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[Professor d'Ambray]

Now that Christmas was over and the school term had started once more, Kenton was more than willing to give the students all the work they could possibly handle, and then add a few more assignments for good measure. Students were here to learn, and he had a great deal to teach them. They would jsut have to shake off their Christmas Slacker attitudes and get themselves back into the swing of things.

There was still a thick layer of snow on the ground outside, but as usual he had regulated the temperature within the greenhouse to keep the plants nice and warm, so the students would not need their coats when they got indoors. There was a row of hooks near the entrance on which the students could hang their cold weather garments.

The lesson he had prepared for his Third Year students this time would be an inteesting one, but he would strongly advise the class to pay attention to business and learn all they could about the plants they were introduced to, especially these plants which probably more intelligent then the children. Deep troughs had been placed along the two long walls of the greenhouse and fileld with rich soil. There wre maybe a dozen plants in each trough, placed a reasonable distance apart in order to allow these plants plenty of room to move, and move they did albiet slowly at the moment, swaying backwards and forward slightly, showing that they were reasonably content with their present situation.

The plants were called screechsnaps, and they were indeed intelligent. They had clear likes and dislikes regarding their living conditions, and as such it was extremely useful to learn how to care for them properly. Kenton had placed buckets filled with dragon dung compost at regular intervals above each of these troughs, far more than the plants were likely to require since he wanted he students to learn how much to apply. He strongly suspected that some of them might add too much to the soil around their plant but then the best way to teach was to allow the students room to make mistakes.

Seeing that everything was ready for the lesson, Kenton went to open the door of the greenhouse. "Third years, inside please" he called out "and the last one in, please close the door behind you."

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Looking out on the Hogwarts grounds, a gently sloping surface coated with a thick layer of snow, Alistair had trouble imagining any sort of plant life surviving. The branches of the trees in the forbidden forest were laden with tall piles of the powder. Alistair tried to get a good look at them even though they were so far away. He didn’t bother wearing his glasses outside; his breath always fogged them up. As if one snowflake too many landed on one of the upper branches, a limb gave way with a crack. The snow cascaded down, knocking off all the snow on that side and exposing the still green needles. Some things were still alive after all.

A man called out, his voice clear in the cold air, and Alistair remembered why he was outside to begin with. His Herbology lesson was due to start any moment and he still had some ways to trudge through the snow. Luckily, it didn’t seem like he was the first person to do so. A small path had been worn into the blanket of snow and Alistair carefully placed his feet in the spaces made available by the predecessor. He was very thankful when he got to the Greenhouse and his shoes weren’t completely soaked through; he even believed his socks had stayed dry.

Alistair wasn’t the last one into the greenhouse, so he quickly stepped in and made room for anyone following him. He took off his scarf and searched his new bag for his gloves. He left most of the bag along the wall before moving over to the trough in the middle of the row on the far wall. The plant in front of him was moving back and forth as though it heard a sort of music that Alistair’s ears couldn’t detect.

“Do they bite, sir?” Alistair had the notion of reaching out to touch it, but not if he wouldn’t get all of his fingers back as a result.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Joe had allowed himself plenty of time in order to get to the greenhouses for his Herbology class. He could see that the snow still lay deeply upon the ground and trudging through it was likely to be slow-going. Over his robes he wore his usual cold-weather garments, namely a scarf, a thick coat and gloves. He was a sensible lad and saw no point in taking unnecessary chances with the weather.

It was indeed slow going as he stepped outside and trod a gentle path in the direction of the greenhouses, his boots making clear impressions in the snow as he went. It took a few minutes but he wasn't overly concered as he had allowed himself plenty of time to get to the leasson. Even so, when he arrived he could see that Alistair had made it before him.

"Hello Professor, hi Alistair" he spoke as he stepped into the welcome warmth of greenhouse three, removed his winter garments and deposited them on the hooks provided. Looking over at the plants he could see that they were well spaced out so it seemed they either had long roots or didn't like company. If it was the latter then he hoped the plant wouldn't object too much to his presence. Then again, he hadn't yet found a plant that had even come close to besting him.

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Luckily, Alistair wasn’t left alone long enough to start talking to his plant. He knew that some magical, and perhaps non-magical, plants benefited from a good conversation, even though they couldn’t contribute much. All the same, it was difficult for him to hide the embarrassment when someone pointed out that he was indeed talking to something that could not respond. It wasn’t only Herbology though; Alistair frequently talked to the animals he transfigured in Penvellyn’s class.

“Hiya, Joe,” Alistair greeted, looking over to his house and dorm mate. “Rather lively bunch, aren’t they?” At first he had just thought it was the wind coming in through the open door, but Alistair realized that the plants were moving, some off tempo from the others, of their own accord. “I don’t imagine I’ll be partnering with any of these in dance club though.” Perhaps Herbology jests weren’t as funny to others, but the boy found great entertainment in his favourite subject.

“How’s Mary, by the way? Is she taking to Hogwarts well?” It was surprisingly difficult for Alistair to keep track of first years, even those in his own house. “How is it returning home for the holidays and not having magic?” The question slipped out rather quickly, before Alistair could think to word it in a less offensive way. He had been there over the summer, he had seen it, and neither Joe nor Mary seemed discontent with the way their lives were.

Alistair quickly busied himself with the container of manure, running a hand purposefully along the rim of the bucket and picking up a small bit in his gloved fingers before smashing it to a finer consistency. He didn’t look back at Joe until his friend started to speak.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Joe noted that Alistair seemed to be full of questions today, the one he had directed at the professor he felt should be answered by the man himself but he tried to respond to his own as best he could. "They do seem quite active, yes." Joe nodded to his remark about the plants themselves. In fact they seemed to be among the mobile plants he had ever come across, and he got the impression that they would escape the confines of the greenhouse and start roaming the grounds if given half a chance.

The mention of the dance club casued Joe to give a nervous shudder, he had deliberately avoided that particular activity since he was fully aware that dancing wasn't his string suit, and he didn't want to do any permanent damange to anybody else's feet through his own ineptitude. "You won't see me on that dance floor either" he stated categorically. He may be at this school to learn magic but there were some activities here that were quite clearly out of his league.

The boy also was asking about his sister, and it pleased Joe to hear his friend considering Mary's well being. "From the sounds of it she's fitting right in" he responded "I try to guide her where I can and lessen the shocks for her but she is a bright and observant girl. It hasn't taken her long to find her feet, if only she'd keep them on the ground." He shuddered again at where that thought was leading "Can you believe she has even taken to flying?" he gasped "she's even spoken about getting her own broom during the summer break." He dreaded to think about her flying around the farm on one of those, he certainly wouldn't care to watch her.

Joe didn't exactly take offence at Alistair's last remark, he just thought it was perhaps a year or two overdue. He shrugged at it though. "I didn't have magic for eleven years" he commented "when I go back to the farm, mother puts me to work once more so in my own mind I am just continuing where I left off. I don't even think about magic at times like that." Of the both of them, he felt perhaps Alistair would have more trouble in that particular regard. "I imagine it is more unusual in a wizarding household, surrounded by magic" he suggested.

Edited by Joseph Arthur Wilkins, 19 December 2011 - 02:21 PM.

[Professor d'Ambray]

Kenton felt that he had perhaps left it a little long to begin his class, people had started having conversations amongst themselves. He didn't object to people talking amongst themselves in their own time or even during some lessons as gardening was one activity where you could talk and work at the same time as long as you knew what you were doing though. This time was his own though, and Kenton felt that the point had come when he needed to claim it.

"Alright class, if I could have your attention for a moment please" he stated clearly, then waited a moment for the ambient noise level to subside. "The plants before you are called screechnaps" he commented "they are highly intelligent, inquisitve but also sensitive to their surroundings. If their environment is not to their liking then they will let you know with an audible screan."

He addressed one of the hufflepuff students then who had asked him a question. "Well, Mr Bauldaugh. They can eat live prey such as vegetables or small insects. Whilst Humans are not part of their diet, they may try to bite if you really offend them, especially if you ignore their warning screams." The boy had asked a fairly straightforward question in his opinion, but any sensible query in his class merited a reward. "Take two points for Hufflepuff for asking" he added "but I'll take those points away and more besides if any of the plants really do bite you." He wouldn't put it past the plants themselves to be listening to and even considering that particular advice.

He didn't want to give too much away at the start of the lesson before he had the chance to test his students though. "Can anyone give me an example of an insect that screechsnaps are particularly partial to, and how the plant attracts them?" He inquired then, breaking off his little lecture to see if anyone present had read up on the plants before the lesson started.

[[OOC: As usual, anyone joining the thread please RP as though you have been there all along. ]]

[Lisette Amber Heartstone]

Not used to having to wake up early and having responsibilities (being fresh from the Christmas holidays) Lisette was a little - okay, fine, five minutes - late for the Herbology class. Though she fretted and worried, fussed and deliberately avoided doing some routine tasks, the fact was that she'd gotten up too late and thus would have to suffer the consequences. The Slytherin girl burst into the classroom, red-faced and panting. Thank goodness kind Professor Kenton had given the late students some extra time!

Lisette spied two Hufflepuff boys, Alistair and Joe. She would have made conversation if Professor Kenton hadn't just then given the call for class to start. Lisette raised an eyebrow at the strange plants sitting in front of her. Sensitive plants? This sounded odd! Her disbelief soon turned to a little bit of fear when she heard about the screechsnap's diet. She would not want to be bitten by that fussy screechsnap.

Just when she was relaxing (if the Professor kept on blabbing about them, she would be safe from them and ace the tests) Kenton paused to ask them a question. Lisette truthfully had no idea, so decided to keep her mouth shut.

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Joe didn’t seem to share Alistair’s enthusiasm for the dance floor, which was a shame in the young boy’s opinion. Joe seemed like the type of guy girls would want to dance with. He was very nice and calm and probably wouldn’t tread on their toes much, even by accident. More than that though, Alistair felt strange that his love of the art wasn’t shared by someone he considered his equal. Though Joe never said anything negative of the act, Alistair hadn’t heard him say anything negative unless it was towards quidditch, and even then it was very polite, his lack of interest troubled Alistair. Perhaps he was too excited over it, more so than a normal boy should be.  Alistair decided in that seemingly uncritical moment that he would like to be more normal, and that he would devote his future endeavors into become such.

The soon to be more normal Hufflepuff couldn’t help but smile when Joe mentioned Mary liking quidditch. “It’s not such a bad sport, even for girls.” Granted, when girls played on the teams, they had to wear odd trouser-type clothes that were a bit of a shock to get used to. “Admittedly,” he continued, “there are probably safer activities for girls to be involved in, but I’m certain she’ll be alright. Professor Llwellyn is top notch at keeping first years from hurting themselves.” Thankfully Professor Denman wasn’t in charge of flying. He would have them actually flying through flaming baskets rather than simply striking fear into their hearts with stories.

When the professor began the lesson, Alistair made certain to shut his mouth and pay very close attention to what was sure to be an important lesson, if for no other reason than that it would be his first of many in his plight to become a normal young man. He beamed with great self-accomplishment when he was awarded house points for his question, despite that it had been an unintentional voice of thought rather than an attempt to gain real, useful knowledge. He quickly wiped the smile away though, not wanting to look too proud or too goofy after such praise.

Alistair’s dark brown eyes followed the light sway of the plant while Professor d’Ambray spoke of their particular preferences when it came to the soil they were rooted in. He wondered for a moment if they made much of a fuss when being repotted, but decided to keep that particular question internalized while there was lecturing being done. The professor asked a question, but Alistair hadn’t the foggiest idea when it came to the answer. He looked at the part of the plant that he assumed to be the mouth and thought of what sort of bugs he might find tasty if he were a plant lightly waving back and forth in front of a confused student.

“I don’t suppose it sings to attract food, does it, Professor?” The thought was out of his mouth before the boy could register as to the ridiculous notion that he had just proposed. Of course they didn’t sing to attract bugs! What sort of mindless six legged creature would willing walk into a moving plant that likely cries out like a dying animal when it is a bit temperamental? No, it was a horrid suggestion likely to be met with scorn from the older gentleman. Alistair’s first attempt at being an average boy wasn’t going so well.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Listening to his conversation with Alistair, Joe noticed that the boy had somehow jumped to a conclusion, simply because he had mentioned that Mary enjoyed flying. He felt he should point this out, but tactfully of course. There were ways of explaining things that didn't put the other person down or make the appear less than intelligent. "She's never really spoken about quidditch" he explained, smiling slightly to try to offset the other boy's mistake "I know she loves flying though, but I suspect there are other aspects of it that please her. The word 'freedom' comes from her lips quite regularly." Watching Mary take to the skies though, something which always made him shiver, he was sure that she knew exactly what she was doing. Beyond his own natural fears over flying, he was satisfied that Mary was not likely to get hurt up there. The level of control she had over that school broom was quite uncanny. "She flies very well" he pointed out "I really don't think she'll ever hurt herself."

The professor began the lesson at that point, and through the respect he always felt towards authority figures, Joe kept quiet and listened to the professor's speech. He was pleased when Alistair asked a question and got a couple of points for their house in the process. The professor had asked another question though, one which nobody seemed to know the answer to. Joe was particualrly fond of Herbology though, and liked to read the subject in the library between classes. "I believe it eats an insect called a Jumblesho, Professor" he offered "it looks similar to a bee but it has a pink body that is covered in green polka dots."

[[OOC: I waited to see if anyone else was going to answer that question before Joe gave his response]]

[Professor d'Ambray]

Kenton was pleased to see that both Alistair and Joseph had asked a question and offered a response. He approved of this students paying attention in his classes and learning about the subject matter beforehand. These were the activities which led to people becoming experts and getting Outstanding grades in their OWLs, and not merely scraping an Acceptable score. Of course one of his usual methods of encouraging this was to regularly offer points to people who asked or answered qeustions in his lessons, he was becoming known for it in fact but that was fien by him. Earning a reputation for giving away points for academic excellence and curiosity suited perfectly with his regime.

"That is correct, Mr Wilkins" he nodded "I have just such an insect here in this jar." He took a small jar from under the bench, and a pink and green insect was flying back and forth within it. He had magically sealed the lid of the jar of course, he didn't want anybody to release the thing, it wouldn't stand a chance with all those insectivorous plants nearby. He handed the jar to the nearest student and encouraged them to take a good look at it before passing it on.

Alistair had also thrown a question out, randomly it seemed but as it happened the boy was fairly close to the truth. "You aren't too far off the mark either, Mr Bauldaugh" he commented, then explained further. "It has two different cries, the first one of these is a high pitched scream which it uses to lure the prey towards it. The second is a lower pitched hum that acts as a form of sedative. When you take these in to account then yes, it can be said that the plant sings to attract food." He was fairly sure the boy would be surprised to see that his throwaway question wasn't as rediculous as it sounded, but then in the magical world the oddest answers sometimes were the literal truth. "Take two points each, so four more points to Hufflepuff" he announced.

Now though, he felt that the time had come for the students to be let loose on the plants themselves. The best way to learn how to take care of a screechsnap was to be given the opportunity to do precisely that. "Okay, now if you would all please turn your attention to one of the plants" he instructed "your task today is to keep it happy for the rest of the lesson. Listen to them carefully, and please be aware that they may like some 'dragon dung compost' but they will object if you add too much so you should use it sparingly. You may begin."

[Lisette Amber Heartstone]

Lisette sunk into her seat, rather ashamed of herself. Here she was, in the midst of a lesson - the perfect time to start enriching her mind - and the only thing she was doing was jotting down some notes about what everybody had said. Hufflepuff was getting so many points (Merlin, the whole classroom was just crowded with them - it was like she was the only person from a different house in the room! )and she was doing nothing except just sitting there.

At least it was rather interesting. Screechsnaps were actually pretty fascinating. Honestly - plants that sung to attract food, ate a whole variety of different things and were extremely fussy? That almost sounded like a human baby's typical behaviour! She giggled, visualising the screechsnaps as bawling brats mewling for their share of dragon dung compost.

Lisette listened carefully to the given instructions, then selected the tamest-looking plant. Keeping it happy seemed like it wouldn't be that difficult. Just then she received the Jumblesho jar, and the screechsnap seemed almost hopeful before she smirked and passed it on. Lisette added a tiny bit of dragon dung compost. Then a bit more, still wary and cautious of the plant's reaction.

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Surprised by the fact that both Joe and he had earned points, Alistair was more determined than ever to finish the lesson off well. Before he could handle the dragon dung that was provided, the jar with the bug was passed to him. Grasping the lid and bottom carefully, the boy peered inside at the critter. He didn’t care for bees or anything like them. He was very thankful for the thick barrier protecting his still bare hands and passed the container down the line to Joe.

“I suppose, as far as bugs go, that one looks tasty.” Not ever having eaten a bug, at least not to his recollection, Alistair couldn’t say so with much certainty. Regardless, he was glad to be done with the bug. His own plant had stopped saying gently. Instead, the leaves were twitching in obvious agitation.

Not wanting to go to his next meal with the scent of manure on his hands, Alistair reached into his school bag, still seemingly new when he thought back to his first year when he had to carry most of his things in his pockets. After slipping on the hide gloves and making sure they were snug about his wrists, the boy plunged his hand into the bucket on his right. A large clump stuck together and Alistair held it out just in front of the plant.

The mouth-like portion of the plant seemed to turn its attention to the dung, as though sniffing it. Rather than be over anxious, Alistair carefully removed just a punch with his left hand and sprinkled it around the base of the stem. As the plant made no noise of dislike, Alistair continued the action, slowly applying even amounts of manure over the inches of soil encircling his screechnap.

[Professor d'Ambray]

Points for this class:

Alistair Bauldaugh of Hufflepuff House..... 12 points
Joseph Arthur Wilkins of Hufflepuff Hosue.... 8 points
Lisette Armber Heartstone of Slytherin,...  4 points