Long post. Mentions of everyone, and moving the lesson along near the end.
 

The woman was back to making her way around the room moments after announcing that everyone was now on a time crunch. In all honesty, she wasn't a big fan of rushing students in their learning, but they only had so much time cut out for Ancient Runes today.

When Stasya came into her line of vision, Regina then realized that the second year was being rather quiet today. Even though that were the case, she knew that the girl understood what was going on, solely based on the determination that the girl had showed last year. The girl's carving of Algiz on the metal proved her right. The carefulness she was editing while casting was very pleasing. "Nicely done, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova. You're ready for the galdr now."

Speaking of galdrs, she was starting to hear a lot of runic song chanting going on right now. Henrietta, who had come a long way, managed to invoke her rune on the first try. This earned the prefect a genuine look of approval and a nod of her head before she continued onward to observe the progress of the others.

Dorian, Vivian, Skylar, Jessa, Ronan, and Ava, the headmistress mentally noted, needed to chant the galdr multiple times in order for their carved rune to strongly glow. A bright smile was directed at each of them, happy and proud of them for their accomplishment. Invoking runes wasn't exactly the easiest task, and it was not a problem that they weren't able to get the rune to glow purple right away. All that mattered was that they were successful in the end, which they fortunately were.

And then her eyes fell upon both Derfael and Zoryn. ... Why did it always have to be those two?

"Breathe, Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne. Slowly breathe in through your nostrils and then exhale. Everything is alright," she told him. Had that banging startled him? The woman reassuringly placed a hand on his shoulder and then examined his carving. "Hmm. Let's level out that carving by concentrating just on the rune. I know you can do it."

As for Zoryn's carving of -- was that supposed to be Algiz? Had she even been watching what she was doing? Merlin... "Miss Spinnet, I don't want to be the giver of bad news, but your galdr isn't going to work until your carving is complete and done well. Let's work on fixing that up, yes? It is okay if the lines on your suit are thicker than the ones on mine." As long as it actually looked like Algiz, then all would be well.

The headmistress then made her way back at the front of the room. Glancing at the students and the purple glow on their shields, she then faced her suit of armour and started to put the different pieces on. "Alright, everyone! Once your rune is glowing purple, go ahead and put on your suit. They are more likely than not a bit too big for you, but everyone's armour has been charmed to shrink appropriately to your individual sizes." Like clockwork her armour then began fitting to her body. While that bit of magic occurred, a puff of black smoke snuck its way underneath the crack of the side door in the back of the room...

Regina, obviously not at all worried about or phased by that sight, gave everyone a minute or two to climb into their armour. She would continue once they were all suited up and the metallic clanking ceased.

"Now before we dive into the main portion of today's lesson, I have one more question that I'd like for all of you to answer. At the beginning of class, we touched on the key purpose of Algiz: protection, both physical and spiritual. What is one scenario you think using this particular rune would come in handy? How would you use it?" This was your time to shine, Zoryn.

OOC: Moving the lesson along a few hours early because this girl has RL lesson prep to do before hitting the hay. *_______* But here is our final question before we move on to the main part of the lesson. YAY!

If you want to post your character wrapping up their carving ad chanting the galdr, feel free to do so if they haven't finished. Otherwise, the focal point of this component of the lesson will be centred on 1) putting on the suit of armour and 2) responding to the open-ended question that Regina asked. Feel free to think outside of the box for that question -- I am looking forward to seeing some unique ideas coming from your character! The lesson will continue in roughly 24 hours.

She smiled happily back at the professor, feeling a flood of warmth and pride at the approval. For some reason, and not just because she was the headmistress, Char had an urge to step up her game and really really try and show how much she was working when it came to runes. Sure she had an interest already (when it came to the fun parts) but there was something about Hawthorne's approval that seemed.... important. Weighted somehow.

Now wouldn't that be cool if they got a chance to engrave their wands? She was always looking for a chance to play with that sort of thing. Her wand already had a few bindrunes on it of course, but there was still plenty of space for more! The trouble was if you weren't knowledgeable then you could make your wand backfire or even kill it, which would be horrible if it happened to a lot of people at once. Maybe they would cancel exams though? Oh... no. No they'd make them all theoretical instead. THAT would be terrible. Char got all her best marks from the practical portions.

And they were already jumping into action! After a bit of teaching of course, which was nice, to feel like things were being explained. She turned to her own suit of armout and non-verbally cast Intaglio Algiz, tracing the straight lines that made up the rune as evenly as she could. Not that it had to be perfect, but it was always easier to carve straight than it was curved, because of the grain of whatever you were carving into. She examined it and was satisfied so began to invoke it, letting the sounds echo and shape in her mouth without any sort of self-consciousness.

"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. 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 focused hard on the meaning of the rune, on what she wanted it to do, on its resonance of protection and defense. Twice should do it! And it looked like it was supposed to be there, carved on the breastplate, as if it hadn't just been done a moment ago. And glowing too, a deep purple that she thought was really fetching.

When the professor said they were to put their armour on, Char jumped at the chance, happily putting it on, piece by piece and marvelling as it changed to fit her tall but wirey form. How cool was that? She put the face guard up and answered the professor's question, metal-encased hand raising with a clatter.

"You could carve it on your door or like... around the door frame of an entryway, to help protect against entry from thieves. I think its maybe even one of the runes that makes up the runic charm protecting Platform 9 3/4 entryway?" She wouldn't know for SURE because it wasn't as if it was visible, but still!

Anicent Runes wasn't her favourite subject in the world. She wasn't the best at it, and she knew she wouldn't be carrying on next year. But she was going to try. She could try, and that was all that she needed to do actually. It did stress her out a little though, but she did try to not get worried too much. There was no point worrying over it. It wasn't like she wanted to do anything with Runes in the future, so she didn't really need to pass. But she also didn't want to fail any of her exams. So hopefully she would pass.

But now. She would think more about the class, and just try to not get distracted about worrying about her exams. For now anyway. Hmm. How to use the rune for protection. "I suppose you could carve it onto a broom to help with protection. Though, that may also ruin the broom. So maybe not?"

BoG! (sorry for the wait)
 

Text Cut: Individual Responses

Text Cut: Mr. Blaze

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Originally Posted by Bazinga (Post 12271127) Giving a look to the Headmistress and then down to his carving he may have glared a bit. He didn't care if she ran this school, this part was stupid. "and what happens if I'm not an artist and can't get the carving perfect. Does that me I just can't do runes? Not everyone can make perfect lines."That's what it seems to mean and if that was the case he would see himself tot he door because it was hopeless and he wasn't going to try harder for art abilities. Looking at his carving he did try to hold his hand steady, "Intaglio Algiz" Though in the end his lack of caring and his lack of being able to keep a still hand his carving was still not exactly the way it should be. He was going to fully move on though before she could stop and say anything again. He had to chant something, another reason why Edward Blaze knew he'd never use runes to help in life, the chanting wasn't his thing. As quiet as he possibly could, Eddie started the dumb chant, "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)." 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)."" That was enough, wasn't it? Just as he thought it the headmistress seemed to be moving on. Good, good, though putting on the armor wasn't something he wanted to do. He took it slowly and put it on. He kept quiet with the question though, he didn't need to be a top student around here, nope, it was easier to try to just blend in.

At first all Regina could do in response to Eddie was blink. Several times. Why was it that he always had to shut down whenever constructive criticism was given? She wasn't asking for perfect, but rather that he actually put in some effort into his work. No true learning would stem from not caring and just going through the motions lazily.

If only his mother were here to see this...

"You have misunderstood me, Mr. Blaze. I did not ask for perfection at all," the woman said sternly. "I am merely asking for more effort from you. I want to see you succeed, and I know you are capable of doing so."

And she left it at that. She walked away and left the boy to his own devices.

From where she stood at the front of the room, she noticed that he had done what she had asked. Now was that so difficult?

Her eyes set on him briefly, wondering if he'd provide an answer to her question. But, of course, a certain someone was too cool for school and was staying quiet. Moving on then.

Text Cut: Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne

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Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie (Post 12271133) Er...well... Running his finger over his work, Derf could be certain that he had INDEED carved the rune into the the breastplate...but the depth was all over the place, like a little metallic wave. He supposed it was good enough though...considering her had never carved in anything other than wood and OCCASIONALLY stone...be metal was an entirely different material all together. He was far too focused on his own efforts to notice much of anyone else around him - including Zoryn's efforts who he would have informed did NOT look like an elk - and was instead tracing still. Until he felt a hand on his shoulder that is. Breathe? Well, he WAS doing that, you know? Kinda had to as a living thing...but he soon put two and two together and figured out what the Headmistress was getting at. Level out the carving...right...so thaaat meant that what he had done wasn't really good enough nor accurate...although at least it was not a complete failure either. "I'll...give it a go..." he nodded with subtle confidence, steadying his wand hand and pointing it at what he had already carved. It was all about intent, right? So like...if he wanted everything to carve as deep as the deepest bits then the spell should, in theory, comply? "Intaglio Algiz....Algiz...Algiz..." Did it work? He was just about to run his finger over things when the Headmistress was speaking again. Oh fudgesticks...he still needed to invoke! Assuming that he had done enough, Derf began whispering the galdr under his breath repeatedly and almost without stopping to take a breath. "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..."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..."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...." As for her question, well, Derf had already worn a suit of armour to a lesson before. It had been his first year and it had been a certain Herbology lesson. So, you know, this Hufflepuff had some real life experience to offer up. Or would of were not still chanting under his breath and trying to make his rune glow more than just the faded lilac color it was currently. 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..."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..."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...."

It was students like this some needed to follow. Eager to correct or improve his work without giving any sass. Her hawk-eyes had caught sight of the improvements the boy had made on his shield, which were so much better than before.

Though what was Derfael muttering? The headmistress opened her mouth to ask him to speak up in response to her question, but before any words came out it was closed. Algiz was not glowing that fine purple colour for him. The lilac was fading.

Regina sent a smile his way and simply turned her attention toward another student who was ready with an answer. If the Hufflepuff needed this time to get the rune to glow the way it was supposed to, he had it.

Text Cut: Miss Kettleburn

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Originally Posted by Tegz (Post 12271208) She smiled happily back at the professor, feeling a flood of warmth and pride at the approval. For some reason, and not just because she was the headmistress, Char had an urge to step up her game and really really try and show how much she was working when it came to runes. Sure she had an interest already (when it came to the fun parts) but there was something about Hawthorne's approval that seemed.... important. Weighted somehow. Now wouldn't that be cool if they got a chance to engrave their wands? She was always looking for a chance to play with that sort of thing. Her wand already had a few bindrunes on it of course, but there was still plenty of space for more! The trouble was if you weren't knowledgeable then you could make your wand backfire or even kill it, which would be horrible if it happened to a lot of people at once. Maybe they would cancel exams though? Oh... no. No they'd make them all theoretical instead. THAT would be terrible. Char got all her best marks from the practical portions. And they were already jumping into action! After a bit of teaching of course, which was nice, to feel like things were being explained. She turned to her own suit of armout and non-verbally cast Intaglio Algiz, tracing the straight lines that made up the rune as evenly as she could. Not that it had to be perfect, but it was always easier to carve straight than it was curved, because of the grain of whatever you were carving into. She examined it and was satisfied so began to invoke it, letting the sounds echo and shape in her mouth without any sort of self-consciousness. "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. 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 focused hard on the meaning of the rune, on what she wanted it to do, on its resonance of protection and defense. Twice should do it! And it looked like it was supposed to be there, carved on the breastplate, as if it hadn't just been done a moment ago. And glowing too, a deep purple that she thought was really fetching. When the professor said they were to put their armour on, Char jumped at the chance, happily putting it on, piece by piece and marvelling as it changed to fit her tall but wirey form. How cool was that? She put the face guard up and answered the professor's question, metal-encased hand raising with a clatter. "You could carve it on your door or like... around the door frame of an entryway, to help protect against entry from thieves. I think its maybe even one of the runes that makes up the runic charm protecting Platform 9 3/4 entryway?" She wouldn't know for SURE because it wasn't as if it was visible, but still!

Even though Regina didn't stop and speak to Charlotte while everyone was carving Algiz and chanting the galdr, she did take a glance or two as she walked around the room. More smiles were given her way, if she happened to catch sight of them. The adult knew that this Gryffindor was able to move along at her own pace, without any tips or pointers or anything really. Honestly, she was convinced the girl could self-teach herself at this stage in her education.

If her answer didn't prove that, then call her a demiguise's uncle.

"Excellent response, Miss Kettleburn," the headmistress replied with an approving nod of her head. "You can most certainly carve Algiz on a door or the wooden frame to keep thieves at pay. I you are definitely correct about Algiz being part of the runic charm and a heap of other charms in general that protects the magical platform at King's Cross."

Text Cut: Miss Burton

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Originally Posted by RandomRaven (Post 12271216) As the rune carving and galrd-ing (hehe) had been done, Ava waited until the next instruction. Wearing the suit armor? Were they going to have a combat or something? This would be interesting! She wasn't sure if this one would fit in for her but the headmistress had mentioned about the armors had been charmed to shrink and fit them. Ah, okay then. She was quite struggling putting on her armor. Well, thankfully they didn't need to wear this everyday because it was quiet difficult to be worn, perhaps safety did not equal practicality then. Okay then, now she was ready to fight. But before that (or any kind of activity that the Professor had been preparing for then), there was still one thing Ava needed to answer. "I think... it also can be used to protect valuable possessions so some people carved it on their vault or jewelry box?" She wasn't very sure of her answer but... worth a try, right?

And the woman kept on nodding her head, this time directed toward Ava.

"Very good, Miss Burton. Algiz would be perfect for that. By itself, it would do the job just fine at keeping one's possessions -- no matter what the container may be -- well-protected. Pair Algiz with other runes, and that would double the amount of protection and even cause some unfortunate results for anyone who dare try to steal from you."

Regina stopped herself there before she starting rambling and diving into runic curses and curse-breaking. That needed to be saved for later in the year, after everyone understood the practicality of the runes and practiced.

Text Cut: Miss Diggory

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Originally Posted by PhoenixRising (Post 12271218) For the record, Skylar had ZERO issues with helping anyone, even those whom she tended to have disagreements with. But what she did have issues with was when people tried to be SNEAKY about following her lead. Yes, we noticed you in our periphery, Zoryn Spinnet, because how could we not, when you were so intensely focused on us and completely messed up your carving. And your pronunciations. But thankfully, the Headmistress called Zoryn out about accuracy before Skylar could say something she regretted and she did appreciate the bright smile she got when her rune was glowing purple. Yes, focus on your task at hand, young anxious one. As for herself, they were going to be WEARING the armor suits? Which would shrink or expand to their individual sizes? That was actually really clever, which only made Skylar realize exactly how much more she had to learn. Slipping into the metal, she had to admit she felt oddly like the Tin Man in that Muggle classic film. And she could probably use a new heart, so this was extra fitting? Glancing at her metal clad arms and body and legs, she considered the question. "Probably could come in handy just around this castle, given how dangerous things seem to fall upon us each year." Could this rune be used as protection against the darkest arts??? What about unforgiveables?

The words that came out of Skylar's mouth were inevitable. Regina expected someone -- though not necessarily Skylar of all people -- to bring up the dangers that plagued the school every year. Only Merlin knew what was up with that. Another nod of her head was made.

"Very true, very true. You definitely do bring up a good point, one that most certainly reminds us all to always be vigilant," she responded. "Now, I will admit that Algiz isn't able to protect us from everything. There is some dark magic and curses that would test and likely override the runic energies of Algiz if it stands alone. However, when paired with other runes, Algiz becomes more effective and stronger. It is why the school has so many charms in place, both general and runic, to protect us from many dangers that exist in our world."

Again, another topic she'd have to save for another day because it was one that they could literally spend days on.

Text Cut: Mr. Carter

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Originally Posted by lazykitty (Post 12271222) It seemed that he'd pleased the Headmistress with the success of his rune carving and invoking, which was always a good thing. And now they were being asked to put on the suit of armor. Though luckily it would adjust to fit them. A good thing, considering. Ronan carefully put on his armor feet first (since it would be harder to get the feet on with hands that were covered in metal), lifting the visor once every piece was on. And being awed as the suit moved to fit his small, slender frame. Wait, was that smoke coming from that door? Was there a dragon in there? That would explain the bang, actually. Before he could ask though, the Headmistress asked a question of her own. "Well, it would make a pretty cool tattoo.....if you could figure out a way to do it safely," he answered, hand in the air. Now he was wondering about the very logistics of that. How would one safely tattoo a rune on their body, yet still be able to invoke it?

It was at this moment that the headmistress was glad that she had moved things along before any questions about a certain door were asked. Ronan's gaze in that direction had not gone unnoticed. She was certain that the gears inside his head were churning, but she had beat him before he could say anything about it (and likely make certain others in the room more nervous than they already were).

All it good time, young one. They were nearly there.

His comment made her grin. Runic tattoos were something that she knew plenty about, having several herself. Algiz was, in fact, part of the bind rune she had tattooed on her person.

"You are correct in saying that, Mr. Carter. You can use Algiz in a tattoo. And, as you alluded to, one needs to make sure that they are getting it tattooed for the right reasons and do it correctly. Runic tattoos are not your average tattoo. Not having them properly done could have disastrous results."

Text Cut: Miss Paton

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Originally Posted by RachieRu (Post 12271223) Anicent Runes wasn't her favourite subject in the world. She wasn't the best at it, and she knew she wouldn't be carrying on next year. But she was going to try. She could try, and that was all that she needed to do actually. It did stress her out a little though, but she did try to not get worried too much. There was no point worrying over it. It wasn't like she wanted to do anything with Runes in the future, so she didn't really need to pass. But she also didn't want to fail any of her exams. So hopefully she would pass. But now. She would think more about the class, and just try to not get distracted about worrying about her exams. For now anyway. Hmm. How to use the rune for protection. "I suppose you could carve it onto a broom to help with protection. Though, that may also ruin the broom. So maybe not?"

Regina was, for a split second, surprised to hear the voice of Harriet Paton. She had been so quiet this entire lesson. But, nevertheless, she was glad that the girl had spoken up. Even though the girl wasn't the greatest at Ancient Runes, the headmistress could at least tell that the Hufflepuff was putting her best foot forward with the content. Trying, genuinely trying, was all that she could ask for and wanted from those who weren't strong in this particular subject.

"It depends on what you mean by 'ruin.' If you mean carving a rune will lessen the original quality or look of the broom, perhaps. Re-selling the broom might be more difficult then. You could also ruin the broom if you were to carve a huge chunk out of or right through it," the brunette replied in response to the blonde. "However, if you do it properly, carving Algiz would certainly invoke its energies and make flight a little safer."

Text Cut: Ms. Romalotti

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Originally Posted by Govoni (Post 12271275) Having graciously returned everyone's greetings, the older blonde woman properly settled in to begin taking notes. Again, she didn't suspect anything would be amiss in the Headmistress' methods, but a thing couldn't be done for others and not for all. Besides, Marilyn enjoyed Runes. Always had, and was looking forward to a refresher. ....The loud BANGing noise was completely unsettling, however...and had her half out of her chair within seconds. Fight of Flight reflexes. Regina was assuring them that all was well, but Marilyn made a note on her clipboard, finding that too many unexpected interruptions, especially unidentified noises, could negativity affect the learning process; pulling too much focus from the lesson at hand. Merlin, she was also receiving instructions?...To carve runes into armor? Staring at Regina over the rim of her glasses, Marilyn carefully stood; settling the clipboard down on her chair. Carving runes was something she hadn't done in ages, but...surely it was just like riding a bike. The knowledge was there, all she had to do was apply it. Moving towards an open suit of armor, she withdrew her wand, focusing on the breastplate. Keeping in mind that this was about observing the lesson as a whole, she had one eye on the task at hand and the other on everything else. Mainly the small boy in Hufflepuff robes having a panic attack in real time. Had something else occurred?....Or had that been caused by the noises? Said Hufflepuff boy looked very familiar to her. She made a mental note to add all of this to her report. And also how astute Regina seemed to be in handling the issue quickly and efficiently. Clearly when her own child had been hurt, it hadn't been due to a lack of caring staff and administration. Something else to investigate further at a later time. Completing her carving in a way that was surprisingly dignified, the wonders of non-verbal magic, she took a step back to survey the overall appearance of her rune. The years of inactivity showed in the problems with scaling. Perhaps it should've been slightly bigger, given where it was placed, but Marilyn hadn't taken that into account. Ahem, was she also meant to chant the galdr? ....The students were doing a fantastic job with their chanting. Goodness, this really did take her back.... "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. 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." Since Algiz was meant to invoke Protection, the blonde kept her unborn child in mind as she focused 80% of attention on it. 20% on the "constant vigilance" factor. "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. 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." Once hers was glowing purple along with everyone else's, she stepped back to retake her clipboard; quickly updating her notes. There had been little doubt that the Headmistress would make this easy for her today. As she wrote, half of her attention remained on the discussion. A question had been posed... "Jewelry and clothing might be the most obvious answer. Anything that might be worn on someone's person. Namely amulets or pendants." It was offered after the fact.... She was meant to answer, as well, wasn't she? Or had that just been meant for the children?.....Oops. "I apologize."....She had been asked to participate, after all.

To be totally honest, Regina hadn't been paying much attention to their classroom visitor. She was in the moment and only worried about her students, which was what she was to be focusing on anyway. But she was pleased to see, now that Marilyn had spoken up, that the adult was going through the steps everyone else in the room had. It was nice seeing an adult be so willing to go with the flow and not think they were too good to mimic what the students were expected to do.

And it was mostly for her own good too, so...

"No need to apologize, Ms. Romalotti," Regina instantly replied, genuinely not minding at all that the woman was so eager to participate in what they were doing rather than being the stereotypical silent observer in the back of the room. "And thank you for the contribution. Algiz is definitely a great rune to have carved on amulets and pendants to provide that extra source of daily protection."

Text Cut: Miss Cambridge

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Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12271314) Ooooo, they'd be climbing into their suits of armor. Needless to say the lesson had just gotten a little more interesting for the young Ravenclaw. Jessa wasted no time getting into her own, pausing only a moment to observe as it fitted itself to her small frame. "What charm did you place to make them do this, Professor?" She asked, mildly intrigued by the process. There were a few guesses floating about her head but it couldn't hurt to get a more accurate response. Oh, but the redheaded woman had asked a question of them as well. Best answer it if she expected one in return. "I think we could use it right now." Dwelling in the present. The abstract was usually somewhat harder for the young girl to grasp unless it was before her and she could physically pull it apart herself and have a look at it herself. "Now that we've got these on, I reckon we'd be more likely to withstand whatever you end up throwing at us." Very very practical, that's what she was.

There was no way she was able to prevent the deadpan stare from appearing on the brunette's face when Jessa . The look was fleeting, and the woman was prepared to give a similar answer as before.

"We'll discuss that in private later, Miss Cambridge. We the rest of the lesson to get to." If this were Charms, then by all means she would make that be the focus of their lesson and even get them to use it themselves. But, alas, here they were in Ancient Runes. Priorities.

Her answer though did force a grin to grow on her face. "Indeed." There really wasn't more that needed to be said about that. She would elaborate more when it was the proper time.

Text Cut: Miss Spinnet

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Originally Posted by ArianaBlack (Post 12271404) AW NUTS! Her galdr wasn’t gonna work?? Well this was bogus. Zoryn nodded her head (visibly annoyed with the task but otherwise unfazed) and turned back to her suit of armor again. So, like, she had to do even MORE carving? Holy moly this was awful. You couldn’t pay Zoryn to want to do this stuff. Not even if it meant also getting to be the Headmistress. Yeah, she’d have to let Professor Hirsch know that she was no longer on that track. Anyways, the Gryffindor lifted her wand again and began trying to retrace the proper rune. “Intaglio Algiz,” okay now she could sort of see where her original carving hadn’t been… on point. “Intaglio Algiz, Intaglio Algiz, Intaglio Algiz, Intaglio Algiz, Intaglio Algiz,” over and over and over again until the point at which she had one BIG, FAT algiz carved out in the metal. Maybe since it was wider, it would work even better?!?!!? Yeah. This was the plan the whole time. “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 began chanting to get her stuff to glow purple and boy was it a lot of words. "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,” though none of the words even remotely sounded real. She continued to read them straight off the board as she tried over and over a couple of times. "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.” Her voice box was getting tired. "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,” and finally she got a slight glow, which felt like it was better than nothing and Zoryn was gonna take this as her cue to move forward because everyone else was already climbing into their suits of armor and Z didn’t want to be the last one to look like an epic transformer!!!!!!!!! The third year struggled taking each piece of the armor and putting it on, but finally she locked the helmet into place and WOW!!!!!! It fit her somehow???? AWESOME! “Maybe above your bed to protect your DREAMS from turning into nightmares and keep your sleep all nice and snuggly so that you don’t keep waking up in the middle of the night!” Like a muggle dreamcatcher or something!!! Zoryn liked this part of lessons. If only they could be less magic and more CREATIVITY.

As ... special ... as Zoryn Spinnet could be, there were times when the girl did managed to thoroughly impress her. She had to admit to herself that the girl was quick to mix her mistake when it was pointed out to her. And, more importantly, she did it well. Granted the breastplate of her suit did look a little odd in comparison to everyone else's (her Algiz lines were so thick it was almost humorous), it was still serving the same function and glowing.

Even her answer was impressive.

"That is certainly an interesting thought, Miss Spinnet. That is not something that I have personally tried myself, though I would imagine that what you have just described would work. ... That's not an invitation to make any carvings on your beds, however. So other options will have to be explored when it comes to deciding what to carve."

Text Cut: Miss Dalgaard-Volkova

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Originally Posted by SilverTiger (Post 12271416) The earlier bang hadn’t entirely gone unnoticed by the second year, but Stasya had been more focused on getting the rune carving done right than anything else. Except for Derf’s panic attack, but she’d been too far from his suit of armor to help. Instead, she just resolved herself to make sure he was okay after class. Plus, she’d gotten a bit distracted by the realization the headmistress had stopped near her and complimented her work. Luckily, she hadn’t actually been carving at themoment, as she’d turned wide grey-green eyes to the woman as she’d been told she could move on to the galdr. Which she’d nearly forgotten about. Therefore, there had been a tiny glance over to her notes to remind herself of the weirdness that was the Algiz galdr, along with another wide-eyed glance at the smoke that was now seeping from the crack below the door the headmistress had walked through at the beginning of the lesson. What were they going to have to go up against? It just made it that much more important that she get the rune invoked so she’d be protected. Hopefully. “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 said, making sure she said the whole thing clearly. She guessed they didn’t have a lot of time, especially when the headmistress had moved on in the lesson and she panicked a little. Speeding her words up as she kept repeating the galdr. Only stopping when the rune had glowed purple the tiniest bit. It had been a bright glow though, so she hurriedly started putting the armor on incase whatever was in that other room burst in suddenly. Oh, and there had been that question. “Would protection spells be stronger if you carved the rune onto your wand?” Maybe? She was willing to try it if it worked.

Stasya, Regina had noticed, was another to see the smoke. Again, the headmistress continued to remain calm and just like nothing was wrong and that everything was going according to her plans -- which it was.

"Yes, it would, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova. Miss Kettleburn actually brought this up briefly earlier in our discussion about what we already knew about Algiz," she stated, her tone in no way berating the girl for not remembering that detail. It was something that was only mentioned once and hadn't been touched on a whole lot so far this term. "Now, carving runes onto your wand is easier said than done. It reviews great patience, precision, and purpose. If you don't know how to go about the wand-carving process properly, the aftermath is likely to have severe consequences -- ranging from your wand backfiring, destroying your wand, or worse."

She paused, more so for dramatic effect and to make her warning very clear for anyone else who happened to think that they could carve runes onto their wand all willy-nilly.

"We'll be revisiting this topic later in the term," she added with a firm nod of her head.

After giving Stasya a response to her answer, Regina waiting for about ten seconds for anyone else who hadn't said anything to speak up. Her blue eyes glossed over the heads in the room, looking for any signs of someone wanting to say something. Only no one looked like they had anything to say, causing nothing but silence to fill the room that had a hint of smoke in the air. It was time to move on!

"Excellent answers, those of you who shared your thoughts with us! I thoroughly enjoyed your creative theoretical application of when and how you could use Algiz beyond the classroom," she said, getting ready to transition into the part of the lesson she knew everyone was eagerly waiting for now. "As Miss Cambridge hinted at in her answer, you all will be making good use of the energies of Algiz that have been invoked on your suit of armour. In the side room in the back, I have --"

BANG! ... BANG! ... BANG!

BANG!

At that moment, the headmistress was cut off. The door of the side room was blasted off its hinges and a cloud of dark smoke burst into the classroom. Regina immediately grabbed hold of her wand, her metallic pieces of her armour clanging. Well, that hadn't gone exactly according to plan. Oh well.

"Everybody, take out your wands NOW! Your goal is to put our rune-protected armour to the test and subdue our beastly guests in any humane manner you can think of. Work together as a team and stay vigilant!"

OOC: We have made it to the main part of the lesson! =D

As Regina stated, your goal is to subdue the beasts that will soon be making their appearance. Here are a few rules: 1) work together -- there is strength in numbers; 2) use your wands ... or don't for the LULZ; 3) any spell your character knows is fair game, so long as it doesn't torture, kill, etc. our beastly friends; 4) the rune-protected shields will DEFINITELY keep everyone safe -- at most the armour will be lightly scratched or dented; and 5) HAVE FUN!

Our lesson will be wrapped up sometime in the evening on October 15th, so feel free to go bananas! Updates from out beastly friends will happen at least once per day -- fingers crossed for more than that if RL is not super crazy for me! -- until Sunday.

Charlotte was semi-interested in the whole... charms protecting Kings Cross thing, and had once looked into it, only to stop when she realised it was SO much and also so much of exactly what was there was a secret kept somewhere she didn't have the patience to dig into, but it was still interesting, and also gratifying to have confirmation that her answer was correct. She smiled happily and continued adjusting herself to be comfortable in the armour.

And she HEARD that, again! Another confirmation that they'd be getting to dabble with wand customization! Next level exciting, right? She smiled at Stasya, her excitement at the the prospect evident, and was about to say something when the next thing she knew, the professor herself was being interrupted by loud bangs.

And soon the purpose of said armour was revealed. She almost had a conniption, she was so excited! Her wand was already out, though she noted that gripping it wasn't super easy in armour. So then, to start, a gripping charm, on herself. That was a good idea.

She kept a wary eye on the approaching Blast Ended Skrewts, and had the fleeting thought that riding one of the bigger ones would be PRETTY exciting. No. Focus! She was going to focus! What did she know about the Skrewts? The boy ones had stingers and the girl ones had suckers. Their armour deflected most spells, right? Like her own, she supposed. And they were vulnerable on the belly! Yes! Also, she wanted to challenge herself. It was Ancient Runes right? So, why not use runes?

Speaking of runes.... the Algiz one was protective right? But what if the heat from one of those skrewtsplosions ROASTED her alive? And if not her, then her WAND? WHAT IF that happened? Especially because she was the sort, with all her dueling expertise, to just get on in there. So which rune would be better for her purposes? Hagalaz or Isa? Hail or Ice? Char decided on ice in a split second and turned her wand on herself, casting Intaglio Isa, engraving a second rune onto her armoured self. She chanted as she moved into a better position.

"isa isa isa
i i i i i i i i i
i i i i i i s s s s s s
s s s s s s i i i i i i
i i i i i i i i i."

Would it glow the same colour, she wondered? Would it effect the colour the Algiz was glowing, as the runes began to adjust and work in harmony with each other? She was unsure, but she couldn't spare it too much more thought -it was time to go on the offensive! The invoked Isa could hopefully also have the effect of strengthening her freezing spells, which would help counter any firey blasts for sure AND hopefully slow them down if she could get at their... erm... propulsion... system. And there was one blasting itself right at her! She flicked her wand out, drawing a line sideways and then flicking up, the homing spell she'd learned.... in first year.

"Persequoris Skrewt's belly!" The orangey light flared out, zagging towards, and hopefully homing in on its target.

She wasn't combining it with anything else yet, but she would. This was just... a test. To see if it would be a useful aiming tool, one that she could combine with some Isa-enhanced freezing spells, if it all worked out!

The second part was obviously harder to pronounce ("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.") but she got it right in the end. The rune lit up with a vaguely purple hue, and not a moment too soon either. The headmistress had moved on to the second question, unfortunately she wasn't able to answer that one either because of the extra time she'd taken in getting the second half of activating her rune done.

It did interest her to have confirmed what many of her classmates guessed: that Algiz could be used to protect personal possessions. So that was good to know. As soon as she got back to her common room, you could be sure she'd cast a protection rune on every single one of her possessions - as well as encouraging everyone else in her dormitory to do the same. Hopefully that would put a stop to their sociopathic stalker who wrecked their dormitory earlier in the year and who Kitty was SURE could be blamed for her bizarre possession.

She had little time to dwell on that, because at that moment the doors barged open and in came some of the most utterly disgusting creatures she'd ever had the misfortune to lay her eyes on: Blast-Ended Skrewts. UGH! Just looking at those BUGS made her wish a giant would come and step on them.

But the headmistress wanted them dealt with humanely, so Kitty would try not to harm them too much unless she had no other choice. Instead she stood next to Ava Burton and copied her. "AGUAMENTI!"