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.
The dungeon was cold and dimly-lit, which the Potions classroom provided no improvement. The door was open so students could enter and begin occupying the stools. Pickled ingredients and other nasty-looking things lined the walls. Being O.W.L students now, the room felt more tense than ever -- as Potions class was more essential than ever, and many of their futures hung in the balance.
Professor Snape wasn't there, but the same sense of sternness his presence brought lingered in the classroom. Students got out their books or otherwise, and kept the chatter among themselves low.
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 Oscar Tinkle on Jun 5, 2023 0:47:37 GMT 10
Oscar had intended to make a quick trip to the Hufflepuff common room, to drop off his treats in his trunk, but having spent so long comforting a pair of first years after they were scared by the paper.. Well, he just did not think that he had the time.
Potions was not a class to be late to. Besides the habit around the school of locked classroom doors, if there was one professor who you just did not want to be tardy for, then it was definitely Professor Snape.
Oscar shuddered at the thought of what that particular professor would do if anyone dared be late.
So no, he had not wanted to risk it. Which meant that tucked away in his bag he still had the box of maritozzi that his Mamma had sent. He really hoped that nothing got on his bag, and that the spells Mamma put on her delivery box held up to keep the baked goods fresh and potion fumes out.
He was not sure if it was unfortunate or not, that in his fear of being late, it actually turned out that he was one of the first ones to arrive. At least it left him free reign over where to sit?
Oscar settled for the aisle seat of the middle row, in front of the storage area of course rather than Professor Snape’s desk.
He set his bag under the counter after he had pulled his note supplies out, and then quietly sat on his stool to wait.
It was after a moment of quietly sitting that he remembered what he had on and, quite reluctantly, pulled his hat and scarf off for the duration of the lesson. They would be safer in his bag.
He hated potions. He wasn't good at it and he didn't care to be - why should he have to be? But it was fine! He would get through this and he'd not blow anything or anyone up (hopefully) because he couldn't afford a detention today. He wanted so much to just... be done with it so they could be on their way.
So, he'd be quiet. And he'd do his best - which had to count for something, right?
He strolled into the classroom, head high, shoulders back and found a place in the back left, the seat closest to the walkway, to wait for his Amber to take her seat beside him. Josh and Amber... Hopefully Benjamin, too... even if he had to sit in front of him.
A part of him wished for each person, but then again, he was so bad at this class they should all probably sit alone and leave him to his own devices so they didn't get hit in the crossfire if something went sideways. He fidgeted, pulling out quill and ink, parchment for notes so that he could make sure to keep the damage to a minimum. This way, Professor Snape couldn't yell at him.
Or Amber.
Oh no, definitely not Amber.
They weren't supposed to talk here but, with a slight scribbling on a spare, doodled upon piece of parchment he wrote the name she wanted to know at breakfast, a note to keep from chatting inside class - Benjamin, with a nod to the door.
[ooc: mention of Amber with permission]
Last Edit: Jun 5, 2023 1:11:54 GMT 10 by Caine Hawke
Amber was glad she had been on her way through the dungeons together with Caine. At least then the cold and dark surroundings had felt a little bit warmer and brighter…
They entered the classroom and she followed Caine’s lead to one of the tables in the back. Amber reserved a spot for Joshua while she unpacked her book, quill and parchment next to Caine.
Although the Professor didn’t seemed to be here yet, but she still thought it was best to keep talking down to a minimum. Snape would know either way…
Amber did decide to give Potions a sincere try. It could be useful later in helping animals, right? So better learn now all she could.
She hoped, she would not only survive class today, but also do well too.
As soon as she sat down fully prepped, a hastily scribbled note appeared in front of her. She looked at the name in confusion, as she couldn’t quite comprehend what the name meant, her mind occupied with thoughts about potions. Furrowing her brows, she followed Caine’s glance to the door and looked back to him.
Why did he – ohh, the name!
So, that Benjamin, huh? She couldn’t recall too much about him, neither especially good nor bad. But now she was curious how the Slytherin had picked the Hufflepuff’s interest. But that was a conversation for later, if Caine was willing to share.
She scribbled on the parchment 'You could have also sat with him, if you preferred that?' and handed it back to Caine.
Benjamin stepped into the Potions classroom, his robes swishing gently around his legs as he surveyed the room. With determined steps, he made his way towards his usual spot, right before Professor Snape's desk.
In doing so, he had to pass Caine and Llyod, who were already there. Did Benji really take so much time at breakfast?
''Hey,'' Benjamin greeted Caine softly, giving the Hufflepuff a smile. He nodded at Llyod but he couldn't help if his expression soured slightly at the sight of the two of them being friendly. He had noticed their friendship growing closer (and with the other Hufflepuff who had an army of brothers and sisters). A pang of jealousy tugged at his chest, though he refused to admit it to himself.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Benjamin opened his backpack at his seat to retrieve his potions textbook, only to discover a folded note tucked between its contents. One that he definitely did not put there. His eyebrows furrowed as he reached for the unexpected message, his curiosity piqued. Suspicion tinged his confusion as he unfolded the note, revealing neatly penned words that spoke of his smile.
Confused and wary, Benji looked around the classroom, his eyes darting from one student to another. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was some sort of prank, a ploy to mock him. Who would leave such a note, and why? His mind raced with possibilities, his thoughts weaving intricate webs of suspicion.
His mind immediately leaped to a certain Hufflepuff. Benji wondered if Caine could be the secret admirer behind the note. The idea played with his thoughts, a flicker of hope mingled with doubt.
But as Benji pondered the possibility, he couldn't help but wonder if his assumption was simply wishful thinking. He knew he lacked concrete evidence to attribute the note to Caine, and the logical part of him urged caution. It could be anyone and it was more likely it was just a prank anyway, possibly from a Gryffindor.
The more he considered the situation, the less certain he became. Benjamin's thoughts became entangled in a web of speculation, unable to discern the truth.
With a sigh, Benjamin reluctantly set aside his assumptions. It was unwise to jump to conclusions without substantial evidence. He briefly played with mentioning the note to Caine, but discarded the thought. It wouldn't do to mess up whatever they had with awkward hopeful fancies.
Re-folding the note, Benjamin tucked it safely beside his grandmother's letter. Regardless of its origins, prank or not, the message had still brightened his day, even if only momentarily.
Benjamin redirected his attention to the upcoming lesson. Despite being quite good at it, Potions was a difficult subject nonetheless. Amara's early torture didn't help at all and if he messed up in anyway, he felt comfortable in blaming his Quidditch captain.
He was passing his notes to Amber, feeling the familiar tingle of conspiracy between them as he watched said Slytherin enter the classroom.
"Hey, Benji." He responded with a wave, flashing him a smile in return as he passed by, heading to his usual spot at the front of the class - another testament to his bravery.
I'd be too distracted. I don't need detention today. Plus! He sits up front. No thank you.
He wrote the note back to her quickly with a mischievous smile. The last thing he needed was Professor Snape smacking him in the back of the head. Caine had faced him on his own before and was working on getting access to the charm breaking book he had... but it was taking time and he didn't want to end up in his ill graces when he was working toward something.
He glanced around for Joshua and frowned when he didn't see him before he shrugged, heading his class notes quickly and waiting with an impatient leg bounce for the start of class. He could doodle more notes, he could figure everything out... but as he looked at the spine of his textbook he sighed.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Jun 5, 2023 3:53:26 GMT 10
“Morning, Tinkle.“ Reena left one seat empty as she joined her fellow prefect in the middle row - not her usual seat in the front where Benjamin was as well.
Her unusual choice of seating was soley for prefect purposes of course and had nothing to do with wanting to avoid Lindsey (or hoping Arthur would take the seat between her and Oscar.
“Big night tonight,“ her tone was dry, which may make her sound ironic, eventhough she meant it. “What are you doing after class? If you aren’t set on spending the whole day on leisure time, I was wondering if you would like to have a duel with me? Keep our wits sharp.“
Not that she was expecting any severe trouble on their prefect patrol per se, but the front page article combined with Antoninus‘ warning had her nervous. What better way to calm her mind than a friendly duel with a competent opponent to hone her skill?
She still had Oscar‘s skill in high regard after their duel at the tournament last year.
Reena took out her potion’s notebook and put her ink bottle onto the too right corner of the desk, next to the dungeon wall.
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Jun 5, 2023 4:22:25 GMT 10
Taking the empty seat next to Amber, Joshua stared silently ahead for a while, his gaze focused on nothing in particular until he noticed that he had zoned out staring at Haywood‘s very blond head.
Huh. His thoughts had been with his dad as well as lingering on conversation with his twin brother.
He snapped back to reality and glanced towards Caine and Amber, doing a double take at the former.
“You know, it might be a tad late for tricking Snape into giving you the Slytherin benefit in this class, mate.“
Joshua grinned, yet gave Caine a quizzical look. When had he acquired his new accessory? And more importantly, had he gone mental qearing it to Snape‘s class?
“I‘d put it in my bag if I were you,“ he leaned over to whisper.
He could not have Caine in detention today. They had plans after all. Nevermind Joshua did not feel like going out. Spending time with his friends should take his mind off of things. However, he did feel guilty about it, too.
But he could probably do nothing but fiddle his thumbs anyway.
“What‘s going on with you two, anyway?“, he asked. “We still on for Hogsmeade, right?“
Joshua cast a glance towards the door, as though Snape might bust in at any moment to take house points from him for daring make after class plans before class had even begun.
Post by Oscar Tinkle on Jun 5, 2023 4:55:11 GMT 10
Oscar was content to spend the time before class quietly doodling tiny little dragons in the corner of his note parchment. He had not thought that anyone would try to speak to him, not in the potions classroom.
So he was quite surprised to hear his name and even more surprised to look over to see Reena Ashworth of all people at the same desk as him. She.. didn’t normally sit there, right?
He quickly glanced around the room to see if the rest of the places were taken, but no. She had apparently just decided to sit by him. Weird.
Oscar discovered why only moments later and found, all of a sudden, that he would like to go back to bed, please. Even with the package from home, his day was surely no longer salvageable.
Sure, he had been building his confidence up to try duelling again, and had actually planned to find someone to train with that afternoon. Unfortunately his plan to find someone to duel had not meant her. He’d have to be crazy, right?
Even more unfortunately, Oscar also was not the best at saying no to people. Especially not when the request sounded so simple to someone that didn’t know.
So yes. Oscar was currently looking a bit pale and wondering if attending Hogwarts had really been the best decision, because right then he thought not.
“Morning.” He greeted her. Because he was polite, not just to stall for a little bit more time.
“I-.. I have some plants to deal with.. in the greenhouse,” he said, because a trip down there would keep him alive for a little while longer. “But, um.. after that, I was planning to practise duelling.”
Oh Merlin, was he really agreeing to this?
“So, sure,” he nodded, mentally urging his mouth to shut up. “I guess.”
With that agreed to, and immediately regretted, Oscar went back to his doodling. He never thought that he would actually wish for potions to have started faster.
Amber chuckled as she read the second note from Caine. True, front row in Snape’s class? Never!
She smiled as Joshua joined them at their table, although he seemed a bit more quiet than usual. Maybe the Dungeons had also gotten to him…
She blinked at his mention of the Slytherin scarf. Because she had seen Caine already earlier with it, she already got used to the sight of it. But showing it in front of Snape? Not a good idea…
“He has a point,” Amber agreed in a low voice, while leaning back a little so Joshua could talk more easily to Caine.
And there the next question was. That sounded like … he didn’t tell Joshua yet? He did tell her first? Why?
Amber glanced at Caine, then to Josh. Then... how much was she allowed to say?
After a short look around, seeing if the coast was still clear, she started to explain.
“I’m in! But it seems Caine has already other plans. You’ll have to make do with only me,” she whispered, but couldn’t prevent a grin. Grinning because of Caine's reason, but also in anticipation for going together to Hogsmeade.
The rest of the conversation was up to Caine.
Last Edit: Jun 5, 2023 5:17:03 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
There he was! Caine beamed at Joshua when he joined them, but faded at the comment about the scarf. Caine's hand went to the scarf around his neck absently before he sighed and pulled it off, folding it neatly and putting it into his bag. He'd wear it after class... and in class on a day that... wasn't today.
"That's not why I-" he cut himself off before he finished his sentence, brushing the words away. He didn't wear the scarf to try to be a Slytherin, he knew his house and he fit in well with Hufflepuff. But his friend was up in the front of the class and not with them so it was a good to be reminded of your friends... right?
When asked about the Hogsmeade plans, Caine winced.
"I was talking to Amber about that this morning, actually..." he responded honestly, "I didn't see you in the Great Hall so I didn't know how to address it." he lowered his voice to a whisper, making sure only his two friends heard him.
"I want to go out with someone. I don't know if they feel the same way but I got their scarf and we were supposed to hang out anyway. I'm sorry... I don't want to abandon you guys but I really like this person, too..."
He felt like the worst friend in the world but... he wanted to try this, at least.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Jun 5, 2023 5:42:43 GMT 10
With the Prophet tucked under her arm, Lindsey walked into the Potion's class room and moved on past the last row and middle row as she pulled out a notebook specifically for Potions. As she flipped to find a clear page, she walked in front of the desk and around, sitting on the right side of the desk. Once she was settled, she looked up and noticed Benjamin at the same table with her.
"Good Morning," she said quietly before she pulled out a hairband and quickly braided her hair with ease along both sides of her head. This left her with two braids and it was clear how comfortable she was with doing it herself. With the notebook opened, she had her quill out ready to take notes and her wand laying by her right hand so she could use it when needed.
Lindsey was excited to start this class, as it was essential to her future as a healer.
"Morning," Benjamin greeted Lindsey with a small smile, glad to see her sitting at the same desk as him. From what he recalled, she was pretty good at Potions too, so if Seabrook's drills left him off kilter, she could help. With some luck, Professor Snape wouldn't have to say anything against it.
Then again, they were sitting right before his desk, so Benji's plan had some minor isuses. Benji noticed Lindsey putting her hair in braids and as he was looking at her dextrous hands, ran his own through his blond locks. They were getting a bit long, perhaps he should cut it soon?
With a practiced motion, he retrieved his parchment and ink bottle, carefully arranging them on the desk in front of him. He dipped his quill into the ink bottle, the tip glistening with dark ink as he jotted down the class name and made some doodles at the corners.
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Jun 5, 2023 6:30:07 GMT 10
Joshua was confused when his joke seemed to go right over Caine‘s head. His friend got … defensive over it somehow.
Yikes. Joshua must have hit a nerve there.
“Plans?“, he echoed and glanced at Amber. Caine was canceling on them for other plans?
Ouch.
Joshua could feel his expression darken and he glanced away before his friends could see he was disappointed.
Not that he did not enjoy Amber’s company alone, he probably wouldn’t have even flinched on any other day, but today he felt fragile, like a freshly laid egg without its shell.
“Yeah, I heard you were gone before I was there.“
His voice sounded more cutting than he had anticipated. He wasn’t completely in control of it, as he now noticed while Caine started to explain himself.
The actual explanation however, made him pause.
Any semblance of anger in him seemed to have turned into air, leaving him with nothing but guilt.
His gaze flickered towards Haywood again, who had a suspicious lack of scarf this morning. But then again, that did not mean anything and most students had more than one house scarf.
It could be anyone of those Slytherins, and his gaze wandered to Lindsey and lastly Reena Ashworth, who was sitting at a table with Oscar.
Feeling a little sting, Joshua figured it could even be someone not from their class.
But why hadn’t Caine told him first? He had thought they had that kind of relationship.
But then again, he himself had not told Caine about his crush last year, having been too embarrassed and conflicted about it.
So maybe he was mistaken. Maybe they weren’t as good friends as he‘d thought they were. Apparently Amber was easier to talk to about this than he was.
“Go out, like … on a date?“, he asked for clarification.
It felt weird. Trying to imagine Caine on a date. Just weird.
Nonetheless, he nodded and shrugged as he pulled back and then sprawled out on his part of the table, closing his eyes, as he was feeling tired.
“They‘d be stupid, not to like you,“ he muttered.
He decided not to tell his friends about the news about his dad he had received. No need to make this about himself now and make Caine feel bad for like-liking someone.
Last Edit: Jun 5, 2023 6:42:37 GMT 10 by Joshua Twiggs: news part.
He flinched a little at the tone Joshua used. It was a lot sharper than he'd thought it would be when he found out. He was wounded at the tone but bit back any retort that would only serve to explode the situation. They were in Potions class, after all.
Fighting would only bring Snape upon them like the Boogeyman. His Hufflepuff senses would tingle and he'd be like Dracula. No, no thank you. Instead he simply nodded.
"I was with Amber. I told the guy that usually sits next to you to tell you!" he whispered the argument but other than that, acknowledged he was in the wrong. He should have waited... but he'd been trying to find the courage to say something to someone since it all started.
"Yes... like a date. But I don't think Benji knows that I like him that way so shhh." he was talking in a hushed whisper to Joshua and even if they were quiet so was the whole class. Just because Snape wasn't here yet didn't mean lurking was off the table.
He watched Josh sprawl on the table, closing his eyes and he cocked his head to the side, a worried look at Amber. They'd be stupid not to like him? What did that even mean?! The room felt heavy but he wanted to fix it. What was going on?
"Are you ok, mate?" he whispered, pocketing the compliment in his mind for later but... still he worried. Josh looked tired and Caine didn't like that look. He'd have to buy him candy to make up for it.
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