Previously…

"Well then," Poppy smile at her brightly, "You have half the difficulty I teaching here conquered."

The Defense teacher frowned. "What's the other half?"

"Now you simply have to establish yourself with the students," Minerva told her sympathetically, patting her on the shoulder. "Don't concern yourself overly much; it is quite likely that you will survive the experience."

Brethany eyed the older woman suspiciously. That had not sounded particularly reassuring.

And Now…

Brethany had never been intoxicated in her life, but that morning, she wished she were. The previous night had gone well…she had gotten no sleep, but at least she had all her materials together. She had an hour until her first class, and she was absolutely, completely and utterly terrified. Admitting to this was easy; fixing it, not nearly so.

She slowly made her way into the DADA classroom, wincing slightly at how bare it was. She had cleaned the room herself, emptying it of all portraits, artifacts, posters and photos that had accumulated over the years. The reasons behind this purging of the room would be explained in each class over the next few days. As it was, the only thingin the classroom other than desks and chairs was a single bookshelf on the back wall, filled with books and parchments.

Brethany's first class consisted of the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins. It was a double class, which meant for her first teaching experience, she would have two solid hours of the most volatile class in the entire school. She had been warned, of course, and thus had very good idea of what to expect if she did not immediately take control of the class.

Half an hour to go…. Brethany resorted to sitting at her desk and organizing the same exact contents that she had organized the evening before. The more she tried not to think about what was about to happen, the further her courage sank. Fifteen minutes…

"You look much like I did on my first day," a deep male voice echoed through the room, and Brethany's head whipped up. In the doorway stood a tall, skinny man with sandy brown hair. He walked toward her, smiling warmly. "I am Remus Lupin, a former Defense teacher. I had to speak with Albus about something, and thought that I would give you a few words of encouragement."

"Lupin?" Brethany smiled and shook his hand gratefully. "Minerva told me about you, said you were the only good teacher they had in almost fifteen years. Thank you for stopping in." She chuckled slightly. "I sound rather like a clerk in a store, don't I?"

Lupin laughed. "You sound like a new teacher on her first day. Do you think you're ready?"

Brethany drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Yes. Yes, I do think so." She flashed his a quick smile. "Actually, do you have a couple hours? You could stay if you like, and then give me a few pointers afterward."

Lupin studied her face curiously, then laughed at her hopeful expression. "I do have some free time. I wouldn't mind at all. Where would you like me?"

Brethany grinned and walked over to the bookshelf. "I found a place back here last week when I moved the shelves. There's a hollow in the wall, with a seat, and if you move a few of the books there's an excellent view of the room. I think Albus used it to spy on his teachers at times, but he only hummed and winked when I asked him about it." Lupin chuckled lightly as he poked his around the bookcase to look at the indicated space. "Only ten minutes until class, so you'd better get in. There's a cushioning charm on the seat and walls, so it's rather comfy, and I cleaned it thoroughly, so it shouldn't be musty." Brethany watched anxiously as the man folded his lanky frame into the niche. "Are you all right?" A slightly muffled reply reached her ears, then several books were moved on a middle shelf.

"It's quite nice, really. A little snug, but quite nice." Lupin's face peered through the hole in the shelves. "I'd best put a Notice-Me-Not on myself, though. Harry is standing behind you, by the way." Brethany stifled an 'eep!' of surprise as she whirled around to see the fore mentioned teenager.

"Mr. Potter!" she barely kept herself from stuttering, then took a deep breath and relaxed. Thank heaven for a sense of humor! "So you've caught us in the act! What price might you demand for your silence?" Harry Potter stared at her quizzically, a confused smile on his face.

"Ah…can I have a little time to think about it?" he asked, unsure of what was going on. "And can I ask what Remus is-?

"No time!" Brethany strode to her desk, gesturing for Harry to seat himself. The teenage boy did so slowly, casting one last look at Lupin, who gave a quick wink and nod.

There was a wild clatter as the students rushed in to get their chosen seats, and for a brief few minutes, there was utter chaos. Brethany was torn between amusement and horror at the behavior of the group as they chattered, argued and yelled across the to each other about the events of their summer and the few classes they had attended so far that day.

When at last some semblance of quiet seemed to be achieved, Brethany stood from her desk and approached the seated students. "Good morning," she spoke quietly, and nearly everyone went still and silent. "Good day," she repeated, eyes wandering over the jumble of teenagers. "My name is Professor Brethany Lewis. I'm sure many of you are wondering how someone as young as myself was selected for this post…" several students exchanged glances, "But let me assure you that I am quite qualified."

A girl, Gryffindor, raised her hand, and Brethany nodded. "So how old are you, Professor Lewis?"

Brethany grinned. "I will be twenty-one on New Year's Eve." This startled them, she saw. Several of the Slytherin students, the blond boy, Malfoy, especially, were beginning to scowl in apparent disapproval. "Perhaps it would help if I gave you just a little background information," she spoke quietly.

"My family is originally from Britain, where my father was an auror and my mother a muggle nurse. When I was nine years old, my father moved our family over to the United States, where he took over a management position in the International Aurors Department." She paused for a moment, suddenly relaxed. "My father took care of the magical education of all his nine children, and I was taught for five years by he and his fellow aurors. When I took my O.W.L.s, I had thirteen OWLs," there was a quiet murmur at this, "And I did so well in NEWTs at age fifteen that I entered into two apprenticeships immediately after my sixteenth birthday." This caused an even louder murmur.

"I recently achieved my Masteries in Wandmaking and General Magical Defense, which I think you will agree makes me fully qualified for this position." Brethany enjoyed the wary look that had entered the Malfoy boy's eyes. Two Masteries by age twenty was truly an amazing thing. It required being in simultaneous apprenticeships, a great deal of power, very little sleep, and more patience than any one person could possess.

"So…" Brethany grinned at them, "Are you all comfortable?" There was a mutter of assent. Her grin widened. "Well, I am truly sorry to say this, but that is going to change. I would like all the girls on this side, and all the boys on the other." Protests immediately rose, but the Defense teacher simply raised her wand, and the noise died down.
"Thank you. Now, there are an equal number of Slytherin and Gryffindor girls, so I want one of each at every desk." Protests rose even louder, and the boys looked on in trepidation, expecting the same mandate for themselves. Brethany gave a brisk wave of her wand, and every mouth was magically sealed shut. "Now," she spoke quietly, staring each girl in the eyes, "One Slytherin girl will sit with one Gryffindor girl, the same pair for the rest of this term. Once I remove this spell, I expect to hear silence in this room unless I ask for a response. If someone speaks out of turn, and this does include whispering, that person will find him or herself unable to speak for the entire day." She smiled rather sadistically. "The spell is wordless, so it is likely that only the Headmaster himself would be able to remove it."
No one moved, and Brethany nodded her approval and removed the spell. "Very good. Now then, if the girls would take their seats, we can continue." There was a short stillness, then they reluctantly began moving. Once they had seated themselves, glancing doubtfully at each other, Brethany turned to the boys. "Well, now it's your turn. Draco Malfoy, would you step forward, please?" The blond boy stepped to the front. "And Ronald Weasley, also?" A tall, gangly redhead obeyed slowly, eyeing the other boy reluctantly.
Brethany pulled a desk and two chairs to the center of the room and facing the other students. "Please have a seat here, you two." She didn't stop to see their reactions, but turned immediately to the other boys. "The rest of you may sit with whomever you please, but remember that I do not tolerate inattention in my class. Any disruptions will be punished immediately, and let me inform you now that I have a great deal of imagination when it comes to creating punishments." She paused and looked the students over. "I trust everyone understands?" They nodded hesitantly. "Good. Now, we will begin." She drew in a small breath. She could do this.
"You may have noticed how bare this room is." It had been noted, of course. The entire room was undecorated, cold stone. It made for a rather bleak atmosphere. "I would like for this room to signify our approach to Defense Against the Dark Arts. There is no sign of past professors," here Harry Potter glanced toward the bookcase with a small frown, "No reminders of different things you have been taught at home in regards to the Dark Arts, and no indications of what may be learned in the future." Frowns began to emerge. "Essentially," she continued, "I am removing all preconceived ideas about this subject." Many of them seemed to understand, and a few even appeared to approve. "To demonstrate how each class period will begin, I will be having Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy answer a few questions for us."

Brethany removed two pieces of parchment from her desk and handed one to each boy. "On the parchment are a list questions, rather controversial questions that I wish for each of you two to answer, and the rest of you to think about. When I ask the question, Mr. Malfoy, you will answer first by reading the parchment. Mr. Weasley will then read the answer that appears on his own parchment, and we will discuss the answers." She waited to see if they would react, but neither spoke up.

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