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Join Date: May 2009 Location: London
Posts: 32,843
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alexander River Hirsch
Gryffindor Third Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
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|  urine trouble | Pat's Strong Confident Other Half | Pees Like a Champion Unicorn Racehorse
Text Cut: Responses Text Cut: Haddie Quote:
Originally Posted by Callie  Hadley was a bit bummed about missing the question. Sure she didn't know the magical name of the creature, but surely that was still what muggles called the black dog, right? No point dwelling on it, she'd just get the next question right. Hads thought long and hard about that. Why would light work, but firelight not work? Shadows maybe? "Is it...is it because they're function like shadows, Sir? Non firelight tends to be stronger and drives shadows away. But firelight is softer and often makes more shadows while flickering?"
Now that she said it out loud, she was sure it was a wrong answer. But, maybe that last part was the key. "Or is it because firelight flickers, and isn't consistent in its brightness?" Hmmm, yeah, the second one sounded like a better answer to her.
……………. Shadows?!
Hirsch considered her answer. And not in the way someone would consider someone else’s answer just to be nice: he really thought about the concept she was putting forward, furrowed eyebrows and all. Shadows. "You could say that. I mean, they’re not physical beings, they're rather ghosts of an animal that can disappear so I understand how you came to that conclusion. Good guess, Haddie." Smile.
Text Cut: Jaemin Quote:
Originally Posted by Ameh Not Gally-trot then. Jaemin made a face when the real name was revealed, because that was really close to Gally-trot... but then, when the professor told them more about the creature, it was really not close to Gally-trot.
Gally-trot was very obviously not a gytrash.
The small boy watched the picture move and tilted his head curiously; with one not being here, and their only talking about it in theory, he wasn't all that concerned. It was all good right now. He chewed his lip thoughtfully and raised his hand when the professor posed the next question.
"Natural light and firelight are really different. You can't grow most kinds of plants by firelight because it's made up of different wavelengths than natural light is, and it doesn't have all of the ones plants need... maybe the gytrash gets repelled by blue wavelengths?" Which firelight didn't have. Which was why Jaemin couldn't grow his plant patch in his dorm. Which sucked. "Or it's just... not bright enough..."
That could be a thing too. Less sciencey, though.
In all honesty, Hirsch was blown away. He stood there, blinking a few times at the boy, silently wondering if he actually was a second year or if he was, in fact, older. Because this was not something that twelve/thirteen year olds often thought about.
"That’s very advanced thinking, Jaemin. I'm impressed." He might have to mention something to Julien about this. "You’re very right. Blue light is exactly what repels the Grytrash, mostly because of the structure of the light itself. Very well done." He would have to explain this a bit more in a while.
Text Cut: Blaise Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo Um...so...that wasn't a very good answer Professor. It...it's the kind that makes a kid decide that even WALKING close to the Forbidden Forest might not be such a good idea. Like what if there were six of them waiting for him one day--because obviously they would be after him and make deliberate plans to get him without ever meeting him before. Then you had to consider...if they were scared of light...and light was everywhere and...and...how impressive you might seem for catching one. Wouldn't have otherwise crossed his mind but with them SO CLOSE, it would almost seem a shame not to at least try.
But now the Professor was asking more questions he didn't know and just when he was on a roll too! Ugh. The boy twisted in his seat, waiting to hear what the Slytherin Prefect said next but when she didn't immediately speak up, Blaise could see how slow on the uptake he was beginning to look.
Welp, only one thing to do about that.
Hand up once more. "The answer is whatever Dot says it is, Sir. Just as soon as she offers her answer, I want you to know that I agree with it whole-heartedly because she seems well versed on this topic--failing that option, I'd like you to change my answer to whatever whoever gets it right says."
Just saying.
What in the name of?!
A part of Hirsch was very amused by this way of thinking while another part of Hirsch simply wanted to facepalm and pretend that these sentences had never been said to him.
Okay, Blaise, okay. You do you.
Text Cut: Rooney Quote:
Originally Posted by Shanners Interesting. Rooney continued to note things down, giving a look at his peers when they answered in turn. He raised his own hand, looking typically unsure of his answer, but knew enough that it was always better to answer than to not. Besides, what if the idea in his head was exactly what was right? Then he'd look stupid. "What about the oxygen levels, Sir? And the fumes from the fire? Does that counteract the light element of it?" If not, did it even do anything?
Now he was thinking about the smell of fire and how much he missed camp fires at camp and the one at his birthday party, with Liv and Char at his side.
Memories, yeah.
This was another interesting response and one that got a smile from the man. "I’d say so. Oxygen would only feed them and since fire releases it, you'd need a lot more fire to counteract the Gytrash in comparison to light. Light’s just stronger." So yes, he was along the right path.
Text Cut: Juno Quote:
Originally Posted by Suziella Juno raised her hand and waited to be called on. Once she was called on, she replied, "Is it because they a ghost or specter like, meaning they don't really have a physical form so fire wouldn't really affect them?" She wasn't sure that this was the right answer but she really hoped it was.
She didn't know much about this animal, in fact she had never heard of it before today. It made her wonder how often her father had to deal with animals, being an Auror and all. She then remembered, to circle Gytrash in her notes as the animal they were talking about.
"Yes!" His eyes were sparkling and a wide smile was in place because this was exactly it. "That’s exactly the answer I was looking for. Well done, Miss Darcy."
Text Cut: Cornelius Quote:
Originally Posted by Deezerz Hirsch pushes his glasses up his nose, Cornelius pushes his up his nose.
Inner fanboying!!!
Cornelius knew the name of the creatures. His mum had made sure to educate him on them after that incident. Even Rosie and Johnathan (who was a grown man) was there. The perks of having a beautiful former Ravenclaw for a mother meant she loved to share her knowledge. Knowledge that Cornelius will use towards his success.
Why a gytrash was defenseless against light and not fire? Cornelius bit his lip. Damn. To be honest, he had not been listening closely to his mum because Rosie had been telling him about Vanessa from primary school, and how she had stolen Mr Kenna's sandwich the day before Easter break. Double damn. Cornelius raised his hand slowly this time.
"Light is solid...like it's bright and in your face unless you move it. Fire is unsteady and can be blown out." Poof and you were dead.
What a sweet boy. Hirsch would have to make a mental note to ask the boy about the glasses a little later on, not in the middle of class where it would ruin the vibe. So yes, expect questions about the glasses, Cornelius.
For now, the man nodded along to the answer being given and said, "To put it in simple terms, yes. Fire can kill but it can also be blown out more easily than light. Very good.”
Text Cut: Dot Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin Blaise got a look. Another one. He was racking up Dot looks these days, and he was very close to his limit. She hadn't even said anything yet, but he agreed with her? What if she said something crazy on purpose just to see what he'd do?
"It must be the property of light that the gytrash doesn't like, rather than the heat of the flame. Maybe a bright enough flame would work, but a lighting spell would be brighter and more effective."
As soon as the Slytherin Prefect piped up with her answer, the man turned to look at her, fully expecting a great theory to be put forward. And he wasn't disappointed, either. "I have to say, you're on a roll, Miss Wojack." He would've said she was on fire but given the context of the class, that might not have been appropriate. "A bright enough flame could work but it requires more force and energy than a simple light charm. Well done!"
Text Cut: Olly Quote:
Originally Posted by littledhampir To Olly, the picture looked kind of like a patronus. It was white and all smokey like patronuses were, but apparently that's not what it was. Gytrash. That was a weird name. Gy Trash. Weird. As someone who had grown up in the wizarding world he knew most magical animals, but this one was new to him. He might have heard about it before, but briefly enough that it had never stuck. He just did not remember it, at least.
Doesn't like light, got it. If he ever came across one of those trash things he could just make a fire. Wait, no he couldn't. That wouldn't help. Why? That was what Olly was asking himself so how could he possibly answer? He thought hard, trying to come up with an answer. He had a few possible guesses but nothing that made a whole lot of sense. Finally he just raised his hand and decided to go for it. "Is it because they are fire resistant?"
Fire resistant? His eyebrows were furrowed once more as he thought about this answer from the young Slytherin. "That’s a good way of remembering it. The fire would have to be really bright and exceptionally strong to work but otherwise, it won't keep the Gytrash at bay or make them disappear altogether. Oxygen levels, you know. If you want to remember them as being fire-resistant, then I have no complaints against that."
Text Cut: Brooklyn Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverTiger By now, she rather felt like Professor Hirsch ought to expect her to be quiet during the discussion portion of the lessons. It wasn’t that Brooklyn wasn’t paying attention, or that she didn’t know. She just preferred not repeating others’ answers and that was her reasoning behind once again keeping her thoughts to herself. As it happened, though, she was hardly interested in identifying a gytrash, when it was just a picture. Pictures were rarely threats, and as usual she had been only taking the barest amount of notes.
Her hand had lazily risen at the question of why fire didn’t work like light did, though. “Destruction,” she said clearly. “The gytrash enjoys darkness and fire destroys. In a way that makes it more connected to darkness than light.” Therefore making it perfectly clear as to why a dark creature wouldn’t fear fire. As far as she was concerned, they ought to feed off of it.
Well if this wasn't a Slytherin way of answering, he didn't know what was.
In fact, it made the man a little worried about the girl’s way of thinking but, then again, this was Brooklyn. She wasn't one to be messed with, remember? "That’s an interesting concept, Miss Andrews. I've never really thought of it like that before." Huh. Interesting.
Text Cut: Niomi Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixWizard Niomi had no idea why fire wouldn't work. It is light. She might as well take a guess. She raised her hand and said, "Could it be because of the element that fire had compared to light? Also, maybe the form?" Niomi honestly had no idea. This animal was something new to her. She wanted to learn more about it. Why wouldn't fire work?
Oh, someone had mentioned elements and form! "Yes, yes exactly. One’s a physical form and one contains wavelengths. So even if some of the properties are similar, one is vastly better than the other at defeating them." Smile. Good, Miss Kelly, good.
Text Cut: Vivian Quote:
Originally Posted by Kimothy What that thing be? Vivian just squinted at the picture, really. It wasn't really as if she couldn't see, since she was actually in the FRONT row of the classroom. The entire squinting thing was for the dramatic effect, to be honest.
Because she didn't know what in the name of Merlin that creature was. LOL. She raised her hand, nevertheless. "Looks like a big bad dog to me, Professor," the Slytherin said. "As for the otherrrr question... it probably gets energy from fire? Like... thermal energy kinda thing, since light energy is different... although they're kinda connected..." Vivi's sentence slowly faded. Awkward. She didn't know. The dog didn't really look like a nice one either. Vivi preferred her husbandog Prancer. Ahem. Besides, wasn't this supposed to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts class? Oh well. The blonde decided to reserve the rest for a Creatures class.
So she continued to stare at Professor Hirsch. Ah, pretty professor. Pretty face. Pretty subject. Pretty everything.
Hirsch kept his eyes on the girl, expecting her to continue her sentence, but, she didn't? Er? "Why did you stop? You were on the right track." And from such a young mind, too. "Thermal energy is different to light energy. The creature feeds off of the oxygen in fire but light has no such thing."
Text Cut: Esme Quote:
Originally Posted by Squishy Gytrash?
Esme had never heard of them before and quite frankly she wished to remain ignorant of them. Looked like she wouldn't be taking any midnight strolls in the woods... Not that she really WOULD have, but that was besides the point. Even more reason for her to avoid the Forbidden Forest and she already had a million reasons for that as it was.
Anyway.
She raised her hand to offer a guess as to the answer of the next question. "Does it have to do the with the properties of light? Light is 'purer' - that is to say brighter - and doesn't cast shadows. Basically it's stronger." That was the only reason she could think of.
Light’s purer? "That’s an interesting way of putting it. You’re right, it's brighter and stronger and much more effective than fire but light still casts shadows." Unless he was mistaken by her words.
Text Cut: Janelle Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer11 A Gytrash? Janelle had never heard of that creature before and now she was sorry to have learned about it. Ignorance was bliss and now she was afraid that she would never feel the same about being alone in the dark. Those things were creepy, creepy and scary.
Janelle took notes on the scary creature and was relieved to know that there was some kind of defense against it. They could hold them off with light. This was good, good to know. Light could even make the creatures disappear. This was very good. Then the bad news. Fire would not have any effect on the Gytrash. And there was the question, why not? Why wouldn't fire work against the creepy dogs? Um........yeah. Good question. Janelle thought about it and came up with a theory. It was lame, but she gave it a shot. Raising her hand, Janelle jumped into the conversation. "Welllll, maybe fire doesn't work because of the heat that goes along with it. Something about the heat might negate the whole light effect." Ok even to Janelle that didn't make sense. You would think that the heat plus light would be more effective than just plain light. Oh well. Janelle just listened to her classmates replies and waited for the professor to reveal the real answer.
There were a lot of heat answers here. Good. That meant that they were thinking along the right lines. "You’re absolutely right. Fire is weaker than light because of the presence of heat and oxygen there." He would go more in depth in a short while.
Text Cut: Fiyero Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy Fiyero scratched his head, staring blankly at the picture. He has absolutely no idea why light could affecta gytrash but fire couldn't. He knew he'd better come up.with something and fast so Professor Hirsch wouldn't think he wasn't participating.
He had to think for a long while before something finally came to him. "Maybe it has something to do with the gytrash being intangible," he guessed. "Light can pass through it but fire can't..." He hoped his answer didn't sound too stupid; it was the only one he could think if.
Intangible. Good word, that one was. "That’s precisely it. They're not physical beings so why use physical objects against them that they can easily defeat?"
Text Cut: Kitty Quote:
Originally Posted by Goblinfrog Yep, Kitty knew lots about vampires. Vampires was one of her all time favorite subjects, though she had yet to meet a real one in the flesh. Her love for vampires went as far back as her love of all things Gothic.
Phantom dogs not so much. Kitty remained silent as everyone else gave their answers. It looked cool in a creepy sort of way. She slowly took her camera out from her bag and snapped a picture of it. Then she put the camera away and listened as the professor explained that the creature was a Gytrash.
"I really don't know why light would affect a Gytrash but fire wouldn't," replied Kitty, thoroughly stumped. "But I guess Esme's answer sounds the most logical. Some of the other students here said that light doesn't give off heat, but that can't be the answer because light DOES give heat. For instance, muggle made lightbulbs burn you if you touch them when they've been on for awhile." Yeah, she had experience with that back home. "So I agree with Esme."
He did like someone who questioned a way of thinking, as long as it was done tastefully. Meaning, nothing that made him look incompetent which, thankfully, this wasn't.
But to answer her question, "Well, it's like you said, isn't it? Lightbulbs get hot after it's been on for a while. It's an after effect, not something that makes up the bulb. Light is the main function there. But fire is made up of heat and light, meaning that it shares functions. Light in fire is weaker than light your produce with a Lumos spell." Make sense?
"And fire is a physical object, light isn't."
Text Cut: Emma Quote:
Originally Posted by AlwaysDance Gytrash.
Emma had heard of these creatures briefly while at Durmstrang. One thing she remembered about them was that they were sort of like the ghosts of animals, dogs in particular. They were possibly the spirits of crups, which contained a similar forked tail if she recalled correctly. So why did light affect them, but not fire. That was an interesting question indeed.
Thinking back to her studies Emma tried to come up with a good answer. "Professor, does it have to do with the form of the Gytrash. Aren't they believed to be the ghosts of animals, possibly crups because they share the forked tail?" Emma questioned. "Because they are a ghost form, fire would not affect them the same as light. As some people have mentioned, fire can be blown out, while light stands strong and doesn't waver." Emma had no idea if what she said was right, she would have to wait and see.
"Yes, they’re the ghosts of crups and other dogs that wander lonely roads and feed on human prey. Excellent thinking!"
And there was more to be had along the excellent thinking route. Hirsch smiled at the girl and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "That’s exactly it! Light can't be put out but fire can. Very well done."
Text Cut: Echo Quote:
Originally Posted by Grrr..Meow Echo raised her hand "Professor, the main difference is the degree of brightness, fire gives off a nice glow sure...... but pure light is so bright that it can be blinding" she chimed in with the rest of the students.
And here was another mention on the degree of brightness. Had these kids read his mind? Or was the question too simple? "You could say it is, yes. A nice glow isn't as strong, is it?"
Text Cut: Silent ones Quote:
Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl See, Rula was usually very excited for her DADA lessons, because Handsome Hirsch was the professor and it was also kind of a fun and interesting class. But she didn't do creepy. She only liked Halloween for the dressing up part - the scary, creepy parts were definitely NOT her cup of tea.
And the current look of the classroom kind of fit more in the potentially scary category right now. So she was not enjoying this lesson as much as usual, which also meant she remained pretty quiet while questions and answers were given. The only thing keeping her focused and taking notes was Handsome Hirsch's face. Still looked pretty handsome even in the creepy bluebell flame lighting.
The gytrash, on the other hand, was NOT nice to look at in this lighting. The sudden appearance of the picture had startled her a little, and she quickly averted her eyes to her notes to avoid looking at it. But then her imagination ran a little wild and pictured it staring at her, or creeping up behind her, and she just had to look up again to make sure the picture was still where it was supposed to be.
Of course it was. Merlin. Her imagination was so dumb sometimes.
At least one of the bluebell flame jars was much brighter now. Could they have even more light now that they were talking about it? Please and thanks. Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegz Probably Char should be answering questions given she did know some things about the gytrash, but honestly she was far too caught up with shooting SIGNIFICANT looks at Chloe. For reasons.
Carry on Hirsch.
Hirsch.
Hirschy.
She giggled slightly and wondered how many other girls in the class aside from Chloe wanted a Hirschy's kiss.
Hilarious! Quote:
Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy Her answer had been correct along with two others, Dot and Blaise. Even if she hadn't remembered it's exact name she had been able to recall what the creature thing was capable of.
As for the next question about why light would cause the Gytrash to disappear but not fire Hady had to agree with most of the answers the were already being given. The difference between light and fire was rather different therefore it made total sense that a creature would be affected by one and not the other. She was remaining quiet though for the moment not wanting to constantly repeat the same answers again and again.
Ah, silent students. Once again, he glanced over at them but said nothing. It wasn't the simplest of questions so he understood the silence. Some people preferred to be silent in these situations rather than make wild guesses. Just pay attention, okay?
Was everyone done guessing? Yes? Good. Now, he could continue. "Those were some very clever guesses from you all to a very tricky question. Well done!"
The actual answer? "There are a number of reasons why light works but fire doesn't. Or doesn't work as well as you need it to. Simply put, light is stronger than fire. Light is pure light energy which is the exact counterbalance to the darkness that the Gytrash prefers. Gytrashes feed off of the heat and oxygen in fire so you need a really strong, bright flame that gives off more light energy. This requires more energy and let's face it: no one wants to use more energy than they need to, do they?" Perfect for teenagers.
"I mean, think about Patronuses. Why do you think we produce a patronus against Dementors and Lethifolds, your personal light shield, rather than a ball of fire that you can fling at the creatures?" Good comparison? He thought so! "Gytrashes are ghost creatures. They can easily extinguish fire, just like Dementors and Lethifolds can, because it’s a physical object but light? Not so much."
"What really repels Gytrashes is blue light. Light appears in wavelengths, small wavy lines that travel in the air. The wavelengths for blue light is shorter and can be scattered around more, which makes it work better against them. It's small and fast and can travel more efficiently." Too sciencey? Maybe. "So, you need to use blue light against them."
Breathe.
"Lumos works well, and you can use it if you're comfortable with it but Lumos uses white light. If you want blue light, you need to use……." A flick of his wand and a large piece of parchment appeared that noted down the following:
Quote: Lumos Livens
LOO-mos, Lee-VEN (silent s)
Wand movement: clockwise circular movement with a flick at the end "....... Lumos Livens. It produces a blinding blue light that works very well against the Gytrashes."
Wow, this was a lot of talking. "Okay, so you've probably gotten sick and tired of hearing my voice by now so I'll let you all take a rest from listening to me. Before we move onto the activity, I want you all to practice this spell or the Lumos spell, whichever one you prefer to work with. Both still worked, after all. "In the meantime, get up, have a small shake to free up those muscles and group yourselves into small groups. If you prefer working alone, that's fine too." And he was done talking. Lucky them? OOC: Good gosh, sorry that you guys have to read all of that <3 If any of it's wrong, please forgive me. Physics is not my forte.
So yeah, mini activity! YAY! Just practice the spell and get into groups, if you want to. That's all! There are no post number requirements to this so feel free to go crazy ^^
I'll post tomorrow evening at roughly the same time as this post. Have fun, lovelies! 
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