The back lawn of the castle—three little wizards in heavy robes stepped out once more.
They ignored the dull thunder rolling overhead, the wind's low wail battering the castle walls, and the cracking branches far off in the Forbidden Forest.
In a few hours they'd be out in the outer greenhouses, wrestling with the gale and downpour.
Still, their gazes were steady; they even joked now and then—mostly Justin talking, Sean nodding, and Neville smiling bashfully.
Doing something hard alone is painful and hard to bear; add a few friends, and the fun you find together can cover the hardship in the moment.
They hadn't even reached the greenhouse when upperclassman voices rang out:
"Bruce, you bloody idiot! Keep away from that Snargaluff!"
Leon was levitating other plants with his wand; Bruce had just teased the Snargaluff and, in a streak, darted behind Pister. Behind him the Snargaluff's vines lashed wildly—furious.
Through the stained glass of Greenhouse Three, Sean guessed Bruce had gone for its pods. One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi notes:
A Snargaluff is a vine that looks like a knob-kneed tree stump; it bears pods the size of grapefruits. The moment anyone tries to take the pods, it shoots out tentacle-like vines to strike.
Before Bruce could duck behind Pister, Pister—like he had eyes in the back of his head—sidestepped neatly, and the Snargaluff's tendrils landed square across Bruce's shoulder. He yelped twice and instantly behaved himself.
Professor Sprout watched the three of them, eyes squinting into a smile, then strode briskly out of Greenhouse Three.
Ah—her new seedlings were due, and thanks to these kids, Greenhouse One was running like clockwork.
Because the greenhouses carry some danger, their work had always been divided: the Professor handled the most hazardous Greenhouse Seven alone (rumor says there's even a baby Whomping Willow in there), Bruce and the others usually worked in Greenhouse Three, and Sean's trio naturally took care of Greenhouse One.
At the door of Greenhouse One, Sean saw the three upperclassmen file out of Three, Snargaluff vines still whipping behind them.
"Aha!" Bruce pulled a face at the greenhouse.
"Idiot," Leon muttered at the muddy, tousle-haired Bruce. The guy just loved asking for trouble.
"Oh! Look, it's little Green!" Bruce turned, eyes lighting up. "I bet you're bursting to visit Hogsmeade, right?"
"…"
In truth, no—if Bruce hadn't brought it up, Sean would have forgotten. It didn't concern lower-years much.
"Mm." Seeing the expectant look, Sean made himself look a little expectant too.
"Oh—I told you I'd repay you. Not just for the wager, or that Howler…" Bruce cocked a brow; beneath the affability was a keen edge. "Take this. Pick what you like!"
Humming, he dragged off Leon—who promptly choked on his pumpkin juice—and Pister, who'd just received seeds from Professor Sprout. Even at a distance, Sean heard Bruce's ensuing shriek.
…
As he stepped into the greenhouse, Sean opened the letter. He'd felt lately that he'd been getting too many letters… though the real reason, which he hadn't noticed, was that he didn't talk much.
[Not making a single Knut on the margin! Little Green—surprise: enclosed is a Hogsmeade shopping list.
I'd have loved to pay for everyone, but sadly Leon wouldn't let me use his purse…]
Leon agreeing would be the strange part… Sean read on:
[Good news: Pister agreed to let me use his purse to pay in full for your purchases.
So go wild—don't worry about the wallet!]
Pister… Sean pictured that honest, gentle face.
[Feel free to share the list with your friends—remember?
Hufflepuff's creed is: We! Must! Share!
Don't worry about whether I can carry it; I won't let Leon and Pister's hands, shoulders, and necks sit idle.
But don't include too many people, or Pister's neck won't take the weight.
Attached list:
( Dervish and Banges: magical repair tools;
Honeydukes: lollipop quills, Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans…
Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop: auto-correcting ink, auto-answer quills, homework planner … )]
Suddenly Hogsmeade Week did have something to do with Sean. Looking over the list, he felt a flicker of excitement. The wizarding world had plenty of interesting things; he planned to stock up on parchment, ink, and the like.
A few items especially caught his eye—like a homework planner, a little notebook that magically tracks a student's study progress. Each page you open reminds you to finish assignments on time; only then can you go do what you want. That would spare Sean a lot of logging—just flip and check.
And Everlasting Ink—a special ink that imbues writing with magic so it never fades.
All in all, a thoughtful surprise. Sean stood there, momentarily dazed.
October kept growing colder, rain more frequent, nights darker—but mud, wind, and downpours couldn't dampen the trio's good mood after greenhouse duty.
"You mean—Sean, the upperclassmen are willing to buy things for us in Hogsmeade?" Justin could hardly believe it. They'd just been envying the older students—was luck really falling into their laps this fast?!
They trod the slick ground, splashing mud.
"Heavens—we've got to tell Hermione at once. She's read the Hogsmeade guide over and over!" Justin whispered, thrilled.
When Sean pulled seven sheets of parchment from behind the letter, Neville and Justin's eyes locked on and didn't budge.