Something told Laken that several of the students were nearing hexing herself and Sara. She didn't care what they did to Sara, but even though she was a first year, she was an advanced witch. She slowly pulled her wand from the inside of her robes, and cast a nonverbal Shield Charm around herself. "There." she thought. "That should help."

Marvolo nodded.

"What potion are we making?" Kaitlin repeated.

Ashley walked in and sat down in the back and got out her textbook and waited for class to start.

Jen closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands.

Whatever you do, don't hex them she thought.

She could refrain herself. She had to.

Unable to take the arguing any longer, she raised her head and said "Stop the fighting. If any of you know what is good for you, you will be quiet until the Professor starts the lesson."

To her surprise, she managed to keep her voice even.

I will not hex them she told herself over and over again.

Kaitlin looked over at Ashley. "So class didn't even start yet?"

"Not to be rude, Jen, heavens no, but the bickering has already stopped." Laken replied calmly.

OOC: Okay people, I'm really glad you are enthusiastic about RPing but, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind. 1) I have a 7 month old son to take care of so I can't be here to teach in one big block of time and I might disappear without warning (today being a case in point) so, 2) REAL TIME and RP TIME are two different things. Please don't chatter when you know the teacher wouldn't allow it just because I left the thread open and I'm not here to police it. 5 fricken pages without me posting anything!!! That's ridiculous. And no double posting, either. If you have something to add to your post, edit the post. If you want to quote more than one person, use the [quote= } tag. Thank you.

[color=green]Professor Branxton stood up and gestured for silence. It was ridiculous the ammount of chatter going on. "First things first, I want you all to be focused on your potion brewing. Keep your chatter to a minimum and use the time between when you arrive and the start of class to prepare yourself for potions. Now, what can you tell me about potions?"[/color]

Sara looked up from her studies, suprised at the Gryffendor, she didn't seem like the brave type. She shrugged, she could not be talking to her, Sara hasn't spoken for a while. But none the less, she hugged her sheild cloak tighter around her.

Lo stopped looking at the room and started to look for anyone she knew. She saw a few Ravenclaws she knew, but she was pretty sure they were already preoccupied.

Then she looked up at the professor and raised her hand. "Potions is a study in which we learn about the effects and characteristics of a substance when mixing together different elements."

Sara raised her hand.

Laken raised her hand. "The key elements in potion making are timing, temperature, ingredients, stirring, and of course, magic." Laken answered.

"There are a variety of tools used in potion making. Among them are: cauldrons, knives, ladles, mortar and pestle, scales, stirring implements, vials, and wands."

Nabiya raised her hand, "the word Potion comes from the latin word Potio, which means beverage or poison. So, that would mean a drinkable poison. But then again, not all potions are poisons"

Sara let down her hand, man, she knew that one. But she rdied herself for the next question.

Alex raised her hand, "Potions are magical liquids created by mixing ingredients in a cauldron according to very specific rules. These mixtures must usually be drunk to give their magical effect. If rules are not followed exactly and even if an extra drop of something is droppped into the potion, the result may be fatal in some cases."

" Hey brother!" Bjorn gives egil an acknowledging look. Fancy you wanting to sit with me "Anyway! don't miss the arithmancy classes they're really cool. Bjorn looks at Egil who's definitely engrossed in reading the potions book. Always the potion-maker in him, bjorn thought to himself and continues to daydream.

Aniri raised her hand as well.

"The uses for potions are also very varied. They can range from making someone feel a bit giddy to putting someone permanently to sleep. Just like spells and magic itself, the type of potion depends on its maker."

alyssa rasied her hand" potions are magical liquids mixed with different ingredients"

Firicle looked up and the teacher and passed the question in her head a few minutes. Finally, she had her answer and raised her hand.
''Potions have are used for different reasons. Some could be healing and others could be for harm. Every one has their own pros and cons and should be brewed with attention.''

Suddenly Angel felt her arm fly into the air. Ohh boy! She thought but before she could stop herself she said, "Potions are magical liquids created by mixing various ingredients in a cauldron according to very speicfic rules. They normally must be drunk to work properly." She really hadn't realized that she had picked that bit of information up. Maybe reading textbooks aren't suck a bad idea.

Laken raised her hand again.

"Though it is not necessary, you should try to evenly cut and consistently grind your ingredients unless otherwise instructed to do so.

No one is exactly sure how stirring effects a potion, we only know that it does. Over the years, witches and wizards have experimented and perfected the stirring techniques of most of the potions we brew today. However, there is still a great deal of experimenting to be done."

David raised his hand. ''Potions have been in common use since the dawn of man, when they used a paste to stop insects from biting them. In Muggle myth, potions are commonly associated with witches or alchemists.'' he said.

Claire raised her hand, "Potions, Professor, is a drinkable medicine or poison."

Amber Joy raised her hand and said quietly "Potions are an exact science, nearly an art form. Wands are of no use, and the outcome of each potion is entirely dependant on the manner in which it was brewed. Potions are an exact art."

Linda walks into the classroom and is relieved that she is not the only one who feels a bit nervous. She wonders what they will learn first. Will they get a lot of homework so early?? She is sure that it will be interesting anyway.