Juniper answered the door almost exactly as Delia
knocked. She knew it was Delia the second she heard the knock. She had been
wondering when she would show up, and Juniper knew that she would be far more
excited about Juniper’s newfound fame than she was herself. She had almost
eaten another entire case of Chocolate Frogs, and still hadn’t felt much
better. She had the same déjà vu that she had felt the day before, but it was
different this time. She wasn’t so sure that Delia would understand.

Today, she couldn’t feel her despair washing away as
she hugged her old friend. Seeing Delia’s smile, which hadn’t changed at all in
thirty years, didn’t give her any strength at all.

“Junie! How are you?”

Juniper bit her lip. “Oh, I’m… I’m… well…” She
sighed. She knew there was no hiding her feelings from her oldest friend.
“Delia, I’m miserable. I can’t do this. I just can’t.”

“Can’t? Can’t do what? Be famous, and loved? You’re
a hero, Junie. You saved the Minister of Magic himself, not to mention some of
the War heroes. That makes you kind of a big deal. Aren’t you happy? Don’t you
feel glamorous? Junie, there’s not a witch alive right now who doesn’t want to
be you. Isn’t it wonderful? No one will ever call you boring again!”

“But they don’t know me, Delia. They don’t know my
life! I’m an Herbologist, Junie, not some kind of Gringotts curse-breaker! My
life isn’t fighting monsters, or saving lives, or answering stupid, stupid fan
mail! It’s just… taking care of the plants. And sometimes, that might look
boring to other witches and wizards. And I get that. But I love it. It makes me
happy. That’s all I want, Delia. The more I think about it, that’s all I’ve
ever wanted.”

“Oh.”

Juniper flinched again. She knew that “oh.” She had
been hearing it an awful lot, as of late.

“So… this isn’t what you wanted, then?”

“No, it isn’t. I mean, maybe I thought it was, but
it never was. You know? I just… I just wanted people to think what I do is
important. But this isn’t what I do!”

“The people who matter already knew you were
important, Junie.”

“Oh, yeah? Like who?”

“Like me! Like all of my colleagues at the Potions
Association! Like every single potioneer you’ve ever helped, and every healer
in St. Mungo’s! Who cares what the rest of them think Junie? People like
exciting stories. They like heroes. And if you wanted the whole world to fall
down and worship you for doing something that isn’t big and flashy, then you
were delusional.”

Juniper couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Look, you grow plants, Junie. You’re good at it,
and you love doing it. No, it isn’t glamorous. Yes, people will misunderstand
you. People might even look down on you for it. But it’s like you say, they
just don’t understand. You have a gift, Junie. The way you look at all of your
plants, magical or… or non-magical. You love them all. You have a big heart,
Junie. Some people don’t understand that, and they never will. Don’t worry
about those people.”

“You’re right, Delia. I just… I just didn’t want it
to be like this. Now everyone think I’m something I’m not, and I’m freaking
out. I can’t take much more of this! Just think, of all the days for someone to
attempt to assassinate the Minister, it had to be the day I was at his party!”

Delia cleared her throat, a nervous laugh rising to
her lips. “Yeah… Uhh, about that.”

Juniper raised an eyebrow. She knew that tone of
voice. It was the same one Delia used in fourth year when revealing that Peeves
wasn’t the one who had made a mess in the second-floor corridor, after all.

“…Delia?”

“There was no assassination attempt, Junie. You
should know that. Everyone loves Shacklebolt. He’s the best Minister of Magic
Britian’s ever had. I can’t think of a single person who doesn’t like him, or
would even dream of wanting him dead.”

“Then… Then how did four dangerous plants manage to
get to his party? They didn’t grow there. That Mandrake was in a pot, and I
refuse to believe that Minister Shacklebolt would be so irresponsible as to
allow Devil’s Snare to grow under his gazebo, or to put Bubotubers on his
refreshment table. Someone must have planted them there, Delia, and I can’t
think of any reason why someone would do such a thing. Those plants are
dangerous. Someone could have gotten killed!”

“Well… No, they couldn’t have. See, there was a master
Herbologist on the scene. She was brilliant. First aid, knowledge of plants,
exactly how to deal with the scary ones…”

“Delia? What are you saying?”

“And, you know, if her potioneer friend just…
happened to have some aquatandisu in her purse? And potion to ease the pain of
Bubotuber pus?”

“Delia… No. No, I don’t want to hear this.”

“Her friend who just… happened to suggest that she
bring her Herbology equipment to the party? Her friend who… maybe just wanted
to give her a chance to show the world what she could do? Who… did everything she
did out of love, and only did it because she had complete and absolute
confidence in her?”

“Out. Get out of my house.”

“Junie, I’m sorry. I did it for you, Junie. Please,
please forgive me. I thought you wanted this…”

“No. You could have killed people. Heck, you could
have killed me! Just because I’m skilled doesn’t mean that accidents don’t
happen. You don’t know anything about plants, other than how to cut them up and
make them into… magical soup!”

“Please… Juniper…”

“I said, get OUT of my house!”

Juniper didn’t see Delia leave, because she couldn’t
hold her tears back any longer. She threw herself on her sofa and cried. It was
official. There was no one she could trust. No one, that is, except her plants.

Plants never judged her. They never misunderstood
her. They never tried to help her and only succeed in making her feel worse
than before. They never put innocent lives in danger just to try to make her look
better. They were good, and they were her friends. Her only true friends.