Unnaturally Green

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The charms classroom was larger than Emerald thought it would be. Rows of students lined the walls and looked down at a center where a tiny professor stood, greeting the students as they filed into the room.

"Ah!"

He said as his eyes fell onto Emerald.

"You must be the new student! I expect great things from you miss Thropp! That name carries quite a weight to it you know." He added with a smile and a nod. "Why don't we have you sit next to Mr. Malfoy." "but professor,"

Harry cut in quickly upon hearing the name of his most hated peer.

"Professor Dumbledore is having me, Hermione, and Ron escort Emerald around school today." "I am aware."

Professor Flitwick said with a nod.

"However, I believe there are no open seats next to you three, am I wrong?" "You are correct..." Hermione admitted. "I thought so. There is an open seat next to Mr. Malfoy. Miss Thropp will rejoin you all after class for you to escort her to the dormitories."

He added and moved to speak with a different group of students in slytherin robes. "Careful with Malfoy." Harry warned Emerald. "He can be a bit of a snake."

✮ ⊹₊ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊₊ ⊹ ✮

"Today, class, we will be learning the drought charm!"

Flitwick announced once the entire class was settled in their seats. Draco had been silent other than the glare that he shot Emerald's way just before class had started.

Flitwick raised his wand and summoned a pail of water in the middle of the class. "As I remember, your reading for the past three weeks has been on this very charm. Let's see if anyone can get it right...."

He flicked his wand and the pail soared through the air and stopped right above Hermione's head.

"Before Miss Granger gets soaked!' He announced and Hermione's face paled. Draco snickered next to Emerald who felt a sense of panic.

She couldn't quite explain it to herself but the idea of being soaked by a pail of water seemed absolutely dreadful.

"You have forty five seconds, class. Begin." He announced and the room announced in students shouting charms, trying their best to dry up the water in the pail. No one succeeded.

"Pity" Flitwick said before he gave his wand another flick and the pail overturned.

✮ ⊹₊ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊₊ ⊹ ✮

"STOP IT!"

Emerald cried and shot out of her chair. Her hands outstretched before her as a zap of pure green light shot from her fingers to the pail which completely vanished in a puff of red smoke.

All eyes turned to look at her. Emerald's eyes widened in fear as she looked at her own hands which now were stained green. It looked like she had played around in green paint with no regards for cleanliness. It was the deepest shade of green at her finger tips and faded back to pale flesh as it extended up her arm.

"Just as I predicted." Flitwick said with a smile. "Emerald Thropp, you are just as bright as I had hoped you would be."

"bright?" Draco said with a snicker and a raised brow as he looked down at her green arms. "She's phosphorescent." He added and Emerald turned to glare at him. "What's the matter asparagus?" He continued to tease her. "Overcooked, are we?"

"That will be enough from you, Mr. Malfoy." Flitwick snapped at him. Draco opened his mouth to protest but Flitwick didn't let him finish.

"If anyone would have treated the heir of the wicked witch of the west with any ounce of respect, I truly assumed it would have been you, Mr. Malfoy." Flitwick added and Draco's demeanor fell as he realized just who he was sitting next to. He turned to look at Emerald who was trying desperately not to look at him.

"You're-" "Shut up." "You can't be." "I said shut up!" Emerald snapped, shouting the demand much louder than she had hoped. The lights of the room flickered as her body teemed with unfamiliar power.

✮ ⊹₊ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊₊ ⊹ ✮

"I didn't know you could do that." Harry said as he led the way out of the charms classroom followed by Hermione, Ron, and Emerald. "No normal witch should." Hermione harped as they walked back to Gryffindor Tower. "I didn't know I could either." Emerald said.

Her hands had faded back to pale flesh by now. The green was gone, and good riddance Emerald thought. Being associated with the wicked witch of the west was still something she was getting used to and she did not  like it.

"You gave malfoy quite the fright, though." Ron said with a bit of a grin. "Good on you." He added. "Ron, there's more to her power than just terrifying Draco Malfoy." Hermione said. "Oh yeah? Like what?" "I'm not sure. But Emerald should be able to do quite a few things that we can't." "How?" "For starters, she is her mother's daughter." Hermione turned to Emerald.

"She is now the possessor of the ruby red slippers." "You really are interested in my mother's shoes, aren't you?" "How could I not be." Hermione said with delight. "Yeah how could she not be. A magical artifact within arms reach. Why it practically has Hermione's name on it." Harry added before he turned to the portrait of the fat lady and uttered the password to grant them all access to the common room. They all filled in behind him.

"I'm just curious, is all." Hermione said. "I thought they were a myth. That is until you showed up." "Well you were myth-taken." Emerald replied as she managed a grin. Harry and Ron shared a chuckled but Hermione's eyes drifted away from the group and over to a trunk that sat next to the fireplace of the common room and was illuminated by it's flames. It hadn't been there before.

"What's that?"

Hermione asked as she gestured to it. The four approached it. Harry picked up a note that had been left on the top and read aloud.

"A few more family heirlooms for you miss Thropp. You may find them useful. -Dumbledore."

They all turned to Emerald who sighed. She wished people would let her heritage go and instead treat her as a normal plain witch.

"Go on." Hermione urged her. "Open it."

She stepped forward and undid the latches of the trunk and swung the lid open. The first thing to make it's self known soared out of the box in a flash so fast none of them could even see what it was.

It zoomed around the room in a black blur before coming to a stop infront of Emerald. A broom. Not just any broom. This one was jet black from the stick all the way to the bristles.

"No way...." Hermione muttered. Emerald reached out and took it by the handle. Her fingers wrapped around it and the broom felt uncomfortably natural in her grasp.

"What? What is it?" Ron asked.

"It's the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West."