IN WHICH they start class

THE NEXT morning, Hermione rose the tired Gryffindor girls out of bed, and as they begrudgingly trudged down to Transfiguration, the sun had just risen.

"Hermione, are you actually serious right now?" Lavender groans, as the group spots the sun.

"We have to make a good impression on Professor McGonagall now, don't we?" Hermione asks.

"It's the crack of dawn Hermione! The class doesn't start until 9:00!" Eliza sighs.

"We're here!" Hermione sighs, as Aubery and Parvati, too sleepy to say anything, runs in the door.

"Maybe we should get breakfast first." Lavender says, looking at the two girls on the ground. Hermione grudgingly agrees- she was also a bit hungry.

They walked down to the Great Hall, as the food was just appearing, and only some teachers were at the staff table in the front.

"Alright, let's quickly eat some lunch, before we go back." Hermione orders, and the girls start chomping down on food. They spend their time there for a bit, and as the first few students walk in, Hermione quickly gets the girls up and gets them out of the Great Hall, and to Transfiguration. 

"Hey girls!" Dean greets, as Aubery manages a sleepy wave, before being dragged off by Hermione.

They sit down in their seats, as the brown tabby cat on the desk flicks it's tail somewhat approvingly. They wait for almost an hour, or 2, but by then, the sleepy girls had gone back to sleep, and Lavender and Eliza were exchanging snippets of wizarding gossip, as Hermione went over the Transfiguration book. The door slams open, and Aubery falls out of her seat, as Parvati sits up quickly.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Dean asks, sliding into a seat. Seamus and Neville sits on opposite sides of him, as most of the girls manage to nod, however Parvati had fallen back asleep.

"Completely fine." Aubery yawned.

"Bloody hell, when did you wake up?" Seamus asks, noticing Parvati.

"The crack of dawn, maybe earlier. I swear, Hermione, how do you manage to wake up at such an ungodly hour?" Eliza asks.

"I just do." Hermione shortly replies. 

"Well, class is starting, better quiet down." Parvati mumbles, slapping herself with a book to stay awake. 

Harry and Ron rush in suddenly, as Hermione rolls her eyes in annoyance because they're late for class.

"Whew, we made it. Can you imagine the look on McGonagall's face if we were late?" Ron pants.

The cat jumps off the desk and transforms into Professor McGonagall, as the class gasping. Aubery smiles a little, but had seen an animagus change before, due to her mother being an registered animagus, and her being an animagus too. It was quite a normal occurrence in the household. 

"That was bloody brilliant." Ron gasps. 

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley. Perhaps if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch, that way one of you might be on time." Professor McGonagall snipped.

"We got lost." Harry explains. 

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats." The class then started.

Later on, inside Professor Snape's potions classroom, the students are chattering lively, sitting near steaming cauldrons. The door slams open and Professor Snape comes rushing in.

"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few..." He looks at Draco, who smiles. "Who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper... in death."

Draco raises his eyebrows. Snape then sees Harry, writing what Snape said in his lecture down, in,but his view, not paying attention. "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confidant enough to not...pay...attention."  Hermione nudges Harry, finally making him look up to the Professor. Snape then walks to where he can speak to Harry more properly, as most of the Gryffindors shift nervously in their seats. "Mr. Potter. Our...new...celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione raises her hand. Harry shrugs. "You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione's hand raises again.

"I don't know, sir." Harry replies. 

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane." Snape asks.

"I don't know, sir." Harry shakes his head. 

"Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything... is it, Mr. Potter?" Snape asks. 

"Clearly, Hermione knows. Since it's a pity not to ask her." Harry says, and Hermione looks a bit surprised as everyone laughs.

"Silence." Snape turns to Harry, looking a bit insulted; Harry seemingly gulps. He then walks over to his desk. He then looks towards Hermione, who has still got her hand up. 

"And put her hand down, you silly girl." Snape sits in front of Harry, and leans towards him. "For your information, Potter... asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful, it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite." Everyone is quiet. "Well? Why aren't you all copying this down?" The students obey Snape and start to write down what Snape said. He returns to his desk, and dips his quill into some ink. "And Gryffindors, note that five points, will be taken from your house... for your classmate's cheek." Snape then starts writing; Hermione looks at Harry and then starts writing. 

Harry stares at Snape, knowing that he shows dislike for the boy.

In the great hall, around midday. The students are all doing their homework. Seamus is trying a spell on a cup.

"Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water, into rum." Seamus looks in cup and shakes head. "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum..."

"What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" Harry asks. 

"Turn it into rum. Actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before-" Ron was cut off when a mighty flash occurs. The cup has exploded and Seamus is left charred, a surprised look etched on his face. Several students laugh at this as Hermione fans away the smoke with her hand. Suddenly, a flock of owls starts coming into the hall from the rafters above.

"Ah. Mail's here!" Ron smiles, as the owls soar by, dropping parcels to students. 

"Can I borrow this?" Harry asks, and Ron nods. "Thanks."

Neville is unwrapping a gift from his gran. He takes it out, and sees that it is a clear glass ball with a gold banner around it.

"Hey, look! Neville's got a Remembrall!" Seamus announces. 

"I've read about those. When the smoke turns red," Hermione says, as the smoke turns red. "It means you've forgotten something."

"The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten." Neville sighs.

"Hey, Ron, Aubery, somebody broke into Gringotts, listen." Harry reads the article to them. "Believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. That's odd. That's the vault Hagrid and I went to."

"Really? Interesting." Aubery muses. 

That afternoon, outside the castle, the students, Gryffindor and Slytherin, are lined up in two rows with brooms by their sides. The teacher, Madam Hooch, comes down the line. She has short hair and hawk yellow eyes.

"Good afternoon, class." Madam Hooch greets.

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch." The students greet.

"Good afternoon, Amanda, good afternoon. Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, up!" Madam Hooch commands.

"Up!" The class shout's, and after Harry and Aubery yell "Up!" the broom immediately flies into their hands.

"Wow." Harry gasps, as Aubery tosses the broom from hand to hand as Hermione stares at the pair as the class continues.

"Up!" The broomstick flies up and Draco smugly grins.

"With feeling!" Madam Hooch commands.

"Up. Up. Up. Up." Hermione beckons as her broomstick slowly rises.

"Up!!!" Ron's broom immediately shot up and whacks him on the nose. "Ooh!" Harry laughs. "Shut up, Harry." Ron then seemingly starts to laugh after he recovered.

"Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end." The class mounts on their broomsticks. "When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle...3...2..." She blows the whistle. However, Neville's broomstick somehow lifts him off the ground. Neville immediately lifts off. 

"Oh..." Neville whispers, looking frightened

"Mr. Longbottom!" Madam Hooch says.

"Neville, what are you doing?" Lavender asks. 

"Neville...Neville..." The students yell.

"We're not supposed to take off, yet!" Dean yells. 

Neville begins soaring away uncontrollably. "M-M-Mr. Longbottom! Mr. Longbottom!" Madam Hooch yells.

"AHH!" Neville screams.

"Mr. Longbottom!" Madam Hooch yells.

"Down! Down! Ahhhh!" Neville shrieks.

"Neville!" Harry yells.

"Help!!!" Neville immediately skyrockets towards the sky.

"Come back down this instant!" Madam Hooch orders.

"AHH!" Neville flies uncontrollably in the air and hits a wall, conking along it and then swooping off. All the while, he is screaming. He begins to zoom back towards the group of students. Hooch quickly holds out her wand to stop him. "Help!" 

"Mr. Longbottom-!" The students quickly stand back as Hooch dives out of the way, allowing Neville to fly right through. Neville goes through the scatter and up a tower.

"Ahhhh! Whoa! Ahhh!" He then zooms past a statue of a man with a sharp spear. Neville's cloak catches on it. He is flipped off the broom and hangs there. "Oh. Ah...help!" Neville wavers, then the cloak rips through the spear, and he falls. But his cloak catches on a torch, making Neville slip off from his cloak a second later and falls to the ground. "Ahh!"

"Everyone out of the way!" Madam Hooch runs through the group, and they scatter quickly. "Come on, get up."

"Is he alright?" Aubery asks as Hooch is helping Neville up.

"Owowowow." Neville moans.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh dear. It's a broken wrist. Tch, tch, tch. Good boy, come on now, up you get." Draco reaches down and grabs Neville's Remembrall, which has fallen from him as Hooch begins to lead Neville away with her. "Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say, Quidditch." She leaves to the hospital wing.

Draco snickers "Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse." He and his goons laugh as Harry and Aubery approach him.

"Give it here, Malfoy." Harry snaps.

"No. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find." Draco hops on his broom and soars around the group, then through. "How 'bout up on the roof?"He soars off and hovers several feet above the grounds. "What's the matter, Potter, Lupin? Bit beyond your reach?"

Finally having enough, Harry gets on his broom, but Hermione stops him.

"Harry, no way! You heard what Madam Hooch said! Besides, you don't even know how to fly." Harry flies off to face Draco, ignoring her. "What an idiot."

Harry is now in the air, across from Draco as Aubery whips out her wand.

"What are you doing Aubery?" Seamus asks.

"Give it here, Malfoy, or I'll knock you off your broom!" Harry threatens.

"Harry! Move out the way!" Aubery yells.

"What?" Harry asks.

"My god- ACCIO Remembrall!" Aubery yells, and the ball shoots out of Draco's grip, making Harry move out of the way quickly and it makes it's way into Aubery's hand, until Crabbe knocks Aubery down, catching the ball and throwing it back at Draco.

"Is that so?" Draco smirks, as Harry makes a dash for him, but Draco twirls around his broom in a 360. "Have it your way, then!" Draco hurls the Remembrall into the air, like a baseball. Harry zooms after the ball, speeding towards a tower. Just as he is about to hit a window, he catches it. Harry begins to fly back down to the grounds as the students all cheer as Harry lands back on the ground at ease. They run to see him.

"Good job, Harry!" Dean cheers.

"Oh, that was wicked, Harry." Seamus smiles.

"Aubery, how did you even do that? That's advanced spellwork right there!" Hermione asks, and all eyes turn to her.

"I, well. My father may have taught me spells with his wand for my whole life." Aubery sheepishly exclaims, and they look at her surprised.

"Wow. Your parents must  be really cool." Ron smiles. "I couldn't touch anyone's wand until I was of age."

"They are, but Harry's catch is much more cooler. I had practice, he had none. How'd you do it?" Aubery asks.

"I don't know-" Harry starts, but McGonagall's voice interrupts them.

"Harry Potter? Follow me." Harry sullenly follows her. Draco and his goons snicker in delight.

"Oh no." Ron gasps. 

Later, after class, Aubery, Eliza, and Ron run up to Harry, who was standing around idly in the hallways.

"I'm the Seeker for Gryffindor team." Harry spoke in one quick breath.

"Seeker? But first years never make their house teams! You must be the youngest Quidditch player in..." Ron gasps.

"A century, according to McGonagall." Harry replies.

"Bloody hell Harry." Eliza shakes her head. Fred, George, and Ivy approach and walk along with Ron and Harry.

"Hey, well done, Harry, Wood's just told us!" George congratulates. 

"Fred and George are on the team, too. Beaters." Ron informs.

"Our job is to make sure that you don't get bloodied up too bad. Can't make any promises, of course. Rough game, Quidditch." George nods.

"Brutal. But no one's died in years. Someone will vanish occasionally..." Fred says, as they break off from Harry, Aubery, Eliza, Ron, who walk across a courtyard.

"But they'll turn up in a month or two!" George continues.

"Oh, go on, Harry, Quidditch is great. Best game there is! And you'll be great, too!" Ivy smiles. "Ivy Howard, 7th year, 4th Gryffindor Chaser." Ivy shakes Harry's hand, she then leaves, joining a group of Gryffindor girls. Hermione, knowing what Harry is talking about, jumps up from her work and comes to join them.

"But I've never even played Quidditch. What if I make a fool of myself?" Harry asks.

"You won't make a fool of yourself. It's in your blood." Hermione says.

"Hey Lizzie, can you help me with some homework?" Arwin Chang jumps up from a group of Hufflepuffs.

"Arwin Chang? The Hufflepuff?" Aubery asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Shuddup!" Eliza blushed, walking over to the gaggle of yellow and black-clad children.

"Arwin and Eliza sitting in a tree." Ron whispers. 

Later, the four approach a trophy case, as Hermione points at a plaque of Quidditch players. One lists Harry's father as a Seeker, and Aubery's mom as Chaser.

"Whoa. Harry, you never told me your father was a Seeker, too." Ron gasps.

"I-I didn't know." Harry stutters.

"Huh, I didn't know my mom was a Chaser either." Aubery shook her head. "Probably should check in on her next letter.

They start walking up a staircase in the Grand Staircase tower. A railing pulls in and Hermione looks, but continues walking.

"I'm telling you, it's spooky. She knows more about you than you do." Ron whispers.

"Who doesn't?" Harry fires back. The staircase shudders and begins to move. The four grab the railings.

"Ahh!" Aubery and Ron scream as Hermione gasps.

"What's happening?" Harry asks.

"The staircases change, remember?" Hermione reminds them, as the staircase stops, leading to a corridor.

Harry taps Ron and Aubery. "Let's go this way."

"Before the staircase moves again." Ron moans. They all open a door and walk into a spooky, dark, and deserted corridor.

"Does anyone feel like...we shouldn't be here?" Harry asks.

"We're not supposed to be here. This is the 3rd floor. It's forbidden." Hermione answers.

"Oh great, just what we need." Aubery sighs. Suddenly, a flame lights on tall stone support. At that moment, Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, comes running in and meows. The group jumps.

"Let's go." Harry suggests, as Mrs. Norris meows.

"It's Filch's cat!" Ron gasps.

"Run!" Harry yells. The squad run through the corridor, flames are lit up on the stone supports, one by one, as they run past. They get to the end of the corridor, to a door.

"Quick! Let's hide through that door!" Aubery yells. Harry grabs the handle, but it's locked.

"It's locked!" Harry says.

"That's it, we're done for!" Ron moans.

"Guys! The cat is getting dangerously close to us!" Aubery shrieks.

"Oh, move over!" Hermione pushes through and pulls out her wand, aiming it at the lock "Alohomora." The door's lock lifts up magically and it opens. "Get in."

"Alohomora?" Ron asks, once they were all in and the door was closed.

"Standard book of spells, Chapter 7. Hermione, your a genius!" Aubery smiles. They wait for a moment, before Hermione peeks out.

"Filch is gone." Hermione gasps.

"Probably thinks this door's locked." Ron shrugs.

"It was locked." Aubery deadpans.

"And for good reasons." The three turn to stand with Harry. There is a massive huge three-headed dog sleeping in front of them. The dog begins to wake. It growls, yawns, and growls more...noticing the intruders.

"AHHHHHHH!" They bolt, running out of the door. They turn quickly to shut the door and battle against the dog, pushing as hard as they can. They get the door shut and run.

They sprint to the Gryffindor Common Room, Aubery yelling- "Caput Draconis!" They clamber in, breathless.

"What do they think they're doing?? Keeping a thing like that locked up in a school." Ron gasps.

"You don't use your eyes, do you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Hermione snaps.

"I wasn't looking at its feet! I was a bit preoccupied with its heads. Or maybe you didn't notice, there were three!" Ron retorts, as they begin to go to their dorms.

"It was standing on a trap door. Which means it wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something." Hermione explains.

"Guarding something?" Harry asks.

"That's right. Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed... or worse, expelled!" She turns and leaves, not before grabbing Aubery by the sleeve and pulling her to their dormitory.

"She needs to sort out her priorities!" Ron sighs and Harry nods in agreement.

So, chocoqueen29 has correctly guessed Aubery's love interest, but just in case, you want to guess some more, I'll leave it there ;) Congrats! Cookies for you! So shoutout's to you!