Miss Botros’s hand was the first one Gaston saw, and he called on the Slytherin (or should he say Hufflepuff?). He nodded approvingly as he listened to her explanation about focusing on multiple things at once. “Yes, very good, Miss Botros,” he said. “Magic can be a boon to those with too many responsibilities and too little time on their hands.”



Miss Sparkes’s beam did not go unnoticed and earned a beam in return from the professor. Her answer made him smile. It wasn’t an answer he’d expected, but the girl wasn’t wrong. “I suppose to some magicked food would taste better, Good point, Miss Sparkes!” he said. And a good question she posed too! “As a matter of fact, it can. All food spoils eventually, but the rate at which magicked food spoils depends on the type of food – a piece of fruit will spoil before something like a cake or cookie – and the spell used on it. For example, food produced with a duplication charm will spoil more quickly because a magically created copy degrades faster than its original counterpart. Summoned food spoils at its normal rate, as the magic used only changes the food’s location instead of its composition. Food made by magically combining ingredients generally spoils slower because the spells act as a sort of protective barrier. There’s also a preservation charm than can be placed on foods to give them a longer shelf life.”



Gaston nodded as Mr. Salander echoed some of what Miss Botros had said about multitasking and expanded upon it with a reason of his own. The example about separating egg whites earned him a smile. He had a point there! “Excellent, Mr. Salander,” he said. “And you’re right; that can be a particularly difficult task without magic.”



Mr. Severin had been quiet so far but had an answer for this question. Gaston called on him as soon as he saw his hand go up and nodded approvingly as he repeated what some of his classmates had said. “No, waiting an hour for a pastry is never fun, is it?” he said with a slight smile. Then he listened to the boy’s examples of magic’s uses in cooking. “Good examples, Mr. Severin!” It was safe to say the class wouldn’t be learning Incendio from a professor who was terrified of fire, but he was on the right track with his guess.



Gaston saw Miss Sorin-Ward’s hand go up next and called on her. At first, he thought she was just going to repeat what had already been said, but he was pleasantly surprised when she offered a new reason. “An excellent point, Miss Sorin-Ward!” he said, smiling approvingly. “Cleanup does go much faster with magic.” Oh, and now she was giving examples of cooking spells. “Yes, there are charms used for just that.” But more on that later!



Miss Dalgaard-Volkova also decided to speak up after being quiet so far. Good! Gaston was beginning to worry that she might’ve been confused or overwhelmed by all the new information. He smiled. “It sounds like you agree with the others about multitasking. Very good, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova!” he said. “And as a matter of fact, there is a spell to make spoons stir themselves.” Just maybe not one of the spells he’d planned to teach today…



And another student who’d mentioned using magic to save time. That was becoming a very popular answer! Gaston nodded in reply to Miss Morrison, and her examples of spells earned her an approving smile. “Yes, magic can prepare large meals in less than half the time it would take otherwise. Excellent, Miss Morrison,” he said. “And very good guesses! All of those spells would come in handy in the kitchen.”



Gaston had been wondering when someone was going to mention the precision of using magic, and he beamed at Miss Cambridge as she offered her answer. “Excellent, Miss Cambridge! I don’t think I could’ve said it better myself,” he said. “The added precision is one of the most common reasons some wizards prefer to cook with magic.” The comment about house elves’ food got a little smile from him. He’d only ever seen the elves cook by hand, but the girl was certainly right about one thing: their food was amazing!



Miss Burton’s hand was the next one the professor saw, and he called on her next. It seemed she agreed with what others had said about time-saving, but she’d offered some good points about the type of spells used. He nodded his approval. “Excellent example, Miss Burton,” he said. “The summoning charm is just one of our day-to-day spells that translates well to the kitchen.”



Miss Kramer was the next to speak up. Her answer echoed much of what the others had already said but was no less correct. “Very good, Miss Kramer,” the professor said with an approving nod. “And yes, magic would help with stirring.”



So it seemed Mr. Bronwyn had an answer to offer for this question, and a nicely worded answer it was! Gaston nodded. “A very eloquent answer, Mr. Bronwyn!” he said. “And correct, magic is especially useful when preparing multiple courses.” The comment about his aunt making Christmas dinner in no time got a slight smile form the professor. It sounded like the woman was a whiz at spells!



Gaston beamed at Miss Holden as she gave her answer. “Yes! Excellent example, Miss Holden,” he said. “Temperature control is a very important use of magic in the kitchen.” He may or may not have given the girl a knowing smile. There would be more on that soon.



Miss Diggory’s beam was not unnoticed by the professor, and he smiled a little. So it seemed she agreed with what had been previously said about cleanup. And what she said about melting candy came very close to guessing one of the spells they’d be using today. “Very good, Miss Diggory,” he said. “Correct on all counts.”



Blink, blink. Now that an answer Gaston hadn’t been expecting to hear! To say he was a little caught off guard by it would be a huge understatement, but still he replied calmly, “Noted. Thank you for sharing your opinion, Miss Phillips. Personally, I believe both methods of cooking are worth learning. There is a certain art to cooking by hand, but magic come in handy for those who lack the skill or the means to cook the traditional way. Say if you find yourself in a situation where you have food but no way to prepare it…”



And here was another answer – or more accurately, question – that took the professor by surprise. At first he wondered if Mr. Botros was joking but then reasoned that the boy was probably just unfamiliar with the muggle way of life. “I’m afraid not, Mr. Botros,” Gaston said gently. “People who are unable to use magic must prepare their food by hand, and even some wizards prefer to cook without magic.”



If the last two responses shocked Gaston, this one had him completely floored. He didn’t know what was more surprising, the sight of Mr. Ashbury-Hawthorne’s arm flailing or what he actually said. Now how was he supposed to answer that question? “I don’t know,” he replied with a slight chuckle. “I think that would depend on the person, Mr. Ashbury-Hawthorne.”



Gaston was just about to move on when Miss Toussaint spoke up. Her answer earned an approving smile, but that smile turned into a laugh when she mentioned someone who couldn’t flip pancakes becoming the breakfast king. “Very true, Miss Toussaint!” he said. “Some of us would probably starve if we didn’t use magic to cook.” Like him, for example.



Then Miss Potts spoke up. Gaston nodded, smiling slightly as she explained her reasoning behind the apple she picked. "Excellent observation, Miss Potts," he said. Then she gave some examples of spells used in cooking. "And nice examples! All are spells commonly used in cooking."

Gaston turned to address his class again. “Very good! All of you provided excellent answers, but Miss Sorin-Ward and Miss Holden came closest to guessing which spells we’ll be using today, those spells being used to control food temperature – or more specifically, the Heating and Cooling charms. Three points to each of you ladies for your guesses!”

“Today, we’ll be making popcorn balls using magic. You’ll be given a recipe card momentarily, but I thought a practical demonstration would be more effective in teaching these spells,” he continued. With a wave of his wand, the apples on his desk from earlier vanished, and two bowls appeared in their place. Those who looked closely would notice that one bowl contained unpopped corn kernels; the other contained a gooey substance. “To cast a heating charm, draw a flame shape over your target with your wand like so-“ He traced a flame with his wand over the bowl of kernels. “-and repeat the incantation Calefacio . Gently move your wand over the entire area you wish to heat; this spread the heat evenly.” There were rapid popping sounds as he moved his wand, and soon the kernels became popcorn. “You’ll use this spell to pop your popcorn and to heat the candy mixture that goes over it – though for the purposes of this demonstration, I have some already mixed and ready to use.”

He picked up the other bowl and poured the candy mixture over the popcorn. “Stir the ingredients – you may do this by hand or with a spell – and shape sections of the mix into balls, or any other kind of shape you like. “ He grabbed a handful of the candy/popcorn mix and clumsily shaped it into a ball-like shape, a task made harder by the hook covering one of his hands. “There is a charm to do this, but I thought it might be more fun to do this part by hand.” Sidelong glance at Miss Phillips. “If you like, you may decorate your popcorn balls with bits of candy.” He stuck a couple pieces of candy corn on top of the ball, two gumdrop eyes and a nose in the middle, and a few bits of licorice “whiskers” on each side of the nose to make a cat face… though maybe a crocodile would’ve been more appropriate given his costume.

“Once you’re satisfied with how your popcorn ball looks, you’ll use the Cooling Charm to cool them. Trace your wand in an M-shape and say the incantation Frigidus-“ He aimed his wand at the popcorn ball, made the wand movement, and repeated the incantation; the decorated ball instantly solidified.

He just had a few last-minute instructions to give. “You’ll be working in pairs for his activity. It’s important that you take turns using the spells! The combined effects of more than one spell on the same target could cause your ingredients to burn or your popcorn balls to turn to ice. All your supplies are contained in boxes up here-“ He waved his wand to remove the disillusionment charm he’d placed on the stack of boxes at front of the room. “You may come and get your equipment now; you have the rest of the class to work.”

OOC: You have AT LEAST 40 HOURS to complete this activity! There is no minumum post requirement, but both partners must attempt the heating charm and the cooling charm for full credit. If you have a question, please indicate int he title of your post. Gaston and I will be checking back in periodically. Each box contains all the dishes, utensils, and ingredients you need, plus a cop of this recipe card: