My Tale {Book One in the Hermione Granger Series}

Chapter 22

I am currently in my room, hiding from all the bullies that go to this school. Sometimes, I wish I was back in my old school, where I at least had my friends; Katrina, Stephanie, and Delequin again. I am currently writing an essay on Mandrakes, their use, and their historical background for Herbology.

Mandrake (the Magician)

The mandrake or mandragora, is one of the most important hallucinogens in Western Europe and the Near East, in over two millennia. It is a flowering plant that can give life or cause death, depending on its use. The mandrake has many uses and has been a favourite of apothecaries, witches considered it indispensable and used it for spells and healing. Apothecaries and witches used mandrake when they wished to make a particularly strong potion. In order for Odysseus to withstand the magic of Circe, Hermes gave the mandrake to him. Herbalist shops in the early twentieth century situated in the less affluent areas of London sold mandrake. Many women who owned mandrakes fed and clothed them, these women were accused of being witches and burnt at the stake by the Inquisition. The mandrake was dressed in expensive cloth, bathed several times a year, given food to eat, water to drink, and considered human.

The mandrake is considered part plant, part human and imbued with magical powers. The mandrake exudes a strong, unusual but pleasant scent. It is a perennial with a strange appearance, it has broad leaves with white, yellow or purple flower, the fruit is similar to a plum. The root is black, forked and a foot long, with the semblence of human male form with a penis, a subsidiary root which sticks out.

When a mandrake is being pulled out it shrieks like a person, and a black dog is used to pull it out, as the mandrake shrieks the dog dies. The mandrake has pharmacological effects as a pain killer, erotica, a sleep inducer, during the transition between consciousness and sleep it causes hallucinations.

A technique used in Turkey was to extract the mandrake root and cut it to manipulate its shape, then to apply pressure bandages and replant it in the ground. When next extracted after more growth, no one could tell it was crafted by hands other than nature. Six mandrakes of this nature were created and exhibited by Von Luschan, in 1891. He declared that a clever artist could create figures that looked genuine, and no one would know they were not nature's gift. These treasures were so rare it was a life threatening undertaking to obtain one, they were valuable talismans and were extremely expensive.

After I finished, I sealed it up and decided to head to the library to find more books to read. Once there, I found a variety of books that looked interesting and helpful. One of these books was an old alchemy book that I thought would be useful for Potions. I then borrowed the books, then made aimlessly travelled throughout the castle.

Sometime later, I saw Malfoy around the corner, and I didn't want to run into him. I paced three times thinking that I need a hiding place. All of a sudden, a door appeared in front of me, and I went inside, not hesitating.