Today we're going to try to harvest some of the seeds from this tree, which are just about ready to be picked. Now remember, these seeds are not hard like the Muggle variety and they won't injure if you accidentally get hit by one. It's rather like effect of the Muggle game called paintball, I believe. Still, you want to try to avoid getting hit by one, if you can help it.

"We will be using special magic-enhanced protective goggles, which are in this basket right here," Tapio continued, pointing to a rather battered tall wicker basket over in the corner. "Now as I've mentioned, the seeds are able to penetrate most shield charms, except the most powerful ones. And those take a lot of magical energy to cast, and particularly to hold for a period of time, plus it's hard to concentrate on holding a shield charm in place while also cutting seeds off of a pickly tree. So magical Sandbox Tree fruits and seeds are generally harvested using a magically-reinforced shield of some sort. And today, I have some very strong and effective ones. They're in fact dragon scales, and they can withstand just about anything. And let me mention that these were gathered humanely, from a growing dragon that was shedding its scales to make way for new and larger ones, so no dragons were injured or inconvenienced for this. Those shields are in this trunk next to the goggles.

"And the last thing we'll be using are--water balloons!" Tapio pointed to a large jar which stood next to the other things, brimming with excitement. "No, you're not going to throw them at the tree, but before we get on with the business of harvesting, it's probably a good idea to practice using your shield to deflect any seeds that might get exploded at you as you approach the tree. So we're going to do some practice with water balloons standing in for the seeds.

"When you do the actual harvesting, you will be using a couple of familiar charms, so I"ll write those on this whiteboard and you can practice them as well, if you need to. The first one is Immobulus--Ih-MOH-byoo-lus--and you'll use that to quiet the tree once you get up to it, so you can harvest the seeds without any exploding." Tapio demonstrated the odd wand movement--moving in a jagged line up and to the right, then cutting down to the bottom right corner and sweeping back over the the left. Tapio always thought it looked like a river running underneath a mountain.

"The other charm you will use is Diffindo--dee-FIN-doh--which you'll use to cut the fruits off the tree and then later cut them open to get the seeds out." Tapio demonstrated this wand movement as well, starting up on the left and sweeping diagonally down to the right, then swooping back up to the right, and finishing with a curving motion down and off to the right. "I'll write both these charms on the board now for you to reference them--practice them if you need to, or maybe practice them anyway, it doesn't hurt to brush up on things, especially when doing something like this."

Text Cut: Whiteboard

Diffindo, also known as the Severing Charm
Pronunciation: dee-FIN-doh
Purpose: To sever a target

Immobulus
Pronunciation: ih-MOH-byoo-lus
Purpose: To render a target immobile

"And then partner up with someone, or a few people if you like. Stand a good distance apart and take turns walking toward your partner while the other person tries to hit you with the water balloons. Use your shield to try to keep them from hitting you. Make sure everyone gets a chance to do the shielding. And have fun!" Tapio thought it would be fun, at any rate, and there was no need to worry about the winter weather outside, because he'd charmed this special greenhouse to keep a warm and humid climate, as the Sandbox Tree preferred. "Oh," Tapio added, "if anyone needs a partner, I'll be happy to work with you."

[OOC: This is the mini-activity. Practice the spells as desired, then pair up with someone, or a couple of people, one person tries to walk to the other while they throw water balloons at them, using the shield to avoid getting hit, then change places. Please don't role play for the other person--in other words, say how you're throwing a balloon, but let the other player decide whether or not they get hit, etc.
This will continue till Sunday morning (June 11). Feel free to play catch-up if you missed the opening. Enjoy.

Char nodded at DeVries then grinned at Will. He liked it when he and his buddies were on the same wavelength. Right… so they’d be harvesting those seeds. Trepidation welled up in him. Not to be a negative-nelly but how did his Head of House expect to pull off this activity without any injuries occurring? The answer came in the form of goggles and dragonhide shields. Charlie immediately felt better. He dealt with enough injuries on Quidditch pitches, thanks much.

Water balloons, partner{s}and spells! There was so much to do so the boy got to practicing. Not a lengthy one since this seventh year had already mastered both spells. “Ih-MOH-byoo-lus. Immobulus!” This was followed by that seemingly complicated wand movement {but it really was not, not for him at least}. “Dee-FIN-doh. Diffindo!” In Char’s opinion, the Severing Charm’s wand movement was less complicated.

And now, for the important question:

“Who would like to partner up with me?” Will? Keigh? Den? Someone else? Heck, he was up for a small group as well.

The tiniest of flickers was still very much appreciated, Mercer.

While not nearly as outwardly enthusiastic as her (boy)friend, Mitsuki was still remarkably hanging off every word the Herbology professor shared. A fascinating specimen and for wizarding kind to crossbreed it in order to create its magical counterpart was quite riveting...as were the details of this particular tree. A sap that could stun or was toxic to fish, but not enough so that it was dangerous to human consumption...not unless it was pierced through the skin apparently. She was particularly interested in these decorative sandboxes for pens and decided that she very much would like one for her calligraphy brushes and ink. Where the situation more fitting, she would inquire as to where she might procure one of these sets...or if perhaps Professor DeVries' orchard would be willing to offer materials. The possible dangers were will covered by her peers and the Ravenclaw was too preoccupied with thinking up designs for her ornate sandbox to feel any sort of inclination to speak up.

Mitsuki tuned back in around the time that dragon scales were mentioned and she had to wonder if any of them had been received from the dragon reserve her mother worked on. It seemed very likely as such charitable acts were a hereditary trait and mother was always looking for ways to give back to her alma mater. Immobulus and Diffindo were already spells she was confident in her proficiency with, so the fifth year did not feel it necessary to perform additional practice of them, instead she turned towards Mercer and Desiree with a couple of expectant blinks. She was not one for being presumptuous, but considering they were already grouped closely together it seemed like the simplest and efficient solution. "Two of us should act the roll of exploding fruit while one of us utilizes the dragon scale," she suggested while glancing over at the supplies of water balloons. "It will emulate the risk more effectively to have multiple hands throwing water balloons at one target. I'd like to throw first, if either of you do not mind."

Ally looked aroubd.
“Anyone want to be my partner?” She asked to nobody in particular. They were going to be throwing water balloons? Yeah. That sounded like the best thing ever

Aurora's arm-linking was surprising, but Brandon didn't protest it. It certainly made it hard to take detailed notes on the sandbox tree, but he managed. Slowly. He was too focused on writing to share.

As Aurora had clearly claimed him as a partner already, he did not need to look around for one. That was nice. "We'll practice the spells individually, then do the activity together." He extracted his arm, which he unfortunately needed for practice.

So, there were two spells needed: Immobulus and Diffindo. Diffindo was a spell he could use confidently, so it didn't require much practice. Just a few slashes for the wand movement... "Diffindo. Diffindo. Diffindo." See? It was easy. He sliced a little bit of his notebook paper, just to prove he could do it. (Then he fixed it with reparo.) Now for Immobulus. This one was a little trickier, both because of the wand movement and the fact that he hadn't used the spell much. "Immobulus... Immobulus... Imm- Immobulus. Immobulus. Im-" He sighed with frustration, having to practice five more times before he could do it right and five more for good measure. Okay. He grabbed a shield and goggles, then turned back to Aurora. "Are you ready?" She could throw things at him first.

No no no no no! Desiree was not happy about this activity! She wasn’t dressed for water activity - her coveralls and hat were designed to keep dirt off her, not water. And getting wet was right up there with getting dirty on the list of things Desiree hated! She was a classic princess, not a mermaid like Ariel or a wayfinder like Moana… or even a tomboy who didn’t mind getting dirty like Merida! Why couldn’t the balloons be full of glitter instead? Or feathers? Or literally anything that wouldn’t mess up her hair and clothes? Even paintballs would be an improvement. At least those created pretty colorful patterns! And why in Merlin’s socks did Professor Devries look so excited about this?! Did he derive some sick pleasure in making his students look horrible?

There had to be some way around this! Maybe she could pretend to be sick… no, everyone would probably see through that. What if she cast Impervius on her hair and clothes as a precaution? She felt more confident in her wandwork than in her reaction time with a dragon scale. Was that cheating? If she could do it nonverbally, no one would ever have to know. She might have to risk it!

For now, she glanced around the area, mentally forming a plan. She was small for her age, so maybe she could hide behind the stools for cover. For once in her life, she wished she could still turn into a wombat. That would make hiding a lot easier! Mitsuki’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts, and she blinked.

She wanted to do what?! Desiree didn’t like the idea of more than one barrage of water balloons coming at her at a time, and thought she’d stand a better chance of outsmarting a younger student - and thus, staying dry. Then again, it would be rude to turn down an offer of partnership. An idea suddenly occurred to her. If she joined this group and went last with the shield, she could study her partners’ throwing styles ahead of time and be prepared. “Okay,” she replied with a nod. “If we’re going with that plan, I’d like to be the other thrower.” Please?

Keighley had been here the entire time, albeit a little on the quieter side today. The start of the lesson had began with a bit of a sluggish start for her, one of those times where she was feeling a little out of sorts and rough around the edges. She had woken that morning with hints of a cold starting but there was no need to worry, a potion had been taken and she could already feel the effects of it beginning to work its magic on her.

None all to soon too as she was able to focus her attention as best as she could on taking down all of her notes in her neatest handwriting, casting the occasional glance at Charlie. They would be working with the Sandbox Tree. Thank Merlin for magic because there wasn't anyway she was getting anywhere near that thing. Protective goggles. Magical shields. Water balloons. Immobulus. Diffindo. Partners.

The blonde didn't even pull out her wand yet to practice and she had already moved over to where Charlie was, claiming him as her partner. "Me, silly." she smiled up at him, nudging him lightly with her elbow.

Tapio stood watching as the students began to pair up, making himself available if anyone had quesions, and keeping an eye out for anyone who might have to resort to partnering with, Merlin help us, the teacher. Tapio was rather looking forward to seeing the results of the water-balloon exercise. He hoped the students would have fun with it and that it would take the edge off the tension before they got down to the serious business of dealing with the real tree. Although he suspected there might be one or two who disliked the idea of getting wet, he hoped no one would mind too much. After all, the temporary greenhouse was quite warm, and that's what drying charms were for.


[OOC: Mini-activity will continue through tomorrow (Sun.) night (or maybe early Mon. morning), which I hope will give people enough time to get to water balloon-throwing. I will be offline for the rest of today (Sat.), so feel free to just rp Tapio as being there.]

SPOILER!!: Girlfriend! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

Keighley had been here the entire time, albeit a little on the quieter side today. The start of the lesson had began with a bit of a sluggish start for her, one of those times where she was feeling a little out of sorts and rough around the edges. She had woken that morning with hints of a cold starting but there was no need to worry, a potion had been taken and she could already feel the effects of it beginning to work its magic on her.

None all to soon too as she was able to focus her attention as best as she could on taking down all of her notes in her neatest handwriting, casting the occasional glance at Charlie. They would be working with the Sandbox Tree. Thank Merlin for magic because there wasn't anyway she was getting anywhere near that thing. Protective goggles. Magical shields. Water balloons. Immobulus. Diffindo. Partners.

The blonde didn't even pull out her wand yet to practice and she had already moved over to where Charlie was, claiming him as her partner. "Me, silly." she smiled up at him, nudging him lightly with her elbow.

Charlie hadn’t been oblivious to his girlfriend’s mood. Having grown up around three sisters, he knew what it was like with girls and their moods. So, he had been giving her the space she might need though he did send her small smiles when they caught each other’s eyes during the course of the lesson. He wasn’t sure if she would want to work with him {had she gotten tired of working with him yet?} and that was why he had sent out the question in general. It turned out Keigh actually did want to work with him, something which made him delighted.

The Puff reached out to give Keigh’s hand a light squeeze. She was okay, yeah? “Perfect,’’ he told her. “Let me just get us shields.” Two were collected with one handed over to her. “Want to try throwing balloons at me first?” Char wielded his shield before him, much like those characters in Muggle police drama shows. “I’ll just go stand riiiiight over…” The youngest Bergstrand boy backed it up about two dozen paces from Keighley. “Here.” Yep. It was the perfect distance. “Ready when you are.”

Mercer was practically glowing at the very idea of people throwing water balloons at his head, but he was an unusual little duckling. He was out of his seat and looking for one of the dragon shield things before Desiree even finished offering to be the second thrower.

"Yeah... listen, I'm super fast and have all sorts of bob-and-weave skills, so if you just wanna chuck all the balloons at me at once while I run very very fast in your direction, I bet I can block them all. And if I get even a little bit wet, then I'll... buy you both dinner at our next Hogsmeade weekend." Because offering to buy people dinner when it was free every night in the castle was the lamest bet ever.

Mercer hoisted his shield and waved it at the girls. "Okay, I'm ready!"

Mitsuki's posture straightened just a bit as her suggestion was readily, and eagerly in the case of Mercer, accepted. Upon gather a humble pile of water balloons for her use, the Ravenclaw selected two (one for each hand) and waited for Mercer to get ready with this shield. The zen she had been feeling was disturbed, a large rock dropped into the lake that left ripple upon ripple of discomfort. It was difficult to describe the discomfort, and nothing showed on her features besides a rather blank stare directly at Mercer, but she was not all that fond of him buying dinner for her and Desiree.

Rolling her now tense shoulders, she knelt down and picked up a couple more balloons to cradle in her other arm to throw. She offered a quick glance towards the Hufflepuff before her head snapped back forward at Mercer, eyes narrowed and focused, and lobbed her first balloon at him. There was not much force to the first lob, but before Mercer had a chance to try and block that balloon she was already throwing her second...and third...and fourth with an impressive amount of speed for someone with such petite stature.

Performance calligraphy had done its fair share in strengthening her arms and shoulders, a benefit that was most certainly being utilized now.

So gathering the fruits from the tree sounded actually like not that much fun. Because there wasn't the same danger of real kabooms but also almost a promise of pain with the paintball - a sport that she did not enjoy. But throwing the water balloons? That was certainly something she could get behind. And she wondered if Professor DeVries would let her just do THAT for the entirety of the class. Maybe if she gave him puppy dog eyes?

As for diffindo and immobulus, she was pretty confident on both. So no practice needed there. When she heard a younger year asking about a partner, Ve went ahead and sidled on up to her - protective goggles, shields and water ballons precariously stacked in her arms. "I'll be your partner! Do you want to throw water balloons first or practice dodging?"

SPOILER!!: Mercer & Mitsuki

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

SPOILER!!: frens

Mercer was practically glowing at the very idea of people throwing water balloons at his head, but he was an unusual little duckling. He was out of his seat and looking for one of the dragon shield things before Desiree even finished offering to be the second thrower.

"Yeah... listen, I'm super fast and have all sorts of bob-and-weave skills, so if you just wanna chuck all the balloons at me at once while I run very very fast in your direction, I bet I can block them all. And if I get even a little bit wet, then I'll... buy you both dinner at our next Hogsmeade weekend." Because offering to buy people dinner when it was free every night in the castle was the lamest bet ever.

Mercer hoisted his shield and waved it at the girls. "Okay, I'm ready!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Mitsuki's posture straightened just a bit as her suggestion was readily, and eagerly in the case of Mercer, accepted. Upon gather a humble pile of water balloons for her use, the Ravenclaw selected two (one for each hand) and waited for Mercer to get ready with this shield. The zen she had been feeling was disturbed, a large rock dropped into the lake that left ripple upon ripple of discomfort. It was difficult to describe the discomfort, and nothing showed on her features besides a rather blank stare directly at Mercer, but she was not all that fond of him buying dinner for her and Desiree.

Rolling her now tense shoulders, she knelt down and picked up a couple more balloons to cradle in her other arm to throw. She offered a quick glance towards the Hufflepuff before her head snapped back forward at Mercer, eyes narrowed and focused, and lobbed her first balloon at him. There was not much force to the first lob, but before Mercer had a chance to try and block that balloon she was already throwing her second...and third...and fourth with an impressive amount of speed for someone with such petite stature.

Performance calligraphy had done its fair share in strengthening her arms and shoulders, a benefit that was most certainly being utilized now.

Yes, Desiree knew what drying charms were for! Daughter of a former charms professor, remember?! She may be girly, but she wasn’t oblivious! She also knew that drying charms wouldn’t re-volumize her hair after it got wet or put it back into the style she had it. Staying dry was her best option, and to do that, she’d have to observe and outsmart her opponents teammates.

Mercer’s words were acknowledged with a mildly intrigued look. Wow, brag much? Somehow she suspected his speed and bob-and-weave skills were exaggerated, but she’d keep an eye out just in case they were not. If that were the case, she might have to re-evaluate her strategy when her turn with the dragon scale eventually came.The wager got a confused blink. She wouldn’t say no to a friendly dinner… as long as it wouldn’t make her a third wheel. Was Mitsuki okay with this?

PIcking up her own water balloons, Desiree shot the other girl a look. Wow, Mitsuki threw a lot faster than she thought! She’d have to keep that in mind when she was on the receiving end of the balloons! She quickly caught on to the plan to hit Mercer with everything they had before he had a chance to react and threw her balloons in rapid succession, aiming in a slightly different direction in case Mitsuki’s throws missed. Her blue eyes darted toward Mercer. Would his speed and skills live up to the hype?

Poor sweet, stupid Mercer WAS fast and had inherited a few generations worth of Quidditch skills, but even his bob-and-weave couldn't compete with feminine ire. He dodged the first balloon and got his shield up for the second and third, but with Mitsuki's balloons coming so fast and furious... he completely missed the dodge on Desiree's arsenal.

The first balloon took him in the side of the head, and Mercer stopped in his tracks, blinking water out of his eyes. "Erm. I guess that's my turn done, then." He shook the water out of his hair like a dog before offering up the shield for someone else's turn. It struck him that most other teams weren't coming in QUITE as effusively against their shielded partner, but he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Tapio hated to interrupt the students, most of them looked to be having fun, but he decided he needed to move class along or they'd run out of time.

"All right, everyone, we're going to move on to the actual harvesting. Everyone make sure you have a pair of goggles, a dragon scale shield, one of these lined pouches I have up here, your dragonhide gloves, and your wand. If anyone forgot to bring gloves, I have a few spare pairs up here you can borrow. Now, we're going to take turns with this part. First put the goggles and the gloves on, and sling the pouch over your shoulder.Then take your shield and wand and slowly and carefully approach the tree, trying not to make too much noise or vibration on the ground. If one of the pumpkin-pods should get too excited and spit out its seeds, use the dragon scale to shield yourself from them. Once you get close enough to the tree, use your wand to calm it with the Immobulus charm. Then use Diffindo to cut open one of the pods. Take the seeds out, put them in you're pouch, and bring them back, and you're done! Though you can try it again if there's time when everyone finishes." Tapio thought harvesting Sandbox Tree seeds was so much fun, he imagined everyone would want to do it again. "All right, if everyone's ready, we can start!"


[OOC: If you want to finish up your water balloon activity, feel free to continue that, but we have to get going on the Main Activity or we'll run out of time. RP you character taking their turn to try to harvest some seeds. Here's how this will go--play your character approaching the tree, however you think they'd manage this. I will be playing the tree's reaction--whether it shoots seeds at you or not, but you will rp whether or not you get hit. Note that these seeds aren't going to hurt or injure anyone. I'll be keeping tabs on this fairly closely, and it will continue until around Thu. 6/15]

They were going to have water balloon fights in the middle of a lesson?! Well that just sounded like the most fun although Aurora was not entirely prepared to get wet which was quite likely considering that she would likely get distracted and forget a spell. A dueler she was not.

As she had already claimed Brandon with her arm linking she didn’t need to outwardly ask him to be her partner and he clearly got the hint too. She beamed at the Hufflepuff agreeing to his idea to practice individually and then come together to complete the task. “Dee-fiiiiin-doooh” she repeated the spell slowly first in order to get the incantation correct. “Diffindo” she repeated faster this time and with the accompanying slash of her wand diagonally left to right, back up and with a curve to the left. Now that was memorised it was time to move onto the second spell. “Ih-Mooooooh-byooo-lus. Immobulus.” She followed the wand movements until she was sure it was firmly implanted in her brain.

Now for the fun part. Brandon had allowed the Ravenclaw to go first so up she got grabbing the water balloon and throwing it in her fellow second years direction. Rora, coming from a very sporty family, had a surprisingly good throw on her.

With the activity done between him and Keigh, Char determined that those shields were more than ample to protect them all from attacking seeds. Now he didn’t feel so nervous about the activity that awaited. First things first: Char needed to make sure that he had all the necessary materials. A quick check told him that he had each: a pair of goggles, a dragon scale shield, a lined pouch, his dragonhide gloves and his wand. He eyed Keigh to make sure she was in possession of each as well. He didn’t want his girlfriend to get injured in any way.

The Puff boy followed DeVries’ instructions: goggles and gloves were secured then the pouch was slung over his shoulder. Wand held in his right hand, shield held in the left, Charlie took one step forward. He tried to move as lightly as possible. One foot in front of the other all the while his eyes were on the tree.

Nice tree. You didn’t need to injure anyone, did you?

The Sandbox Tree stood silent and still before Charlie, with only a very slight and occasional trembling of the odd leaf or two.

She supposed there ought to have been an exchange of high fives by the end of it all, either for hitting their third member with a water balloon or dodging their share, but Mitsuki had not thought about it. Instead once they had all three completed their round of shielding against balloons, herself being struck by a few and now having wet knees and a wet shoulder, she knelt down and began picking up the remnants of broken water balloons and vanishing the pile in her palm once she had completed said clean up. Perhaps she would have been more fussed about being damp and her nimbleness not being quite up to par, but all she felt was the satisfaction that Mercer would not be buying Hogsmeade dinners for the both of them. She could go into the coming Hogsmeade weekend with peace from this knowledge.

She had not relaxed her throw when it had been Desiree's turn, that would be unfair and irrational, but certain motivations were less present as they may have been for Mercer. It was a muddy sentiment, one she did not quite care to reflect upon and was pleased to be moving on to other endeavors.

Grabbing her supplies, Mitsuki slipped on her goggles and gloves before making the necessary adjustments so she could hold her dragon scale shield comfortably. She did cast a quick glance towards Desiree to simply observe her for a moment before her eyes narrowed once more on Mercer - who was likely the most damp out of the trio but surely he would dry quickly in the environment the professor had created.

Everything in place and the pouch nestled comfortably over her shoulder, Mitsuki took her turn with the tree and strolled up to it with her wand in hand. It was less of a stroll and more of a glide since her feet barely seemed to touch the ground and she mostly stood on her toes. "Diffindo," she hummed softly like a dreary little siren once she was within appropriate distance of a low hanging fruit, her body swaying gently along with the leaves and smaller branches in the breeze. Yes, she had skipped over the Immobulus step, but the tree did seem docile enough at the moment and she was not one for unnecessary spell casting - especially seeing as this tree would have plenty of wands turned towards it today.

The Tree was indeed docile enough, until it felt the touch of magic. Then the pumpkin-pods next to the severed fruit suddenly split open and shot their squishy seeds in the direction of the disturbance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadAlice

The Sandbox Tree stood silent and still before Charlie, with only a very slight and occasional trembling of the odd leaf or two.

Charlie decided that the movement of any leaf was caused by a light breeze. He continued advancing, eyes moving rapidly to all parts of the tree as a method to safeguard himself from any projectiles. Slow but cautious steps saw him eventually making it close to the tree. And now his nerves were back. Ugh. Maybe he should pretend that the tree was Olivia and she was preparing to send him a well aimed and strongly whacked Bludger at him. This idea strengthened his resolve.

“Immobulus.’’ Charlie briskly did the wand movement, hoping his spell worked and that Olivia the tree would freeze so that he could get to one of those pods. Fingers crossed!

Immobulus is the magic word that will make this Tree be still, and still it is, and should remain so while it's being harvested.

Mercer's hair was drying in unruly waves, and his collar was tugged all wonky from trying to dry his face, so he definitely looked like he'd already been through the wringer. And he hadn't even had a chance to approach the tree yet.

He grinned at both his partners as he snapped his goggles into place. "I guess that's dinner on me, then. I hope you like chips." He wasn't exactly frugal with his allowance. Maybe Cooper would loan him some money. Was it a proper date if he accidentally invited someone else along? Because Mercer was sure Cooper would loan him money for a date.

Anyway. Mercer let his shield hang a bit loose as he approached the tree with a specific fruit in his sights. "Immobulus." For Merlin's sake, wouldn't it be easier to just get a tiny bit injured but not have to carry so much equipment?

Maybe it was the speed with which the footsteps approached, but something seemed to bother the Tree, because several of its pods suddenly shot out a batch of squishy seeds at Mercer just before he cast the spell.

Desiree was likewise quite ready to put the water balloon activity behind her. While she hoped time would run out before her turn as the target came, that was not the case. Deciding her clothes would be easier to put right than her hair, she kept the dragon scale shield near her head. The good news was she succeeded in protecting her head - and her perfect hairstyle. The bad news? The same couldn’t be said for her clothes. Her ballet moves helped her dodge the brunt of the attack, but her bottom half still got splashed. Heaving a frustrated sigh, she performed a quick drying charm. Not fun, Professor!

Between her efforts to fix her appearance and the instructions for the next activity, dinner in Hogsmeade was the last thing on her mind… until Mercer mentioned it. Oh dear, what an awkward situation! The more she thought about it, the more dinner as a trio sounded like a bad idea. Yeah no, she wasn’t going to disrupt… whatever this dynamic between Mitsuki and Mercer was. She was a princess, not a villain! That didn’t mean she was going to forget about the wager, though. “I actually have loads of shopping to do in Hogsmeade,” she said, and it wasn’t far from the truth. “How about you two do dinner and bring me back a cookie instead? Then we’ll call it even.”

Desiree donned a pair of goggles, carefully re-arranging her hair and hat to accommodate the strap. Her bright blue eyes surveyed the tree up and down, searching for a low-hanging fruit or a weak spot. She cautiously approached the tree, her wand in her left hand and her shield in her right. Nice tree, nothing to see here! Just a friendly neighborhood student…

Spotting a fruit that looked promising, she aimed her wand at the tree and quietly cast, “Immobulus!” She held up her shield as she waited to see if the spell worked, Better safe than sorry!