Professor Faowind's first lesson (All years)

Being the new teacher at Hogwarts would be an exciting experience for Lucas. He had come here as a child, this was his home school so he knew all about it. Some of the teachers he knew from when they were all at school together, others...Well there were some teachers that he had as a student that were now his fellow Professors. It was an interesting concept for Lucas, he was looking forward to teaching a new generation. And hopefully his students would like him.

Walking in to his classroom he thought of old times, when Snape had taught potions in this classroom. He had taken alchemy as well, but it was a Professor he couldn't remember anymore. He walked in and started setting up, he already had an interesting day. One of the teachers had brought in a student that had tried to take on a dementor, the nurses had looked after him. Another student had come in from fainting in Care of Magical Creatures. He wasn't needed for that one either, but he was fine with that. He came in to his classroom and wrote on the board.

"Professor L. Faowind. Healer and Professor. he wrote on the board in elegant handwriting. Before continuing, Alchemy he wrote under his name. Then he sat back and waited for his new students to arrive. He tried to make the classroom as easy and laid back as possible, alchemy wasn't an easy subject at the best of times. But Lucas tried his best to make it as fun as possible. He sat and waited for his class to start.

After a grating time of potions Louise strode several classrooms down to the Alchemy room, it had appeared on her timetable so she just assumed she should take that too, leaving her very little free time. She wondered is she should have to quit the Quidditch team just to keep up with it all. Nah, she enjoyed it too much, she'd just sleep a little later and wake up a little earlier.

The door was open so she walked in seeing the professor at the board. "Hello Sir." She greeted, trying not to show she was still irritated by her last lesson and took a seat at the front and placed her hands in her lap so she wouldn't fidget while waiting.

Lucas looked as two students came in, both from Slytherin. He smiled, and welcomed them both. "Welcome, class will begin when a few more students arrive, in the meantime is there any questions you may want to ask?" He said to the two students there, trying to break the tension. "Before we begin, is there anything in particular you would like to know about? I am happy to help if I can, so if you have any questions feel free to fire them away" he offered the two students.

The boy looked around a sixth or seventh year, and obviously he was smart. Lucas hoped he could make it interesting for him, he had heard a lot about Josh Murray and hoped he could give the boy difficult work to do. The girl, Miss Grey he had also asked about. She was a hard worker, that made Lucas glad to hear. He liked students that gave their best.

Although he had never heard of this subject before, Tristan had decided to take it anyway, until he figured out what he enjoyed and what he didn't. This was also to be his first (and most likely only) class with Brooke, and he was excited for that. They met outside the room, and entered together. Automatically, he had slid into the back row, only for Brooke to pull on his arm.

"No way," she had said, pointing towards the front row.

When he didn't move, she glared playfully at him, muttering, "I will carry you there myself." Still, Tristan just looked at her, not doing anything. Finally, she sighed. "Stubbornness is family trait, I guess."

Giggling slightly, he moved one seat in, letting Brooke take his previous place, before looking towards the board and removing his notebook and quill.

Skye had covered all the marks left by the bullies, and Fallon in DADA with his powers. So far it was a rough day. Walking into the classroom and seeing the board Skye froze for a moment before spying Brooke and slipping into a seat near her. Skye hated healers, they were always to curious about his metamorphmagus abilities. Their test were not all pleasant.

"Hi!" He said cheerfully to Brooke, lest she figure out he hadn't gotten healed yet, "It's so cool we have classes together!" Reaching in front if her Skye held out his hand to the Slytherin.
"I'm Skye, what's your name?"

Lucas watched as a few more students came in. "Welcome all" he said to the newest students. "Class will soon begin, but before we get started, as I asked the other students. Is there anything you would like to know? Is there anything you would particularly like to do?" Lucas said to the class. "And for those that don't know I am Professor Faowind, but Professor Lucas or Lucas is fine" he said before continuing. "Alchemy is tied in with many professions, Potions, Magic and of course my personal favourite. Healing. Now to start off, who can tell me what Alchemy itself is? A basic answer will be fine" he told the class. The latecomers would be late, but he didn't mind. He knew how hard classes could be.

"Thankyou Josh" Lucas said to the boy who was obviously already bored. "Perhaps if this class is boring you, you won't mind writing 5 rolls of parchment on the history of Alchemy?" he said to the young boy. This boy obviously wanted a challenge, and Lucas was more than happy to make this class hard for him. "And five points for the first answer. Now, Alchemy as Josh said is the study of the four basic elements. Is there any other types of Alchemy?" he asked the class. "Five points are up for grabs if someone can tell me what the study of Spagyric Alchemy is" he challenged the class. He wanted to make it as fun as possible, but for that to happen he needed to know where everyone was up to in it.

Brooke had not particularly wanted to take this class after reading their textbook, for she thought it to be quite dull. However, Tristan had told her he was going and she wanted to see how he was coping, and so made the tough decision to go for the class.

He had insisted on sitting in the last row and grudgingly, she complied, although she usually preferred sitting directly in front, where she could give the Professor and the lesson her fullest attention.

Tristan and Brooke had been so busy chatting that they didn't realise Professor Faowind had started class until she heard Josh, whose voice was easily recognisable over their own, gave an answer to an apparent question, earning him five points. Blushing at having set a bad example to her younger brother, she whispered to him, "And that is how NOT to behave in class."

He giggled and she winked at him before turning to concentrate on what the Professor was going to say next. The next question was asked.

Thinking about it for a few seconds, trying to recall what she had read, she smiled. "It is the alchemy of plants, if I'm not mistaken. I didn't read the entire textbook so I'm not sure what else there is to it."

"It the alchemy of plants" A young Gryffindor said, answering his question. Lucas was impressed. "Don't worry if you didn't read all of it my dear, from what I have seen not many have had the chance to read it yet. I do not mind, as long as you do a bit of reading occasionally" he told the class. "And you are correct, it is the alchemy of plants, unless a lot of people want to, we will not be studying it unfortunately. However I shall try my best to make this class as enjoyable and educational as possible, I know how hard the senior years especially can be here at Hogwarts" Lucas said. "And five points for Gryffindor miss Ahh??" he said not knowing who the Gryffindor girl was.

Violet was running late to what seemed to be the most interesting class in this joint. Alchemy. Oh the study of elements, the philosophy, the mixture of chemistry and magic. More importantly the ability to turn stones to gems, metal to gold, and the ability to brew the elixir of eternal life. It all sounded fascinating to her, getting into the real magic.

She slipped into the classroom, hoping to go unnoticed by the Professor as she gathered he was talking about the Alchemy of plants.

Lucas heard the tone in Josh's voice. He knew exactly where it came from, boredom. This boy was obviously bored at school, he was rather intelligent. This boy, Lucas knew how he felt, he was bored at school as well. "Right, well it looks like everyone is here, and accounted for. Just one question, who is Miss Semele? She hasn't arrived yet..." Lucas asked the class, he didn't know this girl, but hoped she had a reason for not being here. He couldn't help but need to continue the class, with or without a student. "Now. In my class I work on a point system, one hundred points up for grabs per person" Lucas told the class before writing up how it worked on the board.

10 points per test. (30 points)
5 for attendance (35 points)
20 for homework. (55)
30 for class questions (85)
10 for extra work. (95)
5 points at the end of the year for the most dedicated and hardworking student. (100)

"This is how I set my classes up, now if you do fail a test, I shall permit you to do it again. However at the end of the year 10 points will be deducted from your final score. If you get a signed note from another teacher explaining why you weren't here, or if you didn't have a clear head so to speak, then no points shall be taken away" Lucas explained. Then he got on with the class.

"Now I know it has bored most people already with basic questions. So lets move on to something harder. How many of you have tried Alchemy WITHOUT a wand? Relying on pure Science alone?" he asked the class. That was going to be the challenge, to use a method called Chrysopeia. The transmutation of metals to gold. No spells were going to be used. Only a potion that had to be made.

Lucas noted the sarcasm in Josh's voice, but chose to ignore it. "Well it will not be completely magicless" He explained to the class. "We will be using a potion that you will have to make" he told everyone. "So please, put your wands away and take out a book and quill" Lucas told the class. He waited while everyone did, before he started writing.

Louise was trying to keep her head down, getting irritated Josh who seemed to be irritating the professor too. She happily got out her books and some parchment and a quill, leaving her wand up her sleeve. She put her name, the date and left a space for the tittle of her work and looked up at the board waiting for instructions.

Lucas watched as people got out their textbooks, before speaking. "This is an individual project.If done correctly, you will have a Golden Dragon figurine to keep" He told the class. Then he started writing on the blackboard.

"What you will need" he wrote in elegant writing. Before continuing,

GoldenCurse Potion

Equipment
Cauldron
Stirrer
Glass Vials
Dropper
Small figurine from front of class

Ingredients
Mercury and Mars
Sal Ammoniac
Moonstone
Salpeter

Lucas finished writing what everyone would need, and waited while people wrote down what he had written. The small figurine was of a dragon, each a little different from the other. If the class did the potion right, the figure would turn from Led to Gold. If not, they would just have a Led dragon. There was another ingredient that was needed in the potion, but Lucas didn't write down what it was. It was Ptolemy, but the class didn't need to know it, otherwise everyone would be making or rather attempting to make the GoldenCurse potion outside of Alchemy, which could have disastrous consequences.

Lucas waited while everyone got their equipment from the cupboards and wrote down, looking around at who was interested and who wasn't. Some people would enjoy this class, others might not as much. But Lucas didn't mind, as long they gave it a go he was happy.

Skye inwardly groaned when the professor told them to take notes, his hand already hurt, without having to write a page and a half of notes.
Sighing Skye dutifully copied the board and went to retrieve his supplies. When he was in the cupboard he noticed the mouthy Slytherin take another ingredient, one that wasn't on the list.
Skye knew the boy was smart, as loud as he could be, he was definitely smart, so why would the older boy be taking more ingredients than he would need.
Figuring it couldn't hurt to ask Skye went to the professor.
"Sir, do we also need Pot-Pt-plot- another ingredient?" Skye said giving up on trying to pronounce the other word. Sometimes he hated English...

Lucas looked as a little third year came and asked him a question. "Do we need to Pot-Pt-plot another ingredient?" The boy asked. Lucas just smiled, before answering. "Not yet, I am aware that the Slytherin boy took another ingredient, but focus on this for now. The final ingredient will be added later" he said kindly to the boy, "Just try do the potion first, alright?" he told the boy kindly. "And if you need any help, let me know" Lucas indicated to the Dragon figurines at the front of the class. "Why don't you go pick the dragon you want" Lucas said, still smiling kindly.

Louise had stopped paying attention after the dragon statues were introduced and kept her head down, just taking notes on the potion and how it was made, even why it worked the way it did but made no attempt to make it herself. She was getting annoyed that dragons seemed to be turning up everywhere these days and was doing her best to avoid them.

Lucas watched as most people went and got started, he noticed that one Gryffindor didn't get a dragon. He gently walked over to her. "Are you alright?" he asked the Gryffindor girl. "I noticed you haven't got your dragon yet, is there something wrong?" He quietly asked, dropping to her level on the desk. He noted that she had beautiful handwriting.

Skye smiled nervously at the teacher, he really didn't like healers.
"Ok," he gently picked out a statue that looked to be breathing fire while curled around itself. Unique he thought. Walking back to his seat Skye tried to avoid Josh. And when the Slytherin went to get his dragon, Skye moved in ever so slightly towards Brooke and her brother.
This class is going to kill me he thought tiredly. A healer for a teacher, so I can never show my powers around him and Josh sitting across the isle....I'm dead... I am going to die this year Skye thought forlornly(and a little dramatically) about all the things in life he wanted to do and have and how he would just waste away as a third year.