The Return of the D.A.

Inside the Room of Requirement, everyone was loosely clustered in groups by houses, though Stephen White remained next to Gilbert Zirkle rather than standing with his fellow Slytherins, and Connor McCormack was of course with his sister and the other Gryffindors. Dewey had been trying to greet everyone and prevent trouble (such as by keeping Gilbert away from Nagaeena), while Mercy and Sung-Hee dished out ice cream. Violet was talking quietly to her roommates. They kept glancing at the Gryffindors and the McCormacks, who were returning their glances with frankly hostile expressions. The Slytherins looked as if they were all having second thoughts.

They had given Chloe particularly venomous looks when she entered, but Violet, as usual, didn't even seem to notice Chloe's arrival, and was continuing to ignore her – until Chloe separated herself from Connor and Colleen, and very slowly approached the Slytherin girls.

Dewey's mouth went dry. He sensed impending catastrophe. Nagaeena, Decima, and Bernice all stared at Chloe, and straightened up, with darkening expressions. Violet, with her back to Chloe, didn't react at first. Then, as conversations around the room began grinding to a halt, and attention focused on her, she slowly turned around to face her nemesis, her face unreadable.

The contrast between the pretty blonde Gryffindor, a little tall for her age and already beginning to blossom, and the tiny, dark-haired, unpretty Slytherin, who could still be mistaken for a nine year-old, couldn't have been greater. But despite being the smallest person in the room, Violet might as well have been ten feet tall. The room was paralyzed. Chloe trembled before her. She was all alone, and facing not just Violet, but her roommates as well. They all stood behind Violet, and all of them regarded Chloe with unblinking, malevolent stares. Everyone else was transfixed by the sight, watching the confrontation much the way they might watch a rat being cornered by four hungry snakes.

The Gryffindors looked tense, but didn't move. The Slytherin boys were off to one side, staring with their mouths open, fascinated. And that was where things stood when Teddy and Kai came through the door, virtually unnoticed by everyone else.

Teddy swallowed, looking at the expressions on the girls' faces, and Violet's icy, imperturbable mask. Like everyone else in the room, he quailed at the thought of facing the fury of those Slytherin girls, but involuntarily, his heart went out to Chloe. He knew he didn't dare interfere, but he glanced at Dewey and Mercy, and knew what they were thinking. Their dream of bringing the houses together was about to be doomed.

“I'm really sorry, Violet,” Chloe said. Her words came out as little more than a whisper. “I am. I didn't really mean you any harm. I know it was awful, but I just didn't think about that, I just... just wanted...”

“Teddy,” said Violet.

Many eyes turned to him, now, and Teddy blushed furiously. This hadn't really been all about him, had it?

Chloe was blushing too. “Not like that!” she protested weakly.

“Teddy is very... sweet, isn't he? He couldn't resist your smiles, and your tears. Poor little Muggle-born girl.” Violet spoke slowly, in a quiet, mocking tone. She took one casual step, and then another, towards Chloe. Chloe's feet were rooted to the floor, though she looked as if she wanted nothing more than to flee.

“It really bothered you, didn't it, that Teddy might actually listen to me? Me?” Violet repeated, with an ironic smile. Chloe flinched as if she'd been slapped.

Teddy wished he could turn invisible. He tried to force himself to stop blushing, because he knew he was probably bright red. He could practically feel the heat radiating from his face. He felt embarrassed, ashamed, and foolish, and he felt terrible for Violet, though Violet seemed quite unselfconscious about how she might compare to Chloe in anyone's mind. And even though he wasn't sure she deserved it, he felt badly for Chloe too.

“I'm sorry,” Chloe repeated.

“Oh, if you're sorry, that makes it all right, then,” Violet said lightly. “After all, an apology makes up for anything.”

“N-n-no,” Chloe stammered. She closed her eyes. “Whatever you want to do to me...”

“Well, that's interesting,” said Violet. “Because, you know, here in the Room of Requirement, the staff has no way of knowing what goes on. And the room's Spell of Secrecy will curse anyone who reveals what happens within. So...” She took another small step towards Chloe. Behind her, Nagaeena, Decima, and Bernice all moved simultaneously, pressing closer. Chloe trembled even more, and fought not to back away. “I can do anything I want to you, can't I?”

It wasn't just Chloe's plight that was disturbing many of the first-years now.

“Spell of Secrecy?” Teddy whispered to Kai. Kai exchanged a glance with Dewey, and had to cover his mouth to hide his smirk.

“It worked for Ophilia,” he whispered back. Teddy was confused, not having been present for Ophilia's lesson.

The four Slytherin girls were now slowly circling Chloe, like sharks, looking her up and down.

“Maybe we should hang her upside down and see what color her knickers are,” sneered Bernice.

The Slytherin boys snickered and chortled at this, but fell silent when Teddy glared at them.

“I think we should take her to the loo,” Decima said slowly, “and turn her upside down in a toilet.” She reached out and clenched a handful of Chloe's hair in her fist. “I wonder if her pretty yellow hair would keep its lovely curls?” she spat. Chloe winced.

The Slytherin boys weren't laughing now, they were just staring along with everyone else. Edgar looked upset, and seemed about to dash forward to Chloe's defense, but Dewey put a hand out to restrain him.

“No, mate,” he whispered. “You've got to let 'em settle this on their own.” Inwardly, he was panicking. This was not an auspicious beginning! Chloe was supposed to apologize, but he'd rather been hoping that Violet would refrain from taking vengeance in front of everyone else.

Nagaeena had her wand out now. She held it up, and flipped a few of Chloe's curls with it. “Why stop there?” she murmured. “Why not just –” She made a sudden slashing motion with her wand that made Chloe jump and emit a frightened squeak. “– cut it all off?”

“She likes making her face up,” commented Decima, who had produced her wand also, and was now lightly running the tip over Chloe's cheek. Chloe still put on a touch of makeup every morning, though less than when she'd first arrived at Hogwarts. “Why don't we try making her face up?”

“A few jinxes could do wonders for her complexion,” Nagaeena agreed. Chloe's eyes grew wide, as sparks flew from the tip of Nagaeena's wand.

“I know a really good Unstoppable Nosebleed Hex I've been dying to try out,” Bernice said.

Chloe was trembling more and more violently, but she stayed where she was as the Slytherin girls continued to circle her.

“What do you think, Violet?” Nagaeena asked conversationally.

“This could be so much fun,” Decima murmured.

“Or if you like, I could just hold her while you smack her around some,” Bernice suggested. “Good to get all your anger out that way, sometimes.”

Violet had not yet said a word, just studied Chloe expressionlessly while the other girls made suggestions. Finally, she stopped circling when she was directly in front of Chloe again. The other girls stopped as well, so they all formed a ring around her. Violet reached out and picked up one of the bowls of ice cream sitting on a nearby table, and held up her wand in the other hand. Chloe shivered, looking at the ice cream and the wand fearfully, and then closed her eyes. Nagaeena, Decima, and Bernice watched eagerly, while everyone else stared in horrified fascination.

Now Teddy almost couldn't take it anymore, and it was Kai who had to stop him from intervening.

“This is Violet's turn,” he whispered.

“Here,” Violet said. She shook her wand over the bowl of ice cream, producing a shower of chocolate sprinkles. “Have some ice cream.”

Chloe opened one eye, then the other. Confused, she took the bowl from Violet, with trembling hands.

Violet picked up a spoon from the table, and carefully pushed it into Chloe's ice cream. And then, as Chloe stared at her, she stepped up to the other girl, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned close, so she could whisper into the taller girl's ear.

Even the other Slytherin girls couldn't hear what she said, but Chloe looked even more shaken than she already was. And then Violet stepped back, and offered her a small, thin smile, then turned around and walked over to join Mercy.

“Apology accepted,” she said slowly.

“Brilliant! Everyone have some ice cream!” Mercy chirped. Her voice was a little too high, but she and Sung-Hee quickly began dishing out more ice cream and passing bowls around. There was a gradual movement towards the table with all the dessert toppings. Chloe sat down at a table by herself, not touching her ice cream.

Teddy sagged with relief. So did Dewey. Everyone seemed relieved, except the Slytherins, who looked disappointed.

“Well, that wasn't very satisfying,” muttered Nagaeena, sitting down at a table next to Violet's.

“I'm satisfied,” Violet replied coolly.

Teddy moved to the front of the room as everyone found a table to sit at. He paused as he glanced at Chloe, who was still pale but had stopped trembling. The McCormack twins had joined her at her table, and so had Edgar.

Alfred and Edan were looking at Teddy warily. This wasn't exactly the sort of inter-house cooperation Teddy had been talking about. Most everyone else was watching him with curiosity. Nagaeena was giving him a coy smile, while Decima and Bernice just looked suspicious. Teddy didn't quite understand why Deana Forte kept smiling at him either. He cleared his throat, and launched himself into his spiel, without preamble.

“All of you know that Violet, Dewey, Kai, and I were there when the wand-thief last struck, before Christmas. Well, what you heard was true – the thief can turn invisible! I don't know if it's with an invisibility cloak or a spell or what, but I was right there when the thief stole Deana Forte's wand. And not only that, I know the thief's name – Slipfang!”

Everyone stared at him, and many of them repeated the name to themselves.

“Sounds like a werewolf,” said Anthony Dreadmoor.

“That's what I thought!” said Dewey.

“No, it sounds like a goblin,” said Deana.

“That's what I thought!” said Kai triumphantly.

“How do you know all this, then?” demanded Nero Velenos.

“With a magic item,” Teddy replied. “And I can't show it to you, so don't ask.” There were mutters and grumbles at this, and Teddy said quickly, “But Dewey and Kai and Violet believe me, so if you trust them, you should believe me. And Professor Longbottom and Professor Llewellyn believe me, and so does my godfather, Harry Potter! They all know, and the Auror's Office is investigating now. But they haven't told us anything because they don't know who Slipfang is. They figure there's no point in a bunch of kids trying to chase an invisible thief. Maybe they're right, but I think we ought to know, at least!”

Teddy could see that not everyone was convinced, but at least they were still listening to him.

“If you could see the thief with your magic item, why couldn't you stop him from stealing my wand, Teddy?” asked Deana.

“I got there too late. I'm sorry, Deana.” Teddy looked at the Ravenclaw girl apologetically. “Anyway, I don't know that I could have stopped him. Or her. We don't know what Slipfang is.” He noticed Violet smiling slightly.

“Can you see this Slipfang again, if it turns up in Hogwarts?” demanded Alfred.

“Well, I can't be using the... the item, all the time,” said Teddy. “But yeah, if Slipfang returns, I might see it.”

“Then we should organize to track the bugger down!” said Alfred.

“Wait a minute,” said Dewey. “The professors are already on the job. If Teddy does see Slipfang on his m – his item,” he stammered, “then he ought to tell a teacher, is what he should do!”

“But,” said Teddy, “I think we've got a right to ask them to tell us more than 'We're on the job'!” And, having a sudden inspiration, he added, “I mean, now even the Auror's Office knows it hasn't been Slytherins stealing wands! Why not announce that to the school?”

The Slytherins all nodded at this. Alfred and Edan, who had sat down at a table as far from any of the Slytherins as they could, just frowned a little. Connor and Colleen looked at each other uncertainly.

“What about Geoffrey, then?” Nero growled. “You said you wanted to talk about how Geoffrey got unfairly persecuted for being a Slytherin!” He turned and glared at the Gryffindor boys and the McCormacks, who snorted at this.

“Geoffrey being expelled was unfair,” agreed Teddy, “because the Zero Toleration Policy is unfair! There are already rules against Dark Marks and things. How stupid is it that a photograph can get you expelled now? And... and the rules don't even make sense! Expelled for a shove or a little jinx? Might as well do away with points and detentions entirely! You should get expelled if you're doing something really bad, not just to make a point to scare everyone else!”

The sudden conviction with which Teddy spoke now had some of the students nodding their heads, especially the Slytherins. But others remained skeptical.

“The Headmistress had to become more strict,” said Colleen.

“You Gryffindors and Slytherins were making the hallways dangerous for everyone else,” said Deana's friend Aisha.

“How else was she supposed to restore order if the houses can't get along?” asked Deana.

“Like this,” Dewey said. He stood up slowly and swung his arm around. Teddy fell silent, as Dewey spoke.

“I reckon Hogwarts hasn't seen two dozen kids from all houses sitting around eating ice cream together in a long time,” Dewey said. “If we can do it, it shouldn't be so hard for the older kids to do it.”

“Maybe if we show that we can get along, then Professor Llewellyn will abolish the Zero Toleration Policy,” said Mercy softly. “And even reinstate students who were expelled.”

There was a brief pause, and then Anthony Dreadmoor scoffed, “So your plan is to keep meeting for ice cream and hope that will bring peace to Hogwarts?” He sounded thoroughly unconvinced.

“No,” said Teddy. “Meeting for ice cream is good, but I was thinking of something more direct too.”

“We can write letters!” Mercy suggested. “If we all write letters to the Department of Education, and to the Daily Prophet, and the Quibbler, complaining about the Zero Toleration Policy, someone would have to listen!”

“Right, the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler publish letters from eleven year-olds all the time,” said Anthony sarcastically.

“And I'm sure the Department of Education is dying to hear what first-years think about the Headmistress!” Bernice snorted.

“That's a stupid idea!” agreed Nero.

“It's not a stupid idea!” Dewey said, coming to Mercy's defense. “Listen, if you came thinking we could just make everything better right away, I'm sorry, but we have to start somewhere! And I wonder how often a bunch of first-years have all sent letters before? Someone will notice, at least! Especially if they're signed by Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and Slytherins!”

“And the papers just might publish a letter from an eleven year-old, if that eleven year-old is Teddy Lupin,” said Violet.

Teddy wasn't sure whether he was grateful for Violet's support. The idea of his name appearing in the Daily Prophet made him queasy.

“Letters are a good idea,” he said. “But I meant even more direct.” He unrolled a paper he'd had tucked underneath his jacket, and showed it to everyone. It was a small poster he'd lettered himself. It was dominated by a large question mark, but above it was written the question: “Who is Slipfang?” And beneath it, the words, “Ask your professors!” And at the bottom of the poster there were just two words: “The D.A.”

Everyone was staring at the poster now, most of them looking a bit confused.

“We post these all over school,” said Teddy. “See if the teachers can ignore us then!”

Teddy hadn't shared this inspiration with Kai or Dewey or Violet. They all looked at each other, along with the other kids.

“You want something to do?” asked Teddy. “We'll need help producing more posters, and putting them up, and not getting caught!” He looked at the Slytherins. “The next one can be about Geoffrey.”

“What's the D.A.?” asked Edgar.

“Dumbledore's Army,” murmured Chloe. She had not spoken since being allowed to sit down after her confrontation with Violet. Teddy looked at her in surprise.

“Professor Longbottom tells us stories about the D.A. sometimes,” Chloe said quietly. Which was true – Longbottom did like to talk about the D.A., which was where Teddy had gotten the idea. He was a little surprised Chloe had been paying attention, though.

Now Alfred and Edan and Colleen were all nodding. “He showed us his D.A. coin one day, after class,” said Edan eagerly. “They used it for secret communications! Can we get something like that?”

“My Aunt Hermione made those,” said Teddy. “I don't think I can ask her to make new ones for us. We'll just have to be secretive without magic. But before it was Dumbledore's Army, it was just the Defense Association.” He remembered this also, from Harry and Ron's tales. “Anyway, it doesn't really matter what it stands for. We don't have to tell anyone what it stands for, since we're not going to tell anyone who's in the D.A. But it's...” He struggled to articulate his idea. “It's got history!”

He knew that Professor Longbottom and the rest of the staff would recognize the name. He thought it would make more of a point that way. He had no idea just how that point would be taken, though.

Everyone was looking at one another again, with expressions ranging from skepticism to enthusiasm.

“How about –” Nero said, holding his hands up to frame an imaginary picture, squinting as he tried to visualize it. “– a picture of someone's dad saying 'You can get expelled for this if you're a Slytherin!'”

“Oh, bollocks, that's ridiculous!” snapped Connor.

“Okay!” said Dewey quickly, before an argument erupted. “But Nero's got a point! With regard to Geoffrey anyway.” Not everyone, including Connor, looked as if they agreed, but Teddy was grateful that Dewey was keeping them on track – and delighted that Nero was actually contributing ideas now. “So what else could we put on a poster?”

And much to Teddy's surprise, everyone was soon talking. Not everyone looked convinced, and not everyone was talking to anyone from other houses; Alfred Cattermole in particular was clearly not about to start chatting with Slytherins, and Chloe still had no one to talk to but Connor and Colleen, and the Slytherins were still mostly keeping to themselves. But... they were talking, and eating ice cream, and not fighting.

“Not a bad start,” Dewey muttered to Teddy, as he walked around the room.

“What if it doesn't do any good?” Teddy asked. “Writing letters and putting up posters sounds good, but we really are just a bunch of first-years. No one's actually going to listen to us!”

“What happened to that Gryffindor confidence?” Dewey said with forced cheerfulness, clapping Teddy on the back.

Teddy circulated around the room. Alfred and Edan were sitting at a table next to Deana and Aisha, and had actually started talking to the Ravenclaw girls.

“Aren't you worried we might get in trouble?” Deana asked. She kept giving Teddy odd smiles that made him feel a little uncomfortable.

“That's why we have to keep it a secret,” said Teddy. “But Professor Llewellyn hasn't made it an expellable offense to write letters or put up posters, so the worst we'll get if we are caught is detention, I reckon.” “Except maybe me,” he thought.

Edgar had joined Simon Norman, and the two of them were now sitting with Gilbert and Stephen. “Hey, Lupin, you know what I think?” Edgar asked loudly.

Teddy grinned. “No, but I reckon you're going to tell me.”

“I think it's stupid to give us detention for GameBoys and mobile phones! I mean, they don't even work here anyway, so what's the harm? For that matter, why shouldn't we be allowed to bring things from home? Muggle things, I mean!”

Simon looked impassive, but Teddy glanced over to where Chloe was still sitting with the McCormacks, and saw that she was listening to the conversation.

“You mean things that shoot flaming pieces of metal and fireballs?” Connor interrupted, from their table. “I wouldn't want anything like that at Hogwarts!”

“Flaming pieces of metal? Fireballs?” Edgar repeated, frowning. “What idiot have you been listening to?”

Gilbert suddenly choked on his ice cream, and had to cover his mouth, while Kai, sitting with Sung-Hee, Mercy, and Violet, suddenly turned red.

“Well, Guy Blake was an idiot, that's for sure,” said Teddy. “But maybe you're right, Edgar. Maybe we should add that to our list! Muggle stuff isn't automatically dangerous and it shouldn't be treated like it is.”

Teddy had no idea what a GameBoy was, but much like Dewey earlier, he realized all at once that he'd hardly thought about Muggle-borns. Maybe Chloe wouldn't have had such a hard time adjusting to Hogwarts if Muggle-borns weren't treated with benign indifference.

Edgar and Gilbert both looked pleased. Even Chloe smiled, at her table.

“It would be aces if we could play computer games here!” said Kai.

“You'd need to do more than persuade the Headmistress to do that, mate,” said Edgar. “You'd need to change the laws of magic.” He grimaced. “I ought to know. Professor Peasegood made me write most of 'em about a hundred times.”

Much to Teddy's amazement, most of them agreed to put up posters. Even the non-committal ones, like Alfred and Christopher and Aisha, said they would think about coming to the next meeting. Teddy turned his back on the group, and had Dewey stand behind him, as he checked the Marauder's Map to make sure the corridor outside was clear, and then let the members of the new D.A. exit the Room of Requirement.

“What did you say to Chloe, at the end, there?” Kai whispered to Violet, as they were leaving.

“That's between me and her, you nosy prat,” sniffed Violet.

“Is Teddy always such a... crusader?” Mercy asked Dewey worriedly. “I really thought this would be more social.”

“It was social,” Dewey said, still smiling at the sight of Slytherins and Gryffindors eating ice cream together. “But yeah, Teddy can be a bit unmanageable, once he's got an idea in his head.”

Teddy, Alfred, Edan, Chloe, and the McCormacks walked downstairs in one group, with the Slytherins a little ways ahead of them and the Hufflepuffs and other Ravenclaws behind them. The McCormacks were talking to one another, and Teddy chatted with Edan and Alfred, and Chloe gradually fell behind them. When they reached the stairs, Teddy looked over his shoulder, and said, “Catch up to you in a minute,” and slowed down until Chloe caught up to him.

They didn't say anything to one another at first. Finally, Chloe asked Teddy, in a quiet voice, “Would you really have let your cousin and her friends do those things to me?”

Teddy opened his mouth, thought a moment, and said, “Yes.”

Chloe looked shocked and hurt, and he added, “But I knew she wouldn't. It would have ruined the whole purpose of our meeting. Violet wouldn't do that.” He looked at Chloe, and said, “Violet just wouldn't do that, period. She's not a spiteful person.”

Chloe looked down. They reached the Entrance Hall.

“What did Violet whisper in your ear?” Teddy asked her.

They were almost to the entrance of the Great Hall, and Teddy thought she wasn't going to answer, when Chloe mumbled, “She said, 'I forgive you.'”

She kept walking to the Gryffindor table, head down, and Teddy stared after her. He looked over at the Slytherin table, to see Violet sitting with the other Slytherin first-years. Violet caught him staring at her, and raised an eyebrow. Teddy grinned and waved at her, ignoring the derisive looks that earned him from the older Slytherins, and then he joined the Gryffindors for dinner.

They put the first posters up two days later, early in the morning. Teddy was able to enlist only Edan, Chloe and Colleen from Gryffindor. Kai brought Gilbert, Connor, and Deana from Ravenclaw. Dewey brought the other four Hufflepuffs, and Violet came with Stephen. They met in the Room of Requirement.

“The other boys couldn't be bothered to get up early enough,” said Violet disdainfully.

“No loss,” said Stephen.

“And my roommates are waiting to see whether or not this goes disastrously wrong and we all get expelled,” Violet continued.

“Very sensible of them,” Dewey said wryly.

Teddy had already checked the Marauder's Map, and determined that Filch, after a hard night of making all the students serving detention dredge the lake shore, was still in his own quarters, and Peeves was up to something in the Armory.

“Right, then,” Teddy said. “Gryffindors to the seventh floor, Ravenclaws the sixth, Slytherins the dungeons, and Hufflepuffs, you get the Great Hall and Entrance Hall. And if we haven't been caught or run into Peeves yet, we'll meet in the middle and paper what other hallways we can before people start rising for breakfast.”

“Move quick!” Kai barked, and fifteen firsties dashed out of the Room of Requirement, each carrying an armful of posters.

By breakfast that morning, “WHO IS SLIPFANG? ASK YOUR PROFESSORS!” was posted in nearly every classroom corridor, and dozens of the flyers were littering the Entrance Hall. Gryffindors and Ravenclaws coming out of their towers were immediately greeted by the provocative posters; Hufflepuffs and Slytherins likewise found them all around the entrances to their common rooms. And at breakfast that morning, everyone was asking, “Who is Slipfang?”

Teddy was feeling quite pleased with himself. Professor Llewellyn, at the High Table, appeared serene and unperturbed. But he thought he saw Professor Longbottom looking at him several times.

He wasn't wrong. In Herbology class, Longbottom told him, “Come to my office after your last class this afternoon, please, Mr. Lupin.”

Since nearly everyone in Herbology class knew about the D.A. now, everyone was staring at him. Teddy shrugged, and smiled unconcernedly at them.

He arrived at Longbottom's office following his afternoon Astronomy class. Professor Longbottom was seated behind his desk, which was surrounded by several of those gray cactus-like plants in pots. There were flitterblooms and bonsais lining his shelves, and a large spider-vine plant hanging overhead.

“You wanted to see me, Professor?” Teddy asked, knocking lightly on the open door.

“Yes, Mr. Lupin. Come inside please, and close the door behind you.” Longbottom sat up, and regarded Teddy thoughtfully as he approached the teacher's desk, then pointed to a chair. Teddy sat down.

Longbottom continued studying him, until Teddy shifted nervously in his seat, and wondered if the teacher was going to offer him tea. Finally, the professor pulled one of the “WHO IS SLIPFANG?” posters off the stack of papers on his desk, and held it up.

“The D.A., Teddy? Really?”

They had added “The D.A.” at the bottom of the posters, and this was also something that students had been asking questions about all day.

Teddy tried to look innocent.

Longbottom set down the poster, and pulled a coin out of his pocket, a worn and somewhat dulled Galleon. He held it up. “Do you know what this is, Teddy?”

“It's your D.A. coin,” Teddy replied. “Harry has one too, and Aunt Ginny, and Uncle Ron, and –”

“Yes, everyone who was in the D.A.,” said Longbottom. “Those who survived,” he added in a quieter voice. He set it down on top of the poster with a loud tap. He stared at Teddy again. “It takes a lot of nerve, to claim the D.A. mantle for oneself, don't you think?”

“Anyone could have put those posters up, Professor,” said Teddy.

“Oh, please don't play me for a fool, Teddy.” Longbottom shook his head. “Your secret club is about as secret as any formed by a gang of eleven year-olds. We weren't able to remain secret forever, and we were a bit older than you, and had more to lose. And,” he added, “Dolores Umbridge was incompetent and foolish. I am not, and neither is Professor Llewellyn.”

Teddy folded his arms across his chest, frowning.

“What is this supposed to accomplish?” Longbottom asked, tapping his finger on the poster.

“I guess some kids want to know what's being done about the wand-thief and why no one tells us anything,” Teddy said stubbornly. “That's what I guess, since I don't know exactly who put those posters up.”

Longbottom exhaled, in a long sigh. “And that's what this D.A. is about, demanding that the staff answer to students?”

“I don't know,” Teddy shrugged. He stared at one of the flitterblooms sitting on a shelf over Longbottom's head, rather than looking at the man. “Maybe they care about other things too, like kids being unfairly expelled, and Professor Llewellyn's unfair policies, and unfair treatment of Muggle-borns.”

“That's a lot of unfairness,” Longbottom commented. Teddy looked at him and narrowed his eyes, wondering if the Gryffindor Head was being sarcastic, but Longbottom's expression was perfectly serious.

“You were in the D.A.,” Teddy said suddenly. “You were willing to stand up against an unfair Headmistress, and risk getting expelled over it! Now you and Harry are both telling me that's wrong, I should just behave myself and trust the grown-ups! Guess it's a good thing you didn't believe that when you were students, or Voldemort would still be around!”

Longbottom stared at Teddy for a long time after that, and Teddy felt his face burning even more, but he didn't look away. Finally, Longbottom said, very calmly, “Actually, we were risking a great deal more than expulsion.”

“Well, I'm sorry if we don't have a Dark Lord to fight so the things that matter to us seem petty to you!” Teddy retorted. Then he gulped, realizing he might have gone too far.

Longbottom's cheeks turned a little red. “I didn't say that. And believe me, Teddy, all of us who did fight Voldemort pray that you will never have to fight the sort of battles we did. But a sense of perspective would be helpful.” He sighed. “Professor Llewellyn would be the first to admit that she's no Albus Dumbledore, but I assure you, neither is she a Dolores Umbridge. If she were as terrible as you seem to think she is, you and your friends would all be on the Hogwarts Express going home already.”

He leaned back in his chair. “As it is, I must point out that posting unauthorized flyers around the school does fall under the category of vandalism and graffiti. Although Professor Llewellyn is unlikely to accept Argus Filch's recommendation, which is to hang the offenders by their thumbs in the dungeons, anyone caught papering the hallways will almost certainly spend a few evenings cleaning up those same hallways. I'd also caution against making inflammatory statements which might fall under the category of insubordination, which will be treated like any other disciplinary offense. That is, I'd point out all those things to you if you happened to be involved in any of these activities. I must assume you are not, since you say you aren't and I have no proof to the contrary.”

Teddy stared at Professor Longbottom, confused and wary, but the professor's expression was the same unruffled calm as when he entered.

“Lastly,” Longbottom said, “even if we are now the grown-ups enforcing the rules you want to rebel against, I think you owe us a little bit of respect. For the battles we did fight.” His expression was very serious now, and for a moment, his eyes were somewhere distant. “No one owns the D.A., Teddy. So if persons unknown choose to use that name for their own purposes, I certainly can't stop them. But I hope those persons keep in mind that it wasn't just a group of students being rebellious. Some of the members of the original D.A. died fighting for their cause. I will not see their memory dishonored.”

Teddy swallowed, and looked down. “I'm sure no one intends to do that, Professor,” he said quietly.

Longbottom nodded slowly. “Good.” Then he said, in a more formal tone, “That's all, Mr. Lupin. You may go.”

Teddy stood up, looked at Professor Longbottom uncertainly, and left.

In his office, Neville Longbottom held the fake Galleon in his hand. It was just a coin now. It had been years since it had glowed with warmth, announcing a new meeting of the D.A. Its serial numbers were now frozen in time, showing the date of the last time that Dumbledore's Army had assembled. He flipped it into the air and caught it, then put it back into his pocket, and stared again at one of the flyers that certain individuals had put up around the school, signed, “The D.A.” And he shook his head and chuckled softly.