Harry's hand twisted around the doorknob with some hesitation. He shuddered to imagine what kind of tutor the school had found to take charge of him. He imagined it would be some large imposing man with a grumpy disposition. He gulped, but pushed through the door - only to find the classroom seemingly empty. Had he gotten the room number wrong?
Harry looked at the piece of paper and checked the door for its number again, but it certainly looked like the right place.
"Looking for someone, Mr. Potter?" A familiar voice suddenly came from the room and Harry couldn't help but jump.
"McGonagall?" He hissed and shut the door quickly. The stern witch raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's Professor McGonagall to you now." She corrected.
Harry's eyes were wide. He hadn't expected to ever lay eyes on the witch again after all this time. She was dressed in more normal looking clothes this time, he noted. Instead of the tartan cloak he had seen her in that day in the park she wore a simple white buttoned up blouse and a long skirt.
"I told you I would find a way to see you, did I not?" She reminded and Harry nodded dumbly.
"Don't you have classes to teach at that school?" Harry asked, feeling caught off guard. Nobody had ever kept their word to him before - at least not about something beneficial.
"I do." She answered. "Which is why I will be giving you course work to complete and checking in on your progress as I become available. This is fortunately my free period."
"Don't you have better things to do?" Harry blurted and groaned internally. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful she was here. He just wasn't sure he was worth all the trouble for.
"I find this to be of the utmost importance besides, it is not up to you on how I decide to spend my time. Now sit and I will give you your first lesson or are you not interested in learning about magic anymore?" Harry saw a glimmer in the woman's eyes and decided it would be best to listen without further interrogation. He quickly sat at the one student desk in the classroom and pulled out his notebook and pen although he wasn't sure which of his textbooks he might need.
Harry watched as she eyed his tattered notebook with some disdain. He had been using the same one for the past two years as Dudley hadn't seen fit to throw away any of his empty ones yet. He wondered if she thought him messy for the odd pieces of paper he had sticking from the folds or maybe that he would draw instead of pay attention. He certainly had gotten into trouble for similar things, although he had never actually been guilty of them.
"Do you not have any new school supplies?" She asked of him and Harry gulped. If it had been one of his other teachers lying would be the only option. The Dursleys wouldn't approve of him dirtying their name or ability to provide for their wayward nephew. However, Professor McGonagall wasn't a normal teacher. Should he tell her? "Well, Mr. Potter? I hardly think such a question requires so much thought."
"I- I don't." Harry finally managed to say. "They don't buy me much - my relatives that is."
He watched her warily and waited for some kind of reaction. Usually at this point the teacher would be calling him a liar or writing home for him to come better equipped. At least, that is how it had happened last year. The stern witch just frowned and took out from her desk a stack of parchment paper.
"I was hoping we could wait to start penmanship as it is quite dull, but it seems now is a good opportunity for you to learn." Harry looked at the paper curiously, he had never seen anything quite like it. "In the wizarding world, we do not use pens and notebooks - or at least a majority do not. At school it will be required for you to write notes and assignments using parchment paper and a quill."
"A quill?" Harry questioned, but at the stern woman's look added a quick. "Professor."
Professor McGonagall placed a large feather before him which Harry noted had been cut at the end to form a sharp point. "This is a quill, Mr. Potter. Watch carefully."
The woman grabbed a piece of parchment and set it on his desk. She opened up a small jar of some sort of black liquid which Harry assumed was ink. She gently dipped the head of the quill into the pot and scraped the excess back into the glass jar. Professor McGonagall then began to write out the alphabet in a tight, but rather beautiful script. Harry stared at the paper in awe - there was no way he would be able to write that nicely. He looked down at one of the papers that stuck out of the notebook to evaluate his own writing which was jumbled and cramped.
"Now, it is your turn." She handed him the quill and Harry grasped it awkwardly. It felt strange to hold something so light.
"Not like that, Mr. Potter." The professor said with a sigh and helped him place his fingers differently. "I assume you are right handed?"
"I dunno, Professor. I wrote this way because everyone else was." Harry explained although he could feel the tips of his ears tinge pink with embarrassment.
"Lets see how it feels in the left then." She instructed.
Harry switched the quill from his right hand into his left. It did feel a little bit more natural to hold the quill in that hand and he looked up at her feeling nervous. Why did he always have to be different from everyone else? Would this make it harder to teach? He hoped she wouldn't give up on him.
"It seems you do favor the left, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall smiled at him and Harry relaxed a little. "It is not common, but it can be advantageous since you have learned to use the other to some degree. Now, try to write."
She moved the parchment and ink so it faced him and angled it slightly so it would be easier for him to write without smudging. He dunked the quill into the ink carefully and watched as the black fluid dripped back into the pot as he followed the same motions the professor had. He hovered over the paper with the quill and attempted to copy the 'A' she had written down. He had gotten halfway through the letter when a large blot of ink took over the shape.
"I'm sorry." He said a bit crestfallen. He had ruined her paper.
"It's of no concern, Mr. Potter." She taped the parchment with her wand and his attempt disappeared. "This parchment is intended for this exact purpose. Do you know why you ended up with the large blot?"
Harry shook his head as he stared at the parchment. He didn't even know such a thing had existed. It was amazing how many useful things wizards have that muggles didn't even know could be possible.
"You're pressing too hard." The professor told him. "You want to just barely scratch the paper. If you press down so hard you will not only end up with more ink than you intended, but also you will wear down the nib of the quill more easily. Try again."
Harry focused and tried again. His 'A' had ended up much more wobbly than the professor's, but it was at least recognizable.
"Good, keep going." Professor McGonagall walked away to check the timepiece she had left on the large desk that was at the front of the room. "I must go back to the school, Mr. Potter. There are more sheets here. I expect when I return to have a decent attempt at the entire alphabet - upper and lowercase."
"But, Professor McGonagall." Harry said and the witch looked at him with some impatience. "What if somebody sees me? What do I tell them?"
"Nobody can enter this room except myself." Professor McGonagall explained simply. "If you have to use the facilities, there is an attached room in the back. Is that all, Mr. Potter?"
Harry nodded and the witch was gone with a faint 'pop'. He returned to his assignment with gusto. He wanted to prove he could do this. He needed to show her he would be worth teaching. Plus, if this was what was expected of him when he could go to Hogwarts it would seem stupid not to try and gain some skill at it. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like trying to write with the strange implement without guidance.
Professor McGonagall returned nearly an hour later. Harry had several stacks of parchment filled at this point and he presented them to his teacher proudly. He hadn't managed to copy her finely written script exactly, but it was legible.
"Well done, Mr. Potter." She said after evaluating his latest attempt. "I think you've been able to build an acceptable foundation. Let's move on to something a bit more stimulating."
Harry flexed his fingers gratefully. They had become cramped from the hour of writing. It felt good to finally let go of the quill. He was pleased the professor had been satisfied by his work. The professor placed down a text in front of him and Harry looked at the cover curiously. It had a small child holding the hand of a much taller person who was holding a wand.
"Mrs. Schaven's: How to be a Young Wizard." He read aloud and his professor nodded.
"This book, while it does not teach any actual magic." Professor McGonagall began, "Is a vital guide to helping young wizards understand the ins and outs of the world they will be part of as adults. It is typical that the lessons in this book would be taught at home prior to attending Hogwarts, although our muggleborn students do not get such an opportunity. It will be boring, but learning to conduct yourself properly will help you become better integrated when the time comes."
Harry felt a little disappointed to know there wasn't any magic to be learned from the book. He was kind of hoping that he would learn at least one spell today. It would be amazing to be able to freak out Dudley - maybe then the boy would leave him alone.
"I expect you to read the first few chapters today and have notes to accompany them that summarize what you have read as well as any questions you have thought of while reading. I will return to bring you some lunch in a couple hours." Professor McGonagall instructed and Harry held back a groan. His hand was still cramped from the first hour of writing - never mind two more. He didn't have time to argue though as the professor had already gone.
Harry looked at the book, feeling entirely less eager about these lessons. He opened the book with a sigh and wondered what the other children thought about his absence and what the Dursleys would think of his 'special' tutor. He imagined he couldn't tell them any of this or they would put an end to it immediately. Although, when had the Dursleys ever cared about what he was learning.
Harry shoved the thoughts of the Dursleys out of his mind and began to focus on his assignment in earnest.
'Chapter 1: Dress'
A/N: Thanks so much for reading. More to come soon! Please, if you have any thoughts or feedback leave it in the reviews or inbox me! Happy Memorial Day to those in the U.S.