Meet me in the greenhouse

Dylan listened to his cousin’s debate with himself, smirking when he settled on please. He snorted, getting up from the floor. “Dude, you are way too nice.” Dylan shook his head and grabbed his wand from where he’d left it on Asra’s desk, tucking it in his back pocket. “Nah. The rest of my day is just me catching up on notes and stuff. I didn’t schedule any appointments today purposely because my head’s hasn’t been in it.” He looked back at him, “Where to?”

He shrugged, “Most of the time, yes, but in the magical plant research field doing favors for people get you places. It pays to be friendly sometimes, you know.” He tapped on the desk absently, “Oh? And what’s been going on? Why do you feel out if it lately? I mean, besides the Ministry madness, of course.” He sighed, “Anywhere out of this hospital is fine with me. I think the one I usually go to has a special, so let’s head there.”

“Mm. Must be genetic,” he mused with a smirk. “Just put a do not touch label on it when you leave again. Add a please if it makes you feel better.” Dylan took the box from him, putting the rest on the shelf. “Yeah, at least it’s your job, so you get a pass. He plays quidditch, so I didn’t give him one.” Dylan looked up at him when he was finished and nodded, getting up from the ground. “Please. Just not the shitty hospital one - we’re actually leaving.” He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I feel like I live in this place now.”

“You must be right, I’d trust your judgement over mine on that one.” He smiled, “Yeah, I’ll hang some rope over it all... or a sticky note. I guess that would be the less dramatic option.” He smiled sheepishly, “You know I will put please on it because - well - they’re still people.”

“Even organized chaos?” Dylan hummed as he finished shelving the bottles he had laid out in front of him. “I can’t work in organized. It has to be organized chaos - but thanks for the lecturing dad voice you just used on me.” He rolled his eyes playfully, but smirked. “Nah, I’d be pissed off if someone screwed with my office, too The only difference between us is that I’d bitch and let it be known instead of silently suffering.” Dylan looked over at his cousin as he answered his question, eyebrow raised. He made a motion across his head like it went in one ear and out the other, before smirking again. “All that stored plant knowledge,” he snorted. “You’re worse than my ex.” Dylan paused, vial in hand, thinking that over. “Eh. Close second. I’m pretty sure we had plants suspended and hanging from the ceiling in our room - hand me that box.”

“Organized chaos is probably what I do best,” Asra laughed, “Whoops. I guess I did, didn’t I? Well, it seems like we both have the same organization sytle anyways.” He nodded, “I have no doubt about that. Maybe putting all this stuff back will be passive-aggressive enough to say ‘hey, please don’t reorganize my things.’“ 

“Oh wow,” Jasper leaned back against the doorframe with a smirk on his lips. “That’s the most. pissed off I have ever seen you, Jules,” he teased. “You need help?”

Asra turned around and blinked at Jasper. He hadn’t realized how silly he sounded. “Ah... I suppose I might have over reacted.” He set the vial down and nodded, “Actually, yes, help would be nice.”

“Mm,” he hummed, looking at the vials, before moving them around again when he saw they still weren’t alphabetized right. “Well, they majorly screwed up - and triggered some weird, random OCD I didn’t know I had until this moment.” Dylan put a few back on the shelf. “So where did you go again?” he questioned his cousin and smirked. “I feel like you should just buy a jungle treehouse at this rate.”

“Organization is important, Dylan.” Asra sighed, and then smiled, “But you’re right, it is a little silly of me to get so upset over a reorganized cabinet. The intern just though they were doing their job.” He smiled, deciding to sit down to answer Dylan’s question. “I’m surprised myself that I don’t have one yet. “I stayed in Columbia this time, not as deep as I had been before. There’s a once in a life time flowering event of one of the oldest magical plants that I just had to see.”

“It’d have also helped if they’d actually alphabetized it correctly,” he grumbled from where he was sitting on the floor, helping his cousin go through the mess someone had left. Dylan knitted his eyebrows in confusion and settled on carefully clearly the entire bottom shelf. “Who the fuck was in your office while you were gone? A blind pygmy puff?”

“Yes, my point exactly.” He sighed, noting several alphabetical errors himself. “It also takes effort to go back and order it the same way.” He smiled slightly and shook his head, “An intern, they asked if they could use some of my herbs for their own potioneering practice. I didn’t expect a reorganized herb cabinet when I came back.” 

—- “And what would be the appropriate method, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“My method is order of use. If I have to dig around for something I use constantly, my work would be inefficient.”

“I’m afraid to ask and I promise it wasn’t me - not that you would assume that I did it because why would I be anywhere near your herbs - but why isn’t alphabetical the right way to go? Doesn’t that make the most sense?”

“I wouldn’t have thought so.” He sighed, “I think I have an idea of who did it, and they were probably just trying to be helpful.” He folded his arms over his chest, “Well, my method was in order of use, making those readily at the front.”

“When people in my field don’t keep up to date with the literature. There are so many innovating new potions and uses for magical plants, staying unaware is irresponsible.”

“Hottest guy since James Dean – ooh la la,” Lottie tilted her head and smirked. She laughed and dropped her head to rest on his shoulder for a moment. “You’re too adorable, are you aware of this, because it’s almost gross.”

She lifted her head to let him skim through the pages. “Little. Like fits in the palms of both my hands little.” Lottie fished her phone out of her purse and found the picture, turning it around to show him. “Isn’t he cute? I wish he’d stay little forever. I would take him home with me.” She paused and put her phone away. “Not that I would take animals home with me because…that would not be good.” Lottie smiled at him. “Alright. Antidote thingy.”

He shook his head and laughed, “Gross is something I have never been called before, but I suppose I must take your word for it.” He breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh good. They can get rather large, yes? Well, in that case the batch I have to make will be quick.” He waved his wand, causing his cauldron to light. He gathered the ingredients and began making the potion.

“Well, you know all those journals better than me, I’m sure you’ll find someone willing to publish it. And if you do, make sure to send me a copy,” Jasper took a sip of his coffee and grinned at his ex. “Normal people don’t read scientific journals so honestly, Prophet is your chance to get through to a bigger audience. Just flash that gorgeous smile of yours at anyone and you’ll charm even Skeeter’s pants off, Jules. Well, especially Skeeter’s.”

Asra waved his wand and out from the stacks of journals in his bookcase came a journal, “I did find a journal to publish it, and it’s there. You can have that copy.” He shrugged, “People stop reading the literature in my field, I think. Most of the people who make these potions are not academics, so they go with the old recipe published in their old references.” He nodded, “Yes, exactly. Maybe I should work on a recipe book. Might be better received.” He gave a laugh, “Not interested in Skeeter, and I do think, Jasper, that you are flirting with me now.”

“You know who’s also cute?” She smirked and nudged his shoulder. “You.” Lottie couldn’t help but laugh at his realization and shook her head, “I’d say that’s probably not gonna happen, but with you walkin’ around with that face - I wouldn’t blame him.”

Lottie perched herself on the edge of his desk. “She’s got a raised, bumpy rash around her foot where the venom got her.” She shook her head, “I don’t think it’s hurtin’ her, but she scratches at it every now and then.”

He laughed, “Yeah, sure. I mean that’s beside the point, though. He could be the hottest guy since James Dean and if he’s still using out dates recipes, I’m going to correct him.” He adjusted his glasses on his face, “It’s my responsibility, as a healing potion makes and as an academic.”

“You know what you should do?” Jasper hummed and took a sip of his tea before leaning back in his chair. “You should write a passive-aggressive scientific paper in which you’ll tell everyone why your recipe is better than the others,” he grinned. “And then maybe woo someone at the Prophet to publish it there too.”

Asra smiled, “Maybe I will do that. I don’t know what journal would publish it, but if it goes somewhere credible it may work. Though I don’t know how many people actually still consult the literature, or else everyone would be using my recipe...” He rolled his eyes, “That seems a little unethical, but who would you suggest?”