The first month of school was over, and a slight chill set in the air to greet the new month of October. Ever since that fateful Herbology class, Daphne had been bugging her sister about Mandrakes every day.
"I swear they're intelligent," Daphne whispered. "We have to do something, it's just not right!"
Oleandra rolled her eyes. "I suppose they would seem that way, considering the company we keep."
She slightly tilted her head towards Crabbe and Goyle sitting further away at the dinner table. At this point, she wasn't sure if they were actually sentient, or just golems Lucius Malfoy had got to stand guard over his son.
"We have to do something," Daphne insisted. "You'll help me rescue them, right? You know they're going to end up as potion ingredients. And stop rolling your eyes!"
"Sister dear," said Oleandra. "When have you ever cared even the slightest bit about the plight of our leafy brethren?"
Daphne's face reddened. Ever since Oleandra had awakened her rune magic, she had been looking for something, anything to make her stand out. Years of having a superiority complex over her twin wasn't going to be undone in a day! At any rate, even though she could somewhat use rune magic as well, she wasn't about to accept being overshadowed by her sister. Talking to plants might be her ticket to greatness!
"You. Will. Help. Me. Won't. You?" Daphne narrowed her eyes.
"Fine, if I must," answered Oleandra reluctantly. "We can come up with a plan tonight when our club finally has its first meeting in the evening."
_
After classes, Oleandra, Daphne, Tracey and Draco gathered in the club room they had been given.
"Are you finally going to tell me what this club is about?" asked Draco curiously. Oleandra hadn't told him, since she didn't want Professor Snape to know, when they made the application.
"On the surface, this club is just a place for us to meet and talk about things," began Oleandra. "But in actuality, it's about the exploration of other worlds."
"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" asked Draco, confused. "Wasn't the club's whole purpose to teach us your magic?"
"That's just a means to an end," Daphne explained. "Rune magic can be compounded, so the more people joining in, the more powerful the result."
"That's right," said Oleandra. "Last year, when I was fighting Voldemort —"
The other three cringed when they heard her saying the name.
"I used a special magic to travel to another world, using the Philosopher's Stone as a power source. The stone used up all of its power, so I can't use that magic any longer unless I have all of you to help me."
"I have a question," said Tracey, raising her hand. "How did you come back home if the stone was gone? Or was it enough for two voyages?"
"Good question," said Oleandra, nodding. "There exist gateways that facilitate the passage between worlds, I simply took one of them and came back. Now that I think about it, if I could study one, maybe I could make one of my own to simplify things!"
"Then why don't you go to the one you came back from?" asked Draco. "Seems easy enough."
"Not quite," said Oleandra. "The only gateway I know of is located at the heart of the Ministry of Magic. I managed to get away once, but I was lucky. This is why we need the Galdr of Realm Travel."
"I see," nodded Draco in a self-satisfying manner. "And you need someone like me to help you obtain the resources and turn a profit."
Oleandra didn't actually need him in particular, he was just another body to help power the spell.
Draco paused for a second, having seemingly thought of something worrisome.
"Hold on, how dangerous is exploring new worlds going to be?" he asked. "Not that I'm scared, or anything."
"I'm not actually sure," admitted Oleandra. "I've only ever been to the world of the dead, and there didn't seem to be anything dangerous there."
Everyone stared at her with wide eyes.
"Moving on…" said Daphne, still not quite done processing what she had just heard. "Tonight, for our first group activity, we'll be liberating the Mandrakes from the oppression of the Herbology professor."
Draco's eyes were full of question marks.
"Don't even ask," said Oleandra. "I've left a mark in the classroom, so we'll be tree-porting directly there. When we've got everything, we'll be tree-porting to Greengrass manor, and then we'll come back here. I'll also modify our appearances in case we're seen."
"Huh? We're bringing him already?" said Tracey. "But it took days of practice to get the movements right."
"We'll be using a shortcut this time," said Oleandra. "I've been experimenting with a rune I haven't used before."
A boon always demands a return, better not to offer than have to slay too many. Oleandra shook the thought out of her head.
"Come closer, the three of you," she said.
"Ingwaz, Mannaz, Odala, Gebu," she sang. "In the name of the divine spark, the cosmic egg and the inheritance, let my knowledge become a boon for my friends."
To gift something was not to lose something, for blessings stem from the act of giving, rather than receiving. Not only would Oleandra not lose her own experiences by giving them away, she would receive positive feedback from those she shared her magic with in this way!
"You'll still need to practise regularly to engrave the runes into your very being," said Oleandra. "Just knowing about them doesn't mean the stars will respond to you perfectly right away. You'll also be stronger if you're fighting at my side."
Still dazed, the other three nodded, and they moved on to the next phase of the plan. Oleandra disguised their appearances with Perthro, and then the four gathered together in a circle. Oleandra produced a sapling from her pouch.
"Wunjo, Berkana, Raidhu, Eihwaz, Dagaz!" cried Oleandra. "Let the pine tree become a gateway. Carry us through time and space to Hogwarts's greenhouse!"
The four of them rhythmically took on the stances of the runes. Draco felt a little silly doing them, though he couldn't deny the girls looked quite good when they took on the poses!
An invisible door opened in space, and with the sound of badly oiled hinges creaking and wood groaning, they were gone.
_
The next morning, Professor Sprout would be horrified to discover that all of her Mandrakes, along with a number of Chinese Chomping Cabbages, had disappeared without a trace. None of the wards protecting the entrance of the greenhouse were tripped, and there were no signs of forced entry. Without any clue as to where the Mandrakes might have gone and who the culprits might be, Professor Sprout was forced to change the contents of the following lessons.