I Know Places We Won't Be Found PV Tuesday Irons Closed

Hiding in the coat closet in her office, Zoë strained her ears to hear the familiar patter of footsteps and conversations overlapping as she let out a controlled exhale trying hard to keep her temporary hideout a secret. One of her favorite things about being a Professor was the fact that every school year she got a sea of fresh faces to get to know and watch them discover their potential.

There was a strong wave of euphoria that seemed to cascade over her whenever a first year’s face lit up in the glow of a perfectly cast Lumos or when their smile seemed to consume their face as they successfully levitated their piece of cake to their desk. They had been told they were magical but now they got to see it in action and see what their hard work and passion could accomplish.

This year had been no different in that regard, but she had gained an overwhelming favor with a handful of first-years, and ever since their first class with her they had tried to seek her out whenever they had free time to see if they could practice spells with her or join in on her impromptu karaoke sessions.

For a few weeks, she had happily agreed but it was getting to the point now where she couldn’t even go to her office in between classes for some tea because already there would be a student waiting to speak with her.

Hearing her office door open, Zoë quickly placed her hand over her mouth for fear her subtle breathing would give her away. Had someone seen her like this they would have believed her to be hiding from a murderer, not an 11-year-old child.

“Professor Fresnel?” A young voice called out as Zoë remained silent feeling her body grow stiff at the thought she was doing something wrong. What if the student in question really did need help? What if they were confused about her lecture from the morning? Keeping her eyes focused on the backside of the door, Zoë bit down on her lip as she quickly tried to come up with an excuse as to why she was in the closet should the student curiously open the door to find her.

After an excruciating minute, her office door closed and the soft patter of footsteps receded til they were out of earshot. Realizing she was still holding all the tension in her body, Zoë dramatically relaxed her body as she slowly opened the closet door, half expecting to see her student awkwardly staring at her.

To her relief, her office was empty but she knew it wouldn’t be long before another student came to check in on her. Quickly grabbing her bag, Zoë carefully twisted the knob on her door as she gently peeled it open peering out into the hall.

Seeing an upperclassman making eye contact with her, Zoë playfully nodded as she stood up straight trying her best to not look like she was up to something. A playful laugh accompanied her quick greeting as she slid out into the hall, quickly waving her wand over the door.

It hadn’t occurred to her until that moment that she hadn’t actually decided on a place to go as she quickly moved down the corridor and onto the staircase feeling her heart pounding in her chest like once again she was the main character in a horror film.

Once on the second floor, Zoë saw more students coming out of the study room and classrooms as she felt the panic only growing in her. Power walking down the hall, Zoë desperately tried to figure out where to go as she stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway.

Turning her head to the side, Zoë noticed a small classroom door that almost seemed to blend in with the wall. There wasn’t a window on the door to appear inviting or welcoming as most classrooms had and had she not been looking for a quiet haven she would have walked past it like it didn’t exist. There was a possibility it wasn’t originally a classroom and just became one temporarily in the past but just from a quick look at it, it hadn’t been occupied for quite a while.

Looking behind her to make sure no students were watching her, Zoë quickly flicked her wand at the handle out of instinct, not bothering to check if it was already unlocked. Quickly slipping into the room, the young professor almost slammed the door before her body tensed as she took a breath gently closing the door.

A dance-like twirl with her wand, Zoë stared at the now locked door as an audible sigh left her lips like she had barely made it out alive from the made-up horror movie that was small excitable children.

Another large breath escaped her as she closed her eyes hearing her heartbeat resounding in her ears as her head rested on the backside of the door.

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