Ari frowned, something was not right in DADA land she thought, casting a curious glance in the professors direction and finally seeinf her formal wear. Oh dear had they dressed wrong or something? since when did formal attire and dueling have anything in common she wondered as she stepped up to the far wall, not bothing to hide the shudder she felt shiver up her spine.

She couldn't help but feel the emotions pouring from the minds of those around her and quickly closed her eyes. Oh no she was going to pay attention, even if it meant a pounding headache after. Standing beside Vannah felt better though, at least she had a friend here.

Becca entered the room in a hurry. She had completely been looking forward to this class more than the rest - until she entered the room. Hmm, no desks. That was the first suspicious thing. She hurried over to Issy's side and stood against the wall, looking up at her friend nervously. "Hey, the Headmistress teaches this class?" she whispered to Issy, curiously scrutinizing the woman. This would be interesting for sure.

"Yes, well," Rae stood and straightened her considerable skirts before striking down the hall to pace in front of the line of little darlings. She hated to do this to them, but she'd make it as bearable as possible. "I'm sure that you all have heard that we don't have as much... control over the curriculum as in past years, and while I do intend to teach a proper Defense lesson at some point, we have to get something out of the way first."

She turned and paced in the opposite direction. "I've been told I have a bunch of hooligan girls on my hands who have no concept of what it means to be a proper lady and witch, and I've been given the task of teaching you... how to be young ladies." She paused and stopped in the middle of the line. "Let me be frank with you lot. I think most of the rules of good propriety were developed in a past time when expectations were different. I refuse to teach you how to hire house elves or housekeeping charms, but I do think there is value in teaching a little basic table etiquette. I promise to make this as painless and fun as possible."

Kayla swore quietly under her breath. She knew it, she had told the other girls that this was going to happen. They were just here to learn how to make good housewives, she had a good mind to leave now and never come back to this stupid school.

Rapunzel had smiled when Amelia came to the wall; at least now she wasn't as close to that Desdemonda girl. Ayyy. She gave Punz the willies.

Turning her head to hear the Headmistress speak, Rapunzel just then noticed her, er, fancy robes. And she was right about the table - they were going to have etiquette lessons.

Fantastic, she thought dryly. Grandmother will be so pleased to hear about this.....

Amelia opened her mouth in shock at what she was hearing. Little ladies? They were all a bunch of hooligan girls? Oh dear, it was a good thing they weren't drinking anything right now or it might have been spewed all over the formal attire of the headmistress. And she's already vomited once before since she's been a student, two times would be disgraceful.

Gulping, she bit her lower lip to keep from doing or saying something foolish.

...uh. What?

For a moment, dumbstruck, Issy stared at the Professor. Was she serious? That explained the formal robes - being all dressed up and classy. But this was not... no. NO!

"Professor," called Issy in a timid voice as she raised her hand. "Ehm... this is Defense Against the Dark Arts though. Couldn't that... be some other class...? Like... How to be the Bell of the Ball"?" Blinking, she bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if she'd been being too cheeky. Scratching the back of her head, she shook her head at Melly.

"This... is defintiely not normal," she muttered.

Anna had just lined up along the wall with the rest of the girls when the professor started to talk. As she listened to the speech from the professor, she could feel her jaw drop open more and more. Whaaaaat? We're going to learn how to be a lady? No way was this happening. Anna was fifteen years old, for Merlin's sake. Table etiquette? Nice. What did the minister think they were? A bunch of pigs set lose to eat a feast of slop? She'd never noticed anyone having bad table manners before. Nevertheless, she'd do what the professor needed her to do for the lesson's sake. After all, it didn't seem like Professor Rae had too much of a choice in the matter.

Laylee listened as if being tortured. How could Clara do this to them?
But, for the sake of their Headmistress, Laylee gave a warm smile and a nod.
"Im sure it will be great! I mean, we could all use some table manners right?" Laylee said smiling at the girls.
Plus, it might actually be good for her, seeing as she was raised by her father... not a very tidy person...

'We are learning how to be proper, isn't this Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Allie asked confused.

Steelsheen's mouth fell open, but no sound came out. This is her first DADA class? How to be a proper lady? Instead of the basics of Defense, she gets a lesson straight out of a girls' finishing school?

Steelsheen wanted to protest, but after a few attempts at trying to formulate words, ended up shutting her mouth. Well, no wonder the Headmistress was none too happy. She crossed her arms across her chest and looked away, trying not to let the immense dissapointment show on her face.

Juniper blinked. Etiquette? They had to learn etiquette? This was not fair. She doubted the boys had to learn etiquette.

Her mouth was halfway open and she was about to protest when Juniper remembered that it was the ministry's fault. She immediately closed her mouth. We'll show those ministry people who has etiquette, Juniper thought. She did not smile, but she gave a determined little nod to reassure herself that it was not the end of the world. Not yet.

"I suppose it's a bit of a misnomer to say this is Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I am the Defense professor and I've been given the job of teaching this class. This is the only classroom I have... you can see the conundrum, I'm sure." She put her hands on her hips in a decidedly un-ladylike pose. "Look, I hated these lessons when I was a girl too, but let me just say... there is something to be said for being able to go from being a rough and ready Auror to the sister of the Minister of Magic at a formal dinner. This doesn't DEFINE us, ladies. It opens up the opportunities presented to us by teaching us new skills. Plus..."

She paced to the trunk and threw it open, pulling out stacks of pretty and elaborate formal robes she'd borrowed from several places. "It's a chance to dress up without feeling silly about someone seeing us."

Sam's mouth literally dropped. The ministry is making them learn how to be ladies?! She couldnt believe this. This was all crazy. If she didnt like Headmistress Rae she would of walked out of this room here and now. She looked over at Vannah and Lex. They looked as shock as she did. This was not cool at all. "Vannah. I'm not going to be able to pull this off." she whispered over to her, hoping the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher didnt hear her.

Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she was wearing tennis shoes. If she werent in her robes right now, she would be in jeans. Sam was a tomboy and there was no doubt about it. She was not going to like this lesson at all. When formal robes were taken out, Sam nearly bolted. She was not going to wear a formal robe! They were lucky they had gotten her in this skirt they called a uniform. Turning back to Savannah, she gave her a pleading look as if to say "Please dont make me wear that."

Desdemonda looked slightly taken aback for a minute, then downright annoyed. Hooligan girls? she thought bitterly, standing straighter and prouder as she had before. She was one to idolize manners; being quite a proper girl, she was quite offended at this statement. Table etiquette? She had perfect table ettiqutte! Whoever were enforcing these rules behind the scenes could have had the same mindsets of traditions back in the 1800s, but not present day...

She looked down at the trunk, scowling inwardly. In her mind, she didn't need any of these lessons... but she would have to go along with it. Alas. It wasn't worth losing house points over... maybe if she cooperated, she would prove to the professor that she didn't need any of this foolishness and could be reprieved earlier on than others...

Standing by the wall with her classmates, Kat turned to listen to the headmistress spoke of the ministry's apparent "lesson plans." Great she thought with a sigh, this school year is getting weirder and weirder. Biting her lip for a moment exchanging a quick glance with Anna, she decided that she'd do her best to set an example for her younger fellow students.

No that was the last straw she was not wearing a dress. She stamped her foot in frustration. "I am not wearing a dress and that is final" she fumed. "You can't make me...please say you can't make me" she wailed looking at the other girls.

Tommy already had good table manners! Her mother as the Minster of Magic in Ghana for Merlin's! She knew how to be lady. This was pointless for her. But at least it would be a fun way to kill sometime. And they got to dress up, it wouldn't be so bad, she thought to herself.

There was no immediate reaction from the sixth year girl, except for a slight rise to her green eyes and an intake of breath. She stood there as if she had been asked to speak at a world wide confrence and turned to glance furtivly at Vannah, noticing how the emotions seemed to play out on all the younger students faces. She knew something like this would happen.

Of course.

OH, if only they knew what the Brigade was doing she thought with a slight smile on her face as she stood taller, waiting for this punishment to end. That's what it felt like to her, a punishment for going through what she did, as if it were her fault. "I'm not a hoodlum." she murmured indignatly. She listened as Rae went on with her speech, feeling her own happiness just fly out the window. "Professor, are you sure my mother hasn't been in contact with you? This sounds like the sort of thing she'd try to teach me." she mused, green eyes flashing but no other outward reaction.

Laylee laughed as the rodes were brought out and she walked up to them trying to make herself feel better.
When she was close to Mrs. Rae she asked, "We will eventually learn Defense against the dark arts, wont we?" She grabbed a bright pink and overly sparkely robe and held it up to herself, smirking.

Rapunzel nodded as she listened to the Headmistress; she wouldn't mind showing off her etiquette skills. Even if they might have been a little rusty....

But then she threw open the trunk. "Oooh, dress up!" Punz gushed, doing her best to refrain from leaving the wall until she had express permission to do so. "How delightful, Headmistress! This shall be an excellent lesson."

Maybe she was overdoing it a bit, but hey - Rapunzel loved fashion. Especially fancy fashion.

*Sheeta had been standing in line all this time and hadn't noticed that Savannah was there. If she had, Sheeta might have stood in line next to her. But hearing now that instead of learning about defending against forces she had only heard in stories of evil wizards they'd be learning about table manners, Sheeta began to sulk. She had never thought that her first year was going to be so hard, dreary, and almost fully dissappointing... save the arithmancy and astronomy classes. The only consolation was when she saw Head Mistress Rae take out some lovely and pretty formal robes. Maybe she could drown herself in looking pretty to take her mind off of the horrible classes.*

Rae's expression fell. "Well, no... no one HAS to dress up. I was just trying to make it less playful by making it more like a silly game instead of a stupid lesson you don't want to attend." She stood and left the formal robes behind. "Any of you are welcome to dress up if you so choose. I was going to teach you a mending charm that I always found useful, but perhaps we should just get to the lesson if the dressing up is so distasteful to you."

Eyebrows raised high, eyes grew in slight shock. Oh boy. Why was this surprising? Reminding herself it wasn't so bad, that it could be worse. Savannah nodded to show she was listening. Professor Rae had a point, and it wasn't as if this would last forever.. "You can and will Sammy, it can't be too hard; the quicker we start the quicker its over," She murmured back to the Gryffindor, encouraging.

Glancing back over to the robes, a small smile re-appeared. It sort of reminded her of the little tea-parties she had with her grandma. "Excuse me, Professor? Should we wait, to..uhm, leave the wall, if we want to dress up?" She asked, hesitantely.

Allie saw her take out some fancy robes.
"This does not sound like fun." she thought.