"The Tug of War charm could be another name I suppose." Clever, Simon. Very clever.

"But yes, it is the Seize and Pull charm. If you didn't catch it from before, it's incantation is Carpe Retractum, and as Mister Newell stated, it allows you to pull objects tovards you in a vhip like fashion." Those of who didn't know the spell were taking notes, yes? Mentally was great, but physically was even greater. "Vot ve mean ven ve say vhip, ve are referring to the vand movement. Not too difficult, but takes some getting used to."

Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out her wand, and demonstrated the whip-like movement. "You may start practicing this movement in just a moment but before ve get to that...apart from vot ve spoken of so far, is there any other information ve know about the Seize and Pull Charm?"

Adi shook his head. Zander was acting weird. Again. What was it with this dude? Anyway, class was starting. He remembered what they learnt the last class. Impedimenta. Yep.

Moving on! Carpe Retractum...ah yes. Adi remembered when Fuller had taught that. Adi raised a hand. "The Seize and Pull Charm, Professor.''

Simon smiled a little when Romanos mentioned that the 'Tug of War' charm could be another name for it. Hehe. He puffed his chest out a little bit with pride that she had commented on it at all. Then he listened to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor explain the charm. Truth be told, he liked the name of the charm better. It was more catchy. Could someone be paid to come up with names for spells and charms?

He was getting distracted once more.

FOCUS.

Right. Refocusing. He blinked and watched the Professor display the whip-like movement. At this precise moment, the boy saw Romanos as a cowgirl wrangling in some loose cattle. Huh? Wait. Was that really happening? Why was no one reacting? He rubbed his eyes. Oh no. That had just been his overactive imagination at play.

"Its generally used on inanimate targets though the charm can be used on animals and plants too. Probably would have helped cowboys and farmers back in the day," he said.

He was just letting his imagination run wasn't he?

Insert faceplam here please.

..... So when was the Cold One attack going to happen?? Because was prepared! He was in the know! He was going to save the entire population of the class! Maybe with the help of his friends, if they were willing to join too. Which the should be because, hello, did they want to die? All these questions were starting to make the Gryffindor boy a little impatient. Man. Romanos really was clever. Hmph. Distracting everyone with useless questions about that tug of war thing or whatever. Also, kudos to Simon for that one. He gave his friend a faint grin, even though he was momentarily DISTRACTED by the future invasion!

Again, he didn't answer the question and merely just listened to the others. Mostly because he had no idea what this tug of war thing was really about. But also, because he didn't want to be distracted when the Cold Ones came in.

Adi noticed Simon's chest expanding more than usual. He thought he knew what was going through the Snake's head and grinned. Indeed, "Tug of War charm" would be a cool name for that spell.

Adi thought back to what Fuller had taught them before raising his hand. "The wand movement is whip like.'' Yes, that would be it. If memory served him correctly.

Yeah, Sophie remembered this spell from her first term. Back when Fuller was just a cutiepie professor and not one of her two long lost cool uncles. She wondered what the man had thought of her back then - had he ever imagined she'd end up one of his favorites? Eating his pizza? Swimming in his swimming pool with Tobes?

Probably not. That made it all the more fun, and she smiled at the memories.

Plenty of people had the charm named and were elaborating on it, so Sophie kept to herself and caught sight of Zander for the first time - he was a little squirmy, wasn't he? Not like that was anything out of the ordinary, but... oh. Romanos. Right. She'd forgotten about his theory on the professor's apparent evil side and plot to ruin Hogwarts or whatever. Much more interested in the way the Gryffindor's eyes were darting around the classroom like something was going to jump out at them than at the answers that the other students were feeding Romanos, Sophie kept an eye on Zander, an amused smile playing upon her lips.

She kind of wanted to toss something at him and make him jump out of his skin.

Carpe Retractum.

In other words the Seize and Pull Charm. She remembered something about that. What she most remembered was the cool wand movement it had. Like a whip. If she wasn't preoccupied with keeping herself warm, Beverly would have felt tempted to do the whip movement right there and then.

Oh. But they WERE going to practice the wand movement. Beverly reached for her wand ready to get to it -- oh, not yet. Okay.

Raising her hand she said, "It could also be used to pull yourself toward something." That just opened a door to possibilities. Lots of them. Fun ones.

Oh hey they were talking about this spell now? She remembered when Professor Fuller had given this to them for homework that one time. She and Mo practiced together...yeah...she remembered. Brilliant fun that had been.

"It's useful when you wanna tie Ravenclaws up, but they cast back and are stubborn like you wouldn't believe." It was true. Mo had been adamant that he'd keep his rope until she ended her own and being as stubborn as she was, they'd been wriggling around on the floor for a while before Mo yielded. That's why he was the Ravenclaw, smart boy that one. Left to her they'd have been on the floor for hours going at it until the ropes finally faded.

They did fade, yes? Like if she were to have abandoned Mo during that homework, he'd have gotten loose eventually, right? She would go on thinking so. It made abandoning for food easier. Otherwise she'd have to find someone she didn't care about. That couldn't have been too hard in truth but those she didn't like tended to not like her as well.

Who knew, they might tell once someone stumbled across them--unless they shoved them in one of the many empty classrooms. Now there was some food for though.

Did she remember anything else about the Seize and Pull Charm? Lux couldn't honestly say that anything was coming to mind which hadn't already been said by other classmates. Not wanting to repeat anyone else's response, she decided to stay wuiet this time and wait for the next question.

Sometimes review was nice, but she did have to wonder why Professor Romanos was asking about THIS particular spell. What did seizing and pulling have to do with Defence Against the Dark Arts? Did she even WANT to know?

Probably not.

"The colour can be different depending on what it's being casted upon." And, as Wayne mentioned, you might also use it to pull yourself toward something. Weird. He and Wayne were besties. The whole mass and density thing was what he was going to go with, but Bevz had said it first. Twin monkies. Like Benzi. Wherever he was.

He was happy anyway. They'd be using the seize and pull charm in class and it had long been one of the favourites he'd learned from Fuller. It was just so dead useful for trapping things against their will.

Ethan stood up from his spot, convinced that the leaves were just leaves. They smell like one, so there’s that. The boy looked from left to right as his classmates fed the professor with answers to his questions, nodding and such in agreement.

Carpe Retractum.

He did use this once in his old school, and he got hurt. Nothing serious though, just a result of carelessness and perhaps arrogance? But yeah, he does know something about it apart from using it to retrieve like a lasso would. Hand up. “You have to have a direct line of sight on the object you want to retrieve, professor.” Yup. Answer’s based on experience. Heh.

Penelope had not learned the seize and pull charm from another term because she was a first year. Because she did not know the charm, she had nothing new to add. She was sitting in the middle of her personal space circle taking notes.

Angel listened to everyone's suggestions, she had no idea why anyway would want to use a Seize and Pull Charm, maybe it was because they were lazy and couldn't be bothered to walk to the object but saying that it would be fun to use on her sisters when they wasn't expecting it.

Angel wondered if it would work on humans, she would have to look it up later, though at the minute she was trying to figure out what this has to do with defence against the dark arts, surely you wouldn't want anyone bad near you.

Carpe retractum..
Lucy raised her wand and she said:" My father told me that spell can save the life of the wizard because the objects moved can support the weight of his body during a fall if they are sufficiently solid and robust.."

Ah, Carpe Retractum. Jasmine knew that it was the Seize and Pull Charm before any of her classmates spoke. How could she forget? It was the spell that Cris used to defeat her in their duel. No.......she would never forget that one.

While she was reminiscing, the other students were answering the question. By the time Jasmine checked back into the conversation, Professor Romanos had moved on to a new question. Jasmine had a factoid to offer, so she raised her hand. "An orange jet of light comes fom the caster's wand and a rope is formed."

Not too long ago. Okay, how recent was that? Leah had probably attended as many Charms lessons as possible but did not remember a Seize and Pull charm. Maybe the year before her first year? Because the third years seemed to know about the spell.

So, better start taking notes. Leah wondered why they were going to learn this spell again if some had already mastered it. Not that she had any complaints. The Hufflepuff pulled out her journal and quill and scribbled down notes.


She started listening to the other students' answers.

Taking notes was a tad bit difficult, what with all the standing - and keeping his hands shoved inside his jacket. Because cold. Come on.

He was listening though.

Carpe Retractum.

That sounded something technical.

Noel could not bit back his laughter upon hearing what the gryffindor prefect Lex said because anyone saying things about Ravenclaws were funny. Hearing everything that everyone else was saying, Noel chimed in his two cents too: "Can it be used as a grappling hook, professor?" You SEIZE something strong and then just hold onto it so the hypothetical tornado doesn't pull you away. Right? Or was he just making stuff up.

Notes, notes were being taken even if AJ had been quiet so far. She was merely letting everything soak into her frozen brain. She was having a hard enough time trying to focus, much less answer the questions that were coming at her full force.

Was there anything else they needed to know? Err... AJ was trying to think of anything to contribute so the professor wouldn't think that she stopped breathing or something. "Um... it's very important to pronounce the charm correctly when speaking." Lame. That answer was totally lame. She blamed the cold. How was a girl to think properly in these conditions?

West tried not to be disappointed but it was tough, y'know? Not only was it a basic charm that he'd learned ages ago and all, but it was (as the professor had acknowledged) one that was covered in the charms curriculum. New and tougher would be so much cooler.

He didn't take notes but he did listen, and look around. So... they were going to seize and pull some leaves?

Just a guess...

What?

WHAT?!

The Tug of War Charm? Was that going to be useful against the Cold Ones or the Skygge? He didn't think so. He LIKED the spell, of course, for reasons that were his own buuuuut the boy had been thinking that they'd learn MORE defensive spells. Ones that would help them defeat beasts, especially when said beasts could be waiting for them in that Forest over there.

There was time. THERE WAS STILL TIME.

For the question, Grayson raised his hand in the air and went ahead to mention something he liked very much about the spell. "It's dead useful if you're a lazy butt." It WAS a fact about the spell. Ultimate laziness achievement was unlocked when you master this particular spell. Brilliant, wasn't it? Grayson certainly liked to think so.

She couldn't deny she loved the out of box talk here, however unusual it may have been to be brought up. "I'm sure it no doubt vould haff. Good thinking." What about nowadays? Or who was to say the spell wasn't invented yet back in the day? Was this strictly wizard world or muggle world talk? Just a few questions left unsaid.

"Yes, thank you, Mister Rehman." she nodded to the young lad. Good fact to remember.

"Quite clever to remember a grappling hook, Mister Wallace. And could very vell be used in place of one depending on the object you are casting upon." Fiddling with her wand, she gestured toward Lucy and then Beverly. "Exactly as how Miss Petersfield put it. Even if standing stationary, the object you cast upon must be solid enough and sturdy enough to vithstand your body veight. Even more so if you're falling, as the impact and strain against the rope and object vill haff increased greatly once the snap of coming to the rope's end comes to pass."

Gravity taking effect and all that.

"But even vith this in mind, I'm sure you can imagine a number of possibilities this spell could be useful in more...urgent situations." Correct? She was more than ready to name a few to get their imaginations going if necessary. "Adding in the fact that it can haff the opposite effect of pulling you tovards an object, the number of possibilities becomes substantial. Keep in mind, I'm not talking about getting you to the dinner table faster either. Perhaps, climbing to safer grounds vould be of use. Or pulling yourself out of the line of an attack?"

Any of those sound important?

...

Every time. It seemed like it. Every time she had no clue as to what to say.

"Haff you had first hand experience vith this, Miss Cambridge?" Said in her best calm voice EVER. Did Medea even want to know?

No. Not really.

"Correct, Mister Mordaunt. Absolutely." Although, going into spell theory and why the colors differentiate depending on the object cast upon would have to be a topic for another day and time. She was sure they'd all rather be snuggled under their blankets in the common rooms as soon as possible.

"One of the more important aspects of the spell." she nodded in agreement. "Good, Mister Mordaunt."

"Precisely, yes." she nodded. "Though keep in mind, as Mister Mordaunt had said..." Well, the first Mordaunt to speak that is. "...it vill not alvays be an orange light. Do you know vhich other colors it can be ven cast?"

"Oh, absolutely." she nodded serious. Serious fact needed a serious nod. "As it is just as important to get the vand movement down as vell. Thank you, miss Valentine."

Mmhmm. She was expecting this particular answer to be said sooner actually. "Naturally." she nodded a little anyhow, a small smile appearing. "Though even the laziest of spells can haff their glory in the spotlight...if you can be creative and think outside the box."

Hint hint nudge nudge. Start thinking Grayson Whitlock.


Although, she'd help Grayson out to start with. "For example, say your protective shield isn't as up to par as you'd like it to be." Despite continuing to respond to the Slytherin's comment, she spoke to the whole class. "Magical shields aren't the only objects that can block a spell. Or just plain everyday objects. In fact, there are certain spells that magical shields von't block altogether. You know vot vill though?" Did they? "Rocks. Stumps. Logs. Seashells...if large and sturdy enough. Mirrors. Chairs. Your book bag..."

"In most cases, these objects are a one time use to defend yourself vith. The larger and more sturdy the object, the more likely you may receive two or three more uses from it, seeing as they probably vill not exist after a spell makes contact vith them." Don't grab anything valuable to you. Ahem. "Nonetheless, any shield is better than a frail or no magical shield at all. And this vay, you'd haff many options at your fingertips if you choose visely." What was the saying again? The best offense was a good defense?

"This can be achieved through using the Seize and Pull charm, or accio, if the object in mind is further from your grasp...though I'd go vith the former of the two, especially if it's an object you can physically pull. Accio requires much more concentration than the Seize and Pull charm does." Taking a breath, she paused momentarily, letting the information sink in.

"Are there any other uses one can think of for this spell?" There were many to choose from!

Ethan nodded back in response to Professor Romanos. Well at least his answer was correct. Mhm. However, the boy started to tilt his head from left…then to the right as he pictured and imagined what the professor was saying. Apparently the spell could be used as a defence move, and not just use it because one is feeling lazy.

Now…how would it be used? All that she mentioned were for defending oneself, but, could it be used to attack as well? Hmm. Hand up. “Professor? How about using it as an offensive spell from behind? Like seizing an object that is positioned behind your opponent, then pull it towards his direction? That way it’ll hit him at the back where he couldn’t see. That should buy the caster time to cast another offensive spell, or run away while his opponent's distracted.” Did…that make sense? He was definitely going to use that if someone messes with him. Slytherin, you see? Mhmmm.

First hand experience? "Sure have Professor. Last time was with Mo. We were trying to practise on heavy objects and well, he was heavier than the vase he brought with him so I figured why not--then he casted back. We were rolling around on the floor for a while before he let go." That had been a fun homework, Mo would agree...if he wasn't still sore about it, though she doubted he would be. Even Ravenclaws knew how to have fun...in theory.

Very quickly, Lex scribbled the example and explanation given by Romanos. Never know when it could prove to be of some use again. Her quill dropped lightly onto the parchment as the question of others ways to go about it was asked.

"Also good for capture and containment, like when your kneazle climbs about in the owlery looking for lunch and you have no choice but to wand handle him before he robs someone of a pet and you're stuck listening to the lousy whiner of an owner after--not that...er...that's ever been an issue Professor...nooooo. Felix is good--but hypothetically, you know, use the seize and pull to snatch him despite him being out of reach."

Then apologize with treats after while scolding him for running away.

It was....complicated, okay?

He wrote down some of the things the Professor mentioned. Defensive. Don't grapple precious things. Yep. Yep. That made sense.

HAD SOMEONE SAID GRAPPLING HOOK!?

Who was that genius? Simon wanted to meet whoever said that RIGHT now but he couldn't as they were in the middle of class. Besides, using a grappling hook would be awesome. Simon's blue eyes widened. Using the spell like a grappling hook could enable them to climb the outside of the tower. Man, that would be awesome. Maybe that would be their only escape route out of the castle. Before he could open his mouth and raise his hand to offer another application of the charm, Ethan Holmes had spoken up. They could use the spell offensively? Now THAT was an interesting idea. He hadn't thought of that. "I agree with Ethan. Using the spell could provide the suitable amount of time to get a hit on an opponent."

"Since we can use the spell like a grappling hook then we technically could be able to climb a wall to get out of a sticky situation or scale a building to get away?" he asked curiously unsure whether or not that was one of the answers that Professor Romanos was searching for.

Nigel listened to Romanos start the lesson and just took everything in. He did not bring any notes or anything. Kind of spilled his mind. So the best he could do is try and remember what she was talking about.

And they were talking about his favorite spell. The one where he did not have to get up to get anything important. Besides food and drinks.

"Because you are lazy and do not want to get up"

Pretty much how Nigel was feeling right now.