Alchemy: Beginning with the Basics [6th years]

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This class was one that Nazirah felt infinitely more prepared for than her seventh year class - the sixth years were blank slates. She couldn't quite understand why they didn't teach this class until the 6th year, and then, only if they wanted to - it was certainly not that way at Uagadou - but she wasn't complaining. Teaching had never been something she particularly desired to go into, so only teaching two years was a kind of excellent thing. And given that she had both blank slates, and hopefully mature enough students that she'd be fine teaching them... Well, it would work out nicely.

Carefully writing Professor Riyad on the board (it was bizarre, to go by that, but she didn't know what else to put for these English students) in chalk, using her bare hands - hand on approaches were better - she stepped back, surveyed it for a moment, before setting the piece down and wiping off her hands. Her robes were a light blue - she hated the standard black they usually wore here in Great Britain, and it was a nice contrast. Add on golden bangles on her wrists and around her neck - they weren't getting into anything intensive today, that was for certain - and Nazirah felt very confident in her image as a beauty. An exotic beauty here, unfortunately, but aside from that, she was alright with it.

A quick Tempus charm proved to her that it was almost time to start, and so the woman took her place at the front of the classroom, standing stately behind her table - notes, book, a cauldron, and a few herbs scattered this way and that upon it - looking down on the neatly ordered tables (not desks, it didn't work properly for something like this). Hopefully, there would be no damage, they were all old enough to prevent it here, especially on the first day... those poor Potions professors. She didn't even want to think about how bad they had it.

Keeping her face impassive and serene, her gaze flickered to the door, which was opening...

@leera @lien @aureliekirke @leonore

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Lien Hua... had absolutely no idea what to expect from this class, woo! Alchemy sounded pretty fascinating, and it couldn't be worse than Transfiguration, there was absolutely no way, so she was tentatively excited for this class! The old professor wasn't the professor anymore, though - he was on sabbatical for the year, studying - which meant that they had a new professor. Which also meant that absolutely no one had any idea what to expect, and she was certainly one of those people! And it kinda mattered, too, given that she did kind of struggle with classes...

Oh, well! She'd figure that out later!

Right now, it was time to do class, and the 'puff bounced excitedly into the room, hair flying around her and bag flapping and smacking her into her side, casting her eyes around for her teacher and- stopped. Stopped dead in her tracks, right in front of the door, because holyyy cow, her Alchemy Professor was gorgeous. Younger than she would've though - they all seemed like. Old-ish here, in their 40s and gross. But holyyy cow, this - a quick glance at the board confirmed her title - Professor Riyad was pretty.

Well. Well then. Lien Hua might have just discovered one of her favorite classes. Excellent.

Recovering, the girl grinned broadly, skipping easily to the back of the classroom, where she could lean against the wall, and it wouldn't be a problem. "Hiya, Professor Riyad!" she greeted her, tripping slightly over the foreign name, before recovering and plopping in her chair, bag set down beside her. "I'm Lien Hua Williams!" Perfect. She had this thing down, aw yes.

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Alchemy.  Alchemy was a complex class.  A "hard" one, if you will.  It wasn't as popular as the regular mandatory classes.  Well, not many electives were, but perhaps alchemy as the lesser known elective because it was not required for many jobs, and it was harder to grasp.  But that was why Leonore had registered for Alchemy.  Academic learning was the only thing she was ever actually good at, so she liked to embrace that nice skill as much as possible.  Therefore, she was giving herself an intellectual challenge by taking Alchemy classes.

Leonore walked into the unfamiliar classroom with, tah-dah, a satchel to carry her books and supplies.  She figured that one of these days she was going to drop all of the things that she was holding in her arms and clutching desperately against her, owing to her clumsy nature.  She was fairly surprised that it hadn't happened often, even when she was on the verge of letting go of her stuff because of the weight.  But to prevent it from actually happening, she took it upon herself to owl her grandmother to send her one, and she got it quickly.

The first thing that caught Leonore's eyes was the Professor.  She had not been what Leonore was expecting.  Instead of a middle-aged British lady, this woman was young, beautiful, and exotic.  She looked mystifying.  Leonore stared at her with ill-concealed awe and admiration for a moment before shaking herself awake to greet the Professor, whose name was written on the board.  Her face flushed slightly.  "O-oh, um, hello Professor Riyad...um...did I pronounce it correctly?" Realizing that she had spoken on impulse and that there was probably no time to fuss about pronunciation, she quickly excused herself.  "S-sorry, I'll sit down now."

She quickly turned around and began to head toward the back of the room, as usual.  Once she made it to the last row of desks, she sat down at one of them and laid the satchel down on the table.  The Ravenclaw thus began to take her book(s), parchment, quill, and ink bottle out of it. 

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ TB

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The first two that entered the classroom were the first to speak to her, which she really shouldn't be surprised about - it was easier to say something, however small, however much bigger than a 'hello', when you weren't part of the tidal wave of students. Nazirah inclined her head towards the very - very - loud Miss Williams, followed by giving the next young woman who walked in - who was thankfully quieter - a small smile. "That is correct," she replied simply, and that was all she was able to say before the Ravenclaw scurried off.

Well. That was a complete anti-thesis of what she had been taught to expect, in regards to the houses. Good. Way to not be stereotypical.

The professor quickly had to disregard that, though, as the remaining students arrived, shuffling in in groups, a handful of Slytherins there, a gaggle of Gryffindors here, spreading out among the tables and their talking remaining loud. After all, it wasn't time for class just yet - which she understood. Nodding at the ones that greeted her, having a faint smile for those that stared at her, wide-eyed - which was more than a few, amusingly enough - the woman waited patiently as they made their way into the classroom.

There weren't that many. Some, yes, a good amount to teach, but in comparison to some of the other classes she had glanced at and seen, especially considering that the students didn't have to pass any O.W.L.S. to be in this classroom? No, there weren't many at all, and she pressed her lips together.

They needed to promote it more - she would help with that.

As no more students trickled in, and knowing it was time, Nazirah waved her wand at the door, upon which it closed gently, without much of a noise to it. Good. "Class has begun," she stated, firm and without malice, managing to capture the class and have them be quiet. "I am Professor Riyad - you may also call me Professor Christina, if you wish. Your preference." Stately, she walked, slowly but surely making her way around her desk, to stand in the front. "I will likely not teach like your other professors - I never attended Hogwarts. I attended Uagadou School of Magic in the Republic of Mali - in Africa, for those of you not skilled at geography. Things are different there - we teach Alchemy from the very start."

This was not to be a comparison between the two schools, though, and she continued. "A good question would be to inquire 'Why'? Why do we teach Alchemy, and why is it so important, in ways that most of society does not realize? Can anyone tell me what the three primary goals of Alchemy are?" Serenely, she cast her gaze across the classroom, hoping for a hand. If she saw one, she would call on them almost immediately, and ask their name.

It was rather simple, really.

Tagging: @leera & @aureliekirke
Note: I'll be posting roughly every week, as long as there are at least two students between each post. If your character would know the answer, it's on the HP Wiki, but if not, have them keep quiet and she'll call on an NPC. If you want your character in, and they're not yet, they can either already be in the classroom, or be late. Either or!

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Professor Riyad was a polite and civil woman, but she was also one who seemed pretty serious and stately.  Therefore, Leonore figured that she wouldn't want to make a mistake in her class to maintain the current level of amiability that was being given to her by the professor.  There were patient and impatient professors, and Leonore had yet to know which kind of a professor who Professor Riyad was.  And Leonore was quite afraid of impatient people.

But, anyway, she listened to the professor talk and was in awe by how eloquently she introduced herself.  She had the option of calling her Professor Christina, which Leonore personally thought was easier for her to remember.  But because she had already addressed her as Professor Riyad, Leonore didn't want to make things awkward by all of a sudden calling her Christina.  It would probably translate to her disrespecting the professor's ethnicity, which was not her attention at all.

Leonore was also silently fascinated to learn that the professor had attended a school in Africa with an African sounding name.  She really wondered what the Uagadou School of Magic was like, and how it would feel like to live in Mali as well.  And she was internally fired up for the class when she heard the professor say that they taught alchemy from the start--did that mean that Professor Riyad would have a nice, authentic way of teaching the subject to them then? She couldn't wait.

Unfortunately, Leonore didn't seem to have the answers to her question.  She knew nothing about alchemy, which was why she had signed up to learn in the first place.  She bit her lip and glanced downward at her desk, wishing she actually knew what to say.  But she didn't and waited for the other students to reply, or for the professor to reveal the answers.  

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ TB