A/N: Hi peoples :D Here's the next chapter!
I woke up a seven the next morning. Trust me, I didn't want to, but I also didn't want to be late for class.
I pulled on my uniform after a quick shower. Then, I moved to wake up Tawny, who is definitely not a morning person.
"Tawny," I hissed. "Tawny! "TAWNY!" But she continued to sleep without stirring. Guess that's what those comfortable could do to you.
Crissy, who had woken up ten minutes after me, came over to help. With our combined efforts, and some hair tugging, we finally dragged a grumbling Tawny out of bed. I forced her glasses onto her face, shoved a hair brush and her Hufflepuff tie into her hands, and pushed her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Half an hour later, we were walking to the Great Hal together. Along the way, Tawny chatted animatedly about a dream she had had the previous night.
"So then, Dumbeldore showed up and turned me into a sparkly, rainbow unicorn, and I became Hogwarts' most valuable unicorn prodigy!"
"That's nice," I concluded. Tawny has dreams that strange almost every night! They really are quite entertaining to hear about :D
When we reached the Great Hall, Sneaky beckoned us over.
"Hi," she said as we approached. "Go get your schedules from your Head of House and then come back over."
"Okay," we agreed, and walked over to our table, where a woman was passing out pieces of parchment.
"Hello, girls," she welcomed as she handed one to each of us. "I'm Professor Sprout, your Head of House. Welcome to Hufflepuff!"
I looked down and realized it was a schedule. I began to read.
SCHEDULE FOR FIRST YEAR HUFFLEPUFFS
class, other house
Monday
Double Herbology, Gryffindor
lunch break
Potions, Ravenclaw
Astronomy, Slythernin
Tuesday
Double Transfiguration, Ravenclaw
lunch break
History of Magic, Gryffindor
Charms, Slytherin
Wednesday
Double Potions, Slytherin
lunch break
History of Magic, Ravenclaw
Astronomy, Gryffindor
Thursday
Double Charms, Ravenclaw
lunch break
Defense Against the Dark Arts, Gryffindor
Herbology, Slytherin
Friday
Double Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ravenclaw
lunch break
History of Magic, Slytherin
Transfiguration, Gryffindor
"Come on," Tawny said, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I followed her to the Gryffindor table. We sat across from Sneaky, and soon Talon joined us, sitting on Sneaky's left. I glanced over and saw that Harry and group were sitting a couple seats down from me, watching twin redheads do some sort of magic. We compared schedules, munching on toast and sipping from goblets of something called pumpkin juice. I've had pumpkin juice from Universal. It tasted strangely like liquid apple pie. I mean, why apple pie? Why not pumpkin pie? It's PUMPKIN JUICE!
"Crap, we're gonna be late!" I exclaimed, looking around at the nearly empty Hall. We sprinted out, yelling a quick goodbye to Talon as she went the opposite way from the rest of us. We ran out the front doors and across the grounds to the greenhouses. We walked in just in time, panting and sweating.
"Welcome to Herbology, first years!" Sprout announced. "Let me take roll before we begin..." As she went down the list, I scanned the class, trying to learn who was who. I've never been very good at that... Gotta be true to myself in this daydream, yeah?
"Gather around," she called, and showed us a swaying plant with red, heart-shaped leaves. "This here is a Venomous Songbush. It may seem innocent, but it can be deadly. It is a sort of cousin of Devil's Snare, which we will study later in the term. It lures you in my emitting a low hum that sounds like music, then it ensnares you and pours acid over you until you rot. Then, your flesh it digested by it. This plant, however, is not any danger to you, since I have extracted the acid and placed charms on it to slow it's motion. That's why it is swaying slowly. Any questions? No? Good." Actually, I think everyone is too scarred by your description to ask. She gestured to a pile of parchment that was sitting on a little table in the corner. "I want each of you to grab a parchment, get in groups of three, and take notes on this plant. Draw a detailed picture, discuss your notes, and finished any unfinished work as homework. It is to be turned in next class, although since this is a double period, you should have no problem finishing it. Get to work!"
I formed a group with Sneaky and Tawny. We worked diligently, and we finished half a hour before class was over. We placed our parchment on the pile of completed work and sat down to talk for the rest of class.
"What do you guys have next?" Sneaky asked us. "I have Transfiguration."
"We've got potions," Tawny answered, peering down at her schedule. We started a conversation about our House, before the bell signaling the end of the period rang across the grounds.
We strolled into the Great Hall together, and Sneaky joined us at the Hufflepuff table. A few minutes later, Talon practically ran into the room, looking slightly disheveled.
"What happened to you?" Sneaky inquired, frowning.
"Ran into Peeves," she panted. "You know, the poltergeist who rampages through the castle, causing mayhem. My prefect told me who he is."
"What'd he do?" I wondered.
"Started pelting me with some sort of goo," she shuddered. "It smelled awful. Luckily, I managed to get away without getting hit. Some seventh year Slytherin did, though. They say the Slytherins are terrible, but I feel bad for the guy." She picked up a sandwich and started munching on it. "Anyway, how are your common rooms?"
"Ours is really cozy," Tawny answered, and I nodded in agreement. "Lots of poofy armchairs and copper lamps. It's very earthy."
"Mine is decorated with lots of red banners and armchairs," Sneaky told us. "It has a warm fireplace, and since we're up so high, we have a great view."
"Ravenclaw's is absolutely wonderful," Talon said dreamily, her eyes suddenly sparkling. "There are books, oh, so many books... Books of all shapes and sizes, and of any topic you can dream of! I stayed up late reading some last night. They were amazing!"
The Hat had not considered putting me in Ravenclaw for nothing- I had always loved books. "Could you, maybe, bring one down tomorrow at breakfast?" I asked her.
"Sure!" she said. "I'll bring a good one."
"Thanks!" I exclaimed. Then, the bell for next period rang, and I jumped up and left the Hall, walking down to the dungeons with Tawny and Talon.
The dungeon corridors were dark, gloomy, and very cold. A few torches hung from brackets on the stone walls, but not very many were lit. I shivered as I walked with my friends towards the Potions classroom. We got into our House lines to wait for the Potions teacher to open the locked classroom door. After a minute or two, the door swung open. A man with lanky, greasy, black hair, a hooked nose, and dark eyes walked through and beckoned us to enter the classroom. Git.
"Welcome to Potions," he drawled. "I am Professor Snape, and I will be teaching you this noble art. Many underestimate potions due to its lack of wand-waving, but potions have many uses. Bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses, even putting death into a simple brew. I do not expect many of you to respect this subject, but I can tell you now that those who don't will definitely not make it to N.E.W.T level.
"Today we will be practicing a fairly simple potion, a cure for boils. It is easy to make, but I must warn you now that any mistake may cause disastrous effects for both your potion and your grades in this class.
"Work in silence. The instructions are located on page three in your books, and any ingredients that you don't have may be found in the cupboard in the corner. You may begin working now."
I obediently took out my book, cauldron, and potions kit, flipped to page three, and began to prepare the ingredients. I worked quickly when I could, and finished about ten minutes before the end of class. My finished potion was a faint red color, instead of green, but it was my first time brewing.
"Stop working now," Snape called, five minutes later. "Fill a vial with your name on it with your completed potion, and place it on my desk. Your homework is to write an essay on the properties of the ingredients used in this potion, due next class."
We did as he said, as he watched all of us shuffle around the classroom, getting our things together. The bell rang, and we said goodbye to Talon before heading up to the Astronomy Tower as the sun was beginning to drop.
"Welcome to Astronomy, first year Hufflepuffs and Slytherins," a woman greeted us. "My name is Professor Sinastra. I hope you've enjoyed your first day of term so far. Please, have a seat wherever you wish and set up your telescope."
I sat next to Tawny against the wall, and took out my telescope. "Let me guess," I whispered. "This isn't just a normal telescope." I fingered all the strange buttons and knobs, as Tawny watched in amusement.
"Not at all," she replied. "Do you honestly think that anything here is normal?" I laughed at that. Nothing is as it seems! Mwahahahaaaaa!
"Today, we will simply be observing the sky while adjusting to our telescopes. You may begin exploring what your magical equipment can do."
I eagerly began twisting and poking at the numerous knobs and buttons. I found the zoom, and many other cool tricks, such as a feature that pointed out every constellation in the sky. I stared in amazement at the alignments as the sun set and the moon appeared, followed by the many twinkling stars. The view was stunning, and the cool night air blew back my hair.
I was rather upset when Sinastra called for us to put our telescopes away. "Next class, we will be meeting in the classroom on the floor below us," she announced. "You have no homework. Have a nice evening!" With that the bell rang, and we headed down to dinner. This time, however, we all sat at our own tables, and it wasn't until we had finished dessert that Talon walked over to us, quickly followed by Sneaky.
"Let's head down to the library," Talon suggested. We agreed, and soon we found ourselves in the vast library. Row upon row of books surrounded us, and many round tables were scattered around the room. We simply roamed the shelves for an hour, before our curfew arrived. We parted ways.
"Night, Tawny, Breeze, Sneaky," Talon yawned.
"Night," I called back, and I walked down to the kitchen corridor with Tawny. Once we arrived, we worked on our homework for another hour before going to bed.
I can't wait for tomorrow. We're going to do real magic!
A/N: It's a little shorter than they have been, but it took a long time to write, especially with making up the schedule. Thanks for helping me check that, Talon!
Tawny, now you know what I meant by "You have one of YOUR dreams" :D and now you know what it had to do with unicorns! Good guess to you and Talon, by the way! First try! Are me and Tawny's dreams really that predictable?
I'd also like to add in a story suggestion by the author MysteriousMindBlockedHeart, who is the owner by the OC called Crissy, the other Hufflepuff first year girl. Her story is called "Muggleborn" and it is awesome! It had a really great plot! You should check it out! Also, a variation of me, Breeze, is going to be included as an OC! So read it and review on it!
Reviews are much appreciated! Next chapter soon!
-Breeze