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Old 05-14-2019, 05:50 AM   #17 (permalink)
Thereos
Forbidden Forest Centaur
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Forbidden Forest
Posts: 144
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SPOILER!!: students
Quote:
Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi View Post
He wasn't at all surprised that they were going in to the forbidden forest for the lesson. Was he a fan of it? No. Definitely not. Why couldn't they have a lesson which did not involve going in to a forbidden place. But like always, Dorian didn't dare to defy a Professor and he followed without any verbal complaint.

The warnings were listened to and noted but he knew that they were more directed to some others than to him. He had always been silent except for when lives were in danger or his eleven year old self was here right now cause than he was loud and respectful towards the forest by avoiding it as much as possible.

The way the centaur spoke had confused him the first few classes but after a while he thought he got the hang of the basics. The trees and leaves were whispering to turn back and never return but that might have been his own wishful thinking. How deep in to the forest were they going to go anyway? He had no idea what they were going to learn today but as long as they weren't going to hug and whisper back to the trees he was okay.
The silence of the Ravenclaw did not go unnoticed nor was it perceived as ignorance. In fact, Thereos tended to veer on the edge of appreciative to those who kept their mouths closed. It meant they recognized that their voice was not a beautiful addition to the serenity of silence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jean Granger View Post
Jade took a few steps backwards when Thereos walked towards her threateningly. It took her a while to grasp what he was trying to say. Cookies? Crisps? Ohhh, the flower that she returned to the bowl. Okay, she had to admit she would have felt offended if she were the flower. But surely he knew that eating biscuits was not the same business as consuming flowers?? He really was quite frightening when he spoke to her like that though, so she apologised hastily and took the flower again. Time to allow her senses to get acquainted with another flower...

She had finished seeing, smelling and touching her flower and had just popped it into her mouth when the centaur began the lesson. She followed at a safe distance, trying to mindfully chew her flower while also taking note of her surroundings. When instructed, she looked at the trees around her and listened to the leaves. ... They didn't tell her ANYTHING. She bet the trees didn't even CARE why they were here today. But she could pretend that she heard something from the leaves and just... take a guess. After swallowing her second flower, Jade raised her hand. "Will we be studying Xylomancy today?" She said, in a quieter-than-usual voice. Gotta respect the Forest.
"Xylomancy is indeed a sincerely underrated form of divination by wizardingkind," he nodded sagely with another great swish of his tail to swat away a few flies who were persistently seeking to land on his rump, neither confirming nor denying her inquiry. All would be revealed soon enough.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lazykitty View Post
It had been a few weeks since classes had started, but did that mean that Archer was used to the confusing way in which Thereos spoke? Absolutely not. She did learn after a few lessons to keep her humor and amusement to herself, as the centaur didn't appreciate it at all. Shame. Basically, she was up a creek without a whole freaking canoe.

Well, that wasn't completely correct. She did understand the warning about the forest. But she decided to take up the back of the forest-going crowd for 'prefect reasons'. Or that's what she'd say if asked, anyway. It definitely wasn't because the forest creeped her out a little.
Another who sought the value of silence over their nonsensical speech. Thereos' great gaze met the Hufflepuff's briefly before moving on among the crowd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir View Post
Just for the record, as someone who couldn't always follow the language of a regular class, Kaiser struggled tenfold in Divination. He supposed that whatever Thereos was saying was really important and probably profound, but it was rare that he could listen to an entire sentence without becoming utterly lost. Apparently, he wasn't alone in these struggles, according to some of his friends, but he couldn't help but feel that he might have had fewer problems if English was his first language.

Hearing his name, Kaiser looked up from the flower he was still intently looking at, and watched the centaur as he passed. It took him... a moment, but eventually he figured he was being instructed to hurry up and eat the flower already. He nodded, and slipped it into his mouth. Tasting and savouring and trying to appreciate but mostly just noticing that it didn't exactly taste wonderful... but then, what had he been expecting?

Sooooo... the forest, then. Kaiser kept his face expressionless and didn't betray any sort of reaction to this news, but privately he wondered exactly how wise this was. Hogwarts students were not exactly known for their tendency to keep out of danger at the best of times. Still, he made no argument, and followed Thereos and the rest of the group up to and inside the forest.

Oh... wait. A question. "Uhhh..." Kaiser said as they walked, still with the flower in his mouth. He swallowed it, grimaced slightly, and cast around for something to say. "... Divination...?" Not even a remotely sarcastic answer; that was their purpose here today, right?
"Inspired. Truly," Thereos retorted, his tone level and dry as the backside of a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy View Post
Uhh… All Tina could do was blink dumbly at Thereos's warning. That didn't sound like her at all! She always showed restraint in her lessons. She put careful thought into her answers before she spoke, always raised her hand, and didn't repeat other people's answers. And since when was she ever sociable? For a brief moment, she wondered if he might have her confused with another student, but she reminded herself that he was the the teacher for a reason. There must be some truth to his words, even if she didn't see it yet.

She listened closely to the instructions given and followed the professor and other students into the forest, keeping within touching distance as she was told, though she had no intention of actually touching anybody. Just the idea made her cringe! But hopefully there would be no need for that… She put the thought out of her mind as she considered the question asked, trying to get the gist from the series of confusing words.

Okay, so they were supposed to find the purpose of the lesson by listening to the leaves? That was… unexpected. Tina stood still and silent. listening intently to the leaves rustling, but all she heard was… leaves. No special meaning, no nothing! Maybe something Thereos said would give her a clue instead. He'd specifically mentioned leaves… leaves, leaves, that was it!

Tina suddenly remembered reading something about phyllomancy, specifically a branch of divination using sounds made from dry leaves. That sounded exactly like what they'd just been asked to do! She wanted to raise her hand but stopped herself just in time, remembering the earlier advice to show restraint. Did that mean she shouldn't show off her knowledge? She wasn't sure, but she wasn't taking any chances! It was taking all her willpower not to give an answer, especially one she was so confident about, but she kept quiet so as to let others have a chance to guess.
Intriguing was it not? The power of words.

The centaur was unaware to the plight that plagued the young woman and instead lumped her in with the other bumps on the log in favor of silence. Or perhaps they were broadening their minds and stretching their senses to try and grasp the whispers of the trees.

Perhaps those in silence would have done better to consume another flower or two. Their ability to take cues from nature were vital to today's lesson, after all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixRising View Post
Maeve ordinarily would have not bothered with Divination Lessons because she found the subject to be awfully dull and cheesy. But upon hearing that the lessons would be taught by a CENTAUR this term, which meant they would be held on the grounds as opposed to the stuffy divination tower, the sixth year couldn't resist.

Plus they got to EAT flowers; like how bad could it be when he started a lesson with edible flowers? A lesson that was going to be held in the forbidden forest. EXCITING

Eagerly walking alongside, she almost bumped into the person she was walking behind at the sudden stopping under a leaf canopy. Fortunately she caught herself, stabling her balance against a nearby tree. She glanced around at the trees as the centaur spoke and frowned. Yea, this was why she didn't study Divination normally.

"It's gonna rain?" Wasn't Divination used to predict the future and well, they were in a forest.
Here was one who could have done with a bit more of a moral obligation towards silence. "One must learn to broaden their understanding and sight, Miss Walsh. Perhaps the clouds that would otherwise be in the sky have fogged your mind." He had not asked about the weather nor students' predictions regarding it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireheart View Post
"Sorry Thereos," Avalon said sheepishly, utterly embarrassed that she had addressed the centaur incorrectly at least three times now since the start of the term. "It's hard to break the professor title pattern! I'll remember next time." After all, Thereos was one of the only instructors at the school who didn't use a title. Not that Avalon minded. She liked humble teachers, and not using "professor" before a name usually signaled a modest instructor.

She trudged along as Thereos led the class further into the forest, trying to make sense of his odd language. Avalon thought that he always spoke as if he was reading a poem. It was quite fascinating, to be honest, but frustrating nonetheless - she frequently had trouble understanding him. She figured that he was asking what nature might have to do with their lesson today, and the responses from a few of her classmates confirmed her suspicion. Was there a branch of divination that dealt with flowers? Trees? Bushes? She didn't really know, other than recalling her dad talking about wizards burning herbs to tell the future. She decided to keep quiet, as she wasn't quite sure of the answer.
"Apology accepted, Miss Sinclair," he nodded. His attention paused briefly to see if she had anything further to offer up in speculation, but alas. No matter since their destination was upon them now...


The very path beneath the centaur's hooves began to widen as the group approached an expansive crooked grove deep within the Forbidden Forest. "This is a sacred place to centaurs," he explain in a grave tone, one that they should all be familiar with by now when it came to showing respect and honoring their surroundings. Surprisingly pleasant and bright despite how far they had walked, there was almost a calming quality to their surroundings and even Thereos' broad shoulders began to relax. "These trees here will be our guides today. In a heart of a tree there is no apprehension, no wish to fall, no wish to sleep and awaken. Tree groves such as these are the first temples. Between every two is a doorway hinged to our life and the natural order of the universe. Today you will be learning how to harness these energies."

Trotting forward a few more paces, Thereos stopped suddenly when his hooves nearly stepped on a small sapling growing forth from the ground. ".....how curious. Mercury is retrograde..." he observed as he circled it twice before coming to a stop, facing the students, and dug a symbol in the ground beside the sapling.

"The sapling is one with the natural order of the universe. It to wants what life wills, to become a tree. Tell me, saplings of the Hogwarts castle, what natural order and rituals have brought you here on this path to Hogwarts? The path towards the larger journey of becoming a witch or wizard? Those greenest in their journey have the freshest of memories. What will have you with this core essence of your being?"
OOC: Thank you for sticking with us and welcome to those joining us a little late! This is the final question before we get into the activity sections of the lesson.

What Thereos is asking: Before beginning Hogwarts, what steps were taken and what happened to prove to you that this is where you should be. What do you want to do what to accomplish in life now that you have been place on this path (to becoming an accomplished witch or wizard)?
__________________
MARS IS BRIGHT TONIGHT.................................................. ............................

His priority did not seem to be to teach them what he knew... .................................................. ......
but rather to impress upon them that nothing, not even centaurs' knowledge, was foolproof
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