It's been a while, I know. I'm sorry. Hopefully I still have readers?!
At least there's a bit of Newt action in this one - even if it's indirect ;)
In response to the reviews (hopefully you guys are still reading?)
Kavernista: I agree 100% with what you're saying - to a bloody T! I am 100% Team Newt, Tom is a jealous arsehole and her mum's an idiot that's giving bad advice (wink wink). It's definitely not over between Tori and Newt, in fact it's barely starting. This story is a juicy love triangle-kinda deal after all :)
KirikaAndo: Yeah it was a bit of a challenge deciding whether to ignore canon and have Newt a younger age in the 1940s (instead of the 1920s) so I kind of just decided to be mostly vague about his age besides one line... I guess realistically it's up to the reader to decide if he's the same age as he was in Fantastic Beasts or if you really hate stories screwing with canon the reader can decide he's in his 40s haha but young looking - both Vicki (the grand daughter) and Tori have made comments saying he looks young for his age. I'm also gonna try and update more consistently again!
The next day I found myself working in Herbology Greenhouse Four on an assignment that was due on Monday. As I had the Slug Club party tonight with Tom I thought it was a good idea to get it done this morning. I couldn't afford to get a bad mark on the assignment, I was already struggling with most of my subjects.
The greenhouse was completely empty except for me. Most other students had better things to do on a Saturday morning than outstanding Herbology homework. I was completely alone. The task was to take clippings of a plant I had been growing the last few weeks and see what colour the clippings turned to when water was applied – after the clippings had left the main body and source of life. The health of the plant would be determined by certain colours, and also how vivid and bright those colours were. I was after a bright yellow colour, and if I was able to get this colour today I would be able to be calm for the rest of the weekend. If not, I still had a couple of days to take better care of my plant and at least try and get a passing mark for the class, if not a good one.
I heard a few noises coming from greenhouse three and tried to ignore them as I carefully removed the dead leaves from my plant. Greenhouse three was the main greenhouse but was completely off limits to students outside of class without an accompanying approved staff member. This was fine by me, I preferred greenhouse four. It was quieter, no one was around and there were no vegetation in here that wanted to kill you. Much more peaceful.
I poured the solution onto the plant leaves in the container and waited for the colours to show up. Apparently it could take anywhere from forty three seconds to two hours. With nothing better to do, I sat upon the bench and closed my eyes as I absorbed all of the serenity. Unfortunately for me, the noises next door were too loud to ignore.
"Thank you once again for accompanying me, Newt. I heard there were some nasty pests scurrying about in here so I appreciate our resident magizoology expert helping me secure these oils for my party tonight. When they're heated up, they smell absolutely divine and release a heavenly odour that quickly fills up the entire room." I heard Professor Slughorn say from the connected greenhouse three.
"You're quite welcome, Horace. Although I must object to your use of the word 'pest' – every creature has its use in the world we live in." I heard Newt respond politely. Whilst his choice of words sounding controversial, his tone was completely shy, as if he were afraid of what Slughorn would respond with.
I almost giggled at his statement but held back as I knew I was eavesdropping and not part of the conversation. It was such a heart-warming thing for him to say, it sounded exactly like him.
"Yes well…" I heard Slughorn uncomfortably trail off before he piped up again "I never received your answer to the invitation I sent, were you intending on coming?"
"I suppose so, I don't have any other plans tonight." Newt said in a pleasant manner.
I gaped and lightly hit my head on the wall as I felt second hand embarrassment for Newt. Even though Slughorn was the head of house for Slytherin I never liked him too much. He paid too much attention on strong students that would bring lots of glory for themselves and everyone around them and not enough attention on struggling students who needed his help the most. I was a struggling student with no glory whatsoever. I was well and truly off his radar before I even had the chance to appear on it. However I knew that such a nonchalant statement about his parties would offend dear old Slughorn. His parties were meant to be a big deal for only the most exclusive people, Newt referring to it as a backup plan would not go down well.
"As you are a new staff member you can be forgiven for your lack of enthusiasm. I can assure you that after this party you will be begging to attend the next one. You get to spend intimate time with the top students of the school and connect with them a lot better than the slim opportunities during class time. You'll have a blast, I know you will." Professor Slughorn loudly stated.
I could hear in his voice that he wasn't offended at what Newt had said but had taken it with a grain of salt and had mistaken Newt's apathy for ignorance. Then again I couldn't see Newt's body language or facial expressions. For all I knew, he didn't share the same disdain as I did for the 'Slug Club' – he was probably too polite.
"I don't think you would have had the pleasure of meeting our Hogwarts Head Boy, Tom Riddle, would you? My, he's a fantastic student. In thirty years all of wizard kind will know his name, he's destined for great things that boy. I'll introduce you to him tonight," Slughorn mused, but then his voice grew quieter, I had to crack open a window slightly and carefully listen to what he had to say next "He personally came to see me this morning to confirm the partner he is bringing. He's never taken an escort to one of my parties before."
"Oh really? I take it the person who is accompanying him is a big shock to you?" Newt asked. I was a little shocked at Newt's question. It seemed highly out of character for him. Not only was he sometimes a little clueless when it came to reading people's reactions and social cues (therefore it was strange that he straight away picked up Slughorn attempting to lead into gossip) but it was highly irregular that he had decided to actively partake in gossip. I didn't know whether to be impressed at this sudden change of personality or disgusted he wanted to get involved.
I didn't know it was possible but I tried to listen even more intently than before. After all, I knew the conversation was turning to be about me.
"Well, yes and no. He told me he's bringing Victoria Black. She's a very beautiful girl and I can see his attraction to her, especially as a handsome boy himself. But I always envisioned him on being with someone on the same calibre as him academically. I thought he'd pick a girl he could be a real power couple with." Slughorn responded, disappointment very evident in his voice.
I sat there stunned for a few moments as I listened in. I couldn't see my reflection anywhere but I was sure that I had an angry look on my face, maybe something of disbelief. That was a really mean comment for him to make, he didn't think I was 'good enough' for Tom. I suddenly felt very insecure again about my blossoming relationship with Tom. Many students had been saying that they too didn't think that Tom and I were a good match. But here was inside intelligence that teachers were also saying the same things. It really stung. What on earth did Tom see in me, besides good looks?
Little did I know that Newt Scamander was about to come to my rescue, even if he didn't know it.
"I think that Tori….Victoria Black is a very bright student." Newt spoke up, and I realised that he referred to me by my nickname to begin with and quickly corrected himself by repeating my name. As I couldn't see Slughorn I couldn't see his reaction to this, but he didn't say anything about the use of my nickname.
"Newt. You're very talented in your field and you're a smart man, so I don't mean any ill feelings with what I'm about to say. I understand she does very well in your class. But there's a difference between real intelligence and a textbook knowledge of a subject. I think it's great she's doing well in Care of the Magical Creatures, but that's it. As your tenure at Hogwarts continues you'll learn to pick the gifted students from the not so bright, and you'll learn it's those students that are worth networking with both during their time here and afterwards. Students like Victoria Black will be forgotten very quickly, no matter how good looking they are." Slughorn stated to Newt, using an almost condescending tone and speaking to Newt as if he was a child.
"I think it's very noble that you aide students you consider gifted. That's how I feel about Victoria Black. I believe she's brilliant and I wish to assist her reach her full potential," Newt said respectfully, but then he must have grown a tad angry as the next part became heated "Quite frankly I think the Head Boy, Tom Riddle or whatever his name is, is the one lucky to have her."
Newt's outburst must have caught Slughorn off guard as silence fell between the two. I heard the sounds of clothes rustling and I assumed Slughorn must have straightened his clothes awkwardly to get ready to depart.
I figured I must have been correct when I heard Newt become his meek, shy self once he lost his initial nerve, based on Slughorn's silent actions of hostility.
"It will be great to meet new people, however. Thank you kindly for the invitation." Newt stated, and Slughorn seemed to go back to his cheery self.
"You're most welcome. I best be off now I have these oils, I need to give some instructions to the house elves as they prepare the food for tonight." Slughorn stated and I heard the door to greenhouse three squeak open and heavy footsteps lead away as Newt called out a feeble goodbye.
I immediately ducked down, away from the windows so Professor Slughorn nor Newt would be able to see me as they departed. Even though I had every right to be in this adjoining Greenhouse and they were speaking so loudly their voices carried over to the other greenhouses, I did technically eavesdrop and I didn't want either Professor Slughorn or Newt to know I had heard their entire conversation about me.
Newt stayed in there a little longer and I heard him talk affectionately to a few of the "pests" in there that by the sounds of it were feasting on some of the plants. It made me smile.
It also made me want to go into there and speak to him, and thank him for being one of the very few in this school who would stand up for me. But I knew it wasn't appropriate and I made sure I was still ducking down as I heard him finally leave, his footsteps much lighter than Slughorns' from slightly earlier.
It was only after the footstep sounds disappeared when I remembered why I was in the greenhouse in the first place, my assignment. I rushed over to the dish and saw my plant clippings soaked in water had turned from their deep green colour to a bright yellow. This was the intended colour and I grinned wildly as I started to pack up my belongings.
I could now enjoy myself at the party tonight and not have to worry about my Herbology assignment, I should get top marks based on these results.
Thinking about how I could now enjoy the rest of my weekend I began to pack up my books into my bag. Giving the tools a quick rinse with water from my wand, I sprayed myself in fright as I heard the greenhouse door open suddenly.
"Oh, hello." I coldly stated as I saw who had entered.
"Hello Miss Black," Andrew Hartwell grinned mischievously but then uncharacteristically changed his tone "Sorry, I thought it would be empty. I can go use greenhouse one or two to finish my Herbology work, if you really don't want me here."
"Not going to make a pass at me are you?" I asked him curiously, cocking up an eyebrow to try and pretend I was being neutral about his lack of flirting with me.
"We agreed once every three months, remember? But I'm happy to give away all of my freedom-to flirt-tickets, I'm giving up." Hartwell shrugged.
I scrunched my face up in confusion. Hartwell had been trying to win my affections for years, why was he suddenly giving up now? Surely this had to be one of his schemes? Maybe catch me off-guard?
"Don't look so confused. You've made it very clear we'll never end up together, and now you're with Riddle." Hartwell stated, in response to my visible confusion.
"I'm not 'with Riddle' actually. We're currently only in a courtship at the moment, thank you very much. How can you still be so annoying during a conversation where you're telling me you will no longer bother me? A conversation I've waited for years to hear!" I shrieked loudly, losing my patience with Hartwell very quickly as always.
"Courtship, whatever. Call it whatever you fancy. Because you have taken Riddle off the market, my stock has risen rapidly. The handsome Head Boy has gone, so the Gryffindor seventh year prefect is the next on every girl's list. I can now have the pick of any girl in the school, and I plan to take advantage of this fact, in fact I plan to pick a few." Hartwell grinned widely towards me.
I stuttered in complete rage. I was disgusted at his attitude towards women and I was also disgusted girls in this school fell for those stupid charms. It was unladylike to pursue a boy who was charming many other people as if it was acceptable behaviour, and if women could see this than Hartwell wouldn't be able to get away with it.
Finding myself incapable of firing off cohesive arguments to his statement due to my rising anger, the only thing I could bring myself to do was to pick on the only part of what he said that didn't make sense to me.
"What on earth are you on about? Your stock has risen? What does this mean? It actually does not make sense!" I loudly huffed, emphasising my confusion.
I expected Hartwell to fire up and bounce off my annoyance as he usually did. Instead his face softened and I noticed all of the fight left his body. He looked vulnerable, something I had never seen from this arrogant boy before.
"It's a muggle term. The stock market. It's a very complicated thing to explain to a witch or wizard that has been kept very separate from the muggle world all of their life. It basically just means my value has gone up. I don't have Riddle as competition anymore, get it?" Hartwell explained and for the first time I had known him it was just an explanation, no cocky motives behind it.
I was still however angry at his statement from before and as confusion fed my anger, I kept going.
"Why are you using muggle terms? You're from a long line of Gryffindors. You used to brag that your family history can be traced back to Godric Gryffindor himself." I snapped back at him.
His neutral expression dropped even further. He suddenly looked weak, which was a very strange sight from someone who seemed so confident all the time.
He sharply took a breath in, as if he were anticipating telling me something big. And that's exactly what he did.
"My older brother is a squib. He has chosen to live in the muggle world and denounce all right to magic knowledge. Therefore in respect to him I have learned all about muggle culture and customs." Hartwell explained, almost wincing by the end as he must have expected me to continue to lash out.
Instead the opposite happened. For the first time in my life I felt empathy for Hartwell. I invited him to sit next to me on the Herbology bench and talk about it with me. And so he did.
He told me about how his family always assumed Andrew's older brother William was a late bloomer and would start exhibiting signs of being a wizard and the ability to use magic after his admission into Hogwarts. The problem was that his letter never came. It strained his family as this was the same time Andrew started not being able to contain his magic, as most kids can't. He would get in trouble for something he couldn't control and fights would always break out – either someone would fight in Andrew's defence, or fight against him for being 'insensitive' to his brother.
His brother ended up being brave and accepting that he cruelly was born into a wonderful world but could not partake into it. William Hartwell apparently got his parents to send him to a muggle boarding school so he could still enjoy a normal teen experience and still go away for school. "Magic or not he's a true Gryffindor." Andrew explained to me.
I was surprised at how much depth there really was to Andrew Hartwell. He was always just an annoying and arrogant boy who enjoyed toying with me. But under all that cocky behaviour there was someone genuine, whose company I enjoyed.
I felt I owed Andrew a story about a personal struggle after his explanation about his family. I didn't feel comfortable revealing the politics of the Black family and how I would truly never fit in due to my half-Veela status. Instead I decided to launch into my most recent woe: Slughorn himself loudly exclaiming to Newt that I was not good enough for Tom. I even mentioned about how Newt (of course referring to him as 'Professor Scamander' to Andrew) stood up for me.
It ended up being really nice talking to him about it. I realised he was the only person I could really discuss it with. Most people in Slytherin would find it amusing Slughorn said terrible things about me and would be in agreeance with him. It's not like I had any other friends in other houses to speak about it with either.
He didn't have too much to say about what Slughorn had said. Besides lending a sympathetic ear he did state that Slughorn seemed to be short-sighted about successful students and that I shouldn't let it worry me, especially if I was interested in Herbology or Magizoology after school finished – these weren't Slughorn's fields so how was he to know if I would succeed or not? He had a very good point and it made me feel a lot better.
"I'll be at that party tonight, Slughorn invites me to them all, but I only go every now and again. I'd save you a dance but hey, I can't look attached in front of the other girls." Andrew jokingly winked towards me.
Unlike before I was not annoyed one bit by this statement, in fact I found myself giggling. In a couple of hours Andrew Hartwell had gone from one of my most hated people to one of my favourites. It would be nice to have an ally in another house, rather than another enemy.