Professor Fawcett
November 21, 2013 12:29 AM
Intermediate Potions (3rd-5th Years) by Professor Fawcett
“Welcome back, everyone,” John said to his intermediate students, most of whom were, he hoped, well-come and ready to work today despite the increasing proximity of that great distraction, the midterm holiday. “As a reminder, any revisions to the short answer questions from the last exam are due by the beginning of next class. If you have any questions, you are, as always, welcome to drop by or make an appointment to visit my office.”After many years without Mr. Melcher, John was almost comfortable using the phrase ‘any questions’ again. He had wondered if that would ever kick in again. “For today, I hope you all remember our work last week with the Draught of Peace, because the potion we are on schedule to look at today is something like a cousin to it,” he said. “It’s a rather old formula called a Potion to Bring the Heart Content, and does…well, what it says on the manuscript, really. Where the Draught of Peace, and other calming draughts, merely induce calm, to the point of apathy and listlessness when overdone, and cheering draughts and charms merely elevate the mood, this potion does a measure of both, though more gently than either individual potion – when brewed correctly.”
That, of course, was always the trick with potions. John was familiar enough with the Muggle world, these days mainly through his dealings with his Squib brother Scott, to know they had advanced to machines doing most of the equivalent work, making products much more uniform, but magic did not work that way, and Potions, for all its connections to traditional herbal medicine and, often, lack of wandwork, was a kind of magic. “If that is done,” he continued, “you will, as you may see on page 224 of your textbook, finish with a shimmering lavender potion, traditionally administered in two-ounce doses.
“To get to that point – “ he tapped the board, causing the directions to appear there, mimicking those on page 224 of the textbook – “you will need root of Echinacea, slivered, a scoop of black elderberry flowers, pansy petals – the purple and white, in my experience, work best, though purple and yellow are also perfectly acceptable – powdered goatweed, dandelion root, valerian root, and our old friend, powdered moonstone, combined in that order initially, though a second helping of dandelion takes the place of the elderberry in the second round of additions. Stirs alternate clockwise and counter-clockwise in sets of four. Be very careful to watch the simmering times – you’ll work in pairs today, but if neither has a watch, the classroom clock will be enlarged for the length of this class. I strongly discourage you from watching it to see how much time is left in class, as this will only make the time seem longer.”
This one was, he thought, fairly straightforward, not much chance of explosion or anything like that. “If there are no questions, you may begin,” he said, and turned to put the Engorgement Charm on the clock.
OOC: Tag Fawcett if you need him (if your character has a question or something is going wrong and he would notice) and have fun! All posting rules apply, with greater creativity, detail, and realism leading to greater point awards.
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