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Chapter Nine

Harry spent the rest of the evening teaching his dorm mates how to play the card game.

It was late and they were all tired, the room was hot so Harry slipped up a bit. "Oi, Seamus, open the damn window. I'm about to sweat to death." Harry shucked his yukata off one shoulder, wrapping the sleeve under his arm, he tucked it into his obi.

His head snapped up when he heard Seamus exclaim, "A Thiarna Dia!"

Neville stared silently while Ron and Dean both whispered, "Cool!" with every evidence of awe.

Harry shrugged away their compliments, as was proper, only saying, "Arigato, mina. Neville, deal, will you?"

Neville dealt the cards. "Ok, but I gotta ask. How the hell did you get permission to have all that ..." He gestured at the tattoos. "done? When did you start and ... and ..."

Harry chuckled as he gathered his cards. "How could Chichi-ue forbid me when he has the same. I really think he let me get started because he thought I'd give up the second I felt the first poke. I started when I was ten and they were completed ... about six months ago. They're spelled to move and grow with me. Anything else?"

Harry wanted to play one more round of cards, but everyone else wanted to look at his tattoos. He stripped off his yukata and stood up in nothing but a fundoshi. "Ok, ok. One good look, then keep your eyes to yourselves." He held his arms out to the sides so that everyone could see the dragon writhing across his back, tail on one buttock. It started with the head on his right shoulder and pectoral, head pointed at his waist with the neck going over his shoulder, one seven clawed paw clutching the curve of his shoulder. It swooped across his back just under his shoulder blades and around his waist then ended with the tail on his left buttock. The one clawed paw that could be seen griped then loosened. The dragon writhed amongst a thick bed of peonies which budded, bloomed and died, revealing then concealing a swarm of koi which swam around fluttering their fins realistically.

Harry waited a few minutes while they looked then said, "I'll be really unhappy if anyone gossips about this. It's not something that is shared without permission." He was pleased to hear them all promise not to tell anyone.

.

Harry looked at his watch. "It's Friday." Hermione rolled her eyes in an 'I know that'. "Yes. Herbology first. So where's the classroom."

Neville sounded so happy when he said, "The greenhouses." that Harry didn't have the heart to reply, "Yes, of course."

He just said, "And those are ... where?"

Neville led the way out a side entrance and down to the greenhouses. Harry was very skeptical about the whole thing.

He knew a bit about potion ingredients, especially the expensive ones. He was, after all, in charge of their 'import' business. But he wasn't all that keen on herbs and simples. He was more interested in the animal ingredients, particularly the renewable ones. So this was going to be ... different.

They all enjoyed the walk down to the greenhouses. The day was bright and clear, the air clean and crisp. The greenhouses smelled of earth and damp.

Harry was sure he wasn't going to like this class much. He had done all the gardening at his aunt and uncle's home from as young as he could remember. When he'd told his Chichi-ue this, he was only given gardening tasks as a punishment.

Neville took a deep breath then announced, "This house is too damp, the professor needs to adjust the vents. I think the wind direction is playing havoc with them."

Hermione noticed Harry's surprised look and snarked a bit. "The Longbottom Greenhouses, inc. didn't become the best in Britain and second best in the world because of luck. Neville has been taking care of them since he was little."