Potions, lesson 1 ~ thirdies

Belinda walked into potions and saw she was the only one here again. See another shock because either Bridget or Valerie were always here before her and they werent here yet. Belinda doesn't think Valerie took this class this term, she wasn't sure.

Airiana slipped into the potions classroom, looking up at Belinda and smiling a bit. Her long blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail on the top of her head, her bright blue eyes grinning despite her growing worry for her brother, and her bag packed over her shoulder and beating against her leg. She sat down at a desk and pulled out her Potions and LotR:Fellowship books.

Belinda turned when she heard someone come in. She looked to see Airiana. "Hey" Belinda waved. Belinda saw her sit by herself. Belinda stood up with her things and sat at the table right in front of Airiana's. "You can't be by yourself" Belinda exclaimed to her.

Airiana grinned wide, turning her attention to Valerie to keep from being rude. It seemed the girls from last year were still being just as kind as they had been the year prior. She chuckled a little in response to her, "It's a habit that I've got to break. You all make me feel so welcome, so odd."

Belinda nodded to her. "We all got habits and the reason my sister and I are always so nice to people, including you is because we were raised to always be like that. Yeah if people don't like us we got to accept it but we try to get along with everyone" Belinda explained to her.

Robin ran into the potion's classroom, hoping that she wasn't late. She sprang the doors open, and gave a huge sigh of relief as she saw there was only two other people and no professor yet.

"Oh, hi!" She said, waving to her classmates, "you're in my-- er... TRANSFIGURATION class! Right?"

"Oh, and Airiana, I'm really sorry I wasn't able to reply to you in Transfiguration, but the professor came," she smiled sheepishly and stuck her hand out, "I'm Robin, Robin Potter."

As she took a step forward towards her, she tripped on her bag and fell on her face, "why does this always happen to me?" she complained, her voice muffled by the cold ground.

Airiana smiled, "I guess that just means you were raised correctly."

The young blonde Slytherin waved Robin's apology off and shrugged, "Don't worry about it Robin. Teachers are teachers, unfortunately, and they interrupt even the smallest conversation." Her brow creased a tiny bit and she asked, "Are you possibly related to Harry Potter? We don't see many Potters around."

Robin grinned at Airiana's acceptance.

"Why yes, I am related to him, he was my great granddad," she said, shrugging. It wasn't really a big deal, was it?

Belinda nodded. "Yes I was" Belinda smiled.

She saw a girl come running in. She then asked a question. Belinda had to laugh. "No I'm not in Transfiguration, but my twin sister Valerie is" Belinda said to the unknown girl. "I'm Belinda" Belinda introduced.

"We might not see many Potters around but I do see Malfoys, there is one in fourth year Slytherin" Belinda said to them.

"Oh yes, you're right." Airiana nodded, eyes twinkling. "She's related to Professor Malfoy." She smiled at Robin genuinely, "It's not so important, its just that you'd expect more Potters' considering your family was-- well, is-- rather famous."

Robin blushed slightly.

"Well yeah," she said as nonchalantly as she can, "I mean, how many people do you know who had their great grandfathers save the entire Wizarding world and a grandfather winning the World cup for the first time in a century?"

Belinda nodded at Airiana. "Yeah, they're the mother and daughter Malfoy's. I do agree with you there Robin. Not a lot of people can say that but I probably think that Jamie Malfoy is saying how her family were death eaters and switched last minute" Belinda shrugged.

Airiana nodded, "It's not like you can really blame Draco, whoever he is in the line of Malfoy's. I mean, really, he had no choice but to do it." She frowned as a little of her inner judgement flared out, "I do, however, criticize Lucius for being a horrid coward. And I thank Narcissa that we have this current time at all."

Belinda had to agree with Airiana. "I totally agree with you 100%, I would have did the same if I was in his position. I'd do anything to protect my family, but it sucks because some people think that the Malfoy's would go back over to the dark side" Belinda said.

His shoes clicked against the floor, as Livius made his way into the classroom, not waiting for the conversation to finish as he usually did. "Alright ladies, this is potions, not history class." He walked all the way to the front desk, and turned on his heels, his arms crossing over his chest. "One short. Can't really say that it surprises me, seems everyone missing classes lately. I am Professor Grimstone, and this is my class. Turn around and be silent now." Slipping his wand out of his pocket, he flicked it at the door and closed it shut.

"Antidote to Uncommon Poisons, just might save your life. Can any of you give me the name of one of the poisons this can cure?" He was getting in the groove of teaching, finding it somewhat easier than he had originally anticipated. He hadn't had any issues with the students yet, and hoped it would stay that way.

Belinda heard the professor come in and she did as she was told and faced the front. She thought about the question he was asking and raised her hand. "The potion can heal doxy venom" Belinda answered. She remembered her mother telling her this when she found the potion on the potion shelf.

Airiana was a bit startled when the professor showed up, shocking her out of the conversation. She turned towards the front and leaned forward in her seat as she paid attention to his newly interesting teaching. She had expected a new DADA teacher, but she hadn't expected a new Potions teacher.

She listened as Belinda answered, slipping it into place in her mind where she would be able to find it for any exam.

He smiled when the Hufflepuff girl answered first, nodding to her. "Right you are, Miss McGuoirk, Doxy venom. Five points to Hufflepuff." He stepped to the writing board in the room and grabbed the chalk, before kicking the box to the board and climbing up to it. "Now, the ingredients to create this potion, is as follows." Quickly, he wrote in the board, his letters thick and bulky, but as clear as could be.

Fire Seeds.

Powdered Graphorn Horn.

Billywig stings.

Chizpurfle carapaces.

"Now, I have plenty of this in stock, obviously, but who can tell me where you might find these ingredients? And how would you go about obtaining them?" His voice was curious, and his brow was raised. No matter how much the students seemed to know about potions, he doubted that every ingredient would be explained.

"Fire seeds come from the fire seed bush," Airiana answered nervously. She loved Potions, but she hadn't studied this far yet. "You can collect them by using a Glacius charm." She fidgeted, itching to know the rest of them as she waited for the others impatiently.

Robin payed close attention to the answering students, making sure the answers were planted into her mind. She was never the best at potions, although she thoroughly enjoyed it.

"That is very correct Miss Hawthorne, five points to Slytherin. Fire seeds are very dangerous though, if you touch them immediately, you may as have put your hands in the oven." With a bright smile, he raised his wand and flicked it to the cabinet in the back of the class, which flew open. A jar of fire seeds sprang forth and began to dump two fire seeds onto each desk. Then with another flick, the jar flew back into the cabinet.

"Powdered Graphorn horn, very very difficult to obtain. Hopefully none of you ever have the misfortune of meeting a Graphorn in the field. Billywig Stings are easier to obtain, and normally I would have you go out and get some, but we don't have the time unfortunately. Last, we have the Chizpurfle Carapace, just as dangerous to obtain as the Graphorn horn. If you're not careful, you may get eaten by a plant instead of the Chizpurfle." He waved his wand one last time to the cabinet, and several of the ingredients flew to the respective desks of the student, giving each more than what they would need for the potion.

Clearing his throat, he closed the cabinet and stuck his wand back into his pocket, eyeing the ingredients and the students. "Go on and get yourself familiar with the ingredients before we begin brewing."

With a sigh, Livius flicked his wrist and all the ingredients disappeared from sight and into the cabinet behind the students. Watching as several blew up a few cauldrons from not having done it right, he chuckled a little and shook his head. "Well, that does it for this lesson. I hope you all learned something, if not....well there's always next time. I'll find some way to drill it into your head. I'll see you all after the break." He turned away from them and hurried past and out into the corridor, not waiting for them to leave.