I haven't updated this story in three and a half years, and I can't believe I am writing that. My life has changed so, so much, and on a completely random day, something in my mind reminded me of this story that I wrote so long ago. I found myself rereading Guardianship and something in me, god knows what, had an itch to write. So here we are. Three years, six months, two degrees, and a pandemic later. Welcome back to Guardianship. I can't promise these uploads will be regular, or even tell you if there will be another after this, but still… Enjoy! The first meeting of the defensive club, with a few of my own twists.

"Whoa." Dean said, staring around the Room of Requirement. "This is mental."

It was Tuesday evening, and the first meeting of their defensive 'club', though Harry admittedly hated calling it that. This felt like it was more than a club, more than a simple group of students coming to learn a few spells together. This felt like a revolution, but he wouldn't dare call it that either, because if Umbridge ever heard him say it, she'd likely shriek and call the minister to take him away to Azkaban post-haste.

The scattered cushions slowly became more and more occupied. Every few minutes another head or three would poke through the door, stare around in shock, and file in. By the time eight o'clock arrived, every student who had been at the Hog's head was sitting on the floor and staring up at Harry with wide, expectant eyes. Jane winked from her seat by Graham and Sophie. Harry's heart fluttered as he cleared his throat. He'd already locked the door, checked it twice, three times, and now it was time to begin.

He took a deep breath, smiled, and welcomed everyone to their first, secret, meeting, and a huge cheer went up. Fred and George and Lee Jordan sent fiery sparks into the air with their wands. Harry thanked Merlin that Hermione had thought to check the room of requirement was sound proof – making him and Ron stand outside while Hermione made all the noise she could, and asking if they'd heard anything from the corridor.

He started by explaining what the Room of Requirement was, to the best of his knowledge, and answering questions about the equipment littering the room, like the foe-glass. Harry's stomach did a backflip when, after Hermione's declaration that they should elect a leader, Cho loudly called out, "Harry's leader."

And his stomach did a second backflip, when he caught Jane staring (possibly, was that glaring?) at the back of Cho's head. Her brow was furrowed and an unmistakable frown was pulling down her lips. Harry swallowed thickly, dragging his attention back to what Hermione was saying.

They voted, upon Hermione's instance, and Harry was announced the undisputed leader. Then, Hermione brought up the topic of a name, "We need something that doesn't sound threatening." She threw an apologetic glance at Ginny, who only shrugged and leaned back into Michael's chest. Ron glowered. "Something that throws Umbridge off our scent."

"Why don't we just not have a name?" Terry Boot called out, and everyone swivelled to face him. Hermione frowned. "Any name at all is going to be a scent where Umbridge is concerned. It's going to make us stand out."

"Well I really think it would promote a feeling of team spirit –" Hermione began, but Lee Jordan interrupted.

"I agree with Terry. If someone else hears us using a club name not associated with an established group already at Hogwarts, there's going to be questions and then someone's bound to tell Umbridge. Better to be anonymous."

Hermione huffed. "Well we're not going to go around advertising it, are we! I just thought it would create a sense of comradery if we did have one." She gnawed at her lip and stared at Lee. "But what you just said… better to be anonymous." And then, louder, so people paid attention, "Anonymous! That's a great name! We're a secret group, after all. It's perfect."

Lee scowled. "The whole point was that we shouldn't have –"

"Yes, yes, I know." Hermione agreed, though she still didn't look happy about it. "But we, I don't know, we could at least use it as a codeword. Not an official title for the group, but a word that we can use to alert others. For example, I could walk up to Harry in the Great Hall and say, 'Harry, how's that book by the anonymous author you were reading? Do you think we could talk about it tonight, at 8?' Do you see!" She looked gleefully around the group. "Then he knows to meet me here at 8, without me ever having to mention the group."

There was a smattering of approval, and a smattering of, I don't see how that's any different.

"All in favour of codename, anonymous?" Harry called out, and the whole room, some slower than others, raised their hands into the air. Hermione nodded, scribbling it down on the parchment from the Hogs' Head bearing all of their names. "Anonymous it is. Now, let's talk about what we're going to learn. I was thinking, the first thing we should practice is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful –"

Zacharias Smith scoffed, cutting in. "Oh please. I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him." Harry said quietly. The room went so still and quiet, you would have heard a pin drop. "It saved my life in June." He saw Sophie silently snarl, stupid idiot, at the back of Zacharias' head,and puffed out his chest a little. "But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave."

When Zacharias did not move, Harry got everyone up on their feet and into pairs, to begin practicing. "If your study buddy is here, pair up with them! For house unity, and all of that." Ron fidgeted uncomfortably, but nevertheless slid over to Graham. They were an odd number, with Harry included, so Jane partnered with Sophie, and Harry walked around cautiously offering advice if people asked for it. It felt odd to be giving his fellow classmates instruction. They were the same age, and some were older than him, like Fred and George and Lee, and at the same magical level. It felt odd asking a seventh year to practice such a simple spell.

Hermione successfully knocked Megan's wand out of her hand with a well-placed spell, and Graham did the same to Ron. Cho eagerly asked Harry to help perfect her stance, which led to a successful spell cast against Marietta, who scowled at Harry's presence. Katie and Alicia seemed fine, Ginny and Padma too, and whilst Susan initially looked nervous about being paired with Slytherin-Faye, she brightened once she cast the spell correctly and Faye whooped in congratulations as her wand went flying. Neville, paired with Luna, needed some help, as did Colin and Dennis both being in the younger years.

There was certainly some shoddy spell work. Harry felt strangely relieved, pleased in his decision to begin with the very basics. "Amazing, everyone! Keep going!" He encouraged, and also encouraged them to switch partners to try their abilities. He split up Terry and Anthony, and paired them with Sophie and Jane respectively, murmuring a quick, "Tell me if there's any trouble", to Jane, who nodded quickly.

"Ernie, you need to make your movements more précised. You're giving your opponent time to disarm you." "Okay, Colin, Dennis, what did we say about aiming for one another, rather than the bookshelves?" "Luna, why don't you practice with Justin now, and Neville, come work with Michael a minute." Harry found himself easily slipping into the teacher role, and enjoying it more and more as the time went on.

"How are you doing Jane, Anthony?" He asked, coming up to stand beside Jane just as she let out a chortle of laughter, and Anthony grinned. Harry felt something sour bubble in his chest.

Jane smiled up at him, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet and twirling her wand between her fingers. "Hey Harry, oh we're doing great, thank you. This is brilliant. I mean, I can't believe we're actually doing this, but it feels so good to be casting proper spells for once!"

"Hear hear!" Anthony cheered, and a few of the people around them joined in. Harry laughed. The tight panic he'd had in his chest, just before everyone had arrived that evening, had completely disappeared by now. But the affirmations were still pleasant to hear.

"Harry!" Hermione called out soon enough. "It's almost nine!" A number of people groaned. Harry checked his watch and grimaced. He clapped his hands, and everyone had one final attempt at casting the disarming charm before they stopped, piling back onto the floor.

Harry stepped around them and to the front, Hermione and Ron by his sides. Jane and Cho both beamed at him, each of them with their hair swept and giggling with the friends, and Harry's stomach tumbled right out of his body. "Right." He said, a bit tightly. "You… You all did great tonight guys! You all managed to successfully use the disarming charm as least two or three times." There were more cheers. "Before we go, I wanted to wait until the end to ask you all something. We know that the Slytherin Quidditch team have practice twice a week, which gives us the potential to meet here twice a week. Once on weekdays, once on the weekdays. However, I appreciate you all have work to do and extra-curriculars of a more official nature –"

"If you're asking if we want to meet once a week, or twice," Angelina called out, "My answer is twice." There was a rumble of agreement. "And that's coming from a Seventh-year prefect, and head of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Believe me, I couldn't have more on my plate this year than I already do. But this – this is important. This is about surviving. As long as it isn't during practice time, I'm here."

"Angie's right!" George called, and Angelina blushed. Katie nudged her between the ribs, and George winked her way before returning his gaze to Harry. "We'll be here twice a week, if you are Harry."

There was a chorus of 'me too!' 's around the room. Even Marietta, Ernie, Justin, Anthony and Zacharias, the people who had been most dubious at the beginning of the lesson, nodded along. His eyes lingered on Zacharias, who shrugged. "Only chance we get to actually cast a defensive spell nowadays, might as well take the chance."

Harry took that as a win, and clapped his hands together. "I guess that's settled then. Saturday morning, then, shall we say ten? Right after breakfast. Make sure to pace yourselves, come in small groups and be careful not to attract attention getting here. Feel free to get here early and practice your disarming if that's easier. But don't use the room much outside of these lessons. We don't want anyone else finding it, especially Umbridge, alright?"

There was another chorus of agreement, and slowly people began slipping out in two's and three's, only leaving after Harry checked the Marauder's Map and advised them of the best route to take to avoid Filch on the way back to their common rooms. The map was going to be instrumental in the group functioning, they'd realised early on. Luckily, there were no teachers on the seventh floor, or suspicious students, and Umbridge was safely tucked away in her office. He continued to check the map to make sure everyone made it back to the dormitory without being stopped.

Just as he was watching a collective of Hufflepuff dots arrive at their common room, Jane bounded up to him and threw her arms around his neck. "You were brilliant!" She whispered, squeezing tight, and all his sourness from earlier disappeared. "Just brilliant!"

"Thank you." Harry laughed, a little awkward, arms looped around her waist. He could smell the apple scent of her shampoo. "It felt strange, giving instruction."

"You were a natural." Hermione complimented, popping up beside them. "Honestly, Harry."

"Hermione's right. Don't worry about it mate. You did great. Even managed to help Neville of all people." Ron added, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulder, dragging him away from Jane a little bit. Was that disappointment on Jane's face? He couldn't tell.

Christopher clapped him on the shoulder. "Nice job Harry. You gonna be studying with us any night this week?" Ron's arm stilled around Harry's neck. The insinuation behind Christopher's words, the prospect of Harry spending time in the Slytherin common room, was loaded, not that the kind-hearted blonde-haired boy realised it, like Jane or Sophie might have.

"Uh." Harry paused, then grimaced at Christopher. Ron was clearly trying his best to smile, and make it look convincing. Harry appreciated the effort. Even if the result was a slightly terrifying, twitching mess of lips and teeth. "Don't know if I'll have time if I'm honest. I might be preparing lesson ideas now that we've decided to meet twice a week. I'll let you know though, you know, if anything changes."

Christopher smiled, nodding, no doubt having absolutely no idea the tension he'd caused in Ron's now spasming arm. He could only be glad that Seamus, Dean and the other Gryffindor's were already gone, and everybody else left in the room was out of earshot. Harry said another quick goodbye to Jane before watching the group of six Slytherin's slip out of the door. Jane winked as she went.

Cho waved as she left with Marietta, a few minutes later. "Great lesson, Harry! See you Saturday." She ducked out of the door, Marietta pulling on her hand, and Hermione scoffed.

"What?" Harry and Ron questioned, simultaneously.

Hermione eyed them, and then rolled her eyes, "Oh, you two really are idiots." She muttered, before retreating to the edge of the room to neatly pile cushions together, organise fallen books and collect her own belongings before they too left. They had silently agreed they'd be the last to go, as the 'leaders'.

They bickered all the way back to the common, not speaking of the lesson again until they were safely tucked in Harry and Ron's dormitory. Fred, George, Dean, Seamus and Ginny sat there waiting for them, and they enthusiastically delved into the details of the lesson.

"What's next Harry?" Neville asked eagerly. "What's the next lesson on?"

"I was thinking the Impediment Jinx, or maybe practising Confundo." Harry suggested, aware it was more of a suggestion than a set lesson plan, and that he should probably become more confident when it came to leading these… were they lessons? Classes? Sessions?

"Confundo could be very useful if someone were to get caught on the way out of a lesson." Ginny pipped up. I guess they are lessons, then. "Good idea Harry."

"Thanks. If everyone progress' as quickly as they did today, we should be able to catch up to what a fifth-year curriculum would usually look like come the exams." Harry went on. Fred and George and Angelina and the seventh years… We probably won't be able to make up the whole seventh year curriculum, not as well and not in time for their N.E.W.T.'s, but they'll have learned some defence at least. Plus, maybe even a few additional spells. The Patronus charm, that'll take at least a couple of lessons, it's tricky, and takes time to form." He paused. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Everyone around him was grinning widely. It was dark outside the high windows, and the flaming torches cast dancing shadows over all of them. "Nothing, nothing!" Hermione said, patting his knee. Harry narrowed his eyes. "Well, it's just… this really does suit you Harry. Maybe you should reconsider becoming an Auror… Teaching may be your forte."

"She's right." George said, as Harry's cheeks turned pink. "All the seventh year's were saying it too. 'Thank God we have Harry', they were saying. 'We might actually pass our exams with him in charge'. That's what Alicia said."

"You sound it, when you talk about lesson plans and charms and stuff." Dean agreed, and Harry's heart pinched at all of their praise. "Like, you know what you're talking about, like a leader."

Harry didn't know what to say, and didn't have to. At that very point, a small piece of parchment appeared from thin air, floating down until Harry snatched it up. "What's that?" Seamus asked. "Where did that come from?"

"It's, uh." Harry flicked his eyes up to look at Seamus. The Irish boy seemed to understand, and fell heavily back onto his pillows. Harry said the words anyway. "It's how Professor Snape and I communicate in the evenings. There's a charm, it allows you to send small objects such as notes. I can teach you if you like."

Seamus did not respond. Harry unfurled the parchment. Well? Was all it said.

Harry grabbed a muggle pen and scribbled on the back of the parchment. It was great. We're good. Tell you more tomorrow. He made a twirling motion with his wand, knowing the others were watched, and muttered, parvi mittere. The note vanished. Seconds later, it was back, with only four more words written under his own, Very good. Well done.

"He's certainly succinct." Hermione rolled her eyes.

But Harry smiled. "You'd be surprised."