Not long after Hermione, Ron, and Briar suggested the idea of making a Defence Against the Dark Arts club, Harry had conceded to the idea so today they would be meeting with some other people they had mentioned it to
Briar was on her way to the Hog's Head for the meeting when she ran into none other than one half of the Slytherin prefects, and not the slightly better one
"Lupin," Pansy Parkinson snarled when she stepped in front of the girl
"What?" Briar sighed
"The whole school's talking about your little outburst with Professor Umbridge" She grinned "Although personally I think she's right for teaching us how to deal with disgusting creatures like werewolves"
"Shut up," Briar said
"Hit a nerve did I?" Pansy cackled "What are you going to do, curse me? You can't now because I can take away house points. Although I should do it anyway for being a filthy half-breed"
"Get over yourself," the younger girl said "You think having a badge makes you important? It doesn't. It means you're a stuck-up, annoying, git"
"You little-"
"Bad mouthing us are we, Lupin?" The voice of the other Slytherin prefect drawled as he emerged from Zonko's "Don't worry, Pansy, I'll deal with her" Pansy gave Briar a smug grin and threw her arms around Draco, planting a kiss next to his mouth (although Briar was sure she was going for the lips and he dodged), before she walked away
"And what do you want?" Briar asked him
"Wanted to warn you," he admitted "Umbridge is thinking of forming a team of students to report back to her on other student's behaviour and I've heard you're one she wants watched"
"I don't blame her, I'm a very interesting person," she grinned "But why are you warning me?"
"Like I told you, you're the least annoying out of your friends," he chuckled before disappearing through the bustling streets of Hogsmeade
Briar pushed the smile off her lips and began to head to the Hog's Head pub, which was slightly off the beaten track so they could have some privacy. And when she got there she found Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dean, Neville, Lavender, Pavarti, Padma, Cho, Luna, Katie, Alicia, Angelina, Colin, Dennis, Ernie, Justin, Hannah, Anthony, Michael, Terry, Fred, George, Lee, and some other students she didn't recognise already there. In the corner there was also some non-Hogwarts people, including a witch hidden under a black veil.
Fred ordered a round of butterbeers before they headed into a back room and everyone's attention turned to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Hermione shakily got to her feet and addressed the group
"Er," said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out ofnerves. "Well - er - hi. Well...erm...well, you know why you're here. Erm...well,Harry here had the idea - I mean - I had the idea - that it might be good if people whowanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts - and I mean, reallystudy it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing withus because nobody could call that Defence Against theDark Arts"
"Hear, hear," said Anthony Goldstein
"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 Imean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory butthe real spells -"
"You want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. toothough, I bet?" said Michael Corner.
"Of course I do," said Hermione "But I want more thanthat, I want to be properly trained in Defense because...because...because Lord Voldemort'sback." The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shriekedand slopped butterbeer down herself, Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelpthat he managed to turn into a cough. All of them, however, lookedfixedly, even eagerly, at Harry. "Well...that's the plan anyway. If you want tojoin us, we need to decide how we're going to -"
"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said a blond Hufflepuff
"Well, Dumbledore believes it -" Hermione began.
"You mean, Dumbledore believes him," said the blond boy, nodding at Harry.
"Who are you?" asked Ron
"Zacharias Smith," said the boy, "and I think we've got the right toknow exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."
"Look," said Hermione "That's really not whatthis meeting was supposed to be about -"
"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry. "What makes me say You-Know-Who's back? I saw him. But Dumbledore told thewhole 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 wasthat Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that youbrought 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 alllike to know -"
"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemortmurders someone I can't help you," Harry snapped "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that'swhat you're here for, you might as well clear out."
He waited for a few moments but no one moved
"So," said Hermione, her voice very high-pitched again. "So...like I was saying...if you want to learn some defence, then we needto 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 an unfamiliar girl "That you can produce a Patronus?"
"Yeah," said Harry 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 aboutyour hearing. So - is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"Blimey, Harry!" said Lee, looking deeply impressed. "I never knewthat!"
"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," said Fred, grinning atHarry. "She said you got enough attention as it was."
"She's not wrong," mumbled Harry and a couple of peoplelaughed.
"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" demanded Terry Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on thewall told me when I was in there last year..."
"Er - yeah, I did, yeah,"
"And in our first year," said Neville to the group at large, "He savedthat Sorcerous Stone -"
"Sorcerer's," hissed Hermione.
"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who," finished Neville.
"And that's not to mention," said Cho "All the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournamentlast year - getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas andthings..."
"Look," Harry said and everyone fell silent at once, "I...I don't wantto sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but...I had a lotof help with all that stuff..."
"Not with the dragon, you didn't," said Michael Corner "That was a seriously cool bit of flying..."
"Yeah, well -" said Harry,
"And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer," said Susan Bones.
"No," said Harry, "no, okay, I know I did bits of it without help,but the point I'm trying to make is-"
"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" saidZacharias Smith.
"Here's an idea," said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, "Whydon't you shut your mouth?"
"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him, and now he's tellingus he can't really do any of it," he said.
"That's not what he said," snarled Fred Weasley."
"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" inquiredGeorge, pulling a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from inside one of the Zonko's bags.
"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stickthis," said Fred.
"Briar could also help by transforming into a massive werewolf and eating you" George suggested and the brunette grinned. Everyone knew her father was a werewolf and although her close friends knew she wasn't, Zacharias didn't
"Yes, well," said Hermione hastily, "moving on...the point is, arewe agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?" There was a murmur of general agreement. "Right. Well, then, the next question is how often we do it.I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once aweek -"
"Hang on," said Angelina, "we need to make sure this doesn't clashwith our Quidditch practice."
"No," said Cho, "nor with ours."
"Nor ours," added Zacharias Smith.
"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," said Hermione "but you know, this is rather important, we'retalking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort'sDeath Eaters -"
"Well said!" barked Ernie Macmillan "Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year,even with our O.W.L.s coming up! I, personally, am at aloss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon usat this critical period. Obviously they are in denial about the return ofYou-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells -"
"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in DefenceAgainst the Dark Arts," said Hermione, "is that she's got some...some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the schoolas a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilise us against theMinistry."
"Well, that makes sense." said Luna "After all,Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army."
"What?" said Harry, completely thrown by this unexpected pieceof information.
"Yes, he's got an army of heliopaths," said Luna solemnly.
"No, he hasn't," snapped Hermione.
"Yes, he has," said Luna.
"What are heliopaths?" asked Neville
"They're spirits of fire," said Luna "Great tall flaming creatures thatgallop across the ground burning everything in front of -"
"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.
"There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you're sonarrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nosebefore you -"
"Hem, hem," said Ginny in such a good imitation of Professor Umbridge that several people looked around in alarm and then laughed. "Weren't we trying to decide how often we're going to meet and getDefence lessons?"
"Yes," said Hermione at once, "Yes, we were, you're right..."
"Well, once a week sounds cool," said Lee Jordan.
"As long as -" began Angelina.
"Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch," said Hermione "Well, the other thing to decide is where we're going tomeet..."
"Library?" suggested Katie Bell
"I can't see Madam Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes inthe library," said Harry
"Maybe an unused classroom?" said Dean.
"Yeah," said Ron, "McGonagall might let us have hers, she didwhen Harry was practicing for the Triwizard..."
"Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere," said Hermione. "We'llsend a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a placefor the first meeting." She rummaged in her bag and produced parchment and a quill,then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to saysomething. "I-I think everybody should write their name down, just so weknow who was here. But I also think thatwe all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if yousign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge - or anybody else - whatwe're up to."
Once Briar had signed the paper she walked back to the castle with Ginny and her boyfriend Michael. She wanted to write to her dad or Sirius, but she knew it could be intercepted so she didn't.
But as she lay in bed that night and listened to the rain hammer against her window, she could feel that something bad was coming and if this war was anything like the last then it wouldn't end well for everyone