First Flight

"Welcome class, welcome. Today you will have your first flying lesson. First you will practice calling your broom, simply extending your hand out and call 'up'."

The various students did as instructed, with varying success. Some managed to raise the object a foot, before it fell back down, others were able to call it after a few tries, and a select few failed completely.

None noticed that Harry hadn't even bothered with the command.

"Now, those who have succeeded in calling the broom will mount and float a foot off the ground. Meanwhile I will be helping the rest of you…" Before she got any further in her instructions the professor watched in shock as Neville Longbottom's broom took off, with him trying desperately to hold onto it.

"Mr. Longbottom! Come back here this instance!" No one was quite sure whether he heard the command over his own screams or not, but seconds later the boy plummeted into the ground, spraining his arm in the process.

A wand wave later and the woman was busy escorting the boy towards the medical ward.

"I will be back shortly, if anyone so much as thinks about taking off I will have you in the Headmaster's office faster than you can say 'Quidditch'."

With that she departed, leaving the other students standing awkwardly in the field. A small gleam among the grass drew Harry's attention, as he walked over and picked up a small orb.

"I'll be taking that Potter."

Malfoy again, Harry forced back the urge to reach out and snap the annoying blonde's neck as he glanced over at him. "I believe Neville dropped this, we have class with him later today so I will be able to return it."

"Why bother? The boy is a class 'O' screw up. I would much rather put it somewhere high up where he will have to look for it."

"You're such a prat Malfoy."

"Weasley" The boy hissed back, focusing his attention on the redhead.

"Yeah, me. Are all you Slytherin's so stuck up that you can't think of anyone else for a second?"

"Perhaps if you were a bit more intelligent then you would actually prove to be a decent conversationalist, but I will leave that to your Mudblood instead."

"Mudblood?" Harry inquired with curiosity, earning a wince from the bushy-haired witch standing nearby.

"It is a term for Muggleborn witches…" she whispered out, having already been called it several times since arriving at the school.

"Not one of endearment then…"

"No"

The raven-haired boy hummed to himself in consideration before pocketing the orb, apparently more things would need to change than he originally anticipated.

...

When McGonagal shifted back into her human form she was pleasantly surprised at the started expressions staring back at her, and one not so startled.

"Mr. Potter, you didn't seem all that surprised by my entrance."

"Oh, I apologize professor, I recently had time to look over my text books and considering this is transfiguration class, and I haven't seen any stray animals or pets at Hogwarts, save for the occasional toad and owl, I assumed that you had the ability to shapeshift."

The woman's eyes widened a bit, before her mouth turned up in a smile. "Ten points to Slytherin for brilliant reasoning. Now then as Mr. Potter here hinted at we will be studying the art of changing objects into different forms with our magic."

...

"Welcome to Charms class everyone, my name is Professor Flitwick. I hope that most of you have had time to at least glance over your books, if not please do so before our next meeting. Now then can anyone tell me what the most important item for my class will be?"

As usual Hermione Granger's hand shot up almost instantly, earning scowls from many of the other students.

"Ah yes, miss…"

"Granger, sir. The answer is our text books."

"A good guess, but I am afraid incorrect, anyone else?"

'Girl looks like someone just kicked her puppy' Harry noted with amusement as several other hands now raised.

"A quill and paper?"

"That would be two objects, both incorrect as well." the professor answered the next student.

"A wand?"

"Another good guess, but no."

At this point the young Potter was becoming annoyed, he wanted to have at least one class where he could learn something more than just what the introductory paragraph of the text book said. A moment later he raised his hand.

"Ah yes, Mr. Potter."

"Our minds"

The diminutive man grinned, "Correct! Ten points to Slytherin. Everything else can be compensated for with time… but the mind cannot. It is the most important tool that any of us will ever wield and the primary subject that all of your classes will focus on for your time at Hogwarts. Now then who can tell me what a charm is?"

...

"W-w-w-welcome t-to D-Defense A-Against the D-Dark Arts c-class."

Harry just stared, who in their right mind would hire someone like this to teach a defense class? Ignoring the obviously dark aura that emanated from the man, another oddity that the boy-who-lived was surprised no one had noticed, the turban clad professor was a bumbling mess.

Maybe it was just an act, like the one that McGonagall had tried. If it was then it truly was impressive, the man should have been an actor rather than a teacher.

Yet as the class continued on, and he showed no signs of improving, Harry's theory began to fall apart.

Twenty minutes later a loud bang, caused when one of the Gryffindor's had dropped their book onto the floor, revealed the man's true colors… as he promptly bolted out of the room.

Utterly useless.