Harry Potter and the Ancient Order

Chpt. 6. First Impressions

The next morning, Harry and Ron joined Hermione at the breakfast table, Hermione already pouring over her course schedule. Ron moaned as he saw that they had Care of Magical Creatures that morning with-

"The damn Slytherins," he pouted. "Why do we always get stuck with them? And Potions, too!"

"Charms with Ravenclaw?" said Harry. "We've never had a class with them before. Have you, Hermione?"

Hermione appeared to have come out of a trance, her head snapping towards Harry with a start.

"What? Oh, yeah, I had Ancient Runes with them. Right clever lot, too. I've never seen a Ravenclaw without their homework done."
"Maybe you should've been in their house, then," sniggered Ron, "You'd rather be caught in your knickers that without your work done..."

Xander appeared before Hermione could retort, with a small bit of parchment and a little box. Harry again noticed the look in his eyes. It was as if nothing, not even light, could penetrate the surface of his eyes. Creepy, thought Harry.

"I was told your quite clever performing charms," said Xander, which made Hermione blush slightly and Ron roll his eyes at Harry. He handed the parchment to Hermione. " I was hoping you could do these two for me."

Xander and Hermione retreated to the corner of the table as Harry helped himself to some bacon and toast. Harry was too busy studying the back of a dark-haired girl's head at the Ravenclaw table to notice Ron trying to spy on Hermione and Xander. Cho, thought Harry, I wish I could only talk to you. Cho Chang was rather distraught after the death of Cedric Diggory last year, and had yet to speak to Harry since, merely shared a look with him when Dumbledore told the school that Harry risked his life to bring Cedric's body back to Hogwarts. Harry could never interpret that look. Was it a silent thank-you, or questioning Harry's involvement in Cedric's death? His thoughts were interrupted by the return of Hermione and Xander, who seemed very pleased over something.

"Thanks again, Hermione, you're a life-saver," said Xander. "May I join you three?"
"Uh, sure," muttered Harry and Ron, both of whom were looking back and forth between Xander and Hermione, Hermione appearing to have a little extra color in her cheeks.

"Oh," said Xander, noticing the quizzical looks from Ron and Harry. "I just asked Hermione to perform a couple of charms for me." He set the little box on the table, which turned out to be a pack of cigarettes. Lighting one up and taking a drag, Harry noticed that there was no second-hand smoke. "An anti-pollution charm, so the smoke disappears as soon as it mixes with the air," he smiled. "And a refill charm, so I never run out. Right clever, actually," and he winked at Hermione, who became incredibly interested in her scrambled eggs.

"You can smoke at Hogwarts?" wondered Harry. He had not seen so much as a teacher smoking.

"Well, I am old enough, and Dumbledore himself gave me the charms. This way, it doesn't bother anybody and I can smoke this in peace." He took a nice long drag and exhaled, blowing a heart-shaped smoke ring in the direction of Alicia Spinnet, who just appeared from the dormitories with Katie Bell. Both girls were overcome with a fit of giggles as Hermione's anti-pollution charm took effect, leaving Alicia to look slyly over her shoulder at Xander.

"Harry," said Ron, "Look at Alicia this year!"

Harry had to admit, Ron had a right to gawk. Harry was Alicia's teammate for the past for years on the Quidditch house team and had always thought Alicia friendly but a little tomboy-ish. Now, she filled out her robes admirably as several older boys took notice as well. The only other time Harry had seen so many boys' heads turn at once was last year for the Triwizard Tournament, when Fleur Delacour made her grand entrance. Fleur was part veela, which is a creature that can cast somewhat of a spell over men, mesmerizing them with their looks.

"Good taste, mate," marveled Ron, who leaned over towards Xander so as not to be overheard, but failed in his attempt. Hermione snorted into her breakfast causing Ron to feebly recover. "Err, not that... never mind." Harry had to giggle now, seeing Ron stuff his foot into his mouth so deeply. Harry's knowing wink at Hermione went unnoticed by Ron as Xander picked up his course schedule.

"May I compare with yours?" he asked politely. Harry and Ron leaned over to offer their services, when a drawling voice interrupted their project.

"Now we accept Muggles? God, this place becomes more like the Weasley house every day. Orphans, mudbloods, now my robes have to be mucked up by him," said Draco Malfoy, gesturing to Xander. Malfoy came from a family that despised anything non-magical. The whole of the Hall turned to watch the confrontation, most with enmity for Malfoy, the Slytherins cackling with delight. Ron jumped immediately at the insult, only to be pulled back down by Xander.

"Mornin'," said Xander with an indifferent voice. He extended his hand. "Xander Majere."

Malfoy looked terribly revolted at the mere thought of shaking hands with Xander. "Put your hand down you filthy friggin' Muggle. You have no right to be in this castle."

Xander didn't seem the slightest frightened. Instead, he stood up and faced Malfoy, who was now flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. Crabbe and Goyle apparently had no other purpose in life than to take up a lot of space and serve Malfoy. Harry again noticed an odd quality about Xander's eyes. Now, they appeared to be looking through Malfoy, though clearly looking at him at the same time.

"I see," said Xander. His tone of voice still had yet to imply anything more than a statement. "You do, however, realize that all it would take to move me out the door is a push? Can you push me out the door?" He turned his back on Malfoy and extended his arms up as if preparing to be pushed out of an airplane.

Malfoy saw his chance and wasted no time. He reached into his robes to brandish his wand, but Xander was much too fast for him. The only words that escaped Malfoy's lips were,

"ARRRRGGGHHH!"

Xander had Malfoy's arm twisted completely around, so that the inside of his elbow was facing up. There was a sickening CRACK! to accompany his cry of pain. Crabbe and Goyle, seeing the keeper of their brains in trouble, quickly jumped into action. Goyle launched a punch at Xander while Crabbe attempted a poorly executed karate chop on Xander's wrist.

Xander merely pulled Malfoy's arm under Crabbe's ill-aimed chop, effectively breaking his arm at the wrist. In the same movement, Xander ducked Goyle's punch and countered with a left hook right in the stomach. Goyle doubled over, gasping in pain while Crabbe seemed dumbfounded at missing his mark. The hall broke out in shouts, all enjoying the first scuffle of the year. Ron joined in the cheering as Harry was struck silent by the incredible reflexes of Xander. Fred and George were starting a rousing chant of "You fucked up! You fucked up!" which was picking up in volume as more people joined in after every sentence.

"What DO you think your doing?!" came the shrill voice of Professor McGonagall. The hall dropped silent instantly in what was a record for a 1000 student school. Most students scuttled back to their seats while a few remained to watch the punishment fall.

"Never have I seen such actions before the term even started! Mr. Majere, let go of his arm! Detentions! Need I remind you that your are a guest in this school, and are to act as such! Brawling in the Great Hall is not acceptable!" She glowered at Crabbe and Goyle, who was now desperately searching for his next breath. "You two, take Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing immediately!"

Crabbe and Goyle shuffled off dejectedly as Xander returned to his seat to finish his breakfast.

"NO you don't!" cried Professor McGonagall, gripping his shoulder. "You will come with me. Apparently we need to have a little chat about hospitality before you begin your classes!" She was absolutely seething.

Several Gryffindors broke into mild applause as Xander left and were quickly silenced by a look from Professor McGonagall. She marched off as Xander collected his books and stole a last bit of toast to munch on.

"See you guys later," he winked at Harry and Ron. Ron took the opportunity to slap Xander on the back, which brought a slight smile to Xander's face. Alicia Spinnet secretly blew a kiss to Xander, which turned out to be not so secret since the whole of the school saw it and immediately began catcalling.

"Man, that was wicked!" cried Ron, barely audible over the chatter that broke out upon the exit of Xander. "Did you see that? It was almost effortless! And three-on-one odds, no less!"

"I should think he would get detention, at least!" stated Hermione matter-of-factly. "Fighting this early in the year! He'll be lucky if he's not expelled!" Hermione was almost always a strict follower of rules, except in the most extreme of cases.

"C'mon, Hermione," said Harry. "You should've known Malfoy would start something sooner or later. If not him, then some other Slytherin would've." Harry grinned at the awe-struck Ron. "Bet you never thought a muggle would ever back you."

"He's not an ordinary muggle. I mean, that attitude, those reflexes..."

"Did you see his eyes?" asked Neville. "Remind me to be nice to him. They were absolutely chilling."

* * *

The trio sauntered off to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures, both houses still talking about the fight. Xander seemed to instantly gain favor with the Gryffindors while the Slytherins were predicting nothing less than imprisonment.

"An animal like that should be locked up!" whined Pansy Parkinson. "Muggles have no respect at all for proper wizarding families!"

"Too bad Malfoy got what he deserved!" retorted Seamus. "He shouldn't have started something he couldn't finish!"

"Al-righ', settle down everyone!" came a gruff voice from around the corner of the hut. Hagrid appeared, seemingly anxious to begin the lesson. "Wait a tick, whose missin'? I should have another Gryffindor here! 'Sappened to the new guy?"

"Detention," said Hermione. "He got into a fight with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle a second ago. He's with Professor McGonagall."

"Serves him right, getting expelled on his first day! He could've seriously hurt Draco!" fumed Pansy.

"All righ'. Let's jus' get started then. Managed ter fin' one o' these in the forest las' week. Firs' time a class gets to study them!" cried Hagrid triumphantly. Only now did Harry notice that Hagrid had a rope held fast on his gigantic hand. Hagrid gave an almighty tug to reveal to the class...

"A Griffin!" shouted Hagrid. It was an animal like Harry had never seen. It had the head of an eagle with the body of a lion. It had wings the stretched the length of its body, and a bright gold mane that surrounded its neck to match its golden panache. Its large eyes seemed to dare the class to take a step closer, which prompted many to take a few cautionary steps back. The griffin seemed to cast a light of its own, as Harry had to shield is eyes at first.

"Very rare. Never see 'em anymore, nearly all died out from poachin'. Use ter be popular back years ago, used fer emergency transportation. See the mane?" Hagrid pointed to the golden mane, which gleamed brilliantly in the morning sun. "Worth a good galleon years ago. Ministry had ter serve many a summons to poachers ter keep them livin'"

The class seemed awed that Hagrid could find such a magnificent beast, let alone care to study one. Hagrid was terribly bored with what most called "domesticated pets", opting instead for what many referred to as "vicious beast", the more dangerous, the better.

"Don' get too close, mind!" cried Hagrid, causing the class to creep backwards, all hope of a safe lesson fading. "Griffins won' let yeh near 'em 'less yeh can communicate with 'em." Hagrid turned to look at the griffin, which didn't appreciate being put on display.

"How do you talk to them?" asked Lavender. The rest of the class stared pointedly at Hagrid, who looked at the class with a trace of disappointment.

"Griffins communicate telepathically with humans, being able to tell what their intentions are with their minds. They share thoughts, see? Griffins are too proud to be ridden unless they are greatly needed," prompted Hermione.

"Excellen' Hermione! Take ten points!" beamed Hagrid. The Slytherins' mood fouled even more after this. "Not everyone can talk ter them. Since most of yeh may not be able ter get near 'em, we'll only be studyin' their habits. No one knows a lot abou' them. Very secretive."

Hagrid stopped there as he noticed Xander nearing the class. He looked very peculiar at the griffin. Harry thought he detected a hint of familiarity. To the shock of nearly everyone, Hagrid included, Xander walked right up to the griffin. Hermione squealed and covered her eyes, but Harry was too intrigued at this action to look away. His curiosity forced him to look even if it meant witnessing a gruesome mauling. Harry was even more amazed to see the griffin close his eyes and bow his head at Xander's touch.

"How did yeh do that?" asked Hagrid, but Xander didn't appear to be listening. His mouth was very close to what must have been the griffin's ear, whispering something less than audible. After a quick pat on the shoulders, Xander looked up at Hagrid.

"Pardon me? I'm sorry, I was talking to Tasslehoff here." How does he know the griffin's name? thought Harry.

Apparently Xander was an expert at reading stunned looks and said, "We just shared our introductions and Tas asked why I was late getting here." He looked to Hagrid at this and stated, "You should really break the connection before you think of other things. Anybody can read your thoughts if care is ignored."

"Err, righ', well, erm, like Xander said, once you have a connection with yer griffin, the two of yeh exchange thoughts, not words." Hagrid soon recovered, though not terribly insulted at Xander's foreknowledge of today's topic. "Tha' way, griffins know when they're needed and can't be lied ter. If yeh lie ter them, they can righ' slaughter yeh if they have a mind ter." Hagrid's voice became increasingly cheery as he built up to this last statement. Leave it to Hagrid to snuggle up to a dangerous beast.

The remainder of the class was spent taking notes and observing. Ron used to opportunity to ask Xander about his meeting with Professor McGonagall.

"Oh," muttered Xander, appearing rather embarrassed. "I just got the lecture about being a guest here and having 'Hogwarts' hospitality revoked in the instance of a return engagement.'" Xander imitated Professor McGonagall's shrill voice with incredible accuracy, causing the Gryffindors to snigger loudly. "You'd think I hurt the kid or something."

"But you did," insisted Hermione. She never tolerated the belittlement of a teacher. Well, maybe Snape. "Malfoy's wrist is broken."

"Correction. Crabbe broke it," prompted Seamus. The recollection of the fight seemed to excite the boys again. They began to replay it, adding in some of their own details. Xander took his leave of the group to go talk to Hagrid about his tardiness as the bell rang to end the class.

The remainder of the day went by relatively uneventfully. Xander sat in the back of the classroom in Charms, though watching everything that was going on with a very intent eye. Tiny Professor Flitwick had the class practicing Translation Charms, which gave the caster the ability to speak or understand a foreign language for a short period of time depending on how well you performed the charm. They began with French translations, since Professor Flitwick noted that translating magical languages (Mermish, Gobbledegook, Canadian) were far too advanced for a fifth year student. He spent much of the practical portion of class in deep discussion with Xander, waving a wooden dowel in mock spell casting and pointing out the keys to pronunciation.

Harry and Ron had a good deal of fun cursing at each other in French. Ron slightly underdid his charm and drew a nasty look from Professor Flitwick as his string of French curses carried over into English in mid-sentence when the charm wore out. It did, however, draw a chuckle from Xander, which was the first time any of them had seen him laugh.

As the bell rang, Professor Flitwick shouted, "A two foot essay explaining how Translation Charms must be modified for each different language. Monday, or else detention." He was in a foul mood at his and Ron's misuse of their newfound knowledge, Harry surmised, as he had rarely seen Professor Flitwick in a foul mood.

"Wow, he is human after all," sniggered Seamus, referring to Xander with a nod of his head. Hermione pointed out that Xander's laugh seemed too natural to assume that he was always serious and took a mental note to be wary of practical jokes from his direction. The rest of the Gryffindors snickered as Ron told Hermione that practical jokes weren't the only reason that Hermione wanted to watch Xander.