Chapter Seven: First Classes:
Harry woke up on his first morning of classes early and got up to stretch and get in a bit of exercise before he showered, shaved (something he actually liked being able to do) and dress for the day. Under his school robes he wore a set of robes that were spelled to protect him, they were black, high collared and covered his muggle clothes under them, he saw his school robes were trimmed in blue and had the Ravenclaw crest on the left side now. He liked his new dragonskin boots and the new wand holder he carried his wand in on his right wrist. As he had done for years he tucked a knife into its holder in his boot and one knife on his belt. He put his books in his expandable feather-light satchel and walked down to breakfast glad he had explored the school in his cat form the day before.
He did not like the stares he got this morning and the whispers behind his back. If people wanted to talk to him and learn about him why did they not just come up to speak to him? He got to the great hall and sat down moodily across from a blond haired girl with a pale face and wide innocent looking blue eyes. He saw she had a necklace made of Butterbeer bottle caps and gave a mental nod at her very good means of protection. Metal held magic well and the aluminum of the caps turned out to hold quite a bit of magical power. He knew her as Luna Lovegood, some of her classmates called her "Looney Lovegood" and Harry didn't like that. He knew she was a very powerful bright witch and could easily, if she chose take anyone down in a fight without any problem, he was not going to underestimate her at all.
"Hello Harry Potter." Luna said as she nibbled at her toast, "I am Luna Lovegood, I am glad you were able to come to Hogwarts."
"Well I am not sure I am yet." Harry said truthfully, "I was sort of forced."
"The ministry is unwise to cage the free, yet you will do well here, your mother freed you from great evil." Luna said.
"Yes she did at that." Harry said smiling, he found he liked Luna and she was very bright behind her dreamy gaze, "many do not agree with that, seems they think because she was muggleborn that she could not possibly save us all."
"A very cruel thing to do." Luna said dreamily, "could you pass the gooseberry jam?"
Harry did and found that he liked Luna, he could not see how any could not like such a smart and kind person. He had very few friends in the world, of course Phin and Fiona were good friends, and Neville Longbottom was a friend of sorts as well. Neville it turned out was very down to earth and like Harry did not care at all for his fame. To him he did what he needed to and that was that. He was no hero, just a boy trying to live and survive in this world. He took his timetable from Flitwick and looked it over. He had double Potions, Lunch, then Ancient Runes and lastly Herbology leaving the rest of the afternoon free.
"Oh good we have potions together." Phin said looking at Harry's schedule. "Most things are the same, I am taking Care of Magical creatures though instead of Ancient Runes.
"Hmm, I will just test out of that end of year, along with muggle studies and History." Harry said, "I just did not have time to study for them. Let's go and see potions master Paul Li."
"I hope he is nice." Phin said.
"Oh he is nice," Su, the niece of Li said smirking her dark eyes glittering in amusement, "as long as you don't botch your potions and do as he says. Otherwise, well I would not want to be there."
Harry knew she was only partly serious, he looked up at the head table where Paul Li the new potions master at Hogwarts sat. He was not, of course head of Slytherin that went to Septima Vector, she was the Arithmancy teacher and was considered strict. Li was a short well muscled man with long black hair tied back, brown almond shaped eyes and he was clad in robes of somber dark blue. Harry liked a challenge and he knew this man would be hard to please, yet that was exactly what he was going to try to do. With that resolve he went down to his first class at Hogwarts and took a seat near the middle of the room. Li came in shortly after the bell rang and turned to the students there.
"I must congratulate you on making it to the advanced potions class for your NEWTs." Li said, "this is no easy class, you have proven you are not stupid, you will be expected to do well in this class or leave. Now as I am new to this school I will test your abilities with a simple potion, I want you to make a boil cure potion. I know you think that is easy, it is not as you will not be allowed to use Porcupine quills, you will have to come up with the substitute that will work, began!"
Harry forced himself to keep the grin off his face, this was easy, almost too easy as he knew you could use pine needles with one hair from a skunk. He set to work and carefully made his potion and found he was one of the only ones to start so early to brew, the only other was Hermione Granger. Harry treated the pine needles and skunk hair the same as he would the porcupine quills, he made sure to add them after he took his cauldron off the fire. He finished his potion first and as he had a few minutes he looked around to see he was the first one to finish. He walked to Li's desk and the front and handed his potion in. The small twitch of the man's mouth showed he approved and Harry felt his first class we very well.
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A few days later Harry was not very happy after his first History class. Of course anytime he saw Umbridge he was not happy, he knew why she was here. She was here to watch him to make sure he not only stayed the two years in the magical world he had agreed to but to see if he turned "dark", as if he would. He was here just to study but Umbridge was here, it seemed to annoy him and get him to lose his temper and get in trouble. He of course was not going to rise to her bait, he was far too clever for that. However in his first history class she pushed him and very nearly got him angry, something he would have to work on later.
After that first class with her he was glad to go to his first defense class with Sirius. He walked into the class and sat down at the front, doing all he could to forget the not so subtle jabs that Umbridge had aimed at him. He really was looking forward to how Sirius taught, after all he had terrified every single first year getting a few of the purebloods to cry. Of course showing them the Unforgivables might have been a bit harsh even if it was on inanimate objects, of course telling them why they were unforgivable got quite a few to think. If his teaching kept them from using them all the better. The "unicorn" he "tortured" then "killed" would be what they saw if they tried this. Harry could feel Sirius in the room but not see him, he said nothing as the rest of the class filtered in, he was not surprised Ron took a seat by him.
"So you think anyone else knows?" Ron said quietly to him, "back corner, he is there."
"No, let's watch them, this could be fun." Harry said and looked up as Hermione took a seat by Neville.
"What could be fun?" Phin said taking a seat on the other side of Harry with Fiona sitting next to Ron.
"This class, I mean professor Black has taken quite a bit of lessons from grandfather Phineas." Harry said looking over where, sure enough headmaster Phineas was smirking in his painting, "yes I think he might have taken too much from him."
"What do you mean Harry?" Fiona said.
"He knows." Harry muttered, "oh bloody hell, I am the practical!"
Two things happened at once, Sirius appeared at the back of the classroom and Harry was on his feet a shield around him quickly. The spell that was headed to him ended up hitting the wall and the students were up and against the walls wondering what was going on. With a wave of his wand Sirius stacked the desks by the back wall and with a feral grin he went after Harry. Harry was very good in defense, in fact he was on par with most of the seventh years and as this was not a normal prank battle with Sirius the rules were not going to apply. Harry was having fun, he knew Sirius would not harm him, well too badly that is, but he would give his students a good show. Draco did not know this was part of the class and he thought Sirius was trying to hurt Harry and in a foolish act he jumped forward wand out to help Harry.
"Leave him alone!" Draco said.
"Or what?" Sirius taunted him his gray eyes flashing a look of insanity in those eyes, "I am far more dangerous than dear Bella ever could be."
"I cannot let you do this!" Draco said throwing a spell at Sirius, "you are mad! I heard what you did to the first years!"
"Yes a tasty bunch, now get out of the way boy, I have to finish off Mr. Potter here." Sirius said.
"No, you will have to go through me." Draco said.
"Very good Mr. Malfoy." Sirius said lowering his wand a friendly smile on his face, "you did well as did Harry here."
"Sir?" Draco said looking a bit puzzled.
"I was not expecting any to take this little friendly sparing seriously, however I am glad you defended Harry here Draco." Sirius said. "Let's see, twenty points to Ravenclaw and Slytherin both I think."
"Sir what was that duel for?" Ron asked.
"Oh just a bit of payback to Harry here, he put a potion in my tea that turned my hair green." Sirius said, "as that was before school well I could not take points or give detention so volunteering him for a duel was the next best thing, don't worry Poppy could have sorted him out fine."
Harry just glared at his godfather but as he was teaching here he dared not say anything, he had just won points from the man and did not want to lose them. To show he was very fair Sirius had even taken a few points from his own children and took the fanged Frisbee they had been tossing around outside. Sirius more than made up for his sparing with Harry and it was clear his class was going to be very physical with some lecture here and there. It was a class Harry was going to enjoy the most he thought, even more than Arithmancy even. Harry's week ended and he realized he had actually enjoyed the week. He had thought he would not and that with Umbridge watching him he could not, but his friends and family were there for him and that was what made all the difference.
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So there is Harry in his first week at Hogwarts, he is a very smart kid and he knows what Umbridge is all about. The duel with Sirius was something I could see him doing, I mean they did have their prank duels in the summer and starting his class that way well why not? As for showing the Unforgivables to first years? Well they need to know what they can do, don't worry, no animals were harmed and with Sirius using the illusion of a unicorn hopefully it will keep the children from using the curse.