Lesson 1 - Spiky Bushes (1 - 4th years)

After checking his schedule, Tristan confirmed that this was where he was supposed to be. Slowly opening the door, he shuffled in. Seeing the sectioned off area in the middle of the room, he frowned slightly. Wasn't Herbology about magical plants and not common muggle bushes? Noticing the witch sitting on the only desk in the room, he assumed her to be the Professor, and mumbled a "Morning." Moving to a corner of the room, he leaned against the wall and pulled the hood of his jacket over his head.

Louise felt awkward, she'd gotten odd looks from people that morning and she wondered if it was her new uniform or if people were noticing that she was walking differently? Or perhaps it was the ring? She'd tried keeping her hand out of people's sights but it was difficult to doo when surrounded by nosy Slytherins and trying to cut up a smoked salmon for breakfast without it being seen. Whatever the reason was she was glad to be out of the castle away from the looks and strode down to the Herbology greenhouses with less enthusiasm but more of a purpose. If she was going to take every class available she'd need her youthful energy to study later hours and complete everything to the best of her ability. She couldn't help smiling though seeing her favourite teacher again after a long summer. "Good morning Professor." She greeted and noticed she didn't have to look up as much to the professor any more.

Stacy was glad to be back at the Hogwarts once again. Here she felt more home than at home since her father did ignore her basically, too busy with work, and her mother was dead. Her she had friends with who she could hang out and could talk when needed. She was glad that she had friends. It was time to go herbology greenhouse. She soon walked in to it and she was happy when she saw there few more students. She disnt know them but yeah it didn't matter to her today. "Hello everyone," she said with bright smile.

Nothing exciting had happened during the summer, besides meeting that girl in the Shrieking Shack, and finding that key. Though, sadly, she hadn't discovered what the key was for. So, for now, she had it looped around her neck on some string. If people wanted it, they'd need to find her first.

As she looked at her timetable, she sighed when she realised that she had Herbology. The only reason she had picked it was because she knew that the more classes she did, the higher she'd achieve. So, reluctantly, she slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the Greenhouse.

When she walked into the classroom, she noted no desks or chairs, but rather a spot full of bushes. There seemed nothing extraordinary about them. She didn't acknowledge anyone, as usual of her character, and leant against the back wall.

Charlie was surprisingly glad that she had found herbology alright. This was the first thing since she arrived at this bloody catse that actually was going her way. It seemed to her that most people here were boring and dull. She wasn't sure about her place here either. 'Ravenclaw?' she didn't think she was that smart, a smart ass perhaps but she didn't know many facts. The sorting hat knows best she supposed, but she was still a abit peeved.

She started to notice quite a few people had already arrived and she was a bit sad that they seemed to keep to themselves. "HELLO EVERYONE" she announced her arrival a bit dramatically. That was the way she carried her self, quite dramatically. For someone so small the tiny blonde china doll had a pair of lungs that could hold their own, and she didn't take kindly to being ignored.

Natasha's summer had been nothing but ordinary. She saw her family, which she had missed so much, and done the usual summer things. Shopping, visiting the beach, etc, etc. And now, she was happy to be back at school, and felt happy to be making her way down to the Herbology Greenhouse for her lesson.

She entered and saw that a few people were already there. She noticed also the layout, there being a lack of tables and chairs. Leaving her bag at the back of the room, she made her way over to where the bushes were, curious as to what they were learning about today.

"Good morning Mr. Walters, glad you could join the class,"

Tristan smiled slightly, repeating what she had called him over in his head. Yes, he thought, he belonged to a family now. It was an amazing feeling to have a last name to go by.

Upon hearing her instructions, he dared to take a few steps forward. Removing some paper from his bag, he tore and crumpled them into little balls, which he flung towards the plant. Each time the balls bounced off the spikes, he smiled. He didn't know what it was called, and even if he did, he wouldn't volunteer the information and draw attention to himself. Attention was something that could get you killed on the streets, and he had learnt how to stay as unnoticeable as possible.

Skye tried to slip into class unnoticed, his head was down, and for once free of color. Skye's face was read from where he got hit, and a bit of a bruise was starting around his eye, there was a tear up his pants, and he had a slight limp.
They had found him, his personal hate team had found him in the middle of passing to attack him.

He came through the door just in time to see spikes shoot out of the plant. Skye flinched slightly, and shuffled towards a wall as quiet as possible. He saw the Ravenclaw from DADA. At least he had some friends.

"Hey Violet, had a nice summer,"

Violet shrugged a little "It was okay I guess," she replied.

She watched as the witch welcomed them all, and began to talk about the plant. When Azalea threw the pencil, and Violet saw the spikes pop out in defence, and a small smirk touched her lips. This was her sort of plant. She'd read the name before, when skimming through books during all those hours she was bored.

"I know what that is," Violet said "They're Spiky Bushes. And they shoot spikes when they're attacked. I know how to destroy them too. Incendio." she explained as the Slytherin boy started to throw paper balls at it "... I wonder how much weight would need to be thrown at it to crush the spikes," Vi wondered aloud.

"Can someone else explain what these bushes could possibly be useful for?"

"Used to guard," Natasha answered "So long as the owner doesn't accidentally brush past it or something. Or maybe there's a potion you use them in, I don't know. But most plants usually have possible uses in potions. Or even practicing spells like incendio. Because you use that to get rid of them," she added, hoping she was right "If it were used for protection, it'd be tricky to get whenever you were protecting away from it though,"

Looking at the spiky buck Louise wasn't really sure what to make of it, it was useful she supposed for collecting rare eggs like the Professor said but past that she couldn't imagine why anyone would want one. You'd have to be pretty paranoid to plant one of these around your home in defence. "So how exactly do you collect eggs from it? Do you need to go in quickly or slowly? Or just accio and hope there's some in there?" She asked, looking for where there could be a possible opening in the bush's defences, it seemed the same spikes came out every time someone threw paper or things at it.

Louise wasted no time and stepped forward, she cast a protego over herself and crouched down low near the roots of the bush. tossing a crumpled and broken quill from her pocket she watched the spikes shoot out then plunged shoulder deep into the foliage watching the spikes bending around her shield while she felt around. Her hand closed around a box and she pulled back before her shield had faded looking quite pleased with herself.

She stepped back to let the others have a go and opened the box, taking one of the sugar quills out for herself, she clocked the small Hufflepuff boy that looked like he'd been having a bad day and walked over to give the box to him. "Here, I can't eat all of them by myself." She smiled at him.

Skye smiled at the girl and took a quill.
"Thank you," he said softly, "I think I know a way to get some," he told her. Putting his stuff down and the quill on top, Skye smiled at her.
He thought for a moment and morphed into a small black puppy. Slinking forward he approached the bush, dodging the first spike sent his way he missed the second an it nicked his ear. Skye continued after a moment in determination. Worming his way under the bushes Skye pulls out the sugar quill with his mouth, and brings it to the Slytherin excitedly like a puppy playing fetch.
Skye changed back and keeping in mind his injuries, his them with his power.
"You can pass that around if you want," Skye said quietly, "I really only like a few of these," he picked the one the girl gave him up an popped it in his mouth, acting as if his morning had been normal. Trying to forget the bruises Skye felt himself acting a bit more like his normal self.

His interest was raised at the mention of the eggs beneath the bushes, suddenly realizing that he did, in fact, know what these bushes were. Only now, he had a name to go with it. On a few occasions before, he had stolen said eggs to sell for a little money. The first time he was unsuccessful, covered in scratches and cuts. He had worked out a weakness, however, and by his third time, he had gotten rather good at it.

"And yes, you get to keep the candy once you get it out,"

Sugar quills? Tristan had no idea what they were, never having had any candy before. Not wanting to be the first, he waited for a few others to go first. The first to try was a Slytherin girl, who used some sort of spell on herself, and came out holding a box. Trying to peer at it without anyone realizing what he was doing, he caught sight of a quill... made of sugar. Another student made for the plant, and Tristan startled when he changed into a small dog. How interesting, he thought.

Looking around, Tris didn't see anyone heading towards the bush, and so decided to have a go himself. Talking a deep breath and steadying his nerves, he approached the plant, examining it for a tiny gap. Finding it, he removed a piece of folded paper from his pocket and pushed it through it, waiting for the spikes to do their job. Once they had impaled the paper, he quickly pulled it out, watching as the spikes followed. Reaching over to grab a particularly long spike, he snapped it off. While on the streets, he had discovered a flaw in their protective system; the plant never attacked itself, which meant that a spike taken from it would not raise any alarm to the bush. Now he could take his time, and he carefully inserted the spike beneath the plant and felt around for something hard, which he then pushed out the other side. Tossing the spike aside, he walked around and picked up the box, happy with himself.

Stacy didn't had any good ideas how to get pass this spikes so she decided to go with Incendio spell. She did take her wand out and did take deep breath when it was her turn to do it. "Incendio" she said quietly and saw how the spikes did burn out. So after it was done with spell she moved fast to bush and did put her hand in it. She soon did found the candy box and did take it. She same fast back at her place and she opened it and saw there some candies. She has already few candies in her room actually right now, so she looked around the classroom. "Does anyone want's some candy, I'm sure I can't eat them all away by myself," she said then to everyone with smile.

Violet listened to Professor Harrington's instructions, and drew her wand. She would, obviously, use 'incendio', purely because she liked fire. She stepped towards a part of the bush, aiming her wand at it "Incendio," she murmured and fire spewed from her wand to the bush, burning the spikes to nothing more than dark, defenceless ash. She reached in and felt around for a box of sugar quills that the Professor had hidden, careful not to provoke the plant with more spikes sprouting from underneath. She finally placed her hand on a box and pulled it out.

Natasha decided to try and use stealth, rather than force, to gain the box of sugar quills. She guessed that if she remembered where the spikes reached, she could weave her arm through the gaps. It would take effort, but it seemed doable.

The first thing she did was throw a harmless knut she had, after looking between the branches to decide the rough area of where the box was located. The spiked shot out, and with a ping, the knut was knocked back to her. She watched where the gaps were in the spikes and got down on her stomach. Though the spikes receded too quickly. Having a thought, she scrambled to get a spare notebook from her bag and waved it in front of her. Having the spikes shoot out again, Natasha navigated her free arm under the spikes, careful not to provoke the plant even more. Her hand clasped around the sugar quill box and she dragged it out from underneath.

Charlie loved to pretend she was big and bad, but she knew that she wasn't. She watched one by one as her classmates took their turns and continued to look puzzled at the plant in front of her. At first she thought perhaps using incendio as many had before her but then she got another idea. Instead of watching the spikes to figure where the box was hidden she pulled out her wand, "Revelio" she spoke calmly and the box began to shake. Now she knew where it was she thought for a moment how to get to it.

Just then with incendio still in mind she remembered a book she read while wandering around buying her school supplies it had seemed an interesting spell to her as it would any child with a mind like hers. Glancing at the teacher she spoke loudly "You all might want to take a step back..." With a step forward she targeted the plant and loudly announced "Confringo" she hoped she was saying it right.

For once her photographic memory came in handy as the plant blew up and flew everywhere, sadly however so did the box underneath. Turning beet red Charlie glanced around the room. "everyone okay? I never actually preformed that spell perhaps it needs a bit more tweeking" she tried to play it off when she was internally mortified.