Harry Potter - Fanfiction

Year 5 - The Lion and The Serpent

"What makes you think that I would want to teach you," Professor Snape asks as he pulls me into his office, shutting the door behind him. "It's a preposterous idea."

"Well, I know it is, however I think with my extensive knowledge I have obtained throughout my years here that, should you agree, I am capable of learning something so difficult," I answer nervously.

"I must admit I am rather impressed at how much you have studied in the Restricted Section." Professor Snape crosses his arms.

"You've checked up on it?" I ask surprised.

"Of course, I am the one signing the slips after all," he answers testily.

"Right, of course," I say firmly.

"Professor Umbridge," he begins sourly, "has informed me to not continue signing these slips."

"She has warned me as well, a month's detention if I do that again," I answer sadly.

"Well then I think maybe you have a point," he says softly.

"Pardon?"

"We will replace your studying in the Restricted Section with me. I'll have to confirm with Professor Dumbledore first," he answers coldly. "But mark my words if he agrees, I will not go easy on you."

"You won't regret it," I answer happily.

"Now go to bed, before you receive detention again."

   

Over the next two weeks we, the D.A., manage to resist Umbridge right under her nose, doing the very thing that she and the Ministry most fear. People are certainly improving, Neville manages to successfully disarm Hermione and myself which is actually nearly impossible, and she wasn't too happy about that. Next, we move onto the Impediment Jinx; everyone getting stronger at it as the lessons wear on.

We tackle the Reductor Curse as well, to which one of the Patil twins produces such a good spell that she reduces the table carrying the Sneakoscopes to dust.

Harry finds it difficult to fix a regular night of the week for D.A. meetings, as we have to accommodate three separate Quidditch teams practices, which are often rearranged depending on the weather conditions. In the end each meeting is always at a different time which I think is better that way, so that should someone be watching our movements, they won't be able to find a pattern.

Hermione and I put our heads together and have found a very clever method of communicating the time and date of the next meeting to all the members in case we need to change it at short notice.

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione says, holding one up for examination at the end of our fourth meeting.

The coin gleams fat and yellow in the light from the torches. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket, you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he'll change the number on his coin, and because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his."

A blank silence greets Hermione's words. She looks around at all the faces upturned to her, rather disconcerted.

"Well... Nyx and I thought it was a good idea," she says uncertainly, "I mean, even if Umbridge asks us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But... Well, if you don't want to use them..."