The prefect that led them to the Gryffindor common room didn't seem to be
able to stop talking, but Jen didn't care. She chatted gleefully with
Seamus, who beamed with happiness, and Ryan, who seemed to be taking his
placement pretty well. When they finally came to their destination, a
portrait of a large woman in a pink dress, the prefect stopped and
announced, "The password is 'ashwinder eggs.'"
As she said this, the picture swung sideways to reveal a cozy-looking round room full of red and gold armchairs. Jen wished her friends goodnight as she and the girls were led up a staircase on the opposite side of the room from where the boys were headed.
----
After a large breakfast of waffles, fruit, and warm cocoa in the Great Hall, Jen, Seamus and Ryan headed for Charms, their first class of the day. Though a prefect had told them where the class was, he'd neglected to mention the trick door and moody staircase on the way there, and they were quite late. Earlier than about half the class, who apparently got stuck on the stair during one of its nastier phases, but late nonetheless.
Professor Flitwick, the tiny Charms teacher, was not pleased, but he didn't seem surprised either. When at least the majority of the class was present, he called roll and began his lecture by raising everyone's desks off the ground and making them zoom around the class before setting them calmly back down again. Though it soon became obvious that they'd be doing nothing like that for some time, the class was still kept at least slightly interested in the curricula.
Charms ended with an assignment to look up the properties of light charms, and Seamus groaned.
"Bloody first day and we've already got homework."
"It's not so bad," said Jen as they headed for History of Magic.
"Speak for your blasted self," muttered Ryan darkly.
"Tell me, wise one, why it's not so bad," gasped Seamus as they sprinted up another flight of stairs.
"Cause I've got some of Patrick's old notes in my trunk, that's why," she replied, laughing. As she did so, the staircase flattened its steps, turning into a long, slippery slide. The three of the scrambled, trying to find a handhold as they slipped back to the bottom.
"Bloody stairs," she muttered as they picked up their things and began trudging back up.
"Well, well," said a raspy voice behind them. "Thought you'd cause a bit of trouble, eh? Set off a few dungbombs between classes, disturb the house- elves?"
They turned to find Flich, the caretaker, standing behind them. He was a raggedy old man with a permanently sour expression and his only delight, they'd heard, was in punishing students. Some of the sixth- and seventh- years had muttered he'd gotten even meaner several years back, when his nasty, equally cruel cat had died.
"We're just trying to get to History of Magic, sir," said Ryan politely.
"Funny, that is, considering you're on the opposite side of the castle," said Filch, surveying them. His eyes sparkled with malice, and Seamus gulped.
"Could you help us get there, sir?" asked Jen, a bit of her annoyance at this totally unfair situation seeping into her voice.
"'Could you help us?'" imitated Filch. "Tricky, girl, but it's not going to work. I think I'll be kindly this time, though. Just five points from Gryffindor if I never catch you down here again."
Seamus opened his mouth to argue, but Ryan elbowed him in the stomach and replied, "Thank you, sir. We'll be off to class then."
Nodding, Filch turned to walk off down the corridor. Jen, seeing a neatly folded piece of parchment sticking out of his cloak pocket, lifted it neatly as he began walking away, a smug look on his face.
"Are you insane!?!" asked Seamus as they raced off in the other direction. "He's just looking for a reason to give you detention, and you're giving him one!"
"Like you're one to talk, Mr. I'll-argue-and-make-our-insane-sadistic- caretaker-see-reason," Jen retorted.
"Besides," said Ryan as they finally came to class and whipped open the door, "it's a blasted piece of parchment. Why risk detention for that?"
"If Flich bothered to confiscate it, do you really think it's just a piece of parchment?" asked Jen quietly as they sat down. Professor Binns, by far the oldest professor and the only one who was a ghost, didn't even look up at them as he marked their names off on the class list. One thing that could be said for being a first year is that for at least the first few days, everyone was late and none of the professors made much of an issue of it. "Besides, parchment is expensive."
"You are insane," concluded Seamus, wide-eyed. "Bloody brilliant lift though," he added quietly.
"Always stole stuff from my brother when he was asleep," she admitted as Binns continued droning on about Burdock Muldoon, chief of the Wizard's Council from something to something- Jen wasn't listening well enough to know. "It was best if I did it without waking him up... meant less running for me."
----
Family seemed to be the main topic at dinner that night, and Jen listened thoughtfully as she drank her strawberry soda. It was always interesting to hear people's responses to half-bloods and muggle-borns, and she had a personal stake in knowing how people reacted, being half-blood herself.
"I'm pureblood, technically, and so's my twin brother, but our older brother's a Squib," said Ben Harcourt, another of the first years. "He's training to be an accountant- I'm glad I got into Hogwarts, meself."
The listeners around the table laughed, and another student, this one a fourth-year named Sariel Ammet, said jovially, "Me parents are both muggles. 'Twas quite a surprise for them when I got in here, let me tell you, and I still don't think me mam believes it. There's plenty of people round here that'll try to give you trouble if you've got muggle blood, but they're just tryin' to make themselves seem better than you."
"Slytherins in particular seem to have that problem," remarked a fifth-year Jen didn't know, to loud applause.
"Well, since all they can call on for dignity is their bloodlines," Jen cut in, "I think they have a reason to be insecure and try to make themselves feel better."
"Perhaps we could get them that tape advertised in the Daily Prophet- you know, the one on fighting insecurity complexes," said Seamus. When someone giggled, he put on an innocent face and continued, "What? I'm only thinking in their best interest."
"Surely you are, my friend," said Ryan, patting him on the back. He wore a wide grin.
Spirits were high as they headed back to the common room, and remained that way even as they worked through their homework. Jen did indeed have her brother's notes, and they were extremely helpful, since they contained most of the answers to at least the Transfiguration, Potions, and History of Magic homework.
"Wish I sat next to your brother in History of Magic," said Seamus wistfully. "I dunno how he can stand to take the notes, but I know I can sure stand using them."
"My brother's a prude," said Jen simply. "I think it would kill him not to take notes in that class. In more than one way- he'd beat up on himself and he can't pass the class without them."
"Sounds like a wondrous family," said Ryan quietly as the sat in front of the fire.
"Actually, it's not bad. I have Pattycake and two obnoxious little brothers, but we actually get along okay most of the time. My brothers don't turn up when I play Quidditch, and I avoid the playroom where Chris and Dan spend their lives away and stay out of Patrick and my room most of the time."
"Sounds better than me," said Seamus. "I have two blasted little gits for siblings, and I have to take care of the lot of them most of the time, cause Mum and Dad are busy at work. Don't know why we can't hire a sitter, we have the money." "Trade you, Jen," said Ryan. "My sisters are in fifth and seventh year, and they're not around the house much, so I'm stuck with my littlest brother and sister when Mum and Dad aren't around."
"I guess we can say we're all happy to be away from our families for a while, eh?" said Jen, watching the flames dance as Ryan and Seamus both nodded vigorously.
"Who can say no to uninterrupted time to hang out and cause trouble with friends?" said Ryan, chuckling.
As she said this, the picture swung sideways to reveal a cozy-looking round room full of red and gold armchairs. Jen wished her friends goodnight as she and the girls were led up a staircase on the opposite side of the room from where the boys were headed.
----
After a large breakfast of waffles, fruit, and warm cocoa in the Great Hall, Jen, Seamus and Ryan headed for Charms, their first class of the day. Though a prefect had told them where the class was, he'd neglected to mention the trick door and moody staircase on the way there, and they were quite late. Earlier than about half the class, who apparently got stuck on the stair during one of its nastier phases, but late nonetheless.
Professor Flitwick, the tiny Charms teacher, was not pleased, but he didn't seem surprised either. When at least the majority of the class was present, he called roll and began his lecture by raising everyone's desks off the ground and making them zoom around the class before setting them calmly back down again. Though it soon became obvious that they'd be doing nothing like that for some time, the class was still kept at least slightly interested in the curricula.
Charms ended with an assignment to look up the properties of light charms, and Seamus groaned.
"Bloody first day and we've already got homework."
"It's not so bad," said Jen as they headed for History of Magic.
"Speak for your blasted self," muttered Ryan darkly.
"Tell me, wise one, why it's not so bad," gasped Seamus as they sprinted up another flight of stairs.
"Cause I've got some of Patrick's old notes in my trunk, that's why," she replied, laughing. As she did so, the staircase flattened its steps, turning into a long, slippery slide. The three of the scrambled, trying to find a handhold as they slipped back to the bottom.
"Bloody stairs," she muttered as they picked up their things and began trudging back up.
"Well, well," said a raspy voice behind them. "Thought you'd cause a bit of trouble, eh? Set off a few dungbombs between classes, disturb the house- elves?"
They turned to find Flich, the caretaker, standing behind them. He was a raggedy old man with a permanently sour expression and his only delight, they'd heard, was in punishing students. Some of the sixth- and seventh- years had muttered he'd gotten even meaner several years back, when his nasty, equally cruel cat had died.
"We're just trying to get to History of Magic, sir," said Ryan politely.
"Funny, that is, considering you're on the opposite side of the castle," said Filch, surveying them. His eyes sparkled with malice, and Seamus gulped.
"Could you help us get there, sir?" asked Jen, a bit of her annoyance at this totally unfair situation seeping into her voice.
"'Could you help us?'" imitated Filch. "Tricky, girl, but it's not going to work. I think I'll be kindly this time, though. Just five points from Gryffindor if I never catch you down here again."
Seamus opened his mouth to argue, but Ryan elbowed him in the stomach and replied, "Thank you, sir. We'll be off to class then."
Nodding, Filch turned to walk off down the corridor. Jen, seeing a neatly folded piece of parchment sticking out of his cloak pocket, lifted it neatly as he began walking away, a smug look on his face.
"Are you insane!?!" asked Seamus as they raced off in the other direction. "He's just looking for a reason to give you detention, and you're giving him one!"
"Like you're one to talk, Mr. I'll-argue-and-make-our-insane-sadistic- caretaker-see-reason," Jen retorted.
"Besides," said Ryan as they finally came to class and whipped open the door, "it's a blasted piece of parchment. Why risk detention for that?"
"If Flich bothered to confiscate it, do you really think it's just a piece of parchment?" asked Jen quietly as they sat down. Professor Binns, by far the oldest professor and the only one who was a ghost, didn't even look up at them as he marked their names off on the class list. One thing that could be said for being a first year is that for at least the first few days, everyone was late and none of the professors made much of an issue of it. "Besides, parchment is expensive."
"You are insane," concluded Seamus, wide-eyed. "Bloody brilliant lift though," he added quietly.
"Always stole stuff from my brother when he was asleep," she admitted as Binns continued droning on about Burdock Muldoon, chief of the Wizard's Council from something to something- Jen wasn't listening well enough to know. "It was best if I did it without waking him up... meant less running for me."
----
Family seemed to be the main topic at dinner that night, and Jen listened thoughtfully as she drank her strawberry soda. It was always interesting to hear people's responses to half-bloods and muggle-borns, and she had a personal stake in knowing how people reacted, being half-blood herself.
"I'm pureblood, technically, and so's my twin brother, but our older brother's a Squib," said Ben Harcourt, another of the first years. "He's training to be an accountant- I'm glad I got into Hogwarts, meself."
The listeners around the table laughed, and another student, this one a fourth-year named Sariel Ammet, said jovially, "Me parents are both muggles. 'Twas quite a surprise for them when I got in here, let me tell you, and I still don't think me mam believes it. There's plenty of people round here that'll try to give you trouble if you've got muggle blood, but they're just tryin' to make themselves seem better than you."
"Slytherins in particular seem to have that problem," remarked a fifth-year Jen didn't know, to loud applause.
"Well, since all they can call on for dignity is their bloodlines," Jen cut in, "I think they have a reason to be insecure and try to make themselves feel better."
"Perhaps we could get them that tape advertised in the Daily Prophet- you know, the one on fighting insecurity complexes," said Seamus. When someone giggled, he put on an innocent face and continued, "What? I'm only thinking in their best interest."
"Surely you are, my friend," said Ryan, patting him on the back. He wore a wide grin.
Spirits were high as they headed back to the common room, and remained that way even as they worked through their homework. Jen did indeed have her brother's notes, and they were extremely helpful, since they contained most of the answers to at least the Transfiguration, Potions, and History of Magic homework.
"Wish I sat next to your brother in History of Magic," said Seamus wistfully. "I dunno how he can stand to take the notes, but I know I can sure stand using them."
"My brother's a prude," said Jen simply. "I think it would kill him not to take notes in that class. In more than one way- he'd beat up on himself and he can't pass the class without them."
"Sounds like a wondrous family," said Ryan quietly as the sat in front of the fire.
"Actually, it's not bad. I have Pattycake and two obnoxious little brothers, but we actually get along okay most of the time. My brothers don't turn up when I play Quidditch, and I avoid the playroom where Chris and Dan spend their lives away and stay out of Patrick and my room most of the time."
"Sounds better than me," said Seamus. "I have two blasted little gits for siblings, and I have to take care of the lot of them most of the time, cause Mum and Dad are busy at work. Don't know why we can't hire a sitter, we have the money." "Trade you, Jen," said Ryan. "My sisters are in fifth and seventh year, and they're not around the house much, so I'm stuck with my littlest brother and sister when Mum and Dad aren't around."
"I guess we can say we're all happy to be away from our families for a while, eh?" said Jen, watching the flames dance as Ryan and Seamus both nodded vigorously.
"Who can say no to uninterrupted time to hang out and cause trouble with friends?" said Ryan, chuckling.