Closed Mandrake Leaf Madness

[Audrey Beauchamp]

Audrey honestly thought Professor Pirrip was having her on. There was enough about him that was reminiscent of Teddy, so she wouldn't have put it past him to make something this elaborate up. But the professor also took his work seriously, and didn't joke around when it came to something like this. So she was willing to believe he was telling the truth. "Still, Profeshor-" Audrey slurred, shifting the aggravating leaf around to a sensible spot in her mouth, desperate not to chew or swallow the irritating thing. She wondered if this was how people with braces and retainers felt. Magic dentistry was a relief. "A whole month? You'd think it'd be brewed into a potion or something to take every day for a month instead," she pondered, running her tongue over her teeth. "Wouldn't the magical properties of the leaf have been absorbed by our mouths within a week?" It made some sense that they used mandrakes, Audrey thought. They were used to turn people back to their rightful state, something they'd have to be able to do if they did manage to transfigure into an animal in the first place.

"Are you on a liquid diet too? At least I'll lose some weight..." she trailed off, looking down at her sides before looking back up at the professor. "But I'm sho-" the leaf slipped, and Audrey groaned as she moved it around with her tongue into a safer spot again. "Sick of drinking soup through a straw. Teddy thinks I've gone mad, and I'm starting to think he's right."

 

[Professor Edward Pirrip]

Edward would never ask a student to do anything that he wasn't prepared to do himself, and that was also true with animagus training. He'd had his own mandrake leaf in his mouth for almost four weeks and it had made him somewhat desperate to make sure he didn't mess up and have to start the process again for another month. He wanted to reassure Audrey that it got easier, but it really didn't.

He listened to Audrey's suggestion of taking a potion and nodded vaguely, "Ordrey" He said finally, struggling to speak clearly because of the leaf also in his mouth, "If it whas that shimple, everyone would be an animagush." He hoped it would remind her that she was undertaking an exceptionally grueling process at a young age. Edward was much older, and found it a challenge even for him. "The leaf magic needsh time to attune to your magical core. Rushing the proshesh will have consequences." He didn't elaborate on those consequences, but they would not be pleasant.

Edward listened with quiet amusement at Audrey's comments about the diet and Teddy's thoughts, though his lips remained pressed together to avoid accidentally dislodging his own leaf. He better positioned his leaf under his tongue before answering Audrey's question. "I’m not shtrictly on a liquid diet, but I do prefer to avoid anything that requires too much effort. It'sh a challenge, but you'll manage."

 

[Audrey Beauchamp]

Audrey pondered for a moment, moving her closed mouth about to find a comfortable position for the leaf without swallowing it or further irritating her gums. Much easier said than done. "Well," she started, crossing her arms across her chest. "You'd shtill have to brew it, and drink it every day for the shame amount of time if not longer," she said, inadvertently lisping a bit much to her frustration. "Then you absorb more of itsh magic by shwallowing the esshence. But point taken," she magnanimously agreed, slumping a little. She didn't exactly want to annoy the professor, as much as she liked debating the topic. She knew it wasn't exactly going to be an easy task, but she wasn't sure if there'd be any magic left in the leaf after being in the mouth for so long. It was probably more of an exercise in patience. Audrey could be patient, but she couldn't help but think about how to make it better. More effective.

Audrey just didn't think she could safely chew anything, and was sticking to liquids. That was a challenge, she wanted nothing more than to tear into a steak, but that would have to wait. Maybe she could bully Dion into taking her out for a nice dinner when the semester was done. Merlin only knew her parents wouldn't bother. Not even with her seventeenth birthday coming up later in the year. She did tense up a bit at the professor's comment. "Well, of course I can," she said, haughtily, before awkwardly coughing to avoid swallowing the leaf. "Ugh." Audrey shook her head. "I had gillyweed," she quickly changed the topic. "Felt good. D'ya think that's anything?"

 

[Professor Edward Pirrip]

Edward watched Audrey struggle with the mandrake leaf and listened as she mulled over ways to improve this step, it did sound favourable to what they were doing right now but would be far too risky to indulge her too much and inadvertently encourage her to experiment with the process. Edward was more interested that she brought up gillyweed. “Felt good, how?” he asked, lacing his fingers together and listening to her. “Gillyweed’s doeshn't alter one’s biology like a complete animagush transfuf...” He gave up midword, exhaling sharply before repositioning the mandrake leaf with his tongue then correcting himself. “Transformation. But if you’re experiencing a feeling to it then we should exsahmin why.” He then added, “Perhapsh we'll take your next shession near at the lake.” He finished, wiping his chin with a handkerchief more as a precaution than anything else.