Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based on the Harry Potter universe. All recognisable characters, plots, and settings are the exclusive property of Joanne K. Rowling. I make no claim to ownership.
Edited by: Void Uzumaki; Ashestodust B. Read: Bub3loka
Also, if you're feeling generous or want to support me or read ahead, you know where to find me.
2nd of September
Everything was soft and cosy in just the right way, making Diana feel like she was in heaven.
"Hey, Taylor, wake up," a small but annoying voice grated in her ears.
"Go 'way," she groaned. "le'me sleep."
"Clearwater said we have to be up and ready in fifteen so she can take us down to the Great Hall for breakfast."
Who the bloody hell was Clearwater again? Diana blearily cracked an eye open, only to see an Indian girl in black robes looking at her expectantly.
Wait, Indian girl in robes?!
It took a few moments for Diana's drowsy mind to start moving, and when it did, she leapt out of her bed. Right, she was in the Scottish Highlands, and today, they would begin learning how to do magic. She was sorted in Ravenclaw, and this was her new dorm room, all bronze and royal blue in a simple Victorian style.
And the girl, Padma… something, was her roommate. The muggle-born girl hastily went into the small bathroom to clean her teeth and freshen herself up, trying to desperately remember the family name of her new roommate.
But no matter what she did, her mind just came up blank. Last night, they were both too tired and had directly gone to sleep without even talking.
"You should take your books now unless you want to return all the way to the tower before the lessons start," Padma's voice greeted her back into the room.
"Thanks," Diana groaned while looking at the hefty stack of books next to her bed. With a sigh, she started stuffing all the heavy tomes into her bag, along with parchment rolls, inkpots and quills. "Sorry 'bout earlier. I'm not exactly a morning person."
"That's obvious," the other girl giggled. "But you should set up your own alarm 'cause I don't think I can wake you up every morning."
"I forgot," Diana rubbed her neck awkwardly while staring at the inkpot. What was wrong with paper and pens? "I can't believe wizards still use quills."
"It's not too bad once you get used to them," Padma provided. "Besides, quills are far easier to enchant than the muggle pencils. Some quills can be magical on their own, especially those made from the feathers of beasts like hippogriffs. I'm guessing you're a muggle-born?"
"I am," the short girl squinted at her roommate, "Is it going to be a problem?"
"I don't really care about all that stuff," the Indian girl shrugged. "But many others would. Especially if you're friends with the Boy-who-lived."
"What's with the silly nickname?" Diana couldn't help but chortle, but her mirth quickly died at Padma's unamused face. "Besides, who I'm friends with is nobody's business but my own!"
"Obviously, but Harry Potter is important."
"Isn't he half-blood himself?"
"He is, but it doesn't matter," the Indian girl waved dismissively. "You'll see for yourself soon enough. How'd you become friends with him anyway?"
Diana couldn't help but frown but decided not to press further and sighed, "We just sat together on the train-"
A knock on the door interrupted her, followed by the voice of an older girl: "Taylor, Patil, stop dallying; we have to lead the rest of you to the Great Hall."
Diana quickly pulled on her own robe, grabbed her filled bag and hastily followed after Padma. She groaned at the weight of the hefty bag, but at least now she knew the family name of her roommate. They quickly made their way to the common room, where the rest of her classmates were waiting.
All of them but Harry; Diana craned her head and looked around curiously but saw no trace of her friend. Though she didn't worry much about him - Harry seemed very smart and knew things. All the other first years were there, including Juno Lestrange, who was the picture of graceful perfection with her impeccable silky robe with a bronze and blue tie and flowing soft dark curls.
The tall girl naturally attracted the glances of everyone who passed by, be it because of her supposedly controversial name or graceful elegance. Yet, Diana, along with the rest of the girls, looked at her with distaste more than anything else. There were seven girls and four rooms, and Juno was the one who managed to grab a lone room for herself.
It seemed that Clearwater, the female prefect with mousy hair, also noticed her missing friend, "Gamp, where's Potter?"
"Slate saw him leave the common room half an hour ago," the older boy shrugged dismissively. "He's probably at the Great Hall already."
"And what if he isn't?!" Diana could swear Clearwater had growled. "You know well enough how big Hogwarts is; what if he is lost in some hallway and can't get to breakfast and receive his schedule?!"
"Nothing we can do about it," Gamp attempted to wave away her concerns. "Even if I wanted to find him, it'd be worse than looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Is this how you want to start your tenure as a prefect? With a stain on your record on the very first day?!"
Diana couldn't help but gulp at Penelope Clearwater's intense glare; nothing in her soft and mousy demeanour had hinted at her ferocity before. Would all the teachers be like that too?
The older boy groaned and rubbed his brow tiredly. "Alright, fine, I'll look for him, and you get the firsties to breakfast."
He hastily made his way to the oaken door and left the common room. The rest of them shuffled uneasily while looking at the fifth-year girl, who was now breathing heavily.
"Try to memorise the way down," the remaining prefect sighed and headed to the hallway while Diana and the rest of the first-years followed.
The rest of the first years began to chatter, but she noticed nobody attempted to speak to Juno Lestrange while the tall girl was impassively scrutinising the rest of them with her blue eyes.
With half an ear, the muggle-born girl listened to the two girls in front of her.
"How are you finding the school?" A skinny girl with Asian features asked.
"Hogwarts is amazing," gushed another with a light Scottish brogue, MacDougal, if she remembered correctly. "Which class do you think will be the best?"
"Potions. My father told me a skilled potion master can swim in galleons."
"Ah damn. No wonder I heard Professor Snape's classes were the hardest. I can't wait for Defense Against the Dark Arts. All the cool magic is taught there!"
"So, Taylor," Diana turned in surprise to see a dark-haired boy looking at her. What was his name again, Mike Cornfield? "What's Potter like?"
"Well," she hesitated for a short moment, "he's fine."
"Fine?" another boy with sandy blonde hair echoed.
"Yep," she popped out with a grin. "Why ask me, though? You can always speak to him."
"His gaze is scary," Cornfield shuddered.
"And there's this glower on his face as if he's always angry, too," one of the brown-haired girls added.
"I heard the headmaster trained Potter since he could walk-"
"Hush and focus," Penelope Clearwater warned from the front. "It's unbecoming for students of Ravenclaw to believe in silly rumours. After this, you'll be expected to make your way without help, so don't get distracted!"
The warning silenced them, and Diana tried to focus on their route, but the maze of hallways, tapestries, and staircases made her dizzy. The straps of her heavy bag sank painfully into her shoulder, even through the fabric of the robes.
Eventually, they faced the tall, arched doors of the Great Hall. The insides were bustling with chatter and the sound of utensils clanking.
Diana instantly spotted Harry; plenty of students were gawking, pointing at him openly and with hushed whispers, yet none approached him. Sitting alone at the edge of the Ravenclaw table, near the staff, he was absorbed in devouring a hearty serving of bacon and eggs.
She made her way and plopped on the seat to his right, putting away the burdensome bag. The rest of the first years spread around the table in small groups, and Juno Lestrage chose the solitary place just across them while another pompous-looking boy whose name Diana couldn't remember sat near the tall girl.
"Good morning!"
Harry swallowed a mouthful of bacon before giving her a slight smile, "Morning, Diana."
Diana nodded, filled a plate with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese, and dived right into it.
"Where were you, Potter? We waited for you in the common room," the pompous boy coughed.
"I wake up early," Harry shrugged.
At that moment, Professor Flitwick appeared with a stack of parchments in hand.
"Ah, Mr Potter, the doors of my office are always open for you. Feel free to visit if you have any trouble!" The diminutive wizard jovially smiled at Harry and then straightened up. "And here are your timetables," his voice echoed across the Ravenclaw table.
With a flick of his wand, the stack of parchments in his hand flew up as if blown by the wind, but all the sheets fell exactly on an empty place in front of each student.
"Amazing!" The words slipped unbidden from Diana, but she was far from the only one.
The rest of the students along the Ravenclaw table, young and old, were all gazing at Flitwick, who had returned to the staff table with awe and pride. The headmaster was chuckling happily while the other professors looked amused.
Even the usually stoic Harry and the unflappable Juno gazed at the diminutive professor with undisguised admiration.
The show had attracted the attention of the other three houses, and Diana could spot a few envious glances thrown at the Ravenclaw table. She couldn't help but wonder how much study and practice it would take to do something like that.
With a kind smile and an effortless flick of his wand, Flitwick seemed like a conductor who seamlessly moulded the orchestra or reality itself. Now, it was just the timetables, but the sheer possibility that the simple flick opened in her mind…
Deep within her, a fierce desire was kindled.
"Double Potions with Hufflepuff first," Harry's voice roused her from her thoughts; there was a barely noticeable scowl on his face.
"Potions sounds interesting," Diana offered hesitantly, remembering earlier conversations between their classmates. Besides, the textbook they had to buy had also been quite enlightening.
"It might be, but I didn't hear good things about the professor teaching it," the words were whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear.
Quite possibly because they sat just under the staff table.
"How bad can it be?"
"I suppose we're going to find out for ourselves soon enough," the was the barest hint of irritation in his tone. "At least Potions is only once a week."
"Hopefully, the teacher won't be too hard on us," Diana frowned after looking at the timetable again, "Mondays are going to be such a pain - after Potions, we have History of Magic, lunch, Transfiguration, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"It's not too bad; the following days seem easier."
The rest of the breakfast was spent in silence as they focused on eating. The food was delicious, and as soon as they were done, they headed towards the Potions classroom. Harry confidently led the way, expertly weaving through the confusing maze of hallways and staircases.
As they descended into the dungeons, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure we're going to the correct place?"
"Yes," was the instant reply; Harry did not pause even for a second.
"You walk as if you know every nook and cranny of the castle."
That made him still for a short moment, and his shoulders tensed.
"Well," Harry sighed as he ran a hand through his unruly mop of black hair, "I went for a jog early in the morning and then did some exploring. You can join me tomorrow if you want?"
The thought of getting up even earlier made Diana grimace, "Thanks, but I'll pass."
It was colder here in the dungeons, and she couldn't help but shiver. The strap once again painfully sunk into her shoulder, making her wince. Diana frowned at Harry; he seemed to have no problem with his bag despite it being as stuffed as hers.
He seemed to see her distress and sighed. A pale wand appeared in his hand, and he waved it, mumbling something she couldn't hear. Suddenly, the bag was as light as a feather, and her shoulder was relieved.
"It should stay for a few hours," he offered with a nod.
"That's handy," Diana beamed at him. "Can you teach me?"
"I can do you one better. I can lend you the book on household charms I bought from the Alley; mighty useful stuff."
She nodded gratefully, and Harry finally stopped in front of an old, dark door.
"I hope the insides look more welcoming."
Her friend just grimaced, and a few seconds later, Diana found out why. The insides were no better; the room was gloomy, barely illuminated by a few lamps, and the rafts along the wall were filled with pickled jars full of queer animal limbs and organs.
As they sat down, Harry grabbed his runes book to read again, and she found herself fishing out Magical Draughts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger and cracked it open. Diana had read the book before, and potion-making didn't seem too difficult.
The rest of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws slowly streamed in until most seats were taken. All was quiet; the dim room had this uneasiness to it that seemed to discourage you from speaking out loud.
By sitting beside Harry, she did get gawked and pointed at, along with a few more inquisitive glances. It annoyed her a little, but her friend seemed to completely ignore them as if they were nothing but hot air. Still, from the handful of whispers, Diana discovered that the potion professor, Severus Snape, was the head of the Slytherins.
The house that supposedly hated people with normal, non-magical parents like herself…
That was besides the fact that the potions professor apparently had a bad reputation.
BANG!
The chatter immediately died as the door slammed open, and the potions professor walked in. A long, black cloak billowed behind him. Greasy hair, a hooked nose, and a sallow, scowling face made him look equally ugly and scary.
There was something almost angry in his languid stride and cold, dark eyes that made Diana hastily return her book to the bag and replace it with a roll of parchment, a quill, and an inkwell.
Snape sat behind the teacher's desk beside the blackboard and unfurled a scroll. Without a pause, he began taking the register.
"Anthony Goldstein," the teacher's voice was quiet, even, and unfeeling.
One of the boys fearfully eked out a 'here'.
"Diana Taylor-"
"Ernest…"
Not for a moment had the man looked up; his sole attention seemed to be on the roll of parchment before them as if looking at their faces was not worth his precious time. The man continued taking the register dispassionately, and Diana decided that she didn't like the Potions Professor.
Uncharacteristically, he paused at her friend's name.
"Ah yes," his voice was even softer, but there was a slight mocking tilt to it now, "Harry Potter, our… newest celebrity."
Harry, however, looked unflappable as he confirmed his presence as a few students sniggered behind them.
Soon enough, Snape finished taking names and finally looked at them.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," his dark gaze roamed across the room, making the students shuffle uneasily. "As there'll be little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you to understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of the liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory or even stopper death… if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
His lips twisted into an ugly sneer, and he gazed directly at Diana. A moment later, she realised that the professor wasn't glaring at her but at Harry.
"Potter!" Snape's voice was snapped like a whip. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel into an infusion of wormwood?"
Why was Harry being singled out?!
The classroom was as quiet as a graveyard. Diana had a pretty good memory and did not remember either of those two ingredients mentioned in their textbooks.
"Nothing, sir," Harry's dry voice cut through the silence as a knife. "But if sopophrous bean juice and diced valerian roots are added in the correct order, a competent brewer should manage to make a Draught of Living Death."
That seemed to be the correct answer, judging by the professor's squinted eyes and clenched jaw. Worse, Diana was now certain that the potion was not even mentioned in their books…
"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
"None; they're the same, sir," her friend replied in the most monotone voice Diana had ever heard, while his gaze was stubbornly sticking at a blank point of the wall.
The head of the Slytherins hummed unhappily and whirled towards another desk, where two Hufflepuff girls sat - one pudgy redhead and the other willowy blonde with twin pigtails.
"Bones! Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?!"
The rest of the potions lesson passed in a similar vein. Professor Snape only managed to find ways to be even more unpleasant, hovering over their cauldrons and bitingly pointing out the slightest mistake anyone made.
Terry Boot even got a point off Ravenclaw docked for breathing too loudly!
At least Harry seemed to know what he was doing; once they had to work in pairs, Diana couldn't help but be impressed.
Yet, a deep sense of indignation was raging inside her; never before had a teacher insulted her repeatedly without any cause, and on the very first day, no less.
Diana was not a dunderhead!
That was besides the ten-inch essay on porcupine quills he had dumped on them for homework.
She'd never even heard of essays being measured in inches before!
Yet amidst all of it, their pair had reluctantly received an Exceeding Expectations for their efforts. And they were not the only ones - Padma and Goldstein had managed to make a perfect potion yet failed to receive Outstanding.
"What the bloody hell is his problem?!" Diana hissed tiredly as soon as they were out of earshot from the Potions classroom. "Our boil cure was exactly how the instructions said it should be."
The rest of the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs looked no better; many of their faces had an expression as if they had been forced to swallow a large spoonful of bitter medicine. She had to almost skip to keep with Harry's fast pace as if he couldn't wait to get away from the Potions classroom, not that Diana could blame him.
"I heard an older Gryffindor say that Snape gets off on tormenting younger students," Harry shrugged, but there was a tenseness in his shoulders.
"Ah, damn it! You were right; he was a prick. How will we survive seven years of lessons with someone like him?!"
He rubbed his brow tiredly.
"Don't worry too much; it's not too bad once you ignore Snape's hovering and focus on the potion itself."
"But he's sabotaging our grades! We should complain-"
"There's no need," Harry interrupted. "Any complaints will only make him target us even more. As long as you get a passing grade on the exam at the end of the year, it doesn't really matter. Even those aren't important as long as you have at least acceptable. The only grades that truly matter are on the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s."
"O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s?" Diana echoed curiously.
"The official exams for proficiency administered by the Ministry at the end of the fifth and seventh year, respectively. An… older year student gave me advice to simply focus on the potion and ignore Snape's provocations."
"I suppose. But the professor seems to have a problem with you for some reason," she pointed out. "That was totally unfair. I've read all of the first-year books, and that Living Sleep potion at the start wasn't in any of them!"
"I know," he snorted in amusement. "And it's Draught of Living Death, not Living Sleep."
"Whatever," Diana scrunched up her nose. "I hope History of Magic is better."
"Well," he coughed, "I've heard that the teacher is a ghost."
"That sounds so interesting. Being witness to some of the events himself, the professor must know loads!"
Harry's lips twitched for a short moment as if he was trying not to laugh.
They soon arrived in front of a door on the first floor, and Harry bravely cracked it open.
Thankfully, the classroom was brighter than the previous one - it even had windows! Her friend took a seat at the very back of the class, and Diana hesitantly joined him.
Soon, more students arrived. They shared this class with Slytherin, so other first years, this time with silver and green ties, joined them instead.
A blonde Slytherin boy entered, looked around for a short moment, and after a brief moment of hesitation, headed straight to them.
The aristocratic face, slicked-back hair, and somewhat arrogant expression told Diana everything she needed to know.
The fact that he was accompanied by two stout boys on each side who looked incredibly dumb and mean with their dense expressions was only an unwelcome bonus.
A pair of bodyguards if she ever saw any.
"My name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy," despite the slight hesitance, his voice was as pompous as she imagined, and Diana barely managed to hold in a snigger. Then, as if remembering something, he hastily added, "And these are my companions, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle."
For the first time, Harry's firm demeanour was gone; he stood still as if he could not decide what to do. After a few seconds, he finally shook Malfoy's offered hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Malfoy," the words were spoken slowly as if he was trying to taste them. "As you probably know, I'm Harry Potter. How may I help you today?"
The blonde boy seemed completely floored, staring at Harry dumbly as if he had not expected the amiable response. "E-Erm, I just wanted to introduce myself-"
"Cousin Draco," Diana almost jumped at Juno Lestrange's sudden appearance. "I hope you're not bothering my fellow housemates."
The muggle-born girl could finally take a closer look at Juno. Her voice was soft and kind, like silk, and her smile was sweet despite not fully reaching her sharp eyes. Yet, for some reason, Draco's already pale skin went deathly white, and Crabbe and Goyle had taken a step back, each with a gulp.
Juno Lestrange was not only incredibly pretty but also tall, a whole head taller than Diana, and the shorter girl couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
"Um, well, I was just… introducing myself?"
"I see…" Juno hummed as she inspected the three Slytherin boys. "I hope I have no reason to write to Aunt Narcissa."
Malfoy shook his head and quickly fled to the furthest corner of the room.
Harry was cautiously staring at Juno while the tall girl eyed him curiously. Despite being completely still, Diana could see Harry's right hand twitch.
The silence stretched until it was uncomfortable, and she'd had enough.
"Hello," she coughed and ended up on the receiving end of two intense gazes. "I'm Diana Taylor; pleased to meet you."
Juno shook her hand, but there was some hesitation in her gesture. "A… pleasure indeed. My name is Juno Lestrange. I hope you don't mind me sitting here."
The question was pointed at Harry, who looked to the seat on his left and eventually sighed.
"Sure, go ahead." That seemed to bleed the tension out of the air.
Although there seemed to be a choppy rigidness to Harry's actions now, the presence of the tall girl seemed to unnerve him somewhat.
They all got out their materials, and soon enough, the class started. Diana couldn't help but gasp as a ghost phased through the blackboard.
"I am Professor Binns, and today we'll talk about the Goblin Rebellion of 1612…"
There was no taking of names; the ghostly teacher simply droned on endlessly. His voice was so monotonous that Diana fought to stay awake while taking notes. A look to her left, and she was surprised to see that neither Harry nor Juno were even paying attention to the teacher. Her friend had unashamedly cracked open his runes book while the tall girl was reading the History textbook instead.
"Why not take notes?" Diana whispered furiously. "Won't you get in trouble for not paying attention? What if he asks questions?"
"Binns won't care about you as long as you keep quiet," Harry murmured, "Besides, he's been teaching the same thing for hundreds of years. You can easily get notes from an older student, or, well, you'd be better off studying on your own."
True enough, half the Slytherins were already dozing off, and she could hear the snores coming from Crabbe and Goyle all the way to the back of the class. Most of the Ravenclaws were valiantly trying to take notes, but Diana could see Goldstein and the Asian girl had nodded off.
Seeing that Harry was right, she reached into her bag for a book and settled down for a long read.
Transfiguration was a fascinating subject, especially the cat shapeshifting that McGonagall did. Unlike the previous two professors, the deputy headmistress looked like a strict woman but at least spoke with fervour. Yet, much to Diana's chagrin, the first lesson was quite a short introduction and the beginning of the basics. They still hadn't done any magic, yet they already had two sets of homework…
The DADA teacher, however, seemed neither strict nor boring. With a warm, charming smile, it made you hang onto his every word in silence as he took their attendance. The classroom also felt quite welcoming, with the sweet, calming scent of mint permeating the air. They shared this class with the Hufflepuffs again.
The professor wore dark robes that were simple yet stylish, with crossed silver lines embedded along the hems of the sleeves. His chestnut hair was neat and tidy, and you could find no fault in his appearance.
For some reason, Harry seemed even more uncomfortable than before, sitting somewhat tense as if there were pins and needles on his chair. His eyes seemed to be looking not at the professor's face but at his feet.
"Greetings, my name is Quirinus Quirrell, and I shall be teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts this year," his voice was powerful, almost hypnotic, as he slowly walked back and forth atop the podium. "If I were to follow the ministry-approved guidelines under my tutelage, you'd learn a few simple definitions and a handful of minor jinxes and hexes," the distaste in his voice was palpable.
"It would be… easy. Simple even. But doing so would be a disservice to you all. No, besides the mundane things, in my class, you shall learn how to identify the most common dangers to witches and wizards and at least know how to avoid or deal with them. Which do you think are the biggest dangers to a wizard? Come now, anyone? Don't be shy, I won't bite!" A few hands shot up, and Quirrell's inquisitive gaze roamed over their faces. "Yes, Miss Abbot?"
"Well, the dark arts are the most dangerous! Sir," the pigtailed blushing Hufflepuff added with a squeak.
"They certainly are dangerous," he nodded with a smile. "But, what are the dark arts? After all, to know how to defend against them, we must know what they are. Yes, Mr Goldstein."
"Magic that kills, sir?" the pompous boy answered confidently.
"But is it truly?" Quirrell hummed thoughtfully. "Yet, with the knockback jinx, a simple charm, you can make someone fall from a great height, or if used with enough power, slam them into a wall or a sharp object, easily leading to a heavy injury or death. It's highly unlikely, but not impossible, and every witch and wizard older than the second year can use that spell. So, what makes magic dark?"
"The Ministry?" A boy from Hufflepuff asked.
"The Ministry can make magic illegal, not dark, Mr. Hopkins," the professor shook his head. "If they were to ban the knockback jinx tomorrow, it wouldn't make it dark magic. So, does anyone actually know what defines the dark arts?" There were no more raised hands, and all the students seemed to be leaning forward, listening to the man with rapt attention. "Miss Lestrange, would you wager to guess?"
"Dark is any magic that requires the intent to cause harm to cast, professor," Juno responded without hesitation, but her voice was as soft as velvet. Diana felt another pang of jealousy - the girl was too perfect for her height.
"Correct," Quirrell beamed. "Take fifteen points to Ravenclaw! Like any other magic, the Dark Arts are no more or less dangerous than the wizard wielding them. So once again, what are the biggest dangers to a wizard in this day and age?"
The Indian girl lifted her hand, "Misuse of magic, sir?"
"Indeed, Miss Patil, take two points. The permanent spell damage ward of Saint Mungo is filled with witches and wizards who wielded magic carelessly without the respect it deserves," Quirrell's face darkened. "Yet there are plenty who failed to survive. Magic is powerful, sacred. To have the ability to wield it is a great honour, yet many waste the precious gift on trivialities. Make no mistake, being a wizard or a witch is a serious thing, and a lack of respect and carelessness can and will get you killed. Now, can anyone else tell me another potential danger?"
"Magical beasts?"
"That's right," the professor stilled. "But those are covered in the later years of DADA. If you wish, you can gain even more experience in that field if you pick Care of Magical Creatures as your elective in your third year. For those who want to know more now, I recommend you read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The book explains the more peculiar beasts and their locations in detail, making them easy to recognise and avoid. Now, two more things can threaten a wizard other than incompetence and magical creatures. Mr Potter?"
Harry shuffled uneasily, his gaze still off. "Dark wizards and witches, sir."
"Take a point for Ravenclaw, Mr Potter. A capable caster must be able to defend themselves and others should they wish to bring them harm; that's a large part of what we'll learn this year. Now, today we'll focus on the softening charm first-" he paused at the raised hand of one of the Ravenclaw girls. "Yes, Miss Brocklehurst?"
"You said there are two more dangers to wizards. Which is the second one?"
"Why, muggles, of course!"
Author's endnote:
Diana is not big on remembering names. And yeah, Mike Cornfield = Michael Corner.
On the first school day, we see Snape will Snape. This is probably the biggest focus I'll have on the teaching material in the whole fic, but I wanted to begin introducing specific differences. While Flitwick's trick is not that grand, the students are in awe of it, especially those who know the required control, skill, and power to pull it off wordlessly with a single effortless flick.
Lo and behold, we see some more competent teachers.
I update a chapter once every two Thursdays (or maybe Friday if I'm late)! You can find me on my discord(dgj93pNeAD), where you can read the chapter two weeks prior or simply come chat or ask me or others some questions.