Local Lens: Leaders and Legends

## Local Lens: Leaders and Legends by Sumner Torvaros

Mistress of House Amare Leah Penhalgion

Throughout its long and storied history Salvatore Academy has produced some of the finest witches, wizards, warlocks and even werewolves that the world of magic has ever seen! Though the grounds may be magic themself it is in fact the numerous teachers and staff that are responsible for fostering the talent that arrives every year. The Salvatore Scryer is proud to present this exclusive series of interviews with the people that keep this school turning year after year.

This week: Mistress of House Amare, Leah Maria Penhalgion.

**Sumner:** I would like to begin by asking your name and your role at the school just for the record?

**Leah:** My name is Leah Maria Penhaligon, I'm professor of Herbology and one who spends time doing what she can to support other professors.

**Sumner:** Of course! And that is part of your role as Head of house Amare correct?

**Leah:** I was so taken with your paper that I forgot to mention my role as Head of Amare. You see, trees, even dead ones, they can be pretty distracting you know? Perhaps you don't but I do. And someday maybe you will too!

**Sumner:** Perhaps. It is hard to say what subject a student will get fixated on here. What exactly are your duties as the head of house Amare?

**Leah:** House Amare has excellent and mature students. They believe in the House and have high expectations for themselves and each other. This makes my position easy. So I view my duties as rather few. Essentially to assist and encourage Amare students in learn and have fun doing it. And to be the best they can at whatever they're doing. The way I see it, the students are the House. I'm just there to support them.

**Sumner:**Now did you attend Salvatore before becoming a teacher here?

**Leah :**Yes I was in the class of... Well it's hard to measure time here you know. But I'm an Amare graduate myself.

**Sumner:** My follow up was going to be checking if you were in fact an Amare though I had little doubt

**Leah:** I adore the color green because look at all these beautiful trees, but I like red almost as much!

**Sumner:** Now speaking of trees what drew you to herbology?

**Leah:** Prior to coming to the academy I went to muggle college for plant ecology. Along the way I began to discover virtues and uses for plants that nobody else in my class or my professors were able to see...
Then one day when exploring the woods I went further than usual and got turned around. And that's when I saw the stones. I looked up and saw the Academy for the first time that day but had no idea how I got there. Luckily they were accepting new students that day!

**Sumner:** So you had no magic background at all before stumbling into the academy?

**Leah:** None. None in my family either. Not that I know of at least.

**Sumner:** That is somewhat rare here, is it not?

**Leah:** It's uncommon for sure. But not unheard of. Of course there are all types here but some days it does seem like there are precious few of us who arrived here without lineage or bat wings, yes.

 **Sumner:** How long have you been teaching here?

**Leah:** About... four years, seven months. Sumner: That is a more exact answer than I expected after all that thinking! Leah: Since that tree was about this tall, that's when I started. Time flies. Seems like it's been about four months.

 **Sumner:** Yeah time has a way of escaping us. Anyway on to something else something rather contentious. It is fair to say you deal in a variety of magical and non magical flora correct?

**Leah:** All plants are magical. You might think that's just the kind of thing I say and you'd be right. But since non-magical plants have qualities that... That's correct.

**Sumner:** Right well... recently there has been an uproar in the magical community over magically enhanced pesticides killing pixies. I must ask what you use to protect your plants and is this school free of pixie cruelty?

**Leah:** Thank you for that excellent question.

**Sumner:** Is uhh... is that... all you have to say on the matter?

**Leah:** The magical community can rest easy knowing that I use no pesticides at all, not even organic ones. Pixies as you know are a threatened species in many areas and I for one have no desire to contribute to their decline, as annoying as they can sometimes be. To answer your question, I use nothing to protect plants here. If nothing is eating the plants then they aren't really part of the ecosystem. And I avoid the term, "pests" and prefer instead, "tiny little beetles with the munchies".

 **Sumner:** Well I am sure that many activists will be happy to hear that! Now to touch on a conversation we had earlier... so you have told me that you have not seen the documentary Little Shop of Horrors. Is that correct?

**Leah** Correct, never seen it. Those kinds of movies, they make me concerned about plant cruelty. Plants should be free and not forced to entertain us.

**Sumner:** So you have sympathy for the plant in Little Shop of Horrors?

**Leah:** Like I said I don't know much about that plant but I'm sure it's a tragedy.

**Sumner:** Very interesting...

**Leah:** They ought to make those kinds of films illegal. I certainly hope students aren't watching Little Shop of Horrors on campus, Sumner.

**Sumner:** Ohh uhh not that I know of Mistress! Do you happen to keep any plants that would if given the chance eat a humanoid?

**Leah:** All plants know how to defend themselves, both magical and mundane. No, "humanoids" are at risk here of being eaten. And by the way, "humanoid" is considered a pretty racist term nowadays, Sumner. Why should non-humans be lumped together as human-like? Did your family teach you that word? I'm starting to think I ought to spend more time helping Amare students a bit more closely.

**Sumner:** Just a few more quick questions. Favorite author? Magical or otherwise?

**Leah:** That's a really good question and it changes from time to time. Right now I'll say Aldo Leopold.

**Sumner:** Favorite plant if that can be answered?

**Leah:** That's like asking me what my favorite puzzle piece is. Plants, animals for that matter, are parts of a system, of something greater than their individual selves. That's the real magic. But I can tell you what my least favorite plant is. Look up the gympie-gympie plant in the library sometime. There's dark magic of the highest sort in that one for sure.

**Sumner:** Perhaps I will... and finally any advice you would give to a student looking to make herbology their focus?

**Leah:** I'd say get out there. Get outside and see what's going on in a meadow or in the woods. See what the plants, the animals, and the bugs are doing. Different stuff will be happening each time you go out. And you'll become more attuned to what's happening each time. Learn how to tell one fern from another. And learn about what's going on with the plants that we can study or use for incredible effects.

**Sumner:** Mistress Leah thank you so much for your time

**Leah:** Thank you Sumner, this was a lot of fun.