Hogwarts Mystery [HP APPLY FIC]

year one, chapter four

it won't let me add a dedication BUT this is dedicated to @-lovelypctter !! 

When the first years came back from Christmas break, they were told to expect a surprise.

Whether it was good or bad was anyone's guess, though Nadine wasn't sure it could be a good thing given the way Snape had smiled sinisterly when he'd told them about it.

At the end of their first week, after they'd been given ample time to settle in and get used to the rhythm of the school day again, Professor Dumbledore assembled the first years in the Great Hall.

"I have news for you all," he announced in that wavery yet somehow omniscient seeming voice of his. "The ministry has suggested that the first years participate in a collaborative coursework class to prepare you for the undertaking of your OWLs."

Murmurs echoed around the room. Nadine and Penny shared a look but kept quiet, waiting to see exactly what the words 'collaborative coursework class' entailed.

Dumbledore held up a hand, and the hall fell silent once more. "You will be given a two-hour slot every Friday for the next five months to complete this task alongside any other time you wish to spend on it outside of lessons. The topic of your choosing will be guided by your teacher, and it shall be thorough and enriching, or so I have been told by the Minister." He paused for a moment, lips twitching before he continued on. "You may select a subject from the list of those participating in this initiative, however it may be worth considering the fact that this is a paired task before doing so."

Nadine could have sworn Dumbledore winked.

Professor McGonagall took over from that point, reading aloud the subjects. "Herbology, Potions, History of Magic, Transfiguration and Astronomy."

The list was depressingly short. Nadine guessed it was because these were the subjects that were more likely to have coursework at OWL level, but she was still a little bummed Charms wasn't on the list.

"What do you think you'll choose?" Penny whispered to her. "I'm going to take Potions."

"Five months with Snape?" Nadine wrinkled her nose. "No way. I think Herbology is more for me."

As Penny continued to talk about her love for Potions, Nadine scanned the room for her other friends. Camille was already making beeline for Talbott, determined to do Transfiguration, no doubt, and Delilah was sure to choose Potions too.

She decided to leave it up to fate. There was hardly anyone she wouldn't get along with, so unless Merula was doing Herbology she'd be alright.

Thankfully, Merula was in fact not doing Herbology.

Barnaby Lee was, though.

Nadine had never really paid much attention to Barnaby Lee before.

Looking at him now, hunched over his Herbology notes, taking in everything Professor Sprout was saying with an air of confidence to his body language, his hair messed up in spiked tufts and the freckles on his nose scrunched as he screwed up his face in concentration, she wasn't sure what to think.

This wasn't the boy she'd heard hung around Merula and Ismelda, or even the boy who got sent out of classes for asking ridiculous questions. There was something soft about the boy in front of her, something that told her he was unapologetically himself, which was why she'd walked up to him and decided to be his partner.

It was also how they'd ended up having to co-parent a plant baby.

"What are we going to name it?" Was the first thing Barnaby asked, poking at the little plant with his pen. "He looks like a Roger, doesn't he?"