Emily finally arrived. With a stitch in her side and no breath.
"Hello. Professor." she panted. She was always getting lost! She hadn't realised the lesson was out here... why was it here?
Then she saw the cute kitten surrounded by student. "Aw!" shame she was allergic or she would have petted it too.

Jaina arrived at the bonfire set up by Professor Descoteaux. "Good evening, Professor," she smiled. She shivered a bit and sat down on a bale of hay. She pulled the hood of her black zippered hoodie up over her red curls and shivered a bit. Something about those woods spooked her. She was hoping that Ben would arrive soon.

Belle arrived at the forbidden forest, she loved charms class so she was excited to work on new charms! Belle spotted Jania and waved at her and then said to the professor, "Hello Professor! I like the change of scenery here." she said with a smile. She felt a shiver and pulled on her sweatshirt with nice fur inside to keep her warm.

Alex was a lot more energetic at night--he wasn't sure why. For some reason since arriving at Hogwarts he'd become a bit nocturnal. He walked down to the Charms class, smiling with delight as he caught sight of the bonfire cackling away in front of them. OOOOOOH would he get marshmallows during this class too? He hoped so!

"Hey there Professor!" he said happily, taking a seat and looking over at the professor with a smile.

For once, Sierra Greingoth was in a pretty decent mood. She even had a small smile on her face as she made her way down to the grounds for Charms class. Her day had been good, although nothing in particular had happened. It was just that nothing or nobody had managed to annoy her all day long, and she seriously hoped it stayed that way.

Then again, the night was still young, and class hadn't even gotten underway yet. What was the professor's name again?! She never could remember. She mentally shrugged and then gave a "Hello, Professor," as she strolled up to the fire. Her gaze traveled over the Forbidden Forest. She was curious about it, but yet not so curious that she'd go wandering inside it unless she had to. She took a seat around the fire and then sat quietly while she waited for things to get underway.

"Hey, Belle," she smiled at Belle, "I love the spring but sometimes the nights can be chilly." Jaina thought though it had more to do with the fact they were so close to a Forbidden Forest than she wanted to be.

Nika ran down to the grounds at full speed. "Can't-" BREATHE "Be-" BREATHE "Late-" Breathe. Seeing her class she started to run even faster. Nika didn't notice the rock on the ground in front of her and tripped over it. "Ow." She quickly jumped up off the ground and held her hands out in front of her. "I'm okay." Her face was starting to redden, but no matter. She made her way over to the professor, "Hi professor." Nika took some more air into her lungs and then patted her clothes to get some dirt off of her robes. She looked around and noticed that some others were just arriving as well. [I]'Good. So I'm not late. All that running for nothing.'/I]

"I love spring nights!" Belle said happily, "I am so used to it, and it makes me think it is closer to my birthdayy too!" she smiled. "I am only wearing my brothers old sweatshirt and it is really comfy and baggy, so i can cover my legs when i get cold. I know i am so tiny." she giggled.

Jaina smiled. "Yeah! Belle's birthday is soon!" she had tons of fun celebrating hers with her friends, she couldn't wait to celebrate her friends birthdays!

Once the area outside the Forbidden Forest had filled up, Jared passed around the supplies, marshmallows and s'mores and chocolate, just in case the students happened to be hungry. Then sticking a marshmallow on a stick, he extended it above the re-charmed fire, before speaking.

"Can anyone define a ghost? No textbook definitions, please. What do you know about ghosts?"


OOC: Class has started. If you join after this point, don't RP your character's late arrival. Just pretend your [s]he was there all along. Unless you have a very good IC excuse.

Kyle looked up, define a ghost...Ooh interesting lesson - would they be making fake-ghosts today? She thought pondering it for a moment that could be fun.

Oooh fun ghost stories she thought, she watched the marshmallow melting as she answered or more thought of an answer.

"A ghost is something that once was." She sighed, "but I know growing up with a muggle dad I was raised being told they didn't exist." She bit her lip. "I really think a ghost is the energy of something that once was - and as a kid I thought even teapots had ghosts...but now I don't know."

The last exclamation was definitely off - like her.

Kurumi didn't exactly fear ghosts...the Hogwarts ones had always been very kind to her, but she did fear ghosts in gereral due to her upbringing. Raising her hand timidly, Kurumi spoke. "I know ghosts by a different name, yurei," she said nervously glancing around the area wondering if the Professor was going to ask them to summon the spirit of someone. If so, she might faint. "It means fait soul. I was grown up told that when we die, our spirit enters a sort of middle world until it is time for us to move on to the afterlife. However, if we die in a sudden or violent manner, such as murder or suicide, or if the proper burial rites have not been performed, or if we are influenced by powerful emotions such as a desire for revenge, love, jealousy, hatred or sorrow...then our spirit transforms into a yurei, or ghost. We remain that way until whatever it is holding us to this world is reconciled."

Kurumi swallowed and looked around the area once more. Now she really wished that Walnut had come down with her. Maybe he was around? Or, perhaps she could snuggle with the Professor's kitty?

... Ghosts?

Uh...

Helena raised her hand. "Misty figures?" The girl suggested. Well, he didn't want textbook definitions. "And really creepy. They usually 'haunt' the place of their death. Or... don't they?"

Emily gazed into the fire. Ghosts.... why were they discussing gohsts?
Raising her hand Emily offered her definition of a ghost.
"Isn't a ghost the spirit or soul of a deceased person? But only the spirits/souls of people who suffered unexpected or particularly violent deaths are able to become ghosts?.. something about their spirit or soul was unable to move forth onto the afterlife, which is why they still manifest in ghost form?"

Emily wasn't sure this was entirely correct, she had never really taken much of an interest in ghosts.

Ellie shrugged, "It's a phrase. My mum uses it." She said that bit as if it explained everything.

Professor Sayen. Whatever. That only made it worse that she was mean.

Idea? Hopefully he meant the idea to not go to her... yeah?


Marshmallows!!

Ellie eagerly stuffed it in the fire. She wanted to watch it BURN. Not so much eat it, though. She'll just eat the chocolate plain, thank you very much.

"Ghosts are witches and wizards who died and elected to stay in this world." As opposed to the Ghost world. Which Ellie imagined to be very dull. Just a bunch of translucent everythings. Translucent trees, translucent animals, translucent people. No color. How BORING. She'd SO stay in this world.

o_O!!! The professor DID NOT just do that!

Did he...yes, he did.

He just passed around CHOCOLATE! You Mr. French Man...are on the bottom of her awesome teachers list. PFFFT. "Annoying things that don't want to die." she muttered, staring at the disguuuuusting chocolate before turning her attention back to the Professor. "Mostly a greyish see-through form that is in the shape of their former selves."

Still annoying though.

"Ghosts can be petrified by Basilisks if they see them - since they are already dead - its safe for them to look it straight in the eyes. Since how can something that's dead die again." She remarked sighing slightly, taking a sip of her water.

Ohhhhh spooky lesson!

Patroclus raised his hand to answer the wickedly cool Professor's question, "A ghost is the residual imprint of a soul. A wizard or witch can chose to remain as a spirit particularly if they feel they have something left undone, however it means that they will never be at peace, as the decision means that they will not pass on, they will not travel beyond the veil....I thinks its rather sad"

Yes it would be nice to be around forever, however to have to float back and watch as those you know, or love die around you....it would be horrible!

Mia looked at Professor Descoteux and smiled slightly. "Do you have any chocolate to give me?" It might make her feel better. And then again it might not. She would actually prefer to talk to someone.

But it looked ad though that would have to wait as well because the class had just started and Mia shook her head a little at some of the answers. Didn't the Professor just say, NO textbook answers? She raised her hand in the air. "They're apparitions that are left behind when someone dies."

"A ghost? They are transparent, not solid and really awkward to walk through. They are 'an imprint of a departed soul' or something. They look like themselves before dying." K-Lee answered in a smart tone, though her answer was entirely the opposite

It was the beautiful yummy chocolates fault. Chocolate made her dumb sounding.

"So you're saying you don't know what it means?"

Yes? Yes.

"Lots, it seems," Jared said as one of the baskets returned to him, a faint smile playing around his mouth at her question. "Help yourself."


"You all bring up good points," Jared said. "Take two points each. In our terminology, ghosts are disembodied spirits of once-living wizards or witches that do not have physical influence. That is, they cannot move objects. The important thing, here, is 'our' terminology. Wizarding terminology. All witches and wizards believe in the existence of ghosts and, to take that further, 'peaceful' ghosts. You'll have seen them floating around Hogwarts, for one."

"If you ask muggles, though, the answers are going to be far more varied. Kyle just mentioned that, being raised by a muggle father, she was told ghosts don't exist. That's one example of how the average muggle's knowledge and views about ghosts differ from ours. Muggles incorporate the 'thought' of ghosts into their lives quite differently. So what are some ways the muggle view of ghosts differ from ours?"

Back to muggles. But at least he had done the little he could to make sure all the muggle-centered lessons didn't have to be that repetitive. He removed the marshmallow from the fire, as the sky darkened and night fell.

Emily though of her time in the muggle world. Her neighbour Ainsley had always been scared of the idea of ghosts... thinking they would haunt her and mak bad things happen.

"I know that a lot of muggles fear them... they think that ghosts are evil and scary spirits that try to harm them. They often beleive that ghosts have telekenectic powers and are able to move object with their minds."

Of course, we knew better... ghosts don't move objects physically or with their minds.

Kyle looked up from her smore-making when she heard her name. Ooh, what was a way that muggle view on ghosts and wizard views differed.

"One thing is that most muggles believe ghosts to be malevolent or evil - more like what we would call poltergeists." She stuck a marshmallow on a stick as she spoke.

Sticky.

"That, and that you can't actually see them unless you are what they call a medium - someone who can speak to ghosts, and see them - also mediums can communicate with those who are dead and aren't ghosts."

She took a bite of the s'more chocolate and marshmallow getting onto her cheek. Sticky delicious messy-goodness. She thought as she wiped it off.

Oooo, professor! Wrong grammar! 'Ghosts' wasn't a word! K-Lee grinned.

She had seen a muggle show that could help her with this answer! "They view them as people who died and have unfinished business. Quite often there are 'ghost whisperers' who have to help them cross over. Sometimes the ghost are violent and can manipulate and control people and things to do their bidding to kill people or hurt them."

That sounded right anyway. She wasn't a ghost expert. Oooo, she knew other stuff too! But maybe she should let other students answer...

K-Lee learnt a lot of her knowledge from muggle movies and shows. That was pretty sad considering she was pure-blood...

Kurumi needed to cling to something, or someone, and the person closest to her just happened to be a certain Gryffindor Prefect. She practically leaped onto his lap when he asked them to think about other views of ghosts. "P-P-Professor," Kurumi squeaked with her hand raised. "I-I-I-I grew up being told about Onryō...or vengeful ghosts...F-F-For example...th-th-there is one story about a samurai who vows to his dying wife never to remarry. He soon breaks the promise, and his former wife's onryō beheads the new bride." Kurumi squeaked again and literally was sitting on Patroclus' lap now.

She looked around. If anything white moved, she probably would scream. "W-W-W-We also think that ghosts dress in white, have black hair that is usually long, their hands dangle lifelessly from the wrists and they don't really have any visible legs..."

Her little 12-year-old body was shaking now. Ghosts were a very scary subject.