A Plant Project PV Wyatt Starkey FIN

"Looks like just fresh air and music," she shrugged, glancing over the paper one more time that she had on the workspace in front of her. It wasn't difficult work, just time consuming...more so than sticking some seeds into a flower pot and calling it a day.

"So why don't we meet out at The Great Lake tomorrow after supper? I'll snag a musical instrument from the practice room and we can give it a go?" The sooner they got that asphodel to grow, the sooner they could move on with the project because Alina was pretty sure she wasn't someone Wyatt Starkey wanted to be spending his time with.

She never quite understood why some people just automatically disliked her but she didn't really mind so much. Their problem, she figured. She would be friends with herself if she wasn't herself.

"I just wish they didn't spring this on us at the end of term with all the other projects, essays, and tests." It was rather cruel of Professor MacTavish really and while she still did enjoy Herbology and she still found the professor to be rather easy on the eyes - this wasn't okay!

Alina noticed one group turn the paper that was handed out over and she sighed, flipping theirs over to see more words but luckily it was really just how to pull the final product together in a sort of research paper and that could easily be done...no new components of the project. "Sound good?" she nodded, collecting her things. "I'll see you there!"

_{At the Great Lake, after supper
Outfit | Shoes}

A day later after supper, Wyatt walked down to the Great Lake and stood by the water holding their plant, just watching the water. If he remembered correctly, Alina would be bringing some instrument from the rehearsal room. Alina was late or Wyatt was early. He wouldn’t know, he never went to supper in the Great Hall. He would usually hide out in the abandoned bathrooms or something, just to get away from all the other witches and wizards at Hogwarts. Not many of them were kind to Wyatt. He wasn’t really kind to them.

He put the potted plant on the rocks and picked up a few flat stones. The Slytherin skipped them, each of them jumped three times only. This stupid project was taking time away from nothing for Wyatt. Alina seemed like one of those popular kids who had something better to do. Maybe she stood him up. Would she still get an A if she never showed up? It would be the first time Wyatt was stood up for anything. Usually he’s smart enough to avoid other people and not go wherever they were asking him to go. It may have kept him from meeting new friends, but he’d been safe from bullies that way.

Without even noticing, he’d been flinging the rocks harder and harder at the dark lake. A few just fell into the water without skipping at all, but the last time he flung a stone, it skipped 7 times. He wasn’t even sure how he did it. He sighed and put his head down. Staring at the plant, he wondered what he should do if Rosier wasn’t coming. Sing to it? Go to the rehearsal room and play it something? That made the most sense. He was seriously debating whether or not to stay and wait and look like an idiot or just go.

_{@Alina Rosier
I literally have no excuse for why this took SO LONG. I'm sorry!}

"Hey," she said softly, approaching. "Sorry I'm late." She didn't have anything with her except for the bag around her shoulder and a gathering of tissues in her hand that she held up just to the right of her eye at the temple of her face. She wasn't even sure how late she was, she just was trying to get to the Lake as soon as she could so Wyatt didn't think she was backing out on her end of the project.

"...I didn't get an instrument," she glanced down, turning away from him so she could move the tissues and check but she was still bleeding so she placed it back. "Not really contributing much to this project, am I?" her voice was apologetic.

She went and sat down in the grass and looked out to the Lake before glancing over to their plant. "I tried to get the instrument but these Fifth Year girls were in the Rehearsal Room and ...and well, I didn't get an instrument. I'm sorry." They had gotten upset at Alina for interrupting their rehearsal. Apparently she had interrupted their studying once in the Study Rooms and they blamed her for bad marks upon their OWLs and one of them felt a physical punishment was in order. She tried to run and dash off but that girl was fast too. The ring on the girl's hand had cut into her skin but she wasn't going to make that the priority right now. They were there for their Herbology assignment and Wyatt most likely didn't care about her bullying encounter.

"My voice isn't good. I don't even know all that many songs. Maybe some Queen or Elton John but that's about the extent of it..." She didn't even know if Wyatt would have any idea who either of those were.

"Hey," she said softly. She hadn’t brought an instrument, but at least she hadn’t stood him up. Though, it seemed that was to be the least of their worries... Despite her somber tone, Wyatt would’ve snapped at the girl if he hadn’t seen a tissue held to the corner of her eye. "Sorry I'm late." Unsure of what to say, he just stood there, scanning her with his eyes trying to understand what happened. This wasn’t going to be good for the project.

Though he knew it was selfish of him for this to be the second thing he did after he looked over the girl, he turned his head and made sure no one else was around who might think he was the one who beat Rosier up. His reputation was already terrible, but he wouldn’t ever want to be known as was someone who hits people. He especially didn’t want to be known as someone who hits women. "...I didn't get an instrument."

Quite suspiciously, Alina turned and took the tissue off, and Wyatt could’ve sworn he’d seen a little blood. "Not really contributing much to this project, am I?" Wyatt assumed his silence was making her feel awkward- he certainly felt awkward himself, but when did he not feel this way? Still, this was no ordinary situation. He wondered if it was his place to say anything. They were only partners for an assignment in Herbology…

“Don’t be silly, you poured the soil into the pot,” he said, as he gestured to the pot on the ground. He bent to pick it up and by the time he was standing again she had started to speak. "I tried to get the instrument but these Fifth Year girls were in the Rehearsal Room and ...and well, I didn't get an instrument. I'm sorry." Wyatt blinked, again unsure of what to say. “Don’t be sorry- we could uhm… we could just sing to it?” That works, he thought.

"My voice isn't good. I don't even know all that many songs. Maybe some Queen or Elton John but that's about the extent of it." At this point, Wyatt was actually concerned. It sounded like these fifth years pushed her around, and she was just changing the subject as if nothing had ever happened? It barely dawned on him that this was what he’d been doing his whole life- letting people push him around. He sighed.

Everything was really quiet for a moment, but Wyatt couldn’t keep doing this. He actually felt bad for Rosier. The project didn't really matter anymore, was this Hufflepuff okay? Who would hurt a Hufflepuff? “I’m sorry, I can’t keep pretending everything’s normal. What happened,” he asked sternly without any expression.

_{@Alina Rosier}

Alina was never one to try and show her insecurities even if she was full of them. That and she really didn't know what to say in the situation. If she told the truth, would the Fifth Year girls just get upset if word got out? Plus, she had never really been hit before by someone other than her grandmother.

And yet, she was a Hufflepuff. Loyal, true. Honest. She couldn't just say she ran into a wall or something so silly. So she decided to try and keep avoiding the subject at hand because after all, they were there for the project. Plus she already had sensed that Wyatt Starkey wasn't her biggest fan from the first day of potting the plant. He surely had bigger and better things to do with his time.

She did smile though, appreciating that for whatever reason he cared enough to ask. She moved the tissue again, ready to stuff it in her bag and be done with it but it was still bleeding and she sighed, placing it back. "Just a bit of a mix up with someone. I can be pretty annoying at times and all." I'm sorry, I would have cleaned up but I was running late already..." she said and cleared her throat, not wanting this to be more awkward than it was.

Back on track. Back to the project.

"So we really only had classical music in my home growing up besides some of our neighbors when they'd visit so, again, I apologize. I really only know Queen and Elton John." She didn't know how much a Slytherin would know of muggle music. As a pureblooded household, she didn't know much at all and wouldn't know any if Elton and his family and Brian May didn't live nearby.

"I can play the piano. Makes me now wish I learned the violin like my sister. That's much more portable anyway if I could have gotten an instrument." There she started. The rambling. She was nervous and it was showing. "...Maybe I could just take the plant? I'll finish the project from here? I won't mention it to Professor MacTavish or anything." She'd make sure he got full credit.

This was getting ridiculous. A mix up, he thought as the girl rambled on about Elton John, piano, and their Herbology professor. A mix up doesn’t leave you bloodied. You get a bruise tops. Blood? No. The girl obviously didn’t want to talk about it, and Wyatt could relate. He knew if this happened to him, he wouldn’t want anyone poking around in his business. But this girl wasn’t Wyatt Starkey… She was Alina Rosier.

“I can’t let you do all the work, it’s not fair.” The Slytherin looked down. He knew if he kept looking at her bloodied face he’d want to ask questions, like how were you cut in a mix up. The way she apologized for not having enough time to clean up made Wyatt feel sick to his stomach. Who would hurt a nice Hufflepuff like that? What had she done to these losers, walk in on them playing instruments? Bastards.

Before he could stop himself, as she rambled on, he blurted out, “Bloody hell, Ros- Alina, you’re bleeding!” He decided to go with her first name so that calling her out would be more personal, even though he didn’t know her very well. Seeing someone hurt made him feel bad, not only because he should’ve been there, but because he could relate to what she was feeling. He saw how stupid it was to pretend you’re fine when you’re not.

“It’s not okay that you’re hurting,” said the Slytherin in earnest. He avoided looking her in the eye. He was pretty bad with people, so he just stared at the ground. Plus, he was embarrassed for blurting out caring words.

_{@Alina Rosier}

She grew quiet at Wyatt's words, knowing from his reputation he usually wasn't one to say something caring. He was right, it wasn't okay but she really didn't know what she could or needed to do about it. She was starting to think she needed to maybe see the nurse because it just wasn't stopping but then that would delay their project further.

"But I'll be okay," she said to him. "I will." She had been okay after any time her grandmother hit her. "Remember, this was to be an easy O. We can just sing or hum even. Then once we're done I can go see the nurse. I think the frog choir has practice in the Great Hall in a little bit. If we didn't want to do the humming or the singing we could set it out on the corridor just outside the entrance and let them do the work."

It wasn't that she really judged him with preconceived notions, but she did have a new respect for Wyatt Starkey. He wasn't going to let her do all the work herself and he seemed a little bit concerned about her. That was pretty nice of him.

Though Wyatt hated the idea, he had to move on if he ever wanted this project to get done. The boy actually felt bad for the Hufflepuff, but it seemed like she was doing fine- minus the bleeding of course. But she was bleeding! But the asphodel! Wyatt was getting a headache… better just to answer the girl and finish the damn project. He didn’t really want to sing. He could deal with playing an instrument, but not singing. Too vulnerable.

“My voice might kill the plant,” not true, but it would be ridiculous to question it. “It might be better we sit back and let the professionals do what they do best- or let the frogs do what they… do.” Out of everything he had come to understand in the wizarding world, the frog choir was the most difficult to get by far. They just sort of burped for 20 minutes and then everyone claps confusedly. Not even the pure-bloods seemed to get it.

With the plant, he started towards the great hall, hoping the frog choir would be practicing soon. The plant was growing a little bit already from what he saw, they didn’t need to take it to a concert. Music has no effect on things that can’t hear. But what was complaining going to get Wyatt? It hadn’t gotten him much in life so far, so he decided to go with whatever his professors told him to do.

_{@Alina Rosier}

He put the plant down and she went and sat with her back against the wall and closed her eyes as she rested her head. After a moment, she removed the tissue again but still bright red and growing more saturated.

Her head was hurting, in more ways than one now. The bruise wouldn't stop and the frog choir was just giving her a headache. "How in Merlin's name can anyway enjoy this?" she muttered and opened her eyes slowly to look at Wyatt who didn't seem too thrilled at the performance either.

"Do you, umm....Do you think we could just leave it here and you could maybe...help me to the third floor? I'm just feeling a little light-headed. If not, I could probably get someone else..." She knew that Wyatt had some kindness in him just for the way he had been concerned earlier but she didn't know if he wanted to be seen helping a Hufflepuff. "I was hoping it would stop bleeding but that's rather umm..." she paused, trying to think of the word. For some reason she wanted to say selfish but no, that wasn't right. "That's rather sel...." she still went to say it anyway but knew it wasn't right. "Fool. Foolish," she said again, correcting herself. "And why they put the bloody Hospital Wing on the Third - the Third Floor is beyond me," she tried to stand up some but fell against the wall.

"I've got uh, a...a condition," she paused, trying to gain back her focus. "Von Willebrand Disease and I need to get to the nurse." She had been losing a lot of blood, the most before she even reached her Herbology partner, and with her body's inability to clot, it would only continue.

Alina spoke up about how awful the frogs were. Wyatt replied with a small “hm.” He was barely listening to Alina. His head was somewhere else. Just thinking. It always helped him pass the time, though he’d been told it was rude. He never cared much for the opinions of anyone in his life, though. No one had ever been so important to Wyatt that he cared what they thought of him. The Slytherin folded his legs and held them against his chest.

Alina started talking again and Wyatt heard the word help. He tuned in then. He listened to Rosier rattle on, and was shocked to hear the girl call herself selfish for bleeding. Just as Wyatt settled on the idea she said the word on accident, she was saying she meant foolish. Wyatt nodded and said, “Yeah, sure. I mean- of course.” The Slytherin straightened his legs and stood up, leaning against the wall for balance.

Wyatt chuckled lightly at Alina’s comment questioning placing the Hospital Wing on the third floor. Being Gryffindor’s punching bag, he’d definitely thought of that before. When you get beat up in the courtyard, it’s quite the hike to get to the Hospital Wing. It’s literally the worst. “Yeah, I’m not sure what they were thinking with that one either.” It wasn’t long before Alina stood up. Or tried to. She fell on the wall. Wyatt winced. “Careful…”

Wyatt should’ve noticed the red tissue before. It was so covered in blood it almost looked like a dyed cloth handkerchief. He was usually so observant. Scolding himself for being so oblivious, he thought of a solution. Wyatt took off his sweater, and was thankful that he decided to wear layers earlier that day, even if it was almost summer and really hot outside. “Apply lots of pressure- I’m sure you know what to do.”

As he handed her his sweater, he was sort of sad he was losing his favorite sweater, but what was he supposed to do, let Alina bleed out and die? Looking down, he noticed that his white t-shirt didn’t cover up the half-healed bruises the usual gang of Gryffindors had left him on his arm, but that didn’t matter right now. Alina was bleeding, and apparently she had some disease Wyatt knew nothing about, but it didn’t sound good.

“Put your arm over my shoulder.” He looked down at the plant they were abandoning then back at Alina.

_{@Alina Rosier}