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*Holmesian Feline* · #1 (**permalink**) 10-19-2024, 05:14 PM

It’s a sunny day by January standards as you enter the greenhouse set aside for today’s lesson. The slight nip in the air is combated by the warming charm the professor placed, careful to not make it too warm for the botanical occupants of the space. Sorry students. The benches and workstations are set up as usual, however at the front by the professor’s own you’d spot two tarps covering something approximately waist high in both corners. A similar but smaller mystery lined up at the front of the professor’s desk.

But don’t go trying to ruin any surprises set in store for the current lesson as it might not turn as pleasant as one would like. Best to await the reveal by Professor Cole that will happen before the day is up. The man in question waiting just inside the greenhouse doorway ready to greet everyone, the man’s gaze wandering every once and a while as he makes sure everything is in place to be ready to begin in just a few moments.

ooc: Welcome to our herbology lesson. Its obviously not the first of the term so act as such.
Remember the rules. Class will officially begin in about 30 hours.

Class Progress:
Greetings and First Question
Second Question
Pre-activity
Activity

*Zoe* · 10-19-2024, 05:48 PM

Gillyweed stepped into the greenhouse, the cool January air giving way to a more temperate warmth as she crossed the threshold. The charm in place could be warmer, but she knew it was enough to keep the plants thriving. She immediately scanned the room, her sharp eyes catching sight of the two tarps covering what she assumed were today's focus points. Whatever Professor Cole had in store was bound to be intriguing.

When her brown eyes locked in on the man, the fourth year first took note of his demeanour. She then offered him a small smile with respectful nod, her voice soft but steady as she greeted him. "Hello, Professor."

Clad in clothes that had been dirty before, her dragonhide gloves tucked into her pocket, and a mortar and pestle in hand, Gillyweed proceeded to make her way to one of the benches. Once she was settled, she placed her tools and gloves down on the workstation with care.

Her attention flicked back to the tarps. What could be under there? Would they be harvesting something? Preparing a potion ingredient? Her fingers twitched at the thought of it—whether it was a plant with stinging barbs, toxic leaves, or something requiring precise handling, she was ready for it.

FearlessLeader19 · 10-19-2024, 05:56 PM

By now, Ary had learnt that he didn’t need to figure out whatever the Professors were hiding. Sure, he usually was curious but why make a big deal of it when all would be revealed eventually? So, when the Slytherin saw the covered… plants? he simply played it cool as he stepped further into the Greenhouse. Even the one at the professor’s desk did nothing to send his curiosity off the edge.

Ary simply offered the man a smile and his signature greeting of a finger wiggle-wave then headed off to grab a seat beside Gilly. He nudged her on the arm. Hi, Gilly!

Charely Potter · 10-19-2024, 09:25 PM

Jan was here and he was ready for another lesson. He entered in the Greenhouse after his other housemates. He wasn't too concerned about the weather given the time of the year and it was partially warmer than outside. He experienced worse during Quidditch practices. He eyed the tarps for a moment before deciding to leave the surprise as a surprise, "Hello, Professor," He smiled before going to his usual station.

Jan went over to where Ary and Gilly resided before smiling at them. Snakes just fit well in the garden setting, didn't they?

love-for-HP · 10-20-2024, 10:57 PM

Greer was excited for another lesson. Any chance to learn was okay by her. All though, Herbology obviously brought them outside frequenly which always meant they ran a risk of running into creatures. But none the less she was excited for the lesson.

"Hello Professor" Greer said as she passed by and began to prepare for today's lesson.

*Holmesian Feline* · 10-21-2024, 01:31 AM

SPOILER!!: Beery and Atreyu-Rehman

Professor Cole returned the nod with one of his own. “Hello Ms. Beery,” he greeted the girl who had proven a kindred spirit since the first random meeting in the greenhouses. Not a surprise to be the first to arrive. And then there was to be the youngest of a trio of siblings who also tended to be an early arriver, though from his colleagues that was a habit across all his classes. “Good afternoon, Mr. Atrey-Rehman," he greeted, his own finger wave aimed at the Slytherin in response to his choice of greeting.

SPOILER!!: Grunt and Murray

With a third arrival, it appeared as if the snakes were catching the worm today with their early appearances in class. “Hello Mr. Grunt,” he greeted the boy before he joined the others. Oh look…a young Ravenclaw who was clearly excited for the lesson. “Hello Ms Murray,” the herbology professor greeted the second year with a small smile. As she readied herself for the lesson, Marcus watched and waited as the rest of the students attending slowly but surely filed into the greenhouse.

----------------------------------------------

After awhile, he gave a glance at his pocket watch and they were off, the professor closing the door and shutting off the last draft that would threaten the temperature of the greenhouse. “Let us begin…” Professor Cole remarked as he walked back to his workstation to lean slightly back against it on his palms. “We’re going to start with a refresher of sorts. “I know that during the course of our lessons together this term, I’ve shared at least one usage for the various plants that exist. I’m sure others have been shared by your previous professor.” For there were indeed many that could have been offered as different specimens were introduced to the Hogwarts students over the years.

“I want you all to give me what you remember being taught or any potential usages you can think of…” he stated, asking the first question of the course. “These can be both for magical and muggle plants…and those who live both in the ground and in the water.” He added, having thought to make sure to include them as well in mix.

FearlessLeader19 · 10-21-2024, 02:59 AM

Snakes certainly did fit well together! Ary loved that most of his closest friends were Slytherins; this was just a little fun fact. He shot Jan a grin but didn’t find the need to chatter right now. Nope, there would be much time for that outside of class as usual. In any case, Cole started things officially a short while later.

Once the man was done speaking, Ary’s hand immediately went up. “There’s Gillyweed,’’ he began, lips twitching upwards in a smile because of his friend beside him. But unlike her, the plant gillyweed was slimy and yucky. “It’s used to help humans breathe underwater by giving them gills and webbed hands and feet. A bit of gillyweed can make these effects last over an hour in freshwater.” The latter fact he had learnt from Drake; the boyfriend was a walking encyclopaedia when it came to plants.

*Zoe* · 10-21-2024, 11:55 PM

Her wonderings about the tarps were momentarily set aside as Aryan and Jansher joined her. Brief smiles were sent in their direction moments before Professor Cole set the tone for the lesson.

The question of plant uses, both magical and Muggle, was broad, but one Gillyweed could tackle with ease. When the professor mentioned plants that lived in water, she felt a subtle nod to her interests. Her mind began sorting through the different plants she had studied over the years. After hearing Aryan mention the plant she was named after, she raised her hand.

"Plants, whether magical or Muggle, serve a wide range of purposes—regulatory, medicinal, ornamental, habitat-providing, a food source—depending on how we approach them," she began. "Seaweed and kelp are great examples. Muggle communities use them for nutrition and medicine, and seaweed farming helps improve water quality. In the magical world, seaweed varieties are essential for Merfolk, providing food and shelter. They also stabilise potions, helping to balance their effects."

"Magical and Muggle plants also often have overlapping uses," she carried on, "though Muggle plants might lack the more dramatic properties of magical ones. Take Valerian root, for example. It serves as a mild sedative to help with anxiety and insomnia in the Muggle world. In magical potions like the Draught of Peace or Draught of Living Death, however, its effects are amplified tenfold."

She then shifted slightly in her seat, knowing that she had perhaps gotten a bit carried away.

*Holmesian Feline* · 10-22-2024, 03:49 PM

Marcus suspected gillyweed would be one of the plants offered in response to his request, but interestingly it wasn’t by the student who was named after the aquatic specimen. “Indeed, Mr. Atreyu-Rehman,” he confirmed, “Gillyweed is definitely a magical plant with a purpose. To think of being poor Elladora Ketteridge experiencing its effects for the first time.” To be completely be surprised to find oneself with gills and webbed limbs would have been quite interesting…after one got over the whole suddenly struggling to breathe.

Ms. Beery on the other hand answered with a broader stroke of plant descriptions. The professor listened intently, nodding in confirmation at the plants and uses that were mentioned, adding them under her classmates. “Yes to all that,” Cole remarked with a supportive smile to assure her that it was fine that she gave so much of an answer. He wasn’t going to hold it against her any more than he would for the students who remained quiet instead.

Quote:

Uses
Swimming underwater - Gillyweed
Ornamental
Habitat
Nutrition – Seaweed, Kelp
Medicine – Valerian root for sedative
Potions – Valerian root for Draughts of Peace and Death

“Excellent responses…” Professor Cole stated as he straightened up from his desk to move around behind it so you could see its full surface once more. “Today’s lesson is going to touch on one of the more mundane uses of plants , one that actually wasn’t mentioned by anyone.” Though he supposed it could fall under the mention of ornamental since the overall effect created by the plant ornamented a space without the plant within.

“For centuries, the various parts of plants have been used to create dyes for fabrics and other surfaces. Be it flowers…roots…seeds...leaves…stems. And this included both muggle and magical sources.” His collection for today was a mixture of both. Speaking of which, with a careful flourish, he took the cover off of the six plants that graced his desk, some magically shrunken down to make them more manageable in the confined space of the greenhouse.

“Can you identify any of the six species I have here?” he asked as he looked around the glass room. “Or if you can’t…can you guess what colors might be created by each of them? You may come up closer to investigate, but be careful not to touch...for now.” One plant in particular would make trouble.

SPOILER!!: Plant 1

SPOILER!!: Plant 2

SPOILER!!: Plant 3

SPOILER!!: PLant 4

SPOILER!!: Plant 5

SPOILER!!: PLant 6

(ooc: Have fun with your guesses. Class will move on in approximately 36 hours. )

FearlessLeader19 · 10-23-2024, 12:23 AM

Ary couldn’t help but chuckle at the mention of Ketteridge’s initial reaction to the gillyweed. He imagined her having a right bout of shock and maybe some degree of panic. Unless, of course, well conducted research had indicated that gills and webbed limbs were a possibility.

His attention went fully back to the professor’s desk as - you guessed it - all was revealed. As for plants being used for making dyes… yes, Aryan had heard of such. And he thought he recognised a plant or two. After some brainstorming, he raised a hand again. “I think the second plant is called ‘Goosegrass’.”

*Zoe* · 10-24-2024, 12:20 AM

Gillyweed leaned forward in her seat, her curiosity piqued as Professor Cole explained how plants had been used to create dyes. The concept of using botanical elements for pigments wasn't a new concept to her. But creating dyes wasn't the first thing that came to mind when she thought about plants, so exploring that aspect was something she found intriguing.

Her eyes sparkled as Professor Cole unveiled the six plants. She eagerly leaned forward to study them from her seat before slowly moving closer to the desk for a better look. She walked up to the workstation, careful to observe the details of each plant while thinking back to her readings and experiences in the greenhouses. Keeping her hands to herself, she squinted to observe their stems, leaves, etc. Right away, some of the specimens were easier to identify than others. The purple flowers of the first plant, the black stem of the fourth, and the walnuts on the last instantly caused names to flutter about in her mind. The others were a little tricker, but she was quite confident in her ability to identify them.

After Aryan pointed out the goosegrass, she raised her hand slightly and spoke up. "The Shrivelfig is one I recognise right away because of the colour of its leaves, which have medicinal properties. It's also used in potions like Shrinking Solutions." She then pointed at the fifth plant before she made another contribution. "I believe this one is nettle, also known as the stinging nettle or burn hazel. It's known for its small, spiky hairs that can cause a painful sting and irritate human skin. They're used Boil-Cure and Hair-Dying Potions and even nettle soup."

The others she had mentally identified, but refrained from sharing. Gillyweed's gaze flicked back to Professor Cole as she returned to her seat, hoping her guesses aligned with what he intended to teach, but she was ready to learn more if there were surprises hidden in these plants.

love-for-HP · 10-24-2024, 11:24 AM

"Gilly...." Greer had raised her hand and started to speak at the same time, not highly recommended by her but she was excited, but at the same time another student had already mentioned Gillyweed, so she snapped her mouth shut and just smiled in their direction. Greer took notes from the board, and then moved on to the next part of the lesson.

Looking at the all of the plants. "The third one kind of looks like wild parsnip from the muggle world, or well here to I guess, but I know it from my gran's backyard, it can burn if you touch it with your bare skin." But Greer was not 100% sold of that comment either. Just from afar that what it looked like anyway.

*Holmesian Feline* · 10-24-2024, 06:05 PM

Professor Cole started a list on the board labeled one to six to add to the notes. It appeared he wasn’t the only one amused at the thought of that first encounter, noticing the chuckle from Atreyu-Rehman as he turned back around. And could almost see the wheels turning in the boy’s head as he looked over the provided specimens. “Correct,” he confirmed with a smile and nod at the mention of goosegrass, its name soon written next to Plant #2. Ms. Beery got a little closer to the various plants, but knowingly obeyed the no touch rule and Marcus watched as she observed the assortment.

“Indeed,” he confirmed, the shrivelfig added under Plant #1 on the list. “I suspected it might be one of the more recognizable.” They were, after all, quite edible and enjoyable, besides the other characteristics the girl shared. “And correct on the stinging nettle…it is the main reason to be careful with this collection. The color gained, I assure you, is worth it though. “ The nettle appearing next to its corresponding Plant #5. As for the last guess, it was close but not quite what he was looking for. “They do look quite similar, and both have been around and used for centuries for their various uses,” he remarked as he moved to add the correct name under Plant #3. “But alas, Ms Murray, this plant is woad. Interestingly enough, its usage as a dye is actually in its scientific name…Isatis TINCToria…as tincture is dyeing in Latin.”

SPOILER!!: Board

“Great job everyone.” With a wave of his wand hand, the other two plant names were added in, the muggle black walnut tree, and the magical Moly. The professor then lifted a collection of small buckets to the desktop. “Now I want you to come up and take two buckets and carefully collect a couple of samples of whatever plant you chose. Be sure to wear your gloves if handling the nettle,” he instructed as he moved to give them space. “Then return to your seats and work on trying your hand at making a couple of dyes. It doesn’t take much to make the simple ones…just crushing the part of the plant to use in your mortar and pestle and add to water in your buckets.” Said needed ingredient added to the board.

SPOILER!!: Board continued

“Now have at…you may be surprised to see what each plant makes in way of dye.” Some might be obvious but there were some interesting combos. The woad was definitely a surprise given the color it appears naturally.

Ooc: Wonderful work. This will be last step before the fun activity. For reference since some aren’t recorded: goosegrass gets red, moly gets a metallic goldish, stinging nettle gets green, woad is deep blue, and walnut is black. Hoping to move onto activity on Saturday.

FearlessLeader19 · 10-25-2024, 12:53 AM

Excellent!

His answer had been correct. Aryan hadn’t any doubt it would be anything but, however. When the names for each plant had made it to the board, Ary listed the names in his book. He made sure to leave a couple of lines blank so that he could write in notes for them all.

That done, the fourth year collected two buckets as was instructed then moved over to the plants. Without hesitation, he stepped up to the goosegrass and collected some of its roots. He moved to a workstation now, taking his belongings with him. It was a good thing he left some space to add notes because he did just that with the bits added to the board.

Only then did the crushing process begin, with Ary cleaning out his mortar and pestle first with a simple Scouring Charm. The goosegrass roots went into the mortar, with him crushing it as best as he could so that it would release whatever chemicals needed to dye the water that would soon be placed in the bucket. After a couple of minutes, he set the pestle down. “Aguamenti.’’ Ary’s wand was directed over a bucket, filling it three quarters of the way. Excitedly, he added the crushed roots and waited. Almost immediately, it was noted that the water began blossoming into a light red colour. It wa sa stark contrast against the white bucket currently in use.

love-for-HP · 10-25-2024, 05:26 PM

Greer frowned a little, she hated being wrong, seeing as she wasn't wrong very often at least she didn't have to deal with this feeling often. But none the less, she took her notes on Woad .. not wild parsnip, and decided to work with it to get to know it better and make sure that she wasn't wrong about it agian.

Greer gathered what she needed need and filled a buket with water "Aguamenti" and gather the woad flower to make her mixture for dye.

*Zoe* · Yesterday, 03:05 PM

Gillyweed felt a sense of satisfaction when Professor Cole confirmed her observations about the Shrivelfig and stinging nettle. Not only had she been spot-on with those plants, but her insights on the others were correct as well. Typically she would have taken physical notes in her notebook, but the information was already securely tucked away in her hippocampus.

As soon as Professor Cole gave the instruction to collect samples, Gillyweed quickly made her way toward the front after taking hold of the buckets they'd been provided. A plant selection wasn't made instantly as she took a moment to consider each option carefully and thoughtfully. Her fingers hovered over the Woad but then drew back. In the end, she settled on the Shrivelfig and Moly.

With both samples in hand, she returned to her workstation. Her mind buzzed with anticipation as she set her buckets down, ready to begin the dye-making process. Gillyweed took a moment to observe the plants once more, already thinking about how the colours would turn out. She figured the Shrivelfig would yield a deep, rich purple hue, while Moly she assumed would be white like its flowers.

She reached for her mortar and pestle with a focused expression, prepared to crush the Shrivelfig fruit first. As she worked, Gilly moved methodically, crushing the parts of the fruit with her mortar and pestle. When ready, she added water to her first bucket with a simple Aguamenti and added the crushed fruit, her lips curling into a pleased smile as she watched the mixture turn to the colour she expected.

Turning to the Moly, she cast a quick Scouring Charm over the mortar and pestle, ensuring no trace of the Shrivelfig's bold color would interfere. She picked up the Moly flower, which felt fragile under her fingers, and ground it carefully. Once it was finely ground, she filled up her second bucket with water and then tipped in the flower. A soft "oh!" escaped her lips at the sight of the metallic gold colour. Though initially surprised, she reasoned through it quickly: the combination of the white petals and the flower's golden anthers must have created this radiant hue.

*Holmesian Feline* · Today, 03:50 AM

Marcus remained quiet as he watched each of the students gather their supplies and try their hands at dye making while he wandered around the greenhouse to observe. It was curious to see which plants each of them decided to ultimately work with. Some chose the goosegrass with its reddish hue…other chose the woad and its deep blue color that was no doubt unexpected with its yellow flowers that might make one think it would produce a sunnier result. Still others picked the shrivelfig that gave off a dye the color the resembled the fruit you were making it from and finally the moly that had very obviously completely taken Ms. Beery by surprise. The herbology professor had to bite back a chuckle at the response.

Satisfied with everyone’s progress and glancing at his watch for the time, he knew it was time to move on. So back to the relative front of the room to reveal what had previously been hidden. “Now I had suggested in the lesson announcement to bring an old shirt and there was a valid reason for it. “ With a flick of his wand, the tarps on either side of his desk slipped off and folded nicely onto his desk while one would now see six large tubs filled with liquids that matched their smaller buckets.

“If you don’t have one, or forgot, I do have some scarves to work with.” The aforementioned fabric being taken out from behind his workstation. “But for the rest of the class, I’d like you all to try your head and dying the fabrics with the various color dyes I made beforehand just like yours but in a bigger quantity. Probably more fun to try it with a mix of colors in various designs but what you try is ultimately entirely up to you. “ There was no wrong way other than making a horrible mess that wrecked others work in the process. And he had tried his best to pick plants and colors that allowed them to represent each house.

ooc: Thank you all for participating till now. Have fun! We'll be wrapping up around Wednesday to allow for multiple posts and interacting. Professor Cole and I are around.

love-for-HP · Today, 11:53 AM

Greer was surprised to have seen her woad bring about a rather pretty blue color, she had of course been expecting yellow from the flowers. It was fun to see the differences. She had no 'old' t-shirts to bring honestly, so getting up and grabbing a scarfy for dying, she began to decide on her pattern. "It's like tie dye, I use to do it with my gran" She said out loud to no one in particular.

She had decided right off the bat to go to woad. But had decided to only tip half of it. She was going to go with a two toned looked.

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