Lesson 1 - N.E.W.T. Level

''And you have to find your place over there, in the corner'', Doyle pointed to Elijah. ''Now, my dear lizards... my name is Edgar Albert Doyle and for this term, I shall be your professor, Head of Ravenclaw and your Headmaster. Although most of you only think of sex, how to skip class and how to... bang around, you should be intelligent enough to know how to behave both in the class and in communication with me. You, love, should avoid being noticed by all for a period of time, especially me... yes, the ladies fall on your charm, I mean, you're just darling... but this is Potions... when we start dealing with Love Potions, you'll be the first lab rat.. You, Gryffindor boy... I know this isn't the Simthsonian nor the Tate, but don't act like a bloody idiot and start coping with time and space like a normal person... Hufflepuff boy, do I seem like someone who wants for a kid to kiss his ass? Yes, I have a cane, yes, I am limping... but you do not have to kiss my sensitive spot because of that... and now, for the girls... I'll be having a great time with Red over there, I can feel it... I like when people provoke me... I shan't say anything about the Hufflepuff girl... she seems to enjoy her reading... and that leaves only two of mine... you, I do not know, but you, blond girl... I've heard stories about you... Lions... is it? With an 'I' or an 'Y'? If the stories are correct, I shall be happy to invite you for a game of chess once...'', he said.

He then scanned the classroom to see the effect of his little speech. ''You're all newts and I know that most of you don't have the slightest interest for school, I won't even mention the subjects and the staff, but I shall fail each and everyone of you, and that all with a smile on my face, if I do not see work and devotion from you. I am not asking you to leave your organs in the cauldrons but you shall work, and you shall work hard, I promise you that. You have made it here, a class for advanced Potion makers, and I expect to see that knowledge from you, I expect to see that you know something... if I don't, you'll be kicked back with little ones to learn the basics... I do not care that you haven't had the subject for a year and that your last professor didn't teach you anything... you either work or you fail, and it is simple as that, also whoever manages to arrive late won't be accepted into class, the only excuse I accept if from the Headmaster himself... so, do stay in that day... you'll avoid the punishment.'', he explained. ''Now is there anyone here that has shown at least that much interest to see what we will be dealing with this year? I presume that some of you ass kissers had done that, so please, do speak up... those intelligent ones, and I do hope that there is at least one here, are always modest enough to let you idiots tell what you have just read in the textbook, a second ago'', he said, looking at Amelia with a symbolic smile.

Brienne stayed in silence, she looked up at the Professor, afraid to say a word for the fear of being dubbed an "ass kisser". She also feared being failed out of the course. Her silence was broken, however, when she started having a coughing and sneezing fit. She had a fresh tissue in front of her face, and it was already wet. Once the coughing fit stopped, she disposed of the tissue.

"Sorry, professor. I forgot to take my medicine this morning for this awful cold".

She had her textbook in front of her already and was flipping through random pages.

Jack turned her attention casually towards the professor when he began to speak and found that he was rather rude. She decided that she may very well like this class. She snickered as he went through, calling people out on the observations he had already seemed to have made on them. Yes, she could definitely get along with this teacher.

I'll be having a great time with Red over there, I can feel it... I like when people provoke me. He had to mean her, Chase and Amelia (who had reddish hair) had not done anything that could be considered provoking. She smirked wider and said, "Can't wait." She could not tell if this meant she would be getting in trouble in this class or if she would be getting away with it, but either worked for her really.

He asked if anyone knew what they would be learning and she realized she was one of the only ones that did not have their book out. Grudgingly she leaned over to extract her book, saying, "I'm assuming Potions." Whether it was directed towards herself or to the class was unsure, but she smirked at her cheekiness none the less.

I’m in Gryffindor...he’s talking about me... Rafael’s eyes narrowed at the diagram he’d been looking at and he repeated the words in his mind a few times. Art references. Well, more specifically, art gallery references. Rafael didn’t understand how that was even relevant. He didn’t like art. That, he was sure, was that stupid Slytherin’s forte. Rafael continued to glare at the diagram for a few moments and he listened to the retorts coming from the students. The girl with the cough sounded like she was dying and the Gryffindor girl that was familiar to him, Jack if he remembered rightly, was speaking also; sarcasm lacing her words.

Finally Rafael looked up, his gaze landing on the Professor. He was finding that he had been gaining a little bit more confidence around new people now. He wasn’t as nervous around them and could speak without stuttering and stumbling over his words. The Professor, he hoped, wouldn’t be the exception to the new rule he’d been given. “Forgive me Professor,” his voice echoed off of the stone walls, the tone suggesting boredom. “In future I will try to be more animated.” With that said, Rafael dropped his head and his gaze, back to the book he’d been reading and continued to look at the diagram.

Chase looked up when he started to pick out the students in the class. She avoided his eyes when he said The Hufflepuff girl and then relaxed when he gave no comment. Obviously she had done enough to not get picked out at the beginning of class. She might just make it through the class, if Jack didn't talk back at just that moment. Great... she ducked her head down. Elijah had been picked on quite badly, and so had the others in the class, except one other Slytherin. She glanced at Elijah, and reached out, touching his hand, hoping he wouldn't retaliate to the teacher. From what she saw, it might be best to just back down, there was a time to stand out, and there was a time to fit in, and right now was the time to fit in.

She stared at her book, and pretended to continue reading, glancing through the subjects the book went over. It was quite the array of subjects. From Love potions to Poisons to Wolfsbane. She stared at the potions her eyes wide, her look went up to the teacher, and she felt a small smile cross her face. This year was going to be great, it would help her so much if she could keep up with the class. Very important lessons they would be learning, and she couldn't wait to get started. She didn't raise her hand though, she wasn't going to be the one to step out, surely a Ravenclaw, or even Jack would answer the question, he was bound to get mad at one of them.

Elijah flashed a grin at Chase and leaned down to retrieve his book from his bag. Although, which book had ended up in the satchel was debatable. Both Jen and Rob had given him various tomes to do with their favourite subjects and he’d read most of them yet a few lay untouched. Rob’s notes he’d read first though and had found that the sinister potions the man had made were beyond illegal. Of course then there were varying pieces of information in Jen’s notes also. She’d put half of a recipe for some sort of torture potion down then stopped and filled the rest out in a different language. Elijah had managed to make out the bulk of what she was saying but it was incredibly odd. The two were big on privacy but changing languages was going too far. Elijah was just lucky that it wasn’t a dead language then he would have had real trouble making it out.

He straightened himself back up and looked up to see the Professor pointing at him. Elijah arched an eyebrow at the man and his eyes travelled to the corner momentarily before returning to the Professor. “I’m fine where I am thank you.” He replied tartly, unceremoniously dropping the book on the desk. It made a loud bang that echoed around the classroom and an almost challenging smile settled upon the Slytherin’s lips. He opened the book up and glanced over Chase’s shoulder to see what pages she was hiding herself behind. He looked back at his own book and flicked the pages to the ones Chase was on and looked at what was on the paper. He was either missing pages or he was one-hundred out because oddly, he had love potions.

Ironically, it was at that moment that the Professor started talking again and Elijah looked up. Doyle was mocking him. That was bloody terrific. Elijah wondered whether he, Wilson and McCoy all got together at the weekends and had tea together because they all seemed to have something against him. Well, McCoy perhaps not so much but they all shared the distaste for him and Elijah didn’t understand why. Elijah sighed and pursed his lips for a few moments before saying, “Professor if you make me a lab rat then Aunt Khaat won’t be happy.” Elijah said pointedly. Having ‘relatives’ that had fetishes came in handy. Khaat liked teacups and Robert had a thing for bugs and bug-jars while Jen killed people that irritated her and Rob liked to antagonise people to the point of hysteria.

It was only then that Elijah felt Chase’s hand on his own and he glanced at her, his eyes softening somewhat as his gaze fell on her. He slid his hand away from hers and took it in his own. He gently squeezed her hand and smiled slightly before releasing it and putting his hand on the table, returning his eyes to the front of the class.

''Yes, that is a fair assumption, Red... a cheeky one, also'', he said with a mischievous smile. He then turned to Rafael. ''Oh, bloody hell... boy... I haven't asked you to tap dance for the class... just, do not be so lost... I know you experiment with all kinds of stuff and fall in and out of love, and depression for that matter, more than I blink, but please, do grasp that you are in the Dungeons, in a damp classroom that could easily be a wine cellar in which you could get poisoned and just... cope with it. I am not making the walls pink or putting lilies on each of the desks... deal with it or take some sort of boost, I do not want my pupils to look dead, at least not before I dismiss you all'', he explained and turned to Elijah and Chastity. ''Do not be scared...'', he commented and looked at Elijah. ''And there we go, the game is afoot, my young lad. Khaat won't be pleased, but I doubt she will also be much displeased... and there is time... I could always turn you into a grandfather clock'', he said, taking his cane. He twisted it in his right hand briefly and pointed it at the chair in the corner, making it levitate. ''Can you guess what I am going to do with it now?'', he asked, with another mischievous smile. He then pointed his cane at Elijah's chair and levitated it, along with him. He then twisted his cane once more, making the chairs exchange places in the air. He then brought Elijah's equipment to the desk. ''I'm good at making carousels... I can do it even faster and with more laps, but this will suffice for now'', he said. ''Now, people... concentrate... our lesson plan?'', he repeated.

(I do not know if it is considered godmodding to exchange places, but if it is I am sorry for it, but it was somewhat of a necessity to do it... I didn't want to cause a fight on out first class XD)

Brienne raised her hand, "We're going to learn to make potions, like Wolfsbane which will come in handy to me, and we'll probably learn about a notable potions master. That's basically the quick and dirty that I assume will happen. However, if that's not enough I can go into further detail". She was truly thankful to be in Potions this year, and that the teacher would be teaching how to make a Wolfsbane potion. She always depended upon Daniel Cethin to make her Wolfsbane, he was a young potions master.

The Slytherin remained uncharacteristically silent and didn’t protest when Doyle began to move the chairs around. Elijah had already stated that he was fine where he was, he had no wish to sit in the corner, but it seemed that no matter what he said, the words went in one ear and out of the other. Elijah felt the chair legs settle on the cobbled floor and he found himself semi-immersed in the shadows that lingered in the corner of the room. He brushed a cobweb away from the underside of the desk and a layer of dust rose off of the top of the desk when his things were abandoned on top of it. Elijah scowled and ripped his bag open, pulling from it a single piece of chalk and a grey piece of material that was covered in smudges of white and black. If it wasn’t for the fact that Elijah knew it had been grey once then it wouldn’t have been identified by him as such.

He kicked his legs up onto the desk and tipped his head back onto the chair spine. He then raised his arm and began to draw on the black cobbles, using the chalk which would give off a light glow against the dark wall. He was drawing a similar way he had been last year when he had pneumonia and was confined to the hospital wing for an age. If he remembered rightly then that was when Amelia had given him her gift. He knew exactly where it was too. The tablet was in his bag actually, nestled between some pencils and a sketch book. As interesting as it would have been to send little patterns flying around the room, drawing on Doyle’s walls was much more fun. The half-mural he’d started in the hospital wing was still on the wall as far as he knew and now Doyle would have a nice pretty picture on his wall.

Elijah didn’t quite understand why he wasn’t allowed to sit with Chase. It wasn’t as if he wouldn’t work. Actually he was far more likely not to work sat in the corner, especially now he had a nice little picture to draw for Doyle to have staring back at him every day. Actually no, scrap the picture. He’d draw Doyle. It would be Eli’s first wall portrait although granted he didn’t usually make a habit of drawing on walls unless he had no canvas or paper in which case he’d usually pick a wall in Arnold’s house because it was good news for the Frenchman – it actually meant that ‘his boy’ was actually doing something productive for once. No, the art dealer didn’t see Elijah drawing on his walls a bad thing which was both confusing and bizarre.

Zack was taken aback when the teacher had spoken and was actually quite rude he opened his mouth to retort when he was picked out but decided it was best not to receive detention on his first day. Instead he listened to the professor studying him silently to see if he had some sort of weakness he could exploit later on and smiled as the slytherin student was moved. As the teacher had earlier assumed they had looked at the lesson plan, which Zack had not looked at, he was saved by a couple of the other students speaking. If the teacher decided to pick on him though he would have some sort of a answer ready for him.