"All right, then I'll wait for you." Ariana's gentle voice still lingered in his ears when another voice drowned it out. "Wake up, Su Er. We're going to be late."
Su Er blearily opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the lifelike badger on the bed curtains, followed by his roommate Justin Finch-Fletchley's curly hair.
Justin was fumbling to pull on his wizard robes.
"I'm getting up." Su Er threw back his soft quilt and climbed out of bed.
Magic proved especially useful at times like these.
"Scourgify."
"Quick, do me too." Justin came over, along with their other two roommates, who had only just struggled out of bed.
"Me too."
When the four of them stepped through the round doorway, they discovered they were apparently not the only ones running late.
The Hufflepuff Common Room was packed with people.
"Su Er." Diggory waved to him from the crowd. "Come over, and bring your roommates. There's breakfast here."
A long table had appeared in the Hufflepuff Common Room, laden with sandwiches, bread, milk, pumpkin juice, and all sorts of other food.
"Did I forget to tell you?" Diggory handed Su Er a bacon-and-egg sandwich. "The Hogwarts Kitchen is on the same corridor as us."
"Thanks." Su Er took it. "So we can just have breakfast here?"
"If you fancy walking through the cold wind to wake yourself up once winter comes..." Diggory picked up the pumpkin juice and poured himself a glass. "Up to you."
"Obviously, nobody wants that," Su Er said with a smile.
"Ha! The timetable's on the noticeboard. Hufflepuff's first lesson every year is Herbology with our Head of House. The greenhouses are behind the castle." Diggory laughed heartily. "I'm off to class, then. See you."
"See you."
Su Er lowered his head and took a few bites of his sandwich, then suddenly felt as though he had forgotten something.
It probably wasn't anything important, right?
In the Hogwarts dining hall, Hermione was eating with a frosty expression, fork in hand. She failed to notice that the young wizards on either side of her had left two empty seats between themselves and her, and all wore equally terrified expressions.
"H-Hermione..." Neville approached shakily.
"Hmm?" Hermione tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Your... your fried egg..." Neville swallowed and pointed at the plate in front of her.
"What's wrong with it?" Hermione looked down and saw nothing amiss-assuming an egg reduced to tiny, shredded bits counted as normal...
"Nothing." Neville shook his head. "If we don't head to class now, we'll be late."
Clatter. Hermione let go of her spoon, dropping it onto her plate. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Thanks for reminding me, Neville."
"N-no problem..." Neville shuddered in fright.
Only after leaving the castle and approaching Greenhouse One did Su Er remember what he had forgotten.
He had forgotten his arrangement with Hermione...
I'm doomed... Su Er's face fell.
"What's wrong, Su Er? Did something you ate upset your stomach?" Justin asked with concern.
"I'm fine, Justin. Thanks." Su Er shook his head. "The professor's waiting for us. Let's hurry."
As for Hermione, he would explain to her at lunchtime. If he explained properly, she ought to understand, right?
Their Herbology professor was Sprout, a plump, gray-haired woman with an exceptionally kind smile.
But nobody would believe that a witch capable of becoming Head of Hufflepuff was entirely harmless.
As everyone knew, badgers were very good at concealing themselves. Being modest and unassuming certainly did not mean being harmless.
Right at the start of the lesson, Professor Sprout sternly announced that they were absolutely forbidden to move or examine plants in the greenhouse without permission. Although most of the plants in Greenhouse One were harmless, mishandle them and a bed in Madam Pomfrey's ward would be waiting to welcome them.
Their first lesson mainly introduced the many strange plants and fungi in the greenhouse, opening the young wizards' eyes to a whole new world. For instance, a mandrake's roots would let out a lethal cry when disturbed, causing unconsciousness at the very least. Once mature, however, it could be used to make potions that reversed petrification, minor curses, and similar effects.
"Pay attention!" Professor Sprout demonstrated their first practical task. "Fireleaf is a plant that catches fire very easily."
"Like this." Professor Sprout gently rubbed together the two round purple leaves in her hands.
As the young wizards gasped, smoke immediately rose from where the leaves rubbed together. Then a spark swiftly flared into a huge flame that engulfed Professor Sprout's hands.
But the professor calmly shook her hands, and the flames vanished at once.
"Does anyone know why the flames burned on my hands without harming me in the slightest?" Professor Sprout asked with a warm smile.
"Some sort of fireproofing spell?" Su Er heard a young wizard whisper behind him.
"But Professor Sprout didn't take out her wand," a girl countered quietly.
Professor Sprout waited a moment, but no answer came.
"It's the sap," she said softly. "Just a little sap from a Fireleaf stem will protect you from flames produced by the plant itself. This sap is commonly used to make fireproof gloves."
Everyone silently took out their parchment and began scribbling notes.
"Now, does anyone know what the ashes of burned Fireleaf leaves can be used for?"
"I know, Professor." A Ravenclaw girl raised her hand, her voice full of uncertainty. "They can be made into an ointment for treating burns. I accidentally burned myself once, and my mother used it to treat me."
"Correct. Five points to Ravenclaw," Sprout said happily.
It was hard to imagine that the sap in a Fireleaf's stem was not actually its most useful part. Instead, the ashes left after burning were where its true value lay.
Next, Professor Sprout gave them a small bottle of liquid to rub onto their hands, then taught them how to repot Fireleaf and harvest its leaves.
Everyone took great care not to let the Fireleaf in their hands burst into flames, but young wizards trying something for the first time were bound to cause a little trouble.
Every so often, a puff of smoke would rise, followed by a flare of fire.
"Hmm, very good." Professor Sprout strolled over to Su Er. "The right idea and the right technique-applying a little sap between the two leaves."
"I remember your name is Su Er Bones, isn't it, child?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Five points to Hufflepuff!" she said happily, adding to her own house's score.
The young wizards immediately copied Su Er's method, and sure enough, it greatly reduced the number of fires caused by friction.
Hannah and Susan's pair also earned points, because they had lost the fewest Fireleaf leaves and successfully completed the repotting.
The Herbology lesson slipped quietly by amid tension and still more tension.
Before you continue