Thomas at first didn't understand the question. After he read his note again Thomas understood the question so he raised his hand and said, "Er.. Professor the areas that people might use the information from the soul number is for their romance life, wisdom and how they are with the public around them." He hoped that his answer was right.

Grace wrote everything down and listened to other people's ideas about the question and thought about it. Well, all her ideas were told, "carreers, choices and relationships..." She tried anyway. "It may also show what we need. If someone is bored of his life, he can look to his Soul Number to see what he needs and what he values most." At least she understood this from the textbook.

Sitting quietly and listening to the others, Wesley decided that maybe she didn't like Arithmancy so much. Or at least, she definitely didn't like the soul number. It wasn't any body's fault which number they had. She would hate it if someone calculated hers and decided they didn't want to be friends because their numbers weren't compatible. That was awful. Secretly, Wesley promised herself she would never let numbers be the basis for a relationship.

Remembering she was supposed to add to the discussion if she wanted to fulfill her destiny number, Wesley quietly commented, "M-maybe even if your soul number can tell you what you desire in a person, you shouldn't necessarily follow it and exclude everybody else. B-because just because you desire Butterbeer, it doesn't mean you shouldn't drink milk sometimes too. Too much of a good thing is unhealthy. You should still befriend other people too," her last words were almost a mumble, as she looked down at her lap, twisting her hands, and feeling terribly embarrassed.

Satine loved working with the different numbers in Arithmancy....she was really really loving this class and the lessons. She listened to the professor and then listened as a variety of students gave their opinions about the soul number...she decided it was her turn to chime in since she was pretty open about her opinions. "Professor, my grandmother always said the soul number was a link to your intuition, destiny, and emotions and that if you didn't listen to your emotions that you could have problems with passion and survival and stuff..." she paused and could hear her grandmother's voice in her head... "She also used to say that ignoring it caused health problems since we could never really deny our emotions....I mean they flow in use like blood and if you ignore then they eventually build up..." she knew she was rambling so she just left it there...

Iris listened to Satine, wow, Her Grandma had a good point with that, Iris knew exactly what she meant. Iris quickly made notes on everything everyone was saying, as she might need them later.

Stretching out her neck in a weak attempt to alleviate some of the stress in her shoulders, Professor Shackleton straightened out so that she could record and add to the students' very excellent contributions to the discussion.

Quote:

Areas in which people might use the information of the Soul Number

• Career decisions/Business partnerships - help to understand people's motivations and what will be the driving force behind their actions
• Love relationships
• Family/friend relations
• Any time they want to understand why they feel a certain way

"You're all very bright, you know that?" Professor Shackleton couldn't help but give a small smile. Clever students were one thing that apparently could improve her mood a bit. "Shall we now discuss how we find the Soul Number?"

Herminny raised her hand and said, "Sure professor, you figure out the soul number by using the full name listed on your birth certificate, lay out your name and assign the appropriate number to each vowel using the pythagorian number chart. Figure each name separately, then add the reduced total of each name - first, middle(s), and last, then reduce that number to its single digit root number.".

Iris smiled as professor Shackleton said this and began to think about how it could be done. it was in her book somewhere... She flicked through the book until she got to the right page and read through it before raising her hand. "Well professor, we have to use our whole name; that is everything on our birth certificate. Then we have to use the Pythagorean Number System to make each letter a number. Then we add each name up individually and continue to add them together until we are left with just one number. The one we call the root number." Iris felt quite proud of herself, the explaination made sense to her and wasn't copied word for word from the book.

Aurora listened to her colleagues and to the professor, as she scribbled on her parchment. It wasn’t her favorite class, admittedly numbers weren’t her best field, but it was fun to some degree, and more than that it was a class, and Rory loved classes.

“Professor, like they said, you use your entire name, to calculate your root number using the Pythagorean Number System to translate the letters into numbers which you add until you have a simpler number. Said root number is between 1 and 9. Though I’ve heard it can also be 11, 22, or 33. Is that so professor?”

Aurora hoped she wasn’t saying anything bad, but she had really read about it on some book in the library that root numbers weren’t just the first 9 single numbers but also the first three palindromes.

Satine listened intently...she was ready for the part where they all actually figured out their soul number...I guess she was little bit about herself, but that was the best part of learning about Core numbers. She kept taking notes and waited anxiously for the best part.

Natasha wrote quickly across her parchment, wanting notes for future references. As she wrote on her parchment, she listened intently to everyone around her, but right at the moment, there wasn't much to add. She was very interested about finding her soul number though - just because that kind of thing was fun. There really was something about Arithmancy that she liked.

Grace wrote down everything professor had told. She was also happy that the professor had complimented them. Now, how to find the soul number... Grace shot her hand up in the air. "We again use our full name on the birth certificate, professor. We use the chart again and give every vowel its number on the chart. We again figure every name seperately and add the reduced total of each name."

"You two are precisely correct. The Soul Number is calculated by adding together the vowels in your full name - just the vowels. Now, when figuring the Soul Number, eventually you'll run into a name with a 'y' in it, or sometimes more than one 'y.' The 'y' is considered a vowel when it is the only vowel sound in the syllable. I'd like everyone to provide an example name where the 'y' is a vowel, and perhaps contrast it with a name where the 'y' is a consonant. I'll start."

Professor Shackleton extracted her wand from her robes and wrote the following in midair:

Quote:

Names with "Y" as a Vowel
Ruby

Quote:

Names with "Y" as a Consonant
Ridley

Keefer had no idea what this professor was talking about, but he could guess names with the best of 'em. "Would Larry have the Y as a vowel, and Carey have it as a consonant?"

He had no idea whether or not that was right. Arithmancy was always a class he felt he didn't belong in. Numbers he thought with slight contempt. I've never much liked them. Unless it's a number of how many Licorice Wands I have... Keefer was obsessed with Licorice Wands.

Mmmm, this seemed like fun!

Cheerfully, Fyo raised his hand. "I believe the word happy has 'Y' as a vowel, while the name Miley has it as a consonant, ma'am," He paused, before deciding to clear up a tiny confusion, and adding, "Professor, wouldn't my own name - Fyodor - have it as a consonant, too, because 'Y' doesn't give any of the five vowel sounds, here?"

Herminny was abit cinfused for a seccond till she noticed the y that is a consonant had a vowel before it. Herminny then raised her hand to answer saying, " I believe in the name Riley has y as a consonant and the name Billy has y as a vowel", she was hoping she was right cause she was'nt quite sure how this worked so it was purely an educated guess.

Oh no! Wesley had a name with a Y. Gnawing nervously on her bottom lip, the first year held her hands close to her face. Looking at the board and watching the teacher write down examples, the small girl took in the information with a growing sense of panic. So the Y is a consonant because my name ends just like Ridley which means the Y doesn't count because of the E. But E is a vowel. I think. So do I count the E? Or not? Isn't it mean to not count the Y? If I was the Y I would feel left out. I would feel sad. But Y isn't REALLY a consonant. So if I counted it I would be lying. Which is bad. You should never lie. But Professor Shackleton says the Y is a consonant. And professors would never lie. So she must be right. But that means Mother is wrong. Oh- Mother would be angry if I thought she was wrong! She would be mad. Mother is scary when she is mad. Only! I love mother. So she isn't scary! But she is! Only- I shouldn't be thinking she is scary because she isn't. She is my mother and she is beautiful. And I am a bad girl for thinking that she is scary. I am a bad daughter. I am a bad person. Bad Wesley. Wesley that the Y is a consonant. A lonely letter. A-

Blinking- the Hufflepuff remembered that she was supposed to answer the question. Professor Shackleton had said that everyone was supposed to give an example. And everyone is everyone. Right? Right.

Tentatively raising her hand, Wesley answered, "Ummm...I mean-sorry-," Mother would be so mad at her saying um, "L-lucy is a name where the Y-y is a-a v-vowel. And-ummm...-sorry- Wesley is a n-name w-where the Y is-is a c-consenant."

Diane raised her hand, "Riya favors a consonant Y, while Rylee possesses a vowel Y." She lowered her hand but continued, "However, I'm not sure with the names Ryanne and Ryana. According to your description, they should be consonant Ys, however, I would say they are vowels. Could you explain, professor?"

Oh, this was easy. Really easy, Grace thought. She listened to other names and raised her hand. "The name Lesley has a consonant Y and Yves has a vowel y, professor." she said. She was really sure that it was right.

Professor Shackleton used her wand to add the students' suggested names to the words already lingering in midair:

Quote:

Names with "Y" as a Vowel
Ruby
Larry
Happy
Billy
Lucy
Rylee
Yves

Jaclyn
Lynda
Tybalt
Wyatt

Quote:

Names with "Y" as a Consonant
Ridley
Carey
Miley
Riley
Wesley
Riya
Lesley

Ray
Yale
Chearneyi
Maya

She then answered the two students' questions, "Fyodor, you are correct that your name has a 'y' consonant. Because it is pronounced 'FYUU-dor' and there are only two syllables with vowels already present in each syllable, the 'y' in your name is a consonant."

Macadrian then turned her attention to Diane, "Actually, my definition doesn't say that they would be consonants. It confirms that they are vowels. The name Ryanne is two syllables, 'Rie-AN' with the 'y' providing the vowel sound in the first syllable and the 'a' the vowel in the second. As for the name Ryana, it has three syllables, 'Rie-AN-uh' with the 'y' again providing the vowel sound in the first syllable. So, in these two examples, the 'y' is indeed a vowel."

Professor Shackleton walked over to her bookshelf and pulled a book down. Opening it to a random page, Professor Shackleton explained, "I am going to find a random name in this book and we are going to calculate his or her's Soul Number, and then discuss what that number may have meant for this person." Professor Shackleton perused the page of her History of Wizarding Music book and came across a name and description, which she read aloud to the class, "The name is Heathcote Barbary and this person played rhythm guitar with the popular wizarding band 'The Weird Sisters,' whoo apparently all were extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn.

"Now, I'd like for everyone to calculate the Soul Number for this person and then offer your opinion on how this inner heart's desire may have reflected or contradicted what we know about him."

Herminny began to work writing on her parchment

H=8 B=2
E=5 A=1
A-1 R=9
T=2 B=2
H-8 A=1
C=3 R=9
O=6 Y=7
T=2 31=3+1=4
E=5
40=4+0-4

4+4=8

Once finished Herminnyraisdrhand and said, "I would say Heathcote Barbary to his soul number being 8 is that he must have desired to make a name making something people want which is his his music. People want to hear him play. I don't agree that with the 8 soul number in doing you're buisness venture alone cause I would think since he's in a band he likes working with a group. And as for does'nt like things to change and wants everything to be just as planned that s Not him at all. When he's putting on a show things could change at a moment notice and as a performer he has to work around and keep on going, thats part of the job. And as for too reserved in buisness to have much of a personal life or relationship that may be true because he is so famous he has to find someone that understands he won't always be there because his lifwe style and career take him on the road constantly"

Hmm....the Weird Sisters. Dem's mother liked them. Demetria pulled out a peice of parchment and began calculating. "Ok Heathcote Barbary," she said and wrote his name on the paper.

"Ok so Heathcote Barbary's soul number is 8. This means he likes to be the boss and in charge of something in the world. It is difficult for him to comprehend the meotions of others and he prefer to stick to business over emotional affairs. He want to feel important in what he perceive to be the real world. In matters of the heart and friendship, he places business over emotional closeness. He should look for a stong, capable mate who is equal to his ambitions. But usually, he's just too busy for romance and true friendship." she read from the book. "Professor, was Heathcote Barbary the lead singer of The Weird Sisters?" she asked. "It doesn't seem like he could be in a group like that unless he was the lead singer or band manager. Plus, he might not have liked being friends with his band mates." she said. After thinking about it for a while, she said, "I actually don't really understand how he could've been in a band with a soul number like that."

Professor Shackleton paced the aisles inspecting the students' work and noticed that many people were forgetting that the Soul Number only came from vowels. "Class, please do not forget that we only factor in the vowels of a person's name when we calculate the Soul number. We only use all the letters when we're calculating the Destiny Number. Please be sure to double-check your calculations before discussing Barbary's Soul number."

Dang, she made a mistake, great, back to the drawing board she thoought as she made her seccond attempt putting her quil to the parchment:

H B
E=5 A=1
A=2 R
T B
H A=1
C R
O=6 Y=7
T 9
E=5
21=2+1=3

9+3=12=1+2=3

Herminny raised her hand again and said, "I think I got it right this time making his soul number 3 which makes a lot more sense because he does create enthusiasm with his music. He also I would imagine he loves to do what he does using his talent making everyone happy. Whether he actually encourages others to strive for there best he probably does with his band mates because the Weird Sisters are an amazing band but who knows. Ans lastly as a Rockstar he probably loves to change things up and have and as a rockstar probably too much at times. Whether he is overly flirtatious or not I have no idea, I would imagine you would have to know him on a more personal level because even if we ever see him in that light we don't know whether he was under the influence of something or not.".

Grace got to work immediately.
Grace came up with 8 and checked the number. That totally didn't make sense. She must have calculated wrong, she thought although she couldn't see any false step. She just waited for professor to check her work.