Chapter VI: The First Classes
AUTHOR'S WARNING!
Due to fried brain cells when it comes to coming up with names, some of the teachers will be based off of characters from other Disney movies.
Hiccup was the first Ravenclaw first year to get up the next morning. It was in his habit to be up when the sun rose. He had tiptoed out of his dormitory and sat down in the common room to look at the textbook to his first class: Defense Against the Dark Arts. In the back of his mind, he thought of the class as Defense Against Snotlout. His beefy cousin was his main source of ridicule back on Berk. Never before was there a Viking so reckless and merciless, but still Hiccup managed to put up with all his nasty pranks and insults. On occasion, in a sudden release of magic, Snotlout's pranks would backfire in a sense that would make him the laughingstock of Berk. Once, Snotlout threw a pile of yak manure to the back of Hiccup's head, and the tribe laughed at him, but when he turned to face the culprit, his anger had turned Snotlout's hair into a bright pink, and his eyes an electrified purple. There was also a time when Snotlout was actually saying that Hiccup should give up trying to be a man and step into womanhood (only ruder words), and feeling more hurt than angry by his cousin's cruel words, his magic had actually turned Snotlout into a girl! That actually turned out to be a pretty good day for Hiccup, and even after Snotlout was turned back (thanks to the help of a rather reluctant Gothi) Snotlout flinched every time he and Hiccup locked eyes for over a week. All of these incidents happened not long after Hiccup found out that he was a wizard, it just took a while for the word to spread and reach Snotlout. Even after finding out, his cruel cousin still pursued to prank him relentlessly.
So as Hiccup flipped through the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, he was mildly disappointed that it didn't teach any curses. It wasn't like he wanted to kill or mutilate Snotlout, he just wanted the pranks to stop. Maybe if he extracted Snotlout's voice, there were a lot of people who would praise Hiccup for doing that; but they weren't in the book, perhaps that was the work of more advanced magic.
The second Ravenclaw to come down was Elsa. When she entered the room, Hiccup got to his feet in a gentleman's manner and greeted her: "Good morning, Elsa."
"Wow, I guess Vikings aren't as barbaric as I've imagined them to be. Good morning to you too." She replied. Hiccup gave her a small smile and sat back down asking: "Is Rapunzel up yet?"
"Yeah, but she's busy fixing her hair… and she's got a lot of it."
"Should we wait for her?"
"I think that she'll appreciate that, and I did lose my tamper with her last night and snapped at her. I'd like to make up for that." Elsa replied.
"That's being a good friend, making up the wrongs you've done."
"Yeah, thanks Hiccup."
Several other Ravenclaw students passed them while they were on their way to breakfast, but the wait was worth the smile Rapunzel gave them. Her eyes lit up with sparkles and she bore her pearly white teeth, but that didn't conceal the dark circles under her eyes.
"When did you get to sleep?" Hiccup asked her.
"I don't know, but I'm happy to be up." She replied. Hiccup also noticed why it took her so long to get ready in the morning, her hair was so long that it had to be braided several times to keep people from trampling over it. Hiccup estimated that it was at least twenty-five feet in length.
"Thanks for waiting for me, and sorry I took so long to get ready, but it takes me a while to manage all of this hair." Rapunzel told them.
"Why don't you get it cut? With a couple snips from scissors you wouldn't have to worry about it." Hiccup suggested, but Rapunzel grabbed her braids and held them close to her chest, looking at Hiccup in fear.
"No, I can't cut it!" She exclaimed. Well that seemed odd. Of all the things for happy-go-lucky Rapunzel to be scared of, it was a haircut!
"Whoa, I didn't mean to upset you, I was just trying to give you a helpful suggestion." Hiccup defended.
"Why can't you cut it?" Elsa asked.
"Don't ask me that, please, I can't tell you anyway!" Rapunzel exclaimed.
"Alright, alright, there's no reason to be so uptight about this, Rapunzel." Hiccup told her. She eased up a bit, but she remained quiet until they reached the Great Hall and found piles of pancakes on the platters. At the sight of the savory breakfast, she returned to being the Rapunzel they knew and loved.
Before taking their seats at the Ravenclaw table, Hiccup spotted Jack and Merida trying to wave them over. So he dragged Elsa and Rapunzel to meet up with them over at the Gryffindor table.
"So, how was yer firs' night?" Merida asked.
"I tossed and turned quite a bit, being so exited for today and the bed was a lot softer than what I'm used to. So, for me it was a bit stressful." Hiccup replied.
"Rapunzel, here, decided to have a pillow fight with the other girls in our room." Elsa told them. Rapunzel just stood there and smiled. Obviously she had some fun.
"Huh, we were just passed out tired, as soon as my head hit that pillow, I was out like a light." Jack stated.
"So what's yer first class?" Merida asked.
"We've got Defense Against the Dark arts today. What about you guys?" Hiccup replied.
"Oh, we've got Transfiguration. What about your next class?" Jack asked.
"Charms." Elsa replied.
"Awesome, so do we!" Merida exclaimed. They continued to examine their schedules and found out that they also shared their flying lessons and Potions too. Rapunzel was looking forward to Potions, Merida and Hiccup were eager for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Elsa seemed to be the most interested in Charms, and Jack was thinking of all the mischief and help he could come up with in Transfiguration.
After their little chat, the Ravenclaw friends returned to their table and piled their plates high with pancakes and bacon.
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Now the friends were busy getting lost in the twisted halls of the castle trying to find their first class. Jack and Merida made it to Transfiguration just in time and took their seats together in the middle of the room. Their professor went by the name of Maleficent, she was an unusual character with a dark vibe about her, along with horns on her head. She wore a sweeping black dress which not only gave her an imposing image, but it also made her appear taller than she really was.
"Well, well, the two of you came pretty close to being late. Listen well, children: of all virtues, I favor punctuality and etiquette the most. If you display those virtues to me, it may just reflect on how much homework I give you over the course of this year. Now, let us get started. Who can tell me what the art of transfiguration is?" Maleficent spoke in a severe tone.
Merida raised her hand shyly.
"Speak please, Princess Merida." Maleficent called.
"It is the practice of turning one object into another through spells." Merida replied in a slightly shaky voice.
"Correct, Merida, you've just won five points for your house." Maleficent told her. Maleficent sidestepped over to her desk, and with a mischievous smile she asked her class: "Who would like to see a demonstration before we start?" Her students leaned forward in excitement as Maleficent drew out her Rosewood wand and tapped it on her desk, turning it into a pig. The students' eyes went wide, and with another tap the pig turned back into a desk. With another smile on her face, she told her class: If one of you is brave enough to step forward, I'll be happy to break a Hogwarts rule and transfigure one of you into a raven for a few minutes.
Curious, Jack stepped forward and stood beside Maleficent. She was surprised that someone actually accepted her offer.
"You're either really brave, Mr. Overland, or you have little respect for the rules, but sometimes it's fun to break the rules. I caution you though, that this spell isn't going to be the most pleasant feeling that you're going to experience, and as for the rest of you, I'll need to ask you to keep this a secret from the other staff members." Maleficent stated. Her students nodded in agreement. Maleficent turned to face Jack, eager eyes focused on him. It only took a simple wave of her wand and Jack immediately felt his form shrink and reshape into that of the raven.
Several 'Whoa's' and 'Wow's' filled the room as Maleficent bent down to pick up Jack and set him on her shoulder.
"Ten points for Gryffindor and for your bravery, Mr. Overland. As Merida of DunBroch mentioned before, Transfiguration is the art of turning one object into another through spells. What I've demonstrated was one of the most advanced forms of magic to be practiced here at Hogwarts. I will say this: I do not expect any of you to perfect any spell you learn in her on your first try in this class. Today, you'll be turning matches into needles." Maleficent announced. She took Jack off of her shoulder and turned him back into a boy, she picked up a box off of her desk, and had her students pass the matches around while she wrote the spell on her chalkboard and sounded it out for them several times before drawing out the proper wand movement on the board. Once everyone had their matches, Maleficent told them: "The perfect result from this spell will be a steel or silver standard sewing needle that is perfectly straight and easy to thread. However, I'd be impressed by a wooden sewing needle on your first try."
Before Merida practiced the spell, she asked Jack: "What was that demonstration like for you?"
"It didn't feel that great, but at the same time, it was awesome. Imagine all the things you could do as a raven." He replied. He tried the spell, but ended up with a silver needle without an eye.
"That's a good first attempt, Mr. Overland. It may not be a needle, but it would make a good pin." Maleficent told him as she passed by to check on her students' work. She then looked to Merida to check on her attempt. She got a perfect needle, but it was made of wood and it was slightly bent.
"That was a fine attempt, Merida." Maleficent told her, and she turned their 'needles' back into matches so they could try again. She went around the room and announced: "I'm seeing lots of silver pins and wooden needles. This is good, try reciting the spell with a strong sense of authority. Your wands know when you're feeling shy or unsure, so say the spell as if to say 'I'm the boss of you'."
By the end of the class, about a third of the class managed to get the perfect needle, including Jack and Merida, but Jack took one less try than Merida in the end.
"Alright, you may be dismissed now." Maleficent called out. The students grabbed their books and headed out with really no eagerness to leave. Despite how 'intense' Maleficent appeared to be, she was an interesting teacher with an interesting subject to teach.
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Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by a Russian wizard by the name of Dmitri Northland. Elsa's blood went cold when she found out that they would have to practice the spells on objects and sometimes point their wands at other people. Perhaps the school really wasn't the place for her. However, she could wipe the sweat off of her brow when she found out that they were just looking through the textbook today and taking notes. Namely they were taking notes on what was the best way to defend yourself against pesky critters like gnomes and small trolls. When the subject of trolls came up, Elsa raised her hand.
"Yes, Princess of Arendelle?" Northland asked.
"How many types of trolls are there? I've met a family of them about five years ago and they were sweet and wise creatures." Elsa said.
"Aye, dat is a good question, Princess Elsa; some trolls are large and brutish and some, like the ones you've seen, are small and friendly. For now, we look at bridge trolls, they are creatures who like to take up residence by gate and bridges to pilfer food and coins from ye." Northland replied.
So for Hiccup, the day's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was a bit of a disappointment. He even asked when they would learn how to defend themselves against dragons and if he could use what he learned from this course to keep his cousin from picking on him.
"Dragons? Ho-ho, my dear boy, that is more fourth or fifth year material, and even then I think that the students are too young to be learning how to fight dragons. Now I suppose you could use some of these spells and tricks to defend yourself from other humans, but underage wizards aren't supposed to use magic outside of school unless it is for self defense. Sorry, my boy." Northland replied. Hiccup sat back in his chair and pouted for a moment before he had to start taking notes.
By the second half of the lesson, Northland told them about a spell that they would be practicing by the second lesson. The spell was 'Flipendo' which knocked those who had the spell cast on them on their backs. Hiccup regained his interest and took as much notes as he could write down about the spell. Perhaps he could use this on Snotlout if he felt threatened enough.
Elsa and Rapunzel could hardly think about hurting anyone, so they were rather unsure about themselves when it came to this class. Elsa came here to learn how to keep herself from hurting people, not to learn how to cause pain for others.
Northland walked up and down the columns as he lectured, but then he caught sight of Elsa's gloves and told her: "There be no gloves when we practice spells. They hinder the magic in our blood from being released through our wands." Elsa looked at him with fear in her eyes and pulled her hands in close to her chest.
"Hey, there's no need for fear here, Elsa, you'll be fine. I just don't want gloves in this classroom." Northland told her. As he walked off, Rapunzel asked: "What's with the gloves anyway?"
"They make me feel secure." Elsa replied.
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At lunchtime, the friends decided to just go in, grab a couple sandwiches, and get out so they could talk to each other.
"Transfiguration is pretty cool! Professor Maleficent is not afraid to show us these amazing demonstrations, even if it means breaking a rule or two. She offered to turn one of us into a raven if we were brave enough to step forward, so I did." Jack told his friends.
"Ye, should've seen it. It was amazing." Merida added.
"That sounds awesome, I wonder if she'll offer to do it again for our house." Hiccup replied.
"You want to step forward? I warn you thought, while she'll reward you ten points for your house, it's not the nicest feeling to experience. She also makes you promise that you won't rat her out to the other staff members." Jack told him.
"I'm a Viking, I can handle it." He replied proudly.
"What about ye, Rapunzel and Elsa, would ye step fo'ward?" Merida asked.
"No, my mother, Gothel, has told me some creepy things about ravens." Rapunzel replied.
"I'm not a fan of ravens either." Elsa stated. It wasn't that she didn't like them, in fact she probably would step forward, but crows don't wear socks, and with exposed talons she might freeze something without meaning to.
"So, how was Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Jack asked.
"Not as interesting as you might think for right now. All we did was take notes." Hiccup replied.
"Oh, that doesn't sound like a lot of fun." Jack stated through a mouth full of sandwich.
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By the end of the day, Rapunzel and Elsa found out that Herbology was a rather fascinating subject, Hiccup found a certain level of interest in it, but he was brought up in a manner where planting wasn't a Viking thing unless you were a farmer. The most interesting thing he found out about the plants was the potions they went in and what those potions could do.
For Jack and Merida, History of Magic seemed like a complete festival of boredom. The Professor said that things would get more interesting when they reached the Dark Ages, but Merida found herself wanting to go back to her princess lessons with her mother. However, to make p for the boredom, Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed interesting once the class started to get going.
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After the first week, the friends found out what classes were their favorites: Rapunzel liked Potions, because one of her hobbies included cooking; Hiccup learned to love Transfiguration because it made him think of ways he could've used it to get back at his cousin; Merida decided that Defense Against the Dark Arts would be her subject of choice once they really started getting into spells; Elsa preferred Charms, they taught friendly and helpful spells, but Herbology was a close second; and Jack, from the start, loved flying lessons, but the problem was that they had to study the parts and functions of broomsticks before they got into the air.
However, the wait wouldn't be that long before they were flying.
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Wow, the longest chapter so far! How did you like it?
Please review, and I'll promise something exciting for the next chapter.