The Beginning of a New Competition... Yes, Again – Part 5
With no assistants left to help them gather evidence or information, the four of them had to take care of the work they should have started from the very beginning.
If they wanted to discover who the new professors really were...
The first step was to investigate them.
And Professor Ryan Foster was the perfect target.
"Allow me to help, Professor," Harry said as he entered the greenhouse, where the professor seemed to be moving enormous flowerpots while several dangerous plants tried to devour his face.
Ryan looked surprised for a moment, since it wasn't class time, but quickly gave him a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Potter. I could use a hand."
Harry began working beside him with a friendly smile, making Ryan unable to help feeling that this student was quite a good lad.
"You know, Professor, my family used to be well known for their potions, so we also have a vast collection of books about plants, even some extinct ones. We might even have a few specimens of..."
Before he could even begin trying to draw information out of him, someone else entered the greenhouse.
"Hello, is Professor Foster here?" Hermione asked as she walked in carrying what looked like a flowerpot with a rather dying plant. "I'm Ravenclaw's prefect. We have a decorative plant in our common room, and I'd like to know if there's any way to save it," she said in a serious tone, as though she'd come solely on school business.
Though when her eyes met Harry's, it was obvious she was there for exactly the same reason he was.
Before the professor could even answer, someone else entered.
It was Draco.
"Excuse me, Professor. I have a few questions about the last lesson that I'd like to ask you, if it's not too much trouble," he said in a respectful tone you normally wouldn't hear him use with other people.
"Er... ah, yes, of course," Ryan said, somewhat confused by the fact that all these students had suddenly come looking for him.
But his expression grew even more puzzled when he noticed that, from behind a huge plant...
Someone was silently watching the whole scene.
With a small notebook in her hands.
"Miss Greengrass...?" he asked, recognising Daphne.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"Yes?" came a voice from behind the plant.
"Why are you hiding there?"
Daphne thought for several seconds.
"I... am learning about plants," Daphne said, giving the flowerpot in front of her a quick glance.
"Hidden behind a flowerpot?"
"Yes, I... want to hear the plants' opinions directly," Daphne said, blurting out the first thing that came into her head.
Her friends couldn't help letting out disdainful little smiles.
"...I see."
To be completely honest...
After only a few days at Hogwarts, he'd already met far too many strange students to be surprised by something like this.
"Well then... carry on," the professor said gently.
...
"So, Professor, how long have you been working with plants?" Hermione asked while, for some reason, all four of them were now surrounding the professor as he examined the plant she'd brought him.
"Since I was young," the professor answered, giving her a glance and noticing that, for some reason, she was writing down his answer. But he simply let it pass and continued carefully inspecting the plant's leaves.
"Mmm... are you from around here?" Daphne asked again, having stopped "listening to the plants" so she could listen to the conversation instead.
"Er... yes," he replied.
"Really? I'd have sworn you were American," Harry said with a small smile.
"Er, yes. My parents came from there, but I was born and raised in England. In a non-magical rural village, to be exact," the professor added with a calm smile.
"And did you study here at Hogwarts?" Harry asked with apparent curiosity as he adjusted another flowerpot.
Ryan fell silent for a moment.
"No... that was a long time ago."
Ryan immediately turned his attention back to the plant, as though the question weren't important.
Hearing him dodge it, the four exchanged a quick glance.
"So how did you end up teaching here?" Draco asked.
"I saw the Ministry advertisement and decided to give it a try. I got lucky," Ryan replied with an easy smile.
He fell silent for just a moment, as though he'd suddenly remembered something.
"Ah... sorry. I meant I saw the newspaper while I was on my way to the Ministry to sort out some nationality documents."
Harry frowned slightly.
"Didn't you say you were born here?"
Ryan smiled more naturally than he had up until then.
"That's right. I'm from Lacock. I lived there for twenty-two years. It's quite a lovely little village where everyone knows everyone."
Ryan let out a soft chuckle as he remembered the village.
"Sometimes I miss Mrs Simmons. She used to make the most delicious treacle tarts," the professor said with a smile as he recalled the memory fondly.
"Then... what were the nationality documents for?" Draco asked, interrupting the professor's reminiscence.
"Well..."
But before answering, even he seemed to forget the answer himself and frowned in confusion.
"...I don't remember now. It probably wasn't anything very important."
Ryan smiled awkwardly and looked away for a moment.
"There's nothing seriously wrong with the plant. It just needs some sunlight and a bit of fertiliser. It must have been kept indoors for too long. Fortunately, I have some luminous extract," the professor said as he took out a small bottle filled with a glowing golden liquid.
And without much ceremony, he let a single drop fall onto the very top of the flower.
"You can take it with you after you add the fertiliser. Though it might be better to leave it here, since the fertiliser will make your entire common room stink," the professor explained.
"Of course, Professor. Thank you," Hermione said, saying goodbye before hurrying away without another word.
"I have to go too, Professor. Have a good afternoon," Harry said, leaving in just as much of a rush.
Draco didn't say much. He simply lowered his head in farewell and walked away.
Daphne gave the professor one last look and raised a hand.
"Bye," she said before running after the others.
He watched the door the four of them had just disappeared through, then smiled to himself and shook his head with a faint smile as he set the plant down on one of the tables.
"They remind me of my school days," he said with an amused chuckle.
He frowned deeply, as though an image had tried to surface in his mind only to vanish an instant later.
A headache struck him immediately. He rubbed his temple and leaned against the table where the plant rested.
He remained silent for several seconds, waiting for the pain to disappear completely.
"Haaa... I think that was a bit excessive," he said, gently massaging his temple. Then his gaze shifted to the plant, and afterwards to the door through which the group had left only a few minutes earlier. "They don't seem like bad people," he murmured before shaking his head and returning to his work.
What none of them noticed was that, outside the greenhouse windows, two blonde heads of different shades, wearing detective hats and carrying magnifying glasses, were watching that very moment.
Luna and Astoria.
"Did you see that, Luna?" Astoria said with a suspicious look.
"The plant glowed."
"Normal plants don't glow," Astoria declared with complete certainty. "That means the plant is suspicious."
"He's a very suspicious professor," Luna said with absolute confidence.
"I know what our first case is going to be," Astoria said with a smile.
"Capture him?" Luna asked easily.
"Capture him," Astoria nodded, showing they were perfectly in sync.
"But first, let's follow them," she added immediately.
Luna nodded.
...
Not far from there, Tommy spotted Luna and Astoria running off in their detective outfits.
"Hmm? What are they doing?" he asked.
"It's probably because of your brother's competition and the others'," replied a young man in dark robes, his hood hiding his face, though somehow that only made him stand out even more.
"Oh, right. If we can get information they need, I'm sure I'll be able to make a lot of money off them. They're really rich thanks to all their inventions," Tommy added excitedly.
"Mmm... well, yes. They usually pay well for information. But before we put our informants to work, we'll need payment," he said in a serious tone.
He usually did a few jobs with the group.
He was the one everyone in Slytherin called Theo.
"Payment? But I don't have much money right now," Tommy said.
"Don't worry. Most of them are first and second years who can't go to Hogsmeade, so they'll accept sweets or anything tasty as payment," the young man said casually.
"Oh, sweets," Tommy said with a smile. "That's good. Hermione's house-elf borrowed the kitchen at Potter Manor and made dozens of tanks of syrup. Griss and Liz didn't know what to do with so much. Do you think that'll work?" Tommy asked.
"Most likely. Syrup can easily be turned into sweets," Theo nodded. "If there's that much, we'll need somewhere to store it."
"We can leave it next to the inner courtyard. It's close to the kitchens, so it'll be easier to carry the syrup over to make the sweets. Besides, the Headmaster won't get angry. He's my brother's godfather," Tommy said confidently.
Theo nodded.
"I see. That makes sense."
"So, do we have a deal? You get me useful information, and I'll sell it for you. Fifty-fifty," Tommy said with a grin.
"Fifty-fifty?" Theo repeated, studying him for a few seconds. "Alright. But if the business works out, we'll renegotiate. Besides, I don't really have much else to do. The Slytherin common room is much quieter than usual, and those of us who are left have a lot more freedom," he said with a faint smile. "I suppose I should thank your family for that," he added.
"Then it's a deal. We'll start an intelligence agency," Tommy said happily.
Theo couldn't help smiling.
That sounded far more important than simply selling information to a handful of students.
Meanwhile, Terra and Dee peeked out from Tommy's pocket to give him a look before glancing at each other.
Then, without another word, they slipped back inside.
Although they had agreed to help him, the truth was...
They were really there for the free food.