"What are Slytherins doing in here?"
That was the first thing I heard when Juliette and I stepped through the door to the small wooden hut in Hogsmeade. The people we knew greeted us happily, but others, the first thing popped up in their funny little brains was what business us Slytherin girls had to do with this place at this time of the day. I even heard Ron and Hermione bickering in whispers the moment he saw us.
"Watch your mouth, Smith." Fred said "They're friends of Harry."
"Really?" A boy said, pointing at me "I saw her with Draco Malfoy."
"So what?" Juliette snapped "Being friends with Harry Potter doesn't mean we can't associate with our own house."
"Quit it!" Hermione said "We're not here to fight."
Everyone quieted down and turned their gazes back to the trio sitting in the front. I settled down by George and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder in a comforting manner. Juliette went standing next to Luna. Harry, Ron and Hermione shared nervous glances before the bushy haired girl stood up from her chair.
"Hi." She said nervously "So you all know why we're here. We need a teacher, a proper teacher. One who's had experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts."
"Why?" A boy I didn't know asked.
"Why?" Said Ron impatiently "Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot."
"So he says." That boy said.
"So Dumbledore says." Hermione defended Harry.
"So Dumbledore says because he says. The point is, where's the proof?"
"If Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed..."
"I'm not gonna talk about Cedric, so if that's why you're here, clear out now." Harry said, then turned to Hermione "Come on, Hermione. They're here because they think I'm some sort of freak."
"Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?" Luna said, all eyes on her.
Harry looked stunned by the Ravenclaw's action. Everyone's eyes turned back to him, now they were all looking so interested. I, of course, was one of the few people knowing that he could conjure a full-body Patronus. After all, I was the one suggesting Lupin to teach him.
"Yes." Hermione said "I've seen it."
"Blimey, Harry." Dean Thomas said "I didn't know you could do that."
"And he killed a Basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office." Longbottom said.
"It's true." Ginny claimed.
Now the air was lifted. Everyone was suddenly taken back and became even more excited.
"Third year, he fought off about a hundred Dementors at once." Ron said
"I can't really say about that." I spoke up, they looked at me "I don't know well what he has fought, but I know well who he has saved. He saved Ginny and I from a Basilisk, he saved a friend from the Dementors, he saved Ron from under the Black Lake. I know Harry Potter can save people."
"Last year, he really did fought You-Know-Who in the flesh." Hermione said.
"Wait." Harry said "Look, it all sounds great when you say it like that... But the truth is, most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half of the time. I nearly always had help."
"He's just being modest." Hermione said.
"No, Hermione, I'm not." He said "Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow. But out there, when you're a second away from being murdered, or watching a friend die in front of your eyes... You don't know what it's like."
"You're right, Harry, we don't. That's why we need your help. Because if we're going to have any chance at beating..." Hermione hesitated at the mention of the name, but she knew if she was going to support Harry and make him brave, she needed to be brave herself "...Voldemort..."
"He's really back." A younger boy murmured.
Everyone watched Harry, anticipating a reaction from him. If at first, they were still doubting him then now, they were all hoping that Harry would agree to teach them. Harry looked around at each and every faces in front of him, gears in his mind clicking loudly. Then, he cracked a smile and everyone clapped, cheering.
"Alright." Hermione said, spreading a piece of parchment on the table "We'll need you to sign in this paper, and you'll join."
"How do we call ourselves?" A young boy chirped "Potter's army?"
"No." Harry said "I'm just teaching you, not leading you."
"Call it Dumbledore's army." Hermione said "They think Dumbledore's organizing an army. We'll give them what they want. An army."
"That's brilliant." Ron said "What do you say, Harry?"
"That's a good name. Dumbledore's army it is."
We all got in one line in front of the table and signed one by one. The first one was Harry, then Hermione and Ron, after that came the twins and many more excited students. Juliette and I stood at the end of the line, waiting patiently. When it was my turn, I neatly wrote my name, November Avery at the bottom of the page and left without a word.
"Thank you, Nov." Hermione called after.
"It's not a problem." I looked back "Just be careful, alright? Umbridge will keep a close eye on you three."
"Sure." She smiled.
-----
"All student organizations are henceforth disbanded." Said the magnified voice of the pink toad in the hall "Any student in noncompliance will be expelled."
"Expelled, really?" I rolled my eyes "I'd rather be expelled than having another Defense against the Dark Arts lesson with that woman."
"She's not that bad, Avery." Malfoy caught up on me.
"Not that bad, you said?" I raised an eyebrow "She's gonna get us all killed before the year ends. What's the point of learning when you just have to copy texts?"
"She's a Slytherin." He said.
"She's a pink toad from the Ministry." I said "And I hate everything that has to do with the Ministry of Magic."
"What's your point, Avery?"
"Short version, I hate her." I huffed.
"Well, I like her." He walked away.
Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's buffy bodyguards marched behind him and bumped harshly into Neville Longbottom, causing him to stumble backwards at the impact. He glared back at the two, but he looked intimidated by them as well. I caught up with him when he turned to another hallway.
"Neville, isn't it?" I asked "Have you guys found a place for the class?"
"No, not yet." He wasn't so sure, judging by the fact that I was still a Slytherin and he was a Gryffindor, but he remembered I was in the army as well "I think we need to find it quickly, though. We don't have much time."
"Let's say, if you found a place, what time in the day would you gather around?"
"Harry said in the evening, that's the best." He said as we continued down the empty corridor "But--"
He was cut short by a strange noise from the wall on our right. We watched it as outlines of a big double door began to form, its carved details became clear, the brown color of the wall was replaced by the metal black color. A door finally appeared and automatically pushed in to reveal a large room. We stood there in awe.
"Neville, do you know where Harry is?" I asked, my eyes still glued to the door as if I was afraid it would disappear the moment I looked away.
"The common room, I think." He said.
"Get him, I'll stand here." I urged him "Hurry, run."
As he ran to get Harry and whoever that was with him, I paced back and forth anxiously in front of the door. I figured I could just step inside and close the door, but I didn't. I was afraid that someone might come round and saw it, and if that person was unfortunately not a member of the Order or the army, then this would not be a secret place anymore.
Luckily, Neville came back with Harry, Hermione, Ron and the twins. They ran towards and we headed inside. The door closed behind us.
"You've done it, Neville." Hermione said gleefully "You found the Room of Requirement."
"The what?" Ron asked.
"It's also known as the Come and Go Room." She explained "The Room of Requirement only appears when a person has real need of it. And it's always equipped for the seeker's needs."
"So say you really needed the toilet..."
"Charming, Ronald. But yes, that is the general idea."
"It's brilliant." Harry spoke up "It's like Hogwarts wants us to fight back."
We stared at the vast room for a moment longer. The last time I was in the Room of Requirement was when I met Sirius in the middle of the hallway.
"So, what now?" I asked.
"We need everyone here tonight." Harry said to no one in particular "We have a lot of practice to catch up with."