Just A Bet ● Fred Weasley × Reader ●

36 - Harry? A Teacher? Hell Yeah

TW - mentions of death

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Snow littered the ground. It was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, which is always exciting. Right now, a whole horde of us were cooped up in the Hog's Head.

What a dingy place... When I walked in on my own, I was skeptical. The sign outside was nearly hanging on to the building by a thread. And the inside was just as terrible.

We had basically lost any semblance of Defense Against the Dark Arts education. Umbridge didn't teach anything worth anything. Hated it. And when I sat behind the twins, Harry looked like a scared cat about to run up a tree. Hermione tried nudging him, but he didn't budge, so she stood instead.

"We need a teacher. A real one. One who knows how to defend against the dark arts."

"Why, though?" Some random boy said. I didn't know his name. Nor did I care to try to learn it.

"What do you mean 'why'? Why do you think? Because You know who's back, that's why." Ron retorted.

The boy scoffed. "With what proof? How about you tell us about how Diggory died."

I grumbled. Seriously? This this kid have any sense of empathy? Me, Harry, and Cho, as much as I disliked her, all lost someone dear. "If you're all here to ask about Cedric, then leave. The door is there," I said, pointing at the door.

Fred turned and looked at me with those same damn soft eyes... mmph. I settled down. How dare I go from glaring constantly at each other and shooting one another down with a look to... To this... Him being soft and shutting me down in a good way.

Regardless, I shoot a tiny glare and then focus back on the trio up front.

Harry mumbled to Hermione, something about wanting to leave, but Luna cut through.

"Is it true that you can produce a patrons charm, Harry?" Her voice didn't echo like the rest. Quiet and breathy. She really was something whimsical.

Everyone went silent and stared, eyes darting between Luna and Harry.

"He can. I've seen it," Hermione confirmed.

"Yeah. Took down one hundred of the things at once in third year." Ron grinned, but Harry didn't look very proud to be admired like this.

"And year two," Neville began, "Fought off a basilisk."

"Last year, he really did fight off you know who in the flesh," Hermione added.

"Alright, look..." Harry finally stepped forward. "You make it all sound so great. You make me sound like a hero. But I didn't really know what I was doing half the time. It's all luck. And I always had help-"

"He's just being modest-"

"No, 'Mione, I'm not. Truth is, what's out there... school doesn't teach you that. If you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow. But this, there is no mistakes. When you're a second away from being murdered... or watching a friend die..."

I looked down, memories that I didn't want resurfaced. Cedric's empty eyes. His pale skin. His unmoving chest empty of the breath of life. The screams that tore through my throat. The tears of his father...

Then there was a shoulder against my knee. I looked down, and there was Fred. His shoulder strategically applying pressure to my knee. How...?

"You don't know what that's like." Harry finished, eyes scanning the crowd.

I do...

"You're right." Hermione sat back down beside Harry while he shakily lowered himself into a sitting position. "That's why we need you. Cause if we're going to have any chance of beating... ...Voldemort..."

The silence of the group only grew louder at the mention of the name. Nor one's bothered with that name... but now that the threat is very real, I see no use in keeping up the superstition.

"Is he really back?" Little Collin Creevey asked.

Harry only nodded.

I don't know what came over me, but the idea of seeing the dead body of another friend was a very real, very possible threat that I didn't want to happen. I approached the parchment first, signing my name under Harry, Ron, and Hermione's.

y/n l/n

Then the twins stood and filed behind me, followed by everyone else. I stood off to the side near Hermione, watching everyone line single file and sign their names. Fred's signature under mine, George's under that...

Now we were all Dumbledore's Army.

I followed with the twins towering on their side of me while Harry discussed a place to hold the classes. Somewhere no one - especially Umbridge - wouldn't be able to find us. Sounds like a solid plan. But where do we host the class?

But now that we all have a group and a great person to teach us defensive spells...

No one will die under my watch.

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A/N - Hiiii! Small filler, but pretty good for the plot, I'd say.

Until next time, Darlings! Xxx