Chapter 2: Beginnings
At breakfast the next day, Harry and Ron compared their schedules with Hermione's. Harry and Ron were both taking: Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against The Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures and a new class only offered at NEWT level; Evocation. Harry also had a Private Study period every Friday afternoon where he would be continuing his Occulmency lessons with Professor Dumbledor. Hermione had decided not to take NEWT level Care of Magical Creatures. Instead she was taking Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Everyone seemed excited about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and was eagerly awaiting their first class.
Their first class with the new professor was just before lunch. The class was eager to see what the new professor was like so the class settled themselves quickly in their seats. When Professor Vigo called the roll, Harry waited for the usual flick of the eyes up to his scar. It never came. "Welcome to NEWT level Defense Against the Dark Arts, my name is Professor Vigo. In the United States I work as a Federal Marshal in the ACD, Arcane Crimes Division, and I am currently on indefinite loan to the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts School to promote international wizard unity and more importantly to teach you to defend yourselves against Dark Magic." Professor Vigo moved awkwardly around his desk to perch on its edge. He seemed to be having problems with moving in his robes. He adjusted them irritably and continued, "Many of you have probably heard someone say something to the effect of `There is no good or evil magic, magic just is. It is how the magic is used that makes it a Dark Art.' This is total nonsense. There are magical forces that can be used only for evil purposes. Can anyone think of an example?" Hands shot into the air. "Yes, Mr.Longbottom"
"The Unforgivable Curses" stated Neville firmly.
"Very good. Those are perfect examples of spells that are only capable of producing evil effects. Anyone else? Ms.Granger"
"Necromancy" Hermione said with a slight shiver.
"Excellent. Yes the corruption of the natural life cycle is definitely considered evil. Can anyone think of any others? Anyone? No? That's all right. The last example I was looking for hasn't been practiced in centuries so I'm not surprised no one thought of it. It is usually called Demonology, though this is a misnomer. It is not the study of demons, but the creation of a bond between an infernal and a witch or wizard. The infernal gains access to our world and feeds off its host's soul while its host receives some type of power that was specified when the bond was created. This type of magic is not only evil, it is self destructive. By opening yourself to the infernal you allow him to consume your soul and psyche from within. When you are no longer strong enough to resist, the infernal then seizes control of your body and is then free to spread destruction and chaos, as is their want."
"There are the standard spells you've been learning which are not Dark Arts but they can be used with evil intent. This does not make the spell evil. For instance, transforming a quill into an anvil does not have an evil intent. However, if you had first thrown the quill at someone and then transformed it, the intention is obvious. These spells can be just as deadly as true Dark Magic."
"So. What can you do about it? Someone is going to start flinging an assortment of spells at you to do you harm. What are your choices? Block, dodge, hide, or counter. Blocking is obvious. You simply conjure something to shield yourself. Of course you must be able to identify the spell coming at you to effectively block. You can try to dodge but this should not be your first choice unless cover is readily available. No matter how fast you are, someone will eventually be quicker and then you're done. Hiding is also obvious. Simply duck behind something. Countering can be tricky because it depends upon your ability to cast your spell before your opponent. Counter spells can reposition you to gain a strategic advantage; they can be a distraction like a flash of light or an illusion of some sort. They can be used for concealment and misdirection by creating multiple images of yourself or you can try for a quick strike with some kind of disabling spell to try to disrupt your opponent's casting."
Defense Against the Dark Arts quickly became the most talked about class amongst the students. Professor Vigo had a directness that the students appreciated. He didn't look down on them or hold anything back because of their age. If you asked a question he was more than willing to answer. On top of that, because of the cultural diversity in the United States, Professor Vigo had dealt with a wide variety of Dark Arts as a Federal Marshal. His practical knowledge of defensive spellcasting granted him credibility the students could relate to. This was in complete contrast with Potions class. Professor Snape seemed to take it as a personal insult that Harry and Neville were both still in his class. Neville, who used to crack under Professor Snape's scrutiny, had gained a new confidence over the summer and was giving Snape less and less to criticize with each class. Harry just tried to keep out of the line of fire as often as possible.
Finally, the first week of classes was over. Homework was light and Harry was thinking about starting on his Charms essay as he entered the Gryffindor common room. He was coming back from his first Occlumency lesson with Professor Dumbledor and there was a low buzzing in his head. Harry noticed that Ron and Hermione had saved him a seat at the table where, much to Harry's surprise, they were both studying. Harry walked over to his friends to see what was going on. "Since when have you been so keen on homework, Ron? I mean here it is Friday evening and you're already at the books", Harry looked to Hermione, "Are you sure he's not a doppelganger or something?"
Laughing, Hermione said, "No this is our Ron."
"I learned my lesson last year. I'm not putting anything off if I can help it. If it weren't for Hermione I'd never have gotten as many OWL's as I did. And she was helping both of us as well as studying for more classes than us. I want to be able to pull my own weight at crunch time next year for NEWT's." stated Ron with a determined look on his face.
Ginny had come over as Ron was talking and now she was staring at him as if her were a very interesting bug. "Who are you?" she asked as she poked a finger at him.
Harry and Hermione laughed and Ron looked sourly at his sister. "You'd do well to follow our example, Ginny. You've got OWL's this year you know."
"You're not trying to pull a Percy and be Head Boy next year are you?" Ginny asked innocently.
Ron's face paled and he looked at his sister in shock. "Don't compare me to that git! I'll never be like him."
"Just teasing, Ronnikins." Ginny patted Ron's arm consolingly.
Harry just laughed and took out a quill, ink and some parchment. After retrieving some books from his bag, Harry set to work on his essay.