Harry Potter and the Black Rose

Chapter 25 | Herbology & Howlers

Her lips curved into a wicked smile. He reached up and grabbed his ear, pulling them tightly. He puffed his cheeks with air. He made his eyes cross over one another, pulling a rather ugly face. In retort, her little nose scrunched up and her jaw locked in place. She leaned forward and stuck her tongue out.

"As our mandrakes are still only seedlings, their cries won't kill you yet. But they could knock you out for hours, which is why I have given you earmuffs for auditory protection. So could you please put them on, right away? Quickly," Professor Sprout said quite loudly.

The students reached down and grabbed their earmuffs, placing them over their heads to cover their ears. Slowly, Rose picked up the earmuffs and placed them on top of her head. She could barely hear anything with the muffs. That must have been a good thing though.

"Flaps tight down and watch me closely," Professor Sprout said. She picked up a pot, grabbing the stem of the plant tightly. "You grasp your mandrake firmly. You pull it sharply up out of the pot," she said.

In that moment, Professor Sprout yanked the mandrake out of the flowerpot. The roots of the mandrake were formed like a infant, crying to itself as if it had just been born. It wailed to itself loudly, causing the children to place their hands over their ears. They winced at the loud cry.

"Got it? And..." Professor Sprout's voice trailed off. She reached over and flopped the crying plant into the flowerpot, tossing a bit of dirt in to cover it up. "Now you dunk it down into the other pot and pour a little sprinkling of soil to keep him warm," she explained.

Suddenly, Neville's eyes rolled into the back of his head. He dropped to the ground with a loud thump, fainting near the feet of his fellow students. The professor looked up, breathing a small sigh of defeat.

"Longbottom has been neglecting his earmuffs," Professor Sprout sighed.

"No, ma'am, he's just fainted." Seamus explained.

"Yes? Well, just leave him there." Professor Sprout said with a wave of the hand. "Right, on we go. Plenty of pots to go around. Grasp your mandrake and pull it up," she instructed.

All the students yanked their mandrakes out of the pot at the same time. The obnoxious screams filled the entire air, forcing the students to wince in pain. Each mandrake looked a little different from the rest. They varied in different shapes and sizes.

In result to the cries, Ron's face scrunched up in an uncomfortable manner. He pushed his mandrake away from his face, frowning in utter discomfort. Even Rose looked slightly uncomfortable while handing one of the mandrakes, blinking a couple of times to keep herself from fainting at the cry.

The Malfoy boy brought his mandrake close to his face, ticking the mandrake's chin in a teasing way. The mandrake bit down on his finger, forcing the boy to pull away sharply. He glared down at the plant before shoving it into the flowerpot.

~~~

The children were gathered in the great hall, eating their lunch for the day. However, Ron took care of his free time. He wrapped a long string of tape around his broken wand, sighing to himself in utter defeat. He turned towards his closest friend, frowning at his loss.

"Say it. I'm doomed," Ron groaned. In agreement, Harry nodded his head slightly. The two girls lifted their heads, looked at the boys with saddened eyes. The red haired boy breathed another sigh of defeat, lowering his broken wand onto the table.

"You're doomed," Harry stated.

"Hi, Harry!"

There was a bright flash of light. In result, Harry and Rose turned towards the source. They blinked a few times to regain their blurry eyesight. A little boy with mousy hair lowered his camera from his face. His big brown eyes were bulging out of his head, staring at the famous boy. His white teeth were pushed forward, sticking out of his mouth.