Thanks to Godricsgrl89 for beta-ing.
"I can't believe we're already half-way through a day of classes." Lily remarked, walking through the crowded halls with Theo by her side.
"I know. I'm so glad to be back at school." Theo replied and smiled at Lily. It had been as if nothing had ever happened yesterday on the train ride to school. Lily hadn't brought up the strange behavior her friend had displayed yesterday, instead choosing to ignore the way the other girl had acted.
"Hey Teddy, Lily," Lily felt an arm go around her shoulder and looked to her side to see that Regulus had weaseled his way between them. Remus had told Lily yesterday that something had happened over the summer with Regulus, but Theo hadn't mentioned anything. Even now she didn't seem upset with the younger boy.
"Regulus," Lily commented, moving his arm off of her shoulder. "You're in a good mood today I see?"
"Sure. I charmed two Hufflepuff first years into hauling my belongings around wherever I go. Bonus is they've already gotten 60 points taken off their house for not attending classes."
"That's horrible Regulus! As Head Girl I cannot allow you to abuse the younger students." Lily snapped, stopping and turning to the two eleven year olds standing behind them carrying a bag much to big for there tiny bodies. She drew her wand, releasing the two children from the charm and telling them to get back to class.
"You're no fun." Regulus commented, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his back.
"You'll get 20 points from Slytherin for that. I'm telling McGonagall of this the moment we get to Transfiguration." Lily remarked. "Next time I'll hex you Mr. Black!"
Theo grinned and grabbed Lily's arm to move her along to Transfiguration. Lily frowned but followed her, slipping her wand back into her robes.
"I can't believe him." Lily huffed, sitting down in the front of the classroom.
"Why? He acts just like his brother. He's just in a bad mood more often." Theo replied and shrugged.
"So what, I can't believe a majority of the things Sirius does either." Lily replied sourly.
"Talking about me again beautiful?" Sirius' voice came from behind them. Both girls turned around to see Sirius and James already seated behind them. Remus and Peter were seated in the next row.
"Not without a tone of disgust." Lily remarked and James smiled.
"Morning James," Theo smiled at him. "Did you get the notes in Charms? Peter was talking my ear off." She looked passed him at the now blushing Peter. He had spent all of Charms talking about afternoon potions with Dahlia.
"I did. If Lily wants to attend a Saturday to Hogsmeade with me I'll give them to you." James smiled.
"I thought you weren't going to ask me anymore." Lily remarked.
"I'm not asking you. I'm asking Theo." James grinned.
"I'll ask Lily. I'm sure she took detailed notes." Theo laughed and turned around as McGonagall entered the classroom. 5th Period Transfiguration was required of all seventh years, and Gryffindor students took the class with Ravenclaw's. Last year they had to endure Transfiguration with Slytherin's, who were obnoxious and rowdy. Theo was much happier with her entire schedule this year.
1st Period- History of Magic Slytherin/Gryffindor
2nd Period- Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts mixed
3rd Period- Care of Magical Creatures Hufflepuff/Gryffindor
4th Period- Advanced Charms mixed
5th Period- Transfiguration Ravenclaw/Gryffindor
6th Period- Advanced Transfiguration mixed
7th Period- Herbology Slytherin/Gryffindor
8th Period- Advanced Double Potions mixed
Extra study groups were available after dinner was over, which she would have to attend if she wanted the extra credit for her NEWT's at the end of the year. All her advanced classes and Transfiguration were shared with Lily but some of the other classes she had to endure with other members of her house. Lily had advanced everything; she was absolutely brilliant in everyone's opinion, not to mention her status as Head Girl.
"Miss Whittaker…can you please show the class how to turn a bird into a toad." McGonagall asked, tapping her wand on Theo's desk.
"Of course," Theo nodded and extracted her wand, pointing it at the bird in the cage at the front of the classroom. Whispering a few words she flicked her wrist and watched as the toad appeared in the place of the bird.
McGonagall walked to the cage and examined the animal for some time before turning it back and addressing the class again, "10 points to Gryffindor."
Lily smiled and nudged her friend in the rib, obviously proud of the job Theo had done. The class continued after that, each student working on their own spell as McGonagall studied the jobs they did. It always made Theo nervous to have McGonagall walking about and watching them, she was the strictest of all the teachers at Hogwarts, no one would argue against that.
"Due tomorrow are your essays…approximately two feet long. And remember…detail is everything. I want you to describe the transfiguration spell used to change a human into an object, be it an animal or a piece of furniture. And I would like you to explain the effects such spells have when executed by an uneducated witch or wizard. My NEWT students may stay in their seats, the rest of you I will see tomorrow."
Theo turned to watch as more than half the students exited the classroom. Depending on future careers students had to choose their NEWT classes wisely. Lily wanted to be a healer, James and Sirius both Aurors, Remus was undecided and Peter said he wanted to work in the Ministry. Theo had not disclosed her choice of career to her friends, mostly because she had no idea what she really wanted to do. And she knew less and less every day.
Another period of Transfiguration passed them and Theo found herself winding through the halls toward Herbology class. Lily was in Advanced History of Magic right now and all four of the boys had opted out of Herbology to take Advanced Care Of Magical Creatures. Theo was on her own for the most part, arriving to class in time to nab a seat next to Dahlia, who looked increasingly bored with her first day of school.
"I do hope Professor Sprout isn't late again. I so hate it when she is." Dahlia remarked as Theo sat down beside her along a row of suspicious looking plants. Theo wasn't entirely sure why she had decided to take Herbology. She wasn't particularly fantastic in the art of gardening. She could barely make muggle plants grow.
"Hey Theo," Theo looked up to see Frank Longbottom sitting down across from them. He was tall, and very adorably geeky looking. Theo roomed with Alice Finnegan, Frank's long time girlfriend. Everyone knew that once school was over Alice and Frank were going to get married.
"Frank, I thought you'd be taking Advanced Herbology." Theo stated, taking her book out and laying it on the table in front of her.
"Oh I am. I'm taking both, don't want to miss out you know. I'm helping with Professor Sprout after classes as well." Frank stated and smiled at her.
"I'm surprised you aren't in Advanced Potions." Dahlia mused, glancing at them. Her tone sounded snide, a trait she had inherited from just about everyone else in her family. Along with the sour look she always had on her face.
"Whys that?" Frank asked, opening his own textbook.
"Potions is a lot like Herbology I think. Or that's what I keep telling myself, it convinces me that maybe I'm not so rubbish at this after all." Dahlia smirked.
"Well I wish I had that mind set about Potions." Frank smiled at her; he had never spoken to Dahlia Kempt before and was surprised to find that she wasn't as icy as everyone said she was.
"Alright class! It's so good to see all of you again this year. All my old faces! I'm so proud of all of you for your dedication to these beautiful plants…these creatures of the earth. Now, let us begin with a bit of a review…to freshen up your minds from all that summer sun!" Professor Sprout spoke as she walked down the rows in the greenhouse. She was smiling from ear to ear, as per usual, and talking a mile a minute in her giddy voice.
Dahlia rolled her eyes in exasperation and sunk down in her seat a bit. She certainly had no interest in reviewing last year's classes this morning. Like she had told Frank before, she was complete rubbish when it came to Herbology. But it was this or Muggle Studies and there was no way she was going to sit there and listening to a teacher drone on about stupid non-magic folk. But she didn't mention that to Theo. Besides, there wasn't a seventh year Slytherin alive that would step foot in Muggle Studies without being forced.
"Frank…what is the correct way to juice a snargalaff?" Theo whispered across the table. They were completing in-class writing assignments.
"Why did you take this class?" Frank asked.
"Because I needed something to do between Transfiguration and Potions, I'm considering transferring out, believe me." Theo laughed.
"Don't leave me here." Dahlia commented, glaring at her friend.
"What class is Alice taking?" Theo asked, ignoring her essay.
"She's in Muggle Studies but she wasn't supposed to be. She's trying to transfer to Herbology." Frank replied.
"We'll switch with her...don't look at me like that Kempt." Theo remarked, shoving her friend lightly.
"I wouldn't mind. Then I won't have to spend the whole time teaching the two of you Herbology." Frank replied and smiled cheekily at them.
"Git," Dahlia remarked but smirked at him anyway.
"Why don't we transfer back to Astronomy?" Theo asked.
"I don't like Trelawney." Dahlia replied dryly.
"Do you even attend your classes? Astronomy not Divination, Trelawney is wacked, I would never go through that experience again." Theo replied, fixing Dahlia with an unbelieving look.
"I forget these things. I keep praying that one day I'll wake up and I'll never have to go to school again. Unfortunately that day has yet to come. Besides it's been two years since I took Astronomy because I never really attended class in 5th year. Sinistra kept failing me in 4th year." Dahlia replied.
"You are so lazy." Theo rolled her eyes.
"She's right." Frank laughed and continued to write his essay.
"I hate both of you and I barely know you Longbottom." Dahlia replied.
"I figured you'd hate me anyway." Frank replied.
"Whys that?"
"Because I'm in Gryffindor," He laughed.
"Point taken, well now I hate you extra." She answered and scoffed.
As class dismissed Dahlia headed out of the greenhouses quickly, barely paying attention to the work that Professor Sprout was assigning to them, of course, knowing Dahlia she'd have both girls transferred to a new class by tomorrow morning. It was just the fear that Theo wasn't going to like the new class that made her worried. Theo took longer to leave, packing up her bag and chatting idly with Frank as she did. Frank was a really sweet; Theo had gotten to know him from three years of being Herbology partners.
"Well, I'll see you at dinner, enjoy your advanced Herbology. If I don't see you tomorrow in this class I'll certainly be missing you wherever I am." Theo laughed and gathered her bag.
"Thank you! Have fun in potions. I'm sure you'll be great in whatever, whether it's Herbology or Divination or Astronomy." Frank replied and gave her a wave as she left the classroom.
As she exited the greenhouse Theo realized just how late she was getting to Potions class. She rushed down the halls, nearly mowing over two third year students on their way to Ancient Runes. She stopped for a second in the History of Magic class to wave at Iggy, who she had barely had enough time to talk to this morning, before bolting the rest of the way down the hall. She hoped that Dahlia found a new class for the two of them. It annoyed her to no end that Herbology was on the opposite side of the castle in respect to the dungeons.
"I hate Slytherin and Slughorn and Dahlia and Potions." She breathed as she rounded the corner and stopped to catch her breath before entering the classroom.
Peter, Lily, Dahlia, and Severus were already in the classroom, along with a couple of other students Theo didn't care to pay attention to. Lily was seated beside a Ravenclaw girl, the two discussing the up-coming potions they were hoping to cover.
"Glad you could join us Miss Whittaker." Slughorn spoke, though he said in a way that suggested he honestly was glad.
Theo smiled and nodded her head, sliding into a seat beside Severus, who had been her potions partner since she was in first year. He had already laid out his potions kit and the ingredients to the potion they were going to be working on.
"Mr. Snape will run through what I have already discussed. As for the rest of you, I would like you to work with your partner on this potion. You may begin." He stated and smiled at his students.
"What are we doing?" Theo asked moving closer so she could see the ingredients.
"Polyjuice potion, honestly, he must think we're children or something. A bunch of first years," Severus scoffed his pride in his ability to create potions clearly expressed.
"Moste Potente Potions," Theo laughed and took the book from Severus to read off the instructions, though he honestly didn't need it.
"Unfortunately," Severus scoffed. "Why were you late?"
"I was talking to Frank Longbottom after Herbology then I peeked in History of Magic to say hi to Iggy." She replied.
"Who," He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Iggy, he's Everett Thistlewhite's younger brother. He was sorted into Gryffindor." She replied and rambled off some ingredients as Slughorn passed them.
"That boy with the unfortunate first name, I remember seeing him at the Christmas party last year. His parents might think of using a simple tooth charm to help that obscene gap in the front of his mouth." Severus replied.
"Oh because being named Severus is every kid's dream," Theo laughed and nudged him.
"At least I don't have some ridiculous nickname like Iggy." He replied.
"I don't know about that Snivellus." She grinned in triumph, knowing she had won this argument.
"Hmph," Severus turned back to the potion, adding in the last of the ingredients. "I need a piece of your hair."
Theo nodded and pulled a strand of her hair, wincing at the slight sting on her scalp. She handed him the piece of hair and watched as he mixed it into the cauldron.
"Oh my god…I'm going to have a clone." She smiled and clapped, turning to look at Peter and Dahlia behind her.
"How lucky you are." Dahlia laughed.
"I feel lucky, truly I do." Theo smirked as Severus took a sip of the polyjuice potion he had concocted.
Slughorn instructed the other students to do as Severus already had. The other students who hadn't taken the potion turned to look and watch as their partners changed to be exact copies of them. Despite Severus' opinion that this was a stupid lesson, Theo still found it exciting to watch people change right before her eyes.
As she turned back to Slughorn she realized there was a note sitting on her desk. Unfolding the piece of parchment Theo recognized Lily's handwriting telling her that they needed to talk when Potions was over. Theo didn't reply, simply folded the parchment back up and tucked it into her potions textbook. Beside her Severus had changed back to himself and looked even more disgruntled than he had in the beginning of class.
R&R...