Oop. OOP. RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

But that was totally okay, because Toby was nearly done, and this was the fun, easy part (though, y'know, he was still a SMIDGE uneasy about carving into Peter again, though he knew it was for selfish reasons). The sixth year now had his wand in hand and pumpkin right in front of him, and the places all marked out on the surface for exactly where he had to carve. Here goes nothing, then.

"Punktumus," Toby said quite clearly, and started carving out the first set of 'stars'. He tried to make the ones from the Plough asterism a little bigger, because they always looked bigger and clearer in the night sky than the rest of the constellation. "Punktumus." Over and over again Toby repeated the spell, carefully sinking his wand into the pumpkin where the places had been marked out, and making little holes in it for light to shine through.

After he had the pan-shaped part done, Toby moved along and carved in the stars that made up Ursa Major's head, before doubling back and going down to make those front legs.

Sometimes the spell would last long enough for him to carve a few stars, but more often than not Toby found he'd have to keep repeating the incantation, because his focus for this magic was apparently not up to par today. But that was okay... off days happened.

"Punktumus..." At last, he finished the last of the sixteen stars (he noticed that sometimes there were variations on the number of stars included, but this was the version Toby was going with) and that was really all he needed to do. But like... wasn't there a cool thing some muggles did? Where they sort of... scraped off the surface to make parts of the pumpkin more translucent, for shading and stuff in the more intricate pumpkin designs? That seemed like it would be cool, to do that and add lines that connected the stars to show the constellation, without carving all the way through. It was worth a shot, right? Yeah.

"Punktumus," Toby cast again, now working on the fiddly task of shaving off the very outer skin of the pumpkin, a task more intricate than anything he usually did in his day-to-day life and that instantly turned out to be a lot harder than it looked. But Toby persisted, and eventually managed to scrape away those lines so, when it was lit up, they SHOULD glow a little and show the shape of the constellation. Hopefully that wouldn't ruin any of that magic Airey had mentioned, if it really DID work (and Tobias was hopeful that it would). Either way, his pumpkin was DONE, Ursa Major was all carved on.

The Hufflepuff set down his wand and raised his fists in the air in a sort of victory pose, his foot-tapping going up a notch as it always did immediately after having to sit still for and/or focus for a long time. DONE. Toby smiled to himself and set about packing up his things, giving Peter the Pumpkin a friendly pat as he did so. Good job lil guy, you did your duty.

When he was all ready to go, Toby stuck his name at the top of his parchment and brought that, and Peter, to Airey's desk. Parchment went ON the desk and pumpkin on the floor in FRONT of it (he may have also whispered a little 'goodbye', shhh) before Toby collected his things again.

"Thanks Professor," Toby said, slinging his bag over one shoulder and looking to the Astronomer who he now saw was... having issues. Finger injury? Oh... must have missed something. "I hope your finger doesn't fall off," he added with a genuine smile and encouraging grin, as if enough positive thoughts would help the guy out. The digit didn't look like it was in too much danger, but YOU NEVER KNOW.

With that, and one last salute, Toby left the classroom.

Janelle figured she was ready to write down her information, so she picked up her quill and got started. As she wrote down her thoughts, she hoped that they would make sense to the Professor. She thought she was going in the right direction, but she could be wrong.



Once Janelle had finished writing, she put all of her things away. Then she grabbed her pumpkin and parchment and headed for Professor Flamsteed's desk. Janelle put her report on the desk and carefully placed her masterpiece pumpkin on the floor. Was she finished? She guessed so. "Goodbye Professor", Janelle said as she left his desk. She walked back to her seat and gathered her things. Then it was off to the next class.

He was done... finished... both with his pumpkin and with his parchment. Did that mean he could LEAVE now? Scanning the room, his gaze fell on Professor Airey, and with impeccable timing, it seemed the lesson was indeed finished. THANK MERLIN.

Zeke was more than happy to depart Astronomy for once, and he was in dire need of a pick-me-up, so a trip to the kitchens was definitely on the cards. Cake!

After dropping his parchment on Professor Airey's desk, and leaving his pumpkin at the front too, he returned to his desk to pack up his belongings - hastily, and then turned to his partner to say a quick goodbye. "Thanks for the company," he said to Hady, a small smile lifting the corners of his lips, "I'll see you around." Probably tomorrow, but, yeah, around.. he'd see her around. And Professor Airey too, "Thanks for the lesson, Professor." Never mind he sucked at this one.

And now he was off, out the door without looking back.

Quote:

"Once you are done carving and writing, please leave your parchments on my desk and set your pumpkins on the ground in front of it," he said, using his foot to indicate each spot. "You will be putting some of these theories to test this Halloween as the ghosts and myself will be hosting an astronomy inspired Halloween party in the Spirit Room. Details on that, as well as homework, will be posted on your house noticeboards later. Class dismissed!"

So, hurry up and finish so he could rush to the Healer, yeah?

"House elves, thank you for coming today. If you could please take your buckets to the kitchens," he added with a wink. They knew what to do with that.

Hady was ready to go when the Professor announced that class was over. It was a good thing to before anyone else lost more points for their houses and so that the Professor could go get that rat bite checked out!

Glancing over at Zeke she smiled at him before putting her things away and getting to her feet. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she grabbed up her pumpkin and her parchment notes.

"Thanks for a fun lesson Professor! Sorry your finger got hurt though, hope it heels up fast." Hady offered to Professor Airey giving him a wave before placing her notes on his desk and setting the pumpkin down on the floor with the others.

Turning she made her way to catch up with Zeke so she could reply to what he had said to her. "Yeah of course. I'm always around." Grinning at him she went the other way to put her things in her dorm room.

Satisfied that she hadn't missed anything particularly important, Amur eyed her pumpkin. She could leave it as it was, and the light would pin-prick through the holes. That, however, wouldn't look much like a crane (granted the image on her textbook page didn't look much like a crane either).

Her eyes slid to her wand, wondering how long it would remain cooperative. It seemed if she remained determined and focused, then she wouldn't have toooo many problems. So far, so good.

Letting out a slow, measured breath, Amur resisted the urge to sneak a pumpkin seed into her mouth and instead placed one hand on the face of her pumpkin to steady it.

"Punktumus..." She breathed, carefully pressing the wand into the space after the first point. "Punktumus, Punktumus, Punktumus, Punktumus."

She carved slowly, down to the next point. Just before reaching it, she stopped, paused and pulled her wand free. Wiping the face of the pumpkin with her thumb, Amur smiled to herself. The line was a little bit rough, but it gave the illusion of connecting the two dots. A small space was left between the star point and the line, so that it was a pin-prick, a space and then a line of light.

After all, stars weren't connected by lines. No, those lines were there more for a representation than anything else. To draw the eye, as her father would say.

Wiggling about in her seat with re-found excitement, Amur focused on the next eight lines. They each turned out a bit squiggly, and the neck line made an unexpected arch of direction before reverting back to course. That was okay. It was a personable Grus-pumpkin-constellation.

Once all lines were in, said and done, Amur turned the pumpkin this way and that. It looked okay. Anything more and she would probably kabosh it. Her wand had started to get finicky by the ninth line, as if saying it had enough of work and wanted to rest.

So she let it, putting it to the side and giving the pumpkin face a brief wipe with her sleeve. Cue finger wiggling. What next?

They could leave? Thank goodness! Adi jumped up, shoved his belongings into his bag, grabbed the Gemini pumpkin and parchment before heading to Flamsteed's desk. He set the parchment on the desk and the pumpkin on the floor as indicated.

"Bye, Professor. I hope the rat wasn't rabid.'' The distracted Hufflepuff didn't even realise he had left Benny behind as he took off for wherever his feet took him. He did shoot another look at AJ as he left though. Adi was suddenly feeling very withdrawn.

Right! A blurb, an explanation as to what her constellation did for wizards and witches.

Amur shifted her pumpkin aside, scrubbed her desk with her sleeve, carefully shifted her hidden pumpkin seeds into her pocket and ironed out a fresh piece of parchment with her hand. She dipped her quill, put the tip to the page and ..... stared.

What her constellation would do. What would it do? She really wasn't sure. Her textbook wasn't of much help either. But the Professor had said theorize, hadn't he?

She ruffled the feather of her quill under her nose in thought. Well, it was a crane for starters. A bird, long legged and long necked. It could help wizards, but how? Her eyes slid to her wand, a thought forming.

With a small smile, she hunched over her paper and began to scribble.



Satisfied, Amur put her quill and books away, tied up her desk, and gathered up her pumpkin and her parchment. Blowing on the parchment as she walked up to the desk, she deposited both pumpkin and write-up in the appropriate spots.

Her attention turned towards the Professor. He wouldn't collapse once they had all left the room, right? No. He'd be okay. "Thanks for the lesson, Sir."

Caleb had to keep doing his constellation, because time was running out! EEEP! "Punktumus!" he exclaimed, making another line in his pumpkin. Slowly but surely, Taurus was starting to take shape...

How did the ancient people think this was a bull again?

"Punktumus!" he exclaimed again. This was really an upper arm workout!

Ohh, a Halloween party? That sounded fun! Kate was having so much fun as a Hogwarts student, if even she was a little scared of most of the staff here. Class was over now, though, so Kate started packing her bags. When everything was all packed up, she cleaned the area she'd been working in, even though the house elves had gotten most of it.

Kate put her parchment on the professor's desk and her pumpkin on the ground in front of the desk. "Thanks for a really awesome lesson, Professor! Do you need any help with these pumpkins?" she asked. Kate wasn't really good at levitating, and she couldn't lift many at all, but she thought it was good to ask.

It looked like the Professor was going to be okay, despite his worries. She hoped anyway, seeing as he didn't need her band aid. Margo walked her parchment up to the desk dropped it off as well as her pumpkin. Packed her bag and turned to department from the class room.

"Good day Professor! Thanks for the lesson, I hope your finger feels better." Margo said, and with that, it was the end of another great Lesson.

"No thank you, Miss Addison," he smiled to the Ravenclaw as paused his farewells to students as they exited. "Got a bit of a surprise in store for you all and I wouldn't want to ruin it."

Shooing the last of the students out of the classroom, Airey followed behind and locked the door. NOW TO THE HOSPITAL WING BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE!