- Morning: First Day of Classes -
Staying up past midnight, only to have to get up before 7 o'clock was not something that agreed with Harry.
Getting out of his bed and resisting the urge to fall back into it, Harry made his way into the bathroom to get ready.
Turning on the shower to as cold as he could handle, Harry stepped under the freezing spray. As terrible as it felt, it did its job in waking him up.
Quickly drying off and putting on a fresh uniform, Harry was thankful that he listened to Minerva when he bought his robes. Having the additional sets of clothing meant that he didn't have to worry about how long it would take for last night's pair to get clean.
Taking the time to fix his hair, thankful that it was no longer the mess it used to be, Harry put on his glasses before looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
The blue and bronze colors weren't the best, but they were not where near as bad as the black and yellow Hufflepuff colors. The student's in Hufflepuff colors reminded Harry of a bee. 'If only Slytherin wasn't a Death Eater training ground for pure-bloods, the green and silver alone would have convinced me to join.'
Shaking off the thought, Harry finished straightening his blue and bronze stripped tie before grabbing his school bag full with books and parchment. He still couldn't understand why they had to use parchment.
Heading down to the common room, he quickly spots Cho and Marietta already dressed and waiting for him.
Walking up to them, Harry notices that Marietta looks practically dead on her feet. "Morning Cho, Mary."
"Morning Harry!" Cho cheerfully replies.
"Morning." comes Marietta's unenthusiastic reply.
Looking at her curiously, he chuckles at the playful glare she gives him. Cho reaches out to swat Marietta's shoulder as she replies. "Don't mind her, she's not a fan of early mornings."
"No one, is! Except you, weirdo." Marietta refutes, lazily pointing a finger at Cho who laughs off her statement.
"Anyways!" Cho exclaims. "We thought we'd walk with you down to breakfast."
Nodding, they make small talk as they wait for the rest of the first years to come down from their dorms. Once the last student arrived, Penelope quickly led the group out of the common room and down to the Great Hall.
- Great Hall -
Reaching the Great Hall, they all quickly sit down and start to pile food onto their plates.
Harry, remembering Death's words, grabs nearly double the portions he did last night. Cho notices him reaching out for more food and comments on it, "Woah, Harry. That's a lot of food. You sure you can eat it all?"
Nodding, "Yeah, I'm just really hungry today." Harry replies, "Must be from walking up and down all those steps we have to take."
Cho could understand that, having to walk up and down five floors every time you forget something could be a real pain.
Taking a sip of his goblet, Harry chokes, "UGH! Gross!"
Wiping his mouth with his hand, he remarks, "I can somewhat get having pumpkin juice for dinner. But there is no way that I'm drinking it this early in the morning."
Placing the goblet back down on the table, the orange-colored pumpkin juice quickly changes to a clear color. Hesitantly, Harry reaches out to take a sip.
Relieved, he quickly downs the cup. It seems the house elves had replaced with water. "Ahh, that's better." Harry watches on curiously as it quickly refills itself with more water.
Giggling at his dramatics, Cho reaches over to grab her own drink. Staring at him, she takes a long sip of her pumpkin juice.
Harry nearly gagged at the sight. "That's just disgusting."
Breaking out into laughter, they turn back to their meals. Looking at Marietta sitting across from them, Harry notices that she had fallen asleep at the table. Reaching over, he pokes her on the head with his finger, causing Marietta to bat it away as she goes back to sleep.
Poking her again repeatedly, Marietta finally raises her head to glare at him. The glare is quickly ruined as she tries to cover a loud yawn.
Laughing, Harry chimed, "Come on Mary, you need to eat something."
Sighing dramatically, Marietta relents, "Fiiiine."
As they dig into their meals, Professor Flitwick makes his way down the table; passing out time-tables along the way.
Reaching Harry, he introduces himself. "Ah! Good Morning to you, Harry. I'm Professor Filius Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw House."
Reaching out a slightly clawed hand, he grasped Harry's in a surprisingly firm grip.
"Nice to meet you Professor." Harry replies happily. The man's cheerful demeanor was contagious.
Quickly handing over his timetable, Flitwick instructs, "Here's your time-table. Remember to follow Prefect Clearwater after breakfast and she'll show you to your classes." With that, Flitwick bids him a good day before he goes back to passing out the time-tables to the rest of the House.
Looking down at his schedule, Harry read over today's classes:
(9:00 - 10:00) Herbology
(10:15 - 11:15) Charms
(11:15 - 11:30) Break
(11:30 - 1:30) Potions
(1:30 - 2:30) Lunch
(2:30 - 4:30) Defense Against the Dark Arts
(4:30 - 6:00) Study Hall
(6:00 - 7:00) Dinner
'This has to be the worst Monday schedule I could have gotten.'
Mondays were bad enough by themselves. But Double Potions with a professor who hates him, AND double Defense with a professor that wants to murder him? There's no way his luck was that bad.
'…right?'
Feeling Cho lean against his shoulder to read his schedule, she apparently shares his dread.
"Yikes. Double Potions with Professor Snape? Good luck with that one, he hates anyone who's not in Slytherin. Be glad you're not in Gryffindor, I hear they got paired up with Slytherin this year for Potions." Shuddering, she said. "I'd hate to be in thatclassroom."
That made him slightly better. The last thing he wanted to deal with was Malfoy trying to throw ingredients in his cauldron and nearly blow him up while Snape glared at him.
- Timeskip: First Lesson -
Finishing breakfast, Harry waved goodbye to Cho and Marietta before setting off with Penelope and the other Ravenclaw first-years. Making their way through a door leading out onto a grass field, they eventually came across an area with several greenhouses in various sizes.
Directing the first years to the smallest of the greenhouses, Penelope points to it. "This is where you guys will be having Herbology this year. Make sure to pay attention, and try to win Ravenclaw some House Points, okay? I'll be waiting for you here after class." Quickly walking past them towards the castle, she calls out a quick, "Good luck!"
With a last wave, Penelope races off to her own class.
Heading inside, the Ravenclaws see Professor Sprout waving them over. "Come in, come in! We're just waiting on the Slytherins to get here, and then we can start."
'Wait…we have our first lesson of the week with Slytherins?!' Harry ranted in his head. 'Oh, COME ON!' Apparently, the universe really knew how to kick a guy when he was down.
Waiting for the Slytherins to show up, they finally arrived at the last minute before the bell. As the last of the Slytherins shuffled in, Sprout began lecturing.
"Welcome to Herbology! I'm Professor Pomona Sprout, head of Hufflepuff House. For your very first lesson here at Hogwarts, we're going to go over what you'll be expecting this year…"
For the next hour, Professor Sprout went over some of the plants they'll be reviewing and what they'll be expected to know by the end of the year.
Apparently the first years only handle one or two magical plants at most. The main focus of the class is on reviewing the fundamentals of how to safely handle and care for most magical plants. By the end of the year, they were expected to at least recognize all of the plants found in their Herbology text: One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, for the final exam.
- Charms -
After leaving the greenhouse at the sound of the bell, the first years followed Penelope to their next lesson. Charms was apparently one of the few classes that they didn't share with the other Houses. The other ones being Transfiguration and Defense.
'Which makes sense. They're the most magic intense classes, so they'd want the professors to be able to give more attention to each student.'
Stepping into the room, Harry noticed that it was circular in layout; with long curved desks set on tiered platforms that circled and overlooked the center of the room. At the wall opposite the door, a large wooden desk sat with multiple books piled on top of, and around it. Standing on a large stack of books resting on a chair behind the desk, Professor Flitwick waved them in.
"Come, take your seats!"
Moving to sit down at a desk in the first row, Harry found himself sitting next to Padma. The girl was far shier than her twin sister, and blushed heavily at his gaze before shyly waving at him.
Waving back, Harry put a gentle smile on his face as he tried to make the girl feel more comfortable. "Hey Padma, how are you?"
Blushing further, Padma replied. "I'm okay. And you?"
"I'm excited. This is our first class where we can actually cast magic."
The two of them quickly quieted down as Professor Flitwick begin taking roll call.
Once everyone was accounted for, he jumped right into the lesson. "Now then, everyone! For your first lesson, we're going to go over the fundamentals of magic."
"Now, can anyone tell me where are magic comes from?"
One of the boys, Michael Corner, raised his hand. At Flitwick's nod, he answered. "From our magical cores, Professor."
Shaking his head, Flitwick responded. "Not so, Mr. Corner. That is actually a common misconception found in the muggle world. Anyone else care to guess?"
Everyone glanced around at each other, but no one moved to raise their hand.
Flitwick explains. "I'll give you all a hint. We magicals do not have a core where we draw our magic from. The only magical core you will find, is the one found in your wands."
Shocked, Corner asks. "Then, where does our magic come from?"
Giving a quick clap of his hands, Flitwick eagerly replies. "Exactly. Where does our magic come from?" Looking around the room, he waits to see if anyone else will raise their hand. When no one does, he answers. "It comes from ourselves."
"We are magical beings. Our magic is found in every part of our body. Our hair, our blood, even our very bones are filled with our magic." That caused the students to start whispering amongst each other.
'I guess that makes sense. There was a lot of emphasis on Harry's blood in the storybooks. And didn't Voldemort's ritual need bone, flesh, and blood.'
Spotting a small flaw in his thought, Harry questions. 'But then, why did he need his father's bone then, if he was a muggle?' Struggling to come up with an answer, he thinks, 'Could be he just didn't end up looking like a cross between Harry and Wormtail?'
That thought caused Harry to shudder. 'Ugh, gross. Okay, bad image. Think happy thoughts.'
As the whispers died down, Su Li raises her hand.
"Yes, Ms. Li?"
"Then how come some wizards like Headmaster Dumbledore are more powerful than others?" she asks
Pleased, Flitwick explains. "A very good question, Ms. Li. The answer, is how potent a person's magic is. While it is true that our magic fills our entire bodies, the degree to which it does differs from person to person."
"The Headmaster, for instance, has more magic inside him than any teacher here. Not as much as some of you might believe, but still more than most."
Continuing her question, Su Li asks, "Then how come he appears so much stronger?"
"Because of two things," Raising up his hand, he holds up a single finger. "The first, is in the potency of his magic. This is caused by casting stronger and stronger magical spells over many years, slowly increasing how much he has in him. Most magicals never practice this because they have no need too. Most magicals use the same dozen or so spells for most of their adult lives.
Slowly, he raises a second finger. "The second, is in his control." Flitwick replies. "The more control a magical has over their magic, the less they waste when powering their spells. This puts magicals like the Headmaster, seemingly beyond the skills of others."
"While he does have more magic to call upon after decades of developing it, it's his ability to use it precisely and without wasting a single bit, that sets him apart."
Lowering his hand, Flitwick lectures. "A wizard might find themselves exhausted after casting a dozen combat spells due to incorrect amounts of magic, causing some of it to bleed off. On the other hand, the Headmaster can easily cast twice as many spells without becoming tired, simply because he uses the exact amount he needs to achieve the desired result."
Pondering over what he just heard, Harry tried to simplify it for himself. 'So it's kind of like a muscle. It builds up through continuous lifting of heavier weights, but if you get into a fight with someone who has the same sized muscles as you, it comes down to how much training you have and who uses the least amount of energy with fewer movements.'
The lesson continued on for the next hour. By the time the bell rang, the first years left quietly, deep in thought.
Seeing their expressions, Penelope lets out a laugh. "Yeah, that's how most of us are after our first lesson with Professor Flitwick. He really knows his stuff, doesn't he?" Waiting for them to come out of their daze, she chimes out. "Come on you lot, time for your first break."
- Potions -
After meeting up with Cho and Marietta during the break, Harry and the other first year Ravenclaws made their way down into the dungeons; dreading their first double Potions class.
At least it was with the Hufflepuffs. Who Harry found were actually very nice people. Sure, some of them did point and stare at him as he walked by, but so did practically everyone at this point.
'Hopefully they'll all calm down once they get used to seeing me. Otherwise, this is going to get annoying…fast.'
Suddenly, the door to the potion's classroom swung open. Quickly making their way inside, Harry felt a small shiver at how cold it was in the dungeons. Looking around the room, Harry grimaced at the glass jars filled with pickled animals, floating in unidentifiable liquids. To add to the drama of the room, it was barely lit and shadows were cast all over the floors and corners. At the back of the classroom, Severus Snape stood glowering at every student as they walked in the door.
Choosing a table in the middle of the room, Harry quickly set up his cauldron before sitting down next to Terry Boot. The room seemed to have divided itself into Houses, the Hufflepuffs chose to sit on the left, and the Ravenclaws on the right.
Watching as Snape stepped forward, Harry listened as the man sneered in a clearly agitated tone of voice. "There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is Potion making."
"However, for those select few, who possess the predisposition…I can teach you how to bewitch the mind, and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper…in death." For as much as the man disliked children, he certainly knew had to draw their attention.
Spinning around, his cloak twirled through the air as he moved back to his desk and began taking roll.
Eventually, he paused when he landed on Harry's name.
"Ah, yes." he said softly. "Harry Potter. Our new…celebrity." The disgust in his tone had everyone looking at Harry confused. Wondering what he could have possibly done to anger the professor on the first day.
As if Harry had to do anything, the man hated him at first sight. 'And Harry chose to name one of his kids after him. Wow…'
Finishing the roll call, Snape began targeting him with questions. Thankfully, Harry already knew what was coming.
"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
The question came from a potion in the middle of their textbook, and wouldn't be covered for several weeks. Unfortunately for Snape, not only did Harry study his Potions book thoroughly over the summer, he also had cheats from his previous life.
"The Draught of Living Death, sir."
Snape's eye twitched before asking another. "And where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" The tone got a bit snide at that, seeing as that was barely mentioned in a single line on the last few pages of the textbook.
"I believe the stomach of a goat, sir." It was getting harder for Harry to keep his tone respectful. The man was clearly being a jerk, and by now half of the class knew it too.
Answering correctly seemed to make Snape angrier, his final question proving it. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
Asking a trick question really was petty of him.
"They're the same plant, Professor." He nearly slipped up with his tone that time. The urge to gloat was furiously squashed with the knowledge that it would just give the man a reason to take points from him.
"That is…correct." Glaring into Harry's eyes for a moment, Snape seemed confused for a second before quickly turning around and up to a chalkboard next to his desk. Over his shoulder, he barked over at the class. "Why aren't you all writing that down?"
As everyone rushed to write down the answers, Harry pondered the confused look for a second. 'I think he just tried to Legilimency me. Heh, sucks for you Snape. Not with Death's enchantment protecting me.'
Enjoying his moment of victory, Harry watched as Snape pulled out a scroll of parchment. He proceeded to call out pairs from a list for everyone to get into. Harry ended up partnered with Susan Bones, a red-head with her hair tied in a long plait down the back. The girl was thankfully polite, and only glanced at his scar once.
Finished with calling out the pairs, the class watched as Snape waved his wand at the chalkboard. One of the pieces of chalk came to life and begin writing down the instructions for a potion. "The instructions on the board are for a simple potion that will cure boils. The ingredients can be found at the back of the room. Begin."
He gave no other tips or information after that. Just waving them off to start as he swept around the room, his long black cloak trailing along the ground behind him.
Working together, Harry and Susan proved to be an effective pair. They successfully created a potion that was the exact shade the instructions specified it needed to be.
Sharing a quick high-five, they settled down as Snape made his way over to their cauldron. Peering into it, he seemed almost irritated at the color. "This is…adequate. Bottle it into phials with your names written on them, and place them at the front."
- Timeskip: End of Class -
Class ended not long after that.
Harry was glad to finally leave the room, and after waving goodbye to Susan, he quickly followed Penelope back to the Great Hall for lunch.
Sitting down next to Cho and Marietta, he let out a deep exhale through his nose.
"That bad, huh?" Marietta asked.
Nodding, Harry moved to pile food onto his plate. "Snape seems to have a particular interest in me. He quizzed me on multiple topics, one of which was even a trick question, and seemed to get angrier the more I answered correctly."
Patting him on the back, Cho tried to be supportive. "Well, at least you only have the class again Wednesday and Friday."
"Yeah. And both of those are also double lessons." Harry groaned, already dreading the rest of the year.
Cringing, Cho gave him a comforting side-hug before going back to her meal. Marietta offered her own support by sharing a commiserating look as she passed him some mashed potatoes.
Having their support was comforting, and Harry couldn't be more thankful that he had friends with him to offer support.
Speaking up, he made sure to let them know it. "Thanks Cho, Mary. I really appreciate the support." Smiling at them, he saw them blush slightly in embarrassment.
Laughing, he dug into a plate full of grilled chicken. 'Just because I have to eat a lot, doesn't mean it has to be completely unhealthy.' Some of the food had so much grease that it dripped off.
Harry knew that once the potion finished repairing his body, he was going to have to eat a healthy diet and start getting some exercise in if he wanted to look good. That was one nice thing about his situation. He understood the necessity of a healthy diet and exercise.
Most kids his age don't understand that, and eat as much junk food as they can without thinking about it. Looking around at some of the older students, Harry could see that most of them were not even close to being in shape.
Not that they were overweight mind you, the number of stairs at Hogwarts saw to that. But it was obvious that they had never exercised a day in their lives. At least the Quidditch players were somewhat in shape, but even then, it wasn't anything too noticeable.
'I'll have to find some way to start exercising while I'm here. Walking up and down the stairs is decent cardio, but it's not going to help me put muscle on.'
Something to think about later. Dinner was almost over, and he had to get ready for Defense next.
- Defense Against the Dark Arts -
The first time Harry walked into the room, he nearly gagged. The stench of garlic was so overpowering that it was making the students eyes water.
Once everyone was seated, Quirrell began stuttering. "G-Good m-morning class. W-welcome t-to your f-first lesson in D-D-Defense Against the D-Dark Arts."
'I already want to stab him.' The guy was talking so slowly and stuttering so badly that it nearly took half of their class time just to get through the roll call.
Honestly, it wouldn't have been so bad if Harry thought that the stutter was real. But knowing that it was just a performance was starting to piss him off.
The class started to pick up the pace after that. Quirrell went over what they will be covering throughout the year, and took the time to add some of information about himself. The other Ravenclaw first years seemed to find his story about meeting a hag and a vampire fascinating.
'I wonder how they'd react if they knew it was actually Voldemort's spirit, who now lives as a tumor on the back of his dead?'
It seems that having to deal with Quirrell's fake stuttering was making him develop a dark sense of humor.
If nothing else, it kept him amused until the class was over.
- Timeskip: Evening -
Making their way back to the Ravenclaw Common Room, Harry spotted Cho and Marietta sitting together on a couch reading. Quietly sneaking up on them, he flopped down onto their legs.
"Oof! Hey! Oh, it's you Harry." Cho quickly settled down after realized who it was. Marietta just gave an annoyed huff before going back to her book. Surprisingly, she didn't move to push his legs off.
"Hey Cho, Mary." Harry replied, resting his head in Cho's lap.
Reaching out a hand, Cho ruffled his hair. "Long day?"
"Yeah, you mind if I just lay here for a moment?"
Seeing her shake her head, Harry closed his eyes and relaxed. Cho and Marietta shared a brief look before giggling softly, finding his behavior childishly cute. Returning to their reading, the three of them spent the rest of their time like that until dinner.
An hour later, Penelope made her way over to them. Seeing Harry had fallen asleep, she chuckled at his face before speaking up. "Time to get up Harry. Dinner's about to start, and you need to eat something."
Groaning, Harry rolled off of Cho and Marietta's laps before standing up and straightening out his clothes as the girls did the same. Together, they all made their way back down the Great Hall.
That evening was a quiet affair. Most of the students were too tired to make conversation and simply ate their dinner quietly. When dessert arrived, Harry did perk up a little bit as he grabbed a few pieces of chocolate.
One of his guilty pleasures while staying at the Leaky Cauldron was buying chocolate ice cream for dessert at Fortescue's. He had tried multiple different combinations, but the one he always seemed to come back to was chocolate.
Munching away happily on a piece of chocolate, Cho and Marietta giggled at his expression.
By the time dessert was over, everyone was ready for bed. Slowly trudging their way back up to the common room, they all quickly said good night before heading off to bed.
- Headmaster's Office -
Inside the Headmasters office, Dumbledore sat behind his desk listening as Snape paced around the room. "I don't understand it. When I tried looking into his mind, it was as if something was keeping me out. It's not possible for the brat to have learned Occlumency already."
Leaning back in his chair, Dumbledore slowly stroked down his beard as he thought over the conundrum. "It's…possible Severus, that the protection Lily's sacrifice placed on Harry that night, also protects his mind."
Truthfully, Dumbledore didn't think it was Lily's protection that kept Severus out. 'No, it's more likely that the horcrux in his scar is protecting him out of self-preservation.'
The mention of Lily brought a pained look to Snape's face. Nodding, he reluctantly agreed with the idea. "Perhaps. She wasmuch smarter than people gave her credit for."
Bidding Dumbledore good night before he made his way back to the dungeons, Dumbledore sat pondering over the situation with Harry. 'Minerva may have been hasty in removing him from his relatives…but if the horcrux is granting him protection from Legilimency, then it might have affected the protections placed on the Dursley's home.'
Looking over at Fawkes, his phoenix, Dumbledore pondered out loud. "Going forward, we may need to find alternative lodgings for Harry."
Fawkes crooned in agreement, singing a soft musical note that helped to soothe his worries.
- Next Day -
The next day saw the three of them sitting down at breakfast together. This time, Marietta sat next to Harry while Cho sat across from them.
"What's got you so excited, Harry?" Cho asked.
Practically bouncing in his seat, Harry replies, "I've got double Transfiguration today. I'm really looking forward to it."
Transfiguration was a subject that always fascinated him, and the fact that it was taught by his favorite teacher made him all the more excited to attend his first lesson.
Marietta lightly bumped her shoulder against him, drawing his attention. "Calm down, Harry. You'll get there soon enough."
Marietta usually never went out of her way to make physical contact with anyone. It just wasn't something she particularly cared for, unless it was with someone important to her. And Harry was slowly starting to grow on her.
When he had put his feet on her lap last night, Marietta was shocked when she didn't feel the
desire to push them off her. Something like that would normally have resulted in her pushing his feet off quickly before telling him never to do it again.
But nothing happened. It was like the more time she spent with him, the more he felt like a little brother to her, and the more she found herself not disliking touching him.
Not to say that she thought of him AS her little brother. After all, she had only known him for a few days. But the potential was there.
That's why, when Marietta reached over to pull him into a hug, Cho gasped in surprise.
The hug wasn't long, more of a squeeze than anything. But it was a start.
One that had Cho practically beaming at Marietta, who blushed lightly at her smile.
Looking back and forth between them, Harry was sure he missed something. Not knowing what, he decided to keep quiet and turned back to finishing the last of his breakfast.
- Transfiguration -
Arriving at Minerva's class, Harry wasn't surprised to find that it was as stereotypical a classroom as it could be. No decorations, a plain layout of desks in rows and columns, and an empty desk at the front with a chalkboard next to it.
As much as he liked Minerva, she really was the personification of a strict teacher.
Taking his seat at the front, Harry watched eagerly as Minerva sat on her desk in her Animagus form. Everyone else in the class was looking around for the professor while glancing at the tabby cat in confusion. As he watched on, Harry saw her give him a wink before jumping into the air and quickly transforming back into her human form.
Dressed in red robes (a nod to her House), and her black hair kept in it's perfectly maintained bun, Minerva stared back at the students wide-eyed gazes with a stern look. Quickly taking roll, Minerva began the lesson with little fanfare. "Welcome students, to Transfiguration. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, and I will be your Transfiguration teacher for the next seven years."
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic that you will learn here at Hogwarts. A single mistake could have you replacing your arm with a tree branch. Anyone caught messing around in my classroom will be removed, and will not be allowed to return."
That certainly caught everyone's attention, and half of the students began straightening up in their seats.
"You have been warned." With that, McGonagall turned to her desk and waved her wand over it.
Suddenly, the table transformed into a lioness. The sight reminding Harry of the last time he saw the Dursleys. 'Hopefully I won't ever have to see them again.'
As the lioness gave a roar, McGonagall waved her wand again, turning it back into her desk.
Everyone was impressed, and now they all couldn't wait to get started. "The first thing to understand about Transfiguration, is that it requires Focus and Will. You must Focus your attention on what you wish to transfigure, and what you wish it to transfigure into. Then, you must Will it to change."
Explaining the basics of Transfiguration, McGonagall placed three matchsticks in front of each student with the instruction to try and turn it into a needle.
Before letting them try, she cautioned them not to get discouraged if they failed. "Most students are unsuccessful the first time in class. Do not be discouraged. It will come to you eventually." With a gesture, she motioned for the students to proceed.
Staring at the matchstick, Harry raises his ebony wand. 'I've got to will it…'
Picturing in his mind the matchstick, Harry thought over how it should change. 'The wood needs to become metal, and the tip needs to become a point.'
Focusing on that idea, Harry waves his wand over the matchstick as he cast the spell. Feeling as if something was flowing from him into the wand, he watched as the matchstick turned silver in color. Unfortunately, the tip wasn't a point like he pictured, 'Not what I wanted, but a decent start.'
Trying again, Harry decides to break it up into two parts. Picturing the color, he waves his wand over the match and watches it change to a silver metal.
Waving his wand again, he slowly changes the tip into a point.
With the knowledge of how changing each part felt, Harry focuses on putting both parts together in his mind.
Ready, he waves his wand over the last matchstick, willing it to change.
"Yes!" he cheers, having successfully changed the matchstick into a needle. 'I did it! I did magic!'
"Well done, Mr. Potter"
Looking up, he sees Minerva staring back at him, a proud smile on her face. Placing several more matchsticks on his desk, she says, "Now that you know how to do, see if you can't repeat it again with the other matchsticks. Try to see if you can get it every time without making a mistake."
Smiling back at her, Harry nods before trying again.
It's a good thing too, because the next match wasn't as complete a success.
Focusing, he practiced over and over while the class around him struggled to turn a single matchstick silver. By the time class had ended, the most anyone else had accomplished was when Lisa Turpin turned the tip of a matchstick into a point. Whereas Harry had successfully turned half on his into needles, with the other half mostly changed.
As the class got up to leave for their break, Minerva called out to Harry. "Mr. Potter, if you wouldn't mind staying for a moment." Nodding, he walked over to her desk as the rest of the class filed out of the room.
Motioning him to follow her, Minerva led the way to a side door. Stepping inside, Harry found himself in what had to be her office.
The office was rather spartan; a single desk with a large, red-leather cushioned chair behind it, and two guest chairs in brown leather sitting opposite. The worn leather of the seats testament to their many years of use.
Walking over to her desk, she motions him to sit in the guest chair opposite her. "Please, sit."
As he does, he's surprised at how comfortable it was despite its worn state. Minerva waits for him to get settled before she starts speaking softly to him. "You have a gift for Transfiguration, Harry. One that your father had as well."
That came as a surprise to him. Not many people had mentioned his parents, except for the night when she took him from the Dursleys.
"It is my hope, that we can nurture your gift into something great. That one day, you might become even better at Transfiguration than myself."
Blinking, Harry asks. "Do you really think I can do that?"
Nodding, Minerva responds. "With hard work, and a lot of practice…Yes, I do believe you can."
"That said," Her tone quickly turns strict again. "I will expect you to give your best. I will not accept any half-hearted attempts."
"If you still wish to continue, then every Saturday and Sunday morning after breakfast, you will spend two hours here in my office improving on what you have learned."
That wasn't too terrible, and without having to worry about Quidditch practices or clubs, he had a lot of free time on the weekends.
Determined, Harry replies, "I accept."