Thanks to all the reviewers! You guys keep me going.
*
Chapter 14
"James! James! It's not Dollops!" she cried, dashing across the Quidditch Pitch like prisoner escaped from an asylum. In her eagerness, she forgot to slow down and almost ran right over James. He caught her and her speed forced her close to him for one sweet moment. Then he pulled her away and put his hands on her shoulders.
"What's not Dollops?"
"Oh, never mind, there's not time." She took his hand and proceeded to drag him by it.
"Where are we going?" he asked, his feet planted in the ground.
"The Herbology Greenhouses," she gasped, out of breath.
"It'll be faster if we fly," he suggested, holding up his broom. Lily eyed it warily. She had despised flying ever since her first lesson when the mean-spirited broom actually tripped her and everybody had laughed.
And it was true. The Greenhouses were on the opposite side of the grounds. It would take about a fifteen-minute run and a twenty-minute walk to get there. James straddled the broom easily. Lily took the empty space in front of him.
"Why am I in front? I can't fly," she quipped.
"You're front because I'm protecting you from the back. Don't worry around guidance, I'll handle from back here."
And it was true. His chin hooked over her shoulder and he placed his hands over hers to guide the broom. He leaned into her for speed. The Greenhouses loomed into view, glass and stone concealing life.
James dismounted and helped Lily off the broom.
"Will you tell me why we are here?"
"There's an herb in there," she said, pointing to the front office, "That will solve all our problems."
"Give me some detail at least. What's going on?" She led him by hand over to the entrance garden fence and into the small shed that was Professor Sprout's office.
The doors opened out, like a miniature barn. But inside was much more spacious than the outside dimensions would usually allow (Lily guessed it was a spell). Pot soil bags sat in the corner. Dirt was on nearly everything, actually. She had a few hanging plants and a potted plant or two on the floor. It was like an indoor garden.
"Look for a trap door," she ordered James. He sighed, shrugged and began scouring the ground with his eyes.
"Here!" she cried in triumph. She pushed a big potted plant aside, which was covering a square in the floor. James helped her push it up.
Below was darkness. Neither could see anything. They looked at each other for a moment in hesitation. James nodded. She jumped in first, and thankfully only fell a meter or two. She had landed on both feet, but the impact made her gently fall to her knees. The floor was hard earth. They were in a cellar or something.
James jumped next. She caught him before he could fall to the ground, but his knees weakened and was holding onto her for support. As soon as he could, he disentangled from her.
"What is this?"
"I think it's the basement. The floor is dirt." It wasn't pitch- blackness. Their eyes began to adjust and they began to see what was inside the dirt room.
There was a small stream that divided the center of the room. It was slow moving, but the two of them could hear it if they held their breath. The air smelled like earth and decomposition. Just being in the room made Lily feel gross and filthy. A tree was growing near the stream. Along the wall were troughs, and in the troughs plants were growing.
Lily couldn't understand how any of this was possible.
"Plants can't grow without sunlight," said she.
"Why not?" James asked.
"Photosynthesis," Lily replied. "The sunlight gives the plants the food it needs. I learned about it in Muggle School."
"That's ridiculous. You can't eat sunlight," said James. Lily decided not to explain the process. They needed to find the main ingredient.
"Look for dead lovage," said Lily. She started in one corner and worked clockwise. Many of the plants were grossly zombie-like and didn't seem to be growing at all. Their leaves were shriveled and black (not that color was easily discernable in the dark).
"I think I've found it," said James. Lily walked up behind him. And he was correct: the plant he was looking at was unmistakably lovage, with heart-shaped leaves. Lily tried to tear a couple of them off, but she was surprised in the crippled plant's strength. She got her wand out and started poking it. Little burns from the tip eventually severed the tie.
"Excellent," said Lily. "Now we can go."
"We're not going anywhere until you explain to me what's going on," said James.
"Can't I tell you later?"
"No. Now." He sounded rather immature to Lily, but she waved it away.
"Fine. Alice and I suspected Dollops as the one poisoning students, but it wasn't him, and-"
"Why do you think someone is poisoning students?"
"It just seems suspicious. The person who is poisoning students obviously takes a liking to Slytherin. He-"
"-Or she-"
" -Must have somehow cured the whole house. Or prevented it from happening. But I know now how to stop them. The cure is called Amorbane Wine. It reverses the effects of Love Potion and will also protect you against the diseases it might carry. Somehow, the dragon pox came from the Love Potion, and Amorbane can destroy it. Dead lovage is a key ingredient."
"Excellent, couldn't have put it better myself," said a voice from above. "You get in A in Answers That Come Too Late."
Even though it was dark, the face in the trap door was unmistakably Lucius Malfoy.
*
Chapter 14
"James! James! It's not Dollops!" she cried, dashing across the Quidditch Pitch like prisoner escaped from an asylum. In her eagerness, she forgot to slow down and almost ran right over James. He caught her and her speed forced her close to him for one sweet moment. Then he pulled her away and put his hands on her shoulders.
"What's not Dollops?"
"Oh, never mind, there's not time." She took his hand and proceeded to drag him by it.
"Where are we going?" he asked, his feet planted in the ground.
"The Herbology Greenhouses," she gasped, out of breath.
"It'll be faster if we fly," he suggested, holding up his broom. Lily eyed it warily. She had despised flying ever since her first lesson when the mean-spirited broom actually tripped her and everybody had laughed.
And it was true. The Greenhouses were on the opposite side of the grounds. It would take about a fifteen-minute run and a twenty-minute walk to get there. James straddled the broom easily. Lily took the empty space in front of him.
"Why am I in front? I can't fly," she quipped.
"You're front because I'm protecting you from the back. Don't worry around guidance, I'll handle from back here."
And it was true. His chin hooked over her shoulder and he placed his hands over hers to guide the broom. He leaned into her for speed. The Greenhouses loomed into view, glass and stone concealing life.
James dismounted and helped Lily off the broom.
"Will you tell me why we are here?"
"There's an herb in there," she said, pointing to the front office, "That will solve all our problems."
"Give me some detail at least. What's going on?" She led him by hand over to the entrance garden fence and into the small shed that was Professor Sprout's office.
The doors opened out, like a miniature barn. But inside was much more spacious than the outside dimensions would usually allow (Lily guessed it was a spell). Pot soil bags sat in the corner. Dirt was on nearly everything, actually. She had a few hanging plants and a potted plant or two on the floor. It was like an indoor garden.
"Look for a trap door," she ordered James. He sighed, shrugged and began scouring the ground with his eyes.
"Here!" she cried in triumph. She pushed a big potted plant aside, which was covering a square in the floor. James helped her push it up.
Below was darkness. Neither could see anything. They looked at each other for a moment in hesitation. James nodded. She jumped in first, and thankfully only fell a meter or two. She had landed on both feet, but the impact made her gently fall to her knees. The floor was hard earth. They were in a cellar or something.
James jumped next. She caught him before he could fall to the ground, but his knees weakened and was holding onto her for support. As soon as he could, he disentangled from her.
"What is this?"
"I think it's the basement. The floor is dirt." It wasn't pitch- blackness. Their eyes began to adjust and they began to see what was inside the dirt room.
There was a small stream that divided the center of the room. It was slow moving, but the two of them could hear it if they held their breath. The air smelled like earth and decomposition. Just being in the room made Lily feel gross and filthy. A tree was growing near the stream. Along the wall were troughs, and in the troughs plants were growing.
Lily couldn't understand how any of this was possible.
"Plants can't grow without sunlight," said she.
"Why not?" James asked.
"Photosynthesis," Lily replied. "The sunlight gives the plants the food it needs. I learned about it in Muggle School."
"That's ridiculous. You can't eat sunlight," said James. Lily decided not to explain the process. They needed to find the main ingredient.
"Look for dead lovage," said Lily. She started in one corner and worked clockwise. Many of the plants were grossly zombie-like and didn't seem to be growing at all. Their leaves were shriveled and black (not that color was easily discernable in the dark).
"I think I've found it," said James. Lily walked up behind him. And he was correct: the plant he was looking at was unmistakably lovage, with heart-shaped leaves. Lily tried to tear a couple of them off, but she was surprised in the crippled plant's strength. She got her wand out and started poking it. Little burns from the tip eventually severed the tie.
"Excellent," said Lily. "Now we can go."
"We're not going anywhere until you explain to me what's going on," said James.
"Can't I tell you later?"
"No. Now." He sounded rather immature to Lily, but she waved it away.
"Fine. Alice and I suspected Dollops as the one poisoning students, but it wasn't him, and-"
"Why do you think someone is poisoning students?"
"It just seems suspicious. The person who is poisoning students obviously takes a liking to Slytherin. He-"
"-Or she-"
" -Must have somehow cured the whole house. Or prevented it from happening. But I know now how to stop them. The cure is called Amorbane Wine. It reverses the effects of Love Potion and will also protect you against the diseases it might carry. Somehow, the dragon pox came from the Love Potion, and Amorbane can destroy it. Dead lovage is a key ingredient."
"Excellent, couldn't have put it better myself," said a voice from above. "You get in A in Answers That Come Too Late."
Even though it was dark, the face in the trap door was unmistakably Lucius Malfoy.