| Dwarf
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: #8000FF
Posts: 35,305
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Amelia "Mia" Adair
Slytherin Fourth Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Leigh Upstead
Hufflepuff Third Year  x11
|  Sorry for the massive post. T_T And anyone can still join! be curious, not judgmental
Text Cut: Greetingsss! Sophie's wand-polishing endeavors were going swimmingly when a person appeared through the doorway - and it wasn't just any person, it was Eden! "Hi Eden," the prefect chimed, her thoughts drifting back to their conversation at the feast while she finished up with her wand care and packed away her polishing kit. She had mostly written the article with Tobes and Zander in mind, but now that Eden was here... well, Sophie realized just how much it must have meant to the seventh year, too. "I'm glad you came," she smiled, rising to her feet and brushing off the back of her pants in case dirt had accumulated on them when she was on the floor.
"We're gonna have a good day," she told the older girl just as another Ravenclaw joined them - Penelope! "Hi Penelope! S'nice to see you." It was, too. She had TWO PEOPLE show up, which was just about as much as she could've hoped for with the article...
...But then Zeke and Hady showed up, too! Though... Zeke didn't seem to know what was going on, did he? Maybe he was here by chance. Oop. "Hi Zeke, Hady - y'can stay, Zeke, we're just having a little patronus practice session for anyone who wanted extra work on it." Did he want to work on it, too, or was he here for other reasons? At any rate... the sixth year glanced at the door, then back at those who had joined her today. "M'sure we'll have more people trickling in as we go," as she hadn't specified a real time, just 'after lunch,' "but thank you all for coming today. Professor Dakest isn't here, and I don't think he will be here - so it's just us. No adults looming in over our heads, no pressure to impress anyone - this is just for us." It was nice to have a professor's guidance with some things, but not having a superior around certainly would ease some tension with this kind of magic, wouldn't it?
"I'm not a teacher, so I'm not gonna act like one - I'm just here for guidance. So... I tried thinking of things that would help us along on our individual paths for... self-growth and conjuring a corporeal patronus. You don't have to share what you feel like you need to work on, or what might be holding you back, but..." She gestured first to the table with self-inking quills, sheets of blank parchments, and hand-held mirrors on it. "I thought maybe it'd be helpful to write it down. It's nothing that you'll need to show anyone, it's just for you. Maybe write down... why you're here, what you need to work on, what's keeping you from performing to your full potential... just some self-reflection." They had to identify and face their struggles first, right? "There are mirrors there, too - I know it's kinda cheesy, but y'could look into a mirror and note your first reaction to your reflection - and not about yourself physically, but about you are as a person. Whether your perception is positive or negative, what good things you think of yourself or what bad things come to mind - those good things are what we need to harness, and the bad things are those kinda demons that you're gonna have to work to overcome. This isn't just about patronuses - for some of you, it may be something much deeper." Her gaze briefly lingered on Eden's with sympathetic eyes, but then it continued alternating between the others.
"So there's one option - y'can spend some time reflecting, journaling your thoughts and worries, and just... letting everything out. Y'can also make a list of things that make you happy, whether it be people, hobbies, places, or things - and try to work out a few options of happy memories that might be powerful enough to use later on." All right? So... there were some self-reflection activities for those who could benefit from that kind of thing.
Gesturing now to the yoga mats, she went on, "For those of you who have your memories ready or have the confidence you think you'll need to perform the patronus, but maybe you're anxious or tense and need to clear your mind and body first, I can lead you guys through some stretches and deep-breathing kinda stuff to just feel good and cleansed in both mind and body. Just to relax, y'know?" She wasn't sure if anyone would even want to do that, as Romanos may have influenced negative feelings toward yoga-related things. It had been no secret that people had wished to be taught more extreme, hands-on things right off the bat, like the way Dakest taught... but Sophie saw the benefit of it with something like this, too. Relaxation techniques were mega useful.
"And some of you may be ready right now to just give it a shot, and y'can do that, too - just go ahead and work with the charm. We're all here right behind you supporting you, so don't worry about what anyone else is thinking or anything." And then there were the sweets. "And I know we just had lunch, but if you need to take a break and just chill out, there's some sweets from Honeydukes and baked goods over here, too, that y'can help yourselves to.
"So... go ahead and do whatever y'think y'need to do. This is your time." Their time to SHINE. And Sophie would just be over here by the yoga mats in case anyone wanted that. And if no one wanted to do that, she could give them more personalized attention, too, to anyone who sought guidance.
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