A/N:We did not write the Hogwarts class schedule. All credit goes to the owner/s.
Thoughts: 'Blah. Blah. Blah."
Flashback: Blah. Blah. Blah. ( [END]FLASHBACK before/after them)
Hedwig: "Blah. Blah. Blah."
Parseltongue: {Blah. Blah. Blah.}
Letters/Articles/Writing: Blah. Blah. Blah.
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Chapter 9
Harry and Draco spend the last few days before term getting to know each other better and exploring the castle. Harry learns about Draco's first time flying on a broom. Apparently, he had fallen off and broken his arm only moments after lift off. Draco, on the other hand, learns of the abuse Harry had suffered at the hands of the Dursleys. At least he learns part of it, Harry has left out some of the more violent details. Needless to say, the past week has strengthened their friendship considerably, helping them to reach a comfort level that only best friends can achieve.
Harry also became a bit closer with his other roommates, Blaise and Theo. His other roommate being Draco, making four roommates in total. The other boys room consists of Crabbe and Goyle which, in all honesty, is not the best idea. But, Harry loves his room assignment, so the chaos is a necessary evil.
Now though, after being shook awake by a disheveled Draco Malfoy, he realizes that the time for leisure is over. One of the rules that had been laid out by Professor Snape on their first night at Hogwarts had been that keeping up with classes was a top priority. If you did not, then you would be tarnishing the Slytherin reputation. So, naturally, Harry absolutely needs to be the best. The hat had been right in saying that he had a "thirst to prove himself".
Harry finally rolls out of bed, feet hitting the floor with a dull thud. "Not a morning person?" He hears... someone say to him. He's not sure who, and at the moment, his sleep addled brain doesn't care. He opens his eyes, ready to annihilate any and all who stand between him and his bed. Until he sees Draco standing next to him, smirking in obvious amusement. His rage quickly fades into the background. Draco or Sleep? There isn't even a choice there. He'll choose Draco. Every. Single. Time.
"I... not really, no. I usually have to be because of the Dursleys, but without them looming over me I could probably sleep 'til noon." Harry rubs his eyes and then begins to feel around on the bedside table for his glasses. When he doesn't find them he starts to panic. That is, until Draco holds them up to his face, putting them on for him. Harry blushes, "Um. Thanks." Draco smiles at him.
"I figured the panic at losing your glasses would get you moving, Potter." Draco says, still smirking. Only now, Harry can see his smirk better. Within that smirk Harry sees affection and humor. They haven't known each other for long, but already the two are absolutely inseverable. Harry will be there for Draco and Draco will be there for Harry. That's how it will always be. No matter what.
Harry blinks, movements still sluggish from sleep. "I mean, you're not wrong. But you're not exactly right either." Harry smiles and walks away from Draco. He goes to the foot of his bed and gets his school uniform out of his trunk(Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy) and goes into the unoccupied restroom to change. When he comes back out, everyone is in the process of gathering their school books.
Harry meanders back over to his trunk, having already put his books in his messenger bag(Once again, Harry sends a silent thank you to the Malfoys). Harry grabs his messenger bag and stands back upright, inspecting the room. He'll never get over how big and elegant it is. The Slytherin First Year room is covered in emerald green and silver furnishings. Like the common room, there is a Slytherin House Banner on the wall opposite from the door. The room is square and has four beds, one in each corner of the room. Each of their beds has a black and silver frame with an emerald green curtain attached for privacy purposes.
"Harry, are you coming? If we don't go now we won't be able to have breakfast." Harry is distracted from his observation of the room by Draco's voice, urgently calling to him.
"Yeah, I'm coming." Harry follows Draco from the room - Theo and Blaise had already left - and they walk side by side to the Great Hall where the rest of the student body is partaking in a rather extravagant breakfast.
~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~
Harry and Draco finish their breakfast relatively quickly. They leave soon after with Blaise and Theo, who had been there early and had finished around the same time as Draco and Harry. Harry pulls out his class schedule and the four boys huddle around it, trying to figure out where they are going. The schedule reads as such:
They figure out what class they have first and realize that they have a forty minute window between now and the start of class. As such, they are in no hurry to get to Herbology. The four boys head outside, looking for nothing in particular to do. As they are walking, Harry spots Hagrid in the distance outside of a small and rickety looking hut. He seems to be watering plants in the garden that sits to the right of his hut.
"I'll be right back." Harry says to the group and makes his way down the hill toward Hagrid. Unbeknownst to him, Draco had parted from Blaise and Theo to follow Harry.
Harry reaches the hut and calls out to Hagrid, gaining his attention instantly.
"Oh! Hi there, Harry!" Hagrid greets Harry jovially, turning away from his work to face him.
"Hey, Hagrid." Harry pauses, struggling to find the right words. "I just wanted to apologize to you."
"Apologize? Whatever for?" Hagrid furrows his brow in confusion.
"For acting the way I did when you were with me. I know you were just following orders. And it's just that, the way you look kinda reminds me of someone. I promise I wasn't actually afraid of you. I just, it's hard for me sometimes. I..." Harry chokes up as he tries to finish his sentence.
"It's okay, Harry. I understand. And if ya ever want t' talk about it, I'll be 'ere." Hagrid kneels down, looking Harry in the eye. As he says that, Harry begins to cry for the first time in what seems like forever. He runs to Hagrid, allowing himself to be embraced by the half-giant.
Once Harry finishes, he pulls away, feeling Draco move forward to stand next to him. Draco takes Harry's hand in his own, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Thanks, Hagrid. I think I might just take you up on that offer some time." Harry wipes his tears with his unencumbered hand then looks back up at Hagrid.
"Of course! I'll make tea for ya too." Hagrid's happiness is obviously contagious because Harry finds himself upbeat and buzzing with energy, despite his previous distress. Draco and Harry make their way back toward the castle, only dropping hands when they reach the greenhouse for Herbology.
~~~~Time Skip~~~~
"-so, in truth, Herbology is a wizard's term for Botany." Professor Sprout finishes her introduction to the class cheerfully. It's funny, actually. Her "brief introduction" lasted most of the class(50 minutes to be exact), and now, they barely have time to even think about doing anything else. Despite this, the professor walks over to the table behind her and grabs something. When she turns around it is revealed to be a plant with overgrown spikes sticking from its many limbs.
"We're going to start you off with something simple today. This is what we call a Spiky Bush." The Slytherin and Ravenclaw students begin taking notes hurriedly as the professor places the plant on the table in front of her. "This plant is what we would call semi-sentient. This means that it can react to stimulus, but cannot make decisions like you and I can.
"The Spiky Bush can be destroyed using the Fire-Making Spell, which you will be learning in Charms later in the year. I do advise you to attack from afar if you ever find yourself in such a situation because the spikes can and will retaliate. Now... Who wants to touch it!" The class falls silent as everyone shakes their head frantically. Professor Sprout laughs, "I'm just joking. But, on a more serious note, if you touch the spikes you will be impaled. Now, off you go. And don't dawdle in the hallways."
Harry and Draco are the first to recover from their professor's off-handed warning about impalement. They slide their notes into their bags and stand, waiting for Theo and Blaise to do the same. When they are ready, they leave the greenhouse and head to their Charms class.
They have 15 minutes between their first and second class, and the Charms classroom is located on the third floor, so they don't waste time. As they enter the castle they begin navigating the sea of students that stands between them and their final destination. It is a tedious process which results in quite a few "close calls" involving Harry's glasses and a pair of shoes. Also, Harry may or may not have gotten lost... twice. "Merlin, we need to attach a tracking spell to you or something. This is just getting bloody ridiculous." Draco says this after Harry's second disappearing act, to which Harry replies with a very dignified, "Do not." Oh, it's not just you, Draco is also in awe of Harry's eloquence... or the lack thereof.
They finally (FINALLY) reach classroom 2E and go to take their seats. The classroom has two elevated tables, one in front of the other, on each side of the room that face the middle of the space. There are two chalkboards, one on each side, and stacks of books spanning the entire length of the wall opposite to the entrance. There are two Slytherins seated on the left side of the room and three Ravenclaws seated on the right. The four boys move toward their housemates, sitting close to the door(as per Harry's request).
The room gradually fills up as more students arrive, making the space feel slightly cramped, but not overly uncomfortable. Their teacher - 'A Goblin', Harry notices - comes to stand in the center of the room.
"I am Professor Flitwick, your charms teacher. Today we will be working through the introduction of The Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk. If you would take out your copies, please." There is a rustling heard throughout the classroom as students reach into their bags to retrieve their textbooks. When the room is once again silent, Professor Flitwick continues. "The introduction is not very long, so please read it to yourselves. We will discuss it in a few moments."
Harry, having already read the introduction, begins to flip through the book's pages. When Draco sees this, he elbows Harry in the ribs, earning himself a withering look from his companion. However, the message is clear: "Ready it anyway, Harry."
'Fine, bossy.' Harry shakes his head and turns back to the beginning. 'Ah, square one, we know each other well.' He forces himself to focus and begins reading.
Introduction
What is the nature of a Charm? A charm is a type of magical spell that adds specific properties to an object, creature, or wixen. The properties added will be based mostly upon the wordage and pronunciation of a charm. So, it goes without saying that these two charm components are monumentally important when casting. Pronunciation could very well mean the difference between making your rat blue and blowing your rat up into a balloon. Remember, words are only as powerful as you make them.
Miranda Goshawk
Harry finishes and raises his head, expecting to see every student finished with the short introduction. He is sorely disappointed. However, it doesn't take long for those few stragglers to catch up, and eventually every eye is locked on Professor Flitwick once more.
"Well? What did you think?" The Professor asks the class expectantly. When he gets no answer he adds, "Come now, don't be shy. Did anything come to your mind while reading?"
It's a Ravenclaw who asks the first question, "If a charm changes properties about something, then how is it different from Transfiguration?" Snickers erupt from the class, most likely coming from those who have been raised with magic and have known the answer to this particular question since they were toddlers. Professor Flitwick shushes them.
"No, no, no. That is a very good question. You see, as you said, a charm changes properties about something. Transfiguration changes the thing in its entirety. So, in short, a charm changes properties while transfiguration changes things. Do you understand?" Professor Flitwick goes through his explanation joyfully. His love for the subject he teaches is evident in his voice and mannerisms. As of now, Harry thoroughly enjoys hearing him teach.
The girl nods in understanding and the Professor moves on with his class. When he is sure that there are no other questions he says, "The first chapter of your textbook goes through the intricacies of the wand-lighting spell. This spell will prove quite useful in your everyday lives. The incantation is 'Lumos'. Say it with me..."
~~~Time Skip~~~
"-arry, wake up!" Harry bolts upright, nearly knocking over his inkwell. He turns to Draco, the one who has so rudely awoken him from his slumber, to find him sporting his "I'm completely innocent in all things" look. 'He needs to get that look patented because that shit works.' Draco nudges his head toward the front of the room where Professor Binns is lecturing. 'Oh, right. Lecturing. School.' It's all coming back to him now.
Professor Binns is a ghost. Honestly, that's really all that needs to be said about the man. "Ghost" pretty much sums up what he is, what he looks like, and his entire personality, and it's all wrapped up in one nice, neat little package. But, to be completely honest, Professor Binns' teaching could bore the dead. Harry is willing to bet his fortune on it.
Harry finally decides to tune back in, "...Thus began the Gargoyle Strike of 1911. This strike is what you would call a 'wildcat strike'. This means..."
Aaaand, he's gone again. Besides, Harry has a dream to get back to. He will deal with the Gargoyle Strike of 1911 later.
~~~Time Skip~~~
"The art of transfiguration is easily one of the most difficult and dangerous types of magic you will learn in your time at Hogwarts. Because of this, messing around and not taking the subject seriously will result in your dismissal from my class. Have I made this point clear to you?"
There is a chorus of "Yes ma'ams" directed toward Professor McGonogall. She nods and steps to the side, revealing a chalkboard filled with strange symbols.
"The first things you will be learning will be the Transfiguration Alphabet and the Transformation Equation. These concepts will be thoroughly taught and tested before any of you even pick up a wand in this class. Copy the symbols for the alphabet and the equation into your notes for reference."
Each student picks up their quill and begins scribbling down the information presented on the chalkboard. The classroom is silent other than the scratching of quills on parchment.
~~~Time Skip~~~
At 3:45 Professor McGonogall releases her students from her class. Harry packs up his things and sighs. 'My brain feels like it's going to explode.' Harry can't believe that he's learned so much after only one day of attending classes. Not that he minds. He's enjoying what he's learning which makes the experience less unpleasant than it would be otherwise. Once everyone is finished organizing their belongings, Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo stand and walk toward the exit along with the rest of the first year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs.
"Please tell me I wasn't the only one who fell asleep during Binns' class." Blaise says this energetically as the group leaves the classroom and begins to walk down the corridor toward their common room.
Harry snorts before replying. "Hell no. I nodded off five minutes in. Draco woke me up just in time to hear about the beginning of the Gargoyle Strike of 1911."
"Oh please. You were sleeping again within 2 minutes of me waking you up. How are you two ever going to pass that class without actually listening to what is being taught." Draco says, questioning their obviously stellar life choices.
"Hate to break it to you Draco, but I fell asleep too." Theo speaks up, voice soft yet teasing.
"Really? You too?" Draco replies, mortified.
"See? We aren't odd, you are. Honestly, how can you live with yourself, Draco?" Harry smirks at his friend while Blaise and Theo laugh at his sarcasm.
"I'm odd. I'm odd? Says the one who spent twenty minutes gawking at a chocolate frog card." Draco references what Harry had done on the train ride, leaving Blaise and Theo confused.
"Draco, listen. It was shiny, okay? It called out to me, begging for attention. And who am I to deny it that? Besides, it wasn't twenty minutes. More like ten." Harry defends himself to his best friend.
Draco shakes his head, eyes wide in wonderment. "And that makes it better how?"
Harry pauses for a moment and shrugs, refusing to respond. Draco shakes his head once more, claiming victory.
"I... I have nothing to say." Blaise speaks up again. HIs brows are furrowed slightly and his facial features give off his obvious amusement. The same goes for Theo, who is also snickering at his two friends.
Draco and Harry look at each other. They smirk, then nod, then speak in unison, "Good. Keep it that way."
"How did you... You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know." Blaise replies.
Harry isn't paying attention to what's going on around him, too wrapped up in his conversation. As a result, he doesn't notice Ron stopping in front of him. Harry walks directly into him, knocking Ron backwards a step or two.
"Oi! watch it, Potter." Ron sneers at Harry once the two regain their balance.
Harry growls. "Last I checked, you stopped in front of me. So I would say that you are the one that needs to 'watch it' Weasley." Draco comes to stand beside Harry while Blaise and Theo stand behind them, on the lookout for danger.
Ron takes a step forward. "Was that a threat?"
"I don't know. Did you take it as one?" Harry pauses for a moment, "Because if you did, then technically you threatened me first."
"And", Draco pipes in, "That is exactly what the three of us will say if need be."
"Harry has backup. You, however, do not." Blaise points this out to Ron as if he were talking about the weather. But his tone darkens with his next words, "You have nobody to corroborate your story, Weasley. I suggest you walk away." And Blaise is right. The halls have completely cleared out, everyone having gone to their common room or ventured outside. Ron obviously didn't think this through.
Ron stutters, trying to find words and making a complete fool of himself, before turning on his heels and walking away. Once he's out of sight the group of friends bursts into laughter.
Harry tries to speak through his laughter, "His face was almost as red as his hair."
"I know. How the hell is that even possible." Blaise is doubled over, his hand resting on Theo's shoulder for support. Slowly the boys regain their composure.
"You're alright though, right Harry?" Draco goes up to his friend putting both hands on Harry's shoulders and looking him in the eye.
"Yeah, I'm surprisingly fine. Thanks for backing me up. I appreciate it." Harry looks at each of the boys standing around him.
Theo looks Harry dead in the eye, and for the first time since Harry's known him his words ring out, echoing through the hallway with confidence. "Always."
Blaise looks at his friend, smiling, and slings an arm around his shoulder before saying, "He's right, mate. You're stuck with us now so get used to it."
Draco and Theo make sounds of agreement and Harry can't help but smile. He has people who will be there for him, no matter the cost. He's a part of something and right here, right now, that is all that matters.
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PLEASE READ: We won't be posting next week. We are having some difficulty with where to go with chapter 10 and decided we're going to skip a week to work on a few chapters. We will be working our hardest to post in 2 weeks. We want to apologize about not being able to post but we'd rather have a chapter out that we're proud of then rushing it and putting out one that could be better. Thank you for your understanding and we'll try to have our next chapter out as soon as possible!!!
A/N: Just a quick note, we will not be narrating every single class. What we're going to do is go through each class at least once to get a general feel for it and then transition to narrating just the important interactions and lessons for the classes when the need arises.
A/N 2: Guys I am so sorry... I wasn't aware that chapter 9 had been taken down.