Quinn arrived to Herbology class especially early—as usual. This was his most favorite subject, after all, and he didn't want to miss a single thing. Classes had been super fun throughout the semester (one of the only bright points of Quinn's term), and he was already pretty familiar with the greenhouses and the Professor from coming to visit Violet so often.

Quinn had done his very best every time he came to class; having knowledge of mundane plants actually helped him with care for magical ones. They had a lot of similar parts, it's just a little bit more tricky to handle depending on the plant. But Quinn was always up for the challenge!

As he entered the greenhouse, Quinn smiled brightly at the professor. He made his way over and gingerly grabbed a cup of cocoa. "Nice to see you, Professor! Thanks for the cocoa!" he said, sipping on it a bit before grabbing a seat towards the very front. He glanced towards the flowers behind the Professor—would they be making their own arrangements today? Quinn bounced in his seat with excitement.

Ash couldn't help but smile s she walked into the greenhouse. She'd honestly rather cry, but the room was just so exciting. And the cocoa was perfect. Ash's was slightly bitter, and not too hot. "Hi professor! Love the vibes in here today. I like the flowers and the drinks and just all of it." She gave a thumbs up and sat down next to Quinn. She waved at him. "Hiiiii." Ash sure could be cheerful when she tried.

With his Hufflepuff scarf wrapped around him to keep him warm, Minjae entered greenhouse one with his hands in his robe pockets. He still wasn't fond of Herbology , never had been but at least a lesson would distract him from everything that was going on at Hogwarts. "Hello Professor Flamsteed" he greeted, still wondering if she was family from those gryffindor boys or if it was a mere coincidence that they shared the same name. He gave her a tired yet friendly smile before his dark brown eyes looked behind her at the beautiful floral arrangement.

He was not in the mood for a cup of cocoa though. He nodded his head at the Professor to show that he appreciated the gesture before he found a place to sit, giving a friendly smile at Ashley (and Quinn as well since they were seat mates) as he passed their seats and sat down by himself.

It might have been cold outside, but at least Morgan remembered his coat today. And even if he hadn't, it was nice and warm inside the greenhouse.

"Sup, Professor?" he greeted her with a cheerful grin as he stepped inside the classroom. "Aw, sweet! Thanks!" he exclaimed as he spotted the hot chocolate. Why yes he would like a cup. And he helped himself before finding a seat.

“Hi, Professor. And thank you.’’ Claudine adored hot chocolate and though hot cocoa was somewhat different, she enjoyed it never the less. Throwing Flamsteed a small smile, she made her way to find herself a seat. Her eyes found Minjae seated all by himself. Wasn’t that Claudine’s signature move? One of them at least?

“Rich boy,’’ the Slytherin muttered by way of greeting. Only this time, calling him a ‘rich boy’ didn’t come out condescending as before when she called him that. Her tone was friendlier. “Not in the mood for cocoa?’’ And that was all she would say to him for now. Didn’t want to overdo the chatter, did she?

Violet tucked in her scarf a little tighter as she made her way to her Herbology lesson, caught up in the bad mood she had woken up in this morning. This school year was horrid and unrelenting, and even though her home-life hadn't been all that great the past summer, she would have given anything to be heading back there for the holidays. But no, they were stuck in this horrible, dangerous place and who knows what new horrible things these people were planning. Violet was tired, tired of avoiding the skulking, hooded figures, tired of hearing professors and students insulting Muggle-borns, tired of the resentful looks on the Muggle-borns' faces, and tired to death of having to watch every single thing she said or did for fear she would get in trouble. Most of all, she desparately missed keeping a journal--this was the first time in her life she hadn't since she was old enough to write, and it had cut her to the heart to have to burn the one she'd brought to school at the beginning of the year. But this year, she didn't dare--she couldn't risk someone seeing what she really thought, and she refused to write lies in her journal.

Would they even celebrate the holidays at all this year? Probably in some horrible, bigoted, frightening event that Violet couldn't even imagine. But at this point, Violet was shaken out of her gloomy thoughts by the sight of the flowers and cocoa that greeted her as she entered the class. She couldn't help but smile a little as she greeted the teacher. "Hello, Professor Flamsteed--brilliant idea," she remarked, raising the cup she'd just picked up in the teacher's direction before she made her way to her place.

He was busy placing his Herbology textbook and gloves on his desk when he heard THAT nickname. Only, this time it sounded different, less condescending, and it made him look up from his table with a slightly surprised expression on his face. "My name is not Rich Boy , its Minjae Yoon" he corrected her like always but he too sounded different this time. It was more teasingly rather than annoyed or angry. He looked at the cup of hot cocoa in her hand before he placed his chin on the desk. "Not really..." he sighed as he looked at the front of the greenhouse. "Is it good?" the hot cocoa he meant.

There were few places where Atlas felt safe, but around Auntie June was one of those. It helped that Quinn had an interest in Herbology and let him tag along on his numerous visits to the greenhouses - though he tried not tag along too often or else be too obvious on...numerous accounts. But, that was besides the point.

So he had made his way at a light sprint down to Herbology today and entered the greenhouses with a smile on his face. His smile faded just slightly seeing Quinn was already occupied with seating, but it was hardly enough to dampen the lightness he felt in seeing Auntie June Professor Flamsteed. "Hello!" he chirped with an almost giddy tone and bounce to his step before making his way over to a vacant space juuuuuuuuust adjacent to Quinn and company and near an older Gryffindor boy he...was pretty sure was called Morgan.

And it was ONLY because this was Auntie Jade and they had a signal to alert him that she was who she claimed to be that the first year had taken a cup of hot chocolate. Because he knew that it was safe. Though, for now, he just held it in his hands and let the warmth tickle his palms.

What was it with the weather at Hogwarts? She loved it! It was just like being back at home. All cloudy and grim with a cold that just hit you differently when you rolled out of bed. Then again, she did live only slightly further south than the castle so what had she really expected? Oh, that’s right. A load of snow! If weather was her only issue though, the dark haired Ravenclaw would have had no issue but with everything else going on, she simply had a look on her face that was middling. Not quite happy and not yet sad. Sure, everything was just doom and doom but she at least was trying to not let it get to her completely.

Upon entering Greenhouse One, Ingrid returned Professor June’s smile with one of her own and a friendly “Good morning Professor”, her eyes briefly passing over the vases for a moment before resting on the cups of hot cocoa. Taking a cup, her hands cupping around it instantly, she went and joined the rest of the students, unsure exactly who most of them were.

Quinn smiled and waved back at Ashley as she sat down next to him. "Hey, Ash!" She really could be cheerful, couldn't she? Quinn found that she could either be really happy or pretty sullen depending on the day. Or the class. Or just who was around, really. He liked it better when she was happy—she could be a bit scary when she was sullen.

He watched as Atlas went and sat adjacent to him—still pretty close, at least. For a moment he wished that Atlas had come in earlier than Ashley, or just that Ashley hadn't sat here, or that Quinn himself had come in later, so that they could've been sitting next to each other—not that he didn't want to sit next to Ash, just that.... he wanted to sit by Atlas. But he shook those ideas off, thinking it was quite selfish and rude (he couldn't very well have Atlas all to himself, or ignore his other friends), and settled for a smile and a wave.

Bernie had joggggggggged right behind Atlas (or Aries?? Which one was it? From behind she could not tell???) Flamsteed (but at a safe stalking distance) almost the entire way here. It was a habit of hers now to follow a classmate from the Gryffindor tower down and outside to Herbology. Had to practice tailing suspects and whatever. But unlike following someone easy-to-spook like a Dakest, here she was, having foolishly chosen a professor's kid. Who liked to run.

Bernie fell into the empty seat beside Atlas with a SIGH. "Jog much?" she wheezed at him. She should probably start exercising regularly for reasons such as how would she ever be able to outrun a first year on a school trip buuutttt maybe next year. Anyway. Bernie also waved to MF and Quillnn before she actually poked Flamsteed's arm.

"So since that's your mum teaching us, can you help me get an E or what in this class." Well it was meant to come out as a question but Bernie was NOT an idiot, okay, she knew they were related. Except sometimes when she was.

Why was it cold?

Why did the world burn??

Why were the holidays canceled?

Why was she HERE?

Aboli had to constantly rewire her thoughts so she didn't carry a completely and abysmally miserable aura around herself. She did NOT need people feeding off of her energy in a negative way. This term had brought about a LOT of meditation in Aboli, more so than she had ever done before at school. And LOTS of practicing...without her gloves on. It was not going well without the usual contact she kept with her mentor, but alas. It would be fine, right?

She approached Herbology, her face drawn to a blank, her lips forming a straight line | and her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. It was cold, she was shivering, and she was not looking forward to Herbology today. She didn't know why, but she just...her heart....it wasn't into it. She eyed the hot cocoa, making a split decision to skip it for now. It was thoughtful of Professor June, but...eh.

She didn't feel like drinking something so sweet right now. She also tried to stick to a corner by herself. Aboli Song was not in the mood for conversation.

Things were most definitely not getting any better around Hogwarts, not when it practically feltlike she was at risk of tripping over Neo-Alliance people wherever she went. Gracelyn was rather grateful to be a Hufflepuff, though. At least she didn’t have to deal with the encampment on the sixth floor every day, and she’d managed to bypass the Great Hall most days too. A quick pop into the kitchens to ask the elves for food and that was that. She still didn’t trust that her halfblood status held any sort of protection for her, after all. It was taking a lot of distractions by way of tumbling or yoga to keep from looking absolutely haunted.

The weather wasn’t helping, but it wasn’t hurting either. She’d just wrapped herself in a cozy scarf before heading out to the greenhouse for the Herbology lesson, since she knew the interior would be warm. It was just the trip there she needed to stay bundled up for. Plus, she was fairly certain Professor Flamsteed wasn’t someone she needed to be wary of, aside from maybe when it came to the actual plants.

Either way, the flower arrangements had put a genuine smile onto the Hufflepuff’s face as she unwound her scarf. These days, an actual genuine smile was rare. “Hi Professor Flamsteed! Thanks for the cocoa,” she added, taking a cup before going over to a seat not far away from squirrel boy (Morgan). No real reason, either. Maybe safety in numbers, but she’d merely taken a sip from her cup as she settled into her seat.

It was a dreary day and Camryn was in a dreary mood. She took her time walking to the greenhouse, hoping that Herbology class would put her in a better mood..........but knowing that probably would not be the case.

Finally, she arrived. “Hello Professor”, she said, as she entered the greenhouse. The professor’s smile did make Cam feel a little better. The flowers were a nice touch and they did make things seem brighter. Taking a pass on the cocoa, Camryn sat down and tried to focus on the positive. Hopefully class would be......uneventful.

Fiona entered Greenhouse One, looking almost as tired as she felt. She did manage a weak smile at the sight of Professor Flamsteed and her hot cocoa. "Hello, Professor Flamsteed. Thanks for the cocoa," Fiona greeted as she grabbed herself a cup and made her way to a seat near Claudine.

Mamie did not run to the greenhouses. She wanted to, yes--running in the cold was better than walking in the cold--but she was scared if Rosier or The Hooded Squad or this new Neo-Alliance mob spotted a solo Muggleborn running away from the castle...well she was scared. So she walked quickly but safely to their Herbology lesson.

Luckily the greenhouse was warm! And there was hot cocoa! She pocketed her gloves and gently seized a cup with both hands. "Hi, Professor," she said shyly. Only shy because of being a little embarrassed of how grabby she had been with the kindly provided beverage. She took the tiniest of sips, so as not to burn her tongue if the cocoa was too hot. "The cocoa is tasty, thank you very much."

See? Mamie was polite.

She took a seat by Minjae and a couple of Slytherins. They looked older. They'd protect her if the Hooded Squad showed up.

Oh, cocoa. Thank MERLIN for cocoa. Phoebe grabbed a cup and pulled it in close to absorb as much of the warmth as possible as she looked for a seat. Lots of people here, yes, but she was going to sit by Bernie. She leaned against her friend and gave her arm a little jostle as she sat down.

"Hello, Professor. Thanks for the cocoa. It is CHILLY out there." She huddled over her cup. "What have the house elves got you doing, Bern? I've been polishing door knobs and it is pointless because every darn person in this school has fingerprints to leave everywhere."

It had turned out quite well that the doom and gloom had descended more upon the castle not just in literal terms, but figuratively on its inhabitants, at around the same time that Nem had started to lapse into one of their slightly more listless states. It had been a while since the boredom had started to settle in again, and they'd remedied that by having that little chat with Rosier. How could they surpass that?

Not something they could solve now, of course. Not with Herbology to attend. Joy of joys.

Pausing just inside the door of the greenhouse to rub some warmth into their fingers (fingerless gloves and all) and pull off their hat, Nem gave the place a quick once-over and waited to be rid of the chill that had hold of them. Didn't appear to be happening.

"Professor," Nem greeted the Flamsteed Singularity, disregarding the cups of cocoa entirely. Zeroing in on a free seat, they strode across the greenhouse to sit a short distance from Song, seeing as she seemed to want to distance herself from the rest. Nem didn't acknowledge her with any more than a brief look, and simply sat with their fingers tucked into their bespoke crocheted hat as it rested on their lap.

Blowing over the top of his hot cocoa, the Gryffindor gave a tentative sip when Bernie came and sat beside him. Seeing as the temperature of his cocoa wasn't too bad, Atlas decided that it was safe to take a proper sip and not burn the roof of his mouth was was mid sip when Bernie unfortunately said that. Apparently he was just destined (ironic since he did not believe in destiny) to be known for the release of liquids, because the first year did a proper spit take and spewed his hot chocolate aaaaaaaaaaaaall in the older Gryffindor's face.

Worst of all was his beautiful unrequited crush that just needed to break his heart so he could move on to the next teenage adventure had sat down right beside Bernie and seen the whole thing too.

How humiliating. Again.

"S-S-S-Sorry...it...hot...I...uh..." The cocoa. Obviously. Yes. His hot chocolate had been too hot and that was why he had spit it out in her face...it was a good story to use and he would stick to it for now. Reality was that his face was hold, scalding, thinking about Auntie June as his MOTHER. It made him miss mum terrible...because if mum were here she would have taken out at least half of The Hoods™ by now...because she was that skilled. She had taught Defense Against the Darks Arts, REAL defense against the dark arts and not these anti-muggle studies masquerading around as the subject this term, and was one of the stronger women he knew. "Auntie...I mean... P-Professor Flamsteed isn't my mum...she's m-my auntie. H-Her dad is my dad's dad's brother..." He was patting his pockets looking for something, anything, to spare himself a bit of bad mojo and thankfully was able to produce handkerchief for her to clean her face with. "I..uh...sorry...again..."

He DID catch Quinn's wave and smile while he was wallowing in his discomfiture and offered a sheepish one in return.

Quinn waved back at Bernie as she sat—the two hadn't talked much since Muggle Studies, but she was still a friendly face. And then.... The Spit™. Quinn, who was unfortunately taking a drink of his own cocoa at the time, felt a fit of laughter coming on. He kept his mouth closed tight so he wouldn't spit out his cocoa, but that didn't stop the laughs, and then—he released the force of the laugh through his nose, which shot hot chocolate out from his nostrils and onto the ground. He then had to open his mouth so he could cough, but his coughs were mixed with laughter as tears and hot cocoa stained his face. He looked a mess, but he didn't quite care at the moment because he was laughing too hard, both at Atlas and himself.

Curtis arrived at one of his elements, in the greenhouse. Though it was quite nippy out, leading to the scarf around his neck to prevent whatever was in the cold draft from entering his throat. When he entered in, he felt numb as he walked in facing the Professor, "Hello.." Before he could utter her name, he saw the cups of cocoa. He picked one up, raising it slightly, "..cheers Professor, for this." He was grateful as he took a sip letting the warmth down his throat.... It desperately needed sugar, but he could tolerate it today.

He walked over to the other side of Aboli unconsciously. He too wanted some distance from others for now.

Dahlia was running a smidge later than normal. Being Herboloy was obviously held outside in the greenhouse, she had made a detour to the barn to check on a few of the creatures first. It was within her usual scheduling anyhow, so it wasn't like this was any different from most days. Except she hadn't exactly been paying the closest attention to the time.

The barn to the greenhouse was much closer than anywhere she could have been inside the castle but she still had to run a small portion of the way. So when she finally arrived, on time to her own surprise, her cheeks were flushed pink and she had long shoved her hat and gloves into her bag. Her scarf was untied around her neck.

Don't mind her as she caught her breath, making her way into the greenhouse. Oooh, was that hot cocoa! It wasn't needed right now but Lia gladly took a cup from the table with a bright smile directed at the Professor. "Hello, Professor Flamsteed, thank you for the cocoa," she greeted warmly between deep breaths, adding quickly, "How is Nina doing?" Since the very first time she had stepped foot into the Professors garden studio and had met 'Nina' the plant, Dahlia had taken a great interest in her.

With a cup of cocoa in hand, the first year slipped down onto the seat of the first empty chair near her. The cup was set on her table and her things for the lesson were taking out and placed nearly on the table as well.

Cold… so cold! Heath shivered, wrapping his cloak tightly around himself as he walked to the greenhouse. It wasn’t lost on him that the weather today matched the current climate of the school… cold and bitter, but he wasn’t going to dwell on that now. The more he thought about it, the harder it was to not give in to his feelings of fear, anger, and constant conflict. He kept his head down, ignoring everything around him. Block it all out… that was the only way he could keep up his emotionless act.

Something he couldn’t block out? The sight of flowers and hot cocoa as he entered the greenhouse. That got a very slight smile from him. It wasn’t often that they had treats in lessons. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember it ever happening before! Then a thought occurred to him. Was the cocoa actually part of the lesson? It couldn’t hurt to ask. “Hello, Professor Flamsteed,” he greeted. “Thank you for the cocoa. May we drink it now or do we need it for the lesson?”

He picked up a cup of cocoa but didn’t drink it yet, just in case he wasn’t supposed to, and took a seat. After arranging his supplies on the table in front of him, he was ready for the lesson to begin.

Good.

No one was sitting by her. Good. Her expression did not change, though, when a certain Nem sat next to her. In fact, she hardly acknowledged the slightly younger Slytherin. She had traded out her normally velvety gloves for more plant-safe ones. Ones that wouldn't get dirty. Feaux-dragon hide, dark brown. Aboli wouldn't be caught dead in anything that belonged to an animal. She was hardly even eating meat these days...what with some of her personal issues heightening. Her eyes met Nem's briefly before eyeing none other than Curtis sitting next to her.

Ugh.

"Don't irritate me," she warned lowly to the fellow seventh year.