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Chapter 6: A small rebellion
Chapter 6: A small rebellion



When Ron and Hermione finally left, Harry quickly opened the trunk and looked over the locking mechanisms. 'That careless girl almost destroyed the whole school.' Harry growled as he looked at the antimatter charge linked to the trunk's lock. It was a bit extreme, but considering the contents, he couldn't risk the chance that humans could get their hands on even wreckage from it.

He sighed again. He needed to relax a little. So, he moved to the middle of the room and began to repeat the six Shadow katas, the base of the Shadow strike techniques, which was the culmination of everything the Lantrisi knew or developed in martial arts. Every move, every position was a method of killing, lethal, and extremely efficient. Most who knew it claimed that the focus and concentration needed to perform the katas correctly helped them release stress and forget about problems.

A couple of weeks later, Ron and Hermione walked into the common room to find Harry talking to the Weasley twins in one of the corners.

"...so you just tickle the pear? I see." They heard Harry say.

"That's right mate. Are you sure you want to do this?" Fred asked him.

"Of course I'm sure. It's gonna be big, and I don't want to miss out. You'll have it in a few days. I'll give you the letter tonight." Harry told them and walked away.

"Harry, why were you talking to the twins?" Ron asked.

"Oh, I just wanted to know where the kitchens are." Harry replied absently.

"See you guys later, I want to check something before dinner." He continued, and left before they could say anything else.

Harry quickly found the portrait Fred and George told him about, and he tickled the pear as they said. The portrait moved quickly and showed him a huge room filled with hundreds of house elves who were running around excitedly.

When he walked in, everyone just froze. The fear on the house elves' faces was apparent; they were terrified from the predator that had invaded their sanctuary.

Finally, one of the elves managed to get closer to him, and spoke in a trembling, squeaky voice.

"C-a-a-an ww-e-ss he-ll-p you-ss s-ir?"

"Yes. First, stop stuttering. Second, I want you to tell me something. Is there a room in this castle where I can train? Something more private and secluded." Harry said in an icy tone.

"Y-es, s-ir." The small creature began, but was silenced by a glare from Harry. "There is a room on the seventh floor. It's called the Room of Requirement. What you does is..." Shaking in terror, the elf told Harry how to enter the Room.

Harry quickly thanked the elves, and rushed to the seventh floor to find this new room. Once he got to the place the elves told him, he walked passed the blank wall three times, thinking about the Order's training room. On the third time, a very familiar door appeared. Once he walked in, his face shifted to a wicked, feral grin that would scare even the strongest of men. The room was just what he needed. Still grinning, he moved to the weapons range. He really needed to blast something.

As the weeks passed, the students began to grow more and more discontent with the lessons from professor Umbridge.

She had managed to make herself even more unpopular by becoming the first Hogwarts High Inquisitor. This new position invented and backed up by the ministry further restricted the students and made life difficult for the teachers.

Right now, Harry and his friends were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, doing homework and discussing recent events.

"I can't believe that woman. I mean, she's actually forbidding us to practice spells. I still don't think what Sirius told us is true." Hermione ranted.

"Believe it, Hermione. I personally think Fudge is dumb enough to believe that Dumbledore wants to use us as his personal army." Harry said with a faint smile.

"You're probably right, but what can we do?" She turned to Harry.

"Just do what I do. Learn it yourselves." Harry said with a grin.

"You don't think I thought of that? We're way passed the level we could learn from books. We need a teacher, someone that can explain the spells, and show us how to do them properly." She said thoughtfully, and suddenly, she turned to Harry with such a spark in her eyes that he barely managed to stop himself from flinching.

"Harry, you could teach us. I mean, you're even better then me, and you already said you're learning how to do spells. Why not add a few more people?" Hermione beamed.

"I don't know. How many people are we talking about? And for what purpose do you want me to teach you? The OWL exams, or fighting Voldemort?" Harry said, ignoring their flinch.

"Well, I'd like to pass the exams, but you're right. The real reason would be to fight V-V-Voldemort." Hermione replied nervously.

"I don't know. I'll think about it. I'll tell you before the Hogsmeade weekend, alright?" Harry replied and returned to his Arithmancy calculations.

The day before the first Hogsmeade visit, Hermione once again asked Harry about him teaching Defense against the Dark Arts.

"Well, I've thought about it, and I think it's a good idea. How many people do you think would join us?" Harry asked the girl.

"I don't know. I'll spread the word, and see who shows up. I'll tell them to meet us in the Hog's Head; it's a bit out of the way..." Harry interrupted her.

"I think it's better to meet in the Three Broomsticks. The usual crowds there will give us some cover." Harry told her. She nodded in agreement and left to talk to other students.

In the last month Harry had gotten quite used to life at Hogwarts. He made very few friends, mostly those that could prove useful to the plans he made, and made a few enemies as well, as the Slytherin house openly showed their dislike for him. Thinking about them always made him laugh.

If he wanted to, he could easily get the password for their dorms and take out the whole house before they even knew it. Sometimes he longed for his old place in the Order; sometimes killing was just too addictive. Ron also tried to get him interested in Quidditch and several Gryffindors tried to get him to try out for the team, but Harry found the game far too easy and far too timid.

After playing Blood Ball with the Grimskulls for over a century, he had developed a taste for violent sports that no human game could satisfy. A normal Quidditch injury was a broken limb, or something similar. A normal Blood Ball injury was two dozen broken and/or shattered bones, and quite often, torn limbs, often several times during one game. Seeing as how vampires considered the game to be brutal said quite a lot. It was the ultimate abuse of their healing abilities. The tournaments that were held every five years were a massive spectacle, as dozens of teams from the various organizations in both the military and civil sector as well as numerous private teams competed for the title of champion. The Grimskulls, the team from the Order of Death had won the last two hundred years Harry was there, but there were many matches that were a close call. Harry winced as he remembered his last match as Retriever. They had to carry him off the field after a brutal triple body slam and a six person pile-up on him. Of course, his return on the field fifteen minutes later didn't paint his sanity in a good light.

Harry spent the rest of the day mostly adrift in memories, and when the morning came, he felt himself ready to face his new students.

The trip to Hogsmeade was uneventful, with Ron and Hermione telling Harry all about Hogsmeade. Eventually, they reached the Three Broomsticks, and while Ron and Hermione went to get a table, Harry went to the bar to get some drinks, carefully aging his body, which, thanks to his large coat, no one noticed.

"Can I help you, sir?" Madam Rosmerta asked.

"Yes, two buterbeers and a bottle of Firewhisky with a glass please." Harry told her and dropped a few galleons.

"Here you go sir." She gave him a small tray with three bottles and a glass.

"Keep the rest." Harry said and quickly left to their table, changing back to his 'proper' age.

Once he passed them the buterbeers, Ron stared wide-eyed at the bottle of Firewhisky.

"How'd you get that mate? You're not really gonna drink it, are you?"

"Of course I'm gonna drink it. Why do you think I bought it?" With that, Harry poured himself a glass, and ignoring Hermione's protests, downed the glass in one shot, exhaling some smoke from his nose, but otherwise not even flinching from the strong spirit.

"Not bad. Has a nice aftertaste." Harry grinned at their shocked faces as he downed a second glass.

"Just that you know we're not carrying you back to Hogwarts." Hermione glared at him.

"It'll take more than this to get me drunk, Hermione." Harry grinned. The immune system he gained could neutralize even nerve gas. A little alcohol was nothing.

Slowly, more and more students arrived, Harry recognized the ones in his year instantly, the first that walked Dean Tomas and Seamus Finnigan, followed by Neville Longbottom. Close behind was Ginny Weasley with a group of Ravenclaws. A few moments later they were joined by Fred and George with their friend Lee Jordan. Almost immediately after them, Parvati and Padma Patil and Lavender Brown. People continued to join them at a steady pace for several more minutes, until the last who sat on their table was a dreamy looking Ravenclaw Harry remembered being called Luna Lovegood.

Throughout this whole event, Harry sat silently, calmly sipping his drink. More than one person looked confused at his choice of beverage, but seeing him drink it like it was water, chose not to comment.

"Well, this idea seems to be more popular then I first believed. Everyone, welcome." Harry began the meeting.

"Now, you're all here because you want to learn how to defend yourselves properly. Right now, we're learning squat from Umbridge," a loud murmur of approval spread trough the group. "So, we had an idea that we could learn it ourselves." Harry began.

"You all want to pass your OWLs then?" A boy Harry was pretty sure was called Michael Corner asked them.

"Of course I do. But that's not the real reason. The reason we want to do this is because somewhere out there, is Lord Voldemort." Harry resisted the urge to smirk when most of them flinched.

"Where's the proof of this?" Several students asked.

"Dumbledore already told you that he's back. But if you want further proof, I can tell you this. I can feel him." Harry tapped his thin scar.

"You can?" Everyone stared in shock at this.

"He gave it to me. We are connected somehow. I can feel him. A mind full of hatred and malice. Trust me when I say, he is very much alive, and it's only a matter of time before he comes into the open." Harry said solemnly, and downed another shot of his drink.

"Why not come out now? Why is he hiding?" Corner spoke again.

"Why should he? The ministry is not looking for him, and he has plenty of time to gather up more men before he goes public." Harry replied, before continuing. "But that's not why we're here. Do you want to learn proper defense?"

"The question is, who's gonna teach us?" Angelina Johnson asked from his right.

"I will. I've been learning Defense on my own from the start. Having a private room helped a lot." Harry grinned at this.

"Yeah, about that. How come Umbridge allowed you to stay in a private room?" Ron finally asked a long suppressed question.

"Well, she can't do anything about it. The rules say that if certain conditions are met, a student can stay on his own. I have permission from the governors, there's nothing she can do." Harry replied, carefully omitting what conditions applied to him.

"Now, I already have a good place to study, all we have to arrange is when and how often. I say that at least once a week would be the minimum." Harry continued.

"Wait, we don't want this to interfere with our Quidditch practice." Angelina spoke up, followed by the team members from other houses.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. If we adjust for team practices, it will keep our meeting pattern unpredictable. Alright, first off, I want you all to sign your names down on this, just so we know who was here. And also, you also agree not to tell Umbridge or anyone working for her or the ministry about this." Harry signed his name and passed it to Hermione. She looked a bit fazed, but signed quickly. The parchment was passed trough the group until everyone had signed. With that done, Harry quickly rolled it up and put it back in his coat.

"Alright. Everyone, meet us Friday after dinner on the seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy." With that, he stood up quickly, and more than one jaw fell down in awe that he was still steady, considering the empty bottle of Firewhisky next to him.

After Harry left, the rest of the group scattered as well, planning to enjoy their day in the magical village.

Once the students returned to the school, Harry was confronted by Hermione.

"Alright, how did you get that bottle of Firewhisky, and what spells did you put on the parchment we signed?"

"First off, I bought the bottle myself. How, I'll let you guess. And I put a lot of stuff on the contract we signed. First off, a temporary muting charm, you'll say a few words and then silence. It lasts about forty-eight hours. I put a few others, but I'll let them find out themselves. Don't worry, I didn't put anything harmful." Harry replied with the same calm tone that seemed to grate on Hermione's nerves, and drive girls mad with lust.

The following morning, they were faced with bad news. On the notice board in the common rooms the students found a new notice, and Hermione told Harry all about it when they met at breakfast.



BY ORDER OF THE HIGH /INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS/

All student organizations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded. An organization, society, team, group or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re//‐//form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge). No student organization, society, team, group or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor. Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organiza//t//ion, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled. The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty//‐//four. Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor

"Do you think she knows?" Ron asked quietly.

"If she did, you wouldn't have been sitting here, Ron. No, she's suspecting it. We were watched yesterday. And even though I'm sure we weren't overheard, a meeting of a large group of students from different houses and years is suspicious." Harry told them.

"We were watched?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"By several people, in fact. One of them was Mundungus, it's difficult to miss his stench, but the others weren't from the old crowd. My guess would be on ministry spies." Harry replied.

"So, we're still doing it?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. Spread the word before people start crowding here." Harry told the people around him and returned to his breakfast.

The group was a little nervous about doing this illegally, but remained determined to do it.

That Friday night, everyone trickled in small groups to the seventh floor, to a room full of books on defense, various dark detectors, and instead of chairs, large silk cushions.

"Wow, this place is incredible." Ron summed up the group's feelings.

"Hey, wasn't this room a broom closet? Fred and I were here once when we were hiding from Filch." The twins spoke up.

Laughing, Harry explained to them how the room worked, and after locking the door, he turned back to the group.

"Well, now that we're all here, I think the first thing to do is elect a leader. I already volunteered to teach you all, so, everyone OK with that?" Everyone nodded, and Harry continued.

"I think we should have a name, something we can use in the open and it doesn't tell everyone what we're doing." Hermione spoke up.

"Well, how about the Defense Association? The DA for short. No one can make out anything from it." Cho Chang suggested.

"I agree, but let's make it Dumbledore's Army. That's what the ministry fears, isn't it?" Ginny suggested, to the collective approval of the group.

"Well then, now that's out of the way, I think we should begin with the basics like the Disarming charm; that way I can gouge your skills and you can work on your aiming. So everyone, pair up and let's begin." Quickly, the group split up in pairs, and after Harry paired up with Neville, he shouted 'Begin,' and the room was filled with shouts of 'Expelliarmus.' After disarming Neville, he turned to watch the others. Harry sighed inwardly. There was a lot of poor casting going around, and he felt right to suggest they start from the beginning.

After asking the room for a whistle, he blew hard, and everyone stopped.

"Alright, everyone, not bad. There's room for improvement, though. So, let's try again." After pairing Neville with Ron and Hermione, he began walking trough the group, correcting some mistakes, and slowly, the general performance improved greatly.

Taking a glance at his watch, Harry noticed that it was already nine, and he blew his whistle again.

"Alright everyone, time's up. We'll meet next Wednesday night. Everyone alright with that?" Everyone nodded, and left quickly in small groups to their respective dorms.

"Err, Harry, I had an idea today, and maybe you could help me?" Hermione asked him.

"Well, I had this idea about how to contact all members..." With that, she told him her idea, which Harry found quite brilliant. They just had to make it work.

The weeks rolled by in the same routine, and Harry usually spent the normally boring Defense classes thinking about past meetings, analyzing every member and where they could improve, or drawing up the schedule for the next meeting. A couple of weeks after their first meeting, Harry and Hermione finally managed to create an ingenious method of informing the DA about the meetings. More than one member was shocked when they saw Hermione carry a full basket of Galleons. After explaining how they worked, everyone took one, and continued with the lesson.