hadn't tolled for the start of the period, and the Gryffindor and Slytherin third years were being noisy, apart from Hermione Granger, who had her parchment and quill out, and was sitting like a hunting-dog waiting for the Professor to start, so she could obsessively write it all down. Granger was so irritating.

Over on the Slytherin side of the classroom, Draco Malfoy was telling Theodore something, and Theodore was nodding along.

The bell in the clock tower tolled out one loud bong.

"Can anyone tell me what we covered in the last lesson, with Professor Snape?" asked Professor Lupin, looking tired and sick – maybe he wasn't really better from whatever had caused him to have to be substituted by Professor Snape.

Granger had her hand up like a shot. Lils, next to Millicent, put her hand up too.

The Professor looked out at the class.

"Miss… Moon isn't it?" asked the Professor. Pansy and Draco looked back at Lils.

"The loup garou" said Lils, and Millicent looked over – Lils had gone red in the face, and Daphne had turned and was glaring at her. Daphne's got a scary face like her dad when she glares. Pansy refers to it as Daphne's resting-bitch face. Which is unfair, Daphne's almost pretty if she's not glaring, and you don't mind long noses. Millicent resisted the urge to hide her face from all the attention Lils was getting from the rest of the class.

"The um werewolf" corrected Lils "He um skipped hinkeypunks and covered werewolves. There was an essay."

"Of course there was" said Professor Lupin tiredly. "And a point to Slytherin house for the name of a werewolf in French – It's often confusing but in different cultures, the same creature or curse has a different name. It can make responding to warnings difficult. For the rest of the year, someone remind me and we'll do all the names in Francias and english."

Daphne had narrowed her eyes at Lils, silently warning her, no doubly not to sound 'ethnic.'

And Professor Lupin, who seemed as English as cardigans, tweed coats and hopeless moustaches, had just pronounced a French word… properly.

Granger had put her arm down.

Professor Lupin spoke again, sounding irritated really, "If everyone would leave their essays in a pile on my desk at the end of the period, that will be fine. Given that we've skipped Hinkeypunks, I feel that today we should cover something different. Question: what is the creature most likely to kill an adult wizard or witch?"

Granger seemed frozen with indecision, and hadn't lifted her hand yet.

"Granger doesn't know" whispered Pansy not very subtly to Daphne. Millicent snorted.

Finnegan, of all people, put his hand up. Everyone in class craned to stare at the dark haired boy in the back row.

"Mr Finnegan?" asked Professor Lupin.

"Is it Dementors?" asked Finnegan, in an Irish accent. Daphne and Pansy had both pulled a face at that. Pansy doubtless because he was a Gryffindor, and Daphne because he was as she would say… ethnic.

"No, Mr Finnegan It's not Dementors. This question, believe it or not, is not going to be in your exam at the end of the year. But, it marks an important boundary in the Defence against the Dark Arts curricula.

"It's muggles" said Draco Malfoy derisively.

Professor Lupin didn't bother looking at Draco and just said tiredly "No Mr Malfoy it's not muggles. You never live with them, don't shop with them, don't meet them, and doubtless, like all wizarding families, your home is protected by muggle-repelling charms." Then the professor tapped the blackboard, and a drawing, quite a good drawing of a wizard in a pointy hat, and a witch also in a pointy hat, holding hands appeared.

"The hit-wizards, when I checked reported that ninety-five percent of all injuries and even murders, are committed by people who live with, or are close friends of the people being assaulted. For most of you, one might assume in future, that would be a wizard or a witch. Apparently assaults by Crups and Kneazles make up less than a quarter of one percent – make of that what you will."

The class, and Millicent looked at Professor Lupin and waited. Except for Granger, who was writing it all down.

"Now don't write this down; it won't be on the exam" said Professor Lupin in a blatant display of favouritism to Granger.

Granger looked up at the Professor instead.

"Now, as you are most likely to be attacked or murdered by someone you know, the first question is? How do you know if someone is using dark arts?" asked Professor Lupin. "Ideas anyone?"

"Greasy hair and a hook nose" suggested Weasley quietly. Professor Lupin sighed.

"Professor Snape was arrested as a Death Eater after the way, but was exonerated, as he'd been a spy for The Chief Warlock – Professor Dumbledore" said Professor Lupin in a tired, casual tone. Millicent's brain stalled – He'd been an actual Death Eater!

"Dark flapping robes" suggested Granger – sounding unsure.

Potter, of all people put his hand up.

"Mr Potter?" asked Professor Lupin.

"They have mood changes, and when you're around them, you can sort of feel it – a wrongness" said Potter.

"Nice attempt, Mr Potter. One point." said Professor Lupin. "Anyone else?"

Lils put her hand up again. She must have had too much tea or something.

"Miss Moon?" asked Professor Lupin.

"Change in habits, sudden temper swings, and keeping secrets" said Lils, sounding perfectly English. Doubtless Daphne and Pansy wouldn't complain about her sounding ethnic in this instance.

"Well done Miss Moon" said Professor Lupin "Five points to Slytherin house. Miss Moon had covered the main points. Someone you know who, for example suddenly goes off chocolate, has mood swings, starts getting angry for no reason, and starts, for example… reading a book that they won't let their friends see, even people they live with, share a bed with see? That's suggestive of either taking up Dark arts, or… an embarrassing taste in novels. Wizards, please note that for perfectly innocent reasons, witches may have mood swings and get cross and want to avoid you, periodically. On an almost lunar timetable, but it's not lycanthropy. You'll be covering that in a health lecture given by Madam Pomfrey, some time this year for third years."

Millicent turned to Lils, who was looking shocked.

"He can't mention that" whispered Millicent. The echoes of other girls whispering or moving about filled the room.

"I suppose he has to" said Lils.

"Moon, Bulstrode… everyone attention?" asked Professor Lupin tiredly. "Now, most of you know enough hexes and jinxes to play poorly with one another, but hopefully no curses."

At that, Crabbe and Goyle snorted and elbowed one another. Fortunately, everyone else in Slytherin wasn't so stupid.

"Surviving curses, for third year students consists of two tasks; determine where the safest exit is, and running away. Senior students will learn shields and counters to curses." said Professor Lupin, and he picked up a ruler from the teachers desk and rapped the blackboard, where the witch and wizards were holding hands.

"However, as you are most likely to be attacked by dark magic users that you know well, that are either family or… close personal friends, this lesson is not about magical techniques."

Granger put her hand up, and Professor Lupin just shook his head. She evidently had some sense, and lowered her hand slowly.

"Should you determine that someone close to you has started using dark magic, get away" said Professor Lupin. "Get out of the house, go to a friend's house. Once you're older, living away from home, flee to your parents house, if that's going to help."

Professor Lupin waved his wand at the blackboard and the drawing was erased.

He went to the blackboard and wrote 'Hit-Wizards and Aurors' and turned around.

"If the problem looks like simple violence, hexing, curses, locking up family members?" said Professor Lupin "Hit wizards. Properly, the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. If it's dark magic, get away. Get as far away as you can, and then call the Aurors."

The professor waited, then looked thoughtful "Flooing the DMLE is the easiest way. If you can't, or need Obliviators urgently for a Statute of Secrecy breach, there's a spell to call them. It's like the green sparks spell, but a lot harder. So difficult we will cover it today, but it won't be in the exam."

"For obvious reasons, I can't normally cast the actual spell; as that would call Aurors." said Professor Lupin.

Granger's hand went up like it had been hexed.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Lupin.

"How can we practice a spell we can't cast?" asked Granger, sounding really confused.

"Fortunately, or unfortunately, neither the spell to call Aurors, nor Obliviators works at Hogwarts, due to the extreme age of the protections cast on Hogwarts." said Professor Lupin. He paused "Much like apparation being generally impossible at Hogwarts, except when the current Headmaster changes the protections, for Apparation classes. That's not till you're seventeen, so don't bother remembering that." He added.

Granger's quill was audibly scratching.

Blaise's chair, tipped back onto it's back legs wobbled.

"Mr Zabini?" asked Professor Lupin "Can you tell the class about the spell to call either Aurors or Obliviators?" he asked quietly. Blaise's chairs screeched and fell with a bang onto all four legs.

"Scusie, no" said Blaise.

"Perhaps paying attention might help?" asked Professor Lupin.

"Expecto Aurorum" said Professor Lupin, and for some reason, that made Potter sit up straight, and Professor Lupin looked like he met Potter's eye, and nodded slightly.

The professor drew his wand and held it upright and wiggled it in a rising curve "The wand motion is a rising upright widdershins helix followed by a falling clockwise helix. The speed of the motion should be a steady one revolution per second." For some reason Granger of all people had to whisper to Weasley and Potter at this.

"Granger, pay attention" said Professor Lupin blandly, who had kept the helical wand motion going, at a steady pace, seemingly ignoring his hand and arm moving.

"You will need to keep the spell going for at least fifteen seconds" said Professor Lupin, and suddenly on his wand, reddish springs of light started coming of his wand tip "Once it's lit like this, another fifteen seconds normally has them coming. Not at Hogwarts, obviously."

"For Obliviators" said the Professor, stopping the spell that was making quite pretty red springs of light "It's a triangular upwards flick, rising, describing a triangular prism with sides of ideally, forty eight point two degrees. The spell isn't that fussy, 'Expecto Obliviatus'" and he started describing a very precise, painful looking upwards coil "And the down-stroke, as it were is an underhand hook."

Professor Lupin's wand control was quite uncanny, and his wand stated to leave bluish trials.

"Again, once it's lit, fifteen seconds normally does it. Obliviators will of course ask you why."

Pansy put her hand up. Millicent blinked. Pansy didn't normally do that.

"Won't we get in trouble for underage magic use?" asked Pansy.

The Professor nodded "Good question, miss Parkinson. The decree for the Reasonable restriction of underage sorcery has several exceptions. Deadly peril, saving someone else's life, and calling the DMLE, either for Aurors, or other things. The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, for example, can come and clean up, and will bring Obliviators."

Granger put her hand up. Pansy glared in her general direction.

"Granger?"

"If we can call Aurors, or Obliviators, how do we call the other ones?" asked Granger.

"With a floo" said Professor Lupin "Or by apparating to the ministry. The accidental magic reversal squad generally come to you – accidental magic sets off the detectors quite well. They're like foe-glasses but more specialised. Like the Trace. Of course as Underage sorcerers, you'll get pinged by the trace for casting either of these spells, but as long as you had a valid reason, the DMLE will let you off with a caution."

"Can we just use Underage magic to call the DMLE?" asked one of the Gryffindor girls, who Millicent thought was called Roper.

"No" said Professor Lupin "First offence you get a letter by owl. Wands out. Time to practice calling the Aurors. Millicent could hear Draco Malfoy's "as if!" quite clearly.

Everyone got their wands out and practised. Millicent found the wand motion for both spells very difficult, and looked up from her wand. Lils was muttering something, and nobody in the entire class seemed to be getting it.

The lesson dragged on, and Millicent got calling for an Auror to work before the bell rang, signalling the end of the period.

"Homework, six inches on detecting dark magic use in someone you live with" said Professor Lupin. "Slytherins, stay back,"

Lils made eye contact with Millicent – he couldn't possibly be this biased, could he?

The Gryffindors fled.

"Now, a number of you come from families who had someone imperious cursed into the service of you-know-who in the last war." said the Professor, politely, Malfoy audibly snorted.

"So, Mr Malfoy, Nott, Miss Parkinson, etc, I would expect a very good essay from you, as you will clearly have to stand in for your mothers, who, for one reason or another, couldn't tell that their partner was mind-controlled into casting dark magic. The imperious curse will be covered next year, it's dreadful, but you all probably know that. Don't you?" he said. "You are dismissed" he said, and pointed at the door.

Lils raised her hand. "Professor Lupin?" asked Lils, "How come you can speak french?"

"Oh I started teaching in France, after Hogwarts, and progressed eventually to Academee' Beaxbatons" said Professor Lupin casually.

Daphne started squealing and jumping up and down in an enormously girly way. "You can teach in Fracias?" she said "Oh bril!"

"I'll be teaching in English, Miss Greengrass. Curb your enthusiasm." said the Professor drily.

Millicent got to see Daphne, of all people get shot down – though she did hardly ever squeal and jump up and down at school. Daphne was, Millicent thought, a prat. She wanted everyone to be so dignified and English all the time, then got overexcited about a teacher from France. Well, and the Hobgoblins, and the latest dress, and fireworks displays… a hypocrite, that's what she was.

"Do you ever go back to France?" asked Daphne, more sedately, still all flushed.

"I find myself avoiding France" said Professor Lupin "My old girlfriend was making my life… hard."

It wasn't till hours later Millicent realised the Professor had made a dirty joke. And was funnier than Professor Snape, really.

They reached the hallway "I can't believe he said that" said Draco loudly "My father's going to hear about this."

"Malfoy" said Blaise casually "He says he believes your father's alibi. Don't rock the boat."

"As if mother wouldn't know what dark magic is like" protested Draco "She's a Black."

"You look very white to me" said Blaise sarcastically. Draco put his hands on his hips "You can't do that joke!" he said. "I'm a descendant of the most ancient and noble house of Black!"

"You're a white boy" said Blaise "If your dad was Imperious cursed, was Sirius Black too?"

"Father never mentions him" said Draco "And Mother won't have his name said in the house. He was a disgrace to the family."

"What, a murdering psycho? He'd fit right in" asked Potter, who'd appeared like a bad smell, leaning casually against a wall near the corner of the hall.

"Fuck off Potter" said Draco, drawing his wand.

Potter slipped around the corner with a smirk.

"I hate that guy" said Draco.

Everyone except Draco made eye contact and shrugged. Everyone, even monks who'd sworn themselves to silence in secluded monasteries in Tibet knew Draco hated Potter. And vice versa.

"Why was … that person a disgrace to the family?" asked Pansy, who did love to pry.

"Because" said Draco whinily "He was sorted into Gryffindor. The Black family have been in Slytherin since Hogwarts was founded. One of my ancestors, Phineas Nigellus Black was Headmaster for forty years." he added.

"The most hated headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen" observed Daphne. Millicnet was struck by the thought that Draco would also be a quite hated headmaster if he had the top job.

"But he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts!" said Draco. "Besides, it's not about making friends. It's about Power."

The Slytherins as a group started heading off to lunch, passing around Draco and Crabbe and Goyle.

"But he gave the Potters to the Dark lord, right" said Crabbe "So that makes him okay?"

Millicent hesitated in the hall to hear Draco's reply.

"Mother said he was utterly, incurably on Dumbledores side. A muggle-lover." said Draco. "She had to go break things after she said that."

Millicent ignored that, and went to see what lunch was like. Everyone knew Mrs Malfoy was bit.. brittle. Calm till she snapped, then prone to breaking fragile things. Nobody mentioned that the Blacks were notorious for … 'temper problems' and 'mood swings', in hindsight, given today's lesson, it all made a horrible sort of sense. Mum had said Bellatrix LeStrange née Black made Draco's mum look placid and kind. She had gone all the way to cackling mad.

Millicent thought about that on the way to the Slytherin table in the Great hall. Everyone knew that if you started cackling, or for wizards, insane laughter, it was a pretty sure sign you'd cast so much dark magic you weren't right in the head anymore. And the Professor had left that out of the lesson completely. Millicent wondered about that, and six inches of parchment. Was this… Professor Lupin expecting them to learn out of class? It made her feel tired just thinking about having to read a textbook. Novels were so much better, and you didn't have to take notes, so you could hold your cat.