Chapter XII: School bell rings, walk me home, PLEASE
Excitement fluttered around in her stomach like thousands of little butterflies as she entered the classroom for the very first time. Pleasant scents of wood drifted through the air while sunlight shone through the bright windows. The teacher of their first class, Charms, was standing on a podium to look at all of them with his tiny height.
"Welcome! Have a seat, have a seat." Said Professor Flitwick as he gestured to empty tables all around the room. Hailey dragged her along to the table near the very front, where Sofija and Amy were just settling. The four girls flashed grins at each other before sitting down. Once everybody had been seated, he smiled kindly before begging to speak.
"Greetings to all the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs that have enrolled this year! So nice to see that so many bright young witches and wizards have been admitted to both houses. As most of you would know by now, I am Filius Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw, half of this present class. Please do not hesitate to ask me when requiring magical assistance, for I will be more than happy to help each and every one of you." He took a slight bow, and the students clapped along politely. He straightened up with a smile still etched on his face.
"Now for attendants. 35 Ravenclaws this year, and 37 Hufflepuffs? Jolly good, absolutely great. Alright now, for attendance. Hailey Abner?"
"Here, Professor!" She replied brightly.
Some Hufflepuff students' names came up. They responded, and the professor continues to call out names.
"William Backford?"
"Present, Professor Flitwick." William's voice came from somewhere in the back.
"Annabeth Chase?"
"Yes, Professor." She replied, smiling, and the professor smiled back as he continued to read down the list. Occasionally, names of her friends came up-
"Sofija Popovic?"
"Right here, professor."
-Until at last, after what seemed like hours, the professor set the parchment down and lifted his wand.
"Well, I would like to think we have done introductions, and I would think as Ravenclaws, all of you are more than excited to learn your very first proper magic! For today's lesson, we will start with a very basic and fundamental spell: The levitation charm. Repeat after me, please. Wingardium Leviosa."
Wingardium Leviosa, the class chanted back. Annabeth joined them as she tended her strangely beating heart. The spell they were learning-It was a levitation spell; one she had managed perfectly last night. Not a new spell at all.
So why was her heart beating so hard? Why did this spell seem so exciting all of a sudden? She couldn't tell. All she knew for sure was that she was going nuts. That was it. Professor Flitwick was now waving his own wand in a swirl. The class echoed it and so did she.
"Excellent!" exclaimed the professor brightly. "Just the kind of enthusiasm I expected from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students. Now, I'll give you a demonstration of this charm. Watch in close, everyone!"
From below the podium, he took out a feather and held it up in his palms for all to see. Eyes were all glued to the fluttering feather in his grasp. Professor Flitwick took a slight look around the room to make sure everybody was watching. Once he was sure that they were, he smiled and flicked his wand in a curvy V shape as he said, "Wingardium Leviosa!". The white feather floated up into the air, following the direction where the tip of the professor's wand was pointing. Everyone watched with immense interest, and many people's hand twitched towards their wand.
Annabeth was among them. It was such a simple spell, and she was sure that everyone here had seen it in the books, or it being done by their parents. And it wasn't a fancy, complex spell, but just a simple charm to make things float.
But maybe it was the way the professor flicked his wand. Or the sunlight pouring through the windows and creating a natural spotlight for the levitating feather. Perhaps it was the fact that Hailey's eyes seemed like they would pop from her sockets. Whatever it was, the professor had them all hushed and mesmerized by a simple spell.
They were all like her, she realized. If this was anything like Gryffindor (She remembered the looks the two boys had given. Nope, never.) or Slytherin, this kind of sight wouldn't have been possible. Ravenclaws, full of thirst for knowledge, had just been opened to a new world like her. Even those who had seen magic were hushed as the feeling that they were learning magic washed over them. Hufflepuffs, the kind souls they were, were paying close attention to him as well.
The only sound in the silenced classroom was a hearty laugh coming from Professor Flitwick.
"Oh, I do love first lessons. I myself have taught generations of students, but when Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students get together, it sure is a sight for this old teacher to see. Young students excited to learn and paying attention! It warms my heart."
The words seemed to break the students from their trance. Some even shook their heads. "Now," said the professor, "to perform your first official spell. Please, copy the movements I have shown, and don't forget the words! Wingardium Leviosa must be said properly, with confidence, to work its best." He flicked his wand, and giant white feathers appeared in front of everyone. Annabeth stared at it carefully as she drew her wand.
"Oh, this is so exciting. First magical act at school!" said Hailey brightly, holding up her wand and pointing its tip at the feather. Shouts of "Wingardium Leviosa!" Came from all corners of the classroom.
She took a deep breath. 'Channel it, channel it….' She thought over and over to herself. Magical disasters taught her to focus when using magic, or it would go way too extreme. Wingardium Leviosa on the train…. Never in a million years did she think that a parchment could burst through a metal ceiling. She did not one that to happen in a classroom. She held the wand and felt the power flowing through her. To collect it at the tip of her wand, and to let it out little by little like a faucet.
"Wingardium Leviosa." Annabeth said clearly, waving her wand. At that, a bright gray light exploded at the tip of the gray stick and wrapped around the feather. It easily soared into the air. She watched as the feather rose above all the wobbly feathers of her fellow students. Eyes turned in either her or her feather direction as she lowered the feather slightly, while it still floated in the air. The professor, who was doing a sweep around the classroom, lit up seeing her.
"Oh, bravo, Miss Chase! Look here, Miss Chase has done it perfectly, everyone!" The professor announced to the class. At once, looks of congratulations (from her friends), awe (Hufflepuffs), envy, and anger all landed on her. She ignored the last two like she'd always done, and smiled at her professor, and mouthed a thanks to her friends.
"And Mister Lee has done it too!" said professor, gesturing to the Asian boy-She believed he was from Korea?- sitting next to William. His feather too was levitating in the air. Stares all moved on to him, and Annabeth relaxed in seat. When she did, Sofija grinned and gave her a thumbs up as Hailey punched her playfully on her shoulder.
Annabeth smiled back. It was nice to be at school, with friends. Percy would never agree, but since she had never been to one before, she loved the short time she had at college. Studying with fellows that were just as interested in Architecture as she was, sharing ideas, showing off their personal creations…. She loved the experience. And she didn't think this was bad either. It would be fun to learn alongside these kids about magic. First class, she already couldn't wait for the next one.
Which reminded her…. Percy. He too would be in his first class about now. She really hoped he wasn't doing something stupid-
BOOM!
A giant explosion shook the castle. Around her, the kids who in truth were only 11 or so, all yelped and backed away. Some clutched hands with their friends tightly. One boy even set the feather on fire.
Annabeth was the first person to recover form the shock. She dashed to the window and pressed herself against it. Then it was Amy, then Professor Flitwick, ad then the rest of the class. "That is…. Good heavens, poor Minerva….." whispered the professor, and he rushed to the doors. "Class is dismissed early, every- oh dear, what now!" he exclaimed as water started to pile up from the open doors. He waved his wand, removed the water flowing in, and ran out into the halls.
Water.
A very bad feeling crept up from the bottom of her stomach. Her face hardened into such an intense scowl that her friends were worried about her. "Annabeth? Are you feeling alright?" asked William, concerned. Junah Lee, the Korean boy from earlier, asked her nicely as well. "D'you need help getting to the hospital wing? I can take you there if you want."
"No, no. Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine." She said, not believing in it in the slightest bit. She glanced out of the open doors the professor had gone through, then to the still smoking classroom seen far away through the window.
First class. First freaking class and interrupted by an explosion. This sounded too much like a typical demigod mayhem Percy always got himself into. Where had the excitement of the first class gone? She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, putting her hands together.
"What are you doing?" asked Sofija curiously.
"Praying." Was her reply.
'Please, gods above. Please, mother. Please, Hecate….' She prayed with all her might.
'Please, please don't let this be him. Don't let this be about Percy….'
ㅡ
James never shut his mouth. "…. And there, I swooped down the goalposts, passed around dear old dad, and shot the quaffle in the goalposts right between mum's open arms! You should have seen dad's expressions when I did." He scrunched up his nose in a surprised way, and Sirius roared with laughter.
Meanwhile, Percy had no idea why he was with them. Remus didn't seem to have a clue either. He was just politely agreeing with the two, as if he weren't entirely sure why they were being so friendly to him. Not like he had someone in particular to hang out with, so he just went along.
After what seemed like miles of walking, the group finally reached the large doors of their first period classroom. Opening it, he found a tabby cat seated on the teacher's desk with no professors in sight. Gryffindors, one by one, began to enter the classroom. When they did, Sirius scowled, while a cold smile spread across James's lips.
A gathering of green and silver students, Slytherins, were already seated, looking at the Gryffindors with distaste. The Gryffindor group visibly stiffened as well. The only people who weren't affected was him and Lily. They waved over to Severus, and he cocked his head slightly in return. The friends around him looked at him as if he were nuts, then pulled him along with Remus in a seat next to theirs, far away from the Slytherin lot.
At last, when a very late group rushed in straightening their robes, the doors shut with a gust. Only whispers echoed throughout the classroom, when suddenly the cat jumped off and took the form of a human- Professor McGonagall. The class sat up a little straighter. Sirius stopped leaning in his chair while Remus straightened his books. The Slytherins, however, merely looked bored, like they expected it.
The stern looking woman's hair was still up in a tight bun. She waved her wand, and a parchment flew up in front of her. She moved her glance around the whole room before opening her mouth.
"Welcome, Gryffindor and Slytherin students. I, as you would know if you had been paying attention, am Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house and your teacher for Transfiguration for the next seven years of your studies." She met eyes with students around the room as she continued.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone, and I mean anyone, messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She stared down at the students for quite some time before turning to the parchment in front of her. Instead of calling attendance, she simply compared the list with her eyes before flicking her wand and setting it back down.
"For today's lesson, we will start with the most basic elements of transfiguration. Transfiguration is a branch of magic that focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, via the alteration of the object's molecular structure. For demonstration…." She gracefully moved her wand, turned her desk into a pig, and back again.
Students all around her looked at it in admiration. Professor McGonagall turned back and faced them once more. "Transfiguration can be done to most (if not all) objects and, as with most forms of magic, it includes -but is hardly limited to-Transfiguration spells. You should all take your quills out and write this down, for end term tests will be held." She said suddenly, and unlike Slytherins and Lily who already were writing it down, he and other Gryffindors struggled to find a parchment.
Test. What a horrible word. He had barely passed DSTOMP, and now this. Percy resisted the urge to rip the parchment and scribbled some keywords of the speech onto it. Transfiguration, spells, really hard. The only words he remembered. He could see a bit of Lily's parchment one seat ahead and one seat to the left, and he was surprised at how neatly it was organized.
The professor waited no longer for them to copy it down. "By wizards and witches, Transfiguration is considered the most complex of subjects, for it needs accurate and precise casting even more than others. If cast wrong, it could, and it would, go disastrously wrong. If you open your copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration to page 7, you will see-" She continued to speak on about the basic elements of Transfiguration, its basis and limitations and more, until she finally said to put their quills aside. By then, James seemed to be dying out of boredom next to him, and he honestly felt the same.
"Now, get your wands out. Transfiguration is a subject in need of much practicing. Of course, you will not be able to perform complex spells on your first day. You will only start with these," she waved her wand and matches appeared on each of their desks. "matches, and turn them into needles. The spell you require is listed on page 11 of your textbook. Please do not say anything that is unrelated to the subject. You may now begin."
At that, all the students started rustling around and swishing sounds of pages could be heard around the room. He was just about to start on his own match when a tap came on his shoulder. It was, of course, James. He whispered in his ears. "Hey, Perce (Perce? He thought) ! Me and Sirius here are going to have a little 'fun'. Care to join in?"
Percy whispered back. "What? In Professor McGonagall's class? Are you nuts?! She looks like she'd be scarier than Mrs. Do-Alecto when she's angry!"
James seemed to be confused. "Who's Alecto?"
Ah. "An old teacher. But seriously, dude, are you sure you don't need help?"
He shrugged. "Suit yourself! Just make sure to take cover, okay?"
That definitely didn't sound good. "What do you mean by tak-"
"Oy, Sirius! Ready?" He whispered to Sirius, and the boy grinned back. They both lifted their wands, and Percy knew disasters when he saw one. He pulled Lupin away from the direction the duo's wand tips were pointing as they shouted,
"Bombarda!"
"Nox!"
And a sound of an explosion could be heard. Students screamed and yelled as they ran for cover in the darkness. In the midst of the chaos, the professor's enraged voice rang out loud and clear. And her roar, boy, Percy sure was glad he didn't participate in their shenanigans.
"MR. POTTER, MR. Black!" the yell echoed through the room.
Percy sighed. He could still feel Remus's frail arms grasped in one hand, and his wand in the other. He remembered how to cast the lighting spell-that was all he'd practiced last night, to learn to control his powers-and lifted his arms up to perform it.
"Lumo-" He was about to say, turning his wand in an omega shape, when a voice he recognized as Sirius's was heard.
"Bombarda!"
'No,' was the only thing he could think before an explosion came his way, and all Hades broke loose. The room was encased in a bright flash like the one he saw on the train, before an earthquake like explosion shook everything around him.
"Oh, schist." He said, before everything faded away.
ㅡ
When class was over, Annabeth ran as fast as she could, to where the explosion seemed to have taken place. Her friends panted behind her, telling her to please wait up, but she ignored. Unfortunate to her friends, she had a very bad hunch that this had something to do with Percy.
She had no idea where exactly where the explosion had taken place, but she had a pretty good idea as she heard a shout getting louder in the direction she was heading.
"…..bsolute Disgrace TO THE GRYFFINDOR HOUSE, ON THE FIRST DAY NONETHELESS! BOMBARDA, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, USING IT INSIDE THE CLASSROOM! YOU WERE LUCKY NO ONE GOT HURT-"
"Annabeth!" Lily ran into her arms all of a sudden, while…. Professor McGonagall yelled at two boys in front of her. They didn't seem too sorry, and she knew for sure they were suppressing a grin. Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, head of Hufflepuff house, seemed to be trying hard to clean up the mess made there.
"Lily, what happened?" She asked. Lily made an expression of absolute hate and disgust. "It's them." She pointed to the two boys getting scolded by the professor. "They cast an explosion spel-"
"What?!"
"I know! And then they cast the anti-illuminating spell, Nox, so everything went dark. I heard Percy trying to say Lumos, but he was caught off when they cast another explosion spell, and there was this bright flash before everything went 'BOOM'."
Oh no. Percy had been cut off trying to perform a spell, which meant it malfunctioned and went boom. The water did not seem to be in sight anymore, but it did exist. And that made it clear that he was at the center of a trouble-yet again.
Cancel everything she said earlier. If they couldn't make it through one class without messing it up, she did NOT want the next class to happen.
Annabeth sighed and rubbed her forehead.
ㅡ
An explosion on their first class! Only fitting.
Does this chapter look okay? I don't know if it met your expectations of a first magic lesson. But I tried my best, and apologies if you are disappointed. Might edit this later on.
I don't have much time today, for I have really urgent stuff to do, sorry, so I'll just cut to the chase real quick:
-yee68: I hope so, and that I can continue to do so. Ooh, cool device! Never seen that before. It's all quite interesting! Is it fun? Is it uncomfortable? I want to know what you think of it. Like always, thanks for viewing!
-The Hidden Library: Of course! All reviews, regardless of it being criticisms or just compliments, make me extremely happy. As for Peter... I'll just say he plays a role, so I'm not going to go too deep into that subject right now. Sorry! You'll have to stay tuned to know. As for the communicating and Annabeth parts, isn't it just common sense :)? Just joking. But I love little ideas like that. I think Dumbledore somewhere in between those two, manipulative for his purpose, but a good man at heart with good intentions. Oh, he will try, of course. But let's see how it turns out. Thanks for waiting, and enjoy this chapter!
-Sage S. Adoren: Thank you! I thought this was pretty bad re-reading it over the weekends, but I guess it could get an A (O.W.L.s, you know. Wink, wink.) at the best. Thanks for reviewing. Have fun reading this chapter!
-Just Me: Yes, my upload is weird. But it was either make people miss out chapter 11 or miss the specials so... I chose the latter. Also, I agree. It doesn't feel like I'm in 2021. Like a bonus chapter of 2020, maybe, but not a New Year. Wish you luck with the petition ;)! See you next time.
-Just a person: It did? Interesting. Never planned it, but are they having a kiss under a god killer? Hmmm... But for the sake of the Christmas spirit, I'll keep it like this. I will wisely ignore the bet. I don't want to lose 5 dollars! Thanks for your lovely review.
-violetturtle: As long as I don't get a crisis in life, I'm not gonna quit writing. And however bad this is, I wanna try and finish it. So yes, I'll continue! Thanks for reviewing, and happy reading!
-MCU fan: Why, thank you! Here's the next update for you. I thought it might be too long, so there will be time skips occasionally, but I'm planning to try my best to make it natural. Let's see what this power couple gets into. Thanks for the kind words! Really appreciate it. See you next chapter!
Thank you all for reviewing, viewing, following, and marking this as favorite! Reviews are always appreciated and answered.
The next update might be slow, because real life to-do list is getting a bit too long, and I gotta finish it l if I want to grasp this opportunity I've seized. But I'll come back, I swear.
Until then, stay safe and happy, everyone!
-Claire-