Disclaimer I own nothing at all that you might recognize it is all J.K. . . . The story line however and anything you don't recognize you can so totally blame on me.
AN:
Thank you for the reviews if you have done so. If you haven't
please do I love the feedback. I'm sorry about the long update time
but life has unfortunately been hectic and I haven't had a lot of
time to transcribe lately. I write longhand, as in on paper…
yes I know it's archaic but it helps me with the editing process.
Chapter 7 – Class Schedules and Slytherin
The next morning the six of them met at breakfast. Lily's sleepy eyes and the way James held her hand throughout the meal were telling point to the rest as to what the two had done after the group left them alone the previous evening. Professor McGonagall walked up and down the length of the Gryffindor table distributing their schedules for the term. As they accepted them from her they each started to groan and compare.
Schedules for Ginny, Sirius and Remus
Monday- Double Potions Slytherin
Free Period
Transfiguration Slytherin
Lunch
Double Herbology Hufflepuff
Defense against the Dark Arts DADA Slytherin
Tuesday- Double Charms Hufflepuff
Arithmancy Ravenclaw
Free Period
Lunch
Double Care of Magical Creatures Slytherin
Ancient Runes Ravenclaw
Free Period
Dinner
Wednesday- Double DADA Slytherin
Potions Slytherin
Free Period
Lunch
Double Transfigurations Slytherin
Free Period
Herbology Hufflepuff
Dinner
Thursday- Double Ancient Runes Ravenclaw
Free Period
Care of Magical Creatures Slytherin
Lunch
Double Arithmancy Ravenclaw
Charms Hufflepuff
Free Period
Dinner
Friday- Free Study- Electives- Teachers Asst. Please Submit your choices to your Head of House no later than Wednesday.
Schedules for Luna, Lily and James
Monday- Double Potions Slytherin
Free Period
Transfiguration Slytherin
Lunch
Double Herbology Hufflepuff
Defense against the Dark Arts DADA Slytherin
Tuesday- Double Charms Hufflepuff
Arithmancy Ravenclaw
Free Period
Lunch
Double Care of Magical Creatures Slytherin
Divination Ravenclaw
Free Period
Dinner
Wednesday- Double DADA Slytherin
Potions Slytherin
Free Period
Lunch
Double Transfigurations Slytherin
Free Period
Herbology Hufflepuff
Dinner
Thursday- Double Divination Ravenclaw
Free Period
Care of Magical Creatures Slytherin
Lunch
Double Arithmancy Ravenclaw
Charms Hufflepuff
Free Period
Dinner
Friday- Free Study- Electives- Teachers Asst. Please Submit your choices to your Head of House no later than Wednesday.
It quickly became obvious that with the exception of their electives they had almost every class together. James smiled at Lily "Brilliant this is a great schedule! Best I've ever had!" He said pulling his girlfriend closer to him.
Sirius groaned "Bloody Hell Prongs it's all right for you, you've got Lily in almost every single class. But look at it for the rest of us, look how many bleeding classes we have with the Snivillus."
James laughed throwing his arm around his friend. "Buck up Padfoot at least it looks as though he bathed this summer."
The group filed into the potions class and headed, to the unofficial Gryffindor side of the room. Sitting two to a table James and Lily, Sirius and Remus, and Luna and Ginny took their seats. Professor Slughorn walked into the room from his office. Welcome back to all my Newt Students. For this term we will be brewing Veritaserum, this will be a paired exercise. So everyone up and when I call out the pairs please find a station and begin.
"Lily Evans and James Potter, Remus Lupin and Lunara Callahan, Narcissa Black and Trevor Zabini, Severus Snape and Ginnae Callahan, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, Anais Tobiason and Sirius Black."
Lily shot Ginny a worried look and sat down at her table with James. Sirius cringed and patted her arm as he headed over to sit with the ebony haired witch who seemed to be batting her big blue eyes at him. Ginny threw herself into the seat next to Snape and began furiously copying the instructions off the board in front of her, trying to dismiss the ideas running through her head. Most of which involved hexing the Slytherin bitch next to Sirius until she didn't even resemble a human anymore. Snape was confused by the very angry but very beautiful witch next to him.
"I don't believe we have met," He said to her, seeming to snap her out of her dark reverie. "I'm Severus"
"Ginnae" She answered "Nice to meet you." But her tone did not match her words and the smile she tried to give him was cold.
Slughorn was wandering between the tables while everyone was setting up, when he got to where Ginny and Severus were sitting he stopped.
"Hmmm Callahan, Callahan… You girls wouldn't by any chance be related to Basil Sinjun Callahan, the inventor of the Collapsible Cauldron?"
Ginny's eyes widened "Yes sir, He's our great uncle."
"Ah excellent," He barked in his loud voice. "Basil was an old friend, oh yes a very old friend. I was so sorry to hear about your mother, terrible tragedy, Basil said Sean was never the same after Ardianna's death. Are you're brothers well?"
"Yes they are thank you sir." Ginny replied as she made a mental note to arrange a meeting with Dumbledore at once. She should have remember Slughorn's ability to ferret out family ties in an instant.
Snape was looking at her with a look on his face that said he had not only followed her conversation with Professor Slughorn, but that he understood what it was about. She blushed fiercely and turned her eyes back to her instructions.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he got out the ingredients to start the potion. He was meticulous as usual and very focused on the task, but he kept stealing glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Oh Merlin, she thought to herself, I think he is checking me out. How utterly creepy is that? I've worked with this man, bled with him, and he always treated me as though I was less than the dirt he scraped off his shoes. Now he's looking at me as though he would like to know what color my knickers are? She shuddered at the thought. They worked in silence for the rest of the class. As they were packing up and setting the cauldron in the brewing room he turned to her.
"You're new and so I'll give you some advice, Stay away from Potter and his group of mongrels. You should really be looking to make friends with a better sort." His arrogance seemed to roll off him in near visible waves. "I would be happy to assist you in that." He ran his hand up her arm and leered at her.
She pulled her arm from underneath his fingers in under the blink of an eye. "Severus," She said in an icy cold tone her silver eyes flashing. "We will be working together until this project is finished, so listen well for this is your first and final warning. Touch me again without my permission and I will hex you until you lose several choice body parts, which I'm sure you would like to become fond of, and all the Healers at St. Mungos will be unable to reattach them." She turned on her heel and her bag seemed to jump across the room into her outstretched hand, as she stalked to the door, leaving a fuming Snape and a group of stunned Marauders behind her. Lily was smiling while James and Sirius, who had drawn their wands when they saw Snivillus touch their new friend, were standing openmouthed gaping like carp. Luna burst out laughing earning her a dark glare from Snape as she turned to Remus and elbowed him in the stomach to remind him to close his own mouth.
"That's my sister," She said with glee. "such a vicious bitch!"
Ginny half turned and shot over she shoulder "Woof, Woof"
Her retort only caused Luna to laugh harder, soon she was joined by the rest of the group as Sirius sighed and stared at Ginny as she walked out the door to the classroom. "I think I'm in love!" He said.
Their free period passed quickly and so did Transfigurations. Professor McGonagall had been particularly pleased with how advanced Luna and Ginny were in her subject and they earned 20 points each for Gryffindor over the course of the class, which earned them another dark glare from a still fuming Severus Snape. As the class filed out the two girls lagged behind.
"Professor?" Ginny said.
"Yes Miss Callahan?" The woman replied removing her glasses and cleaning them on her robe. "What can I do for you?"
"We would appreciate it if you could inform the Headmaster that we need to speak to him as soon as is convenient." Luna replied.
"I can certainly pass along the message…Is there something wrong?" She asked.
"No ma'am nothing is wrong per se. "Ginny continued for them shaking her head. "we have just run into something we need to inform him of."
"Ah in that case I am sure you can expect a reply from him soon." McGonagall said.
"Thanks Professor" they said as they left the classroom and headed for the Great Hall and lunch.
They joined their friends and bolted down a quick meal before heading off to the greenhouses for Herb logy. This class was shared with Hufflepuff and passed without incident. Their next class was Defense against the Dark Arts with Slytherin. They filed into the class a little early and found seats, Sirius pulled Ginny down into the seat next to him. Ginny turned away and continued her conversation with Lily desperately trying to conceal her reaction to him touching her hand. The rest of the class took their seats as Professor Evenstar strode into the room from his office.
"Afternoon class, we will be doing a general review of your skills today in the form of duels. So please leave your things and follow me to the practice room." As he spoke he walked over to the Picture of Ninnian the Dark and murmured the password.
The class followed him into the dark room. The torches blazed to life and Ginny looked around her at the padded walls, the benches on either side, the balcony above them and the silver inlayed dueling circle in the center of the dark stone floor. It hasn't changed much she thought.
"Everyone in?" The professor inquired. "Yes? Alright then. I will Pair you up, you will retire to your benches and await your turn to duel. Losers will wait out the rest off the class in the balcony, winner will return to their bench and await their next duel. We continue until there is a clear winner. Understood? Good." And he began listing off the pairs.
"Evans-Snape
Potter-Tobiason
Lupin-Parkinson
S. Black-Crabbe
G. Callahan-N. Black
L. Callahan-Goyle
Hardy-Zabini
Bell-Malfoy
Mallory-Nott
Asher-Newcomb"
He ran down his list and each pair headed off to one of the benches. They were paired Slytherin vs. Gryffindor but then that was really no surprise. As Ginny made her way to the bench on the right side of the room she tapped Sirius on the shoulder.
"Who's Malfoy?" She asked "I didn't see him in Potions." She replied as he pointed him out across the room.
"You wouldn't have," He returned "It's his worst subject, he dropped it right after OWLS. Amusingly it's my cousin Narcissa's best. They are to marry directly after Graduation according to my Cousin Bella."
"Oh" she returned as she stared across the room at the man who had killed Tonks and nearly killed his own son.
"Alright, First up Lets go." Came the professor's brisk voice.
Snape and Lily walked over to the circle, faced each other and bowed, wands out and ready.
"Begin on my mark…one...two…mark" Professor Evenstar cried.
Lily cried out "Impedimenta" but was hit by an disarming spell cast by Snape and was propelled out of the circle. Snape sneered as he headed back to the Slytherin side of the room. Lily cheerfully blew James a kiss before heading for the balcony to watch the rest of the duels. James, Remus and Sirius made short work of their opponents, and then it was Ginny's turn. She faced Narcissa across the circle and waited for the professors' signal.
"Begin on my mark…one...two…mark"
Ginny immediately set up a shield with a Non-verbal command and stepped left avoiding her opponents 'Expelliarmus'
She barked out a short "Petrificus Totalus" and Narcissa fell to the ground. Ginny then called out "Wingardium Leviosa" Sending Narcissa out side the circle and winning the match.
Luna was up next, she faced Goyle across the circle and at the professors' signal simply stepped to the right and held out her hand, calmly using a non-verbal 'accio' to take his wand. She waited for the professor to declare her the winner and returned to her side of the room smiling sweetly at the shocked marauders. The Gryffindors lost the next two matches and the Professor began his list again.
"Lupin-Nott
Potter-Malfoy
Black-Newcomb
L. Callahan-Zabini
G. Callahan-Snape"
"Alright Lupin, Nott into the Circle lets go" The professor said.
Luna watched with apprehension and interest as the two faced off against one another. Their voices rang out, hex, counter, curse, counter curse, charm, and so on until Remus caught Nott with a jelly legs charm and was declared the winner. James lost his match to Malfoy and joined Lily on the balcony. Sirius and his opponent battled to a draw when they both got knocked out to the circle at the same time. Luna beat Zabini who obviously wasn't paying attention to her first duel and got caught by the exact same trick. Then it was Ginny's turn. She faced the dark eyes of Snape across the circle and shivered at the cold rage that burned there.
"Begin on my mark…one...two…mark"
Snape cried out "Serpentsortia" and Ginny countered by Transfiguring a Knut from her pocket into a mongoose, which promptly dispatched the Cobra in front of her. He tried the full body bind but she had already executed a non-verbal shield. Everything he threw at her she defended but she did not attack, finally he lost his temper he began to call out another spell which had Ginny's eyes go wide as she countered quickly.
"Sectum…" he began but he never finished.
Ginny's clear voice rang out over his "Tewi Cylch Ennyn" the liquid welsh flew off her tongue and he was instantly silenced and bound with rings of flaming blue fire. Her non-verbal Accio took his wand away, thus winning the match.
Professor Evenstar shook himself out of his shock to address the class as Ginny went back to her side of the room. "Well Class, what you have just witnessed is the Ellylles Curse. It is said to have been devised by Morgana herself it instantly silences and binds your opponent. It has proven in the past to be unblockable and there is to date no known counter for this spell. It is effectively one of the most advanced and useful Defense Spells to learn… and one of the hardest. Alright then the next group… Lupin-L.Callahan, Newcomb-G.Callahan, Black-Malfoy.
Remus shook himself out of the daze he had been in and faced Luna across the circle, and waited for the Professor to start the match. At his mark they circled each other and the battle began. He had never been in such a fierce battle they both were equally matched from what he could tell curses and hexes flew as did counters and charms until she finally caught him with something he didn't expect.
He soft dreamlike voice called out "golau-leuad brydio." Fire the color of the pale moon poured from her body in an ever widening sphere until it pushed him right out of the circle but he did not burn. He shook himself again as he headed to the balcony the wolf within him raising it's head from the touch of moonfire. He looked over at Lunara and the beast inside him growled a deep MINE, MY MATE! Leave me alone he thought to himself. She's too good for us.
Ginny easily defeated her next partner and Malfoy defeated Sirius, who joined his friends on the balcony above watching their two new friends face the last Slytherin. The professor spoke again "Alright now there are three of you left. L. Callahan and Malfoy will fight and then the winner will fight G. Callahan. Luna looked at Ginny and smiled a feral grin crossing her face. Ginny grabbed her arm as she headed to the circle.
"You cannot hurt or kill him Luna! You know the rules." She said in a harsh whisper.
"I'm not planning on killing him… I just want to embarrass him a lot."
"Ah!" Ginny laughed. "have you considered the possibility of another Malfoy the incredible bouncing ferret?"
Luna's eyes lit up with fierce glee "Great minds" She said to Ginny as she continued to the circle. At the Professor's mark she dodged a Stupify spell and raised her wand picturing what she wanted in her mind she transfigured Malfoy into a ferret and bounced him around and then right out of the ring. The balcony erupted with laughter as the Gryffindor students watched the Slytherin bounce around the ring. Luna held the incantation until the Professor declared her the winner and then released Malfoy who giving her a dark glare of pure hate turned and stalked away.
Luna and Ginny were the only two left. The Professor noting the time called a halt to the Duels. "The Last 6 contestants standing can each take 5 points for their houses. I'll see you all Wednesday, please have 2 feet of parchment ready on the first chapter in your book when you come to class. That will be all."
The Marauders came down from the balcony and met the two girls as they were collecting their things.
"Holy Merlin you guys are fucking amazing!" James said dodging slightly to the side to avoid the slap Lily gave him.
"Honestly James Potter, such language." She said laughingly "Though I have to agree with the sentiment. Where did you guys learn all that?"
Luna glanced at Remus "We had the very best teacher."
"And a lot of practice." Ginny continued
"So what else can you do?" James asked as the group headed down the corridor toward their common room for their free period.
"Do you always ask this many questions, James?"
"Why yes actually I think I was inflicted with terminal curiosity at birth."
"Sounds serious… Maybe you should take some time and have Madam Pomfry check that out for you." She retorted.
Sirius snickered and Luna giggled at the exchange.
The group turned as they heard someone pelting up the hall toward them. Bill Weasley skidded to a stop in front of them completely out of breath, trying to gasp out his message.
Ginny turned her radiant smile on him and said in a soft voice "Breathe Little one, What can we do for you?"
"I have a message for you from the Headmaster." He gasped holding out the parchment to Ginny proudly.
"Thanks Bill." Said Luna earning a bright smile from the boy.
Ginny opened the note :Please join me in my office before dinner for that chat you requested. – Albus Dumbledore. PS the Password is Sugar quills.
She handed the note to Luna who read it over and nodded while Ginny explained it to the rest of the group. "Dumbledore wants us to come to his office before dinner." She said " we'll go now and meet you in the great hall later."