Don't Forget to Duck
What if Harry didn't take being put on display, questioned and sneered at during the meeting at the Hogshead during his Fifth Year?
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With the Ministry infiltrator, Delores Umbridge, refusing to teach any Defense or allowing students to practice spells during class, Hermione Granger became very worried that she would fail her OWLs. That was simply unacceptable to the success-driven teenager. She begged and nagged her friend, Harry Potter, the best Defense student in their year, until he finally succumbed to her relentless appeals and reluctantly agreed to help her and a few others study for their OWL. She set up a meeting at the Hog's Head pub on their next Hogsmeade weekend for those interested to work out the logistics.
That morning, Harry stood inside the filthy Hog's Head pub and stared at the crowd of students staring back at him; over two dozen students from three of the four Houses. He turned his head to glare at Hermione, including his other friend, Ron Weasley in the accusing glare. "Just show us and a few others how to use spells to defend ourselves and correct us when we're doing it wrong," he mocked.
Hermione had the grace to blush. "We only told a couple of people," she tried to explain. "Then they told their friends and well…it grew." She looked at him pleadingly, and when he didn't say anything else, she took that as acceptance, and faced the crowd.
"Could I have your attention, please," she called out. The conversations quieted down and everyone looked at her. "Thank you. I know many people are frustrated at Professor Umbridge only permitting us to read about theory in Defense Against the Dark Arts. For many of us, it is our OWL or NEWT years, and we're sure to fail them if we don't learn and practice new spells before the exams. Therefore, I thought that it might be a good idea if people who wanted to really study Defense started an active study group."
Zacharias Smith, a blond Hufflepuff known for his arrogance, snidely demanded, "What makes any of you good enough to lead a study group?"
"I may not be the best student," Hermione blushed, "but Harry is. And it's not just the OWLs and NEWTs we have to worry about. With You-Know-Who back, we have to learn to defend ourselves and our families."
"The Ministry and the Daily Prophet deny that You-Know-Who is back," Smith responded loudly. "Besides, everyone knows that Potter isn't exactly reliable. We've got a right to know exactly why Potter says You-Know-Who is back."
Harry felt his temper snap as it dawned on him just why so many students were there. Some, perhaps most of them, had turned up in the hopes of hearing a firsthand account of what happened at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
"Kill the spare".
"Bow to death, Harry."
"Crucio!"
Harry suppressed a shudder and looked the assembled students. He was tired of being treated like a dark wizard because he could speak parseltongue, or as a delusional liar when no formal investigation had occurred into what happened at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. In addition, Umbridge had the audacity to practically accuse him of murdering Cedric Diggory himself during one of her supposed classes. And now, after being harangued by Hermione until he agreed to help others, he was once again insulted by one of the very people he was trying to help!
He drew his wand a shot an overpowered lumos out of it. Once he had everyone's attention, he said very quietly, "I'm not reliable. Of course. I'm only a fifteen year old student paying for an education like the rest of you. Oh wait, your mummies and daddies pay for you, while I'm paying for myself. But of course you survived being attacked by a possessed teacher in your First Year…oh wait. That was me. You killed a sixty foot basilisk in your Second Year…oh wait. That was me. Well, you drove off every single dementor stationed around Hogswart with your patronus in Third Year. Oh wait…that was me again." He glared at Zarachrias Smith. "Perhaps you were illegally entered into a deadly competition and forced to compete against your will or lose your magic. Perhaps you faced a twenty foot high dragon…or saved a friend from the depths of a nearly frozen Black Lake…or fought through a maze of acrumantulas and blast-ended skrewts...oh wait, that was me…again. Perhaps you watched a good man murdered before your very eyes for no reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time and was then tortured. No, wait…that was me, again."
He shook his head. "The entire school has turned on me on multiple occasions. I remember many of you calling me the Heir of Slytherin in my second year and warning others to avoid me. What happened? I saved every student in the school from a sixty foot basilisk. How many of you apologized?" Several students looked down to avoid his eyes and shifted uncomfortably. "I remember many of you here today wearing the 'Potter Stinks' badges just last year. And now, when I'm a student paying for an education that isn't being provided, when I'm being defrauded of my tuition, I agree to help a couple of friends study together so that we can pass our OWL's, only to have you turn on me yet again." Several of the students nearest to Zacharias Smith glared at him and moved away. It was too little too late for Harry.
He looked around the room at the students who had come to the meeting that Hermione had organized. "Well, I'm not interested in helping a group of oblivious and unreliable people who are so willing to turn on me. As of today, I'm done. Voldemort is back." He ignored the gasps and shudders at the name. "If you pay attention, you'll notice that people are disappearing again. Innocent people are dying again, but it's being kept quiet. Eventually, you'll learn that once again, I was falsely accused and will look to me to do something, but by then it will be too late. You keep believing whatever the Daily Prophet tells you, even when you know they've been caught in lies repeatedly. As for me, I'm done with you."
Several people looked either shocked that Harry had finally had enough, or horrified that they would be left with only Umbridge's lessons in their OWL or NEWT years. Harry ignored their muttering just as he ignored Hermione's frantic attempts to get him to reconsider.
As he wrapped his cloak over his shoulders, he looked out over the crowd of uncomfortable students. "I have just one other thing to say." He fastened the clasp of his cloak and said blandly, "When you see that green light coming towards you, don't forget to duck."
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