Chapter 4: First Lessons
After the feast had finished Harry hadn't had the chance to say goodnight to people he had just met. With the four of them being in different houses it had introduced a problem for them. But they would find a way around the house divide. Even though they had only just met on the train and boat ride to Hogwarts, Harry had a feeling that they weren't going to separate any time soon. It was the next morning when they finally did get the chance to speak. Eleanor had made sure that he was all set for the day the previous night, including making up such methods as to wake him up at six am as he usually did back at the manor. The initial thought of having to share a room was not a problem for the newest Ravenclaw, where they all had their own rooms. According to the older Ravenclaws, they were separate because if you had an extremely loud snoring partner, it was not conducive to learning well. But getting up at six introduced its own problems, namely that there was no one else in the Great Hall when he arrived. Eleanor had giving him his morning briefing, including simply telling him that he would be getting his timetable today, before telling him that she had been told to eat at the staff table. He nodded, and she handed over his copy of Fantastic Beasts, something that was quickly becoming his favourite book. She moved up to the staff table, and Harry began to place some food on his plate, himself wondering when other people would arrive.
It was an hour, another two chapters, and a full breakfast later that other people started to slowly enter the great hall. They were mostly Ravenclaws, but Harry saw a few Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, and even a Gryffindor or two. He finally saw Draco and Daphne, who were looking at the Ravenclaw table. Upon them seeing him, Harry waved them over, and they accepted his rather informal invitation. "Lord Potter." They both said as they approached.
"Heir Malfoy, Heir Greengrass. Have a seat." They sat down and at that point the formality seemed to die away from their conversation. "When do we get our classes?" Harry asked.
"Probably near the end of breakfast." Draco said, starting to fill up his plate.
"Let's hope that we don't get stuck with Gryffindor for any of them. I've heard that they're awful in class." Daphne remarked, seemingly uninterested in the food on the table.
"You shouldn't come to any conclusions yet heir Greengrass; we've yet to see them for ourselves." Harry said, pointing out the near-empty Gryffindor table. A voice suddenly asked interjected itself from above them. "May I be seated Lord Potter?" Looking up, the three found the last member of their boat asking to sit, having finally arrived for breakfast. "Of course you may heir Bones." She smiled and sat opposite the three of them, moving food onto her plate. She looked at Harry with confusion, as he was the only one without food. "Are you not hungry?" She asked.
"I've been here since about six. Seemed like a good time to get the best food." Harry said. Susan nodded and went back to placing food on her plate.
The conversation went back and forth between the four first years. Some members of every house looked at the four with confusion, but quickly decided to focus on their own groups rather than that of the boy-who-lived. At about twenty past eight there was a sudden influx of noise that was separate from slowly growing noise that had been building from a steady trickling of students and teachers into the great hall. This was the arrival of the first-year Gryffindors, who seemed to think that everyone else had to hear their conversations whether they wanted to or not. But the four had a new problem which loomed over them. For a moment, it was looming over them literally. It was during a conversation between them about how the classes supposedly worked when someone walked up behind them. "Mr Potter. Our new celebrity." The person said very slowly, and Harry turned around to see a tallish man in a black robe. "Already deciding that you and your friends are above the rules. You have your father's arrogance." He turned his gaze to the three non-Ravenclaws that were currently sitting with him. "Back to your tables now." But before they moved, Harry started to speak.
"Professor, do you have a problem with me? I hardly know you and you're already deciding that I'm arrogant." He said, before purposefully sticking his nose in the air. But before Snape could say another word to Harry, Eleanor arrived at the table. She had seen the professor moving to the table, but assumed it was nothing. It was normal for teachers to go and speak to their students. However, once he stopped besides Harry, she knew something was happening. It was even more so once she saw Harry narrow his eyes at Snape. A scene was starting to build and she decided to put an end to it before it started to spill over. "Professor, is there a problem?" Snape turned to face her, and sneered. "The problem is that Mr Potter has decided that he is better than everyone else by thinking that he and his friends can break the rules by sitting together." Eleanor frowned at him. "To begin with, you should address him as Lord Potter unless told otherwise. Secondly professor, there is no rule saying that you have to sit at your house tables, unless you mean the rule that says they must sit at their tables on the first and last feasts of the school year. This is not the first, nor the last day of school. You have no basis for this." The whole school at this point was watching this altercation. Snape glared at her, before handing timetables to Draco and Daphne. He then turned, and stalked back over to the teacher's table. A voice then shouted out "Snape just got his arse kicked." Snape then shouted before sitting down.
"Ten points from Gryffindor." Despite this, the whole great hall laughed. Snape ended up splitting his glare between Eleanor and Harry for the rest of breakfast.
The first lessons that Harry had on that day had bored him if he was telling the truth. Transfiguration had started off with Professor McGonagall turning from a cat into herself, but then simply turned into a theory lesson. At least in charms, Flitwick had explained that the theory was important before they started with any spells, but didn't show off any advanced skills. As the week went by Harry and his friends were very underwhelmed with the lessons, especially with the defence classes and Quirrell. It was one of the few classes that Ravenclaw had with Slytherin, so Harry, Draco, and Daphne managed to sit together and talked the entire lesson. Their conversation was hidden by the constant stuttering that came from Quirrell. But the most interesting lesson for Harry that week had been potions with Hufflepuff. He had sat next to Susan, and had been talking very nicely with her about the qualities of a bezoar when Snape stormed into the classroom. "There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class." He turned and looked over the students. "As such, I do not believe that many of you will grasp the subtle science that it potion making however," He paused as he surveyed random students. "For those of you with the correct predisposition. I can teach you to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. Brew fame, bottle glory and even to put a stopper in death." Finally, Snape's eyes fell upon Harry. "Mr Potter. Try not to let your fame get in the way of other people's learning." Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "Here are your instructions. You may begin." He threw the instructions on the blackboard and they all moved to collect the ingredients for it. Harry and Susan working next to each other were both double checking each other's potions as they went along. But as Snape passed by near the end of the class, he sneered at the potion. "You got lucky this time Potter." He looked at the clock. Bottle and place your potions on my desk. Dismissed."
The four met up in the library at the end of the week. "I'm certain that Snape has something against me." Harry said. The others couldn't help but agree with him, who had all been present in the great hall. "Where's your PA, she could find out something." Draco asked, and Harry shrugged.
"Business meetings representing my interests. Bigger profits are always important. When she gets backed I'll ask her to do some research."
"Why don't we do some now? He keeps mentioning your father, maybe they were in the same year." Susan said. "She's right. It's a good place to start to find out something." Harry looked at them, and then smiled.
"Alright then. Let's get to work. Right after I finish this essay." The other three groaned, and Harry glared at them before they all returned to working on their essay.
In the headmaster's office, the four heads of house were meeting about their students, with Dumbledore chairing as he always did. "How are the first years getting on so far?" McGonagall started off.
"My new Gryffindors are just as boisterous as my older years already. But at least there won't be another situation of the Weasley twins. I don't feel we could have another set of them."
"At least we agree on that Minerva." Snape said, and the other heads nodded. "But my first years have been fine as well Dumbledore, I'm sure all of them have. Ask the question you really want to ask." Dumbledore looked at him, and sighed.
"Very well, how is Mr Potter doing?" He looked at Flitwick.
"He's excelling at his work. And he's been able to forge connections beyond house lines. The Bones heir from Hufflepuff and the heirs of Malfoy and Greengrass. They could be very good influences on each other."
"But he hasn't made any connection with Gryffindors. Maybe he needs a guiding hand to make the right friends Dumbledore." McGonagall looked at Dumbledore.
"No Minerva. Harry needs to make his own choices. He's doing well enough."
"The boy is arrogant Albus. He needs to be taught that he doesn't control this school."
"Severus, his PA merely reminded you of the rules and I gather he made a near-perfect potion in your class." Flitwick said.
"He had Bones helping him; he won't do so well next time."
"Severus you need to let your hatred of James Potter go. Harry is not his father, just as you are not yours." Severus glared at Dumbledore.
"On a different point, I've finished my defence for the stone."
"Good, I'll move mine in at Christmas. There has been no sign yet of Voldemort being present within the school, but I recommend we keep our eyes open. I believe we will have a visit from him soon. You may go." The heads of houses filed out of the office, leaving Dumbledore alone. He moved over to his window. He had been surprised that Voldemort had not yet made his move against the castle. "What are you planning Tom?" He asked himself, and Fawkes trilled in the background. Whatever Tom Riddle was planning, the outcome would not be good.
