A/N: I *think* I've (finally) rounded the bend into the second act of the story. It's not over, but we're more than halfway there.
Chapter 19 - A Normal Day
Harry's mind was reeling as he climbed the stairs to his dorm. He'd just left the meeting with Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office, where he'd been a valued contributor, allowed to voice all of his concerns about the seeming implosion of wizarding law and order. Newly reinstated Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor, Minerva McGonagall, had made it very clear that she would go to great lengths to see that Thicknesse paid a dear price for the violence he'd used on Harry. There had been muttered comments among Severus, Remus and Lucius that there might be opportunity to deal him some retribution of the kind he'd employed in this school. But each had also voiced varying concerns of how, and when, they should expect to be legitimately interviewed by Ministry officials who actually represented the laws of the land, not Fudge's paranoid power mongering.
"I will say this now," Severus had said to the group, "If we receive any sort of summons that does not allow for time to line up our solicitors, or that interferes with our obligations to this school, or that fails to properly define the parameters and subjects of the investigation, I will defy it. I will support Harry defying it as well."
"I absolutely concur," Lucius agreed, "and furthermore, I won't agree to appear for any interview as an individual. The groups of us who were present for each of these recent events need to be summoned collectively, and allowed to enjoy safety in numbers."
"I am of the mind to believe that your wishes will be honored, if not already anticipated," Dumbledore had told them. "Minister Fudge is treading in precarious waters with the majority of the Wizengamot, and is going to be asked to step down any time. He could easily face charges for his improprieties, including his attempted intimidation efforts this evening."
It definitely felt like progress, but Harry still completely dreaded having to attend any sort of interview with a Ministry official.
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He entered the sleeping chamber he shared with the rest of the fifth year boys, mentally ready for bed. His dorm mates were mostly winding down as well, but were surprised to see him.
"We weren't sure you'd sleep in here tonight, Harry," Neville said. "Are you doing better?"
"Yeah, thanks," Harry said as he plopped onto his bed.
"What was it like to have Snape look after you?" Seamus demanded loudly. "He's changed, he has." His comment suggested he'd answered his own question, but he still wanted an answer from Harry, as if he couldn't believe what his eyes had seen earlier in the day.
"Er, it was better than having to go up to see Pomfrey," Harry said. He smirked to himself when he flashed on the hug he'd gotten after he'd been healed. Somehow I don't think Seamus should hear that part. He stood up again, contemplating what more to share, while cataloging what he had to do before he could crawl into bed…. he'd showered at Snape's earlier, he'd missed too much school to have any lessons prepared, and he'd had a decent tea in spite of his lack of appetite. I can go to bed now, and maybe, just maybe, tomorrow will be a normal day.
"What else can you tell us, Harry?" Dean asked.
He changed into pajamas while he answered, "Well, Dumbledore's back," he told his roommates. They each stopped what they were doing and gave him their rapt attention. "He'll let everyone know at breakfast. And the aurors that had been in jail were released tonight. Dumbledore's hoping there won't be any more trouble here in school, at least for a while, but says he's going to work on having round-the-clock aurors posted here, just in case. He's worried about what may go on at the Ministry." Harry paused to look meaningfully at Ron, who turned pale and stared back at Harry with a look of dread. "And, I'm a bit worried because I'm going to get called there to give statements about Voldemort, and the Night Bus, and Thicknesse, so I'll probably be there a lot." He looked at Neville. "You'll likely get called too, mate. And, Draco."
His dorm mates stared back at him in frightened silence. "It feels better, now that Dumbledore's gotten some power back though. I think if any trouble happens at the Ministry from Voldemort sympathizers, they at least won't have the Minister of Magic on their side. It sounds like Fudge will get the boot soon."
"Blimey!" all four of his dorm mates blurted out in unison.
"We're definitely having a DA meeting tomorrow night. A double session," Harry declared.
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Harry sent the DA meeting announcement out first thing, and noticed that it helped shift the way people behaved around him, from wary concern, to acting like everything was mostly back to normal. He, Hermione and Ron had brainstormed how to best introduce the shields he'd just learned, and he but still needed some types of simple hexes to teach the group to use while practicing the shields.
"We can always ask the others for suggestions of simple spells to shield against, of course," Hermione said as she and Ron gathered their book bags to stow in the Prefects' cabinet in the Entrance Hall while they patrolled, "but a proper teacher comes prepared." The little huff in her declaration belied her angst.
Harry and Ron exchanged an amused look and rolled their eyes. "Leave that to me, Hermione," Harry said. "I'll ask the squad for some ideas." Hermione responded with a small frown, but caught on quickly. He'd only just started to refer to his three mentors collectively as the squad this morning with his dorm mates, but the name was sticking.
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Harry couldn't believe it. The day literally flew along, and he didn't have any new bruises or emotional scars to show for it!
Double Herbology went by without incident. Transfiguration went by without incident. The lunch period went by without incident. Divination went by without incident. Study Hall went by without incident.
And now, Harry was walking with his fellow Gryffindors up to DADA, finally about to have his first class with Professor Lupin. Don't jinx it, Harry! he smirked to himself, as Remus opened the classroom door to greet them and usher them inside.
"Let's settle in and focus our attention on the board, if you please," Remus directed. When all eyes were on his black chalkboard, he raised his wand and silently revealed a phrase. "This is a quote, by a muggle military leader and emperor, brought to my attention just this morning by Lucius Malfoy," he continued. He shot a glance and small smile to Draco, and winked at Harry as the bright cursive letters began to reveal themselves:
Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake. - Napoleon Bonaparte
"This is absolutely the most fundamental principle of Defense Against the Dark Arts," Remus declared. "If you can get comfortable with this concept, and make it instinctive, you'll be just fine in any conflict. Most aggressors are attacking out of fear. And while in a state of fear, we are inclined to make mistakes when we attack." He looked around at the room and saw the predictable trepidation on the fifth year faces. "However, statistically speaking, when one has practiced self defense, even in dire fear, the average witch or wizard is most likely to fall back on the instinct to defend oneself properly. Now, I want each of you to repeat after me, and practice this motion with your wand." He moved his wrist in a counter clockwise twist while he pronounced, "Deflecto."
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"That's the shield you used on Thicknesse, Harry!" Neville said excitedly when they'd been dismissed and were gathering their things to take back to their dorms before heading down to dinner. "Only you did it with a much more dramatic flare, didn't you?"
"I didn't see that part," Draco said from a few feet away, "but I would have liked to. The heap that pathetic troll was reduced to, by the time I got back, was quite impressive, Potter."
This exchange had caused those remaining in the classroom to come to a standstill. Harry cleared his throat and looked around. There were three Slytherins who were still there in addition to Draco. Theodore Knott, Blaise Zabini, and Daphne Greengrass. He looked over at Ron and Hermione, and saw in their expressions that they knew what he was about to do, and weren't particularly happy about it. But he didn't feel like he needed their permission. Lives were at stake. Remus stood in the background, head tilted and eyes narrowed as he watched the encounter play itself out.
"Listen," Harry said as much to the Slytherins as to the rest of the Gryffindors in the room. "I knew how to handle myself with Thicknesse because I'd gotten some fantastic instruction and help. I'd only just learned Deflecto the day before. And I'd had a chance to practice it and broaden it, so that I was able to slap Thicknesse's bone cruncher hex right back to him. His shattered shoulder was his own magic, I'd simply shielded in defense." He paused, glad to see how intensely interested this audience had become, as he tried to decide how to phrase what he wanted to offer. "Last term, while some of you were on Umbridge's good side," he started, looking at Draco with a raised eyebrow and getting the expected frown that bordered on a sneer from his former adversary, "a few of us had started a club to practice defense. I knew there was danger, for all of us. I wanted to help, because our DADA professor was deliberately stifling us. We've grown into a decent lot, and have learned a great deal together already."
"It's true," Neville confirmed. "It's given us a sense of confidence."
"It's invitation-only," Hermione interjected, "but if you'd like to come see what we're about, we're having a meeting tonight, right after dinner, at seven o'clock."
The four Slytherins flashed looks at each other and nodded, so Hermione explained how they would meet up in front of the statue of Barnabus the Barmy.
"Malfoy," Harry called out to Draco as the rest were filing out of the room.
"Potter?" Draco replied with a smirk.
"You'll come tonight for certain?" Harry asked. At Draco's raised eyebrow that was dangerously close to morphing into a sarcastic sneer, he added, "Good, because I'd asked your dad for some spell suggestions earlier and he told me to check with you. Do you have a few minutes?"
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The DA members assembled outside the ROR and were ready when Harry showed up with Ron, Hermione and Neville. The four Slytherins were there too, and Harry quickly acknowledged and welcomed them as new recruits, all the while pacing back and forth requesting their arena for tonight's class.
"Alright!" Harry called out as they'd all worked their way into the large space and were gathered in front of the stage he'd stepped onto, "let's not waste time getting started tonight. I'm going to show you how to be ready to defend yourself without having to use any lethal spells of your own." He waited for the enthusiastic buzz to die down before adding, "I might call it my biggest concern when I'm under attack: making sure I don't do anything that I can get in trouble for, or, of course, that I'll regret when my anger cools off." He cleared his throat. "Tonight, I'm going to teach you two shields, two jinxes, a hex, and a charm. So, listen carefully and watch what I'm doing with my wand."
Harry first used the demonstration dummy to show them the clown shoes jinx, Payasas, which rendered the recipient completely unable to move freely with their new giant, floppy feet. That got a ROAR of laughter. Next, he showed them Manibus magnum, or the big hands jinx, which changed the dummy's hands into cartoon-like, thick mitts that had four non-dexterous, worthless fingers. "Let's master these!" he said to the group. "Think about it, you've got a git like Thicknesse, or Fudge, coming at you, thinking they've got the upper hand, and you surprise them by messing up their feet or hands while they're charging at you." Everyone laughed. "Break into pairs and let's practice them."
Control over the hilarity had nearly been lost after ten minutes, but Harry had circulated and made sure that even the younger years were able to case the spell and get some sort of result that would be a good disruption in a pinch. "You're doing great," he called out as he walked among them. "I'm going to keep the third and fourth years practicing these. The rest of you don't have to master it for our next drill, but anyone who has them mastered by the end of class gets a chocolate frog token!" That added to everyone's already intense enthusiasm.
It had been Ron's idea to offer incentives once in a while. Harry had liked the idea and had wanted to have some kind of giveaway on hand tonight, but hadn't yet worked out how to manage it in time. Neville had suggested offering paper "tokens" that could be traded in for something after Harry had had a chance to buy a stock of prizes.
"Upper years, please give your attention back to me," Harry directed next. "I've seen for myself that you're ready for the next spells. This next pair utilizes a shove with a sticking charm." He proceeded to introduce them to Pulsas and to remind them of the sticking charm Flitwick had taught everyone in fifth year. "I'm sure we all can do the Viscosi charm without needing review, but this one adds a twist. Let's call it the sticky pants charm, Braccas viscosi!"
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"That was great, everyone!" Harry called out over the heads of his students. He was on the platform that served as a stage, and it gave him an extra half meter of height so that he could project over the classroom buzz. "Let's take a break. Everyone relax for a few minutes." He asked the room for floor pillows and set the example by sitting on the edge of the stage and casting an Aguamenti in a conjured cup.
"Come on, Potter," Ernie McMillan cajoled Harry, "tell us the details of these encounters you keep having!" He'd clearly either never caught on that the mouse in his pants had been compliments of Harry, or had gotten over it, because his enthusiasm was laced with something akin to hero worship tonight.
Harry sighed, but thought it might be okay at this point to relay a bit more information to his peers about his takedown of Voldemort. "Look, it's like I told you just before we started with the shields tonight, I had help." He smiled as he watched several of the older students conjure cups for younger students. Everyone was able to cast his or her own Aguamenti. "The thing that I sort of just know how to do, is to think on my toes. I was so scared, and I was in horrible pain. I learned a long time ago to get through bad stuff like that by thinking about what I can do, right then, to throw things off kilter." He had their full attention. "Voldemort was completely enjoying keeping me busy with a Cruciatus curse," there were lots of ooohhhs and aaahhhhs, and a few under-the-breath whistles and hisses of sympathy. "I just started thinking about what I knew I could do, like, really quickly, and just kept saying it in my mind, over and over, and then when the moment came…. I did it."
"Did what?"
"What did you do, Harry!"
"Expelliarmus, Bat Bogey, Leg Locker, and Bombarda," Harry told them.
"SHOW US!"
"What? On the dummy?" Harry asked, starting to feel a bit lighter about the whole thing, and going ahead and egging them on.
"YES!"
"Alright!" Harry agreed. He got up and pointed his wand at the demonstration dummy and levitated it into full view, making sure it was armed with the dummy wand. "It went sort of like this: ….Expelliarmus! Pituita vespertilio! Locomotor! Bombarda!"
It was actually pretty comical to watch the dummy get jolted around by the spells, especially the Bat Bogey that sealed over its face, only to finally get blasted a dozen feet backward. There was a ROAR of hilarious, overly giddy laughter, as if the group as a whole really did understand how very perilous that moment had been for Harry.
"The others arrived as I was doing this, and they took care of everyone else, luckily for me…" he finished, remembering how he'd ended up being swept up into the air by Severus, just in time to miss getting maimed by Nagini.
They heard footsteps and looked up to find that Severus, Remus and Lucius had joined them unexpectedly. All three of the adult wizards were dressed as muggles, even Lucius. Everyone jumped to their feet. Most were a bit off-kilter at the sudden appearance of the adult Slytherins, but everyone was glad to see Remus.
"What have you been up to, Professor Potter?" Remus asked, but he was clearly speaking to the whole group.
"Er, we've been practicing Deflecto mostly, but have also learned some new jinxes that I think could come in handy," Harry said, he couldn't help but grin at the DADA professor's casual indifference to the way he was being ogled by the gallery.
"Ah," Remus said. He looked over at his companions, as if asking for their concurrence as he suggested a demonstration.
All eyes swept from Remus, to Harry, and back to Remus, although a few lingered on Severus and Lucius, because they were each a rather compelling sight. Severus had skipped his shave again today and had on the same ensemble he'd worn exactly one week ago, when Harry's world had tilted on its axis. Lucius wore his own version of a cool bloke's kit. Both wizards looked far more rugged than was typical for them. Harry had always thought that Slytherin House represented refined class, but these two were breaking that mold. The tongue-tied DA looked to Harry to handle things.
"Alright," Harry said, finally. He scanned the room, looking for confident eyes and found them with Ron, Neville, Draco, and Blaise, so he called them up, along with Hermione who seemed surprisingly reluctant in front of the new arrivals.
Harry levitated over two large cushioned mats to cover the floor behind him and Ron, who was now a dozen feet away to Harry's right. The rest of the DA scooted back to make a large arena for them, as Harry told Neville and Hermione, "You two cast your jinxes at me, and Blaise and Draco, cast yours at Ron."
The three adult wizards stood in similar wide-footed stance, with arms folded and eyes narrowed on the sidelines. Harry and Ron each positioned himself at the top of a three-person formation, wand at the ready.
Hermione was the first to swish her wand, "Payasas!" And Neville quickly followed with, "Manibus magnum!" Harry quickly cast, back to back, "Deflecto! Deflecto!" As Harry deflected their magic right back to them, Neville and Hermione each quickly cast his or her own Deflecto!, sending the spells back to Harry, again and again, until they'd gone three full circuits.
Then, as Harry caught each of their deflections in his Sorbere shield, Hermione quickly swished her wand, casting, "Braccas viscosi!" which got past Harry's delayed deflecting shield. As the flash of iridescent magic seemed to lightly swat his behind, Neville poked his wand forward and yelled, "Pulsas!" which sent Harry stumbling back like he'd been shoved, where he landed on his bum and was magically stuck where he now sat.
Ron had gone through the exact same exercise with his team, and ended up on his bum, on his own cushioned mat a split second later, just as stuck to it as Harry. He looked over at Harry with his standard uncomfortable grimace, but Harry was grinning.
"Bravo!" Lucius praised, clapping his hands a couple of times. Severus clapped too, and had an impressed smirk on his face.
"That was brilliant!" Remus declared, laughing. "Well done, Harry," he said directly to Harry. Then to the group, "Well done! All of you! How many have mastered Deflecto tonight?" All but three third years raised their hands. "That's fantastic! Brookings, Tomar, and Raphael," he said to the third years, "if you couldn't get it tonight, it's simply because your magic is still maturing. Keep trying, you will master these sooner if you strengthen your casting through repetition. I'll integrate it into lessons with your classes, as well." He turned back to Harry. "I really am quite impressed."
Harry shared a crooked smile with Ron as each of them cast a quick, "Solvo," to release the sticking charms from the seats of their trousers so that they could get up. Harry looked at his watch. It was twelve minutes before nine o'clock. The third and fourth years had nine o'clock curfew.
"That's all for tonight! Third and fourth years had better hustle! I know who's owed a token! Sorry! I lost track of time," Harry said quickly.
There was a chorus of Thanks, Harry!, That was excellent, Harry!, and Can't wait for the next one, Harry! as the group dissembled and migrated out of the ROR. Draco stopped to stay with Lucius for a moment, and Remus kept Neville aside. Ron and Hermione looked on but quickly realized Harry would stay with the adults.
"See you when we see you, Harry," Hermione said softly and left with Ron, both of them flashing looks back, as if to make sure they were doing the right thing, leaving both Harry and Neville behind.
Remus jerked his head at Neville and led him out of the room at a slower pace, and Lucius had something that seemed vital to share with Draco in a low voice. Harry looked up at Severus and found that he was being regarded intently, so he stepped closer to the potions master, wondering what was about to happen.
"Hold out your hand," Severus said in a low tone. He waved his own open palm over Harry's and a tiny white bag materialized. He watched Harry scrutinize it briefly until it grew to full size. Trying to limit the extent to which he revealed that he'd worried about the boy all day, Severus casually commented to Harry, "I didn't see much of you during school." The messy haired teen didn't respond, and was clearly unfooted by the gift, and that put a small lump in Severus' throat which required a hard swallow to dislodge before he continued. "You've been alright?" He finally got a reserved smile from the boy.
He's given me a present, Harry realized. Merlin! He got me butter pies! "Thank you, sir," Harry finally said happily, after opening the bag and inhaling the lovely fragrance, but he couldn't hide that he was shocked as he carefully folded it back up.
"I'm assuming you ate a balanced dinner, to offset this decadence?" Severus said next. The boy nodded with a grin, but still wasn't meeting his eyes. "I'd like to discuss some things with you in private. Would you want to sleep in your room tonight? You could have a lie in tomorrow, since it's Saturday."
Harry finally looked up at him as he nodded again. Severus couldn't read what was behind this reserved mood, but took the fact that Harry had conceded to join him over returning to Gryffindor's Common Room to be a good sign.
"Did these come from a muggle bakery?" Harry asked. He was trying to decipher the steps involved in Severus buying him a bag of this pastry that now had significant meaning between them.
"I was in Surrey, handling a personal matter and ended up near the shops. The aroma drew me to the bakery."
Harry grinned. "Did all three of you have a mission, or something?"
"They insisted on accompanying me," Severus admitted, referring to the rest of the squad. He saw realization dawning on the boy's face. "Indeed, I went to retrieve the record albums. I gave it some thought, and came to agree with you that it was not stealing, and they should be with me."
"Are you going to be able to listen to them?" Harry asked softly, carefully.
"That's not my intention," Severus admitted. "I'm simply glad to have them in my possession."
"Then I'm glad too," Harry told him.
