White Heather for Protection

The Pink Toad

"This sucks," Ginny proclaimed, with a barely-there lisp, as she threw herself across an empty couch.

Fred and George slumped into the room, grimacing.

"We could make so many oral fixation jokes-"

"-with that opening, but we concur."

Hermione sighed. "It's not that bad. Just keep it rolled under your tongue and you can barely feel it. Just make sure not to accidentally swallow it in your sleep."

"You can use a Sticking Charm to keep it in place, you know," Hadrian pointed out matter-of-factly.

Groaning, Ron thumped his friend not-so-gently on the back. "Aww, mate, why didn't you tell us that two weeks ago?"

"You'd think that being raised around magic would make them smarter about using it," Heather muttered in amusement, sharing a look with Hermione. She had actually been waiting to see when they would eventually cotton on. Evidently, Hadrian was too sympathetic to hold out on them. The little Gryffindor.

"Has it only been two weeks? Feels like longer," Ginny groused. She quickly did as Hermione and Hadrian suggested, relieved that it really was much easier.

"Who's the hack who came up with this anyway?" Ron complained. "Why would keeping a stupid leaf in your mouth even help with transforming into an animal?"

"Well, the mandrake leaf is easy enough to explain," Hermione began in her 'lecturing' tone. "Mandragora are plants which exhibit human-like characteristics - a transition-state between human and non-human, if you will. Which is exactly the principle underlying the animagus transformation."

"I'm sorry I asked," Ron muttered lowly.

Heather took no notice of the boy, picking up where Hermione left off. "Exactly! As for holding it in our mouths, it is likely due to the highly personal and unique mature of the transformation," she postulated, "The leaf will soak up our personal magicks, which will then be transferred to the potion. It can't just be held in our hands for a month, because it might be tainted by ambient magic. I suspect holding it an any other bodily orifice might suffice as well. It's just that our mouths are the most convenient."

At that, the whole room looked at her, looks of disgust on their faces. Well, except Hermione, who appeared fascinated. Heather blinked, unfazed. "Just a theory, is all."

George shook his head in disbelief. "Don't know how you say stuff-"

"-like that with a straight face." Fred looked kind of pale, likely imagining what 'other bodily orifice' the leaf might be kept in.

"That very intriguing topic of discussion aside," Hadrian said loudly, "how about we get on with it? We only have three more weeks to finish all our homework."

A chorus of groans sounded out at that pronouncement. Ron glared heatedly at his schoolbooks. "Did you have to remind me? I haven't even started!"

"Ronald!" Hermione cried out, scandalised. "You're never going to have time for your second rewrite at this rate! I'd better draw up a schedule so you have time for at least the first," she fretted anxiously.

Heather patted her shoulder in commiseration. She had been in a similar situation two years ago. Getting FredGeorge to do any work had been nigh impossible. Thank Circe they had gotten better since their deal about getting good grades for the joke shop. Though they were hardly model students, they understood the merits of academics results better now.

However, she couldn't help but feel that two rewrites was excessive, even for her.

~~~

Heather had never seen them so excited about potions before. Granted, it was just a means to an end in this case, but still. She was pretty pumped up herself. She had never tried brewing with four cauldrons simultaneously before, but she was eager to try.