7.1
Extra Lessons-
"So tell me more about this new DADA teacher." I take a bite out of the cinnamon toast that Elle made for me. Jo moves her gaze from Elle to me before replying.
"He's young. Enough for a portion of the student body to fancy him. He's matter-of-fact in the way he teaches. I like him," That's a huge compliment coming from the Ravenclaw. Jo tosses a grape for Elle to catch in her mouth. Both Elle and I loudly as she succeeds. I make eye contact with the blonde before she turns to Jo with a question.
"So is he fun, or is he serious like the last teacher?" Is what comes out of her mouth. Jo goes on to explain how her class with Gryffindor went. She describes how the new professor dealt with the four troublesome boys who shall not be named. Apparently, the man-made Potter shut up for once, and that sent the entire classroom into laughter, including his friends. This gets a laugh out of both Elle and me, who seem more comfortable about the topic than before.
I lead the blonde arm in arm to the DADA classroom, walking with the flow of the crowd. I let her decide our seats, and she picks the front desks for once. Seems like she already likes this teacher. The tables fill with whispering students before the bell rings. Only a few moments later, the door in the front of the class is opened to reveal a blond man dressed formally. He's tall with tan skin. He walks further into the now quiet room. He leans back onto his desk before holding out his hands and starting to introduce himself.
"My name is John Royale, but you will call me Professor Royale for the remainder of the year." His voice is slightly deeper than you would expect from a man his age. "It has come to my attention that you have never learned about the Patronus charm in the years you have been coming to Hogwarts. That is something I am going to change." He stands back up and moves behind his desk before speaking again. "The person you share a table with will be your partner for the rest of the year." His tone tells that that is final. "First, we will be learning about the history of the charm." This leads him to ask us to bring our tour textbooks and turn to page fifty-six. The way he teaches is fluid, which keeps our attention away from anything that could distract us. Even Elle is paying full attention to the man in front of us.
While he turns his back, I lean towards the girl on my right and whisper. "I may work ahead in this class if this is what we will be taught." She nods while her eyes are still trained on the professor. I return to the man, who is now staring right at me. I don't back down, which makes him smirk slightly before he sweeps his gaze over the room. Royale walks through the rows of desks before placing a piece of paper in front of me while he moves by. In swirly cursive, it tells me to stay after class. I push it over to Elle, and she simply looks at me, confused, before sliding it back to me. It feels like no time has passed when the bell rings again, signaling that the two-hour block class is over. I tell Elle to go ahead without me, and she nods before walking through the sea of desks. I rise from my seat before approaching Prof. Royale sitting at his desk.
"I heard what you said, Mister Ansley." Is he going to get onto me, or what? "I heard from the former Defense professor that you have expertise in this subject." He stops for dramatic effect, I suppose, before continuing. "So it's obvious to me that you could excel if given the chance," Royale stands from his seat and extends his hand for me to shake. I hesitate, which gets him to explain it further. "I am asking if you want lessons outside of class to get ahead." I consider if he is a kiddy diddler for a moment, but then I extend my hand.
"I will think about it." It was just an offhand comment made to a friend. His face didn't change to disappointment; instead, he stayed the same before letting go of my hand.
"Very well. I hope you can come to a conclusion soon. I'm not offering extra care to just anyone, after all." He waves his hand, and I take it as my cue to leave. "Have a good rest of your day, Mister Ansley," I respond in kind before leaving the classroom to see a mostly empty hall. I see that Elle didn't wait for me, so I head straight to my next class, which is Potions in the dungeons.
—
The sun shines down on Elle and me. I am lying on the grass next to the girl on her laptop, editing some pictures we just finished taking. I lie there listening to the sounds of her typing and the sounds of other students on the grounds. I can hear multiple kids talking to each other about various things. I tune into a commotion that seems further away than the other students. I hear the telltale voices of the infamous bullies of Hogwarts.
"Come on, Padfoot, leave the poor boy alone already." I hear Remus casually comment. The only reply he gets is Black laughing before I hear another squeal from what seems to be a younger student. Padfoot? I've listened to the boys' nicknames for each other but never thought about them. Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail are what the boys call each other. They've been using them since fourth year. No one has ever commented about the nicknames I've heard of, and I definitely haven't listened to any explanations. Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, Wormtail. Sounds like a pet name to me. Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, Wormtail. Fuck. They are animal names, aren't they? Only those four would be mad enough to become animagus in secret while in fucking fourth year. I would have thought that Remus would have stopped such a dumbassary.
I turn my attention to the girl next to me. "I think I want to take up Royale's offer." She whips her head around and starts to ask question after question. I put up a hand to stop her and begin to quietly explain my sudden change of heart. "I want to push my limits; this is a perfect opportunity." I sit up and lean back onto my hands before continuing my thoughts. "I doubt it won't do me any good to be ahead in class for the semester."
"Have fun explaining to Jo. You know how she is about school and extra points." She side-eyes me while editing a photo of the Whomping Willow in motion. Damnit, she's right, Jo is going to hate this. I'll fully explain later tonight. I get to my feet in one solid motion before wiping any dirt or grass off my ass and back. The Hufflepuff girl looks back up at me with her brows raised in question.
"It's between classes. I'm sure that I will be able to find Royale and accept his offer." I don't await a response before walking from the grass field to the DADA classroom. My walk seems to have been for naught as I find the classroom empty. The next best bet would be to go to the Transfiguration teacher. I walked into the classroom to see the two teachers I needed to talk to. Royale seems smug, while McGonagall simply sighs.
"I assume you came here to accept my offer?" Merlin, even his tone is smug. I stop in front of the teacher's desk beside the blond man. I turn to him and hold out my hand just like he had done merely hours ago. He immediately reaches out and shakes my hand while staring straight at the older woman. "What made you decide?"
"The first step to becoming an Animagus would be to learn the Patronus charm. Am I wrong?" I cast my gaze on his and then to McGonagall. "So the fastest way to become one would be to accept your help." I keep my face blank as the two teachers react in different ways. The Transfiguration teacher merely looks at me with slightly raised brows while the Defense teacher smiles widely at my words.
"Are you sure you want to become an Animagus? It is a lot of hard work and would eat into your free time, Mister Ansley." Comes from the woman in front of me. "It's not something you can do on a whim." I nod my head in response.
"I am well aware of what it takes to complete the spell. This is why I am taking Professor Royale's offer of extra lessons." My tone is matter-of-fact as I look her dead on. "Unless you think I shouldn't," my tone changes. McGonagall looks between me and the man on my right before surrendering by putting up a hand.
"Meet me tomorrow after lunch, and we will talk more about your lessons."
-1,546 Words-