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For a class held at 1pm, the walk to the greenhouses from the castle was rather dark and wet. The rain was expected for a date in October, but the sky was a shade or two darker than expected with the wet weather. Professor Rainwater had left a bucket outside of greenhouse five for any umbrellas the students had used to sit in. If one was to come into his class, he was already known to use it as a prop in his teaching and for it to accidentally get broken. Speaking from experience. Luckily, today’s Herbology lesson was just after lunch so the students had had ample time to get a warm drink down them before the short walk. As always, the water station is set up outside Greenhouse Five for students to grab a quick drink before class starts, but they are not permitted to enter the greenhouse with those drinks. So drink up, and get inside! Because it’s definitely warmer in here than it is out there.
Upon entering Greenhouse Five, you’ll notice immediately that Professor Rainwater is not present but there is a message written in his handwriting on the whiteboard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteboard
I’M WATCHING !!
DON’T GET TOO CLOSE TO MY FRIENDS!!
In front of Professor Rainwater’s workstation where he is usually standing to greet you is a stool with two very different toads on top of it. One of the toads is more of a yellow colour and the other has a few suspicious red spots on it’s head. They don't look friendly, which is probably why your Professor has suggested not to get too close.
FOLLOW ALONG:
- 12th May - Greetings and Q1 : What do you know about toadstools?
- 13th May - Q2 : What do you know about crossbreeding?
- 14th May - Mini Activity : Brainstorm a toadstool hybrid
- 16th May - Mini Activity : Professor Rainwater discussing with groups
RESOURCES:
-
OOC: HI. Welcome to the first OOC Herbology thing this term but it’s October IC so obviously this isn’t the first time your character will have interacted with Professor Rainwater in a classroom situation this school year, so he expects that they know the rules and expectations that he has of them.
Any questions, please feel free to contact me!
Class will begin roughly 28 hours from this post <3Class has STARTED, please jump in and pretend your character has been here all along!
curly haired prefect - "sometimes I get angry!" - 30/90 - *chicken emoji* - probably @ Disney - I speak dog
Trinetta had absolutely ZERO interest in toadstools, and even less interest in crossbreeding plants. When it came to plant genetics, her eyes glazed over and she immediately began to tune out, her eyes wandering over all her peers as she did a bit of innocent people watching. She quickly turned her attention back to the lesson when she got to a certain Slytherin, however, and tried to think of something to contribute to the lesson. Something. Anything. Literally any words.
Nope. It wasn't happening. Sorry Professor Rainwater. Instead, her eyes began to glaze over again as she spaced out, focusing on a corner of the chalkboard as she thought over what she was going to have for dinner tonight.
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I'm still standin'________________________________________ better than I ever did
Lookin' like a true survivor_________________________________feelin' like a little kid
Tom didn't know any plants that were formed from crossbreeding and so he decided to have a guess at this question. ”Professor, how about a sunflower, maybe that was a cross from the sun and a flower and that's how it got it's name.” He was sure it probably wasn't but when you didn't know just guess right?
elephant-astic•wanderlust•stay in the ninedaaays the original Taco Belle•look at the flowers✿
Okay but Cecelia wasn't actually going to go SEARCHING the forest to look for toadstools, so she wilted a little when Professor R went all adult on her in front of the whole entire class. "I wouldn't do that, Professor," She said quietly, looking down at her hands. She'd MAYBE go if she was looking to see a unicorn, but not for a toadstool. Never for that. It didn't even feel good that she'd been right about the rest of it though, not anymore.
...sigh
"It can happen without anyone even meaning for it to. Like, well, bees could help the process along by taking pollen from one plant and bringing it to a different kind growing nearby. "
"Thank you, sir," Nem replied, radiating far more pleasant vibes than his neighbour, Castillo, was giving off. She should really work on that. No one likes a sourpuss. "I will treasure it always." No hint of sarcasm in his voice either, just good-natured jesting. Haha. See?
Nem nodded along with the rest all the same, but didn't bother to write any of it down. Not only would he remember, but Rainwater was the type of professor that provided notes anyway. Also, was Ezra here? Was he listening to the part about the rabbits? Hopefully not, or Rainwater would have a derailed Ravenclaw on his hands for the rest of the lesson, and Nem wasn't helping to deal with that.
But crossbreeding then. Nem knew little - if anything - about the topic, given that he'd never had the slightest bit of interest in plants beyond what he needed for certain potions. Most of his Herbology knowledge came from previous lessons, and occasionally scanning the textbook in preparation for classes, but that didn't stop him providing an answer when his turn came. "I think in plants crossbreeding would involve pollen and the stamen and the stigma, just like when they usually reproduce. So when it's deliberate, it would involve some kind of artificial pollination, you know? But obviously you can't exactly do that with toadstools."
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Made of Awesome | Ern-la the Best-wa | TZ's Apogee
He... hadn't really told Phoebe if she was right or wrong. How did she give a different answer at the end of class if she didn't know if her current answer was right? C'mon, Professor Dimples, give a girl a chance.
She sulked in her seat a little as the professor introduced the topic of the class, and her classmates' answers confused her a little. How did all of them already know the difference between fake and real fruits and vegetables? The professor wanted them to be brave enough to tell him when they didn't know, right? WATCH HER GRYFFINDOR IN PUBLIC. Phoebe's hand shot in the air. "How can you tell if a plant is a crossbreed?"
Slytherindor ♛ The Crazytastic Besties ♛ Shan Watson ♛
Noah flashed the Professor a happy smile. Crossbreeding? Err.. Not too much.But he assumed it was similar to mixing dog breeds perhaps? Maybe...
Not really? "Crossbreeding plants are bred to produce desired characteristics. So you can crossbreed certain plants to make them more resistant to viruses and bacteria?" he offered. Was it similar to genetically modified plants? Maybe? He had no clue.
Hiss!Roar!Growl!Caw! | Hermione's Double | The Little Three | Alecate
Ya know, Rainwater was a pretty nice guy. Almost too nice. Isla bet he was a Hufflepuff when he was at Hogwarts. He almost had it written all across his face: 'I'M A HUFFLEPUFF!' Anyway, that was beside the fact, because she was supposed to be focusing on toadstools and not Hufflepuffs.
Did he just say they'd cover...everything in steps over the next few months? Yeahhhh, he did, which meant Isla better get a sudden interest in toadstools or things were about to get really boring. She was suddenly reminded that they didn't have to take their own notes in this class, which she was extremely grateful for. YOU ROCK, RAINWATER.
Suddenly, Morgan was screaming, Isla's level of distraction went from about eighty to a hundred. WOW. That kid really loved him some toadstools, didn't he? Focus, Isla. Focus. WHAT were all these people talking about, and how did they all know so much about cross breeding or whatever? She raised her hand anyway. "Would mixing a red rose and a white rose together to make a pink rose be an example?" she asked.
“Um, yeah I guess toads can really sit on toadstools,” she replied to the professor with a smile. Though she doubted that they consciously thought about sitting on the mushrooms before doing so. A few other students were piggybacking onto her answer, which she thought was really nice. She nodded as she got to learn more from Jillian and Missa thanks to their addition. A Gryffindor girl (Shivvy) even mentioned how funny her answer was! Jina was a bit surprised by the comment and question, since she had never seriously thought about it. She simply shrugged, stifling a laughter - this class was just getting more and more interesting. Although she did not verbally reply to the younger girl, she thought the purpose of the illustrations could be to 1) demonstrate to children the harmony between flora / fungi and fauna, 2) anthropomorphise toads and make them appear cuter than they actually are, and 3) create a visually appealing image through the colour contrast between green toads and red toadstools.
Deep in thoughts, she missed the majority of the professor’s speech. She took the piece of paper summarising their discussion and skimmed through it before putting it in her Herbology folder. Oh, crossbreeding! That was a fascinating topic. When it was her turn to speak, she said, “Mendel the muggle scientist crossbred a large number of pea plants and observed the characteristics of the offspring. That’s how he discovered the principles of inheritance.” Inheritance was also a fascinating area of study.
Yeah I broke that mirror, so what? ll NOT backward ll Official Gryfferin ll Lemon's favourite
You know what? Once the professor appeared and began talking, the toads on the stools began to make loooooads of sense--didn't mean he knew the answer. No, he had no idea about toadstools and was already behind on his reading and juggling his subjects with his extra lessons. It was a wonder the boy hadn't already overloaded. He didn't have the luxury some kids did of checking the curriculum to see what topics they'd be learning next. Kitt was likely always a topic or two behind.
He'd just....wait for the next question.
Which, turns out, he couldn't really answer either. Was there anything he had to say about crossbreeding? If it was with plants then...no...he was drawing blanks.
"Uhh...."
Think, Kitt. Think.
"Ummm...you can...umm....uh....yeah."
Articulate little lad, he was.
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Imma say all the words inside my head____________________________________
______________________________I'm fired up and tired of the way that things are said.
Okay, Blake had to admit that Herbology was not his favorite subject ... he didn't much care for it, but it was a required class and he gave it his all in everything he did ... but crossbreeding plants???? Who cares .... and why would you spend you time trying.
"Ummm......" Blake usually had a good answer or at very least a good guess, but cross breeding plants .... "Do plants need to be of a similar species .. like you can't cross breed a mushroom with a flower can you?" Okay it was more of a question back to the professor rather than actual answer, but whatever.
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Honey!
Aboli was NOT dumb, but his response to her sure made her feel like she was BEING dumb. And she couldn't understand why she'd be perceived that way other than, AGAIN, she was not as up to speed with Herbology as she would like. "I know what a toadstool looks like - " she said quickly, furrowing her eyebrows. BUT she bit her tongue before....she could catch an attitude because she LIKED Professor Rainwater and he didn't deserve her attitude.
That would be reserved for other people.
She just thought the TOAD THINGS on the stools in the front of the room looked more TOADY than she would have EXPECTED. And now she was confused about if the toads on the stools were the actual plants or...not. She didn't want to say a word. I don't know anything about cross-breeding either.... And the picture on the board looked NOTHING like the toads.....
Ah.
Was it a joke? Whoosh. Aboli didn't get it. Rather, she hadn't gotten it at first. I guess we don't share a sense of humor. Was all she thought as she continued taking notes and being quiet. She even copied down the picture from the board for good measure. Aboli DID want to take her own notes because she felt less useless that way. She wasn't able to fully contribute to the conversation at hand so...might as well scribble scribble.
Maybe she was stupid after all. First I know NOTHING about Kneazles...now I don't even understand a simple joke...Merlin, Aboli, get it TOGETHER WOMAN.
Also, since when was Noah a genius at Herbology? She shot her neighbor a look. Share some of your knowledge, Noah, PLEASE. Aboli knew what cross-breeding was, but she couldn't say it eloquently or give specific examples.
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"You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough."
Roman Gellar ● 1st Year ● Slytherin
Super Slytherin Buddy || ⅓ She-Snake Trio || 'I taste like chocolate and potatoes'
How in the name of Merlin..
HOW IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DID PEOPLE KNOW SO MUCH STUFF!? How in the name of Merlin did people know so much stuff about crossbreeding plants? It was like her classmates were walking, talking textbooks! And Flora was just a tad bit jealous.
Her name was Flora. Like flowers.. or something. And the only thing she knew was that toadstools like to grow in places that are damp.
Okay, so maybe she did know a little more than just that, but she hardly knew anything about crossbreeding. It didn't stop her from speaking up when it was her turn, though. "When a mommy plant and a daddy plant love each other.." Professor Rainwater knew where she was going with that, right? "When they decide to have a baby flower, that baby flower looks like both of them."
Crossbreeding.
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____________ooh, ooh, she's the rough and the rowdiest kid________ ooh, ooh, and there's more where she lives_____
dream until your • dreams come true ~ Human pygmy puff
Naya appreciated Professor Rainwater’s no note taking necessary approach to teaching. It allowed her to pay attention to what was being said without the pressure of having to try to write every important detail. Now though, the conversation had transitioned from toadstools to cross breeding. Between the professor and her classmates, a pretty clear picture had been painted. Naya got the gist of the process. She was sure that they could delve a lot deeper into the details, but for now she had to think of an example.
After thinking for a moment, Naya raised her hand. “One example of cross breeding is the ugli fruit. It’s a combination of a tangerine, grapefruit and orange. It’s pretty much a Jamaican tangelo” Naya could thank her friend back home for that fun fact. She had tasted the ugly ugli fruit and it was delicious. Sooo were they going to be creating some cross bred plants today?
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Salt!
♣ Heejin here | Did somebody say coffee & cakes? | cat lover ♣
Jillian took notes of the answers passed around by her classmates. Some were things she already know and some were really interesting that she needs to check the books and read more into it. Will this be part of their Newts? So that her segue would be more fun.
Crossbreeding... Hmmm... Does Jillian know any plant that are crossbreeds? She's unsure with some vegetables but it could be correct. "Crossbreeding is a hybrid from two plants. It's ideal to take all the best characteristics of the parent plants when doing crossbreeds" whoah, kind of feels like they're in a laboratory and about to make prototype.
Oh right. Example of a crossbreed plant.
"Rabbage is an example. It is a crossbreed of cabbage and raddish" yummy when she eats samgyeopsal (korean bbq) or in any salad. "and Early Sungrow, it's a type of sweet corn" her favorite. She loves this one. "It is sweeter, tender and more flavorful than a regular corn."
She is NOT happy my brain's too fried to look for an 'acceptable' example, but hey ho
Arts TRANSPONSTER!
Honestly, Catherine wasn't sure yet where she stood regarding crossbreeds. On the one hand, they could be useful and she knew many plants that were crossbreeds - and other non-plant things too, mind you - that were very useful, especially in Potions. On the other hand, like that Slytherin boy who had embarrassingly fainted in front of everybody for the silliest reason last term had said, it wasn't a good thing at all if different species were crossbred.
Though he didn't say that, he was asking it. At least it sounded like he was asking. Catherine gave him a long look to try and figure out if he was stating it or asking it. Was he just trying to be polite, hence the phrasing sounding like a question? If so, why would he do that? The Ravenclaw refrained herself from shaking her head as she looked back at the professor.
In fact, one could crossbreed different species, but that would help no one. Those species could be interesting to look at - or just die altogether, or maybe not even develop into adulthood or not develop at all, even - but they would be completely useless. They wouldn't even be able to be pollinated again and continue to exist as a 'new species'. Useless. Catherine only saw one reason why people would try and do that: for fun and curiosity to see what they would create. Those were definitely not good enough reasons for her to be interested in it, because she had better things to learn about and do.
Like the crossbreeds which were indeed useful; the ones that belonged to the same species, at least, and were an improvement of the parent plants.
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AT THE HOGWARTS YULE BALL, YOU'LL BE HANGING OUT WITH....__________________ Maybe you'll dance, scour the buffet, or end up gossiping talking amongst yourselves!
You're happy to go with the flow and see where the Yule Ball takes you!
Missa couldn't help but blush and smile stupidly wide. It just felt really nice, but she wasn't entirely surprised to feel like this - there was a certain kind of comfort Professor Rainwater brought with him and to his class, which Missa really really appreciated.
Even though she was eager to take notes, because there was just something about making your own notes, Missa smiled politely and took the parchment the professor offered.
Okay, maybe she could just sit on her hands now and ignore the need to make use of her hands for now.
Anyway .... CROSSBREEDING.
And in all honesty, she really didn't know much about it, "I just know that crossbreeding is done to create something more superior, something that is more tailored to what you want it to be - to dismiss the faults in the parent plants"
Poor faulty parent plants.
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......................let's be reckless, unaffected, running out until we're breathless ...............let's be hopeful, don't get broken, and stay caught up in the moment ♥
Islay smiled when Professor Rainwater had complimented the thought she had put into her work. When her thoughts were put on the board she just grinned, despite the noise of the whiteboard…seriously, couldn’t they silencio that?
OOOH THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HYBRIDS? That was cool.
Pulling out her quill she jotted down notes and nodded her head along before raising her hand. “sir, the apples we know of today are believed to be a product of crossbreeding different types of apples together…or well, selective breeding as old apples were small and mostly used for ciders” she had facts. Unuseful facts – but facts.
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IT'S NOT AN ACT OF LOVE __________________________________________________ ___________ ____________
IF YOU MAKE HER ____________
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Her grades were excellent, thank you very much. And though she didn’t love herbology, someone she spent most of her time with did. So in the end, she did spend quite a bit of time in the greenhouses thanks to Calyx Morgan-Bott. Though most of that time was not spent tending to plants. Either way, Nina wasn’t worried about the subject, nor did she worry about her lack of contributions to their Q&A session. ”No,” she replied easily when Professor Rainwater asked if she had anything to add. Though he couldn’t tell what she knew, Nina always read ahead. He had nothing to worry about.
Nina was not a fan of Professor Rainwaters dramatics, but she could very much appreciate how much he cared… As evidenced by the notes he began handing out. Nina took her copy, but she would still be taking her own notes. Not only did she feel more comfortable doing so, but she also enjoyed taking notes. It helped distract from the fact that she wouldn’t answer questions.
Cross breeding? Calyx was always working on experimenting with new cross breeds, an interest he inherited from his father because Nina noticed many in the Morgan-Bott greenhouse too. Her mind wandered for a moment before she brought herself back to listen to the answers her peers gave. Of course Bernadette was not staying on topic. No surprise there. A leaping toadstool park sounded like a terrible idea, by the way, especially given how reckless some of the Gryffindor were…… And grapermelon flavored gum? Um. Did she think before she spoke or? And the fourth year with her answer about a cut open banana-kiwi. Ridiculous.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Lemon!
It was such a delight to have the Professor back in the flesh, Yoyo had been getting anxious without him. She listened on, clapping appropriately as points were given for some properly great answers.
She particularly liked Naya's mention of the Jamaican Tangelo. "A crossbreed is when two plants are introduced to one another. Usually, it's best to use plants that are distantly related so the genes can really latch on and combine to create something new." Yoyo nearly recited, tugging on an errant braid of her long dark hair. "A lot of magical plants exist because of cross-breeding, my favorite's the color-changing roses created by Theodore Wimbleton. They're beautiful!"
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Heath continued to listen, not only to the other students’ answers but to the professor’s reactions to them as well. It wasn’t about holding a grudge so much as self preservation. He preferred to assess the situation before speaking so he could get a feel for what the reactions to him might be; that way he could tailor what he said to get a good reaction, or if all else failed, not say anything at all. It wasn’t just Rainwater; he did the same thing in all his classes. No slipping up if you slip away… or not. Heath blinked, looking at the professor with a mixture of defeat and confusion as he gave his backhanded reprimand reminder. So even when I keep quiet to avoid a bad reaction, I still get a bad reaction… okay then, he thought. This was making his brain hurt! What were the chances that talking to Rainwater would accomplish anything? It wasn’t sarcasm; he was genuinely wondering. Sure, it might help, but then again, it might just be another opportunity for their personalities to clash.
For now, Heath was going to focus on something less confusing, namely the sheet of information on toadstools in front of him. Then the subject turned to crossbreeding, and his mood brightened slightly. He had to admit that sounded interesting! Were they going to crossbreed toadstools? Ooh, that gave him an idea! He wondered if he could cross a red capped toadstool with a black (or some other dark color) one to get one that looked like Kylo Ren’s rebuilt mask (black with a red vein-like pattern). Now that would be awesome!
Again, Heath was at a loss for the right words when the second question rolled around. Not only was he terrified of what would happen if he said the wrong thing, but now he was terrified of what would happen if he didn’t say anything! To top it all off, he couldn’t think of anything to say about crossbreeding that hadn’t already been said, except… He remembered planting roses with his granny when he was a little kid. It was a florabunda rose, which she’d said was a cross between a hybrid tea rose and some other type. Poly - something.
Since he couldn’t recall what the other type of rose was, Heath was hesitant to voice his answer. Instead he wrote it down in his notes, along with the others’ answers and what his answer to the first question would’ve been. Although it was nice of Rainwater to provide handouts, Heath liked writing his own notes. That way, he could record his answers to any questions and have proof that he was paying attention in class, despite being too scared to speak. The professor said there was no need to take notes unless they preferred to, and he did… so that was okay, right?
Text Cut: Heath’s question 2 notes
What do you know about crossbreeding in general? Can you give any examples of plants - not just toadstools - that are the product of crossbreeding? Example: Florabunda roses - not just one plant, but an entire group of rose species made by crossbreeding. Florabundas are made by crossing a hybrid tea rose with a … I forgot the name, but it starts with Poly-.
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Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true...
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SPOILER!!: Morgan
Quote:
Originally Posted by emjay
Oh awesome! He got a point for his answer? That was a first and Morgan was pleased. He also thought it was really cool that Professor Rainwater had one of those blazing toadstools too. Maybe he could see it sometime.
And even though there was A LOT of talking again, Morgan didn't mind so much. You know what he especially loved about Professor Rainwater's class? He NEVER had to take notes because the Professor provided that for them! No hand cramping or forgetting what to write - not that he did a ton of note-taking in other classes anyway.
Crossbreeding? The professor barely had the words out of his mouth when Morgan blurted out, "MY DAD DOES THAT!" Oops, he was supposed to raise his hand, and so he did, waving it around, really excited-like, until he was called on. "My dad does crossbreeding!" which Professor probably already knew because Morgan remembered from last year that he was friends with his dad. "Y'know the singing lily? My dad invented that from crossbreeding." That's right, he thought smugly, his dad was basically a Herbology celebrity. "Um, from the honking daffodil and... something else..." He could not remember!!
Well… if there was ever a student that reminded him of himself it was Morgan McCarthy. Gus hadn’t even closed his mouth from speaking when the kid had started. But hearing the boy speak of his father only made Gus smile wide and nod. ”This is very true. You’ll find a list of known crossbreeds, including Morgan’s father’s invention, on the back of your next list of notes.” He appreciated the excitement and made a note to write home to the McCarthy family about how nice it was having Morgan in class. A good thing, always.
SPOILER!!: Kale
Quote:
Originally Posted by pundantic
The third year didn't know much about Herbology. But he liked Gus HEAPS. So he did his best to listen and take notes. They were scribbly, uneven loops--more like scratches than proper words--but Kale knew what it said. And he was going to pour over these notes religiously after class.
As he did his best to keep up (IT WASN'T FAILING IF HE TRIED), Kale noticed that MF knew all the thingz. He was gunna hit him up after class. Herbology task force, assemble.
Once he felt like he had enough notes on toadstools, which were sadly not stools for lil baby toads, he perked his head up for the next question. AAAAAAAAAAAAAND he didn't know anything about crossbreeding either. At all. So, he prepared to do another round of s-s-speed note taking.
Another kid that he had a soft spot for was Kale Trent. Now, Gus had known Kale for years and years, but it was nice to see him in a class environment as his own person and to watch him around school with his friends. It was just NICE and it always made for a nice letter to his Mum or to chat about when they caught up once every so often.
SPOILER!!: Alexandre
Quote:
Originally Posted by littledhampir
So... toads didn't eat toadstools? What did they have to do with toads then? Professor Rainwater also hadn't really answered whether or not people could eat them. Alexandre expected that maybe they were sort of like berries. Some you could eat but some you could not, and they might be poisonous. But.. he wasn't really sure. Apparently he didn't know much about toadstools. He looked over the sheet of notes when it appeared in front of him. This knowledge would pretty much only be useful up until he took his OWLs and then probably never again. Alexandre didn't want to work with plants. Why would he need to know so many things about toadstools??
Anyway, they were on a different topic now. About crossbreeding plants. Alexandre didn't have a particularly smart answer but his other option was saying nothing, so he raised his hand. "Um, I think some fruits and vegetables are crossbreeds. Like...corn, I think. People bred it specially so it would taste good." He thought that he had read about something like that once. Or maybe his sister had told him.
”You are correct, Alexandre. Not all corn. But there is a way to create a hybrid corn that prioritises taste, yes. Well done. Thank you.” With a smile, Gus gave the Ravenclaw a thumbs up and passed by his workstation.
SPOILER!!: Ewan
Quote:
Originally Posted by GD2204
If he was being honest, he didn’t really like mushrooms. Not for eating at least so the fact that some were so slimy, yeah, he didn’t really want to go find out more about the one in America but it was a cool fact to know. He was happy that his little titbit of information about them being 90% had come up though, at least not all of the facts in his head were useless it seemed.
He couldn’t help but chuckle a little at some of the facts that were sprouting up over the place now. He figured his was random but there were all sorts coming up.
Taking the piece of parchment that the Professor had given them, the prefect slid it carefully away for safe keeping and then turned his attention towards the lesson at hand. Crossbreeding? Huh. Well, his only real experience had come from the farm his Aunt owned but that wasn’t exactly a perfect example of how to crossbreed plants. He did however know of some plants in the muggle world that had been crossbred.
”In the muggle world, there are quite a lot of flowers that have been crossbred. Lilies for example?” this he only knew because it had been his mothers favourite, or so his father had told him many, many moons ago. ”The Hybrid lilies and the Stargazer lilies, for example”.
”Exactly, Ewan.” Gus nodded, walking past his workstation and adding onto the answer that the Prefect had given. ”The art of crossbreeding plants and flowers is not reserved just for magical purposes, there is a Muggle art to it also. But we can use magic to our advantage. It has its limits, but we do have an advantage in speeding up or slowing down the processes, isolation certain spores and notes of our creations to further adapt them.”
SPOILER!!: Bernie
Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
Whoa whoa whoa, looked like they had an Herbology badbutt in here! Bernie was talking about Morgan McCarthy, by the by. He was apparently REALLY into 'shrooms. Knew everything about them. Earned extra points for Gryffindor. Got a lotta praise from the professor. Bernie wasn't narrowing her eyes at her peer in jealousy. Nope. Not a bit.
She didn't know squat about crossbreeding, or how it was done, but when did that ever stop her from contributing to class discussion? She popped her hand in the air per usual. "Professor, can WE have a leaping toadstool park here at Hogwarts? Maybe with the big mushrooms that talk, too?" You know, the ones Isla mentioned? And other varieties? She was just putting this idea out there for him, in case he wanted to build it. Please.
As for her actual answer, uhhhhhhh, "Crossbreeding is how you get ligers." Oh wait, he wanted an example of a crossbred plant. "Does fruit count? I've had a tangelo before and that's a combination of a tangerine and a pomelo. Also, I've had some chewing gum that was like grapermelon flavoured, y'know, a grape plus a watermelon, and I'm not 100% sure it's not a real fruit because it's very yummy and seems like something wizards could create." Hint hint, sir. Rainwater could probably make that for her next, after he built the toadstool park.
”..............................”
That was a typical response to Bernie, was it not?
Gus closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath and then looked back at her. ”I’ll think about it, Bernie. It’s not my decision to make.” And yes, he had just passed the blame over to someone else because he didn’t want to go promising parks even if he did think it sounded more than awesome. Would he spend most of his free time there? Yes. But it would take expert planning AND expert care and he wasn’t sure that these kids were ready for that. In fact, he didn’t quite trust any of them yet for their upcoming activity. This was going to be like getting blood from a stone, wasn’t it?
”Send me some of that grapemelon gum, will you? I want to test it out.” And that was all he could manage, because Miss Grantham had a way of distracting him from his own thought process and he was in the middle of teaching a lesson.
SPOILER!!: Claudine
Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19
Claudine knew she had been caught but she didn’t mind especially since Rainwater should know that she wasn’t laughing at him but at his funny antics. Merlin, it was a relief and entertained during a lesson. It made learning more fun and she always found herself looking forward to the lessons. Quite the opposite happened for DADA since this term had started. Trent could take a page out of Rainwater’s teaching handbook (if the man had one).
Anyway, she looked down on the rather detailed notes that had been delivered to her. Claudine always kept hers neatly and meticulously placed away in a regular book sized binder; and in chronological order with the most recent on top.
Crossbreeding? Claudine cast an interested glance at Morgan. Oh? His dad was into that? That kid must have a lot of knowledge on the topic then. The Slytherin wracked her brain trying to figure out a crossbred plant.There had been an interesting fruit she had read about recently. “Boysenberry, Professor,’’ she began when her time came. “I think it’s a cross among blackberries, raspberries and loganberries.’’ There might have been another berry in that mix but she was unsure.
”Bravo, Miss Blaze! I think there may be dewberry involved, but don’t hold me to it. I don’t verse well in the berry world. It’s not a particular interest of mine.” But because she had peaked his interest, he was going to delve into that research after class and make sure he had an answer for the next time he saw her.
SPOILER!!: Avalon
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireheart
Avalon thought it was truly unbelievable that there was an actual, published book called the Encyclopedia of Toadstools. She remembered picking a copy up at Flourish and Blotts over the summer, completely amazed that someone could think of that many pages to fill with information about mushrooms. The herbology world was a strange, strange place. But it seemed like the textbook would be important to her success in the class this term, so she made a mental note to refer to it when she was doing her homework later.
The Ravenclaw couldn't think of any crossbred magical plants off the top of her head. Honestly, the only crossbred species that came to mind was that weird zebra-donkey thing she saw at a zoo once, and Professor Rainwater probably didn't want to hear about creatures in a class about plants. Thankfully, some of her classmates' responses about fruits and vegetables jogged her mind. Duh, fruits and vegetables were plants, too! Why didn't she think of that? "I think that many types of apples are crossbred," she said once it was her turn to speak. "Gala, fuji, and ambrosia apples are all crosses of red or golden delicious with another variety." And they tasted much better than red or golden delicious, too. Avalon couldn't remember the specific names of the apples that they were mixed with, but the crossbreeding explained their pinkish colors and unique tastes.
”Yup! Another food that is a hybrid between others of the same fruit.We’re learning that there are many a hybrid in the food world -- anyone got more plants for us, though?” He knew that he’d asked in general, but it would be nice to get some herbology specific answers from the older students at least. The topic wouldn’t have been new for them.
SPOILER!!: Stella
Quote:
Originally Posted by Granger Danger
Taking more notes on the subject, she nodded at what Professor Rainwater said, ah... something she was quite familiar with. She did this alot with her Grammy during spring break and stuff, it was really fun to do. It was fun to do muggle and magical, so mant things and ways you can crossbred! Writing more of her notes nodding her head she bit her lip before she raised her hand.
"Classical plant breeding uses deliberate interbreeding of closely or distantly related individuals to produce new crop varieties or lines with desirable properties." Now for an example of plants. "Tangelos are a cross between tangerines and grapefruits, or pomelos." Did she say too much, and was she right? maybe she was mistaken blushing she kept writing more notes.
As Gus walked past, he spared a glance at Stella’s quill that was working overtime and drew her attention to the notes that he had provided already. Gus knew that some students preferred to write their own version of notes with annotations and things to further research, but from what he could see.. Stella had only the information that he had already provided. Not a problem, but ink could be expensive…
”Thank you for an almost textbook quoted answer, Stella. I do encourage some paraphrasing in class, though. Food for thought.” It wasn’t going to help her plagiarising words from other resources.
SPOILER!!: Louise
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahlooo
OOooh, crossbreeding, interesting. She wondered if they'd be crossbreeding a toadstool with something today. Honestly, she didn't even knew how that worked... but she wasn't sure she wanted to think about it too hard.
Louise wracked her brain for something she'd seen before that was a crossbreed. All she could think of for a while was a Liger, but that was... obviously an animal.
She raised her hand. "Sir, one time I saw a picture of a banana that was cut open and on the inside it looked like a kiwi." Louise paused and then cleared her throat. "But it could have been fake, now that I think of it." But it ALSO could have been real. She didn't know. All she knew is that she now wanted both a banana and a kiwi.
Well. If he had thought the only student to make him question everything he knew was Bernadette, then consider him WRONG. ”Excuse me, Miss Bones? A banana on the outside and a kiwi on the inside…?” Well consider him STUMPED too. ”I think I’ll have to look into that one. I do think it’s fake, though. Happy to be corrected if anyone knows different.”
SPOILER!!: Trinetta
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom
Trinetta had absolutely ZERO interest in toadstools, and even less interest in crossbreeding plants. When it came to plant genetics, her eyes glazed over and she immediately began to tune out, her eyes wandering over all her peers as she did a bit of innocent people watching. She quickly turned her attention back to the lesson when she got to a certain Slytherin, however, and tried to think of something to contribute to the lesson. Something. Anything. Literally any words.
Nope. It wasn't happening. Sorry Professor Rainwater. Instead, her eyes began to glaze over again as she spaced out, focusing on a corner of the chalkboard as she thought over what she was going to have for dinner tonight.
As he passed her workstation, Gus knocked loudly on it and gave Miss Gladin a look. He knew. He was very aware of her distance today. ”Stay behind afterwards, Trinetta. I want to discuss your continuation in my subject.” And that was all they’d share on the matter until afterwards. Then he’d have to go and speak to Finneas. Hadn’t Miss Gladin been a Prefect in the past? It was almost disappointing.
SPOILER!!: Tom
Quote:
Originally Posted by Weasley174
Tom didn't know any plants that were formed from crossbreeding and so he decided to have a guess at this question. ”Professor, how about a sunflower, maybe that was a cross from the sun and a flower and that's how it got it's name.” He was sure it probably wasn't but when you didn't know just guess right?
”Close, Tom. The flowers turn towards the sun, hence their name. There is no form of sun hybrid involved.” Goodness, this was going to be a difficult project year, huh?
SPOILER!!: Cecelia
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow
Okay but Cecelia wasn't actually going to go SEARCHING the forest to look for toadstools, so she wilted a little when Professor R went all adult on her in front of the whole entire class. "I wouldn't do that, Professor," She said quietly, looking down at her hands. She'd MAYBE go if she was looking to see a unicorn, but not for a toadstool. Never for that. It didn't even feel good that she'd been right about the rest of it though, not anymore.
...sigh
"It can happen without anyone even meaning for it to. Like, well, bees could help the process along by taking pollen from one plant and bringing it to a different kind growing nearby. "
Oh no. Oh no oh no he felt AWFUL. Was it even possible to feel this bad? It was like a kick in the gu to see a Gryffindor with sunken shoulders and to be the reason for it. Gus reached into his pocket and pulled out a lemon sweet, leaving it on Cecelia’s workstation as he passed by. An apology. Or an attempt at one.
”Correct, Cecelia. Accidental cross pollination is absolutely a thing!” And so were Professors and putting their foot into their mouth.
SPOILER!!: (arch) Nemesis
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir
"Thank you, sir," Nem replied, radiating far more pleasant vibes than his neighbour, Castillo, was giving off. She should really work on that. No one likes a sourpuss. "I will treasure it always." No hint of sarcasm in his voice either, just good-natured jesting. Haha. See?
Nem nodded along with the rest all the same, but didn't bother to write any of it down. Not only would he remember, but Rainwater was the type of professor that provided notes anyway. Also, was Ezra here? Was he listening to the part about the rabbits? Hopefully not, or Rainwater would have a derailed Ravenclaw on his hands for the rest of the lesson, and Nem wasn't helping to deal with that.
But crossbreeding then. Nem knew little - if anything - about the topic, given that he'd never had the slightest bit of interest in plants beyond what he needed for certain potions. Most of his Herbology knowledge came from previous lessons, and occasionally scanning the textbook in preparation for classes, but that didn't stop him providing an answer when his turn came. "I think in plants crossbreeding would involve pollen and the stamen and the stigma, just like when they usually reproduce. So when it's deliberate, it would involve some kind of artificial pollination, you know? But obviously you can't exactly do that with toadstools."
Gus fought a laugh at the idea of Arch treasuring the point always. Like it would be in a little trinket box for the rest of its life. Was he supposed to be touched by the idea? No matter. It wasn’t something to dwell on. But FINALLY he was getting more answers related to herbology. HOORAY. ”Take a point, Nemesis. Artificial pollination is not the answer for hybrid toadstools. But spore relocation is.”
SPOILER!!: Phoebe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin
He... hadn't really told Phoebe if she was right or wrong. How did she give a different answer at the end of class if she didn't know if her current answer was right? C'mon, Professor Dimples, give a girl a chance.
She sulked in her seat a little as the professor introduced the topic of the class, and her classmates' answers confused her a little. How did all of them already know the difference between fake and real fruits and vegetables? The professor wanted them to be brave enough to tell him when they didn't know, right? WATCH HER GRYFFINDOR IN PUBLIC. Phoebe's hand shot in the air. "How can you tell if a plant is a crossbreed?"
His heart SOARED that Phoebe felt comfortable enough in his classroom to express her thoughts and feelings regarding to the information she needed to further in this topic. Ugh, could he squish her brain affectionately? Probably not! ”Excellent question, Phoebe. We’ll spend an entire class on this later in the year, but the spell ‘hibrida florens’ will come in handy for that.” Another of his university education spell perfections.
SPOILER!!: Noah
Quote:
Originally Posted by Watson
Noah flashed the Professor a happy smile. Crossbreeding? Err.. Not too much.But he assumed it was similar to mixing dog breeds perhaps? Maybe...
Not really? "Crossbreeding plants are bred to produce desired characteristics. So you can crossbreed certain plants to make them more resistant to viruses and bacteria?" he offered. Was it similar to genetically modified plants? Maybe? He had no clue.
”WONDERFUL, Noah! The isolation of virus and bacteria defences can help with the creation of something better in that sense. Genetically modified, so to speak. But it can also overly concentrate those aspects and cause them to fail. The balance is important.”
SPOILER!!: Isla
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anna Banana
Ya know, Rainwater was a pretty nice guy. Almost too nice. Isla bet he was a Hufflepuff when he was at Hogwarts. He almost had it written all across his face: 'I'M A HUFFLEPUFF!' Anyway, that was beside the fact, because she was supposed to be focusing on toadstools and not Hufflepuffs.
Did he just say they'd cover...everything in steps over the next few months? Yeahhhh, he did, which meant Isla better get a sudden interest in toadstools or things were about to get really boring. She was suddenly reminded that they didn't have to take their own notes in this class, which she was extremely grateful for. YOU ROCK, RAINWATER.
Suddenly, Morgan was screaming, Isla's level of distraction went from about eighty to a hundred. WOW. That kid really loved him some toadstools, didn't he? Focus, Isla. Focus. WHAT were all these people talking about, and how did they all know so much about cross breeding or whatever? She raised her hand anyway. "Would mixing a red rose and a white rose together to make a pink rose be an example?" she asked.
Yes, yes. Now was the time to get a real interest in toadstools, crossbreeding and all the good things, Miss Bellchant. They were in for a toady ride for the rest of the year in Gus’ classes and he was very excited about it. More excited than they needed him to be, but IT DIDN’T MATTER. ”With some hard work, yes! Colour gene isolation, mixing and distributing, balancing and all the things.”
SPOILER!!: Jina
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunflower
“Um, yeah I guess toads can really sit on toadstools,” she replied to the professor with a smile. Though she doubted that they consciously thought about sitting on the mushrooms before doing so. A few other students were piggybacking onto her answer, which she thought was really nice. She nodded as she got to learn more from Jillian and Missa thanks to their addition. A Gryffindor girl (Shivvy) even mentioned how funny her answer was! Jina was a bit surprised by the comment and question, since she had never seriously thought about it. She simply shrugged, stifling a laughter - this class was just getting more and more interesting. Although she did not verbally reply to the younger girl, she thought the purpose of the illustrations could be to 1) demonstrate to children the harmony between flora / fungi and fauna, 2) anthropomorphise toads and make them appear cuter than they actually are, and 3) create a visually appealing image through the colour contrast between green toads and red toadstools.
Deep in thoughts, she missed the majority of the professor’s speech. She took the piece of paper summarising their discussion and skimmed through it before putting it in her Herbology folder. Oh, crossbreeding! That was a fascinating topic. When it was her turn to speak, she said, “Mendel the muggle scientist crossbred a large number of pea plants and observed the characteristics of the offspring. That’s how he discovered the principles of inheritance.” Inheritance was also a fascinating area of study.
As the marker wrote Jina’s answer down on the whiteboard behind him, Gus beamed. ”Take a POINT, Jina!” This was someone that had done her reading even when she didn’t seem too interested in the subject at hand. He was impressed, though.
SPOILER!!: Kitt
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo
You know what? Once the professor appeared and began talking, the toads on the stools began to make loooooads of sense--didn't mean he knew the answer. No, he had no idea about toadstools and was already behind on his reading and juggling his subjects with his extra lessons. It was a wonder the boy hadn't already overloaded. He didn't have the luxury some kids did of checking the curriculum to see what topics they'd be learning next. Kitt was likely always a topic or two behind.
He'd just....wait for the next question.
Which, turns out, he couldn't really answer either. Was there anything he had to say about crossbreeding? If it was with plants then...no...he was drawing blanks.
"Uhh...."
Think, Kitt. Think.
"Ummm...you can...umm....uh....yeah."
Articulate little lad, he was.
”You can exactly, Kitt.” He smiled fondly and walked on by. He’d cover more of this stuff with him in their study sessions together. From the beginning. This stuff was easy to come to when you had a basic level of understanding or a few years of education predating it, so Kitt would get there eventually.
SPOILER!!: Blake
Quote:
Originally Posted by love-for-HP
Okay, Blake had to admit that Herbology was not his favorite subject ... he didn't much care for it, but it was a required class and he gave it his all in everything he did ... but crossbreeding plants???? Who cares .... and why would you spend you time trying.
"Ummm......" Blake usually had a good answer or at very least a good guess, but cross breeding plants .... "Do plants need to be of a similar species .. like you can't cross breed a mushroom with a flower can you?" Okay it was more of a question back to the professor rather than actual answer, but whatever.
Another fine question. Questions were good responses, as it allowed Gus to explain things. But it did tickle him a little that Blake often answered with a question. ”Theoretically, yes. The stability of a hybrid does come from similar species, but there are ways around it with magic. It just takes a lot of hard work and trials.”
SPOILER!!: Aboli
Quote:
Originally Posted by kayquilz
Aboli was NOT dumb, but his response to her sure made her feel like she was BEING dumb. And she couldn't understand why she'd be perceived that way other than, AGAIN, she was not as up to speed with Herbology as she would like. "I know what a toadstool looks like - " she said quickly, furrowing her eyebrows. BUT she bit her tongue before....she could catch an attitude because she LIKED Professor Rainwater and he didn't deserve her attitude.
That would be reserved for other people.
She just thought the TOAD THINGS on the stools in the front of the room looked more TOADY than she would have EXPECTED. And now she was confused about if the toads on the stools were the actual plants or...not. She didn't want to say a word. I don't know anything about cross-breeding either.... And the picture on the board looked NOTHING like the toads.....
Ah.
Was it a joke? Whoosh. Aboli didn't get it. Rather, she hadn't gotten it at first. I guess we don't share a sense of humor. Was all she thought as she continued taking notes and being quiet. She even copied down the picture from the board for good measure. Aboli DID want to take her own notes because she felt less useless that way. She wasn't able to fully contribute to the conversation at hand so...might as well scribble scribble.
Maybe she was stupid after all. First I know NOTHING about Kneazles...now I don't even understand a simple joke...Merlin, Aboli, get it TOGETHER WOMAN.
Also, since when was Noah a genius at Herbology? She shot her neighbor a look. Share some of your knowledge, Noah, PLEASE. Aboli knew what cross-breeding was, but she couldn't say it eloquently or give specific examples.
Gus was oblivious to what was happening in Aboli’s head, but still felt concerned enough to pass on his worries to her head of house later on today. Hm.
SPOILER!!: Flora
Quote:
Originally Posted by Destiny
How in the name of Merlin..
HOW IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DID PEOPLE KNOW SO MUCH STUFF!? How in the name of Merlin did people know so much stuff about crossbreeding plants? It was like her classmates were walking, talking textbooks! And Flora was just a tad bit jealous.
Her name was Flora. Like flowers.. or something. And the only thing she knew was that toadstools like to grow in places that are damp.
Okay, so maybe she did know a little more than just that, but she hardly knew anything about crossbreeding. It didn't stop her from speaking up when it was her turn, though. "When a mommy plant and a daddy plant love each other.." Professor Rainwater knew where she was going with that, right? "When they decide to have a baby flower, that baby flower looks like both of them."
Crossbreeding.
WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH.
Gus made a sort of squeaking noise when Flora answered and hurried on past her workstation. Absolutely not going there. Absolutely not. THEY WERE NOT DISCUSSING MUMMY AND DADDY PLANTING IN THIS GREENHOUSE. GUS WAS NOT TRAINED FOR THIS.
GOOD AND BYE.
SPOILER!!: Naya
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer11
Naya appreciated Professor Rainwater’s no note taking necessary approach to teaching. It allowed her to pay attention to what was being said without the pressure of having to try to write every important detail. Now though, the conversation had transitioned from toadstools to cross breeding. Between the professor and her classmates, a pretty clear picture had been painted. Naya got the gist of the process. She was sure that they could delve a lot deeper into the details, but for now she had to think of an example.
After thinking for a moment, Naya raised her hand. “One example of cross breeding is the ugli fruit. It’s a combination of a tangerine, grapefruit and orange. It’s pretty much a Jamaican tangelo” Naya could thank her friend back home for that fun fact. She had tasted the ugly ugli fruit and it was delicious. Sooo were they going to be creating some cross bred plants today?
Boy, these kids knew a lot about food, huh? Gus wanted to know more about their diets if they knew this much about fruit. His kids barely knew the names of fruit -- they looked at it and ran away. What was he doing wrong? ”Haven’t had one, but I’m interested to try. Thank you, Naya.”
SPOILER!!: Jillian
Quote:
Originally Posted by hjhm
Jillian took notes of the answers passed around by her classmates. Some were things she already know and some were really interesting that she needs to check the books and read more into it. Will this be part of their Newts? So that her segue would be more fun.
Crossbreeding... Hmmm... Does Jillian know any plant that are crossbreeds? She's unsure with some vegetables but it could be correct. "Crossbreeding is a hybrid from two plants. It's ideal to take all the best characteristics of the parent plants when doing crossbreeds" whoah, kind of feels like they're in a laboratory and about to make prototype.
Oh right. Example of a crossbreed plant.
"Rabbage is an example. It is a crossbreed of cabbage and raddish" yummy when she eats samgyeopsal (korean bbq) or in any salad. "and Early Sungrow, it's a type of sweet corn" her favorite. She loves this one. "It is sweeter, tender and more flavorful than a regular corn."
”I think that may be the corn that Alexandre mentioned earlier. Thank you, Jillian.” Gus smiled, gave her a thumbs up and continued on past her work station to the next student.
SPOILER!!: Catherine
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hey Ju
Honestly, Catherine wasn't sure yet where she stood regarding crossbreeds. On the one hand, they could be useful and she knew many plants that were crossbreeds - and other non-plant things too, mind you - that were very useful, especially in Potions. On the other hand, like that Slytherin boy who had embarrassingly fainted in front of everybody for the silliest reason last term had said, it wasn't a good thing at all if different species were crossbred.
Though he didn't say that, he was asking it. At least it sounded like he was asking. Catherine gave him a long look to try and figure out if he was stating it or asking it. Was he just trying to be polite, hence the phrasing sounding like a question? If so, why would he do that? The Ravenclaw refrained herself from shaking her head as she looked back at the professor.
In fact, one could crossbreed different species, but that would help no one. Those species could be interesting to look at - or just die altogether, or maybe not even develop into adulthood or not develop at all, even - but they would be completely useless. They wouldn't even be able to be pollinated again and continue to exist as a 'new species'. Useless. Catherine only saw one reason why people would try and do that: for fun and curiosity to see what they would create. Those were definitely not good enough reasons for her to be interested in it, because she had better things to learn about and do.
Like the crossbreeds which were indeed useful; the ones that belonged to the same species, at least, and were an improvement of the parent plants.
For someone giving enough of a look at another student, Catherine was pretty quiet when it came to answering. Was Gus supposed to read her mind? Because he couldn’t and he had no want or need for that. Whilst her thoughts were correct, he could direct her to some research papers giving exceptions and tried and tested methods around the difficulties. He would be happy to share if she were to enquire.
SPOILER!!: Missa
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samia
She got a point??
Missa couldn't help but blush and smile stupidly wide. It just felt really nice, but she wasn't entirely surprised to feel like this - there was a certain kind of comfort Professor Rainwater brought with him and to his class, which Missa really really appreciated.
Even though she was eager to take notes, because there was just something about making your own notes, Missa smiled politely and took the parchment the professor offered.
Okay, maybe she could just sit on her hands now and ignore the need to make use of her hands for now.
Anyway .... CROSSBREEDING.
And in all honesty, she really didn't know much about it, "I just know that crossbreeding is done to create something more superior, something that is more tailored to what you want it to be - to dismiss the faults in the parent plants"
Poor faulty parent plants.
Was it possible to be in love with an answer? Was it? Because if so, he was. ”TAKE ANOTHER POINT, MISSA!! Take it. Take two even and run a thousand miles with them !” Was that a little over the top? Probably. But did he care? NO. If she had given that answer in those words in an exam paper, he would have passed out on the spot. THE TALENT.
”Splendid answer, Missa.” That was all. Moving on. Ahem. Composing self.
SPOILER!!: Islay
Quote:
Originally Posted by Optimist.Prime
Islay smiled when Professor Rainwater had complimented the thought she had put into her work. When her thoughts were put on the board she just grinned, despite the noise of the whiteboard…seriously, couldn’t they silencio that?
OOOH THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HYBRIDS? That was cool.
Pulling out her quill she jotted down notes and nodded her head along before raising her hand. “sir, the apples we know of today are believed to be a product of crossbreeding different types of apples together…or well, selective breeding as old apples were small and mostly used for ciders” she had facts. Unuseful facts – but facts.
Maybe he’d try a lesson where he didn’t provide notes. Many of the students were all taking their own versions, so maybe it was a lost cause. Gus had found himself reading all of their notes as he passed by and at this point in time he was reading Islay’s notes when she answered. ”Exactly yes. Apples have developed a lot through adjustment, breeding and all of that stuff.” WHY DID THESE KIDS KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT FOOD?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!
SPOILER!!: Nina Castiron
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArianaBlack
Her grades were excellent, thank you very much. And though she didn’t love herbology, someone she spent most of her time with did. So in the end, she did spend quite a bit of time in the greenhouses thanks to Calyx Morgan-Bott. Though most of that time was not spent tending to plants. Either way, Nina wasn’t worried about the subject, nor did she worry about her lack of contributions to their Q&A session. ”No,” she replied easily when Professor Rainwater asked if she had anything to add. Though he couldn’t tell what she knew, Nina always read ahead. He had nothing to worry about.
Nina was not a fan of Professor Rainwaters dramatics, but she could very much appreciate how much he cared… As evidenced by the notes he began handing out. Nina took her copy, but she would still be taking her own notes. Not only did she feel more comfortable doing so, but she also enjoyed taking notes. It helped distract from the fact that she wouldn’t answer questions.
Cross breeding? Calyx was always working on experimenting with new cross breeds, an interest he inherited from his father because Nina noticed many in the Morgan-Bott greenhouse too. Her mind wandered for a moment before she brought herself back to listen to the answers her peers gave. Of course Bernadette was not staying on topic. No surprise there. A leaping toadstool park sounded like a terrible idea, by the way, especially given how reckless some of the Gryffindor were…… And grapermelon flavored gum? Um. Did she think before she spoke or? And the fourth year with her answer about a cut open banana-kiwi. Ridiculous.
No? Of course. Why ever did he expect different? It was almost like teaching a brick wall sometimes with this one. He’d been in and out of the greenhouses many times when she’d been in there with her plus one and sometimes Gus often wondered what the situation was there. Because did Calyx enjoy stony faced Slytherins? Because if so, he’d found a great one. But if not, there was…….concern. Lots of it.
WHY WAS THIS CLASS CONCERNING HIM SO MUCH?! TEENAGERS WERE DIFFICULT.
SPOILER!!: Yoyo
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicole black
It was such a delight to have the Professor back in the flesh, Yoyo had been getting anxious without him. She listened on, clapping appropriately as points were given for some properly great answers.
She particularly liked Naya's mention of the Jamaican Tangelo. "A crossbreed is when two plants are introduced to one another. Usually, it's best to use plants that are distantly related so the genes can really latch on and combine to create something new." Yoyo nearly recited, tugging on an errant braid of her long dark hair. "A lot of magical plants exist because of cross-breeding, my favorite's the color-changing roses created by Theodore Wimbleton. They're beautiful!"
Another of the good ones. Gus loved the presence and the energy of the Hufflepuff before him and gave her a GRIN as he passed through. ”I love the colour changing roses too. They make a lovely gift if anyone is considering them!” Which reminded him to send some to his daughter later on. Remind her that he was thinking of her. Always. Every second of every day.
SPOILER!!: Dear Heath, you’re breaking our hearts
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy
Heath continued to listen, not only to the other students’ answers but to the professor’s reactions to them as well. It wasn’t about holding a grudge so much as self preservation. He preferred to assess the situation before speaking so he could get a feel for what the reactions to him might be; that way he could tailor what he said to get a good reaction, or if all else failed, not say anything at all. It wasn’t just Rainwater; he did the same thing in all his classes. No slipping up if you slip away… or not. Heath blinked, looking at the professor with a mixture of defeat and confusion as he gave his backhanded reprimand reminder. So even when I keep quiet to avoid a bad reaction, I still get a bad reaction… okay then, he thought. This was making his brain hurt! What were the chances that talking to Rainwater would accomplish anything? It wasn’t sarcasm; he was genuinely wondering. Sure, it might help, but then again, it might just be another opportunity for their personalities to clash.
For now, Heath was going to focus on something less confusing, namely the sheet of information on toadstools in front of him. Then the subject turned to crossbreeding, and his mood brightened slightly. He had to admit that sounded interesting! Were they going to crossbreed toadstools? Ooh, that gave him an idea! He wondered if he could cross a red capped toadstool with a black (or some other dark color) one to get one that looked like Kylo Ren’s rebuilt mask (black with a red vein-like pattern). Now that would be awesome!
Again, Heath was at a loss for the right words when the second question rolled around. Not only was he terrified of what would happen if he said the wrong thing, but now he was terrified of what would happen if he didn’t say anything! To top it all off, he couldn’t think of anything to say about crossbreeding that hadn’t already been said, except… He remembered planting roses with his granny when he was a little kid. It was a florabunda rose, which she’d said was a cross between a hybrid tea rose and some other type. Poly - something.
Since he couldn’t recall what the other type of rose was, Heath was hesitant to voice his answer. Instead he wrote it down in his notes, along with the others’ answers and what his answer to the first question would’ve been. Although it was nice of Rainwater to provide handouts, Heath liked writing his own notes. That way, he could record his answers to any questions and have proof that he was paying attention in class, despite being too scared to speak. The professor said there was no need to take notes unless they preferred to, and he did… so that was okay, right?
Text Cut: Heath’s question 2 notes
What do you know about crossbreeding in general? Can you give any examples of plants - not just toadstools - that are the product of crossbreeding? Example: Florabunda roses - not just one plant, but an entire group of rose species made by crossbreeding. Florabundas are made by crossing a hybrid tea rose with a … I forgot the name, but it starts with Poly-.
It was very difficult to read Heath on a normal day, but at least his notes were available to read now. Gus gave them a read as he walked past, offering a smile and a nod. ”Polyantha, Heath. Excellent work, though. Take a point.” Bribery? Perhaps. He wasn’t against it.
- - - - - - - - - - -
”Thank you very much guys. Great answers! So, yes. Crossbreeding can create hybrids of living things. Creatures, plants, foods. I want to circle back to the point Prefect Renaldi made.” Gus tapped his finger beside the point on the list and read it out loud. ”Crossbreeding is done to create something more SUPERIOR that is more tailored to what you want it to be.” And with that point reiterated, he tapped the board again which transferred the list to parchment and the parchments out to all of the students in the greenhouse. ”I won’t lie and say that it’s an easy task to do. It’s intricate, detailed, stressful and takes a lot of work. But I believe in your abilities as Herbologists, I believe in your talents and I want you to believe in yourselves. Later in the year we WILL be conducting our own crossbreed experiments! Hybrids in Herbology - doesn’t that sound interesting? I think it does!”
And……. He’d given it away, hadn’t he? His big old surprise for the year. He’d dropped it before they were even half way through the first lesson of the topic. Oops oops and oops.
”OF COURSE we’ll study it in depth in a later lesson. I won’t let you go into this blind or whatever else the saying is. You’ll be confident crossbreeders before we dare attempt anything. BUT that isn’t to say we can’t start dreaming about it now!” Gus perched himself sitting on his workstation and his feet on the stool, looking out amongst the faces in front of him. ”IMAGINATION. Crossbreeding requires imagination. You need to possess the ability to THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX.” And then he was once again standing on top of his workstation.
”DARE. TO. DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!”
With a clap of his hands, a wheeled worktop came from the back of the greenhouse, between the student workstations to the front and was then promptly stood on by Gus. ”FLYING. HOVERING. SINGING. There are so many different traits, talents and quirks that could be FANTASTIC when paired together. Say.. I wanted my hair quality and Miss Bellchant’s hair length and colour? If I isolated those factors and worked diligently, there’s a chance I could create that. Eiji’s ability to jump in his chair and Blake’s levels of questioning when giving an answer? It’s always possible.”
”What I’m saying is that I want you to think of the wildest things about plants, the wildest looks, smells, tastes, behaviours, magical qualities and dream them together in a toadstool.” Annnnnnnnnd he dropped to sit on the wheely table, that moved a little when he did. ”I want you to work in groups of three maximum, or even alone if you would prefer, to think of your most imaginative idea for a hybrid toadstool. THINK AND DISCUSS. I’m going to come around in… a couple of minutes for you to present your ideas to me -- I can help you fine tune or widen your horizons when it comes to your options and ideas. THERE ARE NO LIMITS. NONE. Say that with me? NO. LIMITS.” Anyone? Anyone? AND AGAIN. ”NO. LIMITS.” And if someone was limiting themselves, then he was going to nudge them right on out of the box.
”Something that seems impossible may be possible with the right magic, research and hard work. Off you go.”
OOC: My little lovebugs! It makes me super excited to make these class posts and get to read all of your replies and the thought processes of your brain babies. They’re all so wonderful. I love them all. Right-o. SO we’re up to our mini activity now and Gus would like the students to work individually, in pairs or in groups of three maximum. (If there are groups bigger, he will break them up) Their task is to be wild, think big and dream up a hybrid toadstool. There are NO limits to their ideas -- so nothing is too insane for this activity. I’m going to be in and around posting every few hours to get discussion going between Gus and your characters to talk about expanding their ideas or reeling them in if needs be.
Go NUTS.
Class has started so do not post your characters arriving now and pretend they’ve been here all along <3 Any questions, please feel free to contact me!
We’ll move onto our main activity in roughly 72 hours.
Ewan was pleased with the respone to his answer despite not knowing much. The look on Profossor Rainwater’s face at Flora’s answer though was priceless! Ewan scoffed and covered his mouth for a moment, doing his best to hold back giggles as the Professor scuttled away from Flora’s table. Doing his best to he continued to listen and not bust out laughing, he simply continued to listen to the Professors next set of instructions.
The way that the professor talked made it sound like they would be doing some cross breeding but…
Huh. Great. Just what he needed. A long, complicated project that would most likely last them all year. What did he want them to do, breed a mandrake that didn’t cry?
WOW. Okay, Rainwater, calm down. Why don’t you get off the stool before you fall and hurt yourself?
With a shake of his head, the prefect turned to whoever was sitting next to him and smiled a little, sure that the whole ‘no limits’ thing would come back to bite the Professor before the end of the lesson. ”So…What do we want our toadstools to do? What a weird question that was and yet, it was completely valid. ”I mean, if there’s no limits, why not develop one that could…protect you from poisoning? Cross it with the properties of a bezoar maybe?”. If he was going to cross-breed something, why not make something that could be useful?Sure, it wasn’t exactly something fun or bold but it could always come in handy. Then again, why not just use a bezoar then?
”Or…Imagine something that could make you fly? Or apparate the distance of a portkey?”, his smile a little wider now at the thought of those ideas.
Last edited by aRogueOne; 05-14-2020 at 10:15 PM.
Reason: Missed the ending off of my reply
~ Mrs. Steve Harrington ~ It be like that sometimes.
Claudine didn’t hold anything against the professor for his not-so-interest in berries. That was his choice and truth be told, she herself had never thought much about berries in particular. But they were going to have the chance to experience crossbreeding? Exciting. The Snakette was looking forward to this.
The entertainment was back. Claudine found herself grinning again at the new antics of Gus Rainwater. Merlin. The man was so dramatic but so fun. She got serious again when she heard that they were to work in groups, however. {Ugh. Group work was always her dread.} But then a breath of relief was let out when Rainwater added that they could work alone. Perfect.
It was time to get creative.
What would she like to see in a hybrid toadstool?
For this, a sheet of new parchment was retrieved {it would be added to her binder of Herbology notes later} and the girl set to work.
SPOILER!!: Notes
Possibilities for a new type of Toadstool: Colours: golden yellow, pink {Horizontal stripes on the top, vertical stripes on the bottom} Smells: mint Tastes: CARAMELATTE Behaviour: Hums when nearing perfect consumption time Magical qualities: Protects from sunburn when consumed
These were what she came up with so far and she may extend the options shortly. Claudine was really loving this activity so far. All those creative juices were flowing, even if her toadstool options sounded nonsensical.
Made of Awesome | Ern-la the Best-wa | TZ's Apogee
So asking questions made Professor Dimples just squeeeeeeeee in public. That was pretty endearing, and Phoebe filed it away for later. She'd need it, because she was the sort to spill the potting soil or break the stems off fragile plants, so having a way to make the professor fall in line was going to be handy.
For now, though, they got to do some dreaming about the perfect toadstool. Did it have to have qualities found elsewhere in nature, or could they make it taste like cotton candy and float midair? Probably needed plants to cross it with... or whatever. This was confusing.
So what would she like for her toadstool to do? The floating thing was cool, or maybe floating on WATER like a lilypads? Smelled like jasmine? Had a bouncy top like a trampoline to launch frogs into outer space? YES to that last one. What else?
Slytherindor ♛ The Crazytastic Besties ♛ Shan Watson ♛
Noah loved the compliment. He felt much more comfortable in his knowledge after he had heard it. Wow... This Professor was really something else... To be honest, all the Professor's all had very different personalities now that he came to reflect on it. He listened to the Professor interact with various other students before he stood on a work station and told him to let their imagination run wild. Yes, Professor Rainwater had Noah Nam's vote.
Think and discuss? So this was a brainstorming session? He loved BRAINSTORMING. Time to get the creative juices flowing NOW. Noah happened to be sitting near the Ravenclaw Prefect when he began talking excitedly. He nodded and continued nodding. He liked ALL of those ideas especially the flying one. "What if it enables you to talk in different languages or turn invisible or read people's minds?" Maybe this toadstool acted like the radioactive spider that bit Peter Pan giving him the amazing powers he needed to be Spider Man and save his hometown of New York.
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Herbology Lesson 1: Toadin' Around 
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