Well no one seemed to need her help so Minerva looked back to her pot. She knew if they needed her help they would ask. Well she hoped they would ask. She always tried to be nice to everyone, so she shouldn't be to intimidating to talk to.

Looking at her pot she knew it was warm. Now it was time to fill the pot half with water. Pointing her wand 'Aguamenti" the water left her wand and began filling the pot. Once it was half way full she clearly said "Finite" and the water stopped coming from her wand. Minerva then looked at Professor Bentley for the next instructions.

Laura listened to the Professor but wasn't really understanding how to do this. "PROFESSOR HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Laura was wondering how she was suppost to do the spell without a wand, maybe she should speak to the Headmistress and see if she can send home for a new one, hers was in her bag and she would show the Professor it if she wanted to but it was broken and she didn't want to risk using it, she had no idea what the wand would do if she did use it.

Blah...blah...blah...

Sierra just stared at Bentley as the woman went on and on about the usage of minsecticides. It was sooo much information to take in at once, and Sierra found herself only taking in every other piece of information that was rattled off.

Then it was time to get started, apparently, because they were instructed to go to a work station. Sierra headed toward the nearest one and began checking to make sure she had everything she'd need. Hmm...yup, it was all there. It was a good thing, too, because just as she finished checking that the last item was there, Bentley was on to the next part of the activity.



Go on? ...but what if they didn't remember the Chaudensis spell taught last term?! A whole year had gone by, Sierra would guess! She stared down at her wand, almost as if she was waiting for it to just start waving on its own. It never did, though. There was just some things magic couldn't control.

Sierra twisted her wand this way and that, waiting for the wand movement to suddenly come back to her. Finally, she moved her wand in a circular motion, and it all came back to her. She bent her wrist and moved her wand in a circular motion over the pot. "Chaudensis!" she said. She looked down at her pot, wondering if it was warm enough. She knew she's done the spell right, though. She moved her hands closer to the pot but didn't touch it. She could feel a light heat radiating from it, and she knew it'd been heated.

She checked the supplies on the table in front of her. Thank goodness for labels! she thought. Sure cayenne pepper is dark orange, garlic is easily recognizable, lacewing flies - obvious. It would take her a while to memorize the looks of the other plants though. To her they really all looked quite similar. She was pretty sure her set of supplies looked identical to everyone else's so she was satisfied that she was prepared.



The... chaudensis charm? She looked around her to see what that even meant. Hopefully there would be someone nearby willing to help her through this lesson. She looked around desperately for help. Some others seemed to be puzzled too, so they clearly weren't the ones to ask. Oh! There's Cora! She walked over to her and felt the warmth from her pot already. She must know how to do this.

"Hey Cora, could you show me how to do that chaudensis charm?

The list was on the board, and Vivi mentally reviewed the items as she approached work bench. She didn't prefer to work alone, obviously, but she didn't mind it... perhaps she could finish early and spend some time considering other uses for the ingredients gathered.

Subtly, of course.

She pointed at each ingredient as she checked it against the list on the board. All accounted for, check check check. Before taking her seat, Vivi removed her wand and set it on the workbench as well. Ready to get dirty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hera

"Great, now the first thing we need to do, is warm up our pots using the chaudensis charm and fill it halfway with water."

Well? Go on. "I expect you to help your lesser experienced peers if need be." Surely they could manage that yes? Or did she have to set up a 'buddy' system for these things?

"Once you've done that, wait for the next instructions."

She retrieved her pot and dragged it to the front of the workbench. Clever of the professor to have them heat the water magically... this place wasn't all damp stone like a dungeon and fire damage was a very real concern. A bit absently, Vivi filled her cauldron, her eyes on the students around her.

Everyone up to speed? Or did someone need a hand...

Whoops! Water splashed across the work bench, and Vivi gave herself a mental shake. Focus, or you'll end up drowning a first year!

Pushing all her other supplies to the side except for her pot, the seventh year first inspected the inside of it for any cracks or things that could cause either water to leak out or heat to escape once she performed the spell. Pointing her wand at the bottom of the pot, Kurumi cast a quick Reparo to fix a small crack in it.It hadn't looked as though it had gone all the way through but better safe than sorry, right?

Giving everything one more glance, Kurumi returned her wand to pointing to the inside of her pot and made a circular movement starting from her wrist. "Chaudenis," she instructed. Lowering her wand, the Gryffindor held her hand over the pot and waited to feel the heat.

Hannah was not one to go around and offer her help but if somebody were to approach them then she would...most likely. Still she doubted many people would approach her all things considered.

Moving on.

Well she officially had herself a warm pot. Now all she needed to do was to fill it halfway with water. That was quite a simple task. She looked around to see if everybody seemed to be on the same page. Oh well. It really didn't matter to her anyway. She picked up her wand once more and casted "Aguamenti." until the water filled to the desired point. "Finite."

She had her a warm pot filled halfway with water. Now what?

Sigh. A little careless behavior and absentmindedness, and Vivi was left mopping up her bench. It was short enough work to siphon all the water from her cauldron, and to get rid of the spill from the bench, but it put her behind her classmates when Vivi was very much interested in being ahead.

She rolled her eyes playfully at Kurumi, since her hands were too full to wiggle her fingers, and finished cleaning up the small puddle she'd created. No more distractions. Vivi grabbed up her wand and pointed it at the pot. With a murmured "Chaudenis", the pot warmed gently.

Now. Without distraction and in the correct order, Vivi again filled the pot with water, this time much more carefully, tipping her wand up and out of the pot just as it reached half-full. Better. Vivi let her hand over over the water to check the temperature.

What the...???

Seren had been absent mindedly watching the students fulfill her first instructions when a particular Puffer screamed for help. Merlin.

"Problem?" she asked.




OOC: I'm extending this part of the activity for a few more hours.

Walking over to a free workstation, Gideon did as instructed, checking to see what was supposed to be there as per the list on items listed on the board. Pot...check. Strainer...check. Bottle....check. The seventh year continued to check as he scanned through the list and glanced between it and the various items at the work area. Eventually nodding as everything seemed to be there as expected. Nothing he had to retrieve or ask for which was good so he could simply move onto the next thing he needed to do.

Wand in hand, he prepared what he needed to. The chaudensis spell, Gideon remembered that from their dealings with the fireseed bushes. "Chaudensis," he cast, remembering the correct wand movement from the previous lesson they had used it in, duplicating it correctly to warm the pot.

Cardigan brought her pot to the center of her work table, and pushing everything else to the side. It would be easier to work and focus that way. It would also be easier to not accidentaly warm something up, or soak it, that should stay how it is, for the time being. She did that quite frequently, actually. One time, back in her first year(along the same lines), she cut off a small part of a plant that she wasn't supposed to. GAH. Spells were such a hassle to her... She'd much rather be doing it the muggle way. It was harder, but it was also harder to make mistakes. Good, right?

So, let's get this party started!!

Cardigan started by just saying the charm a few times to herself, to help her get it right, and not have to do it over, or mess something up. "Chaudensis, Chaudensis, Chaudensis." Good! Cardigan had it down pat. Picking up her wand off of the table, she pointed it towards her pot, took a deep breath, and said, "Chaudensis." Well, there was only one way to find out if it worked. She lightly put two fingers to the side of the pot, noticing how it felt slightly hotter than it had before, when she moved it.

Great! Now, on to the next step!

Testing the temperature of the pot after the warming spell did what it was supposed to, Gideon was satisfied with how it felt. Hopefully it was right for the job, though Professor Bentley hadn't exactly been specific and they weren't checking the actual temperature in degrees. So he figured it would certainly do as it wasn't too hot in his opinion. "Aguamenti," he cast to complete the second part of the preparation, his gaze watching the water level carefully. It took a few moments but it was soon filling up and when it was at the rough half-way point, he added a quite "finite," to end the spell and the spray.

Now that she was positive her pot was good and warmed, all Sierra had to do now was fill it halfway with water. This part was easy. She'd known the water spell since she was a toddler. It'd been used all the time at her house. Of course, knowing it and being able to cast it were two different things. She didn't learn how to actually cast it herself until she much, much older.

Regardless, she knew how to do it now, so she waved her wand over her pot and said, "Aguamenti!" Water shot from her wand and into the pot. She waited until the pot was halfway filled before ending the spell with a quick, "Finite!"

Hands free now, Kurumi was able to wiggle her fingers at Vivi for a few moments before she returned to checking the temperature of her pot with both her hands hovering over the lid. She could just barely feel some heat coming up from the bottom. Nodding mostly to herself in approval that the spell was working, Kurumi picked up her wand again and pointed it inside the pot to cast a silent Aguamenti. With another flick of her wand, the seventh year ceased the spell with Finite. Pausing for a moment to eyeball to make sure that the had enough water in the pot, Kurumi pocketed her wand again and then placed her hands on either side of the pot.

Yep. Still warming.

Okay, first thing was to warm their pots with the Chaudensis Charm.

Beezus quickly crouched down, settled her pot in front of her and took out her wand. Oh, did Professor Bentley said help the younger ones? Before starting off with her work, Beezus looked around for a while, surveying if anybody was in need of some assistance. She wasn't going to inflate anyone or break things this time since the charm was very familiar. They've been using it since first year! ...no one in need? Yup, okay. Oh, and hello Sierra! The Ravenclaw caught the Slytherin's eyes and waved at her.

Then, she got around to charming her pot. "Chaudensis," she muttered with a flick of her wand at the garden utensil. Now...warm up....go go go.

Cora quickly added some water to her pot with Aguamenti. No big deal. With a big smile, she saw Eliza come up to her.

"Hi Eliza! Sure, I can help you." Cora wasn't used to being ABLE to help, but definitely liked to help others, especially her friends, and her smile widened at being able to help. "So you say it like this. Chaw-den-sis." Cora cheerfully and carefully spoke. She wanted to make sure Eliza got it. Miming the wand gesture, Cora explained. "And you add a wand movement tracing the inside of the pot in a smooth circle." Cora demonstrated, brushing her brown curls out of her face. "Like this." Cora didn't think she needed to show the Aguamenti part but she would help if asked.

She glanced across the room at Ethan, and saw he didn't look like he was in the greatest mood. Frowning, Cora stayed to watch if Eliza could get this right. She was sure she could, but just in case.

Ethan wasn't too far away, so Cora waited for eye contact before speaking, and said, "Hey Ethan! Why so blue?" She wondered if he just wanted to be alone or something, but she hoped she could help cheer him up.

Jory set the pot down in front of him. He remembered the charm that they were supposed to use which they had learnt last year.

The badger raised his wand. "Chaudensis," he said. He carefully touched the pot. Yup! It was warm all right. Next step!

Now that the pot was warmed up enough, it was time for the next step!! She was to.....fill the pot with water!! She had taken a quick peak at the board, so as to tell her. She had forgotten to write it down, but didn't need to at this point. Cardigan just needed to go go go!!!

And that, my friends, is EXACTLY what she was going to do!!

Making sure the pot was still warm enough, she repositioned it to where the colder-feeling side would get more sun. The rest seemed all right! Taking her wand up in her hand, she pointed it directly at the pot, clearly saying "Aguamenti." The water shot out of her wand tip, and straight into the pot. She watched it fill up, waiting for the Roget time to cut the spell off. She heard Sierra say it, so it must be correct. When the water level got to about 3/4 of the way, she finally cut the spell of, saying "Finite!" Thr other spell immediately cut of, stopping the water level from rising. Phew! She hadn't done anything wrong yet!

So far, so good.

After doing the charm to warm her pot, Beezus then focused on the second part of the Herbology Professor's first set of instructions. "Aguamenti." Then water began to spurt from the tip of her wand. She watched it fill the pot for a few seconds before pulling it back when it reached half way.

Yoosh. First instructions done!

Now, did someone still need help?

She volunteers!

Anyone?

After making sure the pot was warm, once again, Jory now proceeded to the second step. Fill the the pot halfway up with water. He looked around to see if any of the younger ones needed help but the older ones were already helping out.

The badger turned his attention back to the warm pot. He raised his wand again. "Aguamenti!'' and he watched as water began to pour into it. "Finite,'' he said when there was the right amount of water.

Now to wait for more instructions.

"Alright, so by now your water should be beginning to boil, if not then give it a few more moments or repeat the chaudensis charm... otherwise, here are your next instructions."
This time, with the aid of the blackboard, Seren discussed the steps to producing the minsecticide.

"The first thing you need to note, is that this is not potions. You are not required to measure your ingredients meticulously, because at the end of the day, all of the substances are good and wasting time measuring just isn't worth it." Especially not when this was something which needed to be repeated every so often.

"Essentially, what you will be making, is a solution containing a number of ingredients which repel pests both magical and mundane..."

The instructions finished writing themselves up on the board in cursive writing.

"It's quite straight forward. Everything goes into the pot and then once it cools we'll strain it and use it."

And so... they should start now.

"If you have any questions, please raise your hand, otherwise, you may start."

OOC: This is the final portion of the lesson and it will run for approximately 40 hours. If you require Bentley's assistance please title your post and/or poke me via VM. To be eligible for full participation marks you're required to post a minimum of 7 times. G'luck! (:

Hands still on the side of her pot, sort of to warm her own hands through her gloves. Not like Potions, well...that was a relief since Kurumi rather loathed the subject except for when Lewis was tutoring her so it was nice. Still, Kurumi and her desire for precision also made this a little difficult to stomach.

Hands still on the side of her pot, Kurumi took a peek in to see that the water was just beginning to boil, but hadn't begun to actually bubble. This counted, right? Removing her hands, Kurumi prepared the chrysanthemum and nettle tea leaves and checked them over for anything that might be out of place - like a bug or something - and then added the leaves into the water and let them seep in there for a minute before grabbing a wooden spoon and stirring from time to time as the pot continued to heat up.

Cassia grabbed her parchment to write down what was Professor Bentley saying. Then she stopped because the important things were written on the board. Why waste a parchment. She stared at the instructions and blinked. They were going to do ALL this. Oh boy. She sighed. This class was going to be even LONGER than the one before it. If only she liked plants, she would've tried to enjoy.

The second-year glanced down at her pot and noticed that bubbles started to appear. Good, it was starting to boil. She looked at the ingredients and started searching for the chrysanthemum . Why must it have a long name. Cassia kept darting her eyes between what she had until she found it. Reaching for it , she added some into the pot.

Should she stir now or once she added the other. Eh..why stir twice. Cassia started flipping between leaves and other things she didn't really recognize until she found the nettle tea leaves. Adding some as well. She left them soak and move around with chrysanthemum.

Then she took a spoon and started stirring in circular motion. Did it matter if it was clockwise or not? The Professor would've mentioned it if it did. So nope.

Kurumi continued to stir her pot and began to panic just a little when it began to change colors...until she saw that it was supposed to change to an amber color. Stirring a little more, Kurumi waited for the color to become a little more prominent before she reached for her cayenne pepper and added two pinches of that while she continued to stir. Once the pepper was gone, she reached for the neem oil and drizzled some of that into the pot like she would do if she were decorating cookies with chocolate syrup and stirred a little to allow that to dissolve a little before reaching for the apple cider and pouring some of that into the pot and giving it a few healthy stirs.

The apple cider smell was a little overwhelming to be completely honest, but Kurumi was just not a fan of the vinegar smell...and how it always lingered in the air. Maybe stirring some more would make it go away?

...stir...stir...stir....stir...stir...

Kat took out her wand out. She decided to heat up the pots AGAIN. These pots... what was wrong with them? Positioning herself and her wand, she cast the Chaudensis Charm on it. "Chaudensis,"