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Arithmancy Lesson 1 Professor Fox walked to the classroom door, and tapping it with his wand, the door opened slowly, revealing a large classroom with wall-to-wall blackboards. On the desk at the front of the desk is a large pile of small individual chalk boards piled high next to a smaller pile of chalk. |
Professor Fox walked to the front of the room, and stood behind the desk, waiting for students to begin arriving. While waiting, he began writing in large, neat letters on the blackboard. Quote:
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Laura enters the classroom after reading the rules in the corridor. She follows the Professor's instruction and takes a blackboard and two pieces of chalkwrite. She then writes her name, house, and year on the chalkboard: Quote:
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Lauren entered the classroom with a smile on her face. She quickly sat down and took out a peice of parchement. Quote:
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Noel does as instructed and writes on her chalkboard: Quote:
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Nadia went over to the front and wrote down the requested information. Name: Nadia Chantalona Rey House: Slytherin Year: 7th Then, she returned to her seat. She had already read the rules to all which Fox considered his area and properties. Needless to say, this professor turned to be pretty strict, to the point she didn't remember having another member of the staff being as strict. |
Lily walked into class and read the blurry words on the board.Slowly tryin to remain balanced she walked up and took the requried items.Sittin down she wrote the asked information. Name:Lily Black House:Slytherin Year:First. |
Rem picked up the chalk and wrote the information down. Name-Rumor Black Remus House-Hufflepuff Year-first then she sat down in the back corner |
Professor Fox raised an eyebrow as he watched the young Slytherin girl walk into the classroom, looking a little unbalanced. He tapped his wand on the desk infront of him, and appeared to read it for a moment, then looked up at the girl. "Ms. Black, are you certain you are alright? Do you need to see Healer Brunel?" |
Alex walked in the classroom and read the instructions that were written on the board. There was defintley something about this Profeesor that made her not like him from the first time she had ever seen him.. She had remembered him from their trip on the Knight Bus and had not liked him from the very moment. There was just something about him that she disliked. It was more the fact that he seemed to be just ... odd. He had given her good friend, Erica, a detention. Although she did not know what the detention was for, knowing the way some of the new teachers acted, he was probably over-reacting. She slowly walked up to the front and wrote down her information, as it was requested by Professor Fox. Name: Alexandra Diana Kay. House: Slytherin. Year: Fourth. After finishing writing, she went to a seat at the back of the classroom and waited quietly for class to begin. She had an idea of what the rules were in the classroom, so there was really no need to worry about her breaking the rules. |
Kali walked to the board and picked up a piece of chalk. Name: Kali Marian Hillcroft House: Ravenclaw Year: 7th She winced, she disliked her middle name. She then went and sat back down. |
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Lily nodded."I'll be alright Professor.Just a little cold I think."she replyed |
Martha enters the classroom after reading the rules and writes her name on the blackboard. Quote:
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Professor Fox scanned the room for a moment, then sighed softly and removed his glasses, holding them in his hand. He looked at the various students, then set a wooden box on the desk before him, and removed a chalk board similar in size to the students'. He tapped it gently with his hand, then set his wand aside, and appeared to be reading the chalk board before him. "Mmmm... I see," he mumbled to himself before continuing, "Well, it looks like we have a good mixture of students in this class. Now, I will begin, and those students not here yet can simply arrive quietly. "Now then, there are a few caveats I would like to address before beginning. For one, please do not answer a question after it has been answered. Second, when doing your homework, you are under no circumstance to copy from your peers. You will not like the consequences if you do." This last part, he added pointedly. "Now, your previous teachers have done a good job of preparing you older students for the classical, or Greek school of Arithmancy. We will be exploring in this class however, the contemporary theory of Arithmancy." He watched the students for a moment, then continued, "Now, many of you may consider Arithmancy too complicated, and far too theoretical for applicable use in everyday wizarding life. It is my hope, that in this class you will learn a certain respect for the subject, and will be more prepared for the many uses it has in the real wizarding world." He paused, then took a piece of chalk to the board. "That said, let us begin. Now, can anyone tell me what a prime number is?" |
*Elyshia comes in and finds a seat.She reads the instructions on the board and follows them....* Quote:
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Lauren Raised her hand quickly. "A prime number is a positive integer that has only two positive factors." |
Professor Fox nodded. "Ah. Well, not quite, but a noble attempt Ms. Rowland," he said, trying to sound reassuring nonetheless. "Can you sexplain what you mean by 'factors'? Or, can anyone else give a definition or example of a prime number?" |
Deciding to add to Lauren's question, Alex blurted out, "That means it can only be divded by one and itself." She was waving her hand in the air the whole time, hoping to catch the Professor's attention. "Some examples include 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and a lot more," she added. |
*Elyshia raised her hand* "A prime number is a number that can only be multiplyed by 1 and its self. 7 would be an example." |
Lauren nodded and quickly wrote down what Alex had said, as well as what she had tried. |
Professor Fox nodded, smiling a little. "Excellent. That's almost exactly right Ms. Kay," he began writing on the board, speaking as he did, "A prime number is a number that can only be divided by itself and one. Some examples of prime numbers include 2,3,5,7,11, and many many many more. Unfortunately Ms. Kay, 9 is not a prime number, as it can be divided by 3." He then wrote on the board: Quote:
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Lily slowly raised her hand."They are spose to be even but 2 breaks the rules"Lily said weakly. |
Alex twitched repeatedly. For one, she hated being wrong and second, she had heard the Professor call her Ms. Kay. She hated being called that, under all circumstances. But now was not the time to complain about it. Raising her hand once again, she commented. "They seem to be going up by twos, except for the first one. Also ... it is usually odd numbers that are prime, because from my knowledge, an even number can always be divided by two. Am I correct Professor?" "Well, number two is an exception I suposse," she added, after a very long pause. |
Martha raises her hand, "Well...they are all prime numbers...but we've already established that. Is there something more specific about these numbers that you're wanting, Professor?" |
Lauren copied down the numbers written on the board, and then thought for a moment. She stared at the numbers carefully, but she could not see anything. She looked at her paper, and then back at the board. "They are all Prime, and all but one increase by two?" She said She didnt think her answer was correct, but she though it worth trying. |
Nadia raised her hand but as she was about to speak, hesitated, and turned what was going to be a statement into a question; "Pardon, you mean the magical properties of the numbers, professor?" |
Professor Fox chuckled lightly at Martha's answer. "Ah yes. I apologize, I remember how much I disliked it when my teachers wanted specific answers from students without asking specific quesitons. I apologize Ms. Johnson. As for Ms. Black and Ms. Kay, those are both very excellent answers. Ms. Black, we will address yours later in this class. Ms. Kay, you are absolutely right, all prime numbers, except for 2, are odd numbers. As it turns out, all known non-prime numbers can be written as a combination of two prime numbers added together. And yes, Ms. Rey, it is pronounced Ms. Rey, correct? At any rate, magical properties as well. " He put one of his hands in his pocket and walked around to the front of his desk, leaning back on it casually, still holding his glasses with the other hand. "However, all of you young witches and wizards are interested with the magical properties and applications of these numbers, am I correct?" He scanned the room for a moment then continued, "Does anyone know of any magical properties of either 2, 3, 5, or 7? If you aren't certain, I encourage you to take a guess, then I will begin lecturing on their magical properties in a bit. So can anyone tell me about any magical properties you may know of, of these numbers? Any at all?" |
*Elyshia copies down everything she has listened to.* |
Nadia raised her hand, now sure what to say, "When we encounter a number 2 in the description of the traits of a person in Arithmancy, we know two’s enjoy interaction, two-way communication and balance. For this reason people with their personality numbers being 2 are thought imaginative and creative, sweetly-natured to most; their principes are commitment, loyalty and fairness, and with them you find peace and harmony. "On the negative traits, with two-way communication also comes conflict, opposite forces and contrast. Because of this, these people are often withdrawn, moody, indecisive and self-conscious." |
Alex raised her hand again. "Two can have many different meanings, representing partnerships and interaction with others on one hand, and disunion and polarities on the other. In symbolizing partnership, two implies that individual achievements are not realistic because accomplishments are best realized through co-operation and teamwork. While duality is required for the formation of life in sexually reproducing species, it is also seen negatively when contrasted with the perfect, unified number one. Two represents polarities such as good and evil, black and white, male and female, left and right. One pole cannot exist without the other; this idea of complementary relationships is best symbolized with the Yin-Yang symbol. Polarity, though, can also create strife and discord. Two may be considered feminine, intuitive, and corresponds with our protective instincts. Negatively, two can be grasping, overprotective and cranky. The cranky aspect of the number two is derived from the disappointment and dissatisfaction of the human spirit when denied first place in anything." After a small pause during which she took a deep breath, she continued. "Three solves the discord created in the polarity of two, resulting in a new integration and wholeness. This can be seen in the divisions of a human: mind, body, and spirit makes us whole. Three can also relate to expansiveness and learning through life experiences. It is considered to be lucky, and is often associated with money and good fortune. Three can depict several people joining together to achieve a common goal, whether through a social or professional affiliation. Three also represents communication of all kinds, expression, drama, acting, and humor. Although three possesses attributes of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, negatively it can exhibit pessimism, foolhardiness and unnecessary risk taking. Three is seen as a very magical number. In some cases, the number three can take on some negative aspects and is seen as demonic or unnatural, as there are no creatures in our world who walk upon three legs." Her throat was already getting dry from all the talking. It felt weird talking so much about ... numbers. And yet, she continued on. "Five is connected to sensual awareness in the form of the five senses as well as protection. It is also a number which represents service to others. It is highly analytical and has the ability to think critically, but can over-ponder an issue to the point that its significance is no longer relevant. This number governs our ability to think clearly and our intellectual capacity. Five represents openness to new experiences as well as new ideas. Seeking freedom, it is often the adventurer. Five is about pushing life to its limits. It is a multifaceted number with links to our state of physical and mental health." Aaand, last but not least. "Seven is considered to be a spiritual number because it is illusive and contains veils which must first be uncovered, one after another, before illumination will ultimately be found. Seven is said to be sacred, and this is evidenced by the fact that there are seven days in the week, ancient texts such as Genesis propose that the earth was formed in seven phases, the ancient solar system consisted of seven luminaries, and some versions of the Kabbalah have seven sephiroth. While seven possesses qualities of dreaminess, spirituality and psychic awareness, negatively it can be dubious, deceptive and insincere." When she finished talking, she took another deep breath, and stared at Professor Fox, awaiting for a reaction. |
After Emily had finished copying evrything down on the board she sat and listened to the professor. She could not think of any magical propeties for the prime numbers so she kept her mouth shut. |
Lauren blinked, and then scratched her head. She closed her eyes for a minute, Trying to recall if she had heard anything relating to this question. She could not think of anything, So she just copied down what the students were saying. "...Magical number.....Spiritual....Negative Traits....There, All done" She said to herself. She then put down her quill, and then listened for more. |
Kali copied down some notes and then took a shot at the answer when she raised her hand, "Two is often seen as pairs and duality. As in Ying and Yang, light and dark, and other opposites. Threes represent triads, beginning middle and end. Birth, life, and death, " she paused. She couldn't even think of a possibility for five. "Seven is popular because of the many occurances with seven. Seven planets, seven days of the week, to name a few." She stopped to let someone take their turn now. Then she realized that her reasons sounded more like Divination than Arithmancy. |
Nadia lowered her hand just to see Alex speak this time. By the time she was finsihed, Nadia coudl only stare. She had pretty much covered it, didn't she? Well... Nadia did have a couple more things to say, especially of number seven... but suddenly she felt a little shy... maybe she would wait until the professor addressed them again... |
Still casually leaning against the desk, he nodded as the students spoke. "Mmm... I see. Yes, very good everyone, especially you Ms. Hillcroft. Professor bree has certainly prepared you well in numerology and Greek arithmancy. Do any of the other students have any contributions to make? The younger students? Don't be shy, it's perfectly acceptable to make a mistake. That is what we do to learn you see, make mistakes. So, how about..." He leaned over and looked at his own personal chalkboard, "Ms. Stevenson, what do you think? Can you imagine any magical properties of say... The number 3?" Professor Fox sighed, having failed to engender a response from the student. He certainly had hoped the students would be more willing to make mistakes in favor of participating. "I see. Well, how about anyone else? Anyone at all that hasn't answered? Magical properties of 2, 3, 5, and 7? Fear not, if you don't get it right, you need not be embarrassed, everyone makes mistakes. I will give everyone one last chance to answer, then I will begin lecturing I suppose." |
All Emily knew about numbers was that seven was suposedly a lucky number. |
Erica quietly slipped into the classroom, and seeing the directions on the board, followed them though she was absolutely sure that Professor Fox already knew her from their previous encounters. Quote:
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Lily raised her hand."Is it that three is the differnet stages of life?"she asked softly hten started to cough.She quietly apologised after she stopped. |
:: Ganymede pondered a bit, playing with her pencil. She then held up her hand and said, "The seven numbers are linked by the planets." She decided to say. "The numbers also have meanings in numerology. Such as the number 2 is communication." She was tryng, atleast. Suddenly, she remembered something she read. Quote:
She raised her hand once more and added, "Number four is unlucky. It is something to do with work, number five is imagination and adventurous." She gave a weak smile as she finished. :: :: |
Professor Fox nodded as Lily and Ganymede answered. "Thank you Ms. Black and Ms..." He leaned over and looked on his chalkboard, not seeing her name written down. "I'm afraid I don't have your name on my chalk board," he said to the Ganymede. "However, I believe we met on the knight bus, help me, as I can't recall your name. I apologize." |
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Kay turned her small blackboard so that Professor Fox could see her name. Quote:
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She waited a few minutes before raising her hand to speak. "Professor Fox, from my previous studies and from extensive reading, I do recall that the number Three is considered to be lucky, and is often associated with money and good fortune. Three can depict several people joining together to achieve a common goal, whether through a social or professional affiliation." Kay paused for a moment and continued, "Three also represents communication of all kinds, expression, drama, acting, and humor. Although three possesses attributes of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, negatively it can exhibit pessimism, foolhardiness and unnecessary risk taking. Three is seen as a very magical number. In some cases, the number three can take on some negative aspects and is seen as demonic or unnatural, as there are no creatures in our world who walk upon three legs." |
Professor Fox nodded and wrote something down on his chalkboard. "Thank you Ms. Craft. Yes, as Ms. Craft mentioned, 7 is associated with magic and mysticism and has many very interesting properties, occasionally these are utilized in potion making, care of magical creatures, and certain permanent transfigurations and charms. We will get to these properties in a bit." He thought for a moment, then looked at Lily. "A creative suggestion Ms. Black, not quite what I was looking for, but thank you for your participation." He set his glasses on the desk, then walked over to the board and began writing. "To get right to it, let us discuss the number 2 first." As he spoke, Professor Fox wrote a few notes neatly on the board, emphasizing them for the students: duality, dichotomy, understanding, awareness. "You see students. Two is the first prime, it is in essence the building block of all numbers, magical and mundane. Furthermore, 2 is representative of dualism, or breaking things into two different groups. Furthermore, this is how we humans are able to percieve the world, by organizing it into smaller groups. We do it on a daily level: You and me; you and everyone else; good and evil; right and wrong; my friends and not-my-friends; Britain and not-Britain; wizards and non-wizards; humans and non-humans; alive and not-alive; wand and witch; male and female, the list is infinite. Often, we make groups of just one thing, and everything else. Without groups, we humans cannot understand the world. For this reason, 2 is also associated with humans and human perception. There is a body and a soul, two intertwined elements that make humans what we are. You can see why 2 is so essential to magical spells. Without dualistic thought, we cannot even comprehend the world, let alone affect it. 2 is the organizing number. Some arithmancers would argue the most essential number in Arithmancy. Furthermore, all other numbers can be broken down into the sum of only two prime numbers. You can see why it is so important. For these reasons, you will notice almost all charms and spells have elements associated with two. Wands have two components: the physical wand and the magical core." He turned to the students, "Are there any questions regarding 2, before we move on?" |
Lily did her best to write as fast as she could without shakin too much.She quickly wrote the information off the board and took notes on what The Professor was sayin.Pullin her cloak tighter around her |
Kay carefully took down the notes on her parchment. She underlined the key words that Professor Fox emphasized in describing the number Two. When Professor Fox asked if there were any questions, she shook her head and silently mouthed the word "No, sir." |
Erica shook her head and waited for the professor to continue as she finished up her notes. She had to admit that Fox knew his Arithmancy, though it didn't do anything to change her feelings of animosity towards him. |
"Okay, we will now move on to the number 3," he said, watching the students. "Number 3 represents the first break from dualism, from human thought. For that reason, 3 represents a higher alternative, super human thought, the ability to solve problems. Often the number is associated with the ability to overcome common thought and opposites. Because dualistic thought necessarily requires opposites, three represents the overcoming of opposites, and the understanding of "gray" as normal instead of black and white, often creating a more calm and less aggressive nature. Furthermore, three is associated with a large number of prime groups. That is, different groups of prime numbers, include the lucky primes. For that reason, 3 also represents luck." He walked to the blackboard and wrote the number 3 down along with a few lines of emphasis: intelligence, problem solving, serenity, luck. He then looked to the students. "Because it is often associated more with 'thought' and less with 'reality', three appears most often in the areas of divination, arithmancy, astronomy, and ancient runes than the other more 'applied' areas of magic. However, as 3 represents problem solving, it is indispensible to curse breakers, code makers, and code crackers. It is also quite popular in potions and wand making, as three can represent complementing human understanding or human ability, which both wands and potions are intended to do. Interestingly enough, the number 3 is also highly intertwined with house elf magic, as house elves often represent the world in terms of changing complements, rather than opposing opposites." He leaned against the desk, holding the chalk in his hands. "Are there any questions about 3? We will address the applications of these numbers to the other magical areas you are learning in a later class. However, are there any quesitons, comments, or ideas you have about 2 or 3?" He asked, hoping the students would become more involved. |
Terry Weasley Hufflepuff 7th Year |
Professor Fox looked a little dissapointed, fully expecting the students to be more inquiring. "Is everyone certain they understand all of this? It can be rather contrived and complicated I know." He scanned the room for a moment, happily noticing the late students were not making scenes, then added thoughtfully, "I fully encourage questions on the subject, no matter how wide ranging." |
Lily raised her hand and weakly asked."So we use arithmacey in everyday life and all of our classes?"she pulled her cloak tighter around herself. |
Kay added the information to her notes before raising her hand. "Professor Fox, if I'm not mistaken, you are implying that three solves the discord created in the polarity of two. Am I correct?" She paused and then continued. "I understand that three also has negative aspects and is seen as demonic or unnatural, as there are no creatures in our world who walk upon three legs." |
Still a bit hesitant but resolute to ask and have her doubt cleared up before they would go on, Nadia raised her hand again. "Professor, I would like to ask something. You previously said the wand core and material made the two component of the wand, when giving an example of the properties of said number. But, wouldn't the lenghts of the wand count for anything? And if so, it should be more an example of the three number?" "Sure, the lenght isn't a material component," she hastly added, feeling hot all around her face, "but it is somewhat of an important characteristic, I mean to say... well, the lenght is a number, and it would also have some significance, of course, that's what we are learning here, the importance of numbers, no?" Oh dear, she had completely mixed the tense and surely messed up. Guess the growing reputation of the professor was doing something for her nerves. She bit her lip. |
Erica raised her hand and addressed the professor and the class in general. "I find it interesting that the number 3 is considered the lucky one when muggles usually refer to the number 7 as being lucky. Is there a reason for this? Are the two numbers related in that sense or is that just a muggle thing?" |
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"Professor, do you think you could elaborate on how the number 3 is used in house elf magic. Is their magic really that different than ours?" |
Professor Fox seemed somewhat jovial, the students were finally getting interested in the subject. "Ah yes, excellent excellent questions each one of you. One at a time, one at a time." He sighed and began pacing behind the desk, holding his glasses and making small hand gestures while answering. "First of all, Ms. Harrison, the 'demonic' aspect of 3 is superstitious, and is actually a relic of two things: its association with house elves, considered lowly creature by most wizards, wrongly I would add; and the inability of early wizarding folk to explain the fact that triangles are the only permanently stable structures. Early wizards you see, often associated things they couldn't explain or didn't fully understand as evil." He nodded reassuringly, "Good point Ms. Harrison." "As for your point Ms. Arbon, there is a reason why both 3 and 7 are considered lucky. They both belong to the 'lucky primes' group, which is a large grouping of primes generated by complicated elimination methods known as 'sieves'. Though you will notice that 7 has more say, magical and mystic properties than 3. Again, excellent observation." "Ms. Rey, your point is an example I thought someone would bring up. If you notice however, the wand core is an external aspect of the wand. That is, the physical wand is made, and then the core is inserted using a series of magical spells. The physical wooden wand is the 'natural' aspect, the core is the 'supernatural' aspect, to borrow a term from non-wizards. So, the length and wood type and what have you are folded into the 'natural' aspect. Good question. Excellent, excellent quesitons everybody." "Ahh.. Ms..." He leaned over and checked his chalk board, "Ms. Weasley. Well, house elf magic is a vastly under-researched area of magic, if one would ask my opinion. It is really one of those inter-disciplinary magics, combining charms, transfiguration, care of magical creatures, and arithmancy, among others. To answer would be an entire seminar in its own right, to even attempt to do the area justice. Suffice it to say for now, house elves' magic doesn't requrie the same sort of dichotomy as ours does... Say... Wizards use the idea of "input-outcome" or "object-effect." House elves however, often percieve the world differently, and thus focus, think about, and cast magic differently, resulting in simply put, different magic. I hope that answered your question for now, as it is all the time I can devote to it I'm afraid." He looked around the room, "Are there any more before we move on to 5? Or... should we take a break, and reconvene after everyone has had a stretch?" [ooc note: this would mean, reconvening the class tomorrow, to give people a chance to go to sleep, etcetera] |
Lily copied the information down as quick as she could then leaned back in her chair exhausted. |
Selena leaned back in her chair and just jotted down a few notes here and there. |
Nadia nodded and took some notes, quite interested now the subject about demoniac powers of te number 3 was broughts and the house elves and triagle. Actually, it all was quite interesting. Not to mention she was relieved she hadn't make a complete mess to the point of making an unanswerable question. "Well," Nadia said, popping in again and raising her hand, "I would also like to know why the 3 it is "often associated more with 'thought' and less with 'reality' ". I do have a theory, like with muggle thought: we need something, the opposite of that something and the result of the existance of said oppossites. Hence the problem-solving thing. Oh and I do too want to ask how the number 3 can be applied in astronomy." |
Professor Fox nodded and made a gesture for Nadia to lower her hand, "Yes yes Ms. Rey, we will cover things like that in later classes, for now, we are interested only in the properties of the numbers. Thank you for your interest nonetheless." He looked around the room, "Are we ready to move on then?" |
Kali copied down some more downs onto her parchment and muttered a small, "Yes, sir." |
Professor Fox began writing again on the board, continuing the lesson. "The number 5, is the third smallest prime and is associated with the material world. Five represents the physical aspect of the interaction that humans and all intelligent beings have with the world. Furthermore, because five represents a being's ability to interact with the physical world, five represents the ability of a being to change and shape the world for the better. For this reason, five is also associated with safety and construction." Professor Fox underlined a number of terms on the board: reality, safety, complementary, construction. "5, you will find, is also the only prime number ending in 5, because as you all know, any number ending in 5 can be divided by 5. For such reasons, the complementary or constructive aspects of spells are often hidden within the performance of the individual spell. Spells with components associated with 5 tend to be charms and transfiguration spells, as it is a necessity for these spells to have a strong affect on the material world. The number 5 is not strongly associated with any specific beings, though phoenixes and griffins often are associated with the number." Professor Fox looked at the students, "Are there any specific questions regarding the number 5?" |
"So 5 means strong magic?"Lily asked weakly. |
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Erica hastily pulled out her text of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and quickly flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for before raising her hand. "Could you elaborate as to why phoenixes are associated with this number? I think I could understand why griffins are, them being used by wizards to guard treasure. That would directly relate to the number and it's tendency toward the material world." |
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Professor Fox hurriedly added, "However, I must confess Ms. Arbon, I am largely only trained to make assertions about the theoretical workings of being and creature magic and how it ocmpares to numbers. I've never been terribly good at the actual handling or care of said creatures." |
Erica nodded and quickly took down the notes on the blackboard. "Yes, Professor, it does. Thank you." |
Lily wrote as the Professor spoke.Tryin to stay focused but what ever illness she had was makin it very hard. |
Professor Fox nodded and walked back to the board. "Very well, we will cover the number 7, and then after you have given some questions and comments, we will begin a few excercises." He turned to the class before continuing, "Can anyone tell me what they know of the number 7? Magical, mathematical, or otherwise. Anyone at all?" |
"Well it's the most magical number" Adz started, thinking carefully. "Also the date of my birthday..." Adz giggled under her breath to her neighbour, giggling |
Rosa raised her hand. 'well... it's a prime number. and a quite important one, for instance, the week has 7 days.' |
Martha's hand begins to cramp as she takes notes from Professor Fox's lecture. She would definitely need to review the material thoroughly before understanding it. |
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Astoria had been quiet the entire time in the classroom. She didn't make the best impression on Professor Fox and she felt that it was time to redeem herself. She stayed quiet and took notes. Her hand was starting to cramp a bit, but she kept writing her notes down to show she was actually interesting in Arithmancy, which she kind of was. |
Nadia raised her hand, "The numeral seven is considered the most mystical of all numbers, and that might be because it is the one number which cannot be divided evenly into the circle (360). If you try said division with every other number even number, you get an even number, while if you devide it with 7 you get," Nadia tried to recall and said, "the number 51.428571. "The dividend from the division of the circle by the number seven is intriguingly close to the outer angle of the Great Pyramid: 51 degrees and 51 minutes." "Also," she continued, "it's related to the mystical nature of Pi: The number 22 is considered symbolic of a complete circle, or the circle, because this is reflected by the twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet, the twenty-two keys in the Major Arcana of the Tarot (Keys 1 - 21, plus the Fool) and indicating the full circle of experience. The function 22/7, one cycle of human experience divided by the spiritual Seven or Divinity within. This function is the value of Pi; or, the closet to it as can be expressed in whole digits." |
Sara jotted down the notes very quickly. Arithmancy was such an amazing and complicated subject and she really liked it. She nodded at the all of the answers to questions. She didn't want to miss a thing. She was about to raise her hand when she realized that her answer had already been told. The number 7 is a prime number so it is magical and it's the number of days in a week. Sara then raised her hand very tentatively for a question had just popped into her mind. "Professor, was the number 7 chosen to mark a week because of how magical? I don't quite understand." |
Kay raised her hand. "Seven is considered to be a spiritual number because it is illusive and contains veils which must first be uncovered, one after another, before illumination will ultimately be found. Seven is also the most powerfully magical number. This is why," Kay hesitated for a moment, "Lord Voldemort created seven horcruxes." |
Heshasa who had been taking notes feverishly, looked up at the mention of Voldemort's name. Putting down her quill to listen if more on this subject would arise. |
Professor Fox nodded as the students gave their answers. "Ah, yes, those are all interesting observations." He looked over the students. "Well, you are right, it is a very mystical and magical number. Because of the fact that it is popularly known as a mystical number, there are numerous misunderstandings concerning it." He walke dto the front of the desk and leaned against it, looking at the students. "Whomever said it is the number of days in a week, this is due to the fact that the Week was originally defined by the astronomical bodies known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, which were 7 in number." He gave a slightly strange look at Nadia's answer. "Ah... Well, that is an... Interesting observation Ms. Rey. You are right concerning the number 360. However, if we were to divide a circle into radians, then the number of radians in a circle is 2 times pi. Then, no number divides it equally. Interesting point nonetheless." He paused, then continued, "Concerning the pyramids, the outer angle of pyramids is defined simply by physical limits on the pyramids themselves. In this case the similarity of the numbers is coincidence. Finally, I would disagree with you about your observation of 22 divided by 7. Its similarity to pi is superficial at best, and I would prove to you that you could find arbitrarily higher integer numbers that would yield better approximations of pi. That is neither here nor there however, good input nonetheless." "Ms. Harrison, you and Ms. Rey are both absolutely correct concerning the fact that seven is often attributed as 'the most powerful magical and mystical number'. Though that is not to say it is the most important. I believe I've already answered your question about the days of the week." Professor Fox seemed to almost twitch at the mentioning of Lord voldemort and Horcruxes. "Ahh, yes... Well, Tom Riddle certainly was an accomplished Arithmancy student from what I gather of history books. Unfortunately, he misunderstood the complexities of Arithmancy." He said somewhat hesitantly before continuing, "Now I will have no more mentions of that particular use of the number 7 in my classroom. Is everyone clear on this?" He added stressfully, looking at the rest of the class, "Is there anything more anyone would like to add before we continue?" |
Linnea was busily copying down notes. Why she even thought she could handle this class was beyond her. She enjoyed maths, but this was giving her a headache, probably cos of the questions her grandfather would ask if she even thought of spouting off information given. "Why?" It ALWAYS came down to why. Drove her nuts. Why this, why that, she sometimes thought him nothing more than a toddler, but then would understand the reasoning behind it. Instead of just accepting what was "known" she should find out why it was accurate, why she should believe it, and why it matters. She would ask her grandfather's why questions later, right now, she didn't want to get lost........ |
Astoria looked over at Kay with wide eyes then turned back to Professor Fox. He seemed like he was very angry at the mention of Lord Voldemore and the seven horcruxes. She knew the history of Lord Voldemort because her grandfather lived in the time of Voldemort, so she knew the stories. She sighed and nodded her head as Professor Fox said not to mention that use of the number seven. She couldn't think of anything else the number seven had to do with, so she sat and waited for another question. |
Professor Fox sighed, the students seemed intent on not participating again. At any rate, he simply supposed he would lecture if that was what they wanted. "Very well, let's move on to the properties of the number 7. Like 3, 7 is a lucky number, one of the primes in the 'lucky prime' group of numbers. For this reason it is often attributed to luck. Furthermore, 7 is a very mystical and magical number in its own right, which is the reason behind the vogue and sort of mystique it has developed as a number over the years. Also, 7, being the largest and last of the basic primes -that is, those prime numbers between 0, and 9- is also associated with longevity and permenance." Professor Fox wrote a few of the terms down on the board: Magic, Mysticism, Magical Stability, Magical Permanence. "For this reason, you will find 7 is actually sort of a taboo number of sorts in transfiguration, where permanence and spell longevity is often avoided for all but very specific transfiguration spells. 7, due to these properties is also associated very strongly with the phoenix, which was brought up by Ms. Arbon earlier. Phoenixes posses both intense magical properties, as well as intense longevity, as well as dragons, for which the number is also associated. But that's enough concerning magical beasts, your care of magical creatures professor will know far more on the subejct than me." "The initial magical properties of seven were first discovered in the 13th century. Since then, talented Arithmancers have occasionally found more magical properties of the number. The first interesting property of the number is the fact that 7 perfectly smooth cylinders or long rods are the only number of such objects that can be fastened togther without the shape changing. Hence its stability, balance, and permanence. We will be experimenting with this in a moment." He paused and watched the students, "Are there any questions concerning specifics of the magical properties of 7 before we begin?" |
Kay looked over her notes several times and noticed that the professor was covering odd numbers instead of going in numerical order. She was a bit concerned because he brushed over the magical properties of seven. Kay raised her hand and began to speak, "Professor Fox, could you please provide more details on the magical properties of seven?" |
A little bit at lost if the professor had actually understood the cirle division or hadn't, Nadia shhok her head and raised her hand again, "I have understood, while seven possesses qualities of dreaminess, spirituality and psychic awareness, negatively it can be dubious, deceptive and insincere. Is this a correct description?" Hesitantly, she added, "And... not a question about the number seven especifically, but why are we studing the prime numbers first? I mean, I'm just curious." |
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Sara jotted down the notes. People were asking questions all over the place. |
Kay listened attentively to Professor Fox as she added the information to her growing parchment of notes. When she finished writing, she set her quill down and raised her hand. "Professor Fox, thank you for the detailed explanation. I have no further questions." |
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"No questions from me Professor. Please continue with the lesson." |
Noel jotted down some numbers and notes, arithmancy was never her best subject, it all seemed so confusing to her. She tried to comprehend the numbers and there meanings as best she could, but she knew she'd forget them by the end of the day. |
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"Ms. Fletcher, while I appreciate your willingness to participate. If you do not have a specific question, please do not raise your hand." He said as the strange student raised her hand without a question. He sighed and leaned over, removing a large box from beneath the front desk. Professor Fox then removed a large number of what looked like small 8 inch thin wands. Setting them on his own personal chalkboard, they appeared to melt. Every student that had taken their own chalkboard then had 13 of the small sticks appear on their desks, along with a piece of string. "Now, I have given everyone some sticks and some string, I would like you to try and tie various numbers of sticks together, and see which numbers of sticks remain in a fixed shape, without shifting. I think you'll find once you properly tie 7 sticks together, they will remain suitably stable, whereas no other combination will. If there are any questions please ask." He nodded encouragingly, "Feel free to talk peacefully with your friends and neighbors as you try this exercise. I will be walking around the room to check your progress." |
Nadia mouthed an 'oh'. Now it was clear where exactly the thought was flawed. She hadn't considered, well, it was an understatement, about cero. Then again, it made one wonder if all numbers could be represented as the sum of two primes, because, how did it apply to the cero(0) and one(1) numbers? Arg, mathematics hadn't been her strenght at Muggle school... OK, maybe she needed to review some of her notes before making any more questions and make a fool of herself. Instead, Nadia turned her attention to the matter at hand, to the strings and sticks, first staring as if it was some sort of puzzle before she put herself to work it out. Now how would they tie the sticks together? One over the other? Because sure as heck it would shift. All together then? But then what did he mean by shifting. Sighing and still not sure if she had taken the intructions correctly, she grabbed a handful of the sticks and placed them 'standing' on the table with one hand, rounding them up with a string with the other. It was only 5 sticks now and it was... holding it pretty fine it seemed. Then she tried with 7 and it would still stand on its own. Now with a number over seven... |
Rosa didn't quite understand most of this arithmancy, but it was interesting... she got her sticks and tied two of them together with real knots, on the scouting way. then she tied two other sticks together and put all of them up, tying a horizontal stick between the two, making it some sort of tentshape. it was still a bit wobbly, so she tied one stick between one left front paw and one right back paw and another one between the others. then she put it on the table again. it was really stable. she grabbed three of the other sticks and tied them together on the same way she'd done with the two sticks. then she stuck the sticks in different directions, and it was standing, stiff and not wobbly, except for when she pushed it in one direction. she looked at the remaining three sticks and wondered what to do with those. |
Professor Fox had been wandering around the room. Noticing the students didn't seem to be getting the idea, he held up a set of four sticks. "Students. You are to tie the sticks in bundles. The sticks within the bundles will shift position, moving around within the string tie. Once you have tied 7 together, you will notice they will not shift." He said, showing an example to the students. http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...cks/bundle.jpg |
Rosa looked up and sighed unaudible when she heard she was to tie them in bundles. she'd just been hoping on an interesting class on constructions... she untied her sticks and made a bundle of two, of three, of four, of five, of six and of seven. and noticed that they really didn't shift any longer. she looked at her bondle and wondered why. |
"oooh" said luna picking up her sticks and making 7 sets of sticks and tieing them together in a bundle like the proffessor's "like this?" she said to proffessor fox |
Astoria had never really experienced the horror of being publically embarassed in public until this class. For some reason, the teacher just didn't like her very much. She wouldn't normally care, but she really liked this class and she didn't want to drop the class because of the professor. She sighed and tied the sticks together. She was shocked to find that he was right! The sticks were no longer shifting. "Awesome." she mumbled to herself. |
Sunny manipulates the string and the sticks, slowly becoming frustrated. Finally she gives up on the lower numbers and starts with tying all seven sticks into a bundle. As Professor Fox had suggested, the sticks remained stationary, much to her relief. |
Arkee glared at the clumsy bundle of sticks in her hand. "Professor," she began warily, her hand slightly raised in the air, "I don't think that you're right about this... I've got seven and it's still falling apart." She closely examined her bundle once more. "One, two, three, four, five, six... six? Oh! No wonder," she exclaimed in relief, laughing a little. "I was always terrible in mathematics. It's a wonder that I'm taking this course!" Suddenly, a look of bewilderment came over her face. "Wait, why am I taking this course? Did I even sign up for it? Am I supposed to be in another class right now?!" She frantically searched her bags for her timetable, which had conveniently been non-existant at the time, owing to it's early end as chewing material. |
Professor Fox walked over and examined Arkee's bundle just as she found her mistake. He recognized the rather high-strung girl from the knight bus, sighing inwardly. He nodded to her as she corrected herself. "Ms. Maldemer, you are in the right class. Simply settle down, relax, don't forget to breath, and I'm sure everything will be fine. Why don't you compare your results with your neighbor?" Walking around the room, he occasionally stopped by various students, helping them if they were stuck, correcting their mistakes, and re-tying their bundles. "Excellent everyone. Everyone seems to be doing very well. Now I would like you to begin discussing this with your neighbors. Consider this as well: if a bundle of seven is stable, would a bundle of 7 bundles of 7 be stable? Do you think ancient wizards and non wizards realized this trick when they had to carry bundles of objects long distances? Discuss this with your friends and neighbors." He concluded by tapping his wand on Astoria's desk. Soon the number of sticks on everyone's table seemed to multiply by 4. Get together with a friend or two and try tying 7 bundles of 7. Once you are done with these exercises, we will conclude today's class and I will announce homework and house points soon after." |
luna turned to her neighbour "soooo, what are we talking about?" |
Professor Fox checked his watch then looke dup at the students. "Okay everyone, I think we've taken all the time we dare. I will see everyone during the next class." He tapped his wand on his desk and all the sticks disappeared. "I will post point totals and homework outside my office door. Please check the bulletin boards. If you want to, read about the numbers 1 and 0 for next class. If you have any quesitons or comments about the points awarded, please see me in my office." Having said that, Professor Fox opened the classroom door and stood there, watching the students exit. |
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