Donald woke early the next morning along with all of the other first year boys. They made there way up to breakfast. They were the first person, other than Professor McGonagall who nodded at them as they entered, to come down to breakfast. Grabbing some bacon and eggs Donald introduced him to the other Hufflepuff boys whom he hadn't met. Frank Fletchy was pureblood, though his father had been muggleborn, and Chris Cartel was half-blood. His father was a muggle while his mother was a pureblood witch.

After half an hour the Great Hall was finally beginning to fill. Martin, Matthew and Donald laughed at a Griffindor boy at the next table who complained that it took forever to get from their dormitory on the seventh floor to the Great Hall and that he had got lost four times. Donald was actually surprised that the castle had seven floors.

A young, friendly looking witch then approached the Hufflepuff table and introduced herself to the first years. "Hello everyone my names Professor Brewer and I'm the Head of Hufflepuff and your potions professor. Here are your timetables. Donald Glanced down at his;

time

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

8:30am – 9:20am

Defense

Hufflepuff

Prof. Potter

Transfiguration

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Changusal

Herbology

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Longbottom

Potions

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Prof. Brewer

History

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Binns

9:30am – 10:20am

History

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Binns

Charms

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Flitwick

Herbology

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Longbottom

Flying

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Prof. Wood

Transfiguration

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Changusal

10:30am– 11:20am

Potions

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Prof. Brewer

Potions

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Prof. Brewer

Transfiguration

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Changusal

Charms

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Flitwick

Transfiguration

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Changusal

11:30am-12:20pm

Herbology

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Longbottom

Potions

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Prof. Brewer

History

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Binns

Transfiguration

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Changusal

Herbology

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Longbottom

12:20pm – 1:30pm

LUNCH

LUNCH

LUNCH

LUNCH

LUNCH

1:30pm – 2:20pm

Charms

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Flitwick

Herbology

Griffindor

Hufflepuff

Prof. Longbottom

Defense

Hufflepuff

Prof. Potter

Defense

Hufflepuff

Prof. Potter

Potions

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Prof. Brewer

2:30pm – 3:20pm

Charms

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Flitwick

Defense

Hufflepuff

Prof. Potter

Charms

Hufflepuff

Slytherin

Prof. Flitwick

Defense

Hufflepuff

Prof. Potter

12:00am – 1:25am

Astromomy

Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw

Prof. Sinestra

"Is Professor Potter any relation to you?" Donald asked Matthew.

"I don't have any relations named Potter," Matthew answered, "My father was an orphan with no family."

At a quarter past eight the Hufflepuffs headed back to the dormitory to retrieve their copies of Practical Defence for the First Year. Matthew explained to Donald that his father had written the series of defensive books after he had left school because he had found the books he had used throughout his schooling useless. By eight thirty the Hufflepuffs were waiting out the front of there classroom on the third floor. As the clock struck half past the hour the door opened itself and the class quietly entered. Everyone, including Matthew, was startled to find Mr. Potter waiting infront of the class.

"Welcome everyone, take a seat," he instructed. Everyone immediately obeyed. "Many of you are probably surprised to find me teaching here including my son," he smiled at Matthew, "you see Minerva, that's Professor McGonagall has been trying to get me to teach this class for years but I didn't want to leave my wife and children at home. I will be staying here during the week and going home on the weekends the visit my wife and twins. Now for the role."

Mr Potter called out the names of the students. He stopped after each one and made comments about their parents. The only student he didn't know the parentage of was a muggleborn girl called Tara Flurdo. He was extremely surprised to see Martin Malfoy in the class. "Never thought I'd see the day when a Malfoy wasn't sorted into Slytherin," he told Martin, "have you told your parents yet?"

"No sir," Martin answered.

"Well I'd write and tell them yourself if I were you. Their reaction will be much worse if they find out through someone else."

The Class spent the hour learning the wand movement and incantation for the disarming spell. Professor Potter told the class that they would be attempting the spell on each other in the next lesson. Donald found the lesson very interesting as the professor went into the theory of how the spell worked but wished they had actually got to perform some magic. At the end of the class Professor Potter told them to pack up there books and told them to practise disarming each other ready for the practical lesson the next day.

The Hufflepuffs rushed to their dormitory's to get their History books and only just made it to the first floor history classroom. Donald had been looking forward to this lesson as he had enjoyed the set text and history has been his favourite class at muggle primary school. He was sorely disappointed. Professor Binns was a ghost who droned on about goblin wars for the whole hour. Donald had been one of the few students able to keep himself awake. Professor Binns didn't even notice when two Griffindor boys, Conner Weasley and Paul Wood, bewitched the chalk to write rude words on the board behind him.

History was followed by Potions with the Ravenclaws in the dungeons. Professor Brewer got them to pair up and begin brewing a simple potion to cure boils. Donald enjoyed the lesson immensely and by the end he and his partner, Romulus Lupin from Ravenclaw, were both awarder ten points for perfect potions. Donald was glad his potion worked as Brewer had tested them by casting the furunculus curse on her students. As they left the lesson, Matthew and Martin, who had been working together and whose potions had not been quite as effective, were both scratching at large boils on there noses. When Donald tried to cheer them up by telling that at least they only had one boil each Martin had replied darkly that he had more but they were not on a place he generally displayed to the public.

Herbology was held in the greenhouses outside. Professor Longbottom was a plump, round faced man with a lot of dirt on his robes and a large smile. He taught the class how to properly plant sneezewort. The secret was to hold your breath when holding the small plant as it let off a fine dust which caused the planter to develop a violent sneezing fit.

The Hufflepuffs and Griffindors headed up to the castle for lunch, completely exhausted. Travis Blackwood, the boy who had been complaining to Donald that morning about the distance to the Griffindor dormitories was now telling him how impossible it was to return to the dormitory between classes to change books except for after transfiguration which was apparently on the sixth floor. Checking his timetable Donald realised that after lunch he had double charms with the Slytherins. He had heard things about the Slytherins from many of the older students. Apparently they disliked anyone not from their own house and went out of their way to get everyone, except for themselves in trouble. Donald secretly suspected that the older students had created a stereotype and that while some Slytherins probably did act that way he was sure they wouldn't all.

After eating lunch Donald grabbed his books and headed to the charms classroom on the fourth floor. When they arrived the door was open and the Slytherins were already present. They were all seated on the right hand side of the classroom except for one boy who was sitting as far from the rest as possible. Donald recognised him as Peter Matthews, the boy who had received a less than adequate greeting at the sorting the night before. Ignoring the comments of Matthew and Martin, who were trying to sit as far from all the Slytherins, including Peter, he headed over and sat next to Peter.

"Hey, Peter isn't it?"

The boy looked up at Donald and scowled, "You don't want to sit here. I'm apparently a sneaky Slytherin and a dirty mudblood to boot."

Matthew had informed Donald what a mudblood was and he knew it was an insult. "Don't call yourself that," he told Peter.

"But it's what I am, isn't it? That's what my housemates told me and why they won't sit with me. They even kicked me out of my dorm and made me sleep in the common room last night"

"No," Donald told the boy, "mudblood is an extremely rude and insulting term for a muggleborn witch or wizard. I'm a muggleborn myself and there's nothing wrong with it. You'll just have to make some friends in other houses."

"I've tried, but no-one wants to be friendly with a Slytherin."

"I do," Donald told Peter as Professor Flitwick entered the room.

Flitwick spent the first half of the lesson lecturing on the lumos charm which, when cast, causes the tip of the casters wand to provide light. In the second half of the double he extinguished the lanterns causing the room to fall into darkness and told the students to attempt the charm. Both Peter and Donald were able to perform the charm on there first go but few others could. Professor Flitwick gave them both five points for there houses. By the end of the lesson five of the Hufflepuffs had managed the charm but Peter was the only Slytherin who had been able to light his wand.

"See," Donald told Peter, "Your muggle parenthood doesn't mean a thing. Your better than any of them, they couldn't even light their wands." This caused Peter to grim and he whispered thanks to Donald.

As they were leaving the classroom a Slytherin girl named Dora Lestrange called out, "Go join Hufflepuff if you like them so much. That's where mudbloods like you belong anyway. We don't want you in the noble house of Slytherin."

Donald got out his wand before he realised he didn't actually know any spells that caused damage, what was he going to do? Blind her with a lumos? He was saved by Professor McGonagall who was heading in the opposite direction.

"Miss Lestrange. How dare you insult another student that way, especially one in your own house. Fifteen points from Slytherin and detention. See Mr. Lords after dinner." After Dora had stormed off Donald and Peter made to leave. "Dursley, Matthews come with me." McGonagall led the boys back into the empty classroom. "Mr Dursley I'll start with you. Five points from Hufflepuff, I cannot condone you threatening another student no matter what he or she may have said or done."

"Yes Professor," Donald muttered.

"And you Mr Matthews, may I enquire what's going on?"

"It's nothing," he murmured.

"No its not," Donald glared at him, "they shouldn't be able to treat you that way. Do you know professor that his housemates won't let him into his dormitory and he had to sleep in his common room last night. They refuse to talk to him and call him names whenever they get a chance."

"Is this true Mr Matthews?" the headmistress asked, looking shocked.

"Yes Professor," Peter answered.

"Now run along to dinner. Oh, and Dursley, five points to Hufflepuff for helping Matthews." McGonagall strode out of the room leaving behind two very confused students.