First Class (Tag Ravenclaws and Gryffindors)

Belle smiled towards Evaine and Valerie. "Both of you are right. Five points for Ravenclaw each. Very good." She turned to the other students. "Mandrake roots have been very useful when performing surgery, since a usual spell only knocks somebody out for a short amount of time. Of course, what mandrakes are most famous for, besides their anesthetic properties, are the high-pitched screams they give out whenever they're pulled from the ground. The shriek of an adult mandrake can kill a person, but don't worry. We're dealing with very young ones today, so their shrieks can only knock you out for a few hours. But, that's what we have these for." She held up a pair of earmuffs. "If you put these on correctly, you'll be able to handle mandrakes with little problem. Put yours on, quickly please, and I'll offer a demonstration first before you attempt to re-pot your own mandrakes."

Evaine smiled to herself happy that she got something right in this class for once. Glancing at Jim smiling she saw he was trying to hide his face. Is he thinking about her smile turned into a little frowned as she payed attention to the teacher again lessening to what she had to do. Maybe kissing Jim wasn't the best thing she didn't regret it but it seemed to be effecting their friendship in some way. "Val stop teasing Jim please.." she said quietly, putting her gloves and earmuffs on.

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Val danced around "yay 10 points for us!" she giggled, twirling around in her seat. "Awwee Jimmy is thinking about Evie's sweet soft lips." she giggles even more, hugging Jim quickly as he tried to hide his blushing face. "Val stop teasing Jim please.." Evaine said as the blonde pouted seeing that it hurt the raven-hair teen "Oh okay." she said, putting her gloves and earmuffs on

Jim made a little choked noise at Valerie's statement. Did she have mind-reading abilities or something? That had, in fact, been the very thing he was thinking of. And Valerie bringing them up seemed to make them more vivid in his mind for a moment. He felt himself staring at Evaine for a moment, noticing how her hair shone in the sunlight, how her lips pursed as she pouted, how serious her eyes looked when she looked at Valerie. Jim hurriedly looked away, feeling his face got hot again as he reached for his earmuffs. Maybe I should just let the mandrake knock me out so I can get out of here, he thought. But, he couldn't do that. He wanted to see the second half of Evaine's gift. He sighed as he put his earmuffs on. This was going to be a long class.

Evaine sighed her fingers tapping on her knee thinking about everything last night. Badly wanting this class to hurry up and end so Val would stop teasing Jim, like he was even thinking what she said. Was he? No they are just close friends nothing more can come between them she got it loud and clear from the source. Glancing down at her bad she couldn't wait to see the look on Jim's face when she handed him his second half of the gift but mostly wanted to see how he thought about the picture she drew. This is going to be a looong day. she thought as this was just the first of many classes and no telling if Val would be in any of them.

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The Ravenclaw pout seeing that something must have happened between them. Jim was acting... weird that ever and Eva seemed upset about something? All she asked if he was thinking about her lips and he turned into a tomato. Did they kiss? she thought then looked at Brie smiling at her before turning towards Miss. mallery "so what do we do now?" she said.

Belle looked over the students for a moment. It looked like everyone had their earmuffs on securely. She smiled a little at Valerie's enthusiasm. "Alright, what you're doing to do, is grasp the stem of your mandrake firmly..." She showed the class, her hand tightly gripping the plant. "And pull it straight up, hard." She did just that, jerking the mandrake out of the pot. Immediately, it let loose a high-pitched wail as its little arms and legs jerked around like an unruly child, flicking dirt here and there. Hopefully, nobody would pass out if their earmuffs were on correctly. "Be sure to keep your grip firm as you put the mandrake in the other pot," she said, placing the squirming plant inside. "There's dirt inside already, but you need to cover it up completely until it settles down." She reached into the previous pot and scooped a generous amount of dirt on top of the mandrake until it finally stopped squirming, and screaming. "Alright, now you all try it. Remember: Grasp firmly, place in pot, cover it up."

Evaine watched as Belle jerking the mandrake out of the pot. Immediately, it let loose a high-pitched wail. Covering her hands over her earmuffs making sure it was on correctly. Luckily she didn't pass out. Eva kinda thought it was cute, seeing it looked like a little baby. Once Miss. Mallery was done and it the plant stopped squirming, and screaming, she told the other students to do the same. Eva bit her lip not wanting to miss this up on her first try, her hands tightly gripping the plant. Taking slow deep breaths she jerk, bot not so hard she was being gentle, the mandrake out of the pot. It let loose a high-pitched wail as its little arms and legs jerked around, she grinned her teeth placing it in the pot. Evaine scooped a generous amount of dirt on top of the mandrake until it finally stopped squirming, and screaming. She sighed, taking care of a baby was easier than this.

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"Yes ma'am!" Val said after Belle showed then what to do. The blonde's hands tightly gripping the plant and jerked the mandrake out of the pot. It let loose a high-pitched wail as its little arms and legs jerked around, she smiled seeing the little plant kicking it's tiny legs and placed it in the pot. Valerie scooped a generous amount of dirt on top of the mandrake until it finally stopped squirming, and screaming. "Done." she smiled,

Brieanne put on her earmuffs, tapping her fingers on the table. Her thoughts were elsewhere at that moment. She wondered how little Everett was faring up there in the clouds, how he was being taken care of.. It hurt her to know her son was gone, and it hurt her even more to know she couldn't take care of him where he was. She always prayed for him, though.. she never stopped doing that, even after his death.

After Miss Mallery explained what to do, she looked down at her own Mandrake plant, lightly grasping the root of the plant and jerking it up, studying it as it started wailing, her eyes tearing up as she thought of baby Everett. She heard his wails and gurgles so many times while he was alive.. she still heard them. Brie quickly placed it in the other pot, piling on dirt until it screamed no more.

Sighing, she moved a bit in her chair, the not-yet-fallen tears stinging her eyes.

Okay, I can do this. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. Jim grasped the mandrake stem firmly with his hand, holding the end of the pot with the other. He pulled as hard as he could and the mandrake plant slid a little too easily out of the pot, making him stumble backwards slightly. "Ugh, that's a face only a mother could love," he muttered, looking at the squashed face of the mandrake. He didn't know how some people could find them endearing. He struggled to put it in the other pot though, as the mandrake kept flinging dirt in his face. Even though he scooped generous amounts of dirt on it, it still twitched and moved around. "Get in there, you," he growled as he packed dirt in with both hands, shoving it down on top of the mandrake. Finally, it stopped squirming. He sighed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Herbology never suited him well. He always left the class feeling sweaty and grimy by the time it was over.

It seemed like all the students did fairly well this first day. At least none of them had passed out like last year. That had been a rough first day. But all of them were still standing on their feet, with various amounts of dirt on them. Valerie seemed to be the only one proud of herself. Belle smiled, appreciating her enthusiasm. Maybe she had found another Herbology lover? "Alright everyone, this concludes our class today. All of you did very well, considering that mandrakes can be very stubborn and moody when being repotted. For homework, I would like each of you to write a short essay, only a paragraph or two, about a famous instance when the mandrake root was used. You'll find many sources at the library, but if you're having some difficulty, you can always stop by the greenhouse. I"ll be here for most of the day. Be sure to hang up your smocks, put away your gloves, and wash yourselves up a bit before you leave the greenhouse. You'll find a fountain where you can wash off any dirt that's got on you." She glanced over at Evaine. "Miss Moonblood, you wished to speak me?"

Evaine threw her bag over her shoulder as everyone started heading out towards the door "Miss Moonblood, you wished to speak me?" asked Miss. Mallery. "I'll catch up with you soon Jim." she waved at him, seeing him walked out of class before turning her attention towards Belle. "Um yeah.. I think.. I found out who i... Love.. it's Jim.." she said blushing deeply "And um... we kissed.."

"Oh, um, okay." Jim rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what Evaine was going to ask Miss Mallery about. But he shook his head, telling himself not to worry about it. She probably just needed help with the homework assignment or something. Maybe she would ask which section of the library she should look. Yeah, that was probably it. Jim assured himself on that fact as he left the greenhouse.

Only a few seconds passed before the rest of the students cleared out and Belle and Evaine were alone. For a moment, she thought about shelving the potted mandrakes as she spoke with the young girl, but when she saw how serious she was, and how important the matter was to her, she decided that giving this her full attention may be the best option. "I wondered if you decided to go for him. It seemed like Miss Boleyn and Miss Devereaux think you two look cute together already." She gave a little chuckle. "So, how did the kiss go, if I may ask? Did he return it?" It was kind of hard for her to picture Jim, such a shy boy, being romantically involved with somebody, but maybe he was different around Evaine.

"yeah tell me about it.. I think they are going to make an Jim and Evaine fan club. Next thing you know they will smash our names together to form some couple name." she lightly giggled at the thought about that. But she got pretty annoyed and upset about Val teasing Jim about him wanting to kiss her, thinking about her lips. Like he even was or was he?. "So, how did the kiss go, if I may ask? Did he return it?" Eva bit her lip "well I um.. asked if i could talk to him alone and he took me to his room.. I told him about.. leroy my ex.. he almost raped me." tears formed in Evaine's eyes just thinking about it scared her. "He tried to calm he down when i broke down crying in front of him for the first time, but i could tell he wanted to rip Leroy apart." Taking two slow deep breaths "after calming down a bit, he started talking about how pretty i was even throw i looked like a mess but he said "Because no matter what you look like on the outside, you're still the same kind, funny, strong Evaine that I know on the inside. And smeared makeup or red eyes isn't going to change that in a heartbeat"." she said smiling to herself "then one thing led to another and i kissed him and um yes... he returned the kiss."

"He what?" Belle hadn't heard about that yet. No wonder Leroy and Emily had been fighting so much in her earlier class. They had been talking about Evaine! "No wonder Emily hates his guts," she muttered. "Well, at least you don't have my class with him. But Evaine, mark my words, if he does it again, you come tell me and I'll make sure he receives punishment. Hogwarts is supposed to be a place of safety, not fear." She was a little surprised to hear Evaine say that Jim had gotten so mad. She had never seen Jim express that much emotion. Then again, he and Evaine were close. Of course he would get angry if his best friend was almost raped by somebody. "Mmm, so he did? Well, I guess that can be considered a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your situation. Do you consider it a good thing?"

"Oh man Emily was in the same class as Leroy.' she sighed the thought about it scared her "well if it wasn't for Emily helping out.. he would have raped me and I would probably not be myself anymore.." she said tapping her fingers against the table. Glancing up at Belle she nodded "Will do.. I just wished there was a place i could go to be safe. Not living in fear all the time.." sighing even more, Eva felt like crying once again. Just one place, to feel safe was that so hard to ask for? "I think it's a good thing but... Jim freaked out... So i don't know if he has feelings for me or just see's me as just a friend.."

"Don't worry about Emily, I'll keep an eye on her," Belle promised. "She'll be safe in my class. Very brave girl for someone as young as her. I'm surprised she wasn't put in Gryffindor." She gave a little laugh, hoping to lighten up the situation a bit. Although she did feel sorry Evaine. Poor girl had an abusive mother at home, a crazy ex-boyfriend at school. She had it bad at both places. "Well, at least here, you have your friends to stick by you," she said, putting a hand on Evaine's shoulder. "And if you need me to accompany you someplace so Leroy doesn't jump you, feel free to ask me. I'm always happy to help." She gave a little chuckle. "Well, boys can be a little fickle about their feelings sometimes," she said. "They're taught from a young age not to express them. I advise giving him a little time and a little space. He probably needs to think things over a bit. Then, once some time passes, you can talk to him alone and ask him straight-up what he thinks. I think a direct approach might be good in this situation. Then again, I've had more experience with romance novels than actual lovers."

"Yeah she is pretty brave, wish i was like her at that age.' she said lightly giggling. Thinking about the full moon Emily has been scared since but yet still brave after all that's happened. Whipping her teary eyes she felt Miss Bell place her hand on her shoulder. Turning her head she looked up at her, flashing a warm smile "Yeah, i no longer feel empty inside that much anymore. I still kinda feel empty because of what i go threw but now i have friends that has my back." she smiled brightly "I will and i know if he tries messing with me I know who to run if i need help.". Belle was starting to feel more like a mother towards eva, she would do to her ask for advice about boys, tell her all her fears unlike her real mom who beats her up. Felling that she has no love for her own daughter. "Why do boys have to be go difficult why can't they he like the guys in your books. All romantic and sweep you off your feet riding into the sunset and all that jaz." she giggled

Belle felt a little sad at hearing Evaine had some emptiness inside her. That was never good for anyone, especially for someone so young. "Well, let's hope that somebody here can fill that emptiness inside you," she said. Maybe Jim was the one to do it, if he returned Evaine's feelings. She gave a little laugh. "Well, that's the thing about romance novels. They portray men the way women wish they would behave: charming, daring, brave, passionate. Life may not be like that, but it still has many good things if you look for them. And who knows, maybe you and Jim will ride off into the sunset on a broomstick." She giggled.

Evaine's fingers tapped against the table again "I would like that.." she mumbled, hating to feel empty inside for all the years not having anyone to be happy around with. Not until this year but she still felt that same dark hole in her heart and Leroy was just making it grow. Every time he gets his hands on her. Eva giggled slightly "Sounds like in the books men are easy to handle than the ones in rl who can be real jerks. or sweethearts that are scared." she twirled her hair between her fingers, blushing that Miss. Mallery's last comment.

"I know it can seem that way," Belle said, knowing how Evaine felt. It seemed like most of the men she met were that way as well. Even though she had told Dean that she was content with what she had, she secretly wondered if she was destined to live out the rest of her life alone. The very idea frightened her, so she tried not to think about it too much. "But trust me, you'll find somebody, whether it be Jim or someone you haven't even met yet. There are a lot of possibilities out there, you just have to be open to them."

Evaine looked over at Belle still wondering how no one has asked her to marry her. Belle was nice and sweet, prefect wife and would be a wonderful mother one day. Eve use to tell herself she was fine being alone. it was better than getting hurt all the time, having to deal with her mom. Yet now after spending so much time with Jim, Brie, and Todd. Plus Emily was like a little sister to her, she never wanted to be alone.. feeling empty all the time afraid to let anyone in.

Belle smiled, happy to see that Evaine was feeling a little better, at least. She hoped that the girl could sort her love troubles out soon before things got too out-of-hand. She didn't deserve anymore hardships. "Is that all you wanted to talk about, dearie? Or did you want to catch up with your friends? I believe you mentioned to Jim about giving him a present of some sort."

Evaine jumped up quickly throwing her bag over her shoulder almost forgetting about the gift she had for Jim "Oh crap he must think i forgot about him." she sighed rubbing her forehead before she ran up to Miss. Mallery hugging her tightly "Your almost more like a mother to me than my own mom." she mumbled, smiling to herself. Pulling away from the hug she pulled a few strands of hair behind her ear "So I'll see you tomorrow Miss. Mallery, bye." Evaine smiled at her before walking out of the greenhouse and running to catch up to Jim.

"Oh don't worry, I doubt he's the impatient type," Belle said, laughing. She hugged Evaine back, smiling at the compliment. "I'm just glad I could help you out. That's what teachers are for, after all." She waved back at her as she dashed out of the greenhouse. She was still smiling as she started shelving the potted mandrakes.

((so when we do another plot with Jim and Eva alone say she gives him the other half then?))