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On a grey mid-November afternoon, you make your way towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, ready to learn about all kinds of weird and definitely not wonderful forms of the dark arts. Everything looks normal from the outside, your usual windows, your normal dull corridor that you've probably walked past too many times. That is, until you walk into the classroom itself.
Maybe 'classroom' wasn't the right term for it because this room lacked anything a normal classroom would have. There were no chairs, no desks, nothing really, apart from a few mats and cushions here and there. But that's not the weirdest part of this set up, oh no! The complete lack of light in the room could throw you off, even if the weather outside is anything but sunny right now.
Confused? You might be.
But don't fret! Bluebell flames are hovering around the 'classroom' in small jars, illuminating enough of the surrounding space for you to see your way around. It also illuminates Professor Hirsch, who can be seen leaning against some kind of black wall. As always, the man was displaying an aura of cool and casual with the way his legs were crossed at the ankles and his arms were crossed across his chest.
So come in, grab a mat or cushion and wait for the class to begin!
OOC: Please make sure you're familiar with Hirsch's rules as well as the SS site rules before posting. Class will continue in about 24 hours time (Friday 27th at roughly 8pm GMT+1/BST). Hope you have fun! ^^ Class has already started! Please feel free to jump in whenever but please don't post your charries coming in late.
Oh! And please note that this is NOT your first DADA lesson of term, even if it's the first one being held by me this term.
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HEY, THIS WAS A MAGIC QUESTION BRIAN COULD ANSWER!
And it wasn't just that Hirsch was a particularly fun professor - which he was, and studying for this subject really wasn't boring at all - but man, he actually knew the answer. Praise be! This like... never happened. Ever. Really. The magical world still baffled him and he'd been up in it, living it for the past five years.
DO DO DO DODODODO.
"There's theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee -" dramatic pause, Brian was learning from the best. "DODO. Magical people call it the Diricawl, Muggles think it's extinct because it disappears." SEE HE KNOWS SOMETHING.
Niomi raised her hand to inform the him she was able to speak. Right away she thought of a creature. "A magical creature I thought of are dragons. They have always been a thought of, by Muggles, as a fantasy creature, but in reality, they are real in the wizarding world," Niomi spoke up after raising her hand. She was very content and pleased with her answer. There are many creatures she could have named, but she thought naming one was good enough. She should give the other students a chance to name one.
dream until your • dreams come true ~ Human pygmy puff
Janelle was busy trying to figure out what they could possibly be doing today. She was very, very intrigued by the set up. She was kind of enjoying the darkness. Fortunately she was very interested in the class. If she hadn't been, darkness might not have been a good thing........'cause sleep could happen.
Just like that, the professor called the class to order. The first question was posed and it was time to go to work. Janelle had an answer for the question. She raised her hand and when her turn came, she added her two cents worth to the conversation. The Loch Ness Monster is really a magical creature. Muggles don't know that it is really a kelpie." A lot of muggles didn't even believe the creature was real, but plenty had seen it and did believe.
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Salt!
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Azura bit her lip a little as she looked up at Professor Hirsch, she was a little worried about where this lesson was going. Why was it all dark in here? As the door snapped shut Azura felt a shiver run down her spine.
Please oh please let there be no vampire.. Or the Professor was going to find that he was going to have a very small first year attached to his leg and never letting go!
She raised her hand and said the second thing that came to her mind. "Unicorns, people don't think they actually exist, but we know better. " Yes.. That was better than terrible terrible vampire.
Yes good, the class was starting. Jaemin wiggled a bit on his mat as the door closed, giving only the slightest, short little glance back at it before focusing all of his attention on Hirsch. They were going to be talking about... dark creatures. Hmm. That was hitting a little close to home after what had happened last term, and the small Slytherin slowly raised a hand.
"There's lots of kid's stories about... hags... but Muggles don't really believe that hags are real..." and usually they were just portrayed as old witches, which Jaemin was now extremely aware of. Old ladies creeped him all the way out. "Like Hansel & Gretel... they went into the woods and a mean old hag in a candy house put them in a cage so she could make them all chubby and then eat them..."
Probably in a stew. Kid stew. Like that Puffaluff from last term. Jaemin looked around the room again, suddenly extremely wary. DID HE HAVE A HAG IN HERE? DID YOU, HIRSCH? The tattooed professor had better well NOT. Jaemin was extremely small, but that just meant he was fast, and he would sooooo be out of here before other people. She could eat the slowest one. Not him.
DADA one of Katerina favorite classes. She had like four favorite favorites. Even though she liked everything pretty much. But yeah. She was here and ready to learn.
She let out a silent squeal. Care of magical Creatures was also another of her favorites. So combining both subjects into one DADA lesson was awesome. She listened to the other answers before her tiny hand shoot up into the air.
"Pixies, or Fairies Professor. There are many mythical stories about them in the muggle world." She nodded when she finished her sentence. She used to want to be a fairy, when she was little, wings and all!
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Bread!
Yeah I broke that mirror, so what? ll NOT backward ll Official Gryfferin ll Lemon's favourite
And just like that, the Professor had earned himself some very sparkly eyed looks from one Blaise Bellaire. Whether the man noticed in the light of the blue bell flames was yet to be seen but they were definitely happening because the Professor had cleared up what had previously been a very cryptic response. No Professor, there was nothing he needed to know. This was a creature lesson. All was right with the world. The boy could breathe easy. Look, he would even raise his hand to give a response.
Wasn't Defense Against the Dark Arts just lovely when you weren't learning hexes he'd never defend himself against anyway? Sure was!
"What about Diricawls? Muggles know about them, they talk about them sometimes except they decided to go and rename them 'Dodos' without without proper clearance from the Creature Department over in the Ministry of Magic. Reckon it's not their fault. They don't know that exists either."
Poor Muggles. They didn't know a lot of things.
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Imma say all the words inside my head____________________________________
______________________________I'm fired up and tired of the way that things are said.
Hadley smirked under the ambient blue flicking light. "Oh, it's already stuck, Ninja Knight." As had Itchy Mara. Hads just didn't say that one out loud around the Transfiguration Professor. Because saying that in front of Ichihara would be super dumb.
Before she could even open her mouth to respond, people were already shouting out answers every answer she knew. Especially the Dodo. She'd really wanted to say that one, for reasons. "Dragons. Growing up thinking I was a muggle, I knew all about dragons. Well, all about fictional dragons. We learn about them, but a lot of it is stuff muggles make up to fill in details, and we're always told they don't actually exist. But they do."
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The bluebell flames reminded Dot of Maddie, and the flickering blue glow lighting her classmates felt comfortable and warm, rather than creepy or cold. She even admired one of the flames in its jar before focusing on the professor.
And there was Hirsch, who seemed to be trying very hard to look cool. It helped that he was fairly cool. Otherwise, it would just make him lame.
Dot wanted to take her seat, but there weren't seats. Mats, though... which brought back plenty of memories. "Crups, sir. I mean, they look like dogs to the Muggles because we go to such great lengths to hide their nature from them."
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First of all, why was the classroom so dark? Considering this was defense against the dark (dark haha) arts it made him a little nervous. What sort of thing would they be facing today? What was hiding in that darkness? Was it some sort of creature? Olly made sure he was standing close to an older student who knew what they were doing. He did not want to die today.
He thought about the question and raised his hand. "How about a crup? They look like a breed of muggle dog so if they saw one they'd think it was just a dog."
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Mats were weird. Kaycee did not like this was half tempted to just sit on the regular floor or get up. Heh.
Anyway. She raised her hand. "Sphinxes." she offered. "Muggles think they're just mythical." At least, recent muggles did. Ancient ones might have known better.
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I'll Spend Forever Wondering If You Knew__________________________________ _____________________________________________I Was Enchanted To Meet You
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It was nice to see that Kitty was starting to relax. She smiled at her sister. Of course they had came in together and would stay that way until they were broken up. IF that happened. "Probably not," she said to Kitty with a smile before Professor Hirsch started the lesson.
So they would be focusing on Dark Creatures today. Interesting. She didn't know TOO much about them but she did know enough. They scared the bejeebers out of her. Obviously there weren't any Lethifolds or Acromantulas in the classroom but still. THEY WERE SCARY. Especially after the Acromantula attack that had happened back in her First Year. Whatever. She was not going to dwell on it; she was going to focus on the question. Esme raised her hand. "What about Kneazles? They look A LOT like cats so it stands to reason that muggles have interacted with them without realizing that they are magical creatures. Cats are popular with muggles and they'd probably just see them as large house cats."
She was trying to go for a different approach than the standard 'Mermaid' or 'Dragon' reply that most people would come up with.
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Juno gave her sister a grin, before raising her hand and waiting to be called on. She knew this was a good one...no one had said it yet!
"What about Trolls, Professor? The muggles have a lot of stories about them living under bridges and whenever someone tries to cross their bridge they eat them." She said with a shrug. Trolls were nasty creatures that got really big and were very dangerous. She never wanted to come in contact with one, but if she had to she would fight them.
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⫷⫷____________________________________________ I know that you're afraid to...
...let all the dark escape you._____________________________________________⫸⫸
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Hattie loved this class. She'd heard her big sister go on about it all the time, and now it was her turn! Would they be learning abut magical creatures today if the Professor was asking this question? Because Hattie liked the idea of that. She found magical creatures fascinating. Now she just needed to think of a really good answer. The blonde bit on her lip, thinking about an answer before she raised her hand.
"What about Giants Professor?" She murmured with a smile on her face. "I mean we know that they exist, but muggles just think they are a myth. Probably because they hide away in the mountains and such" So they hadn't really see them, but they knew about them. "There was even a muggle children's book about giants!"
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It's the end of the show. Of the historemix. We switched up the flow. And we changed the prefix
But we want to say. Before we drop the curtain. Nothing is for sure. Nothing is for certain
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When someone sat down beside her on a mat Hady had to admit it wasn't the person she had expected. However that didn't keep her from grinning at the younger girl. "Hello." She remembered well from their Herbology class and how upset the girl had gotten at not being able to cast Aguamenti properly. It appeared that was a thing in the past now though. "That's great, see I told you that you'd get it," Hady responded with a nod of confirmation. All it took was effort and practice.
"Thank you Professor," the brunette smiled warmly. She had worked really hard studying for that OWL so she was super proud of herself for the grade she had gotten. However she needed to pay attention as the lesson was starting now. Shifting her attention onto the professor she listened quietly slowly raising her hand. "How about werewolves?" It seemed like a logical reply anyhow. "Their not creatures full time so I'm not sure if they would count."
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Bread!
curly haired prefect - "sometimes I get angry!" - 30/90 - *chicken emoji* - probably @ Disney - I speak dog
All the obvious answers were getting taken fast - and Scarlett was about to pipe up with the Crup thing, until the Slytherin prefect said it first. Hmm. She wondered if there were any other breeds of dogs that were magical...
Right. That was a question for another time. Right NOW though, she had to answer. Scarlett raised her hand.
"Centaurs are real, professor, and muggles don't think they exist. I think they mainly exist in Greek mythology, and sometimes they have only two legs and walk around like humans just with...a goat bottom. Or something. Which is obviously different than the centaurs we actually have in our world," she explained. She'd certainly never heard of a centaur with only two hind legs. That would be just WEIRD. How could you walk around like that?! You'd be off balance all the time!
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I'm still standin'________________________________________ better than I ever did
Lookin' like a true survivor_________________________________feelin' like a little kid
Ah Dante understood what he was goign on about. It was obvious considering the room. Dark creatures. Creatures that loved darkness. Instead of dark creatures as in evil or whatever the right word was.
He could be wrong but whatever.
"Well there are Vampires. Which are considered a magical hominid. No idea if they are considered magical in the muggle world. Stories differ on them"
Where are you going with this Hirsch.
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-------------------------------------Be a pineapple: Stand tall,
-----------------------------------------wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside.
Which meant that she was not listening to the talking because of the beautiful. Follow?
She blinked, confused. What was everyone talking about? What was the question? Chloe hated not participating in front of Hirsch. She wanted him to think she was as smart as she knew she was. And now she was lost. And embarrassed. And bright red.
She tried to hide behind her parchment under the guise of taking notes.
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Fiyero sat up a little straighter, holding his bag in his lap to prevent any more accidents. He couldn't believe he'd just fallen on his face in front of everybody! He was glad it was so dark in here so his classmates couldn't see the blush rising to his cheeks. "Yeah, I'm fine, Professor," he replied. Clumsy, but fine. "Sorry about that."
He considered Professor Hirsch's question for a minute, trying to think of a magical creature that hadn't been said yet. Then he thought of the gnome statue in Grandma Jones's garden. He raised his hand. "What about gnomes, Professor?"he said. "Muggles seem to think.they have long beards and wear pointy hats and funny shoes. Some of them even like to put statues of gnomes in their gardens."
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Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true...
Ability is nothing without Opportunity | | Creativity is Intelligence having FUN
Its so dark and honestly quite cool-- them bluebell flames with their blue hue certainly doesn’t help either. So yeah Tenacius, quite uncharacteristically, was silent.
There was a slight occasional buzzing around his vicinity though. Wait.....is that snoring?
He suddenly bolted awake at the sound of something LOUD-- that may have been Hirsch clapping, or something he dreamed, he wasn’t sure anymore. Wait classes has started? Ok boy look awake!
Oh oh oh oh he know he knows about this! Raise his hand!-- wait can the Professor see in this darkness? Well he's raising it anyway "Bigfoot Professor!!" the Curly Top beamed "Lotsa sightings by Muggles, still cant figure out if its real or a hoax, but we KNOW they are totally real!"
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Ooh, they were going to be learning about dark creatures today. Fascinating. Magical creatures that muggles knew about? The Loch Ness monster was a good example because a lot of muggles had heard about it, even if they didn't believe that it was real and didn't know that it was a kelpie. "The Loch Ness Monster is a kelpie and has become a popular legend among muggles. Muggles don't know that it's a magical creature, and the ministry of magic tries to cover up any evidence that muggles have of it's existence and convince the muggles that the Loch Ness Monster doesn't exist. Kelpies are shapeshifters, so it can change form to avoid detection by muggles, but sometimes muggles see the Loch Ness Monster kelpie. If you use a placement charm to put a bridle on a kelpie, it becomes docile." She had been on the field trip a few years ago when they met the Loch Ness Monster and they had ridden on it after making it docile. That had been an interesting trip.
"I'm okay Professor," replied Kitty a little shyly when the professor noticed her jumpy behavior. It was true - ever since Esme sat down next to her she had stopped feeling nervous.
The first question was interesting. Kitty raised her hand when no one else was speaking. "Muggles know a lot about vampires, even though they don't believe in them. I know of many, many muggle novels and films featuring vampires. They are mostly either horror or romance, or sometimes a combination of both. In the horror stories the vampires are generally evil while they can be good or bad in the romance stories. The most famous story among these is Dracula, a book based on a real live person from history - but Dracula is actually not the first vampire story. I don't know what the first one is, but "Carmilla" was a story published in the year 1871, several years before Dracula. The romance vampire stories became more popular starting in the 1990's and expanding in the early 21st century with series like Twilight and True Blood. Obviously many of the things written down about vampires in these stories are not true, but they must have originated from our real vampires."
Which reminded Kitty of another question she had. She raised her hand in the air again. "Has Hogwarts ever had a vampire teacher?"
All the obvious answers were getting taken fast - and Scarlett was about to pipe up with the Crup thing, until the Slytherin prefect said it first. Hmm. She wondered if there were any other breeds of dogs that were magical...
Right. That was a question for another time. Right NOW though, she had to answer. Scarlett raised her hand.
"Centaurs are real, professor, and muggles don't think they exist. I think they mainly exist in Greek mythology, and sometimes they have only two legs and walk around like humans just with...a goat bottom. Or something. Which is obviously different than the centaurs we actually have in our world," she explained. She'd certainly never heard of a centaur with only two hind legs. That would be just WEIRD. How could you walk around like that?! You'd be off balance all the time!
Hadley leaned over in Scarlett's direction. "Satyrs," she whispered, helpfully. "Half man, half goats were called satyrs." Because Greek mythology was a secret passion of hers. So much so, she couldn't resist helping the Hufflepuff out. Hads gave herself a congratulatory nod for that, and sat back again, ready to listen to Sir Hirsch continue his lesson.
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Text Cut: You guuuuys ^^
Text Cut: Brian
Quote:
Originally Posted by laurange
HEY, THIS WAS A MAGIC QUESTION BRIAN COULD ANSWER!
And it wasn't just that Hirsch was a particularly fun professor - which he was, and studying for this subject really wasn't boring at all - but man, he actually knew the answer. Praise be! This like... never happened. Ever. Really. The magical world still baffled him and he'd been up in it, living it for the past five years.
DO DO DO DODODODO.
"There's theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee -" dramatic pause, Brian was learning from the best. "DODO. Magical people call it the Diricawl, Muggles think it's extinct because it disappears." SEE HE KNOWS SOMETHING.
Well, this one was dramatic, wasn't he?
Regardless, the man waited for him to bring up an answer while he strolled past him. "Good example there, Mr Woods. I like that you mentioned its characteristics as well." he said, tucking his hands into his pockets, "But you're right: the Diricawl can vanish at will and that's what makes Muggles think they've hunted it to extinction."
Text Cut: Niomi
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixWizard
Niomi raised her hand to inform the him she was able to speak. Right away she thought of a creature. "A magical creature I thought of are dragons. They have always been a thought of, by Muggles, as a fantasy creature, but in reality, they are real in the wizarding world," Niomi spoke up after raising her hand. She was very content and pleased with her answer. There are many creatures she could have named, but she thought naming one was good enough. She should give the other students a chance to name one.
DRAGONS!
Hirsch instantly perked up at the answer, a wide smile in set. "Yes, excellent point! We know that dragons are real, and some of you have even seen them during the Swedish Field Trip but Muggles are also fascinated with them and include them in their movies, books and tv shows. Very well done." A nod was given to the young girl before he moved on.
Text Cut: Janelle
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer11
Janelle was busy trying to figure out what they could possibly be doing today. She was very, very intrigued by the set up. She was kind of enjoying the darkness. Fortunately she was very interested in the class. If she hadn't been, darkness might not have been a good thing........'cause sleep could happen.
Just like that, the professor called the class to order. The first question was posed and it was time to go to work. Janelle had an answer for the question. She raised her hand and when her turn came, she added her two cents worth to the conversation. The Loch Ness Monster is really a magical creature. Muggles don't know that it is really a kelpie." A lot of muggles didn't even believe the creature was real, but plenty had seen it and did believe.
If he knew that sleep was an option for Miss Guidry, then he would've been glad that she was choosing the paying attention option. Just saying.
Ah, another popular one. "Yes, you're completely right, Miss Guidry. The Loch Ness Monster is very popular amongst Muggles. I'd say it's probably our least successful attempt at trying to hide magic from them, especially with the pictures available. Well done."
Text Cut: Azura
Quote:
Originally Posted by FwooperOnYourLeft
Azura bit her lip a little as she looked up at Professor Hirsch, she was a little worried about where this lesson was going. Why was it all dark in here? As the door snapped shut Azura felt a shiver run down her spine.
Please oh please let there be no vampire.. Or the Professor was going to find that he was going to have a very small first year attached to his leg and never letting go!
She raised her hand and said the second thing that came to her mind. "Unicorns, people don't think they actually exist, but we know better. " Yes.. That was better than terrible terrible vampire.
And in that instant, the female writing for Hirsch got a bit carried away with this answer.
"Unicorns is another popular animal amongst Muggles. Like dragons, it crops up in their entertainment and there are even people who dress up like them occasionally." Crazy. "Good. Very good!"
Text Cut: Jaemin
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ameh
Yes good, the class was starting. Jaemin wiggled a bit on his mat as the door closed, giving only the slightest, short little glance back at it before focusing all of his attention on Hirsch. They were going to be talking about... dark creatures. Hmm. That was hitting a little close to home after what had happened last term, and the small Slytherin slowly raised a hand.
"There's lots of kid's stories about... hags... but Muggles don't really believe that hags are real..." and usually they were just portrayed as old witches, which Jaemin was now extremely aware of. Old ladies creeped him all the way out. "Like Hansel & Gretel... they went into the woods and a mean old hag in a candy house put them in a cage so she could make them all chubby and then eat them..."
Probably in a stew. Kid stew. Like that Puffaluff from last term. Jaemin looked around the room again, suddenly extremely wary. DID HE HAVE A HAG IN HERE? DID YOU, HIRSCH? The tattooed professor had better well NOT. Jaemin was extremely small, but that just meant he was fast, and he would sooooo be out of here before other people. She could eat the slowest one. Not him.
...................... Oh. He should've expected this answer.
Hirsch, who'd been walking by Jaemin at that very moment, suddenly stopped and looked at him properly. Hags. HAGS. Shudder. It was no secret that the foul creature from the previous term had tried to eat one of the students. But you know what? The man wanted to forget all of that like it was some kind of bad dream and yet, here we are.
"You're right, hags are another good example of magical creatures who are known to the Muggle world. I like your reference to the child's story as well."
Pause.
"Luckily, you won't have to worry about them today."
Text Cut: Katerina
Quote:
Originally Posted by SarcasticStrawberry
Weeeeeeeeeee
DADA one of Katerina favorite classes. She had like four favorite favorites. Even though she liked everything pretty much. But yeah. She was here and ready to learn.
She let out a silent squeal. Care of magical Creatures was also another of her favorites. So combining both subjects into one DADA lesson was awesome. She listened to the other answers before her tiny hand shoot up into the air.
"Pixies, or Fairies Professor. There are many mythical stories about them in the muggle world." She nodded when she finished her sentence. She used to want to be a fairy, when she was little, wings and all!
The squeal might have gone unnoticed but the excitement hadn't. When Hirsch started walking again, he had walked right past a young Hufflepuff, only to turn around to face her again when she answered.
Heh. Pixies. Fairies.
"Two very similar creatures and both creatures that have kind of been twisted to fit into children's stories. They had to be, what people would call, cute. Mass consumerism demanded it." How else would they make money off of fairy costumes? "Very good example, Miss Delgado."
Text Cut: Blaise
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo
And just like that, the Professor had earned himself some very sparkly eyed looks from one Blaise Bellaire. Whether the man noticed in the light of the blue bell flames was yet to be seen but they were definitely happening because the Professor had cleared up what had previously been a very cryptic response. No Professor, there was nothing he needed to know. This was a creature lesson. All was right with the world. The boy could breathe easy. Look, he would even raise his hand to give a response.
Wasn't Defense Against the Dark Arts just lovely when you weren't learning hexes he'd never defend himself against anyway? Sure was!
"What about Diricawls? Muggles know about them, they talk about them sometimes except they decided to go and rename them 'Dodos' without without proper clearance from the Creature Department over in the Ministry of Magic. Reckon it's not their fault. They don't know that exists either."
Poor Muggles. They didn't know a lot of things.
Ah, yes, we see your enthusiasm, Mr Bellaire. Not in the sparkly eyes, it was much too dark for that, but in the way the question had been answered. Amusing, it was.
"You're completely right, Mr Bellaire. Many, many stories have been made up behind the reason why Diricawls randomly vanish," Some from wizards themselves, he liked to believe. "Very good mention of the Creatures department in the Ministry. Well done." Smile.
Text Cut: Haddie
Quote:
Originally Posted by Callie
Hadley smirked under the ambient blue flicking light. "Oh, it's already stuck, Ninja Knight." As had Itchy Mara. Hads just didn't say that one out loud around the Transfiguration Professor. Because saying that in front of Ichihara would be super dumb.
Before she could even open her mouth to respond, people were already shouting out answers every answer she knew. Especially the Dodo. She'd really wanted to say that one, for reasons. "Dragons. Growing up thinking I was a muggle, I knew all about dragons. Well, all about fictional dragons. We learn about them, but a lot of it is stuff muggles make up to fill in details, and we're always told they don't actually exist. But they do."
Ninja Knight was definitely going to be a nickname that'd stick with the man. He even let out a small chuckle but decided to keep it to just that. She probably already knew his thoughts on it.
Trust Haddie to mention one of the most dangerous creatures out there. He nodded along with her answer, agreeing completely, before saying, "Exactly! There's a lot of commotion over them in the Muggle world and I think the fact that they're 'fictional' makes it better for the Muggles. Good, good."
Text Cut: Dot
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin
The bluebell flames reminded Dot of Maddie, and the flickering blue glow lighting her classmates felt comfortable and warm, rather than creepy or cold. She even admired one of the flames in its jar before focusing on the professor.
And there was Hirsch, who seemed to be trying very hard to look cool. It helped that he was fairly cool. Otherwise, it would just make him lame.
Dot wanted to take her seat, but there weren't seats. Mats, though... which brought back plenty of memories. "Crups, sir. I mean, they look like dogs to the Muggles because we go to such great lengths to hide their nature from them."
Thank Merlin he didn't look lame, eh, Miss Wojack?
The answer, though? That was an interesting one in comparison to some of the others given. He considered it for a moment before launching into his response, "Very clever example there, Miss Wojack. You're completely right: we hide them as Jack Russell Terriers and Muggles often report being attacked by 'dogs'. Very well done."
Text Cut: Olly
Quote:
Originally Posted by littledhampir
First of all, why was the classroom so dark? Considering this was defense against the dark (dark haha) arts it made him a little nervous. What sort of thing would they be facing today? What was hiding in that darkness? Was it some sort of creature? Olly made sure he was standing close to an older student who knew what they were doing. He did not want to die today.
He thought about the question and raised his hand. "How about a crup? They look like a breed of muggle dog so if they saw one they'd think it was just a dog."
Amused. Hirsch was amused.
Not by the worries of the young Slytherin - which were unknown to the Defence Professor - but by the fact that he'd said a similar answer to his Prefect. He glanced between the two of them before saying, "Great minds think alike." Clearly.
"You're completely right. Crups can be counted in this category, and they don't even need a special story behind them to be known by Muggles. Muggles can easily mistake them for another breed of animal. Well done!"
Text Cut: Kaycee
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilFox06
Mats were weird. Kaycee did not like this was half tempted to just sit on the regular floor or get up. Heh.
Anyway. She raised her hand. "Sphinxes." she offered. "Muggles think they're just mythical." At least, recent muggles did. Ancient ones might have known better.
Oh, Sphinxes! Oh, that was a good one.
"They're probably not as well known in Muggle verse as some of the other creatures but you're right: sphinxes fit into this category very well. It would be hard to keep one hidden so mythical, it is. Very good example."
Text Cut: Esme
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Originally Posted by Squishy
It was nice to see that Kitty was starting to relax. She smiled at her sister. Of course they had came in together and would stay that way until they were broken up. IF that happened. "Probably not," she said to Kitty with a smile before Professor Hirsch started the lesson.
So they would be focusing on Dark Creatures today. Interesting. She didn't know TOO much about them but she did know enough. They scared the bejeebers out of her. Obviously there weren't any Lethifolds or Acromantulas in the classroom but still. THEY WERE SCARY. Especially after the Acromantula attack that had happened back in her First Year. Whatever. She was not going to dwell on it; she was going to focus on the question. Esme raised her hand. "What about Kneazles? They look A LOT like cats so it stands to reason that muggles have interacted with them without realizing that they are magical creatures. Cats are popular with muggles and they'd probably just see them as large house cats."
She was trying to go for a different approach than the standard 'Mermaid' or 'Dragon' reply that most people would come up with.
Kneazles. That was an interesting example, wasn't it?
Hirsch thought for a moment or two, rubbing the scruff on his chin as he did so. "That's a good way of answering this. Muggles probably have interacted with them and either disregarded the lion-like tail or classify it as another type of cat." Shrug. "Good example, Miss Darcy."
Text Cut: Juno
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suziella
Juno gave her sister a grin, before raising her hand and waiting to be called on. She knew this was a good one...no one had said it yet!
"What about Trolls, Professor? The muggles have a lot of stories about them living under bridges and whenever someone tries to cross their bridge they eat them." She said with a shrug. Trolls were nasty creatures that got really big and were very dangerous. She never wanted to come in contact with one, but if she had to she would fight them.
Was it normal for the twins to talk one after the other? Did they share brainwaves that came all the way from the moment they were born? Hirsch was curious.
But as it was, he thought nothing of it because of the girl's answer. "Trolls are a great example, yes, and just like dragons and unicorns, they're only referred to as being mythical. Not the same awe-struck mythical but mythical nonetheless. Well done."
Text Cut: Hattie
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Originally Posted by RachieRu
Hattie loved this class. She'd heard her big sister go on about it all the time, and now it was her turn! Would they be learning abut magical creatures today if the Professor was asking this question? Because Hattie liked the idea of that. She found magical creatures fascinating. Now she just needed to think of a really good answer. The blonde bit on her lip, thinking about an answer before she raised her hand.
"What about Giants Professor?" She murmured with a smile on her face. "I mean we know that they exist, but muggles just think they are a myth. Probably because they hide away in the mountains and such" So they hadn't really see them, but they knew about them. "There was even a muggle children's book about giants!"
And an answer similar to trolls came next.
"Giants!" he started, "Yes, exactly. They're generally referred to as the villains in children's books but we know that they're not just made up in story books. Good reference, Miss Paton."
Why did her surname sound familiar?
Text Cut: Hady
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Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy
When someone sat down beside her on a mat Hady had to admit it wasn't the person she had expected. However that didn't keep her from grinning at the younger girl. "Hello." She remembered well from their Herbology class and how upset the girl had gotten at not being able to cast Aguamenti properly. It appeared that was a thing in the past now though. "That's great, see I told you that you'd get it," Hady responded with a nod of confirmation. All it took was effort and practice.
"Thank you Professor," the brunette smiled warmly. She had worked really hard studying for that OWL so she was super proud of herself for the grade she had gotten. However she needed to pay attention as the lesson was starting now. Shifting her attention onto the professor she listened quietly slowly raising her hand. "How about werewolves?" It seemed like a logical reply anyhow. "Their not creatures full time so I'm not sure if they would count."
In all honesty, the man was surprised by this answer but not surprised by the fact that Hady had given it. Werewolves, though? "That's...... an interesting example, Miss Lynch," he said, rubbing his scruff again, "I think you can count it in this category. They're known as beasts, animals, and are definitely written about and portrayed in Muggle forms of entertainment. Excellent!"
Text Cut: Scarlett
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Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom
All the obvious answers were getting taken fast - and Scarlett was about to pipe up with the Crup thing, until the Slytherin prefect said it first. Hmm. She wondered if there were any other breeds of dogs that were magical...
Right. That was a question for another time. Right NOW though, she had to answer. Scarlett raised her hand.
"Centaurs are real, professor, and muggles don't think they exist. I think they mainly exist in Greek mythology, and sometimes they have only two legs and walk around like humans just with...a goat bottom. Or something. Which is obviously different than the centaurs we actually have in our world," she explained. She'd certainly never heard of a centaur with only two hind legs. That would be just WEIRD. How could you walk around like that?! You'd be off balance all the time!
Another interesting, half-human answer.
Though, goat bottom?! Snort!
"Good, very good Miss Reynolds. Centaurs are mythical to Muggles but they've been changed over time which explains why they're so different to us than they are to them."
Text Cut: Dante
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Originally Posted by Meizzner
Ah Dante understood what he was goign on about. It was obvious considering the room. Dark creatures. Creatures that loved darkness. Instead of dark creatures as in evil or whatever the right word was.
He could be wrong but whatever.
"Well there are Vampires. Which are considered a magical hominid. No idea if they are considered magical in the muggle world. Stories differ on them"
Where are you going with this Hirsch.
Dante was a smart nut. And his answer was just as smart, which only made Hirsch smile even more. "I don't think they're considered magical in the Muggle world but they certainly do come close. I think Muggles just think of them as another form of human being, a different form of human being." It was hard to explain, really.
Text Cut: Chloe
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Originally Posted by pundantic
He was so beautiful.
And talking.
And beautiful.
Which meant that she was not listening to the talking because of the beautiful. Follow?
She blinked, confused. What was everyone talking about? What was the question? Chloe hated not participating in front of Hirsch. She wanted him to think she was as smart as she knew she was. And now she was lost. And embarrassed. And bright red.
She tried to hide behind her parchment under the guise of taking notes.
Was Miss Newman always this quiet? As he walked past her, the man couldn't help but glance down at her taking notes. He wasn't about to take a peek at what she was writing and he certainly wasn't noticing the redness of her cheeks but he was noticing how quiet she usually was in his lessons. Should he be worried or......?
Text Cut: Fiyero
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Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy
Fiyero sat up a little straighter, holding his bag in his lap to prevent any more accidents. He couldn't believe he'd just fallen on his face in front of everybody! He was glad it was so dark in here so his classmates couldn't see the blush rising to his cheeks. "Yeah, I'm fine, Professor," he replied. Clumsy, but fine. "Sorry about that."
He considered Professor Hirsch's question for a minute, trying to think of a magical creature that hadn't been said yet. Then he thought of the gnome statue in Grandma Jones's garden. He raised his hand. "What about gnomes, Professor?"he said. "Muggles seem to think.they have long beards and wear pointy hats and funny shoes. Some of them even like to put statues of gnomes in their gardens."
The kid didn't need to apologise, did he know that? Hirsch simply smiled at him as he got up before focusing on his answer. "Gnomes aren't one that most people would think of, even if they are popular amongst Muggles, so I'm glad you mentioned it now. Good." And he very much liked the references made in that response as well.
Text Cut: Tenacius
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Originally Posted by Steelsheen
Its so dark and honestly quite cool-- them bluebell flames with their blue hue certainly doesn’t help either. So yeah Tenacius, quite uncharacteristically, was silent.
There was a slight occasional buzzing around his vicinity though. Wait.....is that snoring?
He suddenly bolted awake at the sound of something LOUD-- that may have been Hirsch clapping, or something he dreamed, he wasn’t sure anymore. Wait classes has started? Ok boy look awake!
Oh oh oh oh he know he knows about this! Raise his hand!-- wait can the Professor see in this darkness? Well he's raising it anyway "Bigfoot Professor!!" the Curly Top beamed "Lotsa sightings by Muggles, still cant figure out if its real or a hoax, but we KNOW they are totally real!"
Quiet Gryffindors weren't a cause of concern, were they?
No? Good.
Bigfoot? The man couldn't help but laugh at that response, simply because of the enthusiastic way in which he'd said it. Bigfoot. Heh. "Yes, Yetis are known by Muggles as well and you're right in saying that they're confused about the creatures. In fact, because they live in such cold conditions that Muggles won't be able to see them anyways. Not the majority, at least. Very good, Mr Salander."
Text Cut: Penelope
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Originally Posted by griffin
Ooh, they were going to be learning about dark creatures today. Fascinating. Magical creatures that muggles knew about? The Loch Ness monster was a good example because a lot of muggles had heard about it, even if they didn't believe that it was real and didn't know that it was a kelpie. "The Loch Ness Monster is a kelpie and has become a popular legend among muggles. Muggles don't know that it's a magical creature, and the ministry of magic tries to cover up any evidence that muggles have of it's existence and convince the muggles that the Loch Ness Monster doesn't exist. Kelpies are shapeshifters, so it can change form to avoid detection by muggles, but sometimes muggles see the Loch Ness Monster kelpie. If you use a placement charm to put a bridle on a kelpie, it becomes docile." She had been on the field trip a few years ago when they met the Loch Ness Monster and they had ridden on it after making it docile. That had been an interesting trip.
Ah, yes, the Ravenclaw Head Girl was giving a thorough answer. Pleased, Hirsch was. Very pleased. He even came to a stop to smile brightly at the young girl, nodding along with her answer. "Excellent! Truly excellent, Miss Wright. You seem to know a lot about them." And he didn't need to add in anything else so he wasn't going to.
Again, pleased.
Text Cut: Kitty
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goblinfrog
"I'm okay Professor," replied Kitty a little shyly when the professor noticed her jumpy behavior. It was true - ever since Esme sat down next to her she had stopped feeling nervous.
The first question was interesting. Kitty raised her hand when no one else was speaking. "Muggles know a lot about vampires, even though they don't believe in them. I know of many, many muggle novels and films featuring vampires. They are mostly either horror or romance, or sometimes a combination of both. In the horror stories the vampires are generally evil while they can be good or bad in the romance stories. The most famous story among these is Dracula, a book based on a real live person from history - but Dracula is actually not the first vampire story. I don't know what the first one is, but "Carmilla" was a story published in the year 1871, several years before Dracula. The romance vampire stories became more popular starting in the 1990's and expanding in the early 21st century with series like Twilight and True Blood. Obviously many of the things written down about vampires in these stories are not true, but they must have originated from our real vampires."
Which reminded Kitty of another question she had. She raised her hand in the air again. "Has Hogwarts ever had a vampire teacher?"
............. Miss Valentine knew a lot. A lot! Just when he thought she was done, she was continuing. In all honesty, the man was impressed with the answer she was giving. Unless, of course, he should be concerned with how much she knew about this subject. "That's a very in depth answer you've just given, Miss Valentine. Very well done!"Should he be concerned, Miss Valentine? Hm?
Vampire teacher? Where did the students get these ideas from? Hirsch let out a small laugh and shook his head. "Not as far as I know, no. And I don't think it has one, either." So she was safe.
"I have to say, that was an excellent round of answers. From all of you. Well done!" It practically made the man slightly giddy, an effect of his students knowing so much about his subject.
"Now! The creature we're focusing on today is an example of this. It's a magical creature that's often known to haunt lone travellers in the darkness. In fact, they often prefer the darkness themselves." Was the setting of the classroom making sense now? Yes? "You could say that they use it to their advantage. After all, people tend to be more vulnerable during the darkness, don't they?"
Smiling to himself the man flicked his wand to bring up a picture of the creature he was talking about. Some bluebell flames were arranged accordingly to illuminate this picture so that everyone could see. It was slightly dramatic and definitely wouldn't be a cause for concern in normal lighting but in the darkness........
....... Anyways.
"Now, don't get scared. Just tell me, what creature do you think this is? Tell me anything: any characteristics, any habits, any sightings in Muggle stories. Anything you want." In short, be creative with this, okay?
OOC: Wheeeee! Any/all guesses are welcome, we don't mind. Effort and participation counts for more, after all. And please try and mention only ONE fact about the creature to give everyone a chance.
Also, the fantastic artwork isn't done by me, even if my stick figures are fantastic (not). All credit goes to Queerly on deviantart ^^
Class will continue Sunday 29th at roughly 7pm GMT+1/BST <3
"Ablack dog?" Hadley guessed. When you grow up thinking you're a magical, supernatural fairy princess, you tend to accumulate a fascination with and knowledge about other supernatural beings that "don't exist." "Sometimes a devil dog or hellhound. Muggles call them a cryp..cryptid? Which is muggle speak for fantastical creatures most don't believe in but a few do. They're often considered an omen of death, right?"
And that was it. That was all her knowledge of black dogs. Now if he'd asked what muggles believed about fairies, she could have taught three full classes on that. Maybe four. But the death omen stuff, that only appealed to her in the oh cool, scary sense and she often lost interest quickly after just learning the basics. "Oh, and I think sometimes they're associated with lightning somehow. I think."
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DADA Lesson One - Gytrashes 
x9 
x6
Yeah thats what crazy is, when its broken you say theres nothing to fix++++++++++++++++++++
Any/all guesses are welcome, we don't mind. Effort and participation counts for more, after all. And please try and mention only ONE fact about the creature to give everyone a chance.
