| Ramora
Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Hogwarts Castle
Posts: 5,437
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Helena Ravenclaw
|  Resident Ghost of Ravenclaw | Intelligent & Evasive
SPOILER!!: Individual replies Quote:
Originally Posted by littledhampir  But he would answer her question. It seemed easy enough so Olly raised his hand. "A ghost is someone who died but their spirit is back. Not like a zombie or an inferi though, they don't have a body. You can see through them. And they still maintain full brain power. Why was she asking them? She was literally a ghost. "And they maintain all of their beauty." Cue smile. "Yes that is one definition of my kind. We died but our spirits stayed which makes us different from zombies and inferis that are undead creatures." Helena nodded. The compliment about her beauty didn't escape notice. Quote:
Originally Posted by Sararara She put a hand in the air with a small smile in the Grey Lady's direction. This had to be a fun lesson for her, considering she was an expert on the topic. Probably. "Ghosts were living humans at one point, but poltergeists were never alive. Most of 'em don't even have physical forms, except for Peeves but he's an exception for some reason. Ghosts do, though." Obviously. They could all see the Grey Lady right there all shaped like a human. "Good Norah you touched on one important difference. All ghosts were once wizards and/or witches that may have gone to Hogwarts whereas Poltergeists have never been alive." Helena would elaborate on that later. Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomRaven The Gryffindor raised her hand. "Ghost is a spirit from dead person and poltergeist is.... not." Maybe? She knew that Professor Grey Lady was a living person, and so was the other house ghost but... What about peeves? "Yes that is true Ava. Just remember that the dead persons have to have magical abilities like witches and wizards. No muggle can ever become a ghost." Helena commented. Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Ghosts! What an awesome topic! This lesson was going to be just as awesome as the rest! Yup, he could tell. The Hufflepuff raised his hand after some thought. "A ghost is like something that's been left behind of a person who has died and hasn't crossed over to the other side... the side where departed people go. Poltergeists are not.'' What? He did believe there's someplace persons were supposed to go after they died. Death was a fascinating topic to him... hence his grim reaper tattoo he had acquired last summer. "Whereas ghosts are usually nice, poltergeists are pranksters and can be mean.'' "You are correct Adi. A ghost is shall we say an imprint left behind of a witch or wizard that has died but not crossed over fully to the other side. Poltergeists have never been alive and yes they can be mean and nasty." Helena commented. One of the things Peeves was an expert at was pulling mean pranks on students. Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl "Ghosts are imprints of the souls of deceased witches and wizards. These witches or wizards usually have chosen to remain behind, instead of moving on, because they are afraid of death," he answered smartly, with a serious nod to his House ghost. He wasn't trying to be insensitive or anything, he was just really fascinated by this topic. "Ghosts can only occupy, or haunt, certain areas that were important to them while they were alive. The Spirit Division of the Department of Magical Creatures, in the Ministry of Magic, is supposed to help ghosts, and make sure they stay in their assigned haunt."
He took a breath for the second part of this question. "By contrast, poltergeists are non-beings without a physical form, except for Peeves, and they're amortal, which means they've never been alive and thus can never die. Unlike ghosts though, poltergeists can lift and move objects, and usually just spend their time causing chaos and mischief for the humans who also live where they dwell." There, that answer would do. Davie smiled a little bit and settled back in his cold seat. Ah David. There was at last one Ravenclaw in attendance that had come well prepared for class even if he was a touch on the insensitive side with his definitions since he was so fascinated by the subjet. "Yes, indeed David the spirit division at the ministry of magic does restrict all ghosts movements and they chose where we can 'haunt'. I for example can't put my foot outside the castle." Helena said. Which was why they could not go on any field trips to a museum or similar. Quote:
Originally Posted by MunchyBubbles "Ghosts were real people who have unfinished business, and so their spirits stayed behind when their body died." She thought anyways... but what were poltergeists? "Poltergeists..were never alive?" Merlin! This was harder than she thought! "I'm not sure if unfinished business is the right allegory for why witches and wizards chose to remain on earth as ghosts instead of passing over Syah. I can only speak for myself but I certainly didn't want to die when I did and most of all I feared death." Helena shared with the Gryffindor student. Quote:
Originally Posted by Squishy Taking out her notebook, Paulina listened as the lesson started. Raising her hand she proceeded to answer the first question: "A ghost is a person who has died but has left their spirit behind. Generally this is because they are either afraid of death or have some strong connection to the place they have chosen to stay behind in." That was a nice way of saying 'haunt'. "There are a few differences between ghosts and poltergeists. For one thing, poltergeists aren't dead since something can't die when they weren't alive in the first place." There were other things she could list, but Paulina thought it wouldn't be fair to her classmates if she hogged the answer. "You are correct Paulina, Poltergeists can't die since they've never been alive so they will dwell here on earth until the end of time just like most ghost do." Helena commented. Quote:
Originally Posted by Govoni Reagan, indeed, had a vast appreciation for these spirits and their history. "To add to what Davie has said...I think ghosts are also those who've suffered violent deaths." Heh, she hoped her pointed staring at Helena Ravenclaw wasn't...misconstrued as rude...but...And it wasn't just The Grey Lady, but the Bloody Baron, as well. And Nearly Headless Nick. All particularly violent demises, in her opinion.
Also, again..."This is some of my favorite subject matter, Professor." Deeply fascinating stuff here. A flash of emotion past over the Grey Lady's face as she focused on Reagan when she spoke it was gone again as she noted motionless. "Indeed many of those who are ghosts now suffered violent deaths before they became ghosts and I was no different." She'd go into why later on in the lesson. Quote:
Originally Posted by feeheeheeny "I'd argue that rather than use the term "never alive" to describe a poltergeist, we should say never corporeal. I mean, we'd argue that Peeves or Samea are plenty alive in spirit, they're full of the OTHER definiton of "life," they've just never had bodies and been human. 'N while we're not ENTIRELY sure where they come from, some think poltergeists are the result of a person dying in a powerful rage at the time of death, like, the poltergeist is formed from those energies from that death," she shrugged over at Rea, who'd offered up a similar thing on the concept of ghosts, "and some people think poltergeists come from negative energies emitted from young people. Like us. Teenagers. Like, all of our angst and negative emotions we give off create a sorta big magical aura energy thing that once got so powerful that it formed a poltergeist. Then maybe the continuation of those kind of emotions being emitted makes 'em keep existing. Fuels 'em. Which'd make since that we'd have 'em here, since it's like angst central confined within Hogwarts' walls. But I think the most commonly accepted theory is that they're the result of REALLY super strong emotions from a person, 'specially at the time of death, 'n they just... come into being from those super powerful emotions. They were never a being, always a spirit with no past life or anything like a ghost." Sophie she had learned you could always count on to give an answer outside of the textbook definition of things. She usually had thought before thinking and it showed. "I agree that saying never corporeal to describe a poltergeist is a better allegory that never alive." Helena commented with a thin smile. "I do not know however if there is any truth to the theories you bring up about if poltergeists get fuelled as you put it by strong negative emotions and come into existstance because of them but in a magical world anything is possible." Quote:
Originally Posted by hermionesclone Phillip STARED from one person to another as they rambled on and on and on to give the differences. Truth be told, he didn't even know HALF of that, how did they manage to memorise SO MUCH? HUH??? Were their brains SUPER POWERFUL? Because he would be surprised if he remembered what he had for dinner last night, let alone the differences between a ghost and a poltergeist. And some answers were confusing him. Like, the part about not being living in the first place and so, never dying. HOW WAS THAT POSSIBLE?! There was one C O N F U S E D first year over here.
But the question. UH. "I've heard that poltergeists can be jinxed, JUST like humans can." Turning slightly to look over at Phillip she nodded "Yes that is true poltergeists are vulnerable to some of the same spells as humans are like the langlock curse. Same could be said for ghosts since we can be for example petrified." Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry174 Angel loved History of Magic and now she had a question to answer for real as the Professor started the lesson, this was good. "Professor I think a ghost is caught in Limbo right." Angel had heard that but then when she had heard it she was a primary school child and never met one now she was wondering if she had been taught wrong. "And a poltergeists likes to misbehave and annoy people unlike ghosts." Which gave the film Casper the friendly ghost an whole new meaning right? Turing her eyes on Angel she said. "Limbo is not the term I'd use dear because those who have become ghosts made an active choice to leave a part of themselves behind because they didn't want to die." Quote:
Originally Posted by decapitatERN Finally, though, Dot raised her hand and grinned at Lady Ravenclaw. "Professor, Muggles think ghosts are really spooky and are scared of them, but I think that's because they can't see them properly and so they're more afraid of the unknown. And also some spells work on ghosts, just like some work on poltergeists." Nodding at Dot she said "Yes that is correct muggles are scared of us ghosts since we represent the unknown to them and to muggles the unknown is very scary and potentially evil." Quote:
Originally Posted by Poolicious Candice raised her hand in the air and waited till its her turn to talk. "You can see the difference from what they do, Professor. Ghosts, they haunt. They don't terrorize people. While Poltergeists like to play around with people." Like Peeves. "Yes in the simplest of definitions you can certainly differentiate ghosts and poltergeists by their actions towards people. Poltergeists can pull pranks and cause loads of mischief for people definitely while ghosts get along well with the living." Helena said. Quote:
Originally Posted by HeraRaising Zeke raised his hand, not to answer the question that followed, but more to clarify what the emphasis of the lesson was. "Professor, when you say the topic is ghosts, could you elaborate on that? Is there an event? The first ghost? ..." just WHAT historically was he supposed to learn? How was this 'historical'? Helena was about to makes notes appear on the blackboard for the student's to write down when Zeke stopped her floating away but not by answering her question. He wanted to know the purpose of the lesson. Irritation flared up inside her but she kept that down as she answered with just little hint of disapproval in her tone. "We're studying ghosts today because ghosts have had a long impact on the history of this school and its happenings and will continue to have that in the future." And that was all Helena was going to say about that.
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Deeming that all students that wanted to had given their answers Professor Helena proceeded on with the lecture. "Poltergeists are spirits that have never been living humans and as thus they can never die since they were never alive from the start. They haunt locations that are inhabited by a big number of adolescents like Hogwarts. Poltergeists usually doesn't have a corporeal form except for the castle's poltergeist and most notable poltergeist in history; Peeves who can move objects by using his own physical force and I'm sure many of you have been the target at least once by Peeves pranks and trouble causing and notorious ability to create as much mischief as possible wherever he goes." Even Helena had gotten her fill of Peeves antics over the years. "Ghosts on the other hand are incorporeal imprints that the witch or wizard have left behind on earth after suffering a violent death. We feared death and thus chose to remain among the living as transparent forms instead of passing over. We can't touch living things and you can't touch us and the spirit division at the ministry decide where we can haunt which is why I and my ghostly companions will forever remain here at Hogwarts." "Ghosts and poltergeists are in many ways similar and what differentiates us most is that ghosts were humans once while poltergeists have never been living......." Finishing her lecture she paused for a few moments before she decided to move on. "This term as you all may have noticed is about house spirit and building stronger bonds between each other so I thought I'd do my part in it by letting you all get to know us house ghosts better and our stories to increase house spirit and your bonds to your houses." "Well first look closer at one of the house ghosts that is often described as fat, short, brown-haired cheerful and dressed in a habit held up by a rope belt. Can you guess who I mean?"
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