And off we go... on Potions

Professor Fawcett

November 13, 2009 10:33 AM

Advanced Potions, Lesson One (6th and 7th Years) by Professor Fawcett

As he laid out his course notes, a stack of syllabi, and the class roster, John found, much to his own surprise, that he was experiencing a mild form of what could only be called nervousness.

It was, of course, ridiculous for him to be nervous. He had possessed the large square of parchment declaring him Master of Potions for eight years now, and had been teaching the subject, on and off, for some time. He had taught every student about to enter the room continuously for two years - three in the spring - and sometimes covered more than one topic with them at once. This wasn't even much of a change, as he'd assured his boss that she could still count of him to step in for absent or resigned colleagues in a pinch, and certainly not something to be concerned about.

There was something different, though, about entering the lab and knowing it was his. It was something he hadn't experienced in a long time; he had not had a real classroom since before his first retirement, and he'd been pushed out of UCLA almost fourteen years ago. It had been twenty years or so before then that he'd started teaching.

He put the matter aside as a bell rang somewhere and he went to open the classroom door. There was no use worrying about it now, because it was a little too late to back out, and this was what he'd wanted - or even, if his wife had the right of it, needed. Allison hadn't been thrilled about him teaching full-time at a boarding school, but she had agreed with him about it being time he had a real place in the academic world again.

John greeted the Advanced students by name as they entered the classroom, even asking a few early arrivals about their summers as they settled onto their stools. As the second bell rang, he marked the last check mark down beside a name on the roster and put it away. "Good morning," he said. "As I'm sure you all remember who I am, I will merely welcome you back and be confident that you have not quite forgotten everything about Potions that you learned last year."

He twiddled his wand, sending a copy of the syllabus to each student. "As I am now your permanent professor in this subject, I can say with a level of confidence that this is, in fact, the program of study we will follow. I do, however, retain the right to make alterations to the syllabus if or as it becomes necessary. You should all read through it by the end of the week and report any questions or concerns you have about it to me at that time. I would also suggest keeping this in a safe place, as it has all of your paper topics and due dates on it."

Tucking his own copy of the syllabus into the front of the notebook he'd set aside for Advanced paperwork, he raised his wand again, this time to give the board a sharp rap. A list of ingredients and instructions in an irregular handwriting appeared at once.

Ingredients:

Valerian roots
Asphodel
Wormwood
Sopophorous bean

Instructions:

- Add essence of wormwood to cauldron until water base becomes opaque. Place cauldron on heat.

- Add two tablespoons powdered asphodel, allowing two minutes between each.

- Finely chop five (5) ounces of valerian roots

- Add each ounce one at a time, allowing one minute to elapse between each addition. After allowing one minute after the final addition, stir the potion four times clockwise. It should resemble a smooth, black currant-colored liquid.

- Cut sopophorous bean up and collect juice. Add to cauldron. Potion should turn a light shade of lilac.

- Stir potion clockwise until potion turns as clear as water. Allow to cool before bottling. Store in a cool place.

This final step was not, of course, of much use to the students - they would bottle a sample for grading, but most of the potion would be Vanished once they finished with it - but John had copied their textbook exactly. He believed in being exact.

"As the seventh years know and the sixth years will soon find out, this class is as much about theory as it is practice. The combination is essential for those who wish to attain a high score in the Potions RATS, which is what I seek for all my Advanced students. Since it's your first day back, however, we will start with an easy practical lesson." Well, easy by RATS standards. Nothing here was a truly easy potion as the general population understood the term. "It may be a bit of a review for our seventh years - I cannot know how much your former professor taught you during the time I was in the Transfiguration department last year - but it will be good for you to ease your way back in after the summer holidays.

"This potion is called the Draught of Living Death, and it's one that I'd be very surprised if you don't see on your RATS. Its use is, as that name may suggest, highly controversial, and the short time required to make it makes it popular for the practical exam. You should have enough time left in this lesson to make a good attempt at it. It is covered in chapter two of your text, which I expect you to read and summarize for homework."

He glanced back over the directions on the board, but they seemed fine. Of course they were fine; he had been doing this for over a year. He was not, after all, new to this job. "You will work on your own more in this course than you have done thus far, but for today, you may work in pairs. You may begin."

That said, John set a charm to ding when time was up and turned over the hourglass on his desk for the more visually inclined to see. As he meant to make regular rounds, it was also useful for him. In the meantime, his lesson plan for the Beginners lesson he had in two hours could do with a last once-over before he taught it.

OOC: Standard rules apply, etc., etc. Be creative, and have fun!

Subthreads:

And off we go... by Helena Layne with Danae Dupree

Potioneer Extraordinaire by Elly Eriksson

0 Professor Fawcett Advanced Potions, Lesson One (6th and 7th Years) 0 Professor Fawcett 1 5

Helena Layne

November 16, 2009 9:47 PM

And off we go... by Helena Layne

After the Opening Feast, Helena had managed to forget about the situation with the family to a remarkable extent. She'd had lots of practice; it was like Lavinia being a Squib and their mother breaking down had been the warm-up for Geoff's exit and his replacement by Rachel and Emily, so she'd have some experience in faking before she had to outright lie on a regular basis.

It worked - not quite as well as it had with Vinny and Mum, because they'd never been here for her to look for, but she would take what she could get. She'd found a seat that kept her in good, friendly company and with her back to Aladren, where Rachel was, during breakfast. She'd made conversation normally. She'd almost finished writing up her schedule for the first week, and once she figured out when to drop by to introduce herself to Coach Pierce, she'd have her timetable all sorted. She was starting to feel like herself again. It was almost possible to ignore all the implications of going to Potions.

Almost.

The plan had been to just go ahead, get to class early, and get it over with. She'd lost her nerve, and instead came in just in time to snatch up her usual seat before it could be claimed by a newbie. She liked that seat, and she felt that it wasn't too much of an abuse of her status as an almighty seventh year to get a seat she liked. Opening her notebook, she forced a quick smile for Professor Fawcett and began to write out the date.

Most of the lecture, she let her attention skim over, as it was just a review of standard procedures. While he told the sixth years about the logic requirements, Helena examined a list of paper topics in the syllabus, some of which had the makings of a more interesting project than others. A few of them, she put little stars by, to remind herself that she'd probably need to allocate extra research time to them. Some major advantages to having a geek for a brother was that he liked talking about his work; she'd already heard of a vast majority of this bef...

Her hand tightened on the quill in irritation. Damn it. She was not going to think about this. She had work, and it wasn't like he was dead. The whiny nostalgia, mixed with bouts of anger for flavor, was about to start annoying even her. She had no reason to go through the stages of grief or whatever they were called, because no matter what else they were or weren't, her whole family was still alive, even the members she didn't want.

It was a relief to be set to work on a potion; she didn't have the attention span to prepare a logical argument for debate, and one of the things that made her boat float so well with Fawcett was his appreciation for good reasoning in a formal format. It was one of the few areas where her talents had ever been greater than Geoff's. Feeling half-jittery, as though she'd had a bit too much coffee at the beginning of class, Helena started laying out her scales, knives, and ingredients. She did not, as was customary to do when she had the option, ask anyone to partner up. She was mad, now - mostly at herself - and didn't really want to deal with someone.

To give her hands time to steady up, she went to get water first. The problem was with the valerian roots. She was an extremely careful chopper, trying to keep every piece just the same size as every other piece. With all the fiddling, timing, and watching she'd need to do with the early steps of the potion, she'd hardly be able to do that. Would she, in the end, be better to chop the roots now and then start the potion, or to work on the potion and accept roots that were a little less than perfect?

She still hadn't come to a conclusion when she returned to the table, and so picked up the essence of wormwood in one hand and a knife in the other and ended up almost stabbing herself. Pressing her lips together hard, she put down the knife and opened the vial. She could observe all the times and chop the roots perfectly, and anyone who didn't think so could go hang themselves.

She had just gotten the base opaque and was laying out the roots in a neat row for chopping when she pieced together, distantly, that someone was talking to her. Helena looked up from her work. "What?" she said blankly, picking up her knife and holding it loosely by her side. "I mean - sorry. Fumes already getting to me. What did you say?"

16 Helena Layne And off we go... 88 Helena Layne 0 5

Danae Dupree

December 07, 2009 10:01 PM

to unlikely talking by Danae Dupree

Hurrying into the classroom, Danae took the first available seat that she saw. She was running late, because she had been talking to a friend and had lost track of the time, which really wouldn’t have been an excuse at all if she had been late. In an effort to look somewhat apologetic for being even nearly late and like a serious student, she quickly pulled her things out of her bag. With a sigh, she was set up with her parchment and quill by the time Professor Fawcett began his lecture. She was glad to see that he was finally in a permanent position and it certainly wasn’t new to see him in this room as frequently as he was a substitute for Potions.

At the mention of RATS, Danae bit her lip anxiously. There was probably no doubt that this year was going to be nearly the most, if not the most, stressful year of her life. There were exams to think about. Her parents expected her to do well on them, because they were worried that if she didn’t, all the connections that had been made with the Santoros would be ruined. That led to another complication by the name of Josh. She wasn’t sure how much time she had before her parents would begin questioning why she wasn’t engaged and she didn’t really have any answers other than the entire thing was a decoy so that she could find someone else to marry.

If she didn’t find someone soon, then she and Josh might actually have to go through with an engagement to which she would feel utterly horrible about. She glanced down at the promise ring that was already on her finger. It wasn’t right for him to be spending so much money on her for something that wasn’t real. He should be saving the money for his future, for when he did meet that special girl. She paused at the thought. She hated thinking about Josh with another girl though it was inevitable. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she would meet the girl. Maybe she would like the girl. Maybe she would get over Josh.

She really needed to think about something else. Danae looked up at the list of ingredients. Working on her potion would be a good distraction as well as considerable for her grade. She didn’t think that the professor would appreciate it if she sat around all day just trying to work out what was going through her mind. She glanced over to see who was sitting next to her and was surprised to see Helena. She hadn’t talked much to the other girl, but had seen her and Josh talking a few times. Maybe she wasn’t so bad. Maybe.

Beginning the potion, she checked to see what she had and what she needed. She had most of the ingredients with the obvious exception of water. After she got the water, she began working through the steps. She added the essence of wormwood to her cauldron and waited for it to become opaque. So far so good. Then, she placed it on the heat. That was the easy part, but now it was become harder. Two tablespoons of powdered asphodel and allowing two minutes between each one. Exact timing was not her strong suit. She tried to keep it exact with her watch.

All right that step was done. Valerian roots. Check. Uh-oh. She thought she had everything when she had begun, but it looked like she wouldn’t have enough sopophrous bean. “Um, Helena, do you have any extra sopophrous bean?” She really didn’t want to have to go get more and leave her potion unattended. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as though she had heard her the first time. “Oh. Sorry. I asked if you had any extra sopophrous bean since it seems that I don’t have enough.” She gestured with her hands to her working area to show that she didn’t have enough. “I could ask someone else if you don’t have any.”

0 Danae Dupree to unlikely talking 91 Danae Dupree 0 5

Helena

December 08, 2009 12:06 AM

Yeah, how have we never spoken in seven years? by Helena

Sopophorous bean. Right. Sleepy bean. Went in the potion. Danae Dupree wanted some. "No - I have plenty of it. Help yourself."

She had always taken a lot of pride in keeping her Potions kit fully stocked; what she lacked in technical skill, she tried to make up for in thoroughness. She had to wonder at the moment, though, how she was going to keep that up this year; she and her parents were barely speaking, and it was odd to go from not being able to see someone without being compelled to start yelling to sending home a polite letter asking for a refill on the sopophorous bean. Her status as the token sane member of the family pretty much ruled doing something like that out, and besides, Daddy was probably still sore about that critique of his intelligence and possible sanity. As if it was her fault that only a real idiot would attempt what he had, remain in the same state, leave the ex-wife and angry daughter alive and with their memories, and - the best bit of all - keep the same name.

Sometimes, she also thought she was the token smart member of the family.

Starting to chop her roots, Helena used some time that she didn't really have to sneak a curious look at Danae. She'd wondered, on occasion, what exactly the other girl thought of her, both because they were both sort of the quiet ones of the year and because of Josh. She knew there was nothing going on, but she had no idea how far Geoff's idea that something was had spread, which was why she'd worried on occasion about Danae putting out a hit on her. Well, and because, if the chance arose, she actually would seriously consider such a relationship, especially now. Danae hadn't seemed all that hostile, though.

"If there's anything else you need, just grab it," she said easily, finishing her roots. "So, um, have a good summer?"

There, really, was the problem she and Geoff had both kept running headlong into since they'd started school: lots of rich people inhabited the same space, and they didn't know how to talk to rich people. Helena knew how it was done on her soap, but considering that the History of Geoff would, overall, be no more than a minor sub-plot on that, she had to register some doubts about its accuracy.

16 Helena Yeah, how have we never spoken in seven years? 88 Helena 0 5

Elly Eriksson

December 10, 2009 12:09 PM

Potioneer Extraordinaire by Elly Eriksson

It was bizarre. Elly sat in the potions room, and she felt... well, relaxed. Her competeive nature had made her anxious to succeed in all of her potions lessons over the past six years. Now Geoff and Morgaine weren't there any more. Not that Elly didn't think her current classmates weren't worthy opponents for competing against to be the best at potions in the school - she knew others in her own year worked hard in the subject, and a couple of sixth years were avid potioneers, too. The point was that she had been used to a constant of trying to beat two particular people who were no longer there. She would just have to be the best and measure it against, well, her own performance for the time being. It just wasn't in her Pecari nature.

Still, she would still enojy learning the subject. Plus she liked Professor Fawcett, and was very happy to have him as a full time teacher in her favourite class. She might appreciate his teaching almost as much as she'd enjoy Professor Connell's classes. He taught in a very predictable way, and even handed them out a syllabus and timetable at the start of the class. As usual, Elly had already read her entire potions textbook the previous year, and recapped less familiar parts over the summer. She already knew all about the draught of the Living Death, and she wrote the homework down already thinking of how she would structure the essay. Somewhere over the past six years she had turned into a semi-academic, and it was sort of frightening. But also sort of cool.

As a social being, Elly took advantage of the opportunity to work with another person. She had previously enojyed working with Helena, but the Crotalus girl was sitting over the other side of the room and seemed to already be getting stuck in to her work. instead Elly simply asked the person at the next desk. "I find talking while I make a potion helps me to remember how to brew it in future," she said to them. "Would you mind working with me?"

0 Elly Eriksson Potioneer Extraordinaire 92 Elly Eriksson 0 5