First Few Classes

𓅓𐂂⏃ ϟ ⚯ ϟ ⏃𐂂 𓅓

*Flashback of the carriage ride to Hogwarts*

Helena was thankful that Ruby and Elizabeth's dad, Professor Lupin, gave her the chocolate. She was already feeling much better. As she got down, she looked at the strange, skeletal creatures that pulled the carriages. She held her hand out and began to stroke its neck.

"You can see them too?" an airy voice asked.

As Helena turned, she saw that the speaker was a small girl with wavy blonde hair, pale grey eyes, and black robes with a blue and bronze striped tie (the girl was a Ravenclaw).

"Oh– hello! Yes, I've been able to see them ever since I started riding the carriages," Helena responded. "You?"

"I'm in my second year," the girl said. "This is the first time I've seen them. They're thestrals."

"How come everybody can't see them?"

"You have to see death to see them."

"Who did you see die?" Helena wondered, hoping she didn't come across as nosy.

"My mum. I was nine when it happened."

"How?"

"She experimented with spells, but one of them backfired on her. The last thing she did is put a shield charm around me so I wouldn't get hit."

"Oh," Helena whispered.

"You're Helena Potter," the girl observed. "Rumors say that you saw your mum die."

"It's true," Helena confirmed. "My brother, Harry, can't see them because I remember blocking his view so he wouldn't see it too."

"That was brave of you."

"More like cowardly. Harry still got hurt."

"It wasn't your fault, you were only a baby. Oh! The carriages are moving! We'd better get moving," the girl observed.

As the two found an empty carriage, Helena asked one more question.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Luna Lovegood!"

"Well, Luna, we're friends now, whether you like it or not."

*End of flashback*

Warning(s): Small mentions of injury (in Care of Magical Creatures) and death (in Defense Against the Dark Arts)

Helena woke up to a bunch of loud squeals and giggles. As Helena groggily looked up, she saw Capella with an annoyed expression as she smothered her head in her pillow.

Ever since the girls befriended Hermione and her dorm mates, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the seven girls had sleepovers. This time, it was in their dorm. So, while Helena was sleeping, her friends gossiped.

"What time is it?" Helena asked sleepily.

The girls jumped.

"I told you she was sleeping!" Hermione scolded everybody.

"Sorry Helena," Ruby said sheepishly.

"It's fine," Helena sighed.

"It's eight in the morning, by the way," Hermione informed her. "We're all ready, but we wanted to wait for you before going down."

"Well, Parvati and Lavender left ten minutes ago," Ruby pointed out.

"Brilliant," Helena yawned. "Thanks for waiting. I'll wash up and then we can meet in the common room to leave for breakfast."

ϟ

Once Helena put on her robes and grabbed her book bag, she met her fellow Gryffindor third-year girls and went for breakfast. They were about to enter the Great Hall when someone called for Helena and her friends.

"Oi! You lot!" Theo called out.

He, Blaise, Draco, and Pansy were waiting for them. Helena, Capella, Ruby, and Elizabeth all made random hand signals, trying to communicate to the Slytherins that they weren't alone, but the girls were too late.

"Honestly, you do a terrible job hiding it," Hermione remarked, a smile on her face.

"How long have you known?" Helena asked tentatively.

"Since halfway through our first year, actually," Hermione said casually. "It was mostly because of you, Helena. You were going on about Draco and I began suspecting that you were friends."

Helena turned beet red. "I was never going on about Draco! And even if I was, you better not tell anyone," she threatened.

"I won't," Hermione promised. "I didn't just see anything, and I don't want to know all the details later."

Capella groaned. "Do we have to tell you? Merlin, can't we keep secrets from you?"

"I'll just be sitting with Harry and Ron," Hermione continued, pushing the doors open and going to the Great Gall.

"She's not that bad," Pansy observed. "Don't you dare tell anyone."

"She's not bad at all!" Elizabeth protested.

"She's still a mudblo–"

"Don't finish that sentence, Parkinson," Ruby snarled viciously.

Theo whistled. "Wow. We really can't mess with you or your friends unless we have a death wish."

"I though that was obvious," Blaise said.

"What did you want to talk about?" Capella asked.

"We just wanted to ask if Lena's okay," Draco explained.

"I think you mean 'I', not 'we', Draco," Blaise corrected him. "Not that we don't care," he added.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I guess," Helena shrugged. "I had nightmares, but it isn't anything new."

"Nightmares?" Elizabeth repeated. "Since when?"

"For a while," Helena replied. "Ever since my first year, actually. It's always about Mum dying or something related to that."

"I'm sorry," Capella said sadly, hugging her best friend.

"Me too," Draco agreed, making a motion to hug Helena before chickening out and simply patting her shoulder.

"Merlin, you two are so awkward," Capella chuckled.

"Says you," Pansy snorted. "Remember when Diggory approached her after we got off the train?" she reminded the group. "Ella started talking ten times faster and became a tomato when he leaned in to whisper something into her ear."

Theo snickered.

"Yeah, and remember when Beth sat next to you in class and you nearly fell off your seat in surprise?" Capella teased.

Theo frowned at her. "What's that supposed to mea–"

"Let's just go eat breakfast," Ruby interrupted. "First us, then after five minutes, you lot come in. Got it?"

"Oooh!" Helena exclaimed suddenly, brightening up.

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"Can we do the dramatic fireworks entrance thing we planned out?"

"Brilliant idea, Helena!" Ruby said happily.

"The 'dramatic fireworks entrance?'" Theo repeated.

"Don't ask," Blaise muttered, used to the girls' chaotic ideas because he was often roped into them thanks to his skills in Potions and Charms.

Capella was impressed that Helena remembered about the plan. After coming up with some sort of way to go through with it, she and her fellow Mini Marauders proceeded to pull out the same powder they used during the Welcoming Feast in their first year and pushed open the doors to the Great Hall as they walked in.

Heads turned to face them as they threw the substance in the air, causing fireworks to explode in the sky. Helena performed a series of complicated acrobatic flips in the air toward the Gryffindor table, Ruby and Elizabeth shot flowers and colorful sparks out of their wands, and Capella blew air kisses at some of the starers.

At the head table, Professor McGonagall groaned and stuffed her head in her hands. Professor Snape looked bored, as usual, but Professor Dumbledore was clapping politely. Professor Lupin and the newly appointed Professor Hagrid had smiles on their faces, one being stern while the other was plain amused. However, nobody told the girls to stop.

They reached the Gryffindor table and bowed before taking their seats. Draco and his fellow Slytherins entered the Great Hall, but people were too busy clapping for the Mini Marauders or gossiping to notice. Capella yanked a plate of waffles from Ron and began eating, Helena ate a fruit salad, and Ruby and Elizabeth both got bowls of oatmeal. A few spots down, Harry was chatting with his dorm mates and completely forgot about the half-eaten plate of food in front of him. By his side, Ron began stealing bites when he knew Harry wasn't looking. (Classic Ron 😂😂 I kinda hate the way he was portrayed in the movies, but at the same time, it made way for a ton of hilarious scenes.)

Just then, the Heads of Houses came by to pass out timetables. Professor McGonagall was far ahead compared to the others and was already in front of the girls.

"Lovely performance," she said through the corner of her mouth as though she was afraid people would hear. "I'd recommend charming the fireworks to display images and words, though. Perhaps your names?"

The girls grinned at her.

"Thanks for the idea, Minnie," Capella whispered.

"What in Merlin's name do you mean?" Professor McGonagall asked innocently. "I didn't say a word."

With a mischievous smile on her face, she handed the four girls their timetables and continued without a word. As Capella made eye contact with her friends, she knew they were all thinking the same thing. Professor McGonagall was, by far, the coolest teacher ever.

Next to them, the girls heard snippets of conversation. Helena perked up when she heard someone say 'Malfoy,' and didn't hesitate to notify her friends. As the girls looked up, they saw Draco pretend to faint and knew exactly what he was doing. Elizabeth caught Theo's eye and saw that he and Blaise looked both annoyed at their friend and upset that he didn't think about Helena before acting.

"That little git," George Weasley was saying. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he Fred?"

The Mini Marauders automatically knew that he was lying to make Harry feel better, and grinned widely. They were all interested to hear what Fred was going to add. Judging by the look on his face, it wouldn't be very flattering.

"Nearly wet himself," Fred agreed.

At that, Helena snorted and Capella began wheezing, trying to hold in her laughter. She failed at doing so and burst into laughter. Seconds later, she was choking and Elizabeth had to thump her on the back. Ruby was just smirking as she sipped a glass of orange juice and observed the scene.

Once the girls calmed down, they noticed that half the Gryffindors at the table and a few Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins were watching them with strange looks. Most of the starters were first years, who, bless their innocent souls, didn't know how much trouble and chaos the quartet brought along with them.

"Don't be so nosy or I'll make you Voldemort's doppelgänger!" Capella threatened.

The students were quick to turn away and resume their conversations while eating their breakfast. At the Head Table, the professors were exchanging amused looks. Capella swore that even Snape had a smile! Or maybe he was just scowling because they were disturbing him with their ruckus. All in all, breakfast on their first day back was brilliant.

ϟ

It took forever to find the Divination classroom, but they made it. There was a bit of an argument when Capella noticed that Ruby had multiple classes at once, but the problem was resolved. Well, it was partially resolved. Helena, Capella, and Elizabeth knew that Ruby was only trying to avoid the subject when she reminded them that they needed to leave for Divination.

The girls reached the classroom and Elizabeth turned to ask Ruby something.

"Hey, Ruby, where do you─ Wait... where is she?"

The three of them turned around rapidly but couldn't find her.

"Let's just sit up front and save seats for her, Harry, Hermione, and Ron," Capella suggested.

"Sure, I guess," Elizabeth sighed, looking worried.

They waited for around five minutes. Then, the door burst open and Harry and Ron entered, panting and out of breath. Ron whispered something in Harry's ear, and their eyes scanned the room. Upon noticing the empty seats next to Capella and her friends, they beamed and ran forward.

"Here!" Helena said, moving two seats forward and pushing the bags on them aside. "We saved these seats specifically for you. Neville knows, right?" she asked, looking at Neville who was just a few seats away.

"Oh, yeah," he agreed hurriedly.

Next to him, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, Harry and Ron's dorm mates, sniggered wildly. Harry and Ron looked weirdly at each other, and upon taking their seats, heard a loud farting noise go off. It took them a few moments to realize that the sound came from them, and upon seeing their startled expressions, the class burst into loud laughter.

Suddenly, a misty voice filled the room. "Welcome," it said. "How nice it is to see you in the physical world at last."

As she moved forward, the girls noticed her large glasses and the many beaded necklaces she wore that rested on her brightly colored shawl.

"Welcome to Divination. My name is Professor Trelawney. You may have not seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye," she arranged her shawl delicately and looked around to see everybody's reactions. "In this room, you shall explore the mysterious art of Divination. In this room, you shall discover if you possess the Sight. Together, we shall cast ourselves into the future! But know this: one either has the Gift or not. It cannot be divined from the pages of a book. Books only cloud one's inner eye."

"What a load of rubbish," a voice muttered from behind them.

"I agree, Mione," a second familiar voice said.

Capella, Helena, Elizabeth, Harry, and Ron turned their heads to see Ruby and Hermione sitting behind them, hastily fixing their robes after throwing their bags down.

"Where'd you come from?" Capella and Ron asked together.

"Me? I've been here all along," Ruby and Hermione responded in unison.

"No you weren't!" Elizabeth whispered. "We checked before and─"

"You! Boy! Is your grandmother well?" Professor Trelawney asked, appearing behind the girls and in front of Neville.

"I-I think so," Neville stuttered uncertainly.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," she warned him.

Neville looked afraid, and as Professor Trelawney moved on, Ruby muttered 'absolute rubbish.'

"The first term will be devoted to the reading of tea leaves," Professor Trelawney continued. "If all goes well─"

"─Which it never does," Helena whispered to her friends.

Ron sniggered loudly, to which Parvati and Lavender frowned.

"─We will proceed to palmistry," Professor Trewlaney continued, "fire omens, and finally... the crystal ball. By the way, dear," she added, turning her head to look at Parvati Patil, "beware a red-haired man."

Parvati stopped frowning at Ron and immediately pushed her chair backward since he was right in front of her. Ron looked strangely at her before diverting his attention back to the professor.

"Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice!" she exclaimed, looking around at us as if expecting a reaction other than confusion. "And in late spring, three of our number... will leave us forever."

After that, Capella zoned out and didn't bother participating in class. She did, however, look interested when Professor Trewlaney saw the Grim in Harry, Helena, and her own tea cup later in class.

(Lol, I got too lazy to write about the rest of Divination and stuff so I kinda followed the movie plot and went straight to Care of Magical Creatures. Sorry about that!)

𓅓𐂂⏃ ϟ ⚯ ϟ ⏃𐂂 𓅓

Ruby and her friends followed Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they headed up to Care of Magical Creatures, which would be held in front of Hagrid's Hut. After eating lunch, the mixture of food and excitement caused Elizabeth to skip all the way to the hut, leaving her companions behind.

"She loves animals, doesn't she?" Ron chuckled, looking at her amusedly.

"Yes she does," Capella replied, proud of her friend.

Hermione was telling Ruby all about her opinion on Ancient Runes as they walked. Capella, Helena, Harry, and Ron were talking about the 'Great Farting Incident' in Divination. As Harry pretended to leap on Helena and start wrestling with her, Capella and Ron stopped in place and held a major staring contest. Hermione smirked and shoved Ron so he blinked. Capella cheered at her victory and Hermione gave an innocent look at an outraged Ron. Ruby then forced the group to move ahead, which they did. Ron, however, kept shooting grumpy looks at both Capella and Hermione and kept muttering about how he would've won if it weren't for Hermione.

Finally, they reached the hut where their peers were waiting for Hagrid. Ruby noticed that Helena's grin widened considerably upon noticing Draco leaning against a tree. Helena looked as though she wanted to talk to him, but she stopped herself once she remembered that her brother was still there and that he'd most likely murder someone if he found out that his sister was friends with his enemy.

Just as the group settled down, Professor Hagrid appeared, looking around. He seemed surprised to see Elizabeth at the front, bouncing up and down with joy. He wasn't the only one surprised to see Elizabeth jumping around at the front of the class, because nobody expected that one of the 'Mini Marauders' would ever pay attention in class. Well, pay complete attention in class because everybody knew that Ruby was the academic one out of the four and all of them tied with Hermione as the best students in their year.

"C'mon now, get a move on!" Hagrid told the class. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Everybody did as they were told and went through the Forbidden Forest. For a moment, Ruby wondered if he would take them to see the Acromantula that Harry and Ron faced in their second year. She was greatly relieved when they stopped just a few steps later, in front of a paddock.

"Gather 'round!" Hagrid ordered. "Find yerself a spot. That's it. Now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open your books─"

"And exactly how do we do that?" Draco drawled from the back of the class.

Helena spun her head around and began goggling at him. Capella rolled her eyes and pushed Helena's head so it faced the front. The two girls began arguing quietly as Hagrid looked around the class with a crestfallen look on his face.

"Hasn'- Hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?"

He looked so sad at the sight of the books, which most people had forced shut with belts or Spellotape.

"I did!" Elizabeth said eagerly, "It was really easy. I'm surprised that nobody took the time to find out instead of giving up on them. Honestly, the books are kinda like dogs!"

"Rabid dogs," Draco muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

Elizabeth suddenly looked upset and fell silent. Helena, for once, glared at Draco and put her arm comfortingly around her friend.

"Thank you, Beth," Hagrid said with a smile. Then, to the class, "Yeh've got ter stroke 'em!"

He took Elizabeth's book and stroked the spine. Immediately, the book purred and kept still. People looked surprised and tried. Of course, they were all successful. All except for Neville, who fell over from the force of his book's movement. Elizabeth ran over to help him and stroked his book for him. Neville thanked her and continued stroking the spine in case the book got any ideas.

"Oh, how silly we've been!" Draco sneered, sarcasm dripping through his words. "We should've stroked them! Why didn't we guess?"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry and Helena shouted together, crossing their arms across their chest.

If the two didn't look or act like twins before, they certainly did now. Both stood side by side, arms crossed and similar sneers on their faces, daring for Draco to continue smack-talking their favorite Professor. Red hair next to jet black, hazel eyes next to emerald ones. They looked like they were about to pick a fight, but then Hagrid spoke quietly.

"Righ' then," he said awkwardly. "So- so... yeh've got yer books, an' now yeh need the Magical Creatures. So... I'll- I'll go and get them."

Hagrid hurried away.

"God this place is going to the dogs," Draco complained loudly. "Wait 'till my father hears Dumbledore's got this oaf teaching classes."

"If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all," Elizabeth scowled.

"Just leave the class if you don't like it," Helena shrugged. "No need to be a prick about it, Dra─ Malfoy," she corrected herself quickly.

"You're being too nice," Harry snorted. "Listen, you stupid prat─" he began, glaring at Draco.

Draco suddenly looked behind them, trembling and looking frightened. "D-dementor, dementor!" he shrieked loudly.

Helena and Harry were the first to turn, looking horrified. Ruby, Capella, and Elizabeth readied their wands as they spun around. There wasn't anything in sight. Looking back at Malfoy, they found that he and his fellow Slytherins were laughing loudly at them.

"Woooooh, the dementors send their love, Potter!" Pansy cackled loudly.

"F*ck you, Parkinson," Helena muttered angrily.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak again, Hagrid came back.

"Ta-da!" Hagrid announced, spreading his arms as the creatures went into the paddock. "Beau'iful, aren't they?"

"Hippogriffs!" Elizabeth gasped excitedly. "Merlin, I've never seen one in person before!"

Hagrid led one of the creatures closer to the class. Everybody quickly ran back, trying to put space between them and the hippogriff. Ruby had to admit, they were beautiful. The hippogriffs had the torso, hind legs, and tail of a horse. However, the front legs, wings, and head were of an eagle. Each of the hippogriffs had a different colored coat, but the one next to Hagrid had a grey coat.

"So, if yeh wan' ter come nearer─" Hagrid prompted.

Only Elizabeth moved forward at first. Then, Ruby and Capella, and Helena followed. Harry, Hermione, and Ron came closer immediately afterward.

Hagrid beamed at them. "Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud creatures. Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

Draco immediately began whispering to Vincent, Gregory, and his other fellow Slytherins. Theo and Blaise rolled their eyes and slowly shifted away from him. Draco was most likely plotting a disruption, and the two boys wanted nothing to do with it.

"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, an' yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed to pat him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Righ'! Who wants to go first?"

Elizabeth raised her hand and began bouncing up and down excitedly. The rest of the class backed up, leaving Harry there with her. As their friends shot sympathetic looks at the surprised boy, Hagrid looked pleased.

"O' course you wan' to, Beth," Hagrid chuckled. "Yeh can take tha' one," he gestured toward the hippogriff with a pinkish-roan coat. "Tha' one outta work for you. Her name' is Rose." Elizabeth grinned at Hagrid excitedly. "Harry, yeh can try on Buckbeak."

Harry took a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah, sure," he said.

"Oooh, no!" Parvati whispered at him.

"Your tea leaves!" Lavender reminded.

"Oh, shut up," Pansy snapped at them in a low voice, surprising the people who heard. "As if you two would even want to ruin your so-called 'good looks.' It's pathetic, y'know?"

Parvati and Lavender scowled and Pansy and started a heated argument with her.

"This'll be fun to watch," Draco smirked. "Both Potter and Pettigrew will get eaten!"

"Say that again, I dare you," Helena snarled, leaping at him and aiming a punch in his face.

He quickly moved to the left, causing Helena's hand to miss by less than an inch. 'Ooohs' filled the class as they watched both the fight and the action in the paddock.

Not being bothered by her miss, Helena began slapping Draco and punching him wherever she could. When she kicked him there, he let out a scream and began whining as he hopped up and down in pain. Ruby rolled her eyes and dragged Helena back by her side.

In the paddock, Elizabeth was the first to approach her hippogriff. She walked slowly toward Rose, stopping about three feet away. She then bowed deeply and stood up. Rose immediately bowed back and trotted toward Elizabeth. As Hagrid made a move to grab the hippogriff, Rose nuzzled her head against Elizabeth, who giggled.

"You're such a sweetheart, Rose!"

The class gave a round of applause. Even Pansy joined in until Draco nudged her.

"Yer, turn now, Harry!"

Suddenly, the class fell silent once more and watched carefully. Draco narrowed his eyes and bit into an apple that he grabbed out of his pocket. Helena had resumed watching him, and upon realizing that she missed lunch, her stomach rumbled at the sight and she blushed against her will as Draco stared at her. Then, he rolled his eyes in annoyance, and after making sure nobody was watching, beckoned her forward.

"Bet you didn't eat anything for lunch, huh?" he smirked at her.

"Yeah," Helena sighed disappointedly. "I was with Capella, Ruby, and Beth but I forgot to bring a bite to eat with me."

"Where were you?" Draco asked.

"Uh– studying?"

"Not, what," Draco sighed. "I mean where– never mind, actually. Salazar, I can't believe I'm going to do this," he groaned. "Here, take my apple. I didn't eat much of it."

Helena stared in amazement. "Thanks, Dray," she smiled softly, taking a bite of the apple. "I'm not going to apologize for punching you though. You deserved it for hoping that my brother and best friend would get eaten."

"Trying to punch me, you mean," Draco corrected her.

"Please," Helena rolled her eyes. "I did punch you."

"In your dreams," Draco snorted. "And don't lie, I know that you dream of me."

Helena managed not to turn red at his words and scowled at him instead. "You can keep on hoping, Dray."

"Oh, I will," Draco smirked. "One day you'll be begging to be my girlfriend."

"Pansy wants to be your girlfriend. If you want one so badly, why don't you ask her?" Helena suggested.

"Because I already like somebody else, you bloody fool."

"Can you lovebirds, shut it for once?" Ruby hissed at them. "Harry might get eaten if you keep flirting. It makes Buckbeak sick, not just me."

"W-we w-weren't─" Helena stuttered.

"─Why would we─" Draco added.

"─Plain gross─"

"─We're just friends─" (Adrien Agreste, I order you to stop possessing people and go back to your fandom.)

"─He's not even my type─"

"─She punched me─"

"─Dray started it─"

"Shut up!" Ruby repeated. "Buckbeak hasn't bowed back, you two! Helena, get your lazy arse back up here! Your brother is about to die!"

"Okay, okay," Helena sighed, joining her friend.

Up front, Buckbeak was staring at Harry. Then, he bowed. The class began clapping again, except for Draco who looked disappointed. At Helena's glare, however, he clapped dramatically and mouthed 'happy now?', to which Helena replied with a nod and a smile.

"Well done, Harry!" Hagrid's voice boomed proudly. "Righ'─ yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, come on!"

Harry looked as though he'd rather walk back and join the class, but he did as he was told.

"Righ' then, Harry, Beth!" Hagrid continued, reckon yer hippogriffs will let yeh ride them!"

"Yes!" Elizabeth said excitedly, pumping her fist.

She immediately stepped on Rose's wing and hoisted herself onto her hippogriff's back. Harry, however, stood frozen.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"We'll jus' set yeh behind the wing joint," Hagrid said, lifting Harry and setting him on Buckbeak's feathery back.

"Hey, hey!" Harry protested.

"Mind yeh, don't pull any feathers out," Hagrid added. "He won' like that."

Without warning, Hagrid slapped Buckbeak's hindquarters, which prompted the hippogriff to slowly begin flying higher and higher up.

"Off yeh go!"

"Won't that hurt him?" Elizabeth questioned anxiously.

"Who, Harry?" Hagrid asked. "Nah, he's a strapping young lad, he'll make it."

"No, Buckbeak, I mean."

"Oh! Tha' jus' tells him teh star' flyin'!"

"I can tell Rose that on my own, thanks," Elizabeth told Hagrid.

Draco snickered slightly, Elizabeth's comment sounding a bit rude. Ruby frowned at him, causing Draco to shut up. Elizabeth then whispered instructions to Rose, who began running before lifting up and soaring above the class.

The class waited for a few moments, and then Buckbeak and Rose came into view, both their riders still intact. As soon as the hippogriffs stopped in the paddock, everybody clapped loudly, Hagrid the loudest of them all.

"Good work, Harry, Beth!" Hagrid praised. "How'm I doin' me firs' day?" he whispered under his breath.

"Brilliant!" Harry complimented.

"The hippogriffs are lovely, Professor Hagrid," Elizabeth said, grinning at Hagrid.

Suddenly, Draco shoved them aside as strode up to Buckbeak.

"I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute─"

"Malfoy, no!" Hagrid and Helena said together.

Just as Buckbeak lifted his front legs, ready to strike at Draco, Helena took the hit for him. Everybody froze, taking in the scene. As Helena whimpered in pain, lying on the ground and she clutched her bloody arm, Draco was screaming in an extremely high-pitched voice and he put as much space between him and the hippogriffs. Hagrid was holding Buckbeak back and calming down the other hippogriffs at the same time. Elizabeth's smile faded and she, Harry, Ruby, Capella, Hermione, and Ron ran forward to check on Helena.

"Oh my God!" Hermione shouted.

"Merlin's beard, Dray!" Capella shrieked. "What's wrong with you?"

The girls were all by Helena's side, freaking out, but Harry and Ron were glaring at Draco.

"First bullying, now murdering?" Ron asked furiously.

"Before you feel all special now that my sister's saved you," Harry snarled at Draco, "know that since Buckbeak didn't kill you, I will."

"She's bleeding out!" Ruby shrieked.

"Harry, get over here!" Elizabeth called.

"I-I'm o-okay, I-I t-think," Helena stuttered weakly, gingerly touching the injuries on her arm.

"He wasn't worth it!" Ron complained, extremely agitated about the entire situation. "I don't know why you didn't let the hippogriff get him!"

"Calm down, Ronald!" Hermione scolded him.

"Y-you f-first, M-Mione," Helena told her, trying and failing at cracking a grin. With that, she blacked out.

𓅓𐂂⏃ ϟ ⚯ ϟ ⏃𐂂 𓅓

Elizabeth was scared for her friend. Thankfully, the Mini Marauders succeeded in fooling the whole of the Hogwarts student body, as everybody believed that Helena put herself in danger out of fear for Buckbeak's safety rather than Draco's. She took a long time to recover and stayed in the Hospital Wing for days, but she managed to attend Potions class later that week. Helena was just discharged from the Hospital Wing, so she came into class a few minutes late.

"How is it, Helena?" Ruby asked the moment Helena walked in. "Does it hurt much?"

"It's better now," Helena replied. "Madam Pomfrey told me that I have to 'take it easy,' though."

"Are you alright, Lil─ Miss Potter?" Snape asked, correcting himself quickly.

"Yes, Professor Snape," Helena said politely.

"Settle down, settle down," Snape ordered.

Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances as they always did when Snape said something like that. Elizabeth, Ruby, and Capella did the same. There wasn't any reason for Snape to favor Helena as he did the Slytherins. Or maybe there was one? Capella once jokingly suggested that maybe Snape fancied Helena, but the girls immediately turned the theory down. Maybe she was actually right?

Helena sat next to Elizabeth and Capella. Next to Capella, Ruby sat next to Hermione. By Hermione's side, Ron and Harry were whispering about something.

The class was making a Shrinking Solution that day, so there were quite a few ingredients that needed to be chopped or skinned by hand. Just as Helena raised her knife up to cut her daisy roots, Snape spoke up.

"Black, cut Miss Potter's roots for her."

"Oh, I can do it on my own," Helena said quickly.

"As Madam Pomfrey said, take it easy," Snape reminded her.

Capella, angry that Snape was being so unfair, accidentally cut the roots too harshly. They ended up crooked and uneven, but Helena still accepted them with a smile and a word of thanks.

"Sorry," Capella apologized. "Snape was being a git, so─"

"Black," Snape said coldly from behind her. "Switch roots with Miss Potter."

"But sir─"

"─she didn't mean to do it!"

"Now," Snape snarled.

Sadly, Capella handed her roots over. Helena looked sympathetically at her friend, but under Snape's stern glare, handed her mutilated daisy roots back over to Capella.

"Potter, you can skin your sister 's shrivelfig."

Harry quickly and quietly skinned the shrivelfig and handed it back to Helena. Thankfully, it passed Snape's test of perfection and he didn't comment. Instead, Snape continued walking around the classroom. Capella was trying to repair the daisy roots she accidentally destroyed. From the table across from the friends, Draco began speaking to Harry and Ron, knowing their reaction would be the greatest.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?"

"None of your business," Ron snapped.

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher for much longer," Draco drawled. "Father's not very happy that I'm now traumatized for life."

Harry snorted. "You're traumatized for life because Helena saved your life?"

"No," Draco scoffed. "It's because wherever I look now, I see that dangerous brute trying to murder me."

"So you're having hallucinations?"

"No!"

"Shut up, you two," Ruby complained. "Hermione and I are actually trying to finish our potions, and I highly recommend that you do the same."

Once Ruby continued stirring her potion, Draco continued talking.

"Father's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this─ who knows if my mind will ever be the same again," Draco fake sighed. "Oh, and the beast attempted to kill me and injured the girl Potter. There's no way that oaf or his beast are going to last much longer with the attempted murder of two students on their record."

"So that's why you're doing this," Harry snarled. "To try to get Hagrid fired."

"Well, partly, Potter," Draco whispered. But there are other benefits for me, too. And Ella, slice the girl Potter's caterpillars before Professor Snape takes points away."

"He didn't tell me to!" Capella argued.

"Should I ask him?" Draco taunted.

"No," Capella muttered, taking Helena's caterpillars, despite Helena's protest, and beginning to cut them into thin, even slices.

ϟ

After a bit of drama with Neville and his potion, Seamus Finnigan called for their attention.

"Oi, you lot, have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning─ they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."

"I know," Capella sighed.

"Where?" Harry and Ron asked together.

"Ntoo too far from here," Seamus said, excited that he got a reaction. "It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hotline. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."

"Not too far from here," Ron repeated, looking nervously at Harry, Helena, and Capella.

Upon noticing Draco watching them very closely, his face contorted into a snarl as he turned to face him.

"What, Malfoy? Seen another hallucination?"

"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Ella, Potters?"

"No," Capella scoffed immediately.

"Why would I?" Helena asked.

Harry, on the other hand, said, "Yeah, that's right."

Draco began smirking.

"Of course, if it was me, I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Helena, Harry, and Ron asked together.

"Don't you know, Potters, Weaselbee?" Draco breathed.

"Know what?" Harry asked.

Draco laughed lightly and quietly. "Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck. Want to leave it to the dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."

"What are you talking about?" Helena and Harry asked together, equally as angry.

Just then, Snape spoke again and reminded them that he planned to poison Trevor, Neville's toad. Obviously, Elizabeth wasn't happy.

"It's animal abuse," she hissed. "Trevor won't survive!"

"Don't worry," Hermione whispered to her. "I won't let Trevor die."

"You're the best, Mione," Elizabeth said happily.

Harry and Ron were washing their hands and supplies at the sink, whispering to each other.

"Dray, what were you talking about?" Helena whispered.

"Oh, just ask Ella. I'm surprised she hasn't said anything already," Draco smirked.

"I don't know anything," Capella said immediately, getting up and going to the sink.

Helena looked sadly after her friend.

"It seems that everybody has secrets this year," she sighed, causing Elizabeth to nod in agreement. "First Ruby and her strange schedule, then Capella and the information she knows, or doesn't know, about Sirius Black."

𓅓𐂂⏃ ϟ ⚯ ϟ ⏃𐂂 𓅓

Gryffindor didn't lose points in Potions because Capella didn't slice Helena's caterpillars the moment she was told, but they did lose points because Hermione helped Neville correctly brew the Shrinking Solution. Then, as they went to eat lunch before attending Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ruby and Hermione did the weird thing where they disappear from one spot and reappear in another. Capella theorized that they were Apparating, but Helena 'pulled a Hermione' and quoted Hogwarts: a History, reminding the group that they couldn't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds.

Either way, everybody was excited to attend Professor Lupin's first-ever Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Helena, Capella, Elizabeth, Harry, and Ron entered the classroom. They'd long given up on finding Ruby and Hermione because the girls seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

As they entered the classroom and placed their bags down on the seats right in front of the class, Professor Lupin came into the room, too. He smiled warmly as he placed his worn briefcase on the desk. He still looked shabby, but he was much healthier.

"Good afternoon," he greeted the class. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags? Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

People exchanged glances of confusion and excitement as they put their books away. The only 'practical lesson' they had was when Gilderoy Lockhart released a cage of pixies last term.

"Right then, If you'd follow me," Professor Lupin said, leading the class outside the classroom and through the corridor.

Elizabeth exchanged an excited glance with Helena and Capella and the three of them ran to the front of the class next to the Professor.

"Hello, Dad!" Elizabeth chirped brightly.

Professor Lupin smiled at her. "Hello, Beth. Excited?"

"Very," Elizabeth responded. "By the way, here are my friends. You were sleeping on the train so you didn't have a chance to properly meet them."

"Hello, sir," Helena said politely, shaking his hand. "I'm Helena Potter."

"Hello, Helena," Professor Lupin replied kindly. "You may call me Remus as long as you call me Professor Lupin in class."

"Of course, sir."

"I'm Capella Black, but I go by Ella!"

Suddenly, an unreadable expression flew on Professor Lupin's face. He hid it well, though, as he shook her hand too.

"Hello, Ella. Or should I say, Miss Black?"

"As long as we're in class, yeah," Capella shrugged.

Suddenly, the class halted as they noticed Peeves stuffing chewing gum in a keyhole. (Yes, people!! Peeves is here. I couldn't get rid of him, even if the story is based on the movie and the book.) Professor Lupin coughed slightly to make his presence known.

Peeves spun around, and upon noticing him, curled his toes and began singing.

"Loony, loony, Lupin! Loony, loony, Lupin! Loony, loony, Lupin!"

"Oh my God, Peeves," Capella groaned. "That's Ruby and Beth's dad you're talking to!"

"It's alright, Miss Black," Professor Lupin said. "I'd take that gun out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves. Mr. Filch won't be able to access his brooms."

Peeves simply blew a raspberry, to which Professor Lupin sighed. Turning to face the class, he took out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell. Please watch closely. Waddiwasil!"

The class 'oohed' and Dean Thomas said,

"Nice one, Professor!"

"Thank you, Dean," Professor Lupin replied, putting his wand away. "Shall we proceed?"

"He called me 'Miss Black,' but he called Dean by his first name!" Capella hissed at Helena and Elizabeth.

"He called me 'Miss Potter,' so you're not the only one," Helena pointed out. "Besides, he probably doesn't want people thinking that he's biased because we're his daughters' friends.

"We're here!" Elizabeth gasped. "Ooooh, we're in the staffroom! I haven't been here before. Students aren't allowed inside"

"Students aren't allowed inside the kitchens, either, but we've been in there countless times," Capella reminded her.

"Inside, please," Professor Lupin instructed once he opened the door.

The students lined up and went in. Making sure that nobody was watching, Helena, Capella, and Elizabeth followed Draco, Pansy, Blaise, and Theo as they made a beeline to the back of the room. The seven of them quietly whispered greetings, looking around to make sure that people didn't notice them talking. Suddenly, they noticed Snape reclining in an armchair. Thankfully, he didn't notice them because he was too busy sneering at Professor Lupin. Professor Lupin didn't give a Knut as he began to shut the door. (Lmao why does the phrase 'give a Knut' sound legit? I literally made it up and it sounds so right that you'd think it's canon or something 😂😂)

"Leave it open, Lupin," Snape ordered. "I'd rather not witness this." Getting up and striding to the door, he stopped right under the doorframe. "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."

Neville turned a deep shade of red and Dean and Seamus pat him on the back. Mentioning Hermione only reminded the Mini Marauders that she and Ruby weren't in class. Snape had issues if he was going to badmouth students in front of a professor, even more when it was during that professor's class.

Capella's worried expression turned into a snarl. "Well, Snape, I─"

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," Professor Lupin interrupted. "and I am sure he will perform it admirably. Miss Black here was just about to say the same thing."

Snape looked angrily at Capella, while Professor Lupin looked stern.

"Yeah," Capella agreed. "Neville is really talented, at least when you're not around to breathe down his neck every seven seconds."

Snape looked even more outraged as he stepped forward slightly. "Why, you insolent little─"

"Professor!" Professor Lupin called loudly. "You were just about to leave?" (Since we won't see Harry sneaking around after Peter Pettigrew, I thought I'd use a few lines from that scene out of context because I can 💅💅)

Snape immediately turned on his heel and left the room, robes swishing (Snape's iconic little dancey dance 💃💃) as he slammed the door shut aggressively.

"Now then!" Professor Lupin led the class closer to the front where there was a wardrobe.

Once everybody settled in a semicircle around it, the wardrobe rattled suddenly. Several people gasped, while others jumped in fear, backing away ever-so-slightly.

"Intriguing, yes?" Professor Lupin asked. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what's inside?"

"That's a Boggart, that is," Ruby answered.

"Very good, Miss Lupin," Professor Lupin praised. Then, he seemed to find that strange to say, so he quickly added, "Ruby, I mean. Miss Lupin just sounds wrong when I say it."

Giggles rang through the room. However, Helena, Capella, and Elizabeth exchanged confused looks. When did she get here? Suddenly, Ruby walked over to them, smiling as she waved in greeting. That basically ended any potential conversation about how that was possible.

"Can anyone tell us what a Boggart looks like?"

"No one knows," Hermione responded, causing Harry and Ron to jump beside her.

Ron whispered quickly in Harry's ear and the two of them looked at Hermione again.

"Boggarts are shape-shifters," Hermione continued. "They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears most. That's what makes it so─"

"Terrifying, yes," Professor Lupin finished. "So, the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. It does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when it's alone, but when I let him out, it will immediately become whatever each of us most fears."

Neville whimpered in fear, but Professor Lupin chose to continue speaking. "That means that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we win. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

Harry, along with Ruby and Hermione, had his hand up. Ruby was raising her hand higher and higher by the second, Hermione was bouncing on the balls of her feet with her hand straight up, and Harry looked plain awkward.

"Er─" Harry muttered, a bit surprised that Professor Lupin chose to call on him, "because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"

"Precisely."

Ruby and Hermione both looked upset that they weren't chosen to speak.

"Ruby, stop looking like somebody murdered your owl. I know you know the answer, you too, Miss Granger, so I called on Harry," Professor Lupin said loudly.

"Merlin knows that Potter doesn't need more attention," Draco whispered to nobody in particular.

"It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a dementor," Professor Lupin spoke. "It becomes confused. Which should it become: a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake─ tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening."

A few people chuckled.

"Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. It requires force of mind, however. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape you find amusing. Let's practice the charm now, shall we? Without wands, please... Riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" the class repeated.

"This class is ridiculous," Draco sneered from next to them.

Pansy laughed softly as Blaise and Theo simply looked awkward. Draco seemed pleased with himself until he caught a glance of the four outraged girls in front of him.

"Good," Professor Lupin told the class, ignoring Draco's rude comment. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone isn't enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

The Slytherins' laughter increased, Pansy practically cackling. Neville was shaking worse than the wardrobe as he came closer to stand in front of Professor Lupin.

"Right, Neville," Professor Lupin said cheerfully. "What would you say is the thing that frightens you most?"

Neville muttered something the girls couldn't hear.

"Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry."

"Professor Snape," Neville repeated, a bit louder but still frightened.

The class laughed.

"Hm... yes. Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother" Professor Lupin asked.

"Yes, but I don't want the boggart to turn into her, either."

"It won't. But I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes, very clearly in your mind. Can you do that?"

Neville closed his eyes. "She carries a red handbag─"

"It's okay," Professor Remus interrupted. "We don't need to hear it. If you see it, we will. Now, when I open this wardrobe, Neville, here's what I want you to do."

He whispered something into Neville's ear. Neville's eyes widened as he turned uncertainly to face the Professor.

"You can do this, Neville."

Neville nodded weakly, taking a deep breath.

"Right then. Wand at the ready. One... two... three!"

Professor Lupin shot sparks at the wardrobe, causing it to open with a bang! Then, there was a foot stepping out. As the face came into view, everybody recognized the cold, sneering expression of the one and only Snape. Poor Neville began shaking, his wand slowly lowering as his arm trembled.

"Think, Neville. Think."

"R-r-riddikulus!"

CRACK! Suddenly, Snape stumbled in place and he was wearing a lace-trimmed dress, a moth-eaten ht, and a bright red handbag. The class burst into laughter, and surprisingly the Slytherins were included. The boggart froze, confused.

"Parvati! Forward."

CRACK! There was a large, bloody mummy. Parvati looked frightened, but then she raised her wand and shouted,

"Riddikulus!"

The bandages came undone and the mummy's head rolled off.

"Seamus!"

Seamus ran forward with his wand outstretched, and then CRACK!  There was a banshee. She opened her mouth, ready to let out an ear-piercing scream, but then─

"Riddikulus!"

There was no sound.

The banshee became a rat, then a rattlesnake, and then a bloody eyeball.

"It's confused! We're getting there! Dean!" Professor Lupin called.

The eyeball became a hand that began scuttling around like a crab.

"Riddikulus!"

A mousetrap kept the hand frozen and trapped in place.

"Excellent!" Professor Lupin praised. "Ron, you next!"

Draco sat up as though he was planning to take notes. Then, he and a few other people, screamed as the hand became a large spider. Ron froze on the spot and his mouth opened up in fear. Then–

"RIDDIKULUS!"

The spider's legs fell off and the head rolled around. People dashed around, trying to avoid the head, so Helena stepped forward.

Suddenly, the dead of the spider turned into Harry's dead corpse. Silence. Then, a few people began whispering.

"H-Harry?" Helena whispered, slowly approaching his body.

Two more figures popped into existence. One had thick, dark locks of red hair and green almond-shaped eyes. The other looked like the corpse in front of him except for his hazel eyes and more mature features.

"Helena," the woman whispered.

"Mum?" Helena asked, voice shaking.

"Harry is dead," Lily said.

"Mum–"

"It's all your fault!"

"Dad!" Helena sobbed suddenly. "Dad– tell her, I didn't know! I didn't want Harry to die!"

"You killed him," James told her.

"N-no, that's not true! That's not possible!"

"It is true," Lily countered. "And it is very possible, thanks to you."

Capella, Ruby, and Elizabeth sprung into action before everybody else. Taking what Professor Lupin said into account, they faced the boggart in hopes of it changing. It did, but it wasn't much better.

Two men appeared. One was Professor Lupin himself, but the other was an unfamiliar blonde-haired man.

"I hate you, Ruby! You're the worst possible daughter a man could ever have! No wonder Rachel was so eager to give you up!"

"Dad!" Ruby screamed. "No! I tried, Dad! Please don't say that! Don't hate me!"

"Join me, daughter," the blonde man told Elizabeth. "You don't know me just yet, but I am your true father. I've seen you, Elizabeth. You're a powerful young witch. Leave your friends and join me so we can finally have the good life we deserved."

"But you're dead..." Elizabeth whimpered.

"Peter?" Professor Lupin asked tentatively, slowly approaching the boggart.

"Ugh!" Helena shrieked at Capella, but it wasn't Helena.

Helena was crying over Harry's body. Capella stared at the Helena in front of her. Ruby and Elizabeth were behind this Helena, but they were also staring horrified at the figures in front of them.

"Oh my God, Black, I can't believe I was ever your friend," 'Helena' scoffed.

"She has a point, you know," 'Ruby' added. "You're nothing but a lame little girl."

"You–" Capella began.

"What?" 'Elizabeth' taunted. "You gonna kill us like your father did mine?"

"I–"

"RIDDIKULUS!" Professor Lupin hollered.

The mixed-up boggart became a glowing white orb before it turned into a balloon that flew over the class' head.

"Well done, everyone!" Professor Lupin said quickly and loudly. "I think that's enough excitement for one day.

With that, the Mini Marauders were the first to leave, running out of the class like their lives depended on it. The Slytherins made a motion to join them, but after noticing the Golden Trio doing the same, gave up.

Once the class cleared up, Professor Lupin approached them.

"Hello, gentlemen," he said. "And lady," he added upon noticing Pansy. "I know that I really shouldn't be doing this, I can tell that you're close with my daughters and their friends. Look after them, will you? That's all I ask."

"Of course, Professor," Theo responded.

"We promise," Blaise added.

"Good," Professor Lupin smiled. "Oh– I believe that earns you ten points to Slytherin. Good day."

Lmao y'all, this chapter's one of the longest yet. It's literally almost 9k words!! Like omg, I spent like five days on this and it's only about the classes.

Speaking of which, I feel like I've repeated the phrase 'burst into laughter' way too many times. Any advice about that??

Anyways, idk what to say, so just have a lovely day!! I'm not sure when I'll update next, but hopefully, it's soon.

(This chapter is completed as of: July 31st, 2022. Happy Birthday to Harry!!)

August 15th: I just got bored and began editing and I'm so proud of myself for managing to change the wording and stuff so the story seems a bit more better worded.

October 1st: Heyyyy, I finally decided to publish this! I hope y'all are having a good day/afternoon/evening. How's life? Anything interesting going on? I put way too many author's notes before, so I have nothing to say now 😂😂 I just hope y'all like it!