What in particular could be today’s topic of Divination that the lesson had to be held out by the greenhouses? This was what Aria wondered as she skipped her way to meet Professor Euka. Trying to decipher the question on her mind, the Slytherin took a look around for clues. Of course there were the plants about, the meditating professor and… a tent. Hmm!

Aria eased up with her bounciness as she stepped closer in Euka’s direction. One did not simply disturb another when they were meditating, you know. For that reason she said nothing in greeting. Instead she simply stood there bobbing her head as though she was listening to music. Actually, she could hear a particular song by The Kings and Serpents in her mind.

Delilah didn't really know how she felt about Divination. On one hand, it was kind of neat to see where her future might take her. On the other hand, she only believed about two percent of it. Oh, well. It is what it is. She was already signed up for it and most of the way through the year. Maybe if she stuck with it long enough, she'd find a liking for it.

Apparently they were doing some kind of plant divination today. "Hello, Professor," she said, as she walked closer to the greenhouses before coming to a stop. She just kind of stood there awkwardly as she debated on whether or not it was okay to talk...or who she could even talk to.

A girl of few friends, she was.

Heading down to the greenhouses with his hands in his pockets, Atlas was mostly looking forward to what sort of nuggets he could torment his dad with in his next letter home. With an imagination that ran rampant as much as a Flamsteed imagination, especially with Aries for a brother, Divination was kind of a breeze. He just wished that today was not being held outside...here...with the greenhouse looming in the background. He still felt guilty about the whole fire and explosions and destruction from last term and himself being SO eager to participate. Auntie June had forgiven him and everything, entirely too compassionate in a moment he had wanted someone to yell at him, but he still felt...awful.

At least he had been able to make up some of that in all the help he had been putting into the greenhouses' restorations and such. He was actually NOT killing plants now too during replanting and all that. So...yay?

"Hiya, professor," he greeted somewhat boisterously, not realizing the woman was meditating (something he only was able to acknowledge and recognize because his mum did it a lot) and retreating his neck between his shoulders when that realization hit. And just how quiet the others were being. "...are we supposed to do that too?" he asked Delilah, nudging her with his elbow and nodding his head towards Professor Euka. "...I think we are supposed to do that too. Become one with the dirt...or something."

So...that was what Atlas did. He sat down on the ground and folded his legs into a comfortable position.

Despite the fact it was in the afternoon, Daniel appeared tired. As he approached the location of today's Divination class, he yawned behind his hand every now and then. Perhaps staying up all night to finish his book wasn't such a good idea. But it had all been worthwhile. The ending of book one had been a major cliffhanger, and he was considering starting the next book in the evening.

The Hufflepuff put his hands deep in his pockets as he looked around, wondering as to why they were this close to greenhouses and a tent for this particular lesson. Daniel didn't say anything because the professor was meditating and took his arms out of his pockets before crossing them in front of his chest as he waited.

The weather was beginning to get better so Lisa didn’t mind heading outside to the Greenhouses for their Divination lesson. Afternoons were beautiful in spring. She thought of that amongst other things as she journeyed towards her destination.

She saw Professor Euka standing outside of the greenhouses and noted a tent set up near her. Intriguing… Were they going to be divining weather patterns or the blades of glass below them? She cast her gaze towards the Professor and offered a warm greeting. “Hi Professor!” she greeted loudly before curbing her voice because the woman seemed focused. “Oops… sorry!” Her cheeks flushed a bright red before she awkwardly side stepped a little away. Aria, Delilah, Atlas, and Daniel had arrived before her so each got a smile.

She stopped her awkwardness when she finally stood next to Daniel. Huh? He looked… tired? She did note his stance with arms folded across his chest. She mirrored his stance (arms folded and all) before she nudged him with her elbow in greeting. Then she turned her brown eyes to land on Atlas who brought an amused smile to her lips. She saw him already on the ground meditating. He was always ready to get into the activity at hand. She would have said more to him but didn’t wish to disturb instead she just smiled in his direction and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Then she quietly cleared her throat and turned her attention towards Aria and Daniel. “Wanna join in the meditation too?” she suggested before throwing a teasing smirk in Daniel’s direction. “I swear it’s better than the parties Maya and I have dragged you too.”

As much as Milo did not want to sit in a classroom and learn about Divination, part of the agreement was that he would take the subject even if just for a little while. Having a similar disinterest in most of the curriculum, it was ultimately no different for him to turn up to these lessons. And anyway, it wasn't a classroom this afternoon, though the grounds were worse in their own way.

It was warm enough that he was back to going shoeless - this had been decided about mid-February, when it was still absolutely not warm enough - and also that he had rolled his shirt sleeves to his elbows and his school trousers up to the knee and held all the bunched fabric in place with spellotape. For maximum protection, Milo had pulled his socks - one green and purple, the other purple and green - up his calves as high as they would go. Euka was Head Hufflepuff, after all.

Wordlessly joining the group, Milo sent that one Hufflepuff, Daniel (if that was his real name), a brief but heavy side-eye, before moving to stand on the other side of the Slytherin girl, all the better to make use of her human shield attributes at any given moment.

Summer was still trying to figure out, how her first year at Hogwarts was going so fast, it was strange, she was starting to wonder if her mother felt like this when she came to Hogwarts.

Summer smiled as she walked towards the group of people on the grounds, she noticed a tent and then she noticed a group of students and the Professor meditation, She was about to great the Professor as well, but stopped, it was rude to interupt someone meditation right, so she just stood there, scuffing her feet, not knowing exactly what to do.

Lisa's impersonation of his stance elicited a slight smirk from him before he rubbed his arm as she nudged it with her elbow. He was about to greet her when he noticed that she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear while her cheeks were flushed. He frowned a little as he followed her gaze to see that she was looking at Atlas .....What was that about?

Her words jolted him out of his thoughts when she invited him and Aria to join in the meditation. Daniel gazed down at Atlas already seated on the ground before he scoffed and turned his head away. "I refuse" he said, missing the side-eye given to him by the strange first-year Ravenclaw. Unless the professor directly instructed them to participate in the meditation, he would not join -_-

Divination was such a weird subject to Hooper. Like, was it really real? Because everything his mother had told him about fortune tellers, horoscopes and all that jazz was that it was super, super fake and that people who try to sell you that mumbo-jumbo were trying to scam you. So, like, why was it a subject here if it wasn’t real? Surely some of it had to be real? All of this was bouncing around the noggin of Hooper as he headed down towards the greenhouses with a slight skip in his step despite the slight crispness in the air.

“Hey Professor? How’s it going? You look super chill today! Doesn’t that get boring like?” All of this shot out of Hooper’s mouth in a split second as his eyes found the divination teacher meditating near the greenhouses and his feet carried him past her towards some of the other students.

“S’up Delilah. How’s it going?”, he asked as he settled next to the other first year Gryffindor as his eyes moved towards the rest of the students there. Was she standing there awkwardly? He had no idea although that could have been to do with the fact he was about as observant as a magpie surround by shiny things.

She sensed students coming, but gave a few more minutes of her meditation before getting up, seeing Aria she got up off the ground and smiled. "Good afternoon Aria, isn't it just a lovely day." Stretching just a bit she grinned seeing Aries getting down to meditate, "Meditation helps me focus and get prepared for what is to come. If you want to take a few moments to do the same Atlas, that is fine with me. Hello Delilah, how are you today?"

Seeing others come she smiled, she gave Daniel a nod since he didn't speak and turned when she heard another voice. "We have time for meditation Lisa if you would like to join." Giving Milo and Summer a nod she turned as she heard the next voice.

"Meditation is not boring at all, it actually really opens the senses and leaves you very relaxed." She smiled and answered Hooper .

"Alright class, I think that is enough meditation for now, if you were doing so while waiting we can all get up. We won't be standing here for long. I've brought you out to the greenhouses today, because in divination it isn't just the appreciation of the reading that is important, but also a connection to the process. As we head into this greenhouse today, I'd like you to tell me what you think we might be doing here at the greenhouses and why it goes with divination."

Turning she opened the door of the greenhouse and motioned for the students to head in.

Meditation was soooo boring! Kinsay James had a difficult time sitting still in the first place and to do that now? While they were outside? Where SO much was happening around them? Impossible. Professor Euka was really asking for a miracle each time she insisted they do things like this. Honestly.

So Kinsay was pretty eager to get up onto her feet again and though she really hadn't the faintest clue as to why they were heading into the greenhouses today, she filed in behind others and offered Professor Euka a polite thanks for opening the door. "Are we here for the aesthetic?" That was an answer Kinsay would willingly accept, tbh. Aesthetic was important. She could respect that.

But what it had to do with divination? Not a clue.

Aria was glad she had the sense to not disturb Euka. Maybe the woman had been having some stressful times and needed to recharge and meditation was her way to do so. Still, Aria beamed when the professor got to her feet. “Hi, professor! Yes, it is! The perfect weather for Divination.” Or for most things, actually. She greeted Lisa with a happy smile as she still bobbed her head along to the music only she could hear.

The Slytherin considered the question. As she walked through the door of the greenhouse, a hand was raised and she waited to be called upon. “Being surrounded by plants helps us to be calm, so we’re possibly using them for that reason?”

Summer was looking at the Professor, now what would a greenhouse have to do with divination, she rattled her brain and then she raised her hand as she blurted out without really thinking about it. "Maybe we are chopping down trees and using some of them to make something that could be used to see into the future, or open our minds?" Summer would love to make a crystal ball from trees or plants.

Staring at the Professor for a moment, Hooper tried to imagine himself sitting there on the floor with his legs crossed and his eyes closed and he just…couldn’t. Sure, he could sit still but that was such a waste of time and effort. Sleeping is the right time to relax.

Still whistling a cheerful tune, Hooper waited for everyone to get up and then followed the crowd into the greenhouses and his mind bounced over a few different responses to the Professor’s question. “Uhhh…I have no idea. Sorry Professor. I guess we could be here because some of the plants help us focus more or something? Like, y’know how some people like to drink tea that helps them stay calm and focus? Well, that all comes from leaves and stuff. I’m not really allowed tea because of the caffeine. Dad say’s I already bounce off all the walls as it is so giving me caffeine would be like giving it to a squirrel or something,” Hooper explained with a wide smile across his lips. Caffeine sounded like so much fun.

Lisa rolled her eyes LOUDLY at Daniel’s response. “Party Pooper,” she commented lamely with a hair toss before pouring at him. She hoped that the sad sad face that she gave him would be more of a persuasion. His response did give her pause in meditating so she remained by his side… unfortunately.

Fortunately the Professor began to speak.

The first question had been asked and answers had been given. “Are we going to read the leaves and shapes of plants to determine something?” she mused.

Moving into the greenhouse Meda took a deep breath in and took in all the scents that were coming around her. The smell of lavender, basil, and so many other fragrances always brought a smile to her face.

Turning to face the class as they came into the greenhouse she nodded, "Kinsay that is a great guess, but it isn't why we are here today." Her smile grew as the next one answered, "Aria that is a great guess and yes plants do bring a sense of calm and awakening with their scents. Plants, especially certain kinds are used for so many things not just to look nice. They are used in oils for healing, their leaves are used in teas, they can be used for so many things. We will be using some of the plants in here today for Divination."

Pointing at another student who had their hand raise she shook her head, "Oh no, Summer, I would never cut down any trees without good reason. They won't be used for Divination if we destroy them." She could really see why Hooper wasn't allowed Caffeine but she smiled anyway, "You are right in a way Hooper, we will be having tea, but we are taking it a bit farther than just having the tea today, very good Lisa, reading tea leaves is exactly the divination we will get to."


"I wanted to really show you the process that leaves go through to get to the part of reading them. So what better way then you picking your tea leaves right from the plant and going through all the steps to making the tea. No worries Hooper we can do a decaf for you." She'd have a potion for that if necessary. "So the first thing you will need to do is walk around the garden, this greenhouse is great for teas, it is all the herbs you could ask for. Pick what you would like your tea to be and take at least six to eight leaves. If you are mixing plants, make sure they are ones that will go together and only take half the amount of leaves from each."

She pulled up a little box that had tea combination cards for those who might not know which tea leaves went together.

Delilah was starting to get lost in thought, when she heard her name. Oh, look. It was Hooper! Delilah passed him a grin. She was just about to strike up conversation with him when...



...the professor went ahead and started class.

Meditation? Were they supposed to be meditating? Delilah hadn't been, but it didn't seem like it mattered anyway. The first question of the lesson had been tossed out at them. She didn't really know enough about Divination to guess what they'd be doing, so instead, she listened to the others and tried to gather a few mental notes. Maybe they were studying leaves? Or the size of plants? Or dead leaves? That'd be depressing...



Oh. Reading tea leaves. Delilah had actually heard a little about that. The only problem was...she didn't know which leaves for good for picking and which ones were...well, something like poison ivy.

Almost as if the professor could read her mind (heh...Divination), a little was pulled out that contained just what she needed. Excellent. Delilah went and got a card and started her walk around the greenhouse.

Ohh, lavender! She definitely needed some of that! Calmness and all. She picked two of the leaves before heading on. Lemon verbena? Eww. Delilah had never even tried it, but she hated everything lemon, so there was that. She skipped over the lemon verbena.

NEXT.

The first year thought mint would be a good addition to tea, so she picked a few of those leaves, too. Finally, she chose two chamomile leaves, making the grand total six. So her tea would help with calmness, help her feel healthy, and it would help her sleep. Perfect.

........ well....FINE then.

Maybe next time he wouldn't make his elbow nudge so gentle and turn it into a proper jab.

Disgruntled and in a state where no amount of meditation was going to cool his glare, Atlas tried to redirect that energy somewhere else and Lisa came in a clutch. Lisa always heard him, though Maya's voice was still quite loud in the back of his head every time they hung out, and it had the Gryffindor regretting his particular placement on the ground. Not even Daniel was a deal breaker - progress? Possibly.

Deciding that, upon the professor's encouragement, he did not actually want to meditate...Atlas pushed himself up from the ground and migrated closer to Lisa and crotchety Daniel. Just not...too close. Not yet at least.

Missing the entire first question during his movement (but nodding and smiling in agreement at Lisa for her comment of 'Party Pooper' with regards to Daniel), Atlas' attention went back to the professor when she mentioned tea and picking leaves and flowers and everything for tea. THIS was something he could do and do...moderately well. Auntie June had taught himself, Aries, and Andromeda a long time ago and they often made special brews for mum and dad for birthdays and such. Which was why his chest puffed out a fair bit and his lips even curled into a small grin.

"Hey," he nudged his Ravenclaw girl SPACE friend with his elbow. "Wanna pair up? I'll make a blend of tea in your image and you one in mine? Can have a tea party later, maybe." AND, for emphasis, he offered his hand to Lisa to take...or high five...or something. Also, he was hitting all those notes Maya had given him while NOT being a Party Pooper.

Karleigh had not been meditating, but she wouldn't dare be rude about it either. If that was what they were supposed to be doing, then she would, without complaint. It might not be her type of fun, but different people were allowed to like different things. But apparently that wasn't necessary for today's class anyway as they were going to be picking their own tea leaves, which was really kind of neat. She liked reading tea leaves, even if she wasn't great at it.

She followed the class into the greenhouse and looked around as she listened to the instructions. The fifth year had an idea about what leaves she wanted to pick, but that made her think of a question. "Professor, do different leaves mean different things when divining? Or do they all pretty much mean the same thing when reading the leaves?" That might make her choose something different, but for now she started to select some chamomile and stevia leaves, thinking the combination would be nice and just the right amount of sweet.

Her response was partially correct and that was good enough for Aria. As for them using plants for the lesson today, it was something she had already guessed though she could not figure out HOW they would be doing so. Would they be using it in teas? Grounding up the leaves to release the scent? The possibilities were endless. Lisa happened to hit the jackpot with her answer, so that eventually answered to Aria’s curiosity.

They get to pick their own leaves? Exciting! Aria wasn’t that knowledgeable on what leaves went well together so the cards came in handy. With the cards, she was able to identify the leaves in the greenhouse, two in particular holding her attention: chamomile and stevia. The Slytherin adored chamomile so she picked that first - four leaves. Now, stevia was one that she had never tried, at least not intentionally. She had a Muggle friend who used stevia. Said Muggle friend was a diabetic, so Aria knew that stevia was a natural sweetener. Four leaves from a stevia plant were picked.

This was going to be one cup of delicious tea for the perfect reading.

Hooper had missed the small smile that the Professor had given him because his eyes were too busy roaming the room but he did manage to turn back and nod and smile at her reply. “Oh! Sweet! So I was kind of right in a way. Divination BOSS!” and with a wide grin, he gave a little jump and self-fived himself.

“Awwww no Professor! Are you serious?! C’mon, can I just have normal tea? My Dad won’t knooooooow?” his attention fully on her now as she told him he’d had to have decaf. Why did he have to go and blab like that? Resigned to the fact that he would most likely be having caffeine free tea, Hooper shuffled over to the leaves, unsure exactly which were which and began picking them just like the rest of the kids, only with a little less enthusiasm.

Without actually attempting to really grab anything in particular, the first year managed to pick some lemon verbena leaves and a few chamomile leaves too before he headed over to the direction of Delilah. “Psssst, Delilah…can I have some of your tea if it’s got caffeine in it?” he whispered conspiratorially to her. She’d let him have some, right?

Somewhere in there, Milo had appropriated a purple pansy and secured it in one of his shirt buttonholes by the stem, after first removing the button. His attention had drifted further than his physical body, but both returned a few minutes later.

Only to wander again, this time upon instruction. "I don't like tea," he said quietly, to nobody in particular, stopping by the sage plant with which he was well acquainted. He picked off some leaves but stopped at five, touching them only with the very tips of his fingernails and tucking them into his rolled up sleeves until they were to be readied for the sacrificial steeping.

Meda walked around as they gathered their leaves she even picked a few herself. She went more with the peppermint leaves with a hint of basil. That was her favorite combination and one that had many health benefits as well as good leaves for reading. "No, there isn't a difference between leaves when it comes to reading, though I do like to find the plants that have bigger leaves so when they get wet they won't as easily shrink together." she answered Karleigh's question as she finished gathering her leaves.

She couldn't help the smile as she heard some talking (Atlas) to their friends, the creativity was a wonderful bonus to the lesson at hand, though the smile didn't stick when she her Hooper whining, "Please Hooper we do not whine in this class. I will leave it up to you on which tea you drink, but rules will be followed in my classroom." Even though her classroom was not here, but it was a class being held.

"Did you have a question Milo?" She had noticed his lips moving, but hadn't heard what he had said over Hooper so she wanted to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

"Class once you are done collecting your leaves we will move to the tent that I have set up outside of the greenhouse. There are work stations there with everything you will need for the rest of the lesson. While we walk over could anyone tell me what they know about Tasseography and why it is useful?"

Aria kept the eight leaves safely in a palm, though she was careful not to squish them. Sure, they would no longer look like leaves soon but for now, they were. But the tent… so THAT’S what it was set up for! She could hardly wait to get started at one of the workstations! Aria wandered back over to where she had been standing when they all entered the greenhouse.

Tasseography. “In addition to using tea leaves, the process can also make use of coffee grounds, professor,’’ the Slytherin piped up after raising her clenched fist which held the leaves. She didn’t know why but she preferred the tea leaves method. Maybe this was because she loved this particular beverage.