The Cupboard Series 4: The Fourth School

Chapter 11

"Welcome, everyone, to the very first day for Diricawl Academy of Magical Studies!" Headmistress Minerva McGonagall stated.

Harry, along with those around him, clapped and cheered, filling the sitting room of the manor with boisterous noise.

The fourteen new students were seated in a mishmash of comfortable armchairs and sofas that had been arranged in a gentle arc facing the front windows. Directly in front of the group stood their Headmistress, with Professor Lupin slightly behind and to her right, leaning up against the small table that held a surprising amount of parchment. Against the wall in the back of the room stood the group of adults that Harry knew would be their new part-time teachers.

"Each of you have been here numerous times and know the manor and grounds well, so we'll forego taking a tour of the school," Minerva continued once the celebrating had calmed. "The only difference in the manor that most of you would not have yet seen is in the modifications to the bedrooms, which we'll discuss later.

"For now, we'll begin with introducing you to the staff, handing out your timetables and making sure that you know what is expected of you.

"You all know me and Professor Lupin," Headmistress McGonagall said, indicating the man behind her. "We will be the only two adults that stay here permanently, although there'll be others of the teachers around most days. The last of the permanent staff are our elves."

Triple pops announced the arrival of said elves. Dobby, with his cargo pants, shirt and belt of many pockets stood in the centre, his ears nearly quivering with pride. To either side of him stood the newest elves, both wearing outfits of dark green, with a golden Diricawl logo stitched onto their breast.

"You all know Dobby," Headmistress McGonagall said before indicating each of the other two. "And this is Jaxom. He'll primarily be working with the plants and animals. And this is Nerri. She will be responsible for preparing our dinners and some of the cleaning.

"That's probably a good place to mention that Diricawl is going to be slightly different than what you'd expect at Hogwarts. You will all be responsible for keeping your own rooms clean; the elves will not do it for you nor will they pick up after you if you leave something lying around the manor. You'll each be given a roster for tidying up the library and the sitting room. There'll be no lazy students allowed in this school."

At that announcement, Harry shrugged. He'd always been rather neat, a fact that'd been installed in him quite forcefully at the Dursleys and something that he'd automatically continued after he'd escaped. Others, though, had a different reaction. Neville, Hannah and Mickey all groaned aloud, while Tracey and Susan flopped their heads forward into their hands before shaking their heads rather violently.

"Professor Lupin, if you would be so kind as to hand out the timetables, we'll go through them and introduce the teachers for each subject at the same time," Headmistress McGonagall instructed.

As Remus handed him his timetable, Harry eagerly scanned it. His eyes widened as he realised that it was even more crowded than the one that he'd made for himself the year before.

"Now, as all of you except for Mister Pemberton and the younger Mister Creevey are in third year and above, your timetables are nearly identical," Headmistress McGonagall pointed out. "Your teachers will modify the work for Miss Lovegood, Miss Greengrass and Mister Creevey who are all in third year, even though you'll be in the same classroom at the same time as our fourth years."

While she was talking, the group of adults at the back had come around from the back to stand in a cluster off to the side but in a position that all of the students could see them. Harry, of course, had met all of them, including the four new faces. The three women and one man had visited the manor on a number of occasions to talk to Minerva, Remus and Sirius and he'd been introduced to them.