3. Expelliarmus

An irritating buzzing sound started right beneath Rose's head. Ignoring the sound, she turned to the other side and tried to get back to sleep. The buzzing intensified. She rolled over on her back to escape it. Finally, it started to calm down. That's what she thought. With a sudden movement, the pillow somehow thrust her forwards so that she found herself a bare inch from falling off the bed.

"S-Selene…" she said in a weak voice.

"Yes?"

"Remind me to get up before this happens again." The only answer she got was laughter.

Hurriedly Rose jumped off the bed in case it would have any more surprises, and reached for her robes.

At the bottom of the staircase that led to their dormitories they found Al and Scorpius waiting, as well as Matthew, the boy Selene had talked to at the feast, just coming from the boy's dormitory.

"Slept well?" Al asked her Rose, knowing full well that she was impossibly hard to wake up.

"The pillow almost threw her out of her bed." Selene answered instead of Rose, something that caused both Al and Scorpius to snort with laughter.

"Oh, shut it." Rose muttered and was already halfway through the common room before they caught up with her.

At breakfast their head of house, who was none other than professor Sinistra, who had called them up upon sorting the evening before, handed out their schedules around the same time the mail arrived.

Chippy, Rose's families miniature owl came crashing down with a letter, but almost immediately got up again and flew up on Rose's shoulder when she reached out for it.

The letter was short and written by her mom, who was asking which house she had been sorted into and if she'd met any friends.

"Al do you have a quill?"

"Sure." He reached into his pocket and dug out a quill as well as ink and parchment. Rose grabbed it all and started writing her reply.

Dear mom,

Both me and Al got sorted into Ravenclaw! And I met a friend at the train, Selene, a muggleborn girl who basically came crashing into our compartment when running from some guys who were chasing her.

I know dad will probably crash through the ceiling at this, but me and Al (and Selene) shared our compartment with Scorpius Malfoy, who's actually really nice. At first he was shy, and seemed nervous but we talked a bit and he seemed to lighten up. And guess what? Both Selene and Scorpius were sorted into Ravenclaw as well! I'm having breakfast with them just now and then we'll be off to Potions with the Hufflepuffs.

In case any of you are wondering, both Molly and Lucy were sorted into Gryffindor.

You know about the new Quidditch-team rules here, right? Well, I'm going to ask madam Hooch (who's still working here) if she can inspect my flying so that I can try out for the team, but first I'm going to talk to Dominique.

Rose

"You're gonna try out for the team? How much do you fly?" Scorpius asked her, he'd been reading over her shoulder the whole time. Rose folded the parchment and dropped some wax from a candle on it as a provisory seal.

"Yes, my cousin Dominique is the captain so I'm going to talk to her first though, she knows I can fly. And for that matter, I've been playing Quidditch ever since I was a kid, my auntie Ginny and my uncles have been teaching us all to fly. We even have our own mini-cup because we're so many. Do you play?"

"Yes, or rather, I fly. My family isn't big enough to have our own Quidditch-cup, but dad used to enchant snitch-shaped rocks and such for me to chase. I'm a seeker, you?"

"Chaser. My cousin Lily always play seeker, she's as good as Uncle Harry at it, so everyone always wants her on their team."

After a long conversation about Quidditch and try-outs Rose and the others went down to the dungeons to find their classroom. At the door to the classroom they continued talking until it opened and they walked into the classroom and took their seats, Rose next to Selene at the front row, and Al next to Scorpius at the row behind them.

"Good morning class." Came a voice from the left, and a fat, bald man with a huge moustache separated himself from the shadows.

The class mumbled a "good morning" back to him and watched as he took his place at the catheter on which a cauldron with a misty surface stood.

"I am Professor Horace Slughorn, though you can just call me 'sir'," he smiled at them all. "I will be tutoring you in your Potions class until your O.W.L's, and also those who makes it to the N.E.W.T's. If all goes well, after all, I've lived a full life with all the excitement one can ask for. Two wizarding wars, Merlin's beard." He rambled on a bit more until he took up the list of the students and went to see if everyone was there.

By the time he came to "Malfoy, Scorpius" he looked up and right behind Rose.

"Ah, mr. Malfoy, I see that you're breaking a family tradition, well that's always good. Although I'd rather have you in my own House, Slytherin, it makes communication much easier. Have you heard of the Slug Club? It's founded by me, of course, and you may expect an invitation soon. I've always liked to gather promising young witches and wizards…" he trailed off and returned to the list again. That was, until he came to "Potter, Albus".

"Mr. Potter! You look like a reflection of your father! And very much alike your grandfather too. But you've got Lily's eyes. Lily was always a favourite of mine, one of the most extraordinary witches I had ever seen… As well as Ms. Granger of course, I don't know who's the brightest… An invitation to you too will come, of course."

The professor returned to the list and this time he didn't stop until he came to Rose.

"Ms. Weasley! I see you were made a Ravenclaw! Merlin knows your mother could have been one, I suppose it might run in the family. Intelligence that is. Also your father had a good head too, not a brilliant one, though he's a master at chess I've heard. I almost regret I didn't invite him to the Slug Club, but oh well, what's done is done…"

The rest of the lesson was spent on brewing a simple potion, a hiccup solution, followed by answering some questions, just to see how much they had read, as Slughorn expressed it. Selene surprised all of them by correctly answer every one of the questions, as well as brewing a solution as good as it possibly could be when brewed by a beginner. By the end of the lesson she had earned an invitation to the Slug Club too. When Slughorn asked her how she had known all the answers she just blushed and said she'd been reading all of her books since she'd gotten them.

Next was Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors. Rose moaned to herself when she realized the stream of words that would be coming from her twin-cousins.

Scorpius got into the classroom and sat down beside Rose, he looked around and found their teacher just closing the door. She was a tall witch with black, simple robes and her hair cut short and held back from the face by a ribbon tied around it in a ponytail. She walked up to the catheter and silence instantly fell.

"Good morning class, I am professor Concordia Alexius and I will be teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm also hosting, along with professor Neville Longbottom, the after-school DA. Also known as Dumbledore's Army, but due to some resistance within the ministry", she smiled a wry smile, as if to point out the sheer stupidity of thinking a name was unfit, "it has been renamed to the Defence Association. If anyone wonders, it's a sort of club for defensive training and it is also used to train practically by older students for their O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's, it was founded by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley during their fifth year, when the Ministry and The Daily Prophet held their own campaign to spread doubt about mr. Potter. However, you must be a second year to join the club, but you may attend it on two separate occasions in your first year if you want to. Now, back to business."

She then proceeded by calling each student before turning to the blackboard.

"The Expelliarmus-charm is a spell primarily used in defence, but also as an offence." She told them while writing up the incantation and page in their textbook on the board, waving her wand and turned around. "Does anyone know it's other name and what happens when you use it?"

Rose's hand immediately flew into the air, as well as a few others.

"Miss Weasley?"

"The spell disarms the person whom it's cast upon. That's also why it's called the Disarming Charm." Rose said rapidly and the professor nodded.

"Do you know any famous times it has been used?"

"Yes, it was used by Harry Potter at the same time that Voldemort cast the Killing Curse and the two collided and Voldemorts curse was thrown back at him, causing him to die. It was also used by Harry Potter against Voldemort three years earlier at his uprising, Voldemort's that is, against the Killing Curse again, and caused a phenomenon known as Priori Incantatem."

The professor seemed impressed. "Do you know what happened during the Priori Incantatem?"

"Yes, the well, shadows is the best way to explain it, of the people that Voldemort had killed earlier manifested around them in a golden dome, also Harry's and Voldemorts wands were connected."

"Correct. Of course there's more to it but it is far too complicated for such young witches and wizards, and would surely take this whole class to explain further. Open your books, Practical Defence, that is, on page 38 and read about the Disarming Charm."

Scorpius took out his book from underneath his theory book and opened it and started to read.

The Disarming Charm is a spell known for its simplicity, and is a fundamental spell used in defensive magic, along with the Shield Charm (page 44) and the Stunning Spell (page 131). The charm gained fame after being used by the famous wizard Harry Potter against the Dark Lord Voldemort, resulting in the dark wizard's death when his own Killing Curse came back at him.

It has then been proven that the charm also was the first one used by Dumbledore's Army (a.k.a. the D.A. or Defence Association) founded and lead by Harry Potter. Even if it is mostly scoffed upon by older wizards it has gained much popularity and is now one of the first spells ever taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as other magical schools.

When casting the spell one should have his/her wand pointed in the direction of their target, if enough force is put into it one may cause the person it is pointed at to fly backwards as well as disarming the person. Surprise is a main element to make this spell work, since the fact that if not enough force is put into it, and the person it's used upon is ready, that person may be able to still hold his/her wand even after the attempt of disarming.

Failure at pronouncing the incantation correctly may result in causing the subject it's used upon to be set on fire (or part of it), or even disarming oneself if you're unlucky.

The incantation is: Expelliarmus.

Scorpius looked up from his book and noticed the new instructions on the blackboard, they were to split up in pairs as they sat and try to disarm one another.

He waited for the others to finish until professor Concordia stood up and told them to go over by the wall. Most of them were confused as they hadn't seen the new instructions, but when the professor got all the desks and chairs to move to the other side and the floor was covered with pillows everyone got excited.

"Pair up with the person you were sitting with, and stand in two rows facing each other." As the students followed her orders she put even more pillows against the wall and the furniture on the other side of the room. "Remember, the incantation is Expelliarmus, and try to put some force in it, otherwise it won't work."

Before Scorpius had raised his wand towards Rose, he was knocked back and felt his wand slip out of his grip but he caught it before it could fully escape. Rose was smiling at him.

Oh she'll have to do better than that! He thought furiously and jumped to his feet.

"Expelliarmus!" Rose was sent flying a few paces backwards, and her wand flew out of her grip.

"Very good mr. Malfoy, you made a quick comeback before she could use it again. That's a vital action in duelling, always strike first or strike back as fast as possible." Professor Concordia left the two of them and went to correct Molly Weasley who was just setting a pillow on fire.

Scorpius smirked when Rose got back to her feet and took up her wand. He tightened his grip around his wand but was soon flying backwards without it. He hit the pillow-covered wall and sank back down to the wall. Gritting his teeth he got back and picked up his wand. Rose was smiling again.

"Expelliarmus!" This time Rose hurled backwards and hit the wall just beneath the ceiling and fell down just as Scorpius managed to catch her wand that had been flying in his direction.

"Outstanding mr. Malfoy." Came from the professor who was just further instructing Selene who seemed a bit nervous disarming Albus.

Scorpius handed the wand back to Rose and got prepared to be thrown back again. Just as he expected, Rose almost shouted out the incantation and Scorpius was suddenly sent flying just as high as Rose had, and fell down on the pillows in a gush of feathers. Professor Concordia repaired the pillow, vanquished the feathers and instructed the two of them to read ahead in their copies of Theoretical Defence about the spell.

Instead of reading however, Scorpius watched the others over the tip of the book while they practiced. Both Selene and Albus were disarming one another, though not one of them were sending the other flying.

By the time the bell rang out everyone had at least performed one disarming the other, and the professor gave them all praise and let them go.

"Nice battle you two." Al commented when they got out of the classroom and headed for Transfiguration along with the other Ravenclaws.

"Yeah, you were the only ones who sent the other flying." Selene injected.

"I think we were the only ones competing." Scorpius said, thinking back to what his father had said on the platform.

"Well, my…" Whatever Rose was about to say was interrupted by a piece of crumpled paper that hit her in the back of her head. She picked it up and turned around to see who had thrown it at her. Scorpius saw something in the corner of his eye and ducked just as a mudball came flying. It landed right on the Head Girls badge on Victoire Weasley, Rose's cousin who was just passing him.

"JAMES POTTER! 10 POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!" She screamed as she whirled around and whipped out her wand, face turned an unusual red which clashed horribly with her usually fair skin.

"I didn't do it Vic!" Howled a third year near the entrance, while two other boys were laughing so hard they were gasping for breath. One of them was still holding his wand.

"Doesn't matter! You, Fred or Louis did it and you're all Gryffindors! Points still taken! And don't call me that!" The Head Girls badge was still dripping with mud but with an easy flick of her wand she evaporated it. The boys had stopped laughing and started to make their way to class.

Then the Head Girl did something unexpected. She whipped out her wand again, flicked it at the mud on the floor, and three separate balls went flying and hit the boys in the back of their heads.

"OW SIS!" the blond boy shouted. "Why did you-" but the girl had hurried away so fast that she was nowhere to be seen and the trio had to try to clean the mud themselves.

The startled Ravenclaw first years who had witnessed the whole scene continued on their way talking and laughing about it.

Rose was bored. For her year, it was after-hours and they were constricted to stay within their common room. Al and Scorpius was using her old chessboard that she'd inherited from her father, with the same old self-repairing pieces as always. She watched as one of Al's towers dragged away Scorpius's queen, and tried to figure out exactly what Scorpius was doing, leaving his queen exploited to the tower. She immediately got her answer, Scorpius had somehow managed to sneak one of his pawns into enemy lines, past the other tower as well as knight, and therefore got his queen back when the pawn reached his final destination, and the queen hopped back up to the board.

"Damn." Al muttered, it wasn't very many people who could escape his eyes. Almost like the eyes of a raven.

"Al, don't swear." Came from Victoire, who was busy writing something in red ink. Probably a love-letter to Teddy.

"Does your mother know about those enchanted perfumes you bought at Uncle George's shop?" Al replied quickly, eyes not leaving the board.

Victoires cheeks flustered a bit pink. "They're not harmful at least."

"Of course not. It only took them two weeks to get away the illusions, and they're still not out on the market."

"What do they do, exactly?" Rose asked, she hadn't heard anything about enchanted perfumes. Not that she was interested in them.

Al shrugged. "Hide any unwanted zits and stuff I think, so that anyone who looks at the one wearing it sees nothing but flawless skin, I didn't hear it all when Uncle George talked to dad about it, because mom sent us all off to bed." Victoire huffed from her table at them and continued her writing, just when Dominique entered the common room.

"Dom!" Rose stood up and waved at her cousin to come. Dominique, who was being followed, or stalked, by a bunch of boys in her year promptly said goodbye to them and hurried to Rose.

"Hey Rosie, let me guess, you want to join the Quidditch team?" Dominique swept her somewhat ruffled hair back, making the boys present gawk at her – except for Scorpius and Al, who were both staring at the chess board – even if Victoire was the one with the most Veela-like attributes, Dominique was equally as popular, and even more since she was a skilled Quidditch-player at that.

"Do you really have to ask? Of course I want to join!" She beamed at her cousin. "When are the try-outs?"

"The tenth, but don't expect special treatment." Dominique said and glanced towards the entrance to the common room. Rose thought she heard her mutter something like 'Oh, great' when the door to the common room opened again, and a few boys in her year came in.

"I'm not stupid Dom, no one ever gets special treatment from you."

"Anyway, make sure you've got a signed note from Madam Hooch, or Professor Spinnet, otherwise I won't let you fly."

"Hey there Dominique." A tall brown-haired boy said, interrupting Rose's answer. "Care to join me? Our rounds start in a few minutes."

"Sure. Robert." As the boy turned away Dominique made a face of disgust towards Rose, who had to put her hand over her mouth not to snigger, before she followed him out.

Not much later, Scorpius somehow won over Al in chess and Rose and Selene, who had been talking to Matthew the entire evening, went up to their dorms to sleep.

So, this took much longer than I had expected... But I guess I can't be blamed (even if I did spend an entire week at my grandma's place without an Internet connection...)

I had to include a "battle" between Rose and Scorpius, and what can I say, they're brilliant both of them so they really shouldn't have any problems with Expelliarmus. Then there's the competition between them...
And about Slughorn, I know he should be retired, but do you seriously believe he'd be able to resist the temptation of tutoring the kids of Harry Potter and all the others? Well, I don't at least ;)

Hmm... Mr. Obnoxious there (a.k.a Robert) is going to be made fun of later xD He doesn't have a surname yet, so lets just call him "Pattinson" instead ;) If anyone wonders, I don't like him very much. Good in Harry Potter, but Twilight sucks, haven't watched any other of those movies and I won't (unless someone uses Imperius on me)...