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 event is available for 4th years and above only -- intended to help with those struggling with the Potion-Making Icons, or who have ambitions to continue Potions into O.W.L / N.E.W.T year but may be lacking the skill level to start the Potions Extra-Curriculum Quest.
The thread lasts about a day, and is for educative purposes.
The Training Grounds was sheltered from the snow, under a large cloth / tarp thing. Any snow on the ground was melted, bringing back the lush green of the lawn that they'd already begun to miss. It wasn't so much a magical consideration, but rather because of the heat from various cauldrons.
Several counters were set up, with Pewter cauldrons and the usual things one might find in the Potions Classroom. Just far less complicated. There was a storage cupboard nearby, but everything was far less intimidating or overwhelming as one may be used to.
It was also strange yet oddly reassuring to be out in the open. Sure, it was cold, but area was well-lit by the bright wintry backdrop and overhead sky. There were jars of icky things lining the area, and even Professor Snape seemed a bit more at ease.
He stood off to the side, talking to Professor Hathmore who'd stopped by out of curiosity. When students starred to arrive, Hathmore left -- and Snape told everyone to pick a cauldron and be quiet.
'I suspect many of you ventured out into this absurdly cold landscape purely out of necessity, because you thus far lack the adequate ability to succeed in my class,' Professor Snape said. 'If you wish to gain confident for facing your Potions O.W.Ls or N.E.W.Ts, then you've made the correct decision to forgo senseless dawdling and frog playtime to be here.'
He gestured to the cauldrons in front of them.
'Now then, who here is brave enough to admit a particular struggle or task they find especially difficult when brewing a potion?' Snape eyed the students, daring them to raise their hand and give him something to work with. 'Measurements? Temperature? Ingredient quantity? Well? Don't be shy.'
Post by Oscar Tinkle on Nov 2, 2023 2:43:19 GMT 10
Oscar had been well on his way down to the dungeons, having taken in 'potions' that morning and then not bothered with the details because it was potions, right? Snape wouldn't go and change things up too much, not when he was presumably already being forced into giving a remedial class during the holidays.
Oscar had presumed wrong, because apparently attending a holiday potions class was not bad enough. Apparently Snape was trying to kill them with snow too, how kind of him.
He had been fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how he looked at it) to run into some other students that had been talking about Remedial Potions and wondering about it being outside.
Oscar had been confused for a long moment - was that a prank of some sort? Potions outside? - before he found his words enough to stammer out a question to clarify.
It turned out that he had heard right, and Potions really was to be held outside. Weird.
He thanked the students and then turned to head back in the direction that he had come from. All the while he wondered if Potions was really worth more time outside. Did he really need to pass the OWL?
Yeah, he decided, he did. Even if it was just to avoid having to tell Nonna that he had completely tanked a whole subject.
Oscar tugged his winter cloak more firmly around himself as he once again hit the outdoors and followed the path that he had been told to. He fully expected a miserable afternoon of standing around in the snow as Professor Snape talked potions at them.
So he was pleasantly surprised when he reached the Training Grounds and was met with glorious green grass instead.
Grass! Oh how he had nearly forgotten what that looked like.
With the addition of a protective tarp over them, Oscar decided that he could almost forgive Professor Snape for holding the thing outside. Almost. It was still cold after all.
He claimed a cauldron, making sure that he was not pushed towards the front ones like a sacrifice as he did so. He wanted to learn something, sure, but not enough to face the intimidation that was being right in front of Snape.
His cauldron claimed, one a safe distance from the front, and Oscar quietly waited for the session to begin. His only movements were a slight shifting back and to of his feet. Not enough to draw attention, but he was worried about becoming an ice sculpture if he stayed still outside for too long.
Not even the warmth that various cauldrons gave off was enough to dispel that particular worry.
The session started soon enough, so Oscar focused on the Professor in an attempt to take in all that he said.
Only to nearly get distracted fairly quickly just from the introduction.
Frog playtime? Where? Had the Grenish Frogs come out to play, or was it some other creature? What was he missing by trying to be a good student?
Not for the first time in his life, Oscar mentally cursed Potions.
Oh! Right. Potions.
He tuned back into what Professor Snape was saying, just in time to hear him ask for which tasks people found difficult. Oh, Merlin, where did he start there?
It was going to be a long afternoon, considering the fact that he felt like he struggled with all of it. And if he wanted the right answers then he was going to have to raise his hand and actually ask the questions.
Dear Merlin, hiding in his room under a pile of blankets was looking more tempting by the minute.
Instead of running away to do that though, Oscar slowly, and slightly reluctantly, raised his hand. He did not want to draw Professor Snape’s attention to himself, or to admit all of his struggles, but answers were answers.
“Comprehending the instructions, Sir,” he said after waiting for any indication that he had permission to speak. He felt like an idiot, but still he powered on in trying to explain a struggle. “When, for example, a step says, um.. ‘Add chopped-’, then lists multiple ingredients.. Are they both chopped or does it just mean the, uh, the first one?”
He ducked his head once he had finished asking the easiest to explain of his struggles. His cheeks were red, for reasons other than the cold. He couldn’t believe that he was admitting out loud to multiple students how bad he was at reading and understanding things.
Oscar wished that the ground would open up right there and just take him away. He had a feeling the afternoon was only going to get worse from there too.
'Yes, comprehending the English language does appear to be of great difficulty for you, Tinkle,' Professor Snape said, causing a few hushed giggles. 'Perhaps you ought to try again? If you could provide a more coherent example of such an instruction?'
Despite what his students may believe, he did not host this event simply to berate them -- however, Oscar was not making it easy on him to remain neutral. The Hufflepuff could at least make something up; a complete line of a potential instruction that confuses him regarding chopping ingredients.
Snape did glare at any lingering gigglers though. They were there to learn, and none of them had any right to mock or laugh at Oscar's struggle when they too had shown up for this session. In fact, seeing who they were... it was like a pepper calling a tomato spicy.
Post by Oscar Tinkle on Nov 2, 2023 4:12:40 GMT 10
Boy was he right about his afternoon getting worse. He had hoped that it would have taken longer than five seconds to sink to new lows though.
But no, the Professor launched straight into mocking his ability to understand English. If that didn’t flash him straight back to childhood summers and his older cousin calling him names, calling him stupid, making out that he was beyond help, whenever he mixed up words in Italian.. Then he didn’t know what would.
Worse somehow though, was when some of the crowd giggled about it. It may have only been a few people, but right then it felt like the whole crowd of students was pointing and laughing loudly at him.
He was only going to be known as the school idiot by dinnertime, he just knew it.
Forget going to hide away under his blankets. He wanted to go and hide deep under the lake. Who even cared about the cold anymore?
And yet, instead of disappearing into nothingness like he wished, he was still expected to somehow find the words, find the confidence, to speak up in front of everyone again.
“If-.. If the, um, instructions,” he tried, unable to drag his eyes from where they were fastened on the tip of his shoe. “If the instructions say, uh..-” He racked his memory but came up blank of any actual potion recipes. Did he make something up? Would people notice?
Professor Snape probably would. He probably knew every recipe that there was. And knowing Oscar’s luck he would pick a combination that would explode or create some kind of toxic gas.
Everyone was staring, he knew they were. He had to say something!
“If it says ‘add chopped nettles and tarrow’,” he finally blurted out, not knowing if those particular ingredients fit an actual potion or not. “Are they both, uh.. chopped? Or just the, uh.. just the nettles?”
Though he had finally got an example out, he was well aware that he had not managed to instil any confidence in his voice. Probably because he had none.
He really hoped that the Professor did not make him try again. He would just take not getting an answer at that point. Then he could quietly disappear from the session. Or the school. The country? Yeah, that last one sounded like the best option.
He would talk his parents into thinking that a change of scenery was a good idea. Somehow. New Zealand was probably far enough away.
Post by William Doren on Nov 2, 2023 4:20:04 GMT 10
William had no idea if he wanted to take Potions into N.E.W.T level but he wanted to pass his O.W.L at the very least.
Remedial Potions, as a title, left a bad taste in his mouth because he didn't think he was so terrible that he was falling behind the rest of his year group. Still, he had come to join the additional lesson and tried to consider it a last minute learning opportunity before the Christmas Holidays.
He stood behind a cauldron and awaited for Professor Snape to begin.
William just hoped his Head of House wasn't going to be disappointed or annoyed to see a Slytherin in attendance. It was hard to tell with him, sometimes.
As Oscar Tinkle spoke up, William glanced between the Potions Master and the Hufflepuff who wasn't too far from him. He was brave enough to admit he was struggling with something. William had been called brave by Kamari Sagemore for tackling the Nettles the previous day...
His hand shot up and William awaited his turn to be called up and then he spoke, "Sir, I struggle with Ingredient Quantity. Sometimes a recipe will say, for example, roughly powder three of something. Should I do the three together as one task or do them individually?"
He hoped he own question made sense and he wouldn't be berated for his command of the English language.
It was bad enough he had to ask something but active participation probably counted for something and, well, he was here to learn after all.
Post by Cynthia Rushton on Nov 2, 2023 6:18:40 GMT 10
"All of it-" Cynthia muttered crossly, rubbing her arms. The Quidditch refresher had been fun. Remedial potions didn't seem like it was going to be enjoyable at all-
But her grandmother had written her to insist she take part, and. Well. What grandmother wanted, grandmother often got, at least where Cynthia was concerned.
And especially since she had been the one to pay for the fancy dress robes Cynthia would be wearing to the Founder's Ball tonight.
"Sir, for me it's the timing. I try to get it precise, and somehow I keep getting seconds added in, no matter how carefully I time it..."
Professor Snape raised an impatient eyebrow, but waited for Oscar to get his thoughts arranged into words. It still wasn't eloquent, but at least this time it made more sense what he was referring to. Snape knew not to assume with this lot.
And there was a lot less to giggle about once more students rise their hands -- especially when a majority of them were Slytherins. Those who'd found Oscar's shortcomings amusing were quite effectively put in their place by that.
'Let us work through the tasks,' Snape said, indicating for them to use the storage cupboard nearby. 'Gather two roots, three dried herbs, and a vial of mushroom juice.'
Completely unlike any classroom lesson they'd experienced before, the Professor himself set a cauldron up on his counter. Few had ever actually witnessed the esteemed Potions Master brew something, but even he knew that some students simply worked best with visual aides.
'This is a simple tonic, with minimal consequence should you get it wrong -- though that would be quite a feat of foolishness to accomplish when spoonfed a precise demonstration,' Snape continued. 'We'll work through the steps together. Pay attention. First, gently heat the cauldron. Then, add two chopped roots.'
Professor Snape worked effortlessly. He adjusted the heat without even having to look, then retrieved a knife from the tools off to the side -- his counter was set up the same as theirs, just mirrored. He chopped one root, then set it aside. He chopped the other root; two instances, as Oscar had wondered.
'A single action for multiple ingredients are still separate tasks,' he explained while working. 'Unless the instructions say to combine them, you must chop each on its own and keep them separate. And then, each is added in turn to the cauldron.'
He added the first chopped root batch, then the second. Some worked alongside him, copying each of his movements, and others waited for the pause to them rely on memory. Whichever option they preferred or worked best for them, Professor Snape paused to allow them the time to complete the step. He kept a keen gaze on the group for any mistakes.
He also noted down the next steps, to address the other issues his Slytherin students had brought up.
Step 1: Gently heat the cauldron. Add two chopped roots.
Insert the Potion-Making Icons into your post, as you would a class thread, by following the step above. This applies to all future steps or tasks assigned by Professor Snape during this event. Students may come and go as they please; steps can be missing or done out of order.
Post by William Doren on Nov 2, 2023 17:10:23 GMT 10
William stood up a bit straighter as Professor Snape began to instruct them on the Potion... Along with them? He couldn't recall a time ever seeing the esteemed Potions Master brewing himself and was very intrigued.
He gathered the ingredients and a knife as instructed and listened as Professor Snape explained the process.
It was easy for William to get muddled or overwhelmed with Potions -- it wasn't like he could memorise the recipe ahead of time for class when he didn't know what it was. Of course, once he had done it, there was no way for him to know where he went wrong either.
This often left him frustrated so he wanted to pay attention today and hopefully eliminate the majority of his concerns.
He added water to his cauldron and put it on to a gentle heat. William then took two roots and chopped them, one at a time, before they were added to his cauldron -- again, one at a time.
Once he was done with those steps, William waited for Professor Snape's next instruction.
Post by Arthur Hocking on Nov 2, 2023 22:32:30 GMT 10
Arthur had stayed quiet, mostly because he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing wrong. This was remedial potions, after all. Perhaps Professor Snape knew what they were having trouble with and just wanted them to say it. The problem was that Arthur thought he was doing things properly. Maybe it was just too Muggle-y.
Regardless, Arthur was here to learn. He had to know how to follow the instructions, otherwise he'd never make it as an OWL potions student. And he was really hoping he could, even if he wasn't sure he'd need it. It was odd that Arthur had always aspired to have Professor Snape at least not frown at the sight of him.
Maybe improving himself with Remedial Potions was the way to do it. He watched Professor Snape, doing his best to do things in exactly the same way.
Last Edit: Nov 2, 2023 23:40:05 GMT 10 by Lena: Icons need to be centered
Post by Oscar Tinkle on Nov 2, 2023 23:07:01 GMT 10
Though other students began to ask questions too, taking the attention off of his shortcomings, Oscar was still a bundle of nerves that would prefer to pretend that he did not exist for the moment.
He did not get that wish. Instead he had to join the crowd to collect some ingredients.
Oscar kept his head down as he did that, avoiding eye contact with anyone lest they felt the need to ridicule him.
His ingredients gathered, along with a knife, he moved back to his cauldron. At least when he was stood there he could not hear if people whispered about his failures.
In reality there was probably no one talking about him, but try telling that to Oscar's mind right then. That particular battle was one that was already lost.
At least by the time the Professor started to instruct them he managed to raise his eyes high enough to watch. So that was a small win for the moment. And his reward was the somehow strange sight of watching Professor Snape brew a potion.
Oscar was not quite sure why it was strange. When he thought of Snape, he thought of potions. Yet the sight of the Professor actually behind a cauldron and demonstrating the process, it was unexpected.
Strangeness aside, Oscar copied the Professor’s motions. His cauldron was set up, the heat turned to low. One root was chopped and set aside, a second root chopped and then each one added in turn.
He was not sure if that answered his biggest confusion, but it was helpful nonetheless. And who knew, maybe it did answer what he needed and he was just being daft again. Was the Professor saying in a roundabout way that it did not matter if it was two different ingredients or not, two ingredients written like that was still treated the same?
Oscar decided that maybe it did. Maybe he would try that next time a recipe was written like that.
If he failed the potion then he failed the potion. It would just prove that he really was not cut out for brewing them, but he suspected that already.
'The same principal applies to powdering ingredients, as to keep each sample separate unless combining them is specified,' Professor Snape continued, moving onto the dried herbs. 'Despite the herbs being the same, we must powder one then empty the Pestle -- removing all traces from it, then powdered the next one. This is essential for accurate quantity.'
He demonstrated that too, though a few were envious of how quickly Snape proceeded through the steps. An experienced adult preparing a potion was certainly different from their efforts, for for those who were quite skilled at the task.
'Powder the herb, set it aside, then repeat. Three dried herbs; three instances,' Snape clarified. 'Then we are to individually add them to the cauldron. Ingredients should always be prepared before they are added, even if powdered separately or the instructions are worded in reverse.'
With each dried herb powdered, he began adding each batch one by one.
'Do not become complacent with stirring your cauldron; use a full, circular motion,' Snape said, retrieving a metal stirring rod. There was something soothing about watching him work, despite his sharp tone and unimpressed look.
The whole vibe was completely different from Potions class, especially when they were outside -- with the snowy landscape and the towering castle as backdrops.
Step 2: Roughly powder three dried herbs, and add them to the cauldron. Stir twice clockwise.
Post by Oscar Tinkle on Nov 3, 2023 0:06:08 GMT 10
Oscar tried his hardest to follow along with Professor Snape’s actions, but it very much felt like a blink and he was ten steps behind situation. Nevermind that there were not ten steps being done.
He thought that he may have figured out what the Professor was explaining with their second step though, so he tentatively began to roughly powder his first dried herb.
Once that one seemed to be the correct level of powdered, Oscar stared at the Professor’s hands for a moment, his brows furrowed as he tried to check what the man was doing.
When he was fairly reassured that he had it right, he set his first lot of powder to the side and then, once he had a clean pestle, began on the second dried herb. That seemed to be what the Professor was getting at for their second step, or at least Oscar hoped that was what he had meant.
If it was right or not, Oscar repeated his actions until he had three piles of powdered dried herb. With the three lots powdered, he then proceeded to add each batch one at a time, counting under his breath as he did so. On the off chance that he had gained or lost a pile somehow.
Three piles accounted for and added to his cauldron, and Oscar picked up his stirring rod.
What had the Professor said? Full, circular motions, right.
Oscar gave his mixture two clockwise stirs. He tried to keep his movements as smooth and as circular as he could, attempting to imitate the Professor’s movements.
With that he was done with the second step of the brew and, hoping that he had not managed to mess it up, silently waited for the next instructions.
Last Edit: Nov 3, 2023 1:07:44 GMT 10 by Oscar Tinkle
'Liquids may seem different from regular ingredients, but the principals are the same,' Professor Snape continued, pausing briefly to check the time. 'Do not allow the different terminology to confuse you. Three spoonfuls is simply a form of measurement. They are then added consecutively, not individually.'
Students shared confused glances, but watched as he demonstrated the measuring then the adding as two tasks.
'Timing can make or blow a potion,' he said, preparing a timer. 'We time each second, minute, or hour accordingly and with great care. Do not confuse this with allowing a potion to sit, even if a time is specified. A sitting potion may be left; a timed potion must be watched.'
He waited for the timer to signal three minutes were up, then fluidly stirred the cauldron. It steamed a little, even as the heat was turned off. It dissipated quickly. Professor Snape left them to finish up on their own -- hoping they weren't such dunderheads as to need a reminder that they had to wave their wand first to complete the potion then begin ladling and cleaning.
Step 3: Add three spoonful's of mushroom juice. After three minutes, stir clockwise once then turn off heat. Ladle your potion into a vial, and clean your workspace.
After celebrating with her friends, Amber had actually decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to train her potions skill more before going to the ball with them - then she would have at least done something for school today (although she normally was more the 'mostly have fun'-type).
The setup of this potions remedial was rather interesting: no Dungeon, yet cauldrons on grass beneath the sky! Well, beneath a large tent or so, but it didn't feel so suffocating anymore.
Why couldn't they have these lessons all the time like that?
She guessed the setup for real potions class would be too complicated for an outdoor class, and perhaps Snape just liked the Dungeons that much.
Amber nodded to her classmates in greeting, but quickly went to gather her own cauldron and ingredients.
She took a thorough look over the instructions, before she filled her cauldron with water, putting it over one of the burners at a counter, taking her time to get the fire going. She really was no fan of that part....
While the water was heating up, Amber grabbed two roots, chopped them into equal sizes, before she added them into her cauldron after each other.
Next was dried herbs?
Amber collected them and a set of pestle and mortar, roughly grinding down the first portion of herbs, followed by two others. Only then she added all three portions to her cauldron. Quickly, she grabbed a stirring rod with both her hands and made a fluid motion clockwise, exactly two times.
[OOC: Permission for mentioning celebration]
Last Edit: Nov 3, 2023 5:19:44 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
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