SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - Lesson: Herbology

*squidnie* · 05-26-2026, 08:35 PM

Text Cut: Mr. Singh-Phora

Lillian loved a good personification moment. She smiled in response to the Hufflepuff’s answer. “Curiosity. Perhaps that’s why we say planting a seed when we talk about forming new ideas.”

Text Cut: Mr. Harden

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Nyle visibly relaxed further at Professor Hawkins' response, some of the tightly wound apprehension in his posture easing now that neither the acorn nor his answer seemed to have earned any sort of quiet scrutiny. Not that the professor had given indication she had done so in the past either... and yet he couldn't help but brace for it like an inevitability. The affirmation settled awkwardly yet warmly in his chest, unfamiliar enough these days that he almost did not know where to place it and couldn't find it in himself to deflect either.

His gaze lifted toward the blackboard as the looping script unfurled itself across the surface. The words sat there with a strange sort of weight to them when some were coincidentally grouped together like that. Less like instructions and more like... dispositions, requirements not only for Herbology, but for tending to anything living properly. Including the self.

Nyle's brushed along the edge of the table some more as Professor Hawkins continued, his attention fixed carefully on her explanation. There was an ease to the way she spoke about the work — not simplifying it, but honoring the quieter parts of it most people overlooked in favor of dramatic blooms or dangerous magical properties. Groundwork. The pun ― intentional or not ― earned the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

The Hufflepuff's thoughts immediately began turning over possibilities the moment Professor Hawkins mentioned the focus being a tool they had not yet listed yet. Not sunlight. Not water. Not patience or observation or any of the softer skills already written across the board. His gaze drifted instinctively toward the equipment scattered throughout the greenhouse before dismissing most of it almost immediately. Gloves, shears, dragonhide aprons — too literal. Too simple for the way she'd framed the question and discussed the follow-up.

A technique, perhaps.

His thoughts regrouped as the lesson moved along, and he hesitated only briefly before lifting a hand again, though this time there was less uncertainty in his tone as confidence slowly began slipping back in, squaring his shoulders more as well.

"Senescence," he offered. "Which I think people sometimes have the tendency overlook because they associate it entirely with dying, but it's actually a very active and necessary stage of a plant's life cycle." His gaze drifted briefly toward the greenhouse windows, thumb really working the edge of the table, as he organized the thought. "Leaves changing color in autumn, for example, is partially the plant breaking down chlorophyll and redistributing nutrients inward before dormancy. Some flowers also become more fragrant during senescence to attract late pollinators before seed production concludes. And certain plants can only germinate properly after exposure to decay, smoke, or fire conditions. So even deterioration ends up participating in renewal eventually."

Which was a rather comforting thought.

"And ― erm ― would Toby, perhaps, like something to gnaw on, professor?" he inquired with a gentle nod towards the snapping plant. He also hadn't quite realized how spritely Professor Hawkins was... more so than himself. He likely would have ended up with a bunch of his robes caught in Toby's mouth.

And she was really beginning to look forward to the Harden boy’s answers. “Lovely point. Very, very lovely.” She paused, letting the praise land. “Senescence, just like the other parts of the life cycle, is a necessary and, if we’re still being whimsical, beautiful part of the cycle.”

As for Toby… “I’m sure he would, yes. I’m afraid I took him away from his ball of clay for this.” She glanced at the plant once more, this time staying an appropriate distance from it.

Text Cut: Miss Murray

As for the seventh year Ravenclaw… Lillian definitely heard the mumble that the girl likely didn’t want her to hear. She raised her eyebrows the slightest bit, giving an indication that she had heard, but decided not to comment.

“Pollination and seed dispersal,” She repeated cheerfully.[b] “An excellent example as to why it is called a life cycle.”[b] No, she would not be explaining herself further.

"Wonderful, wonderful answers," Lillian exclaimed cheerfully. She pointed a hand at the blackboard again, barely pausing for the writing to update before moving on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackboard

Seed
Germination
Root and shoot growth
Growth to adult plant
Flower production
Pollination/seed dispersal
Senescence
Use (for potions, compost, etc.)

She continued, "Now, unfortunately I cannot keep you all here long enough to watch a plant's life cycle all in one go. Naturally, that is. So, that brings us back to the first question. The tool that no one mentioned - and that is quite alright, given that you all had other thoughtful answers to share - is the Herbivicus Charm. With the help of the Herbivicus Charm, we can experience the life cycle of a plant within the constraints of the class." Wasn't that exciting?

"The Herbivicus Charm simply accelerates the growth of a plant. It is used often on flowering plants, but can be used on many healthy plants at any point in their life cycle. For example, we'll be starting with either seeds or cuttings." She paused, looking around the classroom again. "Though, I'm getting ahead of myself here. We'll practice now before using this on actual plants. The incantation is simple: her-BIV-i-cuss. You'll pair this with the wand movement shown on the board. You will also want to envision your desired life cycle stage, which will be easier when you know what plant you'll be working with." Examples, of course, were located in four separate areas of the room.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackboard

OOC: Time for the mini activity! This should only take 1-2 posts, but feel free to use whatever time you have to be as creative as you'd like. There will be one more question after this before the main activity. Please also feel free to do any catch-up you'd like. I know that life plus SS downtime makes it difficult to get posts in with a time limit, so Lillian and I are not going to be strict here.

Class will continue in about 28-30 hours from this post. Probably.

05-26-2026, 08:35 PM	#16 (permalink)
squidnie Alley Proprietor Erkling Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: lurking Posts: 20,992 Hogwarts RPG Name: Professor Lillian Hawkins Graduated Hogwarts RPG Name: Cathryn “Cat” Webb Ravenclaw Diagon Alley Proprietor: Collin O'Shea Owl Post	Sardines ♥ // Nomsy, yo ❄ rolling in the ink ❄ Text Cut: Mr. Singh-Phora Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Levi wasn’t sure what made him take that route when it came to his answer. Compassion had been the first thing that came to mind because he had seen firsthand the degree of it had been put into the plants that lived within the Hufflepuff common room. Not to mention in the Greenhouses themselves. So, he was glad that Professor Hawkins liked his reply; not that his classmates gave bad ones. Nope, those other contributions were quite meaningful as well! With that tinkling playing like soothing music to his ears, Levi seized an opportunity to polish off writing the list from the board. But what was the tool none of the students mentioned? Oh well. They’d soon find out. This time around, the third year’s hand went up almost immediately. “There’s germination. This is where the seed would have received all the necessary components in the right amounts - water, the right temperature, love.” Because plants needed it too! “Roots grow and the new life begins making its way upward through the soil.” He paused thoughtfully. “I would say that it’s full of curiosity at this point, to see the outside world.” There was a bit of whimsy to that answer, because Levi loved whimsy. Lillian loved a good personification moment. She smiled in response to the Hufflepuff’s answer. “Curiosity. Perhaps that’s why we say planting a seed when we talk about forming new ideas.” Text Cut: Mr. Harden Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Nyle visibly relaxed further at Professor Hawkins' response, some of the tightly wound apprehension in his posture easing now that neither the acorn nor his answer seemed to have earned any sort of quiet scrutiny. Not that the professor had given indication she had done so in the past either... and yet he couldn't help but brace for it like an inevitability. The affirmation settled awkwardly yet warmly in his chest, unfamiliar enough these days that he almost did not know where to place it and couldn't find it in himself to deflect either. His gaze lifted toward the blackboard as the looping script unfurled itself across the surface. The words sat there with a strange sort of weight to them when some were coincidentally grouped together like that. Less like instructions and more like... dispositions, requirements not only for Herbology, but for tending to anything living properly. Including the self. Nyle's brushed along the edge of the table some more as Professor Hawkins continued, his attention fixed carefully on her explanation. There was an ease to the way she spoke about the work — not simplifying it, but honoring the quieter parts of it most people overlooked in favor of dramatic blooms or dangerous magical properties. Groundwork. The pun ― intentional or not ― earned the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. The Hufflepuff's thoughts immediately began turning over possibilities the moment Professor Hawkins mentioned the focus being a tool they had not yet listed yet. Not sunlight. Not water. Not patience or observation or any of the softer skills already written across the board. His gaze drifted instinctively toward the equipment scattered throughout the greenhouse before dismissing most of it almost immediately. Gloves, shears, dragonhide aprons — too literal. Too simple for the way she'd framed the question and discussed the follow-up. A technique, perhaps. His thoughts regrouped as the lesson moved along, and he hesitated only briefly before lifting a hand again, though this time there was less uncertainty in his tone as confidence slowly began slipping back in, squaring his shoulders more as well. "Senescence," he offered. "Which I think people sometimes have the tendency overlook because they associate it entirely with dying, but it's actually a very active and necessary stage of a plant's life cycle." His gaze drifted briefly toward the greenhouse windows, thumb really working the edge of the table, as he organized the thought. "Leaves changing color in autumn, for example, is partially the plant breaking down chlorophyll and redistributing nutrients inward before dormancy. Some flowers also become more fragrant during senescence to attract late pollinators before seed production concludes. And certain plants can only germinate properly after exposure to decay, smoke, or fire conditions. So even deterioration ends up participating in renewal eventually." Which was a rather comforting thought. "And ― erm ― would Toby, perhaps, like something to gnaw on, professor?" he inquired with a gentle nod towards the snapping plant. He also hadn't quite realized how spritely Professor Hawkins was... more so than himself. He likely would have ended up with a bunch of his robes caught in Toby's mouth. And she was really beginning to look forward to the Harden boy’s answers. “Lovely point. Very, very lovely.” She paused, letting the praise land. “Senescence, just like the other parts of the life cycle, is a necessary and, if we’re still being whimsical, beautiful part of the cycle.” As for Toby… “I’m sure he would, yes. I’m afraid I took him away from his ball of clay for this.” She glanced at the plant once more, this time staying an appropriate distance from it. Text Cut: Miss Murray Quote: Originally Posted by love-for-HP Why did her final year at Hogwarst annoy her so much? Every lesson, every day, was just tiresome and she was ready to move on. She even mumbled under her breath "They are putting us through the gauntlet with the workload this year" And then grimaced a bit, and clamped her mouth shut. She didn't mean to say it out loud and really hoped the Professor had not heard her. She didn't mean it really ... or maybe she did but didn't mean to say it out loud. Taking a deep breath and steadying herself. Greer raised her hand again. Pollination or seed dispersal" She said. "It's toward the end of of the planets life." As for the seventh year Ravenclaw… Lillian definitely heard the mumble that the girl likely didn’t want her to hear. She raised her eyebrows the slightest bit, giving an indication that she had heard, but decided not to comment. “Pollination and seed dispersal,” She repeated cheerfully.[b] “An excellent example as to why it is called a life cycle.”[b] No, she would not be explaining herself further. "Wonderful, wonderful answers," Lillian exclaimed cheerfully. She pointed a hand at the blackboard again, barely pausing for the writing to update before moving on. Quote: Originally Posted by Blackboard Seed Germination Root and shoot growth Growth to adult plant Flower production Pollination/seed dispersal Senescence Use (for potions, compost, etc.) She continued, "Now, unfortunately I cannot keep you all here long enough to watch a plant's life cycle all in one go. Naturally, that is. So, that brings us back to the first question. The tool that no one mentioned - and that is quite alright, given that you all had other thoughtful answers to share - is the Herbivicus Charm. With the help of the Herbivicus Charm, we can experience the life cycle of a plant within the constraints of the class." Wasn't that exciting? "The Herbivicus Charm simply accelerates the growth of a plant. It is used often on flowering plants, but can be used on many healthy plants at any point in their life cycle. For example, we'll be starting with either seeds or cuttings." She paused, looking around the classroom again. "Though, I'm getting ahead of myself here. We'll practice now before using this on actual plants. The incantation is simple: her-BIV-i-cuss. You'll pair this with the wand movement shown on the board. You will also want to envision your desired life cycle stage, which will be easier when you know what plant you'll be working with." Examples, of course, were located in four separate areas of the room. Quote: Originally Posted by Blackboard OOC: Time for the mini activity! This should only take 1-2 posts, but feel free to use whatever time you have to be as creative as you'd like. There will be one more question after this before the main activity. Please also feel free to do any catch-up you'd like. I know that life plus SS downtime makes it difficult to get posts in with a time limit, so Lillian and I are not going to be strict here. Class will continue in about 28-30 hours from this post. Probably. __________________ ★ Kindness is its own kind of magic ★