Oh, she did good? Oh. Cool. A broad smile spread across Dahlia's face, and for a moment she forgot about the weird box with the still unknown creature inside. At least until the professor started explaining and answering and gesturing to their surroundings. So that's what the grass and rocks were for. The Ensnarement Charm.

Hmm. One she hadn't heard of, so it was nice to hear what it did. And as he said it sounded pretty similar to Incarcerous, except things were conjured in a different way. Dahlia made some mental notes, that she'd write down once she got back to the common room, and set about thinking of her answer. Slowly putting her hand in the air, she said "Is it because the vines, if they're really green and leafy, are more likely to keep the creature calm than ropes? Because vines are more a part of their environment after all, right? Not something unusual to them. Ropes are weird and scary, and they could hurt themselves if they tried to escape from them."

Yes, it really made sense to not attack first, which of course was the whole point of the question. Also, Skylar really needed to pay attention because she was definitely way distracted with her notes and listening skills today.

Ensnarement ... oh she actually heard about that! Wait, was this going to turn into an ethics of magical creatures lesson? Because honestly, that might actually have been BETTER than an actual defense class. Of course she was nearly positive she didn't share those views with majority of her classmates, but one could keep hope alive, right?

"Probably because, as Dahlia said, vines are a more familiar environment. Well, for the most part at least. There are vines that are rough, but have you ever had rug-burn?" Yes? No? "Binding a creature, or any being, in ropes, would be a similar feeling to rug-burn, because that scratchy, rough feeling. So the ministry probably deems that unethical because it could end up causing harm for not much reason."

Zoryn was sad about poor family-less creatures for all of three seconds, 'cause that's approximately how long it took for Professor H to tell her that she was very, VERY close to the topic of the days lesson.

HAHA!!! ZORYN SPINNET WON THE DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS LESSON.

Everyone should probably just go home now and give up. 'Cause now that Zoryn won, was there any point anymore?

But in the interest of winning again, Zoryn payed attention to the next question posed to the class and QUICKLY raised her hand before tons of other people could. This answer was SUUUUUUPER easy, so she had to be one of the first to answer otherwise she may LOSE. And Zoryn Spinnet was no loser!! Especially now that she was on a winning streak.

"Well, ropes aren't good for the environment so that's littering, but vines ARE the environment. So if you use those then you don't gotta litter anymore," she stated proudly. Littering was an ethical dilemma... Right?

Did the point go straight over her head? Maybe. But did she still WIN the point? Also maybe.

He had a good answer? Yay! It was not often that Olly gave that good of an answer in DADA. It was not his best subject, after all, but he was trying. And apparently he was close to the subject of this lesson. Which was, apparently, something to do with ethics. Which....sounded interesting actually. Usually something relying on theory instead of action was not what Olly preferred, but he was actually interested in hearing what Hirsch had to teach them about ethics. It wasn't a subject Olly had learned about before and it sounded interesting. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to answer the question about the ethics of the ensnarement charm.

"Maybe because vines don't hurt as much?" But he wasn't sure if that totally made sense.

The wide grin that Remy gave Hirsch back when he told him that he was great, was telling that the Hufflepuff respected the tall man at the front of the class as more than just a Professor. Not likely that many people in the classroom would understand it was the same grin he gave to his twin siblings when they made him give them piggy backs for an hour straight, or Toric when they walked Selene in the rain, or his mum when she told him to stop being such a teenager and to tidy his room. No, it wasn’t a look of anything specific… but it was a look he gave to family. ”I’m good - was a great morning for a run. The sunrise was pretty cool.”

***

Looking around at those who answered before him, Remy nodded his head agreeing with their line of thought. As Olly spoke, Remy gave his ex-boyfriend a gentle smile as he waited for his turn to answer. ”I agree with Olly, Professor. I think that the vines are likely more flexible than rope, while still being malleable enough to not break if the creature tries to wriggle and escape. If that was the case, the vines would maneuver with the creature rather than restrict them completely like right rope would do… and that would cause no damage to their limbs or hair, fur, scales… etc.” Was he right? Who knew, but it sounded good?

[ooc: sorry, he wouldn’t let me not reply to Hirsch’s question to him >.>]

Nothing in the rocks? She was on her way to being disappointed--but only almost. That box was still rattling and this lesson was starting to go somewhere. It was likely that whatever happened to be in that box would need some form of restraining and she was aaaalllll ears on what they'd need to do when the moment came.

The issue of ethics was always touchy for the Ravenclaw. Ethics was a sketchy topic if you asked her. Sometimes things were clear cut, real no brainers, other times you had people staring at you with wide eyes and disapproving looks.

The fact the Ministry decided they could still tie up creatures as long as they didn't use rope was interesting....but not in the traditional sense of the word. Much like the Professor had asked, she was also curious as to the reason for this distinction. Unfortunately, it was just that, a question. An answer had yet to be provided.

What possible reason could they have for that?

"Is it so the Ministry can remain politically correct in the eyes of the state, Professor?" It wouldn't surprise her to hear about such a large organization trying to skirt by on technicalities such as that one.

Well, the man was right. Erumpents weren't really dark creatures, but too many other people had beat Maddie to a correct answer, so she was really left with nothing original to say. She worried about herself when it came to creatures. She had a habit of seeing them all as cute and cuddly, even though a lot of them were anything but. They were going to be expected to attack creatures today, weren't they? Maddie tried to get herself in that kind of mindset and ignore all thoughts of cruppies and bunnies and anything cute.

...

Ethics? What was that? It sounded like some class you would take at Wizarding University. Ahhh, okay. She got it now. It meant doing what was right and not doing what was wrong. Sounded easy enough! Maddie waved her hand in the air to answer. "Is it because the creatures are used to greenery in their environment and might not freak out as much as it would with ropes?" she asked.

"I was thinking along the same lines as her, Professor." Junia gestured to the younger Ravenclaw who'd mentioned the ministry trying to stay politically correct. "Even if the binding tool comes from the environment itself, the act of restricting a creature's movements is still the same and really, neither sound particularly comfortable or fair. It's taking the choices of fight or flight out of the picture entirely for a creature in a stressful situation. If they're worried about endangered creatures, they should consider that they'll still be under stress and can still struggle when restricted by vines. " She shrugged and then went silent.

"Have you ever had that charm used on you?" Katy wrinkled her nose at the Professor. Obviously he had, but the rest of the class... only the duelers. Char, for example, surely knew how rough it was to be grabbed by those mid-air ropes. "And on a limb? Or your neck? An inexperienced spell caster could seriously maim a person. Or a creature."

That crate was still moving, and Katy paused to consider it too. "How fast do those vines grow, though, sir? Fast enough to really impede a creature that wants you for breakfast?"

Hmmm.... very interesting circumstance there Hirschy man. It made the leonine lad pause to mull things over, stretching his increasingly long legs as he listens to the discussion "So basically its the ethics of springing a trap from one's wand versus springing one from the environment?" First Gryffindorian instinctive response: You're setting a trap. Go with one that works who cares where it comes from.

But his Claw side wont let go of the brain tease slash ethics conundrum, not until the question was given a somewhat satisfactory answer, so he continued "I agree with what the others have said, the Ensnarement charm uses materials from the creature's immediate environment, so I guess the Ministry thinks that way it would be less traumatic for the creature versus using something very unfamiliar and possibly harmful to its well being." Pause "Although honestly Prof, I cant see why all the fuss over the type of trap, I mean I'd be equally as stressed if suddenly I realized my comfy blankets started to wrap around me and trap me as compared to suddenly finding myself bound down with ropes. Maybe the Ministry shouldnt concern too much with the what but moreso the how of trapping a creature?" Another brain tease to the brain tease eh?

Time to pay attention, nooooooo whyyyyYYYYYYY?

... Except for it was obvious why, actually. The whole lesson thing.

Abey, who had been all comfortable snuggled up next to Junia and fully in danger of falling straight to sleep, did make the effort to sit up properly once his cousin told him to do so. Because, yes he was definitely exhausted, but he was still awake and also he wasn't rude and he knew to at least try to pay attention and everything in class, and to not willingly ignore the professors and to show them RESPECT. Also, if he ever did otherwise and word got back to his parents, his father would be furious, probably.

And then there was that SNAP and Abey - admittedly still (up until that point) half asleep and trying to get his bearings - jolted in alarm and instinctively grabbed hold of Junia's arm, his heart hammering like a stampeding hippogriff. No, a HERD of stampeding hippogriffs.

But it was okay. Apparently. Just... you know... a door. THE door. The classroom door. In the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. On the first floor. In Hogwarts. The real Hogwarts.

... Okay.

Abey kept a firm hold of Junia's arm because it was there and all, and he was, by now, VERY wide awake. And maybe freaking out maybe just a very tiny bit, maybe sort of kind of a little more than a tiny bit. BUT TINY ENOUGH that nobody had any reason to really take NOTE, you know?

Breathing through the few minutes of dskhskjhkaksas in his brain meant that Abey chose not to try to respond to the first question but by the second, he was settled enough to answer. Sort of.

"Maybe if the vines appear up from the ground they can get something's feet and trap it there which is less frightening maybe than seeing ropes flying at you and trapping you and winding all around you and trapping you and not letting go and trapping you." Abey paused for a moment and stared sort of into space and reached for Junia's hand with both of his and squeezed it tight before looking back at Hirsch. "But... but are vines sort of like... like tendrils?" ... You know, like... like those tendrils... "Because if so then... then that's frightening too..."

.........

Abey turned to Junia and quickly whispered into her ear. "I don't want to be practiced on. I really really really don't." The hippogriff-stampede heartbeat was back.

Ava just nodded and gave a small smile when the Professor thought that she had a good point here. Some others had mentioned about there shouldn't attack the creature with no particular reasons so she tried to bring up another point here. Heh.

The Gryffindor perked up when Hirsch talking about ensnarement charm. A charm that cause vines growing out from the ground, huh? That sounded interesting. Probably she could try this on their dueling club meeting although she wasn't sure if this charm could work on human. "Professor." She put her hand up in the air and spoke up. "I think why it's more acceptable because it doesn't really look like attack. I mean, the ensnarement charm will cause the vines growing and it looks natural, just like devil's snare strangling anything in its surrounding environment or when we touch it. While incarcerous, we conjure the ropes from the wand." He knew what she was talking right?

Sometimes the best offence was defence. She'd have to remember that in the future in the heat of a duel. She stayed silent, listening to Professor Hirsch lead the class to their next topic at hand. Ethics. Now this was going to be interesting for sure because ethics usually got a class going.

Was it better ethically to use the ensnarement charm instead of incarcerous spell? The ensnarement charm caused vines to grow out of the ground to capture an object or a creature and restricted mobility. Why is the Ensnarement Charm better than the Incarcerous Spell? Vi bit her lip. Well.. they were practically the same spell. Wasn't it unethical to use either option? She nodded in agreement with her fellow classmates but couldn't help but feel that both options were unethical.... Vi twirled a strand of loose curly hair briefly before putting it behind her ear when she heard Tenacius speak up. She turned her attention towards him as he spoke and found herself nodding several times.

He had an interesting point. Yes. That was the question that she wanted to know. And Ava's comment also sparked her interest. "I don't think either method is ethical..." Those were her two cents. But for the purpose of the question.... "The Ministry may view the Ensnarement Charm as ethically better than the Incarcerous Spell because it eliminates the human interaction. As Ava mentioned, the Incarcerous Spell has rope appear from the wand whereas the Ensnarement Charm sounds as if it can come up out of the ground. The less human interaction, the better- I suppose."

As the lesson progressed, he wondered whatever in that box was kept 'ethical'. Could there be a creature inside? Are they being used for this lesson just for them to practice ensnaring them? Hirsch must have a brilliant plan up his sleeves. Ethical or not, both of the spells mentioned are used by wizarding folks like him to restrict movements of their targets. He supposed conjuring ropes to capture the creature would alarm them even more, causing distress and frictions as they tried to escape. Hence, hurting them in the process. Perhaps, they knew the vines were a lesser threat than ropes too. Hmm...pondering more...

To be honest Harriet really didn't like the thought of trapping creatures in vines or in ropes. Surely there had to be another way. Although like someone had mentioned before, some spells didn't work on some animals. So maybe trapping them was the only way. It still didn't mean that Hattie really liked it. This was clearly the reason why she was not going to go into a career with creatures. She would not like to have to hurt them. She didn't even like thinking about it in class. Clearly she was a bit more sensitive that she had thought. Did she need to answer? Because she kind of agreed with everyone else to be honest, and she didn't really want to repeat what they had said.

So the blonde just smiled, nodding her head a long a little, whilst writing some notes on the the subject. Just in case it came up in the exams. Though she was hoping she wouldn't have to trap a creature in her OWLS. That would not be nice.

Well yeah it was an excellent point, thanks Hirschy! Char nodded and chimed in again in response to HIS response. "I don't think its just about making it more likely that they attack, if they are attacking anyway, and you use martial magic that they are resistant to, you're not going to stop them and you'll probably die. So its like.... practical to KNOW that a creature is maybe not going to be stopped by spells."

So this stuff was about ethics....? She wasn't sure she followed that. Sounded silly because ropes were from organic material too after all....

Which brought the question up for her:

"Professor, wouldn't it depend on the kind of ropes, and the kind of vines, that the individual cast? Because its not like always the same for everyone always, right? Maybe part of the ethics thing is that the vines that come with the ensnarement charm, always have in common that they are less risk for the creature, like it won't have an allergic reaction or something like that, or always have a certain degree of elasticity? Whereas some ropes, could be conjured made from non-organic materials, or less likely to have enough give in them?" Maybe? Oh, and, "also, there are more spells that can control the vines after they have been used? Like to grow them or drive them back, whereas ropes you'd maybe have to risk burning them off?" Hmm... what else....? "Also, professor, do the vines from the ensnarement spell come out of the ground? Like, could you conjure them already anchored safely to something and not need to also bespell them to tie up to something else?" Because... you'd definitely have to do that with rope. And a creature that was tied up wasn't necessarily less dangerous, if it was still able to move around.


But.... this was enough Ravenclawing for one lesson. Char's gaze trailed over to the box and she fidgeted a bit. Lets get on with it now, Hirschy!

Yes, there was indeed a hint of sass.

Rhea considered Professor Hirsch' question. The obvious difference between ropes and vines was that vines were naturally occuring. Although, if they were conjured magically, were they still natural? Kinda. Would vines be less harming than ropes? She thought, too, about the way the spells worked. The other students sounded right. Even though you'd still have to use your wand to perform the spell, the creature would be less likely to see the 'attack' as coming from you. It would be coming from the environment instead. She paused, thinking. "The Ministry might see the Ensnarement Charm as a necessary evil. It's less of an attack than Incarcerous and it's more obvious that it's defensive." That was more like it. "Plus they'd be more familiar with vines and might recognise them as being non-threatening. At least compared to rope. Ropes would be completely new for them and definitely threatening 'cause they wouldn't know what they do."

Heh. She'd said enough. Rhea went about writing down various answers and ideas in her notes. She wanted her notes to be as detailed as possible this year. If there was a time to put more effort in, it was now.

...Then a movement caught her eye. It came from the box.

Would they be trying out the charm on whatever was in that box..?

SPOILER!!: Rhea's notes

THE ENSNAREMENT CHARM

When shouldn’t you attack a creature? And ‘why might it be wrong to pull out your wand and start throwing random spells here and there?

Factors:
➙ Size / sometimes better to run / overpowering / example, basilisk
➙ Crowded areas / creature might panic and attack randomly in defence
➙ Territory / survival mode / don’t provoke unnecessarily
➙ Cases of ‘if you leave it alone, it’ll leave you alone’ / better to run or avoid / Examples: trolls (slow but dangerous) / bees / erumpents / snakes
➙ If it’s sleeping or otherwise unaware of your present, probably best to leave it alone
➙ Family / territorial / parent creatures, especially mothers can be dangerous if provoked or if they think their young are in danger
➙ Evaluate the situation
➙ Cast a spell on yourself instead? / Disillusionment or Silencing charms
➙ Hippogriff / treat with respect / won’t attack unless feels threatened
➙ Food / on high alert while eating / territorial over food

Ethics. Why’s the Ensnarement Charm more ethical than Incarcerous?

➙ Incarcerous (rope-conjuring charm) is deemed unethical by the Ministry
➙ Ensnarement charm is more acceptable
➙ Ropes vs. vines?

Abey's reactions to the direction the lesson was taking were noted and the fifth year kept hold of his hand, squeezing gently to remind him that she was there with him and that he wasn't facing anything alone. Did Hirsch see how nervous he was? She hoped he did. She also hoped he didn't acknowledge it out loud, though perhaps he'd approach Abey quietly once things got started, give him an out of he needed it. Honestly, he might.

"It's okay, Abey. I'm not letting anyone do that to you. You're okay.
It's going to be okay."

Ropes and vines really didn't seem that much different. Of course... there were some differences. People mentioned them and Noelle nodded along with him. She grinned at Olly's answer and glad when Remy agreed. Her eyes went to the box when it shook again.

What was in that box?

"Like others have said, I think its because the vines are more organic. They aren't as rough as ropes. Ropes can definitely be scratchy while vines are more smooth. Plus, depending on where the creature was, vines might be more familiar and not necessarily calm the animal down but not disrupt the creature more. Rather than an unknown substance springing around them." Hopefully that made sense. It was kind of jumbled coming out of Noelle's mouth.

Etta eyed the box once again. What was in there? And why was it taking so long for professor Hirsch to reveal whatever was inside the box? Or maybe she was just growing impatient. Instead, she sighed and focused on taking down whatever was mentioned before setting her quill down and giving the question some thought before raising a hand to answer the question.

"Probably because vines appear from the ground and since they're a part of nature, I'm guessing they'll hurt less? Ropes might appear to be more scary and new for animals.. something they're not familiar with?" Her eyes drifted back towards the box for a moment before focusing on the professor again, waiting for class to continue.

Text Cut: You guys! <3

Text Cut: Skylar x2

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Oops? That look from Hirsch; he noticed her quietness, hadn't he? But she hadn't greeted him because she'd been vigilant about the surroundings, obviously. Or at least that was what she tried to tell herself and would attempt to tell him if he broached the subject to make sure she was okay. She was okay, mostly, now. Confused, hurt, sad that she hadn't spoken to Hattie in a few weeks, but she would be okay. Her and Hattie had a bond, so they had be okay, right?

She just hoped that Junia and Vivian's notes were on par today, because she had the distinct feeling she would be missing pertinent information. But she was trying.

SPOILER!!: Notes

Dark creatures. No clear distinction. Not everyone is good or bad, but gray??? WHAT? Was she gray? What did that mean? oh so it wasn't wrong what she did? it was wrong. In every sense of the word

...

As she listened and her quill moved, it almost felt like the lesson was directed at her, her life. As if the creatures Hirsch was talking about was not really creatures but a metaphor for the people in her life, the good, the bad. Not everyone was out to get her, right? Even when it seemed as if they were, well, she should just leave them alone. Yes, good advice, Hirsch.

"Creatures are beings too. You need to be vigilant and assess the situation always, before acting." Which went for more than just if there was a creature in your path, of course.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Yes, it really made sense to not attack first, which of course was the whole point of the question. Also, Skylar really needed to pay attention because she was definitely way distracted with her notes and listening skills today.

Ensnarement ... oh she actually heard about that! Wait, was this going to turn into an ethics of magical creatures lesson? Because honestly, that might actually have been BETTER than an actual defense class. Of course she was nearly positive she didn't share those views with majority of her classmates, but one could keep hope alive, right?

"Probably because, as Dahlia said, vines are a more familiar environment. Well, for the most part at least. There are vines that are rough, but have you ever had rug-burn?" Yes? No? "Binding a creature, or any being, in ropes, would be a similar feeling to rug-burn, because that scratchy, rough feeling. So the ministry probably deems that unethical because it could end up causing harm for not much reason."

This was an answer he liked hearing very much.

"Constant vigilance!" he said, a wide smile spreading across his face, "Be vigilant, assess and then act accordingly, whether that's defending yourself or leaving the creature alone. Well done, Miss Diggory!" Maybe he shouldn't have been worried about the initial silence in the first place.

Something else he was glad about was the mention of the material used and possible rug-burn that the creature could receive from the use of ropes instead of vines. "Exactly! Rug-burn isn't a nice feeling and might be more sensitive to the creatures you decide to bind with ropes." There was no way for them to know how the creature felt, of course, but it was a possibility. "You're right about it causing more harm as well. Well done!"

Text Cut: Dahlia

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithRodneyMckay

Oh, she did good? Oh. Cool. A broad smile spread across Dahlia's face, and for a moment she forgot about the weird box with the still unknown creature inside. At least until the professor started explaining and answering and gesturing to their surroundings. So that's what the grass and rocks were for. The Ensnarement Charm.

Hmm. One she hadn't heard of, so it was nice to hear what it did. And as he said it sounded pretty similar to Incarcerous, except things were conjured in a different way. Dahlia made some mental notes, that she'd write down once she got back to the common room, and set about thinking of her answer. Slowly putting her hand in the air, she said "Is it because the vines, if they're really green and leafy, are more likely to keep the creature calm than ropes? Because vines are more a part of their environment after all, right? Not something unusual to them. Ropes are weird and scary, and they could hurt themselves if they tried to escape from them."

Hirsch tilted his head at this answer. From observing her answers, something told him that there was a lot of potential in this young Hufflepuff. Nothing he was going to say out loud, of course, especially if it gave her extra, unnecessary pressure but..... potential. It was there.

"You're completely right. The vines, being something from the creatures' own environment, is likely to make it feel calmer than ropes would. Ropes could frighten it to do something much worse, whether it's to itself or to its surroundings. Very well done, Miss Marin."

Text Cut: Zoryn

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Zoryn was sad about poor family-less creatures for all of three seconds, 'cause that's approximately how long it took for Professor H to tell her that she was very, VERY close to the topic of the days lesson.

HAHA!!! ZORYN SPINNET WON THE DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS LESSON.

Everyone should probably just go home now and give up. 'Cause now that Zoryn won, was there any point anymore?

But in the interest of winning again, Zoryn payed attention to the next question posed to the class and QUICKLY raised her hand before tons of other people could. This answer was SUUUUUUPER easy, so she had to be one of the first to answer otherwise she may LOSE. And Zoryn Spinnet was no loser!! Especially now that she was on a winning streak.

"Well, ropes aren't good for the environment so that's littering, but vines ARE the environment. So if you use those then you don't gotta litter anymore," she stated proudly. Littering was an ethical dilemma... Right?

Did the point go straight over her head? Maybe. But did she still WIN the point? Also maybe.

Zoryn Spinnet was full of surprises, it seemed.

Never, in all his life, would he have guessed that she cared about littering. Dragons, sure, but littering?

"I can't argue that point, and that could be why the Ministry says it's more reasonable to use than ropes. They're grown, rather than conjured, so it seems as though they're coming from the environment itself." Did that make sense? "So yes, that could be a reason why the Ministry says to use them. Well done!"

Text Cut: Olly

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

He had a good answer? Yay! It was not often that Olly gave that good of an answer in DADA. It was not his best subject, after all, but he was trying. And apparently he was close to the subject of this lesson. Which was, apparently, something to do with ethics. Which....sounded interesting actually. Usually something relying on theory instead of action was not what Olly preferred, but he was actually interested in hearing what Hirsch had to teach them about ethics. It wasn't a subject Olly had learned about before and it sounded interesting. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to answer the question about the ethics of the ensnarement charm.

"Maybe because vines don't hurt as much?" But he wasn't sure if that totally made sense.

"A short, simple and straight to the point answer," he said, nodding his head, "You're right: vines, a natural object, are less likely to hurt a creature than ropes, something more man-made. We don't know how a creature is going to react to the use of ropes against it so vines are more acceptable, for everyone's safety. Well done!" Smile.

Text Cut: Remy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormdancer

The wide grin that Remy gave Hirsch back when he told him that he was great, was telling that the Hufflepuff respected the tall man at the front of the class as more than just a Professor. Not likely that many people in the classroom would understand it was the same grin he gave to his twin siblings when they made him give them piggy backs for an hour straight, or Toric when they walked Selene in the rain, or his mum when she told him to stop being such a teenager and to tidy his room. No, it wasn’t a look of anything specific… but it was a look he gave to family. ”I’m good - was a great morning for a run. The sunrise was pretty cool.”

***

Looking around at those who answered before him, Remy nodded his head agreeing with their line of thought. As Olly spoke, Remy gave his ex-boyfriend a gentle smile as he waited for his turn to answer. ”I agree with Olly, Professor. I think that the vines are likely more flexible than rope, while still being malleable enough to not break if the creature tries to wriggle and escape. If that was the case, the vines would maneuver with the creature rather than restrict them completely like right rope would do… and that would cause no damage to their limbs or hair, fur, scales… etc.” Was he right? Who knew, but it sounded good?

[ooc: sorry, he wouldn’t let me not reply to Hirsch’s question to him >.>]

Being someone who ran in the mornings as well, Hirsch knew all about the feeling that Remy was describing. "Nothing like watching the sun rise while you're out on a morning jog." It was a nice feeling, wasn't it? And the view of the grounds basked in the sunrise was nice to see as well. A great way to start off the day, in his opinion.

But, the lesson and the answer to his question. "A very good point. They, probably, won't feel as restricted in them and that's why the Ministry says it's more acceptable. Excellent mention of the damage that could be caused by the use of ropes and other objects that the creature probably isn't used to. Well done!"

Text Cut: Jessa

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Nothing in the rocks? She was on her way to being disappointed--but only almost. That box was still rattling and this lesson was starting to go somewhere. It was likely that whatever happened to be in that box would need some form of restraining and she was aaaalllll ears on what they'd need to do when the moment came.

The issue of ethics was always touchy for the Ravenclaw. Ethics was a sketchy topic if you asked her. Sometimes things were clear cut, real no brainers, other times you had people staring at you with wide eyes and disapproving looks.

The fact the Ministry decided they could still tie up creatures as long as they didn't use rope was interesting....but not in the traditional sense of the word. Much like the Professor had asked, she was also curious as to the reason for this distinction. Unfortunately, it was just that, a question. An answer had yet to be provided.

What possible reason could they have for that?

"Is it so the Ministry can remain politically correct in the eyes of the state, Professor?" It wouldn't surprise her to hear about such a large organization trying to skirt by on technicalities such as that one.

'Is it so the Ministry can remain politically correct in the eyes of the state, Professor?'

Hirsch tried his hardest not to laugh. Really. But nothing could stop him from covering his face with his hands while his shoulders shook with laughter. What a question. And not one he expected in response to his question.

Looking up again, he smiled at the Ravenclaw and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if that was the underlying reason. Well done."

Text Cut: Maddie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Well, the man was right. Erumpents weren't really dark creatures, but too many other people had beat Maddie to a correct answer, so she was really left with nothing original to say. She worried about herself when it came to creatures. She had a habit of seeing them all as cute and cuddly, even though a lot of them were anything but. They were going to be expected to attack creatures today, weren't they? Maddie tried to get herself in that kind of mindset and ignore all thoughts of cruppies and bunnies and anything cute.

...

Ethics? What was that? It sounded like some class you would take at Wizarding University. Ahhh, okay. She got it now. It meant doing what was right and not doing what was wrong. Sounded easy enough! Maddie waved her hand in the air to answer. "Is it because the creatures are used to greenery in their environment and might not freak out as much as it would with ropes?" she asked.

Ah, the mention of greenery. he was glad that the students were grasping this idea because it was important in understanding the basis of the spell itself. "Exactly!" he said, giving her a nod of his head. "It would be less likely to scare them than if you use ropes, which might not be something they're used to. That is exactly what I was after, well done!"

Text Cut: Junia

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

"I was thinking along the same lines as her, Professor." Junia gestured to the younger Ravenclaw who'd mentioned the ministry trying to stay politically correct. "Even if the binding tool comes from the environment itself, the act of restricting a creature's movements is still the same and really, neither sound particularly comfortable or fair. It's taking the choices of fight or flight out of the picture entirely for a creature in a stressful situation. If they're worried about endangered creatures, they should consider that they'll still be under stress and can still struggle when restricted by vines. " She shrugged and then went silent.

......... Well well well.

Hirsch glanced between Junia and Jessa, eyebrows raised but a hint of a smile on his face. "I hope you two band together one day to sort out the justice system." Really. If they could see this at fourteen and fifteen, Merlin knows what they'd be like as fully fledged adults. Although, they could still take this up with the Ministry but some adults barely listened to the opinions of the underage, unfortunately, or liked to disregard it.

"You are very, very right and I applaud the two of you for bringing up this flaw. I'm glad you've mentioned the part about fight or flight and that it's not fair on the creature who would have its movements restricted. Maybe this is something the Ministry will look towards rectifying. Well done!"

Text Cut: Katy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"Have you ever had that charm used on you?" Katy wrinkled her nose at the Professor. Obviously he had, but the rest of the class... only the duelers. Char, for example, surely knew how rough it was to be grabbed by those mid-air ropes. "And on a limb? Or your neck? An inexperienced spell caster could seriously maim a person. Or a creature."

That crate was still moving, and Katy paused to consider it too. "How fast do those vines grow, though, sir? Fast enough to really impede a creature that wants you for breakfast?"

"The Ensnarement Charm? No. Incarcerous? Yes." It was not fun to have it used against you, that was for sure. "That's an excellent point, Miss Toussaint. You could cause serious harm to a creature simply by not paying enough attention or not having practiced the spell well enough. The Ensnarement Charm is seen to be safer because it's less likely to cause burning or discomfort to the creature. Well done!"

Now this was a good question. "That depends on your level of concentration. A spell like this requires constant concentration and a strong spell-casting or proficiency with the spell. A good mix of both and you could have your vines growing in a matter of seconds. Lack any of them, especially concentration, and your vines might be weak or stop growing altogether." Which would be a shame if they were in serious danger. "You will also need more concentration to produce stronger vines in the case of larger creatures who have more resistance to magic. You could always use it in conjunction with another spell: for example, you could stop a creature that's about to have you for breakfast or distract it and then use the vines. It's all about strategy."

Pause. "I'll explain more after the round of answers but nice question."

Text Cut: Tenacius

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

Hmmm.... very interesting circumstance there Hirschy man. It made the leonine lad pause to mull things over, stretching his increasingly long legs as he listens to the discussion "So basically its the ethics of springing a trap from one's wand versus springing one from the environment?" First Gryffindorian instinctive response: You're setting a trap. Go with one that works who cares where it comes from.

But his Claw side wont let go of the brain tease slash ethics conundrum, not until the question was given a somewhat satisfactory answer, so he continued "I agree with what the others have said, the Ensnarement charm uses materials from the creature's immediate environment, so I guess the Ministry thinks that way it would be less traumatic for the creature versus using something very unfamiliar and possibly harmful to its well being." Pause "Although honestly Prof, I cant see why all the fuss over the type of trap, I mean I'd be equally as stressed if suddenly I realized my comfy blankets started to wrap around me and trap me as compared to suddenly finding myself bound down with ropes. Maybe the Ministry shouldnt concern too much with the what but moreso the how of trapping a creature?" Another brain tease to the brain tease eh?

The ethics of springing a trap from one's wand versus springing one from the environment? "Couldn't have put it better myself." Smile.

And here was another answer that focused on the problems behind the Ministry's plan of trapping a creature. "You're very, very right, especially about the stress this would cause. Any kind of trap or binding is likely to make a person or a creature feel uncomfortable and stressed and as if they were under some kind of attack. Maybe this is something that the Ministry could look towards rectifying in the future. But a very valid point, well done."

Text Cut: Abey and Junia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Time to pay attention, nooooooo whyyyyYYYYYYY?

... Except for it was obvious why, actually. The whole lesson thing.

Abey, who had been all comfortable snuggled up next to Junia and fully in danger of falling straight to sleep, did make the effort to sit up properly once his cousin told him to do so. Because, yes he was definitely exhausted, but he was still awake and also he wasn't rude and he knew to at least try to pay attention and everything in class, and to not willingly ignore the professors and to show them RESPECT. Also, if he ever did otherwise and word got back to his parents, his father would be furious, probably.

And then there was that SNAP and Abey - admittedly still (up until that point) half asleep and trying to get his bearings - jolted in alarm and instinctively grabbed hold of Junia's arm, his heart hammering like a stampeding hippogriff. No, a HERD of stampeding hippogriffs.

But it was okay. Apparently. Just... you know... a door. THE door. The classroom door. In the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. On the first floor. In Hogwarts. The real Hogwarts.

... Okay.

Abey kept a firm hold of Junia's arm because it was there and all, and he was, by now, VERY wide awake. And maybe freaking out maybe just a very tiny bit, maybe sort of kind of a little more than a tiny bit. BUT TINY ENOUGH that nobody had any reason to really take NOTE, you know?

Breathing through the few minutes of dskhskjhkaksas in his brain meant that Abey chose not to try to respond to the first question but by the second, he was settled enough to answer. Sort of.

"Maybe if the vines appear up from the ground they can get something's feet and trap it there which is less frightening maybe than seeing ropes flying at you and trapping you and winding all around you and trapping you and not letting go and trapping you." Abey paused for a moment and stared sort of into space and reached for Junia's hand with both of his and squeezed it tight before looking back at Hirsch. "But... but are vines sort of like... like tendrils?" ... You know, like... like those tendrils... "Because if so then... then that's frightening too..."

.........

Abey turned to Junia and quickly whispered into her ear. "I don't want to be practiced on. I really really really don't." The hippogriff-stampede heartbeat was back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

Abey's reactions to the direction the lesson was taking were noted and the fifth year kept hold of his hand, squeezing gently to remind him that she was there with him and that he wasn't facing anything alone. Did Hirsch see how nervous he was? She hoped he did. She also hoped he didn't acknowledge it out loud, though perhaps he'd approach Abey quietly once things got started, give him an out of he needed it. Honestly, he might.

"It's okay, Abey. I'm not letting anyone do that to you. You're okay.
It's going to be okay."

................

Uh oh.

Hirsch blinked at this answer. Or, well, not so much the answer itself but who it was coming from and why. All of this made his heart sink downwards and he could've, if he wasn't teaching, kicked himself for bringing this up. It was like the Erkling lesson all over again.

"Abey...." he started quietly, glancing over at Junia quickly before looking back at the Gryffindor, "Come and see me afterwards, okay?" Because this wasn't something he could address in front of everyone and not something he was going to bring up when everyone was listening. It would prove to be embarrassing at the very least and might make the situation worse. And maybe the activity he had in mind wasn't going to be a good idea for him so the boy could do something else in the meantime. Practice another spell and not pay attention to the vines.

Text Cut: Ava

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

Ava just nodded and gave a small smile when the Professor thought that she had a good point here. Some others had mentioned about there shouldn't attack the creature with no particular reasons so she tried to bring up another point here. Heh.

The Gryffindor perked up when Hirsch talking about ensnarement charm. A charm that cause vines growing out from the ground, huh? That sounded interesting. Probably she could try this on their dueling club meeting although she wasn't sure if this charm could work on human. "Professor." She put her hand up in the air and spoke up. "I think why it's more acceptable because it doesn't really look like attack. I mean, the ensnarement charm will cause the vines growing and it looks natural, just like devil's snare strangling anything in its surrounding environment or when we touch it. While incarcerous, we conjure the ropes from the wand." He knew what she was talking right?

Hirsch nodded along at this answer. Yes, he did know what she was talking about. "The question of man-made versus something environmental is probably what led to the Ensnarement Charm being more acceptable than Incarcerous. The Devil's Snare is a bit of a weird case because its main aim is to strangle and ultimately kill something in its path but you're still very right."

Text Cut: Olivia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watson

Sometimes the best offence was defence. She'd have to remember that in the future in the heat of a duel. She stayed silent, listening to Professor Hirsch lead the class to their next topic at hand. Ethics. Now this was going to be interesting for sure because ethics usually got a class going.

Was it better ethically to use the ensnarement charm instead of incarcerous spell? The ensnarement charm caused vines to grow out of the ground to capture an object or a creature and restricted mobility. Why is the Ensnarement Charm better than the Incarcerous Spell? Vi bit her lip. Well.. they were practically the same spell. Wasn't it unethical to use either option? She nodded in agreement with her fellow classmates but couldn't help but feel that both options were unethical.... Vi twirled a strand of loose curly hair briefly before putting it behind her ear when she heard Tenacius speak up. She turned her attention towards him as he spoke and found herself nodding several times.

He had an interesting point. Yes. That was the question that she wanted to know. And Ava's comment also sparked her interest. "I don't think either method is ethical..." Those were her two cents. But for the purpose of the question.... "The Ministry may view the Ensnarement Charm as ethically better than the Incarcerous Spell because it eliminates the human interaction. As Ava mentioned, the Incarcerous Spell has rope appear from the wand whereas the Ensnarement Charm sounds as if it can come up out of the ground. The less human interaction, the better- I suppose."

And here was another answer that questioned whether the Ensnarement Charm really was ethical or not. Huh.

"Well done on mentioning this, especially the part about human interaction. It goes back to what some of you have mentioned before: they're more scared of you than you are of them. More human interaction is only going to scare them more and cause them to lash out. So, the Ministry suggests using this spell as a way of making the creature feel slightly calmer. Whether that works or is right or not is another story." Something that more and more of them were questioning.

"I like that way of thinking. Well done, Miss Holden."

Text Cut: Nathan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Symphora

As the lesson progressed, he wondered whatever in that box was kept 'ethical'. Could there be a creature inside? Are they being used for this lesson just for them to practice ensnaring them? Hirsch must have a brilliant plan up his sleeves. Ethical or not, both of the spells mentioned are used by wizarding folks like him to restrict movements of their targets. He supposed conjuring ropes to capture the creature would alarm them even more, causing distress and frictions as they tried to escape. Hence, hurting them in the process. Perhaps, they knew the vines were a lesser threat than ropes too. Hmm...pondering more...

More silence? Hirsch glanced at the Slytherin, silently wondering whether he should be worried about the lack of speech from him. It could be down to shyness, yes, or simply not wanting to talk but the man would've also been glad to have heard something from him as well. Or maybe that wasn't how he operated.

Regardless, if his magical capabilities and/or his efforts were good enough, it would be nothing to worry about. So, the man said nothing and moved onwards.

Text Cut: Hattie

Quote:

Originally Posted by RachieRu

To be honest Harriet really didn't like the thought of trapping creatures in vines or in ropes. Surely there had to be another way. Although like someone had mentioned before, some spells didn't work on some animals. So maybe trapping them was the only way. It still didn't mean that Hattie really liked it. This was clearly the reason why she was not going to go into a career with creatures. She would not like to have to hurt them. She didn't even like thinking about it in class. Clearly she was a bit more sensitive that she had thought. Did she need to answer? Because she kind of agreed with everyone else to be honest, and she didn't really want to repeat what they had said.

So the blonde just smiled, nodding her head a long a little, whilst writing some notes on the the subject. Just in case it came up in the exams. Though she was hoping she wouldn't have to trap a creature in her OWLS. That would not be nice.

Another silent student but this time, there was a nod and a smile and even some notes being taken. So, all in all, he didn't see this as something to worry about. A lot of answers had been given, after all, and it might just be a case of the girl not knowing what else to say or not having anything else to add in.

So, Hirsch glanced at Miss Paton, smiled, and moved onwards again.

Text Cut: Char

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

Well yeah it was an excellent point, thanks Hirschy! Char nodded and chimed in again in response to HIS response. "I don't think its just about making it more likely that they attack, if they are attacking anyway, and you use martial magic that they are resistant to, you're not going to stop them and you'll probably die. So its like.... practical to KNOW that a creature is maybe not going to be stopped by spells."

So this stuff was about ethics....? She wasn't sure she followed that. Sounded silly because ropes were from organic material too after all....

Which brought the question up for her:

"Professor, wouldn't it depend on the kind of ropes, and the kind of vines, that the individual cast? Because its not like always the same for everyone always, right? Maybe part of the ethics thing is that the vines that come with the ensnarement charm, always have in common that they are less risk for the creature, like it won't have an allergic reaction or something like that, or always have a certain degree of elasticity? Whereas some ropes, could be conjured made from non-organic materials, or less likely to have enough give in them?" Maybe? Oh, and, "also, there are more spells that can control the vines after they have been used? Like to grow them or drive them back, whereas ropes you'd maybe have to risk burning them off?" Hmm... what else....? "Also, professor, do the vines from the ensnarement spell come out of the ground? Like, could you conjure them already anchored safely to something and not need to also bespell them to tie up to something else?" Because... you'd definitely have to do that with rope. And a creature that was tied up wasn't necessarily less dangerous, if it was still able to move around.


But.... this was enough Ravenclawing for one lesson. Char's gaze trailed over to the box and she fidgeted a bit. Lets get on with it now, Hirschy!

"That...... is an excellent reasoning. You wouldn't use a spell directly against a Golem, after all." And that was why they learnt about different creatures as well as how to defend themselves against it. Because the basic pieces of information was important to know too.

......... Oh?

Hirsch tilted his head, a proud smile in place while he listened to the answer Char was given. "I like that you've thought about the type of rope and vine and not just the object itself." Good! "The idea is that the use of some form of greenery is more calming to the creature and won't cause any harm to its fur/feathers/body in any way. Of course, this does depend on the type of vine you use but the general idea is to grow one that's leafy and looks as much like greenery as possible."

"Vines are easier to cut than ropes, which would cause you to maybe cut or injure the creature itself. The vines do come out of the ground or from some area of greenery itself," At this, he pointed at the rocks. "so it does anchor the creature in place but it does depend on what object you're growing the vines out of. I'll explain more shortly but excellent thought process, Char."

Text Cut: Rhea

Quote:

Originally Posted by natekka

Yes, there was indeed a hint of sass.

Rhea considered Professor Hirsch' question. The obvious difference between ropes and vines was that vines were naturally occuring. Although, if they were conjured magically, were they still natural? Kinda. Would vines be less harming than ropes? She thought, too, about the way the spells worked. The other students sounded right. Even though you'd still have to use your wand to perform the spell, the creature would be less likely to see the 'attack' as coming from you. It would be coming from the environment instead. She paused, thinking. "The Ministry might see the Ensnarement Charm as a necessary evil. It's less of an attack than Incarcerous and it's more obvious that it's defensive." That was more like it. "Plus they'd be more familiar with vines and might recognise them as being non-threatening. At least compared to rope. Ropes would be completely new for them and definitely threatening 'cause they wouldn't know what they do."

Heh. She'd said enough. Rhea went about writing down various answers and ideas in her notes. She wanted her notes to be as detailed as possible this year. If there was a time to put more effort in, it was now.

...Then a movement caught her eye. It came from the box.

Would they be trying out the charm on whatever was in that box..?

SPOILER!!: Rhea's notes

THE ENSNAREMENT CHARM

When shouldn’t you attack a creature? And ‘why might it be wrong to pull out your wand and start throwing random spells here and there?

Factors:
➙ Size / sometimes better to run / overpowering / example, basilisk
➙ Crowded areas / creature might panic and attack randomly in defence
➙ Territory / survival mode / don’t provoke unnecessarily
➙ Cases of ‘if you leave it alone, it’ll leave you alone’ / better to run or avoid / Examples: trolls (slow but dangerous) / bees / erumpents / snakes
➙ If it’s sleeping or otherwise unaware of your present, probably best to leave it alone
➙ Family / territorial / parent creatures, especially mothers can be dangerous if provoked or if they think their young are in danger
➙ Evaluate the situation
➙ Cast a spell on yourself instead? / Disillusionment or Silencing charms
➙ Hippogriff / treat with respect / won’t attack unless feels threatened
➙ Food / on high alert while eating / territorial over food

Ethics. Why’s the Ensnarement Charm more ethical than Incarcerous?

➙ Incarcerous (rope-conjuring charm) is deemed unethical by the Ministry
➙ Ensnarement charm is more acceptable
➙ Ropes vs. vines?

And here was a mention of the threatening vs. non-threatening aspects of both objects.

Good!

"That's exactly it, Miss Durant," he said, giving her a nod of his head, "The fact that the charm is something that's grown from the creature's natural habitat is something that would make it easier and safer for the creature and therefore, more acceptable in general. They probably won't see it as a threat, just a nuisance in their path. Very well done!"

Text Cut: Noelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur

Ropes and vines really didn't seem that much different. Of course... there were some differences. People mentioned them and Noelle nodded along with him. She grinned at Olly's answer and glad when Remy agreed. Her eyes went to the box when it shook again.

What was in that box?

"Like others have said, I think its because the vines are more organic. They aren't as rough as ropes. Ropes can definitely be scratchy while vines are more smooth. Plus, depending on where the creature was, vines might be more familiar and not necessarily calm the animal down but not disrupt the creature more. Rather than an unknown substance springing around them." Hopefully that made sense. It was kind of jumbled coming out of Noelle's mouth.

"That's exactly it," Nod. "Vines are seen to be more acceptable because of the nature of them: because they're coming from the creature's own environment rather than something that is conjured from mid-air and, probably, something that the creature isn't used to." Not to mention, the creature might have had a bad time dealing with something like Incarcerous in the past.

"Well done!" And yes, it did make sense.

Text Cut: Etta

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Etta eyed the box once again. What was in there? And why was it taking so long for professor Hirsch to reveal whatever was inside the box? Or maybe she was just growing impatient. Instead, she sighed and focused on taking down whatever was mentioned before setting her quill down and giving the question some thought before raising a hand to answer the question.

"Probably because vines appear from the ground and since they're a part of nature, I'm guessing they'll hurt less? Ropes might appear to be more scary and new for animals.. something they're not familiar with?" Her eyes drifted back towards the box for a moment before focusing on the professor again, waiting for class to continue.

Aha! There it was!

Even though most people had mentioned something along these lines, he was glad that the Hufflepuff Prefect had specifically mentioned the part about the vines appearing from the ground. She would understand why shortly but it was a good thing she had mentioned it. "You're very right: they're likely to hurt less and won't be something entirely different for the animal. I'm glad you've mentioned the part about the vines being part of nature itself." Smile.

Move on? Move on.

Time was ticking, after all.

"Most of you have grasped the concept of the spell very well! The Ensnarement Charm is seen to be more ethical because of its use of vines and greenery to trap the creature. Because you are using something that the creature is more likely to be familiar with and less scared of. Vines have a bit of elasticity to them so they're not seen to be as restrictive as ropes are. Ropes are likely to scare and possibly provoke the creature even more and, more importantly, the material of the ropes might cause the creature some serious damage." And no one wanted to do that.

"Those of you who've questioned the ethics behind using the Ensnarement Charm," They knew who they were. "are right as well. They are, essentially, the same spell and a creature is still going to be scared about being trapped like this. Unfortunately, this is what the Ministry says you should do if you're faced with a particularly aggressive creature and need to wait for someone from the Magical Creatures department to deal with it. They say you should trap it where it is so that you don't cause it a lot of damage while an official comes to calm it down." Pause. "There...... are flaws to this plan, of course, but right now, this is what we've been told to do if our safety is in question."

Breathe.

"Something I want to draw to your attention is the fact that, unlike Incarcerous, the vines are grown and not conjured." Did anyone notice the difference in words when he initially described the spell? "You're growing the vines from the creature's environment rather than conjuring something new and unfamiliar at it. Because of this, it's helpful if you have a lot of greenery around you. A grassy area, a rainforest, some rocks with a bit of greenery growing on them..... anything that works. This spell, and it's important to note this, won't work in a desert." So they would need to use other means.

"While the spell is generally used to trap a creature, you could always find other uses for it. Facing a forest troll? Why not make it trip over the vines? That gives you enough time to make a run for it. You could always use it to distract someone you're duelling against so that you could shoot another spell at them." His green eyes twinkled over at the duellers in the room and he smiled. "It's all about strategy and doesn't just have to be about trapping a creature."

This...... was starting to turn into a lot of talking. Wrap it up, Hirschy. "As always, there is no use knowing about a spell without practising it so that's exactly what we're going to do right now." At this, he took out his wand and gave it an intricate wave. At once, words started to form in the air in large letters:

Quote:

Ensnarement Charm
A spell that causes vines to grow from an area/object of greenery
Incantation: Irretio (ee-REH-tee-oh)
Wand movement: clockwise circular motion over area you want the vines to grow out of, flick upwards towards the creature/direction you want the spell to go
Light: n/a
Difficulty: fifth year spell
Other: need to maintain a high level of concentration; more concentration = stronger vines

"Make sure to take note of the part about concentration: if you don't concentration hard enough, your vines could end up being weak, likely to breakage, or unlikely to grow very far in the first place." It's been known to happen. "Also note that the more greenery around you, the easier it'll be to use this spell. So if you work on the grass, you'll need less concentration and determination to make the vines grow than if you were to work on the rocks over at the side."

Breathe. Again.

"Now. If you're a first to fourth year, I want you to use the spell on the grass first. It's only when you've completed it, and there's time, that you can go onto trying on the rocks. If you're a fifth to seventh year, I want you to work on the rocks. You can start off with the grass if you want to but I do want you to try on the rocks as well." Make sense? "If you're a NEWT level student or an ambitious fifth year, you're welcome to try this spell non-verbally."

"So, pick an area of the grass or pick a rock and try out this spell. If you want to work together, that's okay as well. I'm going to give you......" He glanced down at his watch. "about ten minutes to practice and then we'll move onto the main activity."

"Ready? Off you go!"


Pause. "Abey? If you could come up here, please."


OOC: I'm giving out cookies to everyone who managed to read all of that holy crap

IT'S THE MINI ACTIVITY TIME! YAY!

The activity is: use the spell up there to make vines grow. First to fourth years: work on the grass and then move onto the rocks. Fifth to seventh years: you can work on the grass or go straight to the rocks but please try the spell on rocks at some point, if you can/want to. Please note: if there's less greenery around you, you'll need more concentration to make this work. More concentration = stronger vines. Simple.

I'm going to give you guys 48 hours for this portion. So, you have until the 16th of September at 8:30pm GMT+1 to make as many posts as you want.

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

Thanks, lovelies!

Kyle moved so he was away from the other students a bit and flicked his wrist so his wand snapped out of its holster and into his hand. He drew it in a circular motion over the grass and flicked it to the side, incanting: "Irretio!" Nothing happened. He took a deep breath and repeated the wand movement. "Irretio!" Nothing. He was getting slightly annoyed. Deep breaths, Kyle. It won't do you any good to get irritated. Your concentration will just waver. So, he took another deep breath, visualized the vine coming from the ground, and made the motion with his wand again. "Irretio!" At first, he didn't see anything. But then he looked closer and saw a small sprout where he had drawn the circle with his wand. Well, that was something, at least.

As Professor Hirsch came over to talk to Derf, Emmeline had reluctantly moved aside for the professor and gone to sit next to Stasya. She still had a significant amount of attention focused on her Hufflepuff friend, though, as Professor Hirsch started the lesson. But then...his first question...all thoughts fled the Gryffindor's mind as her mind went BLANK. She could feel her heart speeding up a LOT, and her palms getting all sweaty and gross. What did he mean?!

It was NEVER, EVER, EVER OKAY TO HURT A CREATURE!!!!!!! Even those runespoors in the IMPS tournament last year -- Emmeline had watched half in terror for the champions, and half for the creatures. She would've way preferred that the champions simply have to find a way to get away from the runespoors... She wasn't totally stupid; she knew that there were plenty of Dark creatures out there that could or would hurt people if they got the chance. But honestly, it wasn't the creatures' fault -- it was just in their nature or their instincts or whatever. And that was why wizards at the Ministry worked to help contain or keep people away from those creatures; it was a necessary evil, like with dragons. As much as it pained her to think about dragons being stuck on a reserve, she understood why it was necessary. But this....

Emmeline felt a tiiiiny bit better as she heard some of her classmates' answers, but she couldn't find her voice to add to theirs. And then Professor Hirsch was describing this horrible spell and the thought of it being used on a creature was just...just...

Horrible. She didn't care what the Ministry had to say about it; letting wizards have that kind of power over a creature was just WRONG. So, so wrong. Hand still shaking and sweaty, she raised it tentatively and tried to catch Professor Hirsch's eye as everyone started scattering to practice the spell: "P-professor... What's to stop someone making the vines go around the creature's NECK?" Her voice cracked A LOT as she asked this super important question; her mouth was trembling and her eyes kept darting back to the shaking box that was obviously hiding a creature for them to practice this awful spell on... And she couldn't just sit here and let that happen. She COULDN'T.

So Emmeline did something incredibly reckless, even for her; she didn't think about it, didn't consciously decide to do it... She wasn't even aware of WHAT she was doing; one second she was sitting there frozen in horror, the next she was jumping up and SPRINTING right for the box, her wand outstretched even while her hand shook and formed a wand movement from memory, as if on auto pilot. Next second, she was screaming: "Alohomora!" The only thought penetrating through the fog of panic and horror in her mind was that she had to get the creature to safety. She remembered only too well what it was like to be trapped, to be just waiting for a wizard to raise his wand and strike at you while all you could do was wait and try desperately to escape...

She couldn't let that happen.

Okay, well... if Junia said that it was going to be okay, then Abey believed her. Because Junia didn't lie to him and she always always always made sure that he was safe and also was actually literally the best person ever actually.

"Okay." Abey's whispered response was accompanied by a nod, and said simply enough, but he still kept a really really really firm grip on Junia's hand.

......... Ohhhhh noooooooooo. He got a 'see me'. NOBODY EVER WANTED TO GET A 'SEE ME'. Was he going to get in trouble for sleeping before the lesson, or whispering to Junia during class, or being a bother? Or all three? Or something he didn't even know he'd done yet? Or something he was probably going to do? Ohhhhhhhh noooOOoOoOOOOoooOooooo...

Biting his lip, Abey nodded anyway and tried his very hardest to NOT think of how he might be thROWN INTO DETENTION for something or everything and to listen instead, except for also he was still thinking about tendrils and monster hands and a cold, gloomy, not-Hogwarts Hogwarts and.....

Yikes™

When the activity was started and Hirsch called Abey over to him, Abey gave Junia a nervous glance but did indeed get to his feet. He rationally realised that maybe maybe maybe he wasn't in trouble at all, purely because Hirsch was calling him by the shortened version of his name, and not 'Mr. Botros'. Teachers here always did that when they were being kind from what Abey could tell, but even so... his brain had a way of making him believe that the WORST was always coming, even when all the signs said otherwise. Probably something to do with being a Seer of DOOM and DESPAIR and DESTRUCTION, you know?

Moving really very quickly, wanting to get out of everyone's way before they started practicing in case he got hit by someone's spell - by accident OR on purpose - Abey headed right over to Hirsch. But, before he even had a chance to say aNYTHING about what he wanted, Abey quickly beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, Professor Hirsch. I didn't mean to be annoying or anything, I sWEAR," he blurted out, alternating between wringing his hands and tugging at his school tie, unintentionally pulling it tighter and tighter in the process. "I won't be anymore trouble, I promise. I literally promise."

Junia was tempted to follow Abey, especially after receiving that look, but she knew he could handle this and, well, she wanted him to be prepared. She hadn't felt that way when Rula left and even if she was only a fifth year now, time seemed to be going by way more quickly the older she got. It was scary. And it meant she'd be having to leave Abey, Aaron, and Alanna sooner than she would ever be ready for.

Giving him a reassuring smile, the fifth year watched him go and then got to her feet. She knew her concentration was going to be way off until she knew he was okay, but she'd at least look like she was being productive.

"Irretio...Irretio...Irretio" She eyed one of the rocks thoughtfully, then glanced back towards her cousin. Hm. "Irretio...Irretio.."