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"𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 fucking hundredth time I'm not going to Potter's little play date." Marina spat.
Today, on the first Hogsmade weekend of the year, Lavender and Pavarti dragged her over to Hogs Head on the snowy afternoon of early December.
"Marina, we're going. Hermione asked us personally." Pavarti replied, who was in a better mood lately since Hermione had ask them to join a "group" full of people who wanted to learn real defensive magic.
"Well tell her I've got dragon pox then," Marina mumbled as they entered the bar, full of goats.
"Too bad. We are here now. Hi everyone!" said Lavender as she waved at everyone in the room.
"Thanks for coming Lavender, why don't you three go sit down and we'll get started." Hermione smiled. Marina walked over to a stool, sat on it with her right leg over the other.
"Hi," said Fred, reaching the bar first and counting his companions quickly. "Could we have... twenty-five butterbeers, please?"
The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty butterbeers from under the bar.
"I'm not paying for that." Marina mumbled as she adjusted her black leather boots.
"Cheers," said Fred, handing them out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these..."
Marina watched numbly as the large chattering group took their beers from Fred and rummaged in their robes to find coins.
When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon Harry.
"Er," said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. "Well – er – hi."
The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry.
"Well... erm... well, you know why you're here. Erm... well, Harry here had the idea – I mean" – Harry had thrown her a sharp look – "I had the idea – that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts – and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us" – (Hermione's voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) – "because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts" –
"Hear, hear," said Anthony Goldstein.
Hermione looked heartened – "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 I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells –"
