we will cover Hermione's first week at Hogwarts in the following chapters. Ive set out a timetable, this doesn't really match to canon but to me makes much more sense. thanks for reading :)
Chapter 7
The following morning I'm up and in the great hall long before most of the other students. I slept really well, I did have a few dreams, but they were more flashes. A massive chess set. A red stone. A troll. I have no idea how these things are going to come into my future or when but I'm sure I'll be ready.
I'm just finishing my porridge, and looking to grab an apple when Lavender and Parvati join me at the table. They are both still half asleep, they sit down opposite and both reach for the pumpkin juice. I tried that last night, but it was far too sweet for me. I'm just trying to think of something to say to them when Professor Mcgonagall comes up to us. "I have your schedules for the year here girls" she hands us all a very neat time table and also a brief map of the school. The only rooms labelled are the classrooms we are going to be in this year, the library and the head of house office. "Any questions, or worries, please do come and find me" and with that she walks off to hand out the rest of the schedules to the other students.
I study the time table, the first lesson we have is Herbology with Slytherin, in the greenhouses, just outside the main doors and to the side of the castle. This will last for an hour from 9 - 10. The next class is History of Magic with Hufflepuff this time, and that's from 10:30 - 11:30. Then we have an hours break and then lunch. Immediately after lunch it's our first Double Defence Against The Dark Arts class, this has all four houses in attendance. The last class of today is Charms with Ravenclaw. That concludes our first day. Tomorrow we start out with Flying Class at 9 immediately followed by Herbology. We don't have another class until after lunch which is double potions with Slytherin again. Evening meal after potions then we have double Astonomy, I guess this could be weather dependent. Wednesday is a late start, the first lesson isn't until 10:30 to account for the late night studying the stars, and it is our first Transfiguration class with all houses. This is followed by another Herbology lesson with the Slytherins. After lunch is Charms then History of Magic. Thursday and we start the day at 9 with History of Magic followed by another double Potions class. Then there's lunch and an hour break until a double flying class. Dinner follows this then we have double Astonomy. On Fridays we start with double Transfiguration at 10:30 then Defence at 14:00 followed by Charms. So it's 4 classes a day (double lessons count as one class), for a total of 5 or 6 hours a day in actual lessons.
The time table doesn't seem too hectic. Lots of time in between lessons for homework and revision, it's never too early to start revising. I get up from the bench and make my way towards the greenhouses. This lesson is taught by a squat, rather rotund witch called Professor Sprout who is also the Head of Hufflepuff. It turns out to be a rather mundane lesson about safety whilst handling certain plants and an overview of the year ahead. Very important but rather boring. Next onto History of Magic. This lesson was taught by a ghost. Professor Binns. He seems as old as the history he teaches. He floats into the room through the black board and starts to talk about the Gargoyle Strike of 1911. He talks in a monotonous voice for the whole hour, it's all rather interesting and I take a lot of notes in this class.
During lunch I made sure to check in with Neville and see how he was finding his first day. He loved Herbology and couldn't wait for the proper lessons to start. He was terrified of the next class, but I promised that he'd be fine and we'd sit together. I was really looking forward to our next lesson Defence Against The Dark Arts. It sounded absolutely fascinating. As 14:00 approaches and we are making our way down to the required classroom Neville explains a little about his Gran, and how she has raised him since he was a baby, and that he hopes he can make her proud. "I'm sure you will Neville, you are a Gryffindor after all". This seems to be the right thing to say as he smiles at me and walks into the defence classroom without hesitation.
Professor Quirrel, the professor that I observed at the sorting with the turban, is a strange man. He is of average height, pale and seems very nervous and stutters over almost every word. The classroom has an odd smell about it, sort of a mix between garlic and stale sweat. We cover the first two chapters of the book, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection. Just as we are packing up our books Professor Quirrel sets us the first lot of homework we've been given, to summarise chapters one and two, to be no longer that 3 feet, to be handed in by the next lesson.
I walk with Neville to our final lesson of the day, Charms. We enter the classroom and pick some seats. I take a look around the classroom. There are all sorts of things in here, feathers sit on cushions in the corner, there are masses of books on shelves and a rather precarious pile on the desk at the front of the class. It takes me a while to realise the Professor is standing on these books so that he can see the students, it's the Professor that I nearly missed at the welcome feast. His white hair and beard are sticking up at all angles, like he's had a difficult day already. He taps his wand to get our attention and then introduces himself. "Good afternoon first years, I am Professor Flitwick and I will be teaching you Charms for the remainder of your time here at Hogwarts. You will have noticed, by studying your timetables, that you have Charms 3 times a week. The classes will always follow the same outline. The first lesson we will discuss the theory of the charm we are covering, the second lesson you will try the spell, those who are unsuccessful in that class will have the 3rd class to master it. Those that do master the charm in the second class will spend the third class reviewing what has been learnt and of course practicing the charm. After all practice makes the charms easier. I don't expect many of you will manage the charms on the first attempt, and that is completely normal, but by the end of the third class I expect everyone of you to be able to cast the charm, if called upon, first go. If you can't then that will be your homework assignment and you will be asked to perform the charm at the start of the next lesson. Any questions so far?" He casts his eyes around the room. No one moves. He may be small but he means business. The class continues as he said, we discuss the theory behind the wand lighting charm and counter charm, the wand movement which is a loop da loop like motion for lighting and a crest of a wave motion to put the light out, and the pronunciation of the charms lumos and nox. Before I know it the class has ended, that's been the best class so far today.
I head back towards the Gryffindor Common Room, so I can dispose of my bag. I give the fat lady the password and head up to the girls dormitory where I drop my bag and fall face first onto my bed. What. A. Day. So much to process, and it's only going to get busier. The only class I'm not really looking forward to is flying. I've never been very good at sports, so why would being a witch make that any different? As I'm lying there mulling over the day my eyes drift closed and I fall into a light sleep