Part 16
Kyle walked down the front steps and across the lawn to the greenhouses. The heat was already rising and the dew was nearly gone despite the early hour.
He could hear Liz following his lead at a slightly slower space. She probably hardly slept at all, he thought remembering back to the beginning of their regular school year.
She had chattered nervously on the phone to him until midnight then hung up and called Maria. By the end of the school day the only thing that had kept her going was the espresso he'd bought her on the way home.
A slight smile crossed his face as he thought back to those days. It was quickly followed by a scowl as he remembered late September and the shooting. That had been the beginning of the end for their relationship and for the normality of their teenage experience. No, he thought. Stop thinking about it. After all, she is spending the summer with you again and not him.
The smile returned to his face as he walked through the greenhouse door. A wave of muggy air hit him in the face and sweat broke out on his brow. Thank God this class is in the morning, he thought. I would hate to see the inside of this building in the heat of the afternoon if it is already this hot in the morning.
The sharp scents of the soil, fertilizer and the humidity were overwhelming at first but faded as he studied the room. Many of the plants were recognizable but the rest were very different. There were plants that moved or shifted of their own accord. There were others that displayed brightly colored leaves and flowers in blues, reds and purples. It was a marvel to behold.
Professor Sprout was a short, round, jovial woman. She greeted them warmly and put them to work immediately.
She started them on soil basics and Kyle was really surprised at the satisfaction he felt while preparing the soil. It was hard work and they got a lot of dirt on their protective aprons, but it was exhilarating to get something right on the first try. The hard work took the edge off his own jitters and helped him to feel the calmest that he'd felt since their arrival in England.
As they finished Herbology and began to cross the lawn to their Flying lesson, Kyle felt ready to take on anything. He smiled remembering how his broom had responded immediately to his voice command that first night in the castle. I am so ready to fly, he thought.
He noticed then that Liz had slowed down again and the heavy sigh he heard from her made him realize she was not looking forward to the next lesson.
Liz tried to shake her nervousness as she approached the broom fro the first time. This wasn't the Windrider Elite that she'd bought the week before, this was a training broom supplied by the school.
She studied it for a moment. The handle wasn't as smooth as her broom's, nor were the straw and twigs of the brush section as uniform and straight. But every student at Hogwarts has learned to fly on these and if I am indeed a witch, then so will I, she thought resolutely.
Deciding that the final proof of her magic would be her ability to fly, she resolved to do well in spite of the millions of butterflies in her stomach.
It took three times of crying, "Up," before the broom responded but once she was in the air she learned quickly. The broom balanced much like a bicycle and once the nervous twinge from the height passed, she began to understand what Ginny had meant when she'd said, 'You feel like you've left your troubles on the ground.'
Even though the beginning of her lesson had been tumultuous, by the end Liz felt disappointed at the thought of having to land and go back indoors.
For Kyle the school broom had responded just as quickly as his own and he flew like a natural.
Once they were on the ground at the end of the lesson Madam Hooch advised them that since they had both successfully flown and landed several times without harming themselves or the brooms that they were being granted the privilege of using their own brooms for future lessons if they wanted. She said, "It makes sense that you should learn the rest on your own brooms since you get to use them at home. Each broom has subtle differences and nuances and I would prefer to be on hand to shield or buffer you if you need it while you get used to them."
They then were dismissed and returned to the castle for a shower and lunch before their afternoon classes.
"Charms," Professor Flitwick chirped, "Is an exact science of wand movement and enunciation. With the proper wand position and pronunciation almost any charm can be performed. I am certain that you will both learn quickly."
He paced across the top of his desk before continuing. "For this week we will practice Latin pronunciation, especially the vowels, and basic wand movements, the "Swish and Flick" predominantly. Next week, we will practice some basic charms, which can be found in chapters 1 through 4 in your books. Now if you would, please pick up your wands and we will begin."
Kyle picked up his wand and began to mimic the movement cautiously. He glanced over at Liz and noticed she was chewing her lip in concentration as she practiced too. He stifled the urge to laugh and returned his attention to the diminutive professor.
After about an hour Professor Flitwick stopped the wand practice and began to teach them Latin vocalizations.
Kyle sighed with relief as he began to massage his now sore wrist. From the corner of his eye he noticed that Liz was doing the same but she did seem more relaxed now.
Finally after another hour of mind numbing "Ah, Ay, Ee, Oh, Ou's" they were dismissed.
Liz stretched in the long corridor as they walked down the hall heading to their next class. "Please promise me that the next class won't be so long and dull," she muttered to herself.
Kyle nodded saying, "I completely understand."
Liz burst into giggles. "I didn't realize I'd said that out loud. Oh look at that neat gargoyle there," she said pointing.
"Oh cool!" Kyle agreed, "And it's right across from our next classroom."
Good, she thought, I have something to look at if this gets monotonous. She nodded to Kyle and they walked into the classroom.
Almost as soon as they were seated, Professor Dumbledore walked into the classroom and stopped in front of the teens.
"I suspect that most of the instructors have gone through their standard welcoming speeches," he began then paused as they nodded to confirm his suspicions. "Well, I will introduce you to the course but I'm not normally the Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. At the moment we are interviewing the likely candidates for next term's replacement. However, as I feel you should have a basic understanding of how to defend yourself now, I will be your instructor for the summer term."
He leaned back against the desk and looked them in the eyes before he continued. "You need to know there are dark and terrible times ahead. There are many who would attempt to deceive or control you."
Liz inhaled sharply and visibly paled at that statement, thinking, I wonder if he knows about Tess?
The Headmaster gave her a gentle look as reassured them, "I am here to help you learn to protect yourself. You need to learn how to keep your wits about you in a crisis, to defend yourself or to recover quickly in a surprise attack. Defense classes utilize nearly every aspect of the wizarding world and will overlap with your other studies. You will learn protective and truth potions, barrier charms, casting wards, transfiguring shields, creating protective amulets and the study of dangerous creatures and prophetic interpretations."
He studied their shocked and somewhat overwhelmed expressions and felt the need to lighten the mood. "And we'll talk about next week's schedule later, " he teased with a twinkle in his eyes.
The horrified expressions on the teens made him want to giggle. Instead he winked at them and said, "Actually that is the goal for abilities by the end of your 7th year level. Seriously now, shall we get started?"
Relief flooded across their faces and they turned their attention to the Grindylow in the tank that appeared at the front of the class.
That evening at dinner George asked them, "So, how did your classes go today?"
Liz nodded thoughtfully, then smiled at him saying, "Not bad. Flying was fun after getting used to the height. Herbology was dirty, but fine. Charms was tiring, and Defense Against the Dark Arts was great."
George looked a little confused and asked, "You had Defense class today? Who taught it?"
"Professor Dumbledore," she stated calmly.
"What?!" cried their tutors simultaneously.
Liz and Kyle looked at each other in confusion, then at Harry as he clarified the others' surprise by asking, "Professor Dumbledore? The headmaster? He's the one teaching your Defense classes?"
"Um, yeah. Is that special?" Kyle asked.
"You'd better believe it is," stated Hermione. "He's just about the best who could ever teach it. I would love to learn from him."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Well, why not ask if you can?" Liz suggested. "After all, I'm sure it would be easier for us to practice if there were more people."
"Hmm, Good point. Maybe we will," said Harry returning to his dinner.