A/N: For how much time and energy I'm spending on this story, I sure don't have a lot! These chapters seem so short. I'm going to try and make them longer. But if I don't get any reviews (which is likely considering how many Harry Potter FF there are) I won't worry about it. So if you feel I need to write for my readers, tell me you're reading! Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.
"What class do we have first?" Harry asked Draco on their way out of the dormitory. He was trying to ignore all the whispers. It was proving to be a rather difficult task.
"Potions with Professor Snape and the Gryffindors. He's the head of Slytherin and he favors us. Plus, he's good friends with Father." Draco replied.
"There he is! Look!"
"Where?"
"Next to the kid with the blonde hair. He's got glasses!"
"Did you see his scar?"
Whispers like this followed Harry all through the halls, on the way to his classes. He quickly came to find that he really was as famous as Draco said he was.
The potions class took place in the dungeons in a classroom lined with shelves of slimy things floating in jars. Harry, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all sat at the two tables in the back of the classroom. Harry and Draco set up their cauldrons, eager to make a potion that could turn the Dursleys into toads, or something of the like.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," Professor Snape said sternly at the start of their first lesson. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but the class caught every word. "As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you to really understand the beauty of the softly simmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the minds, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death. That is if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
Draco and Harry looked at each other apprehensively. This sounds like it's going to be harder than they thought. The same bossy, bushy haired girl from the train was listening intently, looking though she wanted to prove that she was not a dunderhead.
"Potter, our new celebrity," Snape suddenly said. A few of the students giggled. "What would I get if I added powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"Powdered root of what to a what of what?" Harry thought desperately. Harry glanced at Draco, who was as stumped as he was. The girl with the bushy hair had her hand in the air and was watching Snape intently.
"I don't know sir," said Harry.
"Tut-tut, clearly fame isn't everything," Snape sneered at Harry. "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look to find a bezoar?"
The girl stretched her hand further and bounced in her seat. Some kids had begun to laugh at Harry, but finally he said "I don't know, sir."
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming?" Snape said. Harry had looked through his books, but did Snape really think Harry would memorize everything in his copy of One Hundred and One Magical Herbs and Fungi?
"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" He tried again.
The girl stood up, thrust her hand in the air, and shook it violently.
"I don't know, sir. But I think she does, why don't you try her?" Harry said, trying to keep his voice as innocent as possible. A few kids sniggered, but Snape was not pleased.
"Sit down, Granger. Five points from Gryffindor," Snape snapped at the girl. "For your information Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion known as The Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat and will cure most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant. Why aren't you all writing this down?" He suddenly shot.
There was a scrambling for parchment and quills as they all pulled them out of their various bags. All that could be heard for the rest of the lesson was the scratching of quills and turning of pages as they all took notes out of the book on the Draught of Living Death.
Nothing interesting happened for the rest of the day. They continued to take notes in History of Magic. Taught by Professor Binns, a ghost whowas stillteaching, even though one day after a nap in the staff room left his body behind. They had transfiguration as well. Taught by Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor house. She told them about animagus' (witches who can turn into an animal at will) and demonstrated by changing into a tabby with markings around her eyes like the glases the human McGonagall wears, and back again. They then, as the trend seemed to be, took notes.
The next week went on like this in their various classes, including charms and herbology.
The first Saturdaythey had flying lessons, all first years had to take them. Harry had heard form older students that the school brooms were old and sometimes they veered to one side or the other, or just failed completely. Harry hoped his broom wouldn't drop out of mid air.
"I wish we could have brought our new brooms. Maybe father will send them to us?" Draco said on their way outside.
"Even if he did, they'd get taken away. First years aren't allowed their own brooms." Harry said.
All the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years were lined up next to brooms on the grass.
"Okay then. I'm Madam Hooch and this is flying class. Simple enough. Stand with your wand hand over the broom handle, tail behind you, and command your broom 'up'. Go on then" Said Madam Hooch, a witch with grey hair and hawk like eyes.
All the students yelled "Up" to their brooms, and about half of them immediately jumped up into their hands. Madam hooch had to help a few people, and once everyone was mounted, she said "Okay, on the count of three, everyone kick off the ground, hover at 20 feet or so for a few seconds, and then gently lean forward and touch back down."
A few of them looked a bit apprehensive as to actually fly so soon. Since Draco and Harry had been flying for the past week, they weren't scared but for the reliability of the old school brooms.
"One, two, three," Madam Hooch counted off and a few students kicked off the ground. Harry and Draco being the first. One Gryffindor was so terrified that he kicked off too hard and began to shoot up at an alarming speed. He lent forward to land, but he went at such a harsh angle, he came crashing to the ground. Madam Hooch ran over to him and mumbled something the sounded horribly like "broken wrist," and then gave direction for the class to stay on the ground while she took the boy to the hospital wing.
Draco stepped forward and picked up a small glass ball off the ground. "Look," he said, "Neville dropped his Rememberall. Hey Harry, catch." He tossed it in Harry's direction and kicked off from the ground. He flew up about 20 feet and beckoned Harry to follow.
"Don't! You'll get in trouble!" Granger said. Harry ignored her and kicked off as well. Draco and Harry passed the Remeberall back and forth in the air. Draco threw it at Harry and he missed. In fear of breaking it, Harry went into a dive and caught it just feet from the ground and pulled out just in time.
"Harry Potter!" Harry heard the screech from across the yard. Madam Hooch was back. He was done for. He was going to be packing his bags and going back to the Dursleys, he just knew it. "Come with me this instant! You too, Draco!"
Madam Hooch led both boys to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Professor Quirrel, I don't suppose I could borrow Flint for a moment, could I?" She asked. Draco and Harry looked each other.
"She isn't going to burn us at the stake, is she?" Harry thought widely.
But flint turned out to be a sixth year that, Harry thought, must have some troll blood in him.
"I have found you a seeker and a chaser, if you would like to try them. I saw them playing with this," She held up Neville's Rememberall and pointed to Harry, "He caught it at a 30 foot dive, and this one was catching and throwing it perfectly. I think you should at least let them try out for the Slytherin Quidditch team." Flint gave a grunt in agreement and went back to class. Madam Hooch dismissed the boys and they sprinted off to the dungeons before they got into any more trouble.
They were running and talking about how lucky it was that they didn't get into trouble and they got lost in the dungeon corridors. They ventured deeper and deeper into dungeon halls that they were sure they've never seen before. Just then, Peeves the school poltergeist, meant for reeking havoc on anyone in the castle, popped out of nowhere.
"Out of bounds, wee little firsties. I should call Filch I should," He taunted. Filch was the wheezing caretaker who hated students. He had a sidekick, Mrs. Norris. His mangy cat with huge, lamp-like eyes. It was the wish of many students to give her a good hard kick; she was a tattle-tale.
"Please, Peeves, we're lost. Don't tell! We didn't know!" Harry pleaded. But Peeves was already speeding down the corridor shouting "Trouble makers Filch! In the forbidden corridor!"
"Let's get out of here." Draco said, and both boys sprinted down the hall. The walls were damp and mossy. Harry guessed that they were under the lake by now. They came to a door. "Should we hide in here you think?" Just as Draco suggested it, Mrs. Norris came around the corner. They stood staring at each other for a split second before she ran to find filch.
"Good idea." Harry said frantically. He tugged on the door handle, but it was locked. He remembered something from his book The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. He tapped the handle and said firmly "Alohamora," and the door swung open just in time. They closed the door behind them and Harry listened intently to Filch's wheezes coming from the other side. When they had subsided, Harry turned to Draco.
"He's gone. Let's go and find the common room." Harry looked at him. He was pale and scared looking, and he was looking the opposite direction into the room. It was very tall, and not an ordinary classroom as Harry assumed. There was nothing in the room, but a great, hairy, three-headed dog. It was close to fifty feet tall and was drooling all over the place. As soon as Harry caught sight of it, the creature had gotten over the shock of the two humans suddenly entering it's quarters. It began snarling and stepping towards the boys. Harry grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him from the room. They jumped through the door and slammed it behind them right as one of the beast's heads tried snapping at them. They sprinted all the way back to the main hall, and found their common room fairly quickly.
"Serpensortia," Draco panted at the blank wall. It gave way and let them in.
Once the boys caught their breath, Draco spurted out, "are they mad? Keeping a thing like that in the school?"
"Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Harry said.
"I was too occupied with its heads to notice its feet!"
"It was standing on a trap door. It's guarding something."
A/N: I hope that was long enough for you. Someone pointed out that my other chapters were quite short. I didn't even notice. It took too long to write think otherwise. This chapter is a bunch of stuff all out of order and mashed together. I hope it worked. Let me know if it did or didn't. Input is always appreciated and usually taken to heart.
