January 7th, 1895 — Potions Club

The Potions classroom was warm and welcoming, the light from the sconces flickering off the rows of gleaming cauldrons and neatly arranged ingredients on the shelves. A faint scent of herbs and something faintly smoky lingered in the air, a sign that Professor Valenduris had been tinkering with an experimental brew before the students arrived.

Meserimus stood at the head of the room, his long, pale white hair and formidable beard giving him an air of authority tinged with eccentricity. He leaned lightly on his desk, his 19-inch unyielding wand of Avodire wood resting nearby, though he rarely needed it during his demonstrations. His skeletal frame and towering height added a peculiar gravitas to his already striking presence.

“Good evening, everyone,” Meserimus began, his voice a deep, smooth baritone that carried effortlessly across the room. His sky-blue eyes, flecked with white, swept over the gathering of eager faces. “I trust your New Year celebrations were suitably restful, and that you have returned ready to learn, experiment, and—if we’re fortunate—create something truly spectacular this term.”

With a flick of his wrist, the blackboard behind him filled with elegant, looping script:

Welcome to the Potions Club!
Today’s Agenda:

Sharing holiday brewing successes (or disasters).
Planning this term’s projects.
Group experiment: Enhancing Pepperup Potion with seasonal ingredients.

“As is tradition,” Meserimus continued, “we shall begin with a little show-and-tell. If you brewed anything over the holiday, successfully or not, please share your tales of triumph or woe. A mistake, after all, is merely a precursor to discovery.” His thin lips twitched into a dry smile.

Meserimus paused, his hands folding behind his back. “Now, who would like to start us off with a tale of their holiday brewing adventures?” His tone was inviting, but the gleam in his eye suggested he was genuinely curious to hear what the students had concocted—or perhaps combusted—during their time away.

  

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Bee is amazing

It was good to be back from the holidays, she had had a pleasant time with her family to be certain, but school was where she enjoyed being most, surrounded by education opportunities and by peers who couldn't escape her friendship.

Antelope decided to take it upon herself to be first to the show and tell, walking up to the desk in front with a little notebook with lots of scribbles all over it. "I went home to Bucks this year and was gifted access to a delightful little book about Necrobotany, a subject that I found fascinating. Much of it is conjecture and theory but it did provide me with a little inspiration." she beamed as she spoke and looked to Meserimus Valenduris for approval. The subject was an interesting one academically but perhaps not one subject to popular study due to its links with necromancy.

"I have decided to try a few variations on the traditional reviving potion to see if it could be applied to plants as a tonic to bring them back to life after they have been left to die. My mother could find this potion very handy." She tried a little joke and smiled again.

"Alas, my attempts were unsuccessful, but isn't half of discovery finding out things that don't work?"

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Her name is pronounced similarly to Penelope