The next day, Godwin went to his first lesson of the year, Charms, with Professor Flitwick. He went to class alongside the mix of Slytherins and Gryffindors.
When they arrive outside the class, they see Ben being pinned against the wall as Merula and Ismelda seem to be intimidating him. Godwin rushes over to them.
"Back off! Both of you!" he demanded as he reached them.
"Looks like it's our resident idiot," Merula said grinning as they turned their attention to him. Ben fled to his side hiding behind him.
"He is the most pathetic Gryffindor I have ever seen!" Ismelda giggled.
"Yeah? You two look even more pathetic for picking on him. You're too scared to pick a fight with someone who will fight back!"
Godwin stood his ground when Merula stepped toward him until there were only inches separating them. "I'm not scared of anyone!" she said. The classroom door swung open.
"Welcome students! Please find your seats," said Professor Flitwick who immediately noticed Godwin. "Mister Le Fay, I'm sorry for your brother. He was one of my best students despite his rebellious attitude. I do hope you don't have his knack for trouble."
"Thank you. I'll do my best, but no promises," he said with a cheeky grin.
"Very well. Find your seat." Professor Flitwick chuckled softly, and Godwin entered the class with Ben.
"Thank you for that," Ben whispered.
"No problem. Stick near me," he whispered back.
The two of them sat together on the opposite side of the room from Merula and Ismelda. When all the students had arrived, Professor Flitwick climbed upon a pile of books on his desk and went through roll call after which he began the class.
"Today, we are learning one of the simplest, yet most useful spells, the Wand-Lighting Charm, also known as Lumos. Now open your book to the correct page, and we'll begin." After an in-depth history of the spell, Professor Flitwick began asking questions about what they went over. "Who can tell me what some of the uses are for the Wand-Lighting Charm?"
Charlie stood up. "It can beat back Devil's Snare and ward off ghosts and spectral beings. It can also reveal magically hidden doorways." Charlie said and returned to his seat.
"Well done, Mister Weasley. Five points to Gryffindor!" Professor Flitwick calls out before he moved on. "I will show this once, and then I want each of you to try this on your own. Give the wand a simple twirl, and remember loo-mos." The tip of his wand lit up with light. "To swiftly turn the light off, give your wand a flick and say nox." The class began, and Godwin watched as Ben made his attempt.
"Lumos!" A small burst of light emanated from the tip of his wand. "Hey, Godwin! I did it!" Ben exclaimed with a wide smile spreading across his face.
Godwin patted him on the back and stood up to make his own attempt. He took a deep calming breath before withdrawing his wand and firmly gripping the handle. After a few practice movements, he cast the spell. "Lumos!"
The bright glowing light shining from the tip of the wand was so bright that it caught the eye of everyone in the room.
"Well done, Mister Le Fay! Ten points to Slytherin for a great first attempt!"
Godwin's eyes caught Merula's who was scowling at him from across the room. He mocked her with a smug grin.
Later, after spending lunch with his friends, Godwin found out that he and Rowan shared Potions class. They walked to class together where, once again, Godwin found out he was put in the class with Merula and Ismelda. When he joined the other students, they glared at him like never before.
"They make me wish I was put in Ravenclaw," he said, leaning into Rowan. Professor Snape soon stepped out and opened the door for his class. His eyes pierced into Godwin, and a chill shoots down his spine. If looks could kill, he was sure he would be dead.
"First your brother. Now, you. I hope you prove yourself less of an idiot and trouble maker, Mister Le Fay."
Godwin clenched his fists but held back the urge to comment. Merula and Ismelda giggled, as they passed by him.
When everyone one began to find their seats, Godwin sat next to Rowan and, to his surprise, Merula sat right next to him with Ismelda by her side. "What are you doing? Why are you sitting next to me?"
"Shut up. I'll sit where I like, and I would pay attention to Professor Snape if I were you. He clearly doesn't like you too much," she said, turning her nose up at him.
"Who can blame him? You're a curse upon our houses," Ismelda sneered.
Deciding to ignore them, Godwin focused on Professor Snape who was ready to begin the lesson. "Today, you will begin the wonderful art of potion making, an art few appreciate. You will be learning a potion useful for any teenage wizard…a potion to cure boils. Pay close attention to my instructions, because I will not repeat myself."
Professor Snape guided the class through the step-by-step instructions, and when it came for his class to start brewing, he told everyone to split into pairs. Godwin partnered with Rowan, and Merula joined with Ismelda. Rowan and Godwin gathered all their ingredients and returned to their cauldron.
"Let's see who the better potion maker is," Merula said with a wicked giggle.
"I'll beat you at anything!" said Godwin, glaring at her.
When the potions were nearly done, he let Rowan finish off their potion with a wave of his wand. Pink smoke began to rise from the potion, and Professor Snape strolled over to look over Godwin's shoulder.
"Maybe you and your friend are not total idiots after all." As the words left snape mouth, the potion began to bubble and pop within the cauldron. Then, BOOM! The cauldron broke apart, its contents exploding all over the table. He was stunned, mouth gaping wide open.
"Well done Le Fay. You cured the table of boils," Merula said, trying to contain her giggles as Ismelda broke into her own bout of laughter.
"I stand corrected. You're an even bigger idiot than you brother. Maybe being an idiot runs in the family. Five points deducted from Gryffindor for each of you for making a mess of my classroom!" Professor Snape sneered, his voice full of venom.
Godwin went to respond, but he held back his words.
"But, Professor Snape, you would only get that reaction if you added Bulbadox powder, and we didn't use any," Rowan said.
Godwin saw the look of delight on Merula's face, and knew it was her. The smug look on her face made his skin burn bright red. "Merula must have added Bulbadox powder to sabotage us. She had the perfect opportunity when we left to get the ingredients," he said, glaring at her.
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you added that on your own so you could set me up from the start!" Merula exclaimed, folding her arms and looking up at Professor Snape with an innocent look on her face.
"Not another word, Mr. Le Fay. Keep your mouth shut for the rest of the lesson," Professor Snape snapped at him before storming off.
"Your face was priceless," Merula said, breaking into a light giggle.
Godwin locked his gaze onto hers. "You did it, didn't you?" he asked, staring daggers at her.
"Yeah, I did, and now you see I am better than you. You won't be able to outwit me," she said, her chest puffing out with pride.
"You're unbelievable! Is this why you wanted to sit next to me? So you could torment me? If you hate me so much, why don't you just stay away from me?"
"It's far more fun tormenting you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have perfect potions to craft," Merula said, turning to her cauldron.
At the end of the lesson, Professor Snape inspected all of the potions one by one. "Well done, Miss Snyde and Miss Murk. This potion is prefect. Too bad the same can't be said about others," he said, casting a sideways glance toward Rowan and Godwin as the girls giggled.
As they left the room, Merula and Ismelda were close behind him and Rowan, still beaming with joy over the lesson they had. When they were out of range of Professor Snape's classroom, Godwin turned to them.
"That won't work again. I know what you're doing. You're threatened by me!" he yelled at Merula.
She huffed and folded her arms. "I'm a threat to a weakling like you," she said glaring into his eyes.
"Come on, Godwin. She's not worth it," Rowan said as he tugged at his robe, but Godwin paid no attention to him.
"Well, clearly you are if you feel the need to sabotage me just so you could look better. I didn't need to cheat to produce a much better Lumos. I have mastered the spell already," he boasted.
"How dare you!" Ismelda said, withdrawing her wand, but Merula stopped her, letting her piercing gaze fix on him.
"Don't bother. He's a waste of energy, and Professor Snape is not far," she said, pulling Ismelda with her and walking off.
"I'm not sure antagonizing her like that was a good idea," Rowan said.
Without a comment, Godwin began to walk the opposite direction, and Rowan rushed to keep up. They met Penny and Ben outside the Great Hall for dinner, when Godwin was knocked aside by a blonde girl in Quidditch gear.
"Who the hell was she?" Godwin asked as Penny helped him up.
"Rath, the best player in Ravenclaw. She's the reason why Ravenclaw won the Quidditch and house cup last year."
While they tuck into their dinner together, Godwin and Rowan told Ben and Penny all about their day and the events of Potions class.
"I swear Penny, Professor Snape is the worst teacher in the school. I don't even need to see the others," he said, shoving food into mouth.
"He can be quite moody, but I don't mind him that much. He's not so bad if you keep your head down and get the work done. I'm warning you though, do not mention Harry Potter in his lesson like my friend Tonks did. Professor Snape shattered a potion bottle with his bare hand, and the look he gave her sent a chill down my spine."
The Slytherin prefect walked over to them and tapped Godwin on the shoulder. "Excuse me. Mister Godwin. We need to talk." The prefect had a serious look on his face. Godwin got to his feet, and the prefect gestured for Rowan to join them a few paces away.
"Well? What is it?" Godwin asked.
"I overheard that you both lost us points."
Godwin rolled his eyes. This was hardly worth his time. "I don't see why it matters. I got us ten points earlier, so win some, lose some."
The prefect Felix, rested his hands on his hips. "That is not the point. You two still lost them. You know. after what you brother did to this house, I should have kept a better eye on you."
Godwin gritted his teeth "Listen, I know my brother's actions haven't made me very popular, and I get it. Really, I do, but I find the idea of having to be watched over because of my brother's actions insulting."
Felix raised his hand and gestured for him to calm down. "Maybe I could have picked my words better. All I meant was, I knew you would have a hard time, and I wanted to look out for you. That said, I also came here because I got a letter from Professor Snape addressed to you."
Taking the Professors letter, Godwin glanced at it and asked with a puzzled look as his temper cooled, "Why would he send me a letter?"
"Hates you and wants to send an insulting letter maybe? I wouldn't take that personally though. He hates everyone. Better have a look in any case."
Godwin's jaw dropped as he read the contents of the letter. "He's offering to give my points back if I get something from the store cupboard for him and follow the directions on the back."
The prefect jumped back in shock. "Really! He must be in a good mood. Hurry up, and do him the favor before he changes his mind."
They rushed back over to Ben and Penny to tell them what happened.
"Should I come?" Rowan asked.
"He doesn't need two of us to do it. You sit here and enjoy dinner."
Godwin went to leave, but Penny gestured for him to stop. "Could I have a look at that letter?" she asked.
Briefly glancing at the directions on the back of the letter and quickly memorizing them, Godwin passed her the letter and rushed off through the corridor of Hogwarts. He soon found the storage cupboard in question. Pushing the door and walking inside, he could barely see anything. Walking into the room, he noticed there was a subtle movement within the dark, and withdrawing his wand, he yelled, "Lumos!"
His face fell into a look of horror when he saw a mass of tentacles that he knew to be Devil's Snare. The door slammed behind him, and he heard a familiar giggle from behind the door
"Now we'll really see how good you are with the Lumos!" The icy voice undoubtedly belonged to Merula. His eyes focus on the snare, and he kicks the door with his foot.
"Merula, open the damn door!" he yelled at the top of his voice, but there was no answer. He took in several long deep breaths. The light from the spell had already begun to quickly fade.
"Lumos!" he yelled again. The light returned, brighter than before. His wide eyes scanned the room for any slight movement around the room as he tried to calm his laboured breaths. With his back against the door, he yelled for help repeatedly and reignited the light at the tip of his wand, whenever it began to fade.
"Help! Someone! I'm in here!" he shouts. "Help!" he yelled at the top of his voice.
"Hold on, Godwin." Hearing the voice was music to his ears. He moves out the way of the door as it swings open. It was the caretaker, Hagrid, and his friends.
"Goodness me! What are you doing here?" Hagrid asked.
Godwin quickly left the room, his heart pounding like a drum. He sat upon the floor and took long deep breaths, noticing how pale his arms had gone.
"Are you okay?" Penny asked, kneeling next to him alongside Rowan and Ben.
Godwin threw himself forward and pulled her into a hug. "I've never been more scared in my life."
She returned the hug with a smile. "Glad I could help." She pulled him to his feet, and he then hugged Ben and Rowan.
"How did you know I was in trouble?" he asked as his head began to clear.
"I knew that wasn't Professor Snape's writing the second I saw it, so I showed it to Hagrid to find out where the directions went. Who locked you in there?"
"It was Merula," he said, his skin going from pale to red with rage. His friends gasped.
"What are you going to do?" Ben asked.
"I don't know, but she is pushing me to my limit."
"Take some time to cool off. You don't want to do anything you'll regret," Hagrid advised him with a pat on the shoulder.
"Thank you for your help."
While he sat down with the boys making the most of dinner, Penny took the letter to Professor Snape to inform him of what happened, who told her nothing would come of it, as she had no proof it was Merula who wrote it.
When he dragged himself back into the Slytherin common room at the end of the day, Merula and Ismelda broke into giggling fits when they saw him. He was going to go straight to bed, but the prefect intercepted him.
"What happened? I didn't hear anything about the points being returned." Godwin told him what had happened. Upon hearing this, the perfect gestured for Merula to come over, and he told her what Godwin had said.
"Oh, yeah? Well, do you have proof? That letter could have been written by anyone," she said, folding her arms.
"Where did you get the letter?" Godwin asked Felix a sudden realization hitting him.
"It was a Ravenclaw girl, Tulip, who gave it to me. If I see her again, I will have a word with her about it. In the meantime, I don't know what is going on between you two, but try to get on"
With that, his first day at Hogwarts was over. Over the next few days, his clashing with Merula continued throughout his lessons with her. He spent the bulk of his free time exploring the castle and Slytherin common room looking for clues to his big brother. During the latter part of the week, Rowan gave him a message to meet up in the courtyard near the fountain in the center during lunchtime.
"Well? What's this about? '' Godwin asked.
Rowan scanned the area before leaning into him. "I have some information on Merula. Her parents are in Azkaban for being supporters of you know who." Godwin's eyes hardened into stern look. He sat down on the fountain and stared at the stone floor. Rowan sat next to him.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have told you this. I remember reading what happened to your father during the war."
"It's fine. There is nothing to apologize for," he said. After a few minutes of silence, Godwin spotted Merula. As she met his gaze, she strolled over to him. He rolled his eyes and averted his eyes. His fists clenched tightly. He was in no mood for her.
"What are you two weirdos doing?" Merula asked.
A burning sensation within him sparked upon hearing her voice. He looked up meeting her stare. "Get lost Merula!" he said with a tone of irritation.
She folded her arms. "Have you found your brother yet? I have a good idea of where he is." His eyes narrowed as he rose to his feet in silent warning. She stepped toward him, narrowing her gaze. "He's run off to find Voldemort, I bet, so he can serve his new master!"
Godwin's skin reddened with rage. He bared his teeth, and his body and face tense up. His arms and legs began to shake. He had to make her suffer for that. What could he do? He didn't know enough spells, and she was a girl, so his sensibilities won't let him punch he. He settled on cutting words instead.
"Well, you would know all about Voldemort, wouldn't you, with your parents being Death Eaters!" he yelled bitterly. This was the first time he dared saying the name, but if she could say it, so could he. Merula's eyes widen into a look of shock. Mouth gaping, she steps back, but then her violet eyes widen and her face twisted into a look of rage.
"Shut up! You…you know nothing about me!" she screamed and withdrew her wand. "Flipendo!" she bellows. Godwin was too close, and everything went black as his head slammed into the floor