Part Two--A Different Kind of 6th Year
Chapter 9--Impenetrable Defense
One month later, Hogwarts:
Arista, Mel, and the rest of the sixth and seventh year Ravenclaws filed into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and sat quietly at their desks. They were paired this year with the Slytherins, one of whom was Drake Lockwood. When he caught sight of Arista and Mel, he moved a seat over so he was near them.
"Getting up close and personal with your girlfriend, Lockwood?" drawled James Hathaway, he was Brittany Marsh's current boyfriend and an old nemesis of Drake's from long ago.
Drake flashed him an irritated glare. "Shove off, Hathaway."
Hathaway grinned mockingly, his white teeth startling against his tan face. He was extremely good-looking, one of the reasons he was Marsh's boyfriend. The other was because he had a mean streak as bad as hers and didn't mind intimidating younger students. He'd been Drake's chief tormentor back in the days when he stuttered uncontrollably and was easy prey for the other boy's jinxes and hexes.
"Gonna hold hands with Arista, Lockwood?" the older boy continued. "Better watch it, though, 'cause if her old man sees there won't be enough of you left over to fit in a matchbox."
Marsh and several of her crowd snickered at Hathaway's comment.
Drake ignored them, rolling his eyes. Though neither he nor Arista had ever declared they were seeing each other, somehow rumors had gotten started and now the whole school assumed they were dating. Not that Drake minded all that much, but he still hadn't managed to get Arista alone to ask her if she wanted to go out with him, and the stupid rumors weren't helping him any.
"Hi," he said, sliding into the seat next to Arista. "You ready for your dad's first lesson?"
"Can't wait," she answered, smiling back at him. "I'm so glad Dumbledore finally relented and gave him this position this year. He's the best one for the job, you know. And he was so happy about it."
"I'm glad too. Finally we've got someone who actually knows what he's doing, and who's not an idiot, crazy, possessed, under a curse, or an evil old hag. Maybe this year we'll learn how to really fight, and do some good for once." Drake said eagerly.
"Hey, did you get your OWL scores back yet, Drake?" Mel asked, from Arista's other side.
"Yeah. I got O's in everything except Divination, you know that's a joke anyhow, unless you've got Sight for real. The examiner only gave me an E. But I got top marks in everything that matters, like Defense and Potions and Charms. How about you two?"
"I got five O's and two E's," Mel replied. "My mother was ecstatic, she says that's the first time anybody in my family's gotten such high marks. Aunt Pomona was real happy too, especially since I got an O in Herbology. I don't know why she's so amazed, she's been teaching me about magical plants and stuff since I was a toddler."
"Did you tell them about your, uh, new talent?" Drake asked softly.
Mel nodded. "They weren't as shocked as I thought they'd be. My dad actually seemed kind of happy. He said that my ability was common in his family a long time ago, until the reign of James I, when it became dangerous to have it, and witches with it were hunted down and killed for being devil-touched. After that, it was hidden away, and no one ever spoke of it."
"Better safe than sorry," Arista said. Then she looked at Drake. "Aren't you going to ask me what I got on my OWLs?"
"Don't need to ask you that, Arista," he laughed. "'Cause I know darn well you aced them. Got all Outstandings, am I right, professor's daughter?"
"Yes. Dad was breathing down my neck when the results came. He didn't say much, but I knew he was pleased. And Trish did well too, she got all O's and one E, in History of Magic, and who cares about that one?"
"Professor Binns," Mel said with a smirk.
"Did that pegasus mare foal yet, Drake?" Arista asked.
"Yeah, and you should see the colt. He's beautiful, all silver with a white mane and tail like stardust. His wings are white speckled with silver. That's what I'd call him, if we were allowed to name him—Stardust. The mare had an easy delivery too. Her owner's coming to pick them up in two weeks."
"Bummer. I'd of liked to see him," sighed Arista.
"You can. We took pictures. I'll show you them later." Drake said and suddenly all talking ceased as Professor Snape walked into the classroom.
He wore his usual black ensemble, but his usual forbidding scowl was absent. He walked over to stand in front of his desk and waved his wand at their desks. All their textbooks shut themselves with a snap. "Put away your books, you won't be needing them much this term. What I am about to teach you won't be found in any book."
Draco Malfoy raised his hand. "Sir, will we actually be learning spells this year? Because last year Professor Umbridge refused to teach us any magic at all."
Snape raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, Mr. Malfoy, you will be learning spells. Professor Umbridge's teaching methods left a great deal to be desired, among other things," Snape said with a frown . "Since this course is optional, I trust you are all ready to work. I do not tolerate shirkers in NEWT level Defense, it requires the most intense concentration, so if you have a problem with that, I suggest you rearrange your schedule. What you will learn here may one day save your life, or get you killed, if you grow careless."
The class was still as mice, totally absorbed in his words. He pointed his wand at the board. "Impenetrable Defense. That is the single most important thing you will learn." The words wrote themselves on the board. "Do any of you know what that means?"
A few hands shot up, among them Drake's and Arista's. Snape scanned the room. "Lockwood, what do those words mean?"
"An impenetrable defense is one that cannot be penetrated, sir."
"Correct. Do any of you know of any defensive magic that could be called an impenetrable defense?"
No one answered for a moment. Arista was thinking hard. It's a trick question. There's no such spell that is entirely foolproof. But what if he's not talking about a spell? What if it's something else entirely? She put her tongue between her teeth, trying to recall where she'd read that phrase before. An instant later she remembered and her hand shot up.
"Yes, Miss Snape?"
"There is no magical spell that will make an impenetrable defense, sir. It's impossible, all spells can be countered. But an impenetrable defense doesn't have to be magical in nature. It can be an idea, such as know your enemy. Knowing your enemy is an impenetrable defense because once you have knowledge of your enemy's weaknesses, you can use it to defeat him. It can't be blocked or deflected or countered."
He gave her a nod of approval. "You are essentially correct, Miss Snape. Knowing your enemy is half the battle right there, and it is something that cannot be countered. Knowledge is power, and to seek knowledge is a wizard's primary objective. Defeating an opponent need not come down to who knows the most curses or has the greater experience in a duel. Defeating an opponent comes down to one simple thing—know your enemy. Learn his weaknesses, and more importantly, his strengths. Then figure out a way to use what you've learned to bring him down."
The students busily scribbled notes in their notebooks. He gave them a few minutes then continued. "The dark wizards and creatures you will face are not all of a piece. Darkness is ever changing and shifting, it can be anywhere. In order to fight it you must be adaptable, able to adjust in a split second to meet it. That is part of what I will be teaching you, how to react quickly in an unexpected situation. You may not necessarily know the counter to every jinx or hex cast at you, but if you are quick enough, you can avoid being harmed. I think a small demonstration is in order." He pointed at Drake. "Mr. Lockwood, up here."
Drake rose and came to stand at one end of the dueling stage. "Wand at the ready," Snape ordered, standing opposite him, his ebony wand out. "Cast something at me, Lockwood."
Drake looked uneasy, then he narrowed his eyes and breathed in and out once, focusing himself. "Stupefy!" he cried and his wand shot out a bolt of red light at his teacher.
Who was no longer there, but had dodged the Stunning Hex neatly, moving to the side so quickly the students watching could barely follow it. Then he cast a spell of his own. "Arciae arctica!"
A bright blue jet shot out of his wand and Drake tried to move out of the way, but was not quite fast enough. The blue arrow hit him in the leg and he toppled over, his leg encased in a block of ice.
Hathaway tittered, but shut up when Snape glared at him. "You find this amusing, Hathaway?"
"No sir," he said quickly, wary of his instructor's temper.
"Then wipe that smirk off your face," Snape growled. Then he gestured at Drake, who was sitting up cautiously. "Reaction. Though he tried, Mr. Lockwood could not react quick enough to avoid my spell. And now he is hampered by a frozen leg, which cuts down on mobility and is demoralizing as well."
Snape waved his wand. "Reversario."
Drake climbed to his feet as the block of ice vanished. "Take your seat, Lockwood." Snape waved him away. "All right. Hathaway, since you think you can do better than Mr. Lockwood, you can try me next. Front and center."
Suddenly Hathaway looked a whole lot less smug. Gulping audibly, he drew his wand and came up onto the stage, facing his teacher. "Begin," Snape ordered crisply.
Hathaway tried a Jellylegs jinx, one of his favorite spells, but Snape avoided it with a flick of his wand. Then he cast a disarming charm that set the arrogant boy flying halfway across the room. "Too slow, Hathaway! Why were you just standing there like a statue? Plan on posing for a picture?" Several of the Ravenclaws snickered.
Hathaway climbed stiffly to his feet, redfaced. "React, and quickly, before your enemy has time to take you out. Who's next?" He indicated Hathaway was to sit down. "Come on, now's your chance to get back at me for failing you in Potions last term. One shot."
One by one, all of them came up and attacked him, and one by one he defeated them without blinking, sometimes using magic and sometimes not.
"It's not fair," Hailey Anderson whined after he'd deflected her Stinging Hex and knocked her down with a gust of wind. "You know more than we do, how can we ever beat you?"
Snape scowled at her and she quivered. "Neither is life, Anderson, so best get used to it. Are you going to whine to a Death Eater that comes knocking on your door that it isn't fair and hope he'll take pity on you? He'll laugh in your face and kill you in two seconds. Most of the enemies you'll face will be bigger, stronger, and know more spells than you do. How do you win? By being smarter than they are. Knowledge and reaction. That's your strength. Now quit whining, Anderson. Who's next?"
Only Arista managed to last more than one round against him, and that was because she did not attempt to go on the offensive like the rest of them. Colin had drilled her endlessly in setting up a defensive ward before attacking, and when she faced her father, she cast a Shield Charm first.
That blocked the Furnunculus he threw at her, allowing her time to cast a Slippery Hex at him, though he deflected it back at her with a lazy half-circle. "You're telegraphing too much, Miss Snape!" he barked.
She performed Whirlwind Deflection and his curse bounced off to hit the wall and fizzled.
"Not bad. Did all of you see what she did that was different? She defended first. That's the name of this game, survival. You may know half a dozen curses but they'll do you no good if your opponent nails you before you can speak a word. Ten points for Ravenclaw, Snape, for your foresight."
The morning passed in a blur, and before they knew it the hour and a half was up. "Homework. Write an essay detailing four ways you could have defeated me based on my little demonstration. Dismissed."
It was a much more thoughtful and subdued group of students that left the classroom that day. As she gathered up her bookbag, Arista heard Malfoy mutter to Hathaway, "I never knew he was so good at combat spells."
"Bloody amazing, isn't it?" remarked Devon Johnson. "He really knows his stuff, huh, Malfoy?"
Malfoy nodded, rubbing at a bruise he'd gotten during his own attempt to disarm the professor. For some reason he seemed less than pleased about that. But he said nothing and left the room.
Arista hid a grin. That's my dad, he's the best at what he does, she thought proudly, then gave him a thumbs up sign as she went past his desk on her way out the door. "Great lesson, sir."
Severus winked at her. "I borrowed a page from Hunter Flynn's book. See you at dinner, Arista."
At lunch, most of the students were discussing Snape's class, apparently he'd impressed quite a few of them with his little demonstrations. "I was like, bloody hell, knocked halfway across the room before I even got my wand out," she heard Hathaway whining to Marsh.
"I never knew he could move so fast," murmured Dean Thomas. "Like a snake striking."
"Well, he is a Slytherin, Thomas," remarked Ron. "Still, it was a better lesson than I expected. One thing I will say for him, he knows what he's doing, unlike Umbridge and Lockhart."
The general consensus was that their first object lesson with Snape had gone over well. Of course, there were always a few who thought they'd been treated unfairly.
"I'm going to have a bruise the size of Dover on my bum thanks to the git's Disarming Charm," growled Marsh, who was convinced Snape had it in for her ever since she'd gotten into trouble fighting Arista two years ago.
"Isn't there a rule that says you're not supposed to use combat spells in the classroom?" asked Lavender Brown.
"Oh, come on, Lav, it's Defense Against the Dark Arts, not knitting," Ginny snorted.
"I know, but still . . .someone could get hurt."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "He wasn't using his full strength on you, Lav. And isn't that the point, to prepare us for anything?"
"Since when do you defend Snape, Ginny?"
"Since he gave Pansy Parkinson a nose like an elephant," she answered. "Cho told me about their lesson this morning. He may not be the nicest person, but even you have to admit he's good at this kind of thing."
"Good at knocking the stuffing out of you, sure," Lavender said sourly. "If my mother ever knew what was going on, she'd throw a fit."
"Don't be such a sourpuss. Why'd you take it then, if you didn't want to learn how to defend yourself?"
Lavender's reply was soon lost in the general hubbub.
That first lesson set the tone for all of the previous ones, and most of the time Severus taught using Dark Hunter methods, using practical scenarios rather than textbook examples, trying to prepare his students for the day when they would actually need to face a dark wizard in combat. Now that it was officially accepted that Voldemort had returned, his first priority was to teach the students how to survive, and thus he pushed them to the limit.
He taught them several kinds of spells that were not exactly Ministry approved, such as Whirlwind Deflection, Shadow feint, and Ricochet, all designed to block and reflect a curse back on the caster. "Use your enemy's own magic against him. He won't be expecting that, most times, and an enemy caught off guard is an enemy vulnerable. Use your head and you just might survive to fight another day. Again, and for Merlin's sake, concentrate, you should have learned to pay attention in preschool, I'd think."
One lesson was entirely devoted to recognizing certain common offensive spells and knowing the counters to them. "Learn how to block first, then you can learn to attack," he lectured sternly. "You can know all the offensive spells in the world, but they won't do you a bit of good if you're dead because you never learned how to deflect a curse."
He paired them off mostly every class with a different partner. He tried to place them in pairs they normally wouldn't form themselves, with kids neither of them liked, so they would focus harder and be more alert. Thus he matched Brittany with either Mel or Arista, Hathaway with Drake, and so on. His instructions when they were paired were simple, one partner defends and the other attacks, no seriously harmful curses allowed.
Montague was the first to try and get past that rule, casting a Burning Hex on Cho Chang, who luckily knew the counter to it and thus barely got singed. Snape was livid, however. "Montague, did I or did not say no incendiary curses were to be used against your partner?" he growled, coming to loom over the Slytherin, who looked utterly startled.
"Sir, I didn't—it was a Stinging Hex," he sputtered.
"Do you think I was born yesterday, Montague? I know a Burning Hex when I see one. Does the word no mean something different to you than the rest of the world? Ten points from Slytherin and you'll stay after class with me and we'll go over simple directions again, since your brain's forgotten them."
Montague gaped at him stupidly. Snape whirled on the rest of the class. "Listen up, because this is the only warning you will get from me. Incendiary curses and crippling curses are strictly forbidden at this time. Anyone breaking that rule will get immediate detention and thirty points taken away. I'm not playing games here."
Thereafter he kept strict watch on those students who were prone to casting dirty hexes like that, though after hearing of Montague's punishment (he'd been made to duel a practice dummy until he was so exhausted he couldn't stand up), no one dared to test Snape in that fashion ever again.
In addition to the dueling practice, they also had to study various kinds of jinxes and curses and how to counter them and Snape was fond of throwing in surprise quizzes at any given lesson, so they had to be on their toes nearly every class. Even so, most students agreed that this year was the best they'd ever had in Defense, because they could actually see results.
Though certain students, like Brittany, were inclined to complain about the workload. Last double session, she'd been paired with Arista for dueling practice, and she discovered much to her chagrin that Arista knew how to duel better than she did.
Four out of five times, Arista drew her wand quicker and blocked every curse Brittany threw at her. Frustrated, the Slytherin Beater gave her a glare that could have slain her on the spot and snarled, "You must be cheating, Snape, no one can be that good."
"Practice makes perfect, Marsh."
"That so? Then how about I practice smashing my fist down your throat?" Brittany threatened.
"You can try. But if your fist's as slow as your wand, I'll be out of the way before you can move an inch."
Brittany started forward, her eyes lighting with the need to pound something, and Arista pointed her wand at the other girl, the words to a Stunning Hex on her lips.
Severus had been watching, however, and interceded before it went too far. "Is there a problem here, Marsh?"
Brittany dropped her hand to her side quickly. "Professor, she keeps winning every match, I think she's cheating. I think she's exchanged her wand for a combat-spelled version."
"In your dreams, Brittany. I don't need a combat-spelled wand to take you," Arista cried. "Only inept idiots like you need to cheat that way."
"May I see your wand, Miss Snape?"
Arista gaped at him. "Sir! You don't really believe her?"
"Your wand, please," Severus repeated, holding out his hand.
Arista handed him her rowan wand. Snape held it out, muttered a detection charm, and waited to see what happened. The wand remained normal. "This is no combat wand, Marsh." He handed Arista the wand back. "Now quit sniveling like a three-year-old and concentrate harder. If you spent the same time on defensive spells as you do on your manicure, Marsh, you'd be a master by now."
"If this were Quidditch, I could take her easy!" Marsh muttered balefully.
"Less talk and more practice, Marsh!" Snape barked. "Now get that wand up."
"Yes, sir," she said sullenly, and obeyed, looking as if she wished both her professor and his daughter were suffering the Cruciatus Curse.
Arista hid a smirk and raised her own wand.
* * * * * *
By the end of the first month, Snape began keeping a chart of those students who performed exceptionally well during the duels. Arista, Mel, Drake, Kit, and Trish were consistently in the top ten slots, along with Harry, Ginny, Ron, Malfoy, and a few others. Marsh and Hathaway were somewhere near the bottom, a fact which irked them to no end, for they were not accustomed to being shown up so publicly.
One day she got together with Montague, Hathaway, Bulstrode and a few others in her little court and decided to teach the SR's a lesson about embarrassing them in front of the whole school. Or at least, that's what she intended to happen.
Fifteen minutes later, the only ones still standing were Trish, Arista, Kit, Drake, and Mel. Mel examined the unconscious group of Slytherins and snorted. "Huh. When will they ever learn?" She dusted off her hands on her robes. "How many times does this make that we've kicked their arses to Surrey and back by now?"
"Thirty-three, I think," Kit answered. "It's getting old."
"They've got one-track minds," Drake said.
"They're getting better though," Trish remarked, and they all stared at her. "I mean, this time Bulstrode actually managed to cast a Butterfingers Hex correctly."
"And this time they lasted an extra two minutes," Arista added.
"Well, you know what Snape always says. Practice makes perfect." Drake snickered, nudging the comatose Hathaway with his foot. "Guess they just didn't figure on getting so much extra practice though."
"I think that's they only way they can learn something, by having it pounded into their thick skulls over and over," Arista sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here before somebody spots us."
They quickly left Marsh and crew lying in various poses on the cold hard ground near the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid would find them, no doubt, and revive them.
"You know, they'd have a better chance at defeating us if they'd just learn to cooperate," Drake commented, walking alongside of Arista on the way to their Transfiguration class. "But they keep getting in each other's way. I mean, Hathaway and Montague both tried to curse me at the same time, and I Ricocheted it back and caught both of them with the other's hex. Pretty dumb of them."
"Well, maybe next time, you can suggest that they take turns, Drake," Arista said, her eyes twinkling.
"What? And ruin all my fun?" he shot back. "I've got four years of payback coming to me, they can suffer a bit longer. Humility's good for the soul."
Arista laughed. "You're something else, Drake."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
She eyed him thoughtfully. "It's a good thing." Then she leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth. It was pure impulse, she'd been planning to get him alone for a long time so she could tell him how she felt, but there never seemed a moment when they could steal away somewhere.
Drake's eyes widened as he realized what had just occurred. Then he grinned and said softly, "Does that mean what I think it does, Arista?"
She nodded, and in her eyes was an unmistakable glow.
"Good. Then I can do this without fear that you'll kick my teeth down my throat," he said, and took her in his arms and kissed her back.
It was electric, the touch of his lips on hers, and the soulbond flared to life immediately, linking them. She could feel his every emotion and he could feel hers. It left them dizzy and breathless, and when they drew away at last, all Drake could do was gasp in shock.
"Arista, what the hell just happened there?"
"I linked with you. That's what happens when you kiss an empath who's soulbonded to you, Drake."
"You're what? What's a soulbond?"
"I can't explain right now, we're gonna be late for class. But I promise I will later on, after supper," she said, blushing slightly. "If it bothers you, I won't touch you again until I'm shielded."
"Did I say I was bothered by it? Good God, it was the most incredible thing ever!" He sighed reluctantly. "Too bad I hate getting detention, otherwise I'd cut class and we could, uh, discuss this soulbond thing right now."
She grinned at him. "Control yourself, Lockwood." Then she gave him her hand and they walked to class with their fingers entwined, reveling in their newfound passion for each other.
yes, the romance between Drake & Arista heats up! What will Sev think??
How did you like the improved defense lesson?