Chapter 4. Discord Fixed
It was still rather hot although summer had turned to autumn and the weather had cooled down from what it had been but the climate in Greenhouse 1 was still nothing less than sweaty. It was actually a Potions lesson but since Professor Blishwick wanted to give them more practical education when it came to gathering potion ingredients after Darius and Albus had accidentally aimed badly in class and set the ingredient cupboard on fire the students had been sent to the Greenhouses to help Professor Longbottom. This special treatment affected only Slytherins and Gryffindors, respectively.
"Since we have already discoursed about the Spiky Bushes last year", Professor Longbottom started. "I trust you to thin them out. Only three students to one table, and be very careful with the spikes. You need to collect them."
As the four Slytherin boys were all in different tables Ven was sharing the plant with two Gryffindors. Gennifer Parker, the girl with rosy cheeks and auburn hair on a low ponytail, stared at the plant intently, a wand ready on her left hand and a pair of garden shears on her right. The boy, Tony Turner, instead chewed bubblegum and looked more interested in asphodels.
Ven glanced on the other side of the Greenhouse where Scorpius was working with Leonard Yale and Albus' cousin, Rose. They hadn't started yet.
"Hey, you", Gennifer glanced at Ven and hissed, crouching towards the plant. "Hey, Slytherin."
"Zabini", Ven corrected, hissing as well. As if the Gryffindor didn't remember his name. They had partnered in Potions several times during the last year.
"Yeah, right, whatever", Gennifer said dismissingly. "Take that basket. I'll start cutting and need someone to collect the spikes."
"Are you commanding me?" Ven snarled but took the basket from the side table anyway. Gennifer huffed, getting annoyed.
"No, I'm telling you what to do, there's a difference", she said. "Now, watch out."
Gennifer raised the shears and slowly moved them closer to the plant and cut down a sprig. Several spikes flung from the bush as it tried to retaliate to its attacker. Gennifer quickly ducked under the table when that happened. Tony instead had gotten on the spikes way and one had hit his shoulder. He let out an angry, and anguished, cry.
"You did that on purpose!" Tony shouted, turning to Gennifer who crawled up from the floor. She pulled the spike out from Tony's shoulder and rolled her eyes.
"Why would I have made the bush shot its spikes towards you?" she asked and held the removed spike threateningly. "That wouldn't help me anyway, you lazy idiot!"
"Well, I don't know what's going on in that ginger head of yours!" Tony spat. There was another anguished cry from him as Gennifer kicked his shin.
Ven groaned. Wasn't that just what he needed? Two arguing Gryffindors when they were supposed to work. He hoped the others were having a better luck.
Hufflepuffs had to partner with Ravenclaws every time when Professor Blishwick was feeling especially annoyed but this time everyone knew why – his own House, Slytherins, had screwed up. Alistair had been lucky when the professor had chosen Claude to be his working partner. Chastity's brother was even easier than his sister to work with if you got him to talk. The other Ravenclaws weren't as easy – William was paired with Eliza Redmond who was snobby and squeamish and knew absolutely nothing about brewing. Toby instead was working with Leon Flannery and right in front of him sat Jeremiah with Emmett Darcy.
There was a knock on the door. There was a fifth year Slytherin girl and deducing from the pile of books she was carrying it was about her upcoming O.W.L.s. Professor Blishwick went into the corridor outside the class to talk with her, leaving the students without a teacher for a while. She was expecting her students to handle such simple fever lowering draught without her constant attendance. Of course, right after she closed the door things were supposed to get out the hand.
"Aww, come on. Chop chop, fatty", Emmett crooned, leaning on his arm as he watched Jeremiah chopping roots for their draught.
"Don't call me that", Jeremiah said quietly but continued chopping anyway.
"Call you what?" Emmett asked, faking innocence and pouting. "Fatty?"
That was when the unexpected happened. Toby had had enough of having a quarrel with his friends. And even more he hated the Ravenclaw making fun of his friend. He stood up, garnering all the attention in the class.
"Dare to repeat that!" Toby barked, taking his wand from the table and pointing it at Emmett. "Come on, Darcy", he cooed. "Insult my friend again and I swear to Merlin I'll curse you!"
Jeremiah looked surprised and delighted of Toby's sudden outburst. Emmett instead grimaced.
"Big words from a loser who didn't get into the team", he snarled and stood up as well, pointing his wand at Toby. "If you can't even fly well enough why would I be scared about you cursing me?"
"Scared to try out?" Toby snarled and ignored the fact that even Emmett knew he wasn't in the team.
Emmett glared at Toby, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Rictusempra!" he shouted, firing the curse. Toby barely managed to duck the spell.
"Expulso!" Toby fired back, hitting Emmett and Jeremiah's cauldron and making the half-finished draught to splatter all over the class. The draught hit also Luke Corner who had sat in front of Emmett. He would also been willing to take part in the duel but Chastity stopped him from even trying.
"Flipendo!" Toby yelled and Emmett fell on his back. Toby raised his wand and tried to remember any useful hex or jinx to make Emmett pay. He cursed the fact he hadn't been listening Chastity more carefully. Toby had kept his wand raised but it soon flew to the floor. Professor Blishwick had come back, and she didn't look happy. Well, she never looked happy but this time she looked completely murderous.
"Darcy! Jones! This isn't a defence class!" she shrieked as she pocketed her wand. "I do not tolerate fighting during my lessons!"
Emmett crawled up and grimaced. "It was Jones", he tried but Blishwick couldn't care less about which one of them had started the fight. She gritted her teeth and glared at the two boys.
"Detention", she hissed as Toby retrieved his wand from the floor. "For both of you. And fifty points away from your houses." She huffed and marched to her desk. "See me after the class."
Emmett glared at Toby and muttered something incoherent under his breath. Toby smirked as he sat back down on his seat. At least he had proved himself to be the better dueller.
Jeremiah looked at him over his shoulder and smiled. "Thanks", he whispered, talking to Toby for the first time willingly in almost three weeks.
On the other side of the class Alistair smiled as well as he saw a wide grin lighting up Toby's face. Why to care about draught covered robes if you got your friend back?
"Did you know that Spiky Bushes can produce over 300 new spikes daily?" Scorpius asked at the lunch. "And the biggest bushes can shoot the spikes even 20 feet away from itself and kill a human. I heard it from Rose. Why don't we have Herbology with Gryffindors?" he asked with a sigh. "I'm actually better than average student in Herbology. And she still beats me in every test."
"You let her beat you", Ven corrected. "That's why you're always just the second best."
"I'm not just the second best!" Scorpius argued, suddenly ashamed. "I'm…! I'm completely confident being the second best! I mean… No! I just need to study harder because next year we're going to have elective classes as well! Like… Arithmancy! And get good grades and try to keep up!"
Darius whistled. "You're not making any sense, mate", he said. "Maybe you should take studying a little easier?"
"No!" Scorpius shouted. "No, that's ridiculous! I can't take studying a little easier! I have to…!"
"Scorpius, please, can you be silent for a while, I'm having a headache", Albus mumbled and sat down next to Darius. "And I want to eat but I can't because talking about school makes me lose my appetite…"
"Where have you been?" Ven asked, raising his brows. Albus had been missing since the Potions lesson with Professor Longbottom in the morning and had missed the Charms lesson before the lunch.
Albus began gathering up potatoes to his plate. "I was in the hospital wing because I got hit by a flower pot", he said with a grimace. "Miss Perks didn't let me out earlier."
"How exactly did you get hit by the pot?" Ven asked, smirking only slightly.
"I don't wanna talk about it", Albus hissed and his ears gained a bright shade of red.
Ven understood to not push the subject further and the four boys ate in the silence. It was Darius who brought out the upcoming Halloween Feast later in Professor Binns' class.
"It'll be in few weeks", he said eagerly. Last year the Halloween Feast had been the highlight of the term. "They'll have gigantic pumpkin pies!"