Taking Over Me

Chapter 4 - Year 1 - 1938

     The next morning, I woke to the sounds of doors slamming and girls chatting. Sitting up in bed, I could see that Lydia, Morgan, and Tessa were all awake and getting dressed.

     I looked around for some kind of clock in the room and found a small clock face in the wood of the top of my nightstand. The clock read six thirty. I groaned, wanting to flop back into bed and sleep for the next several hours. I didn't have that luxury since I started classes today. I needed to get up and get ready for the day. I noticed that Ronnie was still in bed. She had the covers pulled over her head.

     I moved over to poke her and she groaned. "Five more minutes Mum."

     "I'm not your mother Ronnie."

     She peeled back the covers and looked at me with bleary eyes. "Oh hey Mari. What time is it?"

     "It's just past six thirty."

     "What are you doing up so early?"

     I tried not to laugh. She sounded like she was still sleeping. "Ronnie, we've got classes today. You need to get up and get ready."

     Ronnie nodded, but snuggled back under the covers. "Okay. I'll get up in a while. It won't take me too long to get ready."

     I shook my head, but didn't argue with her. Her snoring buzzed around the room a few minutes later.

    An hour later, I was dressed and ready for class. I had woken Ronnie up, again, after I was ready. We had a similar conversation to earlier, but this time, when she heard the time, she jolted out of bed in a panic. She ran around the room trying to get dressed and cursing her sleeping habits. I kept out of the whirlwind of chaos she created as she dressed.

     Finally she stopped in front of the doorway leading to the staircase. "I'm all set. What's our first class?"

     It was only then that I realized that I didn't know which class I needed to go to. The other girls in my dorm didn't have their schedules either and we all trooped down the staircase into the Common Room. A few of the first year boys were there already. We huddled around the large fireplace, unsure of what to do.

     A small cough interrupted us. Looking around, I saw a small figure tottering towards us. As it drew closer, I saw that it was a man, but he didn't look like an ordinary man. He was short, really short. At his full height he only came up to my elbow and I'm five foot six. He had a large nose and small glasses. Most of his face was covered with a bushy moustache.

    He smiled at us all. "Welcome to Ravenclaw. I am the Head of the House, Professor Flitwick. I also teach Charms class here at Hogwarts. Now I'm glad that you all are ready early. I have your schedules for each of you. The first year class is divided into three parts. When you find the other members of your groups, you may leave for you first classes. Along with your schedules is a map of Hogwarts. Keep in mind, the staircases here move, which can make navigating the school quite difficult." Professor Flitwick passed out our schedules.

     Ronnie and I compared. We both had the same classes, but they were with different groups. My first class was History of Magic, and I was with Hufflepuff. Ronnie had Transfiguration with Gryffindor. Lyall showed us the way to the Great Hall and we ate breakfast with the other houses. When we were finished, Ronnie and I parted ways, promising to meet up when the Ravenclaws had Charms and Herbology together.

     History of Magic was boring. The professor, Professor Binns, was a ghosts. Normally that would have made the class rather interesting, since Professor Binns said at the start of class that he had been around since Hogwarts was founded. However, we learned nothing that was actually interesting. Instead we learned about the Soap Blizzard of 1378, in excruciating detail. There is nothing remotely interesting about a soap blizzard. 

     By the time it was over, my eyes were about to fall out of my head. More than once I'd had to stop myself from falling asleep. I could tell I wouldn't enjoy that class.

     I found Ronnie waiting for me outside of the Charms classroom. This class had only Ravenclaw students in it. Professor Flitwick was a splendid teacher and I learned a few different wand movements. It was interesting, but we didn't get to cast any spell that day.

     We were halfway finished with the school day so we followed the hoard of other students parading to the Great Hall for lunch. I ate a sandwich and a few pieces of a pear.       

     When we were finished, Ronnie and I walked arm in arm to Herbology.

     That class was interesting, but I was itching to get to the more interesting classes, like Transfiguration, Potions, and especially Defense against the Dark Arts. My father was an Auror, so I knew lots about what the dark arts could do.  Professor Beery showed us how to plant wormwood. He said that it would go into helping the Potions Master in his other classes. I felt better about planting after I learned it would go to good use, but an hour and a half of playing in the dirt got a bit dull towards the end of class.

     I was feeling stiff from kneeling for an hour and a half while we potted the wormwood.

     "My legs are killing me. I've got Defense against the Dark Arts next. What's your next class?" Ronnie asked.

     "Uh, Potions," I said, looking at my schedule. "Great, we're partnered with the Slytherin first years for it."

     Ronnie frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

     "Oh sorry, I forgot your father didn't have magic. The Slytherin house is the creepiest house of all. My parents say that there isn't a witch or wizard that was a Slytherin that was a good person by the end of their time here. Plus, the Slytherin head of house is the potions teacher. I can just imagine the favoritism."

     Ronnie laughed. "Yeah, well I'll be rooting for you. Have fun with the creeps from Slytherin. Don't make them mad. I like you, and I'd hate to lose my first friend here."

     I laughed too. "If I lose that easily, then I deserve to get hurt. I'll be fine, but Slytherins are jerks. Have fun in Defense. Let me know how it is." I waved back to Ronnie as I followed my map to the dungeons for Potions class.