'Did Dumbledore actually mean for me to answer Fudge's question?'
Adrian thought very carefully for a moment. Then said slowly, "Forgive me for being extremely blunt, Minister, but Professor Umbridge's teaching level and pedagogical approach is simply a complete pile of—"
"Not bad at all, Cornelius," Dumbledore interrupted Adrian smoothly and perfectly on time, his voice cutting through before Adrian could complete what was undoubtedly going to be a particularly colorful and unflattering comparison.
"Professor Umbridge has been settling into the position quite adequately. The students are... adjusting to her methods."
Adrian shrugged, not particularly concerned about having been cut off or about potentially offending Fudge. He'd merely been stating observable facts, after all. If people didn't want honest assessments, they shouldn't ask for them.
Fudge's round face immediately showed a deeply gratified, self-satisfied smile—clearly Dumbledore's tactfully vague answer was exactly what he'd wanted to hear.
"Dolores has always been exceptionally conscientious and responsible in every position she's held," Fudge declared with undisguised appreciation and pride, his chest was puffing out slightly. "That's precisely why I've always valued her abilities so highly and trusted her judgment. She's one of my most reliable people."
"Ah, yes, speaking of which, I really must go see her now," Fudge continued, suddenly remembering his purpose for visiting. "See how she's managing. I won't disturb you gentlemen any further. Good Bye."
With that, he nodded briefly to both Dumbledore and Adrian then turned and walked away down the corridor.
Watching Fudge's figure finally disappear completely from view, Adrian finally withdrew his gaze from the empty corridor and commented dryly, his voice was flat with disapproval, "I disagree. Umbridge is not conscientious. She's incompetent and dangerous."
"As do I," Dumbledore responded with equal calm. "However, we don't particularly need to concern ourselves with Fudge's opinions or Umbridge's performance for now. After all, as I mentioned before, finding anyone willing and remotely qualified to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts is no easy task at all. We take what we can get, unfortunately."
His tone carried resignation about an impossible situation.
Adrian's frown deepened with concern for the students' welfare and education. "We might as well simply let the students study completely on their own with textbooks and practice partners, Professor Dumbledore. At least that way they'd learn something useful."
He shook his head with annoyance.
"I'm genuinely worried that students graduating under Umbridge's tutelage will be completely defenseless and unprepared when they inevitably face dark wizards or dangerous magical situations in the real world."
"Someone will step forward to solve this problem," Dumbledore said, his tone carrying mysterious confidence and appearing utterly unconcerned about the situation.
He seemed completely, almost eerily indifferent to whatever harm Umbridge might be causing the students through her incompetent teaching methods.
Adrian studied Dumbledore's face carefully, trying to read what this old man was thinking, but found only that typical calm confidence.
Finally, Adrian simply shrugged and said no more on the subject.
There was no point arguing with Dumbledore when he was being deliberately mysterious and cryptic. The old man always had plans within plans.
The current situation wasn't too disastrously bad, all things considered. Since Dumbledore hadn't been successfully removed from his position as Headmaster, Hogwarts remained largely under his control and protection.
Presumably, Umbridge wouldn't be able to cause too much permanent damage or trouble before the situation resolved itself somehow.
About half a month passed with the steady rhythm of classes, homework, and gradually cooling autumn weather. Early October arrived with its Scottish chill and beautiful fall colors coloring the grounds.
It was during this time that Adrian finally understood what Dumbledore had meant by his cryptic statement that "someone will step forward to solve this problem."
That morning, Adrian was in his office engaged in the somewhat delicate task of gently trimming Flick's branches and leaves with specialized equipment. The little Treant didn't seem to have grown any taller during this period away from the Forbidden Forest but he'd definitely become considerably lusher and bushier with foliage.
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the office door, interrupting Adrian's pruning work.
"Come in," Adrian called out, setting down the meter-long specially-made metal scissors he'd been using. There was simply no other practical way to handle Flick's extraordinarily hard, woody branches—normal garden shears would break immediately against them.
The specialized scissors were enchanted for durability and sharpness.
Flick, recognizing the sound of someone approaching and apparently traumatized by the recent trimming session, immediately shrank himself down and retreated into the corner flowerpot where he lived. He tucked his branches in tight and trembled slightly, trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.
The door opened smoothly, and Harry appeared in the doorway.
"Good morning, Professor," Harry greeted formally as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He walked forward and got straight to the point without small talk. "There's something important I need to discuss with you. Do you have a few minutes?"
"Of course, Harry. Always," Adrian responded warmly, tossing the intimidating trimming tools aside onto his desk with a clatter. He gestured invitingly toward the armchair across from his own seat. "Sit, please. Make yourself comfortable."
Helping students solve problems and navigate difficulties was his specialty as a professor, after all. It was literally part of his job description.
After Harry sat in the armchair, arranging his robes and leaning forward with intensity, he stated directly and without hesitation, "I want to form a student club dedicated to properly studying Defense Against the Dark Arts. Open to all interested Hogwarts students who want to actually learn practical magic."
His green eyes were bright with determination and conviction.
"Oh?" Adrian glanced at him with interest and growing amusement; a smile appeared at his lips. "That's quite an ambitious responsibility. So, what exactly do you need me to do to support this? Help you brainstorm a catchy name for recruitment purposes? Let me think... How about 'Harry Potter and His Little Friends'? Or perhaps 'Harry's Heroic Helpers'? 'Potter's Protective Pupils'?"
He was clearly enjoying himself now.
Harry ignored Adrian's somewhat flippant and unhelpful suggestions, his expression remaining serious. He said with barely concealed exasperation, "I'm being completely serious here, Professor. This isn't a joke."
His voice took on urgent tone.
"You know well that Umbridge isn't actually teaching anything remotely useful in her classes. Those lower-year students haven't even practiced the most basic, fundamental defensive spells yet. If Voldemort really has returned as we know he has, if Death Eaters start attacking..."
He trailed off, leaving the implications unspoken.
"Of course, I agree with your assessment and your plan, Harry," Adrian said, his tone changing to genuine seriousness and approval. His teasing smile faded. "I'll support you fully in this endeavor. Whatever you need—space, materials, advice, you have my backing."
Come to think of it, Adrian thought privately, he himself had once held a dueling club years ago. Though admittedly it had only lasted for a very short time.
However, dueling for sport and properly defending against dark magic were two completely different fields requiring different skill sets.
Under Adrian's personal guidance and intensive training over the past years, Harry had become genuinely excellent at both offensive dueling and defensive techniques.
"That's wonderful news," Harry's tense face finally showed a relieved, grateful smile. "Actually, I've already successfully recruited quite a few students who are very interested in joining and learning. Hermione's been helping me make lists and gauge interest."
He leaned forward even more.
"Now what we really need to make this official is finding professors willing to formally join as faculty advisors and provide supervision—ah, yes, Professor Dumbledore has also already agreed to this. And Professor Flitwick knows about the plan too and seems supportive."
"I'd be happy to serve as one of your faculty advisors," Adrian confirmed. "You can count on my participation and support."
"Thank you so much, Professor," Harry responded with sincerity and gratitude.
Adrian's agreement had been within Harry's expectations and hopes—Professor Westeros had always been his most solid, reliable support at Hogwarts. The one adult he could consistently count on.
Adrian waved his hand dismissively. "Do well with this, Harry. Make it count. And contact me immediately anytime if you encounter problems or need advice. My door is always open."
Although Harry's decision to create such an organization had been somewhat unexpected in its timing and initiative, Adrian thought, it was totally reasonable and even predictable given the circumstances.
Harry's influence and reputation at Hogwarts was now genuinely, impressively strong, possibly stronger than any student in recent years.
Except for the Slytherin house, which maintained its traditional antagonism and suspicion, almost all Hogwarts students across all years and houses regarded Harry as the school's most outstanding and accomplished student. Which, objectively speaking, was indeed totally accurate based on his achievements and abilities.
If Harry Potter was willing to take the lead in forming a club or organization for any purpose, many people would certainly be interested in joining purely based on his reputation and demonstrated competence.
This was also potentially an interesting test of Harry's emerging leadership abilities and organizational skills, the qualities he'd need in the larger conflicts to come.
'Wait a moment,' Adrian thought suddenly, his eyes narrowing with new understanding and slight suspicion.
'Could all of this be something Dumbledore had anticipated? A test or training exercise the old man had set up for Harry?'
Thinking about it more carefully with that framework in mind, considering Dumbledore's tendency toward elaborate long-term plans and his habit of teaching through experience, that might very well be exactly the case.
It would be very characteristic of Dumbledore's philosophy and strategic thinking.
After Harry left Adrian's office, walking with considerably lighter steps and a satisfied expression, he immediately returned to Gryffindor Tower and entered the common room through the portrait hole.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold into the warm, familiar space, Hermione immediately stood up from her armchair near the fire where she'd been pretending to read. Ron also quickly put down his wizard chess pieces and hurried over to join them.
Both looked anxious and expectant.
"How did it go?" Hermione asked impatiently. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. "What did he say? Will he help?"
Harry's face showed a relaxed, triumphant smile that immediately answered her question before he even spoke. "Professor Dumbledore agreed to the whole plan. And both Professor Flitwick and Professor Westeros are willing to serve as our faculty advisors and provide support."
His voice carried satisfaction and relief.
Hermione actually clapped her hands together happily, her face was lighting up with joy and excitement. "Excellent! This is wonderful news! Now the lower-year students will finally, finally be able to learn some real practical skills that might actually save their lives someday."
"I still don't quite fully understand something," Ron interjected, scratching his red hair with one hand. "Although organizing this club thing is definitely cool and all, and I'm completely behind it, why voluntarily take on such a troublesome, time-consuming task? Just organizing and coordinating so many different people from different years would be an absolute headache. Scheduling alone will be a nightmare."
He shook his head at the imagined complications.
"It's my responsibility as someone who has the knowledge and ability," Harry answered simply. "After all, I am Hogwarts' Triwizard champion."
"The Triwizard Tournament is over, mate," Ron pointed out pragmatically with a casual shrug. "That was last term. You don't owe anyone anything just because of that."
"Ron!" Hermione immediately objected strongly, her voice was sharp with disapproval. She turned to face him directly. "We absolutely cannot just passively watch and do nothing while the lower-year students face dangerous situations and potentially bad people with absolutely no ability to properly fight back or defend themselves."
Her voice rose with passion.
"Think about it this way—what if Ginny encountered serious danger but didn't even know how to cast a proper defensive spell? What if she faced a dark wizard with nothing but basic first-year charms?"
Ron's casual expression immediately changed at this personal example. His face went pale, then flushed with sudden determination.
He muttered somewhat reluctantly, "Alright, alright, you're completely right. I see your point now. Then we'd better prepare thoroughly and properly for the first meeting and make sure we do this right."
Harry gave a slight, knowing smile at Ron's predictable reaction.
In fact, contrary to Hermione's hypothetical concern, Ginny was actually quite proficient with the Shield Charm and several other practical defensive spells—Luna had mentioned it to him recently during one of their conversations.
But he wasn't going to mention that and undermine Hermione's effective argument.
"So, what about the location?" Hermione immediately shifted into her efficient action mode, pulling out her detailed planner from her bag.
She flipped to a clean page, quill already in hand. "We'll need a place that's large enough to accommodate potentially dozens of students and secluded enough."
"I'll have that ready and secured," Harry said confidently, already having considered this crucial requirement. "If all else fails and we can't find anywhere suitable, we can definitely use the Room of Requirement."
"Perfect," Hermione nodded approvingly, making a note. "What about timing? When should we hold the first meeting?"
She tapped her notebook lightly with her quill, her expression thoughtful and calculating. Then she said decisively, "How about next Saturday? That gives us time to spread word and organize properly."
"Saturday morning works well," Harry immediately agreed, seeing the logic. "That way we'll still have enough time throughout this week to invite more interested students. I plan to start recruitment primarily with Gryffindor since that's easiest and they trust us, then contact willing students in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."
"What about Slytherin house?" Hermione asked. "Should we extend invitations there as well?"
At this sensitive topic, all three friends began looking at each other with varying expressions of discomfort and uncertainty.
Ron immediately wrinkled his nose in obvious dislike, his face showing exactly what he thought of that suggestion. "Forget about them! They'd just cause trouble!"
"I agree," Harry nodded without any hesitation or guilt. His voice was firm. "We're not including Slytherin in the general invitation."
He wasn't trying to be a saint or force universal unity. And as for the Slytherin students in general... well, let them do whatever they wanted. Make their own choices.
Most of the students in that house disliked him anyway and would very likely cause deliberate trouble at the meetings.
This would undoubtedly be a serious unstable factor.
Of course, Harry added mentally, if some individual Slytherin student genuinely wanted to join and learn and approached him, he wouldn't refuse them.
There were still a few people in Slytherin house with whom he had no particular conflict or negative history.
________________
You can read more chapters on:
patreon.com/IamLuis