Capítulo 6: Chapter 6
When Harry arrived at his first class, (Charms, with Professor Flitwick) he waited impatiently for all the students to sit down and for class to begin. The Professor, who turned out to be a short and cheerful little man, took roll call and then began his class explaining the basics of chants as well as the importance of wand movements. Everything seemed to be very complicated and the vast majority of the students seemed very lost in the explanations, only some ravenclaws (with whom they shared that class) seemed to understand what he explained to them. Harry, for his part, seemed to not only understand what he was explaining but also associate it with other things he had read that were more complicated and complete its meaning.
It was not only in incantations but also in the rest of the subjects, in transfiguration, he was able to transform a match into a needle on the first try, in herbology he already knew in advance how he should take care of the plants, in astronomy it was discovered that he knew to perfection the night sky, in defense against the dark arts demonstrated a strong affinity for this subject. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed that Harry was well-versed in magic and was the subject of conversations between the Professors during their free time.
"Mr. Potter's skill in his classes is incredible." Professor McGonagall said. "Transfiguration is undoubtedly one of the most difficult branches of magic and he always manages to do the exercises on the first attempt and his rehearsals... are pure joy to correct them."
"Yes, the same thing happens with charms. Even though we haven't done anything more than some of the simpler spells like "Lumos", he hasn't had trouble with anything. His essays are better than those of many Ravenclaws and I am completely sure that if he raised his level of learning he would be able to follow it with complete ease."
"I don't know what to teach him." Professor Sinistra sighed. "He knows the subject as well as I do. I am convinced that if we made him take his NEWT astronomy exam he would be able to pass it and not only that, but get excellent grades."
"Mr. Potter has shown such an aptitude for my subject that sometimes I even forget that it is a first year and I start rambling about more advanced material. He has almost instinctive knowledge, and even without knowing the spell he knows what he is doing wrong and how to correct it." Explained Professor Irons, the Defense professor.
"Herbology has no secrets for him." Sprout said. "The same thing happens to me as Sinistra... and he has such ability! The plants love him!"
The Professors had met with the Headmaster to talk about their new star student and so far, it had all been praise. The Headmaster could hardly give any benefit to his ears. James and Lily had always assured him that the boy was a squib, so when he saw his name on the list of new students he just choked on a lemon drop. He had been content with the idea that his magic would be too weak and his studies would be mediocre, but from what his Professoras said... If Harry was that versed in magic, what would Brian become? He turned to his potions professor, perhaps the most demanding among his staff for his opinion.
"I have not yet been able to assess how he acts in his classes... I have not yet had the pleasure of teaching him." The man said. "But even so, I can say that his knowledge and understanding of the subject is impressive. I wouldn't be surprised if he became the best in the course, whatever it may be." Before the surprised looks he added. "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Potter in Diagon Alley... a brief meeting at the apothecary that made me see his worth, luckily he doesn't look anything like his parents."
"And what do you want to tell me with that?" Said the Headmaster with a sigh.
"Remaining within the first-year curriculum will only harm him, Headmaster." McGonagall said. "From my point of view, we should move him to a course where his abilities are challenged... such a prodigy should not be ignored. I know that Brian is more powerful, but that doesn't mean we won't take appropriate action regarding Harry"
"Moving him without knowing the bases would be counterproductive. Furthermore, we still do not know his real ability in potions." The old man assured.
"That's easy, Headmaster." Snape said. "Tomorrow I will have the pleasure of showing it. I have potions with the Slytherins, Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs. Honestly, I don't know why you put the three classes together."
"I thought it would be the best way to achieve something resembling peace in your classes," the old man said.
"If you want there to be peace, headmaster, stop putting the Gryffindors and Slytherins classes together. Now if you'll excuse me..."
"Ah… Severus… One more thing…"
"Yes?"
"You must keep in mind that Mr. Potter has a respiratory disease called asthma." Said the headmaster. "He has had it since he was six years old and accidentally fell into a frozen lake... I'm telling you because the fumes given off by the potions could trigger an asthmatic attack."
"What should I do if that happens?"
"At first, Mr. Potter should have a small Muggle inhaler in his backpack... that's where his medicine is. Then, if the attack is serious, take him to the infirmary. Don't take these attacks as a joke, Severus, they could very well cost him his life."
The next day, the first-year classes, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin had their first potions class and it was a double lesson. While the vast majority of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were not at all eager for class to start, the Slytherins and Harry were eager to get started. It wasn't every day you got to be taught by one of the best Potions Masters in the world.
As soon as they entered the classroom, Harry sat next to Jonathan and Athenea, although right behind Neville, Hermione, and another red-haired, freckled boy, and waited anxiously for Snape to arrive in the classroom. He masterfully ignored the tension in the class and paid no attention to the angry glances that the Gryffindors and Slytherins were giving. Being the only one who was attentively watching the door for the Professor's arrival, he was also the only one who was not startled when Professor Snape entered the room like lightning, slamming the door.
The speech he gave as soon as he entered was mostly intimidating. It was clear that it was written and carefully studied to intimidate the students, as well as interest those who loved a challenge, or were ambitious enough to want what it promised.
"Today we will make a simple potion to cure boils. The ingredients are in the cupboard and the instructions are on the board. Begin!" Harry was going to go get his ingredients when Snape stopped him. "Mr. Potter… please move your things next to Mr. Malfoy." At the boy's questioning look, he added. "I have been informed of your condition and I want to keep an eye on you just in case."
Harry hung his head, embarrassed. He had foolishly thought that no one would hold his illness against him, but it was clear that his parents were not going to remain silent. Silently, he gathered his things and moved to the Slytherin area, next to the blonde who looked at him with an expression between horror and loathing. Despite that, Harry set up his things and after gathering the ingredients, began working on his potion under Snape's watchful eyes.
The Professor, for his part, was ignoring the majority of the class in favor of the first-year Hufflepuff. He had two reasons for separating him from his companions, the first was what he had told him, he wanted to have him close in case he suffered a stroke. The night before he had gone with Professor Sprout to talk to Madam Pomfrey and what she had explained to them had made him see how serious and dangerous his illness was. The second was that he wanted to monitor how potions were given to him and in this way check if he also gave his approval to prepare the boy to take advanced courses.
For the moment he looked satisfied at how he had arranged the ingredients. They were placed by their properties instead of by order of placement. That already showed good knowledge of the subject, it took many years, a lot of practice, and a lot of study to be able to do that. His movements were precise and without hesitation, the preparation of the ingredients was impeccable, and best of all... he did it without looking at the book or the blackboard even once. Yes, the boy had a lot of potential.
Without stopping to keep an eye on him, Snape went from table to table criticizing Hufflepuff, putting down the Gryffindors and favoring his own house... but Harry felt strange when Snape didn't say anything negative about his work, in fact, to his surprise he did the opposite, praising him along with Malfoy and giving him two points for a perfect potion.
"Good, Potter." Malfoy said as soon as they left the classroom. "Although I would never have expected it... it has been good working with you... you are good with potions."
That had been an understatement, even though it was obvious that the blonde Slytherin not only liked potions but had also received previous training. But still, Harry's potion had been much better than his own. Yes, you could easily see that Malfoy was impressed and admired (perhaps for the first time in his life).
After class, Harry had a free period, or rather no class that afternoon. The normal thing for any first-year, especially Hufflepuff, was to stay in the places they already knew in the castle. But he did not want to do the same as everyone else, Hogwarts was impregnated with magic, a magic that he was eager to explore, know, and assimilate.
Letting himself be guided by his senses, the boy wandered through the castle discovering corridors, stairs, classes... it was as if Hogwarts itself was asking him to discover its secrets, a call that the boy could not deny. Following her, he was able to discover trap passes, secret passages that were full of cobwebs, and secret rooms.
Hundreds of secret corridors led from one end of the castle to the other, thousands of trap steps that the boy memorized so he would never fall into them, and secrets as beautiful as a magnificent interior garden with hundreds of beautiful and rare plants... some were even believed to be! Extinct! The boy knew immediately that this had been someone's refuge and passion long ago.
Harry quickly discovered that it would take many years to learn all the secrets the school had to offer. What's more, he was convinced that if she didn't want it, you would spend your entire life wandering through its corridors and you would never be able to know all its secrets... in fact, he would swear that his father, who boasted so much, had not managed to find the garden, for example. The title of best expert in the castle should go to other people, after all, Harry got the scare of his life when as he passed through one of the secret passages, two hands fell on his shoulders from behind him.
"But look what we have here, Fred." Said a voice behind him. "One of the dwarves!"
"I see it, George... It seems that someone is following our steps and in what a way! We didn't find this passage until the end of last year." Said a voice identical to the first.
Harry turned slowly and incredibly scared. Behind him, he found two boys of about thirteen years old, redheaded and identical. They were twins and had the most mischievous expressions the boy had ever seen, and he had seen a lot. The badge placed them as Gryffindors, of course.
"Well, well... What are you doing here, firstie?" One asked.
"Exploring" At his response the twins smiled mischievously.
"I think we'll get along well," said the other. "I'm Fred Weasley and this is my twin George. Gryffindor's resident pranksters. And you?"
"Harry Potter."
"Well, Harry... we are happy to have met you, if you have any problem or need help with anything, do not hesitate to call us..." George said. "We are at your full disposal."
"Do you offer your help to any first-year you meet?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Nooo... what's wrong." George laughed. "Normally we play tricks on them or we lose them even more."
"So?"
"I don't know... you have something I don't know what... that reminds us of us. Besides, if Hogwarts is so eager to show you its secrets, you can be trusted." Fred laughed. "And the normal thing is that we help each other. Now, we're in a bit of a hurry... Filch is on the seventh floor and we want to leave him... erm... a "little gift" in his office"
Harry laughed and said goodbye to the twins who disappeared as quickly as they had arrived and the boy was sure that Hogwarts was also showing its fun by showing him some of its secrets. He left the hallway and continued exploring that hallway. It was already very neglected, as if even the house elves had forgotten about its existence, and perhaps that was the case. If it weren't for the fact that he knew that nothing bad could happen to him at Hogwarts and the school was the one who guided his steps, Harry would have been very scared by that place. But instead, he was completely interested… his curiosity was something really pronounced in his personality.
What he discovered was a long hallway that didn't seem to lead anywhere, curiously there were no doors around it, nor any paintings, so the appearance was quite sinister. At the end of the hallway, he could see that there was a fairly basic wooden door, really, but when he got closer he discovered that it was loaded with magic.
With a trembling hand, he tried to push the door open, but as soon as he touched it, a cramp ran through his arm, causing him to quickly separate it. That had hurt! He was about to turn around when the door opened silently in a clear indication for him to enter. Cautiously, he entered whatever was there and as soon as he crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut, making him scream. At the same time, several torches were lit across what was clearly a room and the boy gasped.
The place was magnificent. It was a large living room decorated in green and blue tones, and with the most luxurious furniture he had ever seen. On one side, there was a large fireplace that, once lit, would surely provide a great deal of comfort and welcome. Right in front of it, there was a huge sofa along with a couple of very comfortable looking armchairs. The entire room was carpeted, making him itch to take off his shoes and see how soft it was. There was also what appeared to be a central or study table and several shelves with books and other objects. At the same time, three more rooms joined with that one. Guided by curiosity, he opened the first door and when he saw where it led, his eyes lit up, it was a library. He reluctantly left the unexplored library and went to the next room, a potions laboratory. It takes a lot of willpower to leave it and look at the last door, a bedroom, and not just any bedroom, an incredibly luxurious bedroom. It was quite full of cobwebs and dust, but nothing that couldn't be easily cleaned... yes, he had found his little secret refuge, a place to disappear and be quiet.
Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office, a meeting was taking place between Albus Dumbledore and the Potters regarding their eldest son. Considering that the couple had believed for years that the child was a squib, it was now very difficult to explain what he had to tell them.
"Well Albus, what did you want to talk to us about?" Lily Potter asked.
"about Harry, of course," the old man responded as if thinking anything else was unthinkable.
"What has he done now?" James asked with a sigh.
"What do you mean, James?"
"In order to call us, he had to do some trick, and a big one at that."
"Would it be so strange or bad?" The old man laughed. "I remember well that while you were at school, you and your friends got into a lot of trouble... in fact, no one has yet broken the record for the number of times they have visited my office. But no, he hasn't gotten into trouble... the ones who usually get into trouble are the Gryffindors and the Slytherins... not the Hufflepuffs."
"HUFFLEPUFF?" James shouted dumbfounded. "My son is a Hufflepuff! How the hell did he end up there?"
"You didn't know?"
"No... Harry hasn't written to us... although I suppose Remus does... he is very fond of him." Lily said as if it were the most normal thing, which in itself it was. "Well, if he hasn't gotten into trouble, why? What do we have to talk about him?"
"You told me that Harry was a squib," Dumbledore began, "and I trusted your judgment. Obviously, both you and I were wrong."
"Well, Harry is a wizard so what? His magic will be so fragile that he will barely be able to perform any spells..."
Dumbledore cut James' speech off with a simple wave of his hand. Then, without saying a single word, he took out a series of scrolls and handed them to him, After that he looked at them intently.
"What is this, Albus?" Lily asked.
"These are the reports of each and every one of the school's Professors, all of them about Harry." Dumbledore explained. "In all of them, they say the same thing, that Harry has great abilities for magic and that they strongly recommend that he be advanced several courses until he obtains the appropriate amount of challenge for his abilities."
"Albus, this joke is not funny." James said very seriously.
"It is not a joke. You can read them, you will see that I am not deceiving you."
"But that's impossible! Brian is the one who has strong abilities, not Harry!"
"No one is saying that Brian isn't more powerful than Harry, It's just that his abilities are greater than most and it would be counterproductive for him to do nothing about it. I'm going to listen to your advice and move Harry to a higher grade. The Professors have agreed to give him intensive classes so that by Christmas he will have finished the first year's curriculum."
"Don't we have anything to say in the decision?" James objected.
"Don't you agree? It's the best for him."
"Of course it is, Albus." Lily cut off her husband. "It's just that James and I were caught by surprise, nothing more."
[T/N, Two-faced b*tch! Anyway hope you guys enjoy the chapter. This Translation will continue to have public updates but I sort of need to make rent so I started a Patreon where you can read a few advanced chapters. If you haven't just dropped this book because of this then leave a comment to tell me what scum I am and drop me some stones.]
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