Hey Freddie

In The Hogs Head

Fred told me about a secret club Harry was starting, so of course I decided to go with him to check it out. We shuffled into the three broomsticks with a large group of people who's interests were piqued just like my own. I came in first, and sat down next to Ron, giving his head a little pat. Then came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho and one of her usually-giggling girlfriends, then (on her own and looking so dreamy she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait clown her back whose name I did not know; three Ravenclaw boys, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot, Ginny, closely followed by a tall skinny blond boy with an upturned nose whom I recognised vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and, bringing up the rear, Fred and George Weasley with our mutual friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise.

The barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. Possibly, he had never seen his pub so full.

"Hi," said Fred, reaching the bar first and counting his companions quickly, planting a small kiss on my cheek, could we have ... twenty-six Butterbeers, please?"

The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty Butterbeers from under the bar.

"Cheers," said Fred, handing them out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these ..."

I have Fred six sickles, and he gave me an incredulous look.

"You only need two y/n."

"It's for you and George, now take the money." I pushed it into his hands.

In twos and threes the new arrivals settled around Harry, Ron and Hermione, some looking rather excited, others curious, Luna Lovegood gazing dreamily into space. Fred pulled up a chair next to me, casually draping his arm around my shoulder. When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon Harry.

"Er," said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. "Well--er--hi."

I gave her a small thumbs up of encouragement and she took a deep breath.

"Well ... erm ... well, you know why you're here. Erm ... well, Harry here had the idea--I had the idea--that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts--and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us-- "(Hermione's voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) "-- because nobody could call that Defence Against the Dark Arts-" ("Hear, hear," said Anthony Goldstein, and Hermione looked heartened) "--Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands."

She paused, looked sideways at Harry and went on, "And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells-"

"You want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL too, though, I bet?" said Michael Corner, who was watching her closely.

"Of course I do," said Hermione at once. "But more than that, I want to be properly trained in defence because ... because ..." she took a great breath and finished, "because Lord Voldemort is back."

The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped Butterbeer down herself; Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch; Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. Fred didn't flinch, but his face gave a small wince.