[002] one with nature

                                   While most students spent their time in the dining hall during lunch, Chrysanta made her escape to the school's greenhouse. Which was also known as the herbology classroom. She sometimes ate her lunch there but most times, she'd just surround herself with all of the different plants and take care of them. Her herbology professor, Herbert Beery, knew of Chrysanta's love for plants and even encouraged it, allowing the girl to sometimes be in the classroom so she could feel at peace. It was pretty obvious to him that she had no friends due to how reserved and stand-offish she could be. Being surrounded by the magical plants was probably the only thing that brought Chrysanta even a semblance of comfort.

                                   Since everything else pretty much pissed her off.

                                  There was something so comforting about being surrounded by nature and Chrysanta had always felt this way since she was a little girl. Chrysanta was thankful to live around nature back home (even though Chrysanta technically has two homes on account of her parents' divorce, the home with her father, Max, and his new husband, Charles, who was more of a parent to her than her own mother, was the place she truly called home), finding comfort and familiarity in the smell of dirt and the sight of lush greenery. 

                                Chrysanta also held an appreciation for flowers, and not just because she was named after one. Okay, so maybe that was part of the reason. But she absolutely loved flowers and tried to have as many of them as she could. Chrysanta only hoped that her father wouldn't forget to take care of them in her absence and if he did, that Charles would look after them in his place.

                                From the moment Chrysanta wandered inside of the greenhouse, she'd slip on her dragon-hide gloves and get to work on maintaining the plants - ranging from feeding carrots to the Chinese Chomping Cabbage, to watering the Puffapods and Belladonnas, and making sure she didn't lose her hearing from the Screechsnap not too far away. For the rest of the lunch period, Chrysanta spent her time in the greenhouse and closer to when she had to leave, Chrysanta wrapped up. She made sure to leave before Professor Beery decided to show up with his newest class.

                               Besides, whatever Chrysanta didn't finish, she knew she could come back and finish later before she had to go to bed.

                               After classes were over for the day, Chrysanta decided to head back to her room. She (unfortunately) shared a dorm with two other girls, Pandora Ollivander and Raven Bautista. The two girls were pretty, stereotypical Hufflepuffs - well, Pandora was incredibly smart and she had amazing luck with Potions (if Chrysanta wasn't so prideful she'd ask Pandora for help in Potions since she was failing - but then again, she was failing every class that wasn't herbology) which made her more of a fit for Ravenclaw. But still, they were obnoxiously happy ninety percent of the time and Chrysanta hated how they'd never let her sleep peacefully because they were too busy talking and gossiping.

                                Chrysanta would never be able to understand the concept of friendship, of giving yourself to a stranger and trusting them with your hopes, your fears, your dreams, and your secrets. She isn't totally heartless. She loves her two dads more than anything and she'd be prepared to fight for them. But when it came to people her age, she... struggled to really connect with anyone else. There was no one else who was willing to peel back the layers and see Chrysanta for who she was. At the same time, Chrysanta wasn't crazy enough to allow someone.

                               How could Chrysanta beg anyone to stay when all she did was demand to be left alone?

                               Flipping through the slightly tattered and yellowing pages of her botany book, she could hear Pandora and Raven talking inside of their dorm room. It's moments like these where Chrysanta seriously wished that she had her own room. But there was no such thing in having your own room. The enchanted castle had millions of rooms and yet, students weren't allowed their own rooms. It was so unfair.

                              "Xenophilius and I hung out today. He was so much nicer than I thought he'd be. I swear, I was about to swoon when he offered to carry my books for me. No boy's ever done that with me before," Pandora gushes, her legs dangling back and forth as she sat in her bed.

                              All he did was carry your books and you're acting this way? Merlin, that's just pathetic. Chrysants rolls her eyes but the action's thankfully hidden with the book in front of her.

                              "There's no way he doesn't like you. I'm an expert on these things, Panda. I just know the both of you will be going out very soon," Raven assured her.

                            Pandora smiles, although she quickly falters when she looks over at Raven. "What about you?"

                              "Oh, don't worry about me," Raven shakes her head, trying her best to comfort her best friend, "I'll be fine! It's my fault for falling head over heels with boys that I know I can never have. I think I like torturing myself or something."

                              "I'm sure Sirius Black will notice you eventually," Pandora reasoned.

                              Chrysanta almost laughs but that would've been too cruel. It's just that Chrysanta knew all about Sirius Black and she knew that he went through girls like he changed his drawers. Even if he did happen to notice the sweet Hufflepuff girl, Chrysanta doubted that it would ever be more than a mere fling to him.

                              "I don't fancy Sirius anymore. I've moved on to someone else but you're never going to believe who," Raven admits.

                              Pandora's eyes narrow as she tries to think of an answer. Although Pandorw was excellent with potions, she was clueless about reading Raven's mind. "Peter Pettigrew?"

                            "What? No! He's a nice fellow but not really my type. I have a crush on Lucius Malfoy," Raven admits.

                             "You have a crush on Lucius Malfoy?" Chrysanta exclaims. She couldn't believe that out of all the boys in school, Raven had to choose the one who happened to be a gigantic prick. Did Raven seriously not love herself or something? It upset her to think that anyone could like the one boy that Chrysanta absolutely despised.

                              And now that the spotlight was on her, she was going to be speaking her mind.

                              The two girls finally turn around to look at Chrysanta, acting as though she had appeared out of thin air. Chrysanta usually was so quiet that the other two roommates even forgot that she was there. So Chrysanta interrupting their conversation was definitely a first.

                              "Yeah," Raven answers with a nod, "I know that he's from Slytherin and all. But he's so handsome. Have you seen his hair? It looks so soft and shiny and I just want to run my fingers through it. And his voice absolutely makes my knees weak.

                            "He does look like he'd be one of those muggle supermodels in the magazines," Pandora adds.

                              Chrysanta scoffs in disbelief. What the hell was wrong with them too? Did they not see Lucius for the jerk he was? "He's an asshole. How can anyone like him?"

                              "No offense, Chrysanta, but you think everyone is an asshole," Pandora lightly chuckles.

                             "Because they usually are. Besides, do you honestly think that you have a chance with Lucius. You may be a pureblood but you're not rich. His parents already promised him to be married to some snobby, pureblood girl the moment he graduates this school. Your family's not a part of the Sacred Twenty Eight, Bautista. Lucius Malfoy doesn't even know you exist and trust me when I say, it's better that way," Chrysanta continued.

                             Raven looks absolutely crushed. Chrysanta feels a little guilty but overall, she knew that Raven needed the wakeup call. It'd be cruel for her not to say anything and let Raven approach the prefect with her hopes up. Lucius wouldn't be nice when he broke her heart and snapped her hopes in half like a twig. Chrysanta was honestly doing Raven a huge favor.

                             "Oh," is all Raven says, looking down at her hands.

                             "That was entirely uncalled for," Pandora shakes her head, rising to her best friend's defense.

                             "Would you rather me lie to her like you would've?" Chrysanta shot back, shooting Pandora a look that even made her falter.

                             As much as Pandora wanted to assure Raven that she had a chance with Lucius, they both knew that she didn't. Still, Pandora would've found a much nicer way of saying it.

                              "You know, if you keep staying so angry, you'll make yourself older than what you are from all the tension," Pandora responds.

                              "Maybe I like it that way. I want to be an old and lonely hag with no one to bother me. Is that such a crime?" Chrysanta remarks before she goes back to her book, wanting nothing more than to end the conversation. She had already said everything that she needed to and she was ready to retreat back into her shell.

                              Pandora and Raven share a look before scoffing, acting as though they knew something she didn't. Although it rubbed Chrysanta the wrong way, she didn't bother to ask anymore. What the hell did they know about her anyway? Not a damn thing. The two girls thankfully decide to change the subject, talking about their upcoming winter plans. Winter wasn't for a couple more months but according to Pandora, it was always important to plan ahead. By then, though, Chrysanta had tuned out the conversation entirely.

                              During dinner, Chrysanta basically sat on her own. Even though there were students all around her, no one noticed Chrysanta. Raven and Pandora certainly didn't, both of them still pretty upset by Chrysanta's little outburst. Again, Chrysanta wasn't rushing to be friends with them - they were both annoying and had weird taste in boys. And none of them even cared about nature in the first place.

                              As she ate her food, curiosity got the best of her.

                             She looked over at the Slytherin table, spotting Lucius hanging out with his friends. Bartemius Crouch Jr., Evan Rosier, and Severus Snape just to name a few. But there was a beautiful blonde right by his side, a smile on her blood colored lips. Chrysanta immediately recognized her as Narcissa Black, the youngest of the Black sisters known around school for being beautiful and mild mannered. Judging by how close she and Lucius were, Chrysanta could only guess that the two of them were interested in each other. She was exactly the kind of girl he was supposed to be marrying, not Raven Bautista who was too kind and definitely didn't come from a rich background.

                           As though he could feel eyes on him, Lucius glanced right in Chrysanta's direction. She quickly turns away before he could catch her, focusing back on finishing her food. If she ate earlier, she'd be able to stop by the greenhouse one last time to see about the plants before preparing for bed. When Chrysanta did finish, she managed to sneak out of the dining hall unnoticed.

                          At least, so she thought. Unbeknownst to Chrysanta, Lucius had been watching her the entire time while Narcissa kept talking to him about something - Lucius didn't know since he was only half paying attention.

                           Chrysanta didn't feel frightened when she wandered around the dimly lit halls of Hogwarts. Being a prefect, she got pretty used to wandering the halls late at night. And also she knew the way to the greenhouses like the back of her own hand. By the time she arrived inside of the greenhouse, Chrysanta's greeted with the familiar smell of earth and dirt and a smile breaks out onto her face.

                          That's how she knows she's right at home.

( 🌍🪷👩🏻 )

word count: 2040
notes: this is a filler chapter but i wanted to write more about chrysanta with a little hint of lucius sprinkled in between. chrysanta definitely doesn't hold back and that's only going to become more apparent as the fic goes on lmao