1991 September 3

The next day the first year Slytherins had Transfiguration with the Gryffindors, Defense with Ravenclaw, Lunch and finally double Charms with Hufflepuff. Most of the Gryffindors had learnt from yesterday and left breakfast when Harry did, following him all the way to the Transfiguration classroom and once again arriving early. This time it was Weasley and Longbottom who were missing though everyone knew Longbottom would have gone with the rest if Weasley hadn't dragged him back to the dorm.

When Professor McGonagall arrived she seemed slightly shocked at her whole class being earlier than her but quickly composed herself enough to note who was missing and ushered the class inside before setting up her own shocker for the latecomers. Weasley and Longbottom arrived to find the whole class sitting silently without any visible supervisor other than a cat on the desk. "Ha!" Weasley cried. "I told you there was no point in leaving with everyone else, they've probably been sitting here for ages."

Harry saw that the other boy was too afraid to stand up for himself, a surprising thing for a Gryffindor and stood up. "Listen Weasley, it's not Longbottom or Finnegan's fault you've been late for the two lessons we've shared." The whole class including the cat stared at him. "It's your own stupid fault, you keep telling yourself you're going to be fine and forcing our beliefs on others. If Longbottom hadn't done what you told him to and had instead left with the rest of us he would've been on time and I bet you held Finnegan at breakfast longer than necessary yesterday as well, he probably tried to leave before even I left because he knew he didn't have his book, right?" Looking to Finnegan the boy nodded. "So do the rest of us a favour Weasley and stop dragging others down with you."

Throughout his rant both the cat and Weasley had been quiet but as Weasley took out his wand to hex Harry the cat leapt from the desk and morphed into the professor. "Mr. Weasley, detention and twenty points from Gryffindor for tardiness. Mr. Potter, you will do me an essay on the basic function of transfiguration before your next class with me and I am taking twenty points from Slytherin for speaking out of turn. Do you both understand?" The boys mumbled affirmation and went to their seats. "Also Mr. Potter, " continued the strict professor "fifty points for defending a fellow student."

The rest of the lesson was spent taking some notes from the board and practicing turning a matchstick into a needle. Harry instructed his fellow Slytherin's on the proper technique until one of them challenged his ability to do it at all. He quickly performed the spell creating a perfect needle only seconds after Hermione who had been watching him from the other side of the class achieved the same result. McGonagall awarded them both ten points and sent them out early with an extra assignment to so the other students might learn something on their own. Until the end of the lesson Harry and Hermione sat outside waiting for their friends.

"You know I never did thank you being so friendly to me in the boat," Hermione started to say "or for warning me not to open my big mouth. I think it has really helped. Most of the time back home nobody is my friend because of my know-it-all attitude. Your warning has really helped me make more friends here. You're also a really good teacher, it seemed like you didn't even look at the board yet you managed to explain the spell wonderfully and do it perfectly first try."

"So did you." Harry said modestly.

"No Harry, I was practicing all last night. I never got it until I had listened to your explanation. It's like you've done all this before."

"Hermione, " Harry started off nervously "Can you keep a secret? A really big important secret?" The Gryffindor nodded, curious. "It isn't the first time I've done all this. And by all this I mean everything, this is my second life. Reincarnation." A tumbling was heard from a corridor a little way from them. Harry looked in its direction suspiciously then dropped down to a whisper. "I've lived through the whole of Hogwarts before."

Hermione gasped, "So that's how you know your way around so easily. What was it like? Do you miss your old friends? Are some of them still alive? How did you do on your OWLs and NEWTs?" Harry laughed.

"Calm down 'Mione. That is the reason I know my way around. It was mostly exactly the same as now just with different teachers. I do miss my friends and I don't yet know if they are alive, I'm going to try find them during my time here. And don't you think that's an incredibly personal question considering I'm redoing them in a few years?"

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" Hermione tried to apologize.

"Don't worry about it. Really it's fine just as along as you don't try to weasel it out of me." Harry reassured her.

"I promise I won't." The class finished and their friends got out. Hermione went off to her next class surrounded by the Gryffindors who were all hounding her for help with the spell and their homework and the Slytherins followed Harry to the Defense classroom. Draco was looking at him with suspicion until they reached the class though no one else seemed to notice.

Once inside and at their seats Draco started the inquisition. "So what did you talk with Granger about? How did she do the spell so well? Are we going to have to start hanging out with her now? Because I can tell you my father won't be impressed."

Harry chuckled at him. "There's no way we're going to start hanging around with her, but I did tell her what I told you so she will be useful helping me find my friend." The look of shock on Draco's face caused Harry to rethink his words. "Okay, maybe I didn't tell her everything I told you, she doesn't know the details, only the basics. She seems to really love research and that is good quality, also she is probably going to be right beneath us in marks throughout Hogwarts so she will be a very good person to have as an ally."

It was then that the Ravenclaws arrived from their last class and the moment they were all through the door it slammed shut. The students hurried to take their seats and get their books ready, not wanting to miss any part of the lesson.
"T-today," stuttered out their professor "W-we w-will be l-learning a-about h-how to c-cast the d-d-disarming sp-spell.
T-the incantation is ex-expelliarmus. M-mr. P-potter, if you would p-please come up t-to the f-front. H-hold your
w-wand out p-please." Harry walked to the front and held his wand out. "Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand went flying out of his hand and Quirrell caught it. "T-that is t-the r-reaction y-you are aiming for." Throwing Harry's wand back he told Harry to attempt it on him. Harry did it on his first try, earning ten points and causing the whole class to cheer.

The class then split into pairs to try the spell and by the end almost everyone had achieved the ideal result.