An American Fangirl at Hogwarts《1》of the ☆Ink and Pixels☆ series Harry Potter

Chapter 5: The Struggle

   "Oh screw it!"

   Madison jerks the knot out of her tie. She tried at least a dozen times to tie the damn thing and it simply looks like trash. Finally, she just says fuck it and ties it in some odd knot before heading down for breakfast, hoping to God there is some coffee. It's gonna to be a long day.

    She enters the Great Hall and weaves through the masses of students, trying to look for a place to sit. She notices a hand waving and isn't quite sure it is for her, until she hears a curly haired brunette call her name. Madison edges closer to where Hermione is seated with Ron and Harry. "Madison, come and sit down. Have you gotten your schedule yet?" Hermione asks brightly.

  "No I haven't where do I get-" Madison is interrupted by a plump woman with short, tightly curled hair sitting under a pointed hat. "Ah it's a pleasure to have you in my house. I am Professor Sprout and here young lady," she said as she pushes a piece of parchment to Madison, "is your schedule. Have a wonderful first day. I will see you in first period for Herbology." And with that she bustles off to hand schedules to the other Hufflepuffs.

     Madison scans over her schedule. "You have Herbology with us first" Ron said looking at her schedule over her shoulder. After Herbology with Gryffindor, she has Transfiguration with Ravenclaws and then in the afternoon she has double History of Magic. That doesn't sound bad. It's a lot better than the classes she took back home. Maybe here she
won't have to dissect a frog or do an unnecessary amount of math. A few seats down, she notices that the twins were conspiring with Lee Jordan about an aging potion.

    She supposed they were going to try to get into the Tournament.

"Today's not bad.... outside all morning," said Ron, his finger was scanning his schedule. "Herbology
with the Hufflepuffs," he began with a little nudge to Madison, "and Care of Magical Creatures... damn it, we're still with the Slytherins..."

    "Double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned with his head down.

   "You should have given it up like
me, shouldn't you?" Hermione said. "Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy."

   "You're eating again, I notice," Ron pointed out. Madison looked to see Hermione adding jam to her already buttered toast.

    When Madison scanned the table, her eyes landed on a little pot with some sort of drink in it. She peered inside, but only found juice.

    "Damn," Madison thought to herself.  She settled and grumpily chewed on a piece of toast.

    "I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights," Hermione shot back to Ron with an air of haughtiness.

   "Yeah... and you were hungry," said Ron smirking.

     Madison was going to ask what she meant about elf rights when she was stopped by a rushing noise of a hundred owls swooping down above their heads dropping letters and parcels to students. She made a mental note to herself to write to her parents. She knows she would never hear the end of it if she forgot. Even if they didn't try writing to her first. 

    When time came for class, the four made their way across the soggy ground to the greenhouses. When they walked in, Madison was immediately distracted by the most disgusting and weird things she had seen in her life (and that's saying something considering  she went to public school in America before this). Professor Sprout says they are plants, but they resemble slugs more than plants. They all had shiny bulbs on them that look like they had liquid inside.

    "Bubotubers," Professor Sprout announced to them. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus-"

   "The what?" exclaimed Seamus Finnigan in disgust.

   "Pus, Finnigan, pus. Which is extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves: it can do funny things to the skin when it hits undiluted, bubotuber pus."

   "This is disgusting." She heard the Gryffindor girl
beside her mutter.
 
"You're right. It's disgusting, but satisfying at the same time." Madison replied.

   "Exactly. I thought I was maybe the only one who thought so, but I'm glad I'm not alone." The Gryffindor with blonde, curly hair responded as the bulb she had been squeezing popped.

   "Trust me you're not," Madison stated as her hands worked on the bulbs.

   "I'm Audrey, by the way"

    "I'm Madison... I would shake your hand, but" she nodded towards her hands squeezing bubotuber pus. "I'm a little, you know, preoccupied."

     Audrey chuckled and the class continued with them lightly chatting back and forth as they popped the fluid filled bulbs. After each little bulb would pop, a thick mucus colored liquid would come out that smelled like petrol. By the end of the lesson all of the students had collected several pints.

    "This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy. An excellent remedy for the most stubborn forms of acne,
bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples."

   "Like poor Eloise Midgen. She tried to curse hers off." Hannah Abbott said in a hushed tone.

   "Silly girl," Professor Sprout said with a shake of her head. "But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end." Madison made a mental note to herself to not take matters in her own hands when her acne gets out of control.

     A loud bell boomed, sending an echo to across the grounds. At this the class separated, the Gryffindors all walked down the soggy, sloping hill towards Hagrid's hut. Audrey waves as she follows her house to class. Madison returns the wave with a smile and joined her fellow Hufflepuffs as they all started up the stone steps towards the Transfiguration classroom.

    As the crowd of Hufflepuffs make their way to class, their path merges with the Ravenclaws.  As she walks, girl beside her stumbles over her own feet and a few of her books slide off of her tall stack.

     Madison stops and reaches down to gather the girl's books. "Here I'll help you." Madison said to the Ravenclaw girl.

   "Thank you" she replies.

   Madison looks at the spines and covers of the books she had in her hand and furrows her brows at them. "I don't remember these being on the supply list," Madison said to the girl.

   "Oh that's because they're mine. I just have them to read for pleasure." She responds.

  "Why do you have four? Are you reading them all at once?"

  "No.... well yes... um kind of. I'm reading one, but I have another in case I finish that one and then another one if I get tired of reading the back up, but I also keep another if I'm not in the mood to read either of those." She explains.

    Madison nods. "That's a good
system you have...?"

    "Sara." the girl finishes, "and thank you...?"

   "Madison."

  "Got it. Thank you Madison. Most people think it's crazy and a little ridiculous."

  "It's only crazy and ridiculous if
you've never dealt with the struggle of finishing a book and not having a book to read or not having enough options."

   "Finally!" Sara exclaims. "Someone finally gets it."

  "Oh, I don't just get it. I've lived it." The girls laugh at the true struggle and make their way to the lesson continuing light chatter along the way.

A/N hey I'm back to those of you still reading this. And I know this chapter kind of sucks sorry, but anyway I'll just leave this here leave comments with feedback it's always appreciated and encouraged just like you!! ... yeah you anyway *shuffles away awkwardly* 💛❤💙💚