Corrupted

Chapter Four

Briar entered Herbology precisely twenty-five seconds before class had begun- she was teetering so close to being late even the Weasley twins stared at her in disbelief.

Briar was never late.

She gave the class a tired smile, and hurried over to her seat- conveniently placed beside the oh-so-flabbergasted Weasleys.

“Are you ill?” George questioned as she took the seat beside him. George pressed a hand to her forehead- which she swatted away.

“I’m fine,” Briar insisted, “I was up all night… studying.”

Briar flinched internally at the half-hearted lie- she had been up, obsessively plowing through ‘Deadly Spells of the Ages’, with little results. All she needed was a spell to obstruct a magic barrier-

“Good morning class, and welcome to your final year of Herbology- I was unpleasantly surprised to see that some students decided to take my class.” Professor Sprout cast a side glance at Briar, which caused some of the class to giggle.

Briar gave her Professor a tight-lipped grin- glowering internally. Unfortunately, she lacked a green thumb- and all the skills necessary to grow even a daisy.

George nudged her in question, “Why do you bother with Herbology if you’re so terrible at it?”

Briar tossed him an offended glare, crossing her arms pointedly, “I’m not terrible- I’m just not essentially good at it.”

“Today we’ll be growing Wanton Welshes- and incredibly fast grown plant. At the end of the period, if your plant survives I’ll recommend you for a NEWT-level grade. If not- well, you’ll have a free period.”

Briar made a sound in the back of her throat, an odd mixture of disbelief and distraught.

A few of her classmates gave her a smirking look as they passed back a pot of dirt that was just barely sprouting. Briar gulped, and glared determinedly down at the pot.

___

“I- I did it.” Briar whispered in disbelief, marvelling at the bloomed plant with its purple speckled leaves.

“Blimey,” George muttered, eyeing the plant almost warily. “Are you sure it’s supposed to get that big?

Briar gave a triumphant grin, “Certainly the Wanton Welsh can be grown the size of a house.”

She pulled on one of its leaves- her face dropping in horror as the leaf turned a crispy black. She quickly withdrew her hand, but the damage was done- the oil from her fingers had damaged the plant’s rapid growth cycle. And before her eyes the plant shrivelled up.

Professor Sprout glanced over, clucking her tongue in disapproval. “A free period for you, Miss. York. Maybe you should use it to catch up on your sleep?”

Briar nodded numbly, staring down at the dead plant. Her lips formed a whisper, “Everything I touch dies…”

George scooted his stool a little bit further away.

__

After lunch, Briar had yet again another class with the Gryffindors- Defence Against the Dark Arts- with that new Ministry Official, Professor Umbridge.

Seemingly recovered from her traumatic Herbology class, Briar easily joined Fred and George on their way to class.

“What do you reckon she’ll be like?” George inquired, slipping an arm around Briar’s ribs. Her face turned a deep red at this- and as tempted as she was to slap it away, she allowed it- for the moment.