SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - Transfiguration Lesson 1: An Unusually Stony October Day

SPOILER!!: Individual Responses

SPOILER!!: Maddie’s wake up call

SPOILER!!: Ronan

SPOILER!!: Daisy

SPOILER!!: Derf

SPOILER!!: Stasya

SPOILER!!: Daniel

SPOILER!!: Harriet

SPOILER!!: Jessa

SPOILER!!: Chloe M.

SPOILER!!: Rylee

SPOILER!!: Eria

SPOILER!!: Abra

SPOILER!!: Lydia

SPOILER!!: Quinn

SPOILER!!: Chloe K.

SPOILER!!: Skylar

SPOILER!!: Maddie Question 2

SPOILER!!: Emmalyn (with mentions of Skylar)

Celestia was pleased overall with the students’ answers. It was good to see them thinking outside of the box that was “Transfiguration class” and putting the spell into proper context in a variety of situations. However, some of the students’ answers had been rather more dark than she’d been hoping for. It hadn’t even occurred to her that death would be presented as an option so many times! Celestia thought that it was best to get past this subject quickly and get the students started on their practicals...yes…

”Well, I’m glad to see that most of you were able to think of a practical situation where you could use this spell defensively,” Celestia began with a smile. ”The main defensive advantage of this spell is that it allows you to turn ordinary objects into potential weapons or to effectively seal doors and hiding places, or even to slow your opponents down by turning bits of their clothing to stone.” She paused for a few seconds to let students get settled before continuing, ”Let’s get back to our spell and briefly consider it in light of the Transfiguration equation that Miss Greyvson mentioned earlier.” Celestia strode over to the blackboard and gave it another small tap; lines spread out from her wand tip until the equation appeared there.

SPOILER!!: Transfiguration equation breakdown: OPTIONAL Magic Theory Lecture

Now it was finally time to get the class started on the practical part of the lesson!
”Today, you will be using Duro to turn these objects --” Celestia gestured towards the table--”into stone, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. However, I thought we might have a bit of fun with the pumpkins first. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to use carving knives or the Cutting Charm to carve shapes into your pumpkins and then turn the resulting jack-o-lanterns into stone. If you would prefer not to delve into the Halloween spirit today, I have a variety of other objects available that you may use the Duro spell on instead. Students in older years should select larger, heavier items where possible. First years, please begin with small items or balloons before you attempt to progress to pumpkins. If any of you need help carving your pumpkins, please raise your hand or ask an older student to help you. I don’t want anyone attempting the Cutting Charm if Professor Marchand has not taught it to your class yet.” Celestia stared significantly at the older students as she gave out instructions. All of them had had classes with her last year, of course, so she was certain that they understood that she meant for them to do the carving FOR any younger students that needed assistance rather than merely “helping” them with it. She also gave the first years a very stern look when she discussed the Cutting Charm. She had no idea when students were officially taught that spell, which was why she had uneasily provided carving knives on the table next to the pumpkins. With the large number of older students and student leaders in this class, however, she was hopeful that everyone would get through this activity unscathed. ”All of your incantations and wand movements are on the board. You have the rest of the class period to finish this.” She had left them about half of the class time to complete the activity; hopefully they would all have fun making Jack-o’-lanterns! Another tap of her wand had the Diffindo and Reparifarge information joining the Duro information on the board.

Celestia was walking over to the table to help students select their items when she glanced towards the class at large and her eyes fell on Mr. Carter. Panicking slightly, Celestia blew hard on her shrill whistle again to stop the students in their tracks. ”Just a moment, everyone. Mr. Carter is allergic to pumpkins! Gather your items but do NOT cut into those pumpkins until I see to this!”** Without another SECOND of delay, Celestia rushed over to the Head Boy’s desk. ”Go on and select your items first, Mr. Carter. Will you be alright sitting behind my desk, or would you prefer to work in the corridor?” She still wasn’t clear what the boundaries of his allergies were. Hopefully the boy was sensible enough to have his allergy potions with him in case of disaster.

SPOILER!!: The Board: 3 spells

OOC: We made it to the main activity! You guys have 4 days to get this activity done. You can make as many or as few posts as you like. I realize that it probably won’t take 4 days to complete this, but the time is there if you want or need it. Celestia and I would like to encourage you guys to push your desks together and play/interact with each other, or find other ways to interact! Class will end on 12 AM CDT on May 22.. We’ll be posting during this time, but if you need Celestia for anything, please make sure to write “professor” or something similar in the post subject line to be sure that we don’t miss anything.
**You guys don’t need to wait on lazykitty and I to figure Ronan’s allergy out posting-wise. Just pretend that it’s already been sorted out by the time your kid starts cutting into their pumpkins IC. Otherwise, the kid will face IC consequences because Celestia will not be happy

SPOILER!!: OOC Main Activity Instructions

05-18-2018, 04:56 AM	#108 (permalink)
NifflerFan DMAC Firecrab Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 739	Main Activity Gryffindor for life Notorious Niffler SPOILER!!: Individual Responses SPOILER!!: Maddie’s wake up call Celestia bestowed an indulgent smile on Miss Kemp. The Hufflepuff had been a bit more enthusiastic in waking the stubborn sleeper up than the professor had intended her to be, but Miss Kemp was also one of the younger students in the class and had a nice, sunny disposition. There was also the fact that Celestia had been the one to ask the girl to wake the other student up in the first place, so she told the Hufflepuff magnanimously, ”Thank you, dear. That was very...effective.” And they could move on now, yes? SPOILER!!: Ronan The Head Boy was the first student to answer her question, but he did it with a question of his own. Celestia frowned slightly as she took his words in. On the one hand, it was a very relevant question and would certainly help in dangerous dueling situations. On the other hand, did she really want a room full of students from all years running around trying to cast this spell on each other in the corridors? No, no she did not. Celestia gave him a slight smile and replied, ”That would require a great deal of skill and days upon days of practice, Mr. Carter. That’s not to mention the fact that you would likely kill your opponent, which would land you a life-term in Azkaban. I don’t recommend it.” There. Surely that would keep the students from attempting such a thing. SPOILER!!: Daisy Miss Swann had a much more sensible response. Celestia smiled warmly at the young Hufflepuff and responded, ”Very good, Miss Swann. I believe that would work nicely. In fact…” Celestia paused to take a sip of tea and consider her words, before deciding that she didn’t much care if she lost a little face in front of the class for getting historical facts wrong. History of Magic wasn’t her subject after all. ”...I believe that a famous historical witch used this spell on a tapestry during the Battle of Hogwarts to injure some Death Eaters pursuing her. You have good instincts, Miss Swann.” Pheww, she had found a way to avoid the witch’s name! She could never remember which witch it had been… SPOILER!!: Derf As Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne’s ears went pink from embarrassment regarding his accident, Celestia felt her heart melt a little. ”Not to worry, not to worry… We all blow things up from time to time, it’s part of being a witch or wizard,” she told him in a reassuring tone. Of course, he hadn’t blown his ink bottle up, but the result was similar wasn’t it? Later in the class period, Celestia was again taken by surprise by this prefect. He had given her a very specific answer to her question. She blinked at him in surprise and confusion before answering, ”Yes, I believe Duro would be the perfect spell to use in that situation, Mr. Ashburry-Hawthorne. An invincible runespoor in a jungle -- I must say, that’s very creative of you.” In fact, it had the ring of real life to it, almost like the Hufflepuff was telling a story. Celestia’s smile melted into a slight frown -- she sincerely hoped that he wasn’t describing a past vacation trip or something of the sort. SPOILER!!: Stasya Celestia was very relieved that Miss Dalgaard-Volkova seemed to have recovered so quickly from the ink drenching her and her desk. She smiled and nodded at the young Gryffindor before leaving her to her practice… Later in the period, Celestia was very pleased with Miss Dalgaard-Volkova’s answer to her second question. ”Yes, you certainly could use it on someone’s shoes. You might want to then pair the spell with the Disarming Charm, so that he couldn’t jinx you from the ground, but -- very good, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova,” Celestia told her with a warm smile. The Gryffindor prefect’s answer was practical and something that students could likely end up using in the real world, which was exactly the sort of thing that Celestia had hoped she’d get plenty of examples of from her students. She let her eyes rove over the class -- particularly the now nastily green-haired child -- to ensure that they were all paying attention to their classmate’s answer. SPOILER!!: Daniel Celestia tried not to frown at Mr. Yoon as he voiced his question. Naturally, she had already answered this (in a way) for Mr. Carter already, but that wasn’t what was bothering her. Surely the second year didn’t want the details? Since he was the second student to bring this topic up, however, Celestia could hardly leave it alone. She took a sip of tea to gather her thoughts and prepare her mini-speech. ”As I mentioned a few minutes ago, it would be very, very difficult to cast this spell on a human being. I must strongly advise against it, as even attempting this could cause major harm or even death to the human target if you have a moderate amount of success. Even if someone is attacking you, your first priority should be to Disarm, capture them, or get away from them. The amount of damage it would do to a human being would depend on what part of the body was hit with the spell. However, it is much more likely that the caster would be unable to cast the spell successfully on a human target and would waste valuable time on a spell that wouldn’t be helpful. If you have no other options, aiming for the attacker’s clothes -- or shoes, as Miss Dalgaard-Volkova said -- and then quickly Disarming him or casting some sort of jinx is probably your best bet,” Celestia explained as patiently as she could. She really didn’t want these kids trying this spell out on each other in the corridors after all. Most of them wouldn’t even be able to cast it successfully on a living target, but with Transfiguration, erroneous castings could be just as dangerous as successful ones at times. SPOILER!!: Harriet Ah, here was a seventh year with a sensible answer! Celestia beamed at Miss Paton, her smile widening even further as the Hufflepuff prefect explained her reasoning. ”Very good, Miss Paton! Barricading yourself in while you wait for help is a good option to have in your back pocket. I like how you applied your example to the castle, and unfortunately, it’s likely true given the school’s history…” Celestia stopped herself before she said much more of that. She cleared her throat and added hastily, ”But of course, the headmistress and the rest of the staff and I will do our best to ensure that you never need to be in that situation in the castle. And I’m sure seventh years like you could adequately defend yourselves if it came down to it.” She certainly hoped so, anyway. The professor didn’t want to undermine her students’ confidence in their defensive magical skills by promoting an idea like hiding. However, there was more than a grain of truth to Miss Paton’s answer -- a thought that made Celestia extremely uncomfortable. She flashed an approving smile at the prefect and quickly moved on to the next student before the class had enough time to ruminate over what she’d ~~let slip~~ said. SPOILER!!: Jessa Dear Merlin, her N.E.W.T. level students were certainly starting to make her slightly regret asking this question! Celestia took another gulp of life-giving tea before turning back to address Miss Cambridge’s response. *”Well yes, you certainly could* do that, Miss Cambridge,” Celestia conceded hesitantly. ”But as we’ve discussed, that would be extremely difficult and you have a plethora of better options to use before you get to that point.”** She was starting to worry a bit about more than Miss Cambridge’s academic boredom. Moving the young witch into her seventh year class wouldn’t solve whatever made the Ravenclaw’s mind jump to death. Of course, that could have been her classmates’ doing, Celestia tried to reassure herself. Two of the boys had brought up that concept already today after all. Still, perhaps she’d call the prefect to her office one of these days, see if she could do anything for her... SPOILER!!: Chloe M. Celestia sighed heavily. Clearly, several students weren’t paying attention to what the others had already said. She was also a bit disturbed by how often this notion of killing people had come up. ”You could kill someone if you hit them in a bad spot, Miss McCarthy,” Celestia confirmed darkly. The first year’s next question had soon turned Celestia’s sternness into sympathy. She gave the young Ravenclaw a reassuring smile and replied, ”I certainly hope not, Miss McCarthy. The headmistress, the rest of the staff, and I will do our best to ensure that you are never in that kind of situation. However, it is always best to be prepared in case the worst does happen, yes?” Celestia certainly hoped that there would be no more threats to the school or its students in the future. That Muggle Studies trip last term had been quite bad enough, thank you. SPOILER!!: Rylee Ah, here was a student with a sensible answer! That was a relief after all of this talk about murder had come up from so many students. Celestia beamed at Miss Prichard, and replied simply, ”Very good, Miss Prichard. That would certainly be an excellent use of the spell!” Not to mention that it would be impressive spell casting if one was able to hit such a narrow target like an opponent’s wand. SPOILER!!: Eria Miss Lovecraft’s reaction to Miss Kemp’s gentle prod was quite excessive in Celestia’s opinion. She shot the Slytherin a harsh look and told her warningly, ”Miss Lovecraft, if you shout at another student in that way again, I will be forced to put you in detention and take points from your House.” She had little patience left for this girl, and was tempted to simply stick her in detention straightaway for sleeping class and shouting at younger students. Celestia forced herself to sigh and look away from the Slytherin before her irritation got the best of her -- until the girl answered her question that is. Celestia shot the fifth year a sardonic smile and replied coldly, ”You could certainly attempt to do that, Miss Lovecraft.” She supposed that she had deserved that -- perhaps changing the girl’s hair color was a tad overreacting -- but that was the last comment she’d let slide today. SPOILER!!: Abra Celestia tore her gaze away from Miss Lovecraft after another couple of tense minutes and directed her attention toward Mr. Botros instead. She had noticed his hard work while the class had been practicing, and was a little surprised that he was silent now. Then again, she had long since noted that most students preferred the practical part of her lessons to discussions -- and Mr. Botros certainly excelled in the practical parts of class. She gave the Gryffindor an encouraging smile and moved to the next student. SPOILER!!: Lydia ”Excellent, Miss Beckett! Three points to Slytherin! That would be a very good defensive use of the spell indeed,” Celestia replied whilst beaming at the young Slytherin. She was very pleased indeed that someone had brought up this context for using Duro, as it was one of the main scenarios she’d been looking for from the class. Miss Beckett’s next question was rather insightful as well. ”As far as I know, it only works on solid things. However, it would be interesting to see if the spell could be tweaked to work on fire or water…” She gave the Slytherin another smile before moving on. OOC: These are just the 3 points that each student can earn for answering a question in class; they aren’t in addition to the points Lydia will earn for this lesson. Celestia just called them out because she really liked Lydia’s answer! SPOILER!!: Quinn Miss Kevelle had an interesting answer too. Celestia beamed at the first year and responded, ”I think that casting the spell on bubbles would require experimentation and tweaking, Miss Kevelle. However, your idea about conjuring birds and then turning them to stone is a great one! Take three points for Ravenclaw!” These first years were really going above and beyond Celestia’s expectations this term! To say that the professor was thrilled with their reasoning and progress would be an understatement. OOC: These are just the 3 points that everyone can earn from answering a question, not 3 points in addition to the ones that Quinn will earn for completing the lesson. Celestia just wanted to call them out because she liked Quinn’s answer! SPOILER!!: Chloe K. Here was another Ravenclaw with a good answer! A smile crossed Celestia’s face as she listened to Miss Kettleburn’s idea. She replied warmly, ”Very good, Miss Kettleburn! You’ve identified the main defensive advantage of this spell -- its ability to turn ordinary objects into weapons.” This was more along the lines of what Celestia had anticipated the students saying, rather than the dark turn other students’ answers had taken. SPOILER!!: Skylar Miss Diggory certainly thought out of the box, Celestia had to give her that. She gave the Slytherin a smile and then promptly took a sip of tea to gather her thoughts once again. ”Well, Miss Diggory… The problem with using this particular spell in that way is that you would turn into stone in reality, rather than simply pretending to be stone. It would be rather difficult to turn yourself back if you managed to turn yourself into a statue, not to mention the fact that your spell might turn lethal if you hit one of your organs… But very interesting idea,” Celestia added hastily. She didn’t want to trample the captain’s confidence after all. It would be a good strategy if the spell changed only appearances. SPOILER!!: Maddie Question 2 Celestia quite liked Miss Kemp’s suggestion. She gave the young Hufflepuff another warm, broad smile and responded simply, ”Very good, Miss Kemp! I believe that would be an excellent way to use this spell defensively! Not to mention useful for keeping intruders out and--” Celestia frowned and stopped herself just in time. Miss Kemp had reminded herself of her own school days, and she had almost revealed that she once kept a dormmate she didn’t like shut out of their room using this very spell! That was hardly the sort of example she wanted to set for her students. She covered the pause with a gulp of tea and continued, ”And barricades would be quite useful, yes.” SPOILER!!: Emmalyn (with mentions of Skylar) ”I’m afraid not, Miss Walsh,” Celestia told her gently. ”The spell would most likely be lethal if you were to successfully use it on yourself, and that rather defeats the point. But I like your and Miss Diggory’s instincts to use magic on yourselves to help you rather than solely on your attacker.” She gave the young Hufflepuff an encouraging smile; she was always happy to see the younger students speak up in class and wanted her to continue doing so, even if her answer had been “wrong.” Celestia hated thinking of the answer that way, but she knew that Miss Walsh and Miss Diggory were likely to do so. This was one of those few questions in her class when there wasn’t a single correct answer, and the girls had used good reasoning to come up with their suggestion. Celestia was pleased overall with the students’ answers. It was good to see them thinking outside of the box that was “Transfiguration class” and putting the spell into proper context in a variety of situations. However, some of the students’ answers had been rather more dark than she’d been hoping for. It hadn’t even occurred to her that death would be presented as an option so many times! Celestia thought that it was best to get past this subject quickly and get the students started on their practicals...yes… ”Well, I’m glad to see that most of you were able to think of a practical situation where you could use this spell defensively,” Celestia began with a smile. ”The main defensive advantage of this spell is that it allows you to turn ordinary objects into potential weapons or to effectively seal doors and hiding places, or even to slow your opponents down by turning bits of their clothing to stone.” She paused for a few seconds to let students get settled before continuing, ”Let’s get back to our spell and briefly consider it in light of the Transfiguration equation that Miss Greyvson mentioned earlier.” Celestia strode over to the blackboard and gave it another small tap; lines spread out from her wand tip until the equation appeared there. SPOILER!!: Transfiguration equation breakdown: OPTIONAL Magic Theory Lecture ”As you can see, the intended transformation (t) is directly influenced by a number of variables. Let’s quickly go over what those variables mean in terms of today’s spell. The intended transformation, or t, is obviously the transformation of the object into stone. This is influenced by the caster’s bodyweight, which we’ll ignore for today,” Celestia continued. Teenagers had enough body image issues without getting into the details of that variable, thank you. ”Viciousness is the next variable to influence the intended transformation. As we’re working with inanimate objects today, this is not really a relevant factor either. Wand power and concentration are the most important variables for a successful casting of Duro. You must focus and visualize the transformation like we’ve talked about in order to harness your wand power to the degree necessary for your spell to be cast successfully. Some aspects of wand power are out of your control, but with enough concentration, you can greatly improve your odds of a successful transformation. Z is the variable that encompasses unknown factors, such as the caster’s level of fatigue or the weather or anything else that may affect the spell’s intended transformation.” Celestia stopped talking for a sip of tea. She was really looking forward to the upcoming months, when this basic magical theory lecture would no longer be necessary. Now it was finally time to get the class started on the practical part of the lesson! ”Today, you will be using Duro to turn these objects --” Celestia gestured towards the table--”into stone, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. However, I thought we might have a bit of fun with the pumpkins first. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to use carving knives or the Cutting Charm to carve shapes into your pumpkins and then turn the resulting jack-o-lanterns into stone. If you would prefer not to delve into the Halloween spirit today, I have a variety of other objects available that you may use the Duro spell on instead. Students in older years should select larger, heavier items where possible. First years, please begin with small items or balloons before you attempt to progress to pumpkins. If any of you need help carving your pumpkins, please raise your hand or ask an older student to help you. I don’t want anyone attempting the Cutting Charm if Professor Marchand has not taught it to your class yet.” Celestia stared significantly at the older students as she gave out instructions. All of them had had classes with her last year, of course, so she was certain that they understood that she meant for them to do the carving FOR any younger students that needed assistance rather than merely “helping” them with it. She also gave the first years a very stern look when she discussed the Cutting Charm. She had no idea when students were officially taught that spell, which was why she had uneasily provided carving knives on the table next to the pumpkins. With the large number of older students and student leaders in this class, however, she was hopeful that everyone would get through this activity unscathed. ”All of your incantations and wand movements are on the board. You have the rest of the class period to finish this.” She had left them about half of the class time to complete the activity; hopefully they would all have fun making Jack-o’-lanterns! Another tap of her wand had the Diffindo and Reparifarge information joining the Duro information on the board. Celestia was walking over to the table to help students select their items when she glanced towards the class at large and her eyes fell on Mr. Carter. Panicking slightly, Celestia blew hard on her shrill whistle again to stop the students in their tracks. ”Just a moment, everyone. Mr. Carter is allergic to pumpkins! Gather your items but do NOT cut into those pumpkins until I see to this!” Without another SECOND of delay, Celestia rushed over to the Head Boy’s desk. ”Go on and select your items first, Mr. Carter. Will you be alright sitting behind my desk, or would you prefer to work in the corridor?” She still wasn’t clear what the boundaries of his allergies were. Hopefully the boy was sensible enough to have his allergy potions with him in case of disaster. SPOILER!!*: The Board: 3 spells* Transfiguration Equation Picture Hardening Spell: Incantation: Duro Wand Movement: Almost completed D. Picture Severing or Cutting Charm: Incantation: Diffindo Pronunciation: deef-IN-doe Wand Movement: See Picture Effects: Light green light comes out of wand, cuts the target Untransfiguration Spell Incantation: Reparifarge Pronunciation: reh-PAH-ree-fahj Wand Movement: See picture OOC: We made it to the main activity! You guys have 4 days to get this activity done. You can make as many or as few posts as you like. I realize that it probably won’t take 4 days to complete this, but the time is there if you want or need it. Celestia and I would like to encourage you guys to push your desks together and play/interact with each other, or find other ways to interact! Class will end on 12 AM CDT on May 22.. We’ll be posting during this time, but if you need Celestia for anything, please make sure to write “professor” or something similar in the post subject line to be sure that we don’t miss anything. You guys don’t need to wait on lazykitty and I to figure Ronan’s allergy out posting-wise. Just pretend that it’s already been sorted out by the time your kid starts cutting into their pumpkins IC. Otherwise, the kid will face IC consequences because Celestia will not be happy . SPOILER!!*: OOC Main Activity Instructions* Steps: 1. Choose your item from the table. If your charrie doesn’t want to make a jack-o-lantern, feel free to use balloons, Muggle sports balls, rubber bats/rats/other Halloween decorations or any other random object that you’d like to turn to stone. First years should start with something small and/or balloons unless Celestia told them otherwise. 2. If the student chose a pumpkin and would LIKE to: Use Diffindo OR a carving knife from the table to carve desired face/design into pumpkin. 3. Turn carved pumpkin or item to stone. 4. Correct mistakes using Reparifarge spell. Reverto is also okay. Note: PREFECTS, Quidditch Captains, HG: help the younger students and make sure no one dies from using knives/Diffindo, especially the 1st years. (OPTIONAL) Decorate your stone item with paint from the table or any other craft-type thing you’d like. Just assume it’s already on the table. Note: Kids are taking home whatever they make and they can turn their stone items back into whatever they were using Reparifarge at the end of class if they want to.