Secrets of Hogwarts Chapter 6

POV: Ella

Chapter 6
Classes

"Rose!" I called up. "Wait!"
     She didn't slow down, but I moved faster until we were next to each other. "Why does it matter so much that we all have the same classes?" I asked her. "You and Albus get to spend more time together."
     "It's the way it was done," she snapped. "McGonagall says it was a coincidence, but I don't believe her. I'm sure it happened on purpose."
     "Can't you just let it go?" I asked. "If they want to meddle, let them meddle. We won't be able to change their minds. Let's just get our stuff and go to class. We don't want to be late."
     Albus was already there when we arrived, so I sat down next to Albus, and Rose took an adjacent table. Moments later, Scorpius arrived, and students trickled in. I checked, and there were some from all four Houses. Quinn and her brother sat down behind us, and I was disappointed to see Alex Alkoff and his cronies come in and take the back row for themselves. "Of course they're here," I said to Albus.
     "How much are you willing to bet they're in all our classes?" he whispered to me.
     "Five galleons they're only in a few," I said. "If they're not in at least one of our classes, I win."
     "Deal." We shook on it, and then his dad came in.
     Professor Potter hadn't changed clothes, and he didn't waste time with an introduction. Instead, he went straight to the roll. "Right," he said when he was done, "I already know a few of you"--he looks at us--"but I'm not going to play favorites. In here, you're all just students. I don't believe in holding your hand and doing everything for you, so don't expect any coddling. You will be doing some spells yourselves, but not until much later. I don't want you hurting each other."
     At that, Alkoff stood up and took out his wand. He could barely even lift it when Professor Potter almost negligently waved his wand, and Alkoff flew back into his chair, apparently stuck: he appeared to be fighting ferociously to get up, but not getting free. I didn't get what that was about; maybe something to do with his family?
     "As I was saying," Professor Potter continued as if nothing had happened, "for today at least, you will be studying theory. Open your books to page twenty-four."
     "Your dad's a good teacher," I told Albus as we left the class. "Especially the way he handled Alkoff, he didn't even blink."
     "Yeah, he's good at that," Albus replied. "He used to be an auror, so he got rid of all the Death Eaters after Voldemort died."
     "I still don't get that," I admitted. "What exactly happened?"
     He explained on the way to Charms, and he was just telling me about the final battle between his dad and Voldemort when we realized we were lost.
     "Do you know where we are?" I asked him nervously.
     "Not a clue."
     "Great."
     We wandered around for a few minutes when suddenly Albus stopped, his eyes closed. He seemed to be muttering something under his breath. "Fourth floor corridor, fourth floor corridor..."
     "What?" I asked.
     His eyes opened suddenly. "It's this way." He took us down two or three flights of stairs, went into a corridor, then went back up another set of stairs. We found ourselves right outside the Charms classroom, and I knew he had to have had some help.
     "One of your visions?" I muttered. I hadn't believed him at first, but now I kind of did.
     "Yeah, it was weird, like I was going through the school in my head."
     The class started, and Alkoff and his goons weren't there. "You owe me five galleons," I whispered, and he looked really disappointed.
     The Charms professor was a really nice Indian-looking woman, who we were supposed to call Professor Patil. "The first thing you need to know is that Charms is not all about brute force. You must be light and delicate, which is why your first lesson is this: Wingardium leviosa." The last was a spell, I guess, since the stack of books on Professor Patil's desk slowly rose up into the air. "The most important thing is the wand movement; light and precise, swish and flick." She demonstrated. "Now you try." She waved her wand, and feathers appeared in front of everyone.
     The classroom was filled with other kids shouting "Wingardium leviosa!" and I even heard a small explosion.
     Rose managed to get hers in the air, although it did almost kill Albus. It shot into the air, swooped around the classroom, and shot straight toward Albus, who barely managed to duck in time. The feather embedded itself in the wood of the desk behind him, quivering slightly.
     "I'm so sorry!" she cries, realizing how close that was.
     "Your wrist was too tight," Scorpius told her.
     "You're too tight!" she retorted. He was right, though. I could see the tension in her wrist from where I was sitting. "And what about you? You're saying it all wrong. It's obviously 'leviosa,' not 'layviosaa.'"
     "It's like this," I said, trying to keep them from fighting. Keeping my wrist firm but loose, I swish and flicked and said, "Wingardium leviosa." My feather floated gracefully up to the ceiling.
     "Excellent job, Miss Mason," Professor Patil praised. "Five points to Gryffindor."
I felt a glow of pride at that, but it fizzled when the other students glared in my direction. "Show-off," one of them muttered.

     "A spell on the first day," Scorpius said. "How cool is that?"
     "Cooler if you could actually get your feather off the ground," Rose taunted.
     "At least I didn't almost kill my cousin! Your wrist was too loose!"
     "Was not!"
     "Was too!"
     "Was not!"
     "Was too!"
     "Really?" I interjected. " You're reducing yourselves to that? Rose, your wrist was too tight, and Scorpius, you weren't saying the words right. And your arm looked like a windmill."
     They both deflated at that, and sullenly returned to their lunch.