Trigger Warnings: A quick mention of serial killers/murders/cutting balls off
I rush into my English classroom just as the bell rings. Made it!
I lean forward with my hands on my knees to steady my breathing. It doesn't really work and I end up wheezing anyway. That's what I get for running without using my inhaler. The kids swirl around me as they excitedly chat about people's summer glowups and their plans for the new semester.
"Ehm. Everyone, please take a seat. There are no assigned seats, so find a spot wherever you'd like. I will be with you shortly." Professor Flitwick announces from the front of the classroom. I know Enzo is in this class too because we compared schedules yesterday. I scan the room in search of him and find him off to the side with a swarm of girls clinging onto him like he's Jesus reincarnated or something. I can't resist rolling my eyes at this scene.
At the same moment, he notices me. A big smile appears on his face. "Excuse me ladies, but I just found my seat partner." He says to the girls, exiting the circle and striding over to me. They all look around to see who he's talking about. When they realize it's me, their eyes shoot daggers at me. I'm not dating him!! I want to shout at them. Be my guest, GO FOR IT! I hear them loudly whisper about "why on Earth he would choose someone like her" and all this other bullshit while they continue to stare at me.
"There's my favorite girl!" Enzo says wrapping me into a hug. "Don't listen to them. They're just jealous I'd rather spend time with you as a friend than date any one of them" he whispers in my ear whilst still hugging me. I love this boy
We find seats near the front of the room. Despite our respective reputations, Enzo and I are both nerds when it comes to school. Maybe that's why we get along so well together.
Once we're seated, I pull out my binder, pencil case, and planner, patiently waiting for Flitwick to pass out our syllabus and other homeroom materials. From the corner of my eye, I can see Enzo staring at me, so I turn toward him expecting some cheesy line. Instead, he's smiling. But not a normal smile. He's giving me a serial killer smile. Like he just murdered someone and buried them in his vegetable garden.
"What is that smile?" I frown and ask him. It's starting to freak me out.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about last night." Last night? What happened last night?
I shake my head in confusion. "What about last night?"
"Oh ya know, just how eventful it was" he responds.
I still have no idea what he's talking about, and I'm about to ask for clarification when Professor Flitwick steps up to his podium. "Welcome Juniors to English 3 Honors! This course is a riveting adventure focused on the study of..." he begins.
Flitwick can be a hardass at times, but I'll admit, his passion for the subject he teaches is unmatched. He continues as he discusses the syllabus and what we will be learning about this year. I cleared my mind of whatever Enzo was just talking about to focus on the teacher.
___________
The bell rings, startling Flitwick. "Oh, class is over already? Well, you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun. And that phrase has an interesting etymology. It has a history as far back as..."
Most students pay no mind to this tangent. Flitwick is notorious for his tangents and insane knowledge of linguistics. It's considered weird when he doesn't start explaining the origin of random phrases or words out of the blue.
"Oh and remember!" he shouts to the class as we pack up our things. "By tomorrow, I want your partners chosen for that essay on the evolution of the English language due next week!" Everyone groans at this.
"Ugh, I can't believe we already have an essay assigned. It's the first day of class!" Enzo complains as he grabs his backpack.
"I know, but nobody ever accused Flitwick of being an easy teacher" I remind him.
Enzo snorts. "Ain't that the truth. By the way, partners for the essay?"
"Of course!" We exit the classroom. "You have gym next, right?"
"Yup. What about you?"
I doublecheck my schedule just to make sure. "AP Psych. With Trelawney." I scowl with the second part of my sentence.
"Oh god. Good luck with that. I'm glad I decided to drop it." Enzo responds.
"Lucky you.."
We say our goodbyes and part ways, Enzo headed down to the main floor, and me up the stairs to the attic for what will surely be an interesting class.
____________
I managed to make it through my next two classes without any major fiascos. No embarrassing moments or falling asleep in class is a win for me, no matter if it's the 1st or 101st day of school.
As I pack up from AP US History, my stomach growls. It's not used to missing breakfast. I start to feel a little lightheaded and I'm glad lunch is next.
As I exit the class and head towards the main hall, I see Neville Longbottom zig-zag through the crowds and come rushing towards me.
"Y/N! Y/N!" He shouts out of breath, trying to grab my attention. Alarm bells go off in my head. He seems disheveled, well more than usual anyway. Neville is a lovely boy but tends to get picked on a lot. I've told the boys countless times to leave Neville alone, but if Neville is coming to me himself, that could mean they've ignored me and joined in on the bullying. I swear to God, if they've touched a hair on his head, I will cut their balls off one by one with a butter knife!
"Neville, are you alright?"
"Yes!" He waits for a beat to finish catching his breath. "I just needed to come grab you right away!" Yup, I'm definitely going to hunt them down one by one. "I decided to run down to the greenhouse before 3rd period to check on things. And you know those corpse flowers that have been down there since the dawn of time?" I'm taken aback. So this isn't about the boys being dicks like usual. Shocker. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.
"Yea...?" Neville and I have been lab partners in environmental science and botany since 1st year. We're about the only two people in the entire school who give a shit about plants other than Professor Sprout. We've spent quite a bit of time together examining plants up and down the rows of the greenhouse, harvesting from the school gardens, and experimenting with the perfect condition for plants to germinate. For us, the greenhouse is like our home away from home.
Neville pauses for dramatic effect, "They've bloomed."
My body reacts before my mind can fully comprehend. My eyes widen, a giant smile spreads across my face, and I almost jump on top of him, I'm so excited. "You're joking!"
"No! I guess spacing them out another half inch last spring really did the trick! Do you wanna see?" This is insane! Corpse flowers take 10-20 years to bloom. Neville and I had already resigned ourselves to the fact that we would go through our years at Hogwarts without ever seeing the flowers in person.
"Duh! Lead the way." Neville turns on his heels and I follow quickly behind him. I hold onto his shoulder as we dodge waves of students on their way to lunch so that I don't lose him. So much running for just the first day of school...
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City Shadows
RomanceY/N has always had a hard time fitting in. She's too loud, too brash, too this, too that. She's about as feminine as a toilet brush, and everyone knows it. Kids at her school aren't necessarily mean to her, they just pretend she doesn't exist. The o...
