Chapter 4
I do not own Harry Potter, or anything to do with it. But I do own the original characters. And all that rubbish.
Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling.
(this chapter is longer than usual..)
As Aggie and Heidi sat talking about the crazed vampire girl, the hall slowly filled with students. By the time Aggie had told the story of the mange wolf, the hall was almost as crowded as it had been the night before. Professor Flictwit alked up and down the table, handing out class schedules. As he reached Aggie and Heidi he squeaked:
"Kuioph...Yes, here we are." He handed her a sheaf of paper. "By the way, Professor McGonnagal would like a word." He said, Aggie raised an eyebrow.
"Why's that?" Aggie asked him. But he wasn't listening.
"...Ballantyne...Ballantyne... Ah here we are." Flictwit said, nearly dropping the arm full of parchment. Heidi took her schedule with a small "thanks." Aggie looked over to the Gryffindor table, professor McGonnagal looked flustered, having so many schedules to hand out. A stack of parchment, much thicker than usual, hung in the air behind her. Aggie watched as a boy talking to his friend ran smack into the stack, and the entire thing fell to the floor with a dull thud. Parchment scattered in all directions. Professor McGonnagal was livid. She began shouting at the boy so loudly, the reprimands and tellings-off turned into one garbled, loud rant. The boy apologized profusely, looking almost scared for his life.
"Er...I think I'll wait to talk to her, she looks a bit busy at the moment." Aggie remarked, evaluating her schedule. "Ah yes. I have her first class today. I'll talk to her then." She said, looking up.
"Well I have to get going. My first class is in North Tower." Heidi said, rising to her feet and picking up her bag.
"Oh, ok bye!" Aggie said, waving. Heidi waved back, and Aggie turned back to her schedule.
"Aggie!" Came a breathless voice behind her. Aggie looked up again and turned backwards on her bench. Dawr was hurrying towards her, bag thumping on her hip and schedule fluttering in her hand.
"Dawr!" Aggie said, leaping up. Dawr sidestepped someone standing in her way, and hurried over to Aggie.
"It's crazy over there...We have so many new people. You should see the common room. Insane." Dawr said, rolling her eyes. "So. What's your schedule look like this year?" she asked, "switch" She grabbed Aggie's, and handed Aggie hers.
"Looks like we have Potions and History of Magic together, and Herbology too!" Dawr said, looking elated, "Much more than last year."
"Brilliant." Aggie said. "Sit down. I have something to tell you." Aggie said, eager to share with her the events of her morning. Dawr sank down onto the bench, and Aggie leaned in close and told her. At the end of the story Dawr was in stitches.
"She knocked herself out?" Dawr cackled.
"Yes, It was a sight to see," Aggie said, grinning. She checked her watch. "Ah bugger, I have to get to Transfiguration" She leapt to her feet and set off to class.
"See ya!" Dawr said, heading back over to her own house table. Aggie arrived with a minute to spare. She entered the classroom, expecting Professor McGonnagal to be there waiting to start class. But the teacher's desk was emtpy. Aggie found an empty seat near the front, (The back was already filled) and turned to the person sitting next to her, a boy called Nion Danzien. If Aggie could say one thing about Nion, it was that he had some of the nicest hair on any male or female Aggie had ever had contact with. It was naturally black, thick, and shiny. He wore it in a variety of styles, all of which looked fabulous on him. It was fact: Nion Danzien never had a bad hairday. Recently, though, he had styled it so that it hung over his forehead and eyes. Perhaps this was because Nion had taken poorly to the coming puberty; his face was already ripe with acne.
"Hey Nion, how was your summer." Aggie asked.
"Good." He replied
"Lots of new students in Gryffindor and Slytherin. Odd, isn't it?"
"Surely."
"Right."
That was another thing about Nion. He never had a lot to say. Professor McGonnagal burst into the classroom looking more flustered than ever. Her spectacles were crooked on her face, and her cloak seemed to be almost falling off of her. The class fell silent instantly. She placed her book onto the desk, and righted herself, sniffing loudly through flared nostrils. She seemed like she was trying to contain an angry outburst.
"Welcome to another year of Transfiguration" She said shrilly, her voice shook. "Take out your books. Turn to page 3. And please read the introduction." She said this through tight lips, so that her voice was muffled. But the class caught every word. There was a flurry of movement, then deafening silence.
"I will be right back. If I hear one word, the person responsible will be very sorry." She breathed. No one was excited by that prospect. Aggie stared blankly at the page. A few minutes passed, and professor McGonnagal returned, looking a bit more relaxed. She still however had a edge in her voice when she spoke.
"This is your second year of Transfiguration, as I'm sure you're all aware. We'll start with a review of two dimensional to 3 dimensional transfiguration." She waved her wand, and a piece of parchment appeared on each desk, each had a picture of a fruit on it. They were set the task of transfiguring the picture of the fruit into a life-size lifelike fruit. Aggie stared at her picture. It was a Banana. Nion had an apple. There was silence apart from the intermittent mutterings of spells. Aggie had trouble getting her fruit to look three dimensional. It was papery thin, laying on the desk in front of her.
"Dimentulus" Aggie said, jabbing her wand at it. Nothing happened. Aggie bit her lip and flipped through a few pages, realizing she was making the incorrect wand movement. "Dimentulus." She said again, making the intricate motion the book indicated. The papery-thin banana began to swell quickly until it was about as thick as her arm. It wasn't perfect, but at least she had made something that at least looked like a fruit.
"Eh. Good enough." Aggie said. Class ended with the bell,
"I expect an essay on what you did today. You're dismissed." Aggie was about to leave when Professor McGonnagal called out to her, "Kuioph, wait. A Word if you please." Aggie made her way to the teacher's desk. She had been expecting this.
"yes professor." Aggie said curiously. She still wasn't sure what this as about.
"Anita Wellington came to me this morning in tears, telling me how you had bullied her." McGonnagal said, standing up.
"Who?" Aggie asked. She wasn't sure who this girl was.
"Anita Wellington, Kuioph. She's in my House. Something about you insulting her interest in wolves." McGonnagal eyes were narrowed, the dangerous edge returning to her voice. Something clicked in Aggie's brain.
"Professor, that wasn't about her interest in Wolves. She had a wolf. and it Nearly ATE me." Aggie said.
"Don't be ridiculous Kuioph. Miss Wellington doesn't have a wolf. It's not allowed." McGonnagal snapped.
"Professor. Unless she has a Huge cat that looks and growls like a wolf. Then yes professor, she does have one."
"This IS NOT a Joke Kuioph, I will not tolerate this Belligerence." McGonnagal Slammed her hand down onto her desk.
"I'm not joking professor. I'm being serious." Aggie said, an unfaltering look of sincerity on her face. "She told me Dumbledore had given her special permission to have it. And this rubbish about it being her soul animal." Professor McGonnagal ignored her pleas.
"Furthermore. Miss Wellington says you injured her friend Mary Smith." McGonnagal growled, Anger was growing behind her blazing eyes.
"Mary? She told me her name was Opal." Aggie said quietly to herself. "And I didn't do anything to her. She ran into a wall and knocked herself out." McGonnagal again ignored her.
"I do NOT tolerate bullying or fighting of ANY kind, Kuioph. Detention, this saturday. Be at my office at 7. And I expect an apology letter to both Miss Wellington and Miss Smith." Aggie opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again, McGonnagal was livid.
"Y-yes professor." Aggie said quietly, hanging her head. The pure injustice of the situation stung her.
"Now get out, before I decide to further the punishment." McGonnagal said, pointing one long finger to the door. Aggie didn't hesitate, she almost ran to the door, anger pulsing through her. It was the first day, and Aggie already had Detention. She checked her watch. Great. She was going to be late for potions now. What fun.