Side quest

Chapter Six

Thankfully, Andrea was all but ignored by the other students as they entered the classroom; too invested in their own conversations to notice her standing like a statue in the doorway, same went for Professor Sharp. Following her short visit to the common room, Andrea was led and eventually left near the entrance of the dungeons staircase. Gathering the courage to walk down them had taken a significant amount of time, and now, her passage into the classroom itself was taking even longer. She was living everyone's dream, but she didn't even have the confidence to embrace it. She could practically hear Lisbeth scolding her from 128 years away.

Without a cellphone to hide behind, Andrea leaned against the doorframe with her field guide open in front of her. Surprisingly enough, there were plenty of interesting things to be read on its pages, but it wasn't quite enough to distract her from the anxiety that kept her stationary. Until a wand tapped the book's cover and she was forced to look up. To her consolation, it wasn't a professor that demanded her attention. It was a much friendlier, familiar face. As embarrassing as she felt their interaction had been, she was relieved to see him.

"Well, well, well..." Gareth began with crossed arms and a bright grin, "So you're the new student. Or, other new student." Andrea closed her field guide and tucked it beneath her arm.

"Yeah... that would be me," She replied nodding.

Gareth took a step back to better observe and admire Andrea's newly recolored robes that Professor Weasley had taken the liberty of adjusting. Yellow wasn't her favorite color, but she'd never complain about bright and happy. "I should have known you'd be a Hufflepuff. When did you get sorted?"

"I thought I'd be in Ravenclaw," She confessed, "And, in the headmaster's office. About... half an hour ago?"

"Ooh, so you just got here, didn't you? So this is your first class?"

"Yeah, it is..." She admitted, just as her attention was stolen by the commotion of the classroom as their peers began to settle into their stools. She had procrastinated for so long that she and Gareth would be the last students to arrive, and it was inevitable that they would draw attention to themselves. Although, even without their tardiness, it wouldn't have been easy to go unnoticed. At least it wasn't Professor Garlick. She was guaranteed to announce Andrea's arrival into the classroom if it had been.

"You look a bit nervous," Gareth observed in a whisper.

Andrea looked back at him. "Maybe a little."

"Looks a little more than a little," He teased, "But, don't you worry. As it turns out, I'm a potions prodigy. Actually, I've recently been tinkering with a new formula—"

"Please don't dawdle in the doorway," Professor Sharp's stern voice sliced through the air, landing in Andrea's chest like a sharp blade and sending an indescribable discomfort to surge through her. Fortunately, Sharp didn't dwell on them long as he made his way toward his desk at the back of the room. Clearing her throat, Andrea looked back at Gareth.

"Don't worry," He smiled. Then, he turned on his heels to face the door and offered Andrea his arm, "Shall we?"

With a touch of uncertainty, Andrea meagerly linked her arm with his and muttered, "I suppose..."

Gareth's confidence was contagious, and as he guided her into the classroom with assertive strides, Andrea felt at ease despite the inquisitive eyes that followed them. Nevertheless, as they neared the back of the classroom and Gareth eventually left her to take his place at his desk, Andrea's temporary courage dispersed and reality hit. It was far more unsettling than a "main-character" moment she was expecting. Then again, she wasn't much of a main character anyway. Reading Professor Sharp's expression, she approached the back table.