Third Years, Lesson Three

Landon enjoyed the previous trip that they had. He was 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. They, after all, were still kids and kids tend to do careless things for the sake of having fun. It was great that his students managed to behave themselves. Perhaps he should give them a little reward for that.

Landon waved his hand to open the door to let his students in. Once everyone that was supposed to be present was in, he greeted them with a smile and took the roll call. He was in a good mood today, and he hoped that that won't change. He wasn't really in the mood to give out detentions. "Please get out your writing utensils. Unfortunately, you'll be taking notes. This is in preparation for our next trip." He announced as he rounded his table. He summoned the board and waited until every ink, quill, and parchment was ready.

"In our first meeting, I mentioned that the Native American people had been a huge influence to the herbologists and herbalists all over the world. More specifically, their shaman. Though ironically, these shamans need not be a man at all." He began and as he spoke, words began appearing on the board to guide the students. "Centaurs have a lot in common through practices. They burn Mallowsweet or sage to clarify their inner eye. Shamans, on the other hand, burn Sage to bring clarity and harmony to balance the energies." Landon paused to let his students catch up. He hated lectures as much as they did, and when he felt that they were given enough valuable information, he finished.

"Leave your bags and follow me." Landon announced when he was sure that everyone was done. He led his students to a long table which he had set up earlier outside of the greenhouse. Because they were talking about the practices of the Native Americans, he decided that it would be better to do an actual one. It would help his students to remember the topic easier. On the table were feathers, shells, and sages bounded with string. Landon told his students to line up and take the materials that they needed. Once everyone had a feather, a shell, and a smudge stick, he proceeded with the lesson. "Sage is burned and used to negate negative feelings. It is also used to restore balance to our energies." The professor paused, picking up a feather with one hand and the sage stick placed into the shell with the other. He instructed his students to do the same before continuing.

"Set the top part of the sage on fire," Landon waved his hand and the top end of the sage began to smoke. "Then with the feather, guide the smoke away from you. Close your eyes and picture all the negative things that you want to cast aside." Professor Carter waved his hand to stop the smoke once they were done. "That will be all for today. You may keep those as a gift from me to you for you efforts. Class dismissed."

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Assignment: RP the lesson. Feel free to RP Landon going around and helping your character as well.

 

[Marley Owens-Lee]

Marley had liked her lessons with herbology so far and she enjoyed the class trip they had gone on in the previous lesson. The Hufflepuff happily made her way down to her herbology class. Once she reached the Herbology greenhouses, Marley took a seat at her usual desk and took out the usual things she needed for the lesson on her desk.

Marley moved her attention towards the professor as the professor got started with the lesson. While she was a little sad that this lesson wasn't another field trip, she was happy to learn about new things. She perked up a little at the mention of a future trip happening. For now, Marley made sure to listen to the professor as the professor spoke. She made sure to take note of everything that the professor was saying as she didn't want to miss out on anything. They were then guided outside of the greenhouse with the professor, there were a few different materials that were placed on the table. Marley grabbed a hold of the materials that she needed and followed the instructions that the professor had told them very carefully. She closed her eyes and thought of the negative things she wanted to cast away like the professor had told them to do.

It wasn't long before the lesson had come to an end and they were dismissed. Marley was glad that they didn't have to do any sort of homework. She went back to the greenhouse and packed her things away as well as tidying up her area. She said a quick thanks and goodbye to the professor before heading back to the castle with her friends and the rest of her classmates.

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie walked into the herbology green house and took her usual spot in the room. She glanced up at the professor as the man got started, and took out her writing utensils, making sure she had all of them out as the professor began telling them about what shamans. She was taking notes from what the professor was saying about, trying her best to keep up with it, given that she was sure this was important information. It did also help that it was interesting. The teen then followed the professor outside when he guided them out. She looked to the professor as the man told them what they were to do with the sage and then did the same when she was able to, guiding the negative energy away while she moved the feather. It was nice, and she was sure she felt a little more calm after. She did this until the professor wrapped up the lesson and she was able to leave the room.

 

[Enoch Goldewyn]

Enoch walked into the herbology greenhouse and hoped they wouldn’t waste time as they had in the previous lesson. It seemed they wouldn’t be as the professor got started with a lecture. Enoch took his quill and held it in his hand, though he didn’t end up writing anything, his attention distracted and drawn away by what was being said. He zoned out a little and only realised that he had as students began moving. He followed them out mechanically and then watched the professor demonstrate what they were to do. He took the sage and the feather and did it. Though he wasn’t sure if he felt any different, mostly the action left him feeling pretty empty. Though Enoch was sure that given everything being empty was just his default. Eventually things were wrapped up and Enoch packed up his things and left the room.

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy took his seat and listened as the professor announced they would be taking notes today. He pulled out his quill and parchment ready and scribbled down notes as the lecture went on. Once they were finished, Teddy followed everyone outside to the long table set up by the greenhouse. He took what he needed and with a feather in one hand and a shell holding the sage in the other, Teddy listened to Professor Carter and watched as the professor set the sage on fire and demonstrate how to guide the smoke with the feather. Teddy mimicked the actions. He hoped all the stresses and worries of homework would drift away with the smoke but he still had the History of Magic essay looming over him so it didn't really work. At the end of the lesson, he packed up his belongings and left the classroom, thanking Professor Carter on the way out.

 

[Millie Walden-Cade]

Following a field trip in their previous Herbology lesson Millie was hoping for something more relaxing and settled. As luck would have it Professor Carter informed them soon after arriving in the classroom they they would be taking notes, albeit in preparation for a field trip but that was next weeks problem.

Professor Carter began to discuss the impact of Native American shaman on herbology and herbologists across the world. Millie took out a sheet of parchment so she could follow along with the lecture and take notes. She liked the way Professor Carter spoke and found him quit engaging during lectures.

Once he reached a lull in the lecture and everyone seemed to catch up Professor Carter asked everyone to follow him and he led them outside of the Greenhouse to a long table that he seemed to have set up earlier. Millie took one of each of the items on the table and waited to be told what to do with them. Millie followed his instructions on what to do with each item until she reached the point of setting the top part of the sage on fire, which made her a little uncomfortable but she did as she was told. She closed her eyes and meditated on all of the bad thoughts in her life, every resent she held onto about her mother’s death, the feelings of annoyance she felt about her sisters attempts to hold onto her legacy, every bad thing she’d ever thought about her step mum Geo, she let it all burn away with the sage and to her surprise she felt…lighter.

Once they were dismissed Millie returned to the greenhouse to collect her things and on her way out she stopped by Professor Carters desk. “Thank you for the lesson professor it was…enlightening,” She smiled at him as she left.

 

[Lucy Montague]

Lucy was starting to feel a little stressed. Exams were still a while away, but they were creeping closer and Lucy didn't deal with exam stress well. She hoped this lesson would somehow take her mind off of it. She entered the greenhouse, taking her usual spot. It was going to be a lecture sort of lesson apparently, so Lucy got out her parchment and quill and starting to take notes. She didn't know much about Native Americans, so it was interesting to learn about them. She was surprised when they were told to leave their bags, but followed the professor outside nevertheless, a curiosity consuming her. Lucy was excited to try out the practices and copied what the professor did. The smell of sage was a little bit overwhelming - she thought to herself that Māori medicinal herbs smelled a lot better from the little exposure she'd had to them - but after a while it did sort of relax her. It was a nice sort of thing, she thought to herself. She left the lesson a little lighter than she'd entered it, though her focus was still on exams and studying for them as she made her way to the library.

 

[Veronica Walden-Cade]

Veronica Walden-Cade arrived at Herbology with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. The previous trip had been pretty fun, and she hoped today's lesson would be just as engaging. Professor Carter, looking relaxed and cheerful, greeted them warmly as they settled in. After taking roll call, he announced they'd be taking notes in preparation for their next adventure.

As Professor Carter began the lecture, Veronica focused intently. He discussed the influence of Native American shamans on herbology practices worldwide, highlighting their use of sage for clarity and balance. He made comparisons to centaur practices, noting their use of Mallowsweet or sage to clarify their inner eye. Veronica diligently copied the key points that appeared on the board, appreciating the connection between herbology and different cultural traditions.

Once the lecture concluded, Professor Carter led the class outside to a long table he had prepared earlier. The table was adorned with feathers, shells, and bundles of sage. Veronica's curiosity piqued further as she lined up with her classmates to collect the materials.

With a feather, a shell, and a sage stick in hand, Veronica listened as Professor Carter explained the significance of sage in negating negative feelings and restoring balance. Following his instructions, she lit the top of her sage stick, watching as it began to smoke. Using the feather, she gently guided the smoke away from her, closing her eyes to visualize casting aside her negative thoughts.

The experience was calming and introspective. When Professor Carter ended the exercise, Veronica felt a sense of tranquillity. He informed them they could keep the materials as a token of appreciation for their efforts.

As the class dispersed, Veronica reflected on the day's lesson. She appreciated the blend of practical and theoretical learning, feeling more connected to the subject matter. She looked forward to the next adventure, eager to see what Professor Carter had planned for them.

 

[Dominic Owens-Lee]

Dominic still had a few weeks of the semester left, and so he was looking forward to whatever his classes had in store for him. He had been trying to keep up with everything, especially with his responsibility on the quidditch team and the extra classes. It was proving to be difficult, and all Dominic could do was try his best not to stress out about it too much. He often contemplated heading to the library to find some meditation books, but it just stressed him out even more as he supposed he could have been using his time to do better things. Trying to keep all of the thoughts out of his mind, Dominic made his way to his classes.

Dominic entered the Herbology greenhouse, taking his usual seat within the room. The professor announced that they were going to be lectured in preparation for their next trip, and Dominic excitedly took out his writing equipment so he could take some notes. Once the lecture had finished, the professor asked them all to follow him outside where he had an activity set up for them. They would be getting rid of all of their negative energies, and Dominic definitely needed this. As instructed, he lit the top of the smudge stick and attempted to get rid of everything negative in his life. After this, he felt rejuvenated and was very thankful for the professor to allow them to do this. The professor just always knew what he needed, and he loved that Professor Carter was his Head of House. When dismissed, the boy promptly headed to his next class.