Previously
"I have a special gift, known as Conlocatio, a gift that is very useful in situations just like this. I am able to look at your aura and magic and determine what fields of magic you have a predisposition for. To do this I am going to ask you to tell me what you understand of magic as it stands and what you wish to learn here and I may get you to perform a few spells you have learned. Then I am explain to give you a brief overview of the subjects we teach here and we'll go from there. Alright?"
For the next half hour or so Harry spoke of what he had learned of magic, both from his books and his own observations while she took notes. The Provost seemed pleased when he spoke of his mage sight and small wandless abilities and she raised an eyebrow when he described the feeling at the train station and the Weasley house. She was interested in his fathers book and cautioned him about it, demanding he get help from the transfiguration professor before trying anything.
When he finished she nodded thoughtfully. "Well that is both more and less than I expected. Now I am going to describe the curriculum here at the Academy and I want you to think closely on it. Your magic will respond in a certain way if you have any aptitude for a subject so we can place you accordingly. There are three basic forms of magic and many different sub branches. The first is transfiguration. The animagus transformation usually falls under this category. It is very simply the art of changing one object into another.
Then we have charms. A charm is a piece of magic either on a object or not, that causes an effect. The light and levitation charms you have demonstrated are examples of this.
The last is rituals. Unlike the other two, which use your own concentration and focus, a ritual allows you to set up the outcome and then power it. Similar to a water powered mill with the ritual being the mill and you magic as the power. Rituals tend to be a good deal more complex though."
Most of this Harry was able to understand and nodded along to show his understanding. But when the Provost began talking about the other areas of study he became lost. There were so many! Potions, alchemy, herbology, magical creatures, astronomy, divination, enchanting, runes, languages, warding, arithmancy, healing and defence. There were also classes that required no magic like history, law, ethics and finance. How was he supposed to learn all of this? Was he even capable? The Provost picked up on his apprehension and gave him a small smile.
"Don't look so worried Mr Potter. You won't be studying everything in your first year." She looked down at her notes. "Well Mr Potter you are an interesting young man. You showed a strong affinity for both transfiguration and charms, as well as defence and healing. You also showed a lesser affinity for languages, warding, rituals and enchanting. An interesting diversity. This shows me you are a intelligent and powerful wizard. In regards to your schedule there are other courses you will be required to take. We don't offer enchanting or rituals to anyone without at least two years of both runes and arithmancy. Four years of potions is also a perquisite for the healing courses. Four you I would recommend taking the law and finance courses. I imagine you will come to need them later in life. Those along with our compulsory courses Ethics and Magical Theory, will leave you studying Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defence, Runes, Arithmancy, Ethics, Theory and History."
The Provost gave him a significant look. "You are going to have a busy year Mr Potter, especially will no magical background. But I believe you will do well."
Harry could only nod, praying that he could keep up. "Right Mr Potter, I think we're done here. You will be needing some lunch and then we'll need to get you settled in to your dorm."
She led him past the registration office and down the long hallways to the dining room. Students were wandering around, weaving around the large tables where others were seated. The Provost led Harry over to one group with students ranging from 12 to 17, listening to a story told by one of them. They didn't notice the Provost until she greeted them. "Miss Morriline, Mr Collins, Miss Castle, Miss Vida, Miss Lindum, Mr Drew, Mr Harvey. I trust you all enjoyed a productive summer."
"Yes Provost Sanga." One of the boys answered for the group. "And yourself?"
"Indeed Mr Collins. Now perhaps you might do me a favour. This is Mr Potter a new student to the Academy. He will need to be shown around the school, the classes and such. If you and your friends would make yourself available?"
"Sure that'd be fine."
"Excellent. After lunch bring him back to the registration office so he can get his dorm assignment. Mr Potter your schedule will be delivered to your room tonight and classes tomorrow. Familiarise yourself with the room assignments and do the required reading for each class and you will have no problems. Enjoy your lunch."
The Provost walked off and the students just looked at him. He squirmed. Finally Collins took pity on him. "Sit down Potter, we wont bite, much." The others sniggered and he flushed. "Time for some introductions I think. I'm Owen Collins, this is Misha Castle, Christie Morriline, Tia Vida, Dave Harvey, Sarah Lindum and Alex Drew." The others waved as they were introduced.
"I'm Harry Potter-"
"No way!" Misha, a small blond with a mild, almost indistinguishable accent, interrupted him eagerly. "The actual Harry Potter?"
"Who's Harry Potter again?" Tia, a 14 year old Chinese girl who spoke with only a slight accent. Harry didn't get a chance to answer before Alex commented,
"Wasn't Harry Potter the one who invented an the new Nimbus broom? I don't think he's old enough."
"No stupid! That was Derrick Parson. See this is why you flunked History last year. Harry Potter is the one who stopped that Dark Lord Voldemort in Britain about ten years ago and he was only a baby when he did it. No one knows how."
Owen leaned over the table and whispered to Harry. "Misha is majoring in History and was tutoring Alex last year but he failed anyway and she's taking it as a personal insult. You should have seen them at the end of last year it was hilarious." Harry had to agree. The sight of a pint sized fifth year telling off a seventh year boy was funny.
"So? Are you the Harry Potter?" Christie, a third year brunette, asked.
"Yeah I guess. But I didn't know anything about it until just this summer. I didn't even know who Voldemort was."
"Didn't your parents ever tell you anything?" At this Misha broke off her argument with Alex and slapped a hand over Christie's mouth.
"You idiot." She hissed. "Way to be sensitive."
"What?!"
"His parents died that night, Chris. They couldn't have told him anything. He's been living with muggles since then."
"Oh."
An awkward silence fell on the table
"Well…" Sara drawled in a distinctly American accent. "This is uncomfortable. So Harry what did the Provost say you were good at?"
"Why would the Provost know? He's just a firsty aint he?" Alex asked.
"Any new students that are not already specialising are sent to the Provost. She has the gift of Conlocatio and can tell what you might be good at just by looking at you."
"Probably why she never took to you, Alex." Dave kidded and had to dodge the bun Alex through at him.
"So what are you good at Harry?"
"Err… transfiguration, charms, defence and healing, mostly." He said.
"Cool." Owen nodded. "You're probably going to be in the same defence class as Dave this year."
Harry blinked in surprise at the dark haired fourth year. "Why…?"
"I have no talent for Defence at all so I never took it before but the school wants you to have a basic understanding of all the magic's even if you aren't going to specialise in them."
"And Dave will definitely not be specialising in Defence. He can't even get off the simplest of jinxes." Christie grinned at him, having gotten over the awkward faux pas.
"What can I say, I'm a lover not a fighter." He said with a look that was probably meant to be pious but ended up more lecherous. The girls just rolled their eyes at him.
After lunch Misha volunteered to take Harry to the registration office and the others split off the get their own things settled.
"I remember my first year here. I got accepted for my third year so I hadn't had a chance to specialise yet. I went to the Bavaria School of Magic before coming here. The Provost said that I had a gift for Transfiguration and Languages, which is really great for me because I want to be a Diplomat like my dad."
"A Diplomat?"
"Yeah, he's the liaison between the German Ministry and the Black Forrest Dwarves. It's how I know Alex so well. My dad got him an apprentice over the summer with the Dwarven enchanters."
"Do all of you specialise in different things?"
"Yep. That's what makes it fun you know. Owen's into politics, which isn't technically a class here so he takes law and ethics. Oxymoron I know, we love tease him about it. Tia does potions and alchemy, don't get her started on the difference between the two, she'll go on for hours and you won't understand. Christie, besides being insensitive, will be taking the warding courses when she finishes the prerequisites. Dave takes creatures and healing to be a magical vet, Alex is finishing his enchanting courses and Sara is on her second year of runes and arithmancy, cause she wants to do rituals."
"That must cover pretty much everything." Harry commented, trying to sort out everything in his head.
"Yeah between us, we have taken just about everything. That's why we have our own study group. We help each other out with the other courses we have to take. Come on lets get you registered then you can join us."
Misha reminisced about her first year while he recorded his magical signature and picked up his room assignment. All he had to do was cast a lumos into a crystal. He, also got other information about clubs and teams around the school. He wanted to see about joining a Quidditch team.
Misha gushed when he showed her his room assignment. "Harry that's great! The rest of us are in Marcus dorms too. In my humble opinion the best dorm in the school."
"Why? What are the dorms anyway? Are they like the Hogwarts houses?"
"I don't know about Hogwarts, but here the dorms are just where the rooms are located. There are six dorms and though out the year there's a Quidditch tournament between them all. Other than that there's not much competition, just pride you know. Marcus is the best because it's right next to the library. I think so anyway. Tia complains because the potions labs are on the other side of the school."
Misha showed him to his room and left him to get unpacked, saying she'd pick him up for dinner. "Just don't get lost before then." She teased.
Alone at last Harry dropped onto his bed to catch his breath before sitting up to examine his new room. It was slightly larger than the room at the Grangers with a large window looking out over the fields and forest. He had a four poster bed a desk, wardrobe, cupboards, bookshelf and night stand.
He unpacked his books first leaving his Family Grimore and his fathers book on animagi on the night stand. His school equipment went in the cupboard and his clothes in the wardrobe leaving Harry looking at some very bare walls. With nothing left to do before Misha came to pick him up for dinner he decided to explore.
The dorms were located around a central common room with stairs leading up for the rooms. The girls and boys being on alternate floors. Misha and Christie were on the floor above him and Tia and Sara were on the floor below with Owen and Alex on his floor and Dave up from Misha. Each floor had their own extravagant looking bathroom and a small study area though Misha warned him most didn't use them because of the noise.
He was exploring the common area when he ran into Misha and Sara coming to look for him for dinner.
"Hey Harry," Sara greeted him. "We were just coming to get you. Come on we don't want to be late for dinner, the headmaster always gives a speech."
Dinner was in the same room as lunch which Harry was beginning to think he might know the way too from now on. The girls led him to another table where Dave and Owen already sat. When Tia, Alex and Christie joined them as well they all went up for food. It was a buffet style with roasts and pasta and salads of all different sorts.
When most of the students had finished and the last of the deserts had vanished, a man at the head table stood and waited for silence.
"That's Headmaster Irongate," Christie whispered to him. Harry looked him over. The headmaster was a tall man with steel grey hair, a neatly trimmed beard and wire rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Despite the plain black robes he wore he drew the attention of everyone in the room.
"Welcome, new students, to the Academy of Magicks. To those returning to us, welcome back. I wish all of you a happy, safe and beneficial year. So mote it be."
"So mote it be." The students answered him and Harry felt a small tingle of magic at the words.
By this time Harry was feeling exhausted and he followed the others as they made their way to the dorm. Back in his rooms an owl was waiting outside his window with his schedule but he was too tired to look at it now. Changing into his pyjamas and clutching his Grimore was went to sleep.
Author Note:
Sorry still no Dumbledore scene. I am now really nervous about writing that scene as so many people have commented about it. Talk about performance anixety!
Also it's going to be longer between my chapters now. I don't have as much time to write and creating all these new characters is hard work.
Thank you for all the wonderful ideas from your reviews they always inspire me to write and I may even use some of them.