Lesson Learned PV Ross and Cala

Another day, another class that Calanthe just could not bother paying attention to. At least, that’s how she saw it.

In reality, the young witch was actively forcing herself to not pay attention. She was sure that the professor was babbling on about something really cool that, in other circumstances, would have enchanted her. But she could not afford to listen to him. The fear of her mother or Amos hearing that she was a good student kept her mind elsewhere, wandering a land far from Hogwarts. If it wasn’t for the hand stretching across her vision, Calanthe would have remained there.

Heaving her upper body off the desk and focusing her eyes on the classroom, she released a loud sigh. Students were buzzing around excitedly and congregating in groups. Of course. Today is a practical day, huh? Rolling her eyes, she took a look at the newcomer as he introduced himself. His bright eyes sparkled with initiative and he spoke with total confidence.

How irritating.

Calanthe supposed she should have been glad that Pelor decided to gift her with someone like… What did he say? Syl… Silver? Syl… Doesn’t matter. People like this tend to prefer doing work for themselves, right? The boy started droning on, listing out the ingredients they needed. Had she been listening to the professor, she would have known what potion those ingredients called for. She had no idea, though, and planned on keeping it that way.

“Can one of you…” Even if she wanted to suppress her second eye-roll of the morning, she could not. Groaning in the middle of his requests, Calanthe slumped back down onto the table, her head resting on outstretched arms.

“Sure can do, Sylvia,” her words were muffled by her robe’s sleeve. She peered over at her Hufflepuff desk mate with side-swept hair, wondering if he was just as keen on Potions as their new Ravenclaw friend. That could be brilliant for Calanthe. The two of them could do all the work and she would be able to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Maybe sneaking out of the dorms when you’re supposed to be sleeping isn’t such a good idea after all. Already lost in her thoughts, she almost missed the boy’s last words. “Yep. Love it,” she raised her face out of her sleeve to reply and let it fall back down, eyes fluttering shut.

color - DAA520

As the professor spoke of the potion they'd be creating that day, Ross' expression was distorted to one of worry. He had no clue how he would make it, much less on his own. The poor boy had always tried to keep up with his notes, but would always find himself falling behind. There was just something about potions that never sat right with Ross. Part of it was the whole specific thing of course, as Ross considered himself a go-with-the-flow guy. Originally he felt he would do best in potions as he enjoyed baking at home; however, that could not have been farther from the truth. Truth was, potions was nothing like baking. With baking one could simply estimate, though measuring was for the best. In potions, if one was to estimate they would somehow manage to cause several forest fires simultaneously across the world. This potion today had already seem complicated enough. Though he had all the notes, it was still a worrying thing for the Hufflepuff. Several of them were in such messy handwriting he was nearly unable to read it.


However, in that worrying moment that was when he was saved.


Getting together with groups, while worrying in most classes, was a sigh of relief in situations like these. He had no clue what he was doing, and it would take a bit more than master detective skills to figure this one out. Most of the time, the boy would simply have to wait though until a person in desperate need of a group would approach him.

To his luck, it did not take until the buzzing even calmed down until he was approached by another kid who seemed more than ready to jump into it all. On top of that, there was another kid that he had hardly even noticed. She did seem the quiet type, so he could not blame himself for not noticing them.

With their introduction, Ross was surprised at the lack at even an inquiry. They were genuinely jumping right into it. Sure it was a safe assumption that he had nowhere to go to considering the fact he had not even moved an inch from his regular spot, but usually one would ask. It was quite curious, but now was not the time for a painful investigation that would put their work behind.

The boy extended his hand, and Ross decided that perhaps matching his energy might even help himself out here too. He grasped the hand and shook it with far much more energy than he should have, but it was not like he would ever have known.

"The names Ross! Ross Stephens!" The Hufflepuff introduced, trying to transfer how nervous he was into excitement.

One could tell by the way his hand was shaking, it was not quite working that well. As he pulled away, the boy started going on and on about ingredients. As soon as it hit him, Ross began to look through his notes. As soon as it was clear he did not miss much, Ross jumped at gathering the ingredients. It was an easy task, and reminded him of chores at home a little. He nodded his head in order to claim that one.

Before he could even get started, the boy who radiated with confidence inquired if the two of them liked potions class.

"It's erm... It's somethin'." he mumbled, but he was not sure if it was enough to make it clear that he had no clue what he was doing in this class.

Interacting with @Calanthe Choi and @Sylvain Indarys

Hexcode= #507091

As soon as Sylvain was satisfied with his work, he finished tidying up the cauldron, and turned back around to assess his cooperating classmates so he might check on their contributions to the group project. Ross had presented the exact type of enthusiasm the wannabe potions prodigy had been searching for in a study partner, someone who was prepared to apply themselves. The way the Huffle shook hands also showed that he was nervous just below the surface, a lot like Sylvain was beneath the thin but deceptive layer of confidence he had presented to them.

The other student however looked like she was catching up on her sleep and the way the girl had fallen back asleep so quickly made it obvious to him that she must’ve had a long night. Sylvain had more than once last semester noted that the students at Hogwarts had issues staying awake during Elliot’s lectures, and the passionate potion maker had yet to find someone aside from himself who brought the same level focus and interest combined to potion class, so he didn’t take it personally that the sleeping girl seemed unenthusiastic. Sylvain even chuckled silently with his hand over his mouth as he re-approached the shared work space. He was beginning to think she was cute. Her apparent disinterest in the class however was of some concern to Sylvain, if only because her participation in their group project wasn’t optional. Sylvain could not mix the potion without accurate instructions, and Ross shouldn’t be forced to prepare the correct ingredients without someone to double check all of his measurements. It was decidedly a problem in need of addressing since they required her help.

Assuming responsibility again, Sylvain motioned as if to re-awaken her. The boy reached out a tender hand and reached back in his memory to recall her name only to realize the situation he had gotten them all into. Not only had he assumed both students would join him in participation without asking their opinion on the matter, he hadn’t even caught the sleeping student’s name or sufficiently explained who he was. Then he began to overthink their lackluster responses to his praise for potions and mistook it for disinterest in himself. His enthusiasm for the work in front of them had gotten ahead of the reason he came over to greet the new faces in the first place. He had come over hoping to find something in common with somebody for once, but was failing miserably so far.

“How embarrassing!” Sylvain thought as he returned his hands to his pockets again.

The boy then looked at the girl’s dozing form awkwardly for a moment. He wanted to shake her and ask her name once more, but he thought she might become mad at him if he did. The thought of being rejected was a bit painful, the thought of expediting that rejection far worse. For a brief moment, all of his confidence visibly evaporated on the spot leaving Sylvain’s face somewhere between concern and anxiety. Sylvain could tell his cheeks and ears were glowing red, so in an attempt to rid himself of the shame he felt, the lanky boy sat down across from her and stretched his arms, while he nervously tapped his feet. It was working.

“You need to do something!” He thought critically to himself, “Before Ross thinks you’re a weirdo preferably!”

His reservations were finally being swept to the side by his insecurities, so the shy wizard knocked his knuckles gently on the desk in an effort to arouse the slumbering stranger whose cooperation was a necessary part of his grade.

“Uhh, I regret that I must wake you, because I really didn't want to because I’m certain you have important rest to catch up on but…. Well I’ve seemingly missed your name, and I’m really incredibly worried you’ll think less of me for it!” The candid pre-teen briefly looked over to Ross, clearly hoping to get some form of reassurance before looking back to her and admitting the second feeling he had, color once again flushing his cheeks “I’m also worried the two of you might not want to work with me since I've been so impolite. Would you rather I do all the work or would you want to help me?” His voice sounded a bit wispier now, but quite clearly he still possessed a certain passion for potions.

Sylvain then made a pre-emptive grab for his notes on potions class. He’d already read the syllabus and decided to perform the necessary reading for the whole year last semester. It had been months since he had accelerated ahead of the class in reading, so he rightly assumed last month’s notes would likely cover today’s potion class and fetched the whole stack of notes, cards, and theories formulated during his study hour. Placing them with a crisp plop on the table amidst the trio he spoke bearing a bit of pride as the notes spread across the desk.“There, Babbling Beverage in entirety.”

Interacting with: @Calanthe Choi and @Ross Stephens

Had it not been for the Hufflepuff’s excitable response to Sylvia’s outstretched hand, Calanthe would have fallen back into the deep slumber she was nursing through Professor Elliot’s lecture. But the boy, Ross’ voice was enough to keep her out of limbo for the time. As if someone answered her prayers, though, silence fell over the group and the white noise of the groups surrounding the trio served as a lullaby, easing her into sweet dreams.

Calanthe was interested in potions, more so than most of the classes taught at Hogwarts. With the exception of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions was the one that held her interest. Those two were what kept her out of the dorms later than she should have been. Weak attempts at recalling what had gone on in classes that she had not paid attention in and debates about whether anyone would hear her sneaking into the library. The wealth of information just sitting in the shadows were enough to keep her up, but she could never work up the courage to try.

Besides, I want to carry home to worst report card my mother has ever seen, don’t I –

Knock. Knock.

Whipping her head up with a snarl, Calanthe searched for the perpetrator that seemed hellbent on ruining her day. When her eyes met the young Ravenclaw’s, the scowl etched onto her face softened just a bit. It seemed as if he was nervous to wake her up. This was the kind of reaction she had been hoping for during these past few months. She wanted people to take one look at her face and be too scared to speak to her. Chasing any social interaction away with a single look was the persona she was helplessly trying to attain. However, instead of feeling relief in this moment, Calanthe felt bad.

Nope. No. Do not soften up now.

The boy’s formal attitude and his request for her name returned the glower to Calanthe’s face.

“You missed my name? That’s because I didn’t give it to you, Sylvia,” her words were laced with venom - enough to force him and Ross into doing the work on their own, she hoped. Ross seemed resigned in his response to his enjoyment of Potions, but he had done more work than Calanthe. She could hear his quill scratching away at the parchment during Professor Elliot’s while her own head was firmly planted on the desk.

The Ravenclaw pulled back, then, regarding the two who he chose as partners and suggesting the very thing that Calanthe wanted to hear. Before she could respond, Sylvia was already moving on, grabbing at something that looked like a stack of papers. Not wanting to let the opportunity go, Calanthe spoke up before he could drop the papers in front of her.

“You’re right. I didn’t choose you as a partner and now I’m stuck with you. So, you and Ross Puff over here,” she jabbed a finger at the Hufflepuff, “should get to work and leave me alone…” Her words trailed off as the papers landed on the desk, creating a soft breeze. The intricate details of the boy’s notes caught Calanthe’s eyes immediately.

“There, Babbling Beverage in entirety.” And so it was. Snatching the first few papers off the pile, careful not to mar the pages with creases, she held them close to her face, skimming the content. The notes were pretty and detailed, which drew her to the pages initially, but as she read through them, information about the Babbling Beverage was introduced to her mind for the first time.

“Wow,” she breathed, eyes sparking with wonder.“This is cool.”

Interacting with @Sylvain Indarys and @Calanthe Choi

Hexcode= #507091

Sylvain’s bottom lip began to quiver as the still unnamed classmate railed into him and called him by the wrong name. She certainly was rather intimidating, regardless of her having expressed interest in the studious boy’s notes. Luckily, his heart wouldn’t let him cry in front of so many others, or he'd have sunken to tears at that point. He resolved to hold back his tears until class was over, and he was safe in the Ravenclaw dorms where the other eagles would be less likely to judge him, but reluctantly admitted to himself that once he got back to his roost he’d let loose those feelings. Momentary sadness passing, the shy boy’s shame then evaporated too. Calanthe might be cute, but she was also being very rude. Maybe she really did need to go back to sleep. The intuition driven boy thought it best to drop the name situation for the time being. Especially if she wasn’t going to participate, Sylvain certainly wasn’t going to bother learning her name.

The ambitious scholar didn’t have time to waste energy on people who refused to take care of themselves. He apologized one last time “Apologies to bother you then,” his sadness doing its best to penetrate his pride despite his best efforts to bury his feelings on the matter, “I’m sure Ross and I can manage something.” He gave Ross a quick look of confidence but it was obvious that he was worried about being too harsh with Calanthe. Sylvain then moved his attention away from his injured ego and the fear that he’d offend Calanthe while she was still volatile. Sylvain studied both Ross and the Gryffindor. The two had become immediately enamored by his notes. Nobody had ever taken an interest in his schoolwork before, much less paid it high compliments like calling it “cool,” and saying “wow” while looking pretty impressed.

The way the two of them studied his notes worried Sylvain for a brief moment, as he became self-conscious of his handwriting, but he dismissed it with a small sigh. He was glad that someone was taking an interest in him, even if it had meant he just walked himself into doing the assignment without proper assistance. “Yeah, I spent a couple of days researching babbling beverage on my own as well. I wanted to know what all could go wrong.” Truth was that like most of Sylvain's efforts, he had done it to avoid displeasing himself.

He had come to Hogwarts with the understanding he’d be making an auror of himself and had spent a significant amount of effort in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but his passion was quickly beginning to reveal itself with each list of magical ingredients and every night of potion brewing. Not that he had the courage to pick a definite path in life just yet, but he did possess enough whimsy to change his life’s passion after being paid two compliments in just a few short moments.

He grabbed at the first page of his potions notes. “Babbling Beverage Brewing Instructions.”

The pages that followed it were; an ingredient list and a page of warnings with a list of side-effects. Sylvain walked over to the cauldron and began heating it. Beaming with pride in his work, Sylvain answered Ross, “We could potentially take a small sip.” He said this while eyeing the front of the classroom. “The potion’s effect is supposedly pretty funny to behold as it makes the consumer babble nonsense uncontrollably.” He wasn’t sure if Elliot would actually let them drink it or not, but what harm would a sip of babbling beverage do? Certainly the side-effects were negligible?

“Sure why not?” Sylvain mustered the courage to answer Ross’s question twice. “If we all work together and finish the potion we could each try a sip. Might be fun!” He said with a toothy grimace hoping the promise of laughter might rouse Calanthe from her shell.

Interacting with: @Ross Stephens @Calanthe Choi

Calanthe would have simpered at Sylvia’s acknowledgement of her demands. Her time at Hogwarts had been dutifully spent passing off work to others and many of them, justifiably, objected. Corralled into helping the team on numerous occasions, she wished she could have the guts to just stand up to a professor. Getting a letter sent home for insubordination or something of the sort would feel like heaven in Calanthe’s world, just like imagining her mother’s reaction to her angel-turned-devil spawn daughter causing trouble at school. But gathering the confidence to spit back at a professor was not an easy task and Calanthe’s tight-lipped nature extended to those moments.

Today, that trait was being pushed away – not by her desire to stand up to Professor Price, but by this damned Ravenclaw.

Raking her eyes across the papers, her own anorak-ish tendencies were stimulated. She had made the decision to push this side of herself away long before coming to Hogwarts, but in this moment, her senses were flaring. The notes were gorgeous – aesthetic, her father would say – and Calanthe’s brain seemed to be caught in a fight with her heart.

Just let me read the damn thing, she imagined her brain would say.

Everything else about her disposition prevented that from happening as she forced herself to skim, just getting a surface-level understanding of the content. Gritting her teeth, she reluctantly slammed the notes back onto the table and pushed them towards Sylvia. Turning her chin towards Ross, she rolled her eyes. Yes. Yes, it’s so fecking interesting and I just want to curl up with the rest of Sylvia’s stupid notes.

“Not at all, Ross Puff,” she’d have to workshop that nickname for sure, “Looks borin’.” Calanthe tried her best to force a monotone voice as her glare returned, eyes narrowed on Ross. “You’d want to drink something called Babbling Beverage?” the last part of her words came out as a chuckle and she hoped it sounded vindictive. Dragging the first page of notes towards her with two fingers, she tried to identify a function for the potion, and what she read brought an amused smile to her face. “Yeah Ross Puff, I’d like to see you drink that,” she shoved the notes back.

Listening to Sylvia’s explanation for his notes, Calanthe scoffed. Folding her arms tightly, she shook her head. “You’re a proper nerd, Sylvia,” it was meant to be an insult, but Calanthe liked it, no doubt. If she had been attending Hogwarts under a different temperament, there was some part of her that believed she could be exactly like Sylvia. Hell, she was already spending too much of her time up in the Quidditch Stands where no one could see her, reading her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook like a starving lion ripping into its prey. The wizarding world clearly fascinated the young witch, but she was most definitely not going to let her parents, her peers or that idiot Amos know.

Calanthe needed everyone to believe that she did not want to be here.

“We could potentially take a small sip.” What? She assumed Sylvia was a teacher’s pet. His notes and attitude surely made it seem like he was and Calanthe was sure that Price would not condone his students drinking their potions. Or would he? She did not pay enough attention in class to discern Price’s attitude on such things. She couldn’t lie – Calanthe would love to see someone under the effect of this potion. Not herself, though. Nonsense was too vague of a description. Is it unintelligible nonsense? Or am I going to be blurting out what I’m thinking? The thought alone was enough to make her glower at Sylvia with a twisted face.

“Yeah… no thanks. I’d gladly watch you two take a shot at it, though,” she felt herself scoff for the millionth time.

Oh, there’s that phrase again. ‘Work together’.

Calanthe turned towards Price, thoughts running through her head. If she stopped right there and put her head back down, these boys could probably cause a scene which would let Price reprimand her. If she stood up to Price in that moment, detention or even a letter sent to her mother could be the punishment, and those things sounded delicious. But did she have it in her to actually do it? There was not enough confidence in her weak body to be able to talk back to a professor and she knew it. In addition, she thought back to Sylvia’s earlier acknowledgement and his willingness for him and Ross to do the entire thing while she would be left alone. That sounds nice.

“No thanks, Sylvia. You can get to it,” and her head was back on the table. But the Babbling Beverage sounds fun, though. Potions sounds fun. Try it. Go on, try it. You can slack off another time. You can fail midterms or the final exams, for gods’ sake. This won’t affect anything.

Angry at the thoughts in her head that just would not shut up, Calanthe released an audible groan and pushed herself up from the seat. Affixing the boys with a nasty stare, she took back her previous words.

“Fine. What do I do?”

Interacting with @Calanthe Choi and @Sylvain Indarys

Hexcode= #507091

Working quickly to cut her off before she had a chance to begin protesting her new role in their group project, Sylvain pulled the brewing instructions from the top of his stack of notes and slid the neatly labeled and orderly list in front of Calanthe.

“Not to worry Miss uhh,” he paused as he stumbled over having no name by which to address her. Finally recalling some information from this morning’s attendance he came up with some name for her, “Miss Choi is it? Either way, we will need you to read us the instructions while we stir and add components to the mix. Alternatively, you could stand beside the cauldron and brew the potion if you’d like.” Anxiously, he awaited her response, betting that the additional responsibility that came with brewing was unattractive enough that she’d accept the list of instructions.

Sylvia....

“Anytime now,” he thought to himself. Anytime now she would begin calling him by the right name, but it was beginning to feel like that hope had been misplaced. He couldn’t sequester the feeling exactly, but he could tell there was more to her attitude than just having overslept. After all, it was apparent on her face that she *did* have some interest in potions, but Sylvain thought it best not to pry. Reluctantly, he would have to wait for her to reveal her interest on her own terms, so he admitted to himself that nothing he could think or say would help her open up. Her attitude did stink though, and it was becoming harder to accept her abrasive nature.

Until Choi indicated otherwise, Indarys was certain to assume the grumbler wanted to skate by with as little input as possible. Normally, this kind of laziness was something which Sylvain would have considered intelligent. At least, he would have thought that if he understood her excuse not to do the work willingly. Since she had reluctantly agreed to help, it meant they had a bit more control of the trio’s fate.

Luckily for the three, Sylvain had gotten used to being the responsible one, so it was nice that some of the tasks could be delegated in the most efficient manner. Opportunities to take the lead had come seldom enough for the shy and taciturn child, so he certainly wasn’t going to back down now that he’d taken the reins into his own hands.

“Yeah… no thanks. I’d gladly watch you two take a shot at it, though,”

Calanthe’s hesitation to take a sip of the potion earlier only betrayed a greater respect for potions than she had let on before. Sylvain agreed with her. The curious alchemist wouldn’t be drinking any of their end results. He wished not to embarrass himself, but he sure wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to see a fellow student make a mistake and learn from it for himself. The desire was selfish, but a babbling beverage was ultimately harmless if brewed correctly. Right? His hypothesis is that if things got out of hand, the professor would intervene.

Sylvain resented putting himself into a position to ask the teacher for permission to do anything, so he certainly wouldn’t be volunteering to ask if they were allowed to try the potion. Instead, Sylvain thought it might be better to seek forgiveness instead, and just try the potion anyways. To make matters worse, Sylvain was getting increasingly frustrated with his misnomer. He didn’t mind a nickname when the term came from somewhere kind or affectionate, but this was just being rude for rudeness’s sake. It was really degrading to be referred to incorrectly over and over again.

Thankfully, the bully’s inclusion of a nickname for Ross was enough for him not to feel too specifically picked on. However, if Ross decided to get upset about it, then Sylvain was determined to pipe up and say something too. He’d certainly be crying about his own nickname later tonight in the Ravenclaw tower at the least.

"Say, let's make it then. I'll do whatever, just lemme drink it or get near it or breathe it or somethin'. I wanna see how it looks."

“Ross, if you would, please get your gloves on and gather the ingredients, you should be able to find them on the shelves. Prof will scold us if we don’t all wear our proper safety equipment. Some of this potion’s ingredients are dangerous too, although I can’t seem to remember why” He paused as he awaited instruction for a moment before the grumpin gryff looked as though she needed some of his motivation.

“Miss Choi, I’m ready for the instructions whenever you are. If you’ve got them in hand, let’s go step by step and make sure we don’t miss anything.”

Sylvain then mosied on over to the cauldron, which was just beginning to reach the proper temperature for brewing. Filled with a sort of glee he’d not felt before, Sylvain decided to put his gloves on and begin the brewing. Regardless of the results, his experiment was turning out to be very interesting indeed. Ross was certainly enthusiastic for the sensationalist vibes potions brought, and Miss Choi’s cute but grumpy attitude was growing on him. He wondered what lessons the two might have in store for him.

Actions: Putting on his own protective gloves, and preparing to brew a potion

Interacting with: @Ross Stephens @Calanthe Choi