History of Magic Lesson One - The Battle of Hogwarts

[WhittyBitty]

Upon entering the History of Magic classroom, one might think that they are outside of Hogwarts. Through the use of spell-work, the room has been expanded and made to look like the outside of the castle. The floor has been replaced by grass, and the walls are dark with stars as what would happen when in the middle of the night. There is a large representation of Hogwarts along an entire wall.

Professor Marchand is sitting cross-legged on the grass, waiting for students to arrive. There are no desks for the lesson, though nearby there is a table laden with snacks and fruit punch. Today's treat is Halloween candy. It might be early November, but there is nothing wrong with chocolate bars.

Lesson Progression:
What do you think we will be learning about today?
What do you know about the Battle of Hogwarts? Why did it happen? Was it inevitable, or could it have been avoided?
Mini activity
Main Activity

OOC: Welcome to the first OOC lesson of the term! I will be starting the class in approximately 24 hours. In the meantime feel free to chat with each other, though please don't go overboard. CLASS HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED.

[hermygirl]

Sam had stood quietly whilst the debate had been happening. She had no inclination to write yet another essay, and yet she respected those who didn't want to get involved in this fight. Instead she'd fiddled with the white band on her arm, and started considering whether those walls really were climbable. For reasons.

And her previous thoughtfulness couldn't stop a smirk appearing on her face when she found out the activity. A balloon fight? How awesome. How exactly this was teaching them anything about the battle of Hogwarts, she had no idea. Tactics, maybe? Was it possible to play tactics in a transformed classroom version of the castle?

She picked up a balloon, and got the feeling of it in her left hand as she weighed up her options. No need to rush in, really. And she probably should keep moving without drawing attention to herself. Something she'd done a lot of growing up.

Who to target first? Unfortunately, a lot of the black team were first and second years, and Sam didn't want to give the impression of picking on them. Not with her first throw. So instead she picked out a third year Slytherin. Eddie Blaze, yup...a balloon was headed for him.

[WhittyBitty]

The students were jumping right to the activity, and Rosalyn was really hoping that they would enjoy it. So far the class had been going rather well, beyond a slight problem with the activity. It really was no issue at all, because students speaking up with their beliefs was something that she encouraged and admired; it was this kind of action that could help get a lot of good accomplished in the world.

Glancing at her watch, she saw that there was still quite a bit of time for them to play. She'd just continue keeping track of time and let them know when there were only a few minutes left before class ended.

OOC: Awesome, everyone! There are still 48 hours left to get the activity completed.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Well that had gone really really badly and Katy felt awful that the whole class had almost been ruined. Because of her. Ugh. Consciences were terribly ugly beasts and she wasn't interested in feeling bad all the time.

But all was well, because some people could play, but Katy, Char, Derf, and whoever was joining them, could be Healers. Playing but not, so to speak. "Here, we'll make ourselves stand out," Katy grabbed a few of the remaining white bands and charmed them red. Not on either team, so no one should throw anything at them.

"Let's set up over there, and we can figure out a way to make bandages. I feel like everyone who gets injured should be fully wrapped like a mummy, don't you, Derf?"

The whole exchange between the professor and his classmates and between his classmates was all sorts of confusing. It was almost like people were reading different pages of the same book but trying to have a discussion on what was being read. Worst of all was there was unnecessary finger pointing happening and looks of animosity - especially when the professor had decided that EVERYONE would have to do the essay and not just those who felt uncomfortable. Relief soon came when the initial suggestion on how some of them could be healers was finally accepted. This he could deal with. Although he was now a little curious about what the essay topic would have been since, well, he had hardly contributed today.

So he felt.

But thankfully Katherine was another welcomed distraction. "Do you know how to conjure bandages?" he asked, awestruck. "Caaaaaause...you could conjure it and I could do the wrapping!" Like a big ol' long white ribbon.

[NifflerFan]

Yesss, the essay was OUT!! And and, her besties and the older girls who didn't want to participate got to be Healers in the game! Emmeline thought that this was the beeeest possible solution overall. Plus, she was kind of excited for the balloon fight -- even if it did represent a terrible battle and loooads of deaths. She didn't think they were making fun of the war, though, not really. Professor Marchand wouldn't do that; she was waaaayy too nice to even think of something like that, probably.

Emmeline trotted happily over to where the balloons were being kept, and quickly pulled out like SEVEN of them. She had two whole arms full of the balloons, anyway, and quickly retreated back to the white side of the field. Now it was time to figure out who to throw at!

Selecting a target was waayy harder. Emmeline's first choice would've been Eddie Blaze, actually, 'cause she knew he wouldn't be all offended or anything if she threw a balloon at him. But Miss Kitty had just thrown one at him and she didn't want to be MEAN and get him out on purpose.

So the second year darted forward, sort of charging the black side, and just started lobbing balloons at anyone and everyone with a black arm band that she could reach. That sort of chaos was probably more like a real battle anyways, with spells going everywhere and stuff. She was soon dodging balloons from the black side as well, grinning and tossing more at black-banded people at random.

[lazykitty]

So, that was settled then. He quickly resumed his walk to the armbands and picked out a black one before taking a place on the 'battlefield'.


To be completely honest, Ronan briefly considered throwing a balloon in the direction of those who'd almost caused them to have to write an essay. But that wouldn't have been very sportsman like, so he didn't. Instead, he made the critical mistake of stopping to survey the situation. A mistake, because almost instantly, he was hit in the face by a balloon thrown by Emmeline. "Oof." Not that it hurt or anything, it was just a shock. He took aim at his fellow Gryffindor, who seemed to be just lobbing balloons at random, and threw his own balloon with just enough gusto.

[WhittyBitty]

It pleased Rosalyn to see that her students seemed to be having fun with the activity. So far no one had been taken out of the game, but that was perfectly fine; maybe they would end up with a tie. There was nothing wrong with that. Mostly she was just happy that everything had worked out in the end and the entire class was happy. Honestly she wasn't sure what the Board of Governors was going to say to her, but it was okay; she was confident in her abilities and could handle anything that came her way.

For the moment she was entirely focused on what the students were doing. Rosalyn glanced at her watch. "There are still ten minutes left for the game!" she announced.

OOC: There is still 14 hours left for the activity.

[Anna Banana]

So it seemed like most of the older kids that hadn't wanted to play were okay with being Healers now, and all the kids who didn't want to do essays were okay now, too. So was it game on or what?! Suddenly there were balloons flying off in all sorts of directions, and a wide-eyed Maddie figured that YES, it was most definitely game on. She should really get up to there balloon stash and grab one for the black team. She doubted she would be really good at playing the part of a Death Eater, but if all she had to do was throw balloons, she should be okay.

Grabbing a balloon, Maddie ran off into the thick of things, all the while trying not to get hit. She had literally just thrown herself into the game. Ending up with the Healers now would just be bad on her part. Maddie looked around and saw her two closest choices were Emmeline and some older Ravenclaw girl (Sam). Emmeline had literally just gotten attacked, and the Ravenclaw girl looked a lot older than Maddie. Leave it to her to be worried about her opponents. Taking in an unsure breath, Maddie raised her arm and launched a balloon right to Sam.

[Daydreamer11]

Okay. It was game time and Shay was ready. She picked up some balloons and at the same time scanned the room. Who to choose? That was the question. Finally she made her decision and it was not an easy one. She hated to go after her housemates, let alone one that had already been targeted, but.........what could she do? Taking careful aim, Shay lobbed the ball towards Olivia. With a shrug that said sorry, not sorry, Shay turned from her fellow Gryffindor and looked for her next target.

All was fair in love and war, right? Unfortunately, her next target was also a Gryffindor. Soooo balloon number two went sailing toward Ronan. Shay knew that she was most likely going to suffer consequences and repercussions. For that reason, she kept her eyes alert and prepared to dodge incoming balloons.

[Anna Banana]

Maddie watched her balloon as it soared toward Sam. She was super curious if it'd hit her or not, but the crowds in the classroom were just too thick. Suddenly, Sam was nowhere in sight anymore, and Maddie would probably never figure out if the older girl had gotten hit or not. Guess it was just time to launch a second one then. Maddie scooped up another balloon and looked around the room. There was a Gryffindor girl running around, but she looked even older than Sam! Maddie was secretly kind of scared to hit the older kids...

...but this girl was an almost wide open target for Maddie. She gave the girl a sympathetic look, even though she knew deep down inside that nobody would probably take this personally. Taking a good aim, Maddie released the balloon toward Shay. You know, come to think about it, it would be kind of fun to hit somebody with a confetti-filled balloon. On second thought, it'd be fun to be hit with a confetti-filled balloon, too!

[Daydreamer11]

Shay thought she was pretty aware of what was going on around her. Apparently she was wrong. Just as she was celebrating the success of launching two balloons, a little Puff happened. Shay felt something hit her leg and confetti sprayed everywhere. She realized that she had been targeted, and very successfully mind you, by ickle Maddie. Shay couldn't help but smile. Maddie had gotten her good.

The smile turned into a devilish grin, as Shay prepared to strike back. Picking up another balloon, she pitched it toward the Hufflepuff. She did not wait to see if the balloon hit its target. Not paying attention was what got her tagged in the first place. Shay had no intention of getting hit again. Now all she needed was another target. Ok, who's next?

[hermygirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Grabbing a balloon, Maddie ran off into the thick of things, all the while trying not to get hit. She had literally just thrown herself into the game. Ending up with the Healers now would just be bad on her part. Maddie looked around and saw her two closest choices were Emmeline and some older Ravenclaw girl (Sam). Emmeline had literally just gotten attacked, and the Ravenclaw girl looked a lot older than Maddie. Leave it to her to be worried about her opponents. Taking in an unsure breath, Maddie raised her arm and launched a balloon right to Sam.

The balloon towards Eddie had barely left her hand when she spied one coming in her own direction. She ducked to the side, it just missing her shoulder before hitting the ground behind her. That was close! So much for keeping moving to avoid becoming a target.

She hadn't spotted who the balloon had been thrown by, but wasted no time in picking it up from where it lay unburst on the floor and looking for her own next target. Ronan seemed like a good target, yup.

Keeping her eye on the other nearby black armbands, Sam edged her way round to get a better angle on the Gryffindor. Biding her time, biiiiiiding her time...and then, just as a gap in the crowd cleared between them, she threw the balloon and ducked away to the side.

[Anna Banana]

As the crowd around her thinned just a little, Maddie caught sight of Sam, the older Ravenclaw girl she'd launched her first balloon toward. The girl was still in battle mode and wasn't covered in confetti, so Maddie guessed the balloon hadn't hit her. Oh, well...there was always Shay, the second victim of Maddie's. Speaking of the older Gryffindor girl, where was she?

Maddie paused for just a second, even though it probably made her a wide-open victim, and searched the crowd for Shay. When her eyes met the seventh year girl, Maddie gasped. She was covered in confetti! Maddie wasn't sure if it had been her balloon or not, but she liked to think it was! Not only had she hit someone, she'd hit a waaaaay older student!

In her moment of surprise, she allowed herself to take her attention away from protecting herself against getting hit. The next thing she knew, she felt a slight pressure against her, and there was confetti EVERYWHERE. This was it. This was the moment in battle where she'd meet her untimely death. Despite the fact that she was actually excited to be covered in confetti, she made a show of putting her hand over her heart and acting exactly like she would had this been a real battle.

Healerrrr. She needed the HEALERS!

[WhittyBitty]

As Rosalyn was about to end the lesson, confetti suddenly rained down all around Maddie. "And time's up! Looks like the white team is the winners today." Way to go though everyone had done a great job. "As prizes, you each will receive a plastic pumpkin filled with Halloween candy." Completely fitting since the holiday had just passed.

With a wave of her wand she made all the snacks disappeared to be replaced by said prizes. "There is enough for everyone to take one. Thanks for the wonderful lesson and have a great rest of your day!"

OOC: And that's a wrap! Thank you so much everyone for making this lesson fun. I'll leave the thread open for a bit longer in case anyone wants to post leaving.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

....
In her moment of surprise, she allowed herself to take her attention away from protecting herself against getting hit. The next thing she knew, she felt a slight pressure against her, and there was confetti EVERYWHERE. This was it. This was the moment in battle where she'd meet her untimely death. Despite the fact that she was actually excited to be covered in confetti, she made a show of putting her hand over her heart and acting exactly like she would had this been a real battle.

Healerrrr. She needed the HEALERS!

Derf had been lamenting the fact that he did not know how to conjure bandages or really ANY sort of conjuration in general when he caught Maddie's dramatics out of the corner of his eye and for a FLEETING moment entirely forgot that they were playing a game and taht it was only confetti and not anything else. No monsters. No death. Just a game.

A game in which he had a role to play in.

Thus the Hufflepuff left Katherine's side to go over and grab the first year by both arms so he could draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag her over to the side of the classroom. Something that was pretty easily achieved considering how light she was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhittyBitty

As Rosalyn was about to end the lesson, confetti suddenly rained down all around Maddie. "And time's up! Looks like the white team is the winners today." Way to go though everyone had done a great job. "As prizes, you each will receive a plastic pumpkin filled with Halloween candy." Completely fitting since the holiday had just passed.

With a wave of her wand she made all the snacks disappeared to be replaced by said prizes. "There is enough for everyone to take one. Thanks for the wonderful lesson and have a great rest of your day!"

And no sooner had he done that...class was dismissed.

Plastic pumpkins filled with treats? Derf was suspicious despite having no real grounds of being suspicious since nothing gifted by professors at Hogwarts SO far had proven fatal or anything...but there was always the ONE time he left his guard down and it being THE time...

"You need help up?" he asked Maddie, since he already had his hands on her and all...he gave her a bit of a tug to help her to her feet without exactly waiting for a response.

[PhoenixRising]

Skylar had been lamenting strategy as balloons soared back and forth past her, with one first year Hufflepuff feigning being wounded and Olivia attacking her boyfriend with a balloon, which actually amused the fifth year. For about half a second before she realized Professor Marchand had called time.

HUH!? How was it TIME UP already??

Probably cause they wasted so much time lamenting over the logistics of the battle and if it was just or not. Or whatever the heck was the issue that the healer group had with it? Really, Skylar had no idea, except for the fact that she was annoyed with how quick the 'battle' seemed to happen and how she hadn't had a chance to even throw one balloon, cause of strategizing. Apparently her fellow 'black teammates' hadn't either, given the fact that the white team was proclaimed the winners. Something that Skylar wasn't all too surprised about, if she was being honest, because even in the Battle of Hogwarts, the good prevailed over evil. And if she was also being honest, she wished more discussion and debate about the battle could have been had. Like what if she had to debate the pros and cons of each side on her OWL exams? Talking about confetti balloons would NOT give her passing grade.

And maybe it was the stress of classes, her extracurriculars, or just general overwhelmed, but Skylar found herself gripping the balloon a little too tightly. Enough that it burst in her grasp, little coloured confetti pieces falling at her side.

And no, she didn't really want a plastic pumpkin filled with candy. Nothing personal, but she didn't win? So it felt wrong to take one. She did, however, flourish her wand to vanish the confetti she'd made a mess of on the floor, before picking up her bag. "Thank you, Professor." For absolutely nothing useful today, but hey, even nothing useful could be proven to be something?

[Anna Banana]

Text Cut: Derf!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Derf had been lamenting the fact that he did not know how to conjure bandages or really ANY sort of conjuration in general when he caught Maddie's dramatics out of the corner of his eye and for a FLEETING moment entirely forgot that they were playing a game and taht it was only confetti and not anything else. No monsters. No death. Just a game.

A game in which he had a role to play in.

Thus the Hufflepuff left Katherine's side to go over and grab the first year by both arms so he could draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag her over to the side of the classroom. Something that was pretty easily achieved considering how light she was.

Maddie was still in the midst of pretending as if she'd really been seriously injured on the battlefield, when she felt someone's arms grab a hold of her. For a second, she was a little startled, and she looked up, wide-eyed, to see what was going on. Oh...right...pretend battle, and Derf was a pretend Healer! Back to pretend mode! Maddie closed her eyes, faking as if she was seriously wounded, and allowed Derf to drag her to safety. It was kind of fun being drug across the classroom like this. Heh.

Once she was out of harm's way and with the healers, class had come to an end. "Thanks, Derf!" she said, snapping out of pretend mode. Class was being dismissed now, so Maddie made her way back to her seat, still covered in confetti, and began packing up. "Professor, do you need some help cleaning up all this confetti?" she asked.