BROOM
James met Ralph at the base of the steps on Monday morning. The halls were already filled with the clamor and bustle of the start of school, and even though James knew he'd probably be missing the freedoms of summer by the end of his first week, for the moment he was still looking forward to classes.
'Got my schedule all set,' Ralph proclaimed happily as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast. 'Got Defence Against the Dark Arts with that Debellows bloke first thing this morning.'
'Check that,' James said. 'I'm there too. Strange that he didn't require a book. He must just be so smart about the whole thing that he doesn't need one. This should be excellent.'
'Debellows rules,' Graham said as James and Ralph plunked down at the table. 'You know he once took on two vampires at once with only a Beater bat and a Muggle pencil.'
'A pencil?' Ralph furrowed his brow.
'To stab them with, of course. It was the closest thing he had to a wooden stake.'
Ralph screwed up his face, thinking. 'That must have been one bloody sharp pencil.'
Rose had already finished her breakfast, having arrived earlier. 'I hear that this is going to be a very practical Defence Against the Dark Arts class, even for first-years. Apparently, Debellows prefers a hands-on approach.'
'Well, just look at the fellow,' Noah said, turning to gaze at the man still finishing his breakfast at the teachers' table. 'He looks like he's ready to pounce even when he's sitting still.'
Sabrina leaned over the table and said in a stage-whisper, 'I think Noah has a bit of a man-crush on him.'
'Oh shut up,' Noah replied. 'You didn't grow up collecting Debellows Harrier action cards. I just can't believe he's going to teach us how to battle the Dark Arts. I hope he shows us how to do the Perseuspinch maneuver.'
'I had an action figure that did that,' Graham nodded. 'I tried to use it on my mum, once. Got me in no end of Barney.'
'I have to wait until Wednesday for my first class with him,' Rose complained. 'Tell me how it goes tonight, won't you?'
James nodded, his mouth full of toast. Across the room, James could see Albus sitting in the middle of the Slytherin table, smiling and laughing with his new friends. Strangely enough, most of those around him were older students. Tabitha Corsica and Philia Goyle smiled and nodded as Albus spoke.
'Come on,' Ralph said, pulling James' collar. 'Let's get to class a little early. I want to see what this Debellows is all about.'
'Hang on,' James said, collecting his bag. He climbed off his bench and skirted the edge of the hall, heading around toward the Slytherin table.
'Hey, Al,' he called.
Albus looked up, following the sound of James' voice. 'Hi, James! Didn't see you all weekend. What's up?'
'Can you spare a minute to walk with your brother to first class? I want to hear about your adventures in your new house.'
'That's sweet,' Tabitha said warmly. 'Go ahead, Albus. We'll chat again at lunch and make arrangements for Wednesday.'
'Excellent!' Albus nodded happily. 'All right, come on, big brother. I've got Herbology with Neville first thing.'
As they broke away from the Slytherin table, Albus was positively bursting with excitement. 'I got my ring key already, see? Spent the whole weekend getting the grand tour with the Fang and Talons. Did you know the Slytherin rooms have their own casting range? We can practice almost any spells and curses we want on these enchanted dummies. If you get a curse right, the dummy drops on the floor and does this hilarious imitation of the effect. Not that I'm any good at the wandwork yet, but Tabby says I shouldn't rush it.'
James nearly choked. ''Tabby'?'
'Yeah,' Albus nodded. 'Tabitha Corsica. She's the unofficial head of Fang and Talons. I mean, nobody is really an official anything in the club. It's really just a joke with the Slytherins.'
James looked back at Ralph, his eyebrows raised.
'Tabitha tried to get me in last year, before the debate. It's kind of a secret society, although there's not much secret about it if you're a Slytherin.'
'Tabby says it's fine for me to talk to you about it, James,' Albus assured. 'But I'd keep it hush-hush if I was you. I mean, we don't want just anybody to know about it. What fun would that be?'
'So what's going on with Tabitha this Wednesday?' James asked.
'What?'
'This Wednesday,' James said, stopping as they reached the archway leading outside to the greenhouses. 'Tabitha said she'd make arrangements with you about something.'
'Oh, that,' Albus said, glancing out at the glass buildings twinkling in the morning sunlight. 'That's just for Quidditch try-outs. She says she'd love to see me get on the team.'
James smiled uncomfortably. 'But you don't have a broom or anything. Trust me, those house brooms are useless. I couldn't even fly in a straight line until I got my Thunderstreak.'
'That's not going to be a problem,' Albus said, shouldering his pack and grinning. 'Tabby says she'll let me use her broom for the try-out.'
James' mouth dropped open, but Albus turned away before he could say anything. 'Got to be off, big brother,' he called over his shoulder. 'Can't be late to first class!' He strode out into the sunlight, joining a few other first-year Slytherins who'd been skulking nearby. James turned to Ralph, his mouth still hanging open.
'First I heard of it,' Ralph said, raising his hands, palm out. 'I'm not part of 'Tabby's' crew, you know.'
'But that broom…,' James sputtered, 'it's… it's evil!'
'Come on,' Ralph said. 'Let it go for now. Class starts in five minutes.'
As James turned reluctantly to follow Ralph, he passed Scorpius on his way out to the greenhouses. Scorpius smirked at James and bumped him with his shoulder. James almost said something, but a nearby Slytherin beat him to it.
'Forsooth, mine breaking heart, Malfoy!' the boy called, clutching his chest. There was a chorus of laughter. Scorpius ignored them.
'Why isn't Debellows having class in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom?' Ralph asked, studying his schedule as they threaded through the crowded corridors. 'This is taking us all the way to the other side of the castle.'
James shrugged, distracted. 'Couldn't guess.'
They reached the designated room and filed in with the rest of the second-years. The classroom was huge with a very high ceiling and high windows along one wall. There were no chairs or desks. Instead, there were padded mats on the floors, old-fashioned dumbbells arranged in a long rack, and an assortment of clockwork dummies and complicated apparatuses covered with pads and pommels.
Morgan Patonia, the Hufflepuff, walked in and stopped, looking around the space. 'Hmph. Welcome to the Hogwarts gymnasium,' she said in a bewildered voice. 'I didn't even know we had one of these.'
The class shuffled nervously around the space, not quite sure what to do with themselves. Kevin Murdock, the Slytherin with whom James had had Technomancy the previous year, grabbed a couple of the dumbbells and hefted them, showing off for a pair of Ravenclaw girls who rolled their eyes.
'Greetings, class!' a voice boomed heartily. James turned to see Professor Debellows striding into the room from a rear door. He was dressed in a short tunic and sandals and had a towel slung around his neck. 'As you know, I am your new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Kendrick Debellows. I hate being called Professor anything, so feel free to call me by my first name. We'll not stand on protocol in this class. I want you all to think of me as your friend and partner. Do have a seat, all of you.'
