Disclaimer: I have never claimed to own Harry Potter, and unfortunately never will...
Harry woke up, a feeling of contentment stole across him. The bed in the Ravenclaw tower was warm, albeit smaller then his own it was just as comfortable. Around the room Harry saw three other boys awake, two were sitting together talking and the other was reading the transfiguration book. Harry grinned at the two talking; one was blond haired and the other brown.
"Hey, I'm Anthony Goldstein and this is Terry Boot."
"Hi, Harry Potter. Do you know anything about the classes?"
"Nah, I'm halfblood, but my mother left my dad ages ago, didn't know I was a wizard until a few months ago. Terry might know though."
"Yeah, my parents have made me practice my magic on their wands for years, I think I'm up to mid second year level now."
Harry looked at him, impressed. With theory he was probably at the same point, but with practical he was only a little way through first year.
"We get our timetable today, right?" Anthony, the blond boy asked.
"Presumably, wonder what we have first."
As they continued to talk, the other boys slowly awoke, yawning and sitting up quietly. They began to dress, until by 7:30 they were all ready to head down.
"I know classes start at 9, so we have about an hour to eat. Then we have to find our class, that's the hard part!"
They met the girls and prefects before heading down to breakfast. Marveling at the size of the castle, the first years attempted to memorize the route to and from the common room-more then a few had charmed parchments to write directions. Harry entered the Great Hall and saw Jess waving frantically from the Slytherin table, where she was sitting with a slim, blond girl.
As they sat down, and began to load their plates with breakfast, Professor Flitwick came hurrying over with timetables. He handed them out to all the first years and Harry scanned over his excitedly.
Monday
9-9:45: Transfiguration
10-10:45: DADA
Break (30 minutes)
11:30 12:15: Herbology
12:30-1:15: Herbology
Lunch (1 hour)
2:15-3: Charms
3:15-4: Potions
Spare 4:15-6:15
Dinner 6:30-7:30
Spare 7:45-9:45
Tuesday
9-9:45: Magical Theory
10-10:45: History of Magic
Break (30 minutes)
11:30 12:15: Herbology
12:30-1:15: DADA
Lunch (1 hour)
2:15-3: Transfiguration
3:15-4: Transfiguration
Spare 4:15-6:15
Dinner 6:30-7:30
Spare 7:45-9:45: Astronomy
Wednesday
9-9:45: Potions
10-10:45: Potions
Break (30 minutes)
11:30 12:15: DADA
12:30-1:15: DADA
Lunch (1 hour)
2:15-3: Charms
3:15-4: Charms
Spare 4:15-6:15
Dinner 6:30-7:30
Spare 7:45-9:45
Thursday
9-9:45: History of Magic
10-10:45: History of Magic
Break (30 minutes)
11:30 12:15: Transfiguration
12:30-1:15: Charms
Lunch (1 hour)
2:15-3: Astronomy
3:15-4: Astronomy
Spare 4:15-6:15: Hogwarts Secrets
Dinner 6:30-7:30
Spare 7:45-9:45
Friday
9-9:45: Flying
10-10:45: Flying
Break (30 minutes)
11:30 12:15: Potions
12:30-1:15: Charms
Lunch (1 hour)
2:15-3: Herbology
3:15-4: Magical Theory
Spare 4:15-6:15
Dinner 6:30-7:30
Spare 7:45-9:45
'Wow, that's one full timetable" Sebastian said, looking over his in amusement.
"Wonder if the other first years are as busy, probably not. Bet they expect Ravenclaws to do the most."
Scanning over his timetable again Harry saw that they had Transfiguration first, a class he'd been eager to try. They finished eating and were promptly escorted to their first class by Penelope, arriving five minutes early, far before the Gryffindors. When they finally arrived Neville came over to join Harry and Sebastian immediately.
"Hey, what's Ravenclaw like?" He greeted them enthusiastically, before launching into a complaint about his fellow Gryffindors. "Dean and Seamus are best friends, so Weasley keeps following me around complaining about his rat." He finished, glaring at the red haired boy.
"Well his family is quite poor, he's probably just jealous. Try to get to know him." Harry said, reasoning with Neville. Sebastian stood behind, shaking his head in amusement.
The door opened and Professor McGonagall stood waiting, her face stern. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws filed in, Ravenclaws rushing to the front. Harry, Neville and Sebastian quickly found seats in the front row, where they could see everything.
After calling the role Professor McGonagall gave them a lecture on safety. "Anyone who endangers another student, deliberate or not will leave my class and never return." Harry noticed she looked at the Gryffindors more then the Ravenclaws-no Claw would ever endanger their grade on a subject.
"Finally, promise me you will never try to transfigure another person against their will. Transfiguration can be incredibly dangerous and if you were to attempt to vanish someone's hat you could miss and hit their head, or worse. Also, you must never transfigure yourself without strict guidance and supervision."
After that she handed them matches and asked them to turn them into needles. Terry Boot and Stephen Cornfoot managed it almost instantly, only beaten by the muggle born boy, Kevin Entwhistle. Kevin had been incredibly quiet, ignoring all the boys last night and this morning, when they were getting to know each other. They continued to practice, until the lesson was up. Eight of the eleven Ravenclaws, including Harry and Sebastian, had fully transformed theirs; all of them had changed them in some way. Out of the Gryffindors only a bushy haired girl named Hermione Granger managed to make any difference to her match. McGonagall had given five points to everyone who changed it fully and one point to anyone who made a difference.
The Ravenclaws left quickly, walking to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and still arriving before the Gryffindors-despite having started in the same classroom. When they arrived Professor Quirrell was waiting, standing nervously at the front of the room, his head wrapped in a thick turban. He stammered his way through the roll before asking them to read the first chapter of the textbook. One of the imprudent Gryffindors began asking about his turban, resulting in an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the session. When he dismissed them they made their way to the Great Hall, eager to eat and discuss their classes.
"Hey!" Jess appeared behind them with a blond, aristocratic Slytherin girl. "This is Daphne Greengrass." She added, sitting down at their table uninvited.
"Oh, um, this is Sebastian Zabini, we saw him at the wand shop, remember?" Harry introduced Sebastian as Neville came over, followed by the bushy haired girl who'd managed to transfigure her match.
"Hey guys," he said, before slumping tiredly into the seat next to Harry. The girl reached them and began to speak.
"You know, you're meant to sit at your own table, not others." She said, talking to Neville and ignoring the others.
Harry was about to reply when Daphne cut in. "Actually students are encouraged to sit at each others tables. Anyone who knows the Hogwarts rules knows that." The girl's face flushed and Harry saw tears gathering in her eyes. "Why don't you sit with us, you did very well in transfiguration." Sebastian adds, surprising Harry. She smiled and took a seat next to him. They began to talk about transfiguration, the only class they'd all had.
"McGonagall's such a good teacher, her explanation really made sense." Jess mentioned. "Although my father had already taught me that." She was one of the many Slytherins to fully transfigure her match, most Slytherins had some form of tutoring before they began at Hogwarts. "Malfoy's annoying though, he keeps bugging me about you." She continued on, muttering multiple uncomplimentary phrases about Malfoy.
"Anyway," Harry said, changing the subject, "what have you got next?"
"Magical Theory then Charms, both with Hufflepuff." Hermione Granger answered, speaking for the first time. They launched into a conversation about what Magical Theory they knew and what they hoped to learn. To their surprise Hermione was quite advanced in theory and they quickly engaged in a debate between the Hovering Charm and the Floating Charm.
"Yeah, but the Hover Charm doesn't last as long." Neville countered after Hermione pointed out the lack of control in the Floating Charm. "Look!" He added, nodding to Harry, both boys cast a charm on nearby plates, comparing the results. Neville's, the Floating Charm was dipping around and swerving randomly while Harry's, the Hovering Charm, was perfectly stationary, although within a few seconds it fell, smashing against the table.
"Reparo." A voice spoke behind them, Professor Sprout, Herbology Professor and Head of Hufflepuff mended the plate before fixing the first years with a stern glance. "As admirable as it is to see you experimenting with magic, the bell rang three minutes ago and you'll be late if you don't hurry."
Looking around the hall, Harry saw she was right; almost everyone else had left. They gathered up their bags and ran to their next class, Gryffindors to the stairs and Ravenclaws and Slytherins to the green houses. They beat Professor Sprout by seconds, leaning against the walls attempting to catch their breath.
"Everyone, welcome to Herbology. Today we will be working in greenhouse one. We have five greenhouses here, containing dozens of plants. Greenhouse one and two contain very safe plants, three is far more dangerous, not as much as four and five-which you won't use until NEWT level. The end greenhouse contains plants that students are working on, which you will have a chance to use in your free time if you like. Now come in and we'll get started.
Professor Sprout set them to work on colouring coloranda cuttings, a plant that changed colour depending on how it was treated. "They should be yellow by the end of the lesson." Sprout called as the students rushed for water and fertilizer. "Groups of four please." Harry grabbed Sebastian, Jess and Daphne, watching as Malfoy saw him and began to head over. Slipping to the other side of the greenhouse they gathered a plant, which was dark blue, and began to gently place it in the pot. Jess collected water and began to sprinkle it on, quickly being pulled back by Daphne who began to chastise her. "Careful, you'll drown it and then we'll fail." Shaking her off, Jess began to cover it in fertilizer, swamping it in Dragon dung. "No, not like that Jess, why don't I do it." Harry watched, bewildered, as the plant began to turn green under Daphne's care. By the end of their lesson it was light yellow, almost white and they were each awarded five points. Smiling sheepishly Jess thanked Daphne and they left for lunch.
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"Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"The Draught of Living Death, an incredibly Powerful Sleeping potion that, if made incorrectly, could put the consumer in a permanent sleep."
"Where would you look if I told you to find a Bezoar."
"The stomach of a goat."
"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
"They are the same plant."
"One point to Ravenclaw. For your information monkshood and wolfsbane also go by aconite."
"Now turn to page 32, pair up and make the cure for boils." There was a rustle of paper and Harry grabbed Sebastian. He began to crush snake fangs while Sebastian prepared the horned slugs, cutting them up with expert control. Snape strode past, ignoring them and taking points of everyone who looked away from their work. Harry began to stir the potion counter clockwise while Sebastian dropped in some mint and herbs, making a pleasant aroma rise from the cauldron.
"Potter what did you do!" The voice came out of nowhere, as Snape appeared, glaring at Harry.
"Nothing sir." Harry answered innocently, Sebastian chiming in, "it was me sir, I added mint and herbs to improve its aroma and taste without affecting the potion." Harry looked at the boy incredulously; daring to speak back to Snape, he must have a death wish.
"Very well, continue. Perhaps you could tutor your cousin, he seems to have no idea what he's doing." With that Snape turned away and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "How did you-?"
"Practice, try dealing with all my aunt's husbands."
They completed their potion in silence before labeling it and handing it up to Snape.
"Homework, a foot and a half of parchment on the uses of potions and three ingredients, their locations and their uses." Snape called as the class left the dungeons.
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"Far out, how many stairs are there?" Sebastian complained, as they climbed towards the Ravenclaw Tower. They'd been forced to change routes twice as the staircases shifted around them.
"Come on, we'll just go through here, it'll be quicker." Harry led Sebastian through the halls until they were near the charms classroom. "There's another staircase through here, although the older students said something about a trick stair." They came to the end of a hallway and Harry tried the door in front of them. It creaked open, the room dimly lit by a candle. There was a loud snoring from inside and Harry poked his head in, barely stifling a scream. Inside slept a massive, three headed dog. Backing away he motioned for Sebastian to do the same, both pale faced they turn and ran towards the charms classroom, shutting the door quickly.
"Whadda you doin' down 'ere." A voice rang out from behind them. Hagrid walked down the corridor, staring at the boys.
"We-we just needed to ask Professor Flitwick a question, but he's not here anymore, never mind we'll find him later." Harry stammered, backing away slowly.
"You coul' try the staff room," Hagrid offered, helpfully, clearly unable to see the fright on the boys faces.
Stammering out a thanks Harry and Sebastian turned and walked away, hearing Hagrid unlock the door at the end of the hall and call out.
"Was that a Cerberus?" Sebastian managed as they turned the corner.
"Yes, we have one on the estate. What's it doing here though?"
"Well, apparently they're really good guard dogs. Maybe Hagrid's hiding something."
They continued to theorize until they reached the common room, when all questions about the dog were driven out of their mind.
"And you think he's going to save us, he could barely change the colour of the match box in charms today."
"And I'm sure you could do better, none of us could cast that charm and he certainly came closer then you, Corner."
The familiar voice of Anthony Goldstein countered Michael Corner. Not noticing Harry, Michael continued to yell.
"And he's supposed to save us, the precious boy-who-lived and all. What makes him so special." Michael demanded, oblivious to Harry's presence. "Why don't we just bow down to him then, king of Hogwarts for doing something he can't even remember."
"And how many things can you remember from when you were a year old?" Harry asked, his voice ringing through the common room. Most of the house was watching the argument and they jumped as they noticed him stride out towards Michael.
"My parents sacrificed themselves to protect me, my mothers ritual saved my life and you have the audacity to suggest I want attention for my parent's murder." Harry's voice was deathly quiet and barely controlled, fury rippling under every word. "If I had a choice that never would have happened, I would be living with my parents in Godric's Hollow, going home to them in Christmas. I live with my godfather and his wife, make no mistake, I'm happy there. But, if I could even have a chance at turning things around and living with my parents don't think for one second that I wouldn't take it." Breathing hard, Harry turned away and stormed upstairs, hearing Sebastian and Anthony follow.
"Harry?" Sebastian asked, quietly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. But if that git thinks all I want is attention I'd like to see him deal with his parents death every Halloween while the rest of the world celebrates." Seething Harry threw down his bags and fell on his bed.
"We know, just calm down." Sebastian spoke soothingly, as Anthony stood to the side.
"Thanks Anthony, not many people would have stood up for me."
"It's Tony, and not many people would say something like that anyway, what he did to get into Ravenclaw I will never know."
They sat in silence, before Harry pulled out his books. "We'd better get started on Snape's essay."
"What books are you using?" Tony asked Sebastian a moment later; Sebastian's books were written in Italian and looked incredibly complex.
"Some from my relatives, they've got more information then One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and Magical Drafts and Potions. It's how I know so much about potions." Despite practicing potions every week for the last four years Harry knew Sebastian had far more natural talent. He had an irrevocable grasp on the timing and how the ingredients worked together, allowing him to add the mints and herbs without risking the potion.
"What ingredients are you writing about?" Harry asked, half an hour later. He was struggling to decide on ingredients that would impress Snape.
"Crushed dragon molar, devils snare tendril and whiskers of a selkie, what about you?"
"Thestral blood, the stem of a leaping toadstool and streeler Slime, I can give him a sample of it as well, I have a pet streeler, but we removed her venom." Tony replied, absent-mindedly.
"Good idea, I can use Jagter whiskers, moly flower and Tebo liver, Kenja will be happy to give me some whiskers. So Tony you have a streeler, I have Kenja, do you have an animal, Sebastian?"
Sebastian looked up from where he was researching selkie whiskers. "My family breeds Fwoopers so I have two of them, but they're back at home." He ducked back to his book, flicking through the pages.
"Finished!" Harry declared, watching Tony scribble a few more sentences down and Sebastian lounge around, lazily. "It's still light, want to go for a fly?"
Sebastian muttered an excuse but Tony looked up, eagerly. "Let me finish this sentence then we can go down. There's a few school brooms that are half way decent."
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Harry soared through the air, looping past Tony and diving towards the ground. He pulled up, soaring over the field. The broom was jerky so he played safe, staying several meters above the ground.
"You know, you could join the Flying Skills Club. My older brother's in it, I could introduce you." Tony called.
"That'd be great. What do they do?" Harry yelled back, struggling to be heard over the wind.
"They have competitions against other schools, shows for Hogwarts, meetings every week. It's a team sport and is about the kind of tricks and aerodynamic maneuvers they can perform. You train and compete as a team, but there's also individual sections, including fast flying and obstacle courses and stuff."
Harry grinned, they were too far away to yell back. Waving back to Tony, he thrust the broom into a dive and lost himself in the rush of air.
A/N Hey guys, I'm so sorry its been so long. I've been finishing up with school and had an school hike so I've been really busy. As usual review with what you do and don't like, the reviews really help with my writing. Thanks to the 100+ people who have favourited and followed this story. I'll see you next time!