DADA with Avero: // This Should Be A Challenge \\

[Kianthra Lestrange]

So it was this time again. Defence Against the Dark Arts, now subtly being transformed into the Dark Arts, thanks to the influence of the DE. Of course, no one else knew that; it was true there was less of a focus of defensive spells and the art of shielding others from the darker spells. Professor Avero, another one of the teachers under the DE's influence, yet one who didn't need much persuasion. In fact he had been one of their strongest supporters. Indeed, he always favoured the DE students, often partaking in ridiculing the New Order members. Avero himself, a rather tall man, prone to barking orders from the front desk. Practicals, a favoured teaching method, especially when it involved putting the Imperius Curse on some of the class. He often barked orders across the classroom, summoning students to the front for some sort of demonstration, usually ending with the Gryffindors in detention for the following week.

Today's lesson. Non-verbal spells. The DE members had been awaiting this lesson for a while now. The real aim of the lesson, was to put as many of the New Order members under the Imperius Curse as possible, without them noticing. Of course, certain precautions would be taken to ensure that the enchantments would go unnoticed. The stage was set, the desk empty, as Avero prowled up and down the rows waiting for the students to arrive. He flicked his wrist as the instructions for the day's lesson appeared on the blackboard. The cursive script read as follows:

Non-Verbal Spells

All students will write notes from pages 340 through 70, on the use, practise and implementation of non-verbal spells. Each student will be tested individually in front of the class. A series of various enchantments will be carried out by the student in question. They shall then be tested in their ability to detect non-verbal spells. All students must pass each section of the practical. Failure to do so will result in detention.

Begin

Kia walked up the grand staircase until she reached the first floor. Today was the day, non-verbal spells. She had been looking forward to this lesson, after all she was the best in the school at this type of spell. The infamous blond hair was curled into light waves. The brown eyes focused on the door at the end of the corridor. Her light footsteps echoed down the high ceilinged place. She paused before inching the door open and stepping inside. She sat down at her desk in the back row, after Avero had acknowledged her presence. Kia took out her pristeen copy of the text book and began writing notes on a fresh piece of parchment.

Today would be a lesson to remember

[Rosie Lupin]

It was that time of week again. Double Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins. Or, in other words, a little taste of hell for three whole hours. It was hard enough for the New Order, having basically all the school against them, but it was even harder when most of the teachers were against them as well. In fact, it was difficult now to find a teacher who would even talk nicely to a Gryffindor, or any other student that they suspected was in the New Order.

This made it difficult to find new recruits. People didn't want to be hated. And, if they could avoid it, they usually would. The steady trickle that had been going at the beginning of the year had now faded down to a new student every two weeks, if they were lucky. Usually, it was more like a month or two of a span between new recruitings, or less. The numbers that were already in the NO were dwindling as well. Some quit and stopped coming to meetings, simply because they'd had enough and didn't want to be risking their wellbeing.

Every week, DADA became increasingly worse. First of all, Professor Avero was a complete asshole, who didn't actually take the job to teach it. He was there to twist the job so much that by the time he was done, no one would have even guessed that it was a class originally designed to defend you from Dark Magic. Instead, he was teaching the students, or at least, those that were willing to learn, how to wield Dark Magic and use it on the students who didn't want to participate. But, he masked it well. In fact, no one who wasn't smart enough to know about Avero would probably have taken him to be a nice guy. And how wrong they would be. He was just about as far from nice as any one person could be.

So, it was with a heavy heart that Rosie entered Defense Against the Dark Arts on that particular Wednesday afternoon. Her beat-up brown bookbag was slung loosely over one of her shoulders, carrying mostly all of her textbooks, and becoming rather uncomfortably heavy as the minutes passed by. She gratefully removed it from her shoulder, placing it on the floor and facing the front, having a rather intense staring contest with Avero for a few minutes before he looked away, disinterested.

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[James Sirius Potter]

James walked down the corridor towards the dreaded DADA with the Slytherins. He used to love the subject before it had changed and basically become learning dark spells not defence. He sighed and walked into the classroom remembering that it was non-verbal spells lesson. He knew that Charlotte and Kia and all the others would use this to their advantage to take out as many NO members as they could. It was the perfect cover as Kia was the best at non-verbal spells. He spotted Rosie and walked towards her "ready for this weeks onslaught?" he whispered to her glaring at Avero.