The next morning proved to be as excitable as the night before. As soon as Elisabeth woke up, she threw on her robes and rushed down to breakfast, right behind a couple of first-year boys who were murmuring to one another eagerly about getting their class schedules. Upon entering the Great Hall, she passed the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables, plopping herself down next to Mandy, whom she met the previous evening at the feast.
–‘Morning!†she said, smiling brightly at the girl as she shovelled pancakes onto her plate.
–Good morning,†Mandy yawned as she bit the bits of egg on her fork. –I’m not used to waking up so early. S’pose I’d better, though.†At that moment, a tiny wizard shuffled towards them, mumbling and shuffling through papers.
–Miss McNight, here you go,†he squeaked as he handed Lis a piece of parchment. –And for you, Miss Brocklehurst. I look forward to seeing you both in my Charms class.†He shot them both a grin before wandering off to hand out the other students’ schedules.
Mandy groaned. –We have Charms with Slytherins. And Herbology. This is rubbish.†Her lips pursed, and an unamused expression crossed her face. –Well, it’s almost time for Charms. I suppose we’d better get a move on soon.â€
–Yeah, we do.†Elisabeth continued staring fixedly at her timetable as she shoved the rest of her food into her mouth. The two girls stood and slung their bags over their shoulders as they left the Great Hall and trudged through the entrance hall towards the grand staircase.
–I believe Charms is on the third floor, isn’t it?†Lis asked Mandy as they ascended the steps. The staircase began to move and they held on to the railing until it clanked to a stop.
–It’s what the prefect said. Or rather, I heard him tell another first year,†Mandy responded as they began to mount the second set of stairs. They turned into a hallway leading to their Charms lesson, when a colourful ghost-like man floated above their heads, cackling.
–Oi, ickle firsties come to play! ‘Ello, what are your names? I need some playmates!†The poltergeist grabbed a vase from a table and shattered it against the wall above their heads. Mandy shrieked; Lis jumped out of the way, covering her head with her bag as the shards bounced off of it.
–Peeves!†An old, ragged-looking man came wheezing toward them with a shabby cat on his heels. –Get away, you bloody pest! You wait until Dumbledore hears about this.†Peeves floated away, giving the caretaker a rude gesture before disappearing through a wall. Filch ignored Lis and Mandy, instead speaking to his cat. –Yes, my sweet, Peeves will pay dearly. We'll see to that, won't we?â€
–Bloody hell, that ghost is mental.†Mandy watched the retreating caretaker before eyeing the area of wall Peeves had disappeared through.
–That's a poltergeist, actually. They live for mischief. Er, in a sense.†The witch peered at her watch. –That Peeves nearly made us late. Come on,†she said, grabbing hold of Mandy’s arm and making a break for the Charms classroom straight ahead. They reached their seats just as the tiny wizard came into the room.
–Good morning, class! My name is Professor Filius Flitwick. I’m delighted to see so many new, excited faces here today. Our lesson will begin with the simple levitation spell, Wingardium Leviosa. The wand movement is a simple swish and flick, like so.†He took his wand from his robes as he spoke, giving it a light swish and flick several times for the class to see. He then scrambled onto a stool behind his desk, pointing the tip to a stack of books on it and repeating the movement. –Wingardium leviosa!†he squeaked, concentrating his focus on the books as they rose into the air. Murmurs filled the class as they watched with wide eyes. –What is essential when casting this spell is concentration. In time, with practice, this spell will become effortless. But for now, you must focus solely on the object which you are attempting to levitate, and be sure to properly enunciate the incantation; otherwise you just may set fire to the object, or worse. You must put emphasis on gar, and the o in leviosa. In front of you, you will find a feather. For the remainder of this class, you are to practice the incantation and wand movement until you can lift the object. You may begin!â€
–Oh, this will be fun!†said Mandy excitedly. Lis grinned in response, but said nothing. She turned her attention to the feather in front of her, blocking out all utterances of the incantation around her.
The feather became all she saw, and she pointed her wand at it, keeping a picture of the feather clear in her mind. –Wingardium leviosa!†she said in a clear voice. The feather twitched, but it did not levitate. Lis squinted her eyes, continuing to concentrate. Just as she opened her mouth to try again, she was hit in the back of the head. The witch whirled around to find herself face to face with the pale boy from the previous night, his face screwed up as he waved his wand wildly in the air. It hit her again on the nose, and she reached out and snatched it from him.
–Stop. What do you think you’re doing? Professor Flitwick said swish and flick, not wave your wand around like a maniac.†He grabbed his wand from her with a scowl on his face.
–‘Professor Flitwick said...’,†he mocked her in a high-pitched tone. –If you think you can do better, you try it.â€
–I am trying it,†she retorted, her cheeks flushing. –But unlike you, I haven’t whacked someone upside the head with my wand!†Elisabeth turned back, purposely swinging her hair into the boy’s face, before returning her attention to the feather. –Wingardium leviosa!†This time the feather lifted slightly off the desk, and she heard a squeal of delight as Professor Flitwick exclaimed, –Great job, Miss McNight! Keep going like that and you’ll have the spell down in no time!†Mumbling could be heard from behind her and she turned around to find the boy glaring at her. At her catching him, his pale face turned pink and he scrutinized his own feather, which still had not moved.
–I could help, you know,†she said as she turned in her seat. Beside her, Mandy was gawking at the pair, but Lis ignored her.
–I don’t need your help,†the boy replied, his teeth grinding.
–Your wandwork says otherwise. You need to give a gentle swish,†she moved her wand in a small, but wide U. –Then flick,†she flicked her wand at the feather. –And say the incantation. Now you try.â€
He looked at her grudgingly, but copied her movements as he said, –Wingardium leviosa!†The feather quivered, one end raised slightly. Again he tried, but once more the feather barely moved. –This is pointless,†he grumbled.
–You have to keep practicing. You didn’t honestly expect to get it on your first try, did you?†A single eyebrow raised at him, and the corner of his lip twitched. –You’ll get it.â€
–I’m Draco Malfoy, by the way,†he said suddenly.
Elisabeth blinked in surprise, but responded, –Elisabeth. If I were you, I would keep practicing.†Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of class.
–Remember students, your homework is to practice the charm! I expect some movement by next time I see you,†said Professor Flitwick as everyone packed up and left.
–I’ll see you in Herbology,†Mandy said, shoving her wand in her robes as she fled out of the room. Lis was pondering why Mandy seemed to be in such a rush when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face whoever tapped her, finding herself opposite of Draco.
–I really didn’t need your help, but,†he started, his face pinching as if what he was saying left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. –Thanks.â€
–You’re welcome.†Her tone was polite, but icy. She slung her bag over her shoulder and stalked off, leaving Malfoy to walk with his large cronies, who seemed more like his dumb bodyguards than anything else. Finally making it out of the classroom, she weaved her way through a sea of students, the shoving and pulling nearly making her trip several times. As soon as the door leading to the greenhouses came into view, she darted to it and found herself in the middle of what seemed to be a forest with glass and strange plants everywhere.
As she neared her classmates, she caught Mandy’s eye, but the girl looked away quickly, resuming her conversation with a Ravenclaw boy whom Elisabeth didn’t yet know. Frowning, she lagged behind the rest of her class just as Draco Malfoy and his friends showed up. She paid them no attention, but couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.
–Dumbledore really needs to wise up, I mean he not only lets mudbloods in this school, he supports their rights. My father says—â€
–Honestly, don’t you ever give up?†Before she knew what she was doing, she whirled around to face him with a look of anger on her face. –Muggles and Muggle-borns have just as much rights as we do. They aren’t worth any less than we are just because they have Muggle blood.â€
–Says the pureblood,†Draco said, sneering at her.
Elisabeth’s cheeks flushed and she shot back, –My pureblooded parents are purebloods because, for centuries, their families thought the way you do. My parents, on the other hand, learned to think for themselves. And they got married because they love each other! It’s got nothing to do with blood status. So before you start slinging around accusations and insults, think.†Once again she left him open-mouthed, just in time for a tiny witch in a tattered hat and robes to come shuffling towards them, opening the door to the greenhouses and showing them in.
–Greenhouse one, everyone, that’s it. Welcome, welcome to Herbology. I’m Professor Sprout, and I will be your teacher, hopefully for the rest of your time here at Hogwarts. Today we will be going over safety and supplies, not particularly exciting for you but then again, first years never get the fun stuff.†The professor chuckled and tapped her wand against a blackboard. Writing scrawled on it as they watched. –First off, supplies!â€
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Later that night, Mandy caught up with Lis in the common room just as she was bent over a table doing homework. She looked up from One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi to find a disgruntled Mandy sitting across from her with a sour expression on her face. She shot daggers with her eyes at Elisabeth, her arms crossed over her chest, and Lis set down her quill with a sigh.
–What’s wrong?â€
–Malfoy,†she said, her tone oddly cold. –You’re friends with the racist git now.†Mandy was accusatory, and Lis raised a brow.
–Friends? Why? Because I helped him in Charms?†She snorted. –Hardly. I’ll say to you what I said to him, I may be pureblood, but I was raised right.†The other witch seemed doubtful, but said nothing and got up, leaving Lis to her homework and her thoughts.