Camryn was wondering what they would be working on in class today. She got a little hint once class started and the professor asked the first question. Different environment, humans in water........where could the professor be going with this?

Deciding to focus her attention on the question, Cam raised her hand. “There are a lot of creatures underwater or just swimming around in the water. Some of them are dangerous and the dangerous one’s might be hungry so.........that could be a problem for humans.” Especially if the hungry one’s liked to eat people.

The warmth of the classroom somewhat warmed Charlies heart, okay it didn't but she had to try and take some things in stride because this term was really starting to weigh on her and she couldn't believe that she was constantly having to worry about what she thought, what she said, or what others did as much as she was. Taking her seat and giving a good ol, "Hello Professor Peralta." Grabbing the green notebook from her bag with the nice ink she had gotten over the summer no smiles, just ready to get a move on.

Water, it wasn't anyones friend lets be completely honest about that. They'd already got waves, breathing, other creatures.... what else did she know. It made your skin gross when you were in for too long maybe she could run with that. "What about when you're in water for too long and your skin starts to shrivel, well wouldn't that be 100 times worse if you were in water for an extended period of time?" So how in Merlin did the Merpeople not have the nastiest looking skin in the world?

The closing door meant that no other lagging students could get in. The Hoods though? Claudine knew that they were the exception for they’d come barging in whenever they felt like it. But the lesson was starting and that meant that there would be less time with the Hoods hovering around. Peralta was a lot chipper, wasn’t she? Claudine knew that there were no tired feels about herself; she was ready for the lesson. After all, Charms was one of her strongest subjects.

The question was considered, the fingers pads of her right hand absently drumming on the desk. The first obvious answer was breathing issues but that was too obvious. “Going deeper and deeper underwater creates the problem of pressure on the body. I believe that that pressure can be enough to… kill? or seriously injure.” Had her hand been up? Yes, it had been.

"Hey," Curtis greeted Claudine who sat by him. She was cool, he thought briefly on sharing her some things he had been working on privately. But the thought had to be tucked away as class began.

Difficulties underwater? A fair few to say the least, "It's hard to talk underwater so relying on sign language or wordless magic would have to be essential to communicate with others." Curtis said. The other answers his classmates shared he had no objections to.

What kind of difficulties could humans encounter underwater....? Why...she wasn't going to make the class go underwater, was she? In that fish tank, there? Bernie eyed the professor, STILL SUSPICIOUS OF HER (she was a new hire, after all; it was her job to be sus toward the new people), and cautiously raised her hand.

"Water's wet," she offered innocently, "so one problem is that you'll ruin your hairdo and outfit if you are suddenly forced underwater."

So, like, don't do that to us now, thanks.

The setup with the fish tank and the buckets of water had Ivy curious on what they'd be doing this lesson. Professor Peralta's first question being about water definitely fit with the theme so far too. What spell could this be leading up to?

She supposed she'd find out soon, yeah? So answering this question needed to be her focus for now. "It's harder to move when you're in the water," she offered, raising her hand. "I mean, you can move in some ways that you can't on land, but not as fast, so it's harder to get away from something if you're in danger. We don't have fins like fish do that make it easier to run away- er, swim away from danger."

Bernie sat down near her, and Aboli sent her a smile. "Hey, Bern," she said with a pat of the younger girl's hand. Don't worry, Bernie. Aboli definitely planned on telling you aaaaalllll about the gloves soon enough. It was her last term, and she knew the Gryffindor was dying to know! At Curtis' look, Aboli raised an eyebrow at her fellow seventh year. Then, she rolled her eyes, clearly irritated by his look her way.

Perhaps she enjoyed giving him a hard time, just a little bit. And also...she was still embarrassed by her actions on the train home. MONTHS LATER IT WAS STILL...AH. She could feel her cheeks turning pink just thinking about it.

Anyway.

Bernie gave a really dumb answer, and Aboli took it upon herself to try and help her out. "Professor," she raised her hand right after Bernie. "To expound on what Bernie said, I think what she means is that we humans do not have the right equipment most times to be able to survive longterm in water. Our clothes are horrible for swimming - we've had to make special swimming gear just to flop around water like a bunch of slugs," she said. Aboli had never been a fan of the beach, all right? Or any sort of water adventuring. "And even the equipment muggles have come up with - like scuba gear and stuff - it's not enough to counteract a long-term time spent in water." It made her think of the bubble-head charm, but Aboli had said enough. Someone else could talk, now.

Valencia nodded in agreement. "Yes. Our physiology is quite different." Although, given time, she was sure that eventually people would adapt if they had to. "It's similar to going into space. Humans can handle it for awhile but there are health impacts to prolonged exposure to a different environment."

The music had been nice, and it was disappointing that the professor turned it off for the lesson, but Phoebe supposed it was a matter of concentration. She gave Teddy a broad grin when he appeared, but since she was on strict non-shenanigan duty... Sorry, brother.

With a glance at the tanks of water sitting near the desks, Phoebe raised her hand. "You get really cold in the water, faster than you do in open air. So you're more likely to get hypothermia if you spend time in the water, even if you spend time in the air at the same temperature."

Lilith shook her hands and fingers as if that would make her exhaustion go away. Maybe she should stop going on runs around the grounds. Deep down she knew it wasn’t physical exhaustion she was feeling. It was all in the mental headspace. It was easier to believe it was physical, though. It was easier to take care of. Just sleep it off, right?

Taking into account her classmates’ responses, and low-key pretending it was just a normal lesson, nothing to worry about, Lilith raised her hand to contribute. “Like it was mentioned, our bodies--mainly our skin--isn’t equipped to be underwater for so long. A lot of exposure could attract bacterial infections.” Ew.

Atlas had never been a fan of classical music but what had once felt jarring and ear bleeding at the start of term was slowly beginning to grow on him. Not that he was on his way to become a causal listener or anything...just he could appreciate the moment of calm that it was when stepping into the Charms classroom. A class which, thankfully, was one where he lacked any embarrassing performance issues when he came to wielding his wand. Even if he did prefer Transfiguration to Charms.

Nothing personal other than personal preference.

He had mostly been distracted by the bucket of water and was secretly hoping for a magical water balloon fight. Just without the actual balloons and instead charming the water to form blobs and then launch them at classmates. So he was a bit disappointed when Professor Peralta began the lesson with that question. Which, well, he could guess what they would be learning today and while he DID consider it to be an incredibly useful spell...it wasn't a water fight.

A bit of rigorous activity like that was something he really needed right now, more than classical music. He wanted to FIGHT but do so in a safe space.

Picking at a random ink smudge on his desk - how had that gotten there? - Atlas wasn't sure what else he could contribute to the answers already offered. Water pressure was one he had thought about too and knew that dad had had one of his ear drums blown out in his more youthful days from it. St. Mungo's had been able to fix that right up though. He also thought about underwater currents ... but that struck a memory a bit too close to the heart and therefore he would avoid answering with that too. Eventually...he DID settle on something and raised his hand - even if this particular issue was not something that he felt relevant to the suspected charm of the day.

"Hidden debris or underwater hazards, um, including but not limited to plants and creatures...that can cause injury if you are not respectful of the environment or alert." It may not be a water fight...but maybe he could go out and visit Bartholomew Henry??!! That would be...pretty swell.

With the Hoods not present in class, Minjae’s demeanor had changed as well. He was still very tired, even had to stifle a yawn behind his hand as the Professor began the lesson but he also sat more comfortably in his chair. His back was straight and he looked up instead of holding his gaze to his desk in fear of drawing attention to himself whenever those Hoods were present.

The change was greatly appreciated but in the back of his mind he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long lived.

Listening to the Professor and his other classmates answers, the Hufflepuff raised his hand in the air. ”Cramps in the legs” he said simply before lowering his hand. It happens when a muscle is tired and overused. I think dehydration is in play as well" He said slowly.

Dahlia cast a quick sideways glance at Tadhg giving him a light smile when he choose the seat beside hers. "I'm not sure but it obviously involves water so that could be fun," she whispered in response, shrugging her shoulders.

There was a lot of things that could go wrong or cause trouble for humans when underwater. These difficulties became clearer to her as her classmates began listing a whole variety of ways. Diseases, injuries, creatures, plants. The list was long.

Raising her hand, the first year waited to be called on. "Getting lost. If you don't have the proper equipment and exploring you can easily get lost. There's underwater caves and it gets really dark and colder the deeper down you go too." Things could very well look the same and become confusing.

Kinsay sat up a liiiiittle straighter with the arrival of her sister and even more with the arrival of Teddy. She liked being small James. AND being sandwiched by her siblings was nice because she felt more protected this way. What wasn’t so nice was that Emm was sat a little farther away now, but Kinsay still gave her a smile regardless.

Kinsay raised her hand quickly, having LOTS of answers to this particular question. But, um, by the time it got to her turn... All the answers she had wanted to say had already been said and she didn't want Professor Peralta to think she was an answer repeater! Or an answer stealer for that matter. So she thought quickly. ”You could get lonely because there’s no one else around to talk to you.” Maybe you could talk to the creatures, but it wouldn’t be the same. Being lonely was the worst.

Tadhg didn't know much about muggle things or muggles being a Pureblood, but he did know quite a bit from reading and stuff. Listening to everyone else's answers he nodded taking notes in his notebook of everything. He knew something about the color leaving you the deeper you go. Is that something that was worth talking about? He didn't know, but it worth a shot right?

Raising his hand he waited to be called on. "I read something about you losing color the deeper you go, I don't know if that's true or not, but that could be a problem not knowing the color of things around you."

Nooooo, no shaking off. Emm was tired. School was tiring. She barely returned Kizzy's smile, still put out she had to sit somewhere else in these dark and trying times. Who was going to comfort her, huh???

Merlin knew where Yoyo was sitting.

The Gryffindor forced herself to pay attention, deciding she needed to know what was happening in case of any intrusions. Couldn't afford to look dumb afterall.

As luck would have it, this was one of the easier questions she'd ever heard. "Your makeup melts, Professor. If you've bought one of the cheaper brands out there, the moment you hit the water you can just forget about it. Hair, too!! Have you ever SEEN curls after an unexpected dip?? It's the worst. You look like a drowned rat after that and there's all his runny mascara and nothing is where it's supposed to be."

A really big difficulty.

She could scarcely stand it.

What would happen if you were dropped in WATER? What a weird question. OH WAIT, DID THIS MEAN THEY WERE LEARNING THE BUBBLE HEAD CHARM? He tried to think of an answer that hadn't been said already, but his brain just kept going back to not being able to breathe - and needing the bubble head charm.

Great, that was all he was going to be focused on now. At least he wasn't focused on the hoodie squad for once? And the terrible regime they were currently trapped under?

Shake off those tired feels?

Merlin alive. Where was the emergency exit.

As class got underway, Nem now leaned forwards, arms on the desk, head propped up on their hand. They stared again at those changing room looking things, then at the tank, back again, and then to Peralta.

Well. Anyway.

She did say to think outside of the box. Nem raised a hand just enough to get her attention. "Water might be poisoned. Too much chlorine. Toxic waste. Might be there's stuff out there that's potent enough to poison huge volumes of water with just a drop." Ah, the wonders of magic. "Getting it on your skin or ingesting it would be a bit of a problem, and impossible to avoid if you just dive right in."

Neva was impressed and smiling as the kids exceeded her expectations. They were engaged and their answers were varied, which was exactly what she'd hoped for. Each new idea was added to the board behind her, creating a running list that they could refer to. By the time the last student had answered, one thing was abundantly clear. Humans weren't meant to be anything other than visitors in aquatic environments.

"Excellent work, everyone." She'd felt when she was a student that teachers who said this type of thing were simply placating them so they'd keeping working, but she found that she genuinely meant it as the words left her mouth. Huh. Who knew? "As you can see, there are endless reasons why humans cannot thrive in underwater environments. There are ways to prolong their experiences, though. Keeping the challenges you've shared in mind, tell me, what spells might be used to aid a person in spending time underwater?"

OOC: Hello hello! Second Question is up! What spells might be used to aid a person in spending time underwater? Be creative and try not to repeat answers if you can! The next post should be up about 22 hours from now.

Well, Aboli had already thought of it, but it was the most PROBABLY answer. The bubble head charm! Maybe she would let another person answer, though. Considering she had just done a lot of talking and whatnot...

So she considered some other options before gently raising her hand. "I think anyone who can transform into an aquatic animal as their animagus form might have a decent time surviving underwater." She nodded.

Ash stopped doodling on her arm. "We have spells to heal bones and relocate joints. So if the water breaks your neck or pops something out of place, you can fix it instead of being in a spinal collar or a knee brace." This is the answer you get from people who live on a beach and think morbid thoughts all the time. She went back to doodling, but payed attention to the lesson, because it was cool for once. "This is a cool lesson professor, just saying."

Camryn was very happy that the professor found her answer acceptable. She even managed a smile which didn’t come about too often, given the evil vibe around the school. With her quill in hand, she scribbled down some of the information that her classmates gave. You never knew when you would need to remember a specific detail.

Soon it was time for the next question and when she heard it, Cam’s hand shot into the air. She didn’t know a lot of spells, but she knew the perfect one for this particular question. “The bubble head charm”, she said, with just a little too much enthusiasm. “It would be good for someone who wanted to stay underwater for a long time.” Yep, Camryn had been reading..... She was happy that for once, she could answer a question confidently.

Claudine nodded in acknowledgement to Peralta’s compliment then ducked her head to make her notes. It was amazing all the dangers of water, some of which the girl had never even thought of before. Her classmates had given some great responses, that was something she could agree on.

The most obvious answers to Claudine for the second question were Gillyweed {but that wasn’t a spell} and the Bubble Head Charm as Camryn supplied. The fifth year racked her brain. There was something else the older cousins used while out at the waters… what was it again? Oh yeah.

Hand up, Claudine said, “There are Scuba Spells that can be used.’’

WELL. The laugh from the professor at her answer relaxed suspicious!Bernadette! slightly. Perhaps Peralta wasn't secretly an evil hoodie-wearer who sneaked around the castle at night, scaring away all owls and carrier pigeons and collecting magic two-way mirrors and other forms of possible communication with the outside world.

But, there could still be a chance she was devious. Rosier HAD to have been the one to hire her, right?

Back to the lesson at hand; yes, yes, Aboli, thanks for, uh, making Bernie look good. Truth be told, Bernie had done her hair this morning with a brush AND the hot air charm from her wand, so a) she already looked good enough on her own, thanks, and b) she was genuinely thinking more along the lines of what Emmerson had said about make-up getting all melty. Even though Bernie seldom wore much make-up, she DID TRY on her appearance. Sometimes. Like, today she had tried. And wasn't Aboli miss judges-peoples-toenail-polish? So what did she care if Bernie felt like being a flippant teen today?

So...all this was to say that clearly, Bernadette was going to stay on theme with her light and airy answers. There was no point in showing Peralta what she was capable of... yet. Again, just in case she was a secret operative and snitch for Rosier.

The fifth-year raised her hand after Camryn's answer, sweetly stating: "A basic waterproofing spell, again to keep your clothes nice and dry, would go nicely with the bubble-head charm to protect your hair and makeup from becoming ruined underwater."

Most of the ways being a human underwater could be dangerous applied to both wizards and Muggles, because both were humans (shocker). So nothing really surprised Mamie. But the idea that they could use magic, and more specifically charms, to make themselves safer was quite appealing. Especially after, y'know, she had almost drowned.

Other people had covered ways to breathe underwater, so Mamie took a moment to think before she raised her hand. "If you're going to go deep underwater, [il]Lumos[/i] could be helpful so that you can see where you're going, and if there's any of the obstacles people mentioned," she said.