Towers - Fred Weasley

57

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

EBONY, FRED, GEORGE AND LEE HAD FOUND THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT. Harry had said to all meet there and honestly, it looked amazing. The room was huge and had many different books. She looks around in awe and smiles when she realizes that they will be trained for real now.

"Well," Harry says, slightly nervously. "This is the place we've found for practice sessions, and you've - er - obviously found it okay." 

"It's fantastic!" Cho replies, and several people murmur their agreement. 

"It's bizarre," Fred says, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then."

"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" Dean asks from the rear of the room, indicating the Sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.

"Dark detectors," Harry replies, stepping between the cushions to reach them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled... " 

"Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and - er -" He notices a raised hand. "What, Hermione?" 

"I think we ought to elect a leader," Hermione says. 

"Harry's leader," Cho states at once, looking at Hermione as though she were mad. 

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," Hermione added, unperturbed. "It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So - everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?" 

Everybody put up their hand, even Zacharias Smith, though he did it very half-heartedly. 

 "Er - right, thanks," Harry says, who could feel his face burning. "And -what, Hermione?" 

"I also think we ought to have a name," she says brightly, her hand still in the air. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" Angelina asks hopefully. 

"Or the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group?" suggests Fred. 

"I was thinking," Hermione says, frowning at Fred, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings." 

"The Defense Association?" Cho suggests. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?" 

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," Ginny replies. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledores Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?" 

There is a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.

"All in favor of the D.A.?" asks Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. "That's a majority - motion passed!" 

"Right," Harry says, when she has sat down again, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful -" 

"Oh, please," Zacharias Smith says, rolling his eye s and folding his arms. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?" 

"I've used it against him," Harry replies quietly. "It saved my life in June. But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Smith did not move. Nor did anybody else. "Okay," Harry continues, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."