Stephanie POV-
Since before breakfast people have been staring and whispering about Harry. It was clear to me that he was uncomfortable. There has to be hundreds of staircases here! They even move! I wish I knew that before when I was trying to walk down to breakfast, but then it started to move by itself. I was so freaked out that I clung to the railing for my life. But in the end I safely ended up on the other side.
I was hard to find the classes. Some people tried to help me, but there were so many directions I was confused. The ghosts were not much help either. There is this one ghost called Peeves. He is so annoying. He likes to do practical jokes. He is going to make school a lot more miserable.
Professor McGonall taught transfiguration. From the moment I saw her I could tell she would be a strict teacher and I should be careful what I say around her. "Transfiguration is one of the most difficult classes you will ever learn here at Hogwarts," she said standing in front of the class. To day was our first lesson. I wonder what transfiguration is? "Anyone messing around in my class will leave immediately and never return," she continues warning us.
She then changed her desk into a pig and then back to a desk again. I gaped at the desk. 'How did she do that?' I thought, 'So I'm going to turn things into other things. This will make life at home fun.' She told us to take notes that she had written down. They were pretty hard to understand. I don't really understand this magic stuff.
After taking notes, she showed us how to change a match into a needle. I was having trouble. But Hermoine wasn't she was the only one who got it to work. How surprising.
I have no idea why, but most of the class seemed excited about Defense of Dark Arts. Sounds more like gym to me. I hated Professor Quirrell's room. It was like staying in an Italian restaurant. The room was filled with garlic. The smell was so strong I had to cover my nose. Some people said that he saw a vampire, but personally I think he's just weird. Professor Quirrell told us how he came across a zombie once. The story was actually interesting. It's so weird. Things that were made up in the non-magical world are real in this world.
By what other Gryfindors had said that the potion teacher, Professor Snape, was the teacher and that potions were just a miserable as he was. I walked into the dark dungeon, which I guess is the classroom, with Hermoine. The room was cold and it gave me an odd feeling. I hugged my books closer to my chest. I took a seat by Hermoine and the put my books, quill, and inkpot in place incase I needed them. He started class with roll call. His voice was so monotone that I almost drifted off to sleep. I placed my head on top of my book and closed my eyes. "Ms. Tanner," he said loudly. I snapped my head up. "What?" I asked. The class snickered.
Professor Snape frowned. "Try to stay awake Ms. Tanner class hasn't even begun yet."
"Sorry," I apologized with my cheeks turning lightly pink. He paid no attention to what I said and he continued on with roll call. 'This is going to be a long year,' I thought. Professor Snape paused. 'Did I say that out loud?' I thought worried he heard something I had meant to think. But then he said, "Harry Potter… our new class celebrity."
Draco and his friends snickered. I looked back at them and then to Harry wondering what he meant my celebrity. Snape finished with the roll call and looked at the class.
I shuttered. His eyes were dark and cold. They almost seemed empty. They made me feel cold just by looking at them. It was almost like looking into a well that seemed like it had no end. "You are to learn the subtle science and exact art of potions making, he said. He spoke so quietly I had to practically lean forward to hear what he was saying. "As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will believe this is magic. I don't expect you to understand the beauty of the soft shimmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the scenes. I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death."
The class grew silent. I wasn't really sure what to think about potions after his little speech. I looked over at Hermoine. She was at the edge of her seat. I couldn't believe she was actually excited about this class. Oh well it might not be so bad. "Potter!" he said loudly breaking the silence, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood.
Harry looked just as confused as I was. 'What it wormwood?' I thought, 'must be some kind of tree.' Harry didn't know the answer but Hermoine did. She had her hand raised high so that Professor Snape could notice it. But he payed no attention to it. "I don't know," Harry said quietly. Snape asked him a few more questions that Harry didn't know the answer to, but unsurprisingly Hermoine did know. We started taking notes. It was so quiet all you could hear was the scratching of the quills on paper.
The class didn't seem to get better. We were put into groups of two at a cauldron and we learned how to make simple curing potions. He criticized everyone but Malfoy. But Neville seemed to be his least favorite. It looked like he was having a hard enough time without Snape giving harsh criticism. Hermoine and I was doing fine. When he came over he seemed to search for any mistake we could have made possible. But we fallowed every direction. "Fine job," he said unhappily. He then walked over to Harry and Ron's table. Hermoine and I exchanged smiles and then turned back to our potion.
I was happy to find that I wasn't the only one that didn't know about magic. Many people had families that didn't know about magic. I think they call non-magic people muggles. I don't know whether to be offended or to be ok with it.
That morning on Friday during breakfast I saw Harry and Ron come in with happy looks on their faces. "What are you so happy about?" I asked them.
This is the first time we haven't got lost this week," Ron said proudly. Harry sat on the right side of me and Ron sat by Harry. "You guys really need a map," I said to them buttering my toast.
"What about you," Ron said grabbing some bacon, "You have gotten lost too."
I sighed. "Yes I have. But not as much as you. Besides I know my way around here now. Well almost."
"So what do we have today?" Harry asked.
"I think we have flying lessons," Ron said. I felt my stomach lurch. I was uncomfortable with the feeling of flying around on a broomstick. But it cant be as bad as a plane ride…. Maybe.
The weather was mild out today. Harry, Ron, and I walked over to the flying grounds. "So we are going to learn how to fly brooms right?" I asked Ron pulling back my hair so it wouldn't get in my face.
"Of course what else would we fly?" he said looking at me like I was crazy.
"Well sorry," I said rolling my eyes, "I do live with a muggle family, and I grew up thinking witches and wizards were just make believe."
We stood on the field in to straight lines with brooms in front of us. Our teacher, Madame Hooch, walked in between the line and stopped at the opposite end. "What are you waiting for? Everyone stand by a broom," she barked at us. I stood by my broom and looked down on it. 'How are we going to fly on brooms like this?' I thought. It looked old and the twigs were stuck out in different angles. "Now everyone raise you hand above the broom and say up," she ordered us.
I placed my hand over the broom and said up. 'Maybe I didn't say it loud enough.' I looked at everyone else. Harry got his broom to go up, and everyone else was starting to sound frustrated with their brooms. Ron's flew up and smacked him in the face and then fell onto the ground again with out moving. I smiled at this. Hermoine was sternly talking to her broom. I tried again, "Up," I said trying to order it like when I told Michelle not to do something she wasn't supposed to. It flew up to my hand. I was the second person done.
She then showed us to mound their brooms without sliding off. She walked up and down the rows correcting our grips. She moved my hands so that they were perfect and I could fly safely. "Now when I blow my whistle kick off from the ground hard, Madame Hooch said looking at the class, "Keep your brooms steady and fly a few feet up. The come strait back down again. One- Two- Three!" she blew her whistle.
I kicked up off the ground as hard as I could. My broom rose into the air. I tightened my grasp. I started to shake a little, but then after getting used to it I was starting to enjoy it. I went back to the ground landing on safely on my feet. I saw Harry. This all seemed to come naturally to him. I could tell he was going to be good at this.
But Neville was too jumpy after he left the ground and he zoomed off up to the roof of the castle. "Come back boy," Madame Hooch yelled at him. But it looked like he had no control over his broom. He started at jerk left and right. He flew off his broom and fell a few feet. I gasped when he was caught by a statue near the ground. But his robe tore and he fell onto the ground. Madame Hooch and the rest of the class ran over to him. She examined his wrist. "I'm going to take him to the hospital wing. No flying till I get back and if you get caught you will receive a detention," she said warning us. She then went into Hogwarts and led Neville to the hospital wing.
As soon she was far enough not to hear them, Malfoy burst out laughing, "Did you see the look on his face?" he asked through fits of laughter. Other Sltherins joined in with him.
I gave a dirty look. "Shut up. It was not funny Draco," I said feeling my anger rise, "He could have been seriously hurt." He stopped laughing at glared at me.
"You may have not have thought it was not funny, but I did," he sneered. I rolled my eyes. 'Jerk.'
"Look," he said. He walked over to a glittering object lying were Neville landed. He went over and picked it up. "It's that stupid thing that Longbottom's grandma sent him," he said tossing it up into the air and catching it just as it was faking, "Looks like he wont be needing this."
"Give it here Malfoy," Harry said holding out his hand so Malfoy will hand it over. I looked back to him and then back to Draco. But Malfoy hoped onto his broom and took off. "Want it Potter? Then go get it." He through the ball as far as he could. Harry mounded his broom and kicked off. IO was amazed to see how fast he was. He flew right up to a window and caught the Neville's remberal ball. All the Gryfindors clapped and cheered while Harry came back down. I ran over to congratulate him, but Professor McGonall came out. "Harry Potter!" she yelled. He looked like he was just shot. 'Oh know,' I thought. She walked over to him. "Never in my time at Hogwarts," she began to say. She seemed speechless. "How dare you. you might have broken your neck."
"It wasn't his fault," I tried to explain; "Malfoy took," but she but me off.
"Come with me Potter," she said. She walked away with Harry behind her.
I didn't see Harry again till dinnertime. "Where have you been?" I asked him as he sat down beside me. He looked surprised. 'SO what did she say? Are you in trouble?" I asked him curiously.
"She made me the seeker," he said as if he could hardly believe it. Ron and Hermoine looked surprised. "She made you a seeker? But there hasn't been a first year seeker in years," Hermoine said.
"What's a seeker?" I asked.
Ron was so amazed and impressed he just sat there and gapped at Harry. "I start training next week," Harry said, "Only don't tell any one. Wood wants to keep it a secret."
"What is a seeker?" I asked louder this time. But they still ignored me. 'I give up!' I thought.
Later that night while I was in the dormitory I laid on my bed writing a letter to my family.
Dear Dad, and everyone else,
This school is great! Bit don't worry I miss all of you guys. I go to school in a castle. There ghosts that wander around the school too. Yeah ghosts are real, but most of them are friendly, not Peeves though. The pictures are almost like people. They even talk to you! Everything that I thought was make believe has seemed to come alive.
Classed are fine. I don't like potions much. And transfiguration is hard. Today I started to learn how to fly a broomstick. Don't worry I only went up around two feet. I have a new pet. Her name is Malaya, she's an owl. She will be the one delivering the letter so don't freak out when she comes. Please don't hurt her either. People here mail letters by owls instead of using a post office so you better make the house owl proof.
I miss al of you so much. Please write back! Just attach your letter to Malaya, and she will send it back. I'll try to write as much as I can, but I have school. I miss you all!
Love,
Stephanie
I sent Malaya out the window with the letter and watched her fly off into the distance. I packed up my stationary I tried to go to sleep. But I kept thinking about what my family was doing now. And what would dad's reaction be to an owl in the living room. I smiled to myself. Then I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep.
But I woke up when I heard some people auguring. 'You shouldn't be leaving past curfew. That's against the rules," I head a voice say. That sounds like Hermoine. I walked out and saw them standing there. "What are you doing?" I asked them. They jumped when they heard me.
"Well since she knows she better come too," Ron said.
I fallowed them out into the hall. Ron and Hermoine started to argue. "Shut up," Harry whispered harshly, "I think I heard someone coming." We all were quiet. "Come on let's go," he said after nothing came. We heard Filch coming so we started running.
"In here," Ron said. We ran into a door.
"It's locked," I said trying to get it opened. I shook the handle.
"Let me try," Hermoine said pulling out her wand. I moved out of the way. "Alohmora." The door unlocked and she led us into the room. 'I got to remember that one,' I thought. We started to walk around. I bumped into something fuzzy. I moved my hand up and down it. "It feels sort of like Comet," I said to myself. The others joined me. "What do you think it is," Harry said. A big, wet blob then hit Ron. We looked up.
There, right in front of us, was a three-headed dog. We ran out of the room as soon as we could. Hermoine locked the door was soon as we were all out. "We are never going in there again," I said gasping.
"We shouldn't have even been out," Hermoine said. Ron and I sighed. She can be so difficult sometimes.
When we made it back to the Gryfindor tower the Fat Lady was there looking angry. "Where have you been?" she asked us.
"Just out for a stroll," I said casually. We said the password and went in. I crawled into bed and tried to get some sleep.
I didn't want get up in the morning. I woke up to Hermoine gently shaking me. "Wake up, wake up. We need to go down to breakfast," she said trying to wake me up, but failing miserably. I rolled over. "Five more minutes," I muttered.
"No we have to go now," she said shaking me harder. I groaned and rolled out of bed and staggered over to wear I kept my clothes.
I walked into the bathroom and changed into a pink t-shirt that had I'm Not Bossy, I just Have Better Ideas written on it in white glitter and some blue jeans. I pulled my hair back with a headband and slipped some shoes on before leaving.
By the time we got down there, Harry and Ron were already they're eating. "What took you so long?" Harry asked me as we were walking over.
"I was still sleeping," I said grabbing a muffin.
"You should try to get up earlier," Hermoine told me. I rolled my eyes and continue eating.
"Do you think they found out about the dog?" I asked them. They all shrugged.
"I am so upset about last night I don't know if I can ever speak to you three again," Hermoine said huffily.
"That's fine with us," Ron said.
Harry was about to say something about last night but he stopped when he saw Malfoy walking over.
He looked disappointed. "Still here Potter and Weasley? I thought you would have been expelled after last night," he said with a slight frown. He spun on his heal on left. "What was that about?" I asked looking at Draco thinking he is the weirdest person I have ever met.
"Nothing important," Harry said trying to get off the topic, "I'll explain it later."
Owls then flew over our heads and dropped off packages to some kids. One of them was to Harry. He looked at the letter. Harry handed to note to me.
DO NOT OPEN THE PACKAGE AT THE TABLEIt contains your nimbus two thousand, but I don't want everyone knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll want one. Oliver wood will meet with you tonight and will begin your training at seven o'clock. Meet him on the Quiddetch field.
Professor M. McGonagall
A Nimbus Two-Thousand? That was that broom I saw in the window. Harry, Ron and I ran to the dormitory to open the package. But unfortunately we were met by Draco Malfoy and his two friends, or bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy grabbed the broom from Harry's hands and felt it. "You got a broom," he said giving it back to him, "You're going to be in trouble. First years aren't allowed to have brooms."
Ron looked like he couldn't keep the secret any longer. "It's not just a broom. It's the Nimbus Two-Thousand," he said gloating to Malfoy. Malfoy had a look of envy on his face. He then walked furiously away with his tow monkey friends.
All the way backs to the Gryfindor Dormitory we laughed. "Did you see the look on his face when you told him what kind of broom it was?" I said. I could hardly stand up. I was howling with laughter.
"This is one moment I will never forget," Ron said holding his sides. We started to open it when Hermoine came in. "So I suppose you are breaking the rules again," she said in an angry voice. She looked at the package in Harry's hand.
"I thought you weren't talking to us?" I said.
"Yes don't start now. You are really annoying," Ron said. Hermoine walked away with her nose in the air.
"What's her problem?" Ron asked.
Harry and me shrugged. We continued to open the broom. It looked beautiful. "Hey Ron," I said throwing away the wrappings.
"What?" he asked relying.
"Can you tell me what Quiddetch is?" I asked him.
"Sure later tonight around seven," he said. I smiled. I was finally getting to understand this place.
When I woke up Halloween morning I smelt something good. It smelt something like pumpkin. The best part was during charms. Professor Flitwick announced we were going to learn how to make things fly! I have been dieing to learn how since I saw him make Neville's frog fly. "Just as we practiced," he said to the class, "Now don't forget that a nice wrist moment. Swish and Flick," he said moving his wand with the words.
"Swish and Flick," we repeated doing the actions too. Semus was impatient and started his feather on fire. I jumped away from the flames since they were right next to me. But Harry put them out with a hat. I tried but it didn't work. It floated just a bit but then flopped back onto the ground.
Ron, at the next table, was having some trouble. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted. But the feather just laid there.
"You're saying it wrong," Hermoine told him, "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa. Make the gar nice and long," she said to him. "Here watch. Winggardium Leviosa!" she said. The feather floated above her head. Professor Flitwick clapped.
"Good job Ms. Granger," he said clapping, "Look at Ms. Granger's feather class." Hermoine smiled smugly. Ron as in a very bad mood for the rest of the class.
"No wonder why noone can stand her," Ron said to Harry and me as we pushed our way through the corridor, "She's a nightmare." Some one then bumped into Harry. I only saw a glimpse of her face, but it looked like Hermoine, and she was crying.
"Great Ron. I think she heard you," I said. He just shrugged. "I'm going to try to talk other."
Hermoine didn't turn up for any of the other classed of the Halloween feast. On the way down to the Great Hall I told them that Hermoine has been crying in the bathroom all day. "Now she wont even come down to the feats," I said to them skipping steps, "Nice job Ron."
"I didn't try to make her cry," he said hardly sounding sorry for what he had done.
Above us thousands of live bats flew. I was dazed at the sight. "Um don't you want to sit down?" Harry asked me. His voice broke my trance. 'Yeah sure." While we were eating the feast, Professor Quirrell came running in.
"Troll in the dungeon," he said sounding scared, "Thought you would like to know." He then collapsed onto the ground. Students starting shrieking. "Silence," Dumbledore said raising his arms. The room went dead silent. "Perfects lead the students back to their tower and wait there for further instructions. Teaches fallow me," he said. Everyone started to clear out. But I saw Snape leave a different way than the other teachers. I poked Ron and pointed at Snape. Before he could say anything Harry spoke. 'I just remembered. Hermoine is in the bathroom and she doesn't know!" he said. He grabbed Ron and me by the sleeves and drug us the girls bathroom. We stopped dead in our tracks. I was about to scream but Harry and Ron both put their hands over my mouth to keep me quiet. It was a terrifying sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin a dull gray, carrying a giant stick was the troll walking down the hall. "We better be quick if we want to get there before he does," Harry whispered. Ron and I nodded in agreement. We darted it the girl's bathroom. They heard a petrified scream. "Hermoine," they all yelled at once.
They sprinted to where they heard her. I was the last thing we wanted to do, but we had to do it to save Hermoine. Harry pulled open the door and we busted in. Hermoine was on the other side shrieking. The troll was making its way toward her. "Hermoine!" I said loudly. Before wither of them could stop me, I sprinted over to her. "Are you alright?" I asked kneeling down by her. Before she could answer the toll swung it's club at us just barely missing us.
"Confuse it," Harry said desperately to Ron. They tried throwing broken off tiles at it, but it wasn't working. He swung the club again, but I pushed Hermoine out of the way. I felt it the club smack into the side of my head. I heard them yell my name and then my world went black.
I opened my eyes slowly. "Where am I?" asked to noone particularly.
"Oh you're ok!" Hermoine said embracing me in a hug. I rubbed my head when she let go.
"What happened?" I asked looking around the room. I was in the hospital wing. I saw Ron and Harry sitting on some near by chairs. "We were trying to save Hermoine from the troll, and he knocked you out," Harry said walking over to me. I groaned. I had a killer headache. Just then Madame Pomfery came in.
"Everyone leave," she said shooing them out. "She needs her rest." After they all left she told me to try to get some sleep. I closed my eyes and almost immediately I fell asleep.
I tried to make it longer and I had nothing to do since we had a snow day today. It has almost been snowing nonstop for two days here in Iowa. I probably wont have school tomorrow wither. So any one confused yet? I'm almost to the end of the book, so if you want I can write one for almost every year. That's if you want me to.
