It was about the fourth or fifth Muggle Studies lesson, and Professor Wednesday's students were walking into the lesson, mostly talking loudly about strange "facts" they had picked up.
"I heard that when you sneeze, you die for just a second," said CJ. "Because your whole body just stops. It's Darwin,"
"It's not Darwin," said Isaac. "Your heart stops for only a moment. All of your other organs work just the same," he told her. That was the most he had spoke to her ever, and for that reason he flushed and turned back to writing notes fervently even though the lesson hadn't started yet.
She wondered what he was writing.
"Hmm," said May. "Interesting. Do you have any weird facts, Serazion?"
Isaac looked up nervously from his notes.
"Uhh... Heterochromia affects six in every thousand people," he piped, before reddening again.
"That's what you have, right? Your dope eyes?" Said CJ.
"Dude, your eyes are the bomb," said Zodiac.
Isaac made a 'psst' sound.
"I hate my eyes," he told them, looking down so his hair covered his blue eye.
"Why?" They asked in unison.
"Because it's a genetic flaw," he told them, as if it was obvious. "I'm not the perfect product of my parents, like I should be. I've let them down,"
"You can't be serious," said Thea. "No one who's normal cares about that stuff,"
"Every person has genetic flaws, really," May told him.
"Yeah," said CJ. "I have a dodge autoimmune response, and my brother is hyper-mobile. He's double jointed, like, everywhere,"
"I can burp on command," said Zodiac, "I don't know if that's the same thing but I'm really proud of it," She stated before belching loudly.
CJ put her hand to her mouth in amazement.
"That was beautiful,"
Viridisthea rolled her eyes.
"At the end of the day, not many people are actually perfect products as you say,"
"So... your parents don't care about your flaws?"
"Nope," said Zodiax , "but mine is really more of a gift, so,"
"Do your parents care that your eyes are different colours?" Asked CJ.
Isaac sighed.
"Well... yeah," he told them, "I'm hideous to them. All my life I've stayed in line. I never got into any kind trouble, I thought that would be enough to... make them proud but..." he trailed off. "You know, if my parents knew I was talking to you lot they'd murder me. I'm technically only allowed to associate with pure bloods and I "tolerate" halfbloods if they can help me achieve my goals. But I'll always disappoint them because I'm not really what they wanted,"
There was a moment of silence.
"That's awful," said Zodiac.
"What do you think they really wanted?" Said Zodiac quietly.
"A perfect Serazion pureblood. A harsh boy with purebloodist values. And I try. For them. But I don't know. I guess I just don't want to disappoint them,"
"But you, deep down, don't believe in that shite?"
Isaac froze. Would he sacrifice everything he'd ever been told to believe, told to say, told to be— for some friends?
For the truth?
"Well-" he started.
Just then, Professor Wednesday burst trough the door like Shrek leaving his outhouse, with the same amount of grace and regality.
"What's popping my pint-sized pals?" She declared, promptly dropping the precariously stacked books and papers she had been holding.
The coffee cup that had sat at the top fell in slow motion toward the flagstone floor and smashed into a million pieces, sending coffee sloshing everywhere.
Her faded grey jogging bottoms drenched in steaming hot coffee, she grinned a face-splitting grin.
"You know, I have a feeling that this is going to be a great lesson!"
Everyone but Isaac and Viridisthea laughed, as she was busy fixing the cup and cleaning the coffee spill.
"Thanks, Thea, you're a star. 10 points to Hufflepuff." She said as she picked up her colourful books.
Thea's head whipped up faster then the speed of sound. She sent the professor a look of horror and fear. Everyone had heard that.
"I think you mean Ravenclaw, professor." Piped up May, always there to cover for her friend. She sent her teacher 'the look'. The 'just go with it please, it means a lot to my green bean' look.
Professor Wednesday, being the psychic that she was, knew all about 'the look', obviously.
"Yes, of course, Ravenclaw. My bad, Thea. I am having one of those days today aren't I?" She said walking towards her desk facing the crescent moon desked lecture room.
Everyone just shrugged and Thea let out a silent breath of relief and sent a thankful look at Mrs. Wednesday and May. She would go to the grave with her secret.
"So. Today we're going to be studying," Professor Wednesday picked up one of the colourful books that seemed to be covered in drawings, "comic books!"
Isaac
Isaac walked briskly to the dungeons, clutching his shoulder bag strap like a lifeline.
He felt so conflicted.
It was that group he had Muggle studies with. They were all but one of mixed blood. There were even some muggleborns. "Muggleborn scum" his parents would say.
But they were... nice to him. They spoke to him like they would anybody else. They included him in their silly conversations and it made Isaac feel funny inside.
They were meant to be dirty, not worthy of the magic they were born with. Not worthy to be at Hogwarts. Not worthy.
But had Isaac ever truly believed that?
YOU ARE READING
Modern Hogwarts
Fanfiction"Yeet," Sure, Hogwarts is just as strange and wonderful as it was back in Harry Potter's time, but how do the students cope without the technology they've been raised with? How do they grapple with prejudice in their world- and how do they avoid ge...
