May 18th, 1893 — Hogwarts Grounds

It was a warm Spring evening, the sun was low and golden, and Natty couldn't be sure but it looked like the bluebells were forming an army. There were hundreds of them, spilling from the forest in a meadow of deepest blue and in that sense matching that effervescent sky. The bluebells would be gone soon enough though, swallowed by the wild grass, thistles, ferns and various magical oddities that counted as flora in these parts.

The bluebells weren't Natty's concern. The new Groundskeeper was more attentive to the fact that the footpath from the greenhouses to the Quidditch pitch was so overgrown it barely looked like a path at all. This evening he was in the process of solving that, using his wand to blast away the domineering weeds and blaze a visible trail.

Mason Skeeter

  

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The term was winding down, exams in full swing and Mason felt as frazzled as the students. Some were quiet and contemplative over their results, the younger students were abuzz with approaching summer days and he felt like he had a to-do list a mile long. He needed to get things prepped for the greenhouses over the summer, as he wouldn't be in as much, thanks to Gus' grand travel plans and he wanted to make sure nothing got too out of sorts while he was away.

Not to mention he'd be moving residence upon return to school in September. Darrow's retirement came as no surprise, the man had been here for decades, but Mason had not been prepared for the offer to take on the Hufflepuff Head of House position. He supposed it made sense, being a Hufflepuff, a former prefect and with a tenure of almost a decade himself, but still, he felt like Franky First Year again.

As he made his way back to the greenhouses, he spotted Copper out reforging the path between the pitch and the greenhouses. Truthfully not many people went about it that way, except perhaps Miss Potts and Miss Bixby, but it was useful to have a clear path.

Approaching with a smile, Mason waited a beat for Natty to take a break. "I could train them to grow the other way, if that would be more helpful?" Some well-placed stakes and a charm or two and maybe everything would learn to head way from the paths.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

The new Groundskeeper went about his job with little fuss or hesitation; seeing something that needed to be done, and therefore doing it. But being a humble soul, he was also very open to correction, critique or general good ideas — so it was with Professor Skeeter, the Herbology Professor, who approached when Natty paused at a fork in the path.

"That seems like a good idea", he agreed. "I'm more of a fixer than a preventer", he admitted with a slight smile. Then, with a look of mild interest — "how does one go about training wild grass to grow the other way?"

  

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Mason could see that. He too used to be like that, fixing things as they came up and slowly learned that some pre-emptive measures saved him a lot of time. Mason was pretty bad at keeping on top of his to do list outside of classes so the more he could streamline things, the better.

"Some well-placed stakes and a couple of handy charms." Mason put sound to his previous thoughts, wheels turning on how he could actually make it work. Grasses weren't natural climbers like vines which sought out the highest thing they could to reach the sunshine, but once long enough, swayed one way or another, which meant he could probably figure out how to get them to lean a specific direction. "Might actually look nice too." Maybe it would encourage the students to use it more often. More use would help dispel the grass too.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

Natty watched as Skeeter considered the long grass, looking at the vegetation the way Natty, too, often looked at a problem. It seemed a strategy of stakes and charms would do the trick. "Ah", the Groundskeeper replied in understanding, the fellow's words making a lot of sense. "See, here you had me wondering if there's some... Herbologist's trick, whereby the grass can be verbally persuaded", he couldn't help but add, with a twitch of a smile.

  

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Laughing at the idea, Mason shook his head. "If only it were that easy," Mason could save himself a lot of time if he could only tell the plants what he wanted them to do. But alas, they often needed as much coaching and training as the students. "I can have my fourth years do it, they should be able to handle it." A little side project would do them some good. It would be a good review of some of the spells they used too.

"You're welcome to join us for the class if you like." Mason offered without thinking.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

Natty experienced an unidentifiable feeling in the pit of his stomach when Skeeter proposed something completely unexpected. The feeling was both positive and negative — and the Groundskeeper didn't quite know what to do with it, letting a silence linger a beat longer than was polite.

"Ah — thank you for the offer", he said finally. "I couldn't impose on your class like that. But if you need an extra pair of hands at any point, I'd gladly assist."

  

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Mason couldn't quite get a read on Copper's answer, but wasn't fussed either way. "Up to you, just let me know. Happy to help, but if you want to handle it, that's fine." Mason was always looking for ways to get the students up and moving, to try something new. He hated to get stale with his projects. Changing it up after a year or two seemed to go better than when he kept the same ones over and over. The only ones he tended to keep were the ones the kids really liked, like the sentient plants and interactive things.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

Natty rubbed his neck awkwardly as he realised he'd misunderstood somewhat. He'd been too focussed on the idea of joining the class to pick up on what Skeeter was really offering — gardening help from the fourth years.

"Forgive me, I got the wrong end of the stick. I'd be glad of your students' help. I thought for a moment that you were... suggesting I sit in on your class. To learn. An honour indeed, but not my place."

  

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Ah, Mason nodded, realizing he hadn't been very clear. "Oh yes, I was offering their help, as in a project for the class to do. But you are more than welcome in any time you like." Mason would never say no to another set of adult eyes keeping an eye on the students while they worked. "Would be a good refresher on some of the charm work associated with the subject— for the students, that is." Mason was already starting to envision how the project would go.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

The thought of having a class of enthusiastic children help with some of his work was an interesting one he hadn't imagined before; and on top of that, the idea that he might have leave to sit in on a class, and actually learn from Professor Skeeter... that was extremely intriguing. He hadn't expected that either. "Might that be... permitted?" he asked uncertainly. "You see, I was never schooled beyond my first year. It would be very new to me."

  

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Mason didn't see why they couldn't make it work. As long as Copper wasn't missing out on a work obligation, there was in interference, right? "I can run it by Valenduris." The Deputy Headmaster was a bit easier to approach than Black. "But I don't see why it would be a problem. Herbology is an easy place to start," Mason thought so anyway. It compounded upon itself, naturally, but the concepts were not altogether singular in nature and could be taught in a wide variety of orders.

"Some of what I teach may in fact be useful for your position, so it could only be beneficial." If he spun it that way, why would the answer be no? "But if it doesn't work out, I'd be happy to instruct you in some of the basics you might need." Mason had never taught another adult before, but he hardly shied away from a new teaching venture.

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magic by MJ the magnificent

OOC: Might you be interested in a new thread where Natty does indeed sit in on a class? :3

Natty felt oddly awkward, even a little bit warm; uncharacteristically flustered, perhaps. He felt like an imposition, but whenever he felt like that he dealt with it quickly enough. He didn't lean into it, which was what he was doing right now by accepting the professor's kind offer. "I would be very grateful", he replied quietly. "As long as I can make myself useful while doing it", he added awkwardly.

In other words, he'd do it if he could justify it in a world where the schooling of a middle-aged Groundskeeper had less priority than a dead mouse.

  

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"We'll figure it out." Mason assured Copper with a smile. He was of the mindset that anybody could learn if they were interested and worked hard enough. Which meant anybody was welcome in his classroom who had that attitude. "I can lend you a couple spare texts if you'd like to start with those." He added as he motioned back toward the greenhouses. His office in greenhouse one was much better stocked than the one inside. Of course he spent much more time outside than in, so that made sense.

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magic by MJ the magnificent