An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
This class is intended to be read by 5th years and above only.
Their lesson would be in one of the more dangerous greenhouses, which was closed and locked. 5th years were known to be granted higher trust than younger students to wait inside for Professor Sprout even if she hadn't arrived yet, but that wasn't always the case. Today seemed to be one of those instances, despite being their first Herbology lesson of the new term. And now as O.W.L students.
So, with nothing left to do in the meantime nor any clues as to what to expect, they gathered nearby to wait for Professor Sprout to make an appearance and grant access -- providing time to just hang out and chat among themselves.
Please refer to the Standard Classroom Layout for a visual guide of the classroom -- including full details regarding seating, class expectations, noise level rules, and any changes.
Post by Caine Hawke on May 26, 2023 14:21:02 GMT 10
It had been a rough day so far. Caine hadn't slept well, was a bit cranky, and had been roughed up by implements in his first class of the day! Not as bad as Joshua, however so he really couldn't complain too much.
But still... it hadn't been good and he'd tried to school his attitude, cheer up a bit.. but it didn't seem to help. At least he'd simmered down some and didn't feel as snappy as he had been. So at least there was that.
He shouldered his bag, changing the position of it over his shoulder as he paused, glancing at the greenhouse that was locked and shrugged, taking up a space under some shade and waiting all while keeping a sharp eye out for his friends.
He owed them an apology for being cranky he supposed... at least to Joshua and Amber at any rate.
Post by Oscar Tinkle on May 26, 2023 14:25:49 GMT 10
Herbology! Oscar was ready for a class that he normally enjoyed. Well, he hoped he was ready. He was ready as long as it did not prove as violent as some of the other classes he had already experienced that year.
Which, okay.. Yeah. It was entirely possible Herbology could get violent too. As much as the thought made him want to sigh in defeat. He knew what some plants could be like.
What was wrong with a nice calm daisy?
Oscar made his way to the greenhouses, trying to stay as positive as he could about the class as he did so.
That attempt crumbled into dust when he saw which greenhouse they were supposed to be in.
“Aww no..” he muttered, thinking back to the half-joking comment he had made to Amber. “I jinxed it.”
Oscar sighed and stood off to the side to wait outside alongside Caine - presuming since the other boy had not gone in then the door was locked.
“That’s not a good sign for a peaceful lesson, right?” he asked, half hoping he was just being paranoid. He was sure whatever plant they were learning about was going to be interesting, he was just not sure he was up to it after that morning.
Post by Amber Lloyd on May 26, 2023 14:46:21 GMT 10
Amber liked the Herbology lessons, not only because of the handling of plants but also because of Sprout. Therefore, she was quite happy on her way to the greenhouse, when she noticed which one it was. The one for housing more dangerous plants. She frowned...
It couldn't be an a little bit more relaxed lesson for once, right?
At the same time, Amber spotted the two Hufflepuffs near the tree. She heard the words Oscar spoke and grinned as she walked beside him. "Yes, you did! And I told you not to..." she gave him a playful pat on his shoulder.
For a moment she thought about what they were going to learn today - or which dangerous plant they would have to bother with. Surely it would be interesting, but still... "Maybe we'll get to see your carnivorous plant after all." she winked. Then she shifted her attention to Caine.
"Hey, Caine... you're all right?" she asked concerned.
He seemed a little bit better than earlier, but not too much. What had happened to him? Too bad there hadn't time to talk about it earlier... If he wanted to talk. But she would be open if he decided to go for it.
Benjamin trudged towards the greenhouses, his mussed hair and tired muscles still bearing the signs of a successful morning practice. He could feel the fatigue settling in, but a satisfied and just a little pridefu, smile lingered on his face. Benji was glad he didn't make a total fool out of himself in front of his fellow teammates.
As he reached the waiting area, he noticed his some of his fellow fifth-year Herbology classmates already gathered, though no Slytherins yet. He took a moment to catch his breath, leaning against a nearby wall. The door was locked, and rather unusually so, which served as a reminder that despite their newfound responsibilities as O.W.L students as so many professors love to mention, trust was not always granted without hesitation.
He approached the group, his energy slightly diminished but his enthusiasm still intact. Herbology was one of the subjects he was best at, so it was no wonder it was one of his favourite classes. The prospect of diving into the realm of magical plants fascinated him just as much. Herbology offered a different kind of adventure, one that involved exploring the wonders of nature and harnessing their magical properties.
''Cool,'' Despite the fatigue, the anticipation of what lay inside the dangerous greenhouse sparked a sense of adventure within Benjamin. Also a bit trepidation, but mostly nervous excitement.
Last Edit: May 26, 2023 19:01:00 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by Caine Hawke on May 26, 2023 23:35:16 GMT 10
He wasn’t out there long before he was joined by Amber and Oscar, both talking about jinxes and the tasks at hand… being which plant they’d get to poke at.
He wasn’t worried. Professor Sprout was and always had been an amazing lady and she’d not let them get hurt so he wasn’t worried. But he should probably get his mind back in order before going in - sometimes the plants liked to feed off of emotions and if he was in a bad mood…well his plant could be, too.
Amber asked if he was ok. Eyes snapped upward to her and he attempted to smile.
”Yeah! I just… woke up wrong I guess.” he mumbled, running his hands along his sides absently.
”And I have to write to my parents. Which is going to be… awful for one and awesome for another.” Mother would send a howler if she could but, thankfully, she was a muggle and there was no way for her to do it.
Post by Arthur Hocking on May 27, 2023 2:02:54 GMT 10
Finally, a class Arthur adored. Herbology was something that seemed to come easily to him, which he was especially glad for after failing to make it to the end of Professor Hathmore's gauntlet of threatening magical dummies. Even if the plants wanted to attack Arthur, he felt like it wouldn't be so bad.
Arthur stood with his classmates, a little anxious about it being one of the more dangerous ones but happy in the knowledge that he wouldn't be alone encountering anything too dangerous. Besides, Professor Sprout would never give them anything she thought they couldn't handle. They were OWL students, so getting to do the more difficult things was exciting.
"Carnivorous wouldn't be so bad." Arthur said, "I mean, as long as we knew about it."
He frowned as Caine mentioned that writing to one of his parents wasn't going to be great. He hoped things worked out, but he wasn't really sure if it was his place to comment on it. His uncles were pretty oblivious to most magical things he mentioned, so it wasn't really like they could get mad at him often.
Post by Amber Lloyd on May 27, 2023 3:03:05 GMT 10
Amber listened attentive to Caine's explanation, although it didn't make it any easier for her to really understand what his worries where.
It seemed something with his parents... She knew from him they were arguing a lot, perhaps something because of that?
But she didn't need to know. He would talk about it if he wanted or needed to, or not. Nevertheless, she would be there for him.
To convey that feeling, she returned his sad smile (which definitely didn't help in easing her worries about him) with a tight hug.
"You got this!"
After a short pause she added "And I think, there could be worse? I mean, just imagine blowing up a potion and getting detention with Snape were you have to clean all the cauldrons from class, while you're still dyed purple from the exploded potion."
Amber just babbled some silly stuff which came to her mind, trying to cheer up Caine. Maybe it would bring a little bit of his bubbly side back... And yes, she still didn't like purple...
"Or if you cast a spell wrong, you suddenly can only speak backwards. Like ' I ...ma... rebma. Woh ...erahh arghh!"
She let go of Caine while she tried with all her effort to imitate the problematic. It went okay with a few words, although it started to twist her mind. Trying to say 'How are doing?' ended in a dilemma as she couldn't get it right and it sounded even more weird than the rest of the stuff.
Post by Oscar Tinkle on May 27, 2023 4:51:26 GMT 10
Oscar offered Amber a slightly sheepish smile when she appeared just in time to hear his comment.
“Oops?” he said as he raised a shoulder in a slight shrug. Ah well, if he’d actually jinxed it or not, it was a bit late to do anything about it with class about to start. Wait- Did he have an upset stomach?
…
No? Oh darn. Yes, it was too late then.
Oh look, Arthur had arrived!
(And a Slytherin, but Oscar had priorities. At least he offered a small wave of hello to the Slytherin too, not wanting to completely blank him.)
“Hm.. maybe not any other day.” Oscar conceded after a thought. Because if he had not spent the morning being thrown about in Defense, then he could admit that maybe it would be interesting to discover more about such a plant.
“But I’m not confident enough about my luck today to be certain I’d come out of it with all my limbs.”
And Oscar liked his limbs, thank you very much. He used them for swimming and drawing and-.. His mind drew a blank. Things.
What were the others talking about again?
Oscar attempted to follow the conversation, though he struggled somewhat, feeling like he had missed something. What he did know though, was that Caine seemed.. worried? About writing home. And that Amber was not very skilled at talking backwards.
Oscar did not really know what to do about any of that. For one he doubted he would do any better than Amber at the odd task. And the other.. Well, it wasn’t really his business, was it? They may share a room, but he doubted that Caine would appreciate him butting in.
Maybe he could raid his snack drawer back in their dorm later and share some with his roommates? Snacks made things better, right? That was the best idea that he had anyway.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on May 27, 2023 8:10:47 GMT 10
It hadn't taken long for Lindsey to get back from the Boathouse and take her new items to her dorm. She hadn't seen anyone along the way except a few younger students, but by time she had returned from the Dungeons, she had heard the buzz from the Great Hall and headed that direction. Sitting with some random students and discussing a few things from Defense Against the Dark Arts. She had tried to keep an eye out for Sinead or Benji, but neither had caught her attention in the large room.
As she rounded towards the Greenhouse, she smiled when she realized that she wasn't the only Slytherin there and joined Benji. She had hoped that he was okay after the trip to the hospital wing and also hoped that Seabrook hadn't completely destroyed him again. The idea of returning to the Hospital Wing wasn't something she wanted to do unless it was to aid the Healer.
"How was Practice?" She hadn't even missed the whole Quidditch roll in her life, though she hoped Benji had still had fun.
That was the main thing in her mind, having as much fun as possible. The chatter that came from the other students was enough to keep her entertained and she waited for the Professor to arrive. She wondered how the summer had been for Sprout and was hoping that she might be able to help her in the greenhouse this year.
Last Edit: May 27, 2023 13:44:34 GMT 10 by Lena: Readability. Please don't start dialogue on a big paragraph.
Professor Sprout beckoned them inside, then headed to stand at the end of the long table they worked around. In a row on each side, one for every student, were pots containing a strange plant that resembled a sort of sunflower. There were orange ones, red ones, and yellow ones.
'Come along now, my new O.W.L students.' Sprout ushered them around the table with her hands, intent on ensuring everyone was present. 'Do not touch the plants, whatever you do. Unless you'd rather spend the day unconscious in the Hospital Wing.'
Once they were all situated, she firmly shut the greenhouse door.
'Now then, who here can tell me what makes a Sporlim so dangerous?' Sprout glanced round the greenhouse at her students.
She got mostly shrugs and shared glances. She didn't really expect them to know, but of course gave everyone a chance to try at an answer nevertheless.
Post by Caine Hawke on May 27, 2023 14:15:57 GMT 10
Amber's arms wrapped around him and he returned the hug, glad for the reassurance of his friend, the feeling of being human. But the idea of getting detention with Snape while being purple... Oh. Oh no. No thank you. He felt sick a moment at the thought. Snape was... not as scary as he'd thought but still he didn't want to waste any of his free time if he could help it. There were other things he wanted to do with his time. Or needed to do, anyway.
"Thank you, Amber." he said softly, glancing up at Oscar and Arthur with a half shrug. They were his dorm mates, they didn't need to know about his drama, too honestly. But he'd still worry about it, even if he was trying to cheer himself.
Right on cue, the greenhouse doors opened and Professor Sprout ushered them inside. Caine held his hand out in front of him, gesturing for Amber to lead the way.
Once inside he took his place next to Amber and tried to save a place for Joshua next to him.
She asked about a Sporlim... and he cocked his head to the side. What was that?
"It... has spores?" he offered weakly, a shrug on his shoulders. He had zero clue. He was good at Defense and Charms but struggled with almost everything else. He'd really had to crack down to learn more about it... but here it was. He wondered if he should take notes but figured he'd write it down later if he could remember it all. That way he didn't forget.
Post by Oscar Tinkle on May 27, 2023 14:48:22 GMT 10
Oscar’s head jerked up as the door opened to show Professor Sprout waving them in. Time to find out what they were in for.
With a white-knuckled grip on the strap of his bag, he did as instructed and slipped into the greenhouse with a polite quiet, “Afternoon, Professor.”
Once inside he was greeted by.. Well, he wasn’t actually sure. Probably not sunflowers, even if they resembled them.
Whatever they were, Oscar took his place in front of a yellow one. Though he was very careful to keep a respectable distance between him and the plant after the Professor’s warning. If he was going to be unconscious for the day it was going to be in his own bed with his blanket.
He considered the Professor’s question for a moment as he looked the Sporlim over. He didn’t think he had heard of the plant before, but that did not seem like a good enough excuse. He was an OWL student. So if he was to make a guess at one point..
“Maybe not their, er.. main danger,” he began after he had raised his hand for a try. “But, does their appearance add to it? It looks deceptively simple, so if someone was to come across it in the wild, they probably wouldn’t consider it a threat?”
He still had no idea about their main big bad though. Professor Sprout had said touching it would knock you out for the day, but how? Was it all of the plant or just the middle bit?
And was knocking someone out the only thing it did or was it whatever it did after? Did it try to turn them into fertiliser after?
Okay, so he might still have carnivorous plants on the mind.
Benji was checking his fingernails in boredom for the lack of anything else to do as they waited for the class to start. When he looked up, he saw one of the Hufflepuffs greeting him, so he returned the gesture with a nod and a small smile.
He perked up when he saw Lindsey coming, his small smile turning into a full blown grin.
"It was great, Linds!" Benjamin replied, his voice laced with enthusiasm. "I had a blast, and I actually didn't get hurt at all, if you can believe it!'' he puffed his chest out, playing up his dramatics.
''Seabrook even said a few kind words, if you can believe it,'' Benji paused, wondering if it sounded too unbelievable. ''I mean, she was also Seabrook, but you know. Better than I expected,'' he waved his arms around.
While Benjamin was eager to share the excitement of his Quidditch antics, his focus quickly shifted as Professor Sprout beckoned them inside the greenhouse. The environment around him changed, and his attention turned to the pots lined up on the table. The vibrant colors of the strange sunflower-like plants caught his eye.
Following Professor Sprout's instructions, Benji made his way around the table, ensuring he didn't touch the plants. The warning of potential consequences if they did was enough to make him exercise caution.
As the students settled down, the greenhouse door was firmly shut, emphasizing the seriousness of the upcoming lesson. Benjamin's gaze shifted to Professor Sprout, her presence commanding attention.
At her question about the dangers of Sporlim, Benjamin exchanged glances with his fellow students, realizing that most were uncertain about the answer. Some gave a few good guesses and he decided to join them, despite thinking that the right answer was already given by one of the Hufflepuffs.
''It has tiny hairs that secrete a liquid and if you touch the plant, you get hurt?'' Benji tried for a correct answer when he raised his hand.
They looked extremely similar to the plants his grandmother had at home and they did just that, though he doubted at the validity of his guess.
Post by Amber Lloyd on May 27, 2023 17:35:44 GMT 10
Amber grimaced a little bit at the dumb stuff she just said. And it didn't quite help as much as she thought. Perhaps her approach wasn't the best... maybe she should have suggested thinking more about positive stuff. She felt silly...
Joshua was way better at cheering up others, his jokes were (often) way better. She should ask him later for help...
She hoped the hug had helped at least a little bit...
When Professor Sprout waved them inside, she went ahead as suggested by Caine and took a spot in front of a red flower.
She examined the plant a bit further, although while holding a proper distance as Sprout told them about the danger involved. A trip to the Hospital Wing was not on her agenda…
Amber couldn't remember about hearing of such a plant, so she decided to think a little about it. What could the dangers of such an innocent-looking flower be?
She tried to come up with something but all the good guesses from her classmates distracted made it difficult for her. So for now, she opted for listening attentively to the whole conversation.
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