Errand Morning Harvests Solo

@Boniface Murtagh MacTavish

Thora rubbed her bleary eyes, trudging through the Small Hall. Waking up in the dark, dank dungeons of Hogwarts was no easy task, especially considering the fact that she had an Astronomy class last night. Stepping outside, the Slytherin willed the door not to creak as the girl emerged into the blinding sunlight. Still sleepy eyes burned as the sunlight streamed into them, rendering the Slytherin sightless for a few seconds. And it was cold. She had lived in Ireland, and now Scotland, long enough to know that even with the sun beating down in the early morning, it was freezing. Thora drew her robes around her in an effort to be just a little warmer. 

Thora had waited until the last minute possible to leave her Common Room. The moment she saw the new errand that Professor MacTavish had posted, she knew she had to do it. Last year, she didn't remember there having been so many opportunities--and things she knew how to do, too. Coming from a farming background, Thora was more than knowledgeable about things like making candles, which she had done just the month before, and drying herbs. Professor MacTavish had invited 25 students to help him dry herbs, and the second year, although not one to be arrogant, was more than perfect for the job. 

Back in Dublin, herb-drying was more than common in the Larkston homestead. The family made soap several times a year, and what was soap without a little flavoring? The Larkston farm had a small herb garden, and often times, Thora and her sister, Elizabeth, were the ones tasked with collecting and drying herbs. Because of this long-lasting tradition, Thora had been doing this likely since she was three years old--or tall enough to reach the herbs, of which most were on a higher table.

Now, the herbology professor had promised house points and Chocolate Frogs to whoever completed the errand. Perfect. Although the young girl would rather an opportunity for sickles, as had the previous errands she participated in, any reward would do. In fact, for something she actually enjoyed, like herb-drying, no reward at all was necessary to egg the girl into participating. Thora did need the sickles, as being Muggleborn, she had next to nothing in wizarding money. Even though all the first years may have arrived in the same boat, the wizard-borns surely had parents who would give up their wizarding money for their children. 

House points, on the other hand, was a worthy cause. Thora never turned down an opportunity for house points. Although she herself wasn't exactly overcompetitive, the young girl still had a mean streak of it in her. It wasn't obvious--on the surface, Thora appeared to be a young, innocent girl obsessed with learning and books. She was in Slytherin, though, so determination and wit was still her constant companion.

And as for Chocolate Frogs, Thora did have four from the previous errand. She had might as well start a collection, if she were to get four more after completing this one. For all she knew, the only place where you could actually buy Chocolate Frogs were from Hogsmeade, and she wasn't allowed to go, being a second year. That much was disappointing, but if she could get any without breaking rules, she would go for it. 

Thora found herself at the Herbology greenhouses faster than she thought. Turning, she found herself at the garden. The herbs quickly caught her trained eye, and the Slytherin made her way over. Crouching down, Thora examined the wide variety the Herbology professor had provided. There didn't seem to be any she didn't recognize, which was surprising, as the young girl had found that there were many disparities between Muggle life and the wizarding world. It wouldn't have surprised her if she found out that there were magical herbs of some sort. But maybe there was, and they just weren't here in the garden. Made sense, Thora figured.

Finding the lavender, Thora began picking off stalks, breathing in the delicious scent. The scent of lavender was ever-present in her childhood home, as it was her mother's favorite herb. Picking off more than what she knew she would need for one bundle, the girl collected all she could carry. Better to grab a bunch and then tie them into several bundles. Thora knew this from experience, as endless trips to the garden and back were what she used to do at home, trying to collect herbs one bundle at a time. 

Once the brunette had picked all the lavender she could carry in her admittedly small hands, Thora made her way into a greenhouse that they were allowed to bundle herbs in. Pausing, Thora glanced around. There didn't seem to be anyone inside--in fact, there weren't any students around yet. Hopefully, she wasn't here too early. Hanging back just a moment, the young girl gathered herself, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Thora pushed open the door of the greenhouse and stepped in. It was strangely empty, and it took all she had to not run out. Stepping up to a table, Thora took a handful of the lavender and tied the ends together with a piece of string. Honestly, the action was quite familiar to the girl, except she kind of wished she was able to do it with her family. Repeating the action alone was foreign to the girl, and Thora felt another wave of nostalgia wash over her. 

Once the girl had five bundles stacked neatly, one on top of the other, Thora darted back outside to pick some more herbs. Wondering if there was peppermint, the brunette glanced around the large garden. There it was. The bright green leaves with a pattern of creases on each one. Again, Thora picked as much as she could carry, this time trying not to breathe it in. Although a whiff was fine, the young girl hated the tingle it brought to her nose when she breathed it in. 

Fully awake from the crisp peppermint scent, Thora made her way back inside the greenhouse. Again, the girl methodically bound stalks of peppermint together, stacking them alongside the lavender. Now what? Should she just leave the stacks here? Peering around the not-so-big greenhouse, she tried to find the herbology professor. In her opinion, it would be better to find him and deliver them, but there was no one to be found.

"Um, Professor MacTavish?" Thora ventured. She had never spoken to any professor, really, and she honestly wasn't exactly comfortable with the magically capable adults. "If you're here, I finished," Thora said simply. Stacking up all her piles--twelve in total--in a lopsided pyramid of sorts, she waited for an answer. Maybe the professor was, in fact, in here, and she just couldn't see him. It was worth a try...

WC: 1130