Clementine felt sick to her stomach.
The memories of the night before kept replaying in her mind. She made a fool of herself in front of her friends, her work colleagues, and most importantly Theo.
She never wanted to drink again, but at the same time she wanted to drink until she forgot everything.
Clementine made sure she was early enough on the school grounds to get in a meal at Hogwarts. She walked into the Great Hall where many of the students— the early risers, that is— we're all eating breakfast.
She let her eyes scan the Professor's table, many of the seats still empty, and she slumped down in one of the chairs to pick at the morning selection of pastries.
"You had a rough night last night, didn't you?" Cristian Maldonado took the empty seat on Clementine's left. He gave her a warm, yet knowing smile. He had seen her at her worst last night.
Clementine threw her head in her hands and groaned as her brain throbbed against her skull, "That was so embarrassing. I'm so sorry you had to see me like that."
"We were all young once." He picked up a croissant and put it on his plate.
"So you keep telling me." Clementine grabbed a scone and proceeded to put jam on it. "I promise I don't have the maturity of a teaspoon. I'm just—"
"Clearly you're adjusting to being back here after all this time." Cristian interrupted, "It can be easy to revert back to the person you used to be and lose sight of who you've grown to become."
"That was... surprisingly insightful." Clementine nodded as a small smile crept onto her face. "Thank you for that."
"Beaumont." The dulcet tones of Draco Malfoy's voice made the smile fade from her face. "Can we talk?"
"We are talking." Her voice clipped. She focused harder on her scone to keep from looking at him, spreading the jam into a thin layer.
"Privately," Draco's eyes narrowed at Cristian before he looked back at Clementine, "If you don't mind."
"I'm taking this with me." Clementine sighed as she stood up, waving her scone around in one hand. "It was nice talking to you again, Cristian."
"You as well." He smiled, tipping his drink glass in her direction before taking a sip.
"You two look very comfortable together." Draco muttered quietly as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He turned to give Cristian another quick glance while he led Clementine out of the Great Hall.
"He's nice to me." Clementine answered. "That really can't be said for everyone around here."
"Is that what you want from me?" Draco paused when they reached the empty corridor to consider her words more carefully, "To be nice to you?"
"It would be a start." Clementine almost sounded too hopeful when she said it. She frowned, shaking her head, "But that's clearly not what you wanted to talk about. What is it you want from me now, Malfoy?"
"I need you to get a plant for me." Draco explained as he looked out of one of the windows that was streaming in bright morning light. It lit up his face in a warm, golden glow, "It's very rare and hard to come by."
"I'm a professor of Herbology." Clementine crossed her arms over her chest, "It's my job to teach students about the care and cultivation of magical plants, not to source you rare and exotic plants to add to your collection. What sort of plant do you even need so badly anyway?"
"Thorned Ichor Flower." His eyes narrowed as he whispered the name. Draco looked to the empty hall to make certain that they were not overheard before finally looking back at Clementine.
"That's incredibly illegal, and not to mention dangerous." Clementine gasped. "What could you possibly need thorned ichor for?"
"Someone stole it from my supply." Draco explained, "The petals are vital to a lot of antidotes of hard to break curses. I keep some on hand just in case of the worst, but now it's gone missing."
"Maybe you misplaced it." Clementine suggested. "There are lots of bottles in your cupboard, maybe it got shoved—"
"I didn't lose anything." Draco sneered, insulted by the accusation, "I check my inventory twice a week. It was just there, and now it's not."
"The thorns are lethal, Draco." Clementine hissed, "Not to mention the fact that they're used in all kinds of occult rituals. I wouldn't even know where to find something like that if I tried. Absolutely not. Who would have even taken that sort of thing?"
"I'm assuming one of the seventh year students who read about the hallucinogenic properties it possesses. I'm going to give them detention into the next millennium if I find out who did it." Draco's upper lip twitched, "Keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious."
"Next time keep something so important like that locked up." Clementine warned him. She closed her eyes and pressed the bridge of her nose with her fingers, "Gods! I'm too hungover for this shite so early in the morning. Come back to Hogwarts! McGonagall said to me. Nothing strange happens here anymore! What a bloody lying bint."
"Miss Beaumont." McGonagall's voice came from behind her. Clementine turned around to meet her disappointing gaze. "A word, please."
"I'll be right there." Clementine squeaked.
"I'll be in my office." McGonagall turned to leave.
Once she was far enough out of earshot Draco began to snicker.
"It's not funny!" Clementine pushed him lightly in the chest, "Why didn't you say something to me? You just let me call McGonagall a bint to her face!"
"Where would be the fun in that?" Draco quirked a brow. He was enjoying this a bit too much for Clementine's liking.
Clementine groaned, "I did not miss you getting me in trouble all the time."
"You did that all to yourself. I remember." Draco smirked, and it made Clementine's heart flutter.
"I have to go..." Clementine started to walk away. She pushed her hair in her face so he wouldn't see the flush in her cheeks. "Think about what I said about being nice, yeah?"
"I'll consider it." Draco called after her, "But no promises."
Clementine turned to look back, and saw him watching her walk down the hall. His eyes on her skin made it feel like it was on fire. She tried to pull herself back together before reaching McGonagall's office.
"Miss Beaumont, thank you for being so prompt." McGonagall greeted her when she finally arrived a few minutes later. It felt like a subtle nod to the fact she was always so late.
"What did you want to speak to me about, Headmistress?" Clementine sat down in the seat across from her desk. She felt nervous, almost like she was going to be sent to detention.
Minerva's face softened as she looked at her, "We can stop with such formalities. You're a Professor now, and we are equals. You can call me Minerva if you'd like, Clementine."
"Thank you, Minerva." Clementine blushed. It felt weird calling her by her first name.
"I just wanted to see how you're adjusting." Minerva looked at Clementine with concern, "It's hard coming in mid-quarter, I know. The students haven't been giving you a hard time have they?
"It's been fine so far. The students are well-behaved for the most part and—"
"The other professors are taking a liking to you." McGonagall had a small smile on her face, "I don't think I've seen some of them this happy in a while."
Clementine desperately wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but wouldn't press the matter.
"I appreciate you checking on me, Minerva. I'm still getting acclimated, but things are going well."
"Just make sure you work on being punctual." McGonagall winked behind her glasses.
"Oh right!" Clementine exclaimed, "My students are probably already waiting. Thank you, again."
Clementine hurried to class, slamming the door to the greenhouse behind her. The entire room of seventh years fell silent as they watched her cross the room to her desk. A few students giggled as she walked past.
"Is something funny, Miss Anderson?" Clementine looked up to see the raven-haired Hufflepuff further attempt to stifle her laughter.
"No, Professor." She responded shortly before bursting into another fit of giggles. "It's nothing."
Clementine stood up, carefully scanning the room for any signs of children acting out. Aside from the occasional snicker, everyone looked innocent. Nothing appeared to be missing out out of place.
There was another whisper and more laughter.
"Will someone tell me what's so interesting that it's disrupting class?" She asked.
A Gryffindor raised their hand.
"Yes, Mr. Preece," Clementine pointed to the boy, "Go on."
"Are you thirsty, Professor Beaumont?" He asked.
The entire class burst into laughter.
"Pardon?" Clementine was even more confused. She had no idea where this was coming from.
Another student pointed to her desk, and Clementine's eyes finally caught sight of what the students thought was so funny. It was a hot cup of tea with a note sitting next to it.
"Did one of you do this?" Clementine asked as she reached over to grab the note. "I still don't understand what's so funny."
She ripped open the wax seal, and saw the familiar cursive scrawling across the parchment.
C.B.
This should help with your hangover. Drink it quickly, or it will leave a bitter aftertaste.
D.M.
P.S. Is this what you meant by being nice?
Clementine's face flushed as she shoved the note under a book. She looked up to find the entire class staring at her, waiting for any sort of information she would reveal to them.
"Professor Malfoy is very handsome." One of the girls spoke up and the rest of the female population giggled in agreement, "Wouldn't you say so, Professor Beaumont?"
"I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about." Clementine turned her nose up at the girl and opened the textbook. She desperately hoped her face wasn't turning as red as it felt. "Now, we should get started. I believe that we're starting the unit on deadly plants today."
Vanessa Anderson sat up straighter in her chair, seemingly interested in the topic. "Will we get to see any of these plants first hand?"
"Some, possibly." Clementine nodded. She felt relieved that the students had decided to move on, "Venomous Tenacula is always being grown in one of the greenhouses for whatever reason."
Vanessa didn't seem entirely satisfied with that answer. "Anything else?"
"Let's get through the beginning of the unit before discussing what plants we may or may not get to look at first hand." Clementine explained, "Open your textbooks to page 237 and read silently to yourselves."
A few students groaned as the sound of pages turning echoed off the glass walls. Clementine sat at her desk, staring at the cup of tea.
She didn't want to drink it, not with all of the students making such a big fuss, but she desperately wanted the pounding in her head to stop.
Clementine downed the tea in one large gulp, listening as a few girls began whispering and giggling again.
"That doesn't sound like reading!" Clementine called out and the room fell silent again. She squeezed her eyes closed as she felt the bitter liquid go through her. After a moment of repose she felt perfectly fine.
Damn Malfoy and his advanced potion skills.
The rest of Clementine's classes ran smoothly without disruption. She let her mind wander, wondering exactly what happened when Draco walked in the class full of students. Was he taken by surprise, or did he act calm and collected about it? Most likely the latter, but she liked to imagine him flustered.
At the end of the day Clementine made her way up to the History classrooms. She knocked on the door to announce herself before walking in.
"Are you lost?" Cristian chuckled as he collected papers from all the desks. It looked like they had an in-class essay today.
"An essay." Clementine peered over his shoulder to look at the scribbled handwriting. "How... boring."
"About as boring as having students read from their textbooks." Cristian shot back. "A few of the Hufflepuffs were complaining."
"Touché." Clementine conceded. "I just wanted to stop by to apologize again for last night. It was unprofessional of me, and I don't want that to reflect on who I am as a person and as a professor."
"You weren't on school grounds." Cristian shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me. I'm not going to tell on you to the headmistress for having fun with your friends if that's what you're worried about."
"Thank you." She breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. "Well, I won't keep you. It looks like you have a long night of grading ahead of you."
"This?" Cristian laughed as he shook his stack of papers. He rifled through and skimmed them, "Wrong era... Wrong wizard... it should only take me thirty minutes or so to grade these at this rate."
"Their grades are a reflection of you as a professor, you know." Clementine said as she waltzed out of the room before he could respond, "You should do better next time to keep them all awake!"
After her detour to the History classroom, Clementine made her way to her next destination on her apology tour: the library.
"There you are." A soft smile tugged at Clementine's lips as she watched Theo shelve the last of the books, "Can we talk?"
"We're talking now?" Theo frowned. He still seemed upset about the night before, and Clementine couldn't help but to feel a pang of guilt. She did cause this mess, after all.
"Last night was not ideal." She admitted as she leaned on the shelf of books. "I wish I could take it back."
"I don't want you to take it back." Theo stared at her intensely. "Did you mean those things you said?"
"I—" Clementine paused as she contemplated how to move forward. She decided to tell him the truth, "Yes. I did. I do like you Theo. I know it's a bad idea, but—"
"You don't have to explain." Theo rushed to cut her off as he closed the space between them. A smile took over his face as he reached up to stroke Clementine's jaw.
"I was hoping we could start fresh." She blinked up at him. His rough hands stroked her face gently.
"Alright." Theo took a step backwards and held out his hand for her to shake, "Nice to meet you, I'm Theodore Nott."
"Clementine Beaumont." She bit her lip to keep from laughing and shook his hand.
"So, Clementine." Theo's eyes sparkled, "Would you fancy going out on a proper date?"
_____
I know Draco hasn't gotten his moment to shine yet, but it's coming in due time, I promise. He's starting to warm back up to Clementine now, and it's obviously mutual.
Which team are we on so far? Theo or Draco? I'm assuming Theo has the current advantage, but I'd like to know!