Whoops. Forgot the foreword.

Altla: Thank you, and I hope sincerely that I continue to impress.

What Lies Beyond: The dangling words are by design. Usually they mean that something is actively happening.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Through A Half-breed's Eyes

Okay.

Conclusions for today.

One: My fears are either oddly specific, and I've been terrified of seeing myself as a demon, and the teacher as a werewolf in a mirror, or my greatest fear is of a mirror that shows a person's true form.

In that case, the teacher is a werewolf, I'm a demon, and the girl in the far-right of the classroom

I don't actually know her name

Well that girl is actually white-haired, and dyes her hair brown.

Yeah. Probably a truesight mirror then.

Now, I'm not sure if anyone else was able to get a good look at the mirror, and I'm not sure if they're even able to pick up the hints, what with the two closest to it being myself and the teacher

With luck, they'll think my fear is beauty, or being inhuman, or something. Anyone who digs deep will find my Dad's job, and probably will draw the conclusion that I'm terrified of what he fights.

The non-magical borne probably just think I've seen too many movies where everyone is actually a monster. Or I'm afraid of shapeshifters.

Yeah, I don't think anyone's going to be able to follow that clue.

Anyway. Into classes. This year, my schedule is

Day 1: Potions, Herbology, Defense, Hist

I mean free period.

Day 2: Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy.

They wouldn't let me take any other subjects. I'm sort of sad: with less things to do around here, I'm probably going to end up roaming the halls.

Potions continues to be a careful balancing act of blocking ingredients, and brewing non-poisons. Snape somehow managed to find out that I was carrying around Mandrake draught, Anti-venoms and several healing balms in my bag, and quizzed me on what they were made with, and the usage instructions.

I lost a few points when I failed to explain what exactly the balms were made of, but I was able to correctly recite the proper dosages, application details, and what to use them for, which earned me a nod. He did chew me out when I wasn't able to state their exact expiry dates, but that was a pretty important thing to forget.

I suppose he is the one responsible for brewing anti-antidotes, if someone overdoses.

We still haven't brewed anything of real value yet, but nothing incredibly dangerous yet either.

H

Where was I. Just got back from History.

Herbology continues to be unimpressive. The plants are slowly getting more dangerous, and I'm actually paying a small amount of attention to what's being taught now.

Though for the life of me, I still can't remember the names of the plants.

Oh well.

And then Defense.

Welcome to the melting pot.

We had double Defense with Ravenclaw.

As a surprise, Professor Lupin pulled a Minor Fear Demon (They call them Boggarts here) out of a wardrobe, and one by one called students up.

The demon, being the asshole that it was, would change into the victim's greatest fear, until it was either dispelled, or Lupin pulled them away.

My whole theory about Wizards having weak hearts is still going strong, by the way: three girls panicked and fainted when confronting their fears.

I didn't really care for a majority of the students.

Luna, who was the first of my little circle of acquaintances to go up, was

Trauma medicine.

It all makes sense now.

The demon shapeshifted into an image of a dead body, which bore more than a little resemblance to Luna herself. I could see Luna begin to hold back tears, but it got worse: the 'body' began to insult her, call her worthless. Told her that it was her fault that the body was dead.

Luna barely managed to counterspell it, but was visibly shaken when she returned to her seat.

I think she caught me mouthing 'It's all right' to her as she passed, but I don't know if she saw me.

Six or seven appearances of dogs, spiders, or monsters later, and Ginny walks up, extremely hesitantly.

The demon pretty much vanished into the air for a second or two, before manifesting as solid black bars surrounding Ginny. A voice echoed from around the room, declaring that Ginny was 'his', and that there would be no escape this time.

It took several counterspells (Ginny didn't know where exactly to aim), but she managed to free herself, before stiffly walking back beside me.

She tried to hug me, but I flinched away.

I really hope she doesn't get the wrong idea. I don't fear her, but

Well, my skin feels different than a human's.

And then it was my turn.

I walk up to the demon, stare at it for a second or two, and it just clicks around. And then it shifts, becoming a seven-foot tall golden mirror. It even took me a minute to realise it as a truesight mirror: I just stood there dumbly for a bit.

Lupin, on the other hand, seemed to be freaking out about his reflection a little bit.

I mean, I definitely freaked out a bit when I realized what exactly I was staring at, but I was able to reassure myself that everyone in the class was either accepting enough, or stupid enough to not really notice/care.

As my fear wasn't quite as crippling as the other two, I managed to dispel it without much issue, then walked back to my seat.

I had to restrain myself from declaring 'See? Easy,' to Ginny.

We've both back in our dorm now.

Although I can hear Ginny talking to herself again

Oh.

Oh damn.

So

it turns out the voice she was hearing?

That was the voice she heard when she was in that soul drain.

I could have sworn she was just afraid of being trapped.

I feel

well,

I feel like an ass.

Ginny smiled at me when I apologised. I also took the time to state that I don't really like being touched

technically a lie, but it's believable enough to save me some effort later

and that I have her back.

Mostly because wherever she goes, Potter's likely to be, and it's a disaster area.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

But I'm not sure if that's true any more

Free period now. I've got an empty one between Charms and Astronomy, merely because Astronomy, by definition, cannot occur during the day.

I think two days from now I'll start wandering around the school. Maybe see if I can't sneak into the various dorms.

Maybe even find my dad's old dorm, down in the Slytherin dungeons. Apparently, they put some rather crazy wards on the dorm before Mom died, several which make the dorm impossible to find without being keyed in.

Well, there's another piece of information no one should ever learn: I'm a Gryffindor, borne of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. That mere information could potentially cause a riot.

Anyway

Transfiguration is still a mess for me, but since we're moving away from silver, and into other, miscellaneous things, I'm doing slightly better. I'm actually slightly hesitant at creating anything alive, or even mimicking life: what with first mum coming back from the dead, it just doesn't feel right sending something back to death after bringing it to life through magic.

I can't possibly be the only person with these reservations. I refuse to believe it.

Charms was merely a bit of quick review, followed by several more non-combat spells. We were demonstrated potentially one of the most powerful, amazing and useful spells I've ever seen.

The Summoning charm.

I will learn that charm by the end of the week or die trying.

Seriously, the mere idea of being able to grab things without walking over to them?

Perfect.

Flitwick stated that it was a medium-difficulty spell, and judging how it lacked a real visible complexity, incantation or gesture wise, the problem seems to be magic-power wise.

Astronomy is in three hours, after which there's a mad, five-minute dash to my dorms to avoid the curfew rush.

So what are my priori

Dumbledore.

Goddammit. I just remembered: I need to tread lightly.

Okay, so screw breaking into any of the other common rooms, at least until the heat's off of me.

Priorities at the moment:

1

Find somewhere to test new spells. Preferably, somewhere where wantom destruction won't be noticed.

2

Investigate Professor Lupin

I'm not sure whether he's actually a werewolf, or if he is just afraid of being one. I'll need to poke around.

3:

Come up with more things to do

Seriously. If I don't find at least something reasonably interesting in the halls by the end of the week, I might actually have to start paying a

Okay, I can't actually write that. There is no scenario, between the birth of the universe, to the day the sun turns black that I'd ever give a damn about what that ghost has to say.

I've got about an hour before Astronomy. I think I'll walk around, clear my head.

God, it's far too late to have classes.

Astronomy sucks. Nothing new.

I didn't even manage to make it to the class on time.

It turns out that one of the hallways is false, and that stepping in the wrong place causes a portion of the floor to go incorporeal.

This then drops you into a slide, which catapults you into the lake.

I learned this first-hand.

Luckily, it wasn't all a waste: I managed to disrupt a pair of students where were busy kissing on the lakeside. Apparently, having a screaming, flailing second-year girl come flying out of what appears to be a solid wall, before hitting the surface of the lake with the force of a cannonball is a mood ruiner. Who woulda thunk it.

I took me twenty minutes to find a place where I could properly dry myself. Eugh.

I'm so glad that it's only the Fall: that lake in the winter must be horrifying.

Anyway, I managed to get to Astronomy later.

It's not like I was that late, but it's the principal of the matter.

About an hour and a half of staring at dots in the sky later, and I'm trudging back up to my dorms.

Did you know that the fish from the Lake can survive up to two hours without water?

Because one of them managed to wiggle itself free from my robe, and flop onto the floor.

I hastily pretended it wasn't mine.

I think someone threw it out the window into the lake. Never really paid it a good glance.

Stupid fish.

I also bumped into Fred and George during my walk back to my dorm.

The two passed me, nearly a blur, alternatively screaming, whooping, and cackling. They proceeded to run to the end of the hall, before jumping into a painting.

Four seconds behind them was the custodian, brandishing his broom like a battleaxe, who also jumped into the painting.

Oh. And his cat too. His cat also jumped into the painting.

No idea how, or even why that is a thing. Oh well.

Welcome to the castle Hogwarts. M.C. Escher, eat your heart out.