Chapter 3 – The Potter Legacy
James woke bright and early the next morning like the rest of his dorm, excited for their lessons to start. After getting dressed he went down to the common room with his dormmates to check out their timetables, which had now been posted on the Gryffindor noticeboard. James saw that he had double Potions first thing with Hufflepuff and then Charms. But after lunch he had the lesson he was most looking forward to – Flying.
Down in the Great Hall breakfast was laid out on the tables and much like the feast yesterday it consisted of every breakfast food imaginable. James helped himself to a stack of pancakes, some bacon, sausages and a couple of waffles. He thought to himself if he kept eating like that he'd be returning home at the end of term a couple of stone heavier.
Now extremely full he headed down to the dungeons with Noah ready for his first lesson. When he got to the classroom it felt cold and damp and looking around at the shelves full of pickled animals in jars it did not seem like the most inviting place to learn.
James went to take a seat at the back of the class with Noah when a voice called out to him, "Potter there you are. Great to see you," cheerfully bellowed Professor Slughorn. "Come down the front. I've reserved a seat for you here at the head of the class."
James would have much preferred to sit with Noah at the back but he felt like he couldn't say no to a teacher and with all eyes from his classmates on him he didn't think he had much of a choice either and reluctantly made his way to the front. He looked down at his desk and saw Polly was sat next to the empty seat, which didn't surprise him. He had a feeling Polly would likely be doing her best to make sure she sat at the front of every class so she could get as much of the teachers' attention as possible.
As James sat down and started to get his things out of his bag he briefly looked up to see Professor Slughorn smiling down at him, watching him intently and taking no notice of the rest of the class who were waiting patiently for the lesson to begin. Even after James had got all his things out and was waiting for the professor to start teaching like everyone else, Slughorn still stood there staring at James with a broad grin on his face and beaming eyes, making James feel very self-conscious indeed.
Finally Professor Slughorn turned away from James and addressed the class. "Today we will be attempting to brew a cure for boils. The recipe can be found in Magical Draughts and Potions. Please read though the instructions carefully before beginning and then start to prepare your ingredients."
As everyone started to flick through their textbooks to find the right page, Slughorn stepped over to James and in a lowered voice said "Sorry that we're starting with such a simple potion. But if you find it all too easy then next lesson we can move on to something harder and the rest of the class will just have to cope."
But once James started on the potion he didn't find it that easy at all. He struggled to crush the snake fangs into a fine enough powder and he forgot to remove his cauldron from the fire before adding the second lot of ingredients and his cauldron was only saved from melting by the quick actions of Polly. He was getting in such a muddle that he stirred the potion anti-clockwise and not clockwise. His confusion was not helped by Polly who kept talking to him and telling him how he was doing it all wrong and that he should watch her to see how it was brewed right.
By the end of the class he had a potion that had grey smoke rising from it and not a pink smoke like there was meant to be. Professor Slughorn made his way round the class to inspect everyone efforts and came to James' first. Slughorn's smile slowly faded.
"Oh dear," he said as he looked at the smoke and the murky liquid in the cauldron. He then turned to Polly's cauldron and could see the distinct pink smoke rising from it. "Maybe next time Potter concentrate on your own potion and not helping your classmates to brew theirs so perfectly. But your determination to help others is admirable. Ten points to Gryffindor."
"But Sir," Polly protested. "He didn't help me. I brewed it all on my own."
"Don't be silly young girl. I saw you and Potter talking all through the class. He clearly helped you with this."
"I was the one trying to help him. He kept getting it all wrong," Polly fumed back.
"Don't be absurd. Potter here would have absolutely no trouble brewing a potion as simple as this if he was focused on it. Maybe next time it would be best if you sat at the back of the class away from Potter so you don't distract him again."
Polly was about to argue back with Slughorn but she was so in shock she couldn't find any words and Slughorn immediately turned and headed off to the next desk to inspect the rest of the students' work. James felt bad for not speaking up and telling the truth. But he also thought it might do Polly some good to be knocked off her perch for once. She had been rather insufferable all lesson.
Once Professor Slughorn had finished examining all the students potions he dismissed the class and everyone began to gather up their things and leave.
"Potter would you mind staying behind. I would like a word with you," Slughorn announced as he approached James' desk.
Polly again thought about talking to the professor about her potion but instead just gave James a deathly stare and deliberately knocked him into the desk as she barged past to leave, her mood furious.
Once the other students had left Slughorn came back over to James.
"If it's about my potion today Sir…" James began to speak.
"Don't worry about that Potter. I could see how well you brewed it for your classmate. It was a most excellent cure for boils."
"See the thing is she actually did brew it on her own," James said, not looking Slughorn in the eye as he knew his professor would be disappointed.
"Come now Potter stop being so modest, you're just as skilled as your father was."
"No really Sir…" James started to speak but Slughorn cut him off again.
"Now Potter what I wanted to talk to you about is a little supper club I have with some of my most gifted students. I don't usually invite first years but after all you are the son of Harry Potter so I would be delighted if you would attend. We usually meet once a month and our first supper will be in a couple of weeks' time."
James was about to say he wasn't so sure about it and thought it best he didn't attend but it seemed Slughorn wasn't waiting for an answer and had already presumed James would be attending.
"Delightful," Slughorn continued. "I will send you an invite once a date has been decided. You know I was all set to retire last year. But then when I heard you would be starting Hogwarts this term I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to teach the son of Harry Potter. You really do look like him you know," he said with a longing look at James before he turned and exited the classroom with a broad smile on his face like a cat who had got the cream.
James stood there alone feeling despondent and that living up to the reputation of his father was going to be a big struggle.
James was now late and rushing to his next lesson, not looking where he was going when he collided with someone else, sending both their piles of books they were carrying scattering across the floor. James immediately bent down to pick up the books, apologising but still not looking up to see who the other person was. He finally looked up as he went to pass the person a book titled Contraptions & Devices of a Muggle Household, which clearly wasn't his and recognised the other person as the new Muggle studies teacher who McGonagall had introduced at the Great Feast.
"Thank you Mr Potter," Professor Creevey said as he took the book and crouched down to help collect the others.
"Sorry professor, I should have been looking where I was going," James replied apologetically.
"I am much to blame as you though I had been hoping to bump into you but not quite literally like this," he said with a chuckle. "Professor Creevey," he said introducing himself and outstretched his hand to shake James' who had to put back down the pile of books he had just collected to do so. "Pleasure to meet you Mr Potter."
"You were hoping to meet me?" James asked as he picked his books up again and they were both now standing.
"Well yes you are the son of the famous Harry Potter. I was intrigued to see how much you were like him. You certainly look similar," Creevey said with a smile.
"OK I should really get going or I'll be late for class," James replied, feeling the meeting was becoming very awkward. "It was nice to meet you."
"You too Mr Potter," Creevey said joyfully as he watched James leave.
James' next lesson was just as much a disaster as his Potions one. He had Charms with the Ravenclaw students where Professor Flitwick was teaching them a simple wand lighting charm. But James just couldn't get the hang of it. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get his wand to light. The only saving grace was that he was sat nowhere near Polly this time so at least he didn't have her constantly berating him for his attempts. Though once or twice he looked up and could see her staring at him across the classroom, still seething with him for what happened in Potions.
"She really doesn't like you does she?" Noah noted, having spotted Polly's furious stare too.
"She'll get over it. I hope."
By the end of the class everyone had managed the charm except James, a fact that hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the students. He was sure everyone was talking about him and whispering to each other and a few times he could have sworn he heard the name 'Harry Potter' mentioned. At least he had Flying class to look forward to that afternoon.
At lunch as it was such a nice day (and also because Polly was sat at the Gryffindor table still scowling) James and Noah grabbed some sandwiches and headed outside to eat.
When they got to the courtyard there seemed to be some commotion over in one corner and they headed over to take a look and James at once noticed Seth surrounded by three other first years students that he was pretty sure were all from Slytherin.
"Everything OK Seth?" James asked as he stood behind the trio of Slytherin's who all turned around.
"Well if it isn't Potter," the girl with long blonde hair said in a condescending manner as she looked James up and down. "We haven't been introduced yet. I'm Greta Payne."
"Yes I remember you from the sorting ceremony," James replied. He recognised the girl to Greta's right as Nancy who he had shared a boat with. The boy on Greta's left who had short brown hair he couldn't recall and Greta didn't bother to introduce them and neither of them spoke.
"We were just giving Seth here a lesson on Wizarding history," Greta said with a sneer.
"Well it's lunchtime and lessons are over for now so Seth why don't you come with us and have something to eat?" James said, noticing Seth looked a little frightened.
Seth got up from the bench he was sat on and at first it didn't look like the trio of Slytherins were going to let him past but eventually the boy moved to allow Seth through.
"I bet you think you're better than the rest of us don't you Potter?" Greta remarked as James, who had turned to walk away, turned back around. "Just because your dad is the infamous Harry Potter."
"I don't think I'm better than the rest of the school. But I know I'm better than a pathetic bully like you," James retorted.
"You'd better watch yourself Potter. With that name you're sure to already have a lot of enemies," Greta snapped back but James didn't respond and carried walking away with Noah and Seth.
The three of them left the courtyard and headed towards the lake where they sat down and James and Noah shared their sandwiches with Seth.
"So what were they really talking to you about?" James asked and could see Seth still looked a little frightened.
"They said I didn't deserve to be at Hogwarts because my parents are muggles."
"That's out of order," Noah said furiously. "You should tell McGonagall about it."
"No it will probably only make it worse," a dejected Seth responded.
"Well if you won't go to McGonagall then at least promise me you'll tell me if they ever bother you again," James said and Seth smiled back.
"Thanks Harry, sorry I mean James."
James was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to see him as anything other than Harry Potter's son.
After lunch James and Noah left Seth who headed to his Herbology lesson safe in the knowledge that Greta and her friends wouldn't bother him there. But when James reached the practise lawns for the lesson he was most excited about his faced dropped when he learnt they had Flying class with Slytherin. What with Polly still giving him evil looks and now Greta and her friends sneering at him he thought Greta was right, it was beginning to look like he was going to have a lot of enemies.
"Right class," Madam Hooch, the Flying teacher said as she strode over to them. "Everyone stand by a broom. Quick now."
On the practise lawns were laid out twenty brooms and James made sure he stood beside one as far away from Greta as he could and couldn't wait to get up into the air. But when he looked at the broom he was stood by on closer inspection it looked rather old and a lot of its twigs were missing. It certainly wasn't like the broom he was used to flying on at home. But looking around he could see all the brooms looked in rather poor condition.
"Now stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'Up'" Madam Hooch instructed.
Everyone started to shout 'Up' and at first no one's broom seemed to react including James'. As the shouting continued a few people's brooms rose up but still James' did nothing and he was beginning to get frustrated as he looked around to see who had managed it. To no one's surprise, Polly had her broom firmly in her hand, waiting impatiently for everyone else to follow suit and looking rather smug.
James then saw Noah's broom to the right of him rise up into Noah's hand and slowly the rest of the class seemed to be managing it. Greta and her friends now held their brooms and watched James struggle and sniggered to themselves.
"Maybe you need your daddy to come help show you how it's done," Greta called out across the lawn and most of the Slytherins started laughing.
"Quiet please!" Madam Hooch demanded. "Any more outbursts and I will be docking house points."
Hooch's threat wiped the smirk off Greta's face but only momentarily as soon she was back to sniggering as James still couldn't get his broom to rise.
James was beginning to get angry as his voice got louder and more forceful as he commanded his broom up. Suddenly the broom shot up in the air and James just managed to move his head out the way or he would have been struck hard and quickly caught his broom before it could fly up any higher.
Madam Hooch didn't wait for the last two students to get their brooms up and continued with the lesson and showed students how to mount their brooms correctly. James was glad that this was something he knew how to do but Madam Hooch still commented on his grip as she walked past inspecting everyone's efforts and told him to have his hands further up the handle.
"Now when I blow my whistle kick off from the ground," Hooch continued. "And keeping your brooms steady and level, rise a couple of feet then lean forward on your broom to make it come straight back down again. Got it?"
Before anyone could answer Hooch had blown her whistle and students apprehensively started to kick off. James' first effort produced no effect and he was still firmly on the ground. His second attempt did no better as he watched everyone else start to slowly rise on their brooms. On his third attempt he finally rose off the ground. He was tempted to start whizzing around the grounds just to show everyone he really could fly, having noticed a few stares when he had failed to take off straight away. But he thought better of it, not wanting to lose house points and make more enemies. So he started to lean forward on his broom to make it go down again but the broom just hovered there and didn't move so he started to lean a bit further forward.
"Hey Potter let's see if you're a good a Seeker as your father was," Greta shouted up to him and pulled an apple out of her pocket that she had left over from lunch and threw it at him.
The apple missed James but he was momentarily distracted and thrown off balance and ended up leaning too far forward. His broom tipped up and he fell off and landed in a heap on the floor.
Hooch had been too distracted trying to bring one of the girls from Gryffindor back down when her broom had kept rising that she hadn't seen the incident but turned to see James lying on the floor.
"Mr Potter please be more careful," Hooch called out frustratedly. "You don't want a trip to the hospital wing on your first day now."
James picked himself up and dusted the grass and dirt from his robes and looked furiously at Greta who was laughing with her friends. His first day at Hogwarts wasn't going quite how he expected.