Eros Arborutum
"Damn it Damn it Damn it. Of course the sky breaks open on the one day I decide to study out on the school grounds."
She looked around, the castle seemed so far away, the rain is cold and buckets were dropping on her and her books every second. Her shoes slipped on the steep hill as she works her way back to the school. A little shriek is eaten by the rain as it splashes into her eye. When she shakes her head to clear her vision, she spys Greenhouse #5 and makes for the closer sanctuary.
The greenhouse seems more ramshackle than Professor Sprout usually lets her surroundings get. Pots randomly set on the floor, allowing only a narrow pathway further into the humid gloom. The rain is still pounding into the glass panels above as the girl catches a glimpse of her refelection in one of the few clean window panes at shoulder level. Her hair, honey blonde and shiny when she left the dorm that morning had frizzed out in stringy sections and mascara was running down her cheeks. Shuffling through he backpack, she found a hair tie and an old bandana to wipe her face. As the heavy blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, she looked down to her white blouse which was see-through and clingy.
Relieved that she hadn't entered the school looking like this, Hannah unbuttoned her school shirt and flung it over an irrigation pipe to dry. She looked down at her chest and laughed out loud. "I cannot believe that Susan convinced me to buy a bra that says 'Devil's Snare' all over it in cutesy cursive letters."
Shaking her head, glad she hadn't bought the matching underwear, she explored further into the greenhouse wearing only her bra to cover her rather large chest. Soon Hannah forgot all about her clothes as she discovered new plants all around her. Each pot was labeled in a clear block print but she had never heard of them before.
One section had plants hanging from the ceiling, dark brown pods would drop every few moments and rattle on the floor, another section held some of the loveliest flowers she had ever seen or smelled. She would have happily spent the entire storm sniffing at one that reminded her of leather, lilacs and nutmeg but her eye caught a movement. Hannah ripped herself away from the plant and winded around to stand in front of a large tree.
The tree looked old, gnarled with wide spread branches. The trunk was big enough that it would take two people to wrap their arms all the way around, and the roots seemed to go dirrectly into the ground, as if the greenhouse was built to suit the tree instead vice versa. Little bubbles were bursting all over the bark of the tree, Hannah was about to touch a large bubble to see if it would pop as a crack of thunder surprised her.
She let out a scream to match the rumble above her head and didn't finish until the thunder died out. In the absolute silence that followed, a voice called out.
"Is-Is someone in here? Students aren't supposed to be in this greenhouse." The owner of the voice was getting closer, Hannah released her tension as Neville turned the corner to find her crouching at the base of the tree. "Oh, Hi, Hannah." As he walked closer, Hannah's stomach fluttered, she had been crushing on Neville for over two years but had never done anything about it. She took his offered hand and rose up, he looked especially cute since he was as drenched as she was. Neville blushed and looked away when he saw that she was only in her bra, but not fast enough to avoid a mental photograph. "I expect you got caught in the weather? I'd offer you my shirt, but I did too." Neville flapped his shirt to unstick it from his body, the sleeves plastered onto his strengthened arms.
"Yes, I was studying and this was the closest place to go before I got soaked. Not a very successful plan." Hannah folded her arms over her chest, covering about half of the deliciousness. "I've never been in here before, what are all these plants? I don't recognize them."
Neville turned back to her, making a monumental effort to look at her face. With quickened breath, he answered, "Expermentals, the Herbology professors over the years have used this greenhouse for their own research. Since I'm going to be team teaching with Professor Sprout next year, she told me to get familiar with them."
"That's wonderful, I had heard that you put in for the position, I so proud of you!" With out considering, Hannah wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged her friend. She could feel the heat of his body radiating through the wet cotton and a few drips from his overlong hair splashed down her back as he returned to hug.
Warm, moist air was forming between them as another hit of thunder boomed through the glass building. Hannah shrieked again and fell back against the bubbling tree. She could feel sticky sap adhere to her skin as she pulled herself away from the bark.
Neville was slowly walking away from the tree, when Hannah spotted his retreat. "Where are you going? What the heck is this thing?" She bent her arms behind her to scratch the sap off her skin, she found only herself, the stickiness had been absorbed on contact. "Neville!"
"That's an Eros Arborutum, Hannah, the sap is used in every love potion on the market."