University of Wizarding Professions

Camelia

"Turn around".

Prudence raised an eyebrow at the text on their screen. They came to a halt and hesitantly peeked behind them. Their face lit up when they saw Luisa frantically waving at them, Elijah walking alongside her and pocketing his phone.

"Good morning!" Luisa chirped as she reached Prudence. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Prudence warmly said. "How about you guys?"

"Exhausted as usual," Elijah yawned. "She kept me up all night, going over her homework a hundred times."

"You could have just left and slept on the couch," Luisa said, sticking out his tongue at him.

"In my own house? I'd rather kick you out."

Prudence chuckled. They hadn't seen their two friends for a week, after they went to visit them for Christmas. Luisa and Elijah had spent New Year's together, and had face-timed Prudence in the process, further reassuring them about the stability of their newfound friendship. They didn't seem to be able to stop bickering with each other, but it was more in an affectionate way than anything else.

"So, any plans for the new year?" Elijah casually said. "Gonna ask Cealin out?"

Luisa quickly slapped his arm, silently hissing at him as the corners of Prudence's mouse slightly dropped.

"I... Don't think that's an option," Prudence said, failing to look amused.

"I was just joking," Elijah said, waving his hand around.

The three friends slowly walked up the small alley leading to the main hall. The trees, still a warm shade of brown when they had left for Christmas holidays, were now completely naked of their leaves. January had just started, but the temperature didn't seem to want to rise up. Prudence envied Hydra, comfortably warm under their scarf and several layers of clothing, while they could feel their ears and nose sting with the cold. They didn't understand how Elijah could wander outside with only a jacket without shivering.

They entered the main hall, and the warmth suddenly enveloped them, making them release a soft sigh of satisfaction. Luisa immediately took off her gloves and scarf, only to drop them on the floor when a yellow silhouette crashed into her.

"Luisaaaaaa merry Christmaaaaas and happy new yeaaaaaaaar!" Niamh yelled as Luisa tried her best to keep her balance after the impact.

"Ha-happy new year- let me go!" Luisa panted, already half-laughing.

Prudence and Elijah glanced at each other, both discreetly smiling. Luisa and Niamh had made up with each other by phone at the beginning of the holidays, but it was good to see Niamh act like nothing had even happened in the first place.

"I got a gift for you!" Niamh chirped, jumping on her spot after releasing poor Luisa from her deadly grip. "And for you! And for you!" she said, pointing at Prudence and Elijah.

Prudence smiled and reached for their bag. They had somehow expected Niamh to be the kind of person to give gifts to everyone she knew, so they had prepared something in return. Elijah, on the other hand, seemed to look mildly embarrassed.

Niamh spun on her heels and jogged to the east wing entrance, where Prudence noticed Jo, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a flashy pink ribbon holding her hair in a loose ponytail. Prudence raised an eyebrow at the accessory, which was definitely clashing with the rest of Jo's outfit, all black as usual aside from her uniform. Jo looked up when Niamh bent down to rummage into her bag next to her, and met eyes with Prudence, who quickly averted their gaze.

Niamh came back to them, jogging, and Prudence noticed what was actually quite surprising: she was wearing a thick black scarf, loosely hanging down her shoulders and grazing the fabric of her flashy yellow tights. Luisa had barely taken off her coat that Niamh shoved a large book into her arms. She then hopped to Elijah and handed him a small bag that fit in the palm of her hand, and then turned to Prudence and gave them a tiny keychain, all made of wool, representing a misshapen sunflower. Niamh eventually took a step backwards, proudly grinning.

"Merry late Christmas everybody!"

Prudence stared at the soft keychain in their palms. Even if it wasn't really symmetrical, they found it adorable. They look up to her and smiled.

"Thank you so much," they softly said. "I love it."

"My lil' sister made it!" she proudly said.

"Which one?" Luisa asked, reading the back cover of the novel she was holding. "It's... Fantasy. Interesting."

"I thought the story was cool and that you'd like it!" Niamh chirped. "Also it's Anna who made the keychain."

"How many siblings do you even have?" Elijah asked, staring at the colourful hair ties that she had given him. Each loop had a funny charm on it representing an animal. "Did they make this too?"

"Nah," Niamh said, "I bought these because I thought your hair looks boring with these black hair ties. These ones are cuter!"

Elijah stared at her, blinked, then let out a heartfelt laughter, untying his braid and re-doing it, this time tying it up with a frog hair tie.

"You got me, I look even more amazing now," he said, flicking his braid over his shoulder. "I'm sorry though, I don't have anything for you. Let's go to the doughnut shop tonight, I'll buy you whatever you want."

"Doughnuuuts!" Niamh yelled, raising both her arms.

"I... I have this for you," Prudence timidly said, handing her a small package. "I hope you like it."

Niamh's jaw dropped, and she tore the gift from Prudence's hands, unwrapping it with an open mouth. She let out a loud gasp at the sight of the two bow-tie shaped earrings inside.

"Jooooooo look!" she screamed, running at Jo and showing her the earrings. "They're tiny cute little bow-ties! And they're yellow!"

"I can see that," Jo simply said.

Niamh chuckled and jogged back to Prudence, taking off her earrings and putting on the new ones. She grabbed Prudence and pulled them into a hug that lifted them above the ground (and choked them half to death).

"I love them!" she yelled.

"I-I'm glad," Prudence panted as she put them back onto solid ground.

"How about you?" Elijah said, turning to Luisa. "Got nothing for her?"

"I already sent her a gift during the holidays," Luisa said. "It was a-"

"Teddy bear!" Niamh cut her. "A yellow one for my collection!"

"Say Niamh," Prudence asked, "is your little sister the one who made this scarf for you?" they said.

"It's unusual to see you wear black," Luisa added.

Niamh happily shook her head.

"It's from Jo! She said I'd catch a cold without a scarf, ain't that cute?"

"I did not say that," Jo yelled from her corner.

"And look, she's wearing the ribbon I got her!" Niamh said, ignoring her. "Pink does suit her, don't you agree?"

"I totally see it," Elijah snorted, glancing at Jo, who glared daggers at him.

"Merry Christmas," Luisa said to her intention. "Sorry I got nothing for you, do you want to head to the doughnut shop with us tonight?"

"I'd rather die," Jo groaned.

"I uhm... I don't have anything for you either," Prudence hesitantly said. They had indeed completely forgotten about her. "Is there anything that you'd like?" they asked, staring at their feet.

Jo raised an eyebrow, glaring at them in silence, and walked towards them, her bag hanging from her shoulder.

"Don't bother, we're not even friends," she sternly said as she passed by them. "I'll see you losers in class."

Prudence blinked, hearing Luisa sigh behind them.

"Don't mind her," she said.

"She's in a bad mood," Niamh said. "Said her holidays weren't great."

"I... I understand," Prudence muttered. "I mean... She's right..."

They didn't know what they were expecting. Jo was definitely not a warm person, but somehow they had hoped that she felt something positive towards them, anything besides despise. But her demeanour kept reminding them of how wrong they were, and it really made them feel sad each time.

You can't be friends with everyone. You should feel lucky to get along that well with so many people in the first place.

"Let's get to class," Luisa said, gently patting their shoulder. "I can't wait to get back to the labs. I have so many questions for Mrs. Reeves! I missed manipulating potions."

"Tch, nerd," Elijah said with a smirk. "I'll head to the amphitheatre. See you guys at lunch!"

Niamh waved at them and ran to the school yard as Prudence followed Luisa to the west wing. She was whistling as she walked, and although Prudence definitely didn't share her enthusiasm towards the class, they were glad to be back to school. Slowly, they were getting accustomed to the rowdy daily life they had with their friends. And they had to admit they loved it, even if the interactions and stress often left them drained and collapsing on their bed at the end of the day.

After a quick "Happy new year's" speech, Mrs. Reeves threw them right back into their potions subjects. Luisa was as invested as ever, always asking tons of questions. She had gotten even better as the semester had gone by, while Prudence had done nothing but fall behind. They were starting to have troubles following the classes, but were too scared of what it meant to say anything about it. Like every class since October, they promised themselves to deeply study when they got home, painfully aware that they would surely put it off for something else.

After four hours of exhausting exercises, lunch break finally came. Elijah was waiting for them when Prudence and Luisa walked out of class, and the meal went on like it usually did. Prudence met Eugene on the way, who gifted them a few Polaroid pictures of winter flowers he had taken himself, making them freeze in awe for several seconds.

As Prudence walked back to the main building with Elijah and Luisa, they spotted a familiar mass of platinum blonde hair in the distance, sending a small jolt of pain through their heart, and a shudder of fear running down their spine when the girl jogged towards them after noticing them.

"Let's head inside," Prudence suddenly urged, earning an eyebrow raise from both their friends.

Elijah glanced at Cealin, who was gesturing at her boyfriend and friends to wait for her, and then at Prudence, hands on his hips.

"I don't think so, pal," he said. "You're dealing with this one."

"Let them do what they want!" Luisa scolded.

"They've been avoiding her for weeks," Elijah hissed at her. "Better take care of this now than later," he said, staring at Prudence.

He grabbed Luisa's wrist and pulled her along with him as he walked inside the hall. Prudence went to chase after them, but froze in defeat when they hear a voice they so cherished reach their ears.

"Prudence!" Cealin panted. "Merry Christmas and happy new year!" she warmly said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"H-happy new year," Prudence said, avoiding her eyes. As they looked away from her face, their eyes met with Seth's, who was staring at her a few dozens of meters away. They felt a cold shiver run down their spine.

"Here, that's for you," Cealin said, handing them a tiny gift. "Don't feel bad if you don't have anything though!" she quickly said. "I just wanted you to have this."

Prudence hesitantly took the small package, feeling Seth's eyes burn their forehead. They slowly unwrapped it, and found a simple yet beautiful pen, with a small flower in a glass sphere at the tip. They looked up to Cealin, who was beaming.

"I... Thank you," they managed to mutter, feeling hot tears burn their eyelids from the sheer amount of contradictory emotions invading their mind.

"It's okay if you don't like it," Cealin said, her smile not faltering in the slightest.

Prudence stared at the pen in their reddened fingers. Of course, they loved it. The object itself was beautiful, and the attention behind it touched them even more. It was a gift from her, a token. Something she had thought of them while buying. And as much as they wanted to feel happy about it, all they could feel was sorrow and frustration, and fear, feeling like Seth was watching each of their movements.

"I... I'm sorry I... I didn't-"

"It's alright, I said!" Cealin chirped. "You were probably short on money, I don't mind."

Truth was, they had gotten something for her, something they had spent half of their savings into, weeks before December even started. Before Seth became such a threat. Before learning that she would never-

"I'll... I'll make it up to you," they managed to say, forcing themselves to smile.

It was like the gift in their bag was pounding against the leather, begging to get out, to reach its rightful owner. They could feel it, but as Seth's silhouette grew bigger and bigger, they couldn't get their hands to reach for it.

"What's taking so long?" Seth softly said, resting a gentle hand on Cealin's shoulder. "You said you only needed a few seconds."

"I was just about done!" Cealin said, a discreet list escaping her lips with every breath. "Come on, don't be rude, say hi!"

"Ah yes, my bad," Seth casually said. "Happy new year, Edelweiss. I hope you had a good holiday."

His voice was soft, warm. Like he was a completely different person, like the murderous cold look in his eyes didn't exist. It took Prudence a few breaths to manage to swallow their saliva and think of a reply.

"T-thank you, same to you," they managed to stutter.

"Let's go," Seth said, gently sliding his arm around Cealin's shoulder and pulling her with him. "It will be warmer inside."

"Wait, I have to ask them for the relay first!" Cealin chuckled.

She turned to Prudence, who was still staring at Seth, their legs frozen, unable to move.

"The broomstick club is participating in the relay inter-school tournament this year," she said. "We passed the preliminary rounds, and we're entering the last race until the national championships. The match is this weekend, I've practised all holidays for this! Will you come?".

Prudence blinked with surprise. Had they avoided her that much, not knowing that such an important competition was coming up?

"I can get tickets for you easily," Cealin excitedly said. "It would mean the world to me if you could come! Oh, and ask your friends too! It's going to be amazing!"

Prudence's lips parted. Of course they would come, they wouldn't miss this for the world! They already couldn't wait to see her race again and celebrate her victory afterwards. They just had to-

Their eyes met Seth's, and all the warmth in their body vanished. Right next to Cealin's beaming smile, Seth's eyes shine with a look that spoke better than his lips.

Don't even think about it.

"I... I'd love to, b-but..." Prudence stuttered, "I-I already have something planned with my family this weekend..."

Cealin's smile faltered in the blink of an eye. It was like shad lost all her light, all her warmth, in a second.

"I see," she breathed out. "Well, that can't be helped I guess," she said, holding up the bravest fake smile, making Prudence's heart shatter. "But you'll come to the next one, right?"

"Of-of course," Prudence managed to say, trying their best not to collapse into tears at her defeated expression.

I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry, I...

"It will be for next time for sure," Seth said, gently nudging her. "Don't pull such a face. It's not like it's the finals, this victory is already in your pocket. You'll be allowed to force everyone to come once you reach the finals," he said, the most loving smile on his face.

Cealin seemed to recover a bit of colour, and her lips stretched in a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Seth. You're right, it's not that big of a deal. But you better come to the finals when we get there, Prudence!"

Prudence nodded, every breath burning their throat. He was able to give her back her smile so quickly, as fast as they had destroyed it. And now she was gazing lovingly at him, chuckling when he pulled her closer to him.

I'm sorry. I love you...

Seth gently kissed her, Celin humming against his lips. It only lasted a second, and she seemed to remember Prudence's presence, lightly blushing.

"Uhm, sorry we should... I have stuff to do in the greenhouse," she said. "I'll see you later, Prudence."

"It was a pleasure seeing you," Seth said as she lead him away, the faint outline of a victorious smile on his lips.

Prudence stood there, frozen, for a few seconds. They felt like their insides were shattered into pieces. Knowing was one thing, but seeing them being so in love was even worse. They didn't know it was even possible.

They eventually managed to move and clumsily walked around the building, and leaned against the west wall, where no one could see them. They weakly dropped to their knees, holding Cealin's gift against their chest.

"Hydra..." they managed to croak.

The tie quickly slithered out of their scarf as the tears escaped their eyelids. Hydra gently nudged their cheek and wiped their tears away as they silently sobbed.

"Thanks," they weakly whispered at the sentient fabric. "I needed that..."

They pulled themselves up. Luisa and Elijah were probably looking for them, and they didn't want them to see them like this. They deeply inhaled and rubbed their eyes, Hydra glancing at them with concern before hesitantly crawling back into their coat.

It surprised them, how though they had become. How quickly they managed to stop crying now. They didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, but it was surely practical.
Not wanting to risk worrying their friends, they quickly jogged to the main hall. They slowed down in surprise when they saw a large group of students huddled in the middle of the hall, loudly chattering and talking.

Curious, they walked closer. These were mostly second and third year botany students, and they were all circling a tall person wearing a black cap, from what they could distinguish.

"Isn't it time for y'all to get to class?" the person chuckled over the small crowd. "I'm stuck here with all of you but I have business here!"

As the students slightly parted, Prudence could distinguish who this person was, and was shocked by how tan she was. It was the middle of winter, yet she looked like she had spent the past months on a beach under the burning sun. She adorned a large ponytail of red hair coming out of the back of her cap, her face, collarbone, legs and forearms covered in freckles and band-aids. Well, forearm would be a better term, for Prudence could see only one, the left sleeve or her oversized tunic empty and knotted at the tip, swaying with her energetic gestures. She was dressed like in summer, wearing a very short pair of overalls, so short that the pockets were visible on her bare thighs. Her shoes looked like they had seen hell and beyond, and she didn't look the least affected by the cold.

"C'mon, shoo," she said, gesturing at the students with her only hand. "I'll see y'all at 3PM, you know I got people to see!"

The students chuckled and waved at her, scattering. The woman rest her hand on her hip, looking around, her long red hair moving back and forth with her gesture.

"Well, I lost Pams again... Hey, you!" she suddenly called, making Prudence flinch as they realised she was calling them.

She jogged at them, widely smiling. She radiated with energy and confidence, making Prudence feel intimidated despite her friendly behaviour.

"Have you seen a short woman with glasses running around? I think she went to the administration, but I'm not sure..."

Prudence shook their head, making the woman raise an eyebrow.

"Not a talkative one, huh? Anyway, got any idea where the botany teachers are at? I'd rather avoid roaming the entire campus for them."

She definitely looked like it wasn't her first visit. She was so tall, she had to bend down to reach Prudence's eye level, her pointy nose almost touching Prudence's forehead.

"They... They should be in their office, for all I know," Prudence stuttered.

"Hm," the woman hummed, leaning away from them. "One last thing, you wouldn't happen to know someone called Prudence, would you?"

Prudence blinked several times, now definitely confused.

"That... That would be me."

The woman's face lit up, and she suddenly outstretched her hand at them with a wide smile.

"What a coincidence! Pleased to meet you, I'm Camelia, you can call me Cam."

Prudence stared at her hand in surprise, barely registering it in time before she pulled it away, already walking towards the school yard.

"Let's get to Lycaste together, alright?" she excitedly said. "He told me a lot about you over the phone yesterday. Said I absolutely had to meet you, well that's done now."

She walked out, and Prudence hesitantly followed her. She seemed unbothered by the scathing cold despite all of her exposed skin. She walked in silence for a few seconds, then spun on her heels and started walking backwards, staring at them with visible interest.

"So, what's your story kiddo?"

The question seemed so silly that Prudence momentarily forgot all sense of politeness or timidity and simply replied:

"What's yours?"

Camelia chuckled, sliding her hand into her pocket.

"Right answer. Well, I'm a botanist, to start with."

"You are?" Prudence asked, their face lighting up.

"Hm-hm," Camelia nodded. "Say, you're not a botany student, right? Ever heard of me?"

"Not once," Prudence truthfully said. "But I'm curious now."

Camelia grinned and slowed down so she could walk beside them.

"I'm a former student of this school," she said. "The botany students usually know me, I visit every year or so. Although I usually come by earlier in the year, my plans just... Got in the way. So now it's a complete surprise!"

"For... Mr. Lycaste?" Prudence timidly asked.

"Bingo," she said, winking. "He's the one who gave me my vocation, so I visit him every year. I didn't warn him this time, I can't wait to see his face when he sees me."

She giggled at herself, and Prudence caught themselves smiling. She seemed quirky, but also so interesting it was almost physically itching.

"Do you have a speciality?" they asked, curiosity shining in their eyes.

"Jungles," she said. "I'm just back from South America, crazy specimens you find there. You like tropical plants?"

"I... I find every kind of plant interesting in their own way," they softly said.

"I can see why he kept rambling about you," Camelia chuckled. "A sentence like this is enough to make him explode."

The two of them were reaching the greenhouse now. A few botany students walked out, including Eugene, and Camelia hopped at them and proceeded to ruffle the chubby young man's hair.

"Dang Eugene, you grew taller or is it just me? Nice haircut, Alice." she said. "I'll see you guys in the afternoon, for now I gotta greet the old men."

The students happily walked away, Prudence awkwardly waiting a few meters away. Camelia jogged back to them, widely smiling.

"I love the botany students here. So lively, so curious. I've met such slugs in America, you wouldn't believe it."

She firmly knocked on the botany teachers' door, and Prudence waited behind her, still unsure about why she wanted them to come with her. The door quickly opened, revealing Mr. Strelitz, whose eyes slightly widened in surprise.

"Happy new year!" Camelia shouted as she jumped in his arms.

Mr. Strelitz stumbled backwards, furiously blinking, quickly recovering his composure and awkwardly patting her back.

"Hum, happy new year, miss Oncidium," he said. "Your visit is quite... Unexpected."

"I know," Camelia said as she released him, widely grinning. "Still as uptight as ever, I see. Where's your boyfriend?" she said, shamelessly peeking outside the office.

Prudence gasped at her words, and Mr. Strelitz simply slapped her behind the head, not looking as furious as Prudence expected him to.

"I already told you not to mention this," he hissed. "He's inside the greenhouse. Ivy!" he called, not giving Camelia the chance to scream at the top of her lungs as she looked about to.

The door to the greenhouse opened and Mr. Lycaste's head popped in, a few dead leaves stuck into his hair as always.

"Yes dear?"

Mr. Strelitz brought a hand to his forehead at the obviously affectionate reply, but didn't get any chance to scold his colleague. Mr. Lycaste burst into the shack when he saw Camelia, and the woman jumped into his arms with a loud yell. Mr. Lycaste spun her around, both laughing like children, Mr. Strelitz leaning against the wall and massaging the area between his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mr. Lycaste asked as he let go of the younger woman. "I though you were in the Amazon rainforest!"

"Was until yesterday," Camelia said. "Thought I'd come by and say hi."

"And I assume you haven't given your poor assistant any rest," Mr. Strelitz said with an exasperated tone.

"She's fine, she's in the building somewhere," Camelia said, grabbing a chair and sitting down. "So, what's new? Oh, I met your new favourite student as I came in- hey Prudence, come in!"

The two teachers turned to the door, where Prudence was awkwardly standing. They timidly raised a hand.

"H-hello sirs," they said. "Happy new year."

Mr. Strelitz bowed his head in silence, and Mr. Lycaste widely smiled at them.

"Happy new year, Prudence. Come inside, it's warmer!"

Prudence hesitantly shuffled inside, curling up as they walked past Mr. Strelitz.

"So, Prudence, tell me a bit about you!" Camelia said. "He wouldn't shut up about you. What have you done to earn such praise?"

Mr. Lycaste chuckled, and Prudence's entire face turned crimson. They had no idea they were mentioned in such a light by the teacher.

"I-I... I didn't do much... I..." they stuttered.

"Don't be modest," Mr. Lycaste said. "They saved their friend from a shark dionea," he casually said, "and they've been outstanding in the few exercises we've had them do."

"A shark dionea?" Camelia said. "Cool! Any other badass feats like that?" she said, her eyes shining with interest.

"They found a mirror lily in the forest," Mr. Lycaste proudly said.

"Tamed an arachne," Mr. Strelitz muttered from his corner.

"An arachne?" Camelia exclaimed. "How in hell did you guys get your hands over an arachne?"

"That was an accident," Mr. Lycaste groaned, massaging his forehead. "Why are you even mentioning it? We said we wouldn't-"

"I thought miss Oncidium would fidn it exciting," Mr. Strelitz simply said, almost immediately confirmed by Camelia's storm of questions towards Prudence.

"That's amazing! How did you do it? How did it get in? Did you get bitten?"

"Of course they didn't get bitten," Mr. Lycaste grimly said. "I wouldn't have let that happen."

Camelia brutally calmed down, leaned away from Prudence and flashed the teacher a soft smile.

"Of course you wouldn't."

A heavy silence settled down, and Prudence fiddled with the edge of their coat, not knowing what to do or say. Thankfully, Camelia seemed to be used to these kinds of situations and loudly slammed her palm against her thigh.

"Well then! Guess the bell's gonna ring pretty soon, isn't it?"

She stood up, readjusting her cap on her head.

"I'll leave you guys alone for now, but I expect to be invited for dinner! Oh, and Pams too, she'll help you cook," she said to Mr. Strelitz, seemingly oblivious to the vein popping on his temple.

"It will be a pleasure," Mr. Lycaste soflty said. "Still allergic to seafood?"

"You won't make me believe you eat seafood," Camelia chuckled. "I'll accompany this little fellow to their class, alright? I'll wander around 'till the end of classes."

"Don't make a ruckus," Mr. Lycaste playfully said, "or Adonis and Gregory will have my head."

"Oh, I should say hi to them!" Camelia exclaimed. "Grumpy grandpa and grumpy grandma."

Prudence timidly followed her to the door, still pretty convinced that she could have done very well without their presence.

"See you later, Prudence," Mr. Lycaste warmly said. "Oh, and Camelia?"

"Hm?" the redhead said, bending backwards to look at him upside down.

"Watch your mouth," he gently said.

"You got it teach'," she said, winking. "C'mon Prudence, let's be off!"

Prudence hesitantly glanced at the teacher, and followed the strange botanist back into the school yard.