First Day
Author: Cho Chang
Date: 12-23-02 09:06

Cho awoke a little earlier than everyone else, she took this extra time to clear her mind of the summer as she french braided a bright royal blue ribbon into two french braids. Nimble pianist fingers moving quickly and she goes to brush her teeth. Once dressed in her freshly pressed school uniform, Head Girl badge shining against the black of the robes. She gets her schoolbooks and heads down the stairs quiet in case some people still weren't up. She waits for Fynn to come down then walks to the Great Hall with him for breakfast, a content silence between them - seeing as there was little to talk about. Upon entering the great hall, they started talking with each other and everyone around them, trading class schedules and arranging seats when they had the same classes.

After breakfast, she walked with Fynn and a few others to their first class - Ancient Runes. She smiled and waved at their teacher, "Hey Professor Sorcha..." The petite teacher nodded and smiled, giving a slight wave back. Cho took her seat next to Fynn and their hands separated so they could take notes. Whilst the class was in session, Fynn either doodled funny things to make Cho laugh or wrote something in a notebook. When Prof. Sorcha started taking questions near the end of class, Cho began doodling hearts on her papers.

---

Orelieah woke up early and dressed in her Gryffindor uniform and a robe. She let her hair hang loose around her features. She grabbed her books and headed downstairs for breakfast. She found a seat at the Gryffindor table and ate in silence.

Once she finished her breakfast she headed toward her first class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Somerset. She arrived in the classroom early and quickly penned a short letter to her mom and dad. She'd owl it to them during her break between classes. It was still early and Professor Somerset had yet to arrive in the classroom, and students were still coming in. Orei took the time to look over her book for DADA and retrieve a fresh piece of parchment to take notes on.

---

Up early, as usual, I dress quickly and take a walk around the hills to think. I have a lot to tackle and more coming, undoubtedly. I always seem to find my way to hills and cliffs when I need to think. Sometimes I wish I had stayed at Dunsidhe, and worked from there, but I know that I need to be close to the Castle to work best along side Dumbledore. And with Sirius as my newest neighbour, I am happy to be here.

Somewhere around the hills I come across the broken fragments of my wand. The only part left in tact is the core of phoenix feather. I will always associate the phoenix with Dumbledore, though I know that this feather cannot be from Fawkes. Only two people have feathers from Dumbledore's phoenix: my godson, Harry and Voldemort. There has to be some special significance to that, though at this point I'm not sure what that significance is.

There is another reason why I am up inordinately early: the recurrence of troubling dreams. Raised in the Celtic tradition, dreams were often warnings or messages, but there were closer to nightmares. And I am not one to be prone to nightmares. I know its not a curse, as both McShane at the ministry and Rosalin in Dunsidhe assured me that there is no magical damage to me. And while perhaps it's unrealistic to expect to escape the hell that was Voldemort's lair without lingering effect, it bothers me that I am experiencing them. I decide that a visit to the new potion shoppe is in order. Perhaps Nevvyn (who still seems familiar, thought I don't know why) can offer me a potion to help.

I finish my walk and decide to drop in again at the castle. I can talk to Ethan before his morning class, then walk back to the village and apparate to the ministry on time for the weekly meetings.

---

Meeting with Ethan
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 12-23-02 19:42

After my morning walk around Hogsmeade, I head to the castle to catch Ethan before his first class. I had meant to meet with him last night, but the meeting with the Headmaster had taken longer than planned and it was quite late when I had left. Instead, I had slipped a note under the office door apologising for not showing up and saying I'd try to catch him before his first class.

I walk to the second floor and knock on the door. "Ethan, are you there? Ta Dierna. Oscail an doras, mas é do thoil.*"

---

* It's Dierna. Open the door, please.

---

Ethan glanced at the clock on the wall and noted that his first class started in exactly ten minutes. He suppressed a shudder and flipped through his lesson plan one last time. Not one normally so nervous, Ethan couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety as he thought about teaching those who were close to the fallen Kendra Beck.

You should have been able to save her, he scolded himself as he had done countless times before.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Ethan flinched, startled, but relaxed once he heard Dierna's voice.

"Just a moment!" he called out, and he rose from his seat to answer the door. Miraculously, all thoughts of the Bulgarian disaster fled his mind when he opened the door and saw the auror.

"Dierna!" Ethan exclaimed, moving out of the doorway. He gestured for her to step inside the office and added sincerely, "It's a pleasure to see you again."

The head auror entered and seated herself in the comfortable armchair Ethan offered. "I'm glad to see you as well, Ethan."

He smiled and slid into the chair behind his desk. "I was quite shocked to hear that you had been captured by dark wizards," he admitted, the smile fading from his face. His eyes lowered to the desk and his mind automatically wandered to the dark wizards he had dealt with during the summer. "But," he exclaimed, shaking himself back to the present, "You escaped You-Know-Who's clutches, thank Merlin! You and Mr. Potter are quite fortunate."

Dierna nodded and affirmed, "Yes, we are. I never gave up hope." She smiled and changed the subject. "How much time before your first class, Ethan?"

Ethan glanced at the clock and replied, "You've got seven minutes, Dierna." He flashed her a brilliant smile.

Dierna chuckled and exclaimed, "I'll talk fast. First of all," she began, grinning, "I want to wish you luck today, Ethan. You are a great auror, and I'm sure you will make a great teacher as well."

Ethan's smile widened. "Thank you, Dierna. I certainly hope you're right!" He sighed slightly, but kept his smile. "Sometimes I don't know why I agreed to do this," he admitted, thoughtfully. Then, he changed the subject. "How did your meeting with Dumbledore go last night?"

"Well, I found more questions than answers, but that was to be expected." She added, "I'll be around the castle quite a bit, so we'll be able to talk often."

"Excellent," Ethan said. "We have much to talk about." And although he really wanted to forget all that had happened in Bulgaria, he knew that Dierna should know everything about that fateful mission.

"Yes, we do. Tell me, Ethan, how have things been since Bulgaria?"

Even though he anticipated the question, it did catch him off guard. "Things have been..." He paused. "I don't sleep at night, Dierna. And when I do, all I can think about is the Beck girl and how Viktor and I could have saved her, but didn't."

"If you would have tried something, you both would have died and Kendra with you," Dierna said.

Ethan knew she was right.

"You and Viktor did all you could. Don't beat yourself up over this," pleaded Dierna. When Ethan nodded in affirmation she asked, "Is this the cause of your second thoughts about teaching here at Hogwarts, Ethan?"

Perceptive woman, thought Ethan. "What am I going to do when I see Kendra's siblings sitting in my classroom? Surely she had friends too. I can't help thinking that they will all hate me because I couldn't save their sister, their friend."

"I understand your concern, Ethan," Dierna said. "But, they won't hate you. They know you were merely doing your job. You tried and a life was lost, but such things happen. It is quite terrible when someone dies, especially a child, but you did all that you could do. So many more lives were saved by the risks you and Viktor took."

Ethan sighed deeply and buried his head in his hands. "I know you're right, Dierna. It'll just take some time, won't it?" He raised his head and peered at her through his fingers. "That's what I keep telling myself. I just wonder how much time it'll take."

Dierna nodded. "Take as much time as you need. For everyone, these things are different. You can always come talk to me."

"I know, and I thank you." Ethan smiled weakly. "Any news on what's to be done with Koyla?" he asked, his eyes darting to the clock on the wall.

"We will be setting up trial dates soon, and I will be asking both you and Viktor to testify," answered Dierna.

"Very well. I'll do anything to see that that beast gets what he deserves." He pondered what had been discussed so far and then turned back to the head auror. "Anything else we need to talk about, Dierna?"

---

Re: Discussion with Dierna
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 12-23-02 21:31

"Just one thing." I add, as we head out of the office door and towards the dark arts class room. "Always call Voldemort by his name. If we, as aurors, are too afraid to speak the name, what message does that send to the civilian public? A name can't hurt us, but fear is a strong weapon. The Headmaster would tell you fear of the name only increases the fear and power of the thing itself, and he is quite right."

We arrive at the door "Good luck Ethan. You'll be a fine professor. I know you will. Have faith in yourself, and send me a message if you need to talk. I'll be in touch. Slan!"

"Thank you, Dierna." He says then enters the class. I check my own watch, and the words read "Meeting: 15 minutes" That gives me just enough time to walk back to Hogsmeade and apparate at the ministry. I REALLY wish I didn't have such pointless meeting to attend.

---

In Over Her Head
Author: Veronica Dumbledore
Date: 12-23-02 21:43

Veronica stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom still preening before going before her class and desperately trying to tame that wily strand of hair that would always stand straight up on end on the most important of days.

"Oh, dash it all!" she said wetting her hand and smoothing out her hair, wetting the owl perched on her shoulder in the process. He just shuddered, ruffling his feathers and craning his neck. "Sorry Hermes, old friend," she said lovingly to the bird as she stroked his wing, only wetting him again with her still damp hands.

She took one last look at her profile in the mirror and headed to her classroom. As she opened the door and looked in, she saw the heads turn and all focus suddenly on her. They didn't seem to be nervous at all and if they were, she figured that their fear paled in comparison to her own.

"Good morning, students. My name is Professor Veronica Dumbledore. My name may sound familiar.. well.. that's because our esteemed headmaster Albus Dumbledore is... uh... he's my uncle," she said sweetly, forcing a cheery smile. "I umm... I look forward to this year and... to getting to know each and every one of you. I... well... I hope to make this class enjoyable for all of us. Trust me, I remember having terribly serious professors... twas awful.. well... I AM going to be serious... but I... I'm not going to be a terrible pain... I... well...I'll quit while...I'm ahead." She stammered nervously as she made her way to the front of the classroom.

God knows no day in Veronica's class would be complete without a full demonstration of her clumsiness. Just as she rounded her desk, she hit her toe on the corner of her desk. "Ouch!" she said as she doubled over, dumping a screeching owl off of her shoulder onto the desk. He flailed about for a moment until finally fluttering over to the windowsill and landing with a thud.

Veronica sat, breathing heavily, in her chair and look about the room with a rather horrified expression. "Well... now that that's over." She said straightening her spectacles. She turned her attention to the owl that was staring maliciously at her from his perch on the window. She made a kissing noise and patted her shoulder. He responded with an indignant squawk. "Fine then," Veronica said rummaging through some papers on her desk.

"Well class," she started, "this year I hope to cover all the basics of Arithmancy. I want to go from inner personality, to outward appearance and even future and love predictions. I hope to make things fun as well as educational... and if circumstances permit... I was hoping to replace our midterm with a nice field trip." Veronica smiled warmly taking off her glasses once more and looking around the room. "Do any of you have any questions?"

---

First Class...
Author: Severus Snape
Date: 12-24-02 10:29

As usual, Severus slams open the door and storms inside. Another vacation, ended, and another year starting.... Darn it. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began once he got to the front of the class. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic."

Severus starts walking down rows, making sure students are listening. "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses..." He halted, sneering at the class.

"That is, if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach," he said coldly. "I expect you to have all your cauldrons and ingredients ready every morning! If not, I will take away points!" he snapped glaring. Severus walked back to his desk.

I really hope this class will go by quickly! Severus thought.

---

First DADA Class
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 12-24-02 14:36

At precisely eight o'clock, the door gently swung open and Ethan entered carrying teaching materials underneath his arm. If he was nervous, he didn't seem to show it. The new professor set down his books and papers on the corner of the oak desk at the front of the classroom and turned to face his students.

"Hello, all." He flashed his students a cheery smile and continued, "I'm Professor Somerset and this is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Now, I have a confession to make." His eyes twinkled impishly and he hopped up on the desk to get a little more comfortable. "This is my first time...teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, that is. This is my first time teaching anything, really. But, I suppose we all have something in common here." He smiled again, scanning each face and inwardly cheering when he received some smiles in return. "This is your first class at Hogwarts. For some of you, this is your first time dealing hands-on with the magical arts. It'll be a learning experience for all of us."

He reached for his roll book and flipped it open, asking, "This should be Gryffindor and Slytherin, am I correct?"

A few heads nodded, and it was then that Ethan noticed that half the room wore black school robes with the Gryffindor emblem on the front, and the other half of the room bore the Slytherin crest.

"Excellent," Ethan continued, his eyes scanning the class roster. "I'll go ahead and call the roll then. It's only fair that I learn your names, now that you all know mine!" He flashed his class another smile and began to read off the list of names.

As he placed faces to the names, he made mental notes about some students in particular. First to catch his eye were the Hannah twins, two energetic young girls who seemed to have a knack for mischief. Also, he noted that Miss McCoi seemed quite eager to learn. One of her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks lay wide open on her desk, and she poised her quill over a piece of parchment.

After running through the class roster, Ethan picked up two textbooks and held them up for all to see. "You all should have these two books already, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection."

He put them down and held up the third. "There is one more required textbook, An Introduction to Dark Charms, Hexes, Curses and Counter-curses by Lillie Longespee. It's newly published, so here's another first for us. The witch who wrote this book has an entire series, and I hear they're all quite good. This particular book..." He thumped it. "...will only be used in my first year classes."

He set the book down and slid off of the desk. "Well, I suppose it's time to begin the lecture." He smiled and began to pace across the front of the room. "This class will be a general overview of the dark arts..."

And so Ethan's first class officially began.

---

Lawrence woke up early and headed down to the common room to see if Vera was up, then he remembered that she didn't have any classes this morning. He then left the common room and headed for the Great Hall to grab something for breakfast. Finally he headed toward his first class.

He arrived in his charms class and found a seat. He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. He figured he'd have some time to start a letter to his Aunt, before class began. His calculations had been correct, he was finished with the letter with plenty of time to spare before class was scheduled to begin.

He retrieved a few more pieces of parchment out, as well as his wand and waited patiently for Professor Flitwick to enter and begin class.

---

"Oh! My goodness! What a morning!" I mutter as I finish my cup of tea and brush the muffin crumbs from my robes. Luckily, my classroom adjacent to my rooms and my office. I pick up my notes and my wand, and slip through the door.

The students, Fifth-year Slytherin and Hufflepuff, are all filing in as I climb the several steps up to my lecture podium. "Good morning! Good morning!" I exclaim as I count heads. Well? Nine registered and all present, I observe to myself. I believe I know all of these students but one...

"The first spell we will study is the Calientus charm. This spell is commonly used to heat things up, when a fire is not convenient. It is frequently used in conjunction with its counterpart, the Frigidus charm. Properly applied, these two spells can be used to control the temperature of reasonably small objects to within a few degrees Celsius. Today, we will work on bringing water to a boil and holding it there. However, I must first give you a word of warning. Where," I ask the class, "do you think the energy comes from?"

I cast my gaze around the room and note that Declan Collins is absorbed in trying to balance his quill on its point. "Mister Collins! Could you provide us with a suggestion?"

"Begging your pardon, Sir," he replies, "but I didn't understand the question!"

I turn to the other side of the room. "Miss Dewhurst? Could you help us out, here?"

"I think, Professor, that the energy must come from the wand!"

"Close, but not quite correct," I tell her. "The actual source of the energy is our surroundings... Most notably, the earth, itself. Our wands and our selves are merely conduits or channels for this energy. Thus, the warning. DO NOT try this spell while levitating or when you are not well grounded! There is very little energy in the air. You will suffer severe frostbite, or worse."

"Now! The form for this spell looks like a script, capital "C"." I turn my back to the class and use my wand to demonstrate the proper movement.

"Now! You should find in front of each of you, a cup of water and a simple thermometer. The thermometer, a common Muggle device, will show if you are having the desired effect, long before you would see steam or actual boiling. For today, please practice and perfect the Calientus spell, without modifiers. Later, we will learn the addition of "Max" or "Min". Please to begin!"

---

Before Class
Author: Remadi Ye
Date: 12-25-02 13:36

Remadi woke up early, as she did everyday, and slipped out of bed, making sure not to bother Neko or her roommates. She changes out of her pyjamas and into her Tae Kwon Do outfit. She walks quietly downstairs and finds her way outside. Remadi finds that nothing wakes her up better or calms her more than practicing Tae Kwon Do. She spends an hour working on basic moves and hyungs (patterns) before going back to take a shower and change into her school robes. By that time some people were awake. Neko was also awake and found his favorite spot on her shoulder. Remadi found her way to the Great Hall and to breakfast and sat down at the Gryffindor table. She ate quietly, handing food to Neko once in a while. After breakfast she still had a little over an hour before class, so she headed back to the Gryffindor common room. She took out her Charms book from her trunk along with the math book her father had given her to study and placed them beside a chair by the fire so she could do a little studying before she had to go to her first class.

---

Wake Up! It's Our First Day
Author: Margaritte Triegher
Date: 12-25-02 17:33

She woke up with droplets of water falling on her bare arm and her shoulders being shaken. She opened her eyes to see her sister, Christina, shaking her awake who, apparently, had just finished taking a bath. She managed to glare at her sister who only smiled back and bounded to the next bed, this time waking Mirai up.

"What time is it?" she asked, sitting up and swinging her legs off the bed.

"Six am," Christina answered, who was already sitting on her own bed and was finishing drying her hair.

Mirai, on the other hand, appeared to be disoriented as she was rubbing her eyes and was looking about the room.

"Ugh, Christa!" Margaritte exclaimed and stood up. "How could I forget that you're the one waking me up at the first week of classes?" she muttered, shaking her head slowly and walked to her trunk. She knelt down, opened it and took out a uniform, pair of socks, and towel. Gathering her things, she stood up and looked over at Mirai.

"Mind if I use the bathroom first?" she asked her roommate.

Mirai shook her head. "You go ahead," she answered with a smile. She looked like she had finally erased the last traces of sleep off her.

"Ok, then," and she walked out of the room.

While she bathe, she remembered what happened last night after she and the two other girls went to their room. They exchanged stories about Hogwarts and Mirai's former school, their pets, and a bit of family history. They never got to the more serious stuff about their families as it was already late and Mirai seemed so tired. Hence, they called it a night.

Margaritte finished taking a bath and walked back to their room with her wet hair piled up in a towel, turban style. She nodded to Mirai who got up and went to take a bath. Christina is chattering non-stop, how she likes their new roommate, what she's expecting on their new professors, and loads more. Margaritte just nodded or shook her head as she dried her hair and pulled it into a low bun. Christina has already finished dressing and had her hair in a half-French twist secured by a hair clip with the ends falling freely at the back.

Christa would have continued talking if Mirai hadn't come in, hair hanging wet. She smiled briefly at them before flinging her towel on her trunk, then grabbed her wand and muttered a drying spell on her hair. Margaritte stared in fascination as the girl worked quickly on her hair, parting it in two, braiding both parts, then wrapping them around the crown of her head, securing the ends with pins.

She was still staring as Mirai put on her shoes when Christina giggled. That made her stop staring and she praised Mirai for her ability before glaring at her sister for the second time in less than an hour.

"Let's go and eat, shall we?" she said, Mirai and Christa nodding. With that, they put on their robes, picked up the books they need, and headed to the Great Hall.