An Eclectic Catalogue of Ideas

Harry woke up suddenly; he'd gotten into the habit at the Dursleys, even before they moved him to Dudley's 'other bedroom'. Listening for movement, Harry relaxed after a moment and stretched. Looking around, he moved to get out of bed, opening his trunk and getting his clothes for the day. He headed for the baths as he yawned, taking a quick shower and getting dressed before he picked up a book from the table by his bed and went down to sit in the common room.

Harry settled into a seat on one of the couches, opening the book and starting to read. He glanced up as he felt someone approach and saw a teen with black hair and prominent teeth sneer at him, "Potter. How did you end up in Slytherin? Your mother was a mudblood, you don't belong here."

Harry grinned. He had expected this to happen before now. It was a relief of sorts. Otherwise, he'd wonder when the other shoe would drop. He'd managed to steer Draco around a bit by being nice and giving him a chance to 'befriend' him. "Hello!" he said brightly, "I belong here because I have ambition and cunning. Now yourself, I'm not sure why you're here. Even if you dislike me, walking up and making it clear is rather stupid and lacking in cunning, don't you think?" His gaze flickered briefly behind the other boy and smirked.

As the black-haired boy snarled and reached for his wand, a voice came from behind him, "And what are you doing, Flint?"

Harry casually lifted a hand, "Hello there, Gemma," he said with a nod. "I think he was trying to show me my place, or something like that. Honestly, I was expecting it before now."

"He doesn't belong here," Flint snarled.

"As he said, he belongs here more than you. Move it, Flint," Gemma said to him, "Before I bring you to Professor Snape and let him deal with you."

As the other boy stalked away, Harry glanced at Gemma, "Thanks. I probably shouldn't have pushed him, but I'm not going to meekly accept that sort of thing."

"Honestly, I don't expect you to, though be careful. I can't always be around to help you. What'd you mean by expecting it?"

"Simple enough. From what I read, a lot of Voldemort's followers," He blinked as she shuddered, "were in Slytherin. As I told Ron Weasley, I don't think everyone in the house are evil. That'd be stupid. But I expected some with those views around: some more vocal than others."

"I suppose that makes sense. If I might suggest, don't call him that. Call him You-Know-Who. During the war, there was a spell that let him know when people used his name. It still scares people," Gemma explained.

"Hrm. I wasn't told that bit, nor did I find it in books. That actually makes sense. I'll use that then, at least until I can think of something better." Harry smiled. "You're up early."

"I should say that about you. What brings you down here?" Gemma asked.

"I'm always up early. I figured I'd read a bit until breakfast," Harry told her, showing her the title of his book: Etiquette and Deportment.

"That's a rather dry topic," Gemma said with a laugh, "Any reason you're reading that?"

"I don't know a great deal about how wizards live. I was muggle-raised. I'm trying to catch up," Harry told her with a shrug.

"Hrm. That makes me happy I chose who I did for your adviser," Gemma said with a chuckle.

"Who'd you choose?" Harry asked curiously.

"That'd be me!" came a cheerful voice from behind him. Harry turned curiously and saw two twin girls, both with rich red-brown hair. "I'm Flora Carrow, and this is my sister, Hestia. I'll be helping you out. As will Hestia, as she and I are a package deal."

Hestia simply looked at him curiously, quieter than her sister. After a moment, she nodded and said, "Hello, Harry."

"Hi, Flora, Hestia," Harry said shyly, "Nice to meet you both." As they introduced themselves, Gemma moved away towards one of the tables by the door.

"Likewise," Flora stated. "I and Hestia are second years, so we can show you around and answer any questions you might have."

"I'd appreciate that. Most of my questions will deal with stuff that's probably obvious to you. As I was telling Gemma, I'm muggle-raised," Harry said to her with a sheepish look. "I got Ron and Draco talking about quidditch and all I know is it's like footie on brooms, but more complicated."

"Well, I don't know what footie is, but I can explain quidditch," Flora said as she sat down beside him on the couch, Hestia sitting on the other side of him. "Anything else?"

Harry lifted his book, "This stuff," He said, showing her the title. "I know that it's different, and the magical world is really old fashioned, so I figured there's probably a lot of stuff that I could accidentally do to piss people off."

Flora considered, "Not so much in normal conversation, but in formal situations, yes. The main rule is an easy one. If someone is introduced with their full name, you can use their first name. If they just say their last name or ask you to use their last name, you use their last name. If they're an official, use their last name with their title. Professor Snape. Headmaster Dumbledore. Minister Fudge. And so on. Using their first is then considered rude."

"So if, say, Gemma had introduced you as Miss Carrow, I should call you Miss Carrow? Harry asked.

"In formal situations yes, until I say otherwise. Normally, simply 'Carrow' works. Like how she told you to call William Shafiq by his last name. He prefers it," Flora said with a slow nod.

"That seems simple enough," Harry acknowledged.

"If we're in really formal situations dealing with House politics, which comes up rarely, it becomes more complicated. As an example, you are Heir Potter, as you're the heir to House Potter, and will become Lord Potter when you are seventeen. This only will come up if explicitly talking about house politics," Flora continued.

"Wait." Harry blinked. "Lord? Like, noble and stuff?"

"Technically. It's not like a muggle nobility, though. It's a holdover from when the Wizengamot was completely hereditary. Those who once had hereditary seats are considered Lords and Ladies, and there are a set of elected seats that can only be taken by those with that noble status." Flora shrugged, "Those seats take up seventy-four of the one hundred forty-seven seats of the Wizengamot."

"Strange maximum number," Harry said with a frown, "It sounds a little like muggle Parliament. There's a House of Lords and a House of Commons. Though it sounds like these seats have more power than the House of Lords has had in a long time."

"One hundred forty-seven is based on a magical number. Three by seven by seven. And more or less. They're just like other seats, except you can only be elected to one if you're considered noble." Flora shrugged, "Honestly, you don't have to worry about house stuff at Hogwarts; it's against school rules. So you only have to worry about that during the summer until you graduate."

Harry laughed, "I'm glad about that. This sounds a little complicated. I'll be sure to keep reading the book and ask you questions. I'm sure I'll have some in time."

From the other side, Hestia spoke for the first time, "Flora will help you. I can help you with classes, I'm better at most than she is. Though she is better at Transfiguration."

"Hey!" Flora gave her sister a look, though she was smiling. "I'm also better than you at Herbology."

"True," Hestia agreed, voice still quiet. "Go to her for Herbology and Transfiguration. Come to me for the rest."

Gemma approached again and handed the group slips of paper. "Here are your schedules, as you're here." She added to Harry, "We usually give out schedules during breakfast, but if we catch you beforehand it's easier for you as you'll know what books you need today."

"Hmm," Harry said as he looked over the slip of paper. "Looks like I have History of Magic, Potions, and then Charms. I share the first with Ravenclaw and the latter two with Gryffindor."

"Potions will be good. Professor Snape is a bit too favourable towards us, but he's fine as long as you pay attention and don't cause trouble. Professor Flitwick is great; he's probably my favourite teacher," Flora told him. "As for History of Magic..." She wrinkled her nose, "Just a moment." She left, walking up into the girls' dorms, and returned a minute later and offered a small wooden box to Harry.

"What're these?" Harry asked, opening the wooden box to reveal two small black tapered cylinders.

"Earplugs. Hestia suggested I pick up an extra set for you after Gemma told me I'd be an adviser. They're a gift; don't worry, they only cost a few sickles. They're enchanted to help block sound. The History of Magic class is horrible. Professor Binns just quotes the book and his voice just drones on and on. I always fall asleep if I try to listen. I suggest using the class as a study period. Read a few chapters of History of Magic and take some notes for later when you need to study, then do whatever homework you want," Flora suggested.

"Oh!" Harry looked them over before closing the box again, "Thank you both! I'll follow your advice." He glanced at Hestia, "What would you suggest for me for Potions and Charms for today, then?"

"For Potions, be sure to read the first three chapters before class," Hestia spoke quietly as she answered him. "When making a potion, do not let ingredients touch and carefully clean off the preparation area between ingredients. Both can contaminate the ingredients and cause issues with your potion. If you don't have a potions cloth, I'll give you one of mine; they're a lot more useful than a normal cloth as they vanish residue. Your first potion will be the Cure for Boils; that's an easy one. Later on, I'll give you a few pointers though; there's a difference between cutting and shredding ingredients, as an example." She added, "For Charms, just remember that magic is about more than the word and the wand motion. You have to want it to happen. Imagine what's going on in your head. See in your mind your wand lighting, see the feather lifting into the air. This helps you channel your magic, especially at first. Later on, your magic will have been trained so you don't need the mental aid for spells you've practised. Read the first three chapters before class, again. This time in your Charms and Magic Theory books." Hestia added.

"Hmm, sounds about right. I'm lucky I have History of Magic first as it'll let me refresh myself a bit. I read the books when I got them, but remembering everything is difficult. And I'd appreciate the potions cloth. How much, so I can pay you back?" Harry asked.

"Again, it's only a few sickles, so don't worry about it," Hestia said, still speaking quietly. "It's our job to help you."

"And our pleasure!" Flora chimed in, "Honestly, I was looking forward to it. Gemma here actually took care of us last year even though she was a fourth year, as I and Hestia are always together. We wanted to pass it on, that's all."

"Avery figured it best to have an older student help them, rather than assign two advisers, one to each of them," Gemma interjected, having been listening to their conversation as she read her own book.

"Well!" Flora said, hopping to her feet, "Let's go, it's getting to be time for breakfast!"

"I'll go pick up my things for today's classes and be right with you," Harry told her before heading to his room. Digging out the bag he'd purchased at Diagon, he put his books and other materials into it; after a moment, he added one or two other books as well. I love that it's always the same weight. No tearing my arm off! he thought to himself.

Making his way to the others, they headed to breakfast.

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Breakfast was a quiet affair. Over at the Gryffindor table, Harry could see that people were far more boisterous; it made him happy he hadn't been sorted there. He liked quiet. As he finished his food, Draco asked him, "How'd you sleep, Harry?"

"Well enough!" Harry responded. "The beds are soft. Looking forward to classes? From what Flora and Hestia have told me," he nodded at them, "History of Magic will be annoying, but Potions and Charms sound fun."

"I am. Especially Potions. I've had some tutoring on it in the past, so it should be fun," Draco answered.

"From what Hestia told me, the first potion is easy if you're careful, so I am too," Harry admitted.

From the side, he could see Parkinson's lip curling slightly, but he ignored it. She sidled up to Draco, "Can we be partners in Potions, Draco? You're good at it and I could use the help."

"Sure, Pansy," Draco said, looking a little uncomfortable at the attention. Boys mature less quickly than girls after all.

Soon, breakfast was over and Harry made his way towards History of Magic. After a moment, he settled into place between Blaise and a long, black-haired girl from Ravenclaw. Taking the opportunity to meet more people, Harry turned and offered her a polite smile, "Hi. I'm Harry," he introduced himself quietly as they waited for the teacher to arrive.

"Hi," the girl said shyly, "I'm Padma Patil. It's nice to meet you, though I figured who you were."

Harry shook his head, "I should've expected that. I'm not used to everyone knowing me." He lamented, before digging through his book bag, pulling out a few books: his History of Magic book, his Potions books, and his Charms books. "From what I was told, the teacher just kind of lectures and drones on, I suggest reading the book yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind," Padma said with a smile.

The girl watched curiously as he pulled out some notebooks to take notes in and then a pen; he set them down on his desk. Harry figured it was easier to take notes in a notebook rather than using the quill and parchment they required for homework and tests. He quieted as Professor Binns floated in, watching as the ghost went to the front of the class.

Soon, the teacher was talking. Harry slipped his new earplugs into his ears and began to read, taking more notes. It was a productive hour and a half.

As the class ended, Harry began to pack away his books. He'd finished three chapters in both History of Magic and Potions. He'd do his Charms preparation during his free period. "That was an interesting class," He said dryly, directing it to both Draco and Padma.

"Oh yes, quite," Draco stated with a smirk.

Padma giggled, "I think I'm going to copy you and bring other things to study. I might as well just read the book. He was quoting it word for word."

"Yeah, that's what I was told," Harry admitted. "I'm off to the library, I want to read the first few chapters for Charms. Flora and Hestia said they'd meet me there."

"See you," Draco said, "I promised Zabini I'd play exploding snap. Frankly, I prefer draughts or cards, but..." He trailed off and shrugged.

"I need to see my sister," Padma said, waving.

At the library, Flora almost pounced on him, grabbing his arm and leading him to a table. Hestia sat at one side of him and again Flora took the other. "So, how was History of Magic?" Flora asked, quietly enough that Madame Pince wouldn't bother them.

"Just like you two told me. I used those earplugs and studied. I finished the first three chapters in my History of Magic book and then got through Potions before the bell rang. I'll do Charms now," Harry answered.

"Good. Notes?" Harry rolled his eyes and dug into his bag, pulling out three notebooks and his pen. Flora blinked at them.

Meanwhile, Hestia asked, "What're these?"

"Muggle notebooks and a fountain pen. Simply because I have to use parchment and quill for homework and tests doesn't mean I like it much. I practised over the summer and still don't think my writing is as good with a quill as with a pen. It's easier to organize than a huge stack of parchments, too," Harry said. "Each notebook costs less than a sickle and has two hundred pages. I picked up a stack of twenty-five, it should last me a year or two."

"I don't suppose you could arrange for me to get some of those?" Hestia asked.

"Sure. I can give you a few of them and pick up more for you over the summer. I don't think I can buy them by owl unless there's a store run by a muggle-born or something," Harry said with a shrug. I'll add a fountain pen, they're useful too. You don't have to keep dipping it in ink or have an ink bottle. I use one of those instead of a disposable pen because their writing looks like a quill."

"Thank you, Harry!" Hestia said, beaming. For a brief moment, she looked like her sister in her exuberance.

"No problem, just remind me in the dorms as they're in my trunk." Harry opened one of his Charms books and began to read and take notes. After a bit of time, Hestia started the same. Flora seemed to be reading a Wizarding fiction novel.

It took Harry under an hour to finish, and he packed his notebooks away, glancing at Flora and Hestia, "Well, I'm all ready for Potions and Charms, now."

"Good!" Flora said, closing her book. "Now, we can talk! Have you talked to anyone new?" On his other side, Harry saw Hestia roll her eyes; she was obviously listening, even as she continued to read her book. Something called arithmancy, it looked like.

"There was a Ravenclaw in History of Magic I met briefly? Her name was Padma?" Harry said this with a shrug. "Why?"

"Juuust curious," Flora said, drawing out the first word with a giggle.

"Right," Harry said in confusion. "I told her what you two said about History, and then I studied, more or less," He explained. "What about you? What're you reading, Hestia?"

"Arithmancy." the girl answered before continuing, "I plan on taking it next year. I figured I'd study ahead a bit."

"That makes sense," Harry said musingly. "Is it fun?"

"Interesting," Hestia said succinctly. After a nudge from her sister, she added, "It helps predict magical effects. You use it as an aid for a variety of things from curse-breaking to spell creation. You can do both without it, but arithmancy makes it a lot easier."

"Huh. I'll have to remember that when I get to third year," Harry said with a slight shrug. He leaned back, sighing, "I wish I knew more, sometimes I feel like I have to know so much, and don't know where to start. People look at me and expect me to know everything, and I don't."

"Hey!" Flora poked him gently, "That's what we're here for. Listen. I drew up a list of things we should discuss. Let's get to it."

Harry looked at her gratefully and nodded. "Let's."

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Not long later, Harry entered the potions laboratory. He looked around, seeing Draco and Pansy already sitting together, as were Daphne and Tracey. After a few moments, he wandered up and sat next to Zabini, nodding at him. "Blaise."

"Harry."

Not long later, Snape entered the room, and Harry watched him, briefly amused at the fluttering of the man's cape. It reminded him of the time he saw Star Wars with Dudley on the telly. Reading roll call, the man paused after Harry's name, which started to worry Harry; thankfully, he simply started calling names again.

After a moment he glanced up, "Potter. Where would you find a bezoar?"

"A goat's stomach, sir. Also, a stocked potions cupboard, as they are an antidote to most poisons," Harry answered.

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane, Potter?" Snape asked him next.

"Nothing, sir, they're the same plant, also called aconite," was Harry's response.

For a brief moment, Harry thought Snape looked conflicted before he nodded. "Ten points to Slytherin." He glanced around, and said, "Weasley! Why do you need to let a potion cool before adding porcupine quills?"

"Uh, I don't know, sir," Ron said, looking embarrassed.

"Didn't even read the book, Weasley?" Snape sneered, "Ten points from Gryffindor. Porcupine quills are volatile in potions; too much heat will cause them to explode." He gestured to the board with his wand and lettered formed on the surface. "The recipe is on the board for the potion you will be making today. Begin."

Harry felt sorry for Ron, giving him a sympathetic look. The redhead shrugged his shoulders and then turned to a dark-skinned boy who was sitting beside him. Glancing at Zabini, Harry asked, "Do you want to handle the cauldron while I handle the ingredients or vice versa?"

"I can do the cauldron," Zabini answered. Harry nodded and slowly began to cut the ingredients. As Hestia suggested, he carefully wiped his tool and the counter after each ingredient, letting Zabini put them into their cauldron and stir.

The rest of the class was quiet, other than when Neville and Seamus blew up their cauldron. As he took Harry and Blaise's potion, Snape just nodded at Harry, not looking at him. Harry glanced at Zabini, "That was kind of fun. I'm glad I'm used to cooking; that helped a bit with the ingredients."

"You cook?" Blaise asked in surprise.

"Yeah, my relatives make me cook a fair bit," Harry answered. "We should head towards Charms. We don't want to be late."

When they arrived at the Charms classroom, Harry took a seat with Blaise and, surprisingly, Ron. "Hey, Ron," Harry murmured.

"Hey, Harry. How're things?" Ron looked a bit unsure, glancing at Harry and away again.

"Relax, Ron. Slytherin or not, I'm still Harry. Ron, this is Blaise Zabini. Blaise, this is Ron Weasley," Harry said, introducing them to each other.

"Nice to meet you," Blaise said with a slow nod of his head.

"Uh, likewise," said Ron. Harry couldn't help but feel amused. It's not like he was Draco, after all.

In the front of the room, Flitwick was doing a roll call, and he stumbled off the stack of books he was standing on when he came to Harry's name. Harry fidgeted slightly, uncomfortable at the attention.

Soon, the lesson began. Most of the lesson talked about theory. Eventually, near the end of the class, Flitwick showed them the Wand-Lighting Charm. Watching Blaise and Ron a moment, Harry thought back to what he'd been told. Imagining the tip of his wand light up, he focused on that and then said, "Lumos." Nothing happened, and he frowned, considering. A second attempt yielded nothing as well. He had to be doing something wrong.

What was he missing? He was imagining things like he was told, pointing his wand, and saying the words? After a moment, he nodded and tried again. This time, as he imagined the wand tip lighting up, he willed the wand to do so as he said, "Lumos!" Harry gasped as for a brief moment, his wand tip exploded with near-blinding light.

"Oh, Mr Potter! Wonderful job, though you have to use less magic!" Flitwick was beaming at him. "Ten points to Slytherin."

"All right, sir," Harry said cautiously, blushing a bit. He tried again, saying, "Lumos" This time, the wand glowed with just enough light to easily read from.

"How're you doing that, mate?" asked Ron beside him.

"Well, the thing to remember is magic is about more than the words and gestures. You have to see what's happening in your mind, and not just that, you have to want it to happen. Just saying the words won't do much unless you get lucky, I think," Harry said after a moment. "I imagine the wand tip lighting up, and I focus on wanting it to light up." He paused, "One of my advisers made some suggestions before class. They helped a lot." He doesn't want people to think he's some prodigy.

Ron frowned, and nodded, considering, and tried it again. For a moment, there was a brief hint of light from his wand. Blaise tried again as well, getting much the same results. After a few attempts, both managed to light their wands right after Hermione's wand lit up, and Flitwick said, "Oh, good show, all of you!"

Later, as he left the class, Harry decided that his first day of classes had gone pretty well.