CHAPTER 2: Classes

The Hall became so quiet that you could hear a quill drop. Albus stepped off and started his way to the Slytherin table.

"Wait. This can't be right. This isn't how it's supposed to be," Rose whispered. "James?"

"My joke came true," He whispered back.

Other kids whispered, shocked. A Potter in Slytherin? A Potter has never been in any house other than Gryffindor. Everyone stared as he went, questioning everything.

"You can stand next to me," Scorpius exclaimed.

"Thank you," he muttered to the ground.

The last few kids were sorted. Then, Headmistress McGonagall went up to the podium.

"Hello, students. I am Headmistress McGonagall. I have a few announcements. First of all, we have a new caretaker, Apophis Flint. Second, Muggle Studies is mandatory for first year students until further notice."

As soon, as she said that children started to protest. Albus didn't really mind. He had Muggleborns in his family and it was just for a year. He just wondered why they did it now instead of right after the war. He looked to Scorpius who was still smiling, but looked thoughtful.

"Why do you think?" Albus ask quietly.

"I think it might not be the best idea, but I don't mind."

"Really?" Albus thought it would because of who his father was.

"Yeah. Wizards need to learn about Muggles and the world they are going to have to pretend to be a part of."

"Wow."

"Yeah. I'm not a Death Eater." He smiled.

"Of course," Albus said, liking the boy even more.

Headmistress McGonagall got the children calmed down and went on with her speech.

"It will be taught by Kristie Collins. Third, schedules will be a little different this year as we are trying something new. Now the feast."

Plates filled themselves and everyone started to eat. There was all kind of food; chicken, roast beef, ham, turkey, pork chops, bacon, steak, and sausages. Also, there was Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and many other types of food. Everyone ate until they were sick. The food disappeared and was replaced by desserts. Ice cream. Pies, cakes, tarts, and doughnuts were just a few.

After the feast, the prefects led their students to their rooms. Their prefect has black hair, dark, and a stern expression. He didn't look very nice. Not many kids talked as they followed him. The children stared at the portraits, the moving stairs, and the Slytherin Potter. Albus ignored them and talked to Scorpius.

"Not all Slytherins are bad. We aren't. That's proof," Scorpius told.

"I guess so," He shrugged.

"This is going to be great. We are at Hogwarts!" Scorpius cheered.

"Yeah!" Albus grinned.

They were led to the Slytherin common room. The common room used to a dungeon of sorts. It was under the Great Lake and it casted a green light on everything. It was a large stone room with more green lights on the wall and elaborate carvings, which of course were snakes. The whole place felt mysterious and ominous.

Then, they went to their separate dormitories. The rooms were also green with snakes. There was five beds and two windows. Albus and Scorpius shared a room along with Atlas Brimacombe, Zeke Farren, and Grayson Goyle. They didn't pay them any attention. All prepared for bed and laid down. Albus couldn't sleep and he lay awake.

"I hope I don't regret going to Slytherin," He said to the stars. "I hope my family still loves me."

"They will," Scorpius whispered. "They are stupid otherwise."

"Thanks."

…

The next morning, the two got ready for school. Both showered, brushed their teeth, combed their hair, and put on their robes. Silently, they made it down to breakfast. Albus and Scorpius sat away from the others and talked.

"How soon should I expect a letter?" Albus asked.

"By dinner or breakfast tomorrow," Scorpius answered.

"I see." He pushed the eggs around on his plate.

"So...what's it like being the son of a hero?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, it's horrible really. Everyone stares, whispers, and expects you to do great things," He told.

"At least they expect great, not evil things," Scorpius replied.

"True." Albus paused. "What was your childhood like?"

"Very different from my father's and what others have probably imagined," He started. "It was filled with love. My parents loved each other and me. I was there little miracle. They didn't have me to carry on the Malfoy line, but as a symbol of their love."

"Wow." Albus stared wide-eyed. "That's sweet."

"Yeah." He smiled. "It wasn't perfect, but it was great."

Breakfast ended and they were sent to their first class. Flying lessons with Madam Hooch, who was so elderly at this point, they wondered how she still did her job. Slytherin and Gryffindor students stood and looked at her.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." She waited until everyone did so. "Stick out your hands out over the broomstick and say 'up'."

"Up!" They yelled.

Rose's broom sailed into her hand and so did Yann's. Both cheered. After a few more times, everyone had their broom except Albus. Frustrated, he tried again. He stared at it in desperation, trying to will it to move. Then, the teasing started.

"Oh Merlin's beard, how humiliating!" Polly Chapman said. "He really isn't like his father at all, is he?"

"Albus Potter, the Slytherin Squib," Karl Jenkins laughed.

"Okay. Children." Madam Hooch got them under control. "Time to fly."

Everyone, but Albus flew. It was miserable. Scorpius came down and tried to comfort him. It wasn't helpful. Albus felt horrible and humiliated. The class ended and both ran to their next one.

They walked into Potions and saw Professor Slughorn. He was fat, bald, with a silver moustache. He was writing on the blackboard. The boys stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally they picked seats and the back. As other students arrived, they pulled out parchment and ink. Both stared and tried to ignore the quiet laughs from the other students. Albus also ignored Rose, who he could feel staring at him.

"I see everyone is here," Professor Slughorn turned around, smiling. "Today we will be learning how to cure boils. Write the instructions off the board, then gather what you will need. At the end of class, I will check it."

Scorpius and Albus quickly wrote down the notes and went the shelves to get what they would need. Scorpius spread it out on the small table and looked at the instructions. He picked up six snake fangs and added it to the mortar. While Scorpius looked at the other ingredients, Albus started to crush it up. The pair kept going back in forth until the end of class, being quiet and checking each other. Finally, it reached the end of the class and Professor Slughorn checked everyone's. Most people got it right with one or two exceptions.

They cleaned up and waited for the bell. It rang and both went to Herbology. Professor Longbottom was at the board writing. It seemed there would be more notes. They were going to learn about a Spiky Bush. The other Slytherins and Hufflepuffs filed in and took their seats. Everyone quietly wrote the notes. Albus stared at his paper when he finished and avoided looking at the professor. Instead he watches Scorpius write notes, whose handwriting was different than his. His was a scrawl with small lettering and hardly legible. Scorpius' was cursive with large lettering and neat. Everything was easy to read. A loud ringing interrupted his thoughts Scorpius and Albus headed down for lunch.

"There's no letter," Albus muttered, as he watched the other students opening letters, including Scorpius.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius said, not opening his letter.

"It's fine. What does yours say?"

"Um, are you sure?" Scorpius didn't want to upset his new friend.

"Yeah."

"Okay." He opened it and read the letter aloud. "'Dear Scorpius, congratulations on being sorted in Slytherin! We are so proud of you and know you will be great. Remember to smile and stay good. Love, Mum and Dad.'"

"That's really nice of them." Albus looked at his hands, wishing there was a letter in them.

The boys finished eating and went to their third period. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gryffindors. The class was taught by Professor Duncan. He was an average looking man with brown hair, green eyes, and pale skin. The first lesson was learning how to treat werewolf bites. Albus thought of Bill and Remus. Anyone infected by werewolves weren't treated like people. He ignored Rose throughout the class. It seemed to be longer than it was supposed to be, but it wasn't.

The bell rang and they went to their first Muggle Studies class. Neither were very excited, but they had to take it. The classroom was small and the curtains were open, lighting the room. Off by the door sat a desk, which by occupied by the professor. She was leaned over some papers and seemed frustrated. Albus gestured to the seat in front of her desk as it was close to the door. The boy nodded. Both sat and wait for the other students. They showed up and sat in random seats.

"Hey," the woman stood, "I am Professor Collins. Welcome to Muggle Studies. My apologies if you don't want to be here."

Albus decided that he liked her and smiled at Scorpius. The blond boy looked over and smiled as well. Maybe she wouldn't be that bad.

"As you are forced to be, I plan on making the most of it. The current curriculum is outdated, so bear with me as I figure this out. To start out I will passed around this piece of notebook paper and this pencil," she held up things they have never seen before. One had lines and three holes, while the other was wooden. "Write down something you are interested in learning in this class next to your name." She handed it Albus.

He held both and stared. Feeling the stares of people, he tried to think quickly. He wrote the only thing he knew about Muggle Studies; electricity. He passed it over to Scorpius, who answered just as quickly as he had. He wrote down 'Muggle Potions'. Then handed it to the Hufflepuff student three seats down. They went on passing until everyone has written something down. The professor got the list and started to read.

"Cars. That's a good one. Let's see. Electricity shows up a few times. Um, Muggle Potions. That can mean a few things. Chemistry, cooking, baking. We might do all of the above. Oh. This one is my favorite. 'How to kill the Mudbloods.' Very classy. Nothing rude or prejudice about it. So...Mr. Goyle. That is twenty points from Slytherin and two weeks detention. Thanks for playing."

Some kids laughed.

"To start off we will say what we do know about Muggle and write it on the dry erase board."

Professor Collins walked over to the shiny board and grabbed a purple stick. She wrote Muggles on it and unlined.

"Who wants to write something first?"

A small Hufflepuff girl got out of her seat.

"Thank you. Ms. Kingston."

She was handed the marker and wrote on the board. It said, 'Disney'.

"Yes. Disney. Do you want to explain it to the rest of the class or shall I?" Professor Collins asked gently.

The girl shook her head and went back to her seat. Albus supposed everyone was nervous about this class. Having racist students there wasn't helping either.

"Walt Disney was a man who made animated movies. Moving drawings that looked like it was really happening. Like a portrait, but it is always the same. His company is also called Disney. It is worth millions and makes great movies. Maybe one day we will watch one. As a free day or something. Who's next?"

Only a few other things were added to the board; Ford, a car, IPod, has music on it, and Wi-Fi, which was something called Internet and had virtual libraries, and then guns. Things went pretty silent and not much was said. The bell rang and the kids left class quickly. He and Scorpius went down to the Great Hall, where Albus was disappointed again to see that he had no letter. Feeling disheartened, he went back to the common room. Luckily, he didn't have homework, so he could lie in bed and feel bad about himself. Finally, he fell asleep exhausted.

Albus was woke by something touching his face. He tried to push it away and felt feathers. An owl He shot up and saw the old family owl sitting there. Albus took the letter and gave it payment. It flew out the open window. He opened the letter and read it.

'Dear Al,

Congratulations on Slytherin. We hope you make great friends and have a great time. Don't forget to meet Hagrid for tea this Friday.

Love,

Your parents.'

Smiling, Albus went and woke Scorpius.

"I got a letter!" He told.

"Really. What does it say?" He read it. "You should write them back. They will want to know how it's going."

"Sure. Have you written yours?"

"Not yet. Waiting to have a lot to talk about."

"When will that be?"

Scorpius meet his friend's eager expression.

"Maybe we can in the morning. We have school."

"Okay."

Both laid down, but Albus was too happy to sleep. He got some parchment and a quill. The boy tried to think of what to write. Albus didn't want to tell them about the teasing. He didn't want to bother them with it, so he decided to write about Scorpius.

'Dear Mum and Dad,

Thanks for the letter. I will remember to meet with Hagrid. And I have made a great friend. Scorpius Malfoy. He has been good to me and helped me.

Love,

Albus.'

…..

Scorpius woke as the sun was rising. He looked to his friend and saw that in his hand he had a piece of parchment. He smiled and shook his head. Pulling out parchment, he wrote his own letter.

'Dear Dad and Mum,

I hope everything is great. My first day was great. I made a friend; Albus Potter. He is in Slytherin too and is great. He is also quiet and kind of nervous. Classes are wonderful. So are the teachers.

Love,

Scorpius.'

As he finished, Albus rolled over and opened his eyes. Both looked at each other and smiled. They got out of bed and put on their robes. The pair sent their letters off and headed to breakfast.

After breakfast, they went to their classes. First period was Charms with Professor Flitwick. He was a short man with white hair. He was standing in a chair, waving his wand around. The students went to their seats and waited for class to start.

"Hello, students! Today we will be learning the levitation charm. It's Wingardium Leviosa. Watch carefully. The hand motions are tricky." He took a deep breath and carefully did the spell. "Wingardium Leviosa." He moved his wrist. "Swish and flick." The feather rose off the table and into the air.

Students started doing the spell. Scorpius and Rose's feathers flew first. Scorpius smiled and Rose glared at him. He didn't see her and looked over at Albus, who had yet to do the spell correctly. It was at that moment, the teasing started.

"Wow. It's just a simple spell. How can you not do it?" One girl said.

"Because he is the Slytherin Squib."

"He is nothing like his father."

"That is tragic."

During all of that, Rose stayed silent and stared at her desk. Albus tried to do the spell again and nothing happened. Scorpius stared at Albus, praying it would work. Finally, the feather rose a few inches before falling.

"Um, good job Mr. Potter. For homework, practice the spell."

The class ended and they headed to Transfiguration.

The pair walked in and saw a Gryffindor boy sitting in the front. Both headed to the back, hoping this class was better. It was taught by Professor Robertson. She was a tall, friendly looking woman, however she was loud and stern. As the rest of the class filed in, she stood by her desk, reading a thick book.

"Welcome class. I am Professor Robertson. Before we start, I have things to go over. Transfiguration is very hard so no funny business is tolerated. Anyone caught misbehaving will be sent to detention and points will be taken away. Any questions?" She was meet with silence. "Today we will be learning the alphabet and the finer details of Transfiguration. Pull some parchment and some ink. There will be a lot of notes."

The class went by terribly slow and it was exhausting. Albus was already done with school and wanted to go home, but he feared that going home would be similar to here.

Lunch was horrible also. No one would sit near them and stared at them the whole time. They ate quickly and ran to Defense Against the Dark Arts. That seemed to be there life at Hogwarts, running and avoiding people. Every class went by slowly and they were exhausted. Things got even more unbearable during Muggle Studies on Wednesday.

"I looked over the list and made a curriculum for this year. The plan is just to learn basics so if you have to you can go into the Muggle World unnoticed."

"Better Potter needs to. He is a Squib after all. Maybe his Death Eater friend can go to." Goyle whispered to his friend.

"Wow. Mr. Goyle. Are you gracing us with your intelligence again? That is fifty points from Slytherin and I will have someone take you to the office to see the Headmistress. Bullying will not be tolerated in my class." The new caretaker walked by and the teacher got his attention. He was a tall man with tan skin, light eyes, long dirty black hair, and was dressed in shabby clothing. "Oh, Mr. Flint, can you escort Mr. Goyle to the office."

"Of course," He said in a thick accent.

"Alright."

After Muggle Studies, they headed to the Great Hall to eat dinner. Letters came. Albus and Scorpius got one. Both ripped into theirs and read them. Scorpius was smiling, but Albus wasn't. He look sick.

"What does it say?" Scorpius asked.

"Nothing."

"Come on."

"I wrote about you." Albus whispered.

"I can take it."

"Okay. 'Dear Albus, We are glad to hear you have a friend, but we are concerned. The Malfoys have a bad reputation. Be careful. How are your classes going? We are doing fine, but Lily is pestering us about Hogwarts. She would love to hear some things. Love, Your Parents.'"

"I see. They have a good point." He shrugged.

"But they are wrong about you. What does your letter say?"

"'Dear Scorpius, we are happy to hear that school is going great and that you have a friend. Have fun and we love you. Love, Mum and Dad.'" Scorpius put it down.

"Are you going to write them back?"

"Sure. Are you?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay."

Lunch ended and they prepared for Astronomy. Both were not excited for the class, it was with Ravenclaw students and it was at midnight. Scorpius and Albus went to the Astronomy tower with their telescopes. Again, they sat in the back and waited. They appeared to be early, because even the teacher wasn't there.

"Today has been interesting," Scorpius started.

"I guess so," Albus shrugged.

"What do you think about Professor Collins?"

"I like her. She seems cool."

"I agree. I loved the lesson. Didn't you?"

"Yeah, it is pretty useful information. The Muggle World is vastly different from ours."

"It is and I find it fascinating. I grew up in a family that didn't know a lot about Muggles."

"Makes sense."

"How so?" Scorpius worried what his friend would say.

"Your parents are pure blooded and never had to be in the Muggle World. My father did, but it was kind of terrible so he doesn't talk about it. Aunt 'Mione was, but she left it behind a long time ago. You miss a lot in thirty some years."

"I see. There is just so many difference, even in what they write with. Notebook paper and pencils. She always hands those out. What else do you think we will have to carry?"

"I have no idea. We are learning about clothes. Maybe we will have to dress up as Muggles."

"That would be fun. Hopefully, we can go on a field trip and try to fit in."

"Maybe, but they might be afraid of us messing up. It might be a higher up thing. That is if we take it next year."

"I don't see why not?" A girl said, startling them. "Your lot needs it."

Both looked down again and went silent. The professor walked in right after. She was tall with a round face. Her eyes, hair, and skin were dark. She wore navy blue robes. As she moved some papers around on her desk, other students started to come in and get ready.

"I am Professor Sinistra. Does everyone have what they need?"

The children nodded.

"Well, then, come on. We don't have much time. This class is only once a week," she said, "Line up near the window and set up your telescopes. Tonight we will be looking at the stars and going over constellations."

That was what they did for an hour. Albus tried not to fall asleep as he looked at the stars. He was glad that it was only once a week. If he had to stand there, looking at the sky for hours, he would go insane. The class ended and went slowly made his way to his dormitory. With closed eyes, he go into his pajamas and fell into bed.

The next morning, he was exhausted. He went to his classes; Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, and History. He decided that Thursday were his least favorite day. He was tired, frustrated, upset, and bored. History was the worst. It was the last period of the day. He was completely done with everything. Every little thing angered Albus. The stares, the notes, the tapping, and the whole bloody school.

The only thing that kept him from going into a rage was Scorpius. Every once in a while, he would pat Albus on the arm and smile at him. He was so hard to be mad when looking at his innocent and hopeful face. Albus didn't understand how he did it. How was he so positive?

After dinner, both went to bed early. Albus wished he could sleep the year away. He was well rested the next morning. He got ready for school and walked to Potions with Scorpius. They sat down in their seats. Class was pretty easy that day. They were still working on the same potions. Everyone was pretty good at it, but the professor wanted to be sure. Professor Slughorn walked around and watched as the children.

"Good work, Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy," he whispered to them.

The boys beamed at the compliment.

Their joy didn't last long, because as soon as the professor went to the other side of the room, Albus felt a piece of parchment hit him in the back of the head. He cringed like it had hurt him badly. It sat on his desk and seemed to sneer at him. Carefully, with the tip of his finger, he nudged it off his desk. A few minutes later, another one was thrown, but instead it hit Scorpius. Being braver than Albus, he picked up and opened it up. It said, 'Go away, Death Eater.' Scorpius wadded it back up, put it in his back, and sat straighter. Albus just stared in wonder at the boy.

After Potions, Scorpius and Albus went to Herbology. They were going to learn how to handle Spiky Bushes today and attempt to perform Incendio. Of course Albus had trouble doing it and almost ended up with spikes in his arms.

Luckily, Scorpius came to the rescue. As he did, kids laughed and Albus stared at the floor. He glanced at Professor Longbottom, who looked uncomfortable and concerned. The black haired boy went back to staring, not meeting anyone's eye.

Lunch passed quickly and they went to Defense Against the Dark Arts where they were still learning about werewolves. After that, they headed off to Muggle Studies.

"We have been talking about clothes. I have brought some in so you guys can see them, feel them, and such."

A Hufflepuff boy raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Are you American?" He blurted out.

"Yes."

"Does that mean you went to Ilvermorny?"

"I did. I was in Pukwudgie. My life isn't important. You won't be tested on that at the end of the year," she said, setting the clothes on the desk in the back.

The Slytherin girl looked at it in disgust and with two fingers handed them over to the boy next to here. Most of the Slytherin students reacted the same way. The Hufflepuffs were a little more open minded. They touched them, held them up, and asked questions.

"This is jeans, right?"

"Yes."

"Boys or girls."

"The dark ones are boys. The light ones with the jewels are girls."

"Will we have to wear this stuff?"

"I was hoping so, as a project grade."

The Slytherin students glared, while the Hufflepuffs were lost in thought. Scorpius beamed and Albus sighed. Finally, they looked at the clothes. Scorpius kept looking at them.

The bell rang and the pair quickly packed up and tried to escape. Slytherin students caught up with them. Grayson Goyle and his friends, Victor Runcorn and Patrick Davis, stole their bags and dumped them out. Albus and Scorpius just stood there, staring at the floor.

"You both are freaks. A disgrace to the wizarding world," Goyle sneered, before walking off.

They gathered their things as the other students left. Annabelle Kingston stopped for a second, spotted the disgusted Slytherin girl, and ran off. Sighing, they went back to their dormitory.

"Aren't you supposed to have tea with Hagrid this afternoon?" Scorpius asked, when Albus went to take off his robes.

"Ugh. Right. I forgot. I don't really want to go."

"It might be good for you," Scorpius said, shrugging. "I'll got with you of it helps."

"Thanks. Let's go."