Chapter 1011: That's Right, It's Us
Chapter 1011: That's Right, It's Us
Albert had no moral qualms about using the Forgetfulness Curse on Umbridge; after all, she wasn't a good person, and with their conflict, not killing her directly could already be considered merciful.
Yes, Albert never considered himself a good person.
Perhaps it was influenced by the idea from his past life that nice guys finish last. With a flexible moral compass, he instinctively rejected such notions.
After dealing with the aftermath of Umbridge's presence, Albert did not return to the common room. It was now the Savior Potter's turf, and his presence would only steal the limelight from Harry Potter.
Let Potter shoulder this thankless task! Although there were some waves during the Wizarding Chess tournament, the competition concluded smoothly. After sharing the joy of the game, everyone dispersed.
Lee Jordan left with the Book of Origins, relocating to avoid any further trouble from the toad.
As for Fred and George, who remained in the common room, they were busy bidding farewell to the students who stayed until the end and began tidying up.
Their intention was not to help with the cleaning but to listen in on what Hermione and Harry had to say.
Restoring the common room to its original state after the chaotic feast didn't take much time, especially with the number of students who stayed back to help.
Once the mess from the party was cleaned up, everyone found a place to sit, awaiting what would come next.
Hermione pulled a stiff-faced Harry up to the podium. Clearing her throat, she began, "Ahem, I believe you all know why we're here."
"That pink toad—I mean, Umbridge—taught us a bunch of rubbish. We didn't learn anything truly useful from her Defense Against the Dark Arts class." Hermione was initially nervous, but after taking a deep breath, her voice became firm.
"Well said! That toad and her Magic Defense Theory belong in the trash!" Ernie McMillan loudly agreed.
Having been locked up once, McMillan had grown to despise Umbridge.
The room echoed with intermittent voices of agreement. Those who received the notice to stay were all members of the Anti-Toad League.
"So, I was thinking, why don't we take matters into our own hands and re-establish the Defense Association?" Hermione scanned the remaining students, her expression serious and determined. "I intend to pass the O.W.Ls in Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"To be honest, I don't quite understand what the Ministry of Magic is trying to do by sending us a professor who does everything to prevent us from using defensive spells." Ernie McMillan spoke up loudly, "Those so-called theories obviously won't help us pass these important exams."
"According to the latest inside information I have from the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge using Magic Defense Theory to teach us stems from two reasons. Firstly, she is not proficient in Defense Against the Dark Arts herself, and we've all witnessed her teaching skills. The other reason is even more ridiculous. She believes that Dumbledore will incite us to oppose the Ministry of Magic and worries that we will turn against them once we learn these dark arts spells. Fudge even absurdly thinks that Dumbledore plans to train a secret army using the students."
"Where did you get this inside information?"
The speaker was Michael Corner, Ginny Weasley's boyfriend.
"If you've been listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network, you'd be in the know." Hermione hinted, "It's never been a joke station, and you'll realize that soon enough."
"I have a question. Who will teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts? Mr. Anderson?" A girl with a long braid asked.
Everyone looked around but didn't see Albert.
"No, unfortunately, Albert is busy!" Hermione shook her head.
If not Albert, then who would teach them? Who else was qualified?
Everyone's attention was focused on this matter.
"Albert's Self-Defense Guide has what we need." Hermione held up the book and continued, "It contains many practical spells, and we will mainly use this book. Luckily, Harry has already mastered most of the spells within, and we'll need to research the rest together."
Noticing the expressions on the others' faces, Hermione didn't give them a chance to speak, continuing, "I know you all want to learn more advanced magic, but the reality is that after reading this book, I realized that I hadn't even thoroughly grasped the most basic knowledge of Defense Against the Dark Arts. We still have a lot to learn."
Everyone looked at each other, curious about what was in that book.
"Does Harry Potter have the ability to teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Someone still doubted Harry's capabilities.
"Harry received formal training last semester, and teaching some basic defensive spells won't be a problem. The most challenging spell in the Self-Defense Guide is the Patronus Charm against Dementors, and Harry has already mastered it." Hermione steered the topic in a direction favorable to Harry.
"You really can cast a stag Patronus." The girl with the long braid asked curiously.
"How do you know?" Harry asked.
"I'm Susan Bones." The girl with the braid introduced herself, "My aunt told me about your trial."
"Harry, you should show them, it'll solve a lot of problems." George lent his support to Harry on the podium.
Most of the people here had experienced the period when Dementors guarded Hogwarts, and they were all interested in the Patronus Charm that could drive away Dementors.
"Harry." Hermione poked Harry, signaling him to demonstrate.
This had been planned beforehand by Hermione, George, and a few others. To gain everyone's recognition of Harry, they needed to showcase his abilities.
If Harry had mastered the most challenging spell in the Self-Defense Guide, no one would question his qualifications to teach them.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Harry hesitated for a moment but drew his wand anyway. A silver gas spewed from the tip of his wand, forming a silver stag. The Patronus strode gracefully around the common room before disappearing.
After his encounter with the Dementors, Harry could now effortlessly summon his Patronus even in a well-lit room.
"Will we also learn the Patronus Charm?"
"Yes." Harry nodded.
"I think it's necessary to learn something practical." Seeing Harry's successful Patronus, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, "We will face more challenges in the near future."
"What challenges are you referring to..." Cedric Diggory asked.
"Voldemort is back." Hermione summoned the courage to say the name.
As soon as Hermione uttered Voldemort's name, the common room fell into an eerie silence, punctuated by the sound of shocked gasps.
However, as the attendees had been carefully selected beforehand, the reaction wasn't overly intense, and everyone simply looked at Harry Potter with curious gazes.
"I saw Voldemort return," Harry said expressionlessly. "Whether you want to believe it or not, that's the truth."
"Of course, you can choose to believe Fudge's report, Umbridge, or think that Dumbledore is senile and a madman," Harry continued, his apathy aided by the calming potion he'd taken. He raised a finger, "In fact, you don't need to worry about whether or not this is true. Voldemort isn't one to stay quiet for long. At most, in a year, no, in nine months, you'll see signs of his activity in the newspapers."
"Of course, I have a way for you to glimpse the truth." Harry looked at the crowd, their expressions stiff. "You can view that part of my memory directly. There's an object called a Pensieve in the Headmaster's office, which can play back memory fragments from a person's mind. If you can borrow it from Dumbledore, I don't mind letting you watch the memory of Voldemort's resurrection."
"Really?"
The room erupted.
They hadn't expected Harry to say such a thing, and while they couldn't judge if he was lying, the possibility seemed high.
If it was a lie, it would be easily exposed.
"Of course, it's true. I have no reason to deceive you," Harry said meaningfully. "The prerequisite is that you have the courage to face this truth."
"I'm willing to believe you, Harry," Neville raised his hand and said, "My grandmother always said Fudge is an idiot. His slander against Dumbledore is pointless. Once the mysterious person appears before everyone, Fudge will become the laughing stock and criminal of the entire wizarding world."
"According to the information we've received, there's a prophecy that Fudge will be ousted from his position as Minister of Magic by next summer," George said with a wink. "And Umbridge will naturally be kicked out of the school as well."
"So we never took that toad seriously," Fred added. "Next, we'll be introducing a new product called the Quick Escape Candy. If you don't want to attend Umbridge's classes, just pop one and you can easily skip them."
"Anyone who buys our prank products to deal with Umbridge will get a discount," George continued.
"What about Anderson? What does he think about all this?" Hannah asked, intending to push them further. She saw traces of Albert's influence in this club.
"He knows better than anyone what will happen next," Hermione paused and said solemnly.
"He knows everything, yet he says nothing," Michael Corner suddenly spoke up.
"Even if Albert said Voldemort would return, would you believe him?" Hermione countered.
The answer was obvious. Even with Albert's support, not many would believe it, and he would likely be seen as a liar.
"Albert believes that the wizarding world will need the knowledge in the Self-Defense Guide, so he spent a lot of time and effort compiling that book and teaching people how to protect themselves through it," Hermione explained to the group.
"Why doesn't he publish the book then? I'd definitely be willing to buy it, no matter the cost," someone asked, confused.
"Publishing it now would only invite trouble from the Ministry of Magic. Umbridge and Fudge are wary of Albert's influence," Hermione explained. "Any other questions?"
"What should we call our club? Should we still call it the Defense Association?" Lee Jordan asked, steering the conversation.
"Yes, the Defense Association," Hermione agreed. "You can also refer to it as DA for short, which can also stand for Dumbledore's Army."
"Where and when should we hold our meetings?" Diggory frowned and asked.
"Of course, we'll meet here," Alicia said, as if it were obvious.
"No," Luna, who had been silent until now, suddenly refused.
"Why not? It's hidden, and as long as we keep changing locations, Umbridge won't be able to find us," Alicia argued.
"This place is more fragile than you think. It can't support us practicing magic. If we're just having lessons, it's fine, but we obviously need to practice as well," George explained.
"We can't operate under Umbridge's nose," Diggory reminded them. "If she finds out, she'll definitely ban the Defense Association and consider it an illegal gathering. You saw what just happened—she even wanted to disband the Wizard Chess Club."
Everyone fell silent, recognizing the dilemma.
They couldn't use an empty classroom or any other place for their meetings, as Umbridge would surely come knocking as soon as they did.
"We'll ask Albert about this. He'll definitely have a solution," Fred and George exchanged a glance and said with a joking tone, "If all else fails, we can just quietly knock her out with a spell during one of our gatherings. Just a prank, of course."
"Once we've decided on the time and place for our first meeting, we'll send word to everyone," Hermione took out a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag and, after taking a deep breath, continued, "Anyone who wishes to join the club must leave their name."
"We have to leave our names?"
Many in the room seemed displeased by this suggestion.
"Signing your name means you agree not to tell Umbridge or anyone else about our activities," Hermione explained, looking at those who remained. "Before the first official meeting, you can come to me privately to have your name removed from the list if you change your mind about the Defense Association."
"After the first meeting, I'll cast a spell on the list to ensure we're aware of any betrayal and if someone goes to Umbridge as a snitch," Hermione said calmly, noticing the displeased expressions. "If it weren't for Umbridge, I wouldn't do this. But I have to prevent the worst-case scenario. I'm sure none of us want a traitor in our midst!"
Fred took the parchment and signed his name, then said to the group, "If Umbridge ever catches you and tries to force you to talk, tell her you're bound by a contract and can't reveal our secrets. Tell her to come to us instead."
"To you?" Everyone's eyes widened, unsure where Fred's boldness came from.
"Yes, to us," George signed his name as well. "We're not afraid of Umbridge."
"Aren't you scared of being expelled?" Diggory asked, his face twitching.
"If we were, we wouldn't have said that," the twins replied in unison.
(End of Chapter)
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