The Herbology Assistant

Chapter Four

"Okay so who knows what this little guy is?" She said while pulling Archie out of her hair and the class broke into smiles.

"That's a bowtruckle!"

"How did you get one?"

"They can pick locks!" Clarice giggled and was relieved they were fascinated by her friend.

"This is Archie everyone, he is indeed a bowtruckle. Can anyone tell me where they live?" She asked.

"Wiggentrees!" A Hufflepuff girl yelled out.

"Yes! And what are those trees used for?" She asked.

"I believe they can be used for wand wood?" A Gryffindor girl said.

"Also correct, but why is it so difficult to get the wood?" She asked.

"Because the bowtruckles will gauge your eyes out if you try to wreck their home... as they should to be fair." A Hufflepuff boy said.

"Precisely. Nice job today everyone, I want you all to come back with what you're hoping to learn this year and why." She decided to give all her classes the same assignment; it was an easy start for the first day and hopefully it got them excited for the rest of the year. They filed out and Clarice was excited to go to lunch. She was famished.

"How is it going dear?" Pomona caught up with her in the corridors.

"Really well, everyone seems so interested in the subject." She replied.

"Very well, I even heard the first years retelling the story you told them. Is it true you got squeezed by Devils Snare so tightly you peed yourself?" She asked her while laughing.

"I'm afraid so, it was my first time handling it. It makes for a great story though." Clarice responded and laughed with her. They sat at the staff table together and of course, she didn't see Severus at all. She hated to admit it, but she was a little disappointed. She ate a ham and swiss cheese sandwich and washed it down with some pumpkin juice. She only had one more class for the day, so she headed back down to greenhouse two. The mandrakes were already out on display, so she only had to make sure she had earmuffs for everybody.

The students began filing in and took their seats. Just like with her other classes, she introduced herself and had the students tell her their names back. Soon she was diving into her first real lesson about mandrakes. By the end of class, she only had one student pass out from the noise.

"Mr. Longbottom?" She went over to the student at the end of class to try and wake him back up. The cries of the mandrakes can you knock you out for a couple hours, so she propped him up to sit up. She plucked a few mint leaves and rolled them in her hands to make a pasty substance and placed it underneath his tongue. After a few minutes, the boy finally woke up. He was still slightly groggy and was trying to get a grasp on where he was.

"Hey, you alright?" Clarice asked him and he stared back at Clarice, nodded his head, and tried to stand up. She went over to help him up, but Neville was still a little wobbly.

"Here come sit and have a cup of tea." She motioned for Neville to take a seat and he did. She summoned two tea cups and and teapot and filled both cups and handed one to the young boy.

"Thank you, Professor Bates." He said and took a sip.

"No worries, just promise to keep those earmuffs on next class." She chuckled and they made small talk about different herbs and she shared some of her classic stories with him. He really seemed to enjoy the subject, so she let him take a sugar shrub plant back to his dorm with him. She was done with her classes for the day and she made her way into the teachers lounge. She took out her journal and began documenting some of the discussions she had with the students today. She found it hard to concentrate with the other teachers in there conversing about their students.

"Aha! there you are Clarice!" Professor Sprout marched up to the table she was sitting at and plopped a stack of papers in front of her. "I figured you could help me grade half of these."

"Are these assignments? It's only the first day, how are there so many?" She questioned.

"From the sixth and seven years. It was only a recap quiz from last year. No need to do them at this moment, but I'd like them back tomorrow morning to give back to them. Don't go easy on them. They should all know these topics." She left Clarice with the pile of papers to grade. She closed her journal and grabbed the stack to put in her bag. She walked up to her quarters and went in to tend to her animals and pick some Moly flowers for Severus. It was about supper time when she was done with her little chores, so she made her way down to the great hall. She took a seat next to a man with blonde hair and purple robes. She thought the man looked familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.