SEA, SWALLOW ME, remus lupin

ochd, in the mandibles of education

CHAPTER EIGHT
in the mandibles of education

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  THE LAST THING COVE WANTS TO see first thing in the morning is a new seating plan.

  Usually this wouldn't mean much in Care of Magical Creatures since they're outside for majority of the term, but for some unexplained reason Professor Rigby abhors the outdoors — despite teaching, y'know, bloody Care of Magical Creatures — and prefers handing them out textbooks to copy from. (She's really starting to miss Kettleburn's whimsy.) The thing is, Cove hates sitting next to people that aren't her friends, afraid that if she so much as breathes wrong they'll hate her forever and holding her breath for an hour isn't an ideal solution. However, nothing can rival the horror of walking into class and seeing Rigby with a smug little smile crinkling her red lips. There's just something so evil about it.

Cove doesn't understand where Rigby's hatred for her comes seeing as she's never done anything to hurt her. Not on purpose, anyways. Maybe it's just one of these things.

Though, when she spots who she's sitting next to, she has to rethink whether or not Rigby actually hates her.

It's not particularly sunny outside, but the vague light streaming past the curtains catches on him, a sun catcher with his golden glow. A scarlet tie hangs around his neck, the sleeves of his bobbly grey jumper rolled up to his elbows. Concentration scrunches his face as he continues graffitiing a doodle of something she can't see onto his desk, the raised scars on his skin fading slightly into a less saturated pink. She cheers internally now that she's sat next to someone that she sort of knows.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Cove jokes, sliding into her seat.

He jumps. "Cove!" he says, shoulders lifting. "What are the chances?"

"Aye, I know," she agrees. "Madness."

She wants to kick herself. That sounded so daft, like something her dad would say. He probably thinks she's a weirdo already.

  Fallon catches her eye from across the room, gesturing with her arms so enthusiastically that her hairband nearly falls off and she almost sends the poor Gryffindor boy next to her straight to Madam Pomfrey. She thinks his name is Deimos Powers, but she could always be wrong.

Oh my Godric, Fallon mouths, nodding conspicuously at Remus. Soulmates!

Cove rolls her eyes. Very funny, she mouths back, unimpressed.

Rigby clears her throat obnoxiously to garner everyone's attention. Most people don't move their heads from their hands, eyes glazed over with fatigue. First period is always a joy.

"Are you quite finished pulling faces at Miss Pritchard from across the classroom, Henderson?"

Cove flounders for words, an unexpected spotlight forced on her. "Uh huh," she answers quietly.

"Good. I'm pleased to inform you all that I've marked your essays." Her stygian eyes pass over the blank faces before her. "They'll be handed out at the end of the period. Some were better than others, I'll admit, but the average scores were higher than I'd imagined. Now, I take it Kettleburn hasn't done a lesson on werewolves with you, yet?"