The next morning, Harry stirred awake shortly after six o'clock, well before his dorm mates—especially the red-haired one. After going through his morning routines, he made his way down to the common room. With about an hour to spare before breakfast, he chose to continue reading his biology book. Occasionally, he cast a tempus charm to keep track of time, as he found himself completely engrossed in the material.
At seven-thirty, Harry closed his book, referring to the route he had mapped out the night before to navigate from the Gryffindor common room to the Great Hall. Despite his planning, the slightly altered staircase took a bit longer than expected. Upon arriving, he found the Hall to be sparsely populated, mostly with older Ravenclaws.
The breakfast spread was a far cry from the previous day's feast but was well-stocked with all the traditional English breakfast staples. Harry helped himself to a plate of fried eggs and bacon, along with a glass of orange juice, and resumed reading while he ate. Professor McGonagall, the head of his house, had yet to arrive, and it was she who would provide him with his timetable.
Around quarter past eight, students and professors began filtering into the Great Hall. After a quick bite herself, Professor McGonagall walked along the Gryffindor table, handing out timetables. When she approached Harry, who was seated near the entrance, he set his book aside and accepted the document.
"Thank you, Professor," he said, scanning the schedule. It read:
Monday: History of Magic (with Ravenclaw) – Herbology (with Hufflepuff) – lunch – double Charms (with Slytherin).
Tuesday: Transfiguration (with Slytherin) – DADA (with Ravenclaw) – lunch – free period – Herbology (with Hufflepuff).
Wednesday: double DADA (with Slytherin) – lunch – free periods – Astronomy (all houses) at 11 PM.
Thursday: lunch – Herbology (with Slytherin) – Charms (with Ravenclaw).
Friday: double Potions (with Slytherin) – lunch – Transfiguration (with Ravenclaw) – History of Magic (with Hufflepuff).
Overall, Harry found the schedule manageable. However, he felt a slight unease at the fact that nine out of the seventeen periods involved Slytherins. Though he had no personal qualms with the house of the snakes, many of his housemates did, and Slytherins generally shared a reciprocal disdain for Gryffindors. Who thought pairing them together for half the lessons was a good idea?
History of Magic was taught by the ghost Professor Binns, who endlessly droned on about various goblin rebellions, while only Hermione managed to stay awake and take notes. The rest of their mixed-class attendees were either dozing off or engaged in non-academic activities. Thankfully, it was only a single lesson.
In contrast, Herbology, shared with the Hufflepuffs on Mondays, was considerably more engaging. Professor Pomona Sprout, a pleasant and round lady, introduced her first-year students to safe magical plants in the Hogwarts greenhouses. She encouraged them to look forward to tackling more dangerous and interesting species in the years to come.
Charms, led by the diminutive Professor Flitwick—who had to stand on several books to be seen—was lively yet focused more on magical theory than practical application during the first weeks. Harry decided to reserve judgment on the subject until they began practical work. Nevertheless, he enjoyed chatting with Draconica during Charms, as the Gryffindors and Slytherins shared that class on Mondays.
On Tuesday, they began with Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall showcased her prowess by transforming into a cat and back again, as well as changing her desk into a pig before reverting it to its original shape with a flick of her wand.
Just then, a breathless Ron Weasley barged into the classroom, claiming to have gotten lost, which earned him a reprimand from McGonagall, along with a humorous threat of being turned into a map to prevent future mishaps. The class chuckled, Hermione being the only one who refrained from sharing in the laughter.
Following that amusing interlude, McGonagall reviewed the classroom rules and began teaching the fundamentals of transfiguration. To practice, she provided each student with a matchstick, instructing them to transform it into a sewing needle.
For the first ten minutes, no one had achieved even the slightest change. Unlike others, Harry used his failures to analyze what might be going wrong. He concluded that the result wasn't linked to the volume of his incantation or the power he exerted—especially as he followed the precise wand movements she had demonstrated. This left just intent as a variable. But how does one intend a transformation? Simply picturing the matchstick as a needle was ineffective; he needed to visualize the entire transformation process.
Unfortunately, he realized that his mental discipline wasn't quite up to par, as he could only manage to rotate the matchstick and minimize the sulfuric head. Yet, this was enough to earn him a small compliment and three points for Gryffindor from McGonagall. Hermione successfully transformed her matchstick to silver a minute later, garnering an additional five points for their house.
"How?" Draconica whispered from across the aisle. In response, Harry gently tapped his temple and mouthed 'intent' to her. The blonde girl nodded in thanks and resumed her efforts at the transformation. After a second attempt, she managed to sharpen her matchstick into a point, which earned Slytherin two points. "Thank you," Draconica whispered again, continuing her practice.
Even though Harry felt he was starting to grasp the essence of transfiguration, by the end of the lesson, he had only managed to turn his matchstick into a wooden needle without an eyelet, earning Gryffindor two more points.
Unfortunately, Defense Against the Dark Arts proved to be disappointing as well—Professor Quirrell was laughable. He reeked of garlic, constantly stuttered, and seemed terrified of his own shadow, teaching very little of value. Compounding matters, Harry felt a nagging headache near his scar whenever Quirrell was present.
Wednesday began with two more DADA periods, which only intensified Harry's headaches. Thankfully, no further lessons followed until the astronomy class at eleven at night. From his reading, he gleaned that the subject would largely involve stargazing; Professor Sinistra was competent, but her lessons primarily covered the names of stars and planets visible through telescopes.
Thursday allowed first years to sleep until lunch, a welcome relief after Astronomy ended in the early hours. Post-lunch, they had Herbology with Slytherins, followed by Charms with Ravenclaws.
Friday for Gryffindors kicked off with double Potions alongside Slytherins.
Professor Snape, the Potions instructor, was a nasty figure with greasy hair who obviously loathed three-quarters of the class—all those not dressed in green and silver. The moment Snape's gaze fell upon Harry's name, it was glaringly clear that his disdain for the green-eyed wizard surpassed that for anyone else in the room.
After a lengthy soliloquy about the significance of potions, Snape chose to quiz Harry.
"Potter!" he called sharply. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry's mind raced to recall a potion utilizing those ingredients, but he couldn't. Nevertheless, he remembered the effects of each ingredient individually, enabling him to deduce the potion's nature. Snape continued to glare, disregarding Hermione's eager hand raised for an answer.
"The combination produces a potent soporific. If I had to guess, it creates a powerful sleeping draught... the Draught of Living Death?" Harry responded.
"Three points from Gryffindor for showing up to my class unprepared. I would have taken five, but you've managed, through sheer luck, to answer correctly," Snape sneered. "Let's try again. This time, you'll lose your house ten points if you fail." He paused, clearly pondering over a particularly challenging question. "What purpose do lacewing flies serve in potions?" Once again, he ignored Hermione's raised hand.
"Lacewing flies are used in potions that alter the appearance of the recipient," Harry answered confidently, barely pausing to think.
"Incorrect, Potter. They act as a stabilizing agent in the alteration of appearance potions. It seems you fail to recognize that fame isn't everything. Ten points from Gryffindor." Ron's eyes flared with the urge to protest, but Dean held him back. "Let's try one more, Potter. I need you to tell me where I would find cassia leaves." Snape's voice dripped with malice.
"I'd look in an apothecary or in the ingredient cabinets of a potions lab, maybe even in a greenhouse. Cassia is not native to the British Isles," Harry replied, trying to mask his uncertainty. Judging by Snape's sour expression, he had hit the mark again. The professor seemed ready to chastise him further for being too knowledgeable, but at that moment, Ron broke free from Dean's restraint.
"Potter, you traitor! How dare you sabotage our points!" Ron yelled, his anger boiling over. Snape's glare swiftly silenced him.
"Weasley..." Snape hissed, his voice low and menacing. "I will not tolerate such behavior in my classroom. Five points from Gryffindor." Ron's face twisted in disbelief. "Now, answer me, Weasley: what is a bezoar, and where would you find one?"
"And why should I know? I'm not a know-it-all! Ask Granger; she knows everything," the irate redhead shot back, further costing Gryffindor five points.
"Granger, you say?" Snape sneered. "No... how about Miss Brown? What would be your answer?" Lavender, equally uninformed, led to Snape taking five more points from the house of lions.
"For your information, Weasley, Brown, a bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat, and it can save you from most poisons." Snape glanced at the clock, noting that his lesson had already consumed a fair amount of time. "Today, you will be brewing a potion to cure boils. The instructions are on the board." With a flick of his wand, the details materialized. "You have until lunch. Begin."
Five minutes into the class, Harry regretted teaming up with Neville, who, while kind-hearted, was utterly inept at potion-making. Snape's withering stare seemed intent on melting their cauldron. Finally, taking charge, Harry opted to handle the brewing while Neville focused on preparing the ingredients—it proved to be a smart choice. Thanks to his experience with the Dursleys, Harry was adept at ignoring Snape's snide remarks and concentrating on his work, aided in part by his cooking skills.
Their potion came out a shade darker than intended, earning a 'passable' from Snape, while Draconica and Daphne's concoction, which came out similarly, received an 'outstanding.' Frustrated by Snape's apparent favoritism, Harry gathered his belongings and slung his bag over his shoulder, making his way to the Great Hall for lunch. However, as he exited the classroom, a furious Ron barreled into him.
"Potter! How could you lose us points that others earned, you traitorous git!" Ron shouted, attempting to physically confront Harry. Fortunately, Harry evaded the punch with relative ease.
"At least I scored more points than I lost!" Harry retorted, only serving to further ignite Ron's fury. Determined to land a hit, Ron lunged again, managing to break through Harry's defenses and landed a punch to his stomach—thankfully, it wasn't nearly as hard as what Dudley would have dealt.
"And what do we have here?" sneered Professor Snape. "Fighting in the corridors, Potter, Weasley? Five points from Gryffindor each for behaving like common Muggles. That's another five points lost each." Ron immediately redirected his wrath at Snape, shouting about the unfairness of losing points when it was Potter's fault. This outburst earned Ron a detention, and taking advantage of the chaos, Harry slipped away.
Although Transfiguration followed lunch, Harry opted to speak with Professor McGonagall first. Upon arriving at her classroom, Harry found she had just concluded a lesson with fifth years.
"Was there something you needed, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked when she spotted him lingering at the doorway. Harry nodded.
"Yes, Professor. I would like to address the unfair points deduction by Professor Snape earlier today. He took ten points from me for fighting, even though I was only defending myself," Harry explained.
McGonagall listened attentively. "I understand, Mr. Potter. However, I would require proof of your claim. A simple oath would suffice; if you were to lie, you would bear the stigma of dishonesty."
Harry agreed; this seemed fair. "How do I make such an oath?" he inquired.
"Most magical oaths are constructed as follows: you start with 'I,' followed by your full name. Next, state 'do swear on,' which will determine your punishment for any lies. Then conclude with 'that,' and specify your oath. You'll need to hold your wand while reciting it," McGonagall instructed. "There are other forms of oaths, but that's not relevant now."
"Okay, Professor," Harry replied, pulling out his wand. "I, Harry James Potter, do swear on the stigma of a liar that what I told Professor McGonagall during lunch today is true." A faint flash of magic rippled through the air, but otherwise, nothing occurred.
"Very well, then," McGonagall acknowledged. "As the deputy headmistress, I hereby restore ten points unjustly taken from Gryffindor by Professor Severus Snape for fighting, attributed to student Harry James Potter." Harry felt a gentle hum throughout the castle for a brief moment. "However, as advice for the future, Mr. Potter, it's best not to make oaths about simple matters if the consequence is one of such significance." Harry nodded in understanding.
"Is that all, Mr. Potter?" she asked. Harry shook his head. "Well, then you may go," she instructed.
"Thank you, Professor," he replied, turning to leave. Just as he stepped away, McGonagall called after him.
"One last thing, Mr. Potter. While your mother was a first-generation witch, remarkably talented no doubt, your father hails from a noble lineage boasting centuries of history within the magical community. More so, if you include the Potters' historical significance prior to their title. As such, it's possible you have another, more official name, though 'Harry' is certainly acceptable," she said. "I advise you to consult Gringotts or the Ministry of Magic's Archives about this matter." Harry nodded, trying to process the new information.
"Thank you, Professor," he managed, overwhelmed by the significance of her words.