Walking into the greenhouse usually brought her peace.
Today, not so much.
It was the same as every other year. Weeds to pull. Potion ingredients to harvest. Plants to treat. Seeds to sow. Usually she couldn't wait to get her hands in the dirt. Today she wanted to scratch her name off the Hospital Wing signup sheet and crawl back into the Gryffindor common room to sulk.
"Ugggggh!"
This was her last year at Hogwarts, and she couldn't find it in herself to care.
The expectations were still there. Good grades. Pass her NEWTs. Be the perfect representative of both the Nordstrom and Zdravkova families. A year ago she would've rolled her eyes, muttered something rude under her breath, and done whatever she wanted anyway.
Now... Now it wasn't so simple.
She had a headache from trying to sort through everything rattling around inside her mind.
The etiquette course had changed more than she'd ever expected. It wasn't just which fork to use or how to greet a duchess without embarrassing herself. It was a whole new way of thinking. A thousand little expectations she'd never noticed before.
The worst part? Some of it had actually been... Fun.
She grimaced.
Not that she'd ever admit that aloud.
Then there had been the garden party. Beautiful weather. Beautiful decorations. Wonderful food. Everything had been perfect. Until Liliya had casually informed her that after the wedding she wouldn't be moving into a house somewhere with Drago.
She'd be moving into Harewood House. She hadn't even realized she'd been carrying that dream until someone took it away.
A little house. A garden. Just her... and Drago. Maybe children one day.
Much, much later.
Instead she'd be living under Oleg's roof. The thought still made her stomach twist.
Her outburst hadn't gone over well. Oleg had made certain she understood exactly what was expected of her. Ever since then, everything had felt... dark.
The excitement she'd finally started feeling about marrying Drago had become tinged with fear. It was easier when he was standing beside her. He somehow made all of it seem manageable. But he wasn't here now. He'd graduated. There would be no persistent Russian finding her in the greenhouse.
And Hogwarts now felt emptier without him.
sigh
A sound behind her pulled Matilda from her thoughts. Blinking, she turned toward the greenhouse entrance, forcing herself back into the present. A small smile finally appeared.
"Hey there." She brushed the dirt from her hands onto her apron. "Here to help me get this place back into shape?"
Today, not so much.
It was the same as every other year. Weeds to pull. Potion ingredients to harvest. Plants to treat. Seeds to sow. Usually she couldn't wait to get her hands in the dirt. Today she wanted to scratch her name off the Hospital Wing signup sheet and crawl back into the Gryffindor common room to sulk.
"Ugggggh!"
This was her last year at Hogwarts, and she couldn't find it in herself to care.
The expectations were still there. Good grades. Pass her NEWTs. Be the perfect representative of both the Nordstrom and Zdravkova families. A year ago she would've rolled her eyes, muttered something rude under her breath, and done whatever she wanted anyway.
Now... Now it wasn't so simple.
She had a headache from trying to sort through everything rattling around inside her mind.
The etiquette course had changed more than she'd ever expected. It wasn't just which fork to use or how to greet a duchess without embarrassing herself. It was a whole new way of thinking. A thousand little expectations she'd never noticed before.
The worst part? Some of it had actually been... Fun.
She grimaced.
Not that she'd ever admit that aloud.
Then there had been the garden party. Beautiful weather. Beautiful decorations. Wonderful food. Everything had been perfect. Until Liliya had casually informed her that after the wedding she wouldn't be moving into a house somewhere with Drago.
She'd be moving into Harewood House. She hadn't even realized she'd been carrying that dream until someone took it away.
A little house. A garden. Just her... and Drago. Maybe children one day.
Much, much later.
Instead she'd be living under Oleg's roof. The thought still made her stomach twist.
Her outburst hadn't gone over well. Oleg had made certain she understood exactly what was expected of her. Ever since then, everything had felt... dark.
The excitement she'd finally started feeling about marrying Drago had become tinged with fear. It was easier when he was standing beside her. He somehow made all of it seem manageable. But he wasn't here now. He'd graduated. There would be no persistent Russian finding her in the greenhouse.
And Hogwarts now felt emptier without him.
sigh
A sound behind her pulled Matilda from her thoughts. Blinking, she turned toward the greenhouse entrance, forcing herself back into the present. A small smile finally appeared.
"Hey there." She brushed the dirt from her hands onto her apron. "Here to help me get this place back into shape?"
If you tell a redhead
NOTto do something
She’ll do itTWICE
and take pictures....
TWICE
