Chapter 50

By now it looked like Harry would either spend the rest of the year in detention or bleed to death. He'd gotten another week of detention for defending the still absent Hagrid when Umbridge commented that at least Professor Grubby-plank knew what she was doing. By now he couldn't hide the words cut into his hand, so Ron and Hermione found out. They'd been as shocked and revolted as Harry had predicted and told him to go to Dumbledore, but he immediately refused.

"I'm not going to give her the satisfaction."

"Satisfaction? Harry you're letting her hurt you!" Hermione gasped.

"It wouldn't do any good anyway," Harry said. "She's got the full backing of the Ministry. How long do you think it would take her to get anyone I'd go to thrown out of Hogwarts?"

He couldn't risk her hurting his family. Besides, Dumbledore was still having as little to do with Harry as possible.

"But you can't just-"

"Just drop it, Ron," Harry said. And his friends noticed the defeated tone in his voice.

"Harry, what's really wrong?" Hermione asked.

"You've never been like this before. You've faced You-know- who, basilisks, and dementors without ever showing fear. And you're letting Umbridge get the better of you?"

"That's because before I was the one in danger not-"

His slip didn't go unnoticed.

"Not who, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Look, I just think it's best not to make things worse with Umbridge than they already are. Angelina's always at me about missing Quiddich practice all the time as it is."

"This is about something worse than missing Quiddich Harry," Hermione said. "I know you love Quiddich, but you wouldn't let her hurt you over it. Besides, it's the detentions that are keeping you from playing. If this was really about you wanting to make Quiddich practice you'd want to go to Dumbledore. And you already said it wasn't you you're worried about."

Harry knew it wouldn't take much more for Hermione to figure out what was really going on, but didn't answer.

"Well someone has to do something about her," Hermione said.

"There's always poison," Ron commented.

"I mean about what a terrible teacher she is. We're not learning to defend ourselves and we're going to fail our OWLS. We need a decent teacher."

"But between the Order and Phoenix House and Umbridge already wanting to make trouble for him my dad couldn't-"

"That's who she's threatening isn't it?" Hermione asked suddenly. "Harry, she's threatening him isn't she? That's who you're protecting."

Harry started to deny it, but what was the point? He nodded and said "Him and Mila both."

They were quiet a moment, then Hermione said "Harry, there's nothing she can legally do to them. Nothing that would hurt them anyway. Whatever she's threatening, she won't be able to go through with it."

"Wanna bet?" Harry asked miserably. "Look how she forced Dad out of a job. And she's already restricted centaur territories and is trying to get merpeople tagged. Persecuting werewolves would be easy for her."

Hermione put a hand on his shoulder and Ron said "Your dad wouldn't want you hurting yourself to protect him and Mila, Harry."

"I know," Harry said. "But I can't let them get hurt"

"Listen, I'll look up laws about werewolves," Hermione promised. "I'm sure there's some way out of this."

Harry nodded again, but didn't see much hope. He'd just have to do whatever Umbridge asked and hope she wouldn't carry out her threat.

"Anyway, I wasn't talking about your dad teaching us," Hermione said. "We couldn't meet with him often enough. I was talking about you."

"Me?" Harry gasped. "I'm not a teacher."

He looked at Ron for help, but Ron was looking thoughtful.

"That's an idea. After all, you are the best in the school at Defense."

"But Hermione's beaten me in every test-"

"Not in our third year. The only year we both took the tests and had a competent teacher."

"Look, I'm just a student, no different than any other student here."

"You're the only student who ever saved the Sorcerer's Stone," Ron stated.

"That was just luck. And you won the chess game for us and Hermione figured out the potions riddle or I'd never have made it that far."

"You still faced Quirrel alone, and you were alone when you killed the basilisk and saved Ginny." Ron said.

"If it wasn't for Fawkes I'd be dead."

"What about third year when you fought off about a hundred dementors?" Hermione asked.

"If my dad hadn't taught me to cast a patronus and Sirius hadn't been helping me we'd both be souless now."

Hermione shook her head. "Ron's wand wasn't working for Sirius. And he said himself he was having a hard time comming up with a happy enough memory for a strong patronus. And last year you held your own in the garveyard until help came."

"That's just the point!" Harry shouted. "I always had help or guessed right or got lucky. You two don't know what it's like. You've never faught him."

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Hermione said. "You know. You've faced him. You're the best one to teach us what will keep us alive if we ever have to face Vol- Voldemort."

Harry and Ron looked at her in surprise. Nobody in their group besides Harry had ever said that name before. Harry looked at her a moment, then stared into space, thinking while his hand soaked in the bowl of murtlap essence Hermione had provided.

"Harry?" Hermione asked finally. "You'll at least think about it?"

Harry couldn't help worrying what Umbridge would do if she found out. But at the same time, he also knew Hermione was right about them needing to learn. It was like his dad teaching at Phoenix House. While there was nothing illegal about it, he would be in trouble if anyone ever knew. When Harry had last spoken with his family, they'd said the Ministry didn't want any students "trained in combat." because they were afraid Dumbledore was forming an army. If they were afraid of that, they certainly wouldn't like a group of werewolves that was organized, educated, and capable of using magic.

Yet they needed to learn, the same as Harry's friends did. And surely they could keep it a secret from Umbridge, couldn't they? They'd kept things from teachers before. And they couldn't be in trouble if no rules were broken.

"I still don't think I'd be a very good teacher. I'm not my dad."

"Well, look at it this way," Ron said. "You can't be worse than Umbridge."

Harry couldn't help smiling at that.

"True. All right. I'll think about it."

Two weeks later, Harry had given the matter alot of thought. Hermione reminded him that he was the only one of them who could throw the Imperious curse and cast a patronus. He could do things fully trained wizards couldn't. So he was finally convinced to teach Ron and Hermione all he could, but Hermione had more than that in mind. She said she'd talked to a couple of people who were interested in learning Defense and talked Harry into meeting with them as well. A 'couple of people' turned out to be a croud of about twenty six.

"Hermione! This is mental. I can't teach this croud."

"Just give this a chance Harry. I mean isn't it a good thing that all these people want to learn from you?"

Harry couldn't argue with that. He did suggest moving the meeting though. Most of the people in the Hog's Head kept their faces covered, and Harry didn't like the thought that any of them could be Umbridge or a member of her newly formed Inquisitorial Squad. So they went to the Three Broomsticks. Hermione argued that it would be more private in a pub that was less crouded, but Harry remembered Sirius saying the Marauders often plotted in crouds because that meant they were less likely to be overheard above the others. It would also look less suspicious for students to meet there, so Hermione agreed.

When they were all assembled, Harry noticed that Cedric, Fred, George, and a few other seventh years were there.

"How can I teach them? They're two years above me."

"Actually you know spells they don't," hermione said. "Don't worry. I'll talk to them first."

Harry guessed that most of them were there to hear what really happened that night in the graveyard, not listen to Hermione. And he was right. As soon as Hermione said they were there to learn Defense from Harry because Voldemort was back, there seemed to be a mixture of fear and disbelief. It wasn't so much that they doubted Harry. It was just hard to accept that the most evil wizard who ever lived was back in power. Harry was grateful when Cedric said he knew Harry was telling the truth. When Harry told them anyone only there to hear about that night might as well leave now, everyone quieted down and actually listened.

Finally, after quite a few questions about all the things Harry had done in the past, everyone signed a piece of paper agreeing to take lessons from Harry and keep quiet about it, but nothing else was formally organized yet. Still, it was a start. And it felt good to know they were doing something, anything, to defy Umbridge.

Along with planning lessons and figuring out where they would meet, there was the problem of making sure Umbridge never guessed what they were up to. Harry was thinking about that while walking down the hall between classes when he saw Fred and George holding a glass bowl. Hopping around in it was a toad.

"What are you two doing with Trevor?"

The twins laughed and George started explaining.

"This isn't Trevor Harry. This is just the result of our latest- experiment."

"We were making a batch of canary creams when Trevor hopped into it. Don't look at us like that- as soon as the feathers fell off he was fine." Fred said.

"Well, we figured that batch was ruined. But after we'd tested it and found out what Trevor had done to it, we decided that since our poor, hem hem, sweet Professor Umbridge always has such a terrible cough, she might like some nice candy to help her throat."

"Don't tell me that's-" Harry was laughing so hard he couldn't finish speaking.

"It was too easy really. All we had to do was put a box of them on her desk before class."

Suddenly Harry thought of something.

"But your canary creams don't last long. What happens when the effect wears off and she knows what you did?"

"Not a problem," George answered. "Right now she has no idea she's anything other than a toad. And when she's back to her loveable self, she won't remember what happened. They last about an hour, so that gives us time for our meetings."

Fred looked at the toad. "Not really much of a change is there?"

"Fred, don't say that," George pretended to scold. "You don't want to insult real toads, do you?"