Second Years, Lesson Two

As far as Landon knew, the first lesson with his second years had been a good success. He just hoped that the batch were as sensible as they made out to be considering the dangerous workload that they had this semester. Today's lesson was going to be their first lesson with an actual mandrake and he was probably more nervous than he had ever been. Before his students arrived, Landon was busy making sure each workstation was set with large clay pots, potting tools, watering cans and small pots of Mandrakes. Nothing was to go wrong that lesson and he was sure of it.

When each student was situated next to a workstation, Landon quickly began the lesson. "I hope you all have your earmuffs today because, as you can see, we are going to get started with handling mandrakes. The mandrake you are standing in front of now will be your pet for the rest of the semester. You will look after them and you'll be writing a journal all about it. For now, your first step is to repot them and place them comfortably into a new home." Landon couldn't help but be nervous for the students and what they were about to do. He had only ever seen the majority of them once before and now he was trusting them to do what they were told when dire circumstances were involved. "One thing you must understand before you even begin touching your mandrake is that you may not cause your mandrake any harm. Anyone who is found to do that will get an automatic fail for this course this year which I'm sure none of you would like." He continued, with a sarcastic smile. "Mandrakes fancy damp soil, shade to sunlight, and occasional food. Remember to take proper care of them."

After a good overview of the rules, Landon was a bit more confident with them all. He was never a stickler for rules but going through them would hopefully ensure that all of the twelve and thirteen year olds were safe. On the bright side, the students would never have to hear Landon go through them again as he was sure they'd all be mature enough to remember each and every one. Professor Carter walked over to his desk and leaned against it to observe all the students. He instructed, "Put on your Dragonhide gloves and your work robes and we shall begin." Landon put on his gloves also. "I will demonstrate for you. However, before I demonstrate, I will verbally tell you what we are about to do. First, you will grasp the leaves of your Mandrake gently, yet firm. Then tug them upwards. Your Mandrake will come out of the small pot, and then you will transfer them into the large pot already filled with dirt, put them in, plant the dirt around them and give them some water. And that’s it. Watch me. Put your earmuffs on." He waited patiently for everyone to put them on and gave a few of the ones who had forgotten them one of the spare pairs of earmuffs from the box. "Their cry is pretty strident. So, make sure you have them on correctly."

Landon put his on and made sure it was in place. He did everything he had ordered them to do and eventually, the Mandrake rested comfortably in the large pot, dozing off. His Mandrake was rather small but vociferous. Landon took off his gloves and went to sit behind the desk, watching as the students began to work on their mandrakes.

-----

Assignment: RP today's lesson AND write a short diary entry about your mandrake for full marks. For extra credit, you may draw a picture of your mandrake if you wish.

 

[Rose Edogawa]

Rose tugged her earmuffs securely over her ears, glancing at Sayuri for reassurance before pulling her her dragonhide gloves. The mandrake in front of her squirmed and made faces in its small pot, looking every bit as ugly as she remembered from the illustrations. She winked her nose but refused to back down. Professor Carter’s demonstration had made it look easy, but Rose wasn’t fooled; she’d learned enough to know magical plants always had a way of surprising you. She took a deep breath and gently gripped the leaves of her mandrake, muttering to herself as she tugged it free from the pot. The creature’s cry was muffled, but she still winced, working quickly to transfer it into the larger pot. The mandrake flailed, flinging dirt everywhere, and Rose scowled, shoving soil around it to settle it down. “There, stay put, you little menace,” she grumbled, adding water as instructed. As the mandrake finally calmed, Rose let out a sigh of relief, glancing over at Sayuri to make sure her sister’s repotting had gone smoothly.​

Diary Entry

Mandrake Name: Grumpy Gus
Stage: Seedling
Care Notes: Successfully repotted Gus today. He yelled a lot and threw dirt everywhere, but he’s settled now in his new pot. Gave him water and extra dirt to keep him comfy. Ugly little menace.

 

[Victoria de Lacey]

The talk with Lilith had been kind of unexpected, but she was greatful for it. She wasn't sure if she was ready to bare her heart and soul to her friend, but she was at least aware that she would listen, if Tori was to talk to her. She wasn't quite there yet and she wasn't sure when she would be. She approached the workstation with a bit of unease. Mandrakes made her uncomfy because they looked too much like people, or babies rather, she supposed. And given her current feelings towards babies, maybe she shouldn't be around them. She quickly pulled on her dragonhide gloves and then adjusted her earmuffs as the professor instructed. She couldn’t deny the thrill of working with a live Mandrake - it was just the kind of hands-on challenge she loved about Herbology. But her thoughts kept wandering back to her dad’s house, to the twins she wished she didn’t resent so much. Gritting her teeth, Tori focused on the task at hand. When it was her turn, she carefully grasped the Mandrake’s leaves, tugged it free from the small pot, and transferred it to the larger one, her motions deliberate and precise. The shrill, muffled cry of the Mandrake still made her wince, even through the earmuffs, but she managed to settle it into the fresh soil and pat the dirt around it snugly. Watering the Mandrake, she allowed herself a small smile - it looked oddly content now. Maybe, she thought, caring for the little root might teach her something about handling her own tangled emotions.
​

Diary Entry

Mandrake Name: Rory
Stage: Seedling
Care Notes: Today was our first lesson handling Mandrakes, and I had the absolute worst luck with mine, Rory. He was yelling so loudly that even with the earmuffs on, my ears were ringing. Managed to repot him, but he wasn’t happy about it - he threw dirt everywhere and even tried to nibble on my fingers a couple of times. I’ve got him settled now in his new pot, though - gave him some extra dirt to make sure he’s comfy. He’s an ugly little menace, but I’ll take care of him because, well, I guess that’s what you do when you’re stuck with a grumpy little plant like Rory.​

 

[Sayuri Edogawa]

The sight of mandrakes amused Sayuri just a little bit. This was bound to be an interesting lesson even if it wasn't exactly something she'd been looking forward to. She had a fairly good idea of what they would be doing today considering the sheer amount of large pots around the area. When Professor Carter started speaking, she listened carefully. "How hard could this be?" she told Rose right before she donned the earmuffs. The mandrakes were still babies, hardly fatal, but their cry was still dangerous. And they weren't allowed to harm the nasty little things either. She watched the professor handle the repotting, taking note of how it could be done as smoothly as possible. Once he finished, she took a deep breath and approached her own mandrake. With one final glance at her sister, she gently grasped the mandrake's leaves, pulling it upward with care, just as the professor instructed. The nasty little thing protested with a squeal that she could only see but not hear. She transferred it to the large pot, almost dropping the squiggly thing as she glared at it. She then proceeded to dump soil on the thing while it flung it back out, she seriously considered hitting it with the spade but she managed to cover it enough to be considered done.​

Diary Entry

Mandrake Name: Mandrake
Stage: Seedling
Care Notes: Repotted

 

[Winnie Calida]

Winnie wanted to go to the halloween feast this year, but she felt sure she wouldn’t be able to justify it. She knew it was a pointless night and her time was better served on other things. She could say she’d have all the work done, but the feast ate into her study time and her parents would be frustrated if she did that, and she was a good daughter. Or at least, she tried to be. She would listen to them, they knew what was best. Winnie grabbed the things she needed for the day, thinking that she should maybe speak to Vikram about it, he might be able to give her the out she wanted, but she focused currently on just heading to class.

Winnie walked into the herbology greenhouse and took her usual spot in the room. She had her earmuffs with her and was looking to the professor. She took her quill and began writing down what the professor was telling them about the mandrakes that they had, what they preferred and of course he reminded them of all the rules with them once more. She put on the earmuffs when instructed to and just watched the professor demonstrate how to do it. She then was gladly able to do it herself. She got the second pot ready, make sure she had everything in place, and then did as the professor showed them. She was quick about it, efficient, spending little time actually getting to see what her mandrake looked like, it would be used in potions anyway, no need to get attached. Winnie put it in the new pot and did as she was supposed to. She made a couple of notes and then headed out of the room when she was allowed to.

Spoiler

My mandrake screamed very loudly, but of course my ear muffs protected me. It appeared to be of average size and weight. I changed it's pot quickly, so didn't get a very good look at it, but that's fine, i'm sure i'll get to know it more in the future.

 

[Kanako Kurosawa]

Herbology was gross. Mandrakes were gross. And yet Kanako persisted. She honestly deserved something for that, she thought, as she crossed over the threshold into the greenhouse. She shot Tori a sharp glare before taking her spot. She'd remembered her earmuffs of course, put them on, and after watching the professor demonstrate the repotting, she got ready to do the same. Kanako struggled a little bit, grumbling at the mandrake as she pulled it out of the first pot. "Shut up, you stupid thing," she muttered as she shoved it a little brutally into the second pot, covering it up as quickly as she could. She gave it a bit of water for good measure. There. Now she just had to write a diary entry about the little wretch.

Spoiler: Homework

My mandrake is called Kyousuke because it looks like my brother. I repotted it but it seemed very unwillingly to go so I had to force it a bit. It's young right now, but it'll grow.