Chapter thirteen
Holly’s first class was mostly boring, as was her next one. It wasn’t until her second to last class of the day that anything of note truly happened. Hufflepuffs may not have been renowned for their prowess in potion-making, but for her, potions were a passion. Herbology was her favorite, of course, however the two classes were much more intertwined than some may think. Most potions used different magical plants, and knowing your ingredients was the best way to know a potion. The delicate art of brewing magical concoctions spoke to her, and Holly was excited as she took her seat.
Quicker than she would have liked, her excitement turned to dread, curling in the pit of her stomach. Assigned seating. They shared the class with the Slytherins, and this didn’t bother Holly until she discovered she may now need to sit with one. Slughorn had claimed that inter-house relations were “lacking”, and that he wanted them to all practice working with new people. Her eyes darted involuntarily to the Black boy in the front row who was grinding his teeth, demeanor much colder then it had been in the library.
Tilly, who had arrived in the room just a moment after Holly, sighed next to her.
“Wonderful,” She whispered, “Leave it to Slughorn to put Fifth years into assigned seats like we’re children.”
Holly’s friend rested her head on her chin as she spoke, annoyance radiating off of her. Tilly hated Slughorn, thinking his “trophy students” and "Slugclub" were ridiculous. His unclear position on the war brimming outside the castle also seemed to set her on edge. The girls sat quietly as the man began creating his seating chart, randomly assigned by magic. A student's belongings would fly to one seat or the other, and that’s where they would be from now on. Holly watched in apprehension as Regulus’ belongings soared to a table in the third row. There was no way they’d end up sitting by each other. Right?
Tilly was placed next to another Hufflepuff, of which she seemed content enough. Mildly displeased sure, but content. Soon enough Holly’s own things moved, darting around the class for a moment before settling neatly at an occupied table. An occupied table in the third row.