Coiled (Book 1 of 2)

Fragrant Honeysuckle, Powdery Lavender

"So do you garden, Reggie?"

Having finished our dinner, the four of us sit together around the kitchen table we just cleared away. A glance out the kitchen window, left open to allow the sweet-scented spring breeze to circulate through the house, reveals a dark, inky night, the sickle moon high in the sky. But here, in front of each of us, fresh mugs of fragrant ginger apple tea. As the steam rises up off our cups, I turn my attention to Reggie and smile, our knees touching beneath the table as he sits beside me.

Leaning forward, my father Liam lifts his cup up and cradles it in his hands, blowing the steam off as he awaits an answer to his question.

Glancing between my parents, Reggie shakes his head and smiles politely, "Only just the slightest bit, as taught to us in our Herbology classes."

My father Elliot laughs good-naturedly at this, "Well, that certainly counts, son! And yet ... somehow I can't imagine they keep any ficus plants in those greenhouses."

Reggie and I share a smile between us at this. Reaching for my own mug now, I shake my head, "No, they most certainly don't."

Laughing, my father Liam smiles around the table before turning his attention back to Reggie. Speaking softly, he shrugs, "... The humble ficus, though perhaps not so nearly as stunning as the Moly, nor as useful as the Dittany, nor as exotic as the Devil's Snare, nonetheless ranks among one of my favourite plants in the whole world."

I watch the way Reggie's jaw drops at this, his eyebrows shooting up in an expression of complete surprise, "So - you know - you know about ..."

Shaking his head, he straightens up in his seat, "... That is to say ... Sir?!"

Grinning at Reggie's reaction to my father's unexpected wealth of knowledge regarding magical plants, I lean over and explain, "... They devour all of my Herbology texts, as you can see. Especially this one ..."

At this, I gesture towards my father Liam, decidedly the master gardener of the house, "... who has been positively begging me to bring him a potted Mandrake for years now."

My father Elliot shakes his head vigorously, "A madman's whim which we will, under absolutely no circumstances, be indulging."

Turning his gaze to Reggie, he widens his eyes pleadingly, a bid for support, "... I mean, really now. Can you imagine the risk of such a thing?!"

Reggie, now laughing along with me, shakes his head and addresses my father Liam, his tone one of polite diplomacy, "I certainly wouldn't recommend fussing about with Mandrakes, Sir. Nasty business -"

Grinning devilishly, my father Liam leans across the table, "... Tell you what, boy ..."

A pause as the three of us wait. Playfully glancing around as though he and Reggie are the only ones there, he tips his head towards him and whispers, "... Feel free to dip into one of those greenhouses and sneak off with one. Bring it to me, and I'll reward you with the best double chocolate cake you've ever had in your life -"

"My cake," My father Elliot amends with mock outrage, "... Which I'll bake for you only if you refuse to go along with such a woefully ill-conceived plan."

Turning and winking, Liam smirks, "I know the recipe. I'll bake it myself -"

Elliot rolls his eyes at this, "... God help you then, Reggie."

The four of us erupt with laughter at this, my father Liam shrugging, "Fine, I see how it is, then."

Then, smiling, he rises up and out of his seat, expression shifting from amusement to unbridled excitement, "Jokes aside, I'd love to show the two of you what I recently came into possession of - quite a rare, unexpected acquisition!"