(1941-09-09) First First-Year Potions Class
Details for First First-Year Potions Class
Summary: Slughorn invites Lissie in to show the new firsties the wonder of brewing a potion.
Date: September 9th, 1941
Location: Potions Classroom, Hogwarts
Related:
Characters
AidenDaedalusLissieSlughornWilliam

<FS3> Daedalus rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> Daedalus rolls Potions: Success (1).
<FS3> Daedalus rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> Daedalus rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> Daedalus rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> Aiden rolls Potions: Good Success (2).
<FS3> Aiden rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> Aiden rolls Potions: Success (1).
<FS3> Aiden rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> Aiden rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> William rolls Potions: Success (1).
<FS3> William rolls Potions: Good Success (3).
<FS3> William rolls Potions: Good Success (2).
<FS3> William rolls Potions: Success (1).
<FS3> William rolls Potions: Good Success (2).
<FS3> Lissie rolls Potions: Success (1).
<FS3> Lissie rolls Potions: Failure (0).
<FS3> Lissie rolls Potions: Great Success (4).
<FS3> Lissie rolls Potions: Success (1).
<FS3> Lissie rolls Potions: Good Success (2).

Lissie went above and beyond, acting as an aide to Slughorn during the class, practically teaching a lesson by herself. She earned extra points for teaching to look beyond the exact recipe in the book. William also earned points for a series of good, if sometimes jumping ahead in topic, questions.


It's a couple of minutes before the class starts, and the professor isn't here yet, giving the students arriving for their first potions class a couple of moments to talk. Having just come from lunch, most of the kids are continuing their conversations from the break.

Daedalus rolls into the class, taking up a position behind one of the tables, picking up a cauldron from his lap. He's looking incredibly pale today, and not very happy. This is a change, as every other class he's been in he's been very eager to learn.

Aiden walks into class right after Dae and takes a seat next to him. "Ye'll be foine cousin, don' worry, yer brillian' a' e'erythin ye' do boyo." He says patting his bestfriend on the arm. "Ye' go' i' in ye' Yell be brilliant Im sure O' It." Aiden says trying to fill his friend with confidence. He sets his cauldron up and starts to get stuff ready.

Lissie comes into the classroom, carrying with her her own potion book along with last year's, along with her tools. She is still smaller than many of the first years, but there is a certain amount of confidence about her. Evidently she isn't utterly bollocks at Potions. She smiles and looks around.

Wiiliam arrives carring a large tote bag and appears excited for Potion's class as he takes a seat toward the front. After having a seat, he reach into his pag and places a number of items neatly before him. Each within reach but not immediately infron to him whwere the might be in the way.

The items in turn are two books, a parchment, quill and ink, a small set of brass scales, several phials ready for use, a size 2 pewter cauldron, eye googles and a pair of nostril clips. Once he surveys his area and is satisfied he pulls out his ivy carved wand and sets it before him at the ready.

After he sets he wand down, easily a third his standing length, he looks to either side, giving his neighboring students a pleasant nod and a warm smile.

Daedalus gives a shaky smile to Aiden, and says, "Thanks." Daedalus looks up, then, smiling a little more as he spots Lissie and waving to her. A few moments later, the teacher makes his way inside. "Ah, yes, excellent," he says with a beaming smile as he sees Lissie. Then he looks up and around, and says, "Welcome, welcome, I'm Professor Slughorn and I will be your Potions teacher. I hope you will all come to enjoy the subject like I do. Potions may not be as flashy or as immediate as spells, but most are just as useful, perhaps even more so. Now, before you start brewing potions of your own, even before you start learning about ingredients, you need to learn how to take care of your equipment. Please open your textbooks and start reading Chapter 1. That makes a rather boring first class, however, so I've asked a volunteer to actually demonstrate the brewing of a potion. One to cure boils, in fact. Don't worry about following her steps yet, you'll learn this potion later this year, but please do feel free to ask questions."

Aiden nods his head to Dae happily. "No' a problem lad. Im here fer ye'" He says and then when Lissie comes in his face brightens even more. He smiles and waves to her happily accidentally knocking his wolfs head backed wand off the table. He scrambles to catch it and place it back on the table blushing deeply and as the Professor comes in he settles down and gets serious opening up his book to chapter 1.
Long distance to Lissie: Daedalus chose that because I figured Slughorn would use it for simple demonstration. Feel free to have Lissie ask if she could do a new potion, which she probably had in her own class earlier this week. :) I just wanted to set things up for easy player-to-player RP rather than anything too structured. So, hope this works.

Lissie nods her head, and she finishes setting up her equipment. She gets out her old first-year book; her pages have been notated a fair amount. "Sir?" she asks softly. "Professor? Shall I be followin' the steps as you call them, or shall I just begin?" She slides out her cutting-board. Then she closes her eyes. "Erm, Professor? I dinnae ken which potion we weere doin' afore this mornin'. I havenae had time t' stew the horned slugs. They're supposed to set overnight. I could dae the Scintillating Solution, maybe?"

Having already done a cursory read through both texts, william pulls the Arsenius Jigger's book, in front of him to review the chapter afresh. He draws the second book as well, Cuddy Longbottom's, 'Book: Bezoars: Life within a Goats Stomach'. Just incase he missed something in his first read through… and reaffirming his older brother Arkie hadn't glued any of the pages together as they had originally been his texts and was something of a slovenly prat.. He glanced about as he shifted to read Longbottom's text, noting Daedalus and Aiden with a friendly grin before recalling he and Merrythought were not friends and turning his head away. He notes Miss Keir as well and after a polite nod he returned to reading with a curiously raised brow. And then looks up again watch the ginger Hufflepuff with decided interest as she address Professor Slughorn.

Professor Slughorn looks back to Lissie, momentarily disappointed but then brightening immediately at her suggestion. "Why, yes, that's a wonderful idea! If you feel comfortable enough with that, after our lesson this week. Yes, please do go ahead on your own. The instructions are in your book, and we have all the ingredients on the shelves."

Daedalus Daedalus looks relieved that he, himself, would have to brew a potion just yet, and has his own book open already, as well, obediently starting to read Chapter 1, if looking up at Lissie's question and the answer.

Lissie inclines her head, still looking a bit apologetic. She looks around the room, grinning a little, then nods to the professor. "I liked making the potion, sir. It's got few enough ingredients tae not be confusing t' beginners, but it's 'fussy' enough tae demonstrate what potions are all about." She flushes and goes to get some water for her cauldron, and she pours it in and lights the burner beneath the pot. Then she pulls out a couple of billywig stings, puts them in her pestle, and then measures out salt. She altrnates grinding the stings with adding the salt to the water, and when all is added, she stirs to dissolve.

William frowns and looks through his text to be sure no pages are stuck together. After reaffirming that indeed is not the case, he promptly raises his hand, Professor Slughorn, sir. "I'm unable to find mention of a Scintillation Solution in either text, by index or glosssary, sir. Might you point out where it can be found, sir? Very sorry to have to ask, sir."

"It's a second year potion, as I said, don't worry about the details for now. Simply let her demonstrate the process of making a potion, as a preview. Feel free, however, to ask her questions about what she's doing." He sits down, opening a book of his own. Giving implied permission for the students to talk among themselves, at least about the subject at hand.

Daedalus watches Lissie nervously, as if expecting something bad to happen at any moment. His curiosity gets the better of him, though, and he asks, "What was that you were crushing?"

"Billywig stings," answers Lissie, tilting her head towards her cauldron as she stirs the salt clockwise a few more times. "Now I hafta finish making them intae a powder. Doesna' say so in the book, but sometimes the dried sting isnae so dry. If ye powder tha' bit first, it dried, an' then when the salt's dissolved y'can finish wi' th rest o' the powderin." She finally nods to the cauldron, satisfied with the salt, and then she sets the spoon on a holder while she turns to powedering the rest of the stings. "They float, billywigs."

Dutifully, Williamm pulls his parchment, quill and ink over. Bending over his paper in begins organizing his paper. Not having asked anything yet, he still looks over at at the Professor and Keir with curious eyes, each time he returns to write something else down in a tiny flowery script so that each word and remark appears as part of a tiny garden of vines and blossoms. He nods further with the exchange between Daedalus and the Hufflepuff Girl. After finishing his tiny flowery script, William raises his hand again. "Miss Keir? What exactly does the Scintillation Solution do, please?"

"Very good, very good," the teacher adds, as Lissie points out the variation from the instructions, awarding some points to Hufflepuff. Otherwise, however, he leaves her to answer the question.

Perhaps based on the name, Daedalus takes a guess, "Is it used for cleaning?" A wrong guess, it seems.

"Weel…. it scintillates," answers Lissie, her voice a little huffy, but that is because she is making sure not to inhale the billywig powder. She turns her head away. "Which means tae sparkle. It glows an' sparkles. Y'put it in a jar an' put on th' lid an' it shines all pretty. Minutes tae hours, dependin', but it's pretty and useful, too. Not as much, maybe, as wand-lights, but y' get tae keep both hands free an' y'doan hafta worry aboot settin' naught on fire." She laughs, then eyes the stings and tips them into her now-boiling water.
Lissie has partially disconnected.

Pen in hand, read to be ink dipped and back to writing. William tilts his head at the thought that it might be a cleaning solution. He considers the possible meanings until the Hufflepuff Girl explains and he promptly writes down her reply. He nods. Looks to the professor and then back to his paper noting Hufflepuffs points acquire. He smilles at the note and returns his attention back to the Girl from Skye.

After a moment's consideration he reaises his hand again and then brings it down again with with a frown. Instead of speaking he peers at the ingrediants before her and make notes several more notes. Looking around the room puzzled, he turns his arm over and draws a small hourglass on his wrist and again on his parchment, after which he returns his attention to the demonstraition.

Daedalus continues to watch Lissie, slowly relaxing a little, though not near to completely yet, as nothing explodes. "You can probably give it to someone who can't use magic, too. Like a kid."

"Feel free to ask questions," Professor Slughorn adds as he sees William's confusion. "Not just about that, but about the contents of chapter one as well."

Lissie grins and counts silently, first widdershins twelve times, and then sunwise twice. "I do this six times," she says. "But I noticed that when the professor demonstrated, he let it rest between stirrings." She starts to stir again, once more keeping count. "It's like recipes in other things. The book will tell you how to make an acceptable potion. But your professor… a great potions-master… can show you, even if he doesn't say it, how to make a *better* potion. So…. in class, watch along with listen." She grins, then adds at her next pause, "And don't inhale or taste your ingredients unless you're told… or know… that they're safe."

William fears the Professor may be mentioning his aborted question. Not wishing to put Keir on the spot with any questions she may not be ready for, he looks to his book to drum up a question that won't have the Professor think him too great a fool. He already fears brother Arkie may have tainted the Professors expectations of other Aldertons.

"Uhmmm… " He raises his hand in question, ears a bit red for the attention to his chosen topic. Once recognized he asks, "Regarding Standard Potioning Water, please. Will be drawing the water ourselves then? And are there silver sieves available…uh…to check. out them. My school list made no mention of silver sieves. I also note mention of the Laguz Rune. Are Runes often used to help in Potion Craft? Can the water be drawn from any source. Is the source important or might I just run me Mum's tap through the sieve and have done with it. She doesn't like me about on the full moon, what with werewolves and all. And can the water be collect in anything… well I mean anything sterile. I wouldn't think to put it Bessies old milk bucket less proper prepared of course. And is it Midnight of the full moon or dusk till dawn then. I can imagine one might fill the whole tub with proper potion water. And does it come in grades then or is potion water just potion water. For example, if I collected water from a spring deep in the forest would it be superior to what I drew from Mum's kitchen tap then?"

William clamps his moth shut. He has done his due dilligence. He turns to quickly write down any thing said in reply.

Professor Slughorn chuckles, and says, "All good questions, except we haven't gotten that far yet. That Chapter 2, chapter 1 is all on proper equipment care. Far be it from me, however, to discourage reading ahead! In the case of potion water, it's the treatment, rather than the source, that's important. And yes, you'll find runes are important in almost every magical discipline. As for the rest, we'll get to that, and we will be drawing and preparing some on the next full moon. Take some points for Ravenclaw for some excellent questions!"

Daedalus, meanwhile, finally rolls over closer to the demonstration, and asks, "Potions blow up sometimes, does that ever happen in class?"

Lissie is now adding essence of firefly, stirring carefully after each drop. Her movements are precise and measured, though now her expression is one of focused concentration. One drop, two drops, then three drops, and when she gives the last stir, the potion is an odd swirl of blue and orange. She nods, looking rather pleased, and turns down the heat very carefully and turns over an hourglass, tapping it at twenty minutes. She looks at her equipment, all which needs to be cleaned and stored, and looks up at the professor. "While it simmers, sir, will I be demonstrating proper equipment care too?"

William returns to make notes of the Hufflepuff Girls's procedures. The left margin of his parchment looks like a vine covered tree with all his side notes. He absentle nods at Daedalus question and looking up his ears pink at the thought someone might note him so presumptious as to be trying answer the Slytherins question. Besides, no one needed to know brother Arkie had come home over 1st year holidays, missing eyebrows lost in a Potions Class mishap.

William eyes each piece of Kiers equipment and checks his paper to confirm it's inclusion. Satisfied he considers the presentation patiently.

"Sometimes, my boy, but never to the a scale of what happened to you," Professor Slughorn says gently, trying to reassure Daedalus. "I don't let students, before a NEWT level anyway, work with ingredients that dangerous." Then he nods to Lissie, and says, "That would be wonderful, thank you." Daedalus seems somewhat reassured, nodding.

Lissie blinks, and then she looks over at Daedelus, finally getting it. "The worst this would do is splash and turn you odd colors for a while. Unless you added something else entriely. So if you want t'see it, it's safe." She gathers up her equipment carefully and goes over to the sink to clean them. No magic here, just careful work. And then she dries them too. "There are ways of magically cleaning this, but tha' can sometimes mess with the ingredients and that *can* blow things up… so doin' th' cleanin' by hand is a good idea. Things are labelled for disposal, so jus' be patient, read, look, an' remember tha hurrying ain't always t'end up doing things best or even quick. So now tha's washed an' dried, just tae put away in its case." She moves back to her cauldron, and the potion has thickened, and has shifted to a sort of lemony butter color.

He nods attentively and jots down a few more notes. William looks to his books and after a moments thought raises his hand again. "Does the nature of the containe effect the…. uh… Scitallation then. Where one to use brown ale bottle, would it dull the glow then? Would a cystralline vial be superior to a glass one. A thinner one superior to a broad one. And does temperature play a part in storage. Would my Scitallation Solution last longer if I tocked in the Ice Box then?R

"Of course," Daedalus answers William's question about the brown bottle, "Magic light is still light. It still changes with whatever it shines through." Now reassured of his safety, Daedalus moves closer, far more interested in seeing the potion. Meanwhile, Professor Slughorn answers, "No, in this case temperature doesn't have any effect."

It takes a little more simmering, but the potion cools with surprising quickness afterwards. It is somewhat gelatinous, yet still liquid, and it glows with a beautiful golden, starry light. "I can share this out in vials for anyone who wants some," she says. "I have a couple of extra vials and jars tha' I saved over the summer, so I can give them away…" She looks at the professor to see if this suffices while she digs out her containers. She looks well-pleased, maybe even slighty surprised with her work.

The professor nods, letting Lissie hand out the samples, normally not allowed but apparently, with the short duration, he doesn't mind this time. Daedalus accepts one, with a smile. "It's really pretty." Then, the class is over, and Professor Slughorn says, "Next week we start the real work, so make sure to read that chapter." Then, to Lissie, he says, "You did wonderful today, thank you. Next year, when you're permitted, you should consider becoming an aide. Anyway, have a good day."

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