Herbology ((Beginners))

[Professor Pomona Sprout]

Pomona lifted her gaze toward the ceiling where her precious umbrella sized flowers hung in Greenhouse 3. She had reluctantly allowed the Beginners to work in Greenhouse 3 today because of an unfortunate flood in Greenhouse 1. Pomona didn’t mind all that much, just as long as she kept the more dangerous plants locked up. She nodded in satisfaction of how well the flowers were turning out, and looked around the greenhouse. Today’s Beginners were going to be dealing with Mandrakes. Of course, the previous first, second and third years had done the same thing but Mandrakes were always a good lesson to do in that year. They had come in handy six years ago when the attacks had made themselves abundant at Hogwarts; it was always good to be prepared for whatever came their way. Naturally Pomona was still a little disbelieving that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was dead… actually dead… because she had seen him die and rise again many a time before. She didn’t like to think about it, but it had popped into her mind uninvitingly. Pomona sighed to herself and crossed the distance to the rows of bins that would be used for the planting. 50 or so Mandrakes were wriggling in the soil they were currently plotted in, and beside the bins were ear muffs. She had upgraded from the pink fuzzy ones to all black ear muffs that were charmed to keep out all sound. She hadn’t had a student pass out since Neville Longbottom (a lad who had the knack for Herbology that Pomona hadn’t seen in anyone before him) had in his second year. Then again, Neville had passed out from shock, not from the squalling of the Mandrakes.

It was a frightfully sunny day that could make most people smile if they weren’t too busy worrying about the honking daffodils getting a bit too much sun and going completely crazy. Pomona fidgeted with her hat as she checked on the Mandrakes which were continuing to wriggle in their dragon dung compost. She had simply forgotten to go out and get some mooncalf dung the previous week (for there had been sightings by Hagrid that there was a Mooncalf dancing around near his hut), which was a pity because Mooncalf dung always worked as the best fertilizer. She would have to find out when the next full moon was and collect the dung then, hopefully enough to make for some excellent fertilizer. Pomona looked up as the first group of students sidled in, chatting about their previous class or what they planned to do over the weekend. She gave them a semi-warm smile and motioned to the bins, as if to tell them without words that they were to take a place beside one. Once the greenhouse had filled and the door was closed, Pomona smiled even more warmly and fidgeted with her hat again. “Welcome to Greenhouse 3! For some…er… unfortunate reasons, we will not be using Greenhouse 1 today and I thought it would be an opportunity we wouldn’t want to waste.” She traced the bin closest to her with a gloved finger and tapped it once before looking at the class again.

“Today, we are going to be repotting Mandrakes. Mandrakes are these lovely darlings in the bins in front of you. I trust there are three to each bin? Yes… yes… good. Now, who can tell me what a mandrake does or what it is used for?” Pomona looked around the room at each student, the wriggling green tops of the Mandrakes being the only movement in the greenhouse.

((The first person to post may answer.))

[Darren Gibbs S1]

"Potions, Check,
DADA, Check,
Transfiguration, not quite Check,
Charms, nowhere near Check"
were Darrens thoughts as he went through the homework list he had stored in his head-a good memory was a great skill. And it was due to his memory that he was now on his way to Greenhouse 3 for his Herbology lesson, and not Greenhouse 1 where he was accustomed to going to, after a rather dull History of Magic lesson. Herbology was far from his favourite subject, and equally far from his best, but he was somewhat excited about todays lesson, as he had heard from older students that Greenhouse 3 was where the dangerous plants were kept. So the combination of partially looking forward to this lesson and wanting to get out of the stuffy History of Magic lesson as quickly as possible, he ended up being the first to arrive.

Nodding a polite hello to Professor Sprout, he took his textbook out of his bag, and then had a look at the plantpots infront of him. There was some sort of strange plant in there, and as it was bound to be somewhat dangerous-this was Greenhouse 3, afterall-he looked it up in the textbook as some other students arrived. It was apparently a Mandrake-a creature that screamed so loudly it could kill someone if they heard it. Well, that explained the supply of earmuffs in the box besite the desk.

Once some other students arrived, Sprout asked the class what the creature was and what it did and its uses. Darren put his hand up, and waited until he could answer the question. After waiting for a while, he answered as much as he knew.

"When a mandrake is taken out of the soil, it screams extremely powerfully-so powerfully in fact it could make the average human faint, or even in extreme circumstances die, unless they have protected ears. As for it's uses, it's a powerful resorative. It's a part in many antidotes, and they can also be made into a potion to restore cursed or transfigured people to their original state."

[Zeak Nitesh G2]

Zeak usually was one of the last people out of a class. Mainly because he wanted to skip the made rush and not get bulldozed over, but this was a Potions class and Professor Snape had exceptionally hard on him today. So it was even a shock to Zeak that he tore out of the classroom like a bullet and was one of the first students to fill the hall. He rounded a corner and stopped and sighed, trying to catch his breath. Thankfully Potions was over and he had the whole weekend left to him to recover from the lesson. All that was left for the day was Herbology. Zeak set off, hugging the wall and making his way along the halls until he was outside. Once outside he was met with some trouble. Zeak had remembered the way to Greenhouse 1 early on in his stay at Hogwarts. Only today they were having the lesson in Greenhouse 3, a place Zeak had never been.

Zeak bit his lip and hung by the door trying to figure out what to do when the answer passed by him. A group of girls made their way out of the castle and began to move along the courtyard. Zeak recognized their voices since they enjoyed talking during class and he knew they had the same class as him. Sighing in relief Zeak set off after the group and followed them to Greenhouse 3. Pushing open the door he moved into the room slowly, hoping its design was the same as Greenhouse 1. After finding the tables and finding a spot he set his stick down and pulled out his Herbology gear. He listened as Professor Sprout asked the class a question and listened to a boy answer. Zeak felt the bins in front of him curiously, wondering what exactly they would be doing today for this lesson.

[Sora Dadlus H1]

Sora had followed Zeak out of the school and into the green house. He sat down next to Zeak and listened to the boy answer the professors question. He leanded in and wispered. "Carful Zeak don't pull those out yet. There mandrakes. You could be nocked out cold if you pull these babys out with out ear protiton." Sora said smiling at him

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony wound up the stairs to her dormitory, casting a quick glance at her watch to note the time. Nodding contentedly, she entered the currently empty room and sidled over to her bed, dropping her school bag beside it. Using a spell to extract the notes from her previous lesson, Defence Against The Dark Arts, and summoning the books needed for Herbology with Professor Sprout, who also happened to be the head of her house, Harmony quietly packed her bag with a pleasant smile on her face. It had been an uneventful day so far. Shouldering her now-heavier bag, Harmony stepped towards the window and peered out in interest, wondering what the weather was like at the moment, seeing as she would be heading out to the greenhouses. Greenhouse 3, if she remembered correctly, because apparently something had occurred in their usual classroom, Greenhouse 1. Harmony’s smile grew as she saw the bright skies, happy about the good weather. Pleased, she headed out, her mind wondering what today’s lesson would be about.

Exiting the castle, Harmony gazed once more at the skies overhead with a delighted smile. The classroom for Defence Against The Dark Arts had been murky and dark (naturally), and the subject always dampened Harmony’s usually carefree mood. It was, generally, a sinister topic. Seeing the sun radiating warmly in the distance outshone the darkness surrounding her previous lesson. Nearing Greenhouse 3, Harmony entered quietly, noting the students already there and Professor Sprout. Smiling a polite “Good morning” to the teacher, Harmony headed over to a lone spot and settled down, waiting for the lesson to begin. It appeared she didn’t know anyone here, and hoped that a friendly face would arrive soon, though she highly doubted it. A few minutes later the class began, and Harmony looked with interest at the Mandrakes Professor Sprout was indicating. She had heard about the creatures from Ari once; something about having to cover her ears with bright pink fluffy earmuffs. Harmony had laughed at the idea of Ari wearing anything bright pink and fluffy, especially earmuffs. She had since set her heart on learning more about Mandrakes, waiting for the specific lesson to arrive soon, and was therefore excited as she shuffled round a bin with two other people.

Staring at the potted creatures, Harmony continued to listen intently to Professor Sprout, trying not to be distracted by the plants that moved once in a while in the middle of her threesome group. They seemed very strange, but Harmony’s weariness was overshadowed by fascination. What was it about them that forced people to wear earmuffs? Her inquisitive questions in her head were soon answered by a blonde Slytherin boy, who accurately described a Mandrake and its powers and uses. Harmony listened with growing interest and understanding. So that was the reason for the earmuffs. Now they were going to re-pot them, as Professor Sprout had mentioned. Harmony assumed they would transfer the Mandrakes from one pot to the next, like with normal plants, and got ready to get her hands dirty, seeing with amused disappointment that the earmuffs on display were fluffy, but rather than shocking pink, were black. Smiling, Harmony forced down a laugh. Bright pink fluffy earmuffs wouldn’t have suited her anyway.

[Professor Pomona Sprout]

Pomona nodded her head, the flopped bit of her hat drooping forward as she did so, when a first year answered her question. She eyed the badge on his robes, “Correct, 10 points to Slytherin. Now, Mister Gibbs has told us what uses Mandrake has and what it does if the cries are heard by human ears. Today, you will be repotting mandrakes.” She took one look at their faces and smile reassuringly before motioning toward the squirming green tops in the bins. “Don’t worry, these mandrakes are only babies so they won’t kill you, but if you don’t do as I say and follow my directions to the tee, you will in fact pass out and be sent to the Hospital Wing. Let’s save Madame Pomfrey a busy afternoon, shall we?” Pomona walked around the students who were at the table nearest her. She stopped in front of the largest table and then looked at the bin in front of her.

“Alright, watch me carefully, because I’m only doing this once and the results will be most disappointing if you make a mistake.” Pomona reached for her wand and waved it, sending a pair of earmuffs to every student. “Now, once you put these on, you won’t be able to hear anything. Therefore it is highly important you watched every move I make. As I speak, words will appear behind me in the air and will remain there throughout the hour. Am I clear? Good. Earmuffs on!” Pomona put her own earmuffs over her ears, making sure they were fit snuggly. When she was satisfied she couldn’t hear a thing, she looked around at the students and then began her lesson.

“You are going to grasp the Mandrake firmly around the top of it’s head where the leafy green bit begins. Then, you yank it out in one quick motion.” As she spoke, the words appeared behind her in swirling handwriting. Pomona yanked the mandrake from the pot in front of her and smiled as it started to scream. She couldn’t hear anything, but she knew what the scream sounded like. Blood curdling. With a quick look at the students, she dumped it into the pot beside the bin she had gotten the Mandrake from and said; “Place it in the pot, like so, and add the fertilizer until the only thing showing is the green part. It’s a fairly simple process and I expect none of you to pass out.” She eyed them and then nodded her head, “You may begin, I’ll be walking around to inspect. Raise your hands if you have any questions.”

[Harmony Chan H6]

Harmony frowned a little as Professor Sprout added with a smile that the Mandrakes couldn’t kill them. Yet. Chuckling nervously at this, she made a mental note to do exactly what she was told. As of yet Harmony had rarely had to visit the Hospital Wing, and she wanted to keep that record straight. Plus the fact was she did not want to pass out in the middle of Herbology in front of all these people, thank you very much. No wonder Ari had been so diligent as to put on those pink earmuffs; nothing else could have probably persuaded her otherwise, and Harmony certainly couldn’t blame her. Watching Professor Sprout intently, Harmony took a pair of earmuffs with a grateful smile. Placing them around her head at the teacher’s words, all sound was silenced out. Staring around at the other students with a lingering grin, Harmony tried not to laugh at the sight of Professor Sprout with earmuffs on. A part of her wondered how she had looked with fluffy pink ones back in the past. No doubt the sight would have been hilarious.

Harmony cast other thoughts aside as Professor Sprout properly began the lesson. When the teacher drew out the Mandrake, what met Harmony’s gaze shocked her, and if she hadn’t been steeling herself for such a sight, she would have no doubt bolted from the greenhouse, probably screaming in astonishment and fear if she had no dignity. The image of the Mandrake was ugly, like a human baby in the form of a plant, the leaves of its head dangling around it like strings of green hair. Staring at it, Harmony paused with surprise as she digested its appearance. Finally regaining her senses, she looked up again at Professor Sprout, scolding herself inwardly for becoming so distracted from the learning task at hand. What if she had missed something important? Seeing now that Professor Sprout had deposited her Mandrake back into the pot, and reading the glowing words that hung above her, Harmony set to work with a determined expression.

Reading the floating words in midair with care, Harmony proceeded to follow its instructions obediently. Firmly taking the top of the Mandrake’s head, she imitated Professor Sprout’s actions as accurately as possible, pulling it out of its pot. She refrained from looking at its wide-open mouth that was probably screaming its deadly cries. Thank goodness for the earmuffs. Following the teacher’s instructions, Harmony began to add the fertiliser at a fast pace, anxious to re-pot her screaming Mandrake baby, hoping she hadn’t done anything wrong. She knew she had a tendency to mess things up when nervous. Finally Harmony had filled the pot up to the right amount, the only sight left of the Mandrake being its leaves at the top, just like before. Breathing a silent sight of relief, Harmony looked around for Professor Sprout; she had no questions, but seeing as the teacher had said she would could and assist and check their progress, Harmony wondered if her work needed to be checked. It seemed like she had done the right thing.