CHAPTER ONE: A SCHEDULED DETENTION
DISCLAIMER: I think you all know that Harry Potter is definitely not mine. Some characters may be (if I decide to put new, never before heard of ones). The whole of Harry Potter is J.K. Rowling's, but the plot is all mine. Unless someone else out there has come up with the same plot, but I just haven't heard of it, so sorry.
A/N: Hello, readers. I just wanna thank you for choosing to read my story. Sorry if the chapters are too long/too short for you. I'm sure J.K. Rowling's will be a lot better. Anyway, please enjoy the story and review right away! Negative or positive. If negative, I will try to fix it; if positive, I will... uh... keep it up!
And I would just like to say that if I miss any of the subjects, please forgive me, and then remind me so that I can put them in every now and then. Thanks.
It was the first week of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He and his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were sitting in Potions class with the Slytherins on a cool Monday morning. Professor Severus Snape was droning today--a rare thing that he usually didn't do.
In Potions class, Snape usually gave them a hands-on activity to do. But today, he seemed out of it. Sure, he was still his nasty old self, but there was something different about him. But Harry, Ron and Hermione kind of liked this new Snape. Or at least for today. The three were a little bummed that school had started, and weren't very excited about the prospect of it's beginning with Potions class. In Diagon Alley, they had stayed at the Inn for a month. What they did all day was eat and hang out. They missed that, even school-loving Hermione.
But Hermione was also not acting like herself that day. During breakfast, she seemed preoccupied and wasn't talking much. It carried on for the rest of the day. The rest of the class was slumped forward in their seats, staring at the board as Snape wrote down unrecognizable words and mixtures. Hermione, though, was sitting up straight in her chair, but wasn't looking at the board. It was as if she was daydreaming about something. But no one noticed, not even Ron or Harry.
Just then, Snape stopped talking and faced the class, "Do you understand?" he asked quietly.
The rest of the class replied, "Yes, Sir," without conviction.
But Snape noticed Hermione's unfocused gaze. He swooped down to her desk and stopped right in front of her face, his hair in disarray, his face twisted in a sneer. This seemed to knock Hermione out of her brainfreeze and she blinked, surprised.
"Ms. Granger." Snape said coldly. "Were you listening to the lesson?"
Hermione nodded slowly. But she hadn't been. She hadn't even studied all summer because of the carefree fun she, Harry and Ron had done during the summer.
"Will you tell me, then," Snape said. "What ingredient I could add to the Drought of Living Death that would make it utterly useless, and do absolutely nothing...?"
"Uh..." for once, Hermione was speechless and unable to answer an academic question.
The whole class turned to look, and Harry and Ron shot strange looks at Hermione. Even Snape seemed to be taken aback by Hermione's pitiful, incoherent 'uh's and 'um's.
"Well, Granger." Snape said, disappointed. "I would have expected better from you, of all people. But I guess the stupidity of your friends has rubbed off on you."
Harry and Ron glared, and at the front of the room, Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, snickered, then started whispering amongst themselves. What they were talking about was undoubtedly how Harry, Ron and Hermione were total idiots, etcetera.
"Granger, five points from Gryffindor," Snape said nastily. "And detention. You shall manually cut the hedges around the Forbidden Forest tonight at seven o'clock. They are in dreadful need of shaping, and you shall not stop until they are all well-manicured and neat--Mr. Filch isn't feeling well enough today to do them."
Hermione nodded, but she didn't really care. She did a lot of chores like these at home.
Snape walked back to the board and said, "Okay, class. You may now take out your quills and parchment and start copying."
For a while, there was the silent sound of scratching quills and ruffling parchment. Then the bell rang, and there was a scramble to get out of the cold feel of the dungeons. Even the Slytherins seemed to be in a hurry, which was very strange of them. They were used to the cold climate because their common room was also near the underground, next to the dungeons.
The next class was Double Transfiguration. Professor Minerva McGonagall was sitting at her desk, scribbling a few notes on parchment. This class was also being held with the Slytherins. As everyone greeted Professor McGonagall, she stood up and said, "Now, class, please turn to page fourteen of your books. That will be the chapter we will discuss today."
Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly took out their books and turned to the assigned page. Chapter Two: Human Transfiguration, it read.
"Now, I am giving you five minutes to read and understand this chapter. Afterwards, I will show you how the different incantations are done, then we do it all together." McGonagall informed.
In the five minutes time that the students were given to read the chapter, they saw how you could transform human beings into statues, rocks, even toilets. All you needed was the correct spell. This was one of the things that the students had been waiting for for five years of magic school. And finally, after six years, they were going to learn it.
After the five minutes were up, Professor McGonagall performed a few transfigurations on Gryffindors and Slytherins. You needed a keyword for every object that you wanted the human to turn into. For example, to turn Seamus Finnigan into a table, Professor McGonagall said, "Transformi a Nivakac." 'Nivakac' was Greek for 'table.'
But the Greek language wasn't the only language they used for transfiguring humans, there were many languages. Some already obsolete.
"Okay," Professor McGonagall said. "I think you're all ready for a test subject. Everyone grab a partner and practice transforming your partners into chairs. We'll start small and easy."
Harry immediately reached for Hermione's hand, but so did Ron.
"Hey, Ron." Harry said. "You can be partners with someone else. I'm with Hermione."
"No way, Harry." Ron said, pulling Hermione towards him. "I want to be her partner."
There was a minute of silent tug-of-war before Hermione, exasperated, said, "You know what? You can both be partnered to yourselves. I'm gonna go over to Cassie Greenman, she looks lonely."
Harry and Ron stared at her dumbfoundedly. "Fine," they grumbled.
Harry was first in turning Ron into a chair, although he preferred turning him into a slug. Hermione was supposed to be his partner... after all, they were closer... close enough to-- No! Stop thinking that, Harry. Hermione already said that she'd just think about hers and your relationship. You just have to wait... patiently. That's all.
Harry pointed his wand at Ron and muttered, "Transformi a cyrn." But instead of turning Ron into a chair, Harry turned him into a... bird. Ron flew off and was near the open window before Professor McGonagall quickly pointed her wand at him and said, "Transformi a cyrn."
Apparently, Harry had pronounced 'cyrn' wrong. "Sorry, Ron." He apologized later, after Professor McGonagall turned him back to his original form.
"That's alright." Ron said. "You only bruised my ego. I will forever be known as 'Bird Boy'..."
"No you won't," Harry said, shaking his head. "I will--I made the mistake."
They both shrugged.
But then, Harry and Ron heard laughter from behind them. Malfoy and Crabbe were looking at them and grinning maliciously. "Did your scar affect your thinking again, Potter? Or was Weasley too busy to notice that he was pointing his wand at himself?"
Fortunately, Draco's last comment was heard by Professor McGonagall, who was just a few feet away. "Detention, Mr. Malfoy. Tonight at seven o'clock. You will trim the hedges of the Forbidden Forest... by hand."
Malfoy seemed unfazed by this, he had suffered worse punishments than that. But Harry and Ron both felt nausea and pity for Hermione, they had heard Snape give her the same punishment, but Malfoy wasn't listening in Potions class.
At last, after thirty more minutes of practical tests and a quiz at the end of the lesson, they were free to go. Charms was next, then lunch. They were all starving.
A/N:Well, guys? What did y'all think? Pretty good for a first chapter? Or should I improve? Please review me so that I can change and alter a few, if I made any mistakes. Like if I'm using too many adjectives or something. But honest praise is more welcome, of course.