Chapter 4:

Josh had woken up first before the rest of the Gryffindor boys. He washed up before changing out of his pajamas and into his school robes, donning the Gryffinfor colored tied and the Gryffindor crested robes. He finished tying his tie when he heard a couple of moans. He looked behind him to see Neville and Dean stirring awake. Josh closed his trunk, waving to the two boys and left his dorm and into the common room, but not before he heard Ron mutter something in his snoring sleep. The common room was filled with many of the early risers; some hanging out before getting breakfast and getting their schedules, others already heading out towards breakfast. Josh didn't recognize anyone really; maybe some pure-blood students he had recognized from Ministry events and such, though he wasn't friends with them. Not really knowing anyone, Josh opted to go ahead and go down to breakfast.

The castle was filled with many, many staircases at Hogwarts: wide sweeping ones; narrow rickety ones; some that lead somewhere different; and then some with a vanishing step halfway up that one had to remember to jump. Josh hadn't known this and nearly fell to his death had an older student not caught him by his robes.

"Watch where yer going, chum," the older sixth year student nonchalantly said, setting Josh straight. Josh thanked the older student and continued down, carefully walking down the steps, watching them carefully and making sure none of them were not vanishing.

Minutes later, Josh entered the first floor corridor, and began to make his way towards the Great Hall. A blond girl suddenly caught his attention. He sped up his pace to catch up with her. "Hey Daphne," Josh greeted nicely.

Daphne slightly turned her head towards Josh, side-glancing at him. "Funny, I didn't know we were on a first name basis," she commented.

Josh went slightly pink. "Oh, er, sorry, Greengrass," he said, correcting himself. "Excited about starting classes?"

Daphne stopped, causing Josh to stop, and turned towards him. "I'm going to stop you right there, Emrys," she said, as Josh raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'm going to make this easy on you and easy on me. Just don't talk to me. Our houses don't mix. Besides, I'm not here to make any friends." Daphne turned away from Josh and continued on her way.

Josh stood there looking a little dumbfounded. She was so different that what he expected of her to be like. He scratched his head and continued on his way. Seconds later, Josh entered the Great Hall. Many students were already inside enjoying breakfast and talking with their friends. Josh made his way over to his table, taking one last glance towards Daphne who was sitting alone and eating breakfast. He took a seat next to Hermione and Sophie.

"Good morning, Joshua," Sophie greeted with a smile. Hermione waved at him.

Josh smiled and waved back at Hermione. "Morning," he replied. "And Josh is okay."

"You got it, Josh!" Sophie said. The trio small chatted about school as more and more students entered the Great Hall to have some breakfast before their classes began. Harry and Ron took seats next to Josh, both still looking a bit sleepy, though that didn't stop Ron from piling his plate with foods.

Soon enough, Professor McGonagall began to hand out the students' schedules, starting with the first years. "Here you are Mr. Emrys." Josh looked up while taking a sip of orange juice and saw Professor McGonagall handing him a piece of paper. He reached up and accepted his schedule.

"Thank you, Professor," Josh said politely. McGonagall gave a nod and continued on passing the rest of the students their schedules. Josh looked at his schedule:

Class Schedule for First Year Gryffindors

Monday - Morning classes- Transfiguration with Raveclaws, DADA with Slytherins

Afternoon classes- Double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs

Tuesday- Morning classes- Charms with Hufflepuffs, DADA

Afternoon classes - History of Magic with Ravenclaws, Transfiguration

Wednesday-Morning classes- Charms, Astronomy

Afternoon classes- Double Herbology

Evening class- Astronomy with the Slytherins

Thursday- Morning classes - Charms, Transfiguration

Afternoon classes - DADA, Herbology

Friday- Morning classes - Double Potions

Afternoon classes - None

"Transfiguration is our first class," Josh commented.

"It's supposed to be some of the most difficult magic to perform," Hermione chimed in.

"But we're with the Slytherins in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ron commented depressingly.

"It might not be half bad," Josh replied. "Some of these people you don't even know," he added, glancing over to the Slytherin table.

"Come off it mate, only every bad wizard ever known was from Slytherin," Ron explained.

"So what? You don't think other dark wizards come from other houses?" Josh asked in annoyance. He was getting angry. His family were in Slytherin house, and yet they were great wizards and witches. His grandparents fought against the Dark Lord when he was alive.

Ron shrugged. "Not any famous ones, I bet."

Josh sighed heavily, now very annoyed. He wanted to knock some sense into to Ron, instead, he opted to stand up out of his seat and leave the Great Hall.

"He has a point," Hermione said to Ron. Sophie agreed with a nod. "Sure, dark wizards come from Slytherin, but not all of Slytherin are dark wizards. You can't define a whole group on the base of a few individuals."

"Whatever," Ron muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Minutes later, Josh entered the Transfiguration class and noticed he wasn't the only one there. Some of the Ravenclaws were already inside, small chatting with their Transfiguration books already out on the table, ready to learn. The classroom was bright, with three columns, eight rows, of two seat tables. Josh took a seat in the first column, second row. He wondered where Professor McGonagall was as well, and noticed her pet cat, sitting on the table, watching the students that were there. Minutes later, the rest of the Ravenclaws and some of the Gryffindors entered the classroom. Neville took a seat next to Josh, nodding to one another. Hermione and Sophie sat at the table in front of him. He looked around to see how Harry and Ron had yet to arrive. They were the only two who hadn't shown up. Everyone else was there and ready to learn.

Josh turned to his front and saw the cat begin to move in a position as it was about to leap off the table. The whole classroom room watched as the cat leaped into the air. Everyone gasped in shock as the cat transformed into Professor McGonagall. The first years were in shock and awe at her advanced skills in magic.

"Good morning class. Welcome to you first class of Transfiguration.," The Professor started. She glanced around the class room, noticing the two empty seats next to Josh and Neville. She sighed through her nose but continued to speak her lecture. "Now, Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn here at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." McGonagall suddenly transformed her desk into a pig, and then back into a desk again. It was impressive. McGonagall began to talk about the fundamentals of Transfiguration, and students began to scribble down notes. She then gave a task of reading chapter one of their book and take notes, and once done, they were going to do a little magic practice.

While they were reading chapter one, McGonagall had transformed back into her cat form, sitting on the desk. Minutes after that, the door to the classroom burst open, revealing Harry and Ron who had run into it, breathing heavily and interrupting class.

"We made it," Ron breathed out as he and Harry walked up to the front of the class. "Could you imagine the look on McGonagall's face if we were late." Harry and Ron walked a little further only to be shocked that the cat that was sitting on the desk, jumped towards them and transform into a stern looking McGonagall. "That was bloody brilliant!" Ron said in awe.

"Thank you for that assessment Mr. Weasley," McGonagall replied. "But perhaps it would be useful if i transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch. That way one of you might be on time." Some of the class snickered quietly. Josh did as well.

"We got lost," Harry blurted out.

"Then perhaps a map, i trust you don't need one to find your seats," McGonagall said sternly. Harry and Ron nodded and sat down in the empty desk next to Josh and Neville. "Pull out your books, read chapter one and take notes," she told the two boys. "Maybe one of your classmates will be nice enough to let you copy the notes they had already taken down earlier in the lesson."

For the last twenty minutes of class, the students were given a task of trying to change the form of a matchstick into a needle. Many of the students were having trouble with this task. Josh was finding it a bit frustrating. Neville wasn't having much luck at all. Though, Josh had managed to transform the matchstick into a pointy matchstick. By the end of the lesson, Hermione was the only one who was successful into turning her matchstick into a needle. McGonagall was very impressed, and wasn't expecting anyone to successfully perform the task, that she rewarded Gryffindor five house points.

They were given a small amount of time to get to their next class, which was Defense Against the Dark Arts, a class that Josh was actually looking forward to. The class, however, turned out to be quite a disappointment to Josh. Quirrell's classroom was a dim-lit room, that smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie. Josh had a chill run down his spine at the mention of a zombie. The class was spent with Quirrell's stuttering lecture of the fundamentals of Defensive Magic. They were with the Slytherins this time, and when Josh had entered, there was a chance to sit next to Daphne to get to know her more, but before he could, it was taken by Tracey Davis. Josh noticed how cold she looked to Tracey as well, but Tracey ignored it and talked to her anyways, giving Josh some pointers.

At lunch, Harry, Ron, and Josh spoke about Quirrell and the truths within his story. They weren't sure they believed him, and Ron had commented how his turban also had a funny smell to it. It was then the Weasley Twins chimed in and suggested that it too was stuff with garlic. After lunch, it was time for double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.

Josh entered one of the Green houses, this time, Harry and Ron followed him. This greenhouse was set up as a classroom, yet various and harmless plants surrounded the walls of the house. The students clamored in and this time, Josh sat next to Emily Moon, a tall, hazel-eye, light browned, wavy hair with was braided into a ponytail.

"Good morning, first years," Professor Sprout greeted, who had been sitting at her own desk. She was dirty, covered in dirt and grime, probably having already tending to plants from other classes. "Welcome to Herbology, the study of all magical plants in the wizarding world. For the first half of the class, I will tell you about the fundamentals, and what to expect in this class as well as talking about Puffapods. The next half, we will be moving to another greenhouse and tending to the Puffapods."

And that's what exactly what happened for their first class. The Puffapod was a magical plant that produced large pink seed pods full of shining beans. The students were tasked with plant some new seeds and harvest the shining beans from the pods with out inhaling their spores which would cause Dizziness. Most of the students, who were paired with who they were sitting with, were covering their faces when they harvested the plant. Josh had to catch Emily a couple of times because she stood up too fast while being dizzy.

The next day, the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were going to have their first Charms class with Professor Flitwick. He was a tiny little wizard who had to stand up on a pile of books to see over his desk. Their first class in charms was more lecturing on fundamentals and they would soon learn charms spells and their theories the next time they would come to class.

That afternoon, the students had their first History of Magic class. Most of the students were surprised that their teacher happened to be a ghost, Professor Binns. He proceed to speak about the beginning histories of magic. His voice was so low and monotone, that students had tried to take notes, but their eyes would become heavy and it was tough to stay awake. The class was so boring. Josh's head slipped off his hand and he nearly hit the table with it. He had to rub his eyes a couple of times to keep awake. He looked around. Harry's eyes were drooping. Ron was napping as well as some other of the students, including some of the Ravenclaws. Hermione was still able to take notes with Sophie next to her, half-asleep.

The next day, the Gryffindors were to have Astonomy after Charms, with the Slytherins. Josh wasn't sure about this class. He knew planets and that there were stars in the sky, but wasn't so sure about star constellations. He never saw any in the night sky, just dots everywhere and the moon. Professor Sinistra once again lectured about Astronomy and its fundamentals, and were told that at night, they were to head to the Astonomy tower to look at the stars and identify planets and constellations. Though, that wasn't going to start until next week.

And finally, it was Friday and the Gryffindors only had one class that day. It was Potions, double Potions, with the Slytherins.

At breakfast, Josh had to hear Ron complain about working near the Slytherins and how Professor Snape only favored the Slytherins. Josh left the table before he got too annoyed, but not before a letter arrived from his Grandfather asking how his first week of school was going. He decided to write a reply later and head down to the dungeons towards his Potions classroom. He was the first one to the door, but it was locked. He figured Snape wasn't there yet and decided to wait across from the door where a bench was and sat down. He opened his Defense book and read ahead. He heard footsteps and was surprised to see Daphne was making her way towards him. She was about to reach for the door -

"It's locked," Josh commented, not looking up from his book. He heard her sigh, but was even more surprised when she sat at the opposite side of the bench, opening her Potions book. "Do you - "

"No," Daphne instantly said.

Josh rolled his eyes. "You don't even know what I was going to say," he said.

"Doesn't matter," she said offhandedly.

"What is your problem?" Josh asked, annoyed, closing his book. "I'm trying to be nice here. Our mothers are friends. We should be friends."

"I'm not here to make friends," Daphne coldly replied. "I'm here to get an education. I'll make friends when I'm not in school anymore."

"Sure with these social skills you're learning in school," Josh sarcastically replied, crossing his arms and opted to shut up.

Minutes later, more and more students arrived. When it was time for class, Snape came out of the potions classroom and waved in the first years. He was talk with dark greasy hair and a crooked nose. Josh stood up before Daphne and followed some of the students into the classroom. It was a dark lit classroom with table counters the would fit four students. The room was filled with many jars filled with various potions ingredients. Josh sat at a table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Professor Snape started the class by taking roll call. Josh was surprised when Snape stopped at his name, giving him a weird stare. He did the same when he came to Harry's name, calling him the new celebrity of Hogwarts. Snape finished roll call and looked up at the class. His eyes were cold and empty, making Josh think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," He began. He spoke in barely a whisper, but they caught every word. Snape had the gift of keeping the class silent with effort. "As there will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations, many of you you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the soflty simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death, if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as i usually have to teach." He said. To Josh, he seemed to be staring at someone, though he didn't care, he was ready to start brewing a potion.

"Potter!" Snape suddenly said, causing some other students to jump. "What would i get if i added root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" he asked Harry who looked suddenly confused. Hermione's hand shot up straight into the air.

Harry shrugged his shoulder and shook his head. "I don't know, sir," he said. Josh heard the Slytherins to his right shaking with laughter. He glanced to see it was Malfoy and his cronies.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Clearly, fame isn't everything," he said, ignoring Hermione's hand. Snape suddenly pointed at Josh. "You there, Emrys. Where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

Josh shrugged as Hermione raised her hand. "I don't know," he said, pointing to those drawers on the side of the classroom. "In one of those drawers labeled cures for poisons." He knew what a bezoar was, but he had forgotten where it came from. There were some other sniggering, though this time from the Gryffindors.

"There will be none of that cheek here, Emrys," Snape threateningly growled. Josh sighed in annoyance. "You two thought you wouldn't open a book before coming?" Josh and Harry stared at their Potions professor. Clearly, Josh had read his books, but did Snape expect him to memorize everything inside his books.

Snape turned back to Potter. "What it the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" he asked. Hermione, this time, stood up and raised her hand, stretching it as far as she could.

Harry sighed. "I don't know, sir," he answered through his teeth. "Though I think Hermione knows the answer. Why don't you try her?" A few Gryffindors laughed.

"Silence," Snape ordered lazily. He glared at Harry then walked right up to him. "Sit down and put your hand down you silly girl." Hermione blushed and sat down. "For your information Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful, it is known as the Draught of the living dead. A bezoar is a stone taking from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfbane, they are the same plant which also goes by the name of aconite. Well, why aren't you all copying this down." Snape said loudly for the whole class to hear him. There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And five points will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. Josh was paired with Hermione. Snape swept around in his long black cloak, watching the students as they weighed or crushed ingredients. He criticized most of the Gryffindors potions, praising some of the Slytherins potions, especially Malfoy's. Neville had somehow manage to melt a cauldron, spilling his and Seamus's potion everywhere, leading to the students standing on their stools unless they wanted their shoes to melt off. Seamus had to take Neville to the Hospital wing since the potion had splashed on his hands, casuing boils to sprout. Snape had then went on to blame Harry for not helping Neville, and proceeded to take away a point, which Josh thought to be unfair. He began to noticed Snape's unbiased hatred towards Harry, not knowing that he was apart of it as well.

The rest of the day, Josh decided to join Hermione and Sophie in the library to work on their schoolwork while Harry and Ron went to visit Hagrid. When he was inside the library, Josh noticed Tracey Davis sitting alone and had a question. "I'll be back," Josh said to his classmates and walked over to Tracey. "Davis."

Tracey looked up, surprised to see Josh. "Emrys?" she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"You're friends with Da...er...Greengrass, right?" Josh asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say friend," Tracey replied with a wince. "Though I'm trying to. Pansy and Millie don't like me cause I'm a half-blood and I would like to have friends who are girls. So Daphne was a safe bet. But she's cold and seems only focused on school stuff. I've been trying to talk to her all week and at first, she wasn't talking to me, but lately, I do get small responses from her. Why do you ask?"

Josh shrugged. "I'd like to be her friend."

"Why? Do you like her her something?"

"What?!" Josh scoffed, his cheeks going slightly pink. "No way! It's just our parents know each other and I think she'd be a good friend to have around is all. Plus, there is something I could use her help with."

"Maybe I can help you?" Tracey asked.

"Can your mother give me the identity of my father?" Josh asked with a straight face.

Tracey blushed. "I doubt it," she answered quietly. "My mother is a muggle."

Josh chuckled. "I'd figure that she could ask her mom for me about my father," he told Tracey. "My mother doesn't talk about him, nor does she want to. Nor does my Grandfather and I don't know why. They won't tell me anything. And I've become more curious about him since I came here. I mean, my mom and grandfather were put in Slytherin, but I was put into Gryffindor."

"Are you suggesting that your father was in Gryffindor?" Tracey asked.

Josh shrugged. "He could be."

A/N: I kept in the scene where Harry and Ron were late to class because it was a good scene and always made me chuckle. And here we see Daphne's Ice Queen persona. And how Josh and Daphne's relationship really begins.