"BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

All student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded.

An organisation, 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 organisation, 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 organisation, 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."

Johnny, Theo and Blaise read the notice over the heads of some anxious-looking second-years.

"Does this mean they're going to shut down the Gobstones Club?" one of them asked his friend.

"I reckon you'll be OK with Gobstones," Theo said darkly, making the second-year jump. "I don't think we're going to be as lucky, though, do you?" he asked Johnny as the second-years hurried away.

Johnny was reading the notice through again. The happiness that had filled him since Saturday was gone. His insides were pulsing with rage.

"This isn't a coincidence," Johnny said, his hands forming fists. "She knows."

"She can't," said Blaise at once.

"There were people listening in that pub. And let's face it, we don't know how many of the people who turned up we can trust... any of them could have run off and told Umbridge..."

"Bet it was that bastard, Zacharias Smith!" said Theo at once, punching a fist into his hand. "Or--I thought that Michael Corner had a really shifty look, too-"

"I wonder if Hermione's seen this yet?" Johnny said. Johnny, Theo and Blaise exited the Slytherin Common Room and ran as fast they could up to the Great Hall. Hermione was there with Harry, Ron, Pansy, Mia and Daphne.

"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Johnny whispered angrily, taking the seat next to his girlfriend. Theo sat opposite them next to Daphne and Blaise sat opposite Harry.

"They can't have done," said Hermione in a low voice.

"You're so naive," said Ron, glaring at the six Slytherin's, "you think just because you're all honourable and trustworthy-"

"It wasn't the Slytherin's, Ron, I would've known, because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," said Hermione grimly. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."

"See, so fuck you, Weasley," Blaise said, flipping the redhead off.

"What'll happen to them?" said Johnny eagerly, resting his head on his palm, and gazing at Hermione.

"Well, put it this way," said Hermione, "it'll make Eloise Midgeon's acne look like a couple of cute freckles."

"You're brilliant," Johnny said in awe. Hermione giggled, a faint blush on her cheeks as she leaned into kiss him quickly.

The nine of them had barely started eating when Selena, Nick, Kieran, Summer and Amber descended upon them.

"Did you see it?" Selena asked

"D'you reckon she knows?" Nick asked

"What are we going to do?" Amber asked.

They were all looking at Harry and Johnny. The two boys glanced around to make sure there were no teachers near them. They then shared a looked and nodded.

"We're going to do it anyway, of course," Johnny said quietly.

"Knew you'd say that," said Nick, beaming and thumping Johnny on the arm.

"The Gryffindor prefects as well?" said Kieran, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione.

"Of course," said Hermione coolly.

"Here come Ernie and Hannah Abbott," said Ron, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith... and no one looks very spotty."

Hermione looked alarmed.

"Never mind spots, the idiots can't come over here now, it'll look really suspicious--sit down!" she mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing frantically to them to rejoin the Hufflepuff table. "Later! We'll--talk--to--you--later!"

"I'll tell Michael," said Ginny impatiently, swinging herself off her bench, "the fool, honestly..."

"When the fuck did she get here?" Theo asked, pointing his spoon in Ginny's direction.

After History of Magic, Mia and Johnny marched towards, intent upon reforming the Slytherin Quidditch team. Surprisingly, it only took the two five minutes to reach her office. Both Johnny and Mia took a deep breath and knocked. When they heard a faint "come in," Mia pushed open the door and smiled politely at Professor Umbridge.

"Good morning, Professor," Johnny said with a fake smile. "How're you doing?"

"I'm doing quite well, thank you, Mr. Grindelwald," said Professor Umbridge, motioning towards the two seats in front of her desk. "How can I help you both?"

"Well, you see, Professor," said Mia, crossing her legs when she sat. "Johnny and I were hoping you could reform the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"Why of course, dears!" Said Umbridge happily. "I would be delighted to, I was a Slytherin too, you know?"

"We couldn't tell," muttered Mia sarcastically, but Professor Umbridge didn't hear her as she was busy pulling out a pink quill and an official looking piece of parchment.

"There we are," Umbridge smiled sweetly, signing it off. "I recommend you both get to Potions, it will be starting soon."

Johnny and Mia quickly thanked her and rushed off.

"Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway, Johnny and Mia went to ask her. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he's always popping in and out of the Ministry... it'll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, won't it?" Said Draco loudly, when Johnny handed him the piece of paper. He was clearly trying to agitate the Gryffindor's.

"I mean," said Draco, raising his voice a little more, his grey eyes glittering malevolently in Harry and Ron's direction, "if it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance... from what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years... and as for Potter... my father says it's a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St. Mungo's... apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic."

Draco made a grotesque face, his mouth sagging open and his eyes rolling. Crabbe and Goyle gave their usual grunts of laughter; Stephanie Cattleman shrieked with glee.

Something collided hard with Johnny's shoulder, knocking him sideways. A split second later he realised that Neville had just charged past him, heading straight for Draco.

"Neville, no!" Johnny leapt forward and seized the back of Neville's robes; Neville struggled frantically, his fists flailing, trying desperately to get at Draco who looked, for a moment, extremely shocked.

"Help me!" Johnny flung at Ron and Harry, managing to get an arm around Neville's neck and dragging him backwards, away from the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were flexing their arms as they stepped in front of Draco, ready for the fight. Ron and Harry seized Neville's arms, and together they and Johnny succeeded in dragging Neville back into the Gryffindor line. Nevilles face was scarlet; the pressure Johnny was exerting on his throat rendered him quite incomprehensible, but odd words spluttered from his mouth.

"Not... funny... don't... Mungo's... show... him..."

The dungeon door opened. Snape appeared there. His black eyes swept up the Gryffindor line to the point where Johnny, Harry and Ron were wrestling with Neville.

"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?" Snape said in his cold, sneering voice, ignoring the fact Johnny was there too. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Inside, all of you."

Johnny let go of Neville, who stood panting and glaring at him.

"I had to stop you," Johnny gasped, picking up his bag. "Crabbe and Goyle would've torn you apart."

Neville said nothing; he merely snatched up his own bag and stalked off into the dungeon.

"What in the name of Merlin," said Ron slowly, as they followed Neville, "was that about?"

Johnny, Harry, Ron and Hermione took their usual seats at the back of the class, pulled out parchment, quills and their copies of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. The class around them was whispering about what Neville had just done, but when Snape closed the dungeon door with an echoing bang, everybody immediately fell silent.

"You will notice," said Snape, in his low, sneering voice, "that we have a guest with us today."

He gestured towards the dim corner of the dungeon and Johnny saw Professor Umbridge sitting there, clipboard on her knee. He glanced sideways at Mia, his eyebrows raised.

"How the fuck did she get here so fast?" Mia mouthed at him. Johnny just shrugged.

"We are continuing with our Strengthening Solution today. You will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson; it correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend--instructions-" he waved his wand again "--on the board. Carry on."

Professor Umbridge spent the first half hour of the lesson making notes in her corner.

"Salamander blood, Harry!" Johnny groaned, grabbing Harry's wrist to prevent him adding the wrong ingredient for the third time, "not pomegranate juice!"

"Right," said Harry vaguely, putting down the bottle and continuing to watch the corner.

"Well, the class seem fairly advanced for their level," Umbridge said briskly to Snape's back. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus."

Snape straightened up slowly and turned to look at her.

"Now... how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?"she asked, her quill poised over her clipboard.

"Fourteen years," Snape replied. His expression was unreadable.

"You applied first for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked Snape.

"Yes," said Snape quietly.

"But you were unsuccessful?"

Snape's lip curled.

"Obviously."

Professor Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard.

"And you have applied regularly for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?"

"Yes," said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry.

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" asked Umbridge.

"I suggest you ask him," said Snape jerkily.

"Oh, I shall," said Professor Umbridge, with a sweet smile.

"I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked, his black eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge, "yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'--er--backgrounds."

She turned away, walked over to Pansy and began questioning her about the lessons. Snape looked round at Johnny and their eyes met for a second. Snape nodded at him and Johnny continued on. Snape then rounded on Harry, who's potion wasn't correct, again.

"No marks again, then, Potter," said Snape maliciously, emptying Harry's cauldron with a wave of his wand. "Everyone, minus Mr. Grindelwald, who managed to brew the correct potion, will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson, do you understand?"

"Yes," said the class furiously, staring at Johnny enviously.

"Maybe I'll skive off Divination," Harry said glumly, as they stood in the courtyard after lunch, the wind whipping at the hems of robes and brims of hats. "I'll pretend to be ill and do Snape's essay instead, then I won't have to stay up half the night."

"You can't skive off Divination," said Hermione severely.

"Hark who's talking, you and Johnny walked out of Divination, you hate Trelawney!" said Ron indignantly.

"I was forced to come back," Johnny muttered bitterly.

"I don't hate her," said Hermione loftily. "I just think she's an absolutely appalling teacher and a real old fraud. But Harry's already missed History of Magic and I don't think he ought to miss anything else today!"

It seemed, however, that Harry wasn't the only person in Divination who was in a temper. Professor Trelawney slammed a copy of the Oracle down on the table between Johnny, Harry and Ron and swept away, her lips pursed; she threw the next copy of the Oracle at Seamus and Dean, narrowly avoiding Seamus's head, and thrust the final one into Neville's chest with such force that he slipped off his pouffe.

"Well, carry on!" said Professor Trelawney loudly, her voice high-pitched and somewhat hysterical, "you know what to do! Or am I such a sub-standard teacher that you have never learned how to open a book?"

The class stared perplexedly at her, then at each other. Johnny, however, thought he knew what was the matter. As Professor Trelawney flounced back to the high-backed teachers chair, her magnified eyes full of angry tears, he leaned his head closer to Ron and Harry's and muttered, "I think she's got the results of her inspection back."

"Professor?"said Parvati Patil in a hushed voice. "Professor, is there anything--er--wrong?"

"Wrong!" cried Professor Trelawney in a voice throbbing with emotion. "Certainly not! I have been insulted, certainly... insinuations have been made against me... unfounded accusations levelled... but no, there is nothing wrong, certainly not!"

She took a great shuddering breath and looked away from Parvati, angry tears spilling from under her glasses.

"I say nothing," she choked, "of sixteen years of devoted service... it has passed, apparently, unnoticed... but I shall not be insulted, no, I shall not!"

"But, Professor, who's insulting you?" asked Johnny timidly, glancing at Harry and Ron.

"The Establishment!" said Professor Trelawney, in a deep, dramatic, wavering voice. "Yes, those with eyes too clouded by the mundane to See as I See, to Know as I Know... of course, we Seers have always been feared, always persecuted... it is--alas--our fate."

She gulped, dabbed at her wet cheeks with the end of her shawl, then she pulled a small embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve, and blew her nose very hard with a sound like Peeves blowing a raspberry.

Ron sniggered. Johnny shot him a disgusted look.

"Professor," said Parvati, "do you mean... is it something Professor Umbridge--?"

"Do not speak to me about that woman!" cried Professor Trelawney leaping to her feet, her beads rattling and her spectacles flashing. "Kindly continue with your work!"

And she spent the rest of the lesson striding among them, tears still leaking from behind her glasses, muttering what sounded like threats under her breath.

"...may well choose to leave... the indignity of it... on probation... we shall see... how she dares..."

"You and Umbridge have got something in common," Johnny told Hermione quietly when they met again in Defence Against the Dark Arts. "She obviously reckons Trelawney's an old fraud, too... looks like she's put her on probation."

Umbridge entered the room as he spoke, wearing her black velvet bow and an expression of great smugness.

"Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted dully.

"Wands away, please."

But there was no answering flurry of movement this time; nobody had bothered to take out their wands.

"Please turn to page thirty-four of Defensive Magical Theory and read the third chapter, entitled "The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack". There will be-"

"--no need to talk," Johnny and Hermione said together, under their breaths. They sent a small smile to each other, and Hermione linked her free left hand with Johnny's free right hand, under the desk and out of sight.

The next day, they were allowed to remain inside over break due to the downpour outside. The four found seats in a noisy and overcrowded classroom on the first floor in which Peeves was floating dreamily up near the chandelier, occasionally blowing an ink pellet at the top of somebody's head. They had barely sat down when Angelina came struggling towards them through the groups of gossiping students.

"I've got permission!" she said. "To re-form the Quidditch team!"

"Excellent!" said Ron and Harry together.

"Someone got lucky," Johnny said, not keeping the smirk on his face hidden. "Heard you had to appeal to Dumbledore? Are you that bad you can't even fight your own battles?"

Angelina glared heatedly at the Slytherin Captain, and stalked off, narrowly dodging an ink pellet from Peeves, which hit a nearby first-year instead, and vanished from sight.

Ron's smile slipped slightly as he looked out of the window, which was now opaque with hammering rain.

"Hope this clears up. What's up with you, Hermione?"

She, too, was gazing at the window, but not as though she really saw it. Her eyes were unfocused and there was a frown on her face.

"Just thinking..." she said, still frowning at the rain-washed window.

"What's up, darling?" Johnny asked her, when Hermione sat in his lap, cuddling into his chest.

"Wondering... I suppose we're doing the right thing... I think... aren't we?" She asked, looking up at Johnny.

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Well, that clears that up," said Ron. "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly."

"She's on about the Defence group, you fucking idiots," Johnny snarled at them, his arms tightening around Hermione's waist.

"What?" said Harry and Ron together.

"Hermione, it was your idea in the first place!" said Ron indignantly.

"I know," said Hermione, twisting her fingers together. "But after talking to Snuffles..."

"But he's all for it," said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione, staring down her hands which were loosely playing with the ends of Johnny's Slytherin tie. "Yes, that's what made me think maybe it wasn't a good idea after all..."

Peeves floated over them on his stomach, peashooter at the ready; automatically Johnny lifted his bag to cover his and Hermione's head until he had passed.

"Let's get this straight," said Harry angrily, as they put their bags back on the floor, "Sirius agrees with us, so you don't think we should do it anymore?"

Hermione looked tense and rather miserable. Still playing with Johnny's tie, she said, "Do you honestly trust his judgement?"

"Yes, I do!" said Harry at once. "He's always given us great advice!"

An ink pellet whizzed past them, striking Katie Bell squarely in the ear. Johnny watched Katie leap to her feet and start throwing things at Peeves; it was a few moments before Hermione spoke again and it sounded as though she was choosing her words very carefully.

"You don't think he has become... sort of... reckless... since he's been cooped up in Grimmauld Place? You don't think he's... kind of... living through us?"

"What d'you mean, "living through us"?" Harry retorted.

"I mean... well, I think he'd love to be forming secret Defence societies right under the nose of someone from the Ministry... I think he's really frustrated at how little he can do where he is... so I think he's keen to kind of... egg us on."

Ron looked utterly perplexed.

"Sirius is right," Ron said, "you do sound just like my mother."

Hermione bit her lip and did not answer. The bell rang just as Peeves swooped down on Katie and emptied an entire ink bottle over her head.

"You have every right to worry," Johnny whispered, when neither of them moved. He placed a kiss to her head, and kept his head resting upon hers, closing his eyes and inhaling the scent of strawberries.

"I love you," Hermione told him, moving her head so she could look at Johnny. Her right hand came up to trace Johnny's jaw, cheekbones and lips. She placed a sweet kiss to Johnny's lips and muttered, "so much."

"I love you too," Johnny smiled.

The next day, their robes billowed and swirled around them as they splashed across the flooded vegetable patch to double Herbology where they could hardly hear what Professor Sprout was saying over the hammering of raindrops hard as hailstones on the greenhouse roof. The afternoon's Care of Magical Creatures lesson was to be relocated from the storm-swept grounds to a free classroom on the ground floor and, to the Slytherin teams disappoint, Johnny had sought out his team at lunch to tell them that Quidditch practice was still on at 6pm.

"I've found somewhere to have our first Defence meeting. Tonight, eight o'clock, seventh floor opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell the others? And Johnny, can you tell the Slytherins?" Harry asked Johnny and Hermione.

Hermione and Johnny looked slightly taken aback but promised to tell the others. Harry returned hungrily to his sausages and mash. When he looked up to take a drink of pumpkin juice, he found Hermione and Johnny watching him.

"What?" he said thickly.

"Well... it's just that Dobby's plans aren't always that safe. Don't you remember when he lost you all the bones in your arm?" Hermione asked.

"This room isn't just some mad idea of Dobby's; Dumbledore knows about it, too, he mentioned it at the Yule Ball."

"Oh yeah, the room with many toilets," Johnny said with a look of realisation.

Hermione's expression cleared.

"Dumbledore told you about it?"

"Just in passing," said Johnny, shrugging.

"Oh, well, that's all right then," said Hermione briskly, kissing Johnny's cheek and raised no more objections.

Together with Ron they had spent most of the day seeking out those people who had signed their names to the list in the Hog's Head and telling them where to meet that evening. To Harry's disappointment, it was Ginny who managed to find Cho Chang and her friend first; however, by the end of dinner they was confident that the news had been passed to every one of the thirty-seven people who had turned up in the Hog's Head.

At half past seven, Johnny, Mia, Daphne, Pansy, Theo, Blaise and Tom made their way to the seventh floor, the members who were on the Quidditch team had wet hair due to just showering after their Quidditch practice. The group of sevens met Harry, Ron and Hermione on the seventh floor, the three of them pacing.

"Do we need to call St. Mungo's? Because you three look positively mental," said Mia, leaning on a wall. Pansy giggled at the girl, causing a proud to grin to spread on Mia's face as she fist bumped Johnny, Blaise and Theo.

"We got to think of the room we want," Hermione explained, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss Johnny and run a hand through his damp hair. The seven Slytherin's decided not to question the method, and even joined in on the thinking.

"Look!" said Daphne sharply, as they wheeled around after their third walk past.

A highly polished door had appeared in the wall. The Slytherin's and Ron were staring at it, looking slightly wary. Harry reached out, seized the brass handle, pulled open the door and led the way into a spacious room lit with flickering torches like those that illuminated the dungeons eight floors below.

The walls were lined with wooden bookcases and instead of chairs the re were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors and a large, cracked Foe-Glass.

"These will be good when we're practising Stunning," said Ron enthusiastically, prodding one of the cushions with his foot.

"And just look at these books!" said Hermione excitedly, running a finger along the spines of the large leather-bound tomes. "A Compendium of Common Curses and their Counter-Actions... The Dark Arts Outsmarted... Self-Defensive Spellwork... wow..." She looked around at Johnny, her face glowing.

"You're so whipped," Blaise chuckled, nudging Johnny, but he wasn't paying attention. Johnny was staring at Hermione with a loving smile on his face, and without further ado Hermione slid Jinxes for the Jinxed from its shelf, sank on to the nearest cushion and began to read.

There was a gentle knock on the door. Johnny looked round. Axel, Emily, Selena, Amber, Summer, Nick, Kieran, Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati and Dean had arrived.

"Whoa," said Dean, staring around, impressed. "What is this place?"

Harry began to explain, but before he had finished more people had arrived and he had to start all over again. By the time eight o'clock arrived, every cushion was occupied. Johnny moved across to the door and turned the key protruding from the lock; it clicked in a satisfyingly loud way and everybody fell silent, looking at Harry or Johnny. Hermione carefully marked her page of Jinxes for the Jinxed and set the book aside.

"Well," said Harry, slightly nervously. "This is the place we've found for practice sessions, and you've--er--obviously found it OK."

"It's fantastic!" said Cho, and several people murmured their agreement.

"It's bizarre," said Fred, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then."

"Hey, boys, what's this stuff?" asked Dean from the rear of the room, indicating the Sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.

"Dark detectors," said Johnny, stepping between the cushions to reach them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled..."

He gazed for a moment into the cracked Foe-Glass; shadowy figures were moving around inside it, though none was recognisable. He turned his back on it.

"Well, Johnny and I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and--er-" Harry noticed a raised hand. "What, Hermione?"

"I think we ought to elect a leader," said Hermione.

"Harry and Johnny's the leaders," said Cho at once, looking at Hermione as though she were mad.

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," said Hermione, unperturbed. "It makes it formal and it gives them authority. So--everyone who thinks Harry and Johnny ought to be our leaders?"

Everybody put up their hand, even Zacharias Smith, though he did it very half-heartedly.

"Er--right, thanks," said Johnny, who could feel his face burning. "And-- yes, darling?"

"I also think we ought to have a name," Hermione said brightly, her hand still in the air. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" said Angelina hopefully.

"Or the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group?" suggested Fred.

"I was thinking," said Hermione, frowning at Fred, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"Grindelwald's Garrison," said Johnny, grinning cockily. His grin slipped when they shook their heads in disagreement.

"The Defence Association?" said Cho. "The DA for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the DA's good," said Selena. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

There was a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.

"All in favour of the DA?" said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count.

"That's a majority-- the motion carries!" Said Nick, banging his hand into the ground.

Hermione pinned the piece of parchment with all of their signatures on it on to the wall and wrote across the top in large letters:

DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY

"Right," said Harry, when she had sat down again, "shall we get practising then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but Johnny has found it really useful-"

"Oh, please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," said Johnny quietly, looking at Hermione who had her eyes shut tightly. "It saved my life in June."

Smith opened his mouth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet.

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Johnny said, motioning towards the door. "I'll even wipe your memories so you don't blab."

Smith did not move. Nor did anybody else.

"OK," said Harry, his mouth slightly drier than usual with all these eyes upon him, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practise."

Predictably, Neville was left partnerless.

"You can practise with me, Nev," J0hnny told him. "Right--on the count of three, then--one, two, three-"

The room was suddenly full of shouts of Expelliarmus. Wands flew in all directions; missed spells hit books on shelves and sent them flying into the air. Johnny was too quick for Neville, whose wand went spinning out of his hand, hit the ceiling in a shower of sparks and landed with a clatter on top of a bookshelf, from which Johnny retrieved it with a Summoning Charm. Glancing around, he thought he had been right to suggest they practise the basics first; there was a lot of shoddy spellwork going on; many people weren't succeeding in Disarming their opponents at all, but merely causing them to jump backwards a few paces or wince as their feeble spell whooshed over them.

"Expelliarmus!" said Neville, and Johnny, caught unawares, felt his wand fly out of his hand.

"I DID IT!" said Neville gleefully. "I've never done it before--I DID IT!"

"Good one!" said Johnny encouragingly, deciding not to point out that in a real duel Neville's opponent was unlikely to be staring in the opposite direction with his wand held loosely at his side. "Listen, Neville, can you take it in turns to practise with Ron and Hermione for a couple of minutes so I can walk around and see how the rest are doing?"

Johnny moved off into the middle of the room, standing next to Harry. Something very odd was happening to Zacharias Smith. Every time he opened his mouth to disarm Anthony Goldstein, his own wand would fly out of his hand, yet Anthony didn't seem to be making a sound. The two boys didn't have to look far to solve the mystery: Fred and George were several feet from Smith and taking it in turns to point their wands at his back.

"Sorry guys," said George hastily. "Couldn't resist."

"OK, stop!" Harry shouted. "Stop. STOP!"

Harry blew a whistle and everyone stopped.

"That wasn't bad," said Harry, "but there's definite room for improvement." Zacharias Smith glared at him. "Let's try again."

Harry and Johnny moved off around the room again, stopping here and there to make suggestions. Slowly, the general performance improved.

"Hey, boys," Hermione called from the other end of the room, "have you checked the time?"

Johnny looked down at his watch and was shocked to see it was already ten past nine, which meant they needed to get back to their common rooms immediately or risk being caught and punished by Filch for being out of bounds. Johnny blew a whistle; everybody stopped shouting "Expelliarmus" and the last couple of wands clattered to the floor.

"Well, that was pretty good," said Johnny, "but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" said Axel eagerly and many people nodded in agreement.

Angelina, however, said quickly, "The Quidditch season's about to start, we need team practices too!"

"Oh, please, Gryffindor need more than a few practices," said Mia, causing Angelina to glare at her. "Fight me, hoe!"

"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," said Harry quickly, "we can decide on additional meetings then. Come on, we'd better get going."