Chapter 1: Monday – September 2nd
That Morning:
Waking that morning, Harry rolled out of bed and smacked into the wall. A groan escapes. "Ow" He had forgotten he wasn't at Hogwarts for a moment and these beds were utterly different from the four-poster beds in the Griffindor Common Room Bedrooms. Turning over pushes up on the right side this time while rubbing his nose from where it had banged into the wall. 'What a way to start the morning.'
Getting dressed, the teen then glances at the clock. Panic ensues, he was really late for orientation, why hadn't anyone come to wake him up? Running out of the door and down the hallway, the green-eyed wizard makes for the gym as fast as he can, especially when the young wizard has no clue where he's going, but unfortunately when Harry finally gets there it's clear it's too late. Orientation has finished, laughing and talking strangers push their way past him, already talking amongst themselves about what classes they should attend.
Hopefully, there was a handout the black haired teen could grab to read up on what he had missed.
"Ah, there you are, my little cuckoo." Turning towards the voice, Harry sees an older witch standing by the stage. Ginger hair under a floppy hat with a flower and bell attached. Green eyes spark mischievously as she smiles gently. Ah, this must be the headmistress – Professor Potsdam. "Welcome to Iris Academy, Harry Potter. I hope you find everything that you are looking for – including yourself. Please send my regards to your dear Headmaster."
Feeling awkward, the younger wizard nodded. "Right."
Then a scolding tone appeared in her voice. "Now, we are off to a bit of a late start, aren't we?" Pressing her hands together, the Professor looked expectantly at Harry.
"Sorry about that. I'm… It's all new to me." His voice was sheepish.
A smile broke out upon the Headmistresses face. "Well, no harm done this time." A gentle hand patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure Mr Danson can fill you in on anything you've missed. This orientation is largely to introduce new students to the six halls of Iris Academy and the overall theory of pentachromatic magic."
"Now, you had better hurry and plan your schedule for the week, before all of the seats are taken. Different sections run at different times, but you are only allowed to attend one class session per day. That way, you will have time to review and reflect on all that you have learned. There is no sense in rushing and even less sense in wasting your time. Think about what you wish to accomplish. You can have a great many things if you put your mind to it – but not all at once."
Carefully Harry thought over what the Headmistress was saying. 'Think about what I wish to accomplish? A way to finish the war is what I wish to accomplish, keep my friends safe and find a way to end it all quickly.' Her voice drew him back out of his thoughts.
"Go on, then. Open up your diary and begin pencilling in your schedule." With that, Professor Potsdam was gone.
Reaching into the pocket of the robe he was wearing, drew out a traditional book, it was a basic dark leather covering. This was to be the wizard's school diary for the next year. Flipping it open, looked at the list of activities that thankfully came with it, that the school provided, to pencil in his schedule for the week.
Week 1: September 2-6 Schedule
Monday 2 Red Magic Class
Tuesday 3 Blue Magic Class
Wednesday 4 Green Magic Class
Thursday 5 Black Magic Class
Friday 6 White Magic Class
Finally finished Harry shuts the book. Dashing back to his room, grabs two books, one which will be his main Spellbook and the other for note-taking. A pen is already clipped onto each one, so no having to look for one. Checking that his wand is still hidden and safe in its holster. Heading for the door stops turns moves to the window and open's it wide. "See you soon, Hedwig. " Finally all set, the black-haired wizard takes off for his first class.
Entering the room, there is a definite buzz of excitement. Looking around, Harry quickly finds a seat and settles down into it. Just as he does, Professor Grabiner makes his entrance into the classroom.
"Get to your seats. Hurry up. No chatter." The professor waited a moment for the students to scramble to empty seats. "In this class, carelessness might cost you your fingers." His voice was stern and had a no-nonsense tone that everyone took notice of.
"Here, you will be learning the seductive art of Red Magic; the evocation and control of energy. With this power, you might summon a breeze, light a fire, or call a distant object to hand."" That was very familiar Professor Snape had said something similar in his first-ever class to the first years as well. "I say it is seductive, not because of the power itself, but because simple minds prefer simple solutions."
Then it was like a fire had been lit, Grabiner was suddenly gesturing harshly with one hand as his other voice rose, capturing everyone's attention. "Blast your enemies with lightning! Tear buildings apart with earthquakes! Let the world around you burn!" Then the sombre tone was back as the man glared at everyone. "Fall victim to such vulgar fantasies and you leave yourself to those capable of creative thought." He snapped his fingers in the air. "One inattentive moment, and you lose control of the forces you have summoned."
"After that." A nasty smile appeared on the older wizards face. "You will only be remembered as an unpleasant stain on the walls."
Then he was serious again. "Remember – power can, in itself, be a weakness. Do not confuse power and control. With focus and control, the tiniest power can change the course of history. A gentle touch might tip the scales, warn an ally, pick a lock - "
"Or stop a heart?" Interrupted a blond-haired boy.
The Professor pauses, scowling at being interrupted. "No, Mr Lenshe. Red magic will not allow you to apply force inside an object, or a creature. For that, you will need different magic.
Harry glanced over at Taranis Lenshe. So that's who the Lehshe was, at least now he knew who to avoid.
"Well… What do I need, then?" Clearly, the Lenshe boy was irritatingly persistent if the silent sigh the professor gave was any indication.
"Nothing that you will learn here." Grabiner snapped back. "And if you interrupt me again, you will be spending this weekend in detention, wondering." The professor's glare seems to have melted any desire to comment from the blond for now.
A few seconds of silence echo's around the room as the professor cleared his throat, a stern expression on his face. "Now for your first spell today."
"Your first attempts at raising force will do little more than move the air around you." Groans and complaints echo out from some students. Clearly, some are not happy to be learning baby stuff. The green-eyed wizard keeps quiet, glad to be learning a new spell, considering its the first day he didn't expect to be allowed this opportunity so soon. Even at Hogwarts, it took a few lessons before they also used their wands. "You find this disappointing, don't you? What use, you think, is moving air? How can that destroy your enemies?" A smirk appears on Grabiner's face. "Pfah. Simple Minds."
"A strong wind could disperse poisonous gases, or move them to a new target. Carry your scent away from an enemy, or erase your tracks in the dust. A simple breeze, carrying dust, can reveal hidden shapes and exits as it moves." It was an interesting explanation and quite in-depth with what you could do with the spell. Harry's fingers touched his wand, did they need the channeling wood to cast these spells?
Grabiner scowled at the class. "If you cannot master its use, you have no business tampering with greater powers. Now. Concentrate, and make the air move around you." The teen blinked looking around, wand-less magic? True wand-less magic? All around him faint breezes could be felt around the students picking up. Surprised and a tiny bit excited, let his fingers drop from the wand hidden in the holster up his left sleeve. Closing his bright green-eyes then focused.
'Move the air around me'. Nothing at first.
'Feel the air. I breathe it in.'
'Focus.'
'The air is a key, a friend to help. Show me the way out.' A faint warmth that was recognizable from his own magic made a smile appear, but what made those eyes of the teen open in shock was the gentle breeze in the direction of the door that began to blow around Harry's body.
Red Class - Learned Breeze
That Afternoon:
Surprisingly, the lesson took the whole morning. It seemed that when learning the magic, you focused so deeply that time had just slipped away. It was why there were no extra morning or afternoon classes as sometimes the focus for learning the spells could take all day. Students around Harry chatted in interest from the lesson as everyone filed out of the school. Slipping between various people, the young wizard stopped near a water fountain, dipped his hands in the water and lifted up cupped palms to drink deeply from the magically cold waters. A sigh escaped, he would have to make sure to take some sort of vessel for water in the future if all lessons were going to be four hours long or more and even though the material was interesting, having something to drink would help more to keep his concentration up.
Afterwards, the teen stepped out into the bright midday sun to take a stroll around the main quad, to relax and let his mind go over the material they had learned. Various flowers, both ones he knew and ones that clearly were magical in nature littered the flower beds. Blooming with thousands of color's the green-eyed wizard had never even begun to imagine. It was pretty spectacular, each edged into a square formation alongside the pathways with little hedges stopping any overgrowth.
Along the sides there where wooden benches, many students rested upon them. Reading texts, looking over notes, dozing in the sun or taking quietly amongst each other. People were strolling along gazing at the beautiful plant-life, jogging to exercise, or lying on the grass next to the academy walls.
This was such a relaxed atmosphere, nothing like Hogwarts, which always had some sort of drama happening. Spells flying in the halls, hormones running wild in dark corners, fights breaking out amongst different houses, or even just in a quiet time, loud voices laughing, speaking over one another, there was really no peace to be had. This was such a contrast that Harry found himself liking it, the calmness was soothing.
Walking along, he spotted an older girl in Horse Hall robes crouching beside the little hedges, her head bent down towards the plants. Her voice was a vague mutter as she spoke towards the plants. Clearly, it wasn't impossible if wandless magic was so prevalent here. Maybe being able to indeed talk to the plants wasn't such an inconceivable notion either, after all, magic did have rules, but this was a different world compared to the one Harry knew.
Paths lead away from the main quad into more secluded areas. Walking slowly along he saw wooden benches sat along the side of the trail, shaded by the trees. The grass is everywhere here, left to grow a little wild, easily a place you can come to sit and think away from the rest of the school.
Walking along, something brushes past his face, not close enough to hit, but just close enough. Jerking to a stop the teen looks down and sees a... shoe on the ground? Bending down and picking it up, then looked around. Finally, the black-haired wizard peered upwards confused. A girl was sitting upon a tree branch high above his head, black stocking-clad legs wrapped tightly around a branch, one foot missing its shoe. Clad in a purple robe, with brown hair and dark eyes.
"Hello there." Harry decided to be friendly and speak up, in case the girl hadn't noticed her footwear had fallen off.
She didn't reply, fingers tightening on the branch as she stared back down with pinched lips.
'Didn't she hear me?' Deciding a different approach, waved up at the witch while lifting and showing her the missing shoe in his left hand.
A small smile appeared, but still, the dark-haired girl would not speak or budge from her perch. Then she nodded. Though that could have been the wind too, it was blowing a bit right now, causing the branch to sway a bit.
"Is everything okay up there?" Again Harry tried to question her, but only got a bewildered raised eyebrow in return. Clearly, this wasn't working, or he wasn't understanding, one of the two. "Do you want your shoe back? You have to give me a sign, or I'll leave it here and go. Do you want me to give you your shoe?" And now he had a deadpan stare being centred on him like she thought he was an idiot, Harry was feeling it too like he was talking to a wall.
The girl stares for a long moment biting her lip, before finally nodding vigorously, twice, and holding out her hand in a clear message.
Well, he didn't want to throw the thing at her, the young wizard might be good at catching, but pitching had never been one of his strongest points. Knowing the potter luck, it would end up smacking the witch in the face. Looking up and down the tree, nodded decisively, he could climb it. "I'll be right up."
She looked a bit taken aback. Sitting up a little more eyes slightly wide.
Wrapping his legs around the trunk, Harry slowly climbs up to where the girl is sitting, holding onto the trunk reaches out to hand her the missing shoe. After all, he didn't want to climb on the branch just in case both their weights ended up being too much for it, and the bark snapped. For a moment, she just stares, before scooting closer and snagging the footwear from his grip.
Climbing back down, he then looks back up, but still, she isn't talking or even making any motions to put the shoe back on, she's just staring. Giving her a smile turns and walks away with a wave. "See you around sometime."
Then as the young wizard leaves, he hears a quiet voice from behind.
"Thanks."
That Evening:
Reaching his room, Harry stepped inside.
It had been nice to spend the evening relaxing and going over the notes he had taken in Red Class. Learning about energy and what you could do with it was a fascinating subject, similar to spells his own Wizard kin used, but very different. A magickal core was still needed, life force was also a big part of the whole casting process, but that's where the similarity's ended.
It was genuinely using your own innate ability to call the magic that separated the spells. Wands allowed everyone to cast everything, but here, it was your own aptitude that set the groundwork. If you couldn't cast something, then no amount of practice would help, everyone had an affinity towards specific magicks and the 5 color system allowed the teachers to shuffle student's into the best magic they had an affinity for. Its why you were told to try out all five colors of magic in the first week.
Usually, Harry didn't pick up on stuff like this straight away, but as he observed the class after successfully casting his first spell, the wizard noticed something. Some student's cast with ease, others struggled but eventually caught on to what they had to do, but a few, just did not seem compatible with the magic type, it wouldn't catch for them and left them frustrated.
As he left with the class, Harry noticed that those who didn't cast at all were kept behind by Professor Grabiner. Clearly, the man was either going to give them practice tips, or they would not be showing up at the next class. He would see at the upcoming Red Class next week.
A chirrup caught the green-eyed wizard's attention. Looking towards the window, smiled in relief. There sitting on a wooden perch, which clearly had been transfigured from something else, was Hedwig. The snowy owl was ruffling her feathers, bobbing her head up and down in a joyful dance. Before circling around and starting all over again. Clearly, the owl was extremely happy to see her master.
Walking over, sat next to his small friend on the bed and reached up to stroke down her head slowly, she nibbled back gently, before fluttering to his shoulder and reached up to sort out the messy strands.
"I'm glad you're here, Hedwig. If nothing else had come with me, you would be the one friend I would miss the most, my closest family."
Reaching up with a hand, she then stepped onto the wrist so, so carefully, allowing Harry to move and lie back on his bed. Then the wizard lowered his arm down and let the owl sit on his stomach, though she soon moved.
"If you need to go out, or hunt, the window has been warded for your use. I asked for it to be put in place, so you can come and go as you please. Just fly towards the window, and it will open for you." Another chirrup was his answer as the snowy hopped off his stomach and moved up onto his pillow. Reaching up and stroking her head once more, took off his glasses, turned on his side and closed his eyes. "Missed you...Hedwig."
End of Day