Year Two at Hogwarts
Chapter 3: Professor Arnold
When the train pulled into the station, the four of them left trunks and went out with their robes blowing in the hard passing wind; they had changed consecutively on the train. They soon heard a familiar voice.
"Firs' years. Please come to me if you're a firs' year!"
They went to the groundskeeper Hagrid to say hi to him.
"Hi Hagrid," said Reggie.
"Oh hello you lot. Still together I see?"
"Was there any doubt?" said Brad in a sarcastic questioning voice.
"Well, you should get to the carriages over there" he pointed in a direction that the more older students were heading.
They bid Hagrid farewell and headed down the laid out path until they came to the carriages, which Hagrid spoke of. Tyler thought they looked horseless but then remembered what Reggie said about them last year.
"The older students ride in threshal pulled carriages" he had said.
Tyler also remembered that he could see the threshals. Threshals were creatures that could only be seen if you witnessed death.
"Reggie, what do the threshals look like?"
"Well, they look scaly, skeletal; about the cross between a dragon and a horse."
They all climbed in to a carriage together and went towards Hogwarts chatting.
They arrived and went up to the castle doors and headed for the Great Hall. There they separated to sit at their respective tables. Tyler went to his fellow slytherin pal Matt Carroway. He sat right beside him surprising him and started to speak.
"Matt, how's it going there? And have you seen Regalus yet?"
"Hey Tyler and no, I haven't seen Regalus yet. I am good and had a nice, peaceful summer. I hope you did."
"Not completely but close" he responded.
Then a teen with black hair in slytherin robes sat across them. "Miss me?"
"Hey Regulus" they answered together.
Regulus then waved to Jacke, Reggie and Brad and they waved back. Tyler smiled at this. He had brought Regulus and his friends together before the end of their last term. They became friends fast, not best friends, but on better than ok terms with the exception of Jacke who had already befriended Regulus earlier.
After a while, everyone was in the hall and all the teachers were at the table except Hagrid and Professor McGonagall. Tyler, however, noticed a young man in olive robes sitting at the staff table next to Professor Reckler, his head of house. He had brown hair, which was neat, and a face that showed he was a pretty tough guy. He looked to be in his fifties. 'Guess he's the new teacher' thought Tyler.
Then the doors went open and Hagrid came in and sat at his spot while McGonagall soon followed with the new first years. He remembered when he was in their position going to be sorted with his friends. He had felt nervous and he had been hoping to be sorted in Slytherin like his dad and grandpa. He had really like what they told him about his house. The first years were placed in front of a stool that held an old wizard hat – The Sorting Hat. It ripped its mouth open and started to sing a little off key...
"Nearly a millennium ago,
there were wizards and witches four.
Here is where they built their castle,
to teach students at their door.
They are this school's founders,
better known as the Hogwarts four.
They took in children like you,
to teach, comfort and more.
The new students they always sorted,
based on the character they found.
But after they died they couldn't sort them longer,
to which now I am bound.
In Gryffindor lay the ones with chivalry,
and among the brave.
Value them for their courage,
but they can misbehave.
To Ravenclaw go the bright,
who just love to learn.
Their whole lives are a quest,
to seek out the knowledge they yearn.
Then there are the Hufflepuffs,
where loyalty is a must.
Those ones who work always hard,
to build compassion and trust.
Also, there are the ones in Slytherin,
who like the trickery arts.
The home of the proud ones,
who are cunning at the heart.
Now we can finally move on,
since all of that is said.
Don't be shy and come on down,
put me on your head!"
There was applause and the sorting hat had become still again on that stool. The hat had song a different song last year which it tactfully said some of Tyler's family prophecy. Before Tyler could think more on this, Professor McGonagall had started.
"As you're called, please come so the sorting hat can place you in your houses." She unrolled a scroll of parchment and started the roll call. "Stephanie Anderson"
The had shouted, "Hufflepuff!" Then there was clapping to welcome her to the school.
"Samuel Baddock"
"Slytherin!" Tyler clapped hard at the new addition to their house.
"Simone Bresden"
"Gryffindor!" Clapping came from the hall especially from the Gryffindor table.
When McGonagall got to the K's, Tyler pulled Matt out of watching.
"Hey Matt, do you know if that's the new Defense teacher?"
"I believe he is. Let's see if this one can actually make it to the end of the year" chuckled Matt as a Max Longhorn was placed in Gryffindor. The word was that the DADA position was a jinx since none lasted too long.
The sorting ended when Ralph Yavin was sorted into Ravenclaw. McGonagall picked up the stool and took here seat while Dumbledore stood. Dumbledore seemed like an old and out beaten, crazy man but Tyler knew better. People said that his powers rivaled those of his cousin. Also, the fact that they were bitter enemies scared Tyler as he thought what Dumbledore would do to him if he found that he and Voldemort were closely related.
"Welcome to Hogwarts newcomers and to our older students welcome back. Before we eat I have something to say: Bark, Ruff and Growl. That is all, let's eat." Tyler took back his previous thoughts, he was actually crazy.
After they ate, Professor Dumbledore stood and called for silence. "Now I have a few items which need to be discussed. First I would like to tell the first years and remind our older students that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden and shouldn't be entered. Next I would like to say that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes. Also I would like to take the time to introduce to you your new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Kenrick Arnold. Good luck Professor."
The new teacher stood and gave a bow while the school went into applause at their new teacher. "He'll need it," said Matt which made Tyler and Regalus break into a small smirk. However, Tyler stopped suddenly because he noticed something about Professor Arnold. He was looking straight at Tyler with a calculating look. But he sat back down and Dumbledore continued.
"Lastly I want to guarantee you all that the school will make you feel safe from whatever happens outside. There should be no need for worry." Tyler noticed the new students let out breathes of relief at this.
After that, Tyler along with Matt and Regalus went down toward the common room in the deeper levels of the castle.
"Hey Regulus, I notice you're not a prefect since you're not leading the new first years to the common room" stated Matt.
"No, Nott got chosen instead of me. But I don't mind, didn't fancy being one anyway,"
"Nott? Alex?" asked Tyler.
"No, Alex's older brother Theo from my year." Of course, Prefects were only chosen in fifth year so it couldn't be Alex Nott.
Tyler soon found his bed and fell asleep. It felt good to be back here again.
When Tyler and Matt got their timetables from Reckler, they saw they had DADA classes first today.
"I guess we'll be the first to know how Arnold is like."
"Let's hope he's better than Gellman was," said Tyler hopingly. Professor Gellman taught more theory and barely any practical lessons.
He met with Jacke, Reggie and Brad and told them that he had Arnold first and they asked to tell him how he taught to see if it would be worth even going to his classes. Of course this was said by Jacke while Brad looked amused by it and Reggie looked annoyed. Matt urged Tyler to hurry on to the Defense classroom eager to see how their new teacher was like. He bid his friends farewell and hurried after Matt. Matt looked excited when they arrived at the door while Tyler still had a funny feeling about Arnold especially from that look last night. The Slytherins all sat down and waited until Professor Arnold showed up.
"Welcome class. I am Professor Arnold, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I found some of your previous teacher's notes on what you covered and will take over. For those who question my capabilities, I was a member of the Dark Force Defense League and have since retired."
Everyone gave impressed looks. Tyler was also interested to see how a former Defense League wizard would teach them.
"Now we will start the year with a little amateur dueling to show you the basics. The first spell which I will show you is a little basic to be considered useful in your minds but can be real handy in a few cases, the disarming charm. Now all of you stand, towards the front of the room please."
They all went towards the front while Professor Arnold moved the desks and chairs to the sides leaving a big open space.
"Alright now, first we'll annunciate the incantation without a wand, so please follow my lead. Expelliarmus.
"Expelliarmus" chanted the class.
"Pretty good. Okay now, I will set up some target dummies for you. Accio!"
With that spell, four dummies with their arms out carrying a stick came out of the cabinet across the room where he led them to one side of the class and started to set up students to a dummy to start.
"Okay, first up will be Carroway, Solemn, Nott, Stellers. Start us off please."
Tyler and his dorm mates along with a girl in dark red hair that he knew whose name was Morgan Stellers stepped up to their positions, wands out.
"Ready...1,2,3, Cast!"
"Expelliarmus!" shouted them all. Tyler's dummy lost an arm, which was lucky compared to how the other dummies turned out especially Nott's, which was ripped in half before it hit the wall.
"Okay...that was pretty good for a first try. Two points for every one of you to Slytherin. Now Rowens, Moore, Barrett, Oarlock, you're up." While Zack Moore and the other slytherin girls stepped up to try their charms, Tyler sat at one of the chairs at the side of the room to watch. He noticed that Professor Arnold was looking at Tyler like he had seen him before but couldn't remember where. Instead of letting Tyler know he noticed he busied himself with chatting with Matt and the other slytherins that weren't practicing. They received around the same results as Tyler's group and this earned Slytherin House eight more points. "Well for the rest of the class practice on the dummies in pairs and try to concentrate on not damaging the dummy" he said in a pleading voice.
Tyler partnered with Matt and for the remainder of the hour, tried to disarm the stick from the dummy's arm without damaging it. Professor Arnold kept repairing the dummies after every attempt but Tyler noticed that he was still observing him like a research subject. Tyler didn't know whether to be cautious or if he was just getting paranoid. When the bell rang all 'Expelliarmus' shouts were gone. And Professor Arnold called out to them while packing.
"For homework, please practice disarming for next time we meet. We'll spend some more time on working with the dummies and then on each other."
There were impressed looks on all of the 2nd year Slytherin faces even Tyler. Professor Arnold may have stricken Tyler as weird but he did know how to teach. Matt seemed to share this belief.
"Wow that Arnold sure knows how to give a class. He's way better than Gellman ever was."
"Yeah, he is."
He then saw the Gryffindor second years, among them Jacke, on their way to Arnold's class. Jacke had a face that clearly asked "Well?" and Tyler nodded his head in an excited face knowing the kind of lesson he'll soon be getting.
End of Chapter 3
Author Notes:
Well there you have it. Professor Arnold does give off the weird vibe that there is something weird about him. Don't worry there is an explanation which I'll leave for you to guess. The next chapter is called "Team Training and Tryouts" which will have Tyler trying out for the Quidditch team on his new Silver Arrow broomstick. Also the start of the animagi training.
Also I would like to say that I'm disappointed that no one has reviewed as of yet. To those who read but don't review I recommend you do. I accept flames because they tell me what my public wants or doesn't want. So please REVIEW! Please.