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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Jul 21, 2014 12:40:49 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2014 12:40:49 GMT -7
The first lesson of the Herbology NEWT course was never the same and always highly amusing…at least for the professor involved. Plants were among the hardiest, most dangerous things on the planet, and Neville always opened up the final year of Herbology with something of an eye-opener to that fact. This year, he had something extra-special in mind for his students. It was going to be hilarious for him to watch. The lesson was still appropriate, though—it would actually be one of the least dangerous lessons of the year, despite being one of the most painful. The last year of Herbology coincided with learning about the most dangerous plants, plants that overshadowed even the Snargaluff, which was a carnivorous stump-like plant that actively tried to drag animals and people in and kill them for nourishment. That was only a sixth-year lesson. Everything in seventh year was a step up. And the students needed to be aware of that, because there was a low but very real chance of dying in this class, particularly if you were careless.
So here he stood in Greenhouse Three, tending to the Venomous Tentacula while he waited for his students to show up. A section near the front of the greenhouses always remained clear for lessons. Currently, that section contained two rows of plant pots. The smaller pots were bucket-sized, and in each one there was a sapling. They were quite tall and unusually thick, just wide enough around that Neville could wrap his hand around one and his fingers wouldn’t quite meet. Occasionally, the branches shivered as though caught by a breeze. The other pots were larger and empty, with bags of soil and fertilizer sitting by each. A protection line surrounded the saplings, preventing the students from getting too close to them before Neville was ready.
As he carefully extracted a bad tooth from one of the Tentacula’s mouths, Neville smiled slightly.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to this.
@crystal2 @ronan @kay @alice @james @elodiewood
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Jul 22, 2014 11:35:50 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 11:35:50 GMT -7
Fortunately, Alice was no stranger to dangerous and venomous plants. Being a Longbottom, she had grown up around strange and interesting wizarding plants. Her father was the resident Herbology professor, so that was always a plus. Herbology, like Care of Magical Creatures, was a class Alice excelled at. It was fun to participate in and read about. And, it may just be in her blood.
Greenhouse three was like another home within Hogwarts. She often found herself down in the greenhouses seeking advice from her father or just wanting a cup of tea with him, accompanied of course by the tentacula. Alice and her father bonded over their mutual loves; Neville for plants and Alice for animals. They were close with one another, and Alice had been taking Herbology since her first year. Even around other students in class, Alice felt comfortable and at ease with her father there. He helped her enjoy the class more. And now Alice was taking her N.E.W.T.S for his class. She imagined that must make him feel old, as she entered the greenhouse with a smile on her face.
Once again, Ronan and Elodie had beaten her there. Those early rising Gryffindors. They were close friends of Alice, of course. She felt comfortable around them as well. If she could have just a Herbology class with the two of them, it would probably be the best class ever. While Alice did enjoy her father's class a lot, she did always sit near the back. Her friends normally sat there and she thought, since she knew quite a bit or could catch on with her father easily, she would sit in the back. Let the students who needed her father's attention sit near the front. Her father. She smiled widely at him at the front of the class and playfully curtsying to him. "Hello, professor," she grinned.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Jul 22, 2014 18:54:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 18:54:29 GMT -7
Herbology. Aurora was waiting for this day since she got on the train. Sure she enjoyed defense against the dark arts, transfiguration and charms. Hell, she even enjoyed history of magic and muggle studies, but when it came down to it, Aurora was all in all, a lover of herbology and potions. She couldn’t choose one, they went hand in hand and both perked the brunette’s interest. Seeing it on her schedule sheet made the girl giddy with excitement.
Today, Aurora didn’t sport her usual curls she became accustomed to. No, her hair was pulled back tight into a high braid that cascaded down her back and ended in a small ribbon. For this class, Aurora meant business. Her complete attention was needed and she didn’t need to worry about her hair getting in her way.
Aurora bounced down the halls. She was humming to herself and carried a large smile. Normally, Aurora would carry an expression of aloof, but the girl couldn’t contain it, she was good at it, she incredibly enjoyed it, and it just brightened up her day to be outside (even if they were in a greenhouse). The brunette pulled her braid over her shoulder and left the castle with no time to spare. She practically skipped down through the grounds until she got to the third greenhouse. The girl walked in and didn’t bother looking around. She went straight to the front. The girl looked at the pots with enthusiasm and tried to get closer before realizing something was keeping her away. The girl sighed, of course there was some protection spell.
She raised her head and looked straight at the professor. Aurora never quite knew how to behave near any of the Longbottoms. After what her family did, it was hard to even look them in the eyes. Like Alice. Aurora didn’t know why, but the blonde never liked her and she could only assume it was because of her namesake. But with all past aside, Aurora put on a bright and welcoming face, “Hello Professor Longbottom.” She practically cheered before putting her bag on a stool. “What are we playing with today?” she said eagerly as her eyes went back to the pot in front of her. Aurora was just bouncing with anticipation.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Aug 2, 2014 10:54:04 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 10:54:04 GMT -7
You would think that with the way she acted--Elaine would be adverse to dirt or anything that would and could possibly get her dirty. That little miss prim and proper here would rather let someone else do the dirty work. And you would be wrong---well for the most part. While yes she was prim and proper when it called for it--she was not afraid to get her hands dirty when need be either. And anything --class, book, creature or otherwise -- that helped her obtain more knowledge that she saw as useful things to know was a good class--even if some of the other students made her roll her eyes. She walked with the same air of confidence that she always walked around with (confidence -- arrogance -- whatever you wanted to call it) and her eyes flickered with a sense of curiosity as she saw the pots and seeds. She could not help but wonder what they were going to be doing today.
She ignored Elodie, Ronan and Alice as she mostly did and instead Aurora caught her eye. The girl looked like she was about ready to bounce off the edge of her seat--she looked so darn happy to be here. But that wasn't why the other caught her eye -- Elaine had other thoughts running through her head. She knew what the other's family members had done and were capable of -- and she would be lying if she said she didn't want to see if the Ravenclaw girl was the same way...a part of her doubted it but there was that one part of her that still wondered and pondered....
But she knew that she had to be subtle—she couldn’t just go poking and poking outwardly. So maybe some slyness was called for. But that was for later—or was it? She would never tell. She sat down in the chair behind Aurora—well with a few rows in between them. It wasn’t her customary seat next to a window but there was a method to her madness. Always a method to the madness. And then she waited for the professor to get down with whatever he was doing to that Tentacula and teach them something…
Words: 377
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Aug 2, 2014 15:46:08 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 15:46:08 GMT -7
It amazed him how Elodie was always the first to class without fail. He'd discussed it with the other teachers. Whether she liked the class or not, Elodie beat everyone there. Professor Grey even said she managed to be the first one to class when she had clearly been awake too late and it was the first class of the day. She maintained her track record today, showing up first and greeting him as usual. Neville nodded over at her. “Miss Wood.” She was followed quickly by her Housemate Ronan, who passed on greetings from his parents. Neville wasn't quite so close to Shay and Lav as he was to Harry and the others, but he was still close enough that he knew Ronan well before the boy came to Hogwarts, and had been his Head of House up until this year to boot. Alice was right on his heels, greeting her father properly—if a little cheekily. “I've been meaning to drop them a line, Mister Finnigan, thank you. Miss Longbottom.” Neville adamantly refused to play favorites in class, having seen enough of that dung with his least favorite professor, but he couldn't help but smile at the look his daughter gave him. The next one to come in was Aurora Lestrange. Again, Neville did not play favorites with any students, but purely in terms of Herbology, Aurora was a contender for his favorite student. She just loved the subject, as eager to come in and do things as Neville had ever been, if more vocal about it. He chuckled as she tried to get at the saplings before the class started. “Morning, Miss Lestrange. You'll find out shortly, I promise.”
Last to enter was Elaine Dupree, a quiet Slytherin girl that rarely interacted with Neville if she could help it. He frowned at the door slightly. Elaine was a perfectionist—she always arrived precisely on time. So he was missing James. Hm. The boy was rarely late—he knew enough about the castle to make it to any class on time using the hidden passages. Well, if he was late, so be it. Neville flicked the tooth at the dustbin, satisfied that the Tentacula wasn't in much pain, and turned to the class. “Welcome back to Hogwarts and the final year of your Herbology lessons. Last year, you may recall, the focus of the class was on flesh-eating plants like the Snargaluff. The plants from last year were dangerous, but there was one thing they had in common: you had to provoke them. Snargaluffs attacked only if you stepped on them or otherwise made them aware of your presence. Self-Fertilizing Shrubs only poisoned you if you touched the leaves with your bare hands. This year, we're moving up to the last stage of magical plants: those are actively attack or hunt wizards without provocation. True predators.”
Neville pulled his wand and flicked it, dispelling the Protection Line around the saplings. “These are Whomping Willow saplings. They're kind of a transition between last year and this year. You have to provoke them into a fight, but provoking a Whomping Willow basically amounts to getting close enough for it to bludgeon. Luckily, they don't want to eat you, just kill you.” To emphasize this, Neville reached one hand out to the nearest sapling. Immediately, the trunk bent sideways and half a dozen twig-sized branches lashed at his hand, which he quickly pulled away. “You'll be repotting these willows today. There are nine in total, and you must repot eight of them. One more thing. I've used Muggle techniques to crossbreed these willows with American Wandeater Willows. Observe.” He pulled his wand and launched a Stunner at the nearest sapling. When it hit the tree, it seemed to vanish into the bark. Another flick of the wand sent a small ceramic pot into the tree's range. Immediately, it pointed a branch at the planter and fired the stored Stunner at it, cracking it before it took to physically reducing the ceramic to dust.
“Now, as these are still saplings, they're not powerful enough to drain magic directly from you just yet, but I wouldn't recommend trying to use spells on them. You'll be wanting the elbow grease for this one. If you're wondering why Mister Hagrid is not with us, I didn't want his impressive physique to ruin your fun, so I gave him a more appropriate lesson separate from this. Now, you are allowed to work as a group. The soil and fertilizer for the new pots can be maneuvered by wand, but the roots of the willows will drain the Levitation Charm if they come in contact with the soil while it's airborne, and they'll use the spell to drag you to them, so you've been warned. You've taken this class for six years, I'm sure I don't need to tell you trivial things like fertilizer-soil ratios, right?”
Now wearing an entirely unashamed smirk on his face, Neville picked up a jug of pumpkin juice from his desk and cracked it open, raising it to them. “Go on then, have a go with them.” The last class had tried to work as one big group, which was too much for the available space around these trees. Their best bet would be to pair off and try to minimize the assault, rather than avoid it completely. Once James got here, they'd have three pairs of students to work with. The saplings honestly lacked the strength to really harm the students, but they were strong enough to fight against being pinned, to buck the students off, and they would certainly cause a lot of pain.
Which, at the end of the day, was important. They needed to know they could be hurt for real this year, that they could easily make a mistake and get injured even before he could intervene, and his first lesson of the year always involved something painful that wouldn't do any permanent damage, to drive this point home.
@elodiewood @james @alice @kay @crystal2 @ronan
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Aug 4, 2014 14:36:12 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 14:36:12 GMT -7
For the first time in what felt like ages, James had actually gotten some sleep last night. And this sleep didn't include any nightmares of random young girls dying. So James Potter had actually enjoyed his sleep last night. Unfortunately, he had enjoyed it a little too much. He woke up and yawned, lookng around the dorm room for his fellow mates. He raised an eyebrow when he realized that none of them were in there. James peaked outside the window next to his bed and saw the sun fairly high in the sky, indicating it had to be later in the day. Confused, James reached over his bed and for the clock that sat on an end table between he and Ronan's bed. "Oh, bloody hell" he said aloud. Then James threw the blankets over his legs and jumped out of bed, making a mess of his side of the dortmitory trying to get dressed.
After James had finally found all of his robes and messily tucked his shirt into his trousers, he made a mad dash down through the common room. If he ran, he would make it in time for the lesson for Herbology. So he made a run for it.
Dashing through the corridors, down the moving staircase, and regrettfully running right past the Great Hall where he had missed breakfast, he pushed open the large double doors leading to the grounds. James didn't stop running, even when the greenhouse came into view. He reached the door to the greenhouses and thought briefly about just dashing in through the doors, but then a thought crossed his mind. Aurora. He didn't want to seem late and immature. Since when did James Potter care who thought he was immature? Just the thought of Aurora make a chill run up James's spine, but he found it was a good-feeling chill. He decided to not make one of his famous "James Potter late entries," and instead quietly slipped in through the greenhouse doors.
Professor Longbottom was in the middle of speaking, so James flashed him an apologetic smile. He figured he would probably get scolded by Professor Longbottom and his daughter for being late. James pressed his lips together in a flat line and he stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment, eyeing the space between Alice and then Aurora. Alice had always been his partner in Herbology. It was her father's subject, so she had grown up around the plants Professor Longbottom often showed them. James then thought about what Aurora would say if he sat down with her, late to class. So James figured he would stick with Alice, for he loved working with Alice and this way, Aurora wouldn't notice how late he had walked in.
James quietly and swiftly snuck over to sit by Alice, poking her right shoulder before taking a seat next to her on her left. He grinned cheekily at her and leaned in to whisper once Neville had finished speaking, "So what'd I miss, Al?"
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Aug 6, 2014 12:14:02 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2014 12:14:02 GMT -7
Alice grinned in return to her father's smile. She noticed then that the Ravenclaw girl came in. Alice couldn't stand her. There was just something about her... As Elaine came in, Alice thought that maybe she disliked the Lestrange more than she did Elaine. And in the mind of a blood supremacist hater, that was a big thing for Alice.
Pushing the thoughts of her dislike for the girls to the back of her mind, Alice looked up at her father again as he began to speak. Whompin Willow saplings. This should fun. Alice was always careful to follow her father's instruction precisely so as to not end up in the Hospital Wing or anything like that. She had to admit though, while she knew her father was probably one of the most intelligent wizards when it came to the world of Herbology, seeing him reach his hand out to a Willow made her eyes widen in slight worry. Sometimes the dangerous plants he worked with worried she and her mother, but then again she supposed her love for all animals and her mother's working in an inn/pub would probably worry him, as well.
So they would be repotting them today, and they weren't to use magic. Alice figured this shouldn't be much of a problem. She was listening to her father intently, but when he mentioned something about Carcer Hagrid not being there, Alice found herself looking around the room. "Huh," she thought, curiously. He really wasn't there. She had noticed that usually he was one of the first to class, but she figured she would have fun with a project more geared to someone his size.
“Go on then, have a go with them.” Alice began to roll of the sleeves of her robe, but that was when she felt a tap on her right shoulder. She turned to see who it was, but no one was immediately to her right. Then she felt someone sit down on her left. Her eyes automatically rolled as she turned to see her best friend. James was late. Why was she not surprised? "Whompin Willow saplings," she replied in a whisper, watching her fahter, whom was bound to notice James. He knew the Gryffindor too well not to. "You best be on your best behavior, Potter," she said sternly. "And why are you late?" Alice had the tendency to often act like she was James' mother, scolding him for being late or hitting on too many girls. Now she asked out of curiosity, wondering where he had been or if he was with anyone. At least it couldn't have been Aurora, for she had already been in class.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Jan 26, 2015 15:16:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 15:16:29 GMT -7
Cori listened intently as the Professor gave instruction, all to aware of Alice and James whispering not far from her. She wanted to snap at them to stop it, but she figured that bickering with the Professors daughter wasn't the best thing. Plus, Cori decided that just plain ignoring Alice would be much better for everyone. Why? Because she had recently run into Alices cousin and an old friend, Finley Abott. She didn't want to start fighting with Alice and have Fin hear about it. No, it was just easier to pretend that she didn't exist.
Cori took her time following the instructions that the Professor had given them, chuckling a little at his 'they just want to kill you' comment. Although, she'd prefer to be bludgeoned to death instead of being eaten, so it was kind of good news. She wasn't that nervous about not using magic, so it wasn't too hard to separate the magic from the non magic moments in the process.
((suzie is reviving this thread. We are pretending it is now in November/December ish <3)
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Jan 26, 2015 15:26:57 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 15:26:57 GMT -7
Desi had taken her spot on the left hand side of Elaine at the beginning of class, but neither of the girls really said anything. Desi, unlike Elaine, actually did struggle with getting her hands dirty-in a physical sense. Sure she'd send letters and let her spiders torture you and do all manner of things to ruin your life, your family and your friends. But a little dirt under her fingernails? She was not a fan.
Granted, Herbology was still a pretty rad subject. It was almost as fascinating and interesting as Care of Magical Creatures. They really were similar classes in that they learned about different beings and what they needed to grow, live and multiply. Desi just wished she could sit there and watch instead of doing the touching the dirt stuff.
When time came for them to actually start the work, Desi frowned at Elaine, "I don't like things that use our magic against us. Uncool," she said before sighing an rolling up her sleeves, starting to get to work.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 1:25:13 GMT -7
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Jan 27, 2015 14:27:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2015 14:27:38 GMT -7
Abbys hair was standing up in all sorts of directions as she burst into the greenhouse, extremely late. She made her way straight to James and sat down on the other side of him. "Why didn't you come get me!?" she whispered, slapping him extremely hard on the arm. She leaned in to hear Alice explaining what they were doing and looked up at the plants, her eyes wide. There really was no point hiding that she was late from the Professor so she just groaned, pushing away from the table and walking up to Professor Longbottom.
"Professor, I'm sorry I was late. I was... well, I don't really have a good reason. Anyway... any chance you can explain what we're doing again?" she looked at him with her biggest goofy, teethy grin as she bounced on her toes. Abby was always the kind of person to own up to things she had done if anyone asked. Sure, she didn't go around accepting her punishment for all of the silly things she had done throughout the castle if she wasn't even a suspect, but she had just burst into the greenhouse with a big obvious face and it was more in character for her to approach Neville herself then to hide out--like James was trying to do.
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