The First Class
Note: I've finally finished reading The Goblet of Fire! And thank you 15Dramaqueen, for telling me Fred and George don't come back! I'll make a note of it and let's replace Fred and George with Seamus and Dean, shall we? Again, not mine, no money, thank you and Review!!
" Harry… Harry wake up!!! We're going to be late!" yelled a voice in Harry's ear.
He got up, startled and looked around to see who was yelling at him. His sight was a blur, as he reached for his glasses, but he recognised the red hair tossing back and forth as someone was shaking the drowsiness out of him.
" What?? What is it, what's wrong, Ron?" said Harry between yawns.
" Look at the time! We woke up late and we're starting in Potions… Potions, Harry! Do you know what that means???" cried out Ron, heavily distressed.
Harry's eyes widened and he knocked Ron off of him as he scurried to and fro to get dressed and pack his bag. Ron tried best he could to do the same but he kept tripping over his things and he wished he was a tidier person. They had just burst out of their dormitory when they heard the bell ring. They looked at each other with a look of absolute terror on their faces. This was no way to start anything, much less a school year, with Professor Snape.
*
" Potter, Weasley… Were you planning to skip Potions all together this year or is this some sort of plan you have on getting late to every single class for the whole year?" hissed Snape angrily.
Harry and Ron had just entered the dungeon as quietly as they could, seeing that Snape had his back turned to the door but it seemed like it was not quiet enough. Still facing the blackboard, he ordered the two to sit at opposite ends of the class.
" Twenty points from Gryffindor, and detention tomorrow morning, the both of you. And you better be certain not to be late for that, or the consequences will be grave…" he said, nearly under his breath, threateningly.
They let out a loud groan of apprehension and jumped in their seats when Snape turned around sharply, his robe snapping in the air.
" One more sound from either of you and you'll be preparing the ingredients needed in this class for the rest of the year!" said Snape, looking more loathsome than ever.
Malfoy laughed, followed by the chorus of Crabbe and Goyle's grunts of agreement. Throughout the class, Draco kept throwing diverse animal parts to Harry and Ron, mouthing the nastiest little things to them, doing anything to try and make them talk. Once when Harry had gotten a frog leg right on his scar, he nearly let out a scream of fury but held back just at the last moment when he saw Snape's shadow creep up behind him. Potions being finally over, Ron and Harry ran out of the class, shortly followed by Hermione. They stopped in the middle of the hallway leading towards their History of Magic class.
" How could you two be late? And on the very first day!" exclaimed Hermione reproaching them.
" Was it me or was Snape even more berserk than usual?" asked Ron.
" I don't know… I think he's been worse…" replied Harry. He was thinking back, the day Snape threatened him with the Veritaserum potion the year before.
" Actually, Ron, he was a lot snappier with the class than I remembered him to be. He even shouted at a few Slytherins who wouldn't stop talking at the very start of the class," said Hermione.
" Don't supposed it has anything to do with that McAllaster woman, do you Miss Prefect?" said Ron teasingly.
" Oh, don't start on that rubbish again, Ron. I'm sure he just didn't sleep well or something," answered Hermione sharply.
" Common, you two, or we'll be late for History!" exclaimed Harry as he set off on a running pace.
*
The rest of the morning was quite uneventful. Professor Binns was still teaching History in the same boring manner and Professor Trelawney was still very keen on seeing Harry fall to his untimely death. During lunch, the three took a quick glance at their timetable and were excited to see they would be having their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class right after. They ate quickly and went to see Hagrid just before getting to class, and on the nick of time.
" Well well, that was close, now wasn't it Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, Mister Potter… Take a seat," said McAllaster with a smile.
They looked at each other, a bit puzzled, and went to sit down together near the middle of the class. Everyone started taking out their books, as McAllaster silently looked at them with a strange gleam in her eyes. She quietly sat down at her desk and scanned the classroom, stopping one second on Harry. After a few silent minutes, she spoke.
" I see everyone is here so there's no need for me to call out your names. As you know, I'm your new teacher here and also Head of Gryffindor but don't think that means there will be any signs of favouritism on my part. Professor Dumbledore has given me notes from your previous teachers, Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin and Moody," she said calmly.
A hand rose in a corner of the classroom, it was Seamus Finnigan.
" Well, to be honest miss, Lockhart didn't actually teach us anything," he said with a smirk.
The class started laughing, with a few girls looking a bit offended.
" Are you insinuating we should be working to make up for a lost year here, Mister Finnigan?" asked McAllaster, with a raised eyebrow.
" Oh no… I think I know why she liked Snape so much when she was young. She's exactly like him!" whispered Ron into Harry's ear.
" Is there something wrong, Mister Weasley? Perhaps something you'd like to share with the whole class? No? Well I'm sure Miss Granger would also like to hear what you have to say so please, do whisper it to her," said McAllaster, with a sly smile.
As Ron leaned over to Hermione to whisper to her, McAllaster muttered "Sonorus" under her breath while pointing her wand to Ron, casually.
" THIS WOMAN IS EXACTLY LIKE SNAPE, WE'RE IN FOR A LONG YEAR, …" said Ron's voice, echoing through the classroom.
The students turned to Ron, some gasping, and some laughing. Ron turned as red as his hair, and he tried to slide down under his desk. As the laughter stopped, they all turned to look at the professor, trying to read her reaction. She was still sitting in her chair, arms folded over her chest, her face straight. Harry could see a few muscles twitching at the corner of her mouth and expected her to burst out in anger any second now. And then… She exploded into a fit of laughter. Getting up and walking to Ron's desk she held him by the shoulder and smiled at him.
" Mister Weasley, now, I hardly want to be seen as you see me! And comparing me to Professor Snape! Oh, dear me… That's never a good sign. Did he yell at the lot of you again this morning or is his reverberating voice all stuck in your poor little heads?" she said cheerfully.
Ron let out a sigh of relief and sat upright again in his chair. McAllaster pointed her wand again at Ron's throat and said "Quietus". She went back to her chair, still smiling.
" Now, I'd like to wish you all a good year at Hogwarts and let's get on with our class, shall we? Now, before I go over what you've already covered, I'd also like to tell you if ever you have any questions, be it Dark Arts or just life, you can always find me either here, my office, or the Gryffindor common room. I'm always there to lend an ear. Alright then, let's get on with it!" she continued.
During the class, they told her all about the creatures they had covered with Lupin and the curses with Moody. She was quite impressed with all their knowledge and decided she would probably do a little of everything that year. They had decided that their new topic was going to be vampires; one they had not touched at all but intrigued everyone. At every question McAllaster asked (such as "Why do Muggles fear vampire so much?" and "What disease is associated with vampires?"), Hermione's hand shot up instantly but the teacher enjoyed going around to others every now and then, at Hermione's great frustration. Class ended and the students closed their books and walked out the door towards their Care for Magical Creatures class. Before Harry and his friends left, Professor McAllaster called Ron to her desk. Harry and Hermione told him they would be waiting right outside and he went up to the teacher.
" I hope I didn't scare you there too much, Ron! It's alright if I call you Ron, right?" said McAllaster.
" Oh, yes, sure. And I'm sorry I made that comment about you, Miss. I never should've compared you with Professor Snape," answered Ron enthusiastically.
" Not very liked by the students, is he?" asked McAllaster.
" No, not very much. You wont go and tell him I said that, right? I'm already in a heap of trouble with him and I wouldn't want to go and make myself even less popular. He can be real scary, Miss. Scared the socks off of me just this morning because I was late!" replied Ron, nodding.
" Is that so? He's always been a wee bit harsh, it's true. Let me guess, he gave you detention tomorrow morning to teach you to get up early?" said McAllaster.
" Yeah, that's exactly right! How did you know? Bet you didn't get any detentions with him!" said Ron.
Professor McAllaster froze. Her eyes looked down at Ron, almost through Ron.
" What makes you say that, Ron?" she asked slowly.
" Oh… Nothing, just a tiny rumour I heard, but it's nothing. Is something wrong, Miss?" he asked.
She shook her head quickly and told him she would try and smooth things over with Snape as best she could, not promising him anything. She hurried him off to his next course, talking not as cheerfully as she did just a few minutes ago.
"Goodbye Ron, you be good now…" said McAllaster, sounding suddenly very tired.
" Err… Goodbye, Professor McAllaster," he answered, not quite sure what to do.
He left, and met Harry and Hermione walking in the corridor ahead.
" What took so long?" asked Harry.
" She just wanted to make sure I was alright and all, after that thing she did at the start of the class. Why? Sad it wasn't you a teacher finally asked to see after class to make sure you were all good and fine?" snapped Ron.
" Ron! What's wrong with you! You know that's not what Harry meant at all!" exclaimed Hermione.
" I… I know, sorry! Sorry. Don't know what came over me just there. Well, better be off to Hagrid's now!" he said, truly feeling guilty.
They all took off running again, towards the Entrance Hall, and onto the school grounds.
Packing up her things in her classroom, Professor McAllaster left, locking the door behind her. She headed towards her office when a sudden urge came over her. She changed direction. She was heading towards the basement, towards the dungeons below.
To Be Continued…?
Note: I've finally finished reading The Goblet of Fire! And thank you 15Dramaqueen, for telling me Fred and George don't come back! I'll make a note of it and let's replace Fred and George with Seamus and Dean, shall we? Again, not mine, no money, thank you and Review!!
" Harry… Harry wake up!!! We're going to be late!" yelled a voice in Harry's ear.
He got up, startled and looked around to see who was yelling at him. His sight was a blur, as he reached for his glasses, but he recognised the red hair tossing back and forth as someone was shaking the drowsiness out of him.
" What?? What is it, what's wrong, Ron?" said Harry between yawns.
" Look at the time! We woke up late and we're starting in Potions… Potions, Harry! Do you know what that means???" cried out Ron, heavily distressed.
Harry's eyes widened and he knocked Ron off of him as he scurried to and fro to get dressed and pack his bag. Ron tried best he could to do the same but he kept tripping over his things and he wished he was a tidier person. They had just burst out of their dormitory when they heard the bell ring. They looked at each other with a look of absolute terror on their faces. This was no way to start anything, much less a school year, with Professor Snape.
*
" Potter, Weasley… Were you planning to skip Potions all together this year or is this some sort of plan you have on getting late to every single class for the whole year?" hissed Snape angrily.
Harry and Ron had just entered the dungeon as quietly as they could, seeing that Snape had his back turned to the door but it seemed like it was not quiet enough. Still facing the blackboard, he ordered the two to sit at opposite ends of the class.
" Twenty points from Gryffindor, and detention tomorrow morning, the both of you. And you better be certain not to be late for that, or the consequences will be grave…" he said, nearly under his breath, threateningly.
They let out a loud groan of apprehension and jumped in their seats when Snape turned around sharply, his robe snapping in the air.
" One more sound from either of you and you'll be preparing the ingredients needed in this class for the rest of the year!" said Snape, looking more loathsome than ever.
Malfoy laughed, followed by the chorus of Crabbe and Goyle's grunts of agreement. Throughout the class, Draco kept throwing diverse animal parts to Harry and Ron, mouthing the nastiest little things to them, doing anything to try and make them talk. Once when Harry had gotten a frog leg right on his scar, he nearly let out a scream of fury but held back just at the last moment when he saw Snape's shadow creep up behind him. Potions being finally over, Ron and Harry ran out of the class, shortly followed by Hermione. They stopped in the middle of the hallway leading towards their History of Magic class.
" How could you two be late? And on the very first day!" exclaimed Hermione reproaching them.
" Was it me or was Snape even more berserk than usual?" asked Ron.
" I don't know… I think he's been worse…" replied Harry. He was thinking back, the day Snape threatened him with the Veritaserum potion the year before.
" Actually, Ron, he was a lot snappier with the class than I remembered him to be. He even shouted at a few Slytherins who wouldn't stop talking at the very start of the class," said Hermione.
" Don't supposed it has anything to do with that McAllaster woman, do you Miss Prefect?" said Ron teasingly.
" Oh, don't start on that rubbish again, Ron. I'm sure he just didn't sleep well or something," answered Hermione sharply.
" Common, you two, or we'll be late for History!" exclaimed Harry as he set off on a running pace.
*
The rest of the morning was quite uneventful. Professor Binns was still teaching History in the same boring manner and Professor Trelawney was still very keen on seeing Harry fall to his untimely death. During lunch, the three took a quick glance at their timetable and were excited to see they would be having their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class right after. They ate quickly and went to see Hagrid just before getting to class, and on the nick of time.
" Well well, that was close, now wasn't it Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, Mister Potter… Take a seat," said McAllaster with a smile.
They looked at each other, a bit puzzled, and went to sit down together near the middle of the class. Everyone started taking out their books, as McAllaster silently looked at them with a strange gleam in her eyes. She quietly sat down at her desk and scanned the classroom, stopping one second on Harry. After a few silent minutes, she spoke.
" I see everyone is here so there's no need for me to call out your names. As you know, I'm your new teacher here and also Head of Gryffindor but don't think that means there will be any signs of favouritism on my part. Professor Dumbledore has given me notes from your previous teachers, Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin and Moody," she said calmly.
A hand rose in a corner of the classroom, it was Seamus Finnigan.
" Well, to be honest miss, Lockhart didn't actually teach us anything," he said with a smirk.
The class started laughing, with a few girls looking a bit offended.
" Are you insinuating we should be working to make up for a lost year here, Mister Finnigan?" asked McAllaster, with a raised eyebrow.
" Oh no… I think I know why she liked Snape so much when she was young. She's exactly like him!" whispered Ron into Harry's ear.
" Is there something wrong, Mister Weasley? Perhaps something you'd like to share with the whole class? No? Well I'm sure Miss Granger would also like to hear what you have to say so please, do whisper it to her," said McAllaster, with a sly smile.
As Ron leaned over to Hermione to whisper to her, McAllaster muttered "Sonorus" under her breath while pointing her wand to Ron, casually.
" THIS WOMAN IS EXACTLY LIKE SNAPE, WE'RE IN FOR A LONG YEAR, …" said Ron's voice, echoing through the classroom.
The students turned to Ron, some gasping, and some laughing. Ron turned as red as his hair, and he tried to slide down under his desk. As the laughter stopped, they all turned to look at the professor, trying to read her reaction. She was still sitting in her chair, arms folded over her chest, her face straight. Harry could see a few muscles twitching at the corner of her mouth and expected her to burst out in anger any second now. And then… She exploded into a fit of laughter. Getting up and walking to Ron's desk she held him by the shoulder and smiled at him.
" Mister Weasley, now, I hardly want to be seen as you see me! And comparing me to Professor Snape! Oh, dear me… That's never a good sign. Did he yell at the lot of you again this morning or is his reverberating voice all stuck in your poor little heads?" she said cheerfully.
Ron let out a sigh of relief and sat upright again in his chair. McAllaster pointed her wand again at Ron's throat and said "Quietus". She went back to her chair, still smiling.
" Now, I'd like to wish you all a good year at Hogwarts and let's get on with our class, shall we? Now, before I go over what you've already covered, I'd also like to tell you if ever you have any questions, be it Dark Arts or just life, you can always find me either here, my office, or the Gryffindor common room. I'm always there to lend an ear. Alright then, let's get on with it!" she continued.
During the class, they told her all about the creatures they had covered with Lupin and the curses with Moody. She was quite impressed with all their knowledge and decided she would probably do a little of everything that year. They had decided that their new topic was going to be vampires; one they had not touched at all but intrigued everyone. At every question McAllaster asked (such as "Why do Muggles fear vampire so much?" and "What disease is associated with vampires?"), Hermione's hand shot up instantly but the teacher enjoyed going around to others every now and then, at Hermione's great frustration. Class ended and the students closed their books and walked out the door towards their Care for Magical Creatures class. Before Harry and his friends left, Professor McAllaster called Ron to her desk. Harry and Hermione told him they would be waiting right outside and he went up to the teacher.
" I hope I didn't scare you there too much, Ron! It's alright if I call you Ron, right?" said McAllaster.
" Oh, yes, sure. And I'm sorry I made that comment about you, Miss. I never should've compared you with Professor Snape," answered Ron enthusiastically.
" Not very liked by the students, is he?" asked McAllaster.
" No, not very much. You wont go and tell him I said that, right? I'm already in a heap of trouble with him and I wouldn't want to go and make myself even less popular. He can be real scary, Miss. Scared the socks off of me just this morning because I was late!" replied Ron, nodding.
" Is that so? He's always been a wee bit harsh, it's true. Let me guess, he gave you detention tomorrow morning to teach you to get up early?" said McAllaster.
" Yeah, that's exactly right! How did you know? Bet you didn't get any detentions with him!" said Ron.
Professor McAllaster froze. Her eyes looked down at Ron, almost through Ron.
" What makes you say that, Ron?" she asked slowly.
" Oh… Nothing, just a tiny rumour I heard, but it's nothing. Is something wrong, Miss?" he asked.
She shook her head quickly and told him she would try and smooth things over with Snape as best she could, not promising him anything. She hurried him off to his next course, talking not as cheerfully as she did just a few minutes ago.
"Goodbye Ron, you be good now…" said McAllaster, sounding suddenly very tired.
" Err… Goodbye, Professor McAllaster," he answered, not quite sure what to do.
He left, and met Harry and Hermione walking in the corridor ahead.
" What took so long?" asked Harry.
" She just wanted to make sure I was alright and all, after that thing she did at the start of the class. Why? Sad it wasn't you a teacher finally asked to see after class to make sure you were all good and fine?" snapped Ron.
" Ron! What's wrong with you! You know that's not what Harry meant at all!" exclaimed Hermione.
" I… I know, sorry! Sorry. Don't know what came over me just there. Well, better be off to Hagrid's now!" he said, truly feeling guilty.
They all took off running again, towards the Entrance Hall, and onto the school grounds.
Packing up her things in her classroom, Professor McAllaster left, locking the door behind her. She headed towards her office when a sudden urge came over her. She changed direction. She was heading towards the basement, towards the dungeons below.
To Be Continued…?