Here we go! Defense and flight lessons! After this we'll do a bit of a skip to the end of September, where we'll have the first teachers meeting and the second wine festival.
A few of you may be wondering how I'm going to do the wine festival with Merlot at Hogwarts. While the kids are there for most of the year, it would be illegal to keep them from their parents.
It will be discussed in the time skip chapter, as Dumbledore has to inform the professors of Merlot missing a day of classes.
Anyways, let's get on with the chapter.
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Merlot could do without this professors constant stuttering.
Now, she was very considerate of other people's conditions, but she also knew that Charlie had a stutter that was fixed by the Hogwarts nurse when he was little. He had told her the story himself.
The fact of the matter was, that even if it wasn't completely fixable, his condition could be improved. That and his anxiety about anything and everything within his classroom did not suit his position as a defender against the dark arts.
He seemed more like the type to run away at the slightest hint of danger.
Beyond that, there was something aching at the back of her mind. It wasn't the horcrux, although it whispered and spat in its slumber whenever Quirrell was present. No, it was the feeling that somehow, somewhere, she had seen Quirrell before.
"Open y-your b-books to p-page t-tw-twenty."
Merlot groaned quietly at the professor as she opened her book. His face went white at the mere sound of pages turning!
Still, the lesson did look rather interesting. It was the basics in runic barriers. Of course, in order to truly understand how the barriers functioned, Quirrell suggested that they look into the meanings behind each rune in each runic alphabet, as they could have varied meanings, and the links between the runes written and the magic invocation were incredibly important.
It helped that as they went on, Quirrell sort of entered a teaching zone, where his stutter disappeared.
"As you can see in the arrow I've written here, the root runes located at the top, left, right, and bottom of the diagram anchor the circles' magic. This barrier would project the magic of 'Athel' and 'Mann' which represent home and awareness. These two runes are the base for each runic array in wizard homes, and as they do not consume as much power, they do not require a wardstone to operate."
Merlot blinked and looked down in her book once again. Runes seemed quite interesting, and she was eager to learn more about them.
"Professor." A boy in the class asked. "How many runes comprise the wards of Hogwarts?"
The professor nodded, his stutter returning briefly. "A g-great Q-question! H-Hogwarts holds one of th-the oldest rune arrays in the world. Professor Babbling would know a more accurate answer, but I can assure you there are more than seven thousand combinations of runes worked into the shields of the castle."
Seven thousand. That was an astounding number to be sure. Merlot looked intently at the page that included the entire Anglo-Saxon Elder Futhark, looking over the different meanings of each rune as Quirrell continued.
"The home and awareness runes are here and here, at the sides of the circle. The top and bottom consist of the rune 'Ur' which represents strength. Between each of these runes, the cardinal runes, are smaller runes which are used to spell out words, instead of being their direct meaning. Written here, we can see 'pest' as well as 'elf' 'illness' and 'misfortune'. From this we can tell that this circle sets up a base layer of home wards, protecting from pests, illness, bad luck, and unwelcome house elves."
Merlot took out a quill and an ink pot, along with a bit of parchment which she used to write a few notes on.
Runic barriers and circles for long lasting magic protections and possible enchantments?
Elder Futhark not only set of runes, just most widely used
Look more into the runic system. Learn enchantment and try to experiment.
"Of course, this will all be taught more in depth should you choose to take the 'ancient runes' elective in your third year. I am simply covering it in our classes as they are used to defend from dark influence, and may provide you with some insight as to your future options." Quirrell nodded.
Merlot nodded at her small list of notes and stuck it in her book, right by the page that held the elder Futhark, before turning the page and looking at the books example of a simple runic circle.
From the description, the diagram consisted of the root runes 'lagu' and 'eoh', and was meant to create a spring of water as long as magic was channeled into it. Merlot nodded and marked the page in her book, hoping to look into the array further as class was dismissed.
"I'm so glad that we're done with that." Hannah breathed.
"I found it interesting."
"The pace was infuriating." Hannah shook her head. "I doubt the man would even be able to fight anything dark!"
Merlot giggled. "You're probably right. What do we have next?"
"Flying. Oh… I'm not much good on a broomstick." Hannah scrunched her nose.
"I'm sure that you'll do fine." Merlot smiled. "Come on, let's get to the class."
This time, it was Merlot who dragged Hannah to their class, meeting the rest of their housemates and the Ravenclaw first years out in the front courtyard.
There, they listened closely as Madam Hooch instructed them on the basics of flying a broom. Once they had gone over everything, the woman brought them over to a series of brooms that had been laid out in the grass.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, extend your hand and say 'up'." The witch instructed, before taking her whistle and blowing once.
Hannah raised her hand over her broom and shouted at it, but it just rolled over lazily. Merlot could see that several of the other students were having trouble. There were one or two ravenclaws who got it on their first try though.
"Having trouble dear? I noticed you hadn't tried yet." Madam Hooch said, walking past.
"Oh no, thank you. I just wanted to give everybody else a chance to go before me." Merlot smiled, before holding out her left hand. The broomstick assigned to her shot up into it without a word uttered, much to the bemusement of the professor.
"Excellent control… you're left handed?" The woman blinked, as Merlot mounted her broom.
"Just how I learned." Merlot smiled. She could feel the buzzing throughout her body. Her magic was desperate to be in the sky once more.
"Hm… your grip is a bit odd… but I don't see many problems with it. Seekers grip. Where did you learn?"
"My uncle Charlie taught me."
"Charlie? Charlie Weasley?"
Merlot smiled. "Yeah! He's the one."
"Bless me, you must be Scortwits child. It's good to see you dear. He hasn't written like I asked."
"He can be a bit like that." Merlot chuckled. "He gets very busy."
"All right then. Sit tight while I get the others sorted out." Madam Hooch smiled.
"Of course."
Merlot watched as Madam Hooch walked down the line of students, correcting grips and giving tips. Merlot nudged Hannah lightly.
"What is it?"
"They sense fear."
Hannah blinked. "What?"
"Broomsticks. They have a safety charm that makes sure a person can only pick them up this way if they're completely sure they're ready to fly."
Hannah frowned. "You've got a point. I always liked having my feet on the ground."
Merlot smiled. "Just take it easy. Take a deep breath. You're in control here."
Hannah nodded and took a deep breath, letting her arms fall at her sides as she shifted her feet to be a shoulders width apart. "UP!"
The broom shot into the Hufflepuffs hand, causing her to grin. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Merlot smiled.
"Now, I am going to blow my whistle two times, and I want you to kick off from the ground. Ready?"
The instructor gave two sharp blows of her whistle, and the class kicked off. Merlot felt her magic tingling more as she left the ground, yet it was still restrained by the control of the class.
Madam Hooch nodded and blew her whistle twice more, a signal for each of them to land.
"Well done. Much better than last class. I had a first year slip off of a dodgy cleansweep. Now, since we've made it past simply lifting off, we can get to the rest of the lesson. I will ask you to remain on your brooms. When I blow my whistle twice, you will kick off from the ground. I want you to fly in a controlled circle all together, looping around the courtyard.
With the two blasts of the whistle, the class was airborne once more, circling about the courtyard with ease. Soon, madam Hooch joined them on her own broomstick, holding onto a red ball.
"For the rest of the class, we will move about the courtyard and pass this quaffle to each other." The witch spoke. "Make sure to keep it in the air, and watch out for your classmates."
As soon as the ball was in the air, Merlot zipped to it, catching it before it reached its peak. With a quick turn she lofted the quaffle to a ravenclaw.
"Spread out! We can make sure that we don't bump into each other that way."
Madam Hooch watched, a bit bewildered, as the hufflepuff girl flew steadily and silently, before giving sound advice to the rest of the class and causing them to spread out around the courtyard.
The exercise progressed well from there. Madam Hooch marveled at the strategy that Merlot was using, turning herself into a teacher as the rest of the class passed back and forth. The girl floated below them, following the quaffle as it was passed back and forth, catching it if one of her classmates fumbled the ball at any time.
"Alright! I'm adding a second quaffle!" The professor shouted, tossing another quaffle into the air. This time, Merlot zipped over to it and caught it, tossing it to one student as she kept her eyes on the first quaffle.
Her ability to keep track of both objects in play was marvelous, the talent of a natural born quidditch player. Rolanda wondered just how deep that talent ran.
When he added the third quaffle, Merlot began upping the game in return, adjusting her grip to one that Rolanda didn't recognize. While there were three quaffles in the air, each a decent distance from one another, The girl was able to fly even quicker to keep up with all three. Rolanda watched as one quaffle fell, to be swiftly followed by another. Merlot flattened herself against her broom and caught the first, quickly throwing it back into the air before diving down and pulling up beneath the second quaffle. The ball was struck with the tail end of the girl's broomstick as she flipped backwards, smacking it back into the air as several students applauded.
Rolanda gave two blasts of her whistle a few moments later, signaling for the class to return to the ground.
"That was a bit reckless, but expertly executed." Madam Hooch spoke to Merlot. "Have you considered trying out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team?"
Merlot blinked. "Cedric had told me that I could be a reserve member, but I thought that students weren't allowed their own broomsticks?"
"That was a rule I instated to keep first years from getting hurt. Flying should be done under direct supervision. On top of that, many students get jealous of others if they have their own brooms in class, while they get the old school brooms. But I think that your classmates here can attest to your skill."
"You should do it!" Lisa Turpin- A Ravenclaw- spoke excitedly.
"You were entrancing to watch, Merlot." Susan Bones nodded.
"I have to admit. You're really good." Hermione spoke, sounding a bit frustrated. Merlot blinked at the broomstick that was twitching in her hand.
'She didn't get it on her first try…'
Madam Hooch pulled out a bit of parchment and a bit of charcoal, quickly jotting down a note on it before handing it to the Merlot. "Give this to Professor Sprout, I'm sure that with my recommendation, she'll allow you to join the tryouts, and I'll write a note for the headmaster and deputy headmistress to allow you to get your own broom."
Merlot smiled, relishing the thought of flying about the quidditch pitch on her silver arrow. "Thank you Professor."
"Please dear, call me Madam Hooch." The instructor smiled. "Now! Each of you, return your brooms to their stands, located over there by my office. Remember, a broomstick has a mind of it's own. You all did very well today, celebrate that. Class dismissed."
"You really were brilliant." Hannah said as they walked back into the castle.
"Oh, I'm not that good."
"Are you kidding?" Hannah gawked. "You were so natural in the air! It was like watching a fish in the water, just… you in the air. You have to go to the quidditch tryouts."
"When are those anyway?" Merlot blinked.
"In about three weeks. End of September."
Merlot and Hannah jumped a bit, startled as Cedric walked up behind them.
"Didn't see you there Cedric." Merlot steadied herself.
"You were talking about quidditch tryouts? I assume that you're trying out for the reserve team?" Cedric smiled.
"Well, I don't know if-"
"Madam Hooch gave her a note of recommendation for Professor Sprout." Hannah said quickly.
"Hannah!"
"What! It's incredibly good news! You should be proud of it!" The blonde girl said.
"That's incredible!" Cedric said, his smile growing. "I'll look forward to seeing you on the quidditch pitch, then."
Merlot sighed. "Fine… I should probably give this to Professor Sprout then, hopefully I can get my broom in from Scortwit before the tryouts."
"Wonderful!" Cedric patted Merlot lightly on the back. "I'm heading to the greenhouse now actually. I can take the note for you."
"Oh! Thank you Cedric." Merlot smiled, handing him the note. "Make sure that it doesn't get lost along the way, alright?"
"Right." Cedric smiled. "Don't worry, above all else, Hufflepuffs are supposed to be loyal and hard working. I'll see you two at dinner."
The boy took a left at the next corridor, walking away from the two and towards the greenhouses.
"So, what next?" Merlot blinked.
Hannah looked at their schedule. "Looks like nothing for today."
"We didn't even have lunch!"
"That's sort of the point of second breakfast. Oh! And early dinner. Hufflepuffs schedules are apparently set up to be two larger meals every day, rather than three."
"We have early dinner?"
"In the great hall, we get an hour before the other houses." Hannah smiled. "Hm… but we have a few hours before that happens. How about we go to the library?"
"Oh! You said I could find something on phoenix ashes in there, didn't you?"
"I said you might." Hannah nodded. "But now's as good a time to start as any. Come on."
Merlot followed Hannah through a few corridors and up a flight of stairs, eventually coming to the great library of Hogwarts.
"I was wondering, by the way. How do you know the castle so well Hannah?"
The girl shrugged. "I read Hogwarts a History last year. It didn't inform me of much other than what I already knew. Maybe a bit of embellished story telling, but it did have a map of the castle. I guess I just remember it from that."
Merlot nodded as they approached the librarians desk.
"Anything I can help you with dears?" Madam Pince- the librarian- asked quietly.
"Yes, this is our first time in the library. Would you be able to point us in the direction of books on phoenixes?" Hannah asked.
"Popular books, Phoenixes are very sought after creatures." Madam Pince smiled. "You should check shelf seventeen, section twenty six double J. Those books have everything from their magic, life cycles, even their base history!"
A squeak from Merlots pocket got the womans attention.
"Oh hello Despereaux," Merlot blinked. "Finally awake after your long nap?"
"Des-pir-ooo!"
"I must remind you that familiars are not allowed in the library. I can hold onto him at the desk, if you would like."
"That would be wonderful."
The two girls thanked the librarian and searched for the shelf specified, eventually coming to a stop at a shelf on the first level of the library.
"Here, section twenty six, double J." Hannah nodded. "Wow. They've even got a book on phoenix songs."
Merlot scanned the bookshelf, picking out a few titles such as "Phoenix Felixis, everything about the magical good luck of the lightest creature." "Burning, a lifecycle." And "Feathercraft, the magic of phoenix wands."
"Looks like a few decent titles." Hannah nodded.
"The phoenix wand book seems the most promising." Merlot answered, walking over to a table and opening the first book.
The two students searched through the books tirelessly, finding little in their quest.
"The only thing I've found about phoenix ashes is that they never completely cool. They always remain warm to the touch."
Merlot nodded. "Look at this."
- Of the wizards who have lived with a phoenix, many share the observation that the mythical bird of holy flames nests within its ashes. Perhaps they are the only thing that will give the bird a feeling of warmth, as it is well known that they have a strong tolerance of fire itself, magical or otherwise. No significant research has been done into the ashes of a phoenix, as they are well guarded by the light creature, so much so that it has been considered a taboo to use the material as a magical component, something that is now only seen in that darkest of rituals.
"Dark rituals? Does that mean your wand, even if it changed itself, is inherently a dark wand?" Hannah blinked.
"I don't know. Ollivander was okay with selling this wand to me, so I believe that the ashes must have some significance. If they are truly unique… what would they help me to do?"
Hannah shrugged. "Maybe it just means that you'll burn yourself out?"
"No… I don't think so." Merlot shrugged. "What time is it?"
"Tempus. Oh goodness, it's a quarter to six! We're going to be late for dinner."
"That was a handy charm." Merlot blinked. "But regardless. Let's put these away and get moving."
"Right." hannah nodded. "I'll grab Despereaux and meet you at the door."
The two scurried to put the books away and raced to the great hall, picking Merlot's familiar up along the way. They were both eager to eat after the long day.
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Another chapter down! I'll be delving into phoenix lore a bit as we progress through the story. Not only that, but dementor lore as well. I feel that in order to gain a profound ability to cast without words, or even wand movements, Merlot must understand her wand entirely, instead of it being an instant skill of hers.
This won't be a quick thing either. It will take years for Merlot to understand wordless casting. While wandless casting is possible through her parseltongue abilities, it will pale in comparison to what she can do with a wand.
As always, leave a review, and until next time
Adios!