Ash was not too happy with the vines. Ever since she twisted her ankle... and don't forget the time by the Weasley Swamp... she had just been mercilessly chopping through any vines that were in her way. By the end of the year, they'd all be stuck in the vines like flies in a web. Ash didn't like that thought.

She hurried over to where the professor was(leaving a path of destroyed vines that was visibly disappearing by the minute), then flew into the air. One annoying vine tried to catch her ankle, but she severed it and rose higher.

"Monday morning, professor." Good morning? No. It was a Monday morning. That was the kind of morning it was. It wasn't awful, but yeah. It wasn't good.

The vines were little by little taking over every nook and cranny of the castle and Bella didn't like it. The vines were annoying, distracting and at times they could cause accidents or involuntary injuries. She had so far not been injured by any vines, but it was probably only a matter of time before that changed. On this monday she hurried out to the pitch with her broom in hand after breakfast. Bella quickly kicked off from the ground before her legs were hugged by any vines or worse her broom got tangled in any vines.

Bella flew up to hover next to Ash in front of Mr Kazmi and smiled around at them both. "Good morning Mr Kazmi and Ash! It's a great day to fly right?" She had to try to sound positive because looking down at the vines would only put a dampen on her mood.

After a previous run in with the vines, Evan did not need to be told twice about being in the air away from them. Never before had he mounted his broom and gotten himself in the air so quickly after arrival to Flying. But he was not risking more awkward close encounters by the pesky plants, which were slowly starting to lose the charm he'd previously held for them. It was time they gave the school backs, the weeds that they were.

He managed to get himself over to where he was hovering by Ash and Bella, before offering a greeting. "Morning, Professor. Morning Ash, Bella." Was it a good day to fly? He supposed so, as it seemed the safest place with the grounds and castle overrun. Though on the other hand... knowing they could move now, rather quickly, he was concerned just what their limit was. Evan really hoped to not find out.

Violet was usually less than eager to get on a broom, but today she wasted no time in following the teacher's advice, because she was becoming seriously alarmed about the plants all over school. Besides, ever since she'd missed the first class of the year because she was in the infirmary, she'd been trying to make up for it, lest Professor Kazmi should hold it against her. "Good morning, Professor Kazmi," she called, before the strain of trying to talk and ascend on her broom at the same time sent her off course, requiring all her attention to gain control and return to where the other students were hovering.

Claudine rolled her eyes having spied the idiotic vines. Honestly how could the Hogwartians permanently get rid of them? She could only guess if Kazmi was feeling irritated about seeing the grounds in this untidy state. Claudine knew he would be. Carefully, the Snakette picked her way over to Kazmi’s general direction.

Straight into the air then? She did as was instructed, coming to a lazy hover beside the man. “Hi, professor. Those vines are an eyesore, aren’t they?’’ It was after greeting him that Claudine looked around at the others. “Hi, guys.”

Heath was getting really tired of the vines! They were sort of pretty at first, but this was ridiculous. School broom in hand, he hurried down the path to the training area as fast as he could without tripping over the vines. "Stupid vines," he mumbled under his breath, sending a non verbal diffendo at any vine that came close enough to touch him.*

Heath wasted no time in mounting his broom. As he started to kick off, a vine wrapped itself around his ankle, and he blasted it with a decisive severing charm. Finally free, he hovered mid air near Claudine and Ash. Merlin, he'd never been so glad to be on a broom! "Good morning, Professor Kazmi," he greeted. Smiling slightly at Claudine, Ash, and everyone else around, he said a quiet, "Hi."

He didn't want to say it...but also he absolutely wanted to say it. Though no adult seemed to be taking him seriously about following the vines and lopping them off at the root. At least the headmaster hadn't and that only fueled his discomfort around the man. He had a speculation, as he saw all the vines taking over the quidditch pitch, that IF they were to actually follow the vines it would lead them to the lake where Bartholomew Henry had surfaced and spoken about life getting killed off down there. It truly was a classic case of invasive species, wasn't it? The Gryffindor had even FURTHER suspicions and IF this all got pinned on his aunt Professor Flamsteed for her suggestion of location during planting the start of the term...well...he was going to be angry.

Not that Atlas had a little notebook or anything under his pillow where he was mapping things out to try and make sense of the vines that had all but destroyed his favorite pinball machine in the common room. That was when the Gryffindor had learned that the vines were like a hydra. It all lined up too nicely though, didn't it?

"Professor," Atlas said, diving right into his questions because what even were pleasantries, as he mounted his school broom and kicked off the ground a bit. "What if we use our brooms to follow the vines' path? Much fast than on foot and it will be the whole two fwoopers with one stone thing. Practicing precision of flight while being aware of our surroundings AND maybe find the origin of where some of the vines have been rooted." Another pause as he tried to come up with another selling point. "As it is...who is to say that the vines don't snap, like the tongue of a frog, and grab someone's broomstick midflight?"

Had Atlas ever seen the vines perform this sort of sentient behavior? Well...no...not personally but there were some rumors AND YOU NEVER KNEW!

Kins was in a sullen mood this morning and it could only get worse from here because mornings were her most favorite time of day. Even when they happened to fall on Mondays. Even then Monday mornings were, objectively, the worst kind of mornings... Though they were no match for Sunday nights, which took the cake for being the most terrible of all times of the day. Maybe the Ministry for Magic should abolish Sunday nights and Monday mornings all together. Maybe she'd tell her mum about it - Senior Undersecretaries could abolish days of the week. They had power.

All of this to say that Kinsay wasn't in a chatty mood as she made her way to the training area. Chatty moods were things of the past. She's grown now.

Kiz paused at the end of the entrance tunnel, taking a moment or two or ten to look for professor Kazmi before spotting him hovering above. "Hi." Short and simple. Hopefully class would be quick like that too. Kins didn't really feel up to it today. She did, however, mount her broom and hover nearby, as instructed.

Atlas sure spent a lot of time thinking about vines. Didn't he have classes to study for?

Kamran checked his watch again, and kept eyes on it as it ticked down the last seven or so seconds to eleven o'clock. Only then did he look back to the students, and get the class officially underway.

"Time we got started. Thank you all for making it here on time, in spite of the, ah... obstacles. I know these vines are a royal pain, but we'll get the situation sorted one way or another." As for what 'one way' or 'another' might be...

... Moving swiftly on.

"Let's get profound for a moment." Just go with it, kids. Humour him. "In life, it's generally encouraged that we keep looking and moving forwards. Do you agree with that? Are there times we should look at what's behind us, or take backwards steps, as opposed to focusing on what's ahead? Never? Always?" Kamran paused for a moment, and allowed a small smile. "If you'd rather not delve into that topic with me today, you can go ahead and apply the same question to flying."


OOC: Class has now started, and late arrivals = IC consequences, but you can of course play like your character was here the whole time if you want to jump in after this point. Feel free to have your character answer any part of the question or give Kamran Kazmi all the sceptical looks. I'll be moving us on in about 24 hours.

Valentina's eyes widened. UM. Those were some serious questions and she couldn't help but wonder what they had to do with flying. She thought for a moment or two before raising her hand.

"Yes, I agree with that. No matter what, there's always tomorrow to look forward to.. and that makes me optimistic." If that made sense.

Bella sat silent on her broom and contemplated what to answer. Why did Professor Kazmi ask such serious questions this early on a monday morning? Raising her hand up for a moment she quickly answered. "I agree that most of the time its better to look forward to tomorrow and onwards as Valentina said to keep being optimistic and also hopeful for a bright future. Sometimes though we can benefit from looking at the past to know what mistakes or such we should learn from and not do in the future." Where Professor Kazmi was getting at with this was beyond Bella's thinking. She supposed though that focusing on the future was more healthy that focusing on the past.

Truthfully, Evan agreed with Atlas that maybe it would be a good idea to follow the plants. And he was a little bit worried about if the vines could get them up here as well. But considering Kazmi seemed very much like he did not want to entertain those ideas or worry students unless it actually happened, he kept his thoughts to himself.

But as for the question... was there times when it was necessary to look to the past? Yes, as Bella pointed out they had to acknowledge and recognize past mistakes in order to avoid repetition. But also... He raised his hand and waited to be called on. "I don't think it helps anyone to dwell so much on the past that they are stuck there and not looking to their future. But, there is something to be said about acknowledging what's happened to you and learning to accept it so that you can move forward."

He supposed the same could be said about flying. There was no use on focusing on just failures, but rather accept the times you weren't successful and try again.

"I don't think you should brood on the past and let it keep you from getting on with life in the present. But I do think there's benefit in reviewing past events from time to time, and evaluating them so you see how you may have made mistakes in certain situations and avoid doing that in the future. And you can be better prepared if you notice situations in the past that are similar to what's going on around you today," Violet added aloud.

Such as weird things going on at Hogwarts that start out as nuisances but later turn out to be dangerous (yes, vines, I'm thinking about you). But no one at school ever seemed to learn from the past in these cases.

Claudine could agree there; indeed the vines - and their accompanying flowers - had been a sight to see earlier. Now they were just an eye sore. She had watched Heath make his way over them and wasn’t surprised to see his - or anyone else’s, for that matter - reaction. The boyfriend got a smile from her and soon after the lesson was on the way.

The seventh year considered the question, enjoying hovering there and listening to the others. She waited until Violet was speaking to raise a hand. “I think it depends on your situation, professor. If you’re looking to move past some sort of relationship which failed, then it would be wise to do all that you can to move forward. If it’s a situation that involves decisions about, let’s say the way in which Hogwarts is run, then it would be wise to look at decisions made in the past and how they worked out.” Generally speaking, yeah.

All Heath could do was blink confusedly, unsure what to make of the question. He had no idea how that related to flying, but he figured it must in some way. Professor Kazmi didn’t strike him as the type to ask a completely random question. Usually Heath would ponder the question for a while before answering, but this time he didn’t have to think too hard about it. When he thought back on his own past, it wasn’t a pretty picture. The bullying he’d suffered in muggle school, the years of being alone and misunderstood, the months left for dead in that room below the school… all of it dredged up feelings he didn’t want to feel. It was like Kylo Ren said, Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. It’s the only way to become who you were meant to be.

No way was Heath saying any of that out loud though! So he tried to apply the question to flying instead. Did the same concept apply? Was it really as simple as keep moving forward? He thought, trying to imagine a scenario in which one would need to go back. Maybe if the paths to either side were blocked and an obstacle appeared suddenly in front of you…? Feeling that was as good an answer as any, Heath raised his hand and said, “While I agree that it’s best to keep moving forward in life, the same may not always apply in flying. For example, if your path is blocked on both sides and something appears out of nowhere ahead, going back is probably the best option.” Did that make any sense at all? He hoped it did!

Ash smiled at Professor Kazmi, happy that he returned her greeting properly. And he didn’t call her Fox either, which was nice. And look how many people had greeted her today! For once, Ash felt pretty good about herself. She didn’t see anyone glaring at her. That was nice...

What were they talking about... oh.

Ash liked to be profound. She liked to think about the meaning of life, if there was one. She liked to think about where the line between good and bad was drawn and why she...

...why...

...

She didn’t like to be profound out loud though. Because she didn’t have all the answers. And she didn’t want to admit that.

“We have to keep going- not necessarily forwards, but maybe sideways- because otherwise we’ll fall. But we also have to remember the past and factor it into our decisions, or else we’ll do something stupid repeatedly.” That was true. And she worded it carefully so that it could physically apply to flying... even though she meant it in a more metaphorical way.

Well...at least Professor Kazmi sounded a little more willing to entertain the idea...and if the man did not want to increase their productivity then that was his choice. The other fwooper could fly another day, so to speak.

But...connected underground? What if all of Hogwarts got, literally, uprooted?!

Not focusing at all as the lesson began, which was not the smartest of things considering location and how not good it would be to fall. It was not the sort of free falling this Gryffindor signed up for. His were always purposefully.

Actually...sctach that. He would take falling off his broom right now to contributing to this conversation. Not to be dramatic or anything.

Ironically swinging his legs loosely forward and back, Atlas hung his between his shoulders and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. He did have something to say though, which was likely not to earn him any brownie points with anyone but what else was new? "...looking only in any one direction is willful ignorance."

Had Kamran tried to sneak a little life reflection into the lesson? Something to subconsciously consider, if nothing else? Maybe. But mostly it just set him up for a good segue. Sort of.

"Thank you all for humouring me with that question. In case you haven't guessed yet, we're focusing on reversing today." Looking and moving backwards. See? Kamran's nephew would have called that an elaborate dad joke, but fortunately he was not present to run his mouth. "It's important to know how to fly in every direction. If you can only fly forwards, you may be surprisingly limited, depending on the situation. Sometimes a rapid reverse is the quickest way of getting away from potential hazards, as we just covered with Mr Jones' answer." Kamran knew he went on about this sort of thing a lot, the potential hazards thing, but it really was very important he drive that point home every time.

He glanced back over his shoulder, and urged his broom back a little, so there was a bit more space between himself and the students and he might be seen better by all. "By now, most of you will have at least an idea of how to reverse on a broom. Just as with going forwards, you stay level and urge the broom in the direction you want to go, and it will respond. The main difference is steering; you point the handle in the opposite direction to where you want to go. Some find it easier to reverse while facing forwards, the benefit being it can be easier to not get all turned around with the steering." The pun... it wasn't intended, but he was sticking with it. "Others prefer to twist around the whole time they're reversing, the benefit being a clear view. Either way is fine, provided you know the way is clear. So, looking, or having someone you trust direct you, is important regardless."

As he described the reversing process and mechanic, Kamran gave some slow and simple demonstrations, as the steering in particular could be a little tricky at first. Now, though, they were getting right to business. He drew his wand, and conjured up a couple of rows of vertical slalom poles so that they hovered in the air down the middle of the training area.

"For the next few minutes, I want you to get used to flying mostly in reverse. You may practice slaloming backwards through these poles, or lap the area to begin with. Feel free to race another student if you're both feeling confident." He wouldn't pull anyone up on taking the easier lapping option, if that was the practice they needed to do, but it would serve them well to practice with an obstacle. Still. Plenty of time for that. "Keep in mind how steering changes in reverse. Those of you who are already on top of this skill, I want you to slalom through those poles as fast and as neatly as you can. Those who aren't there yet, take it slow to start with, build your confidence. Remember, all I ever ask is that you try, and work on improving, however slightly. As always, please be sensible and mindful of each other in the air."

All that said, Kamran hooked his whistle from where it hung around his neck, and gave a short blast on it. "Off you go. Flag me down if you need anything." As for him, he'd be flying among them all, keeping an eye out and giving feedback. And making sure the vines didn't go rogue, that too.


OOC: Mini activity is up - simple to start with, your character can work on reversing through the slalom poles (in and out of the poles), or take it easy and lap the pitch. Confident flyers should focus on slaloming through the poles quickly and efficiently. As usual, Kamran is here to answer questions and help if necessary, and I'll be checking in and posting. The lesson will move on in about 72 hours.

Violet was not at all sure that she had the least idea of how to reverse--she still had trouble turning left. And the instructions on steering were confusing to her--not that that surprised her, she had never been much good at flying. So she decided to take a lap first, to see if she could actually go backwards at all, before attempting anything with obstacles.

Looking anxiously over her right shoulder and trying not to accidentally steer her broom in the wrong direction, she began slowly moving backwards, wobbly at first, but eventually straightening out into a more-or-less straight path. Then she put on a bit more speed, hoping with all her might that she did not crash into another student.

Claudine was amused at the way Kazmi had incorporated today’s topic in that question. She’s been too focused on the latter to really see it for what it really had been. Oh well. And the man was on a roll, wasn’t he? Claudine had been paying attention so she caught the pun.

Anyway.

Reversing was not something Claudine was not as good at as she was with flying regularly. And with those poles? Well, she could only imagine the disastrous attempts about to go down. Yeah. The seventh year was going to have a go at the poles as she felt completing the lap wouldn’t be as challenging for her.

Off she went indeed. Hovering before the closest pole {with her back to it}, Claudine took off slowly. You can be very sure that this Slytherin would not be hurrying. Keeping the broom level, pointed the handle to the right to urge her broom to the left. She was looking over her shoulder, yes, and this combination worked. Claudine cleared the first pole. Maybe this would work for the rest. All she needed to do was to concentrate fully.

Flying in reverse what? Bella sat confuzzled as Professor Kazmi explained how to go about flying backwards or as he put it in reverse. She had just gotten confident with flying forwards and steering her broom left and right even at high speeds without crashing, and now he wanted to complicate everything even more. Bella immediately felt unsure and nervous and almost confident that she'd crash.

Firstly she flew a lap around the pitch to calm down and watch how a few of her peers did it. Maybe watching Claudine or Violet or someone fly in reverse around the poles first would show her that it wasn't impossible to perform. After watching her fellow snakettes Bella mustered up some courage since it looked doable and began attempting to fly backwards by steering her broom in the opposite direction while casting quick glances over her right shoulder, as she rounded the first pole at snail speed. Getting a small boost of confidence when it worked Bella tried increasing the speed as she flew backwards around the next pole.

So far, so…

Not good.

Despite looking over her shoulder constantly and doing all the right things at first, Claudine managed to make a mistake - incorrectly pointing her broom in the incorrect direction. The result? She went crashing into the pole that she had been trying to avoid.

Claudine was unamused with herself. She zoomed forward a tad, took a breath and tried again. Kazmi hadn’t specified about them starting all over again if they hit a pole so she continued right where she had unceremoniously crashed.

This time, the broomstick was pointed in the right direction. To the left, to the right, and repeat.

Yes. The Snakette was going to master this.

Ooooh flying in reverse.. something she didn't feel confident about in the slightest. Valentina looked at the poles with a little sigh. Oh, well. She was going to have to learn it properly at some point anyway.. so.. she got on her broom and took off, taking a couple of laps around the area before hovering close to the poles.

Looking back over her shoulder, she slowly tried to fly backwards but ended up bumping into the pole. Oops. She zoomed forwards and attempted it again, very slowly. Oh, hey. She managed to clear the first pole. Now, for the second one.

Did he say---

Backwards? They were attempting to fly backwards now? Just when he was finally starting to feel a little more confident going forwards. Granted, Evan did know pushing the comfort levels was a big portion of what teaching and learning was about. But it was much easier to do that in the other classroom settings, where his comfort line was not so easy to step over.

But truthfully... well this shouldn't be so hard, right? It was essentially the same concept as muggle driving in terms of how to choose directions. Not that he'd done that before, but considering 16 was just around the corner his Appa had tried to show him some mechanics of a car in parking lots. Want to go right, steer left. Easy enough. Hopefully.

Once they were released, Evan moved towards the slalom poles, taking a deep breath before before turning his broom around and peering over his shoulder to line up. And taking off.

He wanted to come at the first one from the right, so he turned his handle right and... missed by a lot. Back to the beginning, and another attempt. This time, perhaps he'd try the left but again... steered left, managing to smack his arm rather hard on one of the poles. "Ouch." He muttered softly, repositioning once again but pausing to rub at the spot for a moment.

He could do this. Again, from the right, but this time he managed to remember to steer left in order to successfully maneuver around one pole. He even managed to do three more, before screwing up again and having to start back over.

Just needed some more practice and then perhaps he'd be having an easier time, with no mistakes.