Chapter 4: The First Day
Sylvia woke up quite early and got changed before going down to the Hall for breakfast with Matilda. Then strode off to their very first lesson at Hogwarts, Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors.
"They really should make maps for students," Sylvia panted as they struggled to find their way and asked yet another portrait, "This castle is huge!"
"Yeah," Matilda gasped between breathes, "At least the portraits are helpful."
They finally made their way from the Great Hall to the Defence classrooms on the first floor and found themselves seats. A few Gryffindor girls were already there, as well as the boy named Tim Davies from the train and Tommy Boot. The bell rang not long after and more students streamed into the classroom. Seems like they were not the only ones with trouble to find their way.
"My name is Professor Bowen," Professor Bowen began, "Former Auror. I am here to help you to prepare for the real world after you leave this school. There are Dark Wizards, Dark Witches, and Dark Creatures lurking in the shadows where you can't imagine, and you should be prepared.
"You have come here to learn how to defend yourselves. This is not a joke, not a child play. This is real. One wrong move might scar forever.
"We will not begin right away. Instead, for today, I would like to do an open class discussion."
"Sir," Hugo Granger-Weasley raised his hand, "Are we not going to learn anything today?"
"We're always learning, young man," Said Professor Bowen, "Do any of you have any ideas of the Dark Arts?"
"But sir," Tommy Boot frowned, "Aren't we learning Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
"Can you defend yourself against something if you don't know what it is, Mr Boot?" Tommy shook his head, "There you are, we must know what is Dark Arts. Do you find this subject boring, Mr McCubbin?"
"We're first years, professor," Said Joey McCubbin, who just yawned, "It's not like we'll be attacked by Dark Wizards. And there aren't any since the Second Wizarding War."
"So, you think all the dark things vanished, do you? No more Dementors, no more Boggarts, no more former Death Eaters who might be seeking for another Lord? What are Aurors for in this state? Don't you know that the Ministry just found a Time-Turner in a former Death Eater's home?" Professor Bowen raised an eyebrow, "Dark Wizards kill anyone who gets in their way, and Dark Creatures doesn't leave you alone if you're a child."
"Now, back to the question: what do you know about Dark Arts?"
Three hands leapt into the air – Sylvia's, Tim Davies', and Tiffany Toran's.
"Miss Toran?"
"Dark Arts mainly contains Dark Magic and Dark Creatures," The Gryffindor girl recited, "In most examples, Dark Magic is harder to repel. Dark Wizards aim to cause pain and death, and they'll mostly duel you – in an unfair way."
"Good," Professor Bowen looked around the class, "This, will be the nature of today's lesson – quick thinking and the knowledge of spells will help you survive such an instance of duelling. I need a volunteer."
Tim's hand swayed a little from his uncertainty, but remained in the air. "Miss Ollivander." Sylvia took a breath and walked forward.
"I assume you have familiarized yourself with basic spells?" Professor Bowen gave an approving smile as Sylvia nodded, "Here's what I'm going to do: I am going to tell you – not exactly cast – that I am casting a curse at you, and you are going to tell me what you would do in defence. Is that clear?"
"Yes," She said, "Yes, professor."
"Very well. Reducto?"
"Protengo." She replied quickly.
"Good," Professor Bowen continued, "Incendio?"
"Aqua Eructo." Sylvia answered.
"Again, good," A slight flash of menace flickered in Professor Bowen's eyes, "Avada- "
"FLIPENDO TRIA!" She bellowed and a small tornado knocked the professor into the air and to the other side of the room. He quickly cast a cushioning charm to break the fall.
"Sorry, sir, I didn't mean- "
Professor Bowen held up a hand and she fell silent. "That, everyone, is the exact response required. Can you think of any other spells you could have used?"
"Disarming or conjuring other things as a shield." She said quickly.
"Excellent, ten points to Ravenclaw. You may sit down, Miss Ollivander."
Sylvia sat down, her heart ponding. She hadn't expected to defend herself against Unforgivable Curses in first-year. Apart from that, she had earned her first set of points.
"Who can tell me the spell I was about to use?" Professor Bowen asked the class.
"The Killing Curse," Tim Davies raised his hand, "Which is Avada Kedavera." He said the spell in barely a whisper.
"Another five points to Ravenclaw." Said the professor.
They continued to discuss other subjects, which were far easier such as Red Caps and Kappas. They bursted with conversations as the bell rang and the class streamed out.
"Do you think he's a bit mad?" Davina hurried to her, "Unforgivables in first year... blimey, he'll be talking about Obscurials next."
"Obscur-what?" Mora caught up from behind.
"Obscurial, or Obscurus," Sylvia told her, "An uncontrollable Dark Force."
"What was the spell you used against Incendio?" A Gryffindor student asked Sylvia, "I haven't heard of it before."
"Aqua Eructo," She answered.
"And its use?"
"Conjure and control clear water," She replied, "And you are?"
"Tiffany Toran." The girl smiled, "We might meet in the library. Thanks, by the way. See you!" And she hurried off to her next lesson.
"What's our next lesson?" Matilda asked suddenly.
"Transfiguration with Slytherin," Davina replied, "We'd better hurry, the bell's going to ring soon."
"Where's Professor Winger?" The teacher's desk was empty apart from a dark brown eagle.
"No idea," Miya came from behind, "Maybe he's late."
"Maybe he's sick." Matilda suggested worriedly.
The eagle's eyes twinkled, making Sylvia wonder if it could understand them. Suddenly it launched into the air and transformed into a stern looking man. Mora yelped and Matilda gasped, while the group of boys behind them gaped.
"And maybe," He said in a calm and amusing voice, "He's wondering why you lot aren't in their seats yet. You'd better close your mouth, boy, before something flies into it." Professor Winger glared at a Slytherin student.
"How?" Davina whispered as they took their seats.
"It's my turn to have no idea." Sylvia stared in disbelief.
"Enough, enough." Professor Winger silenced the students, "What you just saw is the ability of an Animagus, which is the ability to turn into an animal at will. This kind of transfiguration does not require a wand. I have to mind you to be careful with a silver tabby cat with speckle-like pattern around its eyes, as well as the eagle. More details shall be covered in your third-year.
"Transfiguration is a complicated branch of magic. It does not only require wand-waving and spell-pronouncing, but also imagination of the object you want to turn something into. Which is why- "He turned his desk into a bull and back, earning an "Ooooh" from the students, "-You will start small." He flicked his wand and twenty matches scattered to each student's desk.
"Who do you think the silver tabby is?" Matilda whispered.
"Speckles... Professor McGonagall, maybe?" Sylvia whispered back.
Professor Winger set them the task of turning the match into a needle, and the room instantly filled with murmured of attempts.
"Why, Mr Lestrange, do you think lighting it will help?" Professor Winger looked at Rodfort Lestrange, who attempted to light his match, while Tim at the other side of the room sniggered. His voice was still calm and full of interest.
"Bet he's a Ravenclaw." Matilda whispered.
Sylvia chuckled and focused on her work. She pictured a silver needle clearly in her mind and summoned her power. Something tingled inside and, to her instinct, she tapped the match with her wand. The match changed colour and turned into a long, sharp needle before her eyes.
"Ten points to Ravenclaw," Professor Winger turned up, "Well done. Now see if you can turn it back."
"It's really interesting, don't you think?" Davina commented as the bell rang. Sylvia had surprisingly earned thirty points in total in two classes. She had managed to reverse the needle into a match by the end of Transfiguration.
"Interesting for you," Mora muttered, "I just – can't – do it!"
They had Potions after lunch and a nice half an hour in the library.
"Why are there so many stairs?" Matilda cursed under her breath.
"Here, this will help. Glisseo!" Sylvia turned the stairs to the dungeons into a slide and sild down quickly.
"Much better." Miya grinned as they all came down.
"Finite Incantatem." Sylvia cast and the slide turned back into stairs and found the classroom in a gloomy-looking corridor.
Professor Slughorn, as Sylvia has been warned, was really interested in his students who were related to famous people, or had the chance of becoming great. This meant Sylvia and Matilda (children of Ollivander the wandmaker), Miya (Newt Scamander's great-grand-daughter), Davina (related to Ilvermorny's founder Isolt Sayre), Lily Potter (The Chosen One's daughter), Hugo Granger-Weasley (current Minister's child), Frank Longbottom (Professor Longbottom's son), and Galor Prewett (from the Prewett pure-blood family) all had extra attention.
The Potion lesson was kind of a disaster, as the potions might explode if the ingredient was wrong or when it was stirred the wrong number of times. Luke Birch and Joey McCubbin's potion ended up spilling a failed potion everywhere due to an explosion. They finally got fresh air after being shut in a weird-smelling room for a whole hour. Mora claimed she had lost her appetite despite her talent in the subject.
After Potions, they had Charms with Hufflepuff. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had to stand on a stack of thick books in order to see the whole class. The class was fun as Professor Flitwick was always cheerful.
"Where are you going? I thought we're off to library again." Mora frowned as they finished their first day's lessons.
"We are." Miya pointed out.
"Oh... I kind of got lost."
"See who's here," A bunch of Slytherins came from around the corner, "The famous Ollivander."
"Lestrange," Sylvia met the boy's gaze coldly, "Would you kindly move out of the way, please?"
"And that's it?" Rodfort narrowed his eyes, "You really need to learn your place."
"Petrificus- "A boy who looked like a body guard began.
"Expelliarmus." Sylvia flicked her wand faster than she herself had expected and disarmed the opponent.
"Stupefy!" Charles Nott cried.
"Protengo!" She blocked the spell easily, "Really? That was hardly challenging."
"Melofors!" Rodfort cast.
"Impedimenta!" Davina shouted and held up her wand. There was a blast of sparks as two spells met.
"Ventus!" Sylvia slashed her wand and a powerful force of wind knocked them backwards, "Now that's something." She muttered, "Is that all? We're going to some place originally."
"I wouldn't leave so fast," The Farley twins and Beacrice Travers came from behind, "Confundo!"
"Protengo!" Miya held a shield.
"Colloshoo!" Sylvia bellowed and Jenny Farley's shoes were stuck to the floor as she tried to charge.
"Herbifors!" Beacrice cried.
"Locomotor Wibbly!" Matilda joined in.
"Levicorpus!" Richard Rochefort shouted.
"Liberacorpus!" Sylvia reversed it as soon as it hit Mora.
"Locomotor Mortis!" Mora hissed as she got up.
"Just what in Merlin's name are you doing?" Professor Bowen came to them, "Put down the shield, Miss Scamander. Finite." He reversed the hexes.
"A failure in communicating, sir." Tom Crabbe said sheepishly as he bent down to retrieve his wand.
"A failure in communicating?" Matilda echoed, "You ambushed us!"
"I thought it was Davies who you had some misunderstanding with," Sylvia hissed, "But now I know it's every house apart from Slytherin."
"Back to the places you should be, you lot," Professor Bowen sent the Slytherins away, "You are all free to go, but I want a word with Miss Ollivander."
"Which one?" Sylvia and Matilda asked together.
"Okay then, see you in the library." Matilda realized at once and ran off.
"Where did you learn these spells?" Came the first question.
"From a lot of books, sir." Sylvia bit her lips, "Aren't you going to dock points for magic in the corridors, professor?"
"No, not this time, you were provoked. However, magic is forbidden in the corridors for a reason," Professor Bowen replied, "You have a talent in spells, Ollivander."
"Thank you, professor." Sylvia wasn't sure where he was getting to.
"I have an intention to provide some extra lessons, which provides advanced Defence spells. Are you interested?"
"Yes, professor." She went through the possible spells she might learn, and remembered Prefect Eleanor's words: try to grab every chance to learn. This is Ravenclaw.
"Wednesday evening, seven o'clock, Duelling classroom." Professor Bowen smiled.
"Who else have you invited, professor?" She was curious.
"Miss Granger-Weasley, Miss Toran and Mr Rivers so far." He replied.
"Professor? Are there any possible threats in the real world right now, apart from the Dark Creatures?" Sylvia asked.
Professor Bowen thought for a moment, "Yes. Have you heard of the rumour? About Lord Voldemort having a child?"
"They say it's Scorpius Malfoy in third-year," She nodded, "But that's probably rubbish. I mean, he's nothing like Tom Riddle."
"True," Said Professor Bowen, "But it's still there. You are free to go, I believe your friends are wondering where you are."
It's still there... Voldemort's child does exist, but who? The thought was hard to repel as Sylvia strode into the library.