Professor Lorraine Taylor
June 05, 2009 9:32 PM
Charms Intermediate, Class I by Professor Lorraine Taylor
“Welcome to Intermediate Charms! This class will prepare you for the tests you will be expected to take as a fifth year; fifth years, you will have mandatory review and study sessions for your tests starting mid January. The papers I am currently passing out contain the syllabus for this class. This must be signed before we commence this class, and those students who would like to take issue with this may come up and speak to me privately.” Lorraine announced as she began moving about the room full of students, fresh from summer break, while passing out the syllabuses. They had not changed since last year, but she appreciated having a current copy from each of her students, just in case.The syllabus essentially covered her educational background (seven years study at Sonora Academy as an Aladren, magical college in California, then several years of work as a magical engineer in Nevada, brief time as Head of House for Teppenpaw, current position as Aladren Head of House), the materials required for class, what could be expected for homework, and a few rules:
1. There will be no tolerance for name calling based on race, religion, ethnicity, 'purity' of blood, ability to perform in this class or others, etc.
2. There will be no tolerance for dangerous behaviour (running around, dramatic or careless use of wands, etc)
3. There will be no food or drink of any type in the classroom.
Refusal to comply with these rules may result in detentions, loss of House points, or meetings with your Head of House.
At the bottom, there was a space for student signatures.
“I know you have all had me before, you know the drill,” Lorraine smiled somewhat kindly at the gathered students. Her light gray-blonde hair was cropped short, coming to just below her chin, and carefully held back with a few well-positioned charms. It was far more useful than a few hairclips or bobby pins, really. In fact, it was the usefulness of that single pin that held the charm that had inspired Lorraine to break from her usual practical/theory pattern of teaching and go for something different. Something exciting. Something somewhat useful, actually. Her washed-out blue eyes skimmed the room. None of the students looked miserable, although few looked happy to be in Charms at the moment. Sometimes she disliked the Intermediate class. None of the excitement of the Beginners, none of the dedication of the older students. After collecting the hastily read-and-signed papers, the professor continued.
“As Intermediate students, you have learned quite a few charms over the years. Probably some of you have learned some on your own time. Today is the day we are going to apply that knowledge. Perhaps some of you are familiar with the concept of a keystone object?” A few nods or looks of clarification, but mostly the comment had elicited confusion from the class. Very well. “A keystone object is an object of your choosing that you tie a charm, or occasionally other spell, to. You may have read of these in Defense Against the Dark Arts, as they are often used as curse objects to ensnare Muggles and the like. We will not,” a pointed look at a few students, “be doing that in here. However, you may choose an object from this bucket,” a wave of the want and a blue plastic tub appeared, random objects inside, “or one of your own to key a particular spell to. I don’t mind what spell, as long as it will not do harm. If the object has some sort of relation to the spell, it makes things easier.”
Lorraine paused again, looked around the class. “Very well. If you need help, chapter 14.5 of your book is dedicated to this concept. You may work in pairs or trios. Your final work will be turned in at the end of the class for a grade,” brief pause, another gaze around the room. “based on accuracy and effectiveness. Begin.”
Subthreads: All you need is the right key... by Grayson Wright with Lucie Dupree, Teppenpaw
A productive and pertinent lesson; excellent. by Ian Grimm with Cynthia Smythe, Ian
Charming my Charm by Holly Greer
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Professor Lorraine Taylor
Charms Intermediate, Class I
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Professor Lorraine Taylor
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Grayson Wright
June 06, 2009 11:02 PM
All you need is the right key... by Grayson Wright
Because he had always been told it was a bad idea to sign a document without reading through it first, Gray scanned the syllabus Professor Taylor dropped on his desk before taking off the final page and scrawling his name across the little blank space provided for it at the bottom. A few details of the thing had changed, but in essence, it was basically the same one he'd signed the year before. As though they'd been so deprived of intellectual stimulation in the summer that, in two short months, they'd forgotten that Taylor never had tolerated blatant bigotry or open stupidity very well.Sometimes, Gray really hoped he was never an adult. It did not look like a smart person's occupation.
A small, slightly guilty, smile played around his mouth as Professor Taylor began her speech and revealed she was, in fact, aware that some of them experimented with charms out of class. He wasn't that good at Charms and would probably drop the class after CATS, but he'd definitely played with the subject before. Some of those occasions ranked high on the list of his worst moments, but so long as he could get everything straightened back out before the staff noticed, he didn't see any real harm in it.
He was also one of the ones who could nod when the question of keystone objects was brought up. That was not one of the things he'd messed around with, but he had read some articles about it the year before. Most of Gray's mind went to what sort of charm would be easiest to work with, though part of it registered that it was kind of sad that it was a necessity to point out that they weren't allowed to use any dangerous curses. There shouldn't be anyone over sixteen in the room, and most were younger. That was not one of the things the professors should have had to worry about in an entirely underaged class.
He flipped over to chapter 14.5 as soon as he heard that it held the relevant information. There were really only three people in the room that he had a definite opinion of, so it wouldn't be - much of - a problem to drum up a partner that he could work with. With this thought in mind, he turned to the next desk. "Want to work together?" he asked.
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Grayson Wright
All you need is the right key...
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Grayson Wright
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Ian Grimm
June 11, 2009 10:30 PM
A productive and pertinent lesson; excellent. by Ian Grimm
Ian needed no further encouragement or instruction; Professor Taylor's lesson was exactly to his preferences. Aside from the annoying chore his grandmother had foisted on him, he had another goal for this third year- one that he had intended to complete the year prior had he not been distracted by other . . . distractions. A keystone would serve one particular purpose for him, which would then free him from his grandmother's task and leave him to pursuing the opening of his Sonora branch of the family business: Grimm Inquiries.Muggles had their own versions of the items he intended on incorporating into one single keystone object. They called them transmitters, receivers, recorders, GPS and the like. Ian planned on employing these same theories into one item that would act as his eyes and ears on the one specific group of girls he'd been having some trouble breaking into. Actually, now that Ian reconsidered the idea, he would need two keystones and he'd have to layer the charms on the two, which might prove difficult on his own.
Ian was an Aladren, and as such he was clever and exacting and somewhat underhanded, but he was not of the mad genius variety.
The question was then: who to take up and use for assistance? It would probably be best to use someone decent at charms, especially as he was going to stuff at least four onto one of the objects and three on the other. Ian's brown eyes finally lit on a desk across the room and so he rose from his chair, glasses firmly in place, and began to work his way through the desks. Halfway to his target, he was stopped by a voice calling out to him.
Impatiently, he turned to face the interruption. "What? Unless you're decent at charms, don't bother me."
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Ian Grimm
A productive and pertinent lesson; excellent.
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Ian Grimm
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Lucie Dupree, Teppenpaw
June 22, 2009 11:41 AM
What if all you have is the wrong key? by Lucie Dupree, Teppenpaw
Lucie signed the syllabus with a complimentary rolling of the eyes. It was the same routine every year. She didn’t really care about the professor’s background or what she had previously been the Head of. Though, she wanted to know what was so wrong with Teppenpaw that the professor had to trade to another House. Granted, there could have been a perfectly reasonable explanation, but as it hadn’t been explained, she didn’t really know. All she knew was that it felt like they hadn’t been good enough and it left a sour taste in her mouth.Regardless of whatever the reason, she wasn’t going to make a big deal about it since more than likely it would hurt her grade. Lucie had always done fairly well in all of her classes, maybe not to the same degree as her brother, but still better than average. She wasn’t about to ruin it in her fourth year when she was in the midpoint of her schooling, especially not over a possibly biased professor. Oh, well, there really wasn’t time to worry about it now as they were supposed to be trying out this whole thing with keystones.
Now, the question became were partners actually optional or more of a requirement that was phrased in the entire it’s optional, but not really. She gave a sigh. She supposed that she should find a partner even though she didn’t really want to just in case it was the latter rather than the former. Thankfully, she didn’t have to search at all as a nearby voice asked if she wanted to work together. Turning, she saw Grayson Wright and rewarded him with a smile. “Sure,” she said, already moving her desk so that it would be easier to work together.
“Do you want me to get objects for us?” Lucie asked, but she was already off heading towards the blue tub without waiting for an answer. After picking out a couple, she sat down and offered him one. “Which one do you want?” She kept the other for herself, which was a necklace. It was rather pretty despite being obviously inexpensive. She liked the way the glass stones captured the light and caused them to sparkle. Her mom would have thrown a fit to know that, but she wasn’t here and it was time to get to work. “What charm are you thinking about using?”
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Lucie Dupree, Teppenpaw
What if all you have is the wrong key?
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Lucie Dupree, Teppenpaw
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Cynthia Smythe
June 26, 2009 1:05 PM
<i>Im</i>pertinent is perhaps a more appropriate adjective by Cynthia Smythe
The year thus far had perhaps not been so arduous as Cynthia had at first anticipated. She was a nobody at Sonora; she had one friend and a small collection of roommates whom she ignored and insulted with God-like indiscrimination, but that was the way Cynthia liked it. Nobody bothered her, and she, in turn, had to make very little bother for others. This simple equation had ensured that nobody - not a single person - had yet to talk to Cynthia about her brother. It was bliss.Of course she still looked out for him, while nobody was watching. She'd labeled all the ingredients in his potions kit. She'd sewn his name (by hand, in case the charm wore off) into practically every article of clothing he had with him. For his own benefit, she tried to keep the rest of the family away from him. No questions asked, no answers given. It was a beautiful concept.
With her main concern not really presenting an issue, Cynthia was able to enjoy concentrating on her schoolwork. She was quite fond of the charms professor, as far as anyone could form an attachment to a human instrument. The no nonsense approach was just what Cynthia appreciated in a person of any calibre or profession. The only aspect she despised was the enforced working with a partner. The only other person of any intelligence Cynthia had identified was the same person as her only friend: Rosalind. Though being a seventh year she was hardly available to participate in the class. Cynthia would simply have to make do with a different Aladren, and not that disgusting Brockert girl.
Halting before in front of the first blue-crested person she found, Cynthia clarified with a short, "Aladren, yes?" She was not expecting the unabashedly impolite response; in fact it took her a whole second to recompose herself. She raised one thin, mocking eyebrow and said in a voice as smooth as sandpaper, "Talk to me like that again and I will make your life very miserable. You will be my partner. There will be no further rudeness on your part." She wasn't really waiting for a response. If he dared to refuse her now she'd get him in detention faster than you can say 'unfair.' "What are you waiting for? You're wasting my time."
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Cynthia Smythe
<i>Im</i>pertinent is perhaps a more appropriate adjective
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Cynthia Smythe
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Gray
June 29, 2009 12:07 PM
Then you hope the door isn't warded against 'Alohomora'. by Gray
Of the maybe three people in the room Gray had a definite opinion of, Lucie was the one he liked and knew best. For that reason, he wasn't displeased to find it was her he'd be working with. It didn't hurt, of course, that they had successfully worked together in this class before."Su - " he began when Lucie, having moved her desk over to his, offered to select a pair of objects, but then she was gone. " - re, Lucie," he finished, not sure if he ought to be amused or annoyed. Since it wasn't important and really had been one of those questions that didn't require a real answer, he decided to just shake his head and keep on with flipping through the chapter for inspiration.
She returned shortly with two objects, and Gray had a good idea which one was supposed to be his. Costume jewelry was a little below one of the Dupree girls, but it still was a lot less weird than a guy fooling with a necklace for most of the class period. Besides, he had no idea what useful - or even, for that matter, trivial - spell could be tied to such an item. Jewelry was not a topic he knew a lot about; even the women in his family weren't big into it. Anne was the only one with any real stuff, and she would murder him if he went anywhere near it because it had all belonged to her mother before she died.
"I'll take the inkwell," he said.
Then came the tricky part: figuring out what to do with it. It would have been nice to have a little more guidance with this, but he supposed it was one of those exercises to help them learn to think on their own or something. Never let it be said that Sonora Academy didn't aim to help its students personally develop. When Lucie asked the question that Gray was turning over in his mind, he blurted out the first idea that came to him. "Maybe a Refilling Charm?"
He could have kicked himself. Or committed ritual suicide, since that was pretty much what his personified grades had in mind for themselves these days. The Refilling Charm was pretty advanced, but now that he'd said it, Gray knew that he had to at least try it, and never mind that he was only aware of the incantation because he'd heard his cousin use it a grand total of once. Doing his best not to see if she was giving him a 'you are an idiot' look, he gave sounding casual his best effort as he asked, "What about you?"
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Gray
Then you hope the door isn't warded against 'Alohomora'.
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Gray
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Ian
July 01, 2009 4:31 PM
<i>Im</i>pressive, isn't it? by Ian
Ian didn't know whether to blame the caprices of fate or the sheer fact that there were entirely too many Smythes in the school to not end up working with one at least twice a week. Of the Smythe females, though, he would have preferred to work with the fourth year Crotalus; he still hadn't managed a direct conversation with her, and it was beginning to irritate him.Ian allowed the words to flow past him, paying little attention to the attitude or expression being shown his way. Females were entirely too dramatic for his tastes; and besides, she hadn't even answered his question. Cynthia Smythe was an Aladren, though, and a fifth year, so he felt it safe to presume her at least passingly intelligent.
"Are you familiar with GPS and transistors?" he asked by way of responding to her probably rhetorical question. A half beat later- two seconds consisting of him staring at the older girl consideringly- and he waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind, I doubt you're as educated as all that. Still, you should be able at least somewhat useful for the charms-work."
He didn't wait for a response, pushing off the desk and heading toward the box of objects made available for the lesson. A quick pawing through provided him with a bobby pin and a brush handle. He took both back to his desk and thrust the bobby pin toward his senior with little aplomb. "I'm looking for a spell that will allow this pin to act like a microphone, something like-" He flipped through the index of his charms book, his finger coming to rest on the incantation of choice. "Exaudio should work."
Ian pushed his glasses back up his nose and continued to browse the index. The charms for the bobby pin weren't too difficult to nail down; the crux of it would come with keying the brush handle to the bobby pin and have it act as a receiver. "You should be able to manage that, right? You are an Aladren, after all; it shouldn't be too trying," he purposely commented out loud, never glancing up from his task. He paid no mind to the fact that his tone showed nothing of the normally expected respect underclassmen were to give to their seniors, in particular their House seniors.
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Ian
<i>Im</i>pressive, isn't it?
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Ian
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Cynthia
July 03, 2009 12:28 PM
<i>Im</i>p by Cynthia
(Cynthia is in Crotalus, not Aladren, so I'll just ignore all Aladren references).Ignorance was apparently something shared by both students; this obnoxious Aladren paid no heed whatever to what Cynthia said and returned instead with his own questions. Keeping up the trend they had set, Cynthia deigned not to answer the pointless questions put to her (not least because she hadn't heard of a GPS, but that was not the point).
She merely waited at his desk, folding back the corners of his textbook just to be petty, and when he returned she again found her voice. "Fine, I will assist you with your infantile project, only because you so obviously need help with it." The spell was inteded to be used for long-distance eavesdropping, she was sure of it. She had never used such spells before as she had always been perfectly adept at listening behind closed doors when it suited her, but she understood them nevertheless.
"Exaudio might work," she conceded in her harsh nasal tone, "but you'd be better off using a paired charm like Voco/Ausiae." These charms would produce something of a one-way walkie-talkie effect, as far as she understood the spell and the Muggle contraption. "Anyway, you'd want to cast the charm on the receptor first," she thought out loud. "That's just common sense."
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Cynthia
<i>Im</i>p
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Cynthia
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Holly Greer
July 06, 2009 2:32 PM
Charming my Charm by Holly Greer
Holly, as she had for the previous three years, read carefully through the syllabus before signing it. It appeared to be the same as it had always been, but her father was a lawyer, and the idea of putting her name to anything without having full knowledge of what she was signing was just plain dangerous. She was glad that it hadn't changed; she felt much better about signing it, since her Dad had vetted it that first year and told her she could.One of the last to pass the signed sheet forward, she did not have to wait long before Professor Taylor began the lesson proper. The corner of her mouth dropped into a small frown as the mention of DADA and curses came up, but she was relieved a few moments later when her expectation that Charms was her one safe class was again reaffirmed.
A few minutes later, she looked into the tub of random items, but decided she would rather use one of her own belongings. Holly returned to her desk and took her charm bracelet off her wrist and looked at it thoughtfully, trying to decide what kind of charm she could imbue the jewelry with.
The purpose of jewelery was to make her look pretty and she had quite a few cosmetic charms that she used regularly to choose from. Turning to her partner, the Lady sitting beside her, Holly shared her plan for the pink heart that stood as the bracelet's gleaming centerpiece. "I'm thinking of using Manicuro Rosa," she confided. "I use that on my nails when I haven't had a manicure in too long."
She held her hand out in front of her, looking critically at the clear glossy polish the nails wore now. The pinky one was chipped and a bit jagged after a mishap with her cauldron during potions earlier that day. "It also paints my nails pink, and I'm getting tired of the clear gloss."
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Holly Greer
Charming my Charm
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Holly Greer
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