« Back
Generated:
Post last updated:
the people you'll meet
Permalink Mark Unread

The first other girl to get up is Sue Li, but the others are not too far behind.

Permalink Mark Unread

She says a quiet "Good morning" to Sue then goes to take a shower and get dressed for the day. When that's done she'll ask "Does anyone want to walk down to breakfast together?"

Permalink Mark Unread

They all do.

Permalink Mark Unread

Wonderful. "So, are any of you looking forward to any class in particular?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Charms," says Sue Li, and Lisa nods.

"Is that your standard question?" wonders Padma.

Permalink Mark Unread

"One of them, especially for Ravenclaw first years."

Permalink Mark Unread

"What class are you most looking forward to?" asks Mandy.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think I'm most looking forward to transfiguration. It seems like it's really flexible and I feel like it builds on itself in a way that the charms curriculum doesn't seem to as much."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's really hard though, takes a long time to learn," she says. "I think I'm more into Potions."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think it'll be worth it but I haven't tried it yet so maybe I'll change my mind. Potions also sounds neat."

Permalink Mark Unread

Soon they reach the Great Hall, where there is A Lot Of Food.

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll eat a bit more than she'd tend to at the Dursleys but she won't stuff herself. "Have any of you heard about what the teachers are like?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"What do you mean?" asks Padma.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Like whether they're strict, whether they're interesting to learn from, how they tend to conduct classes. Things like that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I heard Snape's evil," whispers Mandy, "and Dumbledore keeps him here to maintain an 'atmosphere.'"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I really hope you're wrong."

Permalink Mark Unread

She shrugs.

"I think if he was really evil he'd be fired..." says Padma a bit dubiously.

"Not if Dumbledore liked having an evil teacher," Sue Li points out reasonably.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Why would he want an evil teacher?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well what sort of magic school is complete without its own evil teacher?"

Now it's Mandy's turn to look confused. "What's one thing got to do with the other?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I second that question. This is real life not a storybook. The point of school is to teach us things."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I suppose you do have a point," says Sue Li.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah takes her victory with good grace and simply nods in acknowledgement. "What about our head of house?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Dunno, but we're gonna have our first class with him today," says Lisa. "Charms, with the Slytherins."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I suppose I won't have to wait long then." She focuses her attention on finishing her breakfast.

Permalink Mark Unread

And here's Dayo, making her way to the Slytherin table.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah waves to her.

Permalink Mark Unread

She waves back! Then sits with a couple of girls to talk to them, while also being close enough to Malfoy that she sometimes includes him in conversation.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah smiles then turns back to breakfast and her housemates. She hopes that Dayo will be able to get along with Pansy and Millicent despite the rocky introduction.

Permalink Mark Unread

They seem to be getting along mostly okay, so hopefully!

Permalink Mark Unread

That's good. Sarah finishes her breakfast and waits for a few more people to finish their's before asking "Does anyone know how to get to the charms classroom?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"We can ask older students. And portraits," says Padma.

Permalink Mark Unread

"That works, I'm ready to go whenever."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Let's go, then!"

Off they go.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah asks a likely looking older student for directions then gets going.

Permalink Mark Unread

Eventually they will reach the Charms classroom.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah will try to find a seat in the second row if one is available.

Permalink Mark Unread

There is one available!

Permalink Mark Unread

She sits down and gets out parchment to take notes.

Permalink Mark Unread

And Dayo takes the seat next to her. "Hello again, Girl-Who-Lived. Did you know our Charms teacher is part-goblin?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"No, I didn't. I'm not sure what to make of that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That magical people are very very fertile?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah blushes. "That's one thing you can make of it."

Permalink Mark Unread

"There must be some magic going on there, right, there's no way different species just happen to be cross-fertile like that..."

Permalink Mark Unread

And into the classroom walls the teeniest, squeakiest wizard. "Good morning!" he squeaks.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Good morning."

Permalink Mark Unread

The Professor walks over to the desk, where he builds a pile of books to stand on so he can see over it. "I am Filius Flitwick, Charms Professor and Ravenclaw Head of House! I'll start taking the roll call."

He starts calling names, one by one, but when he reaches Sarah Potter he squeaks and falls off his books.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah is a bit taken aback but quickly hides her surprise. It doesn't make sense that he was that surprised, but why would he intentionally fall.

Permalink Mark Unread

It was more delight than surprise, really.

This lesson covers the basics of wand motion, incantation, and intention, and focuses on one of the simplest spells: the wand-lighting charm.

Permalink Mark Unread

She takes careful notes and practices when instructed.

Permalink Mark Unread

After that class they have a break until 2:30PM.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm going to go find the library. Do any of you want to join me?" Sarah asks her housemates.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll come," says Sue Li.

"Yeah, me, too," Padma adds.

Dayo waves at them and goes out of the classroom with Pansy.

"...so what's up with her?" asks Mandy.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah waves back at Dayo.

"I met her on the train, she seems nice."

Permalink Mark Unread

"But she's a Slytherin," says Mandy.

Permalink Mark Unread

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't be friends with her."

Permalink Mark Unread

Mandy looks unconvinced.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Why do you think Slytherins are bad?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"All Dark Wizards are Slytherins," she explains like it's obvious. "Like You-Know-Who."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That makes sense, Slytherin is about ambition. It's about changing things and people who want to change the world would easily fit into Slytherin. You can be ambitious without wanting to hurt people though."

Permalink Mark Unread

"...I guess. But they also hate muggleborns and half-bloods."

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah giggles. "I know Dayo doesn't feel that way."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Why?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"She was telling off a couple other girls on the train for having those views."

Permalink Mark Unread

"...so why's she in Slytherin?" wonders Mandy.

"She could be so so so ambitious that even though she doesn't hate muggles she got in," suggests Sue Li.

"Huh. Is she?" she asks Sarah.

Permalink Mark Unread

"She wants to change the world. I think she wants to roll back the statute of secrecy."

Permalink Mark Unread

Morag blinks. "She what?"

"Why?" asks Mandy.

Permalink Mark Unread

"She thinks it's awful that muggles die when magic could have saved them."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well but if muggles just know about us they'll be asking for stuff all the time," reasons Morag.

"Is that bad?" asks Lisa.

"I don't have time to be helping muggles all day!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not everyone would have to be helping muggles all day if the Statute was repealed."

Permalink Mark Unread

"There's lots more of them! Like, dozens of times more!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's true. I'm not sure it's a good idea for that and other reasons."

Permalink Mark Unread

"If she wants to do that though then maybe she's not a bad Slytherin," muses Sue.

"That's what she wants you to think," says Lisa, and Mandy nods sagely.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't think she was lying to me. I suppose there's no way to be sure though."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Maybe if she actually does things that help with that," suggests Padma.

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's true. In the meantime, do any of you know which way to the library?"

Permalink Mark Unread

They do! It's in the first floor.

Permalink Mark Unread

She walks alongside her housemates. When they get there she breaks into a wide grin at the number of books. It isn't that much more than Flourish and Blotts but it's bigger than library at her primary school and she can come here and read whenever she wants.

Permalink Mark Unread

Only up until 8PM and she had better be very quiet. Madam Pince is not very tolerant of noise in her library.

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll whisper then. How is the library organized? If it's not obvious do any of her dormmates know?

Permalink Mark Unread

It has many labelled sections, including an invisibility section, a dragon section, a reference section, a legal section, a restricted section...

Permalink Mark Unread

Invisibility sounds intriguing, does it have a more general charms section?

Permalink Mark Unread

Not per se but the reference section might have a list of charms-related sections.

Permalink Mark Unread

She doesn't need to focus on classwork just yet, she'll go browse the invisibility section.

Permalink Mark Unread

Invisibility section! There are many books, including stuff about charms, potions, cloaks, curses, the history of invisibility, 107 Uses Of Invisibility You Almost Certainly Have Not Thought Of (And Frankly Half Of Them Are Not All That Useful Anyway)...

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll peruse a couple books. Are her dorm-mates similarly engaged?

Permalink Mark Unread

Variously!

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll entertain herself with books until one of her classmates addresses her or it's time for their next class.

Permalink Mark Unread

Lunch happens before class does.

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll accompany her dorm mates to lunch.

Permalink Mark Unread

Dayo is already there, sitting at her table and talking in a small group that seems to include a begrudging Draco Malfoy and his less begrudging minions.

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll smile and wave if Dayo notices her. She'll eat and try to get to know her dorm-mates some more.

Permalink Mark Unread

"So you never did tell us what muggle life was like," Mandy says. "I'm a half-blood but it just wasn't the same."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I haven't spent quite enough time in the magical parts of the world to have a good comparison. Kids go to school where we learn about math, science, history and english. Adults work at various jobs like teaching, selling people stuff, or making things. Sometimes people go out to eat. Muggles don't have the floo or apparition so instead they have cars and trains and sometimes planes to get where they need to go. Muggles also use pens and pencils instead of quills and paper instead of parchment. Sometimes we use computer or typewriters instead of either."

Permalink Mark Unread

"...can you back up and explain all of those?" asks Sue Li.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sure, I'll start with school. Math is a class where you learn to manipulate numbers. The simple maths we learned up to how old I am now were called arithmetic and algebra. Arithmetic is about doing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Algebra is about puzzling out how to rearrange a math problem so that you can solve it with arithmetic. I can try to give examples if those words aren't familiar."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I could've told you that," Mandy says, sounding a bit put out.

"But you didn't," Padma points out.

Permalink Mark Unread

"It sounds like each of you has a different level of background, I can keep going with the level of detail I'm currently trying for or I could get more or less detailed. I'd be happy to provide more clarification to any of you later if the whole group doesn't need to hear it."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't care about the school," Mandy puts in, "I'm interested in the whole being the girl-who-lived amongst muggles thing."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I wasn't though. The muggles don't know anything about the war our parents fought or observed. If you're asking how I came to be living with them I was living with my mother's sister."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Why though? And how do they not know?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm told Dumbledore was involved in me being placed there. I don't know why I was placed there as opposed to with other friends of my family but it sounds as if a lot of people died in the war including some people who were close to my parents. As for why my relatives don't know more about the war, magic makes them uncomfortable and they aren't particularly curious people by disposition."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You sure do like to say lots of words, don't you," muses Padma.

"Don't be rude," chides Lisa.

Permalink Mark Unread

"More words tend to help people understand me. I can be briefer if you prefer."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's fine, don't mind her," Lisa reassures her.

"So you were the Girl-Who-Lived and just, what, couldn't even interact with anyone who knew magic or anything like that?" insists Mandy.

Permalink Mark Unread

"My relatives never told me actually, I found out this summer when someone came to take me to get my school supplies. I get the impression they were supposed to but as I said they're not fond of magic."

Permalink Mark Unread

"...they never told you?" Morag says, the first to break the stunned silence.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I try not to dwell on it. I don't like being angry. They did have their reasons even if I don't think those were sufficient."

Permalink Mark Unread

"What reasons?" demands Mandy.

Permalink Mark Unread

"They don't like magic, more than that they're afraid of it. I'm not really sure why. They were never very happy when I did accidental magic."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That sounds awful," says Morag, and a boy their year who was listening in reaches around her to pat her shoulder.

"So you must be curious about pretty much everything right? Just like a muggleborn," says Sue Li.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, I bought a bunch of books above the usual school supplies and spent most of my time since then reading. There's still a lot I don't know though."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Every muggleborn did," says Brian Mendel, one of the boys who got Sorted into her House this year. "Or at least I'd expect every Ravenclaw muggleborn to. What's the point of being in a magic school and not doing that?"

"I can't imagine living without magic," shudders Anthony Goldstein, another first-year.

Permalink Mark Unread

"What in particular would you miss?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well I couldn't do it but—cleaning stuff, can you imagine doing that by hand? Or cooking, dad has the coordination of a drunk opossum, if he had to cook by hand instead of by magic we'd all be doomed—well, guess mum could cook instead, she used to when she didn't know about magic, but it's been years," he explains. "And I've seen muggle toys—mum bought me some, said I should get to know some of my 'muggle heritage,'" he adds, with air quotes. "They're really boring—they don't do anything!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Being able to cook and clean with magic would be nice. I'm used to doing without but I don't really enjoy either one. What sorts of things do magic toys do?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Toy broomsticks! Dolls that move and walk! Floating puzzles! Wizard chess! Plush hippogriffs that fly around! The muggleborn kids around are jealous.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah is jealous too but she's used to being jealous. "That all sounds cool."

Permalink Mark Unread

Eventually they're done with lunch and have a break (alongside Hufflepuff and Slytherin) until 2:30, when there's Transfiguration with the lions.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sapphire glances around the room as people start walking out. She wants to get to know her dormmates more but she also doesn't want to only know her dormmates.

Permalink Mark Unread

Well, the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins also have a break until next class!

Permalink Mark Unread

Does Dayo look busy?

Permalink Mark Unread

She is Chatting To People but in a group and not otherwise occupied.

Permalink Mark Unread

She walks over, "Hello Dayo."

Permalink Mark Unread

"—oh, hiya. Guys, this is Sarah Potter. Sarah Potter, these are the guys."

"Oh, the Sarah Potter?" the girl named Pansy Parkinson asks. "Oh my. Such an honour. It is my greatest pleasure to meet you," she says, in spite of having already met her.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Didn't we meet on the train?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm sure I would remember such a moment fondly, and I have no such fond memories," Parkinson sighs.

"Oh shut up," a different girl says, rolling her eyes. "I'm Davis. Tracey. It's nice to meet you."

Permalink Mark Unread

She closes her eyes for a moment then addresses both of them, "It's nice to meet you too."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Did you wanna talk?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, how are you settling in?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Dayo's friends walk on ahead and she lags behind to talk to Sarah. "It's alright. Malfoy's a pain but the others are nice enough, if a bit baffled by my muggleborn status. Only a couple of them don't want to talk to me because of it, and the others are curious."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's good, it would be really hard if you didn't get along with at least some of them."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'd probably figure it out but yeah it'd be really hard to climb up this particular social ladder."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Changing the statute of secrecy is going to take a lot of political leverage."

Permalink Mark Unread

She giggles. "I don't expect the majority of it to happen this year but yeah."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I meant that I'm not looking to be a leader, and the way you're talking implies that you are."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Mmm I'm not sure about leader but I definitely want to at least have a say in the shots."

Permalink Mark Unread

"In non-magical society, I think being influential requires being a leader of something but maybe that's not true with magic."

Permalink Mark Unread

Shrug. "I don't think that's true. Being friends with everyone surely lets you influence things."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Maybe. I don't have much experience with having friends."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Me neither," she shrugs. "But the concept seems solid. Also now you'll have friends, so there."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I hope so. My roommates seem nice, even if they are biased against all Slytherins."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's alright, all Slytherins are biased against everyone else."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't feel like that improves the situation, but it's something."

Permalink Mark Unread

Shrug. "Maybe I can change it."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's something I'd be happy to help with if I could."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, you're the Girl-Who-Lived, you probably can."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, hopefully. It would be a shame if my fame wasn't useful for anything."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's at least useful for making people pay attention to you."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah. I hope it doesn't get in the way of making friends. I'm starting to regret not studying any books on etiquette."

Permalink Mark Unread

—that makes her giggle. "I don't think it would help!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Why not?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think those are mostly for like table manners and such."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah... I doubt the way my relatives wanted me to act was written into any etiquette books, their expectations changed too often. I hope Hogwarts isn't like that but if people are trying to find fault they usually can."

Permalink Mark Unread

"...yeah, they can."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think there are enough people not like that to make plenty of friends though. Especially if I avoid getting a reputation as a loner. It's hard to make friends when nobody expects you to."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well you already have me," she says brightly.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm glad. I feel the same way."

Permalink Mark Unread

"And just imagine the rumours—Slytherin firstie corrupts Girl-Who-Lived, most terrifying Dark Lady in history in the making?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"You might make a terrifying Dark Lady. I don't think I'm cut out for it."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm sure I could corrupt you if I try my hardest and believe in myself."

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah laughs. "Maybe. I don't quite know what dark is supposed to mean. Nobody could make me stop caring about people, but that doesn't seem to be on your agenda."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Nope, you're gonna Darkly bring unity and peace to all of mankind."

Permalink Mark Unread

"We'll just have to see."

Permalink Mark Unread

Giggle. "I think there is a thing in the real world that can usefully be called 'Dark' though, when you read—history books, and when you look up certain spells—the forbidden curses for example—"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, the history books I read never got too detailed but I got the sense."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's the sort of thing where, like—I can see why Imperio might be useful but the Killing Curse is literally made for killing—self-defence I guess but still—"

Permalink Mark Unread

"There's lots of ways to kill. I'm not sure why that one is particularly awful. Being forced to hurt people you care about though..."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Because—that one is just for that, a knife can be used to cut bread but a gun can't and Imperio can be used to help—I don't know, someone who is too depressed to do stuff—but the Killing Curse is just that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I wouldn't want to learn it. I still feel like I'm missing something though. The idea of dying slowly feels scarier than the idea of dying fast."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, yeah, the Cruciatus curse is also probably just inexcusable."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Definitely."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Although I'm not sure it actually kills you, from what I read it at worst, er... makes you go insane." Pause. "That happened to Neville's parents."

Permalink Mark Unread

"What does that even mean?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"One of the Dark Lord's minions... tortured them... and now they're in St. Mungo's and can't string thoughts together for long enough to function."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm not really sure that's different from being dead. I guess there's some hope that someone will find a cure but that seems almost cruel. Poor Neville."

Permalink Mark Unread

She nods. "Maybe don't mention that to him."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Of course. I can't imagine it would make things better anytime soon. It's not my place."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Mmhm."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Magic seems to make everything easier. Good things along with bad ones."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Mm, maybe."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It seems like magic can fix a lot of sicknesses that we can't fix without it, I'm looking forwards to flying on brooms, and we're going to learn to teleport when we get older. Those all seem like good things."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, but it seems sorta less—flexible? Like, it does more-or-less the things that it does, and new spells are invented but not in the same way new tech is invented."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think I understand what you mean. I don't get the sense of acceleration reading magical history that I do when I read about the development of science and technology."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah. I don't know why, I'm just guessing."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It sounds like a reasonable guess. Hopefully we'll learn the real answer."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I totally wanna invent new magic."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, that sounds fun. And useful."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Might be incompatible with politics though."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, it depends on why new magic is invented to slowly." She frowns briefly. "Or at least becomes widely known so slowly."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah." Shrug.

Permalink Mark Unread

"On a less serious topic, do you know what the limits of being a metamorphmagus are? Can you look like an adult if you want?"

Permalink Mark Unread

She grins. "What kind of Slytherin would I be if I hadn't tried all of that?" she asks. "Everything the Polyjuice Potion can do I can do and more." Donkey ears!

Permalink Mark Unread

"Cool. Are you actually heavier when you take on an adult form?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Have you had any fun adventures that way?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I would never," she says in a very affronted tone.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Of course not." Sarah's smiling and obviously doesn't believe Dayo.

Permalink Mark Unread

She grins.

Permalink Mark Unread

"If you did though, what would you expect to do and what do you expect would happen?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I cannot possibly imagine that a possible option would be to impersonate a particularly terrible bully of a teacher and besmirch his reputation."

Permalink Mark Unread

"People inclined to hurt others should not be in positions of authority," Sarah says carefully, almost more to herself than to Dayo.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Couldn't agree more."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I wish the world wasn't like that, that sometimes you need to hurt one person to help someone else."

Permalink Mark Unread

She shrugs. "Official channels didn't work."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, they've never really worked for me either."

Permalink Mark Unread

Another shrug.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Have you come to any conclusions about magical fertility?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I haven't actually looked into it other than figuring out that, yes, lots of hybrids."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I wonder if that's where some of the human-like species came from originally."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, I thought about that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's probably not polite to ask but maybe there are books with the answer."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Ooh, good idea, we should look."

Permalink Mark Unread

"To the library?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"To the library!"

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah leads the way to the library.

Permalink Mark Unread

"So where would one look for this," she muses aloud.

Permalink Mark Unread

There was a dragon section, is there a more general magical creatures section?

Permalink Mark Unread

There is!

Permalink Mark Unread

"It probably makes sense to start in the magical creatures section." She leads the way to that.

Permalink Mark Unread

Magical creatures section!

"So where do we even start looking," she wonders.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I haven't really learned enough to know." She glances at the titles nearby, are any of them introductory or historical?

Permalink Mark Unread

There are lots of introductory ones, and some about sociology and the history of magical creatures' society and institutions, and some about the history of the interaction between humans and various magical creatures, and how to care for a given magical creature...

Permalink Mark Unread

"I guess just take books that look related and see if they have indexes?" Putting words to action she gets out one of the books on the history of centaur society.

Permalink Mark Unread

It has five hundred years of history but seems to assume the existence of centaurs as a given.

Permalink Mark Unread

Well that's a bust, she'll look at another book or two about centaurs if she can find them then switch to goblins.

Permalink Mark Unread

The first is more specialised and the second more general and dates back farther, but both assume centaurs have always existed, too.

There are a lot of things about goblins, and in particular about wars and rebellions. And money.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm not finding anything. Do you want to ask the librarian? Not about our theory specifically, but the origins of magical creatures."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Haven't found anything either so sure."

Permalink Mark Unread

She walks over to the librarian's desk. "Hi, Ms Pince. Do you have a minute?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hmm? Yes, dear, what is it?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"We were wondering if there are any books on where magical creatures come from. Like did they just appear someday or did someone make them?"

Permalink Mark Unread

She blinks slowly. "Did wizards appear someday or did someone make them?" she counters.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't know but I'd like to. I understand if nobody knows though."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't know offhand where one would find this information if anyone even has it. I certainly haven't heard any satisfactory answer to the question."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Alright, thank you for your help Ms. Pince."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You're welcome, dear."

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah walks over to a table and sits down. "Well that's disappointing."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I didn't really expect much different, to be honest."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just used to science where there's usually an answer or at least 'people are trying to find the answer but it's complicated.'"

Permalink Mark Unread

"There are very few of us. Like... how many people are even scientists of any given type? How many—what are they called—the ones that study fossils..."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't actually know. I never met one but I haven't met that many people."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, those—how many of those are there? And there's, like, six billion people in the world. And almost no magical people. So maybe there just aren't enough of us to do much science."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, that makes sense. It doesn't stop it from being disappointing though."

Permalink Mark Unread

"If it wasn't all a secret muggles could help."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's true, I'm not sure how much that would help though. It depends on how many experiments muggles could actually do without wizards to help them."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm sure we could get lots of teams with just one wizard to do stuff for most things."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Maybe. I don't think I know enough to judge."

Permalink Mark Unread

Shrug. "Definitely better than zero."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I worry that there might be good reasons for magic being secret I haven't learned yet."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, but... if so, no one explains them when I ask."

Permalink Mark Unread

"The only reason I've heard is that there aren't enough witches and wizards to help all the muggles. I don't know if that's true though. I heard it from one of my roommates."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I heard that it was because muggles would kill us all, or to protect them from us, or protect our culture, or protect our economy..."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Why don't you find those compelling?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Muggles aren't violent and we don't kill each other, a prepared magical person wouldn't be in danger. We are basically muggles in psychology, we won't attack them. I don't care about cultures and ours is too old and slow anyway. I don't even know what it means to protect our economy and the person I was talking to didn't know either."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I wouldn't discount the idea that the muggles could choose to fight or attack us if they knew we existed. People do awful things when they're scared and magic is pretty scary if you feel like you can't protect yourself. Even if you don't care about preserving cultures there are people who care deeply and will fight to keep their culture intact. Reading between the lines that was part of the reason for the last war."

Permalink Mark Unread

"There are six billion of them, it makes no sense to talk about them like they're just one thing."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm sorry for not being more precise. I meant some groups of muggles, including maybe some governments." Sarah feels that Dayo's objection is uncharitable.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think that's also making a lot of complicated things into a single thing," she says, oblivious to those feelings. "Like... yeah there will be horrible groups but there was Voldemort, that's not a muggle thing it's a human thing, it wouldn't get worse because muggles know about us."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I didn't mean to claim that muggles are psychologically different from magical people. The history books I've read make it sound like magical people are pretty much the same. I'm not sure why you think that changing a major part of how people think the world works won't create new groups of scared desperate people. Maybe if you did things really carefully."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's not that I don't think that, it's that this already happened here, that was what Voldemort was, and that enough good things can happen if we go public that in the end it's still good."

Permalink Mark Unread

"This wouldn't just be one country though, this would be all over the world. It's potentially a lot bigger than the Voldemort war."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I guess," she says dubiously. "But that would mean a lot of people everywhere would need to want to hurt wizards in a way wizards can't help with, like, hiding charms and wards and teleporting."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't think it would be good if all the wizards and witches had to stay in warded areas all the time. That wouldn't protect muggle-borns for one thing."

Permalink Mark Unread

"But we already are in warded areas pretty much all the time. The school, and houses, and the Ministry, for example."

Permalink Mark Unread

"The Hogwarts Express leaves from Kings Cross. I wouldn't be surprised if there are other places used by both sorts of people. I also don't know if wizards sometimes buy food and such from muggle stores."

Permalink Mark Unread

"...yeah, good point."

Permalink Mark Unread

"There being issues doesn't mean it's a bad idea. It just means that there are challenges besides people disagreeing with you."

Permalink Mark Unread

Nod.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think most really important things are complicated. Sometimes that's just because people disagree but not always."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah," she sighs.

And then it's time for class!

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll make her way to her next class.

Permalink Mark Unread

Dayo goes to Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.

Permalink Mark Unread

And Sarah has Transfiguration with the Gryffindors.

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll try to find a seat in the first couple rows again.

Permalink Mark Unread

Not very many other Gryffindors do as they fill the classroom that's empty except for a tabby cat sitting on the Professor's table with strangely intelligent eyes. Sarah ends up sitting with Mandy, who waves at her when she arrives.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hi Mandy. I think I read that some people can turn into animals using advanced transfiguration. Do you think that might be Professor Mcgonagall?"

Permalink Mark Unread

The cat levels a stare at Sarah when she says that, and Mandy shudders. "Maybe."

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah smiles back at the cat. "Did you do anything interesting during the break?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I read some stuff. How about you?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I read some things about magical creatures. Apparently, nobody knows where they came from."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Came from?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Like all non-magical creatures evolved from microbes that existed billions of years ago. Nobody knows how magical creatures fit into that picture."

Permalink Mark Unread

    "...huh?"

But then it's 2:30 and the doors slam shut. The cat jumps from the table, turning into Professor McGonagall in a fluid motion that makes several students gasp in surprise.

(Her gaze may linger on Sarah for a second or two.)

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she says without preamble. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Then she wordlessly waves her wand and changes her desk into a pig and back again.

Permalink Mark Unread

That was impressive. Sarah pays close attention.

Permalink Mark Unread

She starts explaining a lot of complicated stuff on which they're supposed to take notes, and then she gives each of them a match and tasks them with trying to turn it into a needle.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah takes diligent notes and then tries to transfigure the match. After a bunch of attempts she tries something a little different and ends up with a wooden needle near the end of class.

Permalink Mark Unread

Which is an interesting way to fail and earns her an actual smile.

Permalink Mark Unread

She smiles back and then keeps trying. She doesn't make any visible progress by the end of class.

Permalink Mark Unread

She gets five points for being the only one to go as far as that and class is dismissed. With homework.

Permalink Mark Unread

She writes down the homework then packs up and makes her way to the library. She might as well get a start on her homework.

Permalink Mark Unread

Homework is to keep practising turning a match into a needle but the result the Professor's expecting by next class is only slightly better than what she already got. Charms homework involves writing stuff, though, and no practising because they might set stuff on fire.

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll look up anything she needs to for the Charms homework and start writing. Practicing Transfiguration can wait a bit, she'll go back to the common room if there's still time before dinner.

Permalink Mark Unread

There is time for that, yes!

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll put her bag away in her room. Is there anyone she knows in the common room? Or anyone she ought to know like the boys in her year?

Permalink Mark Unread

There are a few older years, reading or studying, and a couple of boys her year sitting on the sofas and having a heated but hushed argument about something.

Permalink Mark Unread

She walks a bit closer and tries to hear.

Permalink Mark Unread

"—it's obviously the first wand that counts, that makes no sense!"

    "Of course not, if you change later then your wand will change too."

"Yeah but they picked two woods that are pretty much the same one with that one detail changed—"

    "People don't change that much!"

Permalink Mark Unread

That doesn't sound like a conversation she can contribute to. She browses the shelves to see if there's a transfiguration book at her level.

Permalink Mark Unread

There is! There are several, actually, this is a good complement to the library.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah finds a seat and reads while keeping half an eye on the door.

Permalink Mark Unread

No one walks in. Eventually the two boys reach a resolution and leave.

And then it's dinnertime.

Permalink Mark Unread

She puts away her book and goes to dinner.

Permalink Mark Unread

Familiar people are having dinner!

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll sit by Mandy if she can find a seat. They got interrupted when Transfiguration started and Mandy might want to ask her about what she said.

Permalink Mark Unread

Mandy seems to have all but forgotten about it and is chattering to Padma about celebrity gossip.

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll listen with half an ear. She's not usually interested in that but if it's important to her roommates it would be good to know at least a little.

Permalink Mark Unread

At one point Dayo goes to the Gryffindor table to talk to Ron.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah smiles when she notices. It's good that she's not the only person ignoring the boundaries of house.

Permalink Mark Unread

And after a few minutes she flops down next to Sarah. "Hi."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hi. Should I introduce you?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah!"

Permalink Mark Unread

She waits for a pause in Padma and Mandy's conversation and then, "Padma, Mandy, this is Dayo. Dayo, Padma and Mandy."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hi."

    "Are you the Slytherin?" asks Mandy, peering at her suspiciously. "You don't look very evil."

"That's what they all say, but then, boom, I was evil all along."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think we're all a bit too young to be evil."

Permalink Mark Unread

"The Hat puts young people in Slytherin," Mandy points out.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I really don't think the founders of the school decided to make a house for evil people."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Cunning and ambition," Dayo singsongs. "Not evil."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Exactly. There's nothing wrong with wanting to accomplish big things and cunning is a useful tool in a wide variety of situations."

Permalink Mark Unread

"So how come evil wizards are always Slytherin?" asks Mandy.

"Being evil is an ambition," Padma points out.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Part of it is probably because everyone expects them to be evil. Expectations are powerful things."

Permalink Mark Unread

"They become evil because people think they're evil?" Mandy asks, sceptically.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I guess it depends on what you mean by evil. I think if everyone expects you to join with whatever dark lord comes along it's more likely that you will. Less dramatically, the same is true of people expecting you to be a blood purist, or more benignly read a lot if you've been sorted into Ravenclaw."

Permalink Mark Unread

    "Maybe."

    "I think it makes sense," agrees Padma. "But now everyone who's in Slytherin is evil. Maybe not you," she tells Dayo.

"Gee, thanks."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm not sure that's anymore true than the idea that everyone in Ravenclaw spends most of their studying."

Permalink Mark Unread

"The culture in there isn't the healthiest," she admits.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm sure you can handle it. I wish you didn't have to though."

Permalink Mark Unread

She shrugs. "It's good to have something useful and good to do."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Reforming a whole house is a big project but I think you might manage."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Of course I will."

    "...okay, I gotta give it to you, that's ambitious," Mandy admits.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah smiles. "I'm not sure if I could be helpful but if I can be let me know."

Permalink Mark Unread

Giggle.

And lunch is soon over.

Permalink Mark Unread

Sarah sets off for her next class.