Potions: Lesson One - Wit Sharpening Potion (Years 1-4)

Guest

James, like most of his students, enjoyed the holiday. For one, he did not have silly little children running around the halls, causing mess and chaos and expecting him to have the answer to everything. No, it was quiet, peaceful, and no brats were running around him at all hours.

It made him wonder why he bothered coming back each term, but alas, here he was.

Sighing, James took in his pristine classroom one last time. It would not stay this way for very long, of that much he was quite sure. Children never seemed to have the knack for keeping his classroom tidy. Checking the clock on the wall, James noted there were only a few minutes left before his students would be arriving. Closing his potions magazine that had been delivered that morning, James tucked it in to the drawer on his left, and readied himself for the rabble.

Guest

Potions. No idea what she would do in that lesson, since potions didn't exists in the Muggle world, Elyah wasn't sure whether she would like to attend the lesson or not. What if the Professor wasn't good like the Headmaster? The older students didn't seem to like the Potions Professor, even though he was ridiculously hot to be honest, so she had a reason to be scared of him anyway.

Sighing, and not having a choice actually, Elyah made her way out of her Common Room and towards the Potions Classroom. Maybe... maybe if she was a good kid and a good student, and was on the Professor's good side, he wouldn't be too angry with her. And as long as he was satisfied with her work, he wouldn't kill her. Right away at least.

Pushing the door open, she slipped inside and kept her head high. Taking a deep breath she took a seat near the front and looked up at the Professor, giving him a nod. Less talking would reduce the chances of messing up.

Guest

Potions, Max had been told, was kind of like cooking. As in, you put lots on ingredients in, with the right timings, and hoped you got what you were trying to get in the beginning. However, like cooking, his mum had always said that Potions could be dangerous, and you had to go careful around them.

Which was where Max's issue belonged.

Being careful, organised and all those words that came with caution and potion making were not something he was very good at. In fact, he wasn't allowed in the kitchen when cooking was going on because he'd caused one too many disasters when he was younger.

So, Max was quite surprised he was allowed to go to Potions. But then, perhaps... he checked his timetable quickly... perhaps Professor Balan wasn't aware of his incapabilities in respect of cooking. Yes, that was probably it.

Slipping through the door, Max smiled towards the professor. "Morning!" Max greeted the man enthusiastically, noticing Elyah and making a beeline towards her. She might not have been overly nice the first time they'd met, but Max was going to keep trying to talk to her. "Hi Elyah, no cat today, promise!" He told her, taking up the seat beside her without asking and then getting his books out. He hadn't read them, that wasn't something he was good at either.

Guest

If any of her classes were for peasants, it would definitely be Potions. After all, only House Elves and peasants cooked and did manual labour such as slaving over a hot cauldron in order to make Potions. Sure, if there was a Potion that could make her even prettier or even richer then maybe it would be worth it but all the people of Monaco knew that such a thing was not possible as the little Charlot girl was already so beautiful and wealthy.

Severine had anything and everything she could ever want and she was not afraid of anyone, however when her Daddy told her she was required to attend and excel in every class Hogwarts offered, she listened because she knew what respect was and she knew that she shouldn't disappoint or disrespect someone as authoritative and powerful as her Daddy.

Severine slung her bag over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe she'd endured three years of this ridiculousness. Why didn't she just ask to be transferred? Right, because he Daddy said she wouldn't like Hogwarts and she didn't want to prove him right. The girl walked upright all the way to the class and refused to speak to anyone when she entered. Instead, she placed her bag neatly beside her and took a seat, her spine as aligned as she could manage.

Guest

Hailey decided to change. Her whole demeanor last term was quiet annoying, and she wondered why everyone tolerated her. She decided to overload her course schedule this term and take a bunch of classes. Next year would be THE year and she wanted to prepare for it. She hadn't decided on what she would be doing with the rest of her life, and she decided to take this term deciding what to do. She knew it was a little early, but OWLs where coming up, so she needed to decide what she needed to do well in.

Hailey hoped she wouldn't run into Benny. The boy had been giving her weird vibes lately and she didn't like it. She guessed it came with the whole "growing up" routine, but she wanted to go back to a more simpler time. Back to a time to where Aliens were real, and everyone thought she was pathetic. Everyone probably still thought she was pathetic, but at least they would say it behind her back, and not to her face like before.

She wasn't the first person in the room thank the lord. How awkward would that be? She didn't like Professor Balan, and didn't feel like making conversation with anyone today. She took a seat in the back just waiting to see what torture the professor would have prepared for them.

Guest

Zoey was terrible at potions, but needed to take it to succeed in life. At least, that was what she was told. Why, she didn't know. Her first year at Hogwarts went well, and now she was ready to outshine everything and everyone that she could. Zoey was already thinking about the future. The future didn't scare her at all. She was ready for it, and everything it would throw at her. What she would do, she had no idea. But she knew she would give it her best shot, and win at whatever she did.

She had thought a lot about what to do. She didn't want to be cliché about life, and become a professor. She wanted to be adventurous. She wanted to show people that even a mere shy Hufflepuff could do great things. She wanted to prove everyone who ever told her off wrong.

She made it to potions on time. She greeted the Professor, and took her seat. This could be the day that she made her destiny. She sat tall and proud, and ready to learn. She didn't care if the professor didn't like her. If he didn't, she would prove him wrong too.

Guest

James made no effort to look up when the students began to arrive. Small children was all these students were, which meant they were by no means qualified enough to be in his room, but the Headmaster insisted upon it. Dangerous was all this was, and James needed more money for this crap.

When he checked the clock, James could see it was time to begin and stood from his desk.

"Morning." He spoke sharply, making sure to have the class' attention. "Today we will be brewing the Wit Sharpening Potion - which one of you can tell me something about this potion that isn't glaringly obvious, or mind-numbing?" He asked, looking around the students to see which one of them might actually be brave enough to give the question a shot. A Gryffindor, perhaps? Merlin only knew, but he waited patiently for one of them to form a competent answer.

Guest

Elyah remained silent, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She was a quite little girl, especially when she was in a classroom where even the slightest mistake could cause a lot of damage. And this would cost her a lot. And from what she had understood, the Potions Professor was not someone you would like to mess with. She was almost sure about it.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a way too familiar voice spoke, and Elyah turned around to see none other than Max. She wanted to cry. And run away, as fast as she could. Why him, and why here? Did he have to take potions too? Elyah was wondering who the hell allowed Max to attend potions. Because let's be honest here. Max was not the type of person you'd like to have in your Potions class. Or anywhere near you.

Not even acknowledging him, for obvious reasons, Elyah turned her head the other way, as if she didn't know him. But something inside her felt bad. Really bad. So sighing, she turned around and gave him a small smile of acknowledgement. Her own way of saying hey, and that was the only thing she would tell him.

Once the Professor spoke up, Elyah nodded at herself. She was right. He was an arrogant little jerk, wasn't he?
She knew that throughout the year, James Balan would give her detention quite a few times. She was not going to put up with his smart-ass attitude. No, that was not something that Elyah accepted easily.

But deciding it was not the time yet, she started thinking his question. She had read about it somewhere, but she wasn't sure. Well, she would take this risk.
"It acts a a counteragent to a Charm, doesn't it?" she said without raising her hand. She didn't care.

Guest

The sharpness of the professor's words brought Max's attention straight to the man at the front of the room. The Gryffindor sat listening to him - legs swinging underneath the table because he couldn't quite reach the floor - his lower lip sucked in to his mouth out of nerves and excitement in that moment.

When the question was posed to the class, Max tried to think of anything he could say, but his attention was taken by the response from the witch sat beside him.

"It acts a a counteragent to a Charm, doesn't it?"

"OH!" Max replied much too loudly in response to the question that Elyah had inadvertently asked. Okay, it wasn't him he asked, but Max thought he knew the answer, so he continued on to her answer a moment later. "Yes, it does! It acts as a counter agent to... to... the Confusing Charm, doesn't it?" Max insisted, looking to the professor hopefully in that moment.

Because Merlin knew, Max tried, but he rarely picked the right word when he was answering because he was too excited to check he actually had it right in the first place.

Guest

The first answer that came, whilst not a complete answer, was heading in the right direction, and for that small grace, James was a tiny bit grateful. However, before he could so much open his mouth to prompt the witch if she knew which charm it acted as a counter agent, a voice that James knew already was going to grate on him, filled the room.

"Yes, it does! It acts as a counter agent to... to... the Confusing Charm, doesn't it?"

"No." James replied flatly to the boy who had answered, watching as the smile faded so very quickly from the boys lips in that moment. "The Charm that the potion counter acts is the Confundus Charm. Do not confuse that with this idiots gibberish." James insisted, motioning to the first year who had spoken. "Today you will attempt to brew the potion I have mentioned."

With that, James moved to the board, pulling it down until the instructions were shown. "Well," He prompted, turning back to the class who had not yet moved. "Get on with it, then!" He instructed, motioning for them to get what they needed from the potions cabinet as he took his seat once more.

Spoiler:

» Potions: Lesson Two - Wiggenweld Potion (Years 1-4)
» Potions: Lesson One - Herbicide Potion (All Years)
» Potions: Lesson One - Herbicide Potion (Years 1-4)
» Potions: Lesson Two - Polyjuice Potion (All Years)
» Potions: Lesson Three - The Practicality of Potions (All Years)