- DISCLAIMER - I do not own anything from the Harry Potter verse, just borrowing, credit goes to the original creator, J.K. Rowling, as I make no money off this and she is uber rich. Also, any direct quotations I use from the books will be written in italics (not to be confused with character's thoughts) and noted at the bottom. Hope you enjoy, Please review!
The Welcoming Feast was amazing. I'd always eaten very well at home but at my old school, while it had been healthy food, it had been very plain, so when the table suddenly filled itself with every kind of dish imaginable, I didn't know which to try first. I settled for a few different things like stuffed potatoes, roasted chicken, a mincemeat pie, and made sure to get some cake – Mum and Dad rarely let me eat anything sweet, as it was an insult to their profession as dentists – and then found I was sitting next to the Gryffindor Prefect who'd offered his help on the train.
"Hello again. I don't believe I properly introduced myself on the train, I'm Hermione Granger."
He smiled and said, "Percy Weasley. Did you find your friend's toad?"
"Oh yes, thank you. Did you say Weasley?"
"Yes, you must've met one of my brothers" I blinked at him and he laughed. "I guessed from your expression?" He turned towards me and said with a solemn tone, "I do apologize if Fred or George played one of their silly pranks on you."
I smiled. "I didn't know they were your brothers as well, but I was thinking of Ron."
He nodded, shoulders relaxing. "Oh, I have high hopes for Ron, provided he follows my example and not that of the twins."
I felt Percy might be disappointed, so I changed the subject. "I was wondering what you could tell me about the classes?"
That launched Percy and I into a very long discussion about the subjects offered in first year. He was just as eager as I was to start classes. We had just began to discuss Herbology when Harry interrupted, asking about a teacher. I listened curiously as they briefly discussed Professor Snape of Potions and Professor Quirrel of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Percy then continued to tell me of the other teachers, until Professor Dumbledore stood up to address us students again.
After his announcements about rules and regulations, we sang the school song and were sent off to our dormitories. Percy called the First Years to him and led us to the Gryffindor Tower, explaining on the way the House point system, curfew, the common room, and also the entrance to the Tower. Caput Draconis was the current password, but the portrait guarding the entrance would change it time to time. The portrait was of an opera singer named The Fat Lady and Percy recited the password she bowed her head and her frame swung outward to reveal a round doorway. One by one we climbed through into the Common room. It was a circular room decorated in reds and golds with lush furniture and carpeting. Some bookshelves lined one side, with a stone fireplace dominating the other, and across from the entrance was a set of stairs leading up to a balcony overlooking the room, with two staircases on either side climbing upwards.
"Welcome to Gryffindor! The boy's dormitories are up that left staircase; your names are printed on your doors for you; and the girls' are the same up the left stairs. Breakfast in the Great Hall starts at seven-thirty, where you will receive your class schedules. Classes are to start tomorrow, and on that final note, I bid you all a goodnight." Percy made a short bow towards us before heading up the stairs.
I found my trunk beside my bed in the room I would share with Parvarti Patil, Lavender Brown, and Fay Dunbar. As I changed into my pajamas I realized how tired I was, and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit my pillow, book in hand.
When I woke the next morning I was confused and disorientated by the four-poster bed I was in, draped with red and gold, and then I remembered the events of the day before and grew excited at the prospect of my first day of classes as a witch. I was dressed and ready to leave by the time the other girls finally woke. They reminded me that breakfast didn't start for another twenty minutes but I couldn't wait. I left the Tower alone.
Much to my dismay, I got lost three times on the way to the Great Hall, and wouldn't have found it all if not for the third year Hufflepuff who took pity on me. I arrived and took my seat at the almost empty Gryffindor table just as the Heads of House's began to hand out schedules to those present. I stared intently at my own schedule as I ate, trying to memorize it and recall the names of the professors for each subject. The other students slowly filtered in, and then the morning post came in a flurry of wings. I put down my schedule to watch the owls fly around the Hall looking for their owners and recipients. None came for me yet, but I watched them anyways. When the owl traffic had slowed down, I noticed many of the students had received a copy of a newspaper; The Daily Prophet. I asked to borrow one and found the subscription ad on the back page. I scribbled down the info and handed the paper back. If I hurry, I could detour to the owlery and send this off before first class. I double checked the directions to the owlery with another student and started off there. Surprisingly it didn't take too long and I managed to make it to my first class before the other students arrived.
Classes that first week were a little overwhelming. It was reassuring that I remembered the answers to most questions, though I could see some of my classmates growing annoyed at my hand always being in the air. Transfiguration was most exciting I thought, Professor McGonagall was a very intelligent woman who believed very strongly in hard work and pushing us to exceed expectations. She started our first class by telling us about animagus' and demonstrating as she turned herself into a cat and back in quick succession. Defense against the Dark Arts was somewhat disappointing. While Professor Quirell taught us the spells in our course outline and explained how spells worked, it was all very much by the book with little to no demonstration.
Potions was the worse. Professor Snape seemed more intent on bullying students than teaching. He ignored me when I put up my hand to answer the questions he fired off at Harry, who obviously hadn't thoroughly read through his books yet, and he seemed to enjoy putting Harry down in particular, while favoring Draco Malfoy, the blonde boy who'd teased me on the train. As I got accustomed to the Professors various teaching styles I also grew accustomed to most of my classmates ignoring me. There were a few that would talk to me, Neville was always willing to sit beside me, though I think that that was because he is quite clumsy and forgetful and I was willing to give him some extra help. The other girls from my dorm room only seemed to talk to me when we were in our room, or when they had a question regarding their homework, but at least it seemed no one outwardly disliked me yet. Ron had said a few mean things to me but for the most part avoided me, which also meant Harry avoided me too. I had noticed that Harry generally avoided most people; he seemed extremely uncomfortable with all the attention, both positive and negative, that he got because of his fame; he wasn't at all like he was depicted in the children's books about him.
One morning I came downstairs into the common room to find all the other first years crowded around a notice board. I waited until there was an opening and dove into the crowd to read the note.
Flying lessons. This was something I'd been dreading. I'd never been good at physical education and now brooms were being added to my misery. Something I couldn't just learn from a book like everything else. I ran out of the common room as soon as I finished reading it, and raced down to the library. Surely there must be something about flying in all those books that could help me? Madam Pince, the librarian, recommended "Quidditch through the Ages" to educate me on both the sport and flying. For the next few days I devoured the book until I'd memorized everything remotely useful to me, which wasn't very much.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny, in opposition with my mood. Today was our flying lesson, and I was nervous and worried. I barely ate anything at breakfast but recited every tidbit of information on flying that I'd gleaned from "Quidditch through the ages". Neville was at least grateful for my lecture, and listened intently until the post arrived with a package from his grandmother. He tore it open and pulled out a small glass ball full of white fog. I leaned forward, curious.
"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red – oh…" His face fell, the fog in the Remebrall had turned a glowing red, "…you've forgotten something…"
I started asking Neville questions about what things he could have forgotten, hoping to help him remember but we were interrupted when Draco Malfoy walked by, and swiped the Remembrall. Beside us Harry and Ron had leapt to their feet to defend Neville, but the arrival of Professor McGonagall interrupted the impending brawl.
With a stern look, she demanded; "What is going on here boys?"
"Professor, Malfoy took my Remembrall."
Draco Malfoy tossed the Remembrall back to Neville, "Just looking." He said, and he sloped away with Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle behind him.
I kept an eye on Harry and Ron as they watched Draco walk away, worried they might go after him anyways, but they retook their seats and just glared at the Slytherin table.
Classes that morning rushed by, with me not even putting my hand up once, too absorbed in re-reading Quidditch through the Ages beneath my desk. Before I knew it , it was time to go down to the grounds for the flying lesson. I followed the other Gryffindor's outside. Some very battered and decrepit brooms lay in two neat rows, the Slytherin first years having already taken their places next to them. I found myself staring down at a broom that was missing quite a few twigs on one side, and whose handle was all splintered where it had a large gouge taken out of it. Madam Hooch instructed us to hold our hand over it and shout "up". I did so, along with everyone else but my broom merely rolled over. Neville's quivered a bit, perhaps to match the uncertainty in his voice, but I noticed Harry's broom very nearly leapt into his hand. He wasn't the only one holding a broom though. Ron's rose after he called it a second time, Draco's only hesitated a moment the first time he called and a few others were successful. Madam Hooch encouraged us to keep trying.
"UP!" I fairly shouted, trying to push as much command into my voice as I could. The broom rolled over again and then the handle slowly tipped up towards me. It finally met my hand, and I took a firm grip on it. Madam Hooch instructed us on mounting and gripping their brooms, correcting as she walked up and down the rows. She told me to ease up on my grip, the broom wriggled a bit beneath me when I did but I did as I was told. And then came the terrifying part. We prepared to push off and hover, Madam Hooch counted us down but Neville pushed off early.
It was horrible to watch as Madam Hooch shouted at him to land, but he'd lost control of the broom. It bucked and jerked about, very nearly unseating him. The broom rose higher and higher until Neville slipped off and fell to the ground with a sickening crack on the grass. Madam Hooch rushed to his side, closely followed by me, His wrist was broken and he was crying. I was relieved when I saw it was not worse and he managed to get up and limp off to the castle with Madam Hooch, whom threatened us with expulsion should a broom leave the ground in her absence. Her robes had barely whipped around the corner when Draco Malfoy started laughing.
"What a sissy Longbottom is! Imagine, losing control of a broom and crying over a little injury!" Parvarti Patil told him to shut up but the Slytherin's just continued to tease Neville and now Parvarti, until Draco snatched up Neville's Remembrall that had fallen in the grass, and held it high like it was a trophy.
"Malfoy, give me that." Harry Potter demanded softly, and silence descended over the crowd, sensing a fight.
"No."Draco grinned, "I think I'd rather see him search for it…perhaps in a tree?"
"Give me it!" Harry roared, moving toward Draco. But Draco jumped onto his broom and took off. He circled around and then drifted over to a tall oak tree and taunted Harry to retrieve it.
Harry grabbed his broom and swung a leg over. "Don't do it Harry!" I shouted."You heard Madam Hooch, we'll all get into trouble and you'll get expelled!"
Harry ignored me and pushed off, shooting into the air, I was stunned to see how well and easily flying seemed to come to him. He flew straight to Draco and they argued, until Harry took a daring dive at Draco who barely dodged it, then threw the Remembrall back towards the castle, and flew down to join the cheering Slytherin's.
"I hope he breaks more than a wrist, wouldn't that be a laugh!" Draco called towards the Gryffindors.
None of us paid him any mind though as we watched Harry go into a dive as the Remembrall arched and fell toward the ground. Just when I thought he would crash, Harry reached out to catch the Remembrall and jerked his broom level and stumbled off it. I cheered with the others but stopped when I heard Professor McGonagall shout Harry's name. Parvarti and Ron both tried to defend Harry but Professor McGonagall was having none of it. She collected Harry and fixed us all with a glare.
"You are all to stand against that wall until Madam Hooch returns." We followed orders and a rope appeared on the ground in front of us. "Any of you tries to cross, I will know."
I had somehow ended up between Ron and Draco. Not the best place to be I knew so I kept my mouth shut and hoped neither would take notice of me. They started arguing right away; their families seemed to know one another; both were from two of the oldest wizarding families. I knew there were several and some were dying out like Draco's because they only married to other families that had a long lineage of magic in their blood. It seemed Draco thought himself a 'pure blood' and Ron's family should be ashamed of themselves for mixing. I found it absolutely ridiculous. His ideals were similar to those of royal families centuries ago, and very outdated. I made a mental note to check some books out of the library on the topic of Wizarding lineages. Their argument became heated when Draco started insulting how poor Ron's family was and how stupid and ignorant they must be because they probably couldn't afford books.
I'd had enough. "Just ignore him Ron; he's just trying to get a rise out of you."
"Stay out of it, Granger." snapped Ron. Draco smirked at me, but before he could continue his taunting Madam Hooch came onto the field.
"Now it seems we've lost two of our number but there will be no more excitement the rest of this lesson. You are all going to listen and learn the basics of riding a broom." She waved away McGonagall's rope and led them back to their brooms.
"Now we are going to do this one at time." She lined us up again and instructed us to call our brooms again. I swallowed my hurt over Ron's brush off and my fear of falling and turned to concentrating on learning to fly. The broom slowly rose to my hand after the first time I called it. Good, I thought, I've made some progress. It seemed confidence would be a large part of controlling the broom which certainly explained Neville's accident as I knew how terrified he was of flying considering he was clumsy enough with both feet on the ground.
Madam Hooch made her way down the line talking about the importance of learning to fly and the versatility for transportation it provided, while getting each student to mount their broom, push off and hover, than touch back down to dismount. Finally it was my turn. I gently swung my right leg over the broom, rearranged my robe on the broom and gripped the broom with both hands, firmly but not too tight as Madam Hooch reminded me. Then I pushed off, a little hard, and came to hover above the heads of the others. It was an interesting feeling to have nothing below my feet but not to be falling. The broom wriggled a bit at my hesitation and I leant forward slightly to bring it back down. My feet met the ground with a bit too much force but Madam Hooch nodded and claimed my performance 'adequate'. Adequate was not something I was used to hearing. But I accepted it for now and knew that it would take more work to improve.
Author's Notes: Thank you for continuing to read, reviews very much appreciated!
BIG MEGA THANKS to my wonderful and beautiful Beta Ashinan! I owe you chocolate.
Quotes were from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Raincoast Books 2000 edition.
Chapter 9 – Page 108