This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.
Harry and his friends begin classes at Hogwarts. They explore the castle and meet each of their teachers. The kids decide they don't like pumpkin juice. Moody makes a good impression in DADA and McGonagall works the 'puffs and 'claws in transfiguration. Then they get a tour of the library. When Draco has a meltdown, Harry and Neville talk to their head of house. This is when the boys begin to call each other by their first names.
Chapter 16 First DayThe first morning at Hogwarts, Harry was the first boy in the room awake. He slipped on his glasses as Hedwig fluffed up her feathers and quietly hooted. Her stand was near his bed where they could see each other without any interference during the night.
"Good morning to you too," Harry replied as he looked at the other beds – Neville in his bed next to Harry's was still asleep, and Justin in his bed further over, turned toward the wall to find a more comfortable position. There were just the three of them in this room; three other first year boys shared the room immediately across the hall. Each room had an ensuite with shower and tub as well as the other fixtures.
Crawling from under the covers, Harry found the things he needed for a shower and to brush his teeth. He quietly made it to the bathroom, showered, brushed and returned to dress before Neville passed him mumbling, "Good morning…"
Justin finally woke up and sat on the end of his bed waiting for Neville to emerge from the bath while listening to Harry ask Hedwig which books to carry in his backpack this morning when they went to the Great Hall.
"They didn't tell us what class would be first, and I don't want to carry all my books all day," the boy explained to his owl. She replied with more whistles and clicks than usual but Harry nodded.
"Okay, I'll just take a pen and paper to start a letter to Felicity before breakfast." He glanced at Justin and explained, "Hedwig says we're close enough to come back for the books we need before classes start."
Justin, who was not a morning person until he'd had his orange juice, just nodded. As Neville appeared and went to his wardrobe for the day's robes, Justin stumbled by to shower.
Neville frowned for a moment after Harry mentioned writing a letter to his guardian until the boy explained, "Hedwig said we got to tell everybody about the False Hat last night."
"Uh, you mean the 'False Chapeau'," Neville said to correct Harry.
"What's a chappo?" asked Harry, mispronouncing the word a bit.
"It's French and means 'hat'," Neville said. Finally, it struck the generally quiet boy just how vocal and helpful he'd been with the other children the previous day. He remembered Harry and Justin saying that 'he' was smart and they were glad to know him.
*(+++++)*
Scene: Parchment and QuillsThere were several first-year students gathered in the Hufflepuff Common Room when the three boys came down. A fourth-year student who was friendly, Cedric Diggory if Harry remembered correctly from the previous night, waved them over.
"Good morning! Sleep okay?"
"Yes," Justin replied. "We were worn out after the sorting last night."
Diggory nodded. "This is my fourth year and the Sorting Hat has never done a show like that before."
"I thought the music was strange," Neville said and he noticed that the others agreed with him, nodding and grinning. Again, a new sensation for the boy.
Harry asked, "When do we go to breakfast? I want to write a letter this morning too and thought I could do at the table after I eat."
"With parchment, quill and ink in the Great Hall?" asked Diggory. "That'll be a mess for sure."
"No, I…" Harry explained as he pulled out a biro and a pad of paper from his backpack, "…was going to write it on regular paper with this pen. There's no mess."
"Can I see the 'brido'?" asked Neville, mispronouncing the word. Harry handed the pen over to the boy who examined it closely before asking, "How do you get ink in this little thing?"
"The brio has lots of ink inside. It'll write a notebook full of pages before it runs out of ink."
"What's a notebook?" asked Diggory and Harry pulled the object out of his backpack to show. The older boy stared at the soft-cover book of blank paper.
"How do you get a sheet out without ripping it?"
"There are perforations along one side. You bend the paper along the perforations and it will tear out cleanly, most of the time," Harry explained as he demonstrated.
"Oh no… Not this again," lamented a new feminine voice that attracted the attention of the boys and Diggory. "Every year there's problems with muggle paper and 'quills' for the first couple weeks."
"Tonks," Cedric greeted the girl. "Guys, this is Miss Dora Tonks and she's a seventh-year prefect. Don't ever try to play a trick on her or she'll leave you tied up in broom closet over night! In the cold!"
"That only happened to you once, Diggory and you weren't even naked," the girl replied. "So, remember, it could always be worse."
"What's wrong with my brio and paper?" asked Harry.
Tonks sighed and explained, "There's nothing wrong. My Da is muggleborn and we live mostly in the muggle world so I love brios and real paper. But don't let Snape or McGonagall see them in their classrooms and you can't turn in any assignments written on 'paper'. The other professors don't mind if you use them for notes but for all assignments, you have to use parchment, quills and ink. The ink in brios won't write on the parchment; it's not wet enough."
"Professor Sprout will have class at night all week to get everyone used to working with quills," Diggory said. "Even purebloods have trouble with quills… I hate to think about the number of sheets of parchment I wasted learning how to write a zed (Z) in cursive."
Harry and Justin shared a look of concern and Neville agreed with the older boy that working with quills was very messy.
"When you get tired, you can smear an entire line and not realize it," Diggory continued. "And I'm left handed so I learned to write from left to right and then cast a spell that flips my writing over."
"Wow! That's brilliant!" Harry said.
"Yeah, I had to learn how to make the charm last for fourteen days."
"Why fourteen days?" asked Justin, now more awake but still wanting orange juice.
"All papers and assignments must be graded within fourteen calendar days by the professor who made the assignment or the student receives an automatic 'Acceptable' grade."
"There are exercises to strengthen your magic and that's necessary to cast spells to last for two weeks," Tonks explained. "Diggory, you were what… third year before you could make the transfiguration last two weeks?"
"It was second year! I came back to school in September that year strong enough to make the spell last two weeks."
Tonks grinned at the fourth year Puff and then back at the firsties before she added, "I've always said that rule of automatic 'Acceptable' is how some people pass at Hogwarts. The professors don't grade their papers so they can still come to school. Watch the fifth years and see who fails their OWL exams spectacularly."
Hedwig chirped a question. Harry nodded and translated, "Hedwig wants to know about the OWLs."
Diggory nodded and began the explanation saying, "When you are a fifth-year student, you take your OWL exams at the end of the year. 'OWL' stands for Ordinary Wizarding Level'. You have to pass at least three OWLS to be able to continue attending school, and you have to pass specific ones to take some of the classes in sixth year and seventh year."
"Tell 'em the bad part," Tonks chided Diggory.
The older boy nodded, "The ministry says you have to pass at least one OWL to remain a wizard. If anyone fails all their OWL exams, they have one chance to pass again but if they don't, then their magic is bound, their wand snapped, and they are sent to the muggle world to live."
"Does that happen to anyone?" asked Neville, suddenly fearful of his grandmother's plans once again.
"I've never heard of anyone failing all their OWLs!" Diggory said to alleviate the scared firstie.
Hedwig again chortled and flew to land on Neville's shoulder where she butted her head against his, making the boy reach up to stroke her feathers and making Harry laugh. "Hedwig says you're worried about nothing. You will ace any Herbology exam and probably write a new one before we finish our NEWTs."
"Wait, what're NEWTs?" asked Justin innocently. Tonks and Diggory both laughed.
"We'll tell you tomorrow morning…" replied Diggory.
"Come on firsties, I'll take you to the Great Hall for breakfast," said Tonks, leading the way toward the door.
As the group went out the door, Diggory asked, "Potter, how does your owl talk to you?"
A chorus of voices answered, "Magic!"
*(+++++)*
Scene: Pumpkin Juice is Nasty"What is this stuff?" Justin asked quietly as he placed the cup of juice back on the table after a single sip. "It's horrible!"
The Puffs arrived as a group of mixed years at the doorway to the Great Hall. They'd picked up three Gryffindor students along the way who wanted the safety of the group. Once in the hall, the different houses and different ages separated and moved to their unofficial places at the house tables.
The firstie Puffs looked for something to drink and the cups appeared on the table in front of them. Harry and Justin were instantly dubious about the orange-coloured liquid; they smelled it and tasted it before quickly putting down the cups and pushing them back to the centre of the table.
"That's pumpkin juice," Neville explained. "Hogwarts and St. Mungo's use it as a way to get children to take their potions."
"Potions?" asked Harry. "I took mine back in the room."
"Well as nasty as it tastes, I see how it hides the taste of potions," agreed Justin.
Harry saw Hermione entering the Great Hall with the other first year Ravenclaws and he turned around on the bench and waved to her.
"Good morning, Miss Granger."
Smiling happily, Hermione returned the greeting, "Hello, Mr. Potter. How are you this morning?"
"I'm great but we're talking about the pumpkin juice and I wondered if you'd read anything about Hogwarts giving us potions every morning?"
"I haven't read that… Let me ask around."
The girl began building her network in Ravenclaw while Harry went to Miss Tonks and then to Professor Sprout for information.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Sprout welcomed him. "I'll have your schedule for you shortly."
"Okay, Professor Sprout, but I wanted to ask about potions in the pumpkin juice. My guardian has me on nutritional potions and she said that I can't take double potions," Harry explained.
"I did receive a letter from Healer Grossman that I shared with Healer Troutman about your potion regimen. Let me see…" Pomona said as she cast a spell at the cup harry had set on the table in front of her.
The Hufflepuff head of house watched the results of her detection spell and began to frown. Seeing the deputy headmistress entering the Great Hall, Sprout told Harry not to drink the pumpkin juice, thanked him for his concern, and intercepted Minerva before she sat down.
Back at his spot at the table, Harry motioned Hermione close as he explained to Neville, Justin, and the Ravenclaw what Sprout told him about not drinking the pumpkin juice. They quickly spread the word and soon even Gryffindor and Slytherin students were pushing their cups away from their plates.
Watching the staff table, Harry saw Professor McGonagall summon a house elf who appeared with a tray of cups filled with pumpkin juice. The deputy headmistress cast detection spells and then frowned. She spoke briefly with Healer Troutman who turned bright red before drawing out a potion bottle and downing the contents. He pushed his empty pumpkin juice cup to the middle of the table as well.
Professor McGonagall spoke to another elf and suddenly all the cups of pumpkin juice began disappearing from all the tables to be replaced with pitchers of milk and orange juice, as well as pots of tea with cream and sugar.
*(+++++)*
"When you examine each student for vaccinations and such, scan them for illegal mind or mood-altering potions as well," McGonagall instructed Troutman. "A potion to believe that every word the headmaster spouts is gospel is not an approved nutritional potion!"
"You know who has to be brewing these concoctions for Albus, don't you?" Filius asked now that he'd arrived for breakfast and been updated on the morning's discovery.
Minerva glanced at Severus who was keeping his own counsel this morning, attempting to avoid the pending eruption from Mount Saint Minerva. But the deputy headmistress remained silent while gathering information.
At the other end of the table, Remus was mentally kicking himself – all these years he'd thought pumpkin juice smelled okay but left a nasty after-taste.
*(+++++)*
"Yes! Orange juice!" rejoiced Justin while Harry and Neville each had a cup of milk and then a second one of the juice. Hermione and Padma each had juice with their breakfast and all over the Great Hall, the students began eating while the four Heads of House walked the length of the tables to hand out the schedule of classes for the next three months.
"Well, this won't be so bad," Harry said. "We'll only have two practical classes on Saturdays… Potions and Charms one Saturday, and then Transfiguration and DADA the second Saturday.
"And we get DADA first thing this morning with Miss Granger and the other Ravenclaws," Neville said, reading the schedule.
*(+++++)*
Scene: DADA ClassAfter breakfast was cleared from the table, Harry proof read the letter he was writing to Felicity, Hagrid, Flat, Swampy, Death, and Whatcha. He knew Felicity would also share the letter with Ironstream.
"Why are you printing the letter?" asked Justin as he and Neville waited for Harry. The 'claws left to return to their tower for their books but the 'puffs had a shorter trip to their dorm so the boys waited on Harry.
Thinking carefully about his answer, Harry explained, "I have friends who are learning to read English. Cursive writing is harder to read – especially mine. If I print the letters carefully, they can sound out the words with help from Felicity and Hagrid."
"Who doesn't read English in Britain?" asked Neville.
Justin shrugged but suggested, "Maybe the goblins? My father was intrigued that there is another banking system in the kingdom that's not connected to the pound or the Euro. He talked a bit with the goblins about opportunities but I don't know what happened."
Hedwig hooted holding out her leg for the letter. Harry folded the paper, placed it inside the charmed envelope and then tied it to his owl's leg.
"Have a good flight, Hedwig. Tell the babies I said I miss them… and Hagrid!"
"What did you write in your letter?" asked Justin.
"I wrote that I'm making friends in other houses but thought I'd been sorted into the best house, Hufflepuff!"
"Yeah, 'puffs!" agreed Justin. "Say, can Miss Hedwig carry a letter to my Mother and Father tomorrow?"
Harry nodded. "Sure. She'll be back tonight or tomorrow. Let her rest a bit and then she can carry your letter."
"Want to send a letter home, Mr. Longbottom?" asked Justin and the other boy shook his head.
"I have to send one once a week but I'll wait a couple days," replied Longbottom. Nothing that had happened so far would be of any interest to his grandmother.
*(+++++)*
The trio hurried to their dorm to gather their DADA books, paper and brios – even Neville wanted to try the muggle ink pens and paper. They left with the other firsties for the classroom on the third floor and even though the staircases did move about a bit, they made it to class with time to spare.
Susan, Hannah, Sally and a couple other girls took seats in a row, so the boys took the seats across the aisle from them with Zacharias Smith, Ernie McMillian, and Joseph Martin. Harry had not spent any time talking to the three boys last night or today but he listened to the conversations between the purebloods – Bones, Smith, McMillian.
"So, Bones, are you going to be the first Dark Lady from Hufflepuff?" teased Smith. "My family will be shocked to hear that the Bones family is going dark."
"Like you could find the dark in a dark room," Hannah replied. "Susan Bones is not dark but you're a dork!"
"What's a dork?" asked McMillian while the pureblood Smith turned red.
"It's a muggle expression that means he isn't just a jerk, but he's a stupid, bumbling jerk," explained Sally. The other girls had worked hard to make the muggle-born feel welcomed today and she was determined to defend Susan and Hannah.
"Already got a minion there, Bones?" Smith teased.
Harry frowned, remembering how Dudley teased and taunted him about friends, being a 'freak'…
"Leave off, Smith," growled Harry. "Bones is not a Dark Lady."
Zacharias Smith, with a family claim to descent from Helga Hufflepuff, intended to rule her house before his seventh year. He'd decided to stake his claim to ruling the firsties early by dismantling Susan Bones, who was the only serious competition in his eyes to dominating their year. He turned to stare at the muggle-raised Potter – the almost mudblood wouldn't understand pureblood manners or politics.
"Ah… the poor little boy-who-lived speaks. Do I have to tremble in my shoes when you squeak?"
Harry stood from his seat and took a step toward Smith, "That's Mr Potter to you, 'Mr Smith'. If you are going to introduce yourself by being rude, I'll insist on you keeping to proper names."
To challenge the upstart Potter, Zach would have to stand and see if any of the other firsties moved to stand with him. He hesitated for a moment and then, Bones, Longbottom and McMillan stood up and joined Potter. Hannah whispered to the other girls who quickly rose to support Harry while Justin and Joseph scrambled from their seats to stand with Harry.
Zacharias frowned. His year-mates were united behind Potter and now he'd have to start at the bottom of the totem pole to earn a higher place in Hufflepuff. The boy wisely turned back toward the front of the room and remained silent as the 'claws arrived.
The two groups of students were well-behaved now that the drama in Hufflepuff's ranks was settled. The Ravenclaws would not begin ranking each other until they had grades to compare.
*(+++++)*
Harry was looking around the room for signs of the mysterious DADA professor when the scarred veteran of the Dark Lord's insurrection and the earlier wars with Grindelwald appeared at the lecture without the ping of apparition.
The tall man with the ruined face didn't smile or frown – Harry wondered if the man could do either with the number of scars on his face. An artificial eye swirled around while the professor twirled his wand in his hand.
"I have been told that my manner is too brusque for the sensitive feelings of little children…"
The wizard sniffed a best he could with only part of a nose. Silence permeated the classroom as Auror Alistair Moody, tilted his head first to the left and then to the right, looking at each of his students and their possessions.
In his early class of seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors, two seventh-years from Slytherin and one from Gryffindor had dared to enter his classroom with rings bearing dark magic. He'd summoned the wands of the three boys, then summoned their rings, summoned the students and left them glued to the chalk board for almost an hour. Moody spent the balance of class time discussing the error of their ways. He'd also sent the items through the flue to Amelia Bones at the DADA. She could deal with the unhappy daddies; Alistair would just duel and kill the wizards for sending their children into Hogwarts with the cursed rings.
'I am going to check the ward stones too,' he decided as he stared at the silent – some scared and some interested – first year 'claws and 'puffs.
He held up his wand and began, "This is a dangerous weapon. Each of you carries one. When you are away from school, keep your wand with you at all times. When you are in school, keep your wand with you at all times; in bed, in the shower, at the table eating breakfast, in the loo…"
There were a few smiles on a few faces; he nodded, 'Good not scared stiff but watching me.'
"Do not point this weapon at another person unless you intend to use it to stop them from harming you or illegally attacking another person, be they wizard, squib, muggle, or creature."
Harry scribbled a few notes but kept his attention on the professor.
"Potter!" Moody called out and Harry's head popped up. "Tell me something important about a wizard's wand?"
"You never let anyone take your wand away from you."
Moody's eyebrows rose with surprize. "Did you read my notes already Potter?"
"No sir, but someone I trust told me that was the first rule of being a wizard."
"Good rule," Moody commented.
"All of you think for a minute about pictures of witches and wizards in battle. How the description of the victory or defeat always mentions the wands used or lost," the professor said gently. "A wizard without his wand is a dead wizard. A witch who loses her wand in the opening minutes of a fight won't live to see the end of the fight."
Suddenly he barked, "Bones, how does a witch protect her wand?"
"With a wrist holster that keeps the wand in my hand, charms to hide the wand, and a bullock's buster charm to disarm the wizard who is stupid enough to attack me," the strawberry blonde replied as she glanced at Zachariah Smith for a second.
There were horrified looks on the faces of several witches among the 'claws but the other Hufflepuff witches made notes to ask about Susan's spell.
"Good start, good start," Moody replied. He'd watched the earlier powerplay by the Smith boy under an invisibility charm and knew he'd lay a good foundation with the 'puffs this year.
*(+++++)*
"I really like Professor Moody," Harry told the others as they walked to the next class. "He knows his spells and how to fight!"
Zacharias hung back, but Neville and Justin encouraged the boy to join the whole group of 'puffs and 'claws as they went down one staircase and through a crowded hallway searching for the transfiguration classroom.
They crossed paths with the Slytherin firsties who travelled in two separate groups; the group in front consisted of students avoiding Draco Malfoy and the second group that seemed to enjoy the boy's monologue about how Malfoys handled crowds, classes, and professors.
The 'puffs and 'claws greeted the first group of Slytherins including Greengrass, Davis, Bulstrode, Nott, and Zambini. While the Slytherins were reserved, they did nod and ask about the DADA class. Once Malfoy's group joined them, the blonde boy attempted to direct the conversation toward the shame of mixing with 'mudbloods, half-bloods, and blood traitors.'
The two groups parted quickly with no one paying attention to the pontificating boy.
Then the 'puffs and 'claws began to meet the stream of Gryffindor's who dribbled from the direction of the transfiguration classroom toward the DADA classroom. The two girls walked together but two of the boys were far behind them in single file. Just as they crossed another hallway, the red headed Gryffindor firstie burst out of the loo, barrelling through the 'puffs.
"Out of my way!" he bellowed. "I'm gonna be late! Move!"
Harry and Justin made certain everyone in their group was on their feet and uninjured while the Gryffindor mouth was long gone.
"I wish a prefect would show up when he's screaming like that," Hannah Abbot said.
"Didn't Professor Sprout say we should always stick together in the hallways?" asked Justin.
"So did Tonks and Diggory," Susan confirmed.
"Maybe they can learn…," said Neville. "We'll have to talk to them."
*(+++++)*
Scene: Transfiguration ClassAgain, Harry led the way into a new classroom with his wand drawn. He scanned the room for threats but only saw a grey tabby sitting on the teacher's desk. The cat yawned and stretched, attempting to reduce the boy's wariness, but Harry smiled and whispered to the other puffs before they retreated to the hallway.
Hermione didn't take a seat but came to the door to talk to Harry.
"Mr Potter, what's wrong?" she asked.
"That cat seems strange."
Granger looked over her shoulder at the cat who was staring at the students at the door with an abnormal intensity. "She does seem a bit focused on us."
"Isn't there a type of transfiguration to turn a person into an animal?" whispered Justin. "I read it in the transfiguration text book."
"I don't know…" admitted Hermione.
Harry shook his head, "We'll know everything if we work together Miss Granger."
"Okay," the girl agreed. "Is that Professor McGonagall?"
"Maybe," Neville offered.
"So, here's what we do," Harry said with a grin. He called for a house elf and the little creature popped away and back almost immediately with the requested items that it handed to Harry, Justin, Neville, Ernie, Joseph, and Zach.
Hermione returned to her seat but shook her head when Padma and the other girls tried to question her. Suddenly the boys walked into the room and went to the teacher's desk.
"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall," greeted Harry as he rolled a ball of yarn across the desktop. The cat's ears twitched but she didn't react.
Neville was next and he rolled his ball across the table in front of the cat while saying, "I'm looking forward to class, professor."
Ernie, Joseph and Zach rolled balls of yarn across the desk as the cat began reaching out a paw to bat the each ball of yarn back at the boy.
When Justin stepped up last, he swung the ball of yarn over the cat's head saying, "Good afternoon, professor."
The temptation proved too much and the cat leapt up to catch the ball of yarn just as the time for class began. The boy ran to a nearby seat as the cat batted the ball of yarn off the desk. Every student could see the cat wanted to chase after the balls of yarn but it resumed the original position in the centre of the desk for a moment, then blinked and stepped off the desk transforming into the tall, grey-haired teacher before reaching the floor.
"I can only assume Moody's been preaching 'constant vigilance' already," she said. "I applaud your situational awareness and will never discourage it. Transfiguration allows witches and wizards to transform objects. The animagus transformation is advanced spells that you may begin to study in your sixth year."
"Today, we will begin examining the ability to transform small, inanimate objects into a different object of the same size."
Hermione's hand was already up and McGonagall called on the girl.
"Professor, are transfigurations permanent?"
McGonagall replied, "Different types of transfiguration have different results. If you transfigure a wooden chair into a small table of the same size, it may last for years. That's transfiguration of like-for-like."
"One of the best-known examples of like-for-like transfiguration are the statues in the centre of the Ministry for Magic's atrium. The gold statues were transfigured by an artist using raw gold from a mine in Wales. They've stood there for almost one hundred years without change."
"But all transfigurations eventually revert to their original state."
After McGonagall introduced the day's lesson of transforming match sticks into silver needles, Harry asked, "Professor, does this exercise teach us more than a transfiguration spell?"
"Yes, Mr Potter, five points to Hufflepuff. This transfiguration makes you reach into your magic and begins the exercises to strengthen your connection to your magic. These exercised make your magic stronger."
As the 'claws and 'puffs began practicing the wand movements and the incantation, McGonagall quietly walked up and down the rows of students offering encouragement and direction. When she came to Harry Potter's desk, the boy handed her a nice, silver needle.
"That was very quick Mr. Potter," she said. "Can you do it again?"
She handed him another match and she watched as the boy's wand popped from this wrist holder, and he cast the incantation and movements exactly as she'd instructed.
The match stick turned into a silver needle with very little trouble. She picked up the needle again, aware that the other students now watched her closely.
"Very good Mr Potter, five points for Hufflepuff."
McGonagall drew out another match and placed it on the desktop again. "This time, I want you to create an image in your mind of a decorated needle. Cover the needle with calligraphy, flowers, any form of decoration."
Before the end of class, Hermione, Ernie, Padma, Justin, and Susan were able to transfigure their match sticks into needles. They each earned five points for their house.
Harry had created a needle with an intricate design of a flying owl that earned his house another five points. But Neville's spell work ignited each of the matches the professor placed on his desk, and the boy sighed, fearing the label 'squib' would be thrown his way again.
McGonagall stared at desk with the scorch marks on it – the young wizard had power that much was evident. He lacked focus.
'His wand!' she realized. 'It shows sign of wear and other scorch marks – Augusta Longbottom, I'll strangle you! The boy didn't get his own wand!'
"Mr Longbottom, may I have word while the others wait in the hallway."
She addressed the class, "After eating lunch, wait in the Great Hall for the Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater. She will escort both the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs to the library for your tour. Listen to Madam Pince carefully."
When the others were out the door – Potter and Finch-Fletchley remained visible in the doorway – McGonagall asked, "Mr Longbottom, where did you get the wand you're using?"
The boy blushed and explained, "My grandmother said if I was truly a wizard, I would use my father's wand and make something of myself."
Minerva nodded her head. "Just as I thought. Mr Longbottom, I will speak to Professor Sprout about taking you to Ollivander's for your own wand on Saturday if possible. Your father was a great Auror but his wand certainly isn't tuned to your magic. That was his third wand."
"Really?" Neville asked, looking at the wand as if he'd never seen it before that moment.
"Frank burned out his first wand during his OWLs. He broke the second one in a battle with Deatheaters in Diagon Alley when he was twenty." She pointed to the wand in Neville's hand and said, "I believe your mother took him to Gregorovitch on the continent for his third wand."
"My Mom and Dad…" Neville whispered holding the wand closer.
"It is an heirloom but you must have your own wand; they would be proud of you in any case."
Neville nodded, "Yes professor. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mr Longbottom. Now your friends are waiting for you and Madam Pince will not tolerate tardiness."
*(+++++)*
Scene: The LibraryAfter a pleasant lunch in the Great Hall, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw firsties were escorted to the Hogwarts Library by Miss Clearwater, the fifth-year prefect from Ravenclaw. The children followed the pleasant young witch and outside the heavy door, she paused and admonished them, "The librarian allows you to talk within the library but you must use a low voice and never interrupt the other students. There are seventh year students who have already begun projects that will help determine their livelihoods after graduation and we can't interrupt them."
The stern witch stood in the centre of the hallway with great stacks of books reaching as far as the children could see.
"Welcome to the Hogwarts Library," she said quietly. "I am Irma Pince, and I am the librarian. It is my pleasure and duty and pleasure to help you find the books with the information you need to grow as wizards and witches. It is also my duty to protect these books, scrolls and hand-written tomes."
She motioned toward a large card catalogue that dwarfed anything the muggleborn had seen in school or public libraries and certainly dwarfed anything the purebloods had seen at home in their protected libraries. Then she led them to another door, deep in the library. After ushering them inside, she gestured to the tables, chairs and glass enclosures holding about fifty books.
"This is a new room in the library this year," Pince explained to the firsties. "We're calling it the Reading Room, because the books in this room cannot be removed from the room for any reason."
"What if Hogwarts is on fire?" asked Michael Corner.
"The library has an autonomous set of wards that I control as Librarian," Pince announced. "The fire suppression ward is fully charged. Just as the ward against theft and mischievousness in the stacks. Mr. Potter's father learned in the first week of his first year that no one plays pranks in the library."
"Now, if you wish to read a copy of one of these books…" the stern librarian indicated a set of books behind a glass, "…you will call for an elf and the house elf will provide you with a copy. When you are finished reading, you can pass the book to another student in the room or place it on the table top and it will vanish."
"Is it legal to make copies of the book?" asked Hermione. "Who are these elves you refer to?
"Quiet!" Pince snapped at the girl who blushed and fell silent. "In 1844, during the reign of Queen Victoria, the Wizengamot made an exception to copyright laws within the walls of this library for out-of-print books. The house elves can make you copies of the books in this room for your use within this room."
Before anyone could ask additional questions, the librarian led the students out of the reading room and back to the check-out desk to explain the process for checking out other books to carry to their dormitories to read.
*(+++++)*
Pince concluded the tour by talking about the broad number of subjects stored in the library.
"We have scrolls written between the Sorcerer Merlin and the Witch Morgana le Fey arguing about the origins of magic. This valuable correspondence is in our historical section along with the original drafts of the treaty eventually signed by King Charles II and the first Minister for Magic, Ambrose Fleamont."
Each child could hear the love that the librarian kept fresh in her heart for the valuable works in this collection.
"There are illustrated books from Spain that were written by hand before the witches and wizards fled the inquisition for Britain and Morocco, other ancient scrolls from Roman."
"Madam Pince, can we read them?" asked Hermione politely when the librarian paused to take a breath.
Pince looked the girl in the eye and nodded before explaining, "When you have reached the proper place in your studies, the Library will prompt me to take you to the appropriate books, if they are from Merlin or from Allison Featherwrinkle."
"Who is Featherwrinkle?" asked Justin.
"She was the witch in the later part of the 1880s who created and documented the household charms that everyone uses today," replied Pince. "The charms to make your bed, wash your dishes…"
"Balderdash!" called a voice from behind the doors. "That's what house elves are for! The woman just copied the elves and made a fortune that her grandchildren squandered on mudbloods."
The librarian and the students turned toward the loud voice and found Draco Malfoy with his pair of thugs bracketed around him standing just inside the door. The young witch who had been labelled as a thug was nowhere to be seen.
Ignoring the other students, Draco sauntered forward and sniffed dismissively at the 'claws and 'puffs before turning to Madam Pince. "You, librarian, I need a copy of Effective Defence Against Muggles. Bring it to me…" Draco paused as he looked about the room and pointed to an occupied table near a bright window, "…over there."
He glanced at his thugs and said, "Convince the mudblood sitting there to move before I arrive."
The two boys stepped in the direction of the table immediately while Harry and the others watched the librarian draw her wand and begin casting a few spells.
*(+++++)*
Draco was silenced though his mouth began to open and close as though he were shouting. The two thugs ran from the library as silent hexes stung their posteriors. The seventh-year 'puff, Roger Heathcliff, glanced up from the latest draft of his proposal to improve the apparition spell but immediately returned to his work.
Flitwick, McGonagall and Pince agreed with Sprout that the Hufflepuff's seventh-year project held great promise to offer a breakthrough in apparition that could be used around the world. They were supporting his research and testing this year and they would help him publish his work in the spring, before graduation.
*(+++++)*
"Who is this Slytherin?" asked Pince asked the 'claws and 'puffs still waiting for her tour of the library to conclude.
When no one else would speak, Harry admitted, "His name is Draco Malfoy."
Draco turned an interesting shade of red to have his name spoken aloud by a half-blood. He attempted to draw his wand and Pince summoned it from his hand. The boy continued to rage – silently – while Pince sent a Patronus message. The image of owl appeared near the librarian for a moment before it sped away through the walls.
Professor Snape arrived in the library shortly but his face was red with exertion or anger, the students were not certain of which. Irma Pince calmly informed him of the words and actions of his first year Slytherin student without any characterization of 'Gryffindor' or 'thug' though she could tell that the Potions professor inserted the descriptive terms himself as he listened. An alumnus of Slytherin herself, she could tell that Snape was truly 'hearing' her disappointment and anger that a member of her house could act in such a public manner.
Finally, Pince summoned the boy from the corner where she'd placed him and all the students could see that he was still angry rather than fearful of punishment.
"What do you suggest for punishment?"
"He is banned from the library for twenty school days and the weekend days as well. Before he can return to the library, he must give me a sincere apology in front of yourself and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall."
Pince looked at Snape and said, "I suggest you find some way make him understand that he must curb the characteristics he exhibits of another house. The true Slytherins in the castle will not tolerate this for long."
With that her magic pushed Draco from the library. Snape followed him, removed the silencing spell, and immediately began dragging the boy away though he protested and continued to threaten the librarian.
Shaking her head in disappointment, Pince turned back to her captive audience. She held up Draco's wand for them to see.
"I imagine that at some point Mr Malfoy will realize that he left his wand behind in the library. He might have trouble with his lessons in charms, transfiguration and DADA without this…"
"Professor Moody told us to never allow anyone else to take our wands," said Maria Edgecombe from the group of Ravenclaw girls.
Pince nodded. "Moody's advice is sound. Another piece of advice, don't pick a fight with an opponent who can wipe the desktops with you without breaking a sweat."
"Now, where were we?" the librarian said as she concluded their tour.
*(+++++)*
"Harry…" Neville wanted to talk with his new friend about what they'd seen happen with Draco Malfoy but he slipped up and called the boy-who-lived by his given name without permission. They had returned to the Hufflepuff dorms in the dungeons before dinner and were dropping off their book bags.
Neville glanced over to see Harry with a grin on his face, so he asked, "Can I call you Harry?"
"Yes!" Harry responded. "I wondered how long we had to go with 'Mr. Snuffles' and 'Miss Kitty' before we could use first names!"
"Who is 'Mr Snuffles? And I know we don't have anyone named 'Miss Kitty'," Neville asked.
"I was making fun…" Harry began to say when he saw that Neville was fighting to keep from grinning.
"Good one, Neville!" Harry admitted. "Miss Granger still has my book on pureblood etiquette and I wanted to look up how soon we could change."
"Well, it won't change with the Slytherins or most of the upper year student even in our house. We can get away with calling them just by the last name, like 'Tonks', but not 'Dora'."
"Do the professors ever call us by our first names?" asked Harry.
Neville shook his head and said, "I don't think so. All grownups will call you 'Mr Potter 'in public and private until you are grown and you form friendships with them."
"But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Longbottom whispered, once again serious.
"Okay," Harry said and sat on his bed to let Neville speak. But his friend remained silent and Harry grew concerned, "What's the matter? Is it something awful?"
"Do you think Snape will beat Malfoy?" asked Neville in a whisper, afraid to say the words aloud.
Harry froze as memories of his uncle's heavy hand and belt came to mind. The number of times his aunt swung at him with a frying pan or pot was well remembered. His cousin's fists and kicks…
Neville's words stumbled out and into the air, "My… my gran and uncle still use a cane when they think I misbehave or speak out of turn…"
"Me too," Harry confessed without looking at his friend. "Where I lived before Felicity took me… my aunt and uncle hit me a lot too."
"Malfoy's a jerk but still…" Neville said as he rubbed his arm remembering when it was sore from his gran's jerking him up from the floor when he was little.
"What do we do?" asked Harry.
Neville shook his head while Hedwig chose that moment to fly into the room.
"How does she get into the dungeons?" Neville asked while Harry merely shrugged before the young wizard began explaining to his familiar about the scene in the library. The owl was silent for a moment and then chirped a short question.
"Yes, he called the other student a 'mudblood'," Harry explained. "Madam Pince banned Malfoy from the library for the whole of October but left any other punishment up to Professor Snape."
Harry paused but then added, "We're scared that Professor Snape will beat him."
Hedwig looked at Neville and chirped another question that Harry translated, "She wants to know if you were beaten."
"Yes, Miss Hedwig. My gran and my uncle hit me, not as much now as when I was smaller," Neville admitted. "Harry told me that his aunt and uncle…"
The owl fluffed up all her feathers and then flew over to Harry's bed where she paced back and forth on the covers for a minute. Then she turned to Harry and chirped a long message.
"Hedwig says we go to Professor Sprout now and ask her to if students get beatings from other professors. We can try and get her to talk to Snape… maybe McGonagall about talking to Professor Snape not to beat Draco."
Neville nodded, "We could say that Malfoy should get detention with a different professor every night October and the professors talk to the boy about how it was wrong…"
*(+++++)*
The two boys with Hedwig flying behind them found Dora Tonks in the common room.
"Professor Sprout will be in her office with her seventh-year project students now," Tonks explained. The two firsties with the owl took off at a run before the prefect could dissuade them. "But she's really busy and won't want to be… interrupted…"
*(+++++)*
Sprout's office door was closed and Harry knocked before trying the door knob. It was locked and he knocked again, just as the door opened. It was the student from the library, Roger Heathcliff, who smiled at the boys and the owl.
"Already in trouble on the first day of classes?" he teased; tonight, he was going to celebrate quietly with a few friends because the committee of professors agreed that he was on track to create a new spell for apparition before graduation.
He called over his shoulder but kept a smile on his face, "Professor Sprout, there are a couple firsties with their owl here to see you."
Heathcliff noticed the look the two boys exchanged before he glanced back into the office to add, "It looks pretty serious."
"Come in boys," Sprout called from her desk. "I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Heathcliff."
The seventh-year wizard hurried to the dorm to return the book bag to his dorm room before heading to supper with the other students. Professor Sprout was sitting behind her desk as she straightened a set of papers that she carefully placed inside a large envelope labelled 'Heathcliff'.
"Mr Longbottom, Mr. Potter, Miss Hedwig, what brings you to my office this first evening?" she asked curiously.
The two boys took turns telling the story about Draco's expulsion from in the library and why they were concerned about what would happen to the boy. About halfway through the story, Pomona flicked her wand and cast a privacy spell. The portraits in her office were frozen in place and all noise from outside the office ceased.
"And what is it you want me to do?" the witch asked when the two boys ended their story about Draco and their own history of heavy-handed guardians.
Hedwig began chortling and she only stopped when the professor's face grew impatient. Harry translated for his familiar, "Hedwig says that if adults beat Malfoy enough, it'll help turn him into a Dark Lord."
"But he is in a different house," Sprout replied. "It is very hard for me to interfere. Professor Snape is responsible for…"
"Excuse me, professor, but if Susan Bones is worthy of saving from being a Dark Lady, then Draco Malfoy must be saved to," Neville said though his voice was a little shaky.
Harry nodded his head and continued, "We don't think students should be hit or caned."
Neville whispered, "It only makes you hate them…"
"No one beats or canes students at Hogwarts," Pomona assured the boys. "The professors won't allow it and the headmaster is adamantly against corporal punishment of any kind."
Aggravated but proud of the two 'puffs at the same time, Pomona Sprout stared at them for a moment… and then the owl before the professor smiled, rose from her desk and said, "Well… come along. I shall speak with Professor Snape during dinner and confirm that there was no beating."
*(+++++)*
During the dessert course, Pomona slipped from her seat to stand and speak with Severus. After casting a privacy spell that included Snape, Troutman and herself, Sprout explained that two of her 'puffs had inquired about Draco's fate.
"And why would any Badger care about a Slytherin?"
"They both have been beaten by their relatives…"
"Every small child's behaviour requires correction and sometimes…"
Troutman interjected his news at this point, "The boys have scars and histories of broken bones, Severus. Both are heirs of noble houses and both were tortured by their relatives before coming to Hogwarts."
Shocked, Severus muttered, "Potter and Longbottom?"
Sprout nodded and the Potions master replied, "Tell both boys that Draco has not been beaten or caned. I will not tell his father of the incident but will ask Professor McGonagall to help me talk with Draco."
"Thank you, Severus," Pomona said before returning to her pudding.
*(+++++)*
Scene: Harry's Letter HomeIn London, Felicity Grossman finished updating her appointment book and reports when the door to her office opened to allow Hedwig to fly into the room. The owl landed on the window sill, and hooted excitedly, holding up her leg.
The owl's hoots were excited, but not distressed. "Drink water and eat some treats, Hedwig. Let me read the letter and then we'll go down and visit Hagrid and his children."
The healer opened the charmed envelope and pulled out the muggle paper. She read the letter quickly for highlights and then read it slowly for all the details.
A knock on her door revealed Ironstream and three other goblins, all anxious to hear the news from Hogwarts.
"He's in Hufflepuff with several people who will be friends. There was a commotion during the sorting with a fake hat that Dumbledore's phoenix and Hedwig confounded…"
"Come, we'll go to the dungeons and you can read the letter aloud for goblins, Hagrid, and his 'children'," Ironstream said leading the way to a cart that sped deep under the bank.
"Did a letter come?" asked Hagrid as Hedwig flew into the underground chamber where the four young dragons called with owl-like hoots to greet their friend.
"Healer Grossman will read the letter aloud to everyone," Ironstream said. He glanced about and instructed one of the other goblins to make certain there were comfortable seats installed here for goblins and witches in the future.
"The dog will sleep on the chairs," the goblin rebutted the chieftain.
"The dragons think the dog is their mother. I dare say the dog can chew on your head for the next hour and no one will speak ill of him."
The goblin stepped behind the others but he would see that chairs of various sizes were brought into the chamber.
The Felicity began to read:
Dear Family (Felicity, Ironstream, Hagrid, Flat, Swampy, Killer and Whatcha)
I miss you but have lots of exciting news to tell you. I got sorted into Hufflepuff after meeting lots of kids on the Express. My head of house is Professor Sprout and my two roommates are Neville Longbottom and Justin Fletch-Finchley. We are different – Neville is a pureblood raised by his grandmother. I'm the half-blood raised by muggles and then rescued by Hagrid, goblins and the world's best healer. Justin is a muggle-born wizard who doesn't think there were any other magical people in his family.
I have transfiguration this morning and 'defence against the dark arts' that everybody calls 'DADA'. Our professors are Minerva McGonagall for transfiguration and an Auror named Alistair Moody. He's got a wooden leg and a magical eye!
Tomorrow, I have potions, charms and herbology with Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout.
The food is good and I know Whatcha would like the pudding last night – it was chocolate cake.
Justin Fletch-Finchley just said that I need to tell you more about the sorting. There was a 'False Chapeau' (I can't pronounce that second word but Neville Longbottom helped me spell it and Hermione Granger says she'll teach me French.
The fake hat sang a strange song in Swedish and Professor McGonagall asked what the headmaster what he'd done to the hat. That's when the fire bird they say is a phoenix appeared in the Great Hall with the real Sorting Hat. Hedwig and the phoenix threw the fake hat around above the tables. The hat yelled about being too young to be an owl's nest and he wanted his union representative. I had to explain that to all the purebloods a couple times.
Swampy interrupted the reading for a minute as she asked Hedwig a couple questions in owl. The answer took some time but the dragons appeared to be laughing as Hedwig demonstrated her flight to pass the fake hat to the phoenix.
"I never thought to hear dragons laughing," Ironstream whispered to Healer Grossman.
"I'll make sure to mention it in my letter to Harry," she said before returning to reading Harry's letter.
The fake hat kept singing strange songs in Swedish and German. He said he'd have to sing about somebody named Carmen before the night was over but I don't think he did.
When the Sorting Hat and Professor McGonagall finally got around to sorting us, the fake hat kept labelling each kid before they were sorted. The niece of the Bones lady was called a 'Dark Lady in Training' but then the fake hat and Professor Sprout had an argument. The hat told our professor to fix the problem. Miss Bones is in Hufflepuff and we'll make certain she knows we don't want her to be a Dark Lady.
Most of the other kids were called 'True'. A few were called 'Thugs'. When it was my turn, Hedwig flew around while the fake hat said I was the 'Great Speaker'. Any idea what that means?
Again, the dragons vocalized their happiness while the goblins consulted with each other quietly.
I have to head to class. Write me soon and tell me the news from Gringotts. Killer, how is your Garfish coming along? Has Swampy figured out how to write yet?
Felicity, make certain you duplicate the letter and leave an large copy for the dragons to practice their reading.
Love to everyone!
Harry
*(+++++)*