Chapter 13: Schedules
Lily stared at the schedule in her hand for her first week back. The schedule was filled to the brim with hard and accelerated classes.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
9:AM Charms DADA History of Magic Potions Astronomy
11:AM Herbology PREP TIME History Of Magic Potions Charms
1: PM Herbology COMC Transfiguration DADA PREP TIME
3: PM PREP TIME COMC PREP TIME PREP TIME Transfiguration
8: PM Astronomy NO CLASS NO CLASS NO CLASS NO CLASS
"Can I see yours?" asked James as he made his way over to her from the other end of the Great Hall. The morning was hectic as all the students compared their schedules with their friends. Students were shouting across the hall and only two teachers were in the room. All the other teachers were missing.
Students began to hurry out of the Great Hall and make their way to their first class. Lily's stomach was full of food due to her large breakfast she had just consumed while talking with her best friend, Katie.
The only two Professors in the hall were Professor Herdvern who taught Defense Against Dark Arts and Professor Jemphil who taught Care of Magical Creatures and they were talking quietly with their heads together, oblivious to the chaos going on around them.
Lily thrust her schedule into James' hand, receiving a shout of glee from him after finding her in all of his classes that year. Other Gryffindors came over and looked and Lily's schedule, as well.
"What's "prep time"?" asked Alyssa as she passed the schedule to Bekka.
"For Head Boy and Girl," replied Lily, but Alyssa stared at her, still very confused. "We go and meet with teachers or we sit in on classes and help the teachers teach or-"
"OK, boring then," said Alyssa. "More work." Bekka passed the paper back to Lily and head over to a different group of students. The Great Hall had began to empty and only a few groups remained. Most of the students left were Ravenclaws or Gryffindors in their Sixth or Seventh year.
"Well," said Lily thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose it's more work, but it's so fun!"
"More work," repeated Alyssa as she walked over to Bekka who was entertaining a group of boys from Ravenclaw with one of her stories from the summer.
"Lily," said James as he looked around the room. "Where are all the teachers?"
"I don't know," replied Lily. "I thought earlier that it was odd with so few teachers here right now." Lily watched Alyssa, Bekka and the boys leave the Great Hall, quickly leaving only a few other Ravenclaws who were still eating.
"Well," replied James. "It's the first day of classes and I guess they are just preparing."
Professor Herdvern stood up from the Professor's table and looked over the few students before him.
"HUSH everyone," said Professor Herdvern whose voice had been projected around the room. "Everyone should already be heading to their classes. I assume most of the ones left will be tardy and you all know the rule."
"Tardy is detention," murmured all the voices. Lily's eyes went wide as she looked at her watch. She had one minute to get to her first class before she ruined her perfect report of never being tardy. The Ravenclaw students began hurrying out of the Great Hall and running or walking quickly to their first class.
"We'll never make it!" cried out Lily. James grabbed her hand and began pulling her in the opposite direction of all the other students.
"What are you doing, James?" screamed Lily as he dragged her down the corridor. James ran his hand along a wall with many cracks and chipped pieces of paint.
James' hand fell into a dent and he pulled open the wall to reveal a long narrow hall. He pushed Lily into the hall and she ran as fast as she could, leaving James behind to shut the door. At the end of the hall, she stopped as the hall had parted in two. James had caught up to her because he had longer strides.
"Right!" he shouted and Lily set off again as she went uphill with the hall. Glancing at her watch, she noticed she had 32 seconds to make it to Charms before she would be counted tardy. She pumped her legs harder and thanked her parents silently for making her compete on the track team when she was growing up.
The end of the hall came into view as three kids jumped out of a hall joining them. Sirius landed inches before Lily's face, making Lily stop and having James run into her.
The three fell to the ground, but James didn't wait. He jumped up quickly, helping Lily.
"GO!" shouted James as Sirius, Lily and him caught up to Katie and Remus as Remus pushed open a door. They had landed right outside the Charms door.
Remus pushed open the Charms door. They had made it just in to class just in time before Professor Nuddler would have counted them tardy.
Sirius, Remus and James took their usual spots they had occupied for the last six years in the back. The chair on the far left was empty where Peter should have been sitting. James sighed at the thought that he should have helped Peter study better for the O.W.L. in their Fifth year.
Lily and Katie went to the third row that had two empty seats and sat themselves down before opening up her book.
"This is your last year, class," said Professor Nuddler. "This will be my last year to be able to knock some sense into your empty minds. It will be your hardest year you have ever taken in your life. Every day, you will be given homework, and if you don't finish, you'll be given extra homework. I'm talking about countless projects. I will be pushing you harder than any time before. Last year I told you that I was preparing you for this year, well this year I am preparing you for life."
Lily looked around the classroom and tried to count the number of kids in here, 15, she thought to herself. Wow that's 10 less than last year, she knew some kids had not passed the final exams at the end of last year, but she didn't think so many hadn't. Bekka, Alyssa, Theodore, and a boy named Blake Johnson were sitting in the front row. In the second row was Severus Snape, Walden MacNair, Lucious Malfoy, and a girl Lily didn't care to know. Next to Lily were two Hufflepuff girls named Jordan Kenitaly and Nicole Kenitaly. Lily really didn't like the girls because they were well known among the boys for reasons Lily was disgusted with.
"Now, for our first project, you will chose a partner and NO Sirius," said Professor Nuddler, "You are not a girl and you can not go with Mr. Potter." Professor Nuddler was referring to the rule he always used with his classes that they must go girl and boy. Everytime Professor Nuddler had assigned a project for the last six years, Sirius asked if he could be a girl so he could go with James. It wasn't that Sirius or James couldn't find a girl to be their partner, (girls from other houses lined up to go with one of the two boys), it was that none of the Gryffindor girls would be partners with the boys so they would have to always work in the library, which was not fun.
"I wasn't going to ask," replied Sirius as he smiled. "We have a truce now with the Gryffindor girls thanks to my mate James here." James grinned at Sirius and Lily rolled her eyes as everyone looked at her. All of a sudden, the bottom of her stomach seemed to drop. She always went with Remus for her projects in Charms class. She had gone with him for the last six years and now she would have to go with James.
"I'll go with Remus," said Bekka as she turned around from the first row. Katie looked at Lily slightly, but didn't say anything.
The rest of the class period involved picking a partner and then choosing the Charm they would be studying for that month. They had to write five feet on the history of the Charm which would be due next Monday.
The next class Lily went to, Herbology, involved lectures by her teacher and a talk about how important it was for all of the kids to work on their projects and papers. Lily left that class and headed to a late lunch. Only the kids not taking a fourth hour class were in the Great Hall, as all other students were heading to their next class.
"With our classes this full," said Sirius. "We're lucky to get anything to eat."
"Tell me about it," said Alyssa. "At least you don't have a class fourth hour," she finished before standing up with her faithful sidekick Bekka and leaving the Great Hall.
"Poor Peter," said Remus. "He'll never see us anymore."
"Speaking of not seeing anyone," said Lily suddenly. "Where were you last night? I didn't see you at dinner... I was looking everywhere..."
"Umm... I err...," said Remus as he looked at the food on his plate.
"Remus here got a little train sick," said Sirius, patting Remus on the arm.
"Oh," said Lily as she saw James and Sirius look at each other, very concerned. 'Something's up with them' Lily thought to herself.
"Well, I need to go," said Remus as he stood up. "Since I dropped Astronomy I have Muggle Studies next."
"Me too," replied Katie quietly. Lily watched as Katie blushed from talking in front of the three boys.
"If we hurry," said Remus happily, "we won't be late." Katie followed Remus out of the Great Hall with last few students also hurrying to get to their class.
Lily leaned back in her chair and looked around seeing four Ravenclaw Sixth years eating as well as two Hufflepuffs. Lily stared at James and Sirius mixing food together on Sirius' plate.
"James," said Lily. "We really do need to go talk to Professor Dumbledore and see what he needs us to do today," said Lily as she stood up.
"So this is what happens when you get a girlfriend," said Sirius unhappily from his spot at the empty table. "I'm all alone now!" James patted Sirius on the back and stood up.
"I'm sure you won't be that alone," said James as he nodded towards the two Hufflepuff girls.
"I'm sure I won't," replied Sirius before strolling over to the Hufflepuff table.
AN: THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed last chapter!! I hope I am making the post longer for everyone... I think I'll be able to post two more times this week before THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE!!! he he he!! i am excited sorry~~
THANKX to everyone who has reviewed and thank you so much to those readers who faithfully review every chapter! it means a lot to me!!
x0x0
Kaci
p.s. Sorry for making the schedule screwy!