The Astronomy Tower- Edmund Pevensie

twelve- hog's head

The next two weeks passed blissfully. Harry's detentions were over, and Quidditch practices were going well- as in Peter hadn't yelled at Ron the last two practices. All four of the friends were able to make their mice vanish, and Hermione and Cassie progressed to vanishing kittens. Cassie had met up with Edmund on multiple events at the Astronomy Tower and they spent multiple nights together, talking the night away and looking at the stars. The topic of Harry teaching hadn't come up in those weeks until the end of September while the group was sitting in the library, looking up potion ingredients for Snape.

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

"Course I have, cant forget it can we, with that hag teaching us-"

"I mean the idea Ron, Cassie, and I had—" Ron casted Hermione a threatening look, which led to Cassie giving an alarmed look, "the idea I had about you teaching us."

Cassie could see Harry contemplating the idea in his head. She assumed he confronted Ron about it, but by the look on his face, he didn't know his reaction.

"Well," Harry said slowly, "yea- I thought about it a bit."

"And?" asked Hermione with a smile on her face.

"I-I dunno." he replied, looking up at Ron.

"I thought it was a good idea from the start." said Ron.

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

"Yes, Harry." said Hermione gently. "But all the same, there's no point pretending that you're not good at the subject. You were the only person last year who could throw off the Imperius curse completely, you can produce a patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full- grown wizards can't. Viktor always said-"

Ron seemed to have been triggered by his name and twisted his neck to fast he had to rub it to ease the pain. Rubbing it, he said "Yea? What did Vicky say?"

"Ho ho." said Hermione in a bored voice. "He said Harry knew stuff he didn't, and he was in his final year at Durmstrang."

Ron looked at her suspiciously, "You arent still in contact with him are you?"

"So what if I am?" asked Hermione briskly. "I can have a pen pan if I-"

"He didn't only want to be your pen pal." said Ron quietly, but loud enough for all of them to hear.

Cassie was watching with amusement and looked at Harry who had the same expression.

"Well, will you teach us?" asked Hermione exasperatedly.

"Just you three, yea?" he asked.

"Well, said Hermione once again looking anxious, "Well, now don't fly off the handle again, please.. but I really think you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we're talking about defending ourselves against V-Voldemort. It doesn't seem fair we don't offer the chance to other people."

Harry placed his hand on his chin and began to stroke it. "Yea, but I doubt anyone except you three would want to be taught by me. I'm a nutter, remember?"

"About that.." said Cassie. "I wanted to see what some people thought about the class, so I asked around and they all said relatively the same thing- Umbridge is a pink toad. If, maybe, during the first week of October once we go to Hogsmeade, we could schedule a meeting and anyone who's interested can meet us in the village to talk about it?"

"Why outside of school?" asked Ron.

"I don't think Umbridge will be very happy if she found out what we were up to." said Cassie.