The breath of our soul

An urgent need of you *

There you go, they don't let me go and I admit that I love writing about them. It's very...relaxing?

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The forest was calm, the sun shining high in the sky, its rays caressing his dark skin as he continued to move forward happily, his pack hitting the side of his hip as he hung his house cloak from it. Gideon rolled up his sleeves once more before readjusting his thick gloves, each step hitting the ground with confidence as he continued to explore the meadows, stopping regularly to examine the plants. He took out his secateurs from the gardening belt he had cobbled together, cutting the branches of a shrub before sucking the sap with a smile, the coolness sliding over his tongue. He cut the leaves and slipped two into his mouth.

Gideon got to his feet, stretching felicitously before setting off on another hunt, finding spotted mushrooms and horglups. He exulted at the discovery of Quelet's Russules and stuffed them into his bag, grimacing as he began to run out of space. To think he was just looking for a leaf of dictamus, but the wild flora had so much to offer that he had lost his objective, he was going to have to...

"Molly! He exclaimed."

He bent down again, picking up the precious flower by digging his hands into the earth, collecting the roots and wrapping them in a small hessian bag to preserve it. If he asked Professor Garlick, perhaps he could plant some in the greenhouse? He smiled excitedly before catching a new movement in a crevice, his blood rushing to his feet before he set off in pursuit of a Puffapod, chasing it ardently with his small shovel.

The plant was tough and he wasted an inordinate amount of time before he managed to pick it up. He was in a terrible state but more than satisfied. His eyes went back to the sky and he lost his smile. Shouldn't he be doing something this afternoon? The Hufflepuff let the cogs of his mind drift a little longer before deciding to return to the mountain; what he was looking for was much more difficult than finding recalcitrant plants.

He crept up the rock faces, plunging his arm into the crevices and openings with confidence. His harvest was very generous, and he was able to fill several vials and label them carefully. If he made a mistake in the future, it could be fatal. He was wisely returning to his school when he noticed a final opportunity that he couldn't resist seizing, plunging his hand into a hole one last time. His fingers probed hesitantly before he felt a movement despite his thick gloves.

"What the hell are you doing? growled a voice far from unfamiliar."

Gideon gasped, caught off guard as he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet Andrew as soon as his Quidditch training was over so they could finally find a corner and fall in love like crazy. He laughed nervously at the incensed look on his lover's face.

"Hi. He said awkwardly.

_If there weren't students right next to this wall, I swear I'd..."

A furious hiss reached the boy's ear and he stepped back just before grabbing the angry animal, which wrapped itself around his arm, showing its fangs. He narrowly blocked its jaw by slipping his thumb inside to force it to close its mouth before it was too late. A delighted smile graced his lips and he turned back to Andrew, beaming.

"Sorry, I got distracted."

The blond had stepped aside sharply and had lost a degree of colour.

"Is training over already?"

The Ravenclaw nodded hesitantly as Gideon pulled out another vial, jammed the animal's fangs and extracted the venom with skill, used to this gesture for years now. He'd been bitten before too, and he knew that ramson vipers were quite formidable if their poison wasn't dealt with in time.