Whatever his chosen path, potions had been one of those subjects that Rajesh was definitely continuing with his studies. From here through university, no matter if he decided that he was learning to care for creatures or wizards. Which undoubtedly would make his dad somewhat happy as the potions expert in the family, not that the former Hufflepuff would ultimately care if he hadn’t. He would simply not him happy in the future he chose.

As the seventh year entered the potions classroom prepared for the latest lesson, Raj couldn’t help but notice the dummy that certainly looked like he would need the human medicinal help had it been alive. “Good day, professor,” he greeted the living occupant in the room who was standing behind. “Though apparently not so much for your companion.”

“That poor dummy!’’

Those were Jude’s words the moment he fully registered the thing sitting there, battered and bruised, broken and confused. “Glad to see that you’re in one piece, professor!’’ He offered the man a quick smile before bustling off to grab a workstation. He ended up choosing one next to Raj, his fellow seventh year. “Hi, Raj!’’ The Hufflepuff quickly set about readying himself for the lesson. In his mind, he thought that the class was probably going to be about some sort of healing potion, considering all that dummy had been ‘put through’.

Well, they’d all find out soon enough!

Like others, the first think Mouse noticed on entry was the mannequin sitting in the Professor's seat. She had been about to offer greeting but quickly realized it wasn't real so instead her footsteps just ended up momentarily faltering for a second as she blinked at it. Face or no face, she didn't think either option reduced a little bit of a creepy factor, so once she'd recovered from her surprise she scurried the rest of the way into the room. Spotting Raj and Jude already in the room, she offered both a smile and a quiet "Hi" before selecting a work station on the free side of Jude.

It was only once she was seated she noticed Professor Hernandez as well standing up at the front. "Oh, hello Professor!" she considering asking what they would be doing today but decided against it - they'd find out soon enough. Although based on the state of the dummy, a couple of things popped to mind for healing that they might be focusing on for the day.

That could be very useful to know!

Sophia was usually eager to learn something new, and today's potions lesson was no exception. "Hello Professor Hernandez!" she said brightly in the general direction of her head of house and his faceless dummy, not really noticing or processing that there were two figures at the front of the class. She plopped herself into her seat and busied herself getting her supplies and (most importantly, in her opinion) her notes ready to begin learning.

...Brandon practically had a heart attack walking into the potions classroom. WAS THE POTIONS PROFESSOR HURT??? He froze for five whole seconds before realizing it was just a dummy. Still quite agitated, he walked up to the dummy to look at the creepy faceless dummy whose safety he was very worried about. "Hi Professor. I thought that was you for a second," he admitted to the real Professor Hernandez with obvious embarrassment. "Are we going to be healing them today?" They being the dummy. He really didn't like to see people in pain, really really. Even fake people. They couldn't just leave them like that! Still agitated(the dummy had a GASH and everything, and blood was his Big Fear), he took a seat by Sophia. He gave her a quiet wave.

Potions had quite easily become Maisey’s favorite subject so far this term. She had already started to enjoy it more than she thought she would. It was actually something here that she felt like she was good at. On the plus side it was the lesson that was the closest to her common room. Not a hard or far walk at all. She arrived not too long after leaving her common room.

As she entered the notice the medical dummy was sitting on the professor's desk. Interesting and he seems to have problems today. A few to be exact. ”Good day, Professor.” Her mischievous grin slowly forming on her face, she looked over the faceless dummy to him. ”Have you considered drawing a face for him or giving him a name?” She just had to ask. She headed over and took a seat near Sophia and Brandon. ”Hi.” She said to both of them as she made herself comfortable in her seat.

Focusing in classes was a challenge for Sailor as they were. He always found himself wanting to be somewhere else where he could tend to his particular interests at the time, or thinking about said interests instead of actively participating in the discussion. However, entering the potions classroom, the dummy quickly got his attention. That was new. Maybe today's lesson wouldn't be boring. He did note the fake injuries on the dummy that took the place of the potions master, but the sling in particular reminded him of Professor DeVries' own sling.

Interesting. If they were playing healer today, he'd rather go to the healer instead of letting a classmate brew a questionable potion for him to take.

"Good day, professor," Sailor finally greeted Hernandez after taking his eyes of the dummy and seeing the man by the blackboard. The Ravenclaw went to occupy a seat at the back of the classroom, looking around at the students already there and then occasionally back at the dummy.

Poor Dummy had a rough go of things, Phoebe thought as she entered the room. She had almost opened her mouth thinking the professor was sittingat the desk there and not standing behind it like he was. lucky enough closed it real quick and looked at the not dummy Professor

"Hello Professor. Nice dummy"

She was almost the dummy there. now to go take her seat.

Another day, another lesson.

Nora was warming up to the whole idea of Hogwarts, but that was mainly because of the people here. So far, she'd managed to get along with everybody, and it really hadn't been that hard to make friends. Well, acquaintances. She didn't exactly have a group of people she hung out with in her spare time or anything.

...but having said all that, she was warming up to her classes, too. She had traded in science, math, and P.E. for subjects that included charms and potions and the like, but it hadn't been too different for her. She still hated waking up early, went to class out of obligation alone, and hated homework. Maybe that would change as she got older, but for now, that's where she stood on things.

She made a face at the dummy. It looked like it had seen its better days. She diverted her attention away from it and to the professor. "Hello, Professor," she greeted. She steered her way around the room until she saw an empty seat by Maisey. The Slytherin girl was her age, and Nora tended to gravitate toward her fellow firsties.

Potions wasn't at all her best subject but it wasn't her worst. Some classes were just that way, one did much better in them than others. Potions was definitely a middle ground for the fifth year. This year however, all of her lessons were given nothing less that a hundred and ten percent. She had to sit her OWLs at the end of the school year, after all.

Upon entering the room, the first thing she caught sight of was the faceless dummy sat propped up on the desk. The poor thing having no face was a little creepy.. but it was what it was. Her gaze shifted over slightly and she smiled softly seeing the professor also right there. "Hello, Professor. I think your friend there is in need of some medical attention." Keigh nodded her head towards the faceless dummy. Or at the very least some potions or something.. good thing they were in a potions lesson now!

Making her way further into the room, the blonde made her way towards an empty workstation. It just so happened to be the one in front of Jude. She gave her brother and Raj a wiggly fingered 'hello' as she passed them both and settled herself at the workstation, getting her things set up for the lesson.

After being at Hogwarts for about a month now, Wiley was really feeling like he was starting to get the hang of Hogwarts. Or at least his class schedule. There was still so much to explore, he was sure of that, and he still got lost occasionally.

But today was Potions class, and he cheerfully entered the room to greet the professor as was customary. "Hi, Profes- ...oh!" He had started to greet the dummy, as that was what his eyes caught first as a person, but it clearly wasn't a real person. But his eyes almost immediately found the teacher standing behind the dummy (which definitely looked like it had seen better days!) and he resumed his cheery demeanor. "Hi, Professor!"

Not at all embarrassed over his mistake, he headed over towards the group of first years all sitting near one another and found his own seat. Maybe they'd be learning about potions used for healing? He knew a little bit about those because of his mum!

"Is that a threat."

Milo stood a few steps inside the door, beside the first empty workstation he had reached, looking at Mr Hernandez but referring to his dummy counterpart. The Potions Master could dress it up as a lesson clue all he liked, but Milo doubted he would be the only one to recognise its ambiguous nature. Sit down and listen and conform to the prescribed indoctrination process (aka the 'curriculum') or we'll break your arms and legs and steal your face while we're at it.

Just as long as Mr Hernandez knew that Milo was forewarned and forearmed. In most cases, Milo knew it was better to keep his mouth shut and not make it known he was aware of these things, but it was in the public interest that they all have the same warning - if that was indeed what was going on here. He was trying to do better at being conscious of others, and despite being out of practice, he did not find it impossible. Most of the time the biggest obstacle was simply not wanting to talk at all.

Milo took that first empty workstation at the back, by the door, kneeling on the work stool as he so often did. Somehow, his recent growth spurt did not agree with this position, and so Milo shifted so that he hugged one knee to his chest, his socked toes curling over the edge of the stool, and remained kneeling with the other. Like a gargoyle. Stable and yet ready to leap to action (aka, flee) should the need arise.

'what is a threat?'

Daniel thought as he approached the door for potions class. He entered the room, looked over the Ravenclaw's head who sat on a seat closest to the door and took note of the dummy on top of the Professor's desk. It was only an injured and bandaged dummy. He couldn't see how that could be viewed as a threat."Good day, Professor." he politely greeted the man behind the desk before he walked to his usual seat.

Summer walked into the classroom, she was totally looking forwards to the lesson. "Hi Professor, how are you today?" Summer smiled, she couldn't wait to see what they were learning today.

Desiree could sum up her feelings about potions in one word: conflicted. Her lack of natural talent and lack of a rapport with the professor made the subject difficult, but no matter how she struggled, she still thought it was important to know, especially if she wanted to be a healer someday. She made her way to the classroom, determined to keep trying, and noticed the professor leaning against the blackboard. “Hello, Professor,” she greeted with a polite smile.

That smile faded, and her blue eyes widened as she got a good look at the dummy. As an avid doll collector for most of her life, Desiree knew immediately that it wasn’t a real person, but it still made her sad to look at it. Dolls - or in this case, dummies - were just little plastic (or whatever material that dummy was made of) people that needed care, just like real people. She wanted to take care of it… heal its injuries, dress it up, give it a face and a name. “Poor guy! What happened to him?” she asked.

That gash on the dummy’s leg stuck in her mind as she took a seat beside Summer. “Hi,” she greeted, but she was distracted. Did her dad look like that dummy when he was injured in the inferi attack all those years ago? She was too young to remember, but she knew he suffered a leg injury, which was why he walked with a cane now. That thought made her want to cry!

Mitsuki continued to not be the worst but also not the best at Potions. Each lesson was a bit of a curiosity as to which way it would go and just how refractions of light or what ingredients of the day captured her attention - and usually almost always more so than the voice and instruction of the professor. Today, however, the dummy is what captured her attention the most and guided her steps well beyond her usual place near Milo. Perhaps more curious was the way her classmates responded to the dummy, calling it poor as if it could feel any of the pseudo injuries applied to it. It was fulfilling its purpose, was it not? Perhaps because she had seen one during the occasional Healers of Tomorrow meetings she remembered to attend (again, sometimes a feather or bit of lint was just too interesting not to follow around the castle for an hour), and thus was rather unfazed by its presence nor its current condition.

Curious indeed.

Attention modestly perked, she doubled back and took a seat not directly beside Milo or in the station one over from Milo, but rather in front of adjacent...so to speak. She did not wish to be all the way in the front, too far from exists as their little flighty trio had discussed, but she did want to be a humble step closer to the dummy and the facial expressions of Professor Hernandez. That had a certain...intriguing quality about them today. Like someone who had unfortunately found themselves sitting in a pile of dragon dung without nose plugs.

Mia had learned that she loved Potions class. Her Head of House was the professor, and he was cool and charming and very nice to look at. She'd yet to voyage out to his hut and talk through her numerous goals for her future, but she was enjoying getting to know him a little through class instead. She still hadn't quite learned what to expect from him, and today was no different.

She scrunched up her face with a smile upon entering the room, looking from the dummy to Hernandez, judging the pair a little in good humor. "Better him than you, sir," was her choice of greeting with a faux-solemn nod as she went to find an empty spot, choosing to sit near a boy she recognized as a yearmate, Wiley, to whom she smiled before setting up her work station.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

Whatever his chosen path, potions had been one of those subjects that Rajesh was definitely continuing with his studies. From here through university, no matter if he decided that he was learning to care for creatures or wizards. Which undoubtedly would make his dad somewhat happy as the potions expert in the family, not that the former Hufflepuff would ultimately care if he hadn’t. He would simply not him happy in the future he chose.

As the seventh year entered the potions classroom prepared for the latest lesson, Raj couldn’t help but notice the dummy that certainly looked like he would need the human medicinal help had it been alive. “Good day, professor,” he greeted the living occupant in the room who was standing behind. “Though apparently not so much for your companion.”

Javier chuckled a little at Raj as he was the first to enter. "Eh, he'll be alright, I promise," he joked with him as he watched the seventh year take a seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

“That poor dummy!’’

Those were Jude’s words the moment he fully registered the thing sitting there, battered and bruised, broken and confused. “Glad to see that you’re in one piece, professor!’’ He offered the man a quick smile before bustling off to grab a workstation. He ended up choosing one next to Raj, his fellow seventh year. “Hi, Raj!’’ The Hufflepuff quickly set about readying himself for the lesson. In his mind, he thought that the class was probably going to be about some sort of healing potion, considering all that dummy had been ‘put through’.

Well, they’d all find out soon enough!

Javier chuckled at Jude's reaction and smiled at him. "Good day to you too, Mister Anders," he greeted him as he watched him take his seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

Like others, the first think Mouse noticed on entry was the mannequin sitting in the Professor's seat. She had been about to offer greeting but quickly realized it wasn't real so instead her footsteps just ended up momentarily faltering for a second as she blinked at it. Face or no face, she didn't think either option reduced a little bit of a creepy factor, so once she'd recovered from her surprise she scurried the rest of the way into the room. Spotting Raj and Jude already in the room, she offered both a smile and a quiet "Hi" before selecting a work station on the free side of Jude.

It was only once she was seated she noticed Professor Hernandez as well standing up at the front. "Oh, hello Professor!" she considering asking what they would be doing today but decided against it - they'd find out soon enough. Although based on the state of the dummy, a couple of things popped to mind for healing that they might be focusing on for the day.

That could be very useful to know!

Javier wasn't TRYING to trick students with this dummy - honest! He'd just thought it would be a fun way to segway into the lesson. "Hello Miss Durand," he smiled at her as she entered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waddles

Sophia was usually eager to learn something new, and today's potions lesson was no exception. "Hello Professor Hernandez!" she said brightly in the general direction of her head of house and his faceless dummy, not really noticing or processing that there were two figures at the front of the class. She plopped herself into her seat and busied herself getting her supplies and (most importantly, in her opinion) her notes ready to begin learning.

"Hello Miss Svensson," he greeted the first year as she walked in and took her seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrocat

...Brandon practically had a heart attack walking into the potions classroom. WAS THE POTIONS PROFESSOR HURT??? He froze for five whole seconds before realizing it was just a dummy. Still quite agitated, he walked up to the dummy to look at the creepy faceless dummy whose safety he was very worried about. "Hi Professor. I thought that was you for a second," he admitted to the real Professor Hernandez with obvious embarrassment. "Are we going to be healing them today?" They being the dummy. He really didn't like to see people in pain, really really. Even fake people. They couldn't just leave them like that! Still agitated(the dummy had a GASH and everything, and blood was his Big Fear), he took a seat by Sophia. He gave her a quiet wave.

"Not the dummy necessarily - but you're on the right track!" he assured Brandon as he walked in. One thing Javi really liked about teaching was seeing how younger siblings acted and behaved compared to their siblings...and Ashley Fox's younger brother was no exception.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarcasticStrawberry

Potions had quite easily become Maisey’s favorite subject so far this term. She had already started to enjoy it more than she thought she would. It was actually something here that she felt like she was good at. On the plus side it was the lesson that was the closest to her common room. Not a hard or far walk at all. She arrived not too long after leaving her common room.

As she entered the notice the medical dummy was sitting on the professor's desk. Interesting and he seems to have problems today. A few to be exact. ”Good day, Professor.” Her mischievous grin slowly forming on her face, she looked over the faceless dummy to him. ”Have you considered drawing a face for him or giving him a name?” She just had to ask. She headed over and took a seat near Sophia and Brandon. ”Hi.” She said to both of them as she made herself comfortable in her seat.

"I'm not a big fan of the whole faces on mannequin thing," Javier explained with a small shrug. "I suppose if the class wanted to come up with a name for our friend here, though, that'd be alright," he added with a small smile. He'd leave that up to them, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

Focusing in classes was a challenge for Sailor as they were. He always found himself wanting to be somewhere else where he could tend to his particular interests at the time, or thinking about said interests instead of actively participating in the discussion. However, entering the potions classroom, the dummy quickly got his attention. That was new. Maybe today's lesson wouldn't be boring. He did note the fake injuries on the dummy that took the place of the potions master, but the sling in particular reminded him of Professor DeVries' own sling.

Interesting. If they were playing healer today, he'd rather go to the healer instead of letting a classmate brew a questionable potion for him to take.

"Good day, professor," Sailor finally greeted Hernandez after taking his eyes of the dummy and seeing the man by the blackboard. The Ravenclaw went to occupy a seat at the back of the classroom, looking around at the students already there and then occasionally back at the dummy.

"Good day Mister Zhang," he greeted the Ravenclaw with a polite head nod.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh its Erik ok

Poor Dummy had a rough go of things, Phoebe thought as she entered the room. She had almost opened her mouth thinking the professor was sittingat the desk there and not standing behind it like he was. lucky enough closed it real quick and looked at the not dummy Professor

"Hello Professor. Nice dummy"

She was almost the dummy there. now to go take her seat.

Javi chuckled. "Thank you Miss Barrington," he said with a smile to the first year. He quite liked these first years they got in Slytherin house this time around - not that he ever DISLIKED them, but he had a feeling this batch was a good one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Another day, another lesson.

Nora was warming up to the whole idea of Hogwarts, but that was mainly because of the people here. So far, she'd managed to get along with everybody, and it really hadn't been that hard to make friends. Well, acquaintances. She didn't exactly have a group of people she hung out with in her spare time or anything.

...but having said all that, she was warming up to her classes, too. She had traded in science, math, and P.E. for subjects that included charms and potions and the like, but it hadn't been too different for her. She still hated waking up early, went to class out of obligation alone, and hated homework. Maybe that would change as she got older, but for now, that's where she stood on things.

She made a face at the dummy. It looked like it had seen its better days. She diverted her attention away from it and to the professor. "Hello, Professor," she greeted. She steered her way around the room until she saw an empty seat by Maisey. The Slytherin girl was her age, and Nora tended to gravitate toward her fellow firsties.

"Hello Miss Collins," Javi said as Nora walked in and took her seat. She seemed to be adjusting well - he knew the blood status of all their students, of course, and always felt a little sad for the muggleborns who were forced to be in this new place away from their families.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

Potions wasn't at all her best subject but it wasn't her worst. Some classes were just that way, one did much better in them than others. Potions was definitely a middle ground for the fifth year. This year however, all of her lessons were given nothing less that a hundred and ten percent. She had to sit her OWLs at the end of the school year, after all.

Upon entering the room, the first thing she caught sight of was the faceless dummy sat propped up on the desk. The poor thing having no face was a little creepy.. but it was what it was. Her gaze shifted over slightly and she smiled softly seeing the professor also right there. "Hello, Professor. I think your friend there is in need of some medical attention." Keigh nodded her head towards the faceless dummy. Or at the very least some potions or something.. good thing they were in a potions lesson now!

Making her way further into the room, the blonde made her way towards an empty workstation. It just so happened to be the one in front of Jude. She gave her brother and Raj a wiggly fingered 'hello' as she passed them both and settled herself at the workstation, getting her things set up for the lesson.

"He does seem to need a healer, doesn't he?" Javier asked with a small chuckle as Kayleigh walked in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

After being at Hogwarts for about a month now, Wiley was really feeling like he was starting to get the hang of Hogwarts. Or at least his class schedule. There was still so much to explore, he was sure of that, and he still got lost occasionally.

But today was Potions class, and he cheerfully entered the room to greet the professor as was customary. "Hi, Profes- ...oh!" He had started to greet the dummy, as that was what his eyes caught first as a person, but it clearly wasn't a real person. But his eyes almost immediately found the teacher standing behind the dummy (which definitely looked like it had seen better days!) and he resumed his cheery demeanor. "Hi, Professor!"

Not at all embarrassed over his mistake, he headed over towards the group of first years all sitting near one another and found his own seat. Maybe they'd be learning about potions used for healing? He knew a little bit about those because of his mum!

Maybe Javi should be a little concerned that so many of his students seemed to equate him to the emotionless dummy sitting in front of him...

"Hello Mister Whittebrook," he chuckled as the Hufflepuff took his seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

"Is that a threat."

Milo stood a few steps inside the door, beside the first empty workstation he had reached, looking at Mr Hernandez but referring to his dummy counterpart. The Potions Master could dress it up as a lesson clue all he liked, but Milo doubted he would be the only one to recognise its ambiguous nature. Sit down and listen and conform to the prescribed indoctrination process (aka the 'curriculum') or we'll break your arms and legs and steal your face while we're at it.

Just as long as Mr Hernandez knew that Milo was forewarned and forearmed. In most cases, Milo knew it was better to keep his mouth shut and not make it known he was aware of these things, but it was in the public interest that they all have the same warning - if that was indeed what was going on here. He was trying to do better at being conscious of others, and despite being out of practice, he did not find it impossible. Most of the time the biggest obstacle was simply not wanting to talk at all.

Milo took that first empty workstation at the back, by the door, kneeling on the work stool as he so often did. Somehow, his recent growth spurt did not agree with this position, and so Milo shifted so that he hugged one knee to his chest, his socked toes curling over the edge of the stool, and remained kneeling with the other. Like a gargoyle. Stable and yet ready to leap to action (aka, flee) should the need arise.

Uh, what? Wait, was Milo talking to HIM? As in...he thought the dummy was a threat? Merlin, what did this kid think of him!?

"No Mister Evans...just a hint as to what we'll be doing in class today," he assured him. So no need to worry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi

'what is a threat?'

Daniel thought as he approached the door for potions class. He entered the room, looked over the Ravenclaw's head who sat on a seat closest to the door and took note of the dummy on top of the Professor's desk. It was only an injured and bandaged dummy. He couldn't see how that could be viewed as a threat."Good day, Professor." he politely greeted the man behind the desk before he walked to his usual seat.

"Hello Mister Yoon," he said with a smile to Daniel as he entered the class and grabbed a work station.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weasley174

Summer walked into the classroom, she was totally looking forwards to the lesson. "Hi Professor, how are you today?" Summer smiled, she couldn't wait to see what they were learning today.

"Good day Miss Valentine," Javier greeted the Gryffindor girl as she walked in. "I'm doing quite well, thank you."

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Desiree could sum up her feelings about potions in one word: conflicted. Her lack of natural talent and lack of a rapport with the professor made the subject difficult, but no matter how she struggled, she still thought it was important to know, especially if she wanted to be a healer someday. She made her way to the classroom, determined to keep trying, and noticed the professor leaning against the blackboard. “Hello, Professor,” she greeted with a polite smile.

That smile faded, and her blue eyes widened as she got a good look at the dummy. As an avid doll collector for most of her life, Desiree knew immediately that it wasn’t a real person, but it still made her sad to look at it. Dolls - or in this case, dummies - were just little plastic (or whatever material that dummy was made of) people that needed care, just like real people. She wanted to take care of it… heal its injuries, dress it up, give it a face and a name. “Poor guy! What happened to him?” she asked.

That gash on the dummy’s leg stuck in her mind as she took a seat beside Summer. “Hi,” she greeted, but she was distracted. Did her dad look like that dummy when he was injured in the inferi attack all those years ago? She was too young to remember, but she knew he suffered a leg injury, which was why he walked with a cane now. That thought made her want to cry!

"He wasn't being very careful on the Quidditch pitch, I'm afraid," Javier said with a soft smile. HE thought it was a funny joke, at least. He wouldn't have taken it personally if he knew Desiree didn't feel she had a rapport with him - he rarely had a good rapport with anyone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Mitsuki continued to not be the worst but also not the best at Potions. Each lesson was a bit of a curiosity as to which way it would go and just how refractions of light or what ingredients of the day captured her attention - and usually almost always more so than the voice and instruction of the professor. Today, however, the dummy is what captured her attention the most and guided her steps well beyond her usual place near Milo. Perhaps more curious was the way her classmates responded to the dummy, calling it poor as if it could feel any of the pseudo injuries applied to it. It was fulfilling its purpose, was it not? Perhaps because she had seen one during the occasional Healers of Tomorrow meetings she remembered to attend (again, sometimes a feather or bit of lint was just too interesting not to follow around the castle for an hour), and thus was rather unfazed by its presence nor its current condition.

Curious indeed.

Attention modestly perked, she doubled back and took a seat not directly beside Milo or in the station one over from Milo, but rather in front of adjacent...so to speak. She did not wish to be all the way in the front, too far from exists as their little flighty trio had discussed, but she did want to be a humble step closer to the dummy and the facial expressions of Professor Hernandez. That had a certain...intriguing quality about them today. Like someone who had unfortunately found themselves sitting in a pile of dragon dung without nose plugs.

As always, Javi respected his student's silence whenever they chose to enter the classroom quietly - but he still gave Mitsuki a nod in greeting to acknowledge her presence. He never wanted to put them on the spot or interrupt what were clearly some very important thoughts!

Quote:

Originally Posted by feeheeheeny

Mia had learned that she loved Potions class. Her Head of House was the professor, and he was cool and charming and very nice to look at. She'd yet to voyage out to his hut and talk through her numerous goals for her future, but she was enjoying getting to know him a little through class instead. She still hadn't quite learned what to expect from him, and today was no different.

She scrunched up her face with a smile upon entering the room, looking from the dummy to Hernandez, judging the pair a little in good humor. "Better him than you, sir," was her choice of greeting with a faux-solemn nod as she went to find an empty spot, choosing to sit near a boy she recognized as a yearmate, Wiley, to whom she smiled before setting up her work station.

"Precisely," Javi said with a grin as Mia walked in and took a seat near Wiley. Such a stereotypical Slytherin answer. With that last arrival, it was time to start the lesson. Javi waved his hand lazily to close and lock the door before addressing his class.

"Ok everyone - as I'm sure many of you guessed, our dummy friend here represents the topic of today's lesson. We'll be focusing on healing - a vital skill that all witches and wizards should possess. Now I'm not expecting all of you to become expert healers - if that were the case, we wouldn't have need for healers or hospitals, would be? But there are some basic charms and potions that should always be in the back of your mind, should you ever need something quick in a pinch," he explained. Think of it as a wizarding first aid kid - except said kit was made out of ~KNOWLEDGE~. And actual potions in some cases. You never knew WHAT you were going to face in the wizarding world, so it was good to have SOMETHING in your back pocket should you ever need it.

"For our mini activity, I want each of you to come up with a list of three things that should be essential for all witches and wizards to have on hand when it comes to healing. They can be physical potions and healing herbs, or spells and charms that you think everyone should know. We will then go around and share our answers, compiling a list for the class," he told them. There were no right answers here - each person was going to have a different idea of what was more important to know or have than their neighbor. Not only that, but he knew some of the students probably had a more extensive knowledge of healing than others based on their own preferred interests, which would hopefully give him a wide range of answers to his prompt.

"When it comes your turn to present your list, be sure to explain WHY your top three items or spells are most important. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers here. If you're a first year or not very familiar with healing spells or potions yet, feel free to use your textbooks to research a bit before finalizing your picks," he added. He knew that most of the first years hadn't had enough time to familiarize themselves with healing spells and potions and was not opposed to letting them pick out some answers from their textbooks.

"You may begin!"

OOC: Mini activity time! I'll give you guys about 48 hours to reply before I move on. I'm headed out of town this weekend but I'll have my laptop with me, it's in a different time zone though so I want to be sure I give you all ample time before I move on. As always, nudge me in the title of your post or VMs if you need me! Be creative with your lists - no right or wrong answers! You don't have to actually wait for your "turn" to have your character share your list with the class - just assume Javi called on them in your post.

Mercer was intent on that dummy up at the front of the class, mostly because Milo had instilled a healthy sense of mistrust in him and he fully expected it to spring up and attack them. Even if it was already injured, it didn't really make it safe, y'know? It made it motivated.

He almost missed it when the Professor began the lesson, but since the dummy still hadn't even wiggled a digit, it seemed safe to turn his attention to the task at hand. First aid. Mercer was keen on first aid. Plasters and stinging antiseptics and magical stitches and... he'd had his fair share of mishaps. But the three most IMPORTANT? His mother and father had an endless supply, so how was he supposed to pick the top three?

When it was his turn, Mercer flapped his bit of parchment full of scribbled ideas and more than a few helpful diagrams. "So my first thing is a wand, right? Because you can't do the healing spells without a wand, and you can't scare off the bear that attacked your friend without it, and you can't send up sparks to call the search party. So you definitely need a wand. And then second, I have... a stick? Like NOT a wand but just a big old stick. You can use it as a crutch if you twist your ankle hiking or you can use it as a splint if you fall off a cliff and break your arm and you can bite it if you are in so much pain that you just want to scream and cry and carry on." Ahem. He was doing so well. "Carrying on is not helpful in an emergency, just so you know. And then my last one is antiseptic potion, because my dad always says that most injuries just need you to kill the germs, slap your shirt back on, and get to work."

Raj simply nodded with a small smile as Professor Hernandez found his comment amusing, assuring him the dummy would be okay. Of course, he would. Though he also gave him an idea on what type of potion or potions they might be working on for today’s lesson. “Hey,” he greeted Jude as his fellow seventh year said hello and took the workstation beside him. And there was Mouse following suit shortly after. “Hi,” he echoed as she took the seat on the other side of Jude. Well at least the older students seemed to be the ones on the ball and early for potions this time.

Setting up his work station as the rest of the students filed in in dribs and drabs, the Ravenclaw was more than ready when the class was begun in earnest. His head shooting up as Hernandez confirmed what he and his fellow students had suspected…healing potions. If he didn’t know better, the universe was teasing and testing him, given the thoughts on his future that had filled his head recently. Whatever they would be working on might be oftly handy in both careers, but most useful in the career path of healer.

As for the activity, Rajesh had a good idea on a handful of things, taking a moment to decide which to give as his answers when he was called on. “Essence of Dittany for sure,” he supplied as his first choice. “For healing shallow wounds, such as those obtained through spilching.” It was something he had learned after they had had those apparition lessons. “A bezoar to help with poisonings.” Which was helpful for anyone who worked with potions really. “And nettle…” he added as his last plant or potion, trying to remember the specific reasons. “Um…as an astringent for wounds…and helping with swelling.”

Brandon disliked that they couldn't heal the dummy. But it wasn't even real, so he allowed himself to be distracted by the lesson. This lesson sounded perfect for him! He wanted to be a healer! So he paid extra special attention.

...He had so so many ideas.

SPOILER!!: Brandon's first list

dittany
lots of healing spells
bruise cream
scar cream
calming draught
bandaids
numbing cream or potion
counting to five
bandages
tape
sleeping potion
holding hands for comfort
blankets

That was too many. That was more than three. And they weren't all magic. But the professor said three of magic! He didn't want to not follow instructions properly and get yelled at, he really didn't. But he also liked his list. So he stuffed it in his pocket and made a second one.

SPOILER!!: Brandon's second list

something to stop bleeding
something to calm down
something to stop pain

It took him a long time to make those three groups. And he wasn't sure the professor wanted GROUPS. But it was already time to present... "Um... um..." Brandon hesitated, clearing his throat. "I- I think that you need to have things for three groups: stopping the injury, stopping the pain, and being calm. You need them because the injury is the most important problem to stop, but even after that it might still hurt and people freak out when things hurt. So... one example for each would be Vulnera... Sanentur. Because it's good for really bad bleeding. A proper numbing cream. Because the pain might be really hard to deal with. And a calming draught. To calm down." He'd really been talking for the longest time, and the more he talked the more he felt awkward. Was that too much? Too little? He stopped talking and just focused on writing notes.

Healing was always handy things to know, so she was quite pleased to hear they'd be focusing on such for today's lesson. And while there was SO many different options out there for ways to treat different ailments, Mouse was hopeful it was something she hadn't heard of before - just to expand her knowledge. Although... with the range in today's lesson, anything they learned would be expanding someone's horizons so she supposed she should just be pleased for that.

Anyways.

A list of necessities for healing? The young Ravenclaw made a good point bringing up wands too because for the most part that WOULD be helpful, but there were a few things that came to mind first for her - assuming the wand was an automatic. Her muggleborn instinct said bandages or a long scarf would be good, to be used for a tourniquet or staunching blood but... well herbs and potions could do that AND heal in the process. So she'd skip that. Tapping her cheek with her pen, she pulled her piece of paper closer to her and started to scribble.

Skele-gro
Essence of Dittany
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

It was just a mini- activity, so she was happy enough with her list and took instead to doodling a little mushroom next to the book title while she waited for her name to be called. "My list is Dittany, like Raj said it's good for superficial cuts and scrapes or splinching accidents. Skele-gro for any Episkey or other spell gone wrong." See, sometimes she paid attention in History of Magic. "And perhaps this is cheating, but I'd also want the text, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, in order to be able to recognize helpful herbs and plants in any setting and also be able to have an index of what they would be good for." Research texts were helpful, weren't they? Having a full storeroom on your person would be better, but in most scenarios... not plausible. So in that scenario, she'd rather take knowledge.

Nora had quickly figured out that healer was the magical world's word for doctor, which meant there was pretty good money to be made in that profession. Becoming an expert healer one day wouldn't be too hard, but the first year guessed she'd only be in it for the money. Then again, she was only eleven years old, so that kind of decision was well beyond her years.

She wasn't too fond of him going around the room having everybody share their answers, but she fumbled for a piece of parchment and a quill anyway, and then got to work thinking about ideas. It would have helped to have more of a magical background, so she could come up with all the different kinds of scenarios magical people might encounter, but seeing as that wasn't the case, she was still left with a somewhat blank slate.

Mercer was talking about scaring away the bears, though, so she figured the answers didn't have to be taken too seriously. Bears did need to be scared away, but the answer made her realize she was looking far too much into this. Soon, it was her turn. "I'm thinking a spell to help lift and carry an injured person might help, because you might not be able to carry them. I also heard it could be dangerous to carry someone when they're hurt," she said. She should probably throw in a potion or two, since this was a potions class. "Maybe a burn paste? Those kinds of injuries really need healing right away." How many did she need? Three? The first year tapped her quill against her parchment before adding, "...a headache potion, because that's a pretty common thing for people to deal with."

It wasn't too hard to think up suggestions to the professor's prompt - she didn't think she needed a textbook for this when she had a life full of experiences - and Mia got to scribbling down the first three that came to mind. She appreciated that Mercer suggested a wand, which she regarded as an out-of-the-box sort of example, and she smiled at him with admiration. An older Ravenclaw girl, Mouse, suggested a book, which made Mia smile again because she'd written one of those, too.

While she'd already really grown to love her Slytherin yearmates and felt like things were going to be okay with them, she couldn't help but acknowledge that the Ravenclaws thought like her. Shouldn't the sorting hat have considered that? Even for just a second longer?

When it was her turn, she explained with a simple shrug, "Back at home, we have a healing kit that includes a book called The Healer's Helpmate, which I'd argue is the most important because it can direct you to the right ways to handle any situation - y'know, knowledge is power and all that. But then you need the basics to have on-hand, too - the practical stuff, like vials of Antidote to Common Poisons for emergencies and Fever-Reducing Potions for when we get sick." Simple stuff.