It was a good thing that Emma was paying attention for once as she prepared to head off to the third floor for Charms class and quickly wheeled herself around after checking her schedule outside the Hufflepuff common room and noted the notations about today's lesson being in the kitchens. Which meant - food?? But they couldn't transfigure food, that was one of the main principles of magic that everyone learned first. Guess it was a good thing this was charms class which made her wonder if the lesson was going to be about cooking the way her mum did. She always admired how effortless her 'rents moved around in the kitchen, well not really because they charmed the spoons and such to do all the work for them.

Just as long as it wasn't a lesson about cleaning dishes.

"Professor," the fifth year nodded at seeing him by the counter island with dishes. Ew. Hopefully not. "What's cooking?" Yes pun fully intended in her way of asking 'how are you'.

Ousmane stepped into the kitchen, the warmth immediately wrapping around him like a soft blanket. He glanced around, his dark eyes landing on the counter with the covered dishes and Professor Feirgrund standing nearby. A flicker of curiosity crossed his face as he moved further into the room.

The Hufflepuff adjusted the hem of his robe as he approached, nodding politely at the man. "We make food, professor?" he asked, slow but clear despite being broken. He gestured toward the dishes with a small tilt of his chin. His gaze then flicked to the blackboard behind the professor, searching for any hint about what they would be learning today. In the end, as with most lessons, he concluded that he would have to be patient and wait for all to be revealed.

After another glance at the covered dishes, Ousmane stepped toward the group of students gathering in the room. Conscious of his height, he positioned himself near the back so as not to block anyone's view. His hand instinctively reached into his robe, brushing against the wand tucked securely inside. He was still growing accustomed to it and had to double-check that it hadn't been left behind in his dorm.

Alaric wandered into the kitchens, his brows furrowed in curiosity. He adjusted the strap of his bag as he took in the cozy warmth of the room, contrasting sharply with the brisk November chill outside.

Why the kitchens? Surely Professor Feirgrund isn't about to teach us a culinary charm. Although that could be amusing. Alright, what’s all this about? Surely we're not testing Cheering Charms on pudding.

Spotting Professor Feirgrund by the counter island, Alaric straightened up and offered a polite nod. "Good day, Professor Feirgrund." He moved to take a spot close to the Professor, but not directly in front of him, where he could still observe the setup while staying out of the way.

Never a day in his life had Soren missed and lesson and he certainly wasn't going to start with one being held in the kitchen?! There had been many lessons that he had attended over the terms that weren't held in their normal rooms/areas. But this.. now this was something entirely new! From the second he had seen the announcement about it, he knew he would like this lesson. For how could he not? The kitchen was one of his most favorite places after all.

Making his way into the kitchen his gaze swept over those already gathered as well as the counters and tables for any possible clues for what they might be doing. Despite the covered dishes on the one counter there really wasn't much else to go by. "Good day, Professor. We won't be learning how to clean dishes today, will we?" As important as it was to clean up ones mess after cooking/eating, he would much rather be the one cooking/baking OR doing the eating! Perhaps they would be learning a charm or two that could aid them in cooking? Now that would be very beneficial to him.

Ary couldn’t help but wonder what professor Feirgrund had planned for them. Even Jan hadn’t any clue, which was not unusual. There was no point in either of them trying to fish for clues since their efforts to deduce the topic always proved to be dramatically incorrect. He doubted that they would have even gotten an answer out of professor Khanna. So here were he, Bry and Jan were, arriving at the kitchen and they - along with their classmates - would soon find out what they’d be focusing on today. Hopefully it didn’t involve sweet treats. Then again, knowing the Hogwarts professors, it most likely did.

The fifth year offered his professor that finger wiggle-wave greeting along with a smirk, the latter being an additional form of greeting for the man. Only then did he move to join the other students there, extending an elbow to give Emma a nudge in the process. Hi, friend! And hi friend Soren! Not to worry though, Ary wasn't going to knock any dishes over with his elbow.

The familiar scent of freshly baked bread and warm stews drifting through the air as Nyle stepped inside the kitchens for class. His boots scuffed softly against the stone floor and left a trail of dirt in his wake, the clinking of the small pouch of plants at his waist a gentle, rhythmic accompaniment to his quickened steps. His fingers twitched in anticipation, tempted to explore or see if there were anymore of those flaky pasties filled with roasted root vegetables leftover from breakfast, but he quickly reminded himself that he was here for class and not eating.

Nyle gave a polite nod to the professor and a soft, "Good day, Professor Feirgrund," adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder, as he made his way towards his Hufflepuff housemates but still off to the side - in spite of the encouragement and kind treatment from the feast, Nyle hadn't quite shaken his nerves around older and wiser peers - and his cheeks blossomed accordingly upon greeting them with a meek, "Hello." Still, the kitchen had a comforting chaos to it, a world of potential enchantments hidden within every bubbling pot, every gleaming kettle. It was full of "what ifs" when it came to charmswork, though his mum and dad always preferred doing things by hand, wandless. Still, Nyle couldn’t help but hope that whatever they learned today might have some practical use for the phials in his pockets. Nyle was confident with charmswork, especially when in application to herbology, but the idea of applying magic to cooking felt like a different kind of challenge entirely. That was a whole new level of precision he wasn’t sure he had.

Elena thought that a lesson in the kitchens sounded fun. Were they going to be cooking something? Learning charms to help with cooking? That would be cool. She'd seen her dad cast spells in the kitchen before. Not usually to help with the cooking process itself; he preferred to do that himself. It was more often to help with the cleanup process. She always thought it looked cool to watch the magic at work, and thought it would be cool to learn how to do it herself.

"Hello Professor," she greeted as the entered the kitchens. She hadn't been in the kitchens much yet. She didn't really have much reason to go there; the Great Hall provided all the food she needed, and it was so far from her common room that she didn't often find herself in the area. Elena stood near the front of the crowd of students that had begun to gather as she waited for class to start.

Eventually, it came time for the lesson to begin. Feirgrund waited as the last set of students arrived before he faced everyone.

"Good day, everyone," He addressed the class once the chatter died away. "While there is a blackboard here, the lecture and note-taking will be short and will mostly serve as a reference as we'll be getting right into using the charms." Charms? So there would be more than one charm taught today? "Now, one at time, please share either your most favorite foods or disliked foods and why you love or hate them." There were definitely no wrong answers or reactions here.. within reason.


OOC: Welcome, everyone! You can react/answer to either questions depending on your character's background. Class has started now so any new posters can post acting as if they were here all along without IC consequences for late arrival. The next post will be around 24 hours from now.

If Ary had been the type to whine and guilt-tripping kind of person, he would have done exactly that by reminding Professor Feirgrund about the positive outcome he and Jan had helped in with regard to a certain situation. So he would continue with his smirks just for the fun of it. Sorry, not sorry, professor!

The Slytherin was still eyeing the covered dishes {and looking around for house elves} when the lesson got underway. He was pleased that the lesson would not involve much notetaking; Ary imagined he’d just be making notes of incantations and wand movements. Up went his hand and it remained there until he was called upon. “I’m not particularly fond of sweet treats,’’ came his reply. “I guess it's because of the sugar. But I don’t exactly hate them and will eat them in very tiny amounts.” This fifth year just happened to prefer savoury stuff.

Nyle couldn't quite help the strange flutter in his chest when Professor Feirgrund called him "Master Harden." Iris was the real stickler when it came to words, but he felt the weight the word carried nonetheless. It reminded him of his parents, his dad especially, and everyone would speak about them as though they were a master in their fields, their skills were almost legendary. Granted, one of those people was the Minister himself who tended to sing people's praises like a field of honking daffodils on Sonorus, but Nyle felt the truth. He knew it to be true - he had seen it, first hand, only a few months ago just how potent those skillsets were even if Iris and himself had played a tiny but essential part in the process. He acknowledged that it was just a title, like Mister, and nothing at all like he was sitting here spiraling over and yet the Hufflepuff had boarded this train and he couldn't exactly jump off.

But at least his focus was on his family, which made answering the Charms professor's question as easy as buttering bread with a warmed butterknife. He raised his hand, offering a slight smile as he spoke, his voice warm but a little shy and weighed down ever so lightly by his thoughts."Mum makes the best honeyed lavender shortbread," he said, his tone softening at the thought of it and his hands fidgeting with the stem of a wildflower in his robe pocket he had plucked from the grounds the other day. "It’s sweet, but not overpoweringly so...just enough to make you feel grounded, like the plants she grows in the garden...which is also where she gets the lavender for the shortbread. The lavender gives it this calm, natural taste, and the honey... it reminds me of everything peaceful and simple." His realized his fidgeting and the fact that both hands were shoved rudely into his pockets when they ought to be on his desk, and he slowly slid them out to do just that. Not to mention his eyes were fixated on some random spot on his desk and he fought with himself to look up and meet the professor's kind gaze. "I love them because it’s one of those things that makes me feel at home, no matter where I am. Every bite was like a small, edible piece of home."

Zephyr was SO VERY curious about why they were having a lesson in the kitchens. Obviously it must have something to do with food, but what? There were so many possibilities!

Before he could get carried away with his thoughts, though, the lesson had begun. And it also had a lot of possible answers. There were loads of foods Zephyr loved - sour candy, pizza, just about anything his Nana cooked, etc. - and lots of things he didn't like - coffee, scones, asparagus, etc. - and he hesitated for a few moments to figure out which one he wanted to answer with.

But finally, he decided on one and raised his hand. "One of my favorites is sour gummy worms. I like that they're sour, especially at first, but they're also a little sweet too. The contrast makes it fun."

Now that was the sort of question that Elena didn't have to feel nervous about answering in class. Her favorite food? There was no wrong answer. And she didn't have to know facts. Except, she didn't really know what her favorite food was. There were lots of foods she liked. And lots of different categories too. Sweets? Main dishes? Was her joy for chocolate the same as her enjoyment of pasta? She didn't think the question was meant to invoke such conflicted thoughts. And it wasn't like her answer was going to be scrutinized to find out if it was really her most favorite food. She raised her hand.

"I like pasta. There's so many different options to add to it to make it really good, depending on what you're in the mood for."

Sitting in one of the back rows of charms class Rose raised her hand to chime in to the starting discussion of food likes and dislikes. She had chosen that seat to not be in the direct line of everyone's sights, but she had greeted Professor Feirgrund of course upon entrance with a wave and a cherry smille. How one hairy feast article in the school paper still could cause so much attention, was still odd. Focusing, Rose gave her answer with a clear and firm tone. "I love the shepards pie my mum makes. It's something I always wish for when I come home after a year at Hoggies. It represents home for me. Something i dislike in candy way is salty liquorice. I don't like the taste or feel of, especially salty skulls."

Ousmane blinked, his brows furrowing slightly as he processed the professor's words. Favourite food? Or one I don't like? The topic was very familiar, the images of dishes from home flashed in his mind. However, the challenge lay in explaining it clearly in English. He shuffled his feet for a moment, thinking carefully of how to string the words together.

When he finally settled on what he wanted to say, he raised his hand. Clearing his throat softly, he began, his voice quieter than usual but steady. "My favourite food..." He paused, glancing around the room briefly before focusing back on the professor. "In my home, the Ivory Coast, we eat attiéké. It is like... couscous... but made with cassava," he explained, his accent thickening as he spoke. His hands moved in small gestures, as though trying to shape the words with his motions. "I like it with fish... grilled. Tomatoes, onion. Very fresh. Spicy pepper sauce, too. It tastes like home." A small smile crossed his face and his eyes lit up for a moment, the warmth of home filling his mind.

He hesitated, his gaze flicking to the professor before continuing. "But food I do not like? Hmm..." Ousmane pressed his lips together in thought. "Bott's beans." He winced slightly, remembering his first experience with them. "Too many surprises," he explained, his tone carrying a hint of humour. "Not always good ones."

Satisfied he had shared enough, Ousmane gave a polite nod to indicate he was done and continued listening to the responses of his other classmates.

"Excellent, everyone." Addressing the class, before he tapped the board to reveal the charms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackboard

Salting Charm
~
Sal-ee-Dus

Wand Incantation/Movement: Salidus - Drawing a M-shape over the item

Spicy Charm
~
Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh

Wand Incantation/Movement: Condio Creo - Drawing a U-shape over the item

Sweetening Charm
~
Maa-Gee-Mus

Wand Incantation/Movement: Magimus - Drawing a circle over the item

"Today we'll have enjoying some of your favorite and disliked foods." Given the question and location, it likely wasn't a surprise. "Now before you get to fix yourselves a plate, think to some of the foods you had mentioned as the objective for today is to be able to enjoy a nice meal by using some of the Flavour Charms used to enhance the taste of a meal." Could this be controversial? "Now, now.. I know it's often a sensitive topic with "tampering" a nicely cooked meal. As you all expressed, everyone has different taste preferences and that's okay. Often, our taste preferences prevent us from enjoying certain meals. Consider it no more different than using a condiment or seasoning to give more flavour."

Now for the instructions. "Think back to the reasons most of you listed for enjoying your favorite foods. These charms are some of the many that can give food the desired sweet, salty, spicier taste to it." And now, "First, we must practice the incantations, the Salting Charm is Salidus pronounced as Sal-ee-Dus." Waiting until the class repeated the pronunciation. "Next is, the Spicy Charm known as Condio Creo, pronounced as Kon-DEE-oh. CREY-Oh." Again waiting on the pronunciation repeated. "And lastly, the Sweetening Charm is Magimus, pronounced as, Maa-Gee-Mus." Waiting until the class repeated the pronunciation. "Excellent, continue pronouncing it. NEWT students, you will practice it both audibly and wordlessly."

As for the wand work, "The wand work is fairly simple, for each charm you simply draw your wand over the food item. The only difference is the shape used. For the Salting Charm, it is an M shape, Spicy is a U shape, and Sweetening is a O." Now that they had the information. "Once you've jotted it down and feel you've got the pronunciation in place. Come on over in a single file line in front of the table and pick up a plate before I reveal what is under these dishes."


OOC: Great responses everyone, and thank you waiting! Now you'll be practicing the wand movement and pronunciation of the charms. The main activity will begin with further instructions in at least 24 hours from now. If you have any questions feel to ask.

Nyle wiped his palms against his trousers, trying to calm the restless feeling that had been gnawing at him. As he settled back into his seat, he listened to the other responses, his tension easing just a little. When Ousmane spoke, Nyle’s lips curved into a sympathetic smile. He couldn’t help but nod in agreement, though he did find dirt to be more tolerable than the other unfortunate options - even if he had been hoping for a treacle fudge or chocolate pudding. He also found himself nodding a little more noticeably when the one first year mentioned pasta - whether it was a comforting bowl of spaghetti with rich marinara or something more delicate like a light lemon and herb pasta, it never failed to satisfy was the perfect example of versatility.

Thankfully he still wasn't feeling particularly hungry or else this lesson would be...difficult to focus in.

The Hufflepuff's stomach fluttered with a mixture of excitement and nerves as the professor explained the task. He was eager to try out new charms but at the same time, a nagging worry tugged at him. The thought of tampering with food, especially when he remembered how carefully his mum prepared her dishes, made him feel uneasy. The Salting, Spicy, and Sweetening Charms sounded straightforward enough, and yet Nyle couldn’t help but fret over all the ways they could go wrong from the obvious of making something too salty to something exploding because he flinched on pronunciation. He swallowed nervously, glancing at the rest of the class, who seemed to be soaking in the instructions with more confidence than he felt - or so his mind told him they were.

Nyle was always meticulous, but in situations like this—especially where the magic was more delicate—he always felt out of his depth. He was the one who loved the slow, patient work of tending to plants, the grounding feeling of soil between his fingers and the rich aroma of earth caressing his senses. He was much better with his hands hands, more confident with things he could touch, and much less so with words and wand movements. Unlike Iris. Iris, with her natural talent for charmswork, would probably breeze through this without a second thought and not let him live it down for at least a month. It wasn’t that he was jealous, per say, but more that he wished he could approach magic the way she did: effortlessly and with an unnatural confidence.

Nyle refocused as the professor asked the class to repeat the incantations. He drew a deep breath and followed along, his voice significantly quieter than the others. "Sal-EE-dus, KON-dee-OH CRAY-oh, MAA-gee-mush." His words were a touch uncertain, but he was trying, trying to make sure he got it right and doubting himself every syllable.

When it was time to practice the wand movements, he left his wand in its holster and lifted his hand to trace the air with his finger instead. M for the Salting Charm, U for the Spicy Charm, and O for the Sweetening Charm - or was it M for the Spicy Charm and U for the Salting Charm and... Nyle looked up at the board, cheeks flushed for needing its guidance practically immediately after the professor had given instructions and a faint sense of dread creeping up his spine. He had to remind himself that it was okay if it didn’t go perfectly. That even if he made a mistake, he could always try again, and again, and again - as many times as it took. Just like plants, every flower bloomed at its own pace. This was an opportunity to learn, not compete.

With a small, determined nod to himself, Nyle shuffled toward the queue, his steps a little unsure. He clutched his hands together, trying to steady them as they trembled slightly. As he waited his turn, he muttered the incantations under his breath, his voice barely more than a whisper, "Sal-EE-dus, KON-dee-OH CRAY-oh, MAA-gee-mush." His words were a bit rushed, trying to convince himself he had it right, but the nerves still bubbled up inside him, making him fidget like a restless breeze.

Rose attentively listened to everyone's elses food likes and dislikes. It was natural that everyone had different food preferances it was just life. That they would be tampering with their food, or as Professor Feirgrund put it add extra seasoning to their plates. Rose liked it better thinking that they added more spice to their meals rather than saying tampering because that just had alarm bells ringing in her head. She didn't want to poison anyone or anything like that.

Slightly uncomfortable the fifth year lioness still dutifully jotted down the three new spells together with incantations, and wandmovements for the practice session. "Sal-ee-Dus, Kon-DEE-oh-CREY-oh, Maa-Gee-Mus!" Rose chanted to herself over and over until she felt confident in how to pronounce the three different incantations. She knew that if you misspronounced a syllable it could lead to very interesting consequences.

Leaving her desk Rose walked up to take her place in the queue to get herself a plate. That they possibly were going to get to taste the dishes they added extra seasoning to, made her feel a bit hungry, just thinking about it.

Now was a good time as ever to learn a tad about his classmates, and that was exactly what Ary did. It was quite nice hearing about the different sorts of foods each had a fondness or dislike for. But… moving on! The Flavour Charms, something that he was familiar with since they were used on occasion in his home by his fathers. Ary bypassed the entire potential issue of the Charms being used to manipulate the taste of foods someone took their time to prepare them. In his opinion, a little altering wasn’t bad… unless the cook would rather the food not be eaten at all over it being modified to suit the eater’s palate?

The Slytherin made the necessary notes pertaining to the three spells while simultaneously practicing the incantations as Feirgrund had narrated to them: “Sal-ee-Dus. Kon-DEE-oh. CREY-Oh. Maa-Gee-Mus.” The latter was definitely one that Ary foresaw himself using the least. But why did these wand movements sound like something he would get mixed up? Sure they were simple, so simple that they could easily be used with the wrong incantation. He’d just have to do his best to ensure that didn’t happen. Ary did some soft muttering of the incantations for a bit more, as practice. “Sal-ee-Dus. Kon-DEE-oh. CREY-Oh. Maa-Gee-Mus. Sal-ee-Dus. Kon-DEE-oh. CREY-Oh. Maa-Gee-Mus.” Only then did he join the line at the table in front. When his turn came, the fifth year took a plate before returning to his original spot.

Talk of favorite foods was brought up as the lesson began, Nadia let out a slight breath she had been holding. Cooking was far more fun than cleaning though charms could certainly be used for both and the seventh year hadn’t been sure the mention of healthy appetite wasn’t a diversion. After all, dress appropriately could have been meant to refer to fitting for getting dirty. Okay so maybe she was overthinking things…she’d blame it on the latest topics she’d been studying for NEWT prep. But in her over thinking, she missed the window to give her opinions on foods to like and dislike which was fine by her. It wasn’t like she was that picky an eater.

Watching as the spells they were learning appeared on the blackboard, Nadia carefully copied them down into her notes as Professor Feirgrund recited the pronunciations to repeat. “Sal-ee-Dus… Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh… Maa-Gee-Mus” she spoke, echoing with the rest of her classmates. Over and over she practed them all, the salting and sweetening charms had the easier pronunciations for sure versus the one for spicy. “Condio Creo… Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh… Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh” she repeated it more aloud to get it right to her satisfaction while the other two she tried wordlessly.

Sal-ee-das…sal-ee-das.
Maa-Gee-Mus… Maa-Gee-Mus… Maa-Gee-Mus

Next were the wand movements where the salting charm was now the one that was tricky. The M movement needing an extra half-loop than the U of the spicy charm. Thankfully the sweetening charm was easy on both counts. Nadia practiced these too once she took out her wand, giving them all a few tries before they were instructed to line up and grab a plate. The seventh year moving obediently to comply.

Oh so they were going to be eating today and not doing chores? At least that was what Emma took from the subtle clues Feirgrund was putting down. Which of course could have all been a red herring and distractor. She was hoping not though, just as she was also hoping what was contained on the plates was something savory. It wasn't that she was opposed to sweets like Aryan - she loved chocolates and sour candies! - but right now she could really just go for something savory. Like pasta as that one first year gryffindor mentioned. With lots of cheese.

Just no herring. If there was a food she disliked it was herring or anchovies. They smelled liked feet and more like feet after a quidditch match rather than after a peppermint bath. She wasn't sure any sweetening charm could help. There was also the texture too and no flavoring charm could fix that.

"Sal-ee-dus. Kondeeoh creo. Mageemus." No gatekeeping but the spicy charm was rather fun to say. Actually they all were kind of fun to pronounce. This could be very useful for some April Fools pranks. Kind of like mixing salt and sugar shakers, but with magic instead. Not that she was much a prankster, but she could imagine some people might utilize these charms for that purpose. She'd much rather use it to flavor a food item she didn't like.

Which speaking of the sweetening charm. "Professor?" She raised her hand cautiously. "The sweetening charm... could be used in lieu of real sugar when baking a cake for instance? Or say you didn't add enough sugar, you could sweeten a cake with that? But could you overdo it on any of these charms and is there a counterspell to take some sweetness away?" That was actually more than one question.

Sydney was mildly intrigued by the change of scenery for the charms lesson. Given the setting and the instructions on the notice to bring a hearty appetite, she was 99% sure this was a cooking lesson. Really, what else could it be? The real question was what would they be cooking? That made all the difference between a useful lesson and a boring one.

The opening question all but confirmed her suspicions, not that she was at all surprised. She considered the question carefully. As the daughter of a restaurateur, she grew up exposed to a wide variety of foods, but which was her favorite? So many choices! One that stood out was her ma’s dark chocolate cherry cake. It was one of the few desserts Sydney would willingly eat, and her ma developed the recipe just for her after she didn’t like her birthday cake one year. It was made without sugar, so the sweetness wasn’t overpowering.

Sydney was secretly glad when Profesor Feirgrund moved on to the spell portion of the lesson. All this talk of food was making her want a piece of her ma’s cake! She copied down the information on the board and set to work practicing the incantations and wand movements, starting with the Salting Charm. She made the M shape with her wand a few times before moving on to the incantation. “Sal-ee-Dus,” she repeated quietly. “Sal-ee-Dus, Salidus, Salidus…”

She moved on to the Spicy Charm next. The incantation was a bit harder than the first. “Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh,” she said, pronouncing each syllable carefully. “Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh, Condio Creo, Condio Creo…” When she felt confident in her pronunciation, she made the U-shaped wand movement a few times. That part was simple. She’d definitely be using that spell often!

Last but not least. The Sweetening Charm. Sydney couldn’t think of a situation where she’d ever use that charm, but she practiced it nonetheless. “Maa-Gee-Mus,” she repeated. “Maa-Gee-Mus, Magimus…” As she made the circle movement with her wand, a though occurred to her. Her hand went up, and she asked, “Professor, for the Sweetening Charm’s wand movement, does it matter if the circle goes clockwise or anticlockwise?”

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Last but not least. The Sweetening Charm. Sydney couldn’t think of a situation where she’d ever use that charm, but she practiced it nonetheless. “Maa-Gee-Mus,” she repeated. “Maa-Gee-Mus, Magimus…” As she made the circle movement with her wand, a though occurred to her. Her hand went up, and she asked, “Professor, for the Sweetening Charm’s wand movement, does it matter if the circle goes clockwise or anticlockwise?”

"Good question, Miss Masters." It was a feature he hadn't covered, "There is no notable difference in the direction you create the circle. Some find it easier clockwise, and some may insist on counter-clockwise having a pronounced difference. It can be deduced as a placebo effect with the caster having more confidence and making the spell effective in their preferred direction. As long as the circle is drawn, even if it has a slight oval or egg shape, the charm will still work." A bit long-winded, but he hoped their question was covered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Which speaking of the sweetening charm. "Professor?" She raised her hand cautiously. "The sweetening charm... could be used in lieu of real sugar when baking a cake for instance? Or say you didn't add enough sugar, you could sweeten a cake with that? But could you overdo it on any of these charms and is there a counterspell to take some sweetness away?" That was actually more than one question.

Ean smiled at these questions, "You're asking all the right questions, Miss Montmorency, which brings us to the goal for today. I'll answer them shortly." Then he addressed the class.

"Alright, everyone, gather round in a single file line with your plate. Don't worry if you're still working on the incantation, the board will keep the information for the duration of the lesson." Waiting until everyone who wasn't already in line followed suit. "Today we have some of your favorite foods. While not all foods could be made, we have some popular foods here." Lifting the covers revealed many dishes filled with chicken cut into strips, nuggets, skinless, drumsticks, all the variants. Another set of dishes filled with potatoes, fries, chips, meats, and fish. Another plate of dishes revealed what looked identical to the poultry and meats displayed earlier, except labeled as meatless with non-gluten, allergy, vegetarian, and vegan substitutes. Even some sweet dessert dishes like ice cream, cookies, donuts, and cake. All are labeled by their flavor and ingredients. "And the often unpopular.." Finally revealing dishes filled with all the green vegetables and fruits. Not that fruits were hated, just not typically craved as much as the usual junk food and sweets.

"Now, I want you all to fix yourselves a plate. Pick out your favorites, but I also want you add some of the foods you dislike. If you have allergies or are following a specific diet that requires you to avoid certain foods, you don't need to pick those." As a Healer, he would never force someone to risk their health over a meal as they avoided any sort of cross-contamination. "As Miss Montmorency asked, can these charms replace the use of condiments? Yes, it can replace them depending on the level of skill and concentration with the amount of flavour you want to add to the meal. If you need just a dash of salt, it can work. If you want to basically taste a bag of salt, it can also work. Intention is the key to making all Charms work."

Now for the demonstration, "For me, I mainly eat my vegetables for my health, despite disliking the taste. With these charms, I can enjoy them without wasting the meal." Feirgrund then picked up a brussel sprout. "Think back to the reasons most of you listed for enjoying your favorite foods. The taste of it being sweet, salty, spicy, or even all at once. You can use two of the charms if you want to have a sweet and salty taste, for example." But why did they need to choose both favorite and disliked foods? "You don't have to change the taste of a food you enjoy as it does serve as a good reference..." Feirgrund then took his wand, "Now, I want this brussel sprout to taste sweet, like a donut. There are other charms to change the texture of the food, but that'll be another time." With his wand, he drew the circle shape over the sprout to cover its circumference, "Magimus!" After a short pause, what looked like whiter droplets poured over the food. "As you can see, when you see these particles over it, the charm has worked." Then popping the sprout into his mouth, chewing.. "Yep.. just how I imagined, sweet, though on the crunchy side." As for how to reverse it, "If it happens to be too sweet or you don't want anymore sweetness, simply tap the food and saying Finite Incantatum will wipe away the charm."

And now, "Since you have three charms at your disposal, it's okay if you decide to focus on just one charm in class and save the rest as homework." He imagined this would be a decent motivation knowing they get to eat good tasting food as homework. "And you are free to work with a partner." Especially, if the younger ones might need help with removing the charms.


OOC: Thank you waiting, everyone! Now you'll be using the Flavour Charms. If you're just arriving, it's okay, come fix yourselves a plate as if you've always been here. The activity will last at least 48 hours from now. If you have any questions feel to ask.

Look at all that food!

While Ary was not a big eater, the sight of it all did make him slightly hungry. Already he knew he wasn’t going to gravitate towards much of the sweet stuff… and that the Sweetening Charm would be the one he was least likely to use. The Slytherin decided he would start with the Spicy Charm. Spiciness he could handle a lot better than sugars. So, after professor Feirgrund provided the demonstration with the brussel sprout, Ary moved to add a few pieces to his plate: chicken strips, fries, watermelon and a chocolate chip cookie. The plate was the perfect blend of his likes and dislikes. Sort of, since he liked three out of his four choices.

“Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh, Kon-DEE-oh CREY-Oh. Condio Creo,’’ the fifth year muttered as he set down his plate. Wand in hand, he first focused on the fries. “Condio Creo.” He focused on the fries being only mildly spicy because who wanted to have their tongue on fire during the middle of a lesson? Nope, mild was safe. He traced a U shape over the food, doing his best to keep his intent as clearly as possible.

Nyle stepped eagerly into line, the faintest twitch of excitement in his shoulders as he moved forward. The moment the covers lifted, he could already feel the pulse of curiosity rise in him as he took in the spread of dishes laid before him. His eyes first darted to the section of meatless substitutes and the vibrant array of fruits and vegetables. Though Nyle’s usual diet tended to be more plant-focused, today seemed like a chance to expand his horizons and push his usual preferences just a smidgen - though not too much because comfort zones were there for a reason. Waiting until it was his turn at the front, the second year carefully assembled a plate, picking a few strips of the vegan "chicken" as well as some slices of sweet potatoes and the only vegetable he struggled with - green bell peppers. He added a few slices of colorful fruits - berries mostly, since their sweetness reminded him of the flowers he adored so much and he had the absurd thought of wondering if it would be possible to make them taste bad through today's charmswork - and a handful of leafy greens, particularly kale and even ventured into brussel sprout territory. Though the latter wasn’t necessarily something he would’ve chosen for himself, Nyle followed the professor’s instruction with a nod. If this charm could make even brussel sprouts taste like sugar donuts, surely there was potential here.

The blond chewed thoughtfully on a leaf of raw kale as he made his way back to his desk, a subtle sense of apprehension settling into each of his steps. His eyes wandered around the room, scanning for anyone who might be looking for a partner. He wasn’t exactly searching for one himself - unsure he could be of much help to anyone with how little confidence he had for his own potential - but he couldn't help but hope for no one to be left feeling alone. If someone needed a partner, he’d gladly step in, even if it meant facing failure together. The thought of someone struggling on their own was more uncomfortable than the possibility of another failed charm. Back at his desk, the Hufflepuff gazed down at the vibrant array of food on his plate, the knot in his stomach tightening as he tried to relax. He considered starting with something simple - maybe making the berries too salty or too spicy - but the thought felt almost like setting himself up to fail. How could he know if he was performing the spell correctly if the goal was essentially the same as a failed result? It all seemed a bit counterintuitive, making uncertainty intensify, making it even harder to focus.

So, sweetening raw brussel sprouts and green bell peppers it was. If he could make either one of those palatable...then he would know he was successful at least one of these charms.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his wand over the brussel sprouts and muttered, "MAA-gee-mush." His wand swiped in a half-hearted circle, unsure if the motion was precise enough. He stared at the sprouts, waiting for the magical shift or some sort of sugary shimmer, but nothing happened. The sprouts sat there, unchanged, their dull green color as uninviting as ever. He frowned, glancing around the room to see how others were fairing with the same charm and see if there was some little tip he could pick up through observation. He raised his wand again, this time concentrating more carefully on the circular motion, performing the movement slowly and methodically, while repeating the incantation just as he had practiced. "MAA-gee-mush." he said a little louder this time, hoping the increased volume would help.

It did not.

Or maybe it had worked, and he just couldn’t see the change with his eyes... The only way to know for sure would be to try it with his taste buds, right? Nyle wrinkled his nose, already making a little face, and hesitantly peeled a leaf off the brussel sprout. He took the tiniest nibble, almost cringing before it even touched his mouth.

Nope. Nope. Definitely hadn’t worked.