Friday, 22nd of September @ 9am

Attendance

☑ Gryffindor
☑ Hufflepuff
☑ Ravenclaw
☑ Slytherin

The second years had been in the open air gardens the past couple of weeks learning some hands-on magical gardening like how to pair up plants which would help each other grow, how to deter pests, and all the while a vareity of pumpkins were engorging  in a nearby patch...



Jacking Lanterns

It was a brisk Scottish October and nearing Halloween.  Branwen's white locked hair was piled high on her head in a magnificent pillar and a thick knitted scarf was wrapped around her neck and shoulders.  She had a wheelbarrow handy.  The old Herbology professor addressed the knot of 12- and 13-year-olds with some glee.

"The holiday is coming up and if you'll notice, your pumpkins are big to bursting.  It's time enough to get them prepped for what has always been their fate! Let's have a bit of fun, shall we?"

Nothing was never what it seemed, of course, but the second years would know that by now.  A pumpkin was never just a pumpkin at Hogwarts. 

"Now! What makes a good jack-o-lantern?"

Generally speaking, Herbology was far from Ted's favorite subject -- not too far, mind, but ranked about even with History of Magic and Astronomy and the other courses that required a lot of sitting, reading, and concentration. But the last few weeks had been just brilliant, full of fresh air and thick earth and the occasional flobberworm. Sure, it'd been a lot of work, but that never killed anybody. So long as they were out and active, that was good enough for Ted.

And now, with Halloween right around the corner, of course they were turning their eyes to the pumpkins. It was the spirit of the season! And Ted had changed his hair  to match, growing it shoulder-length in a dark orange like the skins of the biggest, oldest pumpkins in the patch. Hopefully, this would all go better than last year's attempts at pumpkin carving in Transfiguration...

He bounced on his heels in the center of the group, already eager to get his hands dirty. When Professor Strangely popped off a question, Teddy's hand shot into the air.

"I know! You need a healthy pumpkin with a nice thick rind so you've got enough to work with." He paused, recalling something he'd heard at some family event, and added, "Or a turnip. Turnips work too."

Linus sat next to Ted-- like his friend, he was also awfully fond of Herbology. Professor Strangely was so nice and her lessons were usually fun. Not boring like History of Magic. What he really wanted to do was take Care of Magical Creatures. But no. He had to wait until next year, which was totally stupid.

Today was festive though. Today, they were making jack-o-lanterns. Maybe they'd also blow up some jack-o-lanterns. Now that's a good time.

As Ted spoke, Linus nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and you need a good artist too." He said, "Like my mum. She's a good artist." He said this with pride, "And my Uncle Monty." He leaned forward and stage-whispered, "My mom is Professor Donovan's girlfriend." The Gryffindor paused,  "Professor Donvoan knows!!! Go ahead and ask. But that's only if you don't believe me." He challenged the herbology professor, a glint in his eyes.

Halloween was one of Maddie's absolute favorite times of the year, and carving pumpkins was always one of the best traditions. The bubbly blonde beamed at her best friend Linus when he bragged about his mum dating Professor Donovan (the pretty one, that is, not Grumplestiltskin teaching Charms). She had come to expect the rowdy boy's non sequiturs, though had witnessed plenty of times when Linus had managed to hijack an entire class due to his rambunctious behavior and inability to perceive social cues. It frequently fell to her to keep him in line. Based on his current expression, she was concerned that he would somehow manage to blow up his pumpkin.

Raising her hand, she tried to veer the topic back to the class. "I find it easiest if they have a somewhat flat side to carve rather than perfectly round. Also, the scarier the jack-o'-lantern, the better," she added with a grin.

This class of students were so game and had been a hands-dirty bunch - they were probably Branwen's favorites. Everyone from Linus Hughes and his mischief, to Ted and his different way of looking at the world, and all the way to Mads Whitman who was a Cheering Charm in a jumper.

Linus's nonsense always needed some decoding and it deserved a made-face from the Herbology Professor who was...familiar with his artistic Uncle Pepper, but not with the latest gossip concerning her outdoorsy colleague.

"You're all very clever and clearly experienced in our ancient craft," she said with the gravity of centuries behind her voice. "Turnips, even," she chuckled.

"But we're going beyond knives today. Even when harvested, pumpkins have a bit of life left in their vines and, once we give them some, a bit of gnash in their teeth.  There's some charmwork I want to show you that keeps a gourd spry. Bit different from typical enchanments like those on the suits of armor or paintings because plants are living things."

"Can you clever gits think of a famous plant nearby with a bit of extra vim?"

Maddie liked Professor Strangely. She was always patient with Linus and she didn't ever seem to compare Maddie to her older brother. Plus, she called them "clever".

Immediately, Maddie thought of a certain tree on the grounds that she had to convince Linus to not touch. She remembered the talks that his mum had given her about how she worried about her son's apparent lack of a sense of self-preservation, and so the young Gryffindor girl had taken to watching out for her best friend when he would get certain ideas in his head.

Her hand shot up into the air and she stated, "The Whomping Willow!" Then she wondered what they might be doing with the pumpkins, because she could imagine Linus creating an army of animate pumpkins to wreak havoc on the student body. "... Our pumpkins won't be as violent, will they?"

Linus' face lit up at the mention of the Whomping Willow. He looked down at his own pumpkin, the look on his face a malevolent one. He turned to face Teddy, then Maddie, and then slowly, dramatically, met eyes with Branwen.

"We're going to raise a pumpkin army." He stage-whispered, "One pumpkin to rule them all." He jumped out of his seat and tried to pick up his pumpkin over his head for dramatic effect, but it was too heavy. So, Linus simply jostled it a bit and slapped it's side affectionately as if he had not been trying to lift it in the first place.

He rose his voice to a bellow,  "We'll march our army against the Whomping Willow. The last pumpkin standing is the winner! Oh yes, Maddie... " He was still staring at Branwen. "They will be violent. And strong. And brave! And when they die as beautiful heroic gourds, we can make pies out of them." He paused, "And eat the pies while the lord of the pumpkins watches, satisfied with her lot in life."

If there was one person in class who wasn't all 'vim and vigor' for getting her hands dirty, it was Dione Olivia Sayer. That, of course, was no surprise. Dione hated Herbology, hated it, and especially hated working with (ugh) dirt. She'd made no secret of her dislike, though she naturally remained the perfect lady about the whole ordeal. Even now she stood apart from the group, her arms folded and her expression carefully blank.

Rather than watching the teacher, Dione kept an eye on her classmates, watching them trip over themselves in their eagerness about Halloween. Lupin's eyes went wide, almost nostalgic at the mention of the Whomping Willow, but of course it was Maddie Whitman (easily the best Gryffindor had to offer, in Dio's humble opinion) who piped in with the answer.

And then...then, there was Hughes.

Before anyone, even Professor Strangely, could say anything, the large-mouthed large-eared frog was on his feet and bellowing what must, in his eyes, be a stirring speech of epic nonsense. Several of their classmates (including Lupin) tittered with laughter. Dione huffed, rolled her eyes, and fixed her eyes instead on the rows of pumpkins. Already, she was counting the minutes to class's end.

There was something about late October that awoke something in Branwen that had her feeling there wouldn't be anything horrible at all about an orange, shambling army of Halloween pumpkins, rolling against the Whomping Willow and then onward into Hogsmeade to raid the candy shop. 

Linus's enthusiasm for combat was shared by some but not all.  Dione looked absolutely finished and Madeline apparently knew well what they'd all be unleashing if Linus were to have his way.  Professor Strangely didn't need to give pats on the head or points - their path was clear!

"Enchantment, then!" she grinned.  "Wands to a pumpkin and repeat after me."

She assumed a casting stance by her pumpkin as well, but suddenly snapped her wand to a stand-by position. "I solemnly swear I will not enchant any fruit but my own! This is not a game!"

She waited every few words for the students to echo her (or some eye contact or acknowledgement from Dione that she agreed to terms), and listened carefully to any attempts at loop holes.

Dione was always a bore. One of many of Linus' great aspirations was to turn Dione from a total loser to someone who was actually fun. She and Maddie got along, so there was hope for her yet.

Linus was shocked... And perhaps a little offended that Professor Strangely had nothing to say about his little pumpkin army. Fine. If that was how she was going to be, then he'd show her what a great Pumpkin Overlord he could be.

"I solemnly swear I wll not enchant any fruit but my own! This is not a game!" He repeated, crossing his toes so that the promise didn't really mean it.

She was right, though.... It wasn't a game. It was a war-- a war against the Whomping Willow.

Pumpkin guts would be shed. Beautiful orange lives would be lost today. But they had to defend themselves against the One Who Whomped.

Dumb as it was, Ted always got a little excited whenever the Whomping Willow earned a mention on-campus. The tree was there because of his dad, and he'd wheedled a lot of details about it and the Shrieking Shack out of his godfather in return for a vow -- as solemn as this one -- that he wouldn't mess with the very dangerous plant. That probably included attacking it with a pumpkin army, so he had absolutely no qualms about raising his wand and agreeing to the Professor's terms.

"I solemnly swear..."

That I am up to no good.

Ted grinned a bit at his own intrusive thought but completed the pledge in time with his classmates, without any digits crossed. Sayer likewise raised her wand, meeting Professor Strangely's eye before nodding in solemn agreement.

Promise made, Ted bounded to claim a pumpkin of his own, eager to see what Professor Strangely actually wanted them to do with the handsome seasonal gourds.

Maddie made her most serious face during Linus' rousing speech, an expression she hoped fitting for a military commander. From her peripherals she saw Dione watching Linus with a reproachful look, and she smiled brightly towards the Slytherin girl. She hoped that would at least redirect her focus from the boisterous boy, and remove the negative emotions from the gardens. The Gryffindor girl didn't want any of the pumpkins to be affected by cruel thoughts. Who knew what effect that might have on them once they were animated?

She patted Linus on the shoulder once he concluded his call to arms, and then mimicked Professor Strangely's casting stance after choosing a rotund pumpkin with a curly stem. I think I'll name this pumpkin, Sasquash.

"I solemnly swear I will not enchant any fruit but my own! This is not a game!"

Over the next few minutes, Professor Strangely led the students through a challenging set of Herbological enchantments.  Each on their own could serve some sort of practical purpose.  Animate a melon's vines so an entire patch of cantelope can move to better grazing.  Illuminate a honeydew for garden party ambiance. Give a zucchini a mind of its own so it can run for local office and finally do something about the pothole on Coventry Street.

But combined? Well, that's real magic.

By the time they were at their last charm, Branwen had to shout to be heard.  The pumpkins were chattering gibberish and reaching out their vines to knock things off the table like curious cats on the mantle, the students were full of exclamations or were trying to get their charms to stick by encanting more loudly.

"Now! Last thing before we take these Jack o's for a walk - they need a name! Get your gourd's undivided attention - LINUS! - get your gourd's full attention and teach it its name. Be firm now! Speak clearly! They haven't got ears so enunciate!"