Chapter 6
The First Day
"Where is he?"
"Between the Slytherin Weasley and the boy with glasses."
"You sure it's him?"
"Look at his hair. If he's not a Malfoy, I'll eat the Sorting Hat."
"And he has the scar."
"That too."
Draco was quite a popular topic of conversation in the halls. From the stories he had heard from others, he was glad the Baron had granted him protection from Peeves, who was apparently a malicious little prankster.
Draco wasn't protected, however, against Argus Filch. The caretaker had a mean streak like no other and he took a malicious pleasure in finding students breaking rules and waxed poetic about the 'good old days' when a student would be tortured for breaking school rules. Draco noticed that Filch didn't have a wand and greatly suspected the man was a Squib.
Just as bad as Filch was his cat with the peculiar name of Mrs Norris. She tended to turn up whenever students were breaking school rules, and if she caught students doing something that went against the school rules she would vanish and turn up seconds later followed by Filch. Many students had dreams of punting her through a window in Gryffindor Tower or Ravenclaw Tower and seeing if she was able to land on her feet.
The classes were spectacularly different. A ghost named Professor Binns taught history of Magic, which had a reputation for being a boring class. Binns had been a teacher at Hogwarts in his life, who one day had gotten up to teach a class and left his body where it was. Binns hadn't even known he was dead until a student in his first post-mortem class threw a ball of parchment through him. By the end of Draco's first History of Magic class, he, Harry and Hermione were agreed that Binns had probably bored himself to death during a class. After Ron had his first History of Magic class with Slytherin, he had to agree with them.
Herbology, taught by Professor Sprout, was a more interesting class, and one that Neville actually did well in. This alone set it apart from any other class.
Then there was Defence against the Dark Arts, where Professor Quirrell would teach the students about the ways to control various dark creatures. His class always smelled strongly of garlic, and he seemed almost paranoid about vampires. He also seemed too nervous to look any students in the eyes. Draco was not particularly happy with the class.
Transfiguration was the first class that Draco was truly confident in. In the first class, while Harry and Hermione were the only students to transfigure their matchsticks fully into needles, earning Gryffindor 20 points, he at least turned his to metal and started to work on a point.
In Charms, there was a fair amount of theory covered before they even tried the simplest charm. Tiny Professor Flitwick warned them about the need for precision, being quite fond of the story of Baruffio, who said "b" instead of "d" and wound up under a buffalo.
And then there was Potions. The class that Draco both anticipated and feared. Anticipation because, as it was with Slytherin, it was the only class the entire JM was together for. Fear because, as it was with Slytherin, the rest of the Slytherin first years were there as well. On the first day, Lily entered from the back of the class. "In this class," she said moving towards the front, "there will be very little wand-waving, and, as such, I don't expect very many of you to appreciate the art and exact science that is Potion making. The few of you who do possess the gift, however, can brew fame, bottle glory, even put a stopper in death." She looked dead serious until she turned to the class. "That's a standard Potions Master or Mistress speech. Professor Vernificus gave me the same speech during my first Potions class, and I've given it to every first-year class since I became the resident Potions Mistress. The first year, I was nervous about being able to say it with a straight face, but I managed. Now, then, who can tell me what I would get if I added asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" She looked straight at her son. "Well, Harry, how about you?"
"You would get a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death."
"Very good, Harry. Now then, Ms. Lovegood, where would I find a Bezoar?"
"The most common location is the stomach of a goat, but they're also known to be found in Mumpwug droppings."
Lily looked at Luna, then said "True, but since Mumpwugs are only in this world once every hundred years at the North and South poles that's hardly the most reliable source."
"There's also rumours that they're found on the tip of a Crumple Horned Snorkack's horn-"
"Which can't be proven without killing a Snorkack and removing its horn, which is impossible, as if a Snorkack dies naturally its horn vanishes and we don't yet have magic powerful enough to kill them. But we're getting off track. A Bezoar is, for the purposes of this course, a stone found in the stomach of a goat and it is known to neutralize most poisons." She looked back over at the table where Ron and Harry were sitting. "Ronald Weasley," she asked, "What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfbane?"
"I don't have a clue, Mrs. Pot- Professor Potter."
"That's because there is no difference," Lily explained. "Wolfbane and Monkshead are the same plant, which is also known as Aconite."
The rest of the class was spent brewing a potion which Lily described as "so simple that James could have managed it." Draco noticed several instances where Crabbe tried to put items which would react badly with ingredients in the potion into Gryffindor cauldrons. To Draco's, and especially Harry's astonishment, Neville was one of the best students in the class, with only Hermione, Draco and Crabbe coming close to matching his and Harry's perfect potions.
"Harry," Draco asked while waiting for the potions to heat up properly, "how do you do so well in every class?"
Harry smiled and said "I just find it so easy it's like I've done it all before."
"What was with your mum and Luna," Draco asked Harry after class. "Why was she reinforcing all of that Snorkack nonsense?"
"It sounded to me as if she was serious and she believed they really existed."
This conversation was stopped short as they ran into something huge and hairy.
"Oh, er, sorry, kids, din't see yeh there."
"Hagrid, what were you doing wandering the halls?"
"Don' worry, Harry. I was jest lookin' fer yer mum. She's an old friend o' mine, but I barely see her outside o' Hogwarts." The massive man looked at Draco, Ron and Hermione. "An' these must be the 'friends' Lily's always talkin' 'bout. Yeh know, 'Harry an' his friends're such a handful,' 'Harry an' his friends almost burned the house down with their last stunt,' 'Harry an' his friends-'"
"We get the picture," Draco said.
"Anyways, if yer not doin' anything how'd yeh like ter join us fer tea?"
"Sounds good," Hermione said, Draco and Ron nodding in agreement.
Hagrid headed down to the Potions room, emerging with Lily beside him.
Hagrid looked at Ron and Draco as they walked down the corridor and out of the school. "Yeh know," he began, "even if Lily hadn' told me yer names I'd prob'ly be able ter guess who yeh were. 'Course no guessin's really necessary fer Draco here, scar takes all the fun outta it, but I'd be able ter guess that yer a Weasley pretty easy, Ron."
"Well, the hair is generally a good indication of that."
"Red hair, blue eyes, an' that same mischievious grin Arthur used ter get when he was a student," Hagrid said, "no mistakin' a Weasley. Though I have ter say yer dressed a shade better 'n Bill or Charlie were when they started."
"That's because they started before dad started his rise in the ministry."
"Righ'. Where's Arthur workin' now anyways?"
"Well, he refuses to leave the Muggle Relations job, but then there's a good reason for that."
"Aye, too many supporters of You-Know-Who who would love ter make that position inna a joke."
"Yeah, but if he finds someone trustworthy to take over the position, then he's pretty much right behind Crouch."
The group headed out to a small wooden house, really more of a shack, on the edge of the forest. "Here we are," Hagrid said, "home sweet home." Draco heard a loud barking from inside the house. "Tha's jest Fang," Hagrid told the nervous students. "Believe me, his bark's worse'n his bite." Hagrid opened the door to reveal an enormous black boarhound, which bounded up to Hagrid and started licking his face. Draco noticed that there was a crossbow hanging on a hook near the door and assorted hams and pheasants hanging from the ceiling. In one far corner was a massive bed with a patchwork quilt on it. Draco noted a copper kettle full of – something – was boiling on an open fire.
"It's a bit small," Draco said, looking again around the one room house.
"Bit small, but it's served me well. Frankly 'm grateful ter have anything at all. Not too much open ter wizards thrown outta Hogwarts."
"Thrown out," Hermione asked, curiously.
"I shouldn'ta told ya that."
"What happened," Hermione asked, curiously.
"Not really sure. Even ter me it's a riddle." Harry was suddenly overcome with a coughing fit.
"You okay, Harry?"
"I'm fine, Draco," Harry replied, recovering quickly.
Draco soon learned that 'Tea' with Hagrid consisted of exactly that; tea and nothing else. There had been rock cakes put out, but judging from the taste of them, Hagrid had mistaken the name for a recipe.
"Look at that," Harry said, suddenly, drawing attention to a piece of paper lying on the table under a tea cosy. Draco picked it up and read it:
GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATESTInvestigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown.
Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.
'But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you,' said a Gringotts spokegoblin this afternoon.
"Someone tried to rob Gringotts," Hermione said, shocked.
"Sure, Herms. Don't you read the Daily Prophet?"
"Well, I don't exactly get it at home. My parents are muggles, after all." Hermione read over the article again. "July 31, isn't that the day we went to Diagon Alley."
"Right," Draco said, "on Harry's birthday."
"Well, what do you-" Hermione was cut off my Harry.
"I remember seeing someone I thought was a giant coming out with something clenched in his-" Harry said, before realisation seemed to dawn on him. "Hagrid!"
"I agree that that man was probably Hagrid," Hermione said, "but what makes you think that random package was anything important? I mean if he could hold it in the palm of his hand, how valuable could it be?"
"Well," Harry began, "for someone to risk breaking into Gringotts something would have to be so valuable that-"
Hermione picked up Harry's thought. "That a follower of You-Know-Who would risk falling into one of the traps at Gringotts and-"
"That the only way to protect it would be with a trap to cause 'a very painful death' to anyone who tried to find it," Draco concluded.
"The third-floor corridor," they said as one.
"I'm still not convinced it was whatever Hagrid had," Hermione said, ever the sceptic.
"Well, have you ever heard of a Star Seed," Draco asked.
"No," Hermione replied.
"It's an incredibly small magical gem – no bigger than a fingernail – which exponentially increases the power of any wand it's attached to. Besides," Draco continued, "if something were taken from Gringotts to Hogwarts on July 31, who would be better to trust with it than someone who almost certainly has some Giant blood in him and couldn't just be taken down by a Stunning Spell?"
---DM---
This chapter was originally two chapters, until I realised that nothing happened in the first one and both were painfully short. Hence, two become one. Plus, these events were in the same chapter in the book anyways. I would say to try to guess where the cut-off point was, but it's just too obvious.
Apologies for the standard/generic/boring feel of the first half. Hopefully Luna lightened it up a bit, but I'll admit that the classes are hardly the most exciting part to read or write.
Well, the wheels are turning and the hints are being planted. Despite his remaining a Gryffindor in this story, Harry is showing his Slytherin side very strongly. Just watch as he manipulates Draco into the solution. And, even then, is he leading his friend on a wild goose chase without realising it? Probably not.
For those wondering, the Star Seed is my own creation. Its name is taken from the Our Lady Peace song of the same name off the album 'Naveed'. Remember that little gem, as it has a rather large significance in the Wizarding World. Well, in MY version of the Wizarding World, anyways.
Finally, it's useful again! NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:
---DM---
Crabbe turned to face Draco. "How about we settle this once and for all, Malfoy."
"And what do you propose," Draco asked.
"A Wizard's Duel," Crabbe replied with a sneer. "I highly recommend you get a Second, as I suspect you'll need one."
"Oh, yes, I'm scared of all the advanced magic that daddy's somehow taught you from the Great Beyond," Draco said with the utmost sarcasm in his voice.
Crabbe cast a smirk in Neville's direction before saying "The Great Beyond may be closer than you think."
---DM---
Ladies and Gentlemen: the challenge has been made and the trap has been set. If anyone REVIEWs I'll see you next time. Otherwise, I'll still post the next chapter, but I'll have nothing to respond to.
