What?

That was what had caused the fire he had heard about?

Yikes no wonder it had happened out of nowhere, been so severe and had been hard to get under control. Gideon had felt bad when he had heard what had happened last term especially after the wrecked greenhouse. And now they were to be planting more fire-seed bushes for the lesson to replenish the amount they had at the school.

Was it just him or was that just asking for trouble?

Nevertheless he wasn't going to argue with Professor Bentley and despite having questions, nothing that really matter to the class. So when she asked, he simple stayed quiet and moved further with her to the very back of the greenhouse. It was very dark as well until the professor lit some torches illuminating where they were to situate themselves.

Alex didn't have any questions, so he followed the professor to the back of the greenhouses. He really hoped the freezing charm worked for him...he didn't have the best track record when it came to hot things, and then LAST thing he needed was another burn to add to his scar collection. Trying to get rid of all his anxiety over getting burnt, he sat quietly and waited for the rest of the class to get their questions answered so he could get this over with.

Well wasn't this exciting?! Yay. Elliot had a hard time following, for herbology was not het forte. But she took a LOT of notes and paid very close attention to everything that was said. She followed the class back of the greenhouse and couldn't wait to start! So interesting! Hopefully, though, she wouldn't get burnt...fire did not mix well with the little ice queen.

Adam had heard about a particular story of the grounds being on fire some time in the last term, but he had never researched more about the horrific incident. Fire seeds combusting into flames causing chaos on the school grounds.

He then followed behind his teacher into the back section of the greenhouse where the air got instantly colder. The area was extremely covered in darkness but then Professor Bently had set some torches an light illuminated upon the rows.

Kennedy followed the class deeper into wherever they were going. He did feel better when Professor Bentley lit some torches because that way he wouldn't risk tripping over students or worse, plants.

He glanced around the place and shook his head, then straightened his glasses so they were properly balanced on the bridge of his nose. He didn't have any question.

Christopher had heard multiple rumors about there being a fire last term, but he'd never really looked in to it. Well, now he knew what had caused it. Fire seeds that had burst into flame and probably lit much of the grounds ablaze. That must've been pretty chaotic.

So if there had been a terrible accident with these seeds, why exactly would they be using them again?

Meh, the fifth year decided not to question it and obediently followed Professor Bentley to the back of the greenhouse, where the air instantly became cooler, and there seemed to be very little light other than the torch Bentley carried.

Remembering that some students were new to the school, and had no idea what went on in these mysterious walls, Seren figured she should clarify. Not to mention the fact that the students that had been here still didn't know the full story.
"No, nobody died... it was just an unfortunate incident. Last year the house elves adopted a stray baby elf... and kept this from us. Unfortunately for them the baby elf wasn't so easy to care for, he had a habit of roaming the castle and grounds and collecting items... stealing so to speak. Nevertheless, I had a tin of fire seeds in my research shed. Generally speaking, they were not a hazard, I am very careful with my belongings. The baby elf however broke in and took a liking to the tin, emptying the contents and keeping it for himself. Of course, because the fire seeds are hot, and on fire, it then set the shed on fire also..."

Yes, it was a tragic story. But it could have been worse.
"The baby elf got away unharmed," she added for clarification.

"Yes dear, the seed itself burns from the inside, and a thin layer of fire coats the outside, sort of like a skin."

"Ahh very good question!" she exclaimed, smiling at the young Ravenclaw.

"They're common enough throughout Great Britain, and they're not difficult to attain abroad either since they're easily grown in nurseries. In most cases they don't pose any issues by dropping their seeds, owing to the fact that they're usually found in caves where there is no leaf litter for them to burn. However it has been known to happen, sparking headlines of forest fires in muggle newspapers."

After listening to Kurumi's question, and hearing Sierra's response, she smiled and nodded. "Yes that's absolutely correct. It's important not to extinguish the flames completely.. unless you want to kill it, for whatever reason." Personally she could never bring herself to do such a thing.

"They're commonly found in antidotes to uncommon poisons.. I would tell you more but I'm not a potioneer. What I can tell you though is that fire seeds are often used in potions for their energy. The powder found within the seed itself is often used to intensify the effects of potions as well as spell work and fire itself."

"They are always on fire, so you do need to exercise caution around them... but they're not out to get you, so they're not really dangerous." Unless you were an idiot and decided to give it a hug, you would survive.

... "Yes, we'll be planting fire seeds."

"Ahh good question Aurora," she replied brightly, nodding her head. "Some are used for potions, some are kept here, some are taken into the forest and planted in caves simply to preserve their presence, the rest are sold or traded for other seeds or supplies."

Seren eyed the Hufflepuff with some concern. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your seeds dear?"

Oohh and another good question, this time from one of her new Lion cubs. How exciting!

"That's a very good question Lea," she mused brightly. "And there is no simple answer, essentially it is both. Some plants, and even animals are difficult to classify in terms of elements as they share characteristics with more then one."





"No more questions?" ... good, they'd had enough time for that. If anybody thought of something they could approach her at the end of class.

"Alright, so you're all aware by now that we will be planting fire seeds today. Before we get to the fun stuff, does anyone want to hazard a guess as to what care requirements we might need to consider when planting these seeds?" she asked, summoning a small cart of medium sized pots from the corner of the greenhouse.

OOC: This is the last question before we start the activity. Please only state ONE care requirement ONLY. Any more than that and I will be a nasty pasty and take points. The lesson will continue in approximately 12 hours XD

NOTE: CARE not SAFETY. Please relate your answers to HOW you would CARE for the seed when planting and the planting process.

"Wear fire proof gloves?"

Fun stuff was the planting part, right? Selena was pretty sure of it. Selena pushed her hair out of her face, and tied it back. She didn't want it to be full of soil and dirt and stuff in there... or for it to be singed by the fire seed bush either. "We need to extinguish the flames?" Selena said. Because if not, they would all get serious burns... and they'd need to go visit the healer for something to fix their burnt selves. She watched as the cart moved over, filled with pots. Oh planting... Sel sure hoped her plant didn't... die.

Kurumi nodded and gave a smile of thanks in Sierra's direction. She thought that something like that might be true, but she hadn't come across in her reading, so it was nice to have been given a definite answer.

When Professor Bentley continued the lesson, Kurumi's hand went up. "Given that fire seeds are VERY hot, we need to be sure to wear our dragonhide gloves when handling them."

Eee... They were going to plant the fire seeds? Hades wanted to see if someone's hand caught fire. That will be awesome! If only he had a camera to capture that moment... When another question was asked, Hades put up his hand high enough so that Professor Bentley won't missed him. "Dragonhide gloves, professor," because that was the only way to prevent their hands from getting burned.

Pam thought for a moment. "Probably some fireproof gloves, professor." That would be a given. She really didn't want burnt hands. Even if they didn't burn on contact, it doesn't hurt to be safe. "And maybe some goggles, just in case?" Pam was all about the safety. She would rather be safe, and look silly, than look good, and get hurt.

Kennedy raised his hand and said, "We'll need heat protecting gloves." Like their dragon hide gloves. They were fire resistant right? Dragons DID breathe fire after all. Well, if it was that, he was ready with his.

Amelia thought that this question was easy, so she raised her hand without even thinking. "Dragonhide gloves because these seeds are really hot."

Raising her hand, Kimalia spoke, "Fire seeds will need to be cooled down before attempting to collect." Since it does require more effort than donning gloves.

Seren nodded... "Yes.. hence why we have our gloves, but what care do we need to consider FOR the fire seeds? What do we need to do for them when planting them?"

Note: Care requirements not Safety requirements (;

The first thing that came to Ira's mind on hearing the question was dragon hide gloves, thick ones! She certainly didn't want to burn her hands! But seeing that others' had already said so, she thought something else.. What else is required?

Ah yes, manure! She raised her hand up and answered, "Professor, manure will be required for good growth of seeds, right? But is there a special kind of manure for this, seeing that it is a fire seed?"

Sierra nodded back toward the professor, but she really only gave Hollingberry a mere glance. That hadn't been an offer for friendship. Nope, not at all. Well, maybe it'd been a peace offering. Or something. Sierra still hadn't questioned her own motives, really. She could have just wanted extra points, which was a big possibility, too.

Well, everyone was saying something about gloves, so Sierra decided to steer off the track and chime in with something a little different. "I think we need to be careful where we plant the seeds," she suggested, raising her hand. "Sure, it's just a little seed now, but one day it'll be a big Fire Seed Bush, so we don't want to plant it next to something that it could catch fire to on down the line somewhere."

Location was everything when it came to plants.

Well, Sierra still thought her location answer was pretty good, but apparently that hadn't been what the professor was asking about. HMPH, Bentley. She'd just try again. "I was thinking that maybe the fire would get extinguished if we smothered the seed with dirt?" she suggested, raising her hand. "So maybe there's a different way of planting these seeds, since they're made of fire? Maybe we just leave them wide open to the air rather than covering them with dirt..." She thought for a moment then added, "Or maybe there's a spell to use that keeps the fire from being extinguished..."

So those seeds would be pretty dangerous then. It could burn anyone who wouldn't wear the necessary and proper gear. Hence, the answers that immediately shot out when the next question was asked by the Herbology Professor.

Aside from that, what are other precautions? Beezus thought hard and finally raised her hand, "Professor Seren, aside from wearing the proper attire, we should also take note of our behaviors. Excessive chatting must be minimized since it might distract us from what we're doing." she said. That was a precaution right?

When prompted with another question, Eino raised his hand. "Perhaps the Glacius Charm could prove useful since the flames are supposed to be strong enough to hatch a dragon's egg, and that is quite hot." It would be much easier to use some advanced charm-work to move the fire seeds, but the younger students wouldn't be able to perform some of the charms, so manual labor it was.

"Maybe we should use some water charm, such as Aguamenti to extinguish the fire before we get started, Professor." He answered. It made sense, as everyone was answering, to have DragonHide Gloves. Maybe it would be more prudent, as to not catch the glove on fire, but to first have it out, but still use them nonetheless.

What could they do for the fire seeds? Kurumi blushed and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment for misunderstanding the question - but it seemed like many others had followed her in that as well. Take two?

"When planting, one usually waters," Kurumi said as she raised her hand again. Which, sort of had her confused for a just a moment. She wasn't entirely sure about the magical properties behind fire seeds, having never handled them before, so Kurumi followed up with another question. "Professor Bentley, is there some sort of special liquid required to water fire seeds? Or is regular water just fine?" You know, so the flames were not entirely put out. The reaction from using a Freezing Charm and water could be entirely different.

That was... Confusing. Hades mumbled to himself as he tried to differ them as what Professor Bentley said. "Uhm... We should use the Glacius Charm before collecting the seeds?" said Hades, trying to make sure it was correct. He thought he had read it somewhere before. Not sure where though.

Care, not Safety.

Janice repeated the words in her head, trying to recall those basic things that helps plants grow. Once she got the answer, she shot her hand upwards and answered the question.

"Fertilizers, for their food, and water."

Yup, those very, very, very basic things that you need.

It as pretty neat back here in the deepest part of the greenhouse. And just a little bit spooky too, what with all the strange plants. A botanical ghost story would be pretty cool right about now. Thinking a moment about the needs of the seeds, Em raised her hand. "Well, they are fire seeds right? That means water would put them out, so they probably need something else to um, 'water' them. Maybe something like fire whiskey or something else thats flammable."