Chapter 6

Defense Association

Ichigo sat at his coffee table, enjoying a fresh cup of tea as Hermione, Ron, and Harry filled the seats around him.

"No," he answered, his eyes closed and face blank.

Hermione leaned forward in the armchair, practically falling out of it. "Please! We can't just sit around while Umbridge teaches us nothing about defending ourselves."

Ichigo looked at her sternly. "You know that I, of all people, absolutely loathe her methods, but I won't do it."

"But why not?" Ron groaned. The three of them had come into his room that morning, speaking of a plan to create a side-study group for defense against the dark arts. That said, they lacked someone to lead it, which lead them to their current predicament.

Looking down, Ichigo watched as the dark liquid in his cup swirled around. Vague memories of his last student appeared in his mind. He frowned. "It's personal."

"But Ichigo," Hermione stressed, "you're the only staff member who's willing to stand up to Umbridge, especially now that she's been named High Inquisitor. And not only that, but there's no telling how overqualified for the job you are. Please."

"No, now stop pestering me. I've given you my answer and I'm not going to change my mind… don't you three have O.W.L.S. to study for?"

The tension in the room thickened so much it was almost palpable. Ichigo's resolve faltered when he saw their faces fall, but he stood his ground, nodding to the door. He would not budge on this matter. He couldn't.

He watched all three of them leave. In their absence, Ichigo pondered Harry's silence during their visit. Perhaps he was against the idea as well? It was hard to try and figure out what was going through the boy's head, especially with the weight he carried on his shoulders. Ichigo understood the feeling all too well.

"I think you should do it, King," Shiro cheered from the depths of his mind.

'Of course you'd want to, blood-thirsty bastard.'

"I think you should as well, Ichigo." Zangetsu added.

Ichigo's brow furrowed. 'Really, you too? Don't you remember what happened last time I took on a student?'

"Of course I do, and that's precisely why you should."

'What do you mean?' Ichigo asked as he watched Winky take his empty teacup.

"Whatever this darklord is doing, it's clearly interfering with your abilities. Real-life training, with actual opponents, will help you understand these changes better."

Ichigo sighed. 'Yeah, I suppose you've got a point.'

"Of course I do," Zangetsu scoffed. "When have I ever led you astray?"

The shinigami didn't have an answer, so he didn't respond. Even though his Zanpakuto made a good point, Ichigo couldn't shake the past off so easily. He worried for the students' safety, for the danger he would surely attract to them. Less concerned for Harry, Ron, and Hermione since they had already had targets on their backs and experience under their belts, his focus was on the weaker students who wouldn't be able to protect themselves, those who had never faced danger head-on.

"At least think about it."

Ichigo nodded to himself as he got ready for the day. The only class he was planning on observing that day was the Slytherin potion's class. There was no particular reason for it other than Malfoy was enrolled and Ichigo liked to keep an eye on him. He knew that the boy was struggling under expectations at home, and he wanted to be a pillar of support for him.

Thankfully, Winky already had an outfit laid out for him. Ichigo quickly got dressed and headed to Snape's classroom. When he arrived, the room was half-full. Snape himself was standing by the door, eyeing Ichigo with disdain. The man didn't bother trying to hide his negative attitude towards the peacekeeper. Ichigo always found his boldness amusing.

What wasn't amusing, however, was the distinctly pink woman lurking at the back of the classroom. If she noticed his interest, she didn't show it. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on the potion's professor. Perhaps that was why he seemed more scathing than usual today. Ichigo knew better than most the ugliness that the mere presence of the toad-like woman could evoke. Despite this, Ichigo wasn't going to change routine for her. He made his way to the back of the room, leaning back against the wall in his usual spot. If Umbridge scooted away from him an inch or two, well, he couldn't say he wasn't pleased.

As the time for class neared, the rest of the students found their seats. Ichigo noticed the near-white hair the moment Malfoy entered the room. Their eyes met briefly, but Malfoy ended the contact first in favor os sitting down. No one, not even someone as proud as Malfoy, wanted to incur the Inquisitor's wrath. These children weren't stupid. Well, most of them weren't, anyway.

The topic of the day's lesson was ingredients that could potentially increase the potency of certain potions. At first, it seemed straight-forward, but upon closer inspection, the actual execution was much more difficult. Too little and there was no effect, but too much and the whole potion would be rendered useless. Ichigo remembered several late nights with Merlin as dozens of potions were thrown in the trash. The thought of Merlin's frustrated curses brought a smile to Ichigo's face.

"Ahem."

And there the smile went, replaced by a scowl.

Umbridge stepped away from the back and towards the front of the room. "A very interesting lesson choice, professor. I would like to ask, if I may, why you feel the need to teach students skills to increase defense potions, but not potions that increase… oh, well, let's say information retention? They do have exams coming up, after all."

"You may not," Snape replied, his expression cold as stone.

Umbridge's fake smile never faltered, but Ichigo noticed the skin of her knuckles whiten.

"Well," she began. Ichigo knew Snape was in for it. He could practically see her feather's ruffling. The students were all staring now. "Some other questions, then. And, as High Inquisitor, may I remind you that you are required to answer? First, how long have you been at Hogwarts?"

"Fourteen years."

Umbridge hummed in response, writing something down on her clipboard. "Impressive. And you've always been the potion's professor? Yet, it says here that you apply for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts every year. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then how come you've never gotten the position?"

It became clear to Ichigo what the purpose of this impromptu investigation was. Umbridge was trying to humiliate Snape in front of the students. It was a show of power, especially since Ichigo had taken it from her a couple weeks back. With Dumbledore absent, the woman was trying to take full reins of the school. High Inquisitor or not, what a joke.

"Miss Umbridge," he began from the back of the room. Umbridge's eyes shot to him, clearly upset about being interrupted. "Perhaps now is not the best time to be worrying about such things."

Umbridge's smile grew as she stepped towards him. "Well, since you're here, Mr. Kurosaki, I have a few questions for you as well. You were supposed to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year until the Ministry sought to appoint me instead. Your file is surprisingly blank for someone in such a high position. No age, nationality, or previous schooling is listed. How am I to know if you're qualified to even work here? Not only that, but the Ministry has reports of you performing soul manipulation at the tournament last year. That is very suspicious and quite the cause for alarm, wouldn't you agree?"

The students began to whisper as Umbridge spoke. Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed. If there was one thing that Umbridge was, it was a master manipulator. No matter how he answered, he would incriminate himself. The best course of action would be to ignore the qualms completely.

"For High Inquisitor, you're interrupting valuable class time. These students need all the information they can get for their upcoming exams."

Umbridge saw it as the dismissal it was. She wasn't going to get any information out of him, at least not that day and not in front of a room full of students. Umbridge nodded and left the room. Snape continued the lesson and Ichigo tried to ignore the stares aimed his way. Snape, never one to go easy on children, would smack a student's head if it so much as leaned the wrong way. Ichigo was grateful. At least they had this in common.

If anything, recent events only solidified that Umbridge was trying to tear the school down, not build it up as she was preaching to the Ministry and the public. In a time of crisis, no less. Really, how did she or any other professor expect these students to actually grow and learn under these conditions?

"Perhaps Hermione's offer looks more enticing now?" Zangetsu prompted. Ichigo didn't respond.

A few hours later, after classes were over, Ichigo found himself in front of the fat lady painting. "The password changed last night."

"How was I supposed to know that! Can you please let me in?" Ichigo pleaded.

She frowned from where she sat in the painting. "Ichigo, you know the rules better than anyone else. I can't let you in without the password."

"But I'm not a student! Surely I'm not held to the same standards as the children and besides… I'll get you and Violet a bottle of that Moscato you like."

The fat lady eyed him warily. "Two bottles?"

"Yes, yes," Ichigo nodded.

She smiled as the painting opened. "Deal! Although, I feel like I should mention that I was just kidding."

Ichigo groaned, but he didn't take back his offer. Instead, he entered the Gryffindor common room. Ichigo wasn't surprised that the golden trio were all gathered on the couch by the fire. They were always attached at the hip it seemed, even after all of their tension last year.

Harry was the first one to notice him when he looked up from the book he was reading. "Ichigo! What are you doing here?"

His call caught the attention of the other students in the room, but he only paid attention to the three he had come to see. Ichigo walked over and sat in one of the vacant armchairs. With the fire lit, they were all illuminated by its warm light.

"First, well, I want to apologize. I realize I was short with you this morning and I'm sorry. Teaching is a sore subject for me. To be honest, Dumbledore and I had decided that I would fill the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year. I was alright because it's part of Hogwarts' regular curriculum, but when you asked me to tutor you and a few other students, well, I was apprehensive. Going above and beyond basic defense is dangerous and draws attention to yourself. I didn't want to do it because I didn't want to put you or other students in danger like I have in the past." Ichigo explained.

"Of course we forgive you," Hermione began, "but we don't know what else to do. With You-Know-Who back, we need to know how to protect ourselves."

"You're one hundred percent right, which is why I've decided to do it."

Their eyes lit up. "Really?" Ron asked. Ichigo nodded.

Harry spoke up, "But what are we going to call it? Our group, I mean."

While they talked, Ginny walked over from where she had entered the room. She sat down on the floor between them. "Why not the Defense Association, D.A. for short? It can also stand for Dumbledore's Army."

Ichigo shook his head. "No, this has nothing to do with Dumbledore. This is your fight, be proud of it. Stand up to Umbridge on your own feet. If you can't do that, then how can you expect to stand up to the darklord?"

They all nodded in agreement, "Defense Association it is."