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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~

Felixir · 03-19-2009, 06:19 PM

Ghosts! Everywhere... what was attracting them to this class? Grooooan...

Jake raised his hand as he looked back up at Kazimeriz. "Fear... well... It's annoyingly necessary. Fear is good to tell you when to stop doing something, or to turn back, or if you have finally pushed your luck too far, sir," he said, his thoughts wandering to a certain person he knew. "Nobody likes fear at the time of it, some like it afterwards, but it's supposed to be unpleasant, or it ain't fear."

Rosa Chispa Princessa · 03-19-2009, 09:35 PM

Herminny turned around when she heard another male voice that did not seem to be coming from the professor and saw that another ghost had entered the classroom that she recognized to be the ghost of Gryffindor Nearly Headless Nick, and she just smiled and decided to introduce herself saying, "Hi I'm Herminny".

Daemon · 03-19-2009, 09:53 PM

Rachel almost jumped out of her skin as the Professor appeared with a large bang. Darkness... I hate darkness. Ducking a little in her seat so that she wouldn't be so noticeable, she stared at the space above the professor's head and listened carefully to his question. What is fear? This is fear, you twat! she thought to herself, cursing the Professor for making her scared at this hour of the day.

"F-Fear?" she began, stammering. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and pictured herself in the bright and happy Ravenclaw common room, sitting next to the fire and revising with a friend. "Fear is very similar to anxiety, except that it's much stronger and more powerful. It is part of our defense system, and it's a necessary emotion for us. If there was no fear in the world, then nobody would take precautions against dangerous things," she said quickly, her hand shaking slightly as she held it up. The minute she finished, she lowered her hand as if it had been burned and began scribbling meaningless notes on her parchment, just so that she wouldn’t have to look up at the freaky Professor.

TwilightHodges · 03-19-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nearly Headless Nick

Nick sensed the presence of Peeves nearby. He could see him out of the corner of his eye. He frowned at him, warning him not to make a fool out of himself. The only ghosts he worried about were Peeves and Myrtle, neither one had much self control. It was good just to be in here, it was somehow - comforting.

Twilight felt that someone was in the class, she careully turned around and saw a ghost. Why that was Nearly Headless Nick, she would recognize him anytime as her grandpa had talked in length of the Hogwarts ghosts. She saw him look to the shadow. "o our little friend' she thought. She shyly nodde towards him and gave a small wave.

THis is good I like a class where ghosts feel free to come and watch and attend class. Even they have a good respect of the professor, she smiled to herself and listend to the students answers, very glad to be at Hogwarts.

**Bloody Baron** · 03-19-2009, 10:18 PM

The Baron floated into the classroom and nodded at Kazimeriz. He sneared at every student except those in his house, but when saw his Helena, bowed to her and went to float by Nick.

druidflower · 03-19-2009, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloody Baron

The Baron floated into the classroom and nodded at Kazimeriz. He sneared at every student except those in his house, but when saw his Helena, bowed to her and went to float by Nick.

And now the baron has come to join us Tobi thought, as he noticed the silver speckled ghost float in, taking a place with Nick and Lady Ravenclaw, Will the Friar and Myrtle come too? he wondered.

They seemed to have a ghost gathering on their hands. It didn't bother Tobi any, ghosts were not one of the things he feared.

**Bloody Baron** · 03-19-2009, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by druidflower

And now the baron has come to join us Tobi thought, as he noticed the silver speckled ghost float in, taking a place with Nick and Lady Ravenclaw, Will the Friar and Myrtle come too? he wondered.

They seemed to have a ghost gathering on their hands. It didn't bother Tobi any, ghosts were not one of the things he feared.

"Eyes front!" the Baron grumbled.

**Moaning Myrtle** · 03-19-2009, 10:27 PM

Myrtle had this feeling - she just KNEW - that her mortal, arch-enemy Peeves was up to something.

And being the gossip she was, she had to be in the midst of all the happenings. Following the Baron at a good distance, Myrtle discovered the source of the funsies to be the DADA classroom.

Normally, the young ghost liked to stick to the bathrooms and waterways, since she was too 'dead' to earn House points anyway. But not today.

"Fear is what you feel when you look into the big, evil, death-ray eyes of a basilisk," Myrtle piped up from a desk beside Plymouth Morgan. "I would know."

Cassirin · 03-19-2009, 10:27 PM

Copernicus raised his hand. "Fear is a physiological and psychological reaction to a negative stimulus, but that doesn't mean that fear is necessarily bad. As some of my classmates have suggested, fear was learned in all creatures as a warning against danger. Many times, the things we fear SHOULD be feared, because it makes us wary. But occasionally, fear overwhelms reason, and in that case, it is bad."

XanaSnape · 03-19-2009, 10:30 PM

Kazimeriz nodded. "Interesting insights. Two points for everyone who attempted to answer; an extra point to you, Kettleburn, for your succinct explanation. Some of you contend that fear is a negative emotion. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, fear can be your best asset or your worst enemy... depending on how you choose to use it." Kazimeriz moved to the front of the class, pacing.

"In the previous class, we learned about shielding and being constantly vigilant and aware. The vigilance we spoke of is essential to defense work. It is rooted in your base emotions and instincts-- instincts that include fear. You must learn to master your instincts and listen to them-- without letting your fear master you. Learn to recognize your fears for what they are; be able to discern their subtleties... By this, I mean that you must not just react to it on a primitive level, but rather, ask yourself: what is your fear telling you? What are you fearing, and why? Where is your fear suggesting you should focus your attention?

Fear is a byproduct of base level animal awareness. Often we are subconsciously aware of danger before we are consciously aware of it... many of you may have experienced this subconscious awareness, this fear, when you entered this classroom today. Use your primitive awareness wisely and well and you will see improvements in your defense work."

He paused, noticing that the room had taken on a slight additional chill. Glancing up, he saw the reason. He nodded at the Baron in acknowledgment, then returned to the lecture. "I would like you to all pause and think. How you can use fear as a tool in your defensive strategies? When does fear help you-- and how can it hurt you? Please share your thoughts with the class."

03-19-2009, 10:37 PM

Raising her hand, Liz replies "It can help you become more aware of your surroundings, and be more defensive. But it could also cause you to react to soon, or more then you really need to."

druidflower · 03-19-2009, 10:38 PM

Tobi had some practical experience with fear being helpful, his experience with Kazimeriz had been extremely helpful in learning the shield charm, but then utter panic can cause people to freeze to, it had happened in the Slytherclaw vs Gryffinpuff exercise.

He raised his hand and said, "Well sir, fear can be an awesome motivator. It is for me; when I thought I was about to meet my end at your hands, I figured out how to do a pretty good shield, right quick. But it can also cause you to lose your head and forget things you know, it also can cause indecision, like the dear-in-the-headlights effect."

TeafortheSoul · 03-19-2009, 10:39 PM

Celandine spared a brief, impressed look at the Baron before focusing on the question. She raised her hand, "Well Professor, I think if you have felt fear it might give you insight about what your opponent is afraid of, meaning you can turn their fears against them. I guess thats another part of being alert and aware; if you see your opponent freaks out over... say... a bunch of birds being cast at them, you can make all your attacks avian related and make their fears work for you." Celandine took a breath and shot another glance at the Baron.

"Also, if you know you are afraid of particular things, you can prepare yourself by learning spells that might help you. And, if your fear is obvious, you can totally play it up so that your opponent gets all cocky and tries to take advantage of it then you can take them by surprise."

EquestrianGal88 · 03-19-2009, 10:41 PM

Freya raised her hand, somewhat slowly, "Well, I know when I become afraid of something, I get a rush of adrenaline. And when that happens, I get a burst of energy. It doesn't last long, but it gives me enough time to get clear of whatever is threatening me, and provides me with extra strength in order to defend myself by hand if it is necessary. I become less tired over a long perid of time, since my body is in high alert." She thought for another moment, "I guess it can also help...usually when something unpleasant is around, I can feel it before it reaches me. I get, um, goosebumps, so it's almost like I am alerted ahead of time to what is hiding in wait. Also, fear can leave a person with a very strong memory as to not do something again. For instance if someone were to go on a detour of the forbidden forest alone, and come across some dangerous animal. That imprinted memory will be strong enough in the future to tell the person, 'Hey, I remember what happened the last time I went in there, I should not go in again.'"

Freya paused for a moment to take a breath, "Fear can be harmful because a lot of people focus solely on the bad aspects of it and not enough on the benefits. A person can focus so much on whatever they can be afraid of, that when their life really is in danger, they are helpless because they are too paranoid and unable to function properly. It can also frighten a person to death, from too much stress. I guess fear can also paralyze a person when it is an inappropriate time. Almost like the person cannot move their legs bacause of their terror."
She stopped, wondering if she had forgotten anything. "I think it depends on how mentally strong a person is as to how fear affects them."

Cassirin · 03-19-2009, 10:45 PM

Copernicus raised his hand again. "I think that being aware of your own fears makes you less likely to cave in to them later. Knowing that the dark or spiders frighten you can help you to intellectualize the moment so you know it isn't real beyond your emotional reaction. And as for helping you offensively, taking advantage of an opponent's fears could be a great tool in overcoming them."

Golden Monkey · 03-19-2009, 10:45 PM

William looked around nervously as a few more ghosts entered, including Myrtle, the one ghost he felt most compelled to know. He felt like he had a rapor with her, they were both outcasts of sorts. It was obvious she wasn't well liked among the other ghosts and he felt a twinge of pain at that. The poor dear he thought.

He gulped as he listened to Kazi speak. What was his biggest fear? Well it was right in front of him, speaking to them all. How was he going to say that, without loosing points ... again? It was better to just keep his mouth closed, that way he could slink into the shadows, pull his knees up and hide. Yup that sounded best. He listened to others speak, their answers sounded much better than his, but he knew he had to answer; he didn't want to look foolish in front of the ghosts and be known as the Silent One.

He put his hand in the air, "Sir, I think if we know what our fears are we can learn from them by facing them head-on, learning what they do to make us so fearful. If we can achieve this then we can learn spells to affectingly help us prevent the fears from overcoming us." He paused, frowning at his answer. "Fear can be an excellent motivator, when you're facing the unknown you can learn how to deal with it and how to properly overcome it." he stopped, glancing around and ducking his head.

"You have to learn not to freeze in front of fear, or what you fear. If you do, then you're in serious trouble. Stand tall hold your wand out and do your best. Never give up that kind of thing." He finished, sure of his answer but terrified of what Kazi would say.

Hedwig18 · 03-19-2009, 10:46 PM

Ana raised her hand "Fear can make us have an additional force. It's an alert... and when adrenaline is released because of that fear we can do things that we couldn't before. We can also control our fear but outside fake that we are really scared and that could make enemies let guard down" did it make sense at all "But like the professor said if fear paralyzed us we will... well we could die or something really bad can happen... in exaggeration is fear, which was supposed to help that is going to hurt us" she finished

Jojogali · 03-19-2009, 10:48 PM

Joanne opened her big greenish eyes in astonishment as her house's ghost entered followed by the Moaning Myrtle. What the hell is going on here? she though. All ghosts gathered here to watch Kazimirez's class? No... there is something more. She felt a small chill as she listened to Myrtle's explanation of fear. Yeah, basilisk's eyes was something you just shouldn't look at...

Quote:

Originally Posted by XanaSnape

He paused, noticing that the room had taken on a slight additional chill. Glancing up, he saw the reason. He nodded at the Baron in acknowledgment, then returned to the lecture. "I would like you to all pause and think. How you can use fear as a tool in your defensive strategies? When does fear help you-- and how can it hurt you? Please share your thoughts with the class."

Joanne just remembered something as the professor talked about animals instincts " Professor, animals have distances, they are called an escape distance, critic distance and attack distance. Those three zones, as the names says are zones that they allow humans to approach them, for example a lion in Africa will run away from a human that comes into his escape distance but as soon as the human steps into his critic distance he will stop trying to escape and turn in his direction, to attack!"

She made a pause to breath " So, in humans, studies have not been done to define this distances but I think that, we have those too, ruled by fear. Fear that makes you run away from danger, fear that makes you stop and change your mind when you no longer have the power,will or strength to run away and fear that makes you attack ! It can be good, when you face an obstacle that you cannot overcome, and run. But it can also be bad when fear tells you that you have no other option but to fight and protect yourself, when you actually don't."

Joanne said all that in almost one breath eager to share her recent knowledge. She read about this in a muggle magazine that she found on her grandpa's attic.

Felixir · 03-19-2009, 10:49 PM

Jake raised his hand. "Fear can sharpen your senses... someone mentioned an adrenaline rush, well it's kind of like that. But you can get to the stage where your reflexes aren't quickened at all, but you freak out completely..." He stalled. It didn't seem like he'd said enough, so why did he have that horrible feeling he'd said his point? "Ooooor... it could be an irrational fear... of something that isn't there, and the unnecessary strain... well... any kind of fear can end up doing long term damage..." Bleh.

PhoenixFlame · 03-19-2009, 10:56 PM

Ludo slicked his wet hair back. Unfortunately he'd received the aftermath of one of Peeves' water balloons. But Ludo's mind was a bit preoccupied. There were parts of the room he could not see. There was dark...and this did not suit him well. He was a bit on edge as he sat in his desk, clutching his wand...

He turned as several of the Hogwarts ghosts revealed themselves and then listened to Kazimeraz's in depth lecture of fear. Ludo raised his hand to the Professor's question and found his voice shook a bit because of his nerves.

"P-Professor? F-Fear is most dangerous when it consumes your mind. Your actions become delayed because you find it so difficult to f-focus on anything but what you're afraid of."

Ludo paused to think of a counter-arguement.
"B-But fear can work the opposite way as well, I suppose. The very thing you f-fear can provide motive to fight back."

He rolled his wand back and forth in his hands, trying to settle. What he wouldn't give to just use a simple charm and light up his desk.

SnitCHchASER · 03-19-2009, 11:03 PM

Emalyn raised her hand cautiously, thinking of the question. "When you overcome your greatest fear, it seems there is nothing you cannot do, if you aren't afraid to master and overcome it. When you overcome your greatest fear, it's all up hill from there. If we all learned to do it, there'd be nothing to stop us mastering the small things. That is how I think it can help us, and be a tool to us, and strengthen us," Emalyn paused, thinking again. "It can hurt you, however, if you aren't willing to accept overcoming it. Fear is sometimes a necessity to us...if we didn't have it, what would stop us? I think we fear not having fears sometimes, maybe our brains tell us that we're petrified of something, and in that way we cannot bear to think of overcoming it. That is how it can hurt you."
Emalyn realized suddenly that she had had her hand raised the entire time that she had been speaking. A blush spread quickly across her face and she found herself looking back down at the desk.

SilverTiger · 03-19-2009, 11:07 PM

Elizabeth had been unable to hide her smile when Myrtle had shown up and answered Professor Kazimeriz. especially with what she had said. But as class continued, she raised her hand. "Fear can be used to channel your energies, make your spells stronger. If you know how to do so, that is. A little fear is good, because it keeps us from doing things that could be considered stupid. It's when you let it take over and control you that it becomes dangerous. Because it can keep you from being able to fight back." She paused for a second, then continued. "There's also the idea of the fight-or-flight response in humans. The idea that when confronted with something scary, we are likely to either want ot fight back or run from the situation."

Under her desk, she reached her other hand out to lightly touch Ludo's arm, attempting to calm him down. It's just a little darkness, and so far nothing had come out of it other than the ghosts. And the professor. But they'd survived so far.

Meh Reh · 03-19-2009, 11:08 PM

Karma finally raised her hand, as she was still fearful of Kazimeriz and their last interaction. She shivered, and thought it was funny how his lesson and their last meeting produced the same feeling.

"Fear can be used in two ways. To benefit you to your advantage, to get you to do what the other person wants by influence. If you know what scares them, and present them with that, then you have the power to get them to do what you want. Though, that may very well be a negative part of fear, depending your approach to it. To your disadvantage, it can be used against you, to pit yourself against what you seem to think the most frightening."

She then thought for a moment before extending her answer.

"Fear is the most dangerous when it is used against someone, or completely overwhelms your thoughts and emotions. It is when you can't even begin to try to even overcome what scares you the most, what could hurt you the most, because it's right there in front of you. The presence of fear is what makes us wary of it, and hard to overcome."

Jojogali · 03-19-2009, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixFlame

Ludo slicked his wet hair back. Unfortunately he'd received the aftermath of one of Peeves' water balloons. But Ludo's mind was a bit preoccupied. There were parts of the room he could not see. There was dark...and this did not suit him well. He was a bit on edge as he sat in his desk, clutching his wand...

He turned as several of the Hogwarts ghosts revealed themselves and then listened to Kazimeraz's in depth lecture of fear. Ludo raised his hand to the Professor's question and found his voice shook a bit because of his nerves.

"P-Professor? F-Fear is most dangerous when it consumes your mind. Your actions become delayed because you find it so difficult to f-focus on anything but what you're afraid of."

Ludo paused to think of a counter-arguement.
"B-But fear can work the opposite way as well, I suppose. The very thing you f-fear can provide motive to fight back."

He rolled his wand back and forth in his hands, trying to settle. What he wouldn't give to just use a simple charm and light up his desk.

Joanne that had been very concentrated in the wood patterns of her desk looked up, to her left side as this Ravenclaw boy answered. His voice was breaking in strange places. Could he be afraid? "You just have to think that you're in a bright bubble of light, it will help" she whispered to him and winked, trying to be nice. At least that kept her discomfort of the darkness away. She had always been told that if she imagined herself in a bubble of light no spirits could get attached to her fears and herself.

Crayola · 03-19-2009, 11:32 PM

Oh dear. This really was being rather creepy, more so with the ghosts floating around, and Evangeline scooted her chair closer to Clifford just a tiny ickle bit. It wasn't that she was scared! It just ... yeah.

Slowly, she raised her hand, willing to voice her thoughts on the matter. "Well, I think it pretty depends on what kind of person you are. If someone is very stubborn, fear can be a motivation to defend ourselves or overcome obstacles. If we know how to use the adrenaline that usually appears with fear, we might make our spells stronger, we might be quicker in our casting and thinking. But of course that one person can be easily controlled by fear, it will take care of them and unable their defence. Or at least their quick defence."

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