Jack found a seat in the back and while he waited, he skimmed through his Arithmancy textbook.

Jack walked into Arithmancy class, carrying his huge textbook in his arms as he walked into the room. The book was abnormally larger than usual, because he had added pages and pages of notes in between the book pages to help him while he was studying for his OWLs--but now that he had taken the Arithmancy final, he needed to clean out all those notes and put them some place less annoying.

Taking his seat, and being completely oblivious to the two pages of notes that fell out of his book, he sat down near the front, just for the heck of it today. "Hello Professor," he said happily as he plopped his book on his desk with a small THUD.

Anna gently pushed open the door to the Arithmancy classroom and made her way inside. She bee-lined to the professor's desk, intending to greet her properly before she took a seat. As she got closer, she noticed that the professor was reading a book, so Anna sort of leaned over a bit so she could read the title. Ohhh, a wedding book! She sort of needed to read that one, as well! "Good day, Professor!" she said. "I may need to borrow that book from you when you're done." She giggled, then turned to find a seat, waving toward Capt'n Jack as she sat down.

Paris walked into the classroom a bit more awake than she was for Muggle Studies which was surprising considering this was her worst subject. She wasn't really paying attention, but she smelled bridal couture and her eyes zeroed in on the book Professor Shackleton was reading. She sidled up to Professor Shackleton's desk. "Good afternoon Professor." she said sweetly.

"Are you getting married?" she asked her searching her hand for the ring. She was still sore about the ring Anna was wearing, she didn't know if she could handle two rings with bigger diamonds. She wasn't as close to Professor Shackleton as she wanted to be, but she woman was a fierce Amazon on the Quidditch pitch.

Torin walked into the room and took a seat in one of the desks in the center. Then he took out his book. Looking up at the Professor, he saw the book she was reading and didn't comment. Good that she was getting married though. He liked this Professor.

Shackleton looked up from her book, "Oh, hello there Mr. Fritzera." Spotting loose parchment on the floor, she added, "I believe you dropped something there, Jack. Don't wanna lose those notes!"

"Hello Anna! You're more than welcome to the book once I finish reading it... and committing it to memory." Shackleton grinned, "Are you feeling prepared for today's lesson?"

Professor Shackleton nodded and confirmed, "Yes, dear, I am getting married this summer actually." Noticing that Paris' eyes were searching, Professor Shackleton subtly adjusted her left hand so that the girl could see what she was looking for - the ring.

From her seat, Anna smiled at the professor and gave her the thumbs up sign. "Oh, that sounds excellent, Professor! Maybe I can snag it from you sometime in the next two months," she said. Being that it was May, school would end soon, and Anna's wedding was set to take place two weeks after school let out. Whoa. That's soon. Gulp.

She nodded and held a few pieces of parchment up into the air, notes she'd taken on bridge numbers, of course. "Yup! I'm all set and ready to go," she replied. Oddly enough, she wasn't as nervous as she thought she'd be. She was actually sort of excited and thrilled at the opportunity. What a cool way to end her seventh and final year here.

Arithmancy.

Willow was NOT good at this, and the worst part was that the sixth year often got distracted during the subject, which lead her to NOT knowing what on Merlin's Beard Shackleton was talking about.

But she was going to FOCUS today. Yes, that was her goal of the day.

"Good day, ma'am," Greeted the Ravenclaw as she entered the classroom, not bothering to read the title of Professor Shackleton's book. It was none of her business, after all. "I trust you are doing well?"

Settling in one of the desks in the middle of the classroom, the sixth year took out her things, and soon found herself doodling in the corner of her journal, slowly beginning to forget that she was in FACT in the middle of a classroom and class would start SOON.

So much for concentrating and paying attention.

Paris' eyes sparkled as she spotted the ring. It was beautiful and the ice dripped off her finger. Paris wanted to touch it, but she restrained herself. "Is that a Tiffany engagement set? About 6 carats and an F clarity rating," she breathed. The pupils in her eyes had gone all diamond shape. "Its really beautiful Professor," She wanted to jump up and down. Diamonds were a diva's best friend and Professor Shackleton was going to need an assistant to hold her hand with all the friends she was walking around with.

How on earth did she expect Paris to concentrate with that diamond flashing and catching the light and distracting her. She was going to have to beg her dad to take her to Tiffanie's after the term let out.

Professor Shackleton placed her bookmark between the pages to mark her spot, then closed the book and slid it to the corner of her desk. "You're free to have it as soon as I finish the last two chapters - 'Devising Back Up Plans' and 'How to Seat Your Battling Family Relatives.' That should make for interesting bedtime reading," Macadian stated the last bit with a smirk on her face.


"Good day to you, Ms. Kovac. I'm doing quite well. I hope you are well yourself?"


Despite that the number of students in the classroom was fairly small, Professor Shackleton did not want to delay the start of class any longer. She addressed them all, "As I mentioned at the end of the last lesson, I hoped that this lesson's materials could be taught by student volunteers. We had one person volunteer to lecture about Bridge Numbers and so, without further ado, I am going to turn the floor over to her." Gesturing toward Anna, Professor Shackleton spoke, "Ms. Greingoth, come on up to the front and begin your lesson."

Currently seating next to Jack Fritzera, Daphne looked over at Anna inquisitively, wondering if they were supposed to clap or smile? Smile seemed more appropriate. Smiling politely at Anna for a brief moment, Miss Hopton glanced sideways at Jack with hazel eyes.

Sigh. Why was he so pretty?

Jack's eyes nearly popped out of his head. ANNA was going to teach them? Interesting...would she be able to handle it though? For some reason, even though she was Head Girl, Anna struck him as being the type of person who would be nervous about teaching, even though everyone would still listen to her every word and she really had nothing to fear.

Unsure of what to do, he glanced to Daphne next to him to see what she was doing. Nothing. Erm, ok, should he start it then?

"WOO! Go Anna!" he muttered, practically under his breath--he didn't want to shout it across the room or anything. Mac would go all Staff Beater on him if he disrupted her class, he was sure of it.

Anna giggled at the titles of the last few chapters of the professor's book. Backup plans? Battling family members? Yikes. Hopefully she and Cale wouldn't need a backup plan...or have any battling family members at that. "Sounds good, Professor Shackleton. I'll hold you to that," she said, grabbing ahold of her notes and making sure they were organized and ready to go. She'd worked really hard on this lesson, so she truly hoped everything would work out for the best. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a bag of tasty treats she'd bought in Hogsmeade last weekend. Hopefully she'd be able to distribute them to well-deserving students.

Her lesson. Eek. That sounded just as scary as it did exciting. She managed a smile anyway, then made her way up to the front, notes in one hand and candy in the other. "Good day, everyone. I'm really excited about the chance to teach you a few things I've learned about Arithmancy, and I really hope you enjoy the lesson I've put together for you," she said. "The topic of today's lesson is 'Bridge Numbers', and in order to understand what those numbers are and how they work, we must first understand...and recall...a few topics we've learned about in previous lessons."

"Life Path Numbers...Expression/Destiny Numbers...Heart's Desire/Soul Urge Numbers...and finally, Personality Numbers," she listed. As she spoke, she waved her wand in the direction of a chalkboard, and the four types of numbers appeared in the following order:

1. Life Path Numbers
2. Expression/Destiny Numbers
3. Heart's Desire/Soul Urge Numbers
4. Personality Numbers

"Using the definition provided by your textbook, let's get...Gryffindors to tell us what number one means, Hufflepuffs can take number two, Ravenclaws will do number three, and Slytherins can do number four," she said. "Just go ahead and raise your hand and give us your answer."

Jack raised his hand. The first one, right? Life Path? Yes, that was the right one. "Well, Professor Greingoth," he paused to allow himself to genuinely smile at Anna. "...the Life Path number indicates the road you will follow in your life. It also tells you what talents and abilities will help you along the way," he answered.

Paris raised her hand. "The Personality Number is an element of the Core." she told her. "It tells what other remember about you after they meet you for the first time. Thats why first impressions are so important. Because this number is just the otter image of you. It gives you insight into how others see you." she explained. She didn't now if Anna wanted to know how to find the personality number.

Torin raised his hand and said, "The Destiny (or Expression) Number describes your purpose in life. What you must live up to in this life. The qualities of living you must develop. What you are destined to do. Your opportunities for success. And the kind of work that would be a natural expression of your Life Path Number." He counted this all off, hoping that he wasn't missing anything.

Reese raised her hand. "Well, Anna," she started off. It was so cool that her best friend was teaching them! "Your Personality Number is the element that describes what other people remember about you after the first time you meet them. It describes how other people look at you and this number invites you to see yourself as other people see you," she answered.

Plymouth raised his hand and wiggled his fingers at Anna. "Hehe. Hey Anna."


Smooth Plymouth. Smooth.


Ahem. Right. Plymouth held his hands up and formed the shape of a heart. "The Heart's desire number... well it's pretty self explanatory, you know? It shows us what our HEART wants. What it needs. Buuuduuuppp Buuuuuudupppp," Plymouth mimicked a heart beating. "Like, our needs and hopes and dreams."

MMhmmm.

"Ohhh, Professor Greingoth. You do flatter me, Capt'n Jack," Anna said, reaching into her bag of candy as she spoke. She pulled out a chocolate frog and stared at it for a moment before talking again. "...and you are correct." She tossed the frog into the air and swatted it towards Jack. "Catch that, seeker..."

"According to the textbook," Anna said, glancing over to read from her notes, "The Life Path Number is an element of the core that tells you both the road you will follow throughout your life and the talents and abilities that will help you along this road. This number tells you what you can depend upon to find success in the world. Note that while other people may share the same number, it is the combination of all your numbers that will explain how to proceed down this road of life."

"That it does, Paris" Anna said, nodding and reaching into her bag again. "...and another captain scores a frog." Anna tossed a chocolate frog in Paris' direction, watching it as it flew through the air towards the girl. "Oh, and thank you, Reese," Anna replied. "First impressions and the such...yes." Anna grabbed a frog, turned around, and playfully tossed the frog through the air and towards Reese.

"Our textbook says...," Anna said, glancing down towards her notes once again, "The Personality Number is an element of the Core that describes what others remember about you after a first encounter - the 'outer you' or 'external image'. This number describes how others view you and invites you to see yourself as others see you."

"Very good, Kane. ...and with that, Hufflepuff is on the score board," she said with a smile. "Oh, and a frog to you, too." Swat. A third frog flew through the air, this one headed right for Torin.

"The Expression Number, also known as the Destiny Number, is an element of the Core that describes your life's purpose, what you must live up to in this lifetime, your opportunities for success, the qualities and manner of living you must develop, what you are destined for, the target you are aiming for in life, and the kind of work that would be a natural expression of your Life Path," Anna read, once again descriving the textbook's definition of this number.

Anna giggled as she watched Plym mimick a heartbeat. Leave it to him to find a funny manner in which to answer. Amusing or not, his answer was indeed correct. "The heart's desire number...a number which reveals how we truly feel and what we honestly, truly wish for," she said, tossing a frog through the air and batting it towards Plym. It sailed far...way far over Plym's head, as a matter of fact...and smacked Professor Shackleton right on the forehead. Anna cringed and gave the professor an apologetic look. "Sorry, ma'am....," she half-whispered. Right...no more batting frogs. She gently tossed Plym a second frog, making sure this time it was headed for him.



"It's important that we understand those four, because they are the four numbers which make up what we call 'bridge numbers'. When you use the word bridge in regards to Arithmancy, I want you to think of how a regular bridge, such as one we can walk on or travel across, connects one place to another," she explained. "Connections...making connections...are the keys to understanding and applying bridge numbers. They are, by definition, 'Numbers that indicate the methods by which you can increase the compatibility and integration of your individual core numbers."

"These numbers serve to bridge the gap between the Life Path and Expression/Destiny number, as well as the Heart's Desire/Soul Urge and Personality number," Anna continued, glancing up from her notes as she completed the reading of the definition. "Now, why do you believe we pair the Life Path Number with the Expression/Destiny Number? Likewise, why do we pair the Hearts Desire/Soul Urge Number with the Personality Number? Based on the definitions we've discussed, why do you believe bridge numbers are paired, for making connections, in this manner?" she asked.

Professor Shackleton had been glancing at the faces of each of her students, trying to gauge how they felt about having a student volunteer as an instructor, and hadn't been looking toward Anna as she spoke. Of course, if she had been, she might have seen the chocolate frog heading right for her face and she might have had time to deflect its course. Instead, it thumped right into her forehead and fell into her lap. Chuckling rather loudly, Professor Shackleton joked, "Thank you for the chocolate, Ms. Greingoth. And may I add, your rather unorthodox way of distributing candy is rather appealing, though potentially dangerous for innocent bystanders."

Torin grinned as he caught the frog. Then he became thoughtful at Anna's next question. It was a good one.

Raising his hand, he said, "I think that the Life Path and Destiny Numbers are paired because they both focus on the same things: your future, success, and talents that you can develop. They both focus on your potential and help guide you on your way of meaningful living. And I think that the Destiny Number is paired with the Heart's Desire Number, because your Heart's Desire Number tells you what you really want and your Destiny Number can sorta help you attain it. It shows you the way to success. And that includes succeeding in things that your heart desires."

Grinning, he caught the frog in his hand and carefully tucked it in his robe pocket. While he himself didn't like sweets he preferred house points he knew Reese liked them--he'd give them to her.

Jack tapped his chin in thought as he tried to put together a good explanation for the bridge number pairings...wait, what was Personality again? GAHHH. Now that OWLs were over, he was finding it harder and harder to remember what all these numbers were. He raised his hand, a tad bit uncertainly.

"Well, the Life Path number is supposed to tell you what talents will help you be successful in life, and the Expression number talks about what you need to do to succeed, so they kind of go hand in hand." he said. "And since the Personality number is like your 'outer' image, and your Hearts Desire is your inner image in a sense, showing what you truly want and desire. So it reflects both parts of you--the subconscious part and the part you're actually aware of."

OHMYGOSH! ChOOOOOOCOOLATE!

Reese caught the chocolate and immediately opened it up and ate it. If Anna was giving out chocolate frogs, she was definably going to answer questions instead of being quiet. She swallowed her chocolate and sat the box on the table in front of her. "I think Personality Numbers are paired with the Heart Desire Numbers is because they both deal with you. Like, Personality deals with how people see you and Heart Desire deals with want you want." Oh, yes. That was a very educated answer.

"Life Path Number and Destiny number are paired because they both deal with the future. Life Path deals with what roads you will follow...which leads to your future," she continued on with the answer. "Destiny Number describes your purpose in life and what you do in life it pretty much your future." Right?

Does she get another chocolate frog now?

Er...oops. At least the professor was laughing about the matter, though. She could have easily stood up, stormed to the front, deducted a hundred or so house points, then tossed Anna from the room. Okay, so maybe that was a little overdramatic, but seriously. She'd just hit a professor...on the head...with a frog. "You're...erm...welcome? Dangerous, right. No more frog-tossing, Professor! You have my word!"

Wow. Kane was quite the Arithmancy student, yes? Anna blinked a few times, surprised at how well he'd answered, then started strolling throughout the room as she spoke. "Very good, Torin. Good answer," she said, smiling at the boy. "Torin is correct...both these numbers focus on your future, your talents, your abilities...all the qualities you possess that will lead you on the correct life path. The life path that will make you as successful as you can possibly be. Thank you, Torin." The boy was, of course, correct with his second explanation, as well. Fritzman was speaking up now, too, though...

"They do go hand-in-hand, Jack. Thank you for pointing that out," she said, giving him a thumbs up sign. 'Tis the Anna way of saying 'Good job'. Subconscious parts...parts you are aware of...wow. The Fritzman knew his stuff, too. "I'd say those last two, The Heart's Desire and the Personality Number, do give us a rather nice reflection of what's found within. Thank you, too, Jack."

"...and Reese is right on track, as well. Thank you, Reese. I like the way you explained that," she said, flashing her friend a smile. She circulated the room again, trying to pay attention to as many different people at once. "Let's remember that bridge numbers, as their name suggests, bridge the gaps between the Life Path and Expression/Destiny number, as well as the Heart's Desire/Soul Urge and Personality number. Flip through your textbooks now, and let's figure out the correct way to calculate bridge numbers. Let's start with...the Life Path and Expression/Destiny Bridge. How do we calculate that?" she asked.

OOC: Reference material