Professor Merrythought greeted Aurora with kindness and a spark of intrigue in her eyes; she was a small and a somewhat ugly woman, with a wrinkly face and hump pulling at her back, making her seem even smaller, but her eyes were shining like two white pearls filled with light and for a moment Aurora thought that no one else could have been more suitable for teaching defense against the dark arts. Who else rather than someone who had actually defeated the darkness?

They were in a hall, a large and tall room, with a long landing in the middle. There were neither chairs nor desks to sit at. The walls were decorated with long and colored strips of cloth belonging to the four different houses. Not much light entered this particular hall, but narrow slits cut through the stone walls and shy rays of sun made their way through the stained glass. Every small detail created a whole which brought a feeling of anguish and restraint. The hall imposed itself to whoever entered it. And a small knot in the depths of her stomach bothered Aurora with anxiety and uneasiness.

She wondered how they were going to be studying and how the class was going to be held since there were no chairs and no desks to sit at. Aurora sighed in irritation; she disliked not knowing everything there was to know. Slowly turning to her right, her brows frowned.

At her side Voldemort was watching in satisfaction around him, his pink lips curled up in a smirk. What was he smirking about anyway? She narrowed her green eyes and was about to ask him for details, but his black curves shifted and let his pitch black eyes meet hers. In a moment, an indescribable fire burnt the insides of her guts.

"I think you can manage now." He whispered softly stopping her from saying anything. In the crowded hall, she barely heard him. "Something requires my outmost attention. Please excuse me, Miss Gaunt." He smiled shyly in her direction slightly lowering his forehead in respect, and then turned around leaving her there, in the middle of many unknown students. Not many, but all of them. In an instant her stomach clenched, her skin turned cold; her magic was missing something. Aurora sighed. She swallowed a newly formed lump in her throat. Why was it reacting in that way? It felt as if it wanted to break free from the bond between it and her body, and go attach itself to the retreating form of Tom.

"Aurora", she recognized that voice, it belonged to the girl she had met the other day, Elisa Potter. "I am happy to have the dueling classes with you; perhaps we will do it together." Aurora's brows first shot up in surprise then frowned. Dueling? It didn't sound good. It actually sounded horrifying.

"Forgive me, Elisa, but I don't think I understood correctly. You didn't say… duel, did you?" Elisa giggled and then got next to her, their shoulders touching. She smelt of… something oriental, indian... she couldn't quite name it yet, but it tickled the insides of her nostrils. It was earthy and sharp… and it fit the confident girl like a velvet glove.

"I did. This is the Defense Against the Dark Arts course. We usually duel." She talked with such easiness and comfort, as if it really was something the students got accustomed to. And her smell… what could it be? "I am actually curious to see you duel."

But Aurora was not pleased at all with Elisa's answers. Hell, she was not curious at all. She didn't want the others to see her fight, she did not fight. How could she? She had never taken a dueling lesson like… ever?

Her eyes searched the tall hall and then they met Elisa's face. She was silent, full lips clenched together in confusion. Aurora smiled "Patchouli." Why was it so hard for her to tell? It's not as if the Asian green leaf it's so common.

"What?" Black brows met each other in an odd frown.

"Your perfume", Aurora said delighted, for a moment she even forgot about the dueling. She really had to start studying plants again, for she had begun to forget. Letting a silent sigh escape her, Aurora turned around to watch the wooden platform in front of her. Most of it was covered in a harsh dark colored and patched material. She couldn't tell if it looked as it had in its first months, but it was obviously wretched.

As her attention turned back to the problem at hand, she suddenly became aware of her body's reaction to the fear of rejection which she felt. The hands of her sweaty palms trembled. Maybe she was lucky enough to watch others duel. Is there any broken window, her whole body shivered. Maybe professor Merrythought was not as curious as Elisa was to see her fight. And the now racing heart in her chest swallowed her lungs in a suffocating embrace. Maybe she would not embarrass herself.

But what if she was not lucky enough? What was she supposed to do?

When everyone gathered around the long landing, they all looked up at professor Merrythought; Aurora approached them silently, remaining in the back in a hopeless attempt to not be seen. She sighed and walked slowly, trying very hard – as everyone was already watching her – not to catch any attention.

The professor was doing the introductions: what they were going to learn and how that year. She named many things, but Aurora couldn't keep up with everything she said. What were the dementors and the unforgivables? She didn't understand why the headmaster decided to place her in the 6th year of Hogwarts if she had no clue about…well anything regarding the Wizarding World. She was as clueless as a new-born.

"I introduce you to Aurora Gaunt, your new colleague. " Without even paying attention anymore, she found herself being addressed to. Her heart stopped for a bit. Her emerald eyes looked up from the floor beneath her ivory shoes to her teacher. Professor Merrythought had an odd smile on her face. Her colleagues turned back to watch her. "And since she is new and we must get to know her, she and Mister Avery here will start this class with a short duel." Aurora sighed and swallowed a non-existent knot at the base of her throat that didn't let her breathe. For a second she looked down at her trembling hands and then back at her teacher.

Bad, it was very bad.

Professor Merrythought walked to the side of the platform and waited there. A boy started walking from her left in the teacher's direction. When he reached Aurora he halted bowing his head in her direction before letting out a soft whisper. "After you, pretty", Avery pointed with his chin to the right. A frown appeared between the two blonde brows of Aurora; she didn't dear look in his eyes. She was so scared that she didn't dare to look at anyone. Taking a deep breath, she silently turned her body. Reluctant steps carried her to the first stair of the platform. She could hear giggling behind her, laughter.

She started going up and when she reached her teacher, the old lady sent her to the other end of the platform. Avery followed behind but stopped a few meters away from her.

They took their places one in front of the other. Avery was a pretty tall, brunette boy. Aurora didn't know what to do next, so she solely waited. He reached the insides of his cloak and put out a dark wood wand. She swallowed, now what?. Scared green eyes could only watch the wand he carelessly held in his hand, and thinking. What do I do now? Soft whispers started around them in confusion. Why wasn't she taking her wand out? She could hear the question addressed from all around her.

"Miss Gaunt", Professor Merrythought said. "Please, follow Mister Avery's action and pull out your wand." Her eyes searched for her teacher's, desperately trying to say something her mouth could not, but to no avail. "You are to fight with magic, not with physical strength!" the professor added, for she thought she might have been misunderstood. A few laughs made their way to her ears, bruising her already aching heart. Was she really so weird and out of place?

"Forgive me, professor ", Aurora whispered. Her voice was shaking more than she had imagined. "I-I do not need a wand…" All the laughter around her died in a second. She waited for everyone to digest the newly received information, but she was scared, she was terrified of their reaction. She would be a weird, a freak… She mustered the courage to at least look around her, and see the looks on their faces. Aurora didn't think she was good at reading people, but the way they all looked at her was no longer one of amusement, but of curiosity. She sighed, trying to calm her breathing. "Wands don't… react to me." She turned her golden haired head and hopefully looked at her teacher. Please. Don't call me a freak, please. Why did she always have to be the abnormal one, why couldn't she be like the rest of them?

For a moment, old lady Merrythought frowned in disbelieve. Was she going to let a girl with unknown magical abilities really duel another student? What if she couldn't control the magic and it reacted in a messy way towards not only Avery, but many other students? What if couldn't stop it and someone got injured? What if she, Aurora, got injured in her display of magic? The lady sighed. What if she knew? What if Aurora Gaunt was something extraordinary that was not discovered yet, but waited to show the world the wonders of her magic? What if…

"Very well" the professor said after some time. She nodded in Aurora's direction, a short and decisive nod. "You may begin." Aurora merely followed Avery's actions for the moment, as she didn't know the steps before the actual duel. They bowed elegantly to each other before turning around and taking their stances.

Somewhere right in front of their colleagues stood Tom, somewhat annoyed for not being the one to fight, but still curious to see her power. For the way his magic embraced hers, he expected a serious fight, in which she would be victorious, a fight in which everyone would see how powerful and alive the blood of Slytherin pumped through his heirs' veins. He wanted them to see.

In the same time, he didn't get his hopes too high, what if she didn't know anything? After all, it was her first year at a magical school, and she just acknowledged she had no wand. Aurora couldn't possibly believe that she had wandless magic, right? She couldn't! She could not best him at something, anything.

But he needed to see.

A worried look passed by Avery's eyes for a few seconds. He turned his gaze to Tom, who only silently nodded to him. He nodded back and went on his defensive posture. Avery pointed his dark wand in Aurora's direction, waving it around in front of him. It was a display, his way of trying to scare her a bit, Look I have a wand. You don't have it.

The boy moved his wand and Aurora could see bright sparkles of light leaving the tip of his wand in a sky blue color. Her body stopped moving, her breathing halted, and her lips let a small gasp escape. She didn't think, couldn't, she didn't have the time! It all happened so quickly, so unbelievably sudden, that her brain stopped working, she couldn't react, she didn't know how! In mere seconds, green eyes closed, as to not see the magic hungrily running towards her, wanting to bite into her skin. She brought her hands in an x form across her chest, somehow trying to stop the undesired magic that threatened her.

Her body trembled as a force tried to break out of her, tried to get out! It was so powerful, so impossible to stop, that she had to let it go. It burned the insides of her flesh and caught her lungs in a painfully tight embrace. She didn't understand what it was, knew only that it caused her a great pain. Was it the spell that hit her? But it didn't come from Avery's spot in front of her, but from somewhere behind her.

She let her body tremble one more time from the unexpected pain, before she fell to the ground on her four limbs, knees hurting from the impact, releasing her chest from the pressure her hands provoked. And then the pain stopped. Suddenly she grew extremely cold. Her eyes flickered open just in time to see the white dust escape her hands before floating fiercely in front of her, forming a shield between the hex and her.

Blue met white in a small explosion, and then it vanished. Aurora watched in shock as the white sparkle remained on its place, but deformed from the protective appearance to the irregular undefined cloud like form. For a moment it twisted and turned. Aurora didn't understand what it meant. Who did it belong to? Was it hers? Was someone else protecting her?

She had never seen her magic before; this was the first time so she didn't know how to react to it. She watched fascinated as the snow-like cloud approached her patiently. Then, few inches away from her, it went all over her body, searching. Aurora didn't know what, or whom, she just waited, unmoving. She was too scared to move.

As if it had finally discovered what it was looking for, the magic rested peacefully around Aurora's body, like an aura, caressing her skin, embracing her, as a tornado restlessly moving around her.

She slowly moved one of her hands up trying to break through the barrier. Her hand went right through the magic. She couldn't feel anything but warmness, like a newly discovered heated home in the middle of winter, like a friend arriving from a long journey, like something that she had missed all her life, but didn't know.

It was part of her, it was her home, her blood pumped through her veins, her life. She started feeling it, missing it, needing it. She wanted it back, inside her, she could not breathe anymore.

She whispered slowly to it "Come home", it was so silent, only she heard it, or so she thought. The magic abruptly swirled and then closed around her. When Aurora felt her body turn warm again, the magic disappeared. It had found its way home.

Feeling like she just woke up from a trance, Aurora looked up at Avery. His mouth was open in a small 'o' and his eyes wide with worry. Behind him, professor Merrythought had the same expression. Her blonde brows frowned and she turned around to look at her colleagues, perhaps they didn't see anything. Her hopes where gone the moment her eyes searched for theirs. They were all shocked, they didn't understand, what just happened? Were all of them thinking she was weird and out of place? Would they all laugh at her now? Her heart stopped. Would they hate her?

Shy steps made her turn her head around to Avery. Professor Merrythought walked silently to her and the she held her hand down for her to take. Aurora looked worried in her eyes. The teacher only nodded, a shy smile tainting her thin and wrinkly lips.

"Forgive me, profes-", she started.

"Take my hand, child. Let us go for a walk, shall we?" Aurora sat up without taking her professor's hand, she was small enough, she couldn't possibly help Aurora up. "Everyone, the class is over, we will meet again next week." Sighs escaped them all before starting to pack their things.

Professor Merrythought guided her outside the classroom and down the corridor. In no time they reached the courtyard and set on a bench outside under the sun in the cold wind. For a while her teacher didn't say anything, only looked at Aurora, not with worry, or pity, or hatred, but with a kind of affection not even her mother let her cherish. Aurora could feel her heart shatter in thousands of pieces, drowning them in self-pity.

"Miss Gaunt, what you have just done…" professor Merrythought started, but got interrupted.

"Please, forgive me, professor." Aurora let her golden hair hide her face as she watched the stone table between them. If her teacher could see through her hair, she would see green eyes, and salty tears rolling down the now red cheeks. "I will never do it again! Please do not tell headmaster Dippet! He will send me back home, he will send me to that infuriating place in the middle of nowhere. Please…" she was sobbing, begging.

"Child, relax." At her warm voice, Aurora looked up. The teacher had an odd but delighted smile tainting her lips. "What you did was not a bad thing." The girl wiped her cheeks dry.

"It was… not?" Aurora's heart filled with hopeful wishes that perhaps it was normal. She wanted that; the normal life every witch had, not being always fearful that someone may see her and judge her. She didn't want to live as she did months before, in that Merlin forgotten village in the middle of nowhere. She would not go back.

"No. I have seen it before", the student let a sigh of relief escape her lips. Aurora was bewildered. "Not many times, truth be told, but enough times to know that it can happen."

"Who are the others?" Aurora really wanted to meet them, to ask them what more did they find about it. She wanted them to teach her.

When her eyes met the teachers, a shiver went down her spine. For a moment, professor Merrythought's expression turned from sad to confused and to reluctance. "It matters not. They are not in Hogwarts anymore." Aurora felt that her teacher might keep something from her, information she wasn't supposed to know. But she let her instinct be and tried to look satisfied with knowing that she was not alone in this.

"Can you help me control it?" Aurora asked. The old woman's brows shot up in surprise.

"What do you mean?" for a moment old lady Merrythought couldn't understand, but only for a moment. To say that her stomach clenched in fear, is not enough to describe how troubled she suddenly felt. This girl is oblivious to what's happening to her, that was a certainty.

"I didn't do it on purpose, professor", Aurora said. She watched bewildered how her teacher's face changed from curiosity to horror, and then it transformed to one that lacked any emotion. Aurora watched her carefully, trying to understand the changed that had just happened.

"Of course", an odd simple smile appeared on her teacher's face while she nodded in understanding. "If you will excuse me, miss Gaunt, I need to get to my office now." Aurora smiled back.

"Have a nice day, professor." The teacher sat up while murmuring an illegible you too.

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Aurora knew it was going to be hard meeting her colleagues after her demonstration of unusual. She didn't really think about it before, since she was more than happy to talk to professor Merrythought about how ordinary her wandless magic was. But since that moment was lost now, she had to find her way to the next class which was Herbology and pretend to not see the afraid and angered looks. And she also had to find her way to the class, because after talking to her teacher, she couldn't find Tom who would be able show her the way.

She was so happy that the Herbology lecture existed, because she loved plants, loved studying them and finding remedies made of natural ingredients. Next to the class' name, was written the place it was supposed to take place in – the greenhouses of Hogwarts – and the professor, which was Herbet Beery, hopefully he was nowhere close to the lovely professor Baines. Merlin, she was definitely going to hate studying Ancient studies. Definitely!

The only thing she needed to do was find the greenhouses. But how? She knew she had to get out of the castle to find them, but she didn't where were to. And her colleagues weren't going to help, that's for sure!

Walking down the corridor, she found out that a lot of people were still watching her carefully, whispering behind her back, getting out of her way. Their eyes sent shivers down her back and she suddenly started feeling anxious. She would have loved Tom's help now, showing her the classes and everything, not being alone when all the people glanced at her in not such a friendly manner.

But why? Why did they do it? Professor Merrythought told her that it was normal, right? Or not… she didn't say it like that. She said that she had seen it before. It didn't mean that it was something people were used to. Not at all. But still, why did they need to watch her in such a way, it was not like she was dangerous or anything. She had magic! And she could use it, kind of.

But the looks terrified her, they brought back memories she had been trying so hard to forget. Aurora started walking while looking down at the stone tiles in front of her, rather than to look up and encounter all the judgmental faces. Her heart was starting to ache at the thought of being once more the gossip of the crowd. And not in a good way.

When she bumped into one big body she fell behind, her back meeting the floor in a harsh collapse. A pair of strong hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up so she could stay on her two still working legs.

"Dear Merlin! Sorry girl, didn't mean to hurt you" a somewhat hoarse voice startled her. Looking up a pair of grass green eyes found hers. She was watching a highly freckled face, red bangs covering a tall forehead, crimson staining his cheeks. She let a soft groan escape her lips when she felt a sudden pain in her right hip. "Sorry, girl, but Merlin, you are Aurora, right? We have DADA together."

"Forgive me… uhm", she stopped herself because his name was a mystery to her.

"Matthew." He smiled one of the most sincere smiles she had ever seen. His teeth were white, but uneven in a beautiful and natural way. For a moment, everything around them turned to a blurry mist. They were the only two persons in the corridor.

"I can't really say it was a pleasure meeting you, but hello anyways." He giggled at her poor joking abilities. On the contrary, she grew silent and her cheeks turned crimson. Perfect, Aurora. You are doing an amazing job at meeting people.

"Did you hurt your head or something?". Aurora let a puff escape her lips, shaking her head. She giggled. Matthew was tall, too tall even for her and she had to raise her gaze to look into his eyes. He had a very masculine and pronounced torso forming a perfect trapeze with his tight hips. He was the real definition of a greek statue. And Aurora loved it.

"You are a very funny man", she stated matter-of-factly. And a very beautiful and charismatic one.

"I would say you too, but we already know that's not entirely true." It was Aurora's chance to giggle, one that was too girly and so out of her character, that she felt weird afterwards. Matthew didn't seem to notice though. "Where are you going so hurriedly?"

"I have the herbology lesson. I am trying to find my way there." His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

"And how is that going?" he chuckled, first trying to be silent about it, but then it was obvious he was making fun of her.

"Well, I'm sure that I'm pretty close." Her statement made him lose the laugh he so hardly tried to contain. Aurora only shot her brows up in expectance.

"You're going the exact opposite direction."

Aurora sighed, and remembered cursing Tom for not being there, not that it was his fault or anything. "That's good to know." She immediately turned around and murmured a bye before walking away from him. She felt so stupid, she couldn't even find her way around, that was how bad she was at this. People continued intently watching her, following her every move and she tried keeping her head up, but couldn't do it.

Steps followed from behind and she heard Matthew's voice as he reached her side. "Let me show you the way."

"Thank you, Matthew."

"No problem." They walked side by side on the crowded corridors. Aurora could feel the smell of his sweat and desperately tried to not pay any attention to it, but contrary to making her sick, it made her feel quite comfortable, as if it smelt as a brother would after a football match. "I forgot my Quiditch equipment at the locker room near the practice pitch, and they are kind of in the same direction."

"Yes, sure." A man's voice startled Aurora and she rapidly turned around. It was the blonde guy from the last dinner. Aurora wanted to remember his name, but couldn't, and he was one of her colleagues! Matthew had an annoyed look on his face. "Weasley", the boy continued.

"Malfoy", Matthew responded. Malfoy! Yes, Abraxas, right? She suddenly remembered.

"Gaunt, come with me."

"It is Ms. Gaunt to you, I didn't know you lacked decency, Malfoy." Matthew interrupted him. "Or did you never have it?" A big smirk formed on Matthew's freckled face. Aurora softly punched his shoulder, distracting him and shook her head in his direction. Then she turned to Malfoy.

"Why would I do that?"

"Tom wants to speak with you." He smiled in Matthews direction, and if looks could kill, Malfoy would already be dead.

"I am in quite a hurry right now." She started. "Do you know what it was he wanted to tell me?"

"No, but he expects you to come if he did as much as ask." One blonde brow gently raised up.

Really! That infuriating bastard actually expected her to do as he wished! She couldn't believe him! "No." was all she said before turning around and looking up at Matthew. "Let's go, Matthew, please."

"Are you sure, Gaunt?" Malfoy shouted from behind them. "I don't believe Tom will be satisfied to hear that."

For a moment, Aurora stopped walking. She remembered Morfin laying on his kitchen floor, not moving, and Tom, her father's wand in his hand, looking over him. She remembered the news, The Riddles are dead, and she remembered the story of a poor girl, Merope, who left with a beautiful man, Tom Riddle, and found her death on a dark London street. She remembered that Tom, or better said, Voldemort, was not an innocent young man, and that he could be dangerous.

But what could he do to her? She was in Hogwarts now so she couldn't be harmed, headmaster Dippet and professor Dumbledore promised, right? And there were a lot of students everywhere, there was no way Tom could find her alone and hurt her. No, really. Tom didn't have any chance of showing her that he won't be satisfied with her answer.

She took a deep breath and then turned once more around, grabbed Matthew's hand and went back on their way to the greenhouses.

"I couldn't care less what Tom will think." She murmured only for her to hear, but Matthew did hear it too. And somewhere deep into her heart she knew that she might actually care.

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The wind embraced them in a cold touch, it went through Aurora's hair and swirled it behind her. Matthew didn't seem to be bothered by it. They stepped down the stone stairs at the entrance into the castle and she immediately noticed all the greenhouses around them.

Glass and steel brought together in an elegant and frail structure. She could see behind the dingy glass a lot of plants, trees and flowers and she could feel a fire burning inside her. She was happy.

"You really like herbology." The boy next to her said. He watched her smile widen showing perfect teeth.

"It is a passion of mine", it really was.

Maybe because poisonous or healing plants, any kind truth be told, were fascinating, beautiful, complex, and Aurora managed to see it, or maybe because she always found herself close to nature when she was alone and far from humankind. It was the closest thing to her, the one which couldn't bring her any sort of pain, the one she could understand and work with.

Nature, and mostly plants, gave her a sort of relief and break from the painful way of living. "I love plants", she added then.

She turned a little to her right where Matthew was and lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. He grew silent, his somewhat long curls shone in the sun with an orangey light, as if they were part of the same thing.

"I'm sorry, you must be late already", she said, her voice suddenly hoarse. He slowly nodded and then smiled to her.

"It was nice meeting you", his smile felt warm, like an embrace on a cold day, and Aurora accepted it and tried to return it in the most genuine smile she could muster. Matthew didn't wait for her answer, instead, he completely vanished, running back towards the entrance into the castle. Oh, why is he going back? He said that the pitch is… and then the realization of his actions made Aurora shake her head in understanding. He was really a nice guy.

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That might have been Aurora's lucky day. The first greenhouse she entered was the one she was supposed to be in. How did she know that? The moment she stepped in, she made eye contact with a man in his forties, tall and too skinny for his height, with already grey hair. He looked at her, seemed to recognize her from the feast, pointed with his chin to some wooden boxes next to him and said, "Help me move these, will you?"

Aurora looked behind her, didn't see anyone stand there so she assumed he was talking to her. She hurriedly left her bag on the wooden long table in the center of the greenhouse, rolled up her sleeves, and moved to his side. She took one of the boxes and followed his actions and put it on the table on the other side of the greenhouse.

"Excuse me, sir, are you professor Beery?" he stopped in his tracks and turned his anorexic body in her direction. How could such a skinny man carry those boxes, Aurora couldn't understand.

"Oh", he started but made a long pause before continuing. "Yes, who are you?"

"My name is Aurora Gaunt", he interrupted her with a shocked look on his face that went away as soon as it appeared. "I am a transferred student… professor Dippet introduced me at yesterday's evening feast…"

"Yes, of course." He continued looking as if that was the first time to ever see her. His lips parted a little and for a moment Aurora waited patiently, being sure that he was going to tell her something of a great importance. But then he suddenly closed his mouth, shrugged his shoulders in a whatever gesture and went back to moving his boxes. Aurora sighed, If that is not a weird professor, I don't know what is.

"Professor, the class is supposed to start in a few minutes", she stated, looking from time to time to the doorway, expecting to see colleagues enter the greenhouse.

"Yes", was his only answer.

"But there is only me here?"

"Yes well, it seems so", he shrugged again.

When they were done moving all the boxes, Aurora was breathing harder than in the beginning and there were still no students in the greenhouse. She guessed it was supposed to be way too late. She was going to ask him when he interrupted her.

"We are done. Thank you for the help, see you on Tuesday."

"But, isn't there supposed to be a class?"

"Yes well, I announced the heads of each house to let their houses know that the lectures will be on Tuesdays instead of Mondays."

You can't be serious. Why didn't the head of house slytherin let her know? Who was the head anyway? Aurora then remembered. Twenty – or more – minutes before Malfoy told her that Tom wanted to speak with her. He was going to tell them about the lecture.

Aurora seriously should care about what Tom had to say. Idiot¸ she murmured to herself, and then a face palm followed. Why are you so arrogant?

Oblivious to it, the teacher was intently and curiously watching the change of emotions on her face. If that is not a weird student, I don't know what is.