So Sara found herself grinning through Defense Against the Dark Arts (taught by new professor Kendra Saunders, which was a pleasant surprise for Sara, as she got to see an old teammate and friend) in anticipation of the Quidditch workout to come at the end of the day. Sara loved quidditch, and hadn't played since she got her Head Girl letter, having been too focused on her responsibilities and getting ahead in classes. So she was itching with anticipation to be back on her broom, soaring through the skies with a Quaffle under her arm.
Beside her, Ava seemed to be in the same sort of mood, her right leg bouncing almost uncontrollably, a surefire sign of anticipatory energy. It was then that Sara noticed her own left leg doing the same, and her lips twitched in a smile, before turning back to Kendra - or, rather, Professor Saunders - at the front of the room as she explained the syllabus.
It was going to be a good day.
It was going to be a good day.
Nora sat in her usual spot in the Charms classroom - front row, on the far side by the windows. However, it turned out that Ray's Teaching Assistant desk was placed just across from Nora's seat, which was a pleasant surprise.
Ray kept smiling at her during the first few minutes of class, but Nora was determined not to get distracted, focusing intently on taking notes from the board on Concealment Charms.
Unbeknownst to Nora, who had blocked out all distractions, Ray was very much distracted. He had nothing to grade or do at the moment, so he'd tried to get a head start on his Transfiguration notes, but was instead captivated by Nora: the fire behind her intense emerald eyes, the way her raven hair flowed in waves over her shoulder and the way she tucked it behind her ear when a strand made its way to her eyes, the way her hand formed each word in her notes, the adorable freckles, barely visible on her pale porcelain skin, the way she held her wand, the way her lips moved as she whispered the incantations to practice the charms. Ray was completely lost in all things Nora.
He'd realized his crush on Nora when they'd studied last term, but at the time, it was just a small flutter in Ray's chest. That flutter had, apparently, grown immensely over the summer, leaving Ray hopelessly infatuated.
Nora had successfully performed the charm, and her face was triumphant and joyous. She, finally, looked up at Ray, and found him already looking at her. She gave a small blush, and he gave a goofy grin and a double thumbs-up, which made Nora smile and shake her head jovially at his antics.
Ray was so screwed.
Zari was so screwed.
She and Charlie had all of their classes together, both being of the same house and year, and both aspiring to go into Magical Research and Development. This wasn't Zari's problem.
Zari's problem was that she and Charlie had been paired together in literally every single class that day.
The first was Transfiguration with Professor Stein. In this class, Zari wasn't friends with anyone else, and apparently neither was Charlie, so they agreed to sit together. It was after everyone was settled that Stein informed them that these would be their seats at least until the winter holidays. Zari didn't mind this so much, since Charlie was her only friend in that period.
Then they had Potions with Professor Slughorn. He paired them together based on career aspirations, and Charlie and Zari were the only ones in their chosen field, so naturally they were together. Again, Zari didn't mind too much, because though it was kind of annoying, Charlie was a friend, and it could be worse.
Next was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Kendra, whom Zari hadn't ever met, as she'd graduated before Zari joined the team, but had heard stories about. Kendra decided to pair them in lateral alphabetical order (first alphabetical name with last alphabetical name, and so on), which paired - you guessed it - Zari and Charlie. By this point, Zari was more than a little annoyed, but figured that she'd get a reprieve from Charlie during their free period and during their last class.
Well, that free period was spent at lunch, which Zari and Charlie both ate with the rest of their friends. So while it was a small reprieve, Charlie was still there.
Their last class of the day was Herbology with Professor Sprout, who paired them randomly. Thank fuck, Zari thought. I like hanging out with Charlie and all, but this is my every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I'll go mad if it's just us all the time.
At least, those were Zari's thoughts, until Sprout paired her with Charlie. Again.
Zari's face may have begun to take on a purple-like hue at her frustration. You see, Zari had had a slight (who are we kidding, it was a big one) crush on Amaya last year, and when she started dating Nate, it really hurt Zari. She'd never told anyone about her crush, and didn't let it affect her friendships, and she never let on how she was feeling. She was mostly over it, but seeing Charlie, who shared Amaya's face, at every turn, was more than a little difficult to swallow. And Zari knew that it wasn't Charlie's fault, and it wasn't even Amaya or Nate's fault, but her own. And she knew that Charlie and Amaya were completely different people, regardless of how they looked, but it still hurt. Over the summer, it had simmered down to a dull ache, but that ache was still there, regardless of how hard Zari fought it.
"Whoa, pump the brakes there, Z. What's got you rattled? You look like Rayge after we made him eat that ghost pepper last summer!" Charlie made sure her tone was light and joking, but her face betrayed her concern for her friend.
Zari shook herself out of it. Enough with the pity party. You have every single class paired with one of your close friends. Stop bitching and enjoy yourself!
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks though."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, yeah, all good. Just tired, didn't sleep well."
Charlie frowned with concern, before she took on a wicked grin.
See, Charlie was a Metamorphmagus. So, in an attempt to lighten Zari's mood, she decided to take on the face of another. Particularly, Professor Sprout, who had just left the greenhouse to retrieve some supplies that she'd forgotten.
So, with Professor Sprout's face, Charlie began her shenanigans. "Alright, you bloody wanker, since you're being a right pain in the arse, it's my job to make sure you aren't a bummer for the rest of the class," she offered with a wink, before standing and making her way to the platform in the middle of the greenhouse that Professor Sprout stood on to teach, doing her best Sprout impression. "Students, today we will be working by planting Wiggentrees! Wiggentrees need very loose soil," At this, Charlie paused and looked at Ray, who shared this class with them, but was paired with Mick, and he gave her a nod. He knew that it was Charlie on the platform, but couldn't bring himself to stop her, especially not with Mick right there, who was muttering something about this class finally getting interesting, and didn't want to get on Mick's bad side. Plus, surprisingly, Charlie was right about the soil conditions. "So, you lot, get out your gloves and start loosening this dirt! Should be very loose, almost like sand! Hop to it, all! Don't be afraid to make a mess, it's a greenhouse after all!"
The students all began making a complete mess of their pots, tearing into the soil with their bare hands. Sprout walked in with some gardening tools, and on seeing the mess, flew into damage control mode. "Students, please, stop at once!" When they didn't listen, she repeated the instruction with help of the Sonorous charm, which did finally get their attention. Sprout sighed. "We'll clean this up after class," she said tiredly. "10 points from Slytherin, and detention, Miss Jiwe," she added, looking up at her apparent doppelganger on the platform. Charlie, still looking like Sprout, took an exaggerated bow before reverting to her own face with a wicked grin, before hopping off the platform and making her way back over to a cackling Zari.
Zari wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Oh, I needed that. Thanks."
"No problem mate. Someone needed to get you to loosen up, pull that stick out of your arse." Charlie winked mischievously back at her friend, who rolled her eyes in response.
"Hey, what's wrong with my ass?" Zari asked in mock defensiveness as she turned back to her pot, following Sprout's directions, her back to Charlie.
Charlie smirked. "Nothing at all, you've got a mighty fine arse." Charlie stopped leaning against the greenhouse wall and crossed behind Zari, giving aforementioned ass a firm smack as she passed, causing Zari to jump, before whacking her friend on the arm. They both turned back to the lesson, though Charlie was lost in thought.
Charlie had noticed Zari's progressively souring mood throughout the day, but had chalked it up to first day exhaustion. While Zari's mood had become darker over the course of the day, Charlie had been elated.
Charlie kinda had a secret thing for Zari. Zari was intelligent, beautiful, passionate, clever, driven, and on top of it all, fit as hell. Charlie had had a small crush on Zari for a few years, but it turned to swooning at the beginning of 6th year, when everyone had gone for a dip in the lake (on a dare from Mick, of course), and Charlie noticed for the first time Zari's biceps and abs, which left her lightheaded.
And Charlie wasn't oblivious. She'd noticed how Zari looked at Amaya, and how her attitude changed when Amaya started dating Nate. At first, Charlie was jealous of her twin. Of bloody course everyone loves perfect Amaya. But Charlie talked things through with Amaya over the last summer, explaining that she had a crush on someone who was crushing on Amaya (never mentioning names) and asking for advice, and Amaya was kind and understanding and everything Charlie needed her to be in that moment. Sure, they had their disagreements, and were really polar opposites, but they were still family, and still loved each other despite (or, rather, because of) their differences.
Since it was their last year at Hogwarts, Charlie was determined that, one way or another, she was going to show Zari that she'd gone after the wrong Jiwe. That Charlie liked her, and wanted to be with her, and knew her soul better than Amaya did or ever could.
I can make this work, she thought as she looked over at Zari as Sprout dismissed the class. Some of her hair had escaped her ponytail, and a few strands found themselves in her face, which she tried to blow away with a puff of air from her lips. She was sweating due to the heat of the greenhouse, and had some dirt on her nose and forehead.
Zari picked up her bag and began to filter out of the greenhouse with the rest of the students before Charlie's hand on her wrist stopped her.
"Oi, wait a second, you bloody disaster. You've made a mess of yourself," Charlie explained. She ignored the tingle in her fingers and the thumping of her heart and the butterflies in her stomach as she used her thumbs to wipe the dirt from Zari's nose, forehead, and a spot on her cheek that she'd missed before, then pulled the escaped strands of hair from Zari's face and tucked them behind her ears, using her metamorphmagus powers to keep her from blushing furiously. Once satisfied, she nodded. "All better now. Let's head to dinner!" She turned on her heel and made to leave, only stopping at the door to urge Zari to follow, as Zari stood, a little shocked, and hadn't made a move since Charlie stopped her.
Zari's mind raced. What the hell was that? Charlie pulled on her arm, snapping her out of her reverie, and followed, pushing the thoughts from her mind and focusing on dinner.
Zari ignored the way her pulse pounded through her veins.
Sara embraced the way her pulse pounded through her veins.
Her broom was slung over her shoulder, and she was in her muggle shorts, a grey tank top, and a black sports bra. She felt great, since it was so warm for a September day in Scotland.
Ava fell into step next to her, wearing a pair of blue athletic leggings and a matching blue dry fit shirt.
Sara gave her a glance over. "You own Muggle clothing?"
Ava snorted. "Yeah, my parents and sisters are snobs about 'the purity of the magical blood', as they put it, which I think is bullshit. So, as a way to spite them, I had Mona take me shopping a few summers ago, and I bought all the Muggle gear I could find. Clothes, shoes, funky socks," at this, Sara burst out laughing. "Hey, watch it, I love my funky socks! I've got some with rainbows, some with pizza, some with penguins, stuff like that, so they're totally cool. And I've got pens and pencils and notebooks, you know, Muggle school supplies. And I bought myself a phone. My parents are loaded, so as long as I wasn't buying a private island or bothering them, I could do whatever I wanted. Not that they ever noticed, but it was kind of my personal form of rebellion, you know?"
"Hey, I'm always supportive of rebellion, you know that!" Sara joked with a lopsided grin at Ava.
They had finally made it to the pitch. "So, we gonna keep yapping, or are we gonna play some Quidditch?" Sara asked, an eyebrow raised cockily.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you," Ava warned with a cool smirk.
"Please, your best is still too easy." Sara kicked off, her broom soaring in the air.
"Oh, I am gonna make you eat those words, Lance!" Ava shouted at the sky as Sara swooped above her, before she mounted her own broom and kicked off the ground.
"Gotta catch me first, Sharpe!"