Family?

Trixie raised her hand at the question, though it was quite a hard one to answer, it was all down to a matter of opinion after all wasn't it? "I think there are two types of family. The first is your blood family, those that are related to you and offer you all the support and kindness and care for you no matter what and you love them with all of your heart. Like my parents, I'd say they were the closest family I have, as well as my cousins" A few of which resided in this school. "I think these are the types of people that are likely to change your opinion at a younger age for they have more influence upon you. For example if your family were say, Vegans, then they'd most likely want you to be a Vegan too and therefore your opinion has been influenced already" she stated.

But the Head Girl also had a differing opinion. "However, I think I also have another family. Although we may not be related in blood, I have people that I am incredibly close to and they treat me like their family. They do all the things your natural family do and sometimes even more. My Hogwarts family as such. I think these type of people are more likely to influence you at an older age. Your best friend could convince you to do things.." Yes Oliver. Managed to convince her to distract the Whomping Willow whilst he attempted to chop a branch off. "...That perhaps your family might not be able to do. They can change who you are likely to become as much as blood family can." And that was what family meant to her.

Jake looked at the head girl, finding himself calming down... slightly. See... that was what HE said.

"You see... what I did there is I encapsulated that answer into a nice bite-sized morsel," he said to the Professor with a firm little nod.

Clearly

Hmmm, so many people to...to glarestare down. She almost forgot to be subtle about it considering the professor was right there. Hehe.

Meep! No, Simon doesn't get a glare...stare. Neither did Cedric of...Siiieeerraa! A grin appeared on the girl's face as the younger Slytherin took the empty seat next to her. Though, she really needed to get used to the whole 'shorter version' of her name. Meh. Must...not...let it...bother her. "Hey Sierra."

...

EH!? She forgot to get out her notebook. Pffft. Well, it was out NOW. Mwa!

Fiddling with the pages of her notebook, she quieted it down some as the professor started speaking, yet still staring at the pages. She really had to stop doodling.

Taking a quick glance at the photographs, her expression turned somewhat bored...before scowling at the mention of changes and views...and family. This didn't have to do with all this statute and muggle stuff did it? Well actually, she'd rather talk about THAT then talk about family. Well, just as long as her main family wasn't brought up, would be allllll good.

...Fly a kite? Huh. Some could go do more then that. Pffft.

"Family are people who are related to you by blood or marriage." she said, lowering her hand before continuing. "But family can also be considered as your close friends. People who you are comfortable around, feel safe with, people who'd you protect and help whenever needed and know that they'll do the same for you. Like...your bothers and sisters outside of your family family."

She was quite picky with her 'family' though. Should she mention something about picky-ness and choosing friends and family wisely?

Emily did as the Professor instructed, straightening up in her seat... it seemed to help, even if it was just a little bit.

Family.... thought Emily. Family was not her favourite subject, particularly lately. What with her parents' high expectations, lack of affection and endless criticism.
Emily raised her hand nonetheless.
"Family... usually refers to a persons biological heritage- so parents and grand parents so to speak. However it is not limited to biology. Close friends and non-blood-related releatives may also be considered family. Families also come in various shapes and sizes and whilst we may not all get along with one another at the best of times, we are... for the most part, a constant presence in each others lives, and we are there to support one another when we are needed most. Unless you are unfortunate enough to have a 'family' biological or other that wish bad things to happen to you... in which case you're better off without them."

Emily often thought she'd be better off without her parents, but when push came to shive she knew deep down her parents cared about her. They cared about her enough to set her up with a handsome, rich, pure-blood wizard whom she wasn't in love with, forcing her into a marriage she didn't belive in... but that was the last thing she wanted to think about.

Looking down at her parchment she wrote a single word:
Family.

"Ellie." She liked Hadley when liking a professor seemed rare for her these days... Well... she only disliked one, but whatever. She wanted the professors she liked to call her by the name she liked. Not 'Miss Stone' that was far too formal.

...Changes to the wizarding world? Sure, Ellie'd noticed the changes at Hogwarts but, the whole Wizarding world? She was unaware of this. Is this what you get for being cooped up at school? Geeeez.

Hadley wasn't elaborating...and Ellie was curious...so... "Professor..." Heh. Hiii. "What changes?" DO tell. Cuz apparently she was sheltered.

Family. "A family is people. And love. And there's all different sizes and kinds." But hers is just right for her. Yeah.

Emily's smile vanished. They were gonna talk about FAMILY!
She opened her book and stared at the page. Not reading, just staring.
"A family is supposed to be there for you. They're supposed to care and support you." Emphasis on the word supposed.
"But that dosen't all ways happen. In fact, it rarely happens."
Well, she didn't know this. She was probably wrong, but that was what her family was like.
Ok. She was going to stop talking now. 'Just look at the page and hopefully they'd get off the family topic.'

What were families? Finlay frowned, poking a hole throw his parchment. "Families are annoying." His one was anyway. Well actually really it was only his parents that were annoying, his siblings were pretty cool. Although he did think after speaking that his answer probably wasn't the best answer to the question. "I think family comes under two definitons though. The ones you pick, like your friends, and then the idiots ones that you are stuck with." That was a good answer right?

Well she figured she might get some response like this, but Hadley had not expected it to be the first one spoken. "You are correct ... On some level. Families don't have to influence your views. But I think that the idea of family does not suck. It might not be your biological family, but everyone has someone they can count on, rely on, learn from. THAT is family too."

Or as the Head Girl just said that in a nice mini-novella sized speech. Geez, the girl could talk! It was no wonder Tate selected her for Head Girl... "Precisely. Families come in all kinds of colors and shades. There is the family you are born into, as you mentioned, and the family you grow into."

No need for bitter retorts, Jacob.

"Yes, yes, of course, Jake. But the Head Girl here, she elaborated the answer for those who might not be able to pick up on that bite-sized morsel." Nothing wrong with elaboration. When succinct. Oh what an oxymoron.

At least they all were on the right track. No one seemed to be disagreeing on the idea of two families developing in your lives over time.

Nodding at the girl, she smiled. "Yes your close friends. But just as you should be open minded about views presented your way in the media, you need to be open about your friends. Not picky or selective, but well, just open. You never know who you might meet with that openness." Mmmhm. Not that she was picking on Evelyn or anything, but she knew that Slytherins in particular tended to have this superior view of themselves, limiting their sight.

Hadley nodded at the girl. These kids did seem to have a better idea about family than when she was their age. But there was something that she said that confused her. "I'm not sure you're ever really better off without your biological family. Even if they don't seem right to you, they are your family. And some day, maybe not today or tomorrow ... or next week, but some day, you will appreciate them." Maybe.

Eh? Ellie? Yes, Hadley knew the girl's name was Ellie. Shrugging it off, she waited to see what she would have to say about the matter.

What changes? "Well nothing drastic except ..." Oh gosh, how was she supposed to word this? Gulp. Swallow. "There are people who want changes in the wizarding world. Some of their changes they want are for the good. They want to help." Yup. Something like that would do... for now.

For now while they worked on something. "If you haven't done so already, I'd like for you to take out your notebooks and a quill. Draw a line down the middle of each side of the paper. On one half write 'pros', the other side of the line write 'cons'. Do the same thing on the reverse side of the paper. On the one side of the paper, make a list of pros and cons of Biological families. On the other side, do the same for your other family, made up of your friends and role models.

Feel free to discuss your lists with your peers and we'll continue shortly."


ooc: I'm off to work now... I'll be back online in about 10 hours to continue the lesson then ... and tomorrow. But feel free to discuss with your classmates and keep your lists organized so I can read them easily and give you proper credit. =)

Jake ACTUALLY glared for a moment. He had an angry little moment in which he almost said 'are you saying my answer wasn't good enough' or even 'are you saying I'M THICK' even though he KNEW she wasn't saying that.

With an annoyed HUFF (he WAS a Hufflepuff after all) Jake sat back in his chair.

"Professor... I know of a few people in the class with adoptive families. Like... literally adopted into them. Which section do they go under?" A third one?

Professor Hadley blinked up at the boy, who seemed rather ... annoyed? By something? Um ...

"Adoptive families are a part of you too. So you could either make a third section for that OR swap it out for one of the first two sections." Yup. Give them a choice for where it fits best. "You decide where it seems to fit best, or if you're better off making a third category, that's fine too."

CH'YEAH Jake..!!

Trixie resisted the urge to poke out her tongue at him, she didn't want to look so immature and she would have smirked but the fact he was glaring at the Professor made her giggle. The huff was just the icing on the cake. The Head Girl instead chose to simply raise her eyebrow at him and then turned back to the Professor with a smile.

Now what was that task they were supposed to be doing?

A list of pro's and con's to do with biological and other family. She took her notebook and quill out of her bag and set them up on the table.

Ehh.. What about the ones that went over both of the categories? She was pretty certain there WERE things that her family did that her friends could too.

Victoria nodded as she pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. As she drew a line down the middle, she began to think of what could be pros or cons for blood-related families. Hm...She closed her eyes, trying to think of ideas.

Jake hadn't been looking at the Head Girl, so he didn't catch any of that. Instead, he was already leaning over his parchment. He'd divided it into two columns and three rows. The rows were labeled with the types of family, and the columns with 'pros' and 'cons'.

Immediately, on the one for 'adoptive family' and 'friends and role models' he put you can choose them in the pro section.

But then immediately wrote you can choose wrongly in the con section for the both of them.

Oh dear, what an angsty piece of parchment.

With a small, kind of upset frown, he got to work even more.

Iris looked at the professor as she started her lesson. She listened, and kept quiet. She listened to all the other students answer her question. But she stayed quiet. Iris didn't offer her answer.

Family.

It was a subject that Iris didn't know the answer to.

What was her family?

Her mum and her brother. That was it. Grandparents? Aunts and uncles? She didn't know what it was to have those. They'd all disowned her before she was even born. Her dad? He left too. For some woman at work, who was younger than her mum.

Yeah. Family. It's a cheerful topic for Iris.

By the time the prefect had found her voice to try and put together some kind of answer, the class had moved on. Picking up her quill, Iris scribbled down some form of an answer. She could give it to Professor Hadley with the rest of her work at the end of the lesson... that way, she'd still be able to get some kind of credit. As she wrote, Iris listened to the other people who were talking.

SPOILER!!: parchment

Your family is the people who are biologically related to you. They should be the people who teach you right from wrong and who should love you. They should be the people you can always depend on, no matter what. At Christmas, all of your family should come together and spend the holiday with each other. A family should be nothing less than two parents, siblings and grandparents. They're what you need to grow up to your full potential. Before you go to school, they should teach you everything. Your parents and grandparents how to love and read. Your cousins how to climb trees and fly kites.

To me, "family" is just a word. A stupid one at that. My 'family' disowned me, because my parents moved to England. They had a change of heart 4 years ago, but then decided that they were going to re-disown me because I refused to leave Hogwarts. My 'family' are so closed minded that they've never loved me, and only ever acknowledged me once. I haven't called someone "dad" for years. He left us. My family is my mum and my brother.

People who complain about their cousins, and brag about the things their dad's buy them, and wish their family were different annoy me. Families are taken for granted - you should sit back and be grateful for your family. It's only when you don't have a family there for you that you realise how much of an influence they have. I try not to hate my 'family' for how they've treated me. I don't want to be a hateful person, even if they give me every reason to be one.

Some people say that their friends are a different kind of family. I disagree. You don't get to choose your family, but you do get to choose your friends. You love your friends for who they are and how they love you. You love your family because they are exactly that - family.

Putting her quill down, Iris sighed. Family really was a stupid word.

Pros and cons.

More fun.

Iris had a feeling that her list was going to be drastically different to everyone else's. Or... nearly everyone else's lists. Mainly because she didn't consider her friends to be family. Going with logic, you'd think that she would for the comfort and all... but she didn't for that very reason. Her 'family' didn't exist in her mind. Her friends were MORE than her family ever could be to her.

The prefect didn't really want to discuss her list with any one else in the class. If they wanted to with her, then fine... but she really didn't want to.

SPOILER!!: parchment

BIOLOGICAL FAMILY
PROS:
- They are always going to be there for you.
- They will always love you.
- IF they are there for you, then they always will be.
- IF they love you, then they'll never stop loving you.
- There will always be someone in your family who doesn't lose hope in you.
- Family is for ever.
- Your family can change, can get better. (e.g. new, caring love interest after father leaves mother for a pretty, younger woman.)

CONS:
- Your "family" isn't always there for you.
- They can be immature.
- Pride, customs and arguments can ruin family relationships.
- Some family members will judge you as if you were your parents.
- You can never win with older family members.
- Family doesn't last for ever.
- Families can fall apart and break up.
- Divorce.
- There is the power to disown and disinherit family members, both from wills and the actual family.
- You have to love them, because they're your family.
- Big brothers like to bully you. (PRO: This is only because they love you, though. <3)


FAMILY OF FRIENDS AND ROLE MODELS
PROS:
- You choose who your friends are, and who it is you look up to.
- You love your friends for who they are, not because you HAVE to, and vice versa.
-

CONS:
- Friendships can break up much easier than biological families.
-

Iris looked down at the lists she'd put together. Her second list was VERY empty. She didn't know what to write though... So she left if blank. Maybe she'd go and talk with someone about it, but for now she left it like that.

She'd gone back to the Pro's of her family, too, and changed it a lot. There were lots of crossings out and things being changed. Iris did not like this lesson. She didn't want to talk about her family... it's like talking about an imaginary friend.

Jaina's eyes widened. Family?!?! she thought. Her parents didn't even know she was in school for witchcraft and wizardry! As far as they were concerned this was a hospital to cure kids like her. They were still demanding an answer as to whether or not she was coming home for good or not. They said she could not use her owl to deliver the message, so here was her paradox. She had been in and out of hospitals before coming to Hogwarts as her parents strived for her to be 'normal.'

She pulled out a piece of her notebook paper and did as the professor told them to do. Pros of a biological family......she couldn't think of any....oh wait...she thought of a couple.

Pros of Biological family:
1. feed you
2. clothe you
3. provide housing

Now on to the cons....

Cons of a Biological family:
1. you MUST conform

ok so she was done with that. On to the friend family. This would be easier. She thought of Charley, Belle, Alice, and, of course, Ben. What did they have as pros and cons?

Pros of Friend/Chosen Family:
1. You get to pick them.
2. They like you because you ARE you
3. They accept you for who you are.
4. They are fun to be with.
5. They are great listeners
6. They're always there for you.
7. They're loyal

She was trying to think of the cons to her friends...she could only think of one.

Cons of Friends/Chosen Family:
1. If you hurt them, they'll go away forever.
She put her quill down and waited patiently. No one would talk to her or ask her anything. They were mostly the older kids.

Family. Honestly! It just had to be family. Guess Emily being happy was just too good to be true.

She took out her quill, ink and parchment and slamming it on the table slightly (but not very hard) she started to write, frowning.

SPOILER!!: parchment

Biological Family
Pros
-Provide shealter, food and water
-If you fall ill and need an organ or blood transplant, they are a match to you.
-Siblings know what you go through, and help you

Cons
-Are harder to get rid off as they will always be a part of you (some may put this as a pro)
-Divorce
-Must obey their rules
-Expected to live/do how/what they want without question
-Arnt always there when you need them
-Get cought it the middle of arguments you can never get away from

Adoptive Family
Pros
-They chose you, so therefore must WANT you
-They're fair and understanding
-They actually want to know you
-They need you like you need them. To them, your not an accident.
-They can act like a normal family

Cons
-Can turn into/like your old family
-Arn't actually your real parents. (They never gave birth to you) so in that sence, you'll never belong to them
-Other family members may be jelous/dislike you for 'intruding' in their family

Family of Friends and Role Models
Pros
-You love them for who they are, not because you have too
-You can choose who your friends are/who you look up too
-You always seem to have more in common, therefore more fun with friends
-You can trust them and know (sometimes) they have something in common with you, so they can relate.
-They like you for you and want to know you

Cons
-If you hurt them, they'll be gone forever and never come back
-You can choose the wrong friends/role models

There. She twisted her quill around her finger and sat with tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them back and sat up straight.
She was fine. Totally.

She read back her list. She had managed 3 pros for biological? Wow, that was 3 more than she had thought she was gonna write.
She'd repeated herself on adoptive family pros but she had just wanted to make herself clear. They wanted her. She gave a small smile and continued to twist the quill in her hand. She was gonna be up all night again.

Nika quickly reached into her bag and grab a quill and some parchment. Taking her quill she drew a crooked line down the middle of each side of the parchment. She wrote 'PROS' and 'CONS' on it in big loopy handwriting. She took time looking at her parchment trying to think of things to write.



She looked over her list hoping that she had written enough. She flipped her parchment to the back side and drew another crooked line.



She looked around the room trying to find a friend to discuss with.

Sierra raised her hand into the air...

...and then quickly brought it back down. She was about to share her opinion on what a 'family' was, but then the professor moved on and directed the lesson to completing some activity in their notebooks.

Well, blah. Sierra had been about to suggest that a family could be biological, or it could be the people who care for you, care what happens to you, and are there by your side through thick and thin (whether they're biological or not). She'd just jot all that down on her paper, though.

As she pulled out her notebook and a quill, she briefly wondered what in the name of Merlin this had to do with Arithmancy. What were they going to do--calculate the number of people who might be considered family in some way or another?

She set up the charts on her paper and then began writing.

Biological Families

Pros
* You might inherit their good genes (looks, health, etc.).
* They care for you and care what happens to you.

Cons
* You might inherit their bad genes (looks, heath, etc.)

Other Families

Pros
* These people came into your life because they chose to be there, not because they had to be there.
* They care for you and care what happens to you.

Cons
* Because they don't have to be in your life, they may leave you for good if something bad (argument, divorce, etc.) ever happens.

Sierra put down her quill and studied her paper. There were a lot of things that overlapped, and there was also a lot of things that contradicted other things. Who knew family could be so confusing...

"Another con of chosen family is that they aren't your biological family," she said softly, giving Jaina a tight hug, then continuing her own list. She'd remained quiet and solemn the entire lesson. Family was always a very difficult subject for her.
She picked up her quill and divided a leaf of paper in her notebook into four portions and began to write the pros and cons of both types of families.


Pros of Biological Family
1. Often provide for material needs
2. Often more present in daily life

Cons of Biological Family
1. Want you to adhere to expectations
2. You can't choose them
3. Feel entitled to hurt you because they believe that since you are family you must forgive them
4. Likely not to feel need to accept you

Pros of Chosen Family & Friends
1. Chosen by you
2. Know you well
3. Emotionally present
4. Care about you
5. Accept you the way you are, and because they love you that way, not because they think they have to

Cons of Chosen Family & Friends
1. Not your biological family
2. Might not be accepted by your biological family

That's all I can think of for now, she thought.
It's a very comprehensive list, Charley, Henry interjected. Charley could hear that he sounded as if he were about to cry. She herself was welling up as she was forced to think about all the turbulence and tension they had in their family.
I know, I know. But with everything we've gone through, there are probably more cons.
There was a longer stretch of silence between them before Henry responded.
Maybe there are. If anyone thinks of them, though, it'll be you.
The ends of her mouth curled into a very small smile.
Thank you.
And I know you're in class still; I apologise about that. You've enough to think about now; I'll, uh, let you go. Oh I almost forgot! Would you tell me next time you are going to Hogsmeade? No need to pop in, a letter will do just fine.
She giggled, and could tell he did as well.
I'll be sure to. And, before you go; I love you!
I love you too; very much! Enjoy the rest of your day, Charley.
She blinked and sighed in relief.
Occlumency is so much work!
She grabbed her quill, and added to the portion of her paper entitled Pros of Chosen Family & Friends:

6. Can assume roles of absent members of biological family

While Henry was part of her biological family, they were much closer than she was to other members, and ever since their father left, he'd taken over as the male head of household, to the chagrin of Charley's other older brother, Nathaniel. Henry was the only father figure their seven-year older Andrew had ever had.
Charley physically hurt to think about the weeks following her parents' split. Her chest tightened, her stomach felt uneasy, her heartbeat sped up, and she had a blasting headache, though that surely was influenced by communicating with Henry.
With a sudden burst of unfortunate inspiration from their conversation, she elaborated even more.

Cons of Biological Family:
5. If they leave, they leave roles in the family that need to be filled.

ooc: sorry for the very long post. I haven't been able to attend to every class consistently enough. Plus poor Charlotte has some intense father issues.

Kurumi remained silent during the discussion about family. Kurumi had spent most of her free time up to now in the library doing research on her own just trying to figure out who they were. More specifically, what secrets were being kept.

What was family? Kurumi wasn't sure she knew the answer anymore seeing as everything she thought she had known about her parents had been thrown out the window that one day in the library and her visit to Hogsmeade to talk with Mrs. Elo.

Choosing to remain quite for the first part of the discussion, Kurumi frowned and picked up her quill before starting on the second task.


Setting her quill down for now, Kurumi couldn't bring herself to continue brainstorming and instead stared at the list she had compiled.

Ugh, Jake was so mad. So, so mad.

Mainly because family was touchy with a LOT of people. Even at his primary school, yeeeeeeeeeeears ago, the topic had never been breached, because of the diversity and the issues.

But too late now.

He screwed up his first piece of parchment and vanished it, starting up a new table. But then he found himself staring at it.

And that was all he could think of for now... maybe... maybe when he'd chilled out he could write some more. As of that moment, he was glancing around the room and looking out for any upset faces. Just in case... because... he could DEAL with his emotions for now... but some couldn't.

Too bad for Jake... he was really terrible at recognising emotions and facial expressions.

Fail.

Simon looked at his fellow captain as Professor Hadley brought his attention to the Ravenclaw and asked him to look after him. "Umm...sure Professor," he answered, moving closer and taking a seat next to where Jacob was seated. He looked him over wondering if it had anything to do with his worries over his tests that he had brought up in Professor Vindictus' office when they had both been there.

Whatever the case, he'd be there like the professor asked but didn't push for info since the class had begun. His parchment out, Simon started taking notes on what his classmates answered about the meaning of family, turning over to a new sheet as the professor handed them their next task. He divided both sides of the paper, labeling all the sections as he was told.
Hmm biological first I think, he mused to himself turning back to the first side and thinking over the pros and the cons before starting to write.

Quote:

PROS:
Support both monetary and emotional

CONS:
Dealing with an older brother
Being compared with said brother by others

They had to make a list?

Well, that wasn’t her most favorite thing to do in the world unless it was ‘The List’ in which she wrote down the people she didn’t like, but this pros and cons things about family…there was more than likely going to be more cons on her list then pros. First of all, there was something extremely important that she had to do first. So important…that it had to be whispered.

"Hey Sierra." She said, smiling towards her Slytherin friend. "Do you have an extra quill?"

"...And some of them are...for the bad?" Ellie added.

DUDE.

This was like...REAL LIFE. Like...why were they kept out of it? Ellie wanted to KNOW if things were going to affect her.

The third year took out her notebook, drew the lines, and labeled them as instructed. But... Pros...Cons... Who thinks of these things? Her family was...her family. And her friends were her friends.

What was good or bad about either of them?

Sierra peered down at her parchment and frowned. This activity was about her family, for Merlin's sake! Shouldn't she be able to write much more than this?! Feeling the need for a distraction, she let her mind wander to anything and everything but Arithmancy. Why couldn't this be Potions class?! She was actually pretty good at that. This list stuff--now this was something else altogether.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought she heard someone calling her name. She pulled herself out of her thoughts and turned to the person on her side--Evelyn, who was asking for...something. "Hmm?" she asked. Then a second later, she realized her friend had asked for a quill. "Oh, yeah, sure." She fished in her bag and pulled out a spare quill, passing it over to Evelyn.

Hurry up and get something on your parchment, Evelyn! That way I can copy what you've got!

In all seriousness, though, Sierra just needed to put a lot of focus into thinking about her father. He was the family member she was closest to, after all.