"I am acutely aware how many of you object to my being here," the voice would usually have set Harry on edge, having associated it with life-threatening situations the past few years. "However, though my past is less than admirable, it has left me being the one with the most to offer this discipline."
Lucius Malfoy paced slowly in front of the crowd of students who were gathered on their feet in the classroom. Defense Against the Dark Arts was made a mandatory course for all students, and Professor Malfoy was given permission to make some drastic changes. It was for this reason that there were no longer any chairs in the room; which seemed to have been enchanted to be twice the size, and was filled only with dueling platforms. Each one was long, taking the entire length of the room and stretching for at least seventy feet. Every face was turned to their new professor with unbroken attention, some with a nervous air and some with an expression of distaste.
"This course, in my opinion," he continued steadily, looking over all his students, "has been seriously insufficient in preparing you for reality."
A few whispered mumbles began at his words, and Malfoy raised his hand to silence them.
"Granted," he conceded, "many of you fought in the War. Do let me remind you, though, that in no way does that mean you have nothing left to learn."
He scanned the faces of the Gryffindor seventh years, eyes remaining for a moment on Harry, and turned once more to continue pacing.
"In fact, many of you fought with little other than determination, skill nowhere to be seen. In the end this was sufficient simply because you outnumbered the Dark Lord's army six-to-one in the Battle. Perhaps, had everyone been used to the training I propose, many more of you would have lived to see their victory."
A few angry hisses came from the students scattered around the room, and many began to look at him with venom in their eyes. Others, such as Harry himself, came to wear a more serious expression as the truth of the words felt undeniable. The Slytherin students, who were paired with Gryffindor for both Defense and Potions this year, seemed unable to decide if they should look at their professor with admiration or mistrust. Coming to a standstill, Lucius gestured to the edge of the nearest raised dueling platform.
"Take a seat along here, and I will explain to you the changes I've made and what you can expect from this year."
All thirty or so students quickly spread themselves along the length of the dueling platform, and the explanation continued slowly.
"Perhaps around one in four classes will involve a brief demonstration of a spell you may not have seen before. You're quite advanced, so I imagine my demonstrations won't need to be often. I expect you will practice these on your own, safely, to avoid needing to waste more class time on repeated explanations. Ten hours a week should suffice."
Small grumbles rippled down the line of students, who clearly wanted to protest. Malfoy, however, gave them all a knowing glance and continued, unphased.
"This practice, and coming to class prepared to perform the new spells to the best of your ability, will be your only assignments."
The grumbling changed to excited whispers and gasps, as the students exchanged shocked glances. They already seemed happier, hearing that for the first time they wouldn't have papers or reading assigned to them.
"Don't make the mistake of assuming this means I take things lightly," their professor cut in over the mumbles. "I simply do not believe that writing essays about dark spells and creatures is a productive use of time when preparing to combat them. Though it will certainly be frowned upon by many parents, particularly given my background… I insist that to fight dark magic you must learn to use it."
The silence in the room seemed to somehow deepen as the words sunk in. A few students looked as though they were about to faint.
"That's not to say I will be instructing you in anything that requires damage to body or soul to perform. You may discuss it with me, certainly, but be assured that even I have limits; there will be no Horcrux creation or other such evils in this classroom."
Clearing his throat and giving the students a minute to let the information sink in, he changed to a lighter and more casual tone.
"On dueling days, most days, as you come in the door a number will appear on the back of your hand for the duration of class. This will randomly group you into pairs, and you will go immediately to one end of the corresponding numbered platform to wait for your partner. Begin as soon as you are both present, and continue without pause for the entire hour. The dueling will have no rules, but I expect to see the spell I have most recently demonstrated for you being used at least once for every three times you cast.
"You may notice the platforms are an extended length. This is the largest I was allowed, as nothing longer would fit in the room. When dueling your partner, you may approach or retreat from each other to whatever distance you like, provided neither of you crosses the center line and leaves your designated half."
The new professor frowned for a moment, as if still deeply unsatisfied.
"The unrealistic constraints of your studies thus far have left you unnecessarily weak," he insisted firmly. "In no world do you battle an opponent who can only move directly toward or directly away from you. For this reason, three times a month we will be having class outdoors, even when there is unfavorable weather. You may not bring extra clothing to keep you comfortable outdoors, as I expect that everything you do and experience in our time together will be a result of your spellwork and nothing else."
"Someone else tell me what is unrealistic about the structure I have described so far," he demanded calmly, regarding his new students with expectation.
The students all looked at each other for a minute, many too nervous to talk. Not as surprising as it would have been years ago, Neville volunteered an answer.
"Not many situations are really going to be one-on-one, are they?" he offered as confidently as he could manage, voice only slightly wavering.
Malfoy looked at him for a moment before replying, seeming as though he was reading the boy's face or mind.
"Absolutely correct, Mr. Longbottom," he eventually agreed, a faint and tight smile pulling at his lips. "Though not impossible you may fight an enemy alone, still it is a fool's move to allow your focus to be entirely on your opponent and not at all on your surroundings. To ensure you remain aware, I may, at any moment while you are in my classroom, attempt a simple and harmless attack on a random student. Consider yourselves warned, and be ready to protect yourselves."
As if to prove his point, within an instant he had taken out his wand and shot a familiar blast of red towards a student. Heads whipped around, some gasped, and Harry saw an arm belonging to someone with blond hair suddenly wave through the air and throw up a shield. It seemed to have worked in time, because when the stunning spell disappeared Draco was still upright and moving. From what little Harry could see, he looked mildly in shock at the unexpected attack from his father, yet pleased when he saw the look on their professors face. Satisfied, the older man smiled slightly again as the rest of the class remained speechless.
"Very nice," he told his son. "And nonverbally, too. Excellent."
Turning back to the rest of the class, he put his wand away again.
"Questions?"
x
By the end of the day at dinnertime, half of the school had had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and the Great Hall was absolutely buzzing with discussion about this year's changes.
Unsurprisingly, many students were terrified at the thought of being put to such a test. Surprisingly, despite their fear and despite their professor's history, many seemed excited about the challenge. People had swarmed up to Harry throughout the day, for some reason wanting his opinion on Professor Malfoy's ideas. Honestly, Harry was thrilled; this was the one subject he had been unwaveringly drawn to, and he was beyond excited to see it taking such a serious and realistic turn. He willingly admitted this to everyone who asked, telling them truthfully that he was rather looking forward to it.
"If we can't use magic properly when it matters most, then what's the point of it?" he had been repeating all day to everyone who asked. "We don't come anywhere near our potential by taking the safe and painless route."
Almost everyone he told this would nod their heads as though it must be true if Harry Potter said it, before running off to repeat the statement to their friends.
"Honestly Harry, you could advocate for Voldemort's return and people would agree with you," Ron laughed over their meal that evening.
Hermione swatted her boyfriend's arm and rolled her eyes, but smiled despite herself.
"I think it's awfully dangerous, this change," she said hesitantly. "What if someone dies?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Ron said with an edge. "I bet he's bloody out to get us. I still don't trust a Malfoy."
Harry frowned, understanding how they felt but not completely agreeing.
"He did say we would get hurt," Harry reminded them. "But he said he won't be covering anything lethal and he has Madam Pomfrey on call. Besides, you heard him admit to having healed Death Eaters when they were nearly dead- makes sense, given they couldn't exactly go to a hospital. I'd bet he's really good at it."
Harry's mind jumped back to when he had almost killed Draco two years prior. He had never questioned it at the time, but Snape was able to heal the boy without a moment's hesitation. Knowing now what Lucius said about Death Eaters having to learn the hard way to be proficient healers made that much more sense.
Not feeling the need to argue with his statement, Hermione and Ron both nodded slowly and shrugged before turning back to their food. It wasn't long after that Neville took the empty spot to Harry's right, across the table from Ron.
"Strange, isn't it," he asked the trio as he filled his plate with dessert, "not feeling like we might die this year?"
The three laughed, as they had all been thinking it but hadn't put it into words quite so soon.
"Especially for you, Harry," he amended. "I mean, it was only two years ago that I managed to keep up with you lot. That was plenty for me. Can't imagine seven years of it."
He seemed to sense he might have gotten a bit too serious too soon, shifting to paying more attention to his friends and less attention to his food.
"Are you guys alright?" he asked considerately.
"Honestly Neville," Harry replied, "I think I can speak for all of us and say that you've lost and contributed as much as we have. They were different sacrifices, but still big ones."
His friends voiced their agreement, and Hermione reassured Neville they would all be there if he ever needed someone to talk to. Before anything could get emotional, Ron deflected the conversation by asking Neville how the rest of his summer had been.
All in all, Harry thought the dinner was at least as good as the first he had ever had at Hogwarts, as he finally felt he could be excited to have a new life again.
AN: Ohhhhh I'm so excited for this year at Hogwarts! What do you think of DADA this term? Better than before, or a terrible idea?
Have a great week everyone