First Years, Lesson Five

Landon had a rough night the night before. The Mandrake party went on all night, and he had to break it up, and clean the mess. He didn't mind them having too much fun, but he hadn't expected the party to go on for so long. After all, the man had only been studying mandrakes for a couple of years and he was only just getting used to the way they behaved. It was quite an interesting subject though and the man just chuckled at the thought of mandrakes having more fun than he could ever have. After all, they'll have a much shorter life than he will and he was slightly glad they were making the most of it.

Landon leaned back against his desk as his class began to walk in. "Hello all! I am sure that everyone enjoyed your pumpkins from last lesson." Landon smiled around at them all, knowing that he had enjoyed them himself last night with some potato mash. "We are going into the Forbidden Forest and gathering our next project. We will be supplying mistletoe." Mistletoe had many magical properties that Landon did not know about until reading up on it. Despite this, it was the closest thing to muggle plants that he would be teaching about and was excited for it nonetheless. "It is for the Yule Ball, so we will have plenty of it.

"Whether or not you all are accustomed to this weather, we should get going." Landon put his gloves on. "Grab your gloves, pruning shears, and a bag." Landon handed each student a small burlap tote bag and walked outside, hoping the others would follow. He wondered whether or not they would see a creature, however, they weren't going far into the forest anyway and it wasn't like they were in any danger.

He stopped at the path. "You'll notice along this path the many bushes and trees. Mistletoe is parasitic, believe it or not. Birds carry their seeds and they grow on bushes and trees. Perceive the clump of mistletoe around us. What you will do is put on your gloves, and get out your pruning shears and clip off the sprigs so they'll fit your bags." Landon demonstrated, and soon after they started, they had full bags.

The man led them back out of the forest and to the greenhouse. He set his bag down on the trestle table. "Now, we shall take the strips we've acquired and snip off the mistletoe with their leaves. See how the berries grow in groups together, with the leaves surrounding them. Cut them like this." He verified, where the berries and leaves were all still connected. "And there you have it," He waved his hand and the sprig hovered a bit in the air, "a sprig of mistletoe. Get started, and you should have them all done by the end of class. I expect you to throw your scraps into that barrel for the compost heap. Then place your mistletoe in that large trough over there, where I'll cure it and add something else to it. They'll soak there until the ball, when they'll be ready to be hung up. You may leave."

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Assignment: RP lesson, it doesn't matter what you do. You may godmod me (to a certain extent and to where I would still sound like myself). Include a picture of mistletoe for extra credit.

 

[Victoria de Lacey]

Tori looked around and noted she was definitely in the wrong class since she didn't even have it this semester, but decided to stay for the duration anyway and learn something.

Out of Character:

 

[Elijah Edogawa]

Elijah shuffled into the greenhouse, his curiosity piqued as Professor Carter greeted them with an unusual announcement. The mention of the Forbidden Forest had his attention immediately—he had read so much about the place and couldn’t believe they were actually going there. Grabbing his gloves, pruning shears, and the burlap tote bag, Eli followed the rest of the group outside, the crisp air waking him up. He glanced around as they walked, noticing how the trees seemed to loom taller the closer they got to the forest. When Professor Carter explained how mistletoe was a parasitic plant, Eli nodded, already spotting the clumps of mistletoe hanging from the branches. He reached up with his shears, snipping a few sprigs carefully and stuffing them into his bag.

Back in the greenhouse, he felt pretty good about how things were going. He set his bag down and started snipping off the mistletoe leaves and berries just like Professor Carter had shown them, making sure to keep everything together neatly. He tossed the scraps into the compost barrel and lined up to place his sprigs in the trough with the others. Remembering the extra credit, Elijah quickly doodled a little picture of mistletoe on a spare piece of parchment. Satisfied with his work, he handed it in with a grin, packed up his things, and headed out of the greenhouse, chatting with a couple of classmates about how cool it was to actually go into the Forbidden Forest, even if it was just a little bit.​

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Eoghan didn't fail to notice that Tori was lingering around near the greenhouses for their lesson, and the corners of the Ravenclaws mouth curved upwards at her dedication to learn something new. His cheeks turned pink however as the professor mentioned mistletoe and the yule ball in the same sentence, and he couldn't help his eyes flashing toward Lilith. She'd already gotten in there early and asked him to the yule ball, so hearing that there would also be mistletoe present added another layer of complications he would soon have to deal with.

Given how many warnings the first years had when it came to the forbidden forest, Eoghan didn't think making the Yule Ball pretty was at the top of the priority list for things they should risk their life for. He glared at the professor, wondering why he thought something so superfluous was worth the danger to the students, and as he followed the rest of the class toward the forest, he fell in line beside Lilith, determined not to let anything or anyone get too close to her. He stayed glued to her side for most of the lesson, clipping the berries they needed all the while more than aware of their surroundings. By the time they'd collected enough, the professor wouldn't even tell them what the something else ingredient he was going to add to the berries to make them useable. He hated that professors kept all the important information to themselves. After asking Lil if she wanted to join him in the library after the lesson, he'd made his way out of the forest and back to the safety of the castle, determined to find out what it was that was mixed with the mistletoe before it would be hung up.

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Arriving to the Herbology class room less excited than usual Lilith took place somewhere among the other students and leaned on the table. It wasn't that the subject bored her she was just more tired these days and couldn't find it in herself to get excited over other subjects than Astronomy and Transfiguration. She had half a mind to what was being explained when her attention perked up at the mention of the up coming ball, she felt those starry eyes on her the second her best friend shifted his attention to her. She glanced at him on the side before frowning at the fact they were going to the forbidden forest. Wasn't that.... Well forbidden? Why were they going there? She did not want to go, there was a reason it was forbidden.

She followed the rest of the class with wary steps and was very thankful when Eoghan fell in step beside her, she was not having a good time. The forest was much like those at home, but she had heard stories of these ones and the creatures that may dwell in there and she definitely would not mind avoiding those. Lilith did what was asked and hurried back to the greenhouse. She had half a mind to decline the invite to library, but decided to go anyways. She was in need of a new book, hopefully they had other things than school textbooks in there as well.

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie was still a bit miffed about her pumpkin being turned into dessert. She’d really, really wanted some pie, but she’d refused to touch it out of principal. She sat at the herbology table with her chin in her hands, hoping to get away with sulking for the entire lesson, but no such luck. They were going into the forbidden forest today? To fetch mistletoe? Susie was starting to feel like the school was taking advantage of the first years for free labour. She rolled her eyes and followed her classmates out.

The forest was spectacularly creepy, but Susie felt a bit better standing at the back of the group. If anything came to eat them, it would hopefully be full up by the time it got to her. She snipped a few clumps of mistletoe and dropped them in her bag, more interested in the odd mushrooms growing at the base of the gnarly trees. Back at the greenhouse, she trimmed her plants down and tossed them in the trough. Well, it was better than a lecture.

 

[Vikram Bakshi]

Vikrams first semester was almost over. It had certainly been interesting, and he'd definitely enjoyed himself. He had fallen into a comfortable routine, he'd reached out in a few places to make a few connections, and he felt like his classes were going well. All in all he was feeling rather optimistic about his stay here at the school.

He gathered his things up and walked to class, feeling relaxed and ready for the day. He was intrigued by the lesson- not particularly the gathering part, though he did his best. He would have to catch Winnie later and ask her if she'd like to go to the ball with him. He'd missed her at the Halloween Party and he was fairly certain that if he didn't ask her now she might not go at all. He turned in his bag of mistletoe as the lesson ended and headed back for the castle, going over her schedule in his mind and deciding when the best time to approach her might be.

 

[Forrest Kaster]

Forrest was fascinated by the lesson from the moment Professor Carter mentioned mistletoe. While it seemed like a relatively simple plant, he knew it had hidden magical properties that were well worth studying. As they walked into the Forbidden Forest, Forrest kept his eyes peeled, not just for the mistletoe but also for any creatures that might be nearby. He enjoyed being outdoors, and the cold air was refreshing. Observing the mistletoe growing parasitically on the trees was intriguing, and he listened carefully to Professor Carter's instructions on how to harvest the sprigs properly. Taking his time, Forrest snipped off the mistletoe sprigs with care, trying to ensure he didn’t damage the host plant.

Back in the greenhouse, Forrest followed the steps to trim the mistletoe precisely, admiring the way the leaves and berries were clustered together. As he worked, he thought about how something so simple could play such a significant role in magical traditions and practices, like the Yule Ball. After finishing with his bag, he carefully placed the completed sprigs into the trough, satisfied with his work. Before leaving, he made sure to compost the scraps as instructed, appreciating how every part of the plant had a purpose, even if just for compost. He left the class with a deeper understanding of mistletoe and a new respect for its unique nature.

 

[Nox Walden-Cade]

Nox found it amusing to think of Professor Carter breaking up a mandrake party the night before. As they made their way to the Forbidden Forest, he felt a sense of anticipation. The idea of gathering mistletoe for the Yule Ball seemed more practical than some of their other Herbology lessons, and he was excited to contribute to the festivities. Nox listened attentively to Professor Carter’s instructions and carefully snipped away at the mistletoe, making sure each sprig was cut properly and fit neatly into his bag.

Back in the greenhouse, Nox focused on trimming the mistletoe with precision, trying to ensure that he kept the berries and leaves intact as instructed. He enjoyed the hands-on aspect of Herbology, and the rhythmic snipping was almost calming after the walk through the chilly forest. As he placed his finished sprigs in the trough, he wondered what Professor Carter would add to them for the curing process. He made sure to clean up his scraps for the compost heap, feeling satisfied with the work they had done. The lesson was a refreshing change of pace, and Nox felt a small sense of accomplishment as he prepared to leave for his next class.