LUNAR (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

Fifteen. November.

November came in with lots and lots of rain. It lashed at the windows of the castle for days and lots of the older students began casting impervius on their robes before they went out on the grounds for lessons. During breakfast, Caiti heard a number of her classmates talking about skiving off herbology, but she was quite anxious to go to class.

She shouldn't have let herself. It was just the smallest little line she had read the other day in her potions textbook while brewing a Draft to Inducing Dreams. One of the footnotes had mentioned that the original recipe had used a different ingredient, one that was much more expensive, and that the effects of the potion had been altered slightly by the substitution.

The ingredient in question had nothing to do with what she was thinking about, of course. It was just that idea of substituting one thing for another, of creating a slight variation on a theme. She left the Great Hall a few minutes early, pulled her robes up over her head, and ducked her head down against the rain as she headed outside, skirting close to the castle walls where the shadow was more likely to protect her.

Professor Munslow was already in the greenhouse when she arrived. He gave her a warm smile and said, "She's a right blustery one, isn't she?" nodding outside at the rain.

"Yes," said Caiti, pulling out her wand to siphon the water off her robes.

"Feels like it could turn to snow any minute," he went on, still looking outside. But Caiti had other priorities than chatting about the weather.

"Professor, I had a question," she said.

Professor Munslow turned to her, snapped out of his reverie. "I'm doing some research," she began. "For my private lessons with Professor Pym." She wasn't sure why she kept feeling the need to pretend that this was an assignment, but at least it felt like less of a lie now that Professor Pym was in on her project.

"Certainly," said Professor Munslow.

"I'm interested in the idea of substituting one ingredient for another and seeing how it might change the properties and effects of a position, specifically ingredients that are similar in some way. I thought maybe you would know of some books or even a herbologist whose work I could look into... something about plants with similar properties, plants used for similar purposes... that sort of thing."

Professor Munslow nodded slowly as he listened. His gaze fell back as he thought. "One that comes to mind off the top of my head is Herbert Snyder. Great, great herbologist. Written lots of books about what plants to use when, medicinal mostly. Can't think of the name of the book off the top of my head, but he's got at least one or two out with chapters grouped sort of like you're saying, similarities and such."

Caiti hurried to pull out her quill and the notebook she had been keeping all of her research and experimenting recorded in. Herbert Snyder she wrote, and then snapped the book back shut.

"Thank you," she said. Her heart was pounding. "I'll look into that."

A few other seventh years came tumbling in out of the wet, giggling and squealing as pools of rain spilled off their shoes.

Caiti slipped out of their way and found her usual spot along the long table. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked out through the glass at the rain. It was probably nothing. She probably wouldn't find anything of use.

But she couldn't help feeling excited at every possible lead. The drive to find out something had grabbed hold of her and wouldn't let go.

—-

Caiti went to the library the moment classes ended that afternoon. She had spent so much time here since school had started and been kicked out at the end of the night so often that she thought the librarian looked a little exasperated upon seeing her.