The Prophesy of S

Chapter 4

The greenhouse had to be one of my favorite places so far at Hogwarts—the common room still being number one. It was nice and warm in here as I sat on a stone bench observing all the plants and the trees. When I first came inside, the first thing my eyes landed on was the big beautiful pink flowered tree planted in front of me like a centerpiece. I could imagine myself with a book sitting right at the base with flowers of every color scattered around. Even better, I'd imagine the atmosphere on a rainy day with the lighting in the greenhouse dim. If it rained on these plants, I would love the smell they'd give off—clean and freshness.

I still had time before Herbology class, so I went to explore the other side of the greenhouse where another beautiful tree was planted in the water. When I got close to the tree, I was able to see bits of small fishes in between the roots. Seeing this makes me want to shed my boots and stockings and plant my feet inside the water to see if they would be curious enough to swim around them.

"Interested in fish, are you?" I whipped round behind me to recognize the Prewett boy that dueled against Sebastian in Defense class.

"Um, hello," I greeted politely. Looking back at the water and back at him, I followed with, "Yes, I like fish."

"You'd get a better view from the storage area below." He pointed to the stairs at the back of the tree. "Come on, I'll show you." He walked past me to the stairs and I followed him. Down below was understandably dark, but a glow of blue light penetrated through. The blue glow was coming from a clear wall with water behind it. This was like a huge tank where I could see the twisting long roots of the tree and more fish swimming through them. I pressed my hands against the wall and felt the coolness.

"Neat, huh?"

"It's amazing. I could stay hidden down here for hours."

He chuckled. "Well, that'll have to wait; Herbology class starts in a few minutes." After hearing that class was about to start, I begrudgingly pried myself away from the tank and followed him to Herbology.

Making it on time, I saw a redheaded lady dressed like a plant herself, with all the shades of green her outfit had and flowers decorating her hat. She must obviously be our professor. I climbed down the iron stairs and approached her when I noticed her handing out what looked to be cotton in her basket.

"Ahh, hello there. You must be the new student," she said. She sounded so sweet and airy that I knew I was going to instantly like her.

I smiled. "I am."

"Excellent. I'm thrilled to be gaining another student to teach the wonders of plants." She brought her basket close to me. "You'll need a pair of these for today's lesson. It's an exciting one. And there's an extra table you can use next to Mr. Sallow."

When I grabbed the cotton balls, I made my way to my table. I looked over at Sebastian. "Hey, you're in this class, too."

He mischievously grinned at me. "Technically, everyone has this class. It's a requirement."

I gave him a pointed look. "You know what I mean." He playfully shrugged.

Professor Garlick, as I heard another student call her, stepped up to her podium in front of the room and told us we'd be learning about the mandrake. "I want you all to collect a potted mandrake and bring it over to your table, and please, be careful not to drop them. We don't want anyone getting sent to the Hospital Wing."

Crossing to one side of the room where a table of potted mandrakes sat, I gently grabbed one and took it to my table, being careful not to bump into anyone.

"Good. Now, your mandrakes have gotten quite big for their pots, so you'll all be moving them to their new homes in a bigger pot." She instructed us to retrieve a larger pot, and when I did, I nearly dropped it.