Neville felt chills race down his spine as he was faced entering the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with Professor Snape waiting outside the door. It still seemed that plenty of students thought it was a joke initially that the man was no longer teaching Potions, but it was quickly becoming a reality as they approached. Kefira didn't appear comfortable around him at all, Neville knew that Professor Snape had sent the girl books before the term began and it made him uncomfortable too. Snape had developed some odd relationship with Kefira over the years but it seemed Kefira was no longer interested in having anything to do with him.
Rather than giving Snape the opportunity to utter a word in Kefira's direction, Neville took hold of her hand and moved her to stand behind them as they grew closer.
"Inside," Professor Snape told them through his teeth as the door opened to the classroom allowing them in. The students quickly took note with how dark the classroom suddenly felt. Under the teachings of past professors, the room had never changed much, but since Snape had taken over, it was incredibly gloomy.
"I guess he wanted the classroom to match his soul," Kefira whispered to Neville as they took their seats.
"What soul?" Seamus said from where he sat behind them next to Dean. Frames were hung on the walls, all of them containing portraits of people in pain or painfully contorted body parts, setting the mood that they were, in fact, studying something pertaining to the Dark Arts. Kefira and Neville continued to steal glances with one another as if they were checking to make sure that the other was doing alright given the circumstances of the situation.
Each time one of them were caught, they would offer a smile in hopes of offering some sort of comfort. It didn't seem to be working much especially as the door to the classroom swung close behind Professor Snape and he took to greeting them in the usual manner of sunshine and kisses.
"I have not asked you to take out your books," He eyed Hermione as she had been pulling the book out of her bag. Quickly, she let it drop before placing it underneath her chair quietly. "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention."
As he looked around the classroom at the students with his black eyes, Kefira made sure that she found her nail bed far more entertaining to ensure that she didn't make eye contact with him. Things had been left off incredibly awkward as she remembered Bandile dropping the man like a sack of potatoes outside the castle grounds.
"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."
"Well, we had a pretty solid foundation with Professor Lupin!" Kefira blurted out. Her eyes widened as she realized that it wasn't just a thought in her head but that she had actually said it out loud. There were gasps and whispers and as she looked up, she would have been dead if looks could kill. The deadliest glare had reached the man's face as she mentioned their third-year professor but quite frankly, Kefira didn't regret saying it.
The other professors may have been a joke in a lot of ways, but Professor Lupin had been wonderful and taught them plenty during his time. There was no need to downplay the man who had given Neville his first boost of confidence in the class. She didn't want Professor Snape to steal that away from him, especially not after how far Neville had come.
"Ten points from Gryffindor, next time, raise your hand, Miss Walsh. I'm not sure what Professor Lupin or the others allowed you to get away with in previous times, but it will not be tolerated now."
"I'm sure bullying will be tolerated though," she grumbled, bringing him to look over at her again.
"Something you feel the need to say?" He questioned in a low voice that practically haunted the classroom like an angry ghost.
"You don't see my hand raised, do you?" She replied cheekily before looking away from him. Of course, her little quip did not go unpunished as Gryffindor lost another ten points. She sighed, not wanting to further dig a hole for her house as she decided to just remain silent for the rest of the class.
"Now you are, I believe," Professor Snape continued on as he circled the classroom, making Kefira envision him as a shark with long black hair. "... complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"
Hermione raised her hand faster than anyone else, but she was also the only one who rose her hand to answer. "Very well—Miss Granger?"
"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform, which gives you a split-second advantage."
"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six," he said with disdain, completely dismissing the girl's answer and bringing Draco to laugh in the corner. Kefira rolled her eyes seeing that absolutely nothing had changed over the course of the summer. The only difference was, Professor Snape seemed even more willing to just take cheap shots at them.
He decided that the group of students were going to be practicing non-verbal spells by casting jinxes at one another in pairs. Neville went to turn to Kefira to be his partner, but she had turned to Dean, making a motion that she wanted to talk to him, leaving Neville to pair up with Hermione.
"Uh," Dean looked nervous as Kefira became his partner, leaving Seamus to pair off with Lavender Brown. "Any particular reason as to why you didn't just pair up with Neville, you were sitting next to him-"
"You know I couldn't bring myself to jinx him, Dean," Kefira said, " you, on the other hand, your arse is mine."
"What did I do?"
The two were int he corner of the room talking trying to go undetected by Professor Snape, while he was off ridiculing other students in the room.
"What do you mean? What exactly are you playing at, Dean?" Kefira questioned him. "You and Seamus have always been attached at the hip and suddenly...what is going on?"
"Nothing, that's exactly what's going on, Kefi. Nothing has happened and let's face it, it's not going to," Dean told her in a defeated tone, " What am I supposed to do just keep waiting and waiting?"
"Have you actually said anything to him? Does he actually know how you feel or are you beating about the bush?"
"If I just come out and say it, it could ruin our entire friendship," Dean replied.
"Oh and I suppose nearly ignoring him for the better half of the day is going to strengthen it somehow? Think, Dean. He cannot see into your mind and we know he's probably not the one to make any first moves."
"Well, why does it have to be me?"
"Because you're the smart one, Dean! Or at least, I thought you were!"
"You know, it might be easy for you to just go ahead and say everything that comes to mind first, but you know for some of us, we don't have the social graces for that!"
It seemed the conversation between the two was becoming heated, Neville took his eyes away from where he was working with Hermione to see the two friends glaring at each other. Often times, Kefira and Dean fought like how Neville envisioned siblings would. He figured that Dean would fit right into the Walsh family without a second glance. But just like how Kefira would fight with her sisters, it seemed the two were about to engage in a battle as well.
Unfortunately, it seemed Dean had forgotten that they were going over the non-verbal spell lesson and Kefira decided to use it to her advantage. Dean had been saying something back to her when suddenly, he was hit by the tongue-tying spell. He was furious as he could no longer speak, leaving Kefira the victor in round one. But he wasn't about to just give in so easily either.
He hit her back with the Langlock jinx which caused Kefira's tongue to plaster to the roof of her mouth, leaving her silent as well. It was certainly a sight to see as they went back and forth and at one point, Dean found his head encased in a pumpkin with the Melofors Jinx.
The whole classroom had turned their attention to the dueling two, mainly watching Dean try to remove the pumpkin from his head. Seamus left Lavender to help Dean but it resulted in having to smash the pumpkin to get it off. Once Dean was free he glared in her direction but their battle came to an end as Snape decided to go after Ron and Harry who were not performing well.
Professor Snape went to go after Harry but Harry was in no mood to be jinxed.
"Protego!" The shield charm was cast and perhaps a bit too strong for the occasion as Professor Snape was launched back nearly crashing into where Kefira and Dean were standing beside a desk. She quickly grabbed the boy and pulled him back out of the way as Professor Snape crashed into the desk roughly.
The man straightened himself immediately as the students were trying desperately hard not to laugh.
"Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?"
"Yes," Harry answered.
"Yes, sir."
"There's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor."
No one could help the smiles that appeared on their faces, Kefira and Dean included as Professor Snape became furious at the response.
"Detention, Saturday night, my office," Snape told him, "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter... not even 'the Chosen One.'"
***
"Do you want to explain what all that was about back there?" Neville questioned after the class was dismissed and they were allowed to leave. "I've never seen you and Dean go at it like that. What were you fighting about...please don't tell me it was about Seamus-"
"Of course it was, Nevs," Kefira huffed, " he's being stubborn!"
"Even if that's true, Kefi, that's not your place to meddle in what goes on-"
She let out a loud snort. "That never stopped them from meddling when it came to me and you. They were constantly bringing it up and now that the tables are turned, Dean doesn't like it. It's hypocritical if you ask me."
"In some ways, yes, Kefi, you're right," Neville said, taking her hand and bringing her over to sit with him in one of the window seats. "However, it's a bit different with Seamus and Dean...because well, they're two boys, you know?"
"I'm not following? So what if they're two boys?"
"I'm glad you see it that way," Neville smiled, " but a lot of others don't. In the eyes of others, those two dating isn't as accepted as us dating if that makes any sense. You remember when we went to South Africa and you told me that during a point in time that your mother and father couldn't be together because of their different skin colors?"
Kefira nodded her head.
"Well, it's similar to that. Some people don't see it as wrong for two boys to be dating while others do and that leaves a lot of pressure on both of them."
"I guess I didn't see it like that," Kefira frowned, " but that's stupid. If anyone has a problem with them being together, they don't have to deal with it, I'll answer it for them."
"You can't fight every battle for them, Kefi."
"Oh yeah? Watch me."
He couldn't help but chuckle at her fiery attitude in the moment before he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him.
"I guess with a lioness in their corner, there won't be too many people looking for a fight."