First classes

I have been at the castle for a few days now and the least I can say is that the classes are not as exciting as I expected. My first class was astronomy and was quite late at night. The telescopes we used to observe the stars are so old that most of them lack screws. I really think I'm going to have to do some research on this, because if I can modernize the world of wizards I could literally make a fortune.

During the first class of charms, Professor Flitwick did nothing but explains his class and tell us that we should read the first chapter of the book for the next class. And the worst of all was the history of magic lecture given by the ghost teacher. I decided to read a book at some point or I would have fallen asleep in front of him. Herbology class is way more interesting. I never had the opportunity to put into practice what I had learned in the books. My great theoretical knowledge impressed Professor Sprout who gave me five points.

This morning's class is transfiguration with McGonagall. I already know how to transform at will, it shouldn't be very difficult. I arrive early in class and sit alone on a desk at the front of the class. Professor McGonagall is already here, turned into a cat on her desk. After a few minutes without the professor transforming back, I decided to take out the seventh year's book of transfiguration and start studying.

----------POV McGonagall----------

Like every year in the first transfiguration class, I settled at my desk, transformed into a cat to watch the new students. The first to arrive is a Slytherin, Sean Bones if I remember correctly, this year's hatstall. He comes to sit on the first desk right in front of me waiting for his comrades to arrive. A few minutes later, the rest of Slytherin and Gryffondor arrive. I notice however that two places remain empty while I thought I had exactly the number of desks needed.

Mr Bones seems bored waiting for the beginning of the class and he takes out a book to study. Some Slytherin's student sees it and do the same. But when I look closer, the book that Mr Bones is reading is the one for the seventh year, that's curious. I mentally classify all the students who have opened a book in the category of the good students.

I was about to turn back into my human form when I heard footsteps in the hallway and the two late students walked into my class without even having the courtesy to knock on the door.

"We've arrived, finally. imagines old McGonagall's head if she found out we were late"

I raise an eyebrow to Mr Weasley's derogatory remark, it seems I should put him in the category of troublemakers with Mr Potter. I transform back in front of him.

"Wow, you're really good!" the two boys seem visibly impressed by my little demonstration.

"Oh, thank you for that compliment, Mr. Weasley. But would it be more usefull if I turned you or Mr. Potter into a pocket watch? That way one of you might arrive on time." My answer is as sharp as it can be, and Mr Weasley is quite uncomfortable at my remark but obviously not Mr Potter.

"Sorry, we were lost. But this is just the first class of the year and you hadn't even started yet." Mr Potter's smug little face is beginning to exasperate me.

"Minus 5 points for Gryffindor for your insolence. And if you've lost yourself maybe I should turn Mr. Weasley into a school map? I hope you won't need it to find your seats."

----------POV Sean Bones---------

Like most Slytherin, I try very strongly to refrain from laughing at the behavior of Harry and Ron, and especially at their punishment. No, but seriously, you have to be really stupid to justify yourself that way. They both sit in their places under McGonagall's reprobate eye.

Once the incident is closed, our first transfiguration lecture begins. It is about turning a match into a needle. Nothing very complicated, I could do it without a wand when I was seven. I changed the final result a bit by adding the Slytherin emblem on the bottom of the needle and I put the final result in front of me before continuing to read.

I hear the footsteps of McGonagall passing from desk to desk to supervise us stop in front of my desk.

"Mr Bones, I don't see you trying to transform your match. Are you having trouble?"

"No professor. Actually, I've already finished."

"Show me what you did."

I take the needle in front of me and turn it back to its original appearance, then I changed it into a needle again in front of McGonagall. Many other students observed the scene and I can feel the jealous looks of the Gryffindor's student on my neck.

"5 points for Slytherin, you can continue reading Mr Bones, but do not forget to listen during the class. You never know when an explanation might be helpful." McGonagall put down the needle on my bench and resumes her inspection tour.

The rest of the class went smoothly, and only two other students managed to complete the exercise.

In the afternoon, it was a class of defense against the dark arts, but the classroom reeked of garlic so much that it was impossible to concentrate. Professor Quirell is indeed a charlatan who had no interest, but the parasite that clung to the back of his head. He filled his classroom with garlic to scare away vampires, but anyone with some knowledge of supernatural beings knows it's superstition. Moreover, he said that his turban was given to him in Africa after fighting a zombie.

"But professor, how did a zombie end up in Africa when they appear exclusively in South America because of residual magic linked to rituals?" Let's see how he responds to that.

"And who... are you... young man... man?"

"Sean Bones, professor. I have a great interest in this kind of creature and have read a number of books about them."

"J... I ... see, Well... well it's a ver... very go... good question"

He tried to sell me a story with a sarcophagus imported from an Aztec temple or something stupid like that. I let him tell his story and I started reading again without listening to a single word of what he was saying. I think I already have an idea of how I'm going to handle his case at the end of the year.

I mean, it's just in case Harry doesn't do it and I have to do it myself. Oddly enough, I don't feel particularly bad about killing for the first time. I hope that's not an effect of my reincarnation and that I haven't become a psychopath.

The next morning, I go down with the other students of Slytherin to have my lunch. I take some fruits and a glass of orange juice with some eggs and bacon, and I just started eating when Daphne comes to sit next to me.

"Look, I could use a hand. Could you explain to me how you turned that damn match into a needle?" I admit that I am a little surprised. Of all the people who could ask me for my help, I did not expect her to come to me.

"Okay, if you want, I can explain it to you in the library after Rogue's class. But I thought your parents would at least teach you how to do that since you're from the noble Greengrass family?"

"I'm not very good at transfiguration, and most of the spells my parents taught me are the kind they don't teach here."

"Oh, I see." She must be talking about her family magic, like the Bones Family who used to do necromancy. I wonder what is the special talent of Greengrass, poisonous plants maybe?

I take a piece of chicken that looks a little less cooked than the rest and give it to Styx who swallows it greedily. I try not to show him too much in the middle of the day, he tends to scare others. So he spends most of his time wrapped under my clothes enjoying my body heat. Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem strange to have a snake under my shirt when I probably wouldn't have dared to touch one before.

"You always walk around with your snake?"

"Yes, Styx follows me everywhere, he says he'd rather come with me than get bored all alone in our bedroom."

"Um, is he talking?" the wonder on her face was kind of funny.

"Didn't you hear what Draco said on the first day? I'm on the Parselmouths' list. That means I talk to snakes." I laugh when she looks at me like I have a second head. Parseltoungue must be a rare talent, but my mother was in Slytherin, like what? 15 years ago. I'm surprised people are so shocked.