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Potions Lesson #1 The potions classroom looked completely different than it had ever looked before. The walls had been magicked back to make the room longer, and there wasn't a desk nor cauldron in sight. Instead, a huge table stretched the length of the room. It was completely bare, but there were chairs seated all the way around it. Professor Branxton, looking particularly cranky and tired, stood behind the chair at the end of the table and was pristine as ever and looking quite spiffy (if it hadn't been for the sour expression on his face) in dress robes. He was scowling at the table and paying the students no mind as they filed into the classroom, unsure as to where to sit. |
Hitching his rucksack more securely onto his shoulder, and attempting to tuck in his scruffy shirt, Clifford quietly entered the Potions classroom. It didn't look like much of a Potions classroom though. Where were all the cauldrons? And desks! You douldn't have a classroom with no desks! Were they meant to sit around that huge table that took up all the room? He presumed so.. Hmmm. |
Ray entered the classroom and said to Headmaster Branxton. "Hello Professor... How have you been?" Ray asked as he sat down as much close to the professor as possible. |
Jason entered the classroom and greeted the professor before taking a seat. |
Remy entered the Potion dungeon. He stopped dead in his tracks when saw the layout before him. His mind asked, "How can we learn to make potions without caldrons and all the other tools that used to sit around the room?" He immediately knew something was decidely wrong. Boys and Girls separated, wierd classes, but what was wrong? He remembered the stories his great uncle Ron told about his fifth year at Hogswarts, in fact most of his older family members had horror stories to tell about Hogwarts. He exhaled and began to walk again. He tried to calm and settle his mind as he did so. "Excuse me, Professor Branxton, but do you want us to take a seat or we will we have assigned seats?" he asked as he stopped beside the professor. |
Will entered the potions class-- wait, was this potions class? It looked more like a board room. He looked at the professor, who looked like he'd swallowed a mouthful of supah-sour every flavour beans. "Hello, Professor Branxton, sir." he said, smiling a little. He took a seat next to Cliff, who looked as bewildered as he felt. "Hey, Cliff." he whispered. |
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Will stood back up and lined up as instructed. "I'm sorry to hear you're not well, sir... Is there anything we can do to help?" |
"Oh hey, Will." Clifford smiled at the Prefect before pulling a face. "This is weird, huh?" He said, glancing around the room, his eyes finally landing on Professor Branxton, who didn't look happy in the slightest. Dumb new school. "Stand against the wall?" With a shrug, he did what he was told. "Is this like a test or something?" He wasn't good at tests! EEK! |
Ray got up from his place and moved towards the wall that professor. Branxton pointed at and waited eager to listen to the headmaster's answer to a Slytherin boy. |
"Unfortunately, I don't think there's anything you can do, no," he sighed and put his glasses back on. "And no, this isn't a test, though if it had been those of you who took seats would have failed, he added, cryptically. |
Ray looked at his professor with curiosity. Ray failing I mean please he never failed in anything he did... No Ray was now sure that something was wrong with this class. |
Okay, this wasn't normal. This had to be a record though. He'd barely been in class five minutes and he was already more confused than ever. Shoving his hands deep in his pockets, Clifford continued to stare blankly at the Professor. |
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Antwone walked into the classroom after breakfast, wondering why it was everyone was lined up on the walls in the near-empty room. Without a question, he settle himself next to a Gryfinndor and waited for instruction but was a little put off by the lack of cauldrons. |
Trey glided into the room, taken aback by the lack of bubbling cauldrons in view. In fact there weren't any cauldrons at all. Surely this was not Potions. He viewed the long table and all the students along the wall. Trey noticed Will and Clifford and took a spot next to them. "No potions in potions today ay?" He asked them quietly. |
Will shook his head silently and shrugged slightly at Trey. This was really bizarro. |
Professor Branxton heard the comment and sighed. "No potions today. The Ministry feels that the young wizards of this generation are lacking in proper manners so, as Headmaster, I am required to teach you proper etiquette and you will be required to follow it whilst you are in this school," he responded loud enough for the entire class to hear. "Since I, the highest ranking person in the room was not seated, no one else should have taken a seat." He grasped the back of his chair with long fingers and counted to ten. Breathe in. Breathe out. He was not going to go on a rant about Cooper. He was not going to go on a rant about Cooper. |
Will raised his hand. "Professor?" If this was to be an etiquette lesson, he would run with that. "Is that always true? I'm not contradicting you, of course, I'm just confused. In an academic setting often the professor or lecturer is at the podium or lectern and is standing, but the students are expected to take a seat... So that was my instinct. How do you know when it's appropriate to be seated and when you should stand until the highest ranking person sits?" |
Etiquette? Clifford's eyes widened at Professor Branxton's words. ETIQUETTE? What in the name of Merlin..? That was the thing you learned to act all posh and weird! He didn't want to act all posh and weird! He just wanted to be Clifford. Clifford who liked wearing his shirt untucked and ate with his mouth full, spraying crumbs at unsuspecting. Bleh. This sucked. |
As much as Trey didn't like the fact that no Potions would be taught, Trey was still fine with learning etiquette. It was something he already knew from all the parties and such his mother and father hosted at his manor. "Will, you should always wait until instructed to be seated, if I recall correctly. It's only proper and respectful." He said hoping he was not leading Will down the wrong path. |
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"I knew that," Iggy said. He had wiggled his way in beside Will. |
What the-? Shel listened, half in awe, half in mortification, as they were told to line against the wall - apparently to learn etiquette. The Ministry approved professors were bad enough, but he had not expected this from their good, old professors, too. He could tell Professor Branxton was not pleased about the whole prospect, however and this, at least, made the class more bearable. Etiquette lesson, here I come. |
Will nodded, sighing. Cleanliness classes, now etiquette? Lawdie, what was he gonna do when OWLS arrived-- pull out the examiner's chair and say, 'That's all I learned this year?' "That's real good to know, sir-- thank you very much. But... Professor? I have nothing but the utmost of respect for you, Professor Branxton, and this lesson really is a hoot 'n' all, but doesn't the ministry put any emphasis on young wizards learning actual magic? Potions and all the good wizardy stuff we don't know? Please forgive me, but I know my parents aren't gonna too chuffed at the idea that they are sendin' me to wizarding school and I'm not learning much in the way of magic because we're focusin' on being a finishing school. My mama raised me to be a gentleman, and sure- there's stuff I still need to learn, but she'd be really offended if she knew that the ministry thinks none of our parents have enough sense to teach us our basic manners before they sent us off to school." He rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. He didn't want to make the professor mad, he just wanted to know if this was going to be what it was like all year. He looked to his classmates-- Come on, we're all thinkin' it, somebody has to have the guts to ask the question... He took a breath and continued. "Again, I'm not tryin' to be disrespectful to anyone at all, sir... I'm just really, really worried-- this is my O.W.L. year and I'm never going to be able to pass it if I'm learning manners instead of learnin' magic... Are we going to study potions this term at all? I mean no disrespect, of course sir... and if I'm out of line for askin' the question I'd appreciate it if you'd just ignore me and presume I've taken a babbling beverage by mistake. I did learn how to make one of those last year. At Hogwarts. In Potions class. And I'm just hopin' that we're going to get back to learning magic again this year, is all. In time for O.W.L.S." |
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