Defense Against the Dark Arts (N.E.W.T's)

[Professor Kendric Druex]

Professor Kendric Druex walked into his familiar vacant classroom, strong scents of some sort of pine and musky mixture making his nostrils flare; almost certainly owing to the very popular Patrick Pulley’s Wood Polishing Potion, seeing as how all the desks and cabinets were gleaming in the sunlight peering through the shadeless windows. Walking briskly up to his desk, he threw his bag down on the side of it, and bit into a freshly picked green apple Hagrid had given him as he sat down on the corner of his desk. He was in an exceptionally good mood, seeing as how this was the first class of the year and with his N.E.W.T’s. Sixth and Seventh years were his favorite years to teach. But, seeing as how this was indeed the first class of the year, he wanted to start off with something.……entertaining and fun. Besides, they had enough boring and convoluted work ahead of them this year, and it wasn’t any more fun for Kendric giving and grading the work as it was for the students actually having to do the work.

Taking another bite of his apple, Kendric didn’t even as much as flinch as his black, smooth cat Moira suddenly appeared and started impatiently circling his leg, purposefully running her body against it as to get his attention. Looking amused, Kendric bent down and scooped her up under her warm belly with his hand, and placed her in his lap where she immediately stood up on her back paws, the two in front latent on Kendric’s chest as she followed his apple with her bright blue eyes, which he waved around good-humoredly. Absent mindedly pulling his wand from his pocket, he aimed it carelessly at the windows and long, thick, rich purple velvet drapes appeared. Looking pleased, he bit into his apple again, and Moira managed to jump up and bite into the other side of it, her two back paws flailing wildly as she held on as firmly as she could, her little eyes closed in effort.

Just then, students started entering and Kendric couldn’t help but laugh at the scene they walked in on. He plied Moira off the apple and sat it on his desk. He lowered her to the floor where she immediately started peering up, searching. “Hello students, and welcome back to Hogwarts, back to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and to a brand new school year. I trust you all had a good summer holiday,” he said cordially as he wiped excess juice from the apple off his chin and bottom lip. “If you don’t mind,” he said waving his wand again, making all the desks disappear including his own. “I would like you all to make a circle. Please. And oh yes,” he said sticking a long thin finger in the air. “ Wands at the ready."

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro trudged down the halls, his school bag slung easily over his shoulder. After seven years at this school the way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom hadn’t changed, but the changing Professor each year sure had been a roller coaster ride of entertainment and ineptitude. The first Professor had been Lupin, who had been an alright teacher, his lessons had always been fun and entertaining. Lupin was later found to be a werewolf though and ran from the school. Mad eye Moody was a crazy old bat and that Doleres Umbridge woman had been so sweat that Pyro felt his teeth rotting as she was speaking. Pyro sighed; he didn’t even know why he was continuing with the subject. Pyro’s future was already set for him. Pyro could even retire once he graduated if he wanted to, he had enough money. Also, Pyro had contacts in every department of the ministry. It was rare for any department not be in Pyro’s debt. If Pyro wanted a job at the ministry, a single letter would assure him that job.

Even now Pyro was contemplated one position at the ministry; perhaps he would become a Hogwarts Governor. It was practically a do nothing job, paid well, and it allowed Pyro to have some power over the goings on at Hogwarts. Pyro grinned, with him as a Governor; he would be able to bring some good changes that the school desperately needed. Pyro continued his lazy walk, education in this subject had been scattered over the years. Each Professor having a different style and agenda, but this current Professor, Druex, he had survived or stuck around longer than the previous Professors. Pyro didn’t really know what to think of this guy, it was too early to really tell. Pyro stepped into the classroom, glancing over at the Professors desk as he stepped in. The site nearly caused Pyro to stumble, it took him a second to realize that the teacher wasn’t fornicating with the cat. Pyro shook his head and moved over to his desk.

He sat down, setting his bag down beside him on the floor and looked away from the teacher and his playful cat. Pyro rested his chin in his palm and sighed as the class slowly started to filter in. As soon as everyone was there Pyro noticed the Professor stir and rise. His attention went back to the teacher and listened. Pyro groaned slightly at the instructions to get into a circle. He slowly stood up, “I hope your not expected us to hold hands and sing Koombai Ya.” Pyro stated as he pulled out his wand and approached the forming circle.

[Ariane Chan]

Ariane was early. Aurora was not. Sighing inwardly, she sat down in her usual seat two rows from the front and began organising the materials she assumed she'd need for the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson: quills, ink, parchment and textbooks. Ariane was one of only a few students for five minutes, and then everyone began to stream in, just before the bell rang. Aurora, being one of those people, swept up the aisle of desks and plonked herself with a beam beside her cousin. Ariane rolled her eyes in good humour, but there was no time for words, as the bell rang and Professor Druex began the lesson. Ariane thoroughly enjoyed the subject, and her interest in it had grown so much that, over the last two years, she had begun to contemplate becoming an auror when she graduated. It was almost time for her to leave, after all, and she was soon turning eighteen years old - an adult in muggle terms. Ariane wasn't particularly concerned about what job she would take as, but she was always thinking about the future, how she could make it secure and safe for not only herself, but for Harmony too. Being an auror would be dangerous, though - that was perhaps the only downfall of the job. Still, Ariane's personality suited it: she was stealthy, secretive, a good judge of character, proficient at spells and duelling, and most importantly, she was just and fair.

Ariane felt somewhat irritated when Professor Druex magicked away the desks, along with her bag and materials. She'd only just got them out! Keeping her thoughts to herself, though, she extracted her wand and emotionlessly joined the growing circle of Sixth and Seventh Years. Aurora stood beside her silently, and Ariane was grateful for her quiet but solid presence. The two of them had been on rocky grounds recently. Well, Ariane had been on rocky grounds with everyone, even Harmony. She was trying to amend that now, and hopefully Aurora would see that she was trying her hardest to repent for her moody ways for the last few months (the summer holidays had been some of Ariane's darkest days). Ariane had yet to tell Aurora about Tristan, about that annoying Jez Cuthbert... but in time, she knew she would. She realised how important Aurora was to her; she relied on her best friend, and without her, she was lost and alone. No one else ever tried to understand and support her the way her cousin did, and Ariane knew she had been extremely ungrateful recently. The issue of Tristan hadn't faded away, but at least she could keep the pain of his loss at bay. As for Jez, well... Ariane's eyes darkened as she thought of him. Was he in this lesson? She didn't know, but hopefully she wasn't. She scoured the room with suspicious eyes filled with dread and irritation for that familiar cheeky grin. If he was here, a part of Ariane hoped she could use her wand to zap some sort of embarrassing spell at him 'accidentally'. Maybe that would teach him to mess with Ariane Chan.

[Aurora Chan]

It was a hurried journey from one lesson to another. Aurora had overstayed her Muggle Studies class to speak to Professor Hardy about her essay, and thus only had about five minutes to pelt from the Muggle Studies classroom to her dorm to dump her textbooks and collect the relevent ones for her next lesson, then cross over to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Talk about madness! Aurora rushed through the corridors at a brisk pace, careful not to run too fast lest a prefect or professor reprimand her, or she accidentally bump into someone. Ari was probably already there, Aurora thought. Well, at least she knew her seat was reserved! Aurora was extremely relieved when she saw the familiar group of Sixth and Seventh Years pushing into the classroom - she wasn't late! - and she slowed down to join the pack. Entering the room, Aurora caught sight of Ari's recognisable head of jet-black and went to sit next to her, flinging her bag by her feet. "Hey," she grinned in amusement, knowing exactly what Ari meant with the roll of her eyes. The bell rang and Professor Druex began the lesson. Aurora noticed the organised layout of Ariane's desk and materials and smiled to herself - it was so typical of her best friend. Aurora had to suppress a snort of laughter, though, when the professor cast a spell that got rid of all the desks and other things altogether. The look on Ari's face said it all. Aurora bit her lip and smiled.

Professor Druex ordered they form a circle, so Aurora enthusiastically did so. She enjoyed Defence Against the Dark Arts a lot, though it wasn't her favourite subject - she preferred Charms and Transfiguration. Still, it required her to use spells and her wand, and Aurora was good at that. Any class that required wand work was suitable for her. Aurora felt that today's lesson would be a fun one, since Professor Druex was stripping them of everything but their wands, which Aurora was keen to rely on. The only aspect of Defence that she had never been keen to grasp was the attacking, offensive nature. The spells were utilised to hurt or defend oneself, whereas in Charms and Transfiguration they were taught to help you with your everyday life, just useful spells that helped you get around and were extremely interesting to learn. Aurora hated confrontation of any sort, so she had always struggled to enjoy this part of Defence. Hopefully Professor Druex wouldn't ask them to 'attack' each other. Ari was good at this duelling stuff, not her. Her best friend did not have many qualms about hurting people, but then again, Ari never did hurt anyone, because she always controlled her spells so well, and she was confident she wouldn't mess up. Aurora couldn't claim to have the same self-belief. She pulled her wand out of her pocket as the other students also did, and waited for the teacher's next instructions eagerly.

[India Nightingale]

India sat at the edge of the classroom in the darkest corner, hoping to be unseen, unheard, unnoticed. She was rather early for her Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, but that was because she never had anywhere else to be. India hated spending any more time than necessary in her dorm or the Common Room, so where else was she to go in between lessons? She couldn't wander the corridors, where people whispered loudly behind her back, where she felt constrained and suffocated by the school. In classrooms she felt safe - well, more safe than anywhere else, anyway. So India had gone from one lesson to the next, walking quickly with her head bowed low in an attempt to attract less attention. She'd arrived at Defence Against the Dark Arts early, but was surprised she was not the only one. She recognised one of the older prefects, Ariane Chan, sitting at the front. Keen to avoid contact with the other students, India chose the corner, and she had been sitting here for the past five minutes. Finally, the main bulk of students filed in, and the lesson began. India was nonchalant about the entire process - yes, she still wanted to learn, but she found she didn't really have the heart any more. Then again, did she used to put her heart in her work? Because even though she had worked herself to death, India never did it because it made her heart feel... fulfilled; she never went about her work in a loving manner. She had committed herself to her classes like an obsession, and that was no more. India had other things on her mind now.

India liked Defence Against the Dark Arts well enough, though. She had very little opinion on Professor Druex, since he was relatively new, but the course material was acceptable. India didn't have a favourite lesson... she never had. She just wanted to achieve highly in them all... she didn't care about how they could enhance her as a person. In fact, she'd barely even thought about what path she would take when she graduated. India still didn't know. Maybe she was doomed to be forgotten in society when she reached adulthood. After years of torture and imprisonment and abandonment, India would be left alone once more. However, there was one bright light: Skye. At least India had reconciled with her twin sister. It was only the beginning and it was strange for both of them, but India was secretly grateful for the support her sister gave her; she'd never experienced it before, or at least, hadn't wanted to and hadn't let herself experience it. It was a shame Skye didn't do Defence Against the Dark Arts, though it had always been difficult for her, without the ability of speech for so many years, especially during her education at Hogwarts. Subjects such as Charms and Transfiguration were beyond her capabilities, sometimes. With her voice returned, though, India was expecting her twin to make leaps and bounds. Both of them had been blessed with a high intelligence and desire to learn.

India watched the desks disappear with apathy, then reluctantly stood to enter the circle. The shape of it meant there was nowhere to hide; India could be seen by everyone, from all directions. She felt her breathing constrict, like she was being oppressed again, and had to battle away her rising nausea to maintain an emotionless expression on her face. She stared at her feet, her wand in her hand, and waited for Professor Druex to give the next command. India wasn't afraid of casting spells, however vulnerable she looked right now. Her classmates had better not underestimate her. She hadn't changed that much... India was still a formidable opponent.

[Finn Miles H7]

Thoughts racing through his head, Finn almost walked right past the door to the D.A.D.A room since he was half watching the ceiling and half paying attention to where he was going. His sudden stop to turn right into the room caused a bit of a 'traffic jam' of students behind him, but he simply shrugged it off since nobody was hurt or anything major. As well, most of them probably knew Finn and how out of it he could be sometimes, lost in another of his day-dreams. It was now time for class though, and so he forced his attention to return to his control and walked toward a desk near the middle of the room just as the bell rang. He passed Aurora on the way, and went to give her a kind smile, but she had been too busy talking with her cousin Ariane. Speaking of cousins, Ephraim arrived just moments behind Finn and took a seat beside his cousin.

"E!" Finn exclaimed, having seen his cousin for the first time since they returned after summer holiday. "How was your break?" The two had only been able to meet once or twice over the break since Finn spent most of his summer following Wyatt's interaction with the Wigtown Wanderers. As much as he envied his brother and his Quidditch ability, Finn supported him nonetheless. Then, as Finn went to take a seat, the desk below him suddenly disappeared, causing him to almost fall flat on his behind. A few laughs were muffled around him.

Turning to face the professor, Finn had to laugh at his own lack of caution and awareness of his surroundings. If he was going to do well today, he knew he'd have to be on his guard. It was D.A.D.A, which meant constant knowledge of what was around you, and since it seemed today would be a practical lesson, he'd need to be even more focused. Finn fished in his pocket for his wand, pulling out the slender piece of Yew. Many of the other students did the same. He looked over at Ephraim. "If we have to pair up, don't even think about picking me. I've seen your ability." He joked, but knew that Ephraim was probably one of the smartest people Finn knew. Then again, Finn had received an O in D.A.D.A, the only other subject besides Charms that he did that well in.

[Ephraim Eades R7]

Ephraim laughed as he neared the D.A.D.A classroom. A group of students had seemed to all be stuck in a small sort of collision. At the front of the pack, Ephraim noticed the familiar back end of his cousin. Leave it to Finn to be the leader of a student jam-up. Ephraim followed Finn into the classroom and then smiled when Finn finally noticed him. "It was bearable," E said, laughing at Finn's excitement. In all actuality, Ephraim's break had went quite fast, but was a good one nonetheless. He'd read probably two dozen books, but managed to get a lot of other things done as well. "And I trust you had fun following the Wanderers?" It was a known fact that Quidditch seemed to be the ruling factor in the Miles family. For them though, it was more of a lifestyle. For E, it was a challenge, and one that he enjoyed for the sheer mental and physical workout. It wasn't as much an obsession as it was a luxury.

When the desks disappeared at the wand flick of Professor Druex, E had to laugh again when Finn almost fell. Sometimes he was just so aloof. As the students circled around, Druex explained that they would be needing their wands for today's lesson. Well, they normally needed their wands, but apparently today they'd be using them right of the bat. E was a bit nervous to see what they'd be doing. He prided himself in having an extensive knowledge of all things magical, but situations like this tended to make him anxious. What if Druex sprung something at them that E didn't know how to combat? Surely he wouldn't do that, right? It was the first class after break, which meant that it should be a review. At least that was the normal case.

As Finn joked with him, Ephraim nodded, too anxious to see what would be next to give him any sort of response. Despite his nervousness though, E was quite excited to see what they'd be learning or doing today. Any opportunity to learn something new was welcomed by him.

[Bryan Sangert H6]

Bryan had just gotten done with his second class of the day, and it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He dreaded these days sometimes because he had three back to back lessons with only a short time for lunch after it, with a lesson directly after lunch. He hadn’t seen any of his usual friends today, which had made it even more stressful. Laughing and joking with some of his guys really kept the edge off sometimes, and he probably could have used some of the stress relief today. It wasn’t that it had been a bad day, he just needed some relief at times. Oh well, it was getting close to his DADA session to start. He did enjoy the subject, and he had particularly picked it to study for NEWTs because he seemed to do well in it. After all, he had received an O in it, and enjoyed Professor Druex’s teaching style.

He walked into the classroom and saw Finn buddying up with Ephraim, another friend of theirs. While the three weren’t close to each other altogether, Finn and Bryan had a bond, and Ephraim had seemed to just come along for the ride once in a while, as much as he could remember from the years before. As Professor Druex made the seats disappear and directed them to form a circle with wands at the ready, he chuckled at his best friend as Finn almost fell flat on his bottom. He walked over to Finn. “Easy there, buddy.” Bryan took Finn’s hand and helped him up, as they took their places in a circle around the room. He pulled his wand out and sneaked a look at Finn. “Hope he teaches us something I can use on you later. Always up for a challenge. You ready for whatever this is, Finn?” Bryan didn’t even bother listening to see if Finn would respond. He knew that the brotherly rivalry was just a front, and Finn knew it too. They were friends and that’s how it was. He readied his wand and looked at the professor, awaiting the task.

[Jack Reid]

Jack didn’t feel like being in lessons today. It was cold throughout the whole castle, no matter how many fires had been lit. It was almost always too cold in this wretched castle, and he still had lessons left for the day. He just wanted to be done and focus on his life. Of course his life didn’t consist of much more than lessons and reading anymore. He studied up on certain muggle studies and also his next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Why he studied it more than other subjects, he wasn’t sure of. Something about feeling like he would need to defend himself eventually. It didn’t even matter why, it kept him busy and that meant he didn’t need to talk to anyone else. He had his certain friends but ever since Juliet, he didn’t trust people nearly as much as he had been drawn to earlier. Friends were people that just wanted things from you and once they got it, they forget about you. It didn’t matter anymore. He was doing fine on his own.

Jack walked into the room just in time to see Professor Druex make the nicely lined up chairs disappear. He sighed, knowing that what was coming was a group exercise, and he wasn’t looking forward to that. He slipped around the half oval shaped line of students in his NEWTs lesson and took a spot towards the back of the room, as far away from the professor as possible, so he wouldn’t have to completely interact. With his luck, however, he would be picked first because of his withdrawing attitude. He pulled his newly fixed wand out (no thanks to Bronsen who was still nowhere to be found around the blasted castle) and had it ready for when Professor Druex said the assignment of the day.

[Oscar Flynn G7]

It was with a slightly doubtful expression that Oscar stepped through the threshold into class that day. He’d already had his run, his shower, collected his books, had breakfast- even made his bed, a sure sign that day was going to be an odd one. After all of this he met Theo. But they met in public and it took all of Oscar’s will power not to place a firm hand on his boyfriend’s chest, shove him into a broom cupboard, and then kiss him good morning for a fair ten minutes before releasing him into the wild again. He did however go a little crazy and lean over, kissing Theo on the cheek ever so lightly before retreating again and leading the way to class. It was so quick he was sure that if anyone had seen it they could be convinced into thinking they had imagined it. The corridor was barely busy anyway; just a few lower years. This alerted Oscar to the fact that he was, yet again, late. “Told you that if we’d go together you’d be late, Darke.” Oscar caught Theo’s eye from the corner of his own and grinned a half-smile. He knew that if Theo had not waited for him he probably would have arrived first to the class that day. But they were on their way now- although Oscar might always turn up late, he would always turn up. That he could promise.

The short walk to the classroom didn’t take long and they were just in time to catch the professor’s words. Defence Against the Dark Arts was not one of Oscar’s strongest subjects. He had the confidence and the skill to do well, but he often chose the wrong spells or counter-spells for the situation, which had not given him the best grade available at the end of his fifth year. He did want to improve however and mixed with his doubt was a determination that he did not attempt to hide. No doubt Theo would find this a little amusing but Oscar would make sure that humour was dispelled. Hopefully with some sort of giggling charm. His mind played with the idea of ‘accidentally’ mixing up the incantations for whatever spell the Professor gave them with the words to remove all items of clothing. That certainly would have brought about a little diversity to the lesson. As this thought flashed into his mind Oscar bit his cheek and grinned once more at Theo- who would never know what he was thinking- and then the Gryffindor turned his attentions back to the class.

It was clear that Professor Druex did not need Oscar’s assistance in making the lesson a little different. The tables and chairs had disappeared and Oscar was surprised to see the purple drapes over the windows- he wouldn’t have thought of Druex as a purple kind of man. Extracting his wand from his robes carefully, Oscar took a further moment as he slipped into the circle beside Finn Miles, expecting Theo to join him. He smiled a greeting at Finn, their last conversation revisiting him. Finn knew to a certain extent about Theo and Oscar’s relationship and Oscar wondered how his good friend would react to the two being ‘friends’ in public. But he dispelled any worry about this from his head and lifted his wand casually, waiting for Druex’s next words.

[Theo Darke]

Get up, shower, breakfast, Oscar. Theo grinned to himself as he jogged along the corridor towards the rendevouz point with his boyfriend. Normally he would walk with Lori to class, but they didn't have the same subjects anymore. Defence Against the Dark Arts was one of his only lessons that he had Oscar all to himself; where he didn't have to worry about appearing too intimate with Oscar, because Lori no doubt would've noticed his behaviour straight away. Their fellow Sixth Years were bound to be suspicious, of course, but Theo and Oscar made sure they weren't too affectionate in each other's company. People merely assumed that Theo Darke had made another close friend, but it was really so much more. Theo grinned when he caught the first glimpse of his beautiful boyfriend and skidded to a halt in front of him, feeling his heart clench familiarly in his chest. He swallowed it down, though, to greet Oscar with a bright and breezy "Morning." However, Theo hadn't expected his boyfriend to reply with a brief kiss to his cheek, and at the same time that his head grew light-headed with the adorable gesture, his paranoia made his eyes scan the area for anyone who may have noticed the kiss. Theo's hand felt his cheek self-consciously, a tiny blush dusting his nose - he really had to get out of that terrible habit - and mumbled under his breath at Oscar's comment, "Shut up, Flynn." After recovering from his embarrassment, Theo coughed to retore his modesty and elbowed Oscar gently in the ribs, as if to say, I know you can't resist me, but try harder!

"Just in time," Theo said playfully as they hurried into the classroom. He had explained to Oscar on the way that the reason for him being late was his watch, which was five minutes slow. He altered the minute hand and sat down beside Oscar quickly. Theo had to nudge his boyfriend again when he flashed his trademark cheeky grin at him. Still, it brought a similar reaction to Theo's lips. Sitting at the back of the classroom was handy for them; it meant they could send each other secretive glances and no one else would notice, unless the teacher happened to be looking their way. Theo normally didn't sit at the back of the room, but he was liking the back row more and more - why? Because he could do sneaky things like slip his hand into Oscar's lap and curling it into the familiar warmth of his boyfriend's fingers, entwining them securely in the hidden niche so no one could see. Theo's fingers grazed Oscar's knuckles gently, his mind half on the lesson, half on his boyfriend; he had every desire to kiss him right here right now, but pushed the urge down to concentrate on the subject and teacher at hand.

When the desks disappeared, Theo pulled his hand away from Oscar quickly and stood up. He took out his wand and stood beside his boyfriend in the circle, waiting for Professor Druex's instructions. Theo noticed Finn Miles, a Hufflepuff in their year, on Oscar's other side, and flashed a grin at him in greeting. Then the lesson began.

[Professor Kendric Druex]

Once the students were in formation, Kendric smiled slightly walking to the very center of the circle, hands behind his back, leaving his space open. He slowly looked around the circle at all of his students; some looked nervous, others looked eager, some looked like they didn't know what or how to feel, like they were somewhere else. Well, that just wasn't going to do. When you were in Kendric's class you needed to be present; mind and body. And this was the way Kendric liked it. He thought it amusing when students came to class so clearly stressed out, or with their thoughts clearly everyhere but where he needed them to be. He wasn't trying to stress them out more, but in a way, he was trying to subconsciously train them. He needed them to learn that in Defense, you needed to train yourself to focus and block all distracting thoughts. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"You are all N.E.W.T. level students now. Meaning, this class is about to get that much more intense, that much more arduous, that much more interesting. There is a lot that will come your way this year that you will not expect......" Kendric stood quite still after those words, and using his peripheral vision, he eyed seventh year Hufflepuff Aurora Chan, who looked very excited. Maybe a little to excited, he thought. He eyed Pyro Blackfire, seventh year Slytherin, talented young man, but as always, he had that same cocky, arrogant air about him. Then, he eyed Oscar Flynn, who was one of the ones who seemed to be drifting off somewhere else. Perfect, he thought. The animal within him poised itself, claws out, teeth bared, eyes focused. "I trust you all have learned the defensive spell 'Protego?'" He still stood quite still, and then the animal in him pranced, and Kendric moved quite quickly. "Culourus!" His spell went flying at the sixth year Gryffindor, a brilliant shade of purple. He had given the hint. Now all that was left was to see if Mr. Flynn got it.

[Oscar Flynn G7]

“…about to get that much more intense, that much more arduous, that much more interesting…” Oscar smiled at the words and risked a fleeting glance at his boyfriend beside him, seeing the words for what they were- the truth, but in a situation other than the class. He turned to face Professor Druex with his mind on other things and a tiny, half-smile playing across his lips. This little smile slipped instantly as he heard the spell and his eyes focused on the Professor- who had just sent the spell directly at him. Ah, crap! Was his first thought, the second being what now? – oh- protego! Finally he realised that he had to make a move. In those few seconds of hesitance he had, however, lost any control that he may have been able to seize to take over the purple beast that was now so close. With his realisation he turned to face the spell, his mouth twitching into a grin as he raised his wand in the short time he had left, roaring “Protego!” as clearly as he could- but his amusement came through, and the spell was not strong.

This became apparent when the movement slowed down and Oscar heard a few giggles from around the room. Confused, but still trying (and failing) to hide a grin, he glanced around and caught sight of his arms. Slowly, gradually, his body was turning a very feminine shade of purple. It began with his fingertips and crept up his arms to climb his shoulders, and tickle his neck. It faded out just before it affected the colour of his face, thankfully, but Oscar didn’t know what it would affect beneath his robes… “Oh!” He laughed loudly, his eyes sparkling. He was neither annoyed nor embarrassed- he had failed to cast Protego properly, and this was the consequence. He grinned at Theo before turning back to his professor. “Um, is my whole body now purple, professor?” His chuckles at the state of his skin came through his words as he stared at the girly lilac on his forearms. "I hope there's a reverse spell..."

[Professor Kendric Druex]

Kendric smiled. "Yes, your whole body is purple Oscar. But don't worry. You'll go back to normal in a few minutes." Kendric then turned, still scanning the students with his peripherals, the animal in him trying to decide who his next victim would be. "Culourus is a simple spell that changes your skin color for a very brief period of time. But," he said addressing Oscar mainly, "It could have been a far worse, a far more dangerous curse or incantation." He gave Oscar a meaningful look then addressed the class. "You all need to learn how to focus and be prepared for anything at any moment." He then saw his next victim and struck without warning. "Culourus!" He sent a green jet of light straight at seventh year Gryffindor, Ariane Chan.

[Ariane Chan]

Ariane was bored. This wasn't the most productive or interesting Defence lesson she'd ever had. She'd suffered many professors who had taught her the subject over the last seven years, and although Druex was not the worst, at the moment she certainly had no high opinion of him. If she were to choose the teacher she respected the most in Hogwarts it would most likely be Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress. Ariane was extremely glad she had been made Head after Dumbledore had retired. She had always disliked Snape and doubted he would have made a particularly fair Headmaster. Professor McGonagall was the one who had given her her prefect status and asked her to uphold it properly, and Ariane had to admit that through liasing with her Head of House so often they had formed a mutually friendly and respectful teacher-student relationship.

Ariane forced herself to concentrate as the other students burst into laughter. She had watched Oscar Flynn be hit by the simple Culourus spell and knew anyone could be next. Oscar hadn't been paying attention, that was why he had been caught out. Ariane knew the younger Gryffindor wasn't inept at Defence and she was determined not to make the same mistake. She listened to the giggling and Professor Druex's reply to Oscar's question absently, her eyes more focused on her teacher's wand. The moment it darted in her direction Ariane's wand was also out and pointing in return to combat Professor Druex's spell. "Protego," Ariane spoke clearly and confidently, the defensive spell shooting out of her wand and deflecting the bright green spark. She had no doubt the teacher had to commend her for her efforts. A scowl appeared unwillingly on Ariane's face as she watched the spell fade away, having barely been able to reach her; green was a sore colour that reminded her of sore things.

[Professor Kendric Druex]

"Well....good job Ms. Chan. Good job indeed. Five points to Gryffindor." Kendric wasn't surprised at all that Ariane managed to block his spell. She was one of the sharpest students he had encountered. Had a good head on her shoulders. After giving Ariane a proud nod, he scanned around once again, looking for his next victim; though everyone was now fairly alert, hands grasped firmly on their wands. So this time Kendric decided to make it just a little more interesting. "Colurous!" He sent a blue jet of light straight at Hufflepuff sixth year Bryan Sangert, and whipped around and sent a pink jet at Pyro Blackfire, Slytherin seventh year. And with even more speed, he turned and sent a red jet at Finn Miles, also a Hufflepuff sixth year.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro quickly took his place within the circle of students. Although he had only been joking earlier about holding hands and singing now he was starting to get worried that that was what they would do. Pyro glanced around at all sides, to his right there stood a boy he knew but had never really met. The boy had been present that one day in the Great Hall, Finn Miles. Pyro frowned but before he could move the Professor had entered the circle and was slowly turning on the spot, studying each of the students. Pyro noticed his stare linger on him for a few moments before continuing his turn. Suddenly out of nowhere he sprang and launched a spell at a Gryffindor, who was too distracted to and didn’t react in time. Pyro smirked, so this was the Professors game, now that he knew what was going on it would be near impossible to catch Pyro by surprise.

The professor than launched a spell at another Gryffindor, this time a girl. Pyro was ready, when he was prepared he had a sort of sixth sense about this and practically knew before Professor Druex did that he was about to be attacked. With reflex and speed born of years of martial arts training Pyro shot his hand out to the side and grabbed Finn’s shoulder. With a mighty tug Pyro pulled Finn out of the path of his own missile and stuck him in front of Pyro, right in the path of the spell that was aimed for Pyro. Pyro smirked at the successfulness of his human shield and looked at the Professor. “Or, you can simply just use a handy shield instead of messing around with charms that may fail.” Pyro motioned toward Oscar, “As that purple Gryffindor over there was kind enough to demonstrate for us.” Pyro spoke in an even tone, as if what he had to say was all part of the lesson plan.

[Bryan Sangert H6]

Bryan watched as his classmates readied themselves fore Professor Druex's spells being cast at them. He laughed as the rest of the class chuckled as certain students missed their chance at points for their house. I'll be ready for his tricks, Bryan thought to himself as he watched Ariane Chan, a Gryffindor seventh year deflect his Colourus spell back. The colors were somewhat enchanting to watch as they made their way towards their victims, but Bryan wouldn't be fooled. He smiled as Pyro did his best to deflect the ray of color away from him, and his best friend Finn getting the brunt of it. It was his turn next, likely. "Might want to watch out for being used as a human shield next time, buddy." He laughed softly, still keeping his eye on Druex, as the professor cast a spell his way.
"Protego!" Bryan quickly spoke loudly, flicking his wand at the blue ray coming at him. He was sure he had the timing correct, but wouldn't be sure until he looked down at his skin to see if he had missed or not.

[Finn Miles H7]

Oh, so that was how this class was going to be. Finn bit his lip anxiously as he watched his fellow classmates both fail and succeed to defend themselves against the bright flashes of jetting light which quickly shot from Professor Druex's wand. Clearly, today's lesson was not necessarily focused on their knowledge of the defenses as it was based on their actual ability to defend. Look. Listen. Launch. Finn recited the small memory device that he had made up one year when studying for the theoretical part of a particular D.A.D.A exam. The only problem was sometimes being able to transform the words into actions. Look. Listen. Launch. At least with his fellow classmates being victim to the early spells, Finn seemed to have the 'look' and 'listen' part covered for the time being.

It wasn't until three quick spells, all pretty much back to back, were cast by Professor Druex when a string of events occurred almost instantly. Barely a millisecond passed when Finn saw the red flash approaching his way. He raised his wand, ready to defend, when something else happened, distracting him in a noticeable way. "Proooahhh---tego!" he shouted as he felt his body give in to a stronger and unexpected force. In that instant, Pyro had used Finn as a human shield to protect him from the pink spell of colouration. Somehow, the red jet of colour which was intended for Finn had bounced away, hitting Ephraim instead. At the same time, Finn was the victim to the awful pink colour which seemed to saturate his skin. Though he had managed to cast an effective Protego spell (at least affective enough to deflect the colour elsewhere), Finn was not lucky enough to defend himself from Pyro's sly method of defense.

Glancing back and forth between his pink skin and the rest of the class around him, Finn simply shrugged his shoulders and gave a weak smile. He wasn't one to let little things like this bother him. Plus, he knew that it would do little good to retaliate by saying anything to Pyro. Instead, he flashed a slightly devilish look toward the older Slytherin and turned to both apologize to Ephraim and congratulate Bryan. "Sorry, E," he said, tilting his head toward Pyro as to say that it wasn't entirely his own fault that his cousin was now a candy-apple shade of red. Then he turned to Bryan. "It's kind of hard when you have to protect yourself from two attacks." He laughed softly, as class was still in session around him. "But good job nonetheless in defending the one attack against you. Finn couldn't help but joke back with Bryan. Heck, Bryan's success meant success for Hufflepuff, which was completely fine with Finn in any case.

((Sorry for such a delay... ))

[Professor Kendric Druex]

"Mr. Blackfire," Kendric said with a well hidden smile. He thought it highly amusing that such a talented wizard would resort to such a method, but then again Pyro was, for the most part, well, Pyro. He looked at Finn Miles, a sixth year Hufflepuff, and he was a bright shade of pink; and he probably would be even without Kendric's charm. "Yes, it is very true that you can use a shield to defend yourself from unfriendly spells. However, when you take your N.E.W.T., using a shield would hardly be acceptable by your examiner, therefore it's not accepted here." Kendric showed no sign of amusement in his face nor his voice as he stood quite still focusing on Pyro, and he continued.

"And yes, it is possible for charms to fail, but that is why you are standing here today. To practice. To learn; so that you can become sufficient enough so you won't have to worry about failed spell casting. Furthermore," he said turning on his heel scanning the room, "while I have no problem at all with using Shields when necessary, Shields of the human variety are hardly appropriate. Most would even call that resort.....dare I say.....cowardly." He lingered on the word a little before continuing.

"Ten points to Hufflepuff. Five to Mr. Sangert, five to Mr. Miles. Five points deducted from Slytherin. And Mr. Eades," he said aiming his wand at the sixth year Ravenclaw. With a quick flick, he was back to normal. He nodded, and continued his pursuit. Smiling he whipped around he sent out two jets of light. A purple one shot at Theo Darke, and a yellow one shot right at Mr. Eades. He hoped his guard wasn't lowered to much by the distraction.