The Halfwolf (Year 1)

Potions and the Ravenclaws

As the first years gathered their books and waved to their older friends, Teddy couldn't be happier. He was so glad that he was able to be a friend to so many different types of people already here at Hogwarts. He was glad he met Matt on the train, and that Zach was sorted into Hufflepuff with them. He was happy that Zach had brought Gale over to sit with them in Care of Magical Creatures, and that Claire had sought them out for comfort when the other girls ignored her. These were his friends.

The five of them headed down towards the dungeons for their double potions class. Since most of their classes mixed Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, Gale skipped along ahead of Zach, who watched her with a grin on his face. Teddy bumped shoulders with him, shaking him out of his trance.

"Its our first week and your already making gooey-eyes at a girl?" Teddy raised his eyebrows, amusement clear in his voice. Zach shrugged.

"I don't know, Ted. There's just something about her that...I cant really explain. But I can tell ya this much, that girl," He nodded his head towards Gale, "Is special. But we're 11, so I know its nothing to be worried with right now. Heck, she probably would laugh at me if I told her any of this so, lets just keep it between us eh?" Zach glanced up at Teddy, who nodded his head once. Zach smiled and turned his attention back to the skipping Gale.

As they group entered the classroom, Teddy saw the group of Ravenclaw boys from their flying lesson already crowded around two tables in the back corner of the room, with the single other girl Ravenclaw sitting amongst them laughing. Teddy walked up to a table in the front opposite corner of the room, trying to be as far away from the loud group as possible. He dropped his bag onto the stone floor next to his chair, Matt doing the same thing beside him. Claire took a seat behind the two boys, while Zach and Gale took the table beside them. As Teddy pulled out his parchment, quill, and book for class, he heard the Hufflepuff girls come into the classroom. He glanced back and noticed they took the two tables behind Claire, Rayne and Lucy at the back, Becca taking the one in front of them. Teddy turned in his chair some so that he could better see Claire behind him and gave her a smile. She gave him a tight smile in return, which faded as the girls behind her started to giggle. Matt turned a little in his seat as well, glancing back at the giggling girls, then looking to Claire with a smile like Teddy had. She returned it, seeming to ease a bit as her two friends tried to reassure her.

A door opened at the front of the class, drawing everyone's attention from their own distractions. The tall man that was introduced as Professor Alabastor Maw during the start of term feast entered the room. The man was dressed in black robes with green inlays at the end of his sleeves and around the collar and walked quickly across the front of the room. He stopped in the center and flicked his wand at the door at the back of the room, which closed silently.

"Good afternoon. I am Professor Maw. Please, everyone put your wands away as we will not be needing them in this class." Everyone shuffled around as they put their wands away. Teddy watched as Professor Maw looked over the groups of first years, studying them.

"Good. Now, I'd like everyone to open their books to page 14. First, we are going to read over the section on the simple Shrinking Potion. For the second half of the class, we will actually brew the potion." Teddy's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't expect to be brewing anything on their first day. The professor continued. "I feel the best way for one to learn something is to dive right in. As this is a simple potion with basic ingredients, I expect it to be reasonably simple for most of you to put together. This will also allow you all to become familiar with your potion kits, as well as where to find materials around the classroom. So, let us begin our reading. You have 30 minutes, then we will discuss the information and I will answer questions prior to the actual brewing. Off you go." And with that, papers shuffled and books opened and quills scratched across paper. Teddy glanced up from his book and noticed the professor had started to slowly walk across the front of the room, scanning the students. Teddy shrugged and went back to his book. He had read the potion once during the week before school had started, so he had an idea what it entailed. He scanned the pages, scribbling down ingredients on his parchment as he went. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Matt seeming to do the same thing.