Chapter 572 Dumbledore's Army!!
Zacharias did not leave, which meant he had given in.
Although it didn't look like he had truly relented, he still seemed to have some reservations about what Hermione had said.
Darren tapped the table lightly with his wand.
Then he said, "There's no need to argue over this. As you said, it's still uncertain whether the Ministry of Magic would actually want to expel me just because I made a mistake.
"But I do think that if the name spreads outside, it might not be a good thing. It would make a lot of people feel uneasy.
"Me having my own army… that really is—"
Darren shook his head.
Finally, he said, "Let's call it Dumbledore's Army. The abbreviation stays the same—DA. I think only Dumbledore's Army would be more convincing."
Anyway.
Darren's Army sounded far too middle-school edgy, and it dragged his name into it. The comparison alone was embarrassing.
He would much rather choose Dumbledore's Army. Even if it put him in the second position, it was Dumbledore—someone worthy of being associated with.
It also showed loyalty.
Otherwise, if a so-called little Holy Father suddenly formed an army of his own, the whole thing would collapse the moment word got out.
"So," Hermione asked, "does anyone object?"
No one raised an objection.
She wrote the abbreviation DA on the parchment.
Darren nodded.
Then he prepared to sit down.
But he realized that everyone was still looking at him, clearly waiting for instructions.
Darren really wanted to say that Harry should be the one in charge.
But when he saw the expectant look on Harry's face, he could only continue.
"Whether it's Dumbledore's Army or some anti-Umbridge group, my only request for everyone right now is simple—practice magic.
"I remember that the very first combat / defence spell we learned, aside from basic wand handling, was Expelliarmus.
"This spell—many people think it's simple and low-level.
"But if you remember the Duelling Club in second year, held by Professor Lockhart and Professor Snape, you'll remember that Professor Snape used Expelliarmus to send Professor Lockhart flying.
"Of course, some of you might think that the spell was powerful only because Professor Snape cast it.
"But if anyone remembers last year's Triwizard Tournament, the final duel between Voldemort and my brother—then you'll remember this."
"When my brother faced Voldemort, standing right in front of him, he used Expelliarmus.
"That spell saved his life.
"And it saved mine."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
Because Darren explained the role of Expelliarmus so clearly, no one asked Harry what use the spell had, unlike in the original timeline.
"Very good. Since no one objects," Darren continued, "everyone pair up now. My brother will help correct your mistakes.
"After all, he has truly faced Voldemort in combat. You should never underestimate someone who escaped from Voldemort's hands.
"Even Cedric Diggory's father died there."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
After saying this, Darren's expression turned gloomy.
Hermione and the others knew that this was something that had always weighed heavily on him. At one point, it had nearly devastated him.
Bringing it up again now must have been painful for him.
So no one disturbed him.
They began organizing the students on their own, arranging pairs for practice.
Darren pretended to be distracted and picked up an anime book, but no one thought he was slacking off.
They simply assumed he was feeling unwell.
Soon, the sound of duelling filled the room.
Harry moved through the crowd, correcting everyone's spellwork.
And then they realized—
It was exhausting.
Although many of them thought Expelliarmus was a low-level spell, they didn't even grasp the basics.
Many couldn't cast it properly at all.
Neville, in particular, tried to use Expelliarmus, only for his own wand to fly out of his hand instead.
It shot through the air, sparking wildly.
Harry and the others dodged in time, but there were still many people behind them.
Darren hadn't intended to intervene, but seeing the chaos, he finally raised his wand.
Neville's wand flew back neatly into his hand.
Everyone froze.
Only then did they realize that Darren had acted.
At that moment, many of them instinctively felt Darren's strength again.
Darren had no intention of deliberately showing off in front of them.
After returning Neville's wand, he went back to reading his anime book.
When he finished reading, he glanced at the time.
It was almost curfew.
He waved his wand, transformed the anime book into a whistle, and blew it.
"Very good. Everyone practiced well today, but it's late now. Training will continue next time."
Everyone nodded.
Harry then organized them, sending them out of the room in pairs or small groups.
They used the Marauder's Map and made sure everyone left safely.
Darren yawned, told Hermione to hurry back as well, and staggered off toward the Slytherin common room.
Behind him, Harry wore a worried expression.
"It can't go on like this. Darren looks more and more listless. He clearly rested in the hospital wing, so why does he still look like this?"
"Maybe after a while we should let him go back to the hospital wing again. If we didn't know him, we might even think he was lazy."
"Nonsense. How could Darren be lazy?"
Hermione glared angrily at Ron.
It was Ron who had just said that.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and said sharply, "At a time like this, you still think that way? Do you even know who Darren is? Others might think that, but you absolutely can't.
"If you're fine, I'm going back to sleep."
Hermione turned and left.
Ron stared blankly at Harry.
"What I said was that other people might think he's lazy… did she even listen properly?"
Harry nodded sympathetically.
He glanced worriedly at Darren's name on the Marauder's Map, then slowly followed the path back toward the dormitories.
After a moment, he put the map away and asked, "Hey, where's Hermione?"
Ron fell silent.
"You two don't even listen to me properly anymore. Are we still friends or not?"