~Simply Fantastic~

Two

        Spring had made the barren trees into bursts of color. Odessa sat underneath a tree next to the lake. She watched as Newt waded into the emerald-colored water, his pant legs were rolled up though they were already damp.

  "What are you looking for again?" Odessa called to the boy. She smiled at him as his eyes scanned the currents.

    "A type of crustacean, I'm hoping that I can find it here in the shallows," He said. Odessa hummed in recognition even though she knew that he couldn't hear her. She huffed in boredom, she had rejected Newt's request to help him look-she didn't really like the lake-but sitting here alone was getting old. Her blue eyes looked around and landed on her wand. The light-colored wood stood out against the green grass. The wand was slightly crooked at the end and the handle was worn from Odessa gripping it too hard. She picked it up and twirled it between her fingers. She slowly blew air out of her nose and her eyes drifted back to Newt, who was still looking through the water. A devilish idea popped into her head.

  "Aguamenti!" She whispered as she pointed the tip of her wand at Newt. A jet of water shot out and hit Newt in the side of the face. He yelled in surprise and lost his footing, with a splash, he fell into the water. Odessa melted into a fit of laughter as she got up. She walked over to her friend who sat motionless in the shallow water. As she took her shoes, hat, and socks off, Newt turned to look at her.

    "I didn't mean to actually knock you over!" She giggled. Newt stood up in silence. Odessa stopped laughing. "Hey, are you alright?" She reached out and put a hand on Newt's shoulder blade. He turned around quickly and splashed water at Odessa. She gasped loudly as Newt laughed. The girl stared at the boy and couldn't help the smile that spread over her face. He looked adorable.

  "You're in for it now, Scamander!"

~***~

    Newt stared at the sky and listened to Odessa reading her essay out loud. He was lying in the grass beside her and she was leaning against a tree. They were letting the sun dry their clothes since they were soaking wet. Newt's eyes were drooping as Odessa's voice soothed him to sleep. He didn't think her report was boring, her voice was just nice to listen to.

  "Are you even listening, Newton?"

    "What?"

  "You didn't hear a word I just said did you?" Odessa had set her essay down several minutes ago, after realizing that Newt was not paying attention. Newt's cheeks grew red when he realized he was caught.

    "I-I, um, of course, I was listening!" The boy sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. Odessa's eyebrow quirked upward and she tilted her head.

  "What was the last thing I said to you?"

    "Something about polyjuice potion?"

  "Actually I said 'the Zambinis are twats.'" Odessa could help but laugh at Newt's expression. His eyes had widened and his mouth fell agape.

    "Oh," Newt mumbled. Odessa smiled and stood up, grabbing her socks, hat, and shoes.

  "Come on, sweets, let's get some dinner," Odessa said as she gathered the rest of her things and walked toward the castle. Newt's cheeks, once again, reddened as he scrambled to get up and follow after his friend.

~***~

    When Odessa walked into the Great Hall, she paused. Newt was a few steps behind her with his eyes cast toward the ground.

  "Are you alright?" He asked quietly. Odessa took a breath. Nothing was wrong, she just didn't know if she should sit with Newt or if Newt should sit with her.  Finally, she decided what to do.

    "I'm fine. I was just wondering where to sit," Odessa said. Newt hummed in recognition.

  "Would you like to sit at my table?" Newt asked. Odessa smiled and nodded, letting Newt lead the way. When the two sat down, the Hufflepuff table quieted down to look at the Slytherin girl. Odessa ignored them and filled her plate with food.

    "Did you finish your Magical creature book yet?" She asked. Newt glanced around at his fellow student, hesitant to answer. Odessa noticed. "Hey, don't pay attention to them. Your interests are just as important as theirs," Odessa reminded as she bit into her broccoli. Newt nodded and took a deep breath.

  "I did finish it. I found the chapter on demiguise' very interesting. Did you know that they can become invisible at will?" Newt's nervousness slowly melted away as he became more absorbed in his favorite past-time. Odessa smiled and nodded.

    "Yeah! And they can see into the future, a little bit," She pointed out. 

  Newt and Odessa continued to chat back and forth about different creatures throughout dinner. The rest of the Hufflepuffs stopped gawking at the foreigner at their table and went back to their own conversations. However, across the room, Several Slytherins watched their housemate with stern glares feeling as though their house had been betrayed by a lowly mudblood.

~***~

    Odessa walked through the hallway of the dungeons alone, though the dim lighting and empty corridors didn't bother her. The echo of her shoes against the stone floors was only accompanied by the sound of the torches flickering against the wall.

  "Hey, Finchley!"

    The sound made Odessa squeak in surprise. She stopped and turned around waiting for however called her to show themselves. The Zambinis and another girl, Annabelle Lorcox, emerged from the shadows. Odessa fought the urge to reach for her wand, which was settled in the waistband of her skirt.

  "Can I help you three?"

    "First a mudblood joins our house, then she sits at the Hufflepuff table with the boy whos obsessed with magical beasts," Annabelle crossed her arms over her chest and leaned into her hip. Odessa clenched her jaw but remained silent. "I think she needs to learn what it means to be a real Slytherin."

  "Fine, do your worst, twats."