Lesson Two (First years)

Asric walked down to the dungeons feeling slightly uneasy. He hated being indoors as it was without being indoors and underground, it made him feel more trapped than ever before. He took a deep breath and sat down, in todays lesson he was sure he was going to lose his cool.

Flora was pretty happy when the start of two more classes was announced in the noticeboard. She's having more free time than needed in her opinion. However entering the chass she was shocked to see Professor Chaos instead of the Professor assigned in the timetable. "Oh, hello Professor." She greeted and took a seat on the right side of the room.

J. J. slipped into the classroom, and was relieved to see only one other student. With the delay in starting she was nervous about being late.
She was surprised, however, to see the headmaster sitting at the front of the room rather than the usaul potions professor.
"Hullo Headmaster," she said kindly going along with the change as she took her seat.
She glanced around the room. She wondered what she was to do about her potions partner. She had a feeling the one she had been assigned in the first class, would not be showing up now.
Though, she glanced at Flora, she hadn't been at the first class, so maybe they would make an exchange.
She set up her desk. She would have to wait for class to start, to know for sure.

Seth was surprised yet once again to see his master teaching another class. He took a seat near the front so he could listen intently even though he could sit in the back and hear just as well with his new hearing.

Damian's eyes widened in surprise when he entered Potions to see Asric there. "Master Chaos!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing off the walls of the room. The boy grimaced. He was a bit loud, by nature, so it was taking him a bit of time to learn to tone down the volume.

Moving up to take a seat next to Seth - something that had quickly become habit - he glanced about the room, then back at his mentor. "I didn't know you did potions, too - though, I guess that really makes sense, huh?" He frowned. "But what happened to the other professor?"

Jamie was glad that when she walked in she saw 4 other students there. Her smile soon faded when she saw the head master there.

"Hello headmaster" she said greeting him and sitting in a seat.

Jamie also wondered why the headmaster was here instead of the other professor she had before.

"Your last Professor is no longer with us." He said glancing at his watch thinking now was the time to begin. He smiled at Damien. "No i don't teach potions but i have the potential to teach most lessons here thanks to my school work. You guys will too if you ace all your classes." He said flicking his hand so the words boil cure potion appeared written on it.

"Who can tell me the main ingredients for this potions?" He asked looking for a volunteer.

Jamie raises her hand "You need to add 6 snake fangs, crush into a fine powder, add 4 measures of the crush fangs to our cauldron, heat the mixture to 250 for 10 seconds, wave our wands, leave it to brew for 80 minutes, add 4 horned slugs to our cauldron, take our cauldron off the fire before adding our next incredient, add 2 porcupine quills to our cauldron, stir 5 times, and wave our wands to complete the potion" Jamie finishes.

Shaun walked into the dungeons, ah! he loved the cool and secretive magic of this part of the castle. He knocked as he reached the classroom, 'Hello Headmaster, thanks for starting, I can take over from here.'

He smiled in relief. "Welcome Professor. Class this is Professor Moody he will be taking over your potions lesson. If you have any questions direct them to him unless they are for in which case you know where my office is." He said already half way out of the door.

"I'll leave them in your hands Professor." He said before leaving the dungeons to get some fresh air.

'Thank you, Headmaster.' Shaun nodded.
'Alright then,as you just heard, I'm Shaun Moody, your newly appointed potions instructor. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. So, down to business. This is second class, yes? So brief me on what you learned at the previous class?' Shaun raised an eyebrow, waiting for them to answer.

J. J. bit her lip and raised her hand slowly.

"We didn't learn much professor," J. J. said after being called upon, "We learned that potions have many uses there for its important to learn how to make them... and then Professor Dosha asked some students their favourite potions."

J. J. paused and shurgged. Looking back upon it seemed like a measly class.

"I guess that's all we had time for. " she paused then remembered something, "Oh, and she split us up into partners... though some of those partners seemed not to have decided to come back."

Damian had straightened in his seat as the new professor entered the room. He was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be seeing his master's potions skills, but figured the man was busy enough, being headmaster and all.

The boy listened intently as J.J. summarized their previous lesson. He hoped that this lesson, they'd get to brew something.

'Well, I'm not really interested in your favorite potion, nor do I care about who your partner is as long as you don't cause disruption in class and you submit your own brew.' Shaun leaned on the desk and crossed his arms.
'So, what are you covering in herbology?'

"I think it's Devil's Snare," Damian responded. "I'm not sure, though, I'm not taking that class. Will that be a problem, sir?" The boy frowned worriedly, wondering if he should add another class onto the nine he was taking already. If it was needed to do well in Potions, though, the extra course load could be worth it.

'Well, it helps when you're collecting and preparing ingredients from plants.' Shaun told Damian. 'But its nothing essential. At least not in classroom potion making. Isn't Herbology a compulsory subject here? Anyway, we are starting with boil cure potion today.'
He waved his hand and the door slammed into its frame. 'Tell me one of the required ingredients, each of you.'

Jamie raised her hand once more "You need to add 6 snake fangs and crush them into a fine powder, add 4 measures of the crushed fangs to our cauldron, heat the mixture to 250 for 10 seconds, wave our wands, leave to brew and return in 80 minutes, add 4 horned slugs, take the cauldron off the fire before adding the next ingredient, add 2 porcupine quills, stir 5 times clock wise, than wave our wands to complete the potion" Jamie put down her book and waited to see if she was right.

"And have you listened to what I asked at all?"Shaun greeted his teeth. "I asked for ONE of the ingredients, EACH OF YOU. I didn't ask you to RECITE THE WHOLE RECIPE. Ten points from Slytherin for your failure at following instruction. Anyone else?"

Jamie made sure the professor wasn't looking and rolled her eyes at him. Man today was just not her day was it. Jamie smiled at that thought and paid attention.

Damian wasn't sure why they should still offer the ingredients when the Slytherin girl already did so - even if she wasn't following directions - but the boy complied nonetheless.

"Crushed snake fangs, sir," he answered, raising his hand. Might as well start with the first ingredient, after all.

J. J. looked about uncertainly upon being asked to state what had already been stated, but shrugged and followed Damian's lead.

"Umm, I think there is something about a horned slugs."

She wasn't entirely sure what those were but they hadn't sounded pleasing so they had stuck in her memory.

'Thank you Mr. Gray, Ms. Jones. It'll be ten points to each of you if you can tell me what fuction does they play, what effect does they bring in the potion.'
Shaun looked at each of them in turn, 'If you're wondering why asked you the ingredients again after Ms. Malfoy saw fit to regurgitate the whole recipe, it's not acceptable in my class. In my class, when are brewing a potion you'll be aware of what you're adding, and why you're adding it. Cramming recipees and following them like a mindless inferi doesn't bring any understanding in potions.'

Damian gave a faint smile. That made sense. His sister had always explained what they were doing when she'd taught him how to brew potions at home.

"Crush snake fangs help set the consistency for the potion, sir," he answered. "As well as help contribute a small amount to the restorative properties of the potion." Or was that a different potion? Theo had taught him so many...

J. J. had no idea what horned slugs would do for the potion. She didn't remember reading anything about that, and she thought before, she had no idea what they actually were.

But she did want those points.

Might as well guess, she though.

"Well... would they have something to do with the heal aspect of the potion?" She didn't know how a horned slug was supposed to help heal boils but... she figured that they were being added to the potion at about the right time for that, and really she had no other idea.

It was the best guess she had; now all she could do was wait and see what Professor Moody would do with it.

'Another ingredient is dried nettle, it cures skin irritation and purifies the blood around the boil.' Flora said raising her hand.