The Girl Who Vanished

Chapter 4: Snakes in the Sun

"You should go meet your friends, Ana," Professor Sprout smirked at the girl who was taking samples of a shrivelfig. The woman was incredibly busy, so she offered Ana a chance to work with her in the greenhouses. Ana was allowed to come and go as much as she liked, so she spent much of her time there; she enjoyed her professor's quiet company.

Sprout turned towards her, handing her a vial, anticipating that Ana would need it. The girl took the glass from her and smiled widely. It was nice to have someone that reminded her a bit of home; sure, Sprout was a bit warmer than her mother was, but the act of taking care of plants brought her back to the Manor.

"I want to help, professor," And replied, moving around the table to tend to the other side of the plant. Sprout's lips pulled into a tight line, her brows arching. Ana chuckled at her teacher's expression, knowing that Sprout wasn't actually upset with her.

Sprout held out her hand, beckoning for the girl to hand over the shears. "It is a gorgeous day outside and I would be remise if you were to stay in this stuffy greenhouse all day."

"But professor-"

"No buts!" The woman commanded through a cracked smile. "Go. See your friends. It's an order."

Ana watched as the woman's pseudo serious expression shifted to pleading eyes. She could see Alex, Lucian, and Calista lounging not too far from the greenhouses, suddenly wishing to sit in the sun with them. Ana handed over the garden tools, earning her a smile from her professor.

"Good," Sprout hummed. "Be off."

Ana skipped out of the greenhouse, plopping her sticky body next to her friends who talking about the upcoming Quidditch match that was taking place between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Lucian was buzzing about having to train every hour he wasn't in class, but if the team wanted to win the Quidditch Cup this year the sacrifice was necessary. Ana joined in the discussion, talking about how they thought the game was going to turn out; Calista had a feeling Gryffindor was going to win which Alex avidly challenged.

Being in the dungeons for so long was a lot of the same recycled air to breathe in over and over again. She had been spending more and more time in the greenhouses. Ana needed open skies and the smell of flowers to fill her lungs instead. The sun was strong and the heat felt good on her skin, mentally thanking herself for listening to Professor Sprout. She was probably the best herbology student among the first years, but a part of her couldn't help but feel like her professor pitied her a bit. Sprout never pushed her to talk about her home life which Ana appreciated, but she could only assume that her professor knew what was going on.

A month had passed since the day the twins had exploded a cake in her face and whenever she caught a glimpse of them, her body burned with a simmering distaste for them. Their barking laughs which once sounded so charming now sounded loud and obnoxious. Surely whatever they said or did could not be that funny.

Everything about this moment in the sun was perfect, except for the fact that the Weasley twins were throwing rocks into the small pond that was near the group. But Ana willed herself to ignore them no matter how bad she wanted to stare them down until they ran away. They would usually return her glares with snickers of laughter, and she wished she could hear what they were saying. Not because she cared what they thought, but so she could figure out how to annoy them as much as they did her. She wanted to show them as much curtesy as they did her, which was usually none.

Thankfully, Ana was distracted by the presence of a little snake that was wiggling in the shallow rocks at the pond. Its orange body and black tongue would poke out at the surface of the water and then dip back underneath. Snakes were always around her mother's greenhouses, the little guys would hiss and roll in the mud. Often times she would have little conversations with them. It could be a delusion, but she even imagined they could understand her and listen to her. It was either fantasy or madness.