Kayla watched the Slytherin Prefect and suppressed a smile, the animosity coming from the girl towards Xana was very strong. Seriously those two need to go at it one on one and get it out of their systems Kayla thought.

"Good guess, Marco. 1 point."

"Certainly helps. 2 points."

"I can't say it hasn't occurred to me. 2 points."

"Very good. 3 points."

"It helps, but not quite. 1 point."

"Yes, very good, Xana, Cassandra. 3 points to each of you."

"It certainly does help. 3 points."

Armand only eyed Dia for the comment and moved on.

"It certainly helps," he said, eying her plant, "most of the time. 2 points."

"Very good, Claudian. 3 points."

"Ah, excellent points, Hermy." He calculated quickly. Yes, Slytherin had a good number of points already. "4 points."

He nodded. "Such things are also useful in the Ministry. Those of you who are aiming for a Ministry position, take note of this. 4 points."

"Now I've read through your journals and I can't say I'm entirely pleased, so this lesson will have quite the focus on your journaling techniques. Before we get started, however, I want to backtrack for a short time into the last lesson. For those of you who have a living, blossoming konkagami, why don't you give me an interpretation of the flower that you have. For those who don't currently have one that is blossoming, if it did blossom in the time I was gone feel free to describe it."

Apedemak quietly paid attention to class and to what the Professor was saying; but, had no intention of describing his soul mirror to the student body at large.

WHAT!?!?! Another 4 points!!! And Xana HATES him! She thinks he wants to hurt her!!! This is not fair! URGH!!!! Cassandra punched her table.

Crud! THAT HURT!

"An interpretation sir?" Cassandra said shaking her aching hand, "What exactly do you mean?" He couldn't mean to explain how the colors tied to her soul... Cassandra started massaging her hand. Damnit... she'd hurt herself.

Oh great Kayla thought like I want everyone to hear this...she cleared her throat before speaking. "My Konkagami has blossomed into a bright orange flower which generally means that I am a person who is a thrill seeker, I live for a challenge anything else is just boring. I love the adrenalin rush that danger holds and pushing myself against physical limitations" Kayla was pretty sure that just about covered her. "As for the red tinge on the outer layers of the petals well that means..." she trailed off and looked at her plant in front of her..."that I have faced some harships" she finished in a quiet voice.

Kayla didn't think there was any need to go into greater detail of what she had been through with her grandmother, especially in front of a class of almost strangers.

Claudian was confused. Who was this man and what had he done with Professor Erikson? He'd never done this well in Herbology. Three whole points. Whoopee!

Claudian watched as his prefect SLAMMED her delicate little hand into the surface of the table and looked towards the Professor as if to say, 'She's hurt herself! Look!', but did not know if he should speak to her or over-ride and make a suggestion. He sat hoping it was just a minor discomfort and nothing serious.

"Uh....sir...I'm not quite sure what purple flowers or red and black petals have anything to do with me" James said meekly while blushing.

A clear arch of Hitachi's eyebrow came to be obvious as his Slytherin prefect punched the table. What's up with her? he thought while scribbling down some notes.

Xana sighed. After all, she had nothing to be ashamed of... right? She pulled her konkagami out of its box.

"Here's mine, professor..." Xana said.

http://www.outfinity.com/snitch/nigella2q.jpg

"As you can see, mine is a large nigella flower with blue and crystal, red tips and black on every third petal. There are 24 petals around the central androecium, with two sharp black thorns-- scratch that, four now... "

"This means I'm nurturing and supportive want to help people... I take on the characteristics of people to relate to them better at times, and the 24 petals shows a complexity. The red shows I've been through traumatic life events or have experienced abuses and had my life in peril in early life. As a foundling who was adopted and then lost my parents to death, and who has been in several abusive situations, I competely understand why this would appear. The black on every third petal and dark stamens with waxy leaves indicate that I have performed minor hexes and curses throughout my life, also true. "

"Thorns on my plant indicate that four people have or will come into my life that will wish to bring me great harm, mental or physical. I know who two of them are. The other two... well... I'm not sure yet." She shrugged.

"Well Sir my petals were red and orange before they died," Marco said. He wasn't afraid to tell everyone that he was a thrill seeking, passionate being. "The orange represents the fact that I am a thrill seeker. The red that I am, well you know what it means."

Alandra raised her hand. "My plant is blue, that means I'm loving, nurturing and supportive. I live from my heart and emotions I am very helpful." Alandra laughed before she said the next part. "I also cry a lot, which is actually very true."

"Well, the tan centre of my petals shows that I am a logical and systematic thinker that is fairly introverted, and the blue-green of the teal outside shows that I learn quickly, but also love to pass on the skills that I have learnt." She smiled, knowing that summed up her personality near perfectly.

Kayla stared wide eyed at Xana, man that took a lot of guts to tell the whole class your life story. She wanted to applaud her but thought better of it, instead she gave the girl a warm smile. But there was no way in hell she was telling anyone her secrets.

Heather tried to remember a bit,"Well my petals where black and orange and the tips where red before I burned them. It had two thorns but they are gone too. Honestly I don't know what it meant." Heather was going to admit the truth.

Claudian took another look at his blossoms and tried his best to describe them. "Mostly it seems to be a light brownish colour on the outside. The insides are the same colour, maybe a bit lighter with a light blue stripe-like effect on the petals continuing to the drooping petals." He didn't wish to go directly into the red-overlayed hidden in the center of the blooms, but that was the general look of the flower. "It's an indication that I'm logical, but...emotional at the same time?" He was confused by the last part of it, so he ventured the guess.


ooc: I don't know what breed of orchid this is, but I imagine his plant to look something like it.

Cassandra sighed... fine. She rubbed her hand with the salve and said: "Green because it shows that I am powerful and intelligent. Greens are extremely bright. They process information and ideas quickly, highly competitive and enjoy challenges. They thrive on taking risks. Strong-willed, powerful personality, determined to have my way, which is the right way."

"Light tan because..." she thought carefully of what to say, "... I am a logical person..."

She looked at the Red overleigh... People had a Red Overlay if they have been physically, emotionally or mentally abandoned or rejected... "No Idea about the red, probably because of my temper." She ended there.

He smiled sadly. Blue and crystal were his colors as well. She really was quite a bit more similar to him than Slade. Ah well, the only thing he could do now was attempt to protect her. "Well done, Xana. 4 points."

He chuckled. "Red and orange are also very physical colors. That is, you need to feel the world around you. If it's not right there before you, tangible, then it doesn't really exist. Good marks of a quidditch player. 2 points."

He chuckled lightly. "Not necessarily a bad thing, either. 4 points."

"Very good, Hermy. The marks of a teacher, might I add." He winked to her. "4 points."

"Burned--" He shook his head, allowing her to continue. "Black is usually an indicator that you have cast hexes or curses before. I think a good number of us have. After all, even I was a child once. Orange is being a risk-taker, or a thrill seeker. 1 point for at least answering."

"A person can be logical and emotional, yes, though it's a careful balance most times. You may follow your heart, but also follow the facts. For instance, if two people are fighting, your heart will go out to both of them. But you will listen to the facts and try to determine from there. 2 points."

He let Cassandra bypass the red tinge to her plant. It was not something to be bringing up to the entire class, after all. "Very good, Cassandra. Well done. 3 points."

"Now, this isn't for points, but I need to see where we're all at. What have you each learned from raising this plant, and journaling for it?"

ooc: sorry everyone. I had to be a parent. I'm back now.

"That your environment will affect how you care for your plants." She said plainly... He was giving more points to Xana again. When SHE was the one defending him... but then what did he care. Xana so much as told her they had a relationship.

"I leanered that its best to keep track of what you doing so if you do go wrong you can find out where.Take note of what was used and when on the plant and to record any and all effects had on the plant,"Heather said her hand raised.

Alandra raised her hand. "I've learned that, you have to pay attention to it for it to grow and learn from your mistakes."

"Good job I am one then Sir," Marco smiled. "Erm, I learnt not to leave it in the sun while you go home for the weekend."

"I learned about how the plant responds to various environmental and care conditions, of course... But on a more personal note it gave me the opportunity for introspection and the chance to step back and take a look at myself from a different perspective-- my strengths, weaknesses, and how my experiences have affected my life... and therefore the growth of my 'soul plant' and my spirit; how what I have experienced has contributed to who I am now." Xana said.

"Basically I learnt how to care for my plant by putting it into different environments and seeing how it would take to those environments. How much the plant actually grows when you look after it and care for it. By journaling it's progress I have been able to study it's growth and different stages of development" Kayla said quietly.

"Professor, if it's not too personal. May I ask what your Konkagami looks like?" She wasn't a thrill seeker for nothing.

"Nosce te ipsum." Apedemak spoke the Latin impassively. "Know thyself. If you do, you learn nothing from gazing into a mirror no matter how reflective it might be."