Philosophies, Perfection, and Nobility

Potions class ended up being less exciting than I expected. The twins sat together in the second row while I grabbed a seat in the front. Soon after Mackenzie, Madison, and I arrived, Severus Snape entered the classroom and surprisingly enough, took the seat next to me. I looked at him curiously while he set his tattered potions book in front of him and laid out his pen and ink. He kept his eyes looking toward the table, but he shifted his glance in my directions a couple of times in obvious curiosity. I quickly looked in front of me, deciding it best not to stare at Severus any longer, and waited for Professor Slughorn to begin. It was not long before Severus started to write notes on his parchment fiercely. Every few minutes he would make an effort to get ink from the jar, but the lack of ink prevented him from completing his goal. The boy obviously wanted to take notes. I became sympathetic. After a few more minutes of watching him, I took out my ink and set it in front of him. He looked at me once in confusion, then at the ink. It seemed like he did not want to use it. Because I did not want him to think that I thought of him as a charity case, I began to talk.

"Just use the ink. Your efforts to salvage any ink from a jar as empty as yours is impeding my ability to concentrate on the lesson. So help meand use my ink. At least that way I will not be so annoyed." I flashed him a cocky smirk, and hoped that my kindness would be mistaken as anything but that. The last thing either of us needed was to be embarrassed: him for being unable to afford ink and me for pitying him.

Severus's sickeningly pale cheeks turned an odd shade of pink. He bent his head farther down so that a curtain of hair blocked his face from my sight. He made no effort to move. I began counting backwards in my head from a hundred. By the time I made it to fifty-three, he dipped his pen, reluctantly, into my ink. He looked up at Professor Slughorn, and then looked down to his parchment and continued writing his notes. By this point, I decided it would be best to listen to the lecture.

It was not long before I became bored with Professor Slughorn's talk of famous people he had helped into their positions, despite my not paying attention as much as I should. It was only in between his bragging that he mentioned the potion we would be learning to create. Slughorn told us a sleeping draught caused a person to fall asleep rather quickly. In fact, the potion was said to practically knock the drinker out within a few seconds of consumption.

According to Slughorn, we were to begin creating the sleeping draught tomorrow. He would be partnering everybody together in pairs.

Once the class ended, students quickly grabbed their things and rushed out. Severus, Mackenzie, and Madison were no different. The twins practically ran out of the room without even bothering to wait for me. Severus seemed to want to leave worse than anybody did, but the small crowd of students blocked his way, leaving him in the back with me. I took my time gathering my things before making my way beside Severus.

"So, it is the first day of school, and you have already run out of ink. Now, I am a generally curious . . . correction, nosey person, so excuse me if you wish, but, do tell me-why?" I looked to Severus with a kind - at least I think it was kind - smile.

"Right, and you are who?" We finally began to walk to our next class.

"Achindra Lewis." Trying not to look like I pity him, because I do not, I continued, "I let you use my ink, I think I have a right to know why you needed it."

"You have no right to know anything. I didn't ask you to let me use your ink. So, no need to concern yourself with my life." He began walking faster, but I kept up with his pace. He glared at me before he continued talking. "Besides, I thought you only made me use your ink because I was annoying you with 'my efforts to salvage ink from a jar as empty as my own?'" He was obviously daring me to disagree.

"I did, but that does not change the fact." I held my head up high, with a smirk planting upon my face.

"What fact?" This little game of confusion was nothing more than my wanting to have something to tell Mackenzie and Madison about later. Maybe.

"You have no ink," I stated simply before shrugging my shoulders and walking ahead of him, not really knowing where to go.

When I made it out of the dungeons with Severus still somewhere behind me, I saw another first-year Slytherin from my previous class ahead of me. Knowing he was heading to the same class as me, I followed. Three flights of moving stars later, yes, I said moving, I arrived in the charms room. I looked around. First, I saw a little short man standing on a stool in the front of the room. Second, I saw my two new friends looking at me with identical smiles on their faces, sitting in the second row again.

"Took you long enough to get here, Chin," Mackenzie said happily, as she began laughing.

"I was having a chat with a new friend. Also, please do not call me 'Chin.'" A joking smirk appeared on my face when I heard Severus walk in behind me. Knowing he heard what I said made me happy.

"I'm not your friend, Lewis," he said annoyed. Madison raised an eyebrow at me before letting out a giggle.

"Your new friend sure is friendly, and cute too, Drae," Mackenzie said crudely, too quietly for him to hear.

"Shut your mouth, Mackenzie. You have every right to talk. Just notice the kindness hanging onto your every word." Sarcasm goes a long way. I looked away from Mackenzie and Madison, only to find Severus sitting in front of the twins, the exact place I was planning on sitting.

I took a deep breath, the breathed out before taking my place beside Severus. It seems that I will be sitting beside him in most of my classes at this rate. I turned around in my seat to speak to my friends.

"You two really like sitting in the second row," I stated matter-of-factly.

"Just like you like sitting in front. Seems that this one does too," Mackenzie said, referring to Severus.

"It would seem that way," I agreed, laughing lightly.

"Don't talk about me like I can't hear every word you're saying," Severus said through gritted teeth.

"Anyway, I think class will start soon so we better stop talking." Madison appeared to be the more responsible one out of the twins.

I turned around to the front and listened to the squeaky voice of the professor, who I learned was Professor Flitwick. I chanced a glance at Severus, before taking my ink out and setting it in front of him for the second time.

"Keep it. I have an extra." This would make both of us happier. I knew it.

"I'm not concerned with notes for this class. I already know this stuff." He did not bother to look at me.

"Then use it for the next class. Either way, I do not need it." I sat up in an effort for him to understand that I made my decision, no matter what he said, but he still refused to touch the jar.

Throughout the class, Professor Flitwick focused on the levitating spell, Wingardium Leviosa. After he finished telling us what it did, which was obvious, he told us to practice. According to Flitwick the proper wand movement was "swish and flick," as he called it. I did not quite get it at first. I lifted my feather only a couple of inches off the desk before it shook and fell back down. The twins got it right third try, while Severus got it first try. After my fourth try, I finally had it. The twins, well Mackenzie, would never let me live that down.

Lunch came rather quickly. While walking to the Great Hall, Madison linked her arm through my right, and Mackenzie my left. By the time we arrived, Severus had already seated himself. Unfortunately, he found it was wise to keep Lucius Malfoy as company. Lucius had his arm resting on the Severus's shoulder while whispering in his ear. Lucius let out a bellowing laugh. Severus laughed nervously before turning around to look at the Gryffindor table. Lily Evans smiled lightly at him and gave him a small wave. When she saw the less-than-happy look on his face, her smile fell. I silently laughed to myself.

Finally, I managed to take my eyes off the scene.I looked up at Madison and saw concern. I shook my head and smiled, letting her know it was nothing.

Within a few minutes, I was finished with my food. Madison, who sat next to me, and Mackenzie, who sat in front of me, were still eating. Mackenzie opened her food-stuffed mouth and began to talk.

"I ant helieve oo acsooay had touble wit tat harm" easily translated into, 'I can't believe you actually had trouble with that charm." I shook my head and rolled my eyes at her lack of manners.

"Kenz, leave Drae alone. And who taught you your table manners? Close your mouth, chew, and shallow," Madison said in a motherly tone.

"You're not Mom, Maddie." Kenz became angry. "You'll never be Mom, so trop trying. Please." She said the last word in an apologetically begging tone. Madison's eyes went blank as she finished her food.

No one else spoke until our next class, Transfiguration with the Gryffindor.

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The beginning of Transfiguration was interesting. Walking into the classroom, I noticed an orange tabby cat sitting on a desk in the front of the class. I suggested that we sit near the back, not wanting to be near Evans, who took a seat in the front beside Severus. Once we sat down, the orange cat suddenly shifted into a woman--the woman from the sorting ceremony, to be exact. Professor McGonagall held her wand to the classroom door, and casts a spell to close it. She folded her hands behind her back, before she began to speak.

"Welcome, first years, to Transfiguration. I am Professor McGonagall, and I will obviously be your professor for the next seven years. Transfiguration is highly dangerous and you must be careful. I do not want any joking around or else I will kick you out, and that's final. Now, I will teach you how to turn a match into a needle. I know it doesn't sound very excited, but we must start small and work our way up. That way there is less room for mistakes."

Everybody set to work on his or her matches. By the end of class, only one Slytherin and two Gryffindors, both dark haired and quite handsome, had managed to turn their matches into needles.

Next was Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs Brilliant. I would rather have class with the Gryffindors, at least they have talents no matter how irritating they are, but you did not hear that from me. Once seated - I sat in the third row behind Maddie and Kenz - a Hufflepuff with short brown hair sat beside me. She looked at me before nodding her head once in acknowledgement. Next thing I knew, she was reaching forward and tapping Maddie on the shoulder.

"Maddie, turn around and see who I am," said the Hufflepuff in a singsong voice. Maddie turned around and looked at her in happy delight.

"Hey, Sandy. I didn't see you all summer. Mom tried to contact Aunt Dai, but said she couldn't get a hold of her. I missed you." Judging by the happiness with which Maddie greeted the girl and the way she called Sandy's mom Aunt Dai, I guessed they were cousins. By this point Kenz had also turned around, but instead of smiling and being happy to see her cousin, she glared, and let a low growling sound come from her throat.

"Ha. Well, look at who it is. Sandy Scott, my dear, dear cousin. How have you been? Is Frank doing okay? I've missed him terribly. He must have been lonely hanging out with you instead of me," Mackenzie said in a sarcastically pathetic tone. I expected Sandy to look taken aback by Kenz's tone of voice and harshness, but she looked as if she was use to it.

"No, no, love. Frank is doing great. In fact, he's doing so great, that he decided he would rather hang out with a Muggle. Needless to say, his mother and father were not very happy about that. You know what, Kenzie? I'm sorry. I've already sent you four owls trying to get that through your head, but you never have listened to me."

Mackenzie turned around, obviously deciding she was finished with the conversation. I looked over at Maddie who seemed to be mouthing something to Sandy. The brown-haired girl simply nodded once before setting her ink, pen, and book in front of her on the desk. With my best guess, I would say she was reassuring the girl she would talk to her sister.

Professor Apollo was nothing like I expected. He was scary, and seemed very confident in our abilities as well as his own. He talked about the importance of defense, and how we would use it throughout our lifetime. He told us about himself and things about the magical world many did not know. He spoke about the dangers of the world, and how there were less things to not fear than there were to fear. He told us that with this class, we could protect ourselves from almost anything that the magical world may throw at us.