Tamblin Demosthene and the Artiste's Alcove

by Tlalcopan

This is the first of a series of books I wrote for my kids set in the Harry Potter setting and occurring at the same time. These stories are meant to interweave seamlessly with the HP books and focus on characters primarily in the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses. The Tamblin books are a tad darker than the HP books, starting at about the level of the 3rd or 4th HP book.

10. Chapter 10

Tamblin sighed as he dug through the potting soil for the Alaphas root in Herbology. He was very aware that the class seemed to be nothing more than menial labor. And three times a week at that!

That these roots would then be used in Potions did nothing to lift his mood. That class too seemed to be degrading busy work. He hadn't come to Hogwarts to be a gardener or a cook. At least, though, the Potions classroom was dimly lit unlike the bright greenhouses. Similarly Tamblin preferred Professor Snape to Professor Sprout. While it was true that Snape was caustic and even sadistic, he rarely turned that venom on Tamblin, and Tamblin had to admire the way he could convey all his emotions, from everyday contempt to withering contempt, without ever raising the volume of his voice. Sprout, on the other hand, seemed eager to yell out the smallest instruction or bit of praise. Tamblin had in fact seriously considered wearing some sort of ear cover to her classes.

The Alaphas root peeked out of the soil, waved one dirty tendril toward him and then retreated again into the dirt.