𝐌𝐀𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 → 𝒸. 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓁𝑒𝓎

⤷ 11| IN THE HOG'S HEAD

"A couple of people?" Harry said, turning to Hermione. "A couple of people?"

"Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular," Hermione said happily. "Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?"

The barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. Possibly, he had never seen his pub so full.

"Hi," Fred said, reaching the bar first and counting his companions, "could we have . . . twenty-eight Butterbeers, please?"

The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he he started passing up dusty Butterbeers from under the bar.

"Cheers," Fred said, handing them out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these . . ."

Juniper watched as the large chattering group took these beers from Fred and rummaged in their robes to find coins. She was a bit blown away. When Hermione asked her to train a couple of people she certainly didn't expect that many.

"What have you been telling people?" Harry asked Hermione in a low voice. "What are they expecting?"

"I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say," Hermione said soothingly; but both Harry and June continued to look at her so furiously that she added quickly, "you don't have to do anything yet, I'll speak to them first."

"Hi, Harry," Neville said, as he slid onto the seat next to June.

In twos and threes the new arrivals settled around, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Juniper, some looking rather excited, others curious. When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatted died out. Every eye was upon Harry and June.

"Er," Hermione said, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. "Well — er — hi."

The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry and June.

"Well . . . erm . . . well, you know why you're here. Erm . . . well, Harry and June have had the idea — I mean" (Harry and June had thrown her a sharp look) "I had the idea — that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts — and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us —" (Hermione's voice became suddenly much more stronger and more confident) "— because nobody could call that Defence Against the Dark Arts —" (Hear, hear," Anthony Goldstein said and June immediately took a liking to him) "— Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands."

She paused, looked sideways at Harry and June, and went on, "And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells —"

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

"Of course I do," Hermione said at once. "But more than that, I want to be properly trained in defence because . . . because . . ." she took a great breath and finished, "because Lord Voldemort is back."

The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slipped Butterbeer down herself; Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. All of them, however, looked fixedly, even eagerly, at Harry and June.