"Just another day in Herbology," Tarni muttered conspirationally to Harry at their station along the long table that dominated Greenhouse 3. The rich, moist soil spread on a tray I nfront of them was only a shade darker than Tarni's eyes, although it lacked the long golden streaks that glowed in her irises.
Although Tarni was a stolid Hufflepuff to the core, secretly she wished that she had been sorted into Gryffindor so that she could live alongside Harry. These Herbology classes were enough for her, though. Professor Sprout often paired Harry and Tarni for projects, saying loud and often that they made an even better team than Hermione and Neville. Hermione didn't particularly like this, but Tarni just laughed off the compliments and went jokingly back to work.
Today the fifth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were completely clad in their dragonhide gloves, aprons, sleeves, and stiff mouthguards. They were to battle ferocious Nightchanted Hemlock seedlings.
"In the Muggle world," Professor Sprout warned, "they have these plants, but not to this deadly extent. A cousin of the Venemous Tentacula must have mated with the Hemlock, and now they not only have deadly berries, they fling them. When a berry splatters on you, you'll get a nasty rash, and so our job today is to strip them of their berries. No rashes please! Begin!"
Harry and Tarni finished stripping the plant first, but Harry quickly became bored and softly began pelting berries at Tarni's exposed legs beneath her uniform skirt. He must have picked a particularly ripe one, because when he hit her in the shin it exploded, covering her right leg from ankle to knee. She screamed and immediately was taken to the Hospital Wing, were Harry stayed at her side asking what he could do to make it up to her. She finally plucked up the courage to ask what she wanted.
"Don't do anything you don't want to do, but Harry...I've been dying for a kiss," Tarni said slowly, holding her breath until Harry leaned over her bed and stole it with a breath-taking kiss.