Chapter 2

The next day, my very first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It was one of my favorites. Not only was the material fascinating and I could totally conquer it, but it was also one of the most practical with dark magic followers only seeming to grow, knowing how to protect ourselves from them could prove to be the most valuable thing we could learn. I also had read a few articles in The Daily Prophet about this year's DADA professor. He was apparently one of the greatest aurors of the decade. Sebastian Chase had been hunting dark wizards for twenty-five years. He had some pretty famous arrests.

"I'm not much of a professor, so you can all call me Chase." He did not seem that affected by his age other than a few defined lines in his face and streaks of grey in his hair. He was clearly well built and towered above the students as he paced between the desks. I watched him carefully from the front of the classroom. He intentionally met eyes with each student he passed, but he did not seem solely focused on the kids. His eyes would dart to the windows and sweep around the doors. I realized it must be his auror training keeping him constantly on his toes always prepared for whatever could happen.

"While I've haven't been in a classroom since my days at Hogwarts, doesn't mean I don't have plenty to teach you. The headmaster was not comfortable with me not having a required text so there was one on your list that you may read if you wish. More knowledge in your head will only help you. All that being said, I believe that the most valuable education I can give you, is a practical one. So come to class with your wands and your wits and be prepared for your hands-on learning.

"I had a classmate who was the top of our class across all the houses and he could answer any question a teacher would pose and I swear he had read every single book in the library, even the restricted section. But one day, he was going to get a spare quill from a drawer and a boggart popped out and took the shape of a kelpie. Now boggarts are quite easy to repel when you have your wits about you, but he did not, even though he knew the counter curse that would have helped him. And I kid you not, he wet himself.

"In this class, you may find some of my methods to be unconventional, but I promise you that they are to help you. It is much better to be pushed to your limits by someone who cares about you than by someone who wants to hurt you. That being said, I thought I would arrange a little tournament for our first day. If you would all form a circle around the perimeter of the room…" There was scrapping of chairs on the floor as everyone moved and they cleared away the desks floated gently up to the ceiling where they stayed for the remainder of the period. Chase then brought a small, unassuming box to the center of the room.

"Now this is just meant to be a fun way to assess where you all are in your studies. This box contains a spell that can take on many forms. Everything that it will do today are things I suspect you have learned about in your previous years here. Now, it can not hurt you, it will just look like a beast or spell that you will have to react to. You can respond defensively or offensively but do it quick! You will only have moments to react after it takes shape. If you mess up, you will step backwards out of the circle. Last wizard standing is the winner."

At this point I was practically bouncing on my toes out of excitement. I was running through all of the counter-curses and counter-hexes I could remember. The other students were also muttering nervously about the exercise. Honestly, I hated the attitude that the first day back to school was skippable, I liked it when teachers just jumped right into it.

"Three-two-one begin!" With a flick of his wand the box opened, and a glowing orb floated out and then grew and protruded until it was the shape of a wizard that didn't have any features expect a formless mouth. I realized that the illusion was such, that it must look like the wizard was facing your direction regardless of where in the circle you were. It opened and uttered a spell. "Expeliarumus!" Bursts of blue lights sprang from the wizard outward across the circle. I raised my wand and shouted "Protego!" A shield formed infront of me. I heard a cacophony of shouts and saw the spray of some spells. I was focused on casting my own spell so I'm not sure what everyone else did in response but I saw a few shields and a few blue streaks of what must have been people just doing expeliarumus back at it as well as other sparks and streaks.

"That was just a throw away one, everyone stay in the circle now. We'll begin for reals now!"

I lost track of what was happing around me as I fully focused on the glowing form in the center of the room. I saw a few streaks of light hit other students and, as Chase said, it didn't seem to hurt them, but they knew they were out and stepped back. I did start to notice the circle getting emptier and the random shouting got dimmer while the quiet chatter got bigger behind me. I started hearing more shouting when there were only seven students left in the circle. I realized that the students who were 'out' had started picking their favorites and were cheering on the students who were still in. I heard Marlene and Alice shouting my name and I was grateful for the support but I did find it a bit distracting. I noticed that the loudest cheers were for Sirius and James. Even though Lupin was also still in the running and doing quite well. The four mauraders all had equal renown as being in the little prank group, but Lupin and Petagrew were quiet and reserved while Potter and Black had bucket loads of charisma between them.

I rolled my eyes as they were clearly enjoying the attention too much. They were glancing over their shoulders after every successful spell and adding several more flourishes than necessary to every wand wave. It was somewhat successful in that two other of the remaining Slytherins left in the circle tried to copy their flashy flourishes and one got distracted and messed up the incantation and the other took too long casting it and got out too. Black tried to add sort of kick to one of his spells and ending up falling on his butt. With that it was down to just me, James, and Lupin. I gritted my teeth. It hadn't been too hard up until this point. As Chase said, this was all stuff I had learned in past years. Now that it was down to the other best student in class and the class prick, my competitive instincts really started kicking in. My body tensed up even as I tried to calm myself. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't help it. I just hated to lose, even if it was to some one as smart and talented as Lupin. I definitely didn't want to lose to Potter because he would completely hold it over me. He didn't deserve any of his success because he never did a lick of work for it.

The three of us continued on for some time. Lupin seemed to get tired and just give up. I'm pretty sure he could have kept going but he didn't have that competitive drive to win at all costs like Potter and I did.

"Evans! Should we make this interesting." I narrowed my eyes, trying my best not to let to let him distract me from the ever-changing blob.

"We could make a bet you know?" He was trying to goad me, but it wouldn't work.
I was going to remain focused on the task at-hand and I was going to win. The transformations were going faster and curses were coming quicker. We only had half a second to react. "If I win, how bout… you go out with me?" Anger flared up inside me. What was with him and asking me out? I then did something I wasn't used to doing. I let my instincts take over and did something my logical brain would probably consider foolish. Without thinking about it, in between one counter-curse and the next, I flicked my wand toward Potter. Expelliarmus! I miraculously managed to repel one final curse before Chase muttered an incantation and the form changed into a glowing orb and returned to the box.

"Good work everyone! By midterm, we will do this exercise again, but with non-verbal spells." There was nervous tittering that went through the class. "Don't worry! I have complete faith in all of you. I would also like to say that in the future, I will dock points for attacking a fellow classmate." I bowed my head and felt my cheeks grow hot. This is what happens when I don't think before I act. "However, seeing as it was just a disarming and it was beautifully done, I'll let it slid just this once." He started the clapping and the whole class joined in. My face turned red for a different reason. I kept my head down as I went to gather my things and a few of my classmates clapped me on the back or gave me a job-well-done.

I stopped out in the hall and looked around for my friends, but the first person to step in front of me was Potter.

"Nice work, Evans."

"Thanks, Potter, not too bad yourself." I was in a generous mood after winning.

"You just won yourself a date with yours truly!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Our bet…" He was grinning like a cat who got the canary and my good mood was spoiling faster than cream. "If I won you'd go on a date with me, and if you won I'd go on a date with you."

"Ugg, Potter leave me alone." I said finally spotting my friends on the other side of the hall. I pushed past him and walked quickly toward them. "Nothing would make me more unhappy than to spend time alone with you."

Luckily, he didn't try to follow me. But when I reached them, Alice and Marlene were both giving me strange looks.

"What was that?" Marlene demanded.

"Just Potter being Potter, what else is new?" I said indifferently as we set off to the greenhouses for Herbology.

"Lily!" Marlene said grabbing my arm and shaking me. "The hottest guy in our year just asked you out and you just turn him out flat?!"

"What?" I said, incredulous. "First of all, that was not a serious offer, he was just being a tool. Second of all, he's a tool! Of course I turned him down! And third of all, since when is he the hottest guy in our year! It's Potter, to no-good bullying prankster!"

"Alice back me up here!" Marlene said spinning to our other friend. "I thought this was something you would have grown out of by now! Sure he used to pull your pig tails, but Potter is now like this fit guy who is challenging you and Lupin for top of the class! I would've totally thought he would be your type, Lily."

I stopped in my tracks and spun around, quickly checking to make sure no one was listening, but we were outside of the castle now and the closest students were far away enough to not overhear. "What do you mean my type?" I glanced between her and Alice. Marlene appeared to be completely serious while Alice was nudging dirt with her toe and refusing to make eye contact.

"Potter is perfect for you." I scoffed and choked on whatever I was going to say next, so Marlene barreled onward. "He's smart enough that you would have plenty to talk about. I can't imagine you going out with someone even average intelligence, let alone dumb, they wouldn't know what you were going on about half the time and it would drive you nuts to not be challenged. But Potter also has a lot of diverse interests and would be a total adventure for you, like you always talk about."

"Sure," I said as I found my voice. "As adventurous as a trip to the dark side of the moon without a space suit." Marlene turned to Alice for support and at first I felt vindicated in her lack of support for Marlene's assertions but then I realized she was also refusing to support my distaste of Potter

"Do you really hate him that much?" Alice asked quietly.

"He's rude, immature, and cocky. What would be there to like?" The other two seemed to resign themselves to the fact that I really wouldn't come around to Potter and they gave in and we walked the rest of the way to Herbology in silence and didn't talk until Professor Sprout gave us our instructions for the day.