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XanaSnape · 03-19-2009, 03:29 AM

The shutters have been drawn on the windows of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, leaving the room in partial darkness. As you enter, your footfalls click against the cold stone floor and echo against the cavernous ceiling. There is a noticeable chill to the room. The sparse lighting is dim; slivers of dreary light from the closed shutters interrupt the darkness and cast undefinable, unnerving shapes against the walls. A few flickering, melting candles hang by ornate wall sconces, their light dancing almost ritually against the wall, as if being lightly blown by an absent wind. The faint, eerie whine of a floorboard creaking peals out from somewhere near the front of the room. (is it just a floorboard? are you sure?) Grotesque photographs hang on the walls of the classroom, depicting images of malformed men and women suffering the effects of cruel, brutal curses. They writhe helplessly in pain, shrieking silently. Two rows of mahogany desks and benches line the walls, leaving a long, wide aisle empty for students and professor alike to walk through.

Several large wardrobes sit at the head of the class, the classroom’s regular dusty chalkboard moved to the side. Soft thumps and bumps echo about the room from no known source, often sounding like they are coming from above you—or right behind you. A chest sits at the top of the stairs to the professor’s office, rattling occasionally.

The professor is not yet apparent in the room. There is a note on the classroom board:

Please come in and take a seat at one of the desks... You may wish to avoid the darker corners, and instead choose to sit in the dead center of the room. After all... You never know what might be lurking in the shadows.

-- Prof. Kazimeriz

ooc: Please go ahead and RP yourself coming into the room; have fun with it, for you might've noticed it is a tad spookier in here than usual. I'll start the class in a little while and it will run for 2-3 days so every time zone can play. Thanks, Xana~

SnitCHchASER · 03-21-2009, 12:11 AM

Emalyn raised her hand, her heart sinking (though feeling oddly as if it were rising toward her throat...) "A boggart, Proffessor. They feed on fear, but are weak when laughter or happiness is involved. It's also similar with dementors, though I think dementors would carry on even if you were roaring with laughter."
Ema found herself looking cautiously around her, where possibly boggarts could be enclosed. Oh great, she said, fighting the urge not to groan.

XanaSnape · 03-21-2009, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeathEater24601

Seymour raised his hand, pushing his glasses back up his nose with the other. "One of a few select dark creatures that feed on fear is the boggart, sir." He paused, considering something. "Sir-- how exactly do these dark creatures use one's emotions as sustenance? I understand that they do not have the typical body circumstances or life cycle as most creatures, so how do they use a bodiless form of psycological feeling to operate their biology?" It was really a fascinating study, if not slightly befuddling at times. How would that work?

"Very good question, Mr. Addams. Take two extra points. While we do not fully understand all facets of the biomagical processes involved in magically converting fear into sustenance, we do know that some dark creatures are able to break down emotional energy the same way a wizard can break down food into energy units, metabolizing it and using it to fuel their biological reactions. That being said, many wizards and muggles alike are unable to break down certain food components, such as lactose, causing a bad physical reaction. The boggart also has such an intolerace. Can anyone name the emotion a boggart is unable to tolerate?" Kazimeriz glanced around the room at the class.

Mell · 03-21-2009, 12:23 AM

Kayla raised her hand, "A boggart is a shape shifter that takes on the form of what we fear the most, so I would say that it feeds on our fears. If a person didn't fear anything then they would unlikely to be able to take shape into anything." She thought about what the other's were saying about Dementor's. "A dementor senses and feeds off a person's positive emotions and sucks the goodness out, leaving them reliving their worst memories. So they don't necessarily feed off our fear but off our positive emotions."

Jojogali · 03-21-2009, 12:27 AM

Joanne raised her hand "The term is not quite happiness, but more the ability of laughing at something you fear, is that, courage?" she answered and asked, at the same time.

Cassirin · 03-21-2009, 12:27 AM

Copernicus raised his hand. "Professor, I believe the boggart cannot abide laughter, which makes me think that perhaps the emotion of joy itself is what the boggart cannot handle."

Syd · 03-21-2009, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XanaSnape

"Very good question, Mr. Addams. Take two extra points. While we do not fully understand all facets of the biomagical processes involved in magically converting fear into sustenance, we do know that some dark creatures are able to break down emotional energy the same way a wizard can break down food into energy units, metabolizing it and using it to fuel their biological reactions. That being said, many wizards and muggles alike are unable to break down certain food components, such as lactose, causing a bad physical reaction. The boggart also has such an intolerace. Can anyone name the emotion a boggart is unable to tolerate?" Kazimeriz glanced around the room at the class.

"Happiness?" Rian offered, raising her hand. She was pretty sure about this answer...she'd read a lot about boggarts. "Because when you're trying to get rid of a boggart, you have to laugh. That's what really does the trick." She paused, biting her lip.

"So, I think that's what it is. Because if laughter is a part that gets the boggart to leave, then it would make sense that happiness is the emotion they can't tolerate."

Golden Monkey · 03-21-2009, 12:29 AM

William raised his hand again. "The emotion the Boggart can't tolerate is happiness. It feeds off our fears and unhappy emotions but if we can rid ourselves of the fear and unhappiness and concentrate on a happy emotion then we can beat the Boggart." he replied trying to sound normal.

Jojogali · 03-21-2009, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Copernicus raised his hand. "Professor, I believe the boggart cannot abide laughter, which makes me think that perhaps the emotion of joy itself is what the boggart cannot handle."

"Laughter is not an emotion" Joanne refuted " that's my problem, defining the emotion that causes you to laugh at your fears, I think it's courage..."her voice trailed off as she rubbed her hands thinking.

Anna Banana · 03-21-2009, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XanaSnape

"Very true. With some rare exceptions, you will never see a juvenile dark creature for this very reason. I am sure this disappoints those of you who would find a baby boggart to be a delightful pet, but regrettably, as Miss Green stated, they merely exist with no true life cycle." Kazimeriz nodded. "Two points are awarded to every student who offered an opinion. Now then... let's get to it. As you are aware, the topic of this class is Fear, so let us turn our attention to dark creatures and fear. Who can name one dark creature that feeds on fear?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by XanaSnape

"Very good question, Mr. Addams. Take two extra points. While we do not fully understand all facets of the biomagical processes involved in magically converting fear into sustenance, we do know that some dark creatures are able to break down emotional energy the same way a wizard can break down food into energy units, metabolizing it and using it to fuel their biological reactions. That being said, many wizards and muggles alike are unable to break down certain food components, such as lactose, causing a bad physical reaction. The boggart also has such an intolerace. Can anyone name the emotion a boggart is unable to tolerate?" Kazimeriz glanced around the room at the class.

Raising her hand, Anna said, "I believe the Hinkypunk is another creature that feeds on fear, sir. These creatures carry a light which they use to lure travelers into bogs. That's dark and evil magic right there, if you ask me. I think it's significant that Hinkypunks also appear to be made of nothing but smoke. It's sort of like a reminder that Hinkypunks are among those who don't exist as we do, yet they do have some sort of existance, which is to be alive simply to induce evil upon others."

"Boggarts are unable to tolerate laughter...happiness, if you will," she continued. "They exist until the sound of laughter reaches their ears...or whatever it is they use to sense the laughter and happiness. When those sounds reach them, a boggart will retreat into a closed area, such as a cabinet or a closed drawer."

RedRabbit · 03-21-2009, 12:38 AM

*Gabben wasn't to sure but raised a hand.* "Laughter, and happiness? That would make sense if they feed off of fear the most. Isn't it true that some muggle children mistook them as the monter under the bed?"

*He remembered the samething happening to him once, and then his grandfather using a spell to send it away.*

XanaSnape · 03-21-2009, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aussiegirl

Kayla raised her hand, "A boggart is a shape shifter that takes on the form of what we fear the most, so I would say that it feeds on our fears. If a person didn't fear anything then they would unlikely to be able to take shape into anything." She thought about what the other's were saying about Dementor's. "A dementor senses and feeds off a person's positive emotions and sucks the goodness out, leaving them reliving their worst memories. So they don't necessarily feed off our fear but off our positive emotions."

"An excellent point, Miss Winters. Take two extra points for your critical thinking." Kazimeriz nodded. "Dementors are more dangerous and therefore are given the highest ministry rating for a dark creature for that very reason, for who among us does not cling to their positive memories in dark times?" he glanced around the room. "And good attempt, Miss Greingoth, but a hinkypunk does not feed on emotion, but rather lures the victim into a bog where it kills them outright. However, I shall award two points to everyone who attempted to answer. As we have said, boggarts and dementors both do feed on emotion. Boggarts, as many of you have said, cannot tolerate laughter, joy, happiness-- they dislike strong positive emotions, but laughter-- the physical expression of joy or amusement-- is what they simply cannot abide, so it is your best defense. Can anyone else give an example of a creature that uses psychological energy in its attacks?"

RedRabbit · 03-21-2009, 12:54 AM

*Gabben raised his hand again.* "The Pogrebin, it looks kinda like a gray rock with hair. They follow people around and and fill them up with a sense of hopelessness until a person collapses. Once that happens they eat them up."

Anna Banana · 03-21-2009, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XanaSnape

"An excellent point, Miss Winters. Take two extra points for your critical thinking." Kazimeriz nodded. "Dementors are more dangerous and therefore are given the highest ministry rating for a dark creature for that very reason, for who among us does not cling to their positive memories in dark times?" he glanced around the room. "And good attempt, Miss Greingoth, but a hinkypunk does not feed on emotion, but rather lures the victim into a bog where it kills them outright. However, I shall award two points to everyone who attempted to answer. As we have said, boggarts and dementors both do feed on emotion. Boggarts, as many of you have said, cannot tolerate laughter, joy, happiness-- they dislike strong positive emotions, but laughter-- the physical expression of joy or amusement-- is what they simply cannot abide, so it is your best defense. Can anyone else give an example of a creature that uses psychological energy in its attacks?"

Anna raised her hand once again. "What about Pogrebins, sir? These creatures are known to follow people around and give them a sense of hopelessness. They'll continue this behavior until the human collapses, and at that point, the Pogrebin will devour them," she said. "The thing about is, the humans are usually pretty much unaware of the fact that a creature is present and is causing them to feel the way they do. A Pogrebin resembles a gray rock and can crouch down and appear as nothing more than a stone on the ground."

RedRabbit · 03-21-2009, 01:24 AM

*Another thought ran in his head he shot his hand up again.* "A Veela may do that as well. They can use psychological energy without they're knowing."
*He turned a little red and looked down.*
"They seem to effect males the most..."

Tommehbell · 03-21-2009, 01:34 AM

She raised her hand. "Well although a Fwopper is not dark creature and it doesn't attack people it could be used as a weapon as its song will drive a listener insane," She offered.

XanaSnape · 03-21-2009, 01:53 AM

"Very good; though as you mentioned the fwooper is not a dark creature and therefore is irrelevant to this discussion." he nodded to Greenwood. "Indeed, the pogrebin is another creature that uses psychological attacks to paralyze a victim; there are many other creatures that use pyschological energy and emotion in their attacks, such as the tsog tsuam of Laos or the Hukai-po of Polynesian cultures. However, today we will focus on the creatures which are more commonly known within wizarding communities: boggarts, pogrebin and dementors." He looked around the room. "As we have discussed, boggarts cannot tolerate human positive emotions or laughter, and feed on human fear. They can often be found lurking in dark corners, alleyways, under beds, and in wardrobes... " He smirked, glancing at the wardrobes behind him. "Combating them is very simple in concept, though very difficult in execution, for what you need to be able to do is not to overpower the creature but to master yourself and your emotions. You must confront your fears, and find a way to infuse humor into them. Added to that, you must learn the incantation-- rid-di-ku-lus! and the wand motion."

Professor Kazimeriz drew his wand and cast in a sharp, sweeping motion. "Riddikulus!"

"I ask now that you all practice the incantation and wand movement twice, and then queue up into two distinct rows, here in the center of the classroom."

RedRabbit · 03-21-2009, 01:59 AM

*A cold chill ran down Gabbens back. No one ever wishes to see what scares them. He practiced the spell and wand work. He then stood up to get in line to find that he was the first one.*

"Great..."

Saiai · 03-21-2009, 01:59 AM

Sakura who had been listening to the discussion quickly got up and practised the charm twice. The first time she got the wand movement slightly wrong but said the incantation perfectly. She was upset about it but not overly so. Quickly practising it again she was pleased to note she had performed the correct wand movement as well as said the charm correctly.

Sakura walked swiftly to where the Professor had indicated they should stand and stood there still as marble. Not allowing any of her fear to take over her face. She wouldn't allow people to see any more of her weakness than was needed at the moment.

EquestrianGal88 · 03-21-2009, 02:06 AM

Freya finally snapped out of her stare. She practiced the incantation and wand movements a couple of times before getting up and standing in line, a second line. 'Good, maybe we'll be practicing! Yes!!' She stood in her place and waited for further instruction. Her wand casting was quite good, but she only just realized that she had a characteristic snapping motion whenever she was about to cast a spell. 'Riddikulus...just keep thinking it, Freya.' She knew what the spell was used for, but that wasn't what was concerning her....

Golden Monkey · 03-21-2009, 02:07 AM

William froze on the spot, his face paling as he listened to the instructions. His eyes widened and he gulped. They were doing WHAT?!?! OH, this was so not good. What would he do, go up to the front of the line, humiliate himself to the point of tears and wait for the destruction of his sanity? Well, if he must he shall he thought straightening his shoulder and muttering the incantation. "Riddikulus." he whispered, his wand limp by his side. "Riddikulus" he said again before holding out his wand and doing the same sharp sweeping motion the professor had done.

When he thought he had it down he willed his frozen legs to move in a jerky motion towards the line, his eyes dark with utter fright. Stopping behind a girl he didn't know he took deep cleansing breaths to calm himself down. He was a Ravenclaw he could do this, he was strong willed and strong minded, no matter what others said. He could do this, right? What was the incantation again? Oh right Riddikulus, sure easy enough, when you're practicing that is. His shoulders slumped as he began thinking of happy moments in his life, there weren't a lot sadly, not here at Hogwarts that was for sure. He thought back to the summers and smiled. There was a good memory he could use he thought standing straight, now utterly ready.

Anna Banana · 03-21-2009, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XanaSnape

"Very good; though as you mentioned the fwooper is not a dark creature and therefore is irrelevant to this discussion." he nodded to Greenwood. "Indeed, the pogrebin is another creature that uses psychological attacks to paralyze a victim; there are many other creatures that use pyschological energy and emotion in their attacks, such as the tsog tsuam of Laos or the Hukai-po of Polynesian cultures. However, today we will focus on the creatures which are more commonly known within wizarding communities: boggarts, pogrebin and dementors." He looked around the room. "As we have discussed, boggarts cannot tolerate human positive emotions or laughter, and feed on human fear. They can often be found lurking in dark corners, alleyways, under beds, and in wardrobes... " He smirked, glancing at the wardrobes behind him. "Combating them is very simple in concept, though very difficult in execution, for what you need to be able to do is not to overpower the creature but to master yourself and your emotions. You must confront your fears, and find a way to infuse humor into them. Added to that, you must learn the incantation-- rid-di-ku-lus! and the wand motion."

Professor Kazimeriz drew his wand and cast in a sharp, sweeping motion. "Riddikulus!"

"I ask now that you all practice the incantation and wand movement twice, and then queue up into two distinct rows, here in the center of the classroom."

Upon being told to do so, Anna withdrew her wand and began practicing the incantation. With a sharp sweeping motion, she called out, "Riddikulus!" Hmm...this shouldn't be too difficult to do. Then again, a real boggart wasn't directly in front of her either. She imagined it'd be quiet a different experience when she was faced with her worst fear instead of nothing but thin air. As she practiced, Anna also wondered what her boggart would be. She had an idea, because she'd fought a boggart two years ago in Professor Hawkins' class. She kind of thought her worst fear---which used to be losing a single house point---might have changed in the past two years, though. She imagined it may have a little more to do with Cale and less to do with school. "Riddikulus!" she said, calling out the incantation once again. When that was done, she stood and headed to the line Professor Kazimeriz had instructed them to stand in.

druidflower · 03-21-2009, 02:19 AM

Tobi actually knew this one. When you live in a HUGE old Inn, Boggarts happen.

Sharp Sweeping Motion. Check.

"Riddikulus!" he said with conviction.

Without a Boggart to change its form he couldn't be sure, but he thought it worked.

Again with the sharp sweeping motion. "Riddikulus!" he cried.

That was it wasn't it? He thought so. Tobi had the weirdest fears. Boggarts, not scary. Plants, FREAKY BUSINESS MAN.

He queued up in the center of classroom like the he was instructed, Turns out he was in line right behind Anna, well, everyone likes a volunteer. Right?

Mad Eye Touz · 03-21-2009, 02:23 AM

Plymouth got his wand out and got up. "RIIId-dIII-ku-lusssss," he said loudly, doing a very exaggerated sweep of his wand. "That's one," he kept count out loud.

"RIDIKULUSSssSSS!" Plymouth did again, this time with his signature hand on his hip and an odd sort of dip with his knees. "That's two." Hopefully this was just in case they ran across a boggart --- and not that they were all about to actually see one. Yikes. Then he got in line with Tobi.

Yaya · 03-21-2009, 02:26 AM

Emiliano listened to the professor speak about controlling the emotions inside. To master them, not the creature they were about to face. He took a deep breath and started to practice the incantation over and over, the sweeping motion, the correct pronounciation of the spell. "Riddikulus...Riddikulus...Rid-di-ku-lus..." He whispered.

He was ready...yes. A happy moment to think about, could it be that day that he spent with Karma at the Room of Requirement, or during the winter vacations...when Reese and Whitney came to his house. Or when...he named Kiri's Pymgy Puff. He just loved the girls. And all the moments that were spent with them were special and worth to remember and even laugh at them.

Hedwig18 · 03-21-2009, 02:31 AM

Ana listened carefully the professor.
"Riddikkulus!" she said making the right movement with the wand.

A happy thought... when she received her letter that was indeed a happy moment for her. But what thing will appear to her. It could not be good!

"Riddikulus!" she said again

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