Herbology Lesson 3 ((Continued from 2))

[Prof. Hanae Shimizu]

The old Japanese professor hummed to herself cheerfully as she set out the plants for the next lesson, fluxweed. Her hip was bothering her today, but not enough to confine her to her chair. She would have to prepare a salve from the very plant her students would be studying before too long, however. Perhaps she could add that into the lesson for the older students; she was unsure that the younger students were capable of even knowing how to tie their shoes, much less take the care needed to create the precious salve.

Once all of the plants were set out, Hanae returned to the blackboard, limping heavily. With a quick flick of her wand, the information on the fluxweed appeared, along with a tidy drawing of the plant. Satisfied, she moved to her desk, sitting down in the chair with a groan as her aching joint protested the movement. Ignoring the throbbing hip, she began to search through her parchment for the instructions for making the salve.

Hanae took a moment to calculate how many fourth years and above she had, then laid out enough blank parchment for each of them. She tapped the wand to the original document twice, and then once on each piece of clear parchment, creating a perfect duplicate. She smiled as she stacked the instructions and set them to the side; Hanae could almost feel the salve aready, working its magic on her hip.

[Lexi Knight]

Shrugging her canvas bag farther onto her shoulder, Lexi picked up the pace a little as she jogged toward the greenhouses. It was starting to get chilly, and it wouldn't be long before all of the students would be able to see their breaths as they scurried across the grounds. Already, the foliage around her was preparing for a long winter hibernation, green leaves turning different shades of red and gold. The rustle of the trees was like a whisper goodbye, beautiful in its own way. Lexi still preferred spring over the other seasons, but autumn was a time for contemplation.

She finally reached the greenhouse in which their lesson was being held, and slipped inside without delay. Once inside, she allowed herself a moment to warm up, then proceeded to her seat near the front. On each table was a plant that was wholly unfamiliar to the green-thumbed Hufflepuff, which was surprising considering the size and variety of the family's garden at home. Lexi looked at the plant curiously, leaning in for a closer look and wondering what its magical properties might be. A gentle prod with her index finger provoked no response, showing that it wasn't much of an interactive species. She shrugged and gave up her investigation, waiting for the rest of the class to arrive.