Welcome To Hogwarts: The NEW First Years

[Prof. Cinders]

Ed glared after Arienne, calming his mind and shoving his books into his bag brutally. Avoiding everyone's penetrating gaze, he stormed from the room and threw himself through the corridors. Arriving at the Ravenclaw common room, he growled the password and entered, knocking several older students out of his way as they went down for lunch. Taking the steps three at a time, he arrived at his dorm and burst in, leaping onto his bed and throwing his belongings onto the chest at its end. Pressing his pillow into his face, he screamed and yelled into its soft confines, relieving his anger. How DARE she? How could she just yell that out?

Growling quietly now, he sat up on the four poster, looking around the room. The other boys had left their own personal marks by their beds, pictures and belongings now strewn across the floor by the force of his raging. Sighing, he waved his hand round the room vaguely, sweeping the objects back into their places. Picking up his own pictures, he placed them on the windowsill again. On the final one, he paused, and looked at it more closely. The young girl who was playing with the knife had faded slightly, revealing more of the background of ghosts behind her. Frowning, Ed placed it on his bedside table, and sat to stare at it silently. He wasn't hungry, and wasn't looking forward to seeing anyone else that day.

[Rosie]

"That's a bit unfair but it does make sense." Ziarre answered Kohana "If you get into the habit of using English spells then you won't have any trouble later. What I don't understand is why she has to teach you in your own time. Surely we'll cover the spells in class."

After helping herself to a baked potato Ziarre walked outside to the broom shed, which she had seen on her way in the previous evening, hoping to have a word with Madam Hooch before flying.

[Chloe]

Arienne gulped down the last of her pumpkin juice and strolled outside, down the path that took her to the smooth lawn on the opposite side of the grounds from the brooding Forbidden Forest. She wished she could have brought her own - well, her mother's - upgraded Silver Arrow; she didn't think at all highly of the knarled school brooms, and from what she could make out on the other Slytherins' faces, they didn't either.

Arienne sighed and, after carefully examining the forlorn broomsticks on the grass, went and stood by the one she thought least likely to suddenly drop a foot when airborne. In the distance, she could see other first-years approaching the lawn, chatting away to their new friends. Something strange twisted in her heart; Ari shifted uneasily, and put it down to the sheer joy of soon flying again. Not long now, she told herself - but the strange feeling remained, right up until a loud giggle escaped Avery and all the Slytherin girls quickly turned their eyes away. The tall girl grimaced and unconsciously gripped her wand handle. Whatever. Let's see you laughing 200 feet in the air...hanging upside-down... She permitted herself a small smile as she waited for Madam Hooch and the other students to arrive.

[Rosie]

"I'm sorry Ziarre but you have to do this flying lesson" Madam Hooch said, looking slightly worried. "Oh," Ziarre answered, slightly disappointed but putting on another smile she added "It can't be too bad." Shrugging it off even more the fairy went and joined the other first years by the brooms. She stood next to Ari and an average looking broom. If the worst comes I can always use my wings Ziarre thought with an inward smile. This smile spread to the surface and Ziarre looked at Ari, trying to be friendly.

[Chloe]

Ari stopped herself from smiling back to the strange girl, but couldn't stop the wave of calm and happiness slowly washing over her. She hissed softly and looked away, studying the rough surface of the broom at her feet intently. "What brings you here? One with such powers already cannot possibly learn more from a school such as this," she muttered to her toes.

[Rosie]

Ziarre's sharp hearing picked up Arienne's words and her even sharper eyesight picked up the girl's uneasy movements. "You can always learn more" she said cheerily "besides this is such a great school, how could I turn down the offer to come here?" she finished with a small giggle and a grin. Growing slightly impatient Ziarre decided to try to make conversation "I wonder where everyone is, and what we're going to do this lesson. Have you flown before?"

[Chloe]

"In response to your three questions: most of them are just coming over that hill, apart from Vernard, who seems to be skiving," Ari studied her fingernails carefully, "then we're going to be learning how to use broomsticks in the proper wizarding fashion, and finally," she looked up, fixing her most acid glare onto Ziarre, "I could fly before I could walk." Which isn't actually that much of an exaggeration, Ari thought proudly.

[Prof. Cinders]

Ed walked up to the window after pacing around the room with nothing to do. Seeing the other first years heading towards a field, he swore quietly and opened the windows. Warm air flooded the dormitory, filling every corner with a homely smell of freshly cut grass and the scent of the forest. Climbing onto the sill, he pointed his right hand into the sky. Whispering, he muttered, 'Transporte.' The breeze was swiftly swept into a strong wind, lifting the necromancer off his feet and pulling him through the air, as though he was as light as a feather. Used to the sensation, Ed landed softly beside Ziarre, inspiring a few students to cheer in enthuasiasm. Slightly bored and with anger still simmering inside him, he yawned and looked at the broom around them. Turning his gaze back to the girls, he lowered his head slightly. The wind immediately dropped, and the air around the group turned icy. 'You humiliated me,' he hissed at both of them. 'You... Ziarre, I appreciate the message you sent and will honour it, but I don't like the open way you sent it. Anyone,' here he glowered at Arienne, 'Could've read it. And you. You... thing. I know who you are, Miss Snape, and I know how to find you. You can't hide from me. You'll pay for what you've done.'

Ed turned from the two abruptly, and stalked over to one of the smoother brooms, in hope of a less bumpy ride. He'd never ridden the air currents in this way before, only by his spells, and wanted to prove that he wasn't scared of anything. But underneath all the confidence, the boy touched the broom in fear. His anger was going to get the better of him one day, but he wouldn't let that happen yet. Yes, both girls would get what was coming to them. But nothing severe. Not yet.

[Hana-san]

Kohana stared out of the window at the flying lesson she was missing ans sighed, "Professor can't we do this at lunch times? I really want to do flying lessons" she turned away from the window to face her head of house.

"I'm sorry Miss Shimane, but these lessons are cumpulsory to your education."

"But won't I be learning the same spells in my other lessons?"

"Yes, but these extra lessons are to reinforce your knowledge from your other lessons. Don't look so down, these lessons will change time for each week, you will have flying lessons at some point."

"Yes professor." Kohana said and turned back to look out of the window.

[Chloe]

Thing? I've had worse insults from flobberworms, Ari thought calmly. Pretty much everyone knows who I am, one more person despising me and my parentage won't hurt, she continued smirking as Ed hissed at her, and Location spells are hardly complicated for show-off floating necromancers like you, she finished, just before Ed spoke his last sentence.

I'll pay for what I've done? Sounds a little like a threat - care to elaborate? Ari thought loudly at Ed's back. But underneath the mockery, she was scared. Did he know something about her past, her heritage, the Sorting Hat's strange message? And other things besides...The vengeance of necromancers was not a pretty thing to behold...

Arienne turned back to Ziarre and forced a quick smile onto her face. Now that she'd been in close proximity to the girl for a few minutes, she didn't seem to hate her as much. "I assume you've never ridden a broom before," she continued without a trace of spite in her voice, as if Ed had neer interrupted. "It's quite easy to fly, once you've learnt," she said as Madam Hooch flew down in front of the students and dismounted.

"Good afternoon, firstyears. Today you shall be learning the basics of flying. We'll only be covering simple techniques such as mounting and dismounting properly, we may not even get onto airborne techniques, so none of you need worry at all," Madam Hooch said kindly, looking at Ziarre and various Muggle-borns in the year.

"Now, I want you all to stand next to your brooms, so that your wand hand is placed above the middle of the handle." She waited for the students to get into position: "Now focus on the broom and say clearly, UP!"

Arienne's broomstick jumped straight into her hand without her even having to say the word in her head. Others had not been so attentive; she glanced round to see how Ziarre and Ed had fared.

[Rosie]

Ziarre's command had sent her broomstick hurtling into her hand. It pushed against her hand and she had to struggle to keep it at waist height. Hopefully it wouldn't suddenly take off, with her gripping on for dear life. Her magical aura was interfering with the broomstick she was holding. Ziarre tried to suppress the worry building up in her she hoped and pleaded that her aura wouldn't interfere with any other broomsticks around her.

[Chloe]

Arienne raised an eyebrow at Ziarre's hyperactive broomstick. It must be hexed, she thought calmly; then she noticed her own broom wavering in her hand. Strange...there's no balance... She looked back at Ziarre's panicked face. "So this is why you came to Hogwarts," she muttered.

Madam Hooch helped most of the other students got their broomsticks in the air after a few minutes, then showed them how to mount their brooms and grip the handle properly. She walked round the students, correcting and encouraging them; when she got to Arienne, she gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Your mother taught you well," she said quietly - Ari nodded back and turned to hide her sad smile - then moved on to Ziarre.

[Rosie]

Ziarre hadn't managed to lift a foot off the floor without her broom trying to escape her grip. When Madam Hooch came over to her she noticed the shaking broomstick and took it off Ziarre, keeping a tight grip on it. "I'll just change this one for a better one for you. Hopefully one that won't try to escape." The teacher walked away from Ziarre and had got no further than five feet away when the broomstick stopped shaking. She turned back to Ziarre and walked over to her. As soon as she got near again though the broom shook violently. Ziarre dropped her eyes as the professor tried to figure out what could possibly be wrong with the broom. Nothing like this had happened before, even with the old school brooms.

[Chloe]

"I'll help her." The words sprang out of Arienne's mouth before she could stop them, and Madam Hooch turned and nodded in surprise before moving on to Gladys Goyle, who kept slipping off and falling on her backside.

Ari quickly took Ziarre's wrist, wondering what the hell was coming over her, and led her away from the other students. After racking her brain for a few minutes, she muttered an incantation: "My mother used it on my first broom, to make me focus on my flying," she explained, after adding an extra braking charm. She handed the broomstick back to Ziarre and frowned. It was still quivering slightly. "Stay close. The charm wears off quickly. It may not even work with your...condition," she said, summoning up the largest smirk she could with Ziarre radiating positiveness.

[Rosie]

"Thanks" Ziarre said sweetly, misreading the smirk for a smile, before walking back into line. Madam Hooch had finally managed to get Gladys Goyle to stay on her broom, but she was still wobbling unsteadily because of her weight problem, and had moved onto the other students. Ziarre's broom had stopped shaking so violently but was still quivering unsteadily. Copying Arienne's grip she steadied herself and waited for the professor to finished with the rest of the year.

[Prof. Cinders]

Ed caught the broom nimbly in his hand after commanding it to rise, and mounted steadily. The broom stayed perfectly still in his grip, and seemed almost to be a top-of-the-range model. Glancing over the rest of the group, he saw that everyone was ready at last. Madam Hooch stood by, her whistle in her mouth. Immediately, doubt spread through his mind, draining his face of all colour. What if I fall off and break my neck? What if the broom doesn't take off at all? What if it steers itself? What if? what if? What- THe shrill whistle cut across his thoughts, and his legs automatically kicked off the ground. His mind whirled as he began to rise, the broom shaking slightly under his weight, then suddenly shot into the sky like a lightning bolt. He stared at the ground, and his mind finally caught up with his situation. "AAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL! GET ME DOWN! AAAAAAAAAH!" he yelled, panicking. Other first years were only a few feet off the ground, looking up at him in amazement - some stifling smirks. He ignored them, overwhelmed in his terror. Only one other first year had risen as high as him - Karys. Seeing her, screaming, looking down in horror, he regained his senses. Calling over the rising wind in the heights as the two rocketed upwards, he said, 'Calm down! Someone'll come to get us!' But Karys didn't hear him. Frowning, he closed his eyes, ignoring the wind trying to tear them open. 'It's going to be... alright...' he muttered, and took one hand off of the handle. It was immediately covered in frost, and Ed realised just how high up they were. Flinging it downwards, he shouted something that couldn't be heard over the rising winds. Both of the first year's ascent slowed, but they continued floating upwards gently. Someone had better come up and help soon, before the two went above cloud level...

[Hana-san]

Kohana let out a small giggle at the screams from outside and turned to face Professor Weasley before she went into fits of laughter, "Sorry professor, but that was just too funny."

"Never mind that, are you propared to begin." The head of house said, she was also trying not to laugh and making a better job at a straight face than Ko.

"Yes professor." Ko said and took her wand out of her pocket. "I know spells like Wingardium Leviosa and Lumos."

"Yes, they are very basic spells and we will go over them briefly as we work through our classes. But today I want you to work on Nocks. It is the opposite spell of lumos and puts out lights and reverses the lumos spell." The professor took a step behind Kohana and closed the curtains for the window out of which you could see out-of-control students attempting to fly broomsticks. "Let's begin, light your wand with the lumos spell."

[Rosie]

Ziarre kicked off hard from the ground and floated a few feet above the ground, amazed that she wasn't thrown off by the shaking broomstick. Her attention was then taken by a shout from far above her head. Looking up she saw Karys and Ed looking petrified and soaring higher and higher. Her common sense failed and her instincts took over. Pulling her broom up she shot up she tried to look shocked, so it was not obvious that she was going up on purpose. Hopefully they would all think it was her broom playing up again, but Arienne's spells had worked, the broom was hardly shaking as she rose quickly up. When in the thick clouds, out of the prying eyes of the students below, a pair of wings appeared in an explosion of purple sparks. They looked like overly large butterfly wings, black with light pink, a more redish pink and purple stripes. She shot around the clouds looking for the pair of Ravenclaws. Eventually she found them near the top layer of cloud, Karys still screaming and Ed looking up, terrified of the clear blue sky that was rapidly approaching. She made eye contact with Ed and with a quick smile she pushed the end of Karys's broom down. Slowly it began to drift down through the cool clouds. She fluttered over to Ed and did the same. "Lean forward a bit" she shouted calmly over the rushing winds, before mounting her own broom again and allowing her wings to disappear again, in a burst of pink sparks. Pushing down on the front of her own broom and leaning forward she began to descend again. The broom quivered slightly but didn't buck her off, which Ziarre was thankful of.

[Prof. Cinders]

OOC: Hannah, it's "nox", not nocks. It's sort of latin for night, but not quite.

BIC: Ed quickly nodded, leaning into his broomstick. Karys coped him, but was staring at Ziarre in a mixture of horror and amazement. 'Did she just... What was... What is she?' the first year spluttered, having to yell over the wind. Oxygen began to feel the air as they descended, and Ed gulped it down in relief.

'Does it matter?' he called back, as they came back through the cloud layer. Grinning, the necromancer pulled the broomstick up slightly to level out his flight, leaving the other two to land. Now that he was over the primary terror, he rather enjoyed the sensation of flying with the aid of a broomstick. Karys landed huffily, but immediately waved to her friends to come down so she could tell them what she saw... And what Ziarre was.

[Rosie]

Ziarre watched in half horror, half disappointment at Karys. She had hoped that the Ravenclaw had not seen, but unfortunately she had. The broomstick started to shake more violently as she reached a halt. She quickly smiled at Ed and Ari, thanking her mentally for what she had done to the broom. The fairy had never been so glad to touch the ground again. Broomsticks may be good for witches and wizards but it was nothing compared to the sensation she felt with wings on her back and the wind in her face.

"Alright. Everyone lean forward on your brooms and come back to the ground. That's quite enough for today." Madam Hooch called out to all of those still in the air. "Three. That must be a record." the professor muttered to herself, gathering the brooms from the students as they landed. Ziarre handed in her broom, all of the ones already in the professor's arms shaking violently, before walking swiftly away from them all.

She made her way over to what was quickly becoming her favourite place in the whole castle, the lake. There she waited for Ed, who she hoped would turn up.

[Prof. Cinders]

Ed looked down at the ground, and frowned in disappointment. The lesson was over already? And he'd only just started to have fun. Sadly, he descended slowly to the ground, and handed the broom to Madam Hooch. She smiled wearily at him, and said, 'Once the fear was over, you enjoyed that, didn't you?' Ed simply smiled and nodded, following Ziarre at a distance. When he had arrived, he walked over to Ziarre. 'Thank you for saving me,' he muttered, smiling. 'You did more than you think you did.'

[Rosie]

"It was nothing, really" Ziarre said cheerily, sitting down. Her hair brushed her back as she looked over the picturesque lake, its waters still and calm. "Did Karys see though, and will she tell?. My secret can't be revealed so early on." Her eyes dropped, as did her voice. Changing the subject slightly she managed to look up and a small smile appear on her face once again. "How much do you know then?" she asked, looking into Ed's nearly black eyes.

[Prof. Cinders]

'I knew you were a fairy, and a pure one at that. Your aura's made of solid colour, very rare, the first I've ever seen. But I never knew what beautiful wings you had,' he said calmly, brushing his own hair out of his eyes. 'I knew you were very powerful, but not how powerful. I still don't know that much. And, of course, I don't know where you come from, and how you come to be here.' Finished, he sat facing the lake's uninterrupted surface, the sun's light reflected off of it as if it was crystal. 'You don't know as much about me, though,' he muttered. 'And one thing I'd like to know right now is why you sent me that note, plainly visible to all around, and of course, why you want to see me.'

[Rosie]

"I didn't mean it to be that visible. I'm sorry." Ziarre said, a guilty note coming into her voice. Again she shook this off, her eyes glistening as she continued "I wanted to see you because I don't know how much you know about me. I don't want my secret to come out but if Karys tells everyone then what choice to I have." she sighed slightly but continued nevertheless. "Yes, I am a pure fairy, one of the few left. We were only discovered recently and already our numbers are diminishing because of the Ministry's testing. Unlike Impish fairies we're modest and hide ourselves well. We, like Metamorphmagus can change our appearance, but only our wings. Those wings are some of my best though." Ziarre spoke, solemnly at first but her face broke into another smile as she spoke about her wings, looking up into Ed's eyes again.

"But I also wanted to know about you. Your a Necromancer, right? You seem to have been around ghosts all your life and you haven't been in contact with other wizards for some time. Am I right?"

[Prof. Cinders]

Ed looked away from the fairy at that point, instead lowering his head to face his feet. 'I am a necromancer, and a gifted one at that. I've been around the ghosts of my own ancestors and other's my whole life, learning their secrets, keeping their memories alive. My family and I have been hidden from society for centuries. Only recently did we expose ourselves, and that was my idea. I had to know what other wizards were like; the dead spoke of their families so highly. I wanted to know what other boys of my age were like.' Sighing, his voice grew wearied as he continued.

'I am the last heir to the Venard Necromancer's legacy. I received news today that my younger sister died. I don't yet know how, but I know that she hadn't been introduced to the Art yet. Many of my family practiced the Dark Arts, but we still do not consider Necromancy among them. Since I am the last heir, and...' The eleven year old looked up at Ziarre again, his eyes brimming with tears. 'The last remaining living Venard. I have to carry my family's name, my family's memories. I had to grow up by the age of five. My mother died then, when my sister was born. My father died of circumstances he won't reveal to me in death. None of my family will ever go to the Afterlife, afraid of those they have killed. I have killed more than any of them. I can't die at eleven, unmarried with no heirs, with so many ready to make my death torture after the actual event.' His voice was strained, and his eyes grew even darker than they already were, sinking in on themselves. 'I came here to learn more magic than any of my preceding family, and to find out what ordinary children are like. I don't feel like a child anymore, and by right, I am a legal adult as a fully trained Necromancer by the Ministry's laws. I can marry any time I like, and get an heir for my family. But I don't want to. I don't want any of this. I just want to be normal!' Ed broke down completely, shuddering in between huge sobs of anguish. Huge tears cascaded from his eyes, his hands clenched tight winding around his robes. Slowly, he fell backwards, the soft grass of approaching autumn embracing him in its warmth. His face was so pale he seemed dead to the world.