Muggle Studies Lesson #1-Muggle Literature and Authors Introduction
 

WHAT.

WAS.

THIS.

Theodore stood in the doorway of the Muggle Studies classroom, inwardly squealing at the fun looking room. The books hovering in the air were kind of weird, but he guessed there would be a purpose for it later. But oh Merlin, was that popcorn?!

The first year skipped over and filled up a huge pot of RAINBOW FLAVOURED popcorn for himself.

Muggle Studies. It would be a breeze for Theo. He had been a muggle for eleven years. He looked around the room. Oh, first one in? Okay...sdsskf.

"Hi, professor!" He said, jumping down into the soft chairs.

Zhenya walked in to Muggle Studies, one of her favourite classes. She loved coming to this lesson! As she walked in she took in the ceiling and the chairs, and exhaled a "wooooow" from being so impressed.

Seeing the Professor sitting down Zhenya said "Hello Professor Cerulean, I hope you had a good summer," and got herself a tea and some butter popcorn and sat down near the front.

Time for Muggle Studies, which meant time for food. Muggle studies had always been one of Selina's favorite classes because every time she showed up she got food. She was not exactly sure what food had to do with Muggle Studies, but Selina was not going to bring it up. As long as she kept the food involved in every lesson Selina would continue to come to EVERY LESSON until she graduated. Food was delicious.

When she walked in Selina was not disappointed. There, beyond all of the book decorations and the extraneous learning tools, was a popcorn machine. She threw her fist in the air-yes! Food was here and Professor Cerulean did not disappoint. Walking past her Professor she said, "Good day, Professor. Lovely set up."

Then she beelined over to the popcorn and grabbed some before heading to a seat... Food.

Nora wasn't really surprised to see that the Muggle Studies classroom looked different once again, because she knew how much professor Cerulean liked to change it so it would match the topic of each lesson. It was kind of... cool. As much as she expected a change, her eyes still widened when she stepped inside.

"Hello, professor." All she could do, though, was stare at the ceiling. "The classroom looks great, as usual," she grinned at the professor, before making her way towards one of those comfortable looking seats. Comfortable, indeed. Now, she only had to try NOT to fall asleep on that one. Hehe.

there is ZERO way I could miss this. NERDING OUT!
 

Dale was rather surprised with himself.

He didn't even get THAT lost.

True, he'd set off for this class about an hour earlier, and the teenager was preeeeeeeeeeeeeetty sure he'd past this door no less than three times already... but he was there!

On time!

!

And lookit. FOOD. That was one of Dale's favourite things, being a growing boy and all. He approached the bar thingy and grabbed a bottle of Sprite, and then eyed the popcorn.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeyed it.

"Um... hi Professor person. Do you not have any salt popc- whattheheckisrainbowflavoured?!"

Seriously. He was scared.

Also... there was extra-cheese. Not just cheese popcorn. No. That would just be a pretty average level of weird. This was EXTRA CHEESE.

Dale hovered between the popcorn and chairs. He wanted food... but boy, oh boy those chairs looked good. Dilemma.

Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiilemma.

And then.

ANd. THEN.

He actually caught sight of her. The professor. And her attire.

Those... those were pyjamas.

Minerva walked into her muggle studies class. She looked at the ceiling and smiled. That was so cool. "Hello, professor...This is amazing." She walked over and found two chairs for her and Maxwell. Then she went to the snacks and grabbed a coke and some popcorn. This room was super cool as always. She sat down and waited for class to start.

Nigel walked into the classroom and looked around and saw it, no it cant be. Nigel closed his eyes and opened them again.

It was really there a popcorn bar. He ran over to it and start to grab a bowl and fill it up with rainbow colored popcorn of course. It looked the tastiest. He also grabs a red gatorade and goes over to the professor and says "Hello, Professor thanks for the popcorn and drinks" He the walks to over and sits down were some other first years were sitting down in the nice soft chairs.

Apparently Anya Couldn't Resist Answering Zoe's / Dale's Question. XD
 

Tackles Zhenya
 

Alyssa walked into the Muggle Studies Classroom and started to smile. Professor Cerulean never ceased to amaze her when it came to decorating up the classroom. 'Books floating up in the ceiling?? Cool!' Alyssa thought to herself. Then she noticed the drinks, snacks and popcorn bar. The Professor sure knew how to keep her students happy.

She first went to the drinks and grabbed a Coke and then filled a large carton up to the brim with Buttery and Garlic Popcorn. Balancing the Soda and the Carton with one hand, Alyssa made her way to say hello to the Professor, who was sitting in the coolest blue chair ever and said,"Hello Professor. Nice chair. Can I get to sit in it after class is over?" Alyssa grinned at her before looking around to see who was already in class. Then she spotted Zhenya and walked up to her.

"Hey there Zhenya, mind if I sit next to you?" Alyssa asked her Divination Partner.

Penny walked into the Muggle Studies classroom and was instantly assailed with the smell of popcorn. She stood in the doorway for a moment and breathed deeply. Her mouth watered instantly. Finally she looked up at the ceiling and saw all of the float books.

Well, this class should be interesting to say the least.

Smiling the Ravenclaw entered the classroom and found an empty desk. She sat her things down next to the odd looking chair and went to grab some popcorn and a drink. "Heya Professor. Thank ya for the snacks." After looking at the options Penny grabbed some caramel popcorn and a tall glass of Sprite. Penny set them on her desk and then sunk into the odd looking chair.

Man this is comfortable!

Grinning like a cat who ate the canary Penny settled back and started munching on her popcorn.

the lulz. I has them
 

The expression on Dale's face was...

welll... he'd never quite expected that answer.

"That," he began, eyeing the popcorn as if it would soon explode as he began slowly backing away. "That is disturbing."

Yes.

But not as disturbing as when he neglected to realise that Dale did not have eyes in the back of his head. And that he was in a room full of stuff.

Well. He did realise. But it was just as he tumbled backwards over one of the weird blue chairs and effectively did a backwards roll in the most ungainly fashion.

The teen sprung (with some difficulty as he was all tangled up in the strap of his bag) back to his feet and retreated to a seat far from the popcorn, because that TOTALLY DID NOT HAPPEN. He glared at said popcorn as though it had done him a great wrong and finally opened the bottle of Sprite. Which promptly fizzed like crazy and managed to spray him in the face before he managed to hurriedly re-cap it.

"Fantastic," said the now-dripping boy.

What an entrance, Dale. What. An. Entrance.

Hahaha. I love it.
 

Anya shrugged. "It's actually not too bad. I just prefer good old buttery popcorn." she said. She then popped a few pieces into her mouth as if the prove her point.

Oh. And there the boy went... tumbling about...

Anya tilted her head to the side and waited to see if he got up. Oh good. He got up. Eventually.

Anya hid a giggle behind a hand and hurriedly got out a piece of parchment. She scribbled a giant "9.5" and held it out to the boy.

"I'd have given it a ten if you would have ended with a 'Tah-Dah'." she said with a smile. She then took a sip of her own soda. "I've got an extra scarf... if you want to use it to dry off." she offered. Unless, he knew how to vanish away his mess. Then he could do that.

Kennedy's jaw almost dropped when he stepped into the Muggle Studies classroom. Were those floating books?...

He was in book heaven.

He made his way deeper into the room, his eyes still staring up at collection of literature. That was until his smelled something that made his mouth water. His green eyes now settled on the variety of popcorn. This totally beat the Charms lesson with the balls. On his way to a chair he grabbed a box of regular buttery popcorn - he didn't trust the other - and a red Gatorade. He slung his bag off his shoulder and dropped it next to the chair he was going to sit on.

"Good day, Professor Cerulean," he greeted with a smile. This. This got him in a good mood. Books + Popcorn = happy Kennedy. He sat down and said. "Thanks," for the treat and refreshments. Now, time to concentrate on the popcorn.

Evelyn entered the Muggle Studies classroom and pretty much had the shock of her life.

Floating books!? WOW.

She entered the classroom, her eyes still focused on the books. She'd always thought Professor Cerulean's classes were unique, different and definitely fun but this..was just amazing.

Her eyes grew slightly wider when she smelled..was that popcorn!? Evelyn smiled at the professor and greeted, "Hello, Professor." before she immediately made her way toward the popcorn bar and filled a carton with caramel popcorn. Hm. It looked good.

Evelyn then made her made her way toward one of the seats near the front and sat down. Placing her bag on the ground, she started to munch on the popcorn and waited for class to begin.

Ok when he read what they had to discuss today Vickers knew he had to do research for this. And so he did, spending time in the library and pulling stacks of books just to find a few titles he really liked. He thought he was good and prepped when he turned into the Muggle Studies classroom...

... but he wasnt prepared for the sight that greeted him.

He stopped dead in his tracks and was just staring at the ceiling. Floating books dotted the ceiling like stars in the night sky. It was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen. Why couldnt the Great Hall look like that?

Finally coming around his sight fell on the Professor. And he blinked. Was he so concerned about his lack of knowledge of Muggle Authors that he had forgotten about coming in dressed in his sleeping garments? Not that he would dare walk around in public dressed as such.

He nodded his head at the Professor politely and greeted "Hello Professor." before finding himself standing next to the popcorn stand. He was thinking of skipping it entirely when he happened to catch the label that said Chicago-styled. Oh yeah another thing he couldnt resist. He grabbed a bag with his left hand and settled himself into one of those chairs, startled for a moment that it was unstable. He didnt expect that it would rock.

There sure was a lot of things he wasnt expecting in this class uhuh.

Jen walked in quietly and looked at the class room.
"Hello Professor Cerulean." She says as she sits down.
Wow, she always liked coming here cus it was something different for each lesson :) She saw a popcorn bar? She got some pop corn and sat down on a chair. She looked up and saw...floating books? Cool

Kurumi couldn't morally justify attending a lesson in her pajamas, so she arrived at the Muggle Studies classroom in uniform as she would for any other lesson with her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders and her book bag hanging off her right shoulder. Pausing for a moment to survey the room, Kurumi had to admit she DID like the fact that there were books everywhere and she was curious just as to how the professor was going to narrow down the list of authors they would be discussing today. Still, talking about literature was something the Gryffindor was very passionate about, so Kurumi wore a smile on her face as she made her way towards the professor to greet her. "Good day, professor," she said with a polite bow before setting her bag down beside Selina. "I'll be right back."

Eyeing the food, Kurumi made her way over towards it and grabbed a bowl of assorted popcorn flavors before grabbing a glass to pour herself some water. When her glass was half full, or was it half empty?, Kurumi's body paused as if suspended in time as the water continued to pour out of the water pitcher until the glass was full....and water began spilling over the sides and all over the table and floor. Still...Kurumi didn't react. At all. A few moments later, the sixth year's limbs suddenly loosened and her eyes widened. "Kyaa!" she squeaked, setting down the pitcher of water and flailing to grab a few napkins to use to attempt to mop up the puddle that had just suddenly appeared on the table. Wait...had SHE done that? She had been holding the pitcher and all....but how had her glass become so full so quickly?! "S-S-Sorry, professor!" Kurumi squeaked again, offering the woman a very DEEP apologetic bow while she continued to mop up the small mess with napkins.

Merlin. Maybe there was something wrong with her...

Adam walked into the classroom, slightly taken aback by the rather different set up to the room, but nevertheless impressed as he tilted his head back slightly to observe some of the titles of the books. If there was one thing that Adam enjoyed outside of magic, it was a good muggle novel, so naturally he knew this class was going to be a lot of fun today if not interesting.

"Good day Professor," Adam said with a smile, "And thank you for the food."

Walking over Adam picked up one of the cherry cokes, his person favorite, and a little bit of the caramel popcorn which he placed carefully on a napkin and began to head to an open chair when he heard a gasp near him, and what sounded vaguely like a lot of some liquid splashing to the floor. Turning Adam saw Kurumi frantically trying to clean up the mess. Setting down the food and drink Adam took a couple of the napkins and began to help Kurumi clean up the mess. "At least it's just water right?" Adam said with a soft smile, hoping that maybe it would take the mortified look off of her face.

Whoa! Angelina's eyes got really wide when walking into the classroom. It looked so cool! So many books on the ceiling. Looking up at them all she walked over to get something to drink and eat. She couldn't take her eyes off the ceiling, too cool! Angelina got a coke and some buttery popcorn and headed over to sit down. While walking to a chair she smiled up at Professor Cerulean and said, "Hello Professor."

Sierra stepped into the Muggle Studies classroom and automatically looked up to the ceiling. Wow. A Ravenclaw's biggest dream right here. She shrugged, though, and stepped further into the room. What was that smell?! She never got too overly excited about many things, but this smell, whatever this food was, was just too good to pass up.

Looking around the room, she noticed the popcorn, and went over and helped herself to a small serving. Then turning on her heels, she found a nice, comfortable chair in the middle of the room and sat down. The middle. It wasn't so close to the front where she appeared over-eager, but it wasn't so far in the back that she looked like a slacker. She popped a piece of caramel popcorn in her mouth and waited for the lesson to begin.

Lily had left the common room early enough before class that she took her time getting there. Once she stepped into the classroom, a grin lit up her face. This was how she remembered the muggle studies classes from the past term, always with a different setup. This time there were books hanging from the ceiling and different looking chairs. Making her way into the classroom, the second year grinned. "Hello Professor. How are you today?" Quietly, Lily made her way to a seat, not bothering to get a drink or food since she wasn't exactly hungry.

Kurumi had a rather large wad of soaked napkins in her hand now, but at least she had managed to mop up most of the mess when she saw another set of hands appear out of nowhere. Startled at first, Kurumi flinched slightly, but then relaxed when she saw that it was just Adam...and he was helping her clean up. "Y-Yeah," she stammered as she patted down the last of the slightly damp area. Now, where was the rubbish bin...Tossing the wet napkins away, Kurumi turned back to Adam and sort of bowed awkwardly. "Thanks, Adam."

Kurumi grabbed the bowl of popcorn she had put together earlier, a mixture of all the flavors, and then glanced back towards Selina. "You are welcome to come sit with Selina and I, if you want." Unless he already had somewhere he wanted to sit at, which was fine as well.

Hannah walked into the room and automatically followed her nose to the popcorn. She helped herself to the rainbow looking one. She caught sight of the professor. "Nice to see you again professor." she said before she plopped herself down on one of those cozy chairs towards the front. Atleast this class seemed to be laid back and she coulds sure use it after the week she was having.

Jade Skidmoore walked into the muggle studies classroom and was awed by the view that unfolded in front of her. Books in the air, different flavored popcorn, and the professor was sitting in a seemingly comfy chair. She wanted one.

The seventh year walked over to the table where the popcorn and drinks were. Taking some caramel popcorn her favorite and a sprite, she walked over and took a seat. She saw her other teammates and waved towards them as she dug into her popcorn, throwing a piece into her mouth. YUM.

"I'd have to say, Professor Cerulean, this is just...amazing." The brunette said, looking at everything once more, and nodding her head. Yes, this truly was awesome.

The professor smiled at all of the students as they came in and sat down. She couldn't help but be excited about seeing the students again. It seemed like it had been forever and a day since she had seen some of them last. Before starting, she stood up and grabbed a refill of rainbow flavored popcorn. The purple ones were grape flavored and her favorite...yes it sounded odd but it was ooooo soo good.

She plopped down in her chair and almost fail out of the chair...almost but she didn't...she giggled a little bit to herself and then with a flick of her wand, the lights in the room dimmed down and the only thing lit up were the books floating above their heads. It gave just enough light for the room to be dimmed but still lite enough to see writing. It was very soothing and calm.

She glanced around at the students and then started the lesson, "Hello everyone! And welcome to Muggle Studies!" she said excitedly before taking a drink. "This term we are going to focus on Muggle Studies literature, authors, books, and stories. If you aren't familiar with Muggle literature, you may be surprised to learn that many of the stories that are familiar in the Muggle world are very similar to some found in the Wizarding World." she paused to let the introduction sink in.

"So, let's jump right in! Today we are going to focus on the different types of Muggle literature and a few famous Muggle authors through the centuries." she said with a little nod up and down. "Now remember that this is Muggle Studies, so it is a Magic Free Zone...well kind of. I used various charms to set up the classroom and I'll use my wand to help teach but I prefer as a student that you try to keep magic to a minimum in this class. " she said placing her wand down in front of her....she was even going to try not to use her wand as much as she had in the past.

"Now before we get started with learning, I would like to hear from some of you. Think back over your life...some of you have a shorter life and some of you have been around more years than others...but think about your favorite book...." she said reaching down to the side of her chair and holding up a book. "Would anyone like to share what they would consider their favorite book...it can be either Muggle or Wizarding...but please let us know which kind it is? Don't forget to share the title and author..."

OOC: Now that class has started all conversations should end now AND don't post yourself coming in late to class...Gemma hates that and WILL take points for being late to class.

Please remember to raise your hand before answering. You can share real or fake names for a Muggle or Wizard book. Remember to share the name, author, and if it was a Muggle or Wizard book. Have fun with this!

And don't forget that Gemma is watching you!

Minerva didn't have to think hard she put up her hand quickly. "Professor, it's not as much as one book but a series. They are called the Bailey School Kids. They are a group of kids that find weird things about an adult, then the rest of the story they try to find out if they are right. For example one is Wizards don't wear graduation gowns." She popped some popcorn in her mouth after she was finished.

Alyssa thought of her favorite book. It was actually a Muggle book even though it was a story about The Old Ones and Olde Magick. She raised her hand and gave the name.

"Professor my favorite book is an Anthology called The Dark is Rising Series by Susan B. Cooper."Alyssa looked around to see whether anyone had heard of it.

"It's about a boy, Will Stanton who is the last of the Old Ones and it is his job as the Seeker to find the 6 signs before the Dark Ones gain back their power and claim dominion over the world pushing out the Light and Good."

Alyssa could talk forever about the book but she knew that she had to give the others a chance to speak too.

Sierra hated magic free zones. She really did. She was raised in a completely different world, and it always made her feel inadequate to come into a place where magic wasn't used. At least they were discussing books, though? Was Sierra really that big of a book fan? Well, no, but they'd just gone over their favorite books in the Book Club, so she knew just what to say.

"My favorite book is Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp," she said, raising her hand. "It was the first book my father read to me, and the first book I learned to read by myself." Of course that had been ages ago. "Anyway, Quidditch means a lot to me, so the book's been important through the years. I think everybody here knows of it, but it's a Quidditch informational book."

Maxwell raised his hand. "Professor, I have a few. But i have to say my favorite has always been 'Peter and Wendy' by J.M. Barrie." He said thinking of the endless nights he spent reading the book, wishing to be one of the lost boys on an adventure with Peter Pan fighting pirates.

Emmanuelle glanced around slightly awed as the lights dimmed in the room. The effect was beautiful! She took a moment to sip her tea and let it all soak in before she answered. "My favorite book is, well, it's really more of a series of books called Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal. It's about these twin girls named Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield who live in California and it details their lives in high school." Yeah okay, that was a little more than the Professor had asked for, but some how Emmanuelle didn't think she would mind.

ack! Been here all this time *whistles*
 

Nigel knew his favorite book and remember his parents reading it to him in the past. It was also the same as the older slytherin who just spoke. Nigel really liked his fairy tales. He raised his hand. "Um my favorite book is Tales of Beedle the Bard too. I really like the fairy tales in the book."

Selina continued to nibble on her popcorn as she dazed out into space. Her mind was elsewhere. There was so much to get done with the Quidditch match coming up and everything and all of her Professors, now that the term was inn full swing, were loading up on work, and she had personal matters that made her a tad scatterbrained. But when she heard a bag thump beside her, she looked up to see who had joined her. Kurumi had shown up at some point and was heading over to grab a drink. Then she spilled it which made Selina's eyebrows raise- Kurumi used to be a Seeker... her reflexes were good... she would not have dropped that. Then again a lot of strange things were going on with Kurumi lately. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong with her and she did not know what it was... but she was a best friend so she was going to find out. Merlin, she was going to find out.

When Kurumi finally sat beside her, Selina nodded that if Adam waned to join them he could. But then Cerulean started the lesson.



Once the lesson began, Selina sat up attentively to listen to Cerulean speak. For a moment, she thought that the Professor was going to face plant into the floor when she lost control of the chair which would have been hysterical, but she caught herself just in time. That was an interesting way to start the lesson. Selina sort of wished there was more of a bang to start the class, but it was interesting enough!

After her almost fall, Cerulean began to go over her syllabus for the upcoming term. They were going to be focusing on literature and Selina had to admit she was a tad excited to be talking about books. Although Selina was not considered the brightest Gryffindor, that was Kurumi's title, she was well read in a lot of ways. The fifth year knew three languages so she had to be at least somewhat proficient in her reading skills. So books were for sure something that peaked Selina's interest.

The redhead nearly fell out of her own chair in excitement when Cerulean asked them all to list their favorite pieces of literature. Selina did not even have to think for a second what her favorite piece of literature was- it was as clear as the day. Merlin, what an easy question. She liked this lesson already. Her hand shot up in the air and she said, "THE AENEID!" As soon as the words left her mouth she realized that perhaps she was being a little loud and she was a tad over excited. But in real life, no one ever wanted to listen to Selina go on about her favorite book because it was so obscure to the average reader. However, Cerulean was inviting Selina and everyone else to share, so she was not going to argue.

Clearing her throat she said, "What I meant to say, erm, was that my favorite piece of literature, ma'am, is the Aeneid. It's an epic poem by Vergil written in Latin." And oh merlin, it was a great read. Twelve books of poetic genius. Vergil was the man.

Having returned to her seat, Kurumi was pleased that the woman had seemed to not notice the whole water incident. Still, the sixth year was blushing like crazy as she plopped down next to Selina and passed her the bowl of popcorn as she whispered the word refill to her before taking out her parchment and quill for notes.

At the mention of their favorite book, Kurumi was reminded of the Book Club meeting and wondered if there would be a bit more discussion about their favorite books in this lesson than there had been in the library. If not, oh well, maybe she would hear of a book or two she was unfamiliar with and would see if the library had it later. Thinking for a moment, Kurumi raised her hand. "My favorite book is Botchan and is also written by my favorite author, Natsume Sōseki. I suppose you could call it a semi-autobiographical work." The book itself was over a century old, having been written in 1906, but it was still one of those books that withstood the passing of time. It seemed like every child in Japan still read it, or was expected to read it, which probably had something to do with the central theme of the story being morality.

Penny sat up a little straighter at the Professor finally brought the class to order. She started talking about books and authors and such. As she asked about books and such and several of her class mates spoke up about there favorites. It took the Ravenclaw a bit of thinking but she finally decided which was hers.

Penny raised her hand. "Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. It's a muggle book about love. The main character Lizzie Bennet goes through a rocky relationship with a Mr. Darcy whom she thinks is condescending and haughty. After a while she finds out his true character and they fall in love."

She wasn't usually one for love stories but Jane Austin had a way of writing that sucked you in and didn't let go.

Yeah...I just went there :)
 

Oakey adjusted himself in his chair and looked up at the books above his head. Holding a bag of buttered popcorn on his lap he took a piece and tossed it into the air to catch in his mouth. Unfortunately it landed in between his eyes and fell to the floor. Oh, speaking of unfortunate Oakey had a favorite series of books that He'd like to share with the class.
I have a favorite series of books Oakey started, picking up the piece of popcorn on the floor and popping it in his mouth. It's called A Series of Unfortunate Events written by Lemony Snicket or was it Daniel Handler?

Anyways Oakey liked this book a lot. It reminded him that others may have it much worse than he does. He also liked the character Klaus Baudelaire.

Angelina loved to read! Picking her favorite book was hard, but picking a selected few was easy. From her tops ones she raised her hand and picked one she really likes. "Professor I have a few, but I really like Emma, by Jane Austen," I know, I know, it was a little weird for a pure-blood to like muggle books, a lot for that matter, but her sister started going into the muggle world and got Angelina stores she might like. Reading from the muggles view was a little different. It educated her a lot though, which was good! She wouldn't know what a such things a television and phones were.

This is it. Jory was really looking forward to this lesson because reading was one of his hobbies- he usually had his mom send him books via his owl when he was at Hogwarts. Now, he had a lot of favourite books ranging from crime to horror to mystery to fantasy.

The Puff raised his hand. "My favourite books belong to a series, Professor. They're called Animorphs and are written by K.A Applegate,'' he said. They were even made into a TV series and Jory enjoyed watching them online/

His favorite books? Hmm..He didn't read that much so its an easy question, No?

Messer raised his hand up in the air. "My favorite book is There and Back Again or better known as The Hobbit. Its a muggle fantasy novel and children's book penned by J. R. R. Tolkien." The book was his mother's favorite book, reading it made him a little closer to his mother.

Mika looked over to Messer as he said his favorite book and immediately lit up like a chirstmas tree when he said it. THAT WAS SUCH AN AWESOME BOOK! She was smiling like a creeper.

"I like that book too" she nodded speaking oh-so-quietly it was barely a whisper.

I never even heard of or read this book just wanted to be diffrent haha
 

Ariana was stumped, she read but she wasnt a HUGE fan of it like the other kids in class, she's much rather write them and have other people read them. She had Minnie on her right and was shocked she was so quick to answer. She looked at Justin on her left and smiled as she thought of a book and raised her hand once she was given permission to speak she said "When i went to muggle school i had to read this book called Dragon Slippers it's a trilogy by Jessica Day George." she said not really wanting to explain the book.So she might have also been 6 when she started the series, she still thought it was good from what she remembered

Kennedy had to think about the question for a while. He's read a lot ever since he began attending Hogwarts. Back in his muggle life he used to be more interested in video games, but now he hardly even payed attention to them - when he was at home. It was perhaps because magical books opened up an entire new world for him when he was fourth year and they still seemed to amaze him.

After a while of thinking he raised his hand. "My favorite book is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander," he said. That was his current favorite book that he's read about eighty times? Somewhere close to that.

*coughs* I actually did think about this. xD And yes, I've read these.
 

He grabbed a few pieces of popcorn and popped them into his mouth, quite happy with the salty and sweet combo that his selection had to offer. He pondered the question at hand for a moment-- he had a LOT of favorite books, unfortunately most of them were more whats usually classified as biographies and reference material. But there is one he seems to just pick up and leaf through out of habit. Up goes the hand "Professor, the story I was read to as a child was The Wizard and the Hopping Pot. And I remembered loving it so much that I took the Tales of the Beadle Bard off the shelf and tried to read the rest of the book on my own. I couldnt of course, since I could barely go through the alphabet then, but eventually its the book that taught me how to read." thats why that book was really special to him. It was a boon when he discovered much later how relevant that children's book was in their Wizarding history.

Lilly had sat quietly so far. The question had definetely made her think. There were lots of books she liked. Magical and muggle. But she was more familiar with the muggle ones for they were the books she had read before Hogwarts. The Hobbit, a few of Shakespeare's books (especially A Midsummer Night's Dream), both of which had been mentioned already by other students. Then there was the books that her mother had used to read to her. It was painful to think about it, but she couldn't avoid the topic of her mother's death forever.

"My mother used to read me a series of books. Narnia," Lilly spoke softly and quietly, before hesitating. "My favorite was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They were written by C.S Lewis quite a while ago." Oldie book. Her mother's favorite. She had told Ira she wasn't going to cry. So she blinked back the tears.

"Of course Alyssa," Zhenya said with a smile. It would be good sitting next to someone she knew rather than either nobody, or someone she didn't know... or like.

Now, what was her favourite book? She had a think about it. Well, she had a lot of favourites, but one in particular that was the only muggle book that was in her top 5. Raising her hand she said, "Professor my favourite book is a muggle one my mother used to read me. It's called The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen." she said.

Ohhh.

No magic? Err...

Nora shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she heard that part, knowing that her wand was somewhere in her bag, but she took it only because, well... she got used to carrying it everywhere. But it'll have to just stay there, since the professor was sort of right. Muggle Studies class required no magic, right?

Alright. Now books... She was tempted to say Tales of Beedle the Bard, but everyone had to know that one. "I liked the Wardstone Chronicles," she said as she raised her hand, "written by Joseph Delaney." A bit creepy and... horror, but she enjoyed reading them.

Michelle sat munching on her popcorn as she listened to Professor. The chairs were super comfy. Chelle had to will herself not to go to sleep sitting in those. The moment she heard the Professor say something about Muggle books and authors, she jumped straight back to her 'attention' position. She could hardly keep herself from grinning. This was her favourite subject. EVER. She raised her hand.

"Professor, I love so many Muggle books, and I have a list of five favourites, but the top of the list is a book called The Blood Stone by Jamila Gavin. It is historical fiction, and it was published about fifty years ago. It is a beautiful story."

Desiree was sitting in a very comfy chair, eating delicious popcorn, so why would she have anything to complain about? It was the books that were floating above her head, that as the Professor talked began to glow. They could only mean one thing, reading. Next to flying it was probably her least favorite thing to do. She knew a lot of people enjoyed it, but it wasn't for her.. Her spirits dropped even lower as she learned that not just this class, but the whole term would revolve around books..

Maybe they'd grow on her, probably not.

This made the first question a bit of a challenge. It's not that she'd never read anything, it was just thinking of one she liked enough to call her favorite. Her mom had read her stories as a child that she enjoyed, but they were all wizard stories. This was muggle studies, so she wanted a muggle example.. Suddenly it became obvious and the third year raised her hand, "Professor, my favorite books, at least muggle books, would have to be the Nancy Drew mystery series by Carolyn Keene." She had read every single one of them in one summer. It had been one of the only books ever able to keep her interest, as it wasn't just reading a story, but actually being involved in it, trying to figure out the mystery yourself as you go along.

Favourite book? Ohh... Theodore wasn't much of a literature reader, but he did enjoy various kid books when he was young. It would do... he raised his hand into the air, "I used to like a guy called Dr Suess." Yep... he did quite a few awesome books.

But which was the best.... hmmm...

"Green Eggs and Ham." YES, GREEN EGGS AND HAM. Or Cat in the Hat.

I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.
I do not like
green eggs and ham.

YEAH.

How awesome.

Louisa was sitting in one of the weird-looking comfy chairs watching everyone going crazy over the popcorn bar. Or in Kurumi's case continue to pour liquid into cups despite being full. Huh. Nice concentration she got today....

.................

.... which was pretty much like Lewis' concentration issue at the library yesterday. Huh. Some people were busy activating their relationship status. Cue an internal snicker.

However, the class had already started and professor Gemma asked them something. Louisa raised her arm. "My favorite book, as in novel and non-scientific book, is Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain." A deja vu moment to the book club meeting. "It's a muggle book, professor."

João pondered the question for a moment. He had read many books up until this age since he had learnt reading, so it took him quite a while than the others to come up with the one, though he knew all along which book it would be. It was the very book whose main character had quite similar problems with him. In the end, he figured that was his book after all, even if the author wasn't Brazilian. Raising his hand, he said "My favourite is Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger," he said, then paused. "La Vie Devant Soi by Emile Ajar is also pretty good too," he added with a small frown. Sadly, he didn't know the title in English. "I guess both are pschological/real life books." At least Catcher in the Rye was definitely a pschology book.

Adam was going to reply that it was not a big deal but suddenly the lights were becoming dimmer, which Adam figured meant that class was going to be starting. Grabbing his drink and popcorn off the table Adam headed over to where Kurumi and Selina were sitting, and plopped down in one of the open chairs. Err...this chairs were just slightly awkward...



Adam listened as the people around the room offered their favorite stories, some of them he had read himself and others he others he hadn't. "My favorite book is a fiction book by F. Scott Fitzgerald called The Great Gatsby," Adam said once he had been called on. "It's kind of a complicated love story, but it touches on what America was like for muggles during that time period as well. However, when I was younger I enjoyed the Fairy Tales by The Grimms Brothers, which are stories that were supposed to teach morals and lessons to young adolescents during the late 1800s when they were originally written, but they're still around today."

Hannah thought about this for a moment. She actually really enjoyed reading and a lot of books interested her. She wondered of a comic book would count? I mean it was still a book techncially right?


With a raised hand she responded with "Professor I really enjoy The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle by Charlene Mayor." Hannah didn't know of any muggle books because frankly muggle nonsense was not allowed in her house.

... I nerded out again >.<
 

Dale smiled eeeeeeeeeeever so slightly. He wasn't too sore about the falling and the spraying, but, you know, his ego was a little bruised. And his fellow kid was actually cheering him up about it.

As he opened his mouth to say 'no thanks' to the scarf, Professor Whassername dimmed the lights, so he had to settle for a smile and shrug.

It was as the lights dimmed that Dale finally looked up at the ceiling. And staaaaaaaaaaaaaaared.

Those books looked bloody dangerous. His head was RIGHT underneath one of them. Not cool.

Glancing up at the book over his head every few seconds, Dale paid closer attention to his teacher. And... what? Favourite book? How could anyone have a single favourite book. Dale looked at the Professor like she was mad.

After a few moments of thinking, Dale raised his hand. Well... he raised it to about the level of his hand and put two fingers up... mainly because he had the irrational thought that if his hand went any further he'd somehow break the magic holding them there and then he may literally face!book.

"Um... see... I don't actually have a favourite book. It's pretty impossible to single one out 'cause, like... every book is different. Written in a different way about different things and different types of characters and the genres and the styles are... well... you get the picture. So... the book which makes me think more than any other and which educates me most is In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. Anything that makes me think as much as that does is awesome. And going by book I've read most, then it could be The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon," Dale sat back and mulled it over for a moment. "They're two very different books, see?" ImPOSSible to choose.

As he shut up, Dale eyed the books up above again.

"Though I have to say that my favourite book right now is any that isn't dangled so threateningly over my head," the boy half-joked.

Half-joked.

HALF.

Gemma was impressed by all of the advanced books being mentioned and was excited that so many of them were Muggle books. She smiled and shook her head as everyone shared their favorite books. She pulled out her blue notebook and began making a list of all of the books. She would request that each of these be added to the Muggle section in the library.

As she wrote each book down, she smiled at the students. Once there was a lull in the books being named, she continued, "Wow, I am very impressed with everyone! All of the books mentioned are amazing books from children's novels to more advanced reading. Ya'll always tend to surprise me with your knowledge..." she said as she glanced over the list one more time, "The Librarian and I are in negotiations to possible have a Muggle Literature shelf set up so maybe I can give him this list of books and ya'll can check them out and read them if they sound interesting to you..." she said placing the notebook down in front of her.

"As I mentioned Muggle literature and Wizarding literature, like so many other things, are very similar. Both types of literature are divided into two major categories. These are known as Fiction...." and with that word some of the books suspended in the air lite up in red...."and Non-Fiction." and then the rest of the books lite up in red as well.

"Can anyone guess what Fiction and Non-Fiction means?" she asked knowing this was an easy question but still she was interested to see what their answers were.

Would a muggle section in the library interest him? Probably not. But he would rather like to read Green Eggs and Ham again... hm...

Oh, the next question was easy.

Theodore proudly raised his hand, "One means it's made up, and the other is... factual." That was a word, right? The only problem was, Theo had no idea which one was which. It didn't matter. He got the question right, he knew it.

Penny was incredibly interested on the class now. As several books she didn't recognize were mentioned shs made a small list. She would read them all later. Then ths Professor waz talkimg amd asked a question she knew. The Ravenclaw's hand shot into the air.

"Professor fiction meanz the book was made up by the author. Non-fiction means that there are real facts and real things in the book."

Dale raised up his hand. Trick question. "Uhm... it's like... non-fiction means either about stuff that has actually happened orrrrrrr... things like 'how-to' books. Like, our history text books are non-fiction, and so are things like 'Computers for Dummies'. Fiction is pretty much stuff that is made up... but like... it might be based on real life things, you know?"

Janice raised her hand up, without even thinking. Being a bookworm herself, she has to know what fiction and non-fiction mean.

"Fiction means stories that are made up, like fairy tales, but Non-fiction is real, like an encyclopedia or a biography of someone."

Nigel didn't think that a muggle section would interest him that much right now. He kinda knew what fiction meant so he guesses that non-fiction would have to be the opposite. Nigel raised his head "Um like Theodore said Fiction means it's made up, and the Non-Fiction is factual" Nigel guessed but thought he was right

Minerva had heard this before and put her hand up. "Professor one is real, meaning it tells real facts, a real story. The other is not real meaning it is made up" even though she was now not believing that many of the muggle stories were actually fake, muggles just thought they were.

Selina was so pumped about the prospect of talking about the Aeneid. Rarely, if ever, people wanted to speak about the Latin epic poem that was near and dear to Selina's heart. But Cerulean, after everyone listed their favorite pieces of literature, seemed to just glaze right over the Aeneid. It made Selina a tad upset because she was foolishly expecting to be running frantically about retelling the tale of Aeneas and his companions. Perhaps, it was a tad unrealistic.

When she did ask the difference between fiction and nonfiction, Selina was surprised that she knew the answer to that question. Then again, it was not so weird because even Wizarding novels had that distinction, "A nonfiction book is a book that is made up of one hundred percent fact. Fiction is novel or piece of literature that has made up characters or stories that are not based mostly in fact or at all in fact."

Fiction and Non-Fiction. Jade knew all about these muggle books, well mostly. She at least knew the difference between the two. "Fictional books are with made-up facts while non-fictional books are with true facts." She nodded, throwing another piece of popcorn into her mouth. She felt pretty confident on that answer.

Jonathan saw the professor writing down all the titles of the books that were just mentioned. Everyone had different types of books that they read and it's quite a variety too. Most of which, Jonathan has never had ever heard of. He has heard of some but technically can't really tell the story himself. Then she also mentioned about setting up a muggle literature shelf with the librarian. Which is really nice because other students have been sort of wanting this to happen as well.

Now, onto the next topic--- Fiction and Non-fiction. Jonathan's hand shot up when the question was raised. "Professor..." he started thinking of the descriptions of both words. "...Fiction is a story or a novel based on imagination. Where authors write to their fullest desires with their made-up characters and story plots" he continued "Non-fiction is based on facts such as our books in school."

João raised his hand up to answer the question.

"Fiction is where the story is not a real story and it's all up to the imagination of the writer. Non-fiction, though, is fully based on facts and historical events."

Kurumi frowned slightly when it seemed as though the sharing of their favorite books had been just that, sharing, and nothing else was really going to come of it. Oh well. Shrugging her shoulders, Kurumi tried to relax her posture a little since the class seemed to be a little more laid back than usual, but Kurumi had a hard time wrapping her brain around such an environment so....perfect posture it was.

When the next question was posed, Kurumi bit her lip for a moment to try and solidify an answer in her head besides a very generic 'one is true and the other isn't,' because that wasn't entirely on point. Some of Kurumi's favorite books were historical fiction, and those were still based on real event and people, just with some embellishments and things from the imagination of the author. Slowly, Kurumi raised her hand to offer up her own answer. "Works of fiction are those that are, in part or in whole, about events, people, places, and information that is not factual, but rather stems from the imagination of the author. Sometimes works of fiction can seem very real, as in they could have or will actually happen. My favorite form of fiction happens to be historical fiction, so the setting and events are based on fact, but typically the main character is not." Kurumi paused for a moment, running over what she had just said in her head and chewing on her lip a little nervously for a few moments before continuing. "Non-fiction, on the other hand, are works that are factual and that the author is writing in such a way that the information is historically or empirically true at the time of the composition."

And with that, Kurumi slowly lowered her hand to her lap and idle toyed with her quill.

Why did the professor always seem so excited about the lessons? Maybe Sierra was just too reserved. Or maybe the professor really was just that excited. Whatever. Whoever heard of getting excited over Muggles?! Anyway...

Oh, she knew Fiction and Non-fiction! Now who was getting excited over this discussion? No, she wasn't excited. Just...well, surprised she was actually following along and understanding a Muggle discussion. Her hand rose into the air. "Fiction is made up and Non-fiction is real and based on facts," she said. "For example, the Muggles think anything written about our existence is Fiction, because they think we're made up, and anything written about their existence is Non-fiction." Ridiculous.

Lewis had just stared a couple of his classmates in wonder when they mentioned Muggle books, books he'd never heard before. They had weird titles, at least some of them did. Especially staring at a girl that mentioned a book about rings, the Hufflepuff took a couple of notes when she explained what it was about. A ring. So much he'd gathered from the title already. But then there was some things about hobbits too which just left him completely baffled. What was that?! He was going to have to look that up after class.

He smiled to himself when Professor Cerulean mentioned that there might be a Muggle Bookshelf in the Library soon. As long as it wasn't in the restricted section this was an AWESOME idea. At least he thought so. It would probably mean that he would be spending even more time in the library though. But it was winter anyway so no need to feel bad about staying inside all day.

And he didn't have to go to the library on his own after all...

Oh, that question he knew!

Lewis quickly raised his hand to get the professor's attention and - once he had it - lowered it again, answering the question. "Well, nonfictional books are factual. They're based on facts...on true facts...or, well, at least the author believes them to be true." Yes, that wasn't confusing at all or anything. So you could never be absolutely certain if what was written in a book was ACTUALLY true. "And fiction is all about imagination, a lot of a fictional book's components are made up, like the characters or the storyline or the history of the story." Which was really weird actually now that he got to think of it. Since, per that definition, if, say, Lewis Carroll would be insane and would actually believe that there was a world called Wonderland, then that would make the Alice in Wonderland-books nonfictional, wouldn't it?

Somehow those definitions were a little confusing all of a sudden. Huh.

This was an easy enough question and Hannah was starting to like this class mainly because she was chilling in a comfy chair and she had munched on some delicious popcorn earlier. Atleast this professor was nice.

"Professor non-fiction books are true and can be supported by facts and fiction books are phony." she said with a raised hand. Sure fiction books could be a good read, but they were still not true so that automatically made them phony right?

Alyssa listened as the others gave their answers to what they thought fictional and non-fictional meant, taking down notes as each person have their answer. When no one else spoke, Alyssa raised her hand and gave her opinion of what she thought it meant.

"Professor a non-fictional book is basically a book that has true factual content for example an autobiography of someone's life or events that took place in the past."Alydsa paused to think.

"It could also be a book on research studies or even about a specific subject. "

"A fictional book is basically a book containing a story that is made up and is not real." Alyssa frowned when she said that, paused to think before raising her hand to ask the Professor.

"Professor could it be possible that even though some stories are considered fiction they are in fact true and should be considered non-fiction?"Alyssa asked the Professor.

"I mean some stories or legends have been passed on down so many generations that they got distorted and eventually fell under the category of fairy tale stories, like King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table and even Merlin."

"There has been proof to show that King Arthur and the Knights actually did exist. For example it is believed that it was Merlin who brought the stones of Stonehenge to Britain. Another example is the legend of Robin Hood who is supposed to be a fictional character?" "The existence of the Magna Carta proves that he did somehow exist."

"So could it be possible that maybe what some may consider fictional stories actually should in fact should be considered non-fictional?" Alyssa asked the Professor.

Fiction and non-fiction?

Well, not being the muggle stuff expert, Nora could only guess, so she raised her hand to try. "Fiction is based on the author's imagination, and non-fiction... is not. It's about true facts," or at least so she thought. Maybe she was right, maybe it was the other way around. Ehh, she'll have to wait and see.

Messer turned his gazed when he heard someone was whispering to him. Someone like the same book as he is. YAY! She must be really really cool! Since she like The Hobbit.

"Thanks." he whispered back and gave the Ravenclaw a small smile.



Messer's eyes went back to the Professor after she asked another question to the class. Fiction and Non-Fiction? Oh he knew that! He knew that! Hands up. "Professor, Fiction used characters, setting and plot to tell stories that are not real. While Non-fiction is factual and true writing that tells about real people, real places and/or real events." he said. "So, I think basically Fictional is not real and Non-Fictional is real" he added.

Maxwell nodded to the question that most everyone had answered. "Fiction is a story created by an Author to where Non-Fiction are books made up of facts."

And a Dale mention. ^_^
 

Ooh, that would be cool. Having an opportunity to read muggles novels in addition to all the magically oriented books already in the library. Even though they wouldn't exactly help with the advancement of magical education, Adam loved the classics and figured they would be a good way to take a break from the more serious studying like the NEWTs that he really needed to be focusing on. Err...anyway.

"Non-fiction books deal with more historical events or people or concepts that are studied in real life with actual people. In some ways this kind of limits what can be considered for a non-fiction book, but in other ways it can provide a more practical set of information for the reader. Fiction books however can deal with events that could happen in real life with relatable characters and settings, or they can deal with places and concepts that touch on a person's imagination. So in a lot of ways Fiction books can touch on things discussed in non-fiction books, or they can create a world of their own."

Raising her hand Angelina said, "Professor, one is things that never happened and the other is a story of something that did happen." some muggle stories Angelina wondered if they were nonfictional or fictional. Hard to know not growing up in the muggle world.

Gemma shook her head at each of the student's answers. "Yes you are all correct..." she said picking up a bag beside her and digging in it. With each correct answer, she dug out a Tootsie Roll and tossed it at the students...bribery was a good way to get answers...yes it would work great!

The professor turned her head to look at the student as she asked her question with a sweet smile on her face, "Yes, Alyssa...you bring up an excellent point. Some books can be consider a compilation of the two due to where the story has it's roots from...."

She looked around the circle of soft L chairs and then continued with the lesson, "As the students mentioned, Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary..." she said trying to make eye contact with as many students as she could. "Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be factual and can be traced through history and facts to be factual."

She paused to let that sink in and to eat a few pieces of Chicago Style popcorn. "Now in each of these two types of literature there are tons of other forms of literature. For instance, Fiction can be divided into a number of forms including but not limited to Drama, Poetry, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Humor, Fables, Fairy Tales, Horror, Legends, Mystery, Mythology, etc." She took a breath and then continued, "And Non-Fiction can be divided into a number of forms such as Narrative Non-Fiction, Essays, Research Papers, Biographies and Autobiographies, Speeches, etc."

"Let's start discussing some different authors. We'll start with a very famous Fictional author from the 16th and 17th Century. He was well known for a variety of works in his years and was also rumored to be a part of a conspiracy surrounding his literature." She stood up and walked to a portrait hanging in a corner of the room. It was dark and hard to make out. When she got beside it she recited, "To be, or not to be." she paused with a smile, "This above all: to thine own self be true..." she held out her hand and made the words overdramatic with a little laugh.

Finally she clicked on the light hanging over the portrait and the picture lite up.



"Can anyone tell me who this is? And could you share some more of his famous lines from his works? Please only share one so there are enough for everyone." she said glancing from the portrait to the students.

OOC: Remember to raise your hands and to keep talking to a minimum. When you are giving famous lines, please try not to repeat those that have already been shared. Thanks! I lovers you all! :glomp:

Theodore eyed the picture closely. He had seen it before but didn't really know who it was. Writer in the 16th/17th century, though? Yeah, he would take a guess, which he was sure would be right.

"Is it William Shakespeare, professor?" He said, raising his hand high.

He was like... top dog writer.

Famous lines were another thing completely. The boy put his hand down straight away, cos he was no genius literature reader, guys.

Alyssa quickly recognized that phrase and raised her hand,"Professor the author of that play is William Shakespeare. That line came from the play he wrote called "Hamlet""

"He has also been known for other famous saying like,"The quality of mercy is not strained, it falleth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that giveth and him that taketh away. " Alyssa paused before adding.

"Those were the words from his play, Merchant of Venice."

Nigel had seen that painting before. Hmm.. Maybe..Yes his parents had show it to him somewhere before. Nigel raised his hand and waved it frantically "Professor Professor, It's William Shakespeare, he wrote some good plays. Like "Nothing will come of nothing" in King Lear." Yes Nigel liked that quote he thought as he ate the delicious tootsie roll

Shakespeare! João looked in wonder for a moment. He wasn't a specific fan of the man, but he knew his works. In fact, his Antony's Oration was his favourite speeches of all times. Raising his hand, he said "William Shakespeare, that's him, professor," he said, before he kept quite for a moment to remember his favourite parts of the oration. He wanted to recite the whole of it--he knew it by heart, but he figured only two lines would had to do now: "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones," he said, and hesitated for a moment whether he should tell it was from Antony's Oration, but in the end, he decided not to. If she wanted, she would ask him.