occurremus iterum

Year 3 (Sorcerer's Stone) cont. Monday morning Zinnia got through her breakfast and first two classes with Lyla until they had to split up after lunch.

“Ugh why did I even agree to take Runes, I wonder if Snape will let me switch to HOM.” Lyla complained as she played with her rice at lunch.

“Whatever, I guarantee it will be more exciting than Professor Binns drowning on all class.” She reassured her.

When Zinnia got to class she put her bag on the seat next to her so that Adrian could sit with her. Class was filling up and Miles and Adrian were both nowhere in sight. Rolling her eyes as Binns started his lecture, the seat next to her was pulling out. She looked expecting Adrian and met George Weasley’s eyes.

“What’d I miss?” George whispered as he sat down.

“Shove off Weasley, there’s seats up front. I’m saving this.” She growled back at him as he put her bag down on the floor.

“For who? Miles? I saw him on the pitch. He's never gonna come to this class. Plus no way am I going to sit up front, this is my napping period.” George replied

“Well then shut it and go to sleep.” She said as she crossed her arms and faced the front of the room.

“Mhmm and I’ll only dream of you ZZ plant.” George whispered back and he laid his arms on the desk and then head.

After class Zinnia went to grab her bag but the strap was stuck under George’s chair leg - he was still fast asleep. She whacked him on the head with her rolled parchment.

“Ouch! Bloody hell that class flew by! Mind sharing your notes with me lovely? Cheers!” He said as he stood up to leave.

Zinnia picked up her bag and met up with Lyla for Potions. “He is so infuriating, and as if I would share my notes with him!!” She huffed as they started down the stairs to the dungeons.

They entered Professor Snape’s classroom and the class was nearly divided perfectly, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Zinnia and Lyla grabbed one of the last desks in the back row.

Fred and George Weasley came in loudly and clumsily and sat directly in front of Lyla and Zinnia in the last seats left in class.

“Great” Zinnia grunted annoyed.

George turned around to her, “two classes in a row, how did I get so lucky? Notes for this class would be ideal as well, doll, thanks.”

Zinnia rolled her eyes, "Weasley, if you don't know how to read, just say that." and turned her focus to class.

***

Zinnia arrived to Transfiguration class with Lyla and Professor McGonagall approached the girls before they could take their seats. Zinnia closed her eyes to roll them, annoyed that she knew she was about to get in trouble.

”Good morning, Professor.” Zinnia said with her best fake smile.

”Good morning, Miss. Black. I do hope that you will not be too chilly this morning seeing as you have seemed to charm your uniform to be several inches shorter than the standard length. The added accessories are also not allowed in the rulebook and I will have to ask you to remove them.” The teacher said, looking her up and down. 

Lyla had somehow gotten away and already fixed her skirt and removed her jewelry. Zinnia grit her teeth, this was not the first time she has been called out on altering her uniform. 

“Certainly Professor. May I keep my family ring on?”

“That is permitted as you are well aware Miss Black. The rules have been the same the last three years. Now please take your seat with Miss. Parkinson and I hope that I will not have to ask you girls again to stay in dress code.”

Zinnia joined Lyla at their desk and pretended to gag herself with her pointer finger. 

***

The first Quidditch game of the year was approaching and all anyone would talk about was Harry Potter making Seeker his first year. Of course the game had to be Slytherin vs Gryffindor so the boys were all hyped up all week. Trash talking in the great hall and even during class.

“We’re going to crush them, it's not even a question!” Cassius said with Miles and the rest of the Slytherin team in the common room.

“Those weasel twins too are both too lanky to hit a bludger with any real force. I bet one of them is out with a snapped arm in the first half.” Miles added to the trash talking.

Zinnia and Lyla were doing their potions homework and had started knitting green and silver scarves so that they would be ready for the colder games. Zinnia loved Quidditch, the fast pace and violent nature, it got her adrenaline pumping. But she only really got hyped up once they started playing, this week long build up was getting boring.

“Oh will you all just shut up and go take a shower? You fucking stink like ballsacks and we are trying to study.” Zinnia shouted at them.

“Care to join me, love?” Miles joked to her and held out his hand.

“As if, Miles. You want me to shave your back while I’m at it?” She sneered back.

They boys all laughed and hooted back at her comment and headed up to the boy’s dorms.

***

Saturday came after a long week of build up and an enormous amount of homework, more than any of the third years were used to. Harry Potter caught the snitch and no surprise - he was the main topic on everyone’s lips.

Monday, Zinnia arrived at HOM and put her bag on the seat next to her determined for Adrian. George showed up at the last minute before class started, moved her bag and sat.

“Sweet of you to save this for me.” He said sitting down next to her.

“George, you know Adrian is going to sit there, he probably looks forward to it all week. Come on, move it.” She begged him.

“Adrian and the gargoyle gang are down at the pitch, trying to figure out how we handed them their own asses on a platter on Saturday.” He whispered, as Professor Binns began his lecture. “Right then, see you later in potions.” and he fell asleep.

Professor Snape left a note on the door that potions class was canceled for extra Quidditch practice. Zinnia and Lyla headed to the library to work on their mountains of homework they had put off over the weekend. Zinnia couldn’t help but notice Harry Potter, the youngest Weasley boy, and their muggle born friend in the library whispering intensely. She moved over to try to eavesdrop out of curiosity. She wanted to know how much he knew about the Dark Lord, her father had tried to defeat him and died, while Potter was barely a year old when he destroyed him.

She started to put a book she was looking at away, she had left her wand at her study desk and rose to her tiptoes to try and slip the book back in the shelf. All of a sudden, a hard chest pressed against her back. The book was plucked from her fingertips by a larger hand and slotted into place.

"How is it you haven't gown an inch since first year?" George chuckled in her ear as he stepped back and she spun around. Heat had rose to her cheeks, annoyed that he seemed to sneak up on her.

"George! quit stalking me! It's getting a little desperate, pathetic really." She said, scowling at the red headed boy.

Now it was his turn to flush, "I was only trying to help, Z. Can you just get over yourself for once in your life?"

"Oh I am just meant to believe you are studying? What actually brought you here to this exact aisle of the library? A prank? Speaking of, where is your double? Is he around the corner about to dump a bucket of snail mucus over my head"

“No, but that would be brilliant. He’s probably off somewhere snogging Angelina. They are basically attached at the hip.”

“No way, when did that happen?” Zinnia couldn't help her excitement at a new piece of gossip.

“On the train here, he admitted to me he can’t stop thinking about her this summer. After our win on Saturday, I don’t know, I guess they finally broke and gave in.”

“What is lonely Georgie going to do now? Your partner in crime, off frenching with Ang.”

“Whatever, I’m my own person. Have you always been like this?” He hated when people assumed he had to hang out with Fred 24/7.

“Like what Weasley?”

“Mean.”

“I am not mean. Maybe you just don’t get my humor, and that’s fine I just won’t make those jokes to you anymore.”

“And gaslighting?”

“Really? Are you doing this now?”

“SHHHH!” Ms. Pince, the librarian, walked by.

“Whatever,” George whispered. “I’m not doing anything.” and he started to walk away.

“Who’s gaslighting now?” She said under her breath.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a smaller, more private section of the library.

“Look Zinnia, I never meant for us to be hostile, ok? I messed up and I’m sorry for that. I hope you forgive me one day.” He looked down at her face, both hands on her shoulders.

“Just leave it George” She uncrossed her arms and pushed away from him. Then rejoined Lyla at their study desk.

***

George and Zinnia had a big falling out early last year. During their first year they were friendly, Zinnia even helped him and his brother as the lookout for their first prank, filling Filch's office with hundreds of live mice after he gave them their first detention. They grew apart as she settled more in with her house friends and them theirs. It was Halloween of their second year and George begged Zinnia to distract Snape so they could steal some potion for their next epic prank.

“No guys, I am not losing Snape’s trust, I see how badly he holds a grudge. Ask someone else!” She told them as they entered the Great Hall on Halloween eve.

“C’mon Z, we will do anything. We need a Slytherin to pull him away just for a few minutes. I promise he will never know that you’re in on anything.” George pleaded with her.

“I am not saying it again. You have my answer.” And she left it at that to go sit with her Slytherin friends.

“I should have known you weren’t as cool as your dad was! Turns out being a coward runs in the family” George shouted back to her, nearly half the Slytherin table turned and looked.

Zinnia turned to George and punched him square in the jaw - hard. He was just above her eye level at that time and she put her full force in it.

“Miss. Black! Mr. Weasley! My office NOW!” Professor McGonagall was not even 5 feet from them.

Zinnia’s hand was throbbing and she was pissed that she didn’t even leave a mark on George.

“You know that was a pretty good shot, but I grew up with five brothers, nothing I haven’t experienced. Professor I really insist, I will not press any charges.” George said.

“It is not a matter of fault. Hogwarts has a zero tolerance policy for physical fighting. For BOTH parties. I am sure Miss. Black was not throwing a punch unprovoked. Two weeks detention Weasley. Miss. Black, Professor Snape is on his way to determine your punishment.”

“You know, you didn’t need to resort to violence Zinnia.” George started as they walked out of McGonagall’s office.

“Don’t talk to me, Weasley. If I hear you speak ill of my family again I will use my wand.” She threatened him.

“Oooh so scary, what is a second year witch with no proper training or real knowledge of magic going to do to me with her wand?” He was pushing her.

“Enough! Both of you go back to dinner before I send you back to your houses with empty stomachs!” Snape shoved them on their backs and escorted them to the great hall.

“That wanker Weasley! We can take him Z, just give us the time and place, we’ll put both of them in an early grave.” Miles told her while glaring in their direction.

“No it’s fine you guys. You were right, they are just losers. I'm over it.” Zinnia told him.

Snape agreed two weeks for Zinnia as well and they served it together every night dusting the portraits in the East and West wings with no magic allowed.

The entire first week they worked in silence. The second Monday night, George tested his limits again.

“Will you shut up?” Zinnia asked almost under her breath as George was humming and whistling loudly as they cleaned.

“You know, I am starting to believe they must save so much money on housekeeping around here just by giving out detentions! Fred and I got busted this weekend swapping out Professor Flitwick’s glasses with a pair that makes you hallucinate that there is a monster just out of your peripheral sight. Hilarious, you should have seen it, he was sweating all class and kept snapping his head back and forth with his wand at the ready! Anyways, we both got another week and we have to help the house elves wash the dishes by hand. Can you believe that? The house elves don’t even do that- they use magic! I mean at this rate, I might as well have keys to the cleaning clos-”

“Shut it! Shut up George. I just want to get this over with so I never have to see your face again.”

“Well that would be pretty difficult seeing as we are in almost 4 classes together and as luck would have it, I have an identical twin. So yeah, it makes it about twice as hard to avoid this handsome mug.” George said, gesturing to his face.

Zinnia ignored him successfully through the rest of the last week of their detention. Although George continued to push her buttons, trying almost anything to get her to snap, she never once heard an apology out of him for what he said to her.

***Zinnia’s third year at Hogwarts flew by, Harry Potter was a hero and all anyone would talk about on the train home. She was excited to get back to London and hoped her mother had booked a portkey back home ASAP. She was starting to desperately crave New York pizza and a bagel.