"Hey!" Paulina said to Adi with a smile. Benny got a smile as well, then it was time for the lesson to begin.

Honestly she had no idea what the numbered squares were for, but it seemed that Adi might have had some idea. Maybe he could help her if she needed it because otherwise it would take her forever to make any progress in this lesson.

Deciding to take a guess, she raised her hand. "Is it some sort of Arithmancy that uses grids?" She was sure that she remembered reading something about grids in the textbook, but she couldn't remember what it was. Honestly the textbook was a struggle for her because she found it rather dull.

Daxton looked up from his Arithmancy textbook - which he had been flipping through to pass the time before class started - when someone sat next to him, and saw David Truebridge. He considered him for a moment before going right back to the textbook, apparently quite content for his dormmate to sit beside him.

It took him a moment to realise that the lesson was getting underway, as absorbed as he was in the textbook, but when he did, Daxton looked up to Tanner and then peered over at the open space at the floor. He was not planning to answer anyway, but even if he had been there were so many possible answers that the probability of being wrong was too high for Daxton. He looked around at the others in the room, and then back at his textbook.

So he chose to take her seriously, then. She had thought he might, and that was fine with her. "Yes, I think I will be in on Saturday getting some marking done, so a little recreational break would be useful!" And it ought to be fun. "Courtyard, probably." Unless he had a better idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She had actually considered something similar to this. "Well definitely yes to the Arithmancy portion," she said with a wink. "And as for the nine-square idea, not quite."

Tiara nodded. "You're getting warmer, Mister Rogers."

Hmm. She really wasn't all that sure if Muggles would use this. "I am not certain about that, Mister Truebridge, not having lived in the Muggle world myself for quite some time. But I would venture a guess that some Muggles may be aware of it, yes." Tiara hated how vague that was, but... she also idn't want to say one thing and then have inadvertently lied to her students.

A good guess! "No sudoku, as there would probably need to be more squares. But tic tac toe is getting very close!" In fact, extremely close.

She had been pleased to hear that Aditya was looking forward to the lesson. Many seventh year students had lost their love of learning through the years and pressure of examinations. And his guess was smart as well. "It is certainly related to the great Pythagoras, indeed."

Another game that used a numbered board, so another solid guess. "Right church, wrong pew," as her grandmother used to say.


"Yes, a very astute guess, Miss Holiday!" Tiara nodded her approval at the older Hufflepuff. But so far no one had actually guessed the specific topic accurately.

Until the one and only Ethan Mordaunt, that is. "Well guessed, Mister Mordaunt. That is exactly the topic of today's lesson." He received the warmest smile of the day. She was happy that her advanced students knew enough to make such informed conjectures.

"But before we explore the Arrows of Pythagoras, I think we need to understand the basic concept a bit more," she continued, a slightly mischievous tone to her voice. With a flick of her wand, an image appeared on the board. "Therefore, I would like each person to partner up with someone and play as many games of tic-tac-toe as you can in the few minutes I am giving you." Did they all know the rules? It seemed highly likely.

"You have five minutes to partner up and play, starting.. now!"

Art?

Rooney spent a minute of so considering why the floor tape was considered art, and decided that that was a question best saved for after class or in his next letter to Aunt Elodie. For her to ask her artist boyfriend, obviously. Tilting his head, he tried to picture the thing on the floor at different angles so maybe something clicked in his head, but instead he pondered silently with no answer.

He did like playing hopscotch though.

Awesomeeee!

He had been on the right track but Ethan beat them all to it. Waaaay to go, Ethan! Adi made a note of today's topic in his book. This sounded fascinating! Aaah! They needed to play tic-tac-toe? Honestly, it was one of the games Adi found dull but he hadn't played it in a while so maybe he would have fun with that. And who better to have fun with the game than with the guy bestie?

"Pssst. Benny. You're my partner." Nope, it wasn't a question. Adi grabbed his belongings and shifted over to the seat next to his friend. It was logical he moved if they were going to be partners since he had been sitting next to Blaise and Paulina. "Is it okay if I be the Xs?" The Puffer doodled the grid for the game then drew an X in the top, center square. "Your move!" They could always switch Xs and Os if Benny wanted.

So trying to learn the more advanced topics of the subject was slowly paying off. Chances of the topic not to be discussed anytime soon was high, so, Ethan took the initiative to learn some of the harder subjects of Arithmancy on his own. To reciprocate the warm smile he got from the professor, Ethan grinned back at the woman and gave her a polite nod.

Moving along, Ethan propped his left elbow on his desk and placed his chin in his hand as he listened to what the professor had to say. Apparently, tic-tac-toe is somewhat related to the Arrows of Pythagoras, seeing that they also have to draw a line over a series of three numbers, just like how it was pictured in their book.

Nodding, he sat straighter in his chair, and looked around him to see if anyone wanted to play with him. “Who wants me?”

Lol.

Really, Mordaunt? "...er, right. Partner? Anyone?"

Olly was not really looking forward to Arithmancy. It was basically math which meant it was probably boring. But he had still showed up, because so far he had not been to a lesson that had been too boring. Plus Ellery was there, so he was there.

Olly had no idea who Pythagoras was, but he did know what tic tac toe was. He was definitely fine with playing a game, even if that wasn't all they were doing during the lesson. He got out a piece of paper and drew the grid. He placed an x right in the middle before handing it over to Ellery, who was sitting right next to him. Of course they would play together.

"Your turn."

Kaycee expected a hard lesson. But nope. Tic - tac - toe. She knew how to play that. Hopefully the rest of the class would stay this simple.

"I'm free." she said to the older boy with a smile. She marked off a spot on the board then slid it over.


"I'm Kaycee, by the way." Because she probably should introduce herself to the person she was about to beat in tic tac toe her current arithmany partner.

Tic tac --what?

Rooney looked down at his feet, squinted and then looked back up at his classmates. They meant a game of noughts and crosses, right? That was what he was going to do anyway. Once he secured himself a partner. Eyes darting between coupled people, Roo raised his hand. "Solo Ravenclaw, here? Solo? Partner? Duo? Please?" Were there any other words he could have put into that elongated question or not?

He just wanted someone to play noughts and crosses with, and not any weird toe games.

Toes were strange.

PYTHAGORAS like PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM?????!??!?!? Super cool!!!!!!! Tic tac toe was a little anticlimactic after the promise and potential of Pythagoras, but Ellery could deal because she got to play with her brother.

Which actually, tended to be detrimental. They always did the same thing. Olly always went first, and picked Xs, and went in the center. Ellery always assumed it was because Olly didn't want Os. And then she always went for a corner.

SPOILER!!: The Game

---
-X-
--O

Always.

The Arrows of Pythagoras. Right, not something muggle, and definitely not hopscotch. Good. Davie wrote all of that down and then looked around for a partner to play tic-tac-toe with.

"Rooney?" The older Ravenclaw he'd met at the feast? He seemed to be looking around for a partner. "Wanna play me?" Davie scratched down a board on his parchment. "You can go first."

Ellery's move was unsurprising. Games of tic tac toe between the two of them were always very similar. And it was rare that either of them actually won. It was always a draw, which seemed fitting that neither of them was better at the game than the other. Not that they often sat around and just played tic tac toe, but it was quick and easy.

Not every game could be exactly the same, of course. Otherwise one would be able to figure out how to win. He studied their paper, as if contemplating a serious strategic move. There were only two marks on the paper, but he liked being dramatic. Finally, after careful (or maybe not so careful) consideration, Olly made his move.

Arrows of Pythagoras?

Hady wasn't sure what that was or if she'd even heard the term before however she wrote it down in her notes anyhow. Tic-tac-toe. Now that game she knew. It was simple as well. The only problem was now she needed a partner.

Setting her quill down Hady cast a glance around at those sitting close to her. Most already seemed to be pairing off into groups. Well alright then. She'd have to find a partner fast being they only had about five minutes.

"Anyone still need someone to work with?" Yeah she was actually kinda asking today. Might as well do something other then sit around.

Snagged before he was able to think more about toes than he ever had in his life. Or, since Teddy had been born. Because Calliope had said that Teddy had 6 toes on one foot and for the life of him, Rooney hadn't been able to see the sixth. The sixth that hadn't even existed in the first place. With a smile, Rooney nodded. "Thanks, Mister David Truebridge." Or did he want to be known as 'little red'? Because of big red?

Toes...

"Why is this game named after feet feelers?" That's exactly what this was, right? Feet feelers? Leaning over, Rooney considered the best place to put his first mark. And whether he was going to be noughts and crosses. Instead of making more conversation, Rooney went with what he preferred out of hugs (o) and kisses (x).

Hugs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by board

- - o
- - -
- - -

"Your turn."

SPOILER!!: Partner Adi

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Awesomeeee!

He had been on the right track but Ethan beat them all to it. Waaaay to go, Ethan! Adi made a note of today's topic in his book. This sounded fascinating! Aaah! They needed to play tic-tac-toe? Honestly, it was one of the games Adi found dull but he hadn't played it in a while so maybe he would have fun with that. And who better to have fun with the game than with the guy bestie?

"Pssst. Benny. You're my partner." Nope, it wasn't a question. Adi grabbed his belongings and shifted over to the seat next to his friend. It was logical he moved if they were going to be partners since he had been sitting next to Blaise and Paulina. "Is it okay if I be the Xs?" The Puffer doodled the grid for the game then drew an X in the top, center square. "Your move!" They could always switch Xs and Os if Benny wanted.

So Arrows of Pythagoras.
The name of the person he knew, as it played a big part in the subject as well as the muggle equivolent. The concept itself, mentioned first by Ethan before being confirmed by the professor, was new to Ben however. And they were talking about something else before hand. The Gryffindor watched as a new image was but on the board and this was a bit more familiar. Okay so they were to work up to the more complicated idea by working on the simple game.

He could do this...for now.

Benny turned at the psst, only to hear and see Adi moving closer and claiming him as his partner for the activity. "Fine by me," he answered in response to both the possession that hadn't been a question, and the idea of his friend being the x's on the game board. He himself didn't have a preference, not really feeling like either had an advantage or anything else of the sort. Adi made the first move and after a few moments, the Gryffindor picked the spot for his first 'O'.

SPOILER!!: Game

"Next..."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanners

Snagged before he was able to think more about toes than he ever had in his life. Or, since Teddy had been born. Because Calliope had said that Teddy had 6 toes on one foot and for the life of him, Rooney hadn't been able to see the sixth. The sixth that hadn't even existed in the first place. With a smile, Rooney nodded. "Thanks, Mister David Truebridge." Or did he want to be known as 'little red'? Because of big red?

Toes...

"Why is this game named after feet feelers?" That's exactly what this was, right? Feet feelers? Leaning over, Rooney considered the best place to put his first mark. And whether he was going to be noughts and crosses. Instead of making more conversation, Rooney went with what he preferred out of hugs (o) and kisses (x).

Hugs.

"Your turn."

Mister David Truebridge. He quite liked that title, and Rooney was easy to get along with. "Dunno bout that, mate," he answered curiously. "I've heard it called noughts and crosses though." Toes didn't instantly make him think of feet, oddly enough.

So, looked like Rooney was going to be crosses and Davie was going to be noughts. He eyed the board and quickly marked an X down.

Quote:

- - O
- - -
X - -

"Back to you."

"Me too. I thought that maybe I was the only person that had heard of it called that." Thank the Arithmancy heavens that Mister David Truebridge existed in all of his noughts and crosses glory. Glory that also included the greeting 'mate', which puzzled Rooney. He didn't know that they were mates. Nor had he ever called anyone a mate. A friend, a buddy or a pal. But not a mate.

Animals had mates.

He watched the younger Ravenclaw make his move and nodded. It had been a good one. Probably a better one, had he gone for the middle. Just an option. It eradicated all chances of Rooney taking a diagonal trio.

Quote:

- - O
O - -
X - -

"You."

Norah could just FEEL this class going down hill as Professor Tanner mentioned another thing she'd never heard of. Who was Pythagoras and why did he have arrows? If it was the same guy that had the theorem, she was already not interested. That theorem and her were NOT on good terms. Stupid triangles. They were so much more manageable when they weren't all concerned with numbers.

She perked up slightly, though, at the mention to tic-tac-toe. Now THAT she knew how to do. Not very well, considering she did the same exact moves every time and everybody knew it, but still. Heaving her face off her hands, she looked around the room before calling out, "Anybody need a partner?" 'Cause she did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanners

"Me too. I thought that maybe I was the only person that had heard of it called that." Thank the Arithmancy heavens that Mister David Truebridge existed in all of his noughts and crosses glory. Glory that also included the greeting 'mate', which puzzled Rooney. He didn't know that they were mates. Nor had he ever called anyone a mate. A friend, a buddy or a pal. But not a mate.

Animals had mates.

He watched the younger Ravenclaw make his move and nodded. It had been a good one. Probably a better one, had he gone for the middle. Just an option. It eradicated all chances of Rooney taking a diagonal trio.


"You."

Nah, noughts and crosses made good sense as a name for a game like this. It was a better name than the whimsical tic-tac-toe. Davie made his move.

Quote:

- - O
O - -
X - X

"I wonder if the Pythagoras Arrows thing happens on a criss-cross board too?" Or were they just playing this to get to know each other better??

"I'm pretty sure it has the same structure, otherwise this exercise would be redundant, right?" And if so, it was a little bit short of uneducational and Roo would have to reassess his thoughts about this class and maybe Professor Tanner's teaching. Not to her face, of course. Because she had been nothing but lovely to him. Squinting to acknowledge David's move, he placed his own.

Quote:

- - O
O - -
X O X

He was positive that no one was actually going to win this first game of theirs. There were four of the nine spaces left and Rooney had just taken out the first of David's chances. Sorry... 'mate'.

So Milo wasn't exactly right about the nine-square Arithmancy game but they were playing a game, SEE! He knew what he was talking about. He winked back at the Professor and began to move about looking for a partner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sararara

Norah could just FEEL this class going down hill as Professor Tanner mentioned another thing she'd never heard of. Who was Pythagoras and why did he have arrows? If it was the same guy that had the theorem, she was already not interested. That theorem and her were NOT on good terms. Stupid triangles. They were so much more manageable when they weren't all concerned with numbers.

She perked up slightly, though, at the mention to tic-tac-toe. Now THAT she knew how to do. Not very well, considering she did the same exact moves every time and everybody knew it, but still. Heaving her face off her hands, she looked around the room before calling out, "Anybody need a partner?" 'Cause she did.

Oh look, the Hufflepuff Prefect girl needed a partner. "I can be your partner. Milo Vogel's the name." he said in a matter of fact way. He had already drawn the first game hash marks on his parchment and held them out in front of himself for her to see.

"Shall I go first? I'll be O's!" and with that he put his mark down to begin the game.

Quote:

- - -
- - -
- - O

You know what was really really REALLY hard? Being in a bad mood when a cutiepie firstie volunteered to be your partner. Her smile was much more cheerful than it had been when she entered the classroom as she held a hand out to greet the boy. "I'm Norah. Norah Kittredge." Hopefully he wouldn't be needing too much help if they ever did number things, 'cause she was rubbish at that. The game part could be lovely, though. "Sounds good!" She gave his grid an appreciative nod, then watched him draw his first O. Her turn!

Norah tried not to take too long in deciding where to put her X, but every time she moved her quill to make a mark, she'd draw her hand back again to think about it some more. The problem with tic-tac-toe is that it SEEMED so simple, but if you thought about it too much it got all complicated. Who needed thinking, anyways. She finally put an X right in the middle of the grid, where she'd planned on putting it initially before all the thinking happened. Giving Milo an apologetic grin, she nudged the parchment and grid in his direction. "Your turn."

Quote:

- - -
- X -
- - O

...Paulina WAS going to ask Adi if he wanted to be her partner, but he was already moving over to work with Benny.

Okay, plan B.

Scanning the room, she tried to find someone who was also partnerless. Preferably it would be someone she knew, but at this point it was honestly more important that they had some idea what to do with this subject. Arithmancy wasn't her strong suit so she would probably be dragging them down.

Hearing Hady asking for a partner, Paulina walked up to her. "I'll be your partner, but I'm not good at Arithmancy." Just a heads up.

"Right, that's what I was thinking." Good to know he wasn't the only one. He was terrible at making small talk, by the way, so if Rooney was waiting for something clever to be said by the first year... well he'd just have to keep on waiting.

Quote:

- - O
O X -
X O X

"Such a close game," David remarked dryly.

Arithmancy had been a hard subject to sit through all year. This class had meant TRIO TIME in the past, but now there was no trio. Well... there kind of still was, at least in Sophie's mind, but they just couldn't be together now that Tobes had graduated. So it was just her and Zander now. Which... wasn't a bad thing, it was just... not what Soph wanted, especially considering just where Tobes was while she had to sit through a class that made her think of him every single time.

It hurt.

So much so that the Head Girl who was normally quite willing to speak up and offer answers aloud was silent all class, even when she had some guesses as to what was on the floor, and when they were instructed to play tic-tac-toe... Soph looked at Tanner like she was crazy. A game? That was... well, okay. Simple enough.

Shooting a sideways grin over at Zander, Soph prodded at him playfully and invited, "Partner? Y'think y'can handle this?" He SO COULDN'T. "I'll even let you go first." How nice was SHE?