Harry potter - Next generation - Chapter IV - First Lessons (unfinished)

like the titel says

- CHAPTER FOUR -

First Lessons

The first few days had been tiring, the slytherins had been the git's Lily and even the brain-dead Quidditch freak Matthew had said they would be, every time they did something to annoy or hurt her she retaliated immediately, she turned toothpaste into bird droppings, heated ink bottles until they exploded, messing up the persons dress and burning them, of course only slightly so she wouldn't have to deal with complains to the teachers, she magically tied shoelaces together and “accidentally” poured an engorgement potion over her less then helpful lab-partner.

It took some time but a week later, people had learned not to mess with her, now most of them treated her with grudging respect and some had even began to speak to her, admiring her devious mind and her unwillingness to be a victim.

The slytherins might be devious and cruel but they respected strength, to them an unwanted, weak and frail girl without friends standing up to them was enough to make them accept her.

One of her room Mates a girl named Anna Mcmillan had befriended her on the night of the sorting when the first people started bulling her, after she's paid them back in kind Anna had engaged her in conversation, soon Anna asked her if her Parents where muggle since every five minutes Jamie had to ask about one or another oddity of wizarding society.

"I don't know" she answered truthfully "They died in an accident when I was young and I don't have any memories of them"

"oh" Anna had said non-committally

"this doesn't bother you?" Jamie pressed on.

"what? oh! oh no, it doesn't Matter to me, not everyone in Slytherin is a pure-blood fundamentalist, my parents figured that even in the oldest wizard-lines there are a few Muggles here and there, so it's really just a delusion little people need to convince themselves of their own grandeur. People should be judged according to their achievments, not who their ancestors where" She said absent mindedly poking her potatoes.

Jamie stared at her until she looked up and asked bewildered "what?"

"nothing, it's just that..., well you're the first person I've met so far who hasn't any form of bigotry, racist or simply retarded opinions, I was giving up hope for humanity really"

Anna pouted "Well I wouldn't go that far, as you may have noticed I'm only one person, so statistically speaking losing hope in humanity seems like the right decision" and began to laugh, after a moment Jamie joined her.

Anna had helped her deal with the other slytherins, actually not being alone was a major victory in itself, solitary prey is easier to hunt then a pack watching out for each other, if you had to say it in those terms.

Monday they had had; Transfiguration, History of magic, Charms and Potions.

Transfiguration was taught by her head of house Professor Malfoy, a blonde, tall man who according to some of the older girls was quite handsome. He was strict while still being fair and diligent while being fun. He showed no favouritism to his own house and he was open and friendly. He was quite formidable. They had Transfiguration with the Griffindors and Jamie was surprised at the animosity between the two houses, well she wasn't surprised that there was animosity between slytherins and everybody else, but with the Griffindors it seemed to be something special.

Anna had explained it with the different requirements for each house. Griffindors where convinced that they where the just and truthful, and as such saw the slytherins with their deception and guile as their arch enemy's It was the same between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw had all the intellectuals looking down on everybody in their superiority and especially so on the Hufflepuffs since they had the most untalented and stupid people. While the Hufflepuffs who believed with their loyalty and hard work they could accomplish anything looked scathingly at the ravenclaws of whom some didn't even see the point in trying.

The second Period was History of Magic with the Ravenclaws, the teacher was Professor Binns, a ghost and frankly it was the most boring thing Jamie ever had to sit through she did not have the patience nor the stomach for such kind of wasted time, so while Binns was ranting on in a monotone, she instead read Theory of silent incantations.

Charms was with the Hufflepuff's and rather fun with the Ravenclaw head of house, a tiny and very, very old wizard named Professor Flitwick who had them all levitating things through the room.

The last lesson that day was Potions with the Griffindors and Professor Weasly who was a very beautiful relatively young witch and judging from the uncanny resemblance to Lily she had to be her mother.

“Hello everyone my name is Professor Weasly, today where going to get started with a simple potion, but before that I want to broaden your understanding of potions and their work, in simple terms why we bother with them at all. Does anyone have an idea in what fields Potions are used?”

Lily raised her hand and with a “Mrs. Potter” she was selected.

“Some potions alter the consumers appearance, which is useful for undercover work for Aurors I guess”

Professor Weasly smiled “Polyjuice potion, one of the more difficult potions, it isn't taught at school's but as Mrs. Potter correctly pointed out it is actually part of Auror-training, so we have body transforMation, something which is otherwise impossible other than through the Animagus TransforMation, or transforMations through a curse like a werewolf for example, any more ideas?”

Jamie raised her hand, “yes Mrs. Saunders”

“Medicine” she simply said, but apparently it was enough to get Professor Weasly going “That's right, most potions where created or can be used in the field of medicine, it ranges from regrowing bones to instantly curing the common cold, but why not simply use a spell for any of that?”

Jamie raised her hand again, Professor Weasly nodded to her.

“Because, it is not realistic for every wizard to know or even have the ability to use such spells, in some cases an alternative spell doesn't even exist. for example the spell for closing minor cut's and wounds is relatively simple but, curiously enough, there still has to be a spell invented that as you said can cure the common cold”

Professor Weasly beamed “exactly, ten points for Slytherin, there is a wide variety of potions for almost anything, according to a recent study in “Practical Potions” there where about twenty-million potions. So potions are not, like many think, just a boring substitute for spells, they are actually a separate area of possibilities that are otherwise unimaginable”

She picked up her wand and said with a wave at the board “today we'll begin with a very simple potion, the Boil-Cure Potion”

Letters seemed to appear on the board out of nowhere, they stated the ingredients, Materials and the way in which to use them.

Professor Weasly reminded them “Precision is the key-element of successfully creating a potion, now begin, you have until the end of the lesson”

It was total chaos, most potions didn't seem to have a reaction at all and those few that did had positively undesirable ones, one kettle actually exploded.

At the end of the lesson the classroom was filled with a sense of defeat, the only people who had managed to make the potion work were Lily and Jamie.

As they were cleaning up Professor Weasly tried to reassure them “believe me it is quite common for the first lesson to be like this, it will be better next time. Oh and before I forget it ten points for Slytherin and Griffindor for Mrs. Saunders and Mrs. Potter respectively for successfully brewing the potion. Class dismissed”

* * *

Mat couldn't believe his eyes, the Quidditch pitch was magnificent, he had seen it from afar but he had never been on it, never been near it really. It was twice as big as the one in Hogsmede, the exact size of an official Quidditch pitch, the goals where made of steel not of self made wooden planks like those in the village, the stands where majestic and the grass was of a lush green. everything just looked right, it was nothing else but perfect.

It had been a week since Lessons started and people where already falling into a routine, nobody lost their way to classrooms anymore, the students had become comfortable around each other and the squabble between houses had become full-fledged warfare.

Today was the first day that they would have Flying lessons, to his dismay with the Slytherins, right when the Griffindors stepped onto the pitch the Slytherins were throwing sneers and insults at them and the Griffindors where firing them right back.

When Mat looked at Lily he saw her waving at someone on the Slytherin side, who turned out to be that frail girl with the boy name, he really didn't understand Lily's weird interest in that girl.

“That is enough!” Shouted a witch with golden eyes like a hawk “Any more of this in my lesson and I will deduct so many point that neither Slytherin nor Griffindor will win the House cup until all of you graduate!”

That shut everyone up effectively.

The elderly woman with the short grey hair threw a couple of dozen brooms on the floor “my name is madam Hooch” with a wave of her wand the brooms aligned themselves in two lines facing each other “everyone step next to a broom and quit wasting my time with your petty squabbling”

They did so and she continued “raise your hand over the broom and say up”

Already accustomed to this Mat said “up” and the broom flew into his hand, not many others had managed, his friend John with whom he had played Quidditch frequently of course, Lily who seemed a little surprised and from the Slytherins only Jamie, who looked like she could barely hold the broom and her infuriating friend Anna.

“everyone who's broom didn't jump up practice it later for now just pick it up, when I blow my whistle we are all going to kick lightly of the ground, these are old brooms but they still have the power to raise you hundreds of feet if you kick of too hard, on three”

“one, two... Three”

and everyone kicked of and floated about a dozen meters above the ground.

“right that worked just fine, can't remember the last time that happened” Madam Hooch said grudgingly.

“Your broom will react to your hands movements, and how you shift your weight, but it is also influenced by your intent. If you think at it I want to go forward it will move, a good flyer will combine all three.” She looked at them all in turn “who wants to try flying a bit on their own”

Mat raised his arm immediately, so did John a moment later Lily followed.

Madam Hooch looked at the slytherins “come on don't be afraid you'll have to do it anyway”

Still no one raised their hand.

Exasperated Madam Hooch pointed at Mat “you, I expect you already know how to fly?”

“Of course” Mat replied.

“well show us what you got”

So he did speeding of flying through the quidditch rings, doing somersaults and a couple of simple manoeuvres, Madam Hooch seemed impressed and so did everyone else, Mat looked at Lily who was smiling up at him.

“okay, okay that's enough you can certainly fly, let someone else try, you there! You raised your arm didn't you” She pointed at Lily who nodded “well get on with it then”

Lily certainly wasn't new to the broom she was almost as good as himself, to the end she did a somersault and used the speed of the downward motion, she was so fast the only thing you saw was red lightening.

Everyone else took turns but most of them had never flown before.

Then it was Jamies turn, she looked worse somehow, even paler, sweat was pouring down her face and her arms trembled, she looked like she might fall of any second.

Madam Hooch seemed to think she was only afraid of flying since she said “come on dear it isn't so bad you only have to go a short way and then you can return safely to the ground”

Jamie glared at her a moment before she started, Mat was surprised at how good she was, although her flying seemed odd somehow as if she wasn't using her body at all, she did a few curves and managed even a somersault which a beginner shouldn't be able to perform.

Then there was blood, a lot of Blood, pouring from her nose, drenching her robes, the wind battering it horizontally across her face, her eyes closed from the pain and then her muscles seemed to relax, she lost her grip on the broom and slid of to the side.

A few people Screamed and Madam Hooch shouted “everyone to the ground, NOW” and she sped toward Jamie.

Flying in an arc that Mat could only describe as magnificent Madam Hooch caught her by the wrist, nearly dragging her from her broom as well. Jamie didn't move, she was just hanging limply as if all life had been sucked out of her.

When Madam Hooch landed she quickly examined Jamie while mumbling “every single time, why Madam Pomfrey will lay into me again”

Bending over her lifeless shape Mat saw that she was unconscious but blood was still gushing out her nose at an alarming rate.

“everyone back to your dorms, the lesson has ended, I'll take her to the hospital wing”

As they were on their way back to the dorms Lily walked next to him with tears in her eyes “what do you think happened” she asked her voice catching.

Mat thought that since she was Slytherin it hardly Mattered but he also knew Lily would take exception to that “perhaps she banged her nose against the broom and broke it, it happened to better people, hell it happened to me a couple of times”

“she was loosing so much blood I hope she will be okay”

Mat looked at her “I wouldn't worry too much I got injured a heap of times and yet the next morning it was always better”

“i guess you're right” she said, yet she still looked worried.

Silently they walked back to the castle.

* * *

Jamie awoke in a bed, she didn't know where she was and yet her surroundings seemed familiar, if not everything was deceiving her she was in a hospital.

“Hello, you” said a female voice to her right.

Turning around she saw Lily's face peeking at her from behind the curtain.

“what are you doing here”

With hands on her hips she answered “I'm visiting a sick friend because I was worried, but I can go if i'm not welcome”

If her nose turns up another inch she'll break her neck Jamie thought.

“i didn't mean it like that” Jamie tried to explain “it's just I wasn't expecting it”

“hmpf” was Lily's comment on that “I asked your friend Anna to visit you sometime but she just said Sitting next to an unconscious person is a waste of my time” Her expression clearly showed what she thought of that.

Jamie sat up putting a pillow behind her “She's right, it serves no purpose whatsoever, she couldn't do anything to improve my situation, so logically it was the right decision”

When Jamie looked up again she saw Lily looking at her with pity.

Baffled she could only ask “what?”

“oh nothing” Lily said clearly exasperated.

They just sat there for a moment until Lily asked “so what happened, Madam Pomfrey wouldn't tell?”

“dunno, I thought I could fly but apparently it doesn't become my body” Seeing Lily's face Jamie could see that she didn't believe a word of it, but she knew Lily wasn't the type of person who would force an answer out of her.

Trying to change the subject she asked “so what day is it anyway?”

“oh, it's Saturday, they just pumped you full of Blood-Replenishing Potion and said you'll be allright but I suspected they weren't completely honest about that, guess I was wrong...”

She talked with Lily for quite some time until an old large women shooed her away.

“drink this my dear” she said shoving a red potion in her face “come on now it's only a Blood-Replenishing Potion”

She couldn't breathe which left her with no other option to swallow the concoction which tasted like blood.

“there you go now change into these fresh pyjamas I'll go fetch a sleeping drought” and with that she hurried of.

Not feeling like being manhandled for another day she instead slipped into her uniform which apparently had been cleaned, just as she had finished dressing madam Pomfrey reappeared.

“And where do you think you're going” She asked.

“Actually I intend to go to my dorm” Jamie said.

“oh no you don't” said Madam Pomfrey righteously and tried shoving her back into bed, jabbing her with her finger “you need to rest”.

She was sick of people telling her what she must do, especially medical staff, she was certainly not getting any better. Slapping away Madam Pomfrey's hand she shouted “I'VE RESTED ENOUGH” trying to calm herself she said “I probably won't live until Graduation and you want me to lie in a bed? stop wasting my time”

Jamie shoved her out of the way and left the Medical wing.

She was steaming, why don't people just leave her alone, it's not as if they could really help her or anything. They didn't know what it was like, living like a cripple. Living with death viciously clawing at your soul. Living with a knife at your throat.

She needed to stop wasting time, she needed to find Slytherins secret chamber, she had thought that she had enough time and originally she planned to look for a way in only on weekends but she would need to look even during the week.

But she couldn't do it now, as hard as it was to admit, madam pomfrey had been right, she needed rest. She had just lost too much blood and the headache was still bothering her, that had certainly never happened before, she was getting worse. Fast.

Before she knew it she stood in front of a big stone serpant with large ermeralds for eyes.

When she approached the emeralds lightened up and it opened it's mouth as if to bite, in a deep menacing voice it asked “What is the path to greatness?”

Without hesitation Jamie answered “Power, but more importantly the will to use it”

Retracting it's fang's the voice answered “you will make it far, sister”

“not if I die before getting the chance” mumbled Jamie.

The Serpent slithered along the collum opening the portal to the depressing cold common room of the slytherins. It was mostly empty the occasional exception ignoring her like always.

Her leg's felt like they were going to give away as she went down the spiral staircase to her dorm. Except for Anna no other of her room-Mates were present.

Looking up from the book she was reading Anna said “Hi” rather lamely.

“Hey” she replied as lamely and let herself fall into bed “you don't seem to be socialising with the other slytherins much, reading a book on your first day off”

Anna shrugged “yes, well they're not worth my notice, even thrown together their intellect couldn't reach mine if it was doubled and on steroids”

Jamie snorted “typical slytherin attitude, looking down on everyone else, I like that” after a moment she lifted her arm a fraction to glance at her friend “So my intellect is equal to yours?”

Without betraying emotion she simply said “yes”

“HA!” Jamie laughed “don't try to flatter me, you still think a lot higher of yourself, you're just cautious of me”

Anna's smile was real but in her eyes there shone a raptor-like quality, as if her prey had just raised the stakes of their game “apparently not cautious enough”

“I had an interesting experience with your Griffindor friend Lily, apparently she thought I had a duty as you friend to sit by your bed and pat your hand”

“She told me, I explained to her how it didn't make sense but that didn't seem to improve her mood much” Jamie answered

“I'll say” Anna agreed and after a moment she added with calculation “She was quite formidable”

Jamie smiled thinking that she was indeed, but instead she decided to bait Anna a bit “Another one of your equals?”

Amused Anna said “I doubt it, but in our year I expect her to be the closest thing we will encounter who fits the persona of our rival, she is quite... Talented. Speaking of talented, the stunts you pulled on that broom where pretty good as well, at least until you tried to drain your body of blood through your nose and almost died”

Feeling defensive Jamie said trying to sound offhanded “Yeah, no idea what happened”

Now it was Anna's turn to laugh out loud “HA! Now who's looking down on other's? If you're going to lie to me you have to try better than that”

Jamie smiled enjoying the game “that's what I like about you Anna, if there's something I don't tell you, you won't be angry or hurt, instead you think of a way to pry it out of me in an underhanded manner, which is disturbing on a different level, but at least I understand you”

Anna smiled viscously “Friends for life, Jamie” she said. Causing her to smile further, understanding the joke.

Yeah Jamie thought Friends as long as one can figure out how to dispose of the threat to one's own superiority.

It was relaxing to be in an environment she understood.

* * *

“You should have seen that Slytherin kid, what was her name again? That weak looking small one, Jamie! Yeah Jamie! So afraid of flying she was trembling so much her broom actually lost twigs” someone said followed by a roar of laughter.

Jamie had put up with worse from her own houseMate's earlier that morning, compared to that the petty attempts to humiliate her from the other houses seemed like child's-play. Some of the few who didn't know her by now had even tried to get physical, as in blocking her way, stealing her books while she was reading.

They got to know her pretty fast, more than one slytherin had gone to madam pomfrey that morning with a face like an abstract painting.

It had been a good Sunday morning so far.

She felt a lot better ,the headache was gone, her exhaustion had disappeared and she felt optimism towards her first real day off.

The jibes would continue for quite a time she knew, surprisingly none of them came from the griffindors, Jamie strongly suspected it had something to do with Lily looking like she'd bite the head of anyone even thinking about starting a conversation.

“what are you gonna do after breakfast?” Asked Anna.

Smiling into her cerials Jamie thought Not wasting any opportunity to observe your opponent, eh, in case I might discover something you can't think of yourself. You want to play a game? Let's play a game.

“I was thinking about checking out the library, for some spells, interested?”

Only by a slight twitch of her eye did Anna reveal her suspicion but it was enough “Sure sounds like fun”

Jamie silently laughed inside Of course you would have come along if I had invited you or not, by actually inviting you I throw you off balance.

“what kind of spells are you going to look at?”

“body enhancements” she said offhandedly, perhaps a bit to offhandedly since the glint in Anna's eyes revealed that she was onto the fact that Jamie was messing with her.

“those are fitfth-year spells” She said smiling with a Hawk-like stare.

“What? are you not up to it?” Jamie said in a taunting.

“Watch me” replied Anna.

Jamie laughed. The Game was on.

* * *

Mat shivered “man, look at those two grinning at each other, like foxes about to stuff themselves with chicken, robbing the farmer and making off with his wife, I sure don't want to be the one who walk's into them, not that I'm scared or anything” he quickly amended.

Lily watched Jamie and her Friend leave the great hall, thinking that Mat might be onto something for a change, which was rare indeed. Ask Matthew Branstone about anything besides Quidditch and his brain seemed to lock up with incomprehension.

“Mat, Mat, look at this! It happened again”

Looking the other way Lily spotted John, Mat's insufferable sidekick, he was as bad as Mat about Quidditch and even worse in everything else.

“Hey, John” She said out of courtesy.

“Oh!, hi Lily” he said grinning at her so smug, she wanted to punch him “you look at this too!”

He slammed a newspaper on the table throwing over a couple of glasses in the process, soaking the whole thing in pumpkin-juice.

Ignoring the curses muttered at him he excitedly tapped rapidly on the main article.

“Werewolf attack in Camebridge” Read Mat aloud.

Now interested Lily looked at the article as well “Again?”

“On saturday a muggle couple took a stroll, into the Cautus-park of camebridge-”

“Cautus -park?” asked John.

“It's a park with Muggle-repelling charm's, one of the few area's where a wizard doesn't have to hide his ability's, that the muggles even got through is astonishing” said Lily absentmindedly and continued reading.

“- how they managed to break through the Muggle-repelling charm's is yet unknown, Inside the park itself they were attacked by a pack of werewolf's, causing the death of the Male muggle and the hospitalisation of the female in St. Mungos with severe bite and claw injuries, Authorities claim it wasn't a pack of werewolf's but just one, furthermore they believe it to be the work of Muggle-baiters, using a mindless magical creature”

“sheesh” said Mat “I think the Muggle who died is better of than his friend, I mean being bitten by a werewolf? That's just harsh. I'd rather die.”

“Shut up!” said Lily thinking of her Uncle Ron and her aunt Hermione who had died in a werewolf attack, leaving a hole in her family that still made her parents suffer “She's lucky that she is still alive”

“but as a werewolf that is no life- OW!” He shouted when she hit him on the head “I said shut up”

Looking at her as if she was mad he finally did shut up.

It just reminded her that they still lived in dangerous times, even though they didn't have a war on their hands, people still seemed to die violently left and right, it wasn't supposed to be like that.

“I'm going back to the dorm” she said feeling jaded.

“Lily! What did I do?” Mat shouted after her.

“I told you to shut up, damnit” she said weakly.

* * *

“here look at this one Jamie” Said Anna “Supposed to make the skin hard as stone”

Jamie didn't even bother looking “No, that won't do, I need something enhancing performance, not something to protect me from external harm”

“here this one sounds good ``Apstinentia pupa``, I mean it's more of a medical spell but I think it'll serve my purpose, gives the caster control over his body's latent muscle strength”

Anna bent over to see for herself “It also says the exhaustion from the unnatural strain can kill you”

“should be fine if I take it off on Weekends, I mean I'm not going to use superhuman strength or something, I'm just going to use it to have normal function over my body”

Anna look unimpressed “in your case that is using superhuman strength, I mean I've seen you get exhausted like you ran a marathon after climbing the stairs from our dorm to the common room, a week worth of that and you're going to be useless on weekends”

Jamie grimaced “I know it's not perfect it's only temporary until I find something better, but I'm better of being able to move five days of the week then fall asleep for two rather then permanent exhaustion”

Anna shrugged “it's not like it's my body, when are you going to try it out?”

“how about right now?” suggested Jamie.

“oh, no, no, no, you know what Madame Pince is going to do if she catches us using spells in here? She's going to report us to Professor Malfoy, slytherin is great and all but people aren't exactly lenient on us if you get what I mean”

Jamie rolled her eyes “well, you either stop being such a baby or you come up with a place where we can exercise spells and such”

Anna laughed “are you kidding me?”

“why?”

“do you know how big Hogwarts is? How many rooms are abandoned?” She asked

Jamie frowned “what? What are you talking about? Why would there be a lot of abandoned rooms?”

Anna shrugged “how should I know? I just know that Hogwarts is three to four times bigger then the rooms in use, I mean whoever built it seriously overestiMated the number of students coming here each year”

Jamie didn't think so, most likely it was because of the decrease of wizards Slytherin had talked about “how long ago was Hogwarts founded?”

Anna looked at her as if she'd lost her mind “what, what's with the sudden change in topic”

“just answer the damn question!”

Narrowing her eyes Anna watched her for a clue in the damn game, only it wasn't even part of the game “ninth or tenth century. Why?”

Means about a thousand years, to decrease the wizard population by fifty to seventy-five percent, if there was no decrease or increase in the rate, the last wizard would exist in a time frame of five hundred to a thousand years. Doesn't seem like a pressing problem, but a problem that nobody is aware of.

But I can't do anything about it if I'm dead, I need to find a way to survive first.

“No reason,” Jamie said packing up her things “come on lead me to one of your abandoned rooms”

Rushing to keep up with her Anna asked “No reason? No reason you suddenly ask something peculiar then stare into space for a minute? Hey, wait. Jamie wait up”

Author's Note

Do your worst. (unfortunately during the transfer from the original text some of the layout has been affected, fixing it when i feel like it)

Reviews

[BeetleBug]

This is turning out to be a very interesting story. Other than the layout its very good, though a few chapters back you mentioned that Harry was the Grinfindor team captain in the seventh year, but Harry wasn't even at school that year. His last year was his sixth year. The other facts seem correct.