Chapter Thirteen: A Day of Surprises
A/N: Thanks for your appreciated reviews! I have a big feeling that I'll only be able to update every two weeks or so. I've been kind of busy lately and I've also had a major writer's block. I hope you all understand. ^_^
Disclaimer: I only own some of the characters. Oh, and I own the plot too.
* * *
It was Ginny Weasley.
Ginny seemed a bit shocked at being bumped into by Draco Malfoy. Draco raised a well-shaped eyebrow at the red-haired fourth year. Her cheeks turned bright red. Draco looked at her straight in the eye, suspiciously.
"What are you doing down here then, Weasley?" Draco said firmly, but not angrily. Ginny looked away from his piercing silver eyes. She answered reluctantly.
"I-I was just coming to talk to Lillie," Ginny said, calmly but nervously. "She IS my friend, you know, M-Malfoy." Draco rolled his eyes at the younger girl.
"Maybe you shouldn't be lurking around the dungeons, Weasley," Draco said, his voice filled with disgust. "Someone, or something, could attack you at any moment."
Ginny, looking a bit afraid, stood right where she was, a very determined look on her face. She had long red hair and looked much older than the last time he had noticed her, back in her first year. Draco was just about to insult her when a loud voice came from the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
"Leave her alone!" Just from hearing it, Draco could tell that the voice belonged to Lillie. Draco turned to Lillie, a disgruntled look on his face. Lillie quickly walked over to the pair, her eyes narrowed at Draco. Ginny's eyes widened, looking over at Lillie.
"Ready to go to breakfast, then?" Lillie said, her book bag slung over her shoulder. Ginny quickly nodded. The two started walking away from Draco, who was looking extremely unsatisfied.
* * *
The days slowly passed until it was the middle of the second week of school. Draco and Adriana continued to meet each other after dinner every night for the following week. Saffron continued to hang out with Tristan occasionally, getting to know more and more about him. Saffron was still angry with Draco. Draco seemed to forget about all of his troubles every time he talked to Adriana.
Harry had been having the best time hanging out Devon. He had also spotted a bunch of hot girls around the Hogwarts castle. Harry had been flirting with some Ravenclaw chick when one girl popped into his mind.
Kristen.
Harry was suddenly really confused. Why hadn't he thought about her before now? He had really liked her; she was totally hot. She also seemed nice. Harry had forgotten all about her. She said that she would be going to Hogwarts. But, so far, he hadn't seen her. He had checked over the Slytherin table many times. He had never seen Kristen sitting at the table. In fact, he hadn't seen her in any of his classes, he didn't think. Harry gave one last wink to the Ravenclaw bimbo and walked away. He thought about seeing Kristen again.
Apparently, Harry had been walking around aimlessly, wondering, because the next thing he knew, he had crashed into someone and was on the floor, over the person. Harry cleared his mind and looked down into the face of the other person.
Who could it be but Kristen? The biggest grin appeared on Harry's handsome face. Kristen looked equally as happy as Harry. He continued to lay over her.
"Hey," Harry said.
"Hi," Kristen said, beaming. Kristen cleared her throat. Harry realized that he was still on top of her. He grinned at her and got off of her. He had made her drop her books and a piece of parchment. He glanced at her before picking up the books and the piece of paper. He quickly scanned the paper. It was just her schedule. He looked up at the heading and saw one word that immediately confused him.
That one word was: Gryffindor. Harry gulped and gave Kristen back her books and schedule. His head tilted at Kristen, who was standing, straightening her robes. His eyebrows raised at her. Kristen looked up at him. Harry had a look of shock and disbelief on his face.
"You're a Gryffindor?" Harry said, anxiously. He waited for her response. Kristen nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Is that a bad thing or something?"
"Um, depends on how you look at it. It's just that, well, I'm a Slytherin . . ." Harry's voice slowly drifted off.
"Oh, yeah, I remember," Kristen said, a wide grin on her beautiful face. "What's wrong with being a Gryffindor?"
"Um, well, I don't know," Harry said, a bit confused. "Didn't you know there's a rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor?" Kristen slowly shook her head, looking very confused.
"My being a Gryffindor isn't going to be a problem, is it?" Harry thought about this for a moment. He decided that it would be best if he changed the subject.
"I haven't seen you in awhile," Harry said, smiling weakly. "I didn't know if I would see you again."
"I was hoping I would see you at Hogwarts," Kristen said, smiling again. "And now that I have, I'm happy." Harry gave Kristen a flirtatious smile.
"Me too," Harry said, looking into her pooling eyes. Kristen looked into his bright emerald green eyes.
"Oh, I, um, I have to get to Charms," Kristen said, looking away from Harry's eyes, blushing.
"Oh, ok," Harry said. "So, I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, definitely," Kristen said, a sweet smile on her face. She started walking away, waving goodbye. Harry waved and turned around. He had Herbology next. They were going to be working in Greenhouse Five this week. He strolled out of the castle and toward the group of ten greenhouses out on the grounds. He saw that Devon and Draco were already there. He smiled as he walked over to Devon.
"Hey Harry," Devon said, seeing him walking over to her. Harry nodded with a smile on his face.
"Hey Dev," Harry replied. A few minutes later, the rest of the class, which consisted of Slytherins and Ravenclaws, walked over to the greenhouses.
Professor Sprout, who was short and stout with flyaway gray hair, looked at all of them. A cheerful grin was on her plump face.
"We will be working in Greenhouse Five today," Professor Sprout said loudly and clearly. "Make sure that you have your dragon-hide gloves on, just in case." Harry took his dragon-hide gloves from his book bag and put them on his hands. The rest of the students did the same. The class walked with Professor Sprout to Greenhouse Five.
"OK now, walk in cautiously," Professor Sprout said to the class. The students slowly and cautiously walked in one, straight line into the greenhouse. A wide assortment of plants and such covered the walls of the greenhouse. Many different, exotic plants were in pots in long rows. Harry peered over a plant in a pot. It was bright green and yellow, looking extremely deadly.
"You might want to stay away from that plant," Professor Sprout said, looking over at Harry. "It's a Deadly Arbatrus. You might figure out what it does." Harry looked at it interestedly. Devon exchanged an interested look with Harry, a smile on her face.
Professor Sprout cautiously led the class to a row of potted plants. They looked positively . . . there was no other word for it: cute. They looked like little stuffed bears. They were all different colors of the rainbow. But, when Harry looked closer, he could see this thick liquid protruding from their little mouths. A disgusted look appeared on his face. He looked back up at Professor Sprout.
"There plants are called Liqbers," Professor Sprout said, indicating the strange plant. "As you can see, they look like little stuffed bears. If you watch them a little closer, you can see a liquid coming out of its mouth. This liquid has a thick consistency and is very dense. The liquid can be used in potions and antidotes, as needed. It has been used for many centuries."
The class observed the liqbers. Harry tilted his head, his eyes concentrated on a particular one. It seemed to be staring back at him. Harry's eyes never left that liqber.
"Depending on how much of the liquid you use, it can either cure you or poison you." Professor Sprout's voice had a hint of warning in it. "Most of the time, just a drop of the liquid will do. Any more than that could be considered too much."
"During today's lesson, we will be collecting the liquid from the mouths of the liqbers. This'll be a grueling task but in the end, I expect we'll collect several pints full. As you may remember, this will be very similar to collecting the pus from buboters, as we did last year. But, in order to make the task a little shorter, you can carefully squeeze the liqber's nose. This'll make the liquid come out of its mouth a little faster."
"Now, everyone please stand in front of your chosen liqbear. Now, take a vial and place it under the liqber's chin. Gently squeeze your liqber's nose and carefully collect the liquid. But, be careful!"
Harry stood in front of the liqber he had been looking at earlier, his eyes determined. He took an empty vial, putting it under the liqber's chin. He put two fingers on the liqber's nose. He gently squeezed the nose tight. The liqber was taken by surprise. The thick, dense liquid started pouring out of the liqber's mouth quickly. Harry seemed to be taken by surprise too.
After a minute or two, the vial was completely filled up. Harry was surprised by how easy this lesson was turning out to be.
"After you fill up your vial, please put it on this table right here," Professor Sprout said, indicating the table next to her. "Then, take one of these wooden hammers on that table." Professor Sprout pointed to a small table in a corner of the greenhouse. "Lightly thud your hammer on top of your liqber's head. This'll make them fall asleep."
Harry took a hammer from the table and looked back at his liqber. He was about to hit the liqber's head when it made a horrible hissing sound. He was a bit confused and attempted to hit the liqber's head. The liquid started spewing out in enormous amounts covering Harry's gloves with it. He was disgusted. He finally was able to tap the liqber's head, making it fall asleep. He was in pure shock.
Others around him were experiencing the same exact problem. By this time, the remaining liqbers were looking extremely deadly. Professor Sprout shook her head in disbelief and hit the liqber's with her hammer, causing them to fall asleep.
By that time, the whole class had collected a quart or two of the thick liquid. Professor Sprout looked positively delighted.
"Ah, that's that ticket!" Professor Sprout exclaimed merrily. "Now, you may all be excused." With a sigh of relief, Harry left the greenhouse, Devon and Draco trailing behind him.
"Hey! Harry! Wait up!" Devon exclaimed. Harry stopped and turned around, his eyes on Devon. She finally caught up to him. Draco slowly walked behind her, his eyes looking past the two. Adriana was way back there, talking with Amanda. But, Draco was looking at another pair. Saffron and Tristan were walking ahead, deep in conversation with each other.
* * *
Draco looked at his class schedule. The first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson would be next. He smiled slightly. DADA had always been his favorite class, along with Charms and Potions. Draco put his schedule away into his book bag and strode past Harry and Devon, who were now talking. Even further ahead were Saffron and Tristan, who were deep in conversation, yet again. He felt his emotions seething through. He and Saffron hadn't spoken since the previous week. His stomach in knots, he walked past the couple.
After Defense Against the Dark Arts, they would be having lunch. Then, Charms would come next. After Charms, they would be having double Potions. Draco started walking to the DADA classroom, which was on the first floor. He ran a hand through his perfect, slicked back hair. Maybe it was time for a new look. A time for a change.
Draco sighed as he finally reached to first floor. He walked to the DADA classroom. He suddenly remembered that he still yet to know who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was. All he knew was that he, or she, wasn't at the start-of-year feast the previous week.
Draco slowly turned to knob of the entrance to the classroom. He took a deep breath before looking inside and walking in. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wasn't there yet.
Draco found a seat in the back of the classroom, where he usually sat. A few other students were already sitting in the classroom, talking and conversing with each other. A group of students piled into the large, spacious classroom. Draco sighed, taking out his copy of their DADA book, Defense Techniques of the Wizards. He had found it to be quite interesting, as well as informative.
Draco looked up to see that a young man, a VERY young man, had walked into the classroom and had sat down in the desk at the front of the classroom. Draco immediately recognized him when he got a bigger glimpse of his face. His jaw dropped.
It was Oliver Wood.
He had been the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain and keeper. He had graduated two years before. Draco remembered the hate he had for Wood, especially since he had been a Gryffindor. And, no doubt, he would prefer the Gryffindors to the Slytherins.
"Damn it!" Draco muttered under his breath. The last thing he had heard, Wood was on the Puddlemere United reserve team. The other students in the class jaws dropped much like Draco's when they saw Oliver Wood at the front of the classroom.
Saffron soon walked in and saw that the DADA teacher was already sitting in his desk. She didn't see his face. She walked over to him, prepared to introduce herself.
"Hi, I'm -" When the DADA teacher looked up at her, Saffron's mouth gaped open. She was truly shocked. It was Oliver Wood, who had graduated in her third year.
"Saffron Radan," Oliver said, finishing her sentence. He was as gorgeous as she had remembered. His Scottish accent was also the cutest in the world. Saffron couldn't say anything else. She merely nodded her head, still in shock. She trudged to a seat in the middle of the classroom, a bit confused. Wasn't he a bit young to be teaching?
Tristan soon walked in, a bit confused by the shocked and equally confused looks on the other students' faces. He saw Saffron, smiled, and sat down next to her.
Adriana soon walked into the classroom, Amanda right behind her. Amanda waved to Adriana before sitting down next to Blaise Zabini, a rather unattractive Slytherin 5th year, and Pansy Parkinson. Adriana saw Draco and smiled slightly. She gracefully walked over to him and sat down in the seat next to him.
"Hi, Draco," Adriana said, a beautiful grin on her equally beautiful face. Draco smiled back at her.
"Hey," Draco said simply, his voice rich with his British accent, which Adriana did not share. They didn't say much after that. They simply smiled at each other and read.
Devon soon walked into the filled classroom, her hair now swept back into a messy bun, random strands of hair sticking out everywhere. She sat down at the front of the classroom, eyeing Oliver with great interest. The guys around her stared at her, dreamy smiles on their faces.
Ron, Seamus, and Hermione all walked into the DADA classroom together. Their last lesson, Transfiguration, had been rather boring, and extremely hard. But, Hermione had gone by with flying colors. On the other hand, Ron and Seamus had messed up badly. A content smile was on Hermione's face.
The three noticed the new DADA teacher sitting at his desk. Wanting to know who it was, they walked over to his desk. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher looked up, a wide grin on his face. Equally wide grins were on all three of their faces.
"Ron! Hermione! Seamus!" Oliver exclaimed merrily, shaking all of their hands. The three were also slightly confused.
"Oliver! What are you doing here?" Ron said. "I thought you were playing Quidditch for the Puddlemere United reserve team?" Hermione and Seamus nodded their heads, watching Oliver.
"Well, actually that'll be Mr. Wood to you three," Oliver said, jokingly. "No, I'm just kidding. Anyway, I was playing for Puddlemere until I had a damn bad injury. I've been having injuries all year, of course, but this one was the worst yet. And then, they had the nerve to boot me off of the team." The four shook their heads in disbelief. Oliver continued speaking.
"So, I was without a job. That's when I got an owl from Dumbledore, asking me if I wanted to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, here at Hogwarts. I had always gotten top marks in this class when I was at school. So, naturally, I said yes."
"So, how long will you be teaching?" Hermione said, looking directly at Oliver. His head tilted slightly.
"A year or two, perhaps," Oliver said. "Probably until I get onto another Quidditch team. Quidditch will always be my first love, you know." They all nodded their heads enthusiastically.
"Class will be in about five minutes. You all better find your seats. I'm sure this'll be a good lesson." A lop-sided grin appeared on Oliver's face.
The three of them found seats at the front of the classroom, waiting for the upcoming lesson. They were filled with enthusiasm. The five minutes passed by quickly.
Oliver stood up from his desk, a broad grin on his handsome face. The girls around him, Slytherins and Gryffindors alike, smiled dreamily at the young, nineteen year old teacher.
"Welcome class," Oliver said, pausing. "To the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the school year. If you don't already know who I am, please let me introduce myself. My name is Oliver Wood, Oliver to all of you. I used to attend Hogwarts; I graduated two years ago though. I was in Gryffindor house and was captain and keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
"Too true," could be heard from the mouth of Ron Weasley at the front of the room. Oliver turned to him, nodding his head.
"I suppose that I'll be te -"
At that moment, Harry burst into the classroom, out of breath. He turned to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, not catching his name or face.
"Sorry I'm late. I was -" Harry then saw the face of the bemused Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "Wood." How could Wood be the DADA teacher? He was young, being only nineteen. And Harry remembered playing Quidditch against wood. He had only won once or twice against Slytherin while being on the Gryffindor team.
"Ah, Mr. Potter," Oliver said sternly, hiding a small smile. "You're late. I say, ten points from Slytherin." The Gryffindors all had triumphant smiles on their idiotic little faces. Harry scowled when Oliver wasn't looking and found a seat in the back.
"As I was saying before I was so brutally interrupted by Mr. Potter, I suppose that I'll be teaching for a year or two, at the least." Harry glared at Wood, his eyes narrowed.
This was sure to be a good year and a bad year. A good year for the Gryffindors. And, surprisingly, a bad year for the Slytherins.
* * *
A/N: As indicated by the chapter title, I guess you could say that there were a few surprises; three, to be precise. So, go on . . . review. You know you want to. ^_~
A/N: Thanks for your appreciated reviews! I have a big feeling that I'll only be able to update every two weeks or so. I've been kind of busy lately and I've also had a major writer's block. I hope you all understand. ^_^
Disclaimer: I only own some of the characters. Oh, and I own the plot too.
* * *
It was Ginny Weasley.
Ginny seemed a bit shocked at being bumped into by Draco Malfoy. Draco raised a well-shaped eyebrow at the red-haired fourth year. Her cheeks turned bright red. Draco looked at her straight in the eye, suspiciously.
"What are you doing down here then, Weasley?" Draco said firmly, but not angrily. Ginny looked away from his piercing silver eyes. She answered reluctantly.
"I-I was just coming to talk to Lillie," Ginny said, calmly but nervously. "She IS my friend, you know, M-Malfoy." Draco rolled his eyes at the younger girl.
"Maybe you shouldn't be lurking around the dungeons, Weasley," Draco said, his voice filled with disgust. "Someone, or something, could attack you at any moment."
Ginny, looking a bit afraid, stood right where she was, a very determined look on her face. She had long red hair and looked much older than the last time he had noticed her, back in her first year. Draco was just about to insult her when a loud voice came from the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
"Leave her alone!" Just from hearing it, Draco could tell that the voice belonged to Lillie. Draco turned to Lillie, a disgruntled look on his face. Lillie quickly walked over to the pair, her eyes narrowed at Draco. Ginny's eyes widened, looking over at Lillie.
"Ready to go to breakfast, then?" Lillie said, her book bag slung over her shoulder. Ginny quickly nodded. The two started walking away from Draco, who was looking extremely unsatisfied.
* * *
The days slowly passed until it was the middle of the second week of school. Draco and Adriana continued to meet each other after dinner every night for the following week. Saffron continued to hang out with Tristan occasionally, getting to know more and more about him. Saffron was still angry with Draco. Draco seemed to forget about all of his troubles every time he talked to Adriana.
Harry had been having the best time hanging out Devon. He had also spotted a bunch of hot girls around the Hogwarts castle. Harry had been flirting with some Ravenclaw chick when one girl popped into his mind.
Kristen.
Harry was suddenly really confused. Why hadn't he thought about her before now? He had really liked her; she was totally hot. She also seemed nice. Harry had forgotten all about her. She said that she would be going to Hogwarts. But, so far, he hadn't seen her. He had checked over the Slytherin table many times. He had never seen Kristen sitting at the table. In fact, he hadn't seen her in any of his classes, he didn't think. Harry gave one last wink to the Ravenclaw bimbo and walked away. He thought about seeing Kristen again.
Apparently, Harry had been walking around aimlessly, wondering, because the next thing he knew, he had crashed into someone and was on the floor, over the person. Harry cleared his mind and looked down into the face of the other person.
Who could it be but Kristen? The biggest grin appeared on Harry's handsome face. Kristen looked equally as happy as Harry. He continued to lay over her.
"Hey," Harry said.
"Hi," Kristen said, beaming. Kristen cleared her throat. Harry realized that he was still on top of her. He grinned at her and got off of her. He had made her drop her books and a piece of parchment. He glanced at her before picking up the books and the piece of paper. He quickly scanned the paper. It was just her schedule. He looked up at the heading and saw one word that immediately confused him.
That one word was: Gryffindor. Harry gulped and gave Kristen back her books and schedule. His head tilted at Kristen, who was standing, straightening her robes. His eyebrows raised at her. Kristen looked up at him. Harry had a look of shock and disbelief on his face.
"You're a Gryffindor?" Harry said, anxiously. He waited for her response. Kristen nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Is that a bad thing or something?"
"Um, depends on how you look at it. It's just that, well, I'm a Slytherin . . ." Harry's voice slowly drifted off.
"Oh, yeah, I remember," Kristen said, a wide grin on her beautiful face. "What's wrong with being a Gryffindor?"
"Um, well, I don't know," Harry said, a bit confused. "Didn't you know there's a rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor?" Kristen slowly shook her head, looking very confused.
"My being a Gryffindor isn't going to be a problem, is it?" Harry thought about this for a moment. He decided that it would be best if he changed the subject.
"I haven't seen you in awhile," Harry said, smiling weakly. "I didn't know if I would see you again."
"I was hoping I would see you at Hogwarts," Kristen said, smiling again. "And now that I have, I'm happy." Harry gave Kristen a flirtatious smile.
"Me too," Harry said, looking into her pooling eyes. Kristen looked into his bright emerald green eyes.
"Oh, I, um, I have to get to Charms," Kristen said, looking away from Harry's eyes, blushing.
"Oh, ok," Harry said. "So, I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, definitely," Kristen said, a sweet smile on her face. She started walking away, waving goodbye. Harry waved and turned around. He had Herbology next. They were going to be working in Greenhouse Five this week. He strolled out of the castle and toward the group of ten greenhouses out on the grounds. He saw that Devon and Draco were already there. He smiled as he walked over to Devon.
"Hey Harry," Devon said, seeing him walking over to her. Harry nodded with a smile on his face.
"Hey Dev," Harry replied. A few minutes later, the rest of the class, which consisted of Slytherins and Ravenclaws, walked over to the greenhouses.
Professor Sprout, who was short and stout with flyaway gray hair, looked at all of them. A cheerful grin was on her plump face.
"We will be working in Greenhouse Five today," Professor Sprout said loudly and clearly. "Make sure that you have your dragon-hide gloves on, just in case." Harry took his dragon-hide gloves from his book bag and put them on his hands. The rest of the students did the same. The class walked with Professor Sprout to Greenhouse Five.
"OK now, walk in cautiously," Professor Sprout said to the class. The students slowly and cautiously walked in one, straight line into the greenhouse. A wide assortment of plants and such covered the walls of the greenhouse. Many different, exotic plants were in pots in long rows. Harry peered over a plant in a pot. It was bright green and yellow, looking extremely deadly.
"You might want to stay away from that plant," Professor Sprout said, looking over at Harry. "It's a Deadly Arbatrus. You might figure out what it does." Harry looked at it interestedly. Devon exchanged an interested look with Harry, a smile on her face.
Professor Sprout cautiously led the class to a row of potted plants. They looked positively . . . there was no other word for it: cute. They looked like little stuffed bears. They were all different colors of the rainbow. But, when Harry looked closer, he could see this thick liquid protruding from their little mouths. A disgusted look appeared on his face. He looked back up at Professor Sprout.
"There plants are called Liqbers," Professor Sprout said, indicating the strange plant. "As you can see, they look like little stuffed bears. If you watch them a little closer, you can see a liquid coming out of its mouth. This liquid has a thick consistency and is very dense. The liquid can be used in potions and antidotes, as needed. It has been used for many centuries."
The class observed the liqbers. Harry tilted his head, his eyes concentrated on a particular one. It seemed to be staring back at him. Harry's eyes never left that liqber.
"Depending on how much of the liquid you use, it can either cure you or poison you." Professor Sprout's voice had a hint of warning in it. "Most of the time, just a drop of the liquid will do. Any more than that could be considered too much."
"During today's lesson, we will be collecting the liquid from the mouths of the liqbers. This'll be a grueling task but in the end, I expect we'll collect several pints full. As you may remember, this will be very similar to collecting the pus from buboters, as we did last year. But, in order to make the task a little shorter, you can carefully squeeze the liqber's nose. This'll make the liquid come out of its mouth a little faster."
"Now, everyone please stand in front of your chosen liqbear. Now, take a vial and place it under the liqber's chin. Gently squeeze your liqber's nose and carefully collect the liquid. But, be careful!"
Harry stood in front of the liqber he had been looking at earlier, his eyes determined. He took an empty vial, putting it under the liqber's chin. He put two fingers on the liqber's nose. He gently squeezed the nose tight. The liqber was taken by surprise. The thick, dense liquid started pouring out of the liqber's mouth quickly. Harry seemed to be taken by surprise too.
After a minute or two, the vial was completely filled up. Harry was surprised by how easy this lesson was turning out to be.
"After you fill up your vial, please put it on this table right here," Professor Sprout said, indicating the table next to her. "Then, take one of these wooden hammers on that table." Professor Sprout pointed to a small table in a corner of the greenhouse. "Lightly thud your hammer on top of your liqber's head. This'll make them fall asleep."
Harry took a hammer from the table and looked back at his liqber. He was about to hit the liqber's head when it made a horrible hissing sound. He was a bit confused and attempted to hit the liqber's head. The liquid started spewing out in enormous amounts covering Harry's gloves with it. He was disgusted. He finally was able to tap the liqber's head, making it fall asleep. He was in pure shock.
Others around him were experiencing the same exact problem. By this time, the remaining liqbers were looking extremely deadly. Professor Sprout shook her head in disbelief and hit the liqber's with her hammer, causing them to fall asleep.
By that time, the whole class had collected a quart or two of the thick liquid. Professor Sprout looked positively delighted.
"Ah, that's that ticket!" Professor Sprout exclaimed merrily. "Now, you may all be excused." With a sigh of relief, Harry left the greenhouse, Devon and Draco trailing behind him.
"Hey! Harry! Wait up!" Devon exclaimed. Harry stopped and turned around, his eyes on Devon. She finally caught up to him. Draco slowly walked behind her, his eyes looking past the two. Adriana was way back there, talking with Amanda. But, Draco was looking at another pair. Saffron and Tristan were walking ahead, deep in conversation with each other.
* * *
Draco looked at his class schedule. The first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson would be next. He smiled slightly. DADA had always been his favorite class, along with Charms and Potions. Draco put his schedule away into his book bag and strode past Harry and Devon, who were now talking. Even further ahead were Saffron and Tristan, who were deep in conversation, yet again. He felt his emotions seething through. He and Saffron hadn't spoken since the previous week. His stomach in knots, he walked past the couple.
After Defense Against the Dark Arts, they would be having lunch. Then, Charms would come next. After Charms, they would be having double Potions. Draco started walking to the DADA classroom, which was on the first floor. He ran a hand through his perfect, slicked back hair. Maybe it was time for a new look. A time for a change.
Draco sighed as he finally reached to first floor. He walked to the DADA classroom. He suddenly remembered that he still yet to know who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was. All he knew was that he, or she, wasn't at the start-of-year feast the previous week.
Draco slowly turned to knob of the entrance to the classroom. He took a deep breath before looking inside and walking in. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wasn't there yet.
Draco found a seat in the back of the classroom, where he usually sat. A few other students were already sitting in the classroom, talking and conversing with each other. A group of students piled into the large, spacious classroom. Draco sighed, taking out his copy of their DADA book, Defense Techniques of the Wizards. He had found it to be quite interesting, as well as informative.
Draco looked up to see that a young man, a VERY young man, had walked into the classroom and had sat down in the desk at the front of the classroom. Draco immediately recognized him when he got a bigger glimpse of his face. His jaw dropped.
It was Oliver Wood.
He had been the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain and keeper. He had graduated two years before. Draco remembered the hate he had for Wood, especially since he had been a Gryffindor. And, no doubt, he would prefer the Gryffindors to the Slytherins.
"Damn it!" Draco muttered under his breath. The last thing he had heard, Wood was on the Puddlemere United reserve team. The other students in the class jaws dropped much like Draco's when they saw Oliver Wood at the front of the classroom.
Saffron soon walked in and saw that the DADA teacher was already sitting in his desk. She didn't see his face. She walked over to him, prepared to introduce herself.
"Hi, I'm -" When the DADA teacher looked up at her, Saffron's mouth gaped open. She was truly shocked. It was Oliver Wood, who had graduated in her third year.
"Saffron Radan," Oliver said, finishing her sentence. He was as gorgeous as she had remembered. His Scottish accent was also the cutest in the world. Saffron couldn't say anything else. She merely nodded her head, still in shock. She trudged to a seat in the middle of the classroom, a bit confused. Wasn't he a bit young to be teaching?
Tristan soon walked in, a bit confused by the shocked and equally confused looks on the other students' faces. He saw Saffron, smiled, and sat down next to her.
Adriana soon walked into the classroom, Amanda right behind her. Amanda waved to Adriana before sitting down next to Blaise Zabini, a rather unattractive Slytherin 5th year, and Pansy Parkinson. Adriana saw Draco and smiled slightly. She gracefully walked over to him and sat down in the seat next to him.
"Hi, Draco," Adriana said, a beautiful grin on her equally beautiful face. Draco smiled back at her.
"Hey," Draco said simply, his voice rich with his British accent, which Adriana did not share. They didn't say much after that. They simply smiled at each other and read.
Devon soon walked into the filled classroom, her hair now swept back into a messy bun, random strands of hair sticking out everywhere. She sat down at the front of the classroom, eyeing Oliver with great interest. The guys around her stared at her, dreamy smiles on their faces.
Ron, Seamus, and Hermione all walked into the DADA classroom together. Their last lesson, Transfiguration, had been rather boring, and extremely hard. But, Hermione had gone by with flying colors. On the other hand, Ron and Seamus had messed up badly. A content smile was on Hermione's face.
The three noticed the new DADA teacher sitting at his desk. Wanting to know who it was, they walked over to his desk. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher looked up, a wide grin on his face. Equally wide grins were on all three of their faces.
"Ron! Hermione! Seamus!" Oliver exclaimed merrily, shaking all of their hands. The three were also slightly confused.
"Oliver! What are you doing here?" Ron said. "I thought you were playing Quidditch for the Puddlemere United reserve team?" Hermione and Seamus nodded their heads, watching Oliver.
"Well, actually that'll be Mr. Wood to you three," Oliver said, jokingly. "No, I'm just kidding. Anyway, I was playing for Puddlemere until I had a damn bad injury. I've been having injuries all year, of course, but this one was the worst yet. And then, they had the nerve to boot me off of the team." The four shook their heads in disbelief. Oliver continued speaking.
"So, I was without a job. That's when I got an owl from Dumbledore, asking me if I wanted to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, here at Hogwarts. I had always gotten top marks in this class when I was at school. So, naturally, I said yes."
"So, how long will you be teaching?" Hermione said, looking directly at Oliver. His head tilted slightly.
"A year or two, perhaps," Oliver said. "Probably until I get onto another Quidditch team. Quidditch will always be my first love, you know." They all nodded their heads enthusiastically.
"Class will be in about five minutes. You all better find your seats. I'm sure this'll be a good lesson." A lop-sided grin appeared on Oliver's face.
The three of them found seats at the front of the classroom, waiting for the upcoming lesson. They were filled with enthusiasm. The five minutes passed by quickly.
Oliver stood up from his desk, a broad grin on his handsome face. The girls around him, Slytherins and Gryffindors alike, smiled dreamily at the young, nineteen year old teacher.
"Welcome class," Oliver said, pausing. "To the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the school year. If you don't already know who I am, please let me introduce myself. My name is Oliver Wood, Oliver to all of you. I used to attend Hogwarts; I graduated two years ago though. I was in Gryffindor house and was captain and keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
"Too true," could be heard from the mouth of Ron Weasley at the front of the room. Oliver turned to him, nodding his head.
"I suppose that I'll be te -"
At that moment, Harry burst into the classroom, out of breath. He turned to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, not catching his name or face.
"Sorry I'm late. I was -" Harry then saw the face of the bemused Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "Wood." How could Wood be the DADA teacher? He was young, being only nineteen. And Harry remembered playing Quidditch against wood. He had only won once or twice against Slytherin while being on the Gryffindor team.
"Ah, Mr. Potter," Oliver said sternly, hiding a small smile. "You're late. I say, ten points from Slytherin." The Gryffindors all had triumphant smiles on their idiotic little faces. Harry scowled when Oliver wasn't looking and found a seat in the back.
"As I was saying before I was so brutally interrupted by Mr. Potter, I suppose that I'll be teaching for a year or two, at the least." Harry glared at Wood, his eyes narrowed.
This was sure to be a good year and a bad year. A good year for the Gryffindors. And, surprisingly, a bad year for the Slytherins.
* * *
A/N: As indicated by the chapter title, I guess you could say that there were a few surprises; three, to be precise. So, go on . . . review. You know you want to. ^_~