Hey guys, Sorry for the long wait you guys had to go through, but now that I am free mostly, updates should be a bit faster.
Chapter 5's first part is already available on my discord with more content being added to it by the hour. The link is on the profile.
A huge thanks to LordLexx and Axium for their work on this chapter as the editors.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated merchandise are property of JK Rowling and WB, I am just a teenager with a hobby of writing.
As he stood there in his dormitory with three boys facing him with Nott and Zabini spectating what was surely a hazing, Harry barely resisted the urge to grab the three and slam them on the floor. It was only the mutual decision of hiding their prowess which kept him from reacting. The blond head and the self-assured smirk on Malfoy's face didn't help much in that regard, but years of practice kept him from doing anything.
"Hey Potter, how the hell did you get sorted into Slytherin when you are apparently Gryffindor enough to show your face around here?" The blond sneered.
"Ask the sorting hat, now please get away from the bed. It is late and I want to
sleep."
Grey eyes widened for a moment before a grin overcame Malfoy's face and he motioned towards the bed as he moved away from it. Walking towards his bed Harry was about to open his trunk before a hand grabbed him by the back of his neck and straightened him while another pair of hands grabbed his wrists and prevented him from moving his hands.
Draco moved forwards towards him and spoke, "You are nothing but a moneyless, homeless and powerless half-blood here Potter! No home in the magical world, no properties and no vaults to your name. The old bat Longbottom and the golden boy will make your life hell before the sun sets tomorrow. No one in this school likes you, and tomorrow morning you will realize how much you and your sister are hated. You should have never set foot here Potter, but now at least we have one more blood-traitor's child to teach the lesson!"
A punch landed in his stomach, courtesy of one of the thugs with Malfoy. And then a second one, then third, then fourth and soon Harry could feel blood welling up from his throat as Malfoy kicked him square in his ribs. In the last few seconds, his stomach and face had been quite brutally rearranged, though these guys had nothing on when Vernon got into one of his moods and disciplined them.
Seconds bled into minutes as he laid there on the cold stone, his ribs and nose throbbing with pain.
'Dammit! It's just like with Dudley and his gang, quantity becomes a quality of its own,' Harry thought to himself.
Reaching out with his hand, Harry grabbed the bed's ledge before pulling himself into a seating position. Finding no one awake around him, Harry levitated himself slightly, enough to make him look like he was struggling to stand up. As he finally dropped into his bed, Harry grabbed the curtains around his single person bed and covered the edges with them, preventing anyone from seeing him.
"Hope the girls here aren't as welcoming."
Worried for his sister, Harry channeled his magic into his chest and face, healing his cracked ribs and broken nose enough to let him breath and lie down properly.
As the green glow died down and breathing once again became easier for him, Harry took a proper look around him. A simple brown, wooden bed with a white mattress, silver bed sheet and green pillows with silver curtains around the bed. A four poster bed, he had read about these in a few different fantasy novels. It was interesting to see them in real life.
His mind returned to Malfoy's words and he shivered involuntarily at the truth in them. The students had made it clear how much vitriol they had for him and his sister and this was no Privet Drive where they were able to heal themselves and teleport around to get away from Dudley.
'Good thing Persephone and I already completed what seems to be the major coursework, at least on the theory bit. Practical seems easy enough if Persephone was able to perform the light charm on her first try, no doubt the students in older years would leave us beaten up in ten different ways though. Also Susan said Longbottom got his wand years ago, no doubt he already knows a lot of magic, add that with our name and we are likely to have a big problem.' Minutes went by like this with Harry thinking upon everything he had learned about the Magical world and Malfoy's words echoing in the confines of his mind.
It was around 7 AM in the morning when some of the early risers of the Slytherin house came out into the common room, only to blink in surprise at the sight of four first years sitting and studying at this hour. The newest celebrities of Hogwarts and set to be so for Britain, though not in the most positive sense, were together in the farthest seat from the center. Blaise Zabini, son of the infamous Black Widow was also present along with the Nott heir, both of them sitting separately from the Potters and pouring over books, their bags beside them.
"Smart of them to remove themselves from their vicinity."
"This isn't smartness Hestia, this is just common sense. Those children are pariahs right now, and possibly forever if Augusta Longbottom and the rest of her faction have their way."
"And what of the Traditionalist faction?" Hestia inquired.
"They will gladly enjoy the show, and when everything is over the remains of the Potter legacy will end up distributed."
"Just like the Mckinnons and countless others have been over the...incidents," a new voice from behind the girls spoke up. Both of the speakers turned towards the third person, a tall girl with an aristocratic face and amber eyes, Flora Carrow looked towards the subjects of the discussion, her raven hair framing her face and falling in waves up to her mid-back.
"Hestia told me you were going to be late, it seems like there are secrets among the sisters now." While spoken with a perfectly raised eyebrow and without a hint of her emotion visible, the levity in her statement was easily caught by the sisters, resulting in nothing but a shake of head towards the girl.
"Come on Eveline, we have OWLS this year, and I for one don't want to come short of answers on McGonagall's class. I barely scraped by with an O last year and while that sounds good, the marks mailed to the manor easily showed that I was 2 marks shy of an Exceeds Expectations!"
With a solemn look on her face Hestia chimed in right after her twin, her violet eyes looking forlorn with a small frown forming on her face as she spoke, "Which is utterly unacceptableto our Aunt, so now we have to make sure that we have O's across all our core subjects."
Still at the threshold of the girl's dormitories, Eveline glanced at each Carrow beside her before she asked, "Why do you have to make it sound like a chore? Outstandings are necessary for social standing too, you know?"
A small trace of humor in her voice, Hestia responded, "Eveline Rookwood, have you perchance met a wizard named Marcus Flint, last I heard he was set to repeat his fifth year, for the third time but I don't hear his social standing dipping in the slightest! Why, it was only last month that the Flint's sent a proposal to the Heiress Rookwood!"
Eveline just rolled her eyes and responded easily, "Which was promptly burned into ash and swept aside, now, as we said we have studies to do."
Taking the hint and backing off, Hestia and Flora followed Eveline towards the side of the room by the fireplace, the underground structure immediately feeling chilled after the warmth of their dorms.
"Ms. Rookwood, Heiress Carrow."
Hearing the Nott heir greet them while the dark skinned Zabini took a glance at them before returning to his book, the three girls nodded back and settled into their chairs, each of them taking out their transfiguration tomes and started studying.
"They are not really studying in that corner."
"Hestia, they were welcomed quite strongly by the school yesterday night. Studying is probably the last thing on their minds right now."
Hestia just hummed in response as the girls once again returned to their books. As the minutes went by, the rest of the Slytherins started trickling into the common room. While not as rambunctious as other houses, talks and groups still formed within the students as they waited for the last of the students.
"Why is Malfoy looking like Potter is something incomprehensible for him?"
Raising her eyes towards Eveline, Flora turned her head towards where her friends' eyes were, spotting the Malfoy Heir standing a few feet away from the Potters with his followers Crabbe and Goyle behind him. His pointed face twisted a mixture of anger and confusion as he mumbled something and moved towards the twins.
Except at that moment Charlotte Rookwood, the seventh-year Prefect and Eveline's cousin raised her wand, and sounds like a cannon going off came out of it. the loud noise echoed throughout the common room, silencing everyone as they turned towards her.
Standing at 5'9'', Charlotte cut an imposing figure as she looked around at everyone, her blue eyes like ice as it eventually settled on the first years.
"First years, come forward."
Her voice was not above a whisper, but like Snape she easily made it into an order. Within moments every first year was standing in front of her, some of them looking down while some gazed at her expressionless face.
"Slytherin house is the embodiment of cunning, resourcefulness and ambition. From today onwards, you are all representing Slytherin, not only in Hogwarts, but throughout your lives. Don't bring shame on our house and its ideals by being dull, incompetent, or lazy. That won't help you in these halls or outside them.. Prefect Farley will now lead you to the Great Hall, there you will have your schedules for the year along with maps of the Castle."
Her eyes boring into each of the first years, Charlotte stepped backwards and swiftly exited the common room.
Gemma came forwards towards them, before beckoning them to follow her as she moved out of the common room. "Alright, now come along with me. I will point out the important signs of corridors and turns which will make memorising the dungeons easier. It can be very easy to get lost in this part of the Castle so concentrate on what I will be saying."
Harry and Persephone both hung at the back of the group as they kept walking behind their guide. Gemma pointed out towards various signs and marks on the castle walls or corners which showed which turns to take for the common room.
They had been overwhelmed at night, but now that the reality of their situation was slightly settled in their minds, the twins saw how little sunlight was available in the dungeons, and how the coldness permeated the air around them.
All the light here came from the fire braziers situated along the walls and the snakes that were etched in the walls to show the Slytherins their way to the common room were almost invisible in the dimness. It was only because Gemma was pointing out towards them that they were able to spot them, the serpent's no more than a couple inches in size and carved lightly into the stone.
Within minutes light sounds of numerous people talking could be heard as they ascended the final staircase which brought them to the ground level.
Alighting in front of the Great Hall's entrance Gemma strode in towards the Slytherin table, the rest of the first years following after her in an orderly fashion, the words of their seventh year prefect still ringing in their minds. All was well until Harry stepped foot inside the hall with his sister. Noise ceased across all the tables as everyone glared at the twins walking towards their table. From the corner of his eye Harry could see Susan and Hannah both glaring at him and Persephone, no doubt all of the friendship evaporated after the reveal.
Even their own house wasn't too far behind the other three houses, everyone around them shifting just a little away. Squeezing Persephone's hand for a moment, his hand reached out for the toasts and apples in front of him to serve his sister when a trembling roar caught his attention.
He looked up with everyone as hundreds of Owls flew down towards the students, parchments and packages tied to their feet. A cacophony of hoots and shrieks rose in the hall as the Owls alighted in front of their owners. Giving a cursory glance at the big grey owl which landed in front of the resident Malfoy with a giant box tied to its talons, Harry returned to his breakfast. Stubbornly ignoring the growing chatter with 'father', 'sweets' and other words telling about the packages and letters received, he ate the toast in his plates silently.
"Hey Potter, look! You and your sister are on the front page. They even show your blood-traitor father and mudblood mother there too!" Silence descended upon the Slytherin table as Malfoy's voice reached everyone's ear. Almost crushing his sister's hand in his anger, Harry looked sideways towards the grinning blond as the last night's events replayed in his mind.
A newspaper was thrust in his face and on the front page was the photo of him and his sister as they sat at the Slytherin table after sorting. Unlike the pictures he had seen till now, the picture here was more like a short clip, showing him and sister looking around at everyone for about five seconds before it replayed.
Above the photo was the headline. Written in Old English font with Black ink the words "Children of the Potters in Hogwarts, Is the Boy-who-lived safe from them?" screamed out at him. Before he could do anything else Malfoy unfolded the lower part and the next second every Daily Prophet in the Great Hall caught fire.
As Students and teachers alike dropped their papers due to the shock and heat, the headlines and news were reduced to nothing but ash and embers within a moment.
Amidst the screams and chaos both of the Potter's stood up from the table, a pale-faced Malfoy backing away from the twins as they both glared at him before exiting the hall swiftly with their bags slung on their shoulders.
"Albus, what was that about? Every Prophet in the hall caught fire!"
Turning his blue eyes from the Malfoy heir to his deputy and longtime friend Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore stroked his long beard as his gaze strayed to the dying sparks and ashes in front of him.
"I think Mr. Malfoy showed todays' headlines and front page to the twins and in their anger they incinerated every Daily Prophet around them, accidentally of course."
His calm voice was utterly at odds with Minerva's slightly wide eyes as she took in the amount of burned ashes being vanished by the seniors.
"What kind of thing has Skeeter now written that they were angered enough to do this? And why weren't they weakened in the slightest? Even the basic Incendiary Charm causes mild exhaustion the first time a first year student casts it, to say nothing of the accidental magic on that scale!"
"Skeeter has gone too far this time! I understand why they reacted like that. It is a wonder that Mr. Malfoy wasn't harmed in the slightest."
Both Dumbledore and McGonagall turned towards Filius Flitwick, his normally cheery voice dripping loathing and fury with every syllable. Wordlessly he flicked his wand and the ashes in front of them swirled into the Daily Prophet as the magic restored it. Reading the front page, her disgust for Rita Skeeter, rose rapidly on seeing the Potter twins vilified with the most flowery words and poisonous tongue. Neville Longbottom's safety and happiness was brought into question with Dumbledore being targeted for allowing 'children of the murderers of our beloved Boy-who-Lived parents'.
However it was when she unfolded the lower half of the paper that she gasped and threw the paper away from her disgust. Intrigued and concerned by her actions Dumbledore levitated the paper in his grasp while seniors all over the house tables restored the newspapers for their own reading. Before the Prophets were even properly restored, Dumbledore stood and waved his wand once, vanishing all the Daily Prophets from the students' hands.
As alarmed cries rose up in the hall Dumbledore shot out loud bangs from his wand, silencing the ruckus immediately. His eyes swept across the children in front of him before he strode out from the hall, the only Daily Prophet remaining in Hogwarts clutched in his hands.
On that piece of paper, a picture of an almost naked woman hanging by a dead snake around her neck and an emancipated man wearing nothing but rags inside a dark room was clearly displayed for all to see.
"That smug little bitch! First he dares to lay a hand on you with his big bad friends backing him up and now he does this! If it weren't for you I would have slammed him into the ceiling and floor until all of his bones would be broken!"
"I know, but don't do that. This isn't Surrey where we just teleported off or could heal ourselves. These people also have magic and can, no, will permanently harm us based on our name alone. No need for you to fan the flames even more."
Turning from the empty dust covered classroom to her brother standing by the door, Persephone just shook her head and ran towards him before hugging him with all of her strength.
"I am not stupid you smarty."
"I know, you are my sister, being smart is a requirement for that. But getting angry won't help us right now. First we have to get to the classes and meanwhile also think of what we will get as punishments from Professor Snape and Charlotte."
"Indeed."
With a shiver running down their spines, Harry and Persephone separated from each other and turned towards the subject of their mutual dread. Charlotte's eyes looked down upon them before she flicked her wand and four parchments materialised in their hands.
"Your schedules and maps. The map will work for one week with your position being shown as a black dot. Next time don't walk out of the great hall while throwing a tantrum, settle your differences in the common room." Short and to the point, Charlotte didn't wait for them to respond and exited the classroom swiftly. As the sound of her walking faded into the distance, Harry and Persephone both looked at each other before moving out themselves.
According to the schedule, they had Transfiguration first, followed by Charms and History of Magic. All periods were sixty minutes each and after History they had a break of one hour. Then they were to study Potions followed by Defence Against the Dark Arts and Herbology. Stuffing the schedule in her pocket, Persephone started walking towards the Transfiguration class while checking their position with the map continuously.
As they came out of the corridor they had gone into, both of them stopped at the sight of dozens of students milling around them. A hush fell over the crowd and angry mutterings grew in intensity, causing Harry and Persephone to move away all the more quickly. As they were about to turn towards the courtyard, Harry's bag ruptured suddenly, spilling his books and ink on the ground along with covering some of his parchment. Before he could kneel down to recover what he could, Persephone cried out in pain as she fell on the ground. She pressed her hand against her right calf before wincing and removing it, revealing it to be completely covered in blood.
"Oh Shit!"
Before she could bleed out too much, Persephone healed herself within a minute, leaving just the blood out on her leg and on her hands as a proof of what happened.
Knowing that his sister could heal such a minor thing, Harry first picked up his books and stuffed them into his torn bag to stop the spreading ink from doing more damage. Next he collected his quills and unbroken inkpots before dropping them into their respective places. Almost half of his parchment was ruined due to the spreading ink or due the cuts shredding them, leaving him with only a few rolls of it. Besides him, Persephone took out her handkerchief and cleaned herself the best she could and stuffed the cloth in her bag.
"Now what will we do about your bag?" Persephone questioned.
Harry just shrugged. "I don't know, I will think of something later. For now give me your bag, we will have to share till I can get a new one."
Within seconds his books and stationery were in her bag, his own cut open one left in the corridor in the ink. Crossing the courtyard, both of them entered the classroom designated for Transfiguration, causing every student present to turn and stare at them. The classes were scheduled according to houses, with Slytherin being paired with Gryffindor for all the classes for the day except for Herbology and History of Magic.
The Gryffindors glared at them with all the anger their eleven year old faces could muster as they walked in and sat at the back of the Slytherin students while the said Slytherins ignored their existence. As they were opening their textbooks a snide voice from the Gryffindor side spoke, "Hey Potter, how did you even get the money to buy these clothes and books? Your trust vaults were seized by Neville here."
Everyone turned towards the boy and Harry could easily tell the boy was jealous of them, after all their books weren't second hand like his and while not amongst the best in class, their robes were certainly better than the ginger.
Before he could speak anything Malfoy said, "Whatever he has done, Weasley, he managed to get better things than you without any vaults to access and no parents to pay for his books and clothes. Merlin knows you must be starving in that hovel you call a house by the way you were shovelling food down your throat."
Before their eyes Weasley's face turned a shade of red which had been unique to their Uncle while Malfoy and his friends started laughing.
"At least his parents are honest and hardworking people instead of criminals."
Their focus shifted from the laughing Malfoy to Hermione Granger, the girl who shared a compartment with them yesterday until she was kicked out. Draco's laughter immediately stopped and his face reddened a little before the girl sitting with him spoke, "Who are you calling criminals you stupid little mudblood?"
The meaning of the word easily understood, Harry and Persephone both tensed up at the remembrance of what Malfoy called their mother. On the other hand almost everyone on the Gryffindor side gasped while Granger looked confused at the ruckus.
"Shut up Parkinson! How dare you use that word!?"
For a moment silence reigned in the class as Neville Longbottom stood up from his seat besides the ginger. Tall, with blond hair, brown eyes and dressed immaculately in robes of the finest quality, Longbottom looked like the hero he was supposed to be as he glared fiercely at Draco and the rest of the Slytherins.
"Shut up, scarhead! though it makes sense for you to help a little muggle. After all, didn't your parents also do the same?"
Draco's sneer was mimicked by the rest of his group causing Longbottom to glare at the blond before speaking, "And your parents prostrated themselves in front of a madman like house elves while wearing masks and cloaks."
Before Malfoy could offer any rebuttal, a cat stood up from amongst the various animals kept in cages and jumped on the teacher's desk. The next moment it leaped from its place towards the middle of the classroom. Harry almost jumped in shock along with most of the class as the cat changed into their Transfiguration professor mid-leap, the woman easily landing on her feet before clasping her hands behind her back.
Her spectacles didn't reduce the impact of her glare in the slightest as she glared at all the students.
"Never have I ever seen such conduct on the first day, by any first year. Mr. Weasley for you unprovoked and uncouth words ten points are deducted from Gryffindor. Further twenty points will be deducted from Gryffindor due to Ms. Granger and Mr. Longbottom."
The Gryffindors immediately erupted in protest, while the girl actually started crying at the loss of points. Weasley and Longbottom were the most vocal, saying that it was the fault of 'slimy Slytherins' while once again Draco and his three friends erupted into sniggers.
"Quite!"
Her voice was a mere whisper, yet the unmistakable authority and fury within it quelled every voice in the room. Turning her blazing eyes to Malfoy, she took a deep breath before speaking.
"Thirty points from Slytherin for provoking students and usage of foul language."
This time no one sniggered or jeered as the woman glared at all of them before walking towards her desk and turning around.
"Transfiguration is one of the hardest magical disciplines and equally dangerous. Those who are caught fooling around in this classroom will be thrown out and never come back."
McGonagall's voice was as ominous for their ears as her words. When she was satisfied that she had the class's attention completely she resumed speaking, "Transfiguration is one of the six fundamental or crucial branches of Magic. Can anyone tell me what the other five branches are?"
Harry's hand shot into the air along with Persephone, while Longbottom, Granger and three Slytherins also raised their hands at the question.
"Ms. Greengrass?"
A blond girl sitting two seats in front of them stood up and spoke in a clear voice, "Charms, Arithmancy, Potions, Ancient Runes and Astronomy."
With a nod at the girl McGonagall spoke
"Correct Ms. Greengrass, take three points for Slytherin. Now, can anyone tell me why these branches have been labeled fundamental?"
This time too the same number of students raised their hands and McGonagall nodded towards Granger.
"These are called Fundamental Branches of Magic because any magic performed must be of either one of these branches or a combination of them."
"Perfect answer Ms. Granger, three points to Gryffindor. Now, despite the common misconception, Transfiguration is not simply the art of waving one's wand and causing the desired transformation in the object. It requires a great amount of concentration, willpower and intent. Discipline and self-study is required for any magic you want to master, but more so in Transfiguration due to the complexity of its sub-branches.
"Transfiguration as a whole has five sub-branches or fields if you prefer. In the order you would learn them these are Transformation, Untransfiguration, Conjuration, Vanishment and Transmutation."
With a wave of her wand, a chalk flew towards the board in front of them and began listing the sub-branches underneath 'Transfiguration' while she looked around at everyone before asking, "Any questions?"
Harry raised his hand, followed immediately by a girl besides Greengrass and Granger. This time McGonagall nodded towards him and he stood up.
"Professor, the book mentions all the sub-branches but it has given the meaning of only four of them. I couldn't find Transmutation's explanation anywhere, could you please elaborate upon it?"
Surprise flashed across her face for a moment before she nodded and responded, "Certainly, Transmutation is the art of permanently changing an object into another by changing its composition instead of shape and size. But Transmutation isn't a sub-branch of Transfiguration entirely, since it also comes under Alchemy.
For example, Philosopher's stone changes any metal into Gold by changing its composition without disturbing the shape and size and making it permanent, therefore making it a transmutation instead of a transformation. However since certain Transmutations can be reversed, Transmutation as a whole doesn't completely come under Alchemy, whose changes are of a more permanent type."
Besides him, Persephone easily took notes regarding whatever Mcgonagall had been saying while Harry wrote it in sparse words in the margins of his textbook.
"Now, Transformation is the art of changing one thing into another while Untransfiguration is the art of finding what the transformed object originally was and reversing the alterations.
"Today you shall attempt the first Transformation in your book, ligno ferrum. It literally means wood to iron in latin. It is used to turn wood into Iron or similar metals like Copper, Chromium and Steel. Today you shall attempt to turn these matchsticks into steel needles."
The next moment matchsticks were soaring to every desk, one for each student. "Remember, your pronunciation and wand movement should be perfect. You can practice the wand movement first without attempting the change if you want. And Willpower is important when attempting any piece of magic, but it doubles so in Transfiguration. You must want the matchstick to change into a needle, otherwise you will just cause minor changes in it."
Sharing a glance with Persephone, Harry took out his Yew wand and looked at the matchstick in front of him. Imagining the matchstick in front of him changing to a needle with its head turning into the needle's eye and focusing on that image with all of his mind, Harry waved his wand clockwise while enunciating the incantation clearly.
The matchstick changed colors, turning from a pale brown to a shining silver and the blunt end turned pointy. The head turned to steel, and a hole appeared in it while it flattened a little. In the end there was a perfect matchstick sitting on his desk, just like the ones he had seen Persephone use for sewing their torn out clothes.
Persephone prodded his completed transfiguration for a moment with her finger before turning towards her own matchstick. As Persephone's matchstick also turned into a needle, albeit slower than his, Harry looked up at the other students.
McGonagall was currently helping a blond Gryffindor girl and every other student was waving their wands with ligno ferrum being spoken or shouted.
As they were at the back of the class, no one took notice of the twins reverting the Transfiguration with the spell given for it and start changing it into needles with more variations each time. Minutes later they were so absorbed in their work that they didn't even notice McGonagall come to stop right at their desks. Before Persephone could untransfigure her latest attempt, McGonagall picked up her needle along with her brother's and held them up in front of her eyes.
While the rest of the class was waiting for McGonagall to start berating them, Harry and Persephone were perfectly able to see her shocked face as she looked from one needle to the other. Persephone's was a blue color with a snake's head at one end with a tiny tongue making the piercing point, and its slightly curved body made up the two inch long body with tiny scales visible slightly on the surface. A vibrant green in color, the matchstick looked perfectly like a tiny figurine instead of a transfiguration by a first year. Her brother's transfiguration was the same, only his snake was a lot more detailed and a little bigger in size with its color fading from dark green at the top to pale at the bottom.
"Mr. Potter, Ms. Potter, is this your first time when you are doing this transfiguration?"
"Yes Professor."
Peering at them over her spectacles, McGonagall's eyes swept over the needles one more time before speaking, "Your father was also exceptionally adept at Transfiguration and was sure to be apprenticed under Professor Dumbledore." A pained expression flashd over her face for a moment before she gazed at the needles and continued, "But even he wasn't able to show such ability on his first day. Twenty points to Slytherin for excellent Transfigurations, and further Twenty points for successful Untransfigurations."
Pocketing the needles, McGonagall turned around and walked back to the front of the class. Now that they were looking around at the class, they could see the majority of the students were unable to finish the Transfiguration, with only Granger, Longbottom, Greengrass having completely turned their matchsticks into needles. All others were either still attempting or were sitting with half-turned needles at their desks. As Mcgonagall cleared her throat to catch the room's attention, a loud blast rang through the room, causing many students to shriek and almost fall out of their seats.
"AAAHHHH!"
A scream of pain came from the Gryffindor side of the room and everyone turned towards where Weasley had been sitting, only to see his partner on the floor with soot on his clothes and seat. With his face curled into his chest, the boy was screaming while pressing his hands to his face. Before anything more could happen McGonagall walked forwards and within a moment the boy was floating off the ground with a stretcher materialising beneath him.
"Class dismissed, all of you may return to your common rooms or the Great Hall until your next lesson."
As McGonagall walked out of the classroom, chatter immediately erupted between the students. Not caring either way about the happenings, Persephone and Harry quickly exited the classroom and moved towards the Charms classroom. This time, there wasn't a single student in their way, all of them still in their first class of the day.
Entering the Charms Classroom, Harry and Persephone moved to sit at the back but were stopped by a cheerful voice coming from above them.
"Now, now, that won't do Mr. Potter and Ms. Potter. Come and sit at the front of the class." Both of them looked upwards, only to find a very short man floating above them, without any support. Wearing a blue robe tailored to his size, the professor was donning rectangular spectacles, his brown eyes looking down at them with a wide smile on his face.
Wordlessly the twins moved forwards to the frontmost seats on the left side, the professor landing in front of them and standing on a stack of books. Now that he was in front of them, both of them could see that he wasn't just short, he was very short for someone supposed to be their professor.
Smiling warmly at them he spoke, "Welcome to your first Charms lesson Mr. Potter, Ms. Potter. My name is Filius Flitwick, and I am going to be your Charms Professor for seven years in this institution." His smile dropped into a pout that looked a bit strange on his face, "Unless you decide to drop this subject after your OWLS."
After taking a pause of a few seconds during which he thoroughly inspected both of them, Flitwick seemed to lose some of his cheer before he spoke, "You look like a splitting copy of your mother, she too had the same crimson hair and eyes, while Mr. Potter seems to have inherited most of his father's looks, except for the eyes of course."
"Thank you, Professor?" Neither sibling knew how to respond to their professor.
"I am also sorry for House Ravenclaw's behaviour last night. Your parents aren't seen in a good light at all, especially because of James' actions against the Longbottom family, but it doesn't mean that animosity has to be taken out on you."
"It is fine Professor." Shrugging, Persephone continued, "It doesn't matter what they think of us, we are here to learn magic and it isn't like what they think of us will matter to our education."
Humming slightly at the answer, the professor said, "How did you find your Transfiguration class? Was the ligno ferrum spell completed by you both?"
"It was great, although we have read the Transfiguration book completely, Professor McGonagall told us a few new things."
Inwardly chuckling at the smile on Harry's face and the obvious joy he was feeling at learning magic, Flitiwck spoke, "Well, books can only take you so far without the basics and barebones being explained by someone who knows the intricacies of the subject. That reminds me, why are you early?" Turning towards the clock hanging on the left wall, Flitiwick raised his eyebrows and continued, "It is still almost almost 20 minutes until you are supposed to be here."
"One of the Gryffindor boys somehow caused an explosion during the class and injured himself. Professor McGonagall took him out of the class on a stretcher and told us that we were free to do as we wished."
"Why didn't you roam the hallways then? Or return to the Great Hall for nourishments? You both didn't exactly have a full breakfast this morning."
"We...didn't want to waste our time doing nothing when we could have asked you some questions."
While nodding with a smile at the answer, Flitwick couldn't help but snort at the obvious lie. No doubt someone had harassed the kids, and going by the fact that Harry didn't have his bag with him, he had a very good idea of what had happened.
The diminutive professor got lost in his memories as he looked at the female Potter, flashes and the voice of a wide eyed redhead asking him about any spell she found fascinating.
"-sor?" Jumping a little in his seat, Flitwick turned his gaze towards Persephone, the girl looking at him from the same face as his favourite student. Clearing his throat, Flitwick said, "Yes Ms. Potter?"
"Is it possible to use Lux to create any other shape than a ball of light?"
"You know about Lux?" surprise flitted across his face for a second before Flitwick continued, "Did someone show you the spell?"
"No Professor." A shake of head later the girl spoke, "We read about it in the last pages of the Charms book, and yesterday on the train I attempted the spell. I was able to create three light sources, but the textbook never said if any other shape can be made or not."
"Was it the first time you performed the Charm?" A nod came as the response.
"Was it the first time you were performing magic?" If it wasn't for the fact that he had been looking at them closely, Flitwick would have certainly missed the minute twitch in their expressions. Alas, Flitwick had seen the days of James Potter and his cohorts and now he was seeing the headache that were the Weasley twins. Coupled with the fact that Harry looked very much like his father, Filius had no doubt of the fact that Harry and Persephone were hiding something and were proud of the secret.
"Professor?"
"Yes Mr. Potter?"
"How much weight can a first year lift with the levitation charm?"
"A first year you say?" Flitwick paused for a moment and then said, "I would expect an average first year to be able to lift about 60 to 70 kilograms if full power is used. For a powerful student, about double or two and a half times that amount."
"Thank you Professor." There was satisfaction in his voice, the kind of which comes from having accomplished something, and yet how could he have felt accomplished from hearing his answer.
'Definitely proud,' Flitwick thought as he saw Persephone and Harry both share a look, no doubt holding each other's hands. Before he could continue thinking about it, students from Gryffindor house started coming inside the room, making their presence clear to the whole castle from their raucousness.
His black eyes turned towards the Boy-who-lived, the Longbottom heir sitting silently beside the newest Weasley and nodding along whatever the boy was prattling about.
As he stood up to greet the students, the Slytherin students streamed inside. Having an internal sigh at the scowl Malfoy's son made at the backs of the Potters and Longbottom, Filius smiled brightly and stood up on the books to introduce himself. The Charms professor made the books underneath him float upwards as he introduced the newest generation in front of him to the wonders of Charms.
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