Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
"Thoughts"
"Speaking"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So is it true?" Ron's impatient voice cut through the silence that surrounded the enormous worn wooden table. "The minister dragged you here after you blew up London?"
"Don't be ridiculous Ronald. Honestly Izzy, you don't have to tell us." Hermione admonished from behind her bucket of tea.
Izzy took in the three students before her, Hagrid had told her a little about them before they arrived. He said they were a pleasant bunch.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I mean considering what Hagrid told me about this school and its gossips it's not gonna stay quiet for long, especially with that article." Izzy spoke in a slow, calm voice as though testing each word before she spoke it. "Well Ron, I didn't exactly blow up London, just a side street." At the astonished looks on their faces she quickly added "An empty side street, well, mostly. I was on a shopping trip in London, looking for all those cute little shops you find out of the city centre and I came across a weird paper on the ground. The thing caught my attention because the picture was moving. I caught a couple of weird words from an article, something like Dementor, death-eater and some creepy French word. The picture showed these horrifying masked people doing impossible stunts. Well that just really freaked me out and I saw this other shopper looking from me to the paper and he took out a stick, now I know it was a wand but at the time I didn't, he was coming towards me I panicked. I didn't know what he was gonna do and suddenly a bubble appeared me and it expanded bending lamp-posts and hurling people back." Here Harry noticed a glint in Izzy's eye, to him it looked like she was holding something back.
"I could understand the panic, I grew up with muggles too and I would also have been scared to see that." Hermione told the other girl consolingly.
"Yeah great, Hermione, but what happened after that?" Ron rudely interrupted.
"Well after that I was panicking even more. People were being hurt by this thing coming from me so I tried to control it, I managed to retract it a little, until those stupid Aroura people showed up, they started throwing spells at me and the thing went haywire again, then all I saw was red and nothing. I woke up a few hours later at the ministry of magic, where your minister sent in a stern looking old women to talk to me."
"Tha there red light was probly a stunnig hex. Knocked ya out so they could calm ya down, lassie" Hargid's booming voice told Izzy.
"So they just stunned you? No negotiations or anything?" Hermione asked stunned. "That's very bad practice. "
"Nope that was it; I was given a talking to about breaking the Statue of secrecy. Then they realised I didn't have the slightest idea of what they were talking about and explained to me in a very condescending manner about the magical world. After that the minister came into me and told me he was taking me to a school where I could learn to control my magic. And here I am."
"What that's it?" Hermione enquired loudly. "No if you please about it, he just told you? What about your muggle life, I mean you've gotta be going to school."
"That was exactly my point; no I wasn't going to school. I was on a work placement in a law firm, just a low level intern position but it would have been perfect to break into the profession. I am from Ireland and came over here for a placement which would really help my acceptance to college. Your minister has taken me here for a year's worth of training in order to control this power and then I'll be "released into the muggle world". You'd think I was an animal. Apparently I was supposed to be caught by the educational system before I turned eleven, and gone through the same thing ye have. But I slipped through the cracks and now I'm paying for it." Izzy had taken a defiant stance through this speech, Harry and Ron often being witness to a girl's fury slowly slid their chairs to the opposite side of the table. Hermione and Hagrid however both drew near to offer the girl words of comfort.
"Arh tha's ok Izzy, there are plenty of young'uns who come from a muggle back ground, you'll get use to our world soon enough."
"Yeah Izzy, I'm a muggle-born so if you have questions feel free to ask." Hermione told the girl with a encouraging glance.
"Thanks guys. So how did Snape react to my dramatic exit?" she asked with a sly grin.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So Draco, what are your plans for the day?" Theodore Nott asked his fellow Slytherin.
"Not much' Sev gave us an essay but it won't be too hard, I'll start it tomorrow. We've only got another 30 minutes til class so I'll just lounge." The blond aristocrat answered in his typical drawl.
"Oh no, herbology with the Gryfindorks next, why does Dumbldore do this to us?" Blaise Zabini grumbled from the opposite side of the couch.
"Merlin only knows."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Great, Herbology with the Slytherins My favourite class with my least favourite people." Neville thought sulkily to himself as he strolled to the greenhouses early. Neville was assisting Professor Sprout getting her first classes ready like he did every year, "it's not like I've any friends to hang out with anyway."
Neville had been assisting his favourite teacher since his second year at Hogwarts, he tended the less valuable plants in the beginning and organised the equipment. As he grew however his skill grew with him and the Professor trusted him with her more costly plant life.
Unfortunately for Neville the physical aspect of Herbology studies could not be waved away with the help of a wand. Magical plants in each of the Hogwarts greenhouses were utilised by the potions Professor for his private stores and for the hospital wing. To ensure the most potent ingredients possible all unnecessary magic is kept to a minimal within the plants range. This left all assisting students dragging large equipment by hand and often extremely large bags of fertiliser from the gates to the greenhouses, a considerable distance.
Neville was the only voluntary assistant Professor Sprout had (all other students being there on detentions) and therefore he was the only one she truly trusted with the more delicate and complex operations of her greenhouses.
Such large extents of physical labour had changed Neville from the short, chubby little boy who sailed across the lake with the other first years. Dragging fertilizer bags and wrestling exotic and dangerous plants gave Neville and chance to burn off the puppy fat of his childhood and an opportunity to develop a slim, sinewy physique.
Walking down the incline towards the greenhouses Neville failed to notice the appreciative glances sent his way by a nearby group of fourth year girls. Though grown physically, Neville still remained the shy, self-conscious individual he was before. Having grown an impressive few inches this summer, Neville now stood at a respectable six foot three inches. His hair was grown out of that hideous bowl cut his grandmother had forced on him since he was three years old, thus giving him an air of confidence even if he truly lacked it.
Finally reaching the greenhouses, Neville opened the door and stepped inside only to find it empty.
"Professor Sprout?" he called slightly unsure of himself, she was always in here. "Are you in Professor? I came to help with your first classes."
"Oh Neville dear, yes I'm in I'll be out in a minute." He heard the loud, kind voice of his choice educator. Neville took the time to check upon his previous year's project, the bloodroot was adapting well to its new environment and could soon be harvested for use in the hospital wing.
"Oh, there you are dear; yes your plant is the most potent of last year's bunch as usual. Well done." Pomona stated as she exited her office, covered in the usual layer of soil, her hat slightly toppled.
"What will we be studying today professor?" Neville excitedly enquired, removing his eyes from the bloodroot to search the room for any clues.
"I was hoping to borrow your admirable Mimbulus Mimbiltonia to show the class, I tried to acquire a specimen myself but as you know they are quite rare. I found only one for sale but was outbid at the auction." She answered him looking slightly putout.
"Sure thing Professor it's up in my dorm, I'll run back and get it for you." Neville called as he bolted from the room. He never noticed Professor Sprout call back to him.
"But we can call a house –elf, class will start soon." She said to the empty room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Izzy was severely disappointed by the Potion Masters reaction to her dramatic exit. "How could the guy keep such a cool head, he didn't seem like a deep-breaths kind of guy."
"Well thanks for the tea, Hagrid but we've got Herbology soon and should probably head off." Harry quickly said seeing Hagrid rooting for his famous rock cakes.
"Oh Herbology is it? I don't have the book for that it's in my room, I'll have to run back and get it. Could ye guy's go on and tell the Professor, hope their better than Snape." Izzy told the trio having left Hagird's hut.
"I'll come with you Izzy; I left you the last time and feel kind of bad."
"Don't be silly Hermione, you didn't leave me, and I stormed out of the class, and besides you got in trouble for being late with me in potions. I'll be fine. Look I can see the greenhouses from here, that's where there held right?"
Hermione and the boys agreed to continue on to the greenhouses. While Izzy headed back to the castle for her book.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Not hearing the much easier option, Neville sprinted all the way back to the castle doors, up the multiple stairs and past the Fat Lady. Finally reaching his dorm Neville gently took his beloved plant from the bed-side table and left the tower once again. So excited that his plant was to be shown to his peers Neville never noticed the handle of the entrance hall doors turning.
Neville was knocked aside by the doors and he inadvertently dropped his plant. As the pot crashed against the floor the Mimbulous Mimbiltonia released is stinksap upon its unfortunate assailant.
Neville looked up from the floor in fear into the face of the young woman he had seem curse and pummel the Minister of Magic and mouth-off and walk out on Snape. Neville looked into her eyes to see...unrestrained fury.
"Oh, perfect..."
A/N: Hey guys I'm sorry for the wait but I was a little uninspired and distracted by other plot bunnies. I've now started writing other fics featuring more main characters. They won't be posted until this fic has been finished but I just want to let you know that any delays will be because of these other fics demanding to be written. Remember reviews will help me be inspired. Let me know your ideas and you may inspire a new development in this fic or a new fic entirely.