Chapter 5 – A Pile of Papers
The next day marked the beginning of classes. At breakfast, may people (Rachel and Michael included) started to plan a boycott on classes, but Liz stopped them before it turned serious. This earned her many reproachful glances from less dedicated students than herself.
"It was a good plan. Why did you have to jump in?" Michael said frequently during breakfast. "We could've had Snape trying to beg us to come into class! It would've been great!"
"All right, one: you could've been expelled, two: it wasn't a good plan, and three: can you really see Snape begging you? More likely he would've taken points from you or given you detention."
"But it's nice to dream, isn't it?" Rachel remarked.
"And a lot less nice to actually do it."
Then new schedules were sent down to their end of the table, and Liz scrutinized hers thoroughly. "Defense Against the Dark Arts first," she said. "Then Ancient Runes, then lunch, then Care of magical Creatures, and then…" Her face fell. "Potions."
"Muggle Studies. It never goes away!" said Michael.
"You can drop it after next year, can't you?" said Liz. "I would think about doing that with Potions, but I might need it for whatever career I choose."
"Whatever I choose to be, it's going to have nothing to do with potions," said Rachel. "In no way, shape, or form am I ever dealing with potions after I leave school."
"Me neither," Michael agreed around a mouthful of pancake. Liz grimaced.
They headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts, where most of their classmates were already seated and waiting. When everyone had finally arrived, Professor Magus stood, smiling. "Welcome to a new year of Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'll be your teacher, Professor Magus. Don't worry, I've heard about all your past experiences and I'm determined to make this year as painless as possible."
"Does that mean no homework?" Michael asked hopefully. The majority of the class laughed.
"No, Mr. Weasley, it doesn't," she said with a wry grin. "But I'm hoping to make this class more fun than work."
"Sounds good to me," Rachel muttered to Liz.
"All right, please take out your wands, and we'll start learning a couple of curses to use against an enemy," said Professor Magus.
Liz raised her eyebrows and her hand. "Um, Professor Magus? Not to be disrespectful or anything, but isn't this class about defense?"
"Well—" Professor Magus scanned the class list. "Miss Elizabeth Potter? Do you go by anything else?"
No teacher had ever asked Liz that before. It wasn't as if Professor Magus was lowering herself to Liz's level; it was as if she was raising Liz to her level. "My friends call me Liz," she answered.
"Well, then, Liz, I think that sometimes offense is the best defense. It's better to curse your enemies before they have a chance to curse you."
Liz nodded. That made sense.
"So I'm going to teach you a simple curse called the Jelly Legs Curse. It's one of my favorites, very useful when people you don't like need to learn a lesson, you know what I mean?" Her eyes sparkled with silent laughter. Liz thought briefly that maybe she could use it on Winnie. "Say it with me: Iniosa."
"Iniosa," chorused the class.
"Very good. Now form a line and each of you try it on me." Surprise was written all over many of the faces in the class, including Liz, Rachel and Michael. Professor Magus grinned. "Don't worry, I know the counter curse. Go ahead, Desiree, give it a try."
Desiree stepped up, her wand hand shaking. "Iniosa!" she cried. Their teacher's legs didn't move. They didn't even give a wobble.
"It's okay. Try again," said Professor Magus. Desiree looked surprised. Any other teacher would have told her to go to the back of the line, but Professor Magus nodded and motioned for her go on. Desiree tried again, and this time Professor Magus nearly fell over because her legs were so unstable. She laughed and performed the counter curse on herself. "Good job, Desiree. Next?"
The class went on and on, and everyone got a turn. Liz, of course, had used the spell before and got it on the first try. Most the others took two or three or maybe four tries to get it down. Then the bell rang, and Liz left Rachel and Michael to head over to Ancient Runes.
The only person already there was a fourth-year Ravenclaw, Amy Donofrio, whom Liz had frequently talked to in Ancient Runes the previous year. The two discussed their summers until the rest of the class filtered in, David and Bettie included. Then Professor Stickler entered. "Get off the desk," he said to a Slytherin who was perched on top of one of the tables. The boy hopped off, muttering furiously under his breath.
"Welcome," he said rigidly, "to another year of Ancient Runes. If you are here, congratulations are in order. You passed your first final exam, but there are two more, an O.W.L., and a N.E.W.T. to go."
"So encouraging," said Amy. Professor Stickler's eyes flashed toward her, and she sank in her chair.
They spent the entire class on an introduction to Ximunim, a language derived from the Ancient Runes. It had a grammatical pattern like none Liz had ever seen, which made translation extremely difficult, according to the textbook. Liz felt she would like this. She enjoyed a challenge.
The bell rang and everyone, having forgotten Professor Stickler's rule, stood to leave. "So you're not so elite after all! Sit. I dismiss the class, not the bell. So—"
There came a knock on the door. It was Professor Magus, who waved timidly. "Hello, Leonard. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a tiny bit. Do you mind?"
"I have a class," he said firmly.
"But the bell rang! Don't they have another class to go to?"
Professor Stickler glared at her with a murderous glint in his eye. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth. "You may leave, class."
The class rushed to pack up and leave. Liz took her time, curious to hear what Professor Magus wanted to talk to Professor Stickler about. And his name was Leonard?
"Nice weather we're having, eh, Lenny?" Professor Magus said cheerfully.
"I prefer if you'd call me Leonard."
"Ah." Professor Magus nodded, looking around the room. Her gaze landed on a stack of papers on his desk. "Your desk is very messy. Don't you ever clean it up?" She made to lean on the desk, but she missed and fell over, knocking the stack of papers onto the floor. "Sorry, dead clumsy of me, I'll pick it up." She scrambled around, picking up four or five sheets at a time. But Liz noticed her stick quite a few of the papers in her robes. "There, all better."
"What are you still doing here, Miss Potter? Please be on your way," said Professor Stickler. Liz rushed to pack the rest of her things. Professor Magus grinned mischievously, which looked quite odd on a middle-aged woman. Liz smiled back and left before Professor Stickler could get after her for anything else. Footsteps behind her told her that Professor Magus left almost directly after her.
Liz almost asked her about Professor Stickler's papers, but then she realized that if she delayed any longer, she wouldn't have time to eat lunch. She made for the Great Hall, where Rachel and Michael were waiting for her.
"So why are you so late?" Michael asked her.
"Professor Magus was talking to Professor Stickler."
"About you?" said Rachel.
"No, but I wanted to listen to what they were saying."
Rachel waited for a second before speaking again. "And what were they talking about?"
"The weather and how messy his desk is."
"How interesting," said Rachel, rolling her eyes. "A conversation worth listening to, huh?" She went back to her lunch, while Liz contemplated how to tell her and Michael about Professor Stickler's papers. They'd think she was being paranoid and stressed out from the first day of classes. Maybe she was. Maybe her eyes had been playing tricks on her. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions.
After lunch, they headed down to Care of Magical Creatures. Chris met up with them halfway there. "I have to teach for the first half of class. Hagrid's filling out the annual paperwork."
Paperwork. This prompted Liz to say it. "I need to tell you three something."
"What is it?" said Chris.
"It's about Professor Magus."
"Was she asking what Stickler's favorite food was?" said Michael, sniggering.
"No, but I think she took some of his papers."
Rachel looked skeptical, so Liz proceeded to explain all the details. Michael and Rachel were still slightly doubtful, but Chris believed her. "That is weird," he said.
Liz nodded, thinking. It was, indeed, weird.