AN: First day of classes, and other things.
Monday is the official start of the school year, giving new students like me what is supposed to be our first lesson on magic. I found it disappointing that the first class I had was with Gryffindors, nothing against them but they weren't in the best of moods after coming out of their first lesson with Snape. A few of the girls seemed to be in tears and Neville was a wreck. Whoever made these schedules and decided that Snape of all people should be Gryffindors first taste of magic should be checked in the head. It also didn't help that Hermione was grilling them about the class, and then dismissing their complaints about the teacher, saying that surely, he wasn't as bad as they thought. I didn't bother saying, content to let her have her delusions for a while longer.
At exactly 9:55 the doors to the DADA classroom opened and allowed us inside, and it was not what I was expecting. The windows were blacked out, allowing only the dim light of a few torches to illuminate the room. Across the walls hung various objects, from gleaming swords to the stuffed heads of various magical beasts. Hanging from the ceiling were the skeletal remains of some great serpent, and for a brief moment I wondered if it would animate upon being given a command, before realizing that yes, that was incredibly likely. Standing at the front of the class was Professor Quirrel, back facing us as he stared at the board in front of him, filled with notes and depictions that I had trouble making out. Also of note was the distinct lack of the smell of garlic, filled instead with a sickly-sweet stench that I had trouble identifying.
"Well, are you all just going to stand there? Come in and take a seat, we will begin momentarily."
That was all that needed to be said as we entered the class, and already I had a sinking feeling that I wouldn't have to deal with a cowardly, stuttering Quirrel, but a more competent and dangerous foe. I chose to sit by the far-left wall near the back, putting a respectable distance between me and the professor, with Padma taking the seat to my right, as Daphne went to go sit with Tracy.
"For many of you here, this will be your first true lesson on magic that you will receive. Not the basic theory that those of you who grew up in our world learned, or the little tricks that you may have picked up in your youth. No, this class will be your first true foray into the wider world of the mystic arts, a fascinating, if dangerous, practice that can and will often times prove deadly to the unprepared. Because that is what magic is, dangerous, to both yourself as the caster, and to others. The purpose of the class, despite the name, is not just to teach you how to defend against the Dark Arts, but rather to combat them in every sense, to recognize the danger that they pose and to not be helpless. To fight something, you must first know something, so allow me to teach you so that you may fight."
All of us were silent, enthralled by the words he spoke. That feeling that I had only grew, and I realize that this man may end up a favorite of the school if he continues to play the role he has taken. I can already see that the Gryffindors were hanging off his every word, while the Ravenclaws were already taking note of everything he said. For his part he finally turned around and addressed us, looking at each and every student, spending perhaps a moment more on me than the rest, before continuing with his speech.
"The most important thing for a young witch or wizards to be able to do, rather than master powerful spells and attain great skill, is to properly be able to identify any danger that they may find themself facing, to know what will and will not work against certain threats. That will be the focus of this year, knowledge of the many dangers, whether they be from beasts or men, and the safest ways to deal with them. Not defeat them, mind you, as that would be quite foolish for you to attempt against many at your current level, but rather to escape, to flee with your life."
Oh, that was going to trigger some idiots in red.
"And why would we do that, running away is for cowards!"
Three guesses on who that was, and the first two don't count. Quirrel looked to Ron, a look of annoyance on his face.
"Tell me Mr. Weasley, do you believe yourself strong enough to wrestle a troll to submission, or maybe you think you can slay a vampire with your bare hands. Perhaps you are able to best a werewolf in melee or skilled enough to subdue a mob of angry muggles. No, Mr. Weasley I highly doubt that you capable of any of those feats, all of which will lead to your certain death. What I am here to teach is how to survive any of these threats, to live."
The redhead looked chastised and settled into his seat, clearly embarrassed for being called out like that.
"To continue our lesson, I would ask that you all take your copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble turn to the back of the book. There you will find the current Ministry of Magic Classification of dangerous beasts, rated from X through XXXXX. This will be a major part of this year's lesson as you learn to identify these creatures. For a more in-depth explanation for any beast that you find interesting you may direct your questions to Professor Kettleburn, the current Professor for Care of Magical Creatures, a third-year elective that covers the creatures you will learn more closely."
That was how the rest of the class went, us being introduced to various dangers of the Wizarding World. By the time class let out I could tell that Quirrell was a favorite by a majority of the class, with the exception of Ron who was holding a grudge against the man. Charms with Hufflepuff immediately after though was considerably less stressful, and I even managed to acquaint myself with both Susan and Hannah, managing to get on somewhat friendly terms with them.
The Half-Goblin professor was a cheerful little man, willing to make jokes at his own expense and quickly endeared himself to the students. He did a simple introductory lesson, mainly focused on what Charms were and how they differed from the other branches of magic, or rather how the other branches were different from it. From his words Charms was simply the act of a witch or wizard using magic to cause an effect to a certain target, meaning that almost all branches of magic are in truth Charms of some sort. Many early Transfiguration spells are in truth Charms that help get into the mindset for Transfiguration, many higher-level Potions require a spell cast during the brewing in order to be complete, meaning that Charms was an integral part of the art. DADA uses various defensive and offensive Charms making it a necessity in the class. The list went on as he impressed upon us the importance of Charms. By the time class let out most of the class had pages of notes and a greater appreciation of the subject.
Lunch was a welcome change of pace, simply an hour of relaxing with friends, and enjoying a nice meal. Or that's what it should have been, but before I even made it to the Great Hall I was ambushed from behind and dragged off to some empty part of the castle. The culprit? Rose of course, looking pissed and apparently needing to vent.
"So, what's all this about then? I don't think that you would kidnap me if you didn't feel that it was important." I asked her after as she paced back and forth, her face nearly as red as her hair.
"It's Fucking Snape! The bastard is possible the most horrendous man I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, I don't even know how he was ever friends with Mum." she starts. "The first thing he did upon arriving was to insult us all, ask students at random questions that are at minimum O.W.L. level, and then decides that despite being my Head of House he must personally torment me and berate me for everything I did. He called me out for taking fucking notes! Notes! And don't get me started on what he was doing to poor Neville, the boy was practically senseless by the time Snape was through to him. I always believed Mum that he wasn't that bad a person, just misguided in his youth but now I see that Dad and Uncle Sirius are right, he is a crooked nosed bastard of a bat and a hag!"
This was possibly the most emotion that I've seen from her, just what the hell did Snape do? I don't get to ask for specifics because she suddenly pulls me against her and sighs, suddenly relaxing as I instinctively hug her back while using [Sticky Fingers]. She stays like that for a while, simply enjoying the pleasure that being held by me causes, before speaking up.
"Thank you, for listening to me and making me feel better. I know that you have better thing to do than hang out with your clingy sister, but I appreciate that you do it anyway. When we're like this I can feel the stress and fear inside me slip away, not having to worry about being attacked by members of my house or ominous dreams. So, thank you for putting up with me."
Wait, what was that last bit? Something was up with her dreams? I know that Harry in canon had dreams of Voldemort, but that was much later in the story right, after he managed to get that baby body... oh. Voldemort currently has a body that is in close proximity to her, and I have no idea how to handle that at the moment. With the soul shard in her head there wasn't much I could do to her outside of using the Killing Curse on her forehead, but that was a risky plan that wasn't guaranteed to work. And despite having made them Tom never really researched how to destroy them other than the common methods (Basilisk Venom and Fiendfyre) so I could only hope that [Body Tune-Up] did its job, or if not buy and share [Corruption Defense], [Soul Defense], and [Mind Defense] with her.
Putting the matter of the soul of a 50+ year old dark wizard in my sister's head, I simply held her for a while longer, allowing her to just relax without worry for the brief time we had. Eventually though lunch had to end, and she with great reluctance let me go and left with a final muttered thanks.
The last class for the day was Magical Theory, not a class I remember from canon and there wasn't a listed Teacher like the others had. When I arrived at the class on the Second Floor I was met with a barrage of questions from both members of my house and from Hufflepuff. I managed to play it off as nothing, simply helping my sister with a task, which roused more questions, this time centered around her. Luckily though I was saved from having to answer them as the teacher for the class finally arrived. Appearing in a flash of Fire, Phoenix familiar on his shoulder, the Headmaster himself appeared, silencing all of us with his mere presence as he smiled from his position at the front of the classroom.
"Welcome students, to Magical Theory. The class that shall teach you all you need to know about the wonderous gift you all possess."