Details for Emotions, Potions and Notions |
Summary: | Co-op Sixth and Fifth Year Potions Class. |
Date: | 1939-04-30 |
Location: | The Potions Classroom |
Related: | — |
Characters |
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Ah the Fifth and Sixth years were notified last week that today, they would be merging for classes. The idea is that the Fifth years will be aided by the 6th years in the creation of the Draught of Peace. Professor Slughorn is mainly using this as testing those who are in the NEWT level potion's class, saying "If one can not teach it to another, they surely have not perfected it." So the students have begun to file in, the Fifths taking their normal seats while the Sixth's hold back waiting, for the class to begin, they have been assigned their partner and will be instructing them on how to brew this. Let us certainly hope that the Sixth year's are paying attention, as the Fifth year will be graded by the results of the potion, when the Sixth year drinks it! If the sixth year refuses, as they know they have failed to instruct the younger Student properly, the they both will receive less then satisfactory grades.
Gresham checks to ensure his ingredients are present prior to beginning the potion. Once that's done, the cauldron is lit, and a base liquid poured in. Next, a measure of moonstone is ground up in a pestle and mortar, and added to the cauldron. Gresham then stirs the potion, hoping it turns blue, indicating success thus far..
Zayn steps ip behind Gresham, softly patting him on the back. Clearly Zayn has been assigned Gresham, it would simple make sense after all. As the powdered moonstone is added he nods, watching it turn green, then watches as Gresham begins to stir it, "Depending on the age of the moonstone, it will turn blue quickly or slowly." he says nodding, "Don't be discouraged if it doesn't turn right away." he says nodding again, "It looks like you have it correct though." he says, his eyes watching the potion slowly.
Niko bustles around in the background helping a Fifth year Ravenclaw work on his potion, he seems a lot less somber and far more friendly in his work, then many of the others. His trademark smile and his laugh carrying a bit as he cracks a few jokes, in between his instructions.
Gresham smiles as the potion turns blue, adding in more moonstone. Come on, purple! PURPLE!
Zayn watches Gresham, his eyes moving across the potion slowly. Watching it, waiting then it turns purple, "Very good Ollivander, now put it to simmer. Watch it, it will only be pink briefly, if it starts to turn orange or red, you either have the heat heat too high or you let it simmer to long." he says "Well it is simmer, prepare your Hellebore." he says nodding.
Gresham picks up the phial containing the hellebore syrup, and slowly drizzles it into the cauldron until the potion turns a brilliant shade of turquoise. He then steps back to allow the potion to simmer again.
Zayn does catch Gresham's hand, for a second, before he can add the Hellebore, his eyes on the potion, waiting for it to turn a shade pink lighter, before nodding to Gresham to continue, letting the younger student, pour in the potion til it turns turquoise, "Have to be careful, has to be that shade of pink for the best results." he says offering Gresham a small pointer.
Gresham nods. "Thanks." He waits until the potion turns a shade of purple, takes his wand, and levitates the porcupine over the mortar and pestle, and shakes it vigorously, dropping a fair amount of quills into the bowl. He then sets the porcupine down, grinds up the quills, and deposits the mix into the cauldron in measured amounts, waiting for the potion to turn red.
"Okay…" Evelyn murmurs under her breath. "Allow to simmer until the potion turns purple." Idly her hands move about ever so slightly, almost in a pattern, in motion to the words she murmurs. It's appears as if even when using her words, at least at the moment, she subconsciously wants to say them using sign-language as well. "Purple. Purple." She eyes the potion. "Are you ready to be purple, potion? I need to add porcupine quills to you!"
Zayn nods slowly at Gresham, "Anytime, this potion can be a bit… touchy." he say nodding slowly. His hand moving up and running through his hair, "One of those, that when it is in a bad mood, chooses to take it out on others." he says nodding, "You will be able to tell if you messed up, it is not very shy about letting you know." he says his eyes moving across the potion slowly, watching the color and waiting for it to turn red.
Niko smiles at Evelyn, that darn trademark always happy smile. "Ah you are doing well Evelyn." he says nodding, his eyes on the potion, "Remember to shake those quills, vigorously!" he says with a chuckle, "Though I have do wonder sometimes, what the difference would be if not shaken vigorously enough?" he says pulling up a stool and sitting down next to Evelyn.
Gresham spots the reddish tinge beginning in his potion, and smiles. Once the potion is completely red, he takes his wand and proceeds to stir the potion until it turns a nice, mellow orange. As his potion takes on an orange hue, he adds in another measure of porcupine quills, waiting until it turns from orange to turquoise.
Looking up at Niko with wide, blue eyes, Evelyn smiles shyly. "I…I don't…well, I don't think we'd want to find out, would we?" She asks quietly. "I mean, what if…um, well, what if it makes a person turn into an actual um…an actual porcupine instead. I don't think I could handle that. The uh…the only time I want to um…start looking like a porcupine due to a potion is with a polyjuice mishap." She offers an awkward smile at that. Perhaps she was attempting a potions joke? If so, it was a poor one at that. She starts to vigorously shake the powdered quills until she sees the potion start to change colour to purple. "Oh. There it is." She starts to add the powdered quill, watching for it to turn red.
Zayn nods standing next to Gresham with his hands behind his back now, watching. "Well done." he offers the younger student, "Now after it grows turquoise, set it to simmer again. I have found that a medium low heat, provided the best results. Some will say that the shade of purple is irrelevant, though if you allow it to simmer for a few moments after it turns, it will change to a royal purple, which I believe produces the best results." he says nodding, offering his advice to his House Mate.
Niko smiles at Evelyn, "No I suppose that would end badly for both of us, mainly for me though then I tossed it down the hatch." he says with a smile. "Though I think if it turned me into a porcupine, people would have to call me Quiliko and I am sure Kimiko may have a bone or two to pick with you, can't really see her wanting to snog a porcupine." he says joking back with her. "Ah look at that, there you have. Don't even need my help it seems, though once it turns red may want to start stirring it. Don't want to be a porcupine for the rest of the year." he says smiling.
Gresham lowers the flame to a simmer, and waits for it to turn the royal purple shade Zayn described. Once he sees the purple hue in his cauldron, he reaches for the powdered unicorn horn, and sprinkles in a measure. Hopefully the potion will turn pink..
"Has…has it um…ever happened that it hasn't turned red?" Evelyn asks of Niko, glancing over in Gresham and Zayn's direction, the former of which seems to be a little bit ahead of her. She shakes her head, focusing on her own potion, only starting to stir it once it does turn red. "I um..well, I don't blame her. I uh…" She blushes a bit. "I think it would be nicer to snog you…I mean a person if they weren't a hedgehog." She offers. She clears her throat. Sometimes, she thinks to herself, it was easier when she couldn't speak. "I wouldn't want a quill to keep poking at me."
Zayn nods, "Good." is all that Zayn says to Gresham, watching everything he is doing very closely, he had already caught one mistake he would prefer this go one with out a hitch, as he knows Gresham is fully capable, as a Slytherin and his Cousin, to complete this as it should be done. "Have the rest of your studies been going well?" he asks curiously, "You recall that you are always welcome to seek me for tutoring." he says nodding.
Niko rubs his chin for a moment, "Don't know, last year though I did manage to have mine explode into green sparks." he says waggling his eyebrows at Evelyn, "Though I am pretty sure I got it down, I mean of course I got it down." he says with a chuckle, "Well I think snogen a porcupine would be rather complicated myself." he says tapping his chin, "Though I don't know if Kimi would like me even considering snogen one, even if it is purely hypothetical." he says with a chuckle, "So you been enjoying potions?" he asks curiously with a smile.
Gresham nods. "My studies are going well enough. Not as well as I'd like, but well enough.." He smiles. "Thank you for the offer. I will keep it in mind." He replies, swish-flicking his wand like an old maestro marshalling the orchestra. Now that the potion has turned a healthy shade of pink, Gresham stirs the potion until it turns a blood red shade, before allowing the potion to simmer and return to its former purple shade.
"Sparks?" Evelyn whispers, gasping ever so softly. "That doesn't sound very peaceful at all!" She stifles a giggle, letting a bit of a grin show. Using her wand, much like Gresham, she makes a stirring motion above her potion as it turns red. Once it has turned an orange colour, she stops stirring and moves to add more of the quills to the potion. "I…I wouldn't know what she'd think. But…" She shrugs. "I um, well, I guess it doesn't do any um, any harm to think about the scenario. It's uh, it's not bound to happen any time soon. It's a strange thought, though. Snogging a porcupine."
Zayn nods, "Yes, I will gladly make time for you if need be. I would hate for you too not get into the NEWTs you want." he says slowly, his eyes moving across everything that Gresham is doing, "Very good, add in a bit more moonstone now, I have found it best that you get the powder to be a little more fine then previously, I think it absorbs it better, as the liquid has already taken in so much." he says patting Gresham on the shoulder.
Niko nods, "Yeah green ones all in my face, I think I added too much unicorn horn." he says with a chuckle. "Ah with stirring, someone once showed me that, stirring it clockwise then counter clockwise, on poitions that are not too strict on stirring, makes it take it in quicker." he says nodding, "Always like that little tid bit and it does seem to work rather well." he says with a smile, "So do a couple times one way then the other." he says watching her.
Gresham runs the moonstone powder once more through the grinder, and adds it into the mix. The mixture turns a mottled stone gray. Gresham steps back to allow the potion time to simmer, watching as it adopts a brilliant, fiery orange shade. "The Aurors won't be the same.. not once I've joined their ranks." Gresham nods to himself.
"Clockwise…counter clockwise…clockwise…counter clockwise…" Evelyn murmurs as she stirs. Once it has turned orange, the porcupine quills are added slowly until the potion turns a turqoise colour. "So far so good?" She asks as she looks over at Niko. "I think if green sparks were to blow up in my face, I'd probably fall over!" She murmurs. Smiling, though, she glances down at her potion, waiting for it to turn purple. "I really do um, well, enjoy potions, you know? I don't want to fail this. I want to um…well, do something with potions as a career."
Zayn smiles softly, "Well done." he says with a small nod, "Now the same with the quills, a little finer again. It will take much quicker." he continues, "Also let it simmer for just a rad longer, you are looking for a deep orange, want to get away from the redish orange." he says with another reassuring nod.
Niko picks up a little bit more of the powdered quills, weighing it out on the scales for a moment before tossing it in the potion, which quickly starts to fade to the proper color, "Just a little shy of what you needed." he says to her with a smile, "You seem to have a knack for it, this is a rather tricky one." he continues with a smile. "Actually I am pretty sure last year, when it happened it knocked me off my stool, I can't remember if I was too busy panicking or laughing, I think it was a odd mix of both." he says with a wink.
Gresham nods. "Yes, of course.." He smiles, already in the process of grinding up the quills by the time Zayn mentions them, making sure to grind them into a nice powder. By the time he's ready to add the powdered quills, his potion has turned a proper, deep orange. "And here we go.." He begins to pour in the porcupine quills.
"Oh…" Evelyn says softly as she looks down at the potion, watching as it turns a better, brighter colour. "The uh…the thing I really like about potions? It's um…it's methodical. And it's um…when you mess something up? It's not because you got a silly sounding word wrong. It um…it's because you measured something wrong. At least then you know what you're doing wrong." She murmurs. "And um…if this knocked me off my stool? It uh…it would most likely be out of a panick, more than because of laughter."
Zayn nods staring at the potion, "Well done indeed, it should turn a soft egg shell white here in a few moments." he says reassuring Gresham, with a smile, "I believe Professor Slughorn will be rather happy and impressed with the quality you produced, Ollivander." he says paying the younger boy a compliment.
Niko chuckles, his smile has never faded. "That is because potions, are a different breed of magic." he says nodding patting her on the back, "Charms and the likes, they feed off how you feel." he says with a smile, "It sounds crazy I know, but I believe it." he continues, "Potions, don't care about feelings, they care about being precise, just right and just perfect." he says nodding, "Okay Unicorn Horns, til it turns pink!" Niko claps, offering Evelyn a smile.
Gresham lowers the flame, and waits for the proper seven minutes to pass. He leans over his cauldron, just a tiny bit, to see if the potion has indeed turned egg-shell white. If he had another wand, Gresham would probably cross them. Pleasepleasepleasedon'texplode…
Zayn nods, "Okay now let it turn turquoise blue again, once it turns simmer it on low for about another five minutes the place it in a vial and we will show Professor Slughorn our results." he says offering Gresham a smile.
"Potions are a…yeah. That's it." Evelyn nods a little. "I just uh…well…some spells require a special mindset when…umm, well, when performing them." She murmurs. She offers a little smile to Niko at his encouragement, measuring to ensure the proper amount of unicorn horn and adding it until the potion turns pink. Once that has taken place, she starts to stir again.
Niko chuckles, "Yes they do." he says looking over her potion again, "Clockwise, Counter-Clockwise…" he repeats in almost a sing song voice, "Don't worry about it too much though, you will get it." he says reassuring her about another class all together. "Okay now simmer it, til it hits purple, while it is simmer get some more powdered moonstone ready." he says with a smile.
"Clockwise, counter-clockwise." Evelyn murmurs as she follows instruction. Once the potion does, indeed, turn red, she does as she is told and lets it simmer while getting the moonstone prepared. "So uh…how um…well, how did you get roped into um…helping out us fifth years with this?" She asks of Niko, curious.
Gresham stands back, allowing his potion to turn the described blue hue, and then simmers it for another five minutes, and finally bottles a portion of it. "Aren't the sixth-years supposed to drink the potion? I mean, you know, check the results of your charges' labors, yes?"
Zayn nods, "Yes, first in front of the Professor." he says with a smirk, "Has to make sure no one dumps it out and says they drank it after all. He beckons Gresham to follow him, watching the silvery vapour rise from his cauldron, the smell of sulfur and a few sparks have been seen, some people have already messed up. Once they both have reached their turn in front of Professor Slughorn, Zayn allows the Professor to inspect the vial, before drinking it. Any anxiety or agitation that Zayn might have been feeling from, having to help teach and supervise a potion is quickly washed away. Clearly the potion was chosen due to it's difficulty and the effects of a successful brew, Professor Slughorn you brilliant man you.
Niko chuckles, "Part of Professor Slughorn's teaching method this year. We have to help and make sure you do it right, because for both of us to get a grad, I got to drink it." he says with a playful wink, "So no turning me into a porcupine, okay?" he says nodding and looking over her potion, "Okay add the moonstone til it turns, simmer it on medium heat for a few moments, then as soon as it turns Orange, toss in the last bit of the porcupine quills, should turn an off white." he says nodding.
Gresham stretches, and relaxes, tucking his wand away. "So.. what now?" He looks to Zayn.
"I…I'll um…well, I'll do my best to not turn you into a porcupine? I um, well, I don't want an annoyed Gryffindor coming my way for turning her boyfriend into a porcupine." Evelyn murmurs as she continues to follow the instructions of the potion, following them to completion of the potion.
Zayn moves and sits down finally for the first time the whole class, "Now we relax, watch other student let their brews blow up in their faces and chuckle about it." he says beckoning Gresham to join him.
Gresham nods, slowly, gliding after Zayn like a dementor. "Indeeeed.." He says, steepling his fingers together, and peering around.
Niko chuckles, "You are doing fine." he says with a small nod, "Okay now let it simmer for about seven minutes at it should turn a turquoise color and we are done!" he says nodding to her, "Then we will stick it in a bottle show it to Professor Slughorn and call it a day. He says with a small nod.
It seems that there will be at least two people who won't be laughed at for the potion. Evelyn nods to Niko and offers him a little smile. "I um…I'm glad I had your help today. I was really worried about the potion." She murmurs. "It's a difficult one, to say the least." Once the seven minutes is up, she takes hold of a proper bottling equipment and places some of the potion inside. "Are you uh…are you ready to find out if you're going to turn into a porcupine or not?"
Niko smiles and chuckles again, "Ah you would have done fine without my help." he says picking up the bottle and beckoning her to follow. When they reach Professor Slughorn, Niko offers the potion allowing him to inspect it, then Niko pops it down the old hatch. Smiling at Evelyn, it is clear that Niko is far to happy of a person to be bother by anxieties or agitation, thus Niko remains the same, however he did not turn into a porcupine.
Once it's obvious that her potion has no adverse affects, Evelyn smiles softly. Bowing her head slightly to Slughorn, she mutters, "Professor." She she looks at Niko and nods. "I…I'm still glad to have had the help. Thank you." She murmurs, before shuffling back to her seat.