Chapter Twelve
The next morning Harry sat, bleary eyed after a rough nights sleep, spooning porridge into his bowl. There had been no sign of Gemini when they'd reached the Slytherin common room the night before, a fact that Corvus had been most grateful of and there was no sign of her this morning either.
Daphne and Draco were both looking over lessons plans. They were trying to work out how many classes they could take while still helping out with the DA and Quidditch while not over stretching themselves.
"Would you hate me forever if-" Draco started.
"Yes." Harry glared at him.
"You didn't even hear what I was going to say!" Draco protested.
"Would I hate you forever if you dropped Quidditch to take an extra class? The answer is yes!" Harry smirked.
Pansy let out a snort of laughter.
"You seem very unworried by all this." Draco pointed out.
Pansy shrugged and popped a dollop of jam onto her toast, "Well I figure if we get all this 'Dark Lord' mess sorted out, they'll love us forever and give us any job we want. If we don't then I'm a pretty, well behaved pureblood girl and therefore will be fine!"
Draco shrugged and grinned, "Well, there is certainly some logic there. Why are we bothering about all this then?"
"Because our parents would kill us if we didn't still try and ace our exams." Daphne sighed overly dramatically, flopping onto the table.
"As far as I can see there are two classes we really have to try our best at." Pansy said, grabbing a quill and bit of parchment, "One is the DA. We need to learn not just everything Harry can teach us but also how to work together to the best of our ability. Second is Defence Against the Dark Arts, for pretty much the same reason but also to learn more of the theory."
"I think we can all agree on that." Daphne nodded.
"Next we need a wide range of everything else that we could need." Pansy said, tapping the end of her quill against her temple, "And personally, I think that includes Quidditch as we need to keep up our strength as much as possible."
"See, even Pansy agrees that you shouldn't be abandoning me." Harry grinned, sticking his tongue out.
"I think Defence Against the Dark Arts are on all of our lists anyway isn't it?" Draco asked.
Harry, Pansy and Daphne all nodded, confirming that it was.
Professor Snape walked briskly down the line, chiding several students for not doing well enough in their exams. He reached Harry and his friends and pulled out four blank timetables, looking over his list of students and their results.
"You've all done adequately well." Snape said, looking over the list, "Mr Malfoy, Miss Greengrass, you have the grades to take any classes you wish. Is there anything you want to change from your original plan?"
"I'd like to also take Ancient Runes." Draco asked, "I think I should have time."
Professor Snape nodded and tapped the timetable with his wand before handing it over to Draco.
"I'm happy with my list." Daphne smiled.
Snape tapped her timetable as well, filling it with neat writing detailing her classes and handed it over.
"Mr Potter, I see Potions is on your list. Have you checked that Professor Slughorn will take you with an Exceeds Expectations?" Snape asked, not looking up from his paperwork.
"Yes Professor, I have." Harry said seriously, trying not to grin.
"Very good." Snape handed over the timetable.
"Miss Parkinson, I am afraid you didn't get a good enough mark to continue Divination, but you are taking enough courses to simply drop it should you so wish." Snape told her.
Pansy chewed her lips for a moment, "Could I have a go at Arithmancy?"
Snape nodded, "Yes, of course. You got an Outstanding there so I imagine with some hard work you will do very well."
He handed over her timetable and began to walk away before coming back, "I will be testing you all very hard in Defence Against the Dark Arts this year, I hope you all realise it's for the best. I will be teaching you skills you… you may, you will need."
Harry looked deep into Severus's eyes and nodded, "Yeah, of course."
Severus gave a sharp nod before leaving the alone.
"What do you think he meant by that?" Draco whispered.
"Can't be worse that Moody, or rather Crouch, preforming the Unforgivable Curses in front of us?" Pansy said, hopefully.
Harry wasn't so sure, he had a feeling much more of it would be much more directed at them than normal. There was no doubt about it that war was coming and the best thing they could do now was to turn themselves into the soldiers needed to fight it.
Defence Against the Dark Arts was their first lesson of the day, only beginning on the second period. It felt strange to Harry to watch the Hall nearly empty once the bell rang and the day began.
Hermione and Neville wondered over to the Slytherin table, both cradling cups of hot coffee.
"You both look exhausted." Daphne said, slightly worried.
"We were up half of the night with stupid joke things from Fred and George's shop." Neville yawned, "Apparently most people wanted to get them used up before Filch got hold of them."
Harry smirked, "Or dear."
"Ronald had brought loads with him as well." Hermione grumbled, "I think that he was hoping to sell them. They were far more expensive that they were be in the shop."
"Well good luck with that now." Draco said, "Filch is on the war path as far as those two are concerned."
"So Defence Against the Dark Arts first?" Hermione said, looking over her timetable, "Followed by Potions, it's going to be an interesting day."
"Did you both get all of the lessons you wanted?" Harry asked.
Hermione and Neville nodded.
"I had to drop a few but that will just give me more time to ficus on the DA." Hermione shrugged, "It will be worth it."
"And Grandmother will be be very disappointed I didn't get into Transfiguration." Neville grinned, "I did, however, get into Charms, which Grandmother failed."
"Well done, Charms is not an easy N.E.W.T." Pansy said.
Neville smiled, "Thank you. It's a good one to have, I think."
"What did you parents say?" Harry asked.
Neville shrugged, "They were just really proud of me for doing so well in my O. they said to just take whatever I thought was best."
Harry grinned, "I'm glad you did so well."
They talked about everything and nothing, they managed to stay away from the topic of school work or homework planners until the bell rang, summoning them to their first ever N.E.W.T class.
Harry stood with his friends in the line outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. The door opened and Snape's voice echoed out to them, ordering them to enter.
Inside the room had been transformed. Gone were the pink curtains and any trace of a cat plates. Instead the walls were covered in posters, detailing various curses and jinxes and the ways to protect against them. There were also several detailing witches and wizards being attacked by various creatures.
The desks had been moved to the front half of the classroom, leaving a wide open space at the back of the room. Severus was sitting at the large, heavy wood desk, looking over his lesson plan. He waited until all of the students had filled into the room and taken their seats before looking up.
"First, I feel the need to congratulate you all." Professor Snape said, moving tot he front of his desk, "Well done for making it this far. However, now that you have selected to take Defence Against the Dark Arts at N.E.W.T level I must worn you that this will be one of the most difficult classes you will ever take."
The class was silent, unsure of what to say.
"You are at a disadvantage." Snape said simply, "You have had five different teachers, I make six, each of these have had their own unique ways of teaching and this has left you behind where I would hope you to be. For example I don't believe you have any experience with non-verbal spells?"
Once again the class was silent.
Snape let out a loud sigh, "When I ask you a question I expect an answer. I will rephrase, have you had any experience with non-verbal spells?"
"No." the class mumbled.
"Better." Snape hissed, he folded his arms across his chest and glared his black eyes down into the class, "The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and as long as there is Light there will always be Dark, making them eternal. To fight them is like fighting a many headed monster. Every time you sever a head, a new one grows more powerful than the last. You are fighting something that is unfixed, mutating and indestructible; therefore you must be equally so."
Harry shuffled in his seat, he hated hearing his father talking about the Dark Arts like this. It felt like he was almost worshipping it and Harry knew that was not the person that Severus was.
"Your defences must be as flexible as what you are fighting, and as ever lasting." Snape said a little louder, "These pictures," he gestured to the posters on the walls, "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse. Or to feel the Dementors' kiss. Or provoke the aggression of the Inferius'."
"Has an Inferius been seen then?" Parvati Patil asked, in a high pitched squeal.
Professor Snape looked calmly at her and took a deep breath, "The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past, which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now… what are the advantages of using non-verbal spells?"
Hermione's hand shot into the air. Snape looked around, no one else raised their hands.
"Very well, Miss Granger?"
"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to preform. Which gives you a split second advantage." Hermione said with a smile.
"Well done, you've read the book, however you will need a deeper understanding of what I am trying to teach you than reciting the text book word for word." Snape snapped at her, "But you are correct in the basics. Those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain the element of surprise in their spell-casting. That comes with not telling your enemy exactly what you are going to do. Not all those who try can achieve this, of course, it is a question of concentration and mind power which some… lack."
Harry had an uncomfortable feeling that Severus was referring to his rather disastrous attempts to learn Occlumency with Professor McGonagall last year. Harry gritted his teeth in determination, he hadn't been trying last year, he would be trying now.
"Divide into pairs." Snape told them, leaning against his desk, "One will attempt to curse the other, while the other blocks the attempt. There will be no need to talk." Severus smirked.
Harry couldn't help but grin at Severus mimicking Umbridge. He and Draco moved over to a free space and pointed their wands at one another.
Most people in the class knew how to cast a Shield charm as Harry and his friends had taught them in the DA lessons last year. None of them, however, had tried to cast it without talking. A few were at even more of a disadvantage as they didn't even know how to cast a Shield charm while talking.
Ron for example was looking very worried as he paired up with Pavati.
Professor Snape let out a loud sigh as the class was failing miserably. Most of them had resorted to simply whispering the spells rather than being completely non-verbal.
Hermione was the first to succeed, of course, managing to block Neville's muttered spell in a little over ten minutes. Severus gave her five points while glaring at the Slytherin members of the class.
"Malfoy that is pathetic!" Professor Snape snapped after a few more minutes, "Here."
He swept over to where Harry was facing up against Draco and pushed Draco aside. Harry looked wide eyed at Severus as he raised his wand and pointed it towards Harry.
Severus flicked his wand and sent Harry flying back against the wall. Harry felt his head crack on the rough stone, sending a shock wave of pain rush through him before he blacked out.
Harry woke up a few moments later, his head still throbbing and a very worried Severus looming over him.
"I told you to block it!" Severus hissed, helping Harry to sit up.
"I tried!" Harry snapped, pushing his father away as he tried to examine Harry's head.
"Try harder." Severus growled.
Harry glared back at him. Severus was worried, his face was as white as a sheet and he kept glancing down to Harry's blood on his hand.
"You were the one who cursed me!" Harry muttered.
"I do not take cheek from my students!" Severus said, standing up and looking round at the worried faces, "Even from the 'Chosen One'. Detention Mr Potter, Saturday night."
Harry glared at him before giving him a sharp nod that sent more pain through his head, to the point where he thought he was going to throw up.
"Get yourself to Madam Pomfrey." Severus told Harry, "I hope you all have learnt a valuable lesson from Mr Potter."
Harry looked at him slightly confused, as did many of the other students.
"If you can't cast a non-verbal spell, that doesn't mean you should stand there like an idiot and get yourself cursed." Severus told them, "Class dismissed!"