| Details for Beware of the Flowers |
| Summary: | In which Angus comes to the rescue of a Damsel bewaring of the flowers |
| Date: | 1939-01-27 |
| Location: | Hogwarts Greenhouses |
| Related: | Murder in the Greenhouse |
| Characters |
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Lucretia watches Esther, Zayn and Myrus leave, then rubs the heel of her hand to first one eye and then the other. "That was horrid. Absolutely horrid. Poor Esther. Poor Myrus." It might be surprising that she thinks of the Ravenclaw at a time like this, but she does. "Right. What was it that Lowe said? Keep them in the sun and keep the soil moist." With a small duck of her shoulder, she slips away from Variel and goes to check on her plants. One's already wilted over the side, the seedling looking more than a little pathetic. She stamps her foot in annoyance. "BOTHER!" There's a small shiver given by one of the nearby puffapods, and it flops over the side of its pot. Murdered. Dead. Expired. Seed pods dislodge, shoot up in the air, bounce and explode, just like Myrus predicted had predicted they would. Its no consolation to the young witch that new flowers sprout instantly. No consolation at all. They aren't where they're meant to be and someone's going to be in trouble.
After breakfast but before lessons. That would be the best way to describe the time of day that finds Lucretia here in the greenhouses. Standing near one of the benches on which young plants are neatly lined in various stages of growth, she's surrounded on the floor by a dozen or so puffapod plants. There might be a very good reason as to why she's surrounded by the flowers, but from the look on her face, its probably not by design. "Bother! Bother, bother BOTHER!" It mightn't be the first time that she's said this, not if the annoyance in her voice is anything to go by. "Merlin's beard, I'm going to get into trouble over this!"
Angus heads the 'bothering', and pauses in his heading to the area, "Hey, Lulu! What's the matter?" He's got a gardening apron on over the top, "What have you done?"
"Shhhh!" Lucretia makes desperate gestures with her hands to quiet her friend when he calls out. "Myrus said that being too noisy can cause the puffapod's to explode, and that's exactly what happened!" That it was actually her foot stomping and shaking the wooden floor that caused the plant to topple and throw its seed pods into the air isn't something that Lu knows yet, and she squeezes her eyes together, waiting for the next plant to do the same.
Angus pads closer, "Och, you just need tae tak your time. Gentle movements, aye?"
Lucretia shakes her head, cracking her eyes open a fraction. "But Lowe said…" She looks thoroughly miserable and gestures to the large pink flowers that surround her feet, her voice staying low and quiet. "And Professor Beery is going to be so mad at me for setting all this lot off, Lowe specifically said that the plants were being grown by the Firsties. Oh Angus, what should I do? Try to get them all into pots, or just pick them and hide any evidence?"
Angus gives a little shrug, and pulls out a trowel, and picks up a pot, "Lets get these up, and re-rooted, aye?" And he starts methodically freeing the girl, potting up each of the flowers carefully.
Lucretia pinches the bridge of her nose. "Maybe… Maybe Professor Beery will think that someone's done this to be helpful," she says, stepping carefully over one of the still growing plants to take her own trowel from the trestle in front of her. "I mean, its possible, isn't it?" She's probably not quite as bad at herbology as she thinks, copying Angus to transfer one of the plants before it gets too many roots through the floor and into the earth below. "Thank you for helping me, I was starting to panic a little."
Angus says placidly, "Aye… aye, Ah noticed. But dinnae worry. We'll have it lookin' braw in just a wee moment." He nods approvingly at what you're doing.
"Braw? Does that mean good?" Lu asks, pressing her fingers into the earth around her first flower before taking it over to stand it on one of the tables. She takes Angus' from him too, places it next to the first then comes back with two new pots, depositing one with him and hunkering down with the second in her hands. "But do you think I should tell Professor Beery, or just wait and see if a fuss gets kicked up?"
Angus ponders, as he digs up the next one, and pots it, "It's Beery. Tell him. If it were one o' the others, mebee no'. An, Aye. Braw means good." He carefully pots the next one, and then digs up the next after that, and with no pot to put it in immediately, he grins, and reaches for secateurs, "Come here, Black!"
Lucretia moves over the necessary step or two to close the difference between her and Angus. "I suppose its best to be honest. He might not take away house points. Its only one plant that died after all." Her own pot filled, she holds out her hand for the one he's just finished, the smallest of smiles just showing in the curve of her mouth.
Angus hands over the potted one, and snips the last one, for which there's no pot with the secateurs, "Now, hold still, Black, ken?" And with tongue just visible at the corner of his mouth he tries to thread it into your hair over the top of one ear, Hawaiian style.
The pink blossom is vibrant against the silken background of near raven hair, and a small blush just colours Lucretia's cheeks and the gallant gesture. "Angus! How perfectly wonderful of you. Does it look pretty?" Her troubles momentarily pushed to one side, a lovely smile lights up the young witch's face as she gently touches the petals with delicate fingers. "Nobody's ever given me a flower before. You're the first."
Angus shifts his boots in the clay of the potting shed, "Och, it looks gae bonny." He pauses and digs in his pocket, producing a pen knife, with metal edges polished to a fine shine by travel in his trousers. It's not the perfect mirror, but…. he hands it to you nonetheless
Lucretia takes the knife hurrs on the blade before polishing it off on her sleeve. A lift of it to eye level and she angles the blade so her image flashes within the silver. "Gae bonny," she parrots, a small giggle escaping before she hands the knife back. "I wonder how long it will last before wilting. Probably not long, but I'll keep it in until it does. Thank you." And she hands the knife back.
Angus tucks it away, and says thoughtfully, "There must be a charm to stop that happening, you'd have thought." He ponders, and suggests, "If you gi' it a day, and try a Duro, an' yehs con keep it for ever, aye?"
Lucretia squints. "A Duro? What's that?" She's pretty good as a rule of thumb with Angus' broad dialect, but there are just some words that escape her at times.
Angus gives a grin, "Y'ken, Duro Flower?" He hasn't got his wand out, but that's probably just as well, considering his lack of talent with stuff like that
Lucretia watches Angus' lips carefully when he repeats himself, perhaps thinking that it was some new Scottish word that she's not been exposed to as yet. However, on repeating it she does finally cotton on, a look of understanding showing in her face. "Ohhh. Harden it. Mmm. I suppose that I could do that. Its not as if it'll be wearable again after tonight so it might as well look pretty on my dressing table. What a clever idea Angus." A moment's pause and she leans over and presses a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you. An everlasting gift."
Angus flushes, "Och. Wull. It isnae as pretty as you, ken, Quine?"
Lucretia smiles. "Well no. Obviously not."
Angus looks around, "Now… this doesnae look so bad, eh, Quine? Now… if they're a wee bittie ahead, we could mebee bring them on faster, and get fresh seedlings for the fursties, but I bed the Professor has some spaires."
Lucretia hesitates. "You think? I've not really practiced the growth spell much, but we could try it I suppose?" Even as she's saying it, she's reaching to pull her wand from the inside of her cloak, tongue just poking between her teeth as a look of concentration settles over her face. She halts. "But you should go first. Its your idea…"
Angus points and flourishes, "Herbivicus!" Well, it perks up from the experience of being transpotted, but no huge growth spurt. He points at a second and does likewise
Encouraged by Angus' success, Lucretia gets to work and hurries along a couple of the other plants. "Oh. Oh! I could make my valerian plants better," she realises, then turns the wand on the sickly one. Instantly it picks itself up, straightening and plumping up, turning a more vibrant green than it had likely ever displayed in its short young life. "Oh Angus! You're a complete genius!"
Angus' second target plant is growing rapidly, and its seed pods can be seen developing. Heading back towards its previous state. Shortly thereafter Lucretia's target plant is doing likewise. The boy chuckles, "It's no like we learn many spells in Herbology!"
Lucretia smiles. "I know. But I wasn't even able to think straight, let alone deal with it. So thank you." A small poke is given her plant with the tip of her wand before she tucks it carefully away once more within her cloak. "Anyway. What did you come down here for? Its not herbology classes today, is it?"
Angus shakes his head, "Well, truth be told, I was scrounging some nectar, if I could get some oot, tae feed tae the Beasties. It's no a nice time to be an animal."
"To feed to what beasti— animals?" Lucretia asks, adjusting the flower in her hair. She picks up a watering can and carefully mists a fresh layer of water over her plants before setting them carefully in a patch of sun where it puddles through the glass roof. "I don't think I even know any animals that feed on nectar."
Variel has disconnected.
Angus says casually, "Flitterbys like them…. och, and Faeries o'course, too!" He throws that latter part away. Almost as an aside.
Variel has connected.
Lucretia quirks a brow. "Faeries? You have seen faeries?" Intrigued now, Lu lines her plants up neatly before turning and walking across to Angus. "Seriously? Are there any around Hogwarts? Maybe up in the mountains? Can you show me?"
You say, "Y'ken they're no like the stories, aye? They're kind'o like wee giggling wasps?"
Lucretia smiles. "Well of course I know that. I do read books, even if I'm not studying care of magical creatures for my OWLs." A flick of her finger is given to Angus' nose before she sticks her tongue out at him. "So are there any up in the mountains then? You still owe me a trip up them to see your caves you told me about."
Angus admits, "A few. I've no gotten close tae them. We dinnae study them o-fish-o-lally till next year, but I keep mah eyes open, ken? And I've no forgotten. But the weathers no been gud fur takin' you sightseein'."
Lucretia nods. "Right. Well I should get back to the dormitory and tidy up before classes." There's another small touch to the flower in her hair, and then she's off, turning to call over her shoulder on her way out. "You and me. Hogsmeade this weekend. Yes?"
Angus grins, "Aye, Lu! O'course!" He sounds slightly surprised, as if there might be somewhere else the girl was going, or with whom she might be going.
Lucretia gives a waggle of her fingers, then disappears.