Oh no on Potions

Professor Connell

October 23, 2007 8:10 PM

First Years Lesson I by Professor Connell

It was always interesting, watching the first years come into her classroom for the first time, particularly when potions wasn’t their first class of the year. While Marian Connell normally didn’t like to think she found amusement in unintentional actions of her students, this was the one time of the year she couldn’t help herself. Even with those who had grown up in a magical family, the actual process of creating potions, and the ingredients that went into them often weren’t considered.

However, one couldn’t avoid them in her classroom, as various jars of pickled and dried animals, jars of eyes, livers, and other somewhat unsavory looking objects (she had just as many that weren’t at all unusual, but those never attracted as much attention).

As soon as it appeared the last of the first years had found their way to the classroom and taken a seat, she stood from her seat behind her desk, moved to close the door, then returned to the front of her classroom, standing this time. “Welcome to your first potions lesson,” she began, for the first time in six years not feeling nervous in front of her students, and not feeling like a fraud. She’d apparently finally managed to get the hang of things. Imagine that.

“For those of you who have not yet met me, namely those not in my house of Pecari, my name is Professor Connell, and, as you probably guessed, I am your potions professor. For those of you who know little of this class, it will be almost exactly what it sounds like- you will be learning the art of making various potions, as well as the uses and properties of various ingredients. Eventually, you will learn more advanced skills, of course, but for this first year at least the focus is on the basics.”

Marian had been smiling throughout the introduction, but now turned sterner, gazing at the assembled students with none of the humor she’d shown earlier. “Potions making is an exact art, and precision and attention to detail are perhaps the most important thinks you will gain from this class. Safety is without a doubt my foremost concern while you are in here, so there are several rules you must follow at all times.

“First, take the utmost care when preparing your ingredients and adding them to your potion. Even an ounce too much of a substance can cause catastrophic results, as has been shown before in this classroom. Also, there is to be no horseplay of any sort. When you are working, and you will more often than not be working with partners or in groups of three, the ways you chose to spend your time is your own decision, as long as the work is done, and no one is faced with potential harm. However, if that line is crossed, I will not hesitate to make the consequences as severe as it is in my power to do so. Remember, there are potentially dangerous solutions in those cauldrons, in addition to the simple threats posed by the fire or the scalpels. While there is a direct path from this room to the infirmary, since the medic and I share so many of the same ingredients, I would prefer not to have to trouble him because someone behaved stupidly.”

Seriousness gone now that her warning and/or threats had been dispersed, Marian leaned back to look at her planner to make sure she had the right pages, then spoke for the final time. “However, you will not have to worry about that immediately, as today is intended to ease all of you into the subject. While I know some of you have grown up around potions, others of you have not, and I would like everyone to be on as equal footing as possible. Therefore, I want everyone to get into groups of two to four, and create lists of all the potions you’ve ever heard of, and categorize them in whatever way you see fit, with descriptions of the potions. If you happen to know of specific ingredients that are used for a certain kind of potion, those can be added for bonus points. This is to be done without your textbooks as much as possible; the group that has the greatest variety in their list will get five house points each. Begin.”

OOC: This lesson will run for two weeks. Writing-wise, I want posts at least two good-sized paragraphs long, though longer would be greatly appreciated; the longer and more detailed your posts, the greater the number of house points you will receive at the end of the lesson. Keep your knowledge in character as well—points actually will not be given out based on the lists, and I don’t want to see any muggleborns, for example, having an infinite knowledge of potions without an IC reason. Other than that, though, feel free to go with it. (And, yes, next lesson you’ll get a chance to explode things should you so choose, I promise.)

Subthreads:

Lists are something I'm good at. by Laurie Cider with Addie Laurent

Potions.. *sigh* by Rilla White with Lucie Dupree, Lucie

I'm not a know-it-all ... I just know it all by Cecily Smythe

Oh no by Holly Greer with Liz Guthrie

Lesson Closed (nm) by Professor Connell

0 Professor Connell First Years Lesson I 0 Professor Connell 1 5

Laurie Cider

October 23, 2007 10:44 PM

Lists are something I'm good at. by Laurie Cider

Laurie slipped into her potions classroom with an unexplained practice. Of all the classes she was scheduled for, she had approached Potions with the most confidence. Potions: the mixing, stirring, combining, heating, dicing, slicing, mincing, grinding- if she substituted the word potions with cooking, then she'd be exactly where she'd spent every Sunday afternoon since she was five. That was when her father started writing his cookbooks. She had started with the typical fare: cookies, brownies, and other desserts. Then she moved on to throw it together soups and stews. After that she graduated to main dishes. Just that past summer, she had started cooking without recipes, inventing things of her own creation.

Potions, she was sure, was most definitely in the bag.

Professor Connell, however, managed just enough intimidation to cut down on some of her confidence. Laurie wilted into a slouch in her chair. She perked up, though, once the assignment was given. This meant lists! Lists meant organizing, and organizing meant classifying. She quickly pulled out a piece of notebook paper, preferring its lined rule to the free landscape of parchment. Purposely, she hid her textbook in her book-bag, keeping the temptation out of sight.

She turned to the desk closest to her, and gestured to her paper. "Okay, so I figure the easiest way to organize this, and earn points, is to use the alphabet. I have 'A' already: Aging Potion. I have no idea, though, what's in it." Laurie grinned, the smile turning sheepishly at the corners. "Got ahead of myself there, sorry. You good being partners?"

0 Laurie Cider Lists are something I'm good at. 0 Laurie Cider 0 5

Rilla White

October 24, 2007 12:42 AM

Potions.. sigh by Rilla White

Rilla walked into potions class and was quickly faced with many different odd things all around the room. Jars and pots of who knew what. With a groan she tried to surpress she had a seat. Her mother, had left her in a horrible place, potions was the one subject she didn't touch. Rilla had of course some very very basic science skills. Atoms, plant cells, etc, but nothing beyond that.

She sat gloomily and listened to the professor. The professor seemed kind enough until she went into her warnings about safety. Rilla had glanced through her potions book before coming to class so she had the vaguest idea what the class covered but of course nothing more. She did know that potions were almost like cooking. This is what made Rilla so gloomy in this particular class.

Rilla was in fact she thought the worlds worst cook. She would be doomed to an adulthood of eating cold foods unless she perhaps married someone good at cooking someday. She grinned at this thought, a dreamy husband in a apron with a chicken on it like the one the muggle lady she grew up with had. Rilla at eleven wasn't one to think much about romance, but the idea of a guy in an apron cooking was funny to her.

Paying attention again she realised she would probably have a lot of difficulty in this class. This was the girl who two weeks before she came to school had dumped a whole bowl of already cracked eggs all over the kitchen floor. Worse than that, the bowl had hit a chair and went flying, covering her and her mother with egg. Her mother of course had been furious. This made Rilla groan again.

Then she heard the assignment. Things didn't get better did they? Apparently they were going to be making a list of all the potions they'd ever heard of. Rilla got out paper and her quill and ink. She hadn't heard of many potions.

Potions:
love potions
sleeping potions
flu potions

Sighing Rilla picked up her paper and got up to look for a group. She would need a lot of help with how little she'd managed alone.

"Would anyone mind working with me?" She directed to one side of the room.

0 Rilla White Potions.. *sigh* 116 Rilla White 0 5

Addie Laurent

October 24, 2007 1:20 PM

That makes one of us by Addie Laurent

Slinking into the Potions classroom, Addie took one of the empty seats. While Defense Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy had gone well enough, it still didn't give her much confidence. Not to mention after this class, she would most likely end up having to go back to her dorm room. She was worried her roommates would be there and with the number of them, it was a good bet, someone would be. Maybe she could just spend most of her time in the library? It would certainly help her studies.

A small, wistful sigh escaped her lip before the professor dragged her out of her thoughts with a beginning of the year speech. Glancing at her desk, she realized she hadn't taken out any paper or a pen. Quickly, she corrected this. Ready, she took a few notes on the lecture. She had been expecting to do a little more than classifying, but she supposed it was like the saying about one having to walk before they could run.

The professor had said for the assignment they could work in groups of two or four. She was about to look around for Ronen or Grayson, because they had been very nice and maybe they would want to work with her again, when she heard a voice. Glancing up in surprise, she saw one of her dorm mates. Did she not realize who she was talking to? The girl that wasn't accepted by either side of the Quidditch battle? The outcast? Maybe she hadn't noticed yet and that was why. Addie was sure that once Laurie took notice, she would move on, but then maybe she wanted to put it all behind her too?

Addie nervously tugged her dark hair behind her ears. She took a deep breath. She could do this, right? Another breath and then the plunge, “I'd like to be partners if you still want to be with...me. I think, um, we got off on the wrong foot in the dorms?”

0 Addie Laurent That makes one of us 0 Addie Laurent 0 5

Lucie Dupree

October 24, 2007 2:17 PM

No sighing by Lucie Dupree

Lucie entered the Potions classroom with a slight skip to her step, her long blonde hair bouncing behind her. She had been looking forward to this class most of all for it was Devian's favorite class. He always talked about the intricacies of making potions. Now, she got to find out what all the fuss was about. It didn't sound very interesting to her, but she always listened intently when her older brother talked. He was always so nice. She couldn't believe he wasn't in Teppenpaw like she was, but she also knew he was really smart and that's why he was in Aladren.

The first thing she noticed in the room were the jars of icky things, like eyeballs. Gross! She hoped that once they started she would come to enjoy the class as much as Devian did. She really wanted to be able to have a conversation about his interests. After all, he was always kind enough to listen to her going on about the things she liked. When she was nine, it had been dolls. Of course, once she had received her letter to Sonora, that had been the topic.

Taking one of the seats, as far from the eyeballs as possible, she pulled out parchment and a pen. She had fancy quills that were still in her trunk, but she had discovered the awesomeness that was the pen. It was said that the pen is mightier than the sword. In her mind, it was the pen is mightier than the quill. She listened to the usual spiel about safety and classroom rules and such, but she tuned out most of it in favor of imagining disgusting stories involving those eyeballs. Hmm, maybe they could defeat the evil turnips?

She had just gotten to the part where the eyeballs recruited a pair of hands to destroy the turnips by throwing them off a cliff when everyone else began moving into groups. Oh, no! She had missed what they were doing. Who would be her partner now? Just then she heard a voice call out 'Would anyone mind working with me?' Relief flooded through her. Oh, good, she wasn't going to be alone. She grabbed her things and made her way over to the girl. It was one of her roommates! She hadn't actually gotten the chance to meet the girl, but this was a good a time as any.

“Hi,” she said cheerfully. “I'll work with you. It's nice to actually meet one of my roommates. I'm Lucie. What's your name?”

0 Lucie Dupree No sighing 114 Lucie Dupree 0 5

Laurie Cider

October 25, 2007 4:43 PM

Do-over! by Laurie Cider

Laurie had given it quite a bit of thought: there were reasons why people did not get along. Different interests, different sensibilities, different likes, different habits- difference drove apart people time and time again. And yet, the more she considered it, difference was what often brought people together. Friendships were often made up of opposites. A vivacious jokester might be best chums with a withdrawn bibliophile. An athletic extrovert might pair up with a cynical loner. Her closest friend back home, however, was as near a twin to her personality as possible. Heidi had been her best friend since they first met in the first grade. They read the same books, played in the same little league teams, loved the same movies, they both hated mayonnaise, and they even spoke their own secret language: pig latin gibberish. She missed that ease that came from years of weekend slumber parties, inside jokes, and secrets. She had made friends, and had people she sat with during meals and in class, but it just wasn't the same as what she had with Heidi. She had looked to her roommates, hoping that she might make the same kind of friendship there.

Renaye, though, had been the only one who even spoke to her really.

Her brown eyes widened, once Laurie registered that her prospective partner was her roommate, Addie Laurent. "I'd like to be partners if you still want to be with. . .me. I think, um, we got off on the wrong foot in the dorms?"

She knew very little about the girl, beyond her outward appearance. Some kind of line had been drawn that first day in the dormroom, and as much as Laurie disliked the idea of it, she had been thrown on one side of the line, and most of the other girls on the other. She was perceptive enough to recognize that the line was definitely not just about Quidditch, that there was something else being proclaimed in the division. What it was exactly, she wasn't yet sure. Still though, Quidditch was still just a sport, and even though she liked it, it was only one thing out of thousands of other things. Thousands of little things that she might have in common with any of those girls. In retrospect, it seemed like a silly reason to not talk to a person.

Reassured, Laurie gave Addie a welcoming smile. "'Course I would. And yeah, I think things got a bit heated that day. I still feel kind of bad about that," she admitted, a little awkwardly. "I mean, well. . .how about we start over?"

She held up her hand, in a trademark wave. "I'm Laurie, nice to meet you."

0 Laurie Cider Do-over! 0 Laurie Cider 0 5

Rilla White

October 27, 2007 2:14 PM

Says who? by Rilla White

Rilla wasn't sure anyone would wanna work with a complete novice like herself but suddenly a girl asked her to be hers. Apparently this girl was in her dorm, now that she mentioned it, she did look familiar.

"Hello. Name's Rilla, nice to meet you too." With that Rilla gave the girl one of her most charming grins, which always came off kind of cheeky, according to her mother. But, who could trust their mother? Especially Rilla's.

"Do you know anything about potions? The only ones I've seen have been ones for illnesses. You don't wanna tell my mother you're feeling ill. She's got some nasty flu and cold potions she forces down your throat. Not sure what's in them, but it can't be pleasant." Rilla thrust her list at the girl. It was extremely short and she hoped this girl would have something to add to it.

"You do know what we're doing right?" Thinking about her observations of this class Rilla noted that this girl had seemed kind of spacey. Oh well, Rilla was spacey herself, so she couldn't take that against Lucie. She didn't know what to make of this other Teppenpaw. She looked her up and down trying to decide what to think.

Rilla herself was very short for her age, had short brown hair, blue grey eyes, freckles (to her annoyance), and oval rimmed glasses. The combined effect was a small petite little form that came off both awkward and little kidish at the same time. Rilla was often mistaken for several years younger than she was, and annoyed with the fact some people even found her "cute". However, people learned often enough that she had a temper and could be very fierce if people pushed the issue.

As odd as she could be Rilla found her peers odder. She never knew what to make of them or how to act around them. She'd been cooped up with her mother and whatever visitors her mother had around for the last three years of her life. So being around those her own age had been awkward at best the last few times she'd been exposed to them before school.

0 Rilla White Says who? 116 Rilla White 0 5

Cecily Smythe

October 27, 2007 5:00 PM

I'm not a know-it-all ... I just know it all by Cecily Smythe

Potions class was one of those subjects Cecily was distinctly wary of. She had taken potions for all sorts of ailments and occasions ever since she could remember, and she wasn’t entirely convinced she wanted to know what sort of ingredients composed such concoctions. A quick glance around the classroom as she entered confirmed Cecily’s suspicions. There were grotesque things in jars all over the walls. Trying desperately not to look, Cecily opted for a seat right in the centre of the room – as far away from the walls as possible – and kept her head focused on the parchment on the desk in front of her.

Cecily listened as Professor Connell went over the rules. They seemed sensible rules, and Cecily thought of herself as a sensible girl, and so didn’t write them down. As the professor progressed to the lesson plan, Cecily didn’t write down the requirements of the task, either, because they were fairly easy to remember. Instead, she slipped her textbook back into her bag, because she didn’t want to be caught cheating, and retrieved a quill instead. She knew thousands of potions – making a long list wouldn’t be very difficult at all. It would, she thought, be even easier if she had somebody to work with, though. Maybe not a Muggleborn because they wouldn’t know anything.

Eager to make a start, Cecily turned to the person and the next desk. “I’ve got loads of ideas already,” she told them proudly. “Would you like to work with me? We’ll get it done quicker that way.”

0 Cecily Smythe I'm not a know-it-all ... I just know it all 122 Cecily Smythe 0 5

Addie

October 31, 2007 7:07 PM

Yay! by Addie

Addie waited with baited breath for Laurie's answer. When the other girl said yes, it came out in a sort of whoosh. The statement that things had got a bit heated was an understatement in her opinion. Sides had been picked after a simple statement about Quidditch. She didn't really understand either argument. Addie didn't like to play. She wasn't naturally talented at sports, but Hannah was and she wanted to watch her sister at the games. For her role in it, she had become the out-casted one when all she had wanted to do was make a couple friends and wasn't sure how to, but it seemed now was her chance to start over with Laurie. Offering a grin, she replied, “I'm Addie and it's nice to meet you too.”

She took the seat nearest to the girl. The idea of organizing it by the alphabet was a good one. “Do you want to split up the alphabet or just go through each letter? I'm not sure what's in Aging Potions either, but I can add Amortentia to the list. It's a powerful love potion, but I don't know what's in that one either.” She gave a small sigh. Naming potions was going to be the easy part, but stating what was in them was going to be a lot harder.

0 Addie Yay! 0 Addie 0 5

Lucie

November 03, 2007 11:48 PM

Says me :P by Lucie

“That’s a pretty name. It’s different,” Lucie commented with a winning smile, but when asked if she knew what they were doing, she bit her lower lip. “I kind of missed that part. I was thinking about the jars of eyeballs and it turned into a story. So, what is the assignment?”

She asked this while Rilla seized her up. She was from the world of high-society, traditional Purebloods and this is what they did. She didn’t know if Rilla was one or not, but the silent test came as no surprise. She had always passed everyone else’s inspections, so she didn’t think she had anything to worry about. She had all the proper breeding, so all the ladylike mannerisms were accounted for, though she lacked the chilly attitude that others seemed to have. Often, she was all smiles, which her daddy said were infectious and that’s why he could never stay mad at her. It was true, though, and even her sister, Danae, could barely manage to carry a grudge against her.

As Rilla studied her, she did the same. They looked vastly different. Lucie had blonde curls that reached down to the small of her back and fair-skinned with prominent cheekbones. Paired with brilliant blue eyes, the effect was more of that of an exquisite doll than anything else, which was probably why her mother had constantly been purchasing robes for her before she came to school.

Once the assignment was explained, she thought it sounded like a fairly easy one for her and she silently thanked her brother for that. All those times he talked about potions had actually sunk in. Okay, so it wouldn’t be a perfect list, but it should be enough to get them a good grade. “Well, there’s Shrinking Potion and that has…” she chewed on the inside of her cheek in concentration, “caterpillar, leech juice, rat spleen,” a face was made at this, “daisy roots and shrivelfig. I think that’s everything. Then, there’s Mandrake Restorative Draught, which is just Mandrake. Oh, and Memory Potions use Jobberknoll feathers.”

She might have been blonde, but she was certainly no ditz. She just had a healthy imagination that she liked to use often. It made life fun.

0 Lucie Says me :P 0 Lucie 0 5

Rilla White

November 04, 2007 2:27 PM

Who are you then? by Rilla White

Rilla quickly explained what they were doing to Lucie. She tried to surpress a giggle as the girl said she was thinking about the eyes and that it had turned into a story. Rilla herself had to be careful not to space off as things didn't usually go well for anyone when she did. Once she had spaced off looking at a jar of marbles and the jar, on the teachers desk, had cracked and marbles had gone everywhere. Of course no one pinned it on her, but Rilla had known she had done it. She also assumed teachers here would be better able to figure out who had such types of accidents.

After Lucie had quickly spilled the potions she knew Rilla had quickly jotted them down. "I am sorry my handwriting and spelling are horrible." Rilla showed Lucie her paper with a grin. "Maybe you'd better write it?"

Then she became curious about this girl. There was only so much she could guess. "So, what do you like to do for fun? This is the first place I've been where I've been allowed to perform magic. Oh, and what's your favorite class? I thought I'd love Charms, but the Professor is a bit strict. I think currently I like Transfiguration best though I am horrible at it." Rilla tried not to spill all of this out too fast. She had a bad habit of talking to much when nervous or curious, and she was both.

Rilla was the type that naturally liked to know a little about everything. And how could anyone find out anything without talking to people? She had a freedom here at Sonora she'd never had before. Though she knew she still had to be careful. She was sure anything she did would get back to her mother one way or another.

"I guess we should get to know each other, since we're in the same dorm and all. Do you have any friends from home here? Anyone I know here I just met." Rilla knew they should focus just on work and not talk a lot, but she couldn't help herself. She knew she'd probably get into all kinds of trouble at this school since she knew she would have so much trouble just focusing on school work. In the few years she was in muggle schools, she'd been pretty focused. She hadn't had any friends, so all she had had was school work to focus on. That being the case her grades had always been pretty decent. Though occasionally she'd spaced off.

An idea coming to her Rilla wondered. "So where did you learn about these potions?" She pointed to the list. "I was taught very little about potions. My mom thought them to dangerous to even cover much theory with me." Rilla sighed, her mother always said things were too dangerous, or she was too young, or she wasn't responsible enough. Rilla's mother was good at hiding information from her.

0 Rilla White Who are you then? 116 Rilla White 0 5

Holly Greer

November 12, 2007 2:02 PM

Oh no by Holly Greer

One look around this classroom was enough to convince Holly Greer of two things. Thing One: She was was going to hate this class. Thing Two: She was never going to look at anything but the floor, her desk, and the insides of her eyelids. Keeping her head down, she found an empty desk, sat down and squeezed her eyes closed, promising herself she wasn't going to open them again until she could leave this place with the horrible things on the shelves and cabinets.

Her daddy was getting a letter about this class, too.

She listened to the teacher's voice, thinking it sounded familiar. Holly placed it when the woman mentioned 'my house, Pecari'. Splendid. It was her own head of house who taught in this horrific room. Holly had thought listening to Mr. O'Leary in DADA had been bad. At least the only nasty thing she'd had to look at there had been an evil plant.

Fortunately, Holly could listen to the introduction without being subjected to PG-13 or older things. Given her vow about not opening her eyes, she wasn't sure how much of the rules applied to her, but she wasn't going to misbehave or anything.

Even better, their first lesson was just about listing out different kinds of potions (not that, as a pureblooded muggleborn Holly knew any) instead of using any of those terrible things in jars.

With her eyes closed, she had no idea who was sitting near her, but she decided they were as good a group as any. "I've heard of love potions," she volunteered, her head still down and her eyes squeezed tightly closed. "And Alice drank potions to make her get bigger and smaller."

1 Holly Greer Oh no 123 Holly Greer 0 5

Liz Guthrie

November 12, 2007 9:29 PM

Oh yes by Liz Guthrie

When she got to the potions classroom the first thing Liz thought was that this room was a little creepy. Okay, it was a lot creepy, it had eyeballs in jars for crying out loud who wouldn't be creeped out? For some reason the thought of Grandpa Jerry's room popped in her head. Because he was a veteran aurer, he tended to be a little paranoid so his room was filled with dark wizard detecting devices. She couldn't remember the names of them, though.

She somehow found herself right next to a girl with her eyes squeezed shut. Liz recognized the girl as Holly something-or-other. She was never good with names but she was very good with faces so she knew it was her. The classroom must be a little too creepy for the poor girl.

For this class all they had to do was list the potions they knew. She didn't know many. Her Aunt Rose tried to explain some of the potions she always used but Liz only half-listened. Her aunt had a very dull voice that would make anyone tune her out.

When the teacher stoped talking she heard Holly rambling about love potions and Alice in Wonderland. She must be from a muggle family to be spouting that kind of nonsence so Liz decided to take pity on her. "There are love potions but I'm not sure if there are potions that make you big or small," she said "but there could be," she quickly added so Holly wouldn't feel too stupid.

0 Liz Guthrie Oh yes 0 Liz Guthrie 0 5

Professor Connell

December 03, 2007 7:45 PM

Lesson Closed (nm) by Professor Connell

0 Professor Connell Lesson Closed (nm) 0 Professor Connell 0 5