Errand A Little Time to Think and Clean Solo

For Errand: Spring Cleaning || Solo || April 19

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Herbology had never been a particular favorite of Thora's, but that wasn't to say that she disliked it. She had no shortage of knowledge of both flora and fauna, given her upbringing in the country, but being completely Muggleborn, the same certainly could not be said about those magical. Further, it took considerable effort to maintain her high grade standard in a subject she didn't take particular interest in.

Of course, her personal opinion about what the class had to offer didn't affect the effort she put into each assignment, nor the attention she paid during class--or to opportunities, for that matter. Opportunities such as errands. It was now almost a habit of hers to jump at the sight of an errand after doing so long. Over that time period, though, her reasoning had changed somewhat. At first, it'd been the desire to have at least a bit of pocket change--she'd had no spare wizarding currency, unlike those presumably from a magical lineage or simply with wealthier families. It had been the want to fit in with everyone else and not to be the strange, introverted Muggleborn.

Now, though, Thora found herself wishing for more time alone with her thoughts and without much else to worry about. There was a lot to be remembered throughout her waking hours, as well as duties to be carried out and even the occasional meeting to set up. There being a mere twenty-four hours in a day, something she used to simply accept as fact, seemed almost a cruel restriction. Despite the fact that the snek was fully aware of this, though, it had quickly grown on her that you couldn’t just work all day (no matter however much she wanted to). Fun was somewhat important, especially since she was just twelve years old.

Cleaning was never fun in itself, but at least it didn't require the intense concentration that Quidditch did or the focused accuracy she felt was needed to obtain the scores she did. Brainless work it was not, but at least it offered some room to think and some time to let go of worries.

And so, in black jeans and a brown knit sweater, Thora set her sights on the greenhouses. They looked no different than they did during lessons--or, at least, it seemed so, before she took a closer look at the evidently time-worn structures. Now that her job had been outlined to her, it was rather evident that the light allowed inside by the large windows was just a bit dim, having been forced through a thin filter of soil, and that similar dry dirt was scattered all over the floors. Nobody else was really around, she noticed with satisfaction, which gave her some space to work--and to think.

Finding a broom, she set out to the far corner of the greenhouse, brushing layers of dirt, new and old, damp and dry, into a small pile which she would later take care of. The girl wrinkled her nose as the sweeping motion stirred up plenty of previously undisturbed dust, sending it into her nose and causing a few sneezes. Sniffing a bit, she batted at the rising brown-tinged, mist-like particles, as if hitting them would destroy them, make them go away.

It was a familiar action and one she'd performed from early childhood, but now, using a broom to sweep seemed strange. It was in much poorer condition compared to the Nimbus 1700 she was used to, and was clearly not at all a Quidditch broom, but it still had the same feel of her precious Nimbus that took her to the skies.

Though it was tedious work, easing the bristles into the border where ground met wall, it was somewhat therapeutic as well. She paused, brushing a lock of hair back behind her ear as she surveyed her work in progress. It was far from perfect, her not having attempted to aid her efforts with magic, but it certainly looked far better than it had before. At least one could actually see the ground, not simply patches of it through a thin veil of dirt, Thora noticed as she set to work again, brushing the tiny particles out the door and to their rightful place.

And now for the windows. She supposed she'd done enough to feel justified in her reward, but the windows were almost worrying. Plants required ample sunlight--at least, surely the ones in the greenhouse did--to grow, and the grime all over the glass panes seemed to be keeping this necessity from being met.

Picking up a bucket of slightly warm, soapy water and a couple evidently used rags, Thora made her way outside, curling around the corner of the greenhouse to the outside. Someone had evidently already worked on most of the windows, as they were as clean as she'd ever seen them. The almost brown-tinged light she'd seen inside must've come from the ceiling, then. She supposed it would've been nice to be able to climb onto the roof to complete the job and leave the greenhouse perfectly clean, but it didn't seem possible.

Resigning to working on the small dirt patches near the structures' glass corners, Thora dipped a greyish rag in soapy water, pausing only a few seconds before smearing the liquid (and rag) over the large pane. It did not seem very effective, as the water was incredibly thin despite the considerably high content of soap and quickly ran down the four feet and eight inches to the ground (as the cloth had been wiped across the window just about at the girl's own height). Picking up another dry rag which had previously been left lying on the grass, she soaked up the excess water, all the while scrubbing in a circular motion at the various smears and stains.

The process wasn't the most effective, but it worked nonetheless. So, Thora worked on, ignoring the pain beginning to burn in her arms from the exertion. She wasn't that weak, was she? Apparently, she was, for despite how much she attempted to, she couldn't ignore the feeling of throbbing. With a sigh, she tossed her two rags into the bucket of soapy water, as they were already soaked through anyhow, and used yet another cloth to wipe everything down, removing the last streaks of dirt-contaminated water.

Despite the thoughts spinning around her head about the Potter investigation and the slightest bit of apprehensive fear about the upcoming Blossomball, she finally found herself enjoying the crisp air and the April sun beating down on her head. Ensuring that the surface she'd cleaned was spotless and dry, the Slytherin scurried back into the greenhouse, carefully replacing her supplies how she'd found them. It was a discipline not everyone understood and one that might not even have been expected, but perhaps it would be easier for the herbology professor that way.

Though spots were certainly missed (especially those above her reach), the greenhouse looked much better than before, its glass appearing glisteningly crystal clear. As Thora left, she couldn't help but smile she skipped over the expanse of grass that would bring her to the castle. Perhaps it wasn't perfect, but it was a job well done.

WC: 1204/600 [errand complete]