Seren smiled to herself as she watched a little Gryffindor slip through greenhouse doors just as she was about to begin. She would make an exception for this one. Little firsties often got lost.



“Yes... and no...” she replied. There was more to them than that. But it was a start.



The name of a Princess? Not of any Princess she’d heard of before. “Herbologically dear,” she added, smiling at the poor confused she-snake.



“Good answer, but perhaps think on it a little more.” They weren’t all poisonous.



“Very good, very good,” replied Seren happily.



Seren nodded, “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”



“Yes.... in most cases, but not in all.” Seren smiled, was the boy scared?... she hoped not. Things could get awkward otherwise.



Seren suppressed a laugh. She was on the right track at least. “Yes, certainly toads have been known to sit on them.”



“Good answer, are they all harmful though?” Perhaps he needed to think about it more. Or read a book. But luckily he had this class.



“Yes, they certainly can be, but are they always poisonous?” Another student on the right track.



“You’re on the right track, though there are few types of toadstools that are in fact alright to ingest.



Seren’s eyes widened somewhat as she listened to Aurora answer the question. There was no doubt she had done her homework on it. “Yes very good.”



“Yes very good, they are usually poisonous, though there are some exceptions.”


What in the name of.... was going on? Peach Toadstool? Did Floreans have a new flavour she wasn’t aware of? Shrugging it off, she listened to the boys proper answer.
“Yes indeed that’s absolutely correct. Whilst they are often poisonous, it is not always the case.” And this was an important distinction to make. She hoped everybody else was listening.



“There’s a lot more than thirty dear, particularly in the wild, we can never be certain of how many species there are.” But she did have a very good point. “Yes most are poisonous and not suitable for ingestion, but they are frequently used in potions and as you said, healing potions in particular.”



Seren nodded encouragingly. “There certainly are magical toadstools, but there are also mundane ones.



”Correct... the key point is they are not always poisonous, just predominantly.”



Ughhh... no answer to the question?

“Keep up dear.”



”Very good Miss Laughgood, but they are not always poisonous, just most of the time.”



A good concise answer, yet no mention of cautions. “Yes very good.”



Interesting outlook. “Yes... but they come in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes.”



Uh... another student choosing not to answer?

Seren offered Violet a smile. She wouldn’t be forgetting this one, thats for sure.



Seren nodded, smiling brighty- as always. “More or less. They’re not always poisonous but more often than not they are not fit for human consumption.”



“Yes, you’re absolutely right Spike,” she said brightly. Ravenclaw’s, so knowledgeable.



“Yes, absolutely,” she answered nodding, “Though they are usually poisonous but that’s not always the case.”



Noticing Sierra seemed a little put out with Kurumi, she decided she would keep an eye on the two of them for the remainder of the lesson. She hoped there wasn’t any bullying going on.
”Usually poisonous... not always,” she clarified, nodding and smiling in response to the blunt statement.



“Not always poinsonous... just mostly.”



Seren nodded. Most of the students were on the same wave length. “Not always poisonous, just usually.”



Seren couldn’t help but grin. If she thought Sierra’s answer was blunt, Ellie’s was even more so. Very very simplistic. “You’re not wrong there,” she said brightly. “But how do you differentiate a toadstool from a mushroom or from a weed or a tree?.. they’re all plants.”



Firsties, how adorable. “There are magical and mundane varieties of toadstools and while they are usually poisonous this is not always the case... but you’re on the right track.” And this was the point of lessons... learning!



“Close,” said Seren in an encouraging tone. “There are many varieties of magical toadstools, of which we will look at a couple, but there are also mundane... or muggle, varieties as well.”



Yes, that was right. Seren nodded to communicate this before adding, “Though they are usually poisonous, this is not always the case.”



After a quick eyeroll and a shake of the head, Seren offered the Hufflepuff a small smile. “You’re not a nightmare Simon... you’re just different.” Which he was. He was... special in his own way, as was every child. But he wasn’t a menace.

A plant that makes toads?

“No... they’re not.” She gave him a smile. “Be sure to take some notes this lesson,” she added with a wink.



Oohhh a transfer! Hearing the American accent Seren couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

“They’re usually poisonous, but not always.” But she was mostly right in her answer.



Seren nodded...
It seemed that the general consensus was that they were all poisonous. But they weren’t.
“They’re not all poisonous... just most of them,” she said with a smile.



Another one...
Seren nodded, “They are usually poisonous... not always though.”



“Yes there is that distinction, though it’s important to recognise that not all toadstools are poisonous.”



A simple yet concise answer. “Very good, but they’re not all magical.”



“Very good.” Seren nodded.



“Very good, but remember they are not always poisonous.” Seren offered Daphne a smile. Poor girl wuld warm up soon enough.


Smurf? What in the name of Merlins tighty whitey’s was she on about? Seren blinked a few times trying to process this information. Smurfs?

“Um... pixies? Fairies?... they often enjoy habituating areas where toadstools are present... I’m not familiar with this smurf you speak of though.”



“Yes, they are very similar to mushrooms, but there are a number of differences...” perhaps he would think on it some more.



Oh brilliant!
“Yes you’re absolutely right,” she said, pleased that he understood they weren’t all poisonous. A very important distinction.



“Very good,” she said nodding at the young Ravenclaw. “Though there are a few varieties which are quite edible.”



A mushroom... yes and no... Seren nodded and shook her head. “They’re not always poisonous, but this is mostly the case.”



“Very good, just remember there are both magical and mundane varieties of toadstools, they’re not exclusively magic.” But otherwise a brilliant answer. She gave Presley an encouraging smile.



She couldn’t help it, she thought that was rather amusing, and smiled brightly, biting her tongue so she wouldn’t giggle. “Yes and no, toadstools possess many characteristics that mushrooms do not, they are not one and the same.” But she could see how some people would think so.



"Yes William, I am familiar with you," she said winking. "Toadstools are not always poisonous, butthink about how you would differentiate these from mushrooms..." as opposed to stating random facts-- which was impressive but irrelevant to the question.



"Said to be... but this is not always the case," she said clarifying, "But you're certainly right, they're often used in healing potions."