Year 1

Chapter 4: Moving Through the Year – part 1

New chapter by Steve2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything related to it.

{-4-}

With a sigh, Minerva McGonagall looked up from her desk where she was grading essays from the class and noticed all but one of her students was practicing their assignment. That one student, she knew it was him before she even raised her head and saw his hand up in the air, was Harry Potter. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Is it true you lived in Scotland before coming to work here at this drafty castle?"

Not seeing what this had to do with the assignment, but knowing she wouldn't be getting any work done until his insatiable curiosity was appeased, she replied, "Yes, Mr. Potter. I grew up in the Highlands."

"I knew it. I could tell by your accent. I don't suppose you had a relative by the name of Conner or Duncan?"

"Well, I do have a distant cousin by the name of Duncan…" she started, thinking, who doesn't have a Duncan in their clan.

"If that's the case, where's your sword?" Harry smiled.

"My sword, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, your sword. You know, for cutting off other immortal's heads. After all there can be only one, right?"

"I'm afraid I don't…"

"So how many heads have you taken?"

"Professor McGonagall cuts off heads?" Ron Weasley said with wide eyes. "Cor! I'll get this assignment done, professor, never you worry!"

Minerva McGonagall didn't know whether to award Harry points for motivating his fellow classmates into working harder, or cry now that she was likely to be gossiped as a homicidal murderer by dinnertime.

Honestly, where does that boy get these ideas anyway?!

{-4-}

"Harry!" shouted a voice from behind the young Potter.

He turned and noticed two twin red-heads coming at him in a sprint. They were from another house, so he had to be on guard. There was no telling what kind of insaneness they would throw his way.

"Let me guess, you're Fred and George Weasley, right?" Harry arched an eyebrow. "I've been warned about you from the others in my house."

"Got us pegged, Fred."

"I thought you were Fred," his twin returned.

"Maybe we both are," went the response.

"You two confirm my belief that I'm in an insane asylum, you know," Harry pointed out.

"Then our job is done!" one of the Fred's grinned.

Harry grinned back. "Nah, you're not crazy. You're too sane to be crazy. Bet you're keeping an eye on the other crazy ones."

"Oh, George, how can he think of such vile thoughts about us?" To Harry: "Of course we are, young snake. They are such a dour crowd, we feel it our calling to make them feel happy as much as possible."

"Plus, it makes the insane ones feel better," George winked at Harry.

"Too true, brother of mine," replied his brother, putting his hand over his heart.

Harry replied, "I have to tell you, I am so happy to know there are other sane ones in school. This place is a madhouse."

"So, Harry, how would you like to help a couple other wayward students in this castle of insanity help to make things a little more… frivolous?" George began.

"You're bending my ear, so let's hear your sales pitch," Harry smiled at the start of negotiations.

{-4-}

"You don't exist! Quit following me!" Harry ordered, walking faster down the mostly empty corridor.

"But I'm talking to you," replied the Fat Friar.

"You're just a hologram! I keep telling you that!"

"I am not! I am a ghost! Boooooooo-whoooooo! See? I haunt!"

Harry stopped and started looking around the cracks and crevices of the corridor.

"What are you doing now? Shouldn't you be on your way to class?"

"I'm looking for the holo-emitters or whatever they are using for your hologram."

The Fat Friar shot his hands up in frustration, and said, "You talk to him. He's in your house!" He then ghosted away through a wall.

The Bloody Baron looked at his your charge. He then said, "We're ghosts, you bloody pillock!"

"Yeah, right. If that were the case, you'd think I would have found the Ghostbusters in my phone book before I left to come to this crazy place."

"The what?" said the ghostly voice.

"Ghostbusters, you numbskull! Or barring that, you'd think that there'd be at least the British equivalent. What do you think? Should I start up my own firm? I can call it… Hellsing, or something like that."

{-4-}

Harry wasn't sure what to expect with Broom flying lessons, but he went in with an open mind.

"They have anti-gravity here? Cool! Or is that magnetic repulsion? Either way, that is so cool! And voice activated computer systems! Neat-o! So you must be saying it's magic to keep up appearances, eh, Professor Booze?"

"That's Professor Hooch."

"But that's what I said. Anyway, having to talk about this supposed magic all the time must be maddening. Good thing you have some anti-gravity toys to play with. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, and all that," Harry winked at the spiked-hair witch.

Professor Hooch felt the tell-tale start of a nervous tic above her left eye.

Harry, of course, proceeded to fall in love with the anti-gravity "broomstick" and zoomed around the pitch during his first lesson, in and out of the goal posts, around the moving tree (he wasn't sure what they'd spliced with that tree bud to get it to do that), and through Professor Dumbledore's window where he crashed into a shelf full of tinker-toys.

"Sorry about that," Harry grinned and took off again, back through the open window.

Fawkes looked at the carnage. Then back at her human with the white beard. He looked back at his Phoenix and said, "Yes, dear, I'll clean it up."

{-4-}

Read and Review, please! Smiles!

Steve2