Flying
New term. New Flying Instructor. Not entirely new for the students, however. You might have seen him around the grounds or dungeons. Did you figure out who took over from Professor Tanner yet? Another hint: one clearly needs to be VERY resilient to stress when teaching inexperienced and hormonal students how to fly a broomstick. And who better equipped to handle that than........our very own Justin McLeod. Yes, you heard right. In addition to his positions as Groundskeeper and Slytherin Head of House, Professor McLeod is now also the Flying Instructor. Give yourself a pat on the back if you guessed correctly.
The first lesson of the term was for first, second and third years only and took place in late November. At least this term the students didn’t have to wait TOO long for their turn on a broomstick. The trunk standing next to Professor McLeod when the students arrived emitted quite ominous sounds, almost like giggles, which, considering the Poltergeist madness happening inside the castle, was in fact just a tiny bit worrisome. First things first, however. One of the most important things to remember about flying a broom is….not to fall off (thank you, Miss Denaker). Sounds easy enough. While some of the students, as well as Professor McLeod, listed a number of other things to remember, this one seems to be the most obvious one. Yet, before you’re even able to mount your broom, you need to get your broomstick to trust you. And for that you first need to believe in yourself (beautiful, right?). You may even (and don’t try this at home) scream at the top of your lungs to get your adrenaline going. What an intense lesson! Fortunately for the students (and McLeod too, probably) the trunk’s contents were not ghosts but fireflies, which were to be chased through the hoops on the Quidditch Pitch. It appears that two third years, Jonas Emry and Tenacius Salander, did not take that the crucial piece of advice of not falling off their brooms to heart. They were both, however, heroically saved by Professor McLeod. Kudos to you, Professor, nobody died during your first lesson!
After a couple of months had passed the rest of the students were encouraged to attend a Flying Lesson as well. In early April the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh years were waiting by the Quidditch Pitch for the lesson to start. Once again, Professor McLeod had brought a large trunk but this one appeared to be mute. Which was both comforting and unnerving at the same time. Especially after the Flying Instructor summed up the focus of today’s lesson as learning how to keep your balance and "keeping your head on...literally". Literally?! Would Sir Nicholas be joining them this lesson? Would some of the students be joining HIM in his nearly-headless-endeavors? Before the mystery of the trunk’s contents could be revealed, however, the students had to once again get acquainted with their broomstick, with little tasks such as only holding the handle with one hand or no hands at all. After words of advice like "feel the broom, be the broom" (quite philosophical, right?) the students were finally ready to face what was in the trunk. Unlike in the lesson for the younger students, this time it did not contain anything alive (and giggly) but miniature Quaffles (not giggly). The main activity of this lesson was, hence, to get the Quaffles through the hoops, either by hand or with the help of one of the provided bats (Chaser or Beater: that is the question). The fact that the Quaffles rebounded off the hoops almost cost Miss Franks-Mundie her head nose. She did NOT inherit her father's Quiddtich skills, it seems. Aside from that, however, there were no major injuries. Even though some (looking at you there, Miss Skeeter) failed to even get their brooms off the ground in the first place. All in all, this term's flying lessons can be considered a great success. Nobody died. Surely, Professor Tanner is proud.
The first lesson of the term was for first, second and third years only and took place in late November. At least this term the students didn’t have to wait TOO long for their turn on a broomstick. The trunk standing next to Professor McLeod when the students arrived emitted quite ominous sounds, almost like giggles, which, considering the Poltergeist madness happening inside the castle, was in fact just a tiny bit worrisome. First things first, however. One of the most important things to remember about flying a broom is….not to fall off (thank you, Miss Denaker). Sounds easy enough. While some of the students, as well as Professor McLeod, listed a number of other things to remember, this one seems to be the most obvious one. Yet, before you’re even able to mount your broom, you need to get your broomstick to trust you. And for that you first need to believe in yourself (beautiful, right?). You may even (and don’t try this at home) scream at the top of your lungs to get your adrenaline going. What an intense lesson! Fortunately for the students (and McLeod too, probably) the trunk’s contents were not ghosts but fireflies, which were to be chased through the hoops on the Quidditch Pitch. It appears that two third years, Jonas Emry and Tenacius Salander, did not take that the crucial piece of advice of not falling off their brooms to heart. They were both, however, heroically saved by Professor McLeod. Kudos to you, Professor, nobody died during your first lesson!
After a couple of months had passed the rest of the students were encouraged to attend a Flying Lesson as well. In early April the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh years were waiting by the Quidditch Pitch for the lesson to start. Once again, Professor McLeod had brought a large trunk but this one appeared to be mute. Which was both comforting and unnerving at the same time. Especially after the Flying Instructor summed up the focus of today’s lesson as learning how to keep your balance and "keeping your head on...literally". Literally?! Would Sir Nicholas be joining them this lesson? Would some of the students be joining HIM in his nearly-headless-endeavors? Before the mystery of the trunk’s contents could be revealed, however, the students had to once again get acquainted with their broomstick, with little tasks such as only holding the handle with one hand or no hands at all. After words of advice like "feel the broom, be the broom" (quite philosophical, right?) the students were finally ready to face what was in the trunk. Unlike in the lesson for the younger students, this time it did not contain anything alive (and giggly) but miniature Quaffles (not giggly). The main activity of this lesson was, hence, to get the Quaffles through the hoops, either by hand or with the help of one of the provided bats (Chaser or Beater: that is the question). The fact that the Quaffles rebounded off the hoops almost cost Miss Franks-Mundie her head nose. She did NOT inherit her father's Quiddtich skills, it seems. Aside from that, however, there were no major injuries. Even though some (looking at you there, Miss Skeeter) failed to even get their brooms off the ground in the first place. All in all, this term's flying lessons can be considered a great success. Nobody died. Surely, Professor Tanner is proud.
Herbology
Over recent years, Professor Paul Myers has earned something of a reputation in his role of Herbology professor at Hogwarts. There are very few students at Hogwarts who have not experienced his exuberant and sometimes outright wacky (though still educational) classes. One of Professor Myers' lessons this term happened to fall squarely on the same day as Hallowe'en, and of course, our enthusiastic Herbology professor saw an opportunity and ran with it. This lesson in particular saw students permitted to attend in their Hallowe'en costumes, and Professor Myers himself pelting his students with handfuls of candy as they arrived, such was his excitement for the holiday. When it was time to get down to the actual Herbology, it transpired that Myers had not exactly planned a completely serious lesson, intending to instead spend the time having Herbology-themed fun. He had the students don the blindfolds that had been set out for them, only to stick their hands into bowls of unknown substances, and try to guess the contents. It turned out that the substance that everyone was sticking their hands into was nothing other than pumpkin guts - or pulp, the technical term for that pungent orange mess.
With the theme of the lesson revealed so creatively, Professor Myers went on to talk about the production of GIANT pumpkins, and the differences between stretching the pumpkins out with Engorgio, and legitimately breeding them into their giant sizes. To illustrate the 'stretched-ness' of a magically enlarged pumpkin, everyone took a regular-sized pumpkin, and drew a face on it. Once enlarged, the drawings stretched out, though Gryffindor Tenacius Salander went one better, causing his pumpkin to explode, spewing its contents all over everyone in the immediate vicinity - not to mention Professor Myers himself - after his Engorgement Charm was not cancelled in time. After all who had been splattered were once again clean, Myers introduced the final activity for the lesson: giant pumpkin bowling. This was revealed to be a little more complicated than regular bowling, however, and included the stipulation that for a team (the teams being decided by Hogwarts houses) to win, their pumpkins needed to smash against the wooden boards behind the pins, and would only do so after all ten pins had been bowled over. Once the pumpkins had smashed, a mysterious trinket from inside could then be retrieved, and presenting this would secure the win. The Hufflepuffs were the first to smash their pumpkin open, with Hufflepuff prefect Juno Darcy finding the mystery item. Gryffindor took second place, while Ravenclaw just managed to steal third, leaving Slytherin house in fourth place.
In another lesson, later in the term, students arrived at the greenhouses only to find them swelteringly hot. It was for good reason, too; lining the sides of the greenhouse were two types of fiery flowers. On one side, 'Specimen A' were black flowers not unlike roses, with smoldering petals, and on the other, another set of rose-like flowers made up 'Specimen B', this time with their blossoms completely on fire. Naturally, 'fire flowers' was the topic of this lesson, and Professor Myers revealed that Specimen A were known as Floo Flowers, and that Specimen B were in fact Fira Ignifera (or Fire Roses), and Ravenclaw third year Jacen Reed was astute enough to point out that the Floo Flowers were in fact an offshoot of the Fire Roses. All this take of soldering flowers was interesting enough, but it wouldn't be Herbology without a practical portion to the lesson, and so Professor Myers had his students work on handling the Fire Roses, digging up the planted roses and potting them instead. After this, he had everyone pluck some petals from the Floo Flowers and grind them up, because that particular ingredient is necessary in the production of Floo powder. By the time this was done, the time for class to be dismissed had come. But, before allowing his students to leave, Professor Myers had everyone pick a plant for a mysterious extra credit project that he had in mind.
The details of the extra credit project did not remain a mystery for long. It turned out to be all about crossbreeding, or, more specifically, crossbreeding a chosen plant with one of the fire flowers that had been studied on that particularly toasty day in the greenhouses. Students were to keep a journal of their progress in this project, which stretched right out to the end of term. All in all, Herbology lessons this term proved to be quite the exciting experience. From the fun and games of a Hallowe'en themed lesson to the highly informative and interesting experience of working with fire flowers, Professor Myers has continued to make his lessons incredibly enjoyable and informative, and the subject of Herbology continues to be a popular favourite among the students of Hogwarts.
With the theme of the lesson revealed so creatively, Professor Myers went on to talk about the production of GIANT pumpkins, and the differences between stretching the pumpkins out with Engorgio, and legitimately breeding them into their giant sizes. To illustrate the 'stretched-ness' of a magically enlarged pumpkin, everyone took a regular-sized pumpkin, and drew a face on it. Once enlarged, the drawings stretched out, though Gryffindor Tenacius Salander went one better, causing his pumpkin to explode, spewing its contents all over everyone in the immediate vicinity - not to mention Professor Myers himself - after his Engorgement Charm was not cancelled in time. After all who had been splattered were once again clean, Myers introduced the final activity for the lesson: giant pumpkin bowling. This was revealed to be a little more complicated than regular bowling, however, and included the stipulation that for a team (the teams being decided by Hogwarts houses) to win, their pumpkins needed to smash against the wooden boards behind the pins, and would only do so after all ten pins had been bowled over. Once the pumpkins had smashed, a mysterious trinket from inside could then be retrieved, and presenting this would secure the win. The Hufflepuffs were the first to smash their pumpkin open, with Hufflepuff prefect Juno Darcy finding the mystery item. Gryffindor took second place, while Ravenclaw just managed to steal third, leaving Slytherin house in fourth place.
In another lesson, later in the term, students arrived at the greenhouses only to find them swelteringly hot. It was for good reason, too; lining the sides of the greenhouse were two types of fiery flowers. On one side, 'Specimen A' were black flowers not unlike roses, with smoldering petals, and on the other, another set of rose-like flowers made up 'Specimen B', this time with their blossoms completely on fire. Naturally, 'fire flowers' was the topic of this lesson, and Professor Myers revealed that Specimen A were known as Floo Flowers, and that Specimen B were in fact Fira Ignifera (or Fire Roses), and Ravenclaw third year Jacen Reed was astute enough to point out that the Floo Flowers were in fact an offshoot of the Fire Roses. All this take of soldering flowers was interesting enough, but it wouldn't be Herbology without a practical portion to the lesson, and so Professor Myers had his students work on handling the Fire Roses, digging up the planted roses and potting them instead. After this, he had everyone pluck some petals from the Floo Flowers and grind them up, because that particular ingredient is necessary in the production of Floo powder. By the time this was done, the time for class to be dismissed had come. But, before allowing his students to leave, Professor Myers had everyone pick a plant for a mysterious extra credit project that he had in mind.
The details of the extra credit project did not remain a mystery for long. It turned out to be all about crossbreeding, or, more specifically, crossbreeding a chosen plant with one of the fire flowers that had been studied on that particularly toasty day in the greenhouses. Students were to keep a journal of their progress in this project, which stretched right out to the end of term. All in all, Herbology lessons this term proved to be quite the exciting experience. From the fun and games of a Hallowe'en themed lesson to the highly informative and interesting experience of working with fire flowers, Professor Myers has continued to make his lessons incredibly enjoyable and informative, and the subject of Herbology continues to be a popular favourite among the students of Hogwarts.
History of Magic
The arrival of the new term also brought with it several new staff. One of those was History of Magic professor, Rosalyn Newton (yes, a relation of the OTHER Newton), who took on the role after the departure of Professor Finch at the end of last term. A new professor meant a fresh perspective on the topic of history, and the students of Hogwarts were eager to see what Professor Newton The Younger had to offer.
One striking example of Professor Newton's classes this term was her lesson which focused on wizarding inventions. The class began with Professor Newton presented her students with four enlarged chocolate frog cards, all of which were of course bearing the images of famous historical figures: Perpetua Fancourt, Glover Hipworth, Ignatia Wildsmith, and Bertie Bott. After asking the class to provide one fact each about the witches and wizards, Professor Newton explained, for those who were not already aware, that these four famous figures had something in common; they were all inventors. The class discussion soon moved onto wizarding inventions themselves, and what kind of considerations a person might need to think about in the process of inventing something, until the main class activity was revealed. Bearing in mind everything had been discussed already, students were to think up their own inventions, write up a summary, and then create a poster for the invention they had decided one. The rest of the class was spent with the students in various levels of concentration, and the invention ideas produced ranged from the useful to the comical, the sensible to the downright ridiculous; no matter the invention, almost everyone got stuck in. And who knows; perhaps the next big inventor was sitting in the class, and have now been inspired to make their ideas a reality.
Sometimes, in her classes, Professor Newton would focus not on themes or events, but on specific witches or wizards from throughout history. In another notable lesson, Professor Newton asked what the class knew about Albus Dumbledore. Seeing as this particular wizard was incredibly famous and well-documented, a whole variety of facts were presented, from his year of birth and the house he was Sorted into at Hogwarts, to the fact that he thoroughly enjoyed knitting patterns. After the class discussion covered Dumbledore's accomplishments and his mentor relationship with wizarding hero Harry Potter, Professor Newton revealed the main activity - another creative one, at that. For the remainder of the lesson, students used their time to each write a song about the esteemed Albus Dumbledore, before finally being dismissed.
History of Magic is not necessarily for everyone; with its focus on the (sometimes not exactly 'thrilling') events of the past, and the fact that it is a deeply theoretical subject, some students hate the class for the same reason that others might adore it. This term, Professor Newton found a way to make her classes creative and fun, as well as informative. In doing this, she has firmly established herself as a friendly and well-liked member of staff. After all, making history fun can be a difficult feat, but Professor Newton took it in her stride, and has already made a name for herself - despite sharing that name with another of our professors - as a member of the Hogwarts faculty.
One striking example of Professor Newton's classes this term was her lesson which focused on wizarding inventions. The class began with Professor Newton presented her students with four enlarged chocolate frog cards, all of which were of course bearing the images of famous historical figures: Perpetua Fancourt, Glover Hipworth, Ignatia Wildsmith, and Bertie Bott. After asking the class to provide one fact each about the witches and wizards, Professor Newton explained, for those who were not already aware, that these four famous figures had something in common; they were all inventors. The class discussion soon moved onto wizarding inventions themselves, and what kind of considerations a person might need to think about in the process of inventing something, until the main class activity was revealed. Bearing in mind everything had been discussed already, students were to think up their own inventions, write up a summary, and then create a poster for the invention they had decided one. The rest of the class was spent with the students in various levels of concentration, and the invention ideas produced ranged from the useful to the comical, the sensible to the downright ridiculous; no matter the invention, almost everyone got stuck in. And who knows; perhaps the next big inventor was sitting in the class, and have now been inspired to make their ideas a reality.
Sometimes, in her classes, Professor Newton would focus not on themes or events, but on specific witches or wizards from throughout history. In another notable lesson, Professor Newton asked what the class knew about Albus Dumbledore. Seeing as this particular wizard was incredibly famous and well-documented, a whole variety of facts were presented, from his year of birth and the house he was Sorted into at Hogwarts, to the fact that he thoroughly enjoyed knitting patterns. After the class discussion covered Dumbledore's accomplishments and his mentor relationship with wizarding hero Harry Potter, Professor Newton revealed the main activity - another creative one, at that. For the remainder of the lesson, students used their time to each write a song about the esteemed Albus Dumbledore, before finally being dismissed.
History of Magic is not necessarily for everyone; with its focus on the (sometimes not exactly 'thrilling') events of the past, and the fact that it is a deeply theoretical subject, some students hate the class for the same reason that others might adore it. This term, Professor Newton found a way to make her classes creative and fun, as well as informative. In doing this, she has firmly established herself as a friendly and well-liked member of staff. After all, making history fun can be a difficult feat, but Professor Newton took it in her stride, and has already made a name for herself - despite sharing that name with another of our professors - as a member of the Hogwarts faculty.
Muggle Studies
“We’re off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
Sound familiar? Everyone who took Muggle Studies this year will definitely know this song. The Muggle film it is from was one of the major topics this term. Incidentally the movie in question is (surprise, surprise)....The Wizard of Oz. Easy to remember, right? A day in early December, Professor Stewart made sure the Muggle Studies classroom was particularly cozy and, hence, ready for a typical Muggle movie night. Or, well, day. Hour. Lesson. Once a short clip had been played on the professor’s laptop (well done, Mr. Salander), the students were asked to identify which film it originated from. While some sane students simply guessed the correct movie (The Wizard of Oz from 1939) one slightly insane Ravenclaw Prefect’s reaction to the clip was full of superlatives, grand gestures and unfortunate whale sounds. Was he okay, you might ask? We don’t know but at least one Miss Olivia Phillips appeared to be equally excited about the choice of movie for today. At least they have each other, right? Someone who was apparently more than unhappy about the inaccuracies in the film, compared to the original book written by Lyman Frank Baum, was Miss Paige Skeeter. She repeatedly pointed out a great number of discrepancies between the book and the movie throughout the lesson. Somebody clearly doesn’t know how to enjoy a movie lesson. An interesting observation was made, however, when Miss Skeeter drew a link between the ruby slippers (which, yes, were actually silver in the book, WE KNOW) and the Elder Wand, as both can only be passed on to a new owner if the previous owner is defeated or it is willingly handed over. Now we have to ask ourselves, who came up with it first? Lyman Frank Baum or Death? Think about it. The rest of the lesson was used to watch the film, while nomming on brownies, cookies, hot chocolate and (of course) popcorn brought upstairs by two of our favorite house elves: Pips and Nimma.
After following the Yellow Brick Road to Oz earlier in the term the end of April was once again more about going back to the basics of Muggle Studies. Professor Stewart tried to get the students to think about their own feelings towards Muggles and focus on building bridges between the wizarding world and the Muggle world. While Miss Skeeter pointed out that the only thing that made Muggles different from witches and wizards was the existence (or non-existence) of magical genes within them, Mr. Bellaire openly admitted to pitying Muggles, seeing as he found them to be “least advantaged” of the world’s people. He, furthermore, argued that the two sides - Muggles, on the one side, and witches and wizards on the other - did not share information in the same way ever since the Wizarding World was forced into hiding who they were in front of non-magical people by the establishment of the Statute of Secrecy. This in turn made it impossible for Muggles to be considered fundamentally equal to witches and wizards, considering that they would always be less informed than their magical counterparts. Seeing as the lesson had started off in a rather serious manner, the following set of questions appeared to be little easier and lighter. Some of the great Muggle inventions the students listed as being particularly fond of were films (The Wizard of Oz maybe?), the internet, cars and airplanes, as well as the internet and smartphones. Apparently a lot of them did have regular contact to the Muggle world already which was why the next question about the most important aspects of building and/or maintaining a relationship with a Muggle was readily answered. Mr. Jace Reed eventually boiled it down to being respectful towards each other, however. That is, as with every human interaction, the most important thing to remember. The main activity at the end of the lesson was simple: write a short message, poem or song or make a drawing for a Muggle in your life to show them that you appreciate them. Still, the most valuable aspect to take away from this lesson is to treat each other with respect. Always.
Sound familiar? Everyone who took Muggle Studies this year will definitely know this song. The Muggle film it is from was one of the major topics this term. Incidentally the movie in question is (surprise, surprise)....The Wizard of Oz. Easy to remember, right? A day in early December, Professor Stewart made sure the Muggle Studies classroom was particularly cozy and, hence, ready for a typical Muggle movie night. Or, well, day. Hour. Lesson. Once a short clip had been played on the professor’s laptop (well done, Mr. Salander), the students were asked to identify which film it originated from. While some sane students simply guessed the correct movie (The Wizard of Oz from 1939) one slightly insane Ravenclaw Prefect’s reaction to the clip was full of superlatives, grand gestures and unfortunate whale sounds. Was he okay, you might ask? We don’t know but at least one Miss Olivia Phillips appeared to be equally excited about the choice of movie for today. At least they have each other, right? Someone who was apparently more than unhappy about the inaccuracies in the film, compared to the original book written by Lyman Frank Baum, was Miss Paige Skeeter. She repeatedly pointed out a great number of discrepancies between the book and the movie throughout the lesson. Somebody clearly doesn’t know how to enjoy a movie lesson. An interesting observation was made, however, when Miss Skeeter drew a link between the ruby slippers (which, yes, were actually silver in the book, WE KNOW) and the Elder Wand, as both can only be passed on to a new owner if the previous owner is defeated or it is willingly handed over. Now we have to ask ourselves, who came up with it first? Lyman Frank Baum or Death? Think about it. The rest of the lesson was used to watch the film, while nomming on brownies, cookies, hot chocolate and (of course) popcorn brought upstairs by two of our favorite house elves: Pips and Nimma.
After following the Yellow Brick Road to Oz earlier in the term the end of April was once again more about going back to the basics of Muggle Studies. Professor Stewart tried to get the students to think about their own feelings towards Muggles and focus on building bridges between the wizarding world and the Muggle world. While Miss Skeeter pointed out that the only thing that made Muggles different from witches and wizards was the existence (or non-existence) of magical genes within them, Mr. Bellaire openly admitted to pitying Muggles, seeing as he found them to be “least advantaged” of the world’s people. He, furthermore, argued that the two sides - Muggles, on the one side, and witches and wizards on the other - did not share information in the same way ever since the Wizarding World was forced into hiding who they were in front of non-magical people by the establishment of the Statute of Secrecy. This in turn made it impossible for Muggles to be considered fundamentally equal to witches and wizards, considering that they would always be less informed than their magical counterparts. Seeing as the lesson had started off in a rather serious manner, the following set of questions appeared to be little easier and lighter. Some of the great Muggle inventions the students listed as being particularly fond of were films (The Wizard of Oz maybe?), the internet, cars and airplanes, as well as the internet and smartphones. Apparently a lot of them did have regular contact to the Muggle world already which was why the next question about the most important aspects of building and/or maintaining a relationship with a Muggle was readily answered. Mr. Jace Reed eventually boiled it down to being respectful towards each other, however. That is, as with every human interaction, the most important thing to remember. The main activity at the end of the lesson was simple: write a short message, poem or song or make a drawing for a Muggle in your life to show them that you appreciate them. Still, the most valuable aspect to take away from this lesson is to treat each other with respect. Always.
Potions
Potions- it's a class that has been full of excitement lately since the elderly Arthur Newton took over from the previous Potions Professor a few terms ago. His very first term as a teacher saw a class where all of the students, yours truly included, got mildly poisoned due to an ingredient mix up. Fortunately this, his third term was less... interesting than that class was, but there was still some mischief to be had. Thankfully Professor Newton and his ever present rodent companion, Madam Curie have managed to handle everything coming their way with grace and elegance.
The students filed into the classroom to be greeted with not only a strong sent of Menthol, due to the fact that the aged Professors knees seemed to be giving him trouble again, but were also treated to the sight of pink Lab coats, caused by a laundry incident involving Miffy. Yes it seemed like this class was off to a fantastic start. So with clear nasal passages and everyone looking like fashion plates it was time to learn. Students were told to come look at the ingredients to see if they could guess which potion they were making, guesses were quickly made and it was revealed that they would be making a Babbling Beverage with a few tweaks added by Professor Newton himself to keep the potion safe from accidental overdose. The students eagerly started to get to work, but sadly it was not meant to be an easy lesson. First a fight sprung up between Miss Skeeter and Miss Traulton, due to Miss Skeeter's wayward Aguamenti charm. The main disruption however was in the form of Pixies, they soared into the room and started to make a mess, pulling clothes, messing up ingredients and generally being a pain. Several students including Prefect Juno Darcy, cast spells at them and finally the Pixies left the class, not before dumping a vial of armadillo bile on poor Professor Newton though. After they were gone, the rest of the class went by smoothly and armadillo bile free. The Beverages were finished up and the students headed out.
The second lesson later on in the year found the Professor no where in sight as the students entered, something that was highly unusual for the aged Potions Master. A few worried voices could be heard wondering if the older man was well, soon enough he rushed in late.. but well and eager to start a challenging lesson. The students were going to tackle one of Professor Newtons own creations. Something called a Concentration Concoction to help one concentrate and study for exams. Not only did this potion involve well.. making a potion, but it also involved a form of meditation called Trataka. Which the students were supposed to do while brewing the potion. The more you concentrated during the Trataka, the better your potion would turn out. It was a rather innovative way to brew the potion, and the students seemed eager to begin the unusual lesson. A question was raised by Miss Skeeter early on in the brewing process asking if the potion was Ministry approved for exam taking, to which the Professor responded that it was, it didn't make you smarter just helped you concentrate. Compared to the first lesson, this potions class went very smoothly and soon class time was over and the students were handing in their vials and heading out the door. I only hope there were extra vials out there for the poor fifth and seventh years out there who were slaving over their books in preparation for OWLS and NEWTS.
The students filed into the classroom to be greeted with not only a strong sent of Menthol, due to the fact that the aged Professors knees seemed to be giving him trouble again, but were also treated to the sight of pink Lab coats, caused by a laundry incident involving Miffy. Yes it seemed like this class was off to a fantastic start. So with clear nasal passages and everyone looking like fashion plates it was time to learn. Students were told to come look at the ingredients to see if they could guess which potion they were making, guesses were quickly made and it was revealed that they would be making a Babbling Beverage with a few tweaks added by Professor Newton himself to keep the potion safe from accidental overdose. The students eagerly started to get to work, but sadly it was not meant to be an easy lesson. First a fight sprung up between Miss Skeeter and Miss Traulton, due to Miss Skeeter's wayward Aguamenti charm. The main disruption however was in the form of Pixies, they soared into the room and started to make a mess, pulling clothes, messing up ingredients and generally being a pain. Several students including Prefect Juno Darcy, cast spells at them and finally the Pixies left the class, not before dumping a vial of armadillo bile on poor Professor Newton though. After they were gone, the rest of the class went by smoothly and armadillo bile free. The Beverages were finished up and the students headed out.
The second lesson later on in the year found the Professor no where in sight as the students entered, something that was highly unusual for the aged Potions Master. A few worried voices could be heard wondering if the older man was well, soon enough he rushed in late.. but well and eager to start a challenging lesson. The students were going to tackle one of Professor Newtons own creations. Something called a Concentration Concoction to help one concentrate and study for exams. Not only did this potion involve well.. making a potion, but it also involved a form of meditation called Trataka. Which the students were supposed to do while brewing the potion. The more you concentrated during the Trataka, the better your potion would turn out. It was a rather innovative way to brew the potion, and the students seemed eager to begin the unusual lesson. A question was raised by Miss Skeeter early on in the brewing process asking if the potion was Ministry approved for exam taking, to which the Professor responded that it was, it didn't make you smarter just helped you concentrate. Compared to the first lesson, this potions class went very smoothly and soon class time was over and the students were handing in their vials and heading out the door. I only hope there were extra vials out there for the poor fifth and seventh years out there who were slaving over their books in preparation for OWLS and NEWTS.
Transfiguration
Coming to us across the pond this term to fill the role of Transfiguration professor was Ilvermorny graduate Felicity Riveroll. Known for taking strolls around the Black Lake in her animagus form, Professor Riveroll’s kind nature made for easy to follow lessons and an overall comfortable atmosphere surrounding her. “The only thing about Professor Riveroll that disappointed me was that she wouldn’t let me cuddle her in animagus form,” laments one Gryffindor first year. At least she didn’t go through the rubbish bins like real ones do?
When students entered the classroom for their first lesson of the term, those in the know were not fooled by the lack of a professor in the room when eager eyes fell on the racoon form sitting in the front of the classroom. Sure enough, when it came time for the lesson to start Professor Riveroll revealed herself before diving into a brief discussion concerning animagi. While there would be no animagi training done that day, students were given the opportunity to learn an advanced bit of transfiguration with the spell Mutare Pellem which allows the caster to transfigure skin into fur, feathers, or whatever one visualizes it to be. While some were successful, such as Head Girl Hadleigh Lynch successfully turning her skin into shimmering blue fish scales, the majority of the class found little success with this particular spell - but it was not because of a lack of effort! Class was dismissed early when Hufflepuff seventh year Paige Skeeter’s failed attempts at the spell caused her skin to seemingly melt right off her hand like melting candle wax and required her immediate escort to the hospital wing by Hufflepuff prefect Brian Woods and the professor herself.
Deciding to return to America next term, Hogwarts bid farewell to its favorite ring-tailed professor. We wish you well, Professor Riveroll! Thanks for the memories.
When students entered the classroom for their first lesson of the term, those in the know were not fooled by the lack of a professor in the room when eager eyes fell on the racoon form sitting in the front of the classroom. Sure enough, when it came time for the lesson to start Professor Riveroll revealed herself before diving into a brief discussion concerning animagi. While there would be no animagi training done that day, students were given the opportunity to learn an advanced bit of transfiguration with the spell Mutare Pellem which allows the caster to transfigure skin into fur, feathers, or whatever one visualizes it to be. While some were successful, such as Head Girl Hadleigh Lynch successfully turning her skin into shimmering blue fish scales, the majority of the class found little success with this particular spell - but it was not because of a lack of effort! Class was dismissed early when Hufflepuff seventh year Paige Skeeter’s failed attempts at the spell caused her skin to seemingly melt right off her hand like melting candle wax and required her immediate escort to the hospital wing by Hufflepuff prefect Brian Woods and the professor herself.
Deciding to return to America next term, Hogwarts bid farewell to its favorite ring-tailed professor. We wish you well, Professor Riveroll! Thanks for the memories.