Change the Future

OOTP 11

"Hear, hear," Anthony Goldstein said, and Hermione looked heartened.

"well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands." She paused, looked sideways at Harry, and went on, "And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells"

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

"Of course I do," Hermione said at once. "But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defence because . . . because . . ." She took a great breath and finished, "Because Lord Voldemort's back." The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped 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. "Well that's the plan anyway," said Hermione. "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 player said in a rather aggressive voice.

"Who's that twat" Sirius asks looking at the screen.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it —" Hermione began. 

"You mean, Dumbledore believes him," the blond boy said, nodding at Harry.

"Who are you?" Ron said rather rudely.

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

"Look," Hermione said, intervening swiftly, "that's really not what this meeting was supposed to be about"

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry. "What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?" he asked, looking Zacharias straight in the face. "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 along with your unconscious sister . He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know"

"I already don't like this boy" James muttered to Sirius who nodded in agreement.

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said. His temper, always so close to the surface these days, was rising again. He did not take his eyes from Zacharias Smith's aggressive face. "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." He cast an angry look in Hermione's direction. But none of them left their seats, not even Zacharias Smith, though he continued to gaze intently at Harry.

"So," Hermione said, her voice very high-pitched again. "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 girl with the long plait down her back, looking at Harry, "that you can produce a Patronus?" There was a murmur of interest around the group at this.

"Yeah," Harry answered her slightly defensively.

"A corporeal Patronus?"

"Er — you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" he asked. The girl smiled.

"She's my auntie," she said. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes," said Harry.