RP: Now Here's My Plan...

[shh_slughorn]

Date: 8 June 2005
Characters: Horace Slughorn, Remus Lupin
Location: Remus's home then the school
Status: Private
Summary: Horace takes a look at the school potions department
Completion: Complete

Comments

[shh_slughorn]

"Hmmmm..." said Horace. "Do you know, this might not be too bad. With a lot of work, of course, but the basics are here. They've even designed the room to be blacked out, I think." He cautiously turned a metal handle attached to a box running up the wall to the windows, and with a creak a dark fabric blind began to slide across the windows. "That's not too bad, but in the senior laboratories we'll need to replace them with something a good deal stronger for explosion resistance. One good blast and the blinds are ripped, sunlight comes in, all of the ingredients start to react, and where are you then? Sitting on a cloud strumming a harp!"

As he talked he got out his measuring tape and a scroll and murmured a spell to activate them. The tape began to slither around the room, while the dimensions and a sketch of the room appeared on the scroll.

"Now, those glass cabinet things at the end of the room would be for things that make bad smells and smoke, I think they call them fume cupboards. I can see that the pipes running into them are plastic, and there'll be an electric fan in there I'd imagine. Totally useless for potions work, I'm afraid, but we might be able to use the pipes to pump clean air into the rooms, so they're not a complete loss. You'll have to talk to someone who understands muggle machinery for that, of course."

"Now, I'm afraid that we'll need to put in some proper chimneys and fireplaces. Perhaps we could run them through some of those windows, we don't want them open anyway. Good strong firebrick, that's the ticket there, and no short cuts with concrete or transfiguration."

He moved over to one of the work-benches and twisted a tap on one of the sinks. "Lots of running water, good, but these other taps here... labelled G... what on earth are they?" He twisted one, sniffed, and said "nothing coming out. Probably some muggle thing, must have been disconnected when they left town. I'm not sure if it's worth removing them."

"Now," said Horace, "Last, and I'm afraid very far from least, let's see how these benches do for potions resistance." He got out his kit and put drops of half-a-dozen common ingredients onto one of the bench tops, made of some muggle material he didn't recognize. He spaced the drops a few inches apart, and watched intensely for a few seconds. A faint wisp of brown gas rose from one of the drops, another was bubbling slightly. "Ah. Now that's not too good. You'd have to be very careful about spills, I'm afraid. But what if one wasn't cleared up?" He stood back from the bench, and gestured for Remus to stay well back, got his wand, and with a flourish said "Accelerando!" The bubbling potion began to steam furiously, as did the off-white material of the bench top. Two of the other drops began to steam, and a neat brown patch appeared under the one that had initially been smoking, gradually widening and sinking deeper into the bench as the air filled with choking brown fumes.

"Oh bloody hell," said Horace, "Finite Incantatem!". He got a large soda syphon from his bag and began to squirt a green foaming liquid onto the bench. "Well, there you have it, I'm afraid. Those bench tops are useless. They'll all have to go."

[shh_remus]

For an intelligent man, Remus found himself staring nearly slack-jawed at Horace as he bustled his way around the room. Given that he was no potions master, nor did he really have any skills in potions period, Remus had never expected so much would need to go into the classroom.

Granted, he hadn't even brought this up with Severus -- mostly because given the man's disposition when he brought up the school and him teaching, Remus nearly had his head bitten off each and every time. So, given that, he would rather save up the fight for getting him to teach rather than getting him to set up the classrooms.

Frankly, Remus had thought all that would be needed was light sources, stools and lab tables with a surface that would be impervious to any and all... well, toxic spills for lack of a better word.

If this is what they really needed... Remus' stomach gave a lurch. True, they had some funds -- but they weren't limitless.

Remus followed Horace around the room, eyes wide and barely managing to keep his mouth sealed shut.

"At... the risk of sounding completely... well," Remus ran a hand through his hair. "You remember that I was pants at potions. How... how much of this is the proverbial pipe dream of what we should have... and how much of this... is absolutely and completely necessary?" Remus sighed. "Funds aren't limitless right now."

[shh_slughorn]

"The bench tops and chimneys are the main thing," said Horace. "The windows... well, you could go on using the blinds as they are, but controlled lighting is essential, and any accident could be made worse if the blinds were damaged, especially for sixth form work. Oh, and of course you'd need proper wizarding lamps, but those are cheap enough. The ventilation - well, with the fume ducts and so forth you've got most of it already, you just need someone who knows electricity, and some proper chimneys. Pump air in throught the muggle pipes, and the fumes will go out up the chimneys. But you'll definitely need at least one hearth big enough for several students in each room."

"How old is this building anyway? Would there be bricked-up fireplaces behind the walls or something? I thought I noticed some chimneys as we came in, but perhaps I was mistaken. The main thing is that they have to be real firebrick chimneys, not transfigured or concrete, and treated for potions resistance."

"I know it all sounds horribly expensive, but let me sit down and think about it for a few days, I'll see if there are any corners we can cut, or if any of my contacts have any bright ideas. And of course I should make sure I haven't forgotten anything."