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Join Date: May 2009 Location: London
Posts: 32,852
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alexander River Hirsch
Gryffindor Third Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
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|  urine trouble | Pat's Strong Confident Other Half | Pees Like a Champion Unicorn Racehorse
Text Cut: You Guys <3 Text Cut: Patrick Quote:
Originally Posted by siriusblackliveson  Patrick thought about dark creatures and could only imagine spiders, the most disgusting create ever. It was the one thing that he just couldn't handle and refused to deal with. He would avoid anything with eight legs at all costs and would never in a million years let one live. He raised his hand ready to answer the question, although he was pretty sure that Professor Hirsch would not find his answer amusing. "I'm really hoping that a Soucouyant is not a relative of a spider." he shrugged his shoulders and shook as he thought about the ickiness of spiders.
Spiders?
Hirsch smiled and shook his head at this answer. "Not related to spiders, if it makes you feel better. Not even close." Though, to him, they were deadlier than spiders for a number of reasons but he wasn’t about to mention that.
"Good guess, though."
Text Cut: Sam Quote:
Originally Posted by hermygirl A grin appeared on Sam's face as Hirsch confirmed she could go climbing after class. "Of course, Sir!" She'd put a cushioning charm on the ground just in case, to keep the man happy - he was her Head of House afterall - but she knew she wouldn't need it. The Ravenclaw was a seasoned climber; she'd been scaling the walls of around wizarding London since she'd been knee high to a billywig. The best climber she knew.
With that settled, she quietly scooted forward with her cushion to where her bestie was sat. "Hey," she whispered, just to let the Gryffindor she was there, and it was okay if she wasn't feeling talkative.
And then class started, and Sam hugged her knees to her chest as she listened. She couldn't say she was particularly scared by this environment, nor that creatures of the living dead variety would be the first come into her mind. But then she'd had an upbringing different to most. Her curiosity was piqued though, and she let gaze run over the doors she'd spotted earlier a little bit more carefully.
As luck would have it, Sam had heard of Soucouyants. She'd stumbled across them in a reference book whilst researching for one of her previous homeworks, and had struggled with how to pronounce it. She still wasn't convinced she had it right. Soo-coo-ants? Ahem. At least she didn't need to repeat it for her answer. "They're kinda like female vampires that can also transfigure themselves, Professor."
There it was!
"Couldn’t have put it better myself." And was he surprised that she knew what it was? Not in the slightest. In his eyes, it meant that she’d done some extra reading. How much she knew, though, he didn’t know. "I’m glad you mentioned the word ‘transfigure’ in this case." She’ll see why later.
Text Cut: Ava Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomRaven With NEWTS that would happened in less than three months, Ava had been working her bum off to study as hard as she could and also became a tutor for Phillip. (although in many times they both ended up not studying at all.) So skipping class was not an option, especially Defense Against the Dark Arts which was her favorite subject and also the one that she needed to ace on her NEWT in order to enter the YATI program.
Sitting next to Olly, the Gryffindor just listened to the Professor once the lesson had started. Soucouyant, huh? She did hear about that creature but not that much. "Professor.." She rose her hand and tried to answer the question. "Isn't that soucouyant a kind of blood-sucking dark creature from.... Okay, I forgot exactly but pretty sure it's not from Europe." Yes, she was sure of that.
Blood-sucking, eh? Hirsch tilted his head slightly, an odd smile playing on his face. "Interesting choice of words, Ava." Blood-sucking sounded a lot more dramatic than 'vampire' and probably really made people realise just how dangerous they are. Vampires have been made fun of in the past, haven't they?
"Very close, by the way. They come from the Caribbean, not Europe, but you're right about everything else. Well done!" Smile.
Text Cut: Eddie Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga The cave was cool and Eddie was distracted trying to figure out what they would do today in this thing. He barely heard the others come into the room,
but never worried about anyone sitting with him. He always sat in a corner of the room where he figured people wouldn't sit.
When did the professor start talking his brow raised, a creature? Well, the cave now made tons more sense and he eagerly listened. This was the only class he felt important for him future and even with that he knew the lessons were watered down so much he'd probably learn nothing.
When the professor asked the first question Eddie just looked around the room and waited for the others to answer.
Silent students were to be expected and frankly, the man wasn't at all surprised. Though he was interested to see what they thought, it wasn't exactly a topic that was very popular or known about. So, the silence from the Slytherin was understandable.
His green eyes paused on Mr Blaze Jr for a moment before moving on to the next person.
Text Cut: Jessa Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo Aaaabbbbeeeyyyyy!
Jessa smiled at her friend as he took the spot next to her, feeling only slightly better about the situation than she had a moment ago. Realistically, his appearance hadn't widened the corridors they may have had to go through, it didn't add light to them but at least she didn't feel quite so alone...even if he was looking pretty apprehensive too.
And look, Derf too. Jessa returned his wave just seconds before the Professor's question. Oh. Was she alright? Well. The Ravenclaw gave a small nod, not nearly as convincing as she'd tried to be. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." So long as she didn't think about the corridors. All she really had to do was keep her gaze on the Professor, focus on his words and completely distract herself.
The current topic was one she'd done reading on (duh) so it should've come as little surprise when her hand went up.
"If you wanna stop 'em, all you gotta do is set a bowl of rice out. They'll stop and try counting it all." As...weird as that was. The compulsion to count wasn't exactly one she could understand.....
There was no way Hirsch was convinced with that answer or that nod. Years of teaching teenagers had taught him that 'I'm fine' hardly ever meant that they were fine at all. But it had also taught him that mentioning something like this in front of a bunch of their peers was probably near the top of the 'embarrassing moments' list so he didn't say anything about it.
Instead, he had an answer to comment on. "And here you've already answered the next question in answering the first one." Cue a dimpled grin. "But yes, you're right. Rice is, weirdly enough, one of the ways to stop them. Very well done!"
Text Cut: Zoryn Quote:
Originally Posted by ArianaBlack NO???? DRAGONS???? AGAIN???????
This was SUCH a bummer. Zoryn was DEVASTATED (for all of .3 seconds). How come this happened EVERY SINGLE TIME? Honestly, Zoryn didn't even know if she really liked dragons. She just really liked the idea of dragons. And didn't dragons live in caves??? DIDN'T THEY???? Because now would've been the perfect time to BUST THEM OUT!!
But alas, no dragons.
So the bummed Gryffindor went to find a place next to Théo and waited for the start of the lesson (SAD!). When the first question was asked, Zoryn had no idea how to answer it. She had 500% no idea what that S word meant. So instead, she opted for the more innovative route in answering the question. "Well, they're not dragons," she GRINNED. Grinning because she knew her answer was right since Professor H had told her that they wouldn't be dealing with dragons.
So smart.
She should've been Ravenclaw. This was the proof.
As uncomfortable as he felt about letting the Gryffindor down yet again, the man couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her answer. A genuine, head-thrown-back-in-laughter chuckle. It was unexpected and very much something Zoryn would say.
"Well, you're certainly right about that." Her grin was met with one of his own because yes, she was right. "They're not dragons but are linked with fire, all the same. Well done!"
Text Cut: Ronan Quote:
Originally Posted by lazykitty "Sort of," he answered with a shrug. He was still having moments where he was falling asleep when trying to study. But it was mostly working. "Sure thing, professor."
Wait, a precaution? Precaution for what?
He had kind of heard of those things before, but not a lot. "Don't they turn into a fireball or something?" That would explain the precaution of the detached ceiling. Let all that smoke and stuff out. Though, some of the stuff that his classmates were saying was kind of worrying. Vampire-like creatures? Yikes.
Sort of. Sort of was something, wasn't it? He half wanted to suggest a stronger roast of coffee but considering the fact that the boy was only a fifth year, that probably wasn't wise. Caffeine was addictive, you know. And River would be on his neck faster than he could say 'defence'.
A fireball? Hirsch let that word turn over in his head for a while before deciding to comment on it. "A fireball is an interesting word but a very correct one, all the same. You're right: they do turn into a fireball," Which sounded epic, just not for something that was likely to attack you. "Well done!"
Text Cut: Etta Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady of Light Soucouyants? Etta looked thoughtful as she tried to remember if she’d ever read about them before. The girl remained quiet as a few of her classmates answered the question, before she hesitantly raised a hand. Honestly, she knew next to nothing about them, but might as well give it a try.. right?
“Are they.. like vampires?” Well, her response was more like question. Etta flicked through the pages of her textbook slowly as she waited to class to move on.
Vampires was a popular choice of word and for good reason, as well. It was probably the best way to explain exactly what a Soucouyant was and to get the message across as quickly as possible. Because while not everyone knew what a Soucouyant was, everyone did know what a vampire was.
"They are like vampires and have all the properties that classify them under the category of 'vampire'. I'll explain more shortly but well done, Miss Kramer!" Smile.
Text Cut: Daisy Quote:
Originally Posted by Ginevra The soucouyant sounded very scary and just the name alone made Daisy give an involuntary shudder. She racked her brain for the answer and then raised her hand with some trepidation. "I think they come from Caribbean folklore, Professor."
That shudder was to be expected and frankly, he wasn't surprised by it. It wasn't an enjoyable topic to be discussing, was it? But then again, this wasn't the type of subject that dealt with small, fluffy creatures of no harm. Dangerous, scary creatures were to be expected.
Aha! "Yes! The Soucouyant originates from the Caribbean and probably prefer the temperatures that can be found on those islands." A vampire-fireball probably wouldn't survive as well in Scotland's icy winters.
Text Cut: Clara Quote:
Originally Posted by marshmallowXpie Clara listened as her classmates offered their answers and guesses as to what a soucouyant was. To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure herself, and she found it difficult to not simply stare at her surroundings. This classroom wasn't your average classroom.
She raised her hand, "Um, Professor? I think they are bloodsuckers, but I don't think they're vampires. Not exactly, anyway."
Clara was pretty sure she couldn't pronounce the term correctly, so she found a way around that. They really did sound interesting, though, based on what she could remember.
Oh, this answer. This answer was a good one and yet....
"Very, very close, Miss Simelanu," he said, shooting her a smile and adjusting his glasses as he did so, "They're bloodsuckers, you're right about that, but that, the fact that they prey at night, generally on the living, and have previously died, in a sense, puts them under the category of vampires. They're different to vampires, yes, but in simplistic terms, that's what they're often described as. For example, if you were faced with one amongst a group of friends and someone didn't understand what a Soucouyant was, vampire would be the quickest and easiest way of getting your message across."
Did that make sense?
"Very well done, though!"
Text Cut: Hattie Quote:
Originally Posted by RachieRu Hattie had been doing a lot of research. Her OWLS were fast approaching and she wanted to be well prepared. That meant she had been doing a lot of reading about different kind of creatures. This suited her well, especially today. She liked knowing about different creatures, and she liked that all of her studying was doing well. Now she just had to recall some of her knowledge. That was something she was trying to work on, since she needed to be able to do that in her exams. If she couldn't even do it in her classes then she would have no chance in her exams.
Luckily she managed quite well today. For now anyway. Smiling, she popped her hand into the air. "It sheds it skin at night" That seemed like a good answer.
Hirsch's face lit up at this answer. Why? Because it was probably one of the most important aspects of the Soucouyant and one that hadn't been mentioned before, even if some had come very close to talking about it.
"Exactly!" he said, giving the Hufflepuff a nod of his head, "The fact that it sheds its skin and can shapeshift as a result probably makes it even more dangerous. You never know where it's lurking." Did that up the scare factor? "Very well done, Miss Paton!"
Text Cut: Juni Quote:
Originally Posted by SarcasticStrawberry Letting out a small laugh, which Juni couldn’t help. ”Aww I’m slightly disappointed but I can’t wait to see what the lesson is about.” She was quite impressed that Hirsch got the reference. Okay maybe not that surprised he was like Indiana Jones and Hans solo wrapped up into one guy. What was that guys name again?
While she pondered on the actors name, the lesson started and her attention has shifted to the first question. Mmm....
Soucouyant ”Isn’t it a type of shapeshifter?” But really Soucouyant that sounded like some type of horrible disease that there was possibly no cure for yet.
The wide smile remained on his face. It was nice to see that the students got the references because it upped the student-professor interaction and probably reminded them that their professors weren't exactly boring people, even if they might be much older. Not to mention, it gave him an idea about an Indiana Jones themed lesson he could do in the future...
But now was not the time.
"Yes!" he said, a little more enthusiastically than he probably should have, "A shapeshifter is exactly the right word to describe them and probably describes them in whole perfectly. Well done!"
After Miss Primeaux had answered, the man glanced around the room, waiting to see if anyone else wanted to offer a suggestion. When it looked like no one else wanted to, he simply took out his wand and talked to the class in general. An explanation was probably needed to clear up any confusion.
"A Soucouyant, otherwise known as Old Hige, is a shape-shifting vampiric creature who is generally found in the Caribbean. It was thought that she was brought to the islands by European visitors from European countries in the form of French vampire-myths." Which probably wasn't important, now that he thought about it. "By day, she resembles an old, introverted woman, sometimes even a hag," At this, he gave his wand a few complicated flicks and produced a holographic-image of an elderly woman for all of them to see. "who lives out on the outskirts of a village, usually surrounded by tall trees." Don't ask him about that choice of location, he didn't know. "But by night, she sheds her skin and turns into......"
There was a small pause as he flicked his wand again. The holographic woman's outer skin crumpled and out burst a flaming ball of red flames.
"a fireball!" The red ball of flame hovered in the air, bathing parts of the room in some very red lighting.
"In her true form, the Soucouyant is capable of getting through the tiniest cracks. Keyholes, under doors, you name it. If she can find a way to get into your house, she will." Just saying. "Once inside, she'll go after any human and suck out their blood, leaving blue-black marks on the body. The softest parts of the body are areas of weakness in this case, with the neck being the biggest threat because of the number of blood vessels running past it. If too much blood has been drawn, the victim will either die and become a Soucouyant themselves or they'll perish entirely, leaving the Soucouyant free to take their skin." Horrific, wasn't it? "She usually goes after babies and young children, as they're believed to be the easiest targets, but she is known to go after other people as well."
Breathe.
"She is also known to practice black magic as well as trade her victim's blood for evil powers from a demon in a silk, cotton tree. Not to mention that, when she's perished, people used her skin as a way of practising black magic themselves." Which didn't sound very nice.
"Now that you know all of that, my question is: how do you get rid of a creature that can shapeshift, sheds her skin and is made of fire? How do you even begin to tackle this problem?" Jessa had already mentioned one but there were more possibilities out there. "Think outside of the box." That was all he was going to say. OOC: Wheeeeee! Those were some amazing answers, you guys! 
The next question is super simple: how do you go about getting rid of the Soucouyant? There are a number of possibilities and silly answers are always welcomed ^^
I'll continue the lesson tomorrow at roughly 10pm GMT. And there's an interesting surprise in store as well hehe 
Thanks, lovelies!
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