Open This Herbology Book Can't Be Serious

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie was so happy to be back at school. She hadn't minded being home, but something had just been different. Callie couldn't put her finger on what it had been, but it had just been something. Her bedroom had had a layer of dust on it and her parents had spent a whole six months without her, they were talking about things that she hadn't known about. Callie had rejoined the choir, but it had been clear she was only there because her dad had made them accept her back. She hadn't really wanted to be a part of it, but there hadn't been much else for her to do over the break. But it was all over because she was back at school, and it was a rarely nice day, so she had come outside and was sat on a dry patch of the lawn with her herbology book reading over the thing they'd be covering in the year. a Mandrake, which just seemed like a wild thing..could it even be considered to be a plant. Callie liked to think she knew more about this world than she had previously, but it was still finding ways to surprise her.

 

[Ezra Ito]

Ezra was pleased to be back, especially now that his sister was sorted. He felt very proud of her, even though he was a little sad she was in a different house. He was glad she seemed to be making friends over in Ravenclaw, though. And he was reassured to know Dorian was looking out for her over there. It was a nice day out and Ezra had gone for a walk on the lawn. There he had found an abandoned ball that looked like it had been there from before the break, and he started kicking it around. It was a pretty fun thing to keep him occupied, but then the ball rolled over a girl's book. Ezra grimaced and jogged up to her. "Sorry, that wasn't on purpose." He told her, picking up the ball. "Oh, mandrakes." He said, looking at the page upside down. "Second year?"

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie gave a little gasp of surprise as a ball suddenly rolled over her book. She brushed away a little of the dirt now on the pages as an older boy approached her and her book. "Yeah," she said in reply to his question about her year. "Mandrakes aren't really like the books is saying though?" she asked with a slightly hopeful tone. Hoping that the book was taking liberties to sound more interesting. There was no way that the book was being truthful about it.

 

[Ezra Ito]

Ezra leaned over the book slightly to get a better look. Then he looked up at the girl at her question, shaking his head. "What? Why do you say that? The book wouldn't say things that aren't true." He told her. He guessed she might be muggleborn, but he wasn't sure. "They're pretty much exactly like that. A little uglier, though." He said, squinting down at the page.

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie nodded in agreement, she didn't know why a book would be lying, especially not one that was for class, and yet, she couldn't quite believe it. She looked back at the page, frowning as the boy called it ugly. "But they're a living plant...human like...have developmental stages...and we just kill them?" Callie said, She was sure that for whatever potion was necessary to use them for, would rather a healthy mandrake and not a dead one, but that was all the worse.

 

[Ezra Ito]

Ezra blinked at the girl's surprise. She really must be new to the magical world. He peered down at her book for a bit longer. "Yeah, I guess so." He said with a shrug. "I mean, it's human-like, but it's still a plant. And I think they're used in like, important medicine." He shrugged again. "Not sure which ones, though."

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie didn't know why the distinction of it still being a plant made her feel weird. She had always felt weird about animals too, the way they were bred for meat, but this was perhaps just worse, just to have it be put so plainly. To learn and help them grow, knowing they would be killed. "Surely it wouldn't require all of the mandrake," she said, though it was clear he probably didn't know much more than she did.