Poison Ivy [Petri]

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

12 January 2026

Sienna wouldn’t consider herself an expert in magical plants, by any means. She tended to find herbs more interesting once they’d been dried, powdered, or put into any other form ready-to-use for potionmaking. But! Every potioneer knew that the best ingredients were the freshest ones, and Sienna knew after years of managing Slug and Jigger’s deliveries that homegrown ingredients were cheaper too. So if it could feasibly be grown in the English climate, Si probably already had the seeds. And Gus, bless him, had also given her space in his home to start a garden. In news that shocked absolutely no one, the weather in France was better suited for growing potion ingredients.

The backroom of Slug and Jigger’s tended to be a reflection of Sienna’s headspace, mostly because she’d been around for so long that she had slowly started to take over the space with her own projects. The back corner was always reserved for Aware Wolf, with two or three different cauldrons slowly bubbling over, each slightly different in color and texture. There was the locked cabinet with information on the werewolves currently in the middle of their trials, and naturally, the lunar calendar plastered all over the wall so Si could remember her deadlines. Besides that, the counter closest to Sienna’s desk had been cleared of the usual sorts of potions ingredients one might find in an apothecary (which had been unceremoniously shoved to the side) and replaced with potted plants. There were some harmless herbs – dittany, fluxweed, and the like – but also more…temperamental sprouts.

“Why…are you…fighting me?” Si complained with gritted teeth as she slapped back one of the Venomous Tentacula’s creeping vines. She had been trying – for 20 minutes! – to use her wand and prune the plant. It was supposed to be good for it! Remove the dead leaves, prevent any infestations and encourage healthy growth. But it was being as moody as a cat in the middle of a bath and kept trying to strangle the potioneer. She’d long since turned her back to the door and become completely absorbed in this task that was most definitely not one of her job requirements. “Maybe I’ll let the slugs in next time and we’ll see how you like that,” Si grumbled as she finally succeeded in snatching a few yellow leaves. It was a short-lived victory, though, and she quickly jumped back to avoid getting pricked by its thorns. Si gave a sigh and changed her angle of attack. “Okay, let’s make a deal,” she murmured, half-caught between talking to herself and pretending the Venomous Tentacula could understand her. “If you behave for me now, you can try and kill Epke when it’s his turn next time. How about that?”

@petri

[Deleted]

Petri kept his home potions pantry well stocked. He ordinarily used this to create healing potions, and various tonics along those lines as well. He was usually able to collect ingredients from the Hospital store cupboards, but he'd found it lacking lately. They did not even have fairy wings! He knew it was a rare ingredient, but it was an essential ingredient for a scar healing tonic he had been working on.

This lack of ingredients led Petri to Diagon Alley, the magical marketplace he knew... not really at all. Petri spent most of his time either in the hospital, in his garden or out and about in nature. He was not fond of the towering buildings of central London, often feeling trapped. But he really needed fairy wings, as he wanted to protect his scar healing tonic. And he also needed a better name for that particular tonic.

A bell jingled overhead as Petri entered the apothecary, finding it largely empty. A young woman stood at the back of a shop, wrestling with a venomous tentacula. Ah, it was a sight he had seen many times, when mainlanders did not know how to properly approach the plant. In three strides, Petri was by her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You do wrong. Watch," said Petri, taking his hand away from her shoulder and drawing his wand. He summoned his mandolin, which he found plants much preferred to typical wand magic. "You stun with severing charm. I use mandolin. Plant like music," he explained, strumming out a few notes. Druid magic worked somewhat differently from mainlander magic, though as he plucked out what would make a severing charm to stun the venomous tentacula, the plant calmed immediately. Petri kept up the tune as he glanced at the young woman, nodding that it was safe for her to engage the plant now. "Secretions bad. I can heal, but takes long. Be careful," he advised.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Not that she had expected it to, but Sienna’s promise of a future victim didn’t seem to change the Venomous Tentacula’s mind at all. Its vines continued to flail wildly, and Si backed up a few steps hastily. “Probably for the best,” she sighed slightly as she reluctantly stepped closer again, “I’ll kill him myself for mysteriously disappearing right before pruning time.” As if he thought she wouldn’t notice! Rob was usually very reliable, and they were equal partners in everything they did. The deep research that went into Aware Wolf, preparing large batches of potions (even the ones with uninspiring recipes), even covering for her during peak hours if she ever needed to step out for a moment. But he wasn’t getting out of babysitting the Venomous Tentacula next time, or at least until Sienna found the time to transplant it and keep it far, far away from the apothecary.

There probably had been signs that Sienna was no longer alone, but as wrapped up as she currently was with the pesky plant…she missed all of them. And the next few moments felt like she had accidentally shifted sideways into an alternate reality, because it certainly couldn’t happen in this one. Without warning, Sienna felt a new weight on her shoulder, and she squeaked at the unexpected feeling. Was that the Venomous Tentacula? How had it gotten behind her? This was how she was going to die, right? Out of instinct, Si hastily swerved around and made the same slapping motion she always did whenever the vines got too close. Except…oh that was definitely not the Tentacula. The sound of Sienna’s hand making contact with the stranger’s cheek echoed in the shop, and she gasped in horror as she realized her mistake.

To his credit, it didn’t seem to derail his plans at all. Sienna watched, wide-eyed and with both hands covering her mouth in horror at the realization that she had just slapped somebody hard, as he explained in heavily-accented English what she had been doing wrong. Except…yes, this was the part that gave away that she wasn’t in her reality anymore, because that wasn’t some kind of stringed instrument in his hands, was it? And…he wasn’t serenading the plant, right? The young man looked like he had walked right out of a Disney movie with his strange-looking instrument and his apparent knack for calming down murderous plants. Because there was no doubt that the Tentacula had stopped its flailing motions (the traitor!) and was now sitting peacefully in its pot. He glanced at her as if to give her the go-ahead to continue pruning, but Sienna was frozen in place. “I…I’m so so sorry,” she finally said, removing her hands as she began to apologize profusely. “Um…I promise that isn’t how I normally say hi. Are you…okay?”

@petri

[Deleted]

The potioneer seemed not to take notice of Petri as he entered the shop. She was wrestling with a venomous tentaclua, and going about it completely the wrong way. Ever the helper, Petri approached the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder, intending on gently showing her just how to wrangle the plant correctly. What he hadn't anticipate was her to whirl around, fast as devil's snare, and slap him across the face.

The resounding slap of skin on skin echoed throughout the shop, the silence stretching long afterwards as Petri stared agape at the woman, who looked utterly horrified by her actions. Finally, she broke the silence, sputtering out an apology. Petri was still trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. His mind worked slowly, and that could be the only explanation for why his lips turned upwards and he let out a deep, belly laugh. "You have strength, little one!" he exclaimed with delight. "Tentacula beware." He rubbed his still raw cheek, chuckling. He had to admire the power she'd put into that slap in pure terror.

With sharp, staccato notes, Petri plucked his mandolin out of what seemed to be thin air, stunning the tentacula. "Now you no need to slap," said Petri with a mischievous grin. He glanced from the now-peaceful plant in its pot to the woman before him, who looked utterly bewildered by his very appearance. "You no need to look scared," he added gently. "I am fine. Thick, tough druid skin. Cold winters." He nodded firmly. "How you say hello if not slap?" asked Petri with a quirk of his brow. "I make note. Slap is not mainlander way."

Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

It only went to prove that this stranger really was from out of town, because he didn’t sputter indignantly or begin to cry. Instead he began to laugh, and Si watched bewilderedly. Slowly she began to relax a little and she offered a shocked laugh of her own, completely thrown by the events of the last few minutes. A small detail from what the young man had said captured her attention, and Si’s eyes began to reexamine the stranger from scratch. “Druid?” she repeated, eyes widening slightly at the thought as she took in his features. She’d never met a druid before, as far as she knew, but she’d heard of them in Beauxbatons and occasionally in the news. Out of anything she might have expected – ranging from flower crowns to Celtic tattoos – a handsome redhead wasn’t quite what she’d had in mind.

“No wonder the tentacula calmed down. You were cheating,” Si decided with a mock serious tone as she shook her head slightly. “You know, secret druid nature magic,” she added, making a vague motion with her hands to emphasize her point. Now that the horror of the situation had passed, Sienna did as the druid stranger had told her originally and turned back to the plant, using her wand to prune it following the procedure she’d learned. She’d done it enough times by now that she wasn’t the beginner she once had been, although she had never had quite a…still target before. Sienna carefully removed a few dead leaves, placing them carefully by the pot to be used as potions ingredients later. Waste not, want not! That was the whole point of keeping a small garden in the first place, after all. The druid asked how she normally said hello, and Si laughed at the question as she turned slightly to look back at him. “Well,” she began, shooting him a playful look, “in my city we say hello with a kiss.” She let her eyes linger on his handsome face for a moment before turning back to the Venomous Tentacula and prodding at its roots with her wand to check for bugs. “I'm curious - is it common to play music for plants where you’re from, or is that unique to you?”

@petri

[Deleted]

The young witch watched him, completely gobsmacked as Petri laughed rather than shouting out in indignation. She had put much power into the flick of her wrist, the resounding smack echoing around the apothecary. "Yes, Druid. I am from far north of Finland. My cousins come from Hy-Brasil, but my family has been in the north many generations. We live a peaceful life, and I decided to leave." Petri shrugged, opening his arms and turning his palms upwards in a gesture of 'what can I say.'

Petri chuckled at the woman's accusation. "Not cheating. Out of box thinking," said Petri with a genial wink. "I cannot teach. But you can learn more to be in tune with Earth mother," said Petri sagely. There was an innate magic that flowed within pureblood druids, something that could not be learned. They were born with an affinity for nature, for the creatures that the Earth mother had been blessed with. Their connection to the natural world was something that not even the cleverest mainlanders could understand. For Petri, his affinity was a gift.

Now that the plant was stunned, Petri directed the woman to continue her pruning, and she dutifully followed his suggestion. After a moment, Petri piped up with idle chatter, wondering how mainlanders usually greeted one another if it was not with slaps. From what Petri knew, they simply said hello. Sometimes, there was a kiss on the cheek. But this woman seemed rather different from others he had met, especially considering she had reacted to his presence without much forethought. She informed him that she was from a place where a kiss was normal, but made no move to do so. "We must follow customs!" said Petri brightly, swooping forward and pressing his cheek to hers, landing a kiss as he had seen other mainlanders do.

"In my home, we press foreheads together and close eyes. Like this." Petri gently, but firmly placed his broad hands on the woman's shoulders, and rested his forehead against hers. There was a beat, and he pulled away. "I am Petri," he added after a moment. "And yes - music is very strong magic. It is natural, like the wind through the leaves or the brook against the rocks," he explained, his eyes searching hers. "Surely, mainlanders use song magic too," asked Petri slowly.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Sienna wished there was some sort of guide for Muggleborns just entering the magical world for the first time. If there was, there were lots of potential tidbits of advice to give – don’t trust leprechaun gold, always check which way you’ve got your wand pointed before you cast a spell, and no a puffskein definitely shouldn’t be that color so go see a magical vet immediately. But the most important piece of advice? The biggest thing to keep in mind, enough that it should be the title of this theoretical guide? Just go with it. The magical world was full to bursting with odd sights and impossible facts to wrap your head around, and most of the time Sienna just needed to remind herself there were different rules to follow.

So, druids from ancient times that still practiced the same magic thousands of years later and had some sort of mythical control over nasty plants that deserved a time-out? Weird, crazy, impossible, but Sienna just needed to go with the flow. Mr. Druid was explaining the basics of his family tree, and Si nodded slowly as if she knew what a ‘hy-brasil’ was. From the context it must be a well-known druid community, since he didn’t see the need to explain further where exactly his cousins were from. She didn’t know much about druids, since they weren’t part of the curriculum in Beauxbatons and she assumed they didn’t see many druids in France. But, she did remember one of her friends mentioning that druids shunned Muggle technology, so while he was speaking Sienna discreetly slid a stack of old potions magazines over her phone.

“The peaceful life isn’t for you?” Si asked with a laugh, turning back to the plant to quickly prune it before the tentacula decided to start moving again. She had mixed feelings about it personally – having decided to leave Brussels to try her luck in the United Kingdom, but learning that she valued her quiet and privacy more than she’d ever thought before. A peaceful life didn’t sound so bad, honestly. But she didn’t know much about the druid except that he had a talent for music and his cheekbones could cut glass. She gave a huff as he corrected her that it wasn’t cheating, only his way of doing things, and Si stubbornly replied, “It is cheating if I can’t do it.”

Now, she didn’t know much about the ‘Earth mother’ or any druid thoughts on nature magic, but Si was trying her hand at herbology magic and growing her own garden for potions ingredients. She was still trying to keep her thyme alive, so she hadn’t graduated to anything too difficult yet, but she pouted at the thought that Mr. Druid could probably keep the plants alive just by winking at them. He was relentlessly cheerful, enough that it made Sienna look like a sourpuss in comparison, and she wondered vaguely if this was how Rhys felt most of the time. Not that trying to get into that boy’s head should be encouraged, or considered a healthy habit. “Customs are important,” Si agreed, lips curving into a smile, “And the French consider two kisses to be polite.” He’d bent down to plant a light kiss on her cheek, and Si brought her hand up to tilt his head slightly and kiss his other cheek too.

Oh Merlin, be cool, she thought to herself, flushing slightly as he pressed his forehead to hers. She hoped fervently he couldn’t feel how warm in the face she’d gotten as he pulled away, because how many times did an unfairly attractive man pull her so close for such an intimate greeting? She cleared her throat and tried to listen attentively to what he was saying about music. “Oh, um, they might?” Sienna shrugged at his question. By her count, she’d been part of the magical world for 13 years now, and she couldn’t remember ever hearing someone sing to perform magic. But she’d never been any good at History of Magic. “Herbology was never my best subject, but I’ve been trying to grow some Bulbadox plants in my garden! We use the juice in potions all the time,” Si explained keenly, face lighting up at the thought of the small sprout she’d only planted last week.

@petri