The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One

157. The Hog's Head

Once everyone had sat down, Harry and Althea shared terrified looks as Hermione said, "Er - well, hi. Well...erm...well, you know why you're here. Erm...well, Harry here had the idea - I mean, I had the idea that it might be a good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts - and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish Umbridge is doing with us-" Her voice suddenly grew stronger as she went on. "-Because nobody can call that Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Hear, hear," Anthony Goldstein called, raising his drink.

"Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands. And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but real spells."

"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too, though, I bet?" Michael Corner said.

"Of course I do," Hermione said at once, "but I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defence because...because...because Lord Voldemort's back."

Althea knew the reaction was coming the moment she said the name. An assortment of flinches, squeaks, and cries left the group and all eyes were suddenly fixed more resolutely on Harry.

"Well, that's the plan anyway," Hermione said once they had quieted. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to-"

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" the blond Hufflepuff boy asked.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it-" Hermione began.

"You mean, Dumbledore believes him," the boy interrupted.

"Who are you?" Ron asked suddenly.

"Zacharias Smith," he replied. "And I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."

"Look," Althea said quickly. She had never quite forgotten what Amara had told her of what Harry went through. "That's not why we're-"

"Thea, it's okay," Harry said. Looking Smith straight in the face, Harry said, "What makes me say You-Know-Who's back? I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you don't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

"All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know-"

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone, I can't help you," Harry said coldly. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out now."

There was a stunned silence during which Althea began to fidget nervously.

"So," Hermione said finally, her voice oddly high-pitched. "So...like I was saying. If you want to learn some defence, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to-"

"Is it true," interrupted the Hufflepuff girl looking at Harry, "that you can produce a patronus?"

"Yes, Thea can too," Harry replied.

"Corporeal patronuses?" she clarified.

"Er - you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" Harry asked.

Smiling, the girl replied, "She's my aunt. I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So - is it really true? You make a stag patronus?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"What about yours?" Susan asked, looking at Althea.

"A wolf," she said, her voice so quiet it was hard to hear.

"Blimey," Lee said, looking between the two of them looking very impressed. "I never knew that."

"Mum told Ron not the spread it around," Fred said with a grin. "She said you got enough attention as it was."

"She's not wrong," Harry muttered as a few students laughed.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Terry Boot asked. "One of the portraits told me..."

"Er - yeah, I did," Harry admitted.

"And in our first year," Neville told the group at large. "He saved that Sorcerous Stone-"

"Sorcerer's," Hermione corrected.

"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who," Neville finished.

"And that's not to mention," Cho said. "All the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year - getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas and things..."

"And what about her?" Zacharius interrupted, gesturing to Althea. "What's she done? Sounds like we only really need Potter."

"Watch it," Fred snapped.

"It's okay, Fred," Althea said quietly. "Look, I may not have done a lot of the things Harry has-"

"You were there for most of it," Harry countered. "Maybe not all of it, but Thea helped me through almost everything, and she's regularly gotten perfect scores or near-perfect scores in every exam, not just Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Well, and," she began again, blushing slightly at the high praise. She paused, drawing in a deep breath before she spoke in a louder, more confident voice, "Professor Lupin is my father. He's taught me more spells than any other teacher I've ever had."

"So it is true, then," Angelina said, looking at her in surprise. "I thought it was just rumours."

"It's true," Althea said. "He's my father and although I'm not a werewolf, I'm not ashamed, nor will I ever be."

"So, are we all agreed we want to take lessons from Harry and Thea?" Hermione asked.

There was a general murmur of assent.

"So, perhaps we plan on meeting once a week?" Hermione suggested.

"Wait," Angelina said. "We need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."

"No," Cho agreed. "Nor with ours."

"Nor ours," Zacharius added.

"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," Hermione said slightly impatiently. "But the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet."

Althea suddenly smiled as she said, "I think I know a place. I can tell you all about it later, Hermione."

"We'll send a message around to everybody when we've got a time and place for the first meeting," Hermione said.

After everyone signed their names on Hermione's list, they each departed to enjoy the rest of their day in Hogsmeade.