SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - Lesson I: Herbology Lab

kayquilz · 06-26-2017, 05:36 PM

SPOILER!!: Skylar

Carrots and mandrakes did both grow in the ground. “Soil...typically doesn’t affect texture like that,” he replied gently. Merlin, maybe this question was harder than he had originally thought.

“But they DO both grow in the ground because they’re the roots and all.” As some of the students mentioned.

SPOILER!!: Jessa

“They are actually in different families. Mandrakes are in the family Solanaceae, while carrots are Apiaceae, two terms you will literally never need to know in any of my classes or exams,” he said simply. That was...way way deep into plant stuff, plant bio and whatnot, and for Herbology lessons at Hogwarts, that was way too in depth. But he thought he’d mention them anyway. “But you’re smart thinking, Jessa!”

SPOILER!!: Vivienne

A quiet one! Paul didn’t mind the quiet, since she seemed to be intently cutting the mandrake open. Well, concentration and focus was important.

SPOILER!!: Tenacius

“Well, you’re right. They are both roots, so yes, that is a similarity.” Well, at least the students were on the right track. And that was….good enough for Paul. Made him smile and whatnot.

SPOILER!!: Zoryn

…...Paul had to chuckle. Good naturedly, of course. “Zoryn….yes, they are edible. But not in this state. Highly poisonous if you ingest uncooked. And the only reason one should ever ingest a mandrake is if they’re taking a draught of some sort.” He was sure most were familiar with the potion that restored a person’s state after petrification?

SPOILER!!: Mel

Ponchos! Paul had no idea why she was mentioning them, but he laughed. “Yes, ponchos are just great. Nice and airy...and...comfortable. Also warm if you want them to be.” He winked. PONCHOS MAN.

She didn’t answer the question! But he didn’t notice because PONCHOS.

SPOILER!!: Isa

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffin

Isa looked over at her friends Derf, Stasya, Jessa, and Emmeline. Jessa was going to love this and Derf was, well, looking like he thought he was going to die. Poor Derf. At least the mandrakes weren't actually capable of killing people anymore. Maybe knowing that they were dead would make things more manageable for Derf. Isa was, as always, excited about the herbology lesson. Although Isa was generally against killing or cutting plants, she was okay with dissecting a mandrake that was already dead. This was to further her knowledge about plants, and she didn't have to kill any plants to learn so it was okay. Isa had decided not to wear a mask because the smell wasn't bothering her too much yet, and she was sensitive to most perfumes so having a mask with perfume in it right by her nose for a long time would probably be worse than the smell of the room.

They were starting! Isa looked up at the poster showing where to make the incision and watched Professor Myers' demonstration. Picking up her scalpel,
Isa made one long incision from the bottom of the mandrake up to the top just like Professor Myers had shown them. It really was like cutting a carrot. Hearing the next question, Isa was so excited that she almost forgot to put her scalpel down before raising her hand. She knew stuff about why some plants were similar to others and it was something that she read a lot about all the time and it was really cool and she wanted to share about it! "Mandrakes and carrots share common ancestors. The mundane mandrake and the carrot are both part of the clade asterids, so they share a lot of common traits, although mandrakes and carrots have many differences because they belong to different orders. The magical mandrake and the mundane mandrake both have many healing properties. Magical mandrakes have a few obvious differences, with the most obvious being that they can move and scream." Okay, that had gone a bit past what she had wanted to say about mandrakes and carrots, but it was hard for to stop talking when she was excited about something. The first part of her answer was the part that was directly related to the question. Taxonomic classification was fun and herbology was the best class ever! Isa had studied a lot of mundane botany from a very young age. She had a whole shelf of books about botany and mundane plants, and another shelf for books about magical plants. It was really interesting to look and cladograms and see what and common ancestors and how things had evolved. Plants were fascinating.

…..well then. “Why am I even teaching?” he lightly teased Isa Wright. “Everything you just said, brilliant! Yes yes, yes. Nice.” Textbook answer, really, and he didn’t mind textbook answers. “I’ll clarify in just a minute everyone!” He clapped his hands together.

SPOILER!!: Nicolaus

Another quiet one, but Mr. Tate was smart. Just...inward, most likely, Paul guessed. Not a wordy guy at all. That was fine. Some people just didn’t like….words.

SPOILER!!: Sam

He grinned. “Looks can be deceiving. Just because something looks like a potato doesn’t mean it IS like a potato. Not ginger, either.” PAUL KNEW HERBOLOGY. HE WAS HERBOLOGY PROFESSOR. Mandrakes weren’t anything LIKE potatoes. Unfortunately. But at least the girl was THINKING and using her brain.

SPOILER!!: Olivia

“Not really the same family, but they are both roots.” He smiled at her. Olivia was sweet.

SPOILER!!: Etta

Again, another family guess. Paul shook his head but smiled. “Not the same family now.”

SPOILER!!: Cassie

DNA! Someone had mentioned DNA! “Well...I wish we could spend an entire class on plant DNA--” No, you don’t, students, Merlin, NEVER LET PAUL GO ON ABOUT THIS EVER OR YOU WILL DIE--- “But alas, I won’t do that. DNA matters in plants just as much as humans.”

SPOILER!!: Liv

Well, of course they did! He chuckled a little at Olivia. “Well, all plants need sunlight. In that case, all plants would be alike, right? But you know, you’re thinking the right way. Mandrakes may look human, but they do still need sunlight...and do all the plant processes like...normal, mundane plants.” So he could applaud that!

SPOILER!!: Derf

He was looking at students as they cut. Just to make sure they were…..doing it close to right and all?? Poor Derfael. The boy should never consider being a muggle surgeon. It may not be an issue because Derf was a wizard and all, but still. “Um. Good job, Derf!” Paul smiled and held up a THUMBS UP.

Really, the cut was terrible. But...it was Derf who HATED HERBOLOGY. So. You know. Paul didn’t want to berate him or anything. “You might have slight issue in the next part, but if you need help, just let me know. Or ask someone..” Since...yeah. “Also…...CAN. YOU. TAKE. THE EARMUFFS. OFF?”

Because communicating like this was terrible. Just trrible.

SPOILER!!: Emmeline

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

Resembled a carrot. Uh huh, right. It didn't look like a carrot to her, it looked like a mini person-plant hybrid. Emmeline shot the Dark professor skeptical, suspicious looks as covertly as possible. She was also NOT impressed by his shouting at Derf right at their table; couldn't he have waited five seconds for Derf to remove the earmuffs? Not that her friend showed any sign of doing so, even when Jessa tried to take them off his head. The first year was briefly distracted from her brooding on the professor as she shot Isa a smile and a wave. Better late than never to greet a friend, right? She'd meant to when Isa first came in, but there were so many distractions today.

The Gryffindor grinned as she watched Jessa cutting into her mandrake with what she thought was enthusiasm. She peered at the other girl's plant after the incision had been made, but she totally couldn't tell if it had human organs inside it or not. She really hoped the mandrakes did NOT look like humans on the inside, but there was no telling what horrible sights might be met with a Dark wizard teaching.

Emmeline picked up her scalpel carefully; she kind of wanted to use a spell but she wasn't so great at that cutting one that the professor had mentioned. The last time she'd tried to use it, she'd cut way into the wrong tree in Ancient Runes, which had been kind of embarrassing. The scalpel was much safer, or at least Emmeline thought it would be better until she held it against the mandrake and hesitated. What if it really felt all squishy and stuff like cutting a human? She didn't really know how it felt to cut a human, of course, but she imagined lots of blood and squishy-ness was involved.

Derf had gotten through his alright, though, and his cut was much cooler than the professor's diagram. She flashed him a small smile and a thumb's up, because he still had earmuffs on and everything. So the mandrake must've been okay so far.

Taking a deep breath, Emmeline pressed down with her scalpel and started trying to copy the diagram's incision. She was surprised at how easily the scalpel was able to cut into the thing, and super relieved to find that it really did feel just like cutting a vegetable. She breathed a little sigh of relief and promptly swiped down the rest of the mandrake from the small cut she'd started with -- or she tried to go straight down anyway. Unfortunately, her hand kind of slipped at one point so her incision was more like a lightning bolt than a straight line. She supposed it would have to do.

As for the question, she raised her hand and offered tentatively: "Is it 'cause mandrakes and carrots are both roots?" At least she thought that carrots were roots. She wasn't sure, and she hadn't really listened to all that talking the professor had done before the cutting part had started. Oops.

ROOOOOOTS. “Along those lines...with a bit more complication, yes, a bit.” He flashed her a smile. She was a younger student. So cute, the younger ones.

And then it hit him.

…...he was trusting eleven year olds with scalpels. Ah, well. Muggle schools dissected ANIMALS as early as ...around that age. So. He wasn’t too worried.

SPOILER!!: Althea

“Eh, somewhat. Because they’re both roots. But Mandrakes actually flower...and carrots obviously don’t.” He hadn’t mentioned that before. “So...both roots, yes. But they grew kind of differently. But you’re on the right track there, Miss Kenning!”

SPOILER!!: Vivian

Awww. Paul smiled. “WeeeeEEELLLLLLL, Vivian, I’ll explain-----” Paul made his way to the front again.

“MANY of you mentioned them being roots. They don’t resemble, physically, carrots. Or parsnips, another thing that in anatomy and in DNA, mandrakes resemble. Their texture resembles a carrot, too, over a potato. And parsnips, too. It’s funny because...no, they aren’t in the same plant family whatsoever. And, as I told Zoryn, they are edible, but not in this state. They are POISONOUS in this state. Unlike carrots. Which are DELICIOUS and good for your eyes, so you all should eat carrots all the time!” Inserting some good adulting right there.

“So….Isa touched on it. But let’s just put it this way...they are cousins! Very VERY distant cousins! Not in the same plant family, but they have the same ancestors. Another thing is...there are many kinds of mandrakes. The mundane ones have so many variations...the magical ones are easier in that regard because there’s only one kind.” Thankfully.

Moving on, though.

“Have you ever wondered how mandrakes can shriek? They’re plants. Magical ones, but still. Where do the voices come from? They don’t just...magically appear.” He smiled. “Well, we’re about to get INTO IT!” THIS WAS SO EXCITING NOW! “So...the incision we just made right down the middle, we’re going to make little flaps on EITHER SIDE of that incision. A flap means...well,” Paul put the diagram on the board. The diagrams he had...simply drawn himself. So excuse messy lines, okay?

SPOILER!!: Second Incisions

“See those two squares? You’re going to make an incision much like that first one, just cutting RIGHT into the mandrake, but...we need to make flaps. Which means...you know, cutting only the skin apart.” He feared he wasn’t explaining himself correctly. “So just...make your incisions, and then slip either you scalper or your wand’s diffindo under those flaps of skin part of the squares….and peeeeel those skins back.” Ahem. This wasn’t grossing Paul out BECAUSE IT WAS A PLANT. But it might freak some of the students out.

“I want you to touch what’s under the skin.” Paul made his incisions, carefully, tongue between his tongue, and pull the skin back using his finger and the scalpel. He poked the layer underneath the skin layer. “It feels…….like…...a ROOT." DRAMATIC. “Nothing gross here! No blood! Nothing! It’s a ROOT! Solid...root.” Paul actually gave a chuckle. “But the next part is a little more difficult...but it’s just SOOOO iNTERESTING!” So DAMN interesting, but he wouldn’t use that word in a LESSON.

“We’re going to dig where we have just made the little flaps.” DIG. “Dig using your scalpel, wand, and that little poking rod if you must. You will eventually feel something….SQUISHY IN THERE!!!” SO SQUISHY AND SPONGY.

LUUUUUUUNNNNNNGGGSSSSS!

“THE POWERHOUSE OF THE VOICE! LUNGS!” Paul suddenly yelled as he dug into his mandrake using his scalpel. He poked the lungs with his poker, FEELING THE SQUIIIIISH! No noises, thankfully, since the plant was dry. And not moist. “And since mandrakes, while plants, do have voices, they would, of course be equipped with a healthy pair of lungs. Especially since their cries are, you know, a death sentence if you hear it. The lungs are where AIR come from. But mandrakes don’t breathe right? Well, we’ll move on to that in just a second! I’ll wait for everyone to catch up! You may cut the lungs out if you want to have a closer look or inspection of any sort. They feel different than our lungs, or even animal lungs, as you’ll see.”

“Now, CHOP CHOP! LITERALLY!” Paul cracked himself up and dropped his scalpel.

WHOOPS!

He stooped to pick it up, still chuckling, and took a looooong swing of water once he was done with all that talking. Aaaaaand he stepped off the platform to start weaving in and out of the students’ tables. Just..making sure everything was going smoothly.

OOC: Please excuse how long this is. xD Hence why I didn’t end up posting last night. You all have at least 24 hours now. Confused about what Paul is asking? Nudge me xD words are..hard yknow. Lmao.

Steps that need completion:

~~1. Single incision down the middle (first picture)~~
2. Cut the two squares on either side of first incision
3. Make the flaps (peel the skin back using scalpel/wand
4. Poke the root part underneath those skin flaps
5. Dig until you find DA LUNGS

Take as many or as little posts as you need/want.

06-26-2017, 05:36 PM	#36 (permalink)
kayquilz Granian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bikini Bottom Posts: 21,185 Hogwarts RPG Name: Roman Gellar Slytherin First Year Hogwarts RPG Name: Arden Toros Gryffindor Sixth Year x4 x1	ohmygodimsosorry A Poop * k8 * SPOILER!!: Skylar Quote: Originally Posted by PhoenixRising When Skylar first saw the announcement about mandrake dissection, she had to admit she was slightly nervous and yet excited at the same time. Usually lessons were rather monotonous in the way they followed the textbook, but the opportunity to do something as cool as dissect a MANDRAKE, even if it was kind of like a plant baby, was definitely appealing. Inspecting the tray of supplies at workstation, she decided she would use the scalpel, because even though she was competent with diffindo, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control it enough and end up slicing the whole thing in half instead of the mere incisions. A scalpel would definitely allow her greater control. When indicated, she carefully took her scalpel and made the small incision as Professor Myers indicated, and then posed with them a question about why it resembled a carrot. "Well, I'd have to say, it maybe has to do with something about both mandrakes and carrots growing in the ground? Maybe the soil gives it something to do with the texture?" Was she close? Completely off? And now was a good time to put on that mask before the stenches got too bad. Carrots and mandrakes did both grow in the ground. “Soil...typically doesn’t affect texture like that,” he replied gently. Merlin, maybe this question was harder than he had originally thought. “But they DO both grow in the ground because they’re the roots and all.” As some of the students mentioned. SPOILER!!: Jessa Quote: Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo "Oh yeah, definit--" Before she could really respond to the Professor's comment, Derfael Mitchell Asburry-Hawthorne happened. Yes she was thrilled he'd decided to listen to her and attend his lesson given the alternative would have been levitating him over here but Merlin's beard she didn't expect him to come with earmuffs clapped over his ears like that. As he got to the spot next to her, amidst the shouts of the Professor, Jessa plucked them from his ears and lowered them to the table. She wouldn't shout like Myers was doing. They're dead." The Professor had given the long explanation, she was simply recapping in case he missed any of it. "They're long dead. We're cutting them open now." Blue eyes fell to Emmeline as she joined them and a wide grin spread across her face. "Hi!" WAS SHE EXCITED ABOUT THIS LESSON TOO??????????? Oh Merlin the Professor said they could start cutting! She so had this. Opting to, in the long run, better her spells when it came to experiments, Jessa choice her wand over the scalpel, simply because she would need to get the hang of having precision with her magic. Of course, she was listening as the Professor spoke, finding she could multi-task with this fairly easily. The young girl had been cutting rats and other things open for over a year now, making an incision on a plant was child's play. "Is it because they all share the same plant family?" And he was right, pretty much like cutting into a carrot, which was actually much easier than a rat. “They are actually in different families. Mandrakes are in the family Solanaceae, while carrots are Apiaceae, two terms you will literally never need to know in any of my classes or exams,” he said simply. That was...way way deep into plant stuff, plant bio and whatnot, and for Herbology lessons at Hogwarts, that was way too in depth. But he thought he’d mention them anyway. “But you’re smart thinking, Jessa!” SPOILER!!: Vivienne Quote: Originally Posted by Kayla Taaffe Vivienne waited until all her classmates filed into the greenhouse. Why did they have to be so slow? Finally, Professor Myers started the lesson. He had a lot of important things to say. Text Cut: Class Notes Mandrakes ARE humanoid in appearance--we all know it, you all can SEE it. However...once we begin cutting, you’ll very quickly notice just how planty they are. Now, the mandrake plant is, indeed, a root, and if we want to have to be more specific, a branched root. As you can see, the humanoid part is the root, and there are little twiggy branches coming off its ends. Mandrakes most resemble a carrot in how they look about texture, as well as how they take in nutrients from the sun and from dirt and water. Vivienne was ready to start. She took out her wand. She looked at where she was to make the first incision. She noticed as she cut it that it cut like a carrot! What was the bloody hell going on? Then the professor waited to move on? Why? She took her wand straight up to make the incision. She waited for the others to be at the same spot. She wished to use diffindo. It was less bloody and messy. She hated surgery. She had no idea why a mandrake resembled a carrot. At all. A quiet one! Paul didn’t mind the quiet, since she seemed to be intently cutting the mandrake open. Well, concentration and focus was important. SPOILER!!: Tenacius Quote: Originally Posted by Steelsheen Okay so he's got his wand in one hand and the dead mandrake in front of him. Which made him feel a bit sad about it because it looked very humanoid yknow? Like an old old baby. Or Benjamin Button. One of those. He listened to the Professor, and the main thing that stuck onto the Curly Top was CARROT. So naturally he held the thing like a carrot, and was about to cut it like a carrot for vegetable soup..... .... good thing the Herbologist had those BIG images with the incision line running across the right way. So riiiight down the center eh? And before he can even open his mouth, his wand was already starting to diffindo the scraggly skin open....Isnt it great how his wand is wired to his brain like that? Oh and as for the question "Uhm... they're both root crops Professor?" “Well, you’re right. They are both roots, so yes, that is a similarity.” Well, at least the students were on the right track. And that was….good enough for Paul. Made him smile and whatnot. SPOILER!!: Zoryn Quote: Originally Posted by ArianaBlack YES. THEY COULD KEEP THE MASKS!!!! Dude. Zoryn was gonna have such a good costume collection at the end of this year. ”THANKS, SIR!!!” …. She didn’t know the older Gryffindor (Mel) who sent her a wave, but she returned the wave with a HUGE one of her own as she got settled down by her workstation. Eh. She had enough energy to go around. And dude. Zoryn did TRY to humor Professor M as he chittered on a bit, but MAN he had SO many words. So she didn’t pay much attention… Until the last part when they were supposed to hold the scalpels. Dude. She wanted to cut it up her OWN way. But she followed instructions like a good student because it was too early on in the lesson to cause a scene. Ahem. And if Zoryn had to take a guess, she’d say they cut the same cause they’re both plants. But the Ravenclaw girl sort of said that. So eh. She’d focus on getting the cut right. Aaaaaaaand OOOOOOOH it really was like a carrot!!!! ”Do they taste like carrots too?????" Were they EDIBLE? Zoryn NEEDED to know. …...Paul had to chuckle. Good naturedly, of course. “Zoryn….yes, they are edible. But not in this state. Highly poisonous if you ingest uncooked. And the only reason one should ever ingest a mandrake is if they’re taking a draught of some sort.” He was sure most were familiar with the potion that restored a person’s state after petrification? SPOILER!!: Mel Quote: Originally Posted by Optimist.Prime Melbourne couldn’t help but chuckle when Professor Meyers said something that sounded akin to hey and an elongated awkward yoooo mixed together. ”I like your Ponchos Professor Meyers” Melbourne grinned and looked up as Professor Meyers explained the first incisions they were about to make. They were starting the dissection process. Taking her wand in her hand she got ready to cut the skin of the mandrake root open only to pause. Wait…it cut like a carrot? Looking over to Tenacius as he answered the question Mel jut gave him a small smile. That was a smart idea…carrots and mandrakes were root vegetables. Ponchos! Paul had no idea why she was mentioning them, but he laughed. “Yes, ponchos are just great. Nice and airy...and...comfortable. Also warm if you want them to be.” He winked. PONCHOS MAN. She didn’t answer the question! But he didn’t notice because PONCHOS. SPOILER!!: Isa Quote: Originally Posted by griffin Isa looked over at her friends Derf, Stasya, Jessa, and Emmeline. Jessa was going to love this and Derf was, well, looking like he thought he was going to die. Poor Derf. At least the mandrakes weren't actually capable of killing people anymore. Maybe knowing that they were dead would make things more manageable for Derf. Isa was, as always, excited about the herbology lesson. Although Isa was generally against killing or cutting plants, she was okay with dissecting a mandrake that was already dead. This was to further her knowledge about plants, and she didn't have to kill any plants to learn so it was okay. Isa had decided not to wear a mask because the smell wasn't bothering her too much yet, and she was sensitive to most perfumes so having a mask with perfume in it right by her nose for a long time would probably be worse than the smell of the room. They were starting! Isa looked up at the poster showing where to make the incision and watched Professor Myers' demonstration. Picking up her scalpel, Isa made one long incision from the bottom of the mandrake up to the top just like Professor Myers had shown them. It really was like cutting a carrot. Hearing the next question, Isa was so excited that she almost forgot to put her scalpel down before raising her hand. She knew stuff about why some plants were similar to others and it was something that she read a lot about all the time and it was really cool and she wanted to share about it! "Mandrakes and carrots share common ancestors. The mundane mandrake and the carrot are both part of the clade asterids, so they share a lot of common traits, although mandrakes and carrots have many differences because they belong to different orders. The magical mandrake and the mundane mandrake both have many healing properties. Magical mandrakes have a few obvious differences, with the most obvious being that they can move and scream." Okay, that had gone a bit past what she had wanted to say about mandrakes and carrots, but it was hard for to stop talking when she was excited about something. The first part of her answer was the part that was directly related to the question. Taxonomic classification was fun and herbology was the best class ever! Isa had studied a lot of mundane botany from a very young age. She had a whole shelf of books about botany and mundane plants, and another shelf for books about magical plants. It was really interesting to look and cladograms and see what and common ancestors and how things had evolved. Plants were fascinating. …..well then. “Why am I even teaching?” he lightly teased Isa Wright. “Everything you just said, brilliant! Yes yes, yes. Nice.” Textbook answer, really, and he didn’t mind textbook answers. “I’ll clarify in just a minute everyone!” He clapped his hands together. SPOILER!!: Nicolaus Quote: Originally Posted by lemon "Hey, Henry." The Prefect's words were easy enough to make out, and his smile was evident as well, thanks to the way his cheeks turned up. But Nicky didn't need to be able to see and hear behind the boy's mask to know he was being friendly; Henry always was. He was in good company. And thank Merlin for that, because he'd need it during... whatever this was. Plant surgery? Not the fifth year's strong suit. Poking a hole near the carrot-like root's bottom, Nicky began moving his scalpel upward. Was this like cutting vegetables? As Althea Kenning knew, he was quite awful at that. The instrument left a slightly uneven cut when he'd finished, but it was good enough for him. Curiously, he glanced over at Henry's workstation to see if his mate was faring any better. This was a weird lesson. Another quiet one, but Mr. Tate was smart. Just...inward, most likely, Paul guessed. Not a wordy guy at all. That was fine. Some people just didn’t like….words. SPOILER!!: Sam Quote: Originally Posted by Yourenodaisy Sam sat her table that she had chosen specifically because it was far from other people. Unfortunately being far enough way meant that this table had the perfect view of the other. She sat at her work station arranging her items that didn't need to be arranged while trying to ignore the her classmates, and listen to the professor. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at things, and focused more on what Professor Myers was saying. Straightening she picked up her wand, and looked back up at the image. Just a straight cut on the belly of the plant, yeah, she could do that. Carefully, she cast diffindo, tracing a line down the length of the thing. Good thing she wasn't trying to use a scalpel, she'd hate trying to chop into this thing with that. Looking down at the thing, she raised her hand. “Professor, are you sure its more like a carrot? I think it looks more like a potato.” Brown, wrinkly, with a face, yeah, more like a potato. “or maybe ginger?” He grinned. “Looks can be deceiving. Just because something looks like a potato doesn’t mean it IS like a potato. Not ginger, either.” PAUL KNEW HERBOLOGY. HE WAS HERBOLOGY PROFESSOR. Mandrakes weren’t anything LIKE potatoes. Unfortunately. But at least the girl was THINKING and using her brain. SPOILER!!: Olivia Quote: Originally Posted by Watson Dissection time... Here they go. When she heard the option of using a spell to dissect the mandrake, she happily opted for that because using a scalpel probably would end badly for someone as clumsy as Olivia. Sharp things were... dangerous. Anyway to the dissection! She turned her gaze towards the mandrake and then looked at the plant/creature. It looked somewhat like a human but... It was a plant. The first incision was made vertically across the "stomach" of the mandrake. With her wand, she pointed at the mandrake and cast diffindo, following the line that was shown in the figure. As to Professor Myer's question about whether or not the mandrake resembled a carrot, Olivia had no clue. "Are they apart of the same root family?" she offered. Now that Sam mentioned that the mandrake looked like a ginger, she could see it now... Hmm... “Not really the same family, but they are both roots.” He smiled at her. Olivia was sweet. SPOILER!!: Etta Quote: Originally Posted by Lady of Light Like her friend, Etta decided to go for the spell as well. She didn't want to have to actually use a scalpel.. those things were scary and she preferred magic, anyway. It was less messier or so she liked to think. She stared at the diagram shown, her stomach doing a small flip. It was worrying, okay? What if she couldn't follow the line? Her eyes turned towards the creature, trying not to panic. It was a little weird how often she panicked these days.. she mentally tried to push away those thoughts, especially when she had to concentrate and be precise. At least, the smell wasn't distracting her anymore. The girl pulled out her wand, took a deep breath and still stared at the plant-- well, creature. Making sure she studied the drawing properly, the girl cast a diffindo, trying to follow the line that was shown in the diagram.. and she ended up doing a pretty decent job. Well, this part was over. Phew. Looking away from the plant, she focused on answering the professor's question. "They probably belong to the same plant family, maybe?" Again, another family guess. Paul shook his head but smiled. *“Not the same family* now.” SPOILER!!*: Cassie* Quote: Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline Odd was definitely to say the least about mandrakes. Cassie had always been just a touch weirded out by the human shape of the plant and cutting into one of the dead plants was going to feel…awkward for sure. But she’d just have to do it or feel even more awkward when everyone else around her could handle it with no problem. The Ravenclaw was done feeling like a failure. She had taken a mask though, figuring there was no harm taking he assistance that the professor had felt necessary to offer. And when people around her began their cutting shortly before she could, she was grateful for it, the mask now clearly over her face. Now to begin… “Diffindo,” she cast, making the first cut as directed by the diagram down the middle of the root. It wasn’t squishy as the humanoid appearance might led one to believe which made things better. And Cass had to admit she could agree with Myer’s comparison, having cut a fair share of carrots while helping her parents prepare dinner at home. “Because it’s from the same plant family, or at least shares the plant DNA of a taproot.” DNA! Someone had mentioned DNA! “Well...I wish we could spend an entire class on plant DNA--” No, you don’t, students, Merlin, NEVER LET PAUL GO ON ABOUT THIS EVER OR YOU WILL DIE--- “But alas, I won’t do that. DNA matters in plants just as much as humans.” SPOILER!!: Liv Quote: Originally Posted by Govoni Bending down to remove her gloves from her school bag, Olivia carefully slipped them on; grimacing at the sweet smell that continued to permeate through the mask. It was overwhelming, kinda giving her a headache...but it wasn't too much for her to handle. Besides, she figured it was leagues better than what she would smell once she cut into this mandrake. No, Liv had never done this, but...Well, she was assuming the sweet smell was better than the rotten, sour one... Earthy and vibrant life. Hm. So...like a carrot, because of the vegetation that grew from the top of it, right? Like...... "For nutrients? Like photosynthesis." Nah, she had zero clue, but it seemed right? Otherwise how did it grow? Look, she realized she loved potatoes more than was normal for any one person, but she was floored at how they actually grew without vines and greenery. Mind. Blown. "I mean, I assume most things need sunlight, even if they're in this greenhouse." Not her most intellectual answer, sure, but the smell was clouding the blondes mind. Uh, maybe she'd need to continue without a mask for the remainder of this lesson... But first, Olivia prepared her scalpel, hovering it over the top space she was meant to start cutting. From top to bottom would be best, yeah? To be honest, when preparing potions ingredients, she liked to cut diagonally... alas. Steadying her hand, she carefully punctured the mandrake, raking the blade downward to create the incision..... Sorry, she'd been spending a lot to time in the infirmary, so her descriptors may have seemed more clinical in nature. Well, of course they did! He chuckled a little at Olivia. “Well, all plants need sunlight. In that case, all plants would be alike, right? But you know, you’re thinking the right way. Mandrakes may look human, but they do still need sunlight...and do all the plant processes like...normal, mundane plants.” So he could applaud that! SPOILER!!: Derf Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Sorry, professor, BUT CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SIZE OF THESE EARMUFFS! But he was here which clearly meant that he was capable of handling class, right? Right. Probably. He had his trust earmuffs and wand so he was probably okay. Settling into his station, Derf now wished that he had learned how to read lips so he could make a better guess as to what Dark Lord Myers was saying. Because right now he was guessing and it was coming out like a bad lip reading and making the Hufflepuff giggle LOUDLY and boyishly. He was too busy giggling to reeeeeally catch what was going on, but he did see people picking up scalpels so he reached for his too and clutched in his hand. The diagram that appeared next made things kinda obvious what he was supposed to do. Holding the scalpel TIGHTLY, he tried to be as careful as possible with the incision...but rather than a straight line it was sorta...curved. Like a melted 'C' shape...and the blade kinda slipped too so he had to make a second one to finish the cut...so REALLY...it looked more like a melted V shape he supposed. If you squinted and turned your head sideways and stuff. As for the question, well, he didn't hear it at ALL. But carrot was certainly not something he associated when looking at a mandrake. He actually LIKED carrots. And they were orange. Mandrakes weren't orange and he didn't like them so no. No carrot association here. He was looking at students as they cut. Just to make sure they were…..doing it close to right and all?? Poor Derfael. The boy should never consider being a muggle surgeon. It may not be an issue because Derf was a wizard and all, but still. “Um. Good job, Derf!” Paul smiled and held up a THUMBS UP. Really, the cut was terrible. But...it was Derf who HATED HERBOLOGY. So. You know. Paul didn’t want to berate him or anything. “You might have slight issue in the next part, but if you need help, just let me know. Or ask someone..” Since...yeah. “Also…...CAN. YOU. TAKE. THE EARMUFFS. OFF?” Because communicating like this was terrible. Just trrible. SPOILER!!: Emmeline Quote: Originally Posted by NifflerFan Resembled a carrot. Uh huh, right. It didn't look like a carrot to her, it looked like a mini person-plant hybrid. Emmeline shot the Dark professor skeptical, suspicious looks as covertly as possible. She was also NOT impressed by his shouting at Derf right at their table; couldn't he have waited five seconds for Derf to remove the earmuffs? Not that her friend showed any sign of doing so, even when Jessa tried to take them off his head. The first year was briefly distracted from her brooding on the professor as she shot Isa a smile and a wave. Better late than never to greet a friend, right? She'd meant to when Isa first came in, but there were so many distractions today. The Gryffindor grinned as she watched Jessa cutting into her mandrake with what she thought was enthusiasm. She peered at the other girl's plant after the incision had been made, but she totally couldn't tell if it had human organs inside it or not. She really hoped the mandrakes did NOT look like humans on the inside, but there was no telling what horrible sights might be met with a Dark wizard teaching. Emmeline picked up her scalpel carefully; she kind of wanted to use a spell but she wasn't so great at that cutting one that the professor had mentioned. The last time she'd tried to use it, she'd cut way into the wrong tree in Ancient Runes, which had been kind of embarrassing. The scalpel was much safer, or at least Emmeline thought it would be better until she held it against the mandrake and hesitated. What if it really felt all squishy and stuff like cutting a human? She didn't really know how it felt to cut a human, of course, but she imagined lots of blood and squishy-ness was involved. Derf had gotten through his alright, though, and his cut was much cooler than the professor's diagram. She flashed him a small smile and a thumb's up, because he still had earmuffs on and everything. So the mandrake must've been okay so far. Taking a deep breath, Emmeline pressed down with her scalpel and started trying to copy the diagram's incision. She was surprised at how easily the scalpel was able to cut into the thing, and super relieved to find that it really did feel just like cutting a vegetable. She breathed a little sigh of relief and promptly swiped down the rest of the mandrake from the small cut she'd started with -- or she tried to go straight down anyway. Unfortunately, her hand kind of slipped at one point so her incision was more like a lightning bolt than a straight line. She supposed it would have to do. As for the question, she raised her hand and offered tentatively: "Is it 'cause mandrakes and carrots are both roots?" At least she thought that carrots were roots. She wasn't sure, and she hadn't really listened to all that talking the professor had done before the cutting part had started. Oops. ROOOOOOTS. “Along those lines...with a bit more complication, yes, a bit.” He flashed her a smile. She was a younger student. So cute, the younger ones. And then it hit him. …...he was trusting eleven year olds with scalpels. Ah, well. Muggle schools dissected ANIMALS as early as ...around that age. So. He wasn’t too worried. SPOILER!!: Althea Quote: Originally Posted by thekraken Althea was terribly confused (Herbology had a tendency to do that to her,) but she tried to follow along as best as she could. Professor Myers was already moving on and talking (a lot) about mandrakes and how they're planty and whatnot. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Althea searched through her bag for her gloves (as quietly as possible.) Once found, she tugged them on and then refocused on what Myers was saying. Her eyes glanced over at the image of the mandrake and then back down to the scalpel in front of her. She wasn't squeamish, not really, so dissecting wouldn't be an issue. Staying awake, however, would. Myers was drinking a lot of water and Althea wondered if it was nerves or if he'd finally become one with the plants and needed a steady dose of water to keep moving. Far-fetched but he was a very strange professor, so she really couldn't toss that theory out. Even though the smell still penetrated, she was thankful for the mask. Picking up her scalpel, Althea did her best to cut into the mandrake just like Myers instructed. Huh. It really did cut easily. It was all very strange. His question went way over her head, as she didn't know too much about plant properties outside of their general uses. Still, she raised her hand in an attempt to give an answer. "Is it because of how they grow? Like, the way their roots grow, I mean." “Eh, somewhat. Because they’re both roots. But Mandrakes actually flower...and carrots obviously don’t.” He hadn’t mentioned that before. “So...both roots, yes. But they grew kind of differently. But you’re on the right track there, Miss Kenning!” SPOILER!!: Vivian Quote: Originally Posted by Kimothy So, they were... going to dissect already? Whoaaa, whoa. Too quick. But well, Vivian decided it was best to get it done with. Debating with herself on whether or not she was going to use the scalpel, Vivian shrugged and took her wand. She could use non-magical stuff at home, so she was definitely taking advantage of being able to use magic. Besides, she had been practicing on her weak points in Charms, so the Slytherin was quite confident she wouldn't get this wrong. Hmm... so, it looked like they were supposed to cut through the stomach? Was it even a stomach? And it looked human so... it probably was. But it was a plant, too, and they didn't have stomachs! Vivian's brain was processing and debating on too many things. Pushing her thoughts away, she looked at the picture and then down at her mandrake. It was dead, but she felt a little bad. "M'sorry." It probably wouldn't hurt. The blonde then made her first incision with a "Diffindo!" following the line that was presented. Not bad, eh? Oh, and... what did they have in common with carrots? It never really crossed her mind, because the mandrake looked too human to even pass for a carrot... so this was a little funny for her. But she raised her hand to share. "They have the leaves thingy coming out of their heads, and they grow under the ground." Obviously. Vivian doubted the edible part of it, though. Mandrakes did NOT look enticing enough. Sorry. Awww. Paul smiled. “WeeeeEEELLLLLLL, Vivian, I’ll explain-----” Paul made his way to the front again. “MANY of you mentioned them being roots. They don’t resemble, physically, carrots. Or parsnips, another thing that in anatomy and in DNA, mandrakes resemble. Their texture resembles a carrot, too, over a potato. And parsnips, too. It’s funny because...no, they aren’t in the same plant family whatsoever. And, as I told Zoryn, they are edible, but not in this state. They are POISONOUS in this state. Unlike carrots. Which are DELICIOUS and good for your eyes, so you all should eat carrots all the time!” Inserting some good adulting right there. “So….Isa touched on it. But let’s just put it this way...they are cousins! Very VERY distant cousins! Not in the same plant family, but they have the same ancestors. Another thing is...there are many kinds of mandrakes. The mundane ones have so many variations...the magical ones are easier in that regard because there’s only one kind.” Thankfully. Moving on, though. “Have you ever wondered how mandrakes can shriek? They’re plants. Magical ones, but still. Where do the voices come from? They don’t just...magically appear.” He smiled. “Well, we’re about to get INTO IT!” THIS WAS SO EXCITING NOW! “So...the incision we just made right down the middle, we’re going to make little flaps on EITHER SIDE of that incision. A flap means...well,” Paul put the diagram on the board. The diagrams he had...simply drawn himself. So excuse messy lines, okay? SPOILER!!: Second Incisions [ “See those two squares? You’re going to make an incision much like that first one, just cutting RIGHT into the mandrake, but...we need to make flaps. Which means...you know, cutting only the skin apart.” He feared he wasn’t explaining himself correctly. “So just...make your incisions, and then slip either you scalper or your wand’s diffindo under those flaps of skin part of the squares….and peeeeel those skins back.” Ahem. This wasn’t grossing Paul out BECAUSE IT WAS A PLANT. But it might freak some of the students out. “I want you to touch what’s under the skin.” Paul made his incisions, carefully, tongue between his tongue, and pull the skin back using his finger and the scalpel. He poked the layer underneath the skin layer. “It feels…….like…...a ROOT." DRAMATIC. “Nothing gross here! No blood! Nothing! It’s a ROOT! Solid...root.” Paul actually gave a chuckle. “But the next part is a little more difficult...but it’s just SOOOO iNTERESTING!” So DAMN interesting, but he wouldn’t use that word in a LESSON. “We’re going to dig where we have just made the little flaps.” DIG. “Dig using your scalpel, wand, and that little poking rod if you must. You will eventually feel something….SQUISHY IN THERE!!!” SO SQUISHY AND SPONGY. LUUUUUUUNNNNNNGGGSSSSS! “THE POWERHOUSE OF THE VOICE! LUNGS!” Paul suddenly yelled as he dug into his mandrake using his scalpel. He poked the lungs with his poker, FEELING THE SQUIIIIISH! No noises, thankfully, since the plant was dry. And not moist. “And since mandrakes, while plants, do have voices, they would, of course be equipped with a healthy pair of lungs. Especially since their cries are, you know, a death sentence if you hear it. The lungs are where AIR come from. But mandrakes don’t breathe right? Well, we’ll move on to that in just a second! I’ll wait for everyone to catch up! You may cut the lungs out if you want to have a closer look or inspection of any sort. They feel different than our lungs, or even animal lungs, as you’ll see.” “Now, CHOP CHOP! LITERALLY!” Paul cracked himself up and dropped his scalpel. WHOOPS! He stooped to pick it up, still chuckling, and took a looooong swing of water once he was done with all that talking. Aaaaaand he stepped off the platform to start weaving in and out of the students’ tables. Just..making sure everything was going smoothly. OOC: Please excuse how long this is. xD Hence why I didn’t end up posting last night. You all have at least 24 hours now. Confused about what Paul is asking? Nudge me xD words are..hard yknow. Lmao. Steps that need completion: ~~1. Single incision down the middle (first picture)~~ 2. Cut the two squares on either side of first incision 3. Make the flaps (peel the skin back using scalpel/wand 4. Poke the root part underneath those skin flaps 5. Dig until you find DA LUNGS Take as many or as little posts as you need/want. __________________ "You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough." Roman Gellar ● 1st Year ● Slytherin Last edited by kayquilz; 06-28-2017 at 07:40 PM.