Chapter Text
04/08/1991
You do not know how you got there. An hour ago, you were in the library, completing your Herbology assignment along with Neville, who kept blushing as you praised his knowledge. Eventually, as you both finished your research, thoughts swirled in your mind. The clock had struck 7 p.m., and the castle began to darken, only being illuminated by candles and torches. You departed from Longbottom, giving him a wave, and headed straight to the second-floor girl's lavatory. Curiosity got the best of you and you wondered if it was possible to get on Myrtle's good side.
You entered the lavatory, regret flooding through you and a gush of cold wind hitting you. The room looked deserted and littered with spider webs. You expected the room to be some sort of faint blue light like in the movies, but instead, the chamber was all grey, almost black. You closed the door behind you and headed towards the fountain until you heard her voice.
"This bathroom is closed! Go away!" she cried. Your heart jumped and you whipped your head towards the noise. There she was: Moaning Myrtle. She looked even skinnier and paler now that you saw her in person and she looked almost transparent.
"You're Myrtle Warren..." you almost whispered, your eyes widening ever so slightly. Her face blew into one of full surprise.
"Yes! It's not hard to call me by my name!" she admitted as she flew fast to match your height. "It's Myrtle, not Mooaaning Myrtle!" she cried, dragging out her words. She sighed exasperatedly as she flew up once again, now resting on top of a bathroom stall.
"Oh, well, my name's–"
"I'm not a tourist attraction!" she cried, offended. "SO SHOO!" she demanded before placing her hands in front of her face and crying into them. "I'm nothing but a joke, here!" Her sobs filled the entire room and, although it was slightly annoying, you wanted to comfort her.
"Oh, Myrtle, that's not it!" you said, getting closer to her. "I never meant it in a bad way, I'm sorry! I just wanted to get to know you..." you said the last part hesitantly. Her sobs came to a halt and she lowered her hands to look at you. A second passed before she broke out of her trance, furrowing her eyebrows and her features displaying fury.
"GO AWAY!" she screamed, making you jump and scramble out of the room, yelling a quick "sorry!" before closing the door behind you.
You stepped where you did not belong.
Your heart calmed down as you walked towards your dormitory. You were just getting your astronomy equipment before heading towards the library once again. You honestly had no clue as to why you had astronomy work whilst also having no astronomy classes.
By this point, the only people seen wandering the halls were first years and prefects. You got a glimpse of the Weasley twins running and giggling, but you diverted your attention from them. Arriving at the library, the room was almost pitch black. Desk stations had small lanterns, providing the faintest of lights for students, and it reeked the smell of used books. You were about to pick up an astrology book for some advanced reading until you heard loud murmurs.
"That's nonsense! Why don't we get Hermione to do it?" you heard a familiar voice whine.
You peeked in between the bookshelves to catch a glimpse at the voice, but the lack of light made it hard for you to see. However, you did notice one thing.
Two boys, one redhead and one with messy, black hair. You smiled to yourself, picking up a book before heading towards them.
"Why, you wanted this plant!" Harry exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger towards Ron, who gasped dramatically. This earned a loud shush from the librarian.
"You should know better than to trust me on this! I– Oh hey," he said, interrupting himself as he noticed you walk towards them, astrology books and scrolls pre-filled with sketches under your arms. Papers and books were scattered everywhere on the desk and a large, empty parchment rested between the two boys who sat across each other.
"What are you two yelling about?" you whispered, sitting down next to Ron and putting your equipment on the desk.
"Harry here–" Ron started, only to stop talking as you put a finger in front of your mouth, motioning him to be quieter.
The redhead leaned towards you and Harry and began speaking once again. "Harry–"
"We," Harry corrected.
"Alright," Ron admitted, rolling his eyes. He diverted his attention to you again. "We thought it would be a good idea to choose to do the Herbology project on the apple." The two boys awaited a negative reaction from you or maybe even a laugh, only to be staring at your stoic face.
"...so?" you asked, eyebrows furrowing, your hands raising from the table in indifference.
"'So?'" Harry mimicked. "We're doomed on this one," he admitted, sighing and leaning back on his chair as you hummed.
"No, you're not," you smiled. The duo looked at you with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. They suddenly leaned towards you, making you jump back slightly, listening. You cleared your throat. "Apples grow well in September and October, that's true. They have a ton of health benefits and they are everywhere in the Witchcraft world and Muggle world. From Adam and Eve to Snow White, they're present and mean tens of thousands of different things," you rambled.
Ron, who had tried his best to catch up to what you've said, blinked. "From Adam and Eevee to what? Who are those people?" Ron asked, earning a laugh from Harry. The redhead slapped the boy's shoulder. "Not funny!" he glared.
You sighed, a smile making its way on your face. "I'll help you."
The remaining of your time before Astrology was spent in the library, helping the two poor boys. They were more than desperate for someone to lend them a hand, and you gladly filled that role. Over time, they grew tired and Ron could not go one minute without yawning.
"Listen..." Ron started, looking at you between his eyelashes in hesitation. "Is it true that you punched Malfoy?"
Harry kicked Ron's leg under the table, earning a yelp from the redhead. You watched the scene, eyes wide, before giggling under your breath.
"Yeah, I did," you replied, a hint of pride in your voice. Generally, you did not like hurting people, but for the sake of Susan, you were proud you stepped up for her. You not only gained popularity, but trust and respect. Harry's eyes twinkled and Ron looked as if he would burst out laughing at any moment.
Your time was cut short with you noticing the time on the wall next to you. It read:
11:45
You all exchanged panicked stares and quickly got up, gathering your things. You had no clue where the Astrology tower was and it made your heartbeat quicken. Your fingers got colder as you wandered in the dark, almost blue halls. Finally, you met Sir Nicolas, who was more than happy to lead the way to the Astrology tower.
You all arrived on time, panting for air. Ron was as red as his hair and Harry had some hair strands sticking to his forehead. You, on the other hand, had your robe hanging to your elbows and your parchments were held through all of your fingers in a messy way. The amount of stairs you had to climb was gnarly, and even Ron had to go on all fours to mount it successfully, which earned a troubled look from both you and Harry.
The teacher was not there yet, but many students stared at you three in a judging way. You leaned on the railing of the tower.
It was beautiful...
Your eyes captured the glimpses of lights across the sky and your mouth hung slightly open. Pools of constellations drew themselves before you as if it was all a show, their show, and you were their audience. They were majestic and inviting, as if they wanted you to join their dance.
Ron and Harry made their way towards a telescope before you heard heels tapping against the solid ground. Slowly, a pointy hat could be seen and soon, a woman wearing a long, golden robe appeared from the stairs. She wore a very long braid and her face was delicate, holding the most feminine features. She held herself in a strong posture and her brown skin looked like gold under the light of the scattered lanterns across the tower's walls.
"Welcome..." she started, her voice ringing like chimes, "to your first Astronomy lesson," she said. She intertwined her hands in front of her and rested then on the robe. "I compel myself to be frank; you are new, which implies that we will not be diving deep in my subject today." She looked around, recognizing some faces. Her eyes landed on you for a split second and your heart quickened. Her eyes were as dark as the sky above you, and it made you feel as if you were staring at the same void.
Finally, she asked you to get with an assigned partner and draw every visible constellation from the pre-required assignment. Susan was paired with Hopkins and you shot her a sympathetic smile. She looked at you and Hannah with a "help me" look, which earned a laugh from both of you. Eventually, she said your name.
"–and Nott, Theodore," she said, continuing to list names.
You were not against the idea of having him as a partner. You looked around and found him standing next to a telescope on his own, waving slightly at you and shooting you a grin. You felt welcomed and reciprocated his actions, getting closer to him. You started speaking.
"Hey!"
"What's with all the energy?" he joked, then broke in a yawn, which he hid behind his forearm.
"Why so tired?" you snapped back.
You both got started on your work and clicked fast. Turns out, for a Slytherin, he was awfully nice.
"So you hit Malfoy, eh?" he said in a teasing tone. You instantly stood straighter, shivering slightly as a gust of wind hit you. You knew Draco was probably his friend, so you should show some sort of remorse.
"Listen, it was an acciden–"
"So you did it," he cut you off, leaning on the tower's railing as you stood in front of the microscope. Your team's parchment was on the ground and other teams spoke loudly enough to drown your conversation in the noise, sheltering you from other students eavesdropping
"...Yes," you finally admitted, anxiety creeping in you. You looked down.
There was a slight pause and the wind blew, making Theodore's hair uncover his face. You could now see his eyes properly, and they held no anger or resentment.
And he laughed.
"Really?!" he said, the corners of his lips tugging up. He finally broke into a full, toothy smile and his eyes twinkled. He leaned forward and grabbed onto the railing while laughing which, eventually, made you start chuckling from his contagious giggles. "That's great!"
"Is it?" you asked, still confused.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed, raising himself to stand in front of you, no longer clutching the railing. He looked at your face, devoid of regret. "So it wasn't an accident," he stated, analysing you.
"What d'you mean?"
"You said it was an accident, punching Malfoy."
"...I might've lied," you said, earning another chuckle from him. This made you smile again.
Another pause.
"It's a good thing," he admitted. Your heart melted at the praise, and you felt another surge of pride. "Malfoy desperately needs his ass handed back to him." The language caught you off guard, instantly wiping your grin off your face, replacing it with wide eyes. Theodore noticed and smiled. "Let's hang out, for real," he said.
You hesitated. Your heart leaned towards growing closer to him, but you were still wary of him. He was never formally introduced in the movies, so he would be unpredictable, but alternatively, that was what made him evermore interesting.
"Because I punched Malfoy? Is that your only reason?" you asked, half joking and half curious.
Theodore was taken aback, but hid his surprise behind a sturdy wall of composure. He hesitated before speaking.
"I heard you had a knack for Herbology–"
You groaned hearing this, tilting your head, acting as if the Slytherin had just asked the worst from you.
"No, seriously, I need it! Blaise–" he looked around before leaning towards you, whispering, "–Blaise sucks at it, please!" he begged. "I know Neville's a good partner, but I'll prove myself to you!"
You looked at him, and eventually, you cracked a smile. He noticed and knew he won you over.
"Alright..." you said. "Next project. Me and you," you stated, earning twilights in the boy's eyes. "But you be my partner in potions, please. I can't handle Hopkins!" you pleaded at your turn, looking over your shoulder at the said boy, who was fumbling with his telescope as Susan looked in it, hitting her eye. You winced and Theodore followed your gaze, mirroring your expression.
"I get it..." he said, a wave of compassion cursing through him. "Deal," he extended his hand. You felt joy, excitement and curiosity spark through you as you shook his hand.
The rest of the next hour was drowned in students' yawns and tired scribbles. Theodore was slightly irritated at the fact that you knew more constellations than him despite the fact that he had studied some during summer, but he let it slide as a joke. Your parents' pressure for you to study and succeed in school was not something you anticipated, but it was certainly rewarding.
Finally, it was the end of your class and you were heading to your dorm. You found out that, to compensate for the lack of sleep students got from astronomy class, they had their first class off, and the time for breakfast extended itself. You were more than happy to hear the news. As you were heading to your dorm, a familiar voice stopped you, calling out your name.
Harry ran towards you and stopped when he was at a talking distance, resting his hands on his knees. "Wanna– huff– Wanna hang out this weekend? I got myself a broom, maybe we can try it–" he asked out of the blue. The Hufflepuff group was starting to get further from you, so you shot him a "For sure!" as you ran towards the rest of the group, not wanting to be left alone. Harry looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he had his own dorm to go to.
Usually, you, Susan and Hannah talked before bed. But today, you all could not help but slump in your beds, letting dreams engulf you like a velvet blanket.