SPOILER!!: Vindypost
Quote:
Originally Posted by
demented_death_eater 
"AHEM!"
Vindictus shot a frown at Miles and Dylan. "SOOO . . . now that you found the tail twig clippers, the first step in tuning up your broom is to work on the tail twigs. I've already done the messy part of cleaning the tail twigs in a bucket of solution and allowing them to dry."
He walked over to the broom rack and retrieved a broom who's twigs looked like they'd been used to smash an army of spiders. Ends of the twigs were ragged and poking in different directions. Vindictus slowly walked by each table so that the students could see the poor condition of the broom.
"This is what happens when you don't trim the tail twigs. Sad, isn't it. Fly on this thing and the butterflies will beat you." He smiled and pointed to a broom leaning by the fire. It looked like it got caught in a Muggle machine that gnawed off it's tail. "And that's what happens when you get carried away with those clippers. Destroy the tail and you've killed the broom."
"Take your clippers and gently clip the raggedy ends off each of the tail twigs. When you do this with great care, you will still maintain the speed and shape of the tail. Please keep your voices low while you work and hair cutting is not allowed!"
Cela had done this whole tail twig trimming thing before. She'd made the mistake one time of offering to help her brother Adri and he ended up lecturing her quite indepth about broom care.
Sigh.
Not that she minded it was just that it wasn't the most exciting thing to do in a lesson. She eyed the poor destroyed broom curiously though and had to raise her hand.
"So professor, do tail twigs grow then? Thats why we have to keep trimming them? But there's a point where if you trim them too far they won't grow anymore? Or will they eventually like... grow enough to be rideable again? Or would there be like... a kink in the twigs or something where the new growth is? Or is it just that after a certain amount of trimming it can't be trimmed anymore and a new broom is needed?"
Questions galore? Yes.
She readied herself with broom and twig clippers and very carefully began to trim the twigs. She was undertrimming it a bit, not wanting to over do it or anything. It was easier to go back and trim off a little more than it was to fix things when you'd already messed up after all. She tried to go with the natural shape of the tail, tried to feel the shape of it among all the scrabbly ends, trying to be as gentle as she would be if she WAS cutting hair.
Though, if Professor Vindictus had asked, Cela would have pointed out that the Flipnsnipwitit charm was far more effective and fun than using tailtwig clipper things would be.
SPOILER!!: morevindypost
Quote:
Originally Posted by
demented_death_eater Vindictus was pleased with the work the students were doing and noticed that many were finishing up with the much-needed trimming of the twigs.
Suddenly, he clapped his hands to get their attention. "Alrighty class! Now that you know how to trim the tail twigs, we're going to move on to another important aspect of caring for a broom - polishing the handle. Return the clippers to the kit and remove the two rags and the container of polish."
He gave them a few minutes to make the transition before continuing.
"One rag will be used to apply the polish and the other is for buffing the polish off of the handle. But before we start, let me show you a few brooms." He walked over to the broom rack and removed a broom who's handle appeared to be in good shape. Then he held it so that the students could really see it. "This broom handle hasn't been properly waxed in a very, very long time. Can you see the faint sheen? That's what's left of the magical varnish. See, the magical varnish helps hold the charms placed on a broom. When the varnish gets worn down, so does the strength of the charms. Unfortunately, this broom can no longer be flown."
And he placed it in the corner of the shed for anyone who wanted to examine the effects of an uncared for broom. He grabbed another one.
"This broom has a nice sheen to it, but it should be shinier. This is what happens when you apply one coat of polish every year or so. Still, the life of this broom has been shortened thanks to the lack of maintenance." He, too, placed it in the corner next to the other broom. Then he grabbed a third broom.
The handle on this broom was glossy, as if it had been dipped in a high gloss laquer. It was so shiny that you could see a reflection in the handle. It looked like Vindictus had just purchased the broom that day and had taken it out of the box prior to the start of class.
"This broom is twenty years old, and it still looks and flies as if it were purchased yesterday. See the glossy finish, almost like a mirror? Now that's what happens when you take the time to correctly polish a broom handle." This broom he placed over the fireplace mantle so that everyone could look up and see it while they worked.
"Open the polish container and using one rag, scoop out a small amount of polish - about the size of a Knut. In a gentle circular motion, wipe the polish onto the handle of the broom. When you've covered the entire handle, wait two minutes before polishing it off with the other rag using a gentle circular motion. Do this three times."
Then he hesitated.
"There's something else I needed to say...."
And Vindictus paused for dramaitc effect.
"In addition to group House Points for this lesson, I'm also going to reward the hardest workers with some fantastic prizes. Let's get started!"
Ohhh more instructions? Good timing too. Cela was pretty sure she was done with the... oh no she wasn't. HELLO stray and scruffy twig! She snipped it carefully, getting it back in to the smooth line of its fellows. It looked even. Cela held it up to eyeball it.
Yes. Tail twigs? done!
She put the clippers back in the kit and took out the polishing stuff like Professor Vindictus said to. She examined each of the brooms he held up and listened to him talk, tipping her head to one side and wondering if she'd ever seen a badly cared for broom up close. Her brothers were either Quidditch fanatics or clean freaks so they'd each always had particularly well cared for brooms.
It was sad though. Those uncared for brooms. Cela's hand flew up AGAIN.
"Can those brooms be restored? Like the charms on them as well as polishing them up new again?"
Cela was preparing to polish the school broom she'd been working on as she asked. She scooped out a smear of polish with one of her rags, smelled it thoughtfully and then smear/rub/polished it onto the broom handle.
A thought occurred to her while she was gently rubbing it on and she tried to stifle the giggles.
And failed.
Teeheee.
Expression innocent, Celandine swallowed the giggles down and bent her head to the task.