𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 | b. black

✧.*┊xvi. dumbledore's army

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
dumbledore's army

.·:*¨༺ ☾ ༻¨*:·.

𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐑 about starting a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts club. The Auror thought it was a terrible idea considering how much trouble they could get in if Umbridge – who had completely taken over the school – were to find out about it, but at the same time, her rebellious nature told her it was a perfect fuck you to that horrid woman.

They called themselves Dumbledore's Army. A handful of Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws had joined, including Dorothea. The only problem was that she wasn't comfortable working in groups that large, so Hermione came up with a plan to start small with a few people she was comfortable with and slowly add in the other members over time.

That was where Juniper came in. The Golden Trio thought it only fit that a trained Auror should help teach them defensive magic alongside Harry. She was the only member of the staff that they could trust with this information given how long they've known her.

Juniper had made plenty of visits to Hogwarts over the last five years. Whenever something bad would happen – like the Sorcerer's Stone being stolen or Dorothea being cursed and opening the Chamber of Secrets – she would come up with a few other Aurors for extra security measures. She was honoured that she had the trust of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and she was more than happy to help other young witches and wizards learn the skills they needed to protect themselves against dark forces.

The day after the first Dumbledore's Army meeting, the Golden Trio brought Dorothea, Luna, and Neville into the Room of Requirement to work with the Hufflepuff girl in a less crowded environment.

"Just relax, okay, Thea?" Juniper whispered to her, giving her shoulder a light, reassuring squeeze.

"Let's start with the basics," Harry told Dorothea. "Just a few simple spells to see where you are and what you need to improve on—"

"Expelliarmus!" Dorothea flicked her wand, and Harry's wand went flying out of his hand. He looked at her, caught off guard. Juniper grinned a little.

"Um, yeah, like that." Harry picked up his wand. "Then, of course, there's the stunning spell—"

"Stupefy!" With another flick of her wand, Dorothea sent Harry flying back. Hermione waved her wand to summon some cushions to soften the blow of his landing.

"Bloody hell." Ron looked between Harry and Dorothea in amazement. "Maybe she should be teaching you, mate."

"How are you so good at these spells?" Hermione asked curiously. She'd never once seen Dorothea practicing in her free time. She was always sitting somewhere reading a book. She didn't ever seem like she was interested in training.

"My godmother and older sister are Aurors," Dorothea replied simply, shrugging her shoulders with a blank look on her face. "Are we done here? I want to get back to Lord of the Flies."

Hermione crossed her arms. "No offense, but you really seem like you don't want to be here. If you already know how to do this stuff, then why did you join?"

"Hermione," Juniper warned, sending the Gryffindor girl a stern look. She could sense that there was some slight jealousy about the possibility that Dorothea was better than her at something.

"I joined for the same reason everyone else did," Dorothea responded. She stared blankly at the trio, hoping that they would understand without her having to explain herself. When they didn't, she sighed, looking away from the uncomfortable eye contact. "I want to be prepared to face what's out there. I want to practice because I know there's always room for improvement, even if one is already good at something."

Harry nodded. "Then let's practice. We'll do so in pairs. Dorothea, you can be with Luna. Ron, you and Hermione will work together. Neville, you're with me."

"What about Auntie June?" Dorothea asked.

"I will be helping each of you out with anything you need," Juniper said.

"Then can you teach me archery? I need a challenge. There's nothing challenging about these basic spells."

Juniper glanced over at Harry, asking silently if that would be alright with him. He gave her a small nod, and she turned back to Dorothea. "Archery it is, then. Luna, would you care to learn, as well?"

"Oh, definitely." Luna nodded with an eager smile.

"Alright, then, let's get started."

.·:*¨༺ ☾ ༻¨*:·.

The first half of the school year passed much quicker with these illicit activities. Luna and Dorothea met with Juniper once a week in the Room of Requirement for a lesson in archery. Twice a week Juniper would help Harry teach defensive magic to the rest of the DA. By the time the Christmas holidays arrived, she had seen great improvement from everyone, especially Neville.

Juniper walked into the Hufflepuff common room the night before the end of the first term. As expected, Dorothea was curled up in a chair reading. Juniper's heart sank when she saw that it was Pride and Prejudice, which she hadn't touched for many years. She hadn't even looked at her favourite book ever since Bellatrix referenced it in the letter she left for her.

Dorothea looked up when her godmother sat down across from her. She put her bookmark in and set the book aside. "Hey."

"Have you heard the news yet?" Juniper asked with a grin.

"News?" Dorothea repeated, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Didn't your mum tell you? Thea, we're spending Christmas with the Malfoys this year. Narcissa's just sent out the invitations."

Dorothea's eyes lit up, and an excited gasp fell from her lips as she jumped up, doing a little hop while her hands shook happily. "We're spending the holidays with Auntie Cissa? Why didn't anyone tell me? I've got to go pack my trunk! What do you suppose I should give Draco as a gift? I hadn't even thought to get him anything. Do you know what he likes? I don't suppose he's into books, and—" She cut herself off. She took a deep breath, slowing her excited chatter. "S-Sorry. I'm rambling. I ought to go pack."

"Hey, Thea?" Juniper called after her as she turned to head up the stairs.

Dorothea turned back around, her hand resting on the railing of the stairs. "Yeah?"

"It's good to see you smiling."

Dorothea smiled softly. "Goodnight, June."

"Goodnight, Thea." Juniper waited until she heard her dorm room door click shut, ensuring that she was safely inside, before leaving the common room.