Chapter Two
First Class
All of the other houses had been escorted to their rooms before Severus, Hermione, Jennifer, and Anna walked over to the fifth table to speak with them.
"We have arranged for you to sleep in the Gymnasium," Professor Snape informed them. "While we have located new quarters for this unexpected occurrence, we are going to need a day or two to tighten security as well as to make some quick renovations to make it more inhabitable. Professor Black, your new head of house, will escort you to the Gym, and you will receive your schedules tomorrow. Please do not unpack anything except for what you will need for classes, since we will be moving your trunks to your new quarters as soon as they are ready."
"Where's the new house going to be at?" Quintin asked.
"Professor Black will be able to answer any questions you have once you are escorted up," Professor Snape informed him.
Quintin gazed at him searchingly but his father ignored it, and Quintin found himself being asked to line up to be escorted up to the Gymnasium. Frowning at the cool reception, Quintin did what he was told. Jennifer stepped over to Severus as they were led out of the Great Hall.
"Severus, I'd rather go ahead and take a look security on the fourth floor just so I know what I'm in for. Do you mind picking up Seren?" Jennifer asked.
"Under the circumstances, I'd rather take at look at the security in that wing myself, Jennifer, so why don't you go ahead and pick her up and head to our rooms for the evening? This is going to cause some major changes to the school's finances, so I need to go over security and other concerns with Hermione and Boulderdash. We'll have to make some immediate decisions on how we're going to fit this into the budget. Besides, you have an early class tomorrow," Severus reminded her.
"Yes, alright," Jennifer acquiesced, privately grateful that she wasn't going to have to stay up late. She stepped into the Doorlift and out next to the daycare, noting that Laura and Andrew had already picked up Elinor and Emma Elizabeth. The daycare was very quiet, and Winnie Brim, one of many volunteers who helped looked after the daycare, sat with a book in hand while Serendipity slept in the cot. "Sorry if I'm late," Jennifer whispered.
"Laura told me what happened," Winnie whispered back. "I'm surprised you're here already, actually... this house thing coming out of the blue like that. How do you feel about it?"
"Do you want to know the honest truth?" Jennifer asked under her breath. "Promise you won't tell Severus?"
"Sure," Winnie said.
"I'm quite relieved," Jennifer replied. "You have no idea just how overdue this was."
Winnie grinned at that, waiting for Jennifer to pick up Serendipity so she could hand Jennifer her duckie. Then she walked Jennifer over to the door before securing the daycare for the night.
By the time Jennifer woke up the next morning, Severus was busy looking over the castle blueprints in the Headmaster's Study. In front of his desk, Serendipity sat in a small chair at the table, eating diced fruit for breakfast. She was a quiet-natured child with gently curled auburn hair, light green eyes, and freckles from spending her summer months outside. She was already dressed for the day in overalls and a white shirt, which was covered with tiny butterflies that moved every now and again.
"I'm so sorry, Severus, I guess I overslept. You should have woke me up sooner," Jennifer said sincerely.
"I was just about to. You still have time to eat before First Bell," Severus suggested. "I took a Wakeful Dose last night, so it was no trouble getting Serendipity ready. Do you want to see the security report?"
"I think I'll take it downstairs with me so I can look over it more carefully," Jennifer decided, and he handed her a copy. "I see you covered it with suggestions."
"Yes, but most of them are simply additions that are already utilized on all other house rooms," Severus replied. "Between all of the security that Dumbledore and I have both thrown on the fourth floor over the years, the old Armory and Guard Wing are fairly up to date... not that it mattered when it came to hiding a certain Stone or keeping that Lake Gargoyle contained... hopefully keeping the students in won't be as much of a challenge," he said, but then frowned. "Perhaps I ought not to have said that." Jennifer chuckled softly, glancing over at where the Hat slept on the shelf.
"Have you talked to him at all about this?" Jennifer asked.
"Jennifer, I am not in the habit of talking to magically animated objects," Severus said.
"Really? You talk to Armando all the time," Jennifer challenged him.
"He's a Headmaster Painting, Jennifer. You of all people know that's different, and I only talk to him in reference to his job as a secretary," Severus informed her.
"That is quite true," Armando Dippet agreed.
"Yes, but Sorting the students is what the Hat does, so it wouldn't be as if you'd be talking to him about something that's not in his nature," Jennifer reasoned, walking over to the shelf. "Sorting Hat, how come you didn't sort Quintin and his friends into a house last night?"
"I did Sort them into a house," the Hat replied easily.
"Yes, but how come you didn't put them in one of the other houses?" Jennifer asked.
"Because they didn't belong there," the Hat explained. "They belong in the house they are in, whatever that house ends up being."
"So... as a Sorting Hat, you have the ability to put them in an unnamed house if necessary... but not to name the new house yourself," Jennifer paraphrased thoughtfully. "Then how would a new house be named?"
"I don't know, I'm just the Sorting Hat. Perhaps you should check the bylaws... it's somewhere in the first third of the book, and closer to the front," he suggested.
Jennifer glanced over at Severus, who stared at the Hat speculatively before pulling out the bottom drawer of his desk and heaving his copy of the Hogwarts school rules on top. Jennifer frowned at the enormous book.
"You know what? I don't think I want to know the answer that badly. The Sorting Hat seems to be working within its charms, does it not?" Jennifer commented as she cleaned the toddler up.
"Yes, obviously, I never doubted that part," Severus said.
"Well, then, you don't have much to worry about, do you? Anyway, I'm taking Seren down now. If you need me during lunch or during my conference, I'll be on the fourth floor," Jennifer said, picking the toddler up.
"Yes, as I'm certain I'll be there as well," Severus said, turning his attention to the rulebook the moment they left.
He flipped pages back and forth to narrow down what section it might be in. Finally he found it and studied it with a great deal of interest, a wave of relief washing over him as he read it. Wondering when that particular amendment to the rules had been added, he looked it up in the Appendix and gazed at it thoughtfully.
"So... this subject has come up before, has it?" Severus murmured to himself, then got in his desk to write out a letter for the Teledim.
Quintin felt the flick of a tongue on his cheek and tried to swat it away, getting hissed at in response. He blearily opened his eyes, staring with a frown at the line of windows on the slanted Gym ceiling and reluctantly sat up, patting Rasputin's head distractedly and wishing not for the first time that his parents had allowed him to sleep in his own room.
"You will stay with your house and endure it with the rest of them," Snape had stated quite briskly, turning his attention to Black and Carnegie without another comment. Quintin frowned when he thought of it. His father's thoughts had been clouded all night, so Quintin didn't have a clue as to what he was thinking. Why was he acting so strange all of the sudden? He was so cold and aloof... perhaps he was angry with Quintin after all?
The lights suddenly brightened, and everyone in the room groaned in protest.
"Alright, students, time to get up. You have a class during First Bell," Anna informed them, taking some sheets of paper and sticking it on the board they typically used for Sparring Club. "There are bathrooms down the hallway to the left that you can use to clean up... Rasputin, get out of here before you cause a student incident," she scolded the lizard. A few of the students lying in sleeping bags around Quintin suddenly noticed the lizard and scrambled away from as he lumbered out of the room.
"What the hell is that thing?" Pete wanted to know.
"Monitor Basilisk," Anna replied as Rasputin went by her and out of the room. "I suggest you ask in your Defense Class if you want to know more, which you'll be having after lunch. Now, get up and get ready for Charms," she told them.
"Professor Black," Pipaluk Dimple called out. "Do you know how long we're going to be sleeping in here?"
"With any luck, only a couple more nights," Anna replied. "Since tomorrow is Saturday, Professor Craw and her team plan to spend the whole weekend putting together your houserooms and making certain they're secure. Expect an update on Sunday," she informed them.
There were a few more grumbles and Anna put her hands on her hips.
"Did you really think this was going to be easy?" she challenged them, frowning sternly. "Bucking the system never is, you know. It always comes with risks and hardships, regardless of what institutional change you're trying to accomplish. Well, you made your choice, and now you're going to have to deal with the fallout. You're just lucky that Hermione and I have had 'casual' conversations over the last couple of years about where we could put a new house or two if we could convince the headmaster to add them, or we'd still be trying to narrow it down right now. You'd have been in here for weeks." Quintin frowned at that, gazing at her searchingly. "I doubt the reception that you're going to get from the students who were Sorted into traditional houses is going to be very favorable, either, especially when they realize that everything from sports schedules to the point system are going to have to be adjusted to accommodate you. Speaking of which, while I don't expect any of you to come up with a motto or a mascot until the end of the year, there is one thing you need to decide on right now. What is going to be your main color... Purple, or orange?" she asked, getting a wide range of expressions. "How many for orange?"
Only one or two of the students seemed to be considering it, but they hesitated when they glanced over at Quintin and noticed that he didn't seem keen on it.
"Purple then?" she inquired. Quintin's hand went up, and everyone else's followed.
"Fine. We'll be adding a new Hourglass by the end of the day. Do me a favor and let's not start off with those points getting into the negative," Anna suggested. She stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"Quintin?" Oscar asked, pulling his robes out of his trunk. "Did that sound to you like Grandmother knew what we were up to?"
"Yeah," Quintin confirmed, grabbing his robes to take to the bathroom. "From what I picked up, she's suspected that we were planning something radical with the Sorting Hat for some time now, and that's why she stepped in so quickly when it happened."
"Oh. Do you think that means that our parents won't be angry with us for what we did?" Oscar asked hopefully. Quintin frowned, remembering how strange his father had been behaving.
"I have absolutely no idea," Quintin admitted. "Don't write that down!" he snapped when Jeremy moved to record that historic event in his journal.
As Quintin's house stepped into the Charms classroom, Professor Weasley was ready for them with her wand, casting at each one to turn their ties purple as the Slytherin students watched them warily from their seats.
"There we go. Sit with your house in alphabetical order, please, starting from the bottom row," Weasley said. "Wands and books on your desks, we have a long double session today! Before we get started with the book, I'd like to warn you right off that while you'll be slightly ahead of the other first years in this class because of timing, don't get your hopes up that you'll be able to practice with your wand in any of your classes before they do. Most of the first years won't have Charms until Monday or Tuesday, and neither of them are doubles. You shouldn't expect to use your wand in any of your other classes until every first has attended their first Charms class. Therefore, please do me a favor and sit on your hands. Don't be tempted to use your wand until they've caught up, and then only when instructed by a professor," she informed them. "Now! Let's discuss the book. How many of you read the first chapter?" she asked. "Half of the book?" she inquired, glancing around to see that Quintin and a handful of the Slytherin students had their hand up. "All of the book?"
"Does that include older additions of the book, Professor Weasley?" Quintin inquired as the rest of the hands went down.
"Obviously there are differences, but yes, I suppose," Professor Weasley said, and he kept his hand up. "Although I notice you have a new copy."
"True, but I read the one from two years ago," Quintin professed, the rest of the students staring at him. "And I found it quite elementary."
"Then perhaps you'll have to keep a scroll as you read the current copy of the book to see if you can spot the changes," Professor Weasley suggested evenly.
"Very well, I shall," Quintin replied calmly.
And with that, Professor Weasley realized just how much a trial that year was going to be. It didn't help that every wand movement they practiced he did precisely the very first time, and his enunciation was always perfect. In fact, he spent most of the time that she was helping other students starting on that scroll he promised and writing down differences he noticed in the very first chapter. He was also the first student to get the Levitation spell to work during the second half of class. Finally Professor Weasley released them to go to their next class, going to her office for a breather.
"What's next, Quintin?" Jeremy asked, making some notes in his journal as they turned down the corridor.
"Broom practice," Quintin reminded him.
"Great! I've been looking forward to that," Jeremy said.
"You mean we're going to ride brooms too? I thought the broom thing was just for witches," Pete said, coming up behind them.
"Why should they get all the fun?" Jeremy asked him. Pete shrugged, following them through the Quidditch Wing and out the door.
Some of the Hufflepuff students watched curiously as Quintin led his house out, most of them following behind amiably. Quintin glanced over the school brooms that had no owners yet, finally stepping next to the one he liked the best while everyone else had to file around him. Walking out a few minutes later, Brittle glanced at them thoughtfully as she strode up the aisle, wondering what to expect.
"No need to worry, Madame Brittle. My house will be ace at this," Quintin said when she passed by.
"We'll see, Mr. Snape," Brittle said evenly. She walked to the end of the line and got out a clipboard to make certain everyone was there, calling out a few names she didn't recognize.
"Now, I realize that some of you have basic knowledge of riding a broom. If you do, congratulations. Consider this an opportunity to take it to the next level," Brittle said. "The main emphasis of this class will be broom safety. Regardless of your skill level, you will benefit from this course when you try out for Quidditch this year." Quintin's hand went up. "Yes?" Brittle asked, despite the fact that his next question was quite obvious.
"My house currently only has first years in it. Are we going to be allowed to compete in Quidditch this year?" Quintin inquired.
"The school rules state that first year students may try out for Quidditch as long as they become twelve by the end of the school year... yes, even if it's only by a week, Mr. Snape," she added, Quintin smiling thinly at that. "After consulting Professor Weasley and Professor Snape, I have confirmed that you do have enough students to try out, but since you have no previous members, your team will be set up by me, based on both tryouts and your performance in this class up until that point. I trust I won't have any trouble out of any of you. As for football tryouts, you will be allowed to determine those positions for yourselves. I will assume you can do so amicably."
"Tennis club?" Quintin asked.
"You're not restricted from any clubs, but if you choose Auror club, you'll need your parents' or guardian's permission to participate. Anything else about the sports curriculum before we get back to broom safety?" she asked.
But since Quintin covered everything they had been concerned about, the students focused on their brooms and learning how to call them. Most of his house had very little trouble with getting them to respond, except for Pete. When Quintin noticed that Madame Brittle was busy helping a Hufflepuff student with similar problems, Quintin stepped out of line and went over to him.
"A broom is just another sort of magical item, just like your wand," Quintin explain to him. "Don't think of it like a living thing you're trying to get to behave, but an item to command."
"You know, like Luke Skywalker calling his lightsaber," Jeremy explained next to him.
"Up!" Pete commanded, and it finally rattled and then reluctantly came into his hand. Nodding at him in approval, Quintin went back to his spot, then noticed Brittle looking at him.
"I'll give you five points for helping out, Mr. Snape, but don't step out of line without permission again," Brittle told him.
"Yes, Madame Brittle," Quintin replied.
Quintin stayed in line for the rest of the instruction and even through hovering in place exercises. But when she sent them out to practice coasting at ground level so that they could stop themselves when they got into trouble, Quintin noticed that Oscar was having a particularly hard time turning and jumped off his broom and went over to show him. He even went over to help out a Hufflepuff who was having trouble maintaining a constant speed.
Madame Brittle watched the exchanges speculatively and decided not to intervene, since Quintin was satisfied enough with their progress that he had gotten back on his own broom. She didn't miss the fact that he was coasting so easily that it gave him plenty of time to swing around to watch their progress in case anyone else needed help.
Severus stepped over to Danyelle thoughtfully, watching Quintin and the rest of the students for a moment before turning to her.
"I see everything is going smoothly thus far," Severus commented.
"Yes it is. You know it's strange, but Quintin reminds me a lot of me when I was his age," Danyelle said quietly, Severus glancing at her questioningly. "He doesn't just want to succeed for himself, he wants to see his friends succeed as well, and he'll shelve his pride long enough to make certain they're keeping up. It's almost like he can't help himself, he has to jump in," she observed. "The main difference between us, of course, is that my confidence and pride was just posturing; a mask for what was happening in my life. I was behaving how I was taught to behave. His confidence seems more organic, fueled by his family and friendships."
"And it needs to be taken down a peg or two, yes, I know," Severus replied. Danyelle let out a soft short chuckle.
"Well, maybe," Danyelle said noncommittally. "But from what I see, you have little to worry about over the long term. I am certain that as he matures, his desire to help his friends will win out over his pride, just like it did for me."
"We still have to endure it until then," Severus warned.
"Oh, yes. I know," Danyelle said with a thin smile. "Like we had to endure Corey's first few years."
"Thank you for the reminder," Severus said dryly, turning to head inside and leaving Danyelle to smirk knowingly at that.
Severus took his time walking through the castle, listening to the sounds of activity as some students sat in their last classes before lunch, and a lucky few went to the Great Hall for an early one. Things felt... unsettled... out of balance... and he was fairly sure that it was likely stay that way all year.
After all, the new house came when no one was expecting it; no, that wasn't entirely accurate. Some of his staff were less surprised than others. He glanced in Hermione's classroom but didn't stop, knowing that she would be soon joining him for lunch. He made his way up the stairs and into the Headmaster's Study, pondering his appointment book thoughtfully.
"I see that Minerva will be here after lunch... and Eric will be here this weekend. I suppose that means the word is out now," Severus said.
"So it would seem," Armando agreed.
"Then I suppose I ought to enjoy a calm moment while I can," Severus decided, cleaning off his desk and getting the table ready for lunch.
Not long after he had set up, Hermione came in with a couple of scrolls in hand.
"Good afternoon, Severus! I brought up the scheduling changes for classes, Quidditch, and football that you wanted," Hermione said, putting one of the scrolls on the table. "I also dropped by the library to get a budgeting proposal from Boulderdash. He has the improvements coming out of general funds for now, but I asked him to formally add the new house to the accommodations section by the end of the year," she explained and handed Severus the other scroll.
"Thank you, that will suffice. Has he spoken to the Order of the Owls about all of this yet?" Severus asked.
"No, he's planning to discuss it with them tonight at dinner, although I think they've already figured out on their own that the easiest solution was to drop each house to four Owl members instead of five, since it'll still add up to twenty students. They do have a few slots open," Hermione said. "But before you talk to the board next week, we ought to talk about what's written in the school rulebook about adding another house, because apparently it was discussed years and years ago..."
"Yes, I already found the section you're referring to, Hermione. It would seem that Albus had already anticipated this might happen at some point, and was able to take it out of the hands of the school board entirely. There's even a section in here preventing the details of a new house from being determined by the Ministry or the Wizard Council, although why they would try to intervene in such a thing is beyond me. In fact, I was so interested to learn what had prompted the suggestion that house names should be diplomatically decided by all affected students and staff that I wrote Albus a Teledim letter to ask him about it," Severus admitted.
"Perhaps Minerva knows something," Hermione suggested.
"I am wondering that as well, and she's meeting me in half an hour," Severus replied, handing Hermione a teacup and sitting down next to the table. "I notice that your early Friday double is now with the new house. How did they do today?" Severus inquired.
"They did very well and I didn't have a single problem, despite the fact that their first class was a double," Hermione replied. "Quintin did particularly well, actually. In fact, I'm quite certain from what I saw today that he's likely going to be at the top of most of his classes this year. Did you know that he already read the last Charms book from cover to cover?"
"Well, no, but considering how much of his spare time he spent in the library last year, I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised," Severus mused.
"You're probably going to find it strange, but Quintin reminds me a lot of myself during my first year at Hogwarts," Hermione admitted, Severus blinking thoughtfully at that. "Not only is he eager to learn and willing to work ahead, but when I challenged him to do something particularly hard by comparing the old book with the new one, he immediately rose to the challenge, wanting to prove to everyone he could do it, especially to himself," she explained. "Of course, he didn't have the additional challenge of being first generation like I did, and yet I think he understands it to some extent as well. I mean, there's only one first generation in his house... Pete Cander, and Quintin has totally taken him under his wing. Being a Truth Seeker really does give him a different understanding of people, although I wouldn't be surprised if he starts missing things like Rus does sometimes if we're not careful."
"Yes, but the staff is well versed how to deal with Truth Seekers in the classroom now, so I'm sure you'll rise to occasion," Severus replied.
"Of course we will," Hermione said with a smile, turning the conversation to other school matters.
Not long after Hermione left to go to her next class, Minerva arrived, intent to get the real story behind the rumors that had begun the night before. She gazed at the Sorting Hat thoughtfully as Severus told her the story about what happened. As she was still attempting to process it, he showed her the section in the rulebook and her mind went to a different place entirely.
"Severus, I don't need to tell you that those were chaotic times," Minerva said, Severus nodding in agreement. "We were trying to cope with all of our friends who had died during the Terrors, and we were still wondering if that backfire on Harry had destroyed Voldemort for good. Not to mention all of the Death Eater inquisitions that followed. I was at wit's end to keep a step ahead of my own responsibilities, and I really didn't have time to pay attention to school board politics. Even the school board was upended from what happened... several had to be replaced. As I recall, the board was a bit of a headache even after the fact. There were a lot of old families with members serving on that board, and while none of them were ever accused of being a Death Eater per se, they had family members who had been involved."
"What about Lucius?" Severus asked.
"Oh, he joined a couple of years later, well after he was officially cleared due to Imperius Curse coercion," Minerva said.
"Thank you, I remember that part of it," Severus said dryly. "Actually, I was hoping that you knew why this clause had been added. After all, Hogwarts was in a bit of a shambles and had its own wounds to mend, and it certainly wasn't being overrun by students at that point. We now have one and a half times the students we had back then."
"That's quite true. In fact, I'm rather surprised that you hadn't considered adding another house sooner than this, considering the expansions you had to make to the four houses," Minerva replied.
"I never mentioned it because I was expecting it to be a political nightmare, with alumni fighting over everything from crests to the name for months on end, and to the detriment of the entire school. I was attempting to avoid the headache," Severus explained, Minerva nodded in understanding. "And while this particular clause has put to rest my greatest concerns, I have no doubts at all that I will still have my fair share of headaches over this as parents, alumni, and the board start nosing in. But I had nothing to do with this."
"And did your son have nothing to do with this?" Minerva inquired.
"The Sorting Hat did it, Minerva, I have plenty of witnesses," Severus said firmly. "It makes sense that such an item would be set up to add houses at certain capacity intervals, after all. I simply wasn't aware that the Hat's charm was that sophisticated."
"It has made up a different rhyme every year it's used for centuries, Severus. Of course it's that sophisticated," Minerva pointed out. "I am certain that Eric and I can explain this to the rest of the board so that they understand this wasn't your doing, although I don't doubt that some of them will point out that you could have chosen not to allow it by Sorting them into the existing houses yourself. And I ought to warn you that when I was having breakfast in the tea room in Hogsmeade, several parents came up to me and commented that they got a note from their children saying they were Sorted into 'Quintin's House' or the 'New House that Quintin started.' You might want to see what you can do to stifle that version of the story before people start believing that version of it."
Severus sighed at that.
"Yes, you are quite right about that. Thank you for the warning," Severus said sincerely.
Still, it was hard to deny that Quintin played a part in it, Severus thought as he sipped his tea. He was a bit puzzled by the fact that Aurelius hadn't contacted him about it, not even asking for an appointment. Surely this was the secret he'd been keeping for Quintin and the Sorting Hat all these years.
Quintin and the others poured over the newspapers with interest, delving deep to find something interesting.
"It's just been a bit quiet lately," Alana Kapadia from Gryffindor said. "It's not like anything really interesting happens anymore. Not like the old days, back when everyone had to deal with vampires and assassins and circuses and all of that. The only thing I've found so far are reports about the Elderflower Society being suspected of Muggle potionings and rumors about where the Dashing Dopple might be hiding at. What have you found, Kirsty?"
"Not much... although Gilderoy Lockhart is having a book signing in Hogsmeade in a few weeks for his new book, 'All of Me'," Kirsty said with interest.
"Now what does that have to do with Defense? Honestly!" Alana said. Quintin chuckled and they turned to look at him.
"I'd stick with Dashing Dopple reports or simply find the 'recent arrests' column. They have one in both the Daily Prophet and the Wizardview has one," Quintin pointed out to them.
"I think we should probably stick to the one closer at home," Kirsty suggested, and the two girls searched through to find it.
"I hope you found something to write about as well since you seem to have time to help others, Quintin," Laura said.
"I have, Professor Laura. It's an article about Minister Craw and Minister Clemmons petitioning the Ministry to convert the fourth quarter in Azkaban into a maximum security wing," Quintin replied.
"Doesn't Azkaban already have a maximum security wing?" Pippa asked.
"Well, yes, but it's been breached in the past, and any small changes they might make to it might be compromised if there are any moles in the building, because it's very specific," Quintin explained. "If they build an entire wing from scratch, there's much less of a chance anyone will know about every security measure. Besides, they have the room and the prison could do with some updating, because it's always a race to keep one step ahead of criminals. For every new Defense technique that's developed, there's going to be some crook out there trying to figure out a way around it."
"Well done, Quintin. Make certain all of that gets in the conclusion of your summary," Laura said.
"That's no problem, I've already got it all recorded in my journal," Jeremy informed them, quickly writing in the last sentence.
"And just how are you doing with your research?" Laura wanted to know. Sheepishly, Jeremy put his journal away and picked the newspaper back up.
Quintin frowned at the clock at the back of the class but resisted the urge to say anything as they walked into the History classroom. Professor Scribe sat at her desk, pulling out the correct list of names from a neatly organized folder. She was currently wearing a pair of reading glasses that she had taken to in the last couple of years, but they didn't cover her face in the slightest. Despite that, Quintin couldn't read her expressions whatsoever.
"Sit where you like, but once you've picked a spot, you must sit there all of the time, so I can learn your names and so that I am getting assignments back to you in the correct order," Professor Scribe replied.
"Does that mean you like to keep organized, Professor Scribe?" Quintin asked as they picked out their seats. "Despite the fact that we don't have to sit alphabetically?"
"Yes, well, after several unpleasant experiences with the wrong people sitting next to one another, I have learned to make some allowances," Scribe explained. "There are a lot less personality clashes when the students seat themselves. Proceed at your discretion." Quintin smiled at that, sitting next to Jeremy in the second row. Pete and Oscar took the front row, while just behind them sat Libby and Pippa.
"May I ask you something else before we start, Professor?" Quintin asked.
"Yes?" Scribe asked distractedly.
"Did you know that the clock in the classroom is a bit behind? The last two students actually came in a minute and fifteen seconds late," Quintin said. Broc Villin and Ian Bulstrode squinted at him.
Scribe looked at the clock suspiciously, taking out her goblin watch to confirm it.
"Since it was my oversight instead of theirs, we will overlook it..." she paused as the bell rang.
"The bells are three minutes late," Quintin added for good measure. She nodded at her goblin watch, confirming that as well.
"I suggest you mention that fact to your house advisor, Mr. Snape. She will be able to look into the matter for you and make sure it's on Mr. Carnegie's duty list," Sally replied.
"Thank you, Professor," Quintin said, watching with fascination as Scribe brought out her wand and pointed it at the clock, fixing it. Then she passed around a seating chart so that everyone could add their names to it.
"I hope all of you paid attention to your shopping list when it came to having parchment, inks, and quills, as well as wax seals for your finished work, and a regular notebook to take notes in," Scribe said. There was a scramble as everyone began getting them out. "You need not get your book out today. In fact, we shall not be starting on it for the first two weeks. Instead, we shall be working on your writing skills as in penmanship, writing skills as in composition, and in library and research skills. There is no point in teaching you anything else until you have these down, since they are necessary for all assignments you will have in this class. And since this is a double thanks to circumstances out of our control, you will be getting your first essay assignment before you leave, to be due next week. Now! Please sit up straight as we go through some basic quill writing exercises! And before you ask, even those of you who have been taught how to write with quill and ink since primary can always benefit from learning better penmanship, since illegible essays will not be acceptable in this class," she warned.
It was easy to tell who had and hadn't had written with quills and parchment from the very first blotch. Quintin wasn't surprised in the least that Pete was struggling with it the most, although Jeremy was barely doing any better.
"We just started on writing with quills on parchment last year," Jeremy whispered to Quintin. "We were told that we needed to learn it, but that we weren't likely to use it much outside of two classes at Whitebridge, so we didn't spend much time on it."
"Yes, but you knew last year that you were coming here. You should have known better," Quintin pointed out.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Jeremy replied. "I'm glad she's setting aside time for us to work on it."
"Have you finished your first five columns, Mr. Miller?" Scribe asked after hearing the whispers, walking down the row.
"No, Professor Scribe, but I'm working on it," Jeremy said, and Scribe leaned over to check his progress.
"I see you have learned some basic letter formation. Make certain that each stroke is in the correct order as you work through it and you'll have less trouble," Scribe suggested.
"Yes, Professor," Jeremy said.
Pete put up his hand glumly. Scribe frowned at his ruined parchment, which was mostly blotches with a few strange double lines thrown in for good measure.
"Mr. Cander?" Scribe asked.
"I think there's something wrong with my quill," Pete said. Scribe sighed at the bent, smashed end.
"It's a wonder you didn't poke holes through the parchment," Professor Scribe tsked. "A much lighter touch is in order, and you don't need to hold the quill in a death grip. Concentrate on the stroke guide."
"But I'm almost out of ink!" he protested. Scribe's mouth twitched slightly, picking up the parchment and murmuring a spell under her breath. The parchment rung itself out like a wet towel, the ink pouring out and filling the inkwell.
"There! Try again," she suggested, putting the parchment down for him and handing him a new quill.
"Professor?" Quintin asked with his hand up. "Perhaps I can change seats just until the end of the class so I might help him?" he suggested. "It will free you up to help other students." Scribe looked at Quintin's work thoughtfully.
"Yes, I suppose! Although your penmanship leaves room for improvement as well, I believe you are far enough along that you may do so just this once," she decided, allowing him to change places with Oscar.
Jeremy and Oscar looked over each other's work with interest. Seeing that the other wasn't much better at it, the two of them relaxed and got to work.
Everyone was relieved when she finally had them put their practice work away in favor of going over library procedures and what she expected from them their essay papers. Turning away from the chalk board, she then grabbed a witch hat that was sitting on stand behind her desk, closing it and shaking it.
"Inside here are folded papers with a name of famous witches and wizards from the Isles," Scribe explained. "Please take one. You need only write a one page essay. At this point, I am more interested in seeing what your skill level is in technical writing and research. Therefore, it will not be marked past complete or incomplete, although I will give house points if your papers are particularly good. After this exploratory paper, I expect you to learn how to pass first year standards. And then, once your skill is beyond it, you need to keep pushing your personal skill level forward. If I know that you are working below your skill level just to get through the assignment, do not expect stellar marks in this class, regardless of whether it's above standard or not. One last note, always remember that facts are facts and opinions are opinions. If you learn nothing else from this class, I expect you to learn to tell the difference. If I notice that you are getting confused on which is which, I will make you go back over your essays and label each offense until you have it figured out. Any more questions? Yes, Mr. Snape?" she asked, glancing at where he sat with a folded paper in one hand and his other hand raised.
"Might I have a different name? I pulled Burdock Muldoon," Quintin said.
"So? What's wrong with that?" Scribe asked, baffled.
"You said you wanted us to push our personal skill level forward, Professor. This one is much too easy," Quintin explained.
"The first assignment is meant to assess your personal skill level at writing and research, Mr. Snape. Simply show me your best work with the subject you've been given," Scribe said.
"I can hardly show my best work by writing a scroll on Muldoon. May I pick something a bit more challenging?" Quintin asked. Scribe sighed with exasperation.
"What exactly did you have in mind?" she asked.
"Perhaps something out of Hogwarts, a History and its Addendum," Quintin suggested, and she stared at him. "You see, my house will eventually need a name, and the Sorting Hat implied that the students themselves will have a hand in that decision. Since that is the case, I would like to research some of the professors and instructors from the period of the first founders to see if there is anyone worthy of such consideration." Now the rest of the class was staring at him as well. "Perhaps one of the four apprentices would work? Janus Craw perhaps?"
Professor Scribe rolled her eyes at that.
"I'd prefer that you start with something that requires book research and not someone you would be tempted to interview just yet. Still, you have a point! Will you research Caprica Dusthorn or Bedeviere O'Laren?"
"O'Laren, then," Quintin decided, and Professor Scribe wrote the change down in her book, not that she was likely to forget.
"Would anyone else like a harder subject while we're at it?" Scribe inquired. Predictably, no other student came forward.
Finally Scribe dismissed the class, thinking of which bottled vintage she might be tempted to break out of her safe when Quintin stepped up to the desk. Scribe propped her head up in her hand.
"You are really going to try my patience this year, aren't you, Mr. Snape?" she asked flatly.
"Am I?" Quintin said with genuine surprise. "Well, if I am, I'm sorry for that. I can't read you at all for some reason, so I had no idea that I was pushing too far," he admitted. "I'm afraid I'm not all that good at telling without Truth Seeking, you see, and honestly, I really don't understand how everyone else does it. It's a bit amazing, really. So if I've gone too far, please let me know. It's rather unpleasant for me to sit in a class when the professor doesn't like me, and I'm sure it's no more fun for the professor either."
"I never meant to imply that I didn't like you, Mr. Snape," Scribe told him gently. "I'm afraid the blocks are there for reasons unrelated to the school or you personally, and I'm sorry if it makes things difficult on you. But I'm sure we'll get used to each other! It's just the first day, after all," she reminded him with a soft smile and receiving one in return. "What was it that you wanted to ask about when you came up here just now?"
"I was wondering about that spell you used to fix the clock at the start of class, actually. Could you write down the name of it for me? Because I'd very much like to learn it," Quintin said so fervently that Scribe couldn't help but laugh.
Severus lingered in the corridor, a bit curious as to why Jeremy was outside waiting for Quintin and wondering if he might have gotten in trouble during class. Finally Quintin emerged and the two of them walked towards the Gym to drop off their books and to wash up for dinner. Severus slipped around the corner and stepped into the History room to see Scribe at her desk with her head propped in her hand.
"Good afternoon. I see you survived another first day of classes," Severus commented almost casually. "Or did you have trouble with the last one for some reason?" he inquired when she didn't answer right away.
"No, not at all," Sally reassured him with a smile. "In fact, in some ways, I think my last class will keep this school year interesting indeed. You know, it's funny in a way, but Quintin reminds me of me as a student," she admitted. "He's hardworking, loyal to his friends, and despite his confidence, he still has a humble, sensitive side hidden below the surface. Since I grew up as the daughter of a landowner that all of the other children's parents owed money to, I know what it's like being the kid in class that everyone knows," she explained with amusement. "Of course, I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I didn't always notice what my friends were going through, nor did I ever volunteer to help out unless I felt obligated to. Quintin, on the other hand, seems to know how to adapt without sacrificing his values, and yet he's still be brave enough to admit he has flaws and is actively willing to work on them. Anyway, I hope you don't mind, but I agreed to have lunch with him tomorrow. He was asking me about a simple charm I used in class that any first year can do. I was just about to go ask Hermione if he was ready to learn it, actually, since she's already had him in class."
"What sort of spell?" Severus inquired.
"It's just a simple item manipulation spell, Severus. He saw me using it to fix the classroom clock," she explained. Severus rolled his eyes. "Do you mind?"
"Fine, but make sure he always understands to ask permission before fixing someone's clock and warn him that often clocks are charmed or cursed so that he shouldn't fix clocks on a whim," Severus said with exasperation.
"I understand, Severus, thank you," Sally said with a chuckle. "By the way, did you know the bells are off by three minutes? I told him to talk to his advisor about it."
"If he brings it up again, remind him that John will be busy fixing his house rooms this weekend," Severus said bluntly. "I had best get ready for dinner."
"See you then!" Sally agreed, allowing herself another chuckle once he left the room.
Severus stepped into Jennifer's sitting room, deducing from the haphazard pile of Items and Potions books on the desk that she had returned. He leaned on the door until she stepped out of the bathroom.
"About ready, I hope," he said.
Jennifer jumped in surprise, annoyed with the slightly amused expression that crossed his face.
"Honestly, Severus! I wasn't expecting you to come in from that direction," she scolded him. "I hate it when the first full day is on a Friday, especially when I don't even have a conference hour to get a breather in."
"Yes, I know, but considering the new house, it's just as well that tomorrow is Saturday, isn't it?" Severus replied.
"Don't remind me," Jennifer said, putting her mother's pearl comb in her hair. "I hope you're not expecting to see me anywhere outside of the Guard Wing for two days. Did you ask Laura and Andrew if they could look after Seren?"
"No, your father's taking her. Not only does she have other children her age to play with over there, but Laura and Andrew are still trying to learn how to handle a newborn and an increasingly mobile fifteen-month old at the same time," Severus said, glancing at his watch. "It looks as if Ambrose has already picked up Serendipity and has taken her over there."
"Yes alright," Jennifer said. "I wonder how Quintin did today? I don't suppose you had time to keep an eye on him? I know you didn't have any classes."
"That's all I had to do with everything else going on," Severus parried, but she was gazing at him intently. "Yes, alright, I may have checked in with some of the professors to see how their day was going as I typically do on the first day of school," Severus confessed. "And there is a slight possibility that I made it a point to check in with the new house's classes to see how everyone was adjusting to the hastily altered schedule."
"I see," Jennifer said with a smile, taking his offered arm as they walked towards the doors. "And?"
"It was rather intriguing in a way. For some reason, there was something about Quintin that reminded each one of them about how they were during their first day at school," Severus said thoughtfully. "The most interesting part of that fact has to do with what professors he had today; Hermione, Danyelle, Laura, and Sally, who all pointed out positive traits prevalent in the houses they identify with, and yet they all mentioned dissimilar qualities Quintin has as well. In a way, their opinions did nothing but confirm what the Sorting Hat said during the ceremony. He has traits of all of the houses, but none of them are a perfect fit."
"Severus, I could say the same thing about the vast majority of students who go to this school, and I can even name a few who, like Quintin, have an equal amount of all of the traits... Ambrose comes straight to mind," Jennifer pointed out. "Had Ambrose been born at a different moment in time, I could very well have seen him as the catalyst to starting a fifth house, most especially considering what happened when he tried to form his own."
"It's just as well that it didn't back then," Severus replied. "Not only would it have completely blown his cover when he snuck into the school, but all of the scrutiny he has gotten afterwards would have been much, much, worse than what it was. In fact, it would have been highly likely that everyone would have figured out who he was related to. Still, you are right in that he probably could have been the catalyst for this under different circumstances. I don't suppose you had a chance to speak to Ambrose today?"
"No, he had lunch with Anna in between his two classes, so I never had the chance," Jennifer said.
"Nor did I, other than to confirm that he was picking up Serendipity to take her to the Craw Mansion. You say he had lunch with Anna?" Severus inquired.
"Yes, he did. I'm rather wondering if she's considering making him her house assistant, actually," Jennifer replied.
"I am wondering the same, although I don't know how he'd keep up when he's only here two days a week and has an entire museum to curate," Severus mused. "Granted, Aurelius manages to get his work done in two days, but Ambrose is new in general, considering it's only his second year teaching those composition classes."
"Well, right now there are only twenty-nine students in that house, so I sincerely doubt being an assistant will be hard until there are students in every year. By then, he'll have figured out if he wants to keep it up, and if not, Anna has time to come up with an alternate if she needs to," Jennifer replied.
"Fair enough," Severus agreed. "Technically it's your call as Head of Advisors anyway, but I won't protest if she proposes it."
"Good," Jennifer replied. "Because I personally love the idea of him playing a part in seeing his dream finally come true."
"If you think this is a dream, I have a board meeting budget proposal to show you," Severus said dryly. "One glance will certainly convince you that it isn't." Jennifer laughed at that, the two of them stepping in the side door of the Great Hall and taking their places.
At the fifth table, Quintin looked up from where he was sitting in the middle of his friends, frowning. It was the first time he had seen his parents all day, and even if they were in the same room now, they seemed quite distant.
"What are you looking at?" Pete asked after the food arrived. Quintin was still glancing over at the staff table where Professor Black seemed to be having some sort of conversation with Snape and Craw and had even switched seats for the occasion.
"It's nothing, really," Quintin replied distractedly. "It's just different than I thought it'd be."
"Yeah, me too," Pete agreed emphatically. "So are you going to show us around the library and help us find our books for that essay, Quintin? I heard you tell Weasley that you spent a lot of time in there last year."
"I did," Quintin agreed, then noticed everyone else at the table was gazing at him as well. "We can go to the library first thing after breakfast if you'd like. Then after lunch, we should have time to go out to the football pitch. We need to figure out who is skilled at what and who needs lessons so we can start working out a team."
The rest of the house quickly agreed that did sound like a good plan, and most of them missed how tired and disconnected Quintin was. But just across from them at the Ravenclaw table, Icarus Clemmons had glanced over and had read Quintin's expression, pondering it for only a moment or two before coming to an obvious conclusion.