"Thanks Susan, maybe I'll do just that. We should probably get our stuff out to take notes." Harry says, watching the final set of students make their way through the glass doors of the Hogwarts greenhouse.
Pomona Sprout, Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff house cut a very strange figure indeed. While she was wearing the mostly standard teaching robes of the Hogwarts professors, she accessorised it with a hempen overcoat, and a ratty hat woven of various mismatched plant-fibers. On her hands she wore tar-black gloves that appeared to be scaled, and a pouch on her hip seemed to be full to the brim of other supplies. "Hello Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first-years, and welcome to Herbology! Here we will study, plant, and process various types of useful magical flora. As such this class can and sometimes will be very dangerous, so be sure to pay very close attention. This class and potions are very tightly linked, so doing well here should also lead to some measure of success there as well."
Harry listened intently as Professor Sprout listed off some of the various plants they were to be working with this month, as well as the safety precautions they will be using. Dragonskin gloves are to be worn at all times, as they offer general protection from thorns, acids, and the soil itself. Certain plants will require eye protection as well, and students were expected to be able to find a pair on a notice of no longer than a minute. Given that there were two pairs in every cabinet in the greenhouse, of which there were many, it isn't hard to find any. Professor Sprout also lists a few spells that they will be using in class towards the end of the year, although they are very general purpose, and will be taught by Flitwick in Charms. These are the cutting charm and the fire-making charm, and they should expect to learn the first one of those before December, and the second before the end of June. Harry diligently takes notes and thinks about how he might enjoy this class. While Harry did not overly enjoy doing all of the yard work for the Dursley household, he did find some manner of pride whenever he heard one of the neighbors complement Petunia's garden, even if they didn't know that he did most of the work on it. Classes however don't last forever, and this one let out.
"Sorry we didn't get to talk too much Susan, but we've got all year." Harry says, saying goodbye to his new friend.
"It's okay, you're right. See you in Transfiguration!" Susan says, meeting up with Hannah and heading to their next class.
Harry himself meets up with Hermione and they move onto their next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Professor Quirrel, dressed in his teacher's robes and purple turban, was a very strange figure indeed. His eyes were small and squinted, and his nose was rather hooked. He also was seemingly unhealthily thin, and spoke with such a severe stutter that it was difficult to understand him.
"W-w-w-w-welcome to D-d-defense a-against th-the D-d-dark Arts. This year we w-w-will be learning about m-many dif-f-ferent creatures that might h-h-harm you and the ways to-to-to combat them. Th-th-there is n-not much p-p-practical instruction in the f-f-first year though you will learn a f-f-few spells. D-d-defense is a v-ve-very useful class for all st-st-students, but will be p-p-p-p-particularly useful if y-you intend to b-b-be a Curse B-breaker or an Aur-or-or-or," Quirrel stutters out. Harry takes a glance at Hermione, who is obviously trying her best to be an attentive listener, but also seems to have a similar look of 'just get on with it' on her face. The rest of Defense class was simply an overview of what creatures they intended to learn about this month, mainly the basic overview of Imps and Werewolves. Quirrell's stuttering after a while was giving Harry a headache, and every time he turned to write on the chalkboard a new surge of pain would shoot through Harry's forehead. Asking Hermione to take notes for him for a moment, Harry closes his eyes in hopes that perhaps blocking the light would ease his pain. It did not, and after a couple minutes, Harry reopens his eyes and begins to catch his notes up to Hermione's, which thankfully doesn't take very long due to Quirrell's stutter limiting the amount of information he can provide.
After that comes Transfiguration, which is a class Harry is particularly excited about. Hannah had thus far been a very good friend and Harry was happy to get to spend some time with her, even if most of that time would be spent simply taking notes.
Entering the Transfiguration classroom, Harry and Hermione immediately spot Hannah and Susan, and pair off with their new partners.
"So… tell me! How did you like Susie?" Hannah asks, obviously excited.
"I think she's nice. We have a bit in common, although we didn't get to talk much before class started." Harry says. "Thinking about it, where would students from different houses hang out? Our prefects told us last night that you're generally expected to spend your free time in the common rooms or your dorms, but you can't get into those if you aren't in the same house." Harry ponders aloud.
"The library is supposedly neutral ground, as is the Great Hall, but neither of those are really great places to just hang out. Hmm… maybe ask your Head of House after classes. You and Hermione can talk to Flitwick and Susie and I will talk to Sprout. Do you have any classes with Gryffindor for the rest of the day?"
"Ugh… yeah, all of them, actually." Harry answers, checking his schedule.
"Get Nevvy to check with McGonagle too! I'd ask Tracey to check with Snape, but he's kinda scary." Hannah says, and Harry struggles to maintain his composure at hearing her nickname for Neville.