Professor Levy
July 17, 2011 12:00 PM
DADA Intermediate Level (Years 3 and 4): Lesson I by Professor Levy
Halloween was Erika’s absolute favorite time of year. Living in the magical world made it all the better, because it meant that decorations and costumes could be all that more elaborate. This included haunted areas. Once her Intermediate class had arrived, Erika had informed them to leave everything except their wands before she had taken them through the school and to the familiar point counting portrait. “Behind Professor Mims lies our lesson for the day. When you enter, please stay in the clearing and do not wander off!” She only hoped that they would listen. Fourth and fifth years tended to be more rebellious than her other years since boundaries were being tested. However, by now, most students knew not to try her patience.Though, there was a good chance they wouldn’t want to go off on their own. Beyond the clearing lay the woods, shadowed and menacing. While it was daylight in the clearing, the trees in the forest were enormous and created a veil of darkness. “Welcome to the Mirage Chamber. Some of you may have been here previously in other classes, but in case you don’t know or have forgotten, nothing in here can hurt you. It is simply a mirage. Hence, the name,” Erika explained. The Mirage Chamber was definitely an advantage to the school that she had previously not considered. It allowed one to introduce material in a form that made it a near reality without the actual danger. She remembered the first time that she had seen an actual Red Capp and had completely freaked out. Thankfully, her instincts for survival were top notch and a simple knockback jinx had done the trick.
“Which is a good thing, because if you’ve been paying attention the last few weeks, you’ll know what you’ll be seeing today. Beyond this clearing lies a series of banshees, djinns, revenants, shadow people, and everything else we’ve been covering. Again, they can’t actually hurt you, but this will be good practice for the spells you’ve been learning.” She was nearly bouncing on her heels in excitement. She totally wished she were a kid right now about to do this lesson. “I want everyone to break up into groups of two to four. You may start at any point you wish, as the forest will create a path for you to follow. You may run into other classmates along the way or you may not. It depends on where you go. The first group back here wins a no homework night. If the creature you run into proves too much, just say Banana and the creature will go away.”
She glanced over to the forest. It really was perfect for Halloween. There was even a mild fog swirling around the underbrush to heighten the atmosphere. She had always enjoyed haunted houses and hoped that though they would be learning, her students would have a similar experience. The entire forest had been designed to be a maze of sorts so no group would have quite the same adventure. Turning back to them, she clapped her hands together, “All right. Unless there are any questions, you may begin. Oh, and remember nothing can actually hurt you.”
OOC: Standard posting rules apply. The more creative and detailed the post, the more points earned. I have included a bit of info on the creatures and you may add in any other creatures so long as they would be level appropriate. Same thing for the spells used.
Banshee – associated with Irish mythology; feminine spirit that foretells death; may or may not appear to particular Irish families; said to be able to appear in various forms; morning call to sound; appear white or gray with pale hair
Djinn – Genies; associated with Arab culture; said to be created from fire and can take on any form; most are hostile, though some friendly; possible to gain power over; can grant wishes; unpredictable; an agreement broken is regretted – will punish
Revenant – wicked or vain people that return from the dead; associated with spreading disease among the living
Shadow People – shadow-like humanoid figures seen in peripheral vision; cannot hurt unless invoked – lumos best used
Subthreads: This might actually be fun... by Dulce Garcia with Rachel Bauer, Dulce
This is already creepy by Samantha Hamilton with Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw, Samantha
Doing my good deed for the day by Jane
Being Chivalrous, just this once by Nic Sawyer, Crotalus with Eliza Bennett, Crotalus, Eliza
Amendment - Year 5 as well! (nm) by Professor Levy
Surprisingly not that scared. by Ryan O'Malley, Crotalus with James Owen
Getting closer to the end by Alessa Hinckley, Aladren with David Wilkes, Aladren
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Professor Levy
DADA Intermediate Level (Years 3 and 4): Lesson I
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Professor Levy
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Samantha Hamilton
July 20, 2011 6:35 AM
This is already creepy by Samantha Hamilton
Going to the Mirage Chamber for a class was a rare experience and Samantha was keen to make the most of it, and to enjoy herself. However, going to the Chamber for a Defense Against the Dark Arts class simply indicated they were going to have to do something there that wasn't possible in a classroom space. They were probably going to have to deal with some horrbily evil creature, or fend off some super dangerous attacker with a complicated spell, the nature of which made it unsafe to do in a classroom. Therefore, Samantha couldn't help feeling somewhat apprehensive.Arriving at the class, the fourth year discovered she had been right to be concerned. It was positively petrifying in the Chamber. There was a dark, eerie mist just about everywhere, and the Aladren could hear occasional moaning from within the trees that sent shivers running down her spine. She just kept telling herself over and over again that it wasn't real, the way she did when she found herself watching a particularly spooky horror film with her brothers. As with the movies, this technique began to work in class, and soon she was calm enough to really concentrate on what Professor Levy was telling them. It was comforting that they wouldn't be in any danger of getting lost, as the forest created a path for them, and that there was a safety word for just in case (which Samantha wrote on her hand so it would be immediately available should she need it).
After the short introduction, the professor said they could begin work, which to Samantha translated as an instruction to find a partner or two. She didn't really mind who she worked with. At her first entrance to the Chamber, Samantha would have preferred workin with a boy, but now she'd talked herself out of panicking she wouldn't mind working with anyone. Autumn was her friend, and possibly Sam Bauer was her friend, too, so Samantha looked a little for them and was turning her head before someone to her other side caught her attention and asked to be partners.
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Samantha Hamilton
This is already creepy
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Samantha Hamilton
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Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw
July 23, 2011 6:10 AM
This is the least of our problems. by Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw
Although it was not by any means her favorite class, Kirstenna was becoming increasingly aware of the importance of Defense Against the Dark Arts. What with the Beetle Lady and her possible henchman-it disturbed Kirstenna to no end that the Beetle Lady was dating her distant cousin, it had to be a plot of some kind-and the Imposter and Headmaster Regal who was possibly in league with the Imposter and the Aladren Quidditch team being imperiused by the Impostor, knowing Defense might be considered a very good thing.There were threats all around them. The Impostor was capable of so much. She (or he) had already killed at least three people for sure, poisoned another, and kidnapped and maybe killed a fourth. Oh, and he or she had killed Derry's cousin as well. Or the person pretending to be Derry's cousin. Sometimes these things were a bit confusing.
Confusing or not though, Kirstenna had to be on guard. She very much doubted anyone else was, aside from Derry. That woman (or man) had everyone fooled. Except the pureblood elitists who didn't like that the real Amelia Pierce had been a lesbian Quidditch player who had lead a coven of other lesbian Quidditch players or something. (No wonder a Carey had wanted to kill her!) But they didn't know the real danger. That she was not who she said she was.
And of course, after Kirstenna had figured out that the person pretending to be Jannette Wolfe was really the Impostor, the Impostor had to kill someone else and who better than someone that the Bad Type of Pureblood considered an Undesirable and who the Bad Type of Pureblood would never pretend to be because it was below their dignity. It was the perfect cover.
Oh, she had it! Someone-possibly and probably the Imposter-had been using the real Amelia Pierce to get to the Pierce family. This person-who if it were the Imposter was probably polyjuiced into someone else- had killed Derry's great-grandpa and brother and cousin and his other relatives but Amelia escaped, faking her own death. She got a job at Sonora, but then the Imposter, disguised as Jannette Wolfe, had realized people were on to her (or him) when confronted by Brian and Headmistress Powell. The Imposter then kidnapped the former, poisoned the latter, and then, realizing the need for a new identity, disposed of the real Coach Pierce because she was an Undesirable who no Respectable Pureblood would want to even pretend to be, and assumed her identity. The Imposter then imperiused the Aladren Quidditch team and boiled Tobar alive.
Or , the real Amelia Pierce was evil too-not because she was a lesbian and a Quidditch player but because she just was because being a lesbian and playing Quidditch did not automatically make someone a good a person anymore than it made them a bad one-and had actually been the one to kill her relatives, faking her own death, escaping and doing all the aformentioned things.
Yes, that was all perfectly logical. Even Quentin, the most logical person Kirstenna had ever met, would not be able to find any holes in that story.
Defense was very necessary indeed. And despite Kirstenna's misgivings about the way it was taught and the liklihood that she would not be going into it as a career-her life was either singing or in the circus-the Teppenpaw would likely take it after her CATS if her scores were high enough.
So, the fourth year paid close attention as Professor Levy took them to the Mirage Chamber and explained the lesson to them. Kirstenna had to admit, the professor did really know her stuff and she did respect the woman that way. She just didn't like how everything becamse a competition. Kirstenna had no idea why the woman was so obsessed with them but she would certainly come up with some perfectly rational and reasonable theory.
But for right now, she turned to Samantha Hamilton who happened to be standing next to her and asked "Will you please work with me?" Thanks to her cousin, Kirstenna never asked people if they wanted to work with her.
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Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw
This is the least of our problems.
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Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw
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Samantha
August 01, 2011 1:13 PM
Maybe we should tackle it first, to get it out of the way by Samantha
"Yes, I'll work with you," Samantha replied to Kirstenna as soon as she'd registered the other girl. She only really knew her in a 'we're both Quidditch Keepers' kind of way (although since Samantha hadn't signed up to the team this year, they didn't really have that in common any more, either), but Kirstenna seemed to be as good a partner as anyone else. "Shall we start over here?" Samantha made her suggestion as a question, pointing towards a clearing in the trees even as she began to walk around it."It's sort of what I imagine it would be like being on a film set," she commented (despite being at Sonora for several years now, her Muggle upbringing and holiday life was still so firmly ingrained in her that she couldn't simply switch off thoughts like that while she was out of context), gesturing generally at the swirling mist and silhouetted trees. She almost added 'but creepier', but, having decided that she wasn't going to be intimidtaed by her surroundings, she held back that extra remark. Instead she focused on her feet and where they were going. She was pleased she'd deiced to wear flats today, and not the kitten heels or wedge platforms she'd mostly been favoring since her return after the summer. She was, admittedly, still wearing a skirt, and as it was fitted and above knee-length, it wasn't easily going to facilitate running, should that be necessary. At least she was wearing a fairly sensible sweater, and the afore-blessed flat shoes.
"So..." Samantha struggled to find something to say to Kirstenna that was more interesting than the usual mundane conversation starters. She couldn't think of anything remotely intersting, however, so she asked, "Do you usually like this class?" Maybe the classics were classic for a reason. Besides, now they'd entered the forest area, Samantha could swear she kept seeing shapes out the corner of her eyes that seemed to vanish instantly the moment she turned her head towards them. It was distracting to the point of having an adverse effect on her conversation skills.
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Samantha
Maybe we should tackle it first, to get it out of the way
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Samantha
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Kirstenna
August 08, 2011 7:35 AM
Sounds like a good idea by Kirstenna
"Excellent." It wasn't as if Kirstenna really expected Samantha to say no. Nobody really ever did. She supposed if people didn't like each other-and there was nobody in her class that Kirstenna really disliked-they would just stay away from each other and not ask to work together. The only way she supposed that could go wrong was if they didn't know who their enemies were.She knew who hers were. The Imposter and the Beetle Lady. And they knew she knew. Because they were Leglimens of course because what skilled villain didn't know how to use mental magic? Which made things all the more dangerous and Kirstenna would make sure to avoid eye contact with either of them.
Her grandparents could also possibly be considered enemies, but the fourth year didn't like to think about that. They weren't a threat anyway, not like the Beetle Lady and the Imposter. Her grandparents were in Iowa and simply pretended that Kirstenna didn't exist, the Imposter and the Beetle Lady were here and out to get them all.
Which was why DADA was completely necessary.
"Yeah," Kirstenna grinned. Being on a film set might be fun, though the Teppenpaw was more into singing than acting. Of course, she didn't need to pretend much when so much of reality was interesting for her. She was a witch who'd grown up in the circus. Real life was actually pretty interesting from her perspective but she doubted it was that way for everyone. Kirstenna was just lucky that way. Though she supposed she would prefer things to be just slightly less interesting, a life where her friends weren't kidnapped or boiled alive.
"Hmmm..." Kirstenna considered the question. "I'm not really crazy about the competition aspects of this class but I do enjoy the actual activities themselves and the subject matter is really interesting." She smiled at the other fourth year. "What about you?" Kirstenna asked.
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Kirstenna
Sounds like a good idea
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Kirstenna
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Samantha
August 09, 2011 9:33 AM
I have good ideas, sometimes by Samantha
"I'm not really crazy about the competition aspects of this class but I do enjoy the actual activities themselves and the subject matter is really interesting," Kirstenna answered Samantha's question with a smile. "What about you?""I prefer the theory and history rather than actually using the spells," Samantha replied. It probably came as no surprise that the Aladren would choose reading over conflict any day. It also wouldn't be a surprise to Samantha's professors, and the students who knew her a little better than Kirstenna did, that she prefered theoretical work because it came more easily to her than practical spells. Should could still cast most spells with practise, and she wasn't falling behind or anything, but her classmates seemed to get the hang of spells quicker, or to exceute them with more control, or... well, Samantha just wasn't so good at that side of classes, anyway. With DADA there was the added deterent of being placed in a stressful situation when you had to cast spells, either for attack or protection. Today was a good example of that, and even though Samantha she was under no real threat, when a banshee crossed the path that she and Kirstenna were taking, the fourth year stopped walking very suddenly.
"Oh," she made a noise, wondering why her mind had chosen this moment to be empty of any useful information. The illusion - yes, it was only an illusion - had halted in from of them, making it impossible to progress. "What's the spell for mking a banshee go away?" Samantha asked Kirstenna in a hushed voice, that, while quiet, at least didn't sound panicked. Good; she hadn't lost complete control.
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Samantha
I have good ideas, sometimes
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Samantha
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