Potions Lesson 1, Pod 2

ooc: Sorry that so much of this introductory post is the same as the other pods, but since you will all need the same information to set up the class, I've only made small edits. I don't expect other lessons to start this way.


Zada had thought the first potions class had gone rather well. It was midmorning now, and, as the first class of the morning filed out of the potions lab, she took a brief moment to pour just a couple sips of tea in a heavy antique stoneware mug. The next classroom of students had a few moments to reach the dungeon from wherever their first class of the day had been.

She was not unaccustomed to teaching, and she certainly was not unaccustomed to potions. She was, however, unaccustomed to the disarray that the potions lab had been in. She had meticulously reorganized it, and knowing that some students didn't know a bezoar from a billywig, she had labeled the cabinets, the jars, the drawers, and pretty much everything else they could screw up.

She was also not a fan of years of filth that had built up in the darkened corners of the dungeon, nor the heavy musty smell that the lower regions of the castle were prone to. She had set a cleaning charm in place and had increased the brightness a bit on the usually dim lights in the room. New potions students needed to see what they were chopping--where the herbs stopped and the fingers began.

She had had them simply pay the fees for the mandatory potions kit and then had seen to them herself to be certain that they had all the necessary equipment and that it was not second hand or second quality. She had one large set of floor to ceiling shelves that had the standard student sized wooden chests that were the potions kits. Their texts, of course, they were to have purchased at Flourish and Blotts before they boarded the train.

The chiming of the large wall clock alerted her that it was 9:30. She erased the notes from the chalkboard from the last class, picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her name in her usual elegant script on the board.

Professor D'Eath

"Potions.... Poooooooootions...... Pooooootiiiiiiooooooons." Ben passively crooned to himself while studying his class list during his long and leisurely walk to the dungeons.

“Potions… Potatoe Onions…..” his thoughts trailed heavily as a group of Ravenclaw 5th years whom overheard Ben’s incoherencies, glanced confusedly back at him on their way, heading in the opposite direction. Ben began to consider the possibility that Potions was in fact named after the meal of Potatoes and Onions… PotatOnions… Potnions.. Potions… is it possible that the master behind the creation of all Potions past and present simply started his studies because he had an almost inhuman love for brewing the meal of Potatoes and Onions? He probably even brewed his favorite dish in a big black cauldron, much like the ones he would be using in his upcoming class. Maybe he accidentally dropped some whale spleen or some vampire teeth into his roasting food one day and it turned into a fire-breathing elixir.  The rest would be history!

Ben’s thoughts occupied the entirety of his conscious mind. He passed corridor after corridor within the dungeons below the seemingly never-ending Hogwarts, including the one that contained his route to the Potions classroom where he was due in a few minutes. It wasn't until he considered the possibility of learning the actual history of potions in his first potions lesson that he realized he had been traveling in the complete wrong direction.

"Well isn't that ironic" he proclaimed, shrugging it off and not really understanding what the word "ironic" means or how to apply it to situations. He thought about the word itself, ironic... maybe it has something to do with... he paused. Ben shook his head vigorously trying to avoid a continuation of the scenario that got him into this state in the first place. After clearing his mind, he picked up a cool sprint in the opposite direction. He still had time to make it before the class started. 'Thank goodness I didn't stop to use the bathroom', he thought to himself. Although he had heard that there was a secret passage in one of the bathrooms that would take him to a huge dangerous room... and one that had a bathtub the size of a swimming pool! Ben's thoughts swirled as his pace slowed...

It was start of new school year and it was time for first lesson. To be honest potions wasn't Jessica's best subject. It was rather her weakest one but she still did take it. She hoped to improve but she still wasn't good at it. In few lessons she didn't get right color of potions. She did something wrong but she was pretty sure that she had followed the intructions. This year she hoped it won't go like that.

Soon she walked into classroom. Sixth year Ravenclaw greeted professor and took a seat now. There was plenty time until lesson will start. She now needed to wait for others to arrive.

Okay to say John was good at potions was a complete lie, he was terrible, he'd never actually managed to make one potion that had gone right first time. He walked into the dungeon and sighed as he looked around it was brighter than he remembered and way cleaner this made him smile as he with his back pack went to sit down he nodded to the professor.

"Um...Good morning Professor D'Eath." he said as he found a place at the back of the room hoping to minimize the damage, if any of his potions were to explode on him. He heard a first year and chuckled shaking his head. He knew he had been the same when he first started Hogwarts. He also saw a sixth year girl and smiled in a friendly way to her.

He'd seen her around but kept to himself much of the time. " Hey Jessica" he said as he passed where she sat.

"Good morning," Zada greeted the students. She took a sip of her tea and put the mug on her desk. "Welcome to Potions class. Shall we begin, then?"

"I am Professor D'Eath, and I will be your potions instructor this year.

"I have looked over the contents of the previous potions kits you were issued last year, and they are not adequate. Therefore, you will be issued new ones this year. You may take them with you from the lab if you choose, but you will only have enough ingredients to complete your assignments. So I caution you to not use them foolishly. I take it you all have your texts. If not, do let me know. However, for now, each of you please go over to the shelves and choose one of the wooden cases that contain the potions kits.

"The first potion we will brew is the Cure for Boils. Can any of you tell me what's in it, and what you need to know to make it?"