Ancient Runes
The absence of previous Ancient Runes professor, Abraham Botros, has left a conspicuous vacancy in the ranks of the Hogwarts staff for the past two years. After Professor Botros fell ill as a result of his curse-breaking work in 2087, unable to resume his role as Headmaster and professor of Ancient Runes, the position was left open and the subject was not - for the time being - formally taught at Hogwarts. As we were informed at the opening feast, Professor Botros sadly passed away in the summer shortly before the start of term, and it just so happened that his old position was this year filled by a newcomer to Hogwarts staff, Professor Viktor Sokolov.
As is the general theme with any new professor at Hogwarts, Professor Sokolov decided to start his lessons with the basics, plain and simple, to get a feel of what he was up against with the students of Hogwarts. His first lesson started off, routinely enough, with a recap of the Elder Futhark writing system, a staple feature of the Ancient Runes course, and a topic that was no match for most Hogwarts students with the most basic knowledge of the subject. Next, Sokolov asked his students to look to the desks they were sat at, where they each found an Elder Futhark rune previously carved there. The students were to identify that rune and its magical uses, soon followed by those runes' galdrs and their uses. A simple enough task, but perhaps too simple for some; for instance, Charlotte Kettleburn, fourth year Gryffindor, took the opportunity to demonstrate the magical uses of her rune... and used it to set her desk on fire. Of course, this is Hogwarts, where burning desks have never been much of a cause for alarm, but moments later, the lesson started to slowly spiral, unravelling into mild chaos, when Gryffindor third year Genny Tate angrily stormed from the class, followed by Ravenclaw fourth year and slacker, Daxton Prince. It was at this point that Professor Sokolov appeared to give up all hope of regaining control of his classroom, and, after docking a hefty amount of points, simply declared the class dismissed.
Luckily for those who wanted to learn this year, this was not a trend to continue throughout the remainder of Professor Sokolov's lessons. As the year progressed, Professor Sokolov proved that those first lesson impressions are not always accurate. In fact, for the rest of the term, Ancient Runes classes would seldom veer off topic again. In a more characteristic lesson of the term, Sokolov held a lesson on the topic of Runecasting, and the Norns, or Godesses of Fate. After a brief introduction, Professor Sokolov instructed his students on how to do a Norns cast using runes, in a manner reminiscent of tarot card readings one might learn about in Divination except that, as the professor explained, "Runecasting works more with the subconscious than Divination." After learning about the Norns cast, Professor Sokolov moved on to the Five Rune Layout which required, you guessed it, five runes instead of three. The class practiced this new method of Runecasting for a short while, until Professor Sokolov gave a few points of advice for any new Runecasters out there, before finally dismissing the class.
The return of Ancient Runes this term was accompanied by the kind of characteristic Hogwarts chaos most of us are familiar with and fond of. Professor Sokolov soon proved himself a sturdy character as he took charge of his classroom, and though he has some extraordinarily big shoes to fill, he has slotted into the diverse and comfortable Hogwarts community with ease. Welcome, Professor.
As is the general theme with any new professor at Hogwarts, Professor Sokolov decided to start his lessons with the basics, plain and simple, to get a feel of what he was up against with the students of Hogwarts. His first lesson started off, routinely enough, with a recap of the Elder Futhark writing system, a staple feature of the Ancient Runes course, and a topic that was no match for most Hogwarts students with the most basic knowledge of the subject. Next, Sokolov asked his students to look to the desks they were sat at, where they each found an Elder Futhark rune previously carved there. The students were to identify that rune and its magical uses, soon followed by those runes' galdrs and their uses. A simple enough task, but perhaps too simple for some; for instance, Charlotte Kettleburn, fourth year Gryffindor, took the opportunity to demonstrate the magical uses of her rune... and used it to set her desk on fire. Of course, this is Hogwarts, where burning desks have never been much of a cause for alarm, but moments later, the lesson started to slowly spiral, unravelling into mild chaos, when Gryffindor third year Genny Tate angrily stormed from the class, followed by Ravenclaw fourth year and slacker, Daxton Prince. It was at this point that Professor Sokolov appeared to give up all hope of regaining control of his classroom, and, after docking a hefty amount of points, simply declared the class dismissed.
Luckily for those who wanted to learn this year, this was not a trend to continue throughout the remainder of Professor Sokolov's lessons. As the year progressed, Professor Sokolov proved that those first lesson impressions are not always accurate. In fact, for the rest of the term, Ancient Runes classes would seldom veer off topic again. In a more characteristic lesson of the term, Sokolov held a lesson on the topic of Runecasting, and the Norns, or Godesses of Fate. After a brief introduction, Professor Sokolov instructed his students on how to do a Norns cast using runes, in a manner reminiscent of tarot card readings one might learn about in Divination except that, as the professor explained, "Runecasting works more with the subconscious than Divination." After learning about the Norns cast, Professor Sokolov moved on to the Five Rune Layout which required, you guessed it, five runes instead of three. The class practiced this new method of Runecasting for a short while, until Professor Sokolov gave a few points of advice for any new Runecasters out there, before finally dismissing the class.
The return of Ancient Runes this term was accompanied by the kind of characteristic Hogwarts chaos most of us are familiar with and fond of. Professor Sokolov soon proved himself a sturdy character as he took charge of his classroom, and though he has some extraordinarily big shoes to fill, he has slotted into the diverse and comfortable Hogwarts community with ease. Welcome, Professor.
Arithmancy
There’s always a bit of uncertainty when we lose a member of staff responsible for giving us an education—moreso in a subject that’s already proven quite the challenge for many. To be perfectly honest, it was unclear what would ultimately be expected of Professor Carraro in the absence of long standing Arithmancy Professor Tanner and whether he could effectively bring across the subject was anyone’s guess at this point. Arithmany’s hard, it’s not for everyone. It’s a wonder anyone applied for the position at all….and why they didn’t just tank it to save the lot of us the misery.
Not willing to have his students place too much confidence in him, Professor Carraro insisted on name tags three months into the school term. By the time the holidays were rolling in, he provided sweets in the form of chocolate; a clever plan to lower the students into a false sense of security where the food within the castle was concerned. Might have worked too if not for the exceptionally sceptical among the student body. In an equal bid to ensure the students remain wary of his methods, the Professor asked the question of what Arithmancy was—you know, to ensure that if we hadn’t already learned that in the first three months, we’d learn it then. You can never be too sure, not when some students are so hard to educate. Being educated on a whole in a subject like Arithmancy can be difficult. Reptition is key. The Professor understood this and sought to make it a reality. I dare anyone to tell me that by December, you weren’t clear on what the subject you’d been learning since September was. Once the review of subjects that could be related to Arithmancy was done, the students were given a lesson on Life Path and Life Path Vibrational numbers then left to calculate their own. Once that was done the students were instructed into groups to discussed what these numbers meant to them and how applicably it may or may not have been.
Now I may or may not have been absent to a few classes….—but I did hear that around April, the students were greeted by a Professor covered in glitter. The alleged reasoning behind this fell on the Professor’s sister who was apparently well known for her pranks and was successfully able to have one go off within the castle. I want no longer accept comments when I start to question the safety of Hogwarts. Trust nothing entering or leaving the castle. Much in line with his other classes, the Professor had the students mention their calculations then discuss with a group of people. This was one class in which you’d be better served sitting at a table with your friends. At least then you’d be able to veer off topic and talk about things of a livelier but sometimes questionable nature.
I’m sure the students learned a lot in Arithmancy this term, or well I’m assuming as much. There haven’t been any complaints about it at the very least. This could either be a result of fine teaching skills or students who simply don’t care enough. Doesn’t really matter which it is, so long as the students were gainfully occupied for the hour! Teenagers are hard, numbers are hard, put them in the same classroom and you never quite know what to expect. Professor Carraro was a real trooper and no doubt he’ll get the hang of it by next term.
Not willing to have his students place too much confidence in him, Professor Carraro insisted on name tags three months into the school term. By the time the holidays were rolling in, he provided sweets in the form of chocolate; a clever plan to lower the students into a false sense of security where the food within the castle was concerned. Might have worked too if not for the exceptionally sceptical among the student body. In an equal bid to ensure the students remain wary of his methods, the Professor asked the question of what Arithmancy was—you know, to ensure that if we hadn’t already learned that in the first three months, we’d learn it then. You can never be too sure, not when some students are so hard to educate. Being educated on a whole in a subject like Arithmancy can be difficult. Reptition is key. The Professor understood this and sought to make it a reality. I dare anyone to tell me that by December, you weren’t clear on what the subject you’d been learning since September was. Once the review of subjects that could be related to Arithmancy was done, the students were given a lesson on Life Path and Life Path Vibrational numbers then left to calculate their own. Once that was done the students were instructed into groups to discussed what these numbers meant to them and how applicably it may or may not have been.
Now I may or may not have been absent to a few classes….—but I did hear that around April, the students were greeted by a Professor covered in glitter. The alleged reasoning behind this fell on the Professor’s sister who was apparently well known for her pranks and was successfully able to have one go off within the castle. I want no longer accept comments when I start to question the safety of Hogwarts. Trust nothing entering or leaving the castle. Much in line with his other classes, the Professor had the students mention their calculations then discuss with a group of people. This was one class in which you’d be better served sitting at a table with your friends. At least then you’d be able to veer off topic and talk about things of a livelier but sometimes questionable nature.
I’m sure the students learned a lot in Arithmancy this term, or well I’m assuming as much. There haven’t been any complaints about it at the very least. This could either be a result of fine teaching skills or students who simply don’t care enough. Doesn’t really matter which it is, so long as the students were gainfully occupied for the hour! Teenagers are hard, numbers are hard, put them in the same classroom and you never quite know what to expect. Professor Carraro was a real trooper and no doubt he’ll get the hang of it by next term.
Astronomy
Though most were not aware until the start of term in September, the end of last term saw the departure of a well-loved member of staff, Professor Airey Flamsteed, who stepped down from his role as Astronomy professor, and as Gryffindor Head of House. But the position was not filled by a complete stranger this term, as none other than our own Marion Burbage, ghost of the Astronomy Tower, took up the role in his stead. Professor Burbage is no stranger to the position either, having been the Hogwarts Astronomy professor before her unfortunate demise pre-Airey Flamsteed, so we all knew that we would be in safe, albeit non-substantial, hands.
The eccentric Professor Burbage's lessons were as informative and entertaining as one might expect from any Hogwarts professor, and in one notable November lesson, students arrived to find festive streamers and balloons decorating the classroom, and the portrait of a mysterious man up on the professor’s desk. Professor Burbage was eager to get down to business, and her first question posed to the class concerned the identity of the, in her own terms, 'studmuffin' in the portrait. Said studmuffin was quickly identified by Ravenclaw third year, Jacen Reed, as Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, a German astronomer. Bessel, Professor Burbage explained, was credited with the first successful use of parallax to determine the distance to a star. As most of the students in attendance likely had not the faintest idea of exactly what a parallax is, Professor Burbage was then so kind as to explain the complicated concept (and if you want to know exactly what that is... I am sorry to say that this article is neither the time nor the place).
Once the concept of parallax was explained, Professor Burbage went on to talk about the appropriate unit of measurement for the distance referred to using parallax, which Gryffindor fourth year Charlotte Kettleburn revealed to be 'parsecs', or parallax seconds. After a much more in depth explanation of the measurement (quite clear for all to see in your Astronomy textbooks), it was on to the skies. Professor Burbage instructed the class to move to the windows with their telescopes, and the remainder of the class was spent focusing on the stars, and on locating a star with the same age starlight as themselves (that is, a star which was as many light years away as the students' age in years).
Having the one and only Professor Burbage back in the classroom to formally teach Astronomy this term has been an honour and a delight. Though none of her students this year were present during Professor Burbage's last round of teaching, we have nevertheless had the chance to benefit from her expertise, and at no better time, what with the departure of our last beloved Astronomy professor. Regardless of whether or not Professor Burbage will be back to teach again next year, this will certainly not be the last Hogwarts sees of her.
The eccentric Professor Burbage's lessons were as informative and entertaining as one might expect from any Hogwarts professor, and in one notable November lesson, students arrived to find festive streamers and balloons decorating the classroom, and the portrait of a mysterious man up on the professor’s desk. Professor Burbage was eager to get down to business, and her first question posed to the class concerned the identity of the, in her own terms, 'studmuffin' in the portrait. Said studmuffin was quickly identified by Ravenclaw third year, Jacen Reed, as Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, a German astronomer. Bessel, Professor Burbage explained, was credited with the first successful use of parallax to determine the distance to a star. As most of the students in attendance likely had not the faintest idea of exactly what a parallax is, Professor Burbage was then so kind as to explain the complicated concept (and if you want to know exactly what that is... I am sorry to say that this article is neither the time nor the place).
Once the concept of parallax was explained, Professor Burbage went on to talk about the appropriate unit of measurement for the distance referred to using parallax, which Gryffindor fourth year Charlotte Kettleburn revealed to be 'parsecs', or parallax seconds. After a much more in depth explanation of the measurement (quite clear for all to see in your Astronomy textbooks), it was on to the skies. Professor Burbage instructed the class to move to the windows with their telescopes, and the remainder of the class was spent focusing on the stars, and on locating a star with the same age starlight as themselves (that is, a star which was as many light years away as the students' age in years).
Having the one and only Professor Burbage back in the classroom to formally teach Astronomy this term has been an honour and a delight. Though none of her students this year were present during Professor Burbage's last round of teaching, we have nevertheless had the chance to benefit from her expertise, and at no better time, what with the departure of our last beloved Astronomy professor. Regardless of whether or not Professor Burbage will be back to teach again next year, this will certainly not be the last Hogwarts sees of her.
Care of Magical Creatures
Not a morning person? No matter, Professor Hernandez makes even early morning classes worth waking up for. Students welcomed another year of Care of Magical Creatures, as well as a new addition to the staff, with curiosity and excitement. What did Hernandez have in store for them? Well, close encounters with creatures and a whole lot of fresh air, for starters. Certainly no one would complain about that.
Arriving bright and early for an outdoor lesson, Hogwarts students found a content looking professor and comfortable beanbag seating by the barn. Some would say too comfortable, in fact, as one Olivia Phillips might be able to attest to. Word on the street is that the blonde Gryffindor found herself snoozing before the lesson even started. Better watch out, Hogwartians, Hernandez might start making class even earlier just to get everyone used to the early hours. Class continued from there and would be focused on winged horses, a favorite of many including Professor H. The subject matter seemed to put a little more pep in everyone’s step and each student offered facts about the four types of winged horses, their answers appearing on the board for note taking purposes. While the theory was all well and good, the real excitement came when Maxine, Aurora, Perseus, and Sinatra were revealed. These magnificent creatures represented the four types of winged horse, though Sinatra, being a thestral, was not seen by all. After identifying the breeds of each, the students got the chance to feed and interact with the creatures, as more joined them for the remainder of the lesson. Finally, students were able to take to the sky in pairs or, for older students, solo. One thing is for sure, this class was a crowd pleaser.
Spring found the students back outside and waiting in anticipation for another lesson to begin. It seemed that their focus would continue to be on creatures of the winged variety, as Professor Hernandez asked that the class to name types of magical birds. From phoenixes to jobberknolls, Hogwartians offered their insights on theses airborne animals, though they would be focusing on one in particular for the remainder of the lesson. Fwoopers are colorful birds with feathers often fancied for quill making and a song that can drive any witch or wizard mad. Possessing a powerful song like that means that despite their beauty, fwoopers can be capable of destruction. Licensing was discussed next, each student voicing their opinions on why it is necessary for owners to possess one. Ultimately it was decided that much in the way a muggle needs a license to operate a motor vehicle, witches and wizards have to prove they’re capable of owning and caring for a potentially dangerous creature. Later, each student was given earmuffs and instructed to practice the silencing charm, one fwooper handlers are required to know. The students faced young fwoopers and tested their skills for the remainder of class, one Paige Skeeter finding that perhaps the birds weren’t fans as hers took flight, escaping from the group. Class ended before any more could take off, and the students were left with a first-hand experience that would leave them thinking about these feathered songbirds.
Arriving bright and early for an outdoor lesson, Hogwarts students found a content looking professor and comfortable beanbag seating by the barn. Some would say too comfortable, in fact, as one Olivia Phillips might be able to attest to. Word on the street is that the blonde Gryffindor found herself snoozing before the lesson even started. Better watch out, Hogwartians, Hernandez might start making class even earlier just to get everyone used to the early hours. Class continued from there and would be focused on winged horses, a favorite of many including Professor H. The subject matter seemed to put a little more pep in everyone’s step and each student offered facts about the four types of winged horses, their answers appearing on the board for note taking purposes. While the theory was all well and good, the real excitement came when Maxine, Aurora, Perseus, and Sinatra were revealed. These magnificent creatures represented the four types of winged horse, though Sinatra, being a thestral, was not seen by all. After identifying the breeds of each, the students got the chance to feed and interact with the creatures, as more joined them for the remainder of the lesson. Finally, students were able to take to the sky in pairs or, for older students, solo. One thing is for sure, this class was a crowd pleaser.
Spring found the students back outside and waiting in anticipation for another lesson to begin. It seemed that their focus would continue to be on creatures of the winged variety, as Professor Hernandez asked that the class to name types of magical birds. From phoenixes to jobberknolls, Hogwartians offered their insights on theses airborne animals, though they would be focusing on one in particular for the remainder of the lesson. Fwoopers are colorful birds with feathers often fancied for quill making and a song that can drive any witch or wizard mad. Possessing a powerful song like that means that despite their beauty, fwoopers can be capable of destruction. Licensing was discussed next, each student voicing their opinions on why it is necessary for owners to possess one. Ultimately it was decided that much in the way a muggle needs a license to operate a motor vehicle, witches and wizards have to prove they’re capable of owning and caring for a potentially dangerous creature. Later, each student was given earmuffs and instructed to practice the silencing charm, one fwooper handlers are required to know. The students faced young fwoopers and tested their skills for the remainder of class, one Paige Skeeter finding that perhaps the birds weren’t fans as hers took flight, escaping from the group. Class ended before any more could take off, and the students were left with a first-hand experience that would leave them thinking about these feathered songbirds.
Charms
Charms was one of the many positions that needed to be filled this term. A mass exodus happened at the end of last term and Hogwarts found itself without a Charms Professor amongst several others. Enter Professor Gaston Alexandre Laurent Marchand, a Frenchmen who had previously attended Beauxbatons. His first term at Hogwarts has given everyone a chance to get to know him, let's hope this sensitive Professor will stick around for awhile. Perhaps his burgeoning affection for a certain History of Magic teacher might keep him here in our lovely castle longer, yeah?
The first lesson saw the new Professor starting off the class with a new classroom arrangement, the middle of the room was completely bare and every students desk were not only pushed to the left and right of the room but also had an empty bottle perched on it. Students filed in and greeted the Professor and moved to the back of the room to partake in some refreshments that has been laid out for them. The chilly winter day had most students wishing they were going to be leaning about heating charms, but when class started Professor Marchand instead asked about Weather charms and what the students knew about them. Fifth year Ravenclaw Mason Winslow had a perfect answer when he said that "they're charms that change the weather in a certain area." That was indeed what they do and that was exactly what the students were going to learn. First up was the sunlight charm, and the students were put to work learning the incantation "Solis Lucidem" as well as the counter curse "Meteolojinx Recanto." Before you could say "I've got a pocket full of sunshine," sunlight was springing up all over the classroom until the Professor called a halt to practice in order for students to learn the Rain charm "Lluvia." It's a shame that a certain male Ravenclaw prefect didn't pipe up during this lesson because "I'm singing in the rain," would have been a most appropriate song for this part of the practice session, a thought shared by a Miss Olivia Phillips who was humming that song as she twirled in the shower she had produced. After the students had mastered, or mostly mastered the element charms it was on to the main part of the lesson. Did you ever want to bottle sunshine for a rainy day? Or have a bottle full of rain for those endless days of summer, well now is your chance, for the Professor instructed his students to aim the weather charms into a plastic bottle and cap it, Ala Weasley Wizarding Wheezes 'Weather in a bottle'. After advising to do one of the spells not both of them, the students got started. There was much success to be had and no disasters to speak of and so the class ended well and the students headed out with their sunshine in their pocket or their bottles full of rain.
The next lesson had the students entering to see the Professor looking sad with dark circles under his eyes. The dark classroom seemed to reflect his sadness as all the windows were closed and no late April sun could pierce the closed windows and drapes. A few students (Azura Snow and Jacen Reed) noticed his defeated demeanor and went over to ask how he was. While Paige Skeeter took to the silent but comforting approach as she got him a warm beverage and headed to her seat. Class started soon after that, despite the Professor dropping his pen and slamming the door shut. At least he opened the windows slightly. He started off by asking if anyone knew a witch or wizard who had invented a charm and what charm they had thought of. Instantly hands went into the air. The Head Girl mentioned the severing charm which had been invented by Delfina Crimp and Skylar Diggory mentioned the ever popular cushioning charm, invented by Elliot Smethwyck in the early eighteen hundreds. Once all answers were in and Professor Marchand had composed himself enough to talk, he asked about why the students thought they invented new spells. The general consensus was the new spells were created out of necessity, by accident or were improving on previous spells. The Professor then announced that the kids themselves would be attempting to create spells themselves. A list was put on the board of Latin action words, such as 'Levio' which means to levitate and 'Glacio' which meant to freeze. Subjects - such as 'Lignum' which means wood and 'Saxum' which means stone and Modifiers. 'Maxima' and 'Sempra' were on this list. The students were then told to mix and match the three to see if they could come up with a spell of their own. Almost instantly questions were raised and though answered no on seemed to have much success with creating their own charm. Time ran out and the students left class a little bewildered at what has just transpired and the Professor equally as down and perhaps even more upset than he had been when they had all walked in.
The first lesson saw the new Professor starting off the class with a new classroom arrangement, the middle of the room was completely bare and every students desk were not only pushed to the left and right of the room but also had an empty bottle perched on it. Students filed in and greeted the Professor and moved to the back of the room to partake in some refreshments that has been laid out for them. The chilly winter day had most students wishing they were going to be leaning about heating charms, but when class started Professor Marchand instead asked about Weather charms and what the students knew about them. Fifth year Ravenclaw Mason Winslow had a perfect answer when he said that "they're charms that change the weather in a certain area." That was indeed what they do and that was exactly what the students were going to learn. First up was the sunlight charm, and the students were put to work learning the incantation "Solis Lucidem" as well as the counter curse "Meteolojinx Recanto." Before you could say "I've got a pocket full of sunshine," sunlight was springing up all over the classroom until the Professor called a halt to practice in order for students to learn the Rain charm "Lluvia." It's a shame that a certain male Ravenclaw prefect didn't pipe up during this lesson because "I'm singing in the rain," would have been a most appropriate song for this part of the practice session, a thought shared by a Miss Olivia Phillips who was humming that song as she twirled in the shower she had produced. After the students had mastered, or mostly mastered the element charms it was on to the main part of the lesson. Did you ever want to bottle sunshine for a rainy day? Or have a bottle full of rain for those endless days of summer, well now is your chance, for the Professor instructed his students to aim the weather charms into a plastic bottle and cap it, Ala Weasley Wizarding Wheezes 'Weather in a bottle'. After advising to do one of the spells not both of them, the students got started. There was much success to be had and no disasters to speak of and so the class ended well and the students headed out with their sunshine in their pocket or their bottles full of rain.
The next lesson had the students entering to see the Professor looking sad with dark circles under his eyes. The dark classroom seemed to reflect his sadness as all the windows were closed and no late April sun could pierce the closed windows and drapes. A few students (Azura Snow and Jacen Reed) noticed his defeated demeanor and went over to ask how he was. While Paige Skeeter took to the silent but comforting approach as she got him a warm beverage and headed to her seat. Class started soon after that, despite the Professor dropping his pen and slamming the door shut. At least he opened the windows slightly. He started off by asking if anyone knew a witch or wizard who had invented a charm and what charm they had thought of. Instantly hands went into the air. The Head Girl mentioned the severing charm which had been invented by Delfina Crimp and Skylar Diggory mentioned the ever popular cushioning charm, invented by Elliot Smethwyck in the early eighteen hundreds. Once all answers were in and Professor Marchand had composed himself enough to talk, he asked about why the students thought they invented new spells. The general consensus was the new spells were created out of necessity, by accident or were improving on previous spells. The Professor then announced that the kids themselves would be attempting to create spells themselves. A list was put on the board of Latin action words, such as 'Levio' which means to levitate and 'Glacio' which meant to freeze. Subjects - such as 'Lignum' which means wood and 'Saxum' which means stone and Modifiers. 'Maxima' and 'Sempra' were on this list. The students were then told to mix and match the three to see if they could come up with a spell of their own. Almost instantly questions were raised and though answered no on seemed to have much success with creating their own charm. Time ran out and the students left class a little bewildered at what has just transpired and the Professor equally as down and perhaps even more upset than he had been when they had all walked in.
Defense Against the Dark Arts
Walking into the DADA classroom in early December you might have noticed that there was something very unusual about it: it actually looked like a normal classroom (WHAAAAT?). And yet another surprise was just around the corner, too. Professor Hirsch was not alone but had been joined by former Durmstrang student and current YATI Angelo Toussaint (yes, definitely related to any other Toussaint you might have just thought of, including our very own Katherine Toussaint). While most of the students were excited to be able to work with someone so pretty in the Youth Auror Training Initiative, shouts of nepotism and calling Mr. Toussaint evil due to his experience in practicing the Dark Arts became loud. After Miss Genny Tate threw her piece of clay at Miss Toussaint but missed and accidentally hit Professor Hirsch instead, the professor intervened and called everyone to order. Speaking of clay, every student was instructed to form the piece of clay on their desks into something (an object, a creature, anything) during the first part of the lesson. It appears that Angelo Toussaint was not only there to assist the DADA Professor but also to jointly teach the students all about the Dark Arts, also known as Maleficium or Black Magic. While some curses like the Unforgivables – The Killing Curse, The Imperius Curse and The Cruciatus Curse – have been deemed illegal by the International Confederation of Wizards and their unauthorized use is penalized with a lifelong sentence in Azkaban, other spells are not as straightforwardly dark or light magic. It soon became clear that the spells, creatures, potions, items and artifacts that are considered to be part of the Dark Arts are not evil or bad per se. It always depends on the practitioner’s intentions. Unlike with regular spells, practicing the Dark Arts requires an additional fourth factor, apart from the wand movement, the incantation and the intent to cast: control. A lack of control, for instance, cost Vincent Crabbe his life when he created a Fiendfyre during the Second Wizarding War. A great number of other branches of magic can be associated with the Dark Arts such as Alchemy, Potions or Ancient Runes. The latter is especially relevant when creating or, subsequently, breaking thralls that keep someone under the control of someone else.
The main activity of the lesson revolved around a dark creature called Golem, which is usually made out of clay. It originally derives from Jewish Mythology and was created to for protection, however, its power has since been exploited for evil as well. Once again, remember, it always depends on the practitioner’s intentions. Golems have carvings on their foreheads which indicate what their function is, along with how to defeat them which is by negating its power. Additionally, Golems usually have a piece of paper in their mouths which controls them, so naturally if you remove that the practitioner no longer has control over the Golem. Sounds easy enough? One teeny tiny obstacle to doing this, however, is that it is not possible to cast any spells directly at the Golem, as it consumes all magic and grows stronger the more it absorbs. Now before the students would be confronted with real life Golems, Professor Hirsch changed the classroom’s interior to something that closely resembled the dueling arena. FINALLY. Seeing Professor Hirsch in a regular classroom had been somewhat disturbing anyway. After going over some safety rules (don’t die etc.) Angelo Toussaint activated the four Golems, made out of ice, stone, glass and wood. The goal, obviously, was to deactivate the Golems by removing one of the glyphs as well as the piece of paper from their mouths. Finally, the most important advice to take away from this lesson? Golems don’t particularly enjoy ice skating.
The classroom setting for the mid-April lesson looked a whole lot more like what people who know Professor Hirsch are used to. No desks, no chairs, nothing that one might expect to find in a regular classroom. No, all the students found was something that looked A LOT like a target practice range. Interesting. Additionally, they would apparently be needing dragon-hide gloves, protective clothing and a bow and arrow for this lesson. Would they go out to take from the rich and give to the poor? Instead, however, the lesson took a very dark turn. The main focus was going to be on Necromancy, which is a branch of dark magic dealing with communicating with the dead. An important distinction is to be made between bringing someone back from the dead and reanimating a corpse, where the latter is - while morally questionable because there is in fact a very good reason for the rest in peace-saying - indeed possible.
The so-called Draugr was then introduced which is somewhat similar to an Inferi but is also easily distinguished by its very strong smell of…decay. By then most of the students were probably PRAYING that this lesson was not going to be as hands-on as the previous ones. First, however, they were told to practice their aim by shooting fire at the provided targets, either directly with their wands (relevant spells include Incendio, Confringo and Lacarnum Inflamari) or by lighting the tip of the arrow on fire and using it with the bow. After enough practice, which included not only burning but also partly blowing up targets (looking at you there, Miss Skeeter), the main activity of the lesson was finally about to start. No smell of decay, however. Not yet anyway. Luckily for everyone involved the only “Draugr” the students encountered were dummies made to resemble the animated corpses. Phew. Otherwise the subsequent game of Freeze Tag might have ended up being a game of freeze-vomit-tag. As it were, though, Professor Hirsch only had the dummies chase the students who, if caught, froze on the spot until someone else could free them by either taking out the dummy or by casting a Finite spell on the frozen student. This game would definitely show who was liked among their peers and who was…well, who would be frozen on the spot for a LONG time. So remember, students, always be nice to your fellow classmates, because maybe next time you might need help defeating a real reanimated stinking corpse.
The main activity of the lesson revolved around a dark creature called Golem, which is usually made out of clay. It originally derives from Jewish Mythology and was created to for protection, however, its power has since been exploited for evil as well. Once again, remember, it always depends on the practitioner’s intentions. Golems have carvings on their foreheads which indicate what their function is, along with how to defeat them which is by negating its power. Additionally, Golems usually have a piece of paper in their mouths which controls them, so naturally if you remove that the practitioner no longer has control over the Golem. Sounds easy enough? One teeny tiny obstacle to doing this, however, is that it is not possible to cast any spells directly at the Golem, as it consumes all magic and grows stronger the more it absorbs. Now before the students would be confronted with real life Golems, Professor Hirsch changed the classroom’s interior to something that closely resembled the dueling arena. FINALLY. Seeing Professor Hirsch in a regular classroom had been somewhat disturbing anyway. After going over some safety rules (don’t die etc.) Angelo Toussaint activated the four Golems, made out of ice, stone, glass and wood. The goal, obviously, was to deactivate the Golems by removing one of the glyphs as well as the piece of paper from their mouths. Finally, the most important advice to take away from this lesson? Golems don’t particularly enjoy ice skating.
The classroom setting for the mid-April lesson looked a whole lot more like what people who know Professor Hirsch are used to. No desks, no chairs, nothing that one might expect to find in a regular classroom. No, all the students found was something that looked A LOT like a target practice range. Interesting. Additionally, they would apparently be needing dragon-hide gloves, protective clothing and a bow and arrow for this lesson. Would they go out to take from the rich and give to the poor? Instead, however, the lesson took a very dark turn. The main focus was going to be on Necromancy, which is a branch of dark magic dealing with communicating with the dead. An important distinction is to be made between bringing someone back from the dead and reanimating a corpse, where the latter is - while morally questionable because there is in fact a very good reason for the rest in peace-saying - indeed possible.
The so-called Draugr was then introduced which is somewhat similar to an Inferi but is also easily distinguished by its very strong smell of…decay. By then most of the students were probably PRAYING that this lesson was not going to be as hands-on as the previous ones. First, however, they were told to practice their aim by shooting fire at the provided targets, either directly with their wands (relevant spells include Incendio, Confringo and Lacarnum Inflamari) or by lighting the tip of the arrow on fire and using it with the bow. After enough practice, which included not only burning but also partly blowing up targets (looking at you there, Miss Skeeter), the main activity of the lesson was finally about to start. No smell of decay, however. Not yet anyway. Luckily for everyone involved the only “Draugr” the students encountered were dummies made to resemble the animated corpses. Phew. Otherwise the subsequent game of Freeze Tag might have ended up being a game of freeze-vomit-tag. As it were, though, Professor Hirsch only had the dummies chase the students who, if caught, froze on the spot until someone else could free them by either taking out the dummy or by casting a Finite spell on the frozen student. This game would definitely show who was liked among their peers and who was…well, who would be frozen on the spot for a LONG time. So remember, students, always be nice to your fellow classmates, because maybe next time you might need help defeating a real reanimated stinking corpse.
Divination
Divination has seemed to be a tricky class to fill lately, with three different Professors in three terms. Though the use of "Professor" can be used lightly when in reference to the hag. Once again this term saw another new Professor take up their spot in the Divination Tower. Will Divination take another Professor and turn into a cursed position like Defense Against the Dark Arts was back when Harry Potter roamed our hallowed halls? Or will Laurel Vance break the curse and last until next year? Only time will tell.
The first class had the students entering the Divination tower in less than happy moods. Miffy had tampered with the laundry and everyone's robes were pink. Whispered complaints could be heard as well seeing as the room was hot, stuffy, dimly lit and heavily scented. Thankfully Blaise Bellaire and Colt Winchester asked if they could open windows and the Professor agreed. It seemed the poor mood didn't disturb Professor Vance and she started the class off with simple question, "Share one fact that you already know about Divination." Answers flew from what Divination actually was "A form of magic used to foretell the future." An answer given by the Ravenclaw Jace Reed, to the many forms Divination uses to foresee said future, reading tea leaves, looking at clouds, using decks of cards, to even reading flowers. Professor Vance took all the answers in stride and landed on what Paige Skeeter had said. Ooomancy. Or divining with eggs, dropping egg whites into hot water and then trying to figure out what the shapes mean. The Professor then asked the students to help themselves to snacks while answering the following question, "What other divination methods are similar to Ovomancy or can be combined with Ovomancy?" Answers rang out while the kids helped themselves to snacks, everything from molten lead divining to looking at beans to studying stars! But Professor Vance revealed that Tasseography was what most would combine with Ooomancy. Because really, what goes better with eggs, than tea? The Professor then started to demonstrate exactly how to divine with eggs. You crack the egg, separate the white fully from the yolk and then drop the white into the pot of hot water, watch what shape it takes and voila! You can now tell your future with breakfast foods. Professor Vance asked the students to split up into pairs and then to begin. At once the students scurried off to get into their pairs. The task before them wasn't easy and it seemed the hardest part wasn't telling what the blob shape was in the water, it was separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. Eggs went everywhere, but eventually people started to get the hang of it. Finally a halt was called to class after most students had managed to see a shape or two in the water and the young minds carefully picked their way out of the messy, egg splattered classroom, eager to get out of the stuffy room and on with their day.
For the next lesson, the students entered the room to find many glass tanks on the wall, tanks filled with slugs. Slugs of many sizes, colors and with or without shells. The Students were instructed to pick out a slug, put it in a glass jar and take it to their seat with them. For said slug was to be their companion for the rest of the lesson. Some students did not take this news well, but most of them were able to get the creatures into their glass jars without much trouble. Once the students had come to order, Professor Vance started the lesson which was about, surprise surprise, using slugs to divine the Future. Before anyone could say "Pass the salt." The Professor asked her first question of the lesson, "What the slug is the universal symbol for and also what the pattern on the slugs shell represents." Answers started to fly in, one Tenacius Salander said and I quote "Professor they are the universal symbol for slow." While he technically wasn't wrong, it was not the answer the Professor was going for, though it certainly made me giggle. The slugs and snails are the universal symbols for steadfastness and stability. While the spiral on the shell symbolizes a persons journey through life as Prefect Juno Darcy pointed out. Professor Vance went on to say that snails and slugs are believed to be healers of the body, mind and spirit. Native Americans would even go so far as to let them crawl around in their mouths when they had toothaches! (Insert horrified shuddering here). The Divination Professor than asked if the children would be willing to let any creature including a snail/slug crawl around on their body or in their mouths if they could heal pain, sickness or any ailment. Needless to say this got an interesting reaction out of the class. Some people would be all right with animals crawling around on them, but most of them didn't want anything anywhere near their mouths.
The students were interrupted in their answers however by the arrival of Peeves, who decided to have some fun with the slimy creatures. A slug landed on Natalia Franks-Mundie's shoulder, two landed in Kitty Valentine's lap and another went right at Olivia Phillips. The class broke out in chaos and everyone scrambled away from the pesky poltergeist and his throwing arm. The Professor shouted to protect the creatures and Paige Skeeter did just that, casting a shield charm over the tanks to hopefully head off the interloper. With most of the students casting "Skurge" on him and the Professor threatening to tell the Baron on him, the Poltergeist finally headed out of the classroom with just a few more slugs tossed at people. Finally everyone was able to pick up their slimy companions and get on with the lesson. Professor Vance instructed them to put their slug on their hand or their arm and study the slime trail the creature would leave. A straight slime line meant that something good is happening or will happen in the near future, a zig zag line meant you are facing confusion or their could be trouble ahead and if your slug didn't move at all, well that meant you were afraid of change or making a choice. To get an even deeper in depth reading the students could ask the slugs questions and hope the slime trail made sense. With her instructions given, Professor Vance let the kids at it. Most of the students seemed to be just fine with having the slugs crawling on their arms and one could even hear the students asking their slugs questions. Though Paige and Natalia seemed to be letting the slugs crawl over their desk instead of their arms. Class time seemed to fly by and soon Professor Vance was dismissing everyone. So the students put their little slug friends back into their cases and went on their merry way, heading for the nearest bathroom to wash away the slime from the class.
The first class had the students entering the Divination tower in less than happy moods. Miffy had tampered with the laundry and everyone's robes were pink. Whispered complaints could be heard as well seeing as the room was hot, stuffy, dimly lit and heavily scented. Thankfully Blaise Bellaire and Colt Winchester asked if they could open windows and the Professor agreed. It seemed the poor mood didn't disturb Professor Vance and she started the class off with simple question, "Share one fact that you already know about Divination." Answers flew from what Divination actually was "A form of magic used to foretell the future." An answer given by the Ravenclaw Jace Reed, to the many forms Divination uses to foresee said future, reading tea leaves, looking at clouds, using decks of cards, to even reading flowers. Professor Vance took all the answers in stride and landed on what Paige Skeeter had said. Ooomancy. Or divining with eggs, dropping egg whites into hot water and then trying to figure out what the shapes mean. The Professor then asked the students to help themselves to snacks while answering the following question, "What other divination methods are similar to Ovomancy or can be combined with Ovomancy?" Answers rang out while the kids helped themselves to snacks, everything from molten lead divining to looking at beans to studying stars! But Professor Vance revealed that Tasseography was what most would combine with Ooomancy. Because really, what goes better with eggs, than tea? The Professor then started to demonstrate exactly how to divine with eggs. You crack the egg, separate the white fully from the yolk and then drop the white into the pot of hot water, watch what shape it takes and voila! You can now tell your future with breakfast foods. Professor Vance asked the students to split up into pairs and then to begin. At once the students scurried off to get into their pairs. The task before them wasn't easy and it seemed the hardest part wasn't telling what the blob shape was in the water, it was separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. Eggs went everywhere, but eventually people started to get the hang of it. Finally a halt was called to class after most students had managed to see a shape or two in the water and the young minds carefully picked their way out of the messy, egg splattered classroom, eager to get out of the stuffy room and on with their day.
For the next lesson, the students entered the room to find many glass tanks on the wall, tanks filled with slugs. Slugs of many sizes, colors and with or without shells. The Students were instructed to pick out a slug, put it in a glass jar and take it to their seat with them. For said slug was to be their companion for the rest of the lesson. Some students did not take this news well, but most of them were able to get the creatures into their glass jars without much trouble. Once the students had come to order, Professor Vance started the lesson which was about, surprise surprise, using slugs to divine the Future. Before anyone could say "Pass the salt." The Professor asked her first question of the lesson, "What the slug is the universal symbol for and also what the pattern on the slugs shell represents." Answers started to fly in, one Tenacius Salander said and I quote "Professor they are the universal symbol for slow." While he technically wasn't wrong, it was not the answer the Professor was going for, though it certainly made me giggle. The slugs and snails are the universal symbols for steadfastness and stability. While the spiral on the shell symbolizes a persons journey through life as Prefect Juno Darcy pointed out. Professor Vance went on to say that snails and slugs are believed to be healers of the body, mind and spirit. Native Americans would even go so far as to let them crawl around in their mouths when they had toothaches! (Insert horrified shuddering here). The Divination Professor than asked if the children would be willing to let any creature including a snail/slug crawl around on their body or in their mouths if they could heal pain, sickness or any ailment. Needless to say this got an interesting reaction out of the class. Some people would be all right with animals crawling around on them, but most of them didn't want anything anywhere near their mouths.
The students were interrupted in their answers however by the arrival of Peeves, who decided to have some fun with the slimy creatures. A slug landed on Natalia Franks-Mundie's shoulder, two landed in Kitty Valentine's lap and another went right at Olivia Phillips. The class broke out in chaos and everyone scrambled away from the pesky poltergeist and his throwing arm. The Professor shouted to protect the creatures and Paige Skeeter did just that, casting a shield charm over the tanks to hopefully head off the interloper. With most of the students casting "Skurge" on him and the Professor threatening to tell the Baron on him, the Poltergeist finally headed out of the classroom with just a few more slugs tossed at people. Finally everyone was able to pick up their slimy companions and get on with the lesson. Professor Vance instructed them to put their slug on their hand or their arm and study the slime trail the creature would leave. A straight slime line meant that something good is happening or will happen in the near future, a zig zag line meant you are facing confusion or their could be trouble ahead and if your slug didn't move at all, well that meant you were afraid of change or making a choice. To get an even deeper in depth reading the students could ask the slugs questions and hope the slime trail made sense. With her instructions given, Professor Vance let the kids at it. Most of the students seemed to be just fine with having the slugs crawling on their arms and one could even hear the students asking their slugs questions. Though Paige and Natalia seemed to be letting the slugs crawl over their desk instead of their arms. Class time seemed to fly by and soon Professor Vance was dismissing everyone. So the students put their little slug friends back into their cases and went on their merry way, heading for the nearest bathroom to wash away the slime from the class.