Accidents Happen ∙ Garreth Weasley

16 - Bloody mental

"I knew it!"

Natty had a look of triumph on her face once Garreth had recounted his and Lina's kiss, which had happened only minutes ago. He was grinning like an idiot, and Natty rolled her eyes, but smirked at the same time.

"I knew something would happen! I was right! I've been telling you for weeks that you should do something, and you finally listened! I am proud of you, Weasley."

Garreth was repressing a smile. He was in disbelief: Lina had kissed him back! Maybe his unrequited love for her wasn't that unrequited...

"What do I do now though?" He asked. "Cause we're best friends, but I don't know if she wants to stay friends or... y'know... go out? Also, what if it's the amortentia still?"

Natty sighed. "Merlin's beard, Garreth, you are the most stupidly oblivious boy I have ever met!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ask her out!"

~~~

Arithmancy was useless at this point: nothing was going in. All Lina could think about was her red-haired best friend. And how his hand felt cupping her cheek. And the feeling of his cool, blue-tinged lips pressing against hers...

She snapped back to reality, her train kept thoughts stopping suddenly, and she glanced around the dark, musty classroom. What if someone could perform occlumency and read my thoughts? What if they found out about me and Garreth? She panicked.

Despite this, everyone else's heads were down, quills scratching against the scrolls of parchment in front of them, and Lina breathed a silent sigh of relief. She was getting worked up over nothing. With 20 minutes left of the lesson, she picked up her quill and began scratching away at the paper in front of her, memories of Garreth drifting from her mind.

Seemingly moments later, the clock chimed 3, ending the class. Students around Lina began to pack their textbooks away, most of them producing a scroll of paper - the assignment they had for homework. A wave of realisation hit her, and she began to worry again. What was she going to say when she didn't have the work?

At the front of the class, the ancient professor called the students forward to turn in their parchment as they left the room. Lina hung back, rummaging through her bag in hopes she would magically find the homework, sitting in amongst her other papers. Alas, she (rather unsurprisingly) did not find anything, and approached the professor's desk sheepishly.

"Professor, I'm really sorry but I wasn't able to complete your assignment this week," she told him, wringing her hands together and trying not to meet his eye.

"I am disappointed in you, Miss Claud."

"Clarke. My surname's Clarke, sir."

He frowned, his wrinkles deepening into crevices that lined his face. "I'm sure your name is Claud... Anywho, I am issuing you a detention for your failure to complete my assignment." His raspy voice was curt, leaving no room for negotiation. Lina's head hung in shame, and muttered an apology before leaving the classroom.

What was to expect? She didn't do the homework, and the sanction for this is a detention. However, Lina found herself irritated - she rarely got detentions, this being her second since being at Hogwarts (her other was from Professor Sharp, when she smashed a maxima potion which she left in her pocket during a flying lesson).

She left the classroom, which was situated above the rafters of central hall, and the corridor was quiet with only a few students milling about. Lina heard a faint purring behind her, and upon turning around, she saw a brown and cream-coloured cat winding itself around her, rubbing its long fur against her legs. Crouching down to pet it, the cat flopped over onto its side allowing Lina to stroke its belly, the soft, light fur floating off into the air.

"Where did you come from?" She asked quietly as the cat purred louder. Its piercing blue eyes flashed Lina, who practically melted at the sight of them. "You are too cute to be walking about all by yourself," she muttered, giving it a final pat before standing back up and heading off to potions.

GARRETH POV

"It's not unfair - it's my fault I didn't do the homework."

Lina was sat on the potions stool next to me, telling me about arithmancy while I brewed a potion - we had been assigned pair work, but I didn't mind doing most of the work if I was with Lina. Also, I didn't understand how she was so relaxed after our kiss. I was still in disbelief that it even happened, but I was trying as hard as possible to not make it awkward.

"You seem annoyed though," I said, turning away from the cauldron.

"I'm not really, it's just that it's my second detention ever."

She's only ever had one detention!? If I was like that, Aunt Matilda would never be on my back about stupid things like blowing up the potions classroom...

Hold on...

That's a brilliant idea!

I suddenly had a brainwave, and came up with the best plan - it would make Lina's detention less boring, and I would be able to get some time alone with her. How genius!

"Can you pass me the leech juice?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at me in suspicion. "Is that a part of the ingredients?"

"Trust me, Clarke."

She raised an eyebrow, but passed me the bottle of leech juice anyway.

I added a large glob of it, and sprinkled in some lacewing flies- the main ingredients to a good old-fashioned exploding potion. Now for the spider venom...

Pouring in a tiny amount of the venom, the cauldron started to bubble, a foul smell coming off the surface. Foam began to spill out of it in a strange orange colour, and I yelled over to Lina.

"Shit, move!" I called. She froze, and I stepped in front of her just as the potion blew up. There was a loud bang, and I screwed my eyes closed as I felt the heat from the small explosion fill the room.

"Mr Weasley!" I heard bellow across the room, and when I pried my lids open I saw Professor Sharp heading my way.

Oh no.

"You, young man, have just earned yourself a detention! What were you thinking, using leech juice and spider venom in a Focus potion, for Merlin's sake!"

"I, um, read the wrong page, sir?"

Behind Sharp, Lina looked like she was about to burst out laughing, which made me smirk.

"What about this do you find funny, boy?" The professor yelled at me.

"Nothing, sir," I muttered, dropping my head down so I couldn't see Lina, who was silently shaking with laughter.

"Right. Clean this up, Weasley, and Miss Clarke, as you think this is so hilarious, you can help as well." She flushed red, but as soon as Sharp walked into his office we both collapsed into fits of giggles.

"I guess you and I have detention together," I told her once our laughter had subsided.

"Is that why you blew the cauldron up?"

I shrugged. "Maybe." If she didn't get the hint now, I don't know if she ever will.

"You, Garreth Weasley, are bloody mental."

I wasn't mental. Just in love. Or were they the same thing?

Author's note:

I am so so sorry for not updating for 2 weeks! I have been super busy, and have only just found time to write and edit my work - I think a 6 hour car ride is sufficient time to write. Also, because I am on vacation right now, I have had to write on my phone, so I apologise in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors 🫣 Another chapter should be coming soon, I promise!