"Get up!" Mundungus Fletcher, a boisterous Gryffindor prefect, yelled
raucously. He kicked bedposts and threw blankets as he darted from room to
room in Gryffindor Hall. "Come on now, don't make me to do this every day!"
"Lemme lone," muttered Peter as he buried his head in his pillow, only to be beaten severely with it until he rose.
"What IS this?" shouted James loudly enough to slow Mundungus down a little. The burly fifth year turned to James and laughed loudly. "THIS is your first morning as Gryffindors, and there are only fifteen minutes till breakfast! If," he added with a malicious grin and a sweet voice, even as he beat everyone with their own pillows, "you boys are suitably awakened, I'll go get the girls up!"
Groaning and yawning, James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus slowly tumbled out of bed. All four boys had miraculously made it to Gryffindor together, along with Lily and Arabella, whom they met in the common room of Gryffindor Hall before proceeding to breakfast. Between Arabella and Lily walked another girl, whom Lily introduced as Hazel Weatherby.
Schedules were handed out at breakfast. For every smile, there were two groans. The most common comment at the Gryffindor table was, "Double herbology with the Slytherins?!"
Transfiguration (with Ravenclaw) was the first class for the friends, so they went to the classroom. Professor McGonagall eyed them sternly as they sat down, the seven taking their seats in the classroom, shaped like a lecture hall. "This is my class, my chosen magical specialty: Transfiguration." As she spoke, Professor McGonagall slowly shrank, growing orange fur. In moments, she was a tabby cat. There was thundering applause from every child not completely awestruck. She continued to speak, still in the shape of a cat. "Transfiguration is among the most difficult of magics. I doubt that even one person from this class will eventually become an animagus, like myself, simply because there have been only six animagi registered this century, myself included. Few have the determination and interest to pursue this difficult magic to its most rewarding end." Professor McGonagall almost seemed to glow with self pride as she transformed back into a human.
"However, basic transfiguration is both important and practical to learn. This is what I will endeavor to teach you all."
After a simple lecture and a basic demonstration, the students began trying to turn a toothpick into a pin. By the end of the period, only Peter, one Ravenclaw, and two other Gryffindors had changed the appearance of the toothpick at all. Arabella had been the first in the class to do so, in only four tries. She spent the rest of the class helping their little group along, and Lily, James, and Remus had all fully transfigured their toothpicks, while Sirius and Hazel had come extremely close. Sirius's toothpick was made of metal and even pointier at one end, lacking only the hole in the head. Hazel's was just still made out of wood, looking for all the world like a needle otherwise. Arabella had tried to help Peter repeatedly, but to no success. Peter just kept mumbling over and over, "It's my wand," which everyone ignored after both James and Arabella checked his wand for damage and found none.
Their next class was the one they dreaded most: double herbology with the Slytherins, with Professor Seeds. He was a stooped, gangly man, with dark eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a mess of thick green hair pulled back from his face. He looked at all the students, studying each one in turn. Suddenly, he barked out, "What is the medicinal use of foxglove?"
A few students raised their hands. He called on Hazel. "It's to treat a weak heart."
"True, Ms. Weatherby," he replied coldly. As Professor Seeds continued to read the list of questions, an odd look crossed his face. Then he asked, "Who can name a property of wolfsbane?"
"It's poisonous!" shouted one of the Slytherins, Severus Snape, with an impish smile.
"Yes, what else?" replied Mr. Seeds.
No one raised their hands. After a moment, Remus hesitantly called out. "It's used to repel werewolves, isn't it?" Remus seemed somewhat sick. Perhaps he doesn't like speaking in front of people, thought James.
Mr. Seeds nodded slowly. "That's correct, Remus. Who can name two plants muggles haven't identified yet?"
Hazel raised her hand again. "Mugglebane and Starwort."
"Good, good," Mr. Seeds said coolly, rubbing his hands together. "I seem to have a fairly knowledgeable class here, at least in comparison with my last class. No one THERE could identify the uses for wolfsbane." Seeds seemed angry for some reason, thought James as the professor passed out the first assignment, a plant called the higgerfink, which looked strangely like a small animal with a flower for a head, rooted into a sitting up position. "All you have to do is keep it alive for the the period. Groups of four, please. No group of all Slytherins or Gryffindors, either." Seeds was met with groans, which he pointedly ignored.
To make Seeds happy, Sirius and James partnered up with Severus Snape, the boy who had spoken, and one of his friends, Lucius Malfoy. Both were Slytherins. Meanwhile Remus and Peter worked with Arsenius Crabbe and Thomas Goyle. Lily, Arabella, and Hazel wound up in a group with Prudence Nott, a particularly malicious Slytherin girl who seemed bent on making the other three girls miserable.
"So," said Malfoy with a chuckle, "I suppose that Hogwarts has lowered its standards for admissions," staring about the room, his gaze lingering on Lily.
"And what's wrong with the people in here?" asked James coldly, his gaze having followed Malfoy's to his friend.
"When my father went here, there were no mudbloods at all! Not one roamed these halls. Now," Malfoy added with a dangerous smile, "I can't help but tripping over them."
Sirius looked at the two Slytherins coldly, daggers in his eyes. "You make one more comment about my friends, and I'll-!"
He was cut of by Snape, an appraising and angry gleam in his cold eyes. "You'll what, Black? Punch me? Report our comments to a teacher? I fear nothing, no one, especially you. Go ahead, TRY and punch me; run to a big bad teacher. I don't care."
Needless to say, their plant was hanging on by a thread by the end of class. Remus and Peter's group's was little better, but theirs was still moving a little. Of the entire class, only Hazel, Lily, Arabella, and Prudence's plant was still healthy, perhaps because Hazel seemed to know what she was doing, and there was only one Slytherin.
Class ended for lunch, and the seven friends agreed heartily: they did not like Slytherin at all.
"Lemme lone," muttered Peter as he buried his head in his pillow, only to be beaten severely with it until he rose.
"What IS this?" shouted James loudly enough to slow Mundungus down a little. The burly fifth year turned to James and laughed loudly. "THIS is your first morning as Gryffindors, and there are only fifteen minutes till breakfast! If," he added with a malicious grin and a sweet voice, even as he beat everyone with their own pillows, "you boys are suitably awakened, I'll go get the girls up!"
Groaning and yawning, James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus slowly tumbled out of bed. All four boys had miraculously made it to Gryffindor together, along with Lily and Arabella, whom they met in the common room of Gryffindor Hall before proceeding to breakfast. Between Arabella and Lily walked another girl, whom Lily introduced as Hazel Weatherby.
Schedules were handed out at breakfast. For every smile, there were two groans. The most common comment at the Gryffindor table was, "Double herbology with the Slytherins?!"
Transfiguration (with Ravenclaw) was the first class for the friends, so they went to the classroom. Professor McGonagall eyed them sternly as they sat down, the seven taking their seats in the classroom, shaped like a lecture hall. "This is my class, my chosen magical specialty: Transfiguration." As she spoke, Professor McGonagall slowly shrank, growing orange fur. In moments, she was a tabby cat. There was thundering applause from every child not completely awestruck. She continued to speak, still in the shape of a cat. "Transfiguration is among the most difficult of magics. I doubt that even one person from this class will eventually become an animagus, like myself, simply because there have been only six animagi registered this century, myself included. Few have the determination and interest to pursue this difficult magic to its most rewarding end." Professor McGonagall almost seemed to glow with self pride as she transformed back into a human.
"However, basic transfiguration is both important and practical to learn. This is what I will endeavor to teach you all."
After a simple lecture and a basic demonstration, the students began trying to turn a toothpick into a pin. By the end of the period, only Peter, one Ravenclaw, and two other Gryffindors had changed the appearance of the toothpick at all. Arabella had been the first in the class to do so, in only four tries. She spent the rest of the class helping their little group along, and Lily, James, and Remus had all fully transfigured their toothpicks, while Sirius and Hazel had come extremely close. Sirius's toothpick was made of metal and even pointier at one end, lacking only the hole in the head. Hazel's was just still made out of wood, looking for all the world like a needle otherwise. Arabella had tried to help Peter repeatedly, but to no success. Peter just kept mumbling over and over, "It's my wand," which everyone ignored after both James and Arabella checked his wand for damage and found none.
Their next class was the one they dreaded most: double herbology with the Slytherins, with Professor Seeds. He was a stooped, gangly man, with dark eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a mess of thick green hair pulled back from his face. He looked at all the students, studying each one in turn. Suddenly, he barked out, "What is the medicinal use of foxglove?"
A few students raised their hands. He called on Hazel. "It's to treat a weak heart."
"True, Ms. Weatherby," he replied coldly. As Professor Seeds continued to read the list of questions, an odd look crossed his face. Then he asked, "Who can name a property of wolfsbane?"
"It's poisonous!" shouted one of the Slytherins, Severus Snape, with an impish smile.
"Yes, what else?" replied Mr. Seeds.
No one raised their hands. After a moment, Remus hesitantly called out. "It's used to repel werewolves, isn't it?" Remus seemed somewhat sick. Perhaps he doesn't like speaking in front of people, thought James.
Mr. Seeds nodded slowly. "That's correct, Remus. Who can name two plants muggles haven't identified yet?"
Hazel raised her hand again. "Mugglebane and Starwort."
"Good, good," Mr. Seeds said coolly, rubbing his hands together. "I seem to have a fairly knowledgeable class here, at least in comparison with my last class. No one THERE could identify the uses for wolfsbane." Seeds seemed angry for some reason, thought James as the professor passed out the first assignment, a plant called the higgerfink, which looked strangely like a small animal with a flower for a head, rooted into a sitting up position. "All you have to do is keep it alive for the the period. Groups of four, please. No group of all Slytherins or Gryffindors, either." Seeds was met with groans, which he pointedly ignored.
To make Seeds happy, Sirius and James partnered up with Severus Snape, the boy who had spoken, and one of his friends, Lucius Malfoy. Both were Slytherins. Meanwhile Remus and Peter worked with Arsenius Crabbe and Thomas Goyle. Lily, Arabella, and Hazel wound up in a group with Prudence Nott, a particularly malicious Slytherin girl who seemed bent on making the other three girls miserable.
"So," said Malfoy with a chuckle, "I suppose that Hogwarts has lowered its standards for admissions," staring about the room, his gaze lingering on Lily.
"And what's wrong with the people in here?" asked James coldly, his gaze having followed Malfoy's to his friend.
"When my father went here, there were no mudbloods at all! Not one roamed these halls. Now," Malfoy added with a dangerous smile, "I can't help but tripping over them."
Sirius looked at the two Slytherins coldly, daggers in his eyes. "You make one more comment about my friends, and I'll-!"
He was cut of by Snape, an appraising and angry gleam in his cold eyes. "You'll what, Black? Punch me? Report our comments to a teacher? I fear nothing, no one, especially you. Go ahead, TRY and punch me; run to a big bad teacher. I don't care."
Needless to say, their plant was hanging on by a thread by the end of class. Remus and Peter's group's was little better, but theirs was still moving a little. Of the entire class, only Hazel, Lily, Arabella, and Prudence's plant was still healthy, perhaps because Hazel seemed to know what she was doing, and there was only one Slytherin.
Class ended for lunch, and the seven friends agreed heartily: they did not like Slytherin at all.