LAST TIME
Dumbledore sighed, "You are not letting this go till I tell you. Very well, Nicholas Flamel taught it to me along with the counter to the spell in the last year of my apprenticeship. And no, I am not going to teach it to you, yet. I will after you become my apprentice next year."
"Fair enough… but what did you… order her to do?"
"It will prevent her from thinking of any other punishment for detention except making the students write lines and not stop even if she is in pain. She will not destroy any evidence of her doings. Also, she won't report it to anyone… namely, Cornelius."
"So, you are essentially making her torture herself every time she wants to put a muggleborn in detention?"
"Precisely."
"Are you sure you aren't secretly a dark lord or something?"
Dumbledore just chuckled in response.
Ch.57 The Seeds of Rebellion
1st October 1995
Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London
Harry lounged in his chair in the expanded kitchen of the black townhouse, right next to Dumbledore who was sucking contentedly on a lemon drop as they waited for everyone in the Order of the Phoenix to show up to the meeting.
All Order members who worked at Hogwarts, namely McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, Aurora Sinistra, and Septima Vector were already seated at the table. The latter three had been a recent addition to the Order of the Phoenix.
Along with them were Sirius, the of-age Weasleys(except Charlie), Kingsley Shacklebolt, Moody, and several others. Some, like Amelia, Tonks, Croaker, and Augusta Longbottom were yet to arrive.
Some like Remus and Podmore were not amongst them. Remus had gone to the werewolf packs while Podmore had been sent to Azkaban two days ago, caught lurking outside the Department of Mysteries under an invisibility cloak.
No one knew why he was there. Harry and Dumbledore suspected that the imperious was at play and were worried about the order's secrets getting to Voldemort. Thankfully, they had kept the biggest cards close to their chests, not telling the most important stuff and plans to the whole order. What the Order was aware of was mostly from the reports given by Snape and the fact that they too had sent envoys to Giants and werewolves.
Not a lot that Voldemort couldn't anticipate.
But, they still knew some important stuff like the names of Order members, the training they were going through, the prophecy guard by the Aurors, and the fact that Snape was a spy.
That was when the doors were pushed open and Amelia entered, followed by Croaker and Tonks. Both the ladies looked pale and traumatized while Croaker's face was still under the hood.
"Some… chocolate would be good," Croaker croaked.
Harry's eyes widened, piecing together what had happened. They were suffering from the effects of dementor exposure.
"DOBBY!" Harry shouted and the elf popped in barely a second later. "Bring me half a dozen bars of Honeydukes finest chocolate. GO!"
Dobby popped out instantly before coming back a minute later with the required chocolate. Harry instantly banished them towards the three, all of whom instantly tore the wrapper and dug in, sighing in relief as the chocolate worked its effects.
"What happened, Amy? Why did you go to Azkaban?" Sirius asked, shuddering slightly at the name of the dreaded prison.
"To interrogate Dodge while the Prison guard shifted. It was unofficial and we didn't have enough medallions to ward all the dementors away. So, Tonks and I used Patronus charms while Croaker interrogated him. But, the number of dementors that we were attracting were too many, so we still felt the effects."
"Thank you, Amelia. Please eat your chocolates while we wait for the last few people to arrive. When the meeting starts, we will ask you what you found. Until then, no one questions them." Dumbledore ordered.
Amelia and Tonks nodded in relief while Croaker didn't give any visible reaction.
Five minutes later, when the last of the Order members arrived, Dumbledore started the meeting.
"First, as we all know, our very own Sturgis Podmore was sent to Azkaban two days ago, caught outside the Department of Mysteries. Today, Amelia, Nymphadora, and Mr. Croaker went to Azkaban to ask him what had happened. Amelia?"
"Podmore didn't remember a thing. He had no memory of going to the Department of Mysteries. The last thing he remembered was walking out of his office and then, he was apprehended by Aurors near the entrance of the Department of Mysteries."
"Imperious," Dumbledore said gravely.
"Yes, but thankfully we had Croaker. He used Legilimency to unlock his memories. Thankfully, Podmore cooperated and he saw the memories. Croaker?"
"Yes, I did. Thankfully, whoever put Mr. Podmore under the imperious didn't ask him questions. Instead, ordered him to enter the Department of Mysteries under a disillusionment charm. As soon as he touched the door, our intruder's downfall struck and broke him out of the imperious while simultaneously stunning and petrifying him along with triggering the alarm charm, attracting the Aurors nearby."
"Did he see who put him under the imperious?"
"No, all he saw was a hand holding a wand appearing out of nowhere, and then, he was placed under the imperious."
"Damn," Harry cursed.
"What I am curious about is why wasn't he put under a trial?" Dedalus Diggle asked.
"It did," Amelia answered. "In front of a DMLE jury. Such trivial matters as trespassing don't demand the attention of the Wizengamot. The Jury consisted of myself, Scrimgeour, and Proudfoot, a Senior Auror. There was no proof of the imperious as the wards of the DOM broke it. If Proudfoot hadn't been there, we would've just fined Podmore and let him off. But, Proudfoot is one of Fudge's lackeys. Instead, we put him under the least punishment we could. Two weeks in Azkaban."
"It is sad that such a thing had to happen. Please make sure he doesn't suffer a lot under the dementors." Dumbledore requested.
"We have put him in the least security prison. Where the presence of dementors is very less. Croaker also gave him a small box of chocolates. The only reason we suffered so much was that our presence was unneeded in the prison and they were restless because of the change."
"That is kind of you. Thank you. Now…"
Harry zoned out from what Dumbledore was saying, rapidly re-analyzing Amelia's words.
"Amelia, you said that you snuck in and interrogated Podmore as the prison guard shifted. How much time were you interrogating him for?" Harry asked, unbestokenly interrupting the headmaster.
Amelia and Tonks shared a look. "About twelve to fifteen minutes I reckon before we had to move away and sneak out."
"And how often does the shift happen?"
"On the first of every month," She promptly replied.
"How many known Death Eaters are there in the prison right now?"
Amelia blinked. "I am… unsure of the exact number right now but I am aware of the fact that a total of fifty-seven men and women were accused of being Death Eaters at the end of the war. Now, out of them, some like Malfoy bought their way out. Some died in the prison while the rest are still alive and there."
"Give me an approximate number of how many Death Eaters are in Azkaban right now?"
"Somewhere between twenty and thirty, oh, sorry, add those eleven whom you captured at the World Cup… so, considering them, thirty to forty."
"Thirty to forty Death-Eaters spread through Azkaban and ten minutes…" Harry muttered, tapping his fingers on the table rapidly.
"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"Finishing off the Death Eaters in Azkaban," Harry replied.
"Excuse me?"
"Voldemort's most loyal, the Lestranges, Dolohov, Travers, Selwyn… all of them are there. Voldemort would free them sooner or later. What if we take them out before Voldemort can free them? It will be a massive blow to him… something that would tip the scales of ending this war and winning it heavily in our favor."
Dumbledore nodded contemplatively. "You want to kill them all off before they rejoin Voldemort… the idea certainly has merit bar the fact that they are currently residing behind the walls of Azkaban, which is a heavily fortified prison with heavy wards, even when Aurors or Dementors are not there. Not to mention, as soon as we kill an inmate, an alarm will be raised. An alarm tied to the life force of the occupants inside each cell will take at least a couple of minutes to dismantle. And we won't have that much time"
"Also, Dementors will swarm you as soon as they sense you intruding. That is what happened with us." Tonks said.
"Dementors will not be a problem, my dear Nymphadora."
"No, sir. They will be. We cannot use the Patronus charm. Our Patronuses are too distinctive. We cannot leave such staggering proof of our involvement in the death of so many people, even if they are prisoners and some of the worst criminals to walk on earth."
"Wait, Wait!" exclaimed someone in a scandalized tone. "Death Eaters or not, we can't just kill people! It is madness! If we murder them, we are no better than the Death Eaters!"
A wave of mutters passed down the table at the statement.
"Is it so?" Harry asked softly. "We all know that Voldemort is going to free them sooner or later to rebuild his army. They'll be out of Azkaban before you know it, and begin torturing and murdering innocents under Voldemort's banner."
Troubled expressions spread across the faces of those in the room. They knew he was right.
"If we let them go," he continued steadily, his voice loud in the now quiet room. "Every person they hurt, that they kill, will be blood on our hands!"
"Aye, Potter is right," Moody growled. "Better kill them before they kill you or other innocents! I agree. We should go to Azkaban and finish them off as soon as possible!"
"Why do we need to physically go and kill them?" Lady Greengrass asked. "Can't we just poison their food? A good quick-acting poison and they will be dead before help can arrive."
"No," Scrimgeour said, shaking his head. "Each cell has wards to prevent anything that can kill inmates, like poisoned food, from entering the cell. The idea behind Azkaban was to make inmates suffer as much as they could for their crimes. An easy death was something they didn't want to do. So, you cannot simply slip in poisoned food or even objects like blades."
"What if, instead of killing every Death Eater in the prison, we kill his most dangerous ones?" Sirius asked. "The Lestranges, Dolohov, Travers… all of his most dangerous and unhinged Death Eaters are locked in the high-security wing. Next to the cell I was kept in. What if we blow up the whole wing?"
"It is not easy to just blow up a whole section of Azkaban. In addition to the main wards that surround Azkaban as a whole, each floor has its own set of protection wards and so does each cell. Azkaban, in addition to the security that nature itself provides, has five levels of security. The Aurors, the dementors, and the three layers of nearly impenetrable wards." Croaker said. "Also, the walls of Azkaban are carved with an insane amount of strengthening runes. A point-blank Bombarda Maxima doesn't even cause a crack on the walls. Believe me."
"But it is certainly better than going and killing each Death Eater inmate," Amelia said. "We just need enough power to pull it off."
"I have an idea, professor. It is not… really good but it is an idea" Newt Scamander said.
"Yes, Newt?"
"I suggest we use the same method that Grindelwald used to overthrow the French Ministry and Beauxbatons in 1939 by punching through their wards before trapping them inside before massacring whoever didn't join him."
Dumbledore sucked in a sharp breath. "Obscurial ashes."
Scamander nodded grimly.
Harry scoffed, "Not to be insulting or anything, sir, but you do realize that you are asking us to use, perhaps the most illegal and rarest magical ingredient in the world? Even Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears are more available than Obscurial ashes."
"Well, you are not wrong, Mr. Potter. Procuring it is indeed the tough part of the process." Scamander agreed.
"And so is handling it and using it. Respectfully, it is an impossible and highly dangerous idea." Harry added.
"The procurement of the ash is not a problem, Mr. Potter. I have the ash. And not Obscurial ash but Obscurus ash. Not a lot but easily a hundred grams or so."
Harry gaped. Newt Scamander was in possession of Obscurus ashes?
"How? An Obscurus cannot exist outside the body of the host for long. And the few minutes that it exists after the death of its host… it just causes pure unadulterated destruction." Croaker asked, voicing Harry's question.
"Not if someone contains the obscurus at the moment of its separation. An Obscurus, as per my personal findings, can live for up to exactly fifty years outside a host body if contained in a proper unbreakable bubble made by alchemy."
"1936, you asked me to make a containment bubble… was it for the Obscurial, Newt?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward.
"Yes. It was a Sudanese girl. I had meant to save her by separating the obscurus. She did survive, but not for long. And, I had the obscurus trapped in the containment bubble…. I still had it until it died in 1986, exactly 50 years after its separation, down to the exact minute. The shockwave was huge and spectacular but thankfully, the bubble held. In the end, it left the ashes."
"So, the ashes are nearly a decade old?" Sirius asked. "I won't claim to be an expert in such things but magical ingredients tend to lose their magical potency after a certain amount of time, depending from ingredient to ingredient and how they are preserved."
"What the mutt means to ask is that are the ashes still potent enough to feed the magic required to break through the wards of Azkaban and destroy a whole section of the prison?" Snape drawled.
Scamander looked baffled for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know. I have never dared to open the containment bubble. For now, it is safely kept in a warded chest in my Gringotts vault."
"Then we would need to check it, even if I am reluctant to deal with something which is a higher version of Obscurial ashes. Obscurial ashes are highly volatile and need care to operate with. I can only guess how volatile the ashes of an Obscural could be."
"True," Newt agreed to Dumbledore's statements.
"Sir, I am still against this idea," Harry said. "Even if the ashes are potent enough, and we successfully make a device to its power to theoretically blow up the High-security wing in Azkaban… there is no saying what would happen once we take it there. Azkaban is a highly magical and trauma-filled island. Obscurials are known to go haywire for the lack of a better word in highly-emotional situations, especially bad ones. And each magical ingredient retains the properties of the original body somehow or the other. Like, Unicorn horn retains the soothing property of the unicorn and hence is an essential ingredient in calming drought."
"You mean to say that the ashes will become highly volatile in Azkaban and hence will throw off the calculations?" A healer from St. Mungo's asked.
"Yes, and I am afraid that instead of blowing up the wind, it might blow up the whole island of Azkaban, killing everyone on it, including the Aurors and us."
"Your concerns are not unfound, Harry. Theoretically, yes, it could happen. So, I would just say, let us take a week to think this out and present our suggestions in the next meeting. Also, a floor plan and ward plan of Azkaban will be much appreciated."
"I can get you that," Amelia said. "Or a copy of the floor plan at least. As for the wards, ask him." She said, jabbing her thumb at Croaker.
"It is a highly restricted DOM document," Croaker said.
"And you are the head of the DOM with Alpha access. Don't bullshit us, Croaker. Everything in the DOM happens at your discretion." Amelia scoffed.
"I never said I wouldn't bring it. I am just saying that it is not for everyone's eyes. I will show it only to the Headmaster and Mr. Potter."
Amelia pursed her lips before nodding.
"Very well then," Dumbledore said. "We will make a plan to finish off the Death Eater inmates in Azkaban in the next Order meeting. We still have a month's time to plan. I request you all mull over it and come up with an idea if possible. Now, moving on, Severus, what are the happenings amongst the Dark Lord's forces?"
"The Dark Lord and Rookwood recently returned back from their expedition… to wherever they had gone. The Dark Lord seems very gleeful as of late. None of us Death Eaters know what has gotten him so happy except for Rookwood that is."
"That is concerning. What else can you tell us, Severus?"
"The dark lord has asked me to brew a few potions. Nutrition potions, rejuvenation potions, and such... all potions meant to restore someone's health. He also has asked me to procure a few ingredients. Salamander blood, troll whiskers, vampire fangs, reem marrow, mermaid fins…"
Harry immediately understood what it was all for. Rituals. He had used them as well for healing and improving his body. But why would Voldemort want them when he already had a ritualistic body?
"None of the ingredients are hard to find," Lord Greengrass mused. "You would get them somewhere or the other in Knockturn Alley for the right price."
"If I am to guess, You-know-who wants quality as well, that is why he has told Severus, a world-renowned potions master, to buy the ingredients," Flitwick said.
"Yes, he has asked me to personally check the ingredients before buying them," Snape drawled.
"But, why does you-know-who want these potions and ingredients?" Hestia Jones asked.
"I do not know. The Dark Lord doesn't exactly share his plans with all of his Death Eaters." Snape snapped.
"Then what is the use of you being in the order, Snivellus?" Sirius asked with a smirk.
"Sirius," Dumbledore said with a warning in his tone. "Do not antagonize Severus."
Sirius pouted but stayed quiet.
"Alright, so before things get heated again, let us all wrap up for the day unless someone has something to add?"
"What about Podmore?"
"He will have to serve his sentence of two weeks," Dumbledore said mournfully. "And, speaking of which, Alastor, add imperious resistance to the training regimen. We do not want a repeat of what happened to Sturgis."
"Aye, I was thinking of the same," Moody grunted
"Imperious resistance? You are going to put us under the imperious!?" Florence Taylor, a junior auror, as far as Harry remembered, asked with incredulity.
"Last year, Barty Crouch Junior, in disguise of Moody, put a bunch of fourth years under the curse. We all faced it. And here you are, an aspiring Auror, being a wimp to learn it. Tell me, Auror Taylor, would you rather practice throwing off the curse or directly face it in real life when a Death Eater puts you under it and makes you dance to their whims."
The man recoiled before gulping.
"That is what I thought. I assure you that the conditions will be perfectly safe for you all. We will ensure that there are no lasting effects." Harry said before gesturing to Dumbledore to continue.
"Thank you, everyone. That will be all for today. We will meet next Sunday at the same time." Dumbledore declared, concluding the meeting.
6th October 1995
The Room of Requirements, Hogwarts
"Alright, everyone!" Harry called and his friends, who were practicing around the room, stopped. "Gather around. It is time for you all to learn a very essential magical technique that could probably save your life. apparition."
Cedric frowned, "Fred, George, and I already know it. The ministry official taught us that last year."
Harry nodded. "Destination, Determination, and Deliberation. Then turn on your heel with your wand out… Yes, the shit ministry teaches. What I am going to teach you is something much more useful, faster, more silent, and less disorienting."
"Oh, superb. We hate the disorientation after apparition." Fred and George said.
"Now, there are two types of apparition. One is like the normal type that the ministry teaches everyone, that is, for everyday travel and stuff. The other, which is much less unknown, is called rapid apparition or battle-apparition. The difference between them is not a lot but the latter is much more rapid, silent, and untraceable but can only be used to travel within a radius of a hundred or so meters. Also, it is much safer and meant to get out of the way of spellfire. You can use the normal one as well, but this is a better alternative. First, I will teach you the normal kind of apparition… my kind of apparition and not the shit ministry teaches."
"But you cannot apparate in Hogwarts. It says so in Hogwarts- A History." Hermione chimed.
"We are in the Room of Requirement. We can apparate within the room without any problem. Now, let's start."
An hour later, Harry called them to stop. So far, only Cedric had properly gotten the first technique down. The twins were almost there, having apparated successfully twice but still having trouble doing it perfectly. The rest, on the other hand, were still standing in the same spot. Well, Daphne had apparated but reappeared in the same place she was standing. But, it was a fluke as she was unable to replicate it again.
Everyone had collapsed on the couches the room had produced.
"Good practice, everyone. We will continue this next time. Now, tomorrow is the first Hogsmeade weekend. Have you all spread the word about the study group for DADA?" Harry asked.
Dolores Umbridge, despite suffering from the effects of the several curses Harry had put on her, had not ceased trying to exert her authority on Hogwarts. Quite the contrary as she had passed a few more of her ridiculous decrees.
The only good news was that she was suffering rather badly. She had bags under her eyes and had lost weight. She jumped at the slightest of sounds. She also winced several times a day.
The other Hogwarts students had only added to her sufferings by being rebellious teenagers they were. The twins had already pranked her a few times in the past fortnight. Their skiving snack box invention was a hit in Hogwarts with more and more students using it to skive off DADA, History of Magic, and Divination. Someone had tried a nosebleed variety in Snape's class as well, but the greasy bat had fixed it with a wave of his wand.
But, back to Umbridge,
"Yes, we have," Neville said, while panting. "We also have told them that we will be meeting in a private room in the Three Broomsticks."
"Excellent! You all remember what to do, right? Ced, Hermione, Ron and Susan, you all are going to sit with me. Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, you all will sit in the audience."
"Got it, Captain!" Fred saluted and Harry rolled his eyes.
7th October 1995
Hogsmeade Village, Scotland
The morning of the first Hogwarts weekend dawned bright and clear, mirroring Harry's excited mood. Today was going to be the first step of a rebellion he was going to lead. A rebellion that would eventually result in a brighter, better future for the wizarding world, even after Voldemort was gone… at least that was the plan anyway.
Today, under the guise of a rebellion against Umbridge and a study group for DADA, Harry would make a network of capable witches and wizards that would not only help in the war against Voldemort but also, in future endeavors after Voldemort was gone for good.
After all, in the words of Salazar Slytherin, Students of today become the leaders of tomorrow. And all of them would be united as one under Harry's banner soon after the group was formed.
The Founders, Merlin, and Morgana all had worked for the betterment of the wizarding community and achieved their goals. He would too.
After having breakfast, most of the students from the third year and above started queuing up in an orderly manner in the ante-chamber in front of Professor McGonagall and Filch who checked that each person who went had the permission to go to Hogsmeade.
Susan came over and stood beside Harry after giving him a quick peck on his cheek.
When Harry reached Filch, the caretaker gave a great sniff as though trying to detect a whiff of something from Harry. Then he gave a curt nod that set his jowls aquiver again and Harry walked ahead wrinkling his nose.
He did not like Argus Filch at all. The man was almost as pathetic as Umbridge and had no right to be in a school of children, much less the premier institute of magic in the whole of Europe. Speaking of Umbridge and Filch, they seemed to have become good pals as of late with Filch worshiping Umbridge like a goddess while treating her as the best thing that had happened to Hogwarts.
There were still two hours left until the meeting as they left the castle and boarded the Thestral-drawn carriages.
"Go and enjoy your trip as you want. We'll meet in an hour and a half outside the three broomsticks." Harry told Ron and Hermione.
"Have fun, mate," Ron said, winking at Harry while Hermione grinned.
"Don't I always?" Harry asked rhetorically before jumping off the carriage as it stopped at the massive iron gates leading beyond which Hogsmeade laid. He helped Susan down followed by Ron and Hermione.
"Shall we go, Lord Potter?" Susan asked.
"We shall, Lady Bones," Harry replied, offering Susan his arm as Ron wolf-whistled behind their back.
The exclamation of pain that followed out of Ron's mouth a moment later was enough for Harry to know that Hermione had slapped the back of his head.
Harry smirked before leading Susan towards the village.
"Where do you want to go first?" Harry asked.
"Honeydukes. My stash of chocolate is over."
"Ouch, that sucks given your love for chocolate."
"Exactly, now, come on!" She said, pulling him towards the shop.
After an hour and a half of shopping, Harry and Susan walked toward the three broomsticks and found that Ron, Hermione, and Cedric were already standing there with bags in their hands.
Hermione waved at them as they neared before frowning. "Where are your bags? Didn't you buy anything?"
"Dobby!" Harry called and a second later, the elf appeared.
"Yes, Master Harry?"
"Take their bags to their dorms, won't you?"
"Of course, Master Harry sir!" The excitable elf said before snapping his fingers. The bags from their hands disappeared before Dobby bowed and popped away.
"Let's go in then," Hermione said, cracking her fingers and wringing them.
Together, they walked into the bar, which was already full of Hogwarts students bustling around. Some were having a late breakfast or just sitting together and chatting while drinking butterbeer or some other beverage from the pub.
Harry walked up to the counter where the owner of the bar, Madame Rosmerta was pouring a goblet of butterbeer while instructing one of her workers to serve it to table nineteen.
"Madame Rosemerta," Harry called with a smile. "I had owled you three days ago, booking a private room."
"Ah, Harry Potter, right? I have room nine prepared for you and your friends. Whom all should I send up?"
"Any Hogwarts student who asks for me or says that they are here for DADA study group." Harry replied.
"You are not going to be casting spells or anything, are you?" She asked skeptically.
"Of course not… beyond standard privacy charms. Would that be a problem?"
"No, feel free to cast privacy charms as long as you remove them before leaving."
"Thank you. Also, I would send someone to buy butterbeers for everyone who goes in. So, keep the packs of bottles ready and put it all on the tab, I will pay in the end with the charges for the room. We expect thirty to fifty people."
"Of course," She said, beaming before becoming worried. "But, I don't think the room will fit fifty people… not even half of it."
"Don't worry about it, ma'am. I will handle it." Harry replied.
"If you are sure."
"I am."
Madame Rosmerta nodded and handed him a key card. "Tap it at the doorknob and the door will unlock. Return it before leaving. Your room is on the first floor, on the left-hand side. You will see the room numbers on the door. Go in room nine only"
"Alright, ma'am. Thanks."
"My pleasure, Mr. Potter."
Harry turned around and gestured to his friends to follow him as he walked towards the stairs. On the way, his eyes met Daphne's who gave him a discreet nod.
Daphne won't be in the meeting. She would be standing outside the room under Harry's invisibility cloak, monitoring anyone who went in. If someone left the meeting mid-way, she would obliviate the person of the details of the meeting.
Harry unlocked the room by tapping the key card on the knob and entered. It was an empty room with a few chairs at the center of the room. The room had a window from which the Hogwarts castle could be seen.
Harry flicked his wand into his hands and cast detection charms around the room to check for charms. He found nothing beyond some permanent keep-clean enchantments, a temperature control ward, and a charm to muffle the noise from outside the room.
"The room's clean," He declared before waving his wand around the room, erecting privacy wards that he wanted. With another wave of his wand, the room expanded to thrice the size that it was. Once he was satisfied, he summoned a chair and sat down on it, right under the window, waiting for people to show up.
Hermione dragged a chair and sat beside him. "So, are you nervous?"
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Why would I be nervous? I have given speeches in front of the Wizengamot. These are school children."
"Oh, Harry. I have known you since we were eleven. You might've changed a lot since then… we all have. But, I still know you. You are nervous somewhere inside and that's why you are playing with your hair, like right now."
With a start, Harry realized that his hand was in his hair, as he tried to subconsciously pat the untameable mess down.
"Well… I am not nervous to talk to them. It is just the anticipation, I guess. The path that this meeting shall pave. This will turn out to be an important day not only for me but for many who are and will be in this room. It may only seem like we are making a study group… A defense group, however, you wish to put it. But, it will be the start of a butterfly effect and affect events in the future drastically, I feel."
"That is certainly one way to put it. You are this generation's Dumbledore, and today you are taking your first step to directly influence the masses, just as he did by becoming the transfiguration professor at Hogwarts. Teaching and influencing young minds… The same young minds who will be in positions of power in the future."
"You are too perceptive, Hermione. The brightest witch of our age indeed."
Hermione smiled. "And, believe me, I will always be by your side, Harry."
Harry gave her a nod, just as the door opened and Neville entered with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho Chang and Harry noted with disgust, Marietta Edgecombe, the girl who bullied Luna.
They were followed by the Gryffindor Quidditch team, namely, Alicia, Katie, Angelina, Fred, and George along with Colin and Denis Creevy. A minute after they had come in, the door opened again and Luna walked in dreamily as if she had wandered in on accident.
With a flick of his wand, Harry conjured a dozen more chairs to accommodate the new entrants.
"Please have a seat. We still have fifteen minutes before we start the meeting." Hermione said with a welcoming smile.
Soon, several other students, ranging from third-years to seventh-years entered the room, all belonging to a mix of houses, bar Slytherin.
It was sad to see that Slytherins were refusing to stand united with Hogwarts. Daphne and Astoria were the only two Slytherins he had in his group, which was a moot point since he had asked them not to join the DADA group and maintain their cover unless a good number of Slytherins joined.
They hadn't, unfortunately when there were five minutes left for the meeting to begin, Harry did a quick headcount of the number of students in the room. There were forty-six students so far including himself.
"Ron, Cedric, can you please go and bring 60 bottles of butterbeer from Madame Rosmerta?" He whispered and they nodded before leaving the room together. Free beverages were a small investment that would ensure that most of the group(there might be an odd asshole or two in there) would stick till the end of the meeting to listen to what he had to say, just out of gratitude.
As for the extra bottles that would be left, he could take them with him after the meeting ended or share them with his main group which he had been training since summer.
Cedric and Ron came up levitating the packs of bottles a couple of minutes later and were followed by two Hufflepuffs whom Harry recognized as Zacharis Smith and Justin Finch Fletchy.
In the end, before a minute of the meeting began, four nervous-looking Hufflepuff Third years entered the room after knocking obediently on the door.
Harry smiled at them and told them to take a seat. When the clock ticked eleven-thirty, Harry stood up and called for attention.
"Hey, everyone. As we know, someone, namely Hermione here, had the brilliant idea to form a DADA study group as Umbridge doesn't teach us anything. But, before we begin, I have something for you all. Butterbeer!" He declared, waving his wand.
The bottles of butterbeer rose before zooming towards the crowd such that each bottle stopped in front of a person, levitating in the mid-air.
"Let us hear it for Harry Potter for the free drinks! CHEERS!" Fred cheered in a jovial tone and the crowd echoed his sentiments, cheering for Harry with a chorus of thank-yous and whistles.
Harry raised his bottle in acknowledgment before taking a sip as he waited for the crowd to quieten down.
"So, as I was saying, the current DADA professor, Umbridge, is not teaching us anything and instead, telling us to read the stupid Slinkhart book. At this rate, all of us will waste a year in DADA, learning nothing. I propose that we take matters into our hands and do it ourselves. Because, defense is not only important for academic prospects, but also in the light of recent events, namely the return of Voldemort."
The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped butterbeer down herself, Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and others gasped or flinched.
"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice.
"Who are you?" said Ron rather rudely.
"Zacharias Smith," said the boy, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."
"I saw him rise. I dueled him. And as for the proof, I ask you, what will I get from lying about his return?"
"Fame? Attention?" Smith sneered.
Harry laughed. "You think I would want more attention moments after winning the Triwizard tournament. Why would I, Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, Heir Potter, Heir Black, winner of the World Dueling Championship, the youngest winner of Order of Merlin: First class, Chimera Slayer, and winner of the Triwizard Tournament need more glory, Mr. Smith?"
Smith opened his mouth before closing it.
"Also, let us take the events of the last fifteen months into account, shall we? The attacks at the Quidditch World Cup and the appearance of the dark mark… the symbol of Lord Voldemort for the first time in thirteen years. Then my unconsented inclusion in the Tournament. The attack at the ministry ball. A Death Eater, who was supposed to be dead, posing as Alastor Moody and teaching us DADA… Coincidence? I think not."
Silence enveloped the room as everyone contemplated Harry's words.
"You want more? A few days after the third task, the Daily Prophet reported the disappearance of fourteen purebloods, all last seen on the twenty-fourth of June, the day of the third task. See, you all can still choose to believe Fudge and ignore what is in front of you. I cannot change your way of thinking. What I can do is hope that you see sense and inform you that I am not wasting any more of my time convincing you all that Voldemort is back." Harry declared firmly. "He is back and whether you believe it or not, it will not change the fact."
He looked around the room looking each person who had come, in the eye.
"Now, back to the topic of the meeting, we all need to do something in regards to DADA. The past education in the field has been shaky even if Umbridge is the worst of all. Even if you disagree about Voldemort's return, you all have still got either your OWLS or NEWTS ahead of you, which, I must remind you, are very important for your future."
"Well said!" barked Ernie Macmillan, "Personally I think this, what we are doing, is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!
Harry nodded at him in approval.
"I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells that too when it is an essential part of the OWL curriculum." Neville wondered aloud, playing his part perfectly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione asked. "Fudge has some agenda to keep us incompetent. Did you all see how flustered Umbridge got when Harry asked her if Cornelius Fudge was actively interfering in the education at Hogwarts? it is clear that Fudge is doing exactly that by making Umbridge the high inquisitor and passing all those stupid education decrees."
Whispers filled the room while Harry resisted the urge to smirk. Neville and Hermione had played their parts perfectly… Now, for Ginny.
As if on cue, Ginny spoke up. "And there are also those stupid inspections she does. I don't think she is even remotely competent to inspect someone like McGonagall or Flitwick."
There was a chorus of agreements from the crowd at that.
"Did you all see how McGonagall put her in place? It was glorious!" Someone asked loudly and many fifth-year students chuckled remembering the incident where McGonagall had treated Umbridge like a five-year-old and put the woman ruthlessly in her place. Harry almost wished that he was still in his fifth year and had gotten to attend the class, even if he had already seen Hermione's memory of the lecture.
Harry cleared his throat calling for attention again. "Now, I would like to ask, who all are with me to form the DADA group?"
"But, who'll teach us?" someone asked.
"Isn't it obvious? Potter will teach us. He is after all the most capable student and got the highest marks in the history of DADA OWLs surpassing even Dumbledore."
There was a wave of agreement from the group at the statement.
"Excuse me," Harry called loudly. "While I may be the main teacher, Cedric and your peers will also help you out. We all are nearly fifty people. I never expected so many to turn up here, but you all did. So, it is for the best if we all help each other out."
"Hear, Hear!"
"That aside," Cedric interrupted, "we also need to decide when to meet. There is no point in meeting less than once a week if we are doing this."
"Hang on," said Angelina, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."
"No," said Cho, "nor with ours."
"Nor ours," added Zacharias Smith.
"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," Harry interrupted smoothly. "And it is best not to fix the day of our meetings or else, Umbridge might get suspicious and make some decree, trying to close our group."
"Once a week sounds cool," Lee Jordan said.
"But where would we meet?" a sixth-year Ravenclaw asked.
"Leave that to me," Harry replied. "I have a place on the seventh floor."
Harry was initially reluctant to give away something as spectacular as the Room of Requirement to the common masses but he eventually decided to share it. He would simply place an alert ward on the room which would inform him if someone used the room and then take necessary actions.
"Cool," Alicia said.
"Also, one very important thing. Under no circumstances, should a word about this reach Umbridge. I am going to pass around a parchment right now. Sign it and you will be an official part of the group and agree not to betray it or rat us out to anyone, especially Umbridge." Harry declared before producing a parchment.
Of course, the parchment was no ordinary one. Everyone who signed their names would be entering a contract, agreeing to the terms Harry had just laid out. If they betrayed him or the group, the consequences would be grave.
Fred reached out for the parchment and cheerfully put down his signature followed by George, but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.
A quick Legilimency probe yielded that they were afraid that someone would find the list, namely Umbridge and they would be expelled.
"Alright," Harry called just as Lee finished signing the parchment. "I see some of you are worried about the list being found out. I assure you that I won't leave the list lying around and, I have this," He said, taking the parchment in his hand and tapping his wand against it.
The ink melted into the page, leaving it blank.
"Woah, the names were erased!" Dennis exclaimed.
"Not erased, merely hidden. They will reveal themselves if we give a password… or, accurately, I give the password." Harry said, before hissing and the signs appeared again.
"You are using Parseltongue!" Justin exclaimed and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Parseltongue is just a language like Mermish and Troll, Justin. And no, before you ask, this is a standard information hiding charm I used and put the password in Parseltongue. You can find the charm in the Advanced Guide of Charms by Hugh Fitzperus." Harry lied. In actuality, he had used an advanced parselmagic version of the spell. He was pretty sure that once the spell activated, even the Unspeakables would have a problem revealing what was written on the parchment
As a person signed their name on the parchment, Harry felt the tingle of magic, binding them to the contract.
In the end, all forty-nine of them had signed their names. Not a single person had backed out, even if Smith and Edgecombe looked on the verge of doing so.
In Harry's eyes, it was a very successful meeting.
AND... DONE!
Thank you for all the love you are giving to my stories.
A huge Thank you to I_amaSWITCHbot for beta-ing this chapter for me.
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KM Donovan: I don't know why but I feel I've read this same review before and answered to it. Nevertheless, I will answer again. And the answer is, not really. Not this fic at least. Yes, the chaps of my PJO fic have been shorter but these continue to be in the normal range of 6k-10k words. This chapter is 7.5k words as well (not counting AN and Recap). As for progressing the plot, I feel a lot of plot happened here, in this chapter.
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Thank you everyone else for your lovely compliments and all the love for the story.
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t the moment, I have four main stories. They are:
1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.
2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly
3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.
4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.
(PLEASE READ THEM ALL)
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HPfanfictioner66