Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Thanks for your interest in this story; if you have time to review I would very much appreciate it! =)

Harry stomped into Snape's office and threw himself into the chair in front of his dad's desk. Snape raised an eyebrow at the dramatic entrance but didn't say anything. They had both apologized for their tempers the morning following their argument, although Snape was still no closer to finding out what was really bothering the child. He had walked into Umbridge's office while she was giving a second year Hufflepuff detention and the though the child looked bored, all he had been doing was writing lines with his quill. Of course, having to be in that pink invested place would be torture enough, in his opinion.

"We aren't learning defence, and we need to," Harry said finally. "I mean, at least you have been teaching me over the summer but what about everyone else?"

Snape looked at him thoughtfully. Was this the problem? Harry was out of sorts because his friends weren't learning proper defence? With the threat of Voldemort growing stronger, he agreed that the students needed to be as prepared as they could. "True, your classmates do need to learn how to defend themselves and honestly, this is not the time for Hogwarts to have such an inadequate professor." He drummed his fingers on his desk, thinking.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Harry prodded. "Maybe we could go on strike and refuse to go to Defence class until we get a real professor!"

Snape rolled his eyes and snorted. "Your Gryffindor is showing. That is way too obvious and would only cause all of us more problems. You need to do something more…subtle."

Harry gave a mild glare at the insult but then sighed. "So what do we do?" He slumped in his seat.

"What do you do," Snape corrected him. "You have learned much defence over the summer and show remarkable aptitude for the subject."

Harry couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. He couldn't help it; it made him feel good and warm when his dad complimented him like that. He supposed it was because of the years he grew up without any compliments given to him that made him cherish them so now. And for his dad to say it even after that horrible argument they had had… "Thanks," He said softly. "So would you teach it?" He asked hopefully.

Snape smirked. "Yes, I'm sure that many students would line up to take another course with me. I know they do not get enough of my pleasant demeanor during potions class."

Harry snickered. "Good point, I suppose. So who then?" Harry tried to think but then noticed his dad giving him a pointed look. His mouth dropped open. "Me? Are you mental?"

"You don't like the idea?" Snape asked curiously. "A lot of the students look up to you and would no doubt love to learn Defence from you. After all, at only thirteen years of age you were able to cast a fully corporal patronus." He pointed out.

"But wouldn't Umbridge get mad?" Harry asked as he thought the idea over.

"Who says she has to know about it?" Snape said with a satisfied smile.

"I'm impressed Dad, that's very sneaky of you," Harry said with a grin.

"I prefer the word cunning," Snape said. "And thank you. We'll just have to find a place where you can hold the lessons undetected. If Umbridge found out, it would verify to her that the Headmaster is starting an army to take over the ministry." He shook his head at the idiocy of Fudge.

"Does she really believe that Dumbledore would do that?" Harry asked in amusement.

"Fudge does apparently," Snape said. "He's becoming more paranoid than Moody."

Harry snickered and leaned back in his chair. "Forming a group is a good idea though I still don't think I'm qualified to teach it."

"You're experiences with the Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets also gives you credence to teach the others." Snape pointed out. "Though for the record, I do not condone you getting yourself into those situations."

Harry shrugged. "Someone had to."

"Not children," Snape frowned. He had been upset after both of those events, despite the fact that he had not liked the child as he had been so sure that Harry was just like his father.

"What should we call ourselves? Hmm, maybe the We Hate Umbridge club?" Harry mused. "Defence Association?"

Snape snorted in amusement. "You can call it Dumbledore's Army for all I care. That is what that idiot Fudge fears we are doing anyway." He rolled his eyes at the thought of the man.

Harry sat up straight. "That's brilliant!" He said excitedly. Finally, he could feel like he was actually doing something about that toad. "Maybe this could work…would you help me with lesson plans?"

"If you would like," Snape said casually, though he was quite pleased that his son valued his expertise. It was good to see Harry like this, with a spark back in his eyes. His son had been so dejected lately; perhaps this was all he had needed. "One thing I should mention, while I think this is important it will not excuse the homework in any other of the classes suffering. I will be keeping track and if anyone's grades decline they will not be allowed to take part of the D.A. until the grades improve. This is especially true for you," Snape added. "Understood?"

"Yes sir," Harry nodded that he understood. "Now we need a secret place to hold the meetings. I don't think any of the secret passage ways I know about would be a good place." He said thoughtfully.

"Indeed not," Snape muttered.

Harry snapped his fingers. "I know, the Chamber of Secrets!" He began to laugh at the look on his dad's face. "Kidding, kidding. That wouldn't be safe." He said hastily.

Snape relaxed when he realized Harry had been joking. "No, it would not be." He said firmly. "We will figure out something. First talk to your friends and see who is interested in joining the group. Make sure that they agree to keep it a secret. Also write down what spells you would like to start teaching first and then we will go over them together. All right?"

"All right," Harry agreed happily.

HP

Harry and his friends were occupying one of the tables in the library that was in the back corner of the room. Harry wanted to be as private as possible when he talked about the possibility of starting Dumbledore's Army. He cast a quick look around; making sure no one was close enough to hear them. Deciding not to take any chances, he cast a privacy shield around them.

"So what's going on?" Ron asked.

Now that Harry was about to tell his friends about the D.A., he was nervous. What if no one wanted to do it? Or what if everyone laughed at the idea of Harry teaching it? Harry took a deep breath. "We aren't leaning anything with Umbridge. No one is. And the truth is, Voldemort is trying to return," He made a face at the wince his friends made. "It's just a name guys. Anyway, I was talking to my dad and he had an idea. We form a club where we can learn and practice real defence spells, a club that Umbridge won't know about."

"A secret club from that toad?" Draco grinned. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Theo said.

"Is it just for us or all the students?"

"Who is going to teach it? Professor Snape?"

"Where are we going to have it?"

"Hold on!" Harry held out his hands. "First, it should be for anyone who wants to learn but will keep it a secret. I don't know where yet, but we'll figure something out. As for teaching, my dad suggested…me." Harry finished with a shrug. "It doesn't have to be me though," He added quickly.

"No, you would be perfect to teach us!" Daphne said excitedly. "You've already been through dangerous situations and you've been learning advanced spells from Professor Snape."

"It's a great idea!" Hermione beamed. She grabbed a parchment and quill and began writing. "A location secret enough that Umbridge won't find us, or students who would want to turn us in for that matter, and we should ask other students who we can trust not to report us, even if they decide not to join. In fact, we'll need a way to ensure that if someone who joins does blab, we'll know about it." She began scribbling furiously.

Ron rubbed his hand together gleefully. "This is going to be great!"

"What should we call our club?" Tracey asked with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Harry chuckled. "My dad thought of a name, only he said it as a joke but I think it fits. The thing Fudge is worried about, why he sent Umbridge here is that he fears the Headmaster is starting an army to fight the ministry. So our name is Dumbledore's Army or the D.A. so no one knows what we are talking about."

"Brilliant," Draco snickered. "I can't believe that idiot Fudge is so stupid to believe Dumbledore is plotting against him."

Harry absentmindedly rubbed his scar. "I guess he won't see the truth until it is too late."

Daphne looked at Harry in concern. "Is your scar bothering you?"

Harry shook his head. "No, not right now," He eyes dropped to his other scar on his hand, which the glamour he cast still hid. If he could manage not to get another detention, the scar would hopefully completely fade and wouldn't have to bother with a glamour.

"We need to make a list of people who would be interested in joining and can be trusted not to say anything," Hermione said. "I wish we could ask everyone but…" She hesitated.

Ron snickered. "Yeah, there are definitely people who would tell on us. Zabini for one. McLaggen, Stretton –"

"Seamus," Harry sighed. "Dean too, for that matter. Their best friends and Dean might let it slip."

Daphne reached over and put her hand on Harry's arm, feeling relieved when he smiled at her. He had been acting so odd lately; it was good to see him acting more like himself.

"So we need a place," Harry continued. "The secret passageways won't be big enough and we don't know for sure who else knows about them."

"Maybe the Headmaster would have an idea, he should know all the ins and outs of the castle," Theo suggested.

"He didn't know about all the passageways," Harry pointed out. He paused. "At least I don't think he did. You never know with Dumbledore."

"Who else would know the castle well?" Daphne mused aloud.

"Mr. Filch?" Ron grinned, causing everyone to laugh. "How about the Shrieking Shack?" He suggested.

"It would be too small," Harry said.

"The Forbidden Forest?" Theo offered.

"Not bloody likely!" Ron exclaimed, a horrified look on his face.

Harry couldn't help but grin, knowing exactly what Ron was thinking about. Spiders. "No, that won't work either." He shook his head.

Draco's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "The house-elves! I bet they know absolutely everything about this castle!"

"Ooh, good idea," Hermione said. "Although we should offer to pay them for any information they can give –"

"Blimey Hermione," Ron groaned. "Not this again. Why don't you just renew Spew as well?" He asked sarcastically.

"Don't give her any ideas!" Tracey hissed.

"It's not Spew, it is S.P.E.W. It stands for Society for the –"

"Okay, so we'll talk to perspective members and once we have a meeting place, we can start," Harry said quickly, not wanting a fight to break out. He noticed Draco gently touch Hermione's arm and whisper to her, causing her to smile in response. He glanced at Ron to see if he had noticed the intimate exchange but he was busy talking to Theo. He began making a list of spells he could teach, while Hermione, Daphne and Tracey figured out how to make sure members kept the secret and Draco, Ron and Theo made a list of peers to ask. Dumbledore's Army was on its way.

HPHPHPHP

"Right now there is nothing I can do about Dolores," Dumbledore sighed as he poured two cups of tea. "Fudge refuses to believe that Voldemort is alive and I believe he thinks I want his job. He's becoming paranoid and sending her here is his way to try and control things." He held out a teacup to Snape.

"She is not teaching the kids to defend themselves and called Harry a liar and makes up reasons to give him detention," Snape said in frustration as he stared down at his tea. "You are the headmaster, how can you not get rid of her?"

"Hmm, I used to be told the same thing about you," Dumbledore teased.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure things will settle down, she probably wants to make a strong impression since she is new," Dumbledore said. "Now, has Harry had anymore dreams or pain in his scar?"

"No," Snape said. "Which is a relief."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes," He agreed. He added an obscene amount of sugar to his tea while Snape watched with some amusement. "With Voldemort getting stronger, I think it best for you to start training Harry in Occlumency," Dumbledore said after taking a sip.

Snape gave a sigh. "Yes, I've been thinking about that. It is a challenging skill to learn, though I am confident Harry can do it. It will be difficult, with the memories he has," he murmured. He would most likely see Harry's childhood, which would be hard on both of them.

"I know," Dumbledore said in understanding. "But there is a connection between Voldemort and Harry's scar and I fear that if Harry does not learn how to occlude, Voldemort will use that connection against him when he returns."

Snape nodded. "I will begin training him in the subject. He has a lot on his plate already with his classes, studying for OWLs, and Quidditch. And now he is busy planning for the D.A."

Dumbledore smiled. He had been quite pleased when Snape had told him about the secret defence lessons and the name of the club. "How are things with Harry?" Dumbledore asked gently.

Snape gave a frustrated sigh. "Something is bothering him, but he won't open up about it. I get the feeling it is more than the students giving him a hard time. I'm hoping that starting the D.A. will help, if all that is bothering him is Umbridge's classes. Of course, it could be the dreams he had during the summer."

"Well then, occlumency may be even more beneficial," Dumbledore said casually.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Very Slytherin of you Albus."

Dumbledore sniffed. "I do not know what you are talking about." His eyes were twinkling with amusement. He held out a dish. "Lemon drop?"

HPHPHPHP

Harry and Daphne were walking through the castle, holding hands as they tried to think of a place to have the D.A. meetings. Harry felt more relaxed than he had in awhile. He had managed to avoid detentions from Umbridge, his hand had finally stopped hurting and he hadn't had any weird dreams or pain in his scar. With planning the D.A., Harry finally felt like he was doing something productive plus it brought him closer to his friends. He knew he had been distant and he was grateful that Daphne especially, hadn't gotten fed up with him and dumped him.

"Too bad we can't cloak an unused classroom," Daphne remarked. "But that would be too risky and would probably be detected."

"We'll find somewhere," Harry said. "Oh, I'll ask Dobby the next time I –"

Pop!

"Harry Potter needs Dobby?" Dobby asked enthusiastically.

"How did you know?" Harry asked with a grin. Dobby was wearing two sweaters and several pairs of mismatched socks.

"Dobby heard his name," Dobby answered happily.

"Daphne and I could use your help," Harry said. He looked around but the floor they were on was deserted. Still he lowered his voice. "We are organizing a Defence club, since Umbridge is not teaching us anything. We need a place to hold it."

"It needs to be a place where our club can meet in secret," Daphne added. "And be large enough to hold a lot of students."

Dobby's eyes widened and bounced excitedly on his feet. "Oh yes! Dobby knows a most perfect place! It is known to us house-elves as the Come and Go Room or as the Room of Requirement!"

"Why is it known as that?" Harry asked curiously.

"It is a room that you only can enter when you have a real need for it. It is not always there but when it is, it always holds the needs of whoever finds it." Dobby said happily. "It is most useful for when some of the other house-elves get drunk on Butterbeer as it holds antidotes and cots to lie down on." He stopped and his eyes widened in horror. "Dobby shouldn't have told you that part!" He began yanking on his ears and both Daphne and Harry each grabbed a thin arm to stop him.

"It's okay Dobby!" Daphne said urgently.

"You're free, remember? You don't have to punish yourself," Harry told him. "It's okay; we won't tell anyone about the Butterbeer." He forced himself not to smile at the thought of drunken house-elves.

Dobby's arms fell and he gave them a sheepish smile. "Dobby still sometimes forgets he is free." He admitted.

"Dobby, this room sounds perfect. Where is it located?" Daphne asked excitedly.

"The seventh floor in the left corridor, across the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry," Dobby told them. "You open the room by walking past it three times thinking about what it is you need and the door will appear."

"Thanks Dobby, you've been a real help," Harry said sincerely.

Dobby beamed. "Yous both is welcome! Dobby won't tell anyone about secret club." Pop!

Daphne grinned at Harry. "House elves drunk on Butterbeer?" Both teenagers burst into laughter as they made their way to the seventh floor.

TBC: Please Review! =)