A/N: Okay, this chapter was posted much earlier than I expected. There is a long story behind it but the highlights are I got my wisdom teeth out and was bored for the week following the procedure. There is also some more college/housing drama so I will be dealing with that for the next month. I will then be leaving for college (regardless of whether I will be living on campus or in a hotel half an hour away) so I will be having even less time to update. Basically, I had some extra time to right this month and wanted to have at least two chapters posted this summer (THIS IS POST TWO).

Anyway, this chapter was partially written while I was on pain killers and edited late at night with a rushed ending (I didn't want to leave you guys hanging after the Draco drama in the last chapter.) Also, I just want to clear this up, Shelby Miller is an OC. Originally, I planned to have her replace Hermione as the know-it-all since Hermione will tone it down a bit in this story, but Shelby took on a life of her own, so we will see how this goes.

Disclaimer: I only own Leanne Potter and Shelby Miller.

Chapter 10

Harry and his friends joined the first year Ravenclaws in the Charms classroom with five minutes to spare. Harry noted that Hermione seemed a bit put out that they were not earlier. "Stupid Leanne," the brunette muttered under her breath, much to the amusement of her male companions.

After finding seats (there was some commotion as some nearby Ravenclaws shuffled away when Draco sat in a vacant chair next to Neville) the door burst opened and a disheveled Shelby Miller sat next to Harry, who smiled at her. "Glad to see that someone else in the girls dorm has some sense," Hermione scoffed, turning to greet the new arrival.

Shelby smiled shyly. "I'm Muggleborn, so I don't fully understand how this all works. My family is very religious, you see, and none of us were quite willing to accept magic. By the end of the summer, I was willing to go, but my father was firmly against it. It was my mum who encouraged me to embrace my magic; she left the church and dad in order to help me. Mum and I have just been figuring things out on our own."

The other Gryffindors stared at the blond girl in shock. "Wow," Draco breathed, fascinated. "How did you …"

"Excuse me?" A voice interrupted Draco. The children turned to the girl, a duplicate of Parvati Patil in a Ravenclaw tie. "I don't mean to interrupt. I'm Padma Patil, my sister, Parvati, is in your house. Have any of you seen her? Is she alright?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, Parvati is fine. She and most of the other Gryffindors are sleeping in."

"What?" The Ravenclaw Patil seemed appalled by her twin's behavior. "Why would they do such a thing?"

"Apparently, Leanne Potter has half the Gryffindor first years convinced that as long as they stick with her, they can do whatever they want."

Padma gawked at the brown haired girl, but before she could comment Professor Flitwick made his way into the classroom. The tiny professor cheerfully ushered the students into empty seats before climbing onto his own chair. "Welcome! Welcome to your first class at Hogwarts! Just let me take attendance and we can jump right in!"

Flitwick quickly called out the names, noting that half the Gryffindors were unaccounted for. "Oh dear. A good portion of the class is absent. In all my years … and they're all Gryffindors. How curious? Are any of your housemates ill?" The professor's question was directed towards the six lions.

Harry glanced at his friends. "Well, Hermione talked to the girls, and us guys talked to Ron and Seamus. They're not sick, but, I don't think they are coming, sir."

Flitwick stared at Harry in stunned silence. "Not coming? What is the meaning of this, Mr.-"

"Jameson, sir."

The Gryffindor's exchanged a look. None of them wished to rat out a fellow lion, but this was getting ridiculous. "Well, Professor," Hermione began. "When I gave my dorm mates their schedules after they failed to attend breakfast, Leanne Potter told the others that they didn't have to attend class."

"It's true, sir," Neville added. "Ron Weasley told us the same thing last night, as well as this morning."

The class sat patiently waiting for Flitwick to respond. The half-Goblin himself was waiting for his own response to come. This was easily the strangest thing he has ever experiences in his forty plus years at Hogwarts.

"Okay," the small teacher said. "Okay, well, I hope the rest of you take very good notes, because we're getting right into it! Please open to the introduction and take note of any questions you may have as you read. I understand that this is the first day of class, but please remain silent." With that, Flitwick sat at his desk and began writing a letter while the first years rushed to comply.

As the students sat in obedient silence while reading the required text, the door opened and Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown walked in. "Excuse me," Flitwick called from his desk. "Class began ten minutes ago."

"It's alright, Professor," Seamus cheerfully replied. "We have a note."

Sure enough, the Irish boy walked up to the desk and handed the teacher a note written on pink parchment.

'Please excuse Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigan. They were with me, I'm sure you understand.

Hugs and butterfly kisses,

Leanne Potter, The Girl-Who-Lived'

Flitwick read the note several times over in disbelief, but the purple ink remained the same. "Mr. Finnigan, Miss Brown?" The two students looked up from their desk at the back of the room. "Five points from Gryffindor for being late and wasting my time. Please read the introduction."

Lavender and Seamus stared in shock at Flitwick as he finished his letter, adding Leanne's note to the envelope before sealing it. "Alright class. I feel fifteen minutes is enough time to read the introduction."

"But, sir…"

"Mr. Finnigan, if Miss Brown and yourself had been on time, the two of you would have finished the assigned reading. It is not far for the rest of the class to wait while the final two students catch up. I must continue with the lesson."

The rest of the class continued without interruption as Flitwick answered questions regarding the introduction and elaborating on some terms mentioned in the reading. "Now, for the first few weeks, we will be going over theory and proper wand holding, as well as the importance of speaking clearly. I know it will be boring but it is best to be a bit bored than to injure yourself or others with a miss-said spell. There is an old saying; Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest." (Sorcerer's Stone /Philosophers Stone)

Shelby raised her hand. "Professor? Could that actually happen?" A few students snickered and the girl blushed.

Flitwick smiled kindly at her, an odd look on even a half-Goblin. "It hasn't happened in Hogwarts yet, but there have been several injuries. As long as everyone pays attention to what they are doing and saying, we shouldn't have any problems."

Finally, the small teacher assigned the students a 1-foot summary of the introduction and what was discussed in class. Just before dismissing the students, Flitwick addressed the Gryffindors. "What class do you have next?"

"Transfiguration, sir," Draco replied after some nudging from Neville.

"Terrific!" The professor cried, picking up the envelope containing his letter. "Mr. Jameson, could you please deliver a note to Professor McGonagall for me?"

"Of course, Professor," Harry stood and took the letter from the half-Goblin, smiling as they briefly made eye contact. Nobody noticed Flitwick's small gasp as the first years filed out of the room.

"Your sister asked about you," Hermione said as she passed Parvati Patil on the way to a desk in the Transfiguration classroom.

The dark skinned girl frowned. "I better get to her before she tells our parents I skipped class."

"You never should have skipped class in the first place."

"I never asked for your opinion, Granger," Parvati snapped as the Hufflepuffs began to file in, followed by McGonagall.

Harry put his books down next to Draco before approaching his head of house. "Professor Flitwick asked me to give this to you, ma'am."

"Thank you, Mr. Jameson," McGonagall said, scanning the room. "I take it Miss Potter and her friends didn't take my message to heart?"

"I believe that's what the note is, Professor."

"Very well. Take your seat." Once Harry was seated, McGonagall turned to the class. "Welcome to your first Transfiguration class. I am Professor McGonagall and I will begin by taking attendance."

The woman wasn't surprised to learn that all the Hufflepuffs were present, as well as all but two Gryffindors. She would have to keep an eye on Miss Potter as well as the youngest Weasley boy.

"Now, Transfiguration is a very difficult subject. You must know exactly what you want to transfigure, as well as be able to visualize the final product. It is also very important to pay attention to the instructions and what you are doing. As first years, you will be starting small, turning matchsticks into needles along with other simple tasks. Eventually, with years of hard work, you could do something like this." Suddenly, the strict teacher morphed into a grey tabby cat.

McGonagall allowed herself a few extra seconds in her Animagus as she listened to the awed gasps of the first years. One of the highlight of teaching first years is watching their expressions when she changes for the first time, as long as nobody tries to pet her. Just as she was about to change back, the door opened and Leanne Potter casually walked in, followed by Ron Weasley. The heavy red haired girl stopped in front of Hermione and sneered. "Herman, looks like there was nothing to worry about. McGonagall's not even here yet."

The brunette tried not to laugh as she glanced at the tabby cat stalking towards them. "My name is Hermione."

"Right, anyway, move. I'm sitting there."

"Excuse me?" Hermione said in disbelief. "I've been sitting here since class started."

"Class doesn't start until the teacher gets here, Herman. Now get out of my seat!"

By now, the entire class was watching this ridiculous argument over a chair. Harry turned to face the gingers. "There is an available desk over there. Why don't you just sit over there and leave Hermione alone?"

"You expect Leanne to sit with her back to a Death Eater? Are you mental?" Ron glared at Draco, who managed to return the gesture.

"Of course he's mental," Leanne said in disgust. "He's sitting with Malfoy isn't he?"

"That's enough from both of you."

Ron and Leanne turned in shock to faced McGonagall "Where did you come from?"

The old woman arched an eyebrow at the famous girl. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your tone Miss Potter. And five points from each of you for your tardiness. Now take a seat at the available desk in front of the class."

Once the two grumbling gingers were seated, McGonagall went on to explain the process of changing a matchstick into a needle.

Dumbledore looked up as the Floo in his office came to life. "Lucius," the old man said with a sigh. "Do have a seat. Would you care for a lemon drop?"

Lucius Malfoy sneered at the elderly wizard. "No, thank you. I wish to discuss my son's sorting."

"Now, Lucius," Dumbledore said, seeing that they were getting straight to the point. "You know very well that there are no resorts."

"Well surely you can make an exception."

"No, Lucius. I'm sorry, but I can't resort a student simply because his parents asked for it."

"Surely Draco wishes to be with his friends in Slytherin. If you could send for him …" Lucius paused and watched the Headmaster shake his head. "Albus?"

"I'm sorry Lucius. Draco has already spoken with his head of house. He wishes to remain in Gryffindor."

The younger man tightened his grip on the cane he carries with him everywhere. "I see. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, Headmaster, but if my son is not a Slytherin, I can't allow him to stain the family name."

Dumbledore frowned; this wasn't the first time he has heard this declaration, but unlike the other times, the old man knew this was not an empty threat. "Lucius, my boy, would you seriously disown your son? Your only heir?"

Lucius shrugged dismissively. "I can always produce a new heir. I do not, however, see how this concerns you." The younger wizard made his way to the fireplace. "I do believe our business is done. Let Draco know that he will receive the finalized documents by the end of the weak." Then, with a roar of the fireplace, the conversation ended.