Chapter Text
The sun that had drifted through the small stained-glass windows was definitely a strong start to the day for Ophelya, it acting as the perfect wake up call for her first day. She was currently in the middle of buttoning up her yellow checked vest and chatting with Poppy as she rummaged through her books. Adelaide and Evangeline had already left for their classes, leaving Poppy and her some time to talk alone.
"Wow I really can't imagine what it would've been like knowing that you had magic abilities, but you couldn't use them" Poppy was still shocked at Ophelya's confession from the night before.
"Pretty crazy hey? but just look at how much reading and relaxing I could do since I didn't have to worry about spell casting practice" Ophelya grinned as she made a positive point out of her inability to cast spells. Poppy simply hummed and nodded in agreement. Poppy did enjoy reading quite a bit, mainly about the history and nature of beasts, so she had to agree with Ophelya that having that amount of time to read was definitely a positive.
"What I wouldn't do to have that much time- imagine all the things you could read about '' Poppy dreamily closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself in Ophelya's position. Ophelya laughed as she threw her cloak around her and did the buckles up on her black flats. Back home in London, the shopkeeper she visited called them flats when she first brought them last year, but they were anything but that. The heel wasn't too big, it was definitely still noticeable.
Although she had quite the intimidating day ahead of her, Ophelya's mind wasn't focusing forward, but rather back. More specifically back to last night when their table was talking about a certain someone in Slytherin.
"Why did anyone around want to talk about Ominis last night?" To Poppy, the comment seemed to come out of nowhere but she felt obliged to answer.
"Like what they said last night, it's simply because of his reputation- someone last year even started up the rumor that talking about him was bad luck" Poppy didn't try and hide her repulsion to the rumor. Who on earth would even believe something like that? That simply saying Ominis' name was bad luck? It was just ridiculous in Poppy's eyes. Ophelya agreed that spreading a rumor like that was just absurd and immature.
"Some people are so childish- but surely not everyone in his family is like what the rumors make them out to be?" Ophelya was hoping and praying that it was the case, however, Poppy couldn't give her a straight answer for that. Although everyone knew about his family and who they were, no one knew any of the little details about their life.
"Wish I knew- like I said, Ominis doesn't really open up to anyone, so I don't know if there is anyone else in his family that seems the same as him" Poppy sighed as she placed her books down on her bed and grabbed her cloak to dress herself with.
Ophelya just lowly hummed as she fell deep into thought. Poppy noticed her concentration as she looked from her books back to Ophelya.
"But hey you never know, Ominis might finally be open to talking with someone this year" Ophelya was quick to understand Poppy's implication. If she was going to be sharing many classes with him for years to come, then it would be in best interest if she did get to know him, even if he doesn't reciprocate the interest.
"That's if he actually tries to be cordial in return- and if Dimitri and Elliot don't try to kill me for it... or kill him for that matter" Ophelya grew irked just from the thought of Dimitri and Elliot pestering her for potentially being friends with a Slytherin.
"Seriously? They'd get annoyed at you for being friends with a Slytherin? There are lots of people who have friends in other houses!" Although she knew that the twin brothers had proper reasons to be resentful of Slytherins, she couldn't help but laugh.
"You have no idea..." Ophelya could only imagine what they'd be like. If they weren't already annoying as is, that would make them 10x worse.
"What are they like as older brother's Ophelya?... almost everyone in school knows what they're like with each other as twin brothers but what are they like with a younger sister?" Poppy was quite curious to know as she herself didn't have any siblings of her own. Ophelya tried to think of the good things about having older siblings, but the list she was collecting was very limited. The only things she could immediately think of was quidditch and how they served as great role models for her when they play.
"They are great role models are far as flying or quidditch goes I guess" She shrugged.
"but other than that- they are just a pain in my arse you know- always watching my every move, and just flat out embarrassing me when they do something idiotic"
"Hm I can't tell if I want a sibling or not- but now that you've told me about it... I'm not too sure"
"Hey Ophelya? Professor Weasley is waiting outside the common room for you" Lenora peaked her head through the door, calling out for Ophelya.
"Oh thanks Lenora- I'll head out there now" Ophelya said her goodbyes for the day to Evangeline as she didn't know when she was going to see her next. Although class was supposed to be starting relatively soon, the common room was still bustling with students, most up and talking while some others were just sitting and relaxing on the couches or on the carpet. Lenora was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for Ophelya and from what books she could see in Lenora's arms, she was the only one who seemed to be heading off to class already, other than Poppy and a few other stray students.
Ophelya and Lenora walked through the room and chatted away as they came up to the winding tunnel, then eventually the exit to their common room. As Lenora had said, Professor Weasley was waiting right out the front of the common room, eagerly tapping her foot against the cold stone floor and mumbling under her breath. She seemed impatient, but at what Ophelya didn't know. At first she thought it may have been because of her, but she was perfectly up on time so that thought was dropped quite quickly.
"Good morning Professor Weasley '' the Professor quickly turned around, her fingers gently pushing the rims of her glasses closer to her face so that they didn't fall off as she spun. Despite asking for Ophelya to see her, she seemed surprised that the fifth year was standing right behind her. Before she spoke up, she mumbled one thing under her breath that Ophelya could only just make out. It was something about her and Professor Fig, she was sure of that. But what specifically? that she didn't know. She could only guess.
"Ah Miss Sherwood, I hope you're excited for your first day" She held her hands together as she held her chin high, and a large smile began to grow on her face. A complete contrast to what Ophelya and Lenora had just seen, however unlike Ophelya, Lenora didn't entirely pay attention to it.
"Very much so Professor- I still can't believe that I'm here" Lenora by this point had dismissed herself and headed off to her own class, leaving Professor Weasley and Ophelya to converse.
"Well you are- so let's make the most of it hm?" the Professor motioned for Ophelya to follow her to her first class, to which Ophelya hesitated for a second.
She thought about Arthur and how excited he was to walk with her, but seeing as she didn't see him in the common room, she could only assume he was still in his room or already nearing the classroom.
'I'm sure he'd forgive me if I go ahead'
She decided to move forward with the Professor, ascending the floral vine staircase and to her first ever class at Hogwarts.
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"And this is Central Hall- our Kings Cross station so to speak" Ophelya took in the vastness of the hall and the large stone fountain that stood tall and proud in the center. She felt so small compared to the towering pillars and giant arched roof, but it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, it was one that made her curious- that made her want to explore even more of the castle.
"It's incredible Professor!" Ophelya could feel that giddiness rising within again just at the sheer sight of it. If she was as starstruck as she was on only the first day- she could only imagine what the future holds for her.
"That it is- I remember my first time at Hogwarts" Professor Weasley hummed as she thought back to the moment she first walked through these walls, the same feeling coursing through her as she looked at the greatness of the castle.
"What house were you in Professor?" Ophelya was quite curious about Professor Weasley's time at Hogwarts, how it's changed and also how she came to teach at such a school.
"I was a Gryffindor believe it or not- could never seem to remember the password to get into the common room..." She laughed at the memory, careful to not accidentally say it out loud as she recollected.
"I would imagine you're quite the daring, adventurous type then" Ophelya was only joking around, but she had to admit that there was apart of her that was curious to know if she was like the stereotypical Gryffindor back when she was Ophelya's age.
Professor Weasly couldn't help but laugh as she thought back to the trouble she got into with her friends.
"Daring? no not anymore- But I can't say I got up to the same sort of things you have been; Dragons and..." Ophelya could feel her mood slightly drop at the mention of not only the dragon but also at the suggestion that there was more to the story. She quickly scrambled the courage to not only come up with a response but also the nerves to lie to a teacher. Sure, Ophelya had lied to people before including her own parents, but lying to a teacher on her first day? Maybe not the best look if anyone found out. However, it was for good reason that she had to lie. No one could know what happened. Not yet anyway.
"Oh no Professor it was just the dragon attack" She spoke trying to keep it clear and confident, fighting the clench in her throat as she did so. Although she didn't stutter for a moment, Professor Weasly didn't look too convinced. If there was one thing Ophelya definitely knew about herself was that she was apparently easy to read. Ophelya was clinging onto the hope that Professor Weasley were to drop the subject, but that didn't seem at all to be the case.
"A dragon attack would warrant a caus-" before She could voice her speculations, Ophelya's hopes and prayers seemed to be answered as Professor Fig had quickly intervened.
"Professor Weasley- Would be I be able to steal your student for a moment; I was told I was to assist them before their classes commenced" It wasn't entirely a question really. Fig was making it clear that he was going to steal away her student. Professor Weasley didn't seem all too surprised at the interjection, if anything, she had a small, subtle smile on her face as Fig walked up beside Ophelya.
"Of course- And remember to write and draw in your field guide Miss Sherwood- It's invaluable" Professor Weasley spoke her parting sentence before heading off down the stairway, rapidly approaching two other students. Although they thought they were being secretive, Ophelya could see the small box of fireworks they were passing back and forth between each other. It seems Professor Weasley noticed too as she pulled out her own wand and plucked the small packet from their robe, then giving the students quite the earful about it only being their first day.
"Did I see you just masterfully evade Professor Weasley's questioning?" She looked back to the Professor beside her and slowly nodded her head. She didn't really want to admit that she had just lied to a teacher, but with Fig's response, she knew that he would be a little more lenient.
"I didn't particularly like lying to a teacher but I had to- however I'm sure she's onto us" Fig also Nodded along with Ophelya in complete understanding. He knew that someone was bound to be onto them about the whole dragon attack and Professor Weasley was his main cause for concern. Out of all the teachers, Matilda Weasley was observant and thought ahead of those around her. She knew there was more going on with this "Rogue Dragon" than people were thinking.
"She is one of the best witches I know, she's bound to be sceptical... Well that aside- how about I show you how to use your map?" He motions for Ophelya to bring out her Field Guide.
"This works as a map? I had no idea" she opens up to the inner cover and sees two of the large maps on the pages, one for Hogwarts of course and the other for Hogsmeade.
"We specifically designed your field guide so it could assist you in getting to locations- you simply say where you want to go and just wave you wand across the page" Ophelya drew her own temporary wand and hovered over her hogwarts map for a moment before declaring where she wanted to go.
"Defence against the dark arts classroom" With a small wave of her wand, a faint golden trail illuminated not only on her map but in front of her and Professor Fig, however, she wasn't too sure that he could see the trail like she did.
"I can see it Professor- it's just in front of me" Ophelya was fascinated by the magic before her and even though she had heard of such a charm, it was even more impressive to see it in person.
"Well done- now I suppose I ought to let you get to class now hadn't I?" Ophelya closed over her book and looked back to Professor Fig, saying his farewells for the day.
"Thank you very much Professor Fig" Ophelya and the Professor went their separate ways, Ophelya following the golden trail to her class and Fig to his office before his class with the first years began.
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"Ophelya! There you are!" Ophelya had walked up the multiple winding staircases when she heard Arthur's voice call out from above. She looked atop the final staircase to where the classroom was and saw the boy standing out the front with his arms folded across his chest. His expression showed he was happy to see her, however his body language seemed to show the complete opposite.
"Sorry about that Arthur, Professor Weasley came and collected me earlier" Ophelya admitted in hopes that Arthur would understand. She was sure that he would, but he did have a small look of disappointment for a moment. It was quickly replaced with cheer once again as he seemed to understand that Ophelya couldn't really just say 'no' to Professor Weasley.
"Ah that's alright- I should've known that a teacher would be taking you through your first day and not a student- anyway let's go in" He opened the door and motioned his head forward for Ophelya to go in ahead and as she stepped into the classroom, her eyes immediately trailed around the large classroom. The whole place was dark and wooden, the benches lined down the classroom and the outer walls decorated with large magnifying glasses and old wooden iron maidens. As Ophelya looked up at the arched roof, she was even more enchanted by the large dragon skeleton hanging from the roof. From the quick look she had got at the skull of the beast, she could only guess it was another Hebridean Black. Arthur laughed a little as he saw the enthralled Ophelya with her jaw slightly ajar and her eyes widened. They were both cut out of their little moment as they heard the sparks of a spell flying and when they looked to the middle of the class, they saw Sebastian and Leander engaged in a duel.
"Thats-
"Sebastian dueling Leander yeah... it's a pretty common occurrence to see those two going at each other" Arthur looked down for a moment sort of embarrassed as the two weren't entirely being quiet.
"Is that all you've got?" Sebastian laughed as Leander just scowled at the freckled brunette across from him. In his small rage he threw a few more spells at him, which Sebastian seemed to just block with absolute ease. Ophelya was quite absorbed in the duel as were many of the other students in the class were too.
Except for one really and that was Ominis. He wasn't really looking at the two in the centre of the classroom before but he was listening to the quick and sharp bolts flying out the ends of their wands- and the continuous trash talk. Ophelya looked at the different students and caught on to Ominis, watching him for just a moment before a loud bang caught her off guard, making her jump slightly.
"Bombarda!" Leander had called protego at the last minute so as the spell collided with his protection, the bolt rebounded and shot up towards the dragon. It blasted at part of the skull causing it to come loose and fall, directly above Leander.
Before it could collide with the boy, the surge of purple wisps caught the skull, it hovering only a few centimeters above Leander. Although Ophelya was a bit tense at that close call, she could only imagine how startled Leander would be from that close call.
"Professor Hecat!" Ophelya looked up at the balcony where she heard the clacking on heels on stone and saw an older woman dressed in all blue, her wand aiming directly at the dragon's skull.
"I get new students every year but it isn't that often I get a Hebridean Black skull from the Great Poacher Raid of 1878" Ophelya was slightly taken aback as she had read about that very raid as she was studying with her mother. She had heard that it was overthrown by one singular person, and if Ophelya had heard the Professor right, she was looking at the very woman who wiped them out.
"Now you may be wondering how an old woman like myself managed to take out the largest poacher ring in Eastern Wales and lived to boast about it..." she paused for a moment as she swayed her wand slightly and gently placed the skull back on its hanging pedestal.
"Knowledge" Ophelya walked forward from the doorway over to where her other classmates were standing, taking her spot over next to Sebastian. Professor Hecat had also chosen to do the same as she wandered away from the stairs, announcing what the class were going to do.
"Today we are going to be reviewing a spell that has saved me from the hands of death countless times- Levioso" There were quite a few groans from the class as she announced that they would be practicing such a simple thing. Even Ophelya had to admit that Levioso was quite the easy charm but there was nothing wrong with a little revision really. Although some of the others didn't think quite as much.
"Levioso? A levitation charm?" Leander huffed as he started at the back of Professor Hecat's head. As she was facing towards Ophelya, she watched as the Professor slightly rolled her eyes then rather quickly turned to face the boy. Before he could react, Professor Hecat had cast the exact spell most in the class were just dragging. The orange haired boy was shot up about 2 metres off the ground, the purple swirling wind causing him the flail around in struggle. He couldn't do anything as his arms were forced upward, unable to forcibly reach down and grab his wand to break out of the charm.
Ophelya couldn't help but let out a small laugh under her breath as she watched the helpless young boy struggle against the older woman's abilities. It wasn't just her laughing. Ophelya felt a small nudge on her shoulder and as she looked up, she was met with one of the boys she was talking about at dinner with Poppy. Sebastian had seemed to notice her laugh and looked down at her, nudging her to get her attention.
"Well deserved, don't you think?" He whispered quietly with a cocky smirk as Professor Hecat was busy almost taunting Leander for his poor choice.
"Maybe..." Ophelya leaned a little closer to Sebastian just for a moment while keeping her eyes trained on the scene in front of them. Sebastian let out a small snort at the subtle answer. Ophelya did think that he was quite the nice fellow when she first met him last night but she also didn't know what the relationship was like between the Slytherin and Gryffindor. She couldn't say for certain it was deserved, but from the short answer he gave a Professor... maybe the embarrassment was deserved.
"Care to defend yourself Master Prewett? no?" Professor Hecat carelessly swayed her wand to the side, Leander immediately being lowered down to the ground. He got up and swatted away at his robes to neaten them out again, and then stepped back out of the Professors firing line.
Professor Hecat turned back to face the other students, but her eyes were locked onto Ophelya. As she locked eyes with the brunette, she walked over closer to the new 5th year and placed her wand back into a small pocket in her dress.
"I'm Professor Hecat- From my knowledge, Professor Fig has already taught you Levioso Miss Sherwood?" Ophelya hummed a 'yes' in response and nodded her head, drawing out her old temporary wand.
"Yes Professor Hecat, he has" Hecat smiled amusedly as she could see how determined Ophelya was to begin.
"Alright let's put the class to some review" Professor Hecat began to walk towards the front of the class and she lifted her wand once again. Many of the other students had now gathered around the area where her and Sebastian were, watching Professor Hecat with the same eagerness despite complaining only a few moments ago.
Ophelya looked at the students moving in closer, taking in their appearance. Some of them were wearing their long black coats like Arthur and a few others, while some had taken them off and wore their shirt sleeves shirts and house- coloured vests, like Sebastian. One student had caught her eye though. Ominis. He was one of the few students that had taken off his cloak as well, wearing the same short-sleeved white shirt, and his dark emerald vest. He had slowly sauntered over and began to lean against one of the wooden desks, his head following Professor Hecat's voice as she walked back towards the head of the classroom. Ophelya just watched him for a moment as he had a small faint smile, potentially having a little laugh about the whole Leander-Levioso situation. He was leaning quite comfortably against the bench and using it as a support instead of drawing his sentient wand to help guide him.
Professor Hecat drew her wand once again and flicked it off her to the side, the desks on the left beginning to move. Since her back was turned on the students, she clearly couldn't see the blind boy leaning against the table for support, but since Ophelya was already looking his way, she could see what was about to happen. Before Hecat could move the desks and before Ominis was to fall, Ophelya didn't entirely think as she quickly rushed over and grabbed onto his forearm and back before the desk was forced from beneath him. Ominis was caught quite off guard by not only the absence of the desk but also with the persons hands gripping onto him, helping him get his balance back after he almost took a tumble. Before Ophelya could say anything, Ominis was quick to speak up.
"Sebastian I'm- wait a moment..." Ominis poster had tightened up slightly as the realization hit him that it wasn't Sebastian that was holding him. As he didn't have his cloak on, the hand that was holding into his bare forearm felt quite different to Sebastian's, in the sense that it was smaller, softer, more "delicate" dare he say. He felt the strangers hand loosen their grip and quickly let go, however he could still feel them hovering around him, almost as if they were ready to try and support him once again.
"Sorry I didn't mean to- I just saw Professor Hecat was about to move the desk you were leaning on..." Ophelya quickly apologized as she remembered what Poppy had said about Ominis and how standoffish he could get with people he didn't really know. Ophelya was quite nervous about her first impression now as suddenly touching someone without asking first and without them even expecting it was probably not the most ideal thing. Especially when it came to the one person people were mostly nervous around.
Ophelya takes a quick glance around the classroom as she could hear the sound of shuffling and laughing voices, and she saw all of the students were making a small line in the back of the class. Ominis seemed to notice the sudden surge of noise as he pulled out his wand and began to straighten up his posture again.
"No you're alright... You're the new fifth year right?" Both him and Ophelya began walking over to the end of the line, Ophelya drawing her own wand as she saw the others casting levioso on a dummy.
"Oh yes sorry- I'm Ophelya Sherwood, and you are?" Ophelya, of course, knew who he was, but thought that it would be better if she would ask him. If he knew that she already knew his name, then that wouldn't leave a good impression having him know that she's already engaged with the gossip. Ominis brows raised in semi-surprise. He was rather surprised at how polite she was.
"Ominis Gaunt- and thank you.. For catching me that is" Ominis was hesitant to say his name but as this girl was being so nice to him, he thought it would be best to be nice back, however short lived it would be. He honestly thought that she already knew his name, and he came to the conclusion that she was just being nice. After what happened at dinner when he heard they were looking his way, she must have known him. He expected her aura to drop as he spoke her name, but her tone said otherwise.
"Well it's good to meet you Ominis- I hope to see more of you in the future" granted she could have just been lying to his face and putting on a facade, there was just something that sounded so sincere when she was chatting with him.
"Master Gaunt- you may cast" Professor Hecat caught his attention once again and he held his black, regal wand out in front of him. As Ophelya watched, it almost seemed as though he didn't have a vision impairment. He was fantastic at casting; his timing and technique was smooth and sleek. It was pretty amazing to witness how his wand just leads him and tells him where to cast. Granted the target didn't move too much, it was still fascinating.
"Well done Master Gaunt- now, onto you Miss Ophelya" Ominis' wand began to glow it's familiar red as he made his way back to the crowd of students watching the next caster. Ophelya watched as the dummy wheeled itself back into its original place and ready to be bombarded with another round of spells.
As she began to post a flurry of simple casts, Sebastian had creeped over next to Ominis, who was just looking down with a serious expression, looking as though he's deep in thought.
"You ok Ominis? I saw you talking with the new girl" Sebastian stood by Ominis' side and his presence caused the blind boys head to perk up, his expression going from absent to aware.
"I'm okay Sebastian- she seems nice" Ominis spoke as if Sebastian was being over-attentive, but he had to admit that Sebastian had the right to be cautious. Having heard all the rumours and seen the superstition first hand, he wanted to make sure that Ophelya wasn't one of them.
"I had a little interaction with her earlier- she does seem...more polite than some other people here" He watched as Ophelya blasted the floating dummy back into the ground, earning praise from Professor Hecat.
"Now I think it's time we tried something else- how about a duel Miss Sherwood?" the students began to close in again, the class now beginning to buzz at the mention of something more exciting than revision. Although Ophelya was okay with the revision, the thought of finally dueling another student gave her a buzz she hadn't felt before. Even with the thought in her mind that she could potentially lose, it didn't particularly matter to her. Just competing in a duel was enough for her.
"Of course Professor, I'd be more than happy to" Ophelya played with her wand, flicking it between her fingers as she eagerly awaited for her partner.
"Mr. Sallow- if you will" There were a few whispers as Professor Hecat announced her partner and as she looked over to Sebastian, he was always watching her with a large cocky grin on his face. He walked over in front of Ophelya and she could immediately feel his confident aura colliding with her own.
"Time for a proper Hogwarts welcome" He walked past her towards the other end of the room, Professor Hecat giving him a sort of knowing smile as he walked past.
"What? the sorting ceremony wasn't enough?" She laughed, earning a small huff from Sebastian.
Again, the other students cleared off to the side of the dueling strip, making way for Ophelya and Sebastian to begin. She made her way to the opposite end and turned to face Sebastian, who had his wand drawn and pointed in her direction.
The floor below the two rose of the ground, and If the dummy was any indication for what was going to happen, Ophelya was grateful for the soft carpet below them.
"And.. begin!" Before Ophelya could even react, Sebastian had cast Levioso and sent her flying up above everyone. She was surprised that instead of performing a few simple casts to take her down, he stopped and laughed for a moment, taking the time for a little trash talk.
"How's the view up there?" That earned a few laughs from some students and even a small grin from Ominis.
'Does this guy seriously not stop trash talking?'
She huffs and uses her wand to help break her out of the charm, landing on the levitating wooden table with a heavy bang.
She throws a few quick casts , trying her best to catch him of guard but Sebastian always seemed ready. Although he was able to block all of her casts, Ophelya noticed in a quick moment that every time he blocked her casts, the impacts would seem to push him back on the desk, closer and closer to the edge.
'Maybe I could use that...'
Sebastian was expecting her to cast once again so he was preparing to block, and he was indeed correct. She cast a few more basic casts and as she saw him getting closer to the edge, a quick throw of levioso had enough force to throw him towards the edge of the desk.
Sebastian had immediately noticed one of his heels fall a little over the edge, his attention now being on the fact he had almost fallen off the table.
Ophelya saw the gap and cast one last Levioso, Sebastian unable to block in time as his attention was elsewhere. He was thrown up in the air and with a few small gasps from the crowd of students, Ophelya threw another basic cast, knocking the levitating Sebastian off the edge of the desk, his body falling into a large pile of papers.
Ophelya walked to his end of the desk and looked down at the freckled boy slumped over in the pile of papers, a look of shock on his face as he saw the girl trying to contain her smile, just looking down at him. There was a surge of excited round of applauses and a few small cheers from some of the girls in the class.
"How's the view down there?" Although he felt like he should've been mad for losing against the new student, as he looked up at her standing on the platform. He couldn't help but smirk. He was oddly charmed by the Hufflepuff, and all the anger was quickly pushed aside as he was more impressed than anything.
Sebastian couldn't help but laugh as he pushed himself off the pile of messy papers, brushing his vest and trousers, then holding one of his hands out. Ophelya's grin softened into a gracious smile. She takes his offer and grabs his hand rather tightly as she steps off the table.
"Not bad for a beginner... you give as good as you get" Sebastian gave her his praise before going their separate ways as they reached everyone else on the other side of the bench. Professor Hecat forced the dueling stand back down into the floorboards before going ahead and dismissing the class.
All the other students went ahead and exited the classroom, but Ophelya was called over by Professor Hecat once again.
"Sallow is a formidable opponent- well done, points for Hufflepuff" Ophelya felt good for making such a good impression on her first day with Hecat.
"If what I've seen today is any indication then I know I'll see great things from you"
"Thank you Professor Hecat, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to practice" Ophelya couldn't contain the smile on her face as Hecat didn't seem to back down with the praise.
"Now I demand excellency; if my students are capable of achieving it then they must achieve it- continue practicing when you can" Ophelya was shortly after dismissed by the Professor as all the students were now absent from the classroom and on their way to their next class.
As she exited the classroom, she caught sight of two familiar figures standing just outside of the classroom, looking as though they were waiting for someone. Much to Ophelya's surprise, it turned out that they were waiting for her.
"Ah there you are Ophelya! We were waiting up for you- needed to have a chat about that duel" Sebastian seems as equally thrilled about the duel, excited that someone finally beat him in a duel.
"You were waiting for me? the both of you?" She was quite surprised that not only Sebastian was waiting for her but also Ominis as well. He didn't actually seem too bothered waiting up for her, he actually seemed to be quite content. Although he was quite skeptical about a new student, having talked with her just for a moment and hearing how Sebastian was interacting with her, he felt a little surer as the time went on.
"Wanted to know where you learnt to duel like that- and if it was even your first duel" They all began walking up to their next class and it was a hunch that came over Ophelya that she was most likely sharing her next class with them as well.
"I've dueled plenty- Consider yourself lucky I went easy on you" Ophelya had a little laugh as she thought back to all the dueling practice she not only had with her family and Professor Fig but with those sentinels at Gringotts.
"Well seems like we can expect big things from you, hey Ominis?" Sebastian gives his friend a small nudge in the shoulder, Ominis slightly grunting from the sudden force.
"Maybe so... You're thinking about crossed wands aren't you" Ominis could immediately tell what was on his best friend's mind and he was correct. Sebastian was thinking that Ophelya would make a great new member to their secret dueling club, Crossed Wands. Ophelya's ears perked up at the mention of this Crossed Wands, intrigued about this sudden invitation- well, suggestion of an invitation.
"Crossed Wands? What's that, like some sort of club?" As the three were climbing up the steps and nearing Charms Class, Sebastian's voice dropped lower and quieter, careful to avoid any prying ears.
"You bet, Ominis and I will be there today- it's a secret dueling club in the clock tower- away from the prying eyes of supervisors..." Ophelya watched as Sebastian grin grew wider as he neared the end of the sentence. Something about the duels being unsupervised sent a small rush through Ophelya. Although she normally liked to have someone there in case something went wrong, they wouldn't be using spells that would cause such harm anyway, so where was the harm in a few duels.
"Unsupervised duels? count me in" The three made their way through the door of the new classroom, Sebastian grinning as he heard Ophelya agree to meeting them at the clock tower. Even Ominis has a small smirk, somewhat entertained by the confidence and enthusiasm of the new girl.
Ominis and Sebastian gave their farewells and Ophelya simply looked around at the new classroom, it's layout vastly different from that of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. There were quite a few students in the classroom already, some familiar like Leander and Poppy but some new ones too.
One of the girls she hadn't met before was actually already looking her way and calling out to her, the same way Poppy had during her dinner.
"Over here! There's an open seat next to me" the Gryffindor called out to Ophelya eagerly, jumping around a bit in her seat. Ophelya smiled and climbed the small staircase, shuffling past the girl and taking a seat on the thin wooden bench.
"I'm Natsai Onai but people just call me Natty- you must be the new fifth year I've heard so much about" She held her hand out and captured Ophelya's hand in a gentle handshake.
"I've been getting that a lot... I'm Ophelya Sherwood- it's good to meet you Natsai" Although she had heard it multiple times, she couldn't help but feel slightly abashed when people opened up to her about the rumors or stories.
"I heard you beat Sebastian Sallow in a duel? Now that would have been a sight to see" With how people were acting with the news of Sebastian being defeated, Ophelya was rather interested to know about his history with dueling at the school.
"Is Sebastian that good of a duelist?" Ophelya turned herself in her seat to face a little more towards Natsai, the Gryffindor doing the same as she began telling her more about Sebastian's dueling feats.
"Good? He's fantastic at dueling- hasn't lost a duel until today that is" If Professor Hecat's praise wasn't enough, hearing that this was the first time Sebastian had lost a duel in a long while really boosted her confidence. She thought her first impressions and reputation would be ruined by the chaotic sorting ceremony, but her first day was shaping up to improve that.
"You kidding me? that was just sheer luck that you managed to beat Sebastian" Ophelya and Natsai hadn't noticed two more people enter the classroom. Natsai immediately turned her head back to Ophelya and just huffed with annoyance.
"I'm sorry- I didn't see you beat Sebastian once and you're in your sixth attempt Callista" Ophelya was stuck looking up at the blonde Slytherin, who had stopped snickering with her Ravenclaw friend after Natty had dismissed her.
"Whatever Onai..." She spoke of her last name as if it were poison escaping her lips, sharp and venomous. Callista turned to look from Natty to Ophelya, the slytherins gaze sharpening as they made eye contact. Ophelya could see a deep bitterness within her stare, so she returned an equally sharp look, not faltering beneath the stone cold gaze. Before she could even speak up, Callista just turned her back and began walking down the stairs once again, then calling for her friend to follow her.
"Come on Ada- let's go sit over there" She pointed across the room towards the other two Slytherins who were just casually conversing as they awaited their Professor. The Ravenclaw girl, who Ophelya discovered to be named Ada, gave one last almost snarl before leaving and following her friend. Ophelya was just left there, stumped as to why they had so rudely interrupted her and Natty's conversation.
Natsai however was just bitterly staring at the two girls, trying to squeeze in as close as they could to Sebastian and Ominis.
'Typical...' Natty just rolled her eyes and looked back to the dumbfounded Ophelya, and if she wasn't in such a sudden foul mood, seeing the Hufflepuff's expression would have made her laugh.
"What was she trying to do? Turn me to stone?" However, that was enough to finally make her laugh.
"That was Callista Malfoy- not really one of the nicest people around" Ophelya wasn't entirely stumped anymore as she learnt the last name of Callista. Malfoy. She was unsure of why she'd out of the blue just butt in so rudely and try to paralyze her with her stare, but now she could potentially see the reason why.
Before Ophelya could talk more about Callista and that sudden incident, a loud bang echoed from above and a bombastic voice follow, catching many in the classroom below by surprise.
"Welcome Welcome! I hope everyone is ready for another exciting year in Charms!" Ophelya looked at the Professor making his way down the staircase and the first thing she noticed was how classy and clean his attire was. A professor that truly knew how to dress.
"Ah that's Professor Ronen- quite enthusiastic compared to the other Professors at Hogwarts" Natty whispered to the amused Ophelya as Professor Ronen made his way down the stairs and to the head of the class.
"I can tell..." she just watched as she Professor Ronen hopped down the stairs, his head tapping along with every step.
"Now as a bit of revision- who can tell me the difference the incantations of the color change and growth charm?" The whole class was silent as the Professor asked his question, everyone just quietly looking at each other in hopes someone answered. Even Ophelya looked to her peers for a moment, but then took it upon herself to try and think of the answer, looking back at all of the study she had done.
'Color change and growth charms... Engorgio and...' Although she could remember the growth charm, the color change charm was proving a little more difficult to remember, but it did come to her in time.
'Colovaria'
Before she could shoot her hand up to answer, Professor Ronen had decided it was best to move on after seeing the clueless expressions of his students.
"Have you all been practicing Obliviate on one another? Well maybe it is time for a little revision-" Although most teachers would have been disappointed by their students lack of knowledge over the break, Professor Ronen seemed anything but that. He took it as another opportunity he had to teach his students through one of his favorite methods.
Summoners Court.
"Now everyone outside we go- we are going to play a little bit of Summoners Court this lesson!" Many students shot up from seats and already began shuffling out of the class, excited that they weren't going to be spending their first class inside reading and writing instead of something practical.
But there were some who weren't too happy about it, such as Callista. Nobody knew why she had such a problem with playing games and such, but every time they did, they were sure that they were to hear a complaint from her. Not just from her but many others in the class.
"Summoners Court? What's that?" Ophelya stood up with Natty, both the girls pushing their seats out behind them and walking out of the class behind everyone else. Natty had a knowing smile on her face, excited to show Ophelya a game she had bested everyone at.
"Hm you'll just have to wait until we get outside..."