They were talking about quidditch? Natalia could appreciate the sport that her dad was a professional in, but she wasn't really one that liked to play it or really know that much about it. She could tell you positions and the score [s] sometimes[[/b] but unless the snitch was caught she really couldn't tell you much else. So when she realized they would be talking about quidditch Natalia sat quietly and listened.

What did she know about quidditch?

Well..

Everything other's said were things that she kind of knew, but some she didn't. So deciding it was best not to answer right now she kept quiet. Opened up her notebook and took a few notes. She wondered if Joe would be disappointed if he knew how little she knew about his career. Her mother hated it and never really allowed her to learn about it. So her first interactions with it were at school and that wasn't much.

Hmm bludgers were known as blooders? Well she saw the aftermath on her father with the bludgers to maybe blooders was a better word.

A Hufflepuff girl had so openly grinned at Declan that Levi had been left with no choice than to give his brother a wide eyed stare that probably meant they'd pick things up later. After that and despite keeping his dark eyes wide open and looking ahead, things began to move very slowly, like molasses, with the edges becoming quite blurry and--

Levi did not jump but his hands did flatten against the table. He blinked, several times, both at Daisy's outburst next to him and at himself.

Well, at least now he knew she didn't hate him. "Quidditch is very dangerous," He began, trying to get his bearings and stating the obvious. Though, maybe it wasn't so obvious seeing as no one had come out and said. "And like most things, Professor Newton, it's evolved with time." Or maybe the proper way to say it was that it'd adapted to the times. Or were they one and the same? Human beings were very accomplished at both, at any rate. Assuming, of course, they were separate. "Which is great for, say, beaters these days because, well--not having to fling and dodge flying rocks at every turn probably gives them a much better life expectancy."

Dora let her eyes move across the room. This lesson was going to be the death of her. She was sure of it. Quidditch?

Ugh.

This was the stuff the Gryffindors nightmares were made of.

BUT her boyfriend was pretty keen on it and her boyfriends dad was a pro, so she did retain SOME information about the blasted sport. Raising her hand lazily, the girl stated, "There are 700 different fouls in the game. " That was about the only thing that interested her, really.

Blah.

Was Casper proud of her for that, though? Glancing over she shot him a smIle and a wink.

Despite having his head in his arms, Rooney was slowly becoming more overwhelmed at how many people were filing into this classroom. He had tried his hardest to avoid large groups of students outside of his common room and now he was definitely starting to suffer for it. He recognised that he was not ready for this big change once more and oh how he wished that he would come down with some sort of turning stomach and launch the lack of food in his stomach up onto the floor. That was what would be seen as the easy way out.

He recognised faces around when he finally looked. The girl beside Carlton, the Kenning's sat in front and...the cupcake being offered. Uh... Now, that was something that started a turn in the pit of his belly. Was it hunger? Was it the urge to be sick? Was it his body deciding to turn in on itself? Spontaneous combustion? "N..no. No, thank you. I don't have much of an appetite." And so he offered the cupcake back to Declan and tried to focus on the supplies he had already laid out on his desk. Minus that cupcake. Minus the twisting knot in his stomach.

But also, was that stomach knot about the blonde in the classroom that his eyes kept being drawn to? It was only when she spoke that he was certain it was her. A doppelganger would never have the same voice. At that moment his mouth dried up. His throat filled with what felt like nails. And he went back to shoving his head inside his folded arms on the table. Keeping his head in the sand. Goodbye goodbye goodbye.

Hopefully Professor Newton would understand his lack of answer for now.

Quidditch? Olly could answer questions about quidditch. He was trying to listen to what everyone else was saying so as not to repeat an answer, but there were so many different answers and he wasn't good at remembering on a regular day let alone when his brain was even more sluggish from being tired. But he willed himself to focus because it seemed this would be an interesting class.

"There are three goal posts at either end. I think there have always been three? Except since maybe the very beginning. But the size of the hoops only started being regulated...uh later? The 1800s I think? And they weren't always hoops either. Early quidditch games were played with baskets on tall stilts."

Qudditch! They were talking about quidditch! That was great! Whilst Hattie wasn't allowed to fly any more, she did love the sport, and so was really excited that they were talking about the sport. She liked having interesting answers, and so spent a few minutes trying to come up with an answer. Everyone was saying really cool things. But she wanted to be different, and she thought she had the perfect answer, or at least one that seemed pretty interesting to her.

Harriet waited her turn, and then raised her hand before speaking. "Well. There is sometimes a Quidditch World Cup. And this one final.... back when Harry Potter was young... One seeker caught the snitch, but the other team, Ireland I believe, won the game"

Carlton immediately relaxed when Roo came to class. Yes, yes, come 'ere. Grabby hands. And he did. Papa Roo came over and sat next to him with a small smile and a... Sniff? Carlton didn't mind. If Roo wanted to smell him he could. As a matter of fact, Carlton smelled wonderful, at least according to himself. Like a summer meadow.

He dangled his legs from the chair, trying to smile or at least give a small wave at the students who greeted him and Rooney. Oh hi. Just the lab rats in the back.

To his great relief, Skylar came and sat on his right side. So that was covered. He was now wedged between two of the BEST people. Which meant no nosy student would pressure him for answers about the portal as long as Roo and Skylar were there. He felt a rush of safety wash over him as class started.



Nervous, nervous, nervous, nervous-

And then professor Newton asked them about Quidditch and not the portal. Carlton exhaled in relief and picked up his quill to doodle a broom in the corner of his notes. He was grateful there would be no portal talking. Just attending class was difficult enough.

As for the actual question, he didn't know that much about the sport. It had hoops in the air. People flew around. Other people watched.

He raised his hand. He raised his hand?? What was he doing? Did he need another reason for the entire class to stare at him?

Apparently so.

"Mr. McLeod likes it." He said when called upon. "Mr. McLeod is my Head of House. And he lives in a hut."

Wait. What was the question? He was confused.



The young boy's heart swelled at the sound of that voice. Carlton stretched his neck as far as it could go (why wasn't he a giraffe when he needed to be?!) in order to locate the source of the voice.

LIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIVLIV.

Carlton looked to his left to exchange looks with Rooney, but the boy had his head in his arms. Hold up. Why wasn't Liv sitting with them? And why wasn't Rooney serenading her?

The young boy didn't know why. But he did know that he did NOT like it.

Leon's smile would not quit the instant he saw his girlfriend enter the room, though his grey eyes instantly noticed that she was out of breath and looked tired.

"Hey Quicksilver, you all right? " He asked softy before the class started and gently held her fingers for a moment, but let them go as soon as class started. Juno was a prefect and they needed to be on their best behavior.

He turned his attention to Professor Newton as she spoke about Quidditch and its history.

But everything was really being said..

He jotted down Harry Potter was the youngest seeker in a century.. in his notes, because he wasn't sure if that counted as history of the game or not!

Levi felt reckless. Declan shot him a slightly annoyed glance for ruining his aura with his jittery one. He worked hard to keep a semblance of normal. Declan expected his brother to help him or at least not hurt his attempts further than he hurt himself. After all, going to late night bone readings which turn into seances isn't doing him any favors.

For Levi's look, Declan returned one of his own. What?

The cupcake didn't work as well as he thought and Declan simply nodded. He caught wind of one of the Daisies saying something to Etta. It sounded polite so he only allowed his eyes to linger momentarily before moving on.

Which was just as well because class had started. Quidditch didn't really excite him as it should. He could hear hismother hollering something about Pride of Portree in the back of his mind. Daisy, Original Daisy, seemed awfully excited and loud. He smiled besides himsel. It was good to know she was doing good besides everything. Everyone had good answers and Declan just scribbled notes on a parchment paper hoping they would ask a question he actually had an answer for.

Despite all her effort, Althea had no interest in History of magic. She was more into hands-on magic and tangible lessons. The professor was kind enough to provide cupcakes and Althea returned that kindness by taking three cupcakes for herself. She'd barely noticed her brothers, Daisy, and the rest of the interlopers (names that she'd never remember, even if someone paid her) take seats near the middle of the classroom. She only perked up when she'd caught a very friendly girl being even friendlier with Declan which made Althea want to be anything but.

She'd made a promise, though... so instead of reacting she took a large bite of one of her cupcakes and stared, pointedly, at the girl who nudged Declan. It was the professor's sudden question, about Quidditch of all things, that helped shift Althea's attention back to the lesson. Licking a bit of frosting off her finger, she added: "The early concept of the game drew a lot of inspiration from similar, more ancient, games. From countries like...Germany and Ireland." Which she thought was lame, but it was already part of the sport's history.

Noelle greeted others that came into the classroom, like Levi, Daisy, and of course, Olly who sat down beside her. "Hi!" She said to her person, leaning against him a bit. She grinned at Hattie sat on the other side of her. "Hattie-bug!!"

Then the lesson was starting and Quidditch was being talked about. Noelle and Quidditch didn't really mix well. There was one time she was attempting to play, she'd crashed into the goal post, and didn't really venture going back because broken bones weren't fun. She'd let others handle that.

Noelle giggled when Daisy's overzealous self exclaimed things about Quidditch. her eyes traveled around the room as others answered. They stopped on Levi and someone he was with. Was that his brother he talked about? The owner of Charlotte? Declan was his name right? She'd have to say hey to him later, introduce herself.

But as for answers on Quidditch, unfortunately Noelle barely even knew how to play. She stayed quiet.

What she knew about quidditch? Other than the fact that it was THE BEST sport ever!? Skylar felt herself smile at Daisy's outburst, echoing her sentiments. For a brief moment she had her spirits high about playing here and now, but then remembered this was HISTORY class, which meant just theory would sadly be involved. Taking another pinch of cupcake to boost her spirits slightly, she listened to her peers around her before sticking her hand in the air.

"Quidditch is played on broomsticks, because it's an item that was easy to keep an item used as a means of flight discreet from muggle neighbors. It was ideal because it allowed wizards and witches to keep to themselves long before the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy came into effect. It required no excuse if found by muggles, was easily portable and inexpensive." The inexpensive part Skylar found slightly mind-boggling, considering modern broomsticks could get rather pricey.

Juno was just about to answer Leon when the professor started class. But she did have an answer for this question, and actually fixing someone else's answer. Juno raised her hand and when called on replied, "Actually the original goals were Barrels in the 12th century, and when they switched from the Snidget to the Golden Snitch in the 1880's they also changed barrels for baskets on stilts; which was a problem because the baskets varied in size and were either too big or too small and they had no size regulations on the baskets. This lead to the goal hoops that we have today." Yep....she knew a lot about Quidditch.

After she put her hand down, she wrote on a piece of parchment, 'Just tired. Patrolling and escorting students to their classes, bathrooms etc. and also making it to my own classes on time...I just feel like I don't have enough time. I am just tired.' She moved the parchment to where Leon could see it, sure he would understand. She put her hands under the desk, sliding one hand into Leon's. Surely they wouldn't get into trouble for holding hands.

Henry was slowly returning to a full schedule of classes over the last few weeks, though he still occasionally missed some classes here and there depending on how he was feeling. He was pretty good at faking a smile and getting through the day though. And people were finally starting to stop asking how he was doing. He still wasn't able to eat meals in the Great Hall though.

History of Magic was one that he found himself easily distracted in as his mind was apt to wander and he hadn't found reason to attend in a hurry. He was here today though, sitting close to the door as it had been the first open seat he found when he came in. Trying not let his mind wander too much was proving to be counter-productive but he tried to focus on the class as the professor started the lesson.

He did perk up a bit as he heard the question. They were going to be studying Quidditch today? He could totally get into that subject and he shot Daisy a little smile as he heard her exclamation. He could agree with that. But what could he offer as an answer to the question about it's history? He listened to some of the other answers offered before raising his hand, adding on to Hattie's answer. "That happens sometimes in games, what Hattie said about one team catching the snitch and the other team winning." It wasn't that common but it still happened in games today. "Catching the snitch is worth 150 points and ends the game. But when a chaser scores a goal, it's worth 10 points each, so if the other team is beating another by more than 150 points, they could win anyway even if they don't catch the snitch." And he'd know, since he made plenty of those goals in games as a chaser. But, was it history? Yeah, he thought so since that scoring system probably had been in place a long time. Maybe even since the beginning.

Ohhh, Quidditch! This was going to be a really fun lesson. And hopefully an easy one too, since Rula knew a lot about the sport.

(It was also a good lesson already since it looked like Rooney and Carlton and Henry were coming back to classes again. That was a good sign, right?)

Raising her hand, she offered an answer. "Golden Snidgets became a protected species because of their use in Quidditch. Their numbers were declining super fast because the game was so popular, so Bowman Wright invented the Golden Snitch to take their place in the games."

Quiditch? Huh, well, this should be interesting. What did Jonas know about Quiditch? Well, a lot of stuff. Ha, now, what did he know about quiditch?
Oh! He knew.
"You need specialast knowledge to handle a snidget?" He asked.

SPOILER!!: Individual Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginevra

Ooh, Zelena loved Quidditch. She knew a fair amount and wasn't sure what to mention. She raised her hand and said the first thing that came into mind. "In about 1050, a witch called Gertie Keddle lived in a place called Queerditch Marsh and saw some people on brooms playing a game. Quidditch gets its name from that marsh."

Ah, wonderful! Rosalyn was happy to see that the first response was in regards to where the sport got its name from. "Very good, Miss Holmes!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Quidditch?! Yes! She knew----- Like.. HOW. Etta frowned at Zelena, wondering how that girl always managed to answer just before she did. Not fair. Hmmph. Well now, she had to answer something else. She sighed, hoping some other facts about Quidditch would come to mind. Umm.

She raised a hand hesitantly and answered, "Initially.. the only playing positions were chaser and keeper, right? The beaters were introduced a little after that and the position of seeker or the snitch.. in 1269."

Rosalyn shot a smile at Miss Kramer since she seemed a little hesitant to answer. Her reply was good, however! "Yes, indeed! Chaser was actually the first position; for a time the game consisted of only goal scoring. Naturally Keepers were needed to help with that." Very good!

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarShine

Ahhhhhhhhh yes, Quidditch.

Katherine had recently read a book about it, because it was a subject she really lacked in, and this class was perfect. She was seated right at the front, and raised her hand to answer:

"The Golden Snitch, as in the form of the bird Golden Snidget, was first introduced in 1269 by Chief of the Wizards' Council, Barberus Bragge during a match."

This was a basic information, but a really vital one to the game.

"Excellent! It is weird to think, but originally a creature was used to play the part of the Golden Snitch. The poor birds only stopped being used when they became an endangers species as a result of their use in the game!" Needless to say that was one aspect of the history of Quidditch that Rosalyn wasn't a big fan of. At least the practice had died out a long time ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crayola

That all changed, though, as soon as Professor Newton asked the first question. "It's the best sport EVER!!" She rather randomly burst out, head no longer dropping in boredom. QUIDDITCH! They were talking about QUIDDITCH!!

.... was this the beginning of The Return of The Quidditch to Hogwarts???

!!!!!!!!

"Annnd --" Simply because Professor Newton had asked about the history of the sport and that had simply been a FACT, the Slytherin sat up straighter in her seat and, this time, remembered to raise her hand. "Since 1368, it is illegal to play Quidditch within one-hundred miles of a Muggle town." Which wasn't really connected to the origin story, she supposed, but it was an IMPORTANT detail. "Which makes sense because they would be so confused." And the Secrecy Act and all of that, of course.

Daisy wasn't really sure how well she could play Quidditch if she was chained to a dungeon wall.

Oh goodness! Rosalyn couldn't help but laugh at the enthusiasm that her question had woken up in Daisy. "Right you are, Miss Carden." A lot of people certainly held that opinion! The rest of the girl's answer got a nod. "Yes, indeed. At the time they didn't even have the Statute of Muggle Secrecy; that came a few hundred years later." Just a little tidbit in case anyone had nooooo idea when that statute had taken effect. Well, she'd go into that more during another lesson.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

Stomach fluttering with uncertainty, she tried to breathe through it, zeroing in on Professor Newton as she started class.... A class about Quidditch, apparently. ...The perfect topic for her first lesson back, right? A topic that the Gryffindor could easily warm up to... "Chasers used to be called Catchers...." To add onto what Etta had said, but also... "Bludgers were initially known by the name Blooders." Which made a whole lot of sense if you knew anything about the game.

Poor Olivia. Rosalyn was rather worried about the girl. This was not how she usually acted, but then she had gone through things this term, just like everyone else had. She offered an encouraging smile and a nod. [b]"Very good, Miss Phillips! And those blooders were merely enchanted rocks, performing the exact same function as the bludgers that we have today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

As for the question at hand...he tooootally had something to contribute. "It's-s-s been nearly a DECADE s-s-since quidditch was banned from being played at Hogwarts-s-s," he began, wiggling around on top of his suitcase a little - not the best of ideas as it wobbled a bit on his chair. Mum had told him about this since she had been the deputy headmistress at the school during this time. He had HOPED that the ban would be lifted by now because his BACK UP DREAMS OF PROFESSIONAL QUIDDITCH WERE IN JEOPARDY, but SIGH. "Letters-s-s were sent to Hogwarts-s-s....the Ministry...the Daily Prophet...saying to quite quidditch or DIE...but no one was ever caught."

Not even suspected if he remembered correctly. But there. A little piece of quidditch history impacting their very lives right NOW.

Well, that wasn't exactly the kind of fact that Rosalyn had been going for, but it was still a worthy response. "Yes, that is certainly the case. In fact, exactly ten years ago was the last term that the sport was played." Yes, she had done her research into the matter. Of course she wasn't going to say anything more on this matter in case it started a heated discussion. The one about Salazar Slytherin had been more than enough!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

What did she know about quidditch?

Well..

Everything other's said were things that she kind of knew, but some she didn't. So deciding it was best not to answer right now she kept quiet. Opened up her notebook and took a few notes. She wondered if Joe would be disappointed if he knew how little she knew about his career. Her mother hated it and never really allowed her to learn about it. So her first interactions with it were at school and that wasn't much.

Hmm bludgers were known as blooders? Well she saw the aftermath on her father with the bludgers to maybe blooders was a better word.

It was surprising to see Natalia being quiet since she usually had responses in lessons, but that was totally okay. Maybe she didn't know much about the sport, or maybe someone else had given the answer that she had planned to. At any rate, Rosalyn sent her an encouraging smile. Maybe she'd be able to answer the next question, but it would be okay if not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oesed

Well, at least now he knew she didn't hate him. "Quidditch is very dangerous," He began, trying to get his bearings and stating the obvious. Though, maybe it wasn't so obvious seeing as no one had come out and said. "And like most things, Professor Newton, it's evolved with time." Or maybe the proper way to say it was that it'd adapted to the times. Or were they one and the same? Human beings were very accomplished at both, at any rate. Assuming, of course, they were separate. "Which is great for, say, beaters these days because, well--not having to fling and dodge flying rocks at every turn probably gives them a much better life expectancy."

Hmmm, well that was another unexpected answer. It DID make Rosalyn smile. However. "Very good. Take five points for that insightful response." The boy DID have a point with this; things were messier in the past.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erindipity

Dora let her eyes move across the room. This lesson was going to be the death of her. She was sure of it. Quidditch?

Ugh.

This was the stuff the Gryffindors nightmares were made of.

BUT her boyfriend was pretty keen on it and her boyfriends dad was a pro, so she did retain SOME information about the blasted sport. Raising her hand lazily, the girl stated, "There are 700 different fouls in the game. " That was about the only thing that interested her, really.

Blah.

Was Casper proud of her for that, though? Glancing over she shot him a smIle and a wink.

Again, not a history answer but still it was a good reply. "good job. And of course there isn't a full published list of all 700 of the fouls." Honestly people wouldn't have wanted to read the entire thing anyway. It wasn't exactly riveting. "On top of that, there are 11 common fouls."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanners

But also, was that stomach knot about the blonde in the classroom that his eyes kept being drawn to? It was only when she spoke that he was certain it was her. A doppelganger would never have the same voice. At that moment his mouth dried up. His throat filled with what felt like nails. And he went back to shoving his head inside his folded arms on the table. Keeping his head in the sand. Goodbye goodbye goodbye.

Hopefully Professor Newton would understand his lack of answer for now.

Rooney was another student who always had something to say, but of course today was different and Rosalyn more than understood it. She gave the boy a look of encouragement. Of course he didn't have to SAY anything, but she just wanted him to know that she was there for him. She was there for all the students.

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Quidditch? Olly could answer questions about quidditch. He was trying to listen to what everyone else was saying so as not to repeat an answer, but there were so many different answers and he wasn't good at remembering on a regular day let alone when his brain was even more sluggish from being tired. But he willed himself to focus because it seemed this would be an interesting class.

"There are three goal posts at either end. I think there have always been three? Except since maybe the very beginning. But the size of the hoops only started being regulated...uh later? The 1800s I think? And they weren't always hoops either. Early quidditch games were played with baskets on tall stilts."

Oliver got a smile for his reply. "Correct. The first hoops like we have them now, came about in 1883." Not very long ago when one thought about how OLD the sport was. "The VERY first goal posts were actually trees, though the baskets on stilts came in later on."

Quote:

Originally Posted by RachieRu

Qudditch! They were talking about quidditch! That was great! Whilst Hattie wasn't allowed to fly any more, she did love the sport, and so was really excited that they were talking about the sport. She liked having interesting answers, and so spent a few minutes trying to come up with an answer. Everyone was saying really cool things. But she wanted to be different, and she thought she had the perfect answer, or at least one that seemed pretty interesting to her.

Harriet waited her turn, and then raised her hand before speaking. "Well. There is sometimes a Quidditch World Cup. And this one final.... back when Harry Potter was young... One seeker caught the snitch, but the other team, Ireland I believe, won the game"

Oh, wonderful! Rosalyn loved when someone brought up Harry Potter during her lessons. It was amazing how much influence he had on everyone; even people who weren't very familiar with history knew who he had been! "Yes, very good, Miss Paton. That was the World Cup of 1994." Just in case anyone didn't know what year it had happened in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by potterobsessionist

Nervous, nervous, nervous, nervous-

And then professor Newton asked them about Quidditch and not the portal. Carlton exhaled in relief and picked up his quill to doodle a broom in the corner of his notes. He was grateful there would be no portal talking. Just attending class was difficult enough.

As for the actual question, he didn't know that much about the sport. It had hoops in the air. People flew around. Other people watched.

He raised his hand. He raised his hand?? What was he doing? Did he need another reason for the entire class to stare at him?

Apparently so.

"Mr. McLeod likes it." He said when called upon. "Mr. McLeod is my Head of House. And he lives in a hut."

Wait. What was the question? He was confused.

Oh goodness! This boy was way too precious!

Rosalyn had to bite back the urge to laugh at his response; not because it was FUNNY, but because it was just... adorable. "Yes, Mr McLeod DOES like it. A good thing since he teaches Flying." Smile. It wouldn't be very nice if the Flying instructor didn't like the most popular wizarding sport - which happened to be played on brooms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FwooperOnYourLeft

He turned his attention to Professor Newton as she spoke about Quidditch and its history.

But everything was really being said..

He jotted down Harry Potter was the youngest seeker in a century.. in his notes, because he wasn't sure if that counted as history of the game or not!

Leon was another silent student. Usually he had something to say, but Rosalyn knew that a lot of people had already given answers and he had probably had run out of things to say. No matter. She shot him an encouraging smile, pleased that he was taking notes, before moving on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ama

Which was just as well because class had started. Quidditch didn't really excite him as it should. He could hear hismother hollering something about Pride of Portree in the back of his mind. Daisy, Original Daisy, seemed awfully excited and loud. He smiled besides himsel. It was good to know she was doing good besides everything. Everyone had good answers and Declan just scribbled notes on a parchment paper hoping they would ask a question he actually had an answer for.

Seemed that Declan was silent as well. No matter, because he was also taking notes. That always made Rosalyn happy because the students were SUPPOSED to be doing that. A smile was sent his way as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekraken

She'd made a promise, though... so instead of reacting she took a large bite of one of her cupcakes and stared, pointedly, at the girl who nudged Declan. It was the professor's sudden question, about Quidditch of all things, that helped shift Althea's attention back to the lesson. Licking a bit of frosting off her finger, she added: "The early concept of the game drew a lot of inspiration from similar, more ancient, games. From countries like...Germany and Ireland." Which she thought was lame, but it was already part of the sport's history.

Rosalyn was SO impressed by this girl's answer that she forgot to mention the fact that she needed to raise her hand before replying. "Excellent! Take five points, Miss Kenning!" She gave her a smile before remembering herself. "Just make sure to remember to raise your hand in the future." A friendly reminder, not a reprimanding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur

Then the lesson was starting and Quidditch was being talked about. Noelle and Quidditch didn't really mix well. There was one time she was attempting to play, she'd crashed into the goal post, and didn't really venture going back because broken bones weren't fun. She'd let others handle that.

Noelle giggled when Daisy's overzealous self exclaimed things about Quidditch. her eyes traveled around the room as others answered. They stopped on Levi and someone he was with. Was that his brother he talked about? The owner of Charlotte? Declan was his name right? She'd have to say hey to him later, introduce herself.

But as for answers on Quidditch, unfortunately Noelle barely even knew how to play. She stayed quiet.

Noelle was being silent as well. A smile was sent to her before moving on to the next student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

What she knew about quidditch? Other than the fact that it was THE BEST sport ever!? Skylar felt herself smile at Daisy's outburst, echoing her sentiments. For a brief moment she had her spirits high about playing here and now, but then remembered this was HISTORY class, which meant just theory would sadly be involved. Taking another pinch of cupcake to boost her spirits slightly, she listened to her peers around her before sticking her hand in the air.

"Quidditch is played on broomsticks, because it's an item that was easy to keep an item used as a means of flight discreet from muggle neighbors. It was ideal because it allowed wizards and witches to keep to themselves long before the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy came into effect. It required no excuse if found by muggles, was easily portable and inexpensive." The inexpensive part Skylar found slightly mind-boggling, considering modern broomsticks could get rather pricey.

...Was that Skylar with a cupcake?

Rosalyn was surprised, and it took a moment to register what the girl had said to her. Another impressive answer. "Excellent! Take five points for that wonderful answer!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suziella

Juno was just about to answer Leon when the professor started class. But she did have an answer for this question, and actually fixing someone else's answer. Juno raised her hand and when called on replied, "Actually the original goals were Barrels in the 12th century, and when they switched from the Snidget to the Golden Snitch in the 1880's they also changed barrels for baskets on stilts; which was a problem because the baskets varied in size and were either too big or too small and they had no size regulations on the baskets. This lead to the goal hoops that we have today." Yep....she knew a lot about Quidditch.

After she put her hand down, she wrote on a piece of parchment, 'Just tired. Patrolling and escorting students to their classes, bathrooms etc. and also making it to my own classes on time...I just feel like I don't have enough time. I am just tired.' She moved the parchment to where Leon could see it, sure he would understand. She put her hands under the desk, sliding one hand into Leon's. Surely they wouldn't get into trouble for holding hands.

Okay, clearly Juno had a lot of knowledge about Quidditch. "Yes, wonderful. You clearly are an expert on this sport. Take five points as well."

Rosalyn's eyes caught her and Leon doing something discreetly, but as it seemed that they were merely holding hands, she let it slide. Not exactly the right place for that, but she understood young love.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

He did perk up a bit as he heard the question. They were going to be studying Quidditch today? He could totally get into that subject and he shot Daisy a little smile as he heard her exclamation. He could agree with that. But what could he offer as an answer to the question about it's history? He listened to some of the other answers offered before raising his hand, adding on to Hattie's answer. "That happens sometimes in games, what Hattie said about one team catching the snitch and the other team winning." It wasn't that common but it still happened in games today. "Catching the snitch is worth 150 points and ends the game. But when a chaser scores a goal, it's worth 10 points each, so if the other team is beating another by more than 150 points, they could win anyway even if they don't catch the snitch." And he'd know, since he made plenty of those goals in games as a chaser. But, was it history? Yeah, he thought so since that scoring system probably had been in place a long time. Maybe even since the beginning.

Another answer that wasn't really history based, but still good. Rosalyn nodded in approval. "Yes, indeed. A rare occurrence, and I would say that the match that Miss Paton mentioned is the most famous." Not only had Harry Potter attended the match, but there had been that Death Eater rioting. How horrible!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl

Ohhh, Quidditch! This was going to be a really fun lesson. And hopefully an easy one too, since Rula knew a lot about the sport.

(It was also a good lesson already since it looked like Rooney and Carlton and Henry were coming back to classes again. That was a good sign, right?)

Raising her hand, she offered an answer. "Golden Snidgets became a protected species because of their use in Quidditch. Their numbers were declining super fast because the game was so popular, so Bowman Wright invented the Golden Snitch to take their place in the games."

"Correct!" Rosalyn gave a nod and a smile. It made her happy that students were aware of all these facts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2111jen

Quiditch? Huh, well, this should be interesting. What did Jonas know about Quiditch? Well, a lot of stuff. Ha, now, what did he know about quiditch?
Oh! He knew.
"You need specialast knowledge to handle a snidget?" He asked.

And another good response; one that tied into the last one perfectly. "Yes, they are very fragile birds and easily crushed by people. Why they became endangered. Very good, Mr Emery." He got a smile.

It seemed that everyone had said what they had to about the sport, and it was almost time for them to move on, but first Rosalyn wanted to fill in some information for the students, though they had already done a good job of explaining things. It made her happy to see that they were so knowledgeable about a topic that she was covering!

"Wonderful! I am very pleased with all the responses that I have gotten. Just a bit more information on the sport now..." Which they shouldn't be surprised by, because she ALWAYS did this during lessons, just like she always liked to give them activities where they had to be creative and think things up. "Now of course Quidditch isn't the ONLY wizarding sport played in the air - in fact it can be said that it owes a lot to a number of sports that served as its predecessor, because they helped to make it what it is today! The main games that helped provide inspiration are: Creaothcean, Swivenhodge, Stichstock, Shuntbumps, and Aingingein." Rosalyn would love to go into detail about all these sports, but for the moment her attention was on Quidditch. Of course she would gladly explain things in more detail if they wanted, but she didn't like going on the more long winded side of things!

"As was mentioned by Miss Holmes, the name Quidditch came from the location of the first recorded match: Queerditch Marsh. A witch named Gertie Keddle lived near the edge of the marsh around the year 1050, and recorded her observations of the game in her diary. Anyone who has read Quiddtch Through the Ages has seen some of her entries." Realistically she assumed that quite a few of them had, since Quidditch was one of the more interesting historical subject as far as a lot of students were concerned. "After these diary entries, there weren't really any other records of the game for quite some time. Historical records weren't well kept during that time, which would have a lot to do with that. It wasn't until around 1150 that there was another mention of the sport. A wizard named Goodwin Kneen sent a letter to his cousin Olaf, and this letter shows us the fact that changes had been made to the sport in those last 100 years. The sport now had a name, there were a number of organized teams, and titles had been given to the players as well as the equipment. It was from this letter that we are aware that early Chasers were called "Catchers" and early Bludgers were called "Blooders" - as Miss Phillips has mentioned." She paused for a moment before continuing. "This letter is where we also know about the innovation of using three barrels mounted on sticks as the goal posts. This was of course a HUGE improvement on the original method of using trees as the goal posts."

Were they still with her? Rosalyn sure hoped so! She wasn't planning to keep talking about the sport for TOO much longer because they were going to need to move on to the next question soon. "The Snitch has the most interesting history of all the balls used in Quidditch, and a few of you have already mentioned a bit of information about it." There wasn't TOO much to add to the development of the Quaffle and Bludger, so she was going to leave that bit alone. "As some of you have mentioned, the first Golden Snitches were actually a living creature. A bird known as the Golden Snidget. The introduction of the Snitch came about in the year 1269, as a result of a game played in Kent. During the century between this development, and the letter to cousin Olaf, the sport had acquired considerable popularity and organization, though it hadn't changed too much otherwise." Another pause before continuing. "The game in question was attended by the Chief of the Wizards Counsil at that time - a man named Barberus Bragge. Barberus had brought a live Snidget in a cage and released it during the match, as a nod to the sport of Snidget-hunting which was also popular at that time." So that was why there had been the association between the bird and Quidditch. All thanks to Barberus. "He told the players that whoever managed to catch the Snidget would win one hundred and fifty galleons. This was a huge sum of money at that time."

Needless to say, his challenge was easier said than done. "The players stopped playing the match and focused all their attention on catching the quick and elusive Snidget. The poor thing had been kept within the arena by repelling charms." Which was why it didn't just fly away and leave all the people behind. "A witch named Modesty Rabnott took pity on the bird and captured it with a summoning charm before sneaking off with it in her robes. She was caught by Bragge and fined, but and already released the bird so that it was safe." Of course her kind gesture hadn't done as much good as the woman had wanted it to. "The connection between the Snidget and Quidditch had been made, and after that they were released during every match. An extra position was added to the game: originally called the Hunter, the name was later changed to Seeker." Just another one of the name changed that had been made to the sport over the years! "Due to their fragility, the birds ended up becoming an endangered species and was no longer used in the game. As Miss Botros mentioned, it was Bowman Wright who invented the Snitch that we use today."

Rosalyn felt that was enough about Quidditch for the moment and it was time for the class to move on to something else. "On top of Quidditch there are many other wizarding sports out there - games as well. Now I would like for you to give me an example of another magical sport or game and give a little bit of information about it. Preferably about its HISTORY." Again, this was a HISTORY class.

OOC: Great job everyone! I will be moving the lesson along in approximately 24 hours

Seriously, they can talk Quidditch all day and this Curly Top wouldnt even feel like time was passing by. But now the Historian revealed that they were to talk about many other Wizarding sports and games. Goodie! "I really like Quodpot!" he blurted out as he raised his hand exuberantly. "Started all accidental like too, this guy Abraham Peasegood had his wand and his quaffle in the same trunk-- which was a silly in itself because what if that quaffle broke his wand eh eh?-- anyway yeah the magic from his wand rubbed off on the quaffle and next thing he knew it had a tendency to go BOOM! Hence Quodpot." Beams.

Clearly he loved that sport. Arguably even more than Quidditch.

The beam on Leon's face got wider as Juno answered the question not only well, but for five points for it as well! That was his girl! He was so happy for her and gave her a small nudge and a grin..

Though he noticed the Professor looking at them as they held hands under the desk and Leon shot Juno an apologetic glance as he ever so slowly slid his hand from hers.. The last thing he wanted to do was get her into trouble!

He listened intently as the Peofessor spoke and then raised his hand at her question. "Professor, there is a variant of Quidditch called Quodpot which was invented in the eighteenth century by a wizard called Abraham Peasegood, its mostly played in America though. It came about due to a mishap with a quaffle exploding in Abraham's face, so the goal of the game is to get the ball, called the Quod into the pot before it explodes. "

There!

He only then glanced down at the Parchment and saw what Juno had wrote.. he frowned and wrote back.. I'm so sorry sweetie, is there anything I can do to help?

Etta DID notice the stares that were coming her way.. because WHY exactly? What did she do? She frowned, eyeing Althea especially. If you have a problem, let's talk it out-- yes? Sighing, she focused her attention back on the professor. She started to note down what was being said, wondering why detailed explanations were being given. But, whatever. She'd have more study material now, right?

Oooooooh. Other wizarding sports or games.. HM. Since others had already mentioned Quodpot.. She quickly raised a hand. "Well.. there's Gobstones, I suppose. I don't know much about its history except that it has been around for a really long time.. as long as Quidditch, I think.

It was hard to smile when he was given points. Not that he was the only one who was awarded points for his answer, but it was also true that not everyone had received points. Levi was willing to take this a small victory.

He was not competitive at all.

Anyway, that was a lot of information. About Quidditch, that is. Did pro players even know that much?

Levi raised his empty hand while the other one scribbled down notes as fast as he could. It was only a little messy and he'd have to probably review them later, but. "Nearly Headless Nick loves to go on about Horseback Head-Juggling." He looked up. It was only polite to look at people in the eye when you spoke to them, or so his father had taught him. It helped you built rapport, or something. "Which historically has always excluded the living, for obvious reasons, and has only ever accepted ghosts that have been fully decapitated." Surely this counted as a sport?

Quidditch stinks.

Dora doodled this on her parchment and then drew a heart to one side. Meeeeh. It was kind of the worst to have a boyfriend who was so very into a sport she found horribly ridiculous. But, luckily they had moved on to something that could be a bit more interesting. Listening to some of the others and blocking some out completely she raised her hand and smirked. "Shrunken head bowling! I'm not sure of the exact origins, but I think it has to do with some voodoo priest in the Americas. Legend has it that he was ruthless and also bored easily... so one day he started tossing some of his louder shrunken heads at objects he had lined up. And there you have it. "

Rooney barely lifted his head when Professor Newton started talking, but his eyes looked over the fabric of his robes and he stared ahead. Did... did she know that this was a lot of words? He hadn't heard somebody talk this much since Healer Reed. Or since Kitty in the common room. Too many words and no desire to write them down. Something, he was sure he would regret in years to come, but right now he had no time to waste on that. He was making a public appearance, and hopefully people would get the hint that he was drained by the questions and the whispers and he was fed up of having to answer questions about Olivia.

No more of those, though. Because she was back.

Back.. And hadn't told him she was coming back.

Not that it was his right to know anything about her now. She looked happier. Lighter in the way she held herself. She had a new boyfriend, didn't she? That was his newest realisation. In letting her go, he'd left her open to a new relationship. It wasn't like she had never had guys beating down the door to be hers.

She wasn't his anymore.

Hand up, Rooney was sure he had misheard the question or whatever. Or something. "Wizard's Chess, Professor." He said nothing more than that. Instead, thought about his younger sister and how they had scheduled to play that very game after this class.

Even though she'd never given much interest to how many points she'd accumulated this term, it was a nice bit of change to earn points rather than lose them. Glad to be off the subject of Quidditch, because really there were other, more interesting sports, Althea tried her best to jot down enough notes as Professor Newton spoke. She was easy to follow (a reason why Althea hadn't given up on the subject completely) and was one of the moreasons amiable professors at school.

Raising her hand quickly, Althea said: "The annual broom race," and she paused to take a bit into her cupcake. "It's origin dates back to the tenth century, and takes place each year in Sweden." She wondered why Sweden always hosted the event, but she supposed it had more tof do with tradition than anything.

Other sports? Olly could name a few other wizarding games but didn't know much about their origins. There was, uh, exploding snap, wizard's chess. Olly heard someone else mention gobstones. He didn't know much about the history of that either, but of all the sports it was probably the one he knew most about so he raised his hand to contribute. "Gobstones is like a muggle game called marbles. Except in gobstones if you lose they spray their, well, gob I guess, into your face. I don't know which came first, gobstones or marbles. Same with wizard's chess. Are they just magical versions of muggle games? Or do muggles play non-magical versions of wizard games?" Were his words making sense? If they weren't, he blamed it on being tired.