(Untitled)

[finnian_murphy]

Week Name: 'Books of Mystery'
Location: Greenhouses
Open To: Any student taking Herbology
Currently Involving: Professor Murphy

Comments

Fifth Years

[finnian_murphy]

Professor Murphy will chat with you when you arrive. This is the space for your threads.

Re: Fifth Years

[jackie_zhang]

Time for Herbology! Not her best class, but definitely not her worst. Jackie smiled as she entered her only class of the day. It was strangely weird being there, in the greenhouses, when she could see the storm and the rain pouring down on the glass roof. It looked a little surreal.

She stepped up to the potted plants and looked around. No one else was there except for Professor Murphy himself, so she smiled and said hello. "Good morning, Professor!"

Re: Fifth Years

[p_davenport]

Phillip strolled into the greenhouse, still yawning. He'd skipped breakfast to sleep in and had just barely managed to get out of bed in time for Herbology. But now that he was with Clover, he figured it would be a good idea to learn a bit about her favorite things.

He sighed as he came to a stop beside Jackie, "Hallo, Jackie, Professor," he didn't have much of an opinion about Professor Murphy, really. He'd always seemed a decent enough bloke over the last four years that Phillip had taken his course. It was too bad Phillip didn't find Herbology to be a particularly interesting subject, or he might have done better at it. As it was, he did just well enough to keep taking it.

Re: Fifth Years

[finnian_murphy]

Ah, the Gryffindors. They were definitely an amusing bunch. Jackie and Phil were two of his average students, not showing any real interest in plants, but always polite. He gave a smile and a nod to each of them and pointed to the plant in front of him.

"Either of you know what this is?" Finn asked them, waiting for a response.

It was highly unlikely that they did, but he figured he'd ask anyway. Just to keep up appearances as a professor and all.

"If you don't, you'll be happy to find out. Believe it or not, I've linked this lesson with your potions lesson for the week. Had to do a lot of brown nosing to Snape to make it happen!"

Re: Fifth Years

[jackie_zhang]

"Hey, Phillip." Jackie nodded to him as he arrived. He seemed a bit tired still, even though it was already ten o'clock in the morning. Before she could ask, Professor Murphy's question interrupted her and she turned her attention back to class.

She blinked, tilting her head, trying to figure out what species the plant belonged to. When the professor mentioned their Potions lesson, she perked up. She tried to place the live plant with the dried powdery ingredients they used the day before. "Is it one of the ingredients used in the Confusing Draught?"

Re: Fifth Years

[p_davenport]

Phillip eyed the plant the professor indicated, but couldn't think what it was. It looked perhaps vaguely familiar, but no name came to mind. He simply shrugged.

He guessed that Jackie might be right about the Cofusing Draught, but didn't feel a need to say it himself. He looked to Professor Murphy for the answer.

Re: Fifth Years

[finnian_murphy]

Well, he could at least now inform Professor Snape that his fifth year students did, in fact, pay attention every now and again. That was very fortunate indeed, as giving Snape bad news was never pleasant.

"Aye, right you are! This here's known as scurvy grass. Disgustin', innit?" Professor Murphy said, wrinkling up his nose in mock distaste.

It wasn't bad smelling or odd looking at all, but Finn liked to make things interesting. Now he could be amused by watching them smell it just to check. Heh.

"It's known best for bein' able to inflame the brain. Works best in befuddlement draghts," he informed them, and handed them each a box of the grass.

"Aren't ye goin' te ask me why it's called scurvy-grass?" he asked them a moment later.

Probably not. No respect for plants now adays!

Re: Fifth Years

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie eyed the plant, looked at Phillip, and shrugged. Might as well smell it if the professor indicated it had a strange odor. It didn't. Or maybe her nose wasn't as keen as his was. Oh well.

Jackie looked around to see if any other students had decided to show up, but no one else was in sight, and as it was just her and Phillip, she tentatively tried to answer his question. She figured even if she was wrong, that she at least tried. "Is it because it contains Vitamin C?"

Re: Fifth Years

[p_davenport]

Phillip raised an eyebrow. It didn't look all that disgusting. It looked rather... dull, really. He looked at Jackie and gave her a shrug in return. He took a sniff of the plant, but didn't smell anything. Professor Murphy was probably just putting them on, again, then.

Phillip took the box the professor handed him and studied it for a moment as Jackie took a try at the professor's question.

"Er, well. Is she right, then? Why is it called that?" He didn't really care, of course, but it was best to at least feign interest, wasn't it?

Re: Fifth Years

[vivica_fielding]

Vivica entered the greenhouses with a straight face. As she saw Phillip her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened into a thin line, but the next second it was as if nothing had happened. Vivica didn't want to think about last time she was in a green house with Phillip.

Vvica wasn't particularly keen on herbology. The finished products were all well and good but she wasn;t keen on getting messy. Or being surrounded by these insufferable Gryffindors.

She tok a seat directly behind Phillip and stared at the back of his head, waiting to be told what to do.

Re: Fifth Years

[finnian_murphy]

Finnian was about to answer Phillip's question when Vivica joined them in the greenhouses. He raised his hand up to indicate he'd answer in a moment and quickly set a box of scurvy-grass in front of the Slytherin girl. With a smile, he clapped his hands together.

"Right then! So, scurvy-grass... is named because pirates... I mean sailors would often eat it to prevent scurvy. Interesting, no? Anyway, I want you to experiment a bit with it. I've left some supplies there for ye," Finnian instructed.

They were different potions, each having a different effect on the grass. One in particular would cause the grass to release an odorless gas that would cause them all to become dizzy and confused. Which would be amusing to watch. The effects were temporary, of course.

"Enjoy," he said with a smirk. Herbology could be fun, it they made it that way.

Re: Fifth Years

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie noticed Vivica enter, but didn't say anything as the other girl usually paid no heed to her and she wasn't sure what to make about what she had heard regarding the Slytherin and Phillip. At Professor Murphy's instructions, she exchanged another look with Phillip, bit her lip, and started to play with the grass.

Careful not to spill the entire vials, she opened one by one and proceeded to inspect each before adding a single drop to each grass specimen. She took her journal out and tried to take notes, but it was difficult as she wasn't sure what each vial contained and just guessed by their color, smell, and viscosity.

Re: Fifth Years

[p_davenport]

When Professor Murphy paused at the entrance of another student, Phillip turned around. Vivica. He'd apologized to Clover for what he'd done to the Slytherin, but he wasn't about to apologize to her. He kept his face blank and quickly turned his attention back to the professor, even though he could feel Vivica's eyes boring into the back of his head. He could just bet she was already planning to take revenge. Well, he'd be ready for her. But for now, he settled for pointedly ignoring her existence.

Phillip raised an eyebrow, "They ate this stuff?" he looked down at it, unconvinced. It didn't look all that appetizing. Then he glanced back at Jackie and shrugged. He wanted them to enjoy this? Phillip wasn't so sure that was the word he'd choose for this assignment, but he didn't bother to argue

Re: Fifth Years

[vivica_fielding]

Vivica sneered, but only slightly, and then returned to her blank faced expression. She hated Herbology, she wasn't good at it and that gnawed away at her a little

Re: Fifth Years

[finnian_murphy]

"Tha's what I said, Phillip. They ate it! But I wouldn' be suggestin' ye do the same. It's not pleasant. I've tried it!" Finnian responded to Phil's question with a mock look of disgust on his face and then laughed.

Ah, the fifth years were going to be fun today. He could tell that Vivica had already discovered the potion that would not only affect the plant, but her as well. He watched her carefully, making sure it wasn't too strong. Nope. The girl was a bit disoriented, but no real harm done.

"Don' worry Vivica. Yer doin' a fine job," Finny reassured her with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"See anythin' interestin' yet, you two?" Finn asked Jackie and Phil, amused greatly.

Plants were definitely enjoyable. Why did people not see this more often!?

Re: Fifth Years

[jackie_zhang]

"Not really, Professor." Jackie answered his question as she continued to study the plants and the potions.

Well, if Professor Murphy ate the stuff, maybe it wasn't too bad. Then again, this was Professor Murphy they were talking about... so maybe it was. Jackie wasn't sure what to make of him. On the out-set, he was a happy cheerful funny professor; he actually made Herbology fun. But he also had a slightly-off sense of humor, which was hard for her to figure out.

And just looking at Vivica sway slightly and grasp the table started to ring an alarm in Jackie's mind. "Vivica, are you all right?"