Closed Red searching for Green

[Amortentia Layton-King]

Back home Ten had a greenhouse of her own in her bedroom by anyone's standards. Sure, Ten had grown up around Potions, both parents had been potion professors at one time or another, but the key ingredient for potions were of course the ingredients, and if you didn't have plants then you didn't have ingredients. It wasn't just the potions either, so many plants had uses day to day and Ten felt naked in the dormitory with the lack of greenery surrounding her. She needed plants. Plants that would thrive in the warm and dry environment, plants that she could take care of and utilize in her room.

Dressed in her shorts, oversized t-shirt and checkered collard shirt, sleeves rolled up her forearms, she'd headed out the dormitory with her bag slung over her shoulder. She didn't know what she was about to find but she wanted to bring back as much as possible. On her way down from the dorms she was rustling in her bag, trying to make sure the last pieces of trash lying at the bottom were removed, laying them on an empty table in the common room. She didn't need her new plants covered in rubbish, and the elves in the school would probably tidy up after her anyway. As a final attempt to clean her bag, she tilted the entire thing upside down, bits of fluff and dust covering both the table, chair and floor with the contents of her life before Hogwarts.

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Eager to begin his exploration of Hogwarts, Teddy had a specific plan to venture through every floor of the castle in turn, beginning with a visit to the dungeons. A Slytherin girl had complained to him about the dreariness of the Slytherin Common Room, piquing Teddy's interest to visit himself. He wanted to find out if the dungeons was truly as dreadful as she had described.

On his way out of his common room, he encountered a girl who was in the midst of emptying her bag, to the very last spec of dust. The scene caught Teddy's attention, and he couldn't help but find amusement in the mess she was making. Curiosity getting the better of him, Teddy decided to strike up a conversation with a lighthearted remark as he was passing. "Having a spring clean there?"

 

[Amortentia Layton-King]

Ten didn't need to look up to know that whoever it was was talking to her. There were very few people in the common room at that moment, even less so doing a spot of light cleaning. "Well I don't want any of my new plants getting infected with all this," she replied, dusting out the last of it and closing her bag back up to let it hang once more at her hip. She turned her attention to the voice who'd approached her, "You know if you're using plants that have been tainted, you could end up with the wrong results." Ten wasn't about to be taking any chances given the important of what she needed these plants for. "Are you going outside?" she asked, taking a few more steps towards the common room door. The boy seemed to be on his way out too, and she wouldn't mind the company of another Gryffindor if he was headed to the gardens too.

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy chuckled at the idea of plants being infected by dust from a bag. It seemed like a strange choice of words, one that didn't quite fit his understanding of plant life. Nevertheless, his curiosity got the better of him. "What are you using plants for?" Teddy nodded to the question if he was going outside, "I'm heading in that direction."

 

[Amortentia Layton-King]

Ten followed the boy out of the common room, and began to walk back down the corridor towards the main exit. One thing about being a Gryffindor meant that they had one of the longest walks downstairs, but at least it gave Ten time to get to know her housemate. "All sorts of things," she began, strolling down the rug covered corridor, "Bay leaves, if you grind those up in a bowl, leave it face up by the side of your bed, and then drink a tea made from Bay leaves before you sleep, in the morning you'll get the answers you've been looking for," she'd grown up with this kind of stuff, both from her family and having conducted some of her own research. "I need to get some Cinnamon too, if you burn it you can draw a lot of energy and it means you can do your spells better." Ten continued walking, unsure if the boy would take her up on any of her ideas. "I used to have a plant at home, Colin," she began to explain, thinking about how her dumb little brother had stepped on Colin and injured him the day Ned got her letter, "the Hamamelis Virginiana, he's an anti-inflammatory, good for healing." Ten glanced at the boy, wondering if he got the hint yet that she was a fan of her herbs, plants and natural materials.

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy enjoyed people with passions, especially when they shared their passion with him. He listened to the girl talk about bay leaves, cinnamon, and what now? He attempted to repeat, "Hama - hamamayless virginia? That's quite the mouthful!" Teddy chuckled, a mix of amusement and admiration in his voice. With his own curiosity sparked, Teddy couldn't help but be drawn into the conversation further. "Go on, tell me more!" The dungeons were pushed from his mind as he walked with this girl to pick herbs and plants instead.

 

[Amortentia Layton-King]

Ten smiled as the boy tried to pronounce what she'd said, "It's also called Witch Hazel," that was it's more commonly used name anyway. Ten just liked how it sounded in Latin; it was fancy, elite, made Ten feel like she knew more than she needed to and that she was an expert when it came to plants. Felix told her she just sounded arrogant, but Ten didn't mind so much. It was the one thing she wanted to be good at. No, best at.

They rounded another corner and Ten was intrigued that the boy was still following her, despite the fact he must have had his own plans and ideas. Sure she could have told him more, but what was he doing? "I can tell you more when we reach the gardens," she concluded, her eyes watching him. "Are you looking forward to starting classes? Potions? Herbology?" Those were the ones Ten was most looking forward to.

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy paid no notice to whether his presence was welcome during the plant gathering expedition, he had made up his mind to join regardless. "I'm looking forward to Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts most, but Potions and Herbology do sound interesting too," he replied in response to her question. "Oh, I'm Teddy by the way! What's your name?" If he was going to spend time with her then he really should cover basic introductions first.

 

[Amortentia Layton-King]

Ten nodded at the lessons he was looking forward to, although she couldn't agree. Truth be told she was a little wary of having to use her wand, but she'd do the best she could with what she had. "Oh, cool! I'm Ten," she added, hoping that Teddy didn't think she was ten years old. That had happened before and it was a bit embarrassing. As they approached the big main doors, Ten stepped outside and let the sun hit her face, warming her immediately. It may have been winter but Ten's body naturally ran warm, and so she was rarely ever cold. "Have you been down to the garden before?" she asked Teddy, wondering if this was a first for both of them.

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy smiled, the notion of being named after a number amused him, but he suspected it was short for something else. She asked him if he'd visited the gardens before, Teddy shook his head. "This is my first time!" Teddy confessed, his voice filled with an eagerness to visit. "Have you?"

As they ventured outside, a gentle breeze brushed against their faces, carrying the icy touch of winter. Teddy's body instinctively reacted, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He'd forgotten to grab an extra layer before leaving their common room. "My goodness it's freezing out here!"