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Post by Claire Littleton on Jul 30, 2009 19:37:17 GMT -6
Claire knelt on the dirt floor of Greenhouse 2, dirt smudged on the legs of her jeans - old ones, which fit her snugly but which had a couple of tears in the knees where the fabric had worn thin - and her hands covered in soil from repotting the plants in front of her. There was a smudge of soil on one of her cheeks, and a relaxed, happy glow in her face. A light blue tank-top completed her outfit, her feet bare - she went without shoes whenever she could get away with it, as she preferred the feel of grass and earth between her toes.
Professor Iving knelt not too far away, also attending to some plants. She glanced over at Claire and smiled, standing up and brushing the soil off of her own hands before taking a hair tie off her wrist and going over to her ward. "Here," Charlotte said, sweeping Claire's hair back from her face and tying it back loosely for her. "You're going to get dirt in your hair."
Claire flashed a little, easy smile up at the older woman and said, "Thanks."
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Post by Adam Abbot on Jul 31, 2009 8:39:00 GMT -6
Adam walked into Greenhouse 2, he had yet again gotten himself into trouble with the potion teacher and as punishment the potion teacher had decided that Adam should go help professor Iving in the Greenhouses. "Hello Professor Iving, I don´t know if you got the message from professor Abendroth, But I am here to help you." Adam said, trying to sound as happy as possible, they were not going to break him with this punishment; he was here to take care of a few plants, how hard could that be?
Adam then saw that professor Iving was taking care of Claire's hair, he didn´t know what to think of that it was weird, it looked like they were friends of some sort, a thing Adam had never thought could happen between student and teacher. ”Hello Claire” Adam said, greeting her with a smile and a happy look in his eyes, of course she would be friends with the professors, she was so cute that nothing else could be possible. "Eh..... I can come back later?" Adam then said as he send a little smile to Claire, he didn´t want to disturb what they were doing, since that would maybe make Claire feel bad.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Jul 31, 2009 9:16:57 GMT -6
Charlotte looked up upon hearing someone else enter her greenhouse, and smiled in greeting. "Yes, of course, Adam. Come on in," she said pleasantly, going to fetch a pair of gardening gloves for him. "You can help Claire repot the Wolfsbane. You probably won't need these gloves for that, but later the Strangler Figs will need weeding," she explained, handing him the gloves.
Claire had paused and looked up from her work at the sound of Adam's voice, and now said with a smile, looking genuinely pleased to see him, "Hello, Adam."
Charlotte's eyes lit up and she asked happily, "Oh, you two know each other?" |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Jul 31, 2009 9:30:27 GMT -6
"Yes, of course, Adam. Come on in,"
Adam nodded politely and did as the professor told him to. Professor Iving was actually one of the professors he didn´t mind, she was sweet enough, not like Abendroth, he was more like hell on earth if you did not obey.
"You can help Claire repot the Wolfsbane. You probably won't need these gloves for that, but later the Strangler Figs will need weeding,"
"Sure." He said as he put on the gloves, he could as well put them on now instead of later, since you never knew with magical plants, especially not the ones in the Greenhouses. Adam had never really been that good with the plants a thing professor Iving had commented many times in her classes, though she had always made sure that the other students never heard, that was actually why he didn´t dislike her as he did with the other professors.
"Hello, Adam."
"So.... You are getting punished to?" Adam asked with a little smile as he looked at Claire again he was obviously joking because the thought of Claire getting punished was unimaginable, though before he could get the answer professor Iving asked another question.
"Oh, you two know each other?"
"Yeah... We met a few days ago in the library." Adam said, as he looked at professor Iving, he didn´t know why she was so interested, he thought it was kind of weird, but then again professor Iving had always been kind of weird if you asked Adam.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Jul 31, 2009 9:44:36 GMT -6
Charlotte beamed at the two of them, thrilled at the thought that Claire might have actually made a friend. The poor girl was sweet and good-natured, but she was terribly shy, and many were scared off from her by what they couldn't understand. Charlotte quickly suppressed the urge to hover like an anxious mother hen, and instead said brightly, "I'm going to go mix up some more feeder. I'll let Claire show you the ropes. She's a natural, the plants love her." The professor quickly left the greenhouse then, patting Claire's shoulder proudly as she passed her.
Claire looked a bit embarrassed at Charlotte's praise, and looked down at the plants in front of her. "Um, well, it's fairly simple," she said, reaching for one of the larger, empty pots. "You fill in some soil from this bag-" She indicated a large bag full of rich, dark soil. "-then you pull the wolfsbane up by its base. You put it into the new pot, and fill in the soil around it. You give it a little water, then go on to the next one." She looked up and smiled at him, adding, "I suppose the water bit could be good practice for you." |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Jul 31, 2009 9:56:02 GMT -6
"I'm going to go mix up some more feeder. I'll let Claire show you the ropes. She's a natural, the plants love her."
Adam nodded at the professor, he had guessed that Claire was a natural genius with plants, since plants needed love and care and patient, things which as far as Adam knew Claire was made up of, Adam smiled slightly as he saw how embarrassed Claire became, it was like a mother saying embarrassing things to her in front of her friends.
"Um, well, it's fairly simple you fill in some soil from this bag-then you pull the Wolfsbane up by its base. You put it into the new pot, and fill in the soil around it. You give it a little water, and then go on to the next one...I suppose the water bit could be good practice for you."
"Yeah... it can." Adam said smiling slightly, as he did as Claire said, he took one of the pots filled it up with the soil from the bag, then pulled one of the wolfsbane up by its base, and then placed it into the new pot, and then filled in the soil around it just as Claire had said, he then used his ability to add water directly into the soil, making sure that none of it was wasted. It was actually quite easy, the repotting and the watering, and with Claire it wasn´t punishment anymore, it was actually quiet fun, Adam would have loved to see Abendroth's face if he knew how much fun he had it right now.
"So...Do you do this often?" Adam asked, as he continued with doing what Claire had instructed him to do, making sure he followed her instructions down to the smallest detail.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Jul 31, 2009 10:19:15 GMT -6
Claire watched the first time to make sure he had it right, though it was a pretty hard thing to mess up, and nodded when he finished the first plant. "There, you've got it." She then returned to her own work, pulling up another of the Wolfsbane plants.
"Yes," she said in answer to his question. "It's calming work. And it pays my rent in a roundabout sort of way, so everybody wins."
As she settled the plant into its new pot, it curled some thin roots around her fingers. Claire tsked softly, but looked a bit affectionate towards the plant as she gently extracted her fingers from its grasp, careful not to break off any of its roots. "Do you get detention often?" she asked him in return, casting an amused look over at him to let him know she was only teasing. |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Jul 31, 2009 10:39:57 GMT -6
"There, you've got it."
Adam nodded slightly as he continued doing it as good as he could, it was very peaceful, the plants seemed to be very corporative today, a thing they normally weren´t when Adam was doing this in the classes.
"Yes...It's calming work. And it pays my rent in a roundabout sort of way, so everybody wins."
Adam smiled slightly, yes it was calming he had to admit that, but to do it often, he couldn´t imagine it, sure once in a while but not often, but well Claire liked it and Adam didn´t want to change Claire since she was perfect the way she was now.
"Do you get detention often?"
"Yeah... The teacher’s doesn´t really like me that much... Especially professor Abendroth, he hates me, he gives me detention for the slightest things." Adam said smiling slightly, well that wasn´t always true it hadn´t been the slightest thing this time. Adam had in boredom made lots of color changing potion spill out over Professor Abendroth, so right now he would probably be changing colors every 5 minutes or so. Of course professor Abendroth had had no problem with pointing out who it had been since Adam was the only hydrokinetic in the class room at that time.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Jul 31, 2009 11:01:12 GMT -6
Claire laughed softly and said, "Abendroth doesn't seem to like anybody very much. He's none too fond of me. He once told me I would be tolerable if I weren't so uselessly squeamish." She grimaced, and added, "We were supposed to be extracting lizard gizzards that day. I don't much like cutting open anything's stomach."
She was silent for a moment as she prepared another pot, then asked curiously, "What did you do to get detention this time anyway?" The next Wolfsbane plant she extracted from its old pot wrapped its roots around her fingers too, and when she tried to gently pull away, it just tightened its grip and let out a tiny, plaintive, low whine, almost like a wolf might have done, and so she just let it hold onto her fingers for a few moments. |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Jul 31, 2009 11:25:03 GMT -6
"Abendroth doesn't seem to like anybody very much. He's none too fond of me. He once told me I would be tolerable if I weren't so uselessly squeamish...We were supposed to be extracting lizard gizzards that day. I don't much like cutting open anything's stomach."
"Yeah I know what you mean, I don´t like cutting things open to, especially when they are still alive." Adam shivered slightly at the thought, sure if it was dead then it couldn´t feel anything, when it was dead then he could force himself to cut, but when it as alive, when it laid there looking up at you with it's eyes, then it was impossible, at least for Adam.
It seemed that the Wolfsbane had either been sleeping or been occupied with something else, because now they seemed to notice Adams hand when he move it from the pot, it gently grabbed Adam as if trying to tell him it didn´t want to move from the old pot, but Adam just gently released it´s grip and sat it down in the new pot, and finished the job by adding more soil and some water.
"What did you do to get detention this time anyway?"
"Nothing I just by "Accident" Spilled some color changing potion on him." Adam said smiling slightly as he remembered the purple color professor Abendroth had taken when the potion had landed on him, it had been hilarious and all in the classroom had been laughing, everyone except of course professor Abendroth.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Jul 31, 2009 12:00:40 GMT -6
Claire laughed and said, "What an unfortunate accident. Completely unavoidable, though, I'm sure. Potions are volatile things."
Charlotte came back into the greenhouse then, carrying a large watering can full of a pale green liquid. She smiled at the two and set the can down, before walking over and saying, "I have to go run an errand to Hogsmeade. Will you two be okay here by yourselves?" Claire nodded. "Alright, then. When you're done there, Claire knows where the Strangler Figs are that need weeding. Be careful, though, they've been a bit cranky - some mites have been chewing at their buds. Professor Abendroth is making an Anti-pest Potion for me to fix it."
Charlotte took out her wand and waved it over herself, clearing off all the soil that had gotten on her in one neat gesture. "Do you need anything while I'm over in Hogsmeade, Claire?"
Claire shook her head and said, "No, I think I'm fine. Hogsmeade weekend pretty soon anyway."
"Alright," Charlotte said, tucking away her wand again. "I shouldn't be more then two hours. If you finish the weeding before then, you're free to go, Adam. See you kids later." With an affectionate smile, she left again, heading towards the school's gates, where once outside she could Apparate. |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Jul 31, 2009 12:34:16 GMT -6
"What an unfortunate accident. Completely unavoidable, though, I'm sure. Potions are volatile things."
"Yeah they are very volatile." Adam said smiling one of those joking smiles that showed that he didn´t mean that they were, obviously he had been the main cause of the spilling of the potion, and Claire probably had guessed that.
Adam remained silent under the whole word exchange between Claire and professor Iving, the more he got to see them and hear them together the more he kept thinking of them as a mom and daughter, they certainly behaved like that. Maybe professor Iving is her mother? Adam thought it was a possibility, it were probably a wrong guess, but maybe it were true?
Adam finished the last Wolfbane finally he was done with them, the last one had done everything to avoid getting into the new pot, but at last Adam had managed to get it down into the new pot. "Is professor Iving your mother? It sounds like she is, not to offend you or anything." Adam knew it was a weird question, but he had to know, he had to know if that was why they was so friendly towards each other. Adam smiled an unserious smile, obviously Claire wasn´t supposed to be offended by the question, it was simply just an innocent question asked between friends. Though it was clear that Adam obviously regretted asking the question.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Jul 31, 2009 13:09:43 GMT -6
The repotting done, Claire sat back on her heels and wiped at her cheek with the back of her hand, trying to clear away the small smear of soil there, but only seemed to make it worse.
She smiled a bit wistfully at Adam's question, clearly not offended - it was a valid question, after all. "No," she said. "She's just maternal like that, especially with me. Perhaps it would make things simpler if she were, though." She shrugged, pausing as she tried to think of a way to explain things without revealing too much about her real mother.
"Charlotte - Professor Iving - is more like my benefactor, or guardian. She's always been good to me. My parents haven't been around for a long time; my father died when I was thirteen, and my mother - well, she vanished not too long afterwards. After I transferred here from Beauxbatons, Professor Iving just sort of took me under her wing. I help her out in the gardens, and she helps me pay the rent on an apartment in Hogsmeade. Nothing fancy, but livable." |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Jul 31, 2009 13:42:21 GMT -6
"No..She's just maternal like that, especially with me. Perhaps it would make things simpler if she were, though...Charlotte - Professor Iving - is more like my benefactor, or guardian. She's always been good to me. My parents haven't been around for a long time; my father died when I was thirteen, and my mother - well, she vanished not too long afterwards. After I transferred her from Beauxbatons, Professor Iving just sort of took me under her wing. I help her out in the gardens, and she helps me pay the rent on an apartment in Hogsmeade. Nothing fancy, but livable."
"I see... well.... my father just left when I was 10.... He said something about me not being his son or something like that, doesn´t matter the guy was an Idiot." Adam said he could feel something in his chest when he talked about his father, a slight hint of sadness could be seen on his face for a few seconds before he forced himself to be happy. "Well it is not time for me to come with the story of my life; we got work to do if I am correct." Adam said trying to quickly change subject since he didn´t want to talk about his past, he hoped Claire understood that, he would tell her when the time was right, but not right now.
"So where are those Strangler Figs?" Adam asked as he began to look for them, still trying to make sure that they didn´t began to talk about his past again, it made his heart hurt when they did.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Aug 2, 2009 22:45:47 GMT -6
Claire simply looked at him for a moment, unblinking, her expression one of sympathy, but not pity. She knew how bitter a pill pity was to swallow.
She let it go, though, standing up and brushing the soil off of her hands. She wouldn't push him to talk about what he didn't want to talk about. Some things were just - better left well enough alone.
"Just outside," she said, leading the way to the greenhouse's back door. On her way out, she picked up a pair of gloves. A short way's away was a little patch of turned earth, where the Strangler Figs and an assortment of other plants grew in neat, organized rows, though the Strangler Figs had surreptitiously reached vines over to the branches of other plants, beginning to wind up them.
"Hey," Claire said to the plants, her voice lightly scolding. "And just what do you think you're doing there?" Sheepishly, the Strangler Figs slowly unwound their wandering vines, pulling them back to their own branches. "No matter how far apart we plant them from the others, they always try and choke the sunlight off from the other plants. Sometimes they just need a talking-to."
Claire pulled on her gloves, and bent over to peer at the small green plants around the base of the figs. She carefully selected one of them, and grabbing it by the base, pulled it up, roots and all. Straightening up, she held it out so that Adam could see them. "Razor-grass - don't try and touch them without your gloves, their leaves are very sharp. These are what we need to pull up. The other things are fine - they're Fey Clover. They help keep the soil rich." |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Aug 9, 2009 17:53:20 GMT -6
Adam followed Claire out to the plants, and he actually smiled when she ordered the plant, as if it was a child, Claire looked like the born teacher, she knew how to handle things, at least so Adam thought, she was at least way better than Professor Abendroth, but then again, there weren´t needed that much to be that.
Adam then nodded after Claire had given him the instructions, he then began to work with his gloves on as protection against the plant, it was slow and hard work, and more than once he caught himself sweating. "this may be a dumb question, but aren´t there a spell that can keep razor-grass away?" Adam asked, as he pulled one of those bad plants up, with root and everything.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Aug 9, 2009 18:52:47 GMT -6
Claire went over to the side of the greenhouse and picked up a metal bucket, carried it back to the figs, and set it down nearby. "Put the pulled weeds in here, otherwise often they'll grow back into the ground by the time we're done weeding."
She knelt down nearby and set to work as well. It wasn't breezy work, but it was a good sort of exertion, an that added to the knowledge that she was being useful made the sweat and dirt worth it for Claire.
"There are some spells that could be used," Claire answered, pausing to wipe a thin sheen of sweat off of her forehead and to tuck a couple of stray strands of hair behind her ear. "But they're rather harsh on the soil, and can damage more delicate plants. Professor Iving mixes their water with a bit of some potion that discourages the growth of weeds, but it isn't as strong as a spell would be, so things still get through occasionally." |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Aug 11, 2009 5:19:46 GMT -6
"Put the pulled weeds in here, otherwise often they'll grow back into the ground by the time we're done weeding."
Adam nodded as Claire came over with a metal bucket, of course they should down there, magical plants had a tendency to not stay above ground when they had been pulled up, a fact that Adam didn´t like, the plants didn´t do as they were told. Adam threw the plant down into the bucket, he didn´t look as it hit the bottom of the bucket, and he was already working on the next plants.
"There are some spells that could be used... But they're rather harsh on the soil, and can damage more delicate plants. Professor Iving mixes their water with a bit of some potion that discourages the growth of weeds, but it isn't as strong as a spell would be, so things still get through occasionally."
"I see." Adam said, as he got an idea, if the earth was filled with potion/water, then he could maybe take all the plants up with his ability, well it was worth a try. He focused two razor-grass plants, the water incased them, and moved them up from the ground, and down into the bucket, then the water released the plants and moved back into the ground. Adam shook his head, that wouldn´t work it was to slow, precesise but slow, he wanted to get this job done, so he just continued doing it without the use of his ability.
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Post by Claire Littleton on Aug 11, 2009 11:57:24 GMT -6
Claire continued to work, mostly in contented silence. The soil was warm, and ever so slightly moist, so it was pleasant to work with, and wasn't very tough, so it didn't tear too badly at her nail beds under the gloves. She wished they were dealing with anything other than razor-grass, so that she could take off her gloves and actually feel the soil between her fingers.
Some time later, the figs were weed-free. Claire gave a light, pleased sigh as she surveyed their work. "There. Done, and in record time, too," she said, casting a smile in Adam's direction. "Professor Iving will be pleased to see this when she returns." |
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Post by Adam Abbot on Aug 11, 2009 15:32:29 GMT -6
"There. Done, and in record time, too...Professor Iving will be pleased to see this when she returns."
"I surely hope so." Adam said, as he smiled back at Claire, normally he didn´t like this kind of work, but with Claire it was kind of alright, she made it feel like it was worth doing, even though it was a complete waste of his time, it still felt like he had accomplished something, maybe he had come closer to Claire, maybe they were connected now like friends of some sort.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Adam asked, they had finished work, and the professor had said that he was free to go when they were done. Adam wanted to go, but he also wanted to spend some more time with Claire, and unfortunate contradiction of things he wanted to do, so he decided to listen to what Claire was going to do now, and then choose what to do.
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