Chapter 2: Welcome to Hogwarts
-Hufflepuff common room, the next day-
With a groan, Joshua's eyes blinked open when he felt somebody shaking him awake.
"I'm up, just stop shaking…" He groaned, before taking note of the fact that a certain kitten was laying across his face. "... This boy is gonna be addicted to my face, I swear…" The American uttered as he gently removed River from his face.
"You were snoring like a Niffler with a belly full of pastries." James chuckled.
"Bruh, I don't snore." The taller boy deadpanned groggily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Really? … Then who was snoring like that?" James wondered with a blink.
That was when the snoring occurred again and they turned to see a boy around their age who was practically splayed out on his bed and was still asleep.
He was a boy who looked to be of African descent with bushy black hair and was wearing yellow pajamas, and he also seemed to have a toad that was sleeping on his chest.
"There's your answer." Joshua told his friend with a yawn as he stood up and stretched. He was wearing a pair of black pajamas with blue herons on them.
"Ah ha." James nodded, straightening up his bed, placing a Fox Terrier stuffed animal back next to his pillow before they both walked over to their sleeping classmate and tried to wake him. "I'll get our friend here up." He told his friend.
Deciding to leave him to that, Joshua grabbed some clothes and headed to get changed.
(Later)
Joshua POV
As the new student made his way to the common room, his ears soon found themselves wormed by whispers made about him as he passed by his fellow Hufflepuffs.
He couldn't make them out entirely since they were quiet enough, but what he did catch was that they were talking about the fact he was American and how odd it was that he was accepted into an English school.
This made him groan a bit, since he felt like he should've expected this. It honestly made him miss his homeschooling.
He never had to deal with this gossip…
Though then again, it was odd in context, to be fair…
He didn't have to brew on this for long as he was able to sit at a small coffee table near the fireplace where he saw Ginny in the process of having some tea and scones with clotted cream, honey and jam.
"Oh, hey Ginny." The boy said as she sat next to him, her squirrel Sully picking and nibbling on nuts in a bowl next to her breakfast.
"Oh, hello, Joshua." The redhead nodded as he joined her. "Did you sleep okay?" She asked, pouring him a glass of tea—English Breakfast from the looks of it—and a scone. "Do you like clotted cream? Or do you prefer butter, honey and jam? Actually, what kind of jam do you like? Any particular preferences?" She asked.
"I slept alright, Ginny." Joshua replied. "I prefer strawberry jam, as well." He added.
"Alright. You want any honey with that?" She asked,
"Sure." He nodded.
"Clotted Cream or Butter?" She questioned.
"Clotted Cream." The boy replied, nodding again.
Getting the boy the things he asked for, they were soon joined by James and the boy who was previously sleeping.
"Tea and scones with honey, cream and raspberry jam, James?" Ginny asked as she got a plate ready.
"Thanks sis." The boy nodded as he sat down.
"I'll take what he's having too." The African boy nodded.
"Sure, you have a preference…?" She asked.
"Flynt Coal." He replied. "Marmalade if you don't mind." He nodded.
(Earlier)
James POV
James sighed as he slowly shook the snoring boy, which caused his toad to awaken first, which got the attention of the blonde's owl, Digger.
Said owl hooted at the toad, eyeing it like it was a potential meal. This made the amphibian retreat under his person's pajamas in a panic. This also got the sleeping boy to wake up with a yelp.
"Gah!" He gasped as he shot up, taking his pet out of his pajamas. "Trevor! Oh thank goodness, I thought I developed boils or something." He sighed.
"You always such a heavy sleeper?" James asked as Digger hopped back into his robes.
"That's what my parents tell me." The boy shrugged. "Flynt Coal, expert on magical ores and stones." He introduced himself, shaking James's hand.
"James Kettle, Magical Beast and Plants enthusiast." He smiled.
(Elsewhere)
Cadmus POV
Cadmus Prince let out a cavernous yawn as he stretched himself awake, fumbling for his glasses for a moment before Edgar picked them up from their Black Mamba shaped glasses holder and handed them to him—allowing him to put them.
"Thanks Edgar." He nodded as he looked around the dorms. "Looks like everyone's already awake." He mused as he got up.
He had to admit, the bunkbeds were an efficient thing to have as an arrangement. Shaking his head, he grabbed some clothes to get changed into for the day.
As he made his way to the common room, he soon saw that his fellow Ravenclaws were going about some various different tasks or activities, with one in particular hiding behind a corner and watching two girls who were chatting.
"What is he…?" He muttered before approaching the boy.
He looked to be a second-year student who had the appearance of someone with Scandinavian and Scottish Descent—Scottish Red hair and highland rugged features with Scandinavian blue eyes and hearty physique—with a mischievous smirk on his face.
Then he tossed what turned out to be some kind of stink bomb at the girls, who yelped in surprise and gagged in disgust when the stink registered. This made them walk away to get some fresh air.
"A dung bomb?" The bespectacled boy questioned. "Bit cliche, don't you think?" He questioned.
"Oh, come on, it's not that harmful. I just need to get people to loosen up in this tower." The boy shrugged.
"Seems it did the opposite to me." The first year stated.
"Well, that's obvious, don'tcha think?" He questioned, facing the other boy. "Oh, I remember you, you're that new first year—the one with the knack for loopholes and riddles." He noted.
"Cadmus Prince is the name, mischief is my game." Cadmus grinned.
"Loki MacCloud, Trickery is my trade as well." The boy replied, shaking the boy's hand. "I saw your sorting, the ol' cap seemed like it was stuck between Ravenclaw and Slytherin with you." He noted. "Oddly enough, it nearly put me in Slytherin too." He added mirthfully.
"Seems we dodged a jinx there." Cadmus nodded with a sigh of relief.
"True that." Loki nodded. "Well, I better get moving before that dung bomb leads back to me, be seeing you!" He nodded as he walked away.
"See you!" The bespectacled teen nodded with a wave as he relaxed again.
"Oh, good morning Cadmus." Lavender beamed from behind an unsuspecting Cadmus, who nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Merlin's Beard!" He exclaimed, jumping clear into the air, causing the girl to giggle.
"Sorry, I forgot that you startle easily." She smiled, much to the boy's embarrassment as he hung from the ceiling.
"Ha ha, very funny." He muttered while the girl just giggled.
(Later)
No POV
After everyone had breakfast, they all went to their first classes of the day. The first one Joshua had was Transfiguration with Professor McGonnagall.
"Well, the first class doesn't seem like it'll be that bad." He muttered.
Arriving with a group of other students from Ravenclaw—which they were having class with that day—he spotted a cat sitting on the desk with his teacher nowhere in sight. Joshua squinted his eyes at it, swearing there was something familiar about it.
He decided to keep a close eye on this cat.
Taking his seat, along with the others, he waited for his professor to appear.
Ten minutes later, and nothing happened, and in that time, Joshua noted that the cat was still in its position, almost like it was a statue when it wasn't. That tipped him off that this wasn't an actual cat.
Seconds later, both Cadmus and Lavender stumbled into class, now a full four minutes late.
"Take a left, you said. The stairs will change to give us a shortcut, you said." The girl groaned in exasperation.
"I heard it from a reliable source, okay? It's not my fault the damn stairs are fickle as all hell." The bespectacled boy sighed as they sat down. "Let's just be glad that McGonnigal isn't here yet." He added.
"Don't tempt fate…" James muttered.
As if on cue, the cat on the desk jumped into the air and turned into the woman in question!
"I KNEW IT!" Joshua shouted in childish triumph.
"Four minutes late. Perhaps I should turn you into a pocket watch, Mr. Prince?" The woman hummed.
"What part of 'the damn stairs kept changing' did you not hear?" Cadmus questioned indignantly.
"A map then…" The deputy headmistress mused. "And what exactly did you learn of, Mr. Lynch?" The woman questioned, looking at Joshua with a raised eyebrow.
"That your cat impression is in need of work." The boy deadpanned. "You sat still in one position for far too long; most cats would've been laying down after more than five minutes while you were in that position for fourteen minutes. You didn't even twitch at all, which is another thing." He critiqued.
"She's an Animagius, Josh." Lavender chimed in. "It's a rare and difficult ability to master, most people who can do it don't typically go into minute detail on animal behavior." She explained.
"Doesn't mean that learning the behavior won't help with hiding effectively." The cat lover shrugged. In his opinion, knowing the behavior and mannerisms of one's animagus form would aid in them blending in.
"I will admit, you make a valid point there." Minerva acknowledged. "Though Miss Wisp is correct, given the difficult and often dangerous circumstances of gaining the ability to become an animagus, not many are concerned with learning how to "act the part" as it were—and as of yet, no first year was even able to complete a viable potion to do so—not that they would be allowed to. Even animagi such as myself are required to register our status with the ministry." She stated.
"Challenge accepted." Cadmus smirked under his breath.
"Interesting." The taller boy nodded before class began.
"You guys are way too eager about that…" James muttered as their professor going over the basics of Transfiguration and its similarities to Alchemy and differences.
(Timeskip)
Later on, Joshua and James found themselves in the classroom of one Professor Sprout, head of Hufflepuff house with the Gryffindors.
They were now in the greenhouse and the two boys were glad to see that they could be in the same class as their friend Bill Weasley.
"Is plant care what's usually covered here?" Joshua wondered as he tried to figure out the class.
"Plant care, knowing the different kinds of magical plants, deadly ones, what are used for different potions, the works." James nodded as they waited for Sprout to arrive—right before something crashed through the greenhouse window and knocked over several empty pots as the woman came in.
Said something was a short portly figure that was dressed like he just left the Mad Hatter's tea party on Alice in Wonderland—he was currently carrying several bags of seeds as well.
"Peeves!" Sprout barked as she made her way into the greenhouse, fuming like a kettle.
"What? I'm only helping!" The inconvenient poltergeist huffed, but Sprout didn't buy it for a second.
"I need your help like I need a hole in my boot. Now drop the seeds and get out of here before I call the Baron!" The woman snapped.
The annoyance yelped in fear as he dropped the bag of seeds and bolted through the door.
"… The fuck was that about?" Josh questioned.
"That was Peeves, a poltergeist that causes trouble wherever he goes." Bill explained.
"The Bloody Baron is the only one who can keep him in line." James nodded.
"If he somehow follows me home, I won't be held responsible for calling an exorcist on him." The tall eleven-year-old grunted.
"No argument here." Beatrice Ginner, a girl from Gryffindor with hair that was split down the middle between orange and scarlet and heterochromic yellow and green eyes, nodded in agreement.
"Well, with that out of the way—I'm glad to see that you first years from my house are getting along so well." Sprout smiled.
"What can we say? People love us." James chuckled.
"Alright, today we'll be going over the basics on magical plants and how they're cared for. So pay attention." The head of Hufflepuff told them as she got their lesson ready.
(Timeskip)
A couple hours later, it was now time for charms with Professor Flitwick, which was another class they shared with Ravenclaw, on account of the Charms Professor being from that class.
"Now, one of the Wizard's most well known rudimentary skills is Levitation. What is that? The ability to make objects fly." He told them. "Can anyone tell me the most basic of levitation charms?" He asked, prompting Lavender to raise her hand. "Ah, yes, Miss Wisp." He nodded.
"The most basic levitation spell is the Levio charm, professor." The girl stated. "It's the first spell before the most complex charm, Wingardium Leviosa and is casted by a light flicking motion of the wand." She added.
"Anyone ever told you that you're most attractive when you talk smart?" Cadmus whispered, causing the girl to nearly snort in laughter at the cheesy compliment.
"Correct." Flitwick nodded as the lesson continued. "Now, I want you to try making the feather next to your textbook levitate by using the charm Miss Wisp just described. The correct gesture is a swish and flick." He told them.
This led to the other kids starting to attempt to cast the spell, but they kept pronouncing it wrong.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Josh said as he tried flicking his wand.
"Stop stop, you're going to put someone's eye out." Lavender told him. "You're saying it wrong, you have to enunciate. It's levi-O-sa, not LeviosA." She told him.
"It's not as easy as it looks." Ginny chimed in.
"Thank you, Ginny." Josh nodded. "Mind giving us a demonstration, then?" He asked, and it was noted that his voice had a faint amount of minor frustration.
"That might help me too, actually." James chimed in. "Charms were never really my strong suit." He admitted.
"Fair enough." Lavender nodded as she showed them how it was done. "Wingardium Leviosa." She intoned, causing her feather to float.
Despite not knowing the intricacies of charms, Joshua was able to catch the pronunciation of the charm. Replaying it in his head for a few moments, he was able to sort it out.
"Wingardium Leviosa." He intoned, causing his feather to float. "There it is." He nodded, pleased with the result.
"You certainly learn best when done practically." Flitwick noted.
"It does make things easier when it happens right in front of you." Joshua shrugged.
"Five points to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw each." The shorter man nodded as James started trying to cast the spell…
BOOM!
"MERLIN'S BEARD!" Cadmus exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat at the explosion of the Blonde's feather.
"... How. Do. You. Blow up. A. Feather?!" Joshua questioned slowly, sounding peeved since the blast had unwittingly sent a book flying at him that hit his shoulder.
"… I think we're going to need another feather over here, professor." Ginny muttered at her brother's mishap, Lavender's eyes wide.
"Understood. Five points from Hufflepuff for somehow blowing up a feather." Flitwick deadpanned.
(Timeskip)
It was now lunchtime and everyone was now in the great hall having their mid-day meal—though James in particular was getting his face cleaned up by his sister.
"I know charms were never your strongest subject, but that was ridiculous, if I'm being honest." She told him.
"It's not like I was trying to blow up a feather." The boy sighed as he proceeded to get back to his lunch and Fish and Chips.
"Yeah, well next time, watch where you're casting." Josh told him, his lunch being a few meat pasties, pumpkin juice and some potatoes and peas.
River, meanwhile, was given a cooked fish to eat and Sully a bowl of nuts, while Edgar and Digger were eating in the owlery.
"Well I certainly don't like how you scared me half to death." Cadmus chimed in, his lunch being a Corned beef sandwich on rye bread with sauerkraut and cabbage with a dressing made in the kitchen, along with some potato chips and a drink.
"You lot are a nightmare, honestly." Lavender stated, eating a lunch of a peasant loaf and Irish stew.
"Welcome to our lives." The male Ravenclaw of the group commented as he ate.
"So what class is next for you guys?" Josh asked.
"We have potions with Gryffindor after lunch. Then Astronomy with you. And then we close out the day with DADA with Slytherin." Lavender replied.
"Oh goody…" Cadmus muttered.
"Well we have DADA next with Gryffindor, then we close out the day with Potions with Slytherin." Ginny stated as she enjoyed a plate of tea sandwiches and tea, much to the annoyance of her fellow Hufflepuffs.
"Potions feels like something I'm gonna be aggrieved with…" Joshua muttered.
(Timeskip)
Cadmus POV
As the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor got settled down in their potions class seats, Cadmus could be seen opening his textbook before Snape even walked in, much to the confusion of Bill and annoyance of Lavender—apparently this was a habit of his.
The first thing he took note of when he opened the first edition potions textbook, was that one of the previous owners of the book was someone called the "Half Blood Prince".
Additionally the book seemed to be filled with notes and adendoms scribbled in by said previous owner—including one he was looking for—creating a perfect Animagus potion.
Quickly, the brunette started jotting this down in his personal notebook right as Snape walked in.
"There will be no foolish wand waving nor fancy incantations in this class." The man began, getting straight to the point. "As such, I do not expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion making." He continued. "However, for those of you that have the predisposition…" He hummed, his gaze drifting to Beatrice before continuing. "I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can teach you how to brew fame, bottle glory and even put a stopper in death." He went on, his neutral tone never changing throughout his speech.
Though his attention was soon diverted when he saw Cadmus who was busy jotting down his notes and muttering about what Snape had just said as he started a different set.
"Note to self: Figure out what Potions do these…" He muttered as his teacher took notice.
"However, it will be upsetting if one of you fails to pay attention." The man remarked, subtly ribbing Cadmus.
This caused the boy to look up as the man approached his desk.
"Mr. Prince, seems you think yourself a potions master, do you?" He questioned.
"I'm literally working on figuring out this Animagus potion, so I think I'm on the road to that." The boy bit back.
"Are you now? Alright." Snape questioned as he sat down across from the boy. "Tell me, what would I get if I added a powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" He asked.
"You'd get a sleeping draft so powerful that it's called the draft of the living dead—it's often cited as what muggles are referring to that coated the needle of the spinning wheel in the tale of Sleeping Beauty." The boy replied.
"Correct." Snape nodded, hiding his surprise at the answer. "And where would you look if I were to ask you to find me a Bezore?" He questioned.
"The stomach of a goat, it's a stomach stone that can save you from most poisons including Basilisk Venom." The Ravenclaw boy replied.
"Hm… Impressive." The potions teacher nodded. "Last question, what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?" He asked.
"Nothing, they're part of the same plant and are used in a variety of different remedies including one that can render a werewolf harmless. I know because I have an uncle who's a werewolf and he uses it once a month." The bespectacled brainiac replied.
"... Fifteen points to Ravenclaw for insightful knowledge." Snape stated before looking at the rest of the class, who apparently just sat and stared. "Well? Why aren't the rest of you writing this down?" He questioned, snapping them out of their stupors and getting them to write.
"Bloody hell, Cad, how did you know all that?" Bill whispered, Lavender equally surprised as he literally beat her to the punch each time.
"It pays to have an Aunt who was the top of her potions class as tutor." The boy whispered back.
"It shows." Lavender whispered with a nod.
(Later)
James POV
It was not long after lunch and after Gryffindor finished potions with Ravenclaw that Hufflepuff and the Aforementioned house were now in DADA with their as of yet enigmatic professor Scorpius Perks.
"What's the deal with DADA? Besides the obvious, I mean." Joshua asked, amending himself at the end.
"From what I hear? It's had a seriously high turnover rate due to a jinx put onto it by You-Know-Who." James replied.
"Again, I don't know who that is." The taller boy said.
Sighing in exasperation, James leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Voldemort." He told the boy.
"… That is the stupidest name I have ever heard." Joshua stated, causing Beatrice, Ginny and Bill to snort.
"You're not wrong, but it's what he did that you should be concerned with." Ginny told him.
"And that's what, exactly?" The brunette questioned, right as Perks entered the room.
"We'll tell you later." James whispered as Perks walked to the front of the class.
"Good morning class." The man said as he faced the children in question while lighting a candle at his podium. "In this class's lesson today we will be discussing something a bit more advanced than jinxed artifacts today. We'll be discussing Ancient Magic and its physical equivalent Ancient magical artifacts." He told them.
"Ancient Magic?" Joshua blinked in confusion.
"Yes, Ancient Magic." Perks nodded. "This magic is very obscure, and it is not as prevalent as it was centuries ago, especially at the time of the founding of Hogwarts. Even less people are able to wield it, and those that are likely to use it often stick to the shadows to avoid exploitation." He stated.
"That sounds ominous…" Josh mused.
"What do we actually know about Ancient Magic?" James questioned, looking at the DADA teacher.
"Nothing but theories about how it exactly functions, lists of known past users and known artifacts, I'm afraid." The man replied. "On that note, please turn your textbooks to the lesson on the Ancient Magic Wells that were hidden by the Four Keepers." He told them.
The kids did so and Perks then started writing on the chalkboard.
"The Wells in question were sealed away not long before Hogwarts was discovered built, and was subsequently rediscovered in 1890 by the past Hogwarts Professor Eleazar Fig and his personal student and known Ancient magic user Henry Auerelius Potter, who if you might recognize is the ancestor of the famous Boy Who Lived." He continued.
James noticed Joshua's lost and frustrated look, likely not knowing what was being spoken of and was trying to figure it out with some issues.
"Harry Potter was the boy who lived, he survived you know who and actually by some miracle caused his own killing curse to rebound on him—destroying him." James whispered.
"His dad was one of the greatest quidditch players in Gryffindor history." Bill nodded.
"Okay, that clears up a few things…" Joshua muttered with a nod.
"The Wells were able to hold large amounts of gathered pain and its creator was able to use it to boost her own power." Perks continued. "Anyone here happen to know of any famous ancient Magical artifacts?" He questioned.
"I know of the Ring of Nazgûl." Beatrice spoke up. "It was said to be able to allow a wizard to conjure spirits and control them as wraiths—or if they have some way of avoiding death—to make a new body." She added. "And if the wearer is weaker than the spirit they summon, the spirit can instead use the wearer's body for said purpose." She amended.
"Where's you learn about that?" Ginny gulped.
"My dad's an Auror, and he's been trying to find and destroy that ring for years." The heterochromic girl replied.
"Well I hope he gets to do it, because that ring sounds like a nightmare." Joshua stated with a shiver.
"No kidding…" James nodded.
He shuddered to think about what would happen if Voldemort got ahold of it…
(Timeskip)
Joshua POV
In the Astronomy Tower, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were now in their second to last afternoon class together.
Astronomy definitely sounded interesting, as far as concepts went. He wondered what he'd be learning about here, in terms of subjects.
James seemed to be enjoying the act of finding the visible constellations and Planets, as was Ginny.
Lavender, meanwhile, seemed to be doing well with Star Charts in particular.
And Cadmus… He was quite literally asleep by this point.
"Should someone wake up Cadmus?" Joshua asked, looking at his sleeping friend.
"Let's leave him be for now, Class is almost over anyway." James told him.
(Later)
Cadmus POV
It was now time for the last classes of the day, DADA for Ravenclaw with Slytherin, with the latter joining Hufflepuff for potions directly after.
Right, Cadmus Prince was actually flipping ahead in his textbook (which was also previously owned by the Halfblood Prince and two other Slytherins by the name of Ominous Gaunt and Tom Riddle, oddly enough) and soon took note of the various scribblings in the book on various specific subjects.
One was on the Unforgivable Curses, which he was going to abstain from entirely, given what he knew about them… Limited as that was.
Another were several notable scrawls about the ancient magic artifacts mentioned in the book, which he made sure to write down.
And third were notes on Ancient magic and known practices and artifacts—including the Ring of Nazgûl and something called Horcruxes—though he had no idea what the latter was.
An idea for later, he supposed.
However, before he could get any further, he soon felt something hit him in the ear, causing him to look down and see that someone chucked an acorn at him.
Glancing in the direction it came from, he saw Marvolo snickering to his cronies, which gave him away as a result.
"Big mistake…" The bespectacled boy said as he picked the acorn up and balanced it on its tip, held it with a finger—and then when Perks wasn't looking—he turned his left hand into diamond and then flicked the nut after aiming at his desired angle—causing it to bounce around the classroom, before it bounced off the Wyvern skeleton and nailed Marvolo in the forehead.
"Gack!" The bully yelped, holding his forehead as he tried to figure out what hit him. The acorn also landed under his desk, but he never saw it go there.
"Asshole." Cadmus muttered as he returned to his notes.
(Later)
Joshua POV
It was now the last class of the day for Hufflepuff and Slytherin was the one they had to deal with in Potions—in a class led by the head of Slytherin house.
Joshua noted the similarities the Potions Classroom had to a science lab, which made him recall how seriously rules were taken in such places. This made him basically decide "nah, I ain't screwing around in here."
Snape, however, did not afford him such kindness.
"Mr. Lynch, can you tell me who discovered the cure for Dragon Pox?" The man questioned, getting the taller boy's attention.
"It was someone named Gunhilda, I think. I remember reading it on a Chocolate Frog card." Joshua replied, though he sounded peeved since this was the fifth time Snape had called on him specifically all class—he was lucky that he answered right because it was obvious that the man was trying to make him make a fool of himself.
"You seem knowledgeable, for someone who comes from a non-magical family and a completely different country that doesn't have dragons to speak of." The potions master said.
"Well, books exist, that's part of the reason." The boy retorted, causing nearly everyone to snicker, even the Slytherin kids.
"I'd take away points from Hufflepuff for that set of words, but I will refrain since you know how to read at least." Snape commented before moving on.
Joshua looked like he wanted to hurl something at the man, but refrained from doing so if only to not get his class in trouble, James putting a hand on his shoulder.
"We can bring this up with Professor Dumbledore, don't worry." He told his friend.
"Right… Right." Joshua breathed, trying to curb the urge to do something stupid.
(Later)
No POV
After classes were done for the day, Joshua and James made their way to Dumbledore's office.
"Hey, guys." Cadmus said as he jogged up to his friends. "Heading somewhere?" He asked.
"Headmaster's office. Snape called me out specifically five times in class, and that made me feel targeted." Joshua replied with some irritation.
"Oh no… Looks like that annoying "target the foreigner" stereotype is rearing its ugly face." Cadmus groaned in annoyance.
"Not to mention we're pretty sure he would've called him—." James said before Marvolo and his goons cut them off.
"Where're you lot off to in such a hurry? You gonna go cry to Dumbledore?" He jeered.
"Piss off, Rosier." Cadmus snapped.
"Crying about something and bringing to the headmaster's attention the behavior of a professor that goes against the school's values are two completely different things." Joshua stated. "You'd know that if you didn't spend your time stuffing your faces." He added.
"You watch your mouth or I'll shut it for you, you pathetic little mudblood." The Slytherin spat.
WHAM!
Marvolo grunted when he was suddenly punched in the face and fell to the floor not by Cadmus or James, but by an angry Joshua.
"Did you honestly think I wouldn't know what that means?!" He hissed. "Well joke's on you, I do know. Cadmus told me exactly what it meant, you annoyance!" He stated. "One of the perks of having a Ravenclaw as a best friend." He added.
"I imagine so." A new voice spoke up, causing all of them to turn and see Dumbledore himself walking up to them. "I also heard the slander you hurled at young Joshua, and I am not pleased, Marvolo." He added, looking at Marvolo in displeasure.
"S-Sir, he–" The bully tried to say before the aged Headmaster held up a hand.
"I will never approve of such bias, nor that you are targeting him because of something as trivial as his blood status or nationality." Albus told him. "Mr. Landbrecht, while your reaction was not a satisfactory one, I will allow it to be forgiven only this once. Please refrain from doing so again in the future." He added, looking at Joshua.
"Of course, but I can't promise that if I'm having a particularly bad day." Joshua nodded in reply as he took a breath to calm down.
"Mr. Rosier, I will be deducting twenty points from Slytherin for this. Now I suggest you, Mr. Chorus and Mr. Garus head off to dinner and your common room straight if you wish to avoid detention." The headmaster said.
Upset at the results of the outcome, but not willing to push his luck, Marvolo and his goons walked off.
"He's going to be the bane of my time here, I swear…" Joshua muttered.
"I heard of your issue in potions class. I'll be sure to have a word with Professor Snape." Dumbledore told him.
"Thanks." Josh nodded as the man began to head to his office.
"Ah, before I forget." The Headmaster said. "In light of Yours, Mr. Prince's and Mr. Keddle's aptitudes for magical creatures and interest in the Animagus process, I've elected to enroll you three into a private set of lessons on these matters that you'll be attending for one hour every Saturday." He told the trio.
"Oh, that's cool. I'm a little curious about how they'll react to us." Joshua smiled as he thought about how the magical creatures would respond to the pull he has.
"Magical beast studies are typically for third years, so this is a great opportunity!" James nodded.
"Right on!" Cadmus grinned as he high fived his friends. "And we get to learn more about animagi! This is awesome!" He whispered.
"Thank you, Professor." The trio said in unison.
"My pleasure, boys." The old man smiled, glad they were so eager. "Now, I do believe you should head to dinner. It wouldn't do if you missed out on your final meal of the night, would it?" He chuckled.
"Yeah. You'll be joining, right?" Josh nodded.
"But of course." The headmaster smiled.
(Later)
Joshua POV
"So let me get this straight." Lavender said as she, Ginny, Beatrice and Bill sat across from Joshua, Cadmus and James while everyone ate their dinner. "You three are going to take private lessons, and you're going to try and become Animagi as first years?" She questioned.
"Do you have any idea how many rules you'd breaking if you took advantage of the teachers like this?" Beatrice questioned.
"It's mostly Cad's idea." James shrugged.
"McGonnagal said that no first years have ever managed to achieve it—so I say challenge accepted!" The bespectacled boy stated. "Plus, with my aptitude for potions, Josh's Astronomy know-how and James's Herbology knack, we'll get it done." He added.
"Professor Dumbledore didn't exactly say we couldn't attempt to become Animagi since we're learning about them…" James admitted.
"See? A loophole." Cadmus nodded.
Meanwhile, Joshua wasn't really engaging with the current conversation, rather he was busy writing a letter to his parents—River rolling on his page and playing with his quill.
Chuckling, Joshua scratched his furry buddy's head as he kept writing… While also hoping that River didn't mess up the fresh ink.
To summarize, his topics were primarily about his first day's events… And because he was still a kid, he didn't have the foresight to leave out what Marvolo called him and how he reacted. This was compensated by him admitting it wasn't the best reaction, all things considered.
(Later)
After dinner was over, Joshua had his letters sent to the owlery for delivery to his parents. Then he went back to the Hufflepuff common room with his housemates and decided to sit in front of the fireplace to unwind a bit before bed.
"Being targeted doesn't make a good first day for you, does it?" Ginny asked as she sat on the couch next to him.
"Nope." The boy replied as he shook his head. "I knew some people were gonna be stupid, but not that much." He added.
"Well, good news is, tomorrow's another day." The girl told him as James and Flynt came over with some milk and what looked like British cookies or "biscuits" as they were called.
"She's right, you know." James told him. "Plus, our new Saturday classes are a thing to look forward 't deny that." He added.
"Yeah…" Josh nodded, taking a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. "Thanks guys." He smiled.
"Don't mention it." The Kettle twins smiled.
(Elsewhere)
Cadmus POV
Meanwhile in the Ravenclaw common room, the boy was writing to his family—who were a Wizarding family in Wales, his mother being a muggleborn witch and his father being a 'pure' blood wizard from the Welsh Prince-Kenway Clan—which also had roots in America.
As he worked on this letter, his Raven Edgar would occasionally take his quill and put it in one of several in wells, then hand him a fresh one, that way he didn't need to constantly move his arm and risk spilling something.
It was efficient for them.
"Care for some tea while you're writing?" Lavender asked as she approached the boy with a pot, some cups and what looked like tea cakes.
"Oh, thanks." The boy nodded in thanks as the girl set the food next to him. "I'm actually just about finished." He told her as he signed his name at the bottom, allowing the girl to see his signature.
It was a typical cursive signature, but it has an almost snake-like loop to it and he seemed to always top his lowercase i with a crown.
He then rolled up his letter and gave it to Edgar, who flew off to get it to the Owlery.
"Good timing, actually, tea and snacks always helps me wind down in the evening, especially if I can play wizard's chess." He told her.
As he said this, a familiar bracelet of Norse Jormungandr, Fenrir and Mjolnir charms jangled as Loki MacCloud slid in next to him.
"Did someone say Wizard's chess?" The Second Year grinned.
"I did." Cadmus shrugged casually.
"Sweet! I could use a fresh challenge!" The boy grinned eagerly.
"Alright." The bespectacled first year nodded as he pulled out a board. "Let's play." He said as he got the pieces ready.
(Timeskip)
No POV
It was later that night, and all the students were now fast asleep and were having pleasant dreams about what was to come.
Two students, in particular, were having some peculiar dreams, however.
Joshua was dreaming of a chaotic scene in which some people were assailing a phoenix, causing him to adopt a look of concern as he slept.
And Cadmus, meanwhile, saw a clutch of Basilisk hatchlings with various bird defects, scared and unable to defend themselves, being shoved into cages and being scared and taunted by those outside their confines.
Little did they know that these dreams were depicting events that were occurring right outside the school—in the camp of a most deplorable band of misfits…
ThermalsniperN7: … Okay, those dreams aren't just dreams. Those are too specific to be just that. They're definitely visions. That aside, looks like Cadmus is stepping up to the challenge of making him and his friends into first year animagi. That's gonna be entertaining.
Dragon Emperor0: Especially given how complex the process is. Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate how two of our guys had a pretty cool moment on their own? Meanwhile James seems to be the cool and collected friend who doesn't seem phased, even as something blows up in his face—in this case quite literally.
ThermalsniperN7: And Joshua nailed a bigot in the face. That has to be entertaining in its own right. The boys also seem to specialize in their own areas as well; Joshua in astronomy, Cadmus in potions, and James in Herbology. Their shared area of expertise: Magical creatures and transfiguration. Is it really a wonder why they got those Saturday classes on that last one?
Dragon Emperor0: Not really. And if you guys are noticing a pattern here, yes. We've already got in mind the pairings in this story. They are, as you might've guessed: Joshua x Ginny, James x Beatrice, and Cadmus x Lavender. We'd had these in mind before putting key to board, and I'm glad we figured it out because now we can hopefully develop it enough to where they'll likely end up starting to go out by their third or fourth year—just in time for the TriWizard Tournament and Yule Ball.
ThermalsniperN7: Ye, we are NOT shipping prepubescent children. We might not be into the whole "drawn out romance plot" thing, but we have standards, damn it. We have standards… So yeah. Also, Joshua was targeted… That is personal for me, since I've been in a similar position for a long time in the past.
Dragon Emperor0: Same here. The whole thing with Marvolo throwing acorns at Cadmus? It's a reference to how I've been the victim of this exact thing in my Forestry classes in college, this year, too. So when it comes to stuff like this, we know what we're writing about.
ThermalsniperN7; Exactly, so on that note, see you guys next time.