Student Name	OWL	House	Attendance
Waker Nolan	O	Ravenclaw		Today’s Task!
Nina Morales	E	Gryffindor		Using the following instructions,
Ava Grosvenor	O	Slytherin		assemble the apparatus we have been learning about.
George Carter	A	Gryffindor		Try and guess what it is!
Charlie Robards	A	Hufflepuff
Vienna Pascal	O	Slytherin
Zoey McAdams	O	Slytherin
Astrid O'Malley	E	Ravenclaw	(Excused until RT 14.10)
Atticus Pennyapple	O	Slytherin

1.   Attach clamp to the neck of the Round-Bottom Flask, then affix 3/4 way up a stand
2.   Put the A end of the Fractioning Column into the top of the Flask and secure the joint
3.   Plug the top of the Column with Thermometer Stopper
4.   Connect the B point of the Column to the A side of the Liebig Condenser and secure the joint
5.   Clamp Condenser ˝ way up the second stand
6.   Place Conical Flask under the B end of the Condenser
7.   Sketch your work and raise your hand for inspection


Right as the room cleared for the 7th years, the mad professor finished up his work on the chalkboard by adding at the bottom with a heavy hand:

He’d gotten out of Herbology late and had enough time to break off some bread from a roll before quickly making his way to the dungeons without jogging or sprinting or skipping or anything uncool. Of course, it wasn’t until after  he arrived that he realized he was actually early. So he stood at the entrance, looking like a fool with his bread in between his teeth, mouth open wide, quill behind his ear, and a few pieces of rolled up parchment sticking out of his front trouser pocket.

Checking his watch, he sunk his teeth down a couple of millimeters into the tasty bread. Then he checked it again, a curse coming out softly against the deliciousness that was his afternoon snack. It wasn’t moving. How long had it been since he’d actually looked at it and paid any attention to the time? Obviously at least twenty three hours and… some odd minutes. Smacking a hand to his forehead, he let out a groan against the bread. He had had enough time to meet Waker, then.

Well… if he went to find her, by now he would be late. So he glanced up to where the professor was, grimacing slightly. He’d have to stay… He’d made enough noise all ready. And, after a quick glance around the classroom, another muffled groan could be heard. The first student?! What had Waker done to him!

Grimacing and biting down through the loaf, his hand made its way up to catch it before it fell. Holding the uneaten portion as he chewed, he sat down at a station close to the door. He set his robes over the back of the stool and rested his elbows on the table top. “Af’ernoon, Professor…” After a moment, George swallowed his bite and gave the man a small smile. He felt completely out of place now. Squirming slightly in his seat, he let out a noisy breath and took another bite to save himself the ability of speech.

Waker stepped into the potions classroom and blinked. She’d assumed she’d be among the first there, but she hadn’t expected the only other student to be George. Maybe she really was having an effect on him...

...And George was certainly having a good effect on Waker, as well. After a brief nod and grin in Professor Gunnar’s direction, the Nolan girl made a beeline for her favorite potions partner (and part-time O+ distraction). Sitting beside him, she waited for the Gryffindor to swallow whatever he was scarfing down, so that he mightn’t choke on her behalf. She then nudged him under the table with her leg, smiling sideways as she began to unpack her things. “The first rule of the potions lab,” she whispered. “Is no food. What will I do if you swallow a lethal ingredient? I’m not working with Trent Travis again.”

Waker pulled on her gloves, one and then the other, and then glanced at the board for the third time in thirty seconds. She’d nearly memorized the instructions, and was determined to start the project even before class officially begun. With luck, they would guess the apparatus they were assembling before anyone else.

With the nudge, his eyebrows rose and he turned his attention to his girlfriend. Grinning and trying to swallow quickly, he ran his tongue over the front of his teeth behind his lips. Best to give the best front he could, eating a snack or not… He glanced her over as she started to take things out. Oh right… he’d forgotten his books. Pursing his lips to the side, he scratched the back of his head before turning in the swivel chair towards her more.

“The first rule of the potions lab… Is no food. What will I do if you swallow a lethal ingredient? I’m not working with Trent Travis again.”

A chuckle escaped him as he gave her a knowing look. “I guess you’ll just have to show your skills at mouth to mouth.” And with that he stuffed the rest of the biscuit in his mouth as a way of saying ‘there, it’s gone now.’ Didn’t stop the fact that he’d had it in the lab… and perhaps he’d chosen to forget the rule on purpose. He hardly listened to them… a bunch of regulations that were only made to be broken by some student or another. Obviously.

She was all ready getting down to business?! His eyes showed disbelief before he shook his head, putting a hand on the table. His fingers drummed slowly as he took her in, finally swallowing his way too big of a bite, dusting his mouth off to make sure he didn’t have any stray crumbs. “Talk about a go getter.” Giving her a grin, he didn’t even glance up towards the professor. Might as well just sneak in for it. The straight forward approach always served him pretty well.

Leaning over, he kissed her jawline, grinning against her skin. His lips moved closer to her ear and he whispered into it. “And what’s rule number two?” He grinned and pulled back a little, looking at her face. “We still have a little bit before class starts, Waker…” He turned his attention to the burner near him, and his eyebrows rose slightly. Well... if she was going to get started, he could have fun. Right? He pulled it towards him, leaning on the table. Next thing he knew, he had a small fire going. Pulling the quill from behind his ear, he started to stick the tip in the flames; time to cauterize the end. For the purpose of doing it.

The best time of the day was upon him and Zoey was more than excited for it. Potions class was by far his best subject and he was damn good at it. Dressed normally in his uniform (for once), except a headband that read: "I LOVE POTIONS" holding his hair back, Zoey walked excitedly through the dungeon halls and made his way to the large door leading into the potions classroom. He took a deep sigh and prepared himself, getting ready to see what they were about to embark upon today.

Slowly, he pushed open the door to the ungodly sight of George Carter and Waker Nolan being intimate. Going to take a seat at the very front of the classroom, he stopped next to them and muttered, "The term, 'Get a room,' comes to mind, and one that isn't so public, however, you'd missed the amazing lecture Gunnar is about to give us. Just please keeps tongues in mouths, as I don't want to spew bile into my cauldron." He walked onward to the front, taking a seat right in the middle, ready to get started.

"I think what you should specify, Zoey," Ava spoke from behind him, "Is that their tongues should be in their own mouths, as opposed to each others." She walked past them towards the back of the classroom, but not before leaving a parting comment. "Otherwise that would be an invitation to Carter." She turned on her heel at a desk and began to robotically remove her equipment from her bag. Potions had always been her favourite subject by far, but now it simply didn't fill the empty void inside her.

She knew something wasn't quite right, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. For the most part, she felt like a shell of her former self, a shell with nothing inside of it. Empty. Devoid of any emotional capacity. Sometimes there was a flicker of something that she recognised, a part of her that was familiar. Then she would lapse back into the hole she had managed to crawl out of, and things would be the way they had been for a few days now. It was odd, but she couldn't say anything. Even if she didn't fear getting sectioned, it was actually impossible to talk about - even to Atticus. And that scared her more than anything.

It was as though she was a lifeless puppet, and some puppeteer was having a laugh controlling her. She gave an involuntary shudder as she sat in her seat and clasped her hands together in front of her on the desk, waiting for Atticus. He would make her feel better. He always did.

With George turned toward, Waker moved in her own chair to face him, her knees brushing his. She tapped her wand lightly against his shirt. “Mouth to mouth? What are we studying again?” Something with an M... oh yeah, magic. Her own keen coffee gaze widened. “Healing charms aren’t my best, and I promise they’re not as painless as my li--” Eyes shooting toward the professor, however laid back he seemed compared to the others, Waker suddenly remembered where they were: in a potions laboratory, with echoing walls, no ceaseless chatter to conceal their own, and a board with an assignment scrawled across it. She blinked several times at the Gryffindor. The very same set of lips she’d been about to elaborate on tightened slightly as she swiveled into place again. (As her mind raced over a very similar scene, minus the professor, from some months ago.)

Had Professor Gunnar heard her? Would they get points off for flirting before the bell rang? Her hands fumbled more quickly for the Fractioning Column. It wasn’t as if Waker was reading some dirty literature aloud, or...

Contemplating rule number two as George so studiously inquired after its summary.

The potions lab was really a dangerous place.

Trying and failing to ignore the familiar warmth of George’s mouth and voice, and the tingle it usually induced in her skin, Waker paused mid-task and tilted her head toward him, her eyes moving suspiciously to the side so that she was both taking him in and avoiding him. “Haven’t we already broken all of the rules in this lab?” She asked, trying not to smile. “Well, technically, it was that table over there, but--” She gestured with a brief nod in the direction in which Zoey McAdams seemed to be going.

Only, the Slytherin had a detour in mind. Waker hadn’t known him to be distressing in the same way most of his roommates were. (In other words, he wasn’t one of Devlin’s chums, and he wasn’t Trent Travis). He was a prefect, a good student, and friends with Beatrix Dark, if also a bit eccentric and withdrawn at times. But Waker could be quietly independent when it suited her, too. Still, since the train ride, she wondered whether he held a grudge. They hadn’t meant to upset his cat or ruin his very... unique... attire. It was only a bit of water.

“If he wants bile in his cauldron...” she murmured promisingly, narrowing her eyes as the Slytherin walked away. She was too distracted by Zoey, and then Ava, to be worried about the tubes in her hands or the fire at the table. Fire at the table.

“George!” She hissed, batting at the quill he’d been prodding into the flames with the apparent ease of roasting a marshmallow on a stick. Her knuckles turned white as she grabbed his hand. Apparently a warning in bold, all-capital letters was not enough to deter his curiosity; at least, she reasoned, the 'no fires' bit of the careful instructions was written in Gryffindor red, and thus obviously inviting. (If George had yet decided to read it.)

Mouth to mouth? What are we studying again?”

He gave her an innocent look, eyebrows raised and a small smile on his lips, his eyes a little wide. “Safety, right? Isn’t that what mouth to mouth is supposed to be about?” Then he couldn’t help but grin at her. He leaned forward slightly as she went on about healing charms. He took in a breath in anticipation, but as soon as she looked towards the professor, he felt his face drop slightly. When she turned away from him, he sighed and leaned his chin on his fist, his elbow resting on the table like a child waiting somewhat impatiently for his ice cream.

“Haven’t we already broken all of the rules in this lab? Well, technically, it was that table over there, but—”

Had they? He was willing to play dumb. The knowing smirk on his lips betrayed him. Glancing to the table, he raised an eyebrow. Then he noticed McAdams coming past them, and he frowned slightly. What was he wearing across his forehead? Rubbing the back of his neck, he let out a breath. His face showed the slight bewilderment at being told to get a room. Then he slowly smirked and leaned on the table, turning his attention to Waker. He stuck his tongue out at her, making a face, before nudging her with his knee.

“I think what you should specify, Zoey… Is that their tongues should be in their own mouths, as opposed to each others… Otherwise that would be an invitation to Carter.”

“Oh-ho, Grosvenor is quick on her feet today.” Chuckling, he shook his head and turned his attention back to his station with his partner. He grinned wider at Waker’s cute little under the breath comment, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes. Was that her way of offering?

“George!”

Startled slightly, he very nearly stabbed the quill down into the fire more, his eyebrows rising quickly up his forehead. “Okay!” He kept his voice low as well, pouting just slightly before turning the fire off. Then he grinned and glanced down at her hand. “I like your angry side…” And with that he kissed her again, taking a little longer on it than he normally would have if only because it was suggested to him that he might or might not do it to induce vomiting of a fellow classmate. Finally he pulled back and kissed her nose, leaning back. “Fine. I’ll leave it alone for now.”

Glancing around, he spotted the boy and frowned slightly. "McAdams! Where do you find these..." Making a hand motion to his own forehead before motioning to Zoey, he shrugged. "I mean you had the belt right?" Not that he would have noticed had it not been so obvious. "And now the... headband..." His curiosity kept him going.

Atticus hadn't changed much over the summer, save for the need to break from the girl he had been seeing and move on. So gathering up his new group of enemies, namely Ravenclaws, Atticus wasn't seeing anything new come his way. So when it came to classes, Atticus put forth about the same amount of effort he always did.

Strolling in late to his NEWTS Potions, Atticus wondered how many times he would spend in detention this year because of his ability to be tardy even when he leaves the dorm twenty minutes in advance. What could he say, he was an artist and it was a roaming piece he was working on, yeah that was it. Atticus was doing a performance piece showing how time and the man were not going to hold him down.

Granted the actual reason was he was truly lazy and hated his classwork, but that would defeat the purpose of lying through his teeth. Deep inside his own head, Atticus looked about for a familiar face and took a seat near Ava ignoring much of the shenanigans going on about the classroom. If he didn't have to deal with them, he wasn't going to. "Oi, Ava what have I missed so far?" Dropping his books loudly on his desk, Atticus shuffled some parchments before getting fully settled in his seat.

Vienna was hesitant to attend Potions. Granted, it was a course she enjoyed tremendously, and she was good at it, but there was just something terribly absurd about wasting away in that frightful room watching Gunnar making a fool of himself or her fellow peers screwing up the simplest of instructions.

She made her way to the Dungeons after lunch and stood in the middle of the hallway absent-mindedly, debating whether she should retire early to the Slytherin Common Room or go to class. On one hand, an early afternoon nap would do wonders right now, but if she skipped Potions, Gunnar could very well give her detention for the entire week. Against her better judgement, Vienna picked Potions. Though, she knew perfectly well that she would regret this decision the moment she stepped into class.

And she was not wrong.

The first thing Vienna saw as she made her way into the room was George Carter frisking Waker Nolan. She had no love for the two and was absolutely repulsed by their intimacy. Flashing her brother’s friend and his Ravenclaw lover a glare of haughty disdain, Vienna scoffed and sat down near Ava and Atticus. Her eyes coolly surveyed the room and rested on Zoey McAdams’ headband. Fashion had never been his strong suit. That was for sure.

“Sometimes I wonder if I am the only sane person in this school,” She remarked half-heartedly to the two Slytherins, perhaps a little too loudly, “Then I look around,” Vienna gazed at George, Waker, and Zoey and sighed, “And I know I am.”

The professor had been whistling something from Pink Floyd and shuffling through his papers while facing the board whilst most of the shenanigans were taking place.  When he decided it was time to look at the clock… he caught George Carter, usually one of his better students (well, this was a NEWT class, so most of them were rather good at Potions) stealing a kiss from the Head Girl.

Now, Professor Gunnar rarely ever took points away from anyone.  Ever.  They could be dressed inappropriately—but he had extra labcoats for that—or tardy, or any number of things, but… this was blatant disrespect.  He would not tolerate it.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Carter,” he said flatly with an unfamiliarly stern voice, both for the kiss and the fire.  It even sounded weird in his throat, but it was called for.  At least he didn’t light up the fire under the round-bottom flask.  “And five points from you, Miss Nolan.”

He looked up and grinned as Vienna and Atticus slunk and sauntered in, his brow furrowing at the sight of Miss Pascal and her comments.  Sighing, he took a seat and went back to grading his papers, looking up once to see the Head Girl’s progress.  “Excellent job so far, Waker!” he said, returning to his usual cheery self.  “You all can get to work now too.  Don’t hesitate to call out for help if need be!” Nico smiled.

Surveying the classroom, Gavin walked lightly to the group of Slytherins. He placed his books on the table and sat down quickly. He gave them a nod and looked around the classroom to see who he would be dealing with for the rest of the year. Gavin wasn't too fond of potions, even though he was pretty good at it. He wanted the class to be over already so he could get some sleep before his next class, if that were possible. Being his lazy self, Gavin had no idea what classes he had next. Hopefully it was a free period. He was already getting tired of school.

When Gavin first heard of his sister becoming Headmistress of Hogwarts, Gavin couldn't help but laugh at the amusing joke. But now that it was actually happening, he was a bit pissed off. Why in the world would someone allow that crazy lady to run Hogwarts? Didn't the last name give off a clue? He could see it now, Gavin being watched at all times by his sister, making sure he was getting to class and such. But hopefully, if Gavin got his way which he usually did, he would play this to his advantage.

He couldn't help but stare at Waker and Carter, like everyone else. For some reason it was odd, like a pair of pink socks laying in a basket of white ones. Waker never seemed like the type to just kiss a boy in public, let alone a classroom with people who clearly would make fun of her. Maybe she changed during the summer, which didn't surprise Gavin. If another student was getting it on, Gavin wouldn't even think twice about it, he would go about his usual business but he couldn't help but make fun of Waker. She was just asking for it. She should have known that she was going to be made fun of.

"Well at least Waker is working on her magic. You go girl!" Gavin commented in the direction of Waker and her new boy toy. He was about to go further until he stopped himself. He didn't speak too loudly for the Professor to hear, but he knew if he was going to continue he wasn't going to be able to stop. Looking at the board, Gavin couldn't help but groan. Hopefully this was going to be an easy assignment. 

Waker barely had time to consider George’s expression, tongue, secret nudge, and all, before she was attempting to smolder the hazard that was the Gryffindor’s innate and abundant curiosity... concerning fire. She felt an ironic chill run down her spine as she watched George, clearly not anticipating her reaction, stir from his activity and nearly injure himself. He might have proved to have nine lives, but Waker didn’t want to waste any more of them.

She breathed out heavily when the flame disappeared, and looked to George in that knowing, but vaguely I-can’t-really-stay-mad-at-you-can-I? manner that was comical for a seventeen-year-old.  Her brown eyes widened when he leaned in for another kiss, this one more direct, amidst a now-crowded classroom, and followed by another display of affection. Waker hadn’t minded at all, really, in the off hours, when they were sitting in the quidditch stadium or wandering through a corridor. In fact, she’d grown to secretly like the idea of other people knowing that she was kissing George Carter, and that she didn’t care who knew it. But in class it meant potential reprimanding, and the new badge on Waker’s robes didn’t so readily invite the boy’s desirable lips.

Sure enough, the most easy-going of their teachers seemed to agree with the shiny pin.

Five points! Even the accolade that followed couldn’t erase the pink that grew in her cheeks. It was one the first potions lessons of her last year at Hogwarts, one of her first potions lessons as Head Girl, and Waker had hardly been the type to lose points in the classroom or out of it. And now here she was, five points in the negative before she’d gained barely any for the semester.

Her mouth opened, but she didn’t protest. She couldn’t. She looked down at the apparatus she was assembling, her gaze settled somewhere between stony and shamed, underneath the initial appearance of determined, to which she so desperately clung. How many times had she furrowed her brows at giggling girls in the back of class, who weren't interested in anything but the boys sitting next to them? Gavin Snark’s echoing remark only reinforced the blush she tried to hide. It was usually easier to mask, and yet, it never was.

Keeping her eyes trained on the mass of separate parts, Waker continued the task at hand, consciously choosing to completely ignoring the Gryffindor beside her, as if his lips hadn’t just been on hers. There was a not-so-subtle rigidity in her posture, and she moved her knee away from his. She was going to win back those points before class was over, even if it meant not speaking to her favorite distraction. She refused to be one of those girls.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Carter.”

Blinking in surprise, he glanced up at the professor before shrugging half heartedly. He didn’t get worked up over point loss; he could make it up if he wanted to, right? Some day… Waker had been good about encouraging good behavior. Except now… clearly. Though to be fair, she stopped him from continuing with the fire. Could he help it if he had a natural curiosity for things he shouldn’t? “Sorry, Professor.” It was said with the tone of voice of ‘yes, I realize I was a bit of a troll with that one, sorry mate.’

At least the Slytherin bunch were being loners like usual. That meant he didn’t have to interact with most of them. About to turn back to Waker, to give her that characteristic grin that said ‘oops, didn’t mean to do that,’ his grin froze half way up his face as he heard the next statement from the professor’s lips.

“And five points from you, Miss Nolan.”

His mouth opened and closed as he looked at Waker, trying to put things together. This was not cool. Not only had he gotten points taken away from Waker, which was terrible, but Gunnar had officially killed any luck he’d have getting another snog in. His eyes darted to the short man. “Oh come on Gun-Professor Gunnar, she couldn’t help that… I… ” Making a face as the words came out, he pushed himself up slightly.

“I should get those extra points off me if anything, Professor. She was attempting to stop me.” He was a Gryffindor, even if a foolhardy one. That made sense, right? Waker was a participant that could have very well been unwilling… Collapsing back on his stool, he grunted and set his chin in his hands, pouting just slightly. This wasn’t good at all.

“Well at least Waker is working on her magic. You go girl!”

Making a face, slightly disgusted, slightly amused, George glanced over his shoulder at Gavin Snark. He glanced the guy over before turning back around a bit lazily; he was friends with Devlin, right? You go girl? Now he was going to be pondering that statement until the end of class. At least it was something to do.

“Excellent job so far, Waker! You all can get to work now too. Don’t hesitate to call out for help if need be!”

He still felt a bit sore that Gunnar had taken points from Waker, but finally glanced to the blackboard to see what they were supposed to be doing. Glancing to Waker, he bit his lower lip, saying under his breath, “I’m…” He was what? Sorry? Obviously. Now she wasn’t even paying him any attention. Now that felt worse than some loss of points, to him. Perhaps that was the most amount of points she’d lost. For some reason, though it really wasn’t anything to hold to what he lost… it made him feel really guilty. Scratching the back of his neck, he gave her a look of guilt and slight concern before finally reaching over and picking up the Fractioning Column. "I'm sorry..."

He then glanced once more to the board, reading instruction two over a couple of times (his reading ability be damned), and finally setting it as he thought it should be, twisting the clamp around tightly on the stand, so the tip of the Fractioning column was just in the flask. That way it wouldn’t loosen up and fall down, in case that ever happened.

"Oi, Ava what have I missed so far?"

Ava rolled her eyes as her friend made his appearance - rather loudly - at their desk. He threw his books on the desk with a loud thud. "Nothing, except Carter and Nolan exchanging saliva." She spoke in a bored tone. School was not the exciting thing it used to be for her. Nothing could satiate the taste for life and danger that she now had. She couldn't understand how things could have changed so much over the summer, but it seemed to have.

It wasn't long before Vienna joined the pair and made a trio of Slytherins. Vienna questioned her sanity. Normally, Ava would be quick to interject and assure them that she, also, was sane. This time however she could not be entirely sure of that fact, so reverted so nodding slightly as though she was even bothering to listen to what tripe her friend was speaking.

Gunnar's removal of points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw was the most exciting thing to happen. Ava sighed. "The removal of points doesn't separate the magnetism of idiots." she whispered, trailing the feather of her quill along the desk in boredom. She took out her equipment as the professor stated that they were able to start their experiment. More than anything else, the fact that she wasn now bored of potions cut her deep. She had always loved potions, but now - like almost everything eles in life - she felt detachment and a lack of enthusiasm. As though even potions classes could not fulfill her.