​​if i were a fish (Peggy)

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

April 29, 2028

One major perk of the changes that had been made to the educational system alongside the rebuilding of Hogwarts was that Geethanjali was already old enough to do magic outside of school despite not yet being seventeen. For her, that was a major win in itself, and convincing her parents to let her attend the Calan Mai events in Wales was an even bigger one. There were a few conditions on her first "adult" holiday, though Geethanjali had no problem with agreeing to them. The first condition was that she would be going with a group of people from LIFE, which was easy enough to do when it felt like everyone had been talking about it. The second condition was that she wouldn't miss any of her lessons at LIFE for the trip. That would cut down on her ability to stay for the celebrations on the first of May itself, but she understood, especially since she needed to take her first dose of Wolfsbane potion that day in advance of the full moon a week later.

Geethanjali was ecstatic for more reasons than one. It was the closest thing that she would get to a proper celebration of Beltane in years, as being a werewolf and getting to observe the occasion on Hy-Brasil didn't mix. It was unfortunate, too, because the whole thing felt as though it had been made for her in particular. Druids, flowers, enjoying the weather in peace and harmony… There wasn't much that could be better than that.

One of the other girls with whom she had traveled to Wales had been able to borrow her family's tent for the weekend, which seemed like a total luxury to a group of sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds just spreading their wings for the first time. Even as magical tents went, it was nice, but Geethanjali had no plans to stay inside the tent much except for sleeping. There was so much to see and do, after all.

Her first stop after setting up her belongings in her classmate's tent was to go and find herself a flower crown. In Geethanjali's mind, wearing one was positively a requirement, so she began her search immediately.

Peggy Duncan

[Peggy Duncan]

Peggy skipped through the vibrant meadows of Wales, her oversized, mismatched socks peeking out from beneath her long, flowing robes, and a giant arrangement of flowers and branches adorned on her head. So far, the festival of Calan Mai had been right up her alley - not that she knew of any connections she had to Druids, or much about them in general, but really just because the whimsical nature of all the activities - and the dress code - really tickled her fancy and spoke to her.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she caught sight of Geethanjali, her fellow LIFE student, unknowingly on a quest for the perfect flower crown. With an eager grin, Peggy bounded over, her arms coincidentally laden with a colourful assortment of flowers she had gathered along the way.

"Geethanjali! My delightful friend of magical wonders!" Peggy exclaimed, her voice filled with infectious enthusiasm. “Where ya goin’?” she asked, her head tilting to the side perculiarly. If it were to find snacks or visit the may pole, then Peggy would surely appreciate the company and tag along!

geethanjali amaryllis root

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

April 29, 2028

"Geethanjali! My delightful friend of magical wonders!"

The person who had approached her was Peggy Duncan, another girl from her year at LIFE whom she also considered a friend. There was no denying that Peggy was a bit eccentric, but Geethanjali had never seen anything wrong with it. Some people marched to different tunes, and Peggy wasn't hurting anyone in doing so. Truthfully, Geethanjali thought that Peggy looked as though she could have been a Druid in that moment, given that she had a sizeable flower crown sitting atop her head already, and in her hands were even more flowers. That seemed to take the guesswork out of where she had gotten her flower crown: She must have made it herself.

"Where ya goin'?"

Geethanjali grinned back at Peggy. There really was something about celebrating Beltane, Calan Mai, May Day, or whatever else different cultures called it that made her feel that she had been transported back to Hy-Brasil, even though her actual memories of being on the island had faded in the years since she had been a werewolf. Peggy sounded absolutely thrilled to be there, too, so it would have been hard not to match her friend's excitement. "I was going to find a flower crown," Geethanjali answered. It just so happened that Peggy had beaten her to it. "Yours is really pretty. Did you make it yourself?"

Although some people might have seen an opportunity to worm their way into getting a flower crown with minimal effort, that wasn't Geethanjali. She wasn't a manipulator, and she didn't want to assume that Peggy didn't have plans for the flowers she was carrying with her. If there were going to be flowers anywhere, Geethanjali was sure that there would be plenty of them nearby. Besides, if she were Peggy, she would have been tempted to braid the flowers into her hair in addition to the crown.

Peggy Duncan

[Peggy Duncan]

Peggy beamed at Geethanjali's compliment, her eyes twinkling with pride. She adjusted the flower crown on her head, making sure it was sitting just right amidst the wild tangle of her dishevelled hair. 

She twirled a bit, the flowers in her hands swaying with her movements. "Oh, thank you, Geethanjali! Yes, I did make it myself," she replied, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "There are so many lovely flowers just ripe for the picking in these meadows! See?”

She paused for a moment, studying the vibrant flowers in her hands before extending them toward Geethanjali with a warm smile. "I couldn’t resist collecting these ones," Peggy continued, her voice softer now, "Would you like some? I can help you make a crown if you like." There was something about the general air of the festivities that had Peggy in a real joyous mood - the energy was electric!

geethanjali amaryllis root

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

April 29, 2028

When it came to her flower crown, Peggy confirmed that she had made it herself with an effervescence in her response. She was obviously proud of her handiwork, and Geethanjali couldn't blame her; she really had done a good job of assembling a flower crown for herself. "There are so many lovely flowers just ripe for the picking in these meadows!" she exclaimed. "See?"

Geethanjali looked at the flowers Peggy had picked and immediately knew that she was right; there were so many pretty flowers to be found around them. The Hogwarts greenhouses couldn't compare in the slightest, especially since their plants had a wider variety of plants than just flowers alone. Making flower crowns out of Puffapods, for instance, probably wasn't the greatest idea.

"I couldn't resist collecting these ones," Peggy said of the flowers that weren't already on her head, her excitement toned down just a little. "Would you like some?" she offered. "I can help you make a crown if you like."

While Geethanjali didn't want to take Peggy's spotlight away from her and all her hard work, she did worry that maybe not everyone would be as appreciative of it. She didn't think that Peggy would get singled out solely for her flower crown, seeing as that was part of the holiday they were there to celebrate, but Peggy wasn't exactly the most popular person to have walked the corridors of Hogwarts. Geethanjali assumed that she was probably closer to what most people saw as "normal", though that involved overlooking her lycanthropy, for one thing.

If they were going to do anything that might catch others' attention, Geethanjali figured, then they would do it together. She nodded at Peggy's generous offer. "Of course! Where should we start?" Though Geethanjali didn't think that putting together a flower crown on her own would be too hard, she also didn't hesitate to ask Peggy for her assistance.

Peggy Duncan

[Peggy Duncan]

Peggy's eyes lit up with delight as Geethanjali expressed interest in making a flower crown together. It wasn't super often that one of her classmates paid her this much attention, let alone looked to her for advice on anything. "Brilliant!" She handed some of the flowers to her friend, careful not to overwhelm her with the sheer number of blossoms in her hands.

"Let's start with these delightful daisies," she suggested, holding up a handful of the delicate white and yellow flowers. "They're the perfect base for any crown. We can add some vibrant bluebells, and I reckon some cheerful sunflowers too!" Peggy's hands moved expertly for once, selecting the best combination of flowers and arranging them in a way that seemed almost artistic.

"Here, you take the daisies," Peggy said, handing over the white and yellow blooms to Geethanjali. She then plucked a few bluebells from the pile, their soft blue petals contrasting beautifully with the daisies.

With a happy smile, Peggy continued, "The key is to let your imagination guide you. There's no right or wrong way to make a flower crown!"

geethanjali amaryllis root

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

April 29, 2028

Geethanjali didn't take making a flower crown lightly. There was no point in making a flower crown poorly; otherwise, it would just come apart and look sad. If she wanted to just drop a handful of flowers atop her head, she would have done that. Peggy offered her some daisies to start with, describing them as "perfect base for any crown". Clearly, she knew how to put together a crown that would last. Daisies had stems that were slightly thicker than some other flowers, but they weren't as thick as, say, the sunflowers Peggy had also brought up.

From the standpoint of weaving flowers together, Geethanjali figured the order in which the flowers were made into a crown mattered considerably more than some people might have assumed. Weighing down delicate flowers with bigger ones later would only squish the smaller ones, ruining them completely. It was the same thing as putting heavier items on top of lighter ones in a bag; it was a good way to get whatever was on the bottom of the bag wrecked.

Carefully, Geethanjali took the various flowers from Peggy as she was handed them. The structural integrity of the crown mattered most, even more than the overall look of it, even though Peggy encouraged her to let her imagination guide her.

Geethanjali let out a breath, deciding that it would be much easier to start assembling her flower crown with a flat surface on which to do it. The nearest flat surface available happened to be the ground, so she gently set the flowers in her hand on the grass and then sat down beside them. "They're so pretty. I don't want to break them," she admitted to Peggy, going ahead and trying to get the first two daisies strung together. Working with flowers was harder than it looked, she thought, trying to figure out if it would be better to start tying the daisies together or to measure how many of them she would need to fit her head properly.

Peggy Duncan