Sword is equal to Wand, Chapter 17

A cat fight was literally the last thing I expected to happen today... But both blondes glared at one another with Dorea saying in a cold tone. "Go away Greengrass, I have business with him."

Daphne merely gave a wane smile before she retorted. "Oh? What business then? Seeking his tutorship so that he can allow you to stand up to me in the Slytherin dueling pits after I beat you like an unwanted bastard last night?"

'Damn that was not fucking subtle at all.' I thought as Dorea's face darkened with several other Slytherin's whispering about that very scene.

And it made me realize that Dorea must have challenged Daphne very publicly and was suppressed... Badly last night at least.

Still I just stood there off to the side watching as Dorea and Daphne no longer paid attention to me as Dorea snapped out coldly. "You must be feeling so proud. Having long distance almost invisible wind blades to attack someone who hasn't reached the Manifestation of their martial arts."

To which Daphne replied in a calm tone. "Yes I did feel a bit bad bullying you. As after all there is no glory in suppressing and beating down on someone that is so clearly... Your lesser."

That was a bit too far for Dorea as even her fellow Slytherins hissed at how cold of a burn that was. 

"Alright, what do you two want. If it's for some martial arts lessons, I don't want my own housemates lynching me if I give you both more lessons so I am going to have to refuse." 

Both ladies paused as John behind me chuckled and called out. "Yup, it will look really bad if Jake trains someone from a different house to sweep through the first combat tournament of the year haha!"

I shrugged in a what can you do manner and said. "There you have it... Still anyway-"

I was cut off as the large metal door leading to the greenhouse we were designated to go towards audibly unlocked and opened with a loud thrum of heavy metal being moved.

And from that door came Professor Sprout, who, although looking a bit on the younger side, with her cultivation/magical power keeping her younger looking. She definitely was full-figured and adored her desserts, so to speak.

"Hello, class!" She said with a wide smile as she took us all in and I could tell she was marking down our attendance just by memory before she continued. "As you are aware by now. My name is Pomona Sprout, and you shall refer to me as Professor Sprout."

She then cleared her throat lightly before continuing as she gave a glance to the two Slytherin girls who made their way back into their house group. "This class, aptly named Herbology and Spirit Herb Cultivation, will be teaching you all how to care for and grow magical herbs and materials used in the day-to-day life of a wizard and cultivator."

She then turned around and pointed at the building behind her and continued. "This is building 01, the typically least dangerous of the buildings as the herbs and treasures within come from arid plains, and the arctic circles, where little life can disturb the treasures, so they do not have much in the way of defensive methods." 

Seeing as even in canon, they were messing around with Mandrakes that could kill someone with just their scream at a grand old age of twelve fucking years old. I wasn't so sure in this AU how so-called 'safe' these magical plants that have been heavily augmented with the cultivation era were.

"Now come along, this class's structure is very hands-on. Although I will very occasionally assign homework to test the knowledge of the herbs you have already learned." The professor spoke.

And to be honest... The class was rather on the mundane side at least for now, as she got us working doing the simplest thing. Making fucking good dirt apparently was where all things started.

"This... It was not my idea of how this first class was going to go." I said with a chuckle to James and Devin, who were helping me steady a large bag of broken coals we broke down as we were apparently making new soil for some volcanic/fire-attribute herbs.

"Well, she wants us to start from the very start of the life cycle of a herb," John said, partly in agreement as he grimaced at the sight of his coal black stained hands.

Then Sprout told us to go wash our wands and afterwards she began to explain how all herbs, treasures, and things that naturally grew of the earth had their own requirements to live in a certain area, regardless of the magical energy saturating the soil, obviously.

Generally, she was just teaching us at this point the basics of plant care, along with explaining how to enrich different versions of soil to fit the special needs of magical herbs.

And I could tell the girls of both houses were being driven spare at having to get their hands dirty, literally and figuratively, with them all going to take a shower right after the class was over.

So neither Daphne nor Dorea came after me as they and all the other girls went to take a shower as quickly as they could.

"Well, time for book time. And actual class work," I muttered as Wizards vs The Supernatural World was my next class.

And I made my way to the classroom without too much worry, as this classroom at least wasn't going to be a damned mess to find. Or in Snape's case, actively hiding said classroom.

The classroom itself had a different door than the normal metal and dark-stained wooden doors... This one had a large stone door that had several Egyptian iconographies that were setting off mental alarms as I could feel the magic coming off it.

"Yup... I am not touching this fucking door!" I muttered, shaking my head, before I walked over and leaned against the wall across from the door to relax and wait for the teacher.

'Actually, I haven't seen or heard anything about Binns actually? Did the history teacher get replaced?' I mused to myself.

Then I blinked as I saw several Ravenclaws coming my way with myself blinking as I recognized Cho Chang walking by a certain mousy girl I had missed in all my lessons so far.

"Jake, this is my new friend Hermione Granger." Cho introduced her with a small smile, and I nodded taking Hermione's offered hand and shaking it.

"Hello Hermione, I haven't had you in my other classes, have I?" I asked curiously.

She shook her head and then glanced at the door, and said curiously. "N,o I do not believe so. At least I have not seen you in any of my classes. But why are you waiting outside?" 

To which I pointed at the door and said bluntly. "A door I can feel radiating magic and Egyptian runes and iconography... I'd rather not get cursed horribly." 

Cho Chang and her friends looked at the door, and then Cho said calmly. "You are probably right. I wouldn't touch that door."

But Hermione, she sniffed and gave us all weird looks, she said with some confusion as she walked over. "Why would the door be cursed? The teacher wouldn't have a cursed door to her classroom for new students!" 

Cho and I shared looks as Hermione's hand met the cat's head like a door handle, and we all gasped as her form shuddered and then she fell backwards, and Cho shot forward to grab Hermione, whose form blurred and then in but a couple of moments.

"Yeah... The door is cursed." I said with my eyes going dull as I saw Hermione get turned into a fucking cat!

'That is definitely an Egyptian curse to transform someone into a cat... Though the question is how permanent this transformation is.' I thought with my face twitching.

Then 'Hermione' hissed while in Cho's arms in answer before she visibly chilled the fuck out, but was still looking around frantically. Which was a valid point as to her still being Hermione, but transformed.

More students soon arrived, with everyone asking and wondering why Cho had a cat... And likewise, why and how Hermione got turned into a cat.

"This has to be a prank. There is no way a teacher would curse her front door." Another Ravenclaw spoke out and I think she was also another Newblood, though I had talked to her nor heard her name.

And with entirely too much confidence, she strode over to the door and tried to open the door... With her turning into a cat as well with my fellow Gyrffindor shared a look before Ron said out loud for all to hear.

"How about we stop touching the obviously cursed door yeah? You guys are supposed to be the house of smarts, right? So don't fucking touch the cursed door!"

Once again, Hermione hissed at Ron. Leaving me to face palm as I wondered when the hell the teacher would arrive.

And while a couple of the others started talking about taking the two cat's to Madame Pomfrey to try to get them fixed.

The damned, cursed door finally opened up with the history teacher finally being unveiled. "Two fools within this class... That's about the average." She said with a soft, airy voice.

The woman who wasn't ever at the Great Hall for sure was clearly Egyptian or something with magical runes/glyphs sliding across and fading past her tight-fitting clothes 

She then placed a hand on the cursed door's surface, and I could feel the magic from it fading as she re-focused on the two Ravenclaw's who had been turned into cats.

"I could feel that you both touched the door at different times... Let this be a lesson to you both not to touch enchanted things you know nothing about."

Then she pointed a hand at the two and then they blured in place before transforming back into their human forms with Hermione looking down right ill as she held the wall before she yelled out. "Professor! Why would you use a cursed door as a classroom door!? We didn't know the door was cursed!"

To which the history teacher said rather dryly. "Neither of you are harmed... You should consider the fact that your seniors didn't warn you not to touch the obviously cursed door as well."

Then the teacher took a breath before saying. "My name is Ahmanet, likewise you will refer to me as Professor Ahmanet. Now, give me a moment to do roll call before I start lessons."

And thus Ahmanet called out everyone's names from a slip of paper with Hermione and the other Ravenclaw girl who got transformed looking uncomfortable as Professor Ahmanet clearly marked something down next to their names.

After roll call, Professor Ahmanet took a drink from a large clay cup and as she put it down she hummed and spoke out. "Hermione Granger, what does this class cover?"

I could tell this was a subtle jad at Hermione for being 'stupid' enough to touch a clearly magical door. And Hermione could tell too as she sank in on herself before she answered quietly. "It... The class's textbook covers the history of wizards who help protect humanity against those that would consume it?"

Professor Ahmanet gave a bored nod and then said cooly. "A literal textbook answer. But you are not wrong. But I have a follow-up to that between you and the rest of Newblood, who are ignorant of the true Wizarding world."

"Why is it that the Wizarding World is so dangerous? Why do monsters, gods, and other horrors afflict themselves upon humanity at every turn?" 

She gave us all a long searching look before she said bluntly. "The reality is that all those horrors, are as strong and dangerous because wizards themselves are so strong. They say that a dragon makes the world around them more magical as every breath of theirs enriches the world."

"So what happens when tens of thousands of wizards who all have the same quality of magic, if not quantity equal a dragons are in one area? What if there are tens of millions spread out across the world? And to all those forces, humanity, especially wizards, are the greatest tools, tonics, and sources of power for them."

She tapped her blackboard before continuing. "The Greek Wizards have a love-hate relationship with the Olympians for VERY good reason. Children between any of the Olympians and even the lesser gods can birth very talented wizards in demi-gods, but they are forcibly tied to Greek Pantheon issues, for example."

There was a pause before Cho Chang raised up a hand with Professor Ahmanet nodding and saying cool. "Go ahead Cho Chang."

Cho then spoke respectfully. "It is indeed a weight to intermarry or be blessed with a divine. But especially these days, its a good way to counteract the poison that many rituals can taint a bloodline with."

Professor Ahmanet then said flatly. "You, who was born of the Chang'e, can say as much, I suppose. But you also have run across the world putting a half dozen Pantheons between you, any monsters. Or any other troubles of the Chinese Celestial Pantheon."

She shook her head and said. "My job is to educate you young wizards about the predators of the world that are not merely monsters... Now we will start locally in threats and beings you can and will run into."

And upon the blackboard came the word 'Goblins.' and then from the circled word came other bubbles with Professor Ahmanet continuing to speak. "Goblins are one race, humanity and wizards are rather tied to for a variety of reasons."

"Goblins have an innate ability to find ore veins and have special forging methods along with a devious mind for traps that make them perfect for the role they love to take."

"Treasure keeping." I spoke as Professor Ahmanet pointed at me and she nodded with her saying.

"Yes, ten points to Gryffindor for the correct answer and not banking... Goblins are NOT bankers, they merely hold onto our gold and treasures for a very specific reason. Their own cultivation method requires them to cultivate Treasure Aura."

Professor Ahmanet then went on to explain for especially long lived Pureblood families, they often had the same appointed Goblin guardian of their fortunes at Gringotts. Which was apparently a fucking horrible place in reality as the goblins were always trying to fuck each other to steal the fortunes they were assigned to watch to add to their own treasue hordes.

Ron then raised up a hand and then asked. "Yes, I was always curious, but my parent's didn't want to answer. But why don't the goblins like steal our gold and stuff?" 

Professor Ahmanet smiled at the question but it was thin and cold as she then said blandly. "They are soul-bound with extremely powerful and cruel methods to prevent them from stealing from a wizard or human... Plus, every time you withdraw and deposit from Gringotts or another goblin bank, you will have your paperwork stating exactly how much you own within their bank." 

She continued on and explained how British magical money in Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons were made by the goblins themselves with spiritually enriched minerals which meant that the value wouldn't go down or likewise hyper-inflate.

And another reason the goblins couldn't fuck with our money was the simple fact that they were not nearly... Not at all real fighters, with their best defense being humanity itself, which they needed as the deep darkness of the underground wasn't without its horrors.

It was only at the end of the class about goblins and Professor Ahmanet assigned a reading of the only human/goblin war that resulted in goblins being slaughtered down to thirty percent of their population that I realized that my first 'history' class was still about fucking goblin wars!

'Still can't escape the goblin wars of Harry Potter's history class, I suppose.' I thought with some amusement before stretching a bit before pausing as Hermione stomped past me and headed for the stairs leading towards the upper floors.

"Skipping dinner?" I mused to myself before I grunted as Ron threw an arm over my shoulder and said happily. 

"Come on Jake, let's go eat some dinner, and then we can meet up with my sister and Rosaria before we go looking for trouble!"

Seeing as I only had a small chapter of homework for tonight, I nodded as actually getting to explore Hogwarts sounded awesome, especially when Gryffindor tower wasn't far from the Room of Requirement and such.