Chapter 5: First Week
A/N: I know, I know. I haven't updated in ages. I'll admit that's pretty pathetic. But this time, I actually have excuses. I've had a ton of 4-H stuff to do because Club Days is coming up, and school started back up again, and the holidays finished, and I've got two research papers to do, and I have to read everybody else's fictions. But you know what is even more pathetic? I've only gotten three reviews since I last updated – two from my friends and one from me. So maybe I would update more if you reviewed more (hint, hint) . . . Anyways, a correction to make. On Stella's schedule, it said tea at 15.00 and I meant tea at 17.00. That's all, here're my answers to my three measly reviews.
MissMione – What do you mean "sweet and right"? How right? And also, Neville's parents are Neville and Ginny, NOT Harry and Ginny or Neville and Luna.
magicalmoments – I really can't think of anything to say, so . . . HI!
LunarLuna – This is even more pathetic, replying to my own review, but maybe if some people reviewed . . . (hint, hint)
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Harry Potter.
Stella woke up on Tuesday morning only a little sleepy from the night before. She got ready and went down to the common room to find Gil waiting for her. She gave him a small smile and walked to breakfast with him hand in hand.
At breakfast Stella didn't get any owl post. She ate and talked about Care of Magical Creatures (her next class) with Abbie, Gil and Jude. Everybody was really looking forward to it. Stella finished her breakfast and walked to class with a few of her fellow Hufflepuffs. Care of Magical Creatures was held outside in a pasture next to the Forbidden Forest. The teacher was already there when the rest of the class arrived.
'Hello, everyone. I'm Professor Rosmunda, and this is my first year here at Hogwarts teaching Care of Magical Creatures. Before this, I taught at Beauxbatons for ten years. Before that, I went to the University of Magical Beasts in Swaziland. My school up until seventh year was in Canada, though I was actually born in Brazil. I speak eight languages fluently: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Welsh and two native dialects of Swaziland. I live here at Hogwarts during the school season and in Wales in the summer and winter holidays alone except for my creatures that I take care of year-round.'
'Wow, she sounds so cool,' Stella whispered to Tory and Neville, who were standing by her side. 'I wonder how she learnt all of those languages.'
'I know,' Neville replied. 'It's all I can do just to keep up with English!'
'Well, I bet she started when she was really little, and just picked them up when she lived everywhere,' said Tory.
'Care of Magical Creatures is a very different branch of magic,' Professor Rosmunda continued. 'There are very few spells and potions that you will learn in your first year here. Mostly you'll learn the basic aspects of caring for the different animals. How to feed them correctly, how to handle them right, things like that. I expect that some of you will excel at this, and some of you will have some trouble keeping up and will be slow to catch on. That's okay. It's your first year, and you don't know your strengths and weaknesses. But at the end of this year, when you pick your schedules for second year, I'll advise you to only stay with this if you understand the majority of things and really enjoy it. But enough talk! Let's get started.'
Professor Rosmunda gave a high pitched whistle, clear as a bell. In an instant, a group of creatures came running into the pasture, jumping the fence on their way. There were nine of them, each one a different colour. They partly resembled geese, with beaks and heads, but had very long necks and bodies covered in stuff that looked like Silly Putty. Their legs and tails looked like that of a hippopotamus, stocky and wrinkly.
'Glabberjucks!' Professor Rosmunda cried. 'Very lovable animals. Sharp beaks, so watch out. They love to talk, but they're not that intelligent, so they don't understand much. Right there's nine of them and twenty-seven of you, so get into groups of three.' She paused while the class shuffled around, arranging themselves. Stella, Tory and Neville all got together.
'Okay, today we're going to learn how to feed them properly. We'll just start with this solution. It's made up of pond water, daisy flowers, rainwater, chocolate and vanilla syrup, peaches and Brussels sprouts. It's the glabberjucks' favourite food, and it's pretty good for them too. All right now, I've distributed it into bottles, so all you have to do is pour it down their throats. Do so like this.' Professor Rosmunda took hold of the nearest glabberjuck, a black and brown one, and held it firmly by the feet, tail and neck. She coaxed it into opening its mouth and squirted the dark orangey-greeny liquid down its long neck.
'Now you try. Take turns holding it and feeding it until you've got the hang of it. Everybody get one glabberjuck and let's see you guys try,' she said. Tory volunteered to go and get one, and came back with a beautiful bronze-coloured one. First, Stella held its feet and tail, Neville held its neck and mouth and Tory fed it, and then they switched around. Professor Rosmunda walked around between the groups, observing their progress.
'You look like you're doing all right,' she commented. 'Good work!' Stella beamed. She was really beginning to like Hogwarts, especially Care of Magical Creatures.
The rest of the day went by with Transfiguration, History of Magic (sigh) and Arithmancy. Transfiguration was about medium, Stella figured, with Professor Washlepot whom she had met on the first day as teacher. History of Magic was really quite devastating; she even fell asleep once, though only Ellen and Jocelyn sitting beside her noticed. Arithmancy was also about medium. The teacher was Professor Renault, whom Stella neither liked nor disliked.
Before Stella knew it, it was Wednesday morning and she was off to Herbology with Tory and Neville. This was something that Neville really seemed to excel at. Neville claimed that it came from his father. Everybody agreed that although the teacher, Professor Lovegood, was really spacey and just a little odd, she was really cool and fun. She started them off on a long lecture on Crumple-Horned Snorcacks, and finished the class off chattering on about the Loch Ness Monster.
Once the class got under way, though, it was pretty fantastic. They all learned a lot about the plants they were working with, a magical form of radishes. Stella liked Professor Lovegood's earrings, miniature radishes that, she had told the class, were alive and growing. Tory commented on her hat, which had a giant badger growing out of it today.
After Herbology, everybody started their classes over again, Stella with Charms, Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Thursday started with Divination and finished with History of Magic. Finally it was Friday lunchtime, after Herbology.
Stella ate with Tory and Neville, because it was Friday and they could sit wherever they wanted. She was so excited about the dance that night that she could hardly eat.
'So, er, are you guys going to the dance tonight?' she asked nervously, not sure of their answer. But she was relieved when she heard it.
'Yeah,' they said in unison. 'I'm going with Ike Gregoire, he's in my house,' said Tory. 'Are you going with anyone?'
Neville said that he was taking Jaimie Effonfeather, in his house, and Stella told them about Gil.
'Well that's all good then,' Stella stated. 'The dance starts at seven, so we should probably start getting ready about six o' clock or so. So that means we've got four hours. How about we finish up here, all go and get our homework and meet outside in the courtyard?' She got nods of agreement from her friends. They ate the last of their fish and chips, and split up to go to their dormitories.
Stella loaded her books and papers into her bag to take to the courtyard and made her way out into the hallway. On the way, something caught her eye on the bulletin board. She took a closer look, and saw that it was a folder of pamphlets with the decoration or a quidditch broom on the front. She read the title:
First years: are you put down by the fact that you can't get on your house quidditch team this year? Do you want to be ready for next year's tryouts?
Stella grabbed one of the papers and rushed out to courtyard. There she found Tory and Neville waiting patiently, carrying on a conversation.
'Well maybe we could try out. But I've barely ever been on a broom before, have you?' Tory said.
'Not much. But I think we should at least go to the first meeting and see what it's all about. Oh hi Stella! Did you see the pamphlet on the bulletin board?" Neville inquired.
'You mean this one?' Stella replied. She showed them the paper that she had picked up. 'What exactly is it for?'
Neville answered that one. 'You get a couple lessons from the quidditch coach, Professor Adlai, and then she picks a mock team of first-years that can't play on the school team yet. It's not divided into houses, so we might still be together. I think I'd like being a beater . . . '
'Sounds pretty good,' Stella said. 'What do you think?'
'I'd definitely like to take a look into it. We should go. It's tomorrow morning, on the quidditch pitch at eight,' Tory piped in.
'Yeah,' said Stella. 'I wonder . . . '
A/N: Hey, I was going to have the dance this chapter, but again, I didn't have enough time or room. So how's it going? My life is, well, full. But that's okay, it's all good. Review with comments and flames and praise and whatever you want to say! Review mine, and maybe I'll review yours (hint, hint (yet again)).