Mary Smith and The Three-Headed Dog

23. Does Gillyweed Taste Good?

"XXX xxxx xxxxxxx youx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxx x xxxxxx x xxxx, okay."

-Charles Weasley

Chapter 23: Does Gillyweed Taste Good?

I stumbled through the shelves of our school library. I clutched the small list of books scribbled for me to retrieve in one hand and cupped a bundle of books under my other arm. I was looking for one last book called "A History of Hellhounds by Merida Gilreath". It was an in-depth history of the mythological and historically documented uses of the Cerberus over the years. "Maybe the next shelf over?" I picked up the pace a bit as I noticed the titles getting closer and closer. "A History of Gibblyplank farmers by William Grubbly-Plank Sr. A History of Gillyweed Meals in Fishermen villages by Jessica Horncauldron. A History...A History...A History of Gzork- is that even a thing?! A History of Hamster and Guinea Pig familiars during the Era of Spies in Peru curated by Need To Know. A History...A History...A History of Hellhounds by Merida Gilreath!" I reached out for the book and met some resistance, but it ultimately slipped into my grasp.

"Excuse me!" Came a high-pitched squeak. I almost dropped my books in alarm and looked around quickly to see if the scary librarian had heard. The coast was clear. "Excuse me," Came a much quieter but still equally annoyed voice. "I believe that was mine."

I looked into the gap left open by the book to see stern face looking back at me. Bushy brows, buck teeth, wild hair. It was Herminny Granger. "Oh...hi?" I mumbled and turned tail to walk away. Herminny must have sprinted because in the next moment she was in front of me, blocking my path. "Um...yes?"

"I don't think you're understanding." She was squinting at the other books in my arms suspiciously. "The book was in my hand, but you pulled it away."

I was beginning to feel nervous and I wasn't sure why. There was something about her presence that was big and no nonsense. In a small way, she reminded me of Mama. It made me somewhat uncomfortable to be speaking with her directly like this. She's the smartest girl in our class. What if she thought I was stupid? "I'm sorry," I immediately offered.

She didn't move and simply held out her hand, foot tapping in impatience. "Well?"

"Oh, right," I croaked, immediately handing the book over. She grabbed it from me quickly, almost in a snatch that immediately set off a small spark in me. I hated when people snatched from me. But that tiny light of annoyance quickly disappeared.

"That's an interesting collection of books," the frizzy haired Gryffindor gestured to all the books I had remaining. I readjusted them into both of my arms and began skirting around her.

"I really like dogs," I said with a nervous smile before scurrying away. I didn't think I would withstand any more of her questions.

Dean and Daphne were holding a table in the far back corner of the library, so we could have some privacy. Daphne had filled him in on what had happened four days ago while I sat under Madame Pomphrey's watchful eye. The day after the incident, the ringing in my ears had stopped, but I couldn't hear a thing. Right now, I had one ear completely healed and the other still recovering. It was wrapped in gauze and covered in a hard-plastic cup attached to a headband that kept it in place. I got a couple weird looks and giggles, but it wasn't any teasing I wasn't already used to. The important thing was that I get my hearing back.

As I got closer to the table, Dean came around to grab the books from me and set them on the table. "I told you I could get them, Mary. You didn't need to carry so much."

I shrugged. "I wanted to." Had I stayed, the silence in the air would no doubt be filled with questions surrounding things I couldn't talk about with them yet. At least this way their focus was fixed on the giant dog hidden in the school.

"How's Seamus doing?" I asked, taking a seat and pulling one of the smaller books toward me. Daphne snorted at the sound of Seamus' name. "I haven't seen him around lately and he didn't come by when you can to visit me? I assumed he was in detention again."

Dean's head lowered a bit and he gave a sheepish smile. "Seamus is a bit...well I don't know exactly what bit he is lately, but he doesn't speak to me any."

"Good riddance," Daphne mumbled, selecting the first book from the pile.

I could tell Dean was affected, and so I reached out to pat him on the hand. I think that's what friends do when they con-...when they console each other. "I'm sorry, Dean. Seamus will get over whatever it is eventually."

"I can tell you what it is right now," Daphne said without looking up from the pages of 'Hogwarts a History'. "He's jealous that Dean spends all his time with you. Dean's just too nice to say it out."

Oh no. That's not good. I never wanted to come between Dean and Seamus but now that I thought back on things...Dean, Seamus, and I hadn't really spent any time together lately. I never stopped to think about how my choosing Dean and Daphne as my Advisors would affect Seamus. He must feel like we replaced him. With a girl. A Slytherin girl. "Oh." I pulled my hand back, missing the dirty look Dean shot Daphne.

"It's nothing like that, Mary. Really," Dean assured though it wasn't convincing. "Seamus is just being a git right now. He'll get over it."

I nodded, flipping to the next page of my book I wasn't really reading. The only thoughts that ran through my mind was what if Seamus asked Dean to choose? They're both boys, both Gryffindor- what if Dean stopped hanging out with me so Seamus wouldn't stop hanging out with him? I'd lose my first friend. I'd lose my first advisor! Cedric wouldn't let me hear the end of it. He just started giving me more freedom. He didn't even ASK how I ended up near deaf in the hospital wing.

I mean, he had a face like he knew. But he didn't ask.

After what seemed like FOREVERRR in the library, reading the same book while Daphne and Dean did the heavy work, I finally asked. "What exactly are we supposed to be learning here?" I mean, I like to read. I read slowly, but I enjoy it. But these books were boring. And I didn't know what I was looking for.

Daphne rubbed her eyes and looked up for the first time. "We're looking for possible reasons as to why the school would need a Cerberus guarding that room."

Dean nodded. "There's another book I'll want to check out before we leave. It seems to me like you were having a sensitive Seer reaction to what might be a Glamour spell. It can happen to untrained Seers, especially if there is something triggering your- your um...third eye?"

I reflexively reached up and touched my forehead. Professor Trelawney would always press her index finger to her forehead when she was having one of her wacky visions that almost all seemed to surround Harry Potter or He-Who-We-Don't-Name in some way. "Can't we just, I don't know...ask around?"

I shrank in my seat under their looks. "Are you really an idiot?" Daphne barked. "You can't just go around asking about a Cerberus hidden in a forbidden corridor you were never supposed to be in, in the first place."

I raised my hands in defeat and lifted my book to hide my face. "Okay. Okay. Sorry." But curiosity hit me again. "Why are you guys doing all of this? Wouldn't normal people just...I don't know...avoid that room? Never go back there again? Never talk about that dangerous thing again?"

Dean and Daphne shared a look before he responded. "I don't know. This just seems like the sort of thing you'd need to know about? Involve yourself in somehow?"

I really looked closely at the two of them over my book. I stared as they went back and forth over the different theories as to why the Cerberus was there. What could be hidden behind that glamour spell. I looked at them as I struggled for the word to describe what I was seeing right now. This was...

Organism-...organic.