Lesson One: The Basics of Potions PV Avery Chen Finished

6 Mar 2022, 03:29

When it came to hands-on classes, Avery was eager to maintain focus. However, try as he might, the boy's active mind was often elsewhere. In this case, he was anticipating his first visit to Hogsmeade using the fake permission slip that his roommate Henry had given him. Just how would he act to pass as a third-year student, so that the staff checking their forms would let him through? And what wonders awaited at the village of magical shops and taverns? His thoughts pranced jauntily in his mind, leaping in bounds so that Professor Wickam-Deakin’s words drowned out here and there.

When his neighbor passed him a piece of parchment, he would snap out of his reverie. “Ah- Oh, thanks, mate!” he would shoot the Gryffindor boy a small smile before glancing at the sheet, etched with all sorts of potions that they would learn for the year. Wow, that was a lot! And what in the world were some of these things? Dogbreath potion? That did not sound like something he would try to ingest, but he sure as heck would love brewing it for some other unfortunate chum to taste.

Soon enough, it was brewing time. As the boy sitting next to him turned towards him, Avery instinctively shot him a bright and cheery grin while taking his outstretched hand, noting his partner’s otherwise calm and cool countenance. Maybe he could get him to lighten up a little. “Nice to meet you, Kim! Should I call you Kim?” he asked to clarify, since some names were surnames first, given names last, and other students had various preferences anyway. He gave his partner some time to respond, before introducing himself. “I’m Avery Chen, by the way. Sure, let’s get to it!” He responded, hoping to be amenable and match Kim Sato’s efficiency to cut to the chase, no-nonsense (for once in his life).

He glanced at the textbook. “Why don’t we each start crushing three snake fangs just to speed things up a little?” he suggested. An idea then occurred to him. “You think we can be the first ones to finish all these potions today?” he asked, raising an eyebrow with a hint of an offer for a challenge. Ever so slightly, the mischief was creeping back in, despite his initial determination to be task-oriented. “Or maybe we can brew two potions at the same time, since we have two cauldrons between us.” He thought for another moment. Why not keep things interesting? Avery was the competitive sort, after all, and the ideas seemed to just keep rolling today. “Hey, we can even see who can finish theirs first, before working on the third one together. A bit of friendly competition?” He shrugged, throwing out a suggestion while tossing three snake fangs into his mortar.

@Kim Sato

7 Mar 2022, 17:16

--- The Slytherin who became a Gryffindor ---

The boy to his left shot him a bright and cheery grin, which instantly made Kim wonder if he had ulterior motives. A normal person would just see it as a friendly gesture. But Kim didn't tend to trust easily and always suspected anyone who spoke with him had an agenda. After all, why would the Slytherin be smiling at him? He didn't know him. As the other boy took his hand and asked if he could call him Kim, the fair haired Gryffindor raised a brow and nodded.

It was his name after all. What else would he be calling him? It was a rather redundant question. Now if they had been in Japan, it might have been different, as he'd normally be addressed as 'Sato-san' by his classmates. Unless they happened to be close, or he allowed them to call him by his first name. Kim let his eyes flicker over Avery as he introduced himself as Avery Chen. The name sounded Chinese, at least the last name. Could he be from China?

Hm.

Avery had just become more interesting to him.

As the Slytherin suggested various things they could do together, Kim found himself getting a bit excited about the possibilities. He'd always loved experimenting and discovering new things in the process. What Avery was suggesting sounded awesome and would keep them on their toes. "Yeah, let's compete and see who can finish their potion first. We'll present the potion of whoever finishes first to the professor." Kim agreed with him.

The boy's lips twitched slightly into what could almost have been a smirk. It wasn't that he liked potentially getting into trouble, it was just that it somehow always ended up that way when he acted on his impulses. In this case, they weren't supposed to make two potions of this brew, but why not? Kim reached over and threw three snake fangs into his mortar. He picked up the pestle and started to grind them up inside. Once done, he put three more fangs into it.

He repeated the process.

Soon, all 6 fangs had been ground up into a fine powder inside.

Kim finely sliced up his pungous onions and put them aside to add 4 measures of the crushed powder into the cauldron. Gently putting the onions in, he heated the mixture to 250 and waited for 10 seconds. Once done, he added the dried nettles and a dash of flobberworm mucus. He stirred vigorously, having remembered the professor doing it before. There was no need to look at the book, his memory was all he needed to not make a mistake. He had faith.

It was only if he experienced a brief moment of doubt that he would double check the book.

Otherwise, there was no reason to.

He added a sprinkle of powdered ginger root and stirred vigorously again, mixing everything together. Next was the pickled shrake spines.

Kim stirred gently, so they wouldn't end up getting overexcited in the cauldron. And then it was time to leave the mixture to brew for 33-45 minutes. He waved his wand over the contents and then glanced over at Avery to see what step he was on now. Around them, all the other pairs had begun to get started and were also doing the same actions. But as of right now, they were all behind Kim and Avery, so they were off to a good start. Some were still slicing.

He returned his attention to his cauldron and waved his wand over the contents.

Now, it was time to play the waiting game.

Which in turn meant, FREE TIME.

Various students were still grinding and others were just about to heat their mixture. Kim and Avery were way ahead of the pack, at least for the time being that is.

English || Mandarin || Parseltongue || Japanese || Korean

@Avery Chen

Last edited by Kim Sato on 11 Mar 2022, 23:45, edited 3 times in total.

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9 Mar 2022, 16:32

When Kim agreed to a bit of friendly competition, Avery's grin widened. "Awesome! Loving that attitude," he said, continuing to grind his first three snake fangs. He picked up the pace, knowing that they were racing against each other to complete their first potion now. Once he set the freshly-ground powder aside, he continued to grind the rest of his snake fangs, moving deftly. When complete, he measured the relevant amount before adding it to his cauldron, then set his cauldron at the right temperature. What did the instructions say next? Avery glanced at the textbook, then waved his wand, hoping that it did the job. He had no idea if it worked. Oh well. He shrugged.

Satisfied with his wand-waving, Avery glanced at the time to take note of when time would be up. 33 minutes? Cool. Time to chat with his partner. He noted with satisfaction that students around them were still adding their mixtures or setting their temperatures, and relaxed back into his seat. One sidelong glance told him that his partner had finished his first few steps about a few seconds before Avery did.

"Ohhh you're ahead of me!" Avery let out a dramatic groan and a chuckle. "Are you used to winning every competition you step into? Maybe I made a mistake by challenging our year's top student to a potion-brewing competition," he chided playfully. It was the first week of class, after all, and a good opportunity for Avery to get to know people better by asking them his various, random questions that always seemed to pop into his mind. If anything, Avery Chen could talk.

"Say, shouldn't we come up with a reward for the winning person and a punishment for the losing person? Just to keep us both motivated. What do you think? Is there anything you'd want me to do if you win?" He studied Kim, hoping to detect a reaction, whether the boy thought it'd be a crazy idea or start scheming with fervor. Perhaps Avery would be forced to answer any personal question of Kim's choice, like Truth, or serve Kim like a king for the next three days. "I'd be okay with practically anything, really. I might not be a Gryffindor, but I'm pretty brave, I think." Was this true? Avery was terrified of snakes, despite being one, but he did have a heart for theatrics and adventure. "And maybe the losing person should try one of these potions ingredients?" he suggested for a Dare, throwing an idea out there to get the brainstorming juices running. He eyed the horned slugs, which could be licked; the porcupine quills, whose tip can be snapped off and chewed; the flobberworm mucus from their next potion, which could be tasted. They all looked perfectly disgusting, and that was pretty exciting. "Or, maybe the losing person has to do a dance of the winner's choice in the Great Hall during dinner," he smiled at the thought.

@Kim Sato

11 Mar 2022, 23:54

--- The Slytherin who became a Gryffindor ---

Kim wouldn't know if he'd done the potion correctly, until it had been completed. But if everything had gone right, it would be blue in color and a pink smoke would rise from the cauldron. As Avery dramatically complained about being behind by a few seconds and regretting his choice to challenge him, Kim smirked. The Slytherin was making it easy for him to tease him and he couldn't resist the temptation to do so. "Competitions? No." Kim said.

He paused, for added effect. "Friendly challenges? Yes." Kim teased him and let his eyes flicker across the room. Some of the students were catching up to them, although they had an advantage since their potions had been brewing for awhile now. He glanced back over at Avery when the boy spoke again, suggesting a reward and punishment for the winner and loser of this 'competition' between them. Well, that piqued his interest. Kim grinned at Avery.

This boy was really fun.

Sure, what they were doing was against the rules, but they weren't hurting anyone.

They were just making double potions and it wouldn't go to waste. He was sure multiple potions to cure boils was something that would be useful in potions class. "You sure you want to be in debt to me?" Kim asked with an arched brow, already prepared to win this challenge. It was around this time that a small explosion was heard and Kim glanced over to see where the loud sound had come from. Someone's cauldron had exploded for no reason.

"Was it bulbadox powder?" Kim wondered out loud, knowing if a cauldon's rim was coated in the substance it could result in what had just happened.

English || Mandarin || Parseltongue || Japanese || Korean

@Avery Chen

kim sato
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14 Mar 2022, 19:42

"Competitions? No." Avery let out an exhale of relief. So, Kim didn't seem confident that he was very good at winning competitions? How fortunate. However, a short pause later, Avery's hopes were dashed. "Friendly challenges? Yes." Goshdarnnit. Kim knew how to weave in the theatrics, too, didn't he? Keeping Avery on his feet. "Well, that's too bad," Avery said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair and resting the back of his head in his hands, fingers interlinked. "I should've specified that this was a brutal competition, then, instead of a friendly friendly challenge. That way, maybe I would've have more luck," he chided.

Nonetheless, Avery was eager to discuss some conditions for winning and losing. He lived for adrenaline and adventure -- why not make a regular Potions class more interesting? At Kim's question as to whether Avery was willing to be indebted to him, Avery pretended to consider it for a second, when his mind was already made up, a hundred percent. He leaned forwards, resting an elbow on the desk, turning to observe the Gryffindor boy as if trying to stare into his soul. "Well, what kind of person are you? Is Kim Sato ruthless against his opponents? Is he merciless, or is he merciful? I'm just trying to figure out who I'm up against, you know? Does he like Potions, or does he not like getting his hands dirty? Does he follow instructions to the tee, or does he think that Potions-making deserves a little freedom?" With each question, the small boy tilted his head to one or the other side or raised his brows. He was eager to get to know the Gryffindor boy a bit better. Plus, they had plenty of time to kill as they waited for their potions to finish simmering during this portion of the instructions.

The sound of an explosion quickly diverted Avery's attention, and his dark brown eyes snapped towards the cauldron of a startled boy. "Bulba-what powder?" Avery asked reflexively, not knowing a thing about Bulbasaur powders or whatever they were. "Sorry, I either haven't been listening or I'm just still too new to this whole magic thing," he admitted.

@Kim Sato

Last edited by Avery Chen on 23 Mar 2022, 18:13, edited 1 time in total.

23 Mar 2022, 17:48

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Avery's response made Kim smirk, he was actually pretty fun to be around. He couldn't have asked for a better partner. Avery seemed as if he knew what he was doing, going from the confidence of turning this partnership into a competition. No one would do that if they weren't confident in their own skills. Or they were just dumb to put forth such a challenge. But Kim didn't think that was the case, not with this boy.

Kim looked down at Avery as the latter leaned forward to rest an elbow on the desk as he stared up at him. He raised a brow in his direction. And then, Avery spoke. Ah, so he was trying to get to know who he was. Well, good luck there. Kim wasn't the type to volunteer personal information, especially not to someone he didn't even know. Hell, even those close to him didn't truly know much about him. Would Avery be different?

Still, Avery looked quite curious.

And Kim couldn't resist messing with him a little.

"I don't know. Maybe I should remain a mystery, so you'll have something to look forward to later on." Kim teased and smirked at him.

He was just going to flick some extra snake fang powder over at Avery when the explosion happened. It seemed as if everyone's attention was diverted from their potions due to this. Kim was tempted to sabotage someone's brew during this event but resisted the urge. He needed to focus on his own potion and make sure nothing was done to it. After all, this was a fair competition and he fully intended on winning.

Kim would put all his energy into it.

The thought of doing something to Avery's brew didn't even cross his mind.

Because if that happened, it would cease being a competition in his mind. Kim was all for challenges but he didn't like it when someone cheated, therefore he wouldn't cheat himself. Not unless the game itself required you to cheat, then of course he would because the rules would force him to. Kim glanced back over at Avery as he stumbled over the word he hadn't known he'd said aloud. Wait, he wasn't familiar with the word?

Avery's words about being new to magic made him blink.

A Slytherin who wasn't a pureblood? Now that was something you didn't see every day, or at least not back in his parents time. How interesting it was.

Kim shook his head and tried to focus on the present time. "Mm. Bulbadox powder causes a person's skin to break out in boils. If you coat a cauldron with it before brewing, it makes the cauldon explode." He explained to Avery and let his eyes linger on him for a moment. It probably wasn't the time to bring up matters of status, but when was it ever the time? Avery's words had made Kim grow a bit curious.

And when Kim got curious, there was no stopping him. "So, I take it you're either a half-blood or a muggle if you don't know what it is, right? What do you think of the magical world, now that you're a part of it?" He asked, wondering how non-purebloods saw the magic world. Kim's parents had kept him from socializing with those who weren't like them and had prevented him from learning more about them.

They were like forbidden fruit.

And we all know how one is drawn to forbidden fruit.

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kim sato
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29 Mar 2022, 00:28

Avery's dark brown eyes studied Kim carefully, taking note of the boy's reactions as one question rolled into another. They boy seemed mildly amused by his many loaded questions, but as Avery came to a pause, the answer he received was not satisfactory. No, not at all. In fact, it was more of a cliffhanger than anything else.

"I don't know. Maybe I should remain a mystery, so you'll have something to look forward to later on," the Gryffindor said with an amused smirk. Avery let out a long, sad and dramatic sigh of dejection, withdrawing his elbow away from the desk and sinking slowly back into his seat as if he were a rejected, melted butterscotch. "So, you're the unbreachable type, eh?" he asked rhetorically, as if deeply disappointed, one hand over his wounded heart. He soon looked up again, focusing in on Kim. "Hard exterior, check. Slow to warm up, check." His eyes combed Kim Sato up and down as he spoke, unabashedly letting the boy know he was observing him, and that nothing escaped his eye for detail, wondering how the boy would respond to the pressure. "Hmm, well, lucky for you, Kim -- I'm the type who's always up for a mystery or challenge. So I guess I'll have a crack at that." And it was true. Avery Chen never backed down from a challenge, and he prided himself in being able to make friends. Well, wasn't he the popular type, after all? Or so our proud little boy thought.

The explosion brought his wandering mind back to the Potions class. He listened as Kim explained the qualities of Bulbadox powder, wincing at the thought of breaking out into boils. Avery certainly wasn't one to know additional information outside of what was strictly taught in class at Hogwarts; the adventurous boy was unlikely to be reading extracurricular non-fiction or textbooks in his spare time, which was already limited considering his many hours of violin practice every week.

His gaze shifted from the boy with the exploded cauldron and back to Kim, who was asking him a question or two of his own now. "Yes, I'm muggle-born," he responded without hesitation, not at all phased. By now, he wondered if it was a delicate subject to discuss in magical society; Hildegard Schneider, a pure-blood, had noted in these very words: "I do admit that I have a problem with your kind... I think your very existence is a problem for us". It had sounded odd and somewhat disparaging, and he supposed that there were people in magical society who looked down upon muggles and muggle-borns, which was unfortunate. But he was who he was, and he wasn't going to hide it from Kim, even though Avery had no idea which side on the spectrum Kim stood. "But I also could've just been a dumb wizard-born," he laughed. "And as for the magical world..." Avery thought for a second. "I think it's amazing, so far. There's so much to see, so much to learn, and I just want to soak it all up like a sponge. Things that I never thought possible can be done, and I want to be able to do them. You know what? I think being a muggle-born helps me this way. All things being equal, maybe a curious, motivated muggle-born in awe of the magical world can learn more in the long run than wizard-borns who are used to magic already and take it for granted. I think I just need a year or so to catch up." The way he said it made it seem like a challenge to wizard-born students, or a self-motivational pep-talk, whichever way Kim saw it. Maybe Avery had a punch coming for him, with that big mouth of his. "So, what about you, Kim? Are you wizard-born yourself? Either way, you seem to have a smart head on your shoulders."

@Kim Sato

31 Mar 2022, 19:20

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───japanese | english | ency: ✕ | hair color: white

date: 09/03/21 | time: 01:00PM | outfit | song───

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Kim smirked at Avery's reaction to his words. The boy definitely was theatrical by nature. But that amused him. He raised a brow when Avery said he'd have a crack and breaking through to him. "I see. Well, good luck to you." Kim said, teasing Avery, as if it had nothing to do with him. Avery's instant response about being muggle-born, despite being in Slytherin, was quite surprising to someone like Kim.

After all, he'd always been taught Slytherin students were mostly comprised of purebloods, or those who shared pureblood values. Avery was the opposite of this and was in that particular House. How intriguing. Kim knew his parents would absolutely despise Avery for being in the noble Slytherin House. But he wasn't his parents and he actually liked Avery. He was fun to be around which was awesome.

As Avery went on to suggest he could have just been a dumb wizard-born or even a pureblood, Kim chuckled. "True. However, society tends to believe there are no purebloods who are dumb. Wizard-borns are also listed in that category too. But I think they're putting too much faith in their bloodline. Everyone's different, it depends on your determination & pure strength."

"That's what will lead you to eventually come out ahead." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. As he listened to Avery go on about his fascination with the magical world, Kim's lips twitched with amusement. Avery was kind of cute when he was like this. All animated and excited about things. "So you've never heard or seen of any of these things before?" Kim asked, curious about his background.

"How did you get your letter?" Since Avery was muggle-born, having an owl deliver a letter was probably not what had happened. Would his story be similar to Sophia's? She had said some odd, tall stranger had appeared at their doorstep and spoken to her parents. After which, she'd been told she was a witch and that she'd been invited to a school of magic. The thought of that happening was rather cool.

Sometimes, Kim wondered what it would be like if he'd been muggle-born.

Not that he'd talked about this to his parents.

They would have been completely shocked and probably would have punished him.

"Also, I don't think it'll take you that long to get the hang of things. You seem pretty talented already, by the end of the year I think you'll be in a good place!" Kim said with a twitch of his lips. He wasn't lavishing praise on him, nor was he trying to get on Avery's good side. The white haired Gryffindor was simply saying things as he saw them. The truth was always the best route to take.

If he'd thought Avery was bad, he would have also told him this.

Avery then tried to turn the conversation towards him and Kim just as quickly tried to avoid it. But it had been a simple question, which required a simple answer.

He supposed he could handle it.

"No, I'm a pureblood. But wizard-borns are very similar to us." Kim smirked as he looked over at him. "By the way, the loser has to be the winner's slave for a whole week." Kim told Avery with a smirk. Yes, he'd finally put into words what the loser would have to do, and very subtly had turned the conversation away from his personal life and towards something else. He was very good at avoidance.

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@Avery Chen

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kim sato
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11 Apr 2022, 00:50

So, there was the belief that no purebloods are dumb? That was interesting, if somewhat old-fashioned. He supposed it was a bit like racism in the muggle world. How unfortunate. However, it seemed that Kim didn't fall within the group of people who had those beliefs, which he appreciated. Indeed, success was more likely to depend on one's determination and strength rather than one's bloodline.

"No, I've never seen magical things before I knew about Hogwarts. At least, not things that I recognized as magical," Avery responded to Kim's question. "I got my letter when a Hogwarts staff member showed up at our door, and tried to explain that I was a wizard," he laughed, thinking back to that fateful day, and how confused his parents were. "They were so sure it was a scam, and thought that they were being duped into paying for a bunch of things run by cultists who were trying to kidnap me." He snorted at the memory, of his mom trying to shut the staff member outside their door, but the guy somehow managed to show them that magic was real. "Just try telling my strict muggle parents that I was no longer going to muggle school to receive an elite education so I can get into Cambridge or Oxford, and you'll see how difficult it is," he laughed. Even today, his parents were likely confounded by the fact that he would probably never attend an elite university after graduating from muggle school. In truth, they might very well withdraw him from Hogwarts and put him back into regular school if his grades were subpar, and if they failed to realize how important the classes at Hogwarts actually were to wizarding children like him after his first semester.

"Thanks, Kim," Avery said gratefully, when Kim showed confidence in his ability. Encouraging words like that weren't necessarily things he heard often at home. "I really am trying, because I want to stay at Hogwarts instead of going back to muggle school if my parents think it's better suited for me. It's tough, though, because I just want to do it all." Little did Avery know that his words about overloading himself would soon come true. It was merely the first week of classes so far, but he would soon join too many clubs, pick up quidditch, and explore the castle with friends and complete errands like no tomorrow. (His RPer is somehow capable of seeing into the future...)

So, it turned out that Kim was pure-blooded himself. If that was the case, then he seemed like an enlightened one. "Well, you must come from a good family of forward-thinking purebloods, then," he mused aloud, thinking that Kim must've had an educated and open-minded upbringing if he was more liberal-thinking in this regard compared to some other purebloods that Hildegard Schneider had told him about on the train ride.

The loser would be the winner's slave for a week? At this, Avery grinned. "Well, that'll be exciting, wouldn't it?" he said in agreement. "Sure, why don't we shake on it?" He held out a hand to seal the deal.

And look at the time! It was practically time for the next step. Maybe just a couple minutes early, at 31 minutes or so, but Avery wanted to finish his first to win. He tossed in his four horned slugs and took his cauldron off the fire to add his next ingredient.

@Kim Sato