Chapter 17
Chapter 17
“All right. I’ll wait for you.”
Ariana Dumbledore’s gentle voice still lingered in Suer’s ears when another voice covered it.
“Wake up, Suer. We’re going to be late.”
Suer opened bleary eyes. The first thing he saw was the lifelike badger on the canopy. The second was the curly head of his roommate, Justin Finch-Fletchley.
Justin was frantically pulling on his school robes.
“I’m getting up.”
Suer threw off the soft covers and climbed out of bed.
At times like this, magic proved extraordinarily useful.
“Scourgify.”
“Quick, do me too.” Justin crowded closer, followed by their other two roommates, who had only just managed to drag themselves out of bed.
“Me too!”
When all four emerged through the round door, they discovered they were far from the only ones running late.
The Hufflepuff common room was packed with bustling students.
“Suer.” Cedric waved from the crowd. “Over here–and bring your roommates. There’s breakfast.”
A long table had appeared in the common room, laden with sandwiches, bread, milk, pumpkin juice, and more.
“Did I forget to mention it?” Cedric handed Suer a bacon-and-egg sandwich. “The Hogwarts kitchens are on the same corridor as our common room.”
“Thanks.” Suer accepted it. “So we can simply eat breakfast here?”
“If you would rather spend winter walking through cold drafts to wake yourself up, that’s up to you.”
Cedric poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice.
“Plainly, no one would.” Suer laughed.
“The timetable is on the noticeboard. Hufflepuff first-years always begin with Herbology taught by our Head of House. The greenhouses are behind the castle.”
Cedric smiled cheerfully.
“I’m off to class. See you later.”
“See you.”
Suer took several bites of his sandwich, then felt as though he had forgotten something.
It probably was not important.
In the Great Hall, Hermione ate with a cold expression, stabbing at her breakfast with a fork. She failed to notice that the students on either side of her had left two empty seats between themselves and her, identical terror on their faces.
“Her-Hermione…” Neville approached with a tremble.
“Yes?” She looked at him in confusion.
“Your… your fried egg…” Neville swallowed and pointed to her plate.
“What about it?”
Hermione looked down and saw nothing amiss–assuming an egg shredded into countless tiny pieces was normal.
“Nothing.” Neville shook his head. “If we don’t leave for class, we’ll be late.”
Clatter.
Hermione dropped her spoon onto the plate.
“Oh, I nearly forgot. Thank you, Neville.”
“Y-you’re welcome.”
Neville shuddered.
…
Only after leaving the castle and approaching Greenhouse One did Suer remember what he had forgotten.
His promise to meet Hermione.
He was finished.
Suer pulled a miserable face.
“What’s wrong?” Justin asked with concern. “Did breakfast disagree with you?”
“I’m fine, Justin. Thanks.” Suer shook his head. “The professor is waiting. We should hurry.”
He would explain to Hermione at lunch. If he spoke sincerely, she would understand.
Probably.
Their Herbology professor was a plump, gray-haired woman whose smile was exceptionally kind.
No one should mistake the Head of Hufflepuff for harmless, however.
Badgers were masters of concealment. Quiet humility did not mean an inability to bite.
At the beginning of class, Professor Sprout solemnly declared that no student was to move or examine any plant without permission. Most specimens in Greenhouse One were harmless, but handled improperly, they could still ensure Madam Pomfrey’s beds offered an enthusiastic welcome.
The first lesson introduced the children to the greenhouse’s many strange plants and fungi.
Mandrake roots, for example, produced deadly cries when disturbed. Even the weaker specimens could render a person unconscious. Once mature, however, Mandrakes could be used in potions that reversed petrification and the effects of minor curses.
“Pay attention!”
Professor Sprout began their first demonstration.
“Fireleaf is an extremely combustible plant.”
“Like this.”
She gently rubbed two round purple leaves together.
The children gasped as smoke immediately rose from the point of contact. One spark flared into a great flame that engulfed Professor Sprout’s hands.
Calmly, she shook them. The fire vanished.
“Does anyone know why the flames burned around my hands without harming me?” she asked with a smile.
“A spell that blocks fire, perhaps?” a child behind Suer whispered.
“But Professor Sprout never drew her wand,” a girl quietly replied.
No one answered.
“It is the sap,” Professor Sprout explained. “A tiny amount of sap from a Fireleaf stem will protect against flames produced by the plant itself. That sap is commonly used in the manufacture of fireproof gloves.”
Every student pulled out parchment and began scribbling.
“And does anyone know the purpose of the ashes left when Fireleaf burns?”
“I do, Professor.”
A Ravenclaw raised her hand, uncertainty in her voice.
“They can be made into a salve for burns. I scalded myself once, and my mother treated me with it.”
“Correct. Five points to Ravenclaw!”
Professor Sprout beamed.
Strangely, the protective sap was not even Fireleaf’s most valuable product. The ashes remaining after it burned were its true essence.
Professor Sprout next gave each student a small bottle of liquid to rub over their hands. They began learning how to repot Fireleaf and harvest its leaves.
Everyone took care not to let the plants burst into flame, but beginners inevitably caused trouble.
Smoke rose from one table after another, followed by sudden flashes of fire.
“Mm, very good.”
Professor Sprout stopped beside Suer.
“The correct idea and the correct technique. A little sap between the two leaves.”
“Your name is Suer Bones, isn’t it, dear?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Five points to Hufflepuff!”
Delighted, she awarded her own House its first points.
The other students immediately copied Suer’s method. The number of accidental fires dropped dramatically.
Hannah and Susan’s pair earned points as well, because they had lost the fewest Fireleaves while successfully completing the repotting.
Herbology passed in a state of unrelenting tension.