7 November 2022

After the Great War (featuring my parents and uncle), Muggle Studies became a required class 3rd-5th year. It was common knowledge that all students whose parents were in any way involved with He Who Must Not Be Named, were then required to take it for their 6th and 7th years as well. Which was all fine and dandy hypothetically, but it practice, they just made it harder to pay focus during class. On top of that, our teacher, Professor Starch, is probably the most spacey and neurotic person I've ever met! She'll create assignments and never collect them, or never grade them. And she just LOVES all of those Slytherins who are forced to be here and just mess around all of class. I think it's all because she's afraid we're going to hate her. Of course, I'd never hate a teacher, but I do become quite easily frustrated with her and her spastic ways.

Anyway, she's been giddy for about two weeks now and she's promised to finally reveal to us her big surprise today. I take my normal seat with my best friend, Patty Longbottom, a Gryffindor. Although we're in different houses (I'm a Ravenclaw), we've managed to remain best friends since before we came here, except when she starting dating Albus in fifth year which resulted in a big fight about them having sneaked off behind my back for months while they remained a secret. Mum loves all of this of course. "Look at all the houses getting along with each other! A Gryiffindor dating a Slytherin! Our own daughter, a Ravenclaw! Inter-house unity… blah blah blah… strength in numbers… blah proof that our efforts were worth it!" Then father would usually cut her off with something about having lived through it and not needing to hear every detail of it again, to which my mother would whack him with whatever was nearest.

Vincent Goyle enchanted small bits of paper to start landing on my head. I rolled my eyes and whispered, "Percutio" aiming my wand at him and watched him jump out of his seat from the electric shock I had just sent at him. I normally never indulge the Slytherins in their games, but today I was rather peeved after receiving an A on my Transfiguration essay and I was not one to be messed with. Fortunately, Professor Starch arrived before Goyle could return and attempt to engage me in a proper duel. Albus snorted and elbowed his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy, to show Goyle angrily brushing himself off, but Malfoy was too busy enchanting a piece of paper before him.

I hated him. Scoripius Malfoy. Even his name sounds like he should be the villain in the not-so-epic that was my life. And he was more than willing to oblige. Unfortunately, he was the second smartest in our year (fortunately not Head with me though, he got into far too much trouble for that). Because of this, professors often tried to pair us together, which always ended in disaster. In our third year, Professor Slughorn put us together to create a Brew for Blackening. By the time we were done, the entire room and every student (except Malfoy and myself), and Slughorn were a neon shade of yellow. Needless to say, we haven't been paired together since.

"Ladies and gentlemen," short little Professor Starch cleared her throat and began a sort of little dance in front of us. "It is my pleasure to produce your class project which will determine 70 percent of your grade for the year!" Silence and eye rolls from the majority of the class, but I'm excited, and I sit up a little more in my chair. "I have just gotten the Headmaster's consent for all of you to take the first three weeks of January off-" now everyone's paying attention, "to be living as Muggles!"

…

Now everyone's confused. Professor Starch looks positively ecstatic and is waiting for all of us to react.

Albus politely obliges, "Umm, excuse me Professor, but how exactly are we going to do that?"

"So glad you asked, Potter!" she squeaks and skips over to her desk. "You will each be pairing off into couples, and posing as new young couples in the area. You will each have jobs lined out for you and you will use your skills that you have learned in this class to cope with work and daily life as muggles for three weeks!" Her face was red by the end of this sentence, and I could see through my glasses a couple of drops of sweat gathering at her forehead.

The class was once again in shock, and then suddenly almost every had flew into the air. Professor Starch looked overwhelmed and upset that her plan had resulted in an uproar rather than roaring applause. She took everyone's questions patiently and when everyone was done she looked quite unsettled, but managed to perk up again enough, procuring a hat from behind her desk.

"All right now! Boys line up so you can choose your partners!" I half expected Elijah Drake to go onto one of his rants about how boys could be paired with boys and whatnot, but he walked to the front of the class with the rest of the boys.

Albus was first (as always, an obsession with being first, affects everything). He reached his hand into the hat, and pulled out the first girl's name to be chosen. He smiled when he read it, "Patricia Longbottom." Next to me, Patty made an excited noise and ran up to stand next to Albus. I pretended to be happy, but COME ON! How is that fair?! Let's just put two people in a house together so they can shag for three weeks straight, yeah, fantastic plan.

Next was Kane Flint. I prayed I wouldn't be partnered with my old crush. Too awkward after the public display of Malfoy reading my diary that held the secret of my crush on the boy.

I truly wished this assignment could be completed on my own, but if I had to choose a partner, I suppose I would want it to be Lysander Scamander. We'd been fairly close all of our lives since he was the son of Luna Lovegood, who had been a member of Dumbledore's Army back in the day. He was quite strange, but not nearly as out there as his brother, Lorcan. Lysander and I had been partners for many projects and I always think he hid a small crush on me to be honest. I caught his gaze and smiled as Flint read, "Melanie Chang-Brooks."

Every Slytherin that went, I held my breath that I wouldn't have to work with. Finally, it was Lysander's turn. I crossed my fingers like an eight-year-old and closed my eyes. "Priscilla Zambini." DAMN! The most gorgeous girl in the whole year looked quite annoyed to be paired with the shy, lanky, dorky Ravenclaw. He looked very nervous and she looked very cool. They made quite an odd couple.

There were only five girls left in the classroom and I almost laughed out loud as Scorpius Malfoy was next in line. There's still Edwards, and… well, hopefully I'll get Edwards. Malfoy plunged his hand into the hat and dug around very violently. He pulled his arm up and read aloud, "Rose Weasley." Probably the only time he's ever called me Ro-WAIT DID HE JUST CALL MY NAME.

Hello all! I'm having some difficulties, because I know the story so well in my head, that it's hard to remember what might be confusing to all of you reading it for the first time. So let me know if there are any questions I can clear up for y'all. Thanks 3