Silently the senses, abandon their defences (Josh)

Shallow roots, the witch frowned, taking in the small, spindly things poking out form a solid foot of earth elevated above her head. It hadn't taken long for Azalea to decide that the problem was in the roots. It had however, taken her a while to figure out how to fix it without uprooting the whole bed.

But in the end, the old adage of if you can't go over it, go under it had made the most sense. The brunette had taken a very literal approach to the anecdote, using her vines to lift the whole bed complete with roots just enough off the ground for herself to slide under and take a closer look. The disease would be better observed in its natural habitat.

Where it had originally started from.

Clad in her usual jeans and a dark red top, the witch looked a little worse for wear, the dirt and muck underneath a flowerbed sticking to her clothes. The look was completed by her specially made dragonhide glove, a gift from Victoria on her nineteenth birthday.

The witch almost missed the opening of the door, so engrossed was she in examining the white edging the otherwise dark roots of the plant. Here on her back, the witch could see clearly where the infestation had started, and where it was headed.

"Come on in," she called out, sticking a slender wrist from underneath the flowerbed to let the newcomer know she was there. "Just give me a minute and I'll be right out," she added, her eyes not leaving the roots even as she spoke.

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Silently the senses, abandon their defences (Josh) Rsz_gr10

Silently the senses, abandon their defences (Josh) Rsz_az10

Silently the senses, abandon their defences (Josh) Rsz_li10

The start of the year had been nothing short of disappointing, but then, everything was disappointing to Josh when he went from a summer of complete freedom to the other end of the spectrum and being expected to turn up to classes that were as dull as they were long.

Except perhaps one class.

The Slytherin had moved towards the class, the house elves saying they'd prepared the display, though his Azalea was already there. Too busy working on her plants, some insignificant elf had told him, but alone. The Murray heir had heard enough, and quickly made his way down to the greenhouses.

"Come on in,"

The statement was unnecessary, if truth be told, Josh was already through the door, and the vast expanse of rare plants sat on Azalea's desk. A smirk of satisfaction touched Josh's features at the site, it was perfect really, everything his Azalea could ever want.

"Just give me a minute and I'll be right out,"

"There's no rush, A-Azalea." Josh replied, closing his eyes momentarily to shake himself. It had been too long since he'd been capable of saying her name properly. Had he ever been capable? The Murray heir couldn't remember as he opened his eyes. His eyes moved to the mound of dirt, trying to catch site of the witch beneath. But it was of little use.

"I brought you your birthday present, albeit late." Josh informed the witch, a hint of tenderness in his tones.

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"There's no rush, A-Azalea."

The slight stutter was barely noticed by the witch as she continued to examine the white areas of the root. The infection was bad, but nowhere near as bad as it should be, witch made the witch frown.

"Josh, could you please hand me the flashlight," she asked, her voice muffled as it came from underneath the levitated bed of earth. Once again, the witch extended a hand from below the flowerbed, waiting for the Slytherin to comply.

"I brought you your birthday present, albeit late."

The witch's eyebrow rose in surprise at the declaration before it was replaced by a smile. "Thank you," she called out into the dark. "How did you know it was my birthday a while ago?" she asked, wondering if it was wiser to coax the tiny insects out with a touch or magic.

"You didn't have get me a present," she added. "Its already a treat looking at these. Want to come see?" she asked offhandedly. The boy had a stronger stomach than most and Azalea could use a second opinion.

"Its a bit cramped down here though," she warned.

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"Josh, could you please hand me the flashlight,"

"Don't need a flashlight." Josh replied, getting his wand from his pocket and muttering the spell before moving towards the pile of levitating dirt. Sitting down, Josh stuck his wand under the levitating dirt, giving the light towards the root for his Azalea.

"How did you know it was my birthday a while ago?"

"Information is easily accessible at this school." Josh replied lazily, because Professor Mycroft was far too lax in his personal opinion. Though, he couldn't blame the headmaster, keeping Josh from places he shouldn't be was a difficult feat to perfect. "And the present wasn't much hassle." Josh added, she would see soon enough, Pureblood's like them had access to these things, but it was only the truly engrossed in Herbology that would understand their meaning.

At the offer to come closer Josh didn't hesitate. It took him only a few moments to shuffle under the mud pile beside his Azalea. Mud was already brushing in to his clothes and hair, the idea of which made Josh screw his nose up momentarily. It was worth it though, to be this close to his Azalea he would do anything. "Tight spaces don't bother me." Josh replied, moving his wand towards the roots and frowning slightly. "The plants seem to be dying, Professor." Josh spoke softly, looking from the plants to the professor, confusion quite clear on his features.

His Azalea had always been so tender towards her plants, how could this happen?

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"Information is easily accessible at this school."

The witch conceded to that. She supposed her birthday wasn't exactly a secret, now even less so since last year Jake had thrown the surprise party which some of the Hogwarts group had also attended.

"And the present wasn't much hassle."

"Well thank you, regardless," she replied politely, turning her body to one side to make more room as the Slytherin took her up on her invitation and slid underneath the earth clod, his wand providing the light she needed to better see the roots.

Keeping her hands above her to ensure they did not take up more room, the witch pointed to the streaks of white carefully. Josh was observant, he was right in saying that the plant was dying. The witch nodded, a stray streak of dirt on her cheek on as shuffled to accommodate the Slytherin on his back beside her.

"Yes, it is dying. But the thing that's killing it, that's what we're here for," she explained, motioning for him to point his wandlight upwards. "See those streaks of white, they're not normal woodlice. Those infect in patches. These ones are targeting only the crucial areas to abstract resources from the ground."

It seemed her suspicion was right.

"We may well be looking at a plant assassin here," she whispered, a note of awe in her voice. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

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"See those streaks of white, they're not normal woodlice. Those infect in patches. These ones are targeting only the crucial areas to abstract resources from the ground."

Josh raised his wand slightly from her direction, bringing the earthy path in to more light as he looked closely. Herbology had fast become his favourite subject at the school, in more than one manner of speaking. At the mention of the specimen before them being gorgeous, Josh's eyes moved to the witch beside him, pausing for a moment.

"I can think of much better words." Josh replied, his tone taking on the same kind of awe as the professor, even if they were talking about completely different subject matters. Even muddy, Azalea was the most exquisite specimen of a woman that he'd ever laid eyes on, so perfect in every way. So caring...

"Will you be able to save it, professor? May I help you?" Josh asked, concern in his tone, because he knew that to his Herbology teacher, losing a plant would be like losing a child to the witch beside him. And he simply wouldn't allow it.

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"I can think of much better words."

Azalea let out a soft laugh, recognizing the sarcasm in his words. She knew those things appeared less than attractive to others but she had never been normal in the sense.

"Will you be able to save it, professor? May I help you?"

"I might be," the witch replied honestly. "If we act quick. And I'd be very grateful for your help," she added, turning to smile at him.

Only to realize the space was more cramped than she'd estimated. This close... Josh Murray looked different. For the first time, he looked... grown up, not the student who frequented her class week after week.

"Hey, you got more handsome when I wasn't looking," the witch teased lightly, unable to imagine him as the twelve year old she had first gotten to know.

Turning back to the matter at hand, the witch spoke once more. "I wanted to lure the lice out in a nonviolent way, because analyzing them might lead to who started breeding them. Such precise assassination isn't natural, definitely wizard made," she mused out loud.

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"If we act quick. And I'd be very grateful for your help,"

The statement sent Josh in to ready mode, ready to help Azalea with anything she needed from him. But no instructions came from the witch beside him, just her soft brown eyes meeting his own in a manner that made Josh feel... different.

"Hey, you got more handsome when I wasn't looking,"

"And you grow in beauty every day." Josh whispered back, intoxicated in her eyes at that moment, being lulled in to a state of being that only the witch before him could force him in to. Nobody made Josh lose control, nobody except his Azalea. And this would be the one and only time losing control of everything could be acceptable.

Alone, with his Azalea.

"I wanted to lure the lice out in a nonviolent way, because analyzing them might lead to who started breeding them. Such precise assassination isn't natural, definitely wizard made,"

"Plan?" Josh asked, sticking to singular words as he realised what had happened. Control was a safety blanket he liked, and losing it... was disconcerting.

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"And you grow in beauty every day."

"Aren't you Slytherins a bunch of flatterers," the witch said in jest still examining the pale streaks on the roots. First Jacoby and now Josh. If she wasn't careful, young Tristan would be coming up to her next in an attempt to polish his praising skills.

Azalea secretly suspected Slytherin boys would never be short on dates with a silver tongue like that.

"Plan?"

"I was going to try and stroke them out," Azalea confessed quietly. After all, most things responded better to a gentle touch than forceful means. "But if they can so accurately target plants, I don't know how many of my vines would come away unscathed." It was the dilemma she had been pondering before Josh arrived.

"Another option is to coax them out via magic, but we'll need to see if they're even responsive to small magical waves." Capturing them would be the easy part but would a small sample too? And a trail to lure them away from the plant they'd made into their home was a difficult thing.

"Hmm, let me try it the nice way first," she spoke, raising her arm encased in the glove. Realizing that taking it off herself was going to require more movement than the small space allowed, she turned to the boy beside her.

"Could you please remove my glove. I want to see if they find my skin as tantalizing as these damp roots."

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"Aren't you Slytherins a bunch of flatterers,"

"I don't see it that way." Josh replied, scowling slightly at the mention of others. "Some people belittle and that's called flattering. Such Slytherins are inadequate." The boy growled, Jacoby Windsor was someone who hadn't been worth paying attention to, but if his Azalea had taken note of him, perhaps it was time to rid the world of one stupid Slytherin?

At the list of ideas on what they could do, Josh listened to the ideas. Smoking them out would be easier, possibly kill some of the insects, but some might survive the effects. But unlike himself, his Azalea had always been more gentle in nature, a fact that had never ceased to amaze him as he watched her. Everything was just so... inhuman with his Azalea. So much more than human...

"Could you please remove my glove. I want to see if they find my skin as tantalizing as these damp roots."

At the mention of undressing Azalea, however small the garment, Josh felt himself swallow softly at the idea. Tentatively, Josh's hands reached up to his Azalea's prizing the piece of cloth from her hand and taking in the delicate digits that could work so efficiently with plants. Hands that he'd imaged so many times in the two years, hands that-

Everything went black, pulling Josh away from the thought, the light on his wand had gone out with the lack of concentration, meaning a quick scramble to rectify this point. "Sorry, professor." Josh whispered hastily, lifting it back up for his Azalea to be able to see.

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» First Impressions Are Never What They Seem (Josh)
» You can take all these letters (Josh)
» Should I stay? Would it be a sin? (Josh)
» We meet again (Josh)
» Hopes Up (Josh)