Idiosyncratic [HP AU Fanfic]

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 14

Defense Against the Dark Arts

(ﾉ>ω<)ﾉ :｡･:*:･ﾟ'★,｡･:*:･ﾟ'☆

Soft snores could be heard spilling from a certain redhead's mouth when Vivia woke up one particular morning. Turning over to look at the clock, Vivia sprung abruptly out of bed when she realized they only had 15 minutes left of breakfast. Hastily pulling the covers off, she rushed over to her trunk picking up a shirt and pulling it over her head. Grabbing her skirt, shoes and socks, she quickly slipped them on before rushing to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair.

"Ginny! Wake up! We're late!"

Vivia violently shook her screaming for her to get up. Ginny winced as Vivia decided to pounce on her. Eventually opening her eyes, she groaned and rolled over.

"What time is it?" She asked, stretching lazily and slowly pulling her blanket off.

Vivia huffed as she threw Ginny's robes onto her bed. "It's time for you to get up. Breakfast is almost over!"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Ending up arriving a few minutes late, Ginny and Vivia sat down at a desk in the middle of the room.

Making it a point to ignore the late comers, the Professor stood up and introduced herself.

"Hello and welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts! I am Professor Hopkins and today we'll be discussing the topic of ghosts."

Professor Hopkins was a tall woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. Standing tall with a comforting smile on her face, you probably would never expect this lady to be the type to teach much less fight the dark arts.

"If you all could please take out your textbooks and turn to page 15, we'll begin with a quick overview."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The blare of a bell reverberated around the room, signaling the end of class. An uproar of rustling parchment and groaning students filled the ears of Vivia and Ginny as the two quietly slid their books back in their bags.

"You go on. I'll catch up." Ginny nodded and headed out the door, leaving Vivia in a sort of awkward silence that left the girl a bit uneasy.

Lifting her eyes from the stack of papers on her desk, Professor Hopkins took notice and stood up.

The woman tilted her head as she stood beside her desk. "Vivia Lovegood, I presume?"

"That's me," Vivia murmured, buckling the strap on her bag and pulling it onto her shoulder.

The woman casually walked over, looking at Vivia with a curious expression on her face. "It seems to me you're a bit wary of me as a teacher. Is that correct?"

Vivia let out a small sigh before slowly meeting the woman's gaze. "Not wary. Just... curious."

"Ah, I see." Professor Hopkins took a seat, motioning to the one next to her.

Vivia cautiously sat down, letting her bag fall down her shoulder and back onto the floor next to her.

"I take it it's because of my house that you're wondering why I'm the Defense professor."

Realizing the woman basically just read her mind Vivia gasped, "Wait, how did you-"

"Legilimency, mind reading essentially."

Vivia's stormy orbs nearly burst out of their sockets. Taking notice of the girl's sudden thoughts and reaction, Professor Hopkins reassured her that there was nothing to be worried about.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. You can trust me, Vivia."

Vivia didn't respond, knowing that everything the woman was saying was true. She wasn't actually scared or trying to be judgemental, she was just genuinely curious.

Vivia only nodded, providing the Professor some relief.

She gave Vivia a small smile before taking her wand from her back pocket. Giving it a flick she spoke two words, clearly the incantation for a spell, "Expecto Patronum!"

A burst of silver light erupted from the tip of her wand as a rabbit gracefully hopped about.

"It isn't your House that matters, Vivia. It's the decisions you make, the talent you exhibit, and the experiences you endure that make you you."

Seeing her watch the rabbit in fascination, Professor Hopkins sighed, "A Hufflepuff can be just as mighty as a Gryffindor, and a Gryffindor can be just as kind as a Hufflepuff. When the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor, it saw bravery as your strongest attribute. When the Hat placed me in Hufflepuff, it saw loyalty as my strongest attribute. Even though us badgers are seen as kind and trustworthy, that isn't all we offer. Same thing goes with you lions. Bravery isn't the only thing you bring to the table. Sometimes you guys get scared, and that's perfectly okay. You aren't entitled to be brave all the time, you know?"

Professor Hopkins laid a hand on Vivia's thigh. "Nobody is perfect, Vivia. Everyone has their own individual skill sets that aren't always going to match up with the expectations we're faced with. You understand?"

As the silvery wisps of the patronus gradually faded away, Vivia looked up and nodded.

"I understand," she murmured.

"Now I'm not upset that you stayed behind to question me. Actually, I'm glad you did."

Vivia's eyebrows pinched together as confusion laced her features. "Why's that?" She asked.

"It's best to not make assumptions unless you know the whole story. If ever in doubt, you should ask the person directly. That's exactly what you did." Professor Hopkins patted her leg before grinning.

Standing up and pocketing her wand, the Professor made her way back to her desk.

Reaching down to pick up her bag, Vivia slung it onto her shoulder before quickly making her way to the door.

Before she left Vivia turned around and whispered, "You really are an amazing professor, and I'm sorry I didn't see it before now."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

A/N: I thought it'd be a good time to add some character development before the plot continues to thicken. I plan on the next chapter showcasing a crucial part to the plot, so I had a feeling that these previous chapters needed to show a bit more into Vivia's personality. I know I'm not the greatest writer there ever was, but I'm really trying with this and as I continue to write I'm sure that my skills will continue to improve as well. I appreciate every single one of you who has shown support with this story and I sincerely hope that you stick with it because I do have a plan with where it's going.