Queen of Cauldrons Solo

Attire: Usual schoolday attire: robes, shirt (buttons mismatched), tie (undone), kilt, neck ring, shoes. Nothing fancy!

Reducio

Colin felt so tired after such a long day! It was the last day of school and he'd survived his first year at Hogwarts! First of all, he was out til sunset having a deep heart to heart talk with Fyre Angel. He had long desired to speak with her, seek her wisdom and counsel, and she had proven her worth as a friend --- nay, as his sister --- yet again! Even so, he knew that with Fyre Angel, as with his Jarael, his dearest Eyes of Sky!, there was no plumbing the depths or measuring the breadths of where their conversations might go!

And today, he'd been up since sunrise and, as was often the case, found himself after a long hike patrolling the broad lands of his domains. Colin ever sought to roust out any cruel monsters or dastardly ne'er-do-wells that might have strayed into his realm. And on this day, it was none other than the dreadest and darkest of dark lords that crossed his path! Hah! And the Liche King, caught whilst seeking to enact some evil plot to enter and seize the castle, finds himself at the wrong end of my formidable weapons, my wand and my sword! Aye, I chased thee, o Liche King over mountain and under river and through loch and lahar! And yet again have I run the greatest enemy of the age off and away from my castle grounds! His friends would be safe for a while longer, so long as Laird McCoire had breath and strength to defend them!

After classes, though, Colin spent much of the afternoon studying. Exams were done, of course, but it never hurt to revise or look forward! And today, Colin decided to flip through his potions text. After a while, though, studying fell prey to reminiscing and potion chapter headings were soon replaced with titles of grand adventures or escapades he'd had with his classmates on any given day.

So Colin packed up his satchel and took to wandering the corridors of Hogwarts aimlessly. He nodded his greetings towards favourite portraits as he went along. You know it's funny, Colin thought, how so many kids navigate the school by floors and corridors; while I myself find that more often than not I navigate by other senses. Scent and hearing of course played a curiously large portion of his navigational skill. He could run the corridors under starless sky in the new Moon and find the library or Ravenclaw Tower or his own dungeons or the potions classroom simply be following his nose. But he could find most other places by feel --- the gentle curves and ruts in the ancient flagstones, trodden upon by countless thousands of students over the centuries --- each guided his often bare feet to the very door he was seeking. When shod for class and thus deprived of navigation by heel and toe, Colin often took note of the portraits themselves to determine his location in the curious spatial dimension that was Hogwarts. In a place where stairways changed and curious magical accidents could cause classes to be move far from the usual places, a good knowledge of the school's portraits --- as well as good relations with most of their inhabitants! --- came in handy!

And so it was Colin found himself bucking the flow of screaming and cheering students who had just been released from their academic prisons for the last time that year, smiling as usual and waving to this or that portrait. He wasn't sure what had drawn him down into the dungeons. Many of his fellow Snakes were, of course, heading towards the Slytherin dorms to forcefully jettison their school bags; but Colin wasn't heading there. His nose and his eyes brought him to the open door of the potions classroom, now being vacated by its most recent victims.

Colin slid into the room silently. So unlike his usually boisterous and energetic entrances to classes! For some reason, potions always took it out of him. He enjoyed learning well enough in class, of course, but he had also learned much in his seanmamó's own potions lab at home. Colin smirked at the thought of learning, even in her lab! Even she could never make a potioneer out of Colin McCoire! No, he had learned, even when he was little, that was not cut out to be a potioneer like her. He lacked the patience and the particular skill for that kind of magic!

Now Sophia! he thought; Sophia "Ginger Snaps" Nelson! Now that girl is the Queen of Cauldrons! She can brew just about anything a first or even second year would be expected to. And she does it with such passion! If Sophia had her nose in a book or a magazine, it was probably potions related! She was a smart girl all around --- a natural Ravenclaw, Colin always thought. She was a little odd when it came to pawing through people's pockets in search of chocolates. Colin shrugged then smiled for real. She wasn't a strong spell caster, but Colin often thought that was due to her shyness more than anything else. If she ever found her confidence, she'd be able to blast with the best of them! And follow up with a concerned face and a freshly crafted healing balm!

In potions class, though, Colin far more often than not would simply stand back and watch as her deft fingers plied knife and pestle to cut and mash the ingredients or else flip through the book to check on the recipe or cross-check on something she'd noted elsewhere. To him, she always seemed happiest in front of a cauldron or an alembic in hand!

He wondered: I bet if I pawed through Sophikins's pockets, I'd probably come up with a handful of billiwig stings or a vial of slamander blood! He chuckled. I'd probably find a handful of sweets wrappers, too! I wonder what kind of potion she could brew with that! He paused at the black soapstone table where they usually worked from. He wondered if she'd become a potioneer like his seanmamó.

Not so Colin! He knew he was wand happy and preferred magic that could be shaped by imagination and spells that could be cast with his wand rather than mess around with potions! They took too long to make and were too fiddly in the making! Plus his didn't always turn out quite right! As he walked along the row of tall glass fronted cabinets that housed the various pieces of equipment and the bottles, jars and cans of ingredients, he mused that he would surely make a more effective poisoneer than potioneer! Fortunately for Colin, he knew exactly who to study potions with! The Queen of Cauldrons herself would certainly set him straight whenever he strayed!

Note: seanmamó is a familial term, an older generation than one's grandmother; in Colin's case she's his great-great-great grandmother. Or at least, he's pretty sure it's three greats!

@Sophia Nelson || @Jarael Morningstar | @AngelFyre McCubbin