notre dame.

chapter four.

CHAPTER FOUR.

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       Spirits were high in Hogwarts, even for the holiday they were celebrating simply being Halloween. The students were all bustling with excitement and Blythe could not count the amount of sweets she had seen shared amongst students. It just so happened that Flitwick had taught Wingardium Levoisa to students today, and Blythe had the honor of overhearing what had happened in his class earlier, which brought a good chuckle to many professors. Seamus Finnigan's attempt at the spell had backfired poorly, but all the professors had faith that he would show growth as the years continued, as it was not his first backfired spell. Blythe was fond of Seamus, mostly for his ambitions as a young wizard. It's something that always brought some sort of joy to the professor when she first started and always remained with her as the years carried on.

Blythe, just like every other professor, knew that her most rowdy students were Fred and George, and they were not so much as rowdy as mischievous. It reminded Blythe and Severus of the group of students they had attended school with, the self-proclaimed Marauders. Butting heads was an understatement for how Severus interacted with them. The Weasley twins though could be very well-behaved, especially when reminded that they were practically direct relatives of one of their professors and that she would not hesitate to contact their father if need be. Though Blythe knew she could rely more on Molly than Arthur. Their pranks were well-known amongst all of the professors and sometimes brought laughter to a select few.

It was late morning when a knock echoed on Blythe's office door. She had half expected it to be Severus, but then Blythe remembered that he would be busy with his third-year students. She furrowed her brows and rose to her feet, walking to the door and pulling it open to see Neville Longbottom. The boy stood holding an unfamiliar-looking plant in his arms, though it was clear that this one was much older than the ones the students were typically allowed to take care of.

"Mr. Longbottom... what is that?"

"It's a bearded iris, Professor," the boy spoke nervously, avoiding Blythe's gaze as he held the pot in her direction, "It's for you – thanks for defending me against Malfoy."

Blythe couldn't help but smile, taking the pot and watching the plant cautiously as she set it on a table beside her office door. She lowered a hand to Neville's shoulder, "Look at me, Neville."

He raised his gaze, his eyes meeting his professor's as she gave him a kind smile, "Thank you. And I was merely doing my job, Mr. Malfoy has received his punishment and you're all healed, it was nothing, truly."

Neville grinned, nodding his head, "Thank you, again."

"Of course, my office is always open, Mr. Longbottom," her smile grew as he grinned wider and tore away, rushing down the hall in the direction of the Gryffindor Commons. Blythe watched after him for a moment, then turned her head and looked back at the plant beside her door, "You're not what I was expecting...especially from a first year."

As if it heard her, the plant drooped slightly but continued doing whatever it had been doing in the process. Blythe watched it for a moment, then stepped back into her office and shut the door. She turned to walk back to her desk, sat down in her chair, and returned to her reading.

Now, it was presently dinnertime. The Hall was loud and full of laughter, the holiday coming to an end and a great meal being shared amongst the professors and students. To Blythe, it felt vastly different than previous ones had been. She was seated beside Severus, her normal spot, the two speaking softly to one another.