Year Seven, Lesson One

[snape]

Professor Severus Snape slammed the door shut with a loud bang, and walked to his large podium. He glanced around to the oldest class he had for this term. He locked eyes with each and everyone. Seeing all familiar faces he strolled around to his desk. Several ingredients were already out and his own cauldron steaming nicely. He glanced about and picked up a silver dagger. He took several Sopophorous Beans and began to push the flat side of the blade down on them. Glancing back up to his class he smirked slightly.

"I am sure that you are all happy to be here, on this fine first day of term. But I assure you, this will not be an easy class for you to take. However, I am much inclined to review several things before we dive headlong into something you are unprepared for. As you can see, I have several things on my desk, all of which you will also be getting out soon. But for now!" He made this last part louder as several student began to rummage through their bags. His hand went up in the air.

"For now you will watch me, and think hard about what i am doing. After a few moments, one of you will kindly raise their hand, and tell me what it is I am preparing. If you can do this, I might be so inclined to give you some House Points. I highly doubt this though. So do not get your hopes up." Snape continued with his mushing of the beans as he glanced back to his work table.

Next he started chopping some Valerian root moving his hands with a speed and grace given him by his many years of practice. He smirked slightly almost as if he could be a master chef as he scooped the roots into a small pile to the left of the cauldron. He glanced around again, his hands now moving quickly. His eyes darted back and forth to make sure each and every student was paying attention. He was in no mood to deal with any cheeky mouths this morning.

The dungeon was colder than normal, the windows all barred shut against the light. His cauldron was only glowing softly to allow the students to see his movements, and the things he added to the clear water within. Hissing softly as he did. Snape added the root, beans, and then also some root of asphodel and an infusion of wormwood as he began to stir. He stirred counter-clockwise seven times, then reversed the motion for one stir, as he again glanced to the class.

A soft hiss and a "bluish" steam seemed to unfold from the cauldron, sending the mists up and around Professor Snape's head and shoulders. He stepped back, his hand absently still stirring as he glanced around the class again. He knew this was something they had covered last year, and was curious to see how many was indeed paying attention. Snape hissed one word.

"Well?"

~OOC~ This is where you get to role play in class your responses, and reactions. Enjoy, and try to answer if you can. If you do not have an answer, feel free to role play your reaction to the Professor, or the other students around you. Enjoy!

[Jasmine Vail]

Jasmine sat patiently at her desk, waiting with interest to see how Professor Snape's potion would turn out. The girl had never particularly hated the teacher as her fellow Gryffindors did, but she didn't exactly like him either. He was simply a teacher to be tolerated, and that was what she did. Jas concluded that if you did nothing to get on his bad side, he most likely wouldn't bother you; this was true for most students. There were a few exceptions of course. There always were.

As soon as the bluish tinted smoke rose from the cauldron, Jasmine's mind pulled on a trigger of recognition. She tried her hardest to pull the name of the well-known potion out of her head, but she was having trouble. The Gryffindor watched, knowing that Snape would soon be finished. She was slightly jealous of his quick, precise hands, but she couldn't even begin to imagine how long the professor had been working with roots and beans and any other nonsense to get where he was at.

Jasmine cringed at his last word. She knew that she knew the answer to this simple question. It was on the tip of her tongue, but her that tip didn't want to cooperate at the moment. Jas sighed quietly and sat up straighter in her seat to look at the liquid inside the cauldron. It was a remarkably distinguishable color...

"The Draught of Living Death!" Jasmine said confidently. Her smile was hardly as sure as she sounded, however. The girl was always afraid of getting something wrong in this class, in case she was rudely made fun of by Professor Snape. She'd seen it happen, and it wasn't pretty.

[jonringo]

Jonnie sniffed lightly, to see if there was a scent to the potion Professor Snape was making. He knew most of the ingredients on sight, having worked with several of them himself in his previous year. He was just about to answer when another voice called out. He glanced over, and knew she was right the moment it rang in his ears. He rolled his eyes at her playfully, and looked back to the front of the class.

It was rare that Snape would let an answer go, even if it was right, when it was from a Gryffindor. He could recall last year when the Professor had dumped an entire cauldron over a Hufflepuff's head. It had been amusing for the first couple of moments, but then Jonnie had caught the look of pleasure in Snape's eye. He had always done his best to remain on Snape's good side since then. He kept a close eye on the Potions Master though, not trusting him an inch.

He glanced back to Jasmine and expected the worse from Snape, and hoped she knew it was probably coming too. His head was already starting to ache, and he knew that this class was his easiest. It was going to be a long term, filled with many days just like this one.

[snape]

Severus glance down his nose to the Gryffindor, his eyebrows rose slightly as he walked directly in front of her desk. He leaned in until his face was inches in front of hers. His eyes ran over her face, and down to her desk. He glanced to the other students, then looked back to Jasmine. He shook his hair out of his eyes, and blinked at her, a slight frown on his face. His cauldron continued to boil behind him. He stood back up and walked back to his cauldron to continue the stirring. His eyes was on Jasmine as he did this. He was thinking about how she had got this answer. It was obvious to Snape she had cheated, but how. He would press into her mind and get the answer if he thought he could get away with it. But he recalled the conversation he had with Dumbledore about this, and he sniffed slightly, his frown remained.

"This of course is the correct answer Ms. Vail. I assume you know what this potion is used for since you have the talent to recognize it on appearance alone. So if you will, do tell us what the main uses for said potion will be." He eyed her once again a soft smirk playing on his lips as the potions was almost ready. He dipped a small silver spoon in it and brought it to his nose to see how it smelled.

He titled his head, his hair falling into his eyes as he decided to hear out Jasmine. His eyes watched closely, to see if there was any way at all she could be getting the answers anywhere besides that pretty little head of hers.

[Jasmine Vail]

Jasmine smiled playfully at Jonnie, but it turned to a cringe as Snape stared at her, emotionless, eyes dark and--somehow--accusing. Her grin faltered and broke. The Gryffindor looked at the professor and sighed. The rivalries between houses was a product of the teachers here, no doubt, and went as far back as she could imagine. If teachers such as this one wouldn't discriminate solely against Gryffindors, or anyone from other houses besides Slytherin for that matter, Jas was sure it would have to help some. She wasn't about to go on an equality rant right now, though, so she simply answered the question asked of her.

"Sir, it puts the drinker into a deep sleep, usually indefinitely." Jasmine was almost sure that was what the potion did, so she gave it a try. She would rather be wrong than to act an idiot and have Snape cackle at her empty head.

She watched as the professor smelled his spoon, and she had to keep herself from blanching. Something about this teacher doing... normal everyday things, such as using a spoon, disgusted her; she couldn't quite pin down the feeling, but it flared inside her as her brown eyes stayed on Professor Snape's lank form.

[jonringo]

Jonnie returned Jasmine's smile, but then glanced to the Professor. He was not sure what his deal had been lately, acting more weird than normal. He did not like the way he was looking at Jasmine, and sighed heavily. If he drew the attention off the Gryffindor maybe Snape would not bother her anymore. Jonnie moved his arm quickly and knocked his books off his desk. He stood up in a rush and knocked over his bag. He looked up shocked at the Professor.

"Oh, wow. Sorry, I think I might have been dozing off. I am sure I missed that, what did you say to me Professor?" His eyes glanced to Jasmine and then he bent to pick up his books, kicking on to wards the desk before he made a grab at it, he bumped Jasmine's desk, and kicked his book further up the aisle.

"I have no clue what is wrong with me, but I think my book was running away." He smiled and caught the eluding book and then plopped it down loudly on his desk, sitting down with a grin to Snape. Jonnie knew he would be in trouble, but at least the man would not be bothering Jasmine any longer. At least he hoped.

[snape]

Snape turned his head suddenly to glare at the Slytherin boy. His sneer was more than evident as he turned to wards him, and watched him kick his book across the floor. The Professor slid his hands into the sleeves of his robe, and looked almost amazed that Jonnie could be acting so stupid. He sighed heavily, and walked to where Jonnie's desk was. Placing his foot on the chair, when Jonnie went to sit down, Snape pushed the chair, so that the boy would fall straight to the floor. He grins, and looked down to Jonnie, venom dripping from his eyes with the look he gave him.

"Five points from Slytherin, and five points to Gryffindor. But since this seems a little preplanned, and somewhat unusually, I think it will be detention for you Jonnie, tonight my office!" Snape turned quickly his finger pointed to Jasmine, "And detention for you too, my office tonight. Since you want to conspire with a Slytherin, you shall serve his detention too."

Snape returned to his desk and glanced down to the cauldron, his hands worked quickly as he prepared several vials and tucked them into secret pockets of his robe. He glanced to the class, the sneer wanting the to see that he had this almost deadly potion in his possession. He liked to keep them not only on their toes, but guessing what he would do next. He pulled himself up to full height and looked down his nose to the class.

"Of course she is correct. Being the insufferable know it all that she may be. It is times like these that I always wonder how one gets the answers as fast as one does. However, I am sure i shall get those answers tonight, in my office, will... I... Not?" He put an emphases on the last part, glaring down once again to the two he had given the detention to. He nodded, and turned to look at the rest of the class.

"Now if you will, I want you each to try your hand at this same potion. You have until the end of the night to bring a sample up and put it on my desk. You will find the simpleton's version of the potion on page One Ninety-Six. Okay, get to it, and no talking!" He glanced around and went around to his desk to sit on the high stool. Slowly fingering the little silver knife he carried on his arm, in a tiny self releasing sleeve. Professor Severus Snape would be pleased if one of these students would at least squash the ingredients right. He saw no hope of anyone actually getting the potion made. He smiled to himself.

~OOC~ This is where you role play that you are making the potion. Feel free to be accidental, mess up, or if your feeling cocky, get it right. I am sure we can remedy that cockiness though, Hee Hee.

If you are new to this class, and wish to jump in, please feel free to post your reactions to the events above, and then pick up currently with making the potion. I will be back to post more in a few moments. I have "Official Detention Documents" to print. Ta Ta~