AN: I do not own Harry Potter, that honor goes to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter 5: Potions and DADA
The Gryffindors went back up to the tower after lunch to get their books before going to class. Harry expected the sneers and barefaced hatred from the Slytherin students as they waited outside the Potions classroom. Snape opened the door with a bang, glaring at all of them. "Some of you failed remarkably on your exams last term. Others," the Potions Master trailed off as he stared at Harry. "Others of you relied on better, more skilled students to help you pass. Or, they used their friendship to force my hand."
Harry wasn't sure what the professor was hinting at but thought it might have been about his Exceeds Expectations mark. However, after he thought about it, he realized he earned the score without anyone's assistance. He saw Malfoy grimace and glance at Crabbe. "Expect to fail this year, all of you. I have had enough of pandering to the weak. Catch up with your betters or forever fall behind. You have been warned," Snape finished with a malevolent smile.
The Potion Master let them in the classroom and took his place at the front. He waved his wand at the blackboard. "The Sleeping Draught, something you will need to learn if you wish to pass your O.W.L.s in a few years. Not because it will be required to know, but because of the dreamless sleep it provides to the drinker. Crushed lavender is the primary agent in this concoction while the powdered Valerian sprigs are used to sedate the drinker to sleep. Most of you will have never heard of lavender," the professor sneered as he looked Lavender Brown in the eyes," but I expect all of you have a passing knowledge of how to crush delicate blossoms."
"Pass up your summer essays. I will grade them as you brew a Forgetfulness Potion while I lecture. I expect you to be able to keep up at all times," Snape said with a sneer. "You have ten minutes to prepare before I begin my lecture."
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered to Harry as they scrambled to get all the ingredients and set up their cauldrons.
"Good, most of you are ready. The rest, catch up," the Potions Master called into the classroom. He waved his wand at the board before beginning his lecture. "Lavender is a common plant found on almost all continents. It has purplish coloring and has a color named after it. Apart from the Sleeping Draught, it is used in the Fire-Breathing Potion to help soothe the throat while drinking."
Snape's snide tone and seemingly innocuous comments about Lavender Brown reduced the outgoing and boisterous girl into a sobbing wreck by the end of the Potions class. Draco and the Slytherins suppressed their laughter during the class any time lavender was mentioned. Harry had the feeling Snape was attacking the poor girl for a reason but didn't know why. Parvati Patil, Lavender's closest friend, consoled her in the hall after class. Hermione looked livid while Neville had a concerned look on his face.
"That was an awful class," Hermione complained after they left the dungeons. "I can't believe Professor Snape continued his comments after refusing to let Lavender leave the room. He attacked her the entire class!"
"It was deplorable, but we don't know the full story," Harry cautioned as he watched Draco and his friends out of the corner of his eye. The Slytherin students weren't acting in coordination with Snape's attack. They capitalized on the evident dislike of their Head of House and acted accordingly.
"You aren't defending Snape are you?" Ron yelled, causing a few students to turn and glare at Harry.
"You're mad if you think I'm defending him," Harry answered in a calm tone. "I said we don't know the entire story and his actions were deplorable. How am I defending him, Ron?"
"Oh… right, sorry mate" Ron muttered and turned to look at the sobbing Lavender.
"Defense with Professor Lockhart is next," Neville interrupted with a small grin. His attempt at raising the mood failed for most of the Gryffindors.
"Breakfast not treating you well, mate?" Ron asked as he waited by the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "You've been running off after class all day."
"Something like that," Harry answered with a laugh. He'd made an excuse to leave the group after Potions and ran down the corridor. At the next corridor, he doubled back and headed for the Study Classroom. It took him five minutes to get to the classroom and start casting his spells. He was so excited that he lost track of time and had to sprint to get back to his friends on time for class.
Gilderoy Lockhart stood at the front of the classroom as the students filed in. Harry found a desk toward the middle of the room and sat beside Neville. Ron and Hermione sat one row ahead of them. Lavender, Fay, Parvati, and Laura Parsons sat in the front few desks with identical looks of admiration. Laura played with her strawberry-blonde hair as she fidgeted at her desk. Harry looked around to see dozens of photos of Lockhart smiling down at them all from the walls. He shivered at the sight.
"Can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me? Good! Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts with yours truly, Gilderoy Lockhart," the beaming wizard announced and winked around the room. Harry fought not to gag. "All of you know me, of course. Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekley's Most-Charming-Smile Award are a few accomplishments I've achieved but I don't talk about those. No, I talk about the wonderful work I've done for the wizarding community. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"
"Is this muppet serious?" Harry spat under his breath and almost wished it were the stuttering Quirrell trying to teach them instead; dark curses and plots to kill him be damned.
"I think so, mate," Ron shot back with a wry grin. Hermione shushed them both with a withering glare.
"I see you've bought a complete set of my books, well done! I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about, just to check how well you've read them and how much you remember."
A stack of parchment papers was passed around the room. Harry read over the paper and felt his eyebrows reach his hairline. "Are you bloody kidding me," he hissed as he read:
1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?
2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?
Harry continued to read through all fifty-four questions, his stomach churned like he'd drank a carton of curdled milk. "Please, can I have Quirrell back now?" he muttered to himself. Neville shot him a worried look and went back to scribbling on the page. Harry picked up the quill and hated himself for writing every word.
The sound of quills scratching on parchment filled the room for thirty minutes until Professor Lockhart took up the papers with a dazzling smile. He flipped through the pages and chuckled to himself. Harry wondered if he could curse a few of the professor's teeth out to vent his frustration at another waste of a class. "Oh dear, hardly any of you remembered my favorite color is lilac. I say so in the Year with the Yeti. My ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples… though I wouldn't turn down a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky," Lockhart said as he flashed a smile at his students. "Well done to Miss Hermione Granger for knowing my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions. Oh, wow, a real avid reader of my works. Full marks! Take ten points to Gryffindor. Let's see," he said and continued reading.
"Harry, my boy! You got almost all of them correct. You missed that I gave my first interview at the tender age of nine. I said so in Gadding with Ghouls, chapter eleven. Take ten points to Gryffindor for your excellent work," the professor praised.
Harry felt his eye twitch and hoped the Defense Professor didn't have a Sneakoscope. His desire to push the grinning wizard out the open window was becoming overpowering. He fought to put a polite smile on his face. Ron and Neville snorted under their breaths.
"Now the easy part of the class is over. I have a surprise for everyone! These are devilish blighters and are prone to causing mischief, mayhem, and even death!" Professor Lockhart cried as he pointed to a large object covered by a brown cloth.
"He caught Fred and George then?" Ron muttered. Harry and Neville snorted into their hands and shot Ron a thumbs up.
"Freshly caught Cornish pixies!" the professor yelled and yanked off the cloth. Inside the wooden cage were about a dozen electric blue pixies. They stood about eight inches tall, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to nails being run down a chalkboard.
Seamus and Dean chortled, not hiding the fact they were laughing. Harry fought to keep a straight face while Neville looked a little pale. "Don't worry, they are troublemakers and not dangerous at all," Harry muttered to his friend. "If this idiot lets them out hit them with…" he started to say before he was cut off by screaming.
"Let's see how you deal with them!" Gilderoy Lockhart yelled and pulled open the door. Pandemonium reigned as all the pixies darted out of their cage and caused mischief. One tried to seize Neville but he cast a Knockback Jinx at it, sending it tumbling into the wall. Ron missed with his spell, hitting a screaming portrait of the professor in a fashionable robe and top-hat.
"Immobulus," Harry and Hermione cast at the same time. Hermione's spell exploded near three pixies pulling at Parvati's hair, making them freeze in mid-air. Harry's spell hit a small group of pixies that had grabbed Seamus' wand. The smallest pixie had the wand's tip up its nose.
"Expelliarmus," Harry cast into the group of slow-moving pixies. The closest pixie with the wand was hit by the spell and rocketed into the ceiling before falling onto a desk with a crash. Seamus' wand flew into Harry's hand as he looked around the class.
"Well done!" Gilderoy called from under his desk. He popped his head up and grinned at them all. "Ten points to both Mister Harry Potter and Miss Hermione Granger," he said as he smoothed out the wrinkles from his robes.
Harry grunted and tossed Seamus his wand. Hermione beamed at the professor. The bell rung, signaling the end of the class before Gilderoy could get the pixies back into the cage. He asked Harry and Hermione to stay to help him. Harry was going to tell the professor off, but Hermione accepted and started to clean up the mess caused by the pixies.
"The only thing good about that class is that it's an hour long," Harry complained as he sat down in the common room. His excitement to show his friends his surprise was dampened by the horrible Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"It wasn't so bad," Hermione argued with a frown.
"Hermione, Lockhart lost his wand to a pixie when he tried to cast a spell at it. He then proceeded to jump under his desk and wait out the fiasco. I really, really hope this isn't going to be a regular thing," Harry said and shook his head. "If so, I'll just read my book like in History of Magic."
"Speaking of books, mate. You knew all those questions?" Ron asked with a smirk.
"To my eternal shame… I read his books," Harry admitted with a sigh. "We doing our homework here or in the Study Classroom?" he asked. He felt a surge of excitement until Ron shook his head.
"Let's just do the homework here. I want to do my exercises before dinner."
Neville narrowed his eyes. "I vote the Study Classroom," he said and looked at Hermione.
The bushy-haired girl bit her lip and looked around. Other Gryffindors were making their way in from their last classes and filling up the room. "Study Classroom, then we can hit the library if needed before Ron goes off to the Quidditch field."
Harry breathed out and glanced at Neville. The round-faced boy shot him a smirk. They packed up their bags and left the common room. "You know, you made an interesting point. I could find a classroom nearer to the library in case we needed to use the reference books, Hermione. I chose this one last year because it was close to the tower."
"Something to keep in mind," Hermione mused as they walked down the corridor.
"Hiya, Harry!" a squeaky voice yelled from down the corridor.
Harry looked up to see Colin Creevey waving at him with his over-sized camera. He could only see the mousy brown hair behind the large camera and flash unit. "Can I take your picture?" Colin asked.
"One, but Colin, please stop following me," Harry compromised with a sigh.
"Thanks!" Colin yelled and pumped his fist. He stood about five feet away and took a picture before running off with a thank you.
"Harry Potter Fan Club," Ron said with a laugh. "Colin could join Ginny."
"Please don't joke about something so serious," Harry muttered and suppressed a shutter. "Almost to the classroom."
"What the!" Ron gasped as he opened the heavy wood door. Harry fought back a grin as the door swung inward to reveal his hard, but rushed work.
The room was divided into three sections with low wooden walls. The largest section was near the door. Five stuffed arm-chairs sat around a raised square stone brazier with three side-tables close by. One side-table was the one they used to store their drinks from the kitchens. Three long tables were against the wall with a long blackboard above them. Each of the four walls had one of the House colors displayed.
In the second section, Harry spent a little extra time to design a physical training area for Ron and himself. A small obstacle course was designed out of stone and Softening Charms were cast everywhere to prevent someone from getting get hurt. He had pull-up bars, half-walls to jump over, ledges to climb up, and narrow raised paths to walk across to help with balance. His hope was Ron would exercise in the room and not disappear onto the Quidditch field for hours on end, ignoring his friends and school work.
"Wicked, mate," Ron said as he wandered over to the obstacle course.
Harry found it amusing how different his friend's attitude toward physical exercise had changed over the summer.
"What is this?" Neville asked as he moved to the last and smallest section.
"You tell me," Harry questioned with a smirk. He was still working through the best way to implement his idea.
"An indoor garden and place to brew potions?" Neville asked after a moment.
"Spot on," Harry grinned as he pointed to the five boxes with small dividers. "I'm trying to figure out how to simulate sunlight in here, but maybe I can find a different classroom with a window."
"Harry this is brilliant," Hermione finally commented after she walked around the entire room. "How did you shape so much stone?"
Harry grinned and flicked his wand for emphasis. "The Hardening Charm used on a lot of cheap parchment I picked up at Diagon Alley," he explained with a grin. "Fast, cheap, and something I hope will last a long time. I enlarged the parchment to the size I wanted and shaped or cut it with the Severing Charm before turning it to stone."
"Brilliant!" Hermione praised and grinned at him. "The Hardening Charm is the spell I want as payment for winning." Harry and Hermione had a small competition at lunch to see who knew more about Imps. They agreed to teach the other a spell they learned over the summer if they lost. Percy declared Hermione the winner when she gave more information than Harry, but it was a close thing.
"I thought you might choose that," Harry smirked before pulling out a brown card the size of his hand from his robes. "No changing your decision," he teased as he passed her the card. He took another out and passed it to Neville. "This is for you, mate," Harry said and grinned as Neville turned the vivid green card over.
"Uh, thanks," Neville muttered as he flipped it back over again.
"Tap it with your wand," Harry coached and crossed his fingers behind his back. Ron wandered over to Hermione to look at her card too.
Neville shrugged and pulled out his wand. He tapped the front of the card and gasped. Hermione did the same and yelled. "You did it! You did it!" she screeched as she read aloud. "This potion gives off a foul odor and is golden in color." She thought for a moment before shaking her head. "There are too many potions like that," she muttered.
"Tap it with your wand again for the next hint. It goes from hardest and obscure information to easy," Harry helped and turned to watch Neville. "Which question did you get?"
"This magical plant is a member of the mustard family," Neville said with a frown. "Could be a few of them but I'd guess Fluxweed." The card flashed a brighter green before the words disappeared. "Woah!" Neville gasped. Words appeared on the card a moment later. He grinned and read the next question.
"Oh, I know it now," Hermione said and grinned. "It's the Girding Potion. The hint that it gives the consumer prolonged endurance gave it away. Oh! It flashed… this ingredient's removal causes extreme annoyance and is considered a precious and regulated ingredient by the Ministry."
"Harry, how does it know we are giving the right answers?" Ron asked after Hermione got the third question correct. Neville was on his eighth and was grinning from ear-to-ear.
"The Voicing Charm acts as a true or false barrier to the next question. It took me hours to get all the spells to work how I wanted. I tried putting all the spells into a card at first but the order in which you cast the charms is extremely important. I could enchant the card to be completely voice-activated but this has already stretched my magical understanding of the charms involved. I need to learn more about each charm's limits but haven't had time to look through the library," Harry explained with a shrug.
"I want to know all the spells you used!" Hermione demanded with a fierce gleam in her eye. "I can't even imagine how much time and experimentation you put into this. Did you use magic over the summer or something?" she asked in annoyance. "Better yet, did you get any sleep last night?"
Harry laughed and shook his head. "I've been reading every day since before the summer to try and figure this out. This isn't an overnight achievement. Mr. Weasley gave me the last pieces to the puzzle," he admitted with a smile.
"Is that what you were doing in the garage? I thought my dad kept pulling you off to talk about Muggle related items," Ron questioned with a frown.
"Oh, he did, but I asked questions back," Harry answered with a grin. "The last bit of magic is required by all of us. What password do we want for the door?"
"You can do that!?" Hermione gasped and looked at her card. "You used a password for each answer! That is brilliant! Like the Fat Lady's portrait."
"It is where I got the idea," Harry admitted with a small shrug. "Any ideas for a password? Something you'll feel comfortable remembering Neville?"
Neville hummed and muttered to himself. "Dittany? We'll rotate plant and ingredient names?" he asked, looking at the others.
"You would choose that," Ron said with a laugh. "Yeah, it works for me. Easy to remember and who says Dittany at a door?"
Harry led them outside the classroom and looked around the corridor. "Fumos," he muttered and cloaked them in a large smokescreen.
"Is this necessary?" Hermione asked as she waved the smoke away from her face.
"Maybe, maybe not," Harry answered and pointed his wand at the door. "Permittae Verbum," he enunciated with a strong voice. "Dittany… Inrito Furus," he finished and turned to his friends. "There, try an Unlocking Charm," he challenged, hoping the spell he'd read worked.
"Alohomora," Hermione said and swished her wand at the lock on the door. Nothing happened. "Is that the Anti-Alohomora Charm? I think I read about that in one of Professor Lockhart's new books."
"Really? I missed it then," Harry answered and rolled his eyes. "I read it in An Anthology of Sixteenth Century Charms. The creator, Blagdon Blay, created the charm when his house got broken into a lot by the Unlocking Charm. Brilliant really, except it said he locked himself out of his house for a week until he could break his door down. He could have just gone in through his window or something."
"Only a little homework to do before dinner. Dittany," Hermione said and watched as the door swung inward.
Harry fought to keep the smile off his face as he completed his homework in record time. Ron worked through his homework with similar efficiency, something that amazed Hermione, before running over to try out the small obstacle course. By dinner time, Harry and Ron worked up a sweat while Neville and Hermione looked over the new flashcards. Hermione asked Harry questions about the spells involved while he worked out.
"You two smell," Ginny said while wrinkling her nose.
"Quite right, little sister," one twin agreed as he pinched his nose.
"How offensive," the other twin chorused and laughed as Harry made a rude gesture to him.
"How were your classes?" Harry asked as he piled food onto his plate.
"Did you two have Gilderoy Lockhart today?" Ron asked before he filled his mouth with food.
"First class of the morning," one twin said with a grimace. "He tripped over his own feet to get away from three Imps! Imps for Merlin's sake!" the other twin shouted.
"Keep it down," Hermione scolded. "We had pixies and he did all right."
"All right? He hid behind the desk, Hermione," Neville corrected with a shrug. "They did move fast though."
"Doesn't seem to be very good at his job, Fred," George muttered and looked at his twin.
"What about you, Ginny?" Fred asked and patted his sister on the shoulder. She jumped but didn't answer.
"But he's done all those things in his books," Hermione huffed into her goblet.
"Sfes hefs dfone," Ron countered with his mouth full.
Harry felt his eye twitch as he looked at his friend. "We'll know sooner or later," he said and looked at Fred, George, and Ginny on the other side of the table. "Remind me to show you how the flashcard turned out."
"Oh, you finally got it finished?" Fred asked as he eyed Harry's robes.
"We saw you up late last night," George explained a moment later.
"Yeah, there are a few improvements and changes that I want to make at some point but for now, I'm happy."
"Could I see one now?" Ginny asked with a shy smile.
"Harry! Harry! Could I get a picture of you and your friends?" Colin asked as he ran over and sat beside Neville.
"Colin, please," Harry sighed. "No, there is a time and place for everything. Drop it for now. How were your first few classes? I know my first year was an amazing one."
"Oh! It was so exciting! I made light appear out of my wand!" Colin shouted and waved his short wand around while holding his camera in the other. The flash went off, blinding two Hufflepuffs at the next table.
"Oi! First-year, calm down!" someone yelled before Colin got himself under control.
"You four set yourselves up in that classroom again?" George asked after he finished his plate.
"For now," Harry admitted and looked to his friends. "We discussed finding a classroom closer to the library so we could use the library more for reference."
"Want us to scope out a room for you?" Fred asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"We'll discuss payment and means later," Harry answered in a low voice. Hermione shot him a look before going back to her conversation with Ginny.
The youngest Weasley was looking pale and a little aloof but Harry figured it was due to all the experiences she'd had over the day. He knew he'd been awed and cowed on his first day too.
Harry did his best to ignore Gilderoy Lockhart the next morning. He kept trying to work on his other projects but kept getting interrupted by the beaming professor. His patience was wearing thin by the time the class ended. Ron and Neville sided with Harry when Hermione scolded him for ignoring the important lesson.
Professor Flitwick welcomed the class with a wide grin. "So many excellent marks at the end of last year. I can't wait to see how far you've progressed over the summer," the diminutive professor squeaked in excitement. A chorus of groans ran through the students. Harry and Hermione grinned at each other.
The class was set to reviewing all the spells they learned the previous year. Harry was excited to see Ron and Neville hadn't forgotten how to cast the spells he and Hermione helped them learn. They worked through the review material in minutes and handed in their summer homework assignments. Professor Flitwick beamed at Harry and Hermione. Lavender struggled with her spells, turning red-faced when her friends cast the assigned charms with ease. Fay and Pavarti talked to her in the corner of the class and coaxed her into trying the Softening Charm again. Seamus and Dean looked busy but were talking about a recent football match upset.
"Good!" the diminutive professor squeaked. "You've mastered the first-year spells. Well done, all of you. Now, we will go over the Dancing Feet Spell I gave you for your end-of-year practical exam. I know some of you struggled and that is okay, however, it is time to master the spell."
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks as Ron flushed a little. Neville grinned and waved his wand at the chair near him. The legs broke out into a floundering tap-dance as it drunkenly wobbled across the room.
"Very good, Mr. Longbottom. Take five points for Gryffindor! Once you have the spell down, please move on to the Engorgement Charm, as we will be working on that next," the professor ordered with a glance to Harry and Hermione.
"Fancy a bet?" Harry suggested, trying not to laugh.
"Oh? What would this bet entail?" Hermione shot back with a smirk.
"I perform the spell faster than you can and make the desk my height," Harry answered after thinking for a moment.
"Too easy, you think I don't know the charm? Please…" Hermione said with a dismissive laugh. "Let's make it a real challenge. The first one to enchant a quill to the size of a desk wins. Loser gives up a spell they learned over the summer."
Harry mulled over the bet as he eyed his friend. He knew she felt confident as it was a lot harder to keep growing objects after three times their mass. "I'll take your bet," he answered with a shrug. They both took out quills from their bag and Harry ran a finger over the spine of his quill. He weighed the writing instrument in his palm and notice Hermione did the same beside him. "On three?" he asked and placed the quill on the desk in front of him.
"On three," Hermione agreed and glared at her quill.
"One… two… five," Harry joked. Hermione shot him a withering glare but didn't cast the charm. "Couldn't help it," he muttered. "One… two… Three! Engorgio!"
The quills on both desks expanded in stuttering starts and stops. Harry held his breath as he looked between their quills as they grew. He hadn't realized the entire class had stopped to watch their competition. Professor Flitwick had a bright gleam in his eye as he watched them.
"I believe… Hermione wins this one, mate," Ron commented with a chuckle.
"I don't know," Neville interjected with a grin. "Harry's droops off the desk on this side, it may be closer than you think."
"I believe we'll need to measure them," Professor Flitwick announced and hopped off his perch of books. He waddled over to the two desks and waved his wand. Both quills hovered in the air before turning with the tip facing the floor. Another wave of his wand caused the quills to turn to stone.
"I can't tell," Dean muttered as he peered at the statues.
"The one on the left is just a little bigger," Lavender judged while biting her lip.
"I think you're right," Fay agreed with a grin. "Your loss, Harry."
"We shall see," Professor Flitwick said and waved his wand again. A tape measure appeared out of nowhere and measured both stone quills. "Seventy-three centimeters and four millimeters versus seventy-four centimeters and one millimeter, Hermione wins."
"Aw!" Harry cried but grinned at his beaming friend. "Wait to tell me which spell you want to learn until later," he suggested with a smirk.
"Think you know more than I do, Potter?" she challenged with a triumphant gleam in her eye.
"We'll see," Harry answered with a laugh.
"Well done, both of you," Professor Flitwick cut in and waved his wand. The quills were returned to their normal state and shrunk back down to their original size a moment later. "Ten points to Gryffindor for both of you. Let me explain, class, why doing what they did is hard." The diminutive professor returned to his perch on the books and waved his wand at the blackboard. A piece of chalk rose into the air and began to write as he spoke. "Changing the size of any object requires you to understand the very makeup of the object. If I were to enlarge this desk, I could just cast the spell and it would grow in mass. Simple and minimal effort, however, if I were to go past triple the size then I would need to account for every little detail. Please stand back as I demonstrate."
The class made a large, broken semicircle around a desk Professor Flitwick floated to the center of the classroom. "Engorgio," the professor said. A deep blue spell shot from his wand, hitting the desk and making it grow a little. "Simple and required almost no power to achieve. Now, again… Engorgio."
The desk grew and grew until it almost touched the ceiling. Harry thought the desk could be used as a small tent. "Everyone take a look at the bolts in particular for this example. What is different?"
"They are bigger in terms of size than the ones on the regular-sized desks," Neville answered after a moment.
"Very good, you must account for every variable, similar to Transfiguration. If I were to cast the spell and expect everything to work after double the size then little inconsistencies will appear. After three times then you have a much higher chance for a catastrophic failure of your spell. It may not do any damage to you, the caster, but it could cause harm to someone else or the target. If the object reaches an unsafe size or fails, the object will violently explode. Never, enlarge humans. Animals are safe in most cases, but not without sufficient understanding of the animal and mastery of the counter-charm, Reducio. Why would that be bad?"
"You could mess up the size of their brains or something," Parvati reasoned and pointed to the bolt nearest to her. "If you made an organ too small or too big by not understanding how it works, then you could potentially kill them."
"Take five points for Gryffindor for the quick response and sound reasoning. This is precisely why Human Transfiguration is a dangerous and difficult branch to master. The Engorgement Charm was created originally for farming but has since been used to enlarge objects so wizards can better understand the world. The Reduction Charm, or Reducio, will be the second spell you master this term. Again, well done to everyone who participated," Professor Flitwick said and shrunk the desk back to its regular size.
"That was wicked," Ron said as they left the Charm's classroom. "How hard is it really?"
"Difficult, but not insanely so," Harry admitted after a minute. "Well done, Hermione. I hadn't thought to push the limits of that spell when I practiced."
"When did you practice?" Hermione asked with narrowed eyes.
"When I got to Hogwarts of course!" Harry lied with a fake indignant huff. He hoped it looked convincing.
"I practiced on the train and last night. I thought Fay was going to throw me out of our dormitory," she admitted with a faint blush.
"You could have joined me in the common room. I was up for a long time last night working on my project."
"Which one?" Hermione and Neville asked at the same time.
"You'll see," Harry answered with a grin. He followed his friend to the library to wait for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class to start. They finished the short Charms essay due the next day on the Dancing Feet Spell before time to head to class.
Their double Transfiguration class with Professor McGonagall was after lunch and Herbology. "Welcome class. Reading your summer essays was… enlightening," the professor greeted in a stern voice. "Your first year was spent understanding the Transfiguration Formula and how to implement simple changes to the world around you. This year we will focus on undoing the changes and performing untransfiguration on objects. Leaving a rabbit head on a footstool is irresponsible and dangerous."
Harry saw Hermione's determined look as they locked eyes. The professor explained the theory and method of returning objects to their original form and how it applied to the Transfiguration Formula. She explained a true master of Transfiguration could spot and understand how, when, and who transfigured an object. Magic left a trace on the world around it and it was more pronounced on transfigured objects.
"Up for another challenge?" Harry questioned with a grin.
"Up for losing again?" Hermione shot back as she scooted her chair closer to Harry's desk.
"We transfigure objects and make the other person untransfigure them. The first one who fails, loses," Harry said with a confident laugh.
"I want the Anti-Alohomora Charm," Hermione shot back as she sat straighter in her chair.
"We turn our backs, transfigure the objects and turn back around again. Neville, can you act as a judge?"
"This really isn't the class to do this in," Neville warned but agreed to officiate their little competition.
"Quite right," a stern voice chastised as Professor McGonagall appeared behind them. "I am, however, interested in seeing which of you loses. Continue."
"At it again," Dean sighed and went back to trying to untransfigure a cauldron into a goblet.
"Show offs," Fay snorted and turned back to Lavender and Parvati.
Harry heard but ignored them as he turned his back on Hermione. He was about to transfigure the cauldron into something else when Professor McGonagall interrupted them. "I believe, I will do the transfiguration for the two of you," the professor announced and waved her wand over both of the cauldrons. The two metal cauldrons morphed and shaped themselves into two identical cats. "You must return the cat to its original form of a goblet to win the challenge. The first one who gets it right, wins. The rest of the class, please continue your exercises as it will take them some time to figure it out."
Harry grimaced and looked at Hermione. She had a sheepish but determined look on her face. "Ready?" he asked and took a deep breath.
"Go!" she answered in a strong voice and started to wave her wand over the cat.
Harry cast a few detection spells to understand the weight and size of the inert but alive cat in front of him. It unnerved him to be staring into the bright green eyes of the tabby cat as he tried to figure out a way to untransfigure the living animal. His brain ached as he mentally did the math involved but had to restart when he realized he wasn't turning the cat back into a cauldron but a goblet.
Harry and Hermione attempted the untransfiguration multiple times over the next half-hour. Harry felt sweat pour off his neck as he struggled to get the variables exactly right to beat his friend. He tried not to look at Hermione and only focus on his task. His head pounded as he picked up his wand again and focused hard. "Reparifarge," he intoned controlling and shaping his magic as it entered the cat.
He opened his eyes to see a perfect silver goblet sitting in front of him. "Yes!" he cried out and slumped back on his chair. He looked over to see Hermione's goblet was an opaque color but had five whiskers sticking out of one side.
"Well done, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall called and strode over to his goblet. She took it up and inspected it. "A tricky piece of work, however, the goblet given to you was crystal, not silver. Take ten points to Gryffindor for your hard work. Hermione, take five points for a very difficult task. Both of you will stay behind after the bell." A ringing echoed around the classroom a moment later, signaling the end of the class.
"Both of you are well ahead of your peers. Filius informed me of your little competition at lunch so I prepared in case you decided to do the same in my class. I do not approve of doing your own thing in my classroom, however, I will not hold you back from learning. You both are not the first, nor will you be the last, pupils who accelerate past their peers early in their magical education. If we were having this conversation two hundred years ago, you would be assigned a teacher to guide your education," Professor McGonagall explained as she sat behind her desk. Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a moment.
"I will offer both of you a chance to complete higher grades of coursework after Halloween. You may not start any new material until you've proven to me that you have mastered the concepts that I provide. After Halloween, I will assign you two homework assignments. One for this term, as you are still graded on all course assignments, and one for next term. You will sit your final exams at the end of the term, as usual, however, you will be exposed to more advanced knowledge and will have to take exams to prove you are capable of keeping up with the coursework. I will grade all your practical assignments and essays as if you sat your O.W.L.s this year," the professor continued as she looked at Harry then Hermione. "Before you get too excited," she warned and broke off, pulling two parchments out of her desk drawer. "If you accept the higher workload, you will be required to complete your work in five of your chosen classes. Next year, you will pick up two elective courses, increasing your workload more. Think very carefully before you decide one way or another. This is a list of concepts and spells you will be required to know before the end of the year for each subject if you decide to undertake this route. While it may seem like a lot, it will set you up for success in your future years."
Harry took the long parchment and felt his jaw drop. Each of the core classes had a long list of requirements for them to learn before the end of the year. He had to choose five core classes and keep up with all his normal classwork assignments as well if he wanted to take Professor McGonagall up on the offer. There were several potions he didn't recognize and even more spells he didn't know. He gulped and looked at Hermione. Her eyes were wide as she read the parchment, her mouth was moving but no sound came out.
"Thank you, professor," Harry said as he looked over the list again. "You said we needed to have an answer by Halloween?"
"Correct and do not thank me, yet," Professor McGonagall said with a thin smile. "Both of you, good work on what you've accomplished so far. It may seem like a lot, and it is, but it will be a rewarding experience if you can handle the workload. For your information, Percy has been on this path since his second year. Enjoy your night and good luck."
Harry talked to Hermione in a low voice as they made their way to the common room. "What do you think?"
"This is a lot, Harry," she muttered back, her eyes still reading the parchment. "I know some of these spells but there are so many on this list for Charms and DADA. I don't even want to begin about Potions. I guessed you might have recognized more of the Potions than I did but I saw the look on your face. What should we do?"
"Think about it and see how far we can get before Halloween. It is the only reason Professor McGonagall would have given us the requirements this early. If we don't make enough headway before Halloween, we continue to learn on our own and go from there," Harry suggested with a shrug.
The rest of the night flew by for Harry as he absentmindedly did his homework and worked out with Ron. Professor Flitwick was less circumspect about his excitement and encouragement for Harry and Hermione to take up the extra coursework the next day. He mentioned in passing about how the Charms Club might not cover everything a witch or wizard would need to know. Both Harry and Hermione were more subdued during the class as they practiced with Ron and Neville on the Engorgement Charm.
"Harry, you and Hermione have been acting weird since Transfiguration yesterday. Did Professor McGonagall take points away from you?" Ron asked as they ate dinner.
"Did she give you more work, Harry? I know how much you hate getting more homework," Neville asked with a smirk.
"Close but this kind of homework would be self-inflicted," Harry joked as he pulled out the now very crinkled parchment. He passed it to Neville who made a choking sound.
"This… my Gran told me about this. Hogwarts doesn't give this offer lightly or often. Maybe one in a hundred students are given the option to take the Advanced Course and even fewer sit for all their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. It is rumored that all the Unspeakables at the Ministry have at least attempted this though. Gran told me she got offered the chance but turned it down," Neville said after a minute.
Harry noticed Percy's head popped up when Neville spoke about the Advanced Course. He looked between Harry and Hermione with a complicated look on his face. After flashing Harry a smile, he went back to his food.
"Harry, Snape looked angrier than normal with you yesterday," Ron mused as he stirred his cauldron in the Study Classroom. He was brewing a Soothing Draught to help with his sore muscles with Harry's help. They'd focused hard on Ron's core, following the instructions in the book, after a light breakfast that morning.
"I might know why," Harry muttered as he watched the purple potion bubble away in the cauldron. "He'll have been told about the offer and knows I'll go for Potions if I accept." He listened to Hermione tutoring Neville in the sitting room. They were going to discuss how and when they would start trying to learn the material on Professor McGonagall's list after she finished.
"You're mental, mate," Ron muttered. "Just last year you preached how showing off and doing extra work was bad. Now you're considering spending time on some advanced course work or something. What about Quidditch?"
"Mate, you're the one that wants to try out. I'll go to support you but I don't want on the team," Harry countered.
"Why did you do all the exercises with me then?" Ron asked with a glare. "I thought you were going to compete against me for the Seeker's position."
"Wait? When did I say that? If anything, I want to be a Chaser. No, I did it because you're my friend and I wanted to support you. That… and the physical strain was fun."
"You're mental," Ron said with a sigh. "You really don't want to try for the Seeker spot? Mate, you fly better than I do on your worst day."
"No, I'll go to support you, but no, I don't want the spot. That goes double now. You've seen that list. Hermione and I will try to see how far we get before Halloween. If we can't handle the workload, then we'll see about next year. By the way, your potion is almost done simmering. Stir it clock-wise twice before taking it off the fire," Harry suggested as he turned his attention to his cauldron.
Harry and Hermione talked and decided to start learning the material immediately. They worked together to build another small room within the classroom, shrinking the sitting area down to a comfortable space by the door. Rows of targets and dummy statues were transfigured and placed at random spots around the small walled partition.
"That was well done," Hermione said as she focused on her dummy. She cast a Banishing Charm at the next dummy in the line. The statue flew back and bounced off the cushioned wall before crashing to the floor.
"Nice work," Harry praised and walked over to the long table nearest the opening to the small area. Five books were open to different pages along the table. Each book had a stack of parchments laid out beside it with various notes scribbled across the pages. "We've almost got the Banishing Charm down. I know the Freezing Spell already and you know the Cheering Charm. Just twenty more spells to master, their histories to learn, and the theoretical applications to memorize. Then we get to move on to Transfiguration, oh joy."
The next few days were a lesson in patience for Harry. Between Snape's attitude and Lockhart's insistence that Harry be a living prop for him to tell everyone how he saved the village from a werewolf, he struggled with his temper.
"Harry! Come on up here and show the class how good of a ghoul you are," Professor Lockhart praised as he beckoned Harry to the front of the class.
"Please, professor, maybe another…" Harry suggested trying to reason with the ridiculous professor's request.
"Nonsense! You are the wizard for the job. Hurry up, we don't have all class," the professor demanded with a dazzling smile.
"Harry, you can't curse the professor!" Hermione gasped as Harry vented his frustration later in the Study Classroom.
"Why not? I'm half convinced he couldn't fight his way out of a Flobberworm infestation," Harry shot back as he cast another Banishing Charm at the dummy in front of them in frustration.
On Wednesday, Harry was attacked by Malfoy and his two goons. "Time to be The-Boy-Who-Flew again, Potter!" Malfoy jeered as he drew his wand. They'd just left a double Potions class and were headed for Lockhart's classroom when Malfoy decided to attack.
Harry reacted with a practiced motion of pulling his wand from the dueling holster on his leg and blocked the spell with a Shield Charm. He didn't wait to enjoy the look of horror on Malfoy's face as the spell hit the ceiling. "Mimblewimble," he yelled, aiming for Malfoy's mouth. He shot a Knockback Jinx at Crabbe and missed the follow-up spell intended to disrupt Goyle.
"Expelliarmus," Harry said and hit Malfoy with his Disarming Charm. The spluttering blonde boy's wand flew out of his hand as he crashed to the floor. "I want to snap your wand but you aren't worth my time anymore, Draco," Harry taunted and threw the polished, brown wand to the ground.
He turned and walked away with his friends, putting his unworthy ex-rival out of his mind. Hermione was a far more skilled duelist than the Slytherin bully could ever dream of being. He heard jeers coming from the other Slytherin and Gryffindor second-years as Harry left the corridor.