(Herbology) Class I

[Elijah Ellerby]

Elijah resisted a forlorn cry as Cashew drifted from the greenhouse, several ferns dancing after her. The sheer tragedy of her leaving was almost enough to overshadow the fact that cold water was now travelling over their edge of the table, soaking his shoes. ‘How do they pollinate if they melt so easily?’ Elijah asked the professor as he stepped back to shake his toes dry – and allow a delayed rambling rector to slink past. ‘I can’t imagine their seeds would stay together in liquid form either… surly they’re rare?’ He added, wondering if his only chance of ever handling a Gelidus Verre had just seeped through the floorboards.

A second Ravenclaw behind him – one who had seemingly materialised out of nowhere – chimed serenely, sighing a bizarre and completely illogical suggestion about pirates and the properties of gold. Slightly offended by the fact that she seemed so confident in this knowledge, when Elijah himself had never even stepped on such a concept, he was spitefully glad when the professor dismissed her notion.

The only thing he had ever disliked about Ravenclaws was how smart they were, and it bothered him even more when they were younger and knew more than him, which the girl seemingly did on this subject.

‘I’ve never heard of Pockmonks. What year did you learn about them in?’ Elijah asked accusingly, racking his memory for the lesson he must’ve missed.

Abruptly turning his attention back to his empty, sodden pot, Elijah eyed Oscar. He was looking faintly come apart, unglued from his surroundings. Clearing his throat to try and get the younger boy’s attention, Elijah looked down to see Oscar fiddling with his wand absentmindedly. If it’d been any lesson other than Herbology, Elijah would’ve perhaps not noticed. ‘Where did you get your wand made, Oscar? Ollivander doesn’t use trembling aspen.’ Everyone who had ever heard Oscar speak knew he wasn’t native, and Elijah was unsure if he was being invasive to ask.

[understanding]

Nearly dropping his wand, Oscar sputtered quickly "Oh! It's an old family model, given over to me when I was...old enough to need it." Choosing his words carefully, Oscar made a point to not make clear that his was, in actuality, the family's only one. The Strausses, all of whom were squibs-- at least until Oscar, had spent many an evening attempting to gather what little power they had to channel through the wand. Short of a few flashing lights and the occasional, remote incidents of a toppled dinner table or a strange voice, there had been nothing for as many years, for as many generations, as one could venture to guess. Only months ago had it come in to Oscar's possesion and he had scarcely touched it since.

"Aspen trees are really only extensions of a larger root network that lies netted beneath the ground," he explained. "When you see a colony, what you're actually looking at is a single huge plant. Some of these are ancient, and these trembling varieties are native to northern Switzerland." Oscar grimaces, and so it was that he too was here, an extension, cast far from his own home with such a wand in hand. "I don't think it likes me. I can't seem to do much with it," he looks away briefly, letting his expression soften before turning back and, more brightly "But I'm practicing." He quickly flicks the wand and only emits a high, nervy laugh when his textbook flings itself open to the proper chapter, tearing a page or two from the binding. Oscar bites his lip and places the wand very gently on the edge of the desk.

[Prof. Eithne l'Keitha]

"Oh the Gelidus Verre isn't native to Ireland - they're all over the place, but muggles don't even notice them sprouting up... freezer burn on your beef? Gelidus. And very astute observation, Mr. Elerby," the professor nodded, peering down into the muddy mess of her now-Gelidus-less pot. "The Gelidus does not have any seeds - at least, not the kind we're used to. There are actually countless tiny seeds that create the pearly sheen of a melted plant. Partly why they travel so easily..."

Impressed with Oscar's affinity with plants, the professor wondered why the nervous types always did so well with herbology.

"Antarctica is just one mess of Gelidus Verre, you know... this silly global warming mess is just going to melt and spread the plant until they cause another Ice Age..." Professor l'Keitha shrugged just as a giant pot flew into the greenhouse from the castle and landed in the center of the room. A snapping plant the size of a small rhinoceros snarled at the students. Its breath smelled of old jerky and burnt hair. A pink barrette slid out of it's slimy jaws.

"I guess gentle fingers and meticulous tact didn't work out so well today. So, let's try some brute wrangling!" she smiled widely, dragging out a vat of hairy black doxy piled on each other. "Just pick one up and fling it in when you see the pink part of Dionaeatron's tongue! use of the Dragon hide gloves is highly advised!"

[spaghetti231]

Zerrubabel slid on a pair of now wet dragon hide gloves, taking care to check if there were any holes or weaknesses in their design. Losing a hand or finger would really not do. He decided to follow directions exactly this time, his luck with improvising wasn't exactly on today.
Picking up a doxy, he readied his hand to toss it into the Dionaeatron's gaping mouth. This was the exact same specimen that he had declared war upon. Another time, another day. Until then, he would wait and watch. He tossed the doxy into the air near its jaws and watched the Dionaeatron snatch it up greedily.

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie listen to the teacher very closely. She looked at the Doxy. Then gave to the plant who eat it quickly.

[understanding]

Dionaeatron's mouth opens to receive the herbology class's tribute and Oscar shudders. Selecting another, substantially more tattered, pair of work gloves and pulling them on, Oscar lowers his hand in to the vat that had quietly materialized before him. The doxies were furry, winged little things and none too happy at being offered up this way. Judging from the way it struggled in his hand, the hirsute little fairy knew exactly what was coming, and deemed it necessary that his captor know it too. Oscar was having serious doubts about this. Dionaeatron, unconcerned with the moral concerns of man, licks its lips, the long tongue lolling sloppily.

After making a half hearted move to toss the doxy forward, Oscar pauses. "Professor, I'm not sure I can do this in good conscience," he says aloud, hand still wrapped around the writhing creature. "I was always told that the magically inclined had no need for this sort of..." Oscar trails off, regretting the words almost as quickly as he had spoken them. Thinking quickly, he gave a little cry as if he had been bitten, and let the doxy fly.

[Elijah Ellerby]

Elijah pondered on the image of Antarctica, its seemingly smooth, perfect blanket of a landscape actually harbouring a forest of delicate, icy time bombs under its surface. He supposed that, being such a desolate place, they rarely got disturbed or stepped on, but if someone did… well. Their freshly frozen corpse would be buried under the next snow storm. It bought a wry grimace to his face to image stumbling on an entire family of frozen polar bears, suspended in mid-step.

This gruesome, although fascinating thought was engrossing enough to distract Elijah from the monstrous, stinking plant that had just flown in through one of the roof windows. Only when a vat of doxy were plonked between him and Oscar. He had to do a double table when he found one clinging onto his arm, preparing to bit. ‘Go away!’ He snapped, thwacking it with the back of his hand. It gave a little scream and hit the wall, falling to the floor with crossed eyes. His skin crawling from the wiry black pest, Elijah looked toward the middle of the room, only to see something much uglier. ‘Merlin!’ He took a step back, eyebrows raised.

A humongous, bullish plant that seemed to be composed of nothing but a giant mouth sat before them, and upon Oscar flinging a protesting doxy into it’s pink mouth, Elijah reluctantly went to grasp one – forgetting he had no gloves on. Immediately his hand and forearm were set upon, tiny black hands and legs gripping him and pulling him down into their hairy mass, needle sharp teeth already gnawing on his knuckles ,tugging on the softer flesh on his palm. ‘Ow – OW!’ Elijah cried in surprise, baring his teeth as he pulled out his wand, a splutter of sparks fending off a handful. ‘Oh, don’t feel bad, Oscar,’ He growled irritably, trying to mantain a polite dosposition, as he wrenched his cut and slightly bloody arm free, his face red with anger. ‘They don’t having feelings,’ He squeezed one’s head between his fingers, lifting it out. ‘In fact, they’ve got no other purpose.’ With great flee, he wung it into the Dionaeatron’s mouth.

Taking a deep breath and attempting to calm him down, Elijah now looked at Oscar quizzically. ‘Magically inclined? Never heard anyone call themselves that before. Do you have mug – ‘ Oscar’s doxy escaped, and Elijah took great pleasure it batting in into the beast’s jaws.

[Alexis Heart]

Alexis looked at the professor as if she had to be joking. That plant looked like it wanted to fight and Alexis well she didn't. Her eyes widened as she wondered if this was some kind of joke those plants looked dangerous and not like they should be handled by mere students. Watching others as the rose she figured even though she really didn't want to that she needed to get up before she got into trouble. She didn't think that she would be able to handle this though. Herbology already wasn't her best subject and this was one of the reasons why. She grabbed her dragon hide gloves on and watched the others once more her eyes still wide as she figured this wasn't going to go very well.

[understanding]

Disappointed by his own short lived distraction, Oscar turns away from the happily munching super plant. Hadn't Dionaeatron been the name of one of those muggle cartoon heroes? A talking jukebox or a car that became a man? Oscar seemed to remember watching such a show as kid. Changing his tact, he gingerly takes hold of Elijah's arm and brings him closer. "Donft their bites carry a venom? I think these will need to be treated," he remarks, taking an unpracticed look at the scratches and bites, still holding on to the older boy's wrist. Looking up again, searching Elijah's face for any sign of suspicion and finding himself puzzled at his own actions, Oscar releases him. An awkward moment passes before he thinks to check his own hand, deeming the imaginary bite to have been too minor, barely penetrating the disintegrating gloves. "I guess they got us good, didnft they?" he asks with a laugh, raising a hand to flag down the professor.

[Elijah Ellerby]

Grinning as the professor dared get closer to the monster, Elijah felt the briefest touch against the swollen skin of his arm, and startled – thinking it was another doxy – he gasped and looked down, the muscles in his hand becoming rigid as he prepared to smack away the tiny mouth. But it wasn’t a doxy, nor any other vicious little creature. It was actually something much less ill intent, but very inexplicable. ‘Oscar?’ Elijah asked with a small, surprised laugh. The boy’s fingers were thin and pale, and only his bare fingertips touched Elijah’s skin, one against a stinging cut.

‘Venom…?’ Elijah replied faintly, half-listening. ‘Oh. Oh! Yes, you’re absolutely right, Oscar, Merlin knows why we’re just standing here…’ He added apologetically as Oscar withdrew rather quickly now, having briefly looked into Elijah’s face with a flicker of bewilderment. That characteristic of Oscar had certainly stood out so far – his expression seemed rarely serene of free of thought. There was always a twitch in his mouth, a crease in his otherwise smooth brow. Oscar’s sudden restraint made Elijah realise he was of a much more nervous disposition than he had first imagine, but it seemed there must’ve been a reason. Even when he had let go of the doxy, it hadn’t been because he’d felt sorry for it…

‘So who’s your company, Oscar? I don’t see you with any of the other Ravenclaws – but I suppose most of you hang out together in your common room.’ Elijah mused, taking a stab at conversation, trying to prise open Oscar the oyster. Perhaps there'd be a surprising shiny pearl inside.

[Prof. Eithne l'Keitha]

"Oh, Ms. Heart! You seem anxious - don't worry!" the professor exclaimed, noticing Alexis' hesitance. Professor l'Keitha tossed a vial of black liquid to the Ravenclaw. "Just spray some of that Doxycide to knock them out. Shouldn't be too dangerous then!"

Reviewing her lesson plans as her students tossed doxies into DeeDee's waiting mouth, she shook her head and crossed out, circled, and underscored things with her ostrich quill. The ministry and merlin-knows-who-else may be lurking about Hogwarts and trying to perverse the place into something else, but the professor thought, These students are going to LEARN something or I'll be damned! This is a SCHOOL and no self-righteous, delusional witch or wizard was going to swoop in here and tell her otherwise! Besides, you can tell everything about a person from his or her shoes...

[Alexis Heart]

Catching the doxy venom Alexis still didn't feel all that comfortable but she figured she was just going to have to suck it up, she was a Ravenclaw after all and she needed to start acting like one. She did as she was instructed earlier and had to avoid letting out a yell. No she didn't like this at all. Looking around she was wishing class was over. This lesson wasn't going well at all and she was more freaked than anything.

[dion]

Dionaeatron released a rumbling burp. It was full. And very pleased.

Shutting its jaws like a snapped bear trap, it nearly caught the fingertips of a student with a funny expression on her face. Pity, it thought lazily to itself. Nesting its bulbous head on a perturbed students shoulder, Dionaeatron began to hibernate and let the digestive juices enter its bowel chambers to work on the doxies.

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie watched the plant. She thought it looked rather intrseting. She looked over to the at the teacher "How long does it sleep after its finished eating?"

[understanding]

Shaking his head, Oscar answers very simply. "We don't. We're all much too serious, I suppose. Anyway, they all know each other by now." He lifts his hands in a slow mock shrug. "But thatfs alright," he adds, watching the professor pass airily with quill in hand. Dionaeatron seems to swoon, snapping up wayward doxies with surprising aplomb and then finally sated. Oscar takes hold of one and peers in to its angry little face, puzzled. "I guess, when it comes down to it, we just don't have that much in common. What would we say to one another? Ifm as alien to them, I'm sure," he gestures to toward the weirdly complacent doxy, "as all this is to me." Popping the lid off the jar, Oscar settles the thing down and lets it hang from his finger before shaking it off gently. "We didn't have them back home," he explains hastily. Fixing himself on Elijah, "Is it very strange to you that we all have so much power over one another?" he asks in twofold. Dionaeatron lets out a happy groan and might even be seen to smile toward its mistress. "I think many people must like you." Oscar grins.