Wooooot!!! Even the Professor agreed on her thought. Ava couldn't help but grin at her. Listening to Professor Tanner's explanation about the negative arrows, she stared back at her parchment. Well, she had one but it wasn't a concern, right? Right.

And their last task was determining the Headmaster's arrow. Wow, he's soooo old. Maybe if her grandparents were still alive, they were as old as the Headmaster. Quickly she wrote on her parchment about his birthdate and worked on the arrow.

Quote:

Headmaster Abraham Botros. 14th of August, 2003

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7

Positive Arrows : Arrow of Planning
These people have good planning and organisational skills. They are able to make plans, recognize their goals and work out the best way to achieve them. However, they need to leave room for spontaneity and fun as they tend to over-plan. They will often have copious notes with everything written down, and a well planned diary. They often skip the details in order to see the bigger picture.

Negative Arrows: None

"No wonder why he's the headmaster. He has arrow of planning." She murmured on herself.

So it was good to have no positive arrows. Alright then. Paulina wasn't complaining about being flexible and emotionally balanced. She made a note of that before moving on to the next activity. She had to do the same thing for Professor Botros as she had done for herself earlier, except she was also looking for negative arrows.

She was going to give this a go...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulina's Notes

August 14, 2003

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7

Looking at the grid, she could immediately see that 1, 2, and 3 were highlighted. That meant that there was a positive arrow. Now to see what it meant... Paulina turned her attention to her textbook and ran her finger down the page until she found what she was looking for. "Arrow of planning."

That was the first part done.

Now Paulina looked at the grid again so that she could see what lines WEREN'T highlighted. She couldn't find any which meant that he didn't HAVE one.

Well, this all seemed rather simple so far. Daxton's grid was rather aesthetically pleasing, with two lines of three, that in themselves looked to make something of an arrowhead. He liked the way it almost seemed to connect to the topic of the lesson. As for which arrows he had, Daxton quickly jotted those down before answering the question Tanner had set.

SPOILER!!: Parchment

13th December 2075

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7

Arrow of Planning (1-2-3, positive)
Arrow of Compassion (3-5-7, positive)

What does it mean when someone does not have any positive Arrows present?
I think that a lack of positive Arrows in a person's grid does not really mean anything, if they are only labelled positive Arrows because of the ascending order of the numbers. I think that the lack of any Arrows - positive and negative - will have meaning, but if positive Arrows are not necessarily good things, that means that negative Arrows are not necessarily bad things. So if there are negative Arrows and no positive Arrows, I do not think it would mean anything different to if there were positive arrows. No Arrows at all means someone is adaptable, according to the textbook.

Huh. Arrow of Compassion. Well, that seemed completely and utterly wrong, as Daxton could not ever remember feeling anything like compassion in his life, or any of those things listed; he was unsure, in fact, of what they even felt like, only that they were not familiar concepts to him in the slightest. But they were quickly moving on in the class, and so he did not dwell on it for the moment.

After processing Tanners reactions to the answers of those in the class, Daxton turned his attention to the next activity. He did not dwell for very long on the date of birth provided, other than to note that he was the oldest person he had ever seen in person, as far as he knew, before getting right into the task at hand.

SPOILER!!: Parchment pt. 2

Headmaster Botros
14th August 2003

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7

Arrow of Planning (1-2-3, positive)

Done. Easy. Way too easy. As soon as he was done, Daxton found himself doodling around the edges of his parchment with his biro, a blank, almost bored, expression on his face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpluvr037

Text Cut: All you goody-goods

"Well done, Mister Truebridge." Taking after his mother with her propensity for academic matters, it appeared.

It looked like the noughts and crosses games had wrapped up nicely. And though she was sure that some of them were wondering why they had started that way, she couldn't just reveal all her secrets right away! As she walked around, she noticed that many of them were having an easy time of the highlighting. It hadn't been that hard of a concept, so she was pleased. "Everyone got their highlighting done?" she called as a way to bring the class attention back onto herself.

"Time to figure out what to do with them." Another swish of her wand made a change to her diagram. "Much like winning tic-tac-toe, the Arrows of Pythagoras happen when you form three in a row with your highlighted numbers. The 1-2-3 pattern I have is the Arrow of Planning, which is a positive Arrow pointing out my the strengths and weaknesses coming from my organizational mindset." She checked her notes briefly before finishing with, "The names of the other Arrows and their meanings are in chapter thirty for your reference."



She knew not all of them would have arrows, so she had to make sure she addressed that. "Positive Arrows are not necessarily good things, it just refers to the fact that the Arrow was found using the presence of three in a row." And if their minds were whirring, they might realize that the absence of numbers in a row also had significance. "Keeping in mind that Arrows represent strong traits in your personality, I would like you to share your ideas for what it might mean when someone does not have any positive Arrows present. Discuss with your partner, jot it down, talk to me.. Just as long as you are interacting with the question!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpluvr037

"So to summarize and elaborate, people with no arrows tend to be flexible, adaptable people. They do not have specific traits, either positive or negative, that could cause an imbalance." That was the key. "So I would argue that having no positive arrows could actually be a good thing. Learning to master yourself is all about finding balance, after all." In all realms of life, not just personality. "Those with arrows have a predisposition to struggle with keeping that part of themselves in check, whether because of character flaws, life circumstances, or something else."

The professor glanced at her watch. "Ah, time is making fools of us! We have just enough time to mention negative arrows, which are not necessarily bad traits." Her own numeric profile could not help her here, unfortunately. "Negative arrows are formed by making three in a row of your UNhighlighted squares. I do not have any, but your text has all the possible examples."

So they barely had time for the final thing she wanted to get to, but they could make it work. "To finish up, I would like you to find the negative and positive arrows of our most astute Headmaster Botros. His birthdate is the 14th of August in 2003." Wow, it just hit her that he was born only a few years after Lord Voldemort had finally been defeated. "Give it a go!"

Ah, so he had no arrows, but that was okay. It just meant that he was balanced. He was flexible. Approachable. Good stuff. Davie nodded sagely to the professor and then picked up his quill to calculate for the headmaster.

Text Cut: David's parchment

My Birthday: June 1, 2076 (6 1 2 7 6)

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7

No positive or negative arrows.


Headmaster Botros' Birthday: August 14, 2003 (8 1 4 2 3)

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7

One positive arrow, the Arrow of Planning. The textbook says, "These people have good planning and organisational skills. They are able to make plans, recognise their goals and work out the best way to achieve them. However, they need to leave room for spontaneity and fun as they tend to over-plan. They will often have copious notes with everything written down, and a well planned diary. They often skip the details in order to see the bigger picture."

Interesting. "Is it true, professor, what the textbook says about Headmaster Botros?" That he was an over-planner?

Janelle continued her note taking and filled in the details about people with no arrows. Then it was time to focus on the negative arrows which may not actually be negative........interesting.

So now they had another date to analyze. Janelle copied down Headmaster Botros' birthdate and got to work. She highlighted the proper numbers in her grid and then turned her attention back to her text book.

Seeing Adi's countenance during his response made Tiara proud. "That is true wisdom, Mister Rehman. Never be afraid to question your own beliefs and assumptions for fear of looking a fool. It is those who fail to analyze themselves that are the fools," she finished, nodding her approval.

"No there is not," she told Zeke. "Wrong in the sense that you used the wrong spaces on your grid? If so, no." That part was usually fairly simple to figure out for students. "However, it is possible that your arrow does not describe you very accurately. You likely have a long life ahead of you, so you never know how you will grow and change in the years to come. It may turn out that the arrow is accurate after all."

The professor shook her head at the girl. "There is no need to be sorry, my dear. This is all part of the learning process." How could one learn if there were never mistakes and misconceptions?

The boy was crying. Well, practically crying. And though she had not been in education very long, she knew enough to not draw attention to this fact. "Absolutely not, Mister Bronwyn. Anyone that is interested and engaged enough in their learning to want to do extra reading and research is not anything of the sort. Put that from your mind this instant." She was hoping that the slightly stern approach would emphasize how utterly preposterous she thought his suggestion had been, which would in turn ease his mind.

And then it was Sophie Brown to the rescue once more. That made twice in the same lesson. This girl was on fire today! "Thank you for the vote of confidence in your housemate, Miss Brown."

"You are correct, my dear. What do you think that says about him?" Never a straightforward answer for this professor! She was all about pushing their thinking.

Hady was an interesting young lady. She would not have pegged her for a Slytherin, personally. "What a refreshingly positive outlook on other people, Miss Lynch!" Tiara hoped that she would maintain that attitude for quite some time, even when her peers would eventually grow jaded and cynical.

She had wondered this herself, actually, when preparing for the lesson. "I would say that he has the positive traits of planning and organization, but has learned to avoid the pitfalls mentioned in your text. Having only known the man at his current stage of maturity," which was a nice way of saying his advanced age, "I cannot speak to how his personality, strengths, and weaknesses have evolved throughout his lifetime." Surely the boy must know more about the man than many first year students would because of his mother. He likely had his own opinion on the matter.

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

RRRRRRrrrrrrrrIINNNGGGGgggggg!

Ah, time was making fools of them again! "Okay, class dismissed! Well done today, everyone!" Truly, it had been a good class. Some good discussion points had come up, and many of the students had clearly been engaging in complex thoughts surrounding the material. Success!

There wasn't one. Good. So he wasn't just missing it then. But as for HIS dilemma - which was a perfectly serious one, too. The arrow of resignation, was not one that applied to him, no, and nor did he want it to apply to him in the future. WHAT KIND OF FUTURE WOULD THAT BE?! He was not a quitter.

"I hope that's not the case, Professor, I want to be the exception to this... stupid arrow thing." Yeah. No resignation here, he'd fight the arrow if he had to. Or simply get his birthdate changed on his official records. It could be done, right? Cause he was totally cool with living in denial.


...

And say what now?! Time to go already?

Zeke packed up his things, he supposed he WAS done with today's lesson, but he wasn't yet ready to let this go. Not yet. So it was with some hesitation that he rose from his seat to leave. "Thanks for the lesson, Professor Tanner," he stated simply, a small smile in place as he swung his bag onto his shoulder and left.

No need to be sorry. Right. She hadn't noticed the change as it happened, but if she thought really hard about it Norah could see that she'd become a lot more sorry than she used to be. Those words were supposed to be used only for important things, but they came out of her mouth more and more, like an instinct. Huh. That was weird.

Before she could ponder it any more, the bell was ringing. She packed her bag slowly before leaving the classroom with a small smile in Professor Tanner's direction. "Thanks for the lesson, Professor." Had these lessons always been such a roller coaster?

The lesson was over already?

Paulina was a little surprised because time had gone by so fast when Arithmancy lessons usually seemed to take an eternity. Maybe it was because of the lighter tone today. She had no idea, but she liked it because this actually made SENSE to her. Hopefully things wouldn't get more convoluted than arrows because otherwise she was going to fail this course.

Packing up her stuff, Paulina headed for the door. "Thanks for the lesson, Professor. Have a good day." And with that she was off.

Tanner was awesome!

Adi was never embarrassed to admit when he couldn't be on top of things but Tanner's words of encouragement just made him feel even more pleased that he could do that. "Thank you, Professor! I'll ALWAYS keep those words in mind.'' He meant that. He really did.
...................

Annnnd there went the bell!

Feeling disappointed that the class was over because it had been such a great one, the Hufflepuff climbed to his feet, stuffed his belongings in his bag before heading to Tanner. "Awesome lesson, Professor! Looking forward to the next one.'' Now... was Benny far behind? They had some free time before their next class if he remembered correctly.

Angel listened to what the Professor asked her and she thought about it for a few moments before replying. "Professor, I think that it means that even though he has some negative traits, I believe that we all have them, because no one is perfect." Angel thought about what to say next. "His negative traits aren't from one group but a mixture and the Headmaster can control them so that his positive traits are more dominate." Angel waited to see what to Professor said whilst she got her things together.

SPOILER!!: Professor Tanner

Hady was an interesting young lady. She would not have pegged her for a Slytherin, personally. "What a refreshingly positive outlook on other people, Miss Lynch!" Tiara hoped that she would maintain that attitude for quite some time, even when her peers would eventually grow jaded and cynical.

Hady not only gave a small smile towards the Professor but a firm agreeing nod of her head as well. She always tried to see the best in everyone even if they angered her. Probably not a snake trait at all but no one every said she was a true snake on the outside.

The lesson was over though? How? It seemed like they had only just began and then it was over. Not that she was complaining but she couldn't remember a time that Arithmancy had gone by so quickly and easily. She'd had no trouble with the subject today and for that she was glad. Packing her things away and slinging her bag over her shoulder she rose to her feet with a wave of her hand towards the professor. "Nice lesson today, Professor. Thanks!"

And now it was time for this fourth year to be on her way to anywhere but here. Out she went through the doorway following everyone else.

He would definitely say not having positive arrows was a good thing. How could it be bad if it meant you weren't a textbook answer that people had already studied? It was cool standing out like that so the boy nodded at the Professor's words.

It was a little odd to him how fast the time had already flwon by but then he remembered his game earlier and how engrossed everyone was. It actually made up for all the lost time...time they were now spending on the Headmaster?

Oh. Okay. Blaise drew his parchment close to him and began scribbling with his fellow classmates.

SPOILER!!: Notes

3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7

He doesn't have any negative arrows and I'm inclined to think this is a good thing but you said it doesn't mean he's not a bad person so now I don't know anymore. All I DO know is that he has a positive arrow - the arrow of planning...but you also said positive arrows don't make people nice so...I guess I still don't know. I guess I'll go with the text that says "they are able to make plans, recognise their goals and work out the best way to achieve them." That...doesn't sound so bad.

By the time he lifted his quill from his parchment, there was the bell; a sure sign the lesson was over. The young Gryffindor began collecting his things. When he was done, he threw his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks for the lesson Professor! Don't forgot our game of hopscotch!"

And with that he happily left the classroom with a little spring in his step.

Well, Zeke Rogers was clearly not happy with the outcome of his Arrows. Hopefully he would reflect on it all a bit and not be so wound up. "You are welcome, dear. Have a good day!"

"You're welcome, my dear. Enjoy the rest of your day!"

Tiara nodded to the girl. "And yourself as well!"

She appreciated Aditya's appreciation. "Why thank you, Mister Rehman. And I look forward to your presence."

The woman chuckled. "How could I forget?!" she exclaimed. "Goodbye, Mister Bellaire!"