Exausted and full of self -hatred. on Transfiguration

Professor Marlowe

February 11, 2006 11:10 PM

Lesson One, First Years by Professor Marlowe

Well, Lina, this is it, she thought as the bell rang, beginning the class, and she looked around the assembled first years. Merlin, they looked small. Her two eldest nieces, Christine and Ophelia, were ten and nine, and they looked considerably bigger in memory than any of these eleven-year-olds. It was probably a question of familiarity. They'd start looking more in-proportion when she was used to them. With that in mind, she gave the class a brief, businesslike smile and began the opening statements she had spent most of the previous night preparing.

"Good morning," she said, long since past noticing any but the most drastic reactions to an accent that was half Boston and half Britain. "I am Professor Marlowe, and, as should be apparent, your instructor in the field of Transfiguration." Using her wand as a pointer, she indicated the name written to the left of the board behind her. She'd never manage Tabitha Newton's easygoing charm, but she had never aspired to be her old Arithmancy teacher. "This isn't a subject to be taken lightly. The smallest error has the potential to cause large amounts of damage." She rounded the desk to face them more directly. "I would advise you to discard anything you think you already know about this subject now. I can tell you from experience that it'll save you time and effort." Enough in that vein. It was time to move on to the lesson.

"Today's spell is a relatively simple one involving objects similar in size and, though less closely, appearance. You'll each be issued a match - I've charmed them not to ignite, so be kind enough to not try to set my room on fire - and will attempt to Transfigure it into a needle." She tried not to remember the day she had been taught this particular spell and had been scolded by the teacher, one Professor Writworth, when she argued that a needle looked absolutely nothing like a match. "The incantation for this is Myxanti Nere. Watch, please." She lifted a match from the small box of them resting on her desk and held it up for their inspection, then pointed her wand directly at it. As she pronounced the incantation, she moved her wand in a straight downward diagonal motion finished with a flick that returned it to the original position. She didn't attempt to deny being internally relieved when it worked correctly. Having a beginner's spell go wrong because of nerves would be the exact opposite of the start she hoped to make.

"Focus and precision of pronunciation and wand movement are essential to success with this spell," she told the class, carefully placing the needle beside the container holding the matches. "Your instructions are written to the right of the board, as I'm sure some of you have noticed. I'd strongly advise copying them into your notes for future reference. We'll practice the wand movement and then the pronunciation of the spell before you attempt the Transfiguration." A few minutes later, everyone seemed to have gotten first the motion and then the spell, each performed without the other to prevent any accidents, and she deemed it safe to send out the matches.

"Try not to become impatient if the spell doesn't come easily at first," she said, making her tone a little softer than it had been. Newton had always done that, and it was effective in causing fractional lowering of anxiety levels in most cases. Selina's had never been one such case - she had been known as a perfectionist and all-around geek by midterm of her first year - but others had said that it worked. "Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. You may begin." \n\n

Subthreads:

trying it out by Saul Pierce with Melanie Rose, Eduard Grimaud, Morgaine Carey

So much for beginner's luck. by Lila Gringe with Allie St.Martin, The St.Martins, Professor Marlowe

Exausted and full of self -hatred. by Adam Brockert with Ginger Silverstein

Mixanti Near? by Rob Stone with Geoffrey Spindler

I'm walking on pins and needles, pals... by Geoffrey Layne

0 Professor Marlowe Lesson One, First Years 0 Professor Marlowe 1 5

Adam Brockert

February 18, 2006 1:57 AM

Exausted and full of self -hatred. by Adam Brockert

I don't wanna go in here, thought Adam as he entered the Transfiguration classroom, Don't wanna go in here

It wasn't the subject Adam had a problem with. Transfiguration was a nice safe subject in comparison to others. It wasn't like Defense Against Dark Arts or Care of Magical Creatures filled with dark scary creatures. Things that were poisonous or had sharp teeth. No, it was the people . He shuddered a bit. The whole class would be there. Adam was terrified of screwing up and making a fool of himself.

Not to mention he was exhausted. Adam had gotten like four hours of sleep the previous night. Now he could barely stay awake. His stomach was upset too, like it often was when he hadn't gotten enough rest.

He noticed that a Teppenpaw girl had taken the seat Adam normally would want. The last one by the wall. Well, he couldn't sit in a place where people could see him, so he crept over to the back seat on the other side of the classroom.

Adam pulled out his supplies and tried to listen as Professor Marlowe introduced herself and gave the lesson. He began to nod off and quickly jerked himself awake. I can't fall asleep here. Adam told himself I'll get in trouble and embarass myself.....or they'll do nasty things to me in my sleep.

He took his match and muttered the incantation over it while making motions with his wand. Why wasn't anything happening?

Because you're useless and stupid. He berated himself. Nobody will like you here, except Kaylie and you'll never get to see her cuz she's in a different house and year. Adam blinked back a tear. Fortunately nobody could see him.

He tried again. Still nothing. Apparently Adam didn't have his cousin Marshall's transfiguration abilities. Maybe it was because of the commotions with the other kids that kept him from fully concentrating. Perhaps he was afraid to fail in front of them. Or perhaps he was just lousy at this subject.

Or maybe it was just because he was so tired. As soon as I get this, I can sleep. Adam thought. No, wait. I can't because of THEM . He turned his attention back to the match muttering the spell and quickly shutting his eyes. He couldn't look....couldn't look at his failure again. He opened them again. If Adam closed them too long, he'd fall asleep.

This time, the match was more...needle shaped. It was still match-colored. Actually, it looked more like a toothpick. Adam's spell had done something, just not what it was supposed to do. Had he done it wrong? Adam felt his face flush. He couldn't even transfigure it into the right thing! \n\n

11 Adam Brockert Exausted and full of self -hatred. 78 Adam Brockert 0 5

Ginger Silverstein

February 18, 2006 4:49 PM

Nervous... by Ginger Silverstein

Ginger had been worried about her first class since she arrived at Sonora. When she went to muggle school, she knew the people she had class with. People weren't very nice to her, except the people that were deemed "nerds". She wouldn't really get made fun of, but she wasn't noticed too often. It was probably because she was quiet around everyone in school. Outside of school she was a little louder. She talked to her parents a lot, and her friends at school. The problem was, that her parents, or her freinds weren't here. They were in Canada, and muggles, except her friend Shauni. Her friend Shauni was shipped off to a magical school in Canada. She missed her friends, and video games. This was a life she had to get used to, and it wasn't way too bad. No one had made fun of her, or made her cry yet, but she was prepared for it.

She didn't have very much sleep the following night. She was very nervous about classes, but she was also excited. She was going to make magic! Something she thought she would only be able to do in video games, and Dundgeons and Dragons. She was afraid that it wouldn't work, afraid that she would mess it up. Afraid that everyone will make fun of her.

Ginger had two cups of coffee that morning to make sure she would stay awake. She had a little too much, so she was slightly shaking. She wasn't really hyper, but her body wanted her to be. Under her forest green robes she wore a green shirt that had a green mushroom from Mario on it that said "1 up!". She wore a pair of faded blue jeans, and her usual black high top converses.Her blond hair had green steaks in it, and she wore kiwi melon flavored lipgloss on her lips.

She saw some of her fellow Pecaris sitting around, but didn't sit with them. They were a bit too close to the front, and Ginger always felt uncomfortable sitting in the front even in muggle school. She gave a nervous smile to Saul and Grim as she passed them, and headed to the back.

She saw a boy that looked about as nervous, scared, and tired as she felt. He seemed safe enough, and not very mean. Ginger lightly sat next to him, she wanted to ask, but the boy didn't seem like he wanted to be bothered. She felt her heart beat get a little faster when she got a match. She wrote down the incantation, and everything the teacher told her to write down with a black gel pen.

She got her wand out, and pointed it to the match. It felt so neat to hold a wand! She made the correct motion with her wand, and said quietly "Myxanti Nere," nothing happened at all. "Come on!" She hissed at her match. "Please?" Nothing happened, she tried it again, and the match turned to metal. It was still in the shape of a match. She frowned, and looked over to see her neighbors progress. His match wasn't a needle either.

"I-is m-magic a-always l-like th-this?" She asked the boy. She was still horribly shaking.

\n\n

0 Ginger Silverstein Nervous... 1484 Ginger Silverstein 0 5

Adam B.

February 22, 2006 9:30 PM

You and me both.. by Adam B.

Adam nearly jumped out of his skin. He'd been trying to concentrate and fix his now toothpick. Now there was someone else talking to him. It wasn't as if Adam was snobby, just terrified of absolutely everyone he didn't know (as well as some people he did know).

He glanced over at her. Okay, like the girl in he'd met earlier, she didn't look too scary. She even seemed a bit nervous like he was. "Um," Adam replied, his voice shaking a little. "Not really. I mean, you get it with practice and trying hard most of the time. Very few people are prodigies in any subject. I really only know one person whoever did this on his first try. Plus there are other subjects that are quite different than Transfiguration. Like Potions, you don't really use a wand. You mix different items to get different potions that have different affects." Potions was a subject Adam wasn't too afraid of doing....so long as he didn't have to try any of them.

\n\n

11 Adam B. You and me both.. 78 Adam B. 0 5

Lila Gringe
February 25, 2006 8:13 PM

Lila Gringe
Peripheral
Written by:

OOC by Lila Gringe
OOC: Oops, messed up the italics in that last post. The things that ought to be italicized are 'Wait a minute,' and 'I haven't the faintest idea where the Hospital Wing is.' Everything else should just be normal text.\n\n

0 Lila Gringe OOC 0 Lila Gringe 0 5

Allie St.Martin
February 26, 2006 5:24 PM

Allie St.Martin
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

So much for being enrolled. by Allie St.Martin
Please ignore me, please ignore me, please pretend I don't exist, please ignore me - Allie's train of thought was abruptly ended when Professor Marlowe did the exact opposite of what she wanted her to do and approached her for answers about what had just happened. She wanted very badly to hide under her desk and never come out, but she couldn't do that. Lila wouldn't want her to do that. She had to try to be a good representative of the St.Martins and Lila, not a weepy mess lacking the ability to speak coherently. If she was going out, she could at least do it with a little dignity, or at least that was what Daddy always said. She clasped her hands together to try to stop their trembling, took a deep breath, and, feeling oddly calm, looked directly at the professor for about ten seconds before her eyes slid back to her white-knuckled fingers.

"I - It was an accident, Professor," she said softly, willing this woman to understand, to not throw her out. She couldn't disappoint them all that far. "I didn't mean to. I was trying to Transfigure the match like you said, but I got so nervous because Lila - that's my sister - was watching me and I didn't want to mess up in front of her. I, um, sort of said the words wrong, and my hand, um, slipped - " She chanced another glance at the professor. "Is Lila going to be all right?"

That was her first concern. They could expel her if they wanted to, so long as they told her her sister was all right first. Allie's mishaps had been known to cause injury to herself and others before, but never to Lila. That part of that could have been because Lila routinely attempted to avoid situations that could lead to Allie having injury-inducing accidents never occurred to her. All she could think about was that she had just hurt the one person she felt she really knew she could count on. Or could she? Lila would drop her like a sack of rocks if the people at Sonora's hospital were unable to return her hand to its former state. This was the worst day ever.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to - am I going to be - Is Lila all right?" Her ability to think clearly was going. She was stumbing over words and sentances again. Professor Marlowe was either going to think she was someone who could try to set fire to her own twin sister or that she was mental. She should have never left home. She should have just stayed at Magnolia Grove and been shut up in some out-of-the-way room like the other Aunts said Aunt Lorena was. She should have made a bolt for it the moment she realized Marlowe was heading in her general direction. \n\n

16 Allie St.Martin So much for being enrolled. 76 Allie St.Martin 0 5

Lila St.Martin
February 26, 2006 7:18 PM

Lila St.Martin
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

So much for allowing my sister near a wand. by Lila St.Martin
Lila was used to pain. Pain was, unfortunately, a consequence of the life she lead. Bruises and sprains had been all too common in her first year of ballet, and still made occasional appearances on top of the inevitable strain. The heels she wore to parties made the arches of her feet ache so that she had to wrap them in heated cloths before she could go to sleep. This pain, however, wasn't like that pain. It felt somehow detached from her and at once all too much a part of her. She hadn't actually looked at her hand once she registered that she'd injured it, holding it protectively close to her abdomen. Why wasn't Allie doing anything? That was her place, Allie took care of her...

It took her a moment to realize it wasn't Allie steering her along towards Marlowe. It was the other Lila. She considered mutiny, but that would serve no purpose. The fact that she was being treated as if she were helpless combined with Two's reassurances that she was going to be fine to add a hint of hysteria to the whole thing and make her feel somehow helpless. She was not going to ask for her sister. This was nothing important. It wasn't even that bad. She had overreacted, surely...it just hurt a lot. She should have had better sense than to try to grab her robes where she had, she hadn't been thinking very straight when it all happened...

Marlowe's suggestion - it had been phrased as an order, but it was easier to deal with if it was thought of as a suggestion - seemed reasonable. The medic or whatever they had here could fix her hand so there was no scarring - Merlin help her if there was - and she'd be able to go about her business. She felt a momentary flash of panic when the teacher began speaking to Allie, clearly indicating that her twin was staying here while she went to the hospital, but she pushed it down. She didn't need Allie. She was a big girl, she could manage. She was only putting up with Two in case she didn't regain her ability to speak by the time they got to the hospital or lost her grip on the surreal, floaty feeling currently dominating her head and passed out.

It wasn't the pain. She just hadn't been expecting it, that was all. It was always harder to pull back from something unexpected than something expected. No matter how much of a dunce Allie was sometimes, she had never really expected anything her sister did to hurt her. She'd never really expected anything to hurt her at all. She was Daddy's little princess, nothing could happen to her. There was something so familiar about the odd trains of thought... someone talking, compulsively talking. She wasn't going under like this. There was nothing wrong with her at all, just a minor burn. She thought. She'd never been burned before, but it wasn't that bad. Just unexpected.

"No," she said, sounding almost normal once her same-namer's question registered. "No, I don't. Not exactly. I think it might be on the ground floor, like the entrance hall. Daddy told me." More proof that she was all right. She was speaking clearly, in coherent sentences about a previously introduced topic. Allie had trouble doing that on her best days. "I'm fine, though." Why had she said that? She definitely needed to get a grip on reality again. If her hand would just quit hurting, she was sure it wouldn't be difficult. \n\n

16 Lila St.Martin So much for allowing my sister near a wand. 80 Lila St.Martin 0 5

Lila Gringe
February 26, 2006 7:41 PM

Lila Gringe
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So much for having a witty title every time. by Lila Gringe
The ground floor. Okay. Lila supposed she could find it. Even if she did tend to get lost. But now was not a good time to get lost. Now, she could not get lost. Now, she had to get her housemate to the Hospital Wing. And she had to do it fast. Really fast. Her experience with medicine was that the sooner after the injury occurred the person got treatment, the better. There had been nothing to suggest that the magical equivalent would be any different. So she was certain they had to get there soon.

"All right. I'm sure I can find it." She kept her voice calm, even though her same-namer's voice was also calm, which said to Lila that the other girl was probably as calm as was possible, given the circumstances.

But when her fellow Crotalus declared that she was fine, Lila became even more worried. It was completely possible that there were other people as good at hiding their feelings as her. Stating that she would be fine made the other girl seem much less calm than she seemed otherwise. There would be no need to say that unless the other Crotalus felt it needed to be established. That only made Lila all the more certain they needed to get to the Hospital Wing soon.

So she continued steering the other Lila along, this time towards the door of the classroom and out. They'd surely find the Hospital Wing in time. They had to.\n\n

0 Lila Gringe So much for having a witty title every time. 0 Lila Gringe 0 5

Ginger Silverstein
February 27, 2006 12:04 AM

Ginger Silverstein
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Written by:

At least I'm not the only one. by Ginger Silverstein
Ginger gave the other boy another weak smile, as he explained everything to her. She scanned his school robes, and saw a snake on his badge. Ginger forgot what those people were known for. Ginger felt slightly out of place with her house so far. Everyone in her house didn't seem to be afraid to make themselves heard. Ginger was sometimes, especially in class, or when there were tons of people around. Ginger was very peacful.

"Oh th-that s-sounds interesting," she said, as she tried to stop the shaking and the stuttering. It was all probably making her look like a total idiot. "I-I'm really looking forward to potions. S-sounds a bit l-like cooking, e-except I-I'm d-doubting w-we always t-try wh-what we make." If she could just take a pill to reduce the amount of stuttering she was doing, she would gladly take it. "I-I'm muggle-born y-you see. S-so I d-don't know m-much about this. M-my aunt is a witch, but sh-she refused to t-tell me ev-everything," she was getting closer to stop stuttering. Okay maybe not, but she was speaking.

Ginger looked over to where Grim was when she heard a female's voice. She noticed the girl from her dormitory. Ginger slept five beds down from her. Ginger wasn't too pleased with what she was saying, so she gave her attention back to Adam. "I-I h-hope everything is going well for you here," she gave him a meek smile, she hoped she wasn't scaring him. \n\n

0 Ginger Silverstein At least I'm not the only one. 1484 Ginger Silverstein 0 5

Geoffrey Spindler
March 04, 2006 8:31 AM

Geoffrey Spindler
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Emily Lewis

Age in Post: 11

Mixanti Far by Geoffrey Spindler
It looked like his mother had been right when she said that Geoffrey wouldn't be making any friend soon, if ever. He came into the Transfiguration classroom, and tried to locate a seat where he wasn't going to be called upon to answer questions, or help with demonstrations, and eventually settled down near another boy in a spot he freverantly hoped would prove safe.

He wasn't entirely certain what he was going to be doing with Transfiguration. Most of his spellcasting experience was with infinately basic Charms, sticking and unsticking on the whole, and with a training wand instead of his brand new proper and fully fledged magic wand. Charms was definitely the class he was looking forward to... but Transfiguration... well, Geoff would just have to see.

The Professor was a relief. Her accent was completely at odds with itself, and he thought that she seemed fairly nice. She didn't yell or glower anyhow, which was a definite positive he decided. It was almost strange to see a woman who didn't immediately approach him and either fuss over how his clothes were entirely immaculate and straight, or bemoan his weight and stupidity. Strange, but definitely in a good way; he started to relax as the demonstration was given, taking a couple of quick notes and practicing the incantation and wand movement along with the rest of the class. It only took a couple of goes for him to think he had it right, and a relieved smile broke out on his face.

The boy next to him appeared to be something else. Geoff had glanced curiously at the boy when he'd said something about 'Maxante Near" before ducking his head down again and paying attention to his own efforts, trying not to pay attention to the other boy's clumsiness, because he knew that he himself would prefer to be ignored rather than laughed at or have his mistakes pointed out to him.

When the matches came, Geoff paused and it hit him that he was supposed to be performing a spell here. A proper spell. The confidence from the practice made a disorderly retreat back to the fairyland it must have come from. He had to check over his shoulder to make sure that Mother wasn't watching, complete with disapproving expression. She wasn't. Or, at least, she wasn't anywhere he could see her, and as Cecilia Spindler didn't believe in hiding, that generally meant that she wasn't there.

He took a deep breath and picked up the match. It looked pretty ordinary. He put it down again, in the centre of his desk, and surrupticiously looked over at the boy next to him, watching him attempt the spell a couple of times, before adjusting his grip on his own wand and readying it.

A kerfufle broke out elsewhere in the room, a couple of kids fighting over something, and a girl who looked to have... set something on fire? He wondered momentarily how she'd managed that, before seeing the opportunity for what it was.

"Myxanti Nere."

His wand went down and flicked up. There might have been the sightest of silvering shimmering along the wood, or it might have been wishful thinking. Geoffrey felt a stab of disappointment. What had his tutors said? Concentration is key. Belief in what you're doing. Knowing it can be done.

Well, Professor Marlowe had shown them, hadn't she? It was possible, Geoffrey knew that. And he wasn't a squib, definitely not a squib. Which meant... he could do this too.

His brow furrowed in concentration as he returned his wand to the starting position. He raised his other hand for a moment, to brush a finger over the bridge of his nose idly, before letting it fall again out of the way. He looked at the match, and told himself that it might be a match now, but it would be a needle soon. The wand swung down and flicked back up as he spoke the incantation, concentrating fiercely on what he wanted to happen.

And then he continued to look down for a few moments, in silence. A small smile started to turn the corners of his mouth up. It wasn't really changed in shape... but the match was silver. It was definitely a good start.\n\n

39 Geoffrey Spindler Mixanti Far 79 Geoffrey Spindler 0 5

Professor Marlowe
March 04, 2006 4:46 PM

Professor Marlowe
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So much for being certain what I'm about. by Professor Marlowe
Selina observed the twin in mild exasperation. She could understand being worried about a sister - Merlin, between Melinda's health and the things Genevieve got up to, she could more than understand the sentiment - but the girl's repeated insistence that she didn't mean to and requests to know if Lila, as the other's name apparently was, would be all right seemed out of proportion to the severity of the accident. She searched for a name, trying to recall any Lilas and same-surnames off the roster, before answering.

"I'm quite sure she will be, Miss St.Martin," she said, hoping she'd gotten it right. "Her injury hardly seemed life-threatening. Accidents happen when you study magic." She paused, debating the best way to put the next bit. "You might want to review the theory before making another attempt, though," she suggested finally. She'd rather not have to deal with two fires in one day, not to mention the facts that the girl would most likely panic even more if she set herself alight and her parents would have an excuse to sue Selina twice if she did. She'd heard the surname St.Martin before. Old, snot-nosed purebloods, they were, the sort she didn't want to tango with if she could help it.

"Focus is the key, Miss St.Martin. You have talent, or you wouldn't be here. Focus on the goal and believe that it'll work. Transfiguration's a hard subject. I don't ask that you be perfect, only that you put a sustained effort into it." She gave the girl a brief, but hopefully reassuring, smile. "Keep at it, Miss St.Martin, while I go handle another situation that's arisen. I'll be following your progress." That would have been encouraging in her world, anyway. \n\n

0 Professor Marlowe So much for being certain what I'm about. 0 Professor Marlowe 0 5

Morgaine Carey
March 04, 2006 8:41 PM

Morgaine Carey
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Says who? by Morgaine Carey
Morgaine jumped visibly when Marlowe's voice, sounding more foreign than ever, spoke up behind her. Merlin, she was so many different kinds of dead. Father was going to kill her if Gwen didn't do it first. They were both high-wired maniacs obsessed with the family, and she'd seen both do some pretty stupid things when they felt someone wasn't giving the family its due, stupider even than her screaming at Eddie in a crowded classroom. Yep, she was dead. The only question was if it was literally or not, and if not, if she would end up wanting it to be. Careys didn't play nice, even with their own. Especially with their own.

She opened her mouth, hoping to explain, but Marlowe was still talking, and before the British professor could finish what she was saying, a commotion from further over announced the presence of, if she was any good at recognizing voices and mannerisms, the St.Martin twins, Lila setting up an almighty fuss because her robes were on fire. Probably Allie's doing; the elder twin was notoriously bad at, well, everything. Marlowe shouted at her and Eddie to stay where they were, as if there was anywhere they could go where she wouldn't be able to punish them, and started heading for the scene while Morgaine watched dispassionately and Lila began screaming at her sister.

She didn't speak to Eddie, and ignored any attempt on his or anyone else's part to speak. This could be fixed, maybe, if she could keep her mouth under control and her brain working. She might even be able to sink Eddie, with a little luck. Morgaine had always believed in luck, good and bad. Fate had simply decided she should have more of the latter, until recently. Things had been going well until she came to Sonora. They'd go well here, if she could just keep her mouth shut. She crossed her arms defensively across her chest as Marlowe headed back in her direction, waiting. \n\n

0 Morgaine Carey Says who? 81 Morgaine Carey 0 5

Professor Marlowe
March 04, 2006 8:57 PM

Professor Marlowe
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Says <i>me</i>, Miss Carey. by Professor Marlowe
Selina looked at the two Pecari first years, torn between anger for their part in trying to ruin her first class and tiredness stemming from the come-down following the incident with the Miss St.Martins and the fire. Miss Carey had her arms folded belligerently, and Mr. Grimaud was being quiet. Her mouth thinned a little. Inter-House rivalry she could understand, but in-House rivalry was another thing altogether. She knew that being in the same House was no guarantee that two people were going to like each other, but she had heard of only a few cases where Housemates were outright enemies. Her head was starting to hurt.

What was the best way to deal with them? She could make it short and simple and give them detention, but it seemed a little excessive to give detention for insults when she'd just told Miss St.Martin to study theory in answer to the silly girl setting her sister on fire. It had been accidental - she seriously doubted Miss St.Martin had been lying, the concerned act was too good for that - but some of the class might not register that, or might think the accident had occurred because Miss St.Martin subconsciously wanted to hurt her twin. She sighed and resisted the temptation to put a hand to her temple. Merlin, her head was starting to get worse fast. It always knew how to increase her desire to stop doing a stressful activity.

"I'm sure you two will be delighted to hear that I'm not giving you detention," she said, keeping her tone as it had been before the second incident came up. "However, if either of you exhibit this kind of behaviour in my classroom again, you'll be spending quite a few quality evenings with me and my cat, making up the lessons I will not allow you to attend. I won't have tomfoolery in this class, from you two or anyone." Having done her teacherly duty, she made her way back to her desk, scanning the room for more signs of trouble. She might not have a job after Miss St.Martin's accident, but she wasn't going to let the class disintegrate while it was hers. Joining the girls in the infirmary for a headache cure was sounding like more and more of a good idea. \n\n

0 Professor Marlowe Says <i>me</i>, Miss Carey. 0 Professor Marlowe 0 5

Geoffrey Layne
March 04, 2006 10:14 PM

Geoffrey Layne
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

I'm walking on pins and needles, pals... by Geoffrey Layne
Geoffrey had spared no effort when it came to giving the right impression in his first Transfiguration lesson. Sitting first row, dead center, hands clasped on top of his wand and eyes fixed on the teacher, he fixed a look of rapt attention on his face and tried to work out what to make of Marlowe. It was immediately obvious that she was the first part-British part-American like himself he'd ever met outside of his own family, which was a point in her favor, but her businesslike air and lecture about the seriousness of the subject made it hard to tell if she was one of those teachers who made becoming a favorite the next thing to impossible. Not impossible - everyone had a crack somewhere in their armor, after all - but close.

From what Anne had written him last year and told him since his arrival, the Transfiguration teacher was a good one to have as an ally, because the subject was a complex, theory-based, fiddly one. Anne's liking for poker-stiff teachers with rule obsessions aside, it made sense to stay in good books with a professor teaching a subject with those qualities, so, if the need arose, he could schedule private study sessions while only feeling three-fourths an idiot and not having the entire school know about it by midday. He didn't think it would be that bad, or that he would ever manage to shelve his pride enough to ask for assistance if it was, it would be good to have the option open. Unfortunately, the Powers That Be hadn't seen fit to exempt him from the nobody's-perfect rule.

He made a point of leaning forward a bit when Professor Marlowe gave the demonstration. It gave the right impression, and he was actually interested in what she was doing. He'd seen transfigurations done before, of course, but seeing one object morph into another never failed to entertain him. A match and a needle didn't share much in common besides length, but maybe that was enough to make an effective correlation. Didn't seem like it would be, since he was pretty sure most metals a needle would be made of contained fewer elements than the kind of wood that would make up a match stem, never mind the sulfur and whatever on the end...Geoffrey stopped himself when he realized he was over-thinking the thing. He had just seen it done, so elemental differences didn't matter. A teacher had done it right in front of him, so it could be done, end of discussion.

He stifled a groan when Marlowe announced they had to practice the wand movement and incantation before they could get their matches. He didn't want to waste time praticing, he wanted to get down to work. Transfigurations took time until you were really good, he knew, and this was his first time doing it. Couldn't tell Marlowe that, though, he'd look like a stuck-up little know-it-all as opposed to an overenthusiastic know-it-all, and that would probably do nicely to get the majority of his year hating him. He didn't care if they liked him - might do his reputation better if they didn't, actually - but he'd prever to avoid outright enmity with most of them.

At long last, the matches were handed out and they were allowed to begin working. Geoffrey pulled his wand out eagerly, not even taking his usual moment to polish the eight inches of yew. Any effort at upholding a casual front was being tossed straight out the window; he was and most likely always would be a right ol' member of the nerd herd, as Anne had affectionately christened it, at heart. Rotating his wrist for a moment to make the stiff movement a little more comfortable, he proceeded to steady his hand, get the wand in line with the middle of his match, and perform the incantation, exactly as he had just seen Marlowe do it.

Nothing happened. Nothing at all happened. Geoffrey felt himself coming very slightly down off his excited high, but he pushed it aside quickly. It wasn't uncommon, to get no result the first time. It was more common, really. He wasn't perfect, and there was no point in telling himself he was, even if he told himself that on a regular basis anyway. Try again. No harm done. I've always been the best, so I always will be, aside from - aside from no one. She never skipped a year. I'm Geoffrey Layne. I can do this. His eyebrows starting to draw together a little, he said the incantation again, as clearly as he possibly could, while making the motion again. Nothing doing. He muttered something his mother would have gone into conniptions over and resolved not to stop until the match was a needle or he died trying to make it one. \n\n

16 Geoffrey Layne I'm walking on pins and needles, pals... 72 Geoffrey Layne 0 5

Adam B.
March 08, 2006 8:13 PM

Adam B.
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 11
Birthday: March 5

Things not going too good. by Adam B.
Okay, the girl was stuttering. Maybe that meant she was as scared as Adam, (which, for the life of him, he didn't understand. Few people were less scary than he was.) Or perhaps she just had a speech impediment. Either way, it made her slightly less intimidating.

He gave her a small nervous smile and said "Well, no. You don't want to try lots of the potions you'll make. Something could have been wrong with them due to a mistake someone made. Or even if everything went right, the intent of a potion could be to harm. Some have highly toxic ingredients. Others just don't taste good."

"I-I h-hope everything is going well for you here,"

Adam gave her a funny look. Going well for him? How could they possibly be? He was in Crotalus. He wasn't with Kaylie. He felt desperately alone most of the time. Scared.

He looked down at his desk. Adam didn't want her to see the tears in his eyes.
\n\n

11 Adam B. Things not going too good. 78 Adam B. 0 5

Ginger Silverstein
March 27, 2006 9:08 PM

Ginger Silverstein
Peripheral
Written by:

:( I'm sorry by Ginger Silverstein
When Adam smiled it made Ginger feel slightly better about herself. She could tell that he was very sensitive, and she was afraid that she would accidently hurt his feelings. Ginger was rather sensitive as well, but she tried to hide it just a little bit. She didn't want people to think she was totally helpless. It was already bad enough that she was a muggle-born, but to be a sensitive, helpless muggle-born was asking for it. She had to have just a little bit of a backbone at least to survive here. She was rather proud of herself for not completely breaking down from being away from her video games.

Ginger slightly giggled, her giggle sounded meek, and hopfully harmless. "Yeah, I don't think any potion would taste good. The potions I've r-read about have s-some pretty nasty sounding stuff in them." She gave him a sweeter smile than her nervous one, and giggled again. She was happy that she managed not to stutter too much this time. She hoped that, this didn't intimidate him a bit.

Then when he gave her the look, and looked down, it was obvious that she had said the wrong thing. "I- I- I- I'm s-s-s-sorry," she said sadly. Now she had done it! Her eyes filled with sadness, and she looked down at her desk too.

\n\n

0 Ginger Silverstein :( I'm sorry 1484 Ginger Silverstein 0 5

Professor Marlowe

Lesson One, First Years by Professor Marlowe

Saul Pierce

trying it out by Saul Pierce

Melanie Rose

Transformation Impossible by Melanie Rose

Saul

I'll say by Saul

Lila Gringe

So much for beginner's luck. by Lila Gringe

Melanie Rose

The awkward silence after something strange. by Melanie Rose

Eduard Grimaud

Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a needle! by Eduard Grimaud

Morgaine Carey

This ain't cheerleading camp, Eddie. by Morgaine Carey

Allie St.Martin

So much for not embarrassing myself. by Allie St.Martin

Adam Brockert

Exausted and full of self -hatred. by Adam Brockert

Lila Gringe

So much for socially correct. by Lila Gringe

Ginger Silverstein

Nervous... by Ginger Silverstein

Rob Stone

Mixanti Near? by Rob Stone

Eduard Grimaud

More pain Morgaine by Eduard Grimaud

Melanie Rose

Gag me with a spoon! XD by Melanie Rose

Morgaine Carey

Why would he or I or anyone want to do that? by Morgaine Carey

Guenther Heindrich

R-E-S-P-E-C-T! by Guenther Heindrich

Melanie Rose

Find out what it means to me: by Melanie Rose

Eduard Grimaud

Care I for a Carey? by Eduard Grimaud

Guenter Heindrich

Re: Find out what it means to me: by Guenter Heindrich

The St.Martins

So much for not setting something on fire... by The St.Martins

Melanie Rose

Re: Find out what it means to me: by Melanie Rose

Lila Gringe

So much for staying in class . . . by Lila Gringe

Adam B.

You and me both.. by Adam B.

Guenter Heindrich

Your name my pretty?! by Guenter Heindrich

Melanie Rose

You'll never get it nor my dog or my shoes! by Melanie Rose

Morgaine Carey

You'd better start... by Morgaine Carey

Marlowe

Enough! by Marlowe

Professor Marlowe

So much for being employed. by Professor Marlowe

Lila Gringe

So much for being calm. by Lila Gringe

Lila Gringe

OOC by Lila Gringe

Allie St.Martin

So much for being enrolled. by Allie St.Martin

Lila St.Martin

So much for allowing my sister near a wand. by Lila St.Martin

Lila Gringe

So much for having a witty title every time. by Lila Gringe

Ginger Silverstein

At least I'm not the only one. by Ginger Silverstein

Geoffrey Spindler

Mixanti Far by Geoffrey Spindler

Professor Marlowe

So much for being certain what I'm about. by Professor Marlowe

Morgaine Carey

Says who? by Morgaine Carey

Professor Marlowe

Says <i>me</i>, Miss Carey. by Professor Marlowe

Geoffrey Layne

I'm walking on pins and needles, pals... by Geoffrey Layne