The group threw themselves down in the confines provided by the shade of the large ash tree. Although slightly chilly, the light wind did not move the boys indoors, it gave a refreshing lilt to the air unlike that belonging to the stagnant castle.
Sirius flicked lazily through a worn copy of a muggle motorbike magazine which Remus had procured for him before stuffing it back in his bag. He blew some strands that swept eloquently across his startlingly grey eyes in a bid to emphasise his boredom. Lounging against the tree, he surveyed a few stragglers picking their way back toward the Great Hall for dinner. Sirius checked out a passing fourth year's breasts with vague interest before refocusing on the present conversation.
Peter was fretting out loud about yesterday's potions class; his product would have fallen well below standard, had it not been for James impatiently muttering instructions when Professor Slughorn stood at the far side of the classroom.
'Relax Wormtail' Remus had interjected soothingly, 'I'm sure if you copied off James you'll get an Outstanding'. In response, Peter gave an anxious but appreciative nod in Lupins direction and his round body seemed to relax a bit more.
James rumpled his thick black hair more so out of habit than anything else and he fiddled with a snitch in his pocket apparently lost in thought. Sirius did a quick sweep of the grounds to ascertain the absence of any teachers before lighting up a cigarette; he took a slow drag before passing it over to James who inhaled appreciatively. Lupin wrinkled his nose in distaste before adding "How many are you on a day now Prongs?". Sirius shrugged nonchalantly and Lupin went back to inspecting his books contents with interest. James stretched and stood up suddenly 'Oi, coming to dinner, I'm starving!' "Pretty boy?" James called expectantly, resulting in a weary but heated "shut up". Nevertheless Sirius got up to move, he hadn't realised how hungry he actually was until now.
The brightening effect of the greenhouse glass reflected dappled light onto its inhabitants. Flecks or green light bounced off the plants and gave a warm, homely glow to the building. Stacked high on each workspace were tall, spiny plants that brushed lightly off the ceiling. . The seventh years fell into their respective places and the usual classroom chatter began to die down as soon as Professor Chokely spoke. Issuing simple instructions and a page number to ascertain any further queries he set the class to work. Their goal was to obtain the watery fluid in the lamella of the leaves. This should have been easy if not for the plants enormous stature and tendency to issue a sharp smack with its spindly branches. It was not particularly dangerous work, neither was it mentally taxing, instead it was simply annoying. Naturally the boys held an advantage over the girls, their combined height allowed them to tackle the task with less of a struggle. Of course this meant that the girls would smile and flutter feathery lashes in a bid to gain the assistance of their comrades.
While several eager Ravenclaws had chivalrously abandoned their own Artopodra shrubs, the Marauders stayed where they were. They didn't come to girls, girls came to them. However if Lily had been there, James would have instantly made his way over with a sense of cool bravado to make her laugh and take full advantage of any moment in her presence. Unfortunately, Lily Evans never took Herbology after her O.W.L's; she was in fact determined to obtain a position in the department of muggle protection. (Also the reasoning behind James' unexpected choice of muggle studies). Thus James was resigned to barely heeding the goings on of the classroom. His imagination was thoroughly preoccupied with images of a certain red-haired Gryffindor.
Meanwhile Sirius scarcely noticed the eagerly on looking girls being too focused on the designated task. It wasn't that he was nervous in their presence (That sort of behaviour was strictly reserved for Remus and Peter); as a matter of fact Sirius had never had any difficulty with girls. Females had been so interested in him since he turned thirteen that they had lost their appeal. While their constant attention had been enjoyable at first, they had made Sirius become jaded and disenchanted with the lot of them. One could say he had developed an immunity to their charms, that's not to deny that he didn't indulge in trysts, quite the opposite as he wouldn't be Sirius Black otherwise. It's just that these occurrences never ventured into relationship zones, the girls had learnt the hard way to expect nothing more from him yet still came determinedly back. Besides, he had always found that girls were far more interesting until you got to know them and thereafter he was mostly disappointed and very often bored.
To the back corner of the greenhouse, a lone girl stood. Marissa appreciated the comfort and protectiveness that the corners concealment offered her. In an effort to ready herself for the task ahead she rummaged to remove the heavy Herbology book from her satchel and consult Professor Chokely's advice with the tome's contents. She pushed her jumpers sleeves past her elbows to reveal thin, delicate tapering forearms that caused the fabric to just fall back down into place again. She signed in exasperation and tried to focus on what she was reading in spite of the growing chatter and excited shrieks of the surrounding teenagers. She glanced around to compare her progress in relation to the others. Thankfully everyone else was still settling into stools and circling the stately plants with curiosity.
From her corner she could easily observe the events of the classroom unnoticed, not that she had much interest in those sorts of affairs. It was almost always the same dynamics reflected in a different setting in every classroom. You had the likes of the Heather Montgomery's and the Jack Sergeants' who seemed genetically engineered to obtain at least fifty points for their respective houses daily. Of course there were also the flocks of girls who giggled uncontrollably at the silliest of things and congregated at doors making it exceedingly difficult for others to get by. Alongside these, who could forget the one and only Marauders, the four boys who epitomised the height of Hogwarts cool, particularly Sirius Black and James Potter, best in school at everything they tried, and effortlessly popular with males and females alike but never out of detention. Finally there were the people like herself, the nameless ones who lived from day to day with little or no impact on the lives of those they observed on a daily basis. Marissa had come to accept this bizarre ranking scale as part of her identity; she did not expect anything else and always remained humbly in the shadows of her corners or behind her wave of dark tumbling hair.
The girl fiddled nervously with the plants pink leaves, unsure but admiring of its unusual texture. The only thing she could liken it to was the bouncy touch of a Hippogriff's feathery coat between her fingers. She raked her mind for any information to help her complete the task without having to ask a boy for help, surely the enormous hours she had passed in the library would reward her with some useful technique that would save her embarrassment? She slipped the gloves on and began petting the leaves gently. They curled upward and seemed to emit a low purring noise. Stretching themselves out further, their newly curved form offered her ample opportunity to make a quick incision, allowing a thin, clear liquid to drip out into her waiting basin. She marvelled at how such a spiny leaf held a remarkable amount of substance. Unfortunately now the first cut had been made, the plant was alert to her practices, and it began to whip out branch after branch, one lash narrowly avoiding her eye. Nevertheless she continued to gracefully dodge its outbursts and over the course of the next forty minutes she had garnered two large buckets of Artopodra juice.
Doing his usual rounds of the greenhouse, Professor Chokely circulated the students, keeping an eye on their progress. He bobbed from desk to desk, in his usual cheerful manner offering to hold the bucket or smacking the plant when it got a bit too violent. He knowingly swept past the table where the Marauders stood and carefully avoided the lashing Artopodra at the far side of the classroom, telling the Hufflepuff's jovially "Don't be shy in giving it a good old smack". He arrived at Marissa and her two full buckets with a clap, "Excellent, ten pints to Gryffindor Miss Gregory". Marissa hid unsurely behind her tawny sheet of hair, a barrier of sorts between her and the rest of the world. Deeply uncomfortable she shied away from the intrigued glances she was receiving from a few students. Tactful enough to be aware of her discomfort, Chokely redirected the class's attention to the front by commenting loudly on a struggling boy engulfed within the grasps of several thin braches. "As Mr Dean has so kindly demonstrated, this is exactly what happens when one fails to use adequate discipline with an Artopodra". With a smart tap to the plants stem, Chokely succeeded in calming the attacking plant.
"We'll be tackling Choking Puffs next week so don't forget those gloves" yelled the Professor over the bustle of the departing class.
