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Join Date: May 2009 Location: London
Posts: 32,841
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alexander River Hirsch
Gryffindor Third Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
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Text Cut: Blaise and Bentley Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo  Finally his cousin had shown up. Blaise was getting all kinds of bad vibes from this lesson so far--despite Hirsch's earlier reassurances; not with words but with the way he was acting like this was nothing out of the ordinary. Yeah, he wasn't buying that. You didn't bring YATIs to class for nothing and USUALLY this sort of thing didn't end well for him. He would need spells or risk a trip to the Hospital Wing. One might think the choice was simple then, cast, but he didn't have his wand with him and even if he DID, fat chance he'd use it.
Brown eyes locked on the guy as Bentley spoke. Bastien's cousin? Evil. "I'm starting to think we'll never get away from that family of them, mate. D'you think we can file some kind of....I dunno....all encompassing restraining order?" He muttered in response. Didn't matter if the person ended up being a third cousin twice removed, Blaise wanted them all the hell away from him.
Char was an exception, when she wasn't being exceptionally Charlotte. Katy was fine too but he wasn't willing to make his circle much wider.
Also, this Toussaint talked a lot. Like, a lot more than most of the others he'd met (because being Kettleburn, Char wasn't technically in the running). His quill would handle this one, no matter how poorly it did so. In the end, the boy would still get the essence of whatever the guy up there was talking about while he sat down here continuing to come up with theories with his cousin. "What'd you think's the deal with this clay?" The boy nudged his closer to Bentley's so he could keep an eye on them BOTH, just in case. "This is Defense Against the Dark Arts, this clearly isn't meant to be a creative outlet." Quote:
Originally Posted by Davvy_Wavvy Bentley snorted. He wasn't sure that one could get a restraining order just because but he made a mental note of it. It was worth looking in to. He also wondered if he could get one for Chloe too for Bastien without her knowing?
Doubt it.
"Hmm I donno but I'll ask Grandmum or Tyler." Just to humour the situation. He had been thinking a lot about the restraining order while Angelo talked so he didn't hear much of what was being said. Blaise's quill was hard at work though so he'd take what he could from it.
Bentley turned and pulled Blaise's wand from his book bag and used it to prod Blaise's clay back to him. He then shoved his wand over as well. "I don't know but my talent isn't molding so I'll just watch what everybody else is doing." ..............
Deadpan.
During his walk of the classroom, this was what reached his ears. The man hardly registered whatever it was that the two were talking about aside from the words 'restraining order' and he didn't even want to know. All he knew was that it had very little to do with his subject and so, he found himself stopping by the two Gryffindors' desk.
"Is there something you want to share with the class, Mr Bellaire and Mr Moore?" he asked, hands in his pockets and a raised eyebrow expression on his face. Because he usually didn't approve of people talking while he, or Angelo in this case, was teaching.
Text Cut: You guys ^^ Text Cut: Sam Quote:
Originally Posted by hermygirl Sam lifted her gaze from her lump of clay as her housemate joined her, and gave him a smile and nod to confirm he'd got her name correct. "Hey Jace," she replied, before squidging the clay between her fingers again. No gloves for her, nope. She was straight in there.
Having made little clay dishes as present before, Sam had naturally started making one of those again. First rolling it into a very long sausage, and then starting to coil it up. But then, where was the excitement in that? And what did a dish have to do with Defence Against the Dark Arts.
It was around the point of the first question that Sam decided to restart, working the clay back into a big lump and kneading as she listened to all of the answers. Seemed everything was covered, so she started to think about what else she could make.
A dark creature seemed the most obvious, but of the ones she could think of right now - the basilisk, acromantula and grindylow - the first seemed a bit too easy (just being a sausage), and the others rather inconvenient to mould. She needed a compromise.
...which is why she started making an elephant. It matched the grey of the clay, and it was a creature. Completely logical, yes?!
So focused was Sam on this new endeavour, that she'd barely noticed that it was now the visitor talking, until she'd looked up from her clay to brush some of the fringe from her eyes and leaving a grey smear across her forehead in the process.
She wasn't at all surprised to hear that he was a practitioner of dark magic; Sam had grown up on the fringe of Knockturn Alley, she knew worse. The mention of Azkaban got a frown though, bringing forward thoughts she'd rather ignore. Whilst her Pa hadn't done anything dark per say to be sent there, it was still a fact he was there. Sigh.
...and finally, a question. Sam raised her hand. "I know for most jinxes you need to maintain eye contact," she answered. "But I feel like there's an extra aspect to the intent also. It needs to have a 'who' and a 'why' rather than just a 'what'." Did that make sense?
Well this was an interesting development, wasn't it?
Hirsch had paused in his walking around the classroom to see what Miss Tyler was making with her lump of clay. He wasn't about to mention it but the man was slightly glad that she hadn't gone with the previous idea she had, whatever it was.
And her answer? Even more interesting. "Eye contact is crucial, yes," Probably not the answer he was going for but it was a good one. "So you're saying that the intention to cast the dark magic depends on the person and why they have the intention of casting it?" Another good point, he had to admit.
Text Cut: Hady Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyander See Hadleigh in all honesty didn't even think about the affectionate gesture of running her fingers quickly through Frankie's hair before sitting down. It was something she always did and she found it cute but not over the top like a kiss or something would be when in class. This was mainly why she didn't notice if it had bothered the professor since she didn't see it as a big deal. Whoops? What she did somewhat kinda take notice of was Genny's smile towards herself and then the smirk that was given to the blonde boy. What that was all about she didn't know nor did she really care at that moment.
Right now she was way more then content with working on whatever it was she was modeling her clay into. Whatever she was working on had legs, four of them. There was now some shaping of the body happening as well as the start of a tail. Her hands were covered in clay and she may have already gotten some on the sleeve of her robe but Hady didn't care in the least.
Having been totally lost for a few moments in her clay sculpting Hady didn't raise her hand to answer the question. She did eventually do so though after coming up with an answer that hadn't been said already, "The ministry decides what they feel is deemed as Dark professor. As for myself I would have to agree with those that had said that most spells could be considered dark depending on my intent behind it. If I'm aiming to harm someone it might take time with a simple everyday spell but it probably could be done. There's also the breeding of certain creatures such as the Basilisk that is considered to be Dark Art." With a slight smile she lowered her hand her focus once again returning to the clay.
Yet again though she was pulled from her focus by someone speaking to the class. This time it wasn't their professor but the Yati guy instead. His words were making their way to her ears and she was indeed following what he was saying even if she didn't completely appear to be doing so. Taking in all that was being said and the question that was then asked it took a little bit of thought to decide on her answer this time. "Focus. If you don't know what you're doing a spell isn't going to work" she stated simply, raising her hand. It was a simple answer honestly and it was probably not what Angelo had meant but it made sense to her.
This answer to his previous question was like music to the man's ears. In fact, most of the answers had been. "I'm glad you mentioned something about creatures as well as spellwork." Because those were also Dark Arts. "But you're very right: without the intention to cast a Dark spell, you're not going to succeed, no matter how much you try. Well done."
Focus? Hm. "You're very right about that since without focus, you're not going to be able to cast your spell properly and it could go wrong. That's not the answer I'm looking for but good guess."
Text Cut: Aslan Quote:
Originally Posted by nicole black The clay was cool to the touch and for sometime Aslan has just mushed, smushed, rolled and otherwise played with the clay without intention or meaning. She was enjoying this activity and the presence of the auror, though unusual and nothing to do with her own interests was interesting at the very least.
Not that Brian seemed to feel so. The Prefect's boredom was as obvious as the clay in her palms, and though usually it would amuse her, today it seemed to irk her. She wasn't sure why, it was a traditional Brian Woods trait and something she had grown quite accustomed to during the last few years. This led Aslan to the very simple conclusion that her feelings were irrational and emotional in nature.
She sighed with some frustration turning her attention to the Professor's question as she began rolling the clay again in her palms, this time shaping it carefully into a near perfect sphere.
Aslan had read much on the subject of dark magic, but then again she'd read much on any magical subject so perhaps this was no surprise, but dark magic was.... An especially fascinating branch. Often she had read that many believed dark magic to be stronger in nature, that even a weak wizard could become great with the right dark training. Aslan, personally, believed that whether or not dark magic was evil was subjective and depended entirely on the practicing witch or wizard's definition.
She had not expected the Yati to speak, nor has she expected him to echo her own thinking.
Suddenly, the lesson seemed much more interesting. She raised her hand. "If it isn't intent, wand movement or incantation then could it be will?" Will and intent were quite different things in Aslan's mind. "Casting stronger magic obviously takes strong will, but dark magic is naturally much more powerful, and can lead to corruption if not handled by a witch with a strong will or clear mind. It must take a will of iron to perform it without letting it consume you or to even get the magic to perform as you want it to... " her answer, was more musing aloud than anything else, but the thought had settled into her mind and wouldn't leave, among other thoughts.
She glanced to Daxton from her seat beside Brian Woods, he was staring out the window looking as unbothered as he ever did, but she had no doubt he was paying the subject attention.
"why is it that Durmstrang teaches darker strains of magic and Hogwarts doesn't?" She asked, dark eyes shifting from the YATI to Hirsch and back. She expected a real answer from the DADA professor and not something along the lines of this isn't the time.
Oh, this answer. This was an answer that earned the biggest smile from the Defence Professor. "You are very close, Miss Evans. I like your mention of corruption with this as well." She would probably find out why soon enough. "Excellent thinking."
And onto her next part which, luckily, the man could answer seeing as he'd been at Durmstrang himself. "Depends on the countries and their laws. While we may be united by a force and as a nation, who's to say that every country has a clear and united idea of right and wrong? A spell that one country might consider to be okay might not be somewhere else."
"But to answer your question: Durmstrang prefers a more combative approach to magical education. At Durmstrang, you're taught darker arts because they believe that young students should be taught these things at a young age so that they don't have a rosy-eyed vision of the world and the dark arts. This is partly due to early influences in the curriculum, especially by Harfang Munter, an ex-Durmstrang leader. Hogwarts is different because the laws here are different. You're taught to recognise the Dark Arts and to fight them, yes," And he tried his best to do just that. "but with a much softer approach. Does that help?"
Text Cut: Noelle Quote:
Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur Noelle had been in the middle of the classroom at a desk by herself. There was no argument that DADA was her favorite class. It was a passion of hers now. She didnt moan and groan when doing homework, or getting out of bed to head to this class.
So she said a simple hello to professor Hirsch as she started forming her clay. Her mind was taking in everything that was going on. Dark Arts. Noelle had been a victim of dark arts, or well.... just a dark person. She was actually... interested to learn more about the dark arts.
Her clay mound began to somewhat resemble a fox as she listened to first Hirsch ask a question. Noelle took her hands off the clay mound to write what she thought was the meaning of Dark Arts, and who said they were Dark Arts.
Then the guy that was with Professor Hirsch was with began talking and Noelle's eyes lit up like saucers. A YATI! Exactly what Noelle wanted to get into after Hogwarts. She was hanging on to his every word. Oh, he grew up with the Dark Arts???...... Noelle wanted to pick this guys head. He was in the YATI program but was also a dark practitioner... interesting.
The clay was somewhat resembling a fox now. The creature she hoped she would be able to transform into one year. Her mind was wondering to what the fourth element could be. Hmmm.. Taking out her notes, she scribbled down something she thought could be it.
Dark moments/thoughts?
Soon enough, Hirsch found himself moving over towards a certain Miss Summers, and looking over her work as well. He wouldn't have usually but the words 'dark moments/thoughts' caught his eye and he found himself frowning in thought. He silently wished she had elaborated on this answer but, as it was, there was nothing else to go off of. "Close," he said quietly, tapping her notes. That was all.
Text Cut: Junia Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow Junia honestly didn't care much about this guy's soul, to be honest. Plus she was sort of hoping that if he WAS evil, he'd go after the boy giving him looks rather than her. Yes, she was observant and had noticed that. Not very discreet, was it?
The fourth element you needed to successfully perform dark magic, though... Junia wasn't really sure. Intent seemed to be most important as far as she was concerned and he classmates had already offered up some good, additional factors that would help.
As she molded her clay into what was starting to look like a dog, she considered. Dueling, that was really her only experience casting on others and maybe if she thought about what she did to make sure those occasions were successful, she'd come up with something.
...Oh!
"I suppose you'd want to have control over your emotions because, well, if you let them get the best of you, your focus would be off and your spell could go horribly wrong."
Oh, this answer. This answer made him very happy, a fact that probably showed on his face. "You have potential, you know." Make of that what you will, Botros.
As for her answer, "You, and Miss Evans, are probably the closest to the correct answer. You can't attack or defend yourself properly if you let your emotions get in the way so having control over them is crucial. It's probably why people who practice the dark arts to cause harm are often seen as being heartless. Excellent thinking."
Text Cut: Tenacius Quote:
Originally Posted by Steelsheen Them clay, they look like lumps see? Tenacius was just working things out of his imagination, with no conscious intention of what it was he was trying to make. But upon closer inspection... it kinda looks like a snow man. A very fat snowman, and with a sailor's hat. Familiar now? It might be for some....
Ooohh this guy was a Durmstranger. Durmies are cool right? Well they were hardcore, and in many ways theres many things about their school that Tenacius found cool. Wasnt scared of them though strangely enough....
But they were gonna be all about the Dark Arts. Awesome! There were many things about what Mr Toussaint said that Tenacius wondered about though. Oh he needs some blue clay for this.... play-doh is fun yup.
So right fourth factor....think think think. So if he was them Dark Artist dude like Toussaint, what did he need other than wand movement and incantation and intent? Aint that all thats needed? Hmmm, up goes the hand with the fat sailor snowman "Uhm we need willpower? Because yknow... you may really intend to cast this spell see, but if you aint dedicated to really carrying it out and seeing it through to its desired effect, might not even get past your wand tip." Did that make sense?
Oh right he had a question before he got distracted with the blue clay "Uh I got another question Mr Toussaint, you said you were like... live and breathe the Dark Arts.....so what are you practicing the magic on? Do you use like...living things? Cuz like... you gotta find out how well your dark magic works right?" Legit question yeah?
The sailor snowman was what caught Hirsch's attention and he took a moment to look at the lump of clay with an amused expression on his face. Oh, how he wanted to see what the young Gryffindor would make of the rest of the lesson.
Willpower? Interesting word choice. "That comes very close to intent, Tenacius, but you're still right. If you don't truly want to cast the spell, you won't be able to. Simple as that."
Text Cut: Jace Quote:
Originally Posted by Stefan Jace had to pause to listen to what the man had to say, immediately picking up the thought that he'd somehow annoyed him. As far as he know, he only offered his opinion, and not exactly brand him as corrupt. As much as he wanted to argue about this, Jace forced himself to keep his mouth shut for his own good. He reminded himself that he was there to learn, and not challenge someone to a debate given that someone is an experienced wizard.
Jace somehow felt deflated, and didn't bother to listen to the rest of the man's words because he'd already read about those stuff too. Different words, same meaning. Nothing was new to him, but, he did keep his attention up front in case something would pique his interest.
So far there was none...and even the question didn't excite him at all. Focus, Will...Control of emotions...they all seem to make sense to him so he nodded along as he went back to mold the hakama of his samurai.
Mash...roll...mash...roll...shape...shape...shape. ..trim...trim...trim.
His thoughts brought him back to his practise sessions in their dojo in Japan and imagined himself to be in a duel. If he were to cast his deadly blow onto his opponent, he has to have the heart to do so. No ifs or buts...no thinking even. As soon as he sees an opening, he should go for the strike no matter what. As he joined the torso and leg of his samurai, Jace went on to raise his hand to offer his answer, "How about, determination sir?" If you're that determined to cast one...there was a small chance it would backfire, right?
But yes, whatever. It seems the clay was more interesting than all of the theory stuff so Jace immediately went back to his work and trimmed away the excess clay on his creation.
Jace was being very precise with his moulding, something Hirsch noticed when he walked past the young Ravenclaw. It was almost as if the boy was in his element. Huh.
Determination was another interesting answer. "Well, yes, I guess. You need determination, or a certain level of confidence, to carry out the spell. Without it, your attempts will be futile." A spell casting fact. "It's...... not quite the answer I'm looking for but it's a good guess, Jace. Well done."
Text Cut: Rooney Quote:
Originally Posted by Shanners Angelo Toussaint... Angelo was close to 'angel' and part of Roo wanted to point out how incredibly angel like he looked in some lighting. Had Liv seen him paying this much attention to their class guest? He hoped not. He'd have a hard time distracting her from that from here. Especially as she was sitting with another Ravenclaw -- which actually might have upset him, had it been a male. But Bloom was alright. Quiet, from what Rooney had noticed before now, but that was expected when their house did have a handful of big characters.
She'd come into her own. And maybe he'd track her down in the common room later to chat. See how she was getting on. She looked like she was a good egg.
There was very little recognition that he was listening to what was being said, as he was very engrossed in his clay activity, but he was listening actively. Notes weren't his priority, as he was just accepting everything said right now as golden truth. He'd question it all later and bring it up to his Head of House should he need to. His clay model had to be PERFECT. And he may have also been working on adding wings to the model of angel Angelo Toussaint. Had anyone ever told the guy that he had one of those voices that could be listened to for a long time?
And had anyone ever told him that talking about the Dark Arts in that voice was utterly butterly and that he could tell Rooney right now to take a long walk off a short pier and he would. Told ya. Angel. Although Rooney didn't pick up everything he said, he looked like he was hanging off his every word. Needed to get certain on facial features before he tried to put them together out of this clay. Or maybe he'd get so distracted that the model wouldn't have any face and the focus would be on the beautiful wings that Rooney was currently using the ridges on the plastic knife to look feathery. Tool utilisation was a talent of his.
Talking was a talent of Angelo Toussaint's. Boy oh boy could he talk for a long time.
........
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A dark practitioner?! Why did that sound so...so...wow. Rooney's interest was peaked just slightly and he stopped working the knife enough to actually listen in on what was happening. His model could wait. His thoughts about Angelo's soul could not. He truly was not worried about it. Yikes oh yikes. Was Liv looking his way yet? Had she heard the loud sigh he made as he settled his chin into his palm to listen in properly? He could explain it. A good stretch. A..well, he'd cross that bridge should he come to it. As soon as there was chance for them to offer ideas, his hand went up in the air quicker than it ever had in the castle and he waved it a little alongside a few clearings of the throat.
COOOO-EEEEEEEEEEEEE OVAH HERE, ANGELFACE.
"Capability? I doubt a cutesy bunny rabbit could do any of what you were talking about. But -- I suppose it could be understanding? Being aware of what you're doing in a sense of what the spell will do? I don't know. I feel like it should be along those lines. If not, I think there should be a fifth element." Rooney grinned, brushed his blonde hair back in a ruffle and leaned back into his hand. "However, whatever you say is golden truth and I'll be happy to stay with that."
And for good measure, he added. WITH FLOURISH. "And there is no such word as 'aint', Tenacius Salander." Perhaps elocution lessons should be next on that boys timetable. All that hair was clearly rooting in and destroying the few brain cells he already had.
Why was Rooney Bronwyn acting so weird? Because this, surely, wasn't what he was usually like.
Hirsch was very much confused.
So, for the time being, he was going to concentrate on something he did understand: the Ravenclaw's answer. "It's always the innocent ones that prove to be the most surprising." Just something to remember. "Understanding is a good answer. If you don't truly understand what it is you're doing or trying to cast, you're not going to be very successful in your spell-casting," Probably why they taught the meaning behind the spells. "Not exactly the answer I'm looking for but it's a very good and unique guess."
Text Cut: Azura Quote:
Originally Posted by FwooperOnYourLeft Azura was busy shaping her clay into a red panda..her favorite animal.. while she worked with it though she was listening to everything that was going on..
Her hands paused for a moment as she looked up at the man..Angelo.. as he said he used the Dark arts.. he.. didn't look like an evil wizard.. She tilted her head and studied him a bit.. Her purple eyes scanning him as he spoke.. So if he used the dark arts..
And didn't seem to Evil.. perhaps there was something more to the Dark arts then she thought? Either that or be had an amazing use of control and understanding of the subject..
She bit her lip as he asked what the fourth element could be and she had two.. but which one to use?
She raised a clay covered hand and spoke.. "Understanding Sir. It seems like you have a great understanding of the Dark arts and know exactly how to use them. I feel like that would be a good fourth element.. Understanding how they work and the effects they have. "
Welp.. let's hope that flew.. if not she should have gone with Control or Respect..
She bit her lip as she molded her clay.. a little anxious about her answer.
Another understanding answer? Well that was something. "Understanding is key, yes. Without it, you won't know exactly what it is you're trying to do. And it's probably why we teach you about the dark arts so that you can understand them and know how to effectively defend yourselves against them." Still key. "Not the answer I'm looking for but a very good guess."
Text Cut: Leesha Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonea Looking both at her clay and at the blackboard she hesitated, there was really a lot being said already and she didn’t liked it to write that much at once to keep up with the rest of the class so she removed her hands out of the clay and cleaned them quickly so that she could start making her notes. This Yati person was really talking a lot! Pff!
Just when she was done with making her notes and wanted to start with her clay again he asked the class a question but she decided to keep her mouth shut this time and to just listen to the answers from the others. She wasn’t the only one who kept quite after all.
A quiet person? Not bad, not bad. Especially considering the fact that she was taking notes, from the looks of it. Hirsch didn't have anything to say and didn't look at her notes as he swept past.
And what was she going to make out of that clay, hm?
Text Cut: Colt Quote:
Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin Colt was liking the idea of this lesson. He was playing with his pen when he heard the teacher asking them the first question. It did get him thinking. "What exactly are the Dark Arts? And who decides that they're dark or, in some cases, illegal?" He wrote down in his notebook and thought about it. Well to make it illegal it could have affected a lot of people. It could have caused dire consequences like death or torture. Usually the law decides for that aspect. The dark arts are basically the idea of using control and corrupting society in the process. He wrote his ideas in his book and he didn't raise his hand because the Professor moved on and he turned over his attention to the youth auror in training.
He showed his respect because Colt was thinking along the lines of doing this for a career. He seemed to have a lot to say and he kept milking it in. He heard he was from Dumstrang which is cool because he was too. So they had to study dark arts pretty harshly than these hogwarts students. Probably why he excelled in this class and had more interest. He heard his question and he grinned with how easy it was. So for a dark spell you did need an incantation, wand movement, the intent which is to harm, but what was the fourth factor? He thought about it and muttered to himself, "Well you need to mean the spells like in crucio when harry failed to conjure it on Bellatrix Lestrange, she said you really need to mean it potter the incantation..." He snapped his fingers and copied it down.
He raised his hand, "Professor the fourth aspect for a dark spell is the you need to have the desire in order to cast the spell effectively." There we go. Simple and done.
Unfortunately for the boy, Hirsch had swept past him just after he'd finished muttering so he couldn't catch whatever it was he was muttering to himself. And, frankly, he wasn't going to pretend as though he had heard. Not when he had other things to concentrate on.
Like the boy's answer, for example.
Desire? "You're very right in your thinking, Mr Winchester. Without the desire, you can wave your wand all you like but you won't be able to cast the spell properly." Funny mental image there. "That ties in with intent, actually. Not the answer I'm looking for but good guess."
Text Cut: Kitty Quote:
Originally Posted by Goblinfrog It was lucky that worms were an easy shape to mold, otherwise Kitty would have had to pause in order to pay attention - and this was truly a fascinating subject. Unfortunately she did not have a chance to answer the first question before Angelo went to the second one. Fourth factor? There were many possible answers she could have said (like will, and the other guesses being taken) but she was more interested in the first question. Could she answer it without being rebuked?
Her hand shot into the air. "My guess to the second question is 'focus' because you need focus in order to cast any spell, light or dark. But may I return to the first question?" She was being very polite and respectful about it so she shouldn't get rebuked. "If the spells we use in dueling are considered dark magic, then are we dark wizards and witches? I personally participate in the dueling club and I've been doing so for the past three years. Am I officially a dark witch?"
Kitty was Goth as could be, but she had never imagined that she might literally be a dark witch.
Focus? Well, it was a good thing that his students knew that they needed to concentrate if they wanted to cast a spell properly. "Focus is correct, yes, and it's an important part of spell casting but not the fourth factor we're looking for."
As for her question, specifically about the Dueling Club, Hirsch stopped in his tracks and turned to peer at her. "Miss Valentine, you're not a dark witch and I have faith that you won't end up being one." Surely, she wouldn't upset him so by taking that career path. "But no. No one in Dueling Club is intending to cause severe harm, so much that they kill their opponent. Remember that these spells you use are only considered dark or not depending on how you use them. If you want to tickle someone just to get them to laugh or to out-duel them, that's fine. If you tickle someone to death, that's not."
Pause.
"And I oversee every single duel. I wouldn't let people use these spells in a dark way." Did that reassure her?
Text Cut: Daxton Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir To say that Daxton's interest had been piqued was a huge understatement. He kept his eyes locked on the view outside the window - nothing interesting out there, as it happened, just a gloomy and overcast day - and his fingers still rhythmically drumming on the desk, but he was paying close attention to every word that came out of Toussaint's mouth. He did not care much for any of the discussion as to whether the Dark Arts were good or evil, but he was very much interested in the rest of the explanation.
It was strange, really, that any professor at this school would allow such a lecture on this topic. Not that Daxton disapproved; quite the opposite. But he remembered, very distinctly, Sabel Dakest refusing to give any instruction to him in the fields of Occlumency and Legilimency, because of how it might be used. Daxton had not been discouraged, and had simply decided to go about learning it all by himself , but it was strange to him that those subjects were withheld from him, but now, here they were, learning more about Dark Magic than anyone had taught them before.
For a brief, fleeting moment, Daxton wondered what it might take to ensure a transfer to this Durmstrang Institute, before immediately casting the thought aside. No school was the best school, and, at present, the closest he could get to that was being at Hogwarts.
Those Toussaints though. Perhaps it was worth talking with Char later on, or perhaps he might get in touch with this Angelo by himself.
Daxton remained silent, though this time his silence was somehow deeper... more intense. The longer he sat there, the louder his thoughts became, and he was aware of it too, so he made an attempt to put some of the theory he had read about Occlumency into practice, just in case. Of course, that was easier thought than done, so instead, Daxton diverted his thoughtsto trying to silently brainstorm an answer to the question.
A fourth factor to do with successfully casting a dark spell. Something exclusive to the Dark Arts? Probably not, or there would be no chance of anyone in this class guessing it, and no point asking them. Aslan - Daxton was so very aware of her presence, but kept his eyes fixed on the view outside the window - had made a good point with 'will'. What was it that always struck him about Dark Magic? You have to really mean it.
Those words echoed around Daxton's head, but he was not so sure it was the answer. It was certainly true, there was no doubt about it, but was it not true for every spell? To truly understand what you were doing, and to really mean it? Daxton had only ever focused on non-verbal magic, and that mantra - you have to really mean it - was of utmost importance in order for him to finally start mastering spells. But, perhaps, it was that much more important when it came to the Dark Arts. It begged the question, though: why would anyone try their hands at the Dark Arts if they did not really mean it? Perhaps, then, that was not the answer.
Whatever the answer was, though, Daxton was ready to learn it.
Daxton being quiet in his lesson was hardly a surprise to the man but it didn't stop him from walking past his desk, mostly to check that he was still paying attention. It was the sight of the fingers rhythmically drumming the table that caught his attention and gave him some kind of indication that he was, probably, listening. Even if the gesture looked as though he was a little bored of the discussion.
The man raised his eyebrows at the young Ravenclaw but said nothing else. This won't be a boring lesson, Daxton, don't worry.
Text Cut: Juno Quote:
Originally Posted by Suziella Juno had to think about this for a few minutes. Incantation, wand movement, intent aka desire.....what else? Well, you really have to know what your doing and you can't let outside distractions in while you are doing it BUT you also needed to make sure you had sharp instincts which meant paying attention without focusing on the outside distractions.
Juno raised her hand and waited to be called on. Once she was she responded, "Focused attention. You need to be able to focus on your target while perceiving any outside threat. Of course you need to have very sharp instincts as well, but that would go with perception so....yeah. Focused Attention." Yep. That was her answer. She hoped she was right.
There were a lot of focus answers popping up, weren't there? Again, the man was glad that they knew how much concentration they needed in their spell casting but they probably didn't realise just how close they were to the actual answer. It did tie in well with the fourth factor but for now........
"You're right about needing to focus to cast your spells, Miss Darcy, but that's not the fourth factor. But I do like your mention of sharp instincts as well." Constant vigilance, remember?
Text Cut: Rula Quote:
Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl Oh Merlin. Rula thought she had escaped those dreadful, boring Dark Arts classes when she'd left Durmstrang, but here it was again. Of course this lesson was Defense Against the Dark Arts - but there was a difference, specifically, defense. Not just plain old Dark Arts.
While yes, Rula agreed that intent and how a spell was used mattered the most in whether a spell was actually bad or evil - as so many others had repeated - there still were some spells and potions and other things that were, objectively, wrong and evil. Things like the Unforgivable Curses, for instance. Obviously Bast's cousin wasn't encouraging that sort of stuff, but still. She just wasn't interested in this subject on its own, and she didn't buy the idea that it was only about "thinking creatively," as if dabbling in the Dark Arts was the only way to be creative.
It was good that they had this clay stuff to play with, otherwise she would've had to sit and pretend she was interested, and she wasn't sure she could manage that with the mood she was in now. So she worked on it as the talking went on and on, at first trying to make it into a cat, but then changing her mind and deciding on a bunny since Rooney had mentioned one.
Maybe a bunny rabbit wouldn't use the Dark Arts, but it definitely could defend itself against them. Hmph.
Another quiet one? No matter. This didn't bother the man in the slightest and, in fact, he actually expected it. Though, this was a little surprising considering how great of an answer her - he was going to take a stab in the dark - sister had managed to produce and how good this Botros was at this subject.
Text Cut: Katherine Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin Angelo got a flat look. Silliest of silly boy cousins. "Careful, Angelo. You could do better." Everyone knew it... or at least her parents knew it and were willing to say something about it. Angelo didn't have to do government work and was probably wasting his very good talents on that kind of job.
His lecture on the dark arts was interesting, though, and Katy dropped her chin on her fist and regarded him with a level gaze. Her pancake was perfect and Angelo had already said she didn't need to take notes, so... no need to do anything but watch her cousin as he spoke. "I would think that if 'intent' is the desire to cast the spell, like to really and truly do it well, then you'd also need to have some level of capability. You don't jump into an advanced spell as a first year, and you wouldn't be able to cast a challenging dark spell just because you want to if you haven't developed sufficient prowess and skill along the way."
Oh, this was a new answer, wasn't it? The man stopped to look at the young girl, a little impressed with this. "Well, you're certainly right about that, Miss Toussaint," he started, "They say that practice makes perfect and you need a certain level of skill to cast the right spells. Well done." Again, not exactly the answer but a logical answer nonetheless.
Text Cut: Jonas Quote:
Originally Posted by 2111jen Red hair and blue eyes, Jonas was sitting in the back. He had been a bit late...though not too late, he was here before the lesson started of course but he didn't get a good seat so he was stuck in the back. He could barely hear what the professor was saying but judging by the other answers, he had assumed the fourth element needed in casting dark spells. Intent...incantation....wand movement....what was the fourth one? He started to mold his clay into something looking similar to a gnome...he raised his hand.
"Would it be practice?" He asked. "Cos' you need to be an experienced wizard or witch to use dark magic."
Practice? Hm. "You're certainly right about needing practice to cast the spell. Practice does make perfect." And some needed more than others, which was fine. "It's not the fourth element, however, but well done."
Text Cut: Cassie Quote:
Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline The mushy clay in her grasp was beginning to look like some sort of four legged animals, nothing distinct however. It was then that the professor had spoken up beginning the lesson and introducing their guest to the room. Auror trainee…interesting. Cassie continued to work with the clay, wondering just what it needed to be ready for later on in the class. Spell work most likely. Target practice? Maybe.
As for the first question, her classmates seemed to have that well in hand. Not really anything she could add, especially not something she couldn’t learn in a book as her father wasn’t one who wanted her knowing too much about it. Uncle Ryan would have likely taught her much if allowed from his own job in law enforcement. And book working didn’t seem all too wanted when the ministry worker responded to the given answers so she simply listened and played with her sculpture.
Wait…hold on….WhAT?!
HE practiced Dark Arts!?
I mean sure, Mr. Toussaint mentioned how things that might not necessarily be dark could be considered dark in certain contexts but a ministry man whose job tended to be fighting the dark was surprising. Cassie tried to brush the thoughts to the back as she finally registered there was another question being asked. What was the fourth element needed?
Wand movement…incantation…intent…what?
“How about the caster’s willing to deal with the consequences of their actions?” she suggested after raising her hand. Both with the law and any outcome of the spell in the first place.
Willingness. He hadn't had that word come up before. "Willingness is a good way of putting it, in fact," he said, nodding his head slowly, "If you're not willing to cast the spell, you won't be able to. Simple as that. But that ties in very closely with intent so no, it's not the fourth factor. Good guess, though."
Text Cut: Genny Quote:
Originally Posted by Magical Soul Was she GRINNING now?? Genny was mad. MAD. She had to do something, she couldn't keep it all in! Her hands were shaking. So she snatched a small piece of clay from Frankie, subtly dropped it to her lap then touched her wand to it... sending it shooting towards Katy's beautiful blonde hair.
THERE.
Some of her anger melted away. Even if it didn't hit. Even if she lost a thousand point.
Now Genny momentarily forgot about stupid Katy, Angelo was talking about something right up her alley. She hadn't known all those details, and she was not allowed to even ask about those stuff. She almost broke into her parents' library to get a book for dark arts for Daxton once but she failed and was grounded for it.
Now was her chance. And Daxton's. Not that she cared about his chances, he was now a former friend. FORMER.
Ahem.
So, a fourth factor?? Interesting. She knew the caster should have the intent to hurt or kill, but that was the third factor. Wand, incantation, intent... focus was a good guesses but it didn't satisfy her mechanic thinking. Then Katy went ahead and suggested the SAME thing Genny was thinking about, ugh, she raised her hand in the air slowly. "I think a wizard needs to have reached a certain level in casting spells. In magic." There was another theory of having a certain amount of blood purity but Genny would NEVER suggest that. Ew no.
Hirsch had been blissfully ignoring whatever it was that was going on between Miss Tate and Miss Toussaint. That was, until, something flew out from Miss Tate's direction and straight towards........
............ SMACK!
....................... What was that about constant vigilance?
Hirsch, who'd jumped when the small lump of clay slapped his arm, found himself readjusting his askew glasses and frowning down at the clay on the floor and then towards the Gryffindor. "Miss Tate, when I said that you can make whatever you wish with your clay, I didn't mean for a clayball to be one of them." Again, teenagers.
"But you're right: you need a level of capability with these spells. Most of them are going to be advanced. The intention you need to muster up is advanced."
Text Cut: Maggie Quote:
Originally Posted by Lislchen Aaaah there he was!
Maggie had almost missed Zeke walking in, she was a little busy wondering what Angelo was doing here. She did see him though. And she'd like to say she sensed him coming in too. Boyfriend vibes or something. Maggie could just FEEL when he was near. Yes. That. So he got a big grin. Hi. She was the best girlfriend, wasn't she? Saving him a seat and all that. Yes.
Giving his hand on her knee a soft squeeze, Maggie then used both hands to knead the clay. Hmm. Into what though? Hmm. For now she simply played around with it a little, to get the feel of it. Would she be able to form it into a unicorn? Was she artistically inclined enough for that? Where were her artsy friends when you needed them? Dima could probably do it.
Were they allowed to use magic?
As for Angelo's little speech, Maggie did pay attention to that. She totally did. It reminded her of what Dima once told her about his studies. Interesting. And she even thought about Angelo's question too. Seeing as she felt weird raising her arm for someone who wasn't technically a professor (and someone she kind of knew too) AND considering the fact that both her hands were busy with the he clay, Maggie decided to just speak up once it was quiet for a moment (okay maybe she even spoke over some first year but who cares?).
"Everything has to be right. Like, you don't just have to want to cast the spell but you have to be absolutely...determined to do it." Was that the same as intent? "Like, with a regular spell you have to want to cast the spell too obviously but like, the Dark Arts aren't just more advanced but also like...you have to be emotionally invested if you're casting one of those spells? Like, it's part of you. The whole spell." Was she making any sense at all?
............
Well well well.
"That's a very interesting answer, Miss Traulton. They say that the Dark Arts consume you if you become too connected to it and that ties in with what you mentioned about being emotionally invested into that area of magic. That could be a branch off of intent but you are right about needing to be connected with it to perform it." At least, that was his understanding of it.
And no, that wasn't the fourth factor.
Text Cut: Miranda Quote:
Originally Posted by Devina Wellheart Okay so The guest speaker or whatever was Angelo Touissant... whoever that was.. Miranda really didnt know who he was but, eh... he seemed alright so far.... Well, anyway he started talking about dark magic... This.. Got her attention.. It was something she often wondered about... What with her families history....
Hmmm the fourth factor?..... Randa had no clue as to what it was.. she hadn't been able to read up on things ahead of time as she usually did... So she sat and listened to the answers of her peers, but all the while trying to think of what it could be besides the answers that had already been given... But just as she thought of it ......' Focus!' Another student said it...
Drat!.. She always seemed to be a moment too late ... She sat and decided to focus on the clay that she realized now was being wrung as if she was trying to squeeze the life out of a bitty little creature... she relaxed and began to mold the shape of her clay... after a time she began to see it's form taking shape.. Her hands and fingers shaping and smoothing like an artist feverishly working on a contracted statue.. For a time the room seemed quiet and empty all of her attention driven towards the tiny Racoon in her hand....
Another quiet student? Hirsch didn't mind this, not at all. Instead, when he reached her table, he paused to take a look at whatever it was she was making before moving onwards. It would be interesting to see what they made of these clay figures later.
Text Cut: Zeke Quote:
Originally Posted by Hera He was most definitely interested, yes, but still didn't feel inclined to share his thoughts. Somehow he often thought that sharing his thoughts in this forum was akin to cheating. Like, he had an advantage others did not? Something like that, but regardless, he was paying attention. Yes... and no.
1) The girlfriend was adorable, and brilliant - did she know she was brilliant? She was. And 2) the clay. Ohhhhh the clay.
With his free hand he began massaging it in his palm, warming it up with his touch and letting it form into whatever it wanted to form into. No, he wasn't artsy, and no he didn't particularly care what it looked like at this minute because frankly he still didn't know what their actual directions for this task would be.
What was surprising was that Zeke Browne hadn't offered an answer. The Defence Professor half expected the boy to come out with something unique and different but not this time. Maybe he had a different tactic, instead.
Whatever it was, the boy was bound to excel so he wasn't too worried.
Text Cut: Olivia Quote:
Originally Posted by Govoni Well, color Olivia Phillips utterly PLEASED with herself. And it was so obvious, too, thanks to the HUGE smile now stretched across her pale face. She'd been commended for her answer! The cute adult person had said it was 'Good'. TOTALLY had. Everyone heard that, right?!
In fact, had anyone bothered to take notice, they would have seen the Gryffindor leaning forward ever so slightly thanks to this new friend of the classroom. Of course, Liv found Angelo Toussaint to be instantly charming. There was an air of MYSTIQUE surrounding him. Mystique and obvious sophistication. It was.... so curious. She was very curious about him as a person. Everything he was saying fell upon her ears like songs from actual angels... but he was not an angel, was he?
Maleficium. Black Magic. To be honest, this was like music to her ears! Very similar to Maleficent, the villian from one of her favorite Disney films of all time, Sleeping Beauty. Latin was such a curious language. And spoken by this... man!person...
.......Oh, there had been... another question. Heh. Oops. Dangerous new friend. Dangerous. Dangerous and distracting. Ahem, blushing a little, Olivia raised her hand. Her thoughts were so jumbled and she herself so distracted that she wasn't even sure what type of answer was about to come out of her mouth. A BRILLIANT ONE, surely.... Um. "I think emotion would be super important." the blonde cleared her throat a little, as if to recenter her own focus. She'd never been so totally gobsmacked by a boy...er, man, before. "I know some people probably think emotions make things messy...or sloppy, but I've known people to express strong emotion and stay completely in control." Her mother, for one. "I just think that if you're intending to hurt someone, you have to feel the weight of that. A certain cruelty." She paused, finally taking a DEEP breath. "Someone who is all sunshine and daisies probably wouldn't be able to cast dark forms of magic."
Halp.
Needless to say, the clay was now properly forgotten.
Emotion was a very interesting answer and, in fact, it was one that got the man smiling. And what was more was that she had mentioned a little something that he was looking for. "That's a very unique answer, Miss Phillips," he said, pushing his glasses further up his nose, "People do say that you need to be tough and emotion-less when dealing with this form of magic but if you have your emotions in check, you could still be an exceptional witch or wizard. Well done."
Text Cut: Natalia Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga Nat was still working on her clay, she had no intention of making anything really. She was just using it to keep her hands busy and her mind off anything else. Her lack of attention was making it so she only noticed class was going on when an unfamiliar voice hit her ears. She looked up to realize the class had started and the stranger was talking. You didn't have to be bad to do dark spells.. well yeah anyone knew that, but wasn't most of the people bad that really did them? Not just practiced them, but really actually did them. You could never really judge by looking at someone either. Her mind went to her mother who liked to say using these spells weren't horrible if you used them to get what you wanted.
She rolled the ball faster on her desk and pulled her a part harder as her mind went to these thoughts her brown eyes sticking to the stranger up front that she clearly missed his name when it was given.
She wanted to raise her hand and answer, because she thought she knew the answer, but her hands were busy with the clay though if she looked down at her desk she would have noticed how much she had pulled the clay apart, because it now sat in pieces with her hands just on small amounts.
This was concerning. Very concerning.
Hirsch had arrived close enough to Miss Franks-Mundie in time to see the slightly distressed pulling of the clay and the small pieces that sat on her desk. Hm. He didn't know what the problem was but what he did know was that this wasn't the sign of a happy student.
Unless ripping clay made the girl happy.
He tilted his head at her and gave her a thumbs up coupled with a questioning look on his face, as if he was trying to ask a question with a simple look.
Text Cut: Haddie Quote:
Originally Posted by Callie Hadley was so completely focused on her clay that she missed the first question. What was the dark arts. Oops. At least she was having fun with the clay right? A lioness was initially made, naturally, but then she smooshed the clay back into a blob and started over, making a shoe.
The shoe was particularly tricky as Hads wanted it to be hollow inside like a normal shoe. And after several minutes of fighting it, Hadley gave up. Her shoe was looking more like a shark anyway. So that's what she decided to make instead: a shark. A big nasty one.
She was carving the gills on the right side with her plastic knife when she realized a second question had been asked. Though, this time she was able to piece the question together. "I would think you'd really have to want to hurt the person, not just idly, but really truly want to hurt them for the spell to work?" Magic was just as much about visualization and determination and believing it will happen as it was about the wand waving and words. If part of you didn't want the spell to work, it usually wouldn't. "You have to mean it."
Hirsch had no idea what it was that Haddie was trying to make with her lump of clay and he wasn't about to question it. Though, he had to hand it to her, she did seem to like getting the detailing right.
Want to hurt someone? "Yes, very much so. Some people use emotion to do that, others visualisation. But, this need, this intent to hurt someone needs to be there otherwise it can't work. You're very right." Except, not what he was looking for.
As a whole, Hirsch was incredibly impressed with the answers the class had come out with. No one had mentioned exactly what he was thinking, but there were some creative answers here. Some that he hadn't even thought of, actually. And a few of them had managed to get very close to the answer he was looking for. Closer than, probably, even they knew.
"Really excellent suggestions, everyone, but Miss Evans, Miss Botros and Miss Phillips have nearly hit the nail with their answers." A pause to smile in their directions before he moved on. "The fourth factor that's important is control. You can have the wand movement and incantation nailed down and have all the intention to cast the spell in the world but without control, you're likely to fail."
Should he elaborate? He was going to. "The reason why some Dark wizards fail is because of their lack of control. Without it, the dark magic could very easily backfire on you, causing you harm in turn. It could cause some permanent damage, which is why some say that these wizards tend to look corrupted. They can be too focused on the intent, the desire to cause harm, that some don't bother learning to control it. It could change their entire look, making them look more and more twisted. This could also be because they let their malicious intent get the better of them." All consuming, wasn't it?
"An example of a lack of control turning out bad for the user is in the case of Fiendfyre. Many of you would know the events of the Second Wizarding War and the incident in which one individual lost control of the cursed fire and ended up dying in it. It's the same with even the minor of spells: lose control and you might end up causing more harm than you mean to." Something to think about, wasn't it?
"So!" he said, coming to the front of the class again, "Spellwork and wand magic in general isn't the only branch of magic that is associated with the Dark Arts. Can anyone think of any other kind of magic, whether it's a subject taught here at Hogwarts or not, that could influence and be associated with the Dark Arts?" OOC: You guys are doing SO well so far! <3 Sorry if this question is confusing! Just have your charrie name any other branch of magic that could be linked to the Dark Arts. Aaaaaanything ^^
Tegan will continue the next part of the class <3
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