Zhenya skipped to Herbology.

She skipped, is how excited she was.

Mandrakes. They had potted them and cared for them for a few weeks, and now it was time to see what the next step was. What would they be doing? Zhenya was excited to find out.

Into the greenhouse she went, smiling as she looked around. There were the mandrakes, and she spotted hers. And there was Headmistress Truebridge.

"Hello Professor," Zhenya said in greeting, before taking a spot by her Mandrake. Well, perhaps not her Mandrake, but the Mandrake she had re-potted three times and cared for.

Gosh, it was unbelievably bright today, wasn't it? This meant specs for the Hufflepuff that was now standing outside of the Greenhouse. He stepped him eagerly. Why? Because he had absoloutely enjoyed the lessons by the Headmistress. And there she was! Sitting a the stool with the mandrakes there. Some were even hopping. WHAT A SIGHT! HEHE. Adi was enjoying looking at them.

"Hello, Professor Headmistress,'' Adi said, smiling at the woman. Nowww, where was his own Mandrake? Adi scanned the names on the pots. Aha! There was his! His pot was shaking rather violently at times. Whaaaa! He hurried to get closer to it to ensure it wouldn't topple over or anything. "Calm down there,'' Adi said, eyeing the Mandrake as he flopped down on the seat behind it and next to Zhenya who's pot was not far from his. Yep, he had often talked to the thing during his trips to the Greenhouse so this was nothing new. ''Hiiiii, Zhenya!

Herbology was seriously Angel's favourite subject and so she basically ran all the way to the greenhouse she slowed down when she got closer, she didn't want to get into trouble for running in the classroom.

Angel smiled as she looked at the headmistress. "Good day Madame." Angel would have curtsies but she thought she would get into trouble if she did. "I hope your well today?"

Angel then went and sat down next to the mandrake she planted last lesson she thought this was going to be very interesting.

Yoongi had left his Gryffindor robe at his dormitory because he knew the Greenhouses were usually warmer than outside. And since it was a spring afternoon he had no use of it. So dressed in his uniform, the fifth year entered the greenhouse and immediately looked around for the mandrake he potted last time. He found it after a walk around the table and stood behind it. “Good afternoon Headmistress” he flashed a smile.

After all of the shenanigans with her RUDE mandrake, AJ was not in the mood to see him again. Peter needed an attitude adjustment and this lion was just the one to do it. The professor seemed in good spirits. Or was it headmistress? She could always keep up with the professor headmistress ma'am... that pretty much covered it all.

Anyways. A smile for her even though she wasn't looking up. "Hello." No need to harp on the titles. Looook, she was early again. This made for like the second time all year. "Hey, Adi." Now she had to find Peter.

There her was. He was the one with a smug look on his face. She didn't even need to bother checking out the name that was attached on the pot.

"Peter," she said with disgust, not quite meeting his eye.

Herbology was going to be good. Noel just had that sort of feeling, you know? Despite the cobwebs everywhere, it was indeed a beautiful afternoon and Noel was feeling good.

Giving the headmistress a cheery, "Hello, professor," the fifth year tried to remember where he sat the last time. Ah, there, yes.

Dropping his bag on the floor, he eyed the pod. Hello to you too.

Another herbology lesson. Another class with the headmistress. And as he walked into the greenhouse with his belongings for the lesson, it was clear it was to be another class with the mandrakes. Good thing he had the earmuffs he had been using previously for both lesson and assignment still in his possession, having planned to return them now anyways. Benny could only wonder what they were going to learn or do with them this time around.

"Hello Headmistess," he greeted the woman with a polite nod as he entered further into the greenhouse. Now to find where his mandrake had wound up since it didn't seem to be in the same place. Oh...there it is. The sixth year moving to sit at the stool supplied before the appropriate pot. "Hey," he greeted Angel, Adi and AJ as he took note of them around him at the table.

HERBOLOGYYYYYY! Eden was ready to see Hippolanta! She scooted into the Greenhouse, nodded at Truebridge, and had a seat next to her pot where she KNEW her precious little Hippolanta was.

"Hi, baby...how's it going today?" she asked softly, patting the side of the pot gently. "I think...we get to repot you today? Maybe?" she shrugged and glanced around for any friends...She saw Adi but that was about it. He got a wave from her.

Where was everyone?

Yo yo yiggedy YO, Tobias was HERE.

He bounced quite energetically into the greenhouse, all HYPED UP and ENERGETIC and READY TO GO. "Hi Professor... uh... Headmistresssssss Truebridge!" Toby called across to her, belatedly seeing she was all busy and that. Oops.

Right, mandrake then. It didn't take Toby toooooooo long to find Mandy (his mandrake), at which pointed he went ahead and took a seat right there and waited.

... And... fidgeting. Knees bounced, fingers tapped, heads (well... just one... he only had one head) nodded. Herbology was EXCITING STUFF, okay? It made Toby happy even though the impending NEWT exams were looming like a horrifying tidal wave, threatening to crush Toby under the sheer weight of stress and make him all sorts of crazy. Y'know. As long as he didn't think about that, it was alllll good. HERBOLOGY. LET'S GO.

"Hello Headmistress," Hady greeted warmly as she entered the greenhouse taking in a deep breath of fresh air and the scent of the plants. This was so much better then all the cobwebs and spiders. Glancing around anyhow for those dreaded creatures anyhow she moved forward into the greenhouse.

Still looking around she quickly spotted her mandrake from the earlier lessons and made her way to where it was. Dropping her bag down at her feet Hady sat down on the stool behind at the table where it was. Clearly they were going to be working with the mandrakes again?

No webs. This was enough to make Heather smile as she entered the greenhouse, since the stupid things seemed to be everywhere. So a break from them was appreciated, even if that meant dealing with her troublesome mandrake.

She took her seat behind her mandrake with a "Hello, Headmistress." Wand at the ready to stop any antics from the plant.

What a nice day. Would be even better if she didn't have to do all the studying. Granted she could do it outside, but she concentrated better in quiet and less distracting places.

Robe hung over her arm and wand in hand, Beverly entered the greenhouse, setting her belongings down--all but her wand--and smiled softly at her mandrake. "Hope you're doing well," she murmured, glancing up in the direction of the Headmistress. Seeing as the woman seemed busy, Beverly took her seat rather than interrupt.

Kate made her way to the greenhouses for Herbology class. If she remembered correctly, they were supposed to be harvesting their mandrakes today. Kate hadn't been looking forward to working with her moody little mandrake, but she was glad to be harvesting it. Herbology had always been one of her favorite classes, and she thought the Headmistress was really nice, too.

"Hello, Headmistress," Kate said, walking past the woman as she made her way to her mandrake. Spotting the plant, Kate made her way to it and ever so carefully observed it. It wasn't paying a bit of attention to her, but rather distracted by trying to get closer and closer to a fellow mandrake. Kate smiled, shook her head, and just continued to watch.

Zander was... Indifferent about class today.

He LOVED herbology, DIDN'T really LOVE the Headmistress, LOVED the beautiful spring weather, and definitely DIDN'T LOVE his mandrake. So basically, the score was tied and the result was indifference. So he wasn't exactly skipping over to class and definitely wasn't bouncing in like one of those eager Hufflepuffs... But he did walk in with a small smile in place because that's how you've got to greet the Queen Headmistress, unfortunately.

Which, by the way, he did have his wand out as he entered incase she wanted them to try one of those revealing spells again. Though, this time she was sat on a stool. Huh. "Good afternoon Professor Truebridge," oh man, should he have said Headmistress Truebridge? Eh. Too late now.

Better go find that stupid mandrake of his.

Gabe. Was. Present.

...and he was hardcore hoping they were moving past this mandrake business. The recent homework/project situation had left him a bit burnt out where these plants were concerned. It was like caring for an infant. He wasn't equipped for this type of stress.

Of course, upon entering Greenhouse Three, it was immediately apparent they were to be picking up where said homework left off.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeh.

Easily finding his station, Gabe took a seat and began regrettably removing his notes. Hopefully, Carbunculus would be....better mannered today. Though, by the movement of his pot, the Ravenclaw felt that was just wishful thinking.

"Good afternoon, hi, hello, I'm well, thank you, hi," the Headmistress murmured to those few who had greeted her upon entering. She shuffled the papers she had been grading and stood up, vanishing them with a flick of her wand to her office.

Time to get started! "Today we're going to be harvesting the mandrakes we potted and nurtured to adulthood, as promised last lesson." The Headmistress walked down the line of plants, nodding at them here and there. "First though, you need to check that your mandrake is ready--- WITHOUT pulling it out of the pot. Remind me, what are some signs that a mandrake is mature enough to harvest?"

Just starting with a little review from last time, no harm in that.

Time to harvest Peter. AJ hoped it meant exactly as it sounded. WOW. That was a little harsh. Sorry, Pete. A sympathetic smile was given to the mandrake even though he couldn't possibly be a mindreader.

There were several ways to know if your mandrake was ready, but one really stuck out in her mind. AJ raised her hand. "When they stop being big fat jerks." Or were they supposed to still be a jerk? Peter was a jerk. That was all she knew.

Adi lit up when he saw AJ arrive. Well, as much more lit up as he could get. Hehe. "Heeeey, AJ!'' As she went to look for her mandrake, the other bestie had made his presence known. "Hello, Dragon!'' Eden came in directly afterwards, waving to him. He shot her a cheery grin as he returned the wave.
....................

Gosh! His pot was still being all wobbly! Eyes on you, potted mandrake! Thank Merlin Truebridge was getting ready to start the lesson. Maybe whatever she had in store today would stop all these seemingly restless mandrakes from their antics... which would be repotting. Of course.

"They'll try to move into each others pots, Professor.'' His hand was up, too. Yep.

Hm, so... signs that the mandrake is ready and nurtured and adults and stuff? Toby knew these things, the main one being the one that Adi had said, about moving into each other's pots. But there WERE others, of course. One in particular sprang to mind, and Toby raised his hand.

"Their cries are fatal when they're all adulty. SOOOOO if you hear one scream and it makes you all dead and stuff then it's ready for you to harvest." Toby nodded. Nod nod nod. Real true fact right there.

"When they stop being big fat jerks."

HAAHAHAHA. Zander quite liked AJ's answer. He had to try very, VERY hard to stifle his laughter. Ahem. That was a good one, AJ. Much needed. Thank you for the laughter. Wheeeew. That was toooooo good.

Ahem.

But also, he was pretty sure his mandrake would never stop being a big fat jerk soooo. Highly unlikely.

"Well, when they're still teenagers--" Teendrakes? What were they even called? Adolescentdrakes? Moodydrakes? Anyways, irrelevant. "They get acne, so does that mean that by harvest time their acne will clear up?" It was a question. But it was also an answer. Uh, maybe? And if not, there were creams for this kind of stuff. Maybe it'd be a good investment.

Angel looked at the Professor as she raised her hand. "Professor don't they out grow their pots when they are old enough." Angel just decided that she would guess that.

.

.

Gabe looked at Toby, tilting his head...because...what? If he were deceased, whether the mandrake was adult or not wouldn't matter. His Hufflepuff friend was an intriguing person...

.

"They aren't as fussy as they were in the teenage phase. They exhibit more maturity."

It was always so nice to see that some students had learned from their homework assignment. Specifically, Annie could see the frustration on certain faces... the faces of those who had CLEARLY spent enough time around their mandrake.

"It's just like raising a child of your own, trust me," she murmured under her breath, flicking her wand to the board so their answers would pop up. Ahem. "Anyway, good! Good responses, you lot. And yes, Zander, the acne clears up by the time they're fully grown. Let's take a look at our master list of notes, shall we? I've added onto it and reiterated certain points in blue. Make sure you copy these down."


MANDRAKES

• also called Autumn or Mediterranean Mandrake
• perennials
• branched roots, which appear humanoid in appearance
• must mature before harvesting for use
• mundane: used by Muggles to make patients unconscious (anesthetic)
• mundane: highly poisonous when eaten (alkaloids)
• mundane: tufty, with purpleish greenish leaves
• mundane: related to the potato
• mundane: five-petaled flowers
• mundane: globe-shaped berries
• mundane: berries turn yellow-orange when ripe (in autumn)
• magical: cries of fully-grown mandrakes can kill an adult human
• magical: roots of immature mandrakes look (and scream) like crazy, mad little babies
• magical: cries of baby mandrakes can cause temporary unconsciousness
• magical: behaviors match the growth and development of a human's; mandrakes experience childhood, puberty (acne), adolescence ("hormonal" without having hormones), and adulthood similarly to wizards
• magical: mandrakes are known to be mature when they start trying to move into each other's pots
• magical: plants will move/quiver and shake when the mandrakes are ready to be harvested
• magical: adult mandrakes, when removed from a pot, will make eye contact and then start yelling (not crying like baby mandrakes)
• magical: require repotting as they grow
• magical: they WILL bite appendages off if you stick them in a mandrake's mouth
• magical: favorite food of both dugbogs and flesh-eating slugs
• magical: leaves can be used in antidotes
• magical: used to make the Restorative Draught
• magical: most famous use was during the Hogwarts basilisk attack of 1992

"Now, the most obvious way to see if your mandrake is ready is to pull it up by the leafy part and check for aging. If we had glass pots, you would see your mandrake root moving around inside there, and causing the pot to jolt and bounce a little bit --- which is, of course, a sign that they are ready to be harvested. Alas, we do not have glass pots in an introductory Herbology course, so we're going to have to rough it a little. As we're potting and re-potting mandrakes, what is the most important tool to use?"

Truebridge looked at them all expectantly, waited just a beat for anyone to answer, and then picked up her fluffy PINK earmuffs. "Your earmuffs, of course! Adult cries are fatal, so we need to make safety a priority here! WITH your earmuffs on, you will now pull your mandrake out from its pot, quickly STUN IT with your wand, and then set it off to the side to wait for more instructions. Do NOT remove your earmuffs until you see me remove mine, okay?"

OKAY? It was really important that they follow her directions here. Like, life and death important. "If you are not a very coordinated person, you may stun your mandrake once BEFORE you pull it from the pot, and then again when you have it hanging by its leaves, just to be certain it's not going to yell at you and kill you." She smiled, weirdly, at them all. "Alright then, earmuffs on.... and GO!"

OOC: Take 1-2 posts to a) put your earmuffs on; b) stun your mandrake; and c) pull it out from the pot and set it to the side of the pot. Remember, you can do b and c simultaneously. Have fun here but DON'T DIE! Next post in 7-8 hours. =D

Adi still was recovering from AJ's answer. Bahaha! His girlfriend was hilarious. Anywhooo, he checked over his previous notes then added anything that was missing. He was taking the best notes that he could because exam time would be upon them again. Now, his attention was on Truebridge again. Yep, he KNEW his mandrake was all matured. Need he mention that he was still sulky at it for giving him attitude but not that sulky enough to not to hold the pot which was still shaking quite a bit.

Yes, yes, yes! Earmuffs! VERYYY important! Today, Adi opted for a pink, fluffy one. Hehehe. The guy didn't care. It was still an earmuff, right? He donned it, ensuring that it was very secure around his ears. With Truebridge's instructions still in his mind, he pulled his pot closer to him, grasped his mandrake firmly by the leaves at the base of its head and PULLLLLED!

Out popped the mandrake, it's mouth opened wide. It was very obvious it was having a wail of a time. Literally. "Stupefy!'' With a flash of red light, the mandrake shut its mouth and became still. Mission accomplished with one Stunning Spell. He was coordinated. Yep.

The Hufflepuff set the mandrake aside as instructed and waited patiently for the class to continue as he hummed to himself with the earmuffs still on.