“Good day to you, Miss Emmalyn. Lovely to see you as aaaaalllllwaaaaaays!” Very cheerful. Probably because he was with his bestest pal IGGY.

Not that Iggy was aware they were best pals. But that was probably for the best.



…..”WELL THAT’S WONDERFUL TO HEAR. Congrats again, m’boy,” he winked at one of his FAVORITE students professors don’t have favorites what are you saaaaaaying and smiled. “Now let’s see if it survives for the rest of term with you, ‘kay?”



He gave a friendly way to Felicity and a cheerful smile. Everyone looked adorable with their bubble head charms, did they all KNOW?



It was quite warm in here, yes. Many of the students were shedding thick winter cloaks and coats, and Paul didn’t blame them. Had they warned them? He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember a lot of things these days. “Good day, Anna!”



This one had a LOT of energy. She was a first year? Second? Something. First year, yes. The squeal was appreciated. Nothing like a hyped student to hype Paul up himself. He bounced WITH her for a second. “Hello student! Chloe!” he grinned teasingly.



And he swoooooooped in right next to her. He patted her shoulder. “Good day, Quinn, hello!” he smiled. She never seemed to want to look at him, and Paul took that to mean she was nervous...that he made her nervous. Well, he had NO idea why and he would simply do everything he absolutely could to make her NOT nervous.

InCLUUUUUDING talking to her in the corridors every time he saw her. YEP.




The first student to don the suit! Paul thought it looked so cool. “Chloe, you look absolutely SMASHING in that suit, let me tell you,” and he posed as any runway model wouldn’t.
“Work it.”



He sent a wave to the young lad cheerfully and SMILED from ear to ear. Should he also talk a lot to Quinn’s friends so he wouldn’t make her nervous even MORE? Like...less nervous? He would have, but he had students pouring into the lesson.



“Hello Maddie, M’dear!” he grinned as the young Hufflepuff made her way inside.



Paul was fond of Ronan. It was why, when he saw the boy looking less than excited for Herbology, he strode over to him casually. “Good day, Ronan, I hope all is well, eh?’ he asked in a friendly tone.

Also, he looked a little worse for wear at the moment .___.



Mandrakes weren’t creatures though, were they? Ah, Paul never forgot how much Stasya had hated that lesson even if HE found it extremely interesting, as did a few others. He waved at her in greetings.



Paul turned to look at Zory and laaaaaughed. If it had been a student he was fond of…. *ahem* he wouldn’t have laughed, but even so, there were parts of Zoryn he enjoyed. Like her spunk and energy in EVERYTHING she believed in. She did annoy him though. A lot.

A lot.

So he laughed, in a well-mannered way of course, not cruelly, and twirled his wand in his fingers slyly. “You’ve figured us out, Miss Spinnet. That is our main goal here at Hogwarts, after all. Forget teaching. Cruel and unusual punishments, all the way. I live for them.” He winked.



“It will be interesting, I assure you!” he gave the Slytherin a thumbs up. He had a bad habit of thinking Leesha was still very young, and she wasn’t. And alas….soon he would no longer see any of the students on his day to day basis.



One of his prefects had arrived, oooooh goody! He smiled and waved. “Hattie, hello! Nice to see you, dear.”



And his captain. Bel got a firm shoulder pat whenever Paul saw her mostly because she was doing smashingly as captain, and he was very proud of her. Most times he didn’t even say anything, just that affectionate pat and he’d be on his way. A broad grin, too, of course.

It was the same today.



“Heelllllllo, Daisy!” he greeted one of his young Hufflepuffs.



Jessa seemed twitchy, a bit, didn’t she? “Hello Jessa, you all right?” he asked, stepping beside her curiously. “You look a little…….out of place, and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you like before.” He said only loud enough for her to hear.

But then, Paul Myers had very little clue what was happening in young Jessa’s life at the moment.



The Slytherin prefect arrived and Paul smiled in her direction. The look on her face when she smelled the Greenhouse...ah! It was amusing to see all their faces...Paul himself was quite used to it.



Aaaaand his other...more dramatic prefect. Of course Derf went for the suit. He got a thumbs up from Paul, though, and a smile. Paul thought the suit was proooobably the best option for Derf since the boy tended to be………..magnetic to……...er, trouble?



Chirp chirp, this one was excited too! Paul couldn’t help but bouncing a little. “Good day, Rylee, dear!” he waved.



He waved at Max but…..Max didn’t seem to notice it.

Oh.

Cue the embarrassment of waving and the person not returning said wave. Paul tried to smoothly maneuver it into a hair ruffle, but he still looked….awk.ward.



Paul smiled and waved at Skylar, but she seemed distracted a bit, so he wasn’t too hurt if she didn’t acknowledge him back for now.



“GOod day to you TOOooO, Septimus, m’boy!” he waved at him.



He waved at one of the last students to come in - Kye - and cleared his throat to quiet everyone down. “OKAY everyone, looks like it’s about time to get rolling.” He said loudly.

Class could start…………..NOW.


“As you all can SMELLLLLLL - “ He gestured at the large plant the desks all faced. “That plant right there is very stinky. VERY stinky...and this is because this is a very special flower indeed. It is...a CORPSE FLOWER plant. And our corpse flower is currently in bloom! Yaaaay lets clap! - “ Paul clapped a lot, hoping others would join. “This is very special INDEEEEEEED and we should all be excited because corpse flowers are so! RARE!” he JUMPED to the middle of the room towards the flower, nearly dying at that very MOMENT because he tripped on someone’s bag strap. “I’m OKAAAY! But anyways--corpse flowers smell rottttttingly bad when they’re in bloom. I’ll ask you all this: WHY are corpse flowers so special? What do you all know about corpse flowers?”




OOC: HELLLLLO and welcome to the Herbo/Potions joint lesson! Class has officially begun! Please do not post your student arriving late if you do not want your character to face/deal with IC consequences. You’re welcome to, though, but you’re also welcome to post late and pretend you were here all along! Yay!

We’ll be moving on ...tomorrow some point? Possibly/probably? Let us seeee!

PS. Your charrie should have come prepared with a bag of their toenail clippings. Many of you brought them so yay! Just a heads up in case any of you all were confused! <3

Nettie wrinkled her nose at the smell of the corpse flower. YUCK. If she was sitting any closer to the flower, she might have found herself gagging. She didn't really know anything about corpse flowers, although she'd heard about them before. She raised her hand after flipping through her textbook and looking for the chapter on corpse flowers and giving it a little skim.

"Well, corpse flowers all smell terrible, which is why only flies and gross beetles want to pollinate them or go anywhere near them," she said. Did that sound rude and uppity? Oops.

Bel grinned at her head of house and then returned her attention to the stinky flower. It didn't really look much like a flower, Bel thought, but it was interesting to look at. She didn't know anything about them aside from what she could see. Erm. Could she comment on that? Bel put her hand up.

I don't know anything about them apart from what I see, " and smell, " but it has that weird cool spike in the middle and.... Is that frilly bit around the outside a leaf? It doesn't look like a petal."

Why Professor Myers was getting excited about a stinking, rotting flower was beyond him. Even the flower's name was not appealing at all. The Ravenclaw tried to breath normally though despite the smell. It was difficult at first cause it was aweful. His grandpa once told him that the nose would get used to a certain smell when exposed to it.

He raised his hand in the air to answer the question when the Professor tripped over something. He couldn't see what it was but he hoped it was a chair leg or a bag. He'd be concerned if he tripped over nothing...

"Don't they make fruit for animals to eat?" he asked while reading from his textbook.

A... corpse flower. Abra had to make a face, but it was sort of hidden behind his mask, which he had opted for over the bubblehead charm (which he did know how to do), because he thought the latter would make him look a bit ridiculous. It didn't matter that he'd be surrounded by plenty of other bubbleheads.

So... corpse flowers. Abra raised his hand tentatively, trying to recall any of the facts Mairwen might have spouted at him at any point over the last... however many years.

"Is it... do they bloom for a really short time? Or only every, like, billion years or something?" Listen, he was exaggerating, but Myers would get what he was saying. "So when it happens, it's, like... mega special."

He eyed the flower uncertainly. The thing reeked, looked ugly, and had 'corpse' in its name. It was hard to think of it as very special at all.

Lydia was in a great mood on her way to Herbology. Along with Charms, it was one of her favorite classes, and Professor Myers was her favorite professor. He was just always so cheerful and fun to be around. As she stepped into the greenhouse, the wave of humidity rolled over her, and she took a deep breath, which turned out to be a very bad idea, because something smelled AWFUL in here. And she wasn't exactly to pleased to find Professor Noble of Potions standing next to Professor Myers. Potions was her least favorite class.

Finding a place around the rancid-smelling corpse flower in the middle of the room, Lydia gave Professor Myers a huge smile. "Hello, Professor!" she called. Turning to Professor Noble, she gave a much more subdued greeting. "Erm, and hello to you too, Professor Noble."

Lydia gathered her supplies. Apparently they'd need face masks for this. Urgh, corpse flowers were totally gross, even if they were fascinating. Why would they need face masks? She had a bad feeling about that. And why did they have to bring toe nails too? Extra gross! But she'd done as asked and brought some clippings in a muggle sandwich baggie.

Professor Myers almost tripped over someone's bag (poor professor!) as he was explaining that the flower in the room was a corpse flower. Having already pored through the herbology textbook (it was fascinating!), Lydia had already suspected that it was indeed a corpse flower. Now the professor was asking them about it.

Lydia's hand shot into the air. "The muggle scientific term for the Corpse Flower is the Amorphophallus titanum, Professor Myers. It's called a carrion flower, because instead of being pollinated by bees it uses insects that eat dead animals instead, like Nettie mentioned."

Chloe, ever obedient, struck a pose for the good professor, showing off her suit for him. See? Very stylish, and Derfy had one too now. She also clapped and cheered uproariously for the plant's introduction, mostly for its own sake. Everyone deserved to be cheered on, especially when they smelled a bit awful. Double especially.

"It's a maaaaaagnificent plant, sir, and you're lucky to have one that's so pretty and big and ready to bloom. They usually can go years and years between blooming, so to have one here, like this, is lucky for us all." She bounced on her toes. The Greek name was rather rude, but she didn't think the professor would appreciate her saying so.

A...corpse flower?! Maddie glanced up at the professor with a blank expression. She definitely didn't want to smell the air. She already had her Bubblehead Charm in place, and she was just fine with taking his word about the flower smelling so terrible. She did clap along with him, though. He seemed pretty proud about the flower, and she didn't want him to feel bad about Sir Stinks-a-Lot over there.

In a matter of seconds, he'd jumped toward the flower, nearly tripped on somebody's bag, recovered his balance, and asked a question. MERLIN. He had more energy than she did, and she had a LOT of energy. Anyway, Maddie had already gathered that a Corpse Flower was so special because it stunk. She didn't really know much else about it, though.

She raised her hand. "I'm with Bel, in that I don't really know much about it other than what I see," she said. "It looks huge, though, and I'm guessing there's a lot of potions ingredients somewhere in there." She eyed the huge flower before her, wondering if they were going to have to touch the stinky flower to harvest all of its parts...

SPOILER!!: Emmalyn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birchwoodmom

Emmalyn slowly made her way to Greenhouse 4 that day. The path was a bit icy and she didn't want to fall and damage her supplies before arriving. Once she finally made it to the door, she exhaled deeply with relief. She stepped just inside the greenhouse and noted the face masks and suits. Since she didn't have any known allergies, she grabbed the face mask, leaving the suits for those that were in greater need.

"Hi Professor Myers!" She greeted with a joyous smile on her face. She loved having class with her Head of House and always looked forward to them. Then her eyes fell on Professor Noble. He looked rather less excited to be there than Professor Myers did. She tried not to assume the worst and made sure another bright smile was fixed on her face before extending him a greeting. "Good day to you as well, Professor Noble." Then she gave him a curtsy. Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment, not knowing why in Merlin's beard she did that. She tossed the mask over her face, fully entered the green house, then hustled towards a station to start unloading her required supplies.

The garment that Myers wore was a garish monstrosity, in Noble’s opinion, and as much as the man wearing it had become a good friend, he was struggling not to scowl at the poncho. Instead he started wandering the room as students headed in. Emmalyn was first to join them, and Noble might have been a little bemused at the bow. That…was a new one. “It is morning, yes.” He replied. It’d be better if Paul could have found something a little more, er, subtle, to wear for class.

SPOILER!!: Flynn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sneakeh Cat

Flynn had considered skipping this lesson because really...? He was fine with sitting through a boring Potions class, since he rather enjoyed brewing, but he did not enjoy Herbology. He liked Old Man Myers, yes, but he hated the subject. Figuring that he would get hunted down for skipping, considering he saw BOTH Professors this morning so couldn't pretend to be sick, he trailed his way to the greenhouse.

Ugh. Ugh. UGH.

He made it Greenhouse 4 and was greeted with some ugly Hufflepuff yellow suits, which caused him to wrinkle his nose. His brown eyes diverted to the note and began reading it. Instead of taking a mask, he pulled out his wand and muttered the incantation for the bubblehead charm. Once his head was secured inside the bubble, he proceeded his way into the greenhouse.

"Oi, Myers!" He called out. "I haven't killed the plant you got me yet." That was an achievement, right? He looked over in Noble's direction, giving him a purely innocent look, then went to find a workbench for today's lesson.

Was he surprised to see the Slytherin Prefect there? Perhaps. And he didn’t for even the slightest sliver of a second believe that innocent look. Hands behind his back as he walked, Noble stopped at the boy’s desk. “MagHaz suit for you, Alec, I do believe…”

SPOILER!!: Felicity

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harron Peasley

Felicity would have been annoyed if the joint lesson had been one subject she was taking the NEWT in and one she wasn't, but considering the fact that she needed both Herbology and Potions, this was a time when she didn't mind. In some ways, it was much a case of killing two birds with one stone and she quite enjoyed when subjects were complementary - it made studying easier, if only slightly.

Surprised by the warm air that hit her once she'd entered the greenhouse, the seventh year took a moment to remove the coat she'd been wearing to keep her warm on the way down from the Castle, before reading the note.

"Professor Myers, Professor Nobel," she managed quietly, nodding to each of the teachers in turn before drawing her wand and casting the bubblehead charm on herself. She didn't particularly like having her head encased in a bubble - what little spacial awareness she had was diminished further - but it did beat wearing a mask, she had to admit to herself, making her way to a seat.

Noble had started wandering again by the time the next Slytherin had entered, still avoiding Myers’ gaze. He would NOT look at that horrific poncho. He wouldn’t put it past Myers to have saved the eyesore for this joint class on purpose. “Decent cast, Felicity,” he nodded in greeting as his gaze ran over the bubblehead charm she’d conjured.

SPOILER!!: Anna

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hey Ju

Anna maybe should pretend she was curious and interested about what today's class was going to be about, but honestly she just wanted to go to the Room of Requirements that day. She was, however, pleasantly surprised to find a nice 'tropical' environment in the greenhouse as soon as she stepped in. That already made things a bit more interesting.

She unwrapped her scarf and read the note near some big crazy suit things. Bubblehead Charm? She didn't know her. Anna considered waiting for her brother so he would cast the spell on her, but she couldn't be bothered and so she decided to simply grab one of the masks provided and put it over her face. Yees, do it the Muggle way. She didn't mind it one bit.

"Hello! Hello!" The Gryffindor greeted both professors as she made her way to one of the workstations. She placed her stuff on one of the workbenches and looked around at all of the plants as she pulled out her scarf and removed her cloak.

What was it with overly chipper Gryffindors? Noble bit back a scowl as he watched the girl remove her warm layers. There was certainly no need for those in here. “Hello, Anna.”

SPOILER!!: Chloe

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

SHE WAS SO EXCITED!!!

Herbology was her favorite because it was her Daddy's favorite. So she bounced all the way to Greenhouse four even though is was freezing outside. Once she was in the greenhouse her eyes scanned the plants. "OH GOSH, OH GOSH!!" An excited squeal left her lips as she grabbed one of the masks that were there for them. She would love to have a bobblehead charm, but didn't know how and didn't see any of her housemates yet.

"Hello professors!"

Giving a friendly wave to both she found a place for class.

Now this was an excitable one. Adorable, some might say; some, if they weren’t Noble. He simply eye-rolled at the wave and nodded. “Hello Chloe,” he replied in a much less chipper tone than the one he’d received.

SPOILER!!: Quinn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callie

Quinn stopped at the door to the greenhouse, hugging herself for warmth, and raised an eyebrow at the sign hanging. Grand! She had a feeling she was going to regret not skipping class today. Fortunately, Quinn had opted to leave both her leather jacket and her Phoenix feather in her trunk by her bed, as she was suddenly quite confident they'd have been ruined by the end of this lesson otherwise.

She slipped on a face mask and made her way into the greenhouse. Her ice blue eyes studied the professors each in turn as she made her way to a seat at random without a word. As always, she had to fight to not to let her low opinion of Professor Myers' abomination of a wardrobe from showing on her face, and Quinn quickly began to set up her workstation as a way of distracting herself.

She pulled out the collapsible cauldron Puck had given her, and set it up on the tripod, then removed the old textbook of Puck's, in which every bit of margin seemed filled with scribbled notes and suggestions on how to better brew every potion in it. And once her station was set up, Quinn turned her focus on the plant that seemed to be center stage, both out of curiosity and because it kept her from having to look at the fashion victim that was her Herbology professor.

Quinn’s hurry to distract herself from the Herbology Professor was quite probably what caught Noble’s eye from across the room, given she was otherwise silent. And whilst he appreciated the preparation of her workstation, there was a glaring error, and it was enough to earn the first year a scowl. “A collapsible cauldron is one, not standard first year equipment,” his voice cut across the room, “and two, is not the pewter one you were asked to bring. I suggest you go get the proper equipment pronto.” Too bad it was even further for the Ravenclaw to go with the class being held outside. For a bookworm, she needed to learn to pay attention to the proper details.

SPOILER!!: Chloe

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Chloe was conflicted... should she wear the cool magical suit, or should she work on her bubblehead charm? It wasn't a spell that she knew that well, but she really ought to stretch herself... right? On the other hand, the suit was nifty.

Yeah. The suit.

Chloe pulled on the MagHaz suit before padding into the greenhouse. There were stations set up around a mysterious plant, and Chloe planted herself near the front. The better to see the plant and the professors and maybe get to do something coooool. "Good DAY to you, Professor Myers and Professor Noble. And it is a good day, even when it's cold." Just so they knew.

If he was surprised by Chloe opted for the suit, he didn’t show it. Instead he simply looked rather peeved at the insistence that it was in fact a good day. It hadn’t even reached lunchtime yet, and he was questioning the proposition. He was going to blame Myers’ poncho. “Morning, Chloe,” he replied.

SPOILER!!: Daehyun

Quote:

Originally Posted by debpetrisor

Daehyun had been absolutely disgusted when he'd read that he'd have to bring toenail clippings. Whatever for?!

But still, he was looking forward to the joint class. It would be fun to watch the two polar opposites teach the same class, and it only confirmed it as he stepped inside the greenhouse. He had to bite his lips to keep himself from smiling at the sight of the two professors, one like literal sunshine, and the other- not so much shine there. "Hello, professors," he greeted, before moving to grab a mask and settling at a workstation next to Quinn, whom he'd greeted with a smile - hidden behind the mask - and a nod.

The lesson seemed as though it would be dangerous. And he loved it.

It was starting to get quite busy, and Noble found himself right near the door – which on reflection, seemed like a poor choice indeed. He meanders back through the desks now, passing Daehyun on the way. “Morning,” he said with a nod. Maybe the boy could take a leaf from Quinn’s book, and start getting set up. Just with the correct cauldron.

SPOILER!!: Maddie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Maddie was super excited about the pairing of Potions and Herbology classes! She really enjoyed both classes and to have them together was probably going to be really fun! The temperature and appearance of the greenhouse was a welcome change for the Hufflepuff, who had been freezing just moments earlier. She saw the professors a few steps ahead, but she stopped to double-check that she'd brought everything required before she went any further. She even had a jar of toenail clippings---ewww---in her hands.

After a good read of the notice on the door, Maddie finished the walk inside, putting her within conversation's reach of her two professors. "Hello, Professor Noble!" she said, her eyes falling on the Potions professor first. Then she saw her Head-of-House and greeted him, too. "Hello, Professor Myers!" That was as nice and proper as she could greet them, a manner she'd chosen because one of them was her Head of House and the other put up with zero percent nonsense.

On that note, she headed toward one of the seats toward the front of the horseshoe and began setting up her materials. "Viseo Ebullio!" she said, waving her wand around her head. A bubble appeared, and then the third year went on about her business setting things up again.

A jar of nail clippings? Apparently the girl’s enthusiasm knew no bounds. Wouldn’t a small vial have been quite sufficient? Noble raised an eyebrow at the jar on the table, before moving his gaze back to the Hufflepuff. “Hello, Maddie.”

SPOILER!!: Ronan

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty

At first, Ronan had considered skipping this class. But, there was the pesky matter of the badge on his chest. Plus, he actually liked Professor Meyers, so there was that. So, it was with trepidation that he made his way to Greenhouse Four wearing his uniform and the same sunglasses from Charms class just a couple of days previously. And yes, he had the requested toenail clippings (ugh, why though?!).

Reaching the greenhouse, he took in the sign and debated its significance for a minute. He knew that there were no pumpkins or limes in the greenhouse since it mostly contained the more dangerous plants and they weren't typically considered dangerous. So, what was with the note? Was this Professor Noble's incredibly juvenile attempt at embarrassing him in retaliation for the whole potions lab incident? Because Ronan found it odd that he'd never heard another word about it from the professor. But, wasn't he suffering enough from that? He felt he was (see the punching-bag-delivered black eye he was sporting for one thing).

Deciding to be defiant, the most like himself he'd been in days now, he entered the greenhouse under a Bubble-Head Charm. He saw no pumpkins or limes, thank goodness, nor did he see a good reason for the charm, but that was probably because he couldn't smell the scents the plants were giving off. He could, however feel the tropical atmosphere that made him glad that he'd jogged out here coatless, as per his usual when going to class. Anyway, he chose a seat as far away from Professor Noble and a certain Slytherin as possible, but yet one where he could still be a part of class. "Hey, Professor Myers," he started in the same flat tone he'd been speaking in. "Professor Noble."

Ah, the Head Boy had arrived…and not for the first time this term, decided to ignore instructions. There was a hint of a smirk on Noble’s lips as he made a pointed walk in that direction. See, Noble quite liked to see what students were up to, especially where the students thought they were hidden or untouchable. Hands still behind his back he leant over Ronan’s desk just to ensure he couldn’t be missed. “After that little pumpkin incident last term, I’d put a MagHaz suit on if were you.” Because no, this wasn’t about the potions lab incident. But it did have everything to do with the fact that Ronan felt above even basic personal protective equipment before Halloween last year, and Noble would quite like to keep his job. How the boy even survived breakfast remained a mystery to him.

SPOILER!!: Stasya

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

The joint lesson only made Stasya the tiniest bit more interested in attending a Potions lesson than usual. Considering that, toenail clippings aside, she could always hope the Herbology part meant they wouldn’t be dealing with any animal parts. Any possibility that creatures wouldn’t have been harmed for the reason of them learning a potions was positive in her mind, and she knew quite well that Professor Noble would probably expect her to think that. Still, she didn’t think he was so cruel as to hold the lesson simply to get back at her for all the previous lesson problems. She did try to make most of the potions they learned, after all. She just questioned a lot of the ingredients most of the time.

Well, there had been that one mandrake lesson. She’d mostly forgiven Professor Myers for that, though, so she’d had a smile on her face as she’d made her way into Greenhouse Four. Bubblehead charm in place since she felt like practicing her charms work was better than falling back to using the Muggle masks and stuff. Plus, she didn’t have any sever allergies anyway. “Good day, Professor Myers, Professor Noble,” she said, settling herself into an open seat to wait for the lesson to start.

Stasya would likely find herself disappointed, since the lesson did involve some ground up insect parts…and a few other er, interesting, ingredients. Noble was actually rather looking forward to see how the students reacted later. For now though, he greeted with a nod. “Stasya.”

SPOILER!!: Zoryn

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Zoryn Spinnet did NOT want to be here. Having to go to each lesson individually was enough pain and torture. But TOGETHER? Who in their right mind was sadistic enough to think that THIS would be a good idea? Literally WHO!?!?! Make yourself known because you're about to get hexed into the next century!!!!!

Honestly. While some may have seen this as the opportunity to rip the bandaid off, so to speak, Zoryn just found it to be DOUBLE the TORTURE.

And what was up with these weird suits? Ughhhhhhhh. Could they just leave now?

Unfortunately, Zoryn was trying to get her broom back which meant that she not only had to attend the lessons now, but she also had to somewhat try. U G H x2. So with much reluctancy, the Gryffindor donned the stupid, yellow, urine-cup-looking suit and marched her way inside. "This has got to qualify as some sort of cruel and unusual punishment," was all she had to say in greeting to both of her Professors. No offense. Actually, ALL THE OFFENSE.

Ah, Zoryn. Zoryn, Zoryn. He’d spent far too long in the girl’s company last term, and apparently she was feeling as stubborn about class as ever. Good to know she wasn’t much of a fan of smiley Myers over there either though. “I can offer you a remedial class if you’d prefer,” he replied, the corner of his lip curling upwards.

SPOILER!!: Leesha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonea

Woah! It was actually warm, finally! She did not really liked it to work with plants, she simply had no feeling for it but, now that the Herbology lesson was combined with the potion lesson she… Was curious. Was it going to be fun anyway? Turning around to look more closely she spotted the two professors and she smiled friendly, ”hello professors, it’s interesting to have a lesson like this” she said, still smiling because, it was interesting. But when she saw the face masks and the recommendations for the protective charms she sighed, this promised a lot of work and honestly, she did not really liked it to work with dangerous plants, not even if she needed to use them for her potions lesson… Uttering a soft sigh she used the bubblehead charm because she trusted magic more than a simple mask.

Interesting was one of the aims, yes. But it couldn’t exactly be unexpected. Potions and herbology were pretty closely aligned as subjects. Noble grumbled. “Hello, Leesha,” he said simply.

SPOILER!!: Hattie

Quote:

Originally Posted by RachieRu

Herbology and potions. Two of her favourite subjects. A joint lesson too. This was going to be great. Knowing that the greenhouses were probably going to be warm, Hattie hadn't worn coat. Deciding to instead use a heating charm to keep herself warm as she walked down to the greenhouses. It was much better option that leaving her coat to get dirty, or somewhere where she might forget it. The girl smiled to herself, looking forward to see what might happen today. Herbology was always interesting so she knew it would be good. She tilted her head to the side as she read the sign. "Interesting...." she mused, pulling her wand out and performing the bubble head charm. She also took a mask too, slipping it into the pocket of her robes. She didn't know what they'd be doing, and it might be that at some point the mask would be more practical that the charm.
And then she headed inside. "Hi Professor Myers. Hi Professor Noble!" The prefect greeted with a smile. She really was looking forward to this lesson. She looked around to see if any of her friends were there, giving Flynn a wave, before she decided to go sit with Felicity. "Hey Liss" She murmured with a smile. Today was going to be good.

Noble didn’t think much of most of the prefects, honestly, but Hattie was a choice he fully supported. She was diligent and enthusiastic, and quite frankly, more of his students would do well to follow her lead. The slightest of smiles came onto his face. “Morning, Hattie.”

SPOILER!!: Bel

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

Bel was aware that a lot of kids didn't like potions because they felt Noble was too intimidating and scary, but she quite liked it, and him, because it always felt like no matter what, you were going to be in safe hands. He knew what he was doing, you know? And that was a relief to the Hufflepuff girl, given most of the time, in a lot of the subjects, she had zero clue whatsoever, even when she tried her best. And combining Potions and Herbology? Well that was just bonza! She opted not to go for one of those hazma....maghaz suits because she was pretty sure it would limit her dexterity too much, and instead donned her gloves and one of the face masks. Bubble head charms were kind of beyond her actually so the mask was the only option that worked for her without bothering a professor or older kid to teach her or do it for her.

She stopped a little inside the doorway and took note of the layout of the room. LOOK at that plant! Was that where the pungent smell was coming from? Also, it was delightfully WARM in here, right up Bel's alley! So all in all, she was intrigued, and incredibly happy to be there.

"Hello professors!" Both of them. Was that okay to say hello inclusively? Just in case it wasn't, Bel shot each of them a cheerful smile and then hurried over to sit down. This was gonna be great!

And another enthusiastic Hufflepuff wasn’t far behind. “Hello Bel,” he replied, not at all worried by the joint greeting.

SPOILER!!: Daisy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginevra

Daisy entered the greenhouse and gave a smile to both professors. "Hello, Professor Myers and Professor Noble." She then aimed her wand at her face and moving it in a counter-clockwise direction, said, "Viseo Ebullio." She didn't suffer from any allergies, so she decided not to don a MagHaz suit. Daisy quickly made her way to an unoccupied station and began to set up.

And it was a deluge of Hufflepuffs it seemed, as Daisy completed a trio. “Morning, Daisy,” he greeted, now starting to make his way to the back of the class. Myers was introducing their topic today, and he felt no need to be in the vicinity of the dreaded poncho sooner than he absolutely needed to.

SPOILER!!: Jessa

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

The warning was ineffective...to say the least.

The moment she'd read the sign that gave permission to proceed at her own risk, the cogs in the Ravenclaw's mind began turning. What would happen? How severe was it? What sort of reaction would occur? Was it airborne? Would the symptoms be long lasting? Minimally damaging? Hospital Wing worthy?--probably not. The Professors would never allow the students to make that decision themselves if it was something truly life threatening.

Largely more curious about whatever this mystery was than what the actual lesson was, Jessa walked into the greenhouse just as she was. The warming charm she'd placed on herself during the walk over was removed but that was about it. She was ready and waiting for whatever to happen.

"Hello Professor Myers.....Professor Noble." The Sixth Year was almost distracted as she looked about. Was it happening yet?

Would she feel it when whatever it was started?

It didn’t surprise him that it’d be this particular Ravenclaw that would shun the protective masks and want to see for herself. If the Ravenclaw was after something dangerous, she’d be sorely disappointed however. Especially since it appeared the girl had no sense of smell whatsoever…as far as Noble had seen she’d barely reacted to the pungent, putrid smell on the air. Maybe she should see about getting that seen to.

SPOILER!!: Vivian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

Vivian kinda didn't want to be back to school after the break. She was very much enjoying the time when she didn't have to deal with homework and classes and prefect duties. All Flynn Kowalski's fault, but still... sometimes she felt it was necessary that she avoid certain stuff. But it was Herbology and Vivian really liked the class even if it had to be a shared lesson with Potions today.

Let's be really honest, though. Vivian felt really weird bringing her recent nail clippings today. Kinda gross, and also kinda clueless because this wasn't Divination at all. The Head Girl cringed a little bit when she noticed that smell. GROSS. This wasn't a great way to start the year, she figured, but well... she'd give it a try. After placing a bubblehead charm on herself, Vivian entered the greenhouse and offered polite smiles to the men in front. "Good day, professors," the blond greeted and went to sit by Liss and Hattie. "Hi." She missed them during the break, just saying.

Also hi, Coleslaw.

See…that’s how one was supposed to react. Yup, Noble had seen that involuntarily cringe from the Head Girl. And apparently people were going to insist he had a good morning. Maybe he would, if they all paid attention and did as he asked of them. “Hello, Vivian.”

SPOILER!!: Derf

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Derf was feeling...a little indifferent to today's joint lesson. Neither excited nor dreading it, but seeing as these two subjects were ones that he was not particularly GOOD in for one reason or another...well, there was a neutral stance he was trying to keep himself on for the time being as he clutched his little bag of toe nail clippings from the doxy he was tending too because he had needed to start clipping it's claws so it wouldn't scratch everything up and stepped into the greenhouse.

W O A H. And he thought Professor Vance's classroom was potent. Woowzers.

Not even giving it all a second thought, Derf quickly slipped on one of the suits that reminded him of the ones he had seen muggles wear in toxic waste situations and crime scenes from his dad's crime shows and then waddled like a penguin further inside. He still couldn't do a proper Bubblehead Charm anyway, so it was a win-win all around.

Coming to a stop beside Chloe - who was also wearing one of these neat suits - he offered the Ravenclaw a wave and a grin before turning his attention to the professors.....and the plant. Did it have to be a big one? Couldn't they just work with honking daffodils sometime? Crossbreed there on sort of musical plants and create a flora orchestra?

"Good day, professors," he greeted nervously.

There might have been a chuckle under his breath at the Hufflepuff prefect. Hopefully Derfael could still pay attention under that MagHaz suit, because goodness knows he was sloppy enough as was.

SPOILER!!: Rylee

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

Mixing an Herbology and Potion's lesson together had Rylee practically wiggling in excitement from the very moment she found out about it. She loved flowers and plants and everything that went along with the subject. Tossing potions into the mix was no doubt going to be interesting and she could hardly wait until to find out what they were going to be doing. Having to bring a small container containing toenail clippings didn't even bother her, clearly they would be using those in a potion of some sort. At least that was the most logical guess she could come up with.

Dressed warmly and taking the trip down to green house four a little more slowly due to the icy conditions of the day, Rylee was still sporting a smile. Spotting the note near the door she paused to read it quickly. "Face masks or bubble head charm.. suits if needed?" Wicked! This had to mean they were doing something awesome! What plants were they going to be working with? Was it dangerous? What potion were they going to be brewing? If someone messed up would the results be disastrous?

Pulling out her wand she quickly tried casting the bubble head charm on herself. She knew the incantation and the wand movement having learned it from Nathan a few months back. However she was still lacking in the effectiveness of how well it worked whenever she did manage to actually fully cast the charm.. which wasn't often. Today wasn't one of those days were it worked for her either. Perhaps that was for the best in case the charm wore off way to soon anyhow. Grabbing one of the face masks she slipped it on and returned her wand to it's holster.

Entering the rather warm greenhouse she removed her hat and gloves slipping them into her bag. "Hello, professors! I can't wait to see what we're learning today!" she chirped excitedly giving both Myers and Noble a wave since they couldn't see her bright smile behind the face mask she was wearing.

Finding an empty spot at one of the workbenches, Rylee sat down and began to set up her work station as normal. Only today she had both her potions things and her herbology's to set out, her bag was then laid beneath her seat.

Now that she was ready to began she was able to take a better look around at all the plants.

Rylee was certainly chipper this morning, despite her failed bubblehead attempt. “Morning, Rylee,” Noble responded with a grunt. Nope, he wasn’t going to wave, he wasn’t that far away.

SPOILER!!: Max

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waterloo

Herbology and Potions were perhaps two of his least favourite lessons. Herbology was often messy and usually resulted in dirty fingernails. Not to mention the humidity in the greenhouses made him feel sweaty and gross. And as for Potions….? Professor Noble was kind of terrifying.

So yep, Max wasn’t exactly thrilled to learn that today’s class was going to be a joint one.

Bubblehead charms weren’t a problem for him. Nor did he have any allergies. Still, he decided to sport one of the MagHaz suits…. Firstly, because they looked cool and secondly because it definitely made him feel a bit safer.

It wasn’t exactly easy to manoeuvre though, so rather than navigate awkwardly to sit beside a friend, he had no choice but to flop into the nearest available seat. The Professors didn’t get a greeting from him today…… Not because was being rude or anything, but because he was keeping an eye on that large plant. He didn’t trust it, okay?

As far as he knew, Max didn’t have any allergies to worry about, so Noble was bemused by the choice of suit. Did he think the plant was going to eat him or something? What a ridiculous thought.

SPOILER!!: Skylar

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Potions she could deal with; for one, she kind of felt obligated given the Professor Noble's connection to her family. Two, the subject could be quite useful given her wide berth of career options. But having it as a joint with Herbology? Okay so it was quite common for plants to be used in potions, but that didn't mean she wanted to harvest the plants herself. She was okay with collecting them from a jar.

Also the fact that she needed toenail clippings was kind of disgusting. But she did have them and as she entered the greenhouse, the pungent smell filling her nostrils, she cast the bubblehead charm on herself. It was way too warm in here to be wearing that suit and she didn't have any allergies.

Glancing around for where to sit, she spotted Felicity and Vivian, given them a friend smile, but the person who she wanted to see was right next to them. Convenient. Wedging in next to her Hufflepuff, she swallowed pangs of guilt about what had happened just before Christmas and slid a note into her hand, before shifting her gaze up at the Professors.

Text Cut: note

Meet me in the Prefect's Bathroom after class? We should talk.

xoxo, S

The Slytherin Captain had made it just in time, and it was probably a good thing Noble was already reaching for his wand to shut the door else he might have spotted that note…

SPOILER!!: Septimus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

Joint class…fun.

Herbology and potions did kinda go hand in hand, with a lot of assorted plants providing ingredients for brewing. Septimus was kinda wondering if the dungeons would have made a nicer point of meet-up than the greenhouses in early January though. However, as he approached and entered Greenhouse Four, the second year was reminded he need not worry about cold temperatures, loosening the scarf around his neck in the humid temperature.

Everything so green…and viney…and somewhat smelly.

Septimus read the posted note, grabbing a mask for his option. He wasn’t allergic to anything to his knowledge. Wouldn’t have really wanted to wear the suit regardless though, looking all weird and cumbersome to him. The Ravenclaw had slipped the mask on his head, though not in place just yet, when he came to the professors. Two sides of a very different coin. “Good day, Professors,” he greeted politely though didn’t dwell too much. Didn’t want Noble at least to be bothered by his presence, instead finding a spot and putting on the mask.

“Same to you, Septimus,” Noble replied, checking his watch. He hated starting things late, and they had lots to get through today.

SPOILER!!: Kye

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dokimoto

Potions was... whatever... but Herbology was one of those subjects that had never grown on Kye. Uhm. No pun intended. Kye had made her way out to the greenhouse, and the first thing she saw were the big suits. Haaaaaaaaa they were joking right?? Kye imagined the upcoming 'Build Your Own Poisonous Plant' lesson... Face mask sure, but bubblehead charms were still giving her flashbacks to the Great Lake 'fiasco'. Kye grabbed a mask and headed to the clearing.

"Hello... Professors," she greeted once she saw them. Kye had to do her best to stifle a laugh. Professors Myer and Noble were night and day, and that visual was almost expected... but seeing Professor Noble looking so serious with a bubblehead charm on was a fantastic sight! Would she really have to look at him like that the whole time? She just let the smile sit on her face before finding a vacant burner. Hi friends!

“Morning,” Noble greeted, oblivious to what caused that ridiculous goofy smile on her face. Noble looked at Myers now from the far corner of the classroom. Time to move on, right?

SPOILER!!: ”Nettie”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom

Nettie wrinkled her nose at the smell of the corpse flower. YUCK. If she was sitting any closer to the flower, she might have found herself gagging. She didn't really know anything about corpse flowers, although she'd heard about them before. She raised her hand after flipping through her textbook and looking for the chapter on corpse flowers and giving it a little skim.

"Well, corpse flowers all smell terrible, which is why only flies and gross beetles want to pollinate them or go anywhere near them," she said. Did that sound rude and uppity? Oops.

And he might have been in the corner…but he had seen that wrinkling of the nose, as if she’d only just realised the stench. Well it was good to know she was finally fully awake. “Did someone not bother to read the sign on the way in?” he asked.

Otherwise though, this was Myers’ domain. So he just folded his arms across his chest, and leant back to enjoy the excitable man at work.

Having set all of her items out and making sure her mask was on as snug as possible, Emmalyn grabbed her parchment to jot down notes about the corpse flower. She really had no idea what the thing was, other than a big, stinky, plant. However, she was excited to find out what they would be doing with it.

Then something she had read earlier that year came to her. She rose her hand and waited her turn "Sir, isn't a corpse flower really more of a plant with a lot of individual flowers? Or, maybe it was mini flowers covered by large leaves?" After she answered, she immediately regretted it. Attempting to recall random facts from late night studying didn't always turn out as well as she meant for them to.

"Eh, I've been better," he answered Professor Meyers in that same flat tone. It was true, after all. That, and he wasn't really into talking about it with a whole bunch of people around.

The dressing down of Quinn, whom he was convinced thought herself above it all, almost got a chuckle out of Ronan. That was, until Noble got to him. Really? Was he planning on springing pumpkins or limes on them? Because that was kind of cruel. If he'd had the warning before, he would've skipped class. That smirk earned the potions professor a glare from the Head Boy, one that was thankfully hidden by the dark sunglasses, before he turned wordlessly to get one of the MagHaz (why the fancy name? why not just call it a HazMat suit like the Muggles?) suits and quickly slipped it on. Though, the helmet caused two problems. One, he would have to remove his Bubble-Head Charm before he put it on, exposing his nostrils to the smell and two, he would also have to remove his sunglasses, exposing his black eye to the classroom. But, he did enjoy living as much as his life sucked right now, so that's what he did, gagging slightly as the smell hit his nose briefly.

It would be great if the fates, or whoever, stopped trying to find ways to kill him now, thanks. Also, if anyone dared make fun of his eye, his wand was at the ready.

Now in the ridiculous suit, Ronan made his way back to his station just in time for Professor Meyers' question. "They can grow to be up to eight feet tall and 13 feet wide, though there was one that grew to be ten feet tall. Some call it the Sumatran Century Flower, since it blooms very rarely." was his flat-toned answer.

..............a WHAT?

Derf was GAPING at Chloe when she mentioned them being LUCKY right now - though he got that this was way more her thing than his. (....and had Ronan had a go with the Whomping Willow?). And while Derf couldn't REALLY smell anything anymore...he was pretty sure he could figure out how it got the name CORPSE flower since it smelled like a decaying body...and likely GREW out of one. His mind had already been unraveling about caves and protection surrounding them in a historical context, which meant that he had spiraled all the way to thinking about inferi which then meant he had started freaking out about Jessa and her SOMEHOW getting approval to study NECROMANCY here at Hogwarts and on her OWN with her OWN LAB with WHO KNEW what was going on there because Jessa was REALLY REALLY GOOD AT KEEPING SECRETS SOMETIMES....So while the Hufflepuff had, mostly, moved on from his theory that the Herbology professor was a Dark Lord...this was not helping.

At all.

And the pained expression of a true grin and bear it moment showed that quite vividly.

But one thing for certain was that the plant was MASSIVE and with corpse in the name it was easy for the fifth year to be brought back to that little boy sitting in the living room watching mum's flesh eating shrub massacre the family dog.

Which was why his hand shot up to ask an all important question - because something THAT massive surely needed something quite substantial to maintain itself, right? Other plants like trees and such fleeing his mind in the moment as his heart drummed wildly in his chest. "..........is it carnivorous?" he asked, taking a step AWAY from everything.

Corpse flower. Yep, he'd smelled it, alright. Actually, he liked the flower. It was pretty. If only it weren't for the smell... but really, it was nothing he couldn't handle until the end of the class. And it was in full bloom, yay? Daehyun clapped a couple of times to not leave professor Myers alone, he had the man's back.

... though he didn't know what to do to stop him from killing himself with all that excitement.

Now, he wasn't sure what uses it had, and he had an inkling that they'd be using some parts of it in a potion, but he was curious of something, so he raised his hand. "How old is this flower, professor? I know it takes up to ten years to bloom." And possibly another ten until it bloomed again. Which was kind of awesome as he thought about it. Some generations at Hogwarts probably wouldn't catch it in full bloom.

Ahh corpse flower. She had smelt it that's for sure, but it hadn't registered right away what the smell was coming from. It reminded Kye of the plant in that one musical... Little Shop of Horrors... but she knew it was different. Lydia's response caused Kye's face to scrunch up a bit. Ew... Finally, raising her hand, Kye spoke up with her vast (hahaha yea right) knowledge on the thing. "I think it was first seen in the rainforests of like, Indonesia or somewhere... Isn't it true that the uhm... aroma... gets worse at night time?" she asked. If she was remembering that correctly, she was VERY glad this class wasn't at night. ...Also perhaps she would grab the suit offered simply to try to fend off the smell, even if she wasn't actually allergic to anything in here. Kye couldn't help but wonder what exactly they would be doing with the nails they were told to bring... She was liking this class less and less.

Harriet frowned a little as she looked at the note from Sky. They hadn't really talked since christmas, and well, she didn't need to focus on that now. She had a lesson to pay attention to. A lesson that was just starting now. She put the note in her bag to look at later. For now, she was going to concentrate on the lesson. Something could totally come up in their exams, and she really did not want to miss it. Not at all. She didn't want to fail any of her exams, even if she didn't really need the exam results to help get into university.

Corpse flower. Lovely. Whilst Hattie enjoyed herbology, she did not like the sound of that plant. She tilted her head to the side, looking over the plant. She'd heard of it, having done a bit of reading about it during her herbology studying. That was pretty helpful actually. She smiled, as she put her hand up into the air. "They are native to Sumatra and Western Java, but some botanists cultivate them in their botanical gardens" which was pretty cool actually.

Absolutely nothing was happening. It'd been several seconds of standing there leaving her to think whatever it was was slow acting or--Merlin's beard. What had started out as her nose still adjusting to no longer having that bubble head charm on from the walk across the grounds (to help filter out the cold air) quickly turned into a full on assault on her nostrils, but you'd never know unless you caught the way her nose scrunched and twitched for the briefest moment. Her sense of smell may very well have been temporarily shot to hell, presumably saving her the brunt of that odor.

She may have asked if THAT was what the protective masks were for, finding it not so entirely unbearable after a morning spent with formaldehyde but it seemed the Professor had a question of his own, about her well being no less.

The Ravenclaw cocked her head, fixing the man with a rather curious look. "Of course, Professor. Perfectly neutral right now." Strange of him to ask. "Preoccupied maybe, but I think I may have answered my own question." No rash, no hives, no unbearable coughing, no organ failure, no hysteria, no hallucinations. It had to be the smell. Overbearing as it was, it wasn't enough to send her back to the door for a mask. It was perfectly manageabl--corpse plant?

Blue eyes flickered from the man to the plant in question. Large and containing one of her favourite words. Jessa silently observed the plant while the others shared what they knew but she found that the more she heard was the less impressed she was.

Corpse plant because things that liked dead things pollinated it basically. "What're the benefits of such a plant, Professor? Potions wise." She had no use for it from a herbological standpoint.

The Corpse Flower!

Rylee practically wiggled in excitement, her blue eyes following Myers towards the flower/plant being spoken of. Seeing one up close and getting to experience it blooming was a real treat indeed! So much so that she clapped happily along with Myers as he introduced the plant. Yes, yes, she was just as excited as the professor about this. Truthfully flowers and plants in general got her excited but this was special... a rare treat as the man had said. These flowers bloomed only once every so many years, sometimes five or six years or sometimes even decades.

Smiling brightly which was hidden by the face mask, Rylee raised her hand. "The Corpse Flower is really a flowering plant like Emmalyn said, Professor. It consists of clusters of blooms the encircle the base of the spadix in two rings, one ring being 'female' flowers and the other ring being 'male' flowers. These flowers are protected by the spathe... which is a large frilly looking leaf."

All her research on flowers and plants was really paying off right now. She wasn't in to much need of taking notes at the very moment because she knew all that was being said already but this was all thanks to her love of the subject. Right now all her attention was on that gorgeous flower/plant.

It looked scary. It looked ugly. It smelled disgusting.

That's all Maxton knew about this so-called corpse flower. If you could even call that thing a flower. Weren't flowers supposed to be pretty? Derf's question about it being carnivorous had him on edge too. Is that why it was called CORPSE flower? Because it ate PEOPLE?

The nervous Slytherin shuffled back a few inches.

No thank you.

Staring at the two teachers she frowned, she indeed had brought some of her toenails but why she had needed to did had been a mystery to her, she only had hoped that she didn’t needed to work with the nails of OTHER people because, if that would be the case, then she would quit the lesson, that was something she knew for sure… But when she listened to the professor her frown deepened, of course she had smelled the flower, it was more the question who hadn’t smelled it because it had been worse than her father’s farts and THAT was something what had impressed her! But about the question about the ugly smelling flower… She had no idea, it wasn’t that she did not wanted to answer, it was just… She really never had been interested in herbology and she truly had no idea…

Professor Myers sure was happy to see him, his returned greeting enthusiastic. Though he couldn’t say Professor Noble’s own was too disappointing. Polite but different. Soon enough, class was begun and they were introduced to the first smelly plant. A corpse flower. Yeah, that name fit the smell for sure, one of a rotting corpse. Or at least how he supposed one might have actually smelled if he had any actual experience in the matter.

He offered the herbology professor some claps for the bloom, not wanting to disappoint but he couldn’t find an answer. He didn’t know anything about said flower. Well other than the fact that it, of course, smelled unpleasant. Septimus simply remained quiet, letting his classmates speak and ask any questions they themselves had in mind. Surely they would be finding out all they needed to know during the course of the lesson…or for homework.

Eh, that must explain why the smell almost made her vom just outside the greenhouse. If anything, even the slightest weird scents made Vivian's stomach tumble around like a washing machine. But she figured that maybe it did have some use for potion-making. This was a joint lesson, so the plant must have potential ingredients attached to it like its leaves and... roots.

And fruits, too, apparently. That was interesting.

What Vivian knew about the plant, though, was mostly clouded by what she had smelled before entering the greenhouse. Well, besides the fact that it looked like a thing, but you know. She wasn't going to mention that. The Head Girl raised her hand. "It smells like rotten egg and death, sir." As the name suggests.

Stomach still doing the washing machine thing.

“Well you’re not wrong there, dear,” Paul winked at her a big, ignoring Noble’s snide remark to the girl. He was rather amused at his teaching partner’s snark. Heh!



“Weeeellll the frilly bit is actually called a spathe...I guess you could call it a petal, almost. It encases the innermost bits. The pistil and the fruits when the fruits come out. But most do call it ‘the frill.’” He explained. “The spike is also part of the bloom. The pistil part.” He wondered if he needed to go over flower anatomy...again….maybe it would have been a good refresher for some of them?



Uuuuuhhhhhh Paul chuckled a little. “Ummmm the fruits...well, if we were to eat them, we’d die. It’d be the last thing you ever ate. Most animals would die too.” Yeaaaah don’t feed your pets these berries, kiddos.



Paul nodded and gave a little one-clap to Abra?? Abey? Paul hated Abra. It sounded like the beginning of the fake muggle spell...but if the boy wanted to be...called that….

“Very good, Mr. Botros!” Paul avoided le name, smiling. “It blooms for the FIRST time after seven years, usually, but after that can bloom every 3 to nine years.” They were very rare and special indeed. DID THEY NOT REALIZE THEY WERE IN FOR A REAL TREAT TODAY? A STINKY TREAT? LUCKY!



He nodded at Lydia who had some very good stuff to say indeed. He wouldn’t uh...go into detail about the origins of the name of the flower, but some of them had probably done their own research, or would be doing so shortly. “Yesss! Very good!”



No, he wouldn’t. Don’t don’t DON’T, CHLOEKETTLEBURN.

“You’re right. You all ARE lucky--the smell isn’t so bad--” Paul had no bubble-head charm on. No mask, nothing. He was just fine, see? He loved this flower!



“Well, context clues indeed, m’dear--” he smiled and gestured at Professor Noble. “You’re correct! But you’ll see in just a few minutes-- yes--HOLD YOUR ABRAXANS FOLKS!”



Paul smiled at her attempt because an attempt at all was better than no attempt! He enjoyed back and forth discussion in class! “Well...yes and no. There’s many little berries once the bloom opens fully...the flower comes and then the berries... “ it was kind of confusing. Corpse flowers were anatomically confusing! But it wasn’t like he would make them label them or anything. In fact, the potions part of this class would be far more important.



Hmmm...something was off with Ronan, but he’d check with the Gryffindor after class sometime. He eyed him going to get a suit just because Noble recommended it. Was there a...history there? Had Noble suggested the suits for this reason? He would have to ask Noble later, too, about that. He gave the boy a thumbs up once he was suited up, though, and continued.

“All very correct, m’boy!” he cried cheerfully.



Paul had expected this question! “Well, it is in the textbook--but as we’re introducing you to the flower now--” He smiled, not unkindly, in Derf’s direction. “It functions like most other plants. Sunlight, soil, and water is all it needs to survive. In a tropical location, of course.” So no carnivorous tendencies!



“Sumatra to be exact! A little island in Indonesia.” He nodded at her getting that correct! “And two for two---also correct! They stink more at night...AND AND AND -- “ he bubbled up in excitement here because THIS fact was AMAAAAAZING! “The CORPSE FLOWER CAN RAISE ITS TEMPERATURE TO MIMIC THAT OF A DEAD BODY!” Wasn’t that just COOL? “So those beetles and flies are fooled even MORE!”



Paul nodded at the Hufflepuff prefect. “Yes yes! Mostly in the tropical climates of Sumatra...Java...but you CAN cultivate them elsewhere with the proper care. This pant would have withered and died if it felt the cold outside of this greenhouse.”



Paul laughed. “Ah ah, ahaahhh, Jessa Cambridge---not just yet, Missy,” he winked. “Let us follow our lesson plan, Professor Noble, shall we?” he smirked at the professor. “In due time, Miss Cambridge.”


Well wasn’t Rylee just a walking textbook right now??? Paul chuckled a little and moved to pat her head. “Yes. All correct. But we won’t be needing to go into that much detail about the flower today.”



…….Paul didn’t catch the shuffle, nor did he notice anything remotely concerning! His eyes passed over Max...since he didn’t have his hand raised...



Weeeeeeellllll anyone??? Paul looked around. “Anyone else have anything to say?” Since a few were being quiet for now. But that was all right.



Paul looked round for some more raised hands ANYONEEEEE?….and his eyes merely by coincidence caught Septimus’...but the boy had nothing to say? Paul smiled encouragingly, but he wouldn’t nag at kiddos. If they didn’t want to answer, they didn’t have to! As long as they participated later, took good notes, and paid attention, he was satisfied!



Well.

Duh.

Paul….laughed. “The smell problem will be solved quite soon everyone, don’t worry!” he said quickly. “No one throw up, please!”



Paul heard the little exchange between Noble and Quinn, and he quickly smiled as he made his way over to Quinn. “Weeeelllll Quinn….you’re trying to surpass your year, I see!” he chuckled and patted Noble on the back. “Unfortunately, Professor is right...and you need a PEWTER cauldron for today...but I hate to see you run all the way to Ravenclaw tower...any extra we can summon from the Potions lab, Noble?’ he asked softly. He didn’t want anyone to miss that much of class!

Ahem.

*Awk-ward*




OOC: ps. Beth's post will move us on ^__^ still time to catchup folks!

There was a glimmer of amusement playing on Noble's lips as he surveyed the class from the back of the clearing. They looked a right motley assortment, between the bubbles, masks and bodysuits. And it was somewhat reassuring to know that the students didn't only bring their incompetence to the potions classroom to grate on his nerves. Surely by fourth year they should have got the basic anatomy of a flower down?

Grumbling happened. Especially when Prefect Eagle decided to chip in. Of course there were plenty of parts to harvest (here's looking at you, Maddie) and use in potions. Eye-rolling happened, and he was glad Paul deflected the question for now. Sure, it was interesting to see how his eccentric colleague approached teaching, especially with a philosophy so far down the opposite of the of spectrum to his own, but Noble wasn't just here to look pretty at the back.

But at least Ronan took the hint. A smile curled on the corner of his lips, although truth be told, he had to wonder of the boy wasn't ill. He'd seemed to have lost his usual wreckless spunk. It was almost disappointing not to have yet taken any points from the Gryffindor. Of course, Alec had yet still to get suited and booted.

And why, exactly, were Derfael and Maxton edging away from the plant like it might suddenly grow teeth and chomp on them? Noble grunted at the two of them. The mask and suits were for the smell, not anything worse. Seriously...they did notice Paul was comfortable enough to not even use a bubblehead charm, right? "I suggest you plonk your butts back on your seats at your desk," Noble said, a snarling tone in his voice. Really. What had happened to the standard of Prefects between leaving school and returning as a professor?

He couldn't fault his co-instructors excitement at how cool it was for a plant to heat up, but he could grumble at the man for trying to make light of the first year's inattention. Noble was ALL for making the girl run up to the castle and back, whether to just the potions classroom or the Ravenclaw common room. He considered it for the moment, gaze on Myers. "Fine," he said with a grunt and pulling out his wand and silently summoning one from the lab. "But five points from Ravenclaw." And Myers would have to open the door or a window or something for it to come through, because he was about to lead the next question and would hate for glass to rain down on them all.

He made the move to the front of the class now, tucking his wand back in his holster as he did so. "From the fact I'm here for this lesson, I hope it's obvious that the corpse flower does have a number of uses in potions." He eyed certain people. He supposed they could have been making a potion for the flower, but it stuck him as a much less parsimonious theory, given the plant looked perfectly healthy. "What properties do you hypothesise a corpse flower might infuse in a potion and why?"

Wait, had someone really suggested eating the berries of the plant? Something that smelled that awful? He would've thought that both the name and that smell would've served as enough of a warning but okay.

And the next bit of information......ugh. Hopefully, the plant wouldn't pull that when he was reaching for whatever part of the plant they would be having to harvest. Because it was obvious that that was where this lesson was heading. Especially once Noble took over. And was that a smile on the professor's face? Well, he was so glad he was enjoying this because the Gryffindor wasn't. At all.

"The ability to kill," Ronan stated flatly. "thanks to the toxicity of the berries. Also, an awful smell." Wasn't it obvious?

As suspected, she was mostly wrong about the plant. Not a big deal. Professor Myers was always kind about how he let students know they were on the wrong track, and she was thankful for that. She did learn a lot from the other students answers though and was glad she had been taking notes as they spoke.

Then Professor Noble spoke. There was something about the man that always made her feel a bit sick to her stomach. Like she was in trouble for something, but she could never figure out what it was. She left her eyes glued to her notes for a few moments, trying to work up the nerve to toss out another answer. It took a good deal of bravery on her part to want to even try and answer a question that she was almost certain to get wrong. Especially when Professor Noble was the one she was answering.

Her slightly shaking hand went up in the air. “Sir, Professor Myers said there were berries on the plant. Would you be able to use those in a potion? Isn’t there a potion called Draught of Living Death that makes people sleep as if they were dead?” Her mouth clamped shut, realizing she was asking more questions instead of answering his. He had asked about the properties, not what potion. “I mean, since the plant only blooms every once in a while, and smells like death, it would stand to reason it could be used in a potion that would need to make the effects last a long time or appear dormant or dead.” Unsure of what she was saying, she once again clamped her mouth shut and stared at her parchment.