January 30th, 1891 — The Great Hall, Hogwarts

Now that she was there she was starting to think judging the potions competition had been a mistake and a poor use of her time. Sadly it was too late. Perhaps she'd be surprised and one of the children would have an amusing mishap. If not perhaps she'd make it so.

Looking around at the youngsters she realized she'd not been assigned Sage's group which was a great pity as there might be some entertainment to be had there. Oh well. This lot would have to do. Maybe she'd see Sage later.

"I am Mrs. Macnair and as you may have guessed I shall be overseeing your little competition today. Please keep chatter to a minimum and raise your hand once you are finished. Follow the rules or face the consequences, etcetera." Her impatience was starting to shine through in her words and she was well aware of it. "Your first potion is a Calming Draught and you have until the timer runs out. If you wish to treat it as a race you may do so at your own peril, you will not be the first to die in a potion mishap and you shall certainly not be the last." Mariana smiled warmly at them as if she hadn't just brought up the subject of imminent accidental death. "You may begin!"

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