You Reap what You Sow PV finished

Herbology was one of George's favorite classes, though he loathed to admit it. It was completely lacking in any sort of style or excitement - the closest you would get were plants that were poisonous or which screamed, neither of which was an entirely pleasant sort of thrilling. The worst part of all was going to the next class with dirt under your fingernails, or on your clothes, which was why George wore gloves that went near up to his elbows and kept his arms outstretched to be certain he would clear the mud zone.

Puffapods were one of the best plants that had come up in his studies at Hogwarts. They were beautiful, pleasant, and had the potential to be unbelievably annoying. It was for these reasons that George felt a kinship with the plants... and for that last reason, undoubtedly, that he had been set up with a babysitter for this instruction. George looked blankly to Ileen, gauging her reaction to him and raising an eyebrow at her odd fixation on the plant.

Her rigidity was fitting. She was a snitch and a rule-follower, a teachers pet. Hogwarts' borderline fascist anti-fun policies about not sneaking out at night and not stealing from classrooms had crushed her spirit. Like a prefect who was willing to do the work for free.

"I don't think we've spoken," George observed. Such a shame that had to change. "I do get good grades in this class, you know. It's not like he paired you up with Jack."

George could always be sure that of his group of friends, he was not the best, nor the worst, behaved. He was squarely average. Jack's rowdiness made him a convenient example to throw under the bus when he needed to look tame.

"What are we meant to be responsible for, again?" He clearly hadn't been paying attention until the class became personal, and he needed to know what Ileen's intentions were before he could thwart them in the most annoying way possible. "Are there any seed pods on this?"

He reached out toward the plant that Ileen was meant to be responsible for, watching her as he approached it with wholly irresponsible intent. Surely the girl would need to act... but what would she do?

George deciphered her sarcastic tone with the accompanying message and immediately took it personally. Of course, that's how it had been meant, after all. Of course she knew he must be clever - with so much mischief in his veins, there was no other way he could have managed to still be a student at this school. Apparently, he wriggled out of situations well. But she wouldn't do him the favor of admitting that.
So, she just snorted and rolled her eyes, ignoring the dig at Jack. She had already pegged the other Hufflepuff as a good person - admittedly, her one experience with him had also provided strong bonding material. Together they had braved a blizzard!
She had given up her 'cover' and now openly and directly practiced her well thought-out criticism. "Pff. For the record - I would prefer Jack. And your skills aren't my concern, it's more attitude and attention span." She wrinkled her nose and tilted her head in judgment.

His next question, about what they should do again, hit so closely on what she had just complained about that she became unsure. Was he trying to push her into a trap and thus hit her where he knew it would hurt her? Did he try to provoke a reaction?
A little conflicted, she glared at him, struggling with her next move. On the one hand, she didn’t want to play into his cards and on the other, she wanted to get this task done as fast as possible to get out of this terrible team.
He would immediately see that he had already driven her into discord with this simple question, as she was not very good at keeping the anger off her face.

Then, she decided to use the moment to lecture him. After all, whatever his intentions were, she couldn’t use a partner who was about to screw up everything. "And here we go - attention span and attitude - we have to harvest the seeds. Dear Merlin, have you been listening at all, or do I have to explain everything to you again? And I am sure there are seed po- What are you doing?!" Was he insane?! The boy reached out for the plant and Ileen, going over the line when someone was about to do something incredible stupid, rushed forward to save the day.

Reducio

Can Ileen snatch George’s hand?
Ileen Accuracy: 4+11 = 15
George Evasion: 4+6 = 10
→ success

Can he free his hand?
Ileen Strength: 2+3 = 5
George Strength: 8+3 = 11
→ miss

Tatsu decides they hit the table and seeds fall down

Her hand shot forward and closed around the Hufflepuff's wrist to prevent him from getting any closer to the plant. Of course, he could have harvested the seeds properly, but her instinct had sensed a red flag - he for sure was about to do something stupid!
However, she failed to hold his arm and it slipped from her grasp.
In the scuffle they bumped against the table. The plant swayed ominously and two seeds came loose.
Eyes wide open, Ileen saw them fall as if in slow motion onto the table, where they immediately sprouted into large flowers.
With an irritated snort, she brushed her hair out of her face and looked at the mess before turning to her partner in reproach. "See what you did?" Of course, it was all his fault! As she had known it from the very beginning.

Interacting with | @George Henry

George was absolutely, genuinely gobsmacked. It took a great deal to shock him, but his jaw hung open after her remark. "You would prefer Jack for this delicate task? I assume the homework wasn't to smash the plant into a million pieces? He is my friend, and even I wouldn't want him to partner with me for this," George spoke confidently, certain that his friend would not overhear anything he didn't already know if he was in the classroom with them.

He didn't know what he had done to earn Ileen's ire, but with Slytherins, they usually defaulted to ire, so he never gave it too much thought. "Oh, yes. Your attitude has left nothing to be desired, obviously. And neither your attention span, which seems to be lasting so dreadfully long..." The faster she explained the assignment, the faster George would get to it! Instead, her snakey sadism had taken the driver's seat, and all George could do was wait for it to roll over him. Thankfully, inspecting the plant would provide a welcome distraction.

So he reached out, looking for the fun seed-pods that he had read about before class. Of course, there would be trouble if he bloomed any, but he might want to sneak one out of the classroom for use later in throwing at Jack while teasing him for being friends with a Slytherin girl. "No, okay, no I wasn't listening, and even if I had I would have forgot-"

Their arguing was interrupted as Ileen intercepted his hand, the badger's brow jumping in shock. She was gripping him tight even as he tried to wrench free. "Oh, come on! I know you don't like me but could you not wrestle me in Herbology?" He managed to pry her fingers off of him and the struggle brought him up against the table, causing the plant to start tilting over the other way. "Oh, no..."

Two seed pods fell, and the sudden impact caused them to burst out and sprout into beautiful flowers. George leaned back, admiring what the Slytherin girl had done. They were really very pretty flowers, and he was glad he got to see them bloom so up close. He'd have to steal one for Jake to see later. A few of the neighbouring groups paused to look, but the professor had not yet seen.

Moving quickly, George picked up the plant pot and grabbed one of the newly sprouted flowers, shoving it beside its twin before mashing them both down into a flat squish of purple plant beneath the pot. "We'll ignore those," he suggested earnestly. "And I'll ignore that it was your fault."

Ileen frowned at the outraged boy. Jack was friends with that troublemaker? That she hadn’t realized that yet told a huge story about how neglective Ileen was when it came to social relationships and interactions around her. She usually avoided people who were loud and attracted mischief, but with Jack she had solved an errand and here at least he had not made her feel uncomfortable.

With a tilted head, she weighed whether George should get plus points for his friendship with Jack, or whether she should revise her opinion of the other Hufflepuff boy
Now that she thought about it, she recalled that Jack had a certain reputation for being a little rowdy.
On another day, she might have relented, but her lack of sleep and the frustration she was carrying around wouldn't allow it. She would never admit a mistake or even agree with George. No matter whether he was right or not. Standing her ground, she crossed her arms. “Well, then we'll just draw the short straw with the both of you.”
That she was irritated was not only recognizable by her posture, but also by her tone. Yet George had done nothing at all to justify her attitude toward him. Normally she would be cynical but with a cheeky grin, but today she lacked the patience and energy to do so.

He teased back, of course. She didn't deserve it any other way, if one was completely honest.
But the girl, of course, saw it quite differently. Not paying attention and then expecting her to explain and portraying her as a nerd - how dared he? Indignant, she built herself up to her full height and snorted - a sound not worthy of a lady, but who cared.. "Well, then, that fits. When you mix your attention span and mine, it comes out to a decent length. And as for attitude" She vigorously brushed a strand of hair from her dark eyes. "It certainly couldn't hurt if a few people took some things more seriously." After all, enough bad things were happening without the students pushing it too....

The same could be said of her. Maybe George hadn't done anything wrong, but she had tried to stop him from doing whatever he was going to do and let everything escalate in the first place.
When the chaos struck, she didn't notice how impressed the boy next to her was looking at the colorful flowers. Ileen could have learned a lot from him - for example, his ability to find something beautiful even in this situation and to enjoy the fantastic nature, while she was far too focused on the mistake at that second.

He even cleaned up after them.. At least that was a diplomatic euphemism for stealing. His whole behavior confused the young Slytherin. She was ready to fight, to have a conflict. How did he dare not to fight back?
Well, she would continue to push back. That was a given. So, she glared at him. "I'm sorry, my fault? I must have misheard!" Yes, it was. She knew that, but studiously ignored it. After all, if he hadn't been up to something suspicious, she wouldn't have had to intervene! "You ripped your hand out of mine and hit the table!" Her cheeks were flushed with anger. She was having a really bad day. Why couldn't one thing go right this week! She was embarrassed that she had gotten into this situation and if it hadn't been for George, it certainly wouldn't have happened.

Her eyes darted to the flowers he had pocketed, but she decided not to ask for them back. Part of her was grateful he'd hidden them, even if she wouldn't admit it.
She couldn't let it pass without comment, though. "Flowers for your secret crush?"

Interacting with | @George Henry

"I've changed my mind about wanting Jack," George deadpanned to his partner as she went on and on about attention span and the seriousness of the situation. Though he would have agreed with her point on the seriousness of the situation in general, the seriousness of this very moment could not be understated. The fresh blooms and been properly pressed below the pot. Professor Irons would no doubt see what they had done, but hopefully by then they would be out of the classroom. It isn't like they killed the plant. In fact, there was more of it now than when they had started.

He had done his best to keep his cool, but this was starting to get grating. Normally it was quite difficult to annoy George if you were trying. But if you weren't trying? God, that wound him up. You couldn't annoy him by hurling insults, but if you walked too slow in front of him in the hallways, there was no doubt that he wished he were a half-giant so he could just pick you up and throw you aside like a rag doll. Ileen didn't seem like the type who was trying to annoy him - she was just so focused on her own affairs that she couldn't take her head out of her arse for longer than to take a breath.

"Oh yes, you must have - so take the cotton out your ears and listen again," he said, his cheeks flushed as he raised his voice into a whisper-yell so as to convey his anger without inviting the ire of the teacher. "It was your fault. My hand wouldn't have been in your hand if you hadn't been over here trying to wrestle me, you..."

He continued his murmured tirade under his breath. The boy brushed a few stray petals from the crime scene, losing them in the scattered layer of plant matter and debris that was usual on the floor of a greenhouse. "Don't get too excited, miss Knight, there won't be any for you," he assured her. Well, this girl sure knew how to ruin an assignment. He stepped back from the table and folded his arms, gesturing for her to go ahead. "If you know so well, do it then."

Ileen's cheeks took on the color of George's as he whispered angrily at her. Her heart began to leap and her hand, which had previously clasped George's wrist, began to tighten.
She knew he wasn't wrong, and getting a lesson from watchmaker number one wasn't on her to-do list today.
Besides, he wasn't trying to triturate her, but was genuinely upset - and that was a new experience for her. If you wanted to annoy her classmates, it slipped off them, but they still blew things up unintentionally or because they worshiped chaos. The only one who had ever been unkind to her personally had been Shimada.
The thought of the other boy gave her a little pang, but since she was only thirteen, she couldn't place the chaos of emotions and confusion. So she did exactly what she despised her classmates for. Escape forward.
"Good that you are standing up for your friend.” Her voice was shaking a bit as she whisper-yelled back at him, a sharp hiss coming over her lips. “And - after all, I wouldn't have had to hold your hand if you hadn't been up to something, or are you seriously trying to tell me that you had wanted to follow the exact instructions?" It was hard to keep her voice low, but the last thing she wanted was to get caught by the professor - although George did a pretty good job hiding the beautiful flowers they did make.

His next comment made it impossible though. A loud and contemptuous snort was the answer to that ridiculous comment. “Oh, okay.” She put a pretentious sad-face on and gave him a sarcastic glare. “I think, if I try really, really hard, I might manage not to die. Because after all, your appreciation and attention is all I seek for happiness in my life.”
The words dripped from her lips like burning poison and although she tried to play it cool it was obvious that she actually was upset. Not because of the stupid flower thing of course, but about the fact that he had gotton to her. And that this situation was kind of ridiculous.

But finally, it looked like they were about to move on. Great, she couldn’t wait for this assignment to be over soon. And normally, the way to get there was to do everything by herself. As usual. So naturally, she rolled her eyes at him and rolled up her sleeves. “Of course, I will gladly show you how it’s done so this will be over soon.”
She turned away a little to shield her face from his eyes. She was trying to get her composure back and she didn’t want to display that weakness to his hungry and most likely judgy gaze. Closing her own eyes she took a deep breath, trying to slow down her heartbeat and make her hands stop trembling.
Then, as she felt a little bit more calm, she turned back to the plant. The trick was to smoothly touch the seed pots and slip them from their mother without causing much friction.
Staring at the plant, she slowly reached out to lay her hand on one of them.

Interacting with | @George Henry

"Is that how you hold hands? No wonder you're not getting any flowers then, is it?" George said, rubbing his poor, tender wrist where the Slytherin had angrily clasped it. He grumbled under his breath as she asked him if he had wanted to follow exact instructions. No, obviously not. Exact instructions were anathema to a boy with the poor impulse control of George Henry. He did not like constraint.

Besides, wasn't there some phrase about knowing the rules being expertise, and breaking them being mastery? Or maybe artistry? Or perhaps just, you know, the right idea. He hesitantly confessed his true unwillingness to put in the effort. "I don't know if I would have followed exact instructions exactly, but it would be nice to have a general direction."

George did not dignify Ileen's sarcastic comments with a response. Not a verbal response, at least. He smirked just a bit, genuinely amused by the girl's sarcasm. He quite enjoyed sarcasm. It might've come across as more cruel than he intended - smirking at the girl who was clearly upset with him - but it was a sign of genuine, suppressed joy more than contempt. If she did not call him on it, the pair could certainly move on.

He rolled his sleeves up to mimic her, watching and waiting for her next action so he could follow along with the steps. It seemed the next step after rolling up your sleeves was to try not to cry. "You look like you're having conniptions," he keenly diagnosed, not minding the fact that the cause of the symptom was him. "Should we get the nurse?"

He paid attention to her as she smoothly slipped the pods away from the plant, raising an eyebrow - actually impressed by her smooth technique. "Look at you, green robes, green thumb. A snake in the garden," he said. He was just speaking now. It was unclear if it was genuine appreciation or just sarcasm. "But watch this."

He, too, reached for the pods. But could Ileen trust him?

Ileen blinked. Geroge may not have known it, but he had hit a nerve. Her cheeks turned red - Percival had only held her hand so he wouldn't lose it in the dark. And Victor - well, he... no. She didn't want to think about him.
Belatedly, she wrinkled her nose, still trying to save the situation for herself. "With people like you? Yes, I have no other choice. Hey, I have an idea - give me a reason to hold hands with you properly and I'll give you a reason to give me flowers." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. What did she care if he wanted to hold hands with her? Exactly. She didn't. NOT ONE BIT!!!

Overall, the young badger seemed to have a knack for driving her up the wall. She had only experienced that once before, and that was with Erik. He had then become her best friend, but somehow she doubted that in this case. Although she could not deny that a small part of her enjoyed the bickering. She had fun with quick-witted exchanges. And if she hadn't been so tired and irritable, it could have gone differently. But it was.
Misinterpreting his grin negatively, of course, she glared angrily at him. He didn't even take her insults seriously. She would show him. While she tried to calm down, he of course only made things worse. "Shut up, the only thing I'm trying to get a grip on right now is the overwhelming desire to hex you. And" She snorted. “I am an intern of the nurse!” Taking things always literally if she could annoy the other.

Although her hands trembled slightly, she managed to carefully remove the seeds from the plant and let them slide into the small pot provided for them. She had half expected him to sabotage her. On the contrary. He even said something that could have been interpreted as a compliment. Nevertheless, she winced slightly annoyed when he pointed to her house. Ileen didn't like being in Slytherin. Her cheeks turned pink and she pressed the pot against her. "I'm-I'm just paying attention." she failed to give him a quick-witted answer. She had not expected this reaction. So she was a little thrown off track.
As a result, she stood there, the pot of seeds still in her hand, watching the boy as he approached the plant without doing anything. Her dark brown eyes were fixed on him. Watch this. Watch what? Good or bad?

Interacting with | @George Henry

"I'm afraid I've got no interest in holding your hand," George said. He more meant it as a comment on how he enjoyed boys, though the casual dismissal would surely sting if Ileen cared at all about what George thought of her. He could not imagine that she would care at all. A quip followed up that comment. "Besides, I've had about enough of your grip for one day. You're too rough. Boys like a gentle... woman."

He wasn't sure if that was the right equivalent for gentleman. Gentlelady? Whatever. He'd never met one. Most of his lady friends were rather rough and tumble, or far too posh and judgemental to be described as well-mannered.

"If you're going to hex me, could you get on with it? I'd love to get out early," George said, at ease with the girl's threats. He looked to her and furrowed his brow as she announced that she was an intern of the nurse. What? At least she'd be able to unhex whatever she hexed him with, he supposed, though he was now a bit worried about being poisoned the next time he ended up in the hospital wing. That concern was not immediate so it evaporated. He gave his fingers a mystical wiggle toward Ileen. "Well, that's good. Intern, heal thyself."

George mimicked her technique as best he could, reaching in to smoothly pry the seeds from the plant. He could be decently dextrous when class demanded it - it was just usually wand work rather than this. Plants and animals were horribly unpredictable things compared to wands. He supposed he just enjoyed his schoolwork more when it wasn't alive and actively sabotaging him. It would explain his feelings toward Ileen. "I hope you were paying attention, you're watching a master. Hufflepuffs are supposed to be good at this stuff. It's dirty work."

He held up his hands to indicate his green-ish fingernails, bits of dirt and plant debris accumulating there. It seemed to just happened as one worked in the greenhouse, they all needed a good washing up afterward. "Not my usual cup of tea. But someone's got to pluck the puffapods, I suppose." Just when Ileen thought he had turned a new leaf, the boy looked at one of the seed pods in his hand. "Hey, you're a nurse's intern. What do you think happens if you eat it?"