A:N: At the end of this month, will be on hiatus and will be busy mid August. I'll be preparing for university.
Chapter Two: Links to the PastThe next morning, Harry, Draco, and Blaise awoke at six o'clock to have enough time to get ready for the day. Their clothes had been laid out the night before, so they each took a turn using the bathroom. They brushed their teeth, washed their faces, and dressed. In Draco's case, he put some gel in his silvery-blond hair to keep it in place.
His cool, grey eyes landed on the drawn curtains of Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe as a smirk grew on his pale lips. A concerned look appeared on Harry's face when he noticed the devious smirk on Draco's face.
"What are you about to do?" he asked carefully. Draco lifted a hand to his lips to silence him. Harry followed him cautiously to the bathroom and watched as Draco filled a cup with cold water. A second cup was filled and the blond handed it to Harry. He held it with a dubious expression.
His friend tiptoed over to Crabbe's bed, the short, fat glass still with his graceful movements. Harry came up behind him, his sloshing ever so slightly. Without any fanfare, Draco flung back Crabbe's curtains, and with one swift motion, the water was dumped on the unsuspecting boy.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!" Crabbe roared, leaping out of bed. Draco stepped back nonchalantly. A peal of dark laughter interrupted them as Blaise had watched the scene unfold with calm amusement. Harry just stood there with the second glass with an exasperated look on his face. His emerald green eyes trailed over to Goyle's bed, where he was peeking out from his curtains with sleepy eyes.
"Get up before it happens to you!" Draco threatened.
"He just opened his eyes!" Harry protested, trying to down the glass before Draco took it.
"And there's only thirty minutes before breakfast!" When Harry finished the glass, he returned it to the sink and dragged his friend down to the common room. Blaise was left to be bogged down with three full bookbags.
In the common room, Harry stood before the blond, his expression the same as before. "Did you have to do that?" he asked, putting emphasis on the word 'have.'
Draco nodded vigorously. "I did it because if I didn't they'd sleep all through breakfast and the first class!"
"And it's the very first day!" Harry shot back.
"And I agree with Harry," Blaise put in, emerging from behind the study nook. Draco's posture slackened. There were a few other first years coming down, Crabbe and Goyle not among them.
The Prefects came down, not long after and conducted a quick head count. There were still twenty minutes and half of them were still in the dorms. The minutes ticked by as the rest of their year trickled down. Crabbe and Goyle were the very last to arrive. "Of course!" Draco grumbled. Blaise elbowed him.
"You lot all ready?" Elera called out. There were noises of agreement. "Then follow Cassius and I," she said. They trooped out of the common room and up to the Great Hall.
Breakfast was starting to become lively as all of the first years were being escorted all the first week. The trio met up with Susan, Hannah, and Wayne, who greeted them cheerfully.
"How likely is it that Professor Cessair will let us sit together?" Wayne asked. Susan scrunched up her face.
"Not bloody likely," she grumbled. Hannah hissed at her.
"Let's keep the swearing to a minimum!" Susan stuck her tongue out.
"Why not try it?" Harry proposed. The six friends created their own little knot as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. Harry caught a reproachful stare from Patrick. There were some others as well. Ron and Neville made space for them and there were spaces for Hermione and Padma.
Their plates were quickly filled as the other two saw them and joined. An air of anticipation and nervousness rose as they waited for someone to call them out.
The moment came when they were halfway through their plates of food. "I am not Professor Dumbledore and thus do not permit students to sit with students from other houses. Sit where you are assigned!" Ten pairs of baleful eyes stared up at him.
"Yes, Headmaster," the eight of them replied, though they hadn't meant it.
"You can meet up during Dueling," Headmaster Cessair barked. They took their plates and headed to their own house tables.
"And I'm surprised that he didn't take house points," Draco whispered to Blaise and Harry.
"And twenty points each from Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw for not following the rules!" the redheaded headmaster added from his seat.
"There's no such rule!" Hermione shouted.
"Twenty-five points for talking back to me!" Other students averted their eyes as they were irritated that house points had already been lost. The stacks of toast, pancakes, sausages, and other items were demolished before the first class of the day was due to begin.
Melody, Wisdom, and a vulture named Venomstrike, followed their charges as they made their way to their first class. The trio of birds landed on Draco, Harry, and Nevile's shoulders respectively.
"Good morning," Draco greeted Melody as she nuzzled his head. "You got something for me?" There was a letter attached to her leg. The young boy removed it gently as he observed the others do the same.
Neville was carefully stroking Venomstrike's feathers, soaking in one of the few times the vulture allowed such actions. It let out a proud squawk and flew away. Harry and Draco smiled at him and he returned it.
"It's a great day if that happens," he said, holding the letter tightly. They made their way down to the dungeons, where the Potions class was being held.
"Good morning, Professor Slughorn," Harry and Draco addressed the man standing by the open classroom.
"Good morning, Harry, Draco," Professor Slughorn said in return, a broad smile on his slightly wrinkled face. "How have you been?"
"I'm well," Harry answered, laughing, "you only saw me just yesterday." The potions professor chortled, his large, round belly jiggling with his laughter.
"Oh I know, but I like to ask," Slughorn answered. "And who might you be?" he addressed Nevile.
"Neville Longbottom, Sir," Neville spoke quietly, but assertively.
"Ah Frank and Alice's child," the portly man deduced. "They were some of the best potioneers amongst their peers. Lily Potter, Regulus Black, and Severus Snape definitely gave them a run for their money." The trio of friends exchanged looks.
The three of them claimed a table even though they were on break for the next hour. They bent their heads together.
"What's up with this professor?" Draco whispered. "He just met us and he's already divulging information about our families." Harry and Neville shook their heads.
"That's so weird," Neville commented. "I'll have to write to my parents." Then the professor interrupted their conversation.
"You know, Harry," the man piped up. "Your mother gave me this beautiful goldfish." He pointed to a large bowl, which held a small fish swimming weakly. "His name is Francis, and he's been hanging onto life for the last ten years or so."
"Why are you telling us these things?" Harry asked suspiciously, looking his instructor over.
"Now's not the time to tell you, but just know that you need to know," he said.
"Why?" Neville asked curiously. Professor Slughorn asked a question instead.
"When do you have Dueling?"
"After your class," Draco answered. A frown crossed his features, his greying moustache curling down with the movement.
"That's so unlucky," he said. "But on a better note, Severus Snape was probably the best at Potions, for he grasped the subject matter so thoroughly that he had created his own potions in his latter years, his friends helping, especially Lily and Regulus. One potion they worked on was a potion for curing advanced viruses. He had planned to distribute it to both the non-magical and magical worlds."
"Is it perfected yet?" Harry asked.
"It has been clinically tried and has been perfected, but it needs the official backing of both types of hospitals to be fully released."
"Can we do that?" Neville asked hopefully. "We can't let their work go to waste."
"We'll make it work," Professor Slughorn promised as the clock in the main courtyard struck a quarter to nine in a warning of the next class beginning.
The next fifteen minutes saw the classroom get flooded with students. As Professor Slughorn stood outside the classroom greeting the newcomers, Harry, Neville, and Draco sat discussing the information that they had learned.
"It's also weird that he only brought up the three missing Marauders," Draco commented. The other two nodded. When Ron joined them, the trio brought him up to speed.
"Well," he said. "At least he's helping." The class started right after that.
"Welcome! Welcome to Potions class!" Professor Slughorn greeted the class jovially. "You will have me for the next five years, or all seven years of your education here, depending on if you take the NEWT level of Potions. This year, we will be focusing on brewing basic potions that are not too challenging. Who would like to tell me the three basic rules of potion brewing?" Draco raised his hand confidently. "Mr. Malfoy?"
"Rule one: follow all instructions to the best of your ability to avoid mistakes that could be harmful to yourself or others around you," Draco began. "Rule two: if you do make a mistake, inform the professor at once, no matter how minor or serious the mistake was. Finally, rule three: don't rush while brewing, because the more you rush through it, the more likely you are to make mistakes or for the potion to come out weaker than intended."
"Excellent! Three points to Slytherin," Professor Slughorn praised. "A lot of students do not know all three of those rules in their very first class."
"Show off," Patrick could be heard muttering behind the quartet. Neville gave his friends a pleading look. Harry, Ron, and Draco were known for responding to insults, and this just wasn't the time for that. Fortunately, they kept quiet.
"Now, who knows which potion we will be working on first?" Professor Slughorn questioned. Blaise raised his hand.
"The cure for boils," he answered when his name was called upon.
"Yes, that is correct!" Professor Slughorn said proudly. "In the Muggle world, if you have a boil, you put it in warm water for several days, along with using hot compresses and other hot materials. Eventually, the boil bursts and pus may get everywhere. At this point, the boil is drained, and medicine is used to treat it." This description made some of the students look green in the face, but Harry, Ron, Draco, Neville, and Blaise did not look disgusted. Hermione had already told them how boils were dealt with in the Muggle World.
"That's gross!" Lavender Brown exclaimed.
"Yes, it is rather disturbing, I know," Professor Slughorn agreed. "But in the Wizarding World, the Cure for Boils potion makes this process go much quicker. Instead of days, it's only minutes. The boil will shrink after you apply the potion to the general area surrounding the boil. It will then pop, just like it would the Muggle way. You, then, would apply healing potions to it to heal it the rest of the way. We will learn about healing potions in later years. Any questions?"
"What happens if you don't treat it?" Parvati Patil, Padama's sister, posed.
"It will become more painful and grow to the size of a lemon," Professor Slughorn responded earnestly.
"Have you gotten boils from the potion? Like, have you made any mistakes that caused that to happen?" Harry asked curiously.
"No, that's never happened to me, or to anyone else I know, for that matter," Professor Slughorn answered. "Thankfully, this is a potion where if you make a mistake, it won't do too much harm, though you could get painful boils if you really mess up. You will brew potions later on that will be much more harmful, even poisonous, if brewed incorrectly."
Neville looked nervous at that. "Poisonous?!" he squeaked.
"Don't worry, that won't come until much later," the professor assured him. "The most you'll have to worry about for today is getting this potion in your eyes. While brewing this potion, do not rub your eyes or get any of this potion in them. If you do, please let me know immediately, and we will have to flush out your eyes and get you to the hospital wing. In fact, I suggest that you wear goggles as a precaution. Remember, if you make a mistake at any point in the brewing process, let me know at once. If we catch it soon enough, there may be a way to save your potion. If you wait too long, then it's much more difficult to correct your mistakes. Also, if you need any help at any time, please feel free to ask. Any more questions?" No one raised their hand. "Very well. The instructions are on the board. You will find all the ingredients you will need in the potions cabinet. Let the brewing commence!"
Harry and Ron paired up. Ron went to grab the ingredients while Harry looked at the instructions.
"Oh! Before you get started, I almost forgot, you need to know the Stirring Charm," Professor Slughorn interrupted the chatter. "You should never stir your potion by sticking your wand into your brewing potion. If you do, there will be issues. Move your wand clockwise or counter-clockwise in smooth circles over the surface of your potion, and say 'halato'. You will see your potion moving in the direction your wand is moving. If you struggle with the charm, let me know, but it is a very simple one, so you should be just fine."
Ron came back with the ingredients and they looked over the instructions just in case.
*Cure for Boils*
Estimated Brewing Time (EBT):
Pewter cauldron: 45 minutes
Brass cauldron: 39 minutes
Copper cauldron: 33 minutes
Ingredients:
750 ml of water
6 snake fangs
4 horned slugs
"Hey, Professor Slughorn, isn't it ironic that we need four horned slugs, and your last name is Slughorn?" Ron called out with a grin.
"Oh! I never thought about that before, but you have a point," the professor mused with a chuckle. Harry and Ron went back to reading the instructions.
2 porcupine quills
Flobberworm mucus
Instructions:
Part One:
Add 750 ml of water to your cauldron and bring the temperature to 363 Kelvin.
Ron added the water and set the temperature.
Add all 6 snake fangs to your mortar and crush them into a fine and even consistency using your pestle.
"Harry, you need to crush them more," Ron said. "They need to be 'fine', according to the instructions."
"I'm working on it," Harry stated as he kept crushing.
Take the tablespoon you see beside your mortar and add 4 measures of the fangs to your cauldron.
"Ron! That's more like three and a half, not four!" Harry exclaimed, his green eyes a bit blown wide. Ron grinned sheepishly and corrected his measurements before it was too late.
Behind them, Pansy was not thrilled with Draco. "Malfoy," she said with annoyance. "You are doing it all wrong!"
"Oh, how would you know?" Draco asked haughtily. "Do you have a bookworm as a friend who helps you understand material? Huh?" His expression was cold, his eyes as dark as a heavy storm.
"No, they suck and they think that they can prove that they are a part of this world by regurgitating facts," Pansy replied. Draco looked red in the face. Blaise, who was working with Goyle, gave Draco a warning look.
"Draco, I don't have time to try to keep you from hurting someone, so just cool it," he told him. "Goyle's already keeping me busy."
As if on cue, Blaise grabbed Goyle's hand before he could turn the temperature up too high.
"Goyle, read the bloody instructions!" he growled. Step four said:
Heat your cauldron to 383 Kelvin for 10 seconds, then turn down the flame to 363 Kelvin. Please be careful not to ignite your instruction sheet, each other, or anything else in the classroom while adjusting the temperature up and down.
"Er, oops," Goyle mumbled. Blaise rolled his eyes.
"Maybe I should do the next step," Blaise muttered.
Wave your wand once clockwise. At this point your potion should have a pink hue.
To make sure it would be the correct colour and Goyle wouldn't ruin anything, Blaise did the stirring.
"We, now, let it brew for twenty-two minutes," Blaise said. Goyle yawned and slumped in his chair.
"I'll just take a little nap then," he mumbled as he yawned again. Draco and Blaise exchanged a glance.
"Cut it out, Goyle!" Draco yelled. "Or I'll pour water over you like I did with Crabbe this morning!"
Goyle sat straight up in his chair, suddenly looking wide-awake. "Don't you dare!" he hissed, his normally dull, brown eyes bright with alertness. Draco grinned wickedly.
"I'll only do it if you fall asleep," he said. Goyle glared at him.
Neville and Parvati were already on the next step. Neville was decent at potions, thanks to Hermione and Draco. Parvati liked to gossip a lot, so Neville often had to get her back on track.
Part Two:
At this point, all 4 Horned Slugs should be added directly to the cauldron.
"Yes, all four are in there," Parvati confirmed.
It is important during this step to take your cauldron completely off the flame before adding your porcupine quills. Failure to do so will result in the Potion emitting a terrible odour and your cauldron melting. When this happens, the compound is known to cause very painful boils.
"Well, this is the part where Slughorn has not yet had painful boils come out of this step, so let's make sure it's not the first," Neville stated. But Parvati was not listening.
"Then I saw the fourth year flirting with a fifth year, and..." Parvati paused when the cauldron melted and there was an awful smell. She shot up from her seat, but it was too late. She had boils popping up everywhere.
"Professor Slughorn!" Neville yelled urgently, his blue-eyed gaze taking in the number of boils appearing, some already the size of pennies.
The plump man rushed over and it only took a moment for him to see what had happened. "Miss Patil, you need to go to the hospital wing," he stated firmly, his usual bright tone absent. "Of all my years here, this has never happened before."
"Professor, I can take her," Neville offered.
"That would be most appreciated, Mr. Longbottom, thank you," Professor Slughorn affirmed. Neville helped Parvati to the hospital wing to get her boils healed.
Meanwhile, Lavender and Lilith were working on the next step.
Now that your cauldron is off the flame, add 2 porcupine quills to the Potion and then return it to the heat.
"Well, at least we did it correctly," Lilith said with a smile.
"Yeah, but I feel bad for Parvati," Lavender said with concern. "She's my friend."
"Well, she was distracted, and not reading the instructions, so of course she made that mistake," Lilith said. "Now, let's go on to the next step."
Wave your wand 3 times clockwise and ensure that the heat is still at 363 Kelvin.
"Well, that step was easy," Lavender said. "Next?"
"We let it brew for seventeen minutes," Lilith said, scanning the instructions. "Then we take the cauldron off the flame entirely, and it should be a sky blue colour."
"When do we add the flobberworm mucus?" Lavender asked, wrinkling her nose at the disgusting substance.
"We add it after that, three measures of it, and leave it to thicken for five minutes," Lilith summarised.
In no time, everyone's potions were done and bottled up. The students put their potions on Professor Slughorn's desk.
"Excellent job today!" he exclaimed. "Of course, it is a shame that Mr. Longbottom and Miss Patil couldn't get theirs finished. Let this be a learning opportunity for all of you. When brewing potions, never let yourself be distracted. It can cause a lot of harm in the end. Well, I will see all of you on Wednesday! Enjoy the rest of your day!" The class filed out of the classroom to head to lunch.
The meal was spent debriefing the others, however, they stole a corner of the room to not get in trouble for not sitting with their houses. It was a good thing that lunch was made up of mostly finger food, so it wasn't terribly messy.
"When the weather is nice, we should sneak our food outside, so we can sit together," Harry suggested. "It's not in the rule book."
"Sitting with other houses isn't in the rule book," Hermione reminded him.
"But we have to try," Wayne pushed. The others nodded.
Once lunch ended, all first years from all four houses headed to Duelling, which was taught by Professor Dumbledore. The students filed into the classroom to find that there were no desks and chairs. The room was huge, with mats laid out on the floor. There were cushoned walls, probably so people who were flung across the room by a spell did not get injured. Professor Albus Dumbledore stood in the front of the room, gazing at each student with those twinkling blue eyes as they walked in. He seemed most interested in gazing at ten students in particular.
"Welcome all, to Dueling!" Professor Dumbledore said cheerfully, though it was a different kind of cheerfulness than what Slughorn used. "As you can see, this is not your typical classroom. For this class, we will be standing a lot, because we will be practising duelling. For today, we will not be doing any actual duelling practise, so we will not take up the entire double period we have. We will be going over the three basic duelling techniques, and we will be preparing for practising those techniques for our future lessons. Does anyone know what the three basic duelling techniques are?" Hermione's hand shot up before anyone else's could. "Miss Granger?" he asked with a big smile.
"Professor, the three basic duelling techniques are sneaky, defensive, and aggressive," Hermione answered. "Sneaky is where..."
"Thank you, Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore interrupted. "Who here knows what the sneaky technique means?"
Blaise answered. "The sneaky technique is where you sneak up on your opponent," he explained. "It's actually quite obvious by the name of it."
"Very good!" Professor Dumbledore exclaimed. "Five points to Slytherin. Who knows what the defensive technique is? Ah, Miss Bones?"
"The defensive technique is also what it sounds like," Susan answered. "You defend yourself when your opponent attacks you."
"Very well said, Miss Bones. Five points to Hufflepuff," the professor said. "Lastly, who knows what the aggressive technique is? Mr. Weasley?"
"You pretty much just attack your opponent with spells, or, you could do it the Muggle way too and punch them in the face or the stomach or something," Ron replied. The students laughed, and even Dumbledore couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"Very well said, Mr. Weasley!" the professor said with a smile. "Fifteen points to Gryffindor. Now, we will not be working on these techniques today. That will start Wednesday. For today, we will be going through some exercises that will help prepare our bodies for the hard work we'll be doing in this class."
"Exercising? What's that?" Draco asked. The other pure-bloods looked just as confused.
"Exercising is what Muggles call a workout," Professor Dumbledore explained. "They exercise to stay fit and healthy. Our magic allows us to get away with that on a regular basis, but for duelling, we must exercise first, so our bodies can have the strength and speed to handle incoming attacks."
"Exercising is not something I need to do," Patrick snapped. "I'm perfectly fine. I am strong and I am speedy."
"Mr. Smith, I understand you are not familiar with exercising, but for this class, you must do it like everyone else," Dumbledore said calmly. "And who knows, you may find that it helps. Now, let's begin!"
For the next hour, he led the class into many different exercises, some of it including yoga poses. The pure-bloods like Patrick, Crabbe, and Goyle complained the most, but the students largely ignored their muttering. Draco was not used to it, but he did not complain, and many of the other pure-bloods were the same way. Those who were used to it not only didn't complain, but were also good at it.
Eventually, Dumbledore informed the class that they were done for the day. "Good job, all of you!" he exclaimed. "On Wednesday, we will start working on the three duelling techniques. Have a great rest of your day everyone!" He gave the ten students he had been intently gazing at earlier a wave as they left the classroom. He clearly had favourites.
For the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, the next class was Charms taught by Professor Flitwick. As they walked into the classroom, Crabbe could be heard muttering, "He's tiny."
"You're ginormous, Crabbe," Daphne said calmly, as if she was talking about the weather, her crystalline blue eyes sharp with humour. Some nearby students, including Harry and Draco, laughed.
"Good afternoon, and welcome to Charms!" Professor Flitwick greeted everyone as they took their seats. "I am looking forward to working with all of you for the next five years or longer in this class. I promise not to make you do too much homework. I am sure you will already get enough homework from your other professors."
"Like McGonagall!" Ernie Macmillan called out, light green eyes alight with academic seriousness.
"Ah yes, Professor McGonagall is known for piling her students up with homework," Professor Flitwick agreed. "But in this class, I will only give you a little homework. Well then, let's get started with our first two spells. These are very basic charms, but they will be very useful in all subject areas. They also go hand-in-hand, and are some of the easiest ones you'll ever learn. Who has ever heard of the Wand-Lighting Charm, or the incantation 'lumos'?" Many hands shot up. "Good, good! We will be learning Lumos, and we will also be learning Nox. Who can tell me what these charms do?"
Susan raised her hand. "The Wand-Lighting Charm lights your wand, like a flashlight," she explained. "Nox puts out the light like turning it off."
"What's a flashlight?" one student asked, most likely a pure-blood.
"It's what Muggles use, like if their electricity goes out, or if they're outside in the dark," Wayne answered.
"Or you could think of it like a candle," Justin explained. "As I understand it, it's kind of the same thing."
"Correct," the professor said with a smile. "Let me show you how it's done. Lumos!" A bright yellow light was seen at the tip of his wand. "And now… Nox!" The light went out. "Now I want to see all of you work together to practise these two charms. I will be around to help if you need any!"
Harry looked at his friends with a silent question. Wayne grinned.
"We already know these two charms, thanks to us all growing up around it and having a bookworm as a friend," he stated. "So, who wants to talk during the class period?" The others agreed.
After a few moments, Professor Flitwick's brown eyes noted that there were six students without their wands out. As he approached, they took them out and with silent looks, turned to him. One last confirming nod was exchanged before six wands were lit with the Lighting Charm. His white eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Well done," he praised. "Five points each to your houses for an impressive display of magic together. How much do you all know?"
A proud smile lit up Susan's face. "Thanks to Hermione, we have memorised this year's course work, and have a cursory look at the rest of the years."
The wizened professor stared. "That's why she's in my house…" he said in a slightly dazed voice. "Not even Lily Evans, who was one of the best at Charms, wasn't that far ahead." They all laughed.
"Oh?" Harry pressed as they distinguished their lit wands.
"I can tell you more about her Charms prowess another time. Maybe on Mondays during your free period?" Harry beamed. The class finished a while later and that marked the beginning of dinner. They took small portions of food, so that they could stand in a corner to eat all together.
After dinner, they made their way to their dormitories to get on warmer clothes, because it was always colder in the Astronomy Tower, according to what Fred and George had told them. Then they headed to the Astronomy Tower where Professor Sinistra was waiting for them.
"Good evening, all," Professor Sinistra greeted her students. "Welcome to Astronomy. We will be meeting three nights a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I understand that many of your classes are only one or two times a week, but this class involves a lot of material, so that is why it is three times a week. I see that some of you came with warmer clothes on while some of you did not. I highly encourage you to come in warmer clothes to all future lessons, seeing as some nights, especially in the winter, can be quite cold, and I doubt any of you know how to perform a heating charm yet. Now then, let me tell you what we'll be learning about in this class. This year, we will focus on the planets in our solar system. Yes, Miss...?"
"Granger," Hermione stated. "Will we be learning about the little-known planets as well, or only the major ones?"
"Ah, good question," Sinistra said approvingly. "Yes, we will briefly touch base on the little-known planets, but because there is not much to know about them, we will mainly be focusing on the major ones. Are you into Astronomy, Miss Granger?"
"Well, I liked Science in primary school, and we learned about the planets then," Hermione explained.
"Also, the Black Family is known for naming their children after stars and constellations," Draco pointed out.
"That is correct, very good!" Sinistra said excitedly. She loved having students who already knew a little Astronomy. "We will be talking about the sun and the stars next year. For today, because I know you've all had a very busy first day, I will not keep you for the full class period, but I would like to quickly go through the names of the planets, and I want a one foot essay on what you already know about the different planets."
Hermione and Padma looked excited. Out of everyone in that room, they were the most likely to do much more than a foot. Padma raised her hand when Professor Sinistra asked if anyone knew what the planets were.
"Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto," Padma answered confidently.
"Very good, Miss Patil! Five points to Ravenclaw!" Sinistra praised. "On Wednesday, we will start talking about Mercury. I will let you all out early, so you can get some rest for tomorrow's classes, but in the future, we will almost never get out early. Have a good night, everyone!"
Harry headed towards the door, but then turned towards the professor. "Professor Sinistra?"
"Yes?" she asked.
"You're familiar with the people that called themselves The Marauders, right?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "You're some of their descendants!" Harry nodded.
"Which one was the best at Astronomy?" he queried.
She smiled. "So, of course, The Brothers Black, but Amy Jones loved it as well. She told me that if she had been a Muggle, she would've wanted to become an Astronaut. She loved everything that had to do with the sky. Naturally, she loved flying and thus played Seeker for Hufflepuff. She and the younger Mr. Black would get heated with whoever caught the snitch. They were pretty evenly matched."
"Did she say which star or constellation was her favourite?" Professor Sinistra's eyes crinkled slightly in the corners.
"The Leo Constellation."
"Was she and Uncle Leo an item?" She sent him a deadpan look.
"What do you think?"
"I think so…?" Her smile brightened.
"Exactly!" Draco snorted.
"That's so adorable!" Hannah coed. "I bet that they had an adorable first meeting!" Neville elbowed her.
"Why was it her favourite?" Harry continued. The Astronomy professor thoughtfully put a dark brown hand to her chin.
"If I remember correctly, she said that it was just as bright and strong as the Canis Major Constellation and because she said that not many people knew about it and appreciated it. She also adored cats, orange ones especially."
"I have an orange cat named Kalina," Susan said.
"That's right…!" Ron remarked in remembrance.
"But lions are tan," Harry said, smiling. "Or golden."
The teacher smiled. "True, but I think you should start heading to your dorms." Harry's dark hair flopped in his face as he nodded his agreement. "Good night!"
They returned her greeting and climbed to the bottom of the tower and they walked together until they reached the staircase that led them to the lower floors. They bade each other their wishes of good sleep and were about to separate when Dumbledore caught them.
"Ah, Harry, I was just looking for you," he called out, coming up the stairs gracefully. "I forgot to ask you before you left my classroom, would you join me for some tea and sherbet lemons sometime this week?" Harry glanced at his friends uneasily.
"Why?" he pushed, suspiciously.
"To get to know all of my students better," the old wizard answered, his eyes twinkling brightly. "You're the first on my list."
"Would you do it for Wayne or Hermione?" he challenged.
"Of course!" the man responded easily. "I said all of my students, didn't I?"
"And how would you do that if you have classes to teach? Duelling and Mermish." Hermione looked him over.
"That is not something you need to know."
"When?"
"Friday after Astronomy class."
"No, not allowed," Harry declined firmly. "You're so weird; technically, I should decline your meeting all together after this one interaction alone. Good night, Sir." Harry stepped off to the side, his bookbag swinging lightly with every step. "You're going to make me late." With that, he gripped the bannister and began his long descent.
Hermione, Neville, and Blaise shook their heads fondly.
"Maybe it'll be faster," Draco pointed out.
"Not unless the stairs move while you're sliding down!" Padma hollered after him.
"We'll see," Hannah said, shrugging. Blaise smirked at Dumbledore.
"No time, no meeting." Then they finally dispersed for the night.