Next chapter coming up!

Here we get to do charms, potions, and maybe some defense. I'm having fun writing the characters so far, this time I get to include Draco and Ron in a few classes.

Their dynamic is a complete departure from the norm in this story. Even with all of the different Harry Potter stories out there, there's still this animosity between Ron and Draco. While I do know that their families have history, I also think it's important to have characters who act more grown up than their bickering parents. Ron and Draco are perfect for it, especially with a bit of tweaking when it comes to wands.

Anyways, let's continue.

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Satin.

The two girls had made satin.

There were some differences. The blonde girl, miss Abbott, had managed to transfigure the edges so that they were frilly lace, making quite a beautiful and soft handkerchief.

The black haired girl, Merlot, who had been Harry Potter, had managed to get the satin to hold a pattern of embroidered cherry blossoms. She had transfigured parchment into embroidery!

McGonagall was turning out to be more and more astounded by this batch of first years. Only one girl in the previous block had managed to move onto the parchment into cloth process, and she had managed all manner of simple cloth types. Denim, silk, woven wool. The variety of the creations spoke to a broad knowledge, while the plainness of it all spoke to some semblance of rigidity within that student.

The two Hufflepuffs before her, however. They were naturals at transformative magic. Minerva had heard the Abbott girls story about her accidental magic and picked up on the fact that she would be a transfiguration prodigy. She had also picked up on the sadness within Merlot, which disappeared far too quickly for her taste. But the raven haired girl had risen to the challenge that her friend had given. Minerva wasn't certain which one of them had done better.

"Astounding…"

Merlot and Hannah both blushed at the praise. They could feel the eyes of each student in the room looking them over, and it was a bit awkward to be praised by the teacher on the first day.

"Ten points to Hufflepuff, each!"

The class gawked, along with Merlot and Hannah. They had earned their house more than fifty points! And it wasn't even the end of their first class!

"As for everyone else." McGonagall turned to face the class. "You're assignment to complete before our next class together shall be successfully completing the matchstick into a sewing needle transformation. I believe that that will be quite easy to pull off in two days?"

The students nodded and McGonagall dismissed the class. As Merlot and Hannah prepared to go to their next block- Charms with Professor Flitwick- they were approached by a blonde Slytherin student that Merlot recognized to be Malfoy.

"That was brilliant magic, especially on the first day."

"Oh, thank you!" Hannah smiled. "You're Draco Malfoy, aren't you?"

The boy nodded. "I am, but you can call me Draco. I am not my father and I don't enjoy living in his shadow."

Merlot blinked. "You would like you have some feelings about that…"

The boy nodded. "I understand that my father is not the greatest man alive. He has stooped quite low in some parts of his life, and I wish to be honorable."

"Is that why you're friends with Ron Weasley?" Hannah asked.

The boy smirked. "I respect him for not living by his parents' puppet strings. He wishes to make his own life, as much as I wish to make my own. We are… kindred spirits."

Merlot nodded. "I heard somewhere that your family's don't agree upon much."

"Anybody will tell you that my parents were devout followers of the last dark lord. The Weasleys were, and still are, followers of Albus Dumbledore. I know that my father attempts to indoctrinate me with the pureblood agenda, but I also know that he is blind to much of the real world. Hiding in the dark lords shadow made him weak." Draco shook his head. "But enough about politics and family drama. You two are obviously at the top of McGonagall's list after today, if I ever needed a hand with transfiguration, would you be able to help?"

Merlot looked at Hannah, who blinked. "We would need time to settle into our schedules, but if you need, we can figure something out."

"Brilliant. I have to admit that Transfiguration has never been a skill of mine. I've always been better at potions and charms myself. Speaking of, I have to get to professor Snape's class. I will be seeing you."

Hannah shook her head as the boy walked out of the classroom. "Humility is quite stunning when it's practiced by a Malfoy…"

"The way that you portrayed him, I was prepared to be bitten." Merlot blinked.

"So was I… let's get to charms. We have it with the Gryffindors and we definitely should not be late."

Hannah and Merlot finished picking up their things and rushed to the charms classroom, making it into their seats as Professor Flitwick, a vertically challenged wizard with some obvious goblin heritage, climbed upon a pile of books behind his large lectern.

"I forgot my book…" Merlot grimaced.

"It's alright." Hannah smiled. "You can read along with me."

"Thanks." Merlot smiled.

"Now that we're all ready to begin," the professor spoke from his podium. "You will not need your books for today."

Merlot rolled her eyes as Hannah put her charms textbook away.

"Instead, we will be doing some hands on work! I will ask some of you charms that you hope to learn in this class, and then I will ask each of you what charms you know! So who would like to give us a charm? I see lots of hands…"

Flitwick called on a Gryffindor girl, Lavender Brown, who suggested the confundus charm.

"Wonderful! We will be going over the confundus charm near the end of this year." Flitwick nodded. "Anyone else? Ah! Miss Bones!"

"The tap dancing jinx."

"That one will be on your exams. We'll cover it after the winter holidays. Mr. Weasley!"

"The levitation charm."

"A wonderful suggestion!" Flitwick smiled. "We'll be working on the levitation charm in a few weeks time. Now, anyone else? Miss Abbott?"

"The Patronus Charm?"

Flitwicks eyebrows rose as a few students looked confused. "I'm surprised that you know of such a charm. It is not usually covered by me, but by your defense against the dark arts professor, and that isn't until your sixth or seventh year. Nevertheless, yes. You will eventually learn it."

"Sir, what is the charm that she's talking about?" One of the Gryffindors asked. "None of the Ravenclaws talked about it last block."

Merlot blinked. So the Gryffindors had double charms. That explained the first year leaving the Transfiguration classroom for this one, and yet still being here.

"That is because none of the ravenclaws have heard of it, or find it interesting enough to ask about." Flitwick nodded. "The Patronus Charm is considered the ultimate form of defense magic. It is the only known spell to ward away Dementors. The charm uses a happy memory, but not just any happy memory, the brightest, most happy memory you can think of. It projects that memory out as a silvery shield, or if the wizard is powerful enough, a guardian animal, most well known as a Patronus."

"Can you cast a patronus sir?" Dean Thomas, the boy whom McGonagall had lectured, asked.

"I can." The professor nodded. "I will give a demonstration, although I will warn you, you shouldn't trifle lightly with this spell. It can easily push you to the brink of magical exhaustion, and beyond that, death. Now… Expecto Patronum!"

A line of beautiful silver mist flowed from the tip of the professors wand, before condensing into the small form of a robin. The bird flitted about the room, before disappearing in a puff of the same silver mist.

"Happiness… A truly intoxicating emotion. Again, I must caution you against using this charm unless guided by an adult. Now… spells that you all know. What is the highest form of charm that you can currently cast?"

Flitwick ran through the assembled students, some showing off simple charms, like the light charm, which Flitwick was quite excited about. Some demonstrated the matchstick into a sewing needle transfiguration, which he praised and said that McGonagall would be proud of. Finally, he came to Merlot and Hannah.

"Miss Abbott? You asked about the patronus charm. What is the most advanced charm that you can perform?"

Hannah nodded and took out her wand, as well as her charms manual. "You may want to watch out Professor."

Flitwick nodded and moved out of the way as the girl pointed her wand at the book. "Depulso!"

The charms manual flew across the room like a bullet, stopping just short of the wall. Flitwick slowly moved his wand back towards Hannah's desk, setting the book on its surface. "A brilliant display of the banishing charm. Perhaps using it on something a bit lighter, and less important, would be a good exercise."

Hannah blushed and nodded as Flitwick turned to Merlot. "Miss Scortwit. I knew your father many years ago. While he wasn't the best at charms, you can't judge a child by their parents. So, what is the most advanced charm you can do?"

Merlot took out her wand. "I can manage the water charm… although I can't sustain it for very long…"

"Okay." Flitwick nodded. "What is the most advanced charm that you can do, successfully?"

An image of herself several years ago, standing barefooted as fire whirled around a building, under the command of her fingertips, flashed through Merlot's mind. That had been the horcrux, but it had only been awake for a few weeks. That had been the horcrux, but it had also been her. She could do it… she could definitely do it.

"The summoning charm then, sir."

"Very well. Care to give a demonstration?"

"Of course. Accio Weasley's Quill."

The quill that the redhead had been holding onto yanked itself from his hand and zipped over to Merlot's desk. Flitwick nodded. "Well done! Five points to each of you for displaying charms that we learn in fourth or fifth year."

Flitwick turned to the rest of the class. "Because we are almost out of time, I would like you all to get an early start on the reading for next class, on the history of the levitation charm. Class dismissed."

The students all got up and gathered their things. The redheaded boy walked over to Merlot and Hannah.

"That charm you did was really cool, but can I have my quill back?"

Merlot nodded. "Sorry for taking it."

"It's okay, you needed something to demonstrate on. I just don't have many of these. Have to use my own pocket money for my supplies."

Hannah blinked. "Your family doesn't pay for your supplies?"

Rons lips thinned. "It's a sore subject, but yes. My mother sort of cut me off from our family's purse strictly because of my wand. Since we got my wand before the hogwarts letter came, I had to find the money to pay for all of my supplies."

"That's more than several galleons…" Merlot blinked. "Where did you find the money for it all?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Had some help from my siblings. Every so often they would give me a few knuts, or a sickle. My dad gave me a few galleons here and there, but he could only fight with my mother about keeping me in the house otherwise. Other than that, I sold a few old things in my room. Posters, my old broom."

"Oh my… I'm so sorry."

"I didn't ask for your pity." Ron snapped. "Sorry… I'd just like all of that to be behind me while I'm here. Thanks for my quill. I'll see you around."

The redheaded boy left the room, slipping between students unnoticed. "He was… nice."

"Troubled, but nice." Hannah nodded. "We should probably get going. We have potions with the Ravenclaws, and from what I hear, the professor is pretty strict."

Merlot nodded. "Can we stop by the common room on our way? I need to get my book."

Hannah nodded. "Of course. I need to get mine as well. Let's hurry though, we only have a few minutes."

Soon, the two girls were in the potions room at the bottom of the dungeons, taking their seats as the black haired professor Snape swirled a potion in a cauldron.

"Welcome to potions…" The professor stated, drawing the word 'potions' out. "There will be no silly wand waving in this class, as I had to inform some of the foolish lions of your year. Thankfully this class is balanced by the wise and hardworking, not the foolish and cunning."

The man gave a few stirs to the potion in his cauldron, before taking a long rod with bottles on one end and dunking it into his brew. As he stoppered the bottles and placed them upon his desk, he waved his hand, draining the remnants of potion within his cauldron.

"Turn to page fifty three in your books. We will be working on a simple girding potion today."

Merlot opened her book to the page number specified and took out her cauldron, before looking up to see the professor writing out additional instructions on a board at the head of the classroom.

Begin potion as book specifies.

For step three, add doxy eggs one at a time. Stir once after each egg is added

Combine steps five and six, adding both dragonfly thoraxes and a flying seahorse at the same time.

For step nine, stir clockwise while heating the potion., add a counterclockwise stir after every fifth clockwise stir. Stir no more than fifteen times clockwise, and three times counterclockwise.

For the remaining steps, add in one clockwise stir, and two counterclockwise stirs after adding each ingredient.

Important note, add one measure of doxy eggs after each step after adding the flying seahorse.

Merlot blinked as she read the additional instructions, before looking around. She saw Hannah begin her own potion and pointed at the board. "Professor Snape gave extra steps. We should probably follow his steps too."

"Thanks." Hannah smiled. "Doxy eggs one at a time… okay."

The class continued without much of a hitch. Every so often, Professor Snape would walk slowly by and look into a students cauldron. There was a point where he stopped by one of the ravenclaws cauldrons stopping them as they stirred in a measure of dragonfly thoraxes. Their potion turned a muddy brown, instead of the orange that the book had spoken of, and he nodded.

"Next time make sure to pay close attention, not only to your book, but also my instructions." The man said, tossing in a measure of doxy eggs and giving one counterclockwise stir. The potion turned a vibrant shade of orange and Snape motioned for the student to continue.

Merlot added the dragonfly thoraxes with the flying seahorse, watching as the potion turned into a swirl of orange and purple, before settling as a beautiful shade of turquoise.

"You're doing well." The professor's voice startled Merlot, causing her to drop her measuring spoon, which held one measure of doxy eggs. The man responded in an instant, raising his wand and causing the eggs to hover just above the cauldron. "My apologies for scaring you. Make sure to add a counterclockwise stir before I let go."

Merlot nodded and did as she was told. "Thank you."

The professor nodded as he let the doxy eggs fall into the cauldron, turning the potion a more vibrant shade of turquoise. His eyes met her own as she turned back to look at the next step, and he froze.

The most brilliant green… Lily's green.

"Is something wrong Professor?" Merlot blinked.

"No…" Snape shook his head slowly. "Nothing is wrong. Keep working."

Merlot nodded and delved back into her potion. The rest of the process continued without a hitch. At the end of the double block, Merlot presented two perfect batches of Girding potion, along with Hannah. The rest of the class had made the potion adequately, but it was nevertheless up to Snapes standards.

"I will see you all again in two days. Make sure to study the recipe for a simple Wiggenweld Potion, we will be covering it then. Class Dismissed."

The class nodded and began to pack up their supplies. Snape stopped by Merlot's desk and handed two vials of her potion back to her. "Well done. I admire your ability to get into a sort of brewing zone."

"Thank you." Merlot blinked.

Lily's eyes.

Snape nodded. "Make sure to keep up your good work. I would hate to deduct points from your house due to hubris."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

Merlot took the potion vials and stowed them in her robe, before taking her leave of the dungeons. Snape watched her go, before returning to his cauldron and beginning a new potion.

The child had Lily's eyes.

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And that's another chapter done! Again, a little shorter. Next we'll do DADA and Flying. Sorry we didn't get to it this time.

As always, leave a review, and until next time

Adios.