Amy woke the next morning to a tiny paw pressing determinedly into her cheek, the kitten mewling loudly. Amy grappled at her side, found a piece of fabric, and lifted it to allow Arcane to jump to the floor. Seeing the faux sunlight from the enchanted sun, Amy decided she'd slept long enough and tied her curtains into place.
"Morning." Amy croaked, rubbing her eyes to clear them of sleep crusties. She didn't know who else was awake yet and opened her eyes to find only Crystal was there, in the last stages of getting dressed.
"Good morning, Amy!"
"Morning. Where's everyone else?"
"They already went to breakfast. It's almost eight. You'd better hurry if you want to eat. The tables will be cleared soon."
"Wow, so late?!" Amy gasped as she quickly dug out a clean outfit and started climbing out of her pajamas. "Will I need to be in uniform?"
"No, there's no class today. But we do have something just after breakfast. Something called 'School Games'. But we can go to that in our regular clothes. Just get dressed, and you can come back to shower if you'd like."
"Oh, do you know where the bathrooms are?"
"No, but I'm sure they aren't far, and there are bound to be a few upperclassmen still here who can show us the way." Crystal finished as Amy buttoned her blue vest over her white button-up blouse.
Satisfied, she looked over her ensemble and quickly made her bed. By the time she had finished, Arcane was also ready to go, fur laying as neatly as possible and still slightly damp from the vigorous bath.
As they passed through the giant doorway into the Great Hall, a packet landed in their hands. They opened it to find a small card — their class schedules complete with their names, House and year — a school rule book, a piece of blank parchment, and the syllabi for all eight of their classes. Amy and Crystal looked at each other quizzingly before someone called Amy's name. Amy looked up and found Rose, Albus and Scorpius gathered together on one of the benches. Amy smiled and rushed over, a place setting materializing and filling itself automatically with eggs, fruit, and waffles.
"Morning!" Amy greeted them as she sat down and started digging into her breakfast. As Amy sat down, Arcane jumped off and started wandering. "Isn't this so great! It's already blowing my mind. The entrance to the Hufflepuff common room is so cool!"
"Everything is just so thought out. I mean - check out this schedule! Two hours of required independent study Monday through Thursday, and seven hours on Friday and Saturday, Sunday is completely free. They even tell us when to do our evening routines, so we're in bed at ten and we're waking up naturally at around seven. And we can use breakfast to finish any last-minute homework, too!"
"Wait, how do you see the whole week's lessons? Mine only shows Monday's." Amy asked.
"You just tap it with your wand and ask it to show you what you want." Rose answered, demonstrating.
"You get used to that sort of thing with Aunt Hermione. She's always working on a project for Hogwarts. What impresses me are the bathrooms - they're so big! They can easily handle thirty people. Not even the Lupin House could do that, and it took all of Aunt Hermione's magical tricks to get them so large and organized." Albus chimed in.
"How are you all so excited about having every aspect of your life controlled and planned out?" Scorpius whined. "They literally tell us when to study, when to brush our teeth, when to eat. It's like they think we're still in primary school."
"I, for one, quite like it." Amy pointed out enthusiastically. "Following this practically guarantees we'll pass our classes. I mean, we've got about twenty hours a week for classes but twenty-two hours of study time, not including Sunday. We have more time spent studying than we do in class so if every teacher assigns us an hour of homework, we'll get it all done and still have an extra two hours. We'll have more if we use Sunday to read ahead or finish any forgotten homework. "
"And we'll develop good time management skills in the process. I've always had trouble with that so it's nice to have everything planned out for me. There's less for me to worry about." Mary stated.
Amy nodded and turned to the packet she had received, wanting to inspect it more. The packet itself was filled with seemingly nothing but rules and policies. She'd have to give that proper attention tonight. She turned to the schedule again.
"And this parchment is a map of the school." She offered helpfully, tapping on the blank parchment.
"How? There's nothing written on it."
Rose answered by drawing out her wand, tapping the parchment three times and saying, "Fourth period Charms class with Professor Newman."
The parchment came to life. It etched the Great Hall, and a pair of footprints with Rose's name underneath. The markings expanded outward, and a red line appeared to connect Rose's footprints to the path out of the Great Hall, to the left and down the hall until the line tapered off the side of the parchment.
"It'll change to show where you are, so you simply follow the red line. Here, try it with mine." Amy drew out her wand and copied what Rose had done. An exact copy of the first map appeared, except it was Amy's footprints that were shown.
"Fascinating! Who comes up with things like this?"
"My mum does. During her time here, she noticed that a lot of students have trouble in the beginning of the year finding classes. In fact, Dad and Uncle Harry were late a lot in their first year. So, she invented things to help. Oh, and don't lose it. You won't get another one next year. These things take a lot of time and a lot of high-level magic to work, so Mum can't be making enough for the whole school every single year."
"Bloody hell, that's awesome! Is that all your mother does, invent things?"
"That's a good deal of it, but she also heads up a lot of social activist factions."
"What does your dad do?"
"He was an Auror — a wizard who captures dark wizards — but around the time he married my mum he went to work with Uncle George in Diagon Alley."
"My dad -" Albus chimed in. "Is still an Auror, head of the office in fact, and my mum is a Quidditch journalist."
"What do your parents do, Scorpius?"
"Dad works for the Ministry, Mum stays at home." He said simply.
"That's... also cool!" Amy didn't know what else to say; how do you respond to a statement like that?
An idea crossed her mind, unbidden but still helpful. "Hey, Rose! Is it possible to charm a pocket watch to remind me a few minutes before class starts or something?"
"Yeah, of course it is. But I don't know how to do that. I can ask my Mum to work on it, though."
"That'd be great, thanks!"
Just as Amy put down her utensils and the plate emptied itself, Arcane came back, hopping onto her witch's lap.
"We should get going to School Games." Rose suggested, standing, and tapping her map to show the way. The others stood as well and followed her out of the Hall. "Afterwards, we can do whatever we want."
Rose led the way down the corridor to the left, around the corner, and through a few more corridors until they came to the back entrance of the castle. They could see a stadium with six tall hoops and towering stands.
"That's where we're going - the Quidditch Pitch." Albus explained, falling into place behind his cousin.
As they drew nearer and entered the Pitch, Amy recognized the Hufflepuff Head Boy Alexander, marching around the Pitch along with seven other students. They were directing arriving students to sit on the grass on the side of the Pitch.
"They're the Head Boys and Girls of each of the Houses. They're one step in authority under the Heads of Houses and higher than the prefects. They're seventh years, all of them." Rose explained to Amy as they found a space where all eight first years could sit together.
Once the oval was full and it looked like no students were being left out, the Head Boys and Girls returned to the center of the circle where the Gryffindor Head Boy spoke up, placing his wand at his throat.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts, everyone." His voice boomed around them, shocking Amy with its intensity. Rose quickly explained that it was a magnification spell; His wand was basically acting as a microphone. "Normally we'd jump right into the activities, but today we need an introduction for the first years. To explain why we meet here every day and endure an hour of fun and games." As he finished, he stepped back and the Ravenclaw Head Girl took his place.
"This hour of activities is a recent development, only ten years in effect. Ten years ago, Hogwarts was a very different place. The segregation of the Houses caused rifts, and stereotypes nearly suffocated the students, who fought to uphold them and turn them on their opponents. To the students of yesteryear, Ravenclaw was the house of ace students who did nothing but study all the time. If you wanted to pass your classes, you had better be in Ravenclaw."
The Slytherin Boy stepped forward as the Ravenclaw Head Girl stepped back into line, his voice lower in pitch but no less in volume. "Slytherin was a house of dark witches and wizards in the making who were more concerned with blood status than playing nice. To be in Slytherin was to join the cause of history's darkest wizards."
"Hufflepuff was a House of pansies who were spineless and weak, and loved peace so much they'd rather roll over to their tormentors than stand against them." The Hufflepuff Head Girl spoke clearly, stressing the more important words with a bite.
"And Gryffindor was the House for those who would jump into any battle, or jump off a cliff for kicks." The Gryffindor Head Girl spoke, her scarlet hair drawing Amy's attention in fascination.
"And there were more pertaining to things like how a pureblood thinks, how inferior a Muggleborn was, and many more that ultimately only did harm to the school. These stereotypes were driven by segregation and a lack of a sense of community." The Ravenclaw Head Boy barely seemed to take a breath during his piece.
"Ten years ago, a student — a Gryffindor Muggleborn named Melinda Jasper — going into her seventh year was inspired by the audacity and bravery of fellow Gryffindor and social activist Hermione Granger. Melinda looked at how the Hogwarts of her era had become and vowed to change it." Alexander spoke boldly.
"During her fifth and sixth years at school, she researched the psychology at Hogwarts and what she could do to change it. Finally, during her last summer, she compiled the research she had accumulated into a letter to Headmistress McGonagall, asking for a chance to change things. McGonagall approved. So, Melinda sent copies of the initial letter and detailed plans to the Head Boys and Girls for the next year. They all agreed to help, and so Melinda started a new tradition." The Slytherin Head Girl seemed mostly disinterested in her piece of the story. She spoke like she was reciting a list, staccato and broken.
"Your class years are the beginning of the new era, already starting to reap the benefits of Melinda's plan. Memories of the House segregation have faded. The stereotypes are already beginning to break down, and more and more groups of friends come from different Houses. The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin is dying, and Slytherin is no longer a House of dark magic and purebloods." The Gryffindor Head Boy pronounced. Amy looked around and could already see the changes, see the groups of friends coming from multiple houses, including her own.
"So, what was it that Melinda began? It started with abolishing the House tables. It allows every student to sit at each table alongside friends. This carried over into classrooms so there will be no seating charts in classes on Monday. This was brought about to increase opportunities for students to mingle, to form new friendships devoid of stereotypes." The Ravenclaw Head Girl's enthusiasm was not lost on Amy, even as Amy was pulled into the Head Girl's vibrant array of colors dyed into her hair. How was it possible to get so many colors onto one's head with such clear lines and no muddiness?
"Another change was a school ball to be held near the end of each school year, after exams and Club Rush Week. This way, the ball will unite the school in good cheer without damaging your study time." The Hufflepuff Head Girl was visibly more excited about her piece of the story. The girl practically bounced on her toes.
"The most important change is one hour daily that the whole student body participates in, devoted to games and exercises designed to build friendship, trust, and comradery, as well as get in some physical exercise. This will provide you with a chance to get to know your fellow students, to see them as people rather than students from a rival House, to make new friends and to help each other. And to drive the point home, please change into street clothes for every meeting henceforth. When we are here, we are not the four Houses. We are simply fellow students." The Gryffindor Head Girl spoke sternly, like what she had to say was more important.
"That is why we are here today, Monday through Sunday from nine o'clock to ten. Now, since today is the first day, we will introduce ourselves to our peers with our names, Houses and years. Tomorrow, the games begin." The Ravenclaw Head Boy gestured to the end of the line, seeming to hand the torch back to the Gryffindor Head Girl, who stood at the head.
"I'm Rimelda Shackleys, seventh year Gryffindor."
"Ravenclaw seventh-year, Georgia MacIntosh."
"Jennie Joan, seventh year Hufflepuff."
"Slytherin Jefferson MacDuff, seventh year."
"Charles Armstrong, Gryffindor, seventh year."
"Ravenclaw Eliza Clearwater, seventh year."
"Hufflepuff seventh year, Alexander Ishaan."
"Angelina Zenka, Slytherin, seventh year."
"How are we going to remember all of these names?" Amy whispered to Albus, who sat to her left.
"I have no idea. Just try your best, I guess."
Meanwhile, the circle of students began reciting their names.
"Emmaline Jackson, second year Slytherin." A girl pronounced, drawing Amy's attention. She whipped her head to where the voice had come from, searched the faces she saw and found Emmaline. Amy felt her blood run cold and her heart clenched. Things fell into place and she gulped.
"Hey, are you alright?" Albus asked quietly. Amy could only find the strength to nod weakly. She breathed slightly when Albus didn't press her.
It wasn't long before it was Rose's turn, as first of their group of friends. When it was Amy's turn to introduce herself, she did so with less fervor than she had thought she possessed, and she could see Emmaline smile in a way that had ice running down Amy's spine.
Before Amy knew it, the bells were ringing again just as the last student was finishing her turn.
"Thank you, everyone." Charles spoke up again. "See you tomorrow, and don't forget to come in your street clothes." As one, the student body stood and made their way back to the castle.
"Well, that was fun, huh?" Rose asked as Albus drew close to the rest of the group. Amy unconsciously allowed herself to be pushed to the sidelines.
"Yeah! I can't wait for tomorrow!" Mary exclaimed.
"I can. It reminds me of Gym class." Amy groaned.
"Well, that is half of the point. Students before didn't have anything physical to do except walk to classes, and even that stops being enough after a while." Scorpius piped up.
"I think it's going to be great!" Mary exclaimed. "I've read in a book that students play both Muggle and wizarding games from all over the world, based on what they taught the students. Isn't that cool?"
"Yes, it is. But what do we do now that School Games is over?"
"We can find our classrooms. How about if we split up into Houses and follow our maps to the classrooms as if we were going to class? That way we'll have an idea of where they are on Monday. After that, maybe we can find the library and Hospital Wing." Mary suggested.
"Sounds good to me!" Amy chirped, eager to get off the grass and into the safety of the castle where she could hide in the multitude of rooms. Before they could go their separate ways however, a resounding boom above them grabbed their attention. They looked up to see sections of the staircase moving from one platform to another as students walked.
"Ah, yes. The Grand Staircase." Rose stated. "You can see why it's so...unique."
"More like fascinating." Amy muttered. "I mean, how often do you see a massive staircase that moves on its own?"
"Only at Hogwarts." Scorpius muttered, equally transfixed. "Come on. We should get going. Let's do Monday's classes first, and then meet back here for Tuesday's."
The group then dispersed. Amy and Mary went up the stairs to the third floor alone and got off on the right-side corridor. They followed the hall, making the forced turn to the left, and then a right. The Charms classroom was the last door on the left. The map glowed green and changed to give a brief rundown on the class.
"Third Period Charms, taught by Professor Newman. Oh, how interesting. We're going to have a class with the Deputy Headmistress! And isn't she the Head of Slytherin? I wonder if we'll have a class with Professor McGonagall."
"I doubt it. It's not traditional for the headmaster to teach a class. There's simply too much to do."
"Wait, what does it mean by Third Period? This is the first class of the day, isn't it?"
"We also have Flying Lessons before now. Maybe that's Second Period, and School Games is First Period."
"Yeah, that makes sense. But where's Flying Lessons?"
"It'd have to be on the Pitch. Hmm. We're supposed to be in our street clothes for Games, but since Flying is an official class, we'd have to change into our robes. Wait, there are changing rooms down there. Maybe we can bring our robes in our bags and change when we get done with Games, that way we're in uniform when Flying starts."
"Yeah, that seems like a good plan! We should do that, at least until we find out if the teacher will let us do Flying Lessons in our street clothes."
Next, they set their sights on Fourth Period. The pair divided at the Grand Staircase - Amy went up while Mary went down. Along the way, she found Albus and Scorpius. They followed the map back to the Staircase, and up another two flights. They got off on the right, followed the hallway around a couple of corners, and finally stood before the proper door. The map glowed green again and gave the same information as it had for Charms. This class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by Narcissa Malfoy.
"Malfoy?" Amy asked, turning to Scorpius. "Isn't that your last name?"
"Yeah, it is. Narcissa's my grandmother."
"She's a teacher?" Albus looked puzzled.
"Apparently. I don't know why no one mentioned it to me before."
"Was she at the feast last night?"
"No, she wasn't. I would have pointed her out."
"Hmm. Well, I'm sure it will be all right. Come on, let's find the next class." Amy tapped her wand on the map.
When they got back to the Grand Staircase, Albus and Scorpius split off, while Amy continued underground to the dungeons. Along the way, she met up with Rose. They followed the map down several corridors and finally found the proper door for their classroom. The map changed once more, displaying the basic information. Fifth Period Potions, taught by Professor Mansley who was the Head of Hufflepuff.
The pair turned and started heading back to the Great Hall, taking a small detour to locate the nearest bathrooms - which were also nearest to the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms. They then met the other three at the Great Hall and split off again as if going to class on Tuesday.
The first class of Tuesday, what was referred to as Sixth Period, was History of Magic on the fifth floor, taught by Professor Axel and Professor Binns. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws shared this class.
Seventh Period was on the grounds, Herbology with Professor Longbottom in Greenhouse 1, between the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors.
Eighth Period Transfiguration, taught by Professor Marble, was on the sixth floor, with the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.
Finally, Astronomy for Ninth Period in the Astronomy Tower classroom with every first year. This class was the latest of the daily classes, taking place from four o'clock to five every day.
The group reconvened and walked back down to the third floor, where they found the main entrance to the library. They quickly left to locate the hospital wing; they'd have plenty of time to look around the library later.
By the time they had found the rooms they were looking for, lunch was around the corner, so they decided to head to the Great Hall for lunch, and then divide to their respective dormitories to collect study supplies. They would spend the four hours between lunch and dinner reading ahead. Tomorrow they would spend the whole day studying. This way, they would be prepared for the first couple days of classes. And with the syllabi in hand already, they could even target the chapters their teachers would cover first.
Lunch was an informal affair. There were salads, chicken breasts, various fruits, and vegetables. The enchanted ceiling showed a cloudless day, a bright blue sky, and a blazing sun. As soon as they sat down to eat, Arcane went her own way. Amy reminded her they would be at the library if Arcane wanted to find them again. Arcane didn't come back before lunch was finished, but Amy wasn't worried. Arcane had been paying attention during the tour so Amy was sure she wouldn't get lost. Also, Arcane had to find those paths that only cats could take to navigate the castle; she couldn't do that from Amy's shoulder.
The group talked more about their classes, what they were looking forward to and what they weren't. When every plate was empty, Amy split off from the group to head to the common room.
Just as she exited the staircase that took her into the dungeons, she heard a cackling laugh and a crash further up the corridor, out of sight. The sound of screams soon followed and two other first years - both Slytherins - came running.
"What?" Amy asked as the girls came toward them. "What is it?"
The girls, however, didn't answer and continued running. Amy instinctively retrieved her wand as she advanced.
"What's going on?" A voice came from behind them. Amy turned and found Scorpius and Albus running up to her, wands already out.
"I don't know. I just heard crashing and laughter, and then two first year Slytherins came running away from it."
The laughter sounded again, followed by another crash. Amy flinched.
"Don't worry." Scorpius said. "I've got a pretty good idea of what this is."
"You do?" Amy asked. "What?"
"I knew things were a bit too quiet. Do you really reckon...?" Albus asked, his voice trailing off.
"Yes."
"Then don't we need the Bloody Baron?"
"Depends on what he's up to."
"Who's the Bloody Baron? What are you talking about?" Amy asked.
Scorpius and Albus turned toward Amy. "All right. Here's the plan. Albus and I will creep up and distract him with a couple of minor jinxes. Meanwhile, you make a break for your common room while we distract him."
"Wait, I don't understand what's happening at all."
"Nothing to worry too much about. But if we stick around, we're gonna be his new targets. And he doesn't draw a line between a prank and attempted murder."
"What?!" Amy squeaked, horrified. "Who on earth is that?"
"A poltergeist named Peeves." Albus told them. "He's causing a ruckus. He likes frightening the students, first years especially."
"What about the Bloody Baron?"
"We'll explain later, but right now we have to move. We still must enter our common rooms, collect our study materials and get to the library. We're wasting time." Scorpius urged.
"Scorpius and I will explain once we're all safe. Make sure you come back down with an upperclassman, someone who knows how to get rid of Peeves or can teach you a spell that will scare him off."
"We'll regroup at the library. Let's go, Albus!" Scorpius urged his friend and the two boys dashed off, leaving Amy alone. Amy sighed, got to her feet, and followed the boys at a distance.
"Oooh, look what we have here. Ickle firsties!" A high-pitched cackling voice spat as Amy approached the corner. She slowed down and peered around the corner. A squat, transparent joker floated in the air above Albus and Scorpius.
"Knock it off, Peeves. We just want to get into our common room." Scorpius declared; his wand held toward the menace.
"Oooh, what are you gonna do, blondie? Poke at me from way down there?"
Amy glanced up, down the corridor she had been following. She could see the nook that hid the barrels.
"I don't have to. Let us pass."
"These firsties are brave, or stupid. They haven't even started their lessons and they think they can scare me away?"
"We will if you don't leave peacefully." Albus raised his own wand, daring Peeves to come closer. Peeves only cackled some more. A moment later, the Slytherin boys moved their wands in unison and cried 'Flipendo!'
Twin blue lights erupted from their wands and shot at the poltergeist, a harsh sound following. The spell hit Peeves and knocked him flying backwards. In the same moment, Amy dashed across the hallway. She heard Peeves scream in fury, and then the boys cast another spell, inciting another roar.
Amy made it safely into the nook and tucked herself into the darkness. She immediately tapped on the barrels and grappled her way into the tunnel the moment the entrance began to swing open. Once she was inside, she turned and closed the barrel. With the entrance closed, the tunnel was enveloped in darkness and silence, but she was safely hidden and could take a moment to breathe. She paused for a few heartbeats and then moved up the tunnel toward the common room.
The common room was empty when she came out of the tunnel, pushing open the round door that sealed the tunnel. Amy crawled out and got to her feet.
She moved to her dormitory, where she found she was the only first year back. She immediately moved to her trunk and found her backpack which was already packed with her binder. She pulled it out and opened it, checking the contents. She started rummaging in her trunk for her new Quick Notes Quill. She didn't plan to use it today, but she still wanted to make sure she hadn't forgotten it. She held up the package that held her Quill and carefully set it on her desk before turning back to her binder. "Let's see. Paper, folders, pencil case, pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, ruler."
She loaded her binder back into her backpack, then followed it with the books she would need on Monday. To help them fit, she put the larger ones in the back against the binder, and the smaller ones in front. She struggled to get the zipper closed, but she finally succeeded and shouldered the bag.
Now ready to study, she moved into the girls hallway to look for upperclassmen. She silently pleaded for someone - anyone - to be here. She moved down the hall three steps and turned to her right to stand in front of the second-year girls' dormitory. She knocked, but no one answered. Amy tried the door and it swung open. She glanced inside and found all the beds and desks empty, then closed the door. She tried the third-year's dormitory, on her left another three steps ahead. No one was home, nor were there any fourth-years. She moved along and found two fifth-year girls at their desks.
"Uhm, excuse me?" Amy asked quietly, trying not to startle them. The girls looked up.
"Hello! You're one of the first years, right?" The blonde one asked as she stood up.
"Amethyst, isn't it?" The brunette asked, turning to face Amy.
"I prefer Amy, but yes. I was hoping you could help me with something."
"Of course! What is it?" The blonde asked, making her way towards Amy who had opened the door a bit more.
"Well, on our way up the corridor near the bathrooms, my friends and I ran into Peeves. We didn't know what else to do so we ran. I'm the only one here because the others are Slytherins, and I need to get back to my friends at the library and I'm afraid he might be down there still."
"I see! We'd be happy to help you get back to your mates. We can actually teach you a harmless jinx that will send him running so you'll never need to be afraid of him again. That corridor would be a good place for it, too. Wouldn't it, Jane?"
"Absolutely."
"Wonderful! Thank you so much."
"Happy to help. Now, then." Jane opened a drawer and grabbed her wand, as did her friend. Amy moved closer to the seventh-year dormitory to give the older girls room to pass. "You ready to go?"
"Yes." Amy answered, falling into step behind Jane as they led the way back to the tunnel.
"I'm Bella, by the way." The other older girl replied. "The jinx we're going to show you is a simple one. It's one of the first spells most first years learn."
"It was certainly mine. My parents were students here, so they taught me this spell specifically to help me deal with Peeves. Though, back when they were students, they couldn't cast spells in the corridors so they would have gotten into a lot of trouble for using it against him, even if it were in self-defense." Jane noted.
"Yes, but the rules have changed." Bella turned to Amy while Jane opened the door to the tunnel. "Fifteen years ago, dueling wasn't allowed under any circumstances, more as a way to keep the students from dealing irreparable or deadly harm to each other. But it became clear a few years ago that students needed to practice their spells in a real environment and not just in a classroom. Also, duels are sometimes unavoidable so it's better to let them duel following etiquette with a teacher present rather than to let them duke it out unsupervised and with hot tempers boiling over. That's the main reason why dueling in the corridors is now allowed, though not encouraged, and why an authoritative figure has to be present." Jane entered the tunnel when she was finished speaking, leading the way back to the corridor.
"Because of one poltergeist?" Amy asked, stunned.
"Well, yes and no." Bella stepped aside, motioning for Amy to crawl into the tunnel. "Peeves is a troublemaker, absolutely, and knowing a few jinxes comes in handy with him around. But the real reason is during the First Wizarding War, it was clear that wizards needed training in dueling. Voldemort came to power quickly and with much fear because very few wizards knew how to duel or were so bad at it that if they tried to stand up against him and his Death Eaters, they were killed. Very few survived. After Voldemort's temporary defeat, Headmaster Dumbledore made such changes, and classes got more thorough training, but all in all it wasn't enough. And then there was one year when the Ministry of Magic stepped in at Hogwarts and appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from within their ranks. This new professor only let her students read about the spells rather than practice them for applications outside of the class. She, and the Ministry, were only concerned that the student pass their tests. But, by now, Harry Potter had already seen his fair share of combat and had witnessed Voldemort come back, and he knew a theoretical education would do no one any good. So, he, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley formed a secret dueling club to give students the time to practice defensive spells. And after Voldemort's death at the Battle of Hogwarts, they worked with newly appointed Headmistress McGonagall to ensure the students were getting the proper dueling practice. This way, if another war came about, everyone would be able to defend themselves and hopefully end the war sooner with fewer lives lost."
"Wow. I had no idea Mr. Harry had had a hand in something like that."
"What do you mean? You know him?"
"I only met Mr. Harry the night before we left King's Cross." Amy supplied. "And then I met Miss Hermione and Mr. Ron on the way to the train. I live at the R.J. Lupin House now, so I know all of them. Not that that makes me special, of course."
"Wait, you're brushing aside the fact that you live at the R.J. Lupin House? The personal residence of Harry and Ginny Potter themselves?"
"Well, yeah. And please don't say I'm lucky. I'm not lucky. That House is for magical orphans - which I am- and for wizarding kids who were taken from their parents. Mr. Harry and Miss Ginny are simply the kind-hearted folks who opened their door to me. I'm not special any more than you are, even though I happen to know a few apparently-famous wizards."
"I think we're getting a bit off-topic." Bella intervened, cutting the conversation short. "Jane, I thought we were going to teach her a jinx."
"Yes, yes, of course. It's a fairly simple one. Most wizarding children learn it from their parents before they come here, mostly as protection from Peeves. Though you would learn it on Monday regardless. It's called the Knockback Jinx, and it is so named because it will knock your target back several feet, thus giving you time to get away." Jane continued.
"The incantation is Flipendo and you do a simple movement with your wand that we will show you. We're also coming to the end of the tunnel. Brace yourselves." Bella cautioned. A moment later, the portrait creaked open, revealing the muted light from the nook. "The corridor should be a good place to practice, and I don't hear any sign of Peeves. Good, we'd hate for him to show up while you're practicing."
Amy and Jane crawled out of the tunnel, allowing Bella to close the barrels behind them.
"Let's go out into the corridor a bit." Jane encouraged the girls until they were properly positioned. "Now, we need something to knock back."
"I think I saw a barrel or two over there that we can use." Bella motioned farther down the corridor. "I'll get it." Bella then turned around to face the part of the corridor Amy had not yet visited, flashed her wand in a curving motion, and called out "Accio barrel!"
"That was the Summoning Charm, Accio. It's rather hard because you must clearly picture the object in your mind in order to summon it, but it is certainly a good one to master. It'd make life a bit easier if you can just wave your wand and summon something rather than go looking for it." Jane explained as a barrel came rolling out from a hidden corridor not far away, coming to a stop in front of Bella, who flicked her wand lazily and the barrel righted itself.
"Now then. While Flipendo is an easy spell to cast, the hardest part about it is the wand movement. Like with any spell, it has to be precise. If you make one wrong move, it could go badly. Sometimes, it's simply an unintended consequence like maybe the object spouts feathers or starts singing like a canary. But with other spells, people can get hurt or even killed. But with this being such a low-level spell, get it wrong and it's mostly funny."
"So don't stress too much, do your best each time, focus on your form and you'll get it. The key is diligence and practice."
"Right. Now then, first let's learn the wand motion." Bella flourished her wand, then repeated the motion again so Amy could copy it. "Good. Now we'll add the incantation. Say it strong and clear. You can't waver when you use magic. Flipendo."
"Flipendo." Amy echoed, repeating the motion. She took a couple more tries, her voice and waving becoming slightly more confident.
"That was very good! Now, Amy, stand here and focus on the barrel." Jane scooted her into position. "Picture someone you want to send flying. Now raise your wand and cast the spell."
"Flipendo!" Amy cried, flicking her wand at the barrel. It jolted but didn't fly.
"Try it again. All it takes is practice reaching for the magic."
"Flipendo!" She yelled again, louder this time and she moved her wand a bit more forcefully. The barrel jerked but did not fly into the air.
"Flipendo!" Amy all but roared, unconsciously tapping into the headspace she used when she talked to animals. The barrel flew and came crashing down against the stones, spraying water everywhere.
"Whoop! Thattagirl!" Jane bellowed. "Nice power! You'll be quite powerful once you're trained up. "I think you've got that spell done well enough to handle it on your own. Come on, let's get you up to the library."
Bella waved her wand and the barrel repaired itself while it flew back to where it had been while Jane led the way out of the dungeons.
The trip to the library was brief and mercifully Peeves-less. The corridors were quiet as most of the student body had taken advantage of the clear weather to lay on the grass under the sun.
As they neared the main doors to the library, Amy noticed Albus and Mary waiting. Amy waved her hand, drawing their attention.
"There you are!" Albus greeted them and ran forward. Bella and Jane quickly said their goodbyes and headed back to the Great Hall. "Did you get into the common room all right? Scorpius and I didn't see you when we turned around after Peeves left."
"I got in fine, and I found Bella and Jane." Amy answered before she was interrupted by Jones. "They taught me the Knockback Jinx and made sure I got here safely."
"That's great! You've learned your first spell. Ready to learn more? Everyone's waiting inside."
"Yes, let's!" Amy agreed eagerly. Now that the time had come to start her studies, she felt excitement flood through her veins. She loved a good study session, but this time she'd be learning magical basics!
Albus and Mary rushed ahead to sit with Scorpius and Rose, but Amy took her time. She had never stepped foot into the library and she wanted to get a good look around.
The bookcases on either side of her were taller than she was used to, easily sixty feet high and made of a thick wood that was cherry colored. She couldn't see how thick they were yet but they must have been twenty feet long. Amy touched one and noticed the wood was inlaid with barely discernible highlights of gold and honey swirling around and mixing with the red. The segments on the edges and corners were carved with intricate details, the cut grooves of the red forming valleys filled with gold leaf set on a background of honey. Amy had never seen shelves so beautiful, so carefully crafted. She couldn't wait to see their face and take in the full measure of their beauty.
The first bookcase on her left also held a directory, which declared the first floor - where Amy currently was - and the floor above held the textbooks students would use in their classes. The subjects - to Amy's amazement - were twelve in number; Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Herbology, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, Potions, and Transfiguration.
On the third through sixth floors were the books students would use in the school clubs that required books; Accounting, Beautician's Club, Care of Non-Magical Creatures, Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Debate, Dueling, Foreign Magical Languages and Cultures, Foreign Muggle Languages and Cultures, Magical Art, Magical Pioneers of Tomorrow, NeedlePoint Arts, Non-Fiction Writing, Psychology, Quidditch, and Wizard's Chess.
The seventh floor held only one category: the Restricted Section.
Three bookcases on each side lined the pathway to the reception desk where she saw a name post for Library Matron Themilda Stone, but no one was seated there.
When she came level to the desk, the bookcase-hallway opened to allow Amy to turn and take in the full majesty of the library.
Bookcases sixty feet tall, five feet long and three feet deep lined up in aisles. Each aisle was ten bookcases deep on Amy's left side, and broke in the middle of the room to reveal the long tables that ran down the length of the room where the students would sit. The aisle continued on the right side for another ten bookcases. The ceiling was about eighty feet above her and it was alive with books, parchment and paper, quills and ink, and pens and pencils floating in the air following a breeze that had been magically conjured. Some items deposited themselves in front of a student or in their place on a shelf. Amy's eyes followed a fat, circular red volume as it ascended through a gap in the ceiling, presumably to the upper floors. The library was lit by a mixture of sunlight coming in through the windows, candlelit chandeliers dangling above the tables, lanterns hung at the end of each aisle, and each seat at the table had its own lantern. The afternoon sun lit up the wall and floors which was no different from those in the rest of the castle.
Amy got her desired close look at a bookcase's face. Every piece of wood the students could see was carved in the same pattern and color scheme as the back had been. The bookcase itself held twenty shelves, each three feet tall, and the lowest one started two inches off the floor. On each side of the bookcase and in the middle were stationary ladders that extended the full height up the bookcase, providing the student with a safe center of gravity while also allowing them to reach every book without undue stretching of arms. These ladders were probably made of a highly durable metal and then either painted gold or perhaps covered in gold leaf. Regardless, the ladder itself would be nearly unbreakable, and the gold was polished so thoroughly it gleamed without any signs of the abuse it has endured. There was no patterning, but Amy did notice the rungs were made of the same wood as the bookcases and were mounted on a bed of the ladder metal. As a result, the two pieces were a matched set, perfectly designed for heavy use as well as a long life.
As she moved up the table, Amy noticed the tables themselves matched the bookcases, cherry-red wood with gold-inlaid carvings on a bed of honey. Additionally, each seat had a three-sided-square shape in the wood - she looked farther down the table and quickly realized the shape represented a barrier that could be pulled out of the desk and locked in place to shield the student from distractions.
The individual desks were much larger than those Amy had known. The tabletop was almost double the size, giving the student plenty of workspace for textbooks and notebooks. It also wouldn't feel cramped when the barrier was up, and the lantern was in place. Amy also saw a divided cubbyhole underneath where the student would be able to put extra textbooks, notebooks, and other small things when they weren't in use. The legroom under the desk was spacious to say the least; tall, spired legs and open spaces made the desk able to accommodate long legs. The chairs, Amy could see from an unoccupied desk, had a high, wooden back that matched the bookcases, dark cherry fabric stretched from one post to the other. The seat was padded with the same fabric and held with gold rivets.
"Amy, hurry up!" Rose shouted, drawing Amy's attention farther up the table. She saw Rose standing and waving her arm.
"Holy hell, this library is massive! Have you seen the bookcases? They're so beautiful." Amy exclaimed as she hurried to her friends, quickly tucking into a seat, and emptying her backpack. "I've never seen anything so intricately crafted. The bookcases, the ladders, the desks, and chairs. And don't even get me started on the magic! I love this library!"
"I think I heard Mum mention these pieces are practically new. They've only been here for three years or so. The old furniture pieces were basically rotting away and the books themselves were in bad shape. But with some clever accounting, Headmistress McGonagall was able to set aside enough money over the years to get everything done over the course of one summer. The pieces were replaced with custom furniture, the space was opened and scrubbed clean, the books repaired or replaced, and new ones purchased. And according to Aunt Hermione, everything's going to be deep-cleaned and repaired during each school break to keep it from getting in bad condition again. They also revamped the organization and check-out and check-in systems. For an old school where Muggle technology largely can't be used, the card system from the nineties is the best way to go but certain areas did need to be adjusted to fit a school of magic. The cards don't need to be replaced - it's just one scrap of parchment that wipes itself clean when all of the slots get filled, which cuts down on the supplies the desks need to be stocked with so they can expand on the things we can buy. We can buy nearly everything we need right at the desk for just a few Knuts."
"Nearly everything? What don't they have? Do you think they have my paper?" Amy asked, holding up her binder to showcase her lined paper with reinforced holes. "I go through a lot and the reinforced holes are a huge help."
"I think they do. Pens, pencils, quills and ink, a variety of paper, even calculators. And they have catalogs for every shop in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, so you can place an order and get it delivered here. You don't need to wait for a school break to visit Diagon Alley and get more paper. They probably don't have the special quills or other expensive things, though."
"Brilliant! I'll have to keep that in mind. Good thing I kept a couple of Galleons with me, just in case."
Now ready for the next four hours, the group settled into studying. They had previously agreed on fifty-minute intervals with ten-minute breaks, switching subjects with each break so they were exposed to four new subjects.
Amy decided to begin with Third Period, Charms. She grabbed her copy of the appropriate book, opened the binder to the first page of paper, and selected a favored mechanical pencil. She flipped open the book to the first chapter - which, according to the Charms syllabus, would be the chapter covered on Monday - and began to read. Beside her, Mary pulled out a battery-powered cooking timer, which she set to fifty minutes.
It didn't take long before Amy is thoroughly engrossed in her studying. She's simply fascinated by the chapter, which teaches about the various wand movements she'll use this year, and how her movements affect the spell she is casting. It also teaches her the first spell, Flipendo. She smiles as she adds her own experience to the notes.
Fifty minutes ended quickly. Amy had just finished with the chapter when the alarm sounded. With sighs of relief, the group put away their textbooks and started to talk about what they had learned. While they did, Amy moved her Charms notes to the green folder and turned back to a fresh page. At the same time, Mary re-set the timer for their ten-minute break. At the end of it, the group selected a new subject and resumed their studying. Amy selected her Fourth Period, Defense Against the Dark Arts, turned to the first chapter and titled her notes to match.
Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed to be mostly about defending oneself against various magical creatures as well as other wizards. This book, being the first of seven, focused on magical creatures that were common and easy to deal with. The first chapter focused on one particular monster, Cornish Pixies. These tiny creatures were winged, blue-skinned with large eyeballs, sharp teeth and were particularly mischievous. They were found in nearly every wizarding attic or dark space and were easily removed when frozen with any sort of immobilizing jinx such as Immobulus or Patrificus Totalus.
The chapter about pixies was short, so Amy decided to trace in the picture offered. She had just finished bolding the outline of the pixie with a pen when the timer sounded its cry. Satisfied with her work for now, Amy put the page into a folder. But she paused when she realized she had opened the folder she had put the Charms notes in. Deciding on a quick course of action, she placed the Defense Against the Dark Arts notes into the light blue folder and turned the binder to the front, once more baring a fresh page of paper. This time she didn't discuss her learnings with her friends, she wrote out the titles of her classes in a large size cursive font and adjusted it look better. She then removed that paper, traced the outline of the letters in a bold black pen, erased the inner space and placed the sheet under a fresh one. She then re-traced the titles twice, carefully spacing them apart. Next, she selected eight markers and colored the titles in with the color that corresponds to the notebook and folder. Now done, she borrowed Mary's scissors and cut the papers into rectangular pieces. Borrowing Albus' packing tape - which everyone thought was an odd choice to bring to school - Amy carefully covered one title in a strip of tape, cut the tape at the end, and lined it up on the proper folder before securing it onto the surface. Admiring her handiwork, Amy nodded and repeated the steps until she had eight matching pairs of folders and notebooks.
Checking her work carefully, she made sure the colors were correct. She had placed a Charms label on a light blue folder and on the light blue notebook, Defense Against the Dark Arts had been placed on the yellow pair, Potions was red, History of Magic was pink, Transfiguration was purple, Herbology was green, Astronomy was white, and Flying was black.
Now organized, she resumed her studying. Since she had used most of the third session on the labels, she didn't start a new subject. Instead, she brought out her pixie notes and kept working on the diagram until the third hour was up. They had only one more hour before dinner was served, so Amy used the fourth session for Potions.
Potions, as it turned out, was exactly as it sounded. She would learn how to use magical ingredients - which varied from plants and herbs to parts of creatures both magical and not - to brew a potion which would carry out its unique purpose. She then would need to stir the concoction correctly, at the proper time of day and for the proper length before letting it sit for the given amount of time. Each potion was unique, Amy saw as she flipped forward, but thankfully not very difficult. The first chapter detailed how to procure each ingredient she would need this year as if she were finding the ingredient without the aid of a store, not learning a particular potion. Amy supposed she was happy with that. There was little doubt her studies in years to come would begin to teach her how to create new potions, and she would certainly need to know how to collect every ingredient she could need.
At the end of the fifty minutes, with dinner looming, the group packed their belongings and made their way back to their respective dormitories to put away their things before returning to the Great Hall for dinner.
As Amy, Scorpius and Albus made their way into the dungeons, Amy was glad to neither see nor hear a sign of Peeves, allowing the Hufflepuff and Slytherins to enter their common rooms in peace.
Dinner was a simple affair. Steak was on the menu tonight; various cuts were cooked in the best way for that cut, though without any seasonings. Sauces, seasoning salts, and other toppings were placed in individual bowls and labelled. To make themselves available to all of the students, the bowls floated in a line. Searching first for her entree on the tabletop, Amy found a small piece of beef wrapped in bacon on a plate among others of its kind, selected the juiciest one and moved it onto her plate. She carefully removed the stake from the bacon and cut into the meat. After a deliberating chew, she sighed and relaxed in her seat as she closed her eyes. Juicy and soft, the meat brought a new taste while the bacon was crispy and familiar. She opened her eyes, prepared to take another bite, but spotted a bowl of caramelized onions floating past. She quickly spooned some onto the steak, replaced the spoon to the bowl, and gathered some onion on the piece of meat she had on her fork. She took another bite and moaned, but something was still missing. She looked up once more, reading the labels on the bowls floating past, and found what she had been searching for. A few students to Amy's right flew a shaker of seasoning salt. She smiled and waited patiently, then snatched it out of the air when it came close enough. She gently sprinkled the steak and onions with it before putting it back in the line and letting go. Her third bite was perfection, and she ate greedily.
When the meat was gone, she cleaned her plate of the seasoned onions and emptied her goblet of orange juice. She watched everything float past for a few moments, giving her stomach time to settle, then she decided she was still hungry. She selected another piece of the bacon-wrapped meat, dressed it in seasoning salt and onions, and quickly ate the whole thing.
After a second goblet of orange juice, she pushed her plate and utensils away from her and realized some students had already left the table. She turned to Mary, who was sitting to her left, and told her she was going to bed. Mary stood to join her into the Great Hall, then they parted ways. As Amy descended the stone steps into the dungeons, she heard Arcane mewl and stopped. Her kitten came padding after her, looking quite exhausted. Amy smiled and bent to pick up the tiny kitten, placing her on her shoulder, before resuming her trek to dormitory.
She didn't get far, however, when someone stepped out from behind a corner. Amy froze in her tracks at the sight of black hair and hazel eyes. Her throat went dry and an ice-cold arrow of terror washed down her spine.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Emmaline crooned. "A little Mudblood come to make something of herself. Too bad she's going to fail before the week is out." She walked toward Amy until she stood within two feet of Amy. Emmaline's taller stature forcing Amy to look up to see her eyes. Amy dully heard Arcane start to growl.
"S-So this is w-w-where you've been." Amy stuttered, taking a step back towards the Great Hall. "M-Moving was just a cover."
"Actually, no. We did move - to London, actually - to be closer to King's Cross. I thought I was finally rid of you. Yet here we are. Fate has thrown us together once again. Oh well, I suppose it's for the best. Too bad it's not gonna last. You'll be running home to Staithes before Friday. You're not cut out for this place and you'll flunk out."
"You can't tell me what to do anymore."
"Oh? And why is that?" Amy had just opened her mouth to retort, but Emmaline cut her off. "Because of your friends? You think you're better than me because you're running around with a Potter, a Granger-Weasley, and a Malfoy? Guess what, darling, they're just humoring you. You're not actually friends with them. Who'd want to be friends with you? Honestly. You're nothing but a wannabe and you've never been good enough to deserve anything."
"I deserve-"
"You deserve nothing. And I'm going to give you the chance to prove it. I think you'll be so overwhelmed of Hogwarts and so scared of me that you'll run back home to your Mummy before Friday. But, if you don't, it won't help you. You may have toughed out a week, but it's just one week out of seven years, You'll break before the semester is out, and then you'll know I was right all along - you don't deserve anything you've been given."
"The one who decides that -"
"Is me. Did you forget how well I know you, Rosewood? Remember how we used to play together, until I saw how stupid you are? Your one and only friend, turned against you? I know you better than you know yourself, and I say you'll be packing your bags in five days time."
"You're saying a lot of stuff about blood status, but I don't see how you think you're better than everyone else. From what I can see, you're a Muggleborn, too. A Muggleborn who's bullying another Muggleborn for no reason."
"Don't presume to know me! You don't know anything about me. You don't know what I've been through. And I'm more of a pureblood than you think - both of my parents are half-bloods and they just didn't tell me about Hogwarts until I got my letter so I could live like a normal child. After all, it doesn't matter how you grew up, it matters who your parents are. And you, Rosewood, don't even have any parents. You're an orphan."
"Say what you want. You can't hurt me anymore. You - "
Amy hadn't seen it coming. She had finally found her voice again, ready to finally deal her own verbal abuse at her tormentor, when suddenly she was looking at the wall and a sound rang through the air. The sensations came slowly, and the shock was more painful than the sting on her cheek Emmaline's blow had created.
"I can hurt you whenever I want. I can do anything to you that I want. And don't you forget it." Emmaline hissed. A moment later, she was gone, leaving Amy alone in the darkness once more.