Errand Mint & Morning Dew

Emerly always liked nature, so when he heard the Herbology Professor MacTavish needed help gathering a few things out of the school garden early that morning he made sure to wake up early to eat. He had meandered outside, breathing the brisk sunrise-time air. It was still a tiny bit dark, and he rubbed his mitts in front of his nose like a prayer, wrapping his old green scarf loosely around his neck, and stopped before going further, realizing he had left by himself. Certainly Professor MacTavish would be out there if no one else was? No, there would likely be quite a few students out there, the teacher was relatively liked. Why wouldn't there be? Still, he was mildly uncertain about going out while it wasn't broad daylight- as a matter of fact even when it was he still found himself scared to go around the grounds by himself. Being a Half-blood new to this whole scene made him afraid of seeing a werewolf darting around, or unicorn, or a troupe of elves even. Even if a few of these weren't dangerous, just like the portraits and moving stairs and magically appearing Great Hall food, they would take some getting used to.

Thankfully, he found the garden and knelt a bit further away from some other students working by the early sunrise just peeking over the horizon and streaming through the greenery like sheer gold. He breathed in the smell of of earth and smiled as he pulled the tops of the mitts off and buttoned them to expose his fingertips and get a better grip on the herbs planted there. He fancied himself little different from the fresh sprig of mint he gathered with his Slytherin garb. He shook the dew off it and smiled at the wild mix of scents winding through the general area. Rosemary, thyme, crisp morning autumn air-this was nice! He gathered quite a few sprigs, but realized they were starting to get all mixed up in his lap. He took a moment to separate them, and then focused on sticking to those varieties so they wouldn't get all bumbled up.

He peered around. Wait a minute, did he have to gather a certain amount? He bit his lip and peered over at the other students walking past with their arms full, some chatting, some alone like himself. They all seemed to be walking around with at least some degree of determination and sureness. He opened and closed his mouth, face taking on an uncertain expression. His parents always said he was observant, good on his feet- but he was shy, at times painfully shy at moments that were very unhelpful. Part of him wanted to ask how much he was require to bring in... wait... where did he have to bring all of this? He looked at the three piles of herbs he'd gathered, all variations of mint. Spearmint. Applemint. Peppermint. He'd always liked it for some reason, reminded him of Christmas, which was his favorite holiday, but wasn't it painfully awkward he'd only picked... mint? He blushed. He'd never even dried herbs before... maybe it was simple. If he were to put them all together, maybe he'd have ten sprigs altogether. That was enough. He shouldn't get ahead of himself, or else the professor's classroom might end up smelling like a winter wonderland.

He got up, holding one bouquet in each hand and hugging the applemint to his chest. He peered around, watching the students closely, tapping the toe of his shoe against the ground. Everyone was busy picking... no wait. Someone had gone off and was playing with some twine, much to the dismay of their more straight-laced acquaintance. A smile played on Emerly Pine's face as he ducked past the friends' shenanigans and started cutting out lengths of twine for himself. Why, this was like getting a Christmas tree, wasn't it? You picked your greenery, got the twine to tie it up... he intermittently softly hummed and whistled as he gathered up the different mints sprigs, counting in his mind as he went in case he needed to report the number.

Twelve. The twelve sprigs of mint... of Christmas. He smiled to himself, and the expression quickly disappeared off his face as he searched the vicinity for what to do next. He saw a few Ravenclaws meander into a greenhouse with tied sprigs, and followed them, shyly peering around. Where had they gone? It was as if they'd disappeared... sighing, he started whistling to the tune of that Christmas song about a drummer, peering around the greenery as if he'd lost track of his goal of figuring out what to do next. That was his favorite carol, he was a drummer himself, after all. The overwhelming mint scent was as refreshing as the dew resting on a nearby plant, which he examined, without touching, with great curiosity. Well, maybe he'd find the teacher eventually around here, or maybe back outside eventually. He was like likely busy. In the meanwhile he smiled yet again, grey eyes trailing over the different plants as he passed them by. Which, if any, were used for healing? Potions? Could any talk, like the paintings in the castle? He bit his lip upon remembering he shouldn't meander around the greenhouse too much by himself. Afraid that he'd gotten so far and no one else was around, he quickly ran back to place with a few more students. His chest heaved, and he looked back at where he'd come from. Hopefully no one had seen him get so spooked- no one but- The professor! Of course! He tried to compose himself, dismayed but at the same time amused by the thought he probably looked as if he'd just taken part in every event in the Triwizard Tournament instead of picked twelve sprigs of mint. "Ah... hello!" he began, shaking his head, realizing that maybe some plant in the greenhouse might have have dropped a bit of dew on his head. Surprised, he held out the mint, all the more fragrant from their adventure through the greenhouse, "I hope this is fine. That was very fun by the way, not at all a trouble! Plants are very nice."

word count- 1040

Reducio

@Boniface Murtagh MacTavish - you can reply if you like, you don't have to though as it's finished not sure if i had to tag upon finishing or not haha c: