Gwen Lawrence
Hogwarts Staff
Potions Mistress
Registered Animagus
Posts: 69
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Post by Gwen Lawrence on Jul 1, 2011 17:13:03 GMT -5
 This day just seemed to go on forever and she felt like she was fading. It was unbelievable how many idiots could not made a simple pepper-up potions. It was a basic thing to make and they had ruined it. Many points had been lost when it happened and students had began to back answer. Gwen was not normally one to do such a thing, but today had just been such a long day and now she had some marking to do. Sighing to herself, she knew that she would get over the day and learn her lesson - she was just tired. Gwen realised that teaching was a whole different level to what she was used to. Her sister would tell her 'I told you so' since she taught Muggle Physics in an American High School. This made Gwen smile fondly as she thought of her younger sister. Her younger sister Emma was a muggle but this did not bother either of them because they were still very close and they would not have it anyother way. It was after their parents passed away they had become very close and that bond had stayed, enough for Emma to make Gwen the godmother to her daughter, which meant everything to her.
At this moment she was walking down the corridor to the staff room with a few papers in her arms. She was taking her marking to the staff room because she needed a change of place because the look of her office and quarters were starting to annoy her and the marking was not going any better. To try and calm herself, she was humming the Hogwarts School song, it was somewhat catching and she when she first heard it, she had to keep herself from laughing out loud, it was highly amusing after all. Gwen was dressed in a dark blue top and her black trousers, she did not have her teaching robe on since it was after classes and after dinner. She was wearing her favourite pair of heeled boots since they were comfortable and she was stood most of the day when she was teaching her classes. Today had just been one of those days when she could not wait for it to be over and she was free for the rest of the day. Gwen was thankful that the staff room was on the ground floor so she did not have far to go from her office, she was not in the mood for going on a stroll around Hogwarts, no matter how breath taking it was.
It did not take her long to arrive at the staff room and with a simple flick of her wand she opened the door and entered the room. It was rather large and relaxing, she aimed her wand at the fire to make the room warm. That was a downside of Hogwarts, it could get rather cold and she did not want to feel the cold at this moment in time. Sitting down in a chair near the window, she placed her paperwork on the table that sat in front of her. Then she waved her wand that would summon a house-elf. Gwen smiled as one appeared, she knew they loved to serve. "I would like a cup of coffee and a cookie, if that is alright?" She asked with the same smile on her face. Soon enough she had what she wanted on the table and she was taking a sip of her coffee and sighed at how good it tasted. Nothing could beat a good cup of coffee, after all she was American and it could very well be her blood with the amount of it she drank while working.
She started on the first assignment and she scanned through it, making comments every once in a while or crossing something out. Gwen the placed a grade at the top of the paper - an acceptable was what it had graded at. It was a decent start and the student whom it belonged to had surprised her with the assignment, maybe they were finally beginning to listen at long last. Gwen then moved on to the next assignment, the staff room was of course empty at the moment, but she did not mind, it allowed her to work for a little while and try and get some of the papers graded. |
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Post by arianne on Jul 10, 2011 10:20:57 GMT -5
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She was nervous, to say the least.
It was her first job as the Assistant to the Minister of Magic, and she'd been asked to go to Hogwarts and ask some questions and find out how things were running. It was not the most daunting of the jobs she could have been given - after all, it was Hogwarts, and that was where she had always felt she belonged. And it was not all that intimidating to go and talk to a teacher. After all, she had over the years developed good friendships with many of her teachers - in fact, she'd been sort of a teachers pet, though indeed a lot had probably changed in 7 years. Still, she was sure that she could at least find a teacher who'd recognize her, and who'd be willing to help her. And she had to admit, it would be rather cool to talk to a teacher as an equal (or something like that) rather than be the student, it would certainly be an exciting experience for her return at Hogwarts.
Still, it was her first task in a new job, and she wanted it to be perfect - even more than usual. So she'd dressed in a brand new, simple blue dress, and bound her hair in an even tighter ponytail than usual. As always, she looked prim and proper - no makeup except for some lip balm, no jewelery except for the simple silver chain around her neck, and certainly nothing frilly or fancy as far as the dress was concerned. Her handbag too was reasonable in size (she had a lot of stuff) and plain, she had never understood flashy handbags and today would be the last day to be carrying one even if she had liked them. She had not only her reputation to protect but also that of the Ministry, and she certainly wanted to make a good impression. This was the foremost thing on her mind as she entered the Hogwarts grounds. The grounds themselves did not actually make her think much - she had practically no pleasant memories in them (Arianne was not a fan of the outdoors) but the castle was quite another matter. The moment she stepped in she was overwhelmed with a flood of memories, memories of belongingness that made her want to be back in school. Why had she given up her dream of being a Professor there?
It took her a moment to pull herself out of the wave of nostalgia. She had a job to do, and with an extremely determined look she set off, walked ahead a little, and then realized she was absurdly nervous. How could she just barge into a teacher's office or something unannounced? Damn. She should have taken an appointment. She should have...that was when she noticed that she was quite near the staff lounge on the ground floor. Well, that might be a good start. Granted, the teachers rarely used it, but she might find at least one person there, and that would be a good start. She walked over to the door, planner in one hand, and knocked with the other, softly, before poking her head in. She could see a woman sitting inside.
"Excuse me," she said, in her soft, polite voice.
She opened the door a little more and slipped inside, and then started walking inside. On the way, she subconsciously corrected an ornament on a nearby desk that had become a little crooked. Arianne tended to make things neater without even wanting to sometimes - it frequently annoyed most of her friends. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Professor," she said politely, when she noticed that the woman had clearly been grading papers or checking homework or something. The next moment, though, she was double-guessing her words. Was she being too much of a doormat? Should she try to be more assertive as a representative of the Ministry? She had no idea, but it was hard for Arianne to be impolite. She resisted the temptation to run out of the room, and managed a nervous smile. "I'm Arianne Lane," she said, extending her hand to the middle-aged woman in front of her. It would have helped a lot of if the person had been someone who'd taught her, but the woman did not seem bad. She guessed it could have been worse. "I'm the junior assistant to the minister of the magic, and I was wondering if...if I could ask you some questions?" she said, pulling the pins securing her hair out one by one and replacing them. She thought that it was because her hair was coming out and she hated that, but it was more of a nervous action than anything else. She hoped that she was coming across as a put-together, good person, but she was convinced that it was much more likely that the woman was likely to dismiss her as a spineless dunce.
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"Yesterday our troubles seemed so far away,
I believe in yesterday." |
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Gwen Lawrence
Hogwarts Staff
Potions Mistress
Registered Animagus
Posts: 69
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Post by Gwen Lawrence on Jul 11, 2011 16:35:56 GMT -5
Paperwork was not on the list of favorite things to do. But it had to be done and there was no other way to avoid it. Unless she didn't assign any homework, but then she was sure that Professor McGonagall would not be happy and she would be called into a meeting of some sort. That much she was sure of.
Taking another sip of her coffee, she looked at the paper she was marking. In a moment she had put a crossing through a paragraph of work before putting a correction next to it. Gwen was somewhat of a tough marker and often wrote comments that would help the students learn from their mistakes - or so she hoped. This was going to be a long evening. Oh how she missed the everyday tones of school and not having to worry about anything other than exams or when the next assignment was due. When Gwen had been at school, she had been what could only be described at the ideal student. Maybe it was the fact that she did her work and tried in everything she did - even if she did not excel in the subject, mainly Transfiguration's. The ironic things was thought, she was now an animagus. This thought just made her smile, because her teacher ha said she could never do such a thing.
Pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, she graded the paper before moving onto the next one. The standard so far was not great and if they did not improve she would be having stern words with the class - and assigning even more assignments. They really did need to improve for her sanity. Teaching was much harder than she ever anticipated, but she did enjoy it, it just sadly had certain drawbacks. Gwen remembered the first day of teaching, she had asked Professor McGonagall for advice and it had been clear that she had been nervous. Though now she had gained the reputation of being stern while teaching and would not hesitate to deduct point from any houses since she did not attend Hogwarts. Though the students knew they could come to her if they were struggling with an assignment - of course this had to be during her office hours, or they would have to make an appointment. When she had seen Hogwarts for the first time, she had been simply in awe. It was something out of a book. Salem didn't even scratch the surface of the castle or the surroundings. Gwen had fallen in love with place almost immediately, it was one of the reason why she knew it was very unlikely that she would return to America to live on a permanent basis.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door to the staff room open. It was unusual for anyone else to be in here. Adverting her attention to the door, she saw a young woman she had never seen before. Gwen knew immediately that she was not a student - but the it begged the question - why was she at Hogwarts? It did not take the young woman to speak and she heard her introduce herself just as she walked further into the room. "Miss Lane." She said with a curt nod of her head. Of course people were still wearier of the Ministry because of how the acted in the war but she would not be hostile. The young woman seemed to be rather nervous, though she was not entirely sure why because Gwen was almost sure did not look like she could eat a person whole.
"Please have a seat." She spoke softly as she shook her hand that had been extended.
Gwen waited for her to take a seat before introducing herself. "My name is Professor Lawrence, or if it would help your nerves, just Gwen will do." She smiled ever so slightly. The younger female looked very well presented, maybe she was just trying just a little too hard, but she would not say anything. "I teach Potions here. I gather you must have come to Hogwarts at some point, considering I hear very much a British accent." Gwen commented, almost as if she was trying to break the ice and ease the younger woman into a conversation with her.
"As for these questions, I would happily answer them as long as they are nothing negative about the school. I am sure Professor McGonagall would have my head if I said anything out of place." She chuckled. Gwen was rather fond of the older woman, even if she did come across as a stern woman. She had been intimated by her when she first met her, but the first thing she had said to her was 'just relax and please call me Minerva since you are now a member of staff.' It had been just those words that had put her at ease.
Once more she found herself waiting for replies to what she said. "Oh, I am so sorry. Would you like a drink or anything to eat, I can summon an elf. It was entirely rude of me for not offering in the first place." She spoke quickly as she realised her error, but she had corrected it now, or so she hoped. It was the one thing her mother always taught her, it was to offer a guest a good cup of coffee, or in this case since she was in England, a cup of tea.
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Post by arianne on Jul 12, 2011 8:09:34 GMT -5
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She smiled and took the proffered seat, then resisted the urge to look at what the Professor had been correcting, because she knew that would be rude. She had noticed the detailed remarks on the sides of the writing though, without meaning to. She had always appreciated such remarks, and had put in the effort to correct her mistakes. But then again, she preferred to have her work perfect before she handed in the paper, not after everything was over. She smiled as the woman introduced herself as the new Potions Professor. Of course, she had known there was a new potions teacher, but she had somehow expected her to be somewhat different. More like Professor Snape, who had taught her potions, than this pretty, middle-aged, kind woman who sat in front of her. She quickly realized that this was an incorrect assumption, of course.
"Its nice to meet you, Professor Lawrence," she said politely. Call her 'Gwen'? There was no way Arianne could bring herself to do that, and she did not try. It would seem terribly disrespectful. Now if it was some of her old classmates who'd gone into teaching, like she knew they had, she might call them that, but she still felt a teacher at Hogwarts should get her share of respect. In her heart, Arianne had always remained a student. That was why the teacher's next words made her smile. "Yes, I was a student at Hogwarts. I graduated seven years ago though, and joined the Ministry four years ago." Perhaps some people would call her rise up in the Ministry a little sudden, and she knew not everyone thought she was a fit person for the job, but that made her more nervous and more determined to prove them wrong. She was not a quitter. She had worked incredibly hard to get where she was, and she loved what she was doing. There was no way anyone could stop her.
The woman's next words made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. Of course, she'd never been particularly good at reading people, but she wasn't sure if that was all as humorous as it had been meant to sound. And she'd been told beforehand to not expect things to be really all warm and fuzzy. She knew what had happened the last time the ministry had tried to interfere in Hogwarts, when the woman had ended up being chased out of Hogwarts by the centaurs. Arianne had never seen the centaurs, because she had never actually gone out to the Forbidden Forest, but she had heard enough to make her feel that she did not want to be chased out of here by a horde of centaurs. Then again, the Ministry's goal this time, under Minister Shacklebolt was certainly not to interfere with the working of the school, but rather to help them along. Hogwarts, after all, had been badly shaken by the war. Still, the woman's curt nod, and her first words, did not do much to lessen her anxiety on this count. She hastened to reply.
"I assure you, Professor, that that is definitely not my...our intention." She paused, took a deep breath, and composed herself. "In fact, we've taken permission from the school authorities and they approve of the visit." She had, in fact, talked to Professor McGonagall. It was regrettable that she was away that day and could not be the to talk to Arianne - she had liked and respected Professor McGonagall just as much as she had failed at Transfiguration. "We just want to figure out if everything is running smoothly, and if not, if there is anything that we can help with that can be done to correct it." She smiled, hoping she was being reassuring while being polite and making it clear that she was not leading any kind of hostile take over by the Ministry over Hogwarts. She was quoting almost directly from her own instructions too. "But before I begin, Professor, just some preliminary questions. How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" She'd opened her excessively neat handbag and pulled out a quill from a special compartment reserved for it. She'd also opened a page on her planner, and written the date and the teacher's name in neat, tiny handwriting. She liked being organized, there was no question about that.
She looked up as the woman offered her a drink. She generally avoided caffeine (it made her lose focus, and that was not something she could afford to do), but she also didn't want to sound rude or condescending by refusing the offer of the food or drink offhand. "A glass of water would be nice, thank you," she said with a smile, her confidence improving as the conversation continued, thank god. She was slightly thirsty, but she realized that she was wishing she could have a sip from the vial of potion she made (and had been making since her OWL exams in the 5th year) to keep herself awake and alert. She knew it could be bad for health, but still, she needed it to much at this stage and besides, her work was more important than her health. Or so Arianne always managed to convince herself.
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"Yesterday our troubles seemed so far away,
I believe in yesterday." |
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Gwen Lawrence
Hogwarts Staff
Potions Mistress
Registered Animagus
Posts: 69
|
Post by Gwen Lawrence on Jul 15, 2011 16:05:22 GMT -5
Listening carefully to Miss Lane, she heard that she indeed had permission and that this was not a spot inspection. Gwen found herself relaxing ever so slightly, though she was still slight cautious of the Ministry since the war. But then again the American Ministry of Magic had not been much better. It must just be Politics. "Very well then, I shall assist where I can Miss Lane." She spoke her own response. Placing her quill upon the table, she turned her attention fully to the younger woman once more. It was not long before she summoned a small glass of water and then the first questions were being asked. "I have been teaching at Hogwarts for just under a year." Once more replying as she watched on. Gwen was not a hostile person but she still had her wits about her. One would never know what could happen.
Of all the things she had believed in while doing magic, it was to just to keep hope and stay true to who you were. During the war, she had very nearly packed it all in and left. Her sister had argued that the war had not been her war. But if Voldemort had won then he would have continued to take over the entire Wizarding World, that much she was sure of. She would have had to say goodbye to everything she knew if that happened. But she thanked her lucky stars that had not been the case. The war had been tough on everyone that had fought. The Ministry had been rebuilt and though she hated to admit it, it was much better than it had been before the war. It was no longer corrupt as it had once been. During the ward, she had been a member of the Order. However she was only an outside member but that did not bother her, she was helping in anyway she could. Her memories of the battle were still vivid that she often still had nightmares, even so many years down the line, but it was nothing a dreamless drought could not solve every so often.
Coming out of her thoughts, she turned her attention back to Arianne. There was something about the younger female, that reminded her of herself when she had been much younger. Always eager to please and somewhat nervous. Gwen had many fond memories of her childhood and her time at school. Sometimes she did miss it, because she did not have to worry about the real world and not knowing what it was really like being an adult. If she had any advice for her younger self, it would have been to enjoy her childhood and never to look back and think what if. But of course it was apart of human nature to think about the what ifs. Sometimes she often thought about what would have happened if she had accepted Nathaniel's marriage proposal when she had been twenty-two, instead of seeing that they had both grown up and the only love she had felt for him was that of a friend. Maybe she would have children? Maybe she would not have fought in the war and would still be in America? But that was all in the past and it would stay there. It made her who she was today.
"Now, what questions do you need to ask me?" She said, to get the ball rolling. Once more she had been distracted from her marking, though she welcomed this as it gave her a slight break away from it all. It was a slight weakness of her own when it came to marking. She would like to think that she was a decent teacher but when it came to paperwork, it had never really been her strong suit. It was something that she was working on with the help of Professor McGonagall. The older witch had become somewhat of a mentor for her, and she had been so thankfully for it because being a Professor and teaching younger student was very daunting when she had never done it before. Especially at a famous school such as Hogwarts. She often still wondered why she got that job. It was something she would have to ask Headmaster Dumbledore one day.
"I hope I can help you where possible Miss Lane." Professor Lawrence spoke as she took a small sip of her coffee. It was providing the much needed energy she needed to get through the rest of the evening. She was thankful that she was not on hallway duty. It was somthing that made her very tried, especially if she was teaching the next morning.
[rand=975697425426915345876059448346496282213074620813133284885778557509] |
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Post by arianne on Jul 20, 2011 9:31:26 GMT -5
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She was too anxious to notice that the Professor relaxed slightly when she said she had permission, and she was not at all happy with how things were going. First day, and she was already on the wrong foot? What was wrong with her? She had so wanted to do something good, and help out in her old school, and here she was, actually back in school, which he had never expected she'd be able to do - as Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic - and she was already coming across as the enemy to the very first teacher she was talking to. Damn, what was wrong with her? She was making a complete hash with things. She wondered if things would have been better if someone else had come, like the senior undersecretary (though the work was a little too minor to disturb him, of course) or even some of the other people in the office of the minister. Like her friend Lina, she'd be perfect, she was good at making people feel good.
Of course, Arianne herself was generally not the kind of person who made people uncomfortable. She was a nice person, right? The kind of person who people could trust. She'd always been. She was feeling a bit at lost at the woman's coolness. Perhaps even Professor Snape might have been better. At least he knew her and could not possibly misconstrue her intentions as anything against the school. Well, she had no choice now, and she was going to make the woman trust her and understand her, no matter what it took. Arianne was nothing if not persistent, though she did tend to speak in a slightly flustered manner (she was also very transparent) when she thought someone did not approve of her - after all, she liked approval very much. "Thank you, Professor Lawrence," she said when the Professor said that she would be happy to assist her. "I'm very grateful for you taking out your time to help me..."
One year, she wrote down neatly in her notebook, and considered it for a long moment. It wasn't a terribly long time to be teaching, she'd hoped for someone with a little more experience in the school, especially in the past few years, but she decided that one year could be pretty good too, she might get a more fresh perspective of the school. She looked up as the Professor asked her what questions she had to ask her, and then swallowed slightly, and started, her quill in hand and quite ready to write. "Well, Miss Lawrence. I will begin by asking if Hogwarts has been fully staffed since you've been here and whether there have been any problems thanks to a lack of staff?" She did not have to refer to her little notes on the last page of her planner to know that staffing was the first concern on her agenda, she'd been briefed about it pretty strongly, and she understood why it was important. "Just a clarification, Professor, I mean teaching staff not administrative staff or house elves or caretakers, Professor, though I guess librarians and nurses would be included." Arianne quite considered house elves one of the more important members of the staff, but it was unlikely that the Professor had ever had to take over their duties in their absence, so she did not think it exactly relevant to her questions.
She decided that it was perhaps a good idea to clarify a little more on the purpose of her questions so as to not seem like a terrible snoop. "The reason for my asking is that the Ministry is thinking of reinstating the position of the Inquisitor to Hogwarts." She wished they had not called it that, it was probably related to bad memories for for most people in Hogwarts, but she had to call it the official name. "Not, of course, to interfere with the day-to-day administrative duties of the Headmaster but rather to act as a substitute for missing staff. In case you are having issues with that." This had been one of her ideas, and she thought it was good one. Professors had enough to do already without trying to sub for other people, and if they did not then the students' education would suffer. For a few years right after the war there had been many people teaching multiple subjects and getting terribly over taxed as a result. But of course, the education of the students came first.
There was another reason why this idea was close to her. It had been suggested that if Hogwarts did need a substitute, then it might be a good idea to send Arianne, who had after all excelled in every test she'd ever given, and who was certainly a hard worker. And the thought of actually returning to Hogwarts, in such a position, was very great for Arianne. It might even help her decide if perhaps she would've been a better teacher after all. She maintained her smile as the Professor answered, and then took a sip of her own water, which by now had arrived. It was thankfully cold, her throat had been feeling a little raw, so it was a welcome relief.
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"Yesterday our troubles seemed so far away,
I believe in yesterday." |
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Gwen Lawrence
Hogwarts Staff
Potions Mistress
Registered Animagus
Posts: 69
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Post by Gwen Lawrence on Jul 25, 2011 15:43:23 GMT -5
Gwen listened carefully to what she was saying and they seemed to be standard questions - not to complicated to answer. Listening to her reasons behind the question, she had to admit it was a good idea. She had to cover some classes herself every so often and it was sometimes a pain. It was often hard to keep on top of her own classes, let alone taking on a few extra classes than normal. Gwen could remember her muggle sister explaining to her that teaching was not an easy career at all. Emma was a muggle Physics Professor back in America - the concept of teaching was the same in both the Wizarding and Muggle World. Coming out of her thoughts she went on to answer the question that was hanging in the air. "I believe we are fully staffed, but I will not deny that if a staff member is taken ill, it is rather hard to keep up with our own classes and teach a completely different subject even with a lesson plan to follow." Speaking as she lent back in her chair, before continuing. "I believe the idea has merit and it would be helpful to have a member of staff on stand by to help teach if one of us is too ill too teach for any reason." Gwen was still being carefully at how she worded what she was saying, but she tried to be honest since the questions needed to be answered.
"What other questions would you like to ask me?" She encouraged her to continue with her line of questions. The fact was she still did not mind the distraction from the marking. The students complained about the assignments she assigns them but it was for their own benefit. And the fact she could stop if someone had cheated a mile off - the punishment for such rule breaking was a detention and the loss of house points. It was rare that her students attempted such tasks now. Gwen was a a stern Professor because of the subject she taught. Potions was a complex subject and could become deadly if something was to go wrong. She had heard of people dying in Potions accidents and she would hate for it to be one of her students because they had done something the moment her back had been turned. She tried to watch her class like a hawk, but she could not be all over the classroom at once. She could only trust her students to behave and not to try and kill each other while in lessons.
Teaching had not been as easy as she thought it would be - there were days she was often thinking what she was doing in such a job. But then Gwen would see why she had loved it so much, just to see one student understand what she was teaching made it all worth while. Running a hand through her hair, it was often hard to understand why she had been hired at such a high-standard school such as Hogwarts. It was well knowing around the magical world. When she had been a student at Salem, she had really wanted to be a student at Hogwarts. But nothing could have prepared her for when she first arrived as she saw the castle in all of its beauty. Never had she fallen in love with a place as she did Hogwarts.
"If you don't mind me asking Miss Lane. But I am rather curious to why you want to do the job you are doing? Have you always wanted to do?" Gwen was curious if she was honest with herself. It was little bits of body language she was picking up from her and it was a job role she had never encountered before. Gwen had once been asked why she wanted to do Potions. Her answer had been that it was a subject close to her heart, the ability to be able to use so many variations of ingredients to create several different Potions was fascinating. It was a talent of her own, she had memorized so many Potions as her profession required of her. She loved experimenting and trying to create new Potions. Gwen had her own private lab within her quarters - nearby her office. Everyone was destined to do something in their lives and she happened to believe that she would work in Potions for the rest of her life.
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