The Cactus

The next morning, Harry was woken up by the usual first-day-of-school-rituals in their dorm: Dean's old muggle alarm clock started to ring loudly because he had once again forgotten to turn it off. The alam made Neville fall to the floor where he collided with Seamus's trunk, whose owner, infuriated by the early disturbance, threw a pillow over to Dean while Ron's snoring stopped abruptly.

''Sorry, guys'', Dean said sheepishly, turned off the alarm clock and stored deep inside his trunk.

''No problem'', Neville grumbled, stood up with a pain-stricken face and scruffled into the bathroom. Harry sat up moaning and looked out of the window.

''Brilliant'', he said to Ron for it was raining strongly.

''Hmm'', Ron moaned. ''I bet we'll have to go to Herbology through that later.''

When they entered the common room a little later, still tired, but freshly showered, Hermione and Ginny were already waiting for them impatiently.

''Really, boys'', Hermione complained. ''How is it even possible that you're always the last ones who get down here?''

-''You're only three people in your dorm'', Ron grumbled.

''Parvati and Lavender do take longer for their make-up than Neville, Seamus, and Dean, I think'', she said.

''Come on now'', Harry moaned. ''We're hungry.''

-''So are we'', Ginny said, while she followed him to the portrait hole. ''But we still waited for you...''

-''We're really thankful for your sacrifice'', Ron said.

Breakfast at Gryffindor table was just as it had always been: Ron assaulted his smashed eggs with passion and Harry was also completely focused on being able to survive the first day back with a full stomach, but Hermione spared the Daily Prophet only a short glance before putting it away. Ron stopped to eat, his mouth still full with smashed egg, and stared at her disbelievingly.

''Wuzzgoinon?''

-''Pardon?'', she asked in a mixture of politeness and resignation, while Ginny gave him a disgusted look. Ron choked the smashed egg down and cleared his throat.

'''Er, everything alright?''

-''Hermione just wants to see who brings us the new timetables'', Harry said calmly. ''Don't you?''

She nodded, clearly surprised. ''Yes.''

Ron looked at both of them, obviously confused. ''Excuse me, dear ladies and gentlemen, could somebody please explain this conversation to me?''

-''Professor McGonagall didn't mention who's our new Head of House'', Hermione said and sipped at her tea. ''But the heads always bring the timetables to the houses, so...''

-''We'll know who it is pretty soon'', Ginny said slowly.

''Precisely.''

-''Who d'you guess'll be it?'', Seamus asked curiously (Dean was having his breakfast together with Luna at Ravenclaw table). ''Hagrid? That'd be cool.''

Parvati snorted very un-lady-like. ''Seriously, Seamus? I love Hagrid, but that'd be...just no.''

-''D'you have a better idea?'', Seamus asked.

''Dawlish'', Parvati said and had a sip of pumpkin juice.

''Dawlish'', he repeated confusedly. ''And what exactly in your pretty head makes you think so?''

They hadn't been this close before, Harry noticed slightly confused, but then he remembered that all of them had been here together last year. Surely that had brought them closer.

Parvati smiled thinly and looked at her reflection on her spoon. ''He sits on Flitwick's old place next to Slughorn'', she said casually. ''The Heads of Houses always sit around the headmaster, don't they?''

-''That's right'', Hermione said surprisedly.

''Oh, don't look at me like that, you idiots'', Parvati said and waved it off. ''After all, I've spent the last year monitoring the Carrows at breakfast.''

-''What d'you mean?'', Harry asked quietly.

Neville shrugged. ''We never knew what was expecting us at breakfast, you know. So we took turns watching the teachers' table to be...prepared when they suddenly stood here.''

Parvati finished the heavy silence after this statement by nodding towards the teachers' table. ''D'you see, Seamus?''

They followed her look and realised that she had been right, for professors Sprout, Slughorn. Flitwick, and Dawlish had just stood up with lots of papers in their hands.

''Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the new head of Gryffindor House, Mr John Dawlish'', Ginny mumbled. ''I wonder if that'll work.''

Harry stared at his plate pensively. It had already surprised him that Dawlish had been accepted as a teacher, but this sudden promotion was something entirely different.

''I guess nobody else wanted the job'', Ron said drily. ''Gryffindors aren't known for being low-maintenance.''

-''Or he just wanted to have the Quidditch Cup on his desk'', Harry said. ''We'll see.''

Dawlish distributed the timetables. That went quickly with the younger students, but when he reached the sixth and seventh-years, it became more complicated, because everybody had different subjects. Ginny realised that she would be starting with a double Care of Magical Creatures and was therefore already running late, so she hastily put an entire sandwich into her mouth and gave Harry a short clap on the head before leaving, which made the entire table grin widely.

Hermione left with the Daily Prophet under her arm for Ancient Runes, followed by Parvati and Lavender (Divination, much to their enthusiasm with Firenze), Seamus and Neville (History, into which they'd been talked by their mother and grandmother respectively), and Dean, who went back to the Ravenclaw table only to realise that Luna had already left with Ginny.

''So, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley...Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration, is that correct?''

They both nodded.

''Excellent'', Dawlish said, gave them their timetables and went back to the other teachers.

''Brilliant'', Ron said excitedly. ''A free period first and then – Herbology, I told you so – er, Potions this afternoon...not brilliant after all.''

-''What did you expect?'', Harry grinned. ''You took the subject, after all.''

-''We're just stupid, you know'', Ron said pensively. ''We should have left it out, we'll be aurors anyway.''

-''Potions are useful'', Harry said. ''Or have you forgotten your last stay in the hospital wing?''

-''Potions are responsible for my last stay in the hospital wing, Harry'', Ron said and cleared his plate. ''And that bezoar, I beg you, we learned that in first year. Also, Hermione can brew anything we need for us anyway.''

They took their bags and went back to Gryffindor tower.

''Speaking of Potions'', Ron said. ''D'you want to tell Slughorn the truth?''

-''About Snape's potions textbook?'', Harry asked. ''Are you mental? I guess I'll just, er, learn harder to cope with that.''

-''Hermione will be glad to hear that'', Ron chuckled.

Harry snorted.

Back in the common room, they took the best armchairs in front of the fireplace and happily talked about what the others would be doing in class right now. They almost had the room for themselves, ecxept for some sixth-years who kept giving them awestruck looks.

''Now I know what it's been like for you all the time'', Ron mumbled as a sixth-year lost her book because he had looked at her.

Harry nodded grinning. ''That'll never stop, Ron.''

When their free period was ending, they went down to Herbology grudgingly, but when they reached the entrance door, they realised that the strong rain from earlier was now similar to a cascade.

''Hermione would know how to get through this'', Ron mumbled.

''An umbrella might come in handy'', Harry said. ''Protego.''

His shield charm turned out to be absolutely useless after two yards, so they put on the hoods of their cloaks and ran over to greenhouse three as quickly as possible. There they joined Neville, Ernie Macmillan and a handful of other equally dripping wet classmates.

''Hey, Neville'', Ron grumbled while wringing his cloak out. ''How was Binns?''

-''Exciting as usual'', Neville said with a grimace. ''What did you have?''

-''Free period'', Ron said. ''Was exciting as usual too- d'you see that, Harry?'', he added resignedly. ''We just should've waited for her.''

Hermione came over to them, a textbook in one hand and an umbrella in the other one.

''You brought an umbrella?'', Harry asked.

''Don't be stupid, I simply transfigured a broomstick that stood in the entrance hall'', she said calmly, before she realised that everybody else was wet. ''Seriously? Nobody of you thought of transfiguring something? We can transfigure living animals into furniture and back, but nobody thought-''

-''Let it go, Hermione'', Harry said who felt just as stupid as the rest of his classmates.

''You stole Filch's broom? Just like that?'', Ron asked in a mixture of disbelief and admiration.

Hermione turned slightly red. ''I only borrowed it, and technically it's not, er, his broom any more...''

Ron shook his head. ''Head girl...''

-''Oh, stop it''', Hermione said grinning.

''Shut up, Sprout's coming'', Neville whispered.

''I don't think she cares about Filch's broomstick'', Ron said. ''I never saw them as good friends.''

''Come in, come in, people'', Professor Sprout said happily and opened the door to greenhouse three. ''Four people at every table, please!''

As expected, Harry found himself at a table together with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. On the table were four pots that contained something that resembled a small, ochery cactuses.

''Well, then'', Professor Sprout said after checking that everbody was present, and clapped her hands. ''Who can tell me what these beauties are – Miss Granger?''

Neville had also raised his hand, but as usual, Hermione was faster than everyone else.

''Those are crampus cactuses, professor'', Hermione said.

''Precisely. Take ten points for Gryffindor'', Professor Sprout said. ''Now, who can tell me which useful effects- Mr Longbottom?''

This time, Neville had beaten Hermione by not waiting for the end of the question.

''Er, their secretion is an important ingredient of many healing potions, and they also have useful defensive mechanisms.''

-''Very true, another ten points to Gryffindor. Mr Longbottom is right, due to their very special defensive system crampus cactuses are grown especially by African wizards to protect their homes. As growing them in our climate is very hard, they're rather rare in Britain. Here, we use primarily their secretion, which can be used, as Mr Longbottom told us, in healing potions, for example Trubinsky's Tincture.''

Professor Sprout clapped her hands again. ''Well, the defensive system of these seedlings isn't fully developed yet, but you should still be cautious. Be very gentle with them. For today, we'll only repot them – let's start!''

Around them, their classmates started to pull the cactuses out of the pots, but Ron only shot a nervous glance at Hermione and Neville.

''So, this, er, defensive system...what exactly...?''

He couldn't finish his question, because that was when Ernie Macmillan managed to pull his cactus out of the pot ruggedly which the little plant didn't seem to have liked: everywhere people hastily threw themselves at the floor to avoid the thorns that shot around like arrows and found Ernie's face, Terry Boot's back, and Gregory Goyle's backside, before the now thornless cactus was still again, gasping for air. Harry had been quick-witted enough to cast a shield charm which had protected him and Ron from the worst before they both had hidden under the table to be absolutely sure, while Hermione and Neville had remained standing completely calm.

''They respond to movements'', Hermione said drily.

Professor Sprout sighed loudly.

''Okay, everybody back to work, and please be more gentle than Mr Macmillan. Macmillan, Boot, Goyle, come here, let me have a look at that...''

-''Explain something to me'', Ron said, while he cautiously started to dig out his cactus. ''If the secretion of these little monsters is used for healing potions, why is it that these three need to be looked at?''

-''Because these thorns do prick a lot, I guess'', Harry said.

''The secretion needs to be cooked'', Neville said, who already had his cactus in his hands. ''It's toxic before – if you don't get medical attention immediately, you'll miss the next couple of hours.''

-''That's why many people don't want one of them'', Hermione said. ''Especially families with small children.''

-''I wonder, why?'', Ron asked and grinned as Professor Sprout pulled an especially large thorn out of Goyle's left backside.

''I definitely know why I decided for a mimbulus mimbeltonia and not one of them'', Neville said and looked at his repotted cactus happily. ''Compared to this, stinksap is completely harmless.''

''What happened to Ernie?'', Ginny asked when they joined her for lunch.

''Herbology'', Harry said grinning. Ernie's face was thornless, but blazing red, just as if he had a bad sunburn, apparently a side effect of Professor Sprout's salve.

''What exactly in Herbology?'', she asked.

Neville waved it aside. ''You'll see next year, Ginny.''

Ginny narrowed her eyes. ''Tell me, Longbottom. This red wouldn't go well with my hair.''

Neville chuckled into his pumpkin juice. ''That's why I won't tell you...''

Ginny shook her head playfully. ''Really, Neville, I'm very disappointed. These three are back for only a day and you're already changing the team.''

-''What's that supposed to mean?'', Hermione asked.

''Really, Neville'', Parvati said, who had just sat down next to her. ''So the Silver Trio is history?''

-''Silver Trio?'', Ron asked confusedly and looked up from his well-filled plate of spaghetti.

''That's how we called them last year'', Parvati said and started to fill rice on her plate. ''Him, Ginny, and Luna. You know, after you. Hmm, which sauce do I take...?''

-''After us?'', Harry asked. ''What d'you mean?''

-''Oh, Harry'', Ginny sighed. ''I always forget how clueless you stumble through life. The Golden Trio? Never heard of it? That's what they've been calling you here ever since you knocked out that troll-''

Ron cleared his throat pointedly. ''Well, to be precise, I knocked out that troll-''

-''Your biggest hour'', Hermione said drily.

''Excuse me, as far as I remember, you were hiding behind that toilet-''

-''It doesn't matter, the Silver Trio is already history as it is'', Seamus sighed and interrupted their bickering, looking over to Dean and Luna at the Ravenclaw table.

''You'll get over him, mate'', Neville said.