F&L: Chapter 45

I woke up the morning of my Birthday, showered, and dressed myself, getting ready for the day ahead. Today would be the day I made my attempt at getting a cutting of the Metamorphing Mandragora from the Overgrown Greenhouse near the edge of the Hogwarts Grounds. To make completely sure that I was prepared, I grabbed the Dragonhide Dueling Glove, my Mokeskin Pouch, My Family Concealment Cloak, My Spell-Storing Ring, a Full Suite of Potions, my Tebo-Hide Duster, and my wand. Once I was tooled up, I headed out of the Dorms.

As it was early morning on a Saturday, most of my Housemates were still asleep. Most of them, except apparently, for Millie. She had come back into the Common Room as I was leaving, Huffing and Puffing, slumping against the wall. She was wearing a pair of dark Jogging Pants made from what seemed to be lycra, a white T-shirt with writing on the front, and a green and white athletic hoodie, plus trainers. Honestly, it was such a Muggle Look that I was surprised Millie had decided to wear it. She must have just finished her morning laps.

"Morning, Millie. Interesting choice of attire." I greeted.

"Hermione picked it out." Huffed Millie.

"I don't doubt it." I nodded.

"Wizards don't generally have clothes for this sort of thing." Defended Millie.

"So I understand." I agreed.

"I would have had to wear my bathing suit otherwise." Insisted Millie.

"Millie, I'm not judging you." I informed.

"Then what was that remark for?" Questioned Millie.

"I was just making conversation." I pointed out.

"So you don't think it looks bad?" Queried Millie.

"Millie, you're soaked in sweat. Even if you were wearing the cutest outfit ever, it would look bad." I intoned.

"You're one to talk. Where did you get armor? And why do you need it?" Asked Millie.

"I'm headed for the overgrown greenhouse. I want a cutting of Metamoprhing Mandragora. I've been reading up on how to care for one and I should be able to induce it to produce various rare or extinct potion ingredients." I explained.

"Headmaster Dumbledore said to stay away from there. He also didn't couch it in vague warnings." Frowned Millie.

"Hence the Armor." I smirked.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Blaise." Hedged Millie.

"I'm sure I'll be fine." I brushed off.

"Like you were when you came back from whatever you and Daphne were doing with Harry and Ron that one time? Or when you fought those trolls?" Questioned Millie.

"I fought those trolls to save your life, you know." I retorted.

"And I'm grateful, but this seems a bit more risky than those, doesn't it?" Queried Millie.

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you don't have any backup, I mean." Remarked Millie.

"True. How about this? If I'm not back in a few hours, grab Daphne and Tracey and come looking for me." I offered.

"All right, I suppose. Just be careful." Sighed Millie.

"I am always careful." I protested.

"Right." Scoffed Millie, shaking her head.

"I am!" I insisted.

"Maybe I'd better come with, just in case." Mused Millie, playfully.

"Stop that! Besides, I'm the only one who did the research and prep work for this." I huffed, good-naturedly.

"Seriously, though, Blaise. We'll all be very put out with you if you go and get yourself hurt here. Be careful." Pressed Millie.

"I will." I promised.

And with that, Millie headed for her dorm room to shower even as I exited the Common Room. As soon as I was out in the Dungeons Proper, I pulled up the hood of my Family Concealment Cloak, cast Sona Inferior, and splashed myself with a dash of Snape's Scent Nullifier Oil to boot, then I headed up the stairs and out of the Castle for the Hogwarts Greenhouses, dodging the very few early birds along the way.

My first stop, of course, was the regular class greenhouse, picking up a pot, trowel, and soil to re-plant my cutting and putting them into my Mokeskin Pouch before pressing on. Fortunately, there was no mud or snow at the moment to leave footprints in the sod of the grounds as I made my way past the in-use greenhouses all the way toward the last greenhouse, which jutted up against the Drystone Boundary Wall that separated the more traveled section of the Grounds by the Greenhouses from the Forbidden Forest.

The Boundary Wall was an ancient thing, which I could very easily believe had been a holdover from a much earlier time in Hogwarts' Life Cycle. Possibly back before the School had existed as a School when this land was still the site of an actual Castle instead of the Wizarding School that existed here now. I mean, there's no way that Hogwarts Castle as it now stands was built back in the days when the main conception of what a castle was would have been Ringforts, Hillforts, Dikes, and Earthworks. The Castle as it stood now looked like something dreamed up by Ludwig the Second of Bavaria in one of his bouts of Schizophrenic Behavior. It was basically Neuschwanstein if Neuschwanstein had actual magic, after all.

This wall, on the other hand, was drystone, thick and solid, with Ogham Runes inscribed on the various stones. I wasn't the best with runes yet, but I recognized Huath and Luis, the Ogham Runes of Hawthorn and Rowan, strengthening the wall as a protective barrier against attacks and hostile enchantment. Given some of the things I knew lived in the forbidden forest, that was probably a good idea, though I took a stick of charcoal and a sheet of paper out of my Mokeskin Pouch and took a charcoal rubbing of the array for later study. There may be more secrets to ferret out when I had more time, after all.

That finished, I turned my attention to the nearby greenhouse. It was an older model, the kind that had been in use back in the latter half of the nineteenth century. An Iron Frame held up panes of thick glass. Once, there must have been bronze or brass fittings as well, but the decoration had faded with time, and the elements so that the patina was indistinguishable from the iron that it covered. I could still make out the runes anchoring the enchantments for temperature controls, though it seemed that even those were going a bit wonky with age. Inside, through the thick, foggy, glass, I could just about make out what seemed to be an entire jungle's worth of magical plants growing wild inside as the temperature controls seemed to be broken and stuck on tropical.

All in all, it gave the impression of someone's OWL or NEWT Project in Study of Ancient Runes, something that had been slapped together in the space of a year sometime in the eighteen-sixties for a passing grade on the Exams and then promptly forgotten about, used as storage for excess plants or as an auxiliary greenhouse for larger classes. Then abandoned by inches over the next hundred and thirty years or so until a fiasco like this was assured to happen.

And I was going inside on a quest to get something else that would give me more power. Really, this was something a trained professional should be doing, not a First Year Hogwarts Student, no matter how talented. If I waited for the professionals to clear this greenhouse out, though, I wouldn't get the Cutting I needed for my plans. No, I had to do this myself, though given how this had been a choice I had made on the Questionnaire, there really hadn't ever been any doubts that I would be doing this.

Steeling myself by refreshing my Occlumency Shields, I took a deep breath and headed inside. Almost immediately, I ran into issues. I had to utilize an Alohomora to unlock the thick, iron, padlock on the door. It wasn't a big problem, but it was still an issue. As I stepped into the Overgrown Greenhouse, I spotted the next complication. Laying down between two small trees, the brownish-green form of a Juvenile Dugbog was taking a snooze a few feet away. He must have tunneled in here and decided that the warm temperature made for a good place to nap.

Fortunately, judging from the simple coat of lichen and moss coating its Salamander-Esque Back, it was just a Juvenile. A fully-grown Dugbog would have been difficult to deal with, especially as the moment I cast a spell, it would be onto my presence, Family Concealment Cloak or no. It was sort of difficult to hide that you had just been attacked, after all, even if they didn't know where you were. A smart opponent would learn to find you by tracking the direction of the spellfire, and while this was a Magical Beast, Dugbogs could be just as smart as a Hunting Hound.

Of course, I had the drop on it thanks to my prior precautions and simply cast the Spell of Deep Slumber on it to ensure it wouldn't wake up, no matter how noisy or furious the battle with the actual Metamorphing Mandragoras got. As I felt the Magic take hold and ensnare the Dugbog's senses, I couldn't help myself. I cracked a wry grin under the Hood of my Concealment Cloak at how I'd been able to overcome the setbacks placed in front of me so far.

It was as I moved deeper into the foliage, however, that things took a turn. It started, perhaps predictably, with a shift in the first Metamorphing Mandragora I came across. It had been sitting in a nearby corner of the Greenhouse, mimicking a Wiggentree, when it suddenly shifted in a burst of light, turning into something new in a flash of bright light as if it had been a Pokemon that had just evolved. I blinked the light out of my eyes and when the flash subsided there was instead a Spiky Bush.

That was an issue, as Spiky Bushes were carnivorous plants that detected nearby prey through minute tremors in the ground, shooting off piercing, spike-like, needles at any nearby prey it detected that were coated in a paralytic neurotoxin. I suddenly realized that I was within the range of that burst of needles already. The next time I took a step, I would get the needles. I could cast at it, of course, and using the Blight Ray Hex should kill it, but then a nearby, seemingly mundane, holly shrub shifted in a flash of light, signifying the presence of another Metamorphing Mandragora, and I knew it was too late.

Immediately, the Metamorphing Mandragora near me grew fanged tendrils and a flytrap-like Mouth, turning to lash out at my presence as it took on the form of a Venomous Tentacula, which could detect the presence of prey by their body heat, something I had yet to figure out a cover for. As I engaged the Dead Moment, time slowed down for me, the very first thing I did was cast the Grit Shield, whipping up a shield of dirt and grit even as the Spiky Bush flung its poison-covered thorns at me. The Grit Shield absorbed the salvo and I blurred into motion as the Venomous Tentacula swung a fanged tendril at me, attempting to wrap around my neck and bite into my jugular to exsanguinate me.

I ducked as I moved forward, firing off a Blight Ray Hex at the Spiky Bush even as a second salvo of spikes came my way. I dodged most of them, though one deflected off the True Orichalcum Scales on my Reinforced Tebo-Hide Duster. These things' speed was insane if they were able to keep up with me as I used the Dead Moment. Fortunately, my Blight Ray Hex hit on-target, the crackling black beam causing the Spiky Bush to recoil in pain, shrivel up, and die, turning to inert blackened wood just in time to give me some breathing room against the Venomous Tentacula which wrapped a fang-covered tendril around my angle.

I cried out in pain and anger as the Venomous Tentacula bit through my heel, drawing blood and sucking it back along the tendril to its main bulk before I growled out a Diffindo and severed the tendril that had grabbed ahold of me closer to the fleshy mass that made up the bulk of the Venomous Tentacula as I did so. I reached into my Mokeskin Pouch, swiftly downing an Antidote to Common Poisons as the Venomous Tentacula recoiled. If I hadn't done that, the venom from the fangs would have overwhelmed me, allowing it easy access to my body.

With a snarl, I fired off another Blight Ray Hex at the main bulk of the Venomous Tentacula, causing it to let out an unearthly wail as it shriveled up into blackened, inert, wood and died. Unfortunately, its wails set off another Metamorphing Mandragora nearby, changing from an inconspicuous Patch of Aconite into a slithering, reaching, mass of tendrils and a giant pitcher plant mouth, as it took the form of a Devil's Snare. This time, as I aimed my wand at it to try and cast the Blight Ray Hex, its tendrils slammed into my side like a sledgehammer, bowling me over to the ground. I felt an ache in my ribs, they weren't broken, though. Cracked maybe, bruised at least, but not broken. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to retain my wand as I hit the ground, rolling away from the reaching Devil's Snare Tendrils.

I came up to one knee, wincing from the pain in my ankle and side, and firing off a Dehydration Curse. Devil's Snare needed a lot of water to thrive, and this would hit it hard and allow me to finish it off. The bolt of angry red light struck the Devil's Snare and immediately withered three-quarters of its bulk into a dried husk of plant matter. The remaining quarter thrashed in pain, allowing me to take my cutting with the Obsidian Ritual Blade Susan had given me for a Yule Present, getting a good enough section that I was confident it would survive being transplanted into my purloined pot. Once that was done, and I had my cutting tucked away in my Mokeskin Pouch, I hit the rest of the much-reduced mass of tendrils with a Blight Ray Hex, the black bolt of light turning the remainder of the Devil's Snare inert.

I grimaced as I breathed out a sigh of relief. With that done and my cutting taken, I could now officially beat a hasty retreat from here. Bending down with my wand toward my ankle, I cast an Episkey Spell to close the cut that the Venomous Tentacula had bitten into my heel before reaching into my Mokeskin Pouch. I pulled out a vial of Troll Regeneration Potion, swallowing it down as I steadfastly ignored the taste and felt my ribs begin to knit themselves back together.

Once that was done, I reached into my Mokeskin Pouch for my Gardening Tools and my Metamorphing Mandragora Cutting, taking the time to fill the pot with soil and pot my cutting. As soon as it was planted and settled in the pot I had liberated from the First Year Greenhouse, there was a flash of light and the Metamorphing Mandragora settled into its true form. Green Leaves reached up to a stem that held a fluorescent yellow flower, fading to purple near the end of the petals. The Metamoprhing Mandragora was literally the Color of Magic. I smirked at that fact, though I doubted that there was anything beyond a surface similarity to Octarine from the Discworld Novels, it still amused me.

"Octarine Flower or not, you'd better be worth it." I muttered staring at the Metamorphing Mandragora Cutting in its pot. It offered no rebuttal, simply staying still in its pot. Sighing, I placed the potted cutting into my Mokeskin Pouch and prepared to leave.

That was when I received a flash of foresight, the Sight warning me of things to come in the moments ahead. A gnarled, person-shaped, root, a deadly scream as I tried to leave, and danger! As the vision ran through the back of my mind, I realized exactly what I had to do. As soon as I was back in the present, I put my wand between my teeth and clapped both hands against my ears. This it turned out, was the right call, as moments later, a nearby Baneberry Shrub flashed with light, turning out to be a fourth Metamoprhing Mandragora. As the light receded, the gnarled, rootlike, form of a Mandrake glared back at me. Moments later, it let out a scream.

Even with my hands clapped over my ears, I still began bleeding from my nose, ears, and eyes as the Deathly Scream of the Mandrake hammered into my head. It was all I could do to squeeze my Eyes Shut and shoulder my way past it, ramming into the rusty iron door frame with my shoulder, forcing it open bodily all while I was bleeding out of various orifices in my head. Eventually, I managed to make my way outside, stumbling away from the overgrown greenhouse. A flash of light behind me and the sudden session of the pounding in my head revealed that the Metamorphing Mandragora had transformed back once again, this time into something less mobile and less deadly, presumably. Shuddering, I shut the door, relocking the padlock with a locking Charm, and stumbled off toward the drystone wall, slumping against it in exhaustion.

After a few moments of resting there, breathing hard, I reached into my Mokeskin Pouch and pulled out the last of the potions of Troll Regeneration that I had made. Downing the foul-tasting liquid and sighed as the bleeding from my ears, eyes, and nose stopped. As my eardrums repaired themselves, I could suddenly hear a commotion coming from nearby. Frowning, I moved to scourgify the blood from my clothes, reapply Sona Inferior, and another splash of Snape's Scent Nullifier, and pulled the hood of my Family Concealment Cloak back up, vanishing from sight, hearing, and smell.

This, it turned out, I did just in time, as who rounded the corner but Argus Filch, leading Hagrid and Professor McGonagall along with him. The Cantankerous Old Caretaker was making a beeline for the Overgrown Greenhouse, while Hagrid had an abashed look on his face as he trailed behind and Professor McGonagall had a stern look on hers.

"I'm telling you, I received an alert from the Alarm Lock I bought to use on the Overgrown Greenhouse! Someone's Tampered with the thing, make no mistake!" Swore Argus Filch.

"But who'd want ter do a durn fool thing like break into a greenhouse full o' deadly plants?" Questioned Hagrid.

"I don't know, but we'll find out. When we do, it will be time to break out the old incentives once again, oh yes." Cackled Argus Filch.

"Really Argus, corporal punishment again?" Queried Professor McGonagall.

"Why not? It's a perfectly reasonable course of action for breaking into a thing like this, isn't it?" Asked Argus Filch.

"I hardly think it's appropriate in this day and age." Sniffed Professor McGonagall.

"Yer have ter admit, Professor, it'd be better n' having one o' th' students get killed by a killer plant." Mused Hagrid.

"Only by degrees, Hagrid." Opined Professor McGonagall.

"Nevermind that, Look here! The Lock here is red, which means it was unlocked by magic!" Sneered Argus Filch as he inspected the Iron Padlock on the door to the Greenhouse.

"So it seems." Nodded Professor McGonagall.

"Aye. Seems th' greenhouse 'ere's seen better days too, I reckon." Remarked Hagrid.

"Never mind that. We need to round up the usual bunch of troublemakers! Test their wands to see if they're the culprits!" Insisted Argus Filch.

"To what end, Argus? It seems as if nothing has been allowed to exit the Greenhouse. In fact, if I am seeing this right, whoever did this did us a favor. There were five Metamorphing Mandragoras clustered around this Greenhouse, but I see only two here remaining with the others clearly having been dealt with. Also, it appears that a Dugbog tunneled into the Greenhouse at some point and has also been taken care of." Intoned Professor McGonagall.

"Aye, that's initiative that is." Nodded Hagrid.

"But. . ." Began Argus Filch.

"No, Argus. There's no need to disrupt everyone's Saturday with a sudden and mandatory wand search. Indeed, whoever did this may have saved the School a number of Galleons in specialists fees over the summer. Now, if that is all?" Refused Professor McGonagall.

I watched the three Staff Members leave, Argus Filch muttering dejectedly to himself about how he wanted to administer Corporal Punishment, Hagrid awkwardly walking along beside him, scratching the back of his neck, with Professor McGonagall rolling her eyes at the antics of the other two, but otherwise leading them back to the Castle. I waited for another five minutes to make sure they had really gone, before making my own way back.

After checking in with Millie to show her I was all right, I would spend the rest of the morning in my room, focusing on what I could have done better during the run on the greenhouse. I'd been too overconfident in the methods I had to escape notice, thinking that just because I could eliminate sight, hearing, and scent, that I would be fine to sneak my way through and ambush each Metamorphing Mandragora. What made it more annoying was that we'd been shown time and again in Herbology that Magical Plants did not tend to rely on the same kinds of senses that Animals did. I should have planned for that.

I also should have figured that just because Argus Filch was a Squib that didn't mean he couldn't purchase and use enchanted items. I hadn't thought to check if the lock was enchanted to sound an alarm, because I had figured that any enchanted lock would not be able to be opened with a First Year Unlocking Spell like Alohomora. I hadn't thought about a silent alarm type of enchantment. After all, it wouldn't stop your stuff from being stolen, just let you know that someone had just broken in. However, it made sense that those would be something that would be marketed as a cheaper alternative to the more upscale enchanted locks I was used to as Blaise that blocked most common unlocking charms instead. Something a Squib like Argus Filch could afford on his Caretaker's Salary.

"That was amateur hour. I was overconfident and overlooked a few things. I need to do better in the future if we're all going to survive." I growled, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

However, eventually, I was forced to tear myself away from my recriminations and socialize. Hermione, Harry, Ron, Susan, and Daphne were absent, however. Apparently, they were getting things together for the Big Birthday Bash they were throwing me tonight. Instead, I spent some time with Tracey and Millie just hanging out in the common room. When the time came to head for our Cross-House Study Group Room for the Party, we would make our way there together.

It would turn out to be one of the highlights of my First Year at Hogwarts, as the Weasley Twins had somehow managed to procure three entire cases of Butterbeer for the Festivities, along with enough sweets from Honeydukes to rot everyone's collective teeth. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the run on the overgrown greenhouse. Blaise manages to get his cutting, but can't manage to take out all five Metamorphing Mandragoras and even gets ambushed on the way out by a Mandrake that absolutely would have killed him if he hadn't had forewarning from the Sight. It did kill the Dugbog that Blaise put into a deep slumber, after all.

At any rate, the next chapter will be Blaise's Birthday Party. Then we'll have the end of First Year Wrapup in the form of a time-skippy chapter, including Exams and the awarding of the House Cup. I'll also have Images for this Chapter out before the Birthday Party Chapter.

Stay tuned. . .