An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Nov 4, 2022 13:19:29 GMT 10
Elizabeth was glad that she'd managed to work out the puzzle, but once that was done, she thought it was best to learn that pruning charm Professor Sprout had spoken about. Elizabeth was always one to learn a new charm, even when it wasn't on exams. She just hoped she could get the task done quickly and be back for when she had class in the afternoon. Even if she wasn't done, she was sure Professor Sprout would let her go.
"Excuse me, Professor Sprout?" Elizabeth called into the Greenhouse, assuming that the Herbology professor would be in there somewhere. "I'm here to learn that pruning charm."
Professor Sprout was over by some windows, giving a pane of glass a wipe down with a self-cleaning charm -- removing some sort of yellowish slime Elizabeth didn't dare ask about.
'Ah yes - the Pruning Charm. Used to combat plants band overgrowth by reducing, parting, or trimming them.' She nodded, ushering the Slytherin over to another corner of the greenhouse, glad to be freed from her task for now. 'Theses feisty ones will do.'
There were three medium pots on a counter nearby, which thrashed their leafy branches towards the pair once they got too close. Their agitation seemed to be because they'd overgrown into each other's space, causing crowding and competitiveness. Yet they wouldn't let anyone get close enough to even consider sheers.
'The incantation is: Flordiscendo,' Sprout instructed, while demonstrating the simple and direct wand movements. 'Why don't you give it a go on the first one here?'
She indicated, wanting Elizabeth do this one at a time to ensure the task was complete and each plant got the care it needed. Though time was running short for the remainder of the morning, so they'd have to get a move on to complete this before lunch.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Nov 5, 2022 22:52:23 GMT 10
The greenhouse was always a nice place to come and MJ felt guilty she hadn't been along in quite a while to take care of her plants. She entered, nodding to Professor Sprout and the Slytherin girl with her.
She paused a moment, knowing she recognized her but she moved on and went to where her pots were stationed.
Setting down her bag, MJ rolled up her sleeves and prepared herself to get to work. Since it had been so long, she hoped she hadn't forgotten the nuances of taking care of each plant. At least for today she didn't need to worry about planting anything new.
The school year was almost to an end and she didn't want to leave anything here over the summer. It would be nice to start fresh in second year as well.
Post by Thorne Perry on Nov 5, 2022 23:10:18 GMT 10
Thorne hurried along with Orla to the greenhouse after the flying lesson, eager to see what his latest plants had grown. Of course, a small part of him felt ever so mildly conflicted: why was he more excited about plants and ingredients than flying? He dismissed that small part almost immediately though - everyone was allowed to have their own likes and dislikes, right?
He just.
Liked plants, even while he sometimes wished his own talents were more exciting.
He gave a small wave to the older girl, a much bigger wave and a grin to MJ at the plot beside his, letting out a small laugh when he realized Orla's plot was right next to his on the other side.
After harvesting was complete, nothing of value remained -- including ordinary clay pots that were cracked and no longer usable. Spaces of the counter were free again, unless having more seeds and supplies to start over with. Then all that was left was to clean up the workspace. Professor Sprout would appreciate it.
Stems of the berry plants were strong, but simple to deal with. A charm or some nearby sheers would help snip the ingredients free, even as the plant's leaves tried to make it harder to spot the berries, but sometimes a hands-on approach worked just as fine too.
Compared to most harvestable plants, the Eglower was less forgiving. Its stems were soft though needed a firm hand, yet any attempt to pick it caused the flower to puff sneeze-inducting, stinky pollen into the face.
The Fyire plant stem was thick but easy enough to snip with some sheers, yet its response to being threatened was to burst into flames. It didn't harm the plant in any way, and would die down once the Fyire flower was securely picked.
Wearing gloves made of Taffen Hide meant hands were unharmed, though a few hairs slightly singed and hopefully their face wasn't too close to the heat to suffer a similar fate. Without them, the burns would be quite painful yet not as extreme as an actual open flame. Skin would still blister and need immediate medical attention.
Sheers and spells weren't any use against the Furpod plant. It kept wriggling out of the way, surprisingly fast and flexible. The only option was to do battle with it, seizing the twin bean and yanking until it came free. Breaking the stem that way wasn't hard, no -- the hard part was grabbing it fast enough.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Nov 5, 2022 23:26:38 GMT 10
"Thorne! Orla!" She greeted them both with a wide smile, nodding as she saw the two of them had their plants next to MJ's own.
Her plants had grown beautifully and MJ got to work.
She focused on her Fyire plant first since it could be rather tricky. Losing eyebrows to a plant that liked to spontaneously combust wasn't exactly on her list of things to-do today. She put on her gloves and didn't mind if she lost some arm hairs.
MJ reached for the sheers and carefully sniped away at the plant, noticing how thick the stem was. The heat from the flames could be felt on her arms and face but luckily her hands were protected. She was glad she had got a pair of these gloves!
It probably took her a lot longer than it would an older student but eventually she managed to snip away until she was left with the valuble part of the plant that she would use for potions. She tucked it away and cleared up the space a little. Not completely, since she would do a proper clean after she was done with the other plant but she wanted a clear enough space to work with.
The second plant was going to need her raw strength to deal with. It moved out of her way quickly, dodging any attempt MJ made to grab for the twin bean. She let out a huff of annoyance.
"Come on, you're not the hardest thing I've had to do battle with. I'm going to win." Just a small pep talk for herself before she launched herself at the plant again.
MJ tried to be careful and not disturb Thorne next to her while she wrestled with her plant. She thought she had a good grip on the bean but when she tugged, it popped out of her grasp. "Shoot!"
Undeterred, she watched the plant whip around and then grabbed for it. The twin bean was in her grip and she fought against the plant trying to break free. She gave it a strong yank and the bean came free from the plant! MJ watched as it seemed to give up now the bean was gone. Phew, all done!
Now she just had to clean everything up.
MJ took her time with this. It was a chance to relax after those two plants but to make sure she did a good job. The last thing MJ wanted was to give Professor Sprout an excuse to ban her from the Greenhouse. She made sure the broken pots were placed with the others and any soil was brushed away. Any leftovers from her plants were put into a compost pile.
She wiped her brow and then looked to see what Thorne was dealing with, watching him for a moment and then she peeked to see what Orla had grown too.
Post by Thorne Perry on Nov 6, 2022 3:14:49 GMT 10
Thorne had dealt with Moonurk berries before! He fetched a nearby pair of sheers, neatly clipping tough stems and shifting leaves out of the way to make sure he harvested every last berry. He set them in a careful pile on the bench, cleaning up as he went since it would make life easier for him later.
The golden berries looked....similar enough that he dealt with them the same way. The color contrast was quite pretty, actually! He snipped and tidied and....then turned his gaze onto the last plant.
It looked far stranger, and he tugged his gloves on just in case. He reached out to grab one of the long stems, cringing a bit at the way it gave against his grip, oddly soft. He lifted the sheers to snip off blossoms and let out a startled little shriek when the blossom seemed to swell spitting out a cloud of pollen.
"Ah-choo!"
His sneeze upset his pile of berries, and he hurriedly set the shears down to retrieve them before turning a determined eye on the plant.
Determination wasn't quite enough. He got pollen puffed at him twice more before he figured out a strategy that worked, gripping right below the blossom - rather like catching a grass snake! - and turning it away from him as he plucked (but at the same time making sure not to point the stinky pollen shooting blossoms towards either of the girls). That seemed to work better, and after a couple more minutes he had that harvested as well...
Though he could feel pollen still sticky on his fingers and smeared on his cheeks.
"I don't think I like that one," he commented absently to his friends as he started cleaning up his work area, making sure to wipe off the shears and wipe up the powder dusting his bench.
Last Edit: Nov 6, 2022 3:15:22 GMT 10 by Thorne Perry
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Nov 6, 2022 3:46:31 GMT 10
"You did a good job, I always try to avoid the pollen but—" MJ sighed and then rolled her eyes, "Always gets me."
She grinned at Thorne. It was her way of letting him know he wasn't alone, that plant was just annoying. At least he had successfully harvested everything! Her attention went to Orla now.
There was still a little time left before lunch but MJ didn't want to rush off to do anything else. She thought about the talisman she had discovered and put back in its rightful place, a tingle running down her spine.
That was a story she would keep to herself and tell another day.
"Do you guys want to meet up for lunch together when you're done here?" She asked, inviting Thorne and Orla along. They didn't have to worry about sitting at their house tables during lunch at least so they could be together. Hopefully Charlotte would be there too and MJ could invite her along too!
But MJ was going to go now so she could find Charlotte. She picked up her satchel and gave both first years a wave before heading out again.
[OOC: Exit]
Last Edit: Nov 6, 2022 17:57:17 GMT 10 by MJ Birdwhistle
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Nov 6, 2022 10:51:52 GMT 10
Elizabeth was excited to learn another Charm, and dutifully followed Professor Sprout to the three plants that apparently needed managing. It was always interesting to see plants with a bit of personality. She tended to see plants as more background items than anything else, mostly due to the way that they didn't really move.
These ones were clearly moving, and clearly not about sharing their space. Elizabeth saw why this would be a good opportunity for her to use the Pruning Charm.
"Flordiscendo" she said, watching in amazement as the first plant was trimmed. This would definitely be a useful spell if Elizabeth needed to get out of the way of some plants. Or if she noticed that something wasn't perfectly trimmed the way that it should be. Plus, there might be an extra credit question on the exams about this one, and then she'd know it for sure.
Elizabeth's spell did its job, and quite well too. The plant was neatly trimmed faster than someone could ever accurately do with a pair of sheers. Leaves and branch bits shed to the counter, which Professor Sprout cleaned up with a wave of her own wand.
'Well done,' she praised Elizabeth. Sprout indicated to the next plant, which shuddered then swung its branch in warning.
The trimmed one gave a stretch and relaxed, pleased to have its own space and having been tended to.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Nov 6, 2022 13:08:47 GMT 10
Elizabeth smiled. This would be a lot better than having to do things by hand. It was nice that Professor Sprout was trusting her to do it as well. Plus, she was always happy to have a magical variation on something. Usually, it made things easier and gave Elizabeth a chance to show that she had learned something while she was at Hogwarts.
"Flordiscendo" Elizabeth said, pointing her wand at the next plant in line and performing the wand motion the way that Professor Sprout had demonstrated it. It was nice that the plants seemed happy with being trimmed, Elizabeth supposed. She almost wondered if it should hurt instead, but that would make her a little uncomfortable.
The next plant didn't want to give her the chance to do whatever she was doing, so it lashed out a branch-like a whip. Professor Sprout reacted fast by doing some weird wand movement, and the plant faltered. It gave Elizabeth the moment to cast his spell, which trimmed the plant down just like the other one. It too seemed relieved and began to settle.
The third one, which Sprout indicated for Elizabeth to go ahead with, wasn't as feisty -- but she'd have to keep his wits about her while it squirmed and moved, as if to attack.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Nov 6, 2022 13:16:26 GMT 10
Elizabeth nearly jumped back before composing herself. Maybe it did hurt to have the Pruning Charm performed. Elizabeth did not want to concern herself with plant ethics at the moment, though, and Professor Sprout seemed to think that Elizabeth could keep going without any problems. So that's exactly what Elizabeth did.
She watched carefully as it squirmed and wiggled around, seeming to be more complex than the other plants. Not that the whip wasn't frightening, but at least this plant had the courtesy to give Elizabeth some warning that it wasn't going to sit calmly. All she needed was some preparation, and she would be ready to cast the spell.
"Flordiscendo" Elizabeth said when her moment came, keeping a watchful eye on the plant. She didn't want Professor Sprout to have to step in for her again. She was a good student, and she should be able to handle this. Especially as a student about to take her OWLs.
With the three plants trimmed and settled, Professor Sprout gave Elizabeth a warm smile and praised her completion of the task.
'Well, that's that,' Sprout said. 'We won't have time do do much else today before lunch, but if you'd like another job sometime -- I believe the plant you assisted me with earlier will be ready to harvest then. Whenever you're ready.'
She gave Elizabeth a firm nod, then began packing up some things in a corner in preparation to head out herself. Sprout glanced at the first years, to check they didn't need anything, then headed out of the Greenhouse and back towards the castle.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Nov 6, 2022 13:31:03 GMT 10
Elizabeth smiled again as Professor Sprout complimented her. It was always nice to know that you were doing something right, and you couldn't get a better form of acknowledgement than a clever adult telling you that you were doing well. Elizabeth brushed herself off in case she had gotten dirty performing the task. She would probably end up cleaning a little before lunch, just to get the dirt off of her, as she always did.
"Thank you, Professor Sprout." Elizabeth said. Herbology still wasn't her favorite, but it was nice that got to combine it with a subject she had a lot of love for. Lunch beckoned, and since she had no other reason to remain in the Greenhouse, she went out after making sure that she hadn't ended up too dirty. It was always a concern when plants were involved. Maybe if she was lucky, she could get some more studying done.
00 | 
21 | 
20
December
