 Charing Cross Rd. Mod
St. Mungo's Mod    Niffler
Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Narnia
Posts: 20,090
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Vashti Amstern
Graduated
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Zephyr Amstern
Ravenclaw Fifth Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Nathaniel Hensley
Slytherin Sixth Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Apollo Finch-Selwyn
Hufflepuff Seventh Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Avalon Dane
Gryffindor Fifth Year
  x7  x1
|  Baguette | there is no D in my name | TRAITORclaw | Queenie of Narnia
Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19  As usual, Idris was bouncing his way to another lesson, one of the few that remained since his time to graduate was rapidly approaching. At his side, though not bouncing at all, was his Paully. That was okay because as usual, he had enough bounciness for the both of them. “I wonder what Professor Amstern has planned for us today,’’ he mused. The possibilities were sort of endless, he guessed? Oh well! They’d find out soon!
His curiosity was so real that he immediately took a good look at a few desks. Blinking a few times to be sure it was not a mirage, something small was observed on each. Giving the shape of them, they seemed to be handheld mirrors that were all face down. Interesting! His next glance was at the board but that wasn’t helpful in satiating his curiosity. But the professor was there!
“Hi, Professor!” Id gave her a wide smile then flounced off to take a seat somewhere in the middle of the room. As it turned out, those really were small mirrors. Er… dare he flip it right side up just yet? The energetic and enthusiastic Mr. Grunt was always a welcome addition to the classroom. "Hello, Mister Grunt," Vashti replied with a smile of her own. Quote:
Originally Posted by Charely Potter
Paul arrived to begin his History of Magic lesson. It was weird for him to consider how fast time flew, with it being March, having only a few months left of lessons before the dreaded N.E.W.Ts... and other things. He too wondered what could the lesson be for the day. Something out of this world, for certain he whispered with other theories.
Stepping in he greeted, "Hello, Professor Amstern." Before taking his seat. Those mirrors, he thought about his own handy mirror to communicate with his sister, wherever she was traveling.
And there was Mr. Rocker, one of her soon-to-be-graduating Hufflepuffs. A quieter presence than Idris, perhaps, but just as much of a pleasure to have in her classroom. "Hello, Mister Rocker." Vashti smiled. Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Iris slipped into the classroom with her History of Magic text tucked beneath one arm and another balanced precariously atop the stack already threatening to spill from her satchel. A brisk morning always seemed to sharpen her thoughts, and despite the early hour, there was an unmistakable spring to her step as she offered Professor Amstern an easy smile and polite 'good morning' on her way toward an open seat at the front.
She had considered the back for a moment, breaking routine but inviting particular company, before deciding against it. Her eyes flicked around the classroom, noticing identical mirrors waiting for every student before settling back on her own, a coruscation of curiosity brightening her expression as she settled into place.
She lifted it carefully by the edge of its frame, turning it over between her hands. Silver. Nicely crafted. Older than she first expected, judging by the wear along the handle... though the reflective surface itself—
Her nose wrinkled.
"It looks like someone polished it with chimney soot."
She angled it toward the nearest window, squinting through the cloudy film coating the glass before giving one experimentally ineffective puff of breath against it ― it did precisely nothing. She finally angled it towards herself and could just barely make out her own hazy outline.
"Oh, good," Iris offered the blurred silhouette a small, approving nod. "You're there. Certainly a relief to know, at the very least, I've still got enough of a soul to warrant a reflection."
She had been on a bit of a Bram Stoker re-read, you see.
The quip carried more truth than she cared to admit. Months spent buried in obscure texts on ancient curses and Dark magic had done curious things to her imagination. Too many accounts blurred the line between folklore and fact; too many accounts that soul could be splintered, stolen, tethered, or hollowed out entirely ― and not just to create horcruxes. Many she dismissed as embellishment, but after everything her family had endured, she had learned not to dismiss every impossible story outright. Seeing even the faintest suggestion of her own reflection offered a quiet, irrational comfort. At least she wasn't about to add centuries old superstition to the growing catalogue of things worth worrying about. A full satchel of books was an incredibly familiar sight to Vashti; it wasn't uncommon for her to be found carrying the same as a student, so she couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, Miss Harden," she replied.
Curiosity was to be expected, and allowed, in examining the mirror. Their presence would become understandable in a short while.
She had not thought Ms. Harden's soul in question, but it was good to know that it remained with her. "A comforting thought, indeed," she said with a smile. Quote:
Originally Posted by WhittyBitty It was hard to believe that March was already upon them. This month she would have her birthday, and NEWTs were looming over her. Aurora did not want to think about her exams or the fact that she would be graduating soon. Instead she was continuing to try and make the best of everything while she was still at Hogwarts.
"Hello, Professor!" she greeted cheerfully. Idris, Paul, and Iris all got waves and smiles. Aurora took a seat by her Ravenclaw friend.
Picking up her own mirror, she immediately was struck by how dirty it was. She could kind of make out her reflection, but it was rather difficult. And here arrived another of her Hufflepuffs, one who would also be graduating at the end of the term. It really did seem like time just flew by.
"Hello, Miss Bay," Vashti replied, smiling. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayla Taaffe Vivienne crept into the History of Magic classroom, as silent as ever, absorbing the calm of early morning. She didn’t dwell on the tests that were coming up, at least for now, but in March she noticed a heaviness behind her ribs. She politely greeted the professor, took a seat, and meticulously organized her notes. A silver mirror lying face down on her desk caught her eye, prompting her to lift it carefully for examination.
Vivienne stared at the cloudy, smudged mirror, trying to get a glimpse of her reflection. She sighed softly and pulled from her satchel a cloth intended for cleaning tools and lenses and began to polish the glass. The dirt was stubborn, but she polished it, finding a comfort in the steady motion of the cloth over the surface. Knowing the professor’s plans involved mirrors, she was determined to make it spotless. As she worked, the calm sounds of the classroom wrapped around her, helping her center herself and set aside her worries about March and the NEWTs. "Good morning, Miss Awning." Vashti returned the girl's greeting with a smile.
But when Vivienne began attempting to polish the mirror at her desk, Vashti said, "No need for that just yet, Miss Awning. We will attend to the mirrors later in the lesson." And in a way that would, ideally, be easier than trying to clean them by hand. --- The clock struck eight, and the door was shut with a quiet click. Time for the lesson to begin.
“Good morning, and welcome, everyone,” Vashti said with a smile before continuing, “We're going to begin this lesson with some discussion. As we have covered in previous lessons, Hogwarts was founded more than one thousand years ago by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They worked together until it became clear that they were divided on one very significant idea - whether there were some students who were unworthy of being taught there. Slytherin believed that those who were born into non-magical families should not be allowed to learn magic. The other three founders strongly opposed it. Eventually, when it became clear to Slytherin that he could not persuade them to agree, he left the school, never to return.
“But before then, during the construction of the school, Slytherin built an area for himself that he kept secret from the others. This place became known as the Chamber of Secrets.” A fitting name, to be sure.
“It is believed by some that, when he first built it, Slytherin intended only to use the chamber as a place to teach students about the Dark Arts. This was also something the other founders disapproved of, so that was the reason for his secrecy. But by the time he left, it is clear he developed a new purpose for the chamber - to house a Basilisk that only he and his descendants could command by speaking Parseltongue. The creature would be their tool to remove all those they deemed 'unworthy' to be there.”
She paused to let them take it all in, whether they were taking notes or not. It was an unpleasant topic, one that she did not personally enjoy given her own family members who were Muggles, but it was reality. And all aspects of history deserved to be studied, positive and negative and everything in between, in order to create a better present and future.
“Now that leads me to the first question I'd like to pose to you. Why do you think Salazar Slytherin never released the basilisk himself? Why did he seal the chamber and leave without attempting to carry out his mission first?” ---
OOC: Welcome to the lesson, everyone!
Even if you haven’t posted your character arriving already, you are welcome to join at any time! Just be sure to post as if your character has been here all along – posting a character arriving late will result in points loss.
Class will continue in approximately 24 hours.
__________________ if we fall, we will fall together; and when we rise, we will rise together__________________♥♥♥♥
together we are dangerous; together with our differences; together we are bolder, braver, stronger |