School: Hogwarts
Year: Exchange 2
Topic: Description and Tenses
Word Count: 768
Percy shifted his satchel from one shoulder to the other, as he made his way across the courtyard. A gentle breeze blew, cooling the damp, sweat soaked roots of his hair.
He quickened his pace as he made his way through throngs of students, lightly rolling his now unburdened right shoulder. He had forgotten how heavy a textbook laden bag could be and immediately cast a Feather light charm on it.
He neared the two storeyed, circular building; Conjuration Department written in bold on the automatic Muggle sliding doors. Despite a week at the campus Percy was yet a little awed by the fascinating mix of Muggle and Magic.
On his way towards the assigned classroom, Percy paused outside the busy cafeteria. It covered a quarter of the ground floor, glass windows spanning from one end to the other. He eyed the long queue at the order counter and sighed. His lecture started in fifteen minutes and if he stopped for lunch he knew he would be late.
He felt the beginnings of a headache as he climbed the stairs to the first floor. Sun shone through the dome shaped glass roof above the staircase, the heat not as aggravating within the cool temperature regulated walls of the building.
Percy made his way through the first floor corridors, his eyes drawn to the preserved objects inside glass cabinets as he passed. The objects were some of the very first Conjured items in the history of magic. Given the fact that this branch of Transfiguration had been fairly new back then, he noted that most of the items were imperfect, as he passed the wooden spoon bent at an odd angle.
Going back to school hadn't been part of his plan. He had been tinkling with one of George's products that had gone awry. The spell work not giving him the outcome that he wanted to achieve. He mostly used to stay away from the design and planning stages, leaving the task to George and the rest of the small team, but it had been a slow day and he had been in the mood to experiment.
His unsuccessful attempts drove him to purchasing an advanced textbook, Vital Handbook of Uncommon Transfigurations by Ray Wells and the student in him had been overjoyed. When he had been younger he had always known that he would want to specialise in Transfiguration, before he had been lured by the idea of having a high ranking Ministry job.
It had been a random day when Bill came across his textbook at his flat. He had asked Percy why he hadn't continued his education.
There had been many excuses from his end. He hadn't been ready to leave his family again. George still needed help at the shop. He was too old to go back to school now.
Bill had countered all his excuses. It had been two years since the war and their mother would be ecstatic if Percy continued his education. Ron was leaving his Auror post soon and would help George at the shop. Percy was just twenty four.
Over everything else, he still felt guilt over how he had treated his family, Fred's passing still an open it weren't for his family's continued persistence over the course of next few months, he probably wouldn't have started this new chapter.
Percy snapped out of his thoughts and made a stop at a vending machine on his way to the classroom. He gave one of the plastic bags of crisps a dubious look but eventually decided on it. His other options were candy and some canned drinks.
He carefully entered the change and pressed the required buttons on the keypad. He had never operated a vending machine before, just observed, and was cautious so as to not make any mistakes. The machine hummed for a few seconds, and Percy marvelled at the Muggle invention as he grabbed the packet from the pickup box.
He'd remember to mention the vending machine in one of his letters to Dad.
He gravitated towards one of the windows in the deserted corridor, wrinkling his nose at the sharp smell of vinegar that burst out the very second he opened the bag of crisps. There were fewer students milling around in the courtyard as lectures started soon. He had yet to wrap the fact around his head that this place would be his home for the next two years.
Once he finished his sorry meal, Percy brushed off some crumbs from his hands and made his way towards the lecture hall. He felt ready.
A/N:
Problem Verbs:
-He had forgotten how heavy a textbook laden bag could be and immediately cast a Feather light charm on it.
-His lecture started in fifteen minutes and if he stopped for lunch he knew he would be late.
Subjunctive:
-If it weren't for his family's continued persistence over the course of next few months, he probably wouldn't have started this new chapter.