"Serena! Wake up, we'll be late for breakfast!" Hermione shook Serena awake.
"All right," Serena sat up and yawned. Today she was going to have her first classes at Hogwarts. She sat up and got changed into her new robes, now embroided with the Gryffindor Lion, and followed Hermione down to the common room. Serena pulled her messy black hair into a loose bun as she listened to Ron complain.
"Come on, breakfast is almost served,"
They reached the Great Hall and sat down at the table to eat just in time. "Schedules coming through!" George said passing them down. Serena looked through the stack and found hers.
"I don't believe it," Ron muttered.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"I don't have Potions!" a smile spread across his face.
"Neither do I," Hermione said looking sadly at her schedule.
"Do you have it Harry?" Serena said anxiously.
"Yes," he muttered.
"Well, at least you'll have some company," Ron said.
"Looks like we've got Arithmancy together Hermione," Serena said.
"Oh good, now I've got a study partner," she said smiling.
They finished their breakfast and went to their first class, Transfigurations. The four of them sat in the middle of the room. Serena dropped her bag in a chair next to Hermione, and Ron sat beside Harry. They had transfigurations with the Ravenclaw's, and a black haired girl was staring over at Harry and Ron's table. Serena looked back to see if they were paying attention. They were not.
"Attention students! Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts, except you of course," a witch came into the classroom with her hair in a bun. Hermione had told her earlier that her name was Professor McGonagall and Head of Gryffindor house. Serena was slightly embarrassed that she had been pointed out.
"Now, if you all will start reviewing last years lessons..."
Transfigurations went by fairly quickly and Hermione helped Serena with her studies. Transfigurations was her worst subject.
Then came Double Potions with the Slytherins down in the dungeon. Serena and Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione. Hermione had Ancient Runes and Ron had Muggle Studies.
"Dad talked me into it," he said as he walked away. Her uncle opened the classroom door.
"Hurry or you'll be late," he said glaring at Harry. Serena didn't bother visiting with him because he looked like he'd already been having a bad morning.
Harry and Serena hurried in a sat down. Right away she noticed Draco.
"Don't expect to be teacher's pet in here," he whispered.
"Why would I take that title from you, Draco?" she smirked then turned towards Harry.
"I asked my uncle to treat me just like one of his students,"
"Are you sure you want that?" Harry asked.
"Quiet!" her uncle shouted over everyone to get them to listen to him. Serena turned in her chair to face him.
"I noticed that you've all been reviewing in your other classes, but we won't be doing that in here, if you didn't learn it last year then you shouldn't even be in here," he looked around the room, as if making sure everyone was paying close attention.
"We will be starting a new potion today. We will be making this particular one for a month, so we need to start right away. It's called the Polyjuice Potion, and it changes the physical form of one person into the form of another," her uncle began describing the ingredients when she heard Harry gasp.
"What is it, Harry?" she asked. Before Harry could answer, her uncle had slammed his hand down on their table.
"No speaking in my class!" His eyes were black and frightening, and Serena sat back in her chair. Her uncle then gave them a warning and took away ten points from Gryffindor. He then asked everyone to start their potions.
Serena sat up her cauldron and made sure all her ingredients were all accounted for. Her uncle began to circle the room, checking everyone progress.
"Malfoy, good timing on the lacewing fly," Draco grinned and her uncle started over to another table.
"I can't believe it. When I said treat me like the other students, I meant to treat me like an equal, not like dirt!" Serena said cutting up her own lacewing fly.
"Well, you might have wanted to specify. See, your uncle likes his own house and treats them better than the others," he said.
"I didn't know he was so hostile," she sighed.
"You're joking, right?" Harry said.
"No, is he always like that here?" Serena asked putting down her knife.
"Always? I bet if he could he'd curse just about anyone or anything that rubbed him the wrong way," he said. Serena looked down at her cauldron.
"Oh, no!" she threw in the contents of the lacewing fly, but it was too late. She ruined the potion by waiting to long.
"Miss Snape, I suggest you quit talking and pay attention before you get behind," her uncle said over her shoulder, making her jump slightly.
"Yes, unc…I mean professor," Serena said. She had to start all over again. Carefully emptying out her cauldron, Serena began the potion again, this time paying closer attention.
The rest of Potions went by fairly quickly and in almost complete silence. They stacked their cauldron up in another room and her uncle finally let them leave. Once they left the dungeons Serena said,
"I can't believe I got distracted! I'm going to be so behind,"
"You're starting to sound a lot like Hermione," Harry laughed.
Harry and Serena met up with Ron and Hermione in the entrance hall and Serena told them about her uncle's 'unusual' behavior.
"Hasn't your uncle ever yelled at you before?" Ron asked as they headed towards the Great Hall for lunch.
"No, not that I can remember," Serena sighed poking at her uneaten chicken leg, remembering the look on her uncle's face when she had been caught talking in class. Serena heard a familiar laugh and turned to see Draco and his two bodyguards.
"Oh, well if it isn't the…" Serena stood up and glared at Draco. She was already bothered enough by her uncle's behavior, and dealing with him was not something she was in the mood for.
"…the what? Come on, I've heard everything! You could even call me a mudblood for all I care!" Serena turned and sat back down next to Harry and acted as if nothing had happened. Draco and his friends turned and walked away.
"You sure told him," Ron said.
"Are you really muggle-born too, Serena?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, and I'm not really ashamed either. My uncle doesn't particularly like the fact that his brother is a muggle though," she said.
They finished eating then went to the common room to get their books for the rest of the day. Next was History of Magic, and Serena was a little surprised to see a ghost floating about a chair in front of the room. The class was pretty boring, as expected, and went on for what seemed like hours. They were finally dismissed and headed off to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Wonder who'll be teaching this year," Ron said.
"What do you mean, this year," Serena asked.
"We haven't had the same Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since we started here, different one every time," Ron said.
"They say the jobs curse," Harry said.
"Really…" Serena too wondered who it would be, considering she would be meeting a new teacher for the first time as well. They turned a corner and walking into the classroom and sat down in the front, but their teacher was no where to be found. Serena and the others looked around, but the only one's there were the students. This class was held with the Hufflepuffs, and Serena sighed in relief knowing Draco wasn't there to bother them.
The door to the classroom opened, and everyone turned to see who their new teacher would be.
"Hope it isn't Snape," she heard a Hufflepuff whisper.
She sighed and reverted her eyes to the open classroom door.