6th - 7th years: Lesson 3 [Belladonna]

[Timothy Linn]

Finally, it was late in the afternoon when his fifth years had left his greenhouse to their next class. He only had his sixth and seventh years left for today and hopefully it would go by fast. He was extremely exhausted, but Timothy never showed it in each of his classes. Eventually he'd get use to this schedule until he got a new TA.

Writing down their plant for the day, belladonna, he was excited about teaching something very powerful as this. Though, he wouldn't ever show a demonstration, that was the Potion Professor's doing, he just simply sat down at his seat and waited for his sixth and seventh years to arrive.

[[OOC: You have 24 hours to arrive. Let me remind you that class starts at 3:40pm according to this post.]]

[Jodi Peterson]

Jodi left the castle after a long day of classes and work, and walked toward the greenhouse. Herbology was usually fun these days. She never left the classroom feeling down or depressed. She didn't know why though. She'd thought about talking to the Headmistress about becoming a TA for Herbology next year, but the Headmistress had said she'd probably be better working at the ministry. There was always time to decide.

Jodi walked into the Greenhouse, to see she was the first to class. She smiled to the Professor, and sat down in the front row. She took her pink notepad out of her bag, and placed her bag under her feet. "Hows everything going?" Jodi asked Professor Linn in a casual way.

Jodi thought of her NEWT test which would be happening at the end of this term. She wondered to herself what would happen if she didn't pass. Would she have to repeat a year? Would they throw her out and forget about her? Jodi would admit to anyone who asked that her worst fear was not passing these tests. Every minute of homework, and there had been a lot of them, worked up to these moments. They worked up to next month. And if she failed she felt like no one would ever talk to her again, she would be the reject of the school.

[Éowyn Lovegood]

Éowyn walked out of the castle onto the sunny grounds. She was looking foward to another exciting class of Herbology. As she opened the door to the Greenhouses she saw the Professor and another girl she recognized as Jodi. Éowyn smiled at them both and waited for more students to arrive.

[Natalia Burana]

^{Another day, another lesson, another step closer to graduation; Natalia was already counting the days. She entered the greenhouses and smiled when she realized that she was on time for this class. She had been late to one earlier, and she didn't want to repeat the action. Finding herself a seat, Natalia retrieved her parchment and quill and wrote the topic of choice at the top of her page. Today's lesson would be on belladonna. She had heard of this plant before and knew well of its power. It would prove to be an interesting lesson.}

[Joe Moon(gone)]

Joe was on his way to the Greenhouse right after he got all his things with was just a big notebook, a quill and a new maroon ink jar. His other one ran out and he already had another one for a just incase. Which was a good thing thank goodness. He sighed that it was just another day at the castle. Students were getting to their classes and some others were chating with each other while walking.

He made it to the Greenhouse and saw only the Professor, Natalia, Jodi, and Eowyn. Even though that Joe only knew only Natalia and Jodi but he always here someone say 'hi' to her. Joe looked at the lesson that they were going to do today. It was Belladonna., Joe took a seat about five seats away from Jodi and open his notebook and quill with new ink bottle and wrote it down.[/size]

[Timothy Linn]

"Hello Jodi. Things are fine. Just taking over all years of Herbology since Ms. Kohn's resignation. It's a bit of a change, but I'll adjust well until I get a new TA." He smiled as the rest of his students entered and took a seat in his class. Few numbers, but hopefully more would make an appearance by the end of his lesson.

"Good afternoon everyone. Today's lesson is belladonna. There are other names given to this plant like: Deadly Nightshade, Devil's Cherries, Naughty Man's Cherries, Divale, Black Cherry, Devil's Herb, Great Morel, and Dwayberry. The parts used of this plant is the root, leaves, and tops. And it is widely distributed over Central and Southern Europe, South-west Asia and Algeria; cultivated in England, France, and North America."

Quite the big introducton for Belladonna, but Timothy always liked giving a big speech on plants he was more fascinated about. "The plant is not common in England and has become rarer of late years. Although it is native of the southern counties, being almost confined to calcareous soils, it has been sparingly found in twenty-eight British counties, mostly in waste places, quarries, and near old ruins."

Taking out a small jar that included the berries and a long jar including the long tops and roots, he placed them at the front desk for part of the lecture. "In Scotland it is rare. Under the shade of trees, on wooded hills, on chalk or limestone, it will grow most luxuriantly, forming bushy plants several feet high, but specimens growing in places exposed to the sun are apt to be dwarfed, consequently it rarely attains such a large size when cultivated in the open, and is more subject to the attacks of insects when growing wild under natural conditions."

A bit winded, he reached over for the longer jar to describe the root. "The root is thick, fleshy and white. The leaves are dull, darkish green in colour and of unequal size. The fresh plant, when crushed, exhales a disaggreeable odour, almost disappearing or drying, and the leaves have a bitter tastes, when both fresh and dry." He set the jar aside to pick the other one that included the berries.

"The smooth berries ripen in September, which it acquires a shining black colour and is in the size like a small cherry. It contains several seeds. The berries are full of dark, inky juice, and are intensely sweet. Their attraction to children on that account, has from their poisonous properties, been attended with fatal results."

[Landon Tilbrook]

Landon walked in just as the professor was explaining about Belladonna. He took a seat next to his good friend Joe. There were a few kids in class that meant a lot more coming behind him into class. He organised his things than tuned into the lecture.

He looked inside at the jar. than up at the Professor. He was big on lectures. He sighed and waited for this tobe over but he stilled listened without sidetracking to something else., A big problem for him. He looked at the berries. The did look quite tasty but not ediable. He wasn't into picking berries of plants and eating them. He was always cautions of the poision. He looked p wondering if the lecture was now over. The professor had stopped specking.He looked up at him waiting for directions of for him to contiue on about the plant.

[Jodi Peterson]

Jodi listened as the Professor first explained to her that he was having to adjust to taking all classes. That he couldn't wait until he got a new TA. For a minute she felt like telling him that she indeed was interested in taking up the job. But that was something she knew that had to be talked about between the Headmistress and herself. But still, it would be mighty cool to work in the greenhouse, with or without Professor Linn.

Jodi picked up her quill as other people walked in, waiting for the lesson to begin. Not that she didn't enjoy small talk, she just enjoyed learning more. Strange as that sounded, that was Jodi for you. She never enjoyed small talk. She enjoyed serious talk, talking about morals or things that meant something. No point in beating around the bush.

Jodi smiled to Landon as he walked into class. She was about to welcome him to class, but the Professor decided that moment to start his lecture. Jodi turned back to the front of the classroom, and listened to the Professors introduction of the plant. She wrote down all of the different names the Professor said the plant had, and where it came from. She also added the parts of the plant that where used on the plant.

She turned the page of her notebook over, now full with notes, to a blank page. She added another header, along with the date and looked up at the Professor, waiting for the next set of notes. Jodi wasn't waiting long. She added a few notes to her book, and then looked up as the Professor picked two jars from his desk. One with berries, and a taller one containing root.

The berries looked very poisonous. They where almost black in colour. As the Professor explained about the fact they where sweet, Jodi almost felt like eating one. She felt strange for a second. Why would she want one of the berries, even if she knew they where poisonous? Jodi pulled a funny face to herself, and turned her attention to the next jar.

The Professor had alreadt talking about this jar, and had placed it down on the desk. To Jodi, the root looked very thick and white. They didn't look very special to Jodi at all. Looked the same as any ordinary root. Nothing that interested Jodi there.

Jodi looked down at her notebook, flipping back and forth, hoping she had all of the notes down pact. She turned her head toward other people in the class. Many other student where looking up at the teacher. Jodi was waiting for the practical part of the lesson. She was hoping there would be one. There hadn't been in a while. She wouldn't complain if there wasn't a practical part to the lesson, but it would have been nice.

[Timothy Linn]

Waiting as the students jotted down some important information from the start of his lecture, he watched as all quills stopped for him to begin again. "If the belladonna berries are swallowed accidentally, one much swallow an emetic as soon as possible, such as a large glass of warm vinegar or mustard and water. In some cases, emetics and the stomach-pump are sorted to at once, followed by a doze of magnesia, stumulants and strong coffee."

"The person must be kept very warm. Sometimes a symptom in those poisoned by Belladonna is the complete loss of voice, together with frequent bending forward of the trunk and continual movements of hands and fingers, the pupils of the eye becoming much dilated." It was a bit too descriptive of the poisoning, but he wanted to add some other information into his lecture.

"Every part of the plant is extremely poisonous, neighter leaves, berries, nor root should be handled if there are any cuts or abrasions on the hands. The root, however, is most poisonous, the leaves and flowers lesser, and the berries least of all.. except to children." As lethal as it had sounded, Timothy knew that Belladonna wasn't all too horrid as it sounds. "Though, an adult may eat two or three berries without injury, but dangerous symptoms appear if more are taken. So don't try to attempt this."

"Belladonna herb and root are sold by analysis, the value depending upon the percentage of alkaloid contained. The limits of grow of Belladonna are between fifty degrees and fifty-five degrees North Latitude and an altitude of three-hundred to six-hundred feet, though it can descend to sealevel where the soils is calcareous, especially here the drainage is good and shade is found."

[Joe Moon(gone)]

Joe took notes of all the different names of Belladonna. There were a lot so he put a number nine and circle it to mean the total names of the plant. There was two jars that Professor Linn took out, one of them was a small jar and it contianed berries and he told about what it is and where it comes from. The other jar was longer and it contained roots of the plant.

After that Landon showed up. This was great that he showed up and well, listen. He sat by him which was fine by him and looked at the jars which is what Joe did too. Normally right now Joe would say hello or hi but it was during class and it wasn't the best time to say anything but questions to the Professor.

Now the Professor is saying that every part of the plant is poisoness but the most poisoness part of the plant was the roots. After that Joe wrote it down in his notebook. Also he wrote about the degrees and the altitude of the plant to grow with the type of soil it has to grow in.[/size]

[Timothy Linn]

"The medicinal uses of Belladonna are in narcotics, diuretic, sedative, antispasmodic, and mydriatic. It is a valuable plant in the treatment of eye diseases, Atropine, obtained during extraction, and being most important as account of it's power of dilating the pupil. Belladonna is preparing in lotions, plaster or liniment in cases of neuralgia, gout rheumatism, and sciatica. The drug specifically affects the brain and bladder."

Looking to the clock, time as definitely ticking at the end of their lesson. "That is all about belladonna that I can lecture you today. I've only just given you the main properties of this plant, but you can study more into Belladonna on your own. Since time isn't on our side I'll let you all go. Be prepared for our next lesson! You're dismissed."