#severus keeps snails

[thoughtsaboutsnape]

Fictober #17 "there's just something about them."

Fandom: Harry Potter

---

Minerva popped her head around the door of Severus's office and found him feeding his Giant African land snails.

She shuddered slightly. "Why do you keep such things, Severus?"

He shrugged. "There's just something about them."

[inmyownlittlecorner5]

Moonlight Chapter 22: Sânziene

A fanfic Novel by la-topolina

Rated for Mature Audiences

Warnings: Language, Violence, Sexual Content

Chapter 22/26

Moonlight Masterpost+

<< Chapter 21+

Chapter 23+ >>

“You’re sure you didn’t bring anything besides the bag and the harvesting knife? No wand? No guns? No potions?” Charlie asked again.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Miranda answered patiently. “But I did bring a rope. Doamnă Lupul gave me permission for that.”

They were standing in the foothills of Moldoveanu Peak, studying its tree-spiked slopes and waiting for the first rays of dawn to come creeping over the horizon. Miranda had returned just in time for Sânziene, or St. John’s Day, as she knew it, and the second task. Although she’d spoken of  it flippantly to Severus, the sight of the mountain towering above her made her shift from foot to foot in a buzz of nervous excitement. As she gazed up at the the mountain in all its mist-crowned glory, it was clear that the time for practicing was past. If she fell today, she wouldn’t have Charlie nearby to put her back together again.

“You ate, right?” Charlie was sounding more and more like a nervous hen.

“Yes, I did. And I brought one loaf of sweet bread and a wedge of fresh cheese, just as I’m allowed. Do you think there will be any water up there, though?” Miranda asked.

“I honestly don’t know. But if there is, make sure you ask the fairy folk before you go grabbing any of it. I don’t want you thrown off the mountain before you get a chance to gather anything.”

“I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“And you’ve got the list memorized?”

“Loosestrife, Shooting Star, Alpine Avens, Alpine Bistort, Alpine Sainfoin, Lady's Bedstraw, do you need me to keep going?”

“No, that’s fine. I know you’re ready. But stay calm on the way up. Balour likes you now, but if you act nervous he’ll get frustrated and toss you.”

She gave her coach a pat on the shoulder. “You’re not really helping me relax, Charlie.”

He finally cracked a smile at that. “I’m just trying to be nervous enough for the both of us.”

“Sounds like a plan. You worry, and I’ll stay calm.”

As the sky turned pink, the pair of them were shrouded by Balour’s shadow as he swooped overhead. He circled them thrice and landed more lightly than a creature of his size should have been able to manage. Charlie gave Miranda an encouraging slug in the arm and backed away slowly. He had done everything in his power to prepare her; she would have to do the rest on her own.

When Charlie had withdrawn, Miranda turned to face Balour with a stance both respectful and relaxed. She went down on her knees and touched her head to the ground before the mighty beast, and she could see approval in his massive golden eyes when she came back to her feet. With a firm step, she approached, giving him a good hard scratch just behind his scaly ears. When he was snorting smoke with pleasure, she gave him a final pat, and bounded up onto his back in two jumps, the way he liked. He gave her just enough time to hook her hands and feet into the chinks between his purple scales before tensing his fearsome muscles and launching them both into the sky.

The morning air brought tears to her eyes as they sped up into the atmosphere. Before Miranda’s stomach had time to settle, they were above the tree line, leaving Charlie a tiny speck below them. Miranda kept her eyes on the horizon and her attention on moving with her mount. As long as she stayed in sync with the undulating rhythm of his flight, all would be well. He knew exactly where they were going and how to get there. All she had to do was stay out of his way and go along for the ride.

The moment she relaxed, she felt a ripple of what could only be reptilian laughter go through her companion, and he teased her with a barrel roll mid-flight. She let out a breathless laugh at the danger and the joy of it. Balour must be in a good mood today to make with such tricks. He indulged in a few more loop the loops, buzzing around the base of the mountain. Miranda had to mind her breath to keep herself steady as they flew. To her, a mere mortal, it seemed they were coming at the wall of rock far too quickly; but she did not want Balour to know that. Dragons were jealous beings, hoarding respect and trust as surely as they hoarded food and jewels. It would not do to have him think that she was lacking in trust for him today.

She needn’t have worried, for a hair’s breadth from impact, Balour shifted direction to bring them shooting up the sheer rock face in front of them. The wind was so loud on the ascent that all she could hear was its roaring, and the morning sun broke forth behind them, warming her back as they flew. While Balour expertly dodged the pines clinging to the mountainside, Miranda registered that a dark green streak was keeping pace with them on their flight, smaller than Balour, but quickly outstripping them. She didn’t have to look twice to know that Doamnă Dragnea was aboard, and she could not help but admire the other woman’s skill. Doamnă Dragnea appeared to have been born on the back of a dragon. Miranda might have learned enough to get by in the few months granted her for study, but Catalina and her beast moved with the type of synergy that only years of experience could bring.

The mountainside that they were chasing upwards abruptly dropped away, and Balour snorted in anger as he was obliged to circle the summit to allow his speedier rival pride of place. Catalina slipped gracefully off her dragon’s back, giving the creature a pat and sending him on his way. Balour growled and, as though the entire incident were Miranda’s fault, he landed barely long enough to buck her off his back before flying off, leaving a trail of black smoke behind him.

Miranda had not been prepared for this unceremonious leave-taking. She rolled over the ground, gaining speed as she crashed into Catalina and sent the two of them hurtling over the edge of the cliff. They bounced along the rocks, unfortunately tangled together, until they came to a halt on a narrow outcropping of stone; where they lay winded and motionless, dangling high above the forest floor.

*****

“{Doamnă Dragnea, are you awake?” Miranda asked, perhaps half an hour later. The younger woman was sprawled out on top of her, and the ledge that held them so precariously was far too small for its task.

“{Yes,}” Catalina whispered.

“{Did you break anything?}”

“{I don’t think so.}”

Miranda raised her head and shoulders off the rock in order to get a better look at Catalina. As she did so, she became acutely aware of the ledge shifting under them. By the way that Catalina’s lower lip was trembling, Miranda suspected that the younger woman had also noticed their plight.

“{What do we do?}” Catalina asked in a small voice, so unlike her usual, confident tone.

“{Well,}” Miranda blew out a breath, trying to harness her racing mind. “{I have a rope. We can use it to climb back up to the top.}”

“{No!}” Catalina’s answer was vehement enough that it shook a few more stones from their perch.

Miranda’s voice became very smooth, the sort of timbre she used to soothe frightened horses. “{I’m afraid that’s what we have to do.}”

“{I can’t.}”

“{The dragons won’t be back until tomorrow morning and I expect that at least one of us will have to go to the bathroom before then. Besides, you just rode a dragon up here. If you can do that, you can do this.}”

Catalina’s lips twitched in spite of her terror. “{Dragon riding is easy. This is different.}”

“{I know it’s different,}” Miranda went on, taking the risk of moving enough to stroke Catalina’s cheek. “{But we’re going to do it, and we’re going to do it together. I’ll be with you the whole time. I promise.}”

Catalina swallowed hard, but acquiesced to the inevitable. “{I guess we have to try. Just…just tell me what to do.}”

“{I can do that. We’re going to take this nice and slow. In a minute, you��re going to scoot yourself off of me and as close to the mountain as you can get. And before you start, I want you to think of a poem or a prayer or a story or something. Make it a long one.}”

“{Why?}” It was almost funny how suspicious Catalina sounded. She must be getting her spirit back.

“{Because you’re going to recite it on the way up so you don’t have time to think about what you’re doing.}”

“{That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard!}”

“{Maybe, but it’s what you’re going to do. Are you ready?}” Catalina glared at Miranda, but nodded once. Miranda paused for the space of a breath and ordered, “{Scoot!}”

If she had been able to stand, Catalina would have reached the face of the mountain in less than a dozen steps. As it was, it took her more than a quarter of an hour to reach it. Fear restrained her movements to a snail’s pace, but that was just as well. Any time that Catalina made a larger motion, Miranda felt more of the ledge crumble away. When Catalina finally reached her goal, she leapt up to grip the rock until her knuckles turned white with the effort.

“{Good work,}” Miranda soothed. “{I’m coming after you. When I get to you, I’m going to tie my rope around both of us. I’ll have to work slowly, so why don’t you start reciting. It’ll help pass the time.}”

Catalina glanced over her shoulder, and Miranda thought the younger woman was going to vomit when she saw how small the ledge was. Snapping her head back to the rock face, Catalina muttered, “{I can’t believe I’m doing this.}”

“{Recite,}” Miranda ordered.

“{Fine,}” Catalina snapped back. She inhaled deliberately and began, through gritted teeth,

“{Where a mountain valley lies Beautiful as Paradise To a pasture green and deep Came three shepherds with their sheep.}”

By the end of the verse, Catalina’s voice was angry, hopping from dark vowel to dark vowel in an irritated sing-song. Moving inch by painstaking inch, Miranda started to ease her rope from its place around her waist. Every time she shifted, she could hear bits  of rock sliding into oblivion, and she hoped that the ominous sound was not reaching Catalina’s ears. She had no idea how long it took her to get the full length of the freezing rope in her hands, and she tried not to think about how much of the ledge was still underneath her. Closing her eyes, she gathered her magic into her hands and pulled a section of the rope away. She set the longer length on her belly and quickly tied the shorter part into a harness, and then she looped one end of the longer rope into a lasso. These tasks took long enough that she had to discipline herself to listen to Catalina’s ballad rather than let her thoughts spiral into the abyss.

With the harness and the rope firmly in hand, Miranda eased herself into a sitting position, only to feel the ground shift beneath her. Catalina stopped reciting immediately, and her eyes turned back to Miranda, wide and full of fear.

“{Keep on, you’re doing fine,}” Miranda reassured her.

Catalina’s voice came out in a squeak as she continued,

“{Whitest little lamb of mine Tell to me that pain of thine For three days, so mournfully Crying, thou hast followed me}”

While Catalina tortured the verses, Miranda inched her way over and wrapped the harness around the smaller woman’s thin body. She deftly attached the harness to the climbing rope, and tied the free end of the rope around her own waist. When all was secure, she gazed up at the summit above them, looking for a likely tree branch. There weren’t many options and, before she could think over much about the decision, she took aim and hurled the lassoed end of the rope into the air. A sickening amount of ledge slid away while Miranda was willing the rope to catch its mark. It caught, she pulled it tight, and heaved a sigh of relief when she was at last able to roll to her feet and crowd Catalina against the rock face. Catalina’s breath washed over Miranda’s cheek in hot puffs, but the Romanian bravely kept reciting,

“{Shepherd, O my shepherd dear!}”

”{Alright,}” Miranda said, calmly interrupting the recitation. “{the next thing you have to do is take hold of the rope. Then you’re going to put your feet on the rock and start walking up the mountain. Use your hands and your magic to pull you along and keep your eyes on what’s in front of you.}” Catalina glared at Miranda, who quickly suggested, “{Pretend it’s the ground. I’ll be right here, holding the rope steady for you and I’ll climb up when you get to the top. And, whatever else you do, keep reciting.}”

Catalina nodded shortly and did as she was told, gripping the rope with white hands and laboriously dragging herself upwards. Her recitation continued, punctuated by gasps for air as she ascended.

“{If Fate wills I die today In this meadow, thou must say Bold to him of Hungary Boldly to the mountaineer That they lay my body here.}”

“Cheerful selection,” Miranda muttered at her post below. For someone who had presumably never climbed a mountain before, Catalina did well, tenaciously moving, hand over hand, foot over foot, not once looking up nor down. Miranda held the rope as still as she could and let herself follow the words of the ballad now, doing her best to ignore the shifting rock under her feet.

“{Say I wed a royal bride Wooed of all the world beside. Say that when our faith was given A bright star fell out of Heaven. Sun and moon stood holding there A Marriage-wreath above my hair Mountains tall were priests to me Guests were pine and alder-tree Torches were the flaming stars Thousand birds my lute-players.}”

Catalina’s voice transmuted the final word into a whoop of joy as she gained the top. For a moment, she disappeared from Miranda’s sight completely, collapsing on the solid ground. When she lifted her head to peer over the edge and call down to Miranda, her voice was shaking with relief.

“{What do I do now?}” she cried.

“{Unhook yourself and get away from the edge so you don’t fall again. I’ll be right up after you,}” Miranda called back.

“{Me fall? You’re the one who fell!}” Catalina protested as she disconnected her harness from the rope and disappeared again.

Miranda felt the new slack in the rope, and she put her foot up to kick off the ledge. Before she could get clear of her treacherous perch, the rock gave way completely. The rope slipped from Miranda’s hands, and she plummeted down, letting out an involuntary shriek.

“{Miranda!}” Catalina shouted.

“{I’m fine!}” Miranda yelled back.

And oh, she was fine. She was phenomenal! The rope around her waist had prevented her from being impaled on the the trees below, and she was suspended in mid-air, arms and legs outspread, the closest to unaided flight that she’d ever been. Brooms and dragons had their good points but this—this was like nothing she’d ever experienced. She laughed gaily as she caught hold of the rope again and swung herself back towards the mountainside. It had never been easier to gather her magic together, and as her feet hit the rock, she bounded upwards like a hind. In no time at all she had reached the top, still laughing, and wondering what she would have to do to convince Severus to let her try that flying potion.

“{You are insane!}” Catalina said as Miranda dropped down beside her.

“{You’re not the first person to tell me that,}” Miranda observed, impulsively throwing her arms around her companion. “{I knew you could do it! Well done, Catalina. I mean, Doamnă Dragnea,}” she corrected, quickly letting the other woman go.

Catalina gave her a hard look before breaking into a grin. “{Enough of that. After what just happened it’s Catalina and Miranda. There’s no help for it.}”

“{I’m so glad,}” Miranda replied happily.

“{I am too. But I’m still going to win, remember that.}”

“{I will. Do you think there’s any water up here? I could use a drink after all that…}”

Miranda’s voice trailed off as she finally gave her attention to the place they had fought so hard to reach. A meadow filled with a riot of color spread out beneath the trees, winding in all directions. The rich verdure grew close enough to kiss the snow that clung to the highest parts of the peak, and Miranda had to shade her eyes against the sun’s bright reflection even as she struggled to drink in the sight. Catalina pushed herself off the ground and shyly extended a hand to Miranda, who took it without hesitation. There was a hush over the peak, even the birdsongs were muted, and the women walked reverently through the green, unwilling to disturb the silence. It was evident that they were in a holy place.

Remembering Charlie’s words, Miranda inwardly begged leave of the Sânziană to partake of their bounty before dipping her hand into the snow. Her hand did not wither, and she thought this was answer enough. When she tipped a frozen handful into her mouth, it melted instantly, flowing into her and healing all the pains and anxieties of the morning. That one drink quenched her thirst so completely that she wondered if she would ever need to drink again. She felt ready to take on a pack of pricolici all by herself, let alone spend the rest of the day in this Eden gathering wildflowers.

“{Come,}” said Catalina, when the ladies had had their fill. “{Let’s finish what we came here to do.}”

******

“{I haven’t seen my brother since he was five years old. He was in the first group of children that we sent to the Iele,} Catalina said.

She and Miranda were sitting along the edge of the meadow, watching the sun set while they wove extra flowers into crowns to pass the time. Since their bags were full and their meals shared and eaten, there wasn’t much else to do but stall until it was late enough to fall asleep.

“{Why was he sent so young? I thought only the school-aged children were in danger of being taken to Russia.}” Miranda asked, twining the flowers together.

“{He was the boyar’s son. They were going to send him to Russia in order to punish my father. My father…he was a different man before my brother went away. He and my mother had wanted a large family, but they lost all their babies except for Gabi and me. Mother knew that sending Gabi to the Iele was the only way to keep him in Romania, but her heart never accepted the separation. She wasted away, longing for him. At the end, she couldn’t even do magic anymore. After she died, Father went crazy with hate. He was a good man before. Maybe not a nice one, but a good one.}”

“{My Papa went crazy for awhile when my brother Columba died.}”

“{He was young?}”

“{Seventeen. He died in the river, saving a little boy who had fallen in when it was in flood. The boy lived, but Columba didn’t make it. Papa didn’t say a word; not one word all through the wake or the funeral. When Columba was in the ground, Papa disappeared for two months. When he finally came home, he walked into the parlor and said ‘The river giveth and the river taketh away.’ Then he went out in the barn and started doing the chores, like he’d made peace with everything.}” She bit a flower stem to cut it and went on quietly, “{I was at school when it happened, but I should have been home. I had stayed behind to study for some stupid tests that seemed so awfully important at the time. I wish I had gone home. If I’d been there, my brother would still be here today.}”

“{You don’t know that. We never know what would have happened. It’s one of God’s mercies, I think.}”

Catalina finished her crown and set it on Miranda’s head, her lips closed in a soft little smile. Miranda returned the smile, but her fingers became clumsy at her work as she thought of her favorite brother.

“{Miranda, I have something to say to you, but I will deny it to the end of my days if you tell anyone that I said it,}” Catalina said, breaking through Miranda’s reverie.

“{For some reason I’m getting a strong sense of déjà vu, but please go on.}”

Catalina’s forehead furrowed, but she did not press further. “{I want us to work together to complete the final task and to rescue my brother and the rest of the children. If we bring them home at the same time, the competition will be a draw. Then we can duel each other to determine the winner, the way it should have been in the first place.}”

“{That’s a wonderful idea,}” Miranda said warmly, setting her completed crown on Catalina’s brow. “{I agree.}”

“{We will have to keep acting as though we are rivals,}” Catalina stipulated.

“{Understood.}” The last rays of the sun were mingling with the first light of the stars, but the air was still warm and comfortable. Miranda wondered how cold it was going to get and hoped that Catalina was proficient at wandless warming charms, as she wasn’t sure she could keep enough going to cover the two of them throughout the night. By way of broaching the subject, she asked, “{What are we going to do now? It’s too early to sleep and we can’t light a fire.}”

Catalina’s eyes were sparkling mischievously. “{Shhh. If you’re quiet and watch, you’ll see.}”

Twilight enveloped them, and again Miranda was struck by the silence in the place. The women sat, shoulder to shoulder, watching the atmosphere turn from gray to blue to black. Then, in the space of a blink, they were no longer alone on the mountaintop. Perhaps they had never been alone, all that long day. First two, then a dozen, then a score drifted down over the snow. More followed the train, but Miranda was so enraptured by the wonderful beings that she forgot to count. They were tall and lithe, glowing with a rainbow colored light that warmed the meadow more surely than any fire could ever do. Their silvery robes and the feathery locks of their hair trailed behind them, floating like they were submerged in some unseen river. Miranda forgot to breathe until her chest hurt with the omission. Barring unicorns, she had never seen creatures so unearthly, or so lovely.

“{What…}” Miranda whispered, but her voice trailed off before she could finish the thought.

“{The Sânziane,}” Catalina whispered back. “{We must have pleased them.}”

The fairy beings were busy forming circles around the meadow, and two of them broke ranks to glide across to the witches. Miranda followed Catalina’s lead, bowing before the Sânziane even reached them and, when they stood, they found that the fairies held out golden cups as an offering. When Catalina did not hesitate to take the cup and drain it, Miranda followed suit. The liquid inside tasted of spring water and moonlight, and it quelled the hunger pains that had begun to gnaw at Miranda’s insides.

“{Thank you,}” Miranda said, handing the cup back to the Sânziană before her.

The cup vanished before her eyes, and the fairy extended a long-fingered hand to her. This time, Miranda did not hesitate, grasping the Sânziană’s warm hand in hers and following her into the circle. By the time they reached the ring, the sound of the drums and the pipes were clearly discernible, and Miranda joined hands with another Sânziană as well. Catalina’s smiling face mirrored her own from across the meadow, the only other human in the fairy ring tonight.

Somehow, Miranda was not surprised in the least when the dance began and she glanced down to see that she floated above the earth as lightly as the fairies did. And when Balour came to fetch her in the morning she, unlike the famous dancing princesses, was not tired in the least.

*****

End Notes:

Sânziene is a Romanian festival held on June 24th, or St. John’s Day. One of the traditions of the day is for maidens to go picking flowers, one of which should be Lady’s Bedstraw. The day even has it’s own set of gentle fairies, called the Sânziane (singular: Sânziană) .

Catalina is reciting the Miorita, which is the Romanian folk ballad. It is a dialogue between a shepherd and a magical sheep, who warns him that he is going to be murdered by rival shepherds. Rather than try to escape, the shepherd calmly accepts his fate and instructs the sheep how he wishes to be buried while comparing Death to a beautiful bride. It is traditional in Romania to bury unmarried people in wedding clothes because they are marrying Death just like the shepherd in the story. The version quoted here was Englished by Sophie Jewett in 1913.

******

Moonlight Masterpost+

<< Chapter 21+

Chapter 23+ >>

[showmeahero-archive]

((#12 for the multimuse asks?))

@gentlegiantingvar⊱asks for muns with a multimuse or more than one muse⊰

what is something everyone should know about your muses before interacting?

oh geez. catch me suddenly regretting having a thousand muses. okay, i’m gonna list ‘em all & the number one thing you need to know about each of ‘em. this is gonna be under a cut, haha.

charls: he’s a cloth merchant. so, he will 120% shift every conversation to the topic of cloth, & will probably judge your muse’s intelligence based on their knowledge of his trade. that said, he’s also extremely naïve & oblivious to things that are common sense to anyone else, so he has NO room to talk.

jord: he’s a soldier. there’s nothing really quirky about jord. 

berenger: henry cavill is his fc bc this man is literally superman. he is the most modest, most generous… jesus, i love him. ask him about horses or poetry, he’ll love you.

baz: he’s a vampire, but it’s not totally apparent. he hides his vampirism for years, & never eats around others to prevent them from noticing his fangs. don’t worry, he’s not dangerous. he won’t bite humans.

severus: your muse will never know the real snape. that’s just a given. something people tend to ignore when it comes to sev is that he’s playing a part. from the moment he defected to the order, he’s been acting. he has to, to keep his ruse going. how much of his bad attitude is actually sev? how much is the character he’s playing? who tf knows? he doesn’t even know half the time.

scorpius: this child loves astronomy!!! talk to him about the stars.

erik: honestly, good luck surviving an encounter with him. my erik isn’t alw’s romanticized one, he’s book-based & as sad as his life has been, he is still an asshole who’d sooner kill your muse than kiss ‘em.

raoul: again, he’s book-based. raoul is a sweet navy boy who just wants his girlfriend to be safe & happy.

beast: i pretend the live action movie doesn’t exist, so beast is animated/musical canon ONLY. he was cursed when he was 11.

frodo: frodo just… needs a vacation. please, take him on a vacation.

loki: he’s primarily mcu based, but i’m a myth nerd, so where i can fit myth into his canon, i will. 

thor: same as loki. also, he’s not an idiot. i don’t know how fandom decided thor is stupid, but i’m not into that.

snow white: please be nice to snow. she is too good. regardless of who your muse is, she will bake them a pie & offer to clean their house.

pooh bear: much like snow, pooh will ask any & everyone to be his friend. especially if they have honey.

rumplestiltskin: he’s canon divergent. anything post 3.11 didn’t happen. also, don’t intentionally piss him off. if he’s the dark one/has his magic, he might turn your muse into a snail.

yuuri & viktor: my figure skating babes are in love, so don’t bring up the other unless you wanna hear them rant about how much they love them.

sycamore: because the fandom likes to pretend he’s a moron… he got his job on merit of his research & intelligence. he’s probably smarter than your muse. just saying. don’t treat him like an idiot just because he’s pretty.

and the three babes who have their own blogs:

harry: he’s canon divergent. the epilogue doesn’t exist. he’s not an auror. 

patroclus: he’s more than just achilles’ bf. he’s a hero in his own right, & being a soft boy doesn’t negate that.

laurent: if you aren’t damen or nicaise, keep your hands off him.

[crimson-moonlight-blog1]

Defense against the dark arts

Defence Against the Dark Arts Class information Professor Galatea Merrythought (Hogwarts, 1895 - 1945) Quirinus Quirrell (Hogwarts, 1991 - 1992) Gilderoy Lockhart (Hogwarts, 1992 - 1993) Remus Lupin (Hogwarts, 1993 - 1994) Bartemius Crouch Jr (Hogwarts, 1994 - 1995) Dolores Umbridge (Hogwarts, 1995 - 1996) Severus Snape (Hogwarts, 1996 - 1997) Amycus Carrow ( Hogwarts, 1997 - 1998) Unidentified ( Hogwarts, 1998 - ? ) Rionach Steward (Ilvermorny, 17th century) Classroom Class 31 Class 104 Classroom 3C Temporary Classroom Required textbooks The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble Gilderoy Lockhart's collected works Break with a Banshee Gadding with Ghouls Holidays with Hags Travels with Trolls Voyages with Vampires Wanderings with Werewolves Year with a Yeti Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard Dark Arts Defence: Basics for Beginners Confronting the Faceless Required equipment Wand Books Parchment Quill [Source] "Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. No cursing allowed." —Notice outside the classroom[src] Defence Against the Dark Arts (sometimes written as DADA) is a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this class students learn how to magically defend themselves against Dark Creatures, the Dark Arts, and other dark charms. Offensive magic is also taught in this class, such as how to duel, which requires the use of both offensive and defensive magic. The subject is core class at Hogwarts. The position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor here was once rumoured to be jinxed, as no teacher could hold the post for more than a year. Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort) jinxed the position because Dumbledore did not give him the job when he applied for it. The subject is also a class at Ilvermorny. It began teaching the subject in the 17th century. Defence Against the Dark Arts is a required subject from first year to fifth year. The curriculum of the class varies greatly depending on what the professor at the time deems appropriate. Due to the jinx on the teaching post that was present before Lord Voldemort died, many teachers have been appointed to this post. The lessons generally have a practical approach, with many of the teachers (except Dolores Umbridge) believing that when it comes to the Dark Arts a practical approach is the best way, with theoretical assignments given as homework. In the fifth year Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations are taken; as such, students are spent learning new topics and possibly revisiting the past four years of lessons (depending on the teacher). As part of their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L., students must sit a written exam one of the questions asks to describe the five signs of a werewolf and after students must complete a practical exam of; counter-jinxes, defensive spells, Riddikulus, and the Patronus Charm (for bonus points). To advance to the N.E.W.T. class a student must first achieve a high O.W.L. score of either 'Outstanding' or 'Exceeds Expectations'; most teachers set the bar at 'Exceeds Expectations'. Also, due to the course being directly related to the Dark Arts itself, dark wizards who wish to teach would typically apply for this course, notably being Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape. Location and curriculum Classrooms Defence Against the Dark Arts classes take place on the first-floor, Class 104 in the North Tower and Classroom 3C on the third-floor. In Classroom 3C, an iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, as well as a dragon's skeleton. On one end of the classroom stands a projector that is activated by magic. Several desks and tables can be found in the classroom as well as some sets of large windows. Lesson times Year Day Period First Monday second Second fourth Thursday first Wednesday fourth Third Monday fifth Thursday fourth Friday third Fourth Thursday fourth/fifth Fifth Monday fifth/sixth Friday sixth Sixth Monday morning Seventh unknown unknown First year "The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defence Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke." —DADA lessons with Quirrell as the professor[src] Dark creatures Curing werewolf bites Gnomes Doxies Snails Imps Bowtruckles Ghosts Gargoyles Hags Fire Crabs Gytrashes Spells Curse of the Bogies (Mentioned) Knockback Jinx Vermillious Verdimillious Wand-Lighting Charm Smokescreen Spell Green Sparks Red Sparks Periculum Second year "It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind. You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm will befall you whilst I am here. I must ask you not to scream. It might provoke them!" —Lockhart introducing Cornish Pixies[src] Dark creatures Second year lesson on Cornish Pixies Cornish Pixies (Experienced first-hand) Various creatures, including Yeties Fire Crabs (Revision) Imps (Revision) Gargoyles (Revision) Spells Disarming Charm Tongue-Tying Curse Homorphus Charm Verdimillious Duo Vermillious Duo Tickling Charm Banishing Charm Petrificus Totalus Cushioning Charm Melofors Jinx Third year "Professor Lupin had complied the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun." —Third year exam in 1994[src] Dark Creatures Third year lesson on the werewolf Boggarts Grindylows Werewolves Hinkypunks Kappas Red Caps Vampires Salamander Spells Students practising the Riddikulus charm on a Boggart Riddikulus (Expelling boggarts) Seize and Pull Charm Freezing Spell Lumos Duo Charm Patronus Charm (Taught only to Harry Potter) Orbis Jinx Fourth year "When it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. " —Barty Crouch Jr (disguised as Alastor Moody) on his approach of the subject [src] Dark creatures Erklings Red Caps (Revision) Dugbog Blast-Ended Skrewt Spells Fourth year lesson on the Imperius Curse Cruciatus Curse (Witnessed on spider) Hex-deflection Counter-curses Imperius Curse (Witnessed on spider, resisting) Killing Curse (Witnessed on spider) Freezing Spell (Revision) Aqua Eructo Fifth year "Your previous instruction in this subject has been, disturbingly, uneven. But you will be pleased to know, from now on, you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic." —Dolores Umbridge's excuse of depriving students of practical defence[src] Official curriculum Conflict avoidance Counter-jinxes and Defensive Charms (Discouraged) Fleeing Iguanas Vampire bats Theory Dumbledore's Army Harry instructs members of the D.A. in defencive magic Stunning Spell Patronus Charm Reductor Curse Diminuendo Tickling Charm Petrificus Totalus Disarming Charm Shield Charm Other jinxes and hexes Sixth year "You will now divide... into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on." —A N.E.W.T. lesson on nonverbal spells[src] Dark creatures Dementors Inferi Spells Nonverbal spells Resisting the Imperius Curse Levicorpus (Revision) Disarming Charm (Revision) Stunning Spell (Revision) Changes to curriculum "You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced." —Professor Snape on the curriculum's instability[src] "Moody" demonstrating the Killing Curse on a spider during a fourth year lesson Due to the constant changing of teachers, the curriculum of Defence Against the Dark Arts varies from year to year. Each teacher has his or her own priorities, and his or her respective efficiency proportional to his or her beliefs and methods, such as Quirinus Quirrell and Dolores Umbridge believing that theories are enough (which is, in fact, more hindering), while the more effective Remus Lupin, "Alastor Moody" and Severus Snape have a more balanced belief in theory and practical defence. Gilderoy Lockhart, fraudulent and incompetent, is one known teacher who taught nothing to the classes of his respective tenure, aside from nonsensical and unrelated materials, considering that he was hired solely for the purpose of ousting him as a fraud to the world. In the 1997-1998 school year, the class was changed to Dark Arts. During the 1995-1996 school year, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had gotten into his head that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was using the students to create a private army of young wizards to overthrow the Ministry. As such, he implanted Umbridge to become the teacher of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, which he believed to be the main source of training (e.g. defensive spells) for Dumbledore's would-be soldiers. Umbridge supplied a syllabus based entirely on theories on avoiding conflicts instead of facing them, all of which was simply reading out of the textbook, believing that this would be sufficient in passing the examinations. This misguided belief deprived the students on any useful lessons as even the theories are inaccurate, thus leading to the formation on Dumbledore's Army, which taught more practical defence that students from all grades found more useful. Umbridge would later claim that the spells Harry taught were deemed by the Ministry inappropriate for students at their ages. During the time between Voldemort's jinx started to take effect and broke there was at least one professor per year. Therefore, between c. 1965 and 1990 (the year before Harry began studying at Hogwarts) there could be around twenty-five different professors in the position. Severus Snape served as a substitute teacher during the 1993–1994 school year, when Remus Lupin was feeling ill. Unidentified Professor (1998–Unknown/Incumbent)

[kevinscottgardens]

20 November to 22 December 2017

Sorry it’s been a while. I was without broadband at home for two weeks which prevented me from staying up-to-date, then Thanksgiving and two weekends out of London, I am only now catching up! I’ll add a few plants of the week soon...

Last weekend ended on a hight with bamboo broom making, our Friday assignment, and it was great fun and educational.

We finished making the raised beds in the useful garden on Wednesday, to everyone’s great delight. That gave us time to start some much needed winter pruning along the Embankment. By end of Thursday, it looked completely unrecognisable and everyone liked what was accomplished.

We even countersunk the corner screws and covered with dowelling.

Plant of week 51

Leguminosae Vigna caracalla (L.) Verdc.

common name(s) - “corkscrew flower”, “corkscrew vine”, “snail flower”, “snail bean” synonym(s) - Caracalla pulcherrima Tod.; Phaseolus bertonii Bertoni; P. caracalla L.; P. caracallensis St.-Lag.; P. cochleatus Vell.; P. longirostratus Ducke conservation rating - none native to - tropical areas of Central and South America location - Tropical Corridor, accession 2016-0238 leaves - semi-evergreen; 3-palmate green leaves flowers - spirally twisted, white and lilac-purple (sometimes marked with yellow and cream) spirally flowers on erect racemes from July to October; each flower has a unique structure consisting of a broad-oval backward-curled upper petal (the standard) plus two coiled, fused and elongated central petals (the keel) and two side petals (the wings); highly fragrant; occur mid-summer to frost, followed by slender, dangling, bean-like pods containing rounded brown seeds.; pollination by ants habit - rapid-growing twining perennial vine; evergreen in frost free climates habitat - tropics pests - usually pest free disease - usually disease free hardiness - to -5ºC (H3) soil - moist, fertile, well-drained soils sun - full sun propagation - seed in moist, slightly acidic soil, in full sun; cuttings cultivation - once this vine has matured to cover the area it is meant to cover, cut back the leaves and tendrils to trigger the onset of significant flowering nomenclature - Leguminosae - legumen - from Latin for pulse; Vigna - for Dominicus Vigna (1581-1647), Italian scientist/professor and botanist at Pisa; caracalla - can be interpreted as spiralled; or to do with charcoal; usually for Emperor Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius Severus Antonius Augustus) (188-217), who gave Roman citizenship to all free people of the then empire, in AD212

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Rough week... started building and installing raised beds in the useful garden. Colette and I were charged with building and the rest of the team was responsible for installing and back-filling the soil. It was muddy and stressful at times. They were finally going in without too many hitches by the end of the week, though every bed presented a new challenge. I am enjoying using a circular saw and re-learning my carpentry skills from decades ago when I worked with my father in the summers when I was in school.

Next week’s plant ident - pharmaceutical

Arecaceae Serenoa repens

Asteraceae Cynara scolymus

Caprifoliaceae Valeriana officinalis

Geraniaceae Pelargonium sidoides

Ginkgoaceae Ginkgo biloba

Hypericaceae Hypericum perforatum

Lamiaceae Rosmarinus officinalis

Myrtaceae Melaleuca alternifolia

Rosaceae Crataegus monogyna

Urticaceae Urtica dioica

I went to Lyons to visit Bruno and Stéphane for a fancy-dress Christmas party. It was a lot of fun and some fantastic costumes. The theme was “toutes les étoiles” and I went as the universe, dressed in a black body suit and lots of lights around me. My monthly visits to the continent continue...

Plant of week 50

Euphorbiaceae Jatropha podagrica Hook.

common name(s) - “gouty-stalked jatropha”, “purging-nut”, “Guatemalan rhubarb”, “goutystalk nettlespurge”, “white rhubarb”, “physicnut”, “podagrica”, “Bali gout plant”, “tartogo nut”, “petit baobab”, “gouty foot”, “bottle plant shrub”, “gut plant”, “bottleplant shrub”, “gout stick”, “gout stalk”, “gout plant”, “coral plant”, “Australian bottle plant”, “Buddha belly plant”; Chinese (中文): fo du shu, 珊瑚油桐; German (Deutsch): Rhabarber von Guatemala; Finnish (Suomi): pullukkajatropa, pullukka; Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia): jarak, jarak Bali; Lithuanian (Lietuvių): Vaistinis braivėlis; Malay (بهاس ملاي /Bahasa Melayu ): jatrofa buncit; Portuguese (português): ruibarbo-da-Guatemala; tartago; Spanish (español): Tinaja (Puerto Rico), pansona, tartogo, ruibarbo; Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt): dầu lai lá sen, ngô đồng cảnh, sen lục bình, dầu lai có củ synonym(s) - none found conservation rating - none native to - Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua location - Tropical Corridor, accession 2017-0351 leaves - large, long petioled, shallowly lobed leaves are arranged at the end of the branches flowers - throughout the year it produces small, red-orange flowers, in clusters like a coral, at the tip of a long red stalk; produces green fruit which are explosively dehiscent habit - small, erect succulent, or sub-woody shrub, with a singularly distorted stem and branches much swollen at their bases; semi-evergreen, it may go dormant in cool weather; to 1m tall and 600mm wide habitat - tropical pests - aphids, mealy bugs, scale, white fly disease - none found hardiness - to -5ºC (H3) soil - very well-draining sun - can grow in full sun or part shade water - needs almost no water; grow as you would a cactus: in very well-draining soil, and let it dry out between waterings; fertilize once a month when the plant is in active growth; let the plant enter dormancy in the short days of autumn; it will often drop its leaves, and will retain any active flowering stalks; withhold water until the plant responds to longer days in late winter and spring by starting to produce new leaves; even so, never try to push the plant along by more frequent watering, which will only cause rot - practice "leading from behind," watering and fertilizing only in response to increased growth, not in advance of it propagation - seed, stem cuttings cultivation - only pot-up when the plant is clearly about to burst through the current one, or has become so top-heavy that it's difficult to keep the plant upright; a prematurely-large pot would only increase the likelihood of the soil's remaining moist for too long nomenclature - Euphorbiaceae - euphorbia - for Euphorbus, physician to a king of Mauritania, who used the latex of a spurge for medicinal purposes; Jatropha - physician’s food, ιατρος τροφη (medicinal use) (the signature of the swollen stem base of Jatropa podagrica confers its name of gout plant); podagrica - snare, of gout (the apothecaries’ herba podagraria, or goutweed, was used to treat gout) NB - all parts, especially the seeds, of the plant contain the toxic curcin, making it poisonous

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Galanthus sp. are already starting to bloom, the first being G. elwesii.

Next week’s plant ident - succulents, another one I pulled together.

Apocynaceae Adenium obesum

Cactaceae Austrocylindropuntia subulata

Cactaceae Echinopsis pachanoi

Cactaceae Hylocereus undatus

Cactaceae Opuntia ficus-indica

Cactaceae Rhipsalis cereuscula

Crassulaceae Cotyledon orbiculata var. oblonga

Cucurbitaceae Kedrostis africana

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia ammak

Xanthorrhoeaceae Gasteria croucheri

Susie had me over for a relaxing and delicious Christmas lunch, which went on so long we also had dinner, on Sunday. She pulled out all the stops, including arranging it to snow all day long! It was a beautiful day.

Plant of week 49

Asteraceae Petasites fragrans (Vill.) C.Presl

common name(s) - “winter heliotrope”, “fragrant colt's foot” synonym(s) - Cacalia alliariifolia Poir. conservation rating - none native to - Italy to North Africa location - Henry Moore bed and along the Embankment, accession 1977-0100 leaves - large, up to 200mm across and stalked with small regular teeth; kidney-shaped, bright green leaves, which are hairless above and hairy on their undersides flowers - dioecious; erect flower-heads grow in short racemes on stems up to 250mm long with a few scale-leaves; florets are pinkish-mauve and appear in December with vanilla-like scent habit - evergreen perennial grows from deep rhizomes; habitat - streamsides, banks, rough ground, roadsides pests - no information found disease - no information found hardiness - to -20ºC (H6) soil - moist, fertile sun - part sun to full shade propagation - division (only male flowers are produced in the British Isles, so the plant cannot spread by seed) nomenclature - Asteraceae - star; Petasites - wide-brimmed hat (Dioscorides’ name refers to the large leaves); fragrans - sweet-scented, odorous, fragrant NB - can be invasive

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It snowed briefly on 30 November. I didn’t realise what was falling from the sky at first, it is so rare to see snow in central London. Friday I was introduced to the wood shredder and it was a lot of fun! We use some for a woody mulch and we also use it to cover the ground in the boat yard which can become very muddy.

Next week’s plant ident - winter interest

Adoxaceae Sambucus nigra

Betulaceae Betula pendula

Betulaceae Carpinus betulus

Betulaceae Corylus avellana

Cornaceae Cornus sanguinea

Fagaceae Castanea sativa

Fagaceae Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck’

Rosaceae Prunus avium

Salicaceae Populus alba ‘Pyramidalis’

Sapindaceae Aesculus hippocastanum

I went north, into the countryside near Oxford, with Steve for a nice weekend getaway. 

Plant of week 48

Vitaceae Vitis coignetiae Pulliat ex Planch.

common name(s) - “crimson glory vine”, 머루 meoru in Korean, ヤマブドウ yama-budo in Japanese synonym(s) - Vitis amurensis var. coignetiae (Pulliat ex Planch.) Nakai; V. kaempferi K. Koch conservation rating - none native to - Japan, Korea location - dicotyledon order beds, accession 1946-0017 leaves - slightly lobed, broad-ovate leaves to 300mm in length, deep green during the summer, turning scarlet and crimson in autumn flowers - insignificant with small, black berries habit - a very strong-growing, large deciduous tendril-climber to more than 12m tall and to 4m wide; wild vines can be male, female or hermaphrodite habitat - grows into trees in temperate forests pests - brown scale , glasshouse red spider mite disease - powdery mildew hardiness - to -15ºC (H5) soil - alkaline to neutral; well-drained sun - full sun to part shade, can suffer from wind scorch if they are too exposed pruning - best done in the winter propagation - layering, hardwood cuttings nomenclature - Vitaceae - vitis - the Latin name for the grapevine; coignetiae - for Mr. and Mrs. Coignet who reportedly brought seeds back from their trip to Japan in 1875; seeds collected in 1875 by Mme Coignet, daughter of the French rosarian Jean Sisley, who was travelling in Japan with her husband; apparently first introduced, however, to Anthony Waterer's Knap Hill nursery through Messrs Jardine and Matheson, East India merchants NB - AGM; used to produce wines in Korea and Japan, at first bitter, then softened with the addition of sugar

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This week we finished lining the ceiling of the tropical corridor with bubble wrap as extra insulation. It is quite an exercise and many of the plants get a bit of a rough pruning. Susyn visited this week and we had a major catch-up, over five pages of changes to be made on the database.

I decided that with the help of Claire and Mari, my volunteers, we will try to get the blooming time for all the Galanthus sp. in the garden and do a proper audit this year.

The fern list was done twice because it was a difficult one.

This weekend I co-hosted Thanksgiving with Elizabeth; it went off without a hitch and we tried several new recipes. Jody and Steve came over from Antwerpen for the occasion.

Plant of week 47

Asteraceae Dahlia imperialis Roezl ex Ortgies

common name(s) - “tree dahlia" synonym(s) - none found conservation rating - none native to - Colombia to México location - dicotyledon order beds, accession 2007-0398 leaves - brittle, cane-like, 4-angled stems with swollen nodes and large tripinnate leaves, those near the ground soon being shed flowers - pendant or nodding flowerheads are 75mm to 150mm across with ray florets lavender or mauvish-pink in colour; usually comes into flower in autumn before the first frost habit - to 10m tall; a tuberous, herbaceous perennial, rapidly growing from the base after a dormant winter period; fast-growing, the growth spurt being linked to shorter daylight hours habitat - uplands and mountains, occurring at elevations of 1,500m to 1,700m pests - spider mites, aphids, leaf-miners, snails, slugs disease - none found hardiness - to -5ºC (H3) if well mulched soil - rich and well-draining sun - part to full sun; sheltered if possible pruning - after flowering, cut back to the ground, new growth will shoot up in spring propagation - seed; stem cuttings 300mm long with at least two nodes, laid horizontally below the soil nomenclature - Asteraceae - star; Dahlia - for Andreas Dahl (1751-89), Swedish student under Linnaeus; imperialis - very noble, imperial, of nobility NB - leaves are used as a dietary supplement by the Q'eqchi' people of San Pedro Carchá in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala; stems were used by the ancient Aztecs as pipes to carry drinking water