Meh, today was a "rub it on Vivian's face that her common room was at the Dungeons" days because her next class had to be at the sixth floor. Of course, it wasn't like Vivian didn't like Transfiguration classes, but she wasn't sure her short legs were awake enough to do six flights of stairs this afternoon. But then again, she had to. She'd survived the past years going up and down the moving staircases of Hogwarts. It's not like today was going to be any different.

Determined to be at class early to avoid other students from stealing her usual seat, Vivian skipped up the stairs and through the corridors. She had urged her feet to work with the pace, and so when she reached the sixth floor corridor, she was panting. She made her way to the Transfiguration classroom, hoping to get to her usual seat, but instead...

... "I should've brought more marshmallows for this class, Professor!" The blonde said. The fire pits and all, it seemed like they were camping inside the classroom. Which wasn't a terrible idea, really. Vivian was more shocked with the fact that she was the first one to arrive. BLINK BLINK. Anywaaaaay... "Good afternoon, Professor. What's the fire pits for?" Vivian made her way to one of the pits and sat on a chair.

It was time for Transfiguration class and Shay found herself arriving earlier than she had expected. Entering the classroom, she was surprised to see fire pits inside the room with cozy fires burning in each one. Magic never ceased to amaze her. If this had happened in the muggle world, they would all be having some serious carbon monoxide poisoning......or smoke inhalation.....or something equally as bad.

"Hello Professor", Shay said cheerfully. "Can't wait to see what you have planned for us today." It looked like they would be having a cookout or roasting marshmallows. Of course she couldn't see how that would relate to Transfiguration. Seeing that there was only one other person in the classroom, Shay greeted the other early bird (Vivian). "Hi there", she said, before taking a seat on one of the benches. Then as instructed, Shay made herself comfortable and got ready for class to begin.

Derf FROZEN the moment he stepped into the Transfiguration classroom, his enchanted suitcase clutched in one hand and a VERY important item in the other, and GAPED at the setting. Yes, the talk of marshmallows was appealing and reminded him of a certain Gryffindor blonde who had graduated...but that was not the reason for his look of complete shock. THIS WAS NOT A NORMAL SET UP! HOLY FLAMING SALAMANDERS WHAT WAS HE GONNA D---- Oh wait no. Window still there!

He was still MAD with the Transfiguration professor for REASONS, but he still offered the woman a polite wave as he made his way aaaaaaall the way over towards a seat by the window. Looking around anxiously over his shoulder, Derf readied his wand and cast a Levitation Charm on one end of the Extendable Ears in his possession. He was trying not to be obvious, as per usual, but this was getting harder and harder to act all inconspicuous with the weather growing colder and colder. In September and October it had been easy. Windows open and warm temperatures. December...there was snow...and any window opened, no matter how slight, created a draft. So today he was trrrrrrrrrying not to half hang out the window as he made the eat float up up UP one floor to the open window above the Transfiguration classroom.

Waiting a bit until he saw familiar hands reach out and pluck the ear from the air, the Hufflepuff held it close to his mouth and stage whispered into it. "Rogue Lion? This is Honey Badger checking in. Do you copy? Over."

Noelle was bundled up in her clothes as she headed to Transfiguration. A warming charm was placed on her so she was toasty cheeked as she headed into the classroom.... er.... fire pit area.

Noelle entered the classroom and pulled off her scarf and robe and hung it up before taking a seat with her bag at one of the fire pit stations, right beside Shay. She took a look into the firepit. Hmm...

There were no directions on the board either to give any sort of direction as to what they would be learning today. But Transfiguration was one of her favorite classes. She was ready. Giving Shay a nudge, she grinned. "Afternoon" She said before giving the professor a wave.

Well wudjalookitdat, it almost feels like home innit? Talk about getting a bit homesick for one's garden.

The leonine lad strode in, delight obvious on the Gryffindor's face "Good afternoon Professor! he smiled before taking a seat around one of the fire pits. "Kinda wished I brought my guitar..." he murmured jokingly. Then it would be like he was really at home.

Olly was hoping he wouldn't get too chilly during the lesson, and when he walked into the room he was definitely not disappointed. There were real live actual fire pits in the classroom. He was pretty sure that was a fire hazard, actually. Or, well, it would have been a fire hazard if this was a normal school and not a magical one. But it seemed the transfiguration professor had things all under control. They wouldn't even walk out of there smelling like smoke.

"Good afternoon professor," he greeted with a smile. "This looks cozy." A perfect time to sit next to his person. Not like he didn't sit by her in pretty much every single lesson. Olly claimed his usual spot next to Noelle and gave her a squishy hug next to the campfire.

It wasn't like Matt was looking forward to this lesson, but the sight of the rearranged classroom perked up his interest. He approved very much of when lessons weren't held in their typical way, so this fire thing going on was pretty cool.

"Hiyo." The fifth year greeted everyone who was already there with a wide wave and made his way to sit with his bro Chewie. Ready to roast some marshmallows! ...leeeeearnnnn... he supposed... hooray..?

The Gryffindor did look around to see if he could find any marshmallows going around.

Olivia's eyes widened at the sight of the room when she entered. At first she panicked because fire in a classroom without proper ventilation wasn't a good idea. However, after looking around at the calmness of the room, she then remembered how much she loved magic. Ahh.. This was incredible. Thank you magic. She smiled a little more and continued into the room, admiring the setup.

Fire pits with seven seats around it? Ooh. This was a nice change to the usual classroom decorations. She liked this layout. Those would be nice and warm to sit by during the lesson. She could even afford to lose her sweater for the duration of the class. That would be a nice change. "Hello Professor Stewart. How are you?" she greeted with an excited grin. She wondered what they would be learning today. Maybe the fire pits had a role in the lesson? Hmm.. She smirked a little. She wondered if she still and the marshmallows from yesterday's evening adventure to the kitchens for hot chocolate.

Now where to sit? She spotted Shay, Noelle and Olly together near a firepit as well as Ace and Matt near another one. Hmm.. She ought to even out the numbers there so she went to sit next to Ace and Matt. She gave a friendly wave and smile to all of them before heading over to the boys (Solo and Chewie). "Hey Ace and Solo," she said, taking a seat before leaning over to them and opening her backpack up a little and noticed that she still did have marshmallows in her bag. "Whoops. Forgot that I still had those in my bag..." she muttered as she took out her notebook and readied herself to take notes.

It's mid-day already and the coolness was still in, which didn't surprise Kirk given it was winter. It was near time for Transfiguration Lesson to start when he arrived, it actually felt as nice as it looked with the fire pits going on. "Afternoon, Professor." He greeted kindly.

Suddenly, Kirk wished he had brought some of his snacks, never mind that it was after lunch. Who knows, maybe they would be transforming something into some edible ingredients for s'mores. Some of his close friends hadn't arrived yet, which was okay for now. Instead he chose a nice area in the middle where the warmth emitted the most from the pit while waiting.

As usual when it came to Transfiguration class, Abey wasn't THERE at all. Nope. Actually, he was actually one floor above, literally in the classroom directly up on top of the Transfiguration classroom. It had taken a bit of logic (but mainly some flying around on his broom right at the start of term) but they'd worked it out! But that had been mooooonths ago now, and he and Derf had a good routine going.

Abey was waiting by the window in the room above the classroom, bundled up in about a million layers and squinting through the glass. He did NOT want to open the window until he absolutely had to, because it was especially cold up here in a classroom that nobody had any reason to cast insulating charms on, and opening the window would just make it a million times worse.

Instead, he was waiting and staring, looking hard for that flesh-coloured string. LUCKILY he had Seeker eyes (okay... reserve Seeker eyes, but still), and so he spotted his end of the Extendable Ear with relative ease. Bracing himself, he opened up the window to take hold of it, pulled it inside, and pushed the window closed again.

"This is Rogue Lion, I copy. You're coming in loud and clear, Honey Badger. Anything to report? OVER!" HE didn't have to whisper because no classmates to accidentally interrupt, and actually the whole set-up was almost perfect, really. Sort of. Not... not really. BUT, it would do for someone who refused to step foot onto the floor that certain lessons were held on.

It wasn’t necessarily her favorite subject. In fact, Stasya definitely would have preferred if Transfiguration didn’t sometimes involve casting spells on creatures, but it wasn’t enough for her to stop coming to lessons as a protest. At least some of the spells were kind of interesting, and she did like the professor. Just not doing things to creatures. Creatures like the ones she had just been out at the barn visiting, having somehow managed to get back to the castle in time to make a slightly snowy path to the sixth floor and the classroom. Plus, as she had walked through the door, she saw fires and that made a smile appear on her face.

“Good afternoon Professor Stewart,” she said to the professor, even as she had made her way over to the fire nearest the window where Derf was. There had been a second where she had watched him with curiosity, but then she had come up with an idea. “Hi Derf,” she said as she sat by him, maybe a bit closer to the fire than to the Hufflepuff just for drying purposes, but she did lean over to him to add a whispered comment. “Say hi to Abey for me” In case that was why he was so close to the window.

Felicity could feel the warmth emanating from the Transfiguration classroom as soon as she set foot on the sixth floor corridor. It caused her cheeks to flush slightly, and she loosened her cloak as she entered the classroom - a rather welcome change from the draughty corridors. "Afternoon, Professor Stewart," she said with a grin, not bothering to hide her awe at the fires. They made her feel a bit nostalgic for her many summer camping trips back home.

"Hey, Vivi." Sliding onto the bench next to her friend, 'Liss grinned. "Shoulda brought some marshmallows up, eh?"

If it wasn't for the fact that Skylar enjoyed Transfiguration, it might have been a real struggle today walking up those staircases. However, when she entered the classroom, the fourth year had to do a double-take because the room was setup like a muggle campground. Um... see this is when hosting the lesson outside would have been smarter because then she wouldn't have had to walk up so many stairs just to go outside.

"Hello Professor," she greeted as she found a seat around the circle with Felicity and Vivian, because roasting marshmallows, duh. "So, please tell me you have your marshmallows in your bag, Vivi?" because it seemed the girl was never without them. She nodded politely at Felicity as well.

Alright, Transfiguration class!

Jessa was perfectly in her element here. It was her favourite subject and the one she did best at without question. When it came to this class, it was probably well known by now that the young Ravenclaw had tunnel vision. No really, Derf by the window? Stasya talking to him? None of that registered to the 13 year old as she bounded into the room and turned to take her usual seat RIGHT UP FRONT--but it wasn't there. Instead, there were firepits.....

Right then. Jessa took a seat at the pit with her friends--ohai when did they get there--and fixed her gaze on the flames. The girl liked fire.

She didn't dare miss a single thing and while they hadn't learned the topic yet, she was already eager to head back to her dorm to practice it. "Afternoon Professor." Could you tell how eager she was by her greeting? That's because she always was when it came to this particular lesson.

Kitty walked into the transfiguration classroom, noting curiously the expanded room and the fire pits, along with the simple instructions on the board.

"Hmm," she said, tossing her head back and going to sit at a crowded fire pit. "Good afternoon Professor Stewart," she said as she sat down.

Comfy.

With the change in weather, Althea had taken great care to keep bundled up whenever possible. Getting sick was out of the option, especially when her studying was on the line. Transfiguration was a subject that Althea had come to love as of late. She liked learning different spells and loved seeing the effects from those spells. Having class in the afternoon only made the subject that much more appealing.

She was early, for a change, and was a little surprised to see the fire-pits in the middle of the classroom. "Good Afternoon, Professor,[/b]" she greeted, eyes darting around the room to take in the setup. It was refreshing to have a different layout for class - she sort of wished that more professors thought outside of the box for their lessons - and she chose an empty spot around one of the fire-pits and sat. She wondered, briefly, what kind of lesson they were going to have. The warmth of the fire felt welcoming. As Althea settled in, comfortably at that, she looked around the room again.

Etta walked into the Transfiguration classroom but stopped abruptly, her eyebrows raised. What was this? Expanded room, fire pits.. Interesting. Really made her wonder what they'd be learning in class today.. Transfiguration was one of her favourite subjects, after all. She was reasonably good at it too, which made it all the more better.

After a brief moment of surprise, she turned towards the professor and greeted her. "Hello, professor. Hope you're doing well today." Etta gave her a smile before she made her way towards one of the seats surrounding a fire pit and plopped down, dropping her bag to the floor. She enjoyed the warmth while she looked around the classroom, waiting for class to begin.

The snow had been pretty this morning and Cass had been tempted to venture out into it between classes. But alas one thing after another kept her occupied and eventually the time came for the latest transfiguration lesson. Maybe later, before the snow melted. For now, she entered the appropriate classroom only to see that it wasn’t the usual classroom setting she was greeted with.

Fire pits…and benches.

Now that was new, though not exactly unwelcome at least in Cassie’s opinion. The warmth given off helping to take the chill from the air. “Good afternoon, Professor,” she greeted the woman as she moved to take a seat randomly at one of the pits. She didn’t spot any of her friends so she was up to just hanging out with anyone she supposed.

Huff, huff, HUFFFFF...

Had she missed the start of the lesson?! WAS SHE LATE?!

Spying Althea Kenning as she all but ran into the classroom, the blonde was brought up short by the odd arrangement of the usually structured room. Fire-pits? All at once, she was reminded of summertime and cookouts, nights spent on the beach, roasting marshmallows and laughing with friends and family. It was a comforting feeling, and she allowed it to fill up her soul as she deposited her bag off to the side.

"Hey." Yes, hello, friend. It was offered in a whisper, her cheeks flushed from the running she'd just been doing to ensure she made it on time. She'd fallen asleep in the library over her Transfiguration notes, trying to prepare for today. Gosh. After a moment, her eyes landed on Professor Stewart. "Afternoon, Professor."

The sixth floor was officially too far from the nursery ban. Emmeline had gone down to play with Sirius right after lunch, so she'd run all the way from the grounds to the Transfiguration classroom. She had a stitch in her side from running to make sure she'd be on time, and was pleased to see that she was still a few minutes early to class. The first year gave Professor Stewart a BIG smile as she entered the room: "Hi, Professor!" Professor Stewart had become one of Emmeline's favorite teachers for the sole reason that the professor was also looking after a baby boy crup, according to the signs on the crup kennels. She wasn't sure how she felt about the subject of Transfiguration itself yet, and it kind of depended on if they were casting spells on animals that day or not.

The fire pits were pretty cool, and provided a welcome change from the snowy grounds. Emmeline bounced over to the fire pit and plopped down in a seat with Derf, Stasya, and Jessa. "Hi guys!", she greeted with another smile. "What's up with the Extendable Ears?" She was careful to ask that question in a much lower tone of voice, because obviously she didn't want to draw any attention to the string-like Ear trailing out of the window.

As per usual at exactly two sharp, Camilla flicked her wand towards the door in order to shut it with a soft 'click'. Her attention turned onto the students then and she gave a clap of her hands to draw everyone's attention onto her. "Once again, good afternoon everyone. I hope you're all doing well and have brought your A-game with you for today's lesson." As cozy as the room looked and felt they would indeed be learning something new today and what they would be working on required their full attention.

"As you all have surely figured out today's lesson will have something to do with fire, or more correctly the smoke that fire causes." The women took a brief pause to let that sink in before she continued. "Now I know that some of you are hoping that the use of the fire-pits meant we would be cooking or at the very least eating," she laughed softly. Yes, she was indeed talking about those those that had mentioned bringing marshmallows. "I'm sorry to inform you all but that won't be the case...at least not right this moment. Maybe if we have some time at the end of the lesson we can enjoy a snack." The key word there having been 'IF'. By now the students knew her lessons usually had some sort of snack involved either before the lesson started or as they were leaving.

"Now I know there's many things that fires are useful for but who can tell me something that the smoke is useful for? Or just anything in general about the smoke?" Had they taken a good look around at the wisps of smoke billowing up and around the room yet? Had they noticed that even with the use of all this fire the room was stifling hot just warm or that there wasn't an overwhelming smell of anything burning?


OOC: Hello everyone! The lesson has officially started! Let your students take a guess at the questions asked as no answer is wrong! You're always welcome to jump right in and join the lesson, just have your kiddo act as if they were always here....unless of course you want them arriving late

The lesson will be moving on in about 24 hours.

MEEEEP. They were going to eat! Vivian was kinda pumped for this, even if she was running low on marshmallows. And when she meant she was running low, that usually meant less than five packs of the soft sugar-based confection. Today, the Slytherin only had THREE and that was not enough for her, especially when they had actual fire-pits for this lesson. Professor Stewart should've told them they were having these for today. Cue the pout.

The student who arrived after Vivian was rather unfamiliar and definitely a stranger. However, the Slytherin wasn't going to pretend that she didn't say anything because that was rude, and so she smiled at the girl. "Hello, fellow early person." Because this was rare. Vivian had never been the first person to class.

The blonde was glad to see her she-snake squad entering the room. Vivian beamed at both Felicity and Skylar because duh. "Hello, friends!" She called out for them since she had saved them both seats near her, and another for Junia if she ever came. As for the marshmallows, Vivian shrugged. "I would've brought more if we were told about the fire-pits, you know." What a missed opportunity! "But will three packs be enough?" She'd give up all her marshmallows for a day like this. They could even make Smores!

But the click from the door meant that the lesson was about to start. Vivian had prepared her three packs of marshmallows and placed them all on her LAP, in case they were given the cue to start roasting. The smile on Vivian's face faded when Professor Stewart said that it would wait for maybe later on. Cue even more pouting. The Slytherin tucked the packs back into her bag, but she still remained hopeful for the end of the lesson.

With the first question raised, Vivian blinked. The importance of... smoke? She wanted to say nothing, because it was bad for the health and the lungs. However, she didn't want to seem pessimistic. Everything had a good purpose though, right? Once she had an answer in mind, the blonde raised her hand. "There's capnomancy, Professor, or the divination involving smoke." Aside from that, there really wasn't anything good about it... just sayin'.

And then lesson was starting!! Fires were definitely useful for a variety of things, but smoke, that was different. Although Vivian had a good idea with the mention of the divination involving smoke, something that their house head would be proud of no doubt. But the fourth year doubted that was relevant for this class.


Think.

"Uh, well, smoke is useful to know that there's a fire burning, so use caution when in the area." That was such a lame use, but it was true. Fire burning equaled smoke equaled possibility of burning or injuring yourself.

Shay smiled when her housemate arrived and sat down next to her. "Hey Noelle", she said to her prefect and training buddy. The room was quickly filling with students and before she knew it, it was time to begin.

Still curious about the topic for the day's class, Shay waited for the big reveal. The mystery was partially solved, but unfortunately the class might not include snacks. Anyway, the Gryffindor listened to the first question of the day. With food still on her mind, she gave her answer. "Smoke is good for giving barbecued food a wonderful flavor. It's a flavor that you just can't get otherwise." That was unless you used liquid smoke and even that wasn't quite the same. Shay knew that this was probably not the answer the professor was looking for, but it was a valid answer......she thought so anyway.