Kitty couldn't say she was too surprised when Headmistress Hawthorne appeared seemingly out of nowhere. While originally she thought she might have been hiding in an armor suit, the stealthy way she'd entered through another door made way more sense.

Also, what was up with Ronan giving her that weird look?? For a moment she wondered if her hair was out of place, but thinking that reminded her of why he had probably given her that look. The bowl of blood incident, of course. He thought she was in the Cult of Walpurgis. Ugh!

When it came time to answer the first question, she remained silent. She knew the basics of Algiz, but she didn't want to repeat what someone else said.

Bored, Dorian leaned against the suit of armor he stood next to. His fears of the Headmistress popping out of it to scare them forgotten as the time before class started went by sloooowly for him. Next time, he was going to be in the classroom a few minutes before it started and not ten.

He rolled up the sleeve of his Ravenclaw robe and turned his arm to check the watch that was upside down on his wrist. Only a minute left until 10 o'clock, the Headmistress was always punctual. A woman's voice cut through his thoughts and Dorian believed it to be from the BoG member seated at the far back and he was shocked to find himself laughing at the lame joke. One did not say something like that to THE leader of the school and one did not laugh when said leader was insulted.

He turned and was surprised to see the Headmistress herself standing behind them all. Uhoh...had she heard what BoG lady had said???? He casted a nervous glance between the two to see if there was any tension but either they hid it really well or he had been mistaken.

He looked away and to the suit with the rune on it when instructed and he frowned in concentration on what he knew about Algiz. Eventually, he raised his hand and turned back to face the professor as he answered "Its a rune of ...uh...balance and justice...right?" he tried, already having the feeling he had messed up the answer but couldn't explain how.

SO like, Dora had made it a point to REALLY study up on her runes while she had been studying so much with the Headmistress. Time to impress the Head Lady for those letters of recommendation and all. Ahem. Raising her hand the seventh year spoke softly, "Algiz is mostly thought of in relation to the Valkyrie. Also it is rumored to banish the fear of death... so like that would super useful on a suit of armor if the Knight was heading into war." Her thoughts on things anyway. Mhm.

Also was that Olivia's mother? Interesting. For now Dora just glanced at her, thoughts bouncing around. HMMMM. But whatever. Hey DERF! Sitting next to you, little Puff. MHM.

Text Cut: Individual Responses

Text Cut: Miss Kettleburn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz (Post 12270109) Oh! Char turned around and looked at the headmistress. Not in the suit of armour! And while she got the joke, she couldn't help thinking that the professor kind of was like the armour? In good ways anyway! Imposing, strong, and protective too. And question time was always good because it always meant that soon enough they would get to do fun things. She stuck her hand up. "Algiz is for protection and shielding! It can even help your shield spells work better if it's correctly carved and invoked on your wand!" Should she mention about it being a bad idea to try to that with your wand if you didn't know what you were doing? Naaah. Nobody would assume, right?

It was no surprise to her that Charlotte Kettleburn was one of the first to raise her hand. The Gryffindor was, after all, one of the few who was really into the subject and used her runic knowledge whenever applicable -- Regina remembered seeing the girl in action on numerous occasions. It made the headmistress proud needless to say.

As soon as the words came pouring out of the girl's mouth, the woman gave her wand a stiff flick toward the blackboard. A piece of white chalk levitated and started taking notes that, hopefully, everyone would start copying down. "Excellent, Miss Kettleburn," she responded with a genuine smile. "Algiz is for protection, making it the most powerful defence rune, and is, as you said, great for strengthening shield spells when corrected carved and invoked."

She refrained from going into more detail about carving the rune on ones wand. That was a more advanced topic, which they would of course be covering later in the term. Hopefully by then some of the girl's peers would be mature enough to handle that without things backfiring on them.

Text Cut: Mr. Carter

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty (Post 12270140) He was ignoring the head girl, aside from a look in her direction, for he was still convinced that she was a Cultist. Instead, he returned Stasya's smile with one of his own and chuckled at the suggestion from a young Ravenclaw boy. "I don't know about chosen one." Unlucky would've been the word he'd use. Having everyone see you sweat was not his idea of a good time (another reason for ignoring the head girl, for it had been her wall message that....well anyway). He returned the BOG lady's greeting with a "Hello, madame." Wasn't it a little snowy outside for non-Hogwarts based visitors? He had been considering giving his suit of armor a little kiss (hey, it had been awhile, okay?) when the Headmistress appeared, causing him to abandon that idea. Ronan wasn't exactly surprised by it, though, because he had heard the door. Constant vigilance, as Professor Hirsch would say, though, his mum would call it something else entirely. He turned to look, arm still in the 'knights' as she spoke. The Headmistress had a sense of humor after all? Good to know. He turned to face the front again when she reached the marked suit. Hmm, Algiz. "The color or colors most associated with it are black or purple." If he was remembering correctly, anyway.

The chalk then hovered, waiting for another student to respond so it would diligently record whatever was said. Regina, of course, started to pace around the room, searching for answers as well. Especially for the more quiet students, which she was heading for.

But then Ronan Carter surprised her. He was there, answering questions. Wasn't he normally one that wanted to skip her class? Regardless, the woman gave him an approving nod once his answer was said. The chalk was already crossing T's and dotting I's.

"Right you are, Mr. Carter. Black and purple pair with Algiz, which we all will be seeing in just a moment."

Text Cut: Miss Burton

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven (Post 12270147) Out of nowhere the Headmistress revealed herself as Jessa asked if anyone had seen her. See? That woman was definitely not inside the suit of armor. Ava just gave a tiny smile when the Ancient Runes professor said someone permanently transfigured her into an armor and that... was not really funny. But nice try, Headmistress. With the presence of Hawthorne, it means the class has started. The Gryffindor listened to her talked about the algiz rune that they're going to learn today and heard Char mentioned about this rune could help with their shield charm if it was carved on wand. Oh, really? That was interesting and she wanted to do that if/when she got into YATI because that could be helpful. "The rune algiz is also can be used for hunting." She answered the question as she put her hand up in the air.

Still not willing to laugh at her lame jokes? Of all people, Regina would have thought that a Gryffindor would have been the first to crack. It was more their humour, wasn't it? Or maybe not. Regardless, she tried her best.

The chalk continued to write on the board while Ava spoke. The headmistress wasn't totally surprised that the girl's answer was short and sweet. It was correct, which was all that really mattered. Though a little more elaboration would have been nice, mostly for the younger years.

"Algiz is most certainly used for hunting. Thank you for bringing that up, Miss Burton," Regina stated, now weaving between suits of armour in an unpredictable manner. "The reason why Algiz can be used for hunting, class, is because this particular rune increases success in one's endeavors, making you more alert and aware to your surroundings."

Text Cut: Miss Morrison

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydreamer11 (Post 12270187) Shay watched as her classmates speculated about where the Headmistress might be. She had a feeling that the lady in charge was not too far away. She was proved to be correct when the Headmistress suddenly appeared from who knows where. You always had to expect the unexpected at Hogwarts. That much Shay had learned. So now, the class was starting to learns bits about the topic of class for the day. They would be learning about Algiers. Shay had noticed the rune carved on the main suit of armor. The one that was taking the professor's place in the classroom. She was starting to get an idea about where this lesson was going. And as the first question was asked, the Gryffindor began to formulate her answer. Then she raised her hand to respond. "Algiz is associated with Heimdall of Norse mythology. He is known as a protector, one who watches over. And as Char said, Algiz is the rune of protection." So then....... a connection, yes?

"A wonderful connection you have made, Miss Morrison." Another approving nod was given. "Algiz falls under Heimdall's Aett, and it makes sense for the rune to be there as Heimdall is the vigilant guardian of Asgard. He brings forth protection because of his keen eyesight and acute hearing, which help him detect intruders."

There was a brief pause as the chalk continued to write everything down. When it had caught up with everything, the headmistress added another detail to help solidify the connection between Algiz and Heimdall. "Many remember how to write Algiz by thinking of it representing Heimdall holding a sword in one hand and his horn, Gjallarhorn, in the other. There are, of course, other ways to remember what Algiz looks like."

The more you know.

Text Cut: Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie (Post 12270189) Derf was suddenly relieved that he had not gone knocking on any suits of armour upon entering the classroom today because that could have been AWKWARD. Although NOW he was kinda sorta hoping that this was a little preview of things to come and that they were going to play hide-and-seek INSIDE suits of armour somehow. Like...well...he could probably think up about a billion ways that this would make sense and WORK but right now he was trrrrying to focus on the question at hand. Protection. Got it. Colors, er...that was more Abey's forte than his own for reasons. Mythology...er...Derf didn't know so much about that to be honest. "It kinda looks like a stag...or an elk," he offered up after a bit of thought. "Which...um..." He paused to ruffle his hair a bit. "I think...there was a story somewhere about magical process to become a deer to escape from enemies...or to blend in with them for tactical purposes...like...kinda like an animagus form ... but Celtic peoples passed it down as lore..." He remembered dad talking about that. The antlers meant something too...but...er...he couldn't really remember that at the moment. Cycle of life?

The elk was another way to remember what Algiz looked like, so the headmistress was pleased that Derfael had brought them up. Though she was curious as to where he was going with his reference. Hmm.

"Ahh, yes. I believe you are talking about 'The Old Woman of Beare,' who takes the form of a deer to avoid capture," she replied, nodding slightly. "Let's remember that the Elder Futhark runes originated with the Norse, not the Celts. But you are indeed correct in saying that Algiz looks like a stag or an elk. 'Elhaz' is another word for Algiz, which literally translates to 'elk' and were symbols of protection. It is also a direct reference to the four elks that feed off of Yggdrasil, the immense mythical tree that connects the nine worlds in Norse cosmology "

Another 'the more you know' moment.

Text Cut: Miss Fairfield

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy (Post 12270197) Vivian glanced to the side when she felt someone drawing closer. The blond offered a smile at the bestie, and gave her a tiny wave. Sky was very much welcome to pester her anytime but... oh. Sneaky. The headmistress was definitely sneaky. One moment, the woman was no where to be found, and now she was in front of them as if all Apparation boundaries were lifted at Hogwarts for a few seconds just so Hawthorne could perform her stunt. And transfiguring the Headmistress into one of the suits of armour? Obviously, Vivian knew that was a joke. A weird one, to be frank. However, the prefect managed a tiny smile so that it wouldn't be awkward. But on with the lesson, yeah? Vivian had already figured the rune in front was Algiz, and she was glad she actually got it right. The mention of practical rune magic excited the prefect a bit. Thank Merlin, she didn't want to sit down and listen to hours of lecture anymore. She was sooo done with those. With the energy she still had from the wee bit go excitement for felt, Vivian raised her hand. "Algiz is one of the three runes used in a rune victory charm, along with Sowilo and Tiwaz," the prefect offered as her answer. Since the others were able to share that the rune was for protection and all that. Could they get to the real practical portion now, please?

The tiny smile didn't go unnoticed by her, but Regina honestly wouldn't have minded a laugh or two to come from one of them. Perhaps it wasn't any fun if the professor was jumping the gun by making the jokes about herself? Only Merlin would know.

But the headmistress was just as ready to move on as young Vivian. She seemed excited about this being a more practical lesson. With it being the holidays and winter, it was the more practical stuff that she needed to catch their attention with.

"Well-stated, Miss Fairfield," the woman agreed, giving the prefect an approving look before her eyes flicked over to the board. "For obvious reasons, Algiz is a part of that triad to bring forth a powerful protection source that is needed for victory. As for Sowilo and Tiwaz, both runes bring strength, justice, and courage respectively."

Text Cut: Miss Diggory

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising (Post 12270201) So the Headmistress? If she'd gone to Hogwarts would definitely have been a Slytherin, Skylar was convinced. Except she hadn't gone to Hogwarts, so instead the Headmistress did get silent praises for that stealth from the fifth year. Something else she could appreciate? That the Headmistress didn't play guessing games with them in today's lesson topic. No, like Camilla Stewart, the woman was upfront that today they'd be talking about Algiz and while details weren't provided yet, at least it wasn't a generic open-ended question. "Algiz is more than just generic protection, but goes deeper than a mere shield charm. It's protection in both offensive and defensive. It protects us spiritually and physically, our emotional well-being." Skylar elaborated on what was already stated.

Naturally, the woman was never one to leave things too terribly open-ended. The open-endedness simply didn't mesh well with her Horned Serpent traits. And arguably her Slytherin and Ravenclaw traits, of which the latter, the Sorting Hat told her, would be her place if she were a Hogwarts student. No, it was all part of good teaching. So far, it was providing for a great transition into today's topic without allowing anyone to wind up totally off the grid. Her question was meant to focus them, after all, by engaging their prior knowledge before diving right in.

Skylar Diggory was by no means off the grid; she was spot on. While each rune had a physicality to it, there was also the spiritual side of things. "An excellent point made by Miss Diggory, everyone." A smile was sent the Slytherin's way. "While Algiz brings physical protection in the presence of a threat, it also brings spiritual protection. In this sense, Algiz allows us to call upon our inner strength to actively protect our emotional well-being -- it is the checks and balances of our conscience."

Ready for another 'the more you know' fact? "With this interpretation in mind, one can think of Algiz depicting a person with their arms raised to Heimdall."

Text Cut: Miss Cambridge

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12270227) If no one else jumped at the sudden voice of the Headmistress, she did. It was unexpected to say the least and a little uncanny given the timing. Hadn't she JUST asked where she was? The 14 year old turned on her heels, eyes practically sparkling. Of course, she wasn't daft enough to believe what the woman had said by way of announcing herself but.....the prospect of it was intriguing to say the least. Turning her into the suit of armor? Transfiguring anyone into a suit of armor. The cogs in her head were turning and she suddenly had a ton of questions that had nothing to do with Algiz. Like everyone else, her hand went up but to say the Ravenclaw had gotten sidetracked from the actual lesson was an understatement. "Would you still have been sentient, Professor?" She asked. "If you'd really been turned into one...would you still hear and feel? What would the risks be? Would we be able to get you back?" Lesson on runes? What lesson on runes? Jessa was far too taken by the idea to focus anymore.

The gears turning in this one's head made Regina both excited and anxious. She knew that the Ravenclaw was bright and typically had something thoughtful and rather invigorating to say. Her fingers were crossed, since the girl seemed to be deep in thought. She knew that look all too well.

But there was also the other side to the coin that was Jessa Cambridge that Regina knew of. Which was the side of her that was showing right now ... her thoughts lingering onto something that wasn't the focus of their current discussion.

"Miss Cambridge," Regina said quietly after walking over to her, "I'm afraid your questions about Transfiguration theory will have to wait for another time. See me after class or save this conversation for Professor Stewart." Because she was equally as qualified. "Right now we need to focus on Runes."

Text Cut: Miss Spinnet

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack (Post 12270232) Zoryn wanted to chime in and help Hawthorne make fun of herself, tbh. BUT they woman had already moved on and posed her first question to the class, so unfortunately it was a lost opportunity. The prospect of turning someone into a suit of armor for revenge, however, gave her a couple of ideas. Zoryn needed to get her revenge before the term was up, so this was helpful. As for the question, Zor didn't feel like thinking too hard. She still raised her hand like everyone else though, 'cause the Headmistress said that she wanted an answer from everyone. And Zoryn was the greater part of everyone, obviously. "Algiz would make a good name for a pet," she nodded. "'Cause it's short 'n sweet, but it's got a spunky sorta ring to it. Plus you can say GEEEEEZ ALGIZ! When you're angry 'n it'll still sound cute." Zoryn would probably name her next inchworm Algiz. This lesson was proving to be all sorts of helpful today and it just started! WOW!

The next hand to shoot up into the air was Zoryn Spinnet. Even though she had no clue what words would come out of the girl's mouth, Regina allowed her permission to speak. After a deep breath, of course, to prepare her for a very typical Zoryn response.

And the Gryffindor did not fail to prove her wrong. 'Algiz would make a good name for a pet.' Merlin. How was she even supposed to respond to that?

"Thank you, Miss Spinet, for your ... insightful comment," the woman ended up quickly saying, already moving on to the next hand waiting. Needless to say, the chalk didn't take note of what the girl said.

Text Cut: Miss Reynolds

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom (Post 12270256) What did she know about Algiz? Um, it was a rune. Everything she had studied for her OWLs seemed to have just completely fallen out of her brain. She needed to answer SOMETHING, though, so she pulled out her textbook and flicked through the pages until she found the entry on Algiz. She raised her hand. "It represents the divine might of the universe," she answered. That was....vague.

Scarlett's response earned her a nod, though Regina couldn't help but be slightly disappointed that the eight words that had come out of her mouth were the only ones she could muster. And she had to use a textbook too, which was something she expected from the younger students -- not someone who had taken their OWLs last summer. Alas, the lesson must go on.

"Very true, Miss Reynolds," the headmistress replied. There was a brief pause before she elaborated on the Hufflepuff's answer. "The reason why Algiz represents the universe's devine might is because of the great power that comes from this rune. It is the rune of higher vibrations. If one's spirit is aligned, Algiz activates the Higher Self, graces one with divine protection, and much more. This is the spirituality that Miss Diggory was referencing to."

Regina stopped herself though she could go with more specifics, deciding it be best to carry onward. It wasn't her goal to put anyone to sleep today.

Text Cut: Miss Valentine

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog (Post 12270270) Kitty couldn't say she was too surprised when Headmistress Hawthorne appeared seemingly out of nowhere. While originally she thought she might have been hiding in an armor suit, the stealthy way she'd entered through another door made way more sense. Also, what was up with Ronan giving her that weird look?? For a moment she wondered if her hair was out of place, but thinking that reminded her of why he had probably given her that look. The bowl of blood incident, of course. He thought she was in the Cult of Walpurgis. Ugh! When it came time to answer the first question, she remained silent. She knew the basics of Algiz, but she didn't want to repeat what someone else said.

The headmistress was still weaving her way between the suits of armour, hoping to get a few more responses from the students before deeming it time to move on. She was, honestly, hoping that the Head Girl would have said something, considering there were a few more facts about Algiz that hadn't been touched on yet.

But, in the end, all that was received was silence. And the headmistress did catch the silence exchange that Ronan was giving Kitty, which was ... odd. But that was something she wasn't going to intervene in. Surely the Head Girl would be able to handle whatever that was on her own once they all were dismissed later? Hopefully.

Text Cut: Mr. Katharos

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi (Post 12270293) Bored, Dorian leaned against the suit of armor he stood next to. His fears of the Headmistress popping out of it to scare them forgotten as the time before class started went by sloooowly for him. Next time, he was going to be in the classroom a few minutes before it started and not ten. He rolled up the sleeve of his Ravenclaw robe and turned his arm to check the watch that was upside down on his wrist. Only a minute left until 10 o'clock, the Headmistress was always punctual. A woman's voice cut through his thoughts and Dorian believed it to be from the BoG member seated at the far back and he was shocked to find himself laughing at the lame joke. One did not say something like that to THE leader of the school and one did not laugh when said leader was insulted. He turned and was surprised to see the Headmistress herself standing behind them all. Uhoh...had she heard what BoG lady had said???? He casted a nervous glance between the two to see if there was any tension but either they hid it really well or he had been mistaken. He looked away and to the suit with the rune on it when instructed and he frowned in concentration on what he knew about Algiz. Eventually, he raised his hand and turned back to face the professor as he answered "Its a rune of ...uh...balance and justice...right?" he tried, already having the feeling he had messed up the answer but couldn't explain how.

She was glad that someone in the room had a sense of humour. Though she couldn't tell why Dorian was looking at her and Marilyn so nervously. First years were so awkward sometimes. They never failed to surprise her in that way.

Oh, bless! The poor thing was confusing Algiz with another rune.

"Not quiet, Mr. Katharos. Balance and justice best fit with Ansuz, the rune representing Odin -- the god of wisdom and war."

Text Cut: Miss Umbridge

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erindipity (Post 12270319) SO like, Dora had made it a point to REALLY study up on her runes while she had been studying so much with the Headmistress. Time to impress the Head Lady for those letters of recommendation and all. Ahem. Raising her hand the seventh year spoke softly, "Algiz is mostly thought of in relation to the Valkyrie. Also it is rumored to banish the fear of death... so like that would super useful on a suit of armor if the Knight was heading into war." Her thoughts on things anyway. Mhm. Also was that Olivia's mother? Interesting. For now Dora just glanced at her, thoughts bouncing around. HMMMM. But whatever. Hey DERF! Sitting next to you, little Puff. MHM.

Then there was Dora Umbridge, of whom the headmistress had gotten to know fairly well this term. Whether that was a blessing or a curse depended on one's point of view. Either way, Regina's expectations were high for this particular Gryffindor because she knew that the girl had the drive to reach them.

Thus far, she was doing quite well.

"Excellent, Miss Umbridge." The woman shot her a smile and then elaborated on her answer for those who weren't quiet getting what she was saying. "The Valkyrie in Norse mythology a group of maidens who served the god Odin and were sent by him to the battlefields to choose those who live or die in battle. They rode to the battlefield on horses, wearing helmets and shields. Their image is representative of the way in which the energies of Algiz work. Having faith in Algiz allows the ability to communicate with these devine entities."

Text Cut: Mr. Blaze

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga (Post 12270450) He had no clue what she was talking about, to be honest, but Eddie knew not to say that. He knew which professors to basically ignore during class and which to actually pay attention to and with the headmistress as one of those professors to pay attention to he sat nicely the way he was supposed to and had his parchment out to take notes. He listened as others spoke, vanished the fear of death? That was interesting and he jotted a few things down before raising his hand. "Professor why would people want to vanish the fear of death? Isn't death part of life and anything you do risk death, so do they think if they vanish that fear it won't happen? Is there a rune to bring on a fear of death to someone?" Just curious, not reason, not like he'd try to use it on his sister or that annoying girl who kept trying to say she was his best friend.

Eddie Blaze Jr.'s participation in their discussion surprised her. She half expected the boy to be dozing off, though that would have been quite difficult to do with all of the desks and chairs being against the wall today. Note taken: no sitting; keep the children standing and moving whenever possible.

It was a good thing that today's lesson would involve a lot of movement.

The boy's questions were to be expected of a Slytherin. "What Miss Umbridge means is that it allows one to properly use fear by moving toward it with courage when heading to war or facing anything that has the potential to bring harm. Algiz gives us the urge to move forward and conquer or fears while its power provides protection."

His final question though made her blink. Why was this boy so interested in the dark side of runology? Regina's answer to that particular inquiry was going to be short, sweet, and incredibly vague. "A number of runes that make up the three Aetts touch on death because it is, as you said, a part of life. There is birth, death, and rebirth -- it is a continuous cycle. And there are runic curses that bring forth destructive forces, though that's a different topic altogether."

Text Cut: Miss McNally

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline (Post 12270455) Runic magic… Granted they hadn’t dealt with it this term yet, but Cassie remembered working with runic magic in classes previously. After all the horse-whisperer scenario out by the barn had no doubt involved it, not to mention when it had appeared on her OWL exam afterwards. But that was neither here nor there she supposed as the lesson was begun and the first question posed to the class. The Ravenclaw taking in the Algiz rune carved on the shield of her suit of armor as answers were given by various students around her. Now what did she know of Algiz? A lot was already being mention, so it was limited unless she really wanted to repeat something, which she didn’t. Finally she raised her hand with a response. “It’s part of the second Aett…and you have to have faith in the working of the rune.”

Last but not least was Cassandra McNally. She was another one that Regina had high expectations for, considering her abilities in Ancient Runes as well as the girl's other classes. Her OWL scores proved that she could handle more. But her answer was, to be honest, something she expected from one of the first years. The headmistress expected more from older students, needless to say. But, alas, if that's what she had to work with...

"Yes, Miss McNally, Algiz is part of the second Aett. Heimdall's Aett to be most specific," she repeated. And then she nodded at the second thing the girl said, though it was true of all the runes.

By this point, the chalk was starting to run thin. Everything that had been said, save for a few responses, had been recorded in a bulleted list for easy reading and note-taking. Even though there were some other details that hadn't been said, Regina could tell that they had the gist of Algiz. If they didn't before, they had a nice list to refer to now.

"You all did a great job in compiling that list of facts about Algiz," the woman said as she stopped her pacing in the middle of the group and returned to the suit of armour at the front of the classroom. "While there is much we can discuss about the rune, we'll save a lot of those details for future lessons. Today I would like for us to focus just on the physical power of the rune and how we can use it today."

Suddenly a loud BANG! sounded from the room in which the headmistress had came at the beginning of the lesson. The woman's blue eyes shot over to the door, but then returned her gaze to the students. A calm and collected smile appeared on her face, telling them all that there was nothing to worry about. Though they did need to move with haste...

"What I need all of you," -- yes, including you, Marilyn -- "to do right now is carve Algiz on the breastplate of your suit of armour like I have done," she instructed with a gesture at her suit. "The incantation, for those of you who haven't done the Carving Spell before, is Intaglio Algiz. Clearly think about how the rune looks in your mind and keep on saying the incantation until the rune is completely carved on the metal."

The chalk levitated once again and began writing:

Quote:

Carving Spell Incantation: Intaglio (in-TAH-lyoh) + rune name repeated Wand movement: move your wand against the surface exactly where you wish to cut Other: concentrate on the meaning and on the name of the rune, repeating it over and over until what you want to carve is complete

Where they all with her so far? She had more instructions to give because time was passing by fast and ... well ... there was still the last half of the lesson to be had.

"Once the rune has been carved onto your suit of armour, I then want you to activate it by chanting the galdr for Algiz," Regina continued before modeling exactly what she wanted everyone to do. The woman placed a hand on her suit's breastplate, right on top of the rune she had carved beforehand, and chanted, "Elhaz elhaz elhaz, z z z z z z z z z, uz az iz ez uz, oz ez iz az uz, z z z z z z z z z, (m m m m m m m m m)."

Right after she had said the end of the galdr, the rune on the breastplate glowed a nice shade of purple. The rune had been activated with the protection of Algiz, which would be put to the test soon enough.

Once more the chalk did its thing before returning to its resting place:

Quote:

Algiz Galdr Elhaz elhaz elhaz, z z z z z z z z z, uz az iz ez uz, oz ez iz az uz, z z z z z z z z z, (m m m m m m m m m)

"Depending on your familiarity with runic chanting, you may need to repeat the galdr for Algiz multiple times in order for it to work. The important thing here is to not be discouraged. Concentrate and allow the energies of the rune to fill you up. If you need any assistance, feel free to ask myself or anyone else that is able to successfully invoke their Algiz rune. ... Ready? ... GO!"

OOC: It is time for the mini-activity of our lesson! As Regina said, everyone needs to carve Algiz on the breastplate of their suit of armour and then chant the galdr to make the rune glow purple.

You are welcome to make as many posts as you would like at this stage in the lesson. Furthermore, keep in mind that not every student will be able to complete these steps in one go successfully. Feel free to have your characters struggle, ask for help, offer to help others, etc. The lesson will continue in roughly 48 hours.

mini activity ... plus question? :3
 

catching up kinda || also question
 

Could he vanish or something? It wasn't often when he got a answer wrong so when it happened he felt really embarrassed. His father had once told him that making mistakes was part of the learning proces. But that did not made him feel better.

The sudden loud BANG that came from the other room startled him and the eleven year old let out a yelp in surprise. Shouldn't we check what caused that sound?" he asked when the Headmistress just smiled at them. She....she wasn't deaf right?

Dorian watched as she began to chant and the rune began to blow purple. He liked purple, blue was his favourite color but purple was nice too... Getting side-tracked again. He turned to his suit of armor and took out his wand. He pointed it at the breastplate to carve the rune in with the incantation.

Or...that was what he wanted to do. He said the incantation , tried to trace the symbol but nothing happened. He tries again, failed, again, failed. He even closed his eyes to focus on the incantation but when he traced it nothing happened. Giving the suit of armor a low kick in frustration, Dorian looked around. "Can someone help me carve the rune in here? My wand doesn't work" ALWAYS blame something else. Those were going to be his words of wisdom to his future children when he got older.

The look of wonder quickly fell from the young girl's face at the Headmistress' latter suggestion, replaced with a certain stoicism that would not soon be dislodged. She wouldn't be asking Professor Stewart anything relating to Transfiguration if the woman couldn't even distinguish a charm from a transfiguation spell. She wasn't looking to be misinformed outside of those mandatory hours she was required to sit before the woman, thanks.

"I'll speak with you after class." She replied carefully, not wanting to be disrespectful but equally unwilling. There was nothing wrong with waiting to have a question answer, especially when it was the far better of two options.

For now, the Ravenclaw would pay attention to the activity at hand. Carving runes, nothing new here. The carving was never the issue, she was quite use to making incisions by now. Jessa turned to her suit of armor, drawing her wand while she sized it up. Perhaps she would making the carving this big...no.....this big. Yes, that would work. "Intaglio Algiz."

She moved her hand along while she cast, trying to ensure it was as accurate a cutting as possible. "Intaglio Algiz."

Almost done--just a bit more on this side should do it. "Intaglio Algiz."

Better? ...Yeah....she supposed this would do.

a blessing, DUH!
 

The Head Lady smiled at her and praised her? Yas. Not that Dora let it SHOW that she was swelling with pride, but ya know... she was for sure. She had definitely been trying really hard since Headmistress Hawthorne had shown her so much care in their private lessons. While the woman was a tough cookie, she was definitely an inspiring teacher for the seventh year. Smiling to herself, Dora then flexed her wrist and released her wand into her hand before turning toward the suit of armour she had chosen to stand beside.

"I'm gonna name you Thor," she whispered before placing her wand on the breastplate and visualizing the rune as she began to move her wand and speak the incantation, "Intaglio Algiz.... Intaglio Algiz... Intaglio Algiz." She spoke each word clearly and firmly as she drew her wand across in the smooth lines of the rune she needed to form. Her confidence was much higher this year with her runic magic, so she smiled as she worked. Once she was pleased with the carving itself she did as the Head Lady had instructed and began to chant the galdr.... since there had been a BANG and it seemed as they needed to act with some sense of urgency. Heh.

Shifting her wand to her right hand she then placed her left over the carving and closed her eyes, letting herself focus on the magic she wanted to transfer... just like the lady had taught her. "Elhaz elhaz elhaz,
z z z z z z z z z,
uz az iz ez uz,
oz ez iz az uz,
z z z z z z z z z,
(m m m m m m m m m)," she chanted, eyes still shut, focusing her energy on her work... and much to her surprise... the rune heated up and glowed purple after her first chant!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG did Headmistress Hawthorne SEE that? Her extra studies had certainly paid off!!!!

"If anyone needs a hand I would be happy to help, Headmistress," Dora offered with a HUGE smile. This was exciting okay!?

Had she been worried about the bang earlier? Clearly not. The Headmistress didn't appear concerned which meant it was something to be added to the lesson and while Jessa would usually ask a million questions...she'd already done that and had them deflected. Experience told her the questions would simply be deflected again. Patience would have to be the name of the game.

"It's not your wand." Just like she'd told that Gryffindor First Year the other day. What was with Firsties and blaming their wands anyway?

Jessa turned to face her housemate, no judgement in her expression, but rather a matter of fact look. "It's your concentration and intent." She walked over to his armor, figuring she'd begin her own chanting in a minute. "Once you're sure you've got the incantation right," And she paused to repeat it to him just in case he didn't, "You've got to kinda...imagine the rune being carved. You gotta concentrate on it happening and concentrate on getting your wand to do what you're imagining. Like this." The 14 year old took aim at his suit of armor. "Intaglio Algiz." A mark appeared in the breastplate, but it was in no way complete. "Now you go ahead and give it a try. Just like I did. Focus on the intent. Concentrate and execute."

She took a measured step back and gestured for him to give it a go.

Now they were going to be carving the rune. Cool. Kitty wasn't the best at this subject, but she'd slowly but surely been getting markedly better over the years, and she was confident in her basic carving abilities. Pointing her wand at the chest plate of her armor, she closed her eyes and mentally repeated the incantation, picturing it doing what she needed it to. Then she opened her eyes and traced her wand along the surface of the armor's chest, carving the shape she wanted to appear. "Intaglio Algiz!"

It worked exactly like how she'd hoped. Smiling in satisfaction, she rolled up her sleeves and proceeded to the next step of activating it.

Putting her hand on the breastplate like headmistress did (just for luck) she proceeded to repeat the next incantation. "Algiz Galdr!" It didn't work. Eh.

Skylar asked a question at that moment. Kitty paused to hear what the answer was. At the same time, Jessa was helping a younger student. Good for her.

Austin took a deep breath. Runes weren't his strong point, especially when needed to be carved. He wished he could go back in time to his younger self and study runes more. But, alas, time travel was illegal outside of the Ministry of Magic.

Turning his attention back to his suit of armor, he tried practicing the incantation without his wand. "IN-taah-lyoooh." It didn't quite sound right sounded out, but maybe once he said It while carving it will sound better. "Alll-giz. Alg-iz. AAlgiz." Honestly he felt a little silly sounding out the spell. Sounding out spells was something first years did when they didn't understand how to cast one. But he was a seventh year. This should come easy to him. Embarrassed, even though everyone else was doing the same thing, his face turned red.

To save himself any other kind of embarrassment, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at his suit. "Intaglio Algiz."

No quotes. Rearranging a smidge. #YOLO
 

And then they were off!

It was at this point in the lesson where Regina started to make her rounds, returning to her pacing around the room and soaking everything she saw into memory. The attention to detail would be beneficial for reviewing the lesson later in the pensieve, as well as provide immediate feedback for those that were struggling with the basics of what she expected them all to do today.

So far, so good. A fair amount of students were off to a great start, having already started to make their carvings on the metal -- embrace this moment, kids; it was one of the few times such behaviour would be allowed.

Of course, there were some that weren't doing so great. Dorian seemed to be having 'wand issues.' Regina wasn't too surprised by this. The spell was a little more complex than what first years were used to. "No need to worry about that noise, Mr. Katharos." Everything was under control. It was all part of her plan for their lesson today. "And the advice that Miss Cambridge has provided is very accurate. Imagine the rune in your mind and then say the incantation with great concentration."

A nod was given, and then the headmistress' eyes fell upon the blonde. "Take five points, Miss Cambridge, for assisting Mr. Katharos. I greatly appreciate it."

And then there was the Head Girl, who had clearly mastered the carving spell. Her work there was noted and which earned an approving look, but it wasn't enough to distract her from the galdr (or lack thereof) that had been chanted. What in Merlin's beard? She, uhh, did know the galdr was written on the board beneath the words she had said, right?

Regina casted a look over to Dora. That was her cue to lend a hand to her fellow seventh year. Right now that there were on-topic questions that needed answers.

First there was Skylar, who brought up a valid question. Though it made the headmistress wonder if she didn't catch onto what she had said in response to Derfael earlier. But she was going to let it slide, considering they had covered a lot of theoretical information in just a few short minutes. "To put it simply, 'Elhaz' is another word for Algiz. It is all a matter of the runic alphabets changing over time. Today in we pronounce the rune as 'all-geez' whereas those living in during medieval times would have said 'ale-haws.'"

Next up was Tenacius. "Make sure you're casting the Carving Spell first, Mr. Salander. Remember that you need to carve the rune before chanting the galdr," she quickly corrected him before responding to his question with a very Horned Serpent-like answer. "The word galdr comes from a root meaning 'to sing or chant.' Vibrations are needed if you wish to bring the might of the rune upon which you are calling into full being. Chanting the galdr provides a direct route to the source of runic energies, which just simply cannot be obtained non-verbally I'm afraid."

Following the Gryffindor prefect came Austin. Right away the woman was able to sense, just by the intonation of his voice, that he wasn't very comfortable with the incantation of the carving spell. She gave him a warm, encouraging smile. Confidence was key here.

Her rounds then ended with Eddie, and Regina was not exactly impressed with his work. The carving was quite sloppy, which just wouldn't do when it came to runes. "Let's work on improving your carving before moving on, Mr. Blaze. You have the basic shape, but, just like you need to measure ingredients in Potions with precision, you need to do the same in Ancient Runes if you want the best outcome." Which would be extremely important later. "Let's make those lines a little neater by steadying your wand arm, alright?" She'd be back to check on his progress in a few moments.

"Keep on going, ladies and gentlemen. Once you have carved Algiz, make sure you activate the rune by chanting the galdr as many times as it takes for it to glow purple. If you finish early, feel free to give some pointers to those who need a little nudge in the right direction. We will moving on in roughly eight minutes!"

OOC: Just a quick post before we move on. The lesson will continue in roughly 24 hours. Carry on!

It wasn't his wand?

Uh yeah it was!

Dorian stopped trying as he heard a girl's voice near him and he looked to see Jessa, an older Ravenclaw. He watched her as she came closer to the suit of armor and for a second he thought she was going to use the spell on it for him. But he was sad to be mistaken again. What was with him today anyways?!

Concentration and intent? Wow he had never thought of that. Sarcasm included. Dorian didn't speak back though. It was clear that she was helping him and he'd be stupid to talk back. So instead, he nodded his head and then said the incantation again.

"Alright, i'll try" he said and was about to turn to his suit of armor when he heard the Headmistress giving Jessa five points. He made a mental cheer that the person who had helped him was a Ravenclaw just like him or else he had given housepoints to a different House. He did not like that thought. Ravenclaw was already last place so far.

He pointed his wand at the breastplate and in his mind he tried to visualise the rune carved in the armor. "Intaglio Alzis...no Algus..Algiz..." of course nothing happened...

He totally got it though so he pointed his wand again and this time, the combination of concentration, visualisation and intent made it possible for him to actually carve a line in. He didn't stop to celebrate and continued to carve the rune until it was done.

"I did it!" he cheered. The design was sloppy and the lines were definitely not straight but it was there. "Thanks Jessa"

Alright, now he had to chant then..thingy...Galdr?

He stepped closer to his armor to place a hand near the rune and his blue eyes went towards the blackboard where the chant was written.

*"Elhaz elhaz elhaz
z z z z z z z z z
uz az iz ez uz
oz ez iz az uz
z z z z z z z z z
m m m m m m m m m"

Had it worked? Dorian looked away from the blackboard and to the rune and huffed when it wasn't glowing a purple color. He tried again, concentrating more this time.

After he was finished he turned to look but he had failed yet again. Why did magic not work the first time all the time?! It annoyed him but it did not make him give up. So he chanted for a third time and it seemed that he got lucky as when he was finished chanting, the rune suddenly started to glow faintly at first but then the purple color got stronger and he knew he had done it.

As Headmistress Hawthorne elaborated more on her answer, Vivian paid attention despite already knowing those stuff and nodded along. Yup, Algiz was indeed a useful rune, don't you think? But that loud BANG definitely placed a halt on her train of thought, making Vivian wince and eye the door from which the Headmistress came from before the start of the lesson. Sneaky was an understatement, and the prefect wasn't going to let this go lightly. She didn't want to die in the middle of the class, okay?

Back at the task at hand, Vivian fixed her gaze on the board (with occasional side eyes to the door, of course) which now held the incantation to activate the Algiz rune. All easy. They had done so with other runes in class before, and even last term. Once they were given the head start, Vivian took her wand and pointed it at the armour's breastplate. "Intaglio Algiz... Intaglio Algiz... Intaglio Algiz...." the blond said, ignoring all other thoughts and feelings as she focused on the rune. She watched as the rune began carving itself on the metal. "Intaglio Algiz... Intaglio Algiz... Intaglio Algiz... Intaglio Algiz...."

Tada! That looked like a lovely Algiz rune, yeah?

Now, she just needed to activate the rune. Which was the easy part, of course, because Vivian was naturally talkative. Chanting was no problem for this blond. Vivian placed her right hand over the suit's breastplate, where the newly carved Algiz rune was now. "Elhaz elhaz elhaz, z z z z z z z z z, uz az iz ez uz, oz ez iz az uz, z z z z z z z z z, (m m m m m m m m m)..." A faint glow appeared as she chanted. "Elhaz elhaz elhaz, z z z z z z z z z, uz az iz ez uz, oz ez iz az uz, z z z z z z z z z, (m m m m m m m m m)...." The prefect repeated the galdr a few times before achieving the same purple glow that was on the Headmistress' rune. So far, so great.

And now she looked around, checking if anyone (her ickles, specifically) needed some assistance. Y'know, just in case.