Lesson 1 - Basic Level

Abbey walked into DADA, happy she was finally back at school after a long summer. Normally a girl her age would dread going back to school, but when you attended Hogwarts it was much more exciting going back then it was with regular muggle school.

"Hello Professor Wilson." she said, sitting down at a desk in the middle of the classroom, her favorite spot. Abbey wasn't sure what she needed for class yet, so she simply set her bag down and placed her quill on her desk incase she needed it.

''What is this?'', he asked looking at the note Aurora gave him. ''Bloody hell'', he commented, putting the note aside. ''Oh my... you seem to have come to your senses and actually attend classes... oh joy, oh joy.'', he said with irony. ''Now... my name is James Wilson and I shall, for those who know me, again, fort those who don't, for the first time, teach you how to defend yourselves against the Dark Arts. It is a very complex branch of magic which will require a lot of work and you attending my classes, especially since that idiot of a woman established her own class, which is actually the same as mine, but she had to have her own. Now, this year will be mostly theoretical, with you learning about magical creatures and how to deal with them, but there will also be some practical classes, including some basic dueling. Now, to cut these unnecessary things short, you will learn what I am like during the classes, what is Defense Against the Dark Arts? Anyone?'', he asked.

Luna raised her hand.

"Defense against the Dark Arts is a collection of tools that we can use should we ever come into contact with the Dark Arts in otherwise impossible to escape situations. Such defenses can range from a simple charm to a total protection spell. A good example of that, although ineffective, was when a bunch of people on the Hogwarts Express tried to deter the demons with Patronus spells".

She thought she'd covered that pretty well, and hoped the teacher would be impressed.

"Yes but isnt it more like a collection of jinxes spells and such that we would use in any account with a death eater or anything else hat might try and harm us sir?" Aurora spoke i her normal depressing voice. "I mean if you said tools to a newcomer they could have thought you meant like chainsaws and blowtorches and more of the such. So isnt it better to classify it as spells and jinxes?" She asked him. Her depression was still the same no matter where she was but even with a depressed look on her face, she smiled a little. She was glad that he understood how much this could damage her if someone made her mad.

Andrew scowled a bit, trying not to show his distaste. He might only be a second year, but already he'd figured out that things at the school had changed. A lot of the teachers that were here now were people that, by his first impressions of them, he had not liked. He wasn't sure why, but he just had not liked them at all. The school seemed already more tense and divided. And he hadn't liked that either. Furthermore,Andrew had had no interest whatsoever in taking the Dark Arts class. As far as Andrew was concerned, it was a stupid thing to teach students how to break the wizarding laws, which really was the only thing the class could rightfully do. The only thought he had had was in somehow trying to sabotage it. But, then, he had thought better of it. Some of these older and yet uninformed nitwits in this school apparently had glamourous ideas about what the wizarding world was, particularly about what it was to be involved in the dark arts. He doubted that few others in his class had actually lived what Andrew had. He was hopeful that Professor Wilson would provide them all a bit of reality check.

"Professor," he asked, a bit bolder than last year, "as to what we are going to encounter this quarter, I do hope you will teach us not only about magical creatures, but more about the dark arts practitioners themselves. I hope you teach us not only some defensive spells, but I would like to learn some offensive ones as well. I do hope that's what you meant when you said we would be doing some dueling. "

''Sorry? Are you dumb or something? What do you little people think, that you can create the lesson plan yourselves? I know some of you may have been through hell and back, but some of you haven't and I can just bomb those who haven't with such advanced magic. But also, whatever you may have been through does not increase your experience and, or, knowledge it just increases your fear or stupidity, which is the right word for bravery.'', he explained. ''Now... Nye... anyone who isn't a complete moron or in kindergarten wouldn't mistake magical tools for chainsaws and pneumatic drills... the definition the new one gave is far mote better than yours... no magical discipline is a collection of spells and jinxes... even Charms is more than that, and Charms is a collection of jinxes and spells... and now, what about offense? You have spoken about its defensive role... what about its offensive role?'', he asked.

"But sir. Some muggle borns who dont know much of magic could mistake it couldnt they? I mean i am a muggleborn my self and i know a bit about magic and i even got confused when she said tools. Some people wouldnt understand that if they have lived around tools most of their lives." She said in a wierd way. She still was glad to have some happiness at the moment.

''It's not a bloody collection of hexes... it is not a collection of tools either, but tools is definitely a better term to define it. Even the Oxford Dictionary does not give an one-sided definition of the word 'tool', which automatically means that it does not always have to be a chainsaw or a drill... you should have learned those basics by now. Now, would anyone answer my next question? We still haven't gotten to the full and correct definition of the subject'', he said.

Well, now, exactly who put the salt in his tea? Andrew thought. "Professor, I believed that Defense Against the Dark Arts was the art of protecting oneself against another witch or wizard that might cause him or her harm. I have always believed that this might include not only defensive actions, but also offensive ones in order for one to truly protect himself.

"I haven't witnessed that many duels, but in the few I did see, it took both offensive and defensive actions for the wizards involved to adequately protect themselves. It looks like quite a complicated and, possibly, deadly thing. Is that a bit closer to what you're looking for?

Sammy walked into the DADA class room quickly yet quitely, she didn't know if she was late or not. So she walked straight to a desk, pulled out her things, then had the guts to look up and see what was going on. Aurora was here, and some other people that she knew, but that was about it. She didn't know the Professor, but that was to be suspected. She only hoped that this year of classes wouldn't be as bad as last year. Other than the work of course. She heard that the work loads for the 5th year students was so much more in comparison than the 4th year. Sammy sighed and waited for the class to begin.