Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I just play in J.K. Rowling's world. Mychael Andrews, Chastity McNeil and Angela Kimble belong to me as does Rosalind McNally, if you wish to use them shoot me a message.
Ch. 6
Harry woke up early but feeling very refreshed he headed down to breakfast, he nodded to Professor Flitwick as he sat down to eat his breakfast as he wanted to have plenty of time to eat and still arrive early to his first class. While he was eating he noticed the other students slowly making their way in the great hall. He chatted with Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst and Padma Patil learning about his new class mates, he learned that Padma had a twin sister name Pavarti who was sorted into Gryffindor. When there were about fifteen minutes before his classes were to start, he looked around for Professor Flitwick to get his timetable. He saw him a few students down and heading his way so he waited, a couple of minutes later Professor Flitwick arrived and handed him his timetable.
Timetable for Harry James Potter:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
8:00 am -Breakfast
9:00 am -Potions- Professor McNeil- w/ Gryffindor House
11:00 am -Transfiguration- Professor Andrews- w/ Slytherin House
1:00 pm -Lunch
2:00 pm -Defensive Magic- Professor Lupin- w/ Hufflepuff House
4:00 pm -Charms- Professor Flitwick- w/ Gryffindor House
6:00 pm -Dinner
7:00 pm- Study/Homework time
10:00 pm- Curfew
12:00 am- Astronomy- Professor Sinistra- w/ Gryffindor House
Tuesday, Thursday
8:00 am -Breakfast
9:00 am -Muggle Studies- Professor Kimble- w/ Slytherin House
11:00 am -Wizarding Customs -Professor Dumbledore- w/ Hufflepuff House
1:00 pm -Lunch
2:00 pm -Herbology- Professor Sprout- w/ Hufflepuff House
4:00 pm -Care of Magical Creatures- Professor Weasley- w/ Slytherin House
5:00 pm -History of Magic- Professor Snape- w/ Gryffindor House
6:00 pm -Dinner
7:00 pm- Study/Homework time
10:00 pm- Curfew
After reading over his schedule Harry headed down to the dungeon for his first potions class. He smiled at his professor as he arrived ten minutes early for class and took a seat, he spent a minute or two pulling out his text and quill, ink an parchment for notes, before placing his cauldron in front of him then he started reviewing the text. His careful preparation impressed Professor McNeil. A minute or two later a shy voice asked.
"Do you mind if we are lab partners?" Asked the girl, her tie marking her as a Gryffindor.
"Not at all, I am Harry by the way." Replied Harry with a smile.
"I am Rosalind McNally but please call me Rose." She replied and sat down and followed his lead by getting ready for class to start.
Harry did not see Hermione glaring at him and Rose as they spent the last few minutes before class started getting to know each other.
Professor McNeil looked on with a happy smile as the display just proved that different houses could get along if they tried.
"Good morning class I am Professor McNeil and I am your potions professor, in my class there will be no fooling around, and you will read about the potion you are going to brew before you brew it I will not risk anyone being harmed in my class room. If I catch you trying to sabotage another class mates potion I will deduct house points and you will be serving detention with me every Saturday for a month. Any further offenses after the first with be dealt with harshly. Potions can be dangerous if brewed incorrectly so make sure you are using your dragon hide gloves and that you are carefully following the directions in your text. Make sure you know who the person sitting next to you is as they will be your partner for the entire year." As Professor McNeil was finishing her speech the door to the class room burst open to reveal Ron Weasley who was puffing having run to make it to class before he was too late, Ron having gotten up late, so being late to breakfast had decided to finish his breakfast before heading to class.
"Oi you, that is my seat next to my best friend." Growled Ron shoving Rose out of the seat next to Harry.
Harry shot a glare at Ron before reaching down and offering a hand to Rose making sure his new friend was ok before turning to glare at Ron.
"She was here first, I would not work with you if she wasn't and we have never been friends, nor would I be friends with someone who bullies other people and cannot even arrive on time to class."
"Mr. Weasley, 50 points from Gryffindor and detention with me tonight, not only were you late for class but you chose to disrupt the class more by shoving another student out of their chair. Now take a seat that does not belong to another student and pay attention as I will only give the instructions on what to do once." Growled Professor McNeil. "Also 20 points to Ravenclaw, Mr. Potter, for chivalry and defending a fellow student."
Harry earning Ravenclaw points earned him a few smiles from his fellow Ravenclaws and Ron many glares for his treatment of another student. To say that Gryffindor house was pissed off at him was an understatement, not only had he lost them 50 points but that he could treat another Gryffindor that way. Ron noisily took a seat next to Hermione much to her displeasure.
"Now class I want you to turn to the first potion in your text and carefully read the instructions on how to prepare the potion, the ingredients, reactions, and once I am sure you are ready then you may begin your potion. If you have any questions or need any help please ask me. When you are done reading and are ready to start your potion raise your hand and I will come over and check before you start brewing. You may begin."
Noise of books being opened and pages being turned was soon drowned out by grumbles about reading bloody books from Ron. Harry started reading with the rest of his classmates pausing now and then to note something down about the potion they were soon going to brew. About fifteen minutes later Harry and Rose who had finished within a couple minutes of each other had everything out and were ready to start their potion so they raised their hand. Hermione's hand soon followed though Ron was still reading and grumbling. Professor McNeil soon came over to Harry's table and saw they had everything prepared correctly so gave permission for them to start on their potion. She then walked over to Hermione to see that while she was ready Ron was no where close.
"I am sorry Ms. Granger but as your lab partner is not yet ready I cannot let you start brewing until he is finished reading." Said Professor McNeil apologetically.
"That is ok Professor she can do the potion without me. I do not need her know-it-all help on the potion and besides if I didn't have to take potions I wouldn't after all being best friends with the Boy-Who-Lived I will be able to get any job I want even if I am not qualified. The fame I get for being his best friend will get me by." Said Ron smugly.
"Actually Mr. Weasley you must pass potions to get into second year, and no amount of fame will get you a job you cannot do, especially with the new minister in office." Disagreed Professor McNeil. "You have fifteen more minutes to finish reading class then you will have to start brewing your potions or they will not be done before the end of class. If they are not finished you will have to come back after dinner and do them."
Fifteen minutes later Ron was just finishing his reading, Hermione was waiting for him to do so impatiently, they were the last group to get started on their potion. Hermione was watching the potion carefully though she was exasperated with Ron who was doing almost nothing to help her with the potion mumbling something that sounded like as the best friend of Harry Potter he should not have to work on some silly potion when she could do it. Hermione kept shooting glares at Harry and Rose as she felt she should be his partner as he seemed smarter then Ron and she was sure she was smarter than Rose.
The rest of the class went by uneventfully, Harry and Rose were the first ones done with their potion, shortly followed by Terry Boot and Padma Patil, then by Michael Corner and Pavarti Patil, with the rest of the class soon following after. Finally just before the bell rang Hermione turned in a completed potion. Just before the class left they were assigned homework, in the form of a full page essay on the potion they brewed that day due at the beginning of their next class.
"Professor I do not believe it is fair that we have the same partner in potions for the entire year, what if we do not get along with our partner?" Hermione demanded.
"Life is not fair Ms. Granger and you had better start getting along with your partner as he will be your partner the entire year." Responded Professor McNeil, which caused Hermione to glare at her and head off to her next class. "Mr. Weasley, I will be reporting your behavior in class to the headmistress and your head of house. I suggest better behavior from you in the future."
"My mum says if that dirty werewolf tries anything she will have him sacked." Said Ron smugly before leaving the class room.
Harry made his way to transfiguration, excited to see what was in store for them. Upon entering the classroom Harry did not see Professor Andrews but he saw sitting on a perch on the desk a regal looking falcon, upon looking closer he realized that the bird's eyes showed a lot more intelligence then that of a normal animal.
"Professor?" He asked, only to receive a nod from the bird. He then took his seat and got ready for his next class, he started rereading the first chapter of his text book while waiting for the class to start.
Soon the rest of the class made their way in glancing around and not seeing the professor the Ravenclaws started preparing for class, some of the Slytherin's doing the same however Miliscent, Crabb, Goyle and Pansy were belittling other students and even went as far as to injure Mandy Brocklehurst before realizing that Professor Andrew's was standing in front of the class and he was livid.
"40 points from Slytherin and detention for all four of you with me tonight for hurting another student. Mr. Goldstein please take Ms. Brocklehurst to the infirmary I am sure one of your class mates will give you the notes and assignment for the class. And 10 points to Ravenclaw for Mr. Potter recognizing an animagus when he saw one." Said Professor Andrews in his deep baritone voice. "I will not tolerate messing around in my classroom transfiguration can be dangerous you get one warning then you will be removed from my class for the year forcing you to take first year all over again. No exceptions. Now infront of all of you is a match and today we will be trying to turn matches into needles, however before we begin I want everyone to read chapter one in their text it is an introduction to basic transfiguration and should be read before attempting any sort of magic. When you have read the chapter start trying to turn your match into a needle.
The rest of the lesson went without any problems as even the Slytherins knew how serious Professor Andrews was, as having to repeat a year of school was humiliating. By the end of the lesson Harry, Padma, Zabini and Greengrass were the only ones to have completely changed their match into a needle. For homework they were assigned a one page essay on what they had learned both in the reading and in changing or attempting to change their match into a needle due at the start of their next lesson.
After lunch they had Defensive Magic with Hufflepuff, Harry getting there a few minutes early got his supplies ready and started reading the first chapter again for review glanced up and was glad to see Neville pulling out the chair next to him, so he got to sit with Neville and managed to ask him about his first day of classes so far to which he was told the basics but agreed to meet after dinner with Neville to do homework and fully catch up on each others day, they started off by reading about the first creature in their text, a creature called a Hinky Punk, then Professor Lupin started to lecture on where Hinky Punks could be found and how to counter act them. It was a fascinating class and Harry made sure to take good notes so when they had an exam he would be well prepared. They were assigned a one page essay on Hinky Punks, where to find them and what to do if you encounter one to be turned in at the start of their next lesson.
Harry entered his charms classroom and sat down, pulling out his books and supplies for the class, since he was a few minutes early he again started reviewing his text, after nearly all the class has arrive Professor Flitwick started taking roll, he was halfway through roll when the door to the class room burst open to admit Ron, who earned himself a glare from his fellow classmates.
"10 points from Gryffindor for being late to my class Mr. Weasley and I advise you to be punctual in the future or you will find the classroom locked to you, if you do not pass Charms you will not be able to advance to second year. Now class you may have heard in the past that we start out with a specific Charm, however that is no longer the case, today we will be reading about a basic cleaning charm. The incantation for the charm is Elementum Tersus, however before we try to perform this charm we will be reading chapter one in our text. You may begin." Said Flitwick.
After nearly 15 minutes a loud explosion was heard around the classroom, Ron and Hermione had singed eyebrows, Ron having tried to perform the charm with out reading the text and caused the dirty substance on the rag they were going to clean to explode. Hermione was livid, as she was again unable to become Harry's partner in a class as the seat next to Harry was occupied by Anthony Goldstein.
"Another 10 points from Gryffindor for not following directions Mr. Weasley, I specifically said to read the text before trying to perform the charm."
"Well I do not need to read the text being the best friend of Harry Potter I will be able to perform any kind of magic I want, it is my right." Replied Ron with a sneer.
"If you do not straighten out your act and learn to follow directions Mr. Weasley you will find yourself failing first year and having to repeat it." Warned Professor Flitwick who's words fell on deaf ears.
"You better be nice to me you smelly little goblin or my mother will complain to the board of governors and have you sacked." Growled Ron.
"Detention with me tomorrow night as you already have detention with Professor McNeil tonight, Mr. Weasley, and 10 more points from Gryffindor. You will learn to respect everyone in this classroom. And I will be speaking to the headmistress and your head of house." Responded Flitwick calmly before guiding the class back to work.
The rest of Charms passed uneventfully and by the end of class the Ravenclaw's, Pavarti and Hermione had fully performed the basic cleaning charm. Though most of the rest of the class had done pretty well. They were given a one page essay about basic cleaning charms, how to perform them, the proper wand movement and what kind of substances the basic cleaning charm would work on to be turned in start of their next lesson.
After dinner Harry met Neville in the library where they exchanged stories about their day and then got to work on their assignments finishing them before curfew, Harry wished Neville a good night and reminded him to write about his day to his Gran and Ginny. Just before going to bed Harry wrote a letter to Sirius and Ginny about his day, how Ron was acting and about the new friends he was making. Harry soon drifted off to sleep peacefully excited for his next day of classes.