When Freja walked to the greenhouses, the autumn sun shone brightly. She knew this area well, as she had spent a lot of her free time here in the past. As she approached the short plump woman who was already setting up for the first class, the earthy smell filled her nostrils.
As she tucked her hair into a messy bun, she greeted her colleague. "Good morning, Professor Sprout. What can I do to help you get started?" she asked.
"Good morning, Lowes." Pomona smiled as she pointed at a neat row of potted herbs. "I would appreciate it if you could put those to the center table so we can teach second year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs how to handle them. They will be prepared, set aside, and brought to the storerooms so they can be used later and in Potions classes."
"All right," Freja replied, heading towards the task at hand.
"We will move to a new greenhouse later, as some plants are more aggressive than others, and must be separated. Merlin only knows what might happen, especially if clumsy children handle them." She laughed heartily. Thankfully, the ones we deal with today aren't too deadly."
Freja's expression changed and her eyes fanned wide, and Pomona chuckled. "I'm being facetious. Only Ministry recognized herbs and plants can be grown on castle grounds," she said, then winked. "However, there are some other places where I grow my own stores."
Her lips twitched, and she tapped her chest. "Ah, that's so good to hear." She paused and scanned the familiar surroundings, "What else are we going to cover with the students today? I'm excited to learn more alongside them."
"Well...," Pomona began, "we have pots of young Mandrakes in the second greenhouse. Did you bring your earmuffs along? Their screams can kill."
As Freja choked again, Pomona brushed her aside. "Bah, they're adolescents. The most their shriek will accomplish is knock you unconscious. Usually."
"And that third building over there?" Freja asked, pointing to the farthest building. "The walls have changed. Are they sensitive to sunlight?" she asked.
"Yes. Devil's Snare hates sunlight. One of the plants I grow for research purposes. I'll discuss it with the children, but they won't come into contact with it. It's too risky at this far of a growth stage. Anyway, the students are coming soon. Make sure those pots are ready."
A group of young students, Ravenclaws on one side, Hufflepuffs on the other, filed into the greenhouse before long. All the students eagerly awaited their Professor's instructions, their eyes darting between Sprout and Freja. Pomona cleared her throat and cheerfully began class. This time, however, rather than pacing between the tables and assisting the students, Freja carefully listened to instructions on how to depot and prepare the entire plant.
A quiet chatter and the instruction from Sprout were very reminiscent of her own school days, and she smiled as she tried to ensure she didn't mess things up. Roots, leaves, and flowers had to be cut and prepared in a very specific way.
Once the class was over, the herbs that had been prepared correctly were gently collected and packaged and set aside. Freja held back from beaming when all but a few scraps of her herbs had been collected. Due to her lack of training, she anticipated a lot more would be discarded and felt pride welling in her heart, overcoming her anxiety.
"Lowes, my dear; we have about a half hour before the next class. Please rinse out the pots and line them up against the window to dry. Those are delicate as well, mind yourself not to drop any." Pomona instructed breathlessly. "Thank you, dear."
Freja beamed. "Right away, Professor. I look forward to the next class."
In the next class, Freja felt uneasiness again. She hoped that she would not have to deal with Mandrakes again for a long time. Despite the earmuffs blocking their shrieks, their wrinkled and contorted faces reminded her of colicky babies. Her guilt had washed over her as she watched dirt fill their mouths, despite knowing they would be fine in the end.
'Poor things,' thought Freja.
When the end of the day approached, students in first year Slytherin and Gryffindor excitedly chattered in front of the door. The young Draco, and... Harry, was it? Glancing at one another, Freja smiled. A simple little rivalry can never hurt, and so she decided not to intervene. In the meantime, everyone went about their own business and chatted with their respective friends while waiting for class to begin.
After the students had finished expressing their own greetings, Pomona continued, "Today we will discuss the tools we will be utilizing this year. I would like to avoid injuries resulting from improper usage, so I would appreciate it if you could follow the instructions efficiently. Let us begin."
When the students had been instructed, and shown how to use them, she allowed them to practice with the empty pots and soil that had already been discarded. As Freja sat in a moment of rest, she noticed a small bushy haired child staring out the window with a thousand yard stare.
"Miss Granger? Hermione?" Freja inquired, "Do you have anything on your mind?""
In a pointed manner, the young girl asked, "Miss Lowes, what are those greenhouses over there? They look different from those here.".
"Oh, yes," Freja replied. "It's Pom- it's Professor Sprout's research. It's in a dangerous stage of growth, so only specialists can handle it."
Hermione asked, "Why is it so dark, then? Don't plants need sunlight?"
"Well," replied Freja, before being interrupted.
Professor Sprout sang, "Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare, it's deadly fun, but it molts in the sun." You're very curious, aren't you. Aren't you going to continue practicing proper handling of the equipment?"
'Yes, Professor. But I've had the proper training with these tools. My parents are dentists, but they're also part-time gardeners. They taught me. My whole family is green-thumbed.' Hermione blushed.
"You should at least show off a little, Miss Granger." Sprout winked at her. "Miss Lowes, if it's alright with you, could you help them clean these tools as well? I'd like to learn more about her own experience in the muggle world."
After blushing, Freja nodded and stepped aside to assist the other students.
The students had finally left, the cleaning had been completed and both women had taken a moment to sit back as the cool air blew in through the open doors. "Now that it's the end of the day, it's probably a perfect time to tell you that Albus wanted me to.. show off, the Devil's Snare. That you should probably learn how to keep it at bay. Come.. come now," Pomona said, as she struggled to stand. "I'll teach you the necessary charm."
The looming building looked more threatening the closer they both got to it. "Stand back, Miss Lowes. It might be eager to escape, and it gets a bit handsy with anything it comes into contact with."
She showed Freja the proper wand movements, and the phrase Lumos Solem. After a few rounds of practicing, Pomona without warning allowed the doors to fly open. Also allowing the Devil's Snare to lunge towards Freja. With a squeak, Freja quickly composed herself and cried, "Lumos Solem!"
After a flash of bright light burst from her wand, the plant went back into the darkness. A wild grin spread across Freja's face as she slammed and locked the doors shut. "Excellent, girly. You're quick on your feet. You'll do well in the defense class later this week. Now let's go inside. Dinner is calling."
Her arm wrapped around the still-shocked girl, practically dragging her inside.
Freja asked, "Why did Albus want you to show that to me?"
"Well," Pomona continued. "He will definitely bring this up with you eventually. We had a meeting, and now we are preparing some spells and other objects for him. You'll find out soon enough."
"Meeting? Just a handful of you? Who was there?"
"Well, we only had myself, Kettleburn, Quirrell, and Snape." she groaned. "Most of them seemed irritated about the task at hand, since it will eat away at a lot of our free time." she sighed. "What can we do but accept it?" she pondered.
"Oh." Freja responded, a bit disappointed by not being included. However, she felt it to be a blessing not to be asked for more.
The following days were much the same. Although Minerva was as stern towards Freja as she was towards the other students, she sent her a sly smile after successfully performing the Piertotum Locomotor charm. Practicing on a tiny Knight carving, she watched curiously as it floated in its signature 'L' shape.
Although she was only needed in Transfiguration until noon, Freja looked forward to working with Minerva again.
After the introduction of pixies in the class this morning, Kettleburn's careful instruction did not protect her from injury. Her hands were plastered and she wasn't able to leave the class unscathed. Severus noted Freja slumping into the seat next to him with a grumble in the great hall.
"Care of magical creatures?" he asked after a few moments.
Freja replied flatly, "Yes."
The amusement in his voice grew as he continued to ask, "Pixies?"
"What gave it away?" she asked coyly, extending her hands to his. In the same manner as the day before last, he whipped out a small vial and gently applied it to her bites. Before he could roll her sleeves down to apply them to her wrists, she jerked backward. With hesitant eyes, she shook her head and placed them back in her lap.
He leaned forward and whispered, "It's nothing I haven't seen. You need not be concerned."
"Everyone starts with the same questions. Even you did, and I'm not even close to having an answer for you."
He handed her the vial, and rolled her slender fingers over it in her palm. "Perhaps I should show you mine again?" he suggested.
She narrowed her eyes, and played along. "Perhaps not. We have tomorrow afternoon together, though, to give you time to reconsider."
Upon amusedly shushing her, he continued discussing his lesson plan for tomorrow. Despite the fact that he prattled on a bit more than he had intended, Freja listened diligently, keeping a mental record. In every class so far, she had somehow managed to injure herself, the last thing she needed was to do so in his classroom. His patience for such behavior would not be great with his students, much less with her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Lowes. Do not forget to apply that salve... to prevent more scarring." He reminded her gently, seeing her off at the staff entrance.
"I'll see you then," she replied with a smile.
He watched as her figure got smaller and smaller, until he could no longer see her, and retreated back into the castle himself.