Harry didn't bother trying to find the classroom on his own and just followed the main mass of students to the right room. He knew he was going to have to make some kind of map or at least a general outline on where the rooms were. The only problem with that was the shifting staircases. He would need to leave them out, since the routes always seemed to change. He was relieved to discover that the corridors themselves didn't seem to change, only the paths to get to them.

He sat down next to Hermione and took out the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. He had read through it twice, since it was so fascinating, and he was surprised that some of the basic spells were actually the same as the ones in the charms spell book. He found a spell for a basic shield and wasn't happy with the warning that it was only a bare minimum spell and that practically any spell could crack or shatter it.

That made him dig through the other books he had about the Dark Arts and he found what was the upgraded spell. It was technically the same; but, the intent behind it and visualization was completely different. He studied that spell for three solid days and practised it as much as possible. It still had the warning that a particularly malicious and powerful spell could potentially crack it, then he was relieved that a single sentence explained it all.

If someone's intent to hurt you is stronger than your intent to protect yourself, then any strong shield the defender casts will be weak in comparison. Harry had read that day and smiled. If that's the case, then no one is getting through my shield.

A tall blonde short haired man walked into the room and stopped at the front of the class. “My name is Thorfinn Rowle. I'm not normally a professor or a teacher, so 'sir' and 'Mr. Rowle' are also acceptable forms of address in this class.” Thorfinn said. “With that out of the way, it has come to my attention that this job is cursed.”

Nearly every student in the class gasped or reacted in some way.

“I only recently gained this position, and I've started to research the cause of the curse.”

“Sir?” A girl said and raised her hand.

“Miss Patil.” Thorfinn nodded to her to speak.

“What does the curse do?” Pavarti asked.

“No person has held this teaching position for more than a single year.” Thorfinn said.

“For how long?” Someone else asked.

“Hand.” Thorfinn said and Seamus raised his hand and repeated the question. “About fifteen years.”

Harry put his hand up.

“Mister Potter.” Thorfinn nodded to him.

“Isn't the headmaster a powerful wizard?” Harry asked. “Why would he let a curse stay in the school?”

“He claims he is much too busy to hunt down rumors and conjecture.” Thorfinn said.

Hermione raised her hand.

“Miss Granger.” Thorfinn nodded to her.

“But, there's physical proof that no one has lasted more than a year, since you being here is that proof.” Hermione said. “It's not a rumor or conjecture.”

Thorfinn smiled at her deductive reasoning. “I think perhaps it's a test to see if a Dark Arts teacher can counter or eliminate the curse.”

“This is Defense Against the Dark Arts, not Dark Arts.” Ron said.

Thorfinn gave him a pointed look and Ron put up his hand. “Defense Against the Dark Arts is a misnomer. The class should just be called Defense, or even just Dark Arts, since you have to be taught about them to defend yourself.” He said. “Isn't that correct, Miss Granger?”

“I did wonder about that.” Hermione said. “Charms class is only called Charms, even though there are spells and charms cast, and uses a book called the Basic Book of Spells. Why isn't the class called Beginner's Spellwork or something?”

“Exactly. The word 'charms' is both simplistic and gets the point across.” Thorfinn said. “I've asked for this course name to be changed to a simpler version and was denied, with the explanation that it has to be called what it is, so that everyone will understand what the point of the course is.”

“Propaganda.” Hermione said and Thorfinn smiled at her.

“Correct. The school needs to be seen as teaching the students what they need to survive, and that's what I am going to do.” Thorfinn said. “I only have a year, assuming I can't do anything about the curse, so I will do my best to teach you all as much as possible for the time I have you here.”

Harry's hand shot up into the air.

“Yes, Mister Potter?”

“Will you be showing us spells, hexes, and jinxes and will you be casting them on us?” Harry asked.

Thorfinn gave him a knowing smile. “Yes, I will be teaching you certain spells. Yes, they are going to be common and fairly frequently used by students. No, I will not be casting them on you.”

There were several sighs of relief and Thorfinn smiled at the whole class.

“You'll be casting them at each other.” Thorfinn said.

“Yes!” Someone exclaimed and there were groans from several others.

“Don't get too excited. The very first thing I'll be teaching you is the basic shield spell.” Thorfinn said and Harry didn't remind him that the shield spell wasn't until halfway through the book. “I can see that a couple of you have read ahead.” He looked at Hermione and Harry. “That's fine, since knowing more can only help you. I'm teaching the shield spell first, because this is a class for the defense against the Dark Arts and the shield is your first and most basic protection.”

A black kid put up his hand. “What's the second?” Dean Thomas asked.

“Dodging.” Thorfinn said. “Sometimes it's better to avoid getting hit, rather than trying to take whatever someone is trying to throw at you.”

Harry nodded, because he knew that first hand after living with Dudley for years.

“Miss Granger, I assume you've tried the Protego spell?”

“No, sir.” Hermione said, her face slightly red. “I haven't had the chance to, besides trying some of the basic spells when I was allowed recently.”

Thorfinn gave her a pointed look and her face flushed red.

“I grew up in a muggle house, too.” Harry said and everyone looked at him. “I didn't get to do any magic until a month ago.”

Thorfinn shifted the pointed look to him. “Are you a muggle-born?”

“That depends.” Harry said, remembering what Bertha had told him about what pure blood wizards would think of him. “How far back can the muggle parent be for me to still be considered a mud-blood?”

Half of the class gasped and the other half groaned. Hermione was a gasper and Ron was a groaner. Thorfinn's face lost the pointed look and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Well? How far?” Harry asked. “My mom was muggle-born.”

“If both of his parents were magical, that should make him a pure blood.” Lavender Brown said. “That's what my mom says.”

“It shouldn't make any difference.” Pavarti said, even though she was from a magical family.

“I'm a half-blood.” Seamus said. “My dad's a muggle and my mom's a witch.”

Thorfinn's eyes twitched at the news.

“I'm muggle-born.” Dean Thomas said. “Not a lick of magic in either family.”

“I'm sure there's a squib mixed in there somewhere.” Ron said with a chuckle. “Lots of families have squibs.”

“Not everyone has a hundred cousins.” Neville offered, which was the first time he had spoken in any class.

“I bet they're all redheads, too!” Lavender said and a few people laughed.

Ron's ears turned red and didn't respond, which meant she was right and more people laughed.

Thorfinn stood at the front of the class and wasn't sure how to proceed as the class debated the different aspects of families and how their blood status shouldn't affect them or their children. He looked at Harry and was sure that he had brought the subject up on purpose to distract him from focusing on Hermione.

The conversations ebbed and chatter dropped off as the students remembered that they were in class and were supposed to be learning. When it was fully quiet, Thorfinn gave one last glance at Harry and then looked at the class as he tapped the chalk board behind him with his wand.

“This is the basic Protego spell, its incantation, and its wand movement.” Thorfinn said. “Depending on the situation and your desire, it can take different forms to protect you. Today, we will focus on the quarter dome shield, since that is the easiest and most used defense.”

It's also the most bypassed. Harry thought, remembering the passages in the Dark Arts book he had read. So many spells can break it or avoid it with almost no effort. He sat there and didn't bother copying it down, since he had done that already.

Thorfinn looked at Harry and the blank parchment in front of him. He was about to say something when Harry took out a tiny notepad and expanded it to full size. He flipped through two dozen pages and left it on the page that he wanted, in clear view of the teacher and anyone nearby. It was the Protego spell and it was done up almost identical to the one that was on the chalk board, except that it was more detailed.

Hermione leaned over and looked at it, realized it was a better version, and put her lips by his ear. “Harry, can I copy that?”

Harry nodded and Hermione didn't move away.

“What is that?” She asked and her hand touched the stapled stack of papers.

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to admit it, then let out a breath. “It's my spell book.”

Hermione caught her breath at the thought of another book and her lips brushed his earlobe. She blushed and quickly moved away, then ducked her head as she copied the spell onto her piece of parchment.

Harry could see her red face and fought his urge to rub the ear that she had somehow tickled, even though her hands hadn't been anywhere near his ear.

After everyone copied the spell down, Thorfinn asked them all to get up from their desks and to try to cast the inferior spell, so they would know what it should look like. Almost no one got it on the first try, not even Hermione, and Harry hadn't tried at all. He wasn't going to waste his time training with a weak spell, not when he knew there were better ones. He had made that mistake with the Lumos, Alohamora, and Diffindo spells, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Instead, Harry went around the desk and coached Hermione on what the spell was actually supposed to do. He stayed behind her and had to push her bushy hair out of the way to whisper in her ear. Hermione's face was red for several minutes as he instructed her in the proper use. When he was done telling her what he knew, he said one last thing.

“Don't just imagine the shield, Hermione.” Harry whispered. “Imagine that you're protecting something that's very dear to you.” He said. “When I step back, I want you to try it, all right?”

Hermione nodded and when Harry was back on his side of the desk, she did as he said. “Protego!” She said loudly and imagined that she was protecting Harry from all the rumors and whispers that followed him everywhere. Her full dome shield popped into place and pushed away the two desks she was near, with the sound of metal screeching on stone, and the slightly blue glow of the dome shield lit up the slightly dim classroom.

“BLIMEY!” Ron yelled and pointed as everyone turned to look. More gasps and exclamations followed as everyone saw it, especially from the teacher Mr. Rowle.

“Nice one, Hermione.” Harry said with a grin, just as the bell rang and ended the class.