Aurora couldn’t help the brief flash of disappointment that nobody else found her story amusing but she supposed it must’ve been a ‘you had to be there’ type of situation which meant recalling the events lost some of that spark it had at the time. Still, Adara appreciated it and offered her back a pun (which incidentally flew straight over her head) and a reaction to the anecdote. “We didn’t stay long enough to find out” she giggled a little sheepishly. She couldn’t bear to see their irritated little faces at the mess.

The lesson swiftly progressed to the actual brewing proportion of the potion and the revelation that it would be a Laughing Potion that they were creating that day. The Ravenclaw admittedly would never have the need for such a thing as laughter came naturally to her. She didn’t have to find anything particularly amusing in order for her to let out a giggle, there had been many an occasion where she would be laughing so much that literal tears came streaming down her face and her nose would become all snotty from the experience. She just had a naturally cheerful disposition. That happy mood would continue as she hopped off from her workspace to go collect the necessary ingredients from the front.

Turning to her (unheated) cauldron, she poured the 500ml of spring water into the empty vessel only slightly spilling some over the edge as she zoned in on the discussion over whether the potion should be heated yet or not. She used ‘Diffindo’ to chop up her 3 Alihotsy leaves and added them to the water. She had decided that she would practice her magic every opportunity that arose, even if it seemed equally as easy to do things the mundane way. Next came the stirring which she did so veeeery carefully, actually taking the time to concentrate on not ruining the potion for once in her life.

The next step was a strange one which stopped the blonde straight in her tracks. Sniggering, in her opinion, was very subjective. A snigger to her seemed like a cheeky and slightly spiteful little laugh whereas she favoured the bright and gleeful giggle. She considered asking the Professor whether the type of laugh mattered but halted after hearing the number of questions others were asking and because the lesson had already moved on before she could get around to it. She quickly let out a little ‘hehe’ before Adara spoke up again meanwhile grinding the 4 Billywig wings, adding them to the mix and absentmindedly stirring whilst listening to the next steps.

She popped the 3 Knarl quills into her cauldron and lit the fire underneath with ‘incendio’ to a medium heat. For the two (or possibly three, she’d lost count) minutes of waiting, she attempted to listen in to the other conversations going on around the classroom. It was strange not having a companion with her to talk to throughout the lesson. It was less of a distraction for sure but with the second years having a whispered chat nearby, she couldn’t help but feel a little left out that she wasn’t able to converse freely. After the waiting was done, she removed her cauldron from the heat and stirred with what she thought was in a vigorous manner all the while thinking back to some other funny occasions. The one she could think of most recently was trying to duplicate daisy chains in the common room but accidentally duplicating the pillows instead and creating a sort of pillow tower for herself. She giggled brightly at the thought of the amusement she had given the little first year she was with at the time. Back the cauldron went onto the heat for the required three minutes and after roughly the right amount of time she scattered in the 5 strands of Puffskein hair and began the long laborious ten minutes of clockwise stirring.

Sloane turned as the Professor's words echoed around the classroom stating that they shouldn’t be heating their potions, however the only response that she got was a dramatic rolling of the eyes and a small flick of the wand to kill the flames underneath her cauldron. Of course they didn’t need to heat the cauldron. As much as she appreciated the subtle differences and importance of getting every minute detail right, there were times when she simply detected the subject. It may have rendered her potion useless but at least then it would be as useless as this lesson.

Turning her attention back to Ary, she was just about to answer when the next set of instructions were called out and put on the board. Without really paying attention, she threw in a handful of Knarl quills, flicked her wand to ignite the flames, threw in a handful of Puffskein hair and then gave it a quick stir.

“tHIS. Potion is so stupid. Who needs a laughing potion? Like, honestly?” her words to Ary more than anyone else but she wasn’t exactly quiet. Making sure to turn her back to the Professor, wherever she may be, Sloane shuffled a little closer to Ary and peered into his potion, more as an excuse than genuine curiosity before she answered his previous questions.

“iT was…a lot, honestly. I had a load of fun though. We did a load of shopping which was pretty cool.” Unsurprisingly, with a classroom full of students and other kids, it wasn’t hard to see why she was having trouble getting her words out. “They had a lot of surprises for me,” she continued, her eyes determinately looking anywhere but at him now. Sure, she could have been keeping an eye on her own potion but who had time for that?

Okok.

So.

It appeared as if Archie was doing well enough with making the Potion that there wasn't really any need to be concerned about it. This being based off of, if there was some concern, Adara would've said something about it. Right? Unless of course, the Professor was more akin to the teaching style of trial by error. No matter though, it was still good in either case. This eased what little anxiety there was when currently mixing it. Had there been more...open to interpretation measurements besides the stirring, then there would have been slightly more feelings of anxiousness and doubt; such as that one Herbology class earlier in the term when they were just given the instruction of a 'two-fingers from the bottom depth' for the tincture that they made. That was just slightly off to the Slytherin because he much preferred an exact measurement, even if the preciseness of it added pressure. That was a different story in its entirety though. For now, there was more to do.

Steps 7 through 12 were unveiled. Archie was as ready as he could be to get started on those. The first of which was the most simple of the bunch, and exactly 3 knarl quills would be added into the mix. Now was a part that the Scotsman wasn't a huge fan of, however. Heating the potion, because it required something that he feared: fire. It wasn't awful though, for at least in this instance the flame was in a controlled environment and there was a greater chance of not getting burned by it than there was the chance of accidentally being burned. So, the cauldron would be placed over the burner (carefully), and heated on medium for two minutes. While that was brewing, the young student did have a question that popped into his head, so he'd take the time to ask it now. "Professor Adara, if this is all being done correctly, what color should the potion be?" He wanted to be on the lookout for that ahead of time to just give that extra measure that it was going smoothly. With that out of the way then, and the two minutes of being heated now finished, Archibold would stir it all up with vigor behind it. Watching as the concoction would yearn and churn like a vortex in the sea.

Step nine would be giggling at it once more. Giggle, giggle, giggle. Having to do so on the spot never proved any real difficulties. Though he could see how for others, this wasn't necessarily the case. Archie would still carry on after this, abruptly stopping his little chuckle fit as quickly as it had started, to put it back onto medium heat for 3 more minutes. He was almost done with this now luckily enough, and would proceed to peer around at his peers to spy on how they all were doing. Trying to get a rough gauge of whether or not he was ahead, and/or doing this correctly in general. From what he could tell, he was at least on par with everyone there, which was enough for him, at least in this class. Had it been Charms or Ancient Runes or DADA, then he'd attempt to go even more above and beyond than the rest. For now, though, the three minutes had passed; 5 strands of puffskein hair would be scattered over the surface of the bubbling liquid. The heat thereafter would be cranked on high, and for the next 10 minutes, the lad would stir quickly in a clockwise motion.

As she observed the students working on the potion, she wasn't oblivious to the fact that Ary was skipping the giggling. When his potion didn't work, at least they'd be able to trace it back to his lack of giggles. Whether or not he found this potion a joke, was irrelevant because this was today's lesson topic and even if he'd already messed up that didn't give reason to not follow the remaining steps. He also had the choice to start over if he really wanted to take the potion brewing seriously. But this was his choice and she was just the mere observer in making sure nothing got blown up or exploded.

Desiree was, naturally, as one of the oldest students present doing great work. But it was to be expected since this was an advance potion that her NEWT students would be focusing with their best efforts. She glanced over when the seventh year raised her hand and asked a very good question. "Excellent question. The interesting thing about laughter as an ingredient is that there's no measurements provided because you can't really giggle too much. Although I will say the effects might last longer when you provide the potion with more giggles." She hoped that was enough to answer her question.

She observed Aurora meticulously brewing her potion and had to admit she was actually impressed with the girl's growing patience. While she might not have felt that way herself, it was definitely noticeable improvement compared to previous potions lessons. Also while she wasn't a mind reader, Adara would never look down upon student's who asked questions and would actually prefer that. Even if she was open to them making mistakes and learning from them, she also will ALWAYS provide help to those who ask for it^{TM: Dumbledore}

She heard Sloane's comment (because of course she did) and shook her head. "Miss Knott. That's an excellent point... which I suppose we could also use a question break while our potions are brewing." Turning to address the whole class, "WHEN might a laughing potion be useful? Because surely if it was invented, someone must have had reason for inventing it... so why do you think it was invented? As a prank?" She also wasn't oblivious to Sloane's lack of potion brewing.

Archie was doing well enough though with his giggles and sniggers too. Yes it might have felt ridiculous, but also everyone was doing it and it was a new experience. That was when he asked a question as well. "The final colour of the potion will be yellow. Just a few more steps and we'll be through." She nodded encouragingly, as she flicked her wand at the board for the remaining steps to appear.

13. Laugh loudly and uncontrollably at your potions
14. Add a pinch of horseradish powder.
15. Stir the potion counter-clockwise and medium heat for the last time, approximately 5 minutes
16. Finally, wave your*wand*over the cauldron (in a spiral) to finish the potion (will be yellow)

ooc: sorry for the delay in getting the final steps up. ALSO, there's another QUESTION for y'all to answer as well: WHEN might a laughing potion be useful? Because surely if it was invented, someone must have had reason for inventing it... so why do you think it was invented? As a prank?. you'll have about 72 hours to complete your potions (but we'll be around throughout the weekend for questions and whatnot). Yes, catchup posts allowed, as well as do-overs if you'd like <3

“I have to agree,’’ Ary replied to Sloane, though his tone was softer. He too did not care who heard him as everyone was entitled to their opinion. “I suppose it can help sad people.” He paused thoughtfully. “Then again, I suppose when it wears off the drinker would be sad again.” In that case, then yes. The potion was indeed stupid. He tilted his head questioningly at his friend. Sloane was being weird. Ary could sense that she wanted to say more but was holding back. “That sounds wonderful. Shopping might be something you three can always bond over. So. You wanna share what any of those surprises are?’’

The second year had now turned his gaze back to the board with the new instructions now in place. He didn’t bother to answer the question but delved straight into continuing his potion brewing though his heart was no longer in it.

He would definitely not be following step thirteen. It was quite silly to be standing over the contents of the cauldron and laughing. The pinch of horseradish powder was added before Ary stirred counterclockwise twice. The burner flame was then fixed to a medium heat where the cauldron was heated. While the five minutes ticked by, Ary once again cleaned and organised his workstation. When those minutes were up, he waved his wand in a spiral manner. His potion turned a violent shade of pink.

Nice.

Aryan actually thought it looked better than if it had been yellow.

Desiree was relieved to know that there was no such thing as giggling too much as far as this potion was concerned. Once she started giggling, it was hard for her to stop sometimes. She nodded at the professor’s answer, turning her attention back to her potion as the timer went off.

Now she needed something to make her giggle. The first thing that came to mind was her dad making his patronus talk with a funny voice. That was his go-to method of cheering her up when she was little, and it worked. The thought of the silvery platypus speaking with an exaggerated French accent still made her giggle!

Desiree allowed herself to giggle at the potion for a few moments before regaining composure. Then she put her potion back on the heat and set her timer again, this time for three minutes. While she waited, she counted out five puffskein hairs to add when the timer went off. Three minutes later, she scattered the five hairs over her potion and stirred it clockwise as quickly as she could. When she’d finished stirring, she consulted the board for the next step.

Put on high heat for ten minutes, okay then. Aiming her wand below her cauldron, she increased the flame and set the timer for ten minutes. While she waited, she considered the professor’s next question. Thinking like a healer, initial thought was an antidote to sadness, more specifically magically-induced sadness. Was this the right potion for that? She could think of more than one that could be used to that effect. Raising her hand, she said, “Could the Laughing Potion be used as an antidote to magically-induced sadness, or would one use the Elixir to Induce Euphoria for that?”

While she waited for the ten minute timer to go off, Desiree glanced at the board for the next steps. Laugh loudly and uncontrollably? Normally she wasn’t opposed to such a thing, but she hoped her laughter wouldn’t distract anyone trying to concentrate on their own potion or the questions. She racked her brains for the funniest thing she could think of, eventually settling on a memory of her father’s old Persian cat. She’d once tried to dress it up as Prince Charming to play tea party. The poor cat rebelled against the costume by jumping on the table, spilling all the food and drinks. The cat wound up so covered in tea and jam, it had to have a haircut. The memory of the poor naked cat had her laughing uncontrollably, so much so that she had a hard time stopping!

Finally regaining composure, Desiree added a pinch of horseradish powder to the mix and stirred counter-clockwise. She reduced the heat to medium and set her timer one last time for five minutes. When the timer went off, she waved her wand in a spiral over the potion. Was that it? She glanced at the board, then back at her cauldron. The contents had turned a lovely sunny shade of yellow, her house color. She beamed, satisfied with her progress.

It seems as though things were being just about wrapped up in class.

After Adara had answered Archie's question, which he also jotted down said answer in his notes that the potion would be yellow if done correctly, the last steps would be placed up on the board to actually see whether or not it would turn out this way. But before these steps would be completed, there was a question that was asked first which would be answered. The Slytherin's answer original answer was going to be akin to the one that was just said, laughter is one of the best medicines; however, delineating from someone else's answer was always a must. So, the thirteen would state "While it may not be the specific reason for its invention, something it could still be used for is acting as a distraction. For example, say you're with a group of friends and you all need to...oh I don't know...get into the restricted section of the library-" This being said theoretically of course; it wasn't totally as if he was for sneaking into a forbidden area...but anyways "-one of said friends could drink a laughing potion somewhere else in the library which should in turn cause enough of a commotion for the other's to sneak into the area." Fingers were crossed that this wouldn't be given a raised eyebrow, but, what could Archie say? He was a bit of a sneaky mischief maker, just not necessarily the most overt of ones.

With the answer now being out of the way, it was back to brewing. Archibold would need a little help with the lucky 13th step given that there was emphasis on the laughter needing to be uncontrollable. To get this, he'd simply start thinking of some of the funniest jokes that had arrived in his mind. After a few seconds of this, out of the blue, the snake would start laughing transforming into a full-on outburst of joyous chuckles and chortles. Once it had started, it was quite hard to actually cease the howling cacophony. So during the next step, there would still even be some giggles while adding in the pinch of horseradish powder. Albeit said giggles wouldn't be done into the potion like the guffaws that occurred moments before, lest that would mess it all up, which he couldn't have happening now. Not after coming so far into the process of making the concoction. Once more, the potion would then be stirred in a counter-clockwise motion while on medium heat. This would be done for the next five minutes. Now, it was the moment of truth.

Waving his wand in a spiral formation over the top of the cauldron, Archie would watch as the color would turn into...a pastel yellow, like a shade of the sun in the springtime. He had done it thankfully.

"It seems we've run out of brewing time, as I fear your next lesson's professor will be displeased if I hold you back too long. But just a few things of note, one of the more common uses for the laughing potion is as an antidote to other potions. Depending on the sincerity of the laughing and sniggering that you provided to your potions will definitely have impact over its strength and how long it will last... as like most potions, yes it does wear off." She admitted. "However, if brewed correctly and brewed as an antidote rather than just to initiate laughing, then it should negate previous emotions and bring you to a neutral balance." And the neutral balance should last unless you did something to tip the scale.

"As previously mentioned, correctly brewed potions should have a final hue of yellow. But please submit a vial of your potion regardless of it's final colour for analysis so I can determine where you've gone wrong and provide you with feedback for improvement. If your potion was brewed incorrectly, you will be expected to provide an adequate laughing potion prior to graduating or moving up to the next level." She just wanted to make that clear. Although she also recognized that this was a challenging potion and some of the younger students would have grace to repeat this potion successfully in the future.

"If there are no further questions, after you've left me your properly labeled potion sample and cleaned up your workspaces, you may leave."


ooc: dragged this on too long, but class officially dismissed and I'll close the thread in 8-12 hours in case you wish to RP your characters leaving OR last minute catch-up brewing posts Thanks for participating

Ary was not pleased about having to re-brew this Potion; he really hated having to snigger or whatever over his cauldron. It seemed so stupid. Surely some competent Potioneer could undo those steps and replace them with something more logical? But he nodded, glancing at Sloane as he did so. Surely his friend would have to redo hers? Perhaps they could do so together.

The second year quickly jotted down the last bit of notes the professor gave them then put some of his incorrectly brewed potion in a vial. It was labelled with his name, House and year after which the workstation was cleaned. After all his belongings were back in his bag, Ary settled his vial on Adara’s desk.

All done.