AN: I do not own Harry Potter.
This is AU. Characters may or may not be according to how the book is supposed to be or how the popular fanfiction of the moment is. Yes, Dumbledore is a flawed character who is easily seen as a villain. I know I have portrayed him as such in the past. It's not the same every time.
What Makes A Teacher Worthy
Harry and Hermione's attempt to go tell a teacher was ambushed.
By their friends.
Ron and Draco, even in their argumentative frenemy way, had noticed Harry and Hermione disappearing, and had decided to intercept them. With those two plus Goyle and Vincent, Draco's ever faithful shields, they formed a wall of bodies that the two that had walked off to chat.
"What's up? Are you two dating?"
Draco Malfoy's ever present ability to make light of a situation was just illustrated, with a drawl on the last word to make the two victims more embarrassed than with it than as it was.
Harry looked at Hermione, and said, "Not as far as I know."
Hermione shook her head.
Ron asked, "This is not normal for you to leave me out of things. Nowadays, you're normally just as willing to talk to the larger group. What's up then?"
Hermione shook her head, "I don't know. I guess I just felt impatient to talk and didn't want Umbridge to learn of it."
"It's not like she is being a total villain so far," muttered Draco, "and despite the lack of practical, at least it's better than Lockhart? I mean, even if it's dry and boring, it's an actual book that could be used for DADA. She hasn't been spying on us so far."
"Yes," said Hermione, "but she's the DADA teacher. They always end up being a danger to Harry somehow."
"So far you may be right, but maybe she's an exception?" asked one of the larger Slytherin duo.
Ron shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe the fact she's not going to give us much practical is going to be the issue with her. In that case, we have time."
"Exactly, we have some time, Ron, but we already have less time than the usual school year to get the practical in. It might mean more stuff that we can't learn, and that means that there will be things that we will not do well in on the tests. This is the OWL year, Ron. There will be students that will leave after this and not get another chance at learning this in a structured environment. The NEWT students..."
Hermione groaned in despair at the end of that rant.
Harry, quickly taking advantage of the breath of air she was taking, said, "We were planning on telling a teacher so that they could teach us that part, weren't we?""
"Oh, right," was Hermione's sigh of relief.
"Which teacher?" asked Draco. "If I'm remembering the rules right, we may need two. And if I were a teacher, I would want to go ask another teacher if they had heard of something if it was something about another person's teaching."
"You have a point," said Harry. "I'm not normally believed."
"We were thinking of Professor Flitwick, because he has dueling experience," said Hermione. "Can you think of anyone else?"
"It's known among the Slytherins that Professor Snape is good with a wand," suggested Draco. "I know he tends to avoid anyone outside of Slytherin, so what if we went and complained to him and tell him to check bases with Flitwick?"
"Thanks, man," said a relieved Ron, shoulders slouching dramatically. "I don't want to see him much any extra."
"Yeah, thank you, Draco, Goyle, Vince," stated Harry, nodding his head at them.
"Hey, aren't we supposed to be resting for Astronomy tonight? We should tell them now, so we can get our nap in so we're not tired tomorrow."
The short professor was concerned about the lack of practical for DADA when he heard about it. When the three Gryffindors asked about him teaching the students practical, he agreed to do it during the weekend.
"Weekdays are too busy for me, as Head of House for Ravenclaw as well as teaching Charms. With Severus, we might be able to pull it off for all grades, but we'd have to see. I can see doing this for fourth through seventh, but we may not be able to teach the younger ones without involving other teachers," calmly assured Professor Flitwick.
"With how uncertain everything is at the moment, being unable to defend yourselves is going to be a huge risk. That besides your official education levels and ability to independently learn and grow is something that I am not for. I'm glad you asked me before outsourcing your schooling."
He was not impressed with cutting out half a curriculum in any subject. It was part of why he was Head of House for Ravenclaw.
Ravenclaw was not an easy house. Like Slytherin, there was a certain amount of ruthlessness and cunning that was employed in his house. Yes, it was over knowledge, but (like Gryffindor was known to be a light house, but was still a house that turned on its members when a member looked like it didn't portray it's house values or was friends with the enemy house) it could be extremely violent. He caught the ones who bullied Luna Lovegood occasionally, but like the other popular victims with known easy weak points, it was hard to catch. Of course, there was the fact that the house as a whole liked quiet study, but that meant that most bullying was done when he wasn't around as he was helping with study. There was a reason that Ravenclaw and Slytherin were easy friends.
A dark clad professor sat behind his desk, looking at the three Slytherins who had come knocking during his office hours in the evening.
"You are telling me that our most recent DADA victim is trouble in that she is not doing any actual teaching? And that practical will only be run through in the last week of classes, marking a full three hours for each year to actually try to do any spell she is having you read about. That those three hours will be the sole practice time for any years to learn before the exams at the end of the year? You are also asking me to cooperate with Professor Flitwick, either fully in making this request a reality or at least giving advice? That your request is that Professor Flitwick lead the learning of the application of practical DADA spells?"
Professor Snape folded his hands atop his desk and looked each of the three of them in the eye briefly.
"Yes, sir," said Draco respectfully. "I know that this is extra on top of what you have been doing already, but we need the extra help. If Potter and Diggory had to fight last year, what's the likelihood we will have to this year? I think we really need this, professor."
"Yes, you do." Snape sighed. "Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe, I know your fathers and the opposite is true as well. I know what the direction of events in the course of the years has been since Potter has come back to the Wizarding World, and I know you will not survive them if you do not know how to both defend and oppose someone trying to kill you in short order. I hope it will wait until after your seventh year, when you have learned all that this school will teach you, but I cannot be sure of it. As for surviving Potter's end of year shenanigans, I will try to provide you as much as I can. Now, I will not teach, if I do, for free. I will require assistance, in exchange, in the form of ingredient prep one night each week for the rest of the year from each of you. I will need the help in keeping up. Do you agree?"
"Yes, Professor, I agree."
"Yes, sir, same."
"Yes, Professor. When will you let us know?"
Professor Snape nodded at Crabbe. "I will let you know after I meet with Flitwick. You are dismissed."
The three left, saying "goodbye" as they did so.
What makes a worthy professor? Some may say, the fact they are a professor, as in the position, and there is some truth to that. Some may say that it is the fact that they are willing to give us the knowledge and put up with us with all our craziness that exists when you put a group of people together in that age group. Those people would be correct as well. However, what really makes a worthy professor, that no one will argue about, is someone who will take the time to teach the students, not just provide information, and provide extra support as they can to those wanting to learn. Not all can help as much as another, and there is a lot that plays into that, but that is what makes one a worthy professor.
Harry Potter had never before thought of Professor Snape as a worthy professor. The man was good at potions, yes, but his method of teaching had somethings to be desired. He was able to teach Potions Class, yes, but he was not great at it.
Professor Snape turned out to be awesome when teaching practical DADA. He actually gave good advice and good references for more information. Hermione had checked some out with Harry and Ron's help, and the references were to books that were heavy with information. They became heavily used resources, and when one group was done with one, another was usually waiting for it.
Both Professors Flitwick and Snape had come together to make an actual dueling class come true. It was, because it was only between the two of them, only years four through seven. However, it was enough that everyone could see that both of them were very busy. Most days they practiced spells, with once every eighth week being a tournament of sorts between the people in each grade. Both professors were excellent in this, and it became rumour that the reason none of these actually taught the position was because it was cursed and nobody wanted to replace them after one year.
As warned by Draco, one of his occlumency lessons was moved to earlier in the evening, and he spent the rest of that evening doing ingredient prep or cleaning. Hermione and Ron both had their nights of prep work or cleaning as well.
Either way, he would rather be skinning furry fruit or butchering frogs and have practical DADA lessons, than not have them and not being skinning fruit or butchering frogs.
Hedwig was annoyed. She had been chasing the snake, and catching the snake, and eating the snake, but when she did so, there was an annoying black cloud escaped her and fled into the bush. The snake wasn't all the way dead. That annoyed her, for it meant yet another snake. Maybe next time she would kill the black smoke. However, it did mean that tomorrow she could eat snake.