The Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 8 (The Potions Master)

Me: Hey...it's uh, been a while hasn't it?

Danny: You don't say.

Me: Shush you. Anyway, disclaimer please?

Danny: Waves-Of-Fury does not own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter or any of their characters.

Me: Thanks, now ONTO THE STORY!

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"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."

"Which one?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

Whispers followed Danny and Harry from the moment they left the dormitory the nextday. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at them, or doubled back to pass them in the corridors again, staring. Danny wished they wouldn't, they were trying to concentrate on finding their way to classes, and it was really quite annoying.

The staircases were confusing, always moving and changing. It took a while, and he wasn't willing to risk flying, seeing as there always seemed to be someone around. 

The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one ofthem glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open, or openly gaped at you in the hall, though his ghost sense helped with the former. NearlyHeadless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, which got a bit annoying, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet,pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!", though Danny had only encountered him once so far, he'd heard the stories.

Even worse than Peeves was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Danny, Harry, and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through adoor that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Danny quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets, which Danny actually found quite interesting, though he already knew most of it, he enjoyed hanging out with Dan. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with Phil, or Professor Lester, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. He also had a habit of calling on Danny, catching him off guard most times.