Archer wasn't quite so happy about two things: 1) having to continue to wear her uniform to classes even though they were now living in Hogsmeade and 2) having a lesson at Madame Puddifoot's. The place just was not her type of place, not with the lace doilies and candles everywhere. It totally had a grandma aesthetic and while she did love her grandma, she just wasn't here for it.

Alas, this was going to be one of those aforementioned lessons. "Hello, Professor Beryl," she greeted, choosing a table near the windows. And trying to completely ignore the doilies. Also, what? They weren't allowed even a snack? "Aw." Because that was the only thing she liked about this place, the food.

Daisy entered Madame Puddifoot's, trying to hide her slight displeasure at her surroundings but at least there was a fraction of normality in the final weeks of her time at Hogwarts. "Hello, Professor Beryl," she greeted with a smile as she made her way over to Archer and sat down next to her.

Dorian opened the door to madam puddifoots and walked in. He had never been inside before so he looked around at the decor with mild interest. He came to the conclusion that it was not his taste but at least he should be glad that the classes were continueing. "Hello Professor Beryl" he greeted and gave a slight nod of his head to show that he had heard her. He wasn't hungry anyway.

He and walked over to one of the empty flowery tables nearby Sterling and Daisy who he both greeted and sat down. His blue eyes found the tin of cookies immediately but did not pick it up or sneak a bite. Instead, he pulled out his notebook and textbook from his bag and placed them neatly on the table together with a self inking quill.

While some of the others seemed to be incredibly displeased with the new setting and current circumstance, Nina was in a surprisingly better mood than usual. Perhaps it had to do with the assurance that they were safe from the mist. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that she had never been too fond of Hogwarts to begin with. Or, there may have been an entirely different reason all together. Either way, she wasn't sour walking into class for one of the first times all year.

She paused briefly after entering the shop to acknowledge Professor Beryl. Someone who she still was not incredibly fond of, but had garnered respect for over time. Without saying a word, however, she made her way towards the frilly tables to find a place to sit. She wasn't a fan of the Hufflepuff prefect, and so she swiftly avoided that table before choosing to sit next to an older Ravenclaw (Dorian).

He was cute and probably smart, too.

There were a lot of weird lessons this year - with very weird settings as well - but this had to be the weirdest one so far. Maybe he should be used to this since they were in Hogsmeade for their lessons but...... well.

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows as he looked around the teashop. Uh. This was..... cute. That was the only word for it. Cute. He didn't really know how to feel about it because, well, it wasn't as loud as the Three Broomsticks - which was a very good thing, in his opinion - but he didn't really like tea.

He also heard that this was a where people came on dates, which....... yeah.

Ignoring how quickly his heart was beating right now, the Gryffindor wandered further into the shop and over towards an empty table. "Hello, Professor Beryl," he said, shooting her a smile before sitting down. The table was small and frilly but he wasn't paying attention to any of that. Instead, his eyes found the tin directly in front of him and, without a second thought, he looked inside to see.....

....... cookies? Cookies. Cookies with rune designs on them.

Now that was cute.

Nearly as soon as they’d been told lessons were going to continue in Hogsmeade, Stasya had been curious exactly how that was going to happen. She’d figured the professors, especially the headmaster, had plans, and questioning those weren’t advisable given all the tension given the evacuation. The need for evacuation, for which she was almost sad she was graduating at the end of term. She wouldn’t know if the younger students got to go back to the castle in September, unless she stayed in touch with her ickles. Granted, she’d already resolved to do that, but still, it wouldn’t be the same.

Plus, she hadn’t really been back to Puddifoot’s since Koen had graduated, so it felt odd walking over to the tea shop. In her uniform as if she was simply walking to the Runes classroom. It was all sorts of odd, even without the knowledge that everyone else was also likely feeling the strangeness.

“Hello Professor Beryl,” she said, giving the woman a smile and a slightly curious expression as she entered the shop. Hopefully the shop didn’t suffer with not being able to sell things while they were there. She figured it had all been situated, though. Hopefully. The question stayed unasked as she made her way over to sit at the table Lucas was sitting at, giving the younger boy a smile too. She wanted the younger students to know she was there for them, too. In case they didn’t.

Gunnar was exceptionally grouchy when he walked into the tea shop for class today. He knew everyone was simply doing their best but honestly the situation was terrible. If he didn't think it could get any more crowded with doubling up dorms, he only had to wait until trying to fit an entire school at the Three Broomsticks. Personal space was a precious commodity.

But he put on a polite smile as he greeted the professor with a hello and turned to find a seat. He enjoyed Ancient Runes and maybe stretching out a bit in a new location would put him in a better mood. The Slytherin found an empty table and sat down, glancing at the tin of runic cookies in front of him. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

No.

Everything about this was no.

No.

Nope.

If it were not for the fact that he genuinely enjoyed the study of runes, Eiji would not have even left his bed this morning. Despite earlier lessons having their unappealing qualities, he still was not keen on how much time had been spent on these arbitrary personality traits and their pseudo associations with runes, he was compelled towards the subject and its general practicality. But there was nothing, nothing practical about this location. It was torturous and for reasons far deeper than its obnoxious aesthetic.

Barely able to make eye contact with the healer, his dependency on calming draught being something he was rather ashamed of, he entered the establishment with much reluctance.

His chest feeling more and more hollow with each step, the fourth year looked for an already half occupied table to seriously dwindle his chances of things becoming more complicated than they already felt. Which meant he was going to move as far away from Nina's location as he could manage. Even on his good days he could barely handle how she conducted herself in lessons - today he would combust with the slightest pseudo feminine charms.

Which was why he slid into the seat beside Gunnar. It felt the safe option.

......even the cookies were unwanted irritants of astronomical proportions.

"....these better serve some functionality," he grumbled to himself as he pushed them further away from himself.

As interesting as it was to have lessons in the shops and pubs around the village - it just felt WEIRD to Nettie as she walked in to Madame Puddifoot's. She felt like she should be here on a date...that was the only time she'd stepped into the tea shop previously. With Ethan. Yikes. That felt like ages ago, but really, it had only been about a year...which was still ions in teenage time.

Her eyes scanned the shop, trying to find a spot to sit. The tables were too small for her liking. It was all too...intimate. She spotted Eiji almost immediately, and he was looking...extremely sour today. She wasn't quite sure she had the energy for that sass at the moment...she spotted Dorian sharing a table with Nina, though, and figured that might be a better option today. Her fellow Ravenclaw was usually pretty friendly.

She smiled at them and walked over, taking one of the seats at the table. "Hey!" she greeted the two as she sat down. Thank goodness they'd picked a somewhat larger table, because everyone was already sharing with someone and she didn't want to be sitting alone. Even if it was just a class, sitting in THIS restaurant, without someone to sit with her, just felt...pathetic. She eyed the cookie runes with a small smile. Cute touch.

Tina thought she would be happier after leaving Hogwarts, but while she certainly wasn't complaining about leaving the mist behind, she felt every bit as trapped here as she had in the castle. Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, it didn't matter: it was just trading one prison for another. All that had changed was the scenery. She was still stuck in a place she hated with people she hated even more, and she was sick of it. She needed her space! How much longer until the end of the term? She just wanted to go home!

As she entered the tea shop, Tina felt a wave of disgust at the decor. Eww, everything was so frilly! Well, beggars can't be choosers, she supposed. No point in complaining. "Hello, Professor Beryl," she greeted politely, giving a nod of acknowledgment as she passed. She almost chuckled at the professor's words. There was no need to worry about her ordering anything off the menu. She wasn't a big fan of the sweet treats the tea shop served. and besides. she hadn't the money to order anything even if she wanted.

Tina took a seat at the least crowded table, taking care not to come into contact with the frilly decorations. For now, the cookies went unnoticed, as all her attention was on the Professor as she waited for the lesson to begin.

"Hello Archer. Sorry to disappoint. But you can have the rune cookies when the lesson is done." Yes, unfortunately she did need them to stay on task until the end. She was making the best of a bad situation and at least having the entirety of Puddifoots set aside for the lesson meant there'd be less external interruptions. She smiled encouragingly at Daisy as she sat down, joining her housemate. "Hello Daisy.".



"Hello Dorian. Glad to see you're in good spirits." And good manners too. At least he did not seem to shook up as some of the students certainly had been exhibiting with the mist and all. Yes they had left it behind now, but it was still disruption enough to send some of the children mentally spinning. She couldn't blame them.

Actually, Nina Castillo seemed to be holding up rather well too, at least she seemed rather the same as she had before the mist, despite having had a run in with it, which Carmine had treated in her capacity as healer. She was still keeping an eye on the girl - still expecting more from her.

"Nina. Good to see you." And glad she hadn't tried to drop the class given how much she clearly enjoyed the subject. "Nettie, welcome." Professor Beryl added as the Ravenclaw girl joined that table.

Yes, it was obvious.



"Hello Lucas." Professor Beryl greeted in return, noticing the boy check the tin, a twinkle in her eyes. "You can sample them after the lesson, you'll be needing them during. Hello Stasya." She added, greeting the Gryffindor prefect as she joined Lucas.



"Hello Gunnar, hello Eiji." The professor greeted both Slytherin boys with a welcoming, warm smile. She noted the somewhat... moody aura that Eiji was sporting, but she didn't draw attention to it or make any comment. It was fine, her own fifteen year old son was a master of such moods too. It was best to just leave them to it unless it got in the way of their learning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Tina thought she would be happier after leaving Hogwarts, but while she certainly wasn't complaining about leaving the mist behind, she felt every bit as trapped here as she had in the castle. Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, it didn't matter: it was just trading one prison for another. All that had changed was the scenery. She was still stuck in a place she hated with people she hated even more, and she was sick of it. She needed her space! How much longer until the end of the term? She just wanted to go home!

As she entered the tea shop, Tina felt a wave of disgust at the decor. Eww, everything was so frilly! Well, beggars can't be choosers, she supposed. No point in complaining. "Hello, Professor Beryl," she greeted politely, giving a nod of acknowledgment as she passed. She almost chuckled at the professor's words. There was no need to worry about her ordering anything off the menu. She wasn't a big fan of the sweet treats the tea shop served. and besides. she hadn't the money to order anything even if she wanted.

Tina took a seat at the least crowded table, taking care not to come into contact with the frilly decorations. For now, the cookies went unnoticed, as all her attention was on the Professor as she waited for the lesson to begin.

"Hello Tina, I'm glad to see you." Carmine said, greeting the girl with a warm welcome as she took a seat. Yes it was true the decor wasn't for everyone, but at least it was safe and quiet and warm, and they could take their time to focus on the lesson at hand without distraction. Or at least, with as little distraction as possible.


-------------

Once a few more students had arrived and taken their seats, Carmine welcoming them all by name -first names now that she was better acquainted with them all- she addressed the classroom.... err.... teashop at large.

"If you haven't peeked into the tins in front of you, perhaps you'll be interested to note that there are cookies inside, but they aren't just cookies c they are runes. You'll be using those today, and when we are done you may take your cookies with you to share with friends, or if you want to continue using them for runework they should last you through your exams." She expected them to be eaten though, really, these were teenagers, and those were delicious sugar cookies.

"Today we are continuing our work with runecasting. Your practice with runic correlations should be helpful for you with interpreting rune readings - I expect to hear all of you making the effort to find deeper, more thorough meanings in your readings, rather than simply taking a rune at face value." They were expected to think and marry creativity and logic in their interpretations, which was why she had been challenging them with different runic correlation systems.

"Firstly, let me reiterate, runecasting is not fortune telling. It is not divination as per what you study in that subject. Runecasting makes use of the subconscious of a magical individual. When you cast the runes, you are not seeing the future, you are examining cause and effect and drawing conclusions about the most likely outcome. This means that what you discover when you read the runes is not set in stone: it is mutable and changeable. It is a process of magical evaluation." Professor Beryl explained, pausing for them to take whatever notes they wished in their rune journals.

"When you pose a question for the runes to answer, your conscious and subconscious mind focus your intent toward that question. The runes themselves are the channel through which you receive your answers, and the spread in which you draw out the runes is helps you frame the question and interpret your results. If you like you can compare these three elements to casting a spell - you need your intent for that just as you need your focus when casting runes, you need your wand just as you need the runes, and you need to make use of the most appropriate runespread, just as you must use the correct wand movement in a spell." So all three aspects were important.

"For those of you who are more science-minded, runecasting makes use of understanding the human psyche, cause and effect, and the interconnectedness of all things. If you wish to boil it down as such you may consider it a form of psychology in that sense. Today we will do a simple three-rune spread, and you'll be expected to choose a more complex spread to work on for homework. Before we get started with the runecasting, I have a question I'd like you to all consider. What external factors do you think might have an influence on the effectiveness of your runecast? What do you think you can do to account for these influences or minimize their effect?" There were so many possible answers, she was interested to hear what they thought.

ooc: the lesson has begun - if your student is late at this point they will be in trouble for it, so if you want to join in just go ahead and post as if they were already here! Students should be taking notes on what the professor has said, and should also be answering the posed question. Any questions, please PM me! We'll be moving on in around 18 hours.

Nina concentrated on being very cute and pretty for the Ravenclaw she was sat with (Dorian) in hopes that the boy would take notice. It was difficult with Ravenclaws, as most of them had priorities elsewhere. But not entirely impossible. She did, however, keep a watchful eye on the door as their table wasn't quite yet full. Finding herself somewhat disappointed, while equal parts relieved when Eiji had chosen not to join her. She wasn't oblivious to his disapproval, but was still quite concerned for her friend and would have liked to be present for him. His sour mood was, unsurprising and dependent on who he sat with it would only get worse, she was sure. Which is why it was a relief to see he was with Gunnar.

Though she wouldn't claim to know the boy extremely well, she did have a fair amount of respect for him. And knew him to have a level-head, he was quiet, reserved, and didn't stick his nose in other people's business. All things Eiji Rastings needed at the moment. Things Nina Castillo didn't need at the moment? Trinetta Gladin. No offense. Despite being quite displeased that Nettie had chosen to take a seat at her table, Nina gave he a polite smile. Nettie was... intense. And drama seemed to follow her where ever she went... Which is why Nina was... cautious.

Anyway, none of this mattered now as Professor Beryl was addressing the class and it was time to begin the lesson. One which Nina planned on learning from despite their odd location and rather impractical circumstances. She hadn't been curious enough to peek at the tins, but their Professor had identified their contents so it really wasn't a big mystery that needed solving. She could practically see her classmates salivating over the cookies. Nina would obviously be keeping them for runeswork until exams. She wouldn't let something like this go to waste. She also had a fair amount of self restraint. It wouldn't be difficult. Besides, she could probably get Dorian to share some of his if she batted her eyelashes enough.

The Slytherin absently played with her hair, feigning disinterest while she actually took diligent notes. Ancient Runes was among one of her favorite subjects for the reason that it was not fortune telling. Divinations was much like a pseudo-science. Runes was the real deal. It required a fair amount of logic, research, and accuracy, but also required some level of creativity, open mindedness, and interpretation. Much like Arithmancy, it provided a balance of both the left brain and the right. She appreciated that.

As far as the question went, Nina's mind immediately went to the elimination of outside disturbances. For example, she would never attempt to runecast in the Common Room. For the most obvious reason that others may see her and find out how much she loved the subject, but also because there was constant noise, first years running about, House Elves popping in and out, Eloise Fairfield who would no doubt make Nina cry. All factors which would pull away from the ability to concentrate on the task. Nina didn't raise her hand to offer up any of her thoughts though. Unsurprising.

Eloise was just sitting somewhere in the room. Just not with Nina and Nettie. N&N or with Mr. More Boring Than A Dead Person and Eiji. But she was here and wanting to eat these cookies already. They looked good.

Also while she could really use it as a reason since some classes change it the weird and bizarre every time she enters the door. It was distracting in here. So fun fact. It is the first time she has stepped foot in this place.

Guess if it was fortune telling, runecast that is, we would be in divination and not Ancient Runes. Just a thought

Anyway time to answer

"If you are serious with your question or whatever before you even start the runecast"

Like what if you where just trying cast a joke question.

Which is on brand for Eloise and what she would do if not supervised.

Despite the change in scenery and being able to breathe some fresh air again, Missa felt weary - and just wanted to go home. But nope, they were being made to stay - they were being made to concentrate on classes when bigger issues were at hand. Like the castle being enveloped in a mist unknown and the still very much missing kids. At least she had been able to write to her dad - at least.

So, she hadn't been late to this class - she had just been quite dull in her movements and had made it just in time to find a table at the back.

When professor Beryl started speaking, she was relieved - because it give her no chance to look into her surroundings or take account into the fact that at one point she gad wondered what it would be like to go on dates in this pinker than life teashop and the person she had wanted to go with was sitting nearby -- gloomy as hell. It was just so ridiculously apparent, it made her heart hurt.

So, the brunette just kept her head down and scribbled away whatever the healer said - and didn't bother offering an answer - others were doing a great job after all.

Drewett was definitely in attendance. Not late either. He'd never been late to a class before, and he had no plans of breaking that record either.

And he was sharing a table with Eloise too, whom Drewett had given a side glance at, while he was scribbling down his notes, for already munching on her cookies. Did she see that there were runes on them? And that they were learning runecasting today? But then again, this shouldn't have surprised him at all. He knew Eloise. The Slytherin liked to think with her stomach than with her head sometimes. Letting out a quiet sigh, he turned to face Professor Beryl when she started the lesson.

Uhm. Drewett raised his hand. "Noise, professor. I-I wouldn't want to be interrupted while runecasting," the fifth year said. And he was sometimes very easily distracted too. Not because he couldn't focus on whatever task was presented to him, but because there were definitely some people who would simply love to pester him. Maybe sitting beside Eloise was a bad idea, he'd only just realized. "Taking into consideration the venue b-before runecasting would make a d-difference."

"I'm just glad that we can continue lessons" he answered to the professor because he was in good spirit because of this. He would have disliked it if they had all been send home. As he placed his self-inking quill next to his notebook, Dorian looked up to see a Slytherin girl taking a seat. He knew her name was Nina but that was it. " Hey" he greeted before his blue eyes wandered over to Nettie as she sat down on the other chair. As a fellow Ravenclaw, he knew her of course and instead of a hey, he gave an upwards nod with a small grin.

When the Professor started to lesson, Dorian looked at the tin of cookies in front of him and made a mental note to use them later in the year for his exam. He opened up his notebook which was specifically for Ancient Runes and scanned the pages until he found the page he had used during the previous lesson as they seemed to continue. While he wrote down key words and phrases that the professor was telling them, he kept getting distracted by what Nina was doing...His eyes kept glancing her way despite wanting to focus on the lesson. A small smile played on his lips before the Ravenclaw pushed his chair closer to the table and continued to take notes. Focus.

Once he was finished, he placed the self-inking quill down neatly next to his notebook and began to think on how to answer the first question and raised his hand in the air. "I agree with the others about noise" he said and his eyes looked over at Nina for a second or two as the movement of her playing with her hair had caught his attention. At least she was taking notes."But it is is the movement around me that would distract me" he said as he looked back at the front. And he got distracted pretty quickly although it had gone down a bit since he started to meditated "As for minimizing the influence i would make sure that i'm alone" Simple right? Or use petrificus totalus on anyone nearby when they moved...that could work as well. He was a hundred percent sure it would land him in detention though so not the best option. Avoidance was the best.

Having lessons in random locations around Hogsmeade was just too much of a change for Cordelia to cope with. It was bad enough that they had to leave the castle in the first place, and now the headmaster was trying to make them carry on with classes here as if everything was okay. It wasn’t okay. She didn’t like this new environment and there was no way she could focus on classes in this strange place, especially after the whole everyone almost dying in the mist thing. There was nothing consistent or predictable about their current living situation at all and it was severely impacting her school performance and her overall well being. Not to mention the crazy amount of stress that was sending her blood sugar through the roof and she was just exhausted. Physically and emotionally she just wasn’t in a state where she could handle doing lessons. Normally Cordelia would have been full of energy and coming up with crazy answers to any questions that she wasn’t totally sure about. However, she was currently sulking at a table in the back corner of the room. No, she hadn’t looked at the rune cookies and no, she didn’t have any materials out for taking notes with. She wished that the school would have sent them all home after the evacuation. What she wanted most of all right now was for Lorelai Stemp to get the headmaster to let her go home. Cordelia stared blankly at the professor when she spoke, not really processing the words that came out of Professor Beryl’s mouth. No, she wouldn’t be answering the professor’s question nor would she be putting any brainpower into answering the question. When would she be able to go home?

As much as Lucas would've pretended to be happy about sitting on his own at the table, he was relieved when someone else sat down on his table as well. Someone he didn't mind in the slightest. He returned Stasya's smile with one of his own. Hey. Hi. Hello.

When Beryl started speaking he turned his attention to her, instead. They could sample them later? He was glad about that. Even if the smarter option would be to keep them until the end of term but....... well. They were cookies. Wouldn't they turn stale? Would they turn stale? He didn't know but he knew that he couldn't have that.

But, runecasting. That's what they were going to be used for today. Not for seeing the future but for making his own conclusions and finding deeper meanings behind these runes. Something that helped? Comparing runecasting to casting spells. He glanced down at the cookies, almost trying to visualise himself casting spells and then replacing his wand with the runes, instead. Huh.

Maybe he should write that down.

Something else he was making a note of, on top of all of that, was Beryl's talk about the human psyche and interconnectedness and psychology. That seemed to make a bit more sense to him as well, even if psychology wasn't something he understood a lot. But there wasn't any time to think about any of that, and Beryl was moving on so he wasn't going to ask any more.

Now. External factors? Well, he knew exactly what would effect his runecasting: noise. Noise was very distracting but that had already been mentioned so...... back to square one. He frowned slightly, his chin resting on the palm of his hand. What else would distract him? A lot of things. Mostly internal things like thoughts and worries and all of those things that clouded his brain. But Beryl wanted external factors so that wasn't it.

Yeah, he was staying quiet.

Tina was all ears as Professor Beryl addressed the class. The chaotic situation with the mist had changed a lot, but her willingness to learn remained the same as ever… despite any aversion she had to the overly cutesy setting. She had overlooked the tins on the table until just now, but she took a quick peek at the cookies inside as the Professor pointed them out. Well, that was interesting. She wasn't sure what to make of the cookie runes, but she had to give credit where it was due, it was a creative idea! She listened intently to the lecture, jotting down some notes along the way, and her ears perked up at the mention of science. Hmm… she'd never thought of runecasting as similar to psychology before, but Beryl's explanation made perfect sense. It was an interesting concept for sure, but before she could get too absorbed in it, there was a question asked. She bit her lip, lost in thought.

People had already mentioned noise level and the type of question asked, but something the professor said took Tina's thoughts in a completely different direction. Professor Beryl said runecasting involved understanding the psyche, so did that mean one's emotional state played a part in the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of runecasting? Maybe certain runes were easier to cast in a specific state of mind? For example, Wunjo, which was associated with joy and pleasure, might be easier to cast in a state of happiness. As far as things one could do to minimize the effect, the obvious answer was to clear one's mind and keep one's emotions in line while runecasting… but emotions were an internal factor, not an external one, right? That was probably way too far off base! Tina didn't want to risk being wrong and embarrassing herself in front of everyone, so she kept her thoughts to herself for now.

They often heard about the Inner Eye and all that hullabaloo, but Eiji was beginning to believe in it. He was certain now that he had a sixth sense and it manifested itself in knowing when Missa was present. Without even looking up from his parchment he could feel her, smell her, even see her features in his mind. Which was maybe why he was even more stubborn in not looking up. She wanted her time so he was giving it to her.

Professor Beryl's question was a bit of an ironic one - he had tuned out most of everything else she had said and wasn't all that apologetic for doing so.

What external factors do you think might have an influence on the effectiveness of your runecast? How about being a bloody teenager. They were probably the most turbulent bunch and least reliable for any sort of reading, runecasting or otherwise.

Nerissa had been the entire time, possibly earlier than most people. Certainly early enough to grab a table for herself and pointedly spread her things around it to keep others from joining her. Ancient Runes was complex (difficult) enough without all the distractions that would come with letting someone sit within touching distance.

And despite what she'd told Zai, it was actually more than a bit odd that his mother was the Ancient Runes professor. And healer. It made her feel self-conscious; almost like she was intruding on something. Which was a weird way to feel about something that had nothing to do with her, but she often felt a lot of things that left her feeling quite perplexed, and at turns, aggrieved with herself.

The location wasn't exactly helping, as cute it was.

She sat ramrod straight on her chair, hands resting on her lap, appearing serene, though feeling anything but. Her quick quotes quill took diligent notes from her, though she could see from the corner of her eye that they were messier than they ought to be. Probably her own fault, somehow. Nerissa raised her hand. "would the manner in which the rune was carved--"--or baked, which made her wonder if Beryl had done these herself or had ordered them from Puddifoot's--"have any effect at all and would it qualify as an external factor? If both the conscious and subconscious play a part when a question is asked, wouldn't the same apply to when the rune is being made?"

As per usual, Professor Beryl cast a look over at Nina to see if she was paying attention, and as usual she was somewhat disappointed that the young girl did not volunteer an answer, but it appeared she was taking notes at the least.



And young Miss Fairfield was the first to give an answer. Professor Beryl was pleased about that but less pleased that she hadn't put her hand up.

"Eloise, we may not be in a traditional classroom, but I do expect you to raise your hand before you answer. I won't warn you again." Or anyone else for that matter. "However, yes, that would be a factor in that how serious you are will reflect on the intent behind your question. Thank you for your answer."



While Carmine absolutely expected that Nina wouldn't give an answer, it was more surprising when Missa didn't volunteer one. She simply gave the girl an encouraging smile, glad to see that she was taking notes at least, but hoping she would engage further. Perhaps this mist situation and her other situation had effected her even more deeply than the professor had been aware of, even in her capacity as the school healer. She made a mental note to check in on the girl in private soon.



"Yes, noise and interruptions should be minimized as best as you can. Your location and surroundings can have a huge influence on those things, thank you for your answer." Professor Beryl said, giving the young man a kind smile.



"As am I, Dorian. It is nice to keep busy and keep a routine during trying times." And of course school would go on with as few interruptions as possible - there was no benefit to cutting short the opportunities for a thousand wizarding children, was there?

She noticed that Dorian was industrious with his note-taking and she very much approved of the young Ravenclaw's engagement with his classmates' answers. She nodded as he elaborated on that. "Very true, movement in your surroundings is an inevitable distraction at times. Being on your own is an excellent way to counter that."




Cordelia seemed particularly distracted to the point that professor Beryl might have been exasperated were she any other professor, as it was she did not wish to encourage the blatant lack of focus. Cordelia was old enough to cope and ever since the evacuation, Carmine rather thought that the girl had been behaving less maturely then her own youngest children who hadn't reached Hogwarts age quite yet.

"Cordelia, pay attention please. Why are you not taking notes?" There was no excuse for coming to class without preparing. Would she have to talk to the girl after class and assess her medically once more? If she wasn't coping, it would perhaps be better for her not to attend school at all. This would require some attention, it seemed, but Carmine was in agreement with the headmaster regarding certain aspects of educating children who had some kind of special needs - they would, inasmuch as they were able to provide support, but if it became a difficulty or in the best interest of the child, they would be released home and not encouraged to return.



She could see young Mr Dakest was listening closely and thinking about what was going on, but it appeared he had no answer to provide. She gave him an encouraging nod and smile - really she would much rather hear him say something, but as long as he was engaging with the material, listening, and note-taking, she'd not complain or draw attention to the boy.



Usually Carmine looked forward to how Tina engaged with lessons, she always had interesting things to say and genuinely seemed to be interested to learn new things and try to understand difficult concepts rather than shy away from them as some did.

She seemed to be thinking hard, by the look on her face, but no answer was forthcoming. Professor Beryl watched the young woman for a moment but didn't press her. At least her notes were likely thorough, she seemed to be taking notes industriously.



There seemed to be a lot of teenaged vibes in the makeshift classroom today. Was it because of the venue, specifically, or was it simply the nature of the beast? It was a shame, whatever it was, was holding Eiji back from providing an answer, he was a thoughtful individual when that teenaged angst was not clouding things.



Nerissa was a thoughtful one, Professor Beryl had noticed, it was always clear that she spent time considering multiple angles and her question made that obvious.

"Yes, absolutely. The material which your runes are made from are an important consideration, so to is the consecration and activation methods - sometimes you will find with experimentation that you have better results with certain materials, and with different methodology when creating your runes - whether they're carved or painted, or in this case iced," in red icing, "to mark out each rune symbol."

_________

Quote:

Originally Posted by notes

What external factors do you think might have an influence on the effectiveness of your runecast?
Noise, distracting movement, weather, time of day, surroundings, environment, intent, if you're rushed, the materials your runes are made from, the methods used to consecrate and activate your runes.

What do you think you can do to account for these influences or minimize their effect?
-awareness of surroundings, solitude where possible, minimizing distractions, control of your environment where possible, understanding your runes

Professor Beryl decided not to mention that she was disappointed that so many of them had chosen not to voice answers, but she would also reward those who did later. As long as they were engaging however, she did not truly mind.

She had a small blackboard which wrote on itself some of the question responses plus a few more answers for them to consider, but this lesson was not meant to be hugely theory based - they had covered so much of that with the runic correlations that it was simply time to start applying that knowledge intuitively, and she wanted them to get stuck into the activity, perhaps distract themselves from the collective teenage angsting.

"The rune cookies you have in front of you have been consecrated and invoked and are ready to use. With your own rune sets it is generally advised that you do this process yourself - and I would highly encourage all of you to experiment with creating your own runes from scratch in order to have a rune set that is truly attuned to your energies. However, for the purposes of this lesson, and for the remainder of the term and your exams, these will suffice, as will any store bought runes you may be using." She said, just to address that first of all.

"If you have a rune cloth, now is the time to spread it in front of you. If you don't, you may use one of the large white paper doilies for now." Which worked with the cookie theme, did it not? "This surface area will serve as the boundary for your runecasting and also keep your runes from getting dirty." She paused for them to set this up, it only would take a moment though.

"We are going to do a three rune cast today, which is also known as casting the Norns. The Norns are the Norse goddesses of fate. Urdh: goddess of the past, Verdhandi: the present, and Skuld: the goddess of the future. What has been, what is, and what will be. This makes a simple framework for any question you choose to ask. The first rune is representative of the past of the situation in question. The second is representative of the path that the you are currently on, and the third indicates a likely outcome if you continue on the present path." That was the reasoning behind it. It was interesting that there were myths associated with such things - useful memory devices for those who were inclined to pay more attention to stories.

"When you are ready, carefully form a question in your mind. It is important that you focus your intent and do not change your question midway through your reading. I would like you to spread your runes out on your work area, all of them upside down. Mix them around gently and keep your question fixed firmly in mind. Continue this until you are compelled to pick a rune. First the past, then the present, then the future. Lay these out, without yet turning them over to look at your selection. When you have all three runes laid out still face down, push the remaining runes aside and, with your question still in mind it will be time to begin your interpretation." She said, pausing again to allow them to take notes on these steps and absorb the instructions fully.

"Flip each of your three runes over as if turning the pages of a book, in order from past, through present, and finishing on future. You may pause to consider the meaning of each one as you go, or turn each of the three and consider the runes holistically, depending on your preference." Easy enough.

"I'd like you to each do two readings. The first one you must do on your own, the second one you may choose to partner up and do for a classmate if you wish, but you may do that second one on your own too if you like, it is up to you. You are encouraged to talk about your readings with each other too, though this is optional depending on how personal of a question you choose to focus your reading on- however if I come to speak with you, I do expect that you'll explain your interpretation to me at the least." And she would come around to everyone, they ought to expect that by now.

"Remember, if your runes are reversed, or 'merkstave' they should be interpreted as such! Do not turn them the right way up. You may begin now, and if you have questions you may raise your hand and ask."

ooc: sorry for the slight delay! This is the activity portion of the lesson - there is no post minimum but to get full credit your character needs to do two readings. It is up to you whether you work with someone else or not on the second one, and up to you whether or not your character is chatty about their work or not.

You can just select whatever runes you like (if you want to have your character's get specific results for their questions) or you can use something like this to generate a selection.

If you have any questions let me know! If you need Professor Beryl to come to your character, title your post accordingly.

Maeve had been in some truly interesting places over her six years as a student, but she had to admit having a lesson at one of Hogwarts top date places was definitely one that topped the cake. Her stomach had rumbled slightly at the cookies, but she wasn't overly stoked about them either. Honestly, she wasn't focusing much at all the last few weeks (read: months) and it was even a surprise the gryffindor had managed to attend today's lesson except with them sleeping in close proximity it was kind of hard not to. There was only one thing on the blonde's mind, you see, which was that of a certain hufflepuff that no one else really seemed to care. Apparently the lives of hundreds were worth more than two.

Distractions? Was Beryl being ironic? Normal Maeve would have definitely found that funny, but considering the circumstances of being in a completely new environment, one that was geared towards promoting romance, current Maeve didn't find that funny or ironic at all? No. She just sat there, observed, listening to her peers - or at least pretending to - someone had already mentioned environment either and the only other thing Maeve had was 'your own thoughts', which probably was more of an internal factor than an external. Except the fact that external probably contributed to that of the internal factors. Unless the external factors that Maeve felt was lack of proper instructors, but that was not something she would be saying aloud.

Rune cloth? She was worried about THAT when students were missing? Yea right. Obviously she'd be using a one of the white paper dollies.

The question on her mind was one that had been plaguing her for weeks, since she'd learned of her disappearance. Since she didn't show up to art practice with Nico. Since she didn't show up to anything. It was honestly, truly, the only question she wanted to know but one she feared the answer to. Is Kamryn Keighley okay? Is she alive?

Her first rune, Eihwaz... a rune involving change? Hardiness. Strength.
Wunjo... glory... bliss... joy... Did that mean that Kamryn had found joy wherever she was??
Inverted Kenaz - rebirth ... inspiration...

Rebirth. The only reason rebirth would exist would be if Kamryn was .... oh no... oh no... her light eyes flicked back to the first ... draw strength... from your past... find the joy ... the joy of knowing the amazing and innocent soul that was Kamryn. The joy of having an amazing and loving boyfriend. The joy that Hogwarts was almost over, even if she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Speaking of almost over, she needed to talk to said amazing boyfriend.

Gunnar had his own set of purchased runes and had even been toying around with the idea of carving his own runes, but he found it rather interesting that they were provided with cookie runes that were in fact invoked and not just for a fun, class relevant treat. He had his own supplies set out on his side of the table, along with his notes. He knew much of what Professor Beryl was lecturing on as he had been learning about runecasting in lessons previous, but he added a little more relevant information to that section in his notes.

He also jotted down specifics for what they were meant to do in class today, then pulled out the rune cloth from his bag, setting it out in the table in front of him.

"Do you want to do the second reading together?" he asked his table mate, Eiji, as he turned to look at him. It didn't matter much either way to him, but since they were sitting together and the professor gave them that option, then might as well get another viewpoint.

But for now, he needed to work on his own first. And as they were supposed to discuss their questions and results with the class, Gunnar wasn't about to do anything too personal. Perhaps he should focus on the mist as that was pretty much on his mind all the time anyway. Pausing to focus on the question, the sixteen year old then pulled out three rune cookies without looking and placed them face down on his rune cloth.

Turning over the first rune, he saw that it was Isa. He supposed that made sense since it was associated with blockage and inactivity, magically stopping a process. The mist situation seemed to stop everything in its tracks regarding life at Hogwarts. Next, was Raidho and he flipped through his book to work out what that might mean for the present situation. Hmm, change and progress.... and protection for travelers? Interesting. He turned over the third rune to find Kenaz. Again, he wanted to consult his book for this one. Wisdom and insight? Dispelling anxiety and fear? He'd certainly hope so.