The Great Hall was bustling with chatter as students from all four houses gathered for lunch. Adrian sat at the Slytherin table with Draco,Theodore and Luciano. Today's day ended with charms.
We have charms with Ravenclaw next," Theodore muttered looking somewhat expectant."Flitwick is known to be one of the best in school."
"Flitwick's fine, I guess," Draco replied, sounding unimpressed. "But tomorrow we have got Quirrell. He's got a turban and looks like he's lost his mind. Trust me he looks like he's anything but sane"
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "He might surprise you. At least that's what I feel"
"You guys talking about Quirrell" asked Evanna as she suddenly jumped into the conversation." Well me and Rebecca just had his class today and he was amazing. The best DADA class I have had at Hogwarts."
"Really, he was amazing" said Rebecca
"Are you sure sister? " said Luciano as he questioned his sister. " I do agree with Malfoy. The way he dresses, with that horrendous turban makes. He makes himself look like a clown."
The bell rang soon as the conversations came to an end. It was now time for the Slytherins to experience the charms of professor Flitwick.
Charms Class
Professor Flitwick was already standing on a pile of books when the students entered, his cheerful demeanor filling the room. The desks were set up in neat rows as he greeted the class with high pitched enthusiasm.
"First years, Ready to learn some magic?" he asked. "Today, we'll practice the Lumos charm. You should all be familiar with it as it is one of the most basic charms."So who can tell me what the Lumos charm is?"
Hermione Granger's hand shot up immediately as demonstrated her eagerness. Flitwick pointed to her and she answered confidently. "The lumos charm is a simple charm to light the tip of your wand, used to illuminate dark spaces."
"Precisely, five points for Gryffindor!" Flitwick said. "Now remember ,focus is the key. Concentrate on the light you wish to produce and with a flick of the wrist, recite lumos."
The class began and most students were able to perform the spell. Adrian wanted to do something different. He took a soft breath and flicked his wand as he chanted, "lumos maxima". His wand tip glowed, a soft and steady light formed. Suddenly, light grew brighter turning into a larger beam of light that illuminated the entire area.
Flitwick caught sight of it immediately. "Well done, Mr. Blackthorn!" he exclaimed as, his eyes gleamed with excitement. "Not Lumos, but Lumos Maxima! A most impressive spell for a first year. Ten.... no.. twenty points to Slytherin!"
Adrian gave a small smile of acknowledgement as stayed focused on his practice.
"Show off" commented Ron as Adrians good performance seemed to spark a sense of jealousy within him.
"Jealous?" Hermione reprimanded Ron, her eyes narrowing. "If you focused more on the spell and less on other people, you might actually succeed."
Ron's face turned beet red in embarrassment as Harry gave him a comforting nudge. "Come on, Ron. It's just practice."
The class was going smoothly, until Seamus Finnigan waved his wand too enthusiastically, causing a massive explosion to occur. Flitwick was caught by surprise as he tumbled down his pile of books. The blast also sent several students ducking for cover and even a few desks were sent flying. Thankfully, nobody was injured, including Finnigan.
"Mr. Finnigan!" Professor Flitwick called out in an alarmed yet amused tone. "Calm down as you could have almost killed somebody with that blast. Magic is not forceful, it is deliberate. Try to keep that in your mind while practicing."
Seamus, looking sheepish, apologized before sitting down. Soon, the professor's smile returned as the class went on.
The class soon came to an end and now, it was time for the DADA class. Most Slytherins were not excited about this class especially ,when rumours about how terrible the previous DADA teachers were kept on spreading.
Defense Against the Dark Arts
The students filed into the next classroom for Defense Against the Dark Arts as Adrian could not help notice the quiet atmosphere in this class . The room felt cold and numb. Professor Quirrell stood at the front with his hands clasped behind his back and his turban firmly in place. There was something about him that felt different today. He did not look stuttery as mentioned in the books or movies. In fact , he had an air of confidence about him.
"Welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson." Quirrell greeted the students enthusiastically. Today, we will begin with the basics of understanding the difference between jinxes, hexes and curses. As first years, your magical training is in its infancy yet, it remains crucial for one to know the basics.
Quirrell started walking around the room as he spoke, his presence commanding.
"A jinx," Quirrell continued, "is a minor spell that is meant to cause harm or minor damage. A good example of this is the tickling charm.Yes it is harmless but, it is very irritating. A hex however, is slightly more serious, capable of inflicting harm. An example of a hex would be the Bat Bogey hex. And finally, a curse is the most harmful form of spell. They are pure dark magic designed to kill."
"He paused in front of a chalkboard, where he had sketched simple symbols representing each type of spell. "Today, we will focus on the simplest forms of jinxes. They can be used to annoy or cause inconvenience to your enemies. Never underestimate the power of distractions on the battlefield. In the future, we will work our way up to more dangerous and complex magic."
"Are we going to practice them, Professor?"asked Seamus in an eager tone.
Quirrell nodded. "Yes, but we'll start simple. The Rictusempra curse better known as the tickling charm is a harmless jinx. Yet, it is a spell that can be useful in the right circumstances. You will pair up and practice with your partner."
The students partnered off, and Adrian found himself paired with Nott, who was less than thrilled. "Oh, of course you're going to do it in one try, aren't you?"
Adrian nodded as his wand flicked smoothly, casting Rictusempra, the charm causing Nott to start laughing uncontrollably.
"Well done," Quirrell said. "You're all showing great potential."
As the lesson continued was surprised at how good of a teacher Quirrell was. The way he carried himself today was entirely different from the bumbling fool he had been during the movies. Quirrell's gaze, Adrian noticed, constantly flicked briefly towards a note on his desk. It was old, with a cover design that Adrian had seen somewhere.
The note seemed to gleam under the low light of the room. Adrian suddenly noticed something on it, "CO..... " he couldn't make out any more of the details before Quirrell put the note inside his pocket.
Before Adrian could think more on it, the lesson ended and the students began to exit the classroom. He glanced back at the professor's pocket once more before exiting the classroom.
As Adrian walked back to the dormitory with Nott, he couldn't help but feel excited for his future journey. Tomorrow was a weekend and a holiday. His plan was to venture out to the Room of Requirement and do some training until...
"Wait Adrian," Draco suddenly called out for him." I need your help."
"What is Draco?" Adrian replied in an exasperated tone.
"I just challenged Potter for a duel and I need you to be my partner. I cannot trust those two fools Crabbe and Goyle to accompany me. If there was ever a need to run from Filch, those both would be the most useless bunch."
" It seems that at least this part is going according to the plot" thought Adrian before giving Draco a nod.