S.C.O.U.R.G.E.

The question “Who is Slipfang?” had spread beyond Hogwarts now, as Teddy found out Monday at breakfast. Several of the older Gryffindors were huddled around Megan Lewis, who was reading an article from the latest Daily Prophet out loud.

“While Headmistress Mair Llewellyn referred all other questions to the Department of Magical Education, she did confirm that the Hogwarts staff is aware that a person or creature named 'Slipfang' may be responsible for the rash of stolen wands at the school,” Megan read. “She declined, however, to give the source of this information.”

Several of the Gryffindors reading over Megan's shoulder turned their heads to stare at Teddy. He blinked at them, and ate another spoonful of cereal, while Megan kept reading.

“Meanwhile, the Auror's Office has declined to confirm rumors that Aurors are now directly involved in the hunt for Slipfang. However, an anonymous official within the Ministry of Magic warned that any insinuations that Slipfang is a goblin could be damaging to the talks currently going on between the Minister of Magic and representatives of the goblin community.”

“How about it, Lupin?” asked Pierce Carter, a handsome sixth-year, who currently had his hands resting on Megan's shoulders. “Is your godfather hunting for goblins now?” The Prefect laid the paper flat on the table in front of her, and turned her head to look at Teddy as well.

“If he is, he hasn't told me about it,” Teddy replied. Indeed, Teddy was both relieved and a little worried that he hadn't received an owl from Harry yet. Since the D.A.'s first flyers had made the pages of the Daily Prophet, and he knew Professor Longbottom talked to Harry, he was sure his godfather knew what he was up to now, and he'd half-expected to receive a letter telling him to turn over the Marauder's Map to Longbottom immediately.

Everyone responsible for putting the flyers up was feeling very pleased with themselves, despite the fact that it had had no measurable effect, as yet. Albus was still barely on speaking terms with Teddy, but Colin had been apologetic about not coming to the meeting, and promised to come to the next one. Colleen had told him that Judith Woodbury wanted to know about the D.A. And in Herbology class, the Slytherins were looking at Teddy with admiration.

“Hey, Lupin!” whispered Nero, making sure that Professor Longbottom was busy elsewhere. “When are you going to put up a flyer about Geoffrey, like you promised?”

“When are you going to help, like you promised?” Teddy shot back.

Technically, Nero hadn't promised. But thus cornered, he replied, “Let me know where and when.” He looked at around at his fellow Slytherins, who nodded.

“Next meeting is this Friday,” Teddy whispered. “Same time, same place.” And making a decision on the spot, said, “We'll make posters about the expulsions, and post 'em the next morning.”

Some of the other kids, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, had edged closer to listen in, and Edan exclaimed, “You mean right before the game?”

“Shh!” hissed Teddy. Everyone glanced nervously over at Longbottom, who was showing unwilling partners Chloe and Nagaeena how to open a moonflower seed pod.

Edan looked chagrined. Teddy lowered his voice again, keeping his eyes on Longbottom.

“Yes, before the game,” he said. “It'll really get attention, right? In fact, we'll put flyers all over the pitch, weather permitting!”

“Continuing with the revolution, are we?” Violet murmured as class ended.

“You still with us?”

She looked at him sharply. “Of course I am.” And as they walked back to the castle from the greenhouse, she said, “But speaking of promises, I think you should write that letter to the Daily Prophet. The one where you talk about how unfair it was for Geoffrey Montague to be expelled.”

Teddy bit his lip. “If they do publish it, everyone in the whole world will read it! My godfather, my grandmother, all my aunts and uncles...”

“Isn't that the point?” Violet asked. She looked at Teddy, and said, “Oh, I see. It's fine to make friends with Slytherins at school, but you wouldn't want the whole world to think you actually stand up for the children of Death Eaters.”

Teddy blinked and stared at her, taken aback. “That's not fair!”

“Really?” Violet's voice was unusually harsh. “Putting up flyers all over school is brilliant, but it's easy! Doing something that might upset even your lovely Weasley relatives? That would take real bravery, now wouldn't it?”

He stopped and stared at her, as she kept walking, then caught up with her in three quick strides. “What's gotten into you, Violet?” he demanded.

She shrugged.

“Okay, I'll write the letter,” Teddy said. “But there's no guarantee they'll publish it, you know.”

Violet smiled slightly. “I think they will.”

“I think everyone should sign it, not just me.”

Violet nodded. “I think everyone else will, if you put your name on it first.”

Teddy looked worried. “I can write essays all right, but I've never written a protest letter. I'm not even sure what to say!”

“You don't seem to have trouble knowing what to say when you speak to the D.A.”

“That's when I'm talking to other kids,” he replied.

“Or to Professor Longbottom.”

“That's different,” Teddy insisted.

“Well,” said Violet. “I think Mercy and I can help.”

Thursday night, Dewey was working on his Charms homework in the Hufflepuff common room. He had secluded himself in a corner by the fire, as the older Hufflepuffs liked to take over the center of the room. Currently it was the Quidditch players making a ruckus, supposedly studying for their own classes, but mostly talking about the upcoming game between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

“Ravenclaw was our easiest match,” the Keeper, Hubert Ritchie, was saying. “Gryffindor and Slytherin are both going to be tough to beat. Better if Slytherin goes down now, I say.”

“Not likely,” snorted Terrence MacMillan. “Ravenclaw's clearly the weakest team this year. Slytherin is going to dance all over them. Especially if they bring half of what they did to their game with Gryffindor.”

“Oh, they're playing 'nice' now, thanks to the Zero Toleration Policy!” sneered Beater Kent Cameron. His girlfriend, Irene Baker, put a comforting hand on his cheek, but Cameron was obviously agitated. “They set up Doug perfectly, those bloody snakes!”

Douglas McFee's expulsion still rankled the Hufflepuffs. It was obvious to them that the Slytherins had goaded him into retaliating just when a teacher would see it, but thanks to the Zero Toleration Policy, the Hufflepuff team had lost their most experienced Chaser.

“Charles is training hard,” said Cordelia Wright. “We've got plenty of time before our next game.”

“Sure,” grumbled Cameron. “But I'd like to see the Slytherins served a taste of their own poison.”

“Truncher's got a bad temper, I hear,” said Jeremy Mitchell.

“Huh,” said Cameron, thinking. “You know, it would be an awful shame if that big ugly troll were to lose his temper and get himself expelled just before the game.”

MacMillan snorted. “Yeah, they'd lose their prize Beater and a Prefect! Wouldn't that be delicious?”

“I'm serious!” said Cameron. “I'll bet we could make it happen!”

The other Quidditch players and their hangers-on looked at him, and now Dewey suddenly found himself paying attention as well. Something about this conversation made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

“You mean, try to set him off, in front of a teacher?” asked Ritchie.

“Exactly! Can't be too hard,” said Cameron.

“Might be hard surviving that plan,” muttered MacMillan.

“Oh, stiffen up, Terrence!” said Cameron. “What do you say, guys? Worth a shot to give the Slytherins some payback, and cripple their team before the game?”

“Doesn't sound very sporting,” Ritchie mumbled. Dewey was glad someone said it. Wright also looked uncomfortable with the plan, but Cameron's girlfriend smiled agreeably, and the other players didn't seem bothered.

“Wonder what insults will really get under that thick hide of his?” wondered Mitchell.

They continued plotting against Hugh Truncher, while Dewey quietly read his Charms book in the corner, feeling more and more uneasy.

It felt disloyal to tell anyone outside his house, though, even Teddy or Kai or Violet. So the next morning at breakfast, he talked to Mercy and Sung-Hee about what he'd heard.

“That's abominable!” said Mercy. “It's mean! You must tell Professor Peasegood!”

Dewey grimaced. “I don't want to be known as the little snitch who goes running to the teachers to turn in my own mates.”

“Your mates?” Mercy glared at him. “Dewey Diggory, are you going to just let them carry out this nasty little scheme of theirs? When you know it's wrong?” She looked angry and disappointed, which was so unlike her that Dewey felt himself shrinking in his seat.

“But...” he mumbled.

“What would your brother do?” she asked softly.

That made him angry. “I'm not my brother!” he snapped.

Mercy and Sung-Hee's startled, hurt expressions immediately made him regret his outburst, but not as much as Mercy's next words.

“Clearly not,” she said quietly.

Mercy gave him the silent treatment for the rest of the morning. In History of Magic, Dewey tried to speak to Nero Velenos and Anthony Dreadmoor.

“Hey,” he whispered to Nero. “Listen. Your Prefect, Truncher. You need to tell him to watch his temper. Seriously.”

They both stared at him. “What's that supposed to mean?” Nero demanded. Then Anthony cleared his throat, as Professor Binns looked up.

Violet was looking at Dewey oddly. After class, as the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins exited the room and began walking down the corridor towards the Great Hall, Dewey started to talk to her, and they heard a commotion in the Entrance Hall.

“Shaddup!” Hugh Truncher was snarling.

“You reckon he and Karait get to snogging in the Prefects' Bathroom?” Kent Cameron was saying.

The Hufflepuff and Slytherin first-years shuffled to a halt as they saw the enormous Slytherin Prefect being held back by several of his Quidditch teammates. They were pushing against him, and even with their heels dug in, they were grinding and skidding across the floor, as Truncher advanced on the Hufflepuff Quidditch players who were taunting him.

“I reckon Karait would kiss a troll if it would improve her grades,” said Charles Hunter.

“How would anyone kissing him know which end to kiss?” sneered Terrence MacMillan.

“Shut your yap, you poncy little git!” snarled Jonathan Madscarf, as he grabbed Hugh's arm.

“Speaking of trolls, do you think it was his mum or his dad?” Jeremy Mitchell asked loudly. It sounded to Dewey as if they had rehearsed this entire offensive dialog, and it was working. Hugh was making a growling sound, deep in his throat, and his expression was thunderous.

“When you were born, did the doctor slap your mother?” Cameron jeered at the Slytherin Prefect.

Hugh roared and shrugged Jonathan and the other Slytherins aside and charged the Hufflepuffs. They all looked gleeful – except MacMillan, who was directly in Hugh's path. He might be the infraction that would get Hugh expelled, but it wasn't likely to be much comfort to him.

And then Hugh tripped and took a dive face-first, skidding painfully across the flagstones. Everyone turned and stared at Dewey, who was frozen in place, with his arm extended and his wand held out. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. Hugh lifted his head, baring large, ugly teeth, and looked directly into Dewey's eyes with a murderous glower.

Then Coach Mannock barked, “What's going on here?”

He had come running in from one of the back entrances, hearing commotion in the front hall, and arrived to find Hufflepuffs and Slytherins ringing the Prefect splayed out on the Entrance Hall floor. Dewey hastily put his wand behind his back.

Students from other houses were now coming down the stairs to lunch. Those crowding the Entrance Hall were silent as Mannock's gaze swept the hall and then settled on Hugh, still lying on his belly.

“Truncher! Explain this!” demanded the Quidditch coach.

Everyone had just seen Dewey cast a jinx – on a Prefect, no less. One word from a single one of the Hufflepuffs or Slytherins, and Dewey would be the next student expelled.

Truncher slowly picked himself up, glanced at Dewey for a moment, and then met the teacher's eyes and made a horrible grimace that was probably supposed to pass as apologetic.

“Gin't naught t'splain. Ai geen an' buldered o'er me own two fait,” he growled.

Mannock's eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I see.” He clearly suspected there was more to it, but seemed willing to accept Hugh's word on the matter. He looked around. “Well, everyone clear out, then! What are you all standing around for?” Relieved not to have found anyone in the process of assaulting anyone else, he dispersed the crowd.

The Slytherins looked over their shoulders at Dewey, and the older Hufflepuffs were glaring at him, but no one said a word as they headed for their tables.

Mercy sat down across from Dewey, and smiled at him. “That was brilliant!”

“Stupid, more like,” Dewey muttered. “I don't know what I was thinking.”

“You were thinking that what those boys were doing wasn't right,” she said, looking down the table at the Quidditch players, who were quite disgruntled and were still casting ominous looks at Dewey. She looked down. ”I'm sorry I was so short with you this morning.”

“No,” he said. “You were right.”

She put a hand on his. “You're not your brother, Dewey. But that's all right.”

Mercy snatched her hand away when Dennis Grumman yelled down the table, “No hand-holding, firsties!” Sung-Hee giggled, and Mercy and Dewey blushed.

By the time the D.A. met that afternoon, it seemed that everyone in school had heard that Dewey Diggory had jinxed Hugh Truncher and lived to tell of it – and avoided being expelled as well. Not everyone had heard the exact circumstances, so Dewey's reputation had been rather embellished in the retelling. Dewey just hoped none of the teachers had heard about it.

“You actually jinxed Hugh Truncher?” Teddy asked incredulously, as the first arrivals began trickling into the Room of Requirement. “And you accuse me of being an idiot?”

“I've never called you an idiot,” said Dewey. They were standing with Kai in the hallway, with Teddy, as usual, checking the Marauder's Map to make sure they didn't open the entrance to the Room while anyone else was watching.

“Good thing, 'cause you can't get much more idiotic than that,” said Kai.

Dewey glared at Kai. “Are you saying that because I might have gotten expelled, or because if Truncher had gotten expelled, Ravenclaw might actually have a chance in tomorrow's game?”

Kai glared back at him. “It wasn't my house that was trying to use dirty tricks to get him expelled!” he pointed out.

At this point, Violet arrived, with Stephen and the other Slytherin girls. Nagaeena wasn't wearing a sari this time, but she did have on a more colorful, and slightly shorter, skirt than the one she wore with her school clothes. Dewey thought she and Chloe were competing to be the most fashionably-dressed girls in the D.A.

“Hello, Teddy,” Nagaeena said, purring his name while looking at him coyly from beneath her long, dark lashes.

“Hi, Nagaeena.” Teddy looked flustered, as usual.

“That's not all they're competing for,” Dewey thought to himself. Sometimes it was a good thing Teddy was so oblivious.

Nagaeena looked at Dewey, and said, “Hello, Dewey.” Her tone wasn't quite as warm as it had been when she greeted Teddy, and her gaze not quite so coy, but she smiled at him as if she were actually deigning to take notice of his existence, for the first time, and that made him stammer a little when he said hello back to her.

Violet exchanged glances with Kai and smirked, and the Slytherins entered the Room of Requirement.

Dewey was thinking about Mercy, now, and wondering whether he was being oblivious also. Dewey was twelve, and he knew thoughts about girls were soon to occupy most of his waking moments, at least if conversations he'd heard among older boys were any indication. He still wasn't sure what he thought about that. He liked Mercy a lot, and being friends with her was definitely not like being friends with a boy, but he didn't think he liked her that way. He wasn't sure, though, because he had only a vague idea of what that way was supposed to mean. But he worried that maybe Mercy liked him that way, and then thought maybe he was being full of himself to think that she would. Then he wondered if thinking about this so much meant that he was already at the age at which you lost your mind thinking about girls. He didn't know if these were the sorts of thoughts older boys had about girls. It seemed theirs were a bit more earthy, if their conversation was anything to go on. He turned red, and then Kai waved a hand in front of his face.

“Helloooo?” Kai said. “Don't tell me Nagaeena's hypnotized you too?”

“What?” Dewey started, and his face turned redder. “Of course not!” he snapped.

Kai snickered.

By the time everyone had arrived, the Room of Requirement was more crowded than last time. Teddy thought it might actually become larger for their next meeting, if they continued to add members. Practically all of the Slytherin first-years were here now, and Colin Hayes had come from Gryffindor. Kai still hadn't talked Rodney Bode into joining, and Dewey still hadn't gotten Alduin Beauxjour interested, but Colleen and Chloe had brought Judith Woodbury, and the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw girls had brought friends as well.

The Hufflepuffs had brought ice cream again. Eating dessert before dinner, Dewey thought, was one of the illicit attractions of the club. He was surprised to find that Nagaeena wasn't the only Slytherin who was suddenly being unusually friendly to him.

“That took some balls,” said Anthony, scandalizing several of the girls. “I reckon no one's ever jinxed Hugh Truncher before and lived!”

“Yeah, maybe Slytherin ought to give you a special thanks after we trounce Ravenclaw tomorrow!” Nero chortled.

This provoked a round of boasting and jeering between the Slytherins and Ravenclaws, which Teddy put an end to by suddenly raising his arms and shouting.

“Hey!” he said. “Let's agree on no Quidditch talk at D.A. meetings!” He couldn't believe he was actually trying to put a moratorium on Quidditch talk! “I don't want us fighting, all right?”

“Right. Best of luck to both teams!” said Dewey.

Every Ravenclaw and Slytherin rolled their eyes at this.

Teddy plunged into the next subject. “We've got everyone talking about Slipfang now,” he said. “It's time to get them talking about the Zero Toleration Policy.”

“Time to abolish it, you mean!” said Nero.

“Now, wait,” said Colin. “I'm not so sure about this. The Zero Toleration Policy has stopped the fighting.”

“And gotten over a dozen kids now expelled over little stuff,” objected Edgar.

“Diggory would have been expelled, if anyone had ratted him out like Slytherins usually get ratted out,” said Christopher Tilney.

“Would you stop making Slytherins out to be victims?” sneered Connor. It was a sign of progress that the McCormacks could actually talk to Slytherins now, but they were still never friendly to them.

“If you think Geoffrey Montague and Douglas McFee and Andrew Bales and Oko Kunle and Kent Tower all deserved to be expelled, then fine,” Teddy said. “But I think they're all victims of the Zero Toleration Policy. None of them deserved to be expelled for the things they did. And everyone here who's never done anything that could have gotten you expelled under the policy, raise your hand!”

Mercy and Sung-Hee raised their hands, looked around, and put their hands back down, embarrassed.

“See, most of us would be expelled if we were unlucky!” said Teddy.

Not everyone was convinced, but even the skeptics found Teddy's rebellious enthusiasm infectious. Colin was enthusiastic about putting more flyers up around the school and on the Quidditch pitch. It seemed like a daring thing to do. The D.A. members spent most of the afternoon coming up with different ideas for posters, and then reproducing them. Meanwhile, Teddy sat down at a table with Violet and Mercy, and they began drafting a letter.

The next morning, Teddy was tired. He still had to do detention every night, and the early-morning assault on the Quidditch pitch meant he'd had only a few hours of sleep. But there were more students waiting this time. Unfortunately, they wound up trapped in the Room of Requirement for almost half an hour as Peeves drifted back and forth outside. The poltergeist had apparently spotted some of the firsties making their way through the dark hallways. The D.A. members shifted restlessly, while Teddy kept checking the Marauder's Map and telling them it wasn't safe to go out yet. He was worried that soon the Quidditch players and Coach Mannock and other staff members would be up and about.

Finally, Peeves lost interest in the seventh floor corridor and headed downstairs, and the D.A. emerged from the Room of Requirement, bearing more leaflets than before. This time they scattered them along the corridors in their wake, papered the stairwells with them, and then Dewey and Kai and half a dozen other kids went running across the fields to the Quidditch pitch, as a light snow began to fall. Teddy stayed behind with Violet to monitor everyone. Edan, Chloe, Decima, Deana, and Simon stayed with them, to be dispatched as runners to warn anyone that Teddy saw about to run into trouble on the Map.

“Now if only you could be this organized with your schoolwork,” Violet commented.

Teddy gave her an annoyed look.

“We really need a better way of communicating, though,” said Deana. By now, although Teddy didn't let anyone else look at the Map, he had had to use it often enough that most of the D.A. had some idea of what sort of “magic item” Teddy possessed. “If a teacher does pop up, or Peeves does come after someone, none of us are likely to be able to run fast enough to warn them in time.”

Teddy agreed, but none of them had the skill to create a fake Galleon like those the original D.A. members had.

Deana's warning was prescient, as Peeves caught Nagaeena, Bernice, and Nero on the first floor with armfuls of posters. As it turned out, the poltergeist probably helped them more than he hurt them, by snatching all their posters and scattering them up and down the entire first floor in a storm of flying paper. He'd also snatched away Nagaeena's headscarf, though, and then followed her around calling her a mop-head. Teddy found out later that she had been nearly hysterical about that, and Bernice had to take her back to her room before her screaming woke up the rest of the castle.

The D.A. members who'd gone to post flyers along the Quidditch stands were feeling pleased with themselves, but Teddy saw on the map that Coach Mannock was emerging from the castle and on a direct intercept course. Worse, none of his runners had any possibility of reaching Kai and Dewey's group before Mannock did. So it was that a puzzled and annoyed Coach Mannock ran into eight first-years outside before dawn, and demanded to know what they are up to.

“We'll need better planning next time,” Violet said to Teddy, as they glumly watched the dot labeled “George Mannock” bring the other group of dots to a halt.

“Definitely,” Teddy said. And thought to himself that if any of them got expelled, it was going to be all his fault.

The school reacted with shock, amusement, glee, and outrage as students and staff came down to breakfast that morning. There were a variety of posters this time. One, which the Slytherin D.A. members had made, was a picture of a photograph labeled “Dad” next to a picture that somewhat resembled a gun, spitting fire and pointing at a stick figure lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood. “This can get you expelled, this gets you detention!” said the caption, referring to the photograph and the gun, respectively. And underneath it, “Down with the ZTP!”

Another poster listed the names of all the students who had been expelled, with “YOU?” at the bottom. And beneath that: “Who's next? The Zero Toleration Policy is Unfair!”

Mercy didn't particularly like the bleeding stick figure, and the students who were already ambivalent weren't thrilled about the posters that pictured Professor Llewellyn with a line of students outside her office, and a guillotine sitting on her desk inside. But everyone, even Colin and Connor, had helped produce the posters, and all of the posters were signed, “The D.A.”

Teddy thought at breakfast that Professor Llewellyn looked a little more annoyed than last time. Professor Longbottom was as calm as ever. The other teachers had a variety of expressions, from amused to angry.

When students streamed out of the castle after breakfast, and began filling the stands at the Quidditch pitch, they found the posters were everywhere there too. Coach Mannock was incensed.

Since Slytherin and Ravenclaw had both lost their previous games, they were both eager for a victory. Slytherin was the odds-on favorite, but nearly everyone else was rooting for Ravenclaw.

Mannock inspected all the players suspiciously before the game, and there was a ripple of laughter through the stands when he made them all hold out their wands as well, to check for wand alarms.

Just before the first Quaffle, Neal Honner announced, “The Headmistress would like to remind everyone, players and spectators alike, that the Zero Toleration Policy continues to apply, including during Quidditch matches. Now, let's see a nice, clean, exciting match, aye?”

And then the Ravenclaw and Slytherin teams were in the air. What followed was a lackluster game on both sides. The violence and ferocity that had dominated the Gryffindor-Slytherin game was absent, but the players now seemed almost fearful of even accidentally fouling one another, to the point that they went out of their way to avoid collisions or hitting one another with the balls. Even the Beaters seemed to be half-hearted about sending Bludgers flying at opposing team members.

Only Peter Honeybourne was flying with anything like his usual verve and energy. Blamed for losing Ravenclaw's last game, the Seeker didn't engage Slytherin Seeker Elizabeth Krupp in aerial duels, but he circled relentlessly and dived after the Snitch whenever it appeared as if his life depended on it.

Every time he passed the Slytherin stands, the Slytherins would all scream in unison, “THIEF! THIEF! STOP THIEF!” This provoked much laughter, even in the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff stands (not so much among the Ravenclaws), but Honeybourne ignored them.

The Slytherins, despite the demoralizing effect of the Zero Toleration Policy, were clearly the better team, and after half an hour, had sunk six goals to Ravenclaw's one. But suddenly and anticlimactically, Honeybourne's determination paid off. Krupp set off in pursuit too late when Honeybourne went chasing after the Snitch once again, and all the mocking screams from the Slytherins couldn't distract him. The Snitch led up him up, down, left, right, and all over the field, and he stuck to it as if his broom were charmed to point wherever it led. Krupp could barely keep up, and it almost seemed as if the Snitch were exhausted when Honeybourne finally got close enough to reach out and grab it.

The 160 to 60 victory was hardly a solid thumping – in fact, the Ravenclaws were now more worried about their low cumulative score than they had been before the game – but it was a victory, and Ravenclaw celebrated, while the Slytherins consoled themselves with the fact that even after two losses, they had more points than Ravenclaw.

That evening, Dewey, Kai, Colin, Edgar, Chloe, Mercy, Anthony, and Gilbert all served detention along with Teddy. All of them but Mercy and Chloe were fairly unperturbed about it. In fact, most of them actually seemed rather pleased with themselves. But Mercy was very upset.

“I've never gotten in trouble at school!” she moaned. They were underneath the Quidditch stands, raking up flyers and everything else that the students had thrown through the bleachers during the game, in the dirty, half-melted snow and mush. It wasn't a very pleasant task, especially since Filch had forbidden them to use magic.

“You knew the job was risky when you volunteered,” Kai pointed out, as usual saying things that were true if not particularly helpful.

Dewey gave Kai a sour look, and patted Mercy on the shoulder. “Least we only got three days. Teddy's been doing this for a month!”

“Thanks for reminding me,” Teddy grumbled.

Chloe grimaced, made horrible faces, and seemed as if she were going to be ill numerous times throughout the evening, and also complained about the cold and the dark. However, Teddy didn't offer to do her job for her, and neither did anyone else.

“So what did Professor Llewellyn tell you, when Coach Mannock turned you in?” Teddy asked.

“That littering and posting unauthorized notices was against school rules, and that if we had grievances with school policies, the proper way to bring them to her attention was through our House Heads,” said Dewey.

“In other words, shut up and do as I say,” Teddy snorted.

“Dunno, mate,” said Colin. “Professor Longbottom didn't look pleased, but he didn't really look upset either, if you know what I mean.”

Anthony Dreadmoor nodded. “Professor Slughorn told me we got off easy, and then he winked at me.”

“They didn't even ask about the D.A.?” Teddy asked.

The other first-years looked at each other.

“No,” said Dewey.

“Maybe that means they already figured out who's responsible,” said Kai.

“Or maybe it means we're not stirring things up enough,” said Teddy. “They think we're not a threat. We're just a bunch of first-years being clever.”

Kai and Dewey looked at each other.

“Oi,” Kai muttered.

“I'm afraid he won't be satisfied until we do get expelled,” Dewey sighed.

It wasn't expulsion Teddy had in mind, but something that would really get everyone's attention. And the best chance of that seemed to be getting published in the Daily Prophet or the Quibbler. He felt a knot in his stomach every time he thought about his name appearing in print, speaking out against Professor Llewellyn and the beloved Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If his grandmother's Howler had been embarrassing, he could only imagine the mail he'd receive after he said publicly that it was wrong to expel Slytherins for keeping mementos of their Death Eater parents. But most of the D.A. had promised to sign their names to the letter as well, so there was no backing out now.

Then Professor Longbottom called him into his office, during the first week of February. Teddy wondered if someone had tipped the teacher off about their plans. In the plant-bedecked office, the Gryffindor Head regarded Teddy thoughtfully for a few moments, then said, “So, it appears a month of detention hasn't completely curbed your rule-breaking, Mr. Lupin.”

“I'm not sure what you mean, Professor,” Teddy replied. He felt like he was getting better at keeping his face under control, but he was no longer able to guess at Professor Longbottom's mood by whether he called him “Teddy” or “Mr. Lupin.”

Longbottom's mouth quirked slightly. “I can assure you that Professor Llewellyn does not keep a guillotine in her office.”

Teddy wasn't sure what to say, and he didn't trust himself to speak, so he just gazed levelly back at the professor. Internally, he was sweating.

“Notwithstanding the disrespectful tone of some of these posters, and the fact that a great many first-years who just happen to be your friends were among those caught littering the school with them,” Longbottom went on, “I suppose it wouldn't really be fair to punish you for suspected misbehavior. Professor Llewellyn and I agreed that there also doesn't seem to be any point in making you continue to serve detention.”

Teddy blinked. “Really? I don't have to do detention anymore?”

“Not unless you're caught committing some other infraction – and I assure you, given your past history, you'll be dealt with most severely if you are,” Longbottom said sternly.

He held up one of the D.A.'s latest flyers. “Be very careful, Mr. Lupin,” he said warningly. “If these cross the line from free expression to insubordination, you can expect Professor Llewellyn to crack down.”

“Is she going to add posting flyers to the list of Zero Toleration offenses?” Teddy asked, with perhaps a bit too much cheek. Longbottom scowled at him.

“Probably not, but ten points from your house and a day of detention for every single flyer might dampen your club's enthusiasm for putting more of them up.”

“It's not my club, Professor,” Teddy said stubbornly. Then, echoing words that had recently been spoken in this very office, he added, “No one owns the D.A.”

Longbottom sat up slowly, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He stared at the boy for quite a long time, until Teddy dropped his gaze.

“You've been getting away with quite a lot, Mr. Lupin,” Longbottom said at last. “And you've escaped punishment on the flimsiest of pretexts. Please don't abuse the leniency you've been granted.”

“No, sir,” said Teddy.

“Try not to get in any more trouble.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dismissed, Teddy felt as if he'd scored a victory. Now the D.A. could meet after dinner!

Teddy held a meeting the next Friday, but decided that another leaflet campaign for the third week in a row would be tempting fate. So instead, the D.A. planned their next assault after Valentine's Day, and argued about whether to do it before or after the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game.

“Didn't get much done tonight,” Kai grumbled, as the D.A. began dispersing for the evening.

“Gilbert, Edgar, Simon, and Edan were playing Exploding Snap,” said Mercy.

“Yeah, I noticed. They might as well have been in their common room.” Kai frowned at her.

“Whose common room? And Bernice, Aisha, and Deana were all working on their Potions homework together,” Mercy continued.

“Right. People weren't even talking about the Zero Toleration Policy half the time!”

Mercy smiled at Kai, and shook her head before she exited the room. Kai gave her a confused look, and turned to Dewey. “What's she on about?” he asked.

Dewey grinned at him. “Think on it a while, mate. In the meantime, don't forget to sign the letter.”

During the evening, Teddy had been huddled at a table with Violet and Mercy, and had finally presented the finished draft to the rest of the D.A. to sign.

Not everyone had done so. The McCormacks balked, and Colin Hayes and Judith Woodbury insisted that they weren't convinced the Zero Toleration Policy was wrong, or that they should denounce Professor Llewellyn in public. Alfred Cattermole was clearly torn, but could not bring himself to sign a letter declaring his support for Geoffrey Montague or any other Slytherins. Simon had been reluctant at first, and so had Aisha, and a few of the Slytherins looked very nervous. But in the end, twenty-two students added their names beneath Teddy's.

“First thing tomorrow morning,” said Violet, with an expression that made it a demand, not a statement. Teddy nodded, and took the letter back with him to his room. He tossed and turned all night, and had a dream in which the Potters and the Weasleys told him never to come visit again, since he obviously preferred the company of Slytherins. He knew when he awoke that that was rubbish, that none of them would ever say such a thing, but that didn't make his anxieties go away.

The next morning, he went to the Owlery. He felt as if he were firing off a spell that would rebound on him as a terrible curse, as he tied copies of the letter to two of the school owls. As the birds took flight and began flapping their way south, towards London and the offices of the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler, a part of Teddy wished he could recall them, and another part hoped that anyone at the letters desk at either paper would take one look at a letter penned by a bunch of children, and toss it away.

But they didn't.

Three days later, Teddy saw all the teachers at the High Table staring at him when he entered the Great Hall. Other eyes followed him as he made his way to the Gryffindor table, but he saw that at every table, there were first-years being surrounded by their housemates, and voices ranged from agitated and accusing to congratulatory.

He looked across the room to see Dewey, who was smiling, and Kai, who grinned weakly at him. Violet, at her table, met Teddy's gaze and looked back at him solemnly, and then, very slowly, winked.

“Teddy!” squealed Chloe. Teddy turned his attention back to his own table. Chloe had gotten hold of the letters section from the morning edition of the Daily Prophet, and looked excited and anxious at the same time. “They printed our letter!”

“Yeah,” he said. “I figured.”

“Merlin, Lupin, you've got some nerve!” said Danny Boyle, from higher up the table.

“Siding with Slytherins?” demanded Ellie Cattermole coldly. “At least you didn't drag my brother into your misguided crusade.”

Teddy looked at Alfred, who wore a guilty expression and was avoiding both Teddy's eyes and his sister's. Obviously, Alfred hadn't told Ellie that he was a member of the D.A., even if he hadn't signed the letter. Teddy was tempted to inform Ellie that Alfred hadn't required much dragging, but then remembered that he was supposed to be bound by a “Spell of Secrecy.”

“We're not siding with Slytherins,” he replied. “We're siding with all the kids who got expelled, including Andrew Bales.”

“Well, Andrew shouldn't have been expelled,” admitted Nigel Crossing.

“Then he shouldn't have gotten into it with Kent Tower right outside the Great Hall,” said Boyle.

“I don't think he ought to have been expelled for a shove,” said Crossing.

“But Tower deserved it, because he's Slytherin?” demanded Teddy. “They both did the same thing. If shoves shouldn't get you expelled, then we're right, aren't we? The Zero Toleration Policy is unfair!”

All the upperclass Gryffindors stared at him again.

“He's kind of got a point,” Boyle said, at last.

Teddy was elated, for one moment, that the Prefect had actually supported him. Then he saw the headline above their letter: “Teddy Lupin Rebels Against House, Hogwarts, and Headmistress: Twenty-Three Firsties Join In Campaign Against School Policies.”

“Oh, Merlin!” he thought. They really were making him out to be the ringleader of a gang of malcontents. How was he rebelling against his house, anyway?

At the Ravenclaw table, however, Kai was the first to discover that while their letter had certainly made a stir, it was not the only talk of the school. Another letter had upstaged theirs. Saul Rambleston was reading aloud from his own copy of the Daily Prophet: “An open letter from S.C.O.U.R.G.E.”

“S.C.O.U.R.G.E?” Kai repeated. “What the blazes is S.C.O.U.R.G.E.?”

“Quit interrupting and maybe you'll find out,” said Saul, glaring at him. Kai fell silent, and Saul continued reading:

“Although rumors of a so-called 'goblin underground' existed even before the war, discontent among goblins is known to have increased in the years following Voldemort's defeat,” he read. “Among their many grievances is the lack of accounting for goblin victims of the Death Eaters, and for the persecution they suffered while the Ministry was under Voldemort's control.”

“The open letter received by the Daily Prophet, published in its entirety below, may represent a new and more radical direction for certain elements among goblin malcontents. It is not yet known whether S.C.O.U.R.G.E. does indeed speak for a significant portion of the goblin population or has the means to make good on their threats. However, the Daily Prophet has learned through a Ministry source that wishes to remain anonymous that the Auror's Office does have a special Wand Recovery Division that has been seeking wands lost since the war. These are wands which may have actually been scavenged from the bodies of Death Eaters and their victims, and even from the grounds of Hogwarts itself following the Battle of Hogwarts. Although no one at the Ministry will confirm that goblins are suspected in the acquisition and hoarding of these stolen wands, it casts recent incidents at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a new and sinister light.”

At the Gryffindor table, the older students had also moved on to the article on S.C.O.U.R.G.E., which Megan Lewis was now reading to the Gryffindors. She finished the article and put her paper down.

“Cor!” exclaimed Neal Honner. “Goblins hoarding wands to use 'em against us!”

“It sounds awfully sensational,” said Megan.

“Well, it was printed in the Daily Prophet, not the Quibbler,” Pierce Carter pointed out.

“Actually, it was printed in the Quibbler too,” said Megan. “Apparently S.C.O.U.R.G.E. sent their open letter to both of the major wizard papers.”

Teddy grimaced. So they'd been upstaged twice.

“Well, Lupin, you're in great company,” said Roger Drocker. “Maybe the goblins will let you join their rebellion! I'd watch my step if I were you!”

“You're still here? I thought you'd been expelled,” Teddy replied.

“Enough of that!” snapped Boyle, as Drocker took a threatening step towards Teddy. “Stow that nonsense or both of you will be expelled! Don't make me take points from my own house!”

Drocker stalked off with his friends, grumbling angrily. The older Gryffindors slowly dispersed as well, and Teddy grabbed the paper that Megan had left on the table.

“What's S.C.O.U.R.G.E.?” asked Edan, and Teddy found the letter referred to in the article.

“An Open Letter to the Wizarding Community from the Goblin Community,” Teddy read. And his fellow first-years gathered around him as he read the letter:

“To the wizarding community of Britain,

For many centuries, Goblins have been treated as second-class citizens or worse by wizards. We have suffered indignities beyond measure, abuse and contempt and condescension, and even violence. When we have decided we can take no more, our righteous and legitimate protests have been labeled 'uprisings' and 'rebellions,' as if by taking arms to defend our rights, we are rebelling against the natural order. Well, understand this: Goblins have suffered enough oppression under the yoke of wizard-rule, and the time has come for us to say to you, we will take no more!

Who knows how many Goblins were murdered by Voldemort and his followers? Who knows how many Goblin settlements were razed, and how many Goblins were dispossessed, by the Ministry of Magic under the reign of your so-called Dark Lord? Once again, when wizards fail to control their own, Goblins suffer, and there are no records of our losses. What difference does it make to us who is Minister of Magic or which wizard rules the rest of you? In your wizard-wars, the true victims are not wizards.

Therefore, be warned that S.C.O.U.R.G.E. represents a Goblin population that is large, angry, and growing, and while today we are but a voice warning you of the consequences of your disregard, tomorrow we shall be a fist raised to express our grievances in the only way that wizards understand! We demand an immediate end to all restrictions on Goblin activities, occupations, travel, and use of magic! We demand that our right to own and wield wands be recognized by your Ministry of Magic, and we demand that you abandon all attempts to regulate Goblin-kind! What right do wizards have to dictate terms to Goblins? Our demand is nothing less than full and absolute autonomy for the Goblin race! Acknowledge this or suffer the consequences!

Signed,

Sorcerers Champion Oppression: Unite for the Restoration of Goblin Equality (S.C.O.U.R.G.E.)”

“They're bloody insane!” said Connor, at the Ravenclaw table.

“Maybe,” Kai replied, wondering if perhaps he should have paid more attention to Professor Binns's lectures after all.

“Teddy isn't going to add goblins to the list of people we're defending, is he?” Aisha Allouzi whispered to him worriedly.

“I doubt it,” Kai muttered back, though he wouldn't actually put that past Teddy. “Looks like S.C.O.U.R.G.E. is already writing letters on their behalf.”

D.A. members exchanged meaningful looks all day, both smug and worried. Those who'd signed their names to the letter to the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler also got mixed reactions from older students. Some were scathing, others were admiring. Teddy's reputation as a lunatic seemed secured now; even the kids who admired him thought he was barmy.

He met with Dewey, Kai, Violet, and Mercy that night in the library.

“We might have gotten on the front page if not for that letter from S.C.O.U.R.G.E.,” said Kai.

“I reckon rebellious goblins is bigger news than rebellious firsties,” said Teddy.

“Have any teachers said anything to you?” Dewey asked.

“No,” Teddy replied. He was actually suspicious about the lack of response from the staff. Several professors had given him appraising looks during the day, but Longbottom, Slughorn, Peasegood, Flitwick, Rai... all were inscrutable.

“Well, if we haven't heard anything yet, I reckon we're not getting expelled.”

“But do you think we've done any good?” Mercy asked anxiously. “Will writing a letter make a difference?”

“S.C.O.U.R.G.E. thinks so, apparently,” Teddy shrugged.

“Well, we weren't threatening violence,” Kai pointed out.

“And I think our letter was better-written,” said Violet.

Teddy smiled at her. “Thanks to you. I would never have thought to use the word 'draconian' in so many places.”

“Well, we haven't been called into anyone's office,” said Dewey. “Professor Llewellyn might not have liked that letter, but I don't think we actually broke any rules. It's not as if we called her names or said we weren't going to obey the rules.”

“We never expected that a letter alone would change anything,” Teddy agreed.

“So what's next?” Kai asked.

“Next?” Teddy thought a moment. “Let's decide at our next meeting. I can't keep telling the D.A. what to do. Others have to step up and give their own ideas as well.”

Dewey nodded. “Next Friday then?”

“The Friday before Valentine's Day,” said Mercy. She clapped her hands together and said, “We should have a Valentine's Day party!”

The boys all grimaced. Violet seemed bemused. But Mercy turned up her nose at their disdainful expressions, and said, “See if you get any valentines, with attitudes like that!” She flounced off to join the other Hufflepuff girls at another table.

“The only thing worse than Teddy with an idea in his head is a girl with an idea in her head,” said Kai.

“Git,” said Teddy.

“Prat,” said Violet simultaneously.

Dewey shook his head and grinned at Kai's predilection for getting a rise out of his friends. But as he looked at Mercy, sitting at a table with Sung-Hee and Karen and Susan, he worried. He hoped she'd been kidding about valentines. That would be just too much, even for the D.A.