Saturday February 11th, 1893 - Great Hall

Before this week, if Agrimony never stepped foot back into Hogwarts, it would have been all too soon. But having been approached by the coordinator of this event, it sounded like an interesting prospect, especially when it was NEWT students, as opposed to the tinier human beings that always gave him the impression that a bomb would go off within the vicinity if they so much as sneezed into their cauldrons.

Surveying the students before him, he saw they consisted of a mix of all the houses. With a slighter interest in those from his house, Agrimony's thin mouth ticked up in the slightest smile (that was none too encouraging). “You’ll be completing a Wit-Sharpening Potion today,” he announced, dropping his gaze to the mass of ingredients laid out for them. “I assume you all know the rules - and risks.” Here, his smile grew a fraction wider as he looked back up to them. “Raise your hand when you think you have completed your task. Your ninety minutes starts now.”

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Cadawalader Selwyn Calla Potts Cameron Gillenwater Wrath Wakefield Holly Scrimgeour Iphigenia Adebayo Leander Hobday Venusia Crickerly
You have 72 hours (1:03pm PST on Feb 6) to post without being disqualified. The first person to reply will receive a +1 for this round.

  

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To win a potion brewing contest before finishing her final year at Hogwarts would definitely be in her favour. Wrath may have missed out on her opportunity to become an Auror given she couldn't get all the required classes to NEWT level, she still had hopes of becoming a detective.

As soon as she learned the potion they were to make in the competition Wrath grinned. A Wit-Sharpening potion was one she had read about already and was confident she could do well. As soon as Mr. MacNair announced to begin, Wrath quickly gathered the required ingredients and started working on her potion. A few times she checked the instructions to make sure she was doing everything right. She didn't bother checking her opponents, it didn't matter what they were doing, only that she did her potion better than any of them.

Once she was finished, she quickly raised her hand, glad to see she finished with a few minutes to spare before the 90 minutes time limit was up.

  

Cad was good at potions. He certainly worked hard enough at it. He waited for Mister Macnair to tell them to begin before he started. Head down and focused on his own work he prepared his ingredients, prepared his cauldron and began the steps needed to complete the wit-sharpening potion. He wished he had taken one before the competition, but there was probably some sort of rule against that.

He stirred his potion one last time - and then raised his hand indicating his completion of the work.

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Behold the Awesome of Stefanie!

Unlike some of the other students, Calla hovered behind, taking her time to select her ingredients, drifting through the tables at the front to pluck something up here and there. She'd resolved to treat the whole thing like a class so she didn't get as stressed. Eventually, though, she did get settled in to start and found herself in a comfortable rhythm. Wit-sharpening. Suppose if they brewed it right they'd be allowed to take it for the next round? Mmm. Probably not, it would set those who hadn't done as well in the first round at a disadvantage and that wouldn't be fair. Near the end, Calla decided she was done and that staring into the cauldron would prove no benefit and raised her hand.

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Cameron had come a long way since his Potions owl, and for perhaps the first time in his life he did not feel like he had no chance at winning. Of course, he wasn't so overconfident as to assume he'd win, but he was eager to show his growing skill nevertheless. It would be only a few months until he sat for his NEWT, so whatever he didn't know by now... well, he'd likely never know.

As they were given the go-ahead to begin, Cameron reminded himself of the one rule that had gotten him through Potions class over the previous two years: don't pay attention to anyone else's work. Don't compare. Don't give his mind the chance to work against him.

He completed the potion step-by-step, keeping his gaze fixated on his cauldron even at the times that called for waiting. When he finally finished, he looked up to find most of his competitors already finished, but he steeled himself before the nerves could take over.

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The surname was familiar but the man himself was not. He could see something of the Macnair he had known in the others features though. A relative? Not that knowing Sage Macnairs family tree was of particular importance to him. Thus, he dismissed the thoughts as he got to work on brewing the potion.

  

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Admire all of you
But fire burns me too
Can't stop that disco getting through
Can't stop that disco wanting you.

Holly was aggressively competitive by nature, but even more so when it was in a subject she knew like he back of her hands. Potions was her one of her best classes, perhaps only slightly behind Defence Against the Dark Arts. She'd earned an O in her OWL exam without feeling too strained afterwards, and if she could do that, what was a little wit-sharpening potion?

Holly eyed her competitors, making sure to toss a half-hearted glare in the direction of Calla Potts (a habit at this point, not for any specific reason). Then, when given the go, Holly began. She meticulously measured every ingredient, stirred with care, and only when she was done allowed herself a moment to take a deep breath. There. All she could was wait.

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— set by MJ <3 —

Saturday February 11th, 1893 - Great Hall

Wrath Wakefield: 12.25
The first to finish was a Miss Wakefield, though in his mind Agrimony identified her by the docile look with which she seemed to regard her potion. Peering into her cauldron, Agrimony saw that it was steaming merrily, with the liquid the exact shade of dark orange required. There were no flaws to the potion, and so Agrimony raised his gaze to the Hufflepuff. "Congratulations, Miss Wakefield, it appears you'll be the first to advance to the next round." He may as well have been commenting on the weather.

Cadawalader Selwyn: 10.25
The Gryffindor's also looked promising, but upon peering into the cauldron, could not be ranked above Wakefield's in any sort of measure.

Calla Potts: 9.25
Another Hufflepuff — hers was passable, but it was a lighter shade of orange than it was supposed to be. "A bit more ginger next time." Agrimony said over his shoulder as he turned away.

Cameron Gillenwater: 10
Gillenwater's looked better than Potts'. The right shade, with nothing exactly wrong with it.

Leander Hobday: 9.75
Finally, a Slytherin — Hobday's was perfectly fine, though he also could have added a bit more ginger.

HOLLY SCRIMGEOUR: 9
The last Slytherin, and unfortunately hers was an even lighter shade of orange than the Hufflepuff's. Raising a quizzical brow, Agrimony leveled his gaze at her. "Mmmm. A pity."

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After assessing all of them, Agrimony announced that everyone but the Scrimgeour girl would move forward.

"Your next assignment is for an Elixir to Induce Euphoria." He said, once the previous potion's ingredients had been cleared to make way for the new potion. "90 minutes once again. You may begin now."

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You have 72 hours (11:48am PST on Feb 18) to post without being disqualified. The first person to reply will receive a +1 for this round.

  

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Leander was relieved to have moved on to the next round. Once they were told to begin, he gathered up his ingredients. He had reviewed this potion not too long ago so the steps were still fresh on his mind. He got his ingredients divided up and ready. Leander tried not to pay attention to anyone around him (which was hard to do with such fetching people in this bracket) as he brewed his potion to completion. Once he was done, he breathed a sigh of relief and hoped his potion would fare well this round as well.

  

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Admire all of you
But fire burns me too
Can't stop that disco getting through
Can't stop that disco wanting you.

Relatively pleased with his showing Cad waited for the potion to be cleared and the next round to begin. The Elixir to Induce Euphoria had been on his revision schedule for the NEWTs and he hoped he remembered the details well enough to do well in this round.

He collected his ingredients and kicked off the potions steps.

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Behold the Awesome of Stefanie!

She felt bad for Miss Scrimgeour but kept her eyes trained to her station rather than allowing them to follow the other girl out lest she think that Calla was trying to rub in her success or taunt her. In reality, what she felt was more aligned with pity - she would have hated being the only one dismissed and she knew Miss. Scimgeour prided herself on being the best - but she didn't think the Slytherin wanted her pity either. She was, however, slightly impressed that Mr. Macnair could simply glance at her potion and tell her exactly what she'd done wrong. Guess she needed to weigh her ingredients more carefully next round. Nose pinched she started in on the potion.

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

There was definitely a sense of pride rushing through her when Mr. MacNair proclaimed she was the first to advance to the next level. As he moved on to judge the other's potions, Wrath watched and listened carefully, wanting to know which of her competitors will advanced. It didn't take long for her to realize her potion was not only the first to pass inspection but the best out of all the others. Maybe she'll ace this competition and prove to everybody she was pretty darn good at making potions.

Once all the potions were cleared away and Mr. MacNair announced the next challenge, Wrath was more than confident she'll do well in this next potion. The Elixir to Induce Euphoria was one she had made the previous year and did quite well in.

Gathering the ingredients she would need, Wrath added them to the cauldron, starting with shrivelfig followed by porcupine quills. As she stirred four times counter-clockwise, she glanced around at her remaining competition. The Slytherin boy seemed completely focused on his potion, at last he didn't look up while she was looking his way. Wrath noticed Sewlyn was equally focused on his potion but she couldn't tell if he was having any troubles or not. Shrugging she glanced over to her fellow Hufflepuff though Miss Potts was a year below her. Wrath found she was a nice enough person and would miss her once she graduated in the spring. Maybe they could meet up sometime in the summer.

By this time she finished her four stirs and returned her attention to the next step of her potion. Just a few more ingredients to add than stir six times counter-clockwise and that was it. Wrath hoped the colour was the correct yellow to get her through to the next level.

  

Saturday February 11th, 1893 - Great Hall

Shrivelfig, porcupine quills, peppermint, sopophorous beans and wormwood. Simple enough ingredients, but simple ingredients never guaranteed a smooth brewing.

Leander Hobday: 11.75
The first one done — Agrimony approached the boy's cauldron, first surveying the outside of the pot for any signs of disturbance. The more difficult the potions got, the more likelihood that something was going to go wrong. That these students weren't first years was of little consolation. Peering into the cauldron, Agrimony tilted his head, surveying the liquid at different angles before raising his gaze to the Slytherin. "Well done, Mr. Hobday."

CADWALADER SELWYN: 9.25
The Gryffindor boy's potion was passable, but one glance at it told Agrimony he'd gotten a little over enthusiastic with the wormwood. "There is a difference between yellow and orange, Selwyn." He added before waving his wand to make the ingredients disappear. "Perhaps next time."

Calla Potts: 10.25
The Hufflepuff girl seemed to learn her mistakes from last time and measured her ingredients accurately. "Well done." With a nod, he motioned for her to step back for the next round.

Wrath Wakefield: 10.25
Again, the Hufflepuff girl seemed quite capable of brewing the potion. With little else to say, Agrimony nodded, "Onto the next round we go."

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After assessing all of them, Agrimony announced that everyone but the Selwyn would move forward.

"90 minutes once again for this next task." He announced. "You'll be making Essence of Insanity. Mind the frog brains."

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You have 72 hours (6:48pm PST on Feb 28) to post without being disqualified. The first person to reply will receive a +1 for this round

  

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Oh, now this potion was going to be a trickier one than the previous one had been. Taking a deep breath, he focused more than he had previously on his brewing. He didn't want to risk ending up causing himself to go insane because he had stirred something wrong enough to cause fumes when there should not be any. He got his ingredients prepped and set to brewing. Once his potion was complete, he awaited judgement once more.

  

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Admire all of you
But fire burns me too
Can't stop that disco getting through
Can't stop that disco wanting you.

Sometimes she genuinely had to question the board which directed Hogwarts' curriculum. Because who thought it a good idea to teach a bunch of children how to brew Esscence of Insanity? In what circumstance would anyone ever need that? This whole contest was set to mess with your head. Her whole face pinched up this time, but she plugged forwards regardless because somehow she had made it this far.

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Wrath sighed when she didn't get any comments from Mr. MacNair this time but was glad her potion was still good enough for her to advance to the next stage. When the next potion was revealed, Wrath couldn't help laughing softly. Giving her adopted family, Essence of Insanity was par the course. She also recalled making this in 6th year and thought it could be very useful if one wanted to enact of particularly cruel method of revenge on somebody.

Putting such thoughts aside, she focused on what she would need for the potion. With all the ingredients at hand, Wrath started. As with the previous potions she took care make sure she was doing things correct, knowing messing up this particular potion could have disastrous effects.

Once she was confident she brewed the potion correctly she signaled to Mr. MacNair she was done.