The Protector

Practice and Practice

Later than night was our first meeting. Our first thing on the agenda was to try with a very simple spell: Expelliarmus. If they could get that, they could fight almost anyone.

Neville was the first one to try it on the dummy Death Eater first. He tried it, but it flew his wand backwards, nearly hitting a little boy named Nigel in the face. Luckily he dunked.

"I'm as useless as a bucket of snow in the tundra."

"Not true," I lifted his spirits.

"It's just, your flickering your wand too much," Harry pulled out his wand to show him. "Watch. Expelliarmus!"

The fake wand flew out of the dummy hand without a problem. I ran over and picked it up. I placed it back in the dummy's hand. "Sorry Neville. You'll get it next time. Next."

Every time we would have Defense Against the Dart Arts, it would be deathly boring. She had us rewrite sentences down so we would remember them.

"Remember no need to talk," Umbridge started to walk up and down our aisles.

"More like no need to think," Hermione muttered. I tried to stifle my laughter. It didn't work.

"Nice one, 'Mione," I whispered.

The next night was another one of our meetings. We had them a couple to times a week. Always in the late evenings.

"Stunning is the most useful spells you could ever use," Harry told the teens.

"Besides Expelliarmus and Immobulus," I told them.

"Bridget and I shall demonstrate," Harry smiled to me. We walked to separate ends of the room.

"We go after one," I told him. "Not on one. After. I don't want you cheating."

He smirked, "Three. Two. One."

"Stupefy!" Harry and I both called out. We both got hit and the same time and flew backwards.

I groaned, "You hit me hard, Harry."

"Same to you," he got up with me. We walked back to the center.

"Who would like to give it a shot?" I asked. "Nigel?"

He looked a little frightened. He went over to the fireplace side of the room. Harry had this one so I stood over by the twins.

Nigel slowly pulled out his wand. Come on, Nigel. I rooted. You can do it.

"Stupefy!" He called out. The way he did it seemed like he did it hard. Harry and Nigel both flew backwards.

"Not bad, Nigel!" I smiled. "Well done!"

He seemed a bit shook up when he got up. Hermione and Ron were chosen next. Hermione and Ron stood apart as the others did.

"You can do it Ron!" His twin brothers seemed to antagonize him.

"One sickle that he loses," Fred challenged his brother.

"So on."

"I bet one sickle from each that he says he let her win after," I whispered to them.

"You're on," they both whispered in unison.

Ron seemed to be shaking from fear of Hermione's strength. Hermione hit him first. A few girls gasped. I had to hold back my laughter.

Ron got up and Hermione was then surrounded by a group of teenage girls. Ron came over to us, "I so let her do that."

I held my hands up to my shoulders. They sighed. I felt the coins pop into my hands and smiled. "That feels great." I slid them into my chest pouch.