The Amazing Thing About: Friendship. Chapter three.
The next morning was hectic. Eliza made sure she'd be up at least an hour earlier than she needed to be so that she'd have plenty of time to get ready. She had to take another shower after having slept with her hair wet, making her wavey brown locks look insane. She made a quick job of it and was as quiet as possible as she woke up Rikki, slipped him into her large bag, and exited the room. In the common room, there were a few students moving about all looking like they'd stayed up too late the night before. There were a few 'good mornings' thrown her way with loud yawns.
Eliza was way too wired to stick around long though so she left and made her way to the great hall. She was glad she'd memorized the trip and didn't have to stop and ask for directions. The paintings lining the halls looked on and some greeted her. It was striking the differences between this school and her old one. They'd had their share of paintings but not nearly as many.
"Early bird gets the worm!" One of the paintings exclaimed as she passed it and she tossed the elderly man a smile as she carried on her way.
"Hopefully that's not on the breakfast menu!" She responded back with a nervous chuckle.
Once the smell of food wafted into her nose Eliza picked up the pace. Rikki had his head outside of her bag sniffing at the air but he stayed put until she was seated at a table. There were plenty of students already eating when she arrived but the tables were nowhere near full. She took a plate and placed it on the seat next to her putting bits of food on it for him before getting anything for herself. The butterflies in her stomach were in full flutter but she'd eaten so little the night before that she couldn't resist some eggs and toast.
Rikki roamed along the empty space after he was done eating and she kept an eye on him as she finished her food. After some time more and more students entered and he crawled back into her bag. Schedules were then given out and she busied herself with looking over hers. She was also given a map, for which she was eternally grateful. She checked the time before frowning. She had thirty minutes to get to her first class of the day. Divination.
"Crap." She muttered and took one last bite of egg. After slinging her bag over her shoulder and making sure Rikki was tucked inside safely she dodged a few students trying to enter. She then took off towards the divination tower. There was no way she could be late on her first day. Never much of an athlete, she huffed and puffed as she ran. The castle was enormous! How anyone got anywhere on time was a mystery to her. With a full year of this, she'd be a track star by the end of the first semester.
By the time she arrived she was out of breath and put her hands on her knees to take a moment to collect herself. She was mid wheeze when the classroom door opened and a woman stepped out. She was an odd-looking person, and the glasses she wore made her eyes appear impossibly huge. The sight of her made Eliza jump to attention.
"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to frighten you." The woman said as she held the classroom door open. "I was just so excited to greet my students." Her old divination teacher had been a squat man with a no-nonsense attitude when it came to his teachings. This woman appeared dreamy and almost whimsical.
Eliza gripped the strap of her bag. "Guess that means I'm the first one here." She said with a nervous chuckle.
The woman nodded and waved her towards the entry. "My Ravenclaws are never late. Go take a seat, dear." She said and Eliza nodded before doing as she was told. That left her with a dilemma. She didn't want to take a back seat in the class but she also didn't want to be directly upfront. So she aimed for the middle off to the right near the end of the row.
When she set her bag down Rikki slid out of it and began roaming around the room sniffing here and there as he went. While he did so Eliza looked around the room taking in the decor. Divination wasn't her favorite subject but she wasn't completely inept and it wasn't something she planned on pursuing in her future. While she wouldn't be stressing too much about the exams, she still wanted to make sure she got a passing grade.
The class was boring. Not just boring but capital BORING. She had to force herself to pay attention during some parts. At least she wasn't alone though. There were a few students busying themselves. She could swear one boy was doodling. Rikki was having a hard time staying still and was rummaging around in her pocket, restless. He'd explored most of the room while students had filed in but he was behaving and didn't seem to bring a whole lot of attention to himself. Occasionally he'd go up and sniff someone's shoes but he was more interested in his surroundings.
Eliza just couldn't bring herself to care much about the course but she tried to remind herself that she had to perform well. She wasn't about to be dragging a tarnished reputation around on top of being a lazy student. Professor Trelawney was definitely picking up on the lack of interest from some of her students but dismissed it as first-day jitters which was kind of her. It wasn't that she was a bad teacher it just wasn't something Eliza was interested in. She could make it work.
Unfortunately, once divination was over she had fifteen minutes to make it to transfiguration so she was back to running. Taking the stairs down was much easier but she still made it at the last minute and nearly collided with the professor welcoming the students. She stopped just short, panting as the woman raised her eyebrows. "It's always nice to see someone so eager to join us Ms..." The woman paused and glanced down at the parchment in her hand. "Montgomery."
Eliza flushed in embarrassment from head to toe and nodded. "Just happy I made it on time." She admitted before ducking into the classroom. She was one of the last to show up and most of the seats were taken so she picked one of the only ones left at the front. The middle and back seats were completely full. As she rushed to her seat she kept her head down. The Professor strode to the front of the room and even Rikki ducked back into her bag at the sight of her.
The woman introduced herself and she committed the name to memory. If there was ever a teacher she didn't want to cross it was going to be McGonagall. She began by giving out curriculum information and stressing how critical this year would be due to the O.W.L.s Eliza felt her chest clench at the mention of them. While she wasn't terrible at transfiguration in theory her spell work definitely needed improvement. She could imagine endless hours of practice in her near future.
Eliza listened attentively until the professor gave them an assignment to review what they'd learned the year before. A few color-switching charms and turning hedgehogs into pincushions wasn't too bad. She was worried that they'd just jump right into vanishing spells which she had yet to perform more than once successfully.
While the professor walked around checking on their progress Eliza felt something bounce off the back of her head. She turned to see who the hell had thrown something at her.
She looked around before seeing Fred and George grinning and waving. She rolled her eyes and gave a wave back before turning back to her work. While it was nice to know they shared a class she didn't know how she felt about being target practice even if was just to say hello. "Ms. Montgomery your pincushion still has legs." McGonagall said as she came around to look over her shoulder. Eliza's spine stiffened and she quickly got to work correcting the issue with some tips from one of her fellow housemates sitting next to her.
By the time class was done she did not have time to sit around. Her next class was in ten minutes so she packed quickly and headed for the door.
"Someone's in a hurry." One of the twins commented as she passed them on her way out.
"Ancient runes in ten minutes." She huffed before booking it. That seemed to be how Mondays would be for her. With her first three classes spread all over the castle, she had the feeling she was going to be frequently out of breath for the first fifteen minutes of each lesson. At least lunch would be soon. She was regretting not eating a more substantial breakfast with all the cardio she was doing. By the time she reached the great hall, she was ravenous.
Rikki was enjoying his own plate while she was scarfing as much down as she could with a book propped open on the table in front of her. If it killed her she was going to get an O.W.L in transfiguration. If she wanted to work for the ministry of magic and follow in her parent's footsteps she was going to need to show she was good enough. The idea actually made her wonder how her parents were doing adjusting to their new environments. They were both ambitious and confident, traits she wished she inherited. No doubt they were doing just fine.
"Eliza! Hey!" She looked up to see Tasha. She waved and the girl took up the seat next to her. "Studying already? Your classes must be difficult!" She said as she looked the book over.
Eliza shrugged. "I just want to make sure I do well this year. How are classes so far?" She asked.
Tasha plucked a sandwich from a platter and sighed. "Honestly? I thought it was going to be way more fun." She said.
Eliza frowned. "Yeah. First-year everything feels magical until the books are involved." She chuckled.
Tasha petted Rikki and he crawled into her lap. "Some professors are already giving homework and it's only the first day!" Tasha huffed reminding Eliza of her friend Luke when they'd first started school. He was overwhelmed by homework since he put it off so often and did it at the last second.
"Trust me. Make sure you do it. You don't wanna fall behind. I'll help you if you need it." She reminded her.
Tasha nodded. "Guaranteed going to need help with potions. Professor Snape is an absolute gargoyle."
Eliza snorted a laugh. She had potions as a double period next that would be the last of her classes for the day. "I'm sure he's not that terrible."
The girl looked over Eliza's shoulder. "Yeah. You just wait. Anywho I gotta go. My friends are waiting for me."
Eliza wished her luck as she left and turned back to her book only for someone to close it while she was mid-sentence. "Excuse me." She snapped and looked up just as one of the twins sat down and the other picked up Rikki who was hopping along the seat doing a brief war dance at their arrival.
"Someone's nervous about exams." One said and she tried really hard to remember which one was which but it was nigh impossible. She barely knew them so it was bound to be confusing.
It was not only to brush off his remark but also to try to insult him for closing her book on her that she said "Which one are you again?" It didn't seem to bother him though.
"Fred. The one holding your weasel is George. I think they've become pals." She turned her head to watch George check out Rikki's teeth as if he'd never seen a ferret up close.
When she turned back to Fred, he was pulling her schedule out of her bag. "Hey!" She yanked the bag closer to her but he already had what he wanted.
"Ah. Double potions next. I do not envy you. Snape's in a nasty mood today." He muttered before handing her schedule over to his brother while he absently scratched Rikki's head.
"But double transfiguration with us tomorrow. We can save you a seat." George said.
Eliza didn't know what to say. That was kind of them to do for someone they had barely interacted with. "Thanks. I think. What do you mean Snape is in a nasty mood?" She asked forgetting about her schedule for a moment.
"First day of classes he's extra sour. He always gets passed up for teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts." Fred explained like it was common knowledge.
"Dumbledore's probably scared his wand will slip out of his greasy hands in the middle of class." Geroge chuckled before handing her schedule back to her and pointing to Friday. "Double charms with us on Friday too." She stared at where his finger tapped on the period. "And first class Thursday. Looks like we only have transfiguration and charms in common though."
Fred suddenly let out a laugh. "You've been running all morning!" He tapped on her morning schedule. "If you're half as quick on your feet as you are a broom I'd say you should try out for Quidditch."
The word made her stomach threaten to flip over. Flying had never been a strong suit for her. Having her feet off the ground made her dizzy just thinking about it. "I'll pass. I'd be much more comfortable in the stands."
"Probably for the best. Would hate to wipe the field with ya." Fred grinned before standing and grabbing a sandwich. "Good luck in potions." He said and his brother set Rikki on the seat. "See ya tomorrow."
The two left to join another table and Eliza watched them leave curiously. At least she was making friends.
