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hermionesclone · 07-14-2017, 05:14 PM

It might come as a relief to notice that the location of the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson is in its usual place. After all, trying to do a lesson outside in the April showers just wasn't worth it.

Despite the weather, the classroom looked bright and well-lit, giving you the chance to notice the things that were in the room and the things that weren't. No desks, no chairs and not even Hirsch's desk stood in this room. In fact, it was lacking so many pieces of equipment that it almost made the room look bigger.

Something that might surprise you is the lack of mats or cushions in this room as well. Instead, the floor of the classroom seemed to be softer than usual, as if extra padding had been added to it and thereby making it comfortable enough to sit on.

But the biggest change in the room? Rocks.

Standing on the other side of the room and where Hirsch's desk should've been were an array of rocks. The rocks ranged in size: from the smallest ones that you could hold under your arm, to the larger ones that were almost the size of an average fifth year. The largest rock was a gigantic one that had the smoothest exterior by far and almost reached up to the ceiling itself. The more observant people might notice something purple sitting at the very top of the rock but that's not something to concern yourselves with now.

Hirsch himself can be seen leaning against the largest rock, looking as cool and collected as ever and waiting for, well, you.

So come in, make yourselves comfortable and wait for the lesson to start.

class progression:

- What do you know about trolls?
- What spells would you use against a troll?
- MINI ACTIVITY: ROCK SMASH! Use the Bludgeoning Hex to try and smash the rocks
- MAIN ACTIVITY: ROCK CLIMBING!
- That's all, folks!

OOC: Please make sure you're familiar with Hirsch's rules as well as the SS site rules before posting. Class will continue tomorrow (eveningtime GMT+1) Hope you have fun! ^^

ArianaBlack · 07-17-2017, 04:56 AM

Size was DEFINITELY no guarantee of power because Zoryn was TINY but one day she planned to takeover the world. Don't worry, it'll happen.

She was also VERY pleased to see that she could make her Professor smile like that. This was a good time. She enjoyed this very much.

As for the next question.... It made her THINK. Her first plan of action and the first spell she would use were very different questions because Zoryn would definitely not use a spell as her first plan of action. "I'd probably try to run under it's legs!" There was a method to her madness, okay? "'Cause I could confuse the troll and it'd try to catch me under it's legs but then trip up and fall AND THEN I'd escape scratch free!"

Zoryn Spinnet was SO prepared to take on a troll.

Trolls: 0 Zoryn Spinnet: 500

Was that the right answer?

*PhoenixRising* · 07-17-2017, 11:27 AM

Wait.... why were they talking about defense against trolls again??? Was Professor Pretty-Boy Hirsch planning on dropping them by the mountains or river with trolls there? Had she missed something? Because while she might not have a clue what she wanted to do post-Hogwarts, being put in a situation where she might have to defend herself against trolls was not on the list.

Run. That's what she'd do. Wait, were they assuming they were old enough to apparate by the time the scenario arrived? Because if so ...

All these thoughts about what she would do, she realized her classmates had listed off some AMAZING ideas for distractions. Duh, distract the troll, because that was necessary first, before getting out of there. And yea, magic might not work on the troll, but around it ...

"Perhaps the Impediment Jinx to slow its actions down to give you time to escape? Unless of course apparition is an option...." Yes, she had to throw that in, because she was no Gryffindor. Fighting it was not an option.

Angie · 07-17-2017, 04:23 PM

Well done was great and he should not have wanted to preen at a Hirsch compliment but well. Again, the boy had to make a point of looking elsewhere instead at the Defense professor.

"Cast a daydream charm to distract them. It lasts thirty minutes so that's ample time to either run or incapacitate." A slight one shoulder shrug. "But if one wants to incapacitate--Orbis should work. Or incarcolvo." But he would probably run. Maybe. It was a likely possibility that he would, anyway.

Kimothy · 07-17-2017, 04:34 PM

Text Cut: Hirschy <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermionesclone

Feeling super? This, right here, was something that made him smile. "I'm glad you're in such a good mood. You could say that. I'm excited to be teaching." Not that this was something she probably cared about but it was true. "That's nice of you, Vivian. You can be the one to provide the soundtrack to my lessons."

That grunt? That was also going in the list of unexpected things to happen in this lesson.

Hirsch, once again, let out a small chuckle at that but nodded at her. "Exactly like that. Well done!"

...

Did it look like anyone else was going to chip in? Nope.

Carry on? He was going to.

"Okay!" he called to the class in general, "Those were some great answers given. It does seem as though everyone knows something about these creatures." Good!

"In case you weren't listening," ~~Why not?~~ "Trolls are creatures that are very strong but also very stupid. They're violent, aggressive and are said to be unpredictable. Their motto is act first, never think about it ever. This is something you could use to your advantage because, as humans, you're all good at thinking and problem-solving." If not, that was something to work on. "They come from Scandinavia and are said to be related to the Yeti but, of course, the characteristics of the two creatures have changed a lot over the years."

"There are three types of trolls: mountain trolls, river trolls and forest trolls. Mountain trolls are the largest and most vicious of the three: standing at 12 feet tall and weighing over a tonne. They're bald and pale grey and are usually seen carrying clubs. They are the ones most people are scared of, between the three." Just saying. "They ride Graphorns, and did so in August 2020 when they were travelling through Hungary."

"River trolls have short hair, purple skin and are very hairy. They're usually found beneath bridges or in the middle of rivers. They're generally less than 12 feet tall, as are the forest trolls." Breathe. "Forest trolls are pale green in colour but they have a few straggly hairs on their head. They're found in forests and woodland creatures, as you can tell from their name. It's been said that the Forbidden Forest has some forest trolls in there but you're more likely to come across centaurs in there than you are of forest trolls." And he didn't think they were anywhere near the grounds in the first place.

Breathe.

"Now! Trolls can do rudimentary magic, which is a brand of lesser magic that's also used by hags. They don't really use this a lot and prefer to use their aggressive nature, instead." So beware of the clubs, if anything. "In saying that, though, there is a way to defend yourselves against them. Picture this: you're faced with a troll, any of the three types of trolls, and you need to get out of there as quickly as possible. What would be your first point of action? What spells would you use?"

Professor Hirsch was receiving all the smiles from Vivian today. Was she to be blamed for the obvious fact that the man was lovely? No, of course not. And she would gladly provide a soundtrack and a couple of theme songs for his lessons. It just made her even more pumped to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts class in that situation. Music made learning fun, and it really made all the difference in the mood of the classroom.

And yes, he also got a thumbs up for not making her feel awkward for grunting in front of all of her classmates. Appreciation for Professor Hirsch. What a great man, he was.

Vivian blinked at the obvious information overload and quickly scribbled on her parchment to match the Professor's pace so as not to miss out a detail. Though, well... the neatness and readability was compromised, but she was sure she'd be able to understand it later when she rewrote her notes. Merlin, her handwriting looked so twisted that it sent the curls on her hair to shame.

Oh! Oh! What would Vivi do during a troll encounter? She hadn't given much thought to that, really, but she raised her hand to share what she would have done in a heartbeat. "I would... throw a big rock or block of wood at the troll, Professor. That way, maybe it'd be distracted and knock its brain a little." That sounded a little funny, but the Slytherin tried to conceal it. Only a tiny smile had formed on her face. Hihihi. "And then maybe take that few seconds of temporary distraction to think of a spell." She purposely left her answer at that... because she didn't know what spell to use.

LOL. Sorry, Hirsch.

ChanceCoeur · 07-17-2017, 05:11 PM

Did Noelle call Ava love more than her own boyfriend?? Probably. Ava and Noelle were close. Very close. She just grinned at her wifey and nudged her before the class started.

Then Vivi was saying hello to everyone and called her Miss Noelle. She giggled. "Hey Miss Vivi." Noelle said with a little finger wiggle to her new friend. She tried getting Emm and Vivi to stop calling her Miss Noelle but it didn't seem to be working.

Trolls.

Ohh. This was an interesting topic. Noelle grinned at Professor Hirsch. While others gave information about what they knew about trolls, she took notes. She didn't sit on the squishy floor so taking notes was a little hard.

And what spells would you use against a troll?? A lot of people gave great answers. Noelle could only imagine that trolls' hides were tough and it would take some problem solving to actually beat them. Or in this case, escape them. Which seemed to be the best option with 12 foot tall aggressive.... beings like them.

"What about glacius spell to make it hard for them to find their footing?? " Noelle offered.

Charely Potter · 07-17-2017, 05:16 PM

Kirk hadn't quite expected that reaction from Hirsch. It felt good to be right, you know. So now he wanted to hear how they would possibly take on any sort of troll. Well, nearly everyone had the same idea to distract it or slow it down.

There were many solutions, he couldn't quite decide on the best one that wasn't already mentioned.. Except, "Well, first I'd want to silence my shoes so it can't hear me running around it. Then throw a few good sticking charms before casting a fire charm on it. I want to keep it hot off my trail." So to speak. Taking one troll on without any sign of help or witnesses, would be like a waste of time to him.

Goblinfrog · 07-17-2017, 06:37 PM

"I would love to see a troll sing, so I'd cast Cantis on him." Kitty smiled a bit guiltily when she said that. "That's probably not the best defensive spell, but it's my personal favorite spell and I think maybe a singing troll would be a distracted troll. Obviously that spell wouldn't be best for everyone, just since I've practiced it so well I think it would work for me."

Govoni · 07-17-2017, 06:42 PM

For his praise, Olivia grinned. She still had it, and could still be clever and contribute in lessons. Nearly broken head and all. Though, too much thinking seemed to make her skull throb... Eh, headaches.

.....Anyway, this was just screaming for her duelling expertise, right? Probably not, but Liv had a lot of thoughts on how to get around the enormous power of a troll. Not that her peers hadn't offered up good alternatives, as well. Everyone was always so creative with their suggestions in DADA. It honestly made Olivia most excited about participating with this subject. "There's so many spells that could work, but also, it depends on what you're wanting to do. If you're choosing to stand and fight, which is kinda dumb sometimes, you'd want to use different magic. Levi probably had the best idea about how to handle that." She paused, nodding. More to herself than to others, but still. "Otherwise, I'd go with encasing the troll in a bubble." As she had in hers' and Charlotte's duel. It was an extremely handy tool. "It wouldn't be able to pop itself, as physical strength doesn't work against it."

"Oh...the incantation is Ebublio, too. That would also ensure that the troll doesn't chase after you for a while."......and that was enough talking from her for now. Gosh, sorry for being so long-winded.

hermionesclone · 07-17-2017, 06:53 PM

Text Cut: You guuuuuys <3

Text Cut: Matt

This answer was more geared towards using your surroundings against the troll which he liked a lot. Not all spells will work against a troll, something he was going to explain to the class later, so this was a very clever answer.

"And mountain trolls usually do carry clubs so using that against them isn't a bad idea." Which was what three first years did back in Halloween 1991. "You're very right about the stunning spell as well and I'll explain why. But that is some very clever thinking, especially about the possibility of someone else encountering the creature as well. It shows that you're thinking ahead. Well done!"

Text Cut: Nicky

Quiet answers were to be expected and he didn't mind them. As long as the boy was paying attention, it didn't bother him whether he was saying something or not.

And no, he didn't think there was anything wrong with Mr Tate's wand.

Text Cut: Jonas

A paralysing spell? Hmm. This was... a difficult one. For a number of reasons.

"That one's a funny one because it almost fits into the same category as the Stunning Spell, which definitely won't work against a troll. Because of their vast size, you have to use a spell that's not only strong but has been cast with a lot of willpower and determination behind it."

"I'll explain shortly but the spell we're going to use has a similar effect to a paralysing spell so hold that thought. You are very, very close." It'll make sense later. "And yes, river trolls hang out under bridges where they jump out at their victims."

Text Cut: Katy

And there was that dimpled-grin again. "You're on a roll, Miss Toussaint."

"That is exactly it. If you can use something in your surroundings to knock them over the head, do it. If they have a club on them, use it against them." Pause. "Levitating an entire tree might be a little difficult, though." Just saying.

Text Cut: Ava

"A rope conjuring spell might be the best one in this case." Simply because she wasn't applying a spell directly at the troll which would require less effort. "A stickfast hex would be a good one to use to stop them moving. Petrificus Totalus fits along the line of Stunning Spells and is unlikely to work against them." Something he'll explain shortly.

"But good guess!"

Text Cut: Derf

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

So not pogrebins. Okay. Well... KINDA disappointing but the Hufflepuff supposed he would survive. SOMEHOW

Trying to settle in - but the rocks were kinda distracting and he kept expecting them to pop to life or something - his head snapped back around when the professor mentioned that they WOULD be studying creatures today.

OKAY HE COULD FORGET ABOUT HIS CONSPIRACY THEORY FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT! FILTER ON!

TROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLL ~~in the dungeon~~.

OH OH OH there was LOADS that Derf could say about them. LOADS!

LIIIIIIIIKE...they are grouped in the taxonomical genus Troglodytarum. Which was like...REALLY fun to say aloud. Troglodytarum. Troglodytarum! Also that they originated in Scandinavia but are now aaaaaaaaaaall over Europe and super strong but also super dumb and because they are super dumb they are only considered half-sentient. Which made him wonder something...like like...did that make the Whomping Willow more smart than a troll?

Hmmmmmmmmmm....

Besides their height and stuff...they also only had two toes on their feet with GIANT toenails. Were trolls flexible? Probably not with those massive forms...but then like how did they clip their toenails? Did other trolls do it for them? With like...their teeth?

Thinking about troll toenails distracted him distracted him from actually raising his hand and answering the question. Oops.

Okay but if Derf were faced with a troll his first instinct probably wouldn't be to leave if we are all being honest with each other here.

So his first instinct was prooooobably not the sort of response that the professor was looking for.

Okay but did the professor HAVE to mention centaurs because now Derf was thinking about asking Theroes to introduce him to a forest troll too. What had the question been?

"I'm not s-s-so good with s-spells," Derf answered. "S-So I probably wouldn't us-se magic at all...but trying to trip them by like...making them hit something...like a ROCK while they chas-sed me seems legit."

Not so good with spells. This reminded the man of another lesson in which he'd asked about the students and their problems with spellcasting and Mr Ashburry-Hawthorne had mentioned something along these lines. He couldn't help but wonder..... had the practice over the years helped with that? Especially Duelling Club?

"In this case, hitting them is probably the best thing you can do, apart from running away. And is the basis of the lesson today so well done!" Smile. "And good inclusion of the rocks here." Was the setup starting to make sense?

Text Cut: Oliver

This was another answer that made him smile.

"That is a very good display of self-defence and is probably the best way to deal with the situation. Protect yourself, distract it and then make a run for it while you can. It shows that you're thinking ahead so well done!" Though, they were going to use a spell today that wasn't Protego but this is still an excellent way to get out.

Good.

Text Cut: Emmeline

There were a lot of distraction-based answers coming up, weren't there? Huh. Hirsch didn't know whether to marvel at the level of strategic thinking that was going on or the fact that the students were well-equipped in terms of their defensive knowledge. Sure, thinking about what you'd do in a situation was a lot different to actually being in that situation and doing what you had to do but this was a step.

"Distract and run is an excellent method of getting yourself out of the situation. Trolls aren't very smart so distracting them will come very easily and they're not very fast so running away is probably the best bet. Well done!"

Text Cut: Zoryn

The amused smile was back.

Why? This answer. The best part about it was that she wasn't even wrong.

"I mean, that would work. For sure. Trolls aren't very smart so this could work in your favour, especially when mixed with your height." For him? Not so much. Being over six foot tall was not going to help him in this situation. "But that's a great tactic, well done!"

Text Cut: Skylar

The Impediment Jinx? Hmmm.

There was a pause in which the man just thought about the situation before he gave a proper answer. "The Impediment Jinx isn't a bad spell to use but because you're using a spell directly against the troll itself, you might need to gather a lot of willpower to make it work as effectively as it would against a human. But if you get it to work, that would be a very useful spell to use."

And apparating? That earned the Slytherin an amused smile. "If it is, that's probably the best way to get out of there."

Text Cut: Levi

These were three spells that Hirsch hadn't expected anyone to bring up.

"That is some creative thinking, I have to say." He didn't expect anything less, of course, but it had to be said. "The daydream charm would distract them enough to give you time to run. The only question is whether you can get the spell to work on a troll." Reasons why he would explain in a bit. "But that's an interesting mix of spells to use and, with enough willpower, could work in your favour."

Text Cut: Vivi

Throw a big rock? Distraction?

Hirsch stole a glance over at the rocks nearest to him and smiled, amused. "I don't see why not. Knocking a troll out or distracting it is probably the best form of attack if you're trapped and you need to get yourself out of the situation. It's worked in Halloween 1991, so you know that it will work. Well done!"

Text Cut: Noelle

Glacius!

Glacius!

Hirsch smiled wide and nodded at the Gryffindor Prefect. "Exactly! Use a spell to make it fall itself and, maybe because of the large impact from the fall, it'll knock itself out. All with a minimal effort from you. Well done, Noelle! That's a great plan of action." And he did't really expect anyone to bring up Glacius.

Text Cut: Kirk

This was another answer that made Hirsch smile because of a number of reasons but the top one was the level of thinking. "It sounds like you're thinking ahead. Well done!" Smile.

"So make the troll stick to the ground and then attack it with fire? You would need a lot of determination and effort to cast a strong enough sticking spell but I don't see why it shouldn't work. And you'd distract it enough to give you time to get out of there, while possibly defeating it at the same time." Hirsch approved.

Text Cut: Kitty

.............. Cantis?

This was not a spell Hirsch expected anyone to mention. At all.

"I'm glad you explained your reasoning." Because he was very confused when she first mentioned that spell. "It's probably not the best spell to use and not the first one in the list of spells to use against a spell but if you manage to distract it and give yourself enough time to get out of there, I don't see why not."

Text Cut: Liv

Hirsch was wondering where the Gryffindor was going with this answer but the minute Miss Phillips mentioned her desired spell to use, the man smiled wide. A full, dimpled-smile that almost looked as though he'd hit the jackpot.

"Excellent! Really an ingenious spell to use. They use physical spell to their advantage so if you can conjure up a large enough bubble to stop it from using their greatest strength, why not?" Oh, he was happy with this. "Not to mention that it'll give you enough time to get away from there. The only problem would be conjuring up a large enough bubble but if you can do it, you're set. Very well done!"

When it didn't look like anyone else was going to answer, Hirsch gave his hand another clap and spoke, instead, to the whole class. "I have to say, those are some very strategic answers from all of you and I'm impressed! Well done!" Smile.

"A lot of you have really thought about the size of the troll and its level of intelligence when thinking about a way to defend yourself which is the way to go. Trolls are stupid, so distracting them is an excellent method of attack. Even better is running away because trolls aren't very fast in the first place." But this wouldn't be Defence Against the Dark Arts if the option was just to run away.

"Something to remember is the fact that trolls are purely magical creatures and this, mixed with their sheer size, means that they've built up a tolerance to magic. A tolerance that runs through their very blood." Which was why he said certain spells won't work unless you had the willpower. "But that does not mean that they're not affected by spells altogether. It just means that spells are weaker against them so you have to use a lot of determination to make a certain spell work."

"Stunning spells for one, won't work. Spells that are cast on the environment or spells cast to knock it out, by the use of a heavy object, are probably the best bet." This was what worked in the past, after all. "The spell we're going to be looking at today focuses on the very idea of impact. This is a spell to use in the case you don't have a heavy object on you but want to provide enough impact to knock the troll out, giving you time to escape."

There was a pause in which Hirsch waved his wand in an intricate fashion, making a few words appear in the air in large letters:

Quote:

Labefactum
Bludgeoning Hex
Incantation: LAH-beh-FACK-toom
Wand movement: clockwise circular motion around the target and a flick at the end
Light: n/a
Difficulty: fourth year spell
Other: more determination = greater impact

"The Bludgeoning Hex is a spell that causes impact on a targeted area so, if you aim it correctly, you could cause enough impact on the troll to knock it out without using a heavy object." But if they had a heavy object near them, it wasn't a bad idea to use that either. "Almost like a giant, invisible hand punching at a targeted area."

"Today, we're going to be practising that spell on," He paused dramatically to gesture around him. "rocks! I want you to grab a rock, any size you fancy, and start practising the spell on it from a distance. The larger the rock, the harder it'll be to break and so, the more determination you need to make the spell work." Something to keep in mind. "You'll know if it's working if the spell causes the rock to crack and, if it's more powerful, maybe even break apart completely."

Was he missing something? Er.

"NEWT students: I want you to try and cast the spell verbally and then non-verbally. That goes for fifth years if you're already trying non-verbal magic or you want to start trying." The option was there. "Everyone else: verbal magic, please. I'm going to give you......." He paused to glance down at his watch. "10 minutes!"

"Ready? GO!"

OOC: That was a lot of writing oh gosh I'm sorry about the essay ;__;

BUT MINI ACTIVITY TIME!

The activity is: grab a rock, stand at a distance and practice the spell in the quote above. If it works, the rock should start to crack. More determination = greater impact = larger the cracks on the rock/possibly causing it to break in half. Larger rocks will be harder to break!

I'm going to give you guys until tomorrow at 11:59pm GMT+1 to make as many posts as you fancy.

Have fun and nudge me if you have any questions! ^^

Thanks, lovelies!

Charely Potter · 07-17-2017, 10:12 PM

Thinking ahead, naturally came to Kirk in his mind. He couldn't help turning his head at Kitty who suggested getting the troll to sing. That... would work wouldn't it? "Never thought about that." Get it too focused as it could possibly get on why they're singing. He would have to jot that down as another solution, but give credit where it was due whenever possible.

Now the task was to practice the spell. Labefactum Kirk whispered over and over. He went over to the many piles of rocks before sitting down. If he were to get it right, it would have to be in a relaxed state before challenging himself more. He took one that could fit in the palm of his hand. While sitting he began to practice the wand movement first.

Erindipity · 07-17-2017, 10:55 PM

Okay. Rocks. Destruction. YAS! This was right up Dora's alley... seeing as this was her strength magically. Yep. She had, not only a wand that was particularly wonderful for this form, but she had an affinity for it herself. Double whammy!

The blonde nodded a few times as Professor Enemy spoke. Not for his benefit, but for her own. She did nothing to please Hirsch. Hmph. Moving then toward the piles of rocks she chose one that was the size of an average fifth year. Lol. Okay. So yeah she took several steps back and chewed her lip. To attempt nonverbal first or wait? She had heard Hirsch say verbal first, but YOLO.

Raising her wand in her left hand, the Gryffindor attempted to cast the spell nonverbally first.

What happened?!

Nothing.

But she FELT something.

She'd have to try it again. Dora was definitely determined to break stuff. Always. It was her THING. Not to mention, given recent events, she had a lot of rage fueling her actions... something that she had learned to use to her advantage.

Labefactum she thought super hard at the rock, pointing her wand dead center.

...a small fracture appeared.

HOLY MERLIN'S MOTHER!

Just a tiny fissure, nothing crazy. But she had DONE it. A little.

2111jen · 07-18-2017, 12:13 AM

They were going to start practising spells?? Already?? Awesome! Jonas was only a fifth year so he has yet to even complete his OWLs much less his NEWTs. Jonas shrugged and went over to get a good size rock,a bit bigger than his palm. Giving Zoryn a sideways glance, the first thought that came to mind for some reason was to throw it at her. He quickly shoved that idea down his throte and focoused on the task at hand. Setting the rock onnthe ground, he walked a distance away and pointed his wand. Non verbal spells were an option for him. He turned his wand in a clockwise circle thinking of the incsntation and a flick at the end visuallizing the rock cracking.
//LAH-beh-FACK-toom//
He frowned as nothing happened.

Schroyers · 07-18-2017, 12:26 AM

Breaking rocks? He got how it worked.. While he didn't very much understand how this would help him preform this on a Troll in the wild (Though he knew very well why they couldn't practice on trolls. That would be cruel.) Rocks were very durable things so it was a good sense of how powerful this Hex is.

Oliver grabbed a rock, nothing bigger than the palm of his hand. He stepped forward a few feet and placed the rock a few feet from where he and Katy stood. He took his spot back next to her and brandished his wand. This was usually the part of classes he was better at. Doing is where he excelled, not keeping his nose in a book.

Simultaneously he started the motion and incantation. "LAH-beh-FACK-toom" It was calm, but determined, he wanted to test the waters of this Hex, see how much determination was really needed.. If there was anything Oliver had in scores it was that.

The rock cracked a bit, not much but it was noticeable.. Nothing special or significant. So maybe he needed to try harder.

*Holmesian Feline* · 07-18-2017, 03:34 AM

Trolls...trolls…trolls.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t heard about the large, often ugly, but not-too-smart creatures. And the fact that there were technically three different types of trolls…forest, mountain and river. But the absolute details had been at least half new information to her so Cassie was paying strict attention to the professor and jotting down notes rather than venturing forth potentially worthless information or duplicating on what she knew. The use of magic, however rudimentary, was something to be concerned about, especially should she ever come to be dealing with one. The Ravenclaw figured if it was just bulk and no smarts it would be easier.

As for spells, she thought of a few. Stunning charms, freezing charms and assorted others. Cass doubted any spells meant to throw an opponent would be worth the attempt since extra effort would likely be needed to move the extra height and weight a troll possessed. Oooo!!! Daydream spell was certainly an intriguing idea to use on them. As well as icing the ground to make them slip and fall, the latter an idea Professor Hirsch supported, especially when mentioning that it was better to effect a troll’s environment than to try and get past their built in magical defenses. And then there was the spell they were to learn today.

A bludgeoning spell.

Cassie copied down the information on the spell, Labefactum, into her notes as well. A fourth year level spell…now she should be able to handle that. With ten minutes to try her hand at it on a rock. At least she needn’t try it non-verbally like the older students. There were very few spells that she had attempted to cast so quietly. The fifth year did as instructed, taking her wand out and moving to one of the rocks scattered around to claim it. “Labefactum!” she tried out with just the incantation at first before switching to just the wand movement to practice that. And then finally adding them both together to attempt the spell for real. “Labefactum!” she pronounced, a clockwise movement around the rock followed by a flick towards it.

ArianaBlack · 07-18-2017, 04:00 AM

Professor Hirsch Best Friend said that her answer was GREAT! The Gryffindor kept her HUGE smile in place, happy to notice that he was still smiling back at her too. It was a secret code all best friends forever had, she was sure.

There were a lot of words following everyone’s answers and Zoryn was only able to retain a good 23% of it all. But the important thing was that her strategy would work, so if she ever came face to face with a troll, hopefully she wouldn’t have to remember anything else Professor H talked about. Not that she wasn’t paying attention, she was!!! Buuuuuuuuuuut it was just so hard to remember everything. That and she was very easily distracted.

Impact spell?????

OOOOOOOOOH. That sounded like FUN.

Zoryn’s eyes were immediately drawn to the front of the classroom where her Professor had words appear before them. She quickly scanned through all the letters, letting her eyes stop at “fourth year spell”. Now uh, this is awkward. Of course she wouldn’t let that stop her from trying, but the Gryffindor already knew that her chances of getting it right were very slim. Especially since she wasn’t the best with magic in the first place. Being a witch was hard.

Jumping up from the ground, Zoryn walked over to the rocks and picked a NICE, HUNKY tiny one. Ahem.

And of course she needed to practice a couple of times before trying the real thing. Right. Yadda yada yaaaaaaa. Zoryn didn’t care much for practice. “LAH-beh-FACK-toom,” what a funny incantation it was. “Labefactum!” Alright, that was definitely enough. She was starting to grow impatient.

Now with her tiny-little-baby rock position in front of her, Zoryn moved her wand around it in a circle and gave it a nice flick while coupling the motion with the incantation itself, “Labefactum!”

ANNNNNNNNNND….

Nothing.

Ugh.

2111jen · 07-18-2017, 04:53 AM

SPOILER!!: ArianaBlack

------------------------------
Jonas was doing well with his spells. He managed to get two cracks in his rock he was using. He then noticed a certain Gryfendor who was having a difficult time. He turned and walked up to Zoryn
"Need any help?" He asked her with an amused smile on his face at her struggle. He wasn't really smiling for vengeance persay, just you know...actually, he didn't know.

NifflerFan · 07-18-2017, 06:51 AM

The Gryffindor shot Professor Hirsch a small smile when he seemed to like her answer okay. Her smile was super doubly short-lived though, 'cause then he started talking a LOT. Annd even though fighting trolls was pretty interesting, it was still way too many words for Emmeline to actually, y'know, pay attention to all of them. She glanced over at Derf and then turned to Stasya to see if either of her best friends was having any better luck when the professor made stuff appear on the board! Thank Merlin for professors who did stuff like that. She had managed to catch the "invisible hand punching a target" thing too, so she at least sort of knew what they were doing. She had to admit that a spell that could punch ~~bullies~~ things for a wizard was pretty super cool. They learned the beesst spells in DADA! Except for when they learned the best ones in Charms. Or that dagger thing in Transfiguration. But this spell was definitely going to be up there with alll her favorite new spells, for sure.

Except that, as she scanned the spell's information on the board, her brain skidded to a halt at the words "fourth year spell." Oh no! It wasn't likely that this spell would work for her at ALL then, 'cause it always took her ages to learn spells. Even the ones on the first years list for dueling club; they took loads and loads of practice to get right. Still, she wasn't just going to give up without a fight.

Emmeline trudged up to the front of the room and looked through the rocks for AGES until she found the teeny, tiniest rock of the lot. Or she thought it was anyway. She tried to shove away thoughts about...other stuff as she headed back to her spot and deposited the ~~big pebble~~ fun-sized rock on the floor and took a few steps back.

She always practiced wand movements first, so Emmeline made a few lazy clockwise circle motions around the rock with a short flick at the end. Good enough. Next, she stared at the board and sounded out, "LAH-beh-FACK-toom" like THREE whole times. Okay, she was ready to smash the rock to pieces now, yup!

The first year gave her rock a death stare for about 30 seconds just to kind of get in the smashing mindset. She performed the wand movement and muttered, "Labefactum!" AND nothing happened as usual. Five tries later, still nothing had happened at all.

Emmeline frowned and glared at the rock. The board said more determination was better, but she REALLY wanted to break it for being so ughh and it hadn't happened yet. Which was making her frustrated and slightly bored and her thoughts wander to later today. Later today was NOT a good thing to think about in lessons, but she couldn't really help it. In fact, thoughts of later were making her more and more mad, 'cause she already knew Professor Stewart was going into an ugly court thing because of her, and it was so unfair they even had to convince some stupid Mr. Judge to do the right thing in the first place! She thought of her parents' likely -- and then less likely, but totally possible -- reactions to this thing later, and her chest practically swole up super big with anger and she just wanted to --

Smash things. The Gryffindor pictured the rock as her father's stupid face in a scary expression, advancing on Professor Stewart with his wand outstretched and, before she'd even decided to do it, her wand was making the right movement and she screamed: "LABEFACTUM!"

The pebble-rock exploded! Tiny pieces of it scattered across the classroom floor, and Emmeline was breathing EXTRA, extra heavily and feeling like she'd run a LOT. Like up a hill or something, or from the grounds allll the way to Gryffindor Tower. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she was shaking a little, especially her wand hand. She wished someone would invent a spell or something to go forward in time, and kind of dropped to the floor to just sort of sit there and calm down. She was still way too mad and sad and scared of a pretend situation, and Professor Stewart had even told her it wouldn't go down like that.

At least she'd blown up the rock?

SilverTiger · 07-18-2017, 07:09 AM

She hadn’t exactly given any answer as to spells she’d use against a troll, mostly because Stasya honestly wasn’t sure if she’d fight against a troll in the first place. Plus, there had been that mention of hags, which had only made her glance in Derf’s direction. Hags. The thing he’d said had actually been disguised as a professor at some point or another. She wasn’t really clear on the whole story, but it was definitely scary, and she was convinced that if trolls were like hags, she’d be better off just hiding. Or outright running for her life. She knew she was pretty fast, after all. Plus, Derf hadn’t actually reacted to the hag thing which only confused her more. At least she had a Liv close by, so she could snuggle if she wanted. She was pretty sure Professor Hirsch wouldn’t let the older girl do anything too dangerous right now.

Ooh, or she’d get the professor to protect her. It had worked before, so maybe it’d work again. But she also kind of wanted to learn that bubble charm Liv had mentioned, and also the one that the professor had mentioned. As long as they weren’t practicing on trolls. She was staying as far away from trolls as she could, unless she had other people with her.

And now the rocks made sense. She was so tempted to pick the big rock t6hat the professor had been leaning against, just to see if she could manage to damage it, but instead she picked a sort of medium-sized one nearby. Making sure she’d gotten all the notes about the spell written down before she even thought about getting her wand out. She wanted to remember it, even if she’d already decided that Professor Hirsch probably wouldn’t appreciate her using it for dueling. If she managed it at all. “La-beh-FACK-toom,” she said slowly, getting a feel for the spell. Pronunciation was important after all, almost as much as concentration and focus were. “Labefactum.”

The wand movement was kinda hard, just getting the clockwise circle combined with the flick at the end figured out, and she’d practiced that probably a few more times than she needed to before attempting the spell for real. “Labefactum!,” she cast, moving her wand in as close to the correct movement as she could, in the direction of her chosen rock. Except, barely anything happened. Maybe the tiniest of cracks, if she got really close to the rock to peer at it, but nothing really big. It was frustrating, but she decided to just go back to practicing the parts again. Maybe if she got the movement better.

RandomRaven · 07-18-2017, 12:34 PM

Oooh, Professor Hirsch mentioned that her choice about casting a rope-conjuring spell around the feet was the best. Then he explained to the students why stunning spell wouldn't be a best option for defeating the creature. Ava just listened to DADA professor and occasionally took some note (although it's not easy to scribble something while standing, heh.) Then bludgeoning hex was taught, something that according him would be one of the best way to attack on trolls and they're going to practice it.... on the rocks!

The Gryffindor wouldn't be surprised when Professor Hirsch mentioned about sixth and seventh year students should try the spell non-verbally. She had managed to cast some charm in non-verbal way, thanks to Noelle Grace Summers who had patiently coached her. It would be a looooong work so for now, Ava decided to try it by mentioning the incantation first. She decided to face the rock that is as tall as her because she needed the challenge. First, she made a clockwise circular motion around the rock and then flicked it.

"Labefactum!"

First round of trying... Well, it wasn't that bad since a small crack happened. Perhaps Ava needed more determination in order to make a greater impact. Okay, let's just try it again. Taking a deep breath, she repeated the wand movement again--a clockwise circular motion and a flick to the rock, focusing her mind to create a bigger impact and cries the incantation. "Labefactum!" The crack became larger which means she did a pretty good job. Maybe now she should try the spell non-verbally since Ava was quite confident with her verbal spellwork.

Noelle always reminded her about the intent of the spell when she wanted to do non-verbal spell. Ava took a deep breath, focused her mind and intent on making an impact the rock and perform the hex. It seemed like there wasn't a progress on the cracked rock which means she needed to try it harder. Right, second try! She focused more while moving her wand in clockwise circular motion and flicked it on the rock and.... still nothing happened. Goodness, this was more difficult than she had expected. Another try and... still nothing happened.

But Ava would not give up on this. She didn't expect to destroy the rock because 1) her rock was huge and 2) She was aware about her ability since performing the hex verbally only caused a crack on it. So... at least she could produce more crack, that's her aim. She managed her breath and took it deeply, put her intent and focus on 200% mode and determined to crack the rock more and more as she repeated the wand movement--clockwise circular motion and a flick on the rock. She might have grunted a little bit as she perform the bludgeoning hex this time.

And it worked. YAAAAAAAAY!!!! She did manage to produce a wider crack on the rock. Meeeeerlin, this was more exhausting than Ava had predicted and she needed drinking water. Would Professor Hirsch allow her to have a drink?

Kayla Taaffe · 07-18-2017, 12:47 PM

Vivienne knew that trolls were completely dumb.

Quote:

Trolls are dumb, so confusing them is an exemplary plan of intervention. Even greater is running because trolls aren't really active in the initial position.

A thing to learn is the point that trolls are essentially magic animals and this, combined with their absolute capacity, means that they've made a sensitivity to witchcraft. A compassion that moves through their precious plasma. But that does not imply that they're not influenced by charms collectively. It only indicates that charms are limited on them so you have to use a ton of confidence to make a true charm work.

Stunning spells, for example, won't operate. Charms that are designated on the situation or charms chosen to hit it, by the aid of a large target, are presumably the safest chance.

Today she was learning about impact. Hmm... she could use this to knock her sister out for a couple hours.

Quote:

The Bludgeoning Hex is a charm that creates a force on a designated section so, if you point it perfectly, you could cause enough impact on the troll to knock it out without using a heavy object.

She was going to be practicing it on... rocks? Ouch! She grabbed a small rock, the size of a pebble. She cast the spell on it and the rock cracked!

ChanceCoeur · 07-18-2017, 12:58 PM

Notes were a must before she did anything. She would be practicing this later on and needed to know everything.

Noelle next went to grab a rock and took her time picking out one. A bigger one. One the size of her palms together. It was a bigger target to work on. Heading back over to Ava, she whispered the spell out loud while placing the rock before her on the ground. She wanted to make sure that she was saying it correctly out loud so when she said it in her head nonverbally, it was the correct way. Once she got it, she pulled her wand out and practiced the wand movement without saying the incantation or thinking it. Easy enough wand movement.

Then she heard an explosion.

Noelle jumped a bit and looked into the direction of where the explosion came from. Miss Emm. She giggled. "Great work Emm!" She said looking at the little bits of rock everywhere.

She glanced over at Ava and saw a huge grin on her face and then looked at her rock which had a definite crack. She grinned wide too. "I knew you could do it wifey!" She had no idea if she'd done it verbally or nonverbally but she was proud nonetheless.

Focusing back on her rock, she pushed the murmurs and sounds of the classroom out of her head. Focus, intent.. Breathing out, she pointed her wand and did the and movement while saying Labefactum in her head. .......

Nothing happened.

Or at least she thought nothing did.
Breathing out again, she squared her shoulders. Doing the wand movement, she said the incantation in her head again.

...
Still nothing that she could see.

Okay rock.......

Rolling her fingers on her wand, she gripped it a little tighter and then breathed in. Doing the wand movement, this time she could feel that little tingling of power as it traveled to her fingertips and to her wand. She grinned, liking the feeling, and then practically screamed the incantation in her head. The rock split open and parts of it crumbled.

WOOO!
It was no explosion like little Miss Emm, but it was enough. She was extremely proud of the explosion Emm did. That was impressive.

Charely Potter · 07-18-2017, 03:35 PM

Clockwise circular motion around the rock and flick! Kirk repeated the mantra, hoping that somehow he would invoke some magic wordlessly. But nope, there was no sign of the rock doing anything. So now he could repeat the magic words, yeah?

"Labefactum.." Kirk started softly, before repeating the motion with his wand. The rock sat perfectly on his palm when he repeated the incantation, "Labefactum!" Keeping his eyes on the rock after the final flick. He kept his stare and determination, the rock did not break but did manage to shake a bit. Well, better than nothing. He then considered the fact on the rock breaking in his hand, there was a risk on cutting himself with it. So he placed the rock down on the ground.... where it then crumbled.

Kirk blinked a few times.. Did that count? It broke inwardly so.. Nah, maybe one more time. Clearing his throat, he dragged a slightly-larger-sized rock before practicing again.

Erindipity · 07-18-2017, 03:47 PM

Dora pointed her wand at the small crack she had created. It was not some huge something, but her rock was literally the size of a person... so she still felt a big smug. Yes, this was her forte so she knew she'd knock this out.

Wand still pointed, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened eyes back up before nonverbally casting at it again.

This time the small crack grew wider still. It was working! And to be honest, Dora had the patience and determination for it. She didn't require an explosion... she did those often enough.

Did anyone want to take the rock near hers? The other big one...

Kimothy · 07-18-2017, 04:23 PM

Miss Vivi?

Honestly, the fourth year was taken aback. She had gotten so used to calling people as 'Miss' or 'Sir' that when someone else actually addressed to her as such, it sounded so weird and foreign. Vivian blinked, quite unsure of what emotions she felt towards the title, but she beamed at Miss Noelle nevertheless. Though, well... 'Miss Vivi' had a nice ring to it. It seemed classy and all that. Ahem, moving on.

Oh? Time to do the actual spell thing already? Ooooh, and it was a bludgeoning hex! That was so interesting. Vivian tapped her fingers impatiently on the soft floor until Professor Hirsch allowed them ten minutes to practice the spell. First off, the Slytherin started with the hand movement. This was usually the part of the spell that Vivian ignored because they were mostly easy flicks and zigzags, but she took a while to work on the clockwise motion and the flick at the end. She did it a couple of times until she got the hang of it.

Now for the incantation. The spell had more than two syllables, so Vivian was going to practice on this one a little bit. "Labefactum... Labefactum," she said. "LAH-beh-FACK-toom... LAH-beh-FACK-toom... Labefactum." Putting the necessary stress on certain syllables, Vivian whispered the spell to herself a couple of times before being contented enough to move on with mixing both the hand movement and incantation together.

Alright, let's do this! "Labefactum!" Vivian said, with the clockwise circular hand movement, and the flick at the end. Hmm, no effect. She didn't expect herself to get it correctly right away. She had forgotten to focus on the rock in front of her, though, she might've been the reason why her spell work failed her in the first shot. Second try! Putting her attention at the rock, Vivian squinted at the part she wanted the hex to take effect on. "Labefactum!" Followed by the hand movement.

The spell worked a bit. A tiny crack that seemed as if a tiny nail dug itself onto the rock's surface was present on the place she had imagined on her head. But it didn't satisfy the Slytherin. She knew she could do better than that. Focusing more on the part again, Vivian raised her wand. "Labefactum!" Clockwise hand movement, and the flick.

... Heeeeey! Was that a legit crack, about the size of half a pencil? Vivian smiled a litte. Did it really work? Did it?

Hey Ju · 07-18-2017, 09:06 PM

It was ON. BOOM.

Matt got ready while the professor was still talking. He grounded his feet in a stable position and held his wand up, already pointing it at the largest rock in the room. His left palm was facing forward as he held it above his right arm, ready to protect his face in case any bits of rock came flying at him.

He held this position for a few seconds as the teacher continued giving the instructions, focusing on the rock in front of him and absorbing the information being given. That massive rock was about to EXPLODE. How. Awesome.

Labefactum. Labefactum. The Gryffindor kept repeating the incantation in his head while still listening to the professor. Merlin, the man liked talking. Let him BLOW UP SOME ROCKS alreadeh!

Matt NEARLY went for it when it souded like professor Hirsch had finished the instructions, but he managed to stop himself when the older wizard added something extra for those taking NEWTs that year. Right, okay, could they go already???

YES!!!

"LABEFACTUM!" He exclaimed while firmly flicking his wand after circling it clockwise.

It was like he could almost SEE the force coming out of his wand and going towards the rock. The impact made a very loud noise once it hit the target and Matt was super pleased when a long crack made its way from the top of the rock down right below its middle. Which meant it could take more. "LABEFACTUM!" AAAHHHH KABOOM!

The fifth year cheered, jumping up and punching the air in celebration. What was once a single massive rock was now two - actually three! Mwaha - smaller rocks. "WOOOOOO!!!!" CHAMP!!

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