A/N: At last, I have a beta! A big thank you to Orieon for helping me polish this chapter, as well as offering a critique of all the previous chapters, which led to some minor alterations here and there.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just borrowing it for a bit of nonsense.
No More Mysteries
by: MayorHaggar
Chapter 8: Back to School
"Oh, hello Harry."
"Hello, Luna," Harry said with a smile. "Mind if Hermione and I share this compartment with you?"
"Go right ahead," she answered serenely, and the two Gryffindors stepped into the Ravenclaw's compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Luna smiled at Hermione, but appeared confused once she realised no one else was behind her. "Where is Ronald? You usually arrive with him," she observed.
"Oh, he's running late, as usual," Hermione said with a smirk. "Thankfully, I was actually able to convince Harry to pack ahead of time, so he was ready to go for a change. Since Harry and I are prefects, we didn't want to risk running late. So, Ron's brother Bill and his fiancé Fleur brought us here ahead of everyone else. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will be bringing Ron and Ginny once they're ready."
"I see," Luna commented thoughtfully. "I'm sure you're happy that your studious habits are rubbing off on Harry at last, Hermione."
Hermione nodded triumphantly at Harry before responding to Luna. "Yes, of course. I just wish I'd gotten through to him a bit earlier. It pains me to think of all the time he's wasted over the years," she said, and punctuated her statement with a theatrical sigh.
Harry chuckled at her. "Yeah, it was about time I picked something up from you, I guess. I am a prefect now, after all. And speaking of that, we might as well head to the prefect's carriage for the meeting."
"Yes, we probably should. I know you're very eager to see Malfoy again," Hermione teased, causing Harry to shoot her a playful glare. "Luna, would you mind if we left our things here while we're out?"
"Certainly not," Luna said, looking back down at her (upside-down) copy of The Quibbler as Harry and Hermione stepped back out into the corridor and shut the compartment door behind them.
"Good thing she agreed to that," Harry remarked, as they began walking to their destination. "You lug around enough books as it is, but with those additional books Dumbledore let you borrow, you'd probably throw your back out."
"Very funny, Harry," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "But honestly, I think it was very kind of the Headmaster to let us borrow those books from his private collection. I've already learned many useful things from them, and once we have some time, I'd like to show some of them to you."
"Can't wait," Harry teased, before giving her a genuine smile. "Seriously though, if there's anything in any of those that you think are worth teaching me about, I'm open to it. I trust your judgement."
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said. As she smiled at him, Harry couldn't help but notice that she had quite a pretty smile. The buckteeth she'd had in her younger years were long gone, replaced by a perfect set of teeth that would look right at home in a framed picture inside of a dentist's office.
Harry's pleasant thoughts were rudely interrupted once they arrived at the prefect's carriage, or more to the point, when he saw that his 6th year Slytherin counterpart had already arrived.
"What are you doing here, Potter?" Draco Malfoy asked with a disdainful sneer. "What, did you steal Weasel's badge? Or maybe you bought it from him, so he could actually afford all of his books?"
"Oh, shove off, Malfoy," Harry bit back. "Unlike you, I don't go throwing my money around so I can have things I don't deserve." Harry watched as Draco's pale skin flushed with anger, and it gave him a sense of satisfaction. He ignored Hermione's tug at his sleeve and took his taunting a step further. "Honestly, if your daddy hadn't bought the whole team brooms, I don't think Slytherin would've let you anywhere near the quidditch pitch. And I bet poor Mr. Malfoy regrets wasting his money like that now. Maybe he could have used it to bribe his way out of Azkaban."
If Harry and Draco had one thing in common, it was that they would not stand for anyone insulting either of their parents. Harry watched as Draco's face twisted into a furious grimace, and knew without looking down that the Slytherin was reaching for his wand. But by the time Draco got his wand out of its holder, both Harry and Hermione had their own wands out and trained on him.
"Don't even think about it, Draco," Hermione commanded, staring at him with calm determination. "You either, Harry. You two are prefects; you need to be setting an example for the other students, not picking fights like a couple of children."
Harry felt properly chastised by Hermione's words, but predictably, they had no such effect on Draco. "Don't you dare lecture me, you filthy Mudblood!" he snarled. Harry's eyes narrowed, but Hermione latched onto his arm with her free hand, preventing him from retaliating. Seeing that, Draco smirked at him. "Good thing the Mudblood was here to hold you back, Potter, or I would have made you pay for what you did to my father. But I guess I'll just leave it to him to deal with you himself, once he gets out of Azkaban."
"He's welcome to try," Harry said. "Didn't work out too well for him last time, though."
At that point, the three 6th years were joined in the compartment by the new Head Girl: Harry's quidditch team mate, Katie Bell. Katie took one look at the three 6th years, all with their wands drawn, and her eyes narrowed.
"What's going on here?" she demanded. "Why are you pointing your wands at each other?"
"Don't take that tone with me, Bell," Draco said indignantly. "Potter deliberately provoked me. All I did was stand up to defend the honour of my father, as anyone would do. Well, perhaps Potter wouldn't, seeing as he doesn't have a father--"
Forgetting his wand altogether, Harry tried to lunge towards the Slytherin. Hermione held him back, though, while Katie kept an eye on Draco, ensuring he wasn't about to try anything.
"That's enough, Malfoy," Katie said, clearly irritated with the boy. "You don't have Umbridge or her 'Inquisitorial Squad' rubbish to protect you anymore, so if you try to abuse your position like you did last year, I will report it to the Headmaster."
"Ooh, I'm shaking Bell!" Draco said in a mocking tone. "As if I'm going to listen to a stupid Gryffindor like you."
"Oh, just shut up and wait for the meeting to start, you git," Katie snapped, her patience gone. Harry smirked as Draco flinched slightly, but the arrogant blonde quickly recovered.
"I'm not going to waste my time with you imbeciles," Draco scoffed. "I only stopped by to tell you not to bother giving me any patrol times. I'm not going to spend one minute watching over a bunch of Mudbloods and blood traitors, so save yourself the effort."
Harry's blood continued to boil at Malfoy's casual use of the bigoted term 'Mudblood', but he kept himself in check. He knew that Hermione would not approve of him escalating the situation, so he settled for showing his hatred towards Malfoy with as fierce a glare as he could manage. He continued glaring as the arrogant Slytherin strolled right out of the compartment, deliberately bumping Harry none-too-gently with his shoulder as he departed.
"What a tosser," Kattie muttered. "I don't know how he gets away with the things that he does. And he made prefect, even!"
"I guess that's what happens when your father bribes every bloody person he possibly can," Harry mused. "Not to mention, he has Snape as his Head of House, and that greasy bastard lets him do whatever he wants."
"Not that I disagree," Hermione interrupted, "but do you think we could change the subject? As long as we're here early, why don't you fill Harry in on what you and the Head Boy will expect from him as a prefect?"
Nodding her agreement, Katie began bringing Gryffindor's new prefect up to speed on his responsibilities.
--NMM--
Once the meeting had been completed and all questions had been answered, Harry and Hermione emerged from the prefects' carriage along with their fellow prefects. They briefly chatted about the subjects that had been discussed during the meeting, but Harry knew Hermione too well to think he'd heard the last of his confrontation with Draco. Sure enough, as soon as they were out of earshot of the other prefects, Hermione abruptly changed the subject.
"I really wish you wouldn't go at Malfoy like that," she said quietly. "If you're going to take your prefect duties seriously, you need to set a better example." Harry kept his eyes focused straight ahead, not wanting to see the disappointed look he was sure was on her face. The reproach in her voice was bad enough.
"I do take this prefect stuff seriously," Harry insisted. "It's just...he's such a git!"
"I never said he wasn't," Hermione replied, "but you can't let him get to you. He's just a spoiled little brat. Be the bigger person, and don't react to his nonsense. You have more important things to worry about, anyway."
"I know," Harry acknowledged. "I'll try my best. But any time he calls you a Mud...well, you know...while I'm around, you might wanna keep an eye on me, because I'll probably want to punch his face in.
"I know," Hermione sighed, "and thank you for wanting to stick up for me. But I can take care of myself." In spite of these words, Hermione wore a slight smile on her face as she walked. Harry did not see it, as he was still not looking at her. Even if he had, he wouldn't have had any idea what it meant.
The two friends walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way, until they arrived back at Luna's compartment. Upon opening the door, they saw that Luna had since been joined by Ron and Neville. Conspicuous by her absence was the other member of their ill-fated trip to the Department of Mysteries, Ginny.
"Hullo, you lot," Harry greeted. "Where's Ginny?"
"She's off in another compartment with Dean," Ron said, grimacing as sourly as if he'd just witnessed another Chudley Cannons defeat. "I swear, if that git tries anything..."
"Oh, hush, Ronald," Luna said. "Ginny won't let him do anything she's not comfortable with."
"It's not just him I'm worried about," Ron grumbled. Ignoring him, Luna turned her head to look at Harry as he took his seat.
"Harry, Ronald told us that you and Hermione confronted Headmaster Dumbledore over the summer, and that Professor Lupin's return is your doing. Is this true?"
"Well...kind of," Harry said. "We didn't demand that Dumbledore hire Lupin specifically, but we did let him know that if Hogwarts couldn't provide a decent Defence professor for a change, we might transfer to some other school."
"Really? You threatened to leave Hogwarts?" Neville asked, startled. "Blimey! That took guts, Harry, standing up to Dumbledore like that! I don't think I could pull that off."
"Dumbledore might be a powerful wizard, but he's human. He makes mistakes like everybody else," Harry said. "And when we heard who he wanted to give the job to this year, we knew we had to do something."
"Who'd he want to give it to?" Neville asked curiously.
"Snape," Ron spat, answering for Harry. Neville's eyes widened at that, and even Luna looked surprised.
"Snape?" Neville repeated in disbelief. "Bloody hell! Thanks for standing up to him, you two. Snape teaching Defence would've been awful!"
"I quite agree," Hermione said, nodding. "Considering that most students outside of Slytherin don't think he's very good in his current role, I found it puzzling that the Headmaster would want to give him an even more important one. And he was actually hoping that Harry would help him set things into motion by going with him to recruit a replacement to teach Potions! I know he thinks highly of Professor Snape, but honestly, you'd think he would see that the man is simply no good as a teacher."
"Perhaps the grease-filled slipperdunks that make their home in Snape's hair have clouded the Headmaster's judgement," Luna offered. Harry turned his head quickly, not wanting to miss Hermione's reaction. He was not disappointed.
Hermione's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, as Luna's statement had left her too astonished to speak. As was usually the case, Hermione had no clue how to respond to Luna's seemingly outlandish statements. For his part, Harry found it incredibly amusing to see Hermione Granger, the girl who almost always had an answer for everything, struck speechless.
"Err...yeah, maybe that's it," Neville said hesitantly, breaking the brief silence that had overtaken the group.
"Yeah, you have to watch out for those slipperdunks," Harry agreed, smiling widely at Hermione as he spoke. She looked right back at him and rolled her eyes, though the slight grin threatening to break through suggested that she found some humour in the situation, too.
"Yes, I quite agree, Harry," Luna said, either oblivious to Harry and Hermione's interaction, or choosing to ignore it. "If you aren't aware of their presence, they can trick you into making some very poor decisions."
"Sounds like they've been screwing Dumbledore up for years, then," Harry said automatically. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, but he didn't acknowledge her. He'd agreed to give Dumbledore another chance, but that didn't mean he would easily forgive or forget what the man had done in the past.
Ron and Hermione already knew all about Harry's problems with Dumbledore, but Neville and Luna did not. Harry glanced back and forth between the two, trying to gauge their reaction to what he'd just blurted out. Luna hadn't outwardly reacted to his words, but that was nothing new. Neville, on the other hand, seemed taken aback. He was staring at Harry through narrowed eyes, and Harry was sure he was about to ask for an explanation.
Sure enough, Neville was the first to speak. "What're you talking about, Harry? What's Dumbledore done wrong?"
Harry didn't immediately reply. He liked Neville a great deal. After the events of the past year, he certainly felt much closer to Neville, Ginny and Luna. But how much faith was he willing to place in them? Could he confide in them to the same degree that he had Hermione, and later Ron? Could he tell them about his mistrust of Dumbledore, or of the contents of the prophecy?
Eventually, Harry settled for a simple, "It's complicated." His flat tone made it clear that he didn't want to discuss it any further, and Neville slowly nodded in understanding.
"OK, Harry," Neville said, looking him straight in the eyes. "If you don't want to talk about it, I'm sure you have your reasons. But just so you know, if you ever need help with anything, or even just someone to talk to, you can come to me. You can trust me, Harry. I won't rat you out or anything."
"The same is true for me," Luna offered. "I'll be happy to help you in any way I can, Harry. I don't have many friends, so it would be quite a shame if something happened to you."
Harry was silent for a moment, absorbing what his two newest friends has said. Neville's offer had been all eagerness and enthusiasm, while Luna's had been blunt and awkward. But both of them had been sincere. He had no doubts about that.
"Thanks, you two," Harry said. "Maybe I'll feel more comfortable sharing these things with you later. It's just...it usually takes a while for me to trust someone, and I've only just started hanging around with you guys, and..."
"I get it, Harry," Neville said, interrupting his rambling. "I know what you mean. Just know that we'll be there for you whenever you're ready."
Harry nodded, showing his appreciation, and the five friends moved on to other subjects.
--NMM--
The rest of the trip went by without incident. They thankfully did not encounter Malfoy again, either on the train or while riding in the carriages pulled by the Thestrals. Since they did not have to deal with any arrogant ferrets, Harry's group was able to chat pleasantly all the way until they arrived in the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. It was at that point that Ron's good mood evaporated, as he saw Ginny sitting very close to Dean at the Gryffindor table, his arm around her shoulders.
"Oi! Keep your hands to yourself, Thomas!" Ron growled. Dean made as if to comply, but Ginny grasped his arm and kept it right where it was.
"Shove off, Ron," she said heatedly. "His arm is around my shoulders-it's not as if he's copping a feel." Ron's face threatened to turn green at that particular mental image, but Ginny kept going. "Dean is my boyfriend, and he's not going to stay away from me just because you're uncomfortable. I'm not a little girl, Ron. You'd better get used to it."
Ron scowled at his sister, but Ginny's reprimand had effectively silenced him. Harry and Hermione shared an amused glance as they sat down beside Ron further down the table, finding humour in his discomfort.
"They grow up so fast, don't they, Ron?" Harry teased, grinning at Ron as the redhead glared at him.
"Sod off, Harry," Ron grumbled, none too happy that his best mate had decided to take that opportunity to poke fun at him.
"He's right, though, Ron," Hermione added seriously. "Ginny is growing up, whether you like it or not. If you try to treat her like a child or interfere in her relationships, it'll only make things worse."
"So, what, I should just sit back and do nothing? What if that git tries something with her?" Ron asked, glaring at Hermione in defiance.
"If Ginny ever truly needs your help, I'm sure she'll ask for it," Hermione calmly replied. "But in the meantime, I suggest you let her live her life. If Dean gives her any sort of trouble, Ginny is quite capable of handling herself."
Ron still didn't look very happy, but he was prevented from responding as the Sorting began. The three friends watched in relative silence as the incoming first year students nervously approached the Sorting Hat, and they applauded whenever one of the newcomers was Sorted into Gryffindor. As he watched one student after another sit upon the stool and receive the Sorting Hat's judgement, Harry couldn't help but think back to his own Sorting, which felt like a lifetime ago after everything he'd been through in the past five years. He wondered if any of the students being sorted on this day would have to argue with the hat, as he'd had to. The hat was supposedly never wrong, but Harry doubted very seriously that he'd have done well in Slytherin. Sharing a dorm with Draco bloody Malfoy did not sound appealing in the least.
Once the last student had been Sorted, Headmaster Dumbledore rose from his seat and smiled patiently as all chatter gradually died down. Once things were quiet, the revered wizard began giving his customary welcome speech.
"Hello students, and welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I trust that you all have had a nice summer-that is to say, as nice a summer as could be had under the present circumstances. Hopefully, you've been able to enjoy yourselves during the past months. But now that you've returned to Hogwarts, it is time for us to acknowledge what lies before us, and prepare for it as best we can.
"As we are all well aware, Tom Riddle, a former student of this very school who later adopted the name 'Lord Voldemort', returned to power over one year ago, at the conclusion of the Triwizard Tournament. Our own Harry Potter witnessed this first-hand. He saw Voldemort's followers--those who refer to themselves as 'Death Eaters'--return to do their master's bidding once more. He watched as Cedric Diggory was thoughtlessly murdered, merely because he happened to be there.
"When Harry returned to Hogwarts that night, he told me exactly what had taken place, what he'd seen. I soon received other compelling evidence that confirmed Harry's story, but even if I'd had nothing to go on but his word, I would have believed him, as I hold him in the highest regard. When he described to me exactly what he'd seen, there was not a doubt in my mind that Harry was telling the truth: Voldemort had returned."
Harry looked around, taking note that many of his fellow students looked pale and sickly, no doubt horrified by the mere thought of Voldemort truly being back. The notable exception was, predictably, the Slytherin table. While some of the students were unreadable, others seemed to be fighting not to smile. Draco was far bolder: he was smirking openly, and when he noticed Harry's scrutiny, his smirk grew more pronounced and he made a slashing gesture across his throat. Harry scowled at his long-time nemesis and turned away, returning his attention to the Headmaster.
"Unfortunately, certain influential members of our society chose not to believe Harry. They refused to believe that Voldemort had returned, because they were unable or unwilling to deal with what that would mean for our society. And so, instead of doing their best to prepare magical Britain for the danger that was closing in, they sought to discredit both Harry, and the unfortunate news he delivered to us. And, since I steadfastly supported Harry's claims, they labelled me a senile old fool who was no longer fit to run this school. In an effort to watch over both Harry and myself, Minister Fudge appointed Dolores Umbridge to last year's teaching staff, without my consent."
Unsurprisingly, there were loud, angry mutterings from many of the students at the mention of Cornelius Fudge's Senior Undersecretary. Aside from those that joined her infamous Inquisitorial Squad, Umbridge had angered nearly every student in Hogwarts with her tyrannical behaviour.
Harry grimaced as he thought back on his own run-ins with Fudge's filthy toad. He glanced at the back of his hand, which still carried a faint scar thanks to Umbridge and her blood quill. Hermione noticed and patted Harry's hand in sympathy, lightly running her fingers across his scarred flesh, and Harry smiled at her in response. Before he had much time to reflect on how comfortable he was becoming with Hermione's affectionate touches, Dumbledore continued.
Dumbledore smiled and nodded knowingly at the negative reaction Umbridge's name had generated. "Ah, I see that many of you were not overly fond of Madam Umbridge's methods. It should please you then to know that she will have no involvement with Hogwarts this term, or ever again. But that is not the only change that will be made at Hogwarts. As you all know, Lord Voldemort was spotted in the Ministry of Magic building near the end of last term. After this sighting, not even Minister Fudge could deny the truth any longer. He, and all others who had supported his viewpoint, was forced to acknowledge that Harry had been telling the truth all along. Nearly a year after it had happened, Voldemort's return was finally an accepted fact within our society."
Harry was aware of several students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and even some from his own table, casting brief, guilty glances in his direction. No doubt they were thinking back to their own actions during the previous school year, when quite a few of them had bought into the propaganda of the Ministry and the Daily Prophet. One student who seemed particularly remorseful was Harry's own dorm mate, Seamus Finnigan, who had initially gone along with his mother in doubting Harry's claims. Seamus, his face red with shame, looked at Harry apologetically, but Harry just smiled and waved it off. Seamus had long since apologized, and besides, Harry had far more important things to worry about than a simple argument with a classmate.
"I understand that this isn't news you ever wished to hear," Dumbledore continued, "but it is the truth. And the good news is, now that Voldemort's return has been taken as fact, we will be free to focus on preparing ourselves. Now that they've seen that Harry and I were telling the truth all along, the Ministry has given me the authority to once again run Hogwarts as I see fit, free from their meddling. This, of course, means that any and all 'Educational Decrees' made by Madam Umbridge are henceforth abolished. But that is only one change of many this term. Now that Voldemort's return is out in the open, I feel it is imperative that the faculty do everything we possibly can to prepare you for what is out there. Voldemort and his Death Eaters will not distinguish between trained aurors and schoolchildren. In Voldemort's mind, if you are not a so-called pureblood wizard who shares his own prejudiced views, you are a target. Thus, it is essential for every student in these halls to learn how to defend themselves. With my authority as Headmaster restored in full, I have instituted some changes for this upcoming term, all designed to make sure you will be better prepared should you find yourselves in grave danger. The first of these changes, which most of you are already well aware of, is the return of the good Remus Lupin as our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Professor Lupin, if you would please rise."
Lupin rose from his seat at the staff table, and quickly received an enthusiastic round of applause from three of the four House tables, with Slytherin being the obvious exception. Those students fourth year and above, who'd been taught by Lupin three years earlier, were especially exuberant in their applause. Lupin smiled broadly, clearly touched that so many students were happy to see him return. Harry clapped harder than anyone in the room, and when Lupin looked his way, he grinned and gave his father's old friend a thumbs up. Lupin's smile widened, and he acknowledged Harry with a slight nod.
There was at least one person that was distinctly unhappy with this announcement however: Severus Snape. When Harry happened to lock eyes with the Potions professor, he was treated to a murderous glare. Snape, with his narrowed eyes and fierce scowl, looked as if he wanted nothing more than to get up from his seat and throttle the "Boy-Who-Lived" with his bare hands. He'd obviously read the Daily Prophet article that Dumbledore had put together in support of Remus. The article, which had done much to ease the public's fears about Lupin's return to Hogwarts, had featured several direct quotes from Harry. Harry wasn't sure if Dumbledore had previously promised Snape that the job would be his, but if this death stare was any indication, he had clearly thought he would be given his desired post at last. Suppressing a shiver, and now devoutly thankful that he would no longer be taking Potions with Snape, Harry looked away in time to see Lupin sit back down, and Dumbledore stand front and centre once again.
"I am pleased to see that so many of you older students seem to have fond memories of Professor Lupin's previous stint at Hogwarts," Dumbledore remarked with a twinkle in his eyes. "For those of you who have not had the pleasure of being instructed by Professor Lupin, let me assure you that he is very much qualified for the position. In fact, I think it would be fair to say that it has been a decade or more since any Defence teacher has done the job as well as Professor Lupin. Were it not for the unfortunate revelation about his status as a werewolf, Professor Lupin would have remained here as our Defence instructor all along."
Harry scowled, remembering exactly who it was that had let that bit of news slip. Now that Lupin had come back and had once again been given the DADA job that Snape supposedly coveted, he wondered what, if anything, the greasy git might do to try and run him off for a second time. Based on the look Snape had given him moments earlier, Harry wouldn't put anything past the enraged Slytherin. He resolved to bring this fear up with Hermione the first chance he got.
"As I've already stated in the Daily Prophet article that I'm sure many of you have read, I am quite confident that Professor Lupin's medical issues will not pose any threat to anyone in this school," Dumbledore said assuredly. "Here at Hogwarts, he will have ready access to the Wolfsbane Potion, which will allow him to remain in control of his actions even during the full moon. There will also be other precautions in place in order to protect you should something go wrong, though I think it best not to reveal what, precisely, those precautions are. Rest assured that Professor Lupin will pose no more danger to you than any other Hogwarts professor. I am delighted that my opinion of Mr. Lupin, as well as the opinions of some others who know him well, was enough to appease any outside concerns and ensure that he be given a second chance. I have no doubt that he will make the most of this opportunity and prove that, werewolf or not, he deserves this job."
The same students that warmly greeted Lupin when he was first introduced did the same once again, making it clear through their loud applause that they supported his return. Harry happily joined in, feeling immensely proud that he'd been able to help make this happen.
"The return of Professor Lupin is not the only change I will be instituting," Dumbledore went on, once the applause had died down. "While I believe he will prove to be a more than capable instructor, I have decided that in these dangerous times, additional Defence work is a very sound idea. Thus, beginning this term, Hogwarts will be offering optional "Advanced Defence" instruction. This will not be an official class as such, and there will be no formal testing. Instead, these Advanced Defence lessons will focus on teaching you how to apply the lessons you've learned; the jinxes, curses and hexes you know, in actual combat situations. Some may refer to it as a Duelling Club, though I can promise you older students it will be nothing like the farce of an exhibition put forth by Gilderoy Lockhart four years ago. These lessons will allow you to get a taste of what it is like to truly face down an opponent, though we will obviously not permit the use of anything that could inflict lasting damage. Certain restrictions and regulations will apply, but as I am sure many of you are growing quite restless, I will say no more for now. If you wish to learn more about these Advanced Defence lessons, contact your Head of House for more information."
Harry shared surprised looks with both Hermione and Ron. Neither Dumbledore, nor Remus had said anything to them about these Advanced Defence lessons, so Harry was learning of them the same time everyone else was. Nevertheless, Harry thought it sounded like a great idea. There was no such thing as too much Defence, and if these lessons were run properly, they could help he and his fellow students prepare for any future battles with Voldemort and his cronies. Even though he and his friends had made it back from the Department of Mysteries in one piece, Harry held no illusions about what had happened. They got lucky, plain and simple; just as he'd gotten lucky in his first year, when his mother's protection prevented Quirrell from touching him, or his second year, when Fawkes had swooped in to save him in the Chamber of Secrets, or his fourth year, when his wand being a "brother" to Voldemort's had allowed him to escape from the graveyard. Sooner or later, Harry was sure his luck was bound to run out. And when it did, he wanted to be prepared.
"Now, before we enjoy another wonderful feast, I have one last announcement I would like to make," Dumbledore said, making sure he still had everyone's attention before he continued, his voice suddenly taking on a harder edge and his face looking quite serious. "I understand that, in these times, it may be hard to decide which course of action to take. Indeed, some of you may feel that you have no choice in the direction your life is headed. But I firmly believe that there is always a choice. Regardless of what your friends, your family, or even your professors try to tell you, your life is what you make of it. As I am quite fond of saying, there may come a time when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy. When that time comes, look inside your heart, and you will know what to do."
As Dumbledore finished his speech, he seemed to be looking squarely at Draco Malfoy. Harry watched as Draco stared straight down at his table, resolutely refusing to meet the Headmaster's gaze. Harry silently wondered whether Dumbledore actually believed that Draco could be saved, that he could be convinced not to walk down the same path as the father he so admired. As far as Harry was concerned, Draco was either a Death Eater already, or he was well on his way. Regardless of what Dumbledore thought, Harry knew he would need to watch his back around Malfoy and his friends, now more than ever.
--NMM--
Harry wasn't the only one who paid close attention to Dumbledore during the final few moments of his speech. Severus Snape watched as the old man tried to get through to Draco Malfoy, and silently snorted in derision. That boy worshipped the ground his father walked on. If he didn't already bear the mark, it was only a matter of time. Snape had said as much to Dumbledore, but the old man had refused to believe him. He still had hope that Draco could be convinced not to follow down his father's footsteps; no matter how closely he resembled a teenage Lucius Malfoy in both appearance and attitude.
Sentimental old fool. Some people are beyond saving.
--NMM--
A/N: Sorry about the longer delay. A combination of the busy holiday season, other responsibilities, and a bit of writer's block bogged me down, but I've completed this chapter at last. Hopefully most of you enjoyed it.
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