Fishy Happenings (Harry's First Year)
"I can't believe it! TWO rolls on Sleeping Potions?" Harry moaned. "And it's only our first lesson, too!"
Hermione
caught up to them, balancing her rolls of parchment atop her books. Her face
was barely visible behind a heavy copy of Hogwarts: A
History.
"Well, it's his job, I suppose. Besides, he gave us all the
information we need… providing you two took notes. You did take
notes, didn't you?" she asked, dubiously. "Well, anyways, two
rolls oughtn't be a problem. I personally was
expecting more." She paused and shrugged. One of the balancing rolls
fell to the ground. She picked it up and placed it in her satchel.
"But, I must admit, he didn't quite act fairly. I do hope he was
just having a bad day." She looked at Harry. "And I hope he doesn't
act like that the entire
year..."
She wanted to say that he treated Harry dreadful and that it was hardly fair,
but she did not want to criticise teachers, who, in her opinion, were always
fair. There must have been a reason, she finally decided.
"I'm half famished... I'm sure glad we only have one more class before
lunch. We have to hurry to get to Transfiguration. Oh, which reminds me,
have any of you seen Neville? I was going to sit next to him in class... he
seemed a bit spooked because of the way Potions went."
Before they knew it, they were at the entrance of Transfiguration
Class. Hermione had been so busy talking, she hadn't had the time to
mention the various facts she knew about the sites they passed. "Oh, well,
I had hoped to tell you a bit about the staircase, but, I suppose it's
all-"
Hermione was knocked to her knees by someone who was backing out of the
classroom, still talking to Professor McGonagall. "I'm sorry ma'm. I didn't mean any harm
by it!" the girl protested. She looked down at Hermione, blinking a few
times before acting.
"I'm sorry! I didn't see you there, I guess. You're the first year
that I met at breakfast, right? Nice to meet you. I
don't think we got introduced. I'm Lucia Ferene.
Sly-"
"Slytherin second year, I know." she said,
picking up her books that had fallen. Lucia helped as much as Hermione
would allow.
Slightly subdued by Lucia's assistance, she gave a faint smile and a 'thanks.'
"No problem. Sorry again about that. I should watch where I'm going,
I suppose."
She looked at Harry, and blinked several more times, as though trying
to place him. "Oh, I talked to you at lunch. Harold? Herbert?"
"Harry," Hermione interrupted. "Harry Potter. Don't you read?"
Lucia didn't seem to hear the comment. "Ah, Harry. That's right. Sorry… have a terrible time learning
names. You know, it took me almost a
full day to remember Taylor's name. She's my friend. A first year… like you, too, Henr- eh.. Harry. Got sorted into Slytherin,
though… but that's not always a bad thing I suppose, I mean… look at me. Well,
nice to meet you lot. You, too, Weasley,"
she said, giving a crooked grin. "Friends with your
older brothers, Fred and George. Hope you can live up to their
reputation! We'll have Hogwarts a royal mess!" she said with delight.
Hermione didn't seemed amused by this statement. She
cleared her throat. "Yes, well, as fun as that would be, I want to
learn. If you'd excuse me, I have to get in there for my next
class."
Lucia moved aside with a comical flourish of her hands and a bow. "My pleasure." She let Hermione pass, then
whispered to Harry, "Mind you don't try anything fishy in
there..." she said, with a slight smirk. "McGinney
can be a bit... stiff. Someone should use fabric softener on her, don't
you think?"
Harry blinked, "McGinney?"
"Oh… just what I call McGonagall… I used to know a McGinney. I think her name was Agatha, or Alberta, or something like that. So I called McGonagall Professor McGinney on accident once, and the name's stuck ever since. I don't usually say it in front of her, though… unless of course I forget."
Ron
shrugged, deciding it would be best not to talk, unless she went into another
long explanation on something relatively simple.
Hermione entered the classroom with a somewhat agitated Professor inside.
She noticed McGonagall throw out a dead fish, and pull out a new quill from her
desk.
Hermione, not wanting to cross another teacher's bad side, came back out of the
room and, with slight relief, noticed that Lucia had left. "Let's wait for
the others," she suggested.
Neville tottered up to them, red-faced. "Got caught in the trick
step," he said, motioning to his rather red leg. His pant leg was ripped.
"Hermione, I'll stick with you on getting to classes from now on," he
said, hastily entering the classroom.
Hermione shrugged to Harry and Ron and entered after Neville.
THE END?
By the by, Lucia turned McGonagall's quill into a fish. She
thought it particularly clever, considering it was Transfiguration.
However, she does have a detention as a result, and ten points taken
from Slytherin, which she could frankly care less
about. (No house
loyalty whatsoever.)
