𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒-ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣❥

𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐏 𝟏𝟒

Hermione made no mention of Emily and Harry giving Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons for two whole weeks after her original suggestion.

Emily's detentions with Umbridge were finally over (she doubted whether the words now etched on the back of her hands would ever fade entirely); Ron had had four more Quidditch practices and not been shouted at during the last two; and all four of them had managed to vanish their mice in Transfiguration (Hermione and Emily had actually progressed to vanishing kittens), before the subject was broached again, on a wild, blustery evening at the end of September, when the four of them were sitting in the library.

"I was wondering," Hermione said suddenly, "whether you'd thought any more about Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"'Course I have," said Harry grumpily. "Can't forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us ."

"I meant the idea Ron and I had" Ron cast her an alarmed, threatening kind of look; she frowned at him "oh, all right, the idea I had, then, about you two teaching us."

Harry nor Emily did not answer at once. Harry pretended to be perusing a page of Asiatic AntiVenoms, because he did not want to say what was in his mind.

Emily just stared at Harry waiting for any indication of what he was thinking.

The fact was that he had given the matter a great deal of thought over the past fortnight. Sometimes it seemed an insane idea, just as it had on the night Hermione had proposed it, but at others, he had found himself thinking about the spells that had served him best in his various encounters with Dark creatures and Death Eaters,found himself, in fact, subconsciously planning lessons. . . .

"Well," he said slowly, when he could not pretend to find Asiatic anti venoms interesting much longer, "yeah, I, I've thought about it a bit."

"And?" said Hermione eagerly.

"I dunno," said Harry, playing for time. He looked up at Ron.

"I thought it was a good idea from the start," said Ron, who seemed keener to join in this conversation now that he was sure that Harry was not going to start shouting again.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"You did listen to what I said about a load of it being luck, didn't you?"

"Yes, Harry," said Hermione gently, "but all the same, there's no point pretending that you're not good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, because you are. You two were the only people last year who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely, you can both produce a Patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full grown wizards can't, Viktor always said-"

Ron looked around at her so fast he appeared to crick his neck; rubbing it, he said, "Yeah? What did Vicky say?"

"Ho ho," said Hermione in a bored voice. "He said Emily and Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn't, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang."

Ron was looking at Hermione suspiciously. "You're not still in contact with him, are you?"

"So what if I am?" said Hermione coolly, though her face was a little pink. "I can have a pen pal if I-"

"He didn't only want to be your pen pal," said Ron accusingly.

"Stop being jealous Ron, it's not a good look on you." Emily smiled but Ron slapped her on the back of the head.

Hermione shook her head exasperatedly and, ignoring Ron, who was continuing to watch her, said to Harry and Emily, "Well, what do you think? Will you teach us?"

"Just you and Ron, yeah?" Emily asked.

"Well," said Hermione, now looking a mite anxious again. "Well . . . now, don't fly off the handle again, Harry, please. . . . But I really think two you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we're talking about defending ourselves against V-Voldemort, oh, don't be pathetic, Ron, it doesn't seem fair if we don't offer the chance to other people."