First Years, Lesson Four

Landon leaned back against his desk as he waited for his first years to arrive. After everyone had taken their seat, Landon said brightly, "Hello! I hope you're all in a good mood because today we will be checking our pumpkins. Put on your gloves and workrobes, because you will need them. You will be harvesting your pumpkin. Also, grab your pruning shears. Follow me!" Landon happily went out of the greenhouse, excited to see how everyone's pumpkins were getting along. He had his black, leather gloves on and the shears in his left hand and he hoped everyone else did too.

"Locate your pumpkin. All of them should be ready to take off the vine. Take out the pruning shears and have a firm grip." Landon demonstrated with his pumpkin. "Snip your pumpkin from its vine, like so. It may take a bit of strength." Landon easily snipped his from the vine. His pumpkin was free and he just smiled at his students, proud of all their efforts so far as he watched everyone begin to get to work. The man went around to each of the first years and helped them if need be, which he rather enjoyed doing. Thankfully, everyone seemed to get it and, once he was sure everyone's pumpkins were off the vine, he retrieved his wand out of his pocket and spoke again.

"Now, we will be taking the pumpkins to the castle. We'll have to levitate them as they will be much too heavy to carry yourselves and I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Everyone must attempt to levitate their pumpkin. Whether or not you have learned this in Charms yet, the levitating charm is Wingaridium Leviosa." He made the students repeat the words correctly, and then practiced the swish and flick movement. "Cast the charm on the pumpkin, and we will be going off to the castle." Landon cast the charm on the pumpkin and levitated it a bit above the ground. "I'll follow you so we won't have any screw ups." Landon walked behind them, making sure there weren't any mistakes and that no pumpkins fell onto the ground. Once they got to the castle, they went inside and lowered their pumpkins down in the entrance hall. Landon had ordered a few house elves to meet them and take them away, which they did. Once they were done, they left to go back to the greenhouse.

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Assignment: RP the lesson. At the end, tell the house elf what you want your pumpkin to be turned into. Include a picture for extra credit. Please also note, RPing your character simply lifting the pumpkin with their bare hands will get them an EE grade.

 

[Nox Walden-Cade]

Nox was eager to check on his pumpkin after all the care he'd put into it over the last few weeks. As Professor Carter led them outside, Nox slipped on his gloves and grabbed his shears, feeling a bit of excitement as they reached the patch. His pumpkin was a decent size, plump and vibrant, and he was proud of how well it had grown. Following Professor Carter's example, Nox carefully cut the pumpkin from the vine. It took a little effort, but he managed to snip it free with a satisfying pop. He smiled as he looked at it, feeling accomplished.

When it came time to levitate the pumpkin, Nox repeated the incantation, "Wingardium Leviosa," practicing the swish and flick movement. His first attempt made the pumpkin wobble a bit, but on his second try, it hovered steadily above the ground. Nox grinned, pleased with his success, and carefully guided it along with the rest of the class toward the castle.

Once they reached the entrance hall, Nox lowered his pumpkin gently to the ground, relieved that he hadn't dropped it along the way. Watching the house-elves whisk the pumpkins away, he waved at his own house elf who seemed to be one of the elves helping take the pumpkins away in preparation for Halloween. Nox returned to the greenhouse to gather his things then left for good.

 

[Elijah Edogawa]

Eli entered the greenhouse, that same energy he usually felt in classes subsiding a little. It had been a rough couple of weeks with everything going on and he’d heard that Jonah had gone to their mother for help - and still no one had punished his brother for his behaviour. How did this keep happening? He quickly pulled his gloves on a little more roughly than he strictly probably needed to. His work robes were a bit of a struggle though as his frustration levels this week were off the charts and he had to pull the robes roughly over his normal robes a couple of times before he managed it. He followed Professor Carter outside, grumbling under his breath the whole time. The anticipation built as they approached the pumpkin patch, and Elijah couldn’t wait to see the results of their previous work. When they reached the pumpkins, he located his plant and was pleased to see that it had grown into a large, vibrant pumpkin. Kneeling beside it, he gripped his pruning shears tightly and, following Professor Carter's demonstration, positioned the shears at the base of the vine. With a bit of effort, he snipped it carefully, and the pumpkin was now free, making him grin with pride at the outcome of his hard work.

As Professor Carter explained the next step, Elijah listened closely. He had learned the Levitation Charm in Charms class, but this was the first time he would use it on something as big as a pumpkin. Taking a deep breath, he pointed his wand at the pumpkin and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" with a swish and flick. To his delight, the pumpkin lifted off the ground, hovering a few feet in the air. Carefully guiding it with his wand, he ensured it stayed steady as they made their way to the castle. Once in the entrance hall, he gently lowered the pumpkin to the floor, where the house elves were waiting to take it. Before leaving, Elijah approached one of the house elves and asked them to turn his pumpkin into a cake with a happy face and big, bright eyes. Feeling satisfied with the lesson, he joined his classmates as they headed back to the greenhouse, excited to see his pumpkin transformed into a festive decoration.

Spoiler

​

 

[Eurydice Nightray]

Eurydice didn't actually think they'd be doing anything with the pumpkins they'd planted last week. Or well, that her classmates planted last week. She'd really just thrown a seed into the soil with some water. And well, all she got for it was a vine growing out of her seed. Now that they were in this class though, she could see that she probably should have just skipped considering what she had done in the last class. But it was too late to back out now as she was already following the class back to the pumpkin patch. It was hard to find her spot from the previous week when there were so many large orange pumpkins around. Finally, she found her... pumpkin. If it could be called that.

Eurydice wasn't surprised really. It was... the size of her hand. Still had a dying flower and was sickly green. Considering that it was a vine last week, Eurydice thought it was an improvement. She snipped it right off and didn't bother with using a spell as she picked it up with glove-covered hands. And moved around the patch, avoiding the professor so he wouldn't notice her tiny pumpkin(?). When they were instructed to go to the castle, she made sure that she was near the front, far from the professor's sight. She was surprised to see a familiar house elf and ran towards him to say hi. She shyly gave him her questionable pumpkin. If she'd known that her friend would be getting her pumpkin, she would have (maybe) done a little better in the last class. Oh well. After telling her house elf friend that he could do anything he thinks would go well, she left with the rest of the class.​

 

[Vikram Bakshi]

The first semester was going by quickly. He was having a good time. He'd talked with a few decent people, he'd been doing well with his grades. He had long walks in the mornings and he enjoyed his time with Winnie, though he'd been looking to make a few friends outside of her. It was healthy to have a rounded social circle.

At least, that was what he was working on. With that in mind, he took a place in class with someone he didn't know, giving them a soft smile. He turned his attention to the Professor. He'd left his bag in his dorm, knowing they'd be doing something or the other with the pumpkins today. He nodded and moved outside. Humming to himself, he cut his pumpkin free- a cute mini pumpkin he liked. He didn't need the spell but he used it anyway, following everyone back up to the castle. He spent his time thinking about what he wanted, and with a few murmured pleasantries, he requested that the house elves carve a vine pattern with leaves if they could. Pleased with the mental image, he hummed to himself as he headed back to his dorm.

 

[Lilith Ilves]

Lilith arrived to the Herbology class on time as always. Taking her seat she was comfortably swinging her feet back and forth while staring off to the distance, once again taking her time to think about the distant worlds she had just read about last night. Once Professor Carter started talking she was brought back and she turned her focus on the man at the front.

Listening to each instruction carefully, Lilith picked up her gloves and put them on, followed by the correct robes. She then picked up the shears and followed the professor out. Finding place in front of her pumpkin, which looked far too big for her handling, she frowned slightly. How was she supposed to snip that thing off the vine? It looked like it took a lot of strength, she wasn't sure her body had. After watching what the professor had done the first year got to work. She tried to snip it off effortlessly, but failed. By the end of her efforts she was huffing and puffing in annoyance, her hair coming out of her ponytail and she was very very close to giving up. Eventually the vine snapped and Lilith had never been prouder.

The mention of a brand new charm wiped her smile off faster than should have been possible. A new charm?? Merlin save her, they hadn't even had charms lessons yet? Before Lilith had the chance to throw herself on the floor and cry everyone else started their process. She had to do it a few times but on the 3rd time the pumpkin started levitating. Once at the castle she felt bad handing the pumpkin to the poor house elf, she did offer to help them carry it but they just declined. "I would like a jack o' lantern out of it please?" She asked before the elves carried them away.

Spoiler: Pumpkinn

 

[Forrest Kaster]

Forrest was excited as Professor Carter announced that they'd be harvesting their pumpkins today. He quickly put on his work robes and gloves, grabbing his shears before following the professor outside. The pumpkin he'd been tending was larger than he'd expected, and he couldn't help but feel a little proud seeing how much it had grown.

After watching Professor Carter's demonstration, Forrest knelt down by his pumpkin and took hold of the vine with his left hand, gripping the shears in his right. With a firm squeeze, he snipped it from the vine, feeling a satisfying snap as it came free. He smiled, gently nudging the pumpkin to make sure it was stable before stepping back. When it was time to levitate the pumpkins, Forrest listened carefully to Professor Carter’s instructions. Though he hadn’t officially learned the levitation charm yet, he gave it a try. After a few hesitant swishes and flicks, he felt a rush of excitement when his pumpkin lifted a few inches off the ground. Concentrating hard, Forrest guided it carefully toward the castle, feeling a surge of accomplishment as they lowered the pumpkins into the entrance hall.

Back at the greenhouse, Forrest couldn’t help but feel satisfied with the day’s work. Harvesting his pumpkin felt like a real achievement, and he enjoyed the sense of teamwork as everyone worked together to complete the task.

 

[Eoghan Blyth]

Halloween was almost upon them, and that meant it was soon time for them to harvest the pumpkins they'd been growing in Herbology. Making his way down to the greenhouses, Eoghan wasted no time slipping into his gloves as he listened to Professor Carter tell him what they needed to do. There was a small amount of satisfaction knowing that the pumpkins they'd grown would be used for something useful and not just decoration, although it would take a moment to think what he wanted his to be used for.

Taking the sheers, Eoghan knew it would take a bit more strength to cut the pumpkin off the vine, although he'd still underestimated how difficult it would be. The Ravenclaw had always been better at his mental strength rather than using the strength of his muscles. Finally, he plucked it off the vine and was left with his pumpkin free in the wind. Taking out his wand, Eoghan cleared his throat, "Wingardium Leviosa," he said clearly, pointing his wand at the large orange fruit and waving his wand to guide the pumpkin out of its hole and towards the elf that was collecting them. "I want this to be used in something to eat or drink," he said, knowing that most people would want to use theirs as some sort of ornament, but he wasn't about to waste an entire pumpkin like that, just for it to end up in the trash.

At the end of the lesson Eoghan left the greenhouse, and even though he knew he wasn't going to be attending Halloween, he hoped those that did ended up enjoying his pumpkin juice. ​

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie hadn't expected Charms and Herbology to overlap, but she wasn't complaining. She'd been thinking about her pumpkin all week, and where it might end up; with the feast quickly approaching, it was bound to be turned into a pie, or possibly juice, but as she levitated it from the plot and joined the procession towards the castle, she knew more than anything she wanted to carve it up and put it in the great hall. She certainly didn't want some house elf doing it for her. That took out all the fun. Unfortunately, as she reached the entrance hall, she learned she had no choice. Susie let the pumpkin drop when it was still a few centimetres away from the ground. The skin was tough enough that it didn't break, but the thud made her feel a bit better all the same.

 

[Rhea Moss]

If Rhea saw it right, this time in herbology class today, they would be picking pumpkins. It could be very interesting, although she did it once when she was a child with her father's parents, but it was so long ago that she no longer remembered how to do it properly. Nothing today, all that was forgotten will be recovered.

As soon as they got to the greenhouse, Rhea was in the first row to hear how to properly harvest. After listening to what the professor said, she took the wand in her hands and then tried for the first time to do as it was supposed to, but at first it didn't work, but she tried the second time. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she said out loud, then everything came together the second it happened. Everything happened the third and fourth time as well. When they had gathered quite a lot of pumpkins, Rhea put her wand back in her cloak pocket, then took her things and went back to the castle.