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Stefan · 09-08-2017, 11:17 AM

Arranged in its usual state, the door to the Potions Classroom was once again open for the day's lesson. On top of each workstation are your typical Potions materials and tools ready to be used.

Up ahead, Healer Reed can be seen leaning against the blackboard, hands stuffed into his trousers' pockets waiting for his students to arrive. Roscoe and Bumi can be seen lounging on the side, proudly wearing their Red Cross badges around their necks.

No time to dilly-dally! Come in and let's start brewing!

OOC:
~~HELLO HELLO!!! We'll begin in approximately 24 hours after this post. Remember that this isn't your first potions class for the term.~~
Class is in session!

LESSON PROGRESS:
Greetings + Mini Activity

Question 1 + Ingredients

Answers + Question 2

Answers + Main Activity & Complete Procedure

Stefan · 09-14-2017, 10:09 PM

SPOILER!!: All of you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zellanna

Kyle was confused. Very confused. The benefits of poisons? What could a benefit of a poison be? He thought about it, then thought some more, and finally decided to raise his hand. "Something that dehydrates you can also lower your blood pressure." He'd heard of pills that did just that. Well, maybe didn't totally dehydrate you, but it did a little bit. Right? "I mean, just a little. But that's why when you're dehydrated you get dizzy. It's because your blood pressure goes down. So if you needed to drop your blood pressure because it's really high, something that dehydrates you would work, wouldn't it?" He wasn't all too sure on that. But there had been times he got dizzy and his father had him drink a lot of water and it helped. He'd said it was low blood pressure, and Kyle trusted his father was right. But he also didn't want to sound stupid in front of the class.

Now, what would be an uncommon poison? And why would it be uncommon? Well, obviously... "An uncommon poison would be uncommon because people are less likely to use it, I think. Like..." Think, Kyle, think! "Um... Essential oils. Like, eucalyptus is known to be poisonous to humans, and the oil is sold as a health thing to add to your bath or use in a diffuser and stuff. But even though it's easy to get a hold of, no one poisons anyone with it."

River nodded as he leaned back on the board and listened to Kyle's answer. "Indeed, Mr Erikson. Same with poisons. It can be beneficial if it will give you comfort in the end. Of course, it has to be administered carefully. Preferably by a Healer." It was great to see that these kids can see the other side of the coin.

The Healer tilted his head to the side and shrugged at his next answer. "It is common knowledge not to ingest essential oils, considering that most of them can't be dissolved by the body. But you're right about the unlikeliness of people using a substance to make it uncommon."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watson

Vi nodded, listening to Healer Reed as he continued her train of thought. They shouldn't see each ingredient as a stand alone ingredient. But... Oh. It clicked. They all influence each other, huh? She nodded, taking note of this, and scribbled down a couple of thoughts on this matter. She'd come find him later to dive more into this.

What were the benefits of poison? Vi tapped the quill to the bottom of her chin as she thought through. Well... Poisons could combat bacteria and cells... Hadn't she seen an exhibition on poisons this past summer or was it the summer before? Olivia couldn't remember exactly. Hmm....

She raised her hand, taking a jab at his first question. "Professor. A pro of poisons is that they can suppress bodily functions that cause pain." Pain receptors right? That's what they were called... Something like that. Anyway.... "Some plants have toxic defenses which protects them from predators... Muggle scientists have extracted the toxins in order to use them in medicines. For instance, poppy has been used to relieve pain."

[textcut="notes"[B][U]]Potion: [/U][/B]Antidote to Uncommon Poisons No. 005 (Hospital Grade)
[B][U]Effect(s): [/U][/B]This healing potion cures the effects brought about uncommon poisons. This formula has been altered to have a stronger effect, covering a wider range of poisons known to wizard-kind.

Ingredients:
50 ml Distilled Water
14 ml Liquefied Antimony
32 grams Stargrass
302 ml Boom Berry Juice
23 drops Essence of Dittany
5 pieces Fire Seeds
15 pieces Pure Rock Salt
5 strips Wiggentree Bark

Notes:
[s]Antimony + heat + air (oxygen) = Bad news[/s] - ask Healer Reed about dependency of ingredients in potions later.[/textcut]
[/QUOTE]

[B]"Yes, excellent answer Ms Holden."[/B] River nodded and moved to the next raised hand,

[QUOTE=bone_baud10;12260124]Wildcard. Interesting. In the Ravenclaw's young mind what he understood from the Professor was, Antimony is probably a versatile ingredient. Hmmm...

Aymeric had always been intrigued by the idea of 'versatility'. The ability to change or adapt with ease was always curious in his opinion. But now was not the time to daydream about his philosophy. He was in the middle of a a... ugh... dare he remind himself, Potions lesson. Why couldn't he be outside right now? So depressing. But the Professor didn't seem to notice.

Aymeric scribbled down a few messy notes here and there in his shared notebook. He was glad that the topic of the lesson was antidotes since it was a subject he was familiar with. Since both of his parents were travelers, they would brew themselves a few antidotes for their expeditions. There were several times when he was younger that he 'helped' (pass unharmful ingredients) them brew potions.

But the next question, which was presented before the class in his opinion was a bit distasteful. Benefits?! Of Poisons?! Aymeric crossed his arms and returned to his sulky mood. [B][SIZE="2"]"Poisons don't have any benefits,"[/SIZE][/B] the third year mumbled to himself. Poisons can kill! Any benefit they have is negative or lethal... he sighed.

Once again the urge to leave arose inside of him. Aymeric grabbed his quill, and began to do what he loved most, drawing. To be accurate he was sketching with leftover ink on his quill. He scribbled under his messy notes a few sketches of stargrass. He was waiting for the brewing to begin. The part he enjoyed least.

Yes, the Ravenclaw angst was strong with this one. River could practically see his foul aura from where he stood, however, he did want to challenge this student. "How about those insecticides you use against pests, Mr Willis? Doesn't that benefit you at all?" A little something to shake that Ravenclaw stubbornness from his system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithRodneyMckay

SPOILER!!: Ingredients

Having got back just in time, rearranged the ingredients on the desk, and puzzled over the answer to the first question, Dahlia was busy writing all the information down when the professor asked his next one. Or two. The first of them she had absolutely no clue. How could a poison be of any benefit to anyone? Surely the whole point of a poison was to kill? You don't cure people with them anyways. Not that she knew of.

But the second one she could have more of a stab at. She might be wrong, of course. She had been about a lot of things since the beginning of term. But this wasn't directly magical, right? This was kind of general. So Dahlia placed her quill down and stuck her hand in the air. "Is an uncommon one something that isn't used very often? Or not come across as much as more well known poisons? Sir." She added that quickly, just in case he thought her rude for blurting out an answer without addressing him first.

"A question for a question. I see." Dahlia earned herself a quirk of his eyebrow. "Aside from it being a complex poison, rarity comes into play as well." So yes, she's right about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

Junia's gears were turning and she had lots of questions about the things Reed was saying, though she'd be writing them down and saving them so she could research them on her own. This way she could impress him next time she spoke to him, yeah? It was a brilliant plan.

The potion they'd be brewing was interesting in that it was used for uncommon poisons, meaning not the run-of-the-mill kind you might read about. "Perhaps what uncommon means in this sense is not simply poisons brewed and given, but poisons coming directly from, say, creature bites or stings. Ones you wouldn't necessarily think of when listing poisons because exposure is rare, but that still fall under the same category." Then there was the whole benefits of poison question. Her mind went to royals and the way poisons were use to get rid of enemies one might have. That certainly benefited the person using the poison. She kept that one to herself, though. "It's like what Olivia said about suppressing the functions that cause pain. If you understand how a poison affects the body, you can figure out how to use it in small doses to help instead of hurt. You can figure out what it changes in the body, and then how that could be helpful to cure something that someone is dealing with."

SPOILER!!: Notes

Junia earned a smile from the Healer as he nodded along. Good. Very good. She's learning. "Bites and stings from creatures fall under the uncommon category because acquiring these "venoms" are impossible to harvest, making it harder to study. Once it is in the host's system, it makes it more complicated to break down into its components and administer the precise antidote." River paused to give everyone a moment to take that one down in their notes. "That's why the experts have come up with this formula to cover most of the uncommon poisons known to wizard-kind. Healing magic is then partnered with the antidote to counter the rest of the effects of the poison."

Then again, River nodded. "That's why one shouldn't be too quick to dismiss that poison is evil or dark altogether." This is one of the reasons why Healing is such a complex profession. You have to have that kind of rationale to understand the discipline.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

Errr... so the intentionally leaving the answer as vague as possible didn't work. It did during Astronomy last year with Professor Berkovich (who was no longer a professor anymore after just one term, making Vivian wonder if the Astronomy position was cursed). It was worth the shot, she thought. But hearing the answers of her other class, the prefect had already picked a few things up. "Has something to do with antimony, sir," she replied with a tiny smile. Still vague, but definitely more detailed than the first answer.

But now moving on to the next question. This time, Vivian actually gave it more thought, considering how she knew her parents definitely stocked a few antidotes to uncommon poisons at home. It hadn't really crossed her mind earlier, as she never really took much notice at them brewing it. But yes, she was sure they had essence of dittany and even a betony plant at home. Healer parents, of course. It had its perks in this lesson, but it made her a little conscious to not make a fool of herself. Healer Reed probably knew her parents! When she had an answer organised in mind, the prefect raised her hand. "Some poisons can be used to strengthen and improve antidotes, sir, the same way our liquefied antimony will be used today. Some of them may have life-saving potential," she shared. "Also to check how much of the poison a human's body can take." Mhm, there's that.

And for the other question. Hopefully she wasn't speaking too much again. "I'd say a poison is uncommon if it came from something you least expected." Like in occasions wherein you go 'dear Merlin, where did THAT come from?' Yeah, it's probably happened loads of times. Not everyone was that observant. Once finished, she nodded and smiled at Healer Reed.

Text Cut: Notes!

It was staring them in the face all along, wasn't it? Liquefied antimony. "Exactly, Prefect Fairfield. Good observation." Hmm. Perhaps she has the potential to become a Healer too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

She didn't mean it the way the Healer did, afterall, she was aware you couldn't really bring life back once it was gone but it was fine. He'd just confirmed it wasn't the potion they were gonna be using anyway, leaving very little reason for her to bother explaining. The Ravenclaw offered a quick apology for her outburst but would otherwise let the matter go to rest.

Uncommon poisons. Suffice to say that in all her time here, she never thought a Professor would ask for benefits of poisons. Didn't matter that they wouldn't be brewing these poisons, the question was enough to keep her interested.

Not wanting to be a complete repeat, Jessa opted to ignore the question on what made poisons uncommon, moving instead to the question of what benefits they held. "They're good for if you aren't physically capable of taking on the bullies in your life. Easy to administer, easy to remedy once they agree to leave you alone, and they provide good incentive to cease undesired behaviour."

She would also be taking down the ingredients; these weren't the ones she had stored away for her antidotes.

SPOILER!!: Notes

No wonder this child was sorted into Ravenclaw. However, it wasn't a clever plan to take down an enemy. "Only when you are sure that you know the correct antidote. You do not want to be expelled, Ms Cambridge." Realistically speaking, he and the rest of the staff don't have enough eyes to see what these children do to each other, so it was only right to remind them of what to do in case they resort to this method. One fine example would be that time when Olivia Phillips got poisoned, and had her head crack open. She'd been moved from the Great Hall all the way up to the Hospital Wing bleeding profusely. Virtually, none of them knew what to do, except for him being the Healer. He'd taken weeks and months to bring her back to the living.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nymphadoraliz

Scribbling down her notes, Emma looked up again as the professor spoke and asked a few questions. This was EXACTLY the type of potions she was interested in. Ones she'd need to know how to brew as a healer one day. Chewing on her lip as she thought on the first question she raised her hand "It could possibly be used to counteract another poison or rid a person of an illness?"

Text Cut: Notes

"Yes, that is correct, Ms Yenorin." River offered the girl a grin and moved to the next student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Oh. OH. Katy perked up considerably at the name of the potion. She was keen on poisons and antidotes, and she'd blown through most of the textbook versions available. But a real, honest-to-goodness antidote, hospital grade... that was new. Interesting.

"You know, sir, the thing about poisons is that you have to have the perfect antidote to counteract them. You have to spend precious moments determining what the poison is so you can administer the exact right antidote. And the rarer and more uncommon the poison, the less likely it is that you'll have the antidote or the ingredients you need to brew one. So a potion like this means you don't have to waste that time or lose your patient," Katy practically beamed as her words tripped out. She hadn't been this engaged since... well... it had been a while.

"And because uncommon poisons are complex, it is important to cover as much known uncommon poisons as possible, considering that we still haven't discovered the perfect medicine. Remember that when an antidote evolves, so does poison." So...perhaps alchemists really wouldn't be out of commission any time soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty

Oh, okay. Made much more sense than the direction his textbook was leading him in.

Ronan scribbled the new information into his notes and then thought about the professor's question for a second. "Usually, a creature uses their poisonous secretions as a form of defense. Like when a venomous snake bites someone, it's usually because they feel threatened. And what would make one uncommon would be that it's something you don't typically run into everyday, like a King Cobra." Not that was the only way one would run into a poison. "Also, some people use poisons as a way to get rid of pests, like ants or rats. Then, there are your weed killers......" But that went more into Herbology and this wasn't that.

"You are correct, Mr Carter." How was he feeling by the way? Still drafty? Hopefully his lab coat was keeping him warm. Merlin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Mmkay, well...she had sort of got the answer right. The professor seemed pleased with what she'd said, at least, so Maddie beamed at him and nodded. This potion sounded like coffee! Maybe it was wizarding coffee or something! Maybe it was a coffee brew like the kind her mom and dad drank! Maybe. Maybe. MAYBE.

Uhhh...okay, no. It was some antidote to a poison, which sounded kind of complicated. As complicated as that question the Healer!Professor had just asked. HUHHHHHH? Oh, oh, OHHHHH. She raised her hand in the air. Wait...NO. She was thinking of something Herbology-related, like the poisons used to kill weeds. "I don't think there are any benefits to poisons, Professor," she said, with a disappointed tone in her voice. "...and maybe a poison is uncommon, because people don't know enough about it."

"I'd ask a different question then, Ms Kemp. Based on your classmates' answers, do you still think poisons don't have benefits?" Surely by now she'd realise that it wasn't the case. "You are right about the last bit, however. Some of these poisons are hard to come by...and much complex to study." River nodded and moved on to the next student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

SPOILER!!: ingredients

Back in his seat next to Hattie with their ingredients, Olly was really trying to pay attention to the next part of the lesson. The problem was that it was just talking and he was not the best at listening to that. He'd liked the running around and finding ingredients. He was looking forward to the brewing part too, but unfortunately there was this boring part in the middle. No, he had no idea what they could be brewing. The fireseeds were confusing him. Didn't they explode? It seemed like a dangerous seem to ingest. He really did not want his insides to explode.

It was apparently an antidote to uncommon poisons. Which was different than an antidote to common poisons, apparently. Why couldn't one antidote suffice? This just complicated the whole thing. And no, he didn't have an answer. All he knew about uncommon poisons was that they were...well...uncommon. Which meant they were used less often than the common ones.

River took a glance at the Slytherin, a grin plastered on his face, hoping that he was at least taking down notes. It was equally important...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

UM helloooooooooo did anyone notice that Professor Healer Reed just ignored Zoryn’s answer all together? Um. HOW RUDE! The Gryffindor was SHOOK. That wasn’t fair at all!! Her answer was SOOOOO serious. Why else would a potion call for ingredients like leaves, salt, and berry juice? What other reason than a salad potion!?! Hmph. Zoryn thought her answer was VERY clever and was VERY offended that it wasn’t taken seriously. As for the antidote stuff, yeah suppose that might work too. BUT STILL. Salad potion sounded like more fun.

Anyways, she tried not to think about it too much ‘cause they were moving on and despite what Professor Healer Reed was probably thinking, Zoryn really was trying her best to keep up here.

The next two questions were strange ones and Zoryn didn’t actually have answers immediately. Her answer for the stuff about uncommon potions was basically a sum up of what everyone else said. Probably called ‘em uncommon poisons because they weren’t common, right? Even potioneers had to have some sense of humor.

But the stuff about poison benefits… Zoryn had to agree with Jessa 100%. “Easy way to off someone without using an unforgivable. That way it’s totally legal,” right? Maybe? Zoryn didn’t know how the law worked.

"Technically, if your intention is to hurt another person, then it is illegal...much like an unforgivable Ms Spinnet." Marchand should watch out for this kid. Thank Merlin he wasn't their Head of House.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

Eddie may have missed the getting a partner, not because he didn't hear, but because he didn't work well with others. He liked being alone and the activity just didn't even interest him. Who let the healer teach potions anyway? He didn't really think the man would give him anything he could use. He wasn't interested in any type of healing potions, Edward Blaze Jr. would never be healing anyone.

So instead of doing what the healer said he sat in his chair and jotted down the ingredients, once he gathered things he put a hand on his chin and leaned in his seat. His eyes soon growing heavy and his face soon hitting the table. He may have stayed up a bit to late reading about snakes and now the boy was tired and since he assumed they'd be learning something to help someone not harm he let himself fall asleep.

Whoops

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Aaaand this kid was asleep.

River quirked an eyebrow, and mischievous grin was on his lips. "Aside from taking 10 points from Mr Blaze...would anyone like to discreetly draw on his face while we continue our discussion?" He'd probably give that student 5 points for bravery and humour.

Quote:

Originally Posted by siriusblackliveson

fireseeds 1
fireseeds 2
Star Grass

Patrick looked at the other students after retrieving his ingridents for the potion. He listened intently to Professor Reed explain the lesson as he recalled what he and Dahlia had found. He wanted to do well, and he wanted to learn as much as possible.

Ahhh, they were going to be making a antidote to poisons... that seemed like a fun thing to do. He raised his hand to answer the question regarding why you would make such an antidote. "Wouldn't that be because the uncommon poisons aren't well known or seen so rarely that we aren't sure how to fix them?" he mumbled not sure his answer was going to be correct.

"Indeed, Mr Dooley." River nodded and moved along to the next student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

An Antidote! Well yeah that can be what a Counter Curse is in potion form innit? And Hospital Grade, wow. This is gonna be some pretty important brewing today mmhm oh boy he cant wait.

Benefits to poisons though? Ok first thought was the nefarious response, the kind supervillains would usually say. But this is Hogwarts not Durmstrang, so gonna table that response for another time. "Professor, there are some venom from creatures like snakes and spiders that are poisonous, but these are extracted from them because they serve to create antidotes to these same venom. Sometimes the extraction themselves serve as ingredients to another cure to a completely unrelated disease."

"You're correct, Prefect Salander."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yaya

Interested in what her classmates, and of course Professor-side-Healer had to say, Luci thought about the question of what benefits poisons bring. Couldn't think of any, just crazy painful effects of many. Shyly, she raised her hand, "Poisons weaken, even kill. So, guessing from the latter, there are specific plants, weeds, animal blood, combinations of them that some have used to make poisons, unknown to common knowledge like ours, even professional..." Sigh. Just a guess.

"Which makes uncommon poisons complex and more difficult to counter, yes." Good, good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

Okay, so it is a healing potion but not being used for healing pain. Hmmmm... Well, it was just a random guess. Then Healer Reed announced that they're going to brew an antidote to uncommon poison. Uncommon, huh? It was interesting that the potion master/healer gave them the formula that commonly used in infirmaries. Guess that it was a plus point of being a healer who also taught potions.

And moving on to next question: what makes an uncommon poison became uncommon? Ava raised her hand as she gave an opinion about that. "Sir, I think what makes a poison uncommon is because of the dose. I mean, plenty of substances have healing properties at exact dose, but it can be poisonous if we use it more." The Gryffindor did remember her father (or sister?) mentioned about that.

"Poisons that are underdosed can kill too, Ms Burton. It depends however, on how potent the poison is. When it comes to these things, dosage hardly matters." A pause, "However with antidotes, it has to be exact, and if applicable, should be administered at certain intervals."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lislchen

Taking notes while raising your hand was like the epitome of multitasking, wasn't it? Cameron couldn't think of ANYTHING more complicated to coordinate. Not right now anyway. But then again he WAS busy writing things down and not trying to forget his answer so naturally, his brain wasn't really up for yet ANOTHER task.

Either way, here he was, raising his hand.

Once it was his turn Cameron stopped writing and looked up. "I think maybe uncommon poisons can be used to counteract something? Another poison maybe. And they're fabricated, so they don't actually exist in nature." It was worth a shot. Plus, Reed had said it was used in hospitals. Yes? No? "But then eventually you obviously need an antidote for that too." Which was what they were brewing.

Interesting. River paused and considered Mr Tamesis' answer. "It will all boil down to how it was fabricated, Mr Tamesis. It could, but it's highly unlikely. That's why we have the antidote, which is a positive substance for the host to fight whatever poison is in his or her system."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormdancer

Remy nodded his head as the Healer commented on his answer. Hmm, so that was incredibly interesting - though it did make sense. If something so toxic as a poison had made it into a person’s blood stream, surely some hugs wouldn’t get rid of it.. No, they would need an antidote that would physically kick and fight the toxin’s to win. Hmm. Hello little MMA fighters, fighting the good fight. Heh. No, focus.

Waiting for his turn, Remy wrote down notes from all of his classmates - at least the ones that he felt were anywhere near where the Professor was going with this lesson. A few suggestions made his own brain tick and think, and finally he put up his own hand. ”Poisons can be very useful in limiting the growth or continuation of some illnesses. I think it was the Yew tree that was extremely poisonous - the bark and the leaves - but muggle scientists figured out that a part of the bark could be extracted … and its poison helped to stem off the grow of muggle cancer. Don’t know if it helped heal it completely or not though.”

Remy couldn’t remember the last time he had been so interested in a lesson. A quick grin was given to Henry before he continued. ”And… Perhaps uncommon could mean unexpected even though you know there is a risk attached? Well what I mean is…” Remy paused and put his thoughts in order quickly and then carried on.”

”I think I read somewhere that the strength of a poison is figured out by how much would be needed to be lethal versus the weight of the wizard or creature that was attacked… and I think the others are right - some of the most lethal ones are from creatures. But I was considering those that come usually from creatures that haven’t been cooked properly like the pufferfish.. I mean you aren’t going to really think you would be poisoned by a fish… even when you know it could be toxic. Some people don’t think that risk applies to them.” And he was babbling and ranting… Whoops, shutting up now.

"Like what I said earlier to Ms Botros, it is beneficial to know your poisons too because some can negate the effects of the poison, however, careful research and a lot of study should be done before going down this route." A little reminder for one of the future Healers in the room.

River nodded and grinned at the mention of pufferfish. "You can say it is uncommon because it is often overlooked. There are things that should be common knowledge, but humans have lapses too." Too bad there's not enough Ravenclaw running the world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

The benefits? Of poisons?

Derf was too busy staring blanking at the Healer to hear what some of his classmates had to say on the subject - although he had no doubt Jessa and Katherine had opinions on the subject. While his knee jerk reaction was to shout NONE, the most he sat there thinking the more he had to admit to himself that this was untrue. He couldn't tell you much about plants, but he COULD about animal venoms and such. Like...he knew something good had been made from the blood-thinning venom of the African saw-scaled viper and a substance seeeeeeeecreted by leeches...and while he couldn't quite remember WHAT it was exactly, it was something GOOD and definitely a benefit. There was also something in the saliva of Gila monsters if he recalled...but again, the fine details escaped him. Which sorta meant that he was unable to contribute to this conversation.... but hey, he WAS thinking and also doodling a picture of a viper in the margin of his potions notes. That was productive.

As to the other question, well, common and uncommon to him meant their rarity index...and he could only assume someone had already mentioned this while he was off in La La Land thinking about beneficial venoms and secretions. Thus his hand remained down for now and instead he set to finishing transcribing the rest of the ingredients on his piece of parchment.

Hmm. No words from Mr Ashburry-Hawthorne? Interesting. He was hoping he'd share his knowledge about creatures.

Ah well. Moving on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

Oh well.... Char supposed everything had a benefit somewhere so she thought about it, chewing her lip and trying to puzzle through an answer. She put her hand up, waving it around a little bit, not overly certain of herself because this was potions class and she was Charlotte, and this particular Charlotte wasn't exactly an O student in classes that required so much precision. But she could think out an answer out loud and work through something....

"I guess like people are saying a benefit of poisons could actually be to test antidotes. Which sounds kind of silly but like, if you think about it, how is anyone going to figure out how to treat someone who is poisoned either on purpose or by accident without tests being done? But you know what? Also I think in nature there's a benefit for like..... plants and creatures you know? Self defense. To be poisonous so that nothing would want to try to eat you." Um what was the other question? What was uncommon! Right. Uhh... she tacked an answer on, hand still up, "Uncommon poisons are.... uncommon because.... of availability? And also maybe fashion?" Okay did that need explaining? "Like maybe 500 years ago a particular poison was like.... en vogue? But then it fell out of favour for whatever reason, so there stops being a need to have a specific antidote for it, or even like..... the knowledge about a specific antidote might fade? And then if that poison resurfaces... then you'd have to fall back on this uncommon thingy and hope for the best." Um... right? Who knew, who knew, but she WAS trying, in earnest, for you Healer Reed.

A semi-sort of in-your-face answer from Ms Kettleburn. Indeed, the most obvious ones are overlooked. "That is correct Ms Kettleburn. Most alchemists have a wide range of poisons for the sole purpose of discovering the perfect medicine." And while he momentarily got lost in the fashion talk, River was able to catch up with her train of thought, nodding towards Ms Toussaint's direction. "However, like I mentioned earlier, while antidotes are continuously developed, so does poison. Like fashion." There has to be balance in the world, yes? "Well done, Ms Kettleburn."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Etta pondered over the question as her classmates answered, not a hundred percent sure about the answer she was about to give. She honestly didn't have anything new to add to what others had said anyway but it was better to say something, yeah? The girl finished taking down notes and after making sure she hadn't missed anything, she raised a hand.

"They can used be used as an anti-dote in small doses, right? Or they can be used to numb the pain, again in small quantities..." Her voice trailed off, feeling rather unimpressed with herself. She rubbed her forehead as she leaned back against her seat, waiting for class to move on.

"Some of them, yes. And it has to be administered carefully." Hang in there, Prefect. We're almost there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayla Taaffe

Today Vivienne was brewing the Antidote to Common Poisons. A very different potion for a 1st year Huffie. "Poisons are used to harm others. They usually aren't used in daily practice."

She grabbed the ingredients and started brewing.

Hmm. "Not all I believe..." River trailed off, and was quick to stop the first year. "Now now, we're not starting yet." He said, eyeing the first year with a look. She was obviously not paying attention, was she?

Quote:

Originally Posted by natekka

At the Healer's question, Rhea considered it more. Healing... Restoration... Ah. "An antidote...?" She stated, although it came out sounding more like a question than a statement.

Ah. It was an antidote.

Rhea wrote down the newly revealed information when the Healer tapped the board and, while she was writing, considered his questions. She put down her quill and raised her hand. "Having access to poisons allows us" - us being people that created antidotes, not her - "to make antidotes for that poison as well as possibly other poisons. Can some poisons, in small doses, be beneficial depending on how they react with other ingredients?" She paused, not feeling like she'd quite gotten across what she wanted to say. Nevertheless, she continued on to answer his second question. This time guessing more than anything else. "If the poison itself it difficult to get hold of... or expensive and because of that it's not sought out as much?" Here she was thinking more of if people were trying to poison someone. "Or maybe if the ingredients are rare?" Hm. "Or if the way it's administered is unusual?"

Woah. Now she needed a breather. Had she ever spoken so much at once in class? Probably not. But ever since the Olivia incident, she grown to appreciate the Healer and Potions even more. Still, her ever-present neutral expression didn't change.

SPOILER!!: Rhea's notes

"An antidote, yes." River nodded, and leaned back on the blackboard as he listened to Rhea's answer. "Correct again, Ms Durant." He'd mentioned the alchemists a while back...and the rarity and complexity of the poison being negated, so there was no point repeating the same answer. For a moment though, River allowed himself to go back to that time when Ms Durant had been very concerned for Olivia.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RachieRu

SPOILER!!: ingredient posts

It had been fun finding the ingredients with Olly. But she was glad to be back in the potions classroom now. She liked the brewing the best. Sure she didn't want to be a potions person, but she liked the brewing. It was fun. Even if she kind of wasn't the best at it. She sat back down next to Olly and smiled. She was excited to see what they would do next.

Oooh. They were going to brew an antidote. That was pretty cool. And hospital grade? That was something her mom might have been doing too. She thought that was pretty awesome. But she also thought she would probably not be very good at this. But she could totally try.

"I think people wouldn't think there are positives to poisons. But I guess it is how you think about them?" Hattie mused, putting her hand in the air. "I mean. They are good in the sense that they help get rid of house hold pests, but not so good when used in murder."

River hung his head and chuckled. Ah, another daughter of a Healer. Of course she would say that. "Just because it is labelled as poison, doesn't mean that it's automatically evil. It does have its perks too." Not so good with murder? Indeed. It was in so many ways cowardly, to be honest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

What was going on with Ms. Katy Toussaint? She was beaming like Kitty had never seen her beam before, clearly she was excited about this whole poison business. Why did she find that slightly alarming? Don't be so absurd, Kitty,, she told herself. She's probably just academically interested.

Anyway, Kitty raised her hand after many of the others had finished speaking. "A poison is uncommon, I presume, if the ingredients are hard to collect - or if the potion itself is so difficult to brew that very little of it exists."

"It is one of the possibilities, yes." And what was up with Head Girl eyeing Ms Toussaint that way? Was...everything alright between the two?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Skylar scribbled down some of the various notes and things that Healer Reed had mentioned in his responses to the class ...healing.... restorative ... properties ... antidote... Her quill stopped though when his dialect changed the fifth year just stared a moment. They were learning about poisons? Or rather, antidotes to poisons? Jotting down the information on the board, she listened as her peers pretty much covered like everything she was going to say.

Almost.

"Poisons by themselves are toxic, yes, causing serious illness or death. But things that would normally make humans or animals susceptible to illness do also have the advantage of being immunity boosters as well. Take for instance, muggle vaccinations. They often use a live strand of the actual virus, a virus known to cause serious illness or death, and will inject it into the body so that the body can produce antibodies and be able to fight off infection." Oops, she'd done a bit of light reading over the summer in regards to healing? She needed to determine if she really wanted to pursue creature healing, so in Skylar fashion, she researched. "Snake venom is another example of a poison that in itself is deadly, but has proven health benefits." Take that, Head Girl Valentine. "It's useful in that while it's mixture might immobilize, it can also effect blood coagulation and blood pressure regulation, creating powerful tools to combat pain and cancer."

As for what made an uncommon poison, uncommon. "By uncommon, I would think it would refer to the lack of a typical reason for a poison. Poisons, at first thought, would be considered harmful, but when you break it apart, it doesn't have to be, due to the beneficial sides of poisons."

"To fool the fool, yes." River nodded enthusiastically obviously chuffed at Skylar's answer. Poisons can be compared to bacterias and viruses, wherein it is 'killed' and introduced to the host's system to make it immune to that disease. It was very clever indeed. "A reminder however, that not all poisons work that way. Careful research, study, and tests are done before these are introduced," A little disclaimer for everyone, yes.

"It is a possibility too yes, but more often than not, uncommon poisons are so complex that it's quite a challenge to break it apart. So before we get to the point where we realise it is beneficial, one's life must be put on the line, making it almost impossible to break down in the first place." Again, complexity and rarity of the poison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermygirl

So they were making an antidote. Made sense given the ingredients, and the fact that it was the Healer teaching them. Sam made some notes on her parchment, but really had some questions for Addy later. Like...what differentiated this antidote from numbers 1 to 4? When should she use this one over the others? Or the others over this one? It seemed important information, even if she hoped never to have to use it.

But the Healer had questions for them right now. "Basilisk venom is so potent it can destroy horcruxes." That definitely seemed like a benefit of a poison. And as for uncommon poisons, it seemed the class had already got it covered.

Uncommon poisons were ones that weren't readily attainable, but weren't super rare either. Ones that weren't naturally available, or easy to brew at home, but were still reasonably affordable if someone knew where to go obtain them. Her Pa had dabbled in selling such things on the black market, once upon a time, before he'd been sent to Azkaban. She could probably still name some of them, if she thought back, even though she'd only been young at the time. Of course, she didn't actually feel the need to mention that knowledge aloud, and thus just waited for the next part of the lesson.

"Good point, Ms Tyler." See? Beneficial. Could save a whole school, really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jean Granger

Sydney smiled back at Healer Reed as he agreed with her vague answer. She listened and took notes as he said they will be brewing an antidote to poisons today - uncommon poisons! This was really intriguing stuff. Who else would be able to teach them about antidotes used in infirmaries other than a trained Healer?

She did not know enough about poisons, let alone their benefits, to contribute to the discussion. The definition of "uncommon poisons" seemed quite straightforward to her; rare, expensive, and so on, all of which her classmates had already mentioned. So instead, the brunette continued taking notes of what everybody was saying, pausing every now and then to look through her textbook.

Some people had very interesting knowledge about poisons.

River gave the young lady a glance, pleased that she was taking notes albeit her silence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

They were back with their ingredients, yess!! And honestly, Emmeline sort of loved this lesson 'cause it was super fun for a Potions lesson, mhm. She grinned at Mr. Healer as she dumped her ingredients onto the table in front of her and sunk back into her seat next to Stasya. Mr. Henry was already heading back to his seat, too, and Emmeline was SUPER grateful that he'd helped her and Stas, 'cause there was no way she would've figured out how to collect those ingredients on her own. Still, the scavenger hunt for plant ingredients had been waayyy more fun than anything they usually did in Potions.

The second year tensed as she read through the ingredients list for this potion, and felt her shoulders slump in relief when she saw that there were no creature parts of any kind required today. Good; this was totally progress, mhm. She halfheartedly flipped through her textbook to look for potions that used those ingredients, but gave up fairly quickly. Besides, it was obviously some kind of healing potion 'cause Mr. Healer was teaching it and some of the ingredients had come from his garden and stuff. Loads of her classmates had already said that, so the Gryffindor tried to figure out what kind of healing potion it was, when she remembered the old lady sitting in the back and inspiration hit. If an old lady like that was sitting in for this lesson, then clearly the potion had to do with handling old age. Why else would a super old lady need to learn about this particular potion? She raised her hand and sort of blurted out her answer as soon as she was called on: "Is it a healing potion for some of the, uh, issues with old age? Like like a cure for wrinkles or sagging skin or something?" Not that she had paid enough attention to the old lady sitting in the back to see if she had wrinkles or sagging skin, but it was kinda just a thing that happened to old people, wasn't it?

Emmeline's theories were soon dashed to pieces when Mr. Healer moved on. So it was antidote to poisons, cooool. 'Cept Mr. Healer obviously wasn't feeling very well, 'cause he was asking about the benefits of poisons?! What?? She shot Mr. Healer a LOOK, but that kinda faded as she listened to her classmates' answers. Oh...she hadn't thought of the sort of things they were saying. This was why she wasn't in Ravenclaw. She kind of zoned out for a bit after that, but did manage to think of something and get her hand up in time to answer Mr. Healer's questions: "Umm, aren't there some poisons that Herbologists use to, like, protect plants from BUGS or something?" Ughh, Herbology. Honestly, she was surprised she even remembered that; she paused to shudder a little for a few seconds 'cause ewwww, bugs, before she went on: "And and, uhhhh, poisons are uncommon if Healers raaaareeellly ever see them, or they're SUPER hard to make, or or if they're made with RARE ingredients. OR if you have to be realllllly smart to make them, 'cause most people aren't Ravenclaws." One of those things was definitely the answer, right? And she wasn't insulting ANYONE by saying people were dumb, 'cause she was dumb too. Especially with potions and stuff. Not everybody could be a Ravenclaw.

Uhmm...what? River tilted his head, questioning Emmeline silently as to where she got that idea. Surely, it would be helpful to teach them that kind of potion, but since such potions are readily available in the market, why even bother? "Not...quite, Ms Sparkes." he said and glanced at the BoGer at the back. Huh.

The look wasn't missed, and he couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at her. Was that some sort of attitude she was showing off? Tut. Tut. It was a good thing it faded as quickly as it appeared. Good. "Yes, and yes, Ms Sparkes. Very good." River wanted to agree so bad on the Ravenclaw comment, but he decided against it. Can't be biased now, can he?

[QUOTE=Holmesian Feline;12261143]Antidote to Uncommon Poisons. Well that was certainly a healing potion, giving it healed you from the potentially harmful effects of whatever uncommon poison you or someone else had unfortunately been dosed with. And it was backed up by mentions of the Hospital Wing and St. Mungos. It would be cool to be working on a potion that was of that quality to be actually used in a professional setting. At Healer Reed’s questions, she thought for a moment before raising her hand to answer.

“Well an uncommon poison could be something that’s less available for use or something that’s harder to counteract. Maybe a poison that you can’t use a bezoar against.”

"Could be rare, or complex, or both, Ms McNally. And I agree with how bezoar doesn't have any effect on it. It's far more complex, really." Good observation!

Now onto the good stuff!

"Those were insightful answers everyone, and I am pleased that most of you do have an open mind regarding poisons. Now before we start, I would like you all to take good notes on how this certain antidote was structured. While most of the ingredients are healing and restorative in nature, the amount of each ingredient all equate to the number 5-- the number for Healing. Note as well that you have to stir your brew anti-clockwise, reversing the effects of the poison. Also, this potion can be divided into two parts, meaning the dreg at the bottom of the cauldron after you brew it can be used as a standalone treatment. This is effective when curing the unusual bites and stings mentioned. However, for full efficacy, Healers use both the liquid and solid form to cure a patient. To use the dreg, you simply have to pack it in a canister like this," he said showing the dreg he already collected prior to class and showed them the symbol drawn directly on it. "Draw the Asclepius Staff on the surface and recite the incantation, 'Venenum Inverto' meaning reverse the poison. After which, you can apply it directly on the wound, or draw the Staff on the patient's tongue if you're using the liquid form as well."

River got his goggles out and placed it on his head before continuing. "The steps are basic and easy, you just need to follow them. You can work with your partners or go solo...and for those who didn't get enough ingredients from earlier, I have prepared a set for you on the table on your right." he said gesturing to the now visible table. "Before you begin, make sure your lab coats are worn properly, gloves and goggles are on, hair tied back, AND APPLY OUR 5 C's: Cleanliness, Content, Color, Concentration, and Care." So do Scourgify everything before brewing, kiddos.

"You have until 11:30 a.m to finish your brew. If you have any question or are unsure of what to do, raise your hand and I will assist you. Whenever you are ready, begin." Merlin, double periods are the worst.

Quote:

Potion: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons No. 005 (Hospital Grade)
Effect(s): This healing potion cures the effects brought about uncommon poisons. This formula has been altered to have a stronger effect, covering a wider range of poisons known to wizard-kind.

Ingredients:

50 ml Distilled Water
14 ml Liquefied Antimony
32 grams Stargrass
302 ml Boom Berry Juice
23 drops Essence of Dittany
5 pieces Fire Seeds
15 pieces Pure Rock Salt
5 strips Wiggentree Bark
5 pieces Fresh Betony Leaves

Procedure:

Clean all equipment to be used: Cauldron, Scales, Stirrers, Phials, Etc.;
Bring 50 ml Distilled Water to a boil in medium heat;
Add finely chopped 32 grams of Stargrass. Use a silver dagger for this step;
Add 302 ml Boom Berry Juice and stir counter-clockwise for three minutes pause 5 seconds, and continue to stir the solution counter-clockwise for another two minutes. Use a glass stirrer for this step;
Remove the stirrer from the cauldron, and add 23 drops of Essence of Dittany into the solution;
Let 3 minutes pass, and then adjust the heat to low. Slowly add 5 fire seeds into the solution after 2 minutes. Use your dragon-hide gloves for this procedure;
Add 15 pieces of pure rock salt one by one, and stir the solution counter-clockwise for five minutes until the solution turns primrose yellow. This will indicate that the solution has been activated to counter the effect of poisoning;
Lay 5 strips of Wiggentree bark on the surface of the solution, and slowly push it one by one to the inner wall of your cauldron. Turn the heat back to medium and wait for the potion to boil;
Once bubbles appear, crush 5 fresh Betony Leaves with your hand, and add it to the boiling liquid. The potion should turn a shade of Sapphire Blue;
Wait five minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the potion cool for 15 minutes, and then bottle it in glass phials using a clean Pasteur Pipette (dropper). Label your potions;
Scrape off the dreg at the bottom of the cauldron, and pack it in a tin box. Draw the Asclepius Staff with your wand, while saying the incantation: Venenum Inverto (nullify the poison).

Notes of interest:
1. The quantity of each ingredient is a product of Five; the number for Healing;
2. The stirring movement is counter-clockwise; activating the healing properties of each ingredient, ultimately reversing the effects of the poison;
3. The healing properties of each ingredient becomes more potent because of the presence of Fire Seeds. Said ingredient is born of the alchemical element fire, which represents life;
4. Salt is one of the Three Principles in Alchemy or one of the component s of the Universal Language of Nature. Naturally it is a product of the Earth and Water elements—the same elements associated with humans and beings. Salt can preserve (the body of the victim) and corrodes (to nullify the poison. In this context, it will absorb the dark/evil energies present), thus making the potion more potent;
5. The dreg can be used together with the potion to enhance its effect. The Asclepius Staff* should be drawn on the victim's tongue using the dreg while reciting the incantation: Venenum Inverto
*The Asclepius Staff is an alchemical symbol (and a universal medical symbol) for healing (or doctors in the muggle world).

OOC: Sorry for the very late reply, guys. I had a tough day at work and barely had enough time to log in and make replies, and my internet at home is acting up. Anyway, moving on to the brewing part! You have 3 days (72 hours, Sunday 17 September, 12mn GMT) to complete the rest of the activity. If you have any questions, hit me up on VMs/PMs. Skype or Twitter. Thank you! ^^

lazykitty · 09-15-2017, 12:54 AM

Nailed it!

While he was still feeling a breeze, it thankfully wasn't enough to distract him from class. Yep, he was definitely going to get his cousin for that dare, by the way. Also, draw on Sleepy McSleeperson's face? Don't mind if I do. Ronan quickly dug through his bag for the Sharpie he kept stored there (never knew when you were going to need one) and hurried over to Eddie's workstation. He quickly drew some whiskers on the boy's cheek and a cat nose on his nose with a speech bubble with the word "MEOW!" also going on his cheek.

That done, Ronan hurried back to his seat, switching the Sharpie back out for his pen and carefully copied the potion instructions into his notebook as if nothing had happened. An action that was followed by a nice "Scorgify!" cast on his supplies.

Cassirin · 09-15-2017, 02:26 AM

It didn't do to act too keen and make the professor worry about her unhealthy interest in poisons (it wasn't unhealthy!), but Katy was keen. Her eyes were bright, her posture engaged. She was interested, especially because this was a new potion that she hadn't brewed before.

And go! Katy unpacked her cauldron again, running her wand over the surface with a quick Scourgify. And then her knives and cutting surfaces and stirring implements. All clean. Hands clean, gloves clean, hair up, and sleeves tucked into her gloves. If the professor found fault in her readiness, it would be very surprising.

Now then. Katy lit the fire under her cauldron with a medium Incendio, and she retrieved the rest of her ingredients while the cauldron heated. Distilled water probably meant she shouldn't use Aguamenti, so she'd rely on the water the professor was providing. Back at her station, Katy added the water to her cauldron and began to prep her stargrass.

DaniDiNardo · 09-15-2017, 03:06 AM

To say she was confused was an absolute understatement. So long as she knew the correct antidote? The Ravenclaw fixed the Professor with her most bewildered of stares. "....Why wouldn't I know the correct antidote for the potion I brewed...?" That sort of thing was negligent, if not stupid. It wasn't exactly something that would become a problem for her. How curious of the man to even suggest it. Did this mean he brewed poisons without ensuring his antidote was correct? Merlin's beard was that even allowed?

Deciding she wouldn't dwell too much on this, Jessa simply turned her focus to copying down the notes that were being presented.

A poison without the correct antidote. Please.

As it turned out, the Healer wasn't going to allow them to brew together if they only brought ingredients for one. Just when she was starting to get excited about being able to brew with Julie. Way to kill a dream Healer Reed.

Figuring Julie could have what they collected, Jessa moved to the table to grab a set of ingredients for herself. It wasn't a big deal, in fact, she hadn't even given it much thought. What was given thought however, was her equipment. Everything was in need of cleaning, something she quickly remedied with a few simple, effective scourgify charms. Contamination would not be an option today.

"Aguamenti." To get the 50 ml of water, followed shortly by an "Incendio." to get the fire going. Medium heat, right, she had that.

While she waited for it to boil, Jessa reached for the dagger and began to chop the stargrass. The instructions called for them to be finely chopped and as of right now, she had a bit of time on her hands. The Ravenclaw set to work, getting the 32 grams of stargrass as fine as she could. By the time she'd gotten done, the water was at a boil and she could carefully add the chopped stargrass. 302 ml Boom Berry Juice was added next and the glass stirrer replaced the silver dagger in her hand. She first stirred it counter-clockwise, groaning to herself at the realization she would have to keep it up for three minutes.

By the end of the 3 minutes of constant stirring, there was only a pause of 5 seconds before she had to jump back in, stirring in a counter-clockwise motion once more. Suffice to say that when your arms were tired, two minutes were arguably as bad as one.

That done, she removed the stirrer and added the 23 drops of Essence of Dittany.

SPOILER!!: Notes

Jessa Cambridge
Fourth Year
Ravenclaw

Potion: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons No. 005 (Hospital Grade)
Effect(s): This healing potion cures the effects brought about uncommon poisons. This formula has been altered to have a stronger effect, covering a wider range of poisons known to wizard-kind.

Ingredients:

50 ml Distilled Water
14 ml Liquefied Antimony
32 grams Stargrass
302 ml Boom Berry Juice
23 drops Essence of Dittany
5 pieces Fire Seeds
15 pieces Pure Rock Salt
5 strips Wiggentree Bark
5 pieces Fresh Betony Leaves

Procedure:

~~Clean all equipment to be used: Cauldron, Scales, Stirrers, Phials, Etc.;~~

Bring 50 ml Distilled Water to a boil in medium heat;

Add finely chopped 32 grams of Stargrass. Use a silver dagger for this step;

Add 302 ml Boom Berry Juice and stir counter-clockwise for three minutes pause 5 seconds, and continue to stir the solution counter-clockwise for another two minutes. Use a glass stirrer for this step;

~~Remove the stirrer from the cauldron, and add 23 drops of Essence of Dittany into the solution;~~
Let 3 minutes pass, and then adjust the heat to low. Slowly add 5 fire seeds into the solution after 2 minutes. Use your dragon-hide gloves for this procedure;
Add 15 pieces of pure rock salt one by one, and stir the solution counter-clockwise for five minutes until the solution turns primrose yellow. This will indicate that the solution has been activated to counter the effect of poisoning;
Lay 5 strips of Wiggentree bark on the surface of the solution, and slowly push it one by one to the inner wall of your cauldron. Turn the heat back to medium and wait for the potion to boil;
Once bubbles appear, crush 5 fresh Betony Leaves with your hand, and add it to the boiling liquid. The potion should turn a shade of Sapphire Blue;
Wait five minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the potion cool for 15 minutes, and then bottle it in glass phials using a clean Pasteur Pipette (dropper). Label your potions;
Scrape off the dreg at the bottom of the cauldron, and pack it in a tin box. Draw the Asclepius Staff with your wand, while saying the incantation: Venenum Inverto (nullify the poison).

Notes of interest:

The quantity of each ingredient is a product of Five; the number for Healing;
The stirring movement is counter-clockwise; activating the healing properties of each ingredient, ultimately reversing the effects of the poison;
The healing properties of each ingredient becomes more potent because of the presence of Fire Seeds. Said ingredient is born of the alchemical element fire, which represents life;
Salt is one of the Three Principles in Alchemy or one of the component s of the Universal Language of Nature. Naturally it is a product of the Earth and Water elements—the same elements associated with humans and beings. Salt can preserve (the body of the victim) and corrodes (to nullify the poison. In this context, it will absorb the dark/evil energies present), thus making the potion more potent;
The dreg can be used together with the potion to enhance its effect. The Asclepius Staff* should be drawn on the victim's tongue using the dreg while reciting the incantation: Venenum Inverto

*The Asclepius Staff is an alchemical symbol (and a universal medical symbol) for healing (or doctors in the muggle world).

RachieRu · 09-15-2017, 08:38 AM

Finally! It was time to do some brewing. Harriet was really excited about this point. She was hoping that she could at least get some of the potion right. She knew it would be hard, especially because it was probably a potion that her mother would brew as a Healer. But she was pretty determined to do a good job. Or at least as good as she could. The fifth year spent a few moments looking over the instructions, making sure that she understood them all. She'd made mistakes in the past by not reading properly, so she was making sure that she knew everything she needed to do. She smiled, happy that she knew what she was doing. Now onto the potion brewing.

Hattie began by getting all of the ingredients, and lining them up in order on her bench. That way she would have it all ready for when she needed them. She was hoping to be more organised this time, so that she would be better t her brewing. Now to begin! Carefully she began cleaning each of the equipment that she needed. She didn't need dirty equipment making her potion not work. Finally she pointed her wand into the cauldron and said "Scorgify!" And then she was ready. Oh wow. This took time. She probably needed to work on her patience.

She read the next set of instructions, and carefully set a medium flame going under her cauldron. "Aguamenti" She said, carefully adding the needed water into her cauldron. And now to wait for it to boil

natekka · 09-15-2017, 05:42 PM

Potions was one of those subjects that Rhea hadn't been sure that she'd particularly enjoy or appreciate when she first joined Hogwarts last year. It was now one of her strongest subjects. The amount of magic and the difficulty of the spells she was required to use in Potions wasn’t too much for her. So even though she struggled with her magical abilities, it didn’t usually hinder her in this class.

Anyway... There was no time to lose...

Double periods always seemed to go really quickly when there were lengthy tasks, such as brewing a potion, to complete. Rhea was always very diligent when it came to brewing potions. It required focus and precision, even when the steps were simple. First she made sure to tie her hair up, twisting it into a bun and securing it with a hair tie. She then adjusted her lab coat, put on her goggles, and pulled on the gloves. All she had left to do before she start brewing was cleaning everything. She started with the work surface, then the cauldron, and then all the other apparatus.

Many Scourgify-s later, she was ready to brew.

Rhea looked over the instructions. Step one was complete, so she moved her gaze to the next step. Easy. She moved the cauldron into position. "Aguamenti," she muttered and filled the cauldron with the necessary amount of distilled water, then lit a medium heat flame beneath the cauldron. "Incendio." With that set to boil, she quickly weighed out her 32 grams of Stargrass, separating it from Luci and Miranda's, and chopped it as finely as she could using a silver dagger. As soon as the water was boiled, Rhea added the finely chopped Stargrass to the cauldron and moved onto the next step.

ArianaBlack · 09-15-2017, 08:22 PM

Oh.

Y’know Zoryn liked Professor Healer Reed much better when he was only a Healer and not a Professor.

Because of this, Zor decided that she didn’t want to take good notes, actually she decided not to take any notes at all. And it SO wasn’t fair that the shirtless kid got to draw all over the sleepy dude!!! ZORYN wanted to do that. HOW RUDE.

But alas, time to get started on the potion.

The Gryffindor quickly put on a lab coat, some gloves, and her goggles… But decided to keep her hair free. Merlin knows how hard it is to get in a hair tie. Professor Heeler Reed would really just have to understand. Do her a solid eh, Professor Healer R? As for cleaning, Zor took out her wand and began sourgifying each tool one at a time. Fortunately, after two years she finally got a hang of this spell. Other ones?….. Not so much.

Okay next step: Distilled water. Was wand water distilled water? Zoryn sure hoped so ‘cause she was too lazy to grab distilled water from a sink. Instead she raised her wand, “Aguamenti!” and bloooooooop went a stream of water into her cauldron. In hind sight, it probably would’ve been a better idea to measure it out in a measuring cup first… But she had already put it directly into the cauldron, so like, nah. Eyeballing it to be hopefully around 50 mL she cast a quick “Finite,” to put an end to the stream of water. A boil? This was uh, "Incendio!" YEAH. The fire looked kinda medium?

After letting her water reach a boil, she began measuring out her ~~Stargrass~~ Parsley so that she made sure to only use 32 grams of it, saving the rest for Théo to use. USING THE MOST AWESOME SILVER DAGER EVER, Zor began chop, chop, chopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man, she kinda wished that EVERY step used a dagger. But unfortunately, all good things come to a close 'cause the next was the berry juice. She couldn’t be bothered to actually measure out. So she just poured a bunch in there anyways. Better more than less, right? Right.

Taking her glass stirrer, the Gryffindor stirred counter clockwise for all of three minutes. One…. Two… THREEEEEEE!! And then PAUSE. “One… Two… Skip a few… Five!” And back to more stirring. This was so easy.

NifflerFan · 09-16-2017, 12:42 AM

Her look at Mr. Healer hadn't reallllly been attitude. More of a "poisons are good? What?!!!" look, mhm. But he didn't seem bothered by it, really, so she supposed it was okay. Still, they had gotten to the part of Potions lessons that Emmeline hated the most: actually brewing the potion. She was so bad at this following directions and stuff. And the potion on the board looked HARD.

But first, Mr. Healer was telling people that they could draw on Eddie's cheek 'cause he was sleeping in class. Emmeline giggled, but for some reason she found herself shooting a look at the old lady in the back of the classroom. She seemed like a realllly strict old lady, you know? And if she wasn't here to learn how to get rid of possible wrinkles, then Emmeline didn't know why she was sitting there and taking notes. But the second year had the feeling that the old lady wasn't there to learn about antidotes.

Anyway, time for brewing! Emmeline normally would've asked Stasya or someone to be partners with her, but she had a BAD feeling about this potion. She didn't want to bring anyone else's marks down too, so she withdrew her wand from her holster and pointed it at her cauldron first: "Scourgify!" That done, the second year went about laying out allll of her equipment and the ingredients on the list on her table. Next it was time to clean all the other stuff, so she pointed her wand at each bit of equipment in turn and cast: "Scourgify!" a LOAD of times to get everything clean. She was already wearing the lab coat and all that gear stuff, so she was ready to start she supposed.

Emmeline sighed softly to herself as she pulled one of her cup things that she used for measuring towards the front of her desk and cast: "Agaumenti!". A jet of water streamed out of the end of her wand until she'd reached the 50 ml mark. Or close enough to it, mhm. The second year jerked her wand a bit to cut the spell off, dumped the water into her cauldron and cast: "Incendio!" at the bottom of her cauldron. She wasn't sure how to tell if her heat was medium or not, but it was probably okay.

The Gryffindor then holstered her wand again and picked up her silver knife. She slid the stargrass towards her and started chopping and chopping and chopping until it was all small pieces and "fine." The water in her cauldron was boiling by the time she was finished chopping, so the second year threw her chopped Stargrass into the cauldron too.

The next line of the instructions looked reallllly evil, though. Emmeline gulped as she added the required amount of Boom Berry Juice and clutched her glass stirrer in her right hand. This was one of the parts of potions that she was sooo bad at, keeping time and doing everything exactly right and all that.

Here goes nothing. Her eyes glancing up at the clock on the classroom wall every few seconds, Emmeline feverishly stirred her mixture thing for about three minutes. At least she hoped it was three minutes. She paused and counted out five seconds before she went back to stirring counter-clockwise for another 2 minutes (hopefully). Ugh...this was hard work. Emmeline glanced away from her own potion to see how her classmates were doing, 'cause she was tired already. It should totally be 11:30 AM now, mhm.

Anna Banana · 09-16-2017, 01:41 AM

Based on her classmates' answers? Hmm... Maddie didn't really remember all of her classmates' answers. Some of them knew a lot of deep stuff, and her being a firstie and all, she tended to tune them out. She pretended to be deep in thought, though, which must have satisfied the professor, since he didn't ask her anything else. She had kind of figured that her answer wasn't the right one, though, and she was okay with that. She just needed to learn why.

Ohhh, so five of everything meant healing? That spiked Maddie's curiosity. This was one pretty cool potion, it being in two parts and all! She peered at the symbol the professor pointed out. So THAT was what it meant! All her life she'd just assumed it was some random drawing that meant 'medicine'. It kind of did, but it seemed like so much more now. Her facial expression was clearly saying 'WOW'.

Anyway...

"DOES ANYBODY WANT TO BE MY PARTNER?!" she asked, calling out to the crowd. She wasn't too sure she wanted to just whip up a whole potion all by herself just yet.

Cassirin · 09-16-2017, 02:38 AM

Once her cauldron reached a boil, Katy was ready. Her stargrass was chopped into nice and even (and tiny) pieces, and she scrapped them into the cauldron using her silver dagger. One scoop, two scoops, three scoops, and all the stargrass was done. The boom berry juice was pre-measured, and Katy poured that in next. Was it supposed to be a specific color yet? Consistency? Or was it too early for that?

Right. The stirring stick went in next, and Katy had to stir counter-clockwise with a careful eye on the clock. Three minutes with a five second pause? That was so specific... Katy preferred a stir count to a time count, since some people stirred faster than others. Some stirred TOO fast, although she'd personally worked hard to even out her stirring for consistency. At three minutes, Katy lifted the stick for five full beats, and then the stick went back into the cauldron. Again, she stirred counter-clockwise, her strokes even and steady.

The glass stick went next to the silver dagger, ready for a wash when she was done. Essence of Dittany was next, and Katy added it to her cauldron one drop at a time. Careful, even drops, since it mattered that there wasn't any spillage. No drop and a halfs. Twenty three drops later, and Katy was looking at the clock again.

Kimothy · 09-16-2017, 03:41 AM

Oh, so it was time for the actual brewing to take place. The blond couldn't help but wonder if her parents have already tried creating this antidote, but most likely they have. They were healers, and they needed hospital grade antidotes to save lives. She also couldn't wait to tell her mum about this lesson. It would definitely make Vanya Fairfield proud, knowing that her daughter had created something like this. Perks of having the Healer as a Professor, of course.

Vivian took down a few notes before finally making a move to measure her ingredients. But before that, she tied her hair up as the Healer had pointed out, and wore her lab gown, goggles, and gloves on. She honestly felt like almost every inch of her skin was covered, thanks to this 'outfit'. The prefect went to take some of the ingredients that weren't part of the ingredients hunt from earlier, even water. She wasn't sure just how distilled the water conjured with Aguamenti was, so just to be very sure. Healer Reed didn't even seem to mention it, that sneaky man. Once all the ingredients were on her work station, Vivian made the necessary cleanliness measures on all equipment. "Scourgify!" She sent the Scouring Charm on all the equipment, from her cauldron to even the measuring medium, and another "Tergeo!" just to be safe. Better to be safe than sorry at this case, especially with someone who looked like a member of the Board of Governors observing. It surely made this blond feel a little tense, just a little. Sort of.

With everything cleaned and sanitary, Vivian sent an "Incendio!" to light a medium fire, and added the 50ml of distilled water into her cauldron. And while she waited for it to boil, she took her harvested stargrass and sort of stared at it. Was this even CLEAN? They had just harvested them, after all! No, no, no... her mum would freak. The prefect had to make sure and sent a Scourgify at it just to be sure, as well as the two other ingredients, betony leaves and fire seeds, she had harvested earlier with Miss Etta. Okay, so perhaps they were germ-free now. She took the scales, placed the stargrass on it, measured 32 grams of the ingredient, then finished that off by chopping with a silver dagger, because apparently that had been emphasized by Healer Reed. When the water in her cauldron began to boil, Vivian added the stargrass. So that looked... okay now. So far, she hadn't flunked out, which was a good thing. She eyed her cauldron for a few moments, but thankfully it didn't look like it was about to explode. Phew!

Next step now! She took her boom berry juice and poured it in a measuring phial. She only needed 302ml of that, so she double checked again to see if she had gotten it right before dumping it into her cauldron. Taking her glass stirrer, Vivian began stirring her unfinished potion counter clockwise with her eyes looking at her watch from time to time. With three minutes passed, she stopped and mentally counted five seconds before continuing to stir counter clockwise for another two minutes. All this stirring was going to make her arm ache after the class, she expected.

But then she heard a younger student (a firstie!) looking for someone to partner up with her. Aww, cute! "Hey! I'll help you if you'd like," Vivian offered. And if no one wanted to partner up with her, she was willing to at least guide her along as she brewed.

Text Cut: Notes and board

Watson · 09-16-2017, 06:47 AM

And it was time to get cooking but first Vi had to write the recipe down in her notebook and clean all of her equipment. She set about this, happily and quietly humming to herself as she non-verbally cast scourgify in her cauldron, scales, phials, and stirrers. She recast it again just to make sure that every piece of equipment was squeaky clean. Then she lit the fire with a silent Incendio and then quickly filled her cauldron with 50 mL of distilled water. While she waited for the water to boil, Olivia set up her ingredients (the Stargrass, Boom Berry, Essence of Dittany) turned her attention towards prepping the Stargrass. Measuring out the stargrass on the scale, she took the silver dagger and began chopping it finely.

After chopping up the measured amount, she placed the chopped Stargrass back on the scales. 31 grams... Hmm.. She took another piece of the Stargrass, chopped it up finely, and then placed it on the scale. 32 grams. Perfect. Then she added it to the cauldron. What was next? Vi turned to her notebook, and then measured out 302 milliliters of Boom Berry Juice in a graduated cylinder. Then she poured the juice into the cauldron and took the glass stirrer and stirred it counter-clockwise. While she began stirring the concoction with her left hand, she set a timer for three minutes with her right.

Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir.

She continued stirring the concoction until the timer went off and then she paused her stirring, counting in her mind for five seconds and then setting up another time for two minutes. Once the timer was set, she began stirring the concoction in the counter-clockwise direction for two minutes.

Once it was successfully stirred, Vi added the Essence of Dittany. One, Two, Three, Four, Five... Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,..... Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty One, Twenty Two, and Twenty Three. She set a timer for three minutes and then lowered the heat on the mixture. Once the fire was set to low, she waited for two minutes before she slipped on her dragonhide gloves and picked up the five fire seeds. Then she began adding them one at a time and counting to ten every time she added a fire seed into the cauldron.

SPOILER!!: Notebook

bone_baud10 · 09-16-2017, 08:24 AM

Aymeric listened to the professors' respond to his mumbling. He thought about it for a moment. He disagreed. If there's a pest, Aymeric would prefer to get rid of it by trapping, than killing it. No need to kill an irritation if you can cause it go away. Of course his opinion did have its' flaws, but so did's the Professor. Since the professor is also a healer the Ravenclaw would of expected him to believe in his point of view. Oh well... never mind. Aymeric wasn't going to open a discussion about it. He was just waiting to leave the classroom already.

Brewing, oh dear. Aymeric wasn't fond of brewing. He never had a problem with adding ingredients or remembering the procedure, however the time. He had a problem with keeping up with the time. Since brewing was such an intense event he always forgot to keep an eye out for the time. Hopefully, today would be different.

The Ravenclaw bought all the needed ingredients to his work station, including distilled water since he couldn't conjure water from his wand, yet. He took a deep breathe, and put his protective eye-gear on - gloves and lab coat were worn. As much as he disliked the subject, Aymeric needed to prove to himself that he can brew a decent potion.

He casted 'Scourgify' upon the ingredients and the tolls. Aymeric took another deep nervous breathe and added 50 milliliters of distilled water to his brass cauldron. The Ravenclaw wasn't feeling too confident.

Aymeric decided to tend all his ingredients (cut and measure the needed ones) before beginning to brew. He didn't want to measure precisely 302 (how accurate!) milliliter of anything in the midst of a potion in-making. He cut after weighting 32 grams of Stargrass, measured 302 milliliters Boom Berry Juice and 23 drops of Essence of Dittany. Perfect!

Aymeric, being so nervous, ever so slightly accidentally cut himself, the thin leather gloves didn't help. Thankfully the cut didn't bleed, unfortunately blood was only visible on skin, but the young growing man didn't feel the cut. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong.

"Incindeo," he casted with ease and conjured fire beneath his cauldron. While waiting for the water to heat up, he checked that his bucket of fireseeds was still heated, fortunately it was as warm as the fireplace in the library. A small shudder went down his spine remembering what had happened at the library only an hour ago. It wasn't a major event but did effect his mood, and confidence yet again.

After the water boiled in medium heat. The third year added the 32 grams of finely cut Starrgrass (one piece was ever so slightly stained with his own blood, hopefully it wouldn't affect the final result). Immediately afterwards he added 302 milliliters of Boom Cherry Juice.

Aymeric took a glass stirrer from his workstation. He began stirring the liquid anti-clockwise. He eyed the clock, making sure he wouldn't miss the three minutes. While stirring a thought occurred in his head. If the school Healer was in the dungeons right now, who was at the Hospital Wing right now? Hmmm...

Kimothy · 09-16-2017, 08:25 AM

After what seemed like forever of stirring the solution, Vivian took out the glass stirrer and wiggled it a little to avoid wasting even just drops of the unfinished potion. She then sent a "Tergeo!" to siphon the remaining liquid from dripping onto her work station. The last thing she wanted was leaving a mess or possibly leaving a hole on the table.

With that done, Vivian grabbed the bottle of Essence of Dittany, uncapped it, and positioned it over her cauldron. She carefully tilted it downwards and let the liquid drop into the solution. One... two... three... four... five... until she had reached a total of twenty-three drops. She moved the Essence of Dittany away from her cauldron this time, replaced its cap, and set it aside. Twenty-three drops of these were enough. But now, she needed to wait for another three minutes. The prefect sighed and silently wondered how her parents actually managed to deal with all this waiting. But well, having to raise a lively kid like Vivian was probably where their patience came from.

While she waited, Vivian began preparing the fireseeds by sending Scourgify, the same she had done with the stargrass earlier. This would keep it from contamination, she hoped. She wondered if Healer Reed was testing them with the 5 C's of potions, and her eyes drifted around to see if her other classmates had done the same. She hoped, she could only hope. Three minutes had passed, and Vivian adjusted the heat from medium to low. She took her dragonhide gloves and slipped her hands inside while waiting for another two minutes -- SO MUCH WAITING -- before slowly adding the five fireseeds into her cauldron. After that, she took fifteen pieces of the rock salt, which was a little bit of a struggle as they were quite small. The blond dropped each piece into the solution one by one, then took the stirrer again and began stirring the unfinished potion counter clockwise. For another five minutes. Just... wow.

But hey, at least it was starting to turn into that shade of yellow she had hoped for. Perhaps five more minutes of stirring has quite worthwhile.

With that done, thankfully, Vivian sighed in relief. She looked back at her notes and smiled. She was almost done and, so far, not a single exploding cauldron! Here's to more days like today, please. However, she wasn't completely done with everything. Vivian took five strips of Wiggentree bark and, as instructed, laid them on the surface of her solution then took the stirrer again and gently pushed each strip down to the inner wall of her cauldron. Okay, cool. Back to medium fire, it was.

At least she was still in ONE PIECE. Now, to wait for it to boil. More... and more... and more waiting.

Text Cut: Notes and board

Potion: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons No. 005 (Hospital Grade)
Effect(s): This healing potion cures the effects brought about uncommon poisons. This formula has been altered to have a stronger effect, covering a wider range of poisons known to wizard-kind.

Ingredients:
50 ml Distilled Water
14 ml Liquefied Antimony
32 grams Stargrass
302 ml Boom Berry Juice
23 drops Essence of Dittany
5 pieces Fire Seeds
15 pieces Pure Rock Salt
5 strips Wiggentree Bark
5 pieces Fresh Betony Leaves

Procedure:
1. Clean all equipment to be used: Cauldron, Scales, Stirrers, Phials, Etc.;
2. Bring 50 ml Distilled Water to a boil in medium heat;
3. Add finely chopped 32 grams of Stargrass. Use a silver dagger for this step;
4. Add 302 ml Boom Berry Juice and stir counter-clockwise for three minutes pause 5 seconds, and continue to stir the solution counter-clockwise for another two minutes. Use a glass stirrer for this step;
5. Remove the stirrer from the cauldron, and add 23 drops of Essence of Dittany into the solution;
6. Let 3 minutes pass, and then adjust the heat to low. Slowly add 5 fire seeds into the solution after 2 minutes. Use your dragon-hide gloves for this procedure;
7. Add 15 pieces of pure rock salt one by one, and stir the solution counter-clockwise for five minutes until the solution turns primrose yellow. This will indicate that the solution has been activated to counter the effect of poisoning;
8. Lay 5 strips of Wiggentree bark on the surface of the solution, and slowly push it one by one to the inner wall of your cauldron. Turn the heat back to medium and wait for the potion to boil;
9. Once bubbles appear, crush 5 fresh Betony Leaves with your hand, and add it to the boiling liquid. The potion should turn a shade of Sapphire Blue;
10. Wait five minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the potion cool for 15 minutes, and then bottle it in glass phials using a clean Pasteur Pipette (dropper). Label your potions;
11. Scrape off the dreg at the bottom of the cauldron, and pack it in a tin box. Draw the Asclepius Staff with your wand, while saying the incantation: Venenum Inverto (nullify the poison).

**Bloody Baron** · 09-16-2017, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

Bore him with what now? Personal matters? With Lady Helena? What was he now, a love doctor too?
River had a confused look on his face, as he stuffed his hands into his trouser's pockets, WONDERING if this was some sort of prank from Hirsch. For the record, Roderik was the best person in this castle to ask love advice from.

"I am not certain if I will be of any help Baron, but I am willing to hear you out." It had been years since he conversed with the Slytherin House Ghost. He wondered too if he could still remember him as the boy who always lurked around the Astronomy Tower at night whenever he found it difficult to sleep. "However, I'm in the middle of a class here. You can stay here until we're done though." Really, he wasn't in the position to banish a harmless, wandering soul. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

Hovering near the front of the class his bloodiness regarded the healer silently through blank black staring eyes as he came up to address him. The Baron gave Healer Reed a very small star in his book if had had one for not immediately dismissing him from his class. Unlike certain other notable professors had done in the past.

Nodding the Baron replied hoarsely in his characteristic whisper. "Thank you Healer Reed! I shall wait and bide my time until your class is over, then I shall share with you my reason for seeking you out." Meanwhile though he wasn't going stay completely idle no matter what Healer Reed thought. Floating over to the side to observe as the class started brew their potions the Baron kept a close eye on his snakes in case they looked like they needed a tip or two.

RachieRu · 09-16-2017, 09:44 AM

Oh wow. Water really took ages to boil when you were watching it. That was kind of boring. But Hattie got some of her other ingredients ready whilst she was waiting. That would hopefully mean that she didn't have to waste too much time when she was further along in the potion brewing. She also took some time to read over the instructions again. She really didn't want to get anything wrong at all. Oooh. Finally! The water was boiling. Well done water. After finely chopping the stargrass the the silver dagger she added it to her potion. That seemed good.

Next step! She picked up the boom berry juice, and added it to her potion. Hattie then carefully stirred counter-clockwise for three minute. She paused for 5 seconds before then stirring counter-clockwise for another 2 minutes. She made sure she was using the glass stirrer for this. She didn't' want to mess it up now! She was doing pretty well.

Finally, she moved the stirrer away, and began adding the drops of Dittany into her potion. 23. Better not lose count.

RandomRaven · 09-16-2017, 12:28 PM

So... everything poisonous would be poisonous regardless of the dose? That make sense, sort of.

But she didn't have time to disagree with the potion master because it's brewing time! Finishing writing the recipe and instruction, Ava then made sure that she had tied her hair, worn the lab coat, put on her gloves and goggles, and then took her brass cauldron and cleaned it with the scouring charm. She also cast the charm to every tools that she's going to use today: phial, stirrer, scales, knife, everything. Once all of them were cleaned, the Gryffindor then added 50 ml distilled water to the cauldron, set the flame in medium heat and boiled it. Then she used a clean silver dagger to chop the stargrass and measured 32 grams of it before adding them into the water.

Moving on to the next step... The boom berry juice. Ava measured 302 ml of it and added the juice into the cauldron. Then with a cleaned glass stirrer, she stirred the mixture for three minutes in counter-clockwise motion. As the instruction had said, she paused for five seconds and continued the stirring it for 2 minutes. Removing the stirrer, she then added 23 drops of Essence of Dittany into the solution. Now she needed to wait for 3 minutes and then put the flame into low. And next, Ava waited again for two minutes before adding the fireseeds. In the meantime, she put on her dragon-hide gloves and once two minutes had passed, she slowly added the fireseeds into the cauldron. So the next step should be... the rock salts. Carefully Ava added the rock salts one by one and then stirred the solution in counter-clockwise motion for minutes until the color turned primrose yellow. She read her note again and realized something's missing. "Uh, Professor? When will we add the antimony?" She put her hand up and asked the potion master.

natekka · 09-16-2017, 01:46 PM

With the Stargrass added, Rhea moved swiftly onto the next step. She picked up a glass stirrer and added 302 ml of Boom Berry Juice, precisely. Then, with a quick look at the clock, she started stirring the potion in a counter-clockwise direction. She wasn't skilled enough at magic to make the stirrer stir itself, so it was going to be a loooooong ~~three~~ five minutes for her. Her gaze fell on the Bloody Baron as her eyes swept the room. Huh. What was he doing here...?

Three minutes had soon elapsed and Rhea pushed her curiosity aside to focus solely on her brewing. She stopped stirring for 5 seconds as instructed, before continuing to stir the potion for another two minutes. Sigh...

Once that was done, she removed the glass stirrer from the cauldron and checked the instructions. Adding 23 drops of Essence of Dittany was the next step. That was easily done. She glanced at the instructions again. After she added the necessary number of drops of Essence of Dittany, carefully counting each drop so as not to make a mistake, she looked at the clock. Three minutes to wait. She pulled on her dragon-hide gloves as she waited, even though she didn't need them for another five minutes. After three minutes had finally passed, she reduced the heat to a low flame and, ugh, waited for another two minutes.

So much waiting...

Rhea sighed happily when the time came to add the Fireseeds. She did it slowly as instructed, taking each one out of the cauldron that was keeping it heated and added them to her solution. Once she'd finished that, she removed her dragon-hide gloves and referred back to the instructions. Next up was the rock salt...

Anna Banana · 09-16-2017, 02:10 PM

You know, people said Slytherins were cunning and ambitious people, but Maddie had to disagree. Literally every time she needed help, there was always an older Slytherin there to help her. This was the second...third...maybe fourth time? She had lost count, but either way, here was yet another Slytherin offering to help her. "Thanks!" she said, shooting the girl a bubbly smile. "I think I'll try it on my own, but if you hear any explosions or see any green, icky goo coming out my cauldron, I might need some help! I just wanted to make sure somebody was close by that could help me."

Just like that, she had the confidence she needed to get started. She started by cleaning her cauldron and all her equipment. She then checked to make sure she had all her protective gear on. "Check! Check! CHECK!" she said to herself. She needed 50mL of distilled water to bring to a boil. Uh oh. The thought of boiling water herself was kind of terrifying, but there was always the Slytherin prefect who'd offered to help her. Okay... *sigh*. Maddie pointed her wand into her cauldron. "Aguamenti!" she exclaimed. She filled the cauldron with 50mL of water then stopped. So far, so good. She hesitated for a single second and then turned the dial under the burner to the medium setting. While that was going, she measured out 32 grams of chopped stargrass then added it to the cauldron, all with the help of her silver dagger.

Okay...she just...might...accomplish this.

Jean Granger · 09-16-2017, 02:49 PM

Sydney was on the verge of being sleepy again, what with all the note taking she was doing. She really hoped to do well on her Potions NEWTs this year, so she pinched herself slightly on the arm to stay awake...

And now, they got to the best part of the lesson. Potion-brewing!

When she had finished copying the procedure and notes from the blackboard, the girl got up from her seat and went to collect the ingredients, apart from the ones she already had. She arranged her ingredients neatly on one side of her workstation, her equipments on the other side, ready to be used. Directing her wand at her cauldron, scales, stirrers, phials and silver dagger, she said, "Scourgify!" There! All clean.

Glancing at her notes for the next step, Sydney poured 50ml of Distilled Water into her copper cauldron. "Incendio," she said softly, tapping the bottom of her cauldron and conjuring a medium-sized flame. It would take some time for the water to boil, so she could either a) take a nap, or b) chop her Stargrass while she waited.

Obviously, being the good student she was, she did the latter. She grabbed her silver dagger and began chopping up her 32 grams of Stargrass. By the time the ingredient was finely chopped, the water in the cauldron started boiling. Perfect timing! Using her silver dagger, she pushed the Stargrass into her cauldron.

Next up was Boom Berry Juice. This was going to be an easy step since all she had to do was add it into the water + Stargrass mixture. No chopping, no heating, no measuring either, since the quantity she had was already precisely 302 ml. Sydney added this into her cauldron - being careful not to let it splash anywhere else - and picked up her glass stirrer. Stirring was quite boring, but she focused on her work, as she knew one wrong move could ruin the whole potion. When the three minutes were up, she counted five seconds under her breath, then continued stirring counter-clockwise for two more minutes.

Her arm aching slightly from stirring for five whole minutes, the badger put down her stirrer and held up her supply of Essence of Dittany. She added 23 drops of this into the solution she had, hoping everything was going well so far.

bone_baud10 · 09-16-2017, 03:05 PM

Stirring for one minute, stirring for yet again another minute, and stirring for the final minute. Phew. Aymeric's arm was beginning to be soar. But the five seconds have already passed - another two minutes of stirring.

Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir. Stir.

Too much stirring for this potion. He tried to stay as concentrated as possible but honestly this was getting boring.

Finally another two minutes have passed. He cast the cleaning charm at the glass stirrer and placed it on his workstation.

Okay, now what? Aymeric looked at the instructions. 23 drops of Essence of Dittany. He had previously measured the right quantity of the ingredient and dropped the liquid into a clean glass flask. He poured the ingredient into his potion. The potion was going well for the young Ravenclaw.

"Let 3 minutes pass" he read from the instructions. Aymeric rolled his eyes and placed his head on his forehead. Ughh... this potion was boring, too much stirring and waiting. Fortunately he knew that since they were in the midst brewing, the lesson will soon be coming to an end. Half a minute had already passed, so only two and a half minutes to go. "Hurray," he sarcastically thought to himself.

In the meantime he decided to put his dragon hive gloves on. While wearing the gloves, he noticed, when he took his thinner gloves off, a small cut on his hand. It didn't hurt but he wondered if he should say anything to the Professor, "don't. Just finish with it," Aymeric decided.

He lowered the heat, and again... waited. He eyed the clock, remembering the time - two minutes needed to pass by. He looked around the classroom. Everything seemed to be fine, no foul smell or exploding potion. He wondered if this antidote was considered easy or was this class just talented? The first option in his mind made more sense. Accidentally, maybe, two minutes and a few minor seconds went by. ~~Oops~~

Time for the fireseeds. Double checking, he placed his bare wrist upon the bucket to make sure it was still heated. Yep, warm as milk before bed. With his wand he cast the levitating charm at each individual fireseed, and placed each one in the cauldron. This was as cautious as he could be.

The most 'thrilling' part of the potion was over. The fireseeds. He sighed, the third year was beginning to lose his concentration. This antidote was a bit dull when it came to brewing. When his parents made antidotes the procedure seemed far more 'action packed'.

One by one, as instructed, he added the tiny salt rocks... how very exciting.

But the most exciting act of the potion had once again decided to make an appearance. Stirring. Ughh... it was also to the same direction all the TIME!!!

He began stirring anti-clockwise. He was staring at the clock waiting for the five minutes to pass as quickly as possible. Every now and then he glimpsed at the his potion. He wasn't exactly pleased with what he saw. The potion was meant to be primrose yellow (finally some colour in these dungeons), but his was mustard yellow. Oh well, maybe as he will stir more the colour will improve. He doubted though.

RachieRu · 09-16-2017, 04:15 PM

Harriet was actually quite enjoying this experience, even though it was hard. Having a challenge was good. It made her work hard and that was good. Hattie was a bit of a perfectionist so she liked getting things done well. But today, she'd decided she would be okay if it wasn't perfect, since it was a hard potion. She wasn't the best potion brewer in the world, so she knew it wouldn't be that good. But she would try.

But back to the potion. She'd carefully added the 23 drops and was now ready to move onto the next step. She carefully timed the three minutes, making sure that she didn't change the temperature too low. After three minutes, she turned the flame to a low setting, and then timed another 2 minutes. There was lots of timing in this potion. She pulled her dragon hide gloves on, and then carefully added the 5 fire seeds. She was careful to make sure she didn't burn herself. That would be a dreadful end to the lesson.

She felt like she was managing quite well so far. Maybe she should have been going down a healing route. Okay. Now to add the pure rocksalt. One by one? oh wow. That would take a while. Better get started then. And she began adding the 15 pieces one by one.

DaniDiNardo · 09-16-2017, 04:34 PM

By now, Jessa had brewed several potions--an understatement in and of itself--making this game of patience seem like nothing at all. Three minutes flew by without the girl really noticing it but when it did she lowered the flames and pulled on her dragonhide gloves.

One...two...three...four...five. All five fireseeds were slowly added after another 2 minutes of waiting. What was that? Five minutes of her life gone, just like that? On an antidote to a poison she didn't technically possess. While Jessa could acknowledge the uses of poisons, they weren't exactly her brew of choice. A little preoccupied with her necro study you see. No time to waste on making more dead bodies when she'd already collected so many.

Reaching over, she grabbed and added the 15 pieces of pure rock salt. One by one? No problem. Again, she took the stirrer, dipping it into the solution and stirring in a counter-clockwise direction. Merlin the Healer wasn't kidding about that five thing. Another five minutes of stirring, was it any wonder she choose to use another hand? The first was still recovering. Don't ask her what primrose yellow looked like. This solution looked yellow enough to her. A quick look at the text confirmed the colour. Yep, it was meant to look like this.

Jessa took the 5 strips of Wiggentree bark and lay them on the surface of the solution. You would never guess but this solution must obviously have been thick enough to keep them afloat. She slowly pushed them to the inner wall of the cauldron, one by one like she had done just now with the pure rock salt. The heat was then turned back to medium and and another long wait ensued. Had to wait for it to start boiling again.

At the first sign of bubbles, Jessa crushed her 5 fresh Betony Leaves with her hand, adding them next to the now boiling solution.

There was the faintest of smiles when the potion turned Sapphire Blue, like her eyes. That colour she definitely knew.

Op, five more minutes of waiting. Her gaze shifted to her watch to wait for this bit of time to slip by. When it did, she turned the heat off like the instructions said. She waited the next 15 minutes, giving it hopefully enough time to cool before bottling it into a few glass phials with the use of a clean Pasteur Pipette.

Proudly, she tacked the name 'Jessa Cambridge' her year and house to the phials before moving to scrape the dreg that sat at the bottom of the cauldron. Those she packed into a tin box.

The Asclepius Staff that sat cross ways on her table was taken up and with her wand, she drew them both, uttering the incantation, "Venenum Inverto."

As was becoming a habit, she waited, just to be sure it worked. When nothing went horribly wrong, she took that as cue enough she'd done a good job.

SPOILER!!: Notes

Jessa Cambridge
Fourth Year
Ravenclaw

Potion: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons No. 005 (Hospital Grade)
Effect(s): This healing potion cures the effects brought about uncommon poisons. This formula has been altered to have a stronger effect, covering a wider range of poisons known to wizard-kind.

Ingredients:

50 ml Distilled Water
14 ml Liquefied Antimony
32 grams Stargrass
302 ml Boom Berry Juice
23 drops Essence of Dittany
5 pieces Fire Seeds
15 pieces Pure Rock Salt
5 strips Wiggentree Bark
5 pieces Fresh Betony Leaves

Procedure:

~~Clean all equipment to be used: Cauldron, Scales, Stirrers, Phials, Etc.;~~

Bring 50 ml Distilled Water to a boil in medium heat;

Add finely chopped 32 grams of Stargrass. Use a silver dagger for this step;

Add 302 ml Boom Berry Juice and stir counter-clockwise for three minutes pause 5 seconds, and continue to stir the solution counter-clockwise for another two minutes. Use a glass stirrer for this step;

Remove the stirrer from the cauldron, and add 23 drops of Essence of Dittany into the solution;

Let 3 minutes pass, and then adjust the heat to low. Slowly add 5 fire seeds into the solution after 2 minutes. Use your dragon-hide gloves for this procedure;

Add 15 pieces of pure rock salt one by one, and stir the solution counter-clockwise for five minutes until the solution turns primrose yellow. This will indicate that the solution has been activated to counter the effect of poisoning;

Lay 5 strips of Wiggentree bark on the surface of the solution, and slowly push it one by one to the inner wall of your cauldron. Turn the heat back to medium and wait for the potion to boil;

Once bubbles appear, crush 5 fresh Betony Leaves with your hand, and add it to the boiling liquid. The potion should turn a shade of Sapphire Blue;

Wait five minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the potion cool for 15 minutes, and then bottle it in glass phials using a clean Pasteur Pipette (dropper). Label your potions;

~~Scrape off the dreg at the bottom of the cauldron, and pack it in a tin box. Draw the Asclepius Staff with your wand, while saying the incantation: Venenum Inverto (nullify the poison).~~

Notes of interest:

The quantity of each ingredient is a product of Five; the number for Healing;
The stirring movement is counter-clockwise; activating the healing properties of each ingredient, ultimately reversing the effects of the poison;
The healing properties of each ingredient becomes more potent because of the presence of Fire Seeds. Said ingredient is born of the alchemical element fire, which represents life;
Salt is one of the Three Principles in Alchemy or one of the component s of the Universal Language of Nature. Naturally it is a product of the Earth and Water elements—the same elements associated with humans and beings. Salt can preserve (the body of the victim) and corrodes (to nullify the poison. In this context, it will absorb the dark/evil energies present), thus making the potion more potent;
The dreg can be used together with the potion to enhance its effect. The Asclepius Staff* should be drawn on the victim's tongue using the dreg while reciting the incantation: Venenum Inverto

*The Asclepius Staff is an alchemical symbol (and a universal medical symbol) for healing (or doctors in the muggle world).

Watson · 09-16-2017, 04:56 PM

Okay, next she added the pieces of pure rock salt, taking five minutes in between each addition of salt pieces to stir counter-clockwise. One, stiiiiiiiiiir, two, stiiiiiiiiiiiir, and so on until she reached fourteen. She noticed the solution turn a closer shade to yellow until the final addition of the rock salt piece. The concoction was now the shade of primrose yellow. Picking up a strip of the Wiggentree bark, then she laid one on the top and then added more until she had five strips on the surface of her potion. Then she pushed it one by one to the inner wall of the cauldron. Once all five strips were pressed up against the inner wall, then Olivia turned the heat back to medium and then waited for the potion to start boiling.

As small fine bubbles began to appear, Vi took the Betony Leaves in her hand and then she proceeded to crush them in her hand. Once crushed, she dropped them into the boiling liquid, watching the primrose yellow turn to a green and then to a sapphire blue. She waited five minutes, watching the deep blue sapphire stay, and turned off the heat. Vi set her timer one last time for fifteen minutes, allowing the potion to cool. In the meantime, she prepped her glass phials and re-cleaned a Pasteur Pipette.

Once the potion was cooled, she then took the pipette and took the potion, adding it to the phial. Once the potion had been added to the phials, she labeled them. Once the phials were filled and labeled, she placed them in a rack so that they could be held and then she picked up her knife. Vi then scraped off the dreg at the bottom of the cauldron. It wasn't too difficult to scrape the dreg off. Once the dreg was scrapped, she packed it into a tin box beside her cauldron.

She drew the Asclepius Staff, carefully trying to draw it as accurately as possible with her wand, and then spoke the incarnation. "Venenum Inverto"

Was that it? Was she done? And had it worked? Had the poison been nullified?

Steelsheen · 09-16-2017, 05:12 PM

Whoah, when Healer Reed said this was Hospital grade stuff he sure wasnt joking, and the Curly Top was busy noting everything down. It wasnt long before they were advised to begin and he immediately went to work.

He scourgified his tools first-- his own self-stirring cauldron, the stirrers, that silver dagger, the tweezers for the salt, the Pasteur pipette, the glass phials and the tin box for storage, yep this is quite the supplies pile wasnt it? He then proceeded to measure out and collect the other ingredients that wasnt already with them-- the liquid antimony, the boomberry juice, and a bottle of that essence of dittany. And then that DISTILLED water-- gotta collect that from the container too. He had to wonder about those casting Aguamenti, because as far as he knew, water from the wand wasnt distilled. And given that Healker Reed said this was hospital grade antidote, he sure wasnt gonna do any shortcuts.

Ok so distilled water now in his cauldron, he laid it over the burner, incendio'd it to get the fire going and cranked it up to medium. While that was happening, Ace took the silver dagger and started mincing up the Stargrass that was in his container, nuninuninuninu.... it was like he was making a real special summer tea yeah?

Water be boiling, and now he adds in the minced Stargrass, following that with the measured out Boom Berry juice. Glass stirring rod was slipped in as he murmured to the cauldron to start stirring counter clockwise for three minutes. He watched this happen until it the stirrer stopped, and the leonine lad counted to five until he ordered the stirrer to get going again in the same direction but for two minutes. More waiting. He should spend this time doing something important-- like looking at Vi and watching her work on her potion hehe. It wasnt long before the realized the stirrer had stopped on its own-- two minutes was up? Awwww, back to work and out goes the stirrer. he reached out for the dittany bottle and started dropping in the liquid into his mixture, counting up until he reached 23 drops.

Another waiting stint for three minutes. This potion really develops one's patience huh? But he could here Ava ask something about the antimony. Yeah he was wondering about that...

Text Cut: notes

Potion: Antidote to Uncommon Poisons No. 005 (Hospital Grade)
Effect(s): This healing potion cures the effects brought about uncommon poisons. This formula has been altered to have a stronger effect, covering a wider range of poisons known to wizard-kind.

Ingredients:

~~50 ml Distilled Water~~
14 ml Liquefied Antimony
~~32 grams Stargrass~~

~~302 ml Boom Berry Juice~~

~~23 drops Essence of Dittany~~
5 pieces Fire Seeds
15 pieces Pure Rock Salt
5 strips Wiggentree Bark
5 pieces Fresh Betony Leaves

Procedure:

~~Clean all equipment to be used: Cauldron, Scales, Stirrers, Phials, Etc.;~~

Bring 50 ml Distilled Water to a boil in medium heat;

Add finely chopped 32 grams of Stargrass. Use a silver dagger for this step;

Add 302 ml Boom Berry Juice and stir counter-clockwise for three minutes pause 5 seconds, and continue to stir the solution counter-clockwise for another two minutes. Use a glass stirrer for this step;

~~Remove the stirrer from the cauldron, and add 23 drops of Essence of Dittany into the solution;~~
Let 3 minutes pass, and then adjust the heat to low. Slowly add 5 fire seeds into the solution after 2 minutes. Use your dragon-hide gloves for this procedure;
Add 15 pieces of pure rock salt one by one, and stir the solution counter-clockwise for five minutes until the solution turns primrose yellow. This will indicate that the solution has been activated to counter the effect of poisoning;
Lay 5 strips of Wiggentree bark on the surface of the solution, and slowly push it one by one to the inner wall of your cauldron. Turn the heat back to medium and wait for the potion to boil;
Once bubbles appear, crush 5 fresh Betony Leaves with your hand, and add it to the boiling liquid. The potion should turn a shade of Sapphire Blue;
Wait five minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the potion cool for 15 minutes, and then bottle it in glass phials using a clean Pasteur Pipette (dropper). Label your potions;
Scrape off the dreg at the bottom of the cauldron, and pack it in a tin box. Draw the Asclepius Staff with your wand, while saying the incantation: Venenum Inverto (nullify the poison).

Notes of interest:
The quantity of each ingredient is a product of Five; the number for Healing;

The stirring movement is counter-clockwise; activating the healing properties of each ingredient, ultimately reversing the effects of the poison;

The healing properties of each ingredient becomes more potent because of the presence of Fire Seeds. Said ingredient is born of the alchemical element fire, which represents life;

Salt is one of the Three Principles in Alchemy or one of the component s of the Universal Language of Nature. Naturally it is a product of the Earth and Water elements—the same elements associated with humans and beings. Salt can preserve (the body of the victim) and corrodes (to nullify the poison. In this context, it will absorb the dark/evil energies present), thus making the potion more potent;

The dreg can be used together with the potion to enhance its effect. The Asclepius Staff* should be drawn on the victim's tongue using the dreg while reciting the incantation: Venenum Inverto

*The Asclepius Staff is an alchemical symbol (and a universal medical symbol) for healing (or doctors in the muggle world).

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