Hello again, readers. If you actually decided to continue reading, thank you so so much, you don't know how much I appreciate it! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and are ready for a new one. Enjoy! :)
Nellie hummed quietly as she tied her long, wavy blonde hair into a ponytail while simultaneously slipping on her black combat boots. She technically wasn't allowed to wear them with her uniform, but she managed to keep them partially hidden with her cloak. Besides, even if she did get caught, the school wasn't as strict with dress code as it used to be. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulders, before leaving the girl's dormitory and entering the common room. The yellow-walled room was warmly lit and the room was buzzing with activity. Her closest friend in Hufflepuff, Hailey Bennett, sat in a plush armchair seated directly next to a Flitterbloom, which was swaying and waving its long tentacles around. She was currently engrossed in their Care of Magical Creatures textbook. One of the reasons why she and Hailey had been fast friends was because they shared an interest in both plants and animals. Hailey looked up upon hearing someone approaching and smiled as Nellie plopped down in the armchair next to her.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." Nellie said apologetically. The ginger girl smiled and shook her head, closing her book and placing it back in her bag.
"No, I wasn't waiting long at all. Besides, the book kept me perfectly entertained." She replied as the two girls stood. Nellie grinned and followed her out of the common room. They walked past the kitchens, stopping briefly to savor the delicious aromas.
"Mmm…there's going to be bacon with breakfast. That's how you know today is going to be a good day." Nellie pointed out. Hailey snorted and rolled her eyes at this. She herself was a vegetarian, but she didn't make any comments on the blonde's food preference. The two girls continued to walk towards the Great Hall, making small talk along the way.
"I'm really excited about our lessons on magical creatures. I may even consider being the next professor, if they'll have me." Hailey said with an excited grin on her face.
Nellie nodded in agreement, taking a seat next to a second-year boy named Jimmy Marshall. He was busy chatting up Molly, the new girl who reminded Nellie a great deal of herself.
"Good morning, you two." The blonde greeted as she fixed herself a bowl of fresh fruits and a side plate of bacon.
"Mornin', Nell." Jimmy greeted with his heavy country accent. Molly smiled shyly and gave her a small wave.
"Here's your schedules you two. Don't forget, classes start at 8." The head of the house, Lillian Voss, said with a friendly smile as she handed Nellie and Hailey their timetables. Nellie thanked her before turning her attention back to her schedule.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
History of Magic
w/ Gryffindor
Charms
W/Ravenclaw
Free period
Potions
w/Slytherin
Ancient Runes
w/Gryffindor
Herbology
w/ Slytherin
Transfiguration
W/Slytherin
Transfiguration
w/Gryffindors
Potions
w/Slytherin
Ancient Runes
w/Gryffindor
Charms
w/Ravenclaw
Care of Magical Creatures
w/Ravenclaw
Herbology
w/ Slytherin
Defense Against the
Dark Arts
w/Slytherin
Divination
w/Ravenclaw
Defense Against the Dark Arts
w/ Gryffindor
Potions
w/Slytherin
Care of Magical Creatures
w/Ravenclaw
Defense Against the Dark Arts
w/Slytherin
Divination w/Ravenclaw
Astronomy
w/ Slytherin
Nellie observed her schedule, satisfied with her classes.
"We have a lot of classes with Slytherin." Hailey pointed out.
"Maybe it's 'cause we're the only house that can actually put up with 'em." Jimmy pointed out, sending his own schedule a pointed look.
"Jimmy, might I remind you that I have quite a few friends who are in Slytherin." Nellie responded, trying not to sound annoyed. The sandy-haired boy only shrugged and turned back to his toast.
"It's alright, Nellie. He knows they're not all bad. He's just grumpy because he has to go to class at all." Molly piped up with a small grin. Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows at this, which Nellie laughed at.
"Thanks Molly. I'm sure you'll make a few friends from Slytherin too." The blonde told her with a cheeky grin. After Nellie finished her breakfast, she excused herself from the table and made her way over to the Slytherin table. The house had stopped questioning her presence at their table a while ago and barely spared her a second glance when she plopped down next to Simon. Derek was seated across from them, his head on the table.
"Morning blues?" She said with a small smirk, already piling food onto the raven-haired boy's empty plate.
"He complained about having to wake up so early the whole way here." Simon huffed. Nellie quirked one of her eyebrows at his irritated tone. It seemed some of Derek's annoyance had made its way to him. She picked up a fork and prodded Derek's arm with it, rousing him from his futile attempt at extra sleep. He took the fork from her and dug into the food without even questioning how it had gotten onto his plate. After all, this had become sort of a first day of school-slash-Monday routine for the two.
"Where's Marie?" She asked, suddenly aware of the missing presence.
"She's with Piper." Simon responded. Nellie didn't miss the faint blush that crept onto his cheeks as he said this, but didn't say anything about it. She was the only person who knew about his major crush on the Slytherin beauty, and quite frankly she wished he would grow a pair and just tell her already.
"Nell, what time did you wake up?" Derek asked.
"6:45." She responded, grabbing a piece of toast and nibbling on it. Derek turned his attention to Simon, an irritated look on his face.
"See? I told you, just because breakfast starts at 6:30, it does not mean we have to be here right as the doors open." He snapped. Nellie snorted at this, but immediately pulled a straight face when Derek turned his glare on her. His expression softened almost immediately, despite his best effort to remain looking peeved. She knew he could never actually be mad with her.
"Can't Nell just wake me up every morning?" He asked as he angrily stabbed at his eggs.
"First of all, she doesn't know the password to get into the Slytherin common room, nor is anyone going to tell her. Second of all, even if she did, girls aren't allowed in the boy's dormitory. You're out of luck." Simon responded with a smirk. Nellie shrugged with an apologetic look on her face. Disappointment flashed across Derek's face for only a second.
"Oh yeah, let me see your timetable." Derek exclaimed, already forgetting about his irritation towards being tired. Nellie handed over her schedule, shaking her head in amusement. His eyes quickly scanned the paper, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"We have all of the Slytherin-Hufflepuff classes together. Simon, however, only has doubles with us." Derek told her, handing back her schedule. She couldn't help the small sigh of disappointment that left her mouth.
"Does that mean you're going to be copying all of my Herbology notes, again?" She asked. Derek flashed a cheeky grin.
"Absolutely." He confirmed. It was Simon's turn to let out an amused chuckle at the pair.
"Nellie, you should just take it as a compliment that he's always using your notes." A new voice piped in. Nellie turned to find Marie sliding into the spot next to her, a small smile on her face.
"I would be flattered; if he didn't think I was dumb enough not to notice that he copies everything word for word." Nellie replied, sending the raven-haired boy a pointed look. He had the gall to look offended himself.
"I do not think you're dumb. I thought you knew I'm just too lazy to summarize. Besides, I'm a Slytherin. It's not like we value fair play or anything." He pointed out. Nellie rolled her eyes at him, before turning to Marie.
"So, how's Piper doing? Did you ask if she wanted to come join us?" The blonde asked, smiling as non-creepily as she could. She could hear Simon shift in his seat as he tried to get a bit closer. Marie raised a questioning eyebrow, before simply shrugging.
"She's fine, same old Piper. Oh, she did mention breaking up with Tyler Borden over the summer. She's better off without him, in my opinion." She said, drawing her lips together. Nellie couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. Now Simon was free to pursue the girl of his dreams without having to worry about being a home wrecker. He must have felt the same way, because when she turned to look at him, there was a small smirk on his face.
"It's 7:40, guys. I think we should start heading to class." Marie stated, already getting up without waiting for a response from the rest of them. The other three looked at each other and shrugged, following behind her. Upon their standing, the other three members of their group rose from their seats at the Ravenclaw table as well, rushing over to join them.
"Hey Nell, we have first period together!" Nicholas exclaimed as the smaller group caught up. The brunet put an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders and ruffled her hair.
"Guess that means I'll be able to sneak a peek at your notes, right?" He said hopefully, using his free hand to poke her in the side. Nellie stopped walking and slowly turned to look him in the eye.
"No." She said flatly. Nicholas' mouth dropped open, and remained hanging there like a detached limb as she continued walking. She wasn't being completely unfair. Derek did his work on his own in all of his other classes. He just wasn't very big on Herbology. Nicholas however, wouldn't do any of his work had he not been forced to. He would ask even a random stranger for their notes, or the answers to the homework, before he finally resorted to doing it himself.
Nellie wasn't about to be the reason he became a complete bum.
History of Magic had always been an intriguing class to Nellie. Of course, she didn't find it anywhere near as compelling as Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology. But it was definitely one of her third favorites. She found learning about the war against the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, particularly fascinating. After all, a boy not much older than her was the one who ended up defeating him. The lesson on it was quite brief, and it seemed to be a touchy subject whenever she asked more about it during or after class. She could understand why though. She was well aware of the fact that the battle had taken place at Hogwarts, and that many people had been lost during the war. She often found herself feeling sad if she were standing in a certain spot on the grounds. Like something horrible had happened there a long time ago. Nellie shook the depressing thoughts out of her head and turned her attention back to the board. Thinking about something that happened decades ago wasn't going to help her with tonight's homework.
Professor Mulberry dragged on and on about Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, one of the most famous headmasters of Hogwarts. Nellie already knew a great deal about him. He had died only a short time before the war, and he was supposedly very close with Harry Potter, or otherwise known as, "The boy who lived". It was all very interesting, really. Or at least, for her it was. Nellie turned to see Nicholas passed out next to her, his soft snores barely audible to anyone but her. She fought the urge to kick him in the leg, and instead gave his shoulder a soft nudge. He ignored her persistent shaking and turned his head away from her. Nellie let out a defeated sigh and slumped in her chair. If he wanted to fail his fifth year, there wasn't much she could do about it.
Nellie didn't hold back on ranting about how Nicholas was going to fail school as they made their way towards their next period. Eventually, they had to split up, much to Nicholas' relief. He gave her a quick hug goodbye before literally sprinting away from her. The blonde fumed as she made her way towards her next class, which was Herbology. When she got there, Derek was already there, glaring at anyone who tried taking the spot next to him. She made her way over to him and set her bag down on the floor next to him.
"So, how was your first class?" She asked, looking up at him. He rolled his dark hazel orbs and let out a huff of irritation.
"I spent my first class with Madeline. How do you think it went?" He responded. Nellie held back a laugh and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She was fully aware of how horribly those two get along. She was a very blunt person with little to no filter on her, and she had quite a large ego. Something Derek did not like.
"You just have to accept her for her quirks. Nobody's perfect. It's what makes them human." She told him. He shrugged, but she could tell he saw her point. Professor Longbottom, a petite woman with pale blonde hair and an airy personality, began handing out a single pot filled with dirt to the groups. Nellie had found out in her first year that Professor Longbottom's great grandfather had actually served a large role in the war, and had also served as the Herbology professor before her. Unfortunately, he had passed away about 11 years ago. It was really a shame. Nellie would have loved to talk to him about the war, to learn more about what happened. She'd heard he'd been quite the professor as well. Of course, so was the current professor.
"What in Merlin's name are these for?" Derek muttered, prodding at the deep brown soil. There was a small pile of carrots directly next to the pot. Nellie immediately slapped his hand away, giving him a disapproving look.
"You've been taking Herbology for four years now. You should know very well that touching anything here without being instructed to do so is extremely hazardous." She hissed. He raised an eyebrow, a smirk creeping onto his face.
"Concerned for my safety, are you?" He teased. Nellie blushed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Fine, go ahead and poke it. If you lose a finger, don't come crying to me." She snapped in annoyance. Derek just chuckled and shook his head. Professor Longbottom cleared her throat, making the two turn their attention towards her.
"Today, class, we will be learning about the Chinese Chomping Cabbage. The name is relatively self-explanatory. It's a cabbage that has a mouth, which it uses to chomp vegetables such as carrots. However, if you aren't careful today, that carrot can easily become one of your fingers, so do use extreme caution." Professor Longbottom warned, sending a pointed look towards Derek. Nellie held back a laugh when she saw his stunned expression, which he quickly covered up with an unimpressed one.
"She's just saying that to get on my nerves." Derek murmured. Nellie shook her head, before turning back to Professor Longbottom.
"Now, I will be passing out fully grown Chomping Cabbage's to each group. Once you have your cabbage, please do not touch it until instructed to do so. Failure to listen will result in immediate removal from the classroom." She said as she began placing seemingly perfectly ordinary cabbages in front of the groups. Or at least, they seemed normal until their cabbage split almost in half and let out a loud yawn. Nellie giggled and resisted the urge to give it a pat on the head.
"I don't know why you're laughing. This looks like it came straight out of one of those cartoons your sister watches." Derek commented, a perplexed look on his face. Nellie lifted one of her eyebrows at him, surprised he remembered what kind of cartoons Kelsey watched, let alone what a cartoon even was.
"Veggie tales, you mean?" She asked with a small smile.
"Yeah, that. She made me sit through a whole thirty minutes of that rubbish." He sighed, shuddering at the memory. Nellie smiled, not offended in the slightest that he called it rubbish. She knew he didn't mean it. She remembered walking into the living room to find him curled up on the couch with a passed out Kelsey, absolutely fascinated with her muggle devices.
"Alright students, listen up. Your job today is to safely remove the Chomping Cabbage from its current pot, to the soil-filled pot. In order to do so, you will have to make sure the Cabbage's mouth is already preoccupied with one of the vegetables you'll find in front of you. Remember to be careful, but don't be too slow. They finish eating quite fast, and they're easily distressed. Alright, good luck students, you may begin." She concluded her instructions with a flourish of her hands. Nellie picked up one of the carrots and carefully slipped it into the Cabbage's mouth.
"Alright Derek, you start digging up some room for the roots to go and I'll move the Cabbage into its spot." Nellie instructed. Derek, having been Herbology partners with her for quite some time and knowing full well how she did things, had already begun digging. Slowly and gently, Nellie began lifting the cabbage out of its pot. It stopped chewing for a moment, making a weird gargling noise, before eventually going back to gnawing on the carrot. Nellie bit her lip as she slowly moved the cabbage to the other pot, noticing with slight worry that the carrot was already almost gone.
"I'm going to quickly slide another carrot into its mouth, alright?" Derek told her, picking up the orange vegetable and quickly shoving it into the cabbage's mouth. Nellie let out a small sigh of relief. She had the cabbage hovering over the pot of soil now and gently lowered it into the pot. The two of them packed the soil in around the cabbage, before stepping back so that Professor Longbottom could come and observe their handiwork.
"A job very well done, you two." She praised with an airy smile, before moving on to observe other group's progress.
"Yeah, hear that, Nell? I did a job very well done." Derek said with a smirk. Nellie rolled her eyes at this. She had done most of the work, but she didn't want to take away his bragging rights.
"Yes Derek, yes you did." She replied with a quick pat on his arm.
Nellie stared at the cabbage, which had already finished its second carrot. Nellie picked up the third and last one and placed it gently in its mouth.
"I'm really excited about our lessons on magical creatures. I may even consider being the next professor, if they'll have me."
Hailey's words from that morning replayed in her head as she observed the greenhouse. She hadn't given her future much thought, but the sense of intrigue and peace she got from Herbology made her wonder. She couldn't imagine life after Hogwarts, because she couldn't imagine the school no longer being a part of her everyday life. Being a professor here didn't seem like too bad of an idea, and if she had children of her own she'd be able to keep an eye of them. Of course, that may be thinking a little too far ahead. Nellie's lips tugged up in a slight grin at the thought of her teaching her own Herbology class. Her eyes wandered over to professor Longbottom who, much to her surprise was already staring at her. There was a knowing look on her face, and the way her mouth was slightly quirked up at the end gave her expression a sense of mischief. It was like she had been reading Nellie's mind, and this was her way of telling her that becoming the next Herbology teacher was the right path to take. Nellie smiled softly and looked at the floor. She knew one thing for sure, and it was that she would definitely keep an open mind towards having a future teaching at Hogwarts.
Okeedokee, that's the end of chapter 2. I hope you guys enjoyed it and will still with me for the next one. Remember, comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. Until next time!