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.
Post by Amber Lloyd on May 26, 2023 18:05:20 GMT 10
Amber didn't like that it already was the second time in the Dungeons for her during the start of their term. In addition to that, she was again on her way to see Snape which somehow felt like she did something wrong.
She sighed. Had to be done if she wanted to practise making potions outside of class... And after she could go for another round of Gobstones without gnawing at her conscience.
After what seemed like an eternity she finally arrived in front if Snape's office. Amber checked her ingredients for a third time as she wanted to make sure everything was in order when she met the Professor. She didn't need to give Snape any unnecessary reason to complain...
She knocked at the office door and waited for a response, getting more nervous the longer she had to wait.
Last Edit: May 26, 2023 18:14:02 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
Benjamin made his way through the dimly lit Dungeons, the flickering torches casting dancing shadows along the stone walls. He had a weariness in his steps, a product of a long day of classes, Quidditch practice and other things.
As he approached the entrance to Professor Snape's office, Benji couldn't help but feel a mix of apprehension for the formidable Potions master. Snape's reputation as a strict and demanding professor was well-known. Despite Benji not really making a fool out of himself too much during potions (there was that thing in his second year, better left unmentioned), he was still nervous when requesting anything.
Taking a deep breath, Benjamin mentally prepared to disturb the Potions Master's...whatever he did in the afternoons. He repeated his reason a few times as he rounded a corner and already found someone knocking on Professor Snape's door.
Benji was glad that he wasn't the sacrificial lamb to do it first. He nodded to Lloyd in a greeting and stood a little behind her. He waited patiently, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of how to convince Professor Snape to allow him the chance of improving his potion-making skills.
With a swish of his wand, the door suddenly swung open -- yet magically prevented from banging against the wall. The doorway clear, Snape awaited his company to make an entrance and explain why his peace was being intruded upon yet again. He glanced up just enough to see who it was, then resumed his task at hand.
Most notable was a decent stack of leather-bound books on one side of his desk. There were titles such as An Intricate Comparison of Werewolves and Wuffsnouts, The Most Advanced Study of Counter-Poisons, Lost and Forgotten Counter-Curses, An Ancient Guide to Forbidden Magical Practices, and A Last Resort to Deadly Cures.
Benjamin took a deep breath, steeling himself as he stepped into Professor Snape's office, nearly bumping into Lloyd in his hurry. The imposing presence of the Potions master filled the room, and he could feel the intensity emanating from the man behind the table and the stacks of leather-bound books on the desk.
He approached cautiously, taking in the titles of the books that adorned the surface. The knowledge contained within those pages seemed both intriguing and foreboding. Benjamin couldn't help but wonder why Professor Snape needed those books. Was there something bad happening at Hogwarts? Again?
"Professor Snape...," Benjamin began, his voice somewhat steady as he addressed his Head of House.
"I apologize for intruding on your time, but I wanted to seek your permission to use the Student Laboratory to improve my potion-making skills." He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "While I think, I'm somewhat decent at Potions, considering it's O.W.L.s year, I'd like to practice more to hone them to the best of my ability.''
As Benjamin finished his request, he awaited Professor Snape's response, his gaze flickering around the office.
Last Edit: May 26, 2023 19:32:01 GMT 10 by Deleted: formatting
Post by Amber Lloyd on May 26, 2023 19:31:34 GMT 10
Amber smiled at Benjamins nod and she felt a little bit more at ease as she didn't have to face Snape completely alone. And maybe his mood would be a bit better if a Slytherin was with her...
She would have asked what he was doing here but she didn't dare to say anything in front of the office. And in the next moment, they got an invitation to enter indicated by the opened door and Snape's voice.
Amber's nervousness came back, though she calmed herself with a deep breath and entered the office. Seeing the Professor at his desk full of books, she greeted him respectful.
"Good afternoon, Professor! I'm here to bring you the five ingredients you tasked me to collect."
Amber retrieved a Tarrow, Blessed Sage, Silkmoss, Jippi Seeds and Moonurk Berries from her bag and placed them onto Snape's desk, being careful to not dirty any book or parchment lying there.
She hoped Snape could see that she had thoroughly taking care of the ingredients as she definitely didn't want to reduce their potion efficiency - and of course angering Snape wouldn't be the best either.
Professor Snape gave Benjamin a brief yet firm glance, almost as if he was reading his mind, then simply nodded at the reasoning behind the Slytherin's request.
'Very well. I shall grant you a chance to prove you're willing to dedicate yourself to the task at hand.' He summoned a scroll to the front of his desk for Benjamin to grab, which listed ingredients and their locations around Hogwarts.
Snape turned a page in his book, noted something down, then shut it.
'Bring me five ingredients you've collected yourself,' he explained, sorting some notes under candlelight. 'Only then shall I consider your request.'
--
Done with Benjamin, Professor Snape stood to inspect Amber's ingredients and deliberately took his time -- as if searching for flaw or misshapen ingredient.
'Very well.' Snape summoned glass items, hovering them to the front of his desk for her to retrieve. Amber got an empty jar and vial, which was the only indication he gave that she'd been successful in her task.
'Follow me.' He left the office, leading Amber to the Potions classroom. He indicated to a bench of mucky pewter cauldrons. 'You'll require a spare cauldron to work with. If you're willing to clean it, without magic, you may take ownership of one of these. No assistance.'
Snape gave her a stern look.
It was a test to ensure she was serious about wanting to use the student laboratory in her free time. Though he peered at jars, there was no mistaking that he still supervised Amber's task. She had to clean out a cauldron, without magic, and only then would he seriously consider her request. Snape's expression was unreadable, but she'd made it this far...
Benjamin's heart quickened as Professor Snape acknowledged his request with a nod. The professor's piercing gaze seemed to penetrate his thoughts, further fueling his determination to prove himself worthy.
The Slytherin was already preparing a second, third and fourth reason, some morebelievable than others, before Professor Snape just...nodded. With a sense of gratitude and eagerness, Benjamin let out the breath he wasn't aware he was holding.
He stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the scroll that appeared before him. The list of ingredients and their locations provided him with a clear objective. He reached out and carefully took hold of the scroll, studying it intently.
"Thank you, Professor Snape," Benjamin replied, his voice steady with determination. "I'll return with the five ingredients as soon as possible.''
As he turned to leave the office, Benjamin felt a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation. Exiting the dungeons, Benjamin made his way through the winding corridors of Hogwarts.
He traversed staircases, passed portraits, and listened to the distant whispers of fellow students. Benji felt a sense of purpose driving him forward as he searched for the first ingredient on the list, his feet taking him towards the Hogwarts grounds.
Post by Cynthia Rushton on May 26, 2023 20:29:39 GMT 10
After potions class, Cynthia made a beeline for Professor Snape's office, satchel with her notes and things bumping at her hip. Her granny had been very stern over the summer, insisting that Cynthia absolutely had to focus more on potions. She had no issue with the fact that Cyn's desired future career didn't really need potions, but she'd also rambled on about family traditions and heavily hinted at disappointment and...
Cynthia really didn't want to be a disappointment.
So here she was!
The door was closed and she could hear voices echoing up the hall from the Potions classroom, but Cynthia had absolutely nothing to lose by being polite so she stood outside the professor's door to wait for his return.
Post by Amber Lloyd on May 26, 2023 21:29:32 GMT 10
Amber waited until Snape was done with Benji who seemed to wanted also permission for the student laboratory.
She was still pondering if she found the Slytherin entering first was rude or acceptable. She decided for latter as she could understand how would want to have his conversation with Snape over as soon as possible.
When it was her turn, Amber tugged nervously on one of her pigtails while Snape was inspecting her ingredients. Would they be alright? Should she have done something else or better?
She was so occupied with these thoughts, she even forgot to wave a short goodbye to Benji.
As soon as Snape summoned the vial and jar, she was relieved. It seemed he accepted them!
Or at least that was Amber's guess. While else would she get the glass items?
Quickly but carefully she stored the vial, jar and ingredients in her bag, then following Snape to the classroom.
She listened to his next assignment while looking at the bench full of cauldrons.
Another task... but then having her own cauldron she could use? That was awesome!
Also, some cleaning wasn't something the Ravenclaw was afraid of, she was used at home to get it done without magic. She would show him that she was quite serious about her potion studies!
These thoughts awoke her ambitious nature, she was now totally fired up for this task.
"Consider it done, Professor!" she responded energetic while rolling her sleeves up.
Amber looked at the whole row of sticky cauldrons. She was really glad that she only had to clean one of them and not all, although she wouldn't put it past him. How long would it take for that?!
She grabbed one cauldron which looked a little bit more shiny on the outside compared to the rest of them, but she regretted it instantly as the inner was quite filthy. A sticky mass was hanging on the side. What potion had been brewed in there?
She sighed and went with her decision, not daring to switch the cauldron. And she had the feeling, it wouldn't matter as it always would be a tedious task.
Firstly, she put the cauldron in the basin and filled it with some warm water. It instantly dyed itself in a light purple, reminding her of DADA class this morning. She grimaced. Why of all things had it to be purple?
She grabbed a brush and tried to peel off some of the rough muck from the inner of the cauldron which was quite a challenge. After a while, there was less smut at the sides of the cauldron, the water now dyed in a deep purple, almost black.
Amber tossed out the water, filling it then with new water and adding some soap. The water dyed itself from purple to green. She looked at it intrigued, starting to think about why these would interact in this way. Maybe one could reproduce that effect?
She shook her head to clear it, glancing at Snape who just seemed to look at some jars. She had not the time to think about stuff like that now, she had to get the cleaning done! And she really didn't want to let the Professor wait too long, otherwise she feared his mood...
Amber grabbed again the brush and began roughing down the muck. Although it was now soaked with water, the muck was still sticky, so she had to use all her strength to get it off.
It took her quite a while, alternating between her hands as they started to hurt from the tedious task. Because of the numerous changes of water she got sometimes splashed with water, the area around her belly was already soaked with water. But she had to endure it.
Amber exhaled exhausted, but looked proudly at her progress so far. She couldn't see any more spots on the inside. Now, she had to tend to the outer side of the cauldron as well. She sincerely hoped that this was the last task Snape had for her for the potions kit...
The Ravenclaw flipped the cauldron upside down and began washing the outside with some soap and the brush. It actually was filthier than she thought, although not as dirty as inside. Therefore, the cleaning went way faster than for the inner of the cauldron.
Although, she had absolutely no idea how long the whole procedure had actually took. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. Regarding her hurting hands it felt more like the latter...
Being now content with the cleanliness of the cauldron, she used a cloth to dry it and even tried to polish it.
After the end of the whole procedure, she nodded proudly to herself and then adressed Snape.
"Professor, I finished cleaning it!" she pointed at the shiny cauldron. Nobody could have guessed now how icky it head been before her effort.
However, Amber was still quite nervous as she had to present it to Snape. She sincerely hoped it was enough for him... He was hard to assess.
While waiting for his judgement, Amber began playing with one of her ear studs.
It was indeed tiring work. It wasn't clear how long she'd spent scrubbing, but her arms ached and hands were numb. A bit red too, from all the intense scrubbing. At one point, she was so hard at work that Professor Snape no longer paid her much mind and simply waited for her to finish.
And when she was, he carefully inspected the cauldron with a critical eye -- yet it shone, and he found nothing to fault Amber with. She'd done as he asked, so Snape said she could keep their cauldron as a spare -- to be used in her own time.
'You are permitted to use the Student Laboratory at will,' he said, though gave Amber a rather stern look. 'Do so responsibility, and clean up after yourself, or else such privileges shall be rightfully revoked. If I ever catch you there at curfew...' He let his sentence trail off so her imagination could decide how bad things would be for her.
He had nothing else to say, so Professor Snape returned to his office -- and halted near the door, as he saw a Slytherin student waiting for him. Despite the ongoing interest students have in getting their Potion Kits, he didn't assume that was why she was there in case is was something far more serious.
Making a gesture to follow him, he stepped back into his office and sat behind the desk. Snape adjusted his books from earlier, then raised his eyebrow at Cynthia -- clearly awaiting her explanation as to why she was there.
Post by Cynthia Rushton on May 27, 2023 18:46:20 GMT 10
Oh the books in here made Cynthia's fingers itch. She wanted to read them all, to open their elegant covers and learn their secrets- werewolves and countercurses sounded fascinating. She wasn't here to discuss books, though.
She was here on a mission.
She clasped her hands behind her back - for decorum, of course, certainly not to avoid just touching those books - and gave the professor a respectful nod.
"My grandmother wasn't happy with my potions grade last year. She...advised me to study more."
Despite the fact that she'd passed, at least! Shouldn't that count for something?
"Could I have permission to work in the student lab, please, sir?"
Professor Snape scrutinised Cynthia, almost as if he was reading her mind. He drew out the moment, letting her be nervous and unsure... especially as her reasoning was rather weak, at best. A viable excuse, of course, but it was for the advice and action of another -- not her own personal desire or dedication. Had she been in any other house, Cynthia might not have made it much further in her request with that reasoning.
'Very well. I shall grant you a chance to prove you're willing to dedicate yourself to the task at hand. For reasons that are your own, not that of another.' He summoned a scroll to the front of his desk for her to grab, which listed ingredients and their locations around Hogwarts.
Snape turned his interest back to his own task, making it clear he was done with their conversation. If it could even be called that.
'Bring me five ingredients you've collected yourself,' he explained, sorting some papers under candlelight. 'Only then shall I consider your request.'
Post by Cynthia Rushton on May 27, 2023 19:13:03 GMT 10
Cynthia waited for long, long moments, feeling as if she was about to start sweating despite the office's chill. She managed not to fidget, though, so at least that was something.
She breathed a silent sigh of relief when Snape gave his demands and expectations, nodding once decisively.
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
And then - though she was loathe to leave the books untouched - she turned and hurried from the room, eager to get to work.
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