Thank you. on Defense Against the Dark Arts

Professor Levy

November 21, 2009 12:29 PM

Lesson I: Intermediate Level (Third - Fifth Years) by Professor Levy

Her career had been cut all too short. Erika could still taste the bitterness of it all in her mouth. She had been an Auror, having proved that she was one of the best even as a rookie. There seemed to be no stopping her. She was going places, moving up the ladder, and all that jazz. Of course, all of this was before they had paired her up with a man all too eager to save his own skin. What had happened to honor and dignity in the profession? He had certainly had none. When it had counted, he hadn’t had her back and now she had to live with the consequences. She felt like she had lost the only thing she had ever wanted to do. She had lost everything.

Everything, except for Torra, for which, she was eternally grateful. Erika didn’t know what she would have done, what she would do, without her support. The physical therapy had been utter torture, but now she could at least walk albeit with the help of a cane. She hated it. She hated the hindrance of walking with a limp, of moving so slowly. It was terrible! She was used to always being on the move, always having the need to do something. Worse yet was she knew Destre was still out there. Perhaps, one day she would be able to return to her world, a world where she was going to be the best auror and she was going to take him out, but for now, she was stuck in this world, in a teaching position that the department thought would be better until then.

She knew that this job opportunity was a great one. The department had recommended it to her before it had even hit the open market, but honestly, what did she know about teaching, or for that matter, kids? She had been the only child of a widow. She hadn’t done any baby-sitting. She hadn’t even had a pet. Her first experience with that had come from her girlfriend who had a passion for the little critters. Basically, she could be summed up into being a loner. So, to say she was a little nervous was an understatement, but from experience, it was only inside and her exterior appeared cool and collected aside from the slight fiddling of cutesy knick-knacks that Torra had given her that now sat on the massive desk.

Erika had considered changing the décor in the room that had been left behind by the last professor, but had decided against it as she had found it to be rather soothing. She had always been drawn to the darker things in life and this room was just about as dark as it got with its long and low wooden shelves filled with ancient books. The tops were lined with various models of defensive and dark weapons for demonstrative purposes. Her only change had been the student desks, but that was because they had all been pushed against the far wall when she had come in. She had arranged them in nice little rows with space all around each desk. When she had been a child, she had never liked being forced to sit by someone just because the desks were together.

As the students began filing in, she gave a brief head nod to each one, and though, it didn’t show, she was curious to know what they thought of her. Not that she cared. She had never cared what others thought of her. If she had, then she would have been wearing something a bit more pleasant as opposed to the simple black robes, which were left open to reveal more black on black. She adored the color. Her pants and shirt were also black as well as the combat boots she wore. She was always ready for whatever came her way. Her dark hair was cut short and jagged around her face and chin. The deep red lipstick that she wore leaned more to being nearly black than red, which with the combination of her hair made her skin look paler than it actually was. She only wished she had Torra’s kind of pale, because if they were standing together now, even with her skin as pale as it was, Torra was like a ghost. She nearly sighed. She always missed her girlfriend terribly when they were separated, but she steeled herself as she did with any mission and her mission now was to lead these young minds.

Once everyone had found a seat (she didn’t believe in assigned seating), Erika greeted the students, “Good afternoon. My name is Erika Levy, Professor Levy to you.” Yes, she believed that’s how professors used to initially introduce themselves to students back when she was one. Pulling herself up on to the desk, she crossed her legs and balanced her cane across her lap. That was much better than trying to hobble around at the moment and would allow her to give more attention to the students rather than her leg. Picking up the role-call sheet, she continued on, “So, I can get to know you all better, I want you to say ‘Here’ when I call your name and tell me something about yourself. It can be anything you want – your favorite color, your pet’s name, what you want to learn in this class, anything.” Having been an Auror, she was taught to know as much as possible about whatever situation she was in.

After they went around the room, Erika went over what they would be learning, “This year will be concentrating on hexes and jinxes, and if we have time, we’ll start on curses. Hexes and jinxes differ from other spells, because they are intended to cause some sort of harm to the target. However, they are not as dangerous as curses, which are considered pure dark magic, and are often used for pranks, such as the Canary Transfiguration Hex, which temporarily turns a person into a giant canary. As with most spells, including hexes and jinxes, it depends on the intent of the person casting the spell. Hexes and jinxes can be quite useful in defense, such as the Bedazzling Hex or the Stinging Hex. Today, we’ll be working on a couple of useful hexes and jinxes as well as how to defend from them.”

With a wave of her wand, she put the following up on the board:

Third/Fourth Years/Fifth Years

Impediment Jinx – stops or slows an object or person down

Jelly-Legs Jinx – causes the target’s legs to wobble uncontrollably

Trip Jinx – trips the target
Canary Transfiguration Hex – temporarily changes someone into a giant canary, person molts back into themselves after a few moments

Twitchy Ears Hex – causes the ears of the victim to wiggle and twitch uncontrollably

Hex Deflection – stronger than the Shield Charm and used to protect against moderate-level spells

Fourth/Fifth Years Only

Revulsion Jinx – forces the target to back off from the caster; if the person is holding on to the spell caster, it forces the person to let go

Stinging Hex – causes a stinging pain in the victim, fairly low-powered

“On the board is a list of hexes and jinxes will be starting with today as well as hex deflection,” she stated. “The spells at the top, under Third/Fourth/Fifth Years can be used by anyone here while the spells under Fourth/Fifth Years are to be used only by the Fourth and Fifth Years. This means that I don’t want to see a Third Year attempting the spell or anyone using those spells on a Third Year. Understood?” Erika gave them her best ‘I mean business’ look. “All right. I want everyone to break up into groups of two. The best way to probably split up for these spells would be to have third years and fifth years go with their grade level or fourth years with the fourth years working at the level they are comfortable with.” Of course, this was merely a suggestion, but she was hoping they would get the most out of the class.

“Okay, everyone, move the desks and go ahead and partner up. If anyone has any questions or problems, just raise your hand to get my attention and I’ll come around. Oh, and before you leave, don’t forget to pick up a copy of the homework. Due next class!” She waved a piece of paper from a stack on her desk.

OOC: The Impediment Jinx uses the incantation ‘Impedimenta’ and for Hex Deflection, you can use ‘Contego’. Since no other incantations are given, these may be made up at the discretion of the author and count towards creativity.

Please remember that all posting rules apply. Posts should be at least ten sentences, but more is better. Points will be rewarded based on detail, grammar, creativity, etc. Most importantly, have fun!

Subthreads:

Thank you. by Daniel Nash II, Aladren with Holly Greer

Present and accounted for. by Grayson Wright

0 Professor Levy Lesson I: Intermediate Level (Third - Fifth Years) 0 Professor Levy 1 5

Daniel Nash II, Aladren

November 23, 2009 1:56 PM

Thank you. by Daniel Nash II, Aladren

Daniel had been starting to worry. His first two classes of the day had been shared with the first and second year students. He'd thought maybe the Headmistress had changed how the school split up "beginners" and "intermediates" and he'd have to wait another whole year again before he could leave the easy work behind him. But DADA, already a challenging class, put the third years with the older students, and that almost made up for his earlier disappointment.

It was a little sad to have lost Professor O'Leary as the teacher, as he was competent and a good teacher, but the new professor seemed as serious about the subject as her predecessor, and Daniel could respect that.

He probably put far too much thought into deciding what little fact to offer with his declaration of attendance, treating it as test that Professor Levy would use to judge him for all eternity hereafter. He quickly discarded the three first thoughts that came to mind, having no wish to be mistaken for a braggart or an elitist.

Not that his robes didn't say he come from money well enough. Not that his posture and his neat precision in everything from his hair to his handwriting didn't suggest he took great care in how he presented himself to the world around him. Not that a few days of gossip wouldn't bring the woman the knowledge that Daniel Nash II was a professional muggle actor who held a role on a national television show, if she didn't know already.

While being core pieces of his identity, none of those things were how he wanted to be known at Sonora in general, or in Professor Levy's class in particular.

"Holly Greer," the teacher called out and Daniel's attention was drawn by his sister's name. He listened to her answer - which was completely predictable and gave him no better ideas - and made a face at her. She was his sister. This response was required by law.

Neither were his next two thoughts acceptable. While Holly's appointment to prefect and his mother's impending marriage were both his top two worries and never far from his thoughts since the Welcoming Feast, he did not what to be know for what his mother or sister were doing, either.

"Daniel Nash," the teacher called out, and Daniel startled in his seat, not having decided on what to say yet.

"Here!" he called out, and thought fast. Being an Aladren was obvious. The badge on his robe made it clear enough, and he didn't really want to label himself as a complete nerd either. "I'm glad the third years got put in the intermediate level class. I'm looking forward to the challenge of learning harder material."

So much for not being a complete nerd. But she moved on to the next name, and he hoped he hadn't come across as being too much of a sycophant. He saw Holly roll her eyes at him. She was his sister. She would have done that no matter what he said. He was fairly certain about that. The reaction was not indicative of him sounding like a dork. He hoped.

While the second half of the alphabet gave their About Me in Twenty Words or Less statements, Daniel pulled out his notebook and turned to the first page. He readied his quill and ink pot and tried not to feel inferior when some of the comments getting offered were far better than his own. Fortunately, it came to end not too much later, and he was able to focus on the lesson.

Intermediate level or not, he wasn't going to be permitted to try out two of the day's spells. He really wanted to, just because they were supposedly 'too hard' for him, but he wouldn't. At least, not in class. He had too much respect for the rules and for the professor to so overtly disobey her commands.

He finished taking down the information on the board while his classmates began to pair off. He looked up when he felt a presence beside him and a shadow that wasn't his fell across his notebook.

1 Daniel Nash II, Aladren Thank you. 130 Daniel Nash II, Aladren 0 5

Holly Greer

November 23, 2009 2:44 PM

You're welcome by Holly Greer

Holly didn't like Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was invariably either creepy or violent or both. The only class worse that DADA was Potions, because the disgusting factor there was far higher than the creepy violence factors in DADA. But she didn't like it. Not at all. It was responsible for about twenty-five percent of her nightmares before Thaddeus Flatt left, and seventy-five percent of them since then. A fifth year, now, she was relieved that she could stop taking it after the CATS. She wanted this year over with so she could get to that glorious point sooner.

They had a new teacher, this year, but she didn't think it would help. Professor O'Leary had been kind of scary, but it was the subject material itself that she hated. Professor Levy might not look like a vampire herself, but she was still going to need to teach about them.

The first part though, she could do. If the only thing they had to talk about was attendance and giving little factoids about themselves, it wouldn't be so bad, but even Holly realized that was unreasonable to expect. Though she'd had her doubts in the past, it was unlikely Sonora would hire someone that incompetent as a teacher.

But she raised her hand when "Holly Greer" got called out, and she corrected, "That's Holly Greer-Thistle." She felt it was very big of her to accept 'Greer' as part of her name at all. But for teachers, she could hyphenate her real name and the name she'd given herself, which was far superior. Most seemed willing to assume 'Thistle' was either Courtney's last name, or her mother's, and didn't argue it too much. "As for something about me: I have a beautiful white mare named Wendy at my father's house."

She caught Daniel making a face at her as the teacher moved onto the next student, and she turned up her nose at him. She'd given him an opportunity to take 'Thistle' as a last name, too, but he'd turned down the honor. So it was his own fault that he was stuck with 'Nash'.

When it got to his turn, he said something hideously Aladren and she couldn't help sighing and rolling her eyes at him. And he wondered why she didn't think he was as all that as he thought he was. He might be in a TV show, but he was still a dweeb. It was just as well she hadn't tried to introduce him to her friends.

Still, Daniel was her brother.

If she wanted to hex anyone in the school, never mind the class, it would be him. Well, him or Mike Song, but doing anything with Mike Song was far too much interaction with Mike Song and best avoided as much as possible. It would only encourage him.

Plus, Daniel was her brother.

If she could trust anyone not to press her too hard in a class like this, it would be him.

So she finished marking down as many notes as she felt was absolutely necessary - which wasn't much; Daniel was in the class, she could get his later - then made her way over to his desk.

The professor had recommended that both fifth and third years keep primarily to their own years, or at most, partner with a fourth year, but this was Daniel. Daniel had probably memorized the whole textbook already, and if Holly had cracked the spine at all, it was only because she'd dropped the book and it fell open. She'd failed DADA last year. She was probably as much on the level of a third year as Daniel was on the level of a fifth year. He'd gotten an O.

It was probably fortunate for her that their muggle mother didn't realize a 'P' stood for 'Poor', seeing as how Holly had gotten that in three of her classes last term. Mom knew Daniel had outscored Holly, of course, but that was hardly news. Daniel had told Mom that the O stood for Outstanding, of course, since Holly had never gotten one of those, but he hadn't corrected their mother's misconception that the P meant Passing. Holly really owed him for that.

Daniel looked up from his notebook. Holly gave him a weak smile. She hated to ask him for favors, or to make him work below his level, but she didn't really have a lot of choice here. She didn't both trust and dislike anyone else here enough to practice jinxes and hexes with them. "Would you be my partner, Danny-iel?" she caught herself at the last minute and converted the nickname he was trying to leave behind him into the full name he preferred nowadays. "Please?"

She was calm because she'd already taken a double dose of her anti-anxiety potion, but she hoped he realized how much she really needed this.

1 Holly Greer You're welcome 123 Holly Greer 0 5

Daniel

November 23, 2009 3:20 PM

I wasn't talking to you. by Daniel

Holly. Daniel sighed. She'd tried nearly as hard as he had to pretend they didn't know each other for the previous two years. That she wasn't now meant one of two things: She either really wanted to hex him; or she thought he wouldn't hurt her and anybody else might.

He sighed again. It seemed to be the thing to do. Because as much as they claimed they didn't like each other, he didn't think she was actively harboring violent intentions toward him. This was Holly after all. If she felt a violent intention, she'd make that perfectly clear by offering him a violent slap. Holly was not much good at repression or impulse control.

Which meant she was afraid. And as her brother - especially right now, when their world was in upheaval (Had Mom told her about Anton's proposal yet?) - they had to stick together and watch out for each other. So he didn't have a choice. So he sighed. "Yeah, fine," he grouched. He didn't have to pretend to like the arrangement. "Let me finish writing this down first."

He turned back to his notebook and took the opportunity to properly ignore her while he finished copying down the notes on the board. It was possible he took a little longer at it than was strictly necessary, just to make her keep waiting on him, but he finished in a reasonable amount of time. He didn't want the professor to think he was stalling or holding things up on purpose.

"Okay," he said, standing up and pulling his wand out the arm holster he'd found and bought, over the summer. It was just a lot more convenient, efficient, and safe to keep the wand there than anywhere else.

"You cast first," he instructed, because Holly was a wimp, and she'd probably start crying at the first hex he cast, and he wanted to avoid the waterworks for as long as possible. He was pretty sure he was going to have to pull his castings against her. He really hoped that that wasn't going to be reflected in his grade.

1 Daniel I wasn't talking to you. 130 Daniel 0 5

Holly (& small part for Daniel)

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

Of course you were. by Holly (& small part for Daniel)

Right then. She was supposed to start. She put her bookbag down on Daniel's desk and went through the front pouch until she found her wand in one of the pencil loops. Drawing that out, she led her brother (well, technically, he was in the front, but she was the older sibling, so she was the leader even if that was not immediately obvious to the casual observer) to an open area a little bit away from the desks.

She took a more ready stance and pointed her holly wand at her brother. "Ready?" she asked. Once he had confirmed that he was, she took a deep breath, checked the board at the front to remember what she was supposed to be doing, and then cast, "Impedimenta!" Since that one was listed first, she could only assume it was the easiest of the hexes.

The truth of that opinion could not be proven by her success at the spell. Daniel appeared unaffected and he hadn't put up so much as a protego.

Irritation plagued her and she tried again, "Impedimenta!" That time, she felt something happen, though Daniel still looked unimpressed.

"What?" she demanded. "There was a barrier this time. Try to walking forward. You're just standing there. Obviously, it's not going to do anything."

"Fine," he returned equally crossly, though what he was upset about was quite beyond her. He backed up and started walking toward her.

"Impedimenta!" she cast for the third time, and she felt the magic collect inside her and push out through the wand.

1 Holly (& small part for Daniel) Of course you were. 123 Holly (& small part for Daniel) 0 5

Daniel (& a small part for Holly)

November 23, 2009 5:54 PM

The world doesn't revolve around you, you know. by Daniel (& a small part for Holly)

Daniel walked forward, and Holly cast for the third time. For a moment, he felt a bit of resistance, and then he kept on walking. "Not too impressive, sister," he critiqued, and wondered again how they could be related. Mom must have mixed one of them up at the hospital, right?

Holly's face clouded first with confusion, as though she had expected that pitiful attempt to actually work, and then her eyes narrowed with defensive irritation. "Well, if you're so smart, you tell me what I'm doing wrong."

Daniel had planned to do just that anyway. It wasn't often he got such a perfect excuse to boss Holly around and not get told off for bullying his fragile sister. He tucked his wand back into its holster and then took hold of Holly's wand hand. "First of all, you're holding your wand all wrong." He wrestled with her, working more against her than with her to get her fingers into the proper hold.

"There like that. As far back as you were holding it before, almost none of your magic could pass through it, without wasting tons of your magical strength. You need to have it in your palm, not your fingers. Geez, Hols, how did you pass anything so far, holding it like that?" Obviously, he should have been helping her study long before now.

"Secondly, you're doing the wand motion like you're conducting a really slow and boring song for the orchestra. It needs to be sharper. You're trying to stop something from getting to you. Give it some oomph, Holly." He stepped back and away from her again. "Okay. Try it again. Give me a second." He moved further away, looked her in the eyes to make sure she was paying attention, and then started walking toward her again. "Now, Holly!"

1 Daniel (& a small part for Holly) The world doesn't revolve around you, you know. 123 Daniel (& a small part for Holly) 0 5

Holly

November 23, 2009 6:09 PM

That's not the impression I've been given. by Holly

One of the many reasons Holly did not like her youngest brother was because he made her feel like an idiot. Not everyone could be a genius like him, and not everyone cared about DADA. If she'd put an effort into the class like he had, she'd probably be doing better than she was, but she'd never seen the point when it was all creepy and violent. The only class lesson she'd ever felt was applicable to her was the one that dealt with running away.

This, she felt, was the best and most versatile method for dealing with any nasty the Dark Arts could throw at her. Should she ever find herself up against any kind of baddie, she had every intention of running like the wind, screaming like a little girl, and vanishing into the next state where she could start hyperventilating and downing anti-anxiety potions like there was no tomorrow. She held no illusions that she could take on anything they studied in this class.

Daniel acted like the ability to toss around hexes and jinxes ought to be second nature. Holly had felt no need for them before, and she expected she wouldn't find a use for them in the future either. But to Daniel, the inability to properly cast one seemed to make him think she wasn't just mentally fragile, but intellectually dense as well.

She scowled at him, and harbored resentment, and suffered his assault on her hand and wand, and when he said Now, she let him have it.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" she all but shouted (shouting would be unladylike, but she got to the closest dignified equivalent) and snapped her wand at her brother.

1 Holly That's not the impression I've been given. 123 Holly 0 5

Daniel (and some Holly)

November 23, 2009 6:45 PM

Well, you've been given the wrong impression then. by Daniel (and some Holly)

Daniel forward momentum was halted abruptly as it felt like he walked directly into a hard stone wall. "Oof," he grunted as he backpedaled to regain his balance. "Good!" he congratulated his sister, grinning, feeling nearly as triumphant as he thought she should be. "Much better! You see the difference there?"

Holly, for her part, looked more stunned than proud.

Daniel laughed, "You did it, Holly. Now see if you can do it again." He backed up. "I'm gonna try to counter you this time, all right?"

She nodded and he started walking. "Go!"

"Impedimenta!"

"Contego!"

Her spell wasn't nearly as strong this time and his counter hex tore through it easily. He wasn't even slowed. Daniel stopped of his own accord and gave her an annoyed look. "C'mon, Holly, you can do better than that." He backed up to his starting position. "You're not completely useless. You just showed you had some latent talent, even if there was no proof you had it before, so use it. Go!" He started walking.

He was her brother, so he knew exactly what tone to use to get on her nerves the fastest, and it worked. "IMPEDIMENTA!" she cast again, at almost the same strength as her first real success.

"Contego!" Daniel shot back, ripping at her spell, but he still slowed as he passed through where her wall should have been. It felt like walking through jell-o, but easier to breathe. Not that he'd ever walked through jell-o before, but if he had, that's what he would imagine it would have felt like.

"Much better," he approved. "You might get an A in this class yet." It was unlikely, but Holly wasn't a total imbecile. She tested well, and did her homework. The practical stuff just scared the willies out of her, and made her unable to do any of it. A little encouragement wouldn't hurt, and might even help.

"You're a prat, Danny, you know that, right?"

Maybe somebody else should give her encouragement, though. When he said it, it must sound like brotherly taunting, even on those rare occasions when he actually meant it. So he smiled crookedly at her and pretended that was the effect he'd been going for from the start. "Only for you, sis. Want to try it again?"

"I think I want to try the one that makes your ears twitch," she shot back, and he laughed.

They'd taken a subject Holly couldn't stand and couldn't do at all, and turned it into sibling rivalry and condoned fighting that they were getting graded on. She even seemed to be enjoying herself. How awesome was this?

"You're welcome to try, Greer," he taunted back, and prided himself on his ability to incite his sister to learn against her will.

"Oh, yeah, Nash? Velico Auris!"

"Contego!"

1 Daniel (and some Holly) Well, you've been given the wrong impression then. 123 Daniel (and some Holly) 0 5

Grayson Wright

December 08, 2009 10:49 PM

Present and accounted for. by Grayson Wright

Gray had momentarily debated sitting further back from the front than usual until he had the measure of the new lady, but his vision had decided the matter for him. He needed a glasses change again, but hadn't gotten around to it while he was out of school; he read with his glasses off most of the time anyway, as he had a habit of holding books up too high for his distance-oriented glasses to work for, and he spent most of his summers reading, not looking off at some display. Now, he could see if he squinted, but not exactly well, and it just seemed better to be a little closer to a new professor than he might have liked than to risk death, wrath, or something equally unpleasant by getting the tiny details of the instructions wrong.

The cane over her knees was a bit distracting, especially as she didn't look that old, but - O'Leary-esque darkness apparel aside - she didn't seem unpleasant. She wanted to ask personal questions a little earlier into the student-teacher relationship than he would have liked, but he had always been more...private than a lot of other people. It was just habit, sparked by years of knowing that half the family wouldn't like what he read and wrote and that he'd just make the other half uncomfortable if he allowed them to remember that he read and wrote at all.

Luckily, he was at the very end of the alphabet, which gave him time to try to think of something nice and mundane. Not so luckily, he couldn't really think of anything. "He - I - uh - mean, Present," he said, making a mess of it somewhere having been jostled out of trying to think and starting to, very slightly, panic over having nothing mundane to say. He totally understood why the Chinese considered it a curse to wish interestingness on someone... He said the first thing that popped into his head. "I wrote Aladren's play, for the last Concert."

Oh, well. No one had ever said that Aladrens didn't like to be a little show-offy. He could deal with that. It was practically in the genes anyway.

Nice-lady protestations about wanting to get to know them all - Gray noticed that she didn't volunteer to tell them anything about herself; apparently, the getting to know was all going to be one-sided - aside, the lesson wasn't exactly a soft and fluffy one. In fact, it quickly became apparent that they were going to spend it trying to hex each other. Great. Looking down the list, Gray quickly spotted what he thought was going to be his favorite spell of the day.

As much as he'd like to knock a few people off their high horses with a well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx, he stuttered and, worse, was half-blind; provoking people to attack him was dumb. His glasses would be the first thing they'd go for if things got unfriendly, and then the best he could do would be to either throw punches or fire off hexes at random. If that happened, he'd be as likely as not to blow up his wand between being too upset to speak clearly and unable to see his wand movements, and even if he didn't do that, he'd still probably hit everyone in the room except the person he was aiming at.

That wasn't a very good 'best'. Gray didn't think he was a complete coward, but he did have a good sense of self-preservation.

That sense was telling him to run for the hills, but he had a sense of duty, too, and he was a prefect now. It was in the job description that he was to set a good example for his classmates. Refusing to do an assignment was not doing that, especially for an Aladren. So, hoping for the best and not really expecting it, he sought out a face he could not think had a grudge against him and asked, with a hint of resignation, "Want to, uh, work together?"

16 Grayson Wright Present and accounted for. 113 Grayson Wright 0 5