fics-she-wrote

[fics-she-wrote]

Dandelion

On a fine day in early autumn, Samantha Dale was leisurely strolling around the verdant grounds of Hogwarts with her friend Lenora Everleigh. They were enjoying the waning echoes of summer warmth bestowed upon them by the sun shining bright in the sky. As they walked, the distant chatter of students filled the air. Samantha noticed a patch of delicate white dandelions, their ethereal beauty standing out starkly against the lush green grass.

"Dandelions!" exclaimed Samantha. "Did you know, Lenora, that Muggles hold a charming belief that blowing upon a dandelion may grant one's deepest wishes?" she asked her friend as she picked one from the ground and blew on it, sending the seeds swirling around.

Seeds scattered in all directions – some heading towards the Highlands, others drifting towards the lake. One particular seed, guided by the wind, made a slow journey towards a gazelle, an unusual sight in the Scottish Highlands. As it neared the graceful creature, the gazelle transformed into Natty Onai. Natty blinked, her eyes wide in surprise, as the tiny white fluff hovered before her face. She swatted it away, her hand creating a subtle swoosh in the air. She then quickly scanned her surroundings, her heart pounding, to ensure her transformation had gone unnoticed.

Like a feather in the wind, the little dandelion seed was carried off towards the Beast Studies class, where Poppy Sweeting cradled a Puffskein as she attempted to convince Duncan Hobhouse that they were harmless.

"But look how charming they are,” said Poppy, stroking the small beast's soft fur.

"The issue isn't their looks, Poppy, it's their tongue. Every time I've come close to one of these creatures, it insists on shoving its tongue up my nose. I swear it's the most dreadful sensation out there, I tell you," replied Duncan, maintaining his distance from the furry creature.

"I'm quite certain you're exaggerating. They only engage in such behaviour when we are asleep…"

"Oh, I assure you, I've experienced it both asleep and awake," interjected Duncan.

Poppy sighed, rolling her eyes at his dramatics. "Just come and pet this one. I give you my word, it won't try to eat your bogeys."

Duncan eyed the little Puffskein with distrust. He slowly approached it before slowly extending an arm to pet it when…

"OH! My nose!" he exclaimed. The Puffskein had indeed invaded his nose, its tongue withdrawing as swiftly as it had entered and triggering a bout of uncontrollable sneezing from Duncan.

The forceful gust of air generated by Duncan's sneeze sent the tiny dandelion seed floating haphazardly away once again.

The air carried this lone seed towards the bustling bell tower courtyard, where students were relishing the pleasant weather. Many practiced their flying skills with varying degrees of success. Leander Prewett, for instance, had difficulty staying on his broom, much to his annoyance. Fortunately, his broom hovered less than a foot off the ground, so his falls injured his pride more than his body. After yet another tumble, he huffed in frustration, unintentionally sending the seed spiralling upwards. Imelda Reyes, zooming past on her broom, caused the seed to twirl and be swept away in a new direction.

As the tiny dandelion seed danced in the wind, it found its way toward Garreth Weasley. He was in the midst of demonstrating his potion-making skills to a group of awestruck first-year students. With a small vial containing a greyish liquid, he held their attention. He then theatrically produced some dried mint leaves from his pocket, their crisp, refreshing aroma wafting through the air as he presented them to his attentive audience. With careful, deliberate movements, he crushed the leaves, allowing the small bits to flutter down into the vial. The liquid began to slowly change colour, shifting from a dull gray to a vibrant green. As it transformed, it also started to bubble. Gradually, smoke began to rise from the vial, carrying with it the sharp, acrid scent of the potion. Sparks followed, their bright light causing the students to gasp in surprise. An expression of panic appeared on Garreth's face as the small vial exploded in a loud bang. He attempted to run but felt a firm grip on his collar.

"Not so fast, Mr Weasley," came the gruff voice of Professor Sharp, the Potions Master.

As Professor Sharp was about to reprimand the young Gryffindor, the tiny seed landed on Amit Thakkar's shoulder, hitching a ride into the castle.

Inside the castle, the seed was carried through a labyrinth of stone corridors. The distant, muffled sounds of life echoed around as Amit made his way to the Central Hall. Upon arrival, the sight of a fountain graced with cavorting mermaids greeted him. It was here he spotted Cressida Blume and made his way towards her. Cressida's face lit up when she saw Amit approaching.

"Hello, Amit," she greeted warmly.

Returning her smile, Amit was about to speak when he noticed Cressida reaching towards his shoulder.

"There was a speck of dust," she explained, her fingers brushing the dandelion seed off his shoulder. With that, the seed was whisked away once more, carried by the invisible currents stirred up by the bustling students.

The tiny seed continued its journey through Hogwarts, twirling and pirouetting high above the students' heads. It danced in the air, silently observing the vibrant tapestry of life unfolding below. Its path crossed with Ominis Gaunt, who was seated on a wooden bench in the lively Central Hall, absorbing the surrounding symphony of chatter, laughter, and the echo of footsteps on stone. Suddenly, his nose wrinkled as a foul smell akin to rotten eggs mixed with stale mud invaded his nostrils. Not far from his spot, Everett Clopton had unleashed one of his dungbombs. Ominis groaned, his face contorting in disgust as he frantically waved his hand in front of his face to dissipate the unbearable stench. The air movement from his motion caused the seed to be swept off its course and drift back into the bustling crowd of students.

The seed eventually lodged itself in the chestnut curls of one Sebastian Sallow. Clutching an antique-looking book, Sebastian headed towards the library in search of one person in particular. His search on the ground floor proved fruitless, and so he ascended the winding staircase. On the top floor, he finally found her. Astraea Morgen, completely engrossed in a book, stood before a towering bookcase, her eyes darting across the pages. To catch her attention, Sebastian cleared his throat, the sound echoing softly around them. Astraea's eyes shifted from the book to Sebastian, her eyebrows arching in mild surprise. He then placed his book on the worn wooden desk attached to the bookshelf and started flipping through it to find what he wanted to show her. As he was doing so, Astraea's gaze was drawn to something white lodged in his hair. She pursed her lips and exhaled, her warm breath dislodging the little dandelion seed from Sebastian's hair.

"Why did you do that?" asked Sebastian, his gaze meeting Astraea's, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"You had a little something in your hair," responded Astraea, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes at his slightly flustered demeanour.

Thus, the little dandelion seed floated away from the pair and landed on top of a book that was being magically returned to a shelf high above the others. And so there the journey of our dandelion seed appeared to end, or so it seemed…

Many years later, a young Ravenclaw girl was carefully examining the titles of the books on the shelf.

"Ah! There it is!" exclaimed Alice Beaumont before hearing Madam Pince's stern shushing. "Simon!" she whispered, unable to contain her excitement, "I found the book!"

A boy with tousled chestnut hair and a constellation of freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks emerged from the corner of the bookcase. With a flick of her wand, Alice pulled the book towards her through the air.

"Ugh, look at this," Alice grimaced, "it's covered in dust… And is that a dandelion seed? How long do you think it's been there?" she asked, her eyes fixated on the tiny white fluff.

Simon looked at the seed, then at her. "It's a dandelion seed, Alice. They come and go every year, so it's probably from last summer or something."

Alice shrugged, the corners of her mouth turning up in a small, thoughtful smile. "Still, it deserves to be free." She gently opened a nearby window and then delicately blew onto the book, sending the dust and the dandelion seed dancing into the outside world. And so, the little dandelion seed, now basking in the golden sunlight, floated away on yet another adventure.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this ficlet, which came to me because of a song.