The first week at Hogwarts had gone just about as well as Vega planned. Which is to say, he had done poorly thus far in class. This, of course, led to even more people whispering about him when they thought he couldn't hear. Vega's headache, the one from the night of the Sorting, had lingered the entire week. It sat just between his eyes, oftentimes shifting to hide behind one or the other. But it was always there in some capacity, annoying him and making him tense. Viola and Hydrus did what they could to help, both with classwork and with those who tried to pester him. But, seeing as they were also moderately well-known, it hadn't been going over quite as planned.
In addition, Vega felt that a few students in particular were keeping a close eye on him. He wasn't trying to be paranoid, but it seemed like every time he looked up during a meal, the same people were looking his way. Some were older students, some were other first years. Vega had been teased pretty badly after his first Charms class. Though Professor Flitwick hadn't done anything to make Vega stand out, it seemed as though everyone was keeping tabs on him as he tried to make the feather float above his desk.
He had been expecting it, of course, but it still hurt. Just because he knew it was coming didn't make it any easier. A group of Gryffindor boys had caught him as he had left the little professor's classroom, making fun of his lack of magical prowess and asking if that's all the son of Harry Potter could do. Viola and Hydrus quickly caught up and intervened, helping Vega to escape the Gryffindors. But their words still lingered. It was one thing for him to doubt himself. But to hear others essentially confirm his fears sucked.
It hadn't been all bad, though. As it turned out, he quite enjoyed the first Potions class of the year. Professor Fedorov, a tall man with greying hair and quite a few facial lines, had been really interesting. He had gone over what he planned to teach them that year, had answered the smattering of questions that had come up, and set the atmosphere that he kept in his classroom. It was in sharp contrast to the horror stories his father had told him of what Severus Snape had been like as a teacher.
They had even had enough time after the explanation for a quick recipe to be concocted. It required only basic ingredients without any cooking time. It was just a simple healing salve, but Vega had gotten his nearly perfect. It had been the first class that he hadn't felt like a complete failure at, and it helped to boost his spirits immensely. That he was one of only a few to get it right only helped to cement that happiness. Thankfully, Potions wasn't doubling up with the Gryffindors. Instead, they were partnering with the Ravenclaws who didn't seem to care much about Vega. He still felt like someone had been boring a hole in the back of his head with their eyes, but any time he had looked around, he had seen no one glancing his way.
Flying training would begin the following week, which Vega was actually looking forward to. He had flown on toy brooms growing up, and his father had taken him out into the country a few times to practice on real brooms. They were all old, slower models and Harry had forbid his son from flying more than a few feet above the ground, but it seemed as though one of the few things he had inherited from his father was his flying capability. He wasn't entirely sure whether he would try out for the Slytherin Quidditch team the following year or not, though. He was quite sure, with his small frame, that a Bludger coming out of nowhere would snap half the bones in his body if it was angled right. He certainly wasn't going to try out for the Seeker position if he did decide to test himself. His mother often talked about the kinds of injuries his father had gotten from it.
Harry had argued, saying that it was his own recklessness, more than anything else, that usually got him hurt. But Tonks had waved a dismissive hand and smirked, saying that it was all the same thing. An injury was an injury and Harry always wore them like a badge of honor.
Vega knew from the get-go that Herbology was likely to be his worst subject. Neither of his parents had been that great at it, and even though Professor Longbottom was a really good teacher, it couldn't make up for lousy handling skills. Vega still wasn't sure what the hell that blue thing had been called, but he still smelled faintly of chalk and paint thanks to it exploding when he touched it wrong. Professor Longbottom seemed to take this as a personal challenge, saying that by the time Vega left the school, he would be able to not only identify any kind of magical plantlife, but that he would be able to also handle it safely. Vega wasn't so sure about that, but he had nodded before being sent off to the Hospital Wing to get de-gooped.
And that brought up another problem. One Vega hadn't been counting on. He hadn't seen her at the staff table on the night of the Sorting, so he hadn't been aware that she even worked there. But when he had entered the large medical room, a young woman with long, blond hair had been the only one there. Vega had just stood there for a moment before asking where Madam Pomfrey was. The young lady had pointed off toward the office in the back, saying that she was busy with a sudden request from St. Mungo's.
She had given Vega the once over, asking what the heck had happened to him. Vega related his story, scowling all the while, which seemed to amuse the woman. She motioned him over toward one of the beds, drawing her wand. Thinking back, Vega wasn't entirely sure what to make of her.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"This will only take a few seconds, but it's probably going to sting... not much I can do about that, I'm afraid." She said, a faint accent to her voice.
"So... you're also working here?" Vega asked, walking over and sitting where he had been instructed to.
"Yeah. At least for the time being. I'm in training here like my older sister was." Said the woman, looking Vega over for the best place to start the removal process. "She works at St. Mungo's now. Helped get me this position, actually... Oh dear, you really did get covered, didn't you?"
"Unfortunately." Vega said, letting out a yelp as the assistant mediwitch lightly tapped his ear. The blue goop covering it popped outward. It had gotten the gunk out of his ear and away from his face, but it had been as though someone had exploded a firecracker next to his head.
Sucking in a quick breath, the woman apologized. "Ooh, sorry. Yeah, it's deep in there, huh? That might be a problem. Probably don't want me poking all over. Well, you could probably get it all off yourself. Bit less embarrassing that way, I guess. Got your wand handy?"
Vega hopped up long enough to draw his wand. Sitting back down, he muttered, "Not that great with magic just yet..."
"Ah, that's alright. Everyone has to learn sometime. You can't just be expected to know all this stuff." Said the woman. "Here, tap the end of your wand to a spot you want to clear. Then it's a quick flick out. You'll make a bit of a mess, but it should come right off. It's going to leave your skin a bit raw for a few hours, so you might not want to go hang out under the sun. Should be okay by tomorrow, though!"
Vega mimicked the mediwitch's actions and, sure enough, the goop flew off of his face. It felt as though someone had ripped a piece of duct tape off of him, though. He bit back a swear, making an odd squawking noise in its place. "OW!"
The nurse giggled. "Careful! Don't do it too fast or it'll hurt worse!"
"Tell me that beforehand!" Vega whined, rubbing at the spot on his cheek he had cleared. "Jeez..."
"Aww, I'm sorry. Think you'll be able to clear it up, though?" Asked the woman.
"Yeah, I think so. I'll get Vivi and Hyde to help me if I can't..." Vega said.
The woman's eyes lit up a little. "Oh, you're Harry Potter's son? Hey, how is he these days?"
"You know him?" Vega asked. "...I mean, y'know, know him know him."
"Sort of. I met him when I was little." Said the woman, grinning. "God, it's been a long time, though. Your dad wasn't too much older than you are now, I think. He helped me out a little with a family problem, I guess you could call it..."
Vega tilted his head and, while still whipping more of the blue stuff off of his face, asked, "Who are you, anyway? I didn't catch your name..."
The woman started to reply, but was cut off when Madam Pomfrey's door opened up. The old matron looked around for a moment before seeing her nurse with a patient. "One from Neville's class, are you? I knew I'd get at least one covered in that mutated glumbumble's pus. Tsk..."
"It's alright, Poppy. He's been doing good at getting it off so far. Hey, guess who it is, too! You should be good at this. Saw his dad often enough!" Said the woman, giggling again.
"...Oh, don't tell me..." Madam Pomfrey said, giving Vega the most long-suffering look he had ever seen. "It's started again, then. I suppose I'll be seeing you in here every few weeks, too?"
"I'd like to think not." Vega muttered darkly, flicking a blob of blue stuff onto the curtains next to the bed. "Dad didn't really talk about staying in here too much, save for Quidditch stuff..."
"Your father was in here more often than I can recall." Madam Pomfrey said. "Even after he stopped playing for Ravenclaw, he wound up in here a lot."
"Were you coming to get me for something?" Asked the younger woman, tilting her head.
"Oh, yes, that's right." Madam Pomfrey said, sighing exasperatedly. "I need you to give me a hand with something for the St. Mungo's order. Your sister just fire-called to ask if we had anything on hand to help with burns. Apparently some fool in Gloucester managed to set his head on fire. He survived the incident, but he's in pain and with the other incident, the cooling potions are at a minimum. They're asking all the local apothecaries to assist, as well."
"Other incident?" Asked Vega. "Someone going around setting peoples' heads on fire?"
"No, this is a bit more serious, I'm afraid." Madam Pomfrey said. "A few days ago, St. Mungo's got an emergency call. Nearly a hundred witches and wizards of all ages from a small wizarding town were rushed in with severe burns. Someone had attacked their village and tried to burn the entire thing to the ground. No one knows who the culprits are, but there were a few disturbing bits of evidence left behind. I've been keeping in touch with the staff at St. Mungo's and have been helping in any way I can, but..."
"Who do they think did it?" Asked Vega, who had long since stopped pulling the blue gunk off of himself.
"At present, the Ministry believes some cult is trying to cause problems and instill fear in people. Unfortunately, it's working. You don't get that many people that badly hurt and play it down. If your father isn't off checking it out right now, I would genuinely be surprised. He never could help himself when it came to things like that..." Madam Pomfrey said, eyeballing Vega.
"We'd better get going, then, huh?" Asked the nurse.
"Indeed. We'll leave the office door open since we'll need to keep an eye out if anyone comes in, but..."
Vega hopped up, poking his forehead and flicking a bit more goop off of himself. "Don't let me keep you... I can handle this."
Madam Pomfrey nodded. "If the underlying stinging doesn't stop within twelve hours, come back and I'll give you something to help ease the pain. It should be light, providing you aren't allergic."
"...And if I do turn out to be allergic?"
"Hives. Lots of them." Said the younger woman.
"Fantastic." Vega groaned.
"Indeed. Well, knowing your family's luck, it honestly wouldn't surprise me. Keep an eye on yourself, Mr. Potter, and come back if you see anything out of the ordinary. Now then..."
"Right." Said the nurse, glancing back at Vega for a moment. "Take care, alright? Poppy doesn't need her hair turning all the way white. It's grey enough a--"
"Gabrielle!" Snapped Madam Pomfrey, turning to glare at her assistant. "That is quite enough. Now come on. We need to hurry."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Vega had spent the rest of the day getting himself clean. Thankfully, he hadn't had any classes that day after Herbology, and it was still too early in the year for any homework to be given out. He hadn't, thankfully, been allergic to the blue pus that had hit him, though he thought the two mediwitches had understated just how much he was going to hurt. 'Stinging' nothing, the feeling left behind was a quick, pulsing ache. It felt as thought someone had taken a tenderizer to his skin. He had kept to himself that night in the common room, spending most of it scowling at the floor and grumbling about his bad luck.
As the weekend drew near, Vega started to feel the excitement in the air. Murmurs about the House teams and who they would recruit could be heard everywhere. He had even caught a few people grumbling that it wasn't fair that Slytherin got the kids of both the Potters and the Malfoys. Professor McGonagall, not long after she had taken over command of the school, had made a very simple change in regards to Quidditch. As she had broken the rule herself years before, first years were now permitted to join the Quidditch teams so long as a written form was sent and approved by their parents. As a direct result of this, she had also instructed to switch up the Bludgers to a slightly lighter model so the smaller first years wouldn't be as injured were they targeted.
Slytherin's team was in bad shape, to boot. Over half the team had graduated the previous year. Only the two Beaters and the Keeper were around. And the Keeper, Julie Carmack, would be graduating this year. Vanessa Eyrie had three years to go, and Ian Danielson, the current Captain, had just two remaining. Danielson had been sizing Vega and Hydrus both up when they were all in the common room, as though wondering if he should bother approaching either. Viola had been in a huff over this, demanding to know why the 'big jerk,' in her words, had been totally ignoring her as a candidate. Hydrus had calmed her, saying that if he had no intention of letting Viola try out, he would decline as well.
They had asked Vega what he planned on doing, but Vega didn't have a good answer. The idea was still interesting to him, but he wasn't sure. In the end, he told them he'd think about it and they seemed to accept this as a response.
Saturday couldn't have come faster for Vega, who needed a bit of a break to catch up on his work and to practice a little. He had been thinking of heading down to the lake to find a place to test his wand work out, but with the Forbidden Forest still regrowing, it didn't leave much by way of cover. And he certainly didn't want to be SEEN practicing. He did remember a place his father had told him about. One he could be alone if he needed to be. But he wasn't sure he wanted to be up so high. For all he knew, he'd end up doing something wrong and fling himself out of the tower. And unless someone happened to notice the explosion, he highly doubted anyone would catch him before he hit something.
That only left... but Vega shook his head at that. His father had gotten away with that, but there was no way he would have. Still, he knew where it was. Sighing, Vega decided to only go there as a last resort.
And so he had started walking, aiming to clear his head. Every so often, he was caught off guard as paintings slid open and students came hopping out through the end of a secret passage. He made a mental note to ask someone about those, as it would definitely help getting to and from the dungeons a fair bit easier. At least he didn't have to climb to the top of the school like the Gryffindors did, though. As it was, his legs were mildly aching every night from all the traveling. He didn't want to think himself out of shape at his age, so he put it off to distance and tried forgetting about it.
In the end, he wound up outside the castle. He didn't feel like heading to the lake anymore after seeing how crowded it was. The giant squid was lazing about and students were trying to get it to do something interesting for them. The Hogwarts grounds really were fairly lackluster these days. The lake took up a good chunk of real estate, and the forest was still regrowing. This mostly left a lot of grass, rocks, and uneven terrain. And the Quidditch Pitch, but that wasn't really a place to spend time unless you were practicing or felt like watching others do so.
Turning, Vega looked up at the school, trying to pick out the tower his father had told him about. Unfortunately, he was at too bad an angle to be able to see much of anything. Off in the distance, he could hear a faint 'CLANK' noise every so often. It was coming from the Quidditch Pitch and was most likely the sound of some Beaters smashing a Bludger about. With nothing better to do and his head still irritatingly full of annoyances, Vega headed that way.
As he drew closer, someone came out of it and started back up toward Hogwarts. Lapis Eskander, the Ravenclaw that had been eyeballing Vega during the Start of Term Feast, was storming away from the Pitch with a scowl on his face. Not knowing what the boy was angry over, Vega kept his eyes locked downward. As the two passed one another, Vega overheard Lapis furiously growling under his breath about 'fairness' and 'equality.' Glancing over his shoulder with a confused look, Vega shrugged and continued on. Whatever the Ravenclaw's problem was, he had no idea. He assumed it had something to do with what was going on at the Pitch.
Heading for the Slytherin stands, Vega made his way up to the seats at the top and looked around. The Ravenclaw team was currently practicing. Their team seemed to be fairing far better than Slytherin's, with only a Seeker and Keeper in need of replacement. Vega watched them fly for awhile, taking careful note of the fact that they all seemed to be using school brooms. Whether that was just for practice or not was anyone's guess, though he didn't know why they would ever practice going slower. Still, he couldn't rule it out, especially if he ended up trying out for his House's team.
He thought the team was too caught up in its own dealings to notice him. The Slytherin stands were in the shade, and he was off to one side, unintentionally making himself hard to see. Despite this, the team's captain finally called out for the others to stop.
"Spy from Slytherin." He said, once the others had gathered around, motioning to where Vega was.
The team turned to look up at him, making him feel more than a little uncomfortable. The captain, a chunky sixth year that played Keeper, then flew up toward the stands to confront him directly. Vega scowled at this. He didn't want any trouble. He was just bored.
"Tsk... Harry Potter's kid? Danielson put you up to this?" Asked the teen.
"He can ask all he wants. I'm here on my own." Vega said, shrugging. "Didn't feel like studying, so I came here."
"Yeah, well go not-study elsewhere." Said the captain, making a shooing motion with his hand. "We're busy training up to put the Gryffindors in their place. Don't need anyone blabbing our secrets."
"Fine, fine..." Vega said, getting up. He didn't feel like leaving, but he also didn't feel like taking a Bludger to the face. "What'd that other guy get so mad at you lot for, anyway?"
"Other guy?" Asked the captain. "...Oh, Eskander? Wanted to try out for the team."
"I take it you shot him down? Looked like he was ready to strangle someone when we passed." Vega said.
Snorting, the teen turned his broom around. "Eskander can wait for the tryouts. Not going to accept just anyone because they walk in here feeling they deserve the spot."
"Fair enough." Vega said.
"Oi. Wait a second." Said the captain suddenly.
"What?"
"...You trying out?"
Vega looked back at Ravenclaw's captain, smirking slowly as he nodded. "Yeah. Seeker, like my dad was. Maybe next time we see each other, I'll be waving the Snitch over my head."
And with that, Vega left. He wasn't sure what it was about Ravenclaw's captain that rubbed him the wrong way, but he would be perfectly happy if someone would just crack some of his teeth out. He also wondered, as he started the trudge back up toward the castle, why Lapis Eskander had tried out before his team had started recruiting. Or why he had been so mad over being told to wait until they were. Perhaps, Vega thought, glancing off toward the lake once more, that all of the Ravenclaws currently in the tower were just incredibly cranky.
He had blown a fair bit of time and had gotten precisely nothing done. With a sigh, he resigned himself to his fate and headed back toward the dungeons. Whether he wanted to do it or not, his homework was still waiting for him. Not studying wasn't going to help him overcome his weaknesses, after all. Even so, he wasn't looking forward to the angry glares he would get should he mess something up and set the common room on fire or turn someone's hair neon blue. He wasn't sure where Hydrus and Viola were, which also bugged him. He had a feeling Hydrus was probably around the library, as his friend had wondered more than once about the Restricted Section in it. If he was there, his sister was probably along to make sure he didn't try to snag a book he wasn't supposed to have.
As he reached the moving wall and made it open up, he thought about putting his Potions work off 'til last. He didn't have much by way of Charms or Transfiguration work, but it was enough to make him want to end on a high note. Going over theories was so... boring. He knew why he needed to understand the theory behind a spell, but it was all just so uninteresting. And Transfiguration was fairly tough to grasp even if you weren't utterly absymal at it, as he had heard quite a few of his fellow first years griping over what Professor Ulrika had planned for them. Flitwick's work, at least, was all mostly simple and focused mainly on perfecting wand movement and spell pronunciation. He could get that with a little practice. Transfiguration actually required skill and concentration, however, and he had a feeling it would be a long time before he got any of it down.
Thankfully, he only had a brief bit in those three subjects to work on. It was still too early for the teachers to be dishing out anything major. Not that reading and glancing over what they had worked on in class was interesting enough to keep his focus. If something bored him, it bored him, and he couldn't just up and change that. Though he certainly couldn't tell from the brief time he had been at the school so far, he had a sneaking suspicion that Transfiguration to him would turn out being like Potions was for his father.
The common room was fairly packed with students and proved to be far too noisy for his tastes. And, not wanting to drag a bookbag full of stuff up to some tower he'd first have to hunt down the entrance to, he decided to just work up on his bed. He and Hydrus hadn't had as annoying dorm mates as they figured they would. But all of them were fairly plain. Very little stood out about the three, which they themselves had pointed out, saying that compared to Vega and Hydrus, they were going to have to work to get recognition. Vega hadn't missed the hint of bitterness in their voices. Hydrus did a pretty good job at bringing their spirits up, however, and the five had had a decent enough relationship with one another since.
He needed to get Transfiguration out of the way first, he just didn't want to. As he leaned back against the headboard and flipped his book open, he could almost feel his brain trying to break its way out of his skull. Who cared about the stupid theory behind turning a pin into a pincushion? He certainly didn't. And from everything he had heard, it didn't sound like Transfiguration got any more interesting as the years passed.
"...first must aim your wand at a forty-five degree angle," Vega droned, eyes half-closed, "and jab sharply while envisioning the change occurring within your mind. Should you have accomplished this, the object will begin to change. Once you see this, pull your wand down sharply and give a second sharp jab. The pin will have inflated much like a balloon and from this point you needn't do anything but wait for it to finish moving. The entire process should take little more than a few seconds if done correctly."
Rolling his eyes, Vega muttered, "Takes a few seconds, feels like an eternity. Could've at least spiced the book up with moving instructions. I'm not gonna remember angles. And why the hell do angles matter, anyway? What, is the pin gonna get uppity with me if I aim at a thirty-seven degree angle? This is stupid..."
Vega grabbed for the push-pin on his nightstand and glared contemptuously down at it. Were it capable of such a thing, he was sure the blasted thing would be laughing at him right now. Most of his class had been able to produce decent enough results. If nothing else, they had at least been able to get their pins rounded. His had been rather oblong and had a weird tumor-like bump at one end.
"Alright..." Vega said, blowing out a low breath. "Lesse..."
Holding his arm at a distintly annoying angle, Vega did as the book instructed. One sharp jab, wait for the transformation to begin, then a downward pull and a second jab. Of course, the book said nothing about how far one was to bring their wand down, or how big a 'jab' one should give, so Vega was on his own for this. He was envisioning a pincushion as best as he could, remembering the one Ulrika had on display for the class.
Some ten minutes later, and a spiked ball with several sickly-looking legs got thrown violently across the room, a strangled cry filling the air.
"Hell with this, I'm moving to Charms!" Vega snapped to no one in particular. "I'll give that old crone something to transfigure..."
Grumbling, Vega set about going over his Charms work which was far easier for him to grasp. But sitting around and doing the same thing for ten minutes was still sort of boring. He had gotten the hang of levitating small objects, but there was a weird size limit. He could float his books just fine, but his trunk definitely wasn't going anywhere. It scooted an inch or two away from the foot of his bed, but that's as far as he got with it.
Once he felt he wouldn't make an ass of himself in Charms, Vega finally settled back in with his Potions book. There wasn't anything particularly impressive about the actual potions they were going to make that year, as they had to be simplistic in nature. But Vega still found the whole process interesting. Magical reactions combined with chemical reactions to produce something completely new was something that simply appealed to him.
The first proper thing made would be a mild pepper-up potion. Vega knew that most of what they'd be working on would probably just get thrown out. Even with the Potions Master's fine inspection of them, they were still student-made. He wasn't even sure how many bottles of the salve they had made would see St. Mungo's. Still, it was a nice thought. That something they had made would go on to help others.
When he had finished scanning over everything that needed to be done, Vega put his books away and flopped back down on his bed. Maybe it had been all the reading, but he was feeling incredibly sleepy.
'Well,' he thought, scooting up far enough for his head to hit his pillow, 'I've gone over what I had to. Might as well take a nap...'
Besides, he was still the only one in the room. Hydrus didn't snore, but one of his other dorm mates, Alan Frost, did. And quite loudly, at that. And until one of them learned some kind of silencing charm that would solve their problem, they just had to deal with it normally.
Rolling onto his side, Vega sighed. Things weren't going as badly as he figured they would, but it was still an uphill climb. But, if that was what it took, he would fight the entire way to the top. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass himself or his parents. Promising himself that he would at least try to keep a more positive outlook, Vega let himself relax. And, within a few minutes, he had drifted off to sleep.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: God, this one took awhile. Sorry. Various things were keeping me from writing, including a brief yet highly irritating bit of time spent in the hospital. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Other than that, general start-of-something-new writer's block. I do have all the chapters plotted out roughly at this point. I won't give an estimate of how long it'll be, though. I hate doing that, then ending up short of what I claimed.
Plus I kinda forgot just how many names I'd need to think up. I originally didn't intend for Vega to join Slytherin's Quidditch team. But he will be. And for a very specific reason. There's also a few subplots involving Lapis Eskander I plan to throw into motion. I wouldn't say you should think of him as this era's Draco Malfoy... but that's about as close as I can 'place' him, so to speak.
As said, I do have all of book 1 plotted chapter by chapter. Book 2's got a fairly detailed overview that comes in about the size of an average chapter (around 30kb or 6000-someodd words). Then I have a faint overview for 3. 4 is mostly a breather, unless I decide to move one very important plot point up, which I may do. 5 is the 'okay, now it's just getting ridiculous' book, since I decided that, if nothing else, it's stupid to take yourself too seriously when you write fanfiction as a pasttime. That's gonna be a damn fun one. And from there, Vega as a character really opens up. Which is good, given what I have planned for him in 6 and 7.
Hell, I even have a mock-up bit written about Vega taking down the mysterious big bad guy of this series. I won't say who it is yet. But I have a general idea of how it's gonna go down. It's short, about 5kb, but it IS just the very ending moment where he triumphs.
Anyway, enough prattling from me. Next chapter, Quidditch tryouts will occur! Because holy crap, I hate slow starts!