Regarding veela on Defense Against the Dark Arts

DH Skies

August 04, 2018 3:10 AM

Regarding veela by DH Skies

The fact that veela were on the curriculum for this year was a point that had been made clear both to Cleo and to Tabitha. It was to be a theory lesson (Selina did not even what to try to imagine what a practical lesson on veela would involve. Hormonal teenagers lusting after each other were a bad enough lot without supernatural influence), which meant some reading should be assigned, a lecture given and some kind of task - answering some questions, or having a class debate, that kind of thing. The structure was easy enough, it was which of the many angles to take on the subject that was the real matter. It was Defence Against the Dark Arts, so there did need to be a component of ‘veela are dangerous and here are the reasons why,’ but beyond that… Well, that was up to Tabitha.

Selina had explained to the new Defence Professor that she would be checking over a few of her lesson plans during the term - the veela one, for obvious reasons, but also to support Tabitha as she got the hang of teaching. There had been a period of overlap with her predecessor, Daniel Nash, and so Selina was confident that Tabitha had had some support in devising her plans for at least the first half of this term, but she wanted to make sure that she was managing, both for the teacher’s own sake and for that of the students.

She had forewarned Tabitha that she would stop by during the first few days of term to talk about the veela lesson, and when she had passed Tabitha earlier that day, had told her that she would stop by after dinner. So it should not have come as a surprise when there was a knock on Tabitha’s door.

“Right. Let’s have a look then,” she smiled, taking a seat opposite the Defence teacher.

OOC - tried to give some clear guidelines without telling you what to do. Catch me in chatzy if there’s anything you’re not sure about.

13 DH Skies Regarding veela 26 DH Skies 1 5

Tabitha Hawthorne

August 04, 2018 10:48 AM

It's quite a tricky thing... by Tabitha Hawthorne

When Tabitha had signed up for the job of teaching, she had not been quite prepared but for all the issues and problems that came with it. Perhaps rather naively, she had only expected that her biggest issues would be disruptive students in class or somebody not turning in the assigned homework. As it turned out, those issues were just the very tip of the iceberg. When she had first been employed, she had spend the vast majority of her time with the previous Defence professor, Daniel Nash. It was there when a whole world of problems was opened up to Tabitha.

The biggest issue, in particular, was that there was a half-veela roaming the halls of Sonora who also happened to be in Tabitha's Intermediate class where the topic of Veelas was on the curriculum. It was a completely unavoidable situation and it would be remiss of her to simply gloss over the subject like it didn't matter but it was something that, if Tabitha didn't handle it properly and carefully, could make a sensitive and delicate situation a lot worse.

Tabitha had spent a lot of time trying to prepare for the difficult lesson ahead, pouring over books and makes pages and pages of notes and trying to make sure that she covered all bases. She had also scrawled on several pages, several methods that she could use to teach the sensitive material, including 'bring in a veela'. That, however had been fiercely crossed out with 'NO!' written at the side of it. That had clearly been a moment of desperation and Tabitha was trying hard to forget that it had even been written there.

She had expected a visit from Selina sooner rather than later to come and check on her progress and when they had passed in the halls earlier that day, Tabitha had been made aware that the Deputy Headmistress would definitely be dropping by her office after dinner. Tabitha had eaten dinner quickly and retreated in her office to try and make some sense of the absolute mess that covered her desk.

She had just about managed to get her notes, papers and books in some kind of recognisable order when she heard the expected knock on her door which then opened to reveal Selina herself. Tabitha welcomed her in and didn't begin until the Deputy Head had seated herself.

"Well, it's certainly been a challenge," she told her, then mentally cursed herself for stating the obvious. Of course it had been a challenge, that's why Selina was there in the first place. Tabitha sighed and tried to collect her thoughts before starting again.

"I think the biggest problem is going to be the preconceptions that the students are going to have. I have no doubts that at least some of them - and I include Cleo in this - will have read ahead in the textbook or come across the subject by accident. Unfortunately, I find the textbook to be rather... inadequate by itself. What I would like to do is give an initial lecture, using information from both the textbook and my own personal journals. Following that, I'd like to engage the students in a 'silent discussion'. By this I mean I would like to give the students the chance to anonymously write their views on the topic, put them into a box or a container of some kind and we can tackle them one-by-one without the threat of a student being attacked or singled out for their views."

She paused for a moment, feeling that she was at least on the right lines of thought, even if it wasn't quite perfect. It would be nicer to pretend that Veelas didn't pose any threat, that the students could just wander through the rest of their lives without worry of encountering one but Tabitha knew that to make light of the situation would be poor teaching and insulting and it would also leave the students unprepared. Tabitha did not want to do that.

"I will not insult the students by pretending that there isn't a threat. They will need to know how to protect themselves against Veelas, particularly seeing as there is a risk, however small it is, that the person who is their classmate, their friend, could lose control. It would be foolish of me to leave them unprepared and defenceless in that instance. I will give them all the knowledge that I can on how to protect themselves but I also want them to have balanced views and I'm hoping that I'll be able to achieve that."

20 Tabitha Hawthorne It's quite a tricky thing... 1417 Tabitha Hawthorne 0 5

DH Skies

August 04, 2018 11:02 PM

Yup. Good luck by DH Skies

“That seems like a good plan,” Selina nodded, pleased with the overall structure of the lesson plan, “So, during the discussion - students are free to comment on each other’s opinions, or critique them, but it doesn’t force anyone to identify with a particular stance.

“Might I ask what ideas are in these journals? What sort of perspective you’ll be giving beyond the textbook?” Because that was the real crux of the matter here. She had fully expected to hear that Tabitha would deliver a lecture on veela, given that it was a theory class. It was what the content of that was… What opinions and advice she was going to impart, that was the real matter to be discussed.

“We also need to decide how Cleo fits into this. I mean, I’m going to give her the option of skipping that particular class, and I think it might be best. I feel we need to tell people that this is… not just theoretical. Now, how does that fit into the class plan? If we tell them before they submit their opinions, are they going to feel like they can’t voice their true thoughts? And is that necessarily a bad thing - I mean, if the fact of having a half veela peer pushes them to modify and temper their opinions, isn’t that… sort of the point? But at the same time, are they going to feel they can’t be honest - it’s one thing if Cleo’s presence genuinely moves them to be more open minded and considerate, but another if it just makes them feel they can’t say what they really think. But if we tell them after the fact, are they going to feel like they were tricked?”

13 DH Skies Yup. Good luck 26 DH Skies 0 5

Tabitha Hawthorne

August 04, 2018 11:59 PM

I think I'm going to need it. by Tabitha Hawthorne

Tabitha was relieved when Selina seemed to agree and like what the Defence professor had come up with. That was the first obstacle that she'd managed to get over. What seemed to be the next issue was the contents of Tabitha's journals and she could see where Selina might be taking issue with the contents that wasn't strictly on the approved curriculum. Luckily, Tabitha already had the book to hand, having used it to refer to when making notes. She put it on top of everything else, open on the right page so Selina could peruse it for herself if she wished.

"They're my personal observations of a Veela, including a sketch of their harpie form," she told the Deputy Headmistress. "As well as some ideas as to how to defend against them. If I'm being honest, there's not much in the way of resisting a Veela. Distraction seems the most effective - dousing someone with water, making them close their eyes, stick their fingers in their ears, et cetera. There are some cases of people being mentally strong enough to resist but something like that would be too advanced for the students."

Then, there came the question as to what to do with Cleo. Tabitha sighed heavily. She would be lying if she had said that it might be easier if Cleo wasn't present in the lesson but that could also ring alarm bells with the rest of the class. "If only for Cleo's emotional well-being, it might be better if she is not present in the class. If some of the views that come back from the students are particularly negative and there is a good chance they will be, Cleo becoming upset will not help matters. I completely agree with telling the students though. They need to be aware of just how important this is and to leave them ignorant would be to leave them defencless. As for when we tell them... I don't want them to feel like we've deliberately tricked them so before seems wiser, perhaps with the added notion that the classroom is a safe space and there would be no repercussions for their opinions. After all, the lesson is to learn about Veela and how to defend against them. I believe I could teach better if I knew where the main concerns were."

20 Tabitha Hawthorne I think I'm going to need it. 1417 Tabitha Hawthorne 0 5

DH Skies

August 08, 2018 8:14 AM

I think we all are by DH Skies

“Well… At least it’s something,” Selina nodded, when the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher admitted that defence against this particular subject was particularly lacking. She searched for something else to say – something about the students taking responsibility for their own actions, for how much they chose to expose themselves to Cleo. But between that and the idea that the best way to resist was not to look at or listen to Cleo, it was hard not to picture people taking that as an instruction to just… ignore and avoid her. She already was a quiet and rather isolated girl.

“Perhaps… some element of what her being half veela does not mean? There will be misconceptions. Some… element of balance to remind them about her being human too. I mean, I know your job is to teach them defence but… Well, you wouldn’t advocate shooting a werewolf regardless of the risk it posed. The way we deal with different… situations. Using reasonable defence measures rather than excessive force… Those are relevant too. What I’m saying is, I don’t want everyone to feel like they must avoid Cleo at all costs and in all situations.

“Honesty is probably the best policy. All around, and from the start… So, we’ll break the news to them about Cleo. They can give their opinions… And then… there’s the other half of it,” the issue had half been on her mind anyway but it had been pushed to the front by her conversation with Mary. The relationship side of things… That, she still wasn’t sure how they tackled. But in terms of the broader subject… “What do we teach Cleo about… about veela? About herself? That might not happen within the lesson. I believe she went to Daniel last year – who am I, what does it all mean, etcetera? And even if she doesn’t ask… I mean, technically she is an intermediate student. Veela are on her curriculum. Are we going to sit down and…?” she gestured vaguely. “We should probably consider how we go about teaching her to recognise and control her powers. It might be something beyond our capacity here, but she needs to learn that… And are we going to let her read her classmates’ opinions? It doesn’t seem like it will be very helpful or self-affirming, unless they turn out to be universally tolerant and open minded,” Selina said, with a humourless little laugh that suggested she had spent long enough in education to know that that was about as likely as a Niffler flying. “But… imagine knowing everyone just sat and wrote down exactly what they thought of you. I’m not sure I’d want to read it. But I certainly wouldn’t want to be told that I couldn’t.”

OOC – I would argue that based on the source you shared, that being able to consciously resist would be within the power of the average person. Perhaps not if a full-blooded veela is actively trying to seduce them, but certainly in how much they give into the temptation or allow themselves to be drawn in by a half-veela classmate. I am playing Selina as deliberately lacking knowledge on the issue, but I would have no problem with Tabitha finding sources that quote pretty much the article you sent (though without the direct references to Ron and Harry) and interpreting it more liberally. Harry is admittedly a strong willed teenage boy, but he still is a teenage boy, and not one with super powers.

Equally, of course, Tabitha is welcome to have her own prejudices/limitations in how she is seeing things. Just fyi for anyone reading this, just because they are teachers, does not mean they are right. The article for anyone interested can be found here

13 DH Skies I think we all are 26 DH Skies 0 5

Tabitha Hawthorne

August 08, 2018 12:50 PM

Luckily, there seems to be a potion for that. by Tabitha Hawthorne

Tabitha leaned back in her chair with a sigh. There was a throbbing pain beginning to make itself known in her temples and she resisted the urge to groan. When Selina had told her about Cleo, Tabitha had been interested and curious. She had never had the opportunity to meet a half-veela and wondered about their talents and magic. When angered, did they still transform like their full-blooded relatives? Was their magic as strong? Just how strongly were they able to enchant humans?

She had not expected to endure headaches as a result of discussing the half-veela student.

"I think the biggest problem here is not knowing the extent of Cleo's powers. At best guess, I'd say that her magic would be somewhat weaker than a full-blooded veela but the difference would be negligible. I want to say that she can't transform into a harpie when angered but we don't even know that for sure - I doubt she will have been angered enough to cause that. Which comes to the next point of just how honest are we with the students? I don't admitting that we're basically as clueless about this as they are is going to help. Even I'm not comfortable admitting that between us."

She leaned forward again, pulling some of her notes towards her and looking them over, almost as if hoping that they would suddenly have the answer to their conundrum. Selina didn't really seem to have an idea about what to do herself, not that Tabitha was criticising as she was just as clueless. "I don't want to cause the students to avoid her because that'd make the situation worse. With no conscious control over her powers, it's likely that her emotions are going to be a major factor in all of this. So, we need to somehow tell the students about her but assure them that they're not in extreme danger? That they're surrounded by us as their professors, the prairie elves sitting in on their lessons... I think that we'd need to reassure them of the methods that have been put in place."

She blew out another sigh and started to massage her right temple where, somehow, the pain seemed to be worse than in her left. There was still the question of Cleo.

"I don't think it would be productive to keep Cleo in the dark about her veela side. She's no doubt already looked in her Defence books and I'd like to be able to dispel any misconceptions that may have formed as a result. I would be happy to offer... I guess, private lessons for her one-to-one so that her unique circumstances can be discussed privately? And it would provide her with a safe space to explore her powers. I think we should try to help her as best as we can. The sooner she can understand her powers and herself, the easier the situation will become. As for her classmate's opinions... maybe give her the option? Or we go through them all first and make a decision then?"

20 Tabitha Hawthorne Luckily, there seems to be a potion for that. 1417 Tabitha Hawthorne 0 5

DH Skies

August 10, 2018 10:49 AM

Yes. It's called 'wine.' by DH Skies

“She has a tendency towards fire when upset,” Selina noted, as Tabitha mused on the likelihood of Cleo going into harpie mode. She was somewhat surprised by Tabitha’s suggestion that Cleo would never have had anything upsetting enough happen to her to know for sure. As emotional, life altering incidents went, Selina felt that being told you were a different species and no longer classed as fully human was probably fairly major, but decided to just… leave that point be.

“You sound reasonably knowledgeable. Just say it with conviction, and leave out the bits about being unsure or thinking it’s futile,” Selina assured and advised her. "And yes... Perhaps we can think on that a bit more, or play it by ear," she nodded, regarding the classmates' opinions.

“That would be good,” she agreed, as Tabitha mentioned dispelling Cleo’s misconceptions too, “I mean… We’ve done our best, but last year it was pretty much on a voluntary basis, about her coming to us with how she was feeling. I did step in a few times, tried to get her to talk, but she wasn’t very forthcoming. She seems to be managing having a friendship with Parker again, although I can’t help but feel that’s going to get complicated - unless she knows something about his inclinations that we don’t. Still, you’d be managing more the theory side. Trying to really talk to her and educate her about veela. She might come to you with relationship questions, I suppose, but I think that’s something that needs to come from her wanting to know more… We need to tread carefully there. As for exploring her powers… I tend to think we might need outside help with that. I mean… how would you even go about teaching someone to control a power that you yourself don’t possess? Unless you’re about to drop some startling revelations on me,” she added with a smile. There was such a thing as tempting fate of course, but she didn’t think anyone with Tabitha’s hair colour could have veela heritage - it tended to be a pretty dominant trait.

13 DH Skies Yes. It's called 'wine.' 26 DH Skies 0 5

Tabitha Hawthorne

August 12, 2018 4:49 PM

Shall we share a bottle? by Tabitha Hawthorne

Tabitha couldn't help but wince at the mention of fire. The thought always reminded her of some incidents throughout her travels that had been a bit too hot and close for comfort and she didn't just mean the Fire Crabs in Fiji. Still, she supposed they were experiences she could call upon should Cleo end up being... fiery. The next problem seemed to be that Selina appeared to want Tabitha to tell the Intermediates about Cleo.

"I..." she hesitated, unsure how her reluctance to tell a bunch of kids that she hardly knew about Cleo would be taken. "I hate to admit this but I don't think it's a good idea if this information comes from me. I do not know the students as well as perhaps you do and I think it make them more comfortable if this information came from somebody they knew and trusted."

She eyed the Deputy Headmistress, trying to gauge her reaction. It was perhaps nerves just getting to her but something told her that this was the right thing to do. Selina was known and respected throughout Sonora while Tabitha was still only just making her mark on the place. Sensitive information such as this would be better coming from somebody else.

"I can teach Cleo the theory, no problem," she nodded, reassuring that spending time one-to-one with Cleo would be of no issue. She might not have the courage to tell a load of students about her but she could at least do this. She wanted to do something to help. "The practical would be a bit of a problem. I don't know how safe it would be to bring a full-blooded Veela into the school, though an adult Veela would have more control over their own powers. In the meantime, I could reach out to some people I know, though. See if there's anything they can help with on the practical side of things. I can't guarantee anything of worth but something might turn up."

She couldn't help but laugh at Selina's quip to do with whether Tabitha was a Veela herself. "With this hair colour? No, not me. You are quite safe from any more shocks of this particular nature."

20 Tabitha Hawthorne Shall we share a bottle? 1417 Tabitha Hawthorne 0 5