Lesson Two (First years)

Aquila knocked on the potions room and straightened his uniforms tie. He was aware that he was quite late for this particular class.

"Hello Professor," he said calmly when the Professor looked up, "I'd like to apologize for my late arrival; I have a note from my parents explaining my lateness to this establishment. If you would not mind I would like to join the class now to avoid being farther behind, but if you would like me wait until a class that hadn't already started I would understand."

Shaun went through the letter, 'Come on, take a seat then. I'll lay off you this time. Don't be late in my class again, you'll lose ten points from your house.'
He turned to the students, 'Good attempt, all of you. Ten points to Mr. Gray and Ms. Evans. Snake fangs also dissipates any toxic elements present. I won't be able to award you points Ms. Jones, I'm afraid. Horned slugs disintegrates the boil. Thus being the Key ingredient of the potion. What?' He looked at all of them, 'Don't you need to take notes?'

Aquila nodded to the Professor.

"Thank you sir," he slipped into a seat and pulled out his quill and parchment, "I will be sure not to make a habit of it."

Then he quickly jotted down everything he had heard in the few minutes that he had been standing there; if he missed anything he'd ask another student later.

Oh well, J. J. thought, it had been worth the guess - at least I didn't lose points.

She jumped as the Professor mentioned notes. She had her paper and quill out but had been so wrapped up in listening and watching what was going on that she had neglected to write on it.

Quickly she put quil to parchment and wrote down what had been said so far.

Shaun continued with his lecture,"Porcupine quills work as antibiotic, but its main function is to provide stability. And let me nip one of your misconceptions in the bud. We don't need to wave our wands while making potions. If anything, they make the potion magically unstable. Now here's your instructions" With a flourish of his wand, writing began to appear in the board:
1. Take four cups of water and let it come to boil, then add 4 measure of dried nettles.
2.Take six snake fangs into the mortar, crush it into fine powder. Add them into the cauldron and let it simmer.
3. Stew 4 horned slugs with 2 cups of water. add it to the cauldron and let it simmer for twenty minutes.
4. Take the cauldron off the fire, then add two porcupine quills.
5. Stir five times clockwise.
"If brewed properly it will take a bright red color. Begin." Shaun stod in front of the desk, arms crossed.

Jamie looked at the ingredients on the board and started her work. She added 4 cup a water to her cauldron and let it boil then added 4 measure of dried nettles like it said on the board. Jamie paid close attention to her work. No way she was messing this up.

Wanting to make up for missing so much time, Aquila hopped up quickly and got all of his ingredients and culdron prepared.
Looking at the directions on the board carefully he measured out the water and aplied heat to start it to boil.

While he was waiting he apraised the room looking around at the other students. He found looking at the people around him fascinating. He wished to speak out but they all seemed so into their work that it wouldn't be appropraite.

Before long the water came to boil, so added the nettles - after measuring them very carefully.

Once that was done he proceeded with the instructions, taking care to do each one as instructed.

J. J. nervously went through the instructions. If there was any class she was going to screw up royally it was this one. She sucked at cooking, and potions just sounded like a much more dangerous, complicated version of that.

With shaking hands she added and stired and waited, wondering if she was going to make it through this class without making a fool of herself.

After waiting twenty horrifying minutes - she did not like just sitting there watching the potion "simmer" it felt too much like screwing up - she readily grabbed the porcupine quils. They were the last ingredents to be put in, and then she stired and then she was done - home free, so long as the potion turned out read like it was supposed to.

She was so excited to be done, she grabbed the required quils without thinking, and held them readily over the couldron - the couldron that was still above the fire.

Shaun was walking along the workbenches, correcting mistakes as he went. Suddenly he noticed... 'Oh for the love of Merlin' he grabbed the girl's wrist.
'In a bit hurry aren't we?' he spoke in a dangerously low voice, 'Why do you dunderheads insist on Not. Following. Instructions? Isn't it written clearly on the board to add the porcupine quill AFTER taking cauldron off the fire? Or do you fancy spending the night in the Hospital Wing? And you' He spun to face the girl working nearby, 'Is this the time for house rivalry Ms. Evans? Do you think your potion would be spared if hers exploded?'

Flora was working with utmost concentration, her main cauldron simmering, on a second cauldron she was stewing her horned slugs. She jumped at being addressed abruptly.
What does he mean I should have stopped her? I can barely keep up with managing two cauldrons at once. She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it soundlessly.

'Its not advisable to close off your senses while brewing, Ms. Evans.' He leaned forward, looming over the child, 'There are many factors out there that can compromise your potion. Keep your senses open. You'll need to learn some repelling charms too, to keep out foreign objects.'

J. J. jumped - thankfully holding on to the porcupine quills - at the professors voice.

She flushed as she realized what she had been about to do. How stupid could she be? She had read what happened if you put the quills in when still on the fire, and the professor was right it was clearly on the board.

She knew she was going to screw up potions.

"Sorry Professor," she said, meekly taking it off the fire, "Thank you for warning me, " she wouldn't have liked to spend the night in the hospital wing, "I'll not let it happen again."

Once off the fire, she put the quills in and followed the last instructions.

She stired counting as she went; one, two, three, four, five.

She stopped and frowned at her potion. It was more of a burgandy than a bright red.

Still it was closer to the colour than she had been expecting; if it hadn't been for the porcupine quills she would have called the class a sucess.

Damian worked quietly, gaze occasionally flicking over to Seth in case his friend needed any assistance. He had just added his porcupine quills after removing his cauldron from the fire when the professor stopped J.J. from adding hers before removing her cauldron.

The boy glanced back only briefly, turning his attention to giving his brew five clockwise stirs. He set his stirring rod aside and peered into his cauldron at the bright red fluid within.

Damian sat back and waited for the professor's verdict.

Flora gaped at the Professor. One moment he was accusing her of house discrimination, the next he's giving her suggestions.
She shook her head and got back to work. She added the stewed horned slug, left it to simmer, then took the cauldron off the fire. Then she added the pircupine quills and stirred for five times. The potion turned a dull red color.

'Ok, time to wrap up the class.' Shaun called, 'Take a glass phial each from the backshelves, fill with whatever you've managed to brew, lebel them and submit at my desk. You're free to go after that.'

Aquila did as he was told, being quite proud of what he brewed. It wasn't exactly bright red, but it was close enough in his books; it was definitely red and just a few shades of 'bright'.

After setting the vial on the professor's desk he collected his things and left the room.

Meekly, J. J. put her concotion into the instructed Vials labbed it with her name and set in on the desk. She had no confidence for this calls. Her potion was definitely the farthest from the correct colour.

Sighing she collected her things and left the classroom - next time she was going to do better. She will make sure of it.

Damian bottled a phial of his bright red brew, then labeled it carefully. He took it to the professor's desk to turn it in. Afterward, he returned to his desk to clean up his workstation.