| Puffskein
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 1,641
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Max Krauss-Marshall
Slytherin First Year |  books and cleverness | i like you a latte
Text Cut: I think you guys broke him lol Text Cut: Ashley & Eden Quote:
Originally Posted by astrocat  Ash was staring at Eden admiringly, so it was a little hard to hear the question. She absolutely loved this kid, ok? The courage, just... wow. There was a real potential for being close friends here. But the question was infinitely more depressing than some of these kids' answers. "Real witches and wizards deserve to fly, because all living humans should be able to fly. And the reason Muggle-borns can't fly is because they deserve to just be dead." What a flat tone, one accustomed to hearing nothing but demoralising garbage coming from others. "I understand already. Most of the world should die. Congratulations." This quiet statement was accompanied by a subtle eye roll. Why did the alliance need to reiterate it? They'd said it SO. MANY. TIMES. And Ashley Fox was not here for it. SHe got it. She was a horrible person and had stolen magic and everyone wanted to kill her. SHe'd picked up on that like months ago. Seriously though.... had they SEEN muggles use a broom like that in their ENTIRE LIFESPAN??? Those muggle brooms were old. Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryn Eden was pretty fond of Ashley, too. Not that their courage was working very well for either of them.
The first year wanted to crawl into the dirt at Aguilar's next question - so, of course, her stubbornness kicked in and she sat up even straighter. They could keep testing her. That's fine. She would keep on truckin', as her brother would say, and that was that.
And then Ashley, bless her, spoke. And Eden wanted so badly to laugh. Just deserve to be dead - really fantastic stuff. Eden decided to go ahead and hop on this train, and so she raised her hand and spoke, eyes making very accusatory eye contact at Aguilar even though her tone remained robot-flat like Ash's. "I think there is value in Ashley's anti-natalist approach." She gave herself a little pat on the back for that Ravenclaw vocabulary word. "Maybe we should all just die." ……
There were T E A R S in Camilo’s eyes. He slowly took a deep shaky breath and tried (and failed) to get rid of the stupid throat lump. Children saying that they deserved to die, in a tone that sounded like they truly believed it. It was enough to make anyone cry. Instead of commending them for providing what was probably the perfect answer for the Neo-Alliance, he cleared his throat and abruptly did a 180° turn so that he was facing away from the students.
Just needed a moment. Text Cut: Claudine Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Yes, Claudine knew that she should have added more about Muggles and their inferiorness but it wasn’t something she exactly could do easily. Maybe she’d put more energy into that shortly. Just the thought of it broke her spirit somewhat. Anyway. She took her time formulating a suitable response but couldn’t help staring at Ashley and Eden. They needed help if they were thinking that way.
Goodness. They sounded like her family, and the principles she herself had been raised on. Her hand went up. “Flying via broomsticks is in our blood, it’s like a talent, something which Muggleborns obviously don’t have. We should make use of that ‘talent’. Muggles are just fit for doing lame things like walking or using their stupid contraptions to get around.”
So, in other words, it's essential for magical folk to make full use of the abilities they were born with. Okay. He was okay now.
Aguilar dried his eyes as inconspicuously as possible and turned back to listen to Claudine’s answer. She was doing a much better job of insulting Muggle-borns than before, which was a wise decision for her benefit. However, he was extremely fragile at this point and could not stop himself from letting her words affect him. Did he really lack the talent to fly, because of his heritage? He nodded at the Slytherin, perhaps in acceptance of his worthlessness. Text Cut: Quinn Quote:
Originally Posted by NiallNIP Quinn sighed. He knew that he would be using one of those nasty brooms. What were they even supposed to do with them, anyway? There was no way they could actually fly.
He still wasn't coming up with any responses. He felt really bad about a lot of things right now. And coming up with more reasons for why he sucked was at the bottom of his to-do list. Quinn’s silence throughout this lesson was not surprising, but still concerning. He wanted to hear all the students speak, not because he was a tyrant who needed everyone to agree with pure-blood supremacy, but because he could get some understanding of their emotional state by listening to their answers and the ways they were said. At the moment, he did not know if Quinn was silently resisting, or accepting the insulting lies about Muggle-borns. Text Cut: Valencia Quote:
Originally Posted by LilFox06 Valencia idly used the corner of her robes to clean a smudge off of the handle of her broom. "Because it's in our blood." she said in a monotone voice.
The daughter of a muggleborn quidditch player who didn't even like flying all that much.
Yup. Totallllllly her birthright. He nodded at Valencia’s concise answer, spiralling into his thoughts again. The ability and privilege to fly were in ‘real’ magical people’s blood. And what was in his blood? Mud and filth. He had that derogatory term thrown at him enough times to know that. Text Cut: Mamie Quote:
Originally Posted by Waddles Mamie wanted to just curl into a ball. Really? They weren't even going to get to handle real brooms? Why even come to flying class? They should have just said purebloods come to class, Muggleborns go sit in the dampest, grossest corner of the dungeon and think about how dirty you are.
But she'd seen what happened when people didn't contribute in other classes, so she raised a sad hand. "F....Flying saves a lot of time when traveling, if for some reason we--you're unable to use a faster form of magical transportation," she said as quickly as possible with forced enthusiasm. "Mm-Mu-Mu...Mudbloods don't have anything better to contribute, so it doesn't matter if they waste time traveling slower."
She blinked several times, and gulped back her fear. She'd gotten the terrible words out as soon as she could, she didn't want to dwell on what she was saying. But, like. She thought using the bad word would maybe get her some brownie points? With the Neo-Alliance Scary Hooded Folks? So maybe they'd let her fly if she made them think she agreed? Otherwise, the ground was still cozy. She could just lay in the dirt. Yes, that word. The burning feeling in his throat would not go away. Aguilar loved flying as a form of transportation, and now he would never be able to experience the excitement of traveling on a broomstick. He remembered telling Mamie what he loved most about flying - no no no, bad idea, he had to stop recalling happy memories from the time before. He blinked back the tears threatening to fall and nodded stiffly. Text Cut: Bernadette Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl Yeah, alright, it was all fun and games to dump on Muggles when it was lighthearted and not for serious but.... Aguilar was being rather serious now, and Bernie wasn't sure she could take it. It was just such blatant Muggle hate, and it sounded so wrong coming out of his pretty little mouth. Plus, he was Muggleborn himself, wasn't he? How could someone hate themselves like this? She knew he didn't, right, he was just saying things for the sake of... of... whatever, but also? A little part of her was starting to believe in this stuff. She was starting to really believe that she didn't deserve this or that....
"I don't think that way, not seriously," Bernie mumbled to herself, her cool eyes focused solely on a blade of grass in front of her, which she plucked and twirled between her thumb and index finger. "I think that's wrong."
There, she'd said it. The Goon Squad wasn't around to hear it anyway, so who cared? She cared, that's right. She had principles. To. Herself. He heard Bernadette, and was surprised when his lips twitched, almost forming a small smile. THIS was the attitude he wanted everyone to have. It was so very important for students to hold on to their moral principles, even if they were forced to say the opposite of what they believed. His facial expression neutral again, he would just … pretend that he heard nothing from her. It was his way of saying that he fully supported her defiance. Text Cut: Minjae Quote:
Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi Muggles were dirty, lazy and boring.
Minjae grabbed some of the grass beneath him, tucking them out of the ground with such force he might dig a hole. He reminded himself that he had seen The Hoods blow up the professor's broom as well and that the man was most likely a muggleborn too. So this must be just as awful for the Professor as it was for him. At least, he hoped it was that and he wasn't truly believing his own words...
And then his heart sank when he heard that those born to muggle parents would not be allowed to fly on magical brooms anymore. It fell even deeper upon hearing Ashley’s and Eden’s answer. He could hear the sarcasm coming from them both but even so, an eleven and twelve year old should not be speaking that way to begin with. No one should be speaking that way.
He hated how the Alliance was slowly making their way in to their heads and making them feel like they didn’t belong . Sometimes , the same thoughts happened to him. What if the Alliance was right? What if he was a stain to the magical society? But whenever he had thoughts like that, he was reminded of professor Schmoe’s words. ‘There’s always a place for you here’ This kept him going and was the main reason why he hadn’t succumbed to the manipulations yet. He was proud to be muggleborn. Scared, but proud.
”Who cares what th—“ he blurted out the words before he could stop them. It was the first time he had ever gone against a question in any of his classes and he immediately regretted it. He shut his mouth before anything dumb could come out. Luckily The Hoods weren't around. This was not a full response, so Aguilar could keep pretending that he heard nothing. He would have given Minjae a warning look, but most of his effort was currently focused on stopping his eyes from filling with tears again. All he managed was a sad gaze that hopefully conveyed his apology for all this. Text Cut: Atlas Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Real witches and wizards. It was 2104 and people were still spewing the Noseless Dark Lord's illogical rhetoric? Atlas was not exactly well verse with genetics, not his cup of tea and dad had read excerpts from his book on magical physics at bedtime every now and then, but to him this was such nonsense. You were either capable of performing magic or you were not.
...right?
He wanted to ask...but he also did not want to put Professor Aguilar in an uncomfortable position. So far ... the man had not seemed malicious in his intent and execution and was trying to remain neutral. Though, how could you remain neutral in times like this. His brain was going into a terrible spiral and overdrive because...that was precisely what he was trying to do too, right? And in attempting to remain neutral it ultimately meant he was siding with the Neo-Alliance...right?
...would Quinn come to hate him because of that? It was a thought he did not want to entertain but one that ultimately kept the Gryffindor silent through the next question with his head hanging between his shoulders, chin nearly touching his chest.
Why should they fly? It was probably some horrible reason like 'so they could literally look down upon those who could not' ... from a bird's eye view.
While Atlas did not speak much in his class, it was always clear that he was actively thinking. It was no different this time, except Aguilar was certain that the thoughts dominating the boy’s head were dark ones. He would give anything to see his students looking eager to fly once again. Text Cut: Violet Quote:
Originally Posted by MadAlice Violet sat stunned, hoping her mouth wasn't hanging open. She could not believe the things the instructor was saying, and she could not believe that so many of her classmates gave those spiteful answers. Were they all really just doing a very good job of pretending, or was this how they really felt? Somehow she feared that at least some of them meant it. She hadn't ever noticed such blatant anti-Muggle sentiment in the school before; how long had some people been hiding it? And suddenly the teacher didn't look so handsome to her any more.
Violet glanced slightly around to see what her fellow students were doing. She felt she ought to make an attempt to answer the question, but for once, she had nothing to say. He began to feel slightly grateful for the continued silence from students, as it gave him time to compose himself. He looked at Violet, figured that she did not feel like contributing more anti-Muggle sentiment, and took the opportunity to concentrate on make his breathing return to normal. Text Cut: Dahlia Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyander Dahlia was actually listening rather intently to Aguilar's reply to her own answer. Chances were high that she wasn't going to be a pro flier in years to come but that didn't stop her from wanting to learn more. Most knowledge was good knowledge to her. There might be a time one day when this information would prove valuable to her.
With everything she had seen, heard and been a part of since the start of term, it was still heartbreaking every single time anyone spoke badly about muggleborns. It didn't matter that she herself wasn't one but many of those around her were. Housemates, dorm mates and professors. She had muggle friends at home too. If she was hurting, they all had to be.
Blue eyes slowly moved to look at Ashley and Eden when they answered. Hearing the things they said made her feel, she prayed that they truly didn't feel that way. No one deserved to die. Quinn didn't even answer and neither did Atlas but the looks on her face made her stomach hurt. These lessons were getting harder and harder to handle.
Slowly Dahlia raised her hand and gave the most simplest of answers that she could possible come up with. "It's always how we traveled.. well other than aparation, flooing or portkeys. Those are much faster but not always easy. The view is really nice while flying too which could be why it's preferred at times." That was all. The remainder of the question wasn't going to be answered by her. But Dahlia reminded him again how wonderful flight was as a means of travel. Aguilar longed for the sensation of being in the air, the delightful views he could see from above. He nodded distractedly, not even noticing her lack of Muggle insult, and heaved a sigh. Text Cut: Ivy Quote:
Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl It really was exhausting, this conflict she felt within herself in every single lesson this term. Hearing all these answers from herself and the other students and the professors just...did not get easier with time. Ivy tried to compartmentalize it all, tried to remind herself over and over that they were only doing this to survive. But that didn't make it any less awful and uncomfortable and infuriating.
She glanced around a little nervously. Some of the answers felt like they were walking a fine line of what was deemed "acceptable", and she feared the hooded creeps might be hidden, lurking in the shadows somewhere, ready to jump out at any moment to attack.
Merlin...she hated how anxious they constantly made her feel. Even when they weren't around, it felt like they were.
Half-heartedly, she raised her hand. "It's a big part of wizarding history. 'Real' witches and wizards have been flying on brooms for hundreds and hundreds of years, so it's important to keep passing that on to each generation." He thought she had a good point. Both magical and non-magical people loved passing on traditions. Perhaps it was indeed wrong for Muggle-borns like him to ‘steal’ wizarding customs. He nodded, at Ivy’s answer and his own thoughts about what she said. Some of these students were better at making him cry voicing blatant anti-Muggle sentiment than he thought. Aguilar did not know whether to feel relieved or troubled. His priority at the moment was to control the emotional tsunami in him and continue the lesson. He opened his mouth to summarise the points mentioned, then thought better of it. They all heard enough about this anyway, and he did not think he could keep his voice steady if he had to say any more negative things against Muggle-borns.
“So. Now that you all understand what’s for the greater good … Muggle-born students will be using these non-magical brooms to sweep the Training Grounds, while those of you who are ‘worthy of magic’ will continue with your syllabus. Broom surfing.” One of his favourite topics to teach, yet he was not allowed to demonstrate it. He asked for a volunteer who had a flying broom and guided them to perform the manoeuvre while explaining the process.
“First, mount your broom and kick off from the ground. Keep your broom steady and rise a few feet. Fly slowly, making sure that your broom is parallel to the ground. When you feel that you are flying steadily, that is when you stand up on your broom. Calmly look ahead, keep your knees bent and hold your arms out to your sides to balance.” He supported the demonstrating student’s arms to help them balance. That was the trickiest part. “When you are done, bend and reach for the broom handle to return to normal flight.”
“You may begin to practise broom surfing or sweeping. Cushioning charms have been placed on the ground, so don’t worry about falling.” Avoiding eye contact with anyone, Aguilar busied himself with setting up for the next part of the lesson. OOC: Not gonna lie I really, really enjoyed writing this post. Thank you for the amazing replies. xD
Anyone who is not Muggle-born can claim to be the student who helped to demonstrate. We will move on to the main activity in 48 hours.
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