March 9th, 2011 9am, Greenhouse 7
Please assume your student has already arrived unless otherwise arranged—with consequences.

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Four potted plants sat on a work table in front of the class, three of which looked similar if one ignored the flowers.  Which Owen was sure none of the students would.  The first had a five-petaled pale purple flower with larger leaves[1], the second had smaller leaves and a pink cluster of small flowers[2], the third a single small purple flower on each stem[3], and the final with a cluster of pale white flowers with gold specks on the ends of the petals.[4]

Owen stepped in front of the table and looked out over the class split apart by the two worktables running the length of the greenhouse, scanning the faces, smiling at his eldest son who judging by his expression was still not happy that he was there and then moving on to Brenna who was standing next to him.  He was glad to see them sitting together, he couldn't imagine losing one of his siblings let alone a twin and she was going to need family around her.  Which was one of the reasons why he was here.  Of course, there was another as well.

"As I'm sure most of you have heard already, my name is Professor Prewett, and yes Rhys is mine and Brenna is my niece just to get that out of the way now."  He left unsaid that Siana was his niece as well. 

"First, I understand you lot have been working on a long-term herbology project, please continue.  The  bubotuber's are looking to be in excellent condition, though a few of you have  missed several opportunities to gather the pus.  You will find that the extra pus will find its way to the other plants and is what's been causing several plants to become ill, it's not difficult to get them back to their healthy purple selves, but I won't give you the answer until you've looked for it yourself."

Owen smiled at the class as a few of them groaned, obviously wanting to ditch the bubotubers in the nearest bin.  "Now today we will start looking at some of the most valuable plants to a wizard."  He pointed to a student in the front of the greenhouse.  "Care to hazard a guess as to what type of plants those would be?"

1.	Dictamnus (burning-bush, dittany and gas-plant)
2.	Origanum dictamnus (dittany of Crete, Cretan dittany, and hop marjoram)
3.	Cunila origanoides (stone mint, frost mint, dittany, and American dittany)
4.	Magum dictamnus (dittany, Venusian dittany, healing mint).

Ayla was sat at the work tables with a cluster of other Hufflepuffs, including her fellow Prefect.  Her focus was solely on the plants in front of them. So much so that she only barely realised that they had a new Professor. She recognized the plants and not from her text book.  She had recognized them from the few times she had seen Lexus care for plants just like them.

As the Professor began to speak she turned her green gold eyes to him and almost immediately regretted it. How was she supposed to look Rhys in the eyes now, knowing just how Gorgey his father was. That was all kinds of new levels of unfair. It had her silently wishing Professor Frasier was still at the Castle. At least he didn't have any kids. She didn't need Rhys to catch her looking at his dad the way that most girls in their year looked at Professor Donovan (an infatuated she still couldn't wrap her head around)

She screwed up her face at the mention of their Bubotuber project. She was actually one of the students that had kept her plant well drained but it was never a pleasant experience whenever she did. However she felt the more often she drained it the least likely it was to explode pus all over her. She had rather nice skin if she did say so herself,  she certainly didn't need that screwed over by a lousy plant.

Her hand was instantly up when Professor Prewett posed his question, "Arguably sir, the most important use would be for healing or for potions in general." She waved her hands at the plants in front her. Feeling the vial she kept in her pocket grow heavy, "these are all Dittany plants, from around the globe. Used in healing poultices and ground down to a liquid that can be poured over open wounds." She had taken to keeping a vial on her, Quidditch always seemed to result in some injury or another.

“And if left on their own in very hot weather, they can catch fire,” Esther chimed in, lowering her hand. “Genus Dictamnus. Also known as burning bush and gas plant, their essential oils produce a sticky kind of flammable substance during the summer. It’s fairly sticky and nontoxic, unlike the leaves themselves, which are bitter and can cause mild stomachaches and, if you touch them directly, photodermatitis.”

Esther was a religious subscriber to the likes of Runwitch, Teen Witch and Witch Weekly, but she was still a hardworking student absolutely ravenous for knowledge; as likely as it was to find her reading a copy of either during classes such as History, it was just as likely to find her leafing through a textbook mid-pedicure, meticulously writing notes and color coding her bookmarks. Since word got out that they had yet another Herbology professor, the aspiring Head Girl had read up on as much of the assigned texts as she could and committed them to memory, eager to impress the new professor in case he stuck around.

It had been sobering, discovering that he was Siana’s uncle. Even if no one had said as much, his arrival was too soon after the kidnappings to be anything but a statement by her well-known family. But life went on, no matter how much the knowledge made her guilty, and after this year she had only year left to make an impression on the faculty. Some of the other survivors coped by drinking and smoking; her mechanism was focusing on the future.

“Those, specifically, are Dictamnus albus, Origanum dictamnus, Cunila origanoides and Magum dictamnus,” she continued, clasping her hands together. She made a pert, attentive figure at the table she shared with Bastian and Alistair.[1] “Otherwise known as burning bush, Cretan dittany, stone mint and Venusian mint respectively.”

1.	With Kelly’s permission!

"Five points Hufflepuff and Slytherin."  He chastised himself for not asking the students to give their names when answering questions.  Herbology was much easier than teaching herbology.  "For the next few lessons, please give your name when answering.  But correct on both accounts."

He pulled the Dictamnus forward and held it in front of him.  "A beautiful flower, not particularly useful to a witch or wizard.  Unless you need a fire.  In which case put it outside and provide a spark.  Keep your eyebrows away."  He said the last bit as he rubbed an eyebrow.  "Take my word for it, it will light, it will be beautiful for a moment, and your eyebrows do not grow back as quickly as you think.  And I will make sure no one gives you a hair grow potion or charm to make it grow any quicker."

He sat the plant back down, "I have however seen less reputable suppliers sell it rightfully as dittany, profiting off unsuspecting potioneers who don't know their ingredients.  I'd hate to see the results of those potions."

He took the American dittany in hand, "Looks great around a home, if you take the time to get it to grow here.  Makes an interesting tea which can help with headaches and some other minor ailments.  I've found there are better teas and potions for what American dittany can help with and all of them taste better.  Used more by muggles and some witches and wizards in America than here, given its native to the United States."  He placed the pot back on the table and picked up the last two, holding on in each hand.

"Cretan dittany," he held up the pot in his right hand, "and Venusian dittany.  The first, what muggles thought is a magical healing plant.  The second, what we know to be a magical healing plant."  He said with a laugh.  Both actually named for the same event.  The first named for where it grew when Venus used it to heal Aeneas, the second named for the fact Venus used it to heal Aeneas.  "You can use the Cretan dittany in a poultice to heal a wound.  It might speed it up a few days.  It might keep you from seeing a healer.  But it has no inherent magical properties."

He sat the Cretan dittany on the table behind him.  "Now,Venusian dittany, or for our purposes just dittany is what we will concern ourselves with as a plant with magical properties.  Including healing."

Owen carefully snapped a non-flowering stem off the plants and deftly removed the leaves from it, setting both the stem and pile of leaves next to each other on the table.  He then plucked a petal and collected pollen with a tiny oak stick setting both on the table.  Followed by carefully pulling the stigma and the stamen from the flower and putting them on the table.

"Stem, leaves, petals, pollen, stigma and stamen.  Each part of dittany has a different use.  Who can name one?  And leave it at one, let others have a chance to answer."  His eyes lingering on the Slytherin who had named all four plants before quickly moving on to his son whose hand had tentatively raised.  Worried about his classmates?  Or worried about him.  Either way, it was the first hand he saw and he was going to have to call on him sometimes.  "Yes, Rhys?"

"The stem can be used to induce lucid dreaming, but it's not restful sleep like normal dreaming would be."  Rhys spoke just barely loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"Correct.  Next?"

Kelvin liked the new professor so far.  He was handsome and unlike some of their other professors, though like some of their previous herbology professors, seemed nice.  But it could all be for show.  Depended on how he dealt with Connor or Bastian when they acted like themselves.  Either way, Ayla and Esther had beat him to the first answers.

Of course, he had still been surprised by the fact that the professor hadn't mentioned his other niece, Siana.  Maybe it was just too sore still.  But several of his classmates had been helping take care of Siana's project on top of their own and it was turning into something of a memorial almost.

He raised his hand after Rhys gave the use for the stems.  "Kelvin Watkins, sir.  The leaves are what hold most of the healing magic and are used in Essence of Dittany.  The stamen and stigma are..."  The professor was giving him a look.  Oh, right.  Leave some for others.

"Sorry", he said sheepishly.

Ambrose stifled a yawn, resting his buttocks against the edge of the bench, his burned, pocked herbology overalls protecting his uniform from any remnants of soil. He gave Professor Prewett a cursory look up and down. He didn’t hold much hope for the wizard, nor his herbology OWL that morning. He’d lost sleep staring at the canopy of his dormitory bed last night after another bad dream of failing all his exams, and the Ministry retracting their offer of an apprenticeship. History of Magic first thing had seen Ambrose almost take a nap on his desk, had Professor Butler not kept him awake.

“As I'm sure most of you have heard already, my name is Professor Prewett, and yes Rhys is mine and Brenna is my niece just to get that out of the way now.”
“Unlucky.” Ambrose muttered. He was amongst the students who grumbled about the bubotubers, having sported a boil on his nose from accidentally getting pus on his face not so long ago.

“Now today we will start looking at some of the most valuable plants to a wizard. Care to hazard a guess as to what type of plants those would be?"

Ones that grow galleons? Ambrose suggested to himself, stifling another yawn and rubbing his eye with his knuckles. He didn’t have any useful suggestions, so kept quiet. Ayla and Esther picked up the question anyhow. Ambrose figured he should be taking notes, but couldn’t muster the enthusiasm. It wasn’t the professor’s fault. Instead he leaned over and fished out his herbology text book, figuring if his brain wasn’t working, he could use a different source.