There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them. For the young Newt Scarmander and Leta Lestrange, a new student and a Care of Magical Creatures lesson is what sparked a new friend.
Octavia Smith was once a Ravenclaw fourth year, but after a tremendous amount of bullying and thus the fall of her grades, she was requested to drop into third year. Unfortunately, most of Ravenclaw house didn't like her, and so she was forced to find friends in the others. To add more to her troubles she wasn't the social type either, and decided that if she was to reach her goals she'd be better off to do it alone. However, sometimes people who have suffered for a long time are given some light and luckily for Octavia, this came in the form of one extraordinary Hufflepuff.
"Now, who can tell me, what this is?" The Care of Magical Creatures professor gestured to a thick brown worm, with both ends being indistinguishable from the other.
Two eager hands shot into the air, one pale and freckly with a bandaid over a finger, the other a pale, piano hand. The professor looked from the two students and then settled on the newcomer to the class.
"Yes, Ms Smith?" The other hand dropped quickly and the quiet tones of a girl answered the question.
"That's a Flobberworm sir." She said quietly, unknowing of the boy staring at her with interest.
"Yes, five points to Ravenclaw. Now, who can tell me what the preferred diet of the Flobberworm is?
Again the same hands were quick to reach the sky, and this time Octavia looked to see who her competition was. A freckled Hufflepuff with reddish-brown hair looked intently at the professor, and she could see he knew the answer too, his bright blue eyes were glossed with the passion for this subject.
"Mr Scarmander?"
"It's lettuce sir, though they will eat almost any other vegetation." He piped up, excitedly.
"Correct, that'll be five for Hufflepuff then," a pleased expression befell the boys face. "Now I want you all to gather in pairs, and draw a diagram. For homework, I want to know the qualities of Flobberworm mucus. You may begin."
The students of the class shuffled with haste to create pairs, some friends being separated but all the same everyone was happy with whom they were working with. And yet, in all that haste, it was evident that no one from both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw wanted to be in a pair with the two students who answered the questions before.
"I guess that leaves the two of us..." The boy from before said meekly from underneath his fringe.
"I suppose." Octavia replied, and yet refused eye contact.
"You're the only person I've met that likes this subject. I'm Newton, but um... Call me Newt." He held out his freckled hand and waited for the girl to shake it.
Octavia looked at it apprehensively, though finally gave him the delayed handshake, before selecting a Flobberworm for them to draw. Though the two drew in silence but with complete effort and care, Newt couldn't help but be intrigued by the girl he sat beside. He had never seen her before, so she was clearly new, but she seemed older and had a resting expression of silent sadness. What was more, she clearly adored this subject as much as he did, her stormy eyes held the same passion as his.
"Are you new? What's your name?" He asked politely, bargaining his social skills.
She looked up at him hesitantly, as though contemplating whether to give him an answer, she breathed out steadily and replied with an air of loneliness.
"I'm Octavia, I use to be a fourth year." She spoke softly and then returned to her quill and parchment.
"Oh, so you already know all this." His voice was filled with a sigh of relief, "I was worried you would be competition."
"I am your competition. I may already know some of this, but it doesn't mean I don't want to know more. I want to be the world's greatest Magizoologist." Her eyes sparkled with ambition, and it was then that he realised he had finally met someone just like him.
She was an outsider like him, a fourth year dropped to third, and just like him she was fascinated by magical creatures. Of course he would soon find her a rival with her extensive knowledge only matched by his own, but there was no doubt that they'd make quite the pair. The only other thing he had to do was introduce her to Leta and the three of them would become the most unlikeliest of friends.
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Just A Smidge (Fantastic Beasts FanFic)
Fanfiction[COMPLETED] Who would think that a Hufflepuff could be friends with a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw, not to mention how they were all outcasts too. The unlikely trio, Newt, Leta and Octavia and their friendship is sure to haunt them for an eternity, as...
