Shadows of Wizardry
Chapter: 06
AN: This chapter is mostly about going through the curriculum. He will be much more free next chapter.
(Magical Curriculum)
Walking down the large Hogwarts corridor, I made my way to the Hogwarts grand hall. Crab and Goyle stumbling behind me like a pair of corpses, mumbling protests. I was glad I had created a strict schedule ever since waking up as Draco instead of sleeping in.
Truth be told, I had woken up quite early, managed a decent workout, and practised some spells before waking Crabbe and Goyle to join me for breakfast. Opening the Hall doors I noticed many students looking towards us in surprise.
Only the upper years were down here in mass quantity. With only a few others up so early. Everyone was dressed in their respective house robes with casual clothing underneath.
Snape was already sitting at the teacher's table with a newspaper in hand, his appearance prim and proper. He looked completely awake. Sitting down, both Crab and Goyle flopped down lifelessly across from me. Prompting me to roll my eyes.
Food appeared on the table. Piles of bacon and sausages prompted the two large boys across from me to suddenly awaken. The food was pretty delicious. We ate for a few minutes while I listened to them talking about random topics.
Only for my attention to be drawn to the large grand hall doors opening. Pansy quickly walked in, her hair slightly dishevelled. Her eyes scanned the Slytherin table and landed on me.
She made her way over to us at a brisk pace. Sitting down and sending me a frown.
"Why didn't you wake me up to go with you?" She questioned.
I blinked in confusion.
"You were asleep and I didn't feel the need to wake you up?" I replied, somewhat confused.
"And you woke up these two gorillas to accompany you?" She said with a look towards the poor two large boys.
"…"
She sighed.
"Just wake me up next time please?" She asked.
What was with this clingy attitude?
"I can't exactly just go up into the girls' dorms, you know?" I replied.
We were interrupted by Snape, who sent me one of his inquisitive looks. Handing all four of us a schedule for this year's class timetable.
"Good morning, Godfather." I greeted him.
He looked baffled at my greeting, his inquisitive look magnifying a hundredfold. I had no need to be a dick to a brilliant wizard such as himself. Pretty sure he created multiple spells.
"Draco. I bid you a pleasant morning," Snape drawled, his voice oozing with its usual languor. "I must admit, I'm rather surprised to see you up at such an early hour."
I gave him a smile.
"What can I say? I've decided to turn a new page in my life lately." I replied, ignoring the look Pansy sent me.
I made sure not to stare into his dark eyes, I could see him trying to subtly gain my eyesight presumably to use legilimency on me but I was able to avoid eye contact.
"Yes... your mother did inform me of your decision to take your magical studies more seriously," Snape replied, his tone laden with amusement. "I must say, I'm glad. Your performance last year was rather disappointing."
I nearly scowled at that reminder. I'm sure he didn't mean it with any real hostility. Most probably trying to gauge a reaction from me. He gave an almost unnoticeable small nod of approval at my lack of response.
The previous Draco Malfoy would have exploded at him instead of staying silent.
"I assure you, my performance this year should be more adequate. Perhaps as my Godfather, you could show me a thing or two." I suggested, getting Snape to teach me advanced magic would be a godsend.
He smirked at my request.
"Impress me and I shall consider it." He said, turning around with a billow of his long black cloak. Which was honestly pretty awesome.
I glanced down at the class timetable for this year.
(Hogwarts Second Year Curriculum.)
Monday:
Morning: Transfiguration, Herbology. Duelling.
Afternoon: Charms, Potions
Tuesday:
Morning: Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic.
Afternoon: Herbology, Astronomy (evening class)
Wednesday:
Morning: Charms, Potions. Duelling.
Afternoon: Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts
Thursday:
Morning: History of Magic, Herbology.
Afternoon: Charms, Potions
Friday:
Morning: Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Duelling.
Afternoon: History of Magic, Astronomy (evening class)
I had to admit that it was much shorter than I thought it would be. Every class seemed to be about two hours in length. I grinned at the fact we had transfiguration and duelling today.
Some of the classes I most anticipated. The Transfiguration I had learnt so far was limited but I had found that it was really easy to perform. It just seemed to make sense to me.
With charms and potions in the afternoon, I was honestly excited for today. Potions was an incredibly powerful art. Attacking a prepared potion maker was one way to find yourself melted or poisoned by whatever concoctions they carried.
Transfiguration started in an hour. The grand hall started to become more active as more students poured in.
"Draco what was that about?" Pansy asked.
I gave her a confused glance.
"What?" I replied.
"You've never gotten along with your Godfather? Why are you being so relaxed with him? Did you not hear him insult you?" She asked, glaring at the professor's back.
I shrugged.
"Change of heart." I vaguely supplied.
She didn't look happy but didn't bring it up again.
Let's see what today holds for me.
-Scene Break-
I arrived in the transfiguration classroom with my little entourage. Professor McGonagall was in her human form this time, instead of her animagus cat form she liked to take to surprise first years.
The stern witch patiently waited for everyone to arrive. Annoyingly enough, we had to share this class with Gryffindors. I just wish it was Ravenclaw instead, that would have saved us from having to put up with these arrogant crows.
Rose Potter kept glaring at me.
Luckily she had decided to sit down and shut up, because I wasn't in the mood to deal with whatever she had going on.
There were dozens of caged animals surrounding us. Drawing curious glances from all my classmates, including me. A parrot sat on a pedestal in front of the class. Giving me a clue as to what was going to be taught.
Everyone else eventually arrived, Pansy sitting next to me.
"Good morning everyone." McGonagall's sharp rich voice called out. Coming to stand in front of her desk.
"Today we will be learning a more complex level of transfiguration than last year, so pay attention or you'll find yourself banned from attending." She warned.
"Transfiguration is an art meant to be taken seriously. It has led those to death, who have messed around with it," McGonagall emphasised her words. A stern look was sent to all of us.
"Am I understood?"
"Yes, Professor McGonagall." The class called out.
She nodded, a small pleased smile on her aged face.
"Today we will be transforming animals into water goblets. Like so." McGonagall said, raising her wand.
She tapped her wand three times.
"Vera Verto." She called out and a small bolt came out hitting the parrot, making it shimmer before turning into a literal goblet.
Transfiguration is seriously awesome. It was basically playing God. Everyone gasped at the goblet and leaned in forward to get a better look.
I was sure this was playing out exactly like it did in Canon but I didn't mind.
"Now who would like to try first?" McGonagall asked and everyone raised their hands.
She chose the only boy who didn't have his hand up. Ron Weasley.
"Now, remember. It'll be easier to cast if you perform three taps before casting. I would suggest waiting to try skipping that stage." McGonagall advised.
The ginger-haired boy looked caught off guard. From what I knew, he wasn't a slacker but he didn't put much energy into learning either. Compared to the previous me who had simply been a slacker.
"Veri Verto." Ron Weasley mispronounced the spell, bringing me back to his demonstration. The rat in front of him squealed as it was turned into a deformed goblet filled with rat fur. Which was pretty disgusting.
Ron panicked. Rose who was next to him giggled and the rest of the class laughed at his attempt much to his embarrassment.
McGonagall waved her wand, and effortlessly casted a non-verbal 'Finite' on the rat-turned-deformed goblet. Causing it to shimmer and turn back into a rat. She was so fast with it, that I was barely able to see her doing it.
"Do try to pronounce the spell correctly next time, Mr Weasley. Now, Who would like to try next?" She asked.
Less people raised their hands this time, probably wanting to see it performed more so they could get it down. I raised my hand eagerly, drawing a strange look from Pansy.
McGonagall caught my raised hand, looking at me with intrigue. Probably due to my lacklustre attitude last year. She smiled.
"Mr Malfoy, would you like to give it a try this time?" She asked. I nodded, ignoring the scoff from Rose which just seemed to piss her off more. Ron smirked as if he couldn't wait to watch me fail.
"Vera Verto." The words effortlessly slipped out of my mouth.
Following the sense of correctness and feeling the need to show off a bit, I skipped the three taps that would make the spell easier to perform. I swirled my wand and allowed my magic to flow out.
A yellow streak of light slithered out and shot out towards the owl.
Making the owl in front of me shimmer. Turning into a perfect water goblet. I breathed a small sigh of relief. It would have been embarrassing if I had messed that up. Especially with my reputation.
Ron looked like he had swallowed a lemon, and Rose's glare intensified. Seriously I don't know what their problem was, they need to chill out.
Spell Learned
"Vera Verto"
[Vera Verto]
Allows the caster to turn a creature into a goblet filled with water.
I half-expected Professor McGonagall as the head of Gryffindor to be sour at my success, but to my surprise, she clapped her hands in delight with a smile on her face.
"Ten points to Slytherin. Casting a spell for the first time, without the customary three taps is very impressive, Mr Malfoy. Well done." She clapped.
I sent a lazy grin towards Rose, which just infuriated her more.
After my turn, McGonagall let everyone try by themselves. The closest person to me was Rose, who got it after six times, mainly because she tried to do it without the three taps the first three times.
The class ended, and I was walking out with a grin. That had simply been the first class. I wonder what else I would learn throughout the year. The next class we had was Herbology which was located within the Hogwarts greenhouses.
Professor Sprout smiled as we all gathered in the greenhouse.
This lesson we were paired with Hufflepuffs, so I wouldn't need to worry about any jealous redheads.
"Welcome everybody. Today we will be harvesting Aconite." She announced.
"Can anyone tell me what Aconite is?" She asked.
A girl from Slytherin raised their hands.
"Yes, dear?"
"Aconite (also known as monkshood or wolfsbane) is a plant with magical properties. This plant is only found in wild places. Its flowers are useful in potion-making, but its leaves are very toxic. Aconite is most commonly known as an ingredient of Wolfsbane Potion. While the root of aconite can be used as a potion ingredient." The Slytherin girl described.
"Very good, five points to Slytherin." Professor Sprout happily replied. "Gather around."
We all looked at the plant in front of us.
"Now, Aconite is highly toxic. So you must handle it with care and make sure your gloves don't have any rips in them. Or you will be in for a painful visit to the nurse." Professor Sprout rattled off.
Aconite had a rather inconspicuous green root holding beautiful white and purple petals. "To harvest it properly you need to grab it by the base of its root and yank it out."
She proceeded to remove it with ease. A strange purple liquid sprayed out and nearly hit a Hufflepuff boy who had gotten a tad too close. Fortunately, it stopped mid-air.
Professor Sprout's wand swished lazily to the side and we all watched as it burnt through the wooden table.
The Hufflepuff boy paled.
"That is why you always keep your distance and wand on hand." She chided.
-Scene Break-
Herbology had turned out to be pretty awesome. Turns out dealing with magical plants wasn't simple in the slightest. Who would have guessed? I admit I had kind of ignored it in favour of classes like Duelling and Transfiguration.
Speaking of that, the next class till break time was my most anticipated one, Duelling. I had learnt a lot of magic since coming here but the only small amount of battle I had been in was with a fat overdramatic security guard.
This class was with Ravenclaw and was taught by my dear Godfather. Severus Snape is an expert spellmaker, Potion master and a very powerful wizard. I was pretty sure he got this position instead of the Defence Against the Dark Arts due to the curse placed on it.
Nevertheless, I wasn't put off by the fact he wasn't teaching potions. Lily Potter, while she may favour her daughter, was an amazing teacher.
Me and Pansy spoke as we entered the Duelling Class which consisted of multiple enlarged podiums to act as a duelling arena. There were also targets and fake dummies scattered around the room.
As the clock hit eleven the doors opened dramatically for Snape who entered, his cloak billowing with wand in hand. Snape's sharp dark eyes glancing over the class.
"Today we shall be going over how to effectively use the shielding spell in combat." Snape slowly drawled.
"Tell me, who knows how to perform the shielding spell?" Snape asked.
No one raised their hand.
I was worried for a second since I hadn't learned it yet.
Someone raised their hand.
"Yes?"
"Sir, isn't that a sixth-year spell?" A Ravenclaw girl asked.
Ohh, so that's why I hadn't gotten to learn it.
"Yes." Snape drawled.
The Ravenclaw girl looked put off by his casual agreement.
"Then why are we learning it, sir?" She questioned.
Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Why not? Five points from Ravenclaw for being a dimwit." He snarked in that voice of his.
I nearly laughed.
The look on the poor Ravenclaw's face was hilarious.
"Continuing on, we shall be learning and then using the shielding spell, are there any more problems with this?" Snape asked.
A Ravenclaw raised his hand.
Snape ignored him.
"Good. Let's get to practising, shall we? Spread out." Snape commanded, walking around like a general.
"For this, I will need a demonstration," Snape announced.
I saw some people physical cower from Snape's intimidating form. His eyes locked onto my form and he smirked.
"Draco? How about you help me demonstrate how to successfully perform the basic shielding charm." Snape challenged.
I felt myself grow excited.
"Happily, sir," I responded back.
The smirk on his face grew.
We both stood opposite each other. His wand was lazily held in his hand.
"Cast the disarming spell whenever you are ready and I shall demonstrate how to block it," Snape commanded.
I nodded.
Everyone stood around us, focusing intensely.
Using all my speed, I didn't waste a moment. My wand moved fast and my intent was clear. My enhanced imagination makes the process easy. Magical power surged forward.
"Expelliarmus" I clearly said.
The end of my wand exploded in red and my spell zapped towards him. Snape looked slightly impressed but maintained his unbothered attitude. The only movement was his wand tilting to the side.
"Protego." He casually said.
A dome of powerful-looking shimmering air formed instantly in front of him, my disarming spell hitting it uselessly. I clicked my tongue, something Snape noticed and simply smiled at.
He gave me a nod of approval.
"Very good, ten points to Slytherin for a good demonstration," Snape said.
Pansy beamed at me. Looking excited and happy at me.
"There are very few spells a basic shielding charm cannot protect you from without the necessary magical power. The three unforgivable spells and elemental bending." Snape informed.
Everyone was focused, looking at Snape in awe.
"To perform a successful shielding charm, you must first tilt your wand to the side, this will allow for less magic cost and more control over your shield. When speaking the spell's name you must imagine a cone of force that had the sole purpose of repelling." Snape explained.
My Curse was in euphoria. It was devouring all this new knowledge happily.
"While this may seem easy and basic, I assure you it's not. Which is why I will spend half of this lesson, teaching you how to form a flimsy barrier, at the very least." Snape announced.
Everyone nodded determinedly. The Slytherins in their competitiveness wanted to beat everyone else, and the Ravenclaws wanted to prove their intelligence by being the first to cast it.
Snape performed a few more demonstrations of the spell before sending everyone away to try it out.
I titled my wand in a mimic of what he performed. Clearly imagining a dome of shimmering air. I allowed my magical power to escape me.
"Protego," I pronounced it perfectly.
I frowned as I only received a few sparks.
More magical power?
"Protego." I tried again with more magical power.
It didn't work again. What was I missing?
I replayed his words in my mind and realised I was forgetting the repellent part.
What does the act of repelling look like?
Perhaps a dome that pushed air away?
I tried again, a bit more successfully but not quite.
I got an idea and focused. Using my enhanced imagination to cheat as everyone struggled. I noticed Snape was observing me out of the corner of his eye.
A barrier of shimmering air appeared but instead of it just being shimmering air, I imagined it to be pure magical energy with the intent to push away everything. Magic, Air, Matter, Light.
Everything.
"Protego." I clearly said, putting a decent amount of my magical energy into it.
A shimmering dome appeared and everyone stopped their attempts. Staring at me in bewilderment. Even Pansy looked confused. Considering I was known for being a bit of a joke it must be a hit to their pride. I basked in the moment.
The new Draco was here to play.
Snape looked extremely surprised and impressed., more so than I had ever seen from him. Giving me a full nod of approval and a small clap.
"Very well done Mr Malfoy. Twenty points to Slytherin." He announced.
He was just using this as an excuse to give his house as many points as he could wasn't he? The way he smirked just a bit more as some people in Ravenclaw grumbled confirmed it.
I dropped the shielding spell.
Pansy excitedly congratulated me and started asking for tips on how to form the shield spell along with Crabe and Goyle.
Spell Learned
"Protego"
[Protego]
A spell that allows the cast to form a decently sized dome of magic as a shield.
I grinned at the pop-up. Learning spells I had noticed was far easier when they were being taught compared to reading them from a spell book. It was easier to mimic the wand movement and pronunciation when I watched someone performing it.
Instead of taking an hour or more on some of the harder spells, I had successfully performed the shielding charm on my fourth try with the guidance Snape gave us.
No wonder everyone went to a wizarding school, books could only take you so far. I practised on making the shield less wobbly and more stable as everyone tried practising it.
Eventually everyone was able to get a shield spell up even if some were definitely weak and unstable.
"Now that some of you have managed to produce a shield, albeit with varying degrees of instability, we shall proceed to the final segment of this session: duelling." Snape announced with a sharp-look.
"You will now be paired and set against one another. Adhering to standard duelling protocols, you are restricted to the use of the Shield Charm and the Disarming Spell. Movement is strictly forbidden. This exercise will test your abilities in both shielding and casting." He said.
We all listened intently. I felt excitement, it wasn't a proper duel but the only experience I had was with memories of Draco who had been at the lower end of the duelling spectrum.
"In an effort to conserve time, we shall be conducting five duels simultaneously." Snape said, proceeding to put us into random pairs.
Pansy found herself paired with a random Slytherin boy while I found myself paired with one of the two Indian purebloods funnily enough. Padma Patil.
We had watched the first set of five duels play out. A boy named Barnaby Lee made up his way up to the podium along with a girl from Ravenclaw. A nervous-looking girl named Lisa Turpin.
They both did the standard duelling pose, in the classic duelling stance that was taught. The both of them bowed as the duel started.
The Slytherin boy wasted no time, unleashing a swift Disarming Charm that crackled through the air with a nasty grin.
"Expelliarmus" He shouted, his words clear.
It was clear, almost immediately, that his execution was a tad bit sharper and faster than mine. I had been more focused on learning more spells than mastering them. My most mastered spell at the moment was probably the cutting charm.
A mistake I would be fixing soon.
As Bruce Lee once said "I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times"
That sense could be used with magic too.
"Protego." Lisa Turpin quickly said, forming a wonky shield charm.
The spell hit her shield and she was sent skidding back from the force. She was barely able to recover as another bright red disarming spell was sent crackling towards her.
"Expelliarmus" he shouted.
Again she was sent back, holding onto her wand for dear life. She diapered the shield and quickly sent one back.
"Expelliarmus"
"Expelliarmus"
They both called out and both found themselves being disarmed. A good move from Lisa since she was nearing the platform's edge which would have ended in a loss anyway.
It seemed my assumption was correct. The sheer speed of these spells would be impossible to dodge without an enhanced physique. It would be fun to see how a real duel played out with movement and the ability to use any spell you wanted.
The four other duels played out roughly the same with some casting more powerful disarming spells that actually broke through their opponents shields. While others who had less mastery over it were caught off guard as their opponent fired back quickly.
Padma and I were called up to the podium next. She looked at me in curiosity as we made up our way to the podium. Facing each other, her eyes narrowed. A playful smile on her lips.
"Try to keep up okay?" She said softly.
I didn't respond.
We both bowed.
"Begin" Snape's voice called out.
-END-