By mid-November, the weather had turned bitterly cold. The mountains surrounding the school were shrouded in a grey haze, dusted with snow, and a thick layer of ice had formed on the lake. Every morning, frost coated the ground. Anne hated getting up in such weather. She had even been skipping her trips to the greenhouse lately. More often than not, Fanny would bring her breakfast from the Great Hall and drag her out of bed just in time to rush to class at the sound of the bell.
This Tuesday morning was no different, Fanny was pulling a half-asleep Anne toward the classroom while she munched on a piece of bread, eyes barely open. Their first class of the day was History of Magic with the Gryffindors. The bell rang just as they stepped inside.
The Slytherins were already used to Anne's groggy morning routine. They had been shocked the first time, but soon grew envious, no one liked waking up early, but it took a friend like Fanny to fetch your breakfast and get you out of bed.
The Gryffindors, on the other hand, were seeing this for the first time. Ron leaned over to Harry and whispered, "Do you think she's actually awake?" Harry glanced back. Anne was chewing on bread, her chin resting on her open textbook, which Fanny had just pulled from her bag. "Probably not," he replied.
Even Hermione, sitting in the front row, occasionally turned around to glance at her.
Some of the Gryffindors murmured among themselves, "Can you eat breakfast in class? Is that allowed?"
"I doubt this is her first time."
"I saw Fanny carrying food toward the Slytherin common room one morning."
"Lucky girl. I'd love to sleep in like that…"
Their whispers remained quiet, and Professor Binns didn't notice, he was droning on in his usual monotone, reading directly from the textbook.
About half an hour into the lesson, Anne's eyes fluttered open. She blinked at the classroom, dazed, then slowly lifted her head and continued chewing. She gave Fanny a grateful glance, but Fanny was too busy scribbling notes to notice.
Finishing her bread, Anne rummaged through her bag and pulled out a 400ml glass bottle filled with milk. Popping the wooden stopper, a bit of steam curled from the opening. She took a sip, then drank the rest in contented gulps. Next, she retrieved two small, palm-sized glass orbs filled with pale blue liquid. She handed one to Fanny and held the other between her hands before finally opening her book and beginning to take notes.
During the break between the two back-to-back classes, several students took notice of the blue-glass orbs. Curious, Pansy walked over and asked, "What is that? It's pretty."
Her question made nearly the entire class turn their attention toward Anne.
Still busy catching up on notes, Anne gave Fanny a look, silently asking her to handle it. Though Fanny had been raised in a disciplined household, she was still a child, and right now, she was holding what might be the magical world's first of its kind. She couldn't hide her excitement. Holding up the orb, she explained, "It contains Dittany."
At that name, Neville gasped.
All eyes turned to him. Fanny paused.
Neville flushed red and stammered, "I-It's just… Dittany is extremely hard to cultivate… and we don't even study it until fourth-year Herbology…"
Malfoy scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like you'd know what they teach in fourth-year Herbology."
Neville's face turned redder. "My gran told me… and she wouldn't lie to me…" He looked toward Anne, as if hoping she'd speak up.
Anne hadn't expected anyone to recognize the plant. Still, she paused her notes and said, "He's right. It's in fourth-year Herbology."
That alone made several students gasp. They were only in first year, and even their current Herbology course felt difficult. Now someone was saying she could handle fourth-year material?
"B-But…" Neville hesitated, but added bravely, "Dittany is supposed to be red…"
All eyes turned to Anne, waiting for her to explain. Malfoy grinned smugly. "Ah, let's see how Miss Reeve explains her blue 'Dittany.'"
Neville now looked pale, seeming to realize he might have messed up.
Anne sighed. "Check pages 246 to 260 in Thirty Rare Magical Plants, that's the fourth-year Herbology text. It clearly describes the different types, colors, and properties of Dittany. It's indeed red, but incredibly unstable. It can combust just from exposure to air. Keeping it in solid form is already difficult, liquid is even harder. So, I combined it with Blue Wisteria Bloom and Silvermoon Herb. One is from third-year Herbology, the other fourth-year. Their neutralizing properties stabilize the formula, resulting in a blue liquid. Does that satisfy you, Mr. Malfoy?"
Silence fell over the room.
Malfoy's pale face flushed, but he said nothing more.
Hermione was the one to break the quiet. "So… what does it do?"
Anne glanced at her, unfazed. "Fanny, explain it. I still have notes to copy."
Fanny was a bit stunned. She hadn't realized the orb was made with such rare ingredients. But she dutifully answered, "Anne said it can produce steady warmth for about two months. She made it to keep her hands warm in this cold weather."
The class erupted.
"Dittany sounds expensive, doesn't it?"
"She used it for a hand warmer?"
"And not just one plant, three magical herbs!?"
"I must be dreaming…"
"I need to hit the library after class."
Anne muttered under her breath, "Should've just ignored Pansy's question…"
Fanny nudged her. "You didn't tell me all that was inside it."
Anne looked a little wronged. "Those plants were about to die anyway, better to make use of them. And it's really cold… I can barely get up in the mornings."
By the end of class, everyone passing Anne and Fanny shot envious glances at their orbs. Anne, however, kept her head down, busily taking notes.
When Hermione, Harry, and Ron got up to leave the classroom, Fanny elbowed Anne, signaling that they were about to pass by.
Anne hesitated, torn. Her mind wandered back to two conversations she'd had with Fanny.
The night before:
"Why hasn't your friend Hermione talked to you lately?"
"She's not my friend."
"Okay, but why hasn't she approached you then?"
"I told them before, I wasn't helping them. I just did what benefitted me."
"But you did help them."
"No."
"Well, everyone thinks you did!"
"You wouldn't understand."
Last night:
"Fanny! I need your help."
"What now?"
"I have Transfiguration this afternoon. Professor McGonagall asked to see my notes next class, but I forgot to write them down…"
"Anne, you're the only one in Slytherin required to take notes for Transfiguration. That was her special instruction. What were you even doing last class?"
"I thought she'd already checked once, so I slacked off…"
"Fine. I remember some of what she said, I'll recite, you write."
"Fanny… I have a confession."
"You're acting strange today."
"I skipped note-taking… twice."
"Anne! I feel like I don't even know you!"
"I'm doomed."
"Not necessarily. There is one way."
"What?"
"Your ordinary acquaintance Hermione must have notes. I heard she writes everything down."
"Any other options?"
"None. And remember, we have Charms with Gryffindor tomorrow morning."
So when Hermione was about to pass her by, Anne weighed her options, face McGonagall's wrath, or talk to the trio again. She chose the latter.
Anne stood and stopped Hermione.
Hermione blinked in confusion. Anne calmly said, "I need to ask you something." Then she glanced at Harry and Ron. "Can you two give us a moment?"
They exchanged looks, then left when Hermione nodded.
Once alone, Anne said, "I want to borrow your Transfiguration notes."
Hermione looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Because I have Transfiguration this afternoon, and I need to copy them."
"But… we weren't required to take notes."
Anne hesitated, then looked at Fanny, who jumped in, "Because Anne is the only Slytherin required by Professor McGonagall to take notes in that class. But she slacked off and didn't take notes last time. So now, you're her last hope."
"You mean she's the only one who has to take notes?" Hermione tried not to laugh.
"Yes, that's why she didn't want to tell you herself," Fanny said, glancing at Anne. "See? It wasn't that hard to admit."
Anne pouted. That's not the real reason. I didn't think you'd have notes either, and besides, the more I get involved with protagonists, the more dangerous it becomes. But she couldn't say any of that aloud, so she remained silent.
Hermione and Fanny took her silence as quiet agreement.
Hermione handed her a notebook. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Hurry and copy it. You've still got some time."
Anne took the notebook and, in return, pulled a deep blue orb from her bag. "This is for you."
Fanny gave Hermione a little wink, encouraging her to accept it.
Hermione held it in her hands, warmth instantly spreading through her fingers. It was palm-sized with a tiny cork stopper, and inside, deep-blue wisps floated gently through the liquid.
"It's beautiful."
"No girl can resist something warm, translucent, and pretty," Anne said.
"This one lasts three months, that's why it's darker than the one I gave Fanny. I reinforced the glass with a spell, so it won't break easily. Even if it does, the contents vanish safely."
"So it turns clear after three months?" Hermione asked.
Anne paused, then replied with a mysterious smile, "It's a little surprise. You'll find out then."
Hermione smiled and didn't press further.
Later that day, Anne passed McGonagall's notebook inspection without a hitch.
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A/N: Wrote this whole chapter in one go, feeling great! If you're enjoying the journey so far and want to read ahead, you can check out 20+ advance chapters on Patreon: Patreon.com/Crimson_Lore