𝗽𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 | 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀

After her eventful summer, Cherry was quite glad when the 1st of September rolled around, even if it did mean the start of her seventh year at Hogwarts. The endless free food, the cheerful school atmosphere. . . it was all a welcome change after her summer's bleak tone. However, the joy she felt upon returning to the cheerful school atmosphere couldn't completely shake off the melancholy that had blanketed her. With the death of her parents, the looming influence of the Dark Lord and her entanglement in a dangerous web of deceit, well. It was a lot, even for a sixteen-year-old.

"Cherry! It's your turn to conference with Professor Sprout," Dorcas says, walking out of Sprout's office. "When you're done, we're going to have a talk, alright?" she adds with a glare.

"I suppose I owe you that much," Cherry admits guiltily, referring to how radio-silent she had gone in August. With everything going on, Cherry didn't know how she would be able to keep up appearances and act normal, despite how utterly stressed and afraid she had been the whole time.

But she couldn't tell Dorcas that.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I wasn't doing it on purpose," she says softly.

Dorcas sighs, "I know how you get," she says rolling her eyes playfully. "I've been your friend since you were eleven. I know you wouldn't have done it maliciously, it's not your style. But! Later. Don't keep Professor Sprout waiting."

Cherry nods and walks into Professor Sprout's office.

"Ah, Cherry," Professor Sprout beams, "Come in, come in, take a seat, get comfortable!"

Professor Sprout's enthusiasm is infectious, and Cherry can't help but smile softly as she settles on the couch opposite her professor's desk.

"Before we begin, how was your summer, love?" Professor Sprout asks worriedly. "It was all over the news. . ."

Cherry bites her lip, knowing exactly what Professor Sprout is referring to. "It was a bit. . . complicated, you can say, handling that. I thought I wouldn't be upset at all, because of how they treated me but. I guess I still loved them. It's a bit stupid, huh?"

"Not at all," Professor Sprout says softly, eyes full of concern. "No matter how strained your relationship became, it is clear that they once were everything to you—that you were once everything to them. And that alone is enough. Never label your feelings as something stupid. Don't do them the disservice of that."

"Alright, Professor Sprout," Cherry says. "But, um. Enough of the doom and gloom," Cherry says, voice full of faux-cheer. "This was supposed to be about my future career, my N.E.W.T.s and all that, right?"

Professor Sprout doesn't take the bait quite as easily as Cherry hopes, scrutinizing Cherry for a moment before relaxing and responding. "Exactly. Now, you're still interested in wand-making?"

"Yup."

"Excellent. I spoke with Mr Ollivander over the summer, and he's agreed to take you on as a student, provided you take 7 N.E.W.T.s: Ancient Studies, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Herbology, Magical Theory and Potions. Within these, at least four of your test scores should come back as an O, and the rest should be an E."

Cherry pales but nods.

"Are you still going to be taking Defense?" Professor Sprout asks, not unkindly. "I think you'll be able to do it, dear. Seven of your O.W.L.s came back as Os, and you were taking eleven. You're not missing any kind of brainpower here."

"I. . . yes, I'll still continue to take Defense, Professor." Cherry decides, after a moment. It's not like it won't come in handy, with the Dark Lord constantly on her family's case.