star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Arabella's words had given Hermione an idea. For the remainder of the day and into the next, the two talked about it whenever they could. When they thought they had finally figured it out, they informed Ron of it as they sat in the common room late on Monday night. Ron fully agreed with them and they all got excited, thinking that this could just work. Of course, they had to get Harry to agree to it, but he was in detention, as he had mouthed off to Professor Umbridge yet again during Care of Magical Creatures as she had been evaluating Professor Grubbly-Plank and questioning students. He had been given another week of detention.

He finally climbed through the portrait hole when the three of them were the last ones left in the common room. Knowing that his hand would be bleeding and in pain after the detention, Hermione had gotten him some murtlap essence in a bowl to soak his hand in.

"She's an awful woman," Hermione said about Umbridge. "Awful. You know, yesterday morning, Bella and I came up with this idea and we've just been talking to Ron about it. We've got to do something about her."

"I suggested poison," Ron said.

"I agreed," Arabella said.

"No," Hermione said, shooting the twins a look. "I mean something about what a dreadful teacher she is and how we're not going to learn any defense from her at all."

"We were thinking we should just take it upon ourselves," Arabella said.

"Take what upon ourselves?" Harry asked.

"It's like what you said in our first lesson with Umbridge. Preparing ourselves for what's out there. We know You-Know-Who is laying low now, but we don't know how long he's going to continue with that. We might not have until we get a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher when we have to start defending ourselves against him. And sure, we can go and look up jinxes in the library and practice them in our spare time, but with no one with experience to direct us and help us, that will only do so much."

"We need a teacher," Hermione said, "a proper one, who can show us how to use spells and correct us if we're going wrong."

"If you're talking about Lupin..." Harry trailed off.

"No, no, we're not talking about Lupin."

"Though that would be ideal," Arabella said.

"He's too busy with the Order and anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends and that's not nearly often enough."

"Who, then?" Harry asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We're talking about you, Harry."

"About me what?"

"We're talking about you teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts."

There was a moment of silence in which Harry looked at Ron, apparently expecting him to say something.

"It's an idea," Ron said.

"What's an idea?" Harry asked.

Arabella leaned back in her armchair in defeat. "Merlin," she said, "was I naïve in thinking this would go a lot easier?" She sat back up and looked Harry in the eyes. "We want you to teach us, Harry. Us and anyone else who's interested."

"But I'm not a teacher, I can't-"

"Harry, you're the best in our year at Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione told him.

"Me? No I'm not, you two have beaten me in every test-"

"No, we haven't," Arabella cut him off, shaking her head.

"You beat us both in third year - the only year we all sat the test and had a teacher who actually knew the subject," Hermione said. "But we're not talking about test results, Harry. Look at what you've done!"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"You know what, I'm not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me," Ron said. He and the girls went on to list every extraordinary thing Harry had done over the years, with Harry trying to interrupt them, trying to tell them it was all just luck. However, they weren't taking him seriously, and it was making him angry. Eventually, he went off at them and wiped the smiles right off their faces, telling them that they didn't know what it was like. They told him that that was exactly why they needed him, and asked him to think about it.

Arabella had been following Ron and Hermione up the stairs to the dormitories when Harry called out to her, causing her to turn around and face him.

"Aren't you worried about how Malfoy will react?" he asked her, apparently trying to come up with anything that would make them rethink their idea or dismiss it entirely. "I don't exactly see him opposing Umbridge and if you're actively against her..."

Arabella thought about it for a moment and then sighed. "He won't know," she said. "I'm not going to tell him. But if he insists on being on the wrong side of history, he will lose me and I'm sure he knows that. Whatever happens is up to him, really."

[word count: 849]
[written: 6/28/20]
[published: 7/12/20]