Darcy Potter

Year 1 - Magic classes

Life at Hogwarts is so different. The day begins with breakfast in the Great Hall, while owls deliver the post. We eat at the table of our house and the professors at the High Table. At 9 am a bell signals the start of the first class. There are two morning classes with a short break so you have time to get to your next class. At 1 pm classes resume other teatime break there is one other class. Classes end around five o'clock. And at Friday we get the afternoons off.

I've learned already a lot a thing about my house. The head of our house is Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor. Ravenclaw had a house ghost, the Grey Lady, her real name is Helena Ravenclaw. She is the daughter of the founder of our house, Rowena Ravenclaw. The dormitories are located in Ravenclaw Tower, that is on the west side of Hogwarts. Our common room is round and filled with blue hangings and armchairs. The domed ceiling is painted with stars and features a replica statue of Rowena. She corresponded roughly to the element of air. We also have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. Really beautiful.

Gryffindor and Slytherin require a password to enter their common rooms. Hufflepuffs need to tap a barrel in the rhythm. But we Ravenclaw must have a high degree of intelligence to solve a logical riddle to gain entry. Professor McGonagall, the head of the Gryffindor House, solves the riddle accurately so the riddle changes often. I share a room with 3 other girls; Olivia, Luna and Isabelle.

I've noticed that we have Transfiguration, Potions and Herbology with Gryffindor, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Charms with Slytherin and History of Magic and flying lessons with Hufflepuff. So I will see Colin and Ginny quite a lot.

Today is the first day I have classes and I start with Potions. My brother told me a lot of things about Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin House. But they were all negative. So I hope it won't be as bad as he told me it would be. Potions in given in the dungeons, so that are a lot of stairs.

When I enter the classroom I immediately see Ginny and go sit next to her with Olivia at my other side. Then Professor Snape comes in and everybody starts quietly looking at him. But the only thing he does is staring in my direction. Would he be looking at me? So I look around, there is no doubt. He is most serenely looking at me.

"There are only a few of you who will actually like the science and the exact art of Potions. However for those select few who poses this talent, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind of the most powerful wizards without stupid waving your wand, I can learn you how to bottle death or brew fame and glory. But lets start with the basics." Snape said slow in his low monotonic voice. "Potion comes from the word potio, what mean 'drink' in Latin, and poton, what means 'that which one drinks' in Greek."

-----

Afther one entire hour of listening to Snape's monotonic voice, being called Ms Snape between the classes, and an hour of History of Magic I needed a break. Professor Binns is the only ghost who teaches at Hogwarts. Harry said his lessons were notoriously boring, but I always liked history and no one can change that.

I sit next to Olivia and Penelope Clearwater, she is a prefect and Luna sits across me.

"I've heard what your brother and Ron did, that was pretty reckless of them. They're lucky they didn't get expelled." Penelope says.

"What did they do?" I curiously ask.

"Didn't you heard? The missed the train so the arrived by flying a car!" the guy in front of me answers, I think his name is Thomas.

"Is everything ok with them?" I ask worried.

"I've heard they crushed into the Whomping Willow, that's how Ron broke his wand. The pore guy tried to fix it, but that is an hopeless job. Plus he got himself a Howler from his mom." Thomas shakes his head in sympathy.

"Can I go to them now, I mean so I can talk to my brother?" I ask Penelope.

"Wait till they leave the Great Hall, then you can talk to him somewhere more private." she recommends.

When I saw my brother and his friends where leaving I got up and run after them.

"Harry! Wait!"

"Yes, Harry, wait for your little pathetic sister." The boy from the bookshop mocks. If I believe so his name is Draco Malfoy.

"Stay away from my sister Malfoy! And take Goyle and Crabbe with you." Harry responds angry. I'm a little scared so I hide myself behind Harry.

"Is everything all right, Draco?" a little black hairy girl from Slytherin comes to join them. "Waw, you were right, Draco. She really is pathetic."

"Shut up, Pansy! You should look at yourself first." Ron defends me because I'm too scared to do something myself. They left after that comment.

"Darcy, after class I have Quidditch training, maybe you want to come and look?" Harry asks, when I nod my head enthusiastic, "Well, after your last class you come here to look for Hermione and Ron, ok?"

-----

Olivia, Luna and I had found Ron and Hermione when we saw the Slytherin Quidditch team and the Gryffindor Quidditch team having a confrontation. Hermione and Ron go join their Quidditch team but me and my friends watch from a distance.

"Where you think you're going, Flint?" Wood asks.

"Quidditch training" he answers in a duh tone.

"I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today"

"Easy, Wood. I've got a note."

"I, Professor Severus Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practice today, owing the need to train their new Seeker." Wood reads. "You've got a new Seeker, who?"

Malfoy comes forward, "That's not all that's new this year." he says while he shows off with his new broom, the whole teams new brooms.

"Those are Nimbus 2001s! How did you get those?" Ron asks surprised.

"A gift from Draco's father." Flint answers.

"You see, Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best." Malfoy says arrogant.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent." Hermione defends.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood." Malfoy responds superior and despised. I have no idea what that means but everyone is shocked, so it must be very rude.

"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy. Eat slugs!" Ron tries to bewitch Draco but his wand is broken and rebounds it on himself. Ron falls down. Olivia, Luna, I, Hermione and the Gryffindors go near him and try to help him while the Slytherins are laughing with him.

"That wasn't smart of you to try such a complicated spell with a broken wand" Olivia says.

"You think?!" Ron answers after spitting a big brown slug.

"We better take him to Hagrid" Hermione says on the same moment Colin takes a picture.

Harry and Hermione take Ron to Hagrid while Olivia, Luna, Colin and I go to the Great Hall to do our homework.