Professor Fawcett

April 07, 2012 12:39 AM
In his former career, as a professor of modern magisociology, John Fawcett had been considered, if he thought he did remember it right himself, an impressive figure among the small group of figures who populated his world: analytic, brilliant, possibly capable of recognition, after his death, in fields other than his own. It had been years since he more or less left that world due to the vagaries of university politics, but he still remembered it fondly. His hair had been darker then, and he thought he had been a better conversationalist, too, before he spent ten years sunk a bit too far into his books and papers, his mind all on his books and papers and without much attention to what was going on outside his window.


Now, as a professor of Potions for a small but often remarkable segment of the eleven-to-eighteen year old population of the magical world, he was different, at least on this particular day, meeting the first years for their first lesson. The older students would know he could be sharp at times with those he did not feel were trying their best, and the oldest might even see him demonstrate signs of a sense of humor from time to time, but for the new ones, he looked more like someone’s kindly, if rather tall, grandfather.  

Well, that was his intention, anyway. His hair was still perhaps a bit dark for the role to stick quite well, and his eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses a bit sharp, but at any rate, he thought he did not look intimidating as the children came in and he greeted them, and that would do.


“Welcome, everyone,” he said once the bell rang and he’d given them a moment to get in their seats. “Welcome to Potions. I am, for those who have not me before, Professor Fawcett.” He straightened his glasses. “Now, everyone get out something to write with and make me a list, or a paragraph if you prefer, about what you believe you know about this subject – second years, give me a summary of what you believe you’ve retained – and what you hope to get out of this class this year while I call the roll.”  

He ticked off each name as it answered and the rest stayed busy, and then he gave them another minute before he took up the papers and handed out syllabi in their places. He would look at the papers and perhaps make some adjustments as he saw more of how reliable their self-assessments were, but the syllabus gave the general outline of the course, along with all the major assignments for the first half of the year. For now, though, they had to go over the procedures, for both the first years and to review for the older ones. “Very good. Now, we will work on potions today, but first of all, a few basic rules.”


He changed his expression, now at his sternest as he looked around, as though he were looking directly at each student individually. “This is a dangerous subject,” he told them seriously. “We work with volatile ingredients here. We work with fire. Any misbehavior in this room will be punished severely. You have been warned.” 

He relaxed slightly. “Now. We will begin with a simple potion to heal cuts and burns.”


He tapped the board, and a list of ingredients appeared there: jewelweed flowers, prickly pear (pad and spines), powdered joint fir seed, green lacewings, sennae sulphurs 

“These are the ingredients you will need and will, if you do not have them, find in the supply cabinet. They are also mainly items which can be found in the deserts of Arizona, where we now are.


“Your first step – “ each step appeared on the board as John said it; that had been an amusing little trick to discover while fiddling with charms over the summer – “will be to crush five jewelweed flowers, then boil them in two cups of water. Be sure to strain that well so the flowers are out of the tea when you add it to the cauldron. From there, slice the prickly pear pads – those I will distribute to you, with the spines removed – “ he might have made the upper years de-spine their own, but not the first years – “in half and squeeze the juice from one half into the cauldron, then mix it with the jewelweed liquid by stirring it clockwise three times. Add four cups of water, then the packet of lacewings, and allow it to stew for four minutes before stirring it first nine times clockwise, then nine counter-clockwise. Add the packet of sennae sulphurs then, and stir three times counter-clockwise, then once clockwise. Grind the prickly pear spines, powder the joint fir seed, and combine them before adding about three tablespoons to thicken the mixture, stirring each one in as it’s added. Your potion should be a clear, light green when the potion is complete.”  

He paused, then added, “These directions are also on page 223 of your textbook, if you would prefer not to read them from the board or remember them. Work in pairs, and raise your hand if you have a question. I will move around the room to monitor your progress. You may begin.”


He began to move around the room as they got started, looking for hands or signs of trouble and planning the timing and route of his next turn around the room already. He’d had few problems with students wanting to test the strict Potions professor, but there was always a first time, and moving in different patterns around the room on his rounds made it less likely that, if this was the year, someone could think they could pass something off as an accident because they would be able to predict he wouldn’t be able to see them at such-and-such a moment.  

It was possible, too, that working with adolescents, despite his tendency to become fond of all of them over a little time, had made him a bit paranoid, but John thought paranoia was a perfectly defensible position when they were adolescents and therefore there was an even chance some of them might one day decide, completely at random, to really be out to get you.


OOC: Welcome to classes at Sonora! To earn points for your House, follow all site posting rules – at least two hundred words per post, good spelling and grammar, and controlling only your own character in particular – when writing your character for the lesson. Keep in mind, too, that your character is eleven or twelve years old; accidents and mistakes can happen, and there aren’t going to be many perfect potioneers. Keep it realistic and in character, and be creative and have fun!
Subthreads:
0 Professor Fawcett Lesson I for Beginners (1st and 2nd Years) 0 Professor Fawcett 1 5


Aria Yale, Teppenpaw

April 12, 2012 7:13 PM
Aria was still trying to figure her way around the school and around those in her class. Thus far, they had been relatively nice to her, which she so dearly appreciated, but she knew that they saw her differently than she, perhaps, saw herself. Her community was the place where she had always felt at home. Everyone, different as they may be, had similar shared interests and worked together to makes those interests happen. Plus, nothing they did was for selfish reasons. They were always for the community. Life wasn’t about wealth or material, but about balance between Mother Earth and living creatures. So far, being here, everything seemed to be about status. Aria did not know how she was going to fit into this school without sacrificing who she was in the process.

Taking a seat, Aria took out a parchment and quill, ready to take notes and, instead, found herself writing about potions as requested. My Mother is the community Medicine Woman, so potions are very important to our family. Although I have yet to create potions with her, I have collected ingredients. I know that potions help with sickness, they give you power, they make you fall in love, they keep your home clean, and sometimes, if made just right, they can give you luck. I hope to one day be the best Medicine Woman that my mother is. It was short and brief, but she felt that it explained her thoughts very well.

Aria was looking over the list of ingredients that he had written on the board behind him while the Professor spoke. Her blue eyes landed on the two insects that were on the list and a frown appeared on her face. This could pose a problem, only, she wasn’t really sure if it did or not. While her mother kept her potions strictly to plants, Aria didn’t know if all the residents of the community did the same or not. However, there was absolute certainty that no one used ingredients of the flesh. Did that also mean insects as well?

Her hand shot up in the air, knowing that this may end up with other students finding her even more weird than her appearance alone my give off, but she didn’t really mind. This was important to her. She didn’t want to neglect an assignment, but at the same time, she didn’t want to offend her morals and those of the community. “Excuse me, Professor, are using insects the same as using the flesh of an animal?” Aria asked him, her brows furrowed in concern. “My beliefs go against using animal by-product in potions, but I’m not sure if insects are considered the same. Would it be? And, if it is, can I have a substitute for the bugs?”
0 Aria Yale, Teppenpaw Trying to figure out if I can (Professor Fawcett) 0 Aria Yale, Teppenpaw 0 5


Professor Fawcett

April 14, 2012 7:41 PM
John was a little surprised, as he finished his progress down the center aisle and began a general walk around the perimeter of the room to see that all the students were getting started on their work, to see a hand go up so early in the period, but he walked over to the first year girl quickly, noting that she was a Teppenpaw. Yale, he thought, was the name she’d answered to on the roll; the unusual first letter had helped it stick out, but he was not quite sure enough yet to use it. “Yes?” he asked.  

When he heard the request, he nodded once to indicate that he heard and understood her problem, his pleasant expression becoming slightly thoughtful, considering her question. He had worked out, more or less, a parallel but separate course for Jose Hernandez for several years before, so it would be possible and reasonably easy, with the files for those resources he’d created still not far from hand after his old seventh years had so recently graduated, to work around Miss probably-Yale’s restrictions, but first, it would indeed be helpful to work out exactly what her restrictions were.


Absently, he considered, a little more self-indulgently than seriously, the idea of offering the idea to Kiva or Amelia to include some kind of form in the welcoming packet where parents could indicate if their child would require accommodations in Potions next year. It would, he thought, be pleasant to know he was going to need to arrange these things ahead of time; he could still do it this way, of course, but he was occasionally feeling the evidence that he was not as quick at thinking and working on his feet as he’d once been. Still, it was not truly a common obstacle to encounter, so he doubted the idea would ever go further than the occasional stray thought. 

“Scientifically,” he said after a moment’s thought, “insects are considered members of kingdom Animalia – that is, as animals,” he said, rummaging through one slightly dusty mental folder and coming up with the answer. Only slightly dusty, but he knew he needed to review his Muggle sciences this summer, along with doing research on vegetarian and vegan lifestyles in general, so if this precise question came up again, he would have a better idea of what the norms were in regards to insects.


He resisted the temptation to rub his eyes as he considered why, exactly, so soon after Mr. Hernandez, he had not looked up alternatives by sheer reflex. He had gotten too used to his previous pupil doing much of the work himself by the end, he supposed, but he could hardly demand that of a first year. So he would have to do very quick research here. “For the moment, if you feel able to continue, do so,” he said. “If not, begin the potion while I double check a few facts for alternatives, and make a note to compose a list of any specific requirements you have, perhaps write your family about it, we have a school owlery if you don’t have your own bird, and drop by my office one day soon to discuss it with me. Is that acceptable?” This potion was, thankfully, simple; the individual plant components had been used as remedies for the purpose in one form or another, it was just a matter of the balance within the potion. He thought it would be simple enough to accommodate her, but he needed to check a few facts about ingredient properties before he instructed the student to go forward with them.
0 Professor Fawcett Searching for solutions 0 Professor Fawcett 0 5


Aria

April 18, 2012 8:35 PM
Aria watched the professor after she had asked her question. Before leaving the community to come to Sonora, her parents had warned her that there were others who did not follow the same beliefs and she did and would do their best to manipulate her into following their cause. She must never follow their cause. There were also those who would think that her beliefs were stupid and would ridicule her for them. This included adults. Her parents told her that the adults were those with the littlest of faiths and often found a way to speculate when the belief is beyond such boundaries.

Aria was wondering if Professor Fawcett was one of those adults.

She sat quietly waiting for him to answer her and really wishing she had asked her parents about insects before something to school. It had never occurred to her to have asked. Insects were things she studied under a glass with her friends back home, she never thought about whether or not they were allowed in potions or if they were to remain untouched like those of the flesh. But, perhaps she should have. And why not? They were living creatures too. And wasn’t that the point?

When the Professor began to answer the question, Aria perked up. His answer was very matter of fact, which made Aria believe he did not mind any sort of religious or spiritual beliefs. He was simply doing his job and Aria could appreciate that. What he was telling her was making her a little bit nervous because if insects were considered the same as animals, there was no way she was able to do this potion and would that then mean that she was going to fail this class?

She listened as he gave her options and took a moment to really think it over. As it stood, the bugs were already dead. So, technically, she would not be the one taking their life and, as her Elders liked to say, ‘never waste anything of importance’. So, the insect remains could be helpful in the fact that they will create a potion to help with healing. That was important right? She felt that her parents would forgive her if they felt insects should not be killed because Aria hadn’t given their lives and she was using them for something good.

With this in mind, Aria nodded to the professor. “The insects are dead, so I believe it should be fine for me to continue with the potion. I’ll write to my parents and see what they would like for me to do in the future.” Aria advised him. “But I would like alternatives to animal parts once we start those potions. Animals parts I am definitely not allowed to use.” Aria commented, hoping that this request wasn’t too demanding. “I appreciate your thoughts.” She added with a pleasant smile.

Taking a breath, Aria returned her attention to the potion. Looking around, Aria spotted someone nearby, “Hi, do you still need a partner?” She asked.
0 Aria And now for a PARTNER?? 0 Aria 0 5

Evan Brockert, Aladren

April 23, 2012 5:27 AM
When it came to Potions, Evan had a rather unique challenge. Oh, he'd understood the directions on everything they'd tried to make so far and was perfectly capable of following them. He was patient enough and didn't run around putting others at risk and certainly the Aladren had no issues with touching the ingredients or using animals or their by products. Evan had grown up with ingesting potions and thought no more about drinking down something that contained armadillo bile than he would eating a hamburger.

No, his issue was more that he had a tendency not to want to use potions ingredients for their intended purpose. Evan instead wanted to use them to create artwork. Sure, nobody really saw animal innards as an art supply and the Aladren understood that was kind of gross but plants? Plants could be lovely and make for pretty picture and adornments in sculptures. In fact, Evan had been pretty happy to get his own potions kit until his father made it quite clear to him that he was only supposed to use the ingredients to create potions , unlike what he'd done when Nina had gotten her first kit and he'd decided to raid it. Evan had made a lovely picture out of that whole thing, but it hadn't been fully appreciated.

The thing was, the second year had not entirely gotten this desire out of his system. Oh, he'd learned that things that belonged to others were to be respected and not borrowed without permission, but no matter how many pictures Evan made using bits of nature, ideas for them kept on coming. There was just an infinite number of uses for jewelweed and prickly pears that did not involve making a potion that could be used to heal cuts and burns. Or any other potion either.

Right now, for example, Evan wanted to frame a piece of paper in jewelweed flowers, as flowers of any kind made for lovely works of art. Why he could make patterns using them and other types of plants, maybe incorporate other materials such as twigs or bits of fabric. The possibilities were endless, even though Evan didn't like to plan these things out too much. Art didn't have a plan, it just happened and truthfully, the Aladren never really knew what he was going to make until he was making it.

Unfortunately, right now, Evan was going to making anything with those jewelweed flowers and prickly pear spines but the required potion, which was sort of a let down. Really, he liked this class fine, it was just that Evan liked doing his artwork more. He supposed that was the case with most people though, preferring their hobbies to things they had to do.

Still, the Aladren could always do that stuff later, he supposed. It was more that he was disappointed to use his ingredients for their common intended purpose, because he wouldn't have any to use the way he preferred later. He guessed he could write to his parents and ask them for extra jewelweed though. Plus, Evan could always scour the paths for other interesting things, that was always fun.

He turned back to the potion. At least it was something that the Aladren could surely use. After all, going out to the gardens could always result in little cuts and scrapes.

“Hi, do you still need a partner?”

Evan looked up to see a blonde girl that he didn't recognize standing there. She must have been one of the first years, he figured, though he'd missed her name during role call. He'd been rather focused on the list he had to write for Professor Fawcett of the stuff that he'd retained from last year and it was a rather long list, so Evan had rather tuned out after his own name had been called. That was the thing about having a name that was at the beginning of the alphabet, one didn't have to listen for it for very long if names were being called in that order. "Sure," the Aladren replied, smiling at the blonde girl. "I'm Evan Brockert, of the Colorado Brockerts."
11 Evan Brockert, Aladren And here's one! 212 Evan Brockert, Aladren 0 5


Aria

April 24, 2012 8:50 PM
Aria didn’t really mind one way or another if the boy already had a partner or did not want to work with her. She knew better than to be somewhere that she was not wanted. There were plenty of people at the community who liked to do things on their own. The idea was a little strange since the whole point of the community was being together and working as one, but her Dad said that there were some people who did things better when they were on their own. One she knew some what was the Writer. He always wrote such amazing stories for everyone, but he preferred to write them alone in his house. Aria only ever saw him when they had mandatory meetings and on occasion, at the dining hall. He was a very strange man, but Aria had a feeling she was equally as strange.

She didn’t know whether she should frown or not at his introduction. He was another one. There seemed to be quite a few of them around this school. People from families that were so large they needed to specify the state in which they were from. Aria wondered how many families like this there were at Sonora and if eventually they ever grew tired of introducing themselves like that to people. “Hello Evan Brockert, I am Aria Yale of the Spiritual Community in New Mexico.” She greeted him, again giving the title of her home because it was easier to explain who she was by that title than it ever was by anything else. Names seemed to be important here and so were places, apparently.

Aria was learning that those of ‘Pure’ blood had higher status than anyone else. This was not the case at home. Everyone was equal to each other and one with Nature. That was how the society in which she grew up in worked. It was how they all stayed in balance with themselves, each other, and the world around them. If someone thought they were better than the others, there would be no real room for them in the community. If one did, the Elders would have asked them to leave. It wasn’t like the community could just have a member doing absolutely nothing. There would be no unity then.

“Do you mind handling the insects?” She asked of him. She did not find insects disgusting in any way, but she did not want to do anything that may upset her parents. “I am not sure if using insects in potions goes against my beliefs, so I’d rather not chance it until I find out for sure.” She explained to him. “I don’t mind working on everything else though.”
0 Aria I most appreciate it. 0 Aria 0 5

Evan

April 27, 2012 11:32 PM
Evan blinked. It wasn't so much that Aria wasn't a pureblood. He didn't really care about that. It was just that the Aladren had never heard of a spiritual community and didn't really know what one was-and he was curious. Which was probably part of being an Aladren. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Yale." Calling her Miss Yale was instinctive, but the rest was genuine. So far, the second year hadn't met anyone he disliked and generally didn't mind meeting new people.

"Sure, I can handle the insects." Evan replied. It wasn't an unusual request. Lots of girls didn't like touching bugs. Though apparently Aria's objection was different. Against her beliefs? He'd heard that some people were against using animal parts but was more used to girls who didn't like bugs because they thought they were yucky. Girls who were considered proper ladies. Either way, it was no big deal to Evan.

Especially considering that he really liked bugs. He had a huge terrarium in his room full of live ones and different plants. He'd gotten it from his older brother for his twelfth birthday. Adam could be a pretty awesome big brother, getting Evan something that he'd really enjoy, even though Adam's girlfriend Serenity hated bugs. That didn't matter to the older Brockert, he just wanted to get Evan something that would make him happy.

Possibly because Adam wanted his siblings to like him. He was pretty insecure. He seemed to want to bend over backward to please people that he had to deal with. Meanwhile, he avoided everyone else, isolating himself, angry and bitter about the past. Apparently, people Evan knew at school were a lot nicer than the ones his brother had known. The Aladren felt lucky to have people like Thad as friends rather than having to deal with what Adam had.

And maybe Aria could be his friend too, even if she wasn't a proper pureblood. It wasn't as if Evan had to marry her or anything. Just someone to talk to at school. Besides, she seemed really interesting. "What's a spiritual community?" The Aladren asked, as he began to work on the lacewings. His tone wasn't the least bit judgmental, only curious about someone who lived a different way than he did. Evan had really only been exposed to the pureblood lifestyle. "Is it a magical one?" He couldn't imagine living without magic.
11 Evan No problem 212 Evan 0 5


Aria

April 29, 2012 3:33 PM
“Aria, please.” She asked of him just after he called her Miss Yale. It was far too weird for her to go by such a proper name, especially since it felt very old for her eleven year old frame. Her mother didn’t even go by that, no no. She went by her proper name of Ember (she changed it when she joined the community to a name that she felt fit her better). Her father always said that her mother had a fiery temper. Aria was assuming that was why she picked such a name for herself. All of this happened before she was born, of course.

“Thank you.” She said, most pleased that Evan agreed to take care of the bugs for her. She hoped her mother wouldn’t be too upset with her. If Aria didn’t handle the insects at all, than that should be fine. Or so she hoped. If nothing else, during her morning meditations, she will ask for forgiveness and find balance with Nature once more. She was still young and learning, after all, they couldn’t hold it against her forever, could they? No no, that would defeat the whole purpose of their living style. No grudges. Nature would forgive her, she was sure of it.

Aria liked talking about home, so when he asked what her community was, she was happy to oblige, “Yes, it’s a magical one, but we don’t really like to use magic.” Aria explained, “We prefer to do things by hand, it helps up to better communicate with Nature and be one with ourselves and with others.” She knew this was an odd explanation, but it was as true as one could get while explaining her home. “The community started when a group of being left the material world behind because they could not find peace and felt too weighed down by society’s demands of them. They created the community for people who wanted to live simpler lives.”

Aria started on the potion while she spoke, “In the community, everyone has a job, a purpose, and we work together to keep the community flowing and always in balance.” She really did miss the community and could appreciate why past kids always came back after just a couple of months. This world was just so different. “I do love it. I was born there and everyone is at peace. We know who we are and what we’re to do. This place is very confusing.” Aria advised Evan.
0 Aria You're the best. 0 Aria 0 5

Evan

May 01, 2012 5:08 AM
The second year nodded. Aria sounded so much nicer than Miss Yale anyway. Not that there was anything wrong with the way that Miss Yale sounded. In fact it sounded much better than Miss Carey, for example, especially around a pregnant woman. Not by the terms of society, of course, but at least phonetically. "All right, Aria. You can call me Evan."

He was happy to let her refer to him by first name as well. Mr. Brockert could bring up confusion between him and Seth. Though Evan still called the man by his first name, as they were cousins. He'd always thought the customs of pureblood children calling each other Miss and Mr. made them sound old, and brought up confusion if more than one person of the same gender had the same last name in a given group.

And Evan certainly didn't feel old. In fact, to be honest, he was the youngest of six, the baby of the family and his mother wasn't having the easiest time letting him grow up. She'd cried more over him going to school last year than she had Hope two years before that. Even that she had one grandchild and was pretty close to having another, it didn't seem to make Mom any less lonely when Arianna was in the Carribbean and Kaylie's baby would likely live in Wisconsin.

"You're welcome." Evan honestly preferred doing the bugs anyway. Because they didn't make such good art work, given the general distaste most people had for them, he wasn't tempted to use them in his creations, whereas with flowers, Evan wanted to use them to make pretty pictures rather than potions. "Do you mind doing the flowers then?" The second year asked.

He set to working on the bugs while Aria spoke about her home. "Some of that sounds kind of nice. I mean, being able to escape society's demands on them and find peace. In the society I belong to, pureblood society, there are so many demands placed on people. Like even how we have to introduce ourselves. Hence why I referred to you as Miss Yale until you gave me permission to use your first name. It's what we're taught is proper. I don't really identify myself as Mr. Brockert, when that title is already occupied my father, grandfather, great-grandfather, various cousins and even my older brother sort of. I'm Evan, which is a separate identity whereas being called Mr. Brockert seems like I'm sharing it with all my male relatives that also share my last name"

Evan felt slightly embarrassed, it wasn't something the second year had much experience with. "Sorry, I didn't mean to unload too much on you there, I was basically just trying to say I understand why someone might want to shed societal pressures." Not that Evan ever really would. They didn't bother him all that much but he'd seen a few of his relatives really be affected. Adam hated the pressure he was under as heir and pressure had gotten to Autumn to the point where she'd gotten sick.

Evan went on "I don't know if I could not use magic though. I mean, now that I'm learning it."
11 Evan Aw thanks. 212 Evan 0 5


Aria

May 07, 2012 9:40 PM
Aria was beginning to accept the fact that in this world, people put far too much emphasis on their surnames than on their true selves. Aria felt that they could offer so much more to the world if they just identified with who they were instead of what their name represented. It was something that she knew she would never really understand. She knew money was important and apparently, having a certain name meant having money, but she couldn’t see the point to it. Why did society need to have statuses at all? The world would be a much happier place without them. At least, that was Aria’s opinion of the matter.

“I don’t mind.” She said when he asked about the flowers. It was only right that she agree to do it after he had agreed to take on the insects for her. Besides, she worked with plants all the time when she helped with her mother with the potions and the herbal remedies. Flowers were no bother to her. They helped make the world go around. Life thrived in the roots of plants, which allowed for all living creatures to thrive. The circle of life was a beautiful and harmonious thing.

The people here, Aria was beginning to notice, talked very much like adults. Sometimes she could sound like an adult too when she knew what she was talking about, but usually she just spoke blissfully about whatever was on her mind at the time. The other students here had a strange quality about them. Almost as though they were never really children. It was such a strange thing for her because the community always wanted the children to be children first before anything else. She wasn’t sure why this was not the case in the world outside of her wall.

“It’s alright, I don’t mind.” Aria said when he apologized. She felt he had done nothing wrong to apologize for. “Not everyone gives up magic. Most people use it for basic things, like helping the produce and things so that they remain organic and are not used with pesticides and growth hormones.” She had no idea if he understood anything she just said, but it was the truth of the matter. “Other’s use it for household chores and things. But, most only use a limited amount. They feel that if they use too much of their magic to do all of their work, they won’t really have a connection with Nature or others, which defeats the purpose of the Spiritual Community.”
0 Aria You're very welcome! 0 Aria 0 5

Evan

May 14, 2012 12:32 PM
"Excellent," Evan replied. He was glad that Aria was willing to do the flowers because well, it wouldn't be fair for him to do everything, just like he would never make her do everything. Then it wouldn't be a partnership and they might as well be working separately. It wouldn't bother Evan to do any part of a potion, it just wasn't right to expect one person to do all the work.

And there were people like that. His sister Chelsea was like that. A super proper Lady who didn't want to touch yucky things and thought doing work was beneath her. Aria was, quite clearly, nothing like Chelsea. That was probably a good thing. Not that Evan didn't love his older sister, it was just that he really wouldn't want to work on Potions with her. Plus, she didn't always do the right thing.

Of course, the Aladren didn't actually know anyone who did. That was probably part of being a pureblood. Though he'd been told that muggles were hardly perfect either. They had prejudices too, just like purebloods did, for example. Muggles had even kept other people as slaves at one point, instead of just house elves. Not to mention that they used to well, burn magical people. Or rather attempt to, since real wizards could use the Flame Freeze Charm and apparate away. Still, those burnings were also used against muggles that people didn't like for one reason or another and that wasn't good either. Plus, it was rather insulting that being magical was considered bad by people.

Evan nodded. He still didn't quite understand why people wouldn't use all their magic. "But isn't magic a part of them? It's a perfectly natural thing. Isn't it like denying part of themselves?" Magic was such an integral part of the second year's life. Evan could no more deny that than he could his family name. It was in his blood. All of it, his family, his history, his magic was as much a part of what made him Evan as his personality quirks. It was important to be himself and not just a member of the Brockert family, but that was also part of him. He had to be true to all of it.
11 Evan Everything's good then. 212 Evan 0 5