Winding up chores in the greenhouses

[alt_neville]

I had a melancholy realisation today as I was puttering around Greenhouse 4, finishing putting the last of the fall experimental harvest to bed: for the Herbology NEWT students, now is pretty much the end of our time at Hogwarts, as far as our own research, I mean. I'll help plant seeds and set out flats in the spring, but I won't be here next autumn to take note of which crossbreeds thrived the most through the growing season (good thing, I suppose, because after six and a half years, my garden notebook is so stuffed with sketches and notes that the only thing holding it together is a charm and Spell-O tape.)

I love the greenhouses in the winter, though, even though the season's work is mostly done, and the holiday greens have been taken up to the castle to deck the Great Hall. It's always warm, for one thing, which is nice. But it's quiet, and the colours are more muted (except for the tropical section, of couse). It's not as busy as the library, right before exams, which makes it an excellent place to revise. I've spent so much time here doing chores (watering, turning the compost pile, and recording observations) that Professor Sprout has let me carve out my own niche at one of the rickety tables with cupboards above them at the back of Greenhouse 4, so I don't have to carry my tools back and forth a lot.

Merlin. I have months to go, but already I'm getting nostalgic. But I've learned so much here, so I guess I'm feeling grateful. I've figured out what I want to do with my life: developing plants that'll make better potions. And I'm quite proud of the Memorial Garden. It's nice to think that's something that'll continue to thrive and grow after I leave school.

Comments

Order Only: Private message to Professor Sprout and Mr Snape

[alt_neville]

Mr Snape,

We had a bit better luck with the Daemonorops draco this year. You were right, it is really finicky about temperature, but I've rigged a warming charm over the bed that keeps it at a constant 36 C. I have several plants about ready to harvest. I know it's best to do it at the dark of the moon, but that's a few days after we leave school. Will it still be as effective in the potions if it's harvested three days early? If so, I can do it and hand it off to you during the hols. If it has to be the dark of the moon exactly, well, then I guess Professor Sprout will have to do it.

Also: I remembered something you said over the Easter hols lessons about the trouble potion makers had working with lionwort. I've been tinkering, and I have a new strain that should tolerate being boiled for up to five minutes without losing its efficacy. Would that be useful to you? I can drop a sample off with you during the hols, if you'd like to give it a try?

Re: Order Only: Private message to Professor Sprout and Mr Snape

[alt_severus]

D. draco is remarkably cold-intolerant, yes. I am surprised you were able to get this far with it. In warmer climes it is often useful as a substitute for dragon's blood when dragon's blood is unavailable; the folk-name for the plant's resins, in fact, is "dragon's blood". (I believe the conceit is that the flowers look like dragon's heads from the proper angle, and the deep colour of the resin reminds people of blood.)

I do not have utterly high hopes for its use as substitute in the Sleeper antidote — the arithmancy does not work out in promising fashion — but given the frustrations and setbacks we have been experiencing with that project, it is worth a try. It is fairly forgiving about harvesting-time, perhaps to make up for its uncompromising insistence on steady temperature: as long as the resin is harvested under a waning moon, it should suffice. Three days early ought not cause a problem.

If you have produced a strain of lionwort that is more forgiving of higher temperatures, you will have potions masters worldwide praising your name. At least part of the difficulty in brewing Wolfsbane is the exacting, split-second nature of the necessary timing; a five-minute window would ease the burden considerably. I look forward to your samples. Very well done indeed.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Professor Sprout and Mr Snape

[alt_neville]

I do hope the samples will measure up to my promises--and my analysis. (And thank you, sir. You've been an excellent teacher and I know you don't give out commendations carelessly, so I'm very chuffed at your praise.)

Re: Order Only: Private message to Professor Sprout and Mr Snape

[alt_severus]

Experimentation inherently involves failure after failure. Even if your first attempt is one of those failures, I have confidence you will achieve success eventually.

Mind you, I am well aware that the process of suffering through those failures is excruciating at times, and it is easy to lose hope that you will ever succeed. But if it can be done, I am certain you will do it.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Professor Sprout and Mr Snape

[alt_pomona]

I am certainly glad to do the harvesting on the Daemonorops draco, and to ensure it gets to Severus promptly afterwards. I haven't much in the way of plans for the holidays other than keeping up the greenhouse tasks, seeing Tilda, and some consulting with Regina and the others as time allows.

The rest of your work is, I need hardly say, excellent. I've particularly appreciated your patience in trying things over and over again, to test that an effect can be reliably duplicated. It's a knack remarkably few people have, that patience, but it's one all the best herbologists share.

Remind me, I've a few books you might find interesting over hols. Relevant to several of the magical hybridisation projects you've been working on.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Professor Sprout and Mr Snape

[alt_neville]

Thank you, ma'am. I'll look forward to seeing the books.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Professor Sprout

[alt_neville]

And I really have found what I want to do. Since I've become so interested in the subject, I hoped you would be pleased with my work, and I'm glad to know that you are. I was so sorry I couldn't join the YPL, and I was afraid I'd never have such an opportunity to learn things that would be useful to the Order. But this feels perfect. It's a great feeling to know that I'll be able to make a real difference to the war effort: keeping people fed, and using what I've learned from my studies to make the rarer potions available to our side.

Thank you for being so patient with me, even the first year when I was all thumbs and kept misreading the instructions. I'm happy it's actually paid off.

Order Only: Private message to Neville

[alt_terry]

Have you changed your mind about the Memorial Garden? About girding all the trees and sowing the ground with salt when you leave school?

Re: Order Only: Private message to Neville

[alt_neville]

I'm going to gird the trees under the soil surface at least, yeah. Well, except for Pansy's father's tree. Maybe. Dunno if it would sort of point a finger at her, you know, if I spare that one. I need to think about that some more.

Justin objected to sowing the ground with salt, when I first talked about the idea, and after thinking it over, I have to admit his reasons did make sense. Frankly, I'm undecided about that.

Wish I could chop the Carrows' trees down. Into bits. And then burn them with Fiendfyre.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Neville

[alt_terry]

Yeah.

I'd turn into the Professor and piddle on the ashes.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Neville

[alt_neville]

That would be brilliant!

Have you seen Hannah's tree at Moddey Dhoo lately? It's really grown a lot in the last year.

Wish we didn't have so many trees in that garden.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Neville

[alt_terry]

You still think about her, don't you?

I'm sorry, Neville.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Neville

[alt_neville]

Yeah, I do.

I suppose I always will.

ORDER ONLY: Private Message to Neville

[alt_alice]

We're very much looking forward to you putting all that good work to use over hols, son.

Regina and Lisa have a wish list a mile and a half long, and we've got two new sites for you to visit along with the rest of them. We're very much hoping that your winter potatoes will do what they're supposed to!

And of course, I'll try very hard not to monopolise your time, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing you as much as possible.

Re: ORDER ONLY: Private Message to Neville

[alt_neville]

I'm looking forward to mucking around in the greenhouse at Moddey Dhoo, too, believe me. Do tell Mrs Lee-Wilson I've really appreciated that book she lent me this summer about introductory plant genetics. It helped a LOT with my cross-breeds this year (don't worry, I left it at home after I finished it, and to be extra careful, I charmed it to look like a standard Herbology textbook).

I look forward to seeing the new sites, but more than that, it'll be splendid to see you and Dad and Kevin. I hope Terry can spend at least part of the hols with us?

[alt_susan]

Congratulations on figuring out what you want to do with your life, mate. Maybe you could give a hand to the rest of us who still haven't figured it out!

In all seriousness, your passion for herbology really shines through--I often wish I could see the greenhouses the way you do, but I've still got a black thumb.

[alt_neville]

Well, if everyone could raise plants, they wouldn't bother buying them from us that can do it, would they? Works out well for us green thumbs!

Do you have any ideas of what you might do when you leave school? Any at all?

[alt_susan]

True! Well...as grateful as I was for the opportunity this summer--I'm pretty sure I don't want to work in an owl shop full-time!

I love to fly but I'm not exactly Cannons material...so I guess the answer to your question is pretty much no.