Lunette || ONC 2024

6 - Harriet Starts Searching

Pop! Fizzle!

Lunette ducked at the sudden noise, but the sound came from another student's table--Arthur's spell had gone up in steam.

"Oh, dear. A bit slower with the sunlight, poppet. Not to worry, though. There's plenty of sunshine for everyone today." Ms. Applewight had not moved from her spot next to the window, where she was comfortably soaking up the rays. Arthur sheepishly joined her to refill his bottle. 

Lunette turned back to Harriet's spell to find it had undergone a transformation. The liquid in the beaker was now a bright, glowing green. It smelled like sun-warmed earth. 

"I think that worked!" Harriet exclaimed. 

"Good, good, that's a promising color. You can try it out on your seeds. I ought to warn you all that this potion should only be used on plants. There are other growing spells that can be used on people and animals, which are a bit more particular on which parts need to grow at what times. Use it sparingly on the pumpkins and squashes--they never need much encouragement."

Harriet trickled the potion onto a trio of pumpkin seeds in her flower pot while Lunette looked on. 

Sprouts burst from the seeds, spiralling into spindly vines and broad leaves. The vines flowed over the desk, and big orange flowers popped open. 

"You still need to pollinate them!" Ms. Applewight warned. 

"Oh! Right! Lu, quick, help!" Harriet took her handkerchief and dusted the flowers one after another as they appeared. Lunette batted at them with her paws, puffing pollen into the air and making her sneeze. Bulbs swelled under some of the flowers, and soon they had five or six apple-sized pumpkins descending from the desk as the vines continue to grow. 

Other students were having similar explosions of growth with their fruits and vegetables. 

"They might need a bit more water if they're to grow bigger," Ms. Applewight remarked, triggering a rush for the sinks. 

Soon the classroom was filled with plants. For some students it had taken a couple of tries, but everyone managed at least one fruit or vegetable. 

"Excellent work, everyone!" Ms. Applewight beamed. "I think that's all for today. Be sure to practise carefully on your own. And remember what I told you--this spell is for plants only. Once your plants are growing a bit slower, you can take them over to the kitchens. Of course, you can keep the plants if you wish.

"For your next class, we will be learning a quick and easy healing spell. After that, if you have a broom you can move on to levitation, and once you have a dueling wand you can start learning those kinds of spells. If you have any questions, please let me know, and I'll do my best to help."

The students and familiars milled around, looking at each other's plants and chatting about the spell casting. But Lunette could tell Harriet was a little preoccupied. She went over to the window where the teacher was soaking up the sun. 

"Excuse me...what do we do if...I mean, dueling wands are a bit expensive, right?" Harriet asked Ms. Applewight. "Do you know if I can get a used one somewhere?"

"Hmm. It's really best to have a new one when you're learning, unless you're getting it from someone you know and trust. Otherwise, you don't know what sort of magic it was used for, or why the previous owner wanted to get rid of it..." Ms Applewight bent down her head. "But if you're short on funds, I have heard that the Featherbys and other magical suppliers in the village are interested in purchasing ingredients. Things like acorns, cobwebs, moth wings...the sort of thing grown-up wizards don't want to spend time gathering. You might ask them what they need the most."