A/N Most characters and plot belong to J.K Rowling
Chapter 4: Students of Hogwarts
Harry had the most peculiar dream; he was walking through the trees of a giant forest; it seemed to be nighttime, but the canopy was too thick to tell; he was kneeling behind a tree, waiting for something Harry couldn't tell. He knelt behind the tree for what felt like hours and then saw it; the purest white unicorn trudged through the mud toward him behind the tree. Once it was close enough, he jumped onto the Unicorn and rode it through the trees. Finally, he got a sturdy grip and bit into the Unicorn, waking Harry up from his dream.
He was slow to wake up, trying to figure out what happened while he was sleeping, accidentally running into the bed of Terry Boot. Waking up the young Ravenclaw, he returned to his bed and grabbed his clothes and robe, which now had the emblem of Ravenclaw stitched into them. Walking down, he heard two girls chatting excitedly; as he turned the corner, he saw Hermione and Padma chatting and giggling in a small circle; as they saw Harry come down the stairs, they stood up straight and said, "Good Morning." Harry waved and asked if they wanted to join him at Breakfast; they both agreed and accompanied him down to the Great Hall; well, at least they tried to find the Hall. They ended up getting directions from Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the ghost of Gryffindor and found the Great Hall quickly after. The food wasn't extravagant like last night's feast; it didn't bother the kids since they all had more than a fair share last night.
They used the time to catch up and discuss what they were looking forward to in their first year of study. Hermione said she was looking forward to Transfiguration, and Padma was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures; they both looked to Harry, who said, "I am looking forward to Potions. Being able to brew cures and glory seems pretty fascinating. Their head of House Flitwick came around with their timetables just as the bell for the first period rang. It looks like we have Defense Against the Dark Arts first, followed by History of Magic. The trio picked up their bags and ran to the second floor for the DADA classroom; luckily, there were maps on the back of the timetable for the new students, which updated as you moved in the halls.
They reached the classroom earlier than most students; they would be studying with the Hufflepuffs; when Harry saw Hannah, he waved her over. She noticed and ran to join him, saying Hello to both the girls, who grinned back. "Fancy seeing you here." Harry joked, which made the group chuckle slightly. They walked into the classroom and took seats near the middle. Harry sat with Hannah as Hermione and Padma sat at the desk to his right. Quirrel, the DADA teacher, seemed to be more scared of the subject than any of the students; he would recoil at every loud noise and looked as if he could be blown off his feet. They all tried to pay attention in class, but Ernie Macmillan was in the back making jokes about Quirrell's stutter, which made Harry very uncomfortable, but he just tried to push it out of his mind.
After a most exhausting hour, the bell rang again, signalling the end of class and the mad rush to reach History of Magic on the first floor. Harry groaned as he got up and saw how far he had to walk; he quickly waved goodbye to Hannah and started his trek with Hermione and Padma. The group made it to class just in time as they found their seats, and the bell rang. Professor Binn seemed to drone on as he spoke; the topic was the witch trials of the 16th century, which could have been fun in anyone's hands, but Binns droned on in death as he did in life. Hermione was the only person who seemed not to be hypnotized by sleep as she listened to Binns. Harry was impressed by her resilience but couldn't focus on her too much as he fought with boredom.
"Finally, lunch," Harry said joyfully as they left History of Magic and made their way down the halls towards the Great Hall. He met Neville outside the doors and asked how his first two classes of Xylomancy and Potions were. Neville had talked about how Snape was the scariest person he had ever met, "Hopefully, he doesn't tear into me too much this semester, or I might fail," Neville said, a bit scared. Harry walked and sat at the Gryffindor table with Neville to try and cheer up Neville. Table hopping didn't seem rare during lunch as friends joined each other at different tables; even Hannah joined them as she walked into the Hall. "Hey Harry, Hey Neville," she called as she moved towards them, trying not to bump into people already sitting.
"Oh, hey Hannah, how was Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry said, greeting her.
"It was alright, kind of boring, really," Hannah said. They all talked about their classes again; Hannah had double potions with Ravenclaw after lunch, Neville looked at his schedule and saw DADA, then charms after. Once the bell rang again, Neville waved goodbye to his friends and walked the stairs to DADA while Harry and Hannah moved towards the dungeons to Potions.
Harry and Hannah were the first students to the Classroom, followed by Hermione Padma and Terry; the rest came running down the hall, hoping they weren't late, which was a bad idea. The doors for the classroom swung open, and out came Professor Snape, the Potions Master, "Michael Corner and Susan Bones, ten points from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for your careless running of the Halls." He then gestured for everyone to come inside. Harry was the first to enter, and what he saw disgusted him; jars lined the walls; some had eyes or hearts floating and even some tongues.
Harry had found a spot near the back with Hannah, Hermione and Padma. They all sat very quietly as everyone started to file in behind them. Snape came walking in, shutting the door with his wand. He slammed the tiny windows and walked by, yelling, "There will be no foolish wand-waving in class." He stopped in front of the teacher's desk and turned to look at the class, stopping as he saw Harry. "Ah yes, Harry Potter, our new celebrity," Snape said, smirking. "You will get no favouritism here, Potter, so please pay attention."
The rest of the class was dedicated to learning the symptoms of simple poisons. Once the bell rang, everyone started to pack their books while Snape shouted, "On my desk Wednesday, one roll of parchment on the signs of poisoning and the common cures. Anyone not handing in the essay might find their pumpkin juice tasting funny next breakfast." Hannah had waved goodbye to Harry as they separated out of the classroom; Harry met up with Hermione and Padma, who were going to the library to start on Snape's essay, which Harry agreed would be an excellent idea.
They walked into the library and were met by the librarian, "If you respect the books, we won't have any problems, you hear me?" They all nodded, and she let them walk into the library; they found all their fellow Ravenclaws sitting in one of the corners near the back. Harry led the girls to join everyone, and they started to work on the Potions essay for Snape; after a while, they began to get hungry and decided they had done enough for now and packed their bags.
Harry was the first to leave the library, where he heard yelling coming down the hall. He started down the hall, and the noise became more apparent as he walked. "Next time, watch where you're going, Weasley, or you'll regret ever being born." He knew the boy yelling was Draco Malfoy; Harry was now being run down by Padma and Hermione, who were wondering where he was going. He walked over and helped the boy pick up books and supplies; he had short red hair and seemed dirty. Once the books were picked up, they walked to the Great Hall together, "Thanks for the help, names Ron Weasley." They all started to introduce themselves, but once it was Harry's turn, Ron looked up at his scar, which bothered him; he didn't say anything, not wanting to hurt his feelings further. Once they reached the doors into the Great Hall, Ron waved goodbye while Harry, Hermione and Padma went towards the Ravenclaw table.
Dinner was a blast; the food was fabulous, and everyone was chatting and laughing. After dinner, most people just stayed and chatted over a hot cup of cocoa or tea. They were finally kicked out after eight. All the students then returned to Ravenclaw Tower, where the entrance had a new clue: "What disappears once you say its name?" They all started to talk, trying to figure out what could possibly be the answer; they agreed on one, and Harry said, "Silence." The voice shouted, "Correct," and they all entered the Common Room; some older students looked at them and called over the loud room, "Most first-years spend their nights stuck outside; good work!" They all smiled. Harry found an empty desk near the stairs leading to the dormitories and pulled out Snape's essay. He wanted to finish it that night if he didn't have time tomorrow. Double Care of Magical Creatures, then Charms and Transfiguration after lunch, and even Astronomy tomorrow night. Harry sighed as he looked at his schedule and knew he wouldn't get time to finish homework.
Harry had fallen asleep while writing his essay and now was alone in the Common Room, or he thought he was, until he saw a House Elf sweeping and cleaning the room; he said goodnight to the Elf and started to walk up the stairs until he looked out the window and saw the sun beginning to rise. He read his essay and fixed mistakes as Harry heard the first students stirring in the rooms above him. Once Hermione came down, they started to walk to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Harry and Hermione walked into the Great Hall to find no one else except the teachers were there yet. They sat in the middle of the table and started eating, waiting for their friends to show; first was Neville, who decided to join Harry. He quickly introduced Neville to Hermione, who shook hands and then asked Neville what classes he had that day. Neville promptly pulled out his timetable and handed it to Harry, "Potions and History of Magic before lunch, followed by Herbology and Transfiguration." Harry smiled as he told Neville they were sharing the Transfiguration period. Both boys laughed as more students piled into the Hall; Hermione was quiet until Padma came over. Once introductions were made, the girls seemed to huddle and gossip about yesterday's news. Once the bell rang, Neville and Harry said goodbye as they separated out of the Great Hall; Harry was heading outside to a hut Hagrid seemed to live out of, and Neville headed towards the Dungeons where the Potions classroom was.
Harry didn't think Professor Binns would have a challenge for the most boring class; once Hagrid started the lesson, Harry looked down and saw a creature called Flooberworms; all they did during the lesson was watch the worms as they ate and had to take notes if something notable happened. Harry was teamed with Hermione, Padma and Theodore Nott of Slytherin. They shared the lesson with Slytherin, and Harry wouldn't have cared if Malfoy had shut up about how bored he was. The bell rang for lunch, and Harry stayed behind to ask Hagrid if they had any reading to do for future classes; Hagrid, unfortunately, shook his head. Harry grimaced, hoping Hagrid wouldn't have them watching Flobberworms all semester.
Harry reached the Great Hall and was welcoming anything to distract him from their class; Hannah waved at Harry, who waved back, starting to walk towards the Hufflepuff table. He heard some insults thrown at him from the Slytherin table, like, "Yeah, Potter, go join your little girlfriend." He gestured his hand as if pushing the insults out of his mind; suddenly, the bench for the Slytherin table fell over, toppling all the Slytherins. Harry looked down at his hand, asking himself, Did I do that? No, how could I possibly move a whole bench with no wand? Harry looked over and laughed with the school once the Slytherins started bickering about who toppled the bench.
"Don't listen to them, Hannah; they are just jealous; some of us have friends outside their house." Hannah smiled and made room for Harry at the Hufflepuff table; during lunch, Hannah had introduced Harry to all her classmates, who were pretty chill, but Wayne seemed to be a lone wolf and just waved as Harry said hello. The bell rang once again to signal the start of afternoon classes. Hannah and Harry started to walk to Charms, which Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff shared, but Draco Malfoy "accidentally" bumped into Harry, sending him onto the stone floor as he walked out the door.
The standoff was scary enough; Harry had gotten up and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Draco, who did the same. "You know, Malfoy, I never did like you from the moment I set eyes on you, but why do you have to be an asshole?" The students all gasped and laughed at Harry's comments, but before any reply could be made, Professor McGonagall had made her way through the crowd and yelled, "Potter, Malfoy to my office NOW! And the rest of you, don't you have classes you should be heading to?" The crowd started to disperse, and Harry said, "See you later," to Hannah, who seemed shocked and didn't even wave goodbye. Harry was first to reach McGonagall's office, followed seconds later by Malfoy and then the Professor.
The inside of McGonagall's office was bare, with only pictures hanging and four torches lighting up the room. She barked, "Sit down, both of you," both boys quickly found seats in front of her desk. "Which one of you wants to tell me what happened," the Professor began, and Draco started, "I was walking out of the Great Hall when Harry pushed me and pulled his wand on me; I was only acting in self-defence." Harry looked horrified at the lies coming out of Draco's mouth but stayed quiet until he was motioned to start talking, "He's lying, Professor. I was walking out of the Hall with Hannah Abbott, and Draco ran into me, laughing with his friends. I was so tired of his bullying, so I made a rash decision and pulled my wand. Sorry, Professor."
She looked at both boys and stood up, "Yes, Potter, I knew Mr. Malfoy was lying before I came to the office. I got a statement from Ronald Weasley, who said last night he also had a similar run-in with Malfoy." She said, looking down on both of them, "Ten points from Ravenclaw for your short temper, Mr. Potter now go," you don't want to miss your class." Harry stood up, picked up his bag and moved as quickly as possible to reach the door before she changed her mind. "Now, Mr. Malfoy, what is the reason for bullying Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley." Harry heard McGonagall say as he opened the door and ran to Charms.
He arrived at Charms ten minutes later, "Sorry, Professor Flitwick, it won't happen again." Harry sat beside Hermione as Flitwick started to talk about wand movements and their uses in Magic. "That was dumb of you, Harry, pulling your wand out in front of the whole school," Hermione whispered to him. He shrugged off the complaint and told himself to focus on class; they started to practice the basic movements when the bell rang for the end of class. Harry found Hannah and asked if she was alright; she nodded and said, "I was just surprised at the outburst; your magic seemed to be radiating from your body; I had never felt it before." Harry seemed confused but was content to know Hannah was alright and waved goodbye as he made his way to Transfiguration.
While he walked the halls, the other students kept him away. This worried Harry as he didn't want people to think he was a ticking time bomb. He just shrugged it off, hoping it would end, and went down the halls looking for McGonagall's classroom. He found the room with Hermione and Padma, who all took seats in front of the teacher's desk, which curiously had a cat sitting atop it. Slowly, students from Ravenclaw started to shuffle in and took seats around Harry; once Sue Li had taken her seat, the Cat jumped and transformed into Professor McGonagall; the students clapped for the display of magic but quieted down as she reached her desk. "In light of reason events, the Professors of Hogwarts have seen fit to have Slytherin now studying with Ravenclaw until further notice." As she said this, the door opened with all the Slytherin first years flooding in; behind them was Mr. Flitch, who chipped, "All yours, Professor," laughing as he shut the door. Man, was Hermione right pulling his wand on Draco was the dumbest thing Harry had ever done.
The Slytherins were about to sit as far as possible from Harry and his friends, but McGonagall called and said, "I have already made seating arrangements for this class; please come up and find your seat." Harry gulped, already fearing the worst as he looked at the parchment on McGonagall's desk; he felt a weight when he saw his name beside Draco Malfoy right up front where everyone would see them. If Harry's face looked devastated, no words would describe Malfoy's. He looked pissed off and scared at the same time. Everyone had taken their seats, and by choice of McGonagall, every Ravenclaw had been sat with a Slytherin. Harry and Draco, behind them, were Amanda and Millicent Bulstrode; to their left were Terry Boot and Vincent Crabbe, and to the farther left were Hermione and Tracey Davis; to his right, he had Mandy and Pansy Parkinson, and farther right was Padma and Daphne Greengrass. In the corners were bunches of Slytherins, whom Harry didn't know, sitting with Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, Sue Li and Lisa Turpin. The lesson had started once everyone had sat down and looked around to see the horror this had become.
A/N Thanks, everyone, for the reviews and questions on the last story; please keep them coming. I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say. It makes me enjoy writing even more when I can add more ideas.
Next time: What else does Professor McGonagall have for the students next? Trolls in the Dungeons?