Chapter six: New Courses for New Students
As they all sat down in their respective chairs, Professors Snape and McGonagall handed their wands back to them.
"Now as I'm sure you've realized, there are more rooms on the top floor than just your dormitories?" McGonagall questioned. All eight of the Firens nodded.
"There are twelve other rooms on the eighth floor of the castle, but when you enter them, do not be surprised when they do not look like classrooms. The idea for the room of requirement was inspired by those rooms. Each one is different, only six of them coming relatively close to being like the other classrooms in the castle."
The Firens all looked between themselves in excitement. This year looked to be an amazing one if any of this was to judge on. Snape continued on, now. "The other six rooms will only be usable for some of you. For example, one of the rooms is to teach those of you with wings how to fly, but those who don't have that ability will be in another class at that time. It is the same concept as in the rest of the castle, just special classes for rare creatures. Understand?" He looked at each one of them in turn and they all nodded.
Lacey looked wary as she raised her hand. McGonagall smiled slightly and said, "Yes, dear, what is it?" Lacey put her hand back in her lap and let her bangs fall over her eyes. "Well, Professors, I was curious, um… well… when we took off our glamours at the feast, you said I was part pixie. Don't pixies, um.. well… have wings?"
Severus nodded. "Yes, and you will be able to fly, as well as Lina, Draco, Robbie, and Ania. You will all be in that class, but don't worry if you haven't figured out how to grow your wings out on will, it will come to you in time, and we have managed to track down some of the last remaining Firens in the world, and they have agreed to come and teach you."
There was an appreciative murmuring throughout the Firens. Only Severus and Harry noticed that Ania had noticeably paled at the mention of other Firens. Harry quickly moved on with the conversation. "Um…Professors, well I was wondering, since we're here and everything, could you give us our schedules now?"
Snape smiled. "I was about to mention that Harry. Now, I know that the other students start there classes the day after tomorrow, but yours will start tomorrow, only because you have many more classes to take than they do, and because you are all already so far on in your years and you have to be properly trained to use your abilities to a safe extent, for yourself and for others."
He looked around the room at all of them and again had to pause and take in the sight of how much the three children he had known since their birth had matured so much. He shook his head slightly.
"As was mentioned earlier, there are twelve other rooms, one of which is actually a dorm for the teachers to stay. Their offices are located in front of the dorm, so if you need to find one of them, just go to the room directly across from yours. There will be a number six on the doorknob. You will find there is no number thirteen because that is your dormitory."
McGonagall continued on from here. She went on to list all of the room and the classes that will be taught in them.
"Room One, Firen and Fieren Studies. Here you will learn about the bonds between yourselves, and how to become closer with others like yourselves.
"Room Two, Winged Flight Class. Only for those with wings, you will learn how to grow out your wings and fly correctly and swiftly.
"Room Three, Wandless Magic Class. You all basically know that once you come into your powers you don't actually need a wand anymore,, so this class should not be surprising.
"Room Four, Ancient Language. The Firens use their own language to speak with one another most of the time. Once you start taking this class, your instincts will take over and you will not even realize when you are speaking it and when you aren't. This class will teach you how to differentiate in your mind first and then be able to speak regularly.
"Room Five, The Jungle. This is where You four, Harry, Robbie, Amber, and Nick, will learn how to turn into your animals.
"Room Seven, The training room. This is where you will all be trained in combat against others and how to use your abilities for defensive and offensive purposes. Draco, You will have to take your transforming class here, it's the only room safe enough for a dragon. If you were in the jungle while you sneezed, well… we would have some problems now wouldn't we?"
Everyone laughed a bit at Draco's expense, but he took it good naturedly. He even jabbed back at a few others and Harry patted him on the shoulder. The Professors were still getting over how quickly they got over the hatred they had had for each other in their early school years.
McGonagall continued.
"Room Eight, The Garden. Here you will learn to grow exotic plants that will aid you in other classes.
"Room Nine, Your Advanced Healing and Deadly Potions class. This is where Professor Snape will teach you how to make both Deadly and Healing potions using the plants you will learn about in the garden.
"Room Ten, Special abilities. This is actually a hallway of rooms, with exactly eight doors. Their will your symbol on the door, the ones the Amber showed us last night, only that person, and the teacher may go into these rooms. Here you will learn your hidden ability, because only you can know what your ability is, unless you choose to share it. If you let the teacher help you with it, they are bound by blood to the school to never reveal your hidden ability.
"Now this may be strange to you, But each of you is going to have a familiar. As in Stereotypical of a muggle's belief in witches. Room Eleven, is a huge room, second largest to your dormitory of course, completely filled with animals. Here, you will find your familiar. Now Amber, you already have one. Jasper, am I correct in his name?"
Amber blushed with pride for her Jasper. She always knew he was more than just an old stray Tom-Cat when she had found him. "Yes, that's his name. We all call him Jazzy though."
Then, as if being called, Jasper walked right into the room and walked in a small circle before lying down and rolling onto his back, belly up, in the middle of the circle of the members of DragonTora. Amber blushed again and moved to pick him up, but McGonagall motioned for her not to.
"If he is indeed your familiar, than he can understand every word you say. By now, he can probably understand everyone around him, because animals can understand every language once they learn one. Just ask him a question and see what happens."
Amber nodded and turned to her cat again. "Jazzy? Can you understand me?" She asked the cat, extremely focused. Jasper immediately rolled over. A certain amused look in his eyes. He nodded to Amber. There was a collective gasp among the Firens, except for Harry and Robbie, both who recognized the deep bond between Amber and Jasper.
She continued, still focused on Jasper. "can you speak?" jasper actually full out smiled now, his sharp little teeth showing a bit. "Meow." came a sarcastic voice from the cat. Harry and Amber both chuckled at his sense of humor. "That's really not what I meant, Jazz. Can you speak English?" Jasper still sat in the middle of the circle. "Yes I can. I know all of your names, abilities, secrets, you name it. As a familiar, I am immortal. I have a sixth sense I guess you could call it, which allows me to know everything about all of you."
All eyes in the room widened, even McGonagall's. jasper looked amused again and simply sat in the middle of the room. He decided to explain. "When a Firen dies, They don't actually die, their spirit waits and is later reborn into the same bloodline. Like a phoenix. Sometimes, a certain familiar doubles as a family pet and is always the familiar to the same Firen spirit every time it is alive, hence my being immortal and speaking your language."
Amber could only nod. "When I was little, my mom once told me how her grandmother had an orange and white cat, and that it was the only thing she ever cared about. That was you wasn't it?" Jasper nodded. Amber smiled. "I have my great-grandmothers spirit?" Jazzy nodded again, smiling brilliantly in his cat-like way.
"Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!! That is sooo cute!!!" Lacey cut in. The atmosphere lightened and they all laughed at the new discovery. They all started talking to each other about old family pets. Jasper decided to cut in.
"I am the only one of my kind left. Just as most of the Firens died of completely, so did their Special Familiars. Even if you do have an old family pet, They isn't a large chance it will be your familiar. I already have met all of your familiars. None of them are pet-like creatures. Most of them are young too. They won't become immortal until you do, and that won't happen until The youngest of you comes into your powers… But I will explain more of that later, for now, Minerva has to tell you about the twelfth room."
He gallantly strode over to Amber and jumped into her lap and laid down across it, purring contentedly. McGonagall smiled at the old cat and continued.
"Yes, and Room Twelve, is where you will learn how to speak to all breeds of the animal you bond with. For example, Amber, you will learn how to speak to and understand all feline creatures in the world. Harry, I do believe you will bond with a snake, and you already speak Parseltongue, but I can't be sure.' She looked at Jasper who simply shrugged.
"It's for me to know, and for all of you to figure out over a looong period of time." He said, stretching out the 'o' in long. The Professor smiled and handed out the schedules. "Extra copies of your schedules will be posted in your library and on each one of your desks." She gave them all a kiss on the forehead and then made her leave from the office.
Severus shook his head slightly at how much she seemed like a younger version of herself, now that she was around these magical children, but then again, the Firens did seem to have that effect on everyone. He stood up and spoke once more before leaving the office himself. "I wish you all good luck in your classes, young Firens. This year may prove to be hard on you, but everything will work out for the best in the end, remember that, young ones. Enjoy your last day off until the weekend, its beautiful outside, don't waste the day away."
The Firens compared schedules as they made their way out of the castle. Harry and Lina decided to go visit Hagrid.
Sorry it took so long to write this chapter… I didn't know what kind of classes to put them in…
If any of you have anything you want me to put in my story, send a review and I'll write it in!!! Review people!!!