Runes Master

Gardening, Games, and Goblins

Harry wiped the sweat off his brows, working in his hot room. Many things required his attention simultaneously. The curtains were closed, not so to block the moonlight outside but to hide the glow coming from his small fire. This led to another thing to be cautious about. He had to watch the flames so their heat stayed constant. He bought, as weird as it sounded, a fondue kit. The fuel is a lot more stable than wood, even if more dangerous when spilled.

He took serious security measures. He spread sand and carbonated sodium on the floor, covering the wood beneath his feet. He just swept it in a hidden corner after use. There was a glass vial in a patented holder over the fire that was simmering quietly. Over his head was a blanket he suspended with ropes on the walls, secured by supports he installed. In the day time, they held harmless wall scrolls. The blanket had a simple set of runes designed to filter the smoke into normal air and to stop the smell. The rest was up to him. He had to be deadly silent. No touching two glass vials together, no mumbling under his breath, no dropping anything. If his uncle surprised him like that, the truce would be over and he would be locked in his room. He barely managed to convince him to keep his trunk.

But Harry was having so much fun! The discovery he made could change potion making forever! At least,his potion making. He didn't know if this knowledge should leave his small circle of friends. He now understood that what he could do wasn't at the reach of most wizards. Only he could make the tools for this to work, and they were many so… might as well not complicate things right now. It would only hinder his research.

Harry stopped at this thought. His research? Since when was he some kind of scientist? He raised his shoulders, shrugging it off. Whatever. He was having too much fun. After the second week at Privet Drive, Harry's promises began to show. Trees had the most vibrant shade of green and so had the generous, green carpet of thick grass. Vernon bragged to the neighbors he had to repair the lawn mower after it jammed in the thick grass. The flowers were spreading the scent of summer out of their almost shining petals. The bushes that served as fences were as thick as stone walls. Vernon even went and bought two fruit trees to 'add to the decor'. He was patting 'the boy' on the shoulders every times Harry went outside to water the plants and trees with his sprayer. To the eyes of the neighbors, the problem boy had been broken down just by the look of his serene smile.

Some of them actually went to him to ask about the secret of his newfound green thumb.

"Care, love and understanding of the nature's needs. It takes time and observation."

That was all they got. The boy had such vacant eyes that they wondered if he had found his calling or if he just cracked his nut.

Of course, Harry never spoke of the little additive he put in his sprayer. Taking samples of the trees, the plants, the grass and the flowers, he managed to extract their essences.

He ordered a maddening quantity of thick glass vials and a special metal pen used by Rune Masters. The later was costly as it was made out of several metals joined together in layers, mounted on a wooden handle to allow a cool grip. The tungsten point could become white hot from a strong fire. With this, he could melt runes on the glass vials. He needed one for each kind of trees, flowers or plants, even one for the grass.

He took a lot of samples during the first days he was back, taking care for them not to leave holes in the yard. In the dead of the night, he installed his makeshift laboratory and put the samples in the runic vials, over the fire. The plants, flowers or grass in the vials decomposed, burning in a show of smoke and left only a smooth looking, liquid-like substance. It was the very essence of what made the plant what it was. An essence deprived of all impurities. Add this to water, and you've got the perfect thing to spray the yard, and did the results showed!