"So, did he agree to it yet?" I asked Hermione eagerly, sitting down for breakfast a couple weeks later.
Hermione nodded happily.
"We're meeting in the Hogs Head when we go to Hogsmeade this weekend. I've told a few people, so we're all going to meet there to discuss everything" she whispered across the table.
"I knew he would agree to it. Harry loves to save the world doesn't he? Now he can teach us all to help him. "I grinned at harry.
"Yeah he does, doesn't he" Hermione laughed. "Do you want to invite your friends? Your brother is coming and I'm surprised he hasn't told all of Gryffindor yet. What about Luna? Would she be interested?"
"Yeah I think she would, I'll go ask her now" I started to stand up "Wait, aren't you worried someone will snitch?" I whispered.
"Don't worry, I've got everything figured out," Hermione said mischievously.
I shot her a suspicious look as I got up and went over to Luna at the Ravenclaw table.
'Hey," I said as I sat down next to Luna.
"Good morning Venus, would you like this month's quibbler?" she asked.
"Of course" I smiled. "Luna," I whispered. "Harry is going to teach us defense against the dark arts, since Umbridge isn't teaching us anything. We're meeting at the Hog's Head, do you want to come?"
"Alright," she smiled. "That sounds fun. It'll be like having friends" she looked up dreamily before returning to the quibbler.
I couldn't help but smile to myself. She was just so adorable. Get a grip Venus, Luna is your best friend.
☽
On the day of the Hogsmeade trip Luna and I walked arm in arm to the hogs head together to meet the others. The pub was filthy, but it was more deserted than the three broomsticks.
When we got there we found Harry, Ron and Hermione waiting for us. The door opened and a group of students entered the pub. First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, Parvati and Padma Patil, Cho Chang and another obnoxious Ravenclaw girl named Marietta. Then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, the Creevey brothers, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, who's name i think is Susan Bones, Anthony Goldstein, and, to my disgust, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Ginny, some random Hufflepuff, and lastly, Fred, George, and Leo.
I watched Leo wave at Alicia and laughed. He was so obvious it was embarrassing!
Fred ordered twenty-five butterbeers and said "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these."
After everyone pulled up a chair, Hermione spoke.
"Er" she stuttered, her voice higher than normal. "Well-er-hi."
The group moved their eyes from Harry to Hermione, glancing back at harry.
"Well...erm...well, you know why you're here. Erm... well, Harry had the idea— I mean," Harry threw her a sharp look. "I had the idea- that it might be a good idea if people who wanted to study defense against the dark arts- and I mean really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge has been doing with us because nobody could call that defense against the dark arts-" ("hear, hear" said anthony goldstein) "well I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands." she paused and looked sideways at Harry "and by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the spells-"
"You want to pass your defense against the dark arts O.W.L. too, though, I bet?" said michael corner.
"Of course I do. But more than that, I want to be properly trained in defense because... because..." she took a great breath before she finished. "Because Lord Voldemort is back."
The reaction was as I had expected. Marietta shrieked, Terry Boot gave an involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave a strange yelp that he turned into a cough. Everyone looked eagerly at harry.
"Well... that's the plan anyway," continued 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?" interrupted Zacharias Smith aggressively.
"Well, Dumbledore believes it-" Hermione began.
"You mean Dumbledore believes him," said Zacharias Smith, nodding at harry.
"Who are you?" Ron asked rudely.
"Zacharias Smith," he replied. "And I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say you-know-who's back."
I groaned.
"Shut up" I snapped, glaring at him.
"Look," said Hermione, quickly intervening. "That's not what this meeting is about-"
"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry. "What makes me say you-know-who's back?" he asked, looking straight at Zacharias Smith. "I saw him. But Dumbledore told the school what happened last year, and if you don't believe him, you won'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 snapped. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's why you're here you might as well clear out."
"So" said Hermione, her voice high-pitched again. "So... like i was saying... if you want to learn some defense, we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to do it and where we're going to-"
Hermione was interrupted again, this time by the Hufflepuff girl with a long braid down her back.
"Is it true you can produce the patronus?" she asked, looking at harry.
There was a murmur of interest at this.
"Yeah," Harry replied defensively.
"A corporeal patronus?"
"You don't know Madam Bones do you?" Harry asked.
She smiled. "She's my auntie. I'm Susan bones. She told me about your hearing. So is it really true? You make a stag patronus?"
"Blimey harry!" Leo exclaimed, looking deeply impressed. "I never knew that!"
"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," said Fred, grinning at Harry. "She said you got enough attention as it was."
"She's not wrong" Harry mumbled and the group laughed.
They all began listing the amazing things Harry had done, killing the basilisk, saving the philosopher's stone, winning the triwizard tournament.
Zacharias Smith spoke up again and the boys got in a row. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at Zacharias Smith.
"Hey, Smith, I've got an idea— why don't you be quiet" I snarled.
He went quiet and Hermione spoke again.
"Yes, well" she said hastily. "Moving on... the point is, are we all agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?"
The group murmured in agreement and Smith folded his arms and said nothing.
We went on to discuss the times of our meetings.
"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained is that she's got some mad idea that Dumbledore could use his students as a private army to take over the ministry."
"That makes sense. After all, Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army," Luna said.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Yes, he's got an army of heliopaths," Luna said solemnly.
"No he hasn't" Hermione snapped.
"Yes he has," said Luna.
"What are heliopaths?" asked Neville blankly.
I couldn't help but grin because of course Luna had told me about heliopaths. They're spirits of fire, great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of them.
"They don't exist, Neville," said Hermione tartly.
"Oh, yes, they do!" said Luna angrily.
"I'm sorry but where's the proof of that?" snapped Hermione.
"Hermione, there's no proof they don't exist" I shrugged.
"There are plenty of eye-witness accounts. Just because you're so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you-" Luna retorted.
"Hem, hem" I jumped and spun around, thinking it was professor Umbridge, only to see Ginny, and we all laughed. "Weren't we trying to decide how often to meet for defense lessons?"
We went on to discuss meeting times and places. Then Hermione reached into her bag and brought out a piece of parchment and quill and had us all sign.
At this point Leo's literally just replacing Lee Jordan lmao