With the two mere facts that the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was only on the first floor and that Professor Pretty Hirsch was the instructor, Vivian just couldn't find a reason not to attend this class. Had she ever missed a class in this subject? No, not possible. In fact, it was the last thing that would ever happen.

It didn't take long for Vivian to reach the classroom because her common room was just literally a staircase below this floor, and it was definitely a perk to be near. It always meant getting the best seat possible, which was definitely at the very front where she can admire, in high definition, the beauty that is Professor Hirsch's face. The blonde skipped along the corridor and then paused at the entrance of their classroom. "Goooood day, Professor Hirsch!" The man received a beam, as always. He always got a wide smile from this Slytherin.

... Huh?! Where was HER usual seat? Vivian's face was evidently confused as she looked around. Rocks everywhere. No chairs. No tables. No anything, except for pretty Professor there in front. That was probably the only good thing about today.

But the presence of rocks definitely called for another singing opportunity. "We will, we will rock youuuu!" Yas! Vivian beamed once more before moving to the front, where she would normally be and where her desk would have been. She sort of flopped on the floor and... ooooooh, soft! The Slytherin giggled, made herself comfortable, and waited for her friends. Was she the first one to arrive? Apparently so, but definitely nothing surprising.

Even though Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson would not take a place outside due to weather reason, Ava would not going to miss it because it's her favorite one. She practically ran to the first floor because she didn't want to be late for it. In fact, she's actually... kind of early.

Entering the classrrom, the Gryffindor noticed that the room looked... well, not that like usual classroom. But then she tried to remember when was the last time Professor Hirsch had a normal classroom because clearly, she did not remember. The room was surrounded by rocks. What were they going to do with those today? Destroy it? Probably.

But... Where they're going to seat? Because she noticed the lack of desks, chairs, but there were no cushion or mats or anything that can be used for seating.

"Hello, Professor." Ava greeted the man, noticing that he was leaning on the largest rock in the room. "Have you tried to climb it, by the way?" Referring to the rock, obviously. Even if he had, she would not be surprised since the DADA professor seemed like such a guy who's into extreme sports or anything related to that. "Hey, Viv." She greeted the Slytherin girl.

But seriously, where she's going to seat? Maybe it would be better if Ava kept standing until further instructions.

Kane would MUCH rather be napping than in DADA right now. Especially with the gloomy weather outside. He wasn't super used to all this rain, but it had grown on him. He would love to be huddled under his covers right now...MAYBE snuggling with Saffron on the Hufflepuff common room couch...anywhere but here, really. Just thinking of taking a nap was making him sleepy.

"Hello," he said happily to Hirsch. Hmm, rocks? Interesting. He noticed the extra...BOUNCE the floor had today to, and could only IMAGINE what was about to go down in here...

Firstly, Olivia was relieved to be back. One couldn't possibly imagine the boredom that was sitting in a hospital bed for two months. True, she'd been unconscious in the beginning, but.... It was still very boring. Despite all the emotional struggles that had come with waking up, the blonde Gryffindor had fought to return to her beloved school. If not just for the remainder of the term.

....and shout-out to Healer Reed for being there with her every step of the way. Liv really admired that man. Thanks to him and Jacen, she felt she had a real chance of still passing all the OWLs she wanted to attempt. Probably not the full twelve anymore....

With these thoughts and more swimming around her headspace, she popped into the Defense classroom...immediately stopping in her tracks. Had Professor Hirsch been robbed?.... Robbed and gifted rocks... Awkward. "Professor, I know I've been gone a while, but...why'd you redecorate?" This was said as she advanced further into the classroom...noting the way the floor seemed to sluggishly meet the bottoms of her feet. Huh? Experimentally taking another step, it became obvious that there was a pretty strong cushioning charm on the floor.... Interesting.

Liv only hoped she could keep up today, and that her head would cooperate. As she searched out a place to park, she offered quiet 'hellos' to Ava, Kane, and Vivian.

Kirk arrived at his next DADA lesson. Today was raining once again, but as an observant sky watcher, this didn't surprise him. It did however mean less star gazing from the clouds but he could at least find some amusement with cloud shaping. When Kirk saw the variety of rocks his light blue eyes scanned about trying to make sense of this. Were they expecting a rock fight? He spotted the Professor Head of House and something purple above the rock he was at. Was that a surprise?

"Sup Professor." Kirk managed with a straight face. It was nice to be one of the early ones here.

Oliver made his way into the DADA classroom, really happy he didn't have to walk outside this time. Not that he hated going outside but effort.. and rain. Honestly he couldn't afford to get sick with OWLs coming up. There was a lot of studying to be done and he was not going to be feeling ill while doing it.

This would be good.. A subject he lik- and where was all the stuff? The floor felt.... squishy? And there were rocks everywhere?

What was that purple thing?

Hirsch seemed fine, calm as every... Still seeming to have achieved a level of cool that Oliver personally aspired to. So he figured everything had to be fine?

"Hello, Professor. Looks like things will be interesting today." Probably an understatement. Hirsch was never a boring teacher.

Even if he hadn’t been the one to rescue her and her dorm mates from the scary forest, Stasya knew she wouldn’t have missed the next DADA lesson. Besides, she had to prove she was strong, even if she wasn’t entirely sure who she was proving it to. She’d held her own so far in dueling club after all, and all her other lessons. She just felt like she needed to prove it. The rain hardly bothered her, but deep down she was a little bit grateful that the lesson wasn’t being held outside. It was one thing making her way through the rain to go to the barn and the nursery, but standing outside in it was different. Especially with the part in the notice about the lesson about being ready to fight.

Walking down to the first floor, a confused expression crossed her face as she’d entered the classroom only to find a whole lot of rocks. And a squishy floor that reminded her of the Spongify charm she’d used when dueling Emmeline, but way stronger. Actually, that part was kind of cool, and she was tempted to bounce but she didn’t. Or, she mostly didn’t as she made her way further into the room. “Hi Professor Hirsch!,” she said brightly, giving him a grin. No tears this time. Especially not when she saw a familiar figure in the room, one she hadn’t seen in a while.

Hi Liv! She went over and gave her a big, but careful, hug.

Noelle wasn't too far behind Ava to DADA class. Smile on her face, feeling GREAT.

She was excited about this class. She had read the board in the common room and was curious what Hirsch had up his sleeves.

She paused when she entered the classroom. She studied the classroom curiously, her eyes traveling up the rocks. Something caught her eye at the top but she figured Hirsch would tell them in due time. Speaking of Hirsch, there he was by the biggest rock. "Good day professor!" She said brightly to him and then said hellos to everyone in the class before going to stand by Ava. "Hey love" she said nudging her with a grin. She looked as happy as Noelle looked.

Which was a good thing.

Also... Liv was back!! The girl got a wide grin from Noelle. Noelle had heard what had happened to her. She was glad she was well enough to be back in classes.

Walking into the brightly lit classroom, Kitty noticed the lack of chairs and pillows and the presence of those weirs rocks. Hmmm. The first thought that popped into her head was, Rock golems?

She noticed how soft the floor was a few moments later. "Hello Professor Hirsch," she said cheerfully, wobbling a little on her feet as she tested the floor. He wouldn't have us throw rocks at each other, right? No way! she thought.

Sam had been reading as she made her way down from the Ravenclaw Common room to class, so it took a few moments for her to fully lift her gaze from her book and notice the lack of desks.

Huh.

The DADA classroom looked more ready for a geology lesson than anything else. And there was something spongy going on under foot too. Kinda like that stuff you often found in children's play areas.

Curiosity piqued, Sam closed her book and tucked in it in her bag before grinning her Head of House. "Hey, Professor!" She could just lean against this rock here, right? Given there were no chairs and all.

!!!!!!! Defense Against the Dark Arts !!!!! One of the ONLY classes she really cared about. Well, there was also Charms and Flying, but that was like three out of a million. So it was in the top 30% of classes at least. It's okay though 'cause next term she was gonna drop all the classes that didn't matter. Professor Marchand said he could make it happen. So it would TOTALLY happen. Though, all of that was a big aside 'cause DADA !!!!!

Zoryn waltzed into the room with a BIG grin on her face as she went over to say hi to Professor Hirsch! "Professor H!!! Are we learning about dragons today??" She FELT IT IN HER BONES this time. "Let me guess, you set fire protection charms on the walls!?!" He was SUPER smart. AND that's probably why there was no furniture. Annnnnnd it definitely looked like the classroom was bigger (sort of). He was making room for the dragons!!!

OMG, WERE THOSE DRAGON EGGS? Best. Lesson. Ever.

As she waited for the class to start, she decided to make pop-a-squat on the floor. Criss-cross-apple sauce.

This was a rocky start to DADA. No, bad pun. There had to be a better one. Time to rock n' roll? Hirsch was a stone cold fox?

Katy sighed at her apparent lack of creativity and took up a spot near Oliver, giving him a nudge with her elbow. Hey, friend! Things were about to get crazy... or at least as crazy as they could get in a regulation classroom, with an approved lesson plan, led by one of the least outrageous (but most handsome) professors at Hogwarts.

"Good day, Professor. I like your rock."

There were rocks in this place taller than her. Olivia Holden was much shorter than the average fifth year. She was barely five foot one and three quarters! Which of course could have been rounded up to five foot two but she found three quarters of an inch a little more exciting way of seeing it or thinking about it. Dying the rocks, she wondered what they would get up to in this lesson. "Hello Professor Hirsch!" she said with a happy grin. She always enjoyed these lessons and couldn't wait to see what was in store for them. "Hope you are well!"

And with a smile, she made her way over to Noelle. "Hello!" she practically sang with a nod. She was feeling in a rather singing mood.

It had been nearly a month since the last IMPS challenge but Levi Kenning was nothing if not consistent at nursing grudges close to his chest. This was especially obvious when the reason in question was his mother's well being and now it'd been threatened. She was perfectly fine now, of course, but. It was a matter of principle at this point.

And everyone on staff was guilty, as far as he was concerned. Even Hirsch, regrettably. Thus his "Good morning," to the man was rather short and lacked any of its usual--not enthusiasm, but certainly, it lacked interest. The lack of chairs and desks was noted with some light disappointment but the rocks were something else entirely.

Levi openly eyeballed them. If anything, they'd serve as a good surface to bash his head against if he embarrassed himself.

And, look, there were people he knew. And Olivia Phillips was back, and the girl was really nothing short of a miracle of modern healing, as far as he was concerned. He'd seen her and the blood and--yeah. He sent her a small wave.

Thanks to the clement weather gracing the Hogwarts campus, Nicky had been deprived of time in a real classroom. Yes, the outdoor atmosphere was nice. The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Spring was springing. Yada yada yada. Did no one care about his ALLERGIES?

Hirsch did to an extent, considering he had moved nature inside. ... or maybe the man was trying to avoid getting that flawless head of hair soggy? Whatever. Nicholas could deal with stones. And he appreciated nice locks, anyway.

"Good day, sir," the Hufflepuff greeted monotonously. He took no notice of anyone else in the classroom, save for the first familiar face he spotted. Speaking of perfect hair...

"Morning." Levi Kenning! The cleanest person he knew!

That trait would be much appreciated today, considering these rocks probably had sooo many bacteria on them.

DADA was, in addition to Charms and CoMC, the most important class Emmeline was taking this term. Unfortunately, this particular lesson was being held on one of the best or one of the worst days of her life -- she wasn't sure which one yet. She and Professor Stewart had the scary court thing later this afternoon, and the entire idea was really kind of overwhelming. She'd been tempted to skip all of her lessons today -- not that Professor Stewart would be very impressed by that -- but what would she do instead? Sit in the common room and do nothing? No, thanks! She'd thought briefly of hiding in one of the creature barns, but that was a no-go too; Professor Wayland was always either in there himself or teaching right outside them. There's no way he wouldn't notice a student lurking in there during lessons time. Plus, what if Professor Hirsch taught them a new defensive spell that she'd end up needing?! Skipping just wasn't an option. To say that Emmeline was super distracted today would be a huuuge understatement though.

As she entered the classroom, she noticed the squishy-ness of the floor that reminded her of her first duel that had been with Stasya. She showed only a little surprise at the classroom being totally empty of its normal stuff and that there were loads of rocks around too. "Hi, Professor Hirsch," she greeted him with a forced smile as she walked past him to stand by Stasya -- and Miss Olivia!!! Emmeline approached her friends with caution, 'cause what if Miss Olivia was still bothered by noises? "Hi Stas, Hii Miss Olivia,"she said in a slightly quieter tone of voice than she usually would've done. She reallllly wanted to hug Miss Olivia, but she definitely didn't want to risk hurting her or anything, so she kind of just stood there and beamed at the older girl.

The notice for the lesson had said be ready to fight, and Isa Wright did not want to fight. NOPE. Not doing it. Honestly if this wasn't one of the required classes she wouldn't be here. Everything they learned about in this class was just so dark and evil and depressing. Isa couldn't stand all of the evil in the world. She couldn't understand why anyone would ever do evil things. Every time she thought about all of the bad things she cried. So many people suffered because of unnecessary evils in the world. She just wanted the world to be a happy, safe place free of injustice and evil. Why would anyone ever intentionally harm someone? Isa just couldn't understand why anyone would do that.

As usual, Isa was reluctantly hanging back in a corner near the door so she could easily leave if she felt that she needed to. She liked Professor Hirsch as a person, really, but she just couldn't handle learning about evil without getting all sad and upset about why it was so evil, and she never participated in anything that involved fighting or violence. Stasya, Emmeline, and Kane all got friendly waves from Isa. Later she would have to check in with Emmeline to see how things were going for the young Gryffindor girl. Hopefully everything would go well and Emmeline would be able to stay with Professor Stewart. If things didn't work out, Isa was totally prepared to just keep Emmeline at home forever and ever. Anything to help her friend.

Was that Liv? Liv was back! Isa waved at Liv. Later she would have to go and properly speak to Liv, but Liv was probably overwhelmed by everyone welcoming her back right now. Besides, Isa wasn't really in a talkative mood right now. This class had that effect on her. In DADA the usually bubbly third year hufflepuff turned quiet and timid. This was by far her least favorite class. Most of the time Isa didn't participate in the activities, so her skills were lacking as well. If she ever needed DADA skills to survive in the near future, things probably wouldn't turn out well for her. That was probably something she needed to talk to Professor Hirsch about.

Okay but...Derf was a lover and not a fighter.

But he was here anyway because, well, he just was.

And stepping into the classroom was more than a bit perplexing, although by now Derf had come to expect unusual settings in classrooms so this really wasn't all THAT surprising. Although his mind immediately jumped to places.

"Pogrebins?!" he exclaimed from the doorway. Oh yeah, hello there professor. We kinda see you but really we are just looking at all your rocks. Only some of these were really REALLY big so...

...but also how very fitting. It was all falling into place with his theory. All of it. A sense of despair and futility? He could practically feel it CONSUMING him as he dragged his feet towards everyone....or well not EVERYONE because he spotted Levi and quickly made his way over towards that Hogwarts champion because hello HI hero and fellow BRO.

And also hello Nicholas Tate. Hi. Don't mind the dirt under his fingernails. Just casually out on the ground digging for and collecting worms and insects earlier.

Oliver felt the nudge and nudged back, he knew who it was without looking but of course he looked anyway. "Hey. So the floor is squishy and there's lots of rocks. What's your guess on the lesson? Mine is the weirdest and most violent game of dodgeball." It was clearly a joke, though the words 'if you can dodge a rock, you can dodge a ball' came to mind..

He wouldn't say it out loud though, he had to often remind himself that Katy didn't get references to pop culture, well not the muggle kind. But the discussions these moments led to were some of the most entertaining.

He still wasn't over 'Star Fight'

Text Cut: You guuuuuys <3

Text Cut: Vivian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

With the two mere facts that the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was only on the first floor and that Professor Pretty Hirsch was the instructor, Vivian just couldn't find a reason not to attend this class. Had she ever missed a class in this subject? No, not possible. In fact, it was the last thing that would ever happen.

It didn't take long for Vivian to reach the classroom because her common room was just literally a staircase below this floor, and it was definitely a perk to be near. It always meant getting the best seat possible, which was definitely at the very front where she can admire, in high definition, the beauty that is Professor Hirsch's face. The blonde skipped along the corridor and then paused at the entrance of their classroom. "Goooood day, Professor Hirsch!" The man received a beam, as always. He always got a wide smile from this Slytherin.

... Huh?! Where was HER usual seat? Vivian's face was evidently confused as she looked around. Rocks everywhere. No chairs. No tables. No anything, except for pretty Professor there in front. That was probably the only good thing about today.

But the presence of rocks definitely called for another singing opportunity. "We will, we will rock youuuu!" Yas! Vivian beamed once more before moving to the front, where she would normally be and where her desk would have been. She sort of flopped on the floor and... ooooooh, soft! The Slytherin giggled, made herself comfortable, and waited for her friends. Was she the first one to arrive? Apparently so, but definitely nothing surprising.

It was always nice to see that the first student of the day was one who was in a good mood. That set off the lesson nicely, didn't it?

And was it surprising to see Miss Fairfield here first? Not at all. Maybe she just liked to be punctual to her lessons.

"Hello, Miss Fairfield. Nice to see you here so early," he said, giving her a wide smile, "How are you?" It was a casual question, as if the setup of the room was anything but unusual. He'd set it up and he knew exactly why but to see the look of confusion on the girl's face was something else entirely. That was something he definitely expected.

What he didn't expect? The singing.

The man glanced between her and the rocks and then back again before letting out a chuckle. "It sounds like you have a song locked away for every occasion." Needless to say, he approved. "That can be the theme song for today's lesson, in fact."

Text Cut: Ava

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

Even though Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson would not take a place outside due to weather reason, Ava would not going to miss it because it's her favorite one. She practically ran to the first floor because she didn't want to be late for it. In fact, she's actually... kind of early.

Entering the classrrom, the Gryffindor noticed that the room looked... well, not that like usual classroom. But then she tried to remember when was the last time Professor Hirsch had a normal classroom because clearly, she did not remember. The room was surrounded by rocks. What were they going to do with those today? Destroy it? Probably.

But... Where they're going to seat? Because she noticed the lack of desks, chairs, but there were no cushion or mats or anything that can be used for seating.

"Hello, Professor." Ava greeted the man, noticing that he was leaning on the largest rock in the room. "Have you tried to climb it, by the way?" Referring to the rock, obviously. Even if he had, she would not be surprised since the DADA professor seemed like such a guy who's into extreme sports or anything related to that. "Hey, Viv." She greeted the Slytherin girl.

But seriously, where she's going to seat? Maybe it would be better if Ava kept standing until further instructions.

He hardly ever had a normal classroom, did he? But then again, that was his style.

The man smiled at the arrival of the next student, not surprised to find her here. She was good at this subject, if her OWL results were anything to go by. "Hello, Miss Burton," he said, giving her a smile and a nod of his head. At the mention of the rock, he glanced up at it and the way the smooth surface reflected the light in the room. The smile on his face turned into an amused one as he looked back at her. Ah, if only the girl knew. "Not exactly but I wouldn't say no to trying."

Text Cut: Kane

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom

Kane would MUCH rather be napping than in DADA right now. Especially with the gloomy weather outside. He wasn't super used to all this rain, but it had grown on him. He would love to be huddled under his covers right now...MAYBE snuggling with Saffron on the Hufflepuff common room couch...anywhere but here, really. Just thinking of taking a nap was making him sleepy.

"Hello," he said happily to Hirsch. Hmm, rocks? Interesting. He noticed the extra...BOUNCE the floor had today to, and could only IMAGINE what was about to go down in here...

Three happy students in a row? Maybe it was his lucky day.

Or maybe this is just to raise his hopes and then let it tumble later on.

"Hello, Mr Westwood," he said, giving the boy a smile, "How are you?" He noticed the boy notice the rocks and the floor and almost expected to hear a comment about them. He could only wonder what the students thought about this current setup.

Text Cut: Liv

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

Firstly, Olivia was relieved to be back. One couldn't possibly imagine the boredom that was sitting in a hospital bed for two months. True, she'd been unconscious in the beginning, but.... It was still very boring. Despite all the emotional struggles that had come with waking up, the blonde Gryffindor had fought to return to her beloved school. If not just for the remainder of the term.

....and shout-out to Healer Reed for being there with her every step of the way. Liv really admired that man. Thanks to him and Jacen, she felt she had a real chance of still passing all the OWLs she wanted to attempt. Probably not the full twelve anymore....

With these thoughts and more swimming around her headspace, she popped into the Defense classroom...immediately stopping in her tracks. Had Professor Hirsch been robbed?.... Robbed and gifted rocks... Awkward. "Professor, I know I've been gone a while, but...why'd you redecorate?" This was said as she advanced further into the classroom...noting the way the floor seemed to sluggishly meet the bottoms of her feet. Huh? Experimentally taking another step, it became obvious that there was a pretty strong cushioning charm on the floor.... Interesting.

Liv only hoped she could keep up today, and that her head would cooperate. As she searched out a place to park, she offered quiet 'hellos' to Ava, Kane, and Vivian.

The sight of the next student brought a smile to the Defence Professor's face. "Olivia! Welcome. How are you feeling?" The recent incident surrounding the girl was not news and, in fact, he'd even received a note from River to look out for this girl. So that was exactly what he was going to do.

Though, it was nice that she'd chosen to attend this lesson.

At her comment, however, the smile on his face turned into an amused one as he took a quick glance around the room. "It's missing a few things, isn't it?" he said, glancing back at her, "If it makes you feel better, it's not permanent."

Text Cut: Kirk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter

Kirk arrived at his next DADA lesson. Today was raining once again, but as an observant sky watcher, this didn't surprise him. It did however mean less star gazing from the clouds but he could at least find some amusement with cloud shaping. When Kirk saw the variety of rocks his light blue eyes scanned about trying to make sense of this. Were they expecting a rock fight? He spotted the Professor Head of House and something purple above the rock he was at. Was that a surprise?

"Sup Professor." Kirk managed with a straight face. It was nice to be one of the early ones here.

'Sup Professor'

If there was a greeting that made him feel cool, it was this one.

"Hello, Kirk," he said, giving the Ravenclaw a smile and a nod of his head. He watched the boy glance around the room and..... look towards the top of the largest rock? The man half wondered if he'd noticed the thing at the very top or not. It would be revealed later, of course, but curiosity was a thing.

Text Cut: Oliver

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schroyers

Oliver made his way into the DADA classroom, really happy he didn't have to walk outside this time. Not that he hated going outside but effort.. and rain. Honestly he couldn't afford to get sick with OWLs coming up. There was a lot of studying to be done and he was not going to be feeling ill while doing it.

This would be good.. A subject he lik- and where was all the stuff? The floor felt.... squishy? And there were rocks everywhere?

What was that purple thing?

Hirsch seemed fine, calm as every... Still seeming to have achieved a level of cool that Oliver personally aspired to. So he figured everything had to be fine?

"Hello, Professor. Looks like things will be interesting today." Probably an understatement. Hirsch was never a boring teacher.

Aside from disliking the chairs and desk setup that normal classrooms had, Hirsch liked to set up his classrooms in this way because of the reactions he received from it. The students always seemed to be so surprised by the new setup and that initial reaction was what he looked forward to the most.

Not to mention that it was much less boring and left more room for practicals.

A smile spread across the man's face at the sight of the Slytherin. "Hello, Mr Lupin." Were things going to be interesting? "They will be and I hope you think so by the end of the lesson." It was going to be a good one, he knew it.

Text Cut: Stasya

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

Even if he hadn’t been the one to rescue her and her dorm mates from the scary forest, Stasya knew she wouldn’t have missed the next DADA lesson. Besides, she had to prove she was strong, even if she wasn’t entirely sure who she was proving it to. She’d held her own so far in dueling club after all, and all her other lessons. She just felt like she needed to prove it. The rain hardly bothered her, but deep down she was a little bit grateful that the lesson wasn’t being held outside. It was one thing making her way through the rain to go to the barn and the nursery, but standing outside in it was different. Especially with the part in the notice about the lesson about being ready to fight.

Walking down to the first floor, a confused expression crossed her face as she’d entered the classroom only to find a whole lot of rocks. And a squishy floor that reminded her of the Spongify charm she’d used when dueling Emmeline, but way stronger. Actually, that part was kind of cool, and she was tempted to bounce but she didn’t. Or, she mostly didn’t as she made her way further into the room. “Hi Professor Hirsch!,” she said brightly, giving him a grin. No tears this time. Especially not when she saw a familiar figure in the room, one she hadn’t seen in a while.

Hi Liv! She went over and gave her a big, but careful, hug.

Ah, Stasya!

The memory of the incident at the forest came rushing back to him. It was nice to see the girl looking so happy now but he wasn't about to forget that tear-stained face that had been clinging to him from the forest to the Hospital Wing. It was..... heartbreaking, to say the least, but if he was glad about anything, it was that she was safe and didn't look physically upset anymore.

"Hello, Stasya. How are you?" He matched her grin with one of his own, half-wondering where Emmeline and Tessa were. They wouldn't be far behind, right?

Text Cut: Noelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur

Noelle wasn't too far behind Ava to DADA class. Smile on her face, feeling GREAT.

She was excited about this class. She had read the board in the common room and was curious what Hirsch had up his sleeves.

She paused when she entered the classroom. She studied the classroom curiously, her eyes traveling up the rocks. Something caught her eye at the top but she figured Hirsch would tell them in due time. Speaking of Hirsch, there he was by the biggest rock. "Good day professor!" She said brightly to him and then said hellos to everyone in the class before going to stand by Ava. "Hey love" she said nudging her with a grin. She looked as happy as Noelle looked.

Which was a good thing.

Also... Liv was back!! The girl got a wide grin from Noelle. Noelle had heard what had happened to her. She was glad she was well enough to be back in classes.

Unless he was mistaken, he was going to say that Noelle looked happy. Happier, even. Did it have anything to do with the class? Probably not. Was he going to pretend that it did? Yes, he was.

Something that made him happy? The level of constant vigilance in this Gryffindor. Look at the way she was looking around the room carefully before entering. He wasn't about to jump-scare her but this was a practice that was nice to see. "Hello, Noelle. You look you're in a good mood." Not that it was a bad thing but it was noted.

Text Cut: Kitty

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

Walking into the brightly lit classroom, Kitty noticed the lack of chairs and pillows and the presence of those weirs rocks. Hmmm. The first thought that popped into her head was, Rock golems?

She noticed how soft the floor was a few moments later. "Hello Professor Hirsch," she said cheerfully, wobbling a little on her feet as she tested the floor. He wouldn't have us throw rocks at each other, right? No way! she thought.

Again, reactions to the weird setup were always interesting because he knew what the reason behind it was and they didn't. Assumptions were bound to be made and he half-wondered if anyone was going to end up guessing what the topic is.

"Kitty! Hello," he said, giving her a smile and watching as she..... wobbled? "Careful." Though, considering how cushioned the floor was, they didn't have anything to worry about.

Text Cut: Sam

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermygirl

Sam had been reading as she made her way down from the Ravenclaw Common room to class, so it took a few moments for her to fully lift her gaze from her book and notice the lack of desks.

Huh.

The DADA classroom looked more ready for a geology lesson than anything else. And there was something spongy going on under foot too. Kinda like that stuff you often found in children's play areas.

Curiosity piqued, Sam closed her book and tucked in it in her bag before grinning her Head of House. "Hey, Professor!" She could just lean against this rock here, right? Given there were no chairs and all.

Was it surprising to see the Ravenclaw with a book in her hands? Not at all. He half-wondered if it was a Defence book and she'd merely been reading up on possible lesson topics. But then again, that was just him being slightly biased towards the subject.

He matched the grin on her face with one of his own before saying, "Hey, Sam! Nice book?" He didn't mind her standing if she wanted to but she wouldn't get tired, would she?

Text Cut: Zoryn

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

!!!!!!! Defense Against the Dark Arts !!!!! One of the ONLY classes she really cared about. Well, there was also Charms and Flying, but that was like three out of a million. So it was in the top 30% of classes at least. It's okay though 'cause next term she was gonna drop all the classes that didn't matter. Professor Marchand said he could make it happen. So it would TOTALLY happen. Though, all of that was a big aside 'cause DADA !!!!!

Zoryn waltzed into the room with a BIG grin on her face as she went over to say hi to Professor Hirsch! "Professor H!!! Are we learning about dragons today??" She FELT IT IN HER BONES this time. "Let me guess, you set fire protection charms on the walls!?!" He was SUPER smart. AND that's probably why there was no furniture. Annnnnnd it definitely looked like the classroom was bigger (sort of). He was making room for the dragons!!!

OMG, WERE THOSE DRAGON EGGS? Best. Lesson. Ever.

As she waited for the class to start, she decided to make pop-a-squat on the floor. Criss-cross-apple sauce.

And here was another student who looked pretty enthusiastic for the lesson.

Though, dragons? That was something that made him chuckle, simply because he should've expected it. "Hey, Miss Spinnet! Smart thinking, I have to say." Especially with the fire protection charms on the walls. It gave him...... ideas. "Sorry to let you down again. No dragons today but, between you and me, you'll get to smash something"

One day, he'd have to figure out a way to incorporate dragons into his lesson. One day.

Text Cut: Katy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

This was a rocky start to DADA. No, bad pun. There had to be a better one. Time to rock n' roll? Hirsch was a stone cold fox?

Katy sighed at her apparent lack of creativity and took up a spot near Oliver, giving him a nudge with her elbow. Hey, friend! Things were about to get crazy... or at least as crazy as they could get in a regulation classroom, with an approved lesson plan, led by one of the least outrageous (but most handsome) professors at Hogwarts.

"Good day, Professor. I like your rock."

While Hirsch was good at a number of things, especially concerning defensive magic, making jokes just wasn't one of them. Was it going to stop him from trying, though? Not at all.

"Hello, Miss Toussaint," he said, shooting her a smile, "Thank you. I'm glad you don't think I've hit rock bottom with this setup."

Bad joke? It probably was.

Text Cut: Olivia H

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watson

There were rocks in this place taller than her. Olivia Holden was much shorter than the average fifth year. She was barely five foot one and three quarters! Which of course could have been rounded up to five foot two but she found three quarters of an inch a little more exciting way of seeing it or thinking about it. Dying the rocks, she wondered what they would get up to in this lesson. "Hello Professor Hirsch!" she said with a happy grin. She always enjoyed these lessons and couldn't wait to see what was in store for them. "Hope you are well!"

And with a smile, she made her way over to Noelle. "Hello!" she practically sang with a nod. She was feeling in a rather singing mood.

Ah, here was someone else who looked as though they were happy for the lesson! Or, that was what he was taking from the grin on the girl's face.

Was he being biased? Yes.

"Hello, Miss Holden! I'm very well, thanks. How are you?" She was the first one to ask him how he was, actually. Not that he was complaining but it came as a nice surprise.

Text Cut: Levi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oesed

It had been nearly a month since the last IMPS challenge but Levi Kenning was nothing if not consistent at nursing grudges close to his chest. This was especially obvious when the reason in question was his mother's well being and now it'd been threatened. She was perfectly fine now, of course, but. It was a matter of principle at this point.

And everyone on staff was guilty, as far as he was concerned. Even Hirsch, regrettably. Thus his "Good morning," to the man was rather short and lacked any of its usual--not enthusiasm, but certainly, it lacked interest. The lack of chairs and desks was noted with some light disappointment but the rocks were something else entirely.

Levi openly eyeballed them. If anything, they'd serve as a good surface to bash his head against if he embarrassed himself.

And, look, there were people he knew. And Olivia Phillips was back, and the girl was really nothing short of a miracle of modern healing, as far as he was concerned. He'd seen her and the blood and--yeah. He sent her a small wave.

................ Er.

This was new.

Hirsch blinked at the Gryffindor, the smile on his face vanishing at the short greeting. He didn't know what to pin this down on: getting up on the wrong side of the bed, the IMPS challenges getting to the boy or, and he hated to think about it, something the man had done to upset the boy. Had he done something to upset him?

No, right? Yes? Okay.

The man cleared his throat slightly and made work of readjusting his glasses. "Hello, Levi!" he said, shooting the boy a smile, "I hope you're okay."

Text Cut: Nicky

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemon

Thanks to the clement weather gracing the Hogwarts campus, Nicky had been deprived of time in a real classroom. Yes, the outdoor atmosphere was nice. The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Spring was springing. Yada yada yada. Did no one care about his ALLERGIES?

Hirsch did to an extent, considering he had moved nature inside. ... or maybe the man was trying to avoid getting that flawless head of hair soggy? Whatever. Nicholas could deal with stones. And he appreciated nice locks, anyway.

"Good day, sir," the Hufflepuff greeted monotonously. He took no notice of anyone else in the classroom, save for the first familiar face he spotted. Speaking of perfect hair...

"Morning." Levi Kenning! The cleanest person he knew!

That trait would be much appreciated today, considering these rocks probably had sooo many bacteria on them.

Was this another student who lacked interest in the lesson? Did someone put something in the water at Hogwarts?

Though, considering the fact that he'd been teaching here for, what, five years now? This should be normal.

Still, it threw the man off slightly. "Hello, Mr Tate!" He also got a smile and watched as he went to sit by Levi. Huh. Maybe they could cheer the other up in the timespan of this lesson. Or maybe he, Hirsch, shouldn't look into it too much.

Good idea.

Text Cut: Emmeline

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

DADA was, in addition to Charms and CoMC, the most important class Emmeline was taking this term. Unfortunately, this particular lesson was being held on one of the best or one of the worst days of her life -- she wasn't sure which one yet. She and Professor Stewart had the scary court thing later this afternoon, and the entire idea was really kind of overwhelming. She'd been tempted to skip all of her lessons today -- not that Professor Stewart would be very impressed by that -- but what would she do instead? Sit in the common room and do nothing? No, thanks! She'd thought briefly of hiding in one of the creature barns, but that was a no-go too; Professor Wayland was always either in there himself or teaching right outside them. There's no way he wouldn't notice a student lurking in there during lessons time. Plus, what if Professor Hirsch taught them a new defensive spell that she'd end up needing?! Skipping just wasn't an option. To say that Emmeline was super distracted today would be a huuuge understatement though.

As she entered the classroom, she noticed the squishy-ness of the floor that reminded her of her first duel that had been with Stasya. She showed only a little surprise at the classroom being totally empty of its normal stuff and that there were loads of rocks around too. "Hi, Professor Hirsch," she greeted him with a forced smile as she walked past him to stand by Stasya -- and Miss Olivia!!! Emmeline approached her friends with caution, 'cause what if Miss Olivia was still bothered by noises? "Hi Stas, Hii Miss Olivia,"she said in a slightly quieter tone of voice than she usually would've done. She reallllly wanted to hug Miss Olivia, but she definitely didn't want to risk hurting her or anything, so she kind of just stood there and beamed at the older girl.

Ah! Here was Emmeline.

Though, considering Camilla had told the staff about this adoption case, Hirsch half-expected the young Gryffindor to skip the lesson and opt for mentally preparing herself. The fact that she chose to be here instead was something he could commend her for but was not something he was going to say out loud. No.

So thank you for coming, Emmeline.

Instead, he smiled at the young girl before saying, "Hello, Emmeline. How're you feeling?" It was..... an innocent question but hopefully she knew why he was asking it.

Text Cut: Isa

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffin

The notice for the lesson had said be ready to fight, and Isa Wright did not want to fight. NOPE. Not doing it. Honestly if this wasn't one of the required classes she wouldn't be here. Everything they learned about in this class was just so dark and evil and depressing. Isa couldn't stand all of the evil in the world. She couldn't understand why anyone would ever do evil things. Every time she thought about all of the bad things she cried. So many people suffered because of unnecessary evils in the world. She just wanted the world to be a happy, safe place free of injustice and evil. Why would anyone ever intentionally harm someone? Isa just couldn't understand why anyone would do that.

As usual, Isa was reluctantly hanging back in a corner near the door so she could easily leave if she felt that she needed to. She liked Professor Hirsch as a person, really, but she just couldn't handle learning about evil without getting all sad and upset about why it was so evil, and she never participated in anything that involved fighting or violence. Stasya, Emmeline, and Kane all got friendly waves from Isa. Later she would have to check in with Emmeline to see how things were going for the young Gryffindor girl. Hopefully everything would go well and Emmeline would be able to stay with Professor Stewart. If things didn't work out, Isa was totally prepared to just keep Emmeline at home forever and ever. Anything to help her friend.

Was that Liv? Liv was back! Isa waved at Liv. Later she would have to go and properly speak to Liv, but Liv was probably overwhelmed by everyone welcoming her back right now. Besides, Isa wasn't really in a talkative mood right now. This class had that effect on her. In DADA the usually bubbly third year hufflepuff turned quiet and timid. This was by far her least favorite class. Most of the time Isa didn't participate in the activities, so her skills were lacking as well. If she ever needed DADA skills to survive in the near future, things probably wouldn't turn out well for her. That was probably something she needed to talk to Professor Hirsch about.

Being someone who noticed a lot of things and constantly preached about constant vigilance, there was no way he hadn't noticed the young Hufflepuff standing off to one corner of the classroom. The corner that was closest to the door.

Huh.

He also noticed the way she didn't participate in activities in his lessons which, well, was worrying. There was a reason why this subject was a core subject; knowing how to defend yourself was key and if she didn't want to learn...... then it worried him. Yeah.

But right now, Hirsch shot Miss Wright a smile and a nod of his head.

Text Cut: LMAO XD Airey pls (Derf)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Okay but...Derf was a lover and not a fighter.

But he was here anyway because, well, he just was.

And stepping into the classroom was more than a bit perplexing, although by now Derf had come to expect unusual settings in classrooms so this really wasn't all THAT surprising. Although his mind immediately jumped to places.

"Pogrebins?!" he exclaimed from the doorway. Oh yeah, hello there professor. We kinda see you but really we are just looking at all your rocks. Only some of these were really REALLY big so...

...but also how very fitting. It was all falling into place with his theory. All of it. A sense of despair and futility? He could practically feel it CONSUMING him as he dragged his feet towards everyone....or well not EVERYONE because he spotted Levi and quickly made his way over towards that Hogwarts champion because hello HI hero and fellow BRO.

And also hello Nicholas Tate. Hi. Don't mind the dirt under his fingernails. Just casually out on the ground digging for and collecting worms and insects earlier.

............. What?

Green eyes shifted from Miss Wright to another Hufflepuff standing by the door. Pogrebins? An amused smile crossed his face as he glanced from the boy to the rocks nearest to him and then back again. Pogrebins. Interesting theory, concerning the rocks, but alas.

"Nope! No Pogrebins. But good guess, Mr Ashburry-Hawthorne."

Time was ticking and, soon enough, it was time to get the lesson started and put the guessers out of their misery. So, taking out his wand, the man flicked it in the direction of the door, making it shut with a sharp SNAP!

Did that get everyone's attention? Good.

"Hello everyone and welcome to another Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson!" he said, smiling around at them all as he put his wand away, "I apologise for the lack of seating arrangement but I promise that it'll make sense in a bit." And they might be happy not to have any proper seating. Less to put away, right? "I don't mind if you choose to stand or sit on the cushioned ground or switch between the two as long as you pay attention." Just so that the standers knew that the option of sitting was still there.

"Now!" The one!clap was back again. "Today, we're going to be talking about a creature that everyone is probably aware of and have grown up hearing a lot about. In fact, I'd be surprised if any of you didn't know anything about the creature we're learning about today." Especially exam-takers.

"The topic of today's lesson is........" A rather dramatic pause followed while Hirsch took out his wand and moved it in an intricate fashion to conjure up a holographic image of a large, rather ugly creature with a small head and a very large body. "Trolls! Everyone has to know something about them, from the simple to the more complicated so my question to you is: what do you know about trolls? Give me anything: their characteristics, their weak points, whatever you can think of."


OOC: Look at all these posts! *flails* Class has officially started so please keep chatter to a minimum! If you haven't posted already and want to, feel free to jump in! Just pretend as though your charrie has been there the entire time ^^

The question is easy peasy: what do you know about trolls? Anything from their characteristics to their weak points to behaviour. Whatever. However, please be considerate of other people's answers and not repeat any! There's soooooo much information out there, I'm sure you can think of something else.

Also, please try NOT to just copy and paste things from the internet.

I'll continue the lesson by this time tomorrow.

Thanks, lovelies!

Vivienne was excited for DADA. The seating arrangement was confusing but it would come and make sense of her. She chose to just suck it up and pay attention.

The professor startled her by clapping. Today she was learning about... trolls? Ew! Vivienne raised her hand and said, "I know that trolls are downright stupid and can be downright pea brains."

What did Jonas know about trolls? Well...a lot of things. Of all the things he knew about them...the only thing that could come to mind was that trolls were really slow and they could grow to be really tall and they are dimwitted. But what else? Aha! Jonas raised his hand and spit out an answer.
"Trolls have a taste for our flesh and they would also eat fish," he said.

Yep she knew about trolls! Once upon a time a long time ago 9when she was ten) she'd seen one while visiting Romania. It was a guard troll and she'd never forgotten how scary it looked.

The rocks must have something to do with trolls then. Most trolls had grayish skin, just like these rocks. Hmmm.

Her hand shot into the air. "Trolls are able to speak some human words and phrases and can be taught a little, but they are still classified as beasts instead of beings by our Ministry due to how dangerous they are." Speaking of which, she had a question, but she'd not ask right away.

Who was that small child joining them? Nicky knew the Hufflepuff at a glance, recalling some common room run-ins, but he mostly rang bells in relation to Genny. Didn't that kid follow her around a lot? Carry her books and things? Weird.

He should have known Levi would attract oddballs. IMPS champion and all— or so he'd heard. Like this Tate would be caught attending a challenge and consorting with AMERICANS (other than a select few exceptions, okay?).

Anyhow, he'd just ignore the youngster, so long as he didn't make noise. Or breathe.

"Trolls, sir?" Nicholas raised his hand. "I think their whiskers are pretty powerful. M'tad's got one in his wand."