Changes (II)

"Go on."

After Ron left, Harry stood by the window for a while longer before turning and heading downstairs.

He ran into several younger students in the corridor. They were gathered around a window watching the rain. One girl had her palm pressed against the glass, watching rainwater run down along the edge of her hand.

Harry passed them, crossed the Entrance hall, went through the corridor along the side of the castle, and pushed open the door leading to the Greenhouse.

It was indeed much warmer inside the Greenhouse than outside.

The air was filled with the damp scent of soil and the crisp fragrance unique to plants. Moisture had condensed into a dense layer of tiny droplets along the inside of the glass roof.

Neville was crouching in a corner of the Greenhouse. Before him stood a row of Mandrake pots. The hem of his robe was stained with dirt, but he did not seem to care.

Harry walked over and crouched beside Neville.

The Mandrake buds had clearly begun to bloom. Pale green petals curled outward from the tops of the buds, their edges and the outlines of the stamens clearly visible. Several buds had already opened more than halfway, revealing pale yellow stamens within.

"The first one bloomed yesterday evening," Neville said. "I stayed here until dark just to watch it bloom. From the moment the bud split open to the moment it fully unfolded, it took about two hours."

"Did you record it?"

"I wrote everything down." Neville took a small notebook from his pocket, opened it to a page, and handed it to Harry. Neat handwriting recorded the times the buds opened, along with temperature and humidity data. There was also a simple sketch marking the order and angles at which the petals unfolded.