“Arthur wake up!”
“What?” was all Arthur could manage to say after being woken up from his sleep.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
He looked at the figure before him with considerable confusion.
“Wake up.” Anna said from beside his bed, “We have things to do.”
“What?” was all Arthur managed to say again.
The abruptness of someone not from his room waking him up, and talking to him like it was the most normal thing in the world was throwing him off.
Anna took his response to mean that an explanation was warranted, “Flora needs help. The seniors finished making the chocolates and left the packaging duties for her.”
“What? Why?” Arthur was starting to sound like a broken record even to himself.
He swore he knew more words but they all just eluded him at the moment.
“She’s joined the Hufflepuff Cooking Club and they leave the easiest duties to the new ones every function.” Anna explained, “They research magical recipes like those on the books we gave her. Apparently, they got a bunch of rush custom orders last night, some people just forgot about today.”
“Thank you for the explanation.” Arthur said with his brain finally starting to work, “But I meant Why does she need our help?”
“She needs our help to write the letters.” Anna explained, “Custom orders. Custom. C-U-S-T-O-M.” She explained as if he was dumb or had just woken up.
Arthur wasn’t sure which.
“You can put requests?” Arthur asked confusedly, “Where?”
“The sheet was up in the common room for a whole week.” Anna said, “Come on! We have to go.”
Arthur threw off the covers and jumped off the cushy bed.
While searching for the clothes he would wear during the day he continued the conversation, “I think I saw that. Did someone make something with coconut in them? I like coconuts and chocolate.”
“I think I saw some coconut in the kitchen.”
When Arthur finally gathered his clothes and paused to check if he had forgotten anything, he remembered something crucial, “Why did you wake me up? My handwriting is very bad.”
“We didn’t really need you.” Anna explained, “Flora asked for Cedric and he said that you would be helpful with spell checks.”
“Uh huh, and where is Cedric?”
“He’s putting on his clothes in the bathroom.
Why?
“I wanted to inform him that the training would double from tomorrow.”
…
The great hall was bustling with activity as Arthur walked through it.
The breakfast was going on in full force by now.
Since everyone else had written the letters it was upto him to bring it to the common room.
It was in moments like these that he appreciated just how much magic he had learned.
Wingardium Leviosa was essential for people who wanted to make only one trip to pick up their goods.
Arthur joined his friends at the table at his regular spot.
He waited a bit for the food to be transported before him.
It appeared suddenly as always.
He took a warm donut from the plate before him and the warm glass of milk and started to eat.
Arthur had only just taken a bite when a commotion erupted around the Slytherin table.
“You think they know it was you?” Cedric whispered looking at the commotion.
“Why would they?” Arthur asked back confidently.
He had made sure that the giant poster with the words ‘I LOVE YOU PUKEY.’ made out of a copious amount of pink glitter was hanging right outside the Slytherin common room.
While there was a risk of staff members finding the thing, it was the only thing he could do with his limited capacity.
It’s not that he hadn’t tried finding where their windows were on the lake, but he didn’t account for the friendly squid just grabbing him and sending him back.
“Because we just had a fight with them.” Cedric said still whispering.
“Just relax.” Arthur reassured the boy, “It’s just a valentine’s confession. The seniors will ignore it and Pucey will be too embarrassed to mention it.” Arthur said it with confidence.
The only thing that would embarrass a boy on the cusp of teenage was a girl.
Cedric considered the point while Arthur finished his food and finally asked, ” It seems so simple and harmless.
Why do it?
Why take the risk?”
Arthur thought that it was pretty obvious but he still explained, “It’s to make sure his new nickname will be popular over the whole school. Pucey, Pukey, get it? We’ll see how proud he is of his blood then.”
Cedric stared at him stunned.
He had clearly not considered it so deeply, “I thought it was just a spelling mistake.”
“Then why did I have to spell check the whole morning?”
“Uh…”
“Triple the training.”
…
Their first of two classed that day was Herbology.
“And so, for your Valentine’s Day lesson, we will be tending to roses.” Professor announced to the class.
“Professor, I don’t see any roses.” Arthur called out thinking that she had been mistaken.
“Of course we must grow them, Mister Smith. Please pay close attention as I teach you the Herbivicus Charm…”
The Herbivicus Charm, also known as the Herbivicus Spell or Gardening Charm, was a charm used to rapidly increase the growth rate of plants and cause flowers to bloom.
It was casted by chanting ‘Herbivicus’.
‘Herbivicus Duo’ was a stronger version of this charm.
They professor demonstrated this knowledge to the class and left them to their devices, by leaving Cedric and Roger Davies of Ravenclaw in charge.
The class immediately got a lot nosier after Professor Sprout hurried somewhere deeper in the greenhouse.
She was probably in a critical part of her research.
While the others chatted, Arthur tended to the plants.
He choose a healthy looking bush and took out his wand.
Following the proper motions he chanted, “Herbivicus!”
Upon casting, a twisting jet of brilliant green light shot out from his wand.
A crackling ball of emerald-green energy also appeared at the plant he was casting the spell on.
The two lights connected in a thick jet of green light.
The plant then rapidly began blooming.
Arthur held the spell for some time till he saw the roses bloom properly.
Satisfied with his results, Arthur picked up a garden shear and started cutting the roses.
He quickly stripped the plant of all the roses and got ready to cast the spell on another plant.
He had only just picked up his wand when he heard Cedric ask, “What are you doing?”
“Herbivicus!” Arthur chanted and replied to Cedric as the spell did its work, “Gathering roses.”
“Why?” Cedric asked walking over to his side.
“It’s valentines day.” Arthur said as he stopped casting and picked up his shears again, “I’m going to sell these roses at a markup.”
The entire greenhouse became silent at that reveal.
After a brief pause the classrooms was filled with the sounds of diligent spellcasting.
…
“Don’t you make good money working for Professor Sprout?” Lucian asked, “I was even thinking of joining you.”
“We did.” Arthur replied as he wrapped another bunch of roses in a paper cone, “It’s not viable anymore.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Why not?” Lucian asked as he handed Arthur another bundle of flowers.
“Cedric.” Arthur called the boy rolling the papers into shape.
“I asked Professor Sprout and she said that the main work has already been completed.” Cedric said, “All that’s left is to watch the plants and maintain proper temperature. She has spells and house elves for that part.”
“Maybe next year?” Lucian asked hopefully.
“Not going to happen.” Arthur interrupted just for fun, “Cedric explain. Teddy hand me some more tape.”
As Teddy passed the tape to Arthur, Cedric further explained, “The Professor has that opportunity reserved specifically for first years who just happen to need some money.”
“But I saw some seniors working for her.” Lucian argued.
“They all need money.” Cedric patiently explained.
“Why would seniors need money?” Lucian asked again oblivious to the implication.
His confusion was promptly answered by Teddy whispering something in his ear.
Lucian slumped his shoulders and said in a low tone, “Sorry.”
The atmosphere settled into something heavy in the abandoned classroom they were using.
It didn’t last long because Anna burst into the room to inform them that Patricia had found some buyers for their product.
Lucian and Teddy levitated the ready flowers and followed Anna out of the classroom leaving Arthur and Cedric to pack the rest of them.
As Arthur settled to continue he finally asked the question on his mind, “Why did you those two flowers?”
Cedric had put two roses away when they had started and Arthur had waited till they were alone to question it.
He didn’t want to embarrass the boy if the situation was sensitive.
It WAS valentines.
“I’m saving them.” Cedric said when he heard the question, “One for mom and one for dad.” Turns out Cedric was just being Cedric.
Although, after hearing the reason Arthur also picked six pairs of the biggest ones he could find and separated them too.
“For everyone.” Arthur explained when Cedric looked at him confused.
As they started to pack the rest of the flowers Arthur continued making conversation, “I heard Snape taught about Amortentia last valentines.”
“Isn’t that the most powerful love potion? Dad always says never to eat anything in the mail because there might be Amortentia in it.”
“Yes it is. And your Dad is a smart man.”
“One time he told me that he knew about it from experience, in front of mom. The next day he clarified, that by experience he meant he saw someone in St Mungo’s.”
“…Anyways, You think Snape is in a festive mood this year?” Arthur asked ignoring the boy tattling on his own dad.
To be fair, his dad probably taught him that.
“I think the question we should be asking is why was Snape in a festive mood last year.”
Arthur suddenly didn’t want to continue the conversation anymore.
It had led to a creepy place.
By the silence that followed, Arthur could tell Cedric already regretted saying those words out loud.
Arthur just prayed that potions would be fun.
…
Potions wasn’t fun at all.
Snape taught them to prepare a Herbicide Potion.
He must have heard what they did.
It was a poisonous potion that killed or damaged plants.
Magical Drafts and Potions mentioned that it had a disgusting taste and was not fit for human consumption.
Snape had somehow modified the formula from the books and managed to transfer the disgusting property of its taste, to the smell.
It was a genius and petty move.
Not one person was even remotely surprised.