1 | Sunlight ➙ Cedric Diggory

Chapter Five

Matthew and Toby said their goodbyes to the two older Hufflepuffs as they all headed to their classes. The two first years had to head outside to the greenhouse for Herbology with Professor Sprout, the early September air nipping at the exposed skin of the boys.

"What class are you most excited for this year, Toby?" Matthew asked, attempting to spark up a conversation with the boy. Matthew and Cedric had both shared their favourite classes, but Toby had been quiet during breakfast, not adding much to the conversation that had quietly spread throughout the boys.

"I'm not sure. Potions, maybe." Toby replied. Matthew wasn't looking forward to Potions, because he didn't think he'd be that good at it.

The boys reached the greenhouse, the air warm and humid to help maintain the many different types of plants inside. There was already a few students inside sitting on stools and ready for class to start, most of them being Hufflepuffs.

"Good morning, boys. Take a seat wherever you like." Professor Sprout greeted the two boys as the greenhouse door closed behind them.

"Morning." Matthew said with a small smile as Toby walked away to go find two available stools. He pulled one out for Matthew before sitting down, his attention turning to the two pots and earmuffs on the table.

"What do you think we're doing?" Toby asked with confusion as Matthew slowly sat down. One pot was empty, while the other one had a leafy plant overflowing from it.

"Repotting, maybe. My mom does a lot of gardening and repotting plants." Matthew told him. Thinking of his mother gardening in the backyard made the boy slightly homesick. He remembered all the times that he was outside with her, playing with Belle in the grass.

The door of the greenhouse opened, and three boys came walking in all with green and silver ties around their necks, and talking loudly. One had platinum blonde hair, and Matthew recognized him as Orion Malfoy who got sorted last night.

Professor Sprout shushed the boys, telling them to take their seats and be quiet. Matthew couldn't help but watch as the boys found three empty stools and sat down. One of them was shorter than Orion, with jet black hair. His face was round and his eyes held a mean expression in them. The other boy also had dark hair, appearing brown when it caught the sun just right. He held a more friendly appearance with grey eyes and a subtle smile permanently written across his thin lips. Even if he looked friendly, Matthew couldn't help but assume he'd be the opposite of friendly if the two ever crossed paths in a bad way.

"What do you suppose they were talking about?" Toby leaned closer and dropped his voice to a near whisper so the three Slytherins wouldn't hear him. Since they sat down, the boys had been somewhat quiet. Snickers and hushed comments were passed back and forth in an attempt to not disturb the rest of the class.

Matthew shrugged, still eyeing the blonde boy. "I dunno. Maybe they...saw a cute girl in the corridors." He replied, trying to think of things that were a top priority for eleven year old boys. Matthew personally hadn't taken much notice of the female students at Hogwarts, mainly because he hasn't even been at the school for twenty four hours.

Toby let out a loud laugh, catching the attention of a few students around him. Including Orion, who locked eyes with Matthew. The Hufflepuff boy looked away in embarrassment, knowing that the blonde had caught him staring.

"You could be right, Matt." Toby stated, his laughter dying down to an utmost halt as Professor Sprout made her way to the head of the table, prepared to start her class.

"Good morning, and welcome to level one of Herbology! I'm Professor Sprout. Now I don't believe in waiting any longer than necessary to begin a class, so today we're going to be launching right in. You'll notice I've already prepared everything for what the next few classes will entail, and that is learning all about Bouncing Bulbs!" Professor Sprout silenced the class as she spoke, launching into explaining what a Bouncing Bulb was, then giving important and detailed information about repotting the Bouncing Bulbs. However, to Matthew's slight relief, they wouldn't be repotting the plant today.

Matthew was surprised at how interesting Herbology already was, and was surprised when the class was over. Time flew by, and it was now time for the first year Hufflepuffs to head back inside the castle for History of Magic.