My new courses for second term in thrid year were going extremely well, and although I was struggling through muggle studies, taking extra time after class with Professor Burbage and all the tutoring Sergius would allow me, I received an excellent grade on my midterms for effort.
History of Magic proved to be more interesting than the previous years, as we were now approaching the Middle Ages with the ghost Professor Binns, who was actually alive at the time and so had many interesting first hand accounts for anecdotes, and I was not surprised to learn it was an extremely active time for witches and wizards around the world (after having written about Wicca in muggle studies first year). This somewhat coincided with muggle studies, although it was not modern muggle activities.
Defence Against the Dark Arts had started with Professor Lupin again and we had begun learning about the different creatures classified as ‘beings’ that have a dark reputation, and are indeed dangerous, (such as werewolves and vampires) but also the importance of remembering these are magical beings and that not any two are alike, just like human folk. I gleaned that Professor Lupin had some deeper connection to the subject matter because he was very passionate about it.
I ran into Professor McGonagall once coming out of the Great Hall and although I was no longer in her class until first term next year, she remembered to ask me about my holidays abroad.
“Miss Twyla, good to see you,” she said stoically. “Did you enjoy your Christmas in the north, was it?”
“It was great!” I told her. “I saw the ruins of castle Durmstrang and learned all about Nerida Vulchanova’s ghost-”
“Dear, she’s back, is she?” McGonagall said with a twitch of a smile.
“Oh yes, by my understanding she runs the school now,” I replied.“And I saw a polar bear! And flew a car-” I stopped in my tracks again.
“Drove,” I corrected. “I drove a car.”
Professor McGonagall was thankfully distracted or too busy to notice my slip up and simply patted me on the shoulder and nodded her head then continued on up the marble staircase, most likely out of sight to her office.
Meanwhile Sergius was already preparing for seventh year, very much against his desires, by beginning studies of Apparition and Alchemy. Apparently he thought he’d have another semester before having to start the fearful and difficult practice of apparating - wherein one transports through space to any location of one’s choosing - but he was out of luck. He’d also opted to take Study of Ancient Runes, though, so he was happy about that.
Thackery Binx had taken to splitting his time between my four poster bed in Ravenclaw Tower and the Slytherin common room permanently not long after I returned. I have no doubt he spent a lot of time there while I was away for Christmas and he’d certainly taken a liking to lazily watching the Giant Squid as it drifted by the wall to wall window in the Black Lake. Binky had soon grown used to accepting rough little pats from Sergius whenever he passed by.
The twins were at their usual old antics again, stirring up trouble and trying to pull everyone into their destructive cyclone all in the name of ‘fun’. And it was fun. Gryffindor was slated to slaughter Hufflepuff at the coming end of term Quidditch match and they’d taken up an even rosier attitude. Filch couldn’t stand them grinning sweetly his way in the corridors, he gave them two detentions that semester just for looking at him.
I hadn’t yet decided or even thought about planning my summer yet, but Sergius’ home on Svalbard was forever in the back of my mind, as well as the promise of another adventure spent together.