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Bella is picked up from Charlie's house at the end of the summer, her visits with various people and her other parents having concluded a couple of weeks previous. She feels very worldly as she gets on the bus and is inspected by the new sixth-graders. The bus trundles along to the Bay Cauldron, and she does her shopping, and helps one of those sixth-graders pick an owl, and then they all arrive at ACAAM.
She goes to her and Sherlock's room to drop off her belongings and let Euterpe out.
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occluminous
occluminous
"I'm waiting for Sherlock to tell me whether Divination's any good. It looks cool if it can really be taught but the books I've seen are divided on that."
"I'm pretty sure it's mostly crap," says Feral. "But who knows."
occluminous
"I guess you have a while to swap out if it's obvious crap from day one, what would you take instead if it was?"
occluminous
The feast is delicious, including the parts Feral helped with, none of which explode.
The following morning, everyone turns out to have Charms together!
The following morning, everyone turns out to have Charms together!
Feral is determined not to set anything on fire!
Yes. On the other hand, he Scourgifies a teapot so hard it rockets off his desk and slams into the wall in a blast of soapsuds. Luckily it is a metal teapot, and the teacher fixes the enormous dent with a flick of her wand and vanishes the excess soap with another. She doesn't even bother asking him what went wrong; this teacher has taught Feral before and knows that is not the worst thing that could have happened.
occluminous
Avoiding worst-case scenarios is pretty good. Bella likes the cleaning spells they are starting the year with - certainly it is more fun than scrubbing things and tidier than stubbornly waiting while dust gently heaps itself on everything - but she would like them more if she were allowed to use them at home.
The remainder of class is uneventful. Afterward, Feral follows Bella to Herbology - held in a building where neither of them has had class before - and Sherlock and Tony head off to Potions in the same room where they had it last year.
occluminous
Herbology is taught by a wrinkly bald fellow called Mr. Rothschild, with whom Sherlock once served a detention at the beginning of sixth grade. He welcomes the class, finds them all mismatched chairs in the corner of the greenhouse occupied by the safest plants, speaks sternly to some affectionate ivy when it curls around some girl's leg, and says, "Mr. Sutherland, the former Herbology teacher, will be giving a brief introductory lecture on Greenhouse Safety."
Mr. Sutherland turns out to be a ghost. He floats in through the wall of the greenhouse, looking dour and transparent.
Mr. Sutherland turns out to be a ghost. He floats in through the wall of the greenhouse, looking dour and transparent.
...Feral looks suspiciously at Mr. Sutherland. He can't help thinking that there is an obvious reason for a teacher's ghost to be giving safety lectures.
occluminous
Feral's not wrong.
"Hello, class," drones Mr. Sutherland. "Some people believe that Herbology is a soft option, and that you will spend class time messing around in the dirt, tending to harmless plants. Magical plants are often not harmless. Every year I send several students to the infirmary, and some accidents are even fatal. For example, the cry of the mandrake will kill if not muffled by an earmuff, easily knocked loose. You must pay careful attention to the safety rules that apply to the plants you will work with in this class."
He proceeds to list some dangerous plants for introductory herbology and the safety equipment they will need (gloves, earplugs or earmuffs, appropriate boots, goggles, etcetera) to avoid the hazards.
"Hello, class," drones Mr. Sutherland. "Some people believe that Herbology is a soft option, and that you will spend class time messing around in the dirt, tending to harmless plants. Magical plants are often not harmless. Every year I send several students to the infirmary, and some accidents are even fatal. For example, the cry of the mandrake will kill if not muffled by an earmuff, easily knocked loose. You must pay careful attention to the safety rules that apply to the plants you will work with in this class."
He proceeds to list some dangerous plants for introductory herbology and the safety equipment they will need (gloves, earplugs or earmuffs, appropriate boots, goggles, etcetera) to avoid the hazards.
"Did you die of a mandrake?" asks Feral.
occluminous
"Interruption is rude," says Mr. Sutherland. He proceeds with his speech from there, up to and including, "Finally, mandrakes, such as the ones which killed me: ensure that your hearing protection is secure and thorough."
Bella is frowning.
Bella is frowning.
"Cool," say Feral.
occluminous
"How is that cool? I didn't think this class was going to be dangerous," Bella murmurs under her breath.
"It's cool to me," he murmurs back, grinning.
"Suit yourself," shrugs Feral.
occluminous
"I want to talk to that ghost sometime though."
The teacher passes out syllabi, gives them a tour of the greenhouse, and sends them on their way.
The teacher passes out syllabi, gives them a tour of the greenhouse, and sends them on their way.
"Why?" says Feral.