A/N: You can thank WitchDemiGodTributeWaffle, for getting me to finally stop neglecting this fic. I had the hardest time writing the DADA class, I wasn't sure of what I wanted Gloria Wells' teaching style to be like. In the end I think she turned out more similar to Moody than I intended at a first glance, minus all the obvious scars, fake leg, and crazy eye, but you'll get to know her more later on.

Chapter 5: Gloria Wells

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," a voice echoed around the room, "Is arguably the most important subject you'll be taught here at Hogwarts. I expect each and every one of you to treat it as such."

All at once, the excited chattering of the students stopped and watched as a piece of chalk sprang to life and started writing on the blackboard at the head of the class. Anna heard the tell-tale sound of students, mostly Ravenclaws, quickly readying their quills and parchment to write down what was being written on the board, and she made to do the same.

Professor Wells made her way down the small, winding staircase leading from her office to the classroom, and began sweeping the isles between the students while continuing her speech.

"You were all lucky," she told them, "That you were able to enjoy your childhoods in peace, compared to those who had the misfortune to be raised in the time of He Who Must Not Be Named's uprising. But as such, you've no doubt been given a false sense of security."

She gave them all a moment to take this in.

"But I thought Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place in the world?"

"You aren't wrong," Wells replied, smiling a little at Angelina, "But how do you intend to protect yourself from unknown danger once you're out of the castle and on your own? You expect your parents to be able to protect you forever?"

"Er...well..."

"Exactly. That gives us seven years to bring you all up to scratch, yes? That shouldn't be a problem. Any threats you may find outside the castle's walls will hopefully be nothing to you by the time you all graduate."

Alicia rose her hand in the air, "But what will we be needing to protect ourselves from, Professor?"

"A good question. Ever since young Harry Potter rid our world of He Who Must Not Be Named, we have begun to feel safe. Too safe, in my opinion. Some don't even worry about having to protect themselves, should the need arise, because they don't think it will. As long as our Aurors are all competent, why should we worry, correct?"

A couple students nodded at this.

"I'm here to tell you they're wrong. Aurors are summoned after an attack to hunt the offender down. A fat load of good they'll do you when you're already dead. Yes, I'm afraid there are more dark wizards than He Who Must Not be Named."

The words hung in air - even the twins were completely silent and watching her with rapt attention.

"In this class, this year, I will teach you the very basics of defense. I'll teach you simple jinxes and spells that will help you if you utilise them to the best of your ability. I doubt you need to be told that there will always be students in this school who tend to better themselves by drawing their wands on those weaker than them. I will tell you now that if a student decides you are weaker than them, allow them to think that."

There was a confused murmur across the classroom, and Wells held up her hand to silence them. There a small smirk on her face when she continued, "It's always entertaining to see the looks on your enemy's faces when the realisation finally dawns on them that they are the ones outclassed. It's always better in a fight to be underestimated; make yourselves appear weak and then take your enemy by surprise. Of course, that won't always work, they'll catch on eventually."

There was some laughter around the classroom. No doubt some of them were thinking about the looks on certain students' faces they'd already had to deal with outside the classroom. A couple of Chrys' new friends sprang to Anna's mind.

"Later on in the year, I will teach some simple charms invented for stealth. The easiest way to survive a duel is to avoid it altogether. Especially if you're an eleven-year-old with very little skill to defend yourself with."

Some of the Gryffindors questioned the logic behind this, calling it cowardly, while the Ravenclaws nodded in approval.

Wells looked like she had expected this reaction, she quickly explained that a battle that had no need to be fought was better left avoided.

"It isn't cowardly to avoid a battle that's completely unnecessary and is likely to end in your death, it's intelligent. Bravery and stupidity are two sides of the same coin, it's better you learn that now than after you've rushed into a battle unprepared and nearly got yourself killed for it."

Anna hesitantly rose her hand in the air, speaking only after Wells had given her permission. She suspected that she was yet another professor that was not to be angered. "But, er... Say a friend or family member was in serious danger..."

Wells smiled at her, all traces of strictness disappearing in an instant, "My opinion on avoiding fights changes with the situation." She went back to addressing the whole class again, going back to her serious expression, "If avoiding a fight means sacrificing someone, then I would not argue calling it cowardly. However, I would strongly suggest taking a moment to see how well a person is doing against an offender before rushing to aid them. If it's obvious they're having no problems, chances are your rushing in will throw them off, not to mention you'll become a burden if you've got no skill."

She continued to stride through the isles, "Which brings me to the next thing I'll be teaching you. The importance of thinking on the fly. It's impossible for you to determine how a duel will go before you go into it..."

For the next half hour she continued to lecture them on the importance of strategies and taking note of an opponent's skill before going into battle. Most of the Ravenclaws and only a handful of the Gryffindors were hanging onto her every word, while others, like Fred and George, seemed to be more eager to get to the actual spell-learning portion of the class. While Anna couldn't deny she was also eager, she knew what Professor Wells was saying was equally important.

"...These skills can't exactly be taught, unfortunately. But that doesn't mean you can't practice them. If you think you're a person who can think of various scenarios in situations that could mean the difference between life and death, then I urge you practice last-second decision making in duels with your friends once you've learned a few spells. Until then, even games of Wizard's Chess would help.

"I know that some of you may be questioning my seriousness considering this is a First Year class, and I'm sure if you owled your parents, they might agree. However, anyone who remembers what the war was like would agree that taking this class seriously is a very good thing to do."

Anna heard furious scribbling to the right of her, and was surprised to see Brian quickly pass her a note while Wells had her back turned.

I think she'll be a strict marker, don't you?

Anna nodded. She was thinking something along the same lines. She heard more scribbling.

I expect this class will be harder than the others. My friends and I have a study group, if you'd like to join us? I can help you with your other homework too, if you'd like.

Anna smiled before quickly scribbling down an answer.

I'd like that.

Before she even registered what was happening, the parchment was swiped from their desk by Wells, who scanned the conversation with a frown on her face.

"While I appreciate that you're discussing a study group," she told them, "I'd prefer that you pay attention now, and make your plans after I've finished teaching. Surely the material would be easier to study if you know what you're meant to be studying?"

Many of the students around them began to snicker.

Wells turned away from them and marched to the front of the class. "Well then, now that we've got introductions out of the way, I'm going to teach you a very simple spell: Flippendo. I don't expect any of you will have difficulty with it. Wands out, all of you."

She went over the basics of the spell while the class watched eagerly. Anna was sure some of them couldn't wait to start dueling.

Once she was finished explaining, and made the whole class practice the wand movements together a few times, she began pairing them together randomly to practice on each other. While Anna didn't like the idea of being hit with the spell, she had to admit the fear of being hit did help her to learn more quickly. It was almost as if she was in an actual duel, only no one had any particular skill.

She ended up being paired with George, while Fred was paired with Alicia. Anna decided it was a good chance for her to find some way of differentiating between the two of them, as it was a rare occasion for her to be sure which twin was which.

The only problem was she also had to focus on the task at hand, since she wasn't exactly eager to be hit with a Flippendo.

Still, at every opportunity she had, she tried to look closely at the twins to find any small differences. Fred wasn't paying attention to her, as he was focused on his practice with Alicia, but George seemed to pick up on what she was doing.

It wasn't surprising, really. She wasn't exactly being the most subtle about it.

George seemed more amused than anything by her trying to tell them apart. Anna noticed he would even stop practicing occasionally while Wells was off watching another pair, giving her more of a chance to look for anything to help her tell them apart.

"It won't work," he eventually told her, shrugging off another of Anna's attempts at the spell, "Even our mum can't tell us apart most of the time."

That surprised her a little. Her mother was always able to tell the difference between her and Chrys. She had said something about a sparkle in Anna's eyes that she never liked. She had said that that sparkle in her eyes always told her she couldn't be up to anything good, even when Anna wasn't doing anything at all.

Anna remembered standing in front of the mirror in her shared room with Chrys for hours trying to get rid of the sparkle, since it always seemed to get her mother angry with her for some reason. It wouldn't go away.

Thinking about that made her check George's eyes quickly. They sparkled, too, and Anna thought she might have understood why her mother had always connected that sparkle to mischievous intentions. She wondered if Mrs Weasley did, too.

"What's she doing, George?" Fred asked from where he stood practicing with Alicia.

"She's trying to find something to tell us apart."

Fred stopped what he was doing and gave her an amused look, the same one George wore when he noticed what she was doing, "Did you tell her it won't work?"

She quickly scanned Fred's eyes too while she had the chance. They held the same sparkle.

Well there went that idea.

Anna was at a loss. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find any differences. But she was still determined to figure them out one day.

"Yeah," George replied to his brother's question. He turned to her with a smile, "But I think she's stubborn."

"Good," Fred replied, smiling as well, "Should we make this game more fun, then?"

George grinned widely, "I think we should!"

Anna blinked, "Wait, what?"

The only response she received from them were identical wicked smirks.

Before she could say anything else to them, Wells ended the class. She said she was happy with their progress with the spell, and pleased that very few of them seemed to still be having problems. Anna was most likely in that few, considering she had spent most of her practice time trying to figure out the twins.

"Keep practicing before our next class. Not in the corridors, mind you!" she called as everyone filed out of the room.

Anna waved goodbye to Brian before joining her group of Gryffindors as they made their way to their next class, chatting excitedly about Wells' class.

"I liked it," Angelina said, "I thought she brought up some really good points."

"Yes, but is it really necessary to get this serious right away?" Alicia asked, "You-Know-Who is gone after all."

"But she said there are still other dark wizards out there," Anna replied, "I think it makes sense for her to want us to be prepared for anything. It's reassuring, actually."

"Don't think I liked what she said about bravery and stupidity being on the same coin, though," Lee shrugged, and Fred and George quickly agreed.

"I think she made a good point though," Anna shrugged, "I think it'd be stupid to go rushing into a duel with a seventh year now, even if they were picking on a friend or something."

The debate about Wells' class continued for a few more minutes before they were interrupted by a newcomer.

"Oh, Anna! Glad I caught you."

"Yes?" Anna asked, turning to face Brian. She noticed the others in her group watching him curiously. The two other girls started whispering.

"About that study group, we're meeting tonight before dinner if you'd like to come."

Before Anna could answer, one of the twins chimed in, "She's got plans."

Anna blinked, "I do?"

"Sorry," Brian said, not skipping a beat, "I didn't know, maybe next time then?"

"Oh! Yes, maybe."

After Brian left, Anna rounded on the twins, "So what are these plans I have have, then?"

"You're exploring the castle, with us," the twin who had spoken before said simply as they made their way to their next class. She really needed to figure out which one was Fred and which was George. If only there was something different about them so she could tell them apart.

No matter how much and how often she studied them, she couldn't spot anything to help differentiate them. And even in the mere minutes after they declared in the classroom that they were going to make things more 'fun', they had started to make a point of making things as confusing as possible for her. It really was a game to them.

"Am I now?" Anna asked in response to him.

"We're all going," Angelina told her, "We want to be able to find the Astronomy tower tonight without getting lost. Didn't we tell you this morning?"

She tilted her head, trying to remember any conversation from that morning. When she thought about it, they did say something at breakfast, "...Yes you did. Sorry, I must have forgot."

Alicia giggled, "I don't blame you. He's cute."

Anna immediately felt her cheeks heating up, "Wh-what? No! He's just nice, and helps me in class, that all!"

The twins laughed, "Yeah, as if she'd want to spend the night studying, anyway." They emphasized the word as if it were a disease. Lee laughed along with them.

"Wish I had somebody to do my homework for me," he added.

"He doesn't do my homework!" Anna protested, "He only helps me!"

Exploring the castle was more fun than Anna expected it to be, they'd even succeeded in finding their first secret passage! Fred and George were particularly excited about this, since they already had plans to know every nook and cranny of the castle before they graduated.

Astronomy class quickly spoiled the elation they were feeling at their discovery.

Anna wasn't sure why she was surprised by this, they were sharing the class with the Slytherins. Chrys and her new friends, in particular, spent the two hours making fun of Anna and the Weasleys.

While Anna was happy Chrys had found her own friends (a couple of obnoxious, dark-haired girls, and a rather rude boy she knew was named Don) she was less than thrilled about her new hobby of picking on her and her friends. Even if it was mostly Chrys' friends making the insults.

The rest of September and October went by in a blur, and they steadily made progress in their spell casting. So far Anna had been excelling in Charms, and surprisingly, Potions. Though Professor Snape certainly made no effort to be nice to her, it had become clear that he at least put whatever his problem was with the Gryffindors aside when he marked their work.

Well, most of them anyway. Anna couldn't help but notice that whenever she managed to get Fred and George to do their homework with her, their papers were returned with slightly lower grades despite them having the same answers. She figured it was because they made a point to cause trouble in class as often as possible.

As for her progress on telling Fred and George apart, it had been nearly two months and still she had gotten almost nowhere. She blamed it entirely on their name games. If she could know for sure who was who for just a few moments then she might be able to figure out the differences in how they acted, as she had given up entirely on finding a difference in their appearance. Ever since their first Defense class, they seemed to make a point of making it impossible for her to tell who was who.

So far, she had noticed that one of them was definitely louder than the other, though the other was by no means quiet. The louder one also seemed to be the first to suggest a prank while the other would support and go along with it, usually being the one to figure out most of the details. The last one didn't seem to be definite though, as occasionally it would be the other way around.

While she felt proud of her accomplishment in that field, it still didn't help her at all if she couldn't assign the correct names to how they acted.

On top of that, she couldn't be absolutely certain that they didn't plan the subtle differences just to throw her off even more. It was possible that they constantly switched off on being the louder one.

Still, she felt it was easier to notice these difference whenever she was alone with them, which happened rarely. They always seemed more rambunctious whenever Lee was around, for instance. And Lee was always around.

She was extremely tempted to ask their two older brothers, Percy and Charlie, if their family had any ways of telling them apart, but she felt that conversation might be awkward considering she didn't know them. But every time Percy approached them to reprimand them, she fought the urge to come out and ask.

George had been right in that first Defense class, she was stubborn, and she wanted to figure this out on her own.

They seemed to find entertainment in the fact that she hadn't given up yet, and she noticed about halfway through October that they started playing their name games a little less around her.

She was at least thankful that they shared every class together, so she had more time to study them. That was especially the case in Transfiguration, where Professor McGonagall had recently decided to place Anna in the seat between them in hopes of them possibly focusing more in class. So far it hadn't worked well, and the twins had only started bugging Anna more often in class to get reactions out of her.

Just as the twins had made a point of making it difficult for Anna to tell them apart, Chrys had made a point of making life in the castle as difficult as possible for her. She was always around with her new band of friends, ready and willing to verbally attack Anna and her own friends, though their insults seemed to be mostly aimed at the Weasleys.

When she parted ways with her sister, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind. She tried her best to ignore all the comments, but Fred and George were always quick to defend her, and themselves too, of course.

It was times like these when Anna was happy her friends didn't judge her for the way Chrys treated her, but she knew others were talking about it, and that bugged her a little. Especially when Brian asked her about it one Charms class after Chrys had tried to start a scene in the Great Hall.

She wasn't close with Brian like she was with her Gryffindor friends, but it did bother her that he wondered about that. She wondered if he was like the others in their classes and judged her family because of it.

She mostly only talked to Brian in class, and she hadn't even gone to one of the study groups he had mentioned in their Defense class. Mostly because he had never asked her again after the first time when the twins had blown him off. It seemed to Anna that they didn't particularly care for Brian for some reason.

She had to guess it was because they were total opposites. They were loud, quick to make jokes, and loved to make others laugh, while Brian was quiet, quick to raise his hand to answer a Professor's question, and loved to read. Anna couldn't think of any scenario where they would really get along - she doubted Brian would approve of their behavior anyway.

As Halloween became closer, and all the students began eagerly discussing the Halloween feast, Fred and George had started to become more and more interested in the Forbidden Forest. Often times while they were in the common room, doing homework, Anna would notice them asking Charlie, who apparently had an affinity for Care of Magical Creatures, loads of questions about what they might find in the Forest.

It wasn't long before Lee had joined their little sessions, and shortly before the Halloween Feast was meant to begin, the three of them announced their intentions to go explore the forest.

"We're going during the Feast," one of the twins explained.

"That way there won't be anyone to catch us."

Unfortunately, it also meant there wouldn't be anyone to find them if they got lost.

The shocked look on Anna's face was apparently all she needed to reveal her feelings about the situation.

"We aren't going to go that far in," Lee explained, "Charlie said all the dangerous creatures are more in the middle of the forest."

"We'll be fine," the twins added together.

She was all for letting them cause trouble, it had always proved to be entertaining so far, but the Forest was dangerous. Everyone said so. They could die. They didn't have enough Defense Against the Dark Arts under their belts to help against anything they would find in there.

"Don't you three think it's forbidden for a reason?"

The three boys exchanged a glance, and then looked back at her.

"But that's what makes it exciting, isn't it?"

"What's the fun in playing by the rules, Anna? Come on and join us, you might enjoy yourself."

"Merlin knows you could learn what fun is."

Anna rolled her eyes, but the thought of adventure was a little enticing. Besides, it was probably best if she went with them, so she could make sure they didn't go too far into the forest where they could really get hurt.

Anna sighed, but followed the three of them out of the common room.

"I don't know why I let you talk me into these things so easily."

"Because secretly you want to do it," one twin winked, "We can see it in your eyes."

"You just need a little motivation."

"It'll be fun," Lee told her, "It's not like we plan to camp out in the forest or anything."

"I hope not," Anna told them, "In my mind, you'd have to be a very special brand of barmy to even think about doing that."

The boys laughed and they continued down the staircases. The Feast was just about to start, and there were still a few other students slowly making their way to the Great Hall.

"How are we supposed to explain to the other students why we're leaving the castle instead of going to the Feast if they ask?" Anna whispered to the others. Before they could answer, there was a loud cackle behind them.

"Oooh, that's a good question!" Peeves the Poltergeist said, clapping his hands like a mad man.

"Go away, Peeves!" Lee whispered harshly, trying to wave him off.

Peeves only laughed harder, "Do the wee ickle firsties think they can brave the deep, dark Forest?" he asked with a wicked grin.

"Don't be stupid," Anna replied, glaring at him, "Just leave us alone!" She didn't like Peeves.

And apparently Peeves didn't like being called stupid. He stuck his tongue out at her and zoomed away, calling for Filch.

"What do we do now?" Lee asked, panicked.

"We hurry?" the twins suggested.

"And if we get caught before the Great Hall, we just tell Filch we were heading to the Feast and Peeves was making up lies."

They picked up their pace the rest of the way, trying to make it look like they were just in a hurry to get to the Great Hall on time. Unfortunately it wasn't long before they heard Peeves' mad cackling again and shouts "They went this way!"

"I don't think we're going to make it," Anna said, "We should just go to the Feast."

Fred and George looked reluctant, and Lee came to a decision.

"Fine then," he told them, "I'll go back and make up a lie for Filch. Everyone knows he's on bad terms with Peeves, I bet I can make him believe he was just trying to ruin his night."

"But then you can't come with us," one of the twins said.

"You owe me homework for a week!" Lee replied, before saying in an over-dramatic voice, "Hurry up and go on without me!"

The twins groaned about the extra homework and Anna had a feeling she was going to be stuck doing most of it, but they left without another word and hurried out of the castle and down toward the forest. It wasn't yet completely dark, but Anna still wasn't looking forward to the Forest at night. Why would they think this was a good idea?!

Suddenly, something brushed up against her leg. She jumped immediately at the contact, startled, and bumped into one of the twins, who steadied her so she wouldn't fall. The other twin, who for some reasons she was sure was Fred, started laughing at her. It became apparent that he was the one who brushed up against her to get a reaction.

"Gred!" she squeaked, "Don't-"

She stopped speaking, completely mortified by what she had just called him. Time seemed to stand still as her eyes widened and Fred stopped laughing.

Did she actually just call him Gred?! The one time she knew who she was talking to and she still called him by the wrong name! She hoped the darkness outside would help conceal her red face.

"Gred," he said slowly, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "I think that has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you say, Forge?"

Oh, swell. She'd come up with a way to make the twins' name games even more confusing. But as a twin herself, she was determined to figure them out by the end of the year.

"I think I agree, Gred!"

She tried to ignore their laughing at her annoyed expression, and it got easier as they grew nearer to the forest.

It was strange; before leaving the castle, she had been scared about breaking the rules and entering the forest - after hours, no less! But the closer they got to the darkened trees on the horizon, the more excitement she felt.

It took a while for her to notice Fred and George lingering behind her. When she did, she turned to them and noticed even in the darkness that they looked as if they were trying to make a difficult decision.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Anna teased.

"No!" they both replied in indignation, though at the same time they seemed surprised at her sudden burst of courage.

Or maybe this was what Wells would have called stupidity. Probably the ladder, but she really didn't care at the moment.

"Come on, then, I'm not going in by myself!"

She rolled her eyes at how slowly they were moving in her direction, and found herself grabbing hold of both their hands and dragging. She was pleased to find little resistance on their part. This was their bloody idea after all.

"Oy, you lot!" They all jumped at the voice, and by the looks on the twins' faces, they recognised who it was coming from immediately. Why wasn't this person at the Halloween feast like everyone else?

The earlier sensation of being frightened returned as they turned toward Hagrid's Hut, and the person began moving toward them, "Where do you think you're going?"

A/N: I feel a little strange having a Halloween chapter out right after Christmas. xD No one to blame but myself for that. Also, I'm operating on the assumption that Fred is Gred and George is Forge because I can't find anything that says which nickname belongs to which twin. If anyone could tell me if I'm right or wrong, I would appreciate it. I'm also getting a little tired of referring to them as 'one twin' and 'the other twin' when they speak, so that will be ending soon. Thank Merlin. xD

Wells' teaching technique: yes or no? Personally I thought about bringing up some points that I think they should have thought about teaching the younger years (like learning stealth and how to avoid a fight when they were clearly outmatched, etc) but since we rarely ever saw the interesting classes I don't know if it was ever gone into. Moreover, where do you think you would fall as a wizard? Avoiding a fight if it isn't necessary to be fought, or charging in regardless?

Next Chapter: Broomsticks and Fears

"That'll be us next year, George," Fred said excitedly as they left the Quidditch grounds, his brilliant blue eyes shining in contrast with the red and gold painted on his face.

George nodded enthusiastically, "We'll make the best Beaters Hogwarts has ever seen!"

"Sure you will, and we'll make the best Chasers it's ever seen," Angelina told them, motioning between herself and Alicia. They had been talking nonstop in the girl's dorm about when they'd have the chance to try out for the House team next year.

Anna didn't quite have the heart to tell the four of them that the likelihood of all of them making it onto the team was pretty slim. She doubted the Team Captain would want a team made up mostly of second years.

Still, she wanted them to prove her wrong.