Chapter 24: Sending a Message

As the students filed in for their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the year, Harry saw the behavior of his classmates in a completely new light. The fifth year students segregated themselves perfectly; a straight line could be drawn in the classroom between the students wearing red and gold trim on their robes and those with green and silver. He noted that the students he knew who were the most studious took up seats closer to the classroom's raised stage area at the front, while the rest found spots towards the rear, where they could more easily whisper to each other without being caught.

The one exception to this was that Ron Weasley was sitting up in the very front row, along with Hermione. Ron gave him a supportive nod when their eyes met, while Hermione beamed an encouraging smile that filled Harry with a warm feeling that was more than just confidence.

The room filled up quickly, as did the air with the sound of student chatter. Where before Harry would have thought nothing of students conversing with each other, even as loudly as this, from the perspective of an instructor it was an entirely different matter. Even worse were the whispered doubts about whether he was qualified to teach them from some of the Gryffindors and the outright snarky comments directed at him from the Slytherin side. Harry would bet that Draco's sneering contempt only lacked the "wait until father hears about this" comment due to said father being a wanted criminal at the moment.

"All right everyone, if you will please give me your attention," Harry began, speaking up just a bit.

Only a few of the Gryffindor students at the front paid the comment any mind. The rest continued on as if he hadn't spoken. The section immediately around Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Malfoy actually increased in volume, going from a slightly louder than conversational volume to blatantly trying to make themselves a nuisance.

Harry's lips twisted into a half frown. The second year and third year classes he had taught had quieted as soon as he had called for the class to start and he hadn't needed to resort to any point deductions or such to command attention and respect. It would not be so with this class, apparently.

Harry drew his wand.

BANG!

The explosion rang out through the air, a deafening roar that sounded more like a cannon shot than the sound of a mere muggle pistol. Harry noted that all eyes were on him now, with most of the students' hands covering their ears. The young wizard fixed the class with a stern, steely stare, sweeping over them all as he lowered his wand. When he got to Ron and Hermione, though, he had to suppress a smirk. The pair were just removing the earmuffs they had put on just before his silently cast charm.

"Alright," Harry said, his voice carrying to the back of the now silent classroom, "let's get this out of the way. I'm a classmate you've shared a common room with, eaten with, and for some of you," Harry glanced meaningfully over to the Slytherin contingent, "the same kid you used to hex in the hallways when you could still get away with it." There were a few chuckles. "Some of you are doubtful if I am qualified to teach you, and even more of you are pretty well convinced that I'm not.

"Well, let me remind you of a few things. You all know that I'm 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'. Everyone knows that as an infant I defeated Voldemort. Most of you know that as a first year I helped tackle a troll and then vanquished Voldemort again and as a second year, I killed a ruddy big basilisk, foiling a Death Eater plot. At the welcoming feast, Headmaster Dumbledore mentioned all this as being something great that I did, but the truth is that all that was more luck than magical power or skill. I'll be the first to admit it.

"But Dumbledore mentioned a number more things I've done since then that were not luck. I've learned a lot; I've had to if I wanted to live. If today you put me in a room with a troll, a dementor, a werewolf, or even another ruddy basilisk, I would know how to handle it without needing any luck. If a group of Death Eaters suddenly started attacking, I wouldn't just be able to defend myself, I would be able to beat them while protecting you. So, when it comes to actual ability…I am fully qualified to teach you all."

The room was silent, all eyes locked on the young man who had been their classmate for so many years. With a jab of his wand, Harry sent the chalk to the blackboard in the back, where it began writing the course title: "Fifth Year Defensive Magic." Harry waited until it finished writing his name as the instructor before he continued speaking.

"You also heard the Headmaster announce that Professor Snape is our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this year. I'm just a junior faculty member," Harry stated in a sardonic tone. "I won't be teaching silent casting to the NEWT level classes and I don't decide the course content," Harry continued, gesturing with his off-hand, conjuring a series of targets around the stage area. "I am, after all, only fifteen and have never taught a class before. So what I will be teaching you will be the material Professor Snape has designed. I hope none of you have any doubts about his qualifications when it comes to the Dark Arts."

There was a round of snickers from the Gryffindor side which quickly quieted down. The Slytherin students had gone silent, but it was clear that Harry's point had been driven home. He looked around the room, seeing all eyes on him. Satisfied, he began the lesson in earnest.

"Now, to start the year off, we'll begin with the basic shield spell. The incantation for the shield charm is 'protego' and should be cast forcefully. The wand motion is a bit deceptive," Harry continued, flicking his wand up and then in a circle in front of him, the air touched by his wand shimmering briefly. "The spell begins with a quick, upwards flick, but the motion after that is the tricky part. This is where you define the area of protection."

Harry demonstrated again. "For our purposes, let's start with a basic circular shape," Harry said, slowly drawing a circle in the air as he spoke, forcing a bit of extra magic into the motion to make the path of his wand visible. "The key is to make the motion smooth and continuous, and to connect the ending and starting points, speaking the incantation just as you complete the circuit: PROTEGO!"

This time, instead of just the outline of his wand's path lighting up, a massive concave shape twice Harry's height in diameter flashed brightly before fading away. Murmurs broke out among the class again, this time out of surprise and, for some, awe. Those students who had seen a shield charm cast before could see the difference in power between what Harry had demonstrated and the smaller, more meager shields they had seen before.

"Of course, usually the shield charm only produces a visible effect when a spell is cast at it, so don't get discouraged if you don't see anything while you practice. You'll feel the protection for as long as you hold the spell. So, you'll need to concentrate," Harry continued, casually summoning several quills, books, and crumpled pieces of parchment from a desk in front to crash against his shield, each impact once again revealing an area of protection.

Harry let the shield fade before sending the objects he had summoned back to their original place with a casual wave of his wand, then he continued the lesson. "A description of the shield charm and an explanation of the magical theory and its uses can be found on page 24 of your textbooks, Practical Defense Against the Dark Arts. But, for a more 'real' demonstration of the spell, we'll need to see it in action. Which is why I will be teaching the use of a jinx during this class."

Harry noted a look of apprehension on a number of Gryffindor students. Neville in particular looked uncomfortable to the point of being distraught. Harry understood exactly why the less confident Gryffindors would be worried; he could certainly sympathize with his classmates. Had he not been the instructor, he might have felt the same way having long been one of the prime targets for Slytherin bullying.

Harry continued, however, confident that by the end of the lesson none of the students would dare use it the spell against another student while at Hogwarts. "The Stinging Jinx is a simple dark charm that is mildly painful when cast by the average witch or wizard." Harry gave a wry smile towards the Slytherin side of the classroom. "I've been on the receiving end of a few over the years, but…it's been a while since anyone tried that on me. Today, however, one of you will get the chance. If you dare to. Any volunteers?"

For a while, nobody said anything. And then, just before Harry was about to ask again, Draco Malfoy stood up and started moving down towards the front. "I'm not afraid of you, Potter," Draco sneered as he made his way down from his seat among the Slytherin contingent.

"Ten points…" Harry began, pausing just for a moment, and the Slytherin side of the classroom began making sounds of angry protest before he continued, "…to Slytherin." And now the Gryffindor side almost erupted in incredulity even as the students wearing green settled into surprised silence. Harry smiled wryly, waiting just a beat before he concluded with, "For exceptional bravery." At that, a smattering of good humored chuckles broke out on the Gryffindor side.

It was so predictable how everyone would react, Harry mused, that he hardly needed to have a seer for a best mate to know what was going to happen. In a span of just a few breaths, both sides of the classroom had gone from nearly mutinous to amused and pleased. Had Harry been just a touch more self-aware, he would have realized that he had subconsciously modeled his theatrics on his least favorite Hogwarts professor: Severus Snape. However, he was blissfully unaware of that subconscious choice as he faced off with his least favorite Hogwarts classmate across the stage floor.

"Wand out, Mr. Malfoy," Harry said, somewhat surprised that Draco hadn't already done so. It was, of course, respectful to await an instructor's direction to draw their wand when approaching them in class, but Harry had expected the Malfoy boy to treat him with disrespect. At Harry's cue, Draco drew his wand, just as he was coming into about the proper range for dueling.

"Now then, I'm going to let you hit me with the jinx once. I'm sure you know the incantation," Harry instructed with slight smile on his face. When Draco hesitated, casting a look back over to the gathered Slytherins, Harry put his wand away and put both hands out to the side. "Free shot, Malfoy. No points will be deducted, no detentions, no punishment. You may cast the stinging jinx anywhere on my body."

After one last look back to his supporters, Draco jabbed his wand towards Harry and spat the incantation with vehemence, "VESPA!"

A streak of white flashed from Draco's hawthorn-wood wand and struck Harry center mass in the middle of his chest. The smile didn't leave Harry's face.

"Very good, Mr. Malfoy. You've clearly had some practice," Harry said idly as he brought his hand over to the top of his robe and made a circular motion over his chest. The top of his garment became transparent, showing a sizeable red welt growing on Harry's chest. "It is a painful jinx, and cast with ill intent by an adult wizard can even be temporarily debilitating."

Dean Thomas, having come in too late to get a seat near the back, was sitting in the second row along with Seamus Finnigan. He leaned over to Ron and whispered conspiratorially, "I wish Katie Bell were showing us that transparency charm, if you know what I mean."

Ron snickered good-naturedly, while Hermione huffed, shaking her head. Seamus, however, was staring at Harry, as were many others in the audience, and not just on the Gryffindor side.

"Blimey, what's Potter made of? A hit like that and not even a peep!" Seamus commented. "I've felt that jinx before and it's right painful."

Hermione half-turned to the whispering boys, waving away Seamus' comment. "Oh, that's really nothing. Harry's been hit with a lot worse than that since he's been training, and he usually just shrugs it off."

Ron whipped his head over in her direction. "Hermione! We're not supposed to talk about Harry's training from Sirius and Professor Lupin!"

"Oh, right," Hermione said, her voice sheepish. She turned back around, a satisfied smile on her face. Ron saw the gob smacked looks on his fellow Gryffindors. Mission accomplished. That little bit of news would be all over the school by week's end.

Harry had just finished explaining some of the dangers of the Stinging Jinx, especially the dangers of being hit in the face, and had given a warning to students to only aim for the arms, legs, and torso when the group near the front finished whispering. "Now," the young wizard said, "let's see what happens when the spell is properly shielded." With his phoenix feather and holly wand, Harry drew a large circular area covering his head down to below his knees.

"Protego."

There was no shimmering outline to show the students that the spell had taken effect, but there was no doubt that it was there.

"Whenever you're ready, Mr. Malfoy," Harry urged the Slytherin, who was still standing at the other end of the stage.

This time, Draco needed no urging.

"VESPA!" A white bolt shot from his wand, only to impact the shield charm Harry had cast earlier, the impact briefly illuminating a small area of the shield as the jinx dissipated harmlessly.

"Continue," Harry instructed.

"VESPA! Vespa! Vespa! VESPA!"

Draco jabbed his wand forward repeatedly, trying to overwhelm the shield Harry had put up. Harry, however, stood impassively behind his shield, wand held casually in front of him as each jinx was neutralized by the defensive spell. Exuding confidence, Harry took his eyes off of Draco and looked around the room.

"Excellent," Harry said when Draco stopped his barrage of jinxes. "I think that demonstrated how effective the protego charm can be in defeating hostile spells." Harry holstered his wand and began turning towards the class.

"VESPA!" Draco fired again, just as Harry was turning. The white bolt shot straight towards Harry's face, bright with all of Draco Malfoy's anger, malice, and frustration.

Harry didn't even bother turning back around, didn't draw his wand. Instead, he simply backhanded the jinx and sent it twisting and spinning back the way it came. It flew above Draco Malfoy's head, where he stood frozen in place, and ended up smacking into the woodwork of the upper balcony of the classroom. Where the jinx struck the wood, it left a mild scorch mark.

The entire room was silent. Draco stood stock still, eyes wide in surprise, waiting for what Harry was going to do in response. His last attack had been on impulse, though he knew he could claim he hadn't realized Harry had finished the demonstration and hadn't seen him start to turn away if he were confronted after the fact. It wasn't the trouble that he was sure he was about to get into that had him bothered. It was Harry's show of confident ability. He had never expected Harry would display such skill or refinement in countering the jinx, else he would never have attempted it.

"Mr. Malfoy," Harry said, drawing out each word and enunciating each sound clearly, "in the future I expect you to stop casting once your instructor or practice partner turns away. This is a class demonstration, not a wizard's duel."

The calm, uncaring tone with which Harry Potter spoke was a sharp contrast to how he felt inside; there a burning fury made him want to show the Slytherin git just how strong he had become. It was only Remus Lupin's advice that held him back. The students would test him, try to provoke him, Remus had said. It was in handling such challenges with calm that Remus had assured Harry that he could gain control over the class for the long-term, so Harry held his temper and measured his response.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, you can return to your seat now." Turning completely away from Draco, Harry gave Ron a meaningful glance. "For the next demonstration, I will need someone to demonstrate how to defend against—"

"I told you, Potter," Draco cut in, "I'm not scared of you. You think I don't know how to cast a shield charm?"

Harry eyed Draco Malfoy with a frown. The boy had lost too much face and was trying to salvage some by standing up to him, he knew. For this next demonstration, though, he really needed the volunteer to be Ron.

"I'm sure you know the spell, Draco, but I've asked you to go sit down. There's more to it than just the incantation and—"

"You're scared of me, Potter, is that it?" Draco interrupted again. Hearing some jeers from the Slytherin side, Draco smirked, a little more of his confidence returning. "Afraid I'll wreck your little class?"

Harry shrugged. Draco had just challenged him; the only way to send the message he wanted was to let the Death Eater's son go through with the demonstration. Well, he asked for it.

"Alright, Mr. Malfoy, have it your way. I'm going to attack you with the Stinging Jinx. Defend yourself the best you can."

Draco sneered, then pulled out his wand and made the motion for the shield charm, drawing a circular area that covered from his waist to the top of his head. "Protego!" Draco declared, completing the spell.

Harry raised his wand vertically to signal he was about to cast, a salute to an adversary Sirius had called it. Then, with deliberate motion, Harry jabbed his wand forward.

"Vespa."

A white bolt of magic from Harry's wand, bold and clearly defined, shot straight towards Draco. When Harry's jinx met Draco's protego charm, there was a brief moment when the shield lit up with magical incandescence as the two spells fought each other. For someone with an eye trained for watching magical duels, there was an even briefer moment where one could see Harry's jinx spin at impact, drilling through the layer of protective magic. And then the shield shattered.

There was a piercing shriek of pain and Draco Malfoy fell to the classroom stage floor, clutching the back of his arm. Then, there was an audible sob and whimper. The whole room gasped in shock at what had just happened.

"You'll pay for that, Potter," Theodore Nott's voice called out as he stood, an accusing finger pointing at Harry. "When the Headmaster hears about this you'll be sacked and then expelled. Whatever dark curse you used…"

"Sit down, Mr. Nott," Harry commanded, and with a quick motion of his wand compelled the boy to do so. "That was the same Stinging Jinx that Draco cast on me, the same spell being taught in this class. I expect by the end of the day more than one of you will be hit by the same jinx."

The room was silent a moment as the significance of that dawned on the class. Harry Potter had downed Draco Malfoy with just a simple jinx, and the Slytherin had even had a shield up. And they might be next.

"The only difference is the power and skill of the wizard casting the spell," Harry continued. "Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle, please take Mr. Malfoy to the infirmary. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey will be able to put him to rights. I'd do it myself, but I doubt Draco would appreciate me tending to him." Harry waited until Draco's goons had come down and helped the still whimpering Slytherin to his feet before speaking again.

"Now, before I continue, let me repeat that Mr. Malfoy will be just fine. It was just a Stinging Jinx, although, I can tell you that it feels a lot worse coming from an adult wizard than from a typical Fifth Year. And remember, he volunteered, even after I asked him to return to his seat. Unfortunately, Mr. Malfoy's technique was flawed." Harry waited a beat. "Now, is there anyone else who would like to show the proper technique for defending against a superior opponent?"

Now Ron's hand came up.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said, with a grin for his friend. He wasn't calling his best mate 'Mr. Weasley' when talking directly to him. "I won't award you any points for bravery since you've sparred with me over the summer, but if you can show me the right way to defend, you can earn ten points for Gryffindor."

Ron approached the stage, his long red hair framing his slightly freckled face, which was a mask of trepidation. The youngest Weasley boy took his place on classroom stage opposite Harry, in roughly the same position Draco had been. At a nod from Harry, he removed his wand from its cover and got into a ready stance. In truth, he wasn't too worried about the upcoming pain. He'd been hit by Harry's Stinging Jinx before and knew how badly it would hurt, but it wasn't half as bad as Malfoy had made it out to be. He was, however, just a bit worried about performing in front of an audience.

"Are you ready, Ron?"

A nod.

Harry watched as Ron took a common dueling stance, which they had practiced over the summer. Then Harry lifted his wand in a vertical line to salute his opponent before jabbing it forward.

"Vespa!"

Ron, his feet positioned perfectly for quick motion and reaction, dodged to the left, leaping out of the way. "Protego!" he called out as a second Stinging Jinx followed on right after the first. This second jinx impacted his shield just as it had Draco's, but Ron had angled his shield charm so that the spell struck it obliquely, and Harry's jinx skittered off as Ron rolled out of the way of a third jinx, finally getting to the cover of the teacher's desk at the back of the stage.

Only when "safely" behind the desk did Ron dare finally return fire with a spell of his own.

"Vespa!" Ron called, before casting another shield charm over the entire desk area. It wasn't much protection against Harry, but it was better than nothing.

Harry was busy deflecting Ron's spell with the tip of his wand when he heard a spell cast from behind him.

"VESPA-MAJOR!"

Harry spun, using his wand to catch the crackling white ball of magic fast approaching from where Hermione had cast it at him. Strangely, despite the spell's greater strength than the standard Stinging Jinx, Hermione's hex variant had a sort of pliancy to it, as if the magic had expected Harry to capture it. But Harry didn't have time to muse on that strange feeling from Hermione's spell. He whirled as Ron Weasley struck at him with multiple Stinging Jinxes. Harry discharged the captured spell, still held on his wand tip, to the space directly in front of his best friend, then Harry twirled his phoenix feather core wand, reflecting both of Ron's jinxes back at him.

Ron managed to pull himself up short to avoid taking Hermione's painful looking hex, but this caused him to be hit by his own, albeit less painful jinxes: one in the shoulder and one in the chest. Ron winced audibly, but he was glad it was his own spells hitting him rather than one of Harry's.

And then Harry holstered his wand. "Excellent, ten points to Gryffindor for Ron and Hermione demonstration of the correct technique for defending against a stronger opponent. Please return to your seats." Harry beamed at Ron and nodded at Hermione.

"But they cheated!" Dean Thomas blurted out.

"No, Mr. Thomas, they defended themselves against an opponent they had no hope of beating if they just stood there and hoped their shield charm held up," Harry replied. "One of these days, Voldemort and his followers will attack again. Maybe that won't be until you've all graduated and are all grown up. Or maybe that will be tomorrow. If it happens tomorrow, Mr. Thomas, I don't want you to stand there behind a shield charm I'm teaching in this class as a Death Eater hits you with a Killing Curse."

Harry then turned to the class as a whole. "Do any of you think you're ready to take on a full grown adult wizard? Do you?" Harry stalked over to the center of the stage and fixed the room with a stare. "You're not ready for that. And when you finish this course and take your O.W.L.'s at the end of this year you still won't be as strong as them. But you will be prepared to protect yourself and get away.

"Think about this. Ron didn't stand still and try and face me down like Mr. Malfoy. And he didn't just dodge and hide. He used the shield charm we've been practicing to give himself some defense. He attacked from the best cover he could find, drawing my attention to the other side of the room, which allowed Ms. Granger to get a surprise shot in. It was strategy. And I'll be covering the basics of combat strategy this year alongside the assigned curriculum. So expect to be facing situations just like this in class."

"Um…Harry," Neville Longbottom spoke up, hand tentatively raised. Seeing Harry nod, Neville voiced his question. "How will we know if we should stand up to a dark wizard or if we should just…" here Neville's voice got quiet, " …just duck and hide? I mean, I don't want to be a coward."

Harry smiled. "That, Mr. Longbottom is an excellent question. Five points to Gryffindor." Seeing Neville sit up straighter in response to his praise, Harry continued, "And the answer is that if you have to question, if you are afraid that they're too strong for you—then you shouldn't face them head on. Now, that's not saying there's never a time when you shouldn't stand up against someone stronger than you—like to protect your family or friends—but if there's nothing noble about stupidly standing in place while someone much stronger than you knocks you down. There's a time for courage, and there's a time for cunning. Besides, did it look like Mr. Weasley was being cowardly up there?"

At that, the Gryffindors around Ron nodded and clapped him on the shoulders.

"Now, you've seen that the shield charm can protect against some spells," Harry continued, "like the Stinging Jinx, but that it has limitations. We'll be learning more of the theory of the shield charm in Practical Defense Against the Dark Arts. But before we dive more into the theoretical side of things, let's all get a feel for casting it. So, everyone please make your way down to the classroom stage and pair up. One of you casting the jinx which was just demonstrated, the other the shield charm."

There was a sudden flurry of movement as students quickly formed pairs to practice the spell. As expected Slytherins partnered with Slytherins and Gryffindors with Gyrffindors. They started taking their positions around the stage area. However, just before anyone got a spell off, Harry once more spoke up, his voice amplified by the wand pointed to his voice box.

"Just so there's no misunderstanding—anyone casting the Stinging Jinx at another student outside of official class practice, anyone who hits any other student or faculty member any place other than the arms backs, or torso, accidentally or not, will get detention with me—practicing proper shielding against the Stinging Jinx. So make sure your aim is on target before pointing your wand. Got it?"

From the anxious looks from everyone in the room, Harry could tell his message had been received.