(Herbology) Class II

[Erys Grace]

"Yeah.." She murmured, still watching the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, when it wasn't. Filing outside with the rest of the class, she continued to change, glad for the robes protecting herself from their eyes.

Erys, who probably did look like a magician wriggling out of a straight jacket - thanks to Elijah for this oh so beautiful description - had already finished changing and was now waiting for the professor's instruction. Muttering something about forgetting to shut the lid on her ink jar, the Slytherin darted back into the classroom, flicking her wand out and thinking the words Accio gillyweed. From somewhere out of the room, most likely hers, it flew towards her, probably causing a mess on her clothes had she not snatched it from the air first. She had met a Herbology obsessed Slytherin a while back, who had promised to lend Erys something if she needed it. Thanks for your help, deary. It was better to swim with flippers instead of regular human feet, afterall. Returning with the wad of slimy plants in her pocket, Erys discreetly passed some to Veata, confident her friend knew its identity and what to do with it. Meaning.. Eat it before going in.

The bubblehead charm was clever, but it posed a problem- to move smoothly and quicker through the water, you needed some sort of flippers on your feet to get around. Gillyweed was perfect for that, giving you gills and transforming your feet into awesome swimming devices. Careful not to let the professor see this time, since she was so understanding and all, Erys wiped her hands on her robes, crossing her arms and continuing to wait. Lets go in, already. She wasn't going to take off her robes until the Herbology teacher gave the signal to go, and by that time, she'd have already swallowed the water plant.

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[Emily Leets]

Emily stood up as everyone filed out of the classroom. She summoned her swimsuit quickly and dashed behind a large group of tall plants to change. After putting her robe back on, she saw Erys come back into the classroom. She seemed to summon some sort of plant. Thinking, Em realized it was Gillyweed. Then she wondered how she was going to be able to swim to the depths of the Lake without freezing or losing her breath.

Stepping out from behind the group of plants just as Erys left again, she considered her options. She could search the Classroom for Gillyweed, but she doubted she'd find any. She didn't know any charms to allow her to swim that deep while being able to breathe. The Ravenclaw was a good swimmer though, so she decided to chance it and see what the Professor said down at the lake. She quickly ran out of the classroom to join her classmates on their walk down to the lake.

[Elijah Ellerby]

Elijah barked a disbelieving laugh, clasping an arm on Oscar’s shoulder as he looked at him, grinning. ‘Wait, Oscar – they actually go near you? That’s incredible! You’re so lucky; they usually stay away from the students. Apparently they think humans are born evil and that we overcome it when we’re older… it’s probably why they only come up for the teachers, thinking about it.’ Elijah started to walk backs in front of Oscar, speculating, examining the sky thoughtfully. ‘Do you sit by the lake a lot? Maybe they think you’re not like the rest of us. So lucky, Oscar.’

Nearly tripping over backwards as they reached the stony beach, Elijah righted himself and bought a hand to his brow, shadowing his eyes from the intense sun. Everything was lush and shimmering, and he now wish the day’s lesson had entailed testing the shade under the broad willows rather than diving into icy depths.

He gave Oscar a quizzical smirk. ‘You know… bubblehead. Here…’ He raised his wand now, placing the tip against Oscar’s lips and smiling as he flinched. He probably thought Elijah was going to hex him. Muttering the incantation, a clean, cold bubble expanded into existence around Oscar’s nose and mouth, leaving his eyes uncovered. ‘It’s so you can breathe underwater. Didn’t you do that in charms this year?’ He asked, wondering how clever Oscar, who was so attentive in Herbology, could miss such an interesting thing. Elijah barely saw him use his wand at all – was it not suited to charms?

Tapping the bubble sharply with his wand, it burst, leaving Oscar to breathe naturally again. Beginning to take off his shoes and socks – as a drying charm never usually got them completely dry – Elijah looked back up the lawn to see Erys making her way down, something round and pale hidden at her side. Ahhh, so sneaky, he thought.

[Veata Bane]

Veata made a face of distaste as the professor informed them it was time for a field trip. Well, at least she wouldn't be the only one stabbed by the merpeople, her entire Herbology class would. Good move on the professor, brilliant really. She was going to have an entire dead class under water to bring back to the surface. You know, on second thought, maybe the bitchy professor did deserve to have her supplies thrown all over the place.

Flicking her wand in unison with Erys', Veata called her lime green one-piece from the dorm. She could just imagine people scattering out of the way as various bathing suits flew through the halls, making their way to the Herbology class, who waited expectantly. Putting the silky material over her slender form under the cover of her overrobe, Veta then slipped off the black material, leaving her crimson hair to clash against her bathing suit.

Exitting the greenhouse, leaving her supplies where she had placed them, Veata allowed Erys to slip her a slimy substance she had already guessed would be Gillyweed. Well, V was an excellent swimmer, and the bubblehead charm would have sufficed perfectly for her, but she had always wanted to know what it was like the be a fish. Today was the day, and she had to accept that.

[spaghetti231]

Quickly changing into his suit behind the greenhouse, Zerrubabel slid his robes back on and hurried down toward the lake, where the class was slowly making it's way.
Having worked and lived on a ship for most of his short life, Zerrubabel didn't mind the water, even when it was quite cold. People tend to get used to it after spending months sailing over icy seas with bone chilling wind. Not bad, really. It had been almost a year since his last time on a ship, and that had been before the start of this term, so Zerrubabel decided to take a few precautions. Pulling out his wand, he pointed to himself and muttered, "impervius", that would help with the water and the cold, but he decided he would use a bubble-head charm just in case. After all, his impervious charm wasn't perfect.

[Elijah Ellerby]

Elijah raised his eyebrows, concealing a smirk as Veata and her bright swim suit join Erys's side, not embarrassed in the least. Zerrebabel had also appeared, changed and ready, and Elijah was beginning to regret not having summoned his own swimming trunks while he still had some privacy to disrobe behind. His clothes would have to stay on now though - perhaps they would help him sink faster. Oscar would hopefully join him in being the only fool to not to have changed (although admittedly Elijah hadn’t given him the chance) and rolled up her trousers to his knees, wading in.

He gritted his teeth and groaned, the icy water stabbing his legs for a moment. Despite the sun even the shallows were murder. Right then. He knew what the merdung looked like, but where would he most likely find it? Around merepeople was an obvious answer, and with a quick cast of the bubblehead charm on himself, Elijah dived forward, the underwater incline proving him with enough depth to do so.

He screamed inaudibly as the cold paralysed his pale limbs, floundering uselessly as he tried to endure the moment between shock and adaptation. Sluggish but coping, Elijah composed himself enough to concetrate.

He realised he probably should have listened out for a few words of warning from Professor l’Keitha. What was the giant squid doing this time of year? What if he got lost? Well, if he saw anyone else swimming in the opposite direction, he would double back and follow them…

[Emily Leets]

Em reached the edge of the Lake with the last of her classmates. She glanced that the water. It looked inviting, but of course, it only looked that way. She was sure it was freezing. The Ravenclaw turned her head as she heard the Gryffindor discussing the bubblehead charm with another Ravenclaw. Bubblehead charm...she'd heard it somewhere, but still had no idea how to preform it.

She sat down near the edge of the lake, taking her cloak off and setting her Herbology book down beside it. Emily changed her mind, although she now had a bathing suit under her clothing, she had seen the Gryffindor enter the water and heard him groan in protest. So...if it was so cold, Em had decided to keep her clothing on. She followed suit, and rolled up her jeans like he had. Slipping off her socks and shoes, she stood up again, unsure if she should enter the water so unprepared.

[Emily Leets]

Em jumped at the sound of another girl's voice in her ear. Narrowing her eyes, and turning around quickly, she realized that it was Jhudora, a fellow Ravenclaw.

"Woah, J, don't give me such a fright!" she exclaimed, relieved it was her friend all the same. She hadn't been talking to anyone all lesson, and was in the mood for someone she knew better.

"I believe we're going swimming to the depths for the miraculous merpeople dung, or MerDung...a Slytherin," at this Emily gestured to one of the two Slytherins standing a bit away from them, "sent the Professor's only sample flying at a Gryffindor in the Greenhouses." She finished filling her in. "But I'm keeping all my clothes on...the Gryffindor that just submerged seemed to think it was frightfully cold in there," she added.

[Emily Leets]

Emily scratched her head thoughtfully. "Perhaps the Professor's considered that? I sure hope so anyways...I wouldn't want to run into the squid. I wouldn't want to run into the Merpeople either, which is going to make getting their...droppings...even tougher!"

She looked at Jhudora and grinned. "A tan, hm? God knows I need it," she replied, looking at her own pale skin. "But I'd rather be a tiny bit warmer in there than possibly getting a tan, J." She added. Knowing her friend, she probably wanted to go for a swim...to cool off or something. She rolled her eyes lazily and looked at the two Slytherins. Had it been completely necessary to send that specimen flying across the room? It could've saved all this.

[Erys Grace]

The cold had never really bothered Erys, but that didn't mean it wasn't able to send shivers down her spine. At the bank of the lake now, she stripped down to her bathing suit, tossing the bundle of robes onto a nearby boulder. Easing into the water, she imediately tensed, her muscles frozen and her jaw clenched. Suck it up. At least its better than being in a boring old classroom all day. She thought, edging further and further into the water before pausing when the surface line hit her shoulders. Shoving the gillyweed into her mouth to hide it - but not swallowing until the professor gave her instruction, Erys tried to suck her cheeks in to disguise the bulge of the water plant. "Wowl thes weel bey fuhn." She remarked to Veata, her voice distorted thanks to the sea stuff in her mouth.

Catching the exhasperated glance from the Ravenclaw girl, Erys narrowed her eyes, sighing. "Cahn woo bhlame har?" She asked, sounding as if she had a serious speech impediment. Translation: Can you really blame her? That Gryffindor was being really nasty. If anyone was to blame, then it would be him. The dark water was up to her neck now, as Erys fought back the urge to gag. Will the professor hurry up with the instructions, please? She might just throw-up before hand. Gillyweed was useful as it was disgusting. "Beht ai cahn brung bawk more poo then woo." ( Another translation: Bet I can bring back more poo than you. )She declared to Elijah, her face playfully challenging despite the bulging cheeks.

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[Alexis Heart]

Alexis had been one of the last to leave the room she was always last. When she finally left the room she could see most of the students in front of her some of them had already reached the lake some were lagging behind she was still near the class. She took her time she usually did after last class she wasn't too enthused to be doing anything else in Herbology. When she finally reached the lake she sought out some other Ravenclaws she saw Emily and Jhudora together and made her way to them. Stopping next to the girls she smiled, saying 'hey is it cool if I hang with you two' she hoped it was if not she'd just stand alone she was used to that already.

[Elijah Ellerby]

After a few moments of breathing deeply and flexing his traumatised muscles, Elijah slowly rose to the surface, his head breaking the water just in time to hear Erys’s rather slurred challenge. ‘Ell e’ll juss see ahboot that.’ He replied just as obscurely, his tongue shoved against his bottom lip and his eyes crossed lamely – with the bubblehead charm distorting his mouth, he looked rather bizarre. ‘To be frank, Erys, I think on this occasion I’ll just let you win. The poo is all yours!’

The water was feeling quite nice now, the hot sun throbbing down on his wet hair but the rest of him cool and weightless. Tilting backwards to float on his back, Elijah bobbed along serenely, spread-eagled. Now this, he concurred, was much more appealing than wrestling with grindylows for fertilizer.

Jhudora had appeared on the shore now dressed in a black swimming costume, and he stared at her dumbly for a minute before doing the backstroke over to Oscar, who was still stood admiring the water. ‘You’re not going to make me do it on my own, are you?’ He smiled kindly.

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie stood at the edge of the lake. She looked around. She was a frist year and didnt know how to do the bubble head charm. ALso she did have any gigglyweed. "Ummm" She didnt want to anger the teacher. "Professor, I dont know how to do that."

[Emily Leets]

Emily nodded a 'hello' to Alexis, a fellow Ravenclaw, smiling. She then turned to Jhudora again, who had began entering the water. She sighed - it was just like her to do this...

Jhudora completely submerged herself underwater, but she came up momentarily, shivering. "Fantastic in there, is it?" Em said sarcastically, although she could see J's point about her clothes practically freezing stiff. Reluctantly, she slipped off her jeans and t-shirt, revealing a dark blue one-piece. Picking her wand up from the ground and keeping it in her hand, she walked towards the dark Lake.

Stepping in, the water hit her like a thousand freezing needles. Instead of putting it off, she walked quickly a little deeper, and stuck her whole body in. Her mind seemed to go numb for a moment, it was so cold. Coming up quickly as possible, she gasped and looked over at her friend. "FANTASTIC?" she yelped, although he body was beginning to get used to the freezing cold. Used to, as in her body was so numb she couldn't feel anything much anymore.

[Veata Bane]

Veata tossed the gunky, slimy plant into her mouth before she so much as set one foot in the water. Just because she was good at swimming, didn't mean she liked the water. In fact, she hated the stuff almost more than life itself. But, she had gotten herself, not to mention everyone else, into this mess, and she would follow through with the implications. "Oo, ja, tunes a foon," (Translation: "Oh, yeah, tons of fun.") she garbled to Erys', who was slowly making it out farther and farther into the water ahead of V. Taking a big breath, Veata strode into what felt like icewater, shuddering at the cold. Couldn't the water at least be warm, or was everyone, and everything against her today?

Doggy paddling, with style, she caught up to Erys' side, wishing she could just chew the damn Gillyweed and swallow. This stuff was absolutely disgusting. V could feel the bile in her throat rising with each passing second the substance waded in her mouth, teasing her, waiting to be swallowed.