Chapter 6: Unicorn Blood

The next day, Lewis woke up early and got ready for his first day of classes at Hogwarts. He put on his black robes, grabbed his wand, and headed out of the dorm room. He met up with Harry, Ron, and the others in the common room, and they all headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

After breakfast, they went to their first class of the day, which was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. They lost their way and were running late. When they reached the class they didn't see the professor teaching in the class and sighed in relief.

Little did they know that the professor was sitting on her desk in her animagus form, a sleek and regal-looking tabby cat, and she watched them sternly.

The cat suddenly shape-shifted and transformed into the professor. She reprimanded and then deducted ten points from Gryffindor for tardiness.

"Sorry, Professor," Harry muttered as he sat down, looking flustered.

McGonagall didn't say anything in response, but Lewis could tell she was still displeased. He tried to focus on the lesson, but he was already feeling behind. Transfiguration was not his strongest subject, and he found it difficult to concentrate with the weight of McGonagall's disappointment on his shoulders.

As she explained the day's lesson, Lewis couldn't help but feel a sense of dread building inside of him. He struggled to wrap his head around the theory of transfiguration, let alone the practical application of it. He glanced over at Harry, who seemed to be picking up the lesson with ease, and felt a pang of jealousy.

"Why can't I be good at this?" he thought to himself, feeling frustrated and inadequate.

McGonagall's lecture seemed to go on forever, and by the time she finished, Lewis was feeling exhausted and drained. As the students filed out of the classroom, he lagged behind, hoping to avoid McGonagall's wrath once again.

But to his surprise, she stopped him before he could leave.

"A word, Mr. Ashbrinher," she said, her tone still stern.

Lewis's heart sank as he approached her desk. He felt like a small child being scolded by a strict teacher.

"You are not doing as well in my class as I would have hoped," she said, her yellow eyes watching him intently. "But I do not believe that you are incapable of succeeding. You simply need to apply yourself more."

Lewis nodded, feeling both grateful for her encouragement and ashamed of his poor performance.

"I'll try harder," he promised, determined to prove himself.

"See that you do," she replied, before turning her attention to the next student in line.

The second class was for DADA. As he entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he noticed the nervous chatter among his fellow students.

Quirrell, the teacher, looked nervous too, as if he was scared of something. Lewis thought he was just being paranoid until he smelled unicorn blood coming from the back of Quirrell's head.

Lewis tried to calm his nerves even while knowing that the professor smelled of the cursed unicorn blood and concentrated on the lesson. He found himself surprisingly good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had always been fascinated by it, and had spent hours reading books on the subject. The class was dull, and he had already learned a lot about the different spells and charms that could be used to defend oneself against dark creatures from the books his friend Cloak got him.

Quirrell, however, seemed to be in a constant state of panic. Lewis noticed that he always kept his back to the class, as if he was afraid of something. Lewis suspected that the unicorn blood was the cause of his anxiety.

Despite Quirrell's nervousness, the class went smoothly. Lewis was surprised to find himself answering most of the questions asked by the teacher correctly. It was almost as if he had a natural talent for the subject.

As the class ended, Lewis couldn't help but feel relieved that at least he was good in one subject.