During Transfiguration, luckily I got a seat next to Lily, and in front of us Ella and Sam were quick to grab seats. Unfortunately, Lily didn't have friends enough to completely surround here, and therefore shield her from James Potter, so the two of us got stuck sitting in front of James and his partner in crime, Sirius. The desks in Transfiguration were doubles, obviously, which made it convenient for Lily and I to have a conversation via whispers. What wasn't convenient though was the fact that it was my first day, and I had absolutely no clue what was going on in the class. Luckily I had a couple of tutors already lined up to teach me the basics later.
"So what about James?" I had to mouth his name, evident that both himself and Sirius were listening ever intently to our conversation, and a chance at overhearing his name would spark some increased interest in what we were saying.
"He's been claiming he's in love with me since we were like twelve." I could tell already Lily was looking for some possible way to change the subject. I wasn't going to let her off that easily, though.
"Oh, come on. You almost know my life story by now. Tell me some more about him." I could tell that playing the guilt card would be my golden ticket into the chocolate factory which was the subject of James Potter.
"Fine, fine! He's liked me forever, but he can't seem to stop be so self-absorbed for long enough to notice that he's too egotistical, arrogant, and outright conceited to gain my interest. If he wants me to serious consider a relationship with him, then he has to learn how to grow up."
"Oh, so you have thought about it."
"I have not!" I already could tell when Lily was lying; I shot her a look that told her exactly that. "Okay, okay! I have; hence my reasons for not already seriously attempting a relationship with him. It's only been in the last couple of months that I've started taking any sort of special interest in him though, you've got to realize that I've got a reputation to uphold."
"Oh really? You don't seem one to be overly proud."
"Oh I'm not. But you see, I've loathed James ever since we first met on our first day here. There's no way I can just turn around and admit that I actually fancy him a lot. Too much, to be honest; I fancy him too much for my own good."
"Aw Lily! That's adorable. And I don't think that that should stop you! Tell him!"
"I can't! Not yet at least…he still has quite a bit of growing up to do."
Professor McGonagall was actually quite nice to me on my first day. She didn't interrupt the conversation Lily and I had in her class; probably because she figured Lily was helping me. She did, actually, but that was later when we got back to the common room after dinner. McGonagall spared me from homework for the week so I could catch my breath with the whole magic thing.
The second period of my first day, I had Herbology, with the rest of my fellow Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs. I found Professor Rose to be a lovely woman, and the class was actually understandable for me. My grandfather, or Poppy, as I called him, was very into his garden, and it was inevitable that I would pick up some of his passion by being around him so often. When I lived with my parents, he'd come to visit every Sunday, and with the weather forbidding, he'd go outside and putz around in our garden. It didn't take me very long to begin to memorize some of the more common household and otherwise domestic garden plants, and I even started remembering little tidbits about each one. Like marigolds, they smelled awful and squirrels hated eating them, as opposed to tulips, because the little buggers would dig up those bulbs the same day I tried planting them.
I found Herbology to be much like botany, so I was comfortable in that area, and found that second period was a rather chilly and serene time of day to head out to the greenhouses. Third period, we all headed back inside for charms, which was Lily's favorite class. Her excitement was quite obvious as early as the end of second period, when she began to pack up her things before anyone else.
"In a rush to get to our next class," I asked her, feeling as if I were in heaven, getting dirt under my nails and the smell of fresh flowers in my hair.
"Yes, actually I am! And don't you dare make fun of me for it, but we have charms next. And that, Lizzy, is my favorite class."
I couldn't help but laugh at her, but it wasn't because I was making fun of her, but because I was so completely happy at that moment. The sun had just started shining, and I could feel a warmth spreading through my bones, even if it was just going to seep out again once I reached my cold, dark room later that night to go to bed. That was when I found myself in a place very, very far away and unacquainted with happiness. "Oh really. And what exactly, is Charms?"
"It's the most wonderful class, I'm sure you're going to love it!" Lily's smile was nearly as radiant and warm as the sun was, as it seeped through the windowpanes of the greenhouse.
"I'm sure I'm going to love it, because I love this whole new idea of magic in general." We were now heading back up to the big oak doors which led back into the school building. "However, I'm very confused how the classes are broken down. What kind of spells, or magic-based skills do we learn in Charms?"
"Well, it's a bit hard to explain," Lily began, and was interrupted by Sam's laugh.
"It is not hard to explain! Lily, since when has anything been hard for you to explain?" Ella nodded and giggled in agreement.
"Oh, it's not that I can't tell her what we learn in the class, it's just…I'm thinking about the certain…feeling I get from Charms, the mood, the emotion of the class." She turned back to me, after addressing Sam and Ella. "Liz, it's like…being home. We learn household spells, and little tricky spells that can be used almost anywhere. It's not like Defense Against the Dark Arts, or Transfiguration, where we learn one specific kind of spell casting; in Charms, we have a very general topic…it's almost like learning English in muggle school. What we learn about spell casting, and wand movements, and pronunciation in Charms, can be applied and used in nearly every other aspect of magic, and our magical culture." With Lily's little speech, I imagined being back in my favorite, 8th period English class, with the teacher that I loved, and a classroom full of peers I admired. If I was going to miss anything more than that from my other life, it was going to be my parents.
Lily was quite right in her description of Charms. Professor Flitwick was quite enthusiastic about his subject of teaching, and the majority of his students seemed to have mutual feelings for that particular area of magic. However, it was Lily who appeared to be the most esteemed, and favorite student of Professor Flitwick, and upon observation, I could easily upon first impression understand her love for Charms. She absolutely thrived in this area, and I could feel her heart was at ease immediately we stepped into the classroom. She was even at peace enough to put up with James for the period, and I could tell he was trying his very hardest to put a good impression of himself upon her. Unfortunately for him, it was for no avail. The moment Lily, Sam, Ella and myself stepped foot out of the classroom, she began complaining.
"Does he really imagine that I might actually care to flirt with him all period long?"
"Oh, Lily, he's just trying to get on your good side," Ella said.
"Poor boy, he's never going to gain your affection, is he?" I nearly fell over after hearing Sam's words; I thought I first that she really was clueless how Lily felt. She was certainly not the type of girl to confide such an important tidbit about her social life to a virtual stranger. Not that I considered any of my new friends strangers anymore, but she had no idea of my intentions; whether they be good or bad. Then, however, I noticed the way Sam was smirking in Lily's direction, and the way Lily eyes turned gloomy for a minute or too. She obviously felt some guilt about what Sam had just touched upon. All of us now knew that she indeed did fancy James Potter…she just had no intentions whatsoever of letting him know.
"Sam, you know that that's not necessarily true," the guilt was also evident in the cadence and tone of Lily's voice.
"Well to every outsider seeing the way you treat him…"
"…and the way you shut him down constantly" Ella and Sam were able to finish one another's sentences. This talent astounded me; for however long my friends back home and I had known each other, and been close to each other, this little faculty evaded us.
"Well I didn't shut him down back there, now did I?" Lily was very quick to defend herself, and I did not blame her in this instant. If my friends were listing all my faults, and pointing out how I was practically torturing a particular boy, I would be defensive and a little angry myself. Lily, on the other hand, was taking the whole situation very well; my heart went out to my newly made friend.
The cornering conversation came to an abrupt end, upon our arrival to Potions class. Luckily, as Lily pointed out to me, us Gryffindors had the fortune of working with the Hufflepuffs in Potions, instead of being trapped in a cramped, claustrophobic dungeon with the Slytherins, or as Sirius had explained it to me over my shoulder, the inherently (okay, well he didn't use such extensive vocabulary) evil students of Hogwarts, who were most certainly out to get us all.
Potions with Professor Slughorn was interesting. This time I was seated next to Sirius, because Remus and Lily were partners, and James and Ella were, and Sam seemed extremely skittish, although elated to be partnered with a very cute Hufflepuff boy by the name of Rick, with dark hair and dazzling, jewel-blue eyes. Sirius was intent to whisper all of this in my ear, along with descriptions of how everyone else chose their partners for this class. Apparently, most were paired with a member of the opposite gender, and someone they had an extra-special liking for. Except James, which was rather unfortunate…but again, Sirius pointed out, could have been worse seeing as he was stuck next to Lily's best friend. And what he couldn't find out about Lily through first-hand experiences and dialogues, he could indeed learn from first-hand experiences and dialogues with Ella, one of the girl's she lived with, and told everything to.
"So how do you like it here so far?" Sirius and I had kept a conversation going since we stepped into the dungeon converted classroom, beginning with why I was supposed to hate Slytherins so much.
"I think I do…I mean, I'm trying to make the best of it because it seems as if I'm stuck here for a bit. But it's most definitely not hard to make the best of." I wasn't even sure if that made sense, but I figured that if I didn't, he'd just have to get used to the fact that I was cute when incomprehensible. That is, if he liked me the way I liked him…already.
Sirius's giggle made me smile, as he replied, "well that is good, I guess. Of course, I bet it's not only because of the whole magic thing, I think it's because you like the people here so much already." He totally left out the tiny little detail that oh, we were in an ancient, absolutely gorgeous castle. I was now living in a legitimate castle! With towers and a Great Hall and everything! The drafty hallways were just as real as the antique architecture.
"Oh really…and why do you think that?" I wasn't too sure if one could consider this flirting, but to me this went beyond a conversation two friends would enjoy having. Two acquaintances would have, in fact. I still lacked any knowledge of Sirius Black.
"Because, you've taken a special liking to…" I didn't even realize it was the end of the period already, but the bell rang as Sirius was ending his spoken observation, and while I was eager to find out by means of asking him again, Lily came over to where we were sitting, and I was forced to pack up quickly and walk upstairs to lunch with her, Ella and Sam. Well, I wasn't forced, but you don't exactly go on speaking to a boy when your best friends are waiting. Besides, the saying is chicks before dicks.
