COOL. She'd guessed the right charm! She was pretty excited about using this charm, too. She'd always thought it was so cool how Hermione Granger carried soooo much stuff in her bag during their defeat of Voldemort! She raised her eyebrows as the professor mentioned fitting one hundred wizards into a bathroom using the spell. That would be one LONG wait!

She was surprised at how easy the charm seemed to be to execute. Just the incantation and a point of the wand. She guessed the hard part would be making sure everything was all packed up in there the right way. Okay, well, let's get this one then! Maddie turned toward the bag she'd selected and withdrew her wand. "Capacious Extremis!" she said, trying out the incantation first. "Capacious Extremis!" That had been easy enough.

Time to put the wand with the incantation! She looked toward the bag and focused on what she was trying to do. She wanted the inside to get bigger, while the outside would stay the same. "Capacious Extremis!" she called out, but this time, she pointed her wand toward the bag.

Naturally Kaysha had already learnt this spell. If she remembered correctly, it had given her somewhat of a difficult time while she was here at Hogwarts as a student but she eventually mastered it. Now she was more than willing to assist any student that needed help. So, she left her post by the supplies to begin prowling among the students. It was clear to see the kiddos were working hard. “For those of you who are already familiar with the spell, I encourage you to help those who are not.’’

Speaking of helping...

Keen blue eyes fell on a certain Hufflepuff.

The look Kay was receiving was enough to tell her what the matter was. That along with a conversation that had taken place earlier at least.

The professor made her way to Lyn. “Having trouble? Not a problem. Let’s try this together, shall we?’’ She beamed at Lyn then quickly summoned one of the bags. “Let’s start with the incantation first. I always find that practicing that first helps. Ca-pa-ci-ous ex-tre-mis.’’ The words were said quite clearly. “Go ahead. You try. When you’re satisfied with that, try on the bag. Just focus on imagining the inside of it being extended. Pull all your thoughts into just that.’’

She knew Lyn could do this!

Before she could worry one more moment, Professor Stewart was there to save the day. She silently nodded at the question and listened as closely as possible to the way the professor was saying the incantation. Ca-pa-ci-ous ex-tre-mis. Ca-pa-ci-ous ex-tre-mis. Rolled aorund in her head several times before she whispered it out loud. “Ca-pa-ci-ous ex-tre-mis” she closed her eyes and imagined the inside of the bag stretching and extending, large enough for all of her things to easily fit inside.

Her hand slowly moved to retrieve her wand and she placed the bag before her. “I think I’m ready to give it another try.” She didn’t let her eyes leave the bag as she spoke. “Ca-pa-ci-ous ex-tre-mis!" Her wand poked towards the bag and she willed the insides to extend. She reached her arm inside to feel around, but her fingers quickly hit the bottom. “Ahhhrrrg.” Her foot stamped the floor with anger and frustration.

Thankfully, Professor Stewart was with her and she was able to quickly regain her composure. “Sorry about that, it’s just so frustrating to always get it wrong!” She whipped back around to the little bag, eyeing it as if it was causing the problems, and shouted “Capacious Extremis!" Emmalyn reached down, picked up the sleeping bag and rammed it into the little troublemaker bag. Much to her surprise, it slid in easily. So easily that she instantly looked to Professor Stewart “Did you do that? Was it me? Wait, I think I did it.”

Her smile couldn’t have been bigger and she had to restrain herself to not wrap up Professor Stewart in a giant hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. It was all she could manage to say for fear she would start crying.

Gaston watched from his place at the front of the room as the students began their activity. So far, so good. He was going to ask the students to help each other out, but Kay beat him to it; he smiled, nodding to underscore her words. With that, he started to wander around the room in the opposite direction of his colleague.

An angry voice caused his head to whip around, spilling his black hair into his eyes, and he weaved through the piles of supplies to Daisy's side. "You aren't in trouble about the bags, Daisy," he assured her. Certainly not with him, and he would gladly take the fall for her if any stuffed shirt at the Ministry even tried to make trouble about it... which, admittedly, wouldn't surprise him at all after last term. It was a simple misunderstanding, could've happened to anyone! He shot her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry you couldn't use your own bags, but I hope you understand why we have that rule." Using bags that were approved for manufacture with the charm made trouble with the Ministry a lot less likely. "The important thing is that you already know how to do a spell that many students older than you struggle with. I'm impressed with your initiative!"

He gave her a small smile before turning away, but his smile vanished as he saw Emmalyn struggling - not because she couldn't yet do the spell, of course! He knew how difficult that spell was to master, so he had a plan B in place. If all else failed, he had a supply of bags with the charms still on them for anyone who needed them. Besides, he never expected perfection, just effort. He wanted to help the poor girl but she was looking to Kay instead, so he reluctantly forced himself to stay out of it for now. He glanced at the other professor. Did they need him? It was taking every bit of restraint he had not to go into overprotective dad mode and rush over there, especially when he saw her stamp her foot. Seeing her so upset deflated his mood, and he was seriously questioning his decision to teach the Undetectable Extension charm. he should've know it was too hard...

Just when Gaston thought they should pack it in and call the trip off, Emmalyn did it! He could no longer stay out of it and approached her with a huge smile on his face. "Congratulations, Emmalyn! I knew you could do it," he said, his eyes twinkling with pride. "I'm so proud of you for not giving up! That was quite an accomplishment. Even Hermione Granger struggled with that spell when she was a lot older than you, and she was the brightest witch of her time."

He glanced around the room, silently hoping there wouldn't be any more problems, and beamed as he saw Maddie practicing. She looked to be on the right track so far. "Great start, Miss Kemp!" he praised her, though from where he was standing, he couldn't quite tell if her first attempt at the spell had been successful. "How's it going so far?" If she needed help, he was right here.

OOC: You still have AT LEAST 33 HOURS to finish, so no rush!

Even though Felicity wasn't taking Muggle Studies, she was planning on sitting the Charms NEWT that summer and she loved camping.

Muggle Studies was good for something. She'd only been once since she'd moved to England, and even then it had been back in the States when she'd taken Flynn to visit, but she hoped that this trip would prove fun. The seventh year had also already had plenty of practice with the Undetectable Extension Charm, but she was trying to work on her non verbal casting, so surely the Professors wouldn't mind if that was what she decided to do?

Pulling her wand out, she focused on the bag in front of her, thinking the incantation and trying to focus on her intent. Capacious Extremis. Even in her mind, her thoughts of the words were shaky, and she knew it hadn't worked before she could even bother checking. After a few more non verbal attempts, and an unsuccessful attempt to put the sleeping bag in the camping back, Felicity decided that it just wasn't happening.

"[i]Capacious Extremis,"[/b] she ended up muttering, and maybe it was the fact that she was annoyed, but the first attempt didn't work. After taking a few deep breaths, her voice was stronger. "Capacious Extremis!

The sleeping bag slipped in easily, and Felicity grinned as she looked at the other stuff to pack. Having been disheartened with the non verbal attempt on the Undetectable Extension Charm, she didn't bother trying it this time. "Pack!" Pointing her wand at the remaining items, they arranged themselves easily in the bag.

Chloe settled on the floor next to her pile of supplies, drawing the bag into her lap as she sat down. Knowing a spell like this was dead useful, although it sort of bummed her out that it was restricted by the Ministry. Did that mean that when people used it for packing their trunk, they were breaking the law? She supposed that if she had a charmed trunk that she gave away someday, and it got into Muggle hands, that would be a problem, but she wasn't that dumb!

"Capacious extremis." Before actually charming her bag, Chloe practiced just the incantation a few times, followed by some wand flicks. Not like the motion was hard, but sometimes the timing was tough. Did you flick at the syllabic stress, or at the end, or at the start? She'd go for the end and see if it worked.

"Capacious extremis," she tried again, pointing her wand this time... and maybe it worked? Only one way to tell. Chloe grabbed up her sleeping bag and struggled to put it into the bag. It did not work. Hmmm.

Ronan had stayed silent amongst all the repeated callings out of the Undetectable Extension Charm, Reducio and Pack, as there was no need for him to add to all the repeatings. Besides, it was pretty obvious which one they were going for there. Undetectable Extension Charm for the win! And the information about its use being restricted by the Ministry seemed reasonable to him, due to exactly the type of thing mentioned by Professor Marchand. And of course, one of the younger kids just had to go try to show up the older by stating that she'd already cast said charm on her bags. When were they going to learn their place?

Anyway, Ronan focused on the pile of supplies he'd moved over to (one with a tent) and repeated the spell under his breath until he was confident that he was pronouncing it correctly. Once he was sure, he aimed his wand at the provided bag and cast nonverbally 'Capacious extremis'. Of course, there was no way of knowing if it had worked until he tried to pack all of the stuff into it. So, he took aim at the pile and nonverbally cast 'Pack'. As all the supplies organized themselves and zoomed easily into the bag, a small smile appeared on the Head Boy's face. The spell had been successful.

She beamed with pride at his words. It meant more to her than she could ever say that he was proud of her hard work. "Thank you, sir. I didn't want to disappoint you." All the practicing she had been doing with Daisy was really paying off. She was going to thank her friend again when they got back from the trip. Maybe even bake some cookies for her.

Emmalyn continued to smile as she finished packing all of her supplies in the one tiny bag. It still amazed her what magic could do. Growing up as a muggle hadn't prepared her for life as a witch. There were still so many things that she didn't even know were possible and she was continually surprised by them.

Seeing Emmalyn beam like that made Gaston's smile grow wider, if that was even possible. He was so glad she was feeling better now; he'd never be able to enjoy himself on the camping trip with one of his precious students upset! His expression changed slightly as she spoke. Disappoint him? He couldn't imagine that ever happening! "Of course you didn't disappoint me," he assured her. "I don't expect you to get every spell right every time; as long as you try it, you're doing exactly as I ask."

He weaved back through the piles of supplies, his blue eyes scanning the room. He saw Felicity and Ronan successfully cast the Undetectable Extension Charm and magically pack their bags. Both seventh years received an approving beam. "Excellent work, Miss Harrington!" he said. "Nicely done, Mr. Carter!"

As Gaston continued to roam the room, he noticed Chloe having a bit of trouble with the spell and sidled over to her to over some helpful advice. "You certainly have the incantation down, Miss Kettleburn," he said, offering her an encouraging smile. "Why don't you try pointing your wand between the first and second words of the incanctation... see if that works."

He checked his watch as he resumed his place at the front of the room. Wow, was that the time already? "You have FIVE MINUTES LEFT!" he announced to the class. "Everyone who is already packed may grab your bags and wait for the portkey at the front of the room. The rest of you, finish packing. If you're having trouble, raise your hand and professor Stewart or I will help you. We have a supply of already charmed bags, just in case your run out of time, but I'd like you to try casting the Undetectable Extension Charm yourself first. We'll be leaving at 7:15 sharp."

OOC: You still have AT LEAST 12 HOURS left. The portkey will leave when Ali posts to move us on.

Every once in a while, Stasya felt like she’d done something right even if she hadn’t actually done anything. She hadn’t offered a suggestion to the question that had been posed to the class, mostly because she’d felt deep down that the only answer was the undetectable extension charm and that had already been mentioned. It hadn’t mattered, as that had been what they were learning. But, she hadn’t had to move since she’d already been sitting down next to one of the piles, so that had helped out. All she’d needed to do was take her wand out to try the spell.

Although, she’d left her wand lying in her lap at first. Practicing the incantation was always her first step in any practical activity, even if she’d also tried to remember when her mama had used the spell sometimes. Maybe on her trunk before she’d headed to Hogwarts, anyway, but the memory wasn’t really helping very much. “Capacious extremis,” she said softly to herself, repeating it a few times just to make sure she’d gotten it right. Determination only worked if she actually tried to get the spell right, and since the wand movement was so easy she figured that meant spending as much time on the other part of the spell before she bothered trying it for real.

Finally, though, as others had started actually packing their supplies, she picked her wand up. “Capacious extremis!” Pointing her wand inside the bag, she tried to focus on making the inside seem way bigger than it should be. Either way, she wasn’t going to find out unless she tried to actually pack the supplies for her pile inside, although she was tempted to just see how far she fit in there herself. It would find out if her spell had worked, anyway.

Instead, she picked up her sleeping bag and started trying to fit it inside. At least that worked. There was a lot of other things to pack yet though, and it made her grateful that she had her cookies in her school bag. Snacks were covered no matter what.

When Maddie heard the professor compliment her on a great start and ask her how things were going, all she could do was nod. She was in the middle of concentrating on getting the spell right, and if she broke that concentration now, she'd probably have to start all over. The professor wasn't exactly right by her, though, so he'd had no way of knowing she was in the middle of things. Hopefully that nod in reply would suffice for now!

She had just pointed her wand forward and called out Capacious Extremis. To test her work, she picked up a rather large item out of her pile and dropped it toward the inside of her bag. It disappeared within. "Wha--...? Where--...?" she asked herself, even though she knew what had happened and where the items had gone. That had been the first time she'd done the spell herself. She decided to just pack the items herself. After all, she'd already tossed the largest one inside. But then---FIVE MINUTES LEFT?! Merlin!

Not having much time left at all, she decided to try Pack instead. After all, the wand movement and incantation were almost for toddlers. "Pack!" she said, pointing her wand forward. She began moving her pile of items from the pile and into the bag. Pretty soon, she was all done. Now she could answer the professor's questions! "Sorry, Professor! I didn't think I could break my concentration! Things went great, though!" she said. "I'm all packed up and ready to go!"

Chloe flashed a grateful look at the professor, who seemed to be exactly grasping her difficulty. She'd been waiting to flick the wand until too late in the incantation, and it just wasn't working at ALL. Dropping the sleeping bag and grabbing up her wand again, Chloe tried again.

"Capacious extremis," she flicked the wand right in the middle this time, and although there was no visible sign it worked, she felt better about it this time. Probably just the power of suggestion. Still, she picked up her sleeping bag, and it fit easily into the sack. They were leaving soon, right? Chloe hurried to pack everything else into her bag.

Patience was one of those things Kay had developed since her early years of teaching muggle kiddos. The trait stuck with her because it was one that was always required with her profession. As it presently was, she stood by quietly, focused only on Lyn at that moment. Practicing the incantation went rather well. When it was time to cast the spell, she found herself feeling even more confident in the Hufflepuff even when the spell was a dud the first time around.

She reached out to pat the girl’s shoulder. “Try again,’’ she said encouragingly. It was too understanding about how frustrating failing can be. But on the next try... Lyn did it! “That was all you.’’ Kay was grinning as she assured Lyn that she did everything on her own. “You’re welcome.’’ Really, it was rewarding enough to see how much Emmalyn was happy.

“Now comes the beginning of more fun,’’ Kaysha whispered before returning to the front of the Charms classroom.

* * * * * * *

“Great job, everyone!’’

“After you’ve all followed Professor Marchand’s instructions, I’d like for you to form groups so that you’ll be able to take a portkey to the camping ground.’’ The portkeys were gathered up in her arms which she was now randomly handing out: a deflated ball, a cracked water bottle, a tiny old plant pot and an old CD so scratched that the music refused to play properly. For Gaston and herself or if anyone else wanted to join them, there was an old shoe. “Chose someone with a portkey after grabbing your bags. Make sure you’re all touching the portkey for we’ll be off shortly!’’ She saw you, excited people.

Kay gave them a minute or two to make any last-minute scramble for anything they had forgotten. “Right. Everyone should be in contact with a portkey now.’’ Including you, Gaston. Because now they were off! They were travelling through that gap of nothingness until their feet... or butts, bellies or whatever other body part collided with the wooden area near to Cashel Campground.

The portkeys had been set up so that the group would arrive at a Muggle free area and away from prying eyes. Kay dropped the shoe and looked around at the kiddos. “Everyone arrived safely?’’ When it was determined that everyone had or if anyone needed some patching up from a fall, she spoke again. “We will need to walk to the Campground which is not very far from here so let’s get to trudging along.’’ She looked to Gaston. Ready, partner? She began to lead the way and as she did so, the second question for the lesson was posed. “Who here has pitched a tent before? I’ll be needing someone or two to demonstrate when we arrive at the Ground. Also, do you have any tips about tent pitching? Any do's or don'ts?''

Which should be soon...

OOC: This part of the lesson will last 24 hours. Basically, the kiddos are taking the Portkey and arriving in a little wooded area off the edge of the Ground. They're currently making their way towards it.

Woah, it was almost time to go already? Ronan grabbed his duffel and his bag of supplies and joined the group at the front of the room, taking hold of the old CD when it was offered.

He felt the portkey activate and closed his eyes, figuring that would help with some of the discomfort that came with portkey travel. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Ugh. But a few minutes of deep breathing made the worst of the nausea go away and he was able to focus on what Professor Stewart was saying as she lead the group towards the campground. Nope, he didn't know how to pitch a tent, as the last time he'd gone camping his uncle had done all of that. But he did have a don't. "Don't accidentally stick a pole into your foot." He had heard of someone doing that before and it didn't sound pleasant.

More fun? She was more than ready for more the fun to start. Her bag was packed, tent and all, and she was ready to find a portkey to grab hold of. The deflated ball was closest to her, so she grabbed hold of it with the strongest grip she could muster. Her last few portkey travels were rather disorienting, but each time got a little easier. She hoped that it would continue to get easier and less dizzying the more she traveled that way.

Before she could work herself up with too much worry, they were off. The spinning, the falling, and the feeling of utter chaos all happened at once. She could feel them traveling closer and closer to the ground. At the last possible moment, she let go of the deflated ball and made a not so graceful, but more graceful than any of her previous landings landing. She landed hard on her feet, and it was a major win in her book.

It only took a few moments for her to regain her center of balance and head off towards the rest of the group. Just in time to hike to the campsite. Emmalyn walked in step with the professors and her classmates, listening to the responses before adding in her ideas. "Well, I've pitched a tent several times before. At least a few times a summer my last three summers before Hogwarts. I'm sure I remember enough to help." She readjusted the straps of her backpack before continuing. "It's important to find an area that's flat and free of sharp objects, like rocks and sticks, before starting the setup."

Undetectable Extension Charm. It was really no surprise to the seventh year that they were going to be learning that charm and listened as Marchand spoke some information about the spell. Hmm, so they couldn't just willy-nilly cast the spell on say their trunks to make them larger? That was actually really interesting to Skylar that this charm needed Ministry approval as well, but also made her wonder, how many undetected cases of the charm went by on an annual basis? She assumed that, as with unauthorized portkeys, that these extension charms went by unauthorized probably with more frequency.

"Capacious extremis," she rehearsed, to ensure she knew the pronunciation and then 'Capacious extremis' a non-verbal incantation and pointing her wand at the bag. How would she know if it worked? Oh, try to shove something way bigger into it, as Marchand had demonstrated? Taking one of the sleeping bags, she carefully tried to insert it ... only ... it didn't go in as effortlessly. Weird, she was ordinarily more focused for charms. "Capacious extremis" she cast again, this term verbally, figuring that maybe her lack of concentration had been affecting her ability to cast non-verbal magic. Marchand wasn't as picky with the non-verbal thing for NEWT students as some other Professors, thank Merlin. This was why he was one of her favorites.

And because she'd already used the packing charm last summer - because she was of age when she was packing for her seventh year - Skylar decided to go with that again when packing the bag. "Pack." The supplies effortlessly fitting into her bag this time.

....

Portkey. To the campground. Oh, she should have known they were traveling by portkey, which despite Skylar's initial deadpanned expression, she had arrived prepared to the lesson today, perhaps with an inkling she might need it. That was to say, she had some anti-nausea potion with her, to which she retrieved the vial and downed a gulp of its contents before grabbing her bag and touching one of the portkeys.

Landing on her bum, the world was still spinning but at least she didn't feel nauseous as she had previous encounters with portkey travel. Preventative worked, it seemed, and she just sat there a moment, collecting her thoughts and focusing her attention on the Muggle Studies Professor. Pitched a tent. Yes. Last summer most recently and Skylar was feeling rather nostalgic, as she recalled the camping trip with some of her fellow seventh year girls plus Luci. Listening a moment to her peers, she waited, collecting her thoughts some more before raising her hand.

"I've assisted with tent pitching before. One of the things you want to make sure too is that other people are clear, as well, because you don't want to injure anyone."

Gaston continued to keep a watchful eye on the students as time for the mini activity wound down. He returned Maddie's nod with a smile... one that she probably wouldn't see since she appeared to be deep in concentration. Upon seeing her successfully cast the Undetectable Extension Charm and pack her bag using magic, he beamed. "I understand, Miss Kemp," he said. "Your concentration certainly paid off. Well done!"

Elsewhere, he saw Stasya and Skylar perform the spell. The two girls each received an approving smile, though there was a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked at the Slytherin. She seemed a bit... distracted, though he supposed it was probably stress over the impending NEWTs exams. "Excellent work, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova and Miss Diggory!"

Gaston was pleased to see that his advice on timing the wand movement had helped Chloe, and he gave her an encouraging beam as she perfected the spell. He was proud of her for getting the spell right, but even more so for not giving up. "Great job, Miss Kettleburn! I knew you could do it," he said.

Soon after that, it was time to leave. They needed to get to the campground in time to pitch the tents before dark! Adjusting the straps of his bag, Gaston joined Kay at the old shoe. He inwardly chuckled. Really, Kay? A shoe? They couldn't have the cd? He was just kidding, of course!

He felt his stomach drop as the shoe transported him to the woods near the campground, and soon he landed safely on his feet near the other professor. The nauseous feeling only lasted a few seconds. He was fairly used to portkey travel, given his lack of skills on a broom and his aversion to floo powder. Bright blue eyes scanned the area to make sure all of the students arrived uninjured. "I have anti nausea potion in my bag, if anyone should need it," he informed the students.

With that, he yielded the floor to Kay as the group walked on, bringing up the rear so he could keep an eye out for stragglers. He listened to the students' answers, offering an approving smile here and there. He had nothing to add at this point; their knowledge of tent pitching surpassed his own. Camping was a relatively new experience for him, having spent so much of his life in isolation, and on the rare occasion he had been, he pitched the tent with magic.

OOC: Don't mind me, just checking in. You still have tome to answer the question.

After grabbing her bag and slinging it onto her back, Felicity hurried over to where Skylar was stood with a portkey, and offered her fellow Snake a grin. She didn't have time to say anything, though, before they were being whisked away. For the first time in her life, she landed on her feet, immediately sticking her arms out to regain her balance, and then looked around.

And offered Skylar a hand to help her up.

Following Professor Stewart, Felicity didn't immediately raise her hand to say she'd pitched a tent before. Of course, it was something she'd been doing since she was a little kid, but she didn't fancy demonstrating in front of the class - a nice space at the back where she could see everything that was going on was more her style. She did raise her hand, though, when they were asked about camping advice.

"You're supposed to leave a good amount of space - a good few metres - between tents," she started. "So if one catches fire, they don't all go up." Slightly morbid, but it was a valid point.

Ohh, this was SO EXCITING! Maddie was a bundle of energy just waiting to burst and take off! She quickly gathered all her belongings, all the while thankful for that charm that had made carrying them so much easier! She skipped in anticipation as the portkeys were distributed. A cracked water bottle somehow made it into her hands, so Maddie held it tightly as a few others joined in.

Oddly enough, the Hufflepuff ended up landing on her feet, and she stayed in that position for all of a second until she slipped and fell on her bottom. Wonderful. She brushed herself off, checked that she still had all her belongings, and then followed the group. Pitch a tent? She'd never done that before. "I know you should follow the directions perfectly and try not to get in a hurry," she said, "otherwise, the tent won't even stay up."

Chloe had her bag packed in record time, and she headed toward the gathered portkeys. They were all a little dirty and worn, which was always so amusing to Chloe. Why did they have to use trash for portkeys that were never going to fall into Muggle hands? Was it habit? Or worry?

She scooted in next to those putting their hand on the deflated ball, just in time to feel the whoosh in her belly and the world went swirly. Maybe some day she'd land on her feet without toppling over, but today wasnt that day. Chloe looked at the professor and raised her hand. "I think I know how to build a tent, Professor. I mean set it up. I've helped my dad before." He was an archaeologist, y'know.

SPOILER!!: Ronan! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty

Woah, it was almost time to go already? Ronan grabbed his duffel and his bag of supplies and joined the group at the front of the room, taking hold of the old CD when it was offered.


He felt the portkey activate and closed his eyes, figuring that would help with some of the discomfort that came with portkey travel. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Ugh. But a few minutes of deep breathing made the worst of the nausea go away and he was able to focus on what Professor Stewart was saying as she lead the group towards the campground. Nope, he didn't know how to pitch a tent, as the last time he'd gone camping his uncle had done all of that. But he did have a don't. "Don't accidentally stick a pole into your foot." He had heard of someone doing that before and it didn't sound pleasant.

Kaysha walked backwards for a little while, eyes swiveling to Ronan. Of course, his remark made her laugh a little. “That and any other body part. Even an accidental hit could be fatal.’’ Now she looked more closely at the Head Boy, a frown creasing her face. Luckily, Gaston seemed to have already put his finger on the problem and was offering up a solution. “You can rest at the Ground if you need to, Mr. Ronan.’’

SPOILER!!: Lyn! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birchwoodmom

More fun? She was more than ready for more the fun to start. Her bag was packed, tent and all, and she was ready to find a portkey to grab hold of. The deflated ball was closest to her, so she grabbed hold of it with the strongest grip she could muster. Her last few portkey travels were rather disorienting, but each time got a little easier. She hoped that it would continue to get easier and less dizzying the more she traveled that way.


Before she could work herself up with too much worry, they were off. The spinning, the falling, and the feeling of utter chaos all happened at once. She could feel them traveling closer and closer to the ground. At the last possible moment, she let go of the deflated ball and made a not so graceful, but more graceful than any of her previous landings landing. She landed hard on her feet, and it was a major win in her book.


It only took a few moments for her to regain her center of balance and head off towards the rest of the group. Just in time to hike to the campsite. Emmalyn walked in step with the professors and her classmates, listening to the responses before adding in her ideas. "Well, I've pitched a tent several times before. At least a few times a summer my last three summers before Hogwarts. I'm sure I remember enough to help." She readjusted the straps of her backpack before continuing. "It's important to find an area that's flat and free of sharp objects, like rocks and sticks, before starting the setup."

After another concerned look at Ronan, the woman turned her attention to Lyn. “That is indeed another great answer. For instance, when you unroll your sleeping bag, you wouldn’t want to go to sleep on a rock. That would be highly uncomfortable.’’

SPOILER!!: Skylar! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Undetectable Extension Charm. It was really no surprise to the seventh year that they were going to be learning that charm and listened as Marchand spoke some information about the spell. Hmm, so they couldn't just willy-nilly cast the spell on say their trunks to make them larger? That was actually really interesting to Skylar that this charm needed Ministry approval as well, but also made her wonder, how many undetected cases of the charm went by on an annual basis? She assumed that, as with unauthorized portkeys, that these extension charms went by unauthorized probably with more frequency.


"Capacious extremis," she rehearsed, to ensure she knew the pronunciation and then 'Capacious extremis' a non-verbal incantation and pointing her wand at the bag. How would she know if it worked? Oh, try to shove something way bigger into it, as Marchand had demonstrated? Taking one of the sleeping bags, she carefully tried to insert it ... only ... it didn't go in as effortlessly. Weird, she was ordinarily more focused for charms. "Capacious extremis" she cast again, this term verbally, figuring that maybe her lack of concentration had been affecting her ability to cast non-verbal magic. Marchand wasn't as picky with the non-verbal thing for NEWT students as some other Professors, thank Merlin. This was why he was one of her favorites.


And because she'd already used the packing charm last summer - because she was of age when she was packing for her seventh year - Skylar decided to go with that again when packing the bag. "Pack." The supplies effortlessly fitting into her bag this time.


....


Portkey. To the campground. Oh, she should have known they were traveling by portkey, which despite Skylar's initial deadpanned expression, she had arrived prepared to the lesson today, perhaps with an inkling she might need it. That was to say, she had some anti-nausea potion with her, to which she retrieved the vial and downed a gulp of its contents before grabbing her bag and touching one of the portkeys.


Landing on her bum, the world was still spinning but at least she didn't feel nauseous as she had previous encounters with portkey travel. Preventative worked, it seemed, and she just sat there a moment, collecting her thoughts and focusing her attention on the Muggle Studies Professor. Pitched a tent. Yes. Last summer most recently and Skylar was feeling rather nostalgic, as she recalled the camping trip with some of her fellow seventh year girls plus Luci. Listening a moment to her peers, she waited, collecting her thoughts some more before raising her hand.


"I've assisted with tent pitching before. One of the things you want to make sure too is that other people are clear, as well, because you don't want to injure anyone."

Skylar seemed to have recovered from that fall. Mercifully it hadn’t been a nasty one. Kay, now nodding her head, turned to face ahead of them for a moment. They were there now she could see the Ground quite close now. “Yes, safety of others as well as yourself is of utmost importance.’’

SPOILER!!: Felicity! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harron Peasley

After grabbing her bag and slinging it onto her back, Felicity hurried over to where Skylar was stood with a portkey, and offered her fellow Snake a grin. She didn't have time to say anything, though, before they were being whisked away. For the first time in her life, she landed on her feet, immediately sticking her arms out to regain her balance, and then looked around.


And offered Skylar a hand to help her up.


Following Professor Stewart, Felicity didn't immediately raise her hand to say she'd pitched a tent before. Of course, it was something she'd been doing since she was a little kid, but she didn't fancy demonstrating in front of the class - a nice space at the back where she could see everything that was going on was more her style. She did raise her hand, though, when they were asked about camping advice.


"You're supposed to leave a good amount of space - a good few metres - between tents," she started. "So if one catches fire, they don't all go up." Slightly morbid, but it was a valid point.

Kay blinked a good three seconds or so at that answer. “Well, yes. I suppose that’s one way at looking at it. A good idea to keep in mind but I’m quite sure nothing of the sort will happen this evening. Never fear!’’

SPOILER!!: Maddie! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Ohh, this was SO EXCITING! Maddie was a bundle of energy just waiting to burst and take off! She quickly gathered all her belongings, all the while thankful for that charm that had made carrying them so much easier! She skipped in anticipation as the portkeys were distributed. A cracked water bottle somehow made it into her hands, so Maddie held it tightly as a few others joined in.


Oddly enough, the Hufflepuff ended up landing on her feet, and she stayed in that position for all of a second until she slipped and fell on her bottom. Wonderful. She brushed herself off, checked that she still had all her belongings, and then followed the group. Pitch a tent? She'd never done that before. "I know you should follow the directions perfectly and try not to get in a hurry," she said, "otherwise, the tent won't even stay up."

“Precisely! Whether reading or following someone else’s, this is very important. The tent is your protection while you’re asleep from many elements. It would do everyone well to set their tents as recommended.''

* * * * * * *

“Alright, everyone! We’ve made it.’’ Indeed, they had. In the bright moonlight, the trees cast shadows on the green grass. Kay had lead them right to a clearing that happened to be quite cozy. Gaston had picked the perfect Campground for the lesson. “You can set your gear down on the ground.’’ Her own instructions followed then she turned to face the class yet again.

“I was not kidding when I said I’ll be needing a few demonstrations to get the tents up and going,’’ Kaysha told the gathering, blue eyes twinkling. “Do we have any volunteers?’’

SPOILER!!: Chloe! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Chloe had her bag packed in record time, and she headed toward the gathered portkeys. They were all a little dirty and worn, which was always so amusing to Chloe. Why did they have to use trash for portkeys that were never going to fall into Muggle hands? Was it habit? Or worry?

She scooted in next to those putting their hand on the deflated ball, just in time to feel the whoosh in her belly and the world went swirly. Maybe some day she'd land on her feet without toppling over, but today wasnt that day. Chloe looked at the professor and raised her hand. "I think I know how to build a tent, Professor. I mean set it up. I've helped my dad before." He was an archaeologist, y'know.

"That's wonderful! Then maybe you'd like to be one of the demonstrators?'' Keen eyes on you, Chloe!

OOC: *waves* Hey, all you beautiful people! It’s tent pitching time This is where our main activity commences so you can have your character volunteer if they like then begin pitching. Of course, Kay wouldn’t leave any of them floundering and we’ll post again in 24 hours. Have fun, get creative! Let tents come crashing down, the kiddos get trapped in it... all the things

See…they were going to be using the undetectable extension charm.

Septimus listened attentively as Professor Marchand when over the basics of the spell. The wand movement was simple, a point at the object that you wanted to apply it to. The incantation, just a little tricky. When they were released to practice, the Ravenclaw quietly repeated the words over and over without casting first in hopes of getting a feel for the way the incantation should sound and roll off his tongue. And then he tried it on his supply bag, once…twice…three times before it managed to hold for him to add one of the bigger items in his pile.

Satisfied he was good, the second year proceeded to load everything up in his charmed bag as directed. It didn’t take long which was good as the professors were apparently ready to leave. He watched as Professor Stewart handed out portkeys, the Ravenclaw moving to the closest gathering group which happened to be an old plant pot. It wasn’t long after Septimus touched said item that he felt the effects of the portkey take hold, transporting his group along with the rest towards their destination. A destination that seemed free from other people or anything of notice besides their class as he looked around after landing.

Now for pitching a tent…Septimus couldn’t say he had. So, no volunteering from him for sure. He’d have to keep an eye out for others demonstrating and needing help from an unexperienced fellow classmate. He was willing to learn.

To be honest, the compliment from Professor Marchand had been the one thing that kept Stasya trying to pack her bag. Especially as everything in fact did appear to have fit, seconds before they were told that it was time to head out. At least she wasn’t going to be left behind, although on the one hand she’d have plenty to do. Not that she wasn’t planning on continuing projects while they were camping, if the lesson gave them any time to themselves. Mostly research stuff, as obviously any practical projects had to wait, as she slipped the charmed bag over her shoulders along with her own bag, containing cookies and her personal belongings (and at least one library book from Ollie’s stash, which she planned on returning in perfect condition) before joining the others at one of the Portkeys and touching it with a few fingers before feeling the weird sensation that was Portkey travel.

The landing wasn’t quite as graceful as she would’ve hoped, but she managed to stay upright anyhow. Upright, and she managed to shake off any lingering effects in time to follow Professor Stewart to the campground. Quietly, since she hadn’t exactly had any information to volunteer regarding setting up tents. She figured a real campground wasn’t the same as the tiny tent she’d used on the beach when she was younger. Maybe this could be practice if she chose to go camping again back home though. Maybe she could take her little brother.

Therefore, she was all too willing to accept help pitching her tent, even as she managed to find the one that had been in her pile back at the classroom amongst the other supplies she’d packed with the help of the extension charm and pull it out to spread it on the ground in a flat area. She’d listened to that much of the discussion, so now she just had to figure out what was next.

Way to much time had been spent on learning to cast the undetectable extension charm on her bag and packing it for her liking. It was by no means an easy charm to learn and it had taken all her focus and many tries before she had managed it on her own, to stubborn to ask someone for help. It was for that reason alone the professors questions had gone unanswered by her tonight.

With her bag of supplies slung over her shoulder along with her usual bag, Rylee joined everyone else at the portkeys. The moment her fingers touched it that strange feeling she always got in her stomach took hold of her. In what felt like a matter of seconds her feet hit solid ground causing her stumble slightly but luckily remain on her feet.

Glancing around the campground she smiled. It reminded her a bit of being back home in the forest and camping with her family over the summer. So it was no surprise that her hand shot up into the air. "I can help, professor," she volunteered giving her flying buddy a bright grin. Normally she liked to sleep underneath the stairs but she did know how to pitch a tent... mostly.

Demonstrate pitching a tent? Sure, she could try that. She rummaged around in her bag until her fingers landed on the bag with the tent. It was strange pulling such a large object out of such a small bag, but the was thankful not to have had to carry it all by hand.

Once free of the little bag, she placed the tent bag on the ground and scouted out the perfect flat spot. Tossing a few rocks and sticks to the side and seeing which way the wind was blowing from for optimal ventilation. "This is a good spot, and I think a few tents could be placed here, leaving enough room between for privacy and air flow."

She walked back over to her tent bag, opened the top and dumped the contents out. Poles, cover, stakes, and rope all fell onto the ground. It was not the kind of tent she was used to putting up. She had always used a pop up tent. Just a few twists and the entire tent was up and ready. All she ever had to do was stake it down. After taking a step back, she surveyed the unfamiliar contents and decided it give it a go.

Starting with the poles, she first connected them together, making one long pole. Realizing that wasn't going to work, she undid the poles and started over. Maybe she needed to place the tent on the ground before setting up the poles? That sounded like a better idea, so she took the tent to her level spot, placed it flat on the ground, sans poles, and crawled in to get a better look.

Once inside, she got all twisted and tangled in the light fabric, flopping and rolling around in an attempt to free herself of the mess. After what felt like five minutes of thrashing and working up a good sweat, she emerged with face flushed.

Emmalyn got to her feet, brushed her clothes off, and started at the deflated tent. "I guess I'm not versed in how to pitch this sort of tent. We always used pop up tents to camp." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Maybe I can be helpful by collecting some firewood?"