Tomasina wanted to snicker at her comments. why on earth would someone take their shoes off at a formal dinner? Who would put their elbows on a table. That was just common sense. Her grandmother used to send stinging hexes at their elbows if they put them on the table. She raised her hand, "Professor are you going to go over a formal dinner service also?" she asked.

"You may choose not to participate, but you have to leave. Thank you and have a good day," Rae dismissed the girl.

"I always THINK I can keep my shoes, and then they are just suddenly gone. I'd recommend you either leave them on or loosen them halfway and rest your feet on top. You want to remain fairly still in your seat anyway."

"Now, let's move on to the serviette," she tapped the table and gracefully folded napkins appeared in front of each girl. "This is called the serviette. It goes on your lap." She unfolded it and laid it across her lap to demonstrate.

"Thank you." she smiled. "Now sit up straight and make sure not to crease your dress!" she joked.

Daphne happily sat at the table, ankles crossed, back straight, and hands in her lap. Her mother had taken her to etiquette classes when she was younger, so little Daphne could go to dinner parties. She relished in wearing formal robes and using proper manners. There was just something about Hogwarts that lacked that...

She swung her ankles under the table, which she knew wasn't the best manners, but no one could see it. She just looked up at Professor, smiling, looking engaged with lesson, just as Madame Rousseau instructed her all those years ago.

Sam turned to see Savannah fall to the floor. She cringed in wardly for her cousin. "You ok Vannah?" she asked and went to help her up. On seeing that she was alright, the Gryffindor walked back to her chair and let the chair catch her again.

When Professor Rae began telling them their new instructions, her mouth dropped again. This was all way too overwhelming! She wanted to bang her head on the table, but she didnt think that would be to lady like. Too much! Too much! Too much!

Raising her hand shyly, she asked, "Umm, Professor Rae? How are we suppose to remember all this?" On hearing herself, she said quickly, "I dont mean that in a rude way. I just dont think I'm going to remember all this." she said, and began to blush.

"Wow. This is probably how Danny feels." Sam though. Her little brother was the shyest thing in the world and blushed everyday. She rarely ever blushed, but she knew her cheeks were turning pink.

Ashley was hoping to winn to win some poitns for hufflepuff so she staid silent, and decided not to leave even though she allready knew all that the porffesor was teching them.

Serviettes. Issy knew what those were - they used them on the special meals when Daddy was home, except theirs were blue and silver. Picking up hers, she shook it out and then carefully lay hers in her lap.

Raising her head, she looked over at the Headmistress.

"Professor," she inquired curiously. "Have you ever taken classes like these?" It was not impossible for her to see a younger version of Professor Rae in the same kind of excercises as she and her friends.

Jade wasn't certain why the teacher had used the french word for 'napkin' when introducing them to the napkins, but she had better sense than to question or complain, at least out loud. She raised an eyebrow, certain that every present knew where the cloth napking was supposed to go, and gently placed it across her lap without a word.

*Sheeta took the napkin and placed it neatly in her lap. Sheeta did it slowly enough to try to make sure that the girls closer to her that were having trouble with the ettiquite could see how she did it.*

Naomi sat up and flattened her skirt. she will participate so that she wouldnt lose points. "Ok now lets try not to laugh." Naomi said holding back a snicker.

"We'll get into it as far as we can," Rae agreed.

She nodded down the table at Sam. "We'll have an opportunity to jot things down, but most of this is learn by doing."

Amelia had walked as politely as possibly over to the table where she stood flush with it. To her amazement, the chair pulled out and she gracefully sat down into the chair, which was charmed just like she imagined her perfect date would be doing. Eek! Almost unharmed! "Ow." she let out a small noise, as she reach down to rub her newly stubbed toe. That probably wasn't proper etiquette, but this was also just a lesson.

Vaguely listening as the professor went on about table etiquette, the seventh year turned slightly pink as she slid her wrist off the table and placed her stubbed toe foot on the ground. "Er Professor? Just one thing. If we happen to er, injure ourselves when sitting down, what would be proper protocol for that?"

"That's the spirit!" said Allie, putting her napkin across her lap, exactly how the Professor demistrated. She had done all of this before.

Melinda put the serviette on her lap, like the professor did. What a class....She thought to herself, but didn't talk, just listened and followed the teacher.

Listening to Professor Rae, Daphne lifted her hands from her lap and reached for the lovely folded serviette. As she carefully plucked it from the table, the napkin lost its delicate formation. She quickly folded it into a triangle and set it on her lap, over her violet dress robes.

She ran her hands down the smooth, silk survace of the gown. She wondered if the Professor would allow her to keep it, or if it was merely a prop for the lesson. Even though she loved this, somewhere in the back of her mind she couldn't help but think, What does this have to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts. But she quickly filed that away, as she was enjoying herself.

NAomi followed the directions and put the napkin in her lap. "Napkin in lap check" she said with a thumbs up.

Ari picked up the servette and placed it on her lap. She knew this part, as she had to go to a few of thge 'important' meetings with her mother and her husband. She perked up at the mention of formal dinner though and tilted her head, ignoring the itch that was starting behind her knee. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of William doing this. Picturing him sitting there like a little man and behaving himself. Well she couldn't let the little snicker from escaping her mouth.

Allie gave Naomi a thumbs up too." See, this is kind of fun!"

Anna stared at the napkin in front of her as if it had suddenly sprouted legs and arms and was attempting to bite anyone in sight. The napkin goes in your...lap? Ewwww. What happens when you get some kind of sauce or chicken or something weird like that on your napkin? Do you still throw it in your lap? Anna wanted to ask the professor about that, but she didn't dare. She figured real ladies didn't even eat things that would dirty up their napkins. And if they did, they probably didn't get it all over their mouths.

Shrugging, she followed Professor Rae's lead, placing the napkin into her lap just so. She sat stiff as a board, afraid that if she moved too much she'd scoot her chair or drop her napkin.

Sam nodded nervously and looked away from the Headmistress. Ok. She knew if she wrote all this stuff down, she would be able to remember some of the stuff. But then again, if she went to a formal dinner, she didnt think she would be able to bring her notes in...

"Thank you Professor." she said. The kindness from Rae was really bringing confidence in the fourteen year old tomboy. She made sure her elbows were not resting on the table. She then sat up straight. Ehh. That hurt! Man she was going to have to get use to this. But she was trying. That said a lot from the stubborn Gryffindor.

"I did have to take a class just like this one when I was a girl," she said regretfully. "But I had to take it with my younger brother, and he was my gentleman, and he was too small to push in the chair so I had to help him... it was quite a mess."

"You should politely request from your host that you be excused, and have your companion escort you from the room," Rae put her hand to her lips.

"Now, the serviette should never be used to blow your nose, although you may politely dab at your lips if necessary. Should you need to leave the table, don't crumple it, as that is a sign of dismissiveness. Do not fold it up, as that indicates that you believe they will just reuse the serviette without cleaning it. Instead, fold it in half and leave it on your chair. This indicates that you intend to return to the table."

Juniper merely grinned as Issy squealed. She did not know much about princesses, but she much preferred being a witch than being a princess. Princesses did not get to stay outside all day during the summer.

She blushed slightly. “I'm not beautfiul, Issy,” she said modestly. “But you really do look like a princess.”

When the professor spoke up again, Juniper glanced at her. None of the rules were very new, for Juniper’s parents had taught her the basics of table etiquette, even if they did not make her be fancy at home. But the “serviette” was. Juniper watched both Professor Rae and Issy shake out their serviettes and put them on their laps before imitating her friend. She shook the folds from the napkin and spread it in her lap.

Ah, the pressures of being a lady, Juniper mused. All the rules and social limits ladies had to know. Crazy. Still, the class didn't seem to be as bad as she had first expected when Rae had announced that they would be learning etiquette.

Nodding quickly to Sam, she forced a small smile to prove she was just fine without saying anything. Listening carefully to the questions asked and answers gained, Savannah unfolded and spread the napkin out on her lap, leaving her hands at the sides of her legs.

Melina beamed again as Issy blushed. Finally she was not the one who had turned pink or red. Finally she was the one watching someone else get that colour on her cheeks. And that did not only make Melly feel quite fusy on the inside, it also made her let out a giggle. "I do! If I didn't, I'd have kept my mouth shut," She nodded, her eyes seeming to twinkle more and more at each passing second.

She then pouted, looking down at the floor. "Meh. The professor could have got some smaller chairs, no?" She sighed, trying to block the thought that told her that if she was in a smaller chair, she'd look ridiculous. She already did though, trying to touch the ground and not being able to and all that.

As a napkin misteriously appeared in front of her, Melly opened her mouth in an awe. Truly, she would never get used to magic. It was so... magical. Yes, that was the only word she could find to describe magic: magical. Lame but true.

Holding it with both her hands, she put on her lap. "I've heard of these," She nodded to herself, looking down at the serviette. "They're used a lot in muggle restaurants," She nodded again, this time peeking at Issy.

Jezz raised her hand again, this etiquette stuff confused her. "Can we use it to cover our face if we sneeze?"