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Join Date: May 2009 Location: London
Posts: 32,839
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alexander River Hirsch
Gryffindor Third Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
--
Ministry RPG Name:
Zhuó Xiá Li
Ministry RPG Name:
Grayson Douglas Whitlock
Accidents & Catastrophes
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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: Scarlett Quote:
Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom  After what felt like an ETERNITY, Hirsch finally appeared and caused all the chaos to stop. She KNEW that there had been a method to his madness, of course - but that hadn't made it any less unpleasant. She also knew he had to have been hiding SOMEWHERE enjoying all of this. Professors LOVED to throw kids into the wolves den while they watched. She didn't mind it, for the most part, even if it was kind of annoying. Like today. Straightening up her hair, she frowned at his question before raising her hand.
"I learned that I definitely, 100% do NOT want to be an Auror," she told him. Which she already knew - but if there had been ANY doubt, it was all gone. And what would she have done differently? Not get attacked, of course. That wasn't the answer he'd be looking for though. "And I probably would have...done more than Stupefy. If I could have thought of anything else," she admitted. In the heat of the moment, that was all she could think of. That and Protego.
Again - there were reasons she did NOT want to be an Auror.
This was not an answer he was expecting but it was an answer that made him chuckle wholeheartedly. "Being an Auror is..... difficult." He was dating one, he heard plenty of stories. "There's a lot of intensive training involved and it's not everyone's glass of pumpkin juice so I don't blame you." Though, his reasons for never going along the Auror path were completely different but she didn't need to know that.
Her second answer was.... interesting. Hirsch nodded slowly, letting the answer mull around in his head before saying, "Sometimes, when you're in the middle of an attack, it's difficult to think properly and defend yourself in a way that you might not think is good enough later on. It's completely natural." Pause. "Stupefy is an excellent spell to use but having a range of offensive spells to use will work better for you. Your opponent won't know what to expect." Just saying.
Text Cut: Jessa Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo Interesting. Very very interesting.
So the dummies WERE under the animation charm...but more specifically.....it was linked back to....oh? "Professor?" She tilted her head curiously watching the man over in the corner. How long had he been there? Was this all his doing? Would she need to be present if she wanted her dolls doing magic too? And so grew the list of questions she now had for the man.
Jessa waited patiently for him to end the chaos and return the class to order before moving closer. Merlin was she glad that was over.
She did see his point with being prepared even in cases where you didn't get a warning--and Scarlett's response got her thinking about her sister who probably dealed with this sort of thing all the time--but honestly all this really did was help her draft up a list of people she did NOT want to be around should an apocalypse of any sort hit Hogwarts.
"Differently? Honestly, I think I'd have pulled the dummy out of the room with me before getting a better look, just because it turned into a madhouse real quick and most of my classmates have an automatic freak out reaction when put under stressful situations." Seriously, did they not hear about calmly assessing a situation? Surely if more of them had stopped for two seconds, they could have disarmed the dummies completely. End their incantations and they wouldn't be firing anymore. All that random firing, yelling, screaming, running, it was counter-productive to say the least.
"Reckon collectively we did more harm than good. It wasn't the dummies who got me pelted with snowballs and it wasn't the dummy that tied itself to Derf." She had a ton more examples too; examples that could have been avoided if the lot had learned to just breathe.
.......... What?
No, really, what?!
Hirsch blinked a few times at this answer. Was she talking about dragging a dummy away for further inspection? Why? That wasn't her way of protecting herself, was it? Not when the dummy was likely to start firing off spells as well. Or did this have a little something to do with their project from the previous year? Needless to say, the man was very much confused and wanted to know what her train of thought was but he wasn't about to say anything just now.
He also didn't know how to respond to her comment about the entire class. It was probably why he stood there, taking a moment to adjust his glasses while he thought of the right response. "It's natural to be taken by surprise when put under stressful situations and to think a lot differently than you would do if you weren't so stressed out," Hence the freaking out. "but thinking things through helps significantly. Sometimes, you're not left with much of a choice and you just have to attack within a split second but I understand where you're coming from and I do agree."
Was this a sign that they needed to be put under these kind of situations a lot more?
Text Cut: Emmalyn Quote:
Originally Posted by Birchwoodmom The extreme relief she felt when Professor Hirsch appeared and stopped the chaos was immeasurable. If she hadn’t still been under the effects of the Petrificus Totalus spell, Emmalyn would have jumped for joy. She listened to every word the professor said and realized she couldn’t come forward to have the spell removed, or raise her hand to get help from an older student. She was still FROZEN, trapped inside her body, only her mind working as it should.
As she waited for someone to realize she needed help, she pondered Professor Hirsch’s question. What did she learn from this lesson? She learned to trust her gut and not go to class when every part of her was telling her to stay away. After that thought, she realized that she no longer had that feeling of danger anymore. Maybe she really did somehow know something was going to happen that day.
Then she thought about the second part of the question, what would she have done differently. For starters, Emmalyn thought she should have ducked and covered much sooner. She had been hit by the curse before she had reacted in any way. She knew she would not be one to stand and fight, and that meant she would need to figure out how to get out of the way next time. The Head Boy might not be around to help her out if another such situation arises. Quote:
Originally Posted by Birchwoodmom Just when she thought she might remain frozen for the rest of the class, Ace made his way over and lifted the spell from her. She slowly stretched her arms and legs, in a snow angel motion, joyous to have the freedom to move her limbs. “I’m okay, thank you. You saved me!” She exclaimed as she jumped up and ran to embrace the Head Boy, hoping he would allow her to give him a hug.
Now that she was able to move, she wanted to get as far away from the classroom as possible. She was torn between knowing she should stay and finish, and wanting to run as fast as she could back to the comfort of the Hufflepuff common room. That also got her thinking. What if the professor had events like the one that just occurred planned for the rest of the year? She knew she couldn’t avoid class completely, so she decided that she must at least learn how to perform a few defense spells. Spells that wouldn’t harm another, only protect.
Admittedly, the man hadn't noticed the girl's need to be unfrozen until Tenacius went ahead and unfroze her. It was something he'd missed entirely due to the chaos that was the activity that had taken place. Where was his constant vigilance, hm?
Once she was unfrozen and had confirmed that she was okay, her shot her a small, dimpled smile and slight nod of the head. The Head Boy got a slightly prouder smile as a way of saying thank you for all of this.
Text Cut: Hattie Quote:
Originally Posted by RachieRu Oh. Thank Merlin it was over! Harriet was not a defence person. yes. She liked duelling. But that was generally only one person, and so it was manageable. This had just been crazy though. And she hadn't really enjoyed it. She knew it was probably partly due to her own feelings, but also how her class mates had reacted. In a duel it was just her, and her opponent. But right then she'd had to consider what everyone else was doing. It was hard to try and win a battle when people were panicking and just throwing spells all over the place. Hattie had at least tried to aim her own spells at the actual dummies. No point hitting her class mates, that would not have helped. She was pretty glad when it was over though. Hopefully she never had to experience that again.
"I agree with Scarlett. I do not wanna be an auror" Hattie mused with a laugh. If she didn't have to do anything like this again, then it would be great. Please take note Professor. "I also think maybe we needed to group together more? We were just throwing spells around, but if we worked together it probably would have worked better"
This was another answer that caused him to smile in an amused way. "It's not for everyone so I don't blame you." Funny, seeing as her brother was currently on the path to becoming an Auror. Had he told her anything about the way his training was going? Hirsch was curious to know.
The second answer, however, caused his smile to grow and he nodded quite enthusiastically at her. "Exactly! Note how things started to look up the moment people worked together?" Coincidence? He didn't think so. "If you're faced against an army of opponents and you have your own gang of people behind you, it's better, and much easier for you, to combine that magical force. Good observation!"
Text Cut: Tenacius Quote:
Originally Posted by Steelsheen So far their strategy was working, with the protego rampart and the dummies slipping on the ice. He was just about to answer Vi when the chaos stopped as suddenly as it started. Whoah wait it was over? Yay?
Ace rose behind the shield slowly as he looked around, listening to Hirsch as the man began to explain what just happened. Indeed that was pretty effective in the testing-if-you-can-think-on-your-feet scenario, to which the Head Boy appreciated immensely. Yes it was a learning experience-- which is what classes are all about. But more than the self-realization that he was pretty handy in a battle scenario, the experience of being caught unawares and surviving that with flying colors will be something he will bring with him in the future.
He looked around his immediate area and thought it would be safe to remove the rampart that kept them safe. He moved his wand as he cast Finite Incantatem to discontinue the existing protego spell, then moved towards Emmalyn and Shera to lift the spells that has taken them down. "You ok?" he asked quietly as he gave a tentative thumbs up. He didnt know how well they would take to the scenario they suddenly found themselves in, and given that they were from another house, he could gauge their natural abilities even less. Daehyun on the other hand, he was a bit more familiar with, and he stopped by the young boy just to make sure he's ok.
When finally he can focus back onto the discussion, he paused for a moment and wondered what he would've done differently. Be as strong as an Auror is probably not something Hirsch was looking for in this discussion, although Ace did wish his casting abilities has grown strong enough to shove all the dummies on one spot and seal them shut. Finally he offered something as he raised his hand "Probably try to physically incapacitate the dummies from firing back or countering our spells before drowning them and freezing them in a block of ice." Because a tied up dummy will certainly take longer to break down its trap than a freed up dummy right?
Tenacius's willingness to help out the younger students hadn't gone unnoticed and had, in fact, earned him a very proud smile from the Defence professor. He might have to mention something to the boy about what had happened in the activity but that could wait for the end of the lesson. Right now, he had an answer to concentrate on.
"Incapacitating the dummies, or stopping them from moving altogether, is probably the best form of offence in these kind of situations. Stop them from attacking you altogether, and take them out, as quickly and swiftly as possible. I do have to say that you didn't do a bad job of doing exactly that." And freezing them in a block of ice? "Though, I do have to say that I feel bad for anyone that tries to attack you with that kind of mentality." Cue a wide, dimpled smile.
Text Cut: Matt Quote:
Originally Posted by Hey Ju Matt was still on the floor, trying to catch his breath, when a BLAZING DUMMY THING came zooming his way. He could hear Chewie shouting stuff, alright, but he was way more aware of that flying thing on fire about to hit him.
Good thing he had his wand at the ready, as all he had to do was to cast a non-verbal Flipendo and the dummy was no longer coming HIS way. In fact, it was no longer going ANY way at all, as it suddenly stopped and it wasn't even on fire anymore.
The Gryffindor blinked several times as he was pretty sure he had cast a Knockback Jinx and not a Finite-It-All kinda spell. Wha?
Oh, the professor. Haha.
As the man was congratulating them all and yadda yadda, Matt dropped back on the floor again. He was tired now, okay, after all that running and firing spell nonstop. Phew!
It had been super fun, though. Like, FOR REAL.
What had that activity taught them? Something Matt already knew: "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He shouted from the floor, still looking straight up at the ceiling.
And what would he have done differently? WELL. "Nothing. I quite enjoyed that." He said, more to himself than as an open answer. He sat up and took a deep breath. He supposed he could've used defensive spells. To be honest, had that been a REAL dangerous and in-real-life situation, where his life would truly be at risk, he WOULD have cast defensive spells, alright. He wasn't THAT dumb.
He wasn't dumb at all, actually. HE KNEW THAT IT HAD BEEN A LESSON! He did. Honest.
And he snorted when some of his classmates said they had learned they didn't want to be Aurors. "I'm the opposite!" The seventh year said a bit louder this time, still sat on the floor. "This confirmed to me what I already knew: I'm definitely going to be one!"
YAS! And yeah, yeah, he'd be 'more careful'. Blah blah.
Mr Meriwether's enthusiasm had earned him a rather large, and very amused, smile from the Defence professor. He could always count on the Gryffindor to be exactly that for his lessons: enthusiastic.
Constant vigilance? "Exactly!" he said, nodding his head once, "Constant vigilance is key. And I'm glad you enjoyed the activity. You did seem to put every bit of your energy into the fight." Which wasn't a bad thing in the slightest.
...... He's the opposite? This took Hirsch by surprise. He hadn't known that the boy was planning on going down that route and, in hindsight, probably should've seen it coming from the off. He might've been even more surprised if he chose not to do something Defence-based, actually. "Come and see me after class, or in your next break. I have a lot of information about Aurors and could introduce you to some as well." Tempest, Lex and Frankie were all going to be very annoyed with him, no doubt.
Text Cut: Kye Quote:
Originally Posted by Dokimoto Okay so if she was being honest, that was kind of an exhilarating. Terrifying? At first, yea. But as she figured out what was happening, she felt pretty satisfied with her memory of spells. As the dummies returned to their first position, Kye felt the adrenaline start to stall, and she became wary of what would come next... Then seemingly out of nowhere, there was Professor Hirsch!
"WHOA!" Kye jumped. How long had he been standing there?? When did he get here? She recomposed herself and listened as he further addressed the class.
"I think I can work on being observant of ricocheting spells... and I agree with Hattie about working together." Kye added, although she disagreed about being an Auror... That actually sounded really cool. How could someone not think that that was cool!
The reaction to his sudden appearance was amusing, he had to admit, and it did cause his smile to grow but it wasn't what he was concentrating on. Not when there was an answer that needed his attention a bit more.
Still. Surprise?
"Being observant is key in situations like these. You can't have eyes everywhere, and it would be impossible to protect yourself all the time." Nobody could do that. "But being observant and vigilant will work out much better for you, ricocheting spells included. You never know where your next attack is going to come from." Hopefully that hadn't scared her.
And she was right about working together. Definitely.
Text Cut: Rylee Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyander The Lion King was talking. Um the Head Boy that is. Tenacius. Ace? Uhhh... whatever. The older boy was all those things and he was talking to HER! Well okay so technically he was teaching her a new spell as she crouched down low behind the rampart that had been created. All her focus was momentarily on him and what he was saying. Protego Fianto Duri. That was a mouthful for sure. "Protego Fianto Duri.." she whispered several times while nodding her head watching as Tenacuis reinforced the rampart making it stronger than ever. "Whoa! I can d-"
Rylee had even pulled out her wand and was about to give the movement for the spell a try when suddenly the chaos just... stopped.
The dummies all froze and were returning to their original places lined up against the wall. The source of the chaos had made itself known in the form of their Professor. Some might have been happy about this but not this little ginger haired cub. Nope. Rylee was completely crestfallen as she stared around the room and back at Tenacius. "I guess I won't be able to try that right now..." It wasn't fair! Why couldn't the professor wait just another minute or two...
Rylee replaced her wand into it's holster and plopped down onto her bottom right where she was against the wall. Yup. She was no doubt going to end up cold and wet from the snow but it was fine by her. What had this activity taught her and what might she have done differently? Well that would depend.. saying something and than doing it were two different things entirely.
"It taught me that my sister was right... if something seems off that means it probably is. That it's good to always be aware of my surroundings no matter where I am." Yes, even during lessons. Especially during lessons. "I'm not sure what I could have done differently but I do know one thing... I need to learn more spells." Which was the case for every other first year in this room right now. The more she learned the better she would be able to take care of herself.
'if something seems off that means it probably is'
That was something to think about, wasn't it? Hirsch pushed his glasses a little further up his nose, smiling at this answer. "That's very true. It is a good idea to take note of your surroundings and to keep an eye out, even if it's a seemingly harmless situation." Though, he didn't want them to become paranoid because of this but it was a good idea to be vigilant as well.
The second answer, however, was interesting and caused his smile to turn into a sympathetic one. "You're only a first year, you're not expected to know every single spell right now. There'll be time to pick up on these things so I don't think that's something you have to worry about."
Text Cut: Miranda Quote:
Originally Posted by Devina Wellheart " Gah!.. Son of a siren!", Miranda exclaimed as she was hit with a rebounding spell in the face.. Lovely... And now she had no idea who needed to receive a bit of payback later for the pulsing pustule that was now forming beneath the surface of her skin.. Sure it was easy enough to take care of.. A simple counter curse being uttered as she pointed her wand at her chin..
Okay.. You've got my full attention, Professor.. Well done.. She listened and pondered the presented quarry for a few minutes as she calmed her nerves from the dregs of the fray.. What could I have done better?.. Differently?.. '
" Well, I know I should've taken better cover instead of being caught out in the open.. But seriously, Professor.. That was one heck of a way to start a lesson..",
She said with a grin..
Taken better cover? Hirsch considered this answer carefully. "How good are you at the Shield Charm? Because if your Shield Charms are perfect, you could risk being out in the open." Just saying. "But that's also an excellent point about tactics: being hidden gives you an upper hand in these kind of situations because you can see your opponent but they might not be able to see you." It depended entirely on the situation but it was bound to work.
Her comment about the start of the lesson earned her a wide grin from the Defence Professor. "Thank you, I'm very glad that you think so."
Text Cut: Liv Quote:
Originally Posted by Govoni Aww, little Hanna had hugged her tightly and was saying Thank you. "It's okay! We're supposed to have each other's backs. It was no trouble." Truly...... and just to reiterate... "Finite will definitely be one of the most important spells you learn, as well as Finite Incantatem, Protego, and Expelliarmus." If she wanted to practice at any time, she was more than welcome to join the blonde in the DADA training rooms...
.... but Liv had no time for the chit-chat as she continued to fight her way through the room. Yes, she was gifted in the art of duelling (which was what this felt like), but she still had to focus on the spells she wanted to cast. This Gryffindor could only Gryffindor so hard with her attention split..... on Stasya and Hanna now, because she was devoted to keeping ickles safe. Any and all ickles. At least Cassie had joined her, casting Stupefy! with deadly precision. Excuse the heart eyes, Cassie... Olivia just appreciated the fierceness.
The battles continued to rage on all around her, but she was singularly focused. Had everyone seen that domino effect?? HAD THEY?! Smirking like a Slytherin now, this small success seemed to light more of a fire beneath her backside. Her spells became more vicious and ruthless, though she understood these were just DUMMIES and that her spellwork would only be so effective against them. Funnily enough, Stupefy seemed to be the most effective and she had to wonder why that was...
......Suddenly, every dummy still standing froze in place. Huh.....and they were retreating back to their original positions. Was the exercise over? Olivia hadn't needed to wait long as just moments later, Professor Hirsch was revealing himself to have been watching the entire time. Behind a Disillusionment Charm. Mhm, Olivia had KNOWN he was here SOMEWHERE. While he talked....the blonde just stood there, righting her hair and cleaning snow off her clothing. She'd kinda thrown herself headfirst into the fray... Hm?
Tucking her wand away, she crossed her arms to rest over her chest. "I think what it should've taught most of us, is that practicing defensive magic should be a priority." No shade, just love. "And that shields won't always be the answer." Yeah, it was awesome to protect yourself, but more often than not, they didn't last. It was lucky they had been in the safety of a classroom, to be honest. As for what Liv could've done differently..... Hm. "I was onto you from the start, Professor. I expected something creative and out-of-the-box, because that's what your lessons always are. However, I do need to get myself back into a training room. Just to brush up."
And here was another student who had thrown herself headfirst into the activity, something that caused Hirsch to smile proudly as he glanced in the Gryffindor's direction.
"Precisely!" he said, nodding once at her, "It's only then that you can cause multiple dummies to fall over in a domino effect." Yes, he'd seen that. "Shields are great but relying on them so much isn't. I'm glad that you mentioned them, by the way." She'll find out why very shortly but right now, he wasn't going to say anything more about that.
And there was that dimpled smile again at that compliment - it was a compliment, right? He was going to take it as that. "Thank you, I'll make sure it stays creative and out-of-the-box in the future as well. And the training room is always open for you." He'd have to check in from time to time as well.
Text Cut: Diandra Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomRaven Chaos.
Everything was utterly chaos. Diandra was not sure if the shield charm that she had cast earlier would hold up a little bit longer. At the same time she also considered to send some attacks but it might cause more harm than good, eh? Especially she wanted to cast a silencing charm to that loud Gryffindor guy (Matt) because Merlin, he was just too loud. But attacking the fellow student wouldn't be a good call so she just tried to hold on until Professor showed up and made the dummies stop.
Thankfully!
The badger listened to Hirsch talked about how to be prepared, correlating what had just happened in this room to the real life, yada yada yada... Until he asked the question. "I do agree with everyone mentioned about teamwork.. and be prepared of any kind of situation." Diandra spoke up.
Another answer about teamwork and being prepared for any kind of situation. One that was very true and, in fact, he was glad that so many of them had picked up on this aspect of the lesson. Teamwork and vigilance were both very important, after all.
"You're absolutely right. I hope this activity has helped you to establish just that: how to work with those around you and be vigilant at the same time."
Text Cut: Zarina Quote:
Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin Zarina saw the Professor finally making his appearance in mist of all the chaos. Well it was about flipping time. Least he could calm down the first and second years but some of them seemed to be brave than she would have been at that age. Now that the dummies were away and not causing them harm, she now had time to reflect on the activity all together. What did she think of it? Well it was an adrenaline rush all together. She loved it. Would she consider it a career choice? Possibly but she still had time to think about it. What would she do differently? Zae shrugged and maybe her protection spells could use some work. She needed strength and accuracy in her spell work. She was still learning.
Zae raised her hand and admitted, "I could work on the accuracy on my spell casting..." She knew she was meant to focus on one target but was worried about all the other dummies coming for her. "I think what I would have done differently is scope out the room first and see the better advantage points where I can cast spells effectively." Seemed simple enough right? Knowing the layout of your area was a huge advantage.
Hirsch was glad that the Slytherin had mentioned the accuracy of her spellwork. Very glad, in fact. "Exactly! You could be amazing at casting strong spells but without an accuracy in your spellwork, you won't be able to get very far." Just saying. "There is a way to work on this to ensure that you cast accurately as much as possible." She should come and see him to set up a practice for this. It had worked for Noelle, after all.
And then she was mentioning scoping out the room and talking about..... advantage points? Funny how that was now two students talking about tactics to make sure that they were in better positions to fight. Huh. "Interesting tactics, Miss Carraro, and one that would work to your advantage, no doubt. Knowing what's in the room and being able to see everything from one fighting point would help you prepare for what's to come. It might also put you at ease because you know what the room looks like and where you can go hide if you need to." Did that make sense?
Text Cut: Callum Quote:
Originally Posted by Rey He knew it. He KNEW Hirsch had to be there, watching them, taking too much enjoyment out of seeing them suffer. Callum wasn't an idiot; he understood the whole point of the exercise without the professor explaining. He was preparing them, forcing them to get outside of their comfort zone, and have an experience to reflect upon how they would act in an ambush and what they needed to improve upon moving forward. Obviously.
Callum wasn't going to offer up anything he had learned about himself, though - that was uncomfortably vulnerable and admitted weakness - so he took another route, with an unenthusiastic hand-raise. What did the activity teach him? "That you enjoy torturing us, professor?" His tone was good-natured and playful, not at all intended to be the least bit disrespectful - he was hoping some lightheartedness in this room would ease the tension that many of the younger students still seemed to be harboring, and he assumed Hirsch would understand that; they'd known each other long enough, since Callum was eleven.
...Of course, Callum DID truly believe that Hirsch had been far too entertained by that whole charade. But he hadn't said it because of that. Heh.
And then came this answer.
And in that moment, Hirsch lost it. Completely.
He threw his head back and chuckled wholeheartedly. When had students become so sassy? He half-expected it from students in his own house but this? This had taken him by surprise more than it probably should've.
"You shouldn't be calling me out like this, Mr Kettleburn." Cue a cheeky smile.
And no, he didn't but he did enjoy testing them, all the same.
Text Cut: Vi Quote:
Originally Posted by Watson Hand still in Ace’s back, she looked around her and then noticed that the dummies had stopped moving. Was it over? She then paused and saw Hirsch. Has he been here the whole time?? Classic disillusionment charm. Should have expected. She probably ought to have cast a revealing spell on the dummies and the room to have gotten a heads up. Well she supposed that it was a good exercise for them to do. It certainly made them come up with solutions really quickly.
Vi stayed silent, listening to her classmates offer answers. Should haves, would haves, could haves... Teamwork and defense were a must indeed. Callum’s playful comment made her smirk. Heh. Hirsch enjoyed testing them.
“While I do agree this activity taught us teamwork and expecting the unexpected, I think it also taught us that we need to communicate to more. Some of our spells went towards our classmates instead of the intended targets.” Olivia paused once more to reflect on her own performance. She smiled. “I would have used a presence revealing spell.”
Communication wasn't an answer he expected, if he was completely honest with himself but he listened out to her reasoning behind it while considering it, all the same. "That..... is a very good point. It's also down to accuracy and, well, luck because the dummies like to move. But communication would definitely help in situations like these, especially with that teamwork part you talked about. You can't work as a team if you don't communicate with each other."
And here was some more sass.
An amused smile crossed the man's face as he silently wondered what the students had eaten for breakfast this morning. Because there was more sass going around than usually present in his classroom. "To try and foil my secret plan?" Heh.
Text Cut: Finn Quote:
Originally Posted by hpluvr037 And then all of a sudden there was a lot of screaming, but a lot fewer spells. He stayed on the ground until he was sure, but the dummies were definitely going back to their places. Which meant... Yup, Hirsch had seen the whole thing.
Well, that had been quite effective to the man's purpose, Finn would give him that for sure. And as far as what they had all learned, would it be unacceptable to say he'd learned their Head of House was a manipulative, evil mastermind? Probably. However, he did still stick his hand into the air. "I learned that I really should be checking a room when I enter, like with some sort of revealing spell." Finn knew he would never actually remember to do that all the time, and even if he did, people would call him paranoid. "And I also learned there was a reason the Sorting Hat didn't put me in Gryffindor." Bravery? Not his thing. As for what his thing actually was, he still had no clue.
Protego, chaos and sass. That was the theme for this lesson, it seemed.
And Hirsch not-so-secretly loved it.
The amused smile wasn't going away anytime soon but he did raise an eyebrow at the fifth year's answer. "In case there's a professor hidden there trying to test you or in case there's something more dangerous lurking in the shadows?" It was an interesting tactic, no doubt, and is one that would be bound to work in situations like these. Prepare yourself, you know? Even if the situation took you by surprise.
The second answer amused him even more, partly because it was the Gryffindors that were behind some of the dramatics and quite a few of them seemed to be into the entire activity a lot more. "That's not necessarily a bad thing." And didn't mean that he couldn't defend himself either.
Text Cut: Juni Quote:
Originally Posted by SarcasticStrawberry Well that was chaotic… for lack of a better word. For the most she had been able to shield herself from some of the spells and she could cast finite on the rest. Though she felt like she had been beat up all over.
Well now there was Hirsch… Finally. As for his questions. ”One thing I learned is you can’t really let pretty things like snow distract you from constant vigilance.” That was about it. It all really just happened so fast that she just kept trying to dodge getting hit more than anything.
Oh!
Oh!
Distractions! "That is an excellent, excellent point! Sometimes, an environment might look calm and pretty but it doesn't mean you should drop your guard either." Again, he didn't want them to become paranoid but, well, you know. There was some truth behind these words. "Sometimes, it could be a case of the quiet before the storm."
Once it looked as though no one else was about to answer, Hirsch turned his attention to the class in general. It was a good time to carry on with the main gist of the lesson otherwise they were going to be here all day. "Those were some excellent points raise by all of you, particularly the ones about teamwork, communication and using a variety of spells. Working together, communicating with each other and ensuring that you're not just relying on one spell, one signature spell, will make the situation work in your favour." It was tempting, yes, but in a duelling situation, someone could always use that against you. Just saying. "Some of you have mentioned tactics as well and I'm glad you've done so: scoping out the environment you're in and what's sitting there will help you be more at ease and, hopefully, less freaked out. It'll also help you figure out what you could use to help you or hide you."
Breathe.
"Something I really want to focus on today is a type of Shield Charm. A great number of you have used Protego, which isn't a bad thing, but there's another spell I want to introduce you to that might help you a bit more in situations like these. In environments like these, actually." At this, he gestured to the surrounding area at the snow around them. "An important aspect of defence is being able to utilise the area around you and this spell does exactly that." At this, he turned around, took out his wand and gave it an intricate wave. At once, words started to form in the air in large letters:
Quote: Protego Munio
A spell that causes solid particles to form a shield around you
Incantation: Protego Munio (pro-TAY-go MOO-nee-oh)
Wand movement: sweeping vertical line upwards followed by a flick at the end
Light: n/a
Difficulty: moderate
Other: need to maintain a high level of concentration Smiling, he turned back around to face the class once again. "Protego Munio is a spell that uses solid particles and causes them to form a shield around you, one that only people on your side can see through. These particles have to be tiny, mind you. Snow, sand, bits of earth, dust..... as long as they're solid and not in any other form. For example, the spell will work for snow and ice but not for water or steam." Was the setup of the room starting to make sense now?
"Now. It's important to remember that this isn't a spell to use instead of Protego, it's just an alternative option. One that forms a wall, if you will, of solid particles around you." Which fitted in with the meaning behind it. "So what I want to know is: why do you think some people might prefer to use this spell instead of Protego? Why might it be better or worse in terms of defence?" Let's get those brains thinking. OOC: So many words holy crap! Thanks for sticking with me and for the amazing answers! Keep up the wonderful work, you guys 
The next question is pretty simple, I hope: why might some people prefer Protego Munio? Why might it be better or worse in terms of defence? This is pretty much hypothetical so feel free to think outside of the box <3
I'm going to give you guys roughly 24 hours before we move on to the next part of the lesson. I really hope that explanation about the spell made sense but if you have any questions/comments/concerns, feel free to give me a nudge anywhere <3
Thanks, lovelies
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