Fowler had left the garden, bidding farewell to Wendy and Vala, and went straight to his bunkroom to clean up and change. He carefully took the 'truthweed' specimine out of his pocket and laid it on his desk while he got into a new, clean uniform. His hair was a tad more mussed than usual, but that didn't matter as long as his face was clean and he didn't smell so...outdoorsy. Finally he felt he was ready, so he grabbed the plant sample and his copy of Dr. Mann's 12 Edition (just in case) and headed off towards the Headmistress' office.

On the way, Fowler thought of what he would say. 'Yes, Headmistress, I found the most amazing thing in the East Garden today. A Spiny Bloodtooth guarding a secret garden full of narcotics, poisons and other drug-making plants. I thought you should know about it.' No, that's a bit too forward. 'Headmistress, I found something in the East Garden you should see. Come and see!' Not a good idea unless he wanted to sound like a five year old with his first snail. I'm sure I'll think of something.

As he approached the door to her office, a thought floated across the back of his mind...what if she asks if others were with me? Or what I was doing in the hedge maze in the first place? I'm not very good at lying. Brushing all the worries aside, Fowler knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, young man?"

The voice came from the desk in the corner of the foyer. A plump and rather irritated man was eyeing Fowler like he was some sort of muddy dog. His mustache twitched.

"Did you have an appointment?" he said, in an irritatingly condescending voice, knowing full well that Fowler had not made one.

Any and all confidence Fowler had in himself and his discovery faded faster than a squashed lightningbug. He paled slightly, intimidated by the older man's authoritative presence. Fowler shook his head.

"N-n-no, s-sir, b-b-but I f-found someth-thing im-m-mportant in the E-east G-g-garden the H-h-headm-mistress sh-should kn-know ab-bout."

Fowler kicked himself mentally. I should have known the Headmistress had more important things to worry about than some stupid student and his stupid plants.

"Well, if you'll leave a message, I can pass it along," said the secretary, resuming his bored expression and looking back down at his work as though the matter was settled.

At that very moment, however, the double doors to Ophelia's office opened, and she hurried out, looking flustered and upset over something. The Headmistress stopped suddenly, noticing the small boy before her, and blinked; she glanced up at her secretary, who shrugged apologetically at her.

You fool! Can you not tell that more important things are at stake here? There is no time for 'leaving messages'! "B-b-but, th-this is r-r-really im-import-t-tant!" Fowler screwed up his face in frustration. It was always the same with adults. Your opinions don't matter if you don't have grey in your hair or can't move a mountain just by asking the mona nicely.

Fowler squeaked in surprise. The Headmistress was here! If his face had paled before when her secretary had first spoke to him, it most certainly was pale now. He gasped and blurted out in one long, stutter-free breath, "HeadmistressIfoundthisinthegardenandthoughtIshouldtellyou!" Fowler grabbed the plant from his pocket and thrust it towards her, panic etched on his features.

Ophelia stared at the grubby plant being thrust forward at her by a small stuttering boy, no older than eleven to be sure, and once more gaped helplessly at her secretary before turning back to Fowler with a kind smile. This is why you went into teaching, she reminded herself. For the love of children.

"My goodness," she said quietly, patting Fowler on the back. "What on earth is that you've got? You'd better come into my office. Regino, cancel my twenty-five."

This was a trick that important people learned early on - there was, of course, no meeting, but it would make Fowler feel better to think that he had her undivided attention.

Fowler's eyes went wide. She's cancelling a meeting for me?! Fowler's slight fear-turned high anxiety became stunned, silent astonishment in a matter of half seconds. He mentally shook it away when he remember what he held in his hand and how important it really was.

Once the boy was in the Headmistress' office and seated before her desk, he started his tale. Or, at least the bits he could tell.

"I w-w-was in the E-east G-garden t-t-today, and I w-w-wandered into the h-hedge m-m-maze, and...I f-f-found a g-garden in the m-m-middle." He took a breath, adding hurriedly, "N-not j-just any g-g-garden! Th-th-there w-were p-p-poisons, o-opiates and th-th-this," indicating the plant he had laid on the edge of the desk before him. "It's v-v-very r-rare, Sp-spirullina V-v-veriticus, or Tr-tr-truthw-weed. I've o-o-only ever r-read ab-bout it," he added, opening his book to the page with the entry on the plant. He handed it over to the Headmistress and continued. "Th-th-there w-was a Sp-sp-spiny Bl-bloodt-t-tooth g-guarding it all. I th-th-think wh-whoever pl-planted the g-g-garden w-w-wanted to k-keep it s-s-secret." Fowler decided to leave out the part about wetting his pants in fear. He didn't feel it was relevant to the situation at hand. Nor was who he was in the garden with, for that matter.

"You went into the garden?" repeated Ophelia, raising an eyebrow in an admonishing way. "By yourself?"

Taking the plant, she examined it in her open palm. While Fowler watched, she made a tiny, delicate movement with her eyelids, almost like fluttering them at the plant, and the air squeezed; there was a slight ringing, like the dying noise of a bell, and she pursed her lips.

"Yes," she said slowly, "this was done by a student, inexpertly. They were quite careless. Do you see how the leaves are curled and the skin of the step is taught? Poor spellwork. This plant, and the others like it, won't live long."

She looked up at the boy, curiously. "You found your way through the maze?" she asked gently. "Then others might as well. We must take care of this little garden as soon as possible. But first we must discover who the culprit is. Have you seen anyone else near the gardens, young man?"

Fowler did everything in his physical power not to go pale or blush, so instead he did both and came out looking sickly mottled. Initially, he had gone into the garden by himself, until..."Y-y-yes, m-ma'am." That wasn't a lie, really, he thought.

"It w-w-wasn't r-really th-that h-h-hard, I j-just f-f-followed the f-f-footp-p-prints. They l-l-lead me st-straight t-t-to it." Again, the boy remembered his promise to Wendy and Vala. "I h-h-haven't s-seen anyb-b-body else ar-round, m-ma'am. I d-d-don't g-go t-to the E-e-east G-garden of-often." But I sure will now!

"Footprints!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "It almost seems as though our culprit was trying to lure someone there. I will be watching the entrance to the garden very closely, to see if he or she returns."

Of course, she had no intention of doing this herself; she was a busy woman, after all. But her secretary seemed to have far too much time on his hands these days...

Fowler nodded his head in agreement. That idea was one of sound judgement and logic. He smiled at the Headmistress, quite glad that the school was in her intelligently capable hands.

He was also quite glad that he didn't have to necesarily lie to her, as well.

"Well, young man - what did you say your name was? I'm terribly sorry," said Ophelia kindly, smiling at Fowler. What a polite boy! She felt sorry she couldn't deal with students like this all the time; some of them were horrid little wretches.

Fowler stood, and made a quick bow. How silly of him, forgetting to introduce himself to someone as important as the headmistress! "F-f-fowler H-hotchk-k-kiss, ma'am!" he said with a smile, retaking his seat.

Ophelia smiled and laughed a little when he hopped up.

"Well, Mr. Hotchkiss - are you related to Cecelia Hotchkiss, by the way? I used to know her when I was in school, a long, long time ago."

Fowler nodded, hesitantly. "Y-y-yes m-ma'am. Sh-she's my aunt on m-m-my m-mother's s-s-side. Sh-she l-l-lives in M-mugroba n-n-now. I d-d-don't kn-know her th-that w-w-well."

"Do tell," said Ophelia, smiling. "Well, Mr. Hotchkiss, it's rather late! You'd best be running off to your dormitory, I think. I will write you, of course, when the matter is settled."

Fowler stood, smiling broadly and collecting his book. "Y-y-yes m-ma'am!"

He wasn't entirely sure as to the propper protocol for leaving the office of the Headmistress, so he saluted smartly and walked out, closing the door carefully behind him. He waved at the headmistress's assistant as he made his way back out to the hall and off towards his room. The smile stayed plastered on his face the entire way. He'd made a difference, discovered something important, AND he hadn't said a word about Wendy or Vala being there in the process. I have accomplished something important today, he thought to himself. This deserves a reward, I feel.

So he made his way to the library with a spring in his step.