Toil and Tutoring

[Solomon Mordaunt]

When it came to tutoring, Potions was the subject Solomon was most passionate about, and he'd been irked the previous year when the incompetents running the program failed to pair him with anyone trying to catch up in his area of expertise. Even this year, he'd been stuck with two students learning Transfiguration, and only one in Potions. Transfiguration was fine, though he only submitted the subject as an alternative option since it was something he was naturally good at, but it wasn't his goal. He didn't have the same interest in it as potions, and he was considering not offering the subject at all the following year - assuming he even bothered wasting his time trying to teach again. He had better things to do.

There were few practical places for Solomon to tutor potions, though he'd quickly come to the decision to simply utilise an empty classroom between periods. It offered him the use of desks that already came with their own burners, and leftover ingredients to scrounge, though he had his own supply from working in the Apothecary as it was. It was unfortunate that his student was only a second year, which drastically limited any versatility in his lesson. Perhaps if the school curriculum actually incorporated brewing in first year, rather than the childish antics they had instead of silly theoretical potions that would never work, he'd have more to work with. Alas, Hogwarts New Zealand's Potions subject was sub-par, and it was astounding anyone knew how to use a cauldron. If it wasn't for his step-mother's expert teachings, he'd never be at the level he was now - which in his opinion was so far beyond any of the wannabe potioneers in the school. With his wand in hand, the Slytherin ignited his own burner, and waited for the struggling youth to arrive.
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[Sara Benivieni]

The reason that Sara had signed up for tutoring was because she was struggling. It did not help that she was muggle born, therefore had to start from scratch, even after last year she still couldn't get her potions right. So naturally this semester she had decided that being assigned a tutor for Potions was her best option. After having arranged a place to meet with her tutor, who she found out was a fellow Slytherin, but she'd never heard of him before - maybe she would recognise him from around the common room once she saw him - Sara got all the equipment she needed (which was really just her textbook and writing equipment just in case she needed to take notes) and made her way to the dungeons. It was a fairly short walk as the girl had been in the common room up until now.

It wasn't that the second year was bad - but she just wasn't quite at the level she should be. Her parents expected her to do well, despite them both being muggles, so Sara had to do her best and hopefully, this was it. She soon found an empty classroom with only one student and a burning burner and assumed he was waiting for her. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her and walking over to the older boy. "Hi," she greeted. "I'm Sara, your Potions student. You're Solomon right?" Hopefully she got the name and pronunciation right. Sara would hate to start off on the wrong foot, especially as he'd offered his time to help her improve her potions skills.​

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

The door opened as Solomon was filling his cauldron with a cup of water, and the boy's attention turned to the young girl who entered, whom he could only assume was his student. No one else had any reason to come inside the classroom outside of lessons. "Hello." He returned her greeting, and gestured toward the girl's own cauldron. "I am, yes. Take a seat." The Slytherin was eager for them to get straight into it, though he did need to know exactly what the girl was struggling with before they could start on anything somewhat interesting. Not that there was much variety for a second year. In fact, it was almost a surprise anyone could struggle in Potions so early on. "To start us off, is there any one thing in particular you're struggling with that you'll need to focus on? A certain potion, a certain theory, or is it just the subject in general?" Honestly, what was so hard? Second year was full of lame scavenger hunts for herbs, and diluting bubotuber pus. It was a walk in the park.
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