Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
August 16, 2020 9:56 AM
Practice with us! by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
OOC (Out of Character) - Hello, and welcome to Sonora! This is an example of what a class might look like so that you can practice writing with other characters and see what this might look like before the new year starts. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in an OOC like this and I'll be happy to help! This is a great place to try stuff out and if there's any site rules or anything, I can help nudge them so you know. Enjoy!IC (In Character) -
The potions classroom was warm and light. Often, these sorts of places felt too sterile for life, but Mary thought that that simply wouldn't do for her. There were a collection of flowers - some dried and some flourishing in pots and vases - around the room, artistic diagrams of various sources of ingredients on the walls, and shelves full of interesting things around the room. Bright sunlight streamed in through a window and the room itself was well-lit, something Mary insisted on for the best brewing practices; how could they be expected to be careful with their ingredients if they could not see what they were doing?
Mary herself fit in well with the room, her black hair tumbling in a braid past her shoulders to the floor. She was wearing a more traditional Indian gown than what she normally donned, and it made her feel close to her mother. The yellows and reds of the outfit were neat embroidery patterns and buttons that went down her arms to her long sleeves and her high collar. Her dress was floor-length, as they almost always were, and her large pointed hat matched the ensemble perfectly.
She greeted her class with a smile and put her thoughts aside to focus on the task at hand, shifting into a proper professor mindset as she did. It wasn't terribly difficult; this was a fun lesson and one of her favorites to go through with her poor stressed baby students.
"Hello," she said as they took their seats. "Welcome to your potions lesson for today. You should have been keeping a sleep and dream journal over the past few weeks. Have you done that?" Acknowledging a few nods and awkward shifting expressions, Professor Brooding-Hawthorne went on. "Today, we're going to be brewing a Sleeping Draft." The ingredients appeared on the chalkboard as she spoke.
"I want all of you to take today's lesson to brew your own Sleeping Draft. There are directions in your textbook and I have various languages available at the front if you want them. Ingredients are also labeled with various languages." She gestured to her shelves as she spoke. "At the end of class, please collect a vial of your potion for me to grade. First year students, label them with your name before putting them in the basket at the front of the room. Then, collect one of the vials of potion that I've brewed from the other basket.
Everyone will be continuing their sleep and dream journal for one more week, taking the Sleeping Draft before bed each night. If you have any concerns about this, please let me know. I assure you that we will not be brewing anything so strong as to be dangerous, and it will not keep you asleep past the time you need to wake up unless you don't take it until two or three in the morning. Just communicate with me."
Pausing to do a mental inventory of what she had intended to cover today and giving the students a moment to think, Professor Brooding-Hawthorne nodded. "Alright. Let me know if you have any questions! Otherwise, go ahead and begin. I'll be available if you need anything."
OOC - The Sleeping Draft (Draught, Draft, whatever), ingredients, method, and more can be found here: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Sleeping_Draught
22
Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
Practice with us!
1424
1
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 16, 2020 1:11 PM
First day of potions by Lorena Abernathy
Lorena took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and walked into the potions classroom. Looking around, she was surprised at how bright and welcoming the room was. She wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't flowers in pretty pots and sun streaming in through the windows. There were pots and jars on the shelves and at the tables around the room, containing things at which she could only guess."Now to find a seat," she thought as other students came in and began filling the empty chairs. "I'd better move fast." Lorena was a friendly girl but something of an introvert and this type of new situation always made her feel uncomfortable. She would much rather be first at a table and have someone else approach her than the other way around. There was an empty table toward the front of the room and Lorena headed straight for it, knowing that, at least in her experience, students tended to avoid the front of the classroom. Fine by her as she liked sitting in front, where she could feel more involved and less distracted.
"I didn't think I'd be this nervous," she thought, rubbing her hands on the front of her robes after she had set her books on the table. She had been completing the Sleep and Dream journal as required and had been reading as much as possible about what to expect from her classes, but that was very different from actually being in the classroom and getting ready to begin her official magical training. Very different indeed.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched other students file in and take seats and then began to wonder if she would be the only one without another student sitting at the table with her. Finally, as the last of them wandered in, another uncomfortable looking student approached her table ...
48
Lorena Abernathy
First day of potions
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 16, 2020 2:05 PM
What do you think so far? by Valentine Duell
Valentine walked into class feeling a little... off. Her stomach was just a touch unsettled, maybe it had been something she ate. Was Bonabelle feeling the same? She hoped not. It wasn't near bad enough to report to the hospital wing, hopefully it would be fine. As such, she didn't make it to class early like she usually did. No extra project time today, she sighed to herself. No big deal, she thought as she looked around the room. Now, where to sit?Her eyes alighted upon an empty seat in the front of the class. A smile spread across her face as she saw it was next to an unfamiliar face. New friends! Excellent! Val strode through the classroom towards the table at the front. A few steps away however, her stomach gurgled and her face twisted into something of a grimace. She'd be fine. It's okay. No problem here.
She gave the new girl the best smile she could manage at the moment, and tried to straighten herself out while setting her things down on the table. "Hi," She said a little weaker than normal. Then collecting herself, she tried again. This time with a proper friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Valentine. Is this seat taken? Mind if I join you?" Her stomach twisted a little bit again, this was going to be a fun class today.
2
Valentine Duell
What do you think so far?
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 16, 2020 2:24 PM
What a relief by Lorena Abernathy
“Hi! I’m Lorena! Please sit here. I was beginning to think I might be at this table by myself and it’s so nice to see a friendly face! Are you as nervous as I am?” It all came out in a rush as Lorena met Valentine and some of the stress balled in her stomach loosened.As she watched Valentine settle her self, Lorena caught a packet of sweet pea seeds that slid from the top of her pile of books. “Almost lost these.” Sweet peas were one of her favorite flowers and she had brought them hoping she would be allowed to plant there somewhere on the grounds, just to have a bit of home with her. Her mother always had sweet peas planted right outside Lorena’s bedroom window and that lovely light fragrance just smelled like home to her.
“Are you a first year? What class are you most excited about?” Lorena was so relieved to have a classmate sit beside her and wondered if this girl would become a good friend.
48
Lorena Abernathy
What a relief
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 16, 2020 3:40 PM
Relief beats outright terror by Valentine Duell
Yes! She was friendly! New friend! Val smiled wide as she slid into the seat next to her new friend. "Lorena," Valentine repeated, doing her best to commit the name and associated face to her memory. "That's a nice name." She giggled a little, "It sounds like a strange thing to say, like 'your parents had good taste.'" He stomach rolled a bit more and she fought to keep control of her face. "Nervous?" She repeated the question and thought for just a moment. Lorena almost dropped something, whatever it was, it didn't look like standard school supplies."Not really..." she started slowly, "But that may change." As she opened her mouth to continue, the Professor started her lecture for the days class. Valentine nodded at the mention of the journal. She'd been doing that, absolutely. Mostly. When she could remember her dreams anyway... they'd seemed unusually slippery in her waking memories this term so far. Thankfully the professor didn't talk to long and Valentine could get back to important things. Talking to Lorena.
"Anyway, today doesn't sound to bad," she glanced around the room conspiratorially, and made sure the Professor was out of earshot, "But I heard that last year she made some of the advanced students drink some mind altering potions and things got really crazy." She moved to pull out her textbook, the professors like it when it at least looked like you were doing what they wanted you to do. In the process she gestured towards the almost dropped thing. "What is that?"
Valentine shook her head gently with a smile, "Second year." She responded, "I was a little nervous my last year as well, so don't worry about that. If you have any questions, feel free to ask." She thought about Lorena's class question, "Last year I think I was most excited for Transfigurations, that was because Papa was a wizard at it when he came here... turns out I'm not that great at it." She gave the new girl a bit of a sheepish smile, "This year... I'm not sure," She thought about everything that had happened with Aunt Giselle last year, "Divinations I think. How about you?"
2
Valentine Duell
Relief beats outright terror
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 16, 2020 4:18 PM
Friends! by Lorena Abernathy
“ I have a friend,” Lorena thought with happy excitement. “I really have a friend already!” Such a wonderful feeling to come to class so nervous and anxious and find a friend right away. The relief at not being quite so alone brought tears to her eyes, which she viciously blinked back. She felt like giving her new friend a huge hug but thought that was a bit over the top so she satisfied herself with a big smile at Valentine.“These? These Are sweet pea seeds. They are one of my favorite flowers and I thought maybe they would let me plant them here somewhere so I could have a little but of home here with me. Do you think they will?”
“You are a second year? That’s so cool!” Lorena not only had a friend, but someone a bit older who could maybe help her over any rough patches. This is turning out to be one of my best days ever, she thought.
“I’m not sure what my favorite class will be,” she told Valentine, keeping her voice low so the Professor wouldn’t know she was talking about something other than class work. She didn’t want to get started off on the wrong foot with her instructors. “I just want to learn all of it. I think I will really like potions and maybe herbology, though. I like working with my hands.”
“Are you purebor ... a pureblood?”
48
Lorena Abernathy
Friends!
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 16, 2020 5:20 PM
Yes! Friends are the best! by Valentine Duell
Valentine flipped through the text book, occasionally turning from her new friend to see if she was on the right page yet. No such luck. Lorena had looked really uncertain when Val had first arrived, now she was practically beaming. She smiled in return. This was going well. She'd hopefully made a new friend and... her stomach twisted a bit more and she fought back another grimace. She hadn't eaten anything that weird for lunch before coming here... had she? Maybe she might need to swing by the Hospital Wing after class after all. Medic Willow was really nice and all, but she really preferred not to need to see the woman."That's neat!" Val looked at the seeds that Lorena had brought. "Probably, ask Professor Xavier, the Herbology professor." An odd look crossed her face, "There is a groundskeeper... but he's..." her voice trailed off and she smacked her forehead with her hand. "Evelyn!" she exclaimed, "My friend Evelyn is in charge of the gardening club. I'll have to introduce you, they have a section of the gardens for their things. I'm sure she'd be happy to have you plant them in there."
Val smiled as the slightly younger girl talked about classes. "It is fun to learn... well, most of it anyway." She finally had flipped to the right page of her text book and took a moment to scan the instructions. "Like when we get days we need to deal with Flobberworm Mucus." She stated rather matter-of-factly. Her stomach heaved as she thought of the stuff, but she caught herself before she stifled the reaction as best she could. No scaring the first-years now. Instead she tried to cover it with a weak grimace and a shrug followed by a smile, "But it's not all that bad. Do you want to start the cauldron heating or preparing the lavender and valerian sprigs?"
"Pureblood? Not according to the definition of most actual purebloods." she worked some as she talked. "Mama and Papa were both wizards, they came here a long time ago. But, Mama's parents were both muggles and Papa had one of each." She put on a pretend, pretentious expression, "To be a proper pureblood, you must have wizards going back no less than three generations." She giggled and broke the facade. "I take it you're muggleborn?"
2
Valentine Duell
Yes! Friends are the best!
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 16, 2020 5:58 PM
Flobberworms by Lorena Abernathy
“I’m half and half, although I might as well have been muggleborn. My father is a wizard and my mother is a muggle. She’s never been comfortable with his magic and he thinks doing things the non-magical way is fun, so there was t a lot of magic in my house. Just the last few months my father has been talking to me about it and about school here.”Lorena avidly watched as Valentine started assembling the ingredients for the sleeping draught they were to make. “I’ll start the cauldron heating,” she said. “My father said that Flobberworm mucus is kind of like slug slime. Is that true? That’s some of the nastiest stuff I can imagine!” She gave a shudder at the thought.
So her new friend was raised in a wizarding family. She would have to ask her more about that later. It would have to have been so cool to grow up with magic being used all the time. Her life seemed very boring and difficult because she had to do all the chores without the help of magic. But right now, she had noticed that Valentine was looking a little unwell.
“Are you feeling ok? You are a little pale.
48
Lorena Abernathy
Flobberworms
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 16, 2020 6:43 PM
They are kinda gross, but there are worse things. by Valentine Duell
"That sounds a little bit like Papa's parents." Valentine pulled out her mortar and pestal, "His mother was the witch however and didn't like muggle things, his dad was the muggle and couldn't wrap his head around the wizardy things." She smiled at Lorena, "I'm glad your father enjoys the muggle stuff. Papa does as well. His job is trying to get it to play nice with magic.""I'll get the ingredients from the shelves, and you can decide for yourself." She winked at her new friend "Be right back." She stood and walked briskly over to the supply shelves, smiling and waving at Professor Brooding-Hawthorne along the way. Let's see, she needed lavender. Suppressing a giggle she glanced over to where her friend Lavender was seated before returning her attention to the ingredients shelves. After a bit of searching she found all that she needed, including the lovely bottle of flobberworm mucus. He stomach squirmed a little more. Thankfully the bottle was still closed at this point.
Carrying the items back to her and Lorena's table, she set them down carefully. Then she slid the bottle of mucus over to Lorena. "Take a look, you need to shake it before we add any to the cauldron though." She then turned back to start working on the lavender and valerian sprigs. The lavender at least smelled nice.
Valentine turned to Lorena, "Um.." she hesitated, giving Lorena a reassuring smile, "I'm... fine. I think I just ate something a little weird for lunch. I think sometimes the prairie elves get a little 'creative' with some of the food." Her stomach churned a little more and she suppressed the urge to react again. "How's the cauldron looking?" Lorena was friendly and caring. That was awesome. Valentine really hoped she didn't end up throwing up on her new friend.
2
Valentine Duell
They are kinda gross, but there are worse things.
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 17, 2020 4:47 AM
If you say so by Lorena Abernathy
Lorena knew that things were different here from the muggle world, but when someone turned kind of green and made that face, you didn’t want to stand too close. But, Val said she was ok and Lorena wasn’t going to abandon her just because she ran the risk of getting vomited on.“Really? How often do the Prairie Elves make people sick? That sounds awful!”
As the Professor wandered around the room, the students worked away at their first potions, first of the year for some, like Valentine, but first ever for others. It was a little unnerving for Lorena, knowing that she was making something that could put someone into a deep sleep if done properly, but could have completely different results if made incorrectly. She imagined this was why Professor Brooding-Hawthorne kept what the students made and handed out her own version for the sleep study portion of the assignment.
Lorena looked into the bottle of Flobberworm mucus and tipped the bottle this way and that to watch it jiggle and move around. She’d never seen a whole bottle of slug slime, but she imagined this was about how it would look.
“You said I need to shake this stuff before we use it? I’ll do that now.” She said and industriously set to shaking the bottle, carefully keeping her thumb on the lid so the stuff didn’t pop out the top.
As Lorena tipped the bottle to measure the mucus into the cauldron, rather than the two blobs of Flobberworm mucus called for in the recipe, most of what was in the bottle flopped out and into the cauldron. The cauldron flagged and sent up a bright plume of foul smelling steam. “Val, Val,” she tugged on her new friend’s sleeve. “My gosh, what did I do?”
48
Lorena Abernathy
If you say so
1510
0
5
Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
August 17, 2020 1:32 PM
I like flobberworms, thank you very much! by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
Mary watched the students work, a small smile on her face. She was always so proud of her first and second year students. Beginners were her favorite to work with because she got to see them grow and learn so fast. Intermediates were also her favorite, because they were learning a lot about a lot of things outside of the classroom and she enjoyed seeing how that came to a head in the classroom. But also, advanced classes were her favorite because she got to get elbow deep in the work she loved so much. Perhaps she couldn't pick an actual favorite . . . Tabitha, she knew, preferred older students and was sometimes bored of the basics. Potions, however, was rarely boring. A student's steaming, blurping potion was one such example of why.Mary approached with her small smile still in place, changing it into something meant to be more reassuring than anything else. "That happens sometimes," she promised Lorena, who looked panicked. "Unfortunately, you'll have to start again." She waved her wand with a mattered incantation and siphoned away the dangerous mistake. "That's why potions classes are longer; you have time to try again!"
She looked from Valentine to Lorena, happy the two girls had found each other, and then raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any questions or need any help?" she confirmed.
Waiting another moment to offer assistance if necessary, Mary nodded at the girls when they no longer needed her and walked away. There were other potions blurping around the room and she wanted to make sure she had time to check on those as well.
OOC - Hello! Sometimes, when things go wrong in class, professors will step in to fix them, so I figured I'd go ahead and do that to show you what it looks like. You don't have to wait for Mary to take another turn, the turn order will continue with Val going next. If Val or Lorena asks any questions that I need to respond with, I'll go ahead and write again. Otherwise, Val and Lorena can proceed with Mary having walked away.
22
Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
I like flobberworms, thank you very much!
1424
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 17, 2020 3:15 PM
I mean.. yeah... they're great... by Valentine Duell
Valentine bobbled her head back and forth in a noncommittal gesture. "Usually it's fine. I..." she hesitated a little and gave Lorena a mild smile , "I may have had a slight hand in it as well." She, Bonabelle and Alexander really shouldn't have done that 'random food combination' challenge at lunch. Who would have thought baked beans, artichoke dip and spicy mustard wouldn't mix well?Her stomach rolled again when she thought about it. But she managed to nod at Lorena's question. She wasn't sure why it was supposed to be shaken, but it was. She was just finished up with the lavender when a horrible smell boiled out of the cauldron and Val nearly lost control of the contents of her stomach.
She was saved by Lerena's panicked voice and tugging on her sleeve. She pulled through to focus on the emergency at hand. There was something terrible drifting out of the water. Before she could act, the Professor had come to their aid. She waved away the mess and Val regrouped enough to smile again at her.
"No Ma'am. I'm fine." She responded, totally honestly. She gave Lorena an encouraging smile. Hopefully Lorena wouldn't take her response as a 'this is how you respond to teachers', and would ask anything she wanted to.
OOC: Author approval gained for Bonabelle and Alexander's involvement.
2
Valentine Duell
I mean.. yeah... they're great...
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 17, 2020 6:25 PM
Much to learn by Lorena Abernathy
“You had a hand in making yourself sick?” Lorena wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. She could remember having friends over and eating too much popcorn and candy and feeling pretty sick, but she doubted Val had done that. Shrugging, she focused again on the cauldron, now quietly bubbling again and focused on just getting two blobs of Flobberworm mucus out of the bottle. This was no easy task. She didn’t want to touch the nasty stuff but whenever she tipped the bottle, all of the mucus wanted to move together as a unit.“That was so cool that the professor just came over and fixed my mistake. She didn’t even look upset about it!” Lorena whispered to Val. “In my muggle school, I would have been given extra homework and a lecture for making a mistake like that.”
“Are all the teachers as nice as Professor Brooding-Hawthorne?”
All in all, Lorena was so happy to have her new friend and was so happy at thought she had much to learn and was really looking forward to her new adventures.
48
Lorena Abernathy
Much to learn
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 17, 2020 7:06 PM
Learning never ends, so I'm told by Valentine Duell
Valentine gave her friend a sheepish smile. "We were having some fun at lunch... and things may have gotten a little out of hand." She sat up straighter and gave Lorena a big smile. "I'm still claiming I won though." She cringed just a bit as her stomach rumbled again, "In a manner of speaking anyway." She might just have to swing by to see Medic Willow after class."She is really nice," Valentine responded as she watched her new friend fight with the mucus. "Try using the stopper to help limit how much can come out," she suggested helpfully. "Muggle school seems rough. Was it really that bad? Mama home schooled me until I came here." She explained, "Mama and Papa both went to Muggle schools before coming here as well."
She nodded enthusiastically at the question about the professors, "Most of them really are. The one that I hear most people rank the lowest is Professor Brooding-Hawthorne." She paused then grinned, "The one that teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts, not this one." She lowered her voice just a little bit, "They're married, hence the naming confusion. People have come up with interesting ways to differentiate then when they talk about them."
Valentine finished her work with the lavender and valerian sprigs. She smiled to herself as she did so, she'd made a new friend already. This year was looking good.... maybe better though after a quick trip to the bathroom...
2
Valentine Duell
Learning never ends, so I'm told
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 17, 2020 8:06 PM
Whoever told you that was smart? by Lorena Abernathy
Lorena looked at Val and wondered aloud “from the discomfort you seem to be in, I don’t know if it was worth the win! Can’t you just do a spell or make a potion to feel better? I don’t know all the rules yet about doing things like that.”Her voice lowered conspiratorially as she looked around the room to make sure the Professor was occupied “Why do people have a problem with the other Professor Brooding-Hawthorne? Is he awful?”
She focused carefully on stirring the cauldron. “Should we add the Standard Ingredient yet or is it too soon? I don’t want to make another mistake.” Lorena really wanted to do well with her first potion.
“Muggle school,” she said quietly, “could be wonderful or really awful. When I started there, I had a couple of friends, but If you want to learn, others tend to call you names and don’t want to hang out with you. I got called a ‘teacher’s pet’ and got pushed around by some of the other kids. My brother doesn’t seem to have any magic at all and so he would bully me too.” She felt herself tearing up and the thought and stuck a bright smile on her face. “I’m so glad I’m here!”
Lorena hadn’t been to Defense Against against the Dark Arts class, but wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to a class with a difficult teacher. She had plenty of those in muggle school.
48
Lorena Abernathy
Whoever told you that was smart?
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 18, 2020 4:45 PM
There are a lot of smart people out there, I'm hanging out with one now. by Valentine Duell
Valentine shook her head lightly, "Not that I'd trust, but Medic Willow will definitely be able to, if things don't look better by the end of class." Her stomach felt a little better at the moment, hopefully things were settling down. That would be nice. She gave Lorena a reassuring smile.She giggled quietly at her friend's next question, "The other Professor Brooding-Hawthorne is also a 'she'." Val corrected gently. "And if you haven't met her yet, you will soon enough. She isn't awful or mean or anything." The Teppenpaw thought about the best way to phase her next sentence. "She teaches us how to protect ourselves from the dark side of the magical world. She takes it very seriously, and can get... intense." Yes, that was the word to use.
Valentine looked at her book, then at the cauldron, "If the mucus is in there, then yeah! I've got the lavender paste ready to go. Just remember to start timing as soon as they go in. This mixture has to go in thirty seconds after that does."
She wrinkled up her nose at Lorena's description of Muggle school. "That doesn't sound very nice. Isn't the purpose of school to learn things?" She was glad that Mama had decided to teach her at home. Then she smiled back at Lorena, "I'm really glad you're here as well!"
2
Valentine Duell
There are a lot of smart people out there, I'm hanging out with one now.
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 18, 2020 6:42 PM
Kindred spirits by Lorena Abernathy
“So after the 30 seconds, you just wave your wand? No words or flashes of light or anything?” Lorena was almost disappointed that the potion seemed so easy. And was almost irritated to have to focus so hard on her potion when she wanted to talk to Valentine more. “What happens if you don’t wait exactly 30 seconds?”“Professor Brooding-Hawthorne is married to a woman?” She asked a bit incredulously. “How long have they been married?” That sort of thing is still frowned on in the muggle world by some although Lorena didn’t really know why. She’d never been to a school that would allow it, especially if both people worked at the same school! This was another new and happy twist.
“I guess that Defense Against Dark Arts teachers have to be a little intense if they are trying to save students’ lives.” She wondered though exactly what dangers were out there to be defended against? Biting dogs, maybe? Scratching cats? Ramming goats? Lorena giggled at her own silly mental wandering.
Lorena felt she had so much to think about and felt that, in Valentine, she had found someone who was smart, thoughtful and thinks a lot like her. She’d never felt she had a true friend before now, but just knew this was going to be that kind of a friend.
“If you decide to go to see Medic Willow, would you like me to go with you?”
48
Lorena Abernathy
Kindred spirits
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 21, 2020 5:31 AM
Those are by far the best kinds of spirits. by Valentine Duell
Valentine nodded at Lorena. "Yup, 30 seconds then we dump in the lavender mixture and then we wave our wand over the stuff. I think that is to stir up the magical energies around the cauldron, similar to the way we use the spoon to stir up the actual physical ingredients." She checked the text book's recipe again. Once that's done it needs to sit and cook for awhile." She grinned, "Excellent." Then they could just sit back, talk and make sure the cauldron didn't explode. That was the best part of potions class. Just letting the stuff cook."I'm not sure," She thought about possible consequences, "I guess the potion wouldn't turn out right one way or the other. We could experiment and find out..." She grinned at Lorena, "but then we may have to start over again."
Valentine nodded and decided she was going to have to do some more research if she was going to to keep hanging out with Lorena, which she was absolutely going to do. "Yup, but I'm not sure how long they've been married... longer than I've been coming here, but that's only one year so far. We could ask her!" She glanced about the room looking for the Professor, but she was on the far side of the room at the moment.
"Yeah, magic makes for some strange things out there, and that doesn't even account for bad people who want to use magic for nefarious, evil purposes." Valentine gave her new friend a mischievous grin, "You'll find out soon enough though, Defense is our next class. Then you'll get to meet the other Professor Brooding-Hawethorne yourself." The grin turned back into a friendly smile as Lorena made her offer to accompany her to the Hospital Wing. "If I decide to go, I'd love it if you came along. I could introduce you to Medic Willow! She's really nice!."
2
Valentine Duell
Those are by far the best kinds of spirits.
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 21, 2020 6:39 AM
Speaking of Spirits by Lorena Abernathy
Lorena watched as the lavender mixture disappeared below the surface of the gently simmering potion. “Should we wave out wands together or just one of us?” She then went back to study the recipe. “Now this says ‘70 minutes depending on the cauldron,’ why is that? I mean, I know that some ovens cook hotter than others, but a cauldron is just a pot over a fire, right?” She was really enjoying her first class, but there were so many questions. Lorena was glad that Valentine had the answers and, even more, that she seemed willing to provide them.“I’m sorry if I ask too many questions. My Daddy always says ‘you learn best when you ask most”. But some people don’t like to hear them or think I’m trying to be teachers pet.”
Nefarious, evil purposes, the thought sent a chill up Lorena’s spine. It was a bit of excitement and a bit of dread. Defense Against The Dark Arts certainly sounded mysterious and frightening.
“What kind of evil things?” She whispered loudly and then glanced around to make sure no one had overheard. “Has Professor Brooding-Hawthorne ever actually had to fight evil anything evil?”
“Are there ghosts here in the school?” Lorena asked? I heard a could of the older kids talking about it on the way here but I thought they might just be trying to scare us. That happens a lot in the muggle world so I figure it probably happens here too.”
“Are you feeling any better?” Lorena asked Valentine. She was so excited about her friend and all the new things she was learning, but certainly didn’t want to forget that Valentine was a bit unwell. There was just so much rushing around in her head that all wanted to spill out of her mouth.
48
Lorena Abernathy
Speaking of Spirits
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 21, 2020 8:04 AM
I guess we are, aren't we? by Valentine Duell
"Hmm..." Valentine looked over the text book again. "It doesn't really say, but if one is good then two must be better!" She smiled wide and waved her wand at the appropriate time. "Yeah..." Val said a little slowly, "There are differences in cauldrons I guess... the Professor went over it some last year. I'm pretty sure there was a section of the book that talked about it as well." She shrugged and smiled, "I guess we have some time to figure it out though."Asking questions is a good thing," Valentine asserted, "Your daddy is right. That's how you learn things. Well, specific things anyway." She watched the cauldron bubble for a bit. It didn't look like it wanted to explode, so that was a good sign. It smelled a little funny, but that was usually pretty normal. Now they had time to talk properly while it cooked for some indeterminate amount of time.
Valentine put on her best spooky face.. which wasn't really all that spooky. "All sorts of things! Boggarts and pixies and people-eating plants!" She smiled again, "I'm not sure how much she's fought, but it wouldn't surprise me if she's taken on everything and brought them down!" Valentine nodded in reference to the ghosts. "There are some... but I haven't seen much of them."
She considered the question of her wellness. Her stomach seemed to be settling down, at least for the moment. "A little I think. Hopefully I won't need to go to the Hospital Wing. I don't like bothering her with little things. It might distract her from a big thing, and that wouldn't be good."
2
Valentine Duell
I guess we are, aren't we?
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 22, 2020 6:31 AM
And everything else! by Lorena Abernathy
Lorena settled into her chair now that the ingredients had been added to the cauldron and the waiting time had begun. She had wondered why options classes were so long, and she realized now that there would be a lot of time to sit and wait for things to happen. She was again so happy that she had met a new and good friend or this waiting could be painful rather than pleasant.“It smells a little ... weird, don’t you think?” She hoped that was how the softly bubbling mix was supposed to smell.
“Ooh, Daddy did tell me a little about boggarts. He said they can scare the socks off of you but if you keep your head and concentrate, they aren’t anything to worry about.” She shivered at the thought of a boggart of her greatest fear. She also hoped people wouldn’t laugh that hers was so silly.
“This is sooo cool! I already know I’m going to like this school so much more than muggle school! That was kinda boring, but this is just really exciting.”
She looked around the room at the other students in the various stages of potion making and guessed they too would all be sitting and visiting soon. “Once everyone else gets their potions to the waiting stage, doe the professor talk some more or do we just get to visit?” She hoped they could just sit and talk, but you never know.
48
Lorena Abernathy
And everything else!
1510
0
5
Valentine Duell
August 22, 2020 11:18 AM
'Everything else' is a really big topic. by Valentine Duell
Valentine nodded at her new friend's observation. "It does, and I'm not sure. Sometimes they do smell awfully strange and that's normal. We'll find out the next time the professor wanders past and gets a whiff of it." She grinned and waved her hand to waft some of the odor in the direction of the professor. That done she sat down to chat."He did?" She looked a little surprised, "That's pretty neat! Professor Brooding-Hawthorne mentioned them a few times during classes last year, but from the sounds of if they are a more 'advanced' topic, so she didn't go into them much. They are big, nasty, scary and we'll learn about them properly when you're older." She shrugged. "I'm a little curious to see what my greatest fear might be."
Valentine glanced around the room with Lorena. "It depends," she answered, "Mostly we're supposed to make sure everything is cleaned up and tidy. Then do some classwork or she may have more lecturing to do." She began to clean up the mess they'd made so far which wasn't really to bad. "Do you want to take these ingredients back to the supply shelf? Take a look while you are over there and familiarize yourself with the layout of where stuff is, it'll help later. I can finish getting things cleaned up here. Then we'll look into what we need for the next stage of this potion."
Val gave Lorena a big smile, "You're going to do great here. I just know it."
2
Valentine Duell
'Everything else' is a really big topic.
1490
0
5
Lorena Abernathy
August 23, 2020 6:16 AM
We have the time. (Professor) by Lorena Abernathy
Lorena gathered up the leftover bits of lavender, valerian and Flobberworm mucus and headed to the supply shelves to put them back. hmm, aconite, unicorn hair, bezoar, gillyweed ... what wonderfully exotic things lived on the shelves in a potions class! It gave her a thrill to think of what she might work with in future classes and what strange concoctions she might create. She took down a bottle to sniff the contents and then quickly put it back on the shelf after seeing the skull and crossbones signal for poison on the label. Maybe she should wait to try some of these things until she was instructed to.Thinking of boggarts and her greatest fear made Lorena a bit uncomfortable; almost more from embarrassment that the other students would laugh at her than from the thing itself. It was so silly really.
She noticed Professor Brooding-Hawthorne moving closer to their table and hurried back so she could hear what she might have to say. Their work area was clean and the cauldron quietly puffing out strange smelling steam when Lorena arrived back at their table. She looked at the Professor and lifted her hand, wanting to catch her attention. “Professor, would you take a look at our potion, please?”
Lorena grinned at Val “Thanks! I really want to do great here!”
“Ok, what’s next on the potion?”
48
Lorena Abernathy
We have the time. (Professor)
1510
0
5
Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
August 24, 2020 1:49 PM
Can I have some of it? by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
Professor Brooding-Hawthorne very much enjoyed wandering around class, helping her students and listening to bits and pieces of conversation drift by on the rolling steam from a cauldron. The smells were often not as good as the conversations; the best-made potions often smelled funny and these were hardly the best-made potions. Still, Mary enjoyed her work, both as a teacher and as a potions master.When one of the students waved her down, the same student who had had a bit of a problem earlier in the class session, Mary prepared herself for the worst. Upon arriving, however, she found that potion seemed about standard for their grade level. She smiled at them both. "This looks very good," she said kindly. She always liked to see first and second year students working together, because they both had a lot to offer and it was good for older students especially to have a chance to connect with younger ones. It was important to the psychosocial development of children in any case, although she wasn't about to start discussing that with the group here. That would be odd at best. "And it looks like you've gotten things tidied up. Very good.
If you're looking for something to do, this might be a good opportunity to review your dream journals and look for any patterns you've noticed, or else think about what you think will happen when you take Sleeping Draft before bed. Will you have dreams? That information is in your reading, so you can also catch up on that if you haven't done it already." She smiled a little more knowingly this time, as younger students were especially hard to keep caught up on their reading. Older students often didn't do it, but it was because of other reasons than poor time management or attention span in most cases. "If you need anything else, just let me know."
OOC - I don't know if there's any canon for sure on whether Sleeping Draft would cause a dreamless sleep but I sort of assume they do. But also this is the sandbox, so play with it if you want to keep going!
22
Mary Brooding-Hawthorne
Can I have some of it?
1424
0
5