Zin tipped her head to the side, noticing the blush that had stained the Slytherin’s cheeks. She wondered why he was embarrassed, it was like he was the one who had fallen and was now caked in mud, although Zinnia supposed maybe it was secondhand embarrassment. He yanked his hand back so quickly that she wobbled, but luckily she didn’t fall, which honestly was a win in Zinnia’s book. Sometimes she wished that Hogwarts had a bubble around it so they wouldn’t have to deal with the weather. She did enjoy spring most of all.

Zinnia’s lips parted like she was surprised he wasn’t headed to Care of Magical Creatures, but then again he probably wasn’t in her year, so it made sense. “That’s very kind of you,” she said after a moment, choosing to focus on the offer rather than the sting of his tone. “Thank you, Olixander. Really.” Zinnia was skipping over the formalities of using last names, but then again that was the best part about Hogwarts, befriending people before debuting.

She looked down at herself with a tiny, rueful sigh. The entire side of her skirt was smeared with mud and she was pretty sure her shoe was filled with it too. Zin tried to brush some of the mud away, only managing to spread it thinner across the fabric. Her nose wrinkled, but she was smiling; embarrassed, yes, but also faintly amused by her own misfortune. It happened to her quite often.

Zinnia picked her books up before her gaze drifted up to Olixander again. She fell in line next to him. “You’re in Slytherin, right? I always thought your common room must be so quiet down there by the lake.” His robes were a dead giveaway but who knew. Maybe he was borrowing them from a friend.

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   Olixander Blackwood