NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Forty-Nine

      "We have a free period now, another after lunch, and another after break! I could kiss whoever made this." Dorcas sighed dreamily after taking a look at her schedule.

      An hour after spending time in the Ravenclaw common room, Calypso and her friends made their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

      "I wonder what Professor Zabini's going to be like. We're her first lesson of the day." Pandora said nervously.

      Professor Persephone Zabini stood by the door, greeting each of her students. She was undeniably pretty and had an air of elegance that reminded Calypso of her grandmother. Calypso wasn't that surprised that Professor Zabini was dressed in the finest robes with her grey hair styled neatly and looking the picture of perfection because she knew that the Zabini's were known for being quite beautiful.

      Calypso smiled at Professor Zabini and entered the classroom. Sirius lounged in a seat beside James, with Remus and Peter in front of them. Sirius waved at Calypso when he spotted her and she sat down behind him with Dorcas.

      The classroom was slightly brighter than it had been when Rhea was teaching, but Calypso couldn't deny she missed her grandmother's decorative touch around the room. The curtains were drawn open and the morning September sun shone brightly in the classroom. Pictures adorned the walls of all sorts of creatures, some that Calypso weren't familiar with.

     "Welcome to N.E.W.T. Defense Against the Dark Arts," Professor Zabini said when the class settled down. She made her way through the center of the room, holding her chin up high into the air as she walked. "I understand that some of you may be surprised to see me after Professor Krane's sudden departure, but Professor Krane has been a dear friend of mine since our days at Hogwarts and I promise I will do my best to fill her very big shoes."

     Calypso and Dorcas exchanged a glance at that. Calypso never knew her grandmother was friends with a Zabini, but then again, her grandmother never talked that much about her Hogwarts years.

     "This class will be different from your previous years because it is expected that you all are familiar and comfortable with nonverbal and wandless magic. In fact, nonverbal spells will be expected to be used in lessons here on out.

     "The Dark Arts are an extremely complex and complicated form of magic. It's always changing or adapting depending on the wizard casting the spell and it's simply not possible to learn how to defend yourself from or prepare yourself for every Dark spell, but my job is to make sure you are all equipped, ready, and unafraid to face it.

    "This year you will learn how to be flexible in your magic, if you aren't already. You'll learn that you need to constantly be prepared for anything —" Without warning, Professor Zabini raised her wand and a spell shot from the tip directed at Alice. Alice yelped as the spell hit her, causing her to fall to the ground. Calypso's eyes widened as Marlene and a few other of her classmates helped Alice off the ground. " — This class will be different from other classes that you're used to. I will use spells on you at any moment and I expect for you all to act accordingly. There is a war out there and I would not be able to live with myself if I knew you weren't as prepared as possible."

     Professor Zabini's dark eyes swept across the classroom.

     "Mister Black," Professor Zabini said suddenly. All eyes in the classroom swiveled to Sirius. He sat upright in his chair when he realized he had been called on. "Tell me the advantage of performing nonverbal spells."

     "Er — well, your opponent wouldn't know what spell it is you're about to perform, so you'd have the element of surprise on your side." Sirius said, hesitantly.