Banished: Chapter 18
Apr. 22nd, 2007 08:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zephyr_macabeeSee Chapter 1 for Summary and Disclaimer
After changing back into jeans and putting on his work boots, Severus gathered up his hat and neckerchief. Stepping outside, he apparated to Granny’s yard. The heat was intense and he stepped into the shade of a cottonwood tree before he called out.
“My Lady? I’m here to start work.”
Granny appeared at her doorway, wiping flour off her hands. “Come in child, it is far too hot to be outside. Oh my, it is barely June and already unbearable.”
Severus entered the cool dark of the cabin. Granny instructed him to sit at the table.
“We need to discuss our summer project and then I will show you around my work room. During the summer we must adjust our working hours to allow for the heat. I hope you are an early riser. The garden needs daily tending and I like to begin at 6, working until 11 or 12, then a break until 4, when the worst of the heat is over, and back outside until 6. Then we clean up and go to dinner. How does that sound to you?”
“I was outside this morning before 6, it was very pleasant. The hours sound fine.”
“Good, we’ll start tomorrow. Now what did Headmistress Twofeathers and Josefa tell you about my work?”
“You are cataloguing native plants used in magical and non-magical potions by the natives of North and South America and you are researching forgotten potions.”
“Exactly right, I have traveled from Alaska to Patagonia, collecting plants and interviewing shamans and herbalists. I brought back seeds to grow in my garden, dried plants for my storeroom and drawings galore. There are boxes of interview notes that need to be transcribed and organized and many potions recipes to try out. Do you think this could hold your interest until the school year begins in September?”
Severus was enthralled by the possibilities, so much ancient wisdom now forgotten but waiting to be rediscovered.
Granny laughed, “I think I’ve caught your interest, yes indeed. We will have a graduate student working with us, a computer expert who is going to start digitizing my archives.” At Severus’ blank look she explained. “He is going to put my data into the computer, so that it will be preserved and can be shared more easily. Alan Daniels is his name. He is taking a short vacation but will join us next week.”
She then took Severus to her workshop, behind the cabin. It made clever use of wizard space, appearing as a small shed on the outside, but opening to an expansive laboratory within. An intricate system of movable racks held thousands of dried plant specimens, each carefully labeled with details of where and how it was collected. Each label bore a code, which, Granny explained, indicated which notebook contained the information on known or suspected uses of the plant. The notebooks themselves were stored in floor-to-ceiling bookcases lining the walls. A complete potions laboratory, larger than his lab in Haring Hall, filled the center of the room. A steep staircase led down to a vast storage room. It was deep enough underground so that the temperature and humidity were constant, making it an ideal place to preserve potions. Severus thought it was the finest research space he had ever seen.
By the time the tour and orientation was complete, it was well past four. They left the workshop, stopped in the cabin to don hats and sunglasses, then walked outside to the garden. It was still hot, but the sun was dropping in the west and a breeze had sprung up. Granny walked him up and down the rows of plants. There were raised beds, densely planted, and individual hillocks, each with only a single plant. There were shade arbors protecting some, while others were in the full glare of the sun. Some he recognized, but most he did not. The garden stretched out far into the distance. All around the periphery were multiple rows of corn stalks, already tall, which shielded the garden from the road.
“Corn is a very important crop here, Severus, we use every bit: pollen, silk, husks, kernels, cob and stalk. It feeds us, but it also has an important role in rituals. It requires constant care to thrive in such a harsh environment. A good piece of your daily work will be caring for the corn and the other plants of the garden. We limit the amount of magic we use around the plants because it seems to reduce the magic within them. So, no weeding charms, we use a hoe. Watering is done with an irrigation system, but you will need to open and close channels to guide the water. Some of the delicate plants we must water by hand, they are all close to the house and the well.”
Granny showed Severus where the garden tools were stored, handing him a pair of leather gloves and a sturdy hoe. Gathering the same for herself, she started him among the corn stalks, showing him how to dig out the weeds without disturbing the roots of the corn. Once he had demonstrated the ability to discriminate between weeds and desirable plants, she left him to his work. Alone in the garden, he pushed himself to go faster, until he was sweating and breathless. After an hour, Granny came out to scold him.
“Slow down Severus, you cannot finish the garden in a day. When you reach the end you just begin again, so pace yourself. You’ll end up with blisters and heat stroke and then where will I be?” She laughed and offered him a glass of cold lemonade. It tasted like the finest wine. Reminding him of the need to drink lots of water, she told him to work for another half hour and then come inside. He did as instructed, cleaning and sharpening his hoe before putting it away, then washing the dust and sweat from his face and hands in the wash house. Inside the cabin, Granny had dinner waiting, beef stew with dumplings, succotash and a berry cobbler for dessert.
“Don’t expect this every night Severus, but tonight we celebrate the start of our project.” Seating themselves, they enjoyed a hearty meal while discussing modern potions theory. After dinner, Severus helped with the dishes before wishing Granny a good evening and apparating back to campus. They were both very well-pleased with the day.
http://zephyr-macabee.livejournal.com/10219.html
“My Lady? I’m here to start work.”
Granny appeared at her doorway, wiping flour off her hands. “Come in child, it is far too hot to be outside. Oh my, it is barely June and already unbearable.”
Severus entered the cool dark of the cabin. Granny instructed him to sit at the table.
“We need to discuss our summer project and then I will show you around my work room. During the summer we must adjust our working hours to allow for the heat. I hope you are an early riser. The garden needs daily tending and I like to begin at 6, working until 11 or 12, then a break until 4, when the worst of the heat is over, and back outside until 6. Then we clean up and go to dinner. How does that sound to you?”
“I was outside this morning before 6, it was very pleasant. The hours sound fine.”
“Good, we’ll start tomorrow. Now what did Headmistress Twofeathers and Josefa tell you about my work?”
“You are cataloguing native plants used in magical and non-magical potions by the natives of North and South America and you are researching forgotten potions.”
“Exactly right, I have traveled from Alaska to Patagonia, collecting plants and interviewing shamans and herbalists. I brought back seeds to grow in my garden, dried plants for my storeroom and drawings galore. There are boxes of interview notes that need to be transcribed and organized and many potions recipes to try out. Do you think this could hold your interest until the school year begins in September?”
Severus was enthralled by the possibilities, so much ancient wisdom now forgotten but waiting to be rediscovered.
Granny laughed, “I think I’ve caught your interest, yes indeed. We will have a graduate student working with us, a computer expert who is going to start digitizing my archives.” At Severus’ blank look she explained. “He is going to put my data into the computer, so that it will be preserved and can be shared more easily. Alan Daniels is his name. He is taking a short vacation but will join us next week.”
She then took Severus to her workshop, behind the cabin. It made clever use of wizard space, appearing as a small shed on the outside, but opening to an expansive laboratory within. An intricate system of movable racks held thousands of dried plant specimens, each carefully labeled with details of where and how it was collected. Each label bore a code, which, Granny explained, indicated which notebook contained the information on known or suspected uses of the plant. The notebooks themselves were stored in floor-to-ceiling bookcases lining the walls. A complete potions laboratory, larger than his lab in Haring Hall, filled the center of the room. A steep staircase led down to a vast storage room. It was deep enough underground so that the temperature and humidity were constant, making it an ideal place to preserve potions. Severus thought it was the finest research space he had ever seen.
By the time the tour and orientation was complete, it was well past four. They left the workshop, stopped in the cabin to don hats and sunglasses, then walked outside to the garden. It was still hot, but the sun was dropping in the west and a breeze had sprung up. Granny walked him up and down the rows of plants. There were raised beds, densely planted, and individual hillocks, each with only a single plant. There were shade arbors protecting some, while others were in the full glare of the sun. Some he recognized, but most he did not. The garden stretched out far into the distance. All around the periphery were multiple rows of corn stalks, already tall, which shielded the garden from the road.
“Corn is a very important crop here, Severus, we use every bit: pollen, silk, husks, kernels, cob and stalk. It feeds us, but it also has an important role in rituals. It requires constant care to thrive in such a harsh environment. A good piece of your daily work will be caring for the corn and the other plants of the garden. We limit the amount of magic we use around the plants because it seems to reduce the magic within them. So, no weeding charms, we use a hoe. Watering is done with an irrigation system, but you will need to open and close channels to guide the water. Some of the delicate plants we must water by hand, they are all close to the house and the well.”
Granny showed Severus where the garden tools were stored, handing him a pair of leather gloves and a sturdy hoe. Gathering the same for herself, she started him among the corn stalks, showing him how to dig out the weeds without disturbing the roots of the corn. Once he had demonstrated the ability to discriminate between weeds and desirable plants, she left him to his work. Alone in the garden, he pushed himself to go faster, until he was sweating and breathless. After an hour, Granny came out to scold him.
“Slow down Severus, you cannot finish the garden in a day. When you reach the end you just begin again, so pace yourself. You’ll end up with blisters and heat stroke and then where will I be?” She laughed and offered him a glass of cold lemonade. It tasted like the finest wine. Reminding him of the need to drink lots of water, she told him to work for another half hour and then come inside. He did as instructed, cleaning and sharpening his hoe before putting it away, then washing the dust and sweat from his face and hands in the wash house. Inside the cabin, Granny had dinner waiting, beef stew with dumplings, succotash and a berry cobbler for dessert.
“Don’t expect this every night Severus, but tonight we celebrate the start of our project.” Seating themselves, they enjoyed a hearty meal while discussing modern potions theory. After dinner, Severus helped with the dishes before wishing Granny a good evening and apparating back to campus. They were both very well-pleased with the day.
http://zephyr-macabee.livejournal.com/10219.html
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-04-23 07:21 pm (UTC)Which is why my friends know better than to ask me to help in the garden.
When I grew a garden myself, I let the weeds grow up until I could actually identify them and only then did I get rid of them.
So, SS is going to be workign closely with Granny, eh? She'll tone him down. :-)
Love the description of the garden shed. I could use one of those.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-24 01:24 am (UTC)