Today is Thursday, which means today is our first flying lesson. I'm not exactly excited about it. I have watched some of the older students in between classes ride their brooms in the courtyard, and I do not have an interest in it at all. I just escaped death from some sadistic nuns and a priest. Why would I willingly put myself on death's door again? I do not want to be friends with death.

I can successfully say that I have not spent another night on the floor and have been doing well in all my classes. Like Andromeda said, I have slowly started to make friends. I have enjoyed talking to Ron, Harry, and Hermione but because of our different houses, I feel a bit like an outsider in the group.

I beg and beg Minny to get me out of quidditch practice, but she doesn't relent. I drag my Mary Jane-clad feet behind me as I walk across the grass to where I can see multiple brooms set up. I already see Ron, Harry, and Hermione are already here, standing by their brooms. I take a spot across from them, where a long line of Ravenclaws are standing. I stand there silently while the three bicker back and forth without noticing I was listening.

I catch Harry's eye and give him a soft smile that immediately has him cutting off his words and going silent before returning it with a guilty-looking smile. A whistle is blown and I snap my head up to look at the end of the two very long rows to see Madam Hooch standing with her hands on her hips.

We are instructed to tell our broom "up" and wait till it comes to our hand.

"Up," I tell it, looking down at the thing.

Of course it doesn't listen, that would just make my life too easy. I try repeatedly, and I'm a little relieved when I look up and see Hermione hasn't been able to do it either. Harry stands proudly with his broom in his hand, while Ron rubs at his bruised face.

After many attempts, my broom finally rises, but I have to scramble to catch it so it doesn't hit my face.

I wait while a handful of students are still trying. I smile when I see Hermione is finally successful.

"Good job," I encouragingly tell her with a smile.

In return, all she does is scowls at me before turning her attention back to Madam Hooch. My smile starts to drop into a frown, but I turn around and give Madam Hooch my attention as well. I don't notice I have zoned out while staring at Madam Hooch until multiple students start screaming with the professor. I look up and see the boy from the train slowly rising in the air. He whips around in the air before falling back onto the ground with a thud.

Madam Hooch quickly rushes over to the boy and looks at his injured arm. She quickly commands us to keep our feet on the ground and scurries inside with Neville to Madam Pomprhey.

I plop onto the ground and prop up my back with a large rock. The sun feels extremely warm on my face compared to the cool air surrounding us. Students start talking around me, but it is oddly peaceful and feels like white noise that is quieting my mind. My mind quickly returns to the information in my potions book from last night. I start quizzing myself on what I remember, and my quiet trance is quickly broken by screaming boys. I look up, and I'm immediately blinded by the sun, but I quickly use my hand to cover it to see where the screaing is coming from. Harry and another boy with blond hair and green robes are both in the air on their brooms, chasing each other. I roll my eyes, lay back against the rock, and close my eyes.

+++

I have been going to Hogwarts for a week now. When I think about it, it feels as though I have been here forever, but at the same time, I still feel like it is the first day. I'm returning to my common room after my last class when Professor Flitwick stands at the doorway, blocking the entrance.

"Good evening, Miss Noir," he greets with a smile. "I was hoping that I could talk to you tonight if that is ok," the man explains.

I nod stiffly, unsure what is happening, but I follow anyway. After going through the winding staircases, I'm brought to a statue of a large bird. Professor Flitwick says some weird words, and then a set of stairs comes down, circling the bird. I look back at the Professor, and he motions for me to go up. I climb the stairs till I am met with a large door. The Professor opens it and motions for me to go in. When I enter, I see The headmaster, Dumbledore, along with Professor Snape and Minny. I take a seat in front of the large desk and shakingly set my stack of books I was carrying on the table.

"Good evening, Miss Noir," he says with a warm smile, but for some reason, I find it a bit unsettling. He looks down at my stack of books before looking back at me. "Miss Nior, is that the textbook used for the third year's potions class?"

"Yes sir," I answer, unsure what this has to do with me being called in here.

My mind starts racing to the times I was called to the Priest's office, but I quickly swallow those thoughts and look to Minny, who gives me a reassuring smile.

"Miss Noir, I have gathered your head of house, Professer Snape, and Minerva to discuss the topic of your classes. Severus has made me aware that not only have you read through your class's textbook, but you have read through the second year's and have started on the third year's. Along with that, you have also been able to accomplish multiple advanced potions that Severus has given you besides the ones that you normally do in class. If it is alright with you, we would like for you to go through this packet and answer the questions along with following the instructions that have been provided to make some potions."

I slowly nod, and Snape leads me to a small table they have set up with a cauldron and multiple ingredient bottles. I sit down on the stool provided and open up the packet. I answer a few of the questions, leading me to very vague instructions on how to brew a certain potion without the names and amounts of ingredients and without the potion's name. I quickly read through the instructions and recognized it as the strengthening solution. I quickly grab the ingredients I need and follow the instructions on how to stir and how long to wait for each ingredient. When I finish the solution, I quickly bottle it into one of the empty vials provided and set it aside. I feel all of their eyes on me as I return to the packet and answer the last few written questions. I see Snape, out of the corner of my eye, picking up the bottle and inspecting it.

"Miss Noir, can you make the Girding Position?" he asks me.

I try to recall the instructions from the textbook, and I'm glad he picked a potion from the beginning of the third year's book, as I hadn't finished reading it yet. I sit for a couple of minutes trying to think of how to do it, when it suddenly comes rushing back to me and I quickly start grabbing ingredients. I move fast, wanting it to be done before I am able to forget. I quickly finish the potion and pour it into a vile. I hand the vile to Professor Snape and turn around on the stool so that I'm facing everyone else in the room.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asks.

"It's correct," he answers his question.

Dumbledore lets out a long breath before breaking the silence, "Come back over here, please, Miss Noir," he says.

I walk back over to the chair that I was sitting in front of his desk.

"Miss Noir, we would like to move you up to the third year's potions class. You are well beyond the knowledge for your first-year class, and you wouldn't be learning in there," he explains.

"Ok," I answer slowly, still not completely understanding what is happening.

"If it is ok with you, you will be moved up, and Professor Flitwick will bring you your new schedule in the morning."

Hello loves! Just a bit of a warning, this is when things are not going to be going word for word off the books and some things are going to be changing. When I mean changing, I mean that having a character that isn't with the golden trio for every class is where my chance to bring in my creativity comes in. My goal was to be consistently posting every other week by the new year, so my plan is to have a chapter out a little quicker this time. I'm not completely sure, but either the next chapter or the chapter after that (it depends on how long the chapter is, I might brake it up) is one that I have been imaging since I had the idea for Redamancy, so I really excited to write it. I think that is all I need to update y'all on!