Where he was, Lars Svensson had no idea. He seemed to be in some sort of jungle, but there were no jungles on the Hogwarts grounds. At least, there were no jungles that he knew of. Lars did not even know how he had gotten there. All he knew was that one minute, he had been walking down the steps from the castle, and the next, he was lost. In a cherry tree forest.

At least he would not starve.

Humming as he strolled through the cherry trees, Lars plucked a cherry off and stuck it in his mouth. That was what cherries were for, was it not? And right there! A patch of ground under a tree. That seemed perfect for reading. Lars pulled a book from his inside pocket and dropped to the ground next to the cherry tree. He opened the book to a random page in the middle and leaned back against the tree, already deeply immersed in the book. It reminded him of his younger days, when he quite liked the outdoors and did his homework out there at least once a week.

And now... he was only staying put because when you're lost, that's how you get found.

What on Earth is he doing? That's the question Anna Greingoth was thinking to herself as she glanced over and watched her new Transfiguration professor pluck a cherry from a nearby tree and pop it into his mouth. Were those trees even planted for the purpose of someone hungry coming along and eating from them? Ahh, well. Even if they weren't, this dude was a professor and could do and say as he pleased, Anna supposed. Then again, if one was hungry, there were those gummy worms back in class... Hmm...

"Hungry, sir?" she suddenly asked, appearing from behind a plant and glancing down at the book he was reading. What it was, she couldn't tell, but she assumed it was good by the manner in which he allowed himself to become lost in it. "I won't interrupt your reading session anymore, but I just wanted to tell you what an interesting class that was. Gummy worms...what a delicious idea." She watched as he read some more, then she spoke up again. "So, erm, good book, yes? What's it about?"

Anastasia needed to check on the giant lily pads growing over her little pond before next week's lesson and she needed to find a good spot to plant those seeds Ethan had given her too. She had soooo much work to do in the student gardens and such little time.

At least it was nice outside today, if those ominous clouds coming in from the west would just stay away. Annie hummed a happy little working song as she carried a few tools and her wand in a metal pail, wandering past the puffapods and flutterbies and over toward the pond on the west side.

She paused, however, when she spotted a shifty, shadowy shape crouched near the base of one of the cherry trees. Wait a minute...what could that be? A big cat? That groundskeeper's dog? What if was a GRIM?! Or worse, a Nundu! Actually, that wouldn't be worse, that would be awesomer....so now she had to investigate.

Annie carefully set her pail down to sneak closer for a better look, being as inconspicuous as possible in her pink Louboutin boots. She took a spade from the pail with her and carefully, slowly approached the tree.....

Getting close enough, Bunbunz could see that the figure hiding there had to be human! And look, ANOTHER ONE had joined the crouching one at the base of her tree! BURGLARS! In her garden! Probably trying to steal all the cherries or her giant lily pads or SOMESUCH SCANDAL!

"Hold it right there, misters, I've got ye cornered," the redhead growled, popping out from behind the tree with the spade held in front of her like a sword. "Who are you and what do yo---"

She blinked as she got a closer look at the figure and just about dropped her spade. "Oh, Mr. Lars? Prefect Anna? What--ah....welcome to the student gardens, you two.....hehee." Annie quickly stowed the gardening tool behind her back and faked a smile, like she had not been up to anything at all, of course. Just another day at Hogwarts.

Lars nearly screamed like a little girl when he heard a voice. Oh no! Someone else was lost in the jungle, too?! This was a disaster! Now he would be expected to find a way out, and he would have to pick cherries for their survival, and they would wander in the jungle forever, and--

"Anna Greingoth?" Lars blinked in confusion at the girl. How had she gotten lost here as well?

But his book. Oh, Lars loved this book. "It's a book of poetry. This particular poem is about dragons flying over the sea, actually. My--my sister collected poems from people we know and put them all together as a Christmas gift." He quickly stopped himself from rambling on about his book. The book held many memories, and... well. He supposed he'd prefer getting out of the cherry jungle to anything.

And now something was growling. Oh, Lars knew they were in a jungle now. And they would never get out. There was a horrible beast coming to eat them, and it would eat all the poor cherry trees and his book, and he would never see his family again.

Or his bird. His bird was important, too.

"Student gardens? What?" Lars blinked and squinted. Was that the Herbology professor there? "So this isn't a jungle?!" What a relief!

Anna casually diverted her attention elsewhere when the all-too-familiar voice of Professor Bunbury shot clean through the silence. Anna widened her eyes a little, then she wrinkled her face in a very confused state. Hold it right there? She has us cornered?!? Dear Merlin, the professors are beginning to regress again! What was she playing...cops and robbers?!? Sorcerers and philosophers?!? Anna took two steps backward, stumbling over Professor Svensson in the procress. "Erm, sorry sir," she mumbled, pointing at the professor and the spade. "I'd get out of the way quickly if I were you, though. She's got...got...that thing." Anna pushed herself up off the ground and backed away a little.

When the spade dropped, Anna released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. That was one fierce game of cops and robbers... "Ahh, yes...it's us, ma'am. Erm, surprise!" Anna said, shrugging a little. Man, this was confusing. "I was just strolling for a little walk, and Professor Svensson was reading. How do you do today, Professor Bunbury?"

"Yes, sir. Anna Greingoth," she confirmed. What was with these people? Professor Svensson seemed startled to see her, almost as if he were expecting her to be some man-eating puffapod or something. As confused as she was, she managed to nod a little as the man discussed his book of poetry. Oddly enough, Svensson didn't seem to be a man who enjoyed poety, but then again, who was she to judge? She'd only known him for a few days, at the most. "Most interesting, sir. I'm sure that was a very special Christmas gift, indeed," she replied, still confused as to what was going on in the gardens.

"A jungle? Sir, no! These are indeed the student gardens. I was here admiring the plants and how much this place has changed over the summer break," she said. "Not only that, my friends and I love to hang out in here. It's pleasant being surrounded by flowers and the such. My friends don't seem to be around today, though." A jungle? Cops and robbers? These were some very confused professors around here...

Bunbury rocked back on her heels a little, still clutching the spade behind her back as she addressed Lars. "No noooo not a jungle....although, do you like that idea?" The redhead tilted her head slightly as if she were considering the proposition. "You know, I do think that glorified ga--groundskeeper allegedly has some sort of bamboo forest....I suppose that's not a jungle, but I could show you sometime."

She nodded to herself and took a side-step back toward the cherry tree they were lurking under. The sooner she got her pail of tools the sooner she could be on her way again. This was just a tad bit embarassing, jumping to conclusions just because someone was sitting in the gardens for a change.

"Oh I'm doing fine, just swell, nothing out of the ordinary," Annie tried to answer Anna as nonchalantly as possibly. "Enjoying your stroll, hmm? It's not a bad day if the weather holds off....wouldn't want to get wet outside here."

Her blue eyes flickered up to the offending clouds and then back toward the prefect and the professor. "Enjoy your time in the gardens, then, I was just going to go check on the pond. I have some seeds to plant and such." She smiled at the two and took another side-step back toward her bucket, being as stealthy as possible to hide that spade.

Anna remained quiet while the two professors talked. She absentmindedly stared at the ground, trying to edge her way out of the conversation as politely as possible. These two were professors, and they both probably had more important things to discuss than random chit chat with a student. She perked up when there was mention of a jungle, though. A jungle would be a fun addition to the grounds, but then again, she could imagine a lot of people getting lost in it...Professor Svensson, namely. There would also be the issue of troublemakers being able to get away with Merlin knows what in there. Still, a jungle would be pretty! She picked up on the last line of Professor Bunbury's chat with Professor Svensson.

"...but I could show sometime?" Ewww...were these two flirting with one another? Alright, that sealed the deal. Anna was a goner. She felt oddly out of place standing around while one professor delivered a flirty line like that to another professor. Maybe they weren't flirting, though. Maybe Anna was just being a silly little 18-year-old and looking into things a bit too much.

Anna smiled and nodded at Professor Bunbury. "Glad to hear you're having a nice day, then," she said. Professor Bunbury was always cool to talk to. Not to mention the fact that she was some major fashion icon or something. She was all Lyra ever really talked about, too. "I was just passing through, though. I've got some Transfiguration homework to do, so I better be on my way. It was nice getting to chat with you both!"

Lars would have been bitter about having his reading interrupted so thoroughly, except.. he had not even planned on reading. Frankly, he was just glad to not be lost in a jungle. "Right. Surrounded by... flowers. Lars glanced around and noticed that the plants were scary and dark as he imaged those in a jungle would be. "Certainly, it's pleasant," he said faintly, closing his book and stashing it back inside his pocket.

Lars looked to the herbology professor and pondered her offer. He probably ought to at least get used to the grounds now that he was going to work here. And mayhap he could get the woman to drop a few decorating tips. All two people who had been in his office thought he needed decorating tips. "A bamboo forest sounds fascinating," Lars said pensively. "Oh, there's a pond as well?!"

Ponds were good. Ponds were just wonderful! He wanted to see the pond. "Where's the pond?"

Oh. It was no wonder that Anna Greingoth was head girl. Homework had barely been assigned and she was already eager to get it done. He had been like that in his school years, Lars recalled. Granted, he had been a Ravenclaw, and his sisters had told him to, but still. "Have fun with the transfiguration homework, Miss Greingoth!" Lars said cheerfully, raising a hand to wave at the girl.

"Now--where's the pond?" And what colour goes well with canary?

Enterring the gardens, Ott looks around. Turning slightly to Lettie, he murmurs "How Beautiful..."

"Oh....oh, alright, Anna," Bunbury slowly nodded and took a step away from the girl and toward her pail. "Have fun doing.......homework."

Whatever. She was acting oddly today; perhaps the girl was hiding Plymouth Morgan in one of these trees? Greingoth always seemed to act weirder when he was around. Hmm.

"Ah, well let me show you!" Anastasia perked up a little and went to fetch her pail. She was back by Lars in a flash with her pail and the spade safely stowed inside.

The redhead gestured a little ways away to an opening in the cherry trees. "It's right over here...and I was thinking of covering some lessons on pond plants this term....there are these fantastic, giant lily pads I've been experimenting with..."

She took a step in the pond's direction and waited for the transfiguration professor to follow. Ah, more students were here now too. Wonderful....she wasn't about to jump out at them with a spade in hand.

"Yeah it is." Leticia said as she eagerly moved forward to examine some lily flowers, some of her favorites.
"You know, I love flowers and gardens, but I can never seem to keep my own plants growing and healthy...I wonder if it's the soil." Well, it was that and a mixture of impatient behavior. Flowers don't tend to grow faster if you dump an entire bucket of water over them or give them excessive sun exposure.

"I've never gotten a chance to even try to plant anything, let alone flowers. My father, always said that, planting and flowers were for women." he says quietly kneeling down and pushing his hands gently into the soil, by his knees. Careful not to disturb the flowers near him.

Letting the soil fall through his fingers, he smiles. "I'd like to try though." he murmurs.

He was sure he was lost. He had NO clue where he was. At first he had started in the common room then after about an hour he someone reached outside. Annnd he just had been walking. And now he was lost. And would probably get eaten by a bear. That or he'd starve to death! And he hadn't even made it past his first week yet!! Stopping for a second the spiky hair kid shrugged his backpack off his shoulder and took out a paper bag full of popcorn. Putting the backpack back on he continued to walk.

As Legend chewed on the popcorn he took notice that where was there were alot of trees, and flowers and grass and.....ALOT of placed for bears to hide. He was just about to turn around when he noticed two figures that looked like....adults!! He was saved!!

Legend ran toward them happily, not taking notice that his popcorn as spilling all over. "HEY! Are you guys looking for bears?" He asked trying to act cool. Pssh. He hadn't been scared at all.

Lettie looked over at Ott with a raised brow, "Woman's work eh? I'll have you know that my grandfather can keep an excellent garden. I don't know how, it could be charmed soil or whatnot, but he still manages it. I wonder what the professor would say if they heard you saying that." Leticia looked around, there was a red-haired woman and the transfiguration professor walking around, but that was it. "Hmm...I wonder who the herbology professor is?" Lettie said as she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her knees and moved over to another cute plant that squeaked a bit when she got closer.

"I'm sure you'll get the chance to try gardening or something, that's why we have this class right? To learn how to identify plants and know their characteristics and how to keep them growing?" Right? Wasn't that the point of herbology? Ah well, it would be fun anyway. 'They're so CUTE!' Lettie thought as she gently tapped one of the plants, making it give a tiny squeak.

Oh wonderful. He got to see the pond. Lars patted his pocket to make sure his book would not fall out, and then stepped carefully after the herbology professor. Carefully so that he would not squish any plants, of course. He had a feeling Bunbury would not like him anymore if he killed one of her plants. "Giant lily pads? I'd like to see those," Lars lied. He had no idea what lily pads looked like, to be honest. But maybe it was not quite a lie? He sort of wanted to know what they looked like.

Sorta.

As someone shouted, Lars spun around, his hand flying to his pocket to keep his book inside. Was that... a little boy with spilled popcorn? Oh, no. What if he started crying? Lars did not cope well with upset children. And from the looks of it, the herbology professor did not either.

"Are there bears here?"

Really. These students all knew so much more about the school than he. He had so much to learn, it was slightly embarassing.

Looking up at her, "I didn't mean that I believed that, really. I would like to know more, about gardening and Herbology."

"I wonder if there is supplies to even start a plant now..." he wonders aloud, brushing his hands off. He stands up and looks around some more.

"Then maybe we should meet the professor." Lettie said as she looked up from the cute squeaking plants for a moment. "Ooooo, Flutterby plants!" She said and half jogged over to the lovely rows that had been planted.

"These must not have been here long." Leticia said, tilting her head sideways as she spotted one with some kind of brand in the side of the base. 'Hmmm...'. "Are you sure that's what you want? To start right away? I mean, I'd at least like to know what I'm doing first." She glanced over at the puffapod next to the Flutterby, that one didn't have the mark on it, but the Puffapod on the other side did. Leticia nearly asked Ott for his opinion, but stopped herself.
"In any case, I'm sure you will be able to keep your plant alive longer than I can keep mine going."

Looking back to see if Lars was following, Anastasia took a few more steps toward the pond. "Great," she said cheerfully, swinging the pail a little. "It's right over......."

She trailed off with an open mouth at the sight of a young boy bounding over just then, an adventurous backpack with him and a big, hot bag of popcorn. Hot popcorn, spilling all over her precious garden. Ohnohedidnnnn!!11!!1!

"YOU." The redhead marched over to the young boy and yanked his popcorn right out of his hand, dumping the entire package into her pail before shoving the empty thing back into his hand. "Firstly, if there were any bears here," which wasn't a half-bad idea, actually, she'd have to mention it to Morgan, "you would have just alerted every single one to our location by leaving a lovely little trail of POPCORN behind you."

What was this, Hansel and Gretel?! Goldilocks?! Since when did children find it appropriate to carry snacks all across the castle and to the grounds and all around her precious garden????! Honestly, this boy was making paths like one of those muddy kids in that Family Circus Muggle comic strip.

"What is your name, boy?" Bunbunz rested her free hand on her hip as the pail swung from her other one. "And what's your House? Have you not been educated that it is most unhealthy to bring contaminants -- especially food -- from one environment into another? Do you not realize the potential damaging effects of your popcorn, which may or may not truly be organic, on the precious ecosystem of this here garden??!!"

Yeah she was just warming up.

"Flutterby's?" he asks coming over to where she was. "I know I should wait, and knowing me, I'll kill it right away, I bet. But I'd like to try my hand at it I guess." he shrugs.

"Yes, Flutterbys." Lettie said and pointed to the one in front of her; the girl touched it a little bit and it shook like it was trying to get something off of it.
"They're nice and pretty for gardens." Leticia said, "My aunt has a few. And you won't kill the plant right away, you seem interested in wanting to learn about it, so you'd probably do quite well."

She sighed a tiny bit, "Me on the other hand, I'd probably drown it, or burn it up from too much sun." Lettie couldn't help but grin, but her attention wandered over to the red-haired lady that was scolding some other student. Leaning over towards Ott, she whispered, "Ott! Is that our teacher?" She stared at the woman from beside the Puffapods and Flutterbys. Not that the woman looked mean, she was just loud.

"Cool!" he exclaims, when she touched it gently and it moved by itself. "It looks kind of like fairies wings..."

"Perhaps, you'll need more tutoring?" he asks with a wink and a sly grin. Following where she's looking, he looks at the woman, scolding the young student, looking down at her feet he sees the Pink boots. "Umm, are you sure, I wouldn't think a Herbology professor would wear those in the gardens."

Legend shrugged at the man Professor. He knew he had a name. He had went to his class. Where he had eaten a gummy worm, but at the moment the name slipped his mind. "I dunno! Don't you? Mr...." Why in the world was the PROFESSOR asking him? Jeesh, and he thought people at Hogwarts were smart.

Legend was just about to grab a handful of popcorn when the redheaded pointy lady Professor that he had seen at the feast came charging at him."Prove it!" He replied simply.There were bears wherever there were trees and food. He had learned that on Muggle Television so if this lady was going to tell him that even though there were TREES and food around there and were still no bears she would have to have proof.

The first year was shocked. She had just wasted his popcorn!! He liked popcorn! It wasn't his favorite food but..it was yummy. And she had just wasted a whole bunch of it. "Hey! Your gonna have to pay me back for that." He said ignoring whatever she said about a trail. Hello it was NOT his fault that popcorn fell. The birds would eat it anyways. If anything he was doing the groundskeeper a favor.

The Professor was obviously annoyed. It didn't bother Legend though. She didn't scare him. Setting his 'bring it on face' he crossed his arms. "Legend Chosen. Gryffindor. And no because that's stupid. That's one of the stupidest things I have ever heard an adult say. Popcorn comes from the ground. So technically it is organic annd I don't even know what the eco-whatever is!" Legend took a deep breath before giving her a big fake grin. "So whats you're name?

Satine hoped down to the Secret Garden. She was so excited to finally have a long enough break to come see the Garden. She had read tons about it and enjoyed the pictures in the Wizards & Gardens that showed a lovely path of flutterbies and puffapods of all shades with beautiful butterflies and fairies flying around....she knew instantly that this could possibly be her favorite place in the castle...she absolutely loved butterflies...

As soon as the Transfiguration Professor had announced the homework assignment, she knew where she wanted to go to find something to practice on.

She walked down the walk way enjoying all of the beautiful sights in the garden...she was happy that it wasn't very busy but really wished more students could treasure such a beautiful place....as she walked she looked left and right looking for something to make disappear....she practiced the hand motion with her wand...small tight circles over and over again...then she practiced the word making sure that she said it correctly...

She decided to find something that didn't move to start with and then to challenge herself with something that moved...just as she thought it, she saw a weed with huge thorns that almost dripped with ooze that had sprouted between two flutterbies...surely no one would miss that hideous thing....

Concentrating really hard she leaned down towards the weed and flicked her wand in a tight circle saying the spell very clear and precise, "Evanesco." The weed shook a little bit and then "poof" was gone...

"Well that wasn't too bad" she thought...she hoped further down the path looking for her next target...

"Any more tutoring and I wouldn't get a moment of peace." Lettie said as she nudged him in the ribs. She looked over and saw the ladies boots. They were pretty boots as far as Leticia was concerned, and why shouldn't a professor wear them in the garden? It was the woman's class after all.

Thinking, Lettie looked around and spotted a bright pink tool shed, and pink benches. "Um, I think that is our professor." She said quietly and looked to the lady again, "And I'm guessing that she is awfully fond of pink. But I don't think right now is a good time to say 'hi'."