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For copyright and disclaimers, please see chapter 1
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12 - Classes, Week Nineteen, First Year
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Sunday, January 3, 1999:
Hogwarts, Great Hall, Common table
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"Good morning!" I said as I sat down. "Any word on the baby?"

"It was a false labor, they're still waiting," Professor McGonagall said. She asked, "Any consensus on our private libraries?"

"I will post sections of my personal library," Professor Snape said. "As long as it is reciprocated. As for the House library, I will accept a vote of Slytherin tomorrow upon the return of the students. Filius?"

"Oh, I quite agree! I have long envied some of your collection, Severus! And as far as the House library, I think the term is, err, stomping the butt!"

"I think that's 'champing at the bit' Professor," one of the Cortez twins said. "It means that you're ready and eager to start," the other said with a smile.

"The preliminary tests with the library's Alchemy section worked out well," Babs said. "There are a few minor problems to sort out, mostly relating to the large, oversize books. If you have any larger than fourteen inches in one dimension, we'll have to set them aside for now. I think those are mostly in the Astronomy section, however."

"Some botanical plates are that large, Mrs. Grayson," Professor Snape said.

"Thank you, Professor Snape," she replied. "Next item, Hogwarts will need a home page, to represent the school on maginet." She passed out color printouts, adding, "These are the home pages for Salem, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and the American Department of Magic. What you'll need is a main page, and I would also suggest ancillary ones for both the staff and the four Houses. They can have the same style or different, it's up to you. I would suggest the best artist and the best designer from each house put their heads together, possibly with a competition to be voted on." She shrugged, and added, "It can be a long process, maybe have the final judging before the Easter break. Kelly, that's your call, I'll be back in the States by then."

Kelly jolted awake and said, "Um, but you'll be available?"

"Not to judge it, that's Hogwarts' job." Babs smiled gently, then said, "I'll make some suggestions later, and you can tell me to bugger off if you want."

"Certainly not!"

"You're talking about someone's personal taste, Minerva," Babs said. "What I might do is to have, say, five teams, one from each of the Houses, and have them design, oh, six pages each. The main school page, one for each of the four Houses, and a staff page." She glanced at Kelly, then added, "Set up a system where everyone can vote on each entry, but they can only vote once. Label the entries one through five, and when, say, 85 of the school's voted, it will display the winner."

"How would we know who the winning team is?" Madame Pomfrey asked.

"The headmaster could assign the numbers, which would be kept secret. He can announce the winner later in the year." Babs smiled, and added, "It might help with the shyer students. Some of them are quite remarkable artists."

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"Ready for this?" Karen asked as the Hogwarts Express pulled in. I nodded, and waited for it to stop, and people to step off. She muttered a quick 'sonorous', and called, "SLYTHERIN OVER HERE! SLYTHERIN TO ME! SLYTHERIN OVER HERE!" I heard the other houses being called to meet at other locations, and started a quick head count.

"What's going on, Mattie?" Sprink asked, bouncing on her toes. "Didya have a Happy Christmas?"

"Great, thanks. I'll talk later, I need to get this head count." I looked around, and asked, "Anyone seen the Dorney twins?"

"They were on the train... they're talking to Frank," Emma said. I looked, saw them, and checked them off.

"Got everyone?" Karen asked.

"Except for Terry Higgs," I replied, craning my neck.

"He went up to the castle," Emma said. "Something he ate on the train disagreed with him, we insisted he see Madame Pomfrey."

"Right, then." Karen climbed up on a bench, and said, "Quiet, everyone! Two things before you go up to the castle. First, there's a House meeting tonight at eight, we've got a couple things to vote on. Attendance is mandatory, so you've got two hours to eat and get sorted. Secondly, Mattie or I will be sitting down with you to get you sorted on the new computer system."

"It's IN?" Sprink and Emma squealed.

"It's installed, tested, and we've got the Alchemy section of the library already scanned in." A loud cheer sounded, and someone said, "What about Potions?"

Karen said, "We're going alphabetically. We'll be discussing this tonight. For now, I've got people whose surnames are A through M, Mattie's got N through Z. Figure fifteen minutes each, and I hope everyone's got their passwords. Any questions, because I'm hungry!"

"What's the common room password?" someone called as Karen was getting down. She paused, and said, "Get it from Mattie or myself. I don't want to shout it." People turned to me, and I said quietly, "Fluxweed."

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Karen stood by the door, checking people off while I moved around the room, handing out packets to those that needed them.

At eight o'clock, Professor Snape stepped to the front of the room next to the fireplace, and asked, "Is everyone here?"

"Everyone but Professor Trelawney, sir," Karen called from the door.

He sighed, then said, "I will fetch her. Callista, please take over, and proceed without me." With a swirl of his black robes, he left.

"Where's your sister, Karen?" someone called. She replied, "With the faculty. Professor?"

"Right-o," Professor Vector said. She moved up next to the fireplace, and asked, "Everyone hear me? Right-o." She glanced at a hastily scrawled agenda, and said, "Ah, Karen, what's this about the library?"

She moved to the front of the room, and said, "As you know, we're scanning the main library into a searchable database. The question here is private libraries. Professor Snape will be scanning part of his, Professor Flitwick and Ravenclaw will be scanning all of theirs. How much of ours do we want to reveal? Remember, this will be available to everyone in Hogwarts and out on the maginet for the Wizarding World." There was some muttering, and Karen added, "On the last page of your packet, there's a slip for voting all, some, or none. If you vote some, you need to say what you'd like to include or exclude. Put it in the cauldron here next to the fire by the end of the week. Professor?"

"Ah, thank you." She blinked at the scrap of paper, and said, "Home page? Mattie?"

I cleared my throat, and moved up, saying, "If you look at the color pictures, these are what a site on the Internet looks like. There are several, from Salem, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and the American Department of Magic. Each has a distinct style. The question here is for Hogwarts' Home Page. The suggestion has been made for each House to design six pages, and Hogwarts will vote. Here, we are asking if you have a better plan, and who you think would be the best people from Slytherin. We're looking for someone with an eye for design, and a good artist." I held up my hands, and said, "Please, I beg you, don't put me down!" This got a chuckle, and I said with a smile, "I'm serious! I have trouble drawing a straight line!" Another chuckle, and I added, "I'll help, of course, but don't put me down as an artist unless you want to lose! You've seen my transfigured teacups!" More laughs, and I said, "That's the other half of the last page in your packet, and it goes in the cauldron too." I smiled, and said, "Professor?"

"Thank you, Mattie. Something to doodle in History?" People laughed, and she said, "As long as it's not in my class! Next up, you'll need to sit with Karen or Mattie to get you sorted. Please remember that they need study time too. Karen is available Wednesday afternoons, Mattie has free Thursdays from 10:30 to 12:00, and on Friday afternoons. People with surnames A through M see Karen, N through Z see Mattie, and figure about fifteen minutes." Karen nodded, and Professor Vector asked, "Anything else?"

Karen said, "Remember that you'll need four or five passwords before you meet with us, and that we've got Quidditch against Ravenclaw on Saturday. Mattie?"

"I put a copy of the letter of appreciation from my church to the Headmaster on the board. They were very grateful for the donation of our extra Quidditch woolens."

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Monday, January 4, 1999:
Hogwarts, Slytherin table
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"So how was your Christmas, Mattie? You just kinda fell into bed last night," Sprink asked.

I took a slurp of coffee, and yawned. "Sorry. The last few days have been kinda hectic. Anyway, I went home for Christmas, and Arthur Morton from Hufflepuff, and the Cortez twins from Ravenclaw joined me." I took another slurp, and added, "My Aunt Lois wrote a little feature story for her paper, I posted a copy in the common room if anyone's interested." My watch buzzed, and I gulped down the remainder of the coffee, adding, "I can get a couple people set up this afternoon, I've got Astronomy tonight. Sprink, we gotta get to Herbology."

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"Good Morning to everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!" Professor Dumbledore said as we stumbled into Greenhouse One. As I kicked the snow off my boots, Amanda Leeds asked, "Where's Professor Sprout, sir?"

"Her granddaughter is in labour at St. Mungo's. The baby is a bit premature, so I agreed to fill in for her. I'm sure that she'll be happy to give you all the details when she returns." The headmaster clapped his hands, and said, "Now then, who can tell me about the Flitterbloom? Mr. Adams?"

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I yawned as I walked back to the castle (it was snowing again), and Sprink asked, "Mattie, since we're free after lunch, can you get me set up on the computer thing?" She grinned, and said, "T for Tonks, I'm one a'yours!"

"Sure, let me get some coffee, though."

"That's what house elves are for, Mattie! Hey, do the connections in the dorms work?" Some of the other firsties leaned closer to hear.

"They did when we tested them." I picked up a handful of snow and ate it to try and wake up. "I don't know if Professor Snape left them enabled or not. The way we designed it, the Heads can decide which ones work by connecting cables, so they can enable the third year girls, but not the third year boys, for instance. Professor McGonagall wanted it that way." The Gryffs groaned when I said that, and I grinned, "I think she was thinking of the Weasley twins when she thought of that."

Sprink nodded, "'Kay. Anything I should bring? I got my passwords!"

"Good. Bring a couple bits of homework, and I'll show you how to scan them in." I waggled my finger, and said, "That means you can share scanner duty, though!"

"On the library books?" Sprink looked thoughtful, and asked, "Why not let elves do them?"

"The blood curses on them," I said, and other people looked interested. "Only Slytherins can handle them, and we don't want to kill off the elves when they touch a book, y'know." I affected boredom, and added, "They're risking their lives just to dust in there, as it is." I kicked snow off my boots as we entered the main hall, saying, "See you tonight, guys!"

Sprink kept a straight face until we reached the common room, then she cracked up, saying, "Blood curses! Mattie, you are devious!"

"Why, thank you!" I curtsied to her, and added, "They'll think anything they see on the 'net will be the more innocuous books, they'll wonder what we're hiding. C'mon, let's dump our stuff, and get you set up. I do want a cup of coffee, though."

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In the library, we had set up two computers back-to-back. I pulled a chair 'round to sit next to Sprink, and said, "Okay, we start at the beginning. Put your wand in the rest, with the grip flush to the left, then push the power buttons. We've marked them in green for you." She found the computer, monitor, and scanner buttons, but couldn't find the printer switch until I showed it to her. As we waited for Happy Mac, I commented, "You'll print to the closest printer to the machine you're on, so in here, you'll print to this one, in the library..."

"... To a library printer," she said while nodding. "Makes sense. What next?"

"The printers have silencing charms on them, but we'll get to them in a minute. We log in by putting your user name at the top there: stonks. Hit your Tab key to go to the next line, and type Slytherin, then the Return key." I helped her find each key.

"Why aren't the letters normal, like, in order?"

"The wizarding world isn't the only place where things get stuck." I grinned, and added, "That layout is a carryover from older machines, and it just never changed. There are more efficient designs, but they didn't sell very well, so this is what we have to work with." I shrugged, adding, "I never said it was a perfect world. Anyway, one of the programs everyone can use is a typing tutor. I'll show you in a minute, but first you need to hit 'Return'."

"Oh, yeah. Hey, what's that?"

"It's a window asking you to change your password. Type Slytherin in the top box, spelled just like before, then your new password in the middle and lower boxes, spelled exactly alike."

"Okay. F-I-R-E..."

"Don't tell me!" Sprink jumped, and I reminded her, "It's supposed to be secret, remember? Now I'll turn around, and you can type another one, silently. Hit your Return key when you're finished."

"But I trust you, Mattie!"

I grinned, and said, "Thank you, Sprink. I trust you, too, but this is better security." I waved at the keyboard, and turned, saying, "Let me know, all right?"

I heard her tapping and cursing under her breath, then she said, "Is this right, Mattie? They're all stars."

"It's supposed to be that way. Are you ready?" She grunted, and I turned around. "Hit the Return key." She did so, and I said, "The reason it's all stars is so someone can't look over your shoulder as you type your password. You see, if you had picked, um, hat as a password, and someone knew that, or saw you type it, they could impersonate you on the network, do all sorts of nasty things, and you'd get the blame."

"Oh. So that's why you didn't want to know my password. It's like someone stealing my wand, casting an Unforgivable, and putting it back."

"Exactly. When I need to log in, I'll use my own wand and password, which will trace back to me, not you," Sprink nodded, and I pointed to the screen. "See the black arrow? You move it with your mouse - it's that white boxy thing next to your right hand." She groped for it, and waved it around a bit. I grinned, and said, "On the mat. Index finger on the button, move it up to the color-striped apple in the upper left and click the button on the mouse and hold it. Try it again, a menu should drop down." Sprink tried it again; "There you go!"

Karen came in with Professor Snape, and asked, "How's it going?"

"We're going to have to revise our time estimates if we're going to do this right," I said. "We've been going for half an hour, and we've just gotten to pulling down a menu and clicking a mouse. Sprink's not stupid, she's trying hard, but it's totally unfamiliar to her. The only experience she's had is watching me, which isn't any real help to her."

"Your thoughts, Miss Tonks?" Professor Snape asked.

"Right now I do feel kinda stupid," she admitted. She added hurriedly, "It's not Mattie, she's trying to keep things understandable to me, but the other houses have more experience with this than we do. We've got Mattie and Karen, they're the only ones who know this, and it's going to take a long time to get everyone in the house competent."

"Right now, sir, it's at the level of using a quill for the first time, and forming words and sentences," I said. "We based the estimate of fifteen minutes per person on previous experience, but that was with muggles and muggleborn wizards, who grew up with this, not with pureblood wizards who have never seen it before in their lives." He frowned in thought, and I said, "Right now, I'd revise our estimates to at least two hours per person, based solely on Sprink's performance here. Some people will take more, some will take less."

"I see. Suggestions?" he asked.

"Group training of some sort would be the most efficient," I suggested. "It's a little late, but creating a formal computer classroom of some sort might be useful."

"Getting help from the other houses," Sprink suggested. Professor Snape frowned, and she raised her hands, saying, "I know, I know. House pride and all, but that's where the help is, and we need it. The other thing is to have Mattie and Karen do this full time."

"That would not be acceptable. Their education comes first."

I cleared my throat, and said, "Thank you, sir. Sprink, please don't take this personally, all right?" She nodded, and I continued, "This is somewhat exhausting for me, I have to keep fighting the urge to simply do it myself. If I do, Sprink won't learn. I also have to keep, um, rephrasing what I'm going to say. Like you would use different language with other Potion Masters than with muggle firsties, sir."

Karen said, "It's like the other houses have started with third year, and we're starting with first?" I nodded, and she frowned.

"Hmm. I shall bring this up at Wednesday's staff meeting. What size would you suggest for a class?"

"Maybe twenty or so," Sprink suggested. "Maybe also do it early each year for the wizardborn, like the flying lessons."

"The muggleborn should already be competent with these," Karen said. "They'd just need the details, which could be handled by a parchment handout or individually, sir."

"I see," he tapped a long finger against his lips in thought. "I see. For now, continue as before. Miss Bundy, I shall write you a slip for your Charms class. Thank you." He swept out, followed by Karen.

"Well, that was interesting," I said, and Sprink nodded. "Let's get back to it!" and motioned to the screen.

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Tuesday, January 5, 1999:
Hogwarts, Slytherin house, First year girls' dorm
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"Mattie? Mattie! C'mon, wake up! I let you sleep in as long as I could. You've got fifteen minutes before History, I brought you a sandwich and coffee for breakfast."

"Wazza? Sprink? Time is it?"

"Eight forty-five. C'mon, get up and showered."

"'Kay," I stumbled through the bed hangings, pulling my nightgown off as I staggered along. I turned, mumbling, "Shower stuff."

"In there, along with a fresh uniform. C'mon, Mattie, you can do it."

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"Blimey, Mattie, you look horrible," Charlie said.

Amanda poked him, "You twit! What's wrong?"

"Getting Slytherin trained up," Sprink said. "C'mon, Mattie, you can sleep in History."

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I heard a bell ring, and Sprink was shaking me awake. "Lunch, Mattie, then your favorite class!"

"Thanks, Sprink." I blinked, and yawned, "I'd kill for a cup of coffee now."

"I thought your family had a rule about killing," she said as she slung my arm over her shoulder.

I yawned again, "Exception to the rule."

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"Mattie, drink this. It's from Professor Snape."

"Wazza?" I asked.

"Pepperup potion. It'll get you back on your feet. C'mon now," I opened one eye to see Emma waving a vial of something in front of me. I shrugged, popped the top and swallowed it. I yawned, and put my head back down.

"No reaction?"

"Nae, sir." Ian's voice. I wondered what they were talking about.

"She's semi-conscious. How has she been lately?"

"She was fine yesterday in Herbology, then it just hit her yesterday, and she was really struggling in Astronomy." Sprink.

"I will take her to the infirmary. Inform the class I will be delayed, Miss Tonks." I felt strong arms pick me up, and I wiggled a bit, mumbling, "Dad?"

"I am honored, Miss Wayne."

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"Turn out the light, will ya?" I mumbled, throwing an arm over my eyes.

"No light switch. Sorry, Mattie."

I blinked, and looked up at one of the twins. "I still haven't figured out how to tell you apart."

"Simple. I had an infected piercing, so I have two holes in my right earlobe. Roshawn only has one." Shaundra grinned, then said, "Now, being able to see our ears, that's a different story. I'll go tell Madame Pomfrey you're up. Be right back."

I punched the pillow, and tried to sit up when I heard the clicking of Madame Pomfrey's heels. She said, "Welcome back, Miss Wayne. How do you feel?"

I thought about it, and said, "Not bad, surprisingly. What happened?"

Pomfrey glowered at Shaundra, who I motioned to a chair. She looked at me, and said, "You are apparently allergic to flitterblooms. I have treated you; you will need a booster every six months until you are fifteen. I have notified Professor Snape and Professor Sprout."

"Thank you. What about the baby?"

"Erin Michelle Sprout, born yesterday morning at eight fifty-three. Two pounds, nine ounces, fifteen inches. Professor Flitwick won the pot."

"Yesterday's Tuesday, so I can still get to Transfig."

Pomfrey shook her head, "Today's Thursday. You've slept through Wednesday, and if you behave, I'll release you for dinner tonight." She sighed, and said, "I don't DARE try to keep Quidditch players from their games, but no violent maneuvers, young lady!"

Shaundra patted my shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, Mattie. Ravenclaw will get the snitch, and you Slythies can rest up for Hufflepuff in May."

I glared at her, and said, "No way! That snitch is MINE, and five bucks backs it up!" She shook on it as Pomfrey sighed.

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"How ya doing, munchkin?" I looked up and hollered "Dick! What are you doing here?"

"Shh! Don't you know there are sick people in here?" Lois asked. I giggled, and she said, "Well, not really. You're the only one."

"When are they springing you?" Uncle Clark said, chair creaking under his weight.

"Tonight if I'm good. What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, there is that NATO conference in London, and..." Lois looked at him, he coughed, and added, "What, we can't visit you when you're sick?"

"Why don't you just admit it, you two?" Dick asked. "You want to see Mattie play Quidditch."

"Oh, lord!" I covered my face with my Transfig textbook, and Dick chuckled.

"Relax. Sheila and Bruce aren't here."

"They get in tonight." I peeked over the book, and Uncle Doc looked at me as Clark moved aside. "Hmm. Temperature, pulse, all looking good. Your mother is meeting with the Headmaster." The bell rang, and the thunder of students leaving class was heard. "Madame Pomfrey said you could leave at five if you felt up to it. How are you?"

"Bored. Can I go?"

He checked me over one last time, and then said, "If you wish. One of your classmates left a fresh uniform for you in the bottom drawer. We'll wait for you outside."

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I stopped on the way out the door, and knocked. Sticking my head in, I said, "Madame Pomfrey? I'd just like to say thanks."

"My pleasure, Miss Wayne. I didn't know your godfather was a healer."

"Bit of a strange assortment," I grinned. "Two journalists, an attorney, and a physician."

"Ah, so you're the one in the article I read in the staffroom."

"Yes, ma'am. Aunt Lois wrote it when Arthur Morton and the Cortez twins came for Christmas." I grinned again, and said, "That article's gotten about some. I wish I knew who was spreading it around. Aunt Lois will be pleased though."

"Well, off with you, and good luck on Saturday."

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"Mom!" I called, running down the corridor. She scooped me up, and hugged me, then said, "Let me take a look at you! How do you feel?"

"Fine, and Uncle Doc says I am, too."

She harrumphed, and then proceeded to give me her own inspection. She looked over my shoulder, and said, "How is she?"

"Fine, now," Uncle Doc said. "It was a severe allergic reaction, but that's ALL it was, Selina. I've gotten the information on it, the treatment, and I will be contacted as the family physician on a regular basis." He ruffled my hair, and said, "Now that Mattie here has been helping to get their system set up, I have the email addresses for people here."

Mom tugged at my clothes a bit, then said, "All right. I'm programming in Hogwarts to the transport tube in the cave, though."

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"Mattie! Welcome back, lil' sis!" Ian scooped me into a hug, then passed me to Frank.

"Hey, guys! More family to meet! Everyone, these are my godparents, Uncle Doc, Aunt Lois and Uncle Clark. You've met my brother Dick and my Mom before." I giggled as I watched. Uncle Doc was still solid, Dick was about twice as large as Frank, with more muscle and a leaner build, but if Ian was big, Uncle Clark was mountainous.

"Grow them big in the States, don't they?" Karen whispered as she licked her lips.

I looked at her, and said quietly, "They are very, very taken. If you want to stay alive, don't go there, Karen. I saw you reading the article in the common room." I looked back as she blanched, and said, "Oh, god."

"What?" Emma whispered. Ian had stuck out his hand to Uncle Clark, and was trying to squeeze. "Macho games," I replied.

"Clark, the cooks here are fabulous, let's eat," Mom said.

"Sounds wonderful. It's very nice to meet you, Mr. MacDonald. I'm glad Mattie has such good friends here." Clark smiled, and gave a slight squeeze and pump to Ian's hand, who let out a small whimper. He sat down next to Ian, and gently patted him on the back, asking, "What's good to eat here? Do they have beef bourguignon?"

"Everything, sir. I'm Emma Dobbs. May I ask what you do?"

Clark reached over and shook her hand, "I'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Dobbs. Please, call me Clark. My wife Lois and I are reporters for the Daily Planet in Metropolis."

"You're the one what wrote the article in the common room?" Karen asked, her London Cockney accent coming out a bit. She blushed, and said, "Sorry, I'm Karen Bundy. Pleased to meet you."

Lois looked at me, and I said, "Your Christmas article from home. It's gotten around the school, although I don't know how."

"It's a nice Christmas article, Mattie. Good to see you up and about. Are you cleared for Quidditch?" Sprink offered her hand, and said, "Sprink Tonks, I'm a firstie like Mattie."

"Yes, she is. Good evening, Miss Tonks," Uncle Doc said. "I'm Dr. Phillips, the family physician. It was a severe allergic reaction, but it's treated now." He looked at her, and asked, "If I may, 'Sprink' is an unusual first name."

"It's a nickname, because I hate my real name: Susquehanna Elenora Tonks. Blech." She shuddered, and said, "Mattie, I've got your homework for you." I groaned, and Lois and Clark chuckled. "Professor Snape said you could skip the practical on this potion, but you still had to do the written. I've got your Charms and Transfig, too." I groaned again.

"What is this 'Transfig' that you're groaning about, Mattie?" Uncle Clark asked.

"Transfiguration, sir. It's Mattie's worst subject. What's the assignment?" Ian said.

"Still inanimate, although different composition," Sprink said. "China teacups to silver goblets, retaining fluid."

"Retaining the fluid, that's the trick, now," Ian said. "Watch, Mattie, and then we'll have a go." Emma passed him a pitcher of juice, and he took a gulp, offering it to Uncle Clark. He did, going 'Hmm' at the taste. "Now then, first we transfigure to the teacup." He waved his wand, asking Lois, "What's your preference, ma'am?"

"Earl Gray?" she asked, fascinated. Ian flicked his wand, and offered it to her. She blinked, sipped, and gave it back, saying with a grin, "It needs lemon." He flicked again with a smile, and passed it back to her. She sipped, and smiled.

"Now then, we change it to the silver goblets, which is not appropriate for tea, but there you are," Ian said. He waved his wand, and passed the goblet to Lois with a smile.

"Oh, my!" Lois blinked, examined the goblet, then sipped again. "How did you do that?"

"Magic, ma'am." Ian smiled, and added, "Now then, I'm a pureblood wizard, I grew up with this. I'm also a seventh-year, so it's fairly basic to me. In addition, my clan traces back over two thousand years. Mattie is a firstie and it's new to her. She's also coming from a muggle background, which is why she's struggling with Transfig. A lot of the muggle students do. She starts to analyze too much, which is what she's trained in." He held up his hand, saying, "There's nae wrong wi' that, I've learned quite a bit from her. However, she needs to be able to just, well, turn that off, and believe that it will work."

"It's how you're raised," Karen said. "I'm from a wizarding family that's partially muggle, because my sister's a squib, her magic is weak." She nodded, "Sprink on the other hand is from a fully magical family, and is in Mattie's class. Sprink?" Karen tapped her wand to reset the goblet to a teacup, and offered it to Sprink.

"I've also heard the lecture, and Mattie hasn't," Sprink said. She screwed up her eyes, waved her wand, and offered the goblet to Lois.

"Miss Wayne's Potions marks are also adequate for her grade. How nice to see you again, Mrs. Wayne, Mr. Grayson." He offered his hand to Lois, saying, "Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House."

"Lois Lane, my husband Clark Kent, and Dr. Phillips, godparents to Mattie."

Professor Snape shook their hands, then said, "Miss Wayne, please come by my classroom at seven thirty this evening, and I will review the potion with you. As it takes a week to brew, you are excused from the practical for now. I expect it to be made up by the end of the month. Have you been released for Quidditch?"

Dr. Phillips said, "She has been released by Ms. Pomfrey."

He nodded politely, then said, "As you have missed two and a half days, Miss Wayne, I will be satisfied with a rough draft of your homework this week before you may play. Please see me Friday no later than five o'clock." With that, he moved silently off.

Clark asked, "Adequate grades, and what's this about homework?"

"Professor Snape NEVER gives compliments," Frank said. "If he said Mattie's grades were adequate, they were adequate to HIS standards, which are very, very high."

Emma added, "Professor Snape is one of six Potion Masters in Great Britain. If he says Mattie's grades are 'adequate', she's doing very well in that class." She grinned, and added, "He doesn't suffer fools either, which is why some other students have trouble in his class. If Mattie were not doing well, he would tell you, in public, and in very unpleasant detail, and he wouldn't care about your social position, either."

"And the homework? Uncle Doc asked.

"His rule is that you must have immediate homework done to his satisfaction before you can play Quidditch," Karen said. "I'm team captain, but if I didn't have mine done, he wouldn't let me play, and even though I whinge about it, I can't fault his reasons. By letting Mattie submit a rough draft instead of finished work, she can get it done IF she works tonight and tomorrow afternoon, in her free period." She frowned, and said, "That puts the burden on me to get Slytherin set up with the new computer system."

"Why you, dear?" Lois asked.

"The problem is that most of the people in the house are like Ian," I said. "Wizards that have never seen a computer before, and until I brought one, didn't even know they existed. We have to start with hunt 'n' peck typing, basic mouse movements, while the other houses have more muggleborn students who are familiar with all that. Karen and I are the closest we have to experts, which is why we're training everyone." I sighed, and added, "I was only able to get two people done Monday afternoon, and then Karen has free time on Wednesday."

"I got four, but I doubled up," Karen admitted. "So we've got six out of seventy-two students done. This is going to take forever."

"We're movin' from what Mattie calls tha' fourteenth century to the twentieth, and it's painful for some people," Frank said. He offered a quill to Lois, and said, "That's what we've been usin' to write with. We know we need to update ourselves, we just dinnae know it would be sae hard!"

I took his hand, and said, "It's been tough for me, too. A year ago, witches only existed in stories, and lived in gingerbread cottages. Now I find myself one."

------------------------
Friday, January 8, 1999:
Hogwarts, Great Hall, Slytherin table
------------------------

I looked up as the Headmaster approached with Professor Harry. With a twinkle in his eye, he asked, "Mr. Wayne, might I ask a kindness of you and your family?"

People budged over, and they sat. "What can we do for you, Headmaster?"

"I am given to understand that your family is particularly skilled in the martial arts?" Dad waited, and Professor Dumbledore continued, "If you would consent to a small demonstration, I feel this might be beneficial to the students, as exposure to new things always is."

Professor Harry said, "Wandless fighting has come up before in my Defense classes, and since you are here, well," he grinned, "Forgive me, but I took advantage of the opportunity."

"I see. We will set the parameters and conditions, however," Dad said.

"Whatever you require that is within Hogwarts' power to provide," the Headmaster said. "As Miss Wayne's next class is Defense, perhaps then?" Dad considered him, blue eyes boring into Professor Dumbledore's then nodded.

"Excellent! If you will excuse me, I will make the announcement. The Room of Requirement, Harry?" He nodded, and they both excused themselves, the Headmaster back to the High Table, Professor Harry to the Room of Requirement.

With a few taps on the Headmaster's goblet, the buzz died down. "Good Morning! I have a brief announcement to make. The first year Defense class will be meeting in the Room of Requirement today, for a demonstration of the martial arts." An excited murmur arose, and he tapped the goblet again. "In addition, with the staff's consent, the other years are welcome to observe."

Professor Snape rose, and the hubbub quieted, "Headmaster, a few minutes delay would be appreciated. The fourth-year Potions class will need time to make an alteration to their potion." He gazed at the students, and said, "Fourth years will meet immediately in the classroom if you wish to view this demonstration." With a swirl of his black robes, he stalked out, followed by the fourth-year class.

"What is the 'Room of Requirement'?" Lois asked.

"It's a room that will be whatever you want it to be. We use if for the DA club," Karen said. "If you're finished, we'll go, and beat most of the rush." Students were already streaming out the doors.

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

"Good morning, everyone!" Professor Harry said. "Since this is first year Defense, I'd like to have them in front, please." While people sorted themselves out, Professor Harry cast cushioning charms on the floor, and said, "Without further ado, Mr. Dick Grayson."

"Good morning. You might be interested in a definition of the martial arts. Martial arts, literally means 'military skills' and they encompass various individual fighting methods." Dick paced a bit, adding, "The martial arts were created for combat. Combat may occur in different forms. It may occur in war, law enforcement, or simply for personal self-defense. Martial arts were originally developed as a method for those without weapons to protect themselves from those who had them. Since then, it has evolved from just fighting methods into a way of life."

He looked up at the students, and commented, "Most people go through their entire lives without having to defend themselves physically. The martial arts are used to preserve life, through their use in self-defense or the defense of others. Martial arts build character, they are not something one does occasionally for self-defense or to improve physical fitness, rather, they are a way of living to enrich yourself."

He grinned, and said, "Okay, that's the philosophy. The martial arts are not simply kicking butt in a fight, they're a way to improve yourself. They will make you a better student, a better athlete, and a better person to know. However, you're thinking, 'Yeah, yeah, how does that apply to me?'"

He paced a bit, and said, "It builds self confidence, which a lot of people lack. They know they can ace that test, they know they can score that goal." He looked at the audience, and asked, "What happens if you lose your wand to an enemy, or you're in a crowd and can't use it? For instance, a former lover confronts you, and becomes violent. We've all had former lovers."

Babs stood, and said warningly, "Dick Grayson, if you know what's good for you..."

"Except me, of course," Dick hastily said with a grin. He kissed Babs, and added over his shoulder, "The only woman I've ever loved." He kissed her hand, and she settled back down with a grin.

He dramatically wiped sweat, saying, "Whew! That was close!" There was a chuckle, and he added, "Seriously, another thing is a sexual assault. Rape doesn't happen only to girls, fellows, there's always someone bigger than you."

He let them chew on that for a minute, then said, "There's two styles of fighting, hard and soft. Hard styles, such as Karate and Tae-kwon-do, are direct. They provide feedback to the attacker in the form of pain and they will be injured. Soft styles, on the other hand, let your opponent exhaust himself by using indirect techniques. This would be a sweeping block to deflect a blow, letting you neutralize him without causing injury."

"Now, I'll introduce Mr. Clark Kent. As you can see, he's easily the biggest fellow in the room, and he'll be our mugger. Mattie, can I borrow one of your carbon blades?"

I tossed him one from my boot, which he caught, without turning. He offered it to several members in the audience to examine, then called, "Clark?" and tossed it to him.

"Thanks, Dick. Who's my victim?"

"Me," I said while moving to the middle of the floor. "Don't worry Uncle Clark, I won't hurt you too much." He grinned at me, then moved off, before grabbing my arm, saying, "Let's party, little girl." I spun inwards, kneed him in the crotch, twisted my arm free, then ran a few yards away.

"The idea in this case," Dick said, "is for the victim to get away from the attacker. She then needs to report this to law enforcement, so someone like me can take care of the attacker." He told Clark, "Drop your weapon, on the ground, mister!" Clark sneered, and made an overhand stab at Dick, who chopped the knife, then spun, knocked Clark's feet from under him, and then twisted an arm behind him, riding him to the floor.

There was applause, then someone said, "I thought there would be all sorts of punches and kicks and stuff."

"Oh, you want a sparring session," Dick grinned. "How much longer do we have, Professor? I'm afraid I'm not dressed for a workout."

Professor Harry said, "Twenty minutes, and we can fix that. Who's fighting whom?"

I said, "I'm rusty, but I'll go. Dick?"

"Beating up my little sister?" he grinned, and said, "Why not?"

I went to an unoccupied table and started to strip, while Professor Harry took Dick aside. As I folded my school robes, Professor McGonagall came up and asked, "Miss Wayne, what are you doing?"

I blinked, and said, "Getting ready to work out, Professor." I removed my tool belt from under my school sweater, then pulled that off, putting them on the table. I checked the carbon fiber blade, then slid it back in its sheath in my right boot, which I started to unlace.

"Naked?" she whispered, scandalized.

"Of course not. I have a bodysuit, Professor," I replied, as I unzipped my school skirt, stepping out of it and folding it neatly. I loosened my school tie, and pulled it off, then unbuttoned and removed my blouse, folding it and laying it on the table. I unbuckled my wand holster from my left forearm, adding it to the table, on top of my socks.

"What are ... these?" she whispered.

"Throwing knives," I said, pulling one and handing it to her. I unbuckled the harness, and folded it on top of my sweater. I took the knife back from her, running the tip of a finger along the edge. She closed her eyes at the sight of the thin line of blood. I grinned, and whispered to her, "Think of long, flat diamonds. You can't be too prepared."

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

Dick and I bowed, and we started to circle. He grinned, and whispered, "Shall we give them a good show?"

"Let's, shall we?" I grinned back, and launched a spinning back kick at his head. He dodged, caught my foot and threw me. As I flipped, I twisted and thrust-kicked, but he back-flipped away, catching my other foot. I did a handspring, twisting and avoiding his knuckle strike, each of us landing in the other's original positions.

"You are rusty, little sis," Dick said with a grin.

"Too much time in the donut shop, brother mine?" I asked sweetly. He chuckled as I flipped him over me, but catching my ankles. I flexed, popping him loose, then handstanding and spinning to bounce off his shoulder roll, catching him in the back of the head with both heels.

"One for you, little sis," Dick called, "My coffee break's over now, though."

I answered, "The way you're moving, you could use more, dear brother." I exaggerated a yawn, and said, "We need to get moving. I still have my Charms homework to finish."

"Well, I mustn't keep you from your schoolwork," he said. He stood, and cracked his knuckles. I cracked mine, and then we bowed again, and sprang at each other.

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

The bell rang, and I slapped the floor. Dick gave me a hand up, and gave me a hug. "Thanks, Dick, I needed a good workout like that."

"How long does it take to learn that?" Amanda asked shyly.

"A lifetime," Dick said as I moved away to get dressed. "However, Mattie's been studying martial arts since she was four."

"I also live in a very competitive city," I added. I heard Arthur mutter, "I'll say!" and smiled at him.

------------------------
Saturday, January 9, 1999:
Hogwarts, Quidditch pitch, Slytherin locker room
------------------------

After we had changed, we waited as Karen stood for the pre-game pep talk. "All right, everyone, here's what we know about Ravenclaw. They have us on experience this year, their beaters are the only ones they lost to graduation. Their new beaters are the Cortez twins, Yanks and firsties, so they're inexperienced. Frank and Ian, I want you to concentrate on them. Everyone got their earworms in?" I nodded as Karen continued, "In our previous game against the Gryffs, our new tactics caught them by surprise. They'll expect the Ballistic, if they've developed a counter to it, then James will call for a switch to the Wheel attack. However, we haven't practiced it since before the Hols, so we're risking a Stooging penalty. Bear that in mind."

She paced, then said "Orla Quirk is their Captain and Keeper. She did fairly well last year, and this year they had a tough match against the 'Puffs. They go with their Chasers quite a lot. What else? Ignore the crowd and the commentators. We've got the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff captains commentating along with the WWN broadcaster. Everyone, keep your perimeter charms on. Chasers, if you get boxed in, pass to someone else, don't risk a Stooging penalty." She looked us over, then said "Questions, anyone? The weather is 34 degrees, with light snow, so keep your heating charms on. Let's play some QUIDDITCH!"

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

I half-listened to the commentators, when Karen said, "Shh! Here we go!" and I heard, "...AND QUIRK!"

"FROM SLYTHERIN HOUSE WE HAVE: BUNDY, DORNEY, DORNEY, MACDONALD, MACDONALD, TONKS AND WAYNE!" I zoomed out of the tunnel after my teammates.

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

I orbited, keeping an eye on the Ravenclaw Seeker as well as looking for the snitch. Our chasers had been having duels with the Ravenclaw chasers, with possession of the Quaffle changing back and forth. I feinted, and dove toward the Ravenclaw goal, barrel rolling just for the sheer joy of flight.

"See anything, Mattie?" James asked.

"Just a feint," I said.

"You've fooled the other Seek... Merlin's beard, what's going on?"

"James? I turned, and saw someone in the grandstand fire a curse on a Ravenclaw as James fell.

"Someone's cursing the players!" I came about, and one of the black robed figures fired a curse into the sky, an enormous skull filling the sky above the pitch.

"DEATH EATERS!" Someone screamed, and the crowd panicked, while Karen called "SLYTHERIN ATTACK!"

Our reserves kicked off to join us, while some in the crowd started to duel with the Death Eaters. Karen called, "Mattie, join the Ravenclaws, we can coordinate with them."

"Right," I said, and pulled up to fly into their midst.

"What are you doing here, Wayne?" a chaser said, and I tapped my earworm, replying "Coordinated attack."

"I wondered about that," he said.

I raised my hand, then said, "Okay, Slytherin will attack from the east, out of the sun in ten seconds, can you attack with a Hawkshead formation from the south?"

"That we can. Stay in the center, Wayne." I nodded and sheathed my wand, pulling out a throwing knife. "Here we go, people!" and I dove with the Ravenclaws.

I saw one figure with a silver hand firing curses from it, and I recognized Pettigrew. I stopped jinking and weaving with my broom to get a good throw, and saw the lead Ravenclaw hit by a stunner. "Oh, shit!" I thought. "Enervate, enervate, enervate..." I started to repeat as I threw, and was hit by a stunner myself.