Azura was scribbling as fast as her Emerald quill would go.. All of this was so intense.. and she was sure she had missed something.. Also, she felt rather down on herself for not answering that last question correct..

Okay.. well she had.. sort of.. but not?

*sigh*

And then Esme had taken her potions answer.. so now she would have to think up another answer.. "They could help us learn about different types of defense." Azura said softly as she put her hand in the air. "They magically transfigure themselves into something very large andterrifyingly ugly scary when threatened, they turn dangerous creatures, though unprovoked they are totally harmless. We can take those tactics that the Echiniokarps have and learn to apply them."

Is THAT why Professor Hirsch was here?

Tia was frantically writing down notes about Echinokarps because it was something entirely new to her and semi-fascinating. Finally though it seemed as though she'd caught up with her note writing and was able to have a moment to think about the question posed by Professor Draper. Practical application to the magical world. Good question and one she definitely wanted to know the proper answer to. She didn't really like Esme's suggestion about it being used for potions, even though logic told her it was likely one practical application.

Azura had an interesting point though on learning about different types of defense through observation of the hybrid creature.

Raising her hand, Tia added thoughtfully, "Yes, more on what Azura said... I think observation for how creatures defend themselves can be useful in our own defensive and transfiguration techniques. Survival of the fittest, type deal." Uh, did that even make sense for practical magic application? Honestly, she had no idea.

Brown eyes, shifted-- reluctantly, from the beautiful Nana Ichihara to the robust, stern-looking, probably child-eater James Draper. Immediately, Jace was back to his ramrod straight posture, locking eyes with the Creatures professor as he spoke, and at the same time, jotted down important information. Multi-tasking is probably one of his mastered skills after taking up day classes in Mahou.

His right hand frantically took down words on his notebook, while his left hand reached out for the picture that was being passed around. He briefly looked at the picture, and then quickly passed it to the next student beside him. He took this opportunity to look down on his notes, which was all written in Japanese characters, by the way, and nodded to himself. Once the next question was brought up, the Ravenclaw listened to the others first, before thinking of an answer that could satisfy the Defense professor. Again, no offense Draper.

Jace slowly raised his hand again, and answered once his name was called out. "Professor? I'm not entirely familiar with the Echinokarps, but the creature being a magical one...it is possibly capable of charging its environment with a defensive energy, like the muggle fish called Japanese Spiny Dragonet?" A wild guess, most definitely, "The dragonets can bury itself and then charge the water with a foul smell to ward off predators." Okay...maybe he should just shut his mouth now, yes? "If that is the case then, in a way, its mere presence can contribute greatly in the field of Defense because it doesn't need to be provoked to transform. It's mere presence is enough to protect a certain portion of a body of water." Right? Whether or not a human is magical or not, he or she isn't stupid to actually provoke a fish. Who does that, anyway? Jace guessed that the transformation part would come in handy as their last line of defense.

Anyway! The Ravenclaw tucked his notebook under his thigh, and waited for one of the adults to talk again.

Can they get a Hirsch now? Please?

Rachel made notes as Professor Draper addressed her peers' answers and while he began talking of the Echinokarps. She did not really like the sound of these creatures. The seemed rather scary to her. That would be why Professor Hirsch was there, yes? To teach them about defense against them or something of the sort?

When it was her turn with the picture, she cast a quick glance at it. Indeed the creature was somewhat scary looking. She quickly passed it along, turning her mind to the question asked while at the same time trying to stifle a smile at Haddie's answer. After a moment she raised her hand. "I would like to think that they can be studied for Transfigurational purposes; learning more about creatures which go through such drastic changes.''

Between Professor Draper and Professor Ichihara both speaking for the mornings lesson Hady's hand was really going to be sore. What were those two having some sort of competition on who could give the most detailed information? So much was being said in such a short amount of time the girl had even considered at one point asking them both to slow down and repeat what they had just so just so could make sure that she got it all down. Seriously maybe recording these lessons was a better way to go from now on.

Flexing her fingers around her quill yet again Hadleigh opted to remain silent this time rather then answer the question even though her previous answer got a good response. This was her element for sure but so was taking down notes which she would be needing for her OWLs. Sorry not sorry professor for not answering this time. She did pause however to quickly glimpse at the photo as it was passed to her before passing it on. That creature wasn't the cutest at all but she was sure it wasn't supposed to be either.

HA!

Had he fallen for it? because that TOTALLY had been a joke and had NOTHING to do with him having absolutely no idea what the question had been about. He blamed the note taking. He had been so busy with that that he hadn’t heard the previous question correctly and at the same time he wanted to answer because his previous answer had been CLEVER. Wrong but CLEVER . HE WAS CLEVER OKAY!? Too bad Draper wasn’t impressed with him yet. But they still had a quarter of a year left. He was going to be impressed with him one day before he left school! He was going to make sure of that.

Imagining the man admitting that he was awesome in front of the whole school, Yoongi had therefore missed a portion of the lesson yet again and before he knew it, a picture of a sea monster had been pushed in to his hand. Eeeeeh…..ok? what was he supposed to do with this? Merlin’s Beard he should have dropped Care of Magical Creatures and not Ancient Runes. He looked at the picture , not knowing what to look for and then gave it to student next to him.

The CLEVER Head Boy listened to the students as they gave their various answers to the question the man had asked. Yoongi himself though, went back to taking notes because he was sure he would say something wrong again and doing that wasn’t going to impress Draper. And taking notes was always a good thing right? Also, Haddie’s answer to the question made him laugh out loud though. It was just a “Ha!” and when he realised he had done that he quickly faked a cough because that was unprofessional. Sorry?

.... what?

That was a lot of talking and between the two professors talking and trying to outdo each other and his notetaking and his classmates answering, it was a wonder he hadn't got Carpal Tunnel just yet. But he was probably starting to because M E R L I N, his right arm was so close to falling off.

The hufflepuff opted not to volunteer any information this time either, but took a look at the photo being handed around and taking a few more notes in his notebook. And while everyone was still admiring the pretty picture, he'd just shake his hand out because ouch. Hopefully the next point was a little less long-winded. Else, he might die before the practical part of the class.

And even though Hufflepuffs tended to die first, he did NOT want to be the dead one.

There's something between Professor Draper and Ichihara. Like they were trying to be the best Professor ever between them. No offense, but Ava was rooting for Professor Hirsch, even he hadn't spoken any word yet. That DADA Professor has such a charm that made him so... attractive. And not to mention that he's great in teaching. She was waiting for him to speak but it seemed like it's more of Draper's show today.

So Thestral wasn't a correct answer? Well, at least she had tried. The young lioness listened to the CoMC professor talked again... Blablablablablaaaaaa~ Boring. Could they move on to the practical portion now? She saw the picture of Echinokarp... Wow, so scary.

And what practical application do you think these creatures could provide in the magical world? Listening to Haddie's answer about guarding Draper's underwear made her chuckle a little. Hehehehe.... But then she quickly covered her mouth. It was not a secret that the Ravenclaw firstie seemed dislike the Professor. "I think we're gonna learn how to defend ourselves with transfiguration technique like... transfiguring us into an animal or concealing us like a chameleon?" She gave an answer once she put her hand up in the air.

Janelle listened and took lots of notes as Professor Ichihara gave them information about the Echinokarp. The creature sounded amazing. They were mild mannered and non-threatening generally, but when provoked.........watch out. Janelle knew a few people like that, but anywho..... When the professor asked a question about creatures and their defensive techniques, she did not raise her hand. So many good answers were being given, Janelle just chose to keep listening and update her notes.

Then it was Professor Draper's turn. Boy, they were getting a lot of detailed information in today's class. Janelle's fingers were beginning to cramp, but she kept writing nonetheless. She was fascinated by the Echinokarp. From harmless carp to XXXX creature, how cool was that? Well not the dangerous part, but the transformation part. When the picture of the Echinokarp was passed around, Janelle took a look at it. Man, it was ugly and quite scary looking.

The next question involved what the creature could be used for. Janelle's first thought was that it could be used by wizards to scare muggles away from a particular area. However, that probably didn't fit in with today's combination class theme. After giving it some more thought, Janelle raised her hand. Trying to tie in bits of all three classes she began to explain. "The Echinokarp could be used to......." Then Janelle went back to her original thought. "They could be used for protection.......for defense of a particular area. Defense through creature transfiguration." That made absolutely no sense, but Janelle did manage to tie in all three disciplines in her answer.

"I don't know. Do they have medical properties?" After all, she never would have guessed all the uses one could have with a unicorn horn, yet it seemed there were dozens of potions that required them. Maybe the creature's quills were like that.

Like Yoongi, Kitty giggled accidentally at Haddie's answer, and like him tried to hide it with a cough.

Text Cut: Greetings from way back yonder

Text Cut: Rachel

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Another joint lesson and this time, with no oddly shaped limbs to hinder her from attending, Rachel made her way to the direction area of the barn. Arriving at the grassy area, she immediately saw Professor Hirsch. She smiled brightly. The man had become another member of staff to win her admiration as he constantly gave her encouragement when she needed it the most. "Good day, Professor. I hope you're well.''

"Hello, Professor Ichihara. Hello, Professor Draper.'' She offered them both a smile but did not linger to say anything else for she made her way to take a seat. Her attention and curiosity, however, were still on the box Grumpy Draper was standing beside. Whatever could be in there?

And the first student to arrive? Miss Watson herself.

Hirsch found himself smiling at the sight of the first year as she approached and greeted him first. First, mind you. "Miss Watson!" he called out, "I'm very well. How are you?" Ready to learn about defence this trifecta of subjects?

Text Cut: Janelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydreamer11

Janelle made her way across the grounds to the latest combination class. She never could understand how they managed to mix so many classes into one coherent lesson. Anyway, she figured it should be interesting.

Grateful for a chance to get outside of the castle, Janelle approached the outdoor "classroom". It looked like she was early, really early to class. She said a general, "Hello Professors", and headed for the benches. Being early had its privileges. She had her choice of seats and took the one with what she thought would be the best vantage point. Sliding her things under the bench, Janelle observed the professors. They were a study in contrasts and she couldn't help but smile to herself. Watching them would keep her entertained until class began.

Was it surprising that the first two people to show up to this class were Ravenclaws? Probably not. Even so, the man smiled at the next student before saying, "Welcome, Miss Guidry." He was going to ignore that he felt like he was being watched by her. Why? What was with that look? Hm?

Text Cut: Azura

Quote:

Originally Posted by MunchyBubbles

Ohhh!

Another joint lesson? That had to be why Professor Ichihara and Professor Hirsch were here..

Right?

She made her way towards the benches and smiled warmly at all the Professors! "Hello Professor Draper! Professor Ichihara!"" She said before giving a special wave and hello to Professor Hirsch!

"Hi Professor! How are you?" she asked him with a warm smile as she made her way to her bench. She finally felt like she could look him in the eye after winning her last duel!

Before he could do so much as ponder the answer, another student came up to their little 'classroom' and greeted him directly. "Miss Kennedy!" he said, smiling back at her, "I'm very well, thanks. How are you?" Was the reason she was smiling warmly at him the same reason as to why he was smiling at her? Those second duel results still lingered in his mind, clearly.

Text Cut: Ariadne

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

HELLOOOOOOOOO, APRIL!

Ariadne SKIPPED to class, because it was April, it was springtime, and the harsh winter (save for some rumor she'd heard about snow in the Great Hall) had DISAPPEARED. She was in a SUPER HAPPY mood. Ariadne approached the barn area and took note of the three professors standing around.

"Hi, Professors Draper, Hirsch, and Ichihara!" she said. She didn't look too long and hard at Hirsch. She'd lost two...TWO...duels in a row. He probably thought she was a right TOAD of a Slytherin.

Instead, she took a seat, not even paying attention to who it was by.

Oh, the overexcited kids. You could only appreciate their enthusiasm, especially if it was for a class. Merlin knows how unenthusiastic some people could be about classes - and his teenager self didn't blame them.

Regardless, Hirsch watched in amusement as the young snakette skipped her way down towards their classroom. "Hello, Miss Greingoth!"

Text Cut: Yoongi

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi

Another joint lesson. Either the professors had no ideas anymore to teach or they took Botros' uniting thing seriously. The Head Boy, now with his hair dyed to its original black color followed the rest of the class, making sure that no one sneaked away to get a day off.

As he entered the classroom area the first person he saw was Professor Draper...aka Jerkface... And his smile fell a little. He then nodded his head at Professor Ichihara because ladies first and smiled. "Hello Professor" he looked at Professor Hirsh cooly standing against a tree and he wished he was half as cool just standing there "Hello to you too, sir" he waved alittle bit and then.....turned to Draper. Putting on his best smile, because he was mature and all he nodded his head as a form of greeting"Good day, Professor Draper" he quickly turned to find a random seat.

Ah, the Head Boy!

Hirsch watched as the boy approached them, hardly thinking much of the way his smile had fallen before. "Hello, Mr Hyland," he said, returning the wave with one of his own. Maybe the boy would be happy with the lack of dummies and physical fighting to take place in this class?

Text Cut: Olivia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

Olivia didn’t know what all was up with professors. The joint field trip had been planned and told about since the start of term. But suddenly there was another joint lesson with three more subjects thrown together. Care of Magical Creatures…Transfiguration…and Defense. It was like her mother, father and pseudo aunt’s favorite subjects all rolled into one. Well actually it WAS just that. And the Ravenclaw could only imagine what this whole lesson was going to be about. Her curiosity was certainly peaked as she made her way across the grounds to where they had been told to meet.

Seemed like Creatures won out in locations.

That was an improvement from the messed up grounds they had portkeyed to the last time. “Good morning Professors,” she greeted the three of them, giving each an individual polite nod of acknowledgement. “Hi,” Olivia greeted Rachel as she took a seat next to her friend on one of the benches. She followed her gaze to finally spot the covered box that was there. "Wonder what's that."

Oh, a polite kid. Those were always appreciated, no matter what.

Roderik smiled at the next student to arrive. "Hello, Miss Stone. Glad to see that you've made it." He gave her a nod and was about to congratulate her for the duel but...... decided to leave it. It was over with now and she probably preferred to sit next to friends than stand around chatting.

Text Cut: Jaemin

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ameh

THIS WAS SO EXCITIIIIIIIIING.

Jaemin came down on the class like a bolt of lightning, practically running out of the castle in his haste to get there early enough to get a good seat. He loooooooved Transfiguration and Defence class, and... well, Professor Draper had nifflers, so... he wasn't as bad as the hag, not by a long shot. Therefore, the diminutive Slytherin was super duper excited about this entire lesson, because really. So many of his favourite things. All. In. One. These joint classes were his thing, man.

"Hello Professor Hirsch!" it came out a little louder than necessary, and a little more excited that it probably should have, but HE WAS SO EXCITED. COULD THEY TELL?! He grinned up at the man for a moment before zoooooming off past Professor Ichihara, greeting her in much the same way before coming to a full stop near Draper and squinting at him and his Mystery Box.

HMMMMM.

Draper got a quick 'hi' and a wave before the small Slytherin looped back the way he'd come to find a comfortable place to sit right in the front of everyone. Because he was very small, and very interested in everything that was going to be happening, and he didn't want to miss a moment of it. He plopped himself down and stared expectantly at each of the professors in turn, fidgeting a little because waiting was sometimes not his strongest suit. TEACH US!

Hirsch's smile only widened at the sight of the next student to come in, who also seemed enthusiastic to be here. "Jaemin!" he called, "It's good to see you." Really. Welcome, Song, welcome. Thank you for bringing your enthusiasm along with you.

And he heard how not-as-enthusiastic Draper's greeting got. Was that a smirk on Hirsch's face? Oops.

Text Cut: Esme

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishy

These joint lessons were rather fun. Esme wished that all classes could be like that but knew that it wasn't possible. Mixing different subjects together and seeing how they complimented each other offered a new perspective and the Hufflepuff found that rather interesting and stimulating. Maybe she had a bit of Ravenclaw in her as well.

Giggling at the thought, she made her way across the grounds and towards where the others were assembled. "Hello, Professor Hirsch," she said as she walked by him. It was amusing to see how much he contrasted Grumpypants' stance. Nah, Draper was all right. He was stern but nice enough despite that. "Hello to you as well Professors Ichihara and Draper." What was in that large box? She would just have to wait and see.

Waving to her classmates, Esme found a seat by Azura and waited for the lesson to begin.

You know, Hirsch's viewpoint on Miss Darcy had shifted after that duel. It was the progress, that was something the Defence Professor liked seeing a lot so when he saw it there, he had practically lit up and that was the case here. "Hello Miss Darcy!"

Text Cut: Haddie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callie

Haddie was hopeful. She was hopeful that having both the Transfiguration professor and the DADA professor would counter the child hater and make CoMC class actually enjoyable and fun, for once.

She made her way, leisurely, to the meeting area out by the barn and paused for a moment just outside the rows of benches. Ah, there's Rachel. With a tiny skip, Haddie started down the aisles of benches, making her way to her best friend. She passed by the professors on her way. Both Hirsch and Ichihara got a warm smile from the Californian pre-teen. "Hey, Professor Hirsch. Hello, Professor Ichihara." Then she turned and looked flatly at Draper before she sat down. "Drapes," she said. Her tone was like ice. And with that, she went back to ignoring the man and bumped her best friend playfully as she sat down next to her.

Students were far too amusing when they didn't like a Professor, did they know that?

Roderik looked between Hadley and James, a thoroughly amused expression on his face. Sorry, colleague, but this was too funny, nickname and all. Turning to the girl, he smiled and said, "Good to see you, Miss Denaker." Thanks for amusing him so.

Text Cut: Kitty

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

Kitty found herself looking forward to this lesson. She was liking these three professor at once lessons because they seemed to add a sense of adventure. Granted she had only bee in one so far, but hopefully this one would be like that one. And the weather was warm so that contributed to her good mood.

"Hi Professor's!" She smiled and waved at the three of them before doing the same to Haddie, Rachel, "Esme, Olivia, and Ariadne. Then she went to sit down next to Azura.

Ah, another Ravenclaw!

The man kept smiling at the sight of the young girl and returned the wave she'd given to him. "Hello, Miss Valentine! Glad to see you've made it." Sitting outside was better than being cooped up indoors, wasn't it? Pity he couldn't bring the dummies out here.

Text Cut: Jace

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

Now...this is a joint lesson he wouldn't miss for the world. Three of his professors will be teaching him things today, and it was a bonus that they are exactly the members of the current staff he adored the most. Of course, he wouldn't let them know about it as much as they won't show favouritism in class. Ready to tackle the day's lesson, the 12 year old made his way to the Barn and gave his friends a nod. Hello people!

The first adult he saw was the Transfiguration lady, "Konnichiwa, Ichihara-sensei." with a bow and a grin, he moved to where the Defense professor was. It may be too early to let everyone know, but Jace was sure that the man has a special place in his heart. He helped him understand trivial things in life, and was taught to go easy on himself. Standing in front of the man, the Ravenclaw bowed to His Royal Coolness, and gave him a warm smile, "Good day, Professor Hirsch. How...are you?" Small talk is okay, right? Not that he wanted to take Professor Hirsch all to himself, but he is a friend too, so asking him how he's doing is perfectly fine. Glancing to where Professor Draper was, the Ravenclaw inclined his head toward him as well as soon as the man made eye contact, "Good to see you again, Professor Draper." Grin.

He glanced back up at the man leaning coolly against the tree, and just...appreciated his presence. He is, after all, his secret keeper now. Did he know?

Oh Jace. Oh Jace Jace Jace.

Hirsch smiled wide at the appearance of the young Ravenclaw. No, he wasn't about to mention their talk back in the Training Room because that was kept confidential but he hoped that the boy had taken in what he'd said to him. Don't go hard on yourself, okay kid? "Hello, Mr Reed," he said, giving him a smile and a bow of his head, "I'm very well, thanks. How are you doing?" While his question may seem like a polite one in turn, he hoped the boy knew why he was asking this.

Text Cut: Brooklyn

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

The very fact that they seemed to be having quite a few joint lessons brought several questions to Brooklyn’s mind. Questions she wasn’t about to ask, yet that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Paramount of all, she wondered if it had something to do with lessons going awry. Just because she hadn’t gone to the hag Divination lessons, that didn’t mean she hadn’t heard about them. She’d rather know if the presence of multiple professors was due to them feeling like it was necessary. Yet she also knew she could handle herself. She’d told Professor Hirsch as such in the lessons she’d had earlier in the term. Therefore she was hardly concerned as she’d made her way to the COMC “classroom”. Just curious, and she knew better than to show that.

Instead, she just inclined her head toward the professors as they stood there, finding their personal choice as to how they waited to tell her much more about them than she figured they expected. Of course, they got her usual smile as well. “Good morning Professor Hirsch. Professor Draper, Professor Ichihara.” Greeting done, she made her way to an open bench, taking a seat and getting ready for whatever the lesson would entail.

Ah, the girl who could handle herself.

Hirsch watched as she made her way into the area. Yeah, this really was something he knew, his previous lesson had told him enough. "Hello, Miss Andrews," he said, giving her a bow of his head. It would be interesting to see how she did in this as well. How all of them did, actually, considering the topic.

Text Cut: Ava

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

DADA, Transfiguration, and COMC joint lesson?

Well, this would be interesting!!

Two of her favorite lessons and one that she quite enjoyed... Yeah, interesting!! Ava rushed to the grounds because she didn't want to be late (not because of Draper's punishment, okay?) and only the idiots who didn't want to be in this class very soon.

"Helloooooo, Professors!" The young lioness chirped happily and greeted them. They could see that she's very EXCITED to be in this class.

Ah, another enthusiastic student!

Roderik smiled at the sight of the young Gryffindor, even if something inside of him panged slightly while he remembered the duels. Was she okay? Hm? "Hello, Miss Burton! I take it that you're well?" Because he had to know.

Text Cut: Dot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

These joint lessons were interesting, although it was disappointing to pair up a bunch of classes that Dot wasn't GREAT at all in one go. She wandered out to the grounds and gave the three professors a polite nod as she took a seat.

"Good day, Professor...s." All of them.

Oh, a Prefect! Interesting. Very interesting. "Hello, Miss Wojack. Glad to see that you've made it." He gave her a nod in return and would have said something more if it wasn't for..........

Text Cut: Hady

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy

Oh my gosh!

Hady was incredibly excited about the days lesson(s). She had been looking forward to it from the very second it had been announced. CoMC was one of her most favorite classes and Transfiguration as well as DADA was right up there along side it as of lately. So she was highly sure that whatever was about to take place today would be good. It had to be, right? Seriously it had to be, she needed to do well and these were her lessons!

Reaching the grassy area near the barn her hazel eyes spotted the three professors and everyone else instantly. "Morning Professors!," she greeted with her usual smirk and a nod of her head. Everyone else got a slight wave, head nod or possibly a smile (if it was a certain someone). Without waiting any longer she found herself an empty spot on one of the benches and sat down her bag sliding from her shoulder to land on the ground at her feet with a quiet 'thud'. She was ready to find out what they would be doing.

........... the arrival of someone else!

And they brought along a smirk with them as well. Funny.

Amused, Hirsch watched as the girl nodded at the three of them. She, like her Prefect, was polite and was very good at his own subject. "Hello, Miss Lynch," he said, returning the head nod with one of his own. Nothing else needed to be said.

Text Cut: Zeke

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hera

Generally speaking, he didn't much mind CoMC, and was decent at it, on top of that, he LOVED DADA, and aced it. It was the fact that these subjects were combined today that had him excited... even if it was with Transfiguration - which was something he was still working to develop his skills in.

"Morning, Professor Hirsch," Zeke greeted, giving the man a nod in passing. He also offered Professor Ichihara a smile and nod, Professor Draper too, and they also got "G'morning,"s as well.

Meandering over to one of the benches nearby, Zeke claimed a seat and merely waited for things to happen.

What exactly were they doing today?

Fighting rabid beasts he hoped... though that would hardly be 'caring' right?

And last but not least: Zeke Browne!

Roderik's face lit up and he was internally glad that the boy had found his way down here. The Dueling Champion wasn't likely to miss a Defence lesson, was he? "Morning, Mr Browne. Glad to see that you've made it," he said, giving the boy a smile and a nod of his head.

And so, the lesson started!

Hirsch continued to lean coolly against the tree, smiling occasionally at each of the students as they answered. This wasn't his territory, he didn't need to butt in. Just stand there looking great. That was the plan, anyways. Besides, it wasn't as if the other two needed his help with anything concerning their own subjects.

So, the man stood there half-wondering where David Truebridge was. He was the one who had urged Hirsch to teach about dark creatures in his lessons. The man hadn't forgotten about that list, you know. But, as it was, the boy was driven out of his mind when his eyes landed on James giving Nana looks. Hirsch was too used to taking note of the smaller details thanks to his need to be constantly vigilant - ahem, Ariadne - so this......... this got him smirking slightly.

That was, until, it was his turn to take the reins. Using his foot to lean off of the tree, the man started walking around as the students gave out answers.

Text Cut: Haddie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callie

Awwww, man. Why did he have to be the one to answer? Because the universe hated her, that's why. Obviously. Still, he was actually answering her questions, without being all Oh, look at how great I am, insignificant mortals! For once. Wait, did this mean Drapes was actually becoming, you know...human? Err...Wizard...a person? You know what she meant. "So does that mean that all species have individuals in it that are magical?" Like humans did, as he pointed out. "Because, it's one thing to have no selection for magic versus no magic," again, like humans, "and quite a different thing to actively select against magic." Which would, from her understanding of evolution, be required for a species to actually lose all magical ability within it. It was quite easy to see how magic would be selected for, but she couldn't really picture it being selected against, given magic didn't really hinder survival, and magical individuals within a species, again humans since he brought us up, look identical to non-magical individuals. Hmmmm, Drapes?

Anyway, she was ready to listen to Hirsc---oh, he was going to continue talking. Alright. She doodled a bit in the margins of her notes, jotting down the important stuff, and the stuff that wasn't obvious. Really, Drapes? Really? Like none of us could figure out that Karp meant, shockingly, carp. She didn't just roll her eyes at that one, she actively gave Drapes an Are you serious? look at that one. And... he kept talking. About half way through, Hadley dropped her head with a quiet noise that might have been a scoff, or it might have been an exacerbated sigh. She snickered when he mentioned the Creatures rating though. Because muggles use X ratings for something WAAAAY different. And she was 12. And Muggle-born. Sue her.

It was pure coincidence that Haddie got passed the picture of the Echinokarp's dragon form as Draper asked his question. What practical application did they have for wizards? "Guarding your underwater fortress of villiany?" she offered. And by your, she meant you, Drapes. Though if he actually said yes to that, he might actually earn a bit of respect in her book. For more reasons than one.

.................. Oh Merlin, Hadley Denaker had the man in stitches.

First it was the look and if it wasn't the look, it was that answer she'd given. Those words, 'fortress of villainy', had earned the girl a snort of laughter from the Defence Professor before he hastily turned it into a cough. Oh the joke, oh the sass!

"As, uh," How was he meant to be professional when all he wanted to do was laugh? "As great as that would be, that's not the right answer, Miss Denaker. But well done." Really. Brownie points for you.

Text Cut: Esme

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishy

As Esme took notes she listened as Professor Draper began talking again.

Goodness. There was a lot of information coming their way and it was a struggle to keep up with everything. Her hand was starting to cramp up, so she shook it a few times to ease the feeling a little. At least the subject matter was interesting - which wasn't always the case. Subjects like Astronomy came to mind. No offence, Professor Flamsteed but some aspects of space were rather dull.

As the picture made her way around to her, Esme's eyes widened. How scary looking. No wonder they hadn't been allowed to bring them to Hogwarts. They shouldn't be allowed anywhere near people. Shuddering, she contemplated the next question before raising her hand. "Can other parts of them be used in potions? I mean beyond the quills... Creatures have various parts that can be used in potions, for example Unicorns."

So long as they were dead when the parts were taken and no one with any sense would try to take them when the Echinokarps were alive.

The next person to answer was Miss Darcy and, while she hadn't used any form of sass in her answer, her answer was a good one. Oh, how it made the man smile. "I'm very glad that you mentioned the quills, Miss Darcy. That's exactly it! Their quills come into great use when it comes to potions."

Text Cut: Azura

Quote:

Originally Posted by MunchyBubbles

Azura was scribbling as fast as her Emerald quill would go.. All of this was so intense.. and she was sure she had missed something.. Also, she felt rather down on herself for not answering that last question correct..

Okay.. well she had.. sort of.. but not?

*sigh*

And then Esme had taken her potions answer.. so now she would have to think up another answer.. "They could help us learn about different types of defense." Azura said softly as she put her hand in the air. "They magically transfigure themselves into something very large andterrifyingly ugly scary when threatened, they turn dangerous creatures, though unprovoked they are totally harmless. We can take those tactics that the Echiniokarps have and learn to apply them."

Is THAT why Professor Hirsch was here?

This was another answer that made the man slightly giddy. "Yes!" he called, his eyes on Azura, "It's not the answer we're looking for but you're right: it can teach you a lot about defensive strategies. You're much less likely to be attacked if you look threatening. And even if you don't look threatening, you can always show someone who's about to attack you that you're not someone to be messed with. Well done!"

Oh, was he going off course? Oops.

Text Cut: Tia

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Tia was frantically writing down notes about Echinokarps because it was something entirely new to her and semi-fascinating. Finally though it seemed as though she'd caught up with her note writing and was able to have a moment to think about the question posed by Professor Draper. Practical application to the magical world. Good question and one she definitely wanted to know the proper answer to. She didn't really like Esme's suggestion about it being used for potions, even though logic told her it was likely one practical application.

Azura had an interesting point though on learning about different types of defense through observation of the hybrid creature.

Raising her hand, Tia added thoughtfully, "Yes, more on what Azura said... I think observation for how creatures defend themselves can be useful in our own defensive and transfiguration techniques. Survival of the fittest, type deal." Uh, did that even make sense for practical magic application? Honestly, she had no idea.

Ah, survival of the fittest. This was like music to the man's ears.

"That's exactly it! These creatures show that even if you look, well, like a wimp, you can still defend yourself in the best way possible. You can still prove to your attacker that you're not someone to be messed with. Very good thinking, Miss Mancini." Really. He was impressed with his students.

Text Cut: Jace

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

Brown eyes, shifted-- reluctantly, from the beautiful Nana Ichihara to the robust, stern-looking, probably child-eater James Draper. Immediately, Jace was back to his ramrod straight posture, locking eyes with the Creatures professor as he spoke, and at the same time, jotted down important information. Multi-tasking is probably one of his mastered skills after taking up day classes in Mahou.

His right hand frantically took down words on his notebook, while his left hand reached out for the picture that was being passed around. He briefly looked at the picture, and then quickly passed it to the next student beside him. He took this opportunity to look down on his notes, which was all written in Japanese characters, by the way, and nodded to himself. Once the next question was brought up, the Ravenclaw listened to the others first, before thinking of an answer that could satisfy the Defense professor. Again, no offense Draper.

Jace slowly raised his hand again, and answered once his name was called out. "Professor? I'm not entirely familiar with the Echinokarps, but the creature being a magical one...it is possibly capable of charging its environment with a defensive energy, like the muggle fish called Japanese Spiny Dragonet?" A wild guess, most definitely, "The dragonets can bury itself and then charge the water with a foul smell to ward off predators." Okay...maybe he should just shut his mouth now, yes? "If that is the case then, in a way, its mere presence can contribute greatly in the field of Defense because it doesn't need to be provoked to transform. It's mere presence is enough to protect a certain portion of a body of water." Right? Whether or not a human is magical or not, he or she isn't stupid to actually provoke a fish. Who does that, anyway? Jace guessed that the transformation part would come in handy as their last line of defense.

Anyway! The Ravenclaw tucked his notebook under his thigh, and waited for one of the adults to talk again.

Can they get a Hirsch now? Please?

Yes, Jace, you can get a talk from Hirsch now.

This thinking....... Merlin. "That's some very clever thinking, Mr Reed." Really, it was. "I like the fact that you compared it to another fish and talked about defensive energy. That is very good thinking." And he was going to have to have a look into that fish and possibly bring it up in one of his future lessons. "You're....... nearly there and mostly, you're right. Sometimes, its mere presence can ward people off, make them think twice about catching any part of them. When provoked, they end up looking intimidating, which is their own defense mechanism. And if you harness them and make them look over an area for you, you can bet that it'll be protected."

Pause.

"But their quills act as a defense strategy for the karps. I'll explain more in a bit but well done on your thinking, Mr Reed."

Text Cut: Rachel

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Rachel made notes as Professor Draper addressed her peers' answers and while he began talking of the Echinokarps. She did not really like the sound of these creatures. The seemed rather scary to her. That would be why Professor Hirsch was there, yes? To teach them about defense against them or something of the sort?

When it was her turn with the picture, she cast a quick glance at it. Indeed the creature was somewhat scary looking. She quickly passed it along, turning her mind to the question asked while at the same time trying to stifle a smile at Haddie's answer. After a moment she raised her hand. "I would like to think that they can be studied for Transfigurational purposes; learning more about creatures which go through such drastic changes.''

Now this was an interesting answer. Study the creature for Transfigurational purposes...... Roderik mulled over the answer in his head before piping up, "Well, you certainly could if you were into Transfiguration and wanted to look more at how a karp manages to transform so much. But! That's not the answer I'm looking for." Sorry, Rachel.

Text Cut: Hady

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy

Between Professor Draper and Professor Ichihara both speaking for the mornings lesson Hady's hand was really going to be sore. What were those two having some sort of competition on who could give the most detailed information? So much was being said in such a short amount of time the girl had even considered at one point asking them both to slow down and repeat what they had just so just so could make sure that she got it all down. Seriously maybe recording these lessons was a better way to go from now on.

Flexing her fingers around her quill yet again Hadleigh opted to remain silent this time rather then answer the question even though her previous answer got a good response. This was her element for sure but so was taking down notes which she would be needing for her OWLs. Sorry not sorry professor for not answering this time. She did pause however to quickly glimpse at the photo as it was passed to her before passing it on. That creature wasn't the cutest at all but she was sure it wasn't supposed to be either.

A quiet approach to a question? Well, alright. Hirsch gave the girl a nod of his head, glad to see that she was, in fact, taking notes. See, the man had a more practical approach to these things but if this helped them with their exams, then so be it. And he wasn't about to speak against the other two professors here about note taking.

Text Cut: Yoongi

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi

HA!

Had he fallen for it? because that TOTALLY had been a joke and had NOTHING to do with him having absolutely no idea what the question had been about. He blamed the note taking. He had been so busy with that that he hadn’t heard the previous question correctly and at the same time he wanted to answer because his previous answer had been CLEVER. Wrong but CLEVER . HE WAS CLEVER OKAY!? Too bad Draper wasn’t impressed with him yet. But they still had a quarter of a year left. He was going to be impressed with him one day before he left school! He was going to make sure of that.

Imagining the man admitting that he was awesome in front of the whole school, Yoongi had therefore missed a portion of the lesson yet again and before he knew it, a picture of a sea monster had been pushed in to his hand. Eeeeeh…..ok? what was he supposed to do with this? Merlin’s Beard he should have dropped Care of Magical Creatures and not Ancient Runes. He looked at the picture , not knowing what to look for and then gave it to student next to him.

The CLEVER Head Boy listened to the students as they gave their various answers to the question the man had asked. Yoongi himself though, went back to taking notes because he was sure he would say something wrong again and doing that wasn’t going to impress Draper. And taking notes was always a good thing right? Also, Haddie’s answer to the question made him laugh out loud though. It was just a “Ha!” and when he realised he had done that he quickly faked a cough because that was unprofessional. Sorry?

Ah, Yoongi, we heard that laugh, yes we did.

But, instead of telling the boy off like any other professor would do, the man simply shot him a smile and didn't say anything. Nope. He was simply going to pretend that the laugh had fallen deaf to his ears.

You're welcome, Mr Hyland.

Text Cut: Brian

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurange

.... what?

That was a lot of talking and between the two professors talking and trying to outdo each other and his notetaking and his classmates answering, it was a wonder he hadn't got Carpal Tunnel just yet. But he was probably starting to because M E R L I N, his right arm was so close to falling off.

The hufflepuff opted not to volunteer any information this time either, but took a look at the photo being handed around and taking a few more notes in his notebook. And while everyone was still admiring the pretty picture, he'd just shake his hand out because ouch. Hopefully the next point was a little less long-winded. Else, he might die before the practical part of the class.

And even though Hufflepuffs tended to die first, he did NOT want to be the dead one.

Mr Woods received a glance over when he decided to remain quiet as well. Notes. Lots of notes were being taken which, again, the man didn't mind. As long as they hadn't fallen asleep during the lesson. Because you needed to be alert for defense. How else were you meant to defend yourself in the best means possible?

Text Cut: Ava

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

There's something between Professor Draper and Ichihara. Like they were trying to be the best Professor ever between them. No offense, but Ava was rooting for Professor Hirsch, even he hadn't spoken any word yet. That DADA Professor has such a charm that made him so... attractive. And not to mention that he's great in teaching. She was waiting for him to speak but it seemed like it's more of Draper's show today.

So Thestral wasn't a correct answer? Well, at least she had tried. The young lioness listened to the CoMC professor talked again... Blablablablablaaaaaa~ Boring. Could they move on to the practical portion now? She saw the picture of Echinokarp... Wow, so scary.

And what practical application do you think these creatures could provide in the magical world? Listening to Haddie's answer about guarding Draper's underwear made her chuckle a little. Hehehehe.... But then she quickly covered her mouth. It was not a secret that the Ravenclaw firstie seemed dislike the Professor. "I think we're gonna learn how to defend ourselves with transfiguration technique like... transfiguring us into an animal or concealing us like a chameleon?" She gave an answer once she put her hand up in the air.

See, if Hirsch knew that Ava was rooting for him, he would've given her extra points or cheered her on or, well, something.

But alas, he knew nothing so he simply stood there and listened out to her answer. Transfigure themselves into animals? Hm. "That's...... very interesting. It's very advanced magic but transfiguring yourself is a good defensive strategy. Well done." He gave her a smile and a nod of his head. "And concealing yourself is an excellent way to defend yourself, or to attack. They can't see you, think about how advantageous that would be for you." This explained one Dima Toussaint's approach to dueling.

Text Cut: Janelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydreamer11

Janelle listened and took lots of notes as Professor Ichihara gave them information about the Echinokarp. The creature sounded amazing. They were mild mannered and non-threatening generally, but when provoked.........watch out. Janelle knew a few people like that, but anywho..... When the professor asked a question about creatures and their defensive techniques, she did not raise her hand. So many good answers were being given, Janelle just chose to keep listening and update her notes.

Then it was Professor Draper's turn. Boy, they were getting a lot of detailed information in today's class. Janelle's fingers were beginning to cramp, but she kept writing nonetheless. She was fascinated by the Echinokarp. From harmless carp to XXXX creature, how cool was that? Well not the dangerous part, but the transformation part. When the picture of the Echinokarp was passed around, Janelle took a look at it. Man, it was ugly and quite scary looking.

The next question involved what the creature could be used for. Janelle's first thought was that it could be used by wizards to scare muggles away from a particular area. However, that probably didn't fit in with today's combination class theme. After giving it some more thought, Janelle raised her hand. Trying to tie in bits of all three classes she began to explain. "The Echinokarp could be used to......." Then Janelle went back to her original thought. "They could be used for protection.......for defense of a particular area. Defense through creature transfiguration." That made absolutely no sense, but Janelle did manage to tie in all three disciplines in her answer.

.............. Oh, wasn't this an interesting answer?

Roderik tilted his head as he listened to Miss Guidry's answer. Interesting. Really interesting. "If you manage to train them in the right way and mellow them down towards you, then I don't see why not. They could protect an area of land for you and, if the approaching person doesn't know about them, chances are, they're going to look after your area effectively. Good thinking." Really.

Text Cut: Kitty

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

"I don't know. Do they have medical properties?" After all, she never would have guessed all the uses one could have with a unicorn horn, yet it seemed there were dozens of potions that required them. Maybe the creature's quills were like that.

Like Yoongi, Kitty giggled accidentally at Haddie's answer, and like him tried to hide it with a cough.

Medical properties?

Hirsch pondered on this. Medical properties. Huh, wasn't that interesting? "You could say that. You're along the right path, yes. Well done, Miss Valentine." Pity she hadn't expanded on it but it was the right answer, more or less.



When all the answers had been given, Hirsch clapped his hands once to call for everyone's attention. "Those were some great answers, guys, well done. Excellent thinking!" Really, he was impressed. "The correct answer lies in its quills. The Echinokarp is a fish that has bad eyesight but it's grown to adapt itself. Those quills you see in the picture? Those quills contain something inside of them that induces sleep. What they do is if they feel your movement in the water, they shoot out these quills in the hopes that one of them will hit you and make you fall asleep. You're easier to attack if you're asleep." Shrug. "So, naturally, these quills are used in sleep-inducing potions."

"Now. The Echinokarp is harmless in their normal fishy form. Really, think about that silent, geeky kid in class. Or the sweet kid with a temper. They seem one thing when they're in their normal form and you think they're harmless up until you threaten them. You threaten them and it's as if they turn into a giant monster of anger and the best thing for you to do is get out of there if you value your life. The Echinokarp is the same." But enough about that.

"Remember that lesson when we learnt that everyone has certain weaknesses that you can use against them if you need to defend yourself? The Echinokarp is the exact same: it too has a weakness that you can use against it to defend yourself and that weakness is its harmless form. It might be a great rearing sea monster at this moment but just think: it was a fish. It was your everyday harmless karp." He paused for a moment to let that sink in.

"The best way to defend yourself against it is to revert it back to its original state. If you lessen the threat in any given way, you're psychologically more likely to defeat it. And that goes for everything." It was a given fact. "Bear in mind that nothing else will work as well as this. Forget any curses or the idea of flinging a heavy rock at it, the first thing you do is to revert it to its original state. Other spells like Animalis Fidelis, the animal friendly spell, and Bombarda can be used but the first one should be used after you've reverted it, simply because it's easier. And the second one can be used as a distraction method. Remember, their eyesight is bad. Use that to your advantage."

Were they sick and tired of his voice already?

"SO! That's what you're going to learn: how to revert the creature back it its original form. And now, I hand things over to Professor Ichihara to teach you the Transfiguration spell." Off you go, Nana.

---------------------------

OOC: That was so much reading ohmygosh I'm sorry ;____; Have fun reading through that? Nicole (nicole black) will post next with the spell and stuff. You guys are absolutely wonderful <3

The answers from the students were creative, well thought out, an... To be fair, a little odd, but Nana was no less impressed as the class eagerly theorized through the question.

And once again, she had to stifle a smile of amusement at Miss Denaker's words. She really ought not to smile, it would only encourage her, but the thought of James having a secret evil lair was just too much. Especially after he seemed to snark a bit at the class.

Now, Nana might not be able to do the same with James, but she would happily congratulate Hirsch on his well spoken and insightful bit of the lesson. He was calm, carefree and to the point but without missing any steps. A fine Professor, and a fine colleague, Nana would have to buy him a butterbeer later to show her newly won-admiration.

"Thank you, Professor Hirsch." Nana said, inching her head as the man reintroduced her to the class. Taking out her wand, she cleared her throat. "Pay close attention class. If you do not perform this spell precisely, with great intention and conviction it will not work." To put it simply. "Not even a bit, nary a quill, nor sharp tooth will change. I suggest you practice this until you get a sense of the spell before we carry on to the activity of our lesson." The brunette smirked just a bit, they had quite something in mind for the students too.

"The spell is the very simple, but very helpful Reverto spell. The movement itself it a light flourish, which is not very difficult, but the pronunciation has to be just right." Otherwise they would only be flourishing a very pretty stick at a very hungry and angry monster. "Re-VER-to." she said, making sure to enunciate clearly enough for everyone to hear the emphasis. "You must focus on the second syllable."

With a decidedly more elaborate gesture, Nana conjured up an army of multi-colored, terrier sized rubber ducks. "Now. Before we get to the main activity I would like you all to take the time to practice the reverto spell."

Yes, this was moving slowly, but their was a reason to the Professors' madness. Trust.








OOC: Hie Guys. Welcome to the mini activity. Please RP your kids practicing the spell and those just joining, feel free to act as if you've been around all along. The next post will be in approximately 18 hours. Any questions can be sent to myself, Kita or Ariana and we'll help out in whatever way we can.

You will need two posts to get full credits for this activity. Please be score to make them as #post one and #post two.

It seemed that she was not the only one who found Haddie's answer especially amusing. She bit really biting down hard on her lip from following the Head Boy's and Kitty's reactions. She noted that even Professor Ichihara was trying, like her, to hide her smile. Rachel hastily turned her full attention to Hirsch. She was disappointed to find her answer was not quite what he wanted but she encouraged herself by thinking that she had at least tried.

A teem of information followed and the Eagle did her best to get all the main points, especially those about the quills. What powerful objects those were! Once she had made her notes and marveling that Professor Hirsch was so knowledgeable on the topic, she looked over at Ichihara. She hoped this spell wasn't too difficult.

The Reverto spell was one Rachel had come across during her reading. She had tried it a few times before but with no success but her was an opportunity to change that. She watched as rubber ducks were conjured and smiled widely as she spotted a few pinks ones.

Not wanting to get caught up in admiring the ducks, she began saying in a clear, confident voice, ''Reverto. Re-VER-to.'' She stressed on the middle syllable. ''Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to.'' The incantation rolled nicely off her tongue; she was glad it wasn't a complicated one.

It was talking all the little Ravenclaw had not to jump up and down in her seat. Professor Hirsch had smiled at her twice AND he had liked her answer! Sure it wasn't exactly the right one.. But.. still! Two smiles! And a happy response to what she had said..

She finally felt like she had made the DaDa teacher proud! And THAT made her sit a little taller and she smiled back at him happily. She wondered if he would go on the do not hug list or not? Hmmmm..

Anyways!

She turned her purple gaze towards Professor Ichihara as she spoke and told them about the spell they were to perform.

She wasn't worried.. Magic was her thing!

She looked at the ducks for a moment; trying to to ohh and awe over them cause they were SO adorable! She couldn't be distracted by cuteness! No! She had a spell to try out!

"Reverto!" She said in a confident voice..

"Re-VER-to.. Re-ver-to.. Re-VER-to. " Azura tried saying it a few different ways, just to make sure she had the correct pronunciation in her head.

Rachel was sure she was becoming more and more comfortable reciting the incantation but she gave it a few more mintues of practice. Professor Ichihara did say that it was important to get it right. ''Reverto. Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to.'' Again and again she put great emphasis on the syllable in the middle. ''Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to. Reverto!''

Satisfied with that part of practice, the first year tried out the wand movement. A light flourish had been said. This is what she practiced though not nearly as much as she did with the incantation. Ichihara was right. It was not difficult.

Azura was becoming more and more confident with the spell each and every time she said it. She didn't think she would have much of a problem.. She just had to make sure her intent and conviction was present! Just like the Professor had said. She was glad they could practice this spell in a safe environment, and not have to actually face an Echinokarp while attempting this!

"Reverto.. Re-VER-to.. Re-VER-to.. Re-VER-to.. Reverto!"

Yup! She had got it..

She picked up her wand and gave it a flourish like the professor had..

It was pretty simple! Okay! She was ready!

He flushed a little as the defence professor looked at him after he had laughed but relaxed again when the man simply shot him a smile and he mouthed the word ‘sorry’. He was also glad that neither Kitty nor Haddie had gotten in to trouble yet, though , you never know with Draper. He called him a drama queen but it takes one to know one.

He went back to writing in his note book, trying to take as much notes as he can and still be able to decipher what it said later. Professor Hirsh liked to hear himself talk as well. When the stage was given to Professor Ichihara again , Yoongi watched as the woman conjured up rubber ducks. Big ones. Well, it was better than trying the spell on a real dangerous creature.

The Gryffindor placed his notebook and quill down and decided to practise the spell as well. He knew the spell but it wasn’t like he had to use It everyday . The key point was to focus with great intention , he could do that! “Reverto” he said quietly to himself.

Hadleigh's attention drifted onto Hirsch when he took over for the lesson. He was talking...a lot. Every time she may have thought he was done she kept going. This meant there was no pause in her note taking and she had a feeling that she would be going back and rewriting it all later on much more neatly. Right now her main focus was just on getting all the information spoken onto her parchment.

They weren't done though. Oh no. Professor Hirsch may have stopped talking but Nana had picked right up where the man had left off! At least it wasn't much more said. The introduction of a spell was given. Reverto. It transformed the creature or object back to it's original state. Simple really if one did it currently. It could be a problem though if you were in a moment of panic.

Her eyes moved onto the army of rubber ducks and she arched an eyebrow in curiosity. Nothing was said about them though so she assumed they weren't important just yet. Knowing the spell was what she needed to do first.

Setting her quill and parchment down she picked up her wand. Small light flourish. Flourish. Flourish. Yeah there was nothing to this wand movement.

SO.

MUCH.

INFORMATION.

Ariadne's brain was about to go on strike. She could feel it coming. These joint lessons were good, but they were also very, very evil. She could see the benefit, because take this creature for example. It had a little bit of everything in it, which was interesting and kept them on their toes. Then there was ALLLL the information that came with it. ALLLL of it!

Ariadne thought she had it all, too, even though she'd been thinking a lot during the questioning time and hadn't exactly said anything.

A spell she could practice, though! There were some random, evil-looking rubber ducks conjured up just then, which only momentarily distracted Ariadne. What were they here for? Nothing was said about them, though, so she tried to ignore them as she practiced the spell.

"Reverto!" she exclaimed. "Re-VER-to!"

Tia was on the right track of thinking!? With all that information that the three professors were throwing at them, the seventh year felt pleased with the complement. She also felt bad too for all the younger students trying to comprehend every little thing being said by the adults. Soon they would realize the advantage to reading beforehand and realize they didn't need to hang onto every word. Just most words. Though it actually took Tia six years of education to master the art of paying attention to just the right amount of dialogue and even now she still struggled.

And it seemed it was time to learn a spell - one that she was pretty sure she'd already used, but nonetheless she would practice it anyway. Simple light flourish wand movement; got that.

"Re-ver-to" The head girl said, placing careful emphasis on each syllable. "Re-ver-to"

Kitty smiled at the rubber ducks with horns on their heads. "Oh my gosh, they look mad and cute at the same time," she said out loud to no one in particular. Actually, their angry expressions was part of what made them so cute. And the way the smaller ones all seemed to be looking up to the bigger one? Cute!

And now it was time to practice the spell. She took out her wand and flourished it. "Reverto! Re-VERTO!"

Yeah, she knew that transfiguring herself was too advance but that was possible, right? Right. But it seemed like Hirsch liked her idea, too bad that it was too advance for her to practice it now so.... Maybe later? You know, once she had learned and mastered it of course. Ava listened to Professor Hirsch's explanation about the Echinokarp and just nodded at him.

So today they're gonna learn how to revert the creature back it its original form. Interesting. The young lioness listened to Professor Ichihara's explanation about the spell... Okay, it doesn't really sound difficult. She grabbed the rubber duck (and to be honest, this one looked better than a regular rubber duck) and tried the spell.... Wait, they needed to practice the incantation and wand movement first. "Re-VER-to" She said the incantation clearly. Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to. Re-VER-to."

Her answer received praise from Professor Hirsch! That was enough to make Esme BEAM. She had done good and on a topic that she wasn't exactly familiar with. No one seemed to know anything about Echinokarps - besides the teachers, obviously.

Everything was new to her and she was being hit on the head with a lot of information. How she even managed to keep up with notes was a mystery to her. All she knew was that her hand was going to be really sore for the rest of today as well as tomorrow. That wasn't going to stop her from doing the activity though. Nothing would because Reverto was an important spell to learn. It would come in handy against many things, not just Echinokarps. Esme wanted to prepared even if her father had been her first line of defense for many years.

Trying not to go 'awwww' over the rubber ducks that had appeared out of nowhere, she set about practicing the incantation. "Re-VER-to."

Nice and simple.

Another somewhat shocked, and all too proud smile spread across Hadley's lips. She couldn't help it, she was kinda on cloud nine. She fully expected to be reprimanded, or have a few points deducted...though it wasn't as if Ravenclaw couldn't spare a few points. They had a strong lead, so... But this. This was interesting to say the least.

Hadley had a sneaking suspicion that if it had been anyone else, other than Drapes, she might not have been so lucky.

Before she could ponder on that anymore, the lecture continued. This time, thankfully, not by Dudley Do-wrong. It was Hirsch! Though, Hirsch wasn't much better than Ichihara or Drapes had been. There apparently was a lot of material for all the professors to try and get through. Jeez, no wonder they decided to combine the classes... Though unlike Drapes, Hirsch didn't make it longer than it needed to be by filling them in all the obvious stuff.

Still, Haddie was getting tired of writing. She jotted down only what she thought was really important. Like the fact that the Echinokarp had poor eyes. Along side that she scribbled down a note to: Invest in good optometrist and oversized contacts, before using to guard underwater fortresses. You know, just in case she ever wanted her own secret base below the Pacific.

Then it was Ichihara's turn again. The lecture part seemed to be over, and they were getting to the spell. With... rubber duckies? "Does Headmistress Moxley know you borrowed her rubber ducky collection?" The words just came out before Haddie could stop herself. Her eyes went wide and she threw Professor Ichihara an apologetic look that seemed to say: That wasn't sass. I'm genuinely curious... Though, they were smart enough to know Hadley didn't actually believe that Professor Ichihara or Professor Hirsch stole Moxxy's rubber duck collection.

Well...Drapes might have. Okay, now she genuinely was curious.

Rather, than push it though, Haddie pulled out her ornate wand and began practicing the spell.

….. The Question caught her off guard and for a moment, Nana believed it to be of the snaky variety. Perhaps they had been too indulgent with Miss Denaker’s behavior, perhaps Nana ought to speak with the young woman of her lack of proper respect… Nana would consider these things after the lesson. “No, miss Denaker.” She calmly replied. “I had these brought in especially for today’s class.”



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Nana diligently watched the students as they practiced the spell. Each flourish and well spoken line bringing a spot of pride to herself. She had only been teaching these children for a year and yet she had grown quite fond of so many of them… Even the more trouble-making of the bunch. She had made herself busy walking through the students as they worked, but now returned to her previous station. It was time to move forward with the lesson.

The Professor clapped her hands together. “I believe that is enough practice for now. Though if you feel you need further practice or have any questions, you may feel free to ask myself, Professor Hirsch or Professor Draper.”

“We cannot have you try the reverto spell on the creature itself as it is very dangerous, but having you attempt to revert a transfigured object to the previous form is an abraxan of a different color.” She said. Raising her wand up high, Nana brandished it the way a conductor might causing the rubber ducks to sharply line up before her. "You will be put up into teams. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. At the end of the lesson, the team that has reverted the most ducks back to their original forms will receive bonus house points.”

Nothing like a little competition to liven things.

“Piertotum Locomotor” she commanded. The ducks shivered, wiggled and squaked as quite suddenly they were brought to life. She had transfigured them earlier in the day to their terrier-size and giving them their rather charming face paint. The horned ducks flapped their wings, before turning their beady, ferocious gaze on the crowd of students. “They don’t look like much, but I think they might just surprise you.” The smirk was small, but it was most definitely a smirk. "As you can see I transfigured the ducks to give thethem horns and spikes to mimic the Echinokarp in it's post-change form. They will also mimic the Echinokarp's aggression, so keep this in mind." Nana turned her gaze to the ducks. “Defend your professors, evade the students…. “ she loudly commanded. And then the ducks were off, rushing toward the students to attack and defend against.

There was no way for the children to be seriously injured, Nana had made sure to carefully implant the student’s safety into the minds of the rubber fowls, but they would certainly do their best to frighten and intimidate the class.










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OOC: Hie guys. This is the main activity for our class. It will take three individual posts for each “Catch” though house members may work together to trap a duck. The house with the most ducks at the end will receive a points bonus, but please make sure to play realistically and fairly. Also, be mindful that there are no serious injuries, please. If your student is bleeding they will be sent to the hospital wing and be unable to finish the lesson.

If you are just jumping in, you may do catch-up posts for the mini activit, be sure to label them as #miniactivity #postone and #miniactivity #posttwo accordingly.

The Professors will be be around, peeking in, offering assistance when needed. But if you have any questions or need help feel free to ask myself, Kita or Ariana and we’ll do our best. Thanks and have fun!