"Ursa!" Hermione says as she catches up to her.

"Hey." Ursa replies.

"We're going to do something about how we're not learning to defend ourselves."

"Like what?"

"Form a group that teaches it in secret. Meet us at Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade on the next trip."

"I'll try but if someone tells my father I was with you again I could be in serious trouble."

"Well try your hardest. We really want you to help teach."

"Why me?"

"You're the best at Defense Against the Dark Arts and have experience dueling."

"Dueling and what happens on a battlefield are two very different things."

"I know but you still have the training we need."

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask. See you later?"

"Yep."

***

"So you applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?" Umbridge asks Snape.

"Yes." Snape replies and Ursa chuckles quietly.

"And you were unsuccessful?"

"Obviously." Ursa chuckles less quietly. Umbridge leaves and Snape hits Ursa with the book in his hand, causing her to laugh. "Quiet Malfoy or you'll be spending time in detention." Ursa pulls herself together. "Now, today you will be learning to brew the Antidote to Common Poisons. One day this potion may save your miserable little life. The Antidote to Common Poisons counteracts and common toxin. Listen carefully." Ursa takes notes as Snape lectures. After he finishes, he dismisses them. "A student in my previous class managed to melt one of my cauldrons. The next student to damage anything in my classroom will share its fate." Ursa rolls her eyes. "You may begin." Ursa opens her book and compares it to the instructions on the board. Ursa hears Snape come up behind her.

"They're almost the same." Ursa says.

"Almost?" Snape questions.

"Mine adds honeywater and lavender."

"Why?"

"Added strength and helps the taste."

"Make whichever you wish." Ursa nods and Snape walks away. Ursa gets her mortar and pestle out of her enchanted supplies pouch and a bezoar, as well as other ingredients, out of her enchanted ingredients pouch.

"How do you have so many pouches with Extension Charms?" Hermione asks. "I thought they were heavily regulated by the Ministry."

"Multiple reasons." Ursa says as she grinds the bezoar. "I know the spell, I can do the spell, I am a Malfoy, and some of them are enchantments woven into the pouches. These are ones with enchantments woven in. You have to make them in large scale, weave the enchantments in, and then shrink them to a useable size."

"What enchantments are on it?"

"Well it makes the items small enough while they're inside, sorts everything into little pockets, and makes them big again when they cross out of the pouch."

"Enough talking." Snape snaps and Ursa rolls her eyes. "Do you want detention Miss Malfoy."

"Do you want to have me in detention Professor?" Ursa says with a smirk.

"Do you want me to tell your parents you are misbehaving?"

"I'll shut up now."

"That's what I thought." Ursa adds four measures of her ground bezoar to her cauldron. She measures and adds two measures of her standard ingredient. She turn up the heat to medium and waits five seconds before waving her wand over her cauldron. "While you are waiting for your potion, do your homework." Ursa works on her Divinations homework in silence for forty minutes. She adds a pinch of ground unicorn horn to the potion and stirs it twice clockwise. She adds two mistletoe berries to the cauldron and stirs it twice counter clockwise. Ursa waves her wand over the cauldron and the liquid inside turns teal. Snape looks over Ursa's shoulder. "Well done."

"As always." Draco mutters from behind them.

"I heard that Dray." Ursa says.

***

"This is mad. Who'd wanna be taught by me?" Harry asks as they walk towards the Hog's Head Inn. "I'm a nutter remember?"

"Look on the brightside." Ron says. "You can't be any worse than old toad face." Ursa snickers.

"Thanks Ron." Harry says sarcastically.

"I'm here for you mate."

"Besides. I'll be teaching too Harry. Two nutters teaching."

"Thanks Ursa, makes me feel a lot better." Harry replies with sarcasm.

"Who's supposed to be meeting us here?"

"Just a couple people" Hermione replies.

Ursa walks into the Hog's Head Inn in front of the trio. "Lovely spot." Ursa says sarcastically.

"Thought it would be safer off the beaten track." Hermione answers. One by one people start to come in. Ursa turns to Hermione.

"I thought you said only a few people Hermione." Ursa says.

"Word must have spread a bit." Harry, Ursa, Ron, and Hermione sit near the empty fireplace. Once everyone arrives, Hermione stands awkwardly. "Um, hi." She looks around a little flustered. "So you all know why we're here. We need a teacher, a proper teacher. One who's had experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts."

"Why?" Zacharias Smith asks.

"'Why?'" Ron repeats. "Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot."

"So they say." Zacharias motions to Harry and Ursa.

"So Dumbledore says." Hermione says.

"So Dumbledore says because they say. The point is, where's the proof?"

"If Potter or Malfoy could tell us more about how Diggory got killed..."

"I'm not going to talk about Cedric." Harry says as he stands. "So if that's why you're here, clear out now." He turns to Hermione and whispers. "Come on Hermione. They're here because they think I'm some sort of freak."

"Is it true you can produce a corporeal Patronus Charm?" Luna asks and Ursa smiles softly.

"Yes." Hermione replies for Harry. "Harry can. I've seen it"

"I haven't been able to produce a corporeal one yet." Ursa says.

"Blimey Harry." Dean Thomas says. "I didn't know you could do that."

"And he killed a basilisk," Neville chimes in. "with the sword in Dumbledore's office."

"It's true." Ginny says.

"Third year, he fought off about a hundred Dementors at once." Ron says.

"Last year, he really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh and Ursa was cursed by him."

"Worse pain I've been in and that's saying something." Ursa mutters.

"Wait." Harry says. "Look, it all sounds great when you say it like that, but the truth is most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time. I nearly always had help."

"He's just being modest." Hermione says.

"No Hermione. I'm not. Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake you can just try again tomorrow. But out there, when you're a second away from being murdered or watching a friend die or be tortured right before your eyes. You don't know what that's like." Harry sits.

"You're right Harry. We don't." Hermione says. "That's why we need your help. You and Ursa's help."

"I'm already down to help, no need to convince me." Ursa says.

"Because if we're going to have any chance at beating," Hermione struggles with her next word. "Voldemort."

"he's really back?" Nigel asks. Harry and Ursa both nod.

"Can I ask a question?" A boy asks with a raised hand and Harry nods. "What's Malfoy doing here?"

"Shut up McLaggen." Ron snaps. "She's a friend and will be helping Harry teach."

"Why her?" Everyone looks at Ursa.

"Ursa you don't have-" Hermione starts, knowing Ursa's backstory.

"It's fine Hermione." Ursa says. "Without going into the gruesome details, I have been training in dueling and Defense Against the Dark Arts since I was six or seven, extensively. I am good at dueling. Won a few dueling tournaments at Ilvermorny. Harry has the fighting experience and I have the magic experience."

"How often should we do this?" Hermione asks. "I don't see the point in meeting less than once a week-"

"Wait." Angelina Johnson says. "We need to make sure this doesn't interfere with our Quidditch practice."

"Or ours." Cho says.

"Or ours." Zacharias echos.

"Or mine." Ursa says.

"I'm sure we can find a night that works for everyone." Hermione says. "But the important thing is we need to be able to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death Eaters."

"Personally I think this is important." Ernie MacMillan says. "Possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, especially for those of us with O.W.L.s coming up. I personally don't understand why the Ministry gave us such a useless teacher right now."

"They think Dumbledore is trying to raise an army against the Ministry." Ursa says.

"And how do you know this?" McLaggen asks accusingly.

"Because, sadly, my father is fueling that flame in Fudge's mind."

"Now we just need to find a place to meet." Hermione says. Everyone goes quiet as they think.

"Library?" Katie Bell suggests a minute later.

"Can't see Madam Pince too happy with us practicing in the library." Harry says.

"Maybe an empty classroom?" Dean Thomas suggests.

"Yeah." Ron says. "McGonagall let us use her room to prepare for the Tournament."

"Right, we'll find some place." Hermione says. "We'll send a message to everyone when we have a time and a place for the first meeting. Hermione digs through her bag and pulls out a parchment piece and a quill. "I think everybody should write their name down, so we know who was here. I also thin k that we should all agree not to talk about what we're doing. So, if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge or anyone else what we're doing." Ursa is the first one to sign. One by one, people come up to the front and sign the parchment before leaving. Some hesitate to sign, and others sign eagerly.

On the wooden bridge, the trio, Ursa, Luna, Neville, George, Fred, and Ginny walk back to Hogwarts together. "First we need to find a place to practice," Harry says. "where Umbridge won't find out."

"Shrieking shack?" Ginny suggests.

"Too small." Harry replies.

"Forbidden Forest?" Ursa suggests.

"Not bloody likely." Ron replies.

"Harry, what happens if Umbridge does find out?" Ginny asks.

"Who cares?" Hermione says. "I mean it's sort of exciting, isn't it, breaking the rules?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" Ron and Ursa say at the same time.

"Anyway, at least we know one positive thing that came from today."

"What's that?" Harry asks

"Cho couldn't take her eyes off you could she?" Ursa rolls her eyes while Harry smiles. No one speaks again until they are in the Clocktower Courtyard.

"Right, over the next few days, we should each come up with a couple of possibilities of places we can practice." Harry says. "We've got to make sure, wherever it is, there's no chance she can find us."

"I'll see what Dobby knows." Ursa says. "I know he spends his free time exploring the castle, well that and dealing with Winky."

"Still hasn't gotten over being freed?" Hermione asks.

"Doing better but no, especially since someone decided to tell her what happened the Crouch's last year. She thinks she could have stopped it."

"Poor Winky."