Uncanny and unusual

It wasn't until he sat down and his body settled when he realized just how draining magic was. When the food appea4d he was ravenous and eats his hear out.

She was shocked to see him eating so much so quickly. He must have been hungry for a while if that's the case but she is alright with it. At least Calus was able to eat while she was eating her own food as well smiling. Her book was her while still reading slowly to make sure she studies what she could.

As she pours over the books he was thinking about how his spell never really work. He thought about it and thought about it until he stopped eating and seemed vacant. It was as if no one were there. Truth was he as in his mind trying to find a way to control this gift he had and was overthinking it. She snapped him out of it with a poke and a question.

The question was a pretense and excuse to talk and engage him. He wasn't doing very well and was worrying. She knew he could do it because of the spell he managed to learn on his own.

He jumped "what?" And looked at her "sorry i wasn't listening. Can you say that again." And he really wanted to know what wa said but she had decided maybe he didn't because ehe wasn't listening I t he first place.

She sighs. "I was asking if you were okay. You got distant for a while." And he thought about it.

"Well I'm just trying to think about how I got other spells to work. And then I started practicing in my mind and well then I snapped don't of it." He said and smiled she knew he was trying to ease her worries but wa she really okay?

"If you say so".she said and he nodded.

"I do il keep trying to work at it." He said and she beamed at him. He was once again showing that d00etermination she had heard when she first met him.

Their next class was potions. This was the one he thought he was fail the most at.

"Why are you saying that?" She asks and he sighs and looks at her.
."I can't cook. I either cook it too long or not enough or I don't add the ingredients right, or I mess up an instruction." He said and she knew he was just worrying he did that.

"Don't worry ill help you just like you would help me " she said and touched his arm. It was nice that he was still doing his best to be positive and they walk together down to the du goons. It was cold down in the dungeons and as they descend deeper it grew colder. On the second lover level they enter their classroom

The potions teacher was not present and the class was chatting excitedly. The front row was deserted so they sat there and pulled out their cauldrons and ingredients. Last came their books and no sooner had the bell rang did the teacher come out of his office.

He walks through the room with a silence but his aura felt like he was really not a nice guy. Almost like some other teaches where most would try staying on his good side. If he really showed it. He keeps heading to the front of the class till he turns to face all the students looking at everyone with a cold expression showing on his face and his eyes.

"Good afternoon class, I'm your teacher, Professor Sanderson. I'm the headmaster of Slytherins. Now, I will see who is best fit in my class...and who is not. I already know who will always still impress me," His eyes slowly turns to look at the Hufflepuff first years as some were nervous seeing his cold eyes. "And who isn't. Now, I understand you all have the books here for my class? If not, too bad. Now, turn to page 2 and we shall see what you all know. I will be testing you on this."

A few students grumbled under their breaths hearing this. A test on the first day?! That was lame but Sanderson didn't care. Slytherine just smirked seeing this but they were behaving like 'angels' even if they were not. Most are and some just didn't care. Bella and Calus did the same like the rest waiting for more instructions from him.

First he called roll and there was a sneer on his face for all the muggleborn and non slytheryns. Caius was unperturbed by the glare he had received worse all his life. He knew he had to be silent and follow instructions. Potions couldn't be too hard could it?

Professor Sanderson waved his wand and the potion instructions appeared in neat clear writing. "You will follow these instructions and brew the potion and we will test them. Today we will be working on a boil removing potion. A simple one I expect each of you to get it right." He said and when no one started he spoke louder. "Well why aren't you all starting it will take the entire lesson I suggest you begin before the bell rings to leave." He said and sneered sitting and taking notes as he watched them.

His eyes never left them and soon the are was full of the fumes and haze. She was having no trouble this was like cooking. He was. He was working to measure the ingredients and cut them into the right amounts while shebout them in and stirred or adjusted the heat. Their potions were doing very well but few students were not. A cauldron spilled and the potion washed over the table of a desk in the back where another hufflepuff and a ravenclaw wwere seated. The potion was not finished and made boils appear sprouting fast and spreading faster.

".............."

Sanderson had no words to seeing this while a couple of the Slytherins smirked finding it funny. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were having some trouble but a couple of the others were doing alright so far. Arabella just kept working since she was almost done with her potion after adding the few bits of ingredients. Her eyes were so focused on the potion that nothing really distracted her. A couple students were shocked while some grew jealous. Others were really impressed seeing how she worked.

"I suggest most of you hurry; class will be ending in a few minutes. I expect most of you are to be done with your potions. He warned seeing them tense up to try keeping their cool working on it. Even he was trying to keep calm in working for this now. The class was going to end soon and it seems like it's been forever.

they were both nearly done and he rpotion was much closer to the end result than his was and indeed no one had done as well as they had. They didn't finish but it was okay because ethey exceeded expectations for first year students and he began to feel better about being a wizard. Finally a form of magic he could do easily.

Arabella was happy for him and glad she passed. The pressure was really on so far and Sanderson wasn't a bad teacher. They got homework in potions to read up on the correct ingredients and measurements for the anti boil potion as well as write an essay about how their potion went wrong.

He may have been hard but he was fair and that was unusual.

Class was done for the time as the students stood up, seeing Sanderson looking at them as he was giving the homework for them and goes to his own room. He will be sure to have another class later so that was for time.

"You did wonderful Caius. I knew you could do it!" Arabella smiled happily walking beside him. She didn't say much but he nods looking ahead.

"Yeah; thanks Bella. I thought I was going to see it explode or something. I know I have a lot to work on but..." he looks ahead but she shook her head patting his shoulder.

"Trust me Caius; you did just fine. You got through your first potion. It didn't matter if you finished or not. A couple others didn't finish either.." she giggled as he looks away hiding his smile.

"We will have to prove we can make it again next time. And the homework looks like a mess." He said feeling drained. He never had to focus so much ever and that was saying something. The hufflepuffs were being led to their evening meal by bones the prefect. He was an easy going quidich captain with stunning looks well dressed and a polite demeanor. He kept his eye on everyone making sur ethey were behaving and enjoying the hustle and bustle if the first-year as they talk about their classes.

"Trust me caius as long as you keep your notes you will do fine. And I'll help you with the homework if you need it." She said giggling as she brushed his worries away. She was feeling very confident and so far it was a bit emptier than they expected. Fewer students came this year than many years previous. The introduction week was progressing smoothly and the two were checking their schedules when the slytherins strutted by.

Bones called a halt to let them pass and avoid a skirmish or disagreement and it went by without any trouble. The great hall was alive with ghosts candles food and the bustle of many tired and hungry students satisfying their hunger rand relaxing g after a long day.

They walked in after Bones walks them inside towards their tables. Calus and Arabella sits down seeing the hot cooked food in front of them. Right away, everyone begins eating just like them. She got whtever she could or felt hungry for. While Caius still got what he could then starts eating. The food was delicious and most were feeling the same. It was delicious and it leaves them feeling right at home.

Even when she was eating, Bella just had a small book to read whie eating her food. It wasn't for studying just a book she brought from home to read during her break or when she eats. A few were chatting or speaking about their classes this day. They were unlike anything they had before but liked it. Some were a little.....worried of failing their classes. However, they did their best. A few at Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw were looking around but most that was glaring was Slytherin.

A few just hated the other houses but knew they were the best. They would out magic anything they can and didn't care who was wrong or right. They always were the best through their years but it seems some were thinking of ways to bring the houses down so they would win this year.

A few boys and girls from slytherin glares at the others houses from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Griffindor. They were going to lose but they did have some good students this year. That could be a problem. Some were speaking of chanting spells to pull on them. Bella was eating her dinner but smiling enjoying the book. Another girl was also looking at her but she smiled happy that others loved reading in this house too.

Cause was practice practice practice. He just wouldn't stop trying to cast the spells they had to learn in their lessons. She noticed he was getting closer between bites she took. Some parts would be better others would not and they were always shifting. It looked like he was having alot of trouble when his wand gave a cough and then magic spilled out in green smoke that stinks. He hastily ended his spell and set to work cleaning the mess he made.

Scourgify" he said in a commanding tone he never used for any spells anyone had ever heard and the spell cleaned up everything messy around him not just his own. She noticed and others did but he didn't. This was one spell he knew and could perform well.

"Hey where did you learn that one?" She asks him and he smiles.

"The barman tom taught it to me I asked him what spell cleans up animal droppings fast." He said and blushed as he realized he had commanded his spell. He looked at the wand and tried to command the spell from transfiguration and it worked his beetle in his jar turned into a button. It wasn't a good one and it still had legs but it was mostly a button. And that was progress.

"Good job I see your finally getting g the hang of it." Arabella said and caius smiles.

"I couldn't have done it without your help practicing. That image training is starting to work now thank you." He said to her modestly and puts his things away. "Listen i mean that. I think i am more confident around you so thanks for being my friend." He said and she giggles

"But of course; what are friends for?" She smiled happy at the thought knowing they will be best friends forever or so she hopes for. Arabella looks back at her book seeing him still feeling happy that she looks at him again.

"I don't know what would have happened if we didn't met. I know it would be hard finding real good friends that will never betray you." She agrees with him fully on that. Knowing how some others tend to be worries her. She already knew others tend to be friends or betray someone to become better or in power. Arabella knew Caius isn't like others; she could trust him because he was her closest friend.

They kept working on trying to be better in things that they were already working with more magic spells for classes. She even helped him with getting the ingredients for their potions already set for next lesson. She was happy that they got that much donw and it showed that it will be even better now.

"Alright; that should be everything for today. I think after a while longer we will be ready for anything with more practice." She laughed seeing him agree. While agreeing with her, Caius sees a few slytherin looking at their table with glares or thinking of some evil idea of prank. That shouldn't be and yet it worries him. Others ignore the looks but he looks away not saying anything.

"You okay, Caius?"

"Yeah; I'm alright.."

they were in the student ingredient stores to gather ingredients for their potions class and settled down to do their homework. It was a mess. He struggled and strained to grasp simple things and he always misused phrases and mispronounced words. He even was misspelling horribly. He fought and frustrated about it until at last bit by bit he began to slowly understand the work.

He still couldn't perform the spells very well but he could pronounce the words most of the time and his wand movements were closer to the actual movements described In the book.

She noticed his mind was different. He seemed to accept many ideas and even understand complex topics and simplify them but with frequent errors. At which he would grow ashamed of himself. And either go quiet or he would berate himself repeating old insults he received. He was trying so hard that seeing him like this broke her heart and she wasn't sure how to help.

All she said to him was he can do this. True it's taking time but Arabella knew he can do it. That's a matter of time for him that she was seeing him agreeing with her. He knew so far he will be able to do it but that's just another thing to learn about it. He was doing his best still and hopes for the best. She offers to help him to her best ability no matter what.

They went ahead with trying to find a way to go ahead and buy their things to head on back. Both Caius and Arabella were taking about their classes again walking down the hallways so far with silent thoughts so far.

He started to realize some of the concepts behind magic. Ttansfiguration was about changing your idea of the object and he was muttering this when a slytheryn boy came around the corner. He was tall for a first year and he was gripping his wand.

"You animal freak. Your cat won't leave me alone do something about it." With a start caius checked his pockets and cursed. The cat wasn't there. He rushed and tried to talk to the cat and calm it down. Arabella recognized the slytheryn as one who had been jeering about caius feeble attempts to control his magic.

At first she felt pity now she felt that it served the guy right. Caius returned with the cat in his hand gently chatizing it. "I know I know you hear them I do too. Don't attack people I don't want anyone to take you away." He said and the kitten mewled and fuffled its fur. It listened it always did and the other animals in his clothes benefited from it. They always accepted the corrections the owl got and slowly he reaches her side.

"Thanks for slowing down for me" he said to Arabella and tucked the kitten away

"It's not a problem. I didn't want to rush and you were not here." She smiled sweetly that he gives a nod. They only remain silent thinking of what could happen next but Arabella didn't say much thinking the bully deserves what he did to Caius. She sighed and keeps working with thinking of her next way of studying.

their next class was the next day. They meet int he commonroom and walk together down the greenhouse path the the large hut on the edge of the forest. There was a half giant who taught care of magical creatures. They recognized him as the man who led the first years on their boat ride across the lake.

"Welcome firs years now we got summit special ter day how many of you know the difference between a magical creature and a non magical creature?" He asks and the ravenclaws with them a raised their hands. To her surprise caius raised his hand and bounced. He was called

"The only way is to compare them. Take a magical creature and non magical creature of the same kind of appearance and practice if you can't see." And suddenly he fell silent the whole class was looking at him amazed he spoke so much and to such a huge man.

"Thas righ 10 points ter hufflepuff now since yeh done answered me next question I'll start off by having yeh sort out the horned toads and the gulping spanners." He turned and slammed down a large crate of croaking different colored frogs or toads but they all looked so similar it was hard to imagine one that was magical at all.

Professor Hagrid opened the crate and the class was swarmed by a mob of croaking leaping frogs. Some had boiling backs that spawned smaller ones that grew quickly and these were why there were so many. They were fortunate to be inside the large paddock the toads and gulping spawners couldn't jump out.

"Yer lesson is the git all the gulped separated from the toads the ones with the most gulpers win 25 points for their house at the end of the lesson." He said and sat down to watch them.

They were all pumped up to give it a shot while some were still impressed with Caius knowing such a thing. Now, others wanted to do this simple task in class to earn the 25 points.

It wasn't a simple as she thought. Each time she thought she had picked out the right one she saw that it wasn't. She worked harder and harder to separate them and then she noticed the horned toads and the gulped only difference was the number of spawn and the size and shape of their mouths. Opening their mouths she saw they the tongues were blue not the color of non magical versions.

She and he gathered as many as they could and professor Hagrid stopped them. He went through the class rating them and he complimented them both on their efforts. When he was done he announce the results and she was getting excited from waiting.

"Righ now the group or person with the most is not the winner. The rules said who had the most of the gulped per toad ratio and so far only these two actually figured it out. So 25 points to hufflepuff." He said and a ravenclaw boy grew upset.

"Excuse me professor but isn't this normally second year lesson?" And that made the class burst into a chatter of un fair and he raise a huge hand to quiet them.

"Now now hold on there. I'm not so blind to notice that most of yeh are ravenclaw so the lesson was to challenge you and get a bit of advancement to the rest. They had almost no horned toads in their basket and the one that was in there was used to compare all the others. "

The ravenclaws were silent and respected the teacher. The hufflepuffs cheered and swarmed them.

The giant wasn't too bad and he was a decent teacher if ppl gave him a chance. He really loved magical creatures and when he saw cauis and the creatures peeking out of his clothes he called him to say a bit longer. Arabella stayed as well because Hagrid noticed she saw the differences and helped caius.

"I'm glad to have some students who really enjoy me class. I'm not really good at talking or teaching but I promise if yeh need anything any help ill do it fer yeh. Both of yeh got what it takes so don't be down so much. "

He could see right into them and know how they were feeling and that was unexpectedly human and Arabella warmed up to professor Hagrid a bit. Shy cauis was babbling and thanking him

They were still cheering after a while but wanted to really feel more excited because of it. Knowing the possible lessons in the future.

On their way back to the castle they were stopped by a second year named Boot Sarah. Sarah was in ravenclaw a d she had her eyes on these two. "Excuse me are you caius the boy with the animals?" She asks in a straightforward bold tone that was half false. She elwas definitely pushing hard to sound more serious.

"Yes I am did one of them make you mad too?" He asks sounding a little hurt and that changed the whole mood.

"OH. No actually they are cute. I umm... I just wanted to give you this magazine. It has alot of different facts on newly discovered magical creatures new studies in creature lore and different types of care products. " she said proffering a tightly rolled magazine. It was thin enough to be carried by his owl and he opened it revealed thin tough leaves of parchment as pages it was deceptively full  

"And for you Arabella if you need anyone to talk to you can talk to me. I think you and I would be good friends since we like plants."

She blinks hearing this but tilts her head in surprise. "Ummmm, sure of course. Thank you." She said seeing the girl give a nod smiling.

"Great! I hope we can become good friends Ara. Same with you too, Caius." she smiled to him as he blinks looking from the magazine towards her. She did seem pretty nice and was really sweet. Was is possible of another new friend joining them? It's possible but they didn't want to seem like it's a trick.

It occurred to the both of them that their next flying class was growing g closer and she saw him rush away to the dormitory in the basement to hide his animals in his trunk.

Sje waited for him in the common room. And they walked together to the courtyard where the flying clas was taking place. Madame hooch was an aged witch and her skill in flying was unparalleled except by the quidditch teams. Together the first years lined up again and called their brooms to their hands. Right away more students than before were able to summon their broom to their hands.

After mounting and waiting for the others to do so he looked around and was eager to get into the air. He liked flying and it felt like he was free in the air. When madame hooch blew her whistle he kicked off and spark higher and faster than anyone except the griffindors.

A few of the students were seeing him take off, flying around of course it made Arabella smile knowing Caius was having fun. Of course, others were cheering for him finding it amazing but it also made a few jealous. How in the world could he be this good?! That's not fair! They watched him zoom and fly faster and faster trying not to do too much but it seems he was.

He came to a stop where they were supposed to gather in the air around madame hooch and he watched their progress. Half of the first years Bella included could fly in a stable path and she kicked up as fast as she could go without losing control to fly next to him first.

The others gather and madame hooch explains this lesson.

"Now that you can get into the air we have enough to begin what the showoff here was doing. We will fly around the courtyard In am upward spiraling fashion then come to government a few feet above the ground." She eyes him fiercely "speed is not the goal. Stability direction control and keeping a firm grim are all far more crucial than speed." She says and he blushed red in shame.

They lined up and madame hooch blew her whistle. He took off right away not quite as fast as he had on kickoff and smoothly flew the course highlighted by a series of wand sparks madam hooch sent out to Mark the way. He took the tightest turns and forgot about the others as he focused on improving his control over the broom. The vibrating eagerness went away with the firm grip on the handle and his smooth even pace cut through the air

She copied him almost keeping up and as her grip loosened she had to slow down to maintain control. Her path was smooth and almost as fast as his was. He seemed to barely have to turn at all to make all the curves until they turned into sharp angles.

The angles forced him to brake and lean hard to stay in the course and a few times he couldn't make the turn and went off course losing points. No one else had that trouble and he slowed down again. She was catching up to him and he was rubbing his head trying to focus and not let his emotions get a hold of him.

They fly together neck in neck and she picked up her speed forcing him to speed up and follow her. She was flying in wider turns keeping her flight smooth and seemingly effortless. Crossing the finish line together they hover and wait for the rest of the clas to finish.

Madame hooch rewarded her 5 points to hufflepuff for her flight. "As for you. You did improve alot but you are still taking the turns too sharply. The broom needs a touch not a jolt to change direction." And he nodded and said

"Yes madame hooch." And he shivers in glee at the thrill of the flight.