A/N: Remember those longer chapters I promised? Well, here's the first one. Enjoy.
Chapter Eight: DADA
"Come on, we're going to be late," Hermione commanded two days later.
"'Mione, class doesn't start for another ten minutes," Harry said calmly.
Hermione looked at her best friend like he'd been hit by one of Ginny Weasley's bat-bogey hexes. "It's Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
"So?" Ron asked around a huge piece of sausage he'd just shoved in his mouth. "Wh' misth foo'?"
Hermione rolled her eyes while everyone in the vicinity tried not to look at the half-masticated pig rolling around in Ron's wide-open trap. "Have you not heard what everyone's been saying?" She looked exasperatedly at her best friends' clear confusion. "About Professor Deere?"
"Which one?"
"DADA Deere. Anyway, I heard she's the best since Professor Lupin."
"Well of course. It's not like Umbridge was even in the running," Harry said heatedly.
Hermione looked flustered. "Yes, well, she must be pretty good. Everyone was talking about her in the bathroom."
Ron choked and sprayed pumpkin juice down the table. "You talk about professors in the bathroom?" he sputtered.
"Honestly, Ron," Hermione replied, flicking her wand absently and whispering a cleanup charm to get rid of the sprayed juice. "Where else do you think I'd get the gossip?"
Harry sat straight up, causing Hermione and Ron to pause in their pre-bickering warm-up. And then, suddenly, their best friend was under the table for no apparent reason. After a second of stunned silence, they heard Harry yelling for someone to "give them back!"
A moment later, Harry Potter reappeared looking a little worse for the wear.
"You okay there, mate?" Ron asked quietly.
Harry grabbed his book-bag and shot the Gryffindor table an accusatory glare as he hurried away.
Ron stuffed the last of his breakfast into his mouth and followed. "Wh' 're," he swallowed thickly, "we leaving?"
"They tried to do it again," Harry explained, not slowing his speed.
"Do what?" Hermione asked as she jogged to catch up with the speedy black-haired teen.
"Steal my laces."
Ron couldn't help but snort. "Again? How many times is that?"
"Five," Harry grumbled. "It's like they have a second sense or something. They know where I'm going to sit and when. Every time I go in there, I end up being robbed." He hitched his book-bag further up on his shoulders. "I think I need to hex my shoes."
Ron and Hermione stopped. "Why?" Hermione asked.
"It's the only think that I can think of to stop them from stealing my laces."
"Really, Harry, don't you think you're overreacting a little?" Hermione made her voice soothing, like a mother trying to comfort a panicking son.
"No, Hermione, I'm not. I have to stop this now, else they'll never quit."
"Too true, mate. Percy ignored Fred and George and look what happened," Ron interjected, nodding wisely.
"Thank you!" Harry replied.
"You have thirty seconds before this door closes," a voice spoke from just inside the DADA classroom.
Hermione blushed at almost being late and charged into the room, closely flanked by her best friends.
OOOOO
Professor Lily Potter surveyed her first NEWT class of the year. She was surprised so many students had made it to NEWT. She couldn't remember how many students had been in her DADA sixth year, but it certainly hadn't been twenty-seven. She took a deep breath.
"Good morning. My name is Professor Pansy Deere. That's D-E-E-R-E," she added sternly after hearing a snicker from somewhere in the back. "Welcome to NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts. Now, I know your education in this subject thus far has been fragmented, to say the least."
Lily paused to let the nods and sniggers die. "Yes, well, not this year. It will not be easy. Anyone who does not believe they are willing to put in the effort I call for, please leave now."
A few people exchanged looks but nobody moved. The corners of Lily's mouth curled upwards in a hint of a smile that only a select couple of Gryffindors and maybe a Ravenclaw caught before she continued.
"And now that that's taken care of, let's get started." Once again she looked around. She was pleased to see Harry looked interested. "The sixth year Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum focuses on dueling, so that's what we will do." The majority of the Gryffindors sat up straighter. "Nonverbally," Lily added.
Everyone but one – Hermione Granger, to be exact – let out a small groan. Lily smiled wryly at the sound but continued without stopping.
"You have this class twice a week, correct?" Lily didn't wait for an answer. "On your single periods, we will work on theory. The double periods will be spent on practical, or, if I deem it necessary, more theory. Homework will be practice and essays – at least one a week. Questions?"
Hermione immediately raised her hand.
Lily decided to play ignorant on the name-front. "Yes, Miss --?"
"Granger, Professor. Hermione Granger. I was wondering what type of dueling we will be doing."
"Practical. None of that ridiculous formal dueling you see in tournaments." Lily couldn't stop herself; her eyes flicked toward Harry. "What good are formalities when you are fighting a war?"
It took a moment for Lily to muster the necessary energy to extricate herself from the depths of her first-born's eyes and his look of obvious agreement and excitement. She quickly nodded to Neville Longbottom, who'd just raised his hand.
"What kind of spells will be learning?" Neville asked nervously.
"This term will be mostly learning to do all the spells you already know nonverbally with more advanced defensive magic as I see fit. Spring term, depending on how far you all are, will be curses." Lily answered coolly, suddenly glad she'd written out lesson plans.
Lily looked around at her class again and was pleasantly surprised to see everyone was sitting up a little straighter in their seats.
"On that note, I need to see where you all are, defense-wise. Everyone pair up with someone," Lily added after a second's pause.
Almost at once, the pairs were set. For the most part, they were segregated into houses, the most notable exception being Neville Longbottom and a Hufflepuff boy Lily was almost positive was called Finch-Fetch, or something along those lines.
"Good. Now, I'm going to call each of you up and--"
"Professor Deere?" Harry interrupted quietly.
Lily stopped. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"
"I don't have a partner, Professor."
Lily looked around. Harry was right, everyone else had partners. She turned back to her son. "Well, Mr. Potter, would you be willing to duel me?"
Harry's eyes widened slightly, but that was the only sign he was hesitant. "Won't that reflect badly on my results?"
"Not at all," Lily replied. She faced the class as a whole again. "As I was about to say, I don't care who wins or loses, I just want to get an idea of where you are." She nodded to Harry again, "Don't underestimate yourself, Mr. Potter. I'm sure you'll do fine."
Lily gestured for everyone to stand up and flicked her wand lightly, sending all the desks flying to the sides. Another flick and her desk became a dueling platform.
The DADA professor looked down at her roll before saying, "Mr. Weasley, you and your partner please step up to the platform."
Ron and Hermione shared a confirming look before taking a deep breath and facing each other on the platform. They looked to Lily for permission to begin, and Lily suddenly remembered the shield.
"No curses that could land your partner in the hospital wing for longer than a couple of minutes," Lily said while casting the simple, yet powerful, shield charm that her husband had taught her before Harry was born around the perimeter of the stage. "The shield should stop most spells, but aim for your partner, please. Now begin."
Ron shot the first spell but Hermione ducked and shouted, "Rictumsempra!"
"Protego!"
"Cunfundo!"
"Protego! Impedimenta!"
"Protego! Stupify! Expelliarmus!" Ron didn't have time to stop the disarming spell and his wand clattered into a corner. The tips of Ron's ears turned a little red, but he shook Hermione's hand before stepping down to let the Patil twins try their chances.
Lily was surprised at the level of most of her students. The duel between Neville Longbottom and Justin Finch-Fletchly (having read his name on her roster) was especially interesting. She'd heard that the Longbottom heir was a bit timid, but she never would have guessed it from the way he dueled. She was strongly reminded of his mother when they'd sparred together before they'd gone into hiding. She wasn't at all shocked when Neville sent Justin into uncontrollable giggles two minutes in, effectively winning the match.
The boy that couldn't have been anyone but Lucius Malfoy's son had done well in his match against Blaise Zabini, the only other Slytherin in the class. They'd exchanged some heaver curses – some that could be considered more dark than light, but Lily wasn't too surprised. They were Slytherins and Slytherins were nothing if not cunning. And she'd never been the kind of person to judge.
When the last pair (Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas) had left the platform, Lily banished her clipboard to her office and shrugged off her outer robe. "Ready, Mr. Potter?"
"Good luck, mate." Lily heard Ron whisper to her son. Harry nodded and pulled out his wand.
Lily waited until he looked reasonably ready before giving him the signal to begin. Harry attacked first with a well-placed expelliarmus, forcing Lily to use a shield instead of dodging. "Parlosum!" she fired back, speaking aloud for his benefit.
Harry barely avoided the babbling hex and shot a leg-locking spell back. Lily countered with a freezing jinx.
"Stop holding back, Harry!" Lily ordered a minute later, quite forgetting to call him by his family name.
"I'm not, Professor," Harry replied from behind the protego he'd just conjured.
"Confundo! Please don't insult me."
Harry paused in thought for a second and was nearly hit by Lily's vertigo hex. A moment later, Harry shot a reducto curse into the stage, knocking his mother off balance for a split-second.
Lily regained her footing before Harry could fire the finishing spell and repaired the stage without missing a beat. "Is that the best you've got?"
Harry didn't smile, his concentration completely on the duel for the first time. He pointed his wand at a floating candle and cried, "Waddlewassy!"
Lily probably would have laughed if she hadn't been dodging the flying candle. She'd invented that spell in her sixth year with Remus Lupin for their Arithmancy NEWT end-of-the-year project. "Pyrostis!"
Harry stopped the spell mid-flight with another freezing charm and shouted an "Impedimenta!" back.
Lily ducked again and shot, "Concerta!"
Harry, momentarily distracted by Seamus Finnigan's cheers, was caught off guard by the sparkling yellow light and unfamiliar spell. A second later the loudest music he'd ever heard pounded against his eardrums. He dropped his wand to clasp his hands around his ears.
The music stopped and he was pulled to his feet.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor," Lily said as she brushed the rubble from the repaired stage off his robe. "Do you need to see Madame Pomfrey?"
Harry shook his head, trying to get the last couple of notes of Ode to Joy out of his head, and walked unsteadily to his best friends. Lily watched him before turning to the class as a whole. "Your homework is a two foot essay evaluating three different duels that you observed today. Do not write about your own."
The bell rang and everyone dashed to gather his or her things.
"Mr. Potter, please wait a moment!" Lily called over the hustle.
"Do you want—?"
"No, go," Harry interrupted Hermione. "I'll catch up."
Ron and Hermione looked at him questioningly, but Harry just turned back to the professor.
Lily was busy returning the room to its original state and Harry narrowly avoided a zooming desk. "You needed to talk, Professor Deere?" Harry started when he'd reached her desk.
"Yes, Mr. Potter. It won't take a moment. I was wondering whether you were going to continue the DA this year."
Harry's eyebrows came together in such a way that Lily was immediately reminded of her father. "How did you know about the DA?"
Lily smiled thinly. "Two ways, really. One, Albus told me, and two, it's all my fellow professors seem to talk about."
"Whatever they've said, it's not true," Harry mumbled. He raised his head and looked Lily in the eyes again. "I didn't do anything."
"Are you sure? I suppose you missed the looks a few of your classmates were giving you during our duel."
"What do you mean?" Harry looked very confused and embarrassed.
Lily had a sudden urge to pull him into her arms and laugh at his expression, but she contented herself with a short huff of amusement. "Your friends and enemies – yes, I know about the animosity between you and Mr. Malfoy, it's also all over the staff's room," Lily said, correctly reading her son's face, "admire you."
Harry shook his head quickly. "You must have misread their expressions. They were probably thinking about lunch."
Lily laughed for the first time all day. She contemplated arguing her point, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. Harry was clearly more like her than James when it came to confidence and praise. "Be that as it may, think about the DA." She looked at her clock. "You'd better go before your friends think I'm a Death Eater intent on kidnapping you."
A/N: Did that satisfy a few readers? I hope so. Thanks to those of you who've reviewed. I replied to the ones I could. Any questions? Comments? Please review.