days at Hogwarts

Chapter 578 It’s almost time
Hermione rolled her eyes at Loren who was looking at her strangely. "Ignore him. Go on."

"Oh……"

Harry nodded blankly. Being interrupted by Loren, he always felt that his thoughts were a little disconnected: "Dumbledore said that those students who were deceived by the Ministry of Magic need to learn how to protect themselves, how to resist the Death Eaters, and even resist Voldemort. According to the arrangements in previous years, the work of the Dueling Club should be the responsibility of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but Umbridge obviously won't do that, and the other professors have their own work..."

"Duel Club? Leave it to us!?" Ron found it incredible.

Hermione's beautiful eyebrows frowned and she gradually fell into deep thought.

Loren hesitated for a moment, then looked at Harry seriously and solemnly: "So this club is not for exchanging dueling experiences, but to help students learn to protect themselves, defend against dark wizards and Death Eaters, right?"

"..." Harry didn't know why he asked that and nodded subconsciously.

Loren slapped his hand and suggested, "Then let's change the name. Don't call it the Duel Club. Let's call it the Defense Association."

"..."

Dumbledore's Army = DA= Defense Association
The three of them fell silent, so it was still Dumbledore's Army, right?

After breakfast the next day, a crudely made notice was posted on the bulletin board under the marble spiral staircase at the entrance of the auditorium. A quick glance while going up and down the stairs revealed the title of the notice: Duel Club Restarted!
Soon, the notice board was full of young wizards. Lee Jordan, standing in the front, read out loudly so that the students passing by could hear clearly:

"Recently, we have received feedback from many students that the formal courses lack practical magic exercises, which has attracted great attention from the school. After research and discussion between the principal and the deans of each college, it has been decided to restart the duel club today...

"Due to the busy teaching staff, the activities will be temporarily carried out by the students themselves. In view of Harry Potter's outstanding performance in the Goblet of Fire last year, Harry Potter will now temporarily take over the club's teaching position. The first event will be held at 7 o'clock tonight. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to give us your feedback in person...

"Finally, this restart of the club activities will no longer be limited to duel practice. The original intention is to exchange self-protection and defense under various unexpected or man-made conditions. The Duel Club is hereby renamed-"

Lee Jordan squinted his eyes, and only when he got closer could he see the words covered by the ink. He shouted loudly: "Defense Association!"

"The formal courses lack practical exercises. You can tell at a glance that it's Loren's tone and handwriting..." Lisa Dupin of Ravenclaw muttered and repeated, then burst out laughing and shared with her friends around her, "This announcement is so interesting. Qiu, are you going to participate in the event?"

Qiu Zhang also smiled and turned to look at her boyfriend: "What do you think, Cedric?"

Cedric shrugged. "Why not? It sounds like fun!"

"Aren't you curious, Cedric, why aren't you leading the Defense Society when you're also the winner of the Goblet of Fire?" Justin Finch-Fletchley of Hufflepuff muttered.

His words caught the attention of the students, and many eyes immediately turned to Cedric.

"Don't say that. There are indeed many things I can learn from Harry..."

Seeing that the people around him were about to leave after making an appointment to attend the event tonight, Lee Jordan quickly seized the opportunity and shouted, "One more thing, George and Fred are recruiting volunteers for drug testing. This is a formal practical activity approved by Headmaster Dumbledore. It's guaranteed to be safe and well-paid. You're welcome to sign up!"

He was met with boos in response.

Students in grade two and above all know who the famous twin brothers are. Even the jam handled by the two on the dining table has to be checked before it can be eaten, not to mention being used as guinea pigs for drug testing.

The first-year students had probably heard of their vicious reputation, not to mention that a Gryffindor classmate had just been murdered not long ago, so no one dared to apply.

……

It was dinner time. The magic dome of the Great Hall was a clear starry sky, and the dining room was filled with the tempting smell of stew and grilled sausages. Everyone was looking forward to the Defense Association activities in the evening, and from time to time they would glance at Harry at the Gryffindor table, and those who were close would come over to ask some meaningless questions and chat happily.

"Hey Loren! You wrote that notice, didn't you?" Seamus asked loudly while standing on the bench.

"How about it, isn't it interesting?"

"So interesting! By the way, why did you change the name? What does the Defense Association mean?"

"That's what you think, Dumbledore's Army!"

"cool……"

Listening to the questions and answers going on beside him, Harry's face turned even paler, but he was very grateful to Loren. Without the notice, he would be the only one being questioned.

"You must eat some dinner."

"I don't want to eat anything."

"Have some chickpeas," Ron coaxed.

"I feel like my stomach is full."

Harry was so nervous that his stomach churned. It was a terrible feeling. He had experienced the nervousness of the Quidditch final and the nervousness of the Goblet of Fire final, but none of the nervousness in his memory was as severe as this time. When he thought about standing on the stage and speaking like a professor, he felt that his soul would leave his body at any time.

"Harry, you need to maintain your strength." Neville handed over a plate of bacon. "You are the absolute protagonist tonight."

"Thank you, Neville..."

After dinner, Hermione left for a while, and then Filch and Mrs. Norris began to clear the hall. Only Ron and a few others were left in the huge hall. Ron helped Harry stand against the wall and tried his best to strengthen his mentality.

"It's starting already, much faster than I expected." Loren muttered, waving his wand, and the four long tables and the tables and chairs for the main guests floated up and landed in the corner.

"No wonder you're so proactive. You're such a lazy person, yet you took the initiative to apply to be the announcement... I really shouldn't have agreed!"

Hermione gritted her teeth, her expression full of regret. As she spoke, she waved her wand and hundreds of candles rose into the air. The brilliant candlelight illuminated the hall.

"What do you mean? My announcement attracted a lot of people. Everyone who saw it said it was good!"

Loren was setting up the venue with great interest. If Dumbledore asked him to work directly, he probably wouldn't be interested, but if he asked him to help Harry, he would be very interested!
The wooden boards dragged out from the storage room were pieced together and covered with velvet carpets, and a meeting place was set up.

Loren clapped his hands and looked at someone in the corner whose legs were still weak:

"Harry, how are you getting ready? It's almost time!"

When Harry heard this, he suddenly felt the wall behind him get cold and he shivered for no apparent reason.

(End of this chapter)