Summer School Day 1

Otto stood alone in the vast echoing entrance hall, trying his best to not look scared. His trainers squeaked loudly on the ancient marble floor as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His eyes drank in the scene before him, completely unlike anything he had seen before in the muggle world. His hands searched futilely in his robe pockets for a grumblecracker, not that he was hungry just that he thought chewing on something would distract him abit.

"This is a castle not a school! Its a bloody castle" he thought to himself as a lady in a portrait seemed to walk off.

He couldn't get over the spectacle of the giant suits of armor mounted on the wall. He thought of Daniel his younger brother and how amazed he would be if he could see this.

Otto tensed his jaw. He practiced the breathing his dad taught him. In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. He wasn't soft. He wasn't scared. He could handle this.

He glanced at the door again. He was waiting for Professor Travers. Some big shot who was in charge of his summer school catch up. From what little he had heard about him, he was a noble, a military man. Sounded like a nightmare.

Suddenly the temperature dropped, not ice-cold. But like a chilled wind had blown over him. Otto turned again to see if the door had opened and a gust of wind had come in.

Instead, hoving just off the ground was the near translucent image of a bedraggled man. The spectre was wearing a set of scholarly robes, that looked stained with blotches of ink everywhere. His hair stuck out at angles, and his eyes gleamed. In one of his ink stained hands was a long goose-feather quill, matching another that was lodged behind one of his ears.

The ghost squinted at him and leaned forward.

"Fascincating specimen" he muttered as he produced a ghostly parchment and began scribbling furiously.

"Some sort of giant halfblood perhaps? No. Too compact. A goblin strain? Mmm doesn't seem to have the teeth for it. Too upright for Snazzler, not to mention a lack of hair."

A flash of insight flew across the ghosts eyes as he dropped down to his knees and buried his head through Ottos shoes.

"Not enough toe curvature to be a troll." He stood up again.

Otto blinked. Completely overwhelmed by the scenario.

The ghost swept around him like a constable investigating a crime scene. "No a student are you? You don't smell like one."

Otto, still largely in shock mumbled out a "...what?"

As if that had explained everything, the ghost noddled to himself and put away his parchment.

"Ignatius Plunkett" he said with a flourished bow. "Magical theorist extraordinaire. Six time author of the year. Five-time nominee for the Order of the Merlin, the only two time winner of the Elder Wand Association for Theoretical Ranting. And according to at least one disgruntled table criminally insane. "

Otto took a step back. "...right."

Plunkett peered at him. "And you, dear girl are quite the oddity. What exactly are you?"

"Well for starters I am not a girl!" Otto practically yelled, his hands balled into fists as his confusion and awe was replaced with frustration.

This seemed to take the inquisitive ghost back abit, his eyebrow raising in surprise.

"Are you quite sure?" He began to gesture to Ottos hair and face. "Then what is going on with all... that"

"I am quite sure" Otto said in his best attempt at mimicking the ghosts tone and inclination.

"Mmmm" Plunkett for his part seemed unphased, simply drawing back out his spectral parchment to scribble some more notes. "Well then, boy, do you dream in shapes or colours?"

The question was disarming, and Otto felt a fool for letting his anger get the better of him. "Thats, what? I am waiting for a teacher"

"Ah, pleasure to make your acquaintance Waiting For A Teacher. Is that one word, hyphenated perhaps?" The ghost didn't even look up from his notes.

"Thats not my name, Its what I am doing. My name is Otto. Otto Bramwell."

"Well that is much more common, in all my years I've met over a dozen Ottos but you were going to be only the second Waiting-For-A-Teacher."

Otto rolled his eyes, clearly the ghost was making some sort of joke.

"Can't say I advise waiting for teachers. I've never been particularly fond of it. Teachers ruin you they do. They fill you up with all the wrong sort of non-sense." Ignatius continued.

Otto raised an eye and begun to think this ghost wasn't all that bad. He began to open his mouth to say something but the ghost seemed lost in his own ramblings.

"Which of course means you have less room in you for all the right kinds of non-sense. Speaking of which, hows your memory? Its a critical aspect of becoming a good Wizard a memory." As he asked he looked over the parchment to lock eyes with the young wizard.

"Ah, fine I guess. Nothing special." Otto looked away as he answered. "Does that mean learning magic means I have to learn lots of long complicated spells?"

"Learn?! Merlins beard no. You don't learn magic. You remember it. To be an excellent wizard you'll have to get really good at remembering things that haven't happened yet.

Plunkett's next rant was interrupted by a deep voice that hit like a wave.

"Mr. Bramwell"

Otto practically jumped from surprise. The elderly wizard was only a few meters away. A tall, sharp looking man, with wearing a long coat. He stood ramrod straight and his white hair and moustache were neatly groomed. Professor Travers Otto assumed.

The mans gaze moved from Otto to the still rambling ghost.

"Ignatius, good to see you out and about. I hope you've been well. Last time I saw you, you were staking a claim to the restricted section of the library." There was an odd tone to the mans words, somewhere between politeness and exasperation.

"I relocated myself" the ghost sniffed the air. "The books were getting too uppity, thinking they were so special, and the benches, dear lord they wouldn't stop staring at me."

Travers didn't even blink. "Of course, of course. Well thank you for looking after Mr Bramwell whilst I was delayed. I'll take it from here, I am sure you must be busy"

Ignatius began nodding furiously. "Busy indeed, I have a new theory about the elasticity of cauldrons that needs testing. It could revolutionize potion making" and without a sound vanished.

The elderly professor turned to Otto. "Follow me Mr Bramwell." He spoke with a quiet authority and Otto moved promptly in reply.

Professor Travers turned and began walking as he spoke.
"You have joined us at a most irregular time, and in a most irregular manner. As such, the Headmaster has entrusted me with your summer school curriculum. I will not make apology, it will be a very difficult three months. As the staff and students are all away, we have had to ask for volunteers to tutor and supervise you during this period. First up will be Professor Firethorn, head of House Slytherin."

The old professor didn't waver as he spoke, striding confidently down the labyrinthine halls.

"He will oversee you for the first three weeks at which point I will return and oversee you for the next three. Then Professor Cicero head of house Hufflepuff and finally Professor McCreedy representing House Ravenclaw."

Otto nodded along, trying his best to remember the names "And the students?"

"All away for the summer break. It is quite irregular for anyone to stay within the Hogwarts grounds during this period though, as you rightly demonstrate, exceptions exist."

The pair turned a corner and entered a room full of shifting staircases. Otto's jaw dropped and he froze in amazement.

Travers continued walking and without so much as looking over his shoulders continued "Yes, yes, come along. This room does tend to have that effect on some people. Now listen closely, I am already somewhat late and will not repeat myself"

He began listing the locations of each area, the kitchens, the grand hall, how to get to certain floors, how to get to the outer grounds. Rules. Dress Codes. Houses. Names. Places.

It was a proverbial firehose of information aimed squarely at Ottos face and he was barely managing to catch a drop of it.

"Anyway, here we are, East Wing Hall Overflow rooms. This is where you will be staying until the start of year ceremony where you will be sorted into a House, where upon you will be invited to board within that House Dormitory. Until then make yourself comfortable. A good nights sleep cannot be overstated when it comes to learning."

Otto in a daze eeked out a "Thank you" in reply.

"Thank You Professor." A sharp voice cut in, snapping Otto awake. The man had been standing off to the side of the hallway, likely waiting for the pair. "You will address the staff with respect or not at all is that understood?"

Otto's fists balled and he shoved them straight into his pockets. "Yes Professor" he said.

"Good good." Travers cut in. "Now good luck young Bramwell. It won't be easy, but you have a lot to catch up on. Professor Firethorn here is as brilliant as they come, many of his students go onto great places. And remember, I'll be back in three weeks, so hang in there!"

The dark and foreboding professor stepped forward as the elderly man stepped back and hurried off.

"Unpack your books Bramwell, YOU are already behind schedule. We will begin with Magical Theories Volume I. And assuming you make decent progress, we will be moving onto Arithmatics and Geometry after dinner."

Otto turned to the pile of boxes sitting in the room on a bed. Then saw the desk set up in the centre of the small room. Trying his best to remember in which box he packed the books.

"Are you deaf Bramwell? What part of behind schedule makes you think you should be standing around waiting for the sun to set? Get a move on!"

Otto darted forward, "This is going to be a long few weeks" he thought to himself.

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Pub: 17 Jun 2025 03:50 UTC

Edit: 17 Jun 2025 04:18 UTC

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