The Taltons' Shadow IRebirth of the Dark ArtsI - [Hogwarts Legacy Fan Fiction]

Herbology Class

Jude couldn't really sleep all night; his eyes were wide open, and he was staring into the darkness of his bedroom. His mind was racing with questions and doubts. He had been friends with Devika for almost 5 years now, and she was always honest with him, especially him, but he couldn't shake the thought that something more was going on around him. The black book was sitting on top of his nightstand together with other books, and Jude didn't even look inside of it; he just wanted to know why it was now in his hands.

The morning came fast, and Jude slowly got up, his back hurting from turning around in his bed all night. He put his glasses on his nose and looked around. With a heavy sigh, he got up and got dressed. He greeted his roommates and finally entered the common room. For some reason, he felt like he had to bring the book with him, so he put it in the inside pocket of his robe so he didn't have to carry it in his hands.

Adelaide and Poppy were standing next to the fireplace and seemed full of energy. Poppy waved at her friend and smiled. "You look horrible, Jude! Did you have nightmares or something like that?"

"Don't tell me you were studying just like that Ravenclaw girl told you." Adelaide chuckled and hoped she was wrong.

Jude just shook his head and tried to pretend like everything was okay, but even that was hard for him. "There's just something on my mind right now that I can't seem to find answers for."

Adelaide and Poppy looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. They seemed concerned that their friend, who seems to be always happy and energetic, looked so defeated this morning.

"If you want to share, you can, Jude," said Poppy in a friendly tone.

Jude usually welcomed any help he could get, but this was one of the few rare occasions that he had to refuse. He apologized to the two girls and left them behind. He slowly walked through the narrow entrance and stepped out of the common room. He noticed a few other Hufflepuff students around him heading to the class. He moved his robe and took a quick glance at the smaller black book hiding in his pocket.

He had no idea why he was so drawn to the book. It was just some old list of pure-blood families that wouldn't really interest him normally, but he had to keep it safe no matter what. That, he knew.

The Herbology classroom was open, and the green tint on the glass of the greenhouse made the room feel cozy and safe. Professor Garlick was already on her feet and setting up some pots on the wooden desk that we placed in the middle of the room. All around her were different types of plants and pots, and the professor didn't love anything more than this room.

She fixed the big green hat on her head, and you could hear her humming some sort of melody as she waved towards the students who finally entered her classroom.

"Ah, welcome, my little seedlings," she said in a sweet voice.

Everyone loved Professor Garlick. She felt more like your aunt than a teacher, and her friendly nature made everyone around her feel welcomed. Multiple students waved at their professor and sat down behind the long tables in the middle of the greenhouse.

Jude sat down without really paying attention to his classmates, and he just looked around, hoping he would see the Ravenclaw girl. After a short moment, he finally saw her at the end of the long table. She was chatting with Samantha, who was also a Ravencalw member, and the two of them seemed to be having a rather heated conversation.

"Today we're going to be talking about Fluxweed. I'm sure you've all heard of this amazing plant." Professor Garlick picks up a pot that was filled with dirt and a plant with beautiful purple flowers. "Who can tell me the uses of this plant?" She asked, placing the pot right in front of her so we could see it better.

To no surprise, Devika raised her hand proudly and spoke. "It can be used as one of the ingredients in a Polyjuice potion, for example, and as you can see, it's a tall plant that produces stems used for brewing another potion called the Focus potion."

Professor Garlick smiled proudly. "Excelent. 10 points to Ravenclaw. Fluxweed is not the only plant we will be inspecting today. I prepared multiple other amazing plants for you."

Jude was watching Devika from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but wonder how she could be so calm after their last conversation. It seemed like she didn't care at all, or maybe she just didn't want to admit she made a mistake, or maybe Jude was the one making a scene out of nothing. Maybe the book he was keeping so close to him was just another old book from the library, and he thought it had a bigger meaning behind it.

Devika smiled when she heard Professor Garlick give her house yet another set of points, and she caught a glimpse of Jude, who kept looking her way. She frowned a little and tried to ignore his gaze.

The class went without any problems other than a few very lively plants who seemed a bit on edge today. Devika quickly stood up and tried to leave the classroom, but Jude was faster, and he immediately walked in front of her. He had a serious expression on his face, and he couldn't leave this alone.

Devika looked up at the tall boy in front of her and tilted her head to the side. "Well, good morning to you too."

"Charming, but I still didn't get my answer. I know I'm probably being pushy right now, but I can't get this out of my head."

"I told you, I honestly don't know what else you want from me, Jude."

He clearly wasn't satisfied with her shallow answer last night. "I know there's something more to the book you gave me yesterday in the library. I just want to know where you got it, that's all. You can tell me that, right?"

Devika raised her eyebrows, and after a little pause, she looked at him once again. "I didn't give you anything yesterday. I wasn't even in the library and now if you'll excuse me."