A/N:
QLFC S7R4
Prompt: Don't Take Things Out of Context!
Except … that's totally what we're asking you to do :P
Each position has a line of dialogue taken from a film or TV show which you are to use as inspiration* for your story and include the quote as a line of dialogue!
(Punctuation, tenses and pronouns can all be changed.)
(*the dialogue only is the inspiration, not the film/tv show)
Team: Pride of Portree
Position: Beater 1
Position Prompt: Beater 1 "The bounce has gone from his bungee." — Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave
Optional Prompts: 8. [Object] Pendant, 9. [Creature] Hippogriff, 10. [Word] Aromatic
Word Count: 1394
The Herbal Healer
Hermione inhaled slowly as she took in her surroundings. She knew that when she took the job that no one, under any circumstances, should try to keep a Hippogriff as a pet. They needed to be free and not cooped up in a dilapidated shed surrounded by a fence that could have definitely used some work. There was not enough blue sky or sunshine to brighten the depressing sight in front of her. She could hear the cries for help coming from inside the shed and looked around for any sign of the owner.
She saw no one.
She had already been paid for the job of healing the poor creature but she wanted to have a word with whomever thought this was a good idea. The Hippogriff that was being held captive didn't deserve to be there. It needed to be able to stretch its wings and fly to places unknown, mingle with the same creatures, and take on a life of its own. Her heart bled for it and she hadn't even opened the door to the shed.
She toyed with the gold pendant that dangled from her neck. It held homegrown mint leaves and bergamot spices that gave off a strange, not unpleasant, aromatic scent. She remembered reading an article that stated how those particular spices calmed certain magical creatures. Luckily, Hippogriffs had been on that list. She found the use of the pendant and aromatic spices much more effective than any kind of vaccination or heavy chemical sedation.
She went to push on the wooden door and the screeches from the rusty hinges grabbed the attention of the wounded Hippogriff. Hermione's heart swelled and wept for the state of the Hippogriff. He had clearly been mistreated by the owner and it made her wish that she hadn't taken their money for this. She knew she had to heal him but she didn't know if she could leave him here.
She calmly approached the Hippogriff who hadn't even tried to get up. Usually, they are very territorial but this one was depressed. The ropes tied around his hooves looked excruciatingly tight and they looked as if something much larger had tried to fight with it. The pendant dangled back and forth around her neck which seemed to have grabbed the attention of the Hippogriff much more than the loud creaks echoing from beneath her feet. A trough of dirty water claimed residence in the corner of the shed but she didn't think that the ropes allowed much movement.
"Shh," she soothed.
His golden eyes stared at her as if he was afraid of what she might do. The aroma from the pendant filled the air and those same, terrified, golden orbs seemed to become heavy. She didn't remember reading that it was a sedative for them but she was welcoming that at this point. She needed to assess the damage and see what all she could do for him.
She pulled her wand from her back pocket and a small, thumb-sized brown back from her front pocket that she enlarged. She hung the golden pendant from a dirty nail hammered into the wood and used her wand to light a couple of the leaves inside. She needed the aroma to be even stronger if she found any kind of deep cut.
"Thank goodness you're here," she heard someone say from the door.
She didn't turn but her spine stiffened. The voice seemed oddly familiar but, considering the obvious abuse of this animal, she hoped she wouldn't see the owner. Turning around, the relieved facial expressions from Neville Longbottom was the last thing she expected.
"Neville! What are you doing here?" she asked, lifting her wand to light a couple more leaves in the pendant.
"I'm the one that contacted you about this job," he answered, coming closer to the heavily sedated creature.
"You did this to him?" Hermione asked, irritation dripping with every word.
"No! H-How could you even think that?" Neville stuttered.
"I didn't really. Asking is part of my job. Do you know who did do this?" she asked, gently petting the sticky and matted down feathers on the Hippogriff's neck.
"I wish I did. The house on the hill appears to be abandoned. Maybe no one has been here? I just didn't know who to call. I called St. Mungo's to see if anyone could help me there but they claimed that magical creatures weren't what they healed," he informed.
"Of course they did," Hermione rolled her eyes.
"They told me that I would have to contact a freelance herbal healer to take care of any injured creature. I didn't even think there was such a thing. Your name was at the top," he smiled, nodding towards her.
His face scrunched up in disgust as he looked around for the source of the smell.
"What is that smell?"
"Mint and Bergamot,"
"Interesting. That's the worst flavors for tea," he whispered.
"It helps. I think you're right about him being abandoned. There are no real wounds to care for here but he does have rope burn around the ankles. I can heal that quickly," Hermione told him, focusing on slicing the rope.
She pointed her wand at the burns and watched as a purple light wrapped around each ankle to give it a soft but effective healing. She smiled to herself as she watched the now sleeping Hippogriff. She needed to remember to find that article and record the lasting effects of the mint and bergamot.
"Thank you for writing me, Neville," Hermione said, looking at the watch on her left wrist.
"What are we going to do with him?" he asked, motioning to the Hippogriff.
"I've removed the ropes, healed the burns, and I'm going to take the front of the shed off. The bounce has gone from his bungee for a little while but soon he'll be able to fly away and begin his life. They are very independent creatures so there is nothing I can do after that," she said matter-of-factly.
She patted Neville's shoulder and removed the front of the shed with her wand. It seemed to just disappear without any kind of leftover debris. Neville stood there, stunned. She must have learned quite a bit more than when he last spoke to her. After Hogwarts, it had been about five years since their last meeting. He always knew she would do great things and, after today, he had not been disappointed.
"What were you doing out here when you came across this?" Hermione asked, going back towards the Hippogriff to grab her gold pendant hanging off the wall.
She blew the flames out before putting it back around her neck and walking away with him towards the walking path. Neville shrugged in response to her answer.
"I received a tip from a colleague that I could find a rare plant species out here. I wanted to add it to my greenhouse collection and I heard the cries from the shed. Of course, he was a lot angrier than when I saw him today," Neville laughed at the last part.
"I'm just glad you wrote to me. Since I couldn't get S.P.E.W. off the ground at the Ministry, I tried something else that I knew would have helped. That's all I've ever wanted to do," she answered, a smile playing on her lips.
"No problem. So, if I come across anymore like this are you the first person I should call?" he asked.
She looked down anxiously at her watch and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Absolutely. I'm going to be late to another house call if I don't hurry but don't hesitate to write me for another job or whatever you find. See you later, Neville!"
She waved goodbye before disappearing from sight completely. He knew he could trust her to fix this problem. Honestly, he couldn't wait to see her again. He looked back at the Hippogriff who seemed to be stirring. He wanted to get out of sight quickly before the Hippogriff saw him. Neville took off to another part of the woods in search of that rare plant he was promised and thinking that maybe he would like to write to her again; however, he didn't think he would write to her about a job proposition this time.