Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me
Chapter 10: Riddle's First Class / Flying
Professor Riddle gazed around the room for a few moments after his introduction before he spoke again. "The Dark Arts- that is indeed a fascinating subject. Knowing how to defend yourself takes strength and courage. While those are admirable and necessary qualities, I assure you intelligence and ingenuity are more important. You must know what your strengths are, and you must be able to recognize your enemies.
"Before I begin teaching you how to defend yourselves I think it's important to know who each other is. After all, there are people in this classroom who you may depend on to save your life, and then again there may be someone amidst us who may turn against you." He had an edge to his voice as he said this. "As I call your name please tell us your name, the names of your parents, where you are from, and what you hope to get out of this class. Also let me know which house you are in."
Each student took his or her turn while Professor Riddle occasionally jotted something down. James noticed he seemed to write more when a Slytherin took his turn. When Lily stood up to introduce herself, James then noticed Riddle's gaze intensify as she described where she came from. As more students spoke James recognized the same expression on Riddle's face when children of Muggle families explained who they were. James turned to Sirius to see if he had noticed however Sirius was busy whispering a joke to Peter.
As everyone finished introducing themselves the bell rang marking the end of class. Professor Riddle smiled and told the class there would be no homework that evening. Cheers rang out in response as everyone left the classroom.
"Finally, a professor with some sense!" exclaimed Sirius. "Everybody knows you shouldn't have homework assigned on the first day of class."
James and Peter had to agree. They weren't looking forward to the pile of Charms and Transfiguration homework that awaited them. They decided to go back to Gryffindor Tower to drop their things off in their room before going to dinner. When they walked into the first year boys' dormitory room they were met by a surprise. A tall thin boy with sandy blond hair stood at the fifth bed unpacking his trunk.
He turned to greet them. "Hi. I'm Remus Lupin. I just arrived."
"Why weren't you here last night for the feast?" Peter asked.
Remus glanced at the floor before answering, "I, uh, missed the train. Had to take a different one today."
Sirius let out a loud laugh. "You MISSED it? How hilarious is that? And you missed a lot of fun yesterday. Why, the prank I pulled on McKinnon-"
"Ah, Sirius, don't bore us again about how brilliant you are," James said sarcastically. "I'm starving. Let's head down to dinner."
The boys started to leave while Remus hesitated. James turned back to him and asked, "Are you coming?" Remus smiled and headed out with them. James noted how pale he was and that he had dark circles around his eyes. "Long trip?" he asked Remus.
"Yeah, I guess so. Did I miss much during classes today?" asked Remus.
Sirius frowned. "Yeah, you missed a whole lot. Had a nice nap during History of Magic. Got to listen to Flitwick and McGonagall talk about stuff but we didn't actually get to practice any of it. They piled a bunch of homework on us. DADA class- didn't do much there either but at least the professor didn't give us homework."
They arrived at the Great Hall and picked four spots at the Gryffindor table. James glanced around and noticed Lily and her friends seated further down the table. His gaze moved to the staff table. Dumbledore and McGonagall were chatting jovially. Professor Riddle sauntered to a spot at the end of the table. Dumbledore paused for a moment when he spotted Riddle and his eyes darkened a bit. James thought this was odd since Dumbledore had seemed like an easy-going guy so far.
He turned to Sirius and said, "Did you see the look that Dumbledore just gave Riddle?" Sirius shook his head. James continued, "It doesn't look like he's thrilled about Riddle being here."
Frank had just sat down at the table. "I heard that it was the Board of Governors that appointed Riddle. Normally, Dumbledore hires new professors. This year he wasn't able to find someone in time so the Governors had to appoint one instead. I suppose Dumbledore isn't happy that the choice was taken away from him."
"Where did you hear that?" Peter asked.
"I overheard Alice Lyons telling her friends. She said her dad is on the Board," Frank replied.
James looked at Sirius, who was watching the girls down the table. Instead of his usual smiling interest in girls he had a slight frown.
"What is it, Sirius?" James asked his friend.
"I know she's planning something. She's been hinting at it all day. I just want to know what it is," he replied.
James glanced back down the table at Marlene, who was laughing at something Alice had told her. She seemed to sense Sirius' gaze. She turned and looked at him for a moment before she smiled and waved, not bothering to hide the mischievous glint in her eyes. Sirius paled a little before shaking it off and trying to act nonchalant. He decided to attack his food instead.
"Does he always eat like that?" Remus asked as Sirius shoved an entire roll in his mouth.
"Ever since I've known him. That's only been a day so far," James replied.
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Over the next week the first years realized they weren't going to be practicing magic as quickly as they had hoped. The professors insisted on teaching them the theory behind the subjects before allowing them the opportunity to practice.
They had their first potions class with Professor Polly Pilon. Lily thought she looked like the witch from the Wizard of Oz. She was tall and thin and had a greenish hue to her skin. She even had a big wart on the end of her nose and a voice that was high and grating. After she handed out the schedule for the term Lily happily discovered they would start brewing potions the next week.
Lily was excited about her learning. She did not resent all the homework that was assigned. Being Muggleborn, she felt she had something to prove. She spent her spare time in the library laboring over her homework. When that was finished she would read ahead. Marlene and Alice were not as enthusiastic about all the extra work. They preferred to spend their afternoons chitchatting until they were left with no choice but to hurry through their reading and scribble something down for their assignments.
Lily often ran into Emm when she was in the library. They quickly learned how much they had in common. They already knew that they were both Muggleborn but they also found out how much they loved class. They both liked to stay ahead with their studies. Lily and Emm decided to become study partners.
Toward the end of the first week of class Lily walked into the library to meet Emm. She was early but wanted to find a good spot to spread out her books. As she looked around she noticed Remus sitting at one of the tables. He had his hand bunched in his hair and was looking very frustrated.
"Remus, are you ok?" Lily asked.
He looked up, startled to see her. He had been immersed in his Charms assignment. "I'm just a bit frustrated, that's all. I missed one day and I'm already behind on everything. I've been trying to catch up all week!" He heard a shushing noise and looked up to see Madame Pince, the librarian, glaring at them.
Lily whispered, "Would you like me to help you? I see that's the Charms book and I finished that assignment yesterday. I could read through what you have already."
Remus smiled, grateful for her help. Lily sat down across from him and read through what he had written. "This is good, so far. I would just add a little more about the precision behind the wand movement and how enunciation can affect the outcome of the spell." She helped him finish the assignment. As he was rolling up the parchment Emm sat down at the table. Lily looked at Remus and then back at Emm. "Hey Emm, what do you think about adding another person to our study group?"
Emm looked at Remus and said, "Are you ok with it? We're in here quite a bit. We don't like to goof around and finish the assignments at the last minute."
"Actually, I would be relieved to have someone to study with," said Remus. "My friends tend to wait until the last minute so I am left to study in here. Lily just saved me. I never thought I would be able to finish that Charms assignment."
"Well, now that we have three in our group, how about we work on that assignment for DADA?" Lily said as she pulled out a scroll of parchment. Riddle had finally assigned them homework that day in class. They were supposed to write 18 inches on how to recognize your enemies. She opened her book, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, by Quentin Trimble and started reading.
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The weekend arrived and everyone took the opportunity to get some fresh air and explore the grounds. Many students sat in the stands as tryouts for Quidditch took place. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter watched as the Gryffindors took their turn. Arthur Weasley, the captain, was the team Seeker and a seventh-year. There were two spots open this year- one chaser and one beater. So far the prospects hadn't been too promising. Arthur looked a bit frazzled. It had been five years since Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup.
"This is ridiculous!" whined Sirius. "I don't see why first years can't try out. I could fly way better than all those older students."
"We can't try out because we haven't had our flying class yet," Remus calmly replied. "They don't want any unfortunate accidents happening."
"It's Quidditch!" laughed James. "There are bound to be accidents no matter what, with the bludgers flying at your head. I can't wait until next year when I can try out for the team."
"What position d'you reckon you'll try for?" asked Sirius.
"Weasley is the only seventh year on the team so unless anyone quits then the only position open will be Seeker," Remus said.
"That's ok, that's the position I would try for anyway," replied James.
That evening, there was great excitement among the first years as they looked at the message board in the Gryffindor common room. Their first flying class was to be held on Monday evening after their other classes.
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That Monday the students had difficulty sitting through their classes as they eagerly anticipated the evening's first flying class. They headed out to the Quidditch pitch where they saw their flying instructor, Mr. Levine. He was standing by a few rows of school brooms which lay on the ground. He directed the students to each stand by a broom. Lily and her friends each chose one, studying it nervously. The school brooms seemed a bit shabby compared to the ones she had seen at the Quidditch tryouts that weekend.
"Now," started Mr. Levine, "when I tell you to do so, hold your hand over the broomstick handle and say 'up'. Do not do anything else before I instruct you. Alright then, go ahead!"
Everyone started to shout 'up' and Lily noticed Potter's broom jumped up to his hand straightaway. She did the same although her broomstick was a bit slower about meeting her hand. She heard some laughter as Frank Longbottom's broomstick shot up about 10 feet over his head before falling and hitting him in the head. Alice took pity on him and walked over to help him up. She was able to explain how he did it wrong and shortly thereafter he performed the command correctly.
"Ok, now that you have that command down, mount your broomsticks and firmly grasp the handle. When I say go, gently lift up on the handle and hover a few feet above the ground for a few seconds, then gently push down on the handle to return to the ground. Alright then, go!" commanded Mr. Levine.
Lily did as instructed and felt her feet lift off the ground. She felt slightly panicked at first but as she gently pushed down on the handle she felt relief as her feet touched the ground. 'That wasn't so bad,' she thought.
The students were then instructed to lift off higher off the ground and practice left and right turns. This time when Lily left the ground she felt a little freedom creep into her. She was actually flying! Just as she was beginning to enjoy herself she heard a cry next to her. Frank Longbottom was losing control of his broom. They were twenty feet off the ground and he was headed straight for Lily.
Although Lily was doing well at flying so far, she didn't have enough experience to duck out of the way in time. She tried to turn but instead she felt herself starting to slip off the broom. Just as she almost fell toward the ground she felt an arm grasp her around the waist and pull her steadily back up onto her broom. She looked up and saw Potter's hazel eyes looking worriedly into her green eyes, causing her racing heart to flutter.
"C'mon, let's get you down to the ground," he told her.
She shakily nodded her head and was able to direct her broom to the ground, though not as smoothly as the first time. As soon as she got off the broom she noticed Potter had followed her and was walking toward her. She ran to him and hugged him as she cried, "Thank you so much! I would have fallen if you hadn't been there!"
He stood there in shock for a moment. Just as he was about to hug her back she was pulled away by Alice and Marlene as they asked her if she was okay. Mr. Levine walked up to them just then. He had been helping Frank return to the ground safely.
"Miss McKinnon, Miss Lyons, please take Miss Evans to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey can administer a calming draught," he said.
The girls walked toward the hospital wing talking excitedly about what had happened.
"You should have seen him, Lily!" cried Alice. "He was a good thirty feet away when he saw you having trouble. He turned around and zoomed up to you to help. I've never seen anyone fly like that!"
They arrived at the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey administered the calming draught. Lily felt warmth creep back into her bones. Suddenly a realization occurred to her - Potter had actually spoken to her without looking like an idiot.
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Thanks to the latest reviewers - I was glad to see a few shocked/surprised responses regarding the DADA professor. Heeheehee! Keep the reviews coming.
One point to make right off the bat - James will eventually make the Quidditch team. I know there is a big debate about him being a Chaser vs. Seeker. I could honestly seem him as either, and I see the reasoning behind both sides from what I've heard about interviews w/JKR and what was in the movie. For this story, he will be a Seeker (eventually). It's already written that way and I really don't feel like changing it. If I ever write another fic during their school years I'll write him as a Chaser.
Next chapter: James is acting more confident around Lily. Lily gets an interesting offer from Professor Riddle.