Hi! This is the last of my Christmas set, but don't worry, I'll keep updating for the rest off my break. Thank-you to Sami and jadestar for giving me reviews. Here it comes……..
Disclaimer: This story is mine but not the characters.
Chapter Seven: Professor Tharanld
"Hilary Dolch," said the teacher at the front of the room.
"Here," I replied. I listened as she said the name of the next student then began to zone out.
I was in Defense against the Dark Arts at the end of the day. I had already had Herbology and lunch. And, at present, was now sitting in the middle of a classroom with the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher standing in the front. Tyler was sitting on my left and Rachel was on my right.
"Tyler Faur," said the professor.
"Here," said Tyler, quickly glancing up at the teacher then letting his eyes wander again.
I looked at the pictures on the walls of the classroom. Each picture had a name of a battle scrawled across the bottom. It even had some battles I had never heard about. The pictures held people reliving their deaths over and over. It was violent to say the least. I then realized that all the pictures were silent.
The teacher called another name as I quickly looked away from the pictures on the wall. I had my eyes examine my desk as my thoughts wandered. The calling of that name had reminded me of something, I don't think I had ever heard a teacher at Hogwarts call attendance. They all seemed to just know which students were there or not. Maybe it was just an old muggle school habit.
I looked up at the teacher and watched her call off the last couple names. She had black hair that was speckled with gray hair. Her eyes were a dark brown, so dark they almost looked black, but they weren't cruel eyes, not in the least. Her lips were full and a light red. What was her name? I wondered, as my eyes moseyed over to the chalk board. Ah, Professor Tharanld, as I saw her name written carefully on the board.
"Welcome class, to the first Defense against the Dark Arts class of the year," said Professor Tharanld in a voice that was so musical that I thought for a moment that she might beak out into song. I sat back and got comfortable, even of the class was interesting, the first day speech was usually pretty dully. This looked like just that. "In this class you will learn battle tactics, more specifically speaking over distances, the basics of healing, and what spells work well together. Many of you may question why I am doing this, but Dumbledore has requested that I teach you these things. For, as many of you know, the Dark Lord risen and we must prepare ourselves for the inevitable upcoming battle. We must find our personal strengths and improve them, broaden them, and strengthen them." This speech was anything but boring. I felt a sense of, I don't know, joy (?), pride (?), surge through me. It encouraged me to go out and do it, whatever it was.
I then snapped out of my dream world. I leaned forward a little and turned my head slightly to the right to look at the Slytherins at the other side of the room. Kelsey was there, with a bored expression on her face but I looked closer at her eyes, they were excited, as excited as I felt. Hmm, she's an actor, I thought as I turned to Sadie. Sadie, on the other hand wasn't even trying to hide her excited look. No wonder Professor Tharanld had been a teacher for so long; it seems as if she could get anyone to listen to her.
I turned my attention back to her and caught the last of her speech. "This quarter, we are going to focus on finding. It shouldn't be difficult for I know many of you know what your strengths are." Then the bell rang. Where had the time gone? I wondered. "For homework, please provide a short list of your strengths, or what you think they might be. Look inside yourself, but don't look too hard, for sometimes your mightiest strengths are right under your nose."
The class filed out of the room. "Hilary Dolch," said the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. "May I have a word with you?" I nodded. Why? I wondered, as I let Tyler and Rachel go past me. I walked up to the front of the room, very confused. When I reached her desk, Professor Tharanld put down the papers she had been reading, looked at me, and said, "I had been talking about strengths and you, Hilary, have a very unusual strength. I'm sure you already know of it?"
"Yes, I'm a Branitonios," I said looking at her and meeting those black eyes. She kept looking at me sternly then smiled.
"So am I. Look," She pointed her finger at something behind me. I turned around and saw a quill floating on its on accord.
"So…," I began.
"Yes, I'm going to teach you. To show you all that your powers can do," The last part I heard, but her lips didn't move. I opened my mouth to say something but she put her hand over her own mouth, signaling me to be quiet. "Shush, think it to me."
I was confused for a moment but then thought, When do I start?
The Defense against the Dark Arts teacher grinned, "Hoe about on Friday after lessons are done?" she said. I nodded and walked out of the room, picking up my books on the way out.
"She talks a lot," commented Rachel, whom was sitting with Tyler and me for dinner.
"She does," I agreed, "but I want to hear what she has to say. I mean, it's not like it's annoying, and she seems to like everybody." Rachel was a lot chattier around people she knew, I had discovered that day. Tyler, Rachel, and I were silent for a couple minutes, contemplating, focusing on our dinner.
"That was some first day, huh?" said Tyler. The silence was broken and we began to rattle off our favorite parts of the first day at Hogwarts.
Rachel helped Tyler and me find our way back to the common room. The password was given and my group of friends marched inside. The Gryffindor common room was clogged with a lot of people who's attention was focused on the message board.
"What is it?" I asked someone near me.
"They are looking for new Quidditch team members and a new commentator. Tryouts for both are this weekend," replied the second year who replied.
"Oh, thank-you," I said. Sounds like fun, I thought
"Come-on let's do our homework," said Rachel, tugging Tyler and I over to the corner. We grabbed our books and began to work on our homework. I went to bed an hour and a half later.
If the chapter seems a) short or b) rocky, then you would be correct! I'm kinda having writer's block with this story so…..yeah….
Please review!