PV Completed Big dreams, big accidents

"Thanks, guys" said Mat, appreciating the fact that the others were offering their help with Potions. Four heads are better than one. He tried to listen carefully to the professor's words during the theoretical explanation. He glanced at his bag, even considering taking out a pen and paper, but decided against it. Taking notes distracted him. Jude, with a reassuring thumbs up, had already thrown himself headlong into the preparation, promising to show them the results of his studies, and Max had started too. He opened the book to the recipe page, checked that all the ingredients were on the desk, and began adding them to the cauldron, rereading each step a couple of times before proceeding. As he stirred, he realised that he was the only one of the four who hadn't introduced himself, and he raised his head to do so, but seeing the others so focused, he remained silent.

Even though he wasn't the best at it, he enjoyed making potions: it gave him time to think and relaxed him. Besides, the three boys he had met seemed alright, and he was glad to have met them so quickly. Only time would tell if they would become friends, but for now they were great classmates. At first, he had been afraid of feeling a little out of place among all those people from all over the cuntry, but now his anxiety had vanished. While half of his mind was busy with these thoughts, the other half was humming a swing tune to himself, until at some point he realised he was humming it out loud. Snapping out of it, he realised that, as usual, he had fallen behind. “Hey Azrael,” he said to his desk mate, “How about I chop these roots for both of us while you crush both bezoars? That way we'll get it done faster” he suggested, hoping for once to finish the assignment before the end of the lesson.

@Max Kenneally Vidler, @Azrael Holloway, @Jude Morgan

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Mentions: @Max Kenneally Vidler, @Jude Morgan and @Mat Duncan

Azrael's eyes narrowed, looking down at the bezoars near him- he shrugged slightly and simply nodded...he didn't mind doing it, they would end up working (and finishing) faster that way.

Classes are always something he takes with calm, you'll never see him stressing over a class or homework...mostly because he doesn't care about it, and also because he tries to finish whatever he's handed the same day he's given it so he can just do whatever he wants for the rest of whatever free time he still has.

As he looks up, he realizes Jude and max are also working and concentrated on what they're doing...maybe it'll be a quiet, calm class for once? With little to no incidents? Hopefully.

He doesn't enjoy the chaos that comes with someone making a mistake...and while he'll never actually say it out loud, anyone can tell he doesn't like it if you know him well enough.

Honestly, the boys he just met seem nice... hopefully they can maybe be friends after this? He's never been so casually included on something, there's almost always some kind of weirded out stare from whoever he meets in the beginning of their conversation.

He's used to it by now, and it doesn't bother him ...it never really has- it just feels weird for it to not happen for once.
______________________••___________________§- "...if you need help with anything else apart from this, just tell me...I finish things fairly quickly."
______________________••___________________Azrael calmly murmured towards mat, eyes never leaving the bezoars as he quietly crushes them.

He finds it enjoyable to do these types of kinds of things, he doesn't know what it is- he really just can't seem to put his finger on why he feels that why...but he does, he's always quietly looked forward to relatively calm classes (at least for him, he finds potions to be relatively "calm") like potions-

He'd even dare to quietly admit it's his favorite class.

Although, no one would really know that unless they directly ask... he's never been one to tell people details about himself unless they explicitly ask- one would be surprised by the amount of hidden traits, anecdotes and secret hobbies he has.

The brewing instructions weren't as challenging as he had expected. Jude had crushed the bezoar with ease until it had turned into powder, as the Professor pointed out. Humming under his breath, the Gryffindor felt energized. Glancing at the blackboard, he reached for the crusher bezoar, dropping it into his cauldron without much thought. Then, he added two standard ingredients before tapping his wand against the cauldron to watch it heat for 5 seconds.

So far, so good. Jude couldn't believe it. He was succeeding in Potions for once. He could almost imagine it — being praised for his incredible development in Potions, admired for his natural talent. Yes, yes, he was so bloody talented indeed, and soon he'd become the greatest wizard of all time. He'd even make his way to a chocolate frog card — the rarest card of them all, obviously.

His smile grew, loopy and dreamy. It was so obvious that he wasn't present that one could see the daydreaming leaking out of his ears. He nodded to himself, glancing around to see what his new friends were up to. It seemed Azrael and Mat had decided to share duties in order to progress faster.

Then, he frowned. Was he missing something?

"Oh shh—" Jude lowered his volume before the curse word slipped out, as he realized he had the heating going on for longer than five seconds. He waved his wand thrice in desperation, hoping to ruin his chances of stardom. Letting out a panicky shriek, he stared at his cauldron.

Ok. He could still fix this.

_{private thread with @Max Kenneally Vidler, @Azrael Holloway and @Mat Duncan}

Banner By Julia Evans

—— ✰ ——Interacting with: @Mat Duncan, @Azrael Holloway & @Jude Morgan—— ✰
—— ✰ ——Dialogue: 225700—————|||——— ✧ ——Words: 455|||||—— ✰

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His attention was finally drawn back to his work by Judes almost swear. Looking at Mat and Azrael he felt a twinge of jealousy that they were working together. He could have done that too, had he just thought a bit further ahead. With Jude well on his way that was not an option. So he resigned to finish the potion on his own. Looking back at the instructions he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Since when was the bezoar supposed to be crushed into powder? Looking back into his cauldron he silently observed that he had added the whole thing. No matter, he just needed to push through!

He added about two measures of standard ingredient before pausing. When cooking you could usually fix a mistake by adding more or less of something else. He could see no reason for potions to be different. The list of ingredients was important though. They had gone over why each of them mattered. So since cutting out some was not an option he was left with adding more or adjusting the brewing time.

He did not settle on a decision by choice. It was simple misreading of the steps. Heating it to medium heat for any amount of time was out the window when he read the next step and waved his wand over the cauldron on reflex. He bit his lip as he stared into his cauldron. The content was a rather sad grey color. He was supposed to leave it to brew now, but that color did not look right.

Looking around himself and peering into all nearby cauldrons without making it obvious confirmed his suspicions. The professor had said they should ask for help if needed, but he was a big boy. He would handle it himself. He then made a decision he would later regret. Reaching for the ingredient he added one pinch of powdered unicorn horn to his brew and leaned back. The smell from last lesson thankfully seemed to stay away for now. The same could be said of smoke. It still did not look quite right but at least the color was no longer sad. It was rapidly changing to a sickly shade of orange.

Leaning a bit towards all three of them he spoke in a hushed, nervous tone «Do any of you have any idea why this looks wrong? I really want to get it right, but I have no idea what needs to be done to fix it!» He was far above begging, but he hoped the offer of help was genuine to some extent. Asking the professor equaled certain failure. Asking his peers however held some hope of keeping just a bit of his pride intact.

Mat raised his head when he heard someone almost swearing, trying to understand what was happening at the desk in front of him, but he couldn't see over Jude's shoulders. He thanked Azrael, who had already finished crushing the bezoar, added it to his cauldron and concentrated on not getting the heating time wrong. Reading the next instruction, he let out a satisfied "Ah": leave to brew for 30-40 minutes. He leaned back in his chair. Finally, he had some time to look around. The thought of getting ahead with the next steps didn't even cross his mind. He was watching Nibble, the carnivorous plant near the office door, which had caught a spider with a flick of its tendrils, when Max's voice got his attention: "Do any of you have any idea why this looks wrong? I really want to get it right, but I have no idea what needs to be done to fix it!"
Mat glanced at Max's cauldron, which did indeed have a strange orange colour. "Uhm, I don't know" Mat wanted to help him, but he was no potion expert. He tried to use common sense: "Well, mine looks normal, maybe you could dilute your potion with a couple of ladles from my cauldron?" he suggested. It seemed to make sense. It might not solve the problem, but at least it would improve the colour. He thought that if Max agreed, he would have to reduce the quantities of the ingredients for the next steps, as he would have less potion, but he would think about that later. He looked at the other two boys, hoping that one of them would have a better idea. Maybe mixing two half-prepared potions wasn't so smart.

@Max Kenneally Vidler, @Azrael Holloway, @Jude Morgan

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Mentions: @Max Kenneally Vidler, @Jude Morgan and @Mat Duncan

By now, Azrael was Midway to finishing his potion...when he actually concentrates, he can get things done quick!

Azrael looked down at his cauldron- taking the crushed Bezoar and measuring to make sure it was the right amount, he quietly added 4 measures to the cauldron before moving on to the next step-

His eyes flickered up as he heard max ask how he could fix his potion...and at the same time, he realized Jude's cauldron had been left a tad bit too long under heat.

It's...gonna be an interesting class- hopefully without any explosions though.. although that part isn't guaranteed.

As he heated his cauldron to medium temperature for approximately 5 seconds, he waved his wand and shifted in his chair to wait for the minutes to pass...it will be around 30 to 40 minutes until he can add the next ingredients-

So, seeing as he had to wait- he looked up at max...
______________________••___________________§- "...I'm not exactly sure, but perhaps you waved your wand a tad bit too early? The medium heat comes first and before the wave- still, I could be wrong."
____________________••_____________________Azrael's big, unsettling owl like eyes narrowed as he stared at Max's cauldron for a quick second...it didn't look quite right, but it didn't look like it was wrong either...maybe it just needed more time or heat?

He then turned his head to look at Jude's cauldron instead- he had waved his wand 3 times instead of just once, could that mess up the potion? Azrael has no idea- but hopefully his cauldron doesn't melt.
_____________________••____________________§- "...do you need help?"
_____________________••____________________he quietly asked Jude, intending to help if he so wished for it- maybe they could come up with a solution if something went wrong.

As he leaned back on his seat, he realized 30 minutes had passed...time really does fly when you're not paying attention.

So, he took a pinch of unicorn horn, adding it to his cauldron as he then stirred quietly 2 times clockwise- his right hand reached for the mistletoe berries as he took four, offering two to Mat for when he needed them for his potion and then Azrael added the remaining two to his own cauldron.

It was going great so far- so he didn't waste time and stirred again, two times and anti clockwise this time...

The last step was to wave his wand one more time to complete it- so he did just that and stared down at the finished result...it looks fine to him- so he looked up at mat.
_______________________••__________________§- "...I've finished mine, what about you?"
______________________••___________________he Blankly asked, eyes narrowing again as he tried to see if the other two had finished...the potion had been pretty easy for him, relaxing even- he enjoys potions class, it's something calming for him.

Of course, he understands not everyone feels that way... especially not when there's cauldrons melting left and right- it can get pretty frustrating sometimes, it happened on his very first class...but after that he kind of got the hang of it and has had only minor mistakes and accidents from then on.

Looking back, Jude should've accepted Azrael's help. He should have done so many things. Swallowed his pride, for once in his life, and accepted that he wasn't nearly as good at Potions as he'd like to be, and that there was nothing wrong with needing some extra lessons to get better; he should have called their professor, begged for a chance to start over. Or at the very least, he should've turned to Max's cauldron and tried to help him, too.

But instead, all the boy did was wave a hand over his shoulder and say, unable to hide the tremor in his voice, "No. It's fine... I got this."

Panic rose from deep within him, an uncomfortable claw poking at his stomach in a way that was hard for him to ignore. The scent of the Potions room smelled characteristically of failure, his failure, and Jude didn't know what to do. Blue eyes staring at his cauldron, he wanted to tame whatever was going on in there - the liquid bubbled happily, or as a threat, as if demanding the boy to move again... And move he did.

It was hilarious, really, the way Jude grabbed all the ingredients and began to toss them into the cauldron one by one, speed-running through the process of making the Potion. One would think he'd reached flow state, with how accurate his movements were, if they ignored his shaky hands and breath, of course. At last, he grabbed his wand — swished it over the sparkly cauldron with his eyes shut as tight as possible.

Please, work. Please, work. Please, be great. Please. Please. Please. Please.

Jude waited exactly... 1 second before opening his eyes. He turned to the three others around him, motioning them to come closer. "C'mon, guys, here... Let me show you what a real potion looks like!"

Luckily, his tone was too shaky and desperate, which made it look sarcastic. (It suited the situation because there was no way someone would be serious about this.)

Sweat running down his face, the boy stopped, smiling. Once he was sure he had the others' attention, Jude leaned over the cauldron, peeking to see what had come of his... well, whatever it was he'd just done.

The cauldron shook in place, tumultuous, revolting. Oh no.

It damn near vomited the potion back at him, in utter disappointment, disgust, or another array of emotions the boy didn't know how to describe. The liquid was... something special, alright. It smelled all wrong.

Jude managed to shut his eyes and mouth in time.

_{private thread with @Max Kenneally Vidler, @Azrael Holloway and @Mat Duncan}

Banner By Julia Evans

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Interacting with:	@Mat Duncan, @Azrael Holloway & @Jude Morgan
Dialogue:	#225700
Words:	325

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Max looked doubtfully between Mat and Azrael. The suggestion to mix the potions sounded promising. He did not believe he had forgotten any heat as Az suggested, but he was far from sure. «Yeah…» The first word spoken absentmindedly before he seemed to pull himself together. «Alright, I’ll leave it to brew for a few minutes longer. It can hardly hurt, right? And if I could borrow a spoonful or two of yours I it would be great!» The precious drops of correctly brewed potion was exchanged and added. Max took a deep breath. This would be fine. It would work.

He left his cauldron on the heat for a few more minutes as his attention was drawn elsewhere. Jude seemed to be not doing so good. As far as Max could see the potion itself looked better than his, but something about the nervous state of the boy next to him told him something was not quite right.

He was just about to turn back to his own cauldron when Azrael declared he was finished. Before he as much as managed to look up, Jude called for their attention. The tone only aided in assuring Max that something intentionally funny was about to happen. So he leaned closer with a laugh already forming in his throat. The potion was just about vomited out. Max ducked on instinct to avoid potential drops flying wide.

As he stood up he was unable to contain his laughter. Loud and quite roaring it filled the space. Still laughing he stepped back to his own work. He turned to his own cauldron and the concoction made the regrettable decision to explode in his face. Not quite managing to close his mouth, but at least his eyes as the potion sprayed him, the better part of the workstation and the wall behind him. Oh no. He may have wanted to run away from class before. Now it was an absolute certainty.

"Thank you, Azrael" said Mat, taking the mistletoe berries and thinking that working in pairs was definitely a winning strategy. "I'm nearly done too" he answered as he carefully completed the final steps. He was very pleased to have almost finished and didn't want to ruin everything at the last minute. At that moment, he was distracted by Jude, who was throwing all the ingredients into the cauldron. Mat watched him suspiciously, unable to tell if he was panicking or if he had had an epiphany about the potion. When he asked them to come closer to watch, his tone leaned more towards the former, and Mat remained at a safe distance, preparing to spring away if the worst happened. With a violent jolt, Jude's cauldron spilled the potion onto his brewer. Mat's first instinct was to grab his cauldron and put it in a safe place. The last thing he wanted was for any drops of that sentient liquid that Jude had somehow brought to life to get into it. He placed it on the desk behind him, smiling apologetically at the other students, and turned back to make sure his classmates were okay. Max was laughing heartily, and a smile touched Mat's lips, but he tried to hold back his laughter so as not to hurt Jude's feelings. However, when Max's cauldron exploded a second later, it was too much, and he burst out laughing. He felt a little guilty for contributing to the disaster by suggesting to mix the potions, but the comedy of the situation effortlessly overwhelmed that feeling. Without stopping laughing, he tried to clean up his uniform, on which the two spilled potions were mixing dangerously.

@Max Kenneally Vidler, @Azrael Holloway, @Jude Morgan

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Mentions: @Max Kenneally Vidler, @Jude Morgan and @Mat Duncan

Unfortunately, Azrael was caught had actually leaned forward to look at Jude's cauldron...which ended up being a bad decision as the contents came barreling out and into every possible direction.

He jerker back like a cat avoiding water- but still got a splash on his cheek, which he quickly started wiping away with a handkerchief...only Merlin knows what that could do if it stayed on his cheek for long enough.

but Just as he was wiping it way, Max's cauldron also exploded- this time whoever he didn't have time to move out of the way, and he ended up getting showered in the failed potion...by now, he was covered in it- but his face remained blank...apart from the twitch of his eye when he realized he'd have to walk out of class like this...not that he cared if people stared...it was more or so the fact that he'd probably trip on the dripping fluid and waddle back to his dorm like he just got bathed in slime.
______________________••___________________§- "...right...I may need to change, do any of you happen to have another handkerchief, perhaps? Mine's soaked."
____________________••_____________________Azrael said blankly, stoic expression not changing as he looked around...by now, half the class was staring, and he doesn't blame them- who wouldn't stare? Thankfully, whatever fell on him was mostly on his clothes- well, so much for hoping class would be relaxing for once...still, it isn't that bad.

at least his and mat's didn't explode, that would have made things ten times worse than they already are...

A few students are giggling all around them- it's a sight to behold, really.