Travelers

Chapter 15 - The Traveler

Jacob arrived at his first class of the year and found himself sitting next to Mal in their charms class. He noticed that the Slytherin in front of him looked a little familiar, and so he called to her, "Hey, Lyndsey."

"What do you want?" she said, turning. Then she stopped and turned back around and continued speaking. "How are you here? How is that possible?" She hissed back to them.

"I could ask you the same thing. I'm a traveler, and to the best of my knowledge you weren't. Did you figure out how to travel when Vince told you about our last adventure?" said Jacob, barraging her with questions. Mal put her hand on his shoulder and turned him towards her, demanding an explanation, but she was a few seconds late. Professor Flitwick was starting the lesson, and they couldn't risk getting in trouble this early in the year. They all sat through the lesson on the basics of charms, which all three of them already knew.

When they walked out of the class, Jacob was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm. He waved goodbye to Mal, and he turned to face Lyndsey. Finding that Lyndsey wasn't the one who stopped him stunned him for a second. It was Flitwick, and suddenly Jacob was concerned about what the sorting hat had said about him. Flitwick had asked him if he might stay after for a few moments, so Jacob turned around and went into the professor's office with him.

"I noticed your disinterest today, Mr. Sessions," he said, and he began writing something on a small slip of parchment. Jacob simply told him that he already knew most of the material he would be taught this year. Jacob explained that what the hat had said was true. He wasn't from this world, so he already knew a great amount of magic. In response to this, Flitwick asked him a curious question, "Would you like to duel Mr. Sessions? If you defeat me, I will give you private tutoring and you will be allowed to skip my classes." Jacob liked the idea of this, but he didn't know whether or not he could beat Flitwick. "However, Mr. Sessions, if I win, you will be my assistant in class for the rest of the year."

Jacob agreed to the deal, knowing that either way worked out for him. They went back into the lecture hall to begin their duel, and Jacob realized the duel would be in the middle of a class of fourth year students. Flitwick explained the situation to his class and how the duel would work. They toppled a pile of books in the middle of the class to clear the space, and they began. They shot only sparks at each other for a minute, testing each other's defenses, then the real match broke out. They had deemed the first to be disarmed was the loser, so Expelliarmus wasn't an uncommon spell in the match. Finally, Flitwick slipped a Depulso past Jacob's defenses. He was thrown to the floor, but as he fell he shouted a charm.

"Repairo!" he said as he hit the ground. The stack of books reassembled itself and blocked Flitwick's view of him. He heard Flitwick cast another spell to knock the books over once again, so he flicked his wand forward as he stood. He shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and the spell shot toward the bookcase as it toppled. The magical shot slipped between the books and took Flitwick by surprise. His wand shot from his hand, and the duel was won. Jacob walked around the once again toppled books and handed the professor his wand back, took a pass from him and ran off to class once more, smiling. He had just beaten a professor in a duel.

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Cat had been concerned at first when Jacob didn't show up to Transfiguration right away, but when he explained to her that he had simply been talking to Professor Flitwick about getting out of Charms, she realized there was nothing to worry about, other than Jacob showing off again. Cat listened to Professor McGonagall as she explained the basic principles of transfiguration. She had originally walked into class and seen the cat on the desk and said good morning to it, knowing that it was the professor. When she changed back at the start of class, she had awarded Cat with ten points for Gryffindor because of it. Cat really had enjoyed her first day of school at Hogwarts, but she was beginning to wonder what they were supposed to do here other than learn. They wouldn't learn much because they were first years.