Potions: Bottle Fame, Brew Glory, and Stopper Death
 

Jobs in the Potions Field
http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/a...nna_siggy2.jpg
Presented by: Anna Greingoth-Newell & Nico Toussaint of GothSaint Enterprises, LTD.

The lovely Touz was nice enough to make this for us:

Text Cut: Nico and Anna

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/a...om/jobfair.png

Anna: Anna Banana
Nico: Con_Stripes

Interested in a career in the Potions industry? Ever wonder how to apply all the material you've learned in class to your everyday life? You've come to the right booth!

Somewhere towards the back of the room, Nico Toussaint and Anna Greingoth-Newell await you at the Potions booth. Before you get to exploring the brews and bottles on the table, check out one of the pamphlets (outside, inside) fanned out across the front of the table.

When you're done looking through the pamphlet, you can view and test a sample of potions lined up across the back of the table. Nico and Anna are both available if you have any questions or comments or if you need any help testing out the potions.

Potions available to test:

OOC: Please be aware that the effects caused by any of the potions above are meant to be temporary and will be gone by the time your character leaves the booth. Thanks! ^_^

Selena picked up a pamphlet and leafed through it. It was certainly beautiful and potions was quite a fun subject. continued to scan it. She glanced up at the vials of potions. Should she try one? Selena decided not to and continued to read the pamphlet.

Anna wasn't quite sure what to expect as she stood at the Potions booth waiting for the students to arrive. The last time she'd been at Hogwarts, she'd been a student, and she'd known exactly what to expect then. Now, she'd been away from the castle long enough to become a wife and a mother---and a Potions Mistress, of course, which was the very reason she was even here today.

At least Cale was here....and Nico, Evee, and maybe even a few others. She'd heard Clifford Carden and Copernicus Kettleburn were around here somewhere, too. She was lost in thought and thinking about the good old days when the first two students arrived. Of course she knew neither. They'd probably come to the castle after she'd graduated. "Hey! I'm Anna," she greeted. "Why don't you try out some of the potions samples we have? Or...you can have a pamphlet if you'd like." She waved a manicured hand toward the pamphlets fanned out across the table.

Lalalala. Professor Kazimeriz's spirit was probably here. Not, spirit-spirit. Enthusiasm-spirit. If that makes sense. Because it did not, not even to her own self. "Hey, I'm Gold," Gold said cheerfully, tucking a bright, blue bang of hair, behind her left ear as she spoke. "I think a pamphlet would be nice, thank you." She picked one up, and slowwwly opened it.


"Self-supported potioneers have to get their concoctions registered at the Ministry, don't they?" She glanced up, thoughtfully.

Oh, Gold---Anna liked that name! It was unique and not very many people were called that. "It's good to meet you, Gold," she said. She took a moment to eye the clothes the girl was wearing. "Gryffindor, that was the house I was in. How are you guys coming along now-a-days?" (OOC: Maxie, IM/PM me if she isn't wearing Gryffie clothes, and I'll edit).

"They do," she said, answering the girl's question about self-supported potioneers. "The thing is, lots of them don't. That just opens up another job in the Potions industry, though---people who check that kind of thing regularly and fine or penalize if any regulations aren't being followed through with."

Anna hadn't even noticed another student approach---that is, until he questioned their sample of love potion. She turned toward him, and---wait a second. "W---William? It is you!" she said. "I don't know if you remember me or not---the Head Girl...from Gryffindor. We fought the merpeople and grindylows together in the Great Hall. How've you been?" She turned toward sample of love potion and picked it up, studying it for a moment before addressing William again.

"It's just a weak sample for demonstration. It'll barely even have an effect on a person," she said. She paused for a few seconds and placed the phial back where she'd found it. "The thing is, though, it's important to be educated on all potions---illegal or not. Especially if you're working in the Potions industry. You need to be able to recognize any potion and know exactly what it does. Looks like you've already got that down pat, though."

Selena smiled. "It's nice to meet you Anna, I'm Selena," she said. She looked a bit nervous, maybe it was her first time at Hogwarts? "So, what exactly do you do?" Selena asked. She was quite curious. Did they make up new potions? Or did they just brew potions day after day?

William hadn't realized that it had been Anna. The Anna. His eyes grew large as the smile on his face expanded to one of utter hilarity as he nodded eagerly. "Of course I remember you! How could I not, that memory is fixed in my head." he replied, his hands automatically moving to his neck where the empty vial still was. "I've been great, well not really but I tell everyone I am." he said feeling the need to be truthful. If anyone knew how William had felt during that time it was her. "How are you?" he asked excitedly, glancing at her new name with a quirked up eyebrow.

He nodded, listening to her explanation. It made sense, if she had brought a powerful love potion to Hogwarts there'd be all these boys and girls going gaga over each other. Mayhem would ensue yada yada yada. "I understand, I find it very difficult to be educated on Potions right now." he said softly, no need to mention the fire loving potions professor at that moment. "I've had to teach myself over the summer, borrowing a book from my cousin, you remember her probably Ariana? She's a dragon trainer now and has a few potion book full of interesting potions which include all sorts of different love ones." he explained, his eyes moving to the potion in question knowing he'd never try it. His eyes flickered to the potion on the end his eyes curious. "Is that an actual aging potion? I've never seen one up close before." he asked, already enjoying himself immensely, glad he had decided to venture out after all.

More and more...and more and more...people were pouring into the booth area. Where was Nico? Anna turned to see if he was maybe chatting up a few of the other students, but there was a crowd gathering now. She really couldn't make out who was who anyway...much less find Nico amongst them all.

"Selena, that's a cool name," she said. "I'm a potions researcher, which means I do a lot of research to try and make current potions better or to event new brews. Are you interested in a Potions-related job?"



Anna's face lit up just a little more when she saw that William remembered her after all. When he changed his tone of voice, though, and said that he wasn't really doing all that great, Anna's face fell. "I'm...just fine, William, but what do you mean you're not doing great? Is something wrong?" she asked. "...and what do you mean you've had to educate yourself in potions? What have you been studying here at school?" She wasn't sure what could be going on with William, but whatever it was didn't sound good at all.

It was sort of difficult to carry on conversation when she knew he wasn't doing well, but Anna managed a reply anyway. "Of course I remember Ari. I haven't seen her in years, but...a dragon trainer sounds really interesting," she remarked. "Tell her I said hey when you see her, mmkay?" She turned to the Aging Potion and nodded. "Yeah, it's an Aging Potion. Do you want to try it?"



Before her conversation about Aging Potion could go much further, another student, a Ravenclaw girl, walked up and greeted William. Anna couldn't help but laugh when the girl mentioned a crazy Potions professor. "Ha! I don't doubt it. There were a few crazy professors here when I attended, too," she said. Like...the time the Ministry took over and all those ridiculous Ministry employees taught them. Anna wondered if something like that had happened again. "So what makes her---or him---so crazy...and scary?"

Anna shifted her weight from one side to the other while she thought about the answer to the girl's question. "Well..., the thing is, you need a pretty good NEWT score for lots of Potions job. So I guess as long as you're doing some kind of work on your own and just not neglecting it altogether, you'll be alright. I don't know if it's my place to advise whether or not it's alright to skip a class, though," she said. "Is the professor...that bad?" Maybe this was the reason William was studying on his own, too...



"Merlin, that William is certainly popular," Anna thought to herself, as the second girl approached him. The more she looked at this girl, though, the more she realized that she knew her. It was possible that Anna was going to meet several people she'd known back when she was a student, but she didn't exactly realize how hard it would be to remember them all by name. She kind of eyed the girl for a moment until it finally all came back to her. "Katie Mae!" she exclaimed, a smile widening across her face. She left William's side and made her way closer to the little Hufflepuff girl. "How've you been? It's been...years! What are you now? A...fourth year?"



Anna wanted to say more to Katie. She wanted to, and she would have, had someone not conjured a blasted flock of birds to follow her every move. Narrowing her eyes, she turned around to see---oh, but of course. She hadn't seen Legend Chosen do this, but it had been him. She just knew it!

As she turned her head and walked closer to the little Gryffindor boy, a line of birds followed closely behind her. "Legend Chosen," she sort of halfway greeted. "Is there something I can help you with? Like...show you the way to the door, perhaps?" She literally wanted to strangle the kid, but yeah---he was what? Fourteen? ...and she was twenty-one now.

Anna & Legend XD
 

Gold grinned. "Thank you," she said, politely. She had yet to meet someone who had not complimented her on her name, and she sort of enjoyed that. She had a pretty name, see? She liked the fact that she had a pretty name. OH! Gryffindor!person! That was nice.

"Not too shabbily," Gold admitted. "But we could do better. I sometimes think we need the old Lion!spirit back." There. She was going to be honest, and not mince words. They did need their spirit back.

She tilted her head to the left a tiiiiny bit, as she listened to Anna. "So there are people who hunt out potioneers who don't register their potions?" She asked, thoughtfully. "How do they get to know that there is an unregistered potion out there? I guess it would be obvious if an unidentified potion started to cause major havoc but, other than that, what puts the concerned authorities on the right track?"

Curious!Gold.

A teeny part of Grayson felt bad for interrupting William's conversation with the Potions lady, but it was done and she couldn't go back. And it was interesting that the lady didn't seem too surprised, or worried, about the idea that a professor was crazy and scary. Swiping a pamphlet from the table as the lady laughed, she shrugged. "I'd almost be willing to bet that they weren't this crazy," she said, slipping the pamphlet into her bag and petting Draco a little. As she was then asked to explain more, her green eyes went to the lady. Should I really say?, she wondered. Figuring it couldn't get her in any more trouble than anything else she could do, she shrugged again. "Well, in our first lesson, she snapped at everyone if they didn't answer her questions, then kicked Celandine out of class for mentioning she had an allergy to calendula pollen. Which was actually kind of funny, cause a Howler was sent to her for that And then she lit students on fire. I mean, we'd been brewing a burn-healing unction, but she didn't even warn the students. And then she gave Celandine and a Slytherin prefect detention for defending the students, and the other Ravenclaw prefect detention cause he said his name wasn't prefect." And that was kind of only a summary, but she was still wondering if it was worth it to keep going to class.

She kept watching the lady as it seemed a lot of thought was going into the answer to her earlier question, and she gave her an innocent look as she got her answer. "If you go into research, or creating potions?," she asked. "I was planning on trying to figure out how to keep working on the subject, outside of class. It's all just kind of . . ." She shrugged yet again. At least she knew her ferret didn't have any problems with her making potions, since she had a feeling she was going to be hiding in corners with him a lot trying to study. If Professor Lafay didn't get less scary, so she felt more comfortable in class.

There wasn't enough money in the world to bribe Nico into doing something like this. No, not at all. In fact the main reason he'd agreed to do it at all was because old habits died hard and sitting with his good friend and workmate, Anna GREINGOTH (he liked to intentionally drop the Newell part), in clear view of Cale Newell who'd be able to see any incidental winks quite clearly, was always amusing.

Some things never changed.

He had a good view of where Evee was too and he shot her a quick smirk.

Okay, so a lot of things hadn't changed.

Already, he could see the booth was incredibly busy, Anna had a crowd around her in the short time that Nico had slipped away to get some food for his son. Overhearing a redheaded Gryffindor-by-the-robes girl say something about registering potions, he clarified in a slightly amused sort of voice, "Only potions which are intended for sale or distribution need be registered with the British Ministry, particularly if you have residency in another country, or several other countries... loopholes you understand."

Yes. Loopholes. They were in everything and benefitted Nicholai perfectly. He sat down and gave Anna an apologetic look over the head of the two and a bit year old wriggling around under his arm.

"Babysitter cancelled." He murmured, leaning over to Anna a bit, "Sorry Kitten." And obviously since Kayla was here too, there wasn't much choice short notice.

"Loopholes!" The little blond boy agreed. Almost the spitting image of Celandine, the school's head girl, his big dark eyes were taking everything in eagerly even as he went back to nomming on a cauldron cake. He waved over at his mummy and then started waving at everyone while wriggling and eating and dropping crumbs on his father.

Multitasker, this one.

Nico's head turned slightly and he raised one eyebrow. What was this? Celandine... in detention? He didn't quite catch the rest of whatever that little Ravenclaw was chattering on about, and decided it was probably best not to know.

Gold frowned. "So, if you intend to use a potion only once, for some sinister purpose, it's pretty safe not to register it?" She asked, absent-mindedly twirling a dark blue bang around a finger. "You can't get into trouble for that, can you? I mean, you didn't intend to sell or distribute it." Though you would get into trouble with the law anyway, Gold supposed. For reasons that had little to do with not having registered a potion. Then she added, more thoughtfully,

"So if a potion is registered in, say, France, and not with the British Ministry, would it, technically-speaking, be illegal to use it here?"

STILL curious!kitty.

"If you intend to use a potion for a... sinister purpose," And here Nico smirked, amused at the question though not at all bothered by it, "it'd be fairly stupid to register it. Especially if it was registered to you and you alone, since it would make it all the more simple for it to be traced back to you." He shifted slightly, adjusting his grip on the wriggling child in his lap.

"Generally speaking, sinister individuals prefer to avoid being caught or convicted for their... sinister antics." Hehe.

"But in all seriousness, if something is illegal, like murder for example," Lets gloss over this briefly shall we? Nico glanced at Anna, "It won't be any less illegal, and if you get caught you'll most certainly find yourself in trouble. As for where its registered, it depends on what it is if one is to speculate over the legality of a thing. And where it is administered of course... and where the... drinker is when the effects begin to manifest." He shrugged. There were ways around such things and... probably it would be best that he did not educate Hogwarts kids on such things. But then, he was sure she wasn't quite asking if the law ceased to apply.

"Wizarding law is a useful subject for a potioneer. Particularly international Wizarding law and not just those that apply specifically to the country you live in." He offered a casual grin and brushed as many of the crumbs off his pant leg as he could.

Despite how happy she was to see Katie Mae, Anna did give the girl a slight look. Miss Anna? Now that just wouldn't do! Katie was a friend and perfectly welcome to use just Anna. "Oh, Katie...call me Anna. You don't have to use Miss," she assured. Now Legend was a different story. Anna just might have to request Legend stick to the Miss title. Not that he would listen, but Anna wouldn't voluntarily let him off the hook the way she did with Katie.

Anna just laughed as Katie fussed at Legend for the whole birds episode. "It's alright, Katie. Finite," she said, pointing her wand towards the line of birds on that last note. A slight poof was heard and then a mere feather, all that was left, fluttered to the ground. She gave Katie another look, but this one was one that accompanied a little nod between she and Legend. It was as if Anna was asking, "Hmm? Is there something going on between you two?"

"Anyway, I've been doing alright, Katie," she said, finally answering the question the girl tried to ask before Legend approached. "...and yes, I'm a Potions Mistress now. Nico and I have a business called GothSaint Enterprises. I'm loving my work. Oh, and I'm a wife and mother of two, as well." She smiled even brighter on that last note.



Somewhere in between all her meetings and greetings, Anna heard her friend and co-worker, baby in hand, mention something about a babysitter canceling. She just smiled at him in reply---could she ever really be upset with him? Of course not. She turned her attention to the little baby, waved a little baby-type wave, then turned back to Nico. "Mmm, it's alright," she said. She smiled again at the Kitten nickname---some things never changed.



Anna just gave Gold a sympathetic look when the girl mentioned needing a little more Lion spirit. "If it makes you feel any better, it seems that you've got enough spirit for nearly an entire house. You keep that spirit, Gold, ...and don't lose it," Anna remarked.

"Well, I don't think there's any easy way to discover and crack down on unregistered potions, but I think it's a matter of following a lead or just happening to catch something during a routine inspection," she answered. She started to say something else to Gold...to answer the question a little more in depth, but Nico approached and provided some input even Anna didn't think she completely had a grasp on. She smiled at her co-worker before turning back to one of the other students.



Anna's face went through a mixture of expressions as the girl---had Anna even caught her name yet?---told the story of some Potions professor who'd set children on fire and thrown the prefects into detention. She eyed Nico when Celandine was mentioned. She knew Cela's big brother would have a fit if he thought she'd been mistreated at all. "Wow," was all she could say at first. "That sounds pretty intense..."

"Ahh, I see," she said, as the girl explained how she was trying to come up with a way to learn on her own outside of class. "Before you go experimenting on your own, be sure you know what you're dealing with. A lot of research will help you understand which ingredients do and don't mix together. You don't want to go around causing explosions or...anything worse."

"Once you know your ingredients, practice all the basic potions that you've been taught in class...or already learned on your own. When you know those brews forwards and backwards, then you can experiment. Think to yourself, 'I wonder what would happen if I...' ...then just go with it. See what happens," she said with a smile. There was just something about potions experimenting that always put a smile on Anna's face.

catching up
 

to you lovely peoples! <3
 

"Oh, thanks," Selena blushed. "Well... I'm not really sure yet... but I thought I could keep my options open and know what there is," Selena explained. Merlin, she was just a first year! She shouldn't know now what she wanted to do. "But I really do like potions..." Selena said sheepishly. Especially the time when her parents made one explode! Haha. She didn't think she'd tell Anna that though...

"You don't have to register it under your name," Gold said, with a shake of her head. "You could register it under someone else's. Then they will be suspect number one, and not you." Cue pretty smile.

Did she mention?

She was useless at this cunning!stuff. Obviously.

She listened to him, then, pretty sure this wasn't the answer to her question. You know? "But if it's a perfectly okay potion, would it still be illegal if you have someone consume it, in a place where it isn't registered?" There. Now her question was better-worded.

Gold had to laugh, at that. "Thank you," she said, cheerfully. "That's a very pretty compliment, to receive. I'll pocket it, I think." She pretended to be pocketing something. Rawwr.

"I'll try my best not to." She didn't think she was going to lose her Gryffindor spirit. Not now, and definitely not later.

She listened to Anna and, when the Potions Mistress fell silent, asked her a question that had nothing to do with potions at all, but everything to do with general curiosity and what she had overheard other people say. Without intending to, really! "Sooo, were you a Gryffindor, too?"

Hehe.

Rearranged, it should make sense though? =D
 

Anna and William (Hmmm, to mention Legend or not to mention him . . .)
 

Maxie <33 to you too
 

Nicholai decided to pretend like he wasn't hearing anything about Celandine getting up to mischief, and Raiden? Merlin. They were old enough to know better. He contemplated searching them out and getting to the bottom of things but figured that they would show their faces sooner or later.

Mikey attempted to reach for a shiny bottle but he couldn't get free of his daddy's grip so he gave up and started making monkey noises instead. He wriggled a bit when his mummy waved at him but settled down when his daddy gave him a look.

... Yes because clearly registering something like a dangerous potion under someone elses name was just that simple. Not impossible of course, but far too much effort to go when there were so many other, easier, safer and more interesting methods of... what had she said, making sure 'they will be suspect number one, and not you'. Odd questions to pose at a booth intended for those who were curious about a potions career.

"Unregistered is not, in the case of potions, at all the same as illegal. If it isn't for sale or general distribution, as I mentioned, then it does not need to be registered in order to use it, personal use is perfectly acceptable. It is only ever illegal if the potion itself is illegal, regardless of where it is administered." Nico answered. What exactly was she trying to get at? If it wasn't 'sinister' as she'd mentioned before then why would anyone think it was illegal?

He did enjoy semantics. Still he waved it away with a casual flick of his hand "And, I should really at this point suggest that you look into Wizarding Law, there are certainly a few here in the Hogwarts library. Were you interested in a potions related career?"

Which was the point of the booth after all, it wasn't about him giving legal advice on dodgy dealings.

Why give away all his secrets after all?

And why hadn't she asked her potions professor questions like this? The woman sounded positively angelic.

Nico fished around in his pocket, extracted an odd looking piece of wood which curled in on itself and appeared to have no ends, and gave it to Michael. The little boy puzzled over it quietly, trying to make it make sense.

Maxxeh
 

Oh, but she had seen enough of the Law, son! Gold wanted to say that out loud, but decided against it. There was the huge, HUGE possibly that he wouldn't get her joke. Not to mention, he was probably right. She ought to ask about a potions-related career.

Or something of that sort.

"So, are there potions-related careers that are sinister but perfectly legal?" She ventured, before deciding that was quite the wrong question. One she could answer herself, in fact. Which made it pointless, as well. "Ah well, forget it. I'll just read through that brochure again, if you don't mind." Because, you know, sinister!talk can get sinister.

Obviously.

Lalalala! Gold was -- OHHAIIBESTIE!

"Hey, Broderz," Gold said, with a soft smile. She felt the Hufflepuff's hand in hers, and was glad for it. This meant Brody cared, didn't it? Because Gold had found Evolette McKenna a - in the politest of words, mind you - big-headed person with a pretty face, and apparently no brains. Not to mention, she had dared to allot to Gold, words that the redhead had never uttered. Gold had never been fond of lies.

Which was it was pretty understandable that she had no desire to meet Evolette McKenna ever, ever again. Not now, not later.

"I'm fine." She grinned. "Let's sample a potion?"

Rawwwrr.

Brody smiled at her friend, because at least the girl actually lookeed happy. And she said she was fine, so that made Brody happy. She probably would have been annoyed if Evolette had upset her best friend, because she had no right really. But brody knew deep down that it was just how her cousin was. Brody squeezed her friends hand, and looked at the booth. This really didn't interest her that much, she wasn't too good at potions, but she'd give it a try hehe. She liked giving things a try hehe. "Thats goood." She smiled at her best friend, referring to the fine.

"Errr..." She glanced at the potions. Well she was sure they wouldn't hurt them, because like that wouldn't be cool. "Sure."

Okay, so Rafe had no interest whatsoever in potions...it was just mixing stuff right? He was more interested in the representative--Anna Greingoth! She was a Hogwarts Quidditch legend if you asked him. He read about her in the archives. How odd it was that she became a Potions Mistress? Rafe approached the booth, Oooh samples! Unfortunately, there wasn't anything that interest him. "Miss Greingoth!" Rafe said excitedly. "What was it like grabbing the Snitch right under Colin MacKenzie's nose during the 2069 All-Star Match?"

Fia stepped back into the job fair and noticed a booth that she had completely missed before. The EXACT booth she needed. Brewing Potions. "Wowww," she grinned as she walked up and peeked at the different bottled samples aligned in front of them. It was at that moment she noticed Gold, whom she'd not completely met before, yet her step sister was also there as well and what was it they were looking at? Love potion? Hmmmm...

"Ahemmm, so we may try....any of these?" She looked towards both the young lady and gentleman on the other side of the table as both were speaking to all the students. The clearing of the throat was meant for Brody and the love potion that was being offered to her. Mwahaha. She was more than sure that the effects of the potions were short lived and nothing more.

There was so many people standing around the booth, but Anna was somehow able to pick out the distinct sound of a new person's voice. Turning around to see who had approached the booth, she saw a blonde-headed Hufflepuff girl admiring the potions. Oh, finally! Someone was showing a slight interest in the samples they'd provided!

"Mmhmm, you can try any of the five samples on the table. Just make sure you read the instructions before you drink one of them," she advised. "Is there a certain one that catches your eye?" Anna sort of edged the Aging Potion a little closer to the edge of the table. She'd been hoping someone would try that one sooner or later...

Oh good, Brody was all smiles. That probably meant Gold had said something right. She didn't even remember what she had just said, though. Silly. She looked down at the potions, as she thought this, and mentally eliminated the Shrinking Solution, for now. No aging for her, either. Though that did bring up a question, in Gold's mind. She was going to ask Anna.

BUT. For now.

"I want to try the love potion," Gold chuckled. "But I haven't brought anyone along, so I can't." POUT.

Whoa. "That sounds a lot of responsibility," Gold said. Four years of Prefectship, one of which saw you as Head Girl. Quite a lot of responsibility, there. But, now for her question.

"There's something that I wanted to ask," Gold said, shaking herself out of a sudden bout of thoughts, to focus her green eyes on the Potions Mistress, again. "The aging potion. When you age, is it an actual reflection of how you will look, when you grow that age? Or how you might look, at that age?" Because Gold was SO not going to get herself any wispy, gray hair, even if it was only a potion.

She was going to have super, red hair FOREVER.

Well, hopefully.

OhHAIIFia.

It was a wonder, that the two of them had never actually had a proper conversation. She and Fia, that is. Gold gave the girl a polite smile. "I want to try the Love Potion," she told the girl, randomly. "But I can'ttt." No guys around that she knew that well.

Anna nodded. Being a prefect and a Head Girl definitely was a lot of responsibility, but Anna had enjoyed the challenge. Besides, Cale and Chris had been good co-prefects and had helped her with a lot of the workload. "You see that curly, brown-headed man at the Ministry Representatives booth?" she asked, pointed a manicured finger toward Cale. "That's my husband, but years ago, he was my co-prefect. We worked really well together, and he helped me with lots of the workload. So did Chris, the boy who replaced him when Cale graduated...a year earlier than I did."

"The Aging Potion just adds qualities of old age to the features you already have. For example, it just takes the skin you have now and sort of wrinkles it a little...or a lot," she said, waving a finger toward Gold's arm. "...and you hair will turn gray and maybe...thin a little. I don't think it shows you what you'll look like as much as it just tweaks what you already have."

Fia slowly turned her attention towards a vibrant red-headed girl who was smiling at her. Gold. "True confessions, I want to try it too." She'd never been properly introduced to Gold but knew who she was from around the school. And now the girl was with her half sister, Brody. "I want to try that and the aging potion.

"Hi! I'm Fia," she finally introduced herself as if she were pushing her way through a crowded place.

It was fairly easy to see which one the young lady wanted others to try. "Umm...have you tried the aging potion? Does it really work?" She would KNOW what she would look like when she was older. That alone was scary enough.

Grayson grinned a little at the potions lady's response to her saying she was a Ravenclaw. It was true, but that didn't mean she sat down and actually did research as often as she could. She just knew how to, and how to make it so it didn't take as long as it could. "Yep," she said simply, in response to the whole comment made to her. "I have more fun with the experimenting, though," she added, a bit of a mischievous bent to her grin. Experimenting was way too much fun. Finding out what could happen if you did one thing instead of another, all of that. It was almost as much fun as the other things she got into.

But then the attention was off her, and she found herself looking around as potions lady spoke to another boy. Quidditch? "You play Quidditch?," she asked potions lady, who she now knew was named Anna. Poking a hand into her school bag as she felt Draco shift again, to make sure he didn't jump out, she blinked a little. That was something she'd never really thought of trying, but part of that was because she didn't get to see a lot of Quidditch when she was home.

Ohh, so the girl had noticed how Anna had edged the phial a little closer to the end of the table. There was nothing wrong with the potion, of course, but Anna just thought its effects would be the most amusing for the students to see. "Of course I have. We brewed it lots of times in Potions class when I was a student here. The effects are always fun to watch," she explained. She nodded. "Mmhmm, it works. Would you like to try it?"

"Experimenting---that's what got me interested in a Potions career in the first place, you know. I liked experimenting with potions and testing what would happen if I altered my brews or changed parts completely," she told the girl. "Of course, you have to really know your ingredients if you're going to do that, but it's really enjoyable if you like like that kind of thing."

Then suddenly the talk had changed to Quidditch, and Anna remembered that she'd just been talking to a Gryffindor boy about that All-Star match she played in. "Oh, well, I did when I was a student. I don't play anymore, though. I was the Gryffindor keeper my first to seventh year," she answered. When the girl's bag moved a little, Anna glanced down, wondering what in Merlin's name was shuffling around. Did she even want to know, though?

"One might argue that theres a touch of the sinister to any potions related career." Nicholai shrugged, a somewhat enigmatic smirk playing on his lips for a moment before nodding once in agreement and dismissal. "You do that."

Brochures were for reading.

Obviously.

Nicholai gave Anna an amused look. The kid wasn't doing anything wrong and honestly it was admirable that he was managing to get under Anna's skin so easily. It took guts and a certain knack to do so.

"Helps if you're good at it too." Nicholai murmured. And Anna wasn't exactly bad. He'd never have asked her to work with him if she had been.

Even if it was worth getting Cale just a little worked up. Nico smirked and glanced over at the ministry booth. Hmmm.

... So tempting...

Michael didn't say anything but did attempt to launch himself at his mummy, only stopped by his daddy's quick reaction catching him.

His smirk faltered just a little when Kayla came over and he smiled ruefully at her. "Just fine Mo.. Kayla, just fine." He held the little boy up with one arm and raised one eyebrow. She wanted him?

Her own eyebrow raised at the almost slip of the tongue. Kayla held out her hands for her son, "You want to come and play with mummy for a while Mikey?"

And then she realised that she should probably check with Nicholai first. "If that's okay with you?" she asked looking at Nico and feeling uncertain for a moment.

Man, this really sucked at how formal and slightly awkward they were being with each other.

Michael wriggled in his father's arms and reached out his little hands towards his mother. "Muuuuummmmmy" he squealed rather loudly and probably causing everyone within earshot to wince just a little.

"Of course." Nicholai put on a face, an easy and reassuring grin though there was something not quite right around the edges. "No candy." He warned mock-sternly, winking at Mikey.

Taking Michael out of Nico's arms, Kayla nuzzled her son's neck and hugged him close to her before putting him down onto the floor but held onto his hand.

"Feels weird being back doesn't it?"

She had noticed the look on Nico's face and really she should have just left and stop making this any more awkward then it was already. But Kayla was always a glutton for punishment.

"Less than I thought it would." Nicholai glanced over at Evee and then his eyes flickered to Cale once more. It wasn't like there were no familiar faces. Though... where were Celandine and Raiden? There were others too, that Nicholai wouldn't mind saying hello to.

Ah well. Supposedly he was working. But apparently potions wasn't as popular as it used to be. Fine by him, more business for himself and Anna.

"Seen Celandine yet?" Because honestly it wouldn't surprise him if Cela had come in and said hello to Kayla and probably Evee and Cale and completely avoided him.

Especially with this whole detention whatever.

She followed Nico's gaze and almost rolled her eyes when she saw Evolette. Kayla didn't have anything against the brunette...well not much anyway. She did hold a secret grudge that she could never make Nico as happy as Evolette seemed to.

Celandine?

Kayla raised her eyebrow once again and she was almost tempted to ask, why on earth would his sister want to come and see her? "No I haven't. The only person I've seen that I remember is Cedric Leone." And she realised that Nico would have no idea who that even was.

Tugging on his mother's hand trying his hardest to get her attention. Michael yelled out, "Mummy, I'm bored. I want to go and play with the goblin."

She looked down at her son and almost laughed. She was pretty sure that Femlok was not into playing children's games especially with a boisterous two year old. Kayla looked back at Nicholai and smiled faintly, "I guess I should head back then."

Anna!!! :D
 

After visiting a nearby booth, Chris realized just how long he had been down in the Great Hall marvelling at all of the jobs an adult wizard or witch could possibly have. The choices were endless. How did they expect you to pick just one?!

He had been very tempted to run up to the Gryffindor Common Room to rest for a while before making his next attempt at stopping at all of the booths when a colorful and bright stand labelled, 'Potions' came into the seventh year's view. Now he wasn't the best at potions but hey, they were still interesting.

Walking over to the booth wouldn't hurt, were those free samples?! Wide-eyed and curious Chris walked over to join the small group of others standing around the two people working the booth. Nodding to the man behind the counter Chris stared dumfounded at the woman in front of him. Merlin's golden snitch! "Anna?! What are you doing here!?" The Gryffindor nearly jumped over the booth's counter in his excitement to see his close, old friend.

Late post is late.
 

William nodded; he hadn't realized how many friends he did have until someone pointed it out and of course it had to be Anna. Though she was always good at pointing things out like that, and he had a feeling it would never change. "Yeah you're right. This is why I'm hoping Potions is my thing, so far it seems to be. I mean I can't be the same as Ari, who loves creatures more than anything right?" he chuckled shaking his head. He was still feeling a bit overwhelmed over the whole baby thing but he needed to keep his own life in check and this was it.

Glancing at the aging potion again he nodded, "Sounds like fun. I'll try it." he said cheerfully, crossing his arms and flexing his fingers a bit. He wondered what he'd look like a bit older than what he was now, he couldn't really picture himself older than what he was now, but hey he had to be curious. Ravenclaws always were, right? And besides, it was for science. Yes, he had to test it out.

x3 I come play.
 

"Apparently she's been in detention." Obviously that was Kayla's former specialty more than his. Nicholai shrugged once. Possibly she was off... hmm. Being unsupervised with Kettleburn.

"Indoor voice, Michael." Nico gave his son a stern little look, though he was always actually pleased when the boy spoke well at least. No choo choo's or baa baa's for HIS son.

"I suppose you should." He agreed, looking at Kayla once more.

Well. He'd just been thinking of Raiden here. Nicholai nodded and grinned easily, raising one hand in greeting.

"How are you Raiden? It has been a fairly long time." Since... before Mikey was born as it was. And Raiden himself was not such a child anymore.

Anna and Con :P (sorta. Mostly Anna)
 

Okay the longer she stood there the more uncomfortable things seemed to get. And had she really expected everything to be normal between them as though there was nothing wrong?

Actually she had.

Which just goes to show, that she could be an absolute idiot at times. "Right" she said quietly and picking Michael up once again and placing him onto her shoulders. "Just let me know when to bring him back over or you can just come and get him."

She was just turning around to head back to her booth when she spotted a familiar face. "Hey there Raiden" she said mustering up a smile for the boy.

Noticing where he was looking, Kayla could not help but smile even brighter at him. "Raiden, this is Michael...our son." She glanced at Nicholai for a moment before returning her gaze back to Raiden, while she jiggled Michael's hands. "Michael, say hello to Raiden."

"Hello Rai - den." The little boy said cheerily, managing to pull his hands out oh his mother's grasp and waving at the Slytherin.

Kayla brought her hands up so that she could hold onto Michael so that he wouldn't fall off her shoulders. "It has been a long time" she agreed, shifting her weight slightly. "I hear you're Prefect. Congratulations."

You and You. Hehe.
 

Katie could have sighed with relief, over the top happy Anna had put the letter in a safe place - AWAY from Legend, - to be read later at a more appropriate time. Honestly, she didn't know what she would do if the Gryffindor boy got his hands on it- No, wait, she did. She'd attack him by whatever means she had to to keep that darn letter out of his hands. It wasn't like she hadn't pounced on or smacked Legend before, usually for good reason, but Katie was glad she wouldn't have to cause a scene in front of practically the whole school plus some today. "Boy and girl twins!" Katie acknowledged, somewhat excited. Those were the best types, she thought. Of course she was bias since her twin was a boy, too. "Caleb.. that sounds familiar," the Hufflepuff added slowly, thinking the name over in her mind for a moment. Her dark eyes peered back up at Anna when a past summer memory came back to her, "You married that Cale guy, didn't you? The one with the sideburns that Legend and Mat kept picking on?" They were toddlers! Katie had figured they were babies still. A small giggle escaped from between her lips, "Twin terrible twos already! Good luck with that, Anna."

Miss Ameh