‘You need to flick harder.’ Harry demonstrated the motion to a fourth year. Walking around the Room of Requirement, he watched the attempts of the DA to master charms for slowing down their sparring partners. Pausing occasionally to correct movements, he was midway round the room when a shrill noise started. As one, the students turned towards the door, wands outstretched. The figure there had become entangled in a complex web of ropes and blindfolds. It made one attempt at escape before stopping in resignation.

Harry looked at the black robes and dark hair in surprise. ‘Professor, can you bear with us a minute while we bring the wards down?’

He turned towards the students. ‘Wands down.’ When only half of the group acquiesced he repeated himself more forcefully, ‘Wands down!’

‘Harry, don’t you think it’s a little suspicious that...’ The fourth year stopped as the full force of Harry’s glare was turned upon her.

In a low hiss to avoid being overheard he replied, ‘He’s a professor, Dumbledore trusts him, I trust him and if that isn’t enough for any of you then get out.’ Wands were reluctantly lowered but no-one left and Harry smiled briefly. ‘Thank you.’ He and Hermione made a complex wand motion that removed the ropes and blindfolds. Severus walked forwards as Harry looked at him nervously. ‘Professor Snape.’

Snape smirked ironically. ‘Professor Potter.’

Harry grinned. ‘In a way. I’m sorry about that. We can’t be too careful, not after last year.’

‘Understandable although I am curious as to how you managed it. I believed this room was unable to be locked.’

‘It is, but we looked at it in another way…’ Looking around he realised they were being watched by all of the DA. ‘Back to work please.’ Severus watched in amusement as the others complied. ‘Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna and … Ginny. Can I borrow you?’ Harry asked, calling them over.

‘To mix metaphors, these are your lieutenants I suppose?’ Severus asked.

Harry smiled cautiously. ‘I suppose so. But right now I just need them to explain how we warded this room.’

‘I am actually here on a mission, Mr Potter. The Headmaster asked me to ensure that all was well here.’

‘We’re fine.’

‘I can see that. I am mildly irritated that I couldn’t have surprised you. To test your abilities so to speak.’

Harry laughed. ‘Last year, it would have worked. This time round, we’re better prepared.’

‘So I see. So explain to me, Mr Potter, although I have my suspicions, how did you ward the room?’

‘Hermione, do you want to explain?’

She nodded nervously. ‘Yes, of course. Well, Luna should take a lot of the credit. The rest of us were trying to work out how to lock the room from the outside. She pointed out that if the wards were inside then, although anyone could still find the room when they wanted, we could control what happened when they got in.’

Severus looked at Luna in surprise. ‘Impressive lateral thinking, Ms Lovegood.’

She jumped. ‘Not particularly. The problem just needed to be examined sideways.’

Ron grinned. ‘And Luna’s our expert at that.’

‘So that was the most important part,’ Hermione continued. ‘After that, it was just a matter of choosing how to ward the room. Which was where Ron and Neville came in.’

‘Indeed?’ Severus raised an eyebrow.

‘The spell structure is based on a spider web on the inside walls which was Ron’s idea. Neville refined it by using an idea of a plant. Which one was it again?’

‘The Redgis flytrap,’ Neville answered quickly.

‘Using a distinctive factor to determine whether the fly is eaten or not?’ Snape seemed almost impressed. ‘So your wards only let you pass into the room if ….’

‘If you have one of these,’ Ginny finished the sentence, removing a galleon from her pocket.

Harry spoke up now. ‘We were using them before to tell everyone when the meetings were. And Ginny decided that they were the easiest things to use as keys.’

‘How were you using them for timekeeping?’ Snape asked.

‘Protean charms,’ Hermione answered casually. ‘So we just added another layer of spells to each of them.’

‘And this spell allows you to enter the room unhindered?’

‘Exactly.’

‘So what exactly was your part in this process Ms Granger? Aside from the Protean charms, which I cannot imagine anyone else is able to cast.’

‘Nothing really. I just found the spells for the wards. Harry cast them.’

Severus turned slowly. ‘Mr Potter?’

‘Yes?’

‘You cast the spells?’

‘Yeah … Hermione found them all, I just had to cast them.’

‘Nevertheless ….’ He stopped. ‘It’s unimportant. I’m going to observe for a short time. To enable me to assure the Headmaster that no one’s going to be permanently incapacitated by his allowing your army to continue.’ He stood up and began to walk slowly around the room.

‘We should get back to practice I suppose.’ Harry stood up and offered a hand to Luna. Neville and Ginny, then Ron and Hermione followed suit, starting the sequence of jinx and counter-jinx again.

‘Straighter arm, Mr Longbottom.’ Snape loomed suddenly behind Neville, who jumped. Severus sighed deeply then, appearing to gather himself together for a major effort, demonstrated the motion. ‘Observe.’ He repeated the movement, watching Neville copy it. ‘Better.’ As if this attempt at courtesy had exhausted him he moved on quickly, nodding at Ginny.

Reaching Harry, he saw that Luna was being easily outmatched. ‘Mr Potter, that’s hardly fair. So much for Gryffindor notions of equality.’ The room had gone suddenly quiet as if expecting an explosion from Harry.

He grinned at this. ‘I’m just making up the numbers, sir. And Luna’s doing fine.’

‘Perhaps, but if you intend on actually leading your “army”, you are going to need a better opponent.’

‘Was that a challenge, sir?’ Harry asked quietly.

‘If you wish. If only to demonstrate to your students that you’re not infallible.’ The room had missed Harry’s question but quickly realised what was happening. Muttering suspiciously, the students moved to either side of the room.

‘Demonstration only,’ Harry clarified, ‘Nothing that’s going to leave me in the hospital wing for weeks. I’d rather not find out how far Madam Pomfrey’s tolerance stretches.’

‘Agreed.’ Snape nodded and began the traditional opening for duels. Harry drew on what he remembered of second year, trying to ignore the other, more recent memory of duelling, and mimicked the movements.

Facing each other, Snape counted it down and as the duel started, Harry decided to go for pragmatism over style. ‘Protego!’

It turned out to be the expedient choice, reflecting Snape’s only semi-legal curse back towards him. The older wizard repelled it easily but it gave Harry time to throw another curse. Snape partially deflected it but it was enough to throw him backwards. The battle continued like that for a while, Harry mostly on the defensive, but making small hits. Eventually he wasn’t quick enough to repel the curse and found himself flung to the floor. He felt the shadowy figure above him and looked up to see a wand pointed very deliberately at his chest. Harry heard Lavender gasp and smiled briefly.

Then groaning in vexation he spoke, ‘I yield.’

Severus stood back to let Harry get up. ‘In a real battle you would be dead.’

‘Then I suppose we should be thankful that you and I won’t ever be fighting to the death,’ Harry pointed out.

Snape sighed and turned towards the audience. ‘I would go back to your training. I assure you Mr Potter is quite unharmed.’ As they turned around he could still hear the concerned whisperings, and the occasional comment in praise of either himself or Harry. He looked at the boy, still sitting on the ground. ‘I must confess I am amazed that he is yet to attempt to use your startling faith against you.’

‘Hmmm?’

Snape was looking at him very seriously. ‘You’ve been in Order meetings, Mr Potter. You’ve also seen how Alastor Moody reacts to my presence. He’s not the only one. Yet twice since I entered this room you’ve placed your life in my hands. I heard what you said to them. I would imagine the wizarding world would be concerned about the naïveté of their champion.’ This was the most unguarded Snape had been in Harry’s presence and, as he tilted his head to one side, his curiosity was apparent.

Harry closed his eyes in contemplation, and then answered, ‘So far you haven’t done me any harm, have you? Not in a life or death sense. The opposite, actually. And Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t tell me what you did, but he trusts you. And I trust him, mostly anyway. He leaves stuff out, but nothing that’s putting me in danger. Or not intentionally anyway. Besides, there’s enough people genuinely out to get me, without me not trusting the people that aren’t.’ Harry laughed quietly at his own convoluted train of thought. While Severus looked for a response, Harry suddenly spoke again, ’And how did you hear what I said anyway? Just something spies develop?’

‘Fourth year Slytherins actually,’ Snape answered, distractedly. He looked up in surprise at Harry’s laughter.

‘Anyway,’ Harry pointed out, ‘we should get going. Peeves seems to think he has moral justification for dive-bombing us when it gets too late.’ Snape nodded and watched Harry as he dismissed the group, leaving when he saw Hermione and Ron beginning their interrogation.

*************

Snape looked up from his papers in time to see an envelope being dropped on his desk by one of the sixth years he had just dismissed. Recognising the writing he opened it enquiringly.

Professor,

I expect trust is just another one of those infuriating Gryffindor traits I can’t get rid of. Hermione must have it too I suppose. I’ll leave you to think of what to do with us. For next time.

Harry

And into his hand fell one of the DA galleons.