For copyright and disclaimers, please see chapter 1

------------------------
5 - Classes, Week One, First Year
------------------------
Wednesday, September 2, 1998:
Hogwarts, Slytherin House
------------------------
"Karen, how do I get to Professor Snape's office?" I asked the blonde prefect.

"Go through the door leading to the library. When it branches to the left and right, tap your wand on the wall straight ahead. If he's accepting visitors, it will open for you. If he's there, but not accepting visitors, it will turn red briefly, and you can ask him at breakfast in the Great Hall. He'll be giving out our schedules today." I smiled, and she ruffled my hair, and said with a grin, "Twenty minutes for sorting. You won me five galleons, you know. Somehow, I knew you'd be unique. How are you at Quidditch?"

"No idea. I've never seen a game."

She grabbed my hands and examined them, then stepped back and eyed me. She said, "Who knows, we may have a Slytherin Potter in you. We'll get together a scratch game so you can see what it's like. Tryouts are coming up, and the Slythie girls are hoping to break the guy's team dominance. You look like a Seeker, and lord knows, we could use a good one. We haven't won the Cup in seven years." She smiled, and motioned with her head. "Go see the Professor. We'll talk later."

I tapped my wand, and the door opened for me. I called, "Professor? You wanted to see me?"

"Miss Wayne. I thought you might wish to see these papers." He tapped his wand on the wall, and the door closed. He handed me a sheaf of papers, and I looked at it:

Who's Who in the Wizarding World:
Volume 23: W

Wayne, Helena Martha
31 May 1988 - ? Gemini, Scorpio rising
Hogwarts: Slytherin House

Wayne, Bruce (see Batman) American covert crimefighter. Son of Wayne, Dr. Thomas (murdered), Wayne, Martha (murdered), chairman Wayne Enterprises, Billionaire (real estate) Residence Gotham City, USA married Kyle, Selina (see Batgirl, Catwoman)

I flipped to another page, and stared in horror at my mother's:

Who's Who in the Wizarding World:
Volume 11: K


Kyle, Selina (nee Wayne), (see Batgirl, Catwoman)
Reformed professional thief (never prosecuted), covert crimefighter

I swayed, and the Professor caught me, and guided me to a seat. He asked, "This is why the Hat was taking so long?" I nodded, and he added, "Magical reference books like the Who's Who update automatically, by themselves. That's why you're listed. Your parents have experienced the Hat. Albus has pulled the Who's Who volumes from the library, and your parents have copies of these entries, but that is as far as we can go in concealing the information."

I blinked and swayed, then said, "I have to go. I have to go home ... "

"And do what?" His voice was surprisingly gentle. "Possibly die with them? We cannot predict the future, despite what you may learn in Divination. I presume they chose this path?"

I swallowed, and said, "To some extent. Dad watched his parents murdered in front of him in a street robbery. That's what drove him ... to become the Bat."

"This is also why the Hat had difficulty choosing between Gryffindor and Slytherin." He sat back and regarded me, then said, "Only three other people on staff know of this, and you may count on their discretion. I trust them with my life. They are the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Potter. If I cannot help you, please seek out one of them. Do you know where the Headmaster's office is?" I nodded, and he said, "There is an emergency password which you can use - 'Wayne emergency', which will not only admit you, but alert the four of us. What do you want to tell the rest of Slytherin house?"

"N ... Nothing for now. Let me digest this."

He nodded. "As you wish. You've missed breakfast." He handed me a sandwich, and said, "If you feel up to it, I'll walk you to your first class." He passed me a sheet of paper with my class schedule. I automatically glanced at it, and the first one was Charms.

------------------------

I had the appearance of normality by lunch, although I couldn't have told you a word of what the lesson was. Fortunately, Professor Snape had said something to Professor Flitwick. I pushed lunch around my plate, and Sprink quietly asked me, "What's the problem?"

"Some ... unsettling news from home," I stared into my goblet of milk.

"Anything we can do?" one of my housemates asked quietly. He added, "What the Professor said last night isn't bollocks. If we can help, we will. We're family, you know."

I gave a weak smile, then looked at my schedule. "The firsties have Transfiguration this afternoon. I should go over the Charms notes, and then write home." I took a deep breath, then asked, "Karen said something about a scratch Quidditch game? I've never seen one."

------------------------

September 2, 1998

Dear Mom and Dad, Well, I arrived safe and sound, and I've been sorted into Slytherin! I've got some really cool housemates, and Professor Snape (the tall one that dresses all in black), is actually kinda cool. We're going to have a scratch Quidditch game this afternoon to show all us muggles what it's like. The people in my house seem to think I'd make a good Seeker!

Professor Snape mentioned the articles about the sub-basement, and said you'd gotten copies. He advised me to stay here, and said that I had backup from the faculty. Even though they don't know what the problem is, several people in the house have expressed support, so I'm inclined to take their advice, although I'll do what you want. I've only had one class so far and Transfiguration this afternoon. I wasn't much good in Charms, but Professor Snape talked to Professor Flitwick - it was just after I got the news.

I've got some really cool pictures - I'll have to find out how to get them developed, and I'll send you a set. I'm writing this at lunch, so I'll send this, then I'll go over my friend Sprink's notes tonight. Transfiguration sounds cool.

Your loving daughter,
Mattie

------------------------

"Ah, Miss Wayne. Please see me for a moment after class." I nodded, and Professor McGonagall said, "Transfiguration is not only changing one object to another, but one animal to another, if necessary. Professor Potter will be going over the defensive uses of transfiguration. For now, we're going to start simply by changing one object into another, similar object. Please take out your wands ... "

After class, I approached the professor, and cleared my throat. "You wanted to see me, Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Wayne. One moment, please." She cast a bubble around us, and said, "Now then, I understand Professor Snape discussed some ... documents with you?"

"Yes, ma'am. He said you were aware of it?" She nodded, and I continued, "I'm inclined to follow his advice and stay, but I've written my parents. What's the fastest I can get it to them?" I fished out my letter.

"I'll give it to Fawkes and ask him to wait for a reply. We should have one tonight. As soon as we receive it, I'll deliver it to you. Also, Professor Dumbledore will be working with you tomorrow morning on Occlumency, instead of your free period. Do you remember where his office is?"

"Yes, ma'am. Should I use the emergency password?"

"Oh, heavens no! The normal password this month is Canary Creams." She quirked her mouth, then said, "Don't worry, dear. We're here for you. Please don't hesitate to ask for help."

------------------------

After dinner, I walked down to the Quidditch pitch, to see aerial chaos going on. People from all four houses were there, so I wandered over to the other muggleborn students, where Professor Potter was sitting on the ground with us, trying to explain what was going on. He nodded to me, and continued as I sat down next to a Hufflepuff. He was a little on the thin side, with blue eyes and blond hair, " ... The Keeper position guards the goal hoops, and generally runs the team, as he has a more strategic view. Each house has a playbook that is jealously guarded." He grinned, and added, "When I captained the Gryffindor team, there were nine hundred years of plays, tactics and notes in there."

He shifted, then added, "Now, you see those players just circling up above? Those are the Seekers, and their objective is to find and capture the Snitch. When you do, it's worth 150 points, and usually wins the game. The game continues until the Snitch is captured." He pulled a small golden ball out of a trunk. It was about the size of a walnut, and had golden wings that beat fruitlessly against his fingers. He added, "The game snitch is charmed so it can't go outside the pitch. If I were to let this go, since we're outside the pitch, we'd never find it again." He stuffed it back in the lid of a trunk, and carefully locked it. "Now, there are two other positions, and balls. The three Chasers on a side pass the Quaffle, and hopefully score off the Keeper." He passed a red leather ball around, and added, "Each goal is worth ten points. The two Beaters, on the other hand, use a bat (one was passed around) to redirect the Bludgers to attack the other team's chasers, or to defend them. It takes a lot of muscle to hit the Bludgers; they're made of iron. That's why Beaters are usually blokes."

One of the orbiting players had dived, swerving in and out of the other players, the others following. I watched as the players dodged and weaved, one standing on his speeding broom, reaching, then grabbing the broom with his other hand, the other holding up an object. He swung a leg over the broom, and started a victory lap. Professor Potter sighed, and said, "Excellent catch!"

"You sound like you miss it, Professor," Charlie Adams said.

"I do. I was offered spots on professional teams, but I thought this was more important." He grinned, and said, "Hopefully, we'll get a faculty game together this year. Professors Snape and Vector were excellent Beaters, and Professor Flitwick played Seeker for the Tutshill Tornadoes." He sighed again, and asked, "Any questions?"

------------------------

The door to the common room opened, Karen looked up, and immediately stopped talking, flipping over the paper she was sketching on. She stood, and politely said, "Professor McGonagall?"

"Where's ... Oh, there you are! Mattie? I have a reply from home for you," she passed me an envelope. I pulled a knife out and slit it open, then stowed the knife and quickly started to read it. Professor McGonagall looked at the papers, and asked, "Homework?"

Karen shook her head, "Quidditch."

McGonagall gave a small smile, and quipped, "I could hope." Karen grinned, and McGonagall said, "Good luck on your tryouts. You'll forgive me if I don't extend that to the season?"

"Of course, Minerva. The feeling is reciprocated. The usual wager?" Professor Snape asked. She nodded, and extended her hand, which he shook. He asked, "Miss Wayne?"

"I can STAY! YES!" I pumped a fist in the air, and Professor McGonagall patted my shoulder, telling me, "I'll inform the Headmaster. He was concerned." She gazed at Karen, and added, "I'll leave you to your ... homework."

After both Professors had left, Karen asked, "How did you get a reply back from the States so quick, and why was McGonagall hand-delivering it?"

"You know I got some bad news from home this morning?" She nodded, and I continued, "Professor Snape said he thought I should stay, so I wrote home to see what I should do. They replied that they were aware of the problem, and measures were in place to handle it. Professor Dumbledore offered to have Fawkes take the message, and he just came back with my reply, that I can STAY! YESSS!" I did a little victory dance, then plumped back down on the couch.

"Good!" Karen flipped her papers over again. "If this was just homework, I wouldn't have bothered hiding it from McGonagall, but if it was a prank, or Quidditch, well, those need tighter security." I nodded, and Karen took up where she left off, "Now then. Harry, err, Professor Potter gave you the basics of Quidditch, but if you're going to Seek, you're going to need to ..."

------------------------
Thursday, September 3, 1998:
Hogwarts, Great Hall
------------------------

"Good Morning!" I said as I sat down, putting my bookbag behind me.

"You're chipper this morning," Karen observed.

"I have my first Occlumency class with Professor Dumbledore. I'm really looking forward to it," I poured some milk, and added, "Please pass the scrambled eggs."

"Bangers, if you please," someone said. I spied them, speared a couple, and passed them down. Sprink sat down, and took a slurp of coffee. She sighed, and said, "I thought they called bangers something else in the States."

"They do, but my step-grandfather was British," I confessed. "I usually go with either tea or coffee in the morning, but I don't know how caffeine would affect the Occlumency. I'll ask Professor Dumbledore." I took a drink, then asked, "Is there a simple way to copy someone's notes?"

"Sure, tap your wand to the original, say 'Duplicus', and then touch it to a blank sheet of parchment," a fellow said. "'Duplicus Totalis' if you want to copy everything. Terry Higgs, at your service." He grinned, the lowered his voice, and said, "I heard you had a problem at home. Anything I can do?"

"Thanks, but it's handled as much as it can be for now. It's one of those wait-and-see things." I looked at my watch, then wolfed down a bit of toast. "If you will excuse me, I need to get to Professor Dumbledore's office."

------------------------

"Canary Creams," I told the statue, and it moved aside. I stepped on the moving stairs, and rode up. Knocking, I called, "Professor Dumbledore?"

"Ah, Miss Wayne! Come in, come in. Lemon Drop?" He motioned me to a squashy armchair by the fire, while waving his wand at the door.

"No thank you, sir. I did have a question, if there were any sort of dietary restrictions for Occlumency?"

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, coffee or tea to drink, because of the caffeine in them," I clarified.

"Ah. No, those are perfectly safe, although I would steer away from alcoholic beverages. However, at your age, I wouldn't worry about those. By the time you can drink those, you should be a master Occlumens," he smiled.

"Good," I smiled as I smoothed my skirt and sat down.

"Now then, Miss Wayne. What I am going to do is to try to read your thoughts. You will erect your mental shields, and try to prevent me. Later on, we will work on having them erect, but in the background, so you are not vulnerable during your sleep, for instance." I nodded, and the Headmaster continued, "As you saw when you talked to Alastair, it is not painful. However, later, when we move on to thoughts connected to emotions, it may become distressing for you. Are there any questions?"

"Just one. Who's Alastair?"

"The Sorting Hat," he waved over his shoulder. "Frightfully intelligent fellow. You gave him a bit of a turn."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I looked around, and saw the Hat on a shelf. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hat."

The tear in his brim opened, and he said, "Perfectly understandable, my dear. Neither one of us knew about your family. I do hope they're all right."

"We'll just have to wait and see. Thank you, though."

"Now then, Miss Wayne. Ready?" I nodded, and the Headmaster pointed his wand at me, and said, "Legilmens!"

------------------------

The clock chimed, and the Headmaster looked at me with a smile, "That was most satisfactory, Miss Wayne. Shall we say every Thursday morning, from nine to ten-thirty?" I nodded, and he continued, "Excellent. Now, I'm afraid I must do a bit of this dratted paperwork, or Minerva will hex me."

I chuckled, and pulled the strap of my bookbag over my shoulder. I turned at the door, and said, "Have a nice day, Professor. You too, Mr. Hat."

------------------------

I wandered into the library, and looked about. The ceilings were a good thirty feet high, and bookshelves crammed full went almost all the way. On some of them, additional stacks of books covered the tops of the oak shelves. From what I could see, I guessed the library at four hundred by six hundred feet, with thousands of books. I saw some of my housemates wave to me, and joined them at a table.

"Oh, man. My parents would kill for a library like this," I admitted.

"I know. Fantastic, isn't it? James Dorney, at your service."

I shook his hand, and said, "Mattie Wayne." I plumped down in a chair, and asked, "Where are the computers?"

"The what?"

"The computers. You know, for the indexes, and database searching, and the Internet?" He looked blank, and I asked, "How do you find anything in these thousands of books?"

"They're alphabetized." He still looked confused.

"You don't have full-text indexing? What if you needed to know the uses of ... dragon blood, or something?"

"Depends on if it's magizoology, alchemy, potions, or herbology. Why, what's the assignment?" He was still confused, and added; "Blood potions are sixth year. Why do you need it in first? Is it for a prank?"

I hid my face, and whispered, "My god, I'm back in the fourteenth century."

"Why, is there a different way?" he asked.

I laughed hollowly, and said, "My friend, you have absolutely NO idea." I shook my head, and said, "In my old school, if I wanted to research something like dragon's blood in the library, I would sit down at a computer, type in my query, and wait, oh, a half second before having a list of thousands of references from all over the world. I could then use those references to complete my assignment, or dump them to a file to complete them back in my dorm room. Can you do that here?"

He blinked. "Muggles can?" I nodded. "But ... we've done it this way for years ... "

"Has magic changed since the fourteenth century?" I asked.

"Of course!"

"Why haven't your libraries?" I waved at Sprink, and asked her, "Can I see your Transfiguration notes?"

------------------------

I walked into my first Potions class, and found a seat next to Sprink, unscrewing the cap to my pen, and taking out a fresh notebook. She looked at me, and said, "Nice pen."

"Thanks." She picked up her quill, and I teased her, muttering, "Fourteenth century."

The classroom door slammed, and Professor Snape appeared, calling "Settle down, settle down." He glowered at us, then said, "This is first year Potions. You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death." He glared at us, and continued, "If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

------------------------

At dinner, Karen and James Dorney sat down across from me. Karen asked, "Mattie, James told me something fantastic, and I have difficulty believing it." I raised my eyebrow, and she continued, "You said that muggles can come up with thousands of references for a subject in a fraction of a second." I nodded, and she said, "That's impossible!"

"Nope. Ask Professor Potter. I'm willing to put..." I pulled out my moneybag, and extracted some gold, "one hundred galleons on it." They blanched as I stacked them up, and said, "Two qualifiers. Professor Potter is the most muggle professor, so he would know best." They nodded, and I pulled out a scrap of paper and my pen. "Use these terms, so he'll know what you're asking about." I scribbled 'Internet Search Engine' and handed it to them.

"This is a trick, isn't it? A prank?" James asked.

I shook my head. "On my honor, no. You can ask any muggleborn here, just use that phrase. I'm only suggesting Professor Potter because he's ... well, a professor." I indicated the gold, and asked, "Do we have a wager?"

"I ... don't have that kind of money," James admitted.

I smiled, and asked, "What's the smallest coin?"

"A knut?" I slid the gold back in, then extracted one, giving it to Sprink. James and Karen each fished one out and gave them to Sprink. I pulled out my wand, and practiced the Leviosa charm on a spoon.

------------------------

"You're not flicking it right, Miss Wayne," Professor Flitwick said as he climbed on my bench. He took my hand in his, and moved me through the swish and flick. I gasped as the spoon rose, then dropped in the soup bowl.

"Thank you, professor." I did it again, and he beamed.

"I have had two of your housemates asking a very strange question, Miss Wayne. They said it was for a wager with you," I raised my eyebrow, and he added, "You can look up something as a muggle in a fraction of a second?"

"On an Internet search engine, yes, sir. I found out this afternoon that Hogwarts isn't connected to the Internet, and I was very surprised. Most schools are connected, and I assumed Hogwarts, like the Salem Institute, was connected," I frowned. "My mistake."

"What is this Internet thing? Why should we connect to it?" he asked, curious.

"It's a global network of all human knowledge. Think of it as a global library in every language, only one you can search in a fraction of a second, sir."

He blinked, and squeaked, "That's impossible."

"Sir, what's the closest Muggle city?"

"Inverness, why?"

"Sir, with respect, it's not impossible. Ask any muggleborn, or go with Professor Potter to the Inverness public library. That's the wager - my housemates didn't believe me either."

------------------------
Friday, September 4, 1998:
Hogwarts, Great Hall
------------------------

"Morning!" I said, as I sat down, pouring myself a cup of coffee. Karen looked at me, and rolled her eyes. I asked, "What?"

"Professor Flitwick didn't believe you either," she said.

"Okay, how about this? I suggested to him that he go with Professor Potter to Inverness, and see for himself. Once he does, then we'll settle the bet. Fair enough?" I blew on my coffee to cool it.

"You're making a great deal out of a one-knut bet," she said.

"Principal of the thing. Besides, I'm not looking forward to doing homework with fourteenth century methods," I said as I dished up eggs.

"Why do you keep saying that, Mattie? This is the twentieth century," Karen asked.

"Using a quill and parchment is twentieth century? Pass the toast, please." I fished around in my bag, and tossed something to Karen. "There you go. Ballpoint pen, it costs about ten knuts. Writes smoothly, lasts for months and months on the internal ink supply, has a variety of colors, and no risk of a spilled inkbottle. Click the little silver button on top to extend and retract the nib. Try it for one day, see what you think."

"Only if you use a quill for a day," she said.

"Deal," I said as I handed her my fountain pen, and pulled out Fawkes' feather from Diagon Alley. I looked through my bag, then asked, "Got an extra bottle of ink?"

------------------------

"Good morning, and welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I'm Professor Potter, but you can call me Harry. Everyone else does." I chuckled, and he called the roll, sitting on a corner of a table. He took off his robes, and tossed them over a chair, then loosened his tie. "Now then. You can take notes if you want, but right now, all you need is your wand. You may be firsties, but I doubt you're all as innocent as they say you are." People laughed, and he continued, "Not too long ago, I was sitting in those same seats." He got up, and walked over to stand in front of me, "Miss Wayne, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"You've got the staff room buzzing, you know. The Internet, and a one-knut bet," he chuckled. "Who knows, we may actually get it, thanks to you." He moved away, and added, "That's down the road. This class is Defense. It teaches you how to defend yourself against a magical attack. Who knows a spell?"

I raised my hand, along with several others. Professor Potter pointed, and Charlie said, "incarcerous, sir."

"Excellent. Go ahead. Use it on me."

"Sir?"

Professor Potter moved a chair over, and transfigured it into a lifelike figure with a pointed wand and long black robes. I blinked, and the professor said, "Here's our attacker. Five points if you can do it successfully to him, ten points if you do it to me."

Charlie gulped, then pointed a shaking wand, and said, "i...incarcerous!"

"Try it again without the stutter," the professor said gently. "You can do it."

"Incarcerous!" ropes shot out and wrapped loosely around the chair. Professor Potter looked at them, said, "They're complete. Five points to Hufflepuff, Mr. Adams," he waved a hand and they vanished. "Want to try for another ten?" He tapped his chest and smiled. Charlie gulped, and called, "incarcerous!" and ropes wrapped loosely around the Professor.

Professor Potter smiled, and said, "Excellent! They seem to be complete, so another ten points to Hufflepuff." He moved a finger, and they dissolved. Charlie groaned, and the professor said, "Sorry, Mr. Adams. However, this is one way to judge the relative strength of your opponent. Another is how fast they recover from a stunner. Miss Wayne, what was yours?"

"Stupefy, sir." He nodded, and held out his arms wide. I held my breath, then called, "stupefy!" A red light came out of my wand, and hit his chest. He blinked, and shook his head, then smiled.

"Excellent, Miss Wayne! Have you done this before?" I nodded, and he said, "I'll want the story, then. However, ten points to Slytherin!"

"But, sir, you weren't knocked out! I didn't do it right!"

"Yes, you did. Who was it before?"

"Secretary Weasley," I mumbled.

Professor Potter laughed, and asked, "You were with Ginny the other day, weren't you? When Fudge came by?" I nodded, and he said, "I never did thank you for your assistance that day, so I will now. Thank you, Miss Wayne." I nodded, and he asked the class, "Anyone willing to volunteer as a target for Miss Wayne?"

The blond Hufflepuff I had sat next to the other day raised his hand, and the professor waved him up front. "Mr. Morton, isn't it?" he nodded, and the professor said, "One moment please," he said as he mumbled at the floor. He looked up, smiled, and said, "First off, ten points to Hufflepuff for volunteering, Mr. Morton. Now then, I've cast cushioning charms on the floor, so you don't hurt yourself when Miss Wayne hexes you. You can feel them if you walk over the floor." He nodded, and took a few steps. "I'll revive you after you've been hexed, so at most you'll have a slight headache. If you do, please let me know, and I'll take care of it." He addressed the class. "When Miss Wayne stuns Mr. Morton, I want her to note how much ... resistance she encounters in casting it. Then, Miss Wayne, I want you to hex me, and note the difference. This is what I mean when I say gauging the relative strength of your opponent. You may fire when ready, Miss Wayne."

I took a breath, and called, "stupefy!" at Morton, and was surprised how easy it was. He thumped to the floor, and I aimed at the professor, and called "stupefy!" again. There was a lot more effort required, and it didn't seem to bother him.

"Notice the difference?" I nodded, and he asked, "Want to play target?" I smiled and joined him while he called, "enervate!" on Mr. Morton. He helped him up, and then said, "Turnabout is fair play, Mr. Morton. If Miss Wayne will stand over on the padded floor, you can hex us. Note how much effort is required for each of us, and you may fire when ready."

I looked at him over his pale ash wand, and smiled. He licked his lips, then called, "stupefy!" There was a red flash, and then the professor was helping me up.

"Excellent! Let's see that's ten points each to Hufflepuff and Slytherin for our two volunteers. Mr. Morton, did you notice the difference in resistance?" He nodded, and the professor continued on. "I assume that our two volunteers also noticed the period of unconsciousness they suffered. The stunner can also be used medically, where a patient needs to remain under for transport or treatment. The target area for this spell is from the waist up to the top of the head." He moved his hand to demonstrate, and continued, "As you saw, the reversal spell is 'enervate'."

He paced a bit, then said, "The ideal thing, though, is to disarm your opponent, then stun and bind him. Since he or she knows this, they will try to do the same thing to you. For those of you who don't know, we have a club called the 'DA' that meets every Tuesday night at seven. All houses are welcome, and I would strongly encourage you to practice with your housemates." He smiled, then said, "End of the telly adverts. Time for a bit more practice. Everyone out of your seats."

With a couple finger flicks, he had moved the chairs to either side. He called, "Let's have Slytherin and Hufflepuff on the left here, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw on the right over there." We sorted ourselves, and he walked between us. "What we're going to do is the disarming spell, 'expelliarmus'. This will summon your opponent's weapon, usually a wand, to you. This is done from the dueling stance, edge on to your opponent, so as to minimize his target. Now, holster your wands, and repeat after me: 'ex-pel-ee-AR- mus'".

"Ex-pel-ee-AR-mus" I said.

"Excellent. Wands out, and ready. Five points to whoever does it successfully. On three. One. Two. Th ... "

"Expelliarmus!" I called, aiming at one of the Cortez sisters.

"Very good, everyone. Who got a wand?" I held one up, and he said, "Good. However, let me finish the word, first. Toss them back, and we'll go again. Ready? One. Two. Three!"

"Expelliarmus!" I called, a little too late. My wand was jerked out of my hand, and I was shoved backward a step.

"Good, good. Who's got a wand?" One of the Cortez twins waved mine, and Professor Potter smiled, and said, "Five points to those people. Toss 'em back, and we'll do it one more time. Ready? One. Two. Three!"

"Expelliarmus!" I called, and got a wand in reply. I waved it, and got my five points. Tossing it back, I groaned when the professor said, "Enough fun for now. Homework. I want at least two feet on defensive spells by Friday after next. The common name and incantation, with any special requirements like body posture or wand movement. I want your definition of 'defensive spell', and if, IF you include an Unforgivable, I want reasoning that would stand in court."

He frowned at us, then added, "Since I fully expect you to ask older students in your house, you will demonstrate some of your spells, so don't add a seventh-year spell just to look good," he grinned, and said, "You may need to show it to me." The bell rang, and he said, "One other thing for extra credit. If you can show me a spell I've never heard of, it's worth two hundred points. Enjoy lunch, and if you have a broom, please bring it to the pitch for your flying lesson at one." He waved his hand, and the door unlocked.

------------------------

I wandered down to the pitch with Sprink and some of the other firsties to see Professor Potter pulling brooms out of a small shed. He looked up and waved, and we walked over to him. He smiled, and asked, "Would you be kind enough to grab some brooms? I thought we'd set up in a circle over there." Sprink set her bag and broom down, and I set my bag next to hers.

"All right. Is everyone next to a broom? Now, who here has never ridden a broom?" I raised my hand, and said, "It's very easy. Hold your right hand over the broom, about waist high, and tell it 'UP!'" He demonstrated, and his broom leapt into his hand.

I told mine, "UP! UP! UP, damn you! UP!" It persisted in lying on the ground. I kicked it, and said, "UP!".

"Doesn't want to go? Let me try." He let his broom hover, then told mine, "UP! UP!" It twitched a bit, but didn't move otherwise. He picked it up, then tossed it aside. "Try mine. DOWN!"

"UP!" It jumped up, smacking my palm.

He sighed, and said, "We need new school brooms." Moving out to the center of the circle, he said, "If you run your hand back toward the bristle end, you'll feel a cushioning charm. That's where your bum goes." People chuckled, and he continued, "Throw your right leg over the broom, so your weight is on the left leg and the broom." I did so, and he said, "Kick off from the ground, and you'll hover." The professor's broom seemed to almost quiver with excitement. "Both hands on the shaft, and lean your body to the right until you've turned right, then straighten up. You tilt your body in the direction you want to go. Turn until you're pointing to the right of the person in front of you." I did so, aiming at Sprink's right. The professor walked around, checking and correcting people.

"All right. You accelerate by leaning forward, brake by leaning back. I want you to rise to no more than ten feet, and fly around the circle, no faster than a jog. Begin." I flew up a bit, then leaned forward, and the broom took off. I called "Whee!" and realized I was heading for a very large willow tree, whose branches started to move. I leaned, and screamed into a turn, overcorrected, then started to slalom back toward the class. I moved, and it took off, up and up and up, then I turned, and dove toward the ground, just barely pulling up as I flew toward the castle, barreling over the greenhouses. I twitched, called, "Yee ... Hah!", flew between the towers, turned and headed back toward the pitch. I managed to slow down enough to stop near the professor. I got off, told the broom, "DOWN!" and sat down next to it, panting.

He came up, and asked, "How high did I say?"

"Ten feet, sir, but I was going to hit the trees ..."

He frowned, and said, "You could have braked. Ten points from Slytherin, for disobeying instructions." I nodded, and he extended a hand to help me up. I scooped up his broom, and reluctantly handed it back. He grinned, and said, "Good ride. Are you going out for Quidditch?"

I blinked, and said, "My housemates think I'd make a good Seeker."

He looked at my hands, then said with a grin, "The Gryffindor in me hopes you don't. He wants to keep the Quidditch Cup. The Professor in me thinks it would be a crying shame if you didn't. You'll need a decent broom. Mine's a Firebolt, top of the line racing broom, costs about 350 galleons. I'll talk to Professor Snape, if you like ..."

"Thank you, sir ..." He smiled and moved off.

Sprink landed next to me, and said, "What did he say? Are you expelled?"

I shook my head. "No, he took ten points for disobeying instructions." She waved that away, and I continued, "He also thinks it would be a crying shame if I didn't try out for Quidditch." She grinned, and I added, "He mentioned the Gryffindor in him hopes I don't try out for Seeker, but he'll talk to Professor Snape about getting me a broom."

"What kind does he have? Mine's a Cleansweep five," she asked.

"Firebolt." Sprink choked a bit, and said, "God, those are expensive."

Professor Potter called, "Everyone down for a moment." I turned and walked over to stand near him. He added, "I just have two quick announcements before dismissing you for the weekend. The first is that this flying class will run through the last Friday of October. Everyone should be up to speed by then. The second is tomorrow, about ten or so, here under the trees, a fellow named Harry Potter will be holding an informal seminar for the muggleborn on why witches and wizards do these strange things. Since it's a Saturday, and it's not a class, dress is casual. No skirts, no ties, jeans and trainers." He loosened his tie, and added, "If you're a wizardborn, and you want to wander by and join your friends, you're welcome. However, there are no houses, no professors, no students tomorrow." He held up his hands, and said, "End of announcements. If you want to fly a bit more, please put the brooms back in the shed when you're done. Stay away from the Whomping Willow that Miss Wayne narrowly missed and the Forbidden Forest, but aside from that, have fun."

------------------------
Saturday, September 5, 1998:
Hogwarts, Slytherin House, First year girls' dorm.
------------------------

"Mattie, you gotta get up!" I heard rustling on my bed curtains, and I turned over. "Mattie! Come on, you'll oversleep!"

"Gway, Sprink. Can't oversleep. 'Possible."

"Mattie ... Breakfast ..." she crooned.

"Sleep ... " I buried my face in the pillow.

"It's quarter after nine, Mattie." I mumbled something, and she said, "You leave me no choice, then ...."

"GAAAAAAA!" I sat up as cold water soaked me. She giggled and ran as I chased after her in my soaked nightie. "Susquehanna Tonks, when I catch you!" I screamed as I ran up the stairs to the common room. With a flying tackle, I grabbed her. "Hah! American football to the rescue! Prepare to die, you lousy Brit!" She tried to scramble away, and I twisted, trapping her on the rug.

"You can't" (bang) "kill me" (bang) "without your" (bang) "wand!" she protested, my hands in her hair as I banged her head against the (carpeted) floor.

"Shall I (bang) list the ways, Brit?" (bang) "Yanks don't need" (bang) "no steekin' wand to do" (bang) "you Tommies" (bang) "in!"

"The Yank is correct, Miss Tonks," Professor Snape whispered. "However, it is rude for a guest to point that out, Miss Wayne. I would suggest you shower and dress for the day. Both of you also have quite a bit of homework to finish, which would be a more ... productive ... use of your time than attempted murder."

I groaned, then stood, offering my hand to Sprink. She took it, and I twisted, pinning her in a block with my hand on her shoulder. I glanced up, and asked, "Mr. Pritchard, would you like to inform Miss Tonks what happens when I shake hands?"

"I'm sure it would be most informative, Miss Wayne," the professor said. "Shower. Now." I nodded, and released Tonks, offering her my hand, which she dramatically cringed away from.

"What did you do to Pritchard?" Tonks asked as we reentered the dorm. I dug through my trunk for fresh clothes and underwear, grabbing my shower gear. I just grinned, and waved as I walked into the shower.

------------------------

I gnawed on some sort of scone as I walked down to the pitch with Sprink. We were a few minutes late, so when Harry saw us and waved, he asked with a grin, "Mattie, how's the fourteenth century going?"

"Somewhat up the arse," I answered, and he howled with laughter. I grinned, and Sprink punched me in the shoulder. I rubbed it dramatically, and glared at her.

"Do you mind if I tell this, Mattie? You can fill in where appropriate." I waved my scone, and he grinned. "Mattie here has been waging a lonely fight in Slytherin for Internet access. I know we've all had a bit of ... frustration finding the right books in the library. When you told Professor Flitwick he could have access to all human knowledge, well ... " He grinned, and said, "I wonder what the reaction was in Ravenclaw."

"Drooling excitement and disbelief," one of the Cortez sisters said.

Sprink shook her head, and said, "I still don't believe it."

"I could even tolerate using a quill if I could get my iMac to work," I said.

"You've got one here?" Harry asked.

I nodded, and said, "It worked in London, but not here."

"Ah. That's the defensive charms. Let me look into that for you." I saw Ginny walk up to kiss Harry, and people went "Awww." Ginny grinned, and sat down next to Harry. He smiled, and said, "For those of you who don't know who this lovely young woman is, may I introduce Miss Virginia Weasley, my fiancée and Head Girl."

"But what about the student-teacher thing?" someone asked.

"He mentioned it when he took the post, so it's not a problem. We do like to tease him about it in the staff room, though." One of the witches I remember from the confrontation with Fudge ruffled Harry's hair and sat down. She smiled, and said, "Callista Vector. I teach Arithmancy, so I won't have you firsties for a few years yet." She sighed, and said, "This is pleasant."

Charlie Adams said, "I did have a question, Pro..." Harry held up a hand, and he corrected it to, "err, Harry." He nodded, and Charlie said, "It's kinda stupid, but I don't see that many short-haired people."

"It's actually a good question, Charlie," Harry said. He glanced at Ginny, and continued, "There are exceptions to the rules, but generally, it's a way to determine social status. The age of consent is seventeen. Unmarried men and women of legal age wear their hair long and unbound like Professor Dumbledore and Callista do. Since Ginny is engaged and over seventeen, she binds her hair in a simple ponytail. Once we marry, I'll bind mine back in a ponytail, and she'll wear a single braid. Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, ties hers in a bun because she was engaged, but was not able to complete the ceremony. I won't intrude on her privacy by saying more than that."

Ginny added, "What Harry is so diplomatically not saying is about the men in my family. Some of you may have met, or be aware of, my prat of a brother, Education Secretary Percy Weasley. Short hair on a man generally means that he is in his apprenticeship, or is a minor. If it's required short for safety reasons, it's simple enough to charm it long after work. Since hair charms are so easy to do, there's really no reason not to have long hair." She looked around, then asked, "Mattie, want to demonstrate? Come here." I walked over, then knelt facing them. Ginny smiled, then said, "Mattie's is a little past her shoulders. Tap your wand to your hair, and say 'follicus extensis'. Hold your wand on your hair for ten or twelve seconds. For each second you hold your wand, you'll get about an inch of length. To dry it after your shower, use 'follicus aris', and to change the color use 'follicus rechromis'. There's no reason to spend hours on your hair like the muggles do."

Callista added, "The senior members of a wizarding family will have the longest hair. Professor Snape's is not long, because he's not the senior wizard of his family, and because he spends so much time over fires and cauldrons. Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick, on the other hand, are the senior wizards in their families, so they have long hair and beards. Professor McGonagall's hair, once it's unbound, goes to her knees. Harry should grow a beard, as he's the senior wizard of his family."

"I tried. It just looks unshaven and messy," Harry complained.

Ginny was quietly charming Harry's hair longer. In order to help distract him, I asked, "What's with quills instead of ballpoints?"

------------------------

"That's done!" I said, throwing my quill down, and blowing on the ink.

"What, charms homework? Want to compare?" Sprink asked.

"Sure. I was somewhat out of it that first class," I admitted, passing it over. I leaned back against the tree, squinting at Sprink's tiny, cramped handwriting. I moaned, "I want my computer ..."

"The way you're going on about it, you'd think it's the best thing since a bread-slicing charm." She looked at me, then added, "I know. Fourteenth century..."

"Longswords, duels over damsels in distress and arranged marriages. Gaa."

"Hey there! Mind if we join you?" the Cortez twins asked.

"Please. I'm suffering from computer withdrawal," I said. "Got your charms homework done?"

"Ain't it the truth? She keeps trying to move her mouse when she studies."

"I do not! It's a trackball." They glared at each other, then giggled. Sprink looked confused, and I passed over her homework. One of the twins (I couldn't tell which) fished out her homework, and we traded around.

"So, what's this Occlu-thing like?" Sprink asked.

"Occlumency," I said. I affected a mysterious tone, and said, "Ah, 'tis a deep, dark Slythie secret, those not of the Snake's Den are forbidden such dire knowledge!" I waggled my eyebrows, then casually added, "But you two are my fellow Yanks, so I've gotta tell you."

"Of course, we have to kill them after," Sprink commented.

"But it's so BORING being an Evil Dark Lady," I whined. "I wanna have fun!"

"Tough," Sprink said in a low voice. "Part a' being a Slythie. You know we gotta do what we gotta do. Terribly sorry about this, girls, but we'll make it as painless as we can."

"We don't learn painless killing spells until third year," I complained. "They're all really, really painful now. Every day, a new spell, new horrible screams. I'm glad we have good soundproofing in the common room."

"We're running out of Gryffies, though," Sprink whined.

"Well, there's always Hufflepuff," I mused. I couldn't help it, I couldn't keep my 'evil face' going, and I cracked up laughing.

"What about Hufflepuff?" Charlie asked as he walked up.

"They were asking about my Occlumency lessons," I said as he sat down. "Unfortunately, 'tis a deep, dark Slythie secret..." I shrieked as they threw things at me.

"Okay, okay. Peace!" I waved my hands, and said, "It's actually kinda boring. I've only had one class so far. It's in Professor Dumbledore's office, and what we do is he tries to read my mind, and I try to block him."

"He can read your mind?" Charlie asked.

I leaned back. "Sure, but he has to be close, like arm's length, and there's a spell he uses to do it." One of the sisters made a 'come on' motion, and Sprink said, "What is it? A useful spell is a useful spell."

"I'll tell if anyone's got anything on Professor Harry's assignment. I've got a brain cramp there."

"The DADA? Yeah, I've got some thoughts."

One of the twins passed me some pages, and I asked, "Mind if I copy these?" She waved, and I said, "Well, the spell Professor Dumbledore uses is 'legilmens'. He just points his wand, like this," I raised my arm like the Headmaster did, pointed at Sprink, and said "legilmens". A spark came out of my wand; Sprink went 'eep!' and collapsed.

------------------------

"Ohgodohgodohgod!" I tried to pick up Sprink, and screamed, "HELP!" With a 'pop!' Professor Potter appeared, and said, "What happened?"

I babbled, "We were talking about the Occlumency class with the Headmaster and I was showing how he used this legilmens spell and a spark came out of my wand and I've killed her and ... "

The twins grabbed me, and Professor Harry looked at Sprink, then said, "She's not dead. I'll take her to the infirmary. The rest of you, wait for me outside the Headmaster's office, and don't talk about this to anyone." I nodded, I was hyperventilating, and Charlie started to stuff things into book bags. Harry waved a finger, said, "pack", then vanished with Sprink.

------------------------

Harry strode up the corridor, snapped "Canary Creams" to the statue, and waved for us to follow him. He rapped on the door to the Headmaster's office, and we heard, "Come in, Harry." I swallowed, and sidled in.

"How is Miss Tonks?" the Headmaster asked.

"Madame Pomfrey says she'll be fine. Complete recovery." I exhaled, and Harry looked at me, then added, "Professor Snape is with her. I don't think any of this lot expected anything to happen, it was mostly surprise. Miss Tonks blames herself for badgering Miss Wayne."

"I see." The Headmaster regarded us, then said, "I will be mentioning this to Professors Flitwick and Sprout. I hope you realize the importance of proper safeguards and training before attempting unknown magic."

I raised my hand, and said, "Sir, its all my fault. I didn't have to demonstrate."

"That is correct, Miss Wayne. While I can certainly understand the excitement of learning a new spell, training and safeguards are in place for a reason. In this case, you should have asked one of the fully trained Occlumens on staff - myself, Professor Snape, or Professor Potter. If your spell had gone wrong, the possibility exists of your damaging Miss Tonks' memory, possibly permanently." He looked at the others, then said, "Let this serve as a lesson to you. I will leave your fate in the hands of your Heads of House."

I sighed, and said, "I'll go pack. It was nice knowing you all."

"Are you going somewhere, Miss Wayne?"

"You're expelling me, aren't you?"

"Would you like me to? I do not see the need, but if you wish it, I shall."

"Then ... what will happen?"

The Headmaster gave me a stern look, "Since this happened to a member of your own house, I will leave that up to Professor Snape. I would expect him to assign at least a detention. However, there were no serious injuries or fatalities, nor were any laws broken, with the possible exception of common sense. Now then, if you wish to see for yourselves how Miss Tonks is doing, you may do so." He waved his hand, and I grabbed my bookbag and Tonks'. As I was going out the door, I heard him say, "Earlier and earlier every year, Harry ..."

------------------------

In the corridor, I asked, "Er, does anyone know how to get to the Infirmary?"

Charlie said, "One of my housemates said you can ask the portraits if you get lost." He walked over to one, and said, "Excuse me. We need to visit a friend in the Infirmary."

"Aha! A quest! Follow me, noble sir and fair maidens, and we shall seek out the blackguard who has your friend!" The little armored knight tried to mount his horse, but kept sliding off the barding. He had forgotten to finish saddling the horse, which turned its head to look at him, rolled its eyes, and resumed grazing.

One of the twins snickered, but the knight picked himself up, waved his sword, and cried, "Onward! Onward, for King and Country!" Dashing off, he reappeared in the next painting (scattering the girls picking flowers, who screamed). I started to run, and asked Charlie, "I thought England had a Queen."

------------------------

It was a fairly short run, down the corridor and up a staircase (which fortunately stayed put) to the third floor. It seemed no matter where you went, you could find a hospital by the antiseptic smell. We walked in sedately, and the nurse bustled up. Charlie said, "We'd like to see Miss Tonks, please."

"I was about to discharge her. Which one of you is Miss Wayne?" I raised my hand, and she sniffed, telling me, "I hope you've learned your lesson, young lady!"

"Yes, ma'am. Professor Dumbledore was most emphatic."

"I would think so. Memory charms are not to be fooled with. I am sure Professor Snape will wish to have a word with you." I nodded, and she waved, saying "End of the row on the left." She gave me a final sniff, and bustled off.

I peeked around the bedcurtains, and saw Sprink. She waved, and said, "Oi! Come to see the poor, sick invalid off?"

"Yeah, right," I sat down next to her on the bed, and quietly asked, "You see anything?"

"Huge old stone house. You?"

"That's my house. I saw a girl, mid twenties, spiky green hair with silver tips. A relative?"

"Older sister. Wearing gold robes?" I nodded, and Sprink murmured, "Those are her Auror robes. Never wears them, 'cause she spilled something on the back, and there's this HUGE white streak from the arse down." I giggled, and Sprink said, "I love her, I do, but she's dead clumsy."

------------------------

I couldn't sleep that night. I finally sat up in bed, lighting my wand with a soft 'lumos'. I stared at nothing for a while, until a saw a small black mark. Peering at it, I saw the name of someone who had once knelt there as I did, wondering about her destiny.

Bella Black - 1971

------------------------