Sadie wasn’t sure [i]why[/i] she felt so defensive over Herbology. It was just… Well, perhaps she did know. Plants—crops and herbs and flowers alike—had been a huge part of her life. The Ethans raised cows, but they put their own vegetables on their table. And on some other tables, too. She’d always wanted to be [i]more[/i] than a farmer, but something about George’s dismissal irritated her. It was too [i]mundane[/i], she supposed, which was ridiculous. Professors Sprout and Longbottom had told them about plants that could cure curses and diseases, that could kill with a scream, that gave power to their cleaning potions and truth telling serums alike. How could anyone see that and not be fascinated?

Maybe that was the thing about growing up with magic. Maybe it only seemed simple because they were used to seeing even more fantastic things. It was a sad thought.

“I [i]like[/i] gardens,”  Sadie insisted, a little sulky. She wished she had the words to explain herself. [i]Useful[/i] felt like such a dirty word, as if the only things that mattered were big and flashy and wondrous. Mundane things—[i]muggle[/i] things—didn’t matter.

Sadie’s poor mood didn’t last long. They’d entered the castle and she was enraptured by the portraits. She’d never seen so much [i]art[/i] in one place—even museums didn’t seem so full. And the paintings, oh—oh they [i]danced[/i] and lived and spoke--! Sadie jumped as something startled the group at large, a wiry, cackling ghost slipping out from a painting and spiraling off. Her heart slammed against her ribs, stomach clenching. Something about ghosts still unsettled her. If magic was real, if ghosts were real… what else was there? Angels? Demons? Were Bible stories just Muggles interacting unknowingly with Wizards? She didn’t know if she was [i]devout[/i], but she wasn’t sure how to reconcile anything she’d been taught with this world.

“There’s a tapestry,” Seine was whispering conspiratorially to them, “On the seventh floor. We need to find it; it’s the best secret in the school. Trust me.”

Sadie arched a brow, privately wondering when she would have time to fit that in with all the other things she needed to do—devour the library, explore the grounds, read every book, talk with every person—but the glimmer of mischief in Seine’s eyes told her that this was properly important. Her lips curved into a delighted grin.

“I’m a sucker for a good mystery,” Sadie bounced slightly, before looking up as the crowd began to slow. It seemed they had arrived at their classroom, shuffling in slowly. Sadie beamed at Xia He and glanced to her brother, hanging off to one side impatiently. Brennan met her eyes, and she could have sworn that his expression had softened-- but then he had scoffed and set off with Xia He.