A Week of Lessons
"I feel like I'm about to fall asleep on my breakfast," Dom said bleary eyed trying to eat her sausage, which promptly fell back onto her plate.
"Me to," Skye replied yawning. "Professor Longbottom's here to give us our timetables now though. No time to sleep Dom!"
Professor Longbottom handed the Gryffindors their timetables smiling at their yawns.
"You should have gone to bed earlier!" he said walking off.
Dom groaned.
"What?" Skye asked cautiously.
"Defence against the Dark Arts is first. With the Slytherins."
"Wonderful. What joy," Skye replied sighing at her own timetable.
The Gryffindors and Slytherins gathered outside the classroom labelled 3C, until a small, pale man with dirty blond hair opened the door for them and ushered them inside. An iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, as well as a giant dragon's skeleton. The desks were set out in two's, in three columns, and Skye and Dom grabbed a table in the middle on the right with other Gryffindors, next to some large windows. The man introduced himself as Professor Amorin and told the class what they were going to do over the year. The whole way through the lesson, James and his two new friends seemed to make it their mission to throw as many paper spit balls at the Slytherins, who had then retaliated and had turned into a spit ball war.
"I wish they'd just stop," Dom hissed to Skye.
"I know why isn't Professor Amorin doing anything about it?"
"If one of those hit me I will kill them!" Dom muttered angrily, "It's disgusting!"
Skye sighed.
"Just ignore them. Hopefully then they'll stop."
"Fat chance of that," Dom replied snorting.
Over the next week, Skye found out there was a lot more to magic than just waving your wand. They had to study the movement of the planets in Astronomy and study strange magical plants in Herbology. Skye quite enjoyed Herbology as Professor Longbottom taught it and he made the lesson less of a chore. Professor Binns taught History of Magic who was a ghost and rumour was that he didn't even realise he'd died. Professor Flitwick taught Charms. He was a tiny man, who looked like a Dwarf, but Skye thought it would be rude to ask if actually was. Transfiguration was taught by one Professor Merrythought, who was a tall, dark-skinned woman wearing a dark blue robe with stars on it. She was strict but also kind and clearly very passionate about her subject.
Potions was the most eventful lesson that first week. When Dom and Skye arrived in potions class they found seats at the back of the class, as unfortunately they were with the Slytherins again. The lesson took place in the dungeons, and everything was bathed in eerie green light. Suddenly a tall, thin young man glided in, he had rather messy black hair, dark blue eyes, and he wore a green cloak over his black robes.
Skye's eyes widened.
"This could be an interesting lesson," she murmured to Dom with a smile.
"Hello students, I'm Professor Prince." he welcomed them in a quiet but deep voice. "I'm the potions Professor. Let's see whose here."
Professor Prince picked up a folder with a sheet of paper in it.
"He doesn't look like a Professor. More like a dark hero from a fantasy story," Dom replied softly with a mischievous look in her eyes.
Professor Prince started calling out the register, with every replying "Here, Sir".
"Alexander Barrett, Skye Bishop, Stephanie Brown, Andrew Connolly, Enya Cerin, Aidan Cunningham, Melinda Donovan, Ezra Doyle, Pearl Everhart, Damien Flint, Emerson Hardwyn, Kali Jolon, Gabriel Locke, Valerie Morgan, Xavier Nott, James Potter- ah Potter, I hope you'll live up to your fathers reputation," he said looking at James with cold eyes. "Fynn Priest, Natalya Ronin, Ayesha Tahir, Dominique Weasley,"
"Okay. Let's get on with making the most basic potion, to assess how well you follow instructions," Professor Prince said quietly. "Open Magical Drafts and Potions to page 16, and the Boil Cure should be there. You will be working with the person sitting next to you. You have until the end of the lesson to brew your potion and bring it to me in a phial at the end of the lesson." He looked at them all with his dark eyes, "Begin."
"What? He's not even going to teach us how to do it or anything?" Dom whispered to Skye in confusion.
"Clearly not," sighed Skye opening the potions book.
"Right first thing. Add 6 snake fangs to the mortar and crush into a fine powder using the pestle." Skye said reading out loud.
Dom started crushing the snake fangs as Skye set up the cauldron.
"Okay, we've gotta put 4 measures in the cauldron and heat for 10 seconds,"
Dom measured out the 4 spoonful's and dropped them in and counted to 10 under her breath.
"Okay 10 seconds is up, what do we do now?"
"It just says wave your wand…" Skye said randomly waving her wand over the cauldron and peering in. "Do you think that's alright?" she asked Dom.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," she replied and then groaned. "We've got to wait 30 minutes for it to 'brew'! What are we supposed to do?"
Skye looked at the rest of the pairs. Stephanie and Pearl were at the same stage as them but the boys were all messing about with Ayesha getting more and more annoyed. The Slytherins had all finished however, and were sat around talking.
Skye and Dom had been talking with Ayesha for about quarter of an hour when there was a massive explosion from the other side of the classroom. With ringing ears Skye looked over at the Slytherins. Gabriel and Ezra were covered in a black gloopy substance and the wooden desk had been reduced to splinters. James and Alex had doubled over, laughing hysterically and Skye couldn't decide if they had put something in the cauldron to make it explode or the Slytherins were just terrible at potions. Gabriel had gone extremely red, and looked like he was about to explode himself.
"Shut up, Potter!" he shouted angrily trying to get some of the gloop off of himself.
Professor Prince appeared suddenly at the top of the stairs and looked with disgust at the exploded cauldron and came down to investigate. He took one look at a piece of cauldron and rolled his eyes.
"You were using an Exploding Cauldron. Someone's obviously played a trick on you. If I find out who did this, they will get detention for a week," he said, his gaze lingering on James and Alex.
"You two come with me." the Professor said to Gabriel and Ezra, "The rest of you carry on. I want perfect potions by the end."
"Well that was eventful," said Dom smirking after Professor Prince had left.
The bell had rung informing the Gryffindors they needed to go to the next lesson and Skye and Dom were walking through the corridors in circles.
"I told you we should have just followed the rest of them," Skye said frustrated.
"Have patience dear, we're nearly there," Dom replied.
They carried on walking until finally they came to and open space where the rest of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws where already there.
Seeing them, Madam Hooch tutted.
"Well nice of you to grace us with your presence,"
"Right everyone grab a broom!" she shouted.
The school brooms didn't look very promising, they had twigs standing out at the tails and wood was chipped and rough. They took their places next to the brooms and waited for Madam Hooch to start explaining what she wanted them to do.
"Good afternoon and welcome to your first flying lesson. Everyone hold out your wand hand over your broom and say 'Up'," Madam Hooch instructed.
Everyone started shouting 'Up' at their brooms. Skye's wouldn't budge. Dom's kept lifting up a little and then falling back down.
"This is hopeless," Skye said getting more and more frustrated with the broom. She looked at the others. James had already got his and was bragging to anyone who would listen, but no one else seemed to have managed it yet, which made her feel a little better.
"Up!" she shouted again determined to make it move. This time the broom twitched a little and she smiled.
Half the class had managed to get their broomsticks up including Dom.
"Just tell it with more authority, like you mean it,"
"I am!" Skye replied irritated, "UP! NOW!"
The broomstick shot up into Skye's hand almost knocking her over. Dom started clapping.
"Well done! I think you pissed it off a little though,"
"Now that you all have your brooms in your hands mount them and make sure you have good hold to not slide off the broom when you're in the air." Madam Hooch said.
They all did that and she went around, looking at their grips and positions and correcting it here and there.
"Now, on my whistle I want you to kick off, hover above the ground, then lean forward and come down again." She blew her whistle and the whole class rose into the air. Skye managed to rise, although her broom was shaking beneath her hands, and started to rise higher and higher, with the other students, up to ten feet off the ground.
"Alright, slowly turn your broom in a circle by leaning slightly to the side," Hooch said.
The students slowly followed her directions, however Skye leaned forward at the same time and her broom shot towards the ground. Screeching she pulled it up and she sat there hovering four feet off the ground and started laughing in shock.
"Are you okay Miss Bishop?" Hooch asked rushing over.
"Yeah, I think so," Skye said shakily.
"Good. Get back up there then!" Hooch said waving towards the other students.
Skye slowly lifted up to Dom.
"You okay?" Dom asked worried.
Skye laughed.
"Yeah. It was quite fun really now when I think about it."
The Gryffindor's had just finished their flying lesson and were walking back to the Gryffindor tower when Gabriel and Ezra walked past them and shouted to James.
"Not as good as your father then, eh, Potter? See you didn't make the team!" Gabriel shouted with a smirk.
"Well neither did you, Locke! You can't be so good yourself, can you?" James shouted back.
"Better than you though," Locke replied and continued walking, Ezra following.
"Urgh! I already hate the Slytherins so much!" James snapped.
"Just ignore them James," Alex said pulling him inside the castle.
"Oooh drama…" Dom whispered to Skye eyes glinting.
A/N: The plot will hopefully start in the next chapter so yay! :D