Rory had awoken at dawn to prep for his first day of classes. He had each lesson plan neatly scribbled out in his notebook next to a completed list of to-dos to prepare for each one. All that was left now was to set out the various instruments and ensure a tidy presentation before his first group of students inevitably toddled in.

He had the youngest students first this morning and, having shoveled a plate full in the Great Hall before racing off to prepare, Rory now stood with a cup of tea in his hand and a grin the size of his owl on his face. He nodded at the few that greeted him and waited until there was a sizable little crowd before telling them to go stand in front of a baby potted something.

There were all different types of somethings, each in a small terracotta pot lined up on either side of the bench. Once everyone was standing in front of their choice of sprout, Rory put down his teacup and made to introduce himself.

“Welcome all to your first Herbology lesson of the year. I am Professor Carrow and today we shall be learning all about various sproutlings.

Now, each of you has chosen a sprout likely because some attribute of it spoke to you or was interesting. If not, then at least pretend because it will count towards your grade.” Rory flashed them a joking smile and laced his hands behind his back as he began to meander lazily along behind them, down the two sides of the bench. “The impetus of today’s lesson, as we begin to understand the fundamentals of Herbology, is to learn about how different plants and herbs can react to different stimuli. Chapters 1-5 of your texts will aid in your experimentation today, and I recommend each of you read through them before the end of next week. For now, feel free to flip through and try to see what special characteristics your different sproutlings have to offer. By the end of the lesson, I’d like three paragraphs defining an attribute to each of your sprouts. Consider it… a Personality Report, of sorts.” He flashed another grin.

“No wands will be necessary for this activity,” he added. (OOC: But for the second year students, feel free.) “You can try anything from tickling them to moving them in or out of the sunlight. Temperate changes, and even mood-swings can sometimes have rather surprising results on your plants.” Rory paused at the head of the long row of benches. He looked down at the many faces and felt his confidence as professor swell. Maybe this wasn’t so hard after all. “Any questions?”

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