Revised and Extended

CHAPTER SIX First Impressions

Professor Riley was a spry wizard of about sixty-five years. Everyday he donned jet black robes and wore his long, silvery black hair tied back with the same red velvet ribbon.

Head of the Ravenclaw House, he was highly knowledgeable, especially when it came to matters of the Dark Arts, Qudditch, and transparent creatures.

He was a kindly man, but his deep, booming voice often portrayed him as being ill-tempered. Too stuck in his ways to debunk the theory, he used it to his advantage of keeping his students attention.

This was no different when he entered the class comprised of the first-year Gryffindor and Slytherin.

"I am Professor Riley." he began, making the girls jump in their seats. "During our time spent together in this classroom, I will teach you how to recognize Dark Magic and how to protect yourself from it's many evils. In your first year at Hogwarts you will learn about various species of scheming vegetation, including the Rolypok. Can anyone tell me the physical characteristics of the Rolypok? Yes, you! Girl in the back! What is your name?"

"D-Dorcas Meadows, sir," the petite Ravenclaw girl answered. "Er, Rolypoks are green. Bright green. With red leaves. Long leaves. Like a willow." she said in a halting sort of fashion.

"No." barked Professor Riley."You are wrong. Anyone else brave enough to take a stab at it? Yes. Behind the erroneous one."

Remus lowered his hand. "They look like ordinary trees. Brown bark. Green leaves. Except the leaves are not leathery to the touch as most others are; they are more like...fur. Rolypoks are found deep in the core of possessed forests."

"Very good, dear boy. And do you know why they are classified as a Type C Treacherous Tree?"

"Because they attack anything that touches their trunk." answered Remus. "They'll try to strangle it."

"Right again. What is your name, lad?"

"Remus Lupin." he said quietly.

"Class, Mr Lupin is right. Rolypoks are terrible creatures, but as you will learn throughout the next seven years, they are in fact a lesser evil." Professor Riley explained, putting emphasis on every syllable. "Take out your books now and turn to the fourth page, the section entitled Branches of Subordinate Dark Magics. Read for the next half hour, and due on my desk in two weeks time, a foot of parchment on the classifications of scheming vegetation."

Class dismissed, they went on to their first Potions lesson. Professor Caery was hunched over at his desk when his students arrived.

They took their seats once again at the back, and excitedly placed their cauldrons on the rickety tables.

The dark dungeon smelled of old, musty books and potion left in a corner to decompose.

Professor Caery, who didn't seem to notice the stench, slowly got up and stood in front of his class. "Due to a rather large explosion caused by one of my first-years last October, your first few months will be spent doing written work out of your book before we start the practical application. Cauldrons away."

After a shared hesitation amongst the students, Professor Caery waved his wand and the heavy cauldrons disappeared beneath the desks.

"Will every class be like this?" asked Lily, under her breath. "Reading passages out of our books?"

Ophelia shook her head. "No...well at least, I don't think so. Maybe just the first few days."

Professor Caery shot the girls a menacing look before continuing. "We will first study simple restorative potions. Page nine, please."

As it happened, Ophelia was right and a few weeks into the term the Professors trusted them to do practical magic.

Or was the case until the week they began their new unit of study in Potions.

When Petey leaned in to see if his concoction did indeed smell like bananas, his nose migrated over to his ear.

Professor Caery, unlike the rest of the class, did not in the least find this amusing, as he ordered Remus to take Petey to the infirmary.

The following days their classes were restricted to text work.