Chapter 7 The First Day of School
********************Great Hall, Hogwarts********************
September 3, 2004
7:30 am
The Great Hall was filled with students, with everyone except the new first years chatting eagerly with their friends. The first years, for their part were looking around with awe, a few were talking to other first years in their houses, but more were looking around. They were amazed at the sights of Hogwarts, the Great Hall, the students around them and the staff at the table, which, to be honest was always a sight in and of itself, especially for the muggle-borne who have probably never seen the like. Harry as usual had to put up with the "is it really him," and other like comments from the firsties, who had never met him, and had only heard stories, often embellished by the upper classmen especially those like George or Fred. Or often worse, had only read articles about him in the Prophet or the Quibbler.
Harry and Ron were already sitting at breakfast along with the rest of their roommates, and the sixth and fifth year girls. So far, Hermione was absent, Harry had asked her roommates, but had just gotten a strange look in response. Finally she came in and plopped down next to Harry, grabbing some toast and coffee as she did so. Harry handed her, her copy of the Prophet, which the post owl had already delivered, and that he had paid for in her absence. The owls tended to get annoyed if you didn't pay them right away.
"Thanks, " she muttered to Harry, while she munched her toast. Taking a sip of coffee, "Has McGonagall given out our schedules?"
"Why do you ask?" Ron asked; then with a smirk, "Where were you this morning anyway, catching up on your beauty sleep? Hmmm."
"No" Hermione replied curtly and turned from him. As Harry glanced over he could tell that wasn't the answer at all, Ron, do you know her at all? We've only known each other for what, six years, if anything I'd say she didn't sleep at all last night, kinda like I didn't, but I've had more practice at it. Harry thought, annoyed.
"No Hermione," Harry answered her, "I would have thought that you'd already known yours."
"I did" She sighed, "But there were so few in NEWT Arithmancy that they moved the class to a different time." As was often the case, as soon as one of them said something, it happened. McGonagall appeared handing out the schedules for this year.
Harry glanced at his schedule, he saw that he only had seven classes, Advanced DADA, of course, Advanced Potions, am I insane? No Mione would hate me if I was not in that too to take the heat off her, he thought with a grin, Care of Dangerous Magical Creatures, Advanced Transfiguration, Advanced Charms and Muggle Studies, Harry had asked to have that class added, as it looked good on an Auror application, and it was an easy course for him, he had been raised by Muggles. He also had a class labeled special studies, but he knew that that was his defense training with Dumbledore and the crew. Today, which happily was a Friday, was a light day; He only had a double with Hagrid at ten and then DADA at one. Harry suspected however, that he would end up having a "special studies" lesson today, as that "class," was listed as floating.
"Let me see Harry," Hermione said holding out her hand. Without a word, Harry obediently gave it to her. After a moment, "Good, I have all of the same classes as you have...crap I have two hours of Arithmancy first thing before Hagrid."
"Language, Hermione," Harry murmured with a carefully straight face. "I thought you liked Arithmancy."
"I do" she replied almost embarrassed, "and Runes also, but I only have that on Tuesdays, I just didn't want it first thing today, it was on Tuesday with Runes until they moved it. What's this special studies, I don't remember signing up for it, though it looks like mine has yet to be scheduled by it where you have it floating."
Harry's expression dropped a bit; he sighed," You signed up for that six years ago on a train when you fixed a poor boy's glasses, it's your defense classes. You could always drop me as a friend." Harry tried to joke, though he still didn't want to look her in the eyes and listlessly played with his food.
"Never...Anyway, I need to get going to make Arithmancy." She replied hastily and stood up, slinging her infamously heavy bag of books over one shoulder.
"Ok, I'll meet you in the first floor hall after, we'll walk down together, Ok?" Harry said in return, secretly relieved that she had once again reaffirmed her friendship with him, or whatever.
Glancing over at Ron, he was arguing something with one of his brothers, she couldn't tell which one; she bent close and smiled saucily, "Are you going to carry my books to class Mr. Potter?" My god...what did I just say; am I flirting with Harry?
"As my lady commands." Harry gave back. Is Hermione flirting with me?
Hermione just gave him a little smile and headed off, whistling a little muggle tune. Harry stayed a moment, then after asking Ron if he wanted to get in some early broom practice and getting a no in response, Harry wandered out to the Pitch to fly, or think, or something.
****************Hagrid's Hut*************************
10:00 am
Harry and Ron had met Hermione in the hall, Harry for his part, did ask if she would like her books carried, Hermione just laughed, shook her head and took off towards Hagrid's hut, the two boys trailing after. Ron asked what he had meant by asking to carry her books, Harry just responded that it was a joke and Ron seemed to leave it at that.
As they approached the hut, smoke rising from the chimney even in September, they could see that the majority of the class was already present, however to their joyous surprise Draco was not present. "Where's Malfoy?" Ron asked in an urgent whisper as Neville, Pavarti and Lavender walked up.
"Didn't you hear?" Hermione whispered back with a tone of cold satisfaction, "He didn't make an OWL, and Hagrid elected to not accept him into his NEWT class. I guess he spent too much time making fun of Hagrid and not enough paying attention."
"Brilliant" Harry whispered back beaming, "serves the git right."
As the class finished assembling, Harry noticed that his entire Gryffindor 6th year was present; eventually they had all at least listened to Hagrid over the last five years. Harry did notice, apprehensively, that Hagrid had a cage covered with a sheet, over to one side.
"Gather round, Gather round" Hagrid called as he came out of his cabin trailed by the massive black boarhound Fang. Fang immediately went to Harry and tried to lick his face, much to the amusement of the other students. "Come 'ere, you daft dog," Hagrid shouted as he noticed the dog molesting Harry. After a final lick, Fang obediently went to Hagrid. To the classes' barely concealed relief Hagrid stepped away from the covered cage, and walked to the opposite side of his Pumpkin patch, the class obediently following along. "Today" He began with a smile, "We will be discussing wyverns"
"WYVERNS" Hermione whispered harshly in Harry's ear, "They're lesser dragons.
Acting like he hadn't heard Hermione, which he may not have, Hagrid put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Loping out of the Forbidden forest, came what looks for all intents and purposes, to be a dragon, albeit the size of a large dog. The wyvern walked up to Hagrid and calmly sat down beside him. Smiling, Hagrid leaned down and petted the creature along its spine. "Now class," That he had their attention, "Who can tell me about wyverns?..." Hagrid glanced around and witnessed a familiar arm shoot up, "'ermione?"
"Professor, the Wyvern or Dracanois Minor, is commonly called a lesser dragon. They look like a smaller version of a dragon. They generally do not have the ability to breathe fire as greater dragons do, however there have some cases of wyverns doing this very thing, so the fire breathing may actually be a recessive trait among wyverns. The wyvern typically ranges from the size of a large dog when grown to approximately half the size of a greater dragon." Hermione hammered out without a pause.
"Correct, take 10 points for Gryffindor." Hagrid turned from Hermione and addressed the rest of the class, "Now since I only have one wyvern, and they can get jumpy, pair off and come up in pairs and I'll show you, Grinch here, up close. Don't worry he usually doesn't bite." Hermione tapped Harry on the arm, he nodded and they went up to see the wyvern. "Aw "ermione, 'arry, this here is a wyvern, as you can see, Grinch here is on the small side for wyverns, he doesn't breathe fire, Hogwarts used to have a fire-breathing wyvern, but he burnt down his stall one night." Hagrid pointed out a couple more useful features on the animal and the pair went back to stand in the back. After everyone in the class had gone, Hagrid whistled and sent the Wyvern back to wherever it had been before he called. "Now that everyone has seen the creature, I'd like a drawing of it with it's features and the differences between it an a major dragon labeled. Ok? Class dismissed go eat." Everyone in the class, including Harry, Ron and Hermione, started to walk back to the castle.
"'Ermione, stay a moment." Hagrid growled after the three as they turned to leave, "I 'er need some 'elp with research." Hermione shrugged at Harry and Ron.
"Go on you two, eat, I know how you are Ron. Harry save me a seat ok?" Harry nodded, and the two turned to go to lunch, Harry's eyes lingering for a second on Hermione as he turned to go, a glance that was not lost on Hagrid. He has the reputation of being dim, but this is mainly due to his accent and the fact that he had been unjustly expelled from Hogwarts, and his wand snapped, theoretically. A thestral howled invisibly somewhere beyond the cabin, Hermione, shivered a bit and was careful not to turn in that direction.
After Harry and Ron have left, and the swishing of the their legs though the grass has faded, Hagrid turned to Hermione. "How is 'arry doing? Really?"
"I don't know, Hagrid, when he first got him back from the Dursleys, he was in bad shape, oh he could get by during the day, but the nights were worse..." She broke off not wanting to violate Harry's privacy.
"Lass I 'alked to 'emus he told me." Hagrid said softly, for him anyway.
That statement finally broke her reserve, she wasn't as far from the edge as she pretended either. Luckily she hadn't woken up with nightmares...yet, though her sleep was rough to say the least. "He broke down that night to me, Hagrid, he said that he saw Sirius die every night and that he woke up when he saw..."
"What lass." Hagrid gently inquired.
"He wakes up with the vision of me lying lifeless, damn it Hagrid, are you HAPPY?" Hermione snapped at Hagrid. Hermione suddenly looked horrified as she realized what she had said and to whom, "Ohh God, I'm sorry Hagrid."
That settles that, Hagrid thought with satisfaction, Lupin and Tonks were right, the two of them just haven't figured it out for themselves. Just the fact that he told her is enough, I wouldn't even tell Maxine or Dumbledore something like that. "It's a'right, 'ermione, and you?" Hagrid asked, softly placing a hand on her shoulder like he did when she was eleven.
"I don't have to work myself to exhaustion to sleep through the night Hagrid, like Harry does, but yeah, I have them too. I haven't woken up screaming yet, back at school, but I will. I was ok at my parent's house, but they came again after I returned to Grimmauld Place. I almost couldn't walk into Sirius's house, can you imagine what it was like for Harry?"
"Nay lass I can't" Hagrid paused, for at least a minute, then went ahead and asked the question at least half of the Order and several others were dying to ask, but were afraid to. "'Ermoine, how do you feel about 'array, 'really?"
"I...he's my closest friend Hagrid." Hermione answered after another long moment with more or less complete sincerity.
Hagrid looked thoughtful at that nebulous answer but smiled and waved her on toward the school.
Hermione hurried up to the castle and into the Great Hall, to find out she wasn't too late after all, Harry had saved her a seat next to him as promised and had even saved her some of her favorites, from the rampaging appetite known as Ron.
"What'd Hagrid want, Mione?" Harry asked, curious, after all Hagrid can do his own research; he was a Professor after all.
"Oh" she replied, not quite meeting his eyes, "He wanted help with a translation of a rune, for an upcoming class on extinct creatures" Hermione continued, lying though her teeth. She could tell from the look Harry gave her, he didn't quite believe her story, but to her relief he didn't press.
Soon the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, "Let's go I want to get a good seat," Harry said to the shock of his Gryffindor tablemates, he was notorious for wanting a back row, seat, a habit that at times has annoyed Hermione to no end. Today was different, Harry led the pack to the main DADA classroom, and went directly to a front table, Hermione, Ron sitting down on either side of him, with the rest of the sixth year Gryffindors taking up the rest of the front row. Much to the disgust of several Ravenclaws, including Margaret Conch, a girl that was trying forever to beat Hermione's academic records. Hermione had smoked her on the owls though.
At exactly one pm Dumbledore appeared before the class, instantly and without a sound or a puff of smoke. "Good afternoon, class" Dumbledore said with a smirk.
"Good Afternoon, Professor Dumbledore" The class responded obediently although most of them were grinning when they repeated the greeting. The only holdouts were the Slytherins including Malfoy, who were filling the rear rows of the room.
"Now that we have that out of the way." Dumbledore began, "I usually do not teach classes, since I have become headmaster. I am stepping in to fill this vacancy this for two reasons, first is to correct for the intolerable excuse for a professor that you had last year in this subject. I feel that a great deal of the blame for that experience lies on my shoulders and I apologize to all of you." His eyes swept the Gryffindors in front, lingering on Harry for a moment then moving on. "This class is a NEWT level class, it is for a two year period, however you can and will be failed out of this class at the end of the year, if you do not achieve an 'E' or higher in this class for the year. Now I assume that you all have a copy of Defensive Combat Magic, by me?" Dumbledore asked and a flurry of books appeared on student's desks, with several sighs, everyone thought that Dumbledore's class would be different.
They were right. "Good, put them away and get your wands out." A quiet cheer, if there could be such a thing, erupted from the class except, of course, for the Slytherins in the back who just looked disgruntled. The fall from power of Umbridge had taken much of the power of their house away from them. "This year and next, we will focus on magic used to defend one selves and those that you are responsible for, legally and morally from attack, or to prevent such attacks from happening at all if possible. In the class we will use the book only sparingly, the books is there to teach you the theory, incantation and proper wand movement of any spells and any special implication that a particular spell may carry. You will however be expected to know the material covered in the text, and have studied the relevant pages before we cover a topic. Now to start out with we will look at a basic defense charm, the disarming charm, this spell may be simple, however it can be quite effective if used properly, as several of your classmates already know. "
Harry didn't say a word; he just sat and watched Dumbledore with rapt attention. He didn't want this fight, but he was going to use any means to win it that he could and if it meant that he must know everything he could then so be it.
"Does anyone know the limitations of this spell?" as both Harry and Hermione's hands shot up, Dumbledore nodded at Harry, for once Hermione didn't seem to mind someone stealing her thunder on this field of endeavor. "Sir, the disarming charm is most effective against relatively weak wizards, who are not paying attention. It can also work against much stronger wizards, however the effectiveness is directly proportional to the strength of the wizard casting the spell, the strength of the wizard being defended against and surprise."
"Why surprise Harry" Dumbledore asked softly, not wanting to have Harry give this answer, but at the same time needing it, because the answer he knew Harry would finally give would be the best one to prove his point.
Harry took a deep breath, and under the table, as she had a month ago in Sirius's will reading, Hermione grabbed his hand for support, and though she let go almost immediately it was enough. "Sir, surprise is important because the most powerful wizards can be disarmed of their wands relatively easily with this spell if the target is not paying attention."
"Could you give an example of this?" Dumbledore said, trying to lead Harry to give an example that would be guaranteed to shock several of his fellow students. Fortunately Harry had been vindicated in the papers over the summer and was now once again well considered in the wizarding world. Except for the Slytherins of course, who wouldn't believe Harry if he said water was wet. Yep, here it comes, thought Dumbledore slightly guiltily.
"I disarmed Voldemort in the Graveyard, at the end of the Triwizard with this spell," Harry said just loud enough to hear in the suddenly quiet classroom. Several comments were heard, including a couple of muttered "bullocks" from the very rear of the classroom.
"MR MALFOY" Dumbledore said from where he had just appeared beside the student, "I think I heard you volunteering for demonstrating this technique. Dumbledore walked to the front of the room, with the sullen Malfoy following, "Now another I think..." Dumbledore looked over several raised hands, all members of the DA, his eyes swung by Harry and he gave an almost unperceivable shake of his head to Harry, now wasn't the time. Harry's table mates though... "Miss Granger please come up here." Hermione got up and walked to the front with Dumbledore and Draco. She looked a little apprehensive, but after she caught Harry's eyes for a moment she felt strangely calm.
After all, Hermione thought with a tiny shudder, Harry trained me and led us against actual Death Eaters. And even Dumbledore couldn't stop Harry or Ron, if Draco is stupid enough to actually try something. Then with a little shrug, well, he could probably stop them, he just probably wouldn't.
Dumbledore looked at her, "Miss Granger demonstrate surprise as a tactic to the class please."
Hermione didn't acknowledge at all, she merely snapped her wand into position "EXPELLIARMUS" Drano's wand went flying into the seats, where Harry snatched it out of the air, with a smile, as it flew by. "Surprise, Draco" Hermione finally spoke, and sat down.
"Wait I wasn't ready..." Draco tried to object, only to be interrupted by Dumbledore.
"I believe that was the idea, Mr. Malfoy, good job Miss Granger take 20 points for Gryffindor." Draco looks disgruntled at the imagined slight, but he knew not to take offence right now...however as he passed Hermione, who had just resumed her seat beside Harry, he looked daggers, a promise of retribution in his gaze. She just gave him a little smile in response, and he walked to the back of the class and resumed his seat.
Harry had noticed the silent contest between Hermione and Draco following his seemingly easy defeat at her hands moments ago, Harry made a note to be sure that he protected her, with out her knowing of course, for the next several days. In fact on reflection he realized suddenly, well actually it wasn't a sudden realization but more of a confirmation of earlier thoughts, that his friends might very well be targets almost as much as he himself was. He thought then he should try to talk to Ron, Hermione and the rest as soon as he could, to get them to realize the danger.
Hermione glanced over at Harry, knowing what he was thinking, she knew him that well. At times, his protectiveness annoyed her, but it also gave her a curiously safe feeling. Even taking into the account the events of last June, in which events had proven no matter how much Harry cared or tried, sometimes he just couldn't protect himself or any of them, it was just a fact of life, just like she knew that Harry would give his very life in the trying, and a very small voice commented quietly, she would do the same for him.
Dumbledore spent, the next hour going over various basic, but quite useful defense spells. Harry realized that Dumbledore was picking random students to demonstrate the spells, in an attempt to ascertain his student's talents and knowledge, much like he himself had done with the beginning of the DA last year.
At three, the bell ran, signaling for many of the students present the first full day back at Hogwarts was complete. Harry, and friends stood to leave, the Gryffindors, almost instinctively forming a pack as they started to walk out. As they reached the door, Dumbledore called out, "Harry a moment" Harry nodded and waved the rest on, since they were in a group even Draco shouldn't be stupid enough to start something. "Harry," after the rest had left the class, " I need to speak to you about your extra training. I would like to have a session tomorrow morning; I know it is Saturday, however that could work to our advantage. It would like take the morning if it is agreeable with you." Harry just nodded after all, what else could he do.
"Um Professor, Hermione..." Harry began softly, only to interrupted by a soft chuckle.
"Miss Granger, has noticed that her "Special Training" is unscheduled, I'm sure the rest of your friends have noticed similar schedule items, however she would be the only one to actually court an extra class. Tell her that her training will begin, when I am convinced that she is ready." Suddenly a crash was heard from the hall and loud angry words were heard. Harry and Dumbledore's eyes met, and with a combination of a twinkle in his eye and a deadly serious expression on his face, Harry had not thought such a thing was possible but he was seeing it right now. "I dare say that you are needed in the hall, Harry."
"What?" Harry asked, confused, he wanted to run to the hall, but he wasn't going to run out on Dumbledore without being dismissed.
"As head of the DA, Harry, I do believe that one of your members is being...challenged." Harry glanced at him and without another word headed out the door at a dead sprint.
**********************Hallway out side of the DADA classroom****************
Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindors, had walked out together, talking animatedly about what to do this weekend. It was not a Hogsmeade weekend, and no one really had much homework. Ron was trying to get a pickup Quiddich game going, Harry and he were not scheduled to start practice or tryouts for the team until late next week. The seven sixth year Gryffindors were passing a section of hall with many alcoves, when suddenly Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind a statue of an old witch, Susan Grimor, whose greatest contribution to Hogwarts had been to retire early. Without breaking stride Draco swept in front of Hermione, who was leading the group, and knocked her bag off her shoulder. Hermione as usual was carrying approximately twice the number of books as anyone else and when they hit the floor, a BOOM sounded down the length of the hall approximately like that of a cannon going off. Instinctively Ron and the others went for their wands...
"I wouldn't do that Weasley," Malfoy drawled. He waved around the hallway, "Look around."
The seven Gryffindors' hands stopped all at once, halfway to their wands. They noticed quickly that they were all alone, except for the at least twelve fifth through seventh year Sytherins surrounding them, all with wands pointed their way. Draco stood hands on his hips, a nasty smirk on his face and backed by his cohorts, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson. "Weasley, Mudblood and Longbottom, my father is in Azkaban because of you lot and you are going to pay."
"What about the rest of us Ferret boy?" Seamus snarled as he stared down a Slytherin seventh year; who was about the size of a house.
"Well you get to pay because your friends with them." Draco replied laughingly and the rest joined him.
Harry had come out of the classroom at a run, but he had learned a great deal from Tonks, Lupin, and Dumbledore, and especially Moody. Stopping at a corner, he could hear Malfoy's aristocratic drawl from around the corner as he pulled up short. "Enimatus Reveal" Harry muttered holding his wand to his hand. Suddenly in the palm of his hand twelve little red dots appeared surrounding seven blue dots. Think Harry...Use what you have, or what you can get. A brief grin blossomed on his face as the answer appeared. He raised his wand again. "Appero Cloak" conjuring charms were normally seventh year NEWT, but with Hermione and Dumbledore's help he had learned them this summer along with several other new and useful tricks. Swirling the cloak around his shoulders he vanished from sight. Dumbledore, who needed no cloak, smiled invisibly and padded softly, unknown to anyone, after Harry to watch the show.
Hermione suddenly felt a flash of something. Talking much later to Harry, she would compare the feeling to the one he had had when Dumbledore appeared to save Harry and the rest in the ministry. But this time it was not Dumbledore who did the saving. Draco was still going on about what he was going to do to them, when in six very quick, silent flashes of red light, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and all three of the Slytherin seventh years collapsed to the floor, stunned. The remaining Sytherins, who had all seen the others collapse, were behind the Gryffindors, their eyes grew wide and as one they turned and ran. Draco who had not seen his compatriots fall or had heard them fall over his ranting yelled out, "WHERE ARE YOU IDIOTS GOING?" only to be interrupted by a calm voice from the rear.
"They're saving their skins Ferret Boy." Harry said quietly his hair ruffling very slightly in an invisible wind. Hermione, Pavarti and Lavender could feel a charge building up in their longer hair, Hermione's eyes grew wide with shock, recognizing from personal experience just what was happening, though she had never seen Harry this angry, only herself that once this last summer with Dumbledore.
"Fucking Brilliant," Ron whispered to Hermione's right, stunned with what Harry had just done. The rest just nodded to his sentiment, though by now, it was the Gryffindors that had their wands out. "Well what shall I do with you Draco?" Harry asked in a conversional tone, though all of his friends could hear the fury under it. "Should I turn you into a Ferret, I mean it's been done, but it's just so damn funny, or I could just walk away right now and let them take care of you now that you don't have them outnumbered two to one and without wands?" Harry raised his wand casually and cast a silent disarming charm knocking Draco's wand from his hand.
"What," Draco muttered, looking like a deer in the headlights of a lorry. "I"
"Accio wand" Hermione muttered and Draco's wand flew into her left hand. She twirled it in her left hand while waiting for whatever Harry decided to do.
After a long moment, Harry looked up, a slight grin on his face. "Ladies", waving to Hermione, Pavarti and Lavender, "a word please, Ron, Seamus, Neville you got him?"
"Yeah Harry" Neville replied happily as he replayed in his mind the faces of Crabbe, Goyle and the rest as Harry had silently taken them down. Harry led the three over to one side and pulling the three girls in close he spoke softly, Pavarti broke out in a slightly evil giggle at one point, the sound of which caused sweat to bead on Malfoy's forehead. Harry pulled out of the huddle and walked over to Ron to watch, he had just suggested something, and he wasn't sure how it would play out.
"Potter, the Dark Lord will free my father, and..." Draco sputtered, breaking off suddenly as the three Gryffindor girls straightened up from their chat and started walking over to him, with a look that frankly, scared the shit out of him.
Hermione led the three, a sight that in some ways reminded Harry of a History of Magic lesson about the Furies. All three had a definite swing in their step and came over to Draco like he was a lame antelope and they were the lionesses typified in their house mascot.
The three girls circled the hapless Slytherin slowly, who so recently was ready to curse them into oblivion. Hermione stopped in front of him, the other two girls to either side of her, "Pavarti" she said sweetly.
"Yes, Hermione" she replied, in the same tone.
"This would be easier without anything in the way" Hermione replied, her eyes dropping down Malfoy.
"Sure" and with that, Pavarti casually pointed her wand at Draco, "envesco" and his pants disappeared revealing a pair of Tornadoes boxers, a sight that did nothing to improve him in Harry's eyes.
"Harry dear, what was that charm suffix?" Hermione asked casually
"I think it was microsify, Mione" Harry replied. By now the rest of the Gryffindor boys had gotten the gist, and were slightly sliding away from their female comrades.
"Aw yes, "OBJECTUS MICROSIFY"" Hermione incanted, but only red and sparks came out of her wand. "Well damn, I guess I'll just have to go with the old severing charm, Diff..."
"NO" Draco screamed covering himself and diving for the floor. The girls started laughing hysterically, Pavarti wearing a look that slightly worryingly to Harry; looked like she was a little disappointed. Harry walked over to Hermione and threw his arm around her shoulders, he could fell a slight trembling but he's proud of her, since they were able to end this with only a scare, this time.
"Draco", Harry said calmly, "just get the hell out of here and don't try that shit again, ever." Harry knew quite well that he probably only bought a week or two of grace, but he was already thinking of ways of preventing the like of Draco's little ambush in the future. If Draco had caught all of them, without Harry being free to act it could have been messy. "I'll give your wand to Dumbledore, you can ask for it back, now get." Draco gave Harry a look that promised retribution as he ran away towards the Slytherin dungeon and home. Harry turned back towards the others. "Okay guys lets go home, Ron or Mione can you come with me to go give Dumbledore dippy's wand, I may need a prefect to testify for me, or at least console me after he boots me out of school for exceeding my authority as DA officer, or whatever the hell I am."
"I'll go Harry," Hermione replied softly her thoughts still on the altercation they just shortstopped and how she helped with Harry's plan, the scary part for her was the predator role, felt...comfortable. "What about those guys?" Pointing to the Sytherins still on the ground.
"Leave 'em." Harry replied, stepping over Crabbe to enforce his point. "They made their bed so to speak, let them lie in it." Harry started down the hall towards Dumbledore's office, Hermione following. The rest of the Gryffindors waved and with an occasional "misstep" stepped over the sleeping Sytherins and headed home.
After Harry had cleared the sight of his fellow housemates, he stopped and leaned against the wall in one of the alcoves. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor at the base of the wall, shaking just a tiny bit. Hermione sat down beside him. Harry leaned his head against her shoulder and sat there for a minute. "Thanks Hermione, I don't know where it would have ended up. When I saw that he had all of you surrounded..."
"I should thank you" she replied feverently, " If you hadn't been able to sneak up on them..."
"You know you scared me just a little there." Harry said softly.
"Well you know not to piss me off now don't you" she replied back just a little teasingly. She leaned more comfortably into Harry and sat there a little while longer. "You know that we need to start up DA meetings again right?" Hermione asked, not moving from him.
"Yeah, let's go to Dumbledore's office" Harry replied, getting up and pulling Hermione to her feet.
"There's no need for that," Dumbledore said, appearing suddenly. With a wave of his wand, Draco's wand flew from Hermione's hand where she had still been holding it loosely. "Good job, Harry, and no you didn't exceed anything, but for the record, it was just another incident between students." Dumbledore started to leave, only to turn back, "oh and Hermione, to answer a question Harry asked earlier before we were rudely interrupted, your full training will begin around Christmas break, I suggest you use Harry to help you get ready." And with his last, Dumbledore disappeared again.
"You know he was there the whole time" Hermione asked Harry softly, knowing quite well that Dumbledore had seen everything including her and Harry's mostly silent post battle session.
"Yep, I figured."