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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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|  urine trouble | Pat's Strong Confident Other Half | Pees Like a Champion Unicorn Racehorse
Text Cut: You guys <3 Text Cut: Dora Quote:
Originally Posted by Erindipity  Dora snoted when the man called her by her name and said nothing else. She was so mad at him for a host of reasons now. And something he had done after greeting her just compounded it. Like really, dude. Totally uncool.
Instead of showing out like she WANTED to and leaving the lesson she opted to grudgingly participate. She wasn't one to show favoritism or disrespect either one.
"Inferi. Fire. " Her contribution to the lesson for the day. Inferi were defeated by fire, no?
Frown.
While he knew that she was a pyromaniac and therefore got excited at the prospect of fire, this wasn't an answer he could accept. Simply because she hadn't answered the 'why' part. Unless fire was the reason why she had chosen the Inferi but, again, this wasn't something she had mentioned so....
"A bit more of an explanation would be nice, Miss Umbridge."
Text Cut: Kyle Quote:
Originally Posted by Zellanna "You're welcome, Professor." Kyle smiled brightly. It was nice to know his efforts had been appreciated. He listened to the professor as the man began the lesson and thought about the choices. He had no idea what to do about a mummy or an Inferi, but a zombie? "I'd choose the zombie, Professor. They're slow, aren't they? And if there's only one of them, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Fire could take it out, couldn't it?"
This was more like it!
"Tactical thinking, Mr Erikson." Which was important, especially in the Defence world. "You're right: zombies are slow and therefore, are more likely to buy you some time to try and get away from them. Well done!" Though, be careful of the bite, okay?
Text Cut: Aslan Quote:
Originally Posted by nicole black The question felt.. Wrong, like it was a trick somehow but Aslan couldn't put her finger on exactly why. She leaned back, palms flat on the log beneath her as she considered all that she knew about Inferi, Vampires and.... Mummies.
"Professor." Aslan said, not raising her hand but speaking clearly so the Hirsch could hear her over the others and the roar of the fire. "these are all more or less the same." the Lion had questions, but didn't know where to start." She glanced to Dora Umbridge as the blonde witch abruptly answered, calling for the obvious use of fire on Inferi but offering no further explanation.
"Almost everything can be killed with fire." Aslan impassively said, tucking back a strand of her dark hair and glancing to the flame before them.
"How is a Mummy different from the others? are American Zombies imbued with the soul od their master or is that only folklore- and if they are, can they be considered reanimated corpses, or are they something else?"
All more or less the same? "Are they?" he asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, "You're very right about the fire and, in fact, all three of them can be defeated using fire." So well done.
How a Mummy was different from the others was going to be answered shortly so, Hirsch was going to concentrate on the second question she had. "I think that depends on the type of zombie we're dealing with." Explain? He was going to. "In the general sense, the zombies created by a virus and from being bitten are said to have no soul. Souls, after all, die when the human dies so even if it did have a soul, it would play no active part in the zombification." Meaning, said person can't be held accountable for their actions during the zombie stage because, well, they're zombies, not a living person.
Pause. "However, there are people who have addled with dark magic to try and recreate zombies, but with living animals and from using a virus that makes them act like one. In these cases, they say that the soul is tucked away while the mind is in the control of someone else and your body is taken over by a virus which causes it to die slowly. But does that make you a zombie or a dark wizard's puppet with a virus?"
"Personally? I think you need to be dead to be a zombie and therefore, have no soul. There are quite a few stories from ancient times that say that a sorcerer uses their souls, or part of their souls, and places it in the zombie to not only make them deadlier but to also sustain themselves but I think they're just that: stories. Folklore." And it sounded a little too much like creating a Horcrux.
Text Cut: Oliver Quote:
Originally Posted by Schroyers Oliver smiled back at the professor and watched as his classmates stepped up to the spot. He waved back at Olivia "Hey" He still owed her a jam session and as Junia popped up she got a friendly nod as well. The snake rubbed his hands together toward the fire and made sure to send a little nod Katy's way, He hoped that if there was a point where people grouped up that his partner in crime would head his way. Once the initial question was asked it was very clear that this lesson had to do with fire.
He thought about the question even though it seemed all the answers were the same. "The path doesn't seem to matter too much, Professor. Fire would be effective against any of the three." It would also smell very terrible. But if the choice was between survival and a bad smell he chose survival.
The path didn't matter? That was an interesting way of looking at the situation. Not to mention a confident one. "You're right: fire would work against all three of them and would take them out before they take you out. Good thinking."
Text Cut: Skylar Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixRising Skylar hadn't realized she had been cutting it so close to the start of lesson, until Professor Hirsch pointed it out. But she had made it on time, so no foul. She gave him a gracious smile in return as he started the lesson. Of course it was for a good reason; wasn't it always? Or at least that's what her professors tried to tell her.
She wasn't cold though, for right now, but that was probably because of the adrenaline coursing through her veins from the sprint. And then the coat she slipped on after, plus the fire, if anything she was going to be chilled when she got back to the castle.
Hypothetical question ... a destination, Skylar closed her eyes as she pictured the destination and the situation that Hirsch was posing. A zombie, a mummy, and an inferi. All could be defeated by fire, as that seventh year Gryffindor Aslan pointed out and Skylar liked fire. Fire spells; she was good at fire spells. And ice spells, ironically enough. Eyes still closed as she was picturing the situation and listening to her classmates around her, she tried to formulate an answer.
Which path would she take? If she had to face one of the three creatures; key word was if. She didn't have to try to face any of them. Eyes opening, she had her answer in mind. "None, Professor. At least none of three in front of me, but I'm at a crossroads, which meant there's the fourth path of the way I had come from. Which means, i turn around and go back the way I came from in search of a differently traveled road. There's always another path, even if it's not paved." Yes, she was going to make her own path. Which would probably end up encountering different creatures, perhaps even worse than three aforementioned, but at least she was going to do it by not taking the traditional road to get there.
Hirsch couldn't help but chuckle at this answer. He should've expected this kind of answer and, now that she'd said this, half-expected someone to say that they'd run away. It reminded him all too much of his very first lesson at Hogwarts about fight and flight.
Anyways. "I can't blame you for not wanting to face any of them and choosing a different path to go along. As long as it helps you survive." Survival was key, after all. "Good answer." Shame she hadn't picked one for his own curiosity but he couldn't hold this against her.
Text Cut: Kirk Quote:
Originally Posted by Charely Potter The change in location didn't bother Kirk as much as the weather itself. It had it's perks, hair tended to like the cold more. He had sat on the log after the initial greetings, Hirsch was bound to have something exciting happen today after hearing the first question.
Which creature would Kirk rather face? He sat there for a moment, contemplating. They would all suffer from fire and have a slower mobility reputation... But then again, "I think I'd take the Mummy. Inferi's are controlled by another wizard usually so that'd mean I'd have to face him in the future, right? And Zombies are contagious when they hurt you so I don't want to risk being like them too. So with the Mummy I could just try to freeze or burn it out of my way." Seemed right, right?
Hirsch had to admit: this was an impressive thought process. "Mummies would burn very easily, especially because of the bandages they're wrapped up in, so a simple fire charm would do the trick. Less fuss for you to deal with and you're more likely to get out of there unharmed." Unless there was something else blocking his way. "Excellent answer, Mr Forsfelle! You've really weighed up the possibilities of danger and how likely you are to survive against each one." Good.
Text Cut: Junia Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow Junia listened to the question thoughtfully, deciding that her course of action in that situation would be exactly what Sky had expressed. She'd simply go back the way she came in search of another road. No way would she risk her life. Still, if she had to choose and there was no way out of a confrontation...
"I'd pick the mummy as well. More so because I think facing a corpse that has been all wrapped up would be less frightening and less likely to throw me off. Facing an inferius or a zombie would mean coming face-to-face with a decaying version of the person they once had been, you know? It'd be unsettling." More unsettling than facing a mummy, that's for sure.
............. Oh Junia.
This wasn't a thought process he expected but it was one that tugged at his heartstrings slightly. "You're right, a mummy is all bandaged up and you're less likely to notice human-like features about it that'll bring your defences down as a result." It was much easier to pretend that a mummy hadn't been a human being at one point. "Very good answer, Miss Botros."
Text Cut: Nicholas Quote:
Originally Posted by lemon What? Nicky nodded a little uncertainly, curious as to if he was exuding discomfort out here. He wasn't as skilled at charmswork as his classmates were, apparently, and the warming spells his mum had placed on his clothing over break had long since worn off.
These large, double-gloved hands were keeping him focused today. That was dedication, that was.
And he had company! Usually, Nicholas found friends to be distracting during class, but Liv would certainly help him out in this subject. And maybe scare off anyone who would otherwise make fun of his lack of expertise.
He smiled at her, a bit relieved, before Hirsch began speaking.
Uhhh....? What kind of question was this?
Which path would he take? How about turning around?
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at all the obnoxiously Gryffindor-esque answers, he remained quiet and mulled over the utter uselessness of DADA.
Ugh.
Quiet responses were okay because not everyone had an answer for every question or even wanted to participate. So, he just glanced over the young Hufflepuff before looking away.
It was good that he was okay, at least.
Text Cut: Etta Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady of Light Professor Hirsch always asked the weirdest but the most interesting and thought-provoking questions. She let that question linger in her mind for a while.. wondering how she would deal with a situation like that. She absently stared at the lake for a few minutes while her classmates came up with a few answers before finally looking at the professor, raising a hand hesitantly.
"A zombie, I think. It would be interesting to take on a challenge of defeating something so.... scary and terrible. The easiest of the three would be the mummy, of course." ... and that was it. She resumed soaking in the warmth of the fire as she waited for class to resume.
A zombie? Huh. And not just because of the slow speed of a zombie but because of the challenge it provided. "I'm glad that you like the challenge that defeating a zombie would provide." All of them had a challenge about them but he wasn't going to mention that. "Why do you think a mummy is the easiest one of the three to defeat?"
Text Cut: Stasya Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverTiger Even as she had returned the smile the professor had given her, Stasya had also returned the waves she’d gotten from Dora and Liv. Even if the older students weren’t sitting by her, she wasn’t going to neglect to greet them back. Plus, she’d given Emmeline a grin as her friend had joined her and Jessa. “opposites?,” she offered as a guess as to why there was both the presence of the bonfire as well as the ice. Of course, maybe the fire was just there to keep them all warm since they were outside in the snow, but every other time the fire had been part of the lesson too. She didn’t see why it wouldn’t be this time too, and besides, fire worked against lots of dark creatures even if she didn’t think it worked against curses and stuff like that.
As the lesson began, she’d been listening intently as Professor Hirsch had presented an image to them. Except… “How do all three paths lead to the same place?,” she asked, raising her hand tentatively. If they all split off in different directions, she couldn’t figure out how they’d end up in the same place. Or, why they’d have to pick one path to walk down, which made her raise her hand again.
“All three creatures are dead, and fire works against them,” even if it probably would just scare the zombie and the inferi away. “But why couldn’t we just fly over them?” They were magic after all, and he hadn’t said they didn’t have brooms with them.
How did all three paths lead to the same place? Hirsch shrugged. "Maybe two lead there in a roundabout way. Really, it's just a hypothetical question where I didn't want the destination to affect which path you'd take." He really just wanted to see which of the three options they'd take based on the dark creatures involved.
"A generalised but an accurate answer. Fire would do the trick against all of them." As it did with most things. "Well..... I mean, you could, but if you have little time until you're going to be attacked, you don't have time to be waiting around for a broom to arrive. If you do have a broom on you, fly away."
Text Cut: Kitty Quote:
Originally Posted by Goblinfrog He was offering heating charms. "Um...no thank you. I'm already getting warmer. Thank you for asking, though." She actually would have enjoyed a heating charm, but she didn't want to admit that her cold prevented her from casting it on herself. But it didn't matter that much now that the fire was unfreezing her.
And then the lesson was starting. What a creepy question, the Goth thought to herself. "I would pick the mummy, because it's all wrapped up so I can't see his or her face. Mummies are probably just as bad as zombies and Inferi, I wouldn't have to worry about seeing its face. Especially if the mummy used to be someone I knew. That would be cruel."
When she finished answering, she couldn't help but peer nervously around. She knew there was no way they'd be about to face REAL undead (that would be illegal), but this topic was already unnerving her.
She was getting warmer. That was good to know, at least. He shot her a smile and nodded, silently glad that the fire was helping, at least.
Her answer tied in well with Junia's answer and tugged at his heartstrings even more. "That's a sad way of looking at it and one that would destroy you if you were close to the person you're up against." Not literally but, well, you wouldn't want to kill a loved one, would you? Even if they were a part of the living dead now. "That's a good way of looking at it. Well done!"
Text Cut: Katy Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin Uh, what? Why would she be on this hypothetical path? What kind of HORRIBLE place in the world were they traveling that they'd be inclined to run across an inferi AND a zombie AND a mummy? It sounded like a stupid place to travel.
Katy considered that horrible vacation as she warmed her hands over the fire. All bad options. Finally, she raised her hand. Bad. Options. "Professor, it's all bad either way, I imagine, and I'd turn tail and head back the way I came. But I think I'd prefer the mummy. It seems the most flammable."
All bad? "You're not wrong with that. If it helps you survive, I don't blame you for running away." Again, survival was key. "You're right about mummies, though: they're the most flammable and wouldn't require any complicated wandwork. Good thinking!"
Text Cut: Zoryn Quote:
Originally Posted by ArianaBlack Aw man, no dragons today. Zoryn pouted JUST A LITTLE because she was still really excited for what they had in store. There was never a dull moment in DADA. No, sir!
Did it even cross her mind that she could share the blanket? OF COURSE not! Er consideration wasn't really a thing she was any good at. Whoops?
She was, however, paying good attention to everyone as they slowly trickled in to the campfire's radius. Including the highly insulated person who sat next to her on the log. Oh, Simon! AHahaha. This kid gave her LIFE. "Pssssssst," she wiggled closer towards him, still burrito-ed up. "I like your hat, it's silly," that was a compliment btw, Simon.
Still waiting for class to start, she caught the wave from that old Gryffindor girl (Dora) who spoke mermish! Zoryn waved back, JUST as ENTHUSIASTICALLY. If not MORE. Which, by the way, was quite a feat considering the fact that she had tightly wrapped her hands up in her burrito only minutes ago.
Zoryn wiggled her way to face Professor Hirsch as he posed his first question to the class. Zoryn's hand shot up right away, but it felt like she had to wait an ENTIRE CENTURY to give her answer 'cause everyone else was picked to go first. And loads of them had real boring answers too. Who the heck would use fire when you could kick the monsters???? It'd be SO much more satisfying that way.
"I'd choose the mummy too," she explained confidently. "'Cause all you've gotta do is unwrap them and then they're pointless AND naked." MHM. It was ALL TRUE. "'Sides, since their brain is all rotted, it's probably reaaaaaal easy to punch 'em and run away free." It was all science.
Another mummy answer? Should he find this surprising? Maybe not but he was surprised that the reason she chose a mummy was because she could unwrap them and punch them.
"You're not exactly wrong about that. If their wrappings are loose, it would probably end up tripping over them soon enough, acting like its own downfall." Less work for her? "You could say the same thing for the other two as well but a zombie could bite you and an inferi has enough strength to drag you along with it."
And a naked mummy was not something he wanted to think about. No thank you.
Text Cut: Zarina Quote:
Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin Zarina could use some extra heating charms, that would be lovely. Zarina nodded and said, "Yes p-p-pleaseee.." She wasn't used to this cold scottish weather yet. She continued to rub her hands for warmth and breathing her warm hot air onto them. Now onto the next question, Zae listened carefully and thought about it. Who would she face....a mummy, zombie or inferi? Well the inferi would be really scary. Those are dark art skeletons or something like that. Nope not for her.
This slytherin smirked to herself and thought of her idea at last. She raised her hand and contribute, "Well I would face the zombie because you can easily duck from the attacks, you can outrun them, you can even use diffindo to cut off their leg or whatever body part you wish and it would take them a bit to process what you have done. By then you have ran past them and onto your next task." Zombies weren't that scary to Zarina compared to the mummy and inferi.
Next lesson should not be outdoors in the cold. It was noted.
Hirsch took out his wand and did a series of wavy wand movements around the girl's general direction. There was a small red glow from the heating charm before it settled into place. "Better?"
It was interesting that she'd gone for a zombie since most hadn't but what was more interesting was that she had mentioned cutting off body parts. That earned the girl a smile and some enthusiastic nodding from the man. "Precisely! A well-aimed Diffindo would do the trick, especially if you cut off its head completely." A gruesome thought but that's what you had to do, sometimes. "Excellent answer, Miss Carraro."
Text Cut: Derf Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Curiosity killed the kneazle and TYPICALLY Derf was a kneazle. But not today. NEVER AGAIN AROUND YOU, PROFESSOR HIRSCH. NEVER!
The man could actually thank Jessa for his being here in all honestly because Derf did NOT want to see or be near this man and every lesson since the healing seminar had quite literally been a teeth pulling experience to drag the second year to the classroom. So far...the professor was living up to Jessa's promises...BUT HE WAS STILL SUSPICIOUS AS A KNEAZLE IN A ROOM FULL OF ROCKING CHAIRS ABOUT THIS SPECIAL EXTRA STUDYING HE WAS HELPING JESSA WITH! IT WAS SHADY. SUPER SHADY. PROFESSOR DARK LORD MYERS WAS WAS CLEARLY NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH A TATTOO IN OMINOUS PLACES.
Come to think of it...Professor Hirsch DID have A LOT of tattoos. It was clearly a means of distracting from THE tattoo.
And yes, the Hufflepuff WAS ignoring history for the sake of his conspiracy theory. So sue the kid.
But he was HERE...just strategically hidden from view of the man's EYES. His intention, as always, was to SURVIVE the lesson and he was kinda disappointed - which actually meant super excited - about the topic. At least it was about THINGS he knew.
Okay but...under what circumstances would he find himself in a place where all three of these creatures were present? Well, save for being in a competition like the Triwizard or this IMPS one that is. Since mummies were native to Egypt...and zombies the southern United States of America and not something a wizard like himself would come across in Britain...but Inferi could be aaaaaanywhere...so really the problem was why would a mummy and zombie be in the same place. And WHY would someone throw them in the same place.
Also...reanimated bodies? Oh yeah....he was ON TO YOU, PROFESSOR! ON. TO. YOU.
Glancing over at Jessa to try and READ her expression, Derf tried his best to focus again on the question. Not that he had any intention of answering aloud. Okay...but hmmm... Since there was a VERY strong likelihood that Derf could run into a mummy while visiting Abey in Egypt...he opted out of that one. Inferi, well, he was just waiting for the day now when one of the secret Dark wizards among Hogwarts staff created one or Jessa so not that one...which left him with a zombie he supposed. Less likely of a chance to interact with one of those given the three choices. It was all about likeliness of exposure for him.
Oh. And with fire. Yes. Or his super speed and run away.
While Hirsch could see the blonde head of hair that belonged to Mr Ashburry-Hawthorne, he had no idea the kid had been here before. Staying quiet was certainly working for him, it seemed.
Text Cut: Olivia H. Quote:
Originally Posted by Watson Olivia listened to the hypothetical question that Professor Hirsch had posed. What would she rather face: mummy, inferi, or zombie? Inferi were essentially a Dark Wizard's puppet that they could use for their own bidding. Zombies were like inferi but... slightly different? She wasn't too sure what the difference was. And a mummy... Well if the mummy was anything like the mummy portrayed in the Hollywood films, she seriously doubted it would be but that would be an adversary to face. Actually all of them would be hard to face but fire would work on them all.
So Olivia decided to choose an answer different from her classmates. "Though a mummy would be easiest to defeat and fire could perhaps be used to defeat all three, I think I'd prefer to face an inferi. It'd be terrifying but also an exhilarating challenge."
#Gryffindoring
This had to be the most Gryffindor answer he had been given so far.
And he secretly liked it.
"Do you like the exhilarating feeling from a challenge?" He was just curious. Really. "Interesting choice with the Inferi, I have to say. You're right: that would be the most challenging option," At least, in his opinion. "Which would give you the challenge you like. You're right about the use of fire as well: all of them would burn but some easier than others, meaning that some would grant you freedom quicker than the others."
Text Cut: Jessa Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo Okay so maybe the Professor had a point there. She DID love the challenge and the surprise made it all the more intriguing while she waited. Jessa nodded in response to his question. "I'm fine, just asthma. This helps." Block the smoke and leave her lungs happy. Everyone wins.
She smiled at Emmeline and Stasya as they came to join her by her log and was all set to answer Emmeline's question about the lesson WHEN PROFESSOR HIRSCH WENT AND ASKED A GLORIOUS QUESTION LIKE THAT.
The Ravenclaw leaned forward on her seat, taking very little notice of the way Derf had been looking at her because HOOOOOLLLLLYYYYYY KNEEEEAAAAAZZZLLLLLLLEEEEEE!!!
There was no mistaking the way her face seemed to light up.
"All of them." Her hand had shot up so fast, it was a wonder she didn't pull a muscle or dislocate her shoulder at the joint. "All three. I'd go down each road, then after I've defeated them, I'd go back and take the other road then the other--but I wouldn't use fire. That will destroy the specimens before I get a chance to really learn anything." WHICH WOULD BE NOTHING SHY OF TRAGIC!
"Ideally, I'd like to cross study them under certain conditions. Need 'em alive ....er....undead for that."
That was her answer. She wasn't gonna choose ONE.
Hirsch knew it. When planning the lesson, he knew all along that this particular Ravenclaw would be very interested in this topic and would therefore be excited at the prospect of having an entire lesson dedicated to it. That was the impression he was getting from her, at least.
But her answer? Uh.
Hirsch, who had been smiling widely, found himself shooting her a confused look."You want to examine the versions of the living dead?" This.... probably wasn't surprising, given what she had come to him about during recent times. "So you would bind them up? Not destroy them? Even if they were attacking you?" He did not like the idea of her getting hurt from this, okay?
If she wasn't thinking about working in some kind of scientific facility, she was choosing the wrong career path.
Text Cut: Emmeline Quote:
Originally Posted by NifflerFan
Stasya had made a good point; fire and ice were opposites and would totally explain why Professor Hirsch had both out here. She was about to tell her friend that she liked that idea when Miss Olivia P. arrived. Emmeline gave the older lioness a smile and a wave, and then gave Derf the same when he came over, but before she could say anything else about the ice or anything, the lesson had started.
At first, Emmeline was content to listen to her classmates' answers as she thought the problem over. Most of them thought that any of the creatures could be defeated with fire, and Emmeline thought that was probably true -- but then why the ice? Stasya had asked a good question, too; flying away or over the Dark creatures sounded like one of the best strategies to her. Some of her classmates' answers were kind of disturbing, though. Emmeline stared at Miss Olivia H.; battling all three creatures was super brave and all, but unless they were going around hurting people, what was the point in that? Maybe Miss Olivia H. was super good at DADA or a future Auror like Miss Noelle or something. The older Gryffindor's answer went out the window in terms of daring or weird answers, though, when Jessa said hers! Jessa wanted to study them?! WHAT?! Emmeline glanced at Derf and Stasya to gauge their reactions, 'cause she felt like someone should tell Jessa that that was NOT a good idea -- for LOADS of reasons -- but she wasn't sure how to go about telling the Ravenclaw that herself. She knew that Jessa liked experimenting, but experimenting on ANY creature was disturbing, and on Dark ones it was even worse of an idea in the first year's opinion.
So which Dark creature would Emmeline pick? She felt like she didn't know enough about any of them to make a smart choice, to be perfectly honest. She knew what all of the creatures were, of course, but she didn't know speeds or fighting abilities or weaknesses (other than fire) of any of them, really. Someone had said earlier that facing an Inferi would mean facing the Dark wizard who had conjured it, and Emmeline had to agree that that would be much worse than facing only one Dark being. Raising her hand, she said tentatively: "I think I'd take the mummy, Professor. Because you could use loads of different spells to get away from it, maybe, plus fire. The Inferi would mean fighting TWO battles to get past it, and zombies are super dangerous if they bite you, right?" She wasn't sure about that, but she thought maybe zombies spread their zombie-ism through bites, sort of like werewolves did. Mummies seemed like not as much of a threat as the other two options, but maybe she just didn't know enough about any of them. Emmeline flushed with embarrassment and slumped a little on her place on the log; maybe she shouldn't have answered this one.
Hirsch was impressed and it showed on his face when the young Gryffindor started saying her answer. "Excellent answer! Really excellent. That's some smart thinking right there." And from a first year too.
"The use of lots of different spells increases your chance of using a spell that you're comfortable with and good at. Meaning, you'll be more likely to defeat the mummy. You're completely right with that." Though, while he hoped that she didn't have to face any of those creatures, he also hoped that she'd be able to easily defend herself against any of them. "You're right: zombies can bite you and turn you into one of them."
Text Cut: Noelle Quote:
Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur Noelle was seated by Olivia. She was ready to go once Hirsch started the lesson. She gave a look around the classroom as everyone started answering whether or not they would like to face a mummy, inferi, or zombie. She listened to the answers. Some thought like her, while others didn't. She grinned though because some/most answers were brilliant. Also Jessa... heh.
Noelle's eyes travelled back to the professor when there was a lull in the conversation. Enough time for her to sneak an answer in. "Like Kirk said, the rumor for zombies, is their bite is contagious. I would rather not become a zombie, so I would leave them alone. And mummy's don't seem to be a threat. I'd go after the inferi. They are controlled by dark magic and another witch or wizard, but I think that would be more of a challenge. " Plus trying to find who was using that dark magic would be fun.
He liked it when students went through their thought processes. He really did. It gave him an inclination as to the way they thought their way through a problem, especially one that was linked to the subject he taught. And this was a great level of thinking.
Though, to be fair, he expected nothing less from Noelle.
No pressure?
"Interesting that you see mummies as not being a threat. An Inferi would be the most challenging option out of the three," At least, that was how he saw it. "because of a number of reasons that we'll go through. Excellent thinking, Noelle."
Text Cut: Vivian Quote:
Originally Posted by Kimothy "I most certainly am, Professor!" The blonde beamed at the man. Dimpled smile, though? UGH. He was lovely. His face was heaven-sent. "And I hope you're doing well, too!" How was Miss Laughing-Woman-On-Poster? Was she still stuck onto his office door? Why was Professor Hirsch so beautiful? She had millions of questions she'd like to us, but class had to start.
Mummy. Zombie. Inferi. Not of them sounded appealing! She didn't want to deal with any of those. They all seemed icky and just... no. Definitely no.
Which one would you face and try to defeat?
Vivian couldn't help it. She felt an urge to continue the question with something unrelated to Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Slytherin fought it but then... she couldn't help it. "Let's get down to business... to defeat the Huns! HYAAAA!" She blurted it out, and then turned red after singing the line. Meep. "What I meant to say, Professor, is that... none of them seem like the better option to defeat since they're all going to try and put up a fight with me, which may lead to ruining my hair. I'd probably just climb up a tree or y'know, go back to where I came." HEH. What a save.
It was nice to know that she was doing well. Really. As for him, "Of course. I have no complaints." And he was teaching his favourite topic which always made him happy, even if it came with some.... troubles.
...............
What?
Hirsch.... laughed. Really laughed. One of those laughs that caused him to throw his head back. "To defeat the Huns? I hope you sing that to motivate yourself to do any task." It would work, that's for sure.
Was he going to forget this? No.
"I can't blame you for wanting to save yourself and survive by not fighting against any of the creatures. It's a good choice, all the same." Not one of his options but a good choice. "You're right: all of them would try to defeat you in one way or another." But then again, that was the point of this subject. To learn how to defend yourself against them.
Text Cut: Simon Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ Moose If it could be seen when Zoryn complimented his poofball winter hat. His Neck Warmer covering the lower half of his face raised up a bit on his cheeks indicating a smile. "Fankf". That was real nice of her. Maybe he can make his Estate's House Elves make her one?
Was he being mocked?
What What WHAT!? No, Simon already started anticipating and assuming what this lesson might lead to and he wanted no part of that!
He quickly chimed in with many of the other students who noted they would not go down any of the paths at all. "Iftf ftoo dangherouf for anfy of fem." he agreed nodding along. Simon wanted to question the purpose of these paths why were they undead guarding them? Is there a Dark Wizard/Witch afoot they should be wary of in this hypothetical situation? Why wouldn't they be supervised by an Adult Wizard with all these Undead blocking their paths?
Too dangerous? Well, that was to be expected.
And considering what Mr Rockefeller had to go through the previous year, he wasn't exactly surprised with this answer. No.
"You.... are right with that, yes. All of them would be dangerous to go up against and there's no harm in not wanting to fight any of them." Not everyone liked to fight, after all.
Text Cut: Shayla Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer11 It seemed that Shay had made it to class with only a few minutes to spare. Professor Hirsch called for everyone's attention and began to speak. The Gryffindor listened as the professor posed the first question including a hypothetical scenario that Shay hoped would never come to pass. A mummy, zombie and inferi? What kind of choice was that? It sounded like a no win to her. This one, she would have to think about for a moment.
There was no lesser of the evils here. This was clearly a matter of personal opinion. For a moment, Shay tried to think.......WWHD.....What would Hirsch do? Finally Shay admitted that she had no idea. She was on her own with this one. She raised her hand, still formulating her answer. "I would choose the mummy. Besides the fact that it's the least creepy of the three, I think it might be the easiest to take down. If not, I think I could definitely outrun it.....if all else failed." Shay wasn't sure why she thought the mummy would be the slowest of the three, she just did.
Least creepy? Easiest?
"A mummy is the least creepy, yes, and would probably be less likely to distract you because of that." Unless they happened to like mummies and Ancient Egypt. "I'm glad you've thought of a plan B for this plan of defence as well. That's a good level of thinking right there."
A mummy wasn't the slowest of the three but that tied in with his next question so he wasn't going to ask her just yet.
Text Cut: Ava Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomRaven It was a coincidence that Noelle came right after her. But it seemed Professor Hirsch noticed that they both were kind of inseparable. She would like to move closer to the Gryffindor prefect but unfortunately the class had started and she paid attention to the Professor's words.
Mummy, Zombie, anfInferi.
Wow, so today they're going to defeat the living dead?
Ava listened to her classmates' opinion. Well, sure that all three of them could be defeated by fire. But inferi were controlled by a dark wizard and let's be realistic, her skills were not good enough yet to face one. And mummies were... quite easy. "I choose zombie, Professor. Well... yeah, the others had mentioned about how contagious they are. But, don't they spread their germs by biting? and from what I've seen in the muggle movie, their brains are what make zombies... zombies." Although the Gryffindor wasn't sure if it was right. "So, they could be attacked by aiming the head. Maybe using arrow-shooting spell or even reducto."
Zombies were a good choice and one that he didn't expect a lot of people to go for. But the answer was a good one, especially since she mentioned exactly how she could defeat the zombie as well. "You're right: they turn you into one of their own by biting and that's why you shouldn't let one get close to you." Just saying. "Reducto would work very well against a zombie. Well done!"
Text Cut: Viv Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayla Taaffe Liv paid intentionally to Mr. Rockefeller. She clearly understood the change in environment... no need to get anxious Liv. It wasn't like she was being abused.
She thought about the question long and hard. If she was at a crossroads, she would face the Inferi. She was fascinated by them.
It was a very long question indeed.
.......... This had to be the weirdest answer he'd been given but one that intrigued him nonetheless.
"You want to duel against an Inferi?" Key word: want? "Why? Are you fascinated with them or just like the challenge?" Hirsch was very curious about where it was she had been going with this answer.
Text Cut: Levi Quote:
Originally Posted by Oesed Just because his blank expression became more believable by the second did not mean that it kept the blush away. Unfortunately, certain reactions from certain things were unavoidable; smirks and eyebrow raises were powerful weapons, it seemed.
Levi blinked, grinned. "Yes. Thank you." He reached up to scratch a side of his face. "Adrenaline helped a lot, really." His patronus had not even been corporeal, anyway. He still found it hard to believe anyone his age or younger could perform a fully corporeal one, at any rate.
But he had stabbed the dementor so that was something.
That was surprisingly easy as far as questions went.
Levi raised his hand. "I'd use point me as guide and just take it from there." It seemed only logical. Why chance it and go through the trouble of dealing with a nightmare of a creature only to realize the wrong path had been taken? Perhaps he was overthinking this. "Regardless, mummy, zombie, inferi--Orbis can trap them and the blasting curse can just take care of the rest." Confringo was useful like that--and dangerous, too, but so were all spells to varying degrees.
Adrenaline helped a lot? Hirsch didn't find that surprising. Some people tended to panic under pressurising situations and others would just deal with the situation. And then there were some others that would end up doing some kind of magic or performing something that they didn't know they could do.
Hopefully, this gave him a boost of confidence.
This answer? Huh. "That's some very smart thinking, Levi. Very well done." Expectations? Raised. "You're completely right about using Orbis and Confringo. You could even take out a bunch of dark creatures simply with one powerful use of the curse. The zombie, especially would be the most vulnerable against the Blasting Curse."
Text Cut: Olly Quote:
Originally Posted by littledhampir Since they were told to imagine, Olly closed his eyes in order to get into his imagination properly. Okay, he was walking to a destination. In his mind he was on his way to the kitchen. Maybe he was about to make some fresh chocolate chip cookies. Yum, that sounded really good. Except then the scenario went on and it didn't really make sense. Why would any of those three things be on his way to the kitchen? And why were there three different paths to the kitchen? He should have imagined a better location but it was too late now. Olly knew the destination wasn't the important part and the question was just which of the three he would rather face. A mummy didn't sound too bad. An old decaying body all wrapped in bandages...didn't sound like they could put up much of a fight. A zombie on the other hand... Olly liked his brains where they were thank you very much. An inferi he at least knew how to defeat. They hated fire so a nice incendio would do the trick. Instead of saying any of those things Olly raised his hand and said, "I would just turn around and go back the way I came."
Go back the way he came? Huh. There were quite a few of those answers cropping up, which shouldn't be surprising really. Again, he should've expected this.
"If it helps you survive longer, I don't see why not. Survival is the most important part, after all. And I don't blame you for not wanting to fight any of them." While Hirsch was a fighter and to him, defeating the dark creature was always his course of action, he did understand that that wasn't everyone's concern.
Text Cut: Daniel Quote:
Originally Posted by Weasley174 Daniel's hand shot into the air as the Professor spoke. "I'd take on the mummy Professor as I think it would be cool to try and talk it out of hurting me and instead find out more about how old it was and why it had decided to become a mummified object." Yes, that was one thing that had always confused him about them.
This was an answer that he definitely hadn't expected.
Hirsch blinked. Talk his way out of this situation? He.... didn't understand that. At all. "It's the living dead, I don't think talking your way our of being attacked is going to work." No offence, Mr Moore. "And some want to become mummies because they either want to live longer or, more commonly, they have some kind of duty to fulfil or something to protect." Did that answer his question?
Text Cut: Olivia P. Quote:
Originally Posted by Govoni When given options, Olivia clearly wasn't the right person to ask. She hated making decisions...and honestly, she had to wonder if Professor Hirsch was feeling okay. Wasn't a zombie just a muggle version of an inferi? An animated corpse was an animated corpse, whether magic was involved or not... Then again, perhaps she was mixing up her memory of what a zombie actually was, considering how many muggle television shows she'd watched. Huh...
Also, don't worry, Nicholas Tate. No one was going to mess with him on her watch. For a Gryffindor, Olivia Lynn could be quite terrifying when she bloody well wanted to be. And he was her friend. She would fight you.
Ahem.
Right, what was the question again? She'd gotten terribly distracted. THREE PATHS....A mummy, zombie, inferi...Which to pick... Huh. "I mean, I'm of the mind that any path one chooses, there will be obstacles. Obstacles with a way to defeat them." Metaphorically and literally, but this was class it surely Professor Hirsch meant for her to provide a serious answer. A practical one. "All three creatures would have a weakness, and therefore a way for any witch or wizard to overcome them. It would really depend on where your strengths lie in magic. Like, for instance, for me...I would probably pick the zombie, because muggle telly has lured me into a false sense of security with them." But also... "I think fire would work for all of them, yes, but also, there are other spells that could always be useful." Olivia was theatrical with her magic, so... "Duro or a powerful diffindo charm? What I'm saying is that it's smart to have backup plans with magic and not just rely on any one spell or solution."
She was done talking.... Er, sorry Professor Hirsch.
This was a long answer to a long question.
Were there obstacles along the path? Hirsch nodded slowly in response to that question. He really just wanted to see which of the creatures they would face, if they were given the choice, so he hadn't thought about any other obstacles along the path. Sorry.
The mention of weaknesses, however, was what got the man smiling wide. "Exactly! Every creature, every being, has a weakness of some sort. A pressure point, if you will. It's important to know the pressure points of these creatures so that if you find yourself in that unfortunate situation, you know how to get out of there as quickly and effectively as possible." He'd taught a lesson on pressure points and combat fighting and half wondered if she remembered that. But then again, it was in her first year.
"Excellent mention of having a backup plan! Not all of your defensive plans will go swimmingly, which is okay, but that's never a reason to give up." He had some other things he could say in regards to this but this wasn't the time or the place. "You're right: a powerful diffindo charm is a good spell to use and might take out quite a few of the living dead. Well done!"
Text Cut: Daisy Quote:
Originally Posted by Crayola Okay, Hirsch definitely remembered then. At least he remembered enough to mention her commentary; she had been rather proud of how she had been going and, to be honest, it had been fun. Until she had given up, of course. "Thank you, Sir. It started well, I guess." Aaaand then a Dementor had grabbed her best friend by the neck and had put rather a bummer into the proceedings. Yes, she could joke about it now because said best friend was walking in - soul intact, thank you very much - and making her blush in front of the class. So annoying. Glancing back at Hirsch and doing her best to keep her expression completely neutral, Daisy nodded distractedly. Sass. Was that disrespectful? Hmm. "Well, we have to start the day as we intend to end it, I suppose." That's what people said, right?
Probably not to their DADA Professor, though.
Thankfully, the lesson began shortly after with a typically Hirsch question. By that, of course, she meant it was a perfectly good question, given they were studying Defence Against the Dark Arts but her answer tended to be the same for every one of them. She raised her hand."So running away is out of the question? You said to imagine, Sir, and I imagine I'd run away ... unless someone I reaaaally cared about was in danger -- like my family, or something." Or yeah -- you know. The girl pondered on the Deadly Trifecta before adding. "But if I had to, I think I'd go zombie. They seem relatively easy to destroy, especially when compared to a mummy -- which, I assume, probably has some freaky Ancient Magic abilities -- or an inferi, which is under the control of a dark wizard." Her attacking skills weren't that good at all; she would get crushed by any dark wizard, even a newbie so. Yes. "But still, not being there at all is really my choice, Sir."
Start the day how we intend to end it? "Touché, Miss Carden, touché. I would tip my hat at that but I'm not wearing a hat." Which made that comment useless.
"Running away is never out of the option, unless you happen to be trapped in the situation." If they were thinking about this in that sense. "Excellent thought process, especially with mentioning the fact that two out of the three dark creatures are actually controlled by someone else. That would be a smart way of looking at it." Pause. "Not being there is probably the wisest choice." Because really, who would want to be there?
Text Cut: Hattie Quote:
Originally Posted by RachieRu Now honestly? Hattie didn't want to come face to face with any of those things. It was why she was going down a creative route. Not much chance of meeting a zombie when you were an artist. But for the sake of schooling, and for a mandatory class, she would think about it. It was why she was here after all. But really. She didn't know what she wanted to face. Could she just pick none? Was that an option? Probably not. so she needed to pick one.
"I'd pick uh...." She didn't know. "Uh... a mummy" Because well that was the first one that had come to her mind. "I guess you could hope some of the bandages would come lose, then you could run when they get all tangled up" She murmured with a little laugh. That was clearly how she would get out of the situation.
This answer. "Defeating a creature without having to fight it in the first place? Not a bad option." Pause. "It relies quite a bit on hope and good fortune which is great if it works in your favour. If you do get out of there without having to do anything, even better. But be careful because it does rely heavily on your luck on that precise day."
Text Cut: Matt Quote:
Originally Posted by Hey Ju Well. WELL.
That got Matt thingking. "I suppose... Either a mummy or a zombie, since an Inferi has to do with Dark Magic and that could be a bigger problem." Or not, if you were an Auror and knew exactly what to do. Matt was no Auror - yet - so probably he wouldn't pick that one that day. He'd like to live to learn how to defeat one.
"A zombie, I guess. Sounds less of a problem than a mummy, as... I don't really know if mummies have had any crazy Ancient Magic added to their... wrapping." Or whatever.
It seemed like the Gryffindor was having trouble deciding and while Hirsch wanted to pose questions to help him decide, he wasn't about to do so. No. Let's see how his train of thought went first.
"It's interesting that you've cast aside the option of going against an Inferi completely." Because of the Dark Magic part, which, he was glad he had mentioned. "Zombies are a good choice. Mummies do have some Ancient Magic embedded into their body and they're preserved in such a way that it becomes hard to defeat them. Especially if they were someone in a high position of power who would ensure that they were well preserved with the highest level of defence around them." But good choice.
Text Cut: Cassandra Quote:
Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline Nope, the change in environment didn’t bother her. Cass was getting used to it and as she had mentioned to one professor at some point, she was almost beginning to enjoy the cold. She kept quiet as the offer for extra warm was passed, perking up as the hypothetical question was raised. Three paths placed before her…another set of options for her to deal with. Mummy…zombie…inferi. Which of the three was what she wanted to deal with out of the rest. They all had their downfalls which made it all the more complicated. And yeah, she was getting used to suffering through indecisions.
"Mummy..." she finally answered after raising her hand. Inferi was waaaay to scary and zombies were like inferi.
Mummy? Huh. "Why would you choose the mummy?" Not that there was anything wrong with it but he did want to see how she had come to that conclusion. It couldn't have been a random guess, could it?
The problem with this setting was that he couldn't walk around the area like he normally would with his usual classroom setup. They were arranged in a large circle with a bonfire in the middle and that would mean that he'd have to walk around in circles while they answered.
So, standing it was.
Which got boring very quickly.
He wanted to move, okay?
Right. Moving on. "Excellent answers, everyone! While there's no wrong or right answer, I posed the hypothetical question to see how you think and come to your decision of what dark creature to face - or not face." For those that didn't want to fight any of them. "And I have to say, you haven't let me down. Very well done." Smile.
"Now, in your answers, a number of you mentioned a few facts about the dark creature of your choice to back up your answer. Facts about Ancient Magic and the speed of the dark creature. It shows that you know what you're talking about." Hopefully, they had been taking notes about that. "For those of you who don't know, Zombies, Mummies and Inferi are all different forms of the living dead. They fit into the Necromancy category, which is what we're going to look at today." Vaguely.
"While they're all creatures of the living dead and are all likely to attack you, there are some key differences about each of them that are important to remember, especially when trying to defeat it. Can anyone name any of these differences, apart from their appearance?" OOC: EEEEEEEEE LOOK AT THESE ANSWERS  *wiggles*
The question here is simple: apart from their appearance, what are the differences between a mummy, a zombie and an inferi? Anything! Please try not to repeat anyone else's answers. And I don't want anything that's been copied from the internet.
I have an exhibition thing to attend tomorrow so I'm not sure exactly what time I can continue the lesson but it'll probably be late in the evening. Sorry to keep you waiting <3
Thank you!
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