Hi guys. I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter, so here's the next one.
Chapter 2
September 2, 2030
I wake up to a deafening explosion.
Snapping my eyes open, I bolt upright, my hair multicoloured.
A range of shouts and yells litter the room. I look around the dormitory and see that the explosion was a firework that scattered green glitter all over the beds and floor.
The other girls have woken up as well, but my eyebrows knit in confusion when I count more than five other people. There are four more girls in the room than there was last night.
I rub my ears which are still ringing from the fireworks, blinking and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I focus more on the faces. I find Anica to my right and I recognise a few of the girls vaguely from the night before. I frown when I notice Wyrene though. What is she doing in here?
Looking at the others, I notice they are older than me, and one of them looks familiar. I remember her as one of Wyrene's friends. Then I realise they must be the Slytherin girls in third year.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" I snap, annoyed at having being woken up like I was.
Wyrene comes over to my bed, grabbing a pillow as she does. Grinning, she throws it at me.
"Cheer up will ya?" she jokes. "It's the first day of school."
I glare at her.
"I get that," I say, tossing the pillow back at her. "But why are you waking us up with loud fireworks?"
"They're only loud to you. And, because, dummy, it's a ritual for the first years," Wyrene retorts like it's obvious.
I raise my eyebrows at her, unbelieving.
"Well it's not exactly a ritual per se," one of Wyrene's friends interrupts. "More just a custom."
I groan, lying back down again and pulling the covers over myself. I shut my eyes, trying to block everything out. I've never been a morning person, except for days like yesterday when I was excited.
Suddenly, I feel the covers being ripped off me and I yell in protest. Wyrene laughs, doing the same to Anica. I glare at my sister.
"What are you doing?" Anica groans, also not a morning person.
"Waking you up," Wyrene answers.
"Why?"
"Oh stop being drama queens, the both of you, and get up."
"At least I'm a queen," I retort. "You're just a peasant."
"You know, this is no way to treat the birthday girl," Anica comments, sitting up.
"Oh, that's right. Happy Birthday!," I cry, swinging my legs off the bed and walking over to her, giving her a hug. "I want to give you and Xin your presents together, so you gotta wait, unfortunately."
"Thank you. Also, that's fine," she says, getting up to get her clothes.
"Woah, not so fast," one of the older girls says. "You guys need to get to know each other first."
I sigh, and plop back down on my bed, Anica doing the same.
"This is how it will go," the other one says. "You will each say your name, the members of your family, and one interesting thing about you. I'll go first."
She clears her throat before continuing.
"Hi everyone, I'm Sally Grace, I have a younger sister in second year, also Slytherin, Petrie, and a younger brother who hasn't started Hogwarts, Micheal. An interesting thing about me is that I can't stand the smell of pumpkin cooking. Your turn Wyrene!"
Wyrene nods then introduce herself.
"Hey everyone, I'm Wyrene Dinnick. This is my younger sister Gena," she points at me. "I also have an older brother Bailey in fourth year, Hufflepuff. I also have two younger twin brothers, Quinn and Jamie, but they haven't started Hogwarts yet. One interesting thing about me is I'm really good at Charms."
Nothing about that surprises me, as I know it all. Wyrene's friend goes next.
"Ok. I'm Viper Harriet, and I have no siblings. Um...I am obsessed with Quidditch, although I will never play it."
Finally, the last girl goes.
"I'm Yorka Napel, and I have an older sister in the fifth year, Yvonne, and she's in Hufflepuff. I grew up as a Muggle because my parents couldn't look after us, but I later found out I'm a Pureblood."
Now all the older girls have gone, none of the other girls in my year says anything. I sigh, then start.
"Um...Hi. I'm Gena Dinnick, Wyrene told you about our family. An interesting thing about me is I'm a Metamorphmagus."
I support my statement by making my hair go back to normal, as it was still multicoloured.
Anica then follows me.
"Hey, I'm Anica Wore. I have an older brother in seventh year, Finn, he's a Gryffindor, and a twin sister, Ciena in Ravenclaw. Well, an interesting thing about me is that I have a spiritual triplet, she's in Ravenclaw as well, Xinia! We have the same birthday, which as I'm guessing you already know, is today."
A girl with black hair and dark skin speaks up next.
"Hello."
She sounds quite nervous, and she has a slight African accent.
"I am Ursula Oshoru. I am the first in my family with three younger sisters; Aquaria, Vega and Tauri. An interesting thing about me is all of my sisters and I were named after stars or constellations."
On the other side of me, a blonde girl speaks up.
"I'm Penny Dean. I have an older brother in Ravenclaw; Peter, and a younger sister named Polly. An interesting thing about me is that every generation in my family has a letter assigned to them. My generation is the letter P."
A girl with brown hair, who is next to Penny, goes next.
"Hey guys, I'm Susie Nott. I don't have any blood siblings, but an interesting thing about me is that I have an adopted sister. She's our age, but she's not magical. She's a squib. Her name is Molly."
The look she gives us is almost daring like she expects someone to have a problem with it. If anyone does though, they keep it to themselves. Finally, the last girl in the room goes.
"Hi, I'm Nicole Jyre. I have two older brothers, both in Hufflepuff. Their names are Oscar and Joel. Oscar is in the third year, and Joel is in fourth. Something interesting about me is I'm the first Slytherin in three generations in my family."
Now that we're all done introducing ourselves, we sit a little awkwardly.
"Ok," Viper says. "We're going to go now. Get ready for the day, and be down at breakfast by 8 am so you can be ready to go to your first class at 9 am. See you guys!"
With that, the four older girls leave our dormitory, and it is just the six of us once again.
"Well, should we get ready then?" I ask.
I receive nods in return, and we each move to our trunks to gather our clothes and other necessities.
I grab my robes and a few other things, then head to the bathroom. Anica follows me in, and we see there are six showers and toilets, all closed off from view. Along one wall there are six sinks side by side with a long mirror above them. Setting my stuff down in one of the cubicles, I walk back out.
"There are enough showers for all of us," I say to them.
"Oh, cool," Nicole replies.
She picks her clothes up and follows me back into the bathroom. Anica is already in the shower, so I go to the cubicle I put my things in, and shut the door. I strip down, then turn the shower on. I wash, dry and dress before opening the door again and walking out.
Anica is at a sink, doing her hair, and I see the others are also showering. I join Anica at the sinks, studying my hair.
I concentrate. My amber locks twist into a single braid down my back. I frown, not happy with the look. I play around with the styles for a few minutes, trying buns and different braids, until eventually, I'm happy with my hair brushed up into a high ponytail, with loose strands framing my face.
"It's not fair how you get to do that," Anica sighs, looking over at me.
I grin.
"Not everyone can be as amazing as me, sweetheart."
Anica scoffs.
"Besides, what would you use it for? You always have the same hairstyle."
I pointedly look at her head, where, not surprisingly, her maroon hair is done up in its signature bun.
"Touche," she sighs.
I smirk, then turn back to the mirror, examining the rest of my face.
Like my hair, my eyes often change to represent my mood. Apparently, they've turned red before, when I had the epic showdown with Wyrene a couple of years back.
On normal days, my eyes are either blue or green. Today, they are aqua green, my favourite colour. I also decide to tint my eyelashes with mascara and put a little blush on my fair skin.
Those are the only features I normally change. I try to keep my facial features similar to my family; taking my mum's nose and cheekbones, but my dads face and eye shape.
I then move my eyes down to inspect my clothes.
Obviously, I'm in my robes, but I decide to glamour myself up a bit. A silver ring with a star appears on my smallest finger on my left hand and an infinity ring sets itself on my left thumb. A plain necklace also appears, sitting on the base of my neck. A few bracelets fall into each other on my left wrist.
When I finish, I realise I've been studying my reflection for quite a long time, so I move away from the mirror and walk back into the dormitory. I make my bed and get all my books and other necessities ready.
By the time I'm done, Anica is finished as well. I see that her eyes are now covered by her glasses, making the green in them stand out.
I look around the room and see that Nicole is done as well.
"Do you guys want to go down to breakfast?" I ask.
They nod and head towards the door. Just as I'm about to leave, I remember to get the girl's presents.
I then join the other girls again, and we walk up to the common room.
I didn't get a great look at it last night, so I study it now. We entered through the dungeons, so I can only assume that everything is underground. The room is long and low with stone walls. Green lamps hang from the ceiling from chains.
I look towards the windows and see that we are indeed underground - under the lake we crossed last night to be specific. Various sea life swimming past are visible from the window and the room has a green tinge to it.
Tapestries are hung around the room, with the grandest of them being Salazar Slytherin.
A fire burns in one corner, and the mantelpiece above it is entwined with a silver snake. There are chairs surrounding the fire, leather and green, all low backed.
To others, I think it would be cold and uninviting. But to me, it's homey and comfortable.
Once we've looked around, the three of us exit the common room and try to remember the way to the Great Hall. Luckily, we spot others heading the same way, so we mostly follow them in.
We decide to sit at the Slytherin table, and I search the Hall for our friends.
I see Owen sitting at the Gryffindor table, chatting animatedly with the red-headed Weasley. Across from her are Nick and Dylan, talking with a tall-brown haired boy. I remember watching him be sorted but not his name.
Looking at the Hufflepuff table, I see Bailey and give him a wave, but I can't find Hailey.
I search the Ravenclaw table, not finding anyone. But when I look back to the entrance of the Hall, I see Ciena, Xinia and another girl walking through the doors.
The girl has long brown hair and is taller than the other two. As soon as I spot them, I leap up and race towards them, giving Xinia and Ciena a hug. Anica isn't far behind.
"Happy Birthday!" I exclaim.
I give Ciena her present, which is a book she's been wanting, then turn to Xinia while she's studying it.
"I'll give you and Anica your presents later. They're sort of joined."
Xinia nods, hugging me again.
"Thank you, Gena," Ciena says with a smile.
"No problem," I reply.
They then walk over to the Ravenclaw table next to ours, joining the brown-haired girl.
Anica and I return to the Slytherin table.
Breakfast has appeared, so I dig in. Nicole talks with us, and we find out that she's a half-blood, and she's looking forward to Potions. Anica and I tell her a little bit about ourselves, and later Ursula joins us.
We talk amongst ourselves for a bit, when suddenly a group of boys come up to us.
"Hey you guys are first years right?" one of them asks.
"Yeah," Anica responds, glancing over them sceptically.
"Would you mind if we sat near you guys? We're also first years," his friend asks.
"Oh, sure," I say shrugging.
He grins at me, and they sit down next to us. One of them ends up next to me, as I'm at the end of the girls.
"Hi," he grins toothily. "I'm Timothy. Timothy Longbottom."
He has black messy hair, with brown eyes and freckles. I smile at him, remembering the reactions he got from the Staff when he was Sorted.
"Gena Dinnick," I supply.
He offers me his hand and, laughing a little, I shake it. When I let go, we turn back towards the table. The boys go around the group and introduce themselves.
"I'm Scott Parkinson," one says arrogantly, shaking his dark hair out of his eyes.
I try not to roll my eyes, mentally filing away a note to avoid him.
A dark boy with brown hair introduces himself as Lucas Zabini, and his friend, another blond, as Nunica Pucey. The last one, Timothy's friend and a brunette, is Kyle Varker.
Just as he finishes introducing himself, Professor McGonagall comes around with our timetables. I lean towards Anica, and we study them together. We figure out that we have Potions with Gryffindors, Herbology with Ravenclaws, History of Magic with Hufflepuffs and every other class with just the rest of the Slytherins.
Just then, McGonagall stands up and announces a few things before dismissing us to our first classes. I quickly check the timetable again and see we have Charms with Professor Patil first.
The eleven first year Slytherins all get up and we walk in a group to the classroom. Anica and I talk with Nicole and Ursula while Susie and Penny stick together. Lucas, Nunica and Scott talk amongst each other at first, then they move ahead to talk to Susie and Penny. I decide those five will become close friends.
Somewhere along the way Nicole and Ursula separate from Anica and I, and Timothy and Kyle replace them. We talk the rest of the way until we reach the classroom, where a witch waits at the door.
"Welcome first years," she says. "I am Professor Patil, and I will be your Charms professor. I am also the Head of Ravenclaw."
We greet her, and she invites us in. The four of us; Kyle, Timothy, Anica and me, sit together while the other five sit across the room. Ursula and Nicole seem fine sitting together, so I let them be.
Professor Patil begins the lesson.
"Alright, class. As you might have already guessed, in this class we will be learning different charms. I know some of you might not have seen magic before, so you're in for a treat.
The first charm we will be learning this year is the Levitation Charm.
Unsurprisingly, this charm gives you the ability to levitate objects. For example."
The witch points her wand at a feather, conveniently placed across her desk.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
With a flick of her wand, the feather begins to rise, and Professor Patil controls it as it gets higher and higher. I've seen magic before, but the act still intrigues me.
I can't wait to get started.
I glance around the classroom and see Ursula looking on in fascination, and Kyle and Timothy grinning. I roll my eyes when Scott yawns, and Susie looks very uninterested. I ignore them and look back to Patil.
With a single motion, the charm drops, and the feather floats back down to her desk. She looks around at us and smiles a little.
"Now, it's your turn. The motion is very simple, a swish and flick of the wand. Make sure you say the incantation properly. The results of saying it wrong are quite nasty.
I want you to repeat after me. Wingardium Leviosa."
She drags the gar out and pronounces the o very clearly, while barely saying the a. We all repeat the words, and she nods.
"Very well. Pick your wands up, and remember the swish and flick."
Excitedly, we pick up our wands, ready to do our first bit of magic. I hold my wand in my hand and practice the hand motion first before doing the actual charm. I practise it a few times, making sure I've got it properly. Long gar's and short a's fill the air as my classmates attempt the charm. However, no one manages to make their feather levitate.
"Not to worry students, not everyone gets it on their first try, especially the first time you attempt magic through your wand. Keep trying."
I put my wand down, and practise the words a few times.
"Hey Dinnick, you might need your wand to do it," I hear from across the room.
I glance up and see Parkinson smirking at me. I fake a smile back at him.
"Oh really?" I say sarcastically. "Thank you so much, I never would've figured that out. You're an absolute lifesaver."
I roll my eyes, then return to my feather. For good measure, I practise the words a few more times. I glance back at Parkinson and see he still hasn't managed to perform the charm. I can't help myself.
"Hey, Parkinson. Remember what a charm is?"
He scowls at me before retorting.
"You think you're so good? Go on, show us."
Not showing any doubt, I pick my wand up, aware of all the eyes on me. Praying I didn't just dig myself into an even deeper hole, I swish, then flick my wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
I feel a small rush in my stomach and hold my breath. Miraculously, the feather in front of me levitates and starts to rise. I grin as Patil praises me.
"Well done, well done, Miss Dinnick. On your first try too. Very good."
Elation fills me as Parkinson scowls. My hair turns a full shade of orangey-red; proud mode. Gently, I return the feather to my desk and turn to Anica.
"Good job," she says, smirking over at Parkinson's group.
She hasn't yet managed, but she's only tried two or three times. I watch as she tries again. I smile when the feather lifts off the desk. She floats it around a bit before letting it float back down to the desk, a huge smile on her face.
"Good job yourself," I say.
She laughs.
A rush of pride surges through me as I remember the feeling of the magic I just performed. I'm so happy that I was able to perform the charm, and not just because of the look it caused on Parkinson's face. I was so nervous before coming here, worrying whether I'd be good at magic or not. When I managed to do it, first try, and better even, first in the class, I was so relieved.
Hopefully, the rest of my lessons would go as good as this one.
Once the lesson ends, Anica checks her timetable.
"We have Herbology with Ravenclaws next," she says.
I smile, looking forward to talking to Xinia and Ciena.
We chat a little bit with the boys on the way and stop once we reach the greenhouse our class is in.
The Ravenclaws are already here, and I scan them for our friends. Xinia's long red hair, shining with orange highlights, makes her easy to spot. She is turned away from us, so she doesn't see us arrive. I grin at Anica, and we quietly sneak up on her. I press my finger to my lips to the people around us so they don't spoil it.
We reach her, and I silently count down from three on my fingers. When I reach one, Anica grabs Xinia's waist and I press down on her shoulders.
"Hey," we say casually.
Xinia jumps violently, letting out a small scream. Anica and I shake with laughter and my hair turns yellow in amusement.
The other Ravenclaws look disapprovingly at us, but I ignore them.
Slowly, Xinia turns round to face us.
"What. The. Hell?" she cries.
Xin's emerald green eyes are lined with mascara and I notice a subtle natural eye shadow covering her lids. They also happen to be shining with annoyance. She tries to give us a death stare, but it doesn't work on us, just making us laugh harder.
Finally, she drops it and gives us each a hug.
"How are you? How was your first lesson? Who are these people?"
I laugh at her rush of words.
Ciena, who Xinia was talking to, comes up beside us, along with the girl they came into the Great Hall with.
"We're fine. Charms was good. This is Timothy and Kyle," I respond, ticking the questions off my fingers and indicating to the boys. "What about you guys?"
Xinia smiles.
"We're good. I was the best in Defence Against the Dark Arts and this is Kimmy Jones."
I eye the girl they're with. Kimmy.
Her brown hair is slightly wavy, and upon closer inspection, I notice her eyes are hazel. Something about her makes me feel...weird, but I brush it off, deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, she can't be that bad if Xinia made friends with her.
"Hi, I'm Gena. This is Anica," I nod over my shoulder. "We're friends of these two."
Kimmy smiles, eyeing my hair.
"Hey guys," she says. "Well you know who I am, so…" she laughs a little.
I turn my hair back to normal, and she doesn't question it.
Looking around, I notice Kylie and another girl, and four boys.
"Is everyone friendly enough?" I question, noting the other's looks towards the three girls.
Xinia looks a bit guilty, fiddling with the horseshoe charm on her necklace. Anica and I groan.
"What'd you do?" Anica asks.
"It wasn't all me," Xinia defends. "Your sister was also part of it."
"Hey," Ciena chimes in.
Anica glares at her twin. I roll my eyes.
"So, what'd you do?" I repeat.
I glance at Kimmy and see her trying to repress a laugh. I raise my eyebrows.
"Well…" Xinia starts.
"They got everyone's attention in the common room, and I mean everyone, and stated they were weird, annoying and didn't want to deal with pricks," Kimmy cuts in.
My lips twitch, and I try not to collapse into a fit of laughter.
"You actually did that?" I ask in amusement.
They nod. I can't hold back my laughter anymore. I vaguely notice my hair turn a vibrant yellow and Anica laughs just as hard as me.
Kimmy, Timothy and Kyle all look extremely confused while Ciena and Xinia look slightly guilty but quite happy.
"What are we missing?" Timothy asks in confusion, looking between the four of us.
I take a few breaths and I gain enough control over my laughter to explain.
"Xin joked that whatever House she was in, she would make it very well known that people should avoid her at all costs. I didn't think she would actually do it."
Xin grins, flipping her hair back. Timothy smiles and Kyle laughs a little, looking at Kimmy.
"And you became their friend? How insane are you?" he laughs.
Kimmy smiles, shrugging her shoulders. The weird feeling comes back to me as I notice her looking at my hair.
"Do you mind if I ask about that?" she asks, indicating my hair.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus," I explain, prepared to get defensive. "I can change my appearance at will."
To emphasise my point, my hair turns ombre red again.
Before Kimmy can comment, an older wizard who looks exceptionally like Timothy comes out of the greenhouse.
"Alright class, follow me please," he says kindly.
I glance at Timothy curiously.
"Are you related?" I ask.
He nods a little, suddenly looking nervous.
"Yeah," he replies. "He's uh - he's my grandad."
"Oh."
We follow the man into one of the greenhouses, crowding around a large garden.
I end up with Anica on one side, Timothy on the other. On the other side of Anica is Xinia, Ciena and Kimmy, and on the other side of Timothy is Kyle. The Professor at the front of the class clears his throat.
"Welcome to Herbology, everyone. I am Professor Longbottom, and I am also head of Gryffindor House.
In this class, we will be studying the magnificent art of magical plants."
I can tell Professor Longbottom is passionate about this subject, but I can't say I share his enthusiasm. Reluctantly though, I pay attention. Although it's not exciting, knowing about the properties and uses of plants is a useful skill.
Timothy, I can tell, is a little jittery. I remember the reactions the staff had when he was Sorted into Slytherin, and realise Longbottom said he was Head of Gryffindor. That likely meant most of his family was in Gryffindor or didn't like Slytherin. I try to distract Timothy, but unfortunately, we don't get much of a chance to talk, so the class passes by a little uneventfully.
When Longbottom dismisses us, he calls back Timothy. The six of us wait outside for him, making small talk. When he comes out, he looks much happier than he did, and he joins us and we head to the Great Hall for a break together.
When we reach the Hall, we see that students are spread across the tables, not worrying about their houses. We can sit wherever we like at meals, it's just the feasts we have to sit at our house tables.
Amongst ourselves, we decide to sit at the Ravenclaw table because it has more space. We talk about the lessons we had and share our experiences.
When the break ends, the Slytherins head to a double of Potions with Gryffindors.
On the way to class, we join up briefly with Owen and Zena, the Weasley girl, before retiring to Nick, Dylan and the other boy.
Dylan, not being overly tall, is much shorter than him, and Nick isn't much better. He has longish brown hair that hangs over his eyes, and he seems to have a stereotypical Gryffindor attitude, arrogant and stuck-up. I decide not to comment until I get to know him more.
"Hey," he says when the four of us join them. "I'm George. George Jones."
"Are you Kimmy's brother?" I ask.
George nods, not surprised.
"Yeah, she's my twin sister," he replies.
"Nice," Kyle comments. "I'm Kyle Varker."
We go around, each introducing ourselves to George.
"Oh, I almost forgot," I say to Kyle and Timothy. "This is Nick and Dylan," I introduce.
"Oh, ok," Timothy says.
"Yeah I was just about to introduce us," Nick says, smiling.
I smile a little.
We walk in silence for a bit longer when Timothy suddenly pipes up.
"Actually, I was wondering. Kyle and I are mates with Gabriel and Brittany, two of the other Gryffindors. Would you guys mind if -"
"Oh," Anica says. "Yeah, of course. If you guys are friends don't hang out with us."
Kyle smiles at her gratefully.
"Thanks, guys."
The boys split off from the group, leaving the five of us to talk. I realise George is a pretty decent guy if you ignore the typical Gryffindor-ness.
Finally, we reach the Potions classroom.
Located in the dungeons, it's dark and the entryway is quite narrow. With seventeen of us crowding around the small area, it's quite cramped. Luckily, not long after, a tall wizard with pale blonde hair comes into view.
"Welcome students," his voice is light and bubbly, contradicting his appearance. "My name is Professor Malfoy and I will be your Potions professor.
For our Slytherins, I will also be your Head of House.
Follow me please."
We follow the wizard into the classroom, and my eyes adjust to the lighting, having been in the dark before. I suddenly hear whispers around me and I pick up on a few.
"Isn't he married to Professor Potter?"
"He's not is he?"
"Omg, isn't he that gay teacher!?"
Understanding hits me. I remember Wyrene mentioning something about her Head of House being married to a Potter. I hadn't thought of it, but now I realise that Potter is Albus Potter!
"WHAT!?" one of the Gryffindor's almost screams in shock after being told by her friend.
The room goes silent and Professor Malfoy frowns a little.
"Ahem," he clears his throat. "Over the years, I seem to have picked up a good hearing ability."
Guilty looks fill the classroom.
"Now, I understand the curiosity of eleven-year-olds. I myself was once a big gossiper. But I do get quite sick of it at times."
Professor Malfoy sweeps his eyes around the classroom, stopping a little at Parkinson and Zabini before continuing.
"Yes, Professor Potter and I are in a relationship, and I encourage you not to comment if you have a problem with this."
I notice Anica looking at me in confusion.
"You know Potter's son, the Slytherin one? He and Malfoy are married," I fill her in.
Her eyes widen in understanding.
"Really? Well, I can't say I'm surprised," she grins, eyeing Malfoy.
I scrunch my face in disgust.
"You're impossible," I groan.
She laughs and I return my attention to Malfoy.
I get the feeling the Professor has had this happen before, but he still looks slightly upset. I find myself feeling sorry for him.
I remember my parents mentioning the two cast out Slytherins in their grade. When word got out Potters son was a Slytherin, a lot of people were surprised. Everyone knows about the rivalry between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, and how they were angry their sons became friends. I'm presuming there would've been quite a few problems with the men accepting the two boys relationship.
I shake myself out of my thoughts as Malfoy continues.
"Now, in this lesson, you will be learning the extraordinary art of potion-making. I must warn you that if mistreated, this subject can be highly dangerous. However, should you prevail, you will be greatly rewarded."
He then continues to give us instructions for creating a cure for boils.
Situated next to Anica, with Dylan, Nick and George also at the table, we talk a little bit while we brew our potions.
By the end of the lesson, most of us have created a semi-acceptable medicine. All except me. My potion is green instead of blue, and a brown, disgusting odour is coming from it. It's bad enough for even me to recognise my failure.
Professor Malfoy comes over and inspects my cauldron. His face scrunches a little at the smell.
"Oh," is all he can say for a minute.
I cringe, my hair turning a full shade of light red; embarrassment mode.
"Uh," Malfoy says. "Don't worry too much, this is your first try. I'm sure you'll get better."
He pats my shoulder a little before moving on. Anica smirks at me.
"Can't be amazing at everything huh?"
I laugh a little.
"You watch, I'll be better than you soon," I retort.
She laughs before returning to her potion. Malfoy reaches hers and smiles.
"Good job Miss…?" he drifts off, not knowing her last name.
"Wore," Anica supplies.
"Miss Wore," Malfoy beams before moving away.
Anica gives me a smug look. I scoff, smiling slightly.
"Suck up," I mutter.
"You're one to talk!" she laughs. "I'm actually surprised you haven't started drama yet."
I smirk.
"Patience. It is only the first day. I'll ease into it."
"Dear God, we're screwed," Nick comments.
I hold up a bit of my 'potion' threateningly.
"Don't make me find out what this does to human flesh," I threaten jokingly.
Dylan makes a show of pulling him out of danger.
"Keep that thing away from us," he warns.
I laugh, returning the mess to my cauldron. George watches the exchange with amusement.
"Is that normal behaviour?" he questions Anica.
She laughs, nodding.
Before long, the lesson draws to an end and Malfoy dismisses us for lunch. We head to the Great Hall, meeting Xinia, Ciena and Kimmy along the way. George gives Kimmy a quick hug when they see each other, and Kimmy introduces Ciena and Xinia while George introduces Nick and Dylan.
We walk in together and search the tables for space. The Gryffindor table seems to have more space this time so Dylan, Nick and George lead the rest of us over. The eight of us pile in together, four on each side. It ends up Ciena, Xinia, Anica and I on one side with Kimmy, George, Dylan and Nick opposite us. We talk loudly, but no one seems to care. Given we're at the Gryffindor table, I'm not surprised.
Lunch appears quickly, and we all dig in.
Eventually, Anica and Dylan end up talking separately while Nick, George, Xinia and I engage in a conversation while Kimmy and Ciena chat with each other, occasionally piping in.
When we get up to leave for our last two lessons, I speak to Xinia.
"Do you guys want to catch up more after classes?" I ask.
"Yeah, of course," she says. "We'll find that Community Hall McGonagall mentioned and talk more there."
I nod, recalling what she means.
In the welcoming speech, McGonagall had said that each year level had a Community Hall where all the students in the year could gather. She said we could be in it at any time after or before classes, as long as it was within curfew. I'll have to ask where she said it was because I can't remember.
We each break off, and Anica and I head to a double of Defence Against the Dark Arts together. Kyle and Timothy catch up with us again on the way.
We talk until we reach the classroom. We're the first ones there, but the door is open. Peeking inside, I see a black-haired man preparing for the lesson. When he sees me, he gestures me in. I turn back to the other three.
"Come in," I say.
We walk in and settle down at a group of desks next to the window.
The professor comes up to us. When I see his face closer I gasp. Everyone knows about Harry Potter, and what he looks like. This man is strikingly similar.
I instantly make the connection, realising this is his Slytherin son, Albus Potter. I notice the others make the connection as well, and Potter smiles a little.
"Well, I guess you know who I am," he grins a little awkwardly. "What about you guys?"
None of us speaks for a second. Then I clear my throat and introduce us. When I'm done, he smiles again.
"Nice to meet you all."
Just then the other students file in.
Potter walks to the front of the classroom and begins the lesson.
"Good afternoon everyone," he starts. "I am Professor Potter and I will be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher here at Hogwarts."
Potter introduces us to the Lumos and Nox spells at the beginning of the lesson and because they're simple, we then proceed onto sending red and green sparks from the tips of our wands.
Parkinson and his group make snide comments about Potter, but otherwise, the lesson is successful.
When we're finished, we head back to our dormitories to put our things away. The atmosphere is quite different than it was this morning. Susie and Penny aren't as nice or chatty and stay away from us other four. We don't pay much attention to them though, so we chat amongst ourselves.
"Hey," I start. "Do any of you remember where McGonagall said that Community place was?"
"Community Hall," Nicole rolls her eyes, smiling a little. "Ground floor, just over from the Great Hall."
"Should we take our homework do you think?" Ursula asks.
Throughout the day she became less shy and now seems comfortable with all of us.
"I wasn't planning on it," Anica replies. "I don't want to ruin social time with work."
"Neither," I agree. "Besides, I didn't get homework."
"Lucky," Nicole wines. "I only didn't get homework in Potions."
We had gotten off easy for the first day, only having to work on what we did in class. I got everything already, so I don't have to do anything. Well, except Potions.
"We don't have Potions tomorrow so I was just going to leave mine," I say.
"Watch you regret that," Anica laughs.
I roll my eyes, then we all head up to the common room to find the Community Hall.
So I hope you liked this chapter. Remember please leave a review or comment as to what you think of this. I will update again soon. Thank you!