A Professor's Appreciation (Part One)

At Hogwarts, you could see "living" ghosts, but what puzzled Pomona was why wizards were still so afraid of "ghosts."

"Aah! Damn it, it's Peeves!" History of Magic had finally ended, but the first Gryffindor boy to leave the classroom was attacked by Peeves with chalk. The Hufflepuff students instinctively stepped back. They could leave this sort of spotlight-grabbing opportunity to the lions.

"Pomona!" Lily spotted her then and came running over with a smile, her red hair swaying from side to side. She looked adorable.

"Lily." Pomona greeted her, then introduced her to her roommates. Susan was as open-hearted as a boy, while Mary and Jane's expressions became rather complicated.

Pretty girls were every other girl's enemy, because boys always hovered around them. Pomona was fortunate enough to know a "disfigurement" spell. Some people were not easygoing because they were genuinely kind; they simply felt that the other person posed no threat to them, so they had no hostility.

"Stop! If you don't stop, I'm calling the Bloody Baron!"

The first-years had no way of dealing with Peeves and could only shout threats like that. Still, the Bloody Baron was Slytherin's ghost. Wasn't it embarrassing for a Gryffindor to ask a Slytherin ghost for help?

The Gryffindor boys charged forward again, casting spells wildly and knocking dust from the ancient stone walls, leaving themselves even more covered in gray. Peeves only laughed more gleefully.

"Who are those two following James Potter and Sirius Black?" Pomona asked Lily, taking the opportunity.

"I only heard Potter call them Lupin and Peter." Lily hugged her books close. "We have our next class together too, right?"

"Herbology, in our House's greenhouse. Our first lesson is transplanting Mandrakes."

"What are you planning to do after class?"

"Eat, then go to the library to finish my homework."

"That's great. How about we go together?"

Pomona was just about to ask what they should do about Snape when Peeves suddenly shrieked and vanished.

"Miss Martin!" Avoiding the students covered head to toe in white dust, Professor McGonagall appeared at the door of the History of Magic classroom.

"What is it, Professor?"

"It's urgent." McGonagall beckoned to her. "Quickly, come with me."

"Hold these for me." Pomona handed her books to Susan, then followed Professor McGonagall away.

They crossed the corridor and went straight to the wall, where the Whomping Willow had just been planted. After a growth-accelerating spell, it had already become a large tree. But that was precisely the problem. Its roots were crawling through the gaps between the bricks of Hogwarts' wall, seemingly intent on toppling the entire thing. Three adult wizards were waving their wands, trying to calm it down, but this only enraged it. The Whomping Willow lashed its branches about furiously, refusing to let anyone near.

Spring was for planting, autumn was for harvesting. Pomona had thought from the start that planting something like this in September, in a school full of students, was dangerous. Plants had tempers too. Forcing one into the ground in a season unsuitable for its growth would lead to exactly this sort of situation.

"I heard from Dumbledore that you're very skilled at plant magic, and besides, you know..." Professor McGonagall did not finish her sentence, but Pomona understood what she meant. She was half-Veela. Hagrid, that half-giant, got along well with the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, so they naturally assumed Pomona had an affinity for magical plants too. And as it happened, they were right. Continuing to use wizards' wands would be useless.

Pomona lowered her head and searched around. At last, she found several stones on the ground that were reasonably easy to handle, then hurled them with all her strength.

There was a knot on the Whomping Willow's trunk. Pressing it would freeze the tree in place, but only temporarily. To truly calm it down, she needed another method.

Pomona's aim was good. Twice, she nearly struck the knot in the trunk, but the tree swept the stones aside with its branches. Only after she had used up every stone in her hand did she hit the Whomping Willow's knot.

"Rooar!" A loud sound came from within the trunk, like a person roaring in fury. Pomona seized the moment it was immobilized and ran over, spreading her arms to embrace the trunk. The savage emotions flowing from it through her palms startled her. She had never encountered such an enraged plant in all her life.

A bad temper was easily contagious, but Pomona still did everything she could to keep from being affected by it. As long as it was handled properly, even dangerous magical plants could become medicinal ingredients. The prerequisite was understanding them well enough.

Pomona pulled a leather pouch from her sleeve. It contained several vials of potion. She took out the purple one and smashed it on the ground. With a sharp crack, the glass shattered, and the liquid within quickly seeped into the soil.

"Rooar... rooar..." The Whomping Willow's cries grew lower and slower until they finally fell silent. Its violent roots no longer tried to destroy the wall. On the surface, everything seemed fine.

"Bravo!" An old man cheered, laughing as he applauded. It was Professor Slughorn, Slytherin's Head of House.

"Shh!" Pomona gestured for silence. "I drugged it. It's only quiet for now. Don't wake it."

Slughorn immediately fell silent. Still, with his large belly, he carefully stepped over the tangled roots and waddled toward the shattered vial. He picked up a shard from the ground and sniffed it. His face filled with astonishment as he cried, "Merlin's beard, it's sun flower and deadly nightshade! How did you do it?"

If anyone was surprised, it was Pomona. Slughorn had actually identified the ingredients simply from the smell of the residue. Sun flower was in fact deadly nightshade, except sun flowers gathered the power of the sun during the day and produced magic at night. They carried powers of different natures, unable to coexist just like day and night.

The Whomping Willow relied on magic to gain the ability to attack on its own. Without magic, it was an ordinary plant, and plants did not move. If she brewed enough potion, she could even turn the Whomping Willow into a truly ordinary willow tree. But why would she do that? A Whomping Willow without magic would be as dull as a Muggle photograph that could not move.

"Can we speak somewhere else?" Pomona looked at Professor McGonagall.

"Of course, dear." McGonagall beckoned to Pomona and escorted her away from the Whomping Willow's range.

"Where is Professor Grubbly-Plank?" Pomona asked Professor McGonagall.

"Wilhelmina is better at treating animals. Her main job is as a nurse in the hospital wing." McGonagall lowered her voice. "Dorian isn't at the school right now."

"Why did you have to plant the tree at a time like this?" Pomona could not help complaining. "You could have waited until spring."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to wait that long." Seeing the first-years gathered around to watch, Professor McGonagall shouted at them, "What are you still standing around for? You're going to be late for class!"

"This is your special ability, isn't it?" Professor Slughorn held the glass shard to his nose and sniffed it again and again. "It comes from your blood."

Pomona smiled at Slughorn, then said in a proud, mysterious tone, "You're right, human."