Setting to Rights :: Open

03 Sept 1921
5:30pm

The start of term is always a lot of work. Classes starting, learning your schedule, activities getting underway and the unending task of getting the greenhouses back in order. While away for the summer, the house elves do their best to keep things under control, but with the amount of work to be done, some things fall into disrepair.

Looking over the Hospital Wing Greenhouse, Tilly sighs with annoyance. Is it really that bad? No, but her level of perfection when it comes to the plants is far superior to most in the castle. There are weeds, disease, mites taking over a pot of lavender, everything needs watering, the soil quality will need to be investigated and there is so much to harvest her fingers twitch with the need to start.

There are some definite advantages to being a 5th year though. Walking around, wand in hand, Tilly starts with the tasks easiest to finish. Watering the entire greenhouse is easy when you don’t have to walk back and forth to the tap with a watering can. Once all the plants are thoroughly drenched, she gets out her notebook and starts the long list of things to do. She separates the tasks by level, some things will not be delegated as they are more difficult to complete. Or dangerous.

With the list complete and tacked up to the Greenhouse bulletin board above the main workstation, Tilly gets to work finding all her tools. Wands are good for a lot, but when working with the soil, hands are superior.

She hears the door open, but doesn’t look up to see who enters. The roots in her hands have a raging case of root rot that will need to be attended too. “Hey, can you hand me that glass bottle marked root rot? I need the serum on these murtlap plants.” If her hands weren’t currently occupied, and tingling, she would use her wand, but thankfully someone came in just in time.

"What?" He asked, teasing as always.

"Can't you fix it yourself with your plant powers? I thought that was the whole bit." Evan crossed his arms for a moment, waiting for her to look back and answer his summons for attention before reaching out for the bottle she'd asked for. Still smirking, the snake slithered through the messy greenhouse, tiptoeing through the plants until he got to her, holding the bottle out for her to grab.

"Thought I'd find you here." If he was a betting man, and he was it was actually an issue, Evan would have guessed that Tilly would find her way to the greenhouse to start the term. It was where she felt most comfortable, at least from his estimation. After the revelation of her new powers and link to plant-life, it only made sense that she would be pulled to the place housing the most green stuff.

Well, that or the Forbidden Forest. Except, this was a whole lot safer. Evan didn't pretend to be brave. He was overly calculating and extremely self-serving. It took a whole lot for him to actually care or try.

"Making yourself at home?" He asked.

"What?" The teasing nature of his voice causing Tilly to roll her eyes and glare in his direction. At least she still liked him well enough, or the plant currently in her hands would be swiftly deposited on his head. One plant could be sacrificed for the cause.

"Can't you fix it yourself with your plant powers? I thought that was the whole bit." Turning back to the plant, Tilly waited for him to come into view, brown bottle of Root Rot serum in hand. This was for two reasons. One, she hated talking over her shoulder. And two, very few people knew about her budding plant powers... Punk intended. “I’m still figuring it all out. For now I can sense when a plant is sick, so I know what it needs. I can’t seem to actually heal the thing though.”

Taking the jar, Tilly dropped three drops onto the roots, massaged it in and repotted the plant in to a new pot with new fresh soil.

"Thought I'd find you here."

Smiling at Evander, she said in a lilting, teasing tone. “Awww, were you looking for me?” Their relationship had taken a lot of twists and turns since their first year at Hogwarts. Acquaintance, friend, dating, Ex’s, back to friends now. Which she liked a lot more than the ex’s. Not that they ever truly hated each other, but this was nice.

"Making yourself at home?" Nodding, she smiled looking over the greenhouse. “As always. I’ve petitioned for a room change, but for reasons unknown they won’t let me sleep in the greenhouse. What are you up to? Since I highly doubt your visit here has anything to do with the health of the castle plant life.”

"I was looking for you, yes."

There weren't many people in the castle that actually understood him at the depths that Tilly did. Most people avoided him altogether. The ones that didn't either wanted something out of him, wanted to use him for their own benefits, or proved to be the shallowest of people only interested in his looks. And sure, while he'd indulge a few of those, Evan couldn't hide the fact that he preferred spending time with people that actually wanted him around.

Tilly had trusted him with her gravest secret. She'd always treated him with care, even when they butted heads or were in angry at one another. He wouldn't trade their relationship for any other in the castle. Even Benji, who he would have called his closest friend.

Mainly because he wasn't attracted to Benji.

"Is that so hard to believe? That I would risk getting my robes dirty in this dump to spend time with you?" He grinned mischievously, knowing he was finding a button to press. No matter who it was, acting this way was to be expected.

"I'm sure you could make some makeshift hammock and hang it up. Sleep here anyway. Have the plants protect you. Who is going to protest?" Well, the Herbology professor most likely. And possible her Head of House. Still, if anyone deserved an exception, it was her.

Another thought hit him, which had him squinting at her.

"Do any of the professors know about your... um, well that." He pointed at her leg. Who actually did know about it? Was it only him?

"I was looking for you, yes.”

That made her stop for a beat. Why would Evander be looking for her? She found it odd, overthinking the situation until his next statement came out. "Is that so hard to believe? That I would risk getting my robes dirty in this dump to spend time with you?"

Her eyes narrowed. A glare that Evan had received on more than one occasion was sent his way. At this point he should be familiar with it, he saw it more than most. “Now you listen here Whistle-boy. This is NOT A DUMP!” She said, pointing her dirt ladened fingers in his direction. Soil falling to the stone floor with a thud. “Fuck,” she whispered. “Usually, this is not a dump usually. It’s the first week of school, I’ll get it set up right.”

Her cheeks flushed red with anger and embarrassment. He was right, the Hospital Wing Greenhouse was a dump by her standards, but hearing others call it out made her all the more willing to sleep over to get it cleaned up. And as he mentioned, a hammock wasn’t a bad option.

"Do any of the professors know about your... um, well that." She followed his gaze, looking at her leg that was currently covered with her knee high socks. Just a small green scarred leaf peeking out of the top. It was such a part of her that she barely noticed it.

“Umm, well I talked with A couple Professors last term, but it was more asking questions. I don’t think anyone really took me seriously. My grandfather knows, of course. He seems to believe me, but with the trials starting he has been too busy to research it with me. As for people that know everything. Consider yourself lucky. You’re the only one.”

There was no good reason why Tilly had left it a secret. Not even Rae and Benji knew the full scope of the issue, but it was a difficult subject to discuss and Evan had been in the right place at the right time. She trusted him. Simple as that.

“I just don’t know where to begin with the whole thing. Professors think it’s in my head and I’m afraid if I announce it to students, they’ll think I’ve lost my marbles. Thank you, for not running through the halls telling people I’m crazy.”

The blush returned to her cheeks, her eyes going back down to her dirt covered hands. Tilly wiped the dirt off, then cleaned them as much as possible on her apron.

“Over the summer I played around with it, the power, a little. It works better when I am closer, which makes sense, but I can sense sick plants from 3 to 4 meters away. The farther the plant, the more of my energy it takes. If I use it a lot I’m drained. It seems to take a lot of energy to control.”

It was true, the more she used it, her energy would disappear. What she didn't mention was on one occasion her grandfather had found her passed out in the garden while trying to heal a plant. Something she failed at and had since not tried.