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Fireheart · 07-19-2021, 12:43 AM

SPOILER!!: Replies

Text Cut: Ashley

"Food coloring is an ineffective way to disguise a potion. As you all know, potions require a delicate and precise balance of ingredients. The addition of anything foreign will likely alter the effects of a brew or render it useless." Unless that was the point of the deception, of course. But why risk making a potion null-and-void? There were far better ways to deceive a potential drinker. "Unfortunately, there are alternate methods that some potioneers have discovered to deceive consumers. Which is why you should rely on several different methods of identification before drinking an unknown mixture."

Text Cut: Claudine

"Very good. Smells can be a reliable way to detect a brew. Although you must take caution, as some potions can take effect from simply being inhaled." Precisely why it was best to use alternative methods first, to eliminate potential inhalation potions. But smell could be a helpful second or third step.

Text Cut: Remy

"Excellent, Remy. It is very important to know exactly where a potion came from. Anyone could have brewed those potions in the vials today," Shreya explained. (Really, she had gotten them from her stockroom, but it was a good point to make.) "It's not a foolproof way to identify—because even if you know the potioneer, you should still take steps to cross-check the brew. But again, it can be a useful first step." SHe nodded at the girl in encouragement. Attitude or not, Shreya appreciated the thoughtful response.

Text Cut: Max

Ahh, a step in the right direction! "A possibility, though you are unlikely to discover much from the label itself with that charm, unless someone inscribed a secret message. That being said, there is a specific variation of the Revelio charm that we can use. Good thinking, Mr. Young." A variation that they would be learning more about quite shortly. The Ravenclaw received a nod of encouragement.

Text Cut: Dahlia

Shreya could detect the frustration in Dahlia's voice, and indeed, she felt a bit conflicted about causing hurt to the sweet second year. She knew it couldn't make up for the betrayal the girl was feeling, but the professor sent her an approving nod in response to her answer. "Excellent. Color is the first aspect of a potion that you should check." It went without saying that all of the potions on the table today were the wrong color.

Text Cut: Violet

"Good point, Miss Blackthorne," Shreya replied tersely, also detecting the annoyance in the Slytherin's tone. "Another reason why you can't rely on knowing the potioneer alone. You should still always use other methods to verify the identity of the potion. And that's not because you can't trust people. It's because there are many different things, or mistakes, that can happen to a potion between the brewing process and the actual consumption. It's always advisable to double check." A tough lesson to learn, but an important one nonetheless.

Text Cut: Heath

"Ahh, very good, Mr. Jones," Shreya began, nodding at the Ravenclaw's response. "Texture and consistency is a good indicator. You can look for thickness, cloudiness, or shimmer, just to name a few. Again, if you use that method, I'd recommend using a few other methods as well. But it can be a good place to start."

"I appreciate your thoughtful responses," Shreya said. "Using your five senses is critical when it comes to evaluating and identifying potions. But as I keep saying, the more methods you can use to cross-check a brew, the better. For example, you could start by assessing the color of the potion. Then, take a look at it's texture. Next, you could determine who made the potion. The more steps you can go through, the better the chances are that the potion is correct and safe to consume."

At that, she waved her wand at the grassy area behind the students. A collection of large cauldrons appeared, each one sloshing with a potion inside. "However, the most dependable way to identify a potion is a variation of the Revelio spell, which we call Scarpin's Revelaspell. When performed correctly, this charm will split a potion into all of its separate ingredients. From there, you can assess the different parts of a mixture and determine the true identity of the brew."

She levitated one cauldron onto the table in front of her, swirling with a thin, milky blue potion that smelled slightly of herbs and flowers. "The incantation is SpeRevelio, and the wand movement is a semi-circle over your cauldron, followed by a quick flick of the wrist." As Shreya said the words, she performed the movement in demonstration. Within seconds, the potion in her cauldron had split off into several distinct parts, portioned off neatly like slices of a pie. "Once you've identified your potion's ingredients, a quick counter-spell will put it all back together." With a quick Finite Incantatem, the ingredients molded back together in the same milky blue brew.

"Now it's your turn. Pick a cauldron—there are three different potions to choose from—and give the spell a whirl. Once your mixture has broken down into separate ingredients, you may use the potion recipes in your textbook to help you identify it." She reached under the table and plopped a large potion ingredient book on top, free for any of the students to use if they needed extra help identifying specific ingredients. "You may work by yourself or with a partner."

OOC: The available cauldrons are listed below, along with the ingredients they will break into if your student performs the spell correctly. It's up to you if your character is able to properly cast it (and identify the actual ingredients) or not. Feel free to use Harry Potter Wiki or the Potion Recipe Book to make your guess! Shreya will be around for any questions, or to confirm any potion identity guesses. You have approximately 3 days to complete the mini activity.

SPOILER!!: Available Potions

07-19-2021, 12:43 AM	#62 (permalink)
Fireheart DMT & DMLE Firecrab Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Naboo Posts: 774 Hogwarts RPG Name: Avalon Sinclair Graduated	SPOILER!!: Replies Text Cut: Ashley Quote: Originally Posted by astrocat Ash rolled her eyes. THAT was what the professor wanted them to know? She was missing some important things here. Don’t drink potions you don’t recognize was practically the same as don’t trust anyone. No doubt the professor expected them to still trust her. Trust but verify. Uh-huh. Well, if someone put undetectable poison in a potion, you wouldn’t be able to tell. Or if they put the potion in your food or drink. So this lesson wasn’t helpful. You really couldn’t trust anyone. And also, Ash was upset and mostly just refused to cooperate with the lesson plan because of that. Instead, she asked her own questions. “Can you put food coloring in a potion? Why not just sneak a potion into food or drink? Are there bad potions that mimic the look of regular ones?” She wanted to know about how you could trick someone else. Because to stay ahead of bad people, you had to think like one. Ash wanted to know the answers to her questions, of course. But she also just didn’t feel like going along with the lesson. If the professor wanted to ruin her day with an irritating trick, then asking a few irritating questions was totally okay. Apology not accepted. Just kidding. There was no apology, and it was dumb to apologize when you weren’t sorry either. More like, justification of tricking students not accepted. Yes. That was much more accurate. "Food coloring is an ineffective way to disguise a potion. As you all know, potions require a delicate and precise balance of ingredients. The addition of anything foreign will likely alter the effects of a brew or render it useless." Unless that was the point of the deception, of course. But why risk making a potion null-and-void? There were far better ways to deceive a potential drinker. "Unfortunately, there are alternate methods that some potioneers have discovered to deceive consumers. Which is why you should rely on several different methods of identification before drinking an unknown mixture." Text Cut: Claudine Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Catching the movement beside her, Claudine looked around to spy Heath beside her. Always the concerned boyfriend, wasn’t he? She smiled up at him to reassure him that she was fine. One thing was certain though, she wasn’t ever going to use the Babbling Beverage if she could help it. All that talking was tiring for a poor introvert like her. Varma would be right: the sixth year had spoken without an attitude because there were no hard feelings on her end from the activity. Instinct told her that the woman wasn’t one who would purposely harm them, much like how she had the same instinct about Schmoe. What she did feel, however, was a sense of stupidity creeping up on her. Claudine’s expression changed to a sheepish one. Potions was her third best subject; she should have realised the colour had been off. But that’s what you get for trusting, she guessed. Claudine hadn’t thought twice because she trusted Varma. A hand went up. “Smells, I guess. Armortentia would be a very easy potion to recognise.” For obvious reasons. "Very good. Smells can be a reliable way to detect a brew. Although you must take caution, as some potions can take effect from simply being inhaled." Precisely why it was best to use alternative methods first, to eliminate potential inhalation potions. But smell could be a helpful second or third step. Text Cut: Remy Quote: Originally Posted by Emzily The attitude she felt from the Professor in response to her annoyance put Remy in her place a bit. Her expression softened and she nodded at their response. Deep down she was still FURIOUS. She thought as much - the lesson was about looking at the potions before drinking them. Obviously in a normal situation, she’d be more reserved about taking an unusual potion, but this was a classroom. If a teacher asked her to do something, she’d do it every time. Tickling Tincture. Laughing Potion. Same thing. Apart from smell and sight, it was tricky to think of anything else. “Knowing where the potion came from… who made it…” You wouldn’t take a potion if you knew it was made by a dark wizard. Likewise - you WOULD take a potion made by your potions Professor. Ahem. "Excellent, Remy. It is very important to know exactly where a potion came from. Anyone could have brewed those potions in the vials today," Shreya explained. (Really, she had gotten them from her stockroom, but it was a good point to make.) "It's not a foolproof way to identify—because even if you know the potioneer, you should still take steps to cross-check the brew. But again, it can be a useful first step." SHe nodded at the girl in encouragement. Attitude or not, Shreya appreciated the thoughtful response. Text Cut: Max QUOTE=Sunflower;12501643]Professor Varma was right, he was dumb for blindly trusting the label on the potion vial. And for trusting an adult who was supposed to be nice to students! Max sulked for a little while longer - he couldn't fully pretend that he wasn't hurt, after all - then looked up to listen to the professor. Learning methods to identify potions would be interesting and helpful, and he tried to think about something other than 'appearance' as an answer. "Can you use the Revelio Charm on the label?" he asked, raising his hand.[/QUOTE] Ahh, a step in the right direction! "A possibility, though you are unlikely to discover much from the label itself with that charm, unless someone inscribed a secret message. That being said, there is a specific variation of the Revelio charm that we can use. Good thinking, Mr. Young." A variation that they would be learning more about quite shortly. The Ravenclaw received a nod of encouragement. Text Cut: Dahlia Quote: Originally Posted by Kolyander Good observation? That was it? Lia got it, that this was all about learning. She didn't need the reminder on how stupid she had been for being trusting. The point had clearly been made already. Don't trust anyone. Don't trust a labeled potion. Trust nothing. Right then though, she wasn't sure what bugged her more. The fact that she hadn't been more careful and noticed that the color of the potion was wrong before she had drank it. The pain in her arm. Or that there was no apology at all for how Varma had tricked them all and didn't even ask if everyone was okay. So yeah, she was feeling very hurt, confused, betrayed and angry. With each question asked, the twelve year old got a bit more frustrated with the lesson. Even so she once again raised her hand. "Paying closer attention to the color of the potion.." Which had been her mistake. A very big error and her downfall. Some Ravenclaw she was. Shreya could detect the frustration in Dahlia's voice, and indeed, she felt a bit conflicted about causing hurt to the sweet second year. She knew it couldn't make up for the betrayal the girl was feeling, but the professor sent her an approving nod in response to her answer. "Excellent. Color is the first aspect of a potion that you should check." It went without saying that all of the potions on the table today were the wrong color. Text Cut: Violet Quote: Originally Posted by MadAlice Violet had finally come back to herself enough to realize the entire class was back at the finish line, discussing the lesson. She was still fuming when she joined them, angry with herself, because she had known the potion she took was too orange in color but had taken it anywayt, and angry with Professor Varma, because the main reason she'd taken the potion was because she trusted her as a teacher and a potioneer. "Well, just knowing who made it doesn't always help," she commented bitterly. "I thought the potion I took was oranger than a Girding Potion ought to be, but since I assumed Professor Varma made it, I trusted that it was what she said it was." Violet would never make that mistake again--trust no one, that was the lesson she was taking home from this class. "Good point, Miss Blackthorne," Shreya replied tersely, also detecting the annoyance in the Slytherin's tone. "Another reason why you can't rely on knowing the potioneer alone. You should still always use other methods to verify the identity of the potion. And that's not because you can't trust people. It's because there are many different things, or mistakes, that can happen to a potion between the brewing process and the actual consumption. It's always advisable to double check." A tough lesson to learn, but an important one nonetheless. Text Cut: Heath Quote: Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy Heath was a bit… hmm about this lesson. No, he didn’t feel hurt or betrayed, mainly because he noticed that the potion didn’t look right before drinking it. That and in order to feel betrayed, he’d have to have trusted the person or thing in the first place, and his experience with Rosier last term still kept him from fully trusting anyone… except the girlfriend, of course, and maybe a couple of other friends. Speaking of whom, seeing Claudine smile eased his mind considerably, and he gave her a small smile in return. He was glad she was okay! While he understood the point the professor was going for, he wasn’t sure if this was the right time or way to go about it. Didn’t most of them already learn not to blindly trust things last term? Maybe this was geared more toward the first years who weren’t here then? Never mind… Heath had long ago learned that he didn’t have to understand the professors’ reasoning, just go with it. He considered the next question carefully. Others had already established things like color and smell, so what else was there? He vaguely remembered reading about scientific tests that could be performed to identify a potion, but he didn’t know all that was involved in the process so he kept quiet about it. As he thought, something the professor said earlier gave him an idea, and he raised his hand and said, “Could examining the potion’s consistency - how thick or thin it is - help identify it?” "Ahh, very good, Mr. Jones," Shreya began, nodding at the Ravenclaw's response. "Texture and consistency is a good indicator. You can look for thickness, cloudiness, or shimmer, just to name a few. Again, if you use that method, I'd recommend using a few other methods as well. But it can be a good place to start." "I appreciate your thoughtful responses," Shreya said. "Using your five senses is critical when it comes to evaluating and identifying potions. But as I keep saying, the more methods you can use to cross-check a brew, the better. For example, you could start by assessing the color of the potion. Then, take a look at it's texture. Next, you could determine who made the potion. The more steps you can go through, the better the chances are that the potion is correct and safe to consume." At that, she waved her wand at the grassy area behind the students. A collection of large cauldrons appeared, each one sloshing with a potion inside. "However, the most dependable way to identify a potion is a variation of the Revelio spell, which we call Scarpin's Revelaspell. When performed correctly, this charm will split a potion into all of its separate ingredients. From there, you can assess the different parts of a mixture and determine the true identity of the brew." She levitated one cauldron onto the table in front of her, swirling with a thin, milky blue potion that smelled slightly of herbs and flowers. *"The incantation is SpeRevelio, and the wand movement is a semi-circle over your cauldron, followed by a quick flick of the wrist."* As Shreya said the words, she performed the movement in demonstration. Within seconds, the potion in her cauldron had split off into several distinct parts, portioned off neatly like slices of a pie. "Once you've identified your potion's ingredients, a quick counter-spell will put it all back together." With a quick Finite Incantatem, the ingredients molded back together in the same milky blue brew. "Now it's your turn. Pick a cauldron—there are three different potions to choose from—and give the spell a whirl. Once your mixture has broken down into separate ingredients, you may use the potion recipes in your textbook to help you identify it." She reached under the table and plopped a large potion ingredient book on top, free for any of the students to use if they needed extra help identifying specific ingredients. "You may work by yourself or with a partner." OOC: The available cauldrons are listed below, along with the ingredients they will break into if your student performs the spell correctly. It's up to you if your character is able to properly cast it (and identify the actual ingredients) or not. Feel free to use Harry Potter Wiki or the Potion Recipe Book to make your guess! Shreya will be around for any questions, or to confirm any potion identity guesses. You have approximately 3 days to complete the mini activity. SPOILER!!: Available Potions Cauldron #1 A glossy green potion with a few streaks of grey running through it Ingredients: Red wine, prune juice, hairy fungus, tortoise shell, caterpillar, bat tongue Cauldron #2 A thin, milky blue potion with a light floral scent Ingredients: Water, fluxweed oil, bloodroot stems, Valerian root, skullcap leaves, crocodile heart, hyancith flower, sprightly frog slime, peppermint, glumbumble fluid, lavender Cauldron #3 A thick, mustard yellow potion Ingredients: Water, houndstongue, ginger, lionfish quills, rattlesnake fang, dragon saliva, dried nettles, pufferfish eyes, bat spleens