Harry Potter and the Gift of Memories [Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter XVIII: Snakes

 The rest of Harry's time in the library was spent helping the others finish their homework. He helped Lisa with Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Terry with History of Magic. Susan also needed some help on her Charms homework, but only in getting the ending of her essay right. Neville had some trouble with Transfiguration, which seemed to be his weakest subject. Thankfully, he had been able to get the Potion assignment done easily enough. The amount of time they had spent in the library was close to two hours. Harry was a little disappointed that he had not been able to read his book, but figured he could read later that night.

By the time they had finished their homework it was nearly time for lunch, and the group that now consisted of six made their way to the Great Hall. Once again on Harry's suggestion, they all sat at the same table, the Ravenclaw table this time. This decision brought a large number of stares from everyone, but considering Harry was already known for doing things most would consider abnormal, the gawking they received didn't last long.

During their time eating lunch, Harry did his best to keep conversation flowing so he could learn as much about Terry and Lisa as possible, and also so the other three wouldn't be left out. He learned quite a bit about the pair of Ravenclaws, and felt he was well on his way to earning their friendship.

Lisa and Terry were pureblood's from minor Houses. Neither family owned a seat on the Wizengamot. Lisa's mother worked as a Nurse at Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, and her father was a small time businessman who worked for a company that imported magical items. Terry's parents were both authors who had written several fictional novels and a few thesis papers on magical theory. Neither were very well known, but they made enough money to live comfortably.

He also learned a bit about the two as people. Much like himself, Lisa was a history buff. The only difference between the two was that where Harry knew everything there was to know about the history of the non-magical world, Lisa knew everything about the wizarding one. Or at least, she knew enough to make Harry feel incompetent, something that did not happen very often.

That did bother him a bit due to his competitive nature, but seeing as Lisa grew up in the magical world, had to concede that she would know more about its history than he did. He was actually kind of glad that she was so into history, even if it meant she knew more than him, because it gave them something to bond over.

Terry was not much for history, but he did enjoy reading magical theory and fiction. It probably had something to do with his parents influence, but the male Ravenclaw was a big fan of stories like Enchanted Encounters and David Copperfield.

On that note, Harry found it very interesting when he learned that Jane Austin and Charles Dickens were actually squibs.

Their time after lunch was spent exploring the castle's halls and rooms. All in all, Harry the time spent with his friends to be fascinating and enjoyable, though a part of him still wished he could read his animagus book.

XoX

The very first thing Harry did upon entering the room they would learn Defense Against the Dark Arts in was to crinkle his nose. The room held a heavy stench of garlic, as if someone had mashed garlic into a paste and smeared it across the walls, floor, ceiling and tables, then sprayed the air with garlic scented Lysol for good measure.

With his nose wrinkled in disgust—he wasn't the only one—and promising himself to find out if there was a charm to freshen the air around him, Harry walked further into the class room.

The room itself was pretty standard; it had several desks and tables, a large set of windows that gave a view of the grounds outside. An iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, as well as a dragon skeleton. At one end of the classroom was an old projector of some kind, and at the front of the class was a large desk with a staircase behind it leading to what Harry suspected was the professor's private quarters.