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Join Date: May 2007 Location: London
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Hogwarts RPG Name:
Cora Dredworth
Sixth Year
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SPOILER!!: replies+question2 SPOILER!!: claudine Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19  “Claudine, professor,’’ the Snakette said in a clear voice. She tried not to be too annoyed by reminding herself that Barlow was adjusting to the new students. But at least she hadn’t gotten his name wrong.
Claudine tilted her head as she continued to study her reflection. Her hair was tied back and she thought she looked simple, just the way she preferred herself to be. It attracted less attention, you see. Though she still caught Dorian’s. Well, she happened to like him so he was greeted with one of her rare, tiny smiles. “Hi there, Dorian.’’ She looked back at her own reflection. “I really hope we don’t have to change the colour of our hair. Our eyes wouldn’t be so bad though…” Yes, she was talking to the Ravenclaw.
She watched the door swing shut. This meant they were about to get started. That intense, cool gaze fixed on Barlow. Oh har, har. He had jokes, that one did. Claudine did not crack a smile. As for the question... “Placing a Charm is means to put something additional onto a target,’’ Claudine spoke up, hand in the air. “Transfiguring would mean changing your target altogether.’’ She was uncertain of the first part of her answer.
No one needed to know that.
Oh, right. Claudine. Wasn’t that what he’d said?
He nodded at her answer. Seemed like she had the gist of it, not bad going for a first year. SPOILER!!: nettie Quote:
Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom Most of the professors seemed to be doing review work lately, which was EXCELLENT for Trinetta. Studying for OWLs always required her to go over things she'd already learned - and that included the basics, like the question Barlow had just asked. It was basic, but it was always good to go back to the foundations of the subject.
In a very Hermione-Granger-esque fashion, Nettie's hand shot in the air. "Charming something changes the action of the object but keeps its original form intact, whereas transfiguration changes the actual FORM of an object, which often changes the action as well," she explained. Wow. That sounded extremely Ravenclaw even for her. Oops. She couldn't help it, though - Transfiguration really got her brain moving. Had the Ravenclaw Prefect swallowed a textbook? Sure sounded like it. Her answer was a good one though and Barlow nodded in encouragement. SPOILER!!: gunnar Quote:
Originally Posted by emjay In a fairly good mood (it was Friday, you know?), Gunnar had slipped into class just moments before Barlow closed the door. And he found himself in front of a mirror near Alessandro. After a quick check of his own appearance, he gave his friend an easy smile, glad to see him back at school after the last two weeks.
But class was beginning now, so any conversation would have to wait as he turned his attention to the front of the room. A simple, basic question, and he raised his hand.
But he started to lower it again as Trinetta provided a somewhat concise summary of the difference. Was there really more to add? Gunnar lifted his hand into the air once more to expand on that.
"In addition to sometimes changing the form of an object, transfiguration changes the properties or the nature of an object, whereas a charm doesn't change the object's identity." Just a little expansion on his fellow prefect's answer. “Yes indeed, thank you Gunnar.” Maybe this recap wasn’t necessary after all, seemed they all knew what they were talking about. SPOILER!!: bernadette Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl Poetry! "Teehehe, no that's an OLD song," Bernadette gleefully informed the professor. She liked this guy. He was WAY better than that Muggle Studies man and also he didn't already know all the Muggle STUFF so she could still sing Muggle songs and seem talented.
And yep, he had PUNS for days too. "What a knee slapper," Bernadette chuckled to her reflection, literally slapping her knee. Ooh, were they going to enchant mirrors today? That would be DEAD USEFUL. And then she could go home this summer and mess with her mum SO BAD. Yesssssss... Oh wait, there was a question?
Bernadette glanced around, wondering if she should be taking notes? These other kids were MUCH more informed... ummm, she raised her hand to hazard a guess. "Transfiguration sometimes involves animals, like," what were those wizard people called? "Animorphs." That was it. "Charms would wear off faster than animorphaguesses."
Scratch that. THIS is why recapping was important. “Animagus,” Barlow corrected her with a smile. He was just glad to see the younger ones making an effort. “And you’re quite right there are a number of transfiguration spells that involve changing the form of animals.” GOOD JOB. SPOILER!!: avalon Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireheart Avalon propped her chin on her hand in thought as she listened to some of her classmates' responses. They had pretty much summed up what she knew about the differences between transfiguration and charms. Was there really much more to add? She racked her brain, trying to think of some more distinctions between the two. Raising her hand tentatively, she said, "Well, you can technically transfigure something to give it life, right? Like the chair to cat spell?" Avalon was fairly certain she had heard of that one before. And she was pretty sure that you couldn't do something like that with a simple charm. "And with a charm, you wouldn't be able to do that." I mean, you can charm something to make it dance, but you can't actually make it alive, she thought. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can charm something to give it life-like qualities, but you can't actually turn it into a living thing like you could with a transfiguration." Hopefully her answer was on the right track. “Correct…” Sort of. To a point. “However, it’s important to remember that while transfigured animals may appear to be sentient, living beings, they’re not.” That hedgehog transfigured from a pincushion? Not TECHNICALLY a real hedgehog with free will, but he understood her point. SPOILER!!: fiona Quote:
Originally Posted by Ginevra Hold on. Did she get called Phoebe? She was going to try and answer the question anyway so what a perfect opportunity to correct a teacher. She quickly raised her hand. "My name is Fiona, not Phoebe. I would like it if I was called by my proper name, thanks. Anyway, a charmed object relies on function whereas a transfigured object relies on its looks." He was a little taken aback by her abruptness to really take note of her answer. Fiona, yes. That’s what he’d said. Anyway, moving on. SPOILER!!: kaiser Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir "Kaiser," Kaiser said helpfully. Mister Kaiser or just Kaiser, either of those worked. For all intents and purposes, it served as a surname and a first name. He then gave a small nod. Yes, Kaiser had gathered that the mirrors would serve some sort of purpose at some point in this lesson, but he'd deal with that... later.
If he noticed the reluctance that Eiji showed as he came over to stand near him, he didn't take any offence. Partly because it was quite difficult for Kaiser to be offended by anything, but mostly because he just never took anything Eiji said or did personally. Maybe if the other boy came right up to him and said 'your mother was a murtlap and your father smelt of crazyberries' it would be a different story, as that was quite the specific insult.
Anyway, Kaiser gave the other Slytherin boy a very subtle nod of the head in greeting, and left it at that.
Right. Transfiguration. Barlow. Terrible jokes that went right over Kaiser's head. Aaaand... a question. He raised his hand, ready to make a smart aleck comment about how one thing transfigured an object and the other one charmed it, before he realised he didn't even have the energy to spare on a joke answer. He let his hand drop again.
Did the difference really matter? As long as you could cast the spells, you were good, right? Hand up? Hand down? Was Kaiser about to do the hokey cokey?
He sent the Slytherin a quizzical look before moving onto the next student. Strange lad. SPOILER!!: jillian Quote:
Originally Posted by hjhm As soon as the professor started, Jillian redirected her attention to him and not the mirror. What are they going to do in class today? Is it going to be one of those amusement parks where one attraction is like a house of mirror. She figured it could be that considering this is a Transfiguration class. Okay, focus on the teacher.
She smiled when the professor made a dorky pun... 'reflect'. Yeah Jillian admits that is a bit funny. Moving on, she's quite intrigued why there are so many mirrors for today's class. And also can't they go back to normal classes where the desks and chairs are present?
Oh right. The question.
Jillian didn't really think about it too much but she raised her hand to give a short and simple answer. "I think it has something to do with the change that will happen in object/target." she answered, well she's not sure if it correct. So here's to hoping that it is. "I mean... To transfigure means to transform a target into something different, as to placing a charm on a target doesn't really mean that there will be transformation involved." Does that sound right? Maybe.
“That’s it, you’re definitely on the right track,” Barlow encouraged brightly. SPOILER!!: blake Quote:
Originally Posted by love-for-HP "Well you transfigure something you change it's physical form right? And with charms you don't do that." There that about summed it up right? Good enough, Blake was more interested in what he thought was a pimple on his nose. He leaned into his mirror a little closer to examine said 'pimple' ... well maybe it was more of a black head. Should he squeeze it???? Or would that draw too much attention ..... Yeah, no. Please no squeezing spots in class. Any suspicious smudges or marks on the mirrors would need to be cleaned after class by the culprit and who wanted that on a Friday. And as for Blake’s answer. “Yep yep, that’s the general idea, you’ve got it.” SPOILER!!: drewie Quote:
Originally Posted by Kimothy ...Har har. Reflect, huh. Trust Professor Barlow for humour like that, which is very much along the lines of Drewett's humour. The Ravenclaw sighed a little and forced a tiny smile to acknowledge his professor's attempt at making them laugh.
Anyway.
Everyone else had seemed to hit the bull's eye with the difference between charms and transfiguration. Drewett raised his hand. "To transfigure is t-to alter a living or inanimate object's composition, sir..." he shared. "On th-the other hand, to charm is to, like everyone said, change its function." And he was back to busying himself by taking down more notes as most Drewett Gunters do. “Hit the nail on the head, Mr Slinkhard.”
Heh. SPOILER!!: austin Quote:
Originally Posted by 2111jen Austin didn't feel a need to answer, everyone else was already, why should he? He just quietly took notes.
He didn’t mind if people didn’t volunteer answers, as long as they were actively paying attention and not goofing around. SPOILER!!: lucas Quote:
Originally Posted by hermionesclone No need to look frightened? Lucas..... paused. He trusted Barlow, he did. The man had even said 'promise', which added some weight to everything he said. But...... well, there were still mirrors here. And he was still uncomfortable at the idea of spending a whole lesson looking at his face. That was too long.
When it was time to move on, he looked away from the mirror and over at Barlow, instead. The jokes? The fourth year let out a small snort of laughter at the puns, feeling a little lighter already. How long had the man prepared for that? A while? He had a funny feeling that this was in the man's plans for the lesson.
Please continue with the puns.
What's the difference between Charms and Transfiguration? Well, a lot of people had said some very good answers that were right. Answers that he should probably be writing down in his notes. But his mind was racing and.....
...... Oh!
The hand went up in the air. "Well, if we look at an object, Transfiguration is about what the object is but Charms is about what the object is doing." Or how it was presenting itself? "It's a matter of form vs function, y'know? Transfiguration is about form but Charms is about..... function?" Yeah. Yeah.
There were some grey areas but he..... wasn't thinking about that. Yes he had absolutely written the pun into his lesson plans.
Was that a SNORT, Lucas?
Barlow sent an amused look the Gryffindor’s way before nodding at his answer. “Form vs function, yes absolutely that’s a grand way of putting it.” Couldn’t have said it better himself. SPOILER!!: tina Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy ina kept trying to guess the purpose of the mirrors until Professor Barlow's voice jerked her out of her thoughts. Yes, she was wondering why the mirrors were here… but it looked like that was going to remain a mystery for now. She hoped the question would provide some clue, but no such luck. Not unless they were going to somehow use the mirrors to compare and contrast the effects of transfiguration vs* charms, but that seemed a little too out there, even for Barlow's class.
She considered the question for a minute. She knew the difference between charms and transfiguration; how could she not when two of her dads were former charms professors? They'd never let her live it down if she didn't! She knew charms changed the properties of an object, while transfiguration changed the object itself… but her classmates had already said as much. What could she add to the explanation that hadn't been said? She racked her brains until finally something came to her. She raised her hand, and after being called on, she said, "Transfiguration changes an object's molecular structure, whereas charms add or change a specific attribute of an object while leaving its molecular structure intact. For example, if we were to place a shrinking charm on these mirrors, it would make them smaller, but they'd still be mirrors. But if we were to transfigure them into something, say sand, they'd become that object and cease to be mirrors." Did that make sense? She hoped it did! That answer was a lot more wordy than she expected! Tina took it to a whole scientific and colour him impressed. Someone had obviously been studying. “There are some exceptions to the rule but you’re quite correct. Good example.”
SPOILER!!: alessandro Quote:
Originally Posted by pundantic Alessandro was exceptionally well behaved. Until he wasn't. He stood in front of the mirror and attended Barlow as the Professor searched for the point. He even spared a moment to return a soft smile to Gunnar. It was nice to see any of his friends after the events of the last two weeks.
In light of the last two weeks, frankly, Alessandro Toussaint had not learned his lesson. Or perhaps, more aptly, he had not learned the lesson he supposed Trent was wishing for. In future, he would be more discreet because Jove was still very much on his radar.
But again, to his original point, he was being exceptionally well behaved. He stood up straight. He considered the Professor's question and even offered an answer of his own. He raised his hand and said, "You have to be extremely specific when casting for Transfiguration. Its exact, sir. With Charms, it can be more inventive." “Yes yes, you raise a good point. Transfiguration also involves a great deal of concentration.” So hopefully they all had their heads screwed on this afternoon. SPOILER!!: eiji Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Considering he had never met Kaiser's mum, Eiji would not know what she smelled like so that would be a very peculiar insult to offer up anyway. What he could offer up, however, was a return head nod. One he did easily and just before class officially began.
And Eiji was not entirely keen on offering up any sort of reply really. Especially since his thoughts could only circle back around to his mum and what she used to do when he was a baby to make him laugh..and then later on with Rebecca. Then there came the horror when Rebecca sneezed and...well...her hair suddenly streaked magenta. He blamed the mirrors, which he was now reluctantly staring into and honing in on his own hazel-green eyes. Which reminded him of a story mum once told about her own eyes to mask their purple color.
So, amazingly enough, he found himself raising his hand to answer. "Charms do not alter the properties of the object they are cast upon. Like if I were to magically alter my eye color dark brown...my eyes are still my human eyes. But if I were to magically swap them out with those of an eagle...then that would be a spell, transfiguration magic. My eyes no longer my human eyes but those belonging to that of an animal." Another good explanation along with another good example. He knew of some adult wizards who still struggled to get their head around the finer details and distinctions but the majority of these kids already seemed to have it down pat. He was impressed. “Seems like you’ve all got the basic understanding of what is considered transfiguration and what is considered charms.” Most of them anyway. “There’s definitely some overlap between the two branches of magic but it’s important to remember that we charm an object to change it’s function… to make it do something.” Did that make sense? “And when we transfigure an item, we are changing it’s identity. The way it appears.” In layman’s terms anyway, it was all very complicated.
“That being said…” Did he still have everyone’s attention? It was the last lesson of the week but he didn’t want anyone dropping off. “Tell me, what do you know about human transfiguration? Miss Friday already mentioned animagi, who has any more examples of human transfiguration?”
See, they were getting to the good stuff. Wakey wakey. OOC: WooOOoooOo. Thanks for participating so far, you’re all great. Another 24 hours or so for Question 2!
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