𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥

The Irrefutable Curse

Blanche hadn't missed the school's ordinary routine. At all.

Her recovery had taken longer than expected, and she'd dreaded that moment for a good week: simply thinking about the unruly crowds of students awaiting made her feel itchy. That morning, she had tried her best to ignore the murmurs surrounding her in the Great Hall, avoiding all the questions from her colleagues as well as the students' curious eyes: honestly, all she wanted to do was lock herself in her chambers and stay there. However, that wasn't a possibility: at 8 a.m., duty was calling. Trying her best to maintain a dignified composure, she dragged herself towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower; and when she entered the classroom, she was surprised to find the students in perfect silence - and on time, no less.

Thank Merlin.

"Good morning," she greeted them, "It's been a while."

The class remained silent, suspiciously so. Blanche wondered for a few seconds if they were planning on some prank, but they were paying too much attention for it being the case.

What is going on?

Frowning, she asked: "Did a Dementor catch your tongue?"

Her question was, once again, met by utter silence. She was beginning to get nervous, so she decided to ask someone directly; coincidentally, Eleanor sneezed and got her attention.

"Morton?"

"Good morning, Professor. We were wondering about your well-being," she answered immediately, turning to Canmore for confirmation. The boy promptly nodded, keeping silent.

"I'm well, thank you. And I'll be even better seeing your Barriers, I'm sure." Blanche said, addressing the students with a smirk; immediately, an incredibly loud choir of disappointed sighs and chatter exploded in the room, and Blanche couldn't help but giggle at the scene. She expected it, but the faces of the students were too hilarious to stay quiet.

"I'm well, thank you. And I'll be even better when I see your Barriers." Blanche said, with a smirk, to the class. Immediately, an incredibly loud choir of disappointed sighs and chatter exploded in the room. Blanche couldn't help but burst out in laughter at the scene: she expected it, but the faces of the students were too hilarious to keep quiet. What she didn't expect was the realization that she had missed those trivial episodes.

Despite her introverted nature and the blatant disinterest on several students' part, she enjoyed that job way more than she'd cared to admit. As much as she'd hated it initially, she now loved the carefree energy flooding the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The kids brought in a juvenile light, and she had grown to love it.

"Come on, then," she said in an encouraging tone.

From then on, the lesson was exhilarating. Every student had an unfinished, mediocre, or straight-up absurd Barrier, and each one amused Blanche to no end. In particular, she found the Slug Barrier presented by Clover to be peak comedy. Of course, an honorable mention had to go to Canmore's attempt at an Impedimenta Barrier.

Blanche was fascinated by the myriad of spellcasting colors on display: each student cast their spell differently, and their pure magic manifested in a bolt that told her something about their character. She wasn't surprised at all to see Canmore's white Barrier fail, or to see the green dash casting the (weirdly successful) Slug Barrier; however, she was expecting to see more red in such lively students.

Blanche was curious to see what Morton, who had demonstrated such an interest in the subject, would bring to the table. She was the last student, and when Blanche looked at her expectingly, she blushed.