Third Years, Lesson Four

Landon enjoyed the previous trip that they had. It had been a long time since he had last visit Chelsea Physics Garden. Nothing much had changed but he still enjoyed the trip. He was also quite relieved that nothing disastrous had happened. The man did trust his students, but there was still a part of him that worried that they would cause some trouble. It was great that his students managed to behave themselves however, and it made the man excited for the upcoming lessons.

For this lesson today, in the centre of the greenhouse stood a pallet of Leaping Toadstools that had not been harvested yet. He had moved it inside so as to not expose it to too much sun in the hot summer's weather. He was always weary about the amount of shade and sunlight that his plants had, as there was no turning back if the plants dried out and died. As his students filed into the room, Landon gestured for them to sit around it as the toadstoods writhed about attached to their roots and itching to be harvested and let free.

“Welcome students! I hope you all enjoyed the trip from last week. Today we will be learning about Leaping Toadstools, which are the small creatures that I planted recently in the pallet in front of you. I suggest you take out some writing equipment while I lecture you!” Landon wanted to keep it short, and so started it quickly. “These little things originate from Britain, but now they can be found all over the world. They are used as ingredients in potions, particularly ones that result in extra energy for the drinker, because these things are full of them! They love to leap, hence the name Leaping Toadstools, and you should not stand in their way when they do, because they do pack a punch if you happen to be too close.” Landon looked around the room, keeping an eye on those who were taking notes and those who weren’t. He didn’t often give his class too many lectures, but he really hoped his students would listen to him.

The man looked at his pocket watch before continuing, glad that he was running on time. “Since they can be quite a handful, does anyone know what spell would be most useful to cast on them when you’re trying to harvest them?” Landon asked, wondering if anyone had done their readings. He called upon someone across the room. “Petrificus Totalus?” they said, and Landon beamed at them. “Exactly! 5 House Points to you! Leaping Toadstools can be quite the fussy type, preferring any soil except for acidic soil, in which case it will turn purple and become poisonous. Not only that, but they hate being handled by people.” Landon wanted to make sure to tell them this so they were extra careful with today’s activity, despite how easy it would be for them. “What I would like you guys to do is harvest them. I will show you how it is done.”

Landon walked over to the pallet, getting down on his knees as he looked around to see who was watching before getting his gloves from his pocket and putting them on. “Firstly you must put your gloves on and then petrify them like so.” Landon took out his wand and pointed it at one of the larger ones. It suddenly stopped moving and became rigid, allowing Landon to grab it and harvest it. “Then, simply pick it up, give it a bit of a twist and a gentle pull to get it out of the ground.” Landon did as he said, holding up the toadstool to show the class once it had detached from its root. “Then just place it into the barrel at the front of the room, making sure you close the lid.” Landon did this, smiling around at the class as he hoped they managed to get it. It wasn’t a hard task at all, but rather time consuming, and if each of his students had a go it would be done in no time.

-----

Assignment: RP the lesson. Extra points for creativity and 5 points to the person who can answer the question!

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy walked into the greenhouse, taking his usual seat. He glanced around at the Leaping Toadstools then took out his notebook and quill, ready to jot down notes. When Professor Carter asked the class about the spell to use on them, Teddy raised his hand, "Petrificus Totalus," Teddy answered confidently when called upon. He was pleased to see the professor beaming at him as he awarded five house points. Teddy couldn't help to also steal a look in Audrey's direction. He hoped she'd be speaking to him again soon.

Teddy watched the demonstration then donned his gloves and pointed his wand at one of the toadstools. "Petrificus Totalus," he said, and the toadstool froze. He carefully twisted and pulled it from the soil, then placed it into the barrel. It was an okay but he imagined the task would get boring after a while and he didn't blame Professor Carter for getting the class to speed things up for him.

 

[Millie Walden-Cade]

The previous Herbology lesson had been quite the experience for Millie, so much so she had thanked Professor Carter on her way out of it having burned a lot of her negative feelings away while they had performed a Native American practice. Whatever the professor had in store for them in their latest lesson she suspected it wouldn’t be quite as soothing for her as that had been but she entered the greenhouse with an open mind.

On the tables in front of them were pallets which Professor Carter went on to explain contained leaping toadstools. As suggested by the professor Millie took out a sheet of parchment so she could start taking notes, making sure she wrote down Pertrificus Totalus as it was an important spell to cast on them when trying to harvest.

Millie watched as Professor Carter went through the process of harvesting them, it seemed like once they were stunned it was quite simply, so stunning them was the important factor. She took out her wand and cast “Pertrificus Totalus," on the toadstool in her pot and proceeded to harvest it, she then placed it in the barrel at the front of the room and firmly closed the lid. Once the lesson was over Millie removed her gloves and put every away and made her way out of the classroom.

 

[Lucy Montague]

Lucy was having a good time in herbology. She hadn't always been the most keen on it, but she was liking it - what with the field trip and everything. Lucy was biased that way. She entered the greenhouse, taking her spot and getting out her supplies to take notes. She always had to remind herself that yes, classes were fun, but they were also about exams. It was easy to be distracted from this fact. Lucy took notes as the professor spoke. Once that part of the lesson was over, Lucy put on her gloves and got ready to harvest the leaping toadstools. "Pertrificus totalus," Lucy said confidently, enunciating clearly. The toadstool froze and Lucy plucked the toadstool carefully, following what the professor had done. She placed it in the bucket, a job well done, she thought.

 

[Marley Owens-Lee]

Marley liked and enjoyed all of her classes so far. The Hufflepuff happily made her way to the greenhouse. Once she arrived, she took a seat in her usual spot and took out the thing she needed before placing them in front of her. Marley moved attention towards the professor as the professor got started with the lesson.

They were learning about leaping toadstools which Marley thought sounded intriguing. The girl listened carefully to what the professor had to say, as she didn't want to miss out on anything as well as taking notes of what they were saying. She nodded her head from time to time to show that she understood the content that was being given. It wasn't long before it was their turn to harvest the leaping toadstool. She made sure to put on her gloves and did what the professor told them to do. "Petrificus Totalus," Marley said with confidence and clearly stated. The toadstool froze and Marley quickly got to work with harvesting it, doing exactly as the professor had told them to do.

It wasn't long before the lesson had come to an end and they were dismissed. Marley made sure to clean up her area as well as putting her things away. She says an appreciative thanks and goodbye to the professor, before heading out the door with the rest of her friends and classmates.

 

[Veronica Walden-Cade]

Veronica Walden-Cade entered the greenhouse with a sense of curiosity. She had found the previous lesson with Professor Carter interesting and looked forward to today's topic on Leaping Toadstools. Professor Carter seemed pleased with their behaviour during the last outing, which added to her anticipation for what lay ahead.

The greenhouse was filled with the earthy scent of plants, and in the centre stood a pallet of lively Leaping Toadstools, their roots writhing in the soil. Professor Carter gestured for everyone to gather around as he began his lecture. Veronica took out her quill and parchment, ready to take notes.

Professor Carter started briskly, explaining the origins of Leaping Toadstools and their use in potions. He emphasized their energetic properties and cautionary notes about handling them safely.

Veronica scribbled down the key points, intrigued by the lively nature of the toadstools and their importance in magical brews. She glanced around the room, noticing some classmates fully engrossed in note-taking while others seemed less attentive.

As Professor Carter demonstrated the harvesting process, Veronica watched attentively. He showed how to petrify the toadstools with his wand, then gently twist and pull them from the soil. He emphasized the importance of wearing gloves and handling them carefully to avoid their toxic reaction to acidic soil.

With a focused expression, Veronica harvested a toadstool and deposited it into a waiting barrel. She felt satisfied with her task, appreciating the straightforward yet satisfying nature of the lesson. Glancing around, she saw her classmates engrossed in their own harvesting tasks, some already finishing up.

When the lesson was over Veronica gathered up her things and packed them back into her bag so she could be one of the first out the door once they were dismissed. She did enjoy the more practical elements of Herbology but she still wasn’t a fan of being around so much dirt.

 

[Dominic Owens-Lee]

Dominic was glad that he was halfway through the semester. It meant that he was halfway through half of his classes, and that was some good progress. Even though his work was piling up, it meant he was halfway with finishing it all, and he couldn’t wait until he could finally enjoy the break. He entered the Astronomy classroom and sat down in his usual spot, before reverting his attention to the front.

Dominic entered the Herbology greenhouse, looking forward to what was in store for them. The professor told them that the lecture last lesson would prepare them for this lesson, and he was excited to discover where they would be going. But as Dominic took his seat within the greenhouse, there were no pamphlets around and the professor didn't let them know where they would be going, because they wouldn't be going anywhere at all. Instead, they were learning about leaping toadstools, which had nothing to do with the previous lesson. Annoyed, Dominic just tried his best to listen as the professor spoke.

As the professor demonstrated how to harvest the leaping toadstools, Dominic soon forgot all about the promised field trip. Leaping toadstools sounded like lots of fun, so he was keen to get started with it. He put on his gloves as instructed and used his wand to cast the petrifying charm on it before he grabbed it and placed it in the bucket as shown. He did this a few times, filling up his bucket and presenting it to the professor at the end of the lesson.