Reviews:
Rebmul: Agreed.
atrelis: It was definitely my favourite part of the chapter.
Fire turtle: I think the idea is that controlled wandless magic is too advanced for young students and can only be achieved by powerful/experienced/trained magic users like Dumbledore, McGonagall and Voldemort, while accidental magic can be done by any magic user but cannot be controlled.
Chapter 19 -
"Flying lessons will be great," Draco declared as the first year Slytherin's headed down to their flying class. "It's a shame they don't let first years join the house team." He complained, not for the first time.
"We know, you've told us already." Theo replied, barely refraining from rolling his eyes at the blonde boy. "You'll have to assume that there's a good reason for it."
"No I don't," Draco sniffed. "I know exactly why, it's because all of these kids from muggle houses come into school without learning how to fly and then they'll start crying when only us purebloods get on the team, so that fool Dumbledore bans everyone to spare their stupid feeling."
"Yeah, Nott," Pansy said in a sweet voice as she stared at Draco with admiration. "It's so obvious that the fool Dumbledore is ruining the school."
'One day she will have an original thought,' Hydrus thought to himself, trying to be hopeful. He really wished that Draco would just get rid of the girl, she was unpleasant and annoying at the best of times. The group of Slytherin's arrived at their first flying class which was situated outside of the castle. As they arrived they found a large collection of brooms lined up in two separate rows, one that was clearly for them, while the other was obviously for the other house that was joining them, which would be the Gryffindors if Hydrus remembered correctly.
"Look at the state of these brooms," Draco sniffed as they stopped in front of the brooms. "These barely look fit for a peasant to use."
"I don't know, I reckon it's a test of skill," Blaise said thoughtfully. "If you can fly a rubbish broom like these then you should be able to do great on a good broom."
"Either that or the school is cheap," Theo snorted just before the Gryffindors began walking over to them.
"In come the lions," Hydrus said in an annoyed voice
"Why do we have to have so many lessons with them?" Daphne complained. "They're all loud and annoying, a real lion would have more manners than most of them." She said in a disgusted voice as she remembered seeing that redheaded boy, Weasley, eating like an enthusiastic four year old.
"We keep them around to make us look good," Hydrus whispered to her, earning an amused laugh from her just as the Gryffindors stopped opposite the Slytherin's. Hydrus spotted Weasley glaring at him and gave him a dismissive look before locking eyes with Longbottom. The boy looked like he wanted nothing more than to say something. Hydrus simply raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you looking at?" He asked, causing everyone to stare in-between Neville and Hydrus. Neville was saved from answering just as their teacher arrived.
She was an odd looking woman, she had spiky grey hair along with sharp, yellow, hawk-like eyes. She was dressed in blue robes, brown leather gloves, a whistle hung from a strap placed around her neck. She walked with a purpose, her gait somewhat similar to how Snape would walk. She walked in-between all of the students before stopping at the end of the row and turning around to face them.
"Good morning," She said simply. "For those who do not now, I am Madam Hooch. I will be your flying instructor, I know that many of you come here with ideas that you are somehow quidditch masters despite being just eleven years of age." All of the Slytherin's couldn't help but glance towards towards Draco.
"What?" The blonde boy said defensively.
"Anyway," Madam Hooch continued. "I want to make it clear that you are not professionals, you are not experts. While in this class, you will do exactly as I say. If I say feet on the ground then you had better have your feet on the ground. Now, we will start with the basics. All of you should have a broom, stand to the side of the broom and hold your right hand out and above it. Then calmly and firmly say 'up', go on, now."
"Up." The entire class chorused as they held their hands over their brooms.
Hydrus and Draco both smirked as their brooms instantly flew up into their hands, as did Daphne. Nott's broom was a tad bit slower, Blaise and Pansy both needed two tries to get their brooms to rise into the air, while the other Slytherin's were clearly struggling, as were the majority of Gryffindors. The only one whose broom managed to rise on the first try was Cooper's. A great many Slytherin's and Gryffindor's laughed when Ronald Weasley's broom shot into the air and bashed him on the nose.
"Come now, with feeling!" Madam Hooch said, going around and helping the last few students summon their brooms. "Now, I want all of you to mount your brooms. Pick up your right leg and toss it over your broom and sit back on it, wait for my whistle and then gently push off of the ground." She told them, the students all mounted their brooms, Madam Hooch quickly began correcting their grips and forms.
"But I've been holding my broom like this for years!" Draco protested when she had started correcting him.
"Then you've been holding it wrong for years," Madam Hooch shrugged before moving onto the next student, several Gryffindor's sniggered as Draco's face turned bright red with embarrassment.
"This is rubbish," Draco hissed under his breath.
"Don't worry, Draco, I'll teach you how to do it." Daphne whispered in an overly sweet voice, earning a glare from the blonde boy.
"Now," Madam Hooch spoke up. "On my whistle, you will slowly push off with your feet and hover in the air, no higher than ten feet. And then when I tell you, you will slowly lower the front of your broom and descend back down. Now, on my whistle, we will start and...Mr Longbottom?!" Everyone turned to Neville whose broom had already started descending. "Get down from there, now!"
"I...I can't!" Neville cried. "I don't know what to...aargh!"
"Goodness," Hydrus blinked as he looked at Neville who had fallen off his broom and landed on the ground.
"Out of the way," Madam Hooch ordered as she rushed over to him. "Hmm, looks like a broken wrist. That's not good," She frowned as she helped Neville up. "I will be taking Mr Longbottom to the Hospital Wing, all of you will stay on your brooms and wait here. If I see a single one of you on your brooms then you'll be tossed out of this school faster than a golden snitch." She told them before leading them away.
"Hey, look at this," Draco said once Madam Hooch and Neville were far enough away, he knelt down and picked up a round glass ball. "Longbottom dropped this."
"Is that a remembrall?" Hydrus asked. "Who the hell even keeps one of those?" Hydrus asked, they had never caught on with anyone. The ball would turn red if the holder had forgotten something, but it never pointed out what the person forgot. Not to mention it would keep turning red if the holder forgot even the smallest of things.
"Longbottom apparently," Draco laughed. "If the fat lump had given this thing a squeeze then maybe he would have remembered to fall on his fat bottom."
"It's not fat, it's just long." Theo smirked, causing Draco to laugh, the other Slytherin's also looked very amused, unlike the Gryffindors.
"Give it here, Malfoy!" Ron Weasley demanded, stepping up to the blonde Slytherin.
"Or what?" Draco asked, lazily tossing the ball up in the air and catching it. "What do you want it for, Weasley? Hoping to sell it for some soap?"
"Shut it, Malfoy!" Ron glared at him.
"Going to make me, Weasley?" Draco asked challengingly.
"Just give the ball here," Liv demanded as she stepped past Ron.
"Or what?" Draco repeated, he tossed the ball into the air again and was about to catch it again, only for Liv to quickly swipe it from the air. "Hey!" Draco protested.
"Here," Liv said, tossing the ball to Ron without looking away from Draco. "You can give that to Neville."
"Draco," Hydrus said in a bored voice when he saw Draco open his mouth to say something. "Must we really continue to play with the Gryffindors? I don't know about you, but I have better things to do."
"I don't know how you're still friends with him, Potter," Ron spat, only to freeze when Hydrus's calm demeanour vanished nearly immediately and the green-eyed wizard rushed forward and stopped an inch away from him.
"My name is Hydrus Black," Hydrus said, quietly, coldly. His green orbs locked onto Ron's chocolate brown eyes. "Call me anything other than that again and I'll check to see if your blood is the same colour as your hair," Harry warned.
"Hey, you can't threaten him," Seamus spoke up, Dean nodding behind him in support of his fellow Gryffindors.
"Want to bet?" Hydrus asked, glaring at the two of them, tightening his fists.
"Hydrus," Daphne grabbed him by his arm sleeve. "The Gryffindors are boring me too, do we really need to waste our time with these uncouth kittens?" She asked, gently pulling him.
"Hmm," Hydrus grunted as he allowed Daphne to pull him. "Keep my names out of your mouth," He told Ron before he and Daphne walked a short distance away, the other Slytherins following after them. "I should just set a few snakes on all of them," Hydrus growled.
"Yeah, you should!" Draco quickly agreed. "It'll be awesome."
"Until he gets expelled for it," Theo pointed out.
"Only if I get caught," Hydrus muttered angrily.
"Was it entirely necessary for you to antagonise them?" Daphne huffed as she stared at Draco with an unimpressed look. "One day your mouth is going to get us all into trouble."
"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just an innocent little boy." Draco said with a straight voice.
"You're as innocent as a Swooping Evil," Hydrus snorted before perking up slightly with a smile on his face. "I wonder if I can convince Mother to get me one," He grinned.
"I feel like that's a wonderful idea," Daphne said in a pleased voice as she patted Hydrus's arm, glad that he was no longer focused on the Gryffindors.
"That's a wonderful idea?" Blaise repeated with disbelief. "How is giving him a flying creature that can eat human brains going to be a wonderful idea?"
"Well, it wouldn't eat our brains," Hydrus rolled his eyes at what was clearly a lot of drama from Blaise. "I'll just feed it Weasley's brain." He stated as if it was the most obvious solution in the world.
"If you feed it that little then it might just starve and come for your brain after all," Draco couldn't help but comment.
"What's your problem with being called 'Potter'?" Blaise asked curiously. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but it is your birth name." He pointed out.
"I have no problems with being called Potter," Hydrus replied. "The Potters are an ancient and most noble house, Lily and James Potter were also talented, loving parents who gave their lives for me. But when people like Weasley and Longbottom call me Potter, they mean it as an insult. Insulting my mother, claiming she's not my family. Like they'd know anything about my family, a bunch of twats the lot of them." He growled, once more looking angry.
"For Merlin's sake, he had just calmed down!" Daphne glared at Blaise.
A short distance away the Gryffindors had gathered together and were having their own little discussion, occasionally glaring at the group of Slytherins.
"Who the hell do they think they are?!" Seethed Ron Weasley, holding Neville's ball so tight that he was close to breaking it. "Stealing Neville's remembrall like that, like the rich pounces couldn't just buy ten of them."
"You shouldn't have been arguing with them," Hermione interrupted, admonishing him. "You should have told a teacher."
"Yeah right," Ron scoffed. "They'd have probably broken it by then and then they'd just play innocent."
"Filthy snakes," Seamus nodded in agreement. "They're no good, the lot of them."
"Exactly," Ron said, pleased that somebody agreed with them.
"I've only been in the wizarding world a short while, but I can tell they're no good," Dean Thomas added.
"You shouldn't be messing with him," Liv spoke up.
"I'm not scared of Malfoy," Ron snorted. "If he starts trouble then I'll just sock him in the mouth and..."
"No, you won't!" Hermione cut in firmly. "You'll get yourself and Gryffindor into trouble!"
"Plus if you do hurt him then Hydrus will hurt you," Liv cut in. "That's who I was talking about, not Malfoy. Malfoy is just a little rich boy, but Black...you shouldn't be messing with him."
"Liv's right," Hermione agreed. "He's a duelling champion, he probably knows a ton of spells already."
"He probably cheated," Ron said immediately.
"How on Earth would someone his age be able to fool an entire duelling committee?" Hermione scoffed.
"I don't think he did," Liv said, glancing in Hydrus's direction. "You should not be messing with him, he's...he's dangerous. I can tell."
"How?" Ron asked, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
"I can just tell, don't mess with him." Liv said firmly. "He's not sane, I can tell he's mad."
"He did seem pretty angry," Hermione agreed. "But he's..."
"No, not that type of mad," Liv shook her head, frustrated that the other Gryffindors didn't seem to grasp what she was saying. "He's crazy, I saw it in his eyes. I'm going to say it one last time, do not mess with him."
"Defence Against the Dark Arts now," Hydrus said, rubbing his hands with excitement as the group of Slytherins all walked to the Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA) classroom. "This'll be my best class, a hundred percent."
"Well, you are a duelling champion so it makes sense." Draco shrugged as they entered the classroom where they found Professor Quirrell waiting for them. The room seemed like a fairly normal classroom, if a bit dark, an iron chandelier hung from the ceiling alongside a rather large dragon skeleton that Hydrus suspected to be a Hebridean Black. There were several desks along with a couple of large windows. It looked fairly nice, though the numerous amounts of garlic spread around the class did give the place a bit of a smell. Rumours around the school suggested that the new professor had experienced a run-in with a vampire the previous summer and was now a bit paranoid.
"Take your seats," He said immediately, standing by his desk, holding a pretty green iguana in his hands. Hydrus and the other Slytherins immediately sat down.
"Check out the dragon," Hydrus whispered to Daphne as they sat down.
"According to Hogwarts: A History, it is allegedly a trophy taken by former Professor Hecat after she single-handedly defeated one of the largest poaching rings in Eastern Wales during the Great Poacher Raid of 1878." Daphne whispered back.
"It's a Hebridean Black, right?" Hydrus asked.
"Yep."
"Knew it." Hydrus whispered, sounding very pleased with himself.
"Ah," Professor Quirrell walked over to Hydrus, speaking in a calm and clear voice. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Mr Black. It is a rare opportunity to teach a duelling champion such as yourself,"
"Oh, thank you, Sir." Hydrus replied politely, trying not to grimace as he felt a sudden headache come on. 'Must be from all the garlic.' He thought.
"I am expecting great things from you, Mr Black," Professor Quirrell continued. "I do hope you don't disappoint. Live up to my expectations, and I might just be able to be convinced to provide you with extra tutoring if that is the sort of thing you are interested in."
"Most definitely," Hydrus said with a happy grin.