HEATHENS - Harry Potter ✔

CHAPTER SIX

Kiera, along with the rest of the students, woke up in a panic as the sirens went off. "ALL STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" bellowed a recorded voice. "ALL STUDENTS IN THE GREAT HALL BY SEVEN-THIRTY!"

"What was that?" she heard Pansy's irritated voice.

"That," replied Kiera, all panic replaced by a nasty sarcasm, "was our alarm. I bet Snape isn't the best Headmaster anymore, is he?"

Pansy Parkinson and the rest of the girls glared at her as she got out of her four-poster bed. "Now there's some order in this place," sneered Pansy. "Snape knows what he's doing."

Scoffing, Kiera entered the bathroom, getting ready as quick as she could to avoid punishment so early in the year. Their names were once again checked off when entering, the Great Hall still as dire as the night before.

Glancing down at her schedule when Slughorn handed it to her, Kiera was pleased to notice that she still had the same subjects as before. Taking a closer look, she realised that actually there an additional course: Muggle Studies. Also, Defence Against the Dark Arts seemed to have been abbreviated to just the Dark Arts.

Kiera stood up from the Slytherin table (she had been too scared to sit at another table just yet) and walked to the large doors of the Great Hall, where she waited for Neville, who appeared only a minute later.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," said Neville who was frowning at his schedule. "Why do I have Muggle Studies?"

"You have it too?" asked Kiera. "I haven't got a clue why, maybe they're making it mandatory or something ... Also Defence Against the Dark Arts is -"

"Just Dark Arts," said Neville grimly. "Yeah, I noticed. It's my first class."

"Me too," said Kiera, relieved that she would be with Neville. "We should probably get going, I wouldn't want to be late from Amycus's class..."

Neville nodded in agreement, and the two began their way up the marble staircase. The rest of the students were already waiting nervously outside the classroom. Kiera was about to go greet them, but the door opened and Amycus Carrow stepped outside. The students anxiously and quietly filed into the classroom, and Amycus closed the door behind them.

"Hello, class. I am your new Dark Arts Professor," he announced one he had returned to his desk, a malicious smile on his face. From the back of the class where Kiera and Neville sat, she could see Lavender Brown raise her hand.

"Sir, isn't it Defence Against the Dark Arts?"

Kiera knew she had messed up as soon as the words left her mouth. So did the rest of the class. Though Amycus seemed to be in a merciful mood, as he simply said, "I couldn't see the point in that. Such a mouthful." He then took out a scroll of parchment and began to call attendance.

"Miss Walker," he said at last.

"Here," she said through gritted teeth.

"I'm rather surprised that you are here," he sneered. "The Fatis Scriptor. What happened? Did you break up with your boyfriend?"

Kiera clenched her jaw, squeezing her hands into fists so that her nails dug into her palm, but said nothing.

"Mr Weasley?" called Amycus, grinning malevolently. "He's not here, though, is he? Poor boy's at home suffering from Spattergroit," he said taking a quill a crossing his name off the list as he had with Harry, Hermione, Dean, and the other Muggle-borns.

"Now," he said as he stowed away the parchment and quill, "the Dark Arts. Any form of magic that is mainly used to cause harm or control. This includes spells, potions, the breeding of Dark creatures, etcetera. The Dark Arts are of course the most powerful form of magic, and those who are unable to perform them are weak and rather ... incompetent. I am very pleased in announcing that our new Minister for Magic had removed the illegality of what are known as the Unforgivable Curses." He walked around the room as he spoke. The students seemed like statues, none of them daring to move a muscle. "Miss Walker," he said suddenly, "what are the three Unforgivable Curses?"