 Potterdom Mod
Charing Cross Rd. Mod
WWW Mod     Wrackspurt
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: SHIELD's Helicarrier
Posts: 216,177
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Dhruv Vihaan Khanna
Graduated
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Sarika Aarohi Curious
Graduated
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Idris Ace Grunt
Gryffindor Sixth Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Levi Nayan Singh-Phora
Hufflepuff Second Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Harvey Thunder Forsfelle
Ravenclaw First Year
  x12  x12
|  ~ Mrs. Steve Harrington ~ Claimed by Bits ❤️ ~ Queen of Typos ❄ Magical Mosh Pit ❄
SPOILER!!: Mitsuki! + a Mercer mention! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie  Op.
She probably should have blushed from embarrassment, but Anna's relationship with it was kind of complicated and it was sort of hard for her to feel embarrassment when she knew she was doing something wrong and metaphorically walking around in the dark with her eyes closed. So it wasn't a surprise the professor was guiding her nor was it surprising that they were pointing out what she should be doing. In fact, it was all super helpful AND it gave her another excuse to observe Vera and her response to the very important observations she had shared on parchment. What was kind of...not annoying but confusing was asking her to share notes after class. Technically speaking, Anna hadn't shared during class either...it had been before! Wasn't that fair territory? Rather get into that kind of logistical debate, because those were kind of boring, she simply nodded her head and stilled her wand. "Thanks, professor."
Now, to OBSERVE Vera's behavior...er...how to perform the spell and say the incantation so Anna would not set something on fire or worse. Her magic was not prone to blazes, but there was always a first time for everything. Vera's face was blooming like a rose, something she would have to convey in her next note and she already had a flowery way of conveying this. But, er, yes...this incantation business... "Sal-VEE-OH hek-SEE-UH...sal-vee-oh hek-see-uh...SAL-VEE-OH- HEK-SEE-UH...SAL-vee-oh HEK-see-uh..." None of these were said with any particular air of confidence, and her attempt at the wand movement and hand position were likewise a bit limp. She WAS trying though...just...distracted a bit as her own thoughts and true love kisses and ... daddy ...
...where was he?
She was still trying to keep a small distance from Vera, because STEALTH, but it seemed a little silly at this point since the professor had already pointed out the whole incident to them both and therefore anyone in the class could have heard about it. So...she supposed she had failed her stealth mission. She would just have to do better next time. So, surrendering the mission, she casually started making her way closer to Vera while still trying to practice the movement - though it really made it look more like she was dancing around the area - and was juuuuuuuuust within earshot when the older Ravenclaw said such HORRIBLE things about Hufflepuffles! Not only that...but the professor was thanking him for his thoughts?! THE BETRAYAL WAS REAL and suddenly Anna felt an explosion of things she had felt earlier in the term when Daniel had accused her of being heartless and fake.
The Anna interpretation, mind you.
"Professor? Why did you thank him for saying such mean and cruel things...such slander about an entire group of people?! It's not right!" she declared, kind of quietly, while straightening her tiny posture and then turning to look at Mercer. "I am not untrustworthy and I do NOT poison people or even like poisons! How can you speak so insensitively about an entire group of people?!" She was not crying, just maybe a little watery in the eyes, but mostly she was...upset. Very upset. Now quite in badger boom mode but it might just be on the horizon! But then she was struck with the worst of thoughts: what if Vera agreed with him?! What if...what if...
Okay...maybe there was a little more than a glassy look to her eyes now. Just a little.
AND...she ACTUALLY knew the answer to this question.
"It's a kind of shield charm to protect you from mean or unwanted spells..." she answered with some quick rubbing of the eyes. "...would ALSO be nice if it could protect you from closedminded accusations too though."
Sensitive, her? Never. A lot and it seemed to just get worse once she turned 13 and just kept on intensifying. Maybe it was the phase of the moon...there were certain times during the month it felt more intense and it was just the Ravenclaw's luck that that was now.
Dhruv’s logic behind asking Vera to share notes until after class was because sharing them before would not allow the receiver to be distracted, if the notes were ones that warranted reactions such as the reaction from Vera. “Wonderful pronunciation, Ms. Walles. A little more zest into the wand movement and your intent, if you will.” Even a fraction of those would go a long way.
“Because Mr. Branxton knows better,’’ Dhruv explained kindly to Anna. A box of tissues was conjured and held out for the Hufflepuff; no judgement here if she needed to let any tears spill over. “The track record of the reputation of Hufflepuffs speaks clearly about the sort of individuals they are.” Here, Dhruv was thinking extensively {so very fondly} of one Jericho Vertagren with such warmth in their heart. “He does not mean those words. Do you, Mr. Branxton?” They were prepared to give the boy the benefit of a doubt, especially since they’ve never had Mercer speak out in such a manner. But the professor understood how hurtful the words would be to most, if not all Hufflepuff. “I believe you owe Ms. Walles, the Hufflepuffs and anyone else offended on their behalf a sincere apology.”
With regard to the Charm, Anna hit the proverbial nail on the head. “Indeed. The Charm offers protection by deflecting hexes from the area where it has been cast. Unfortunately, it does not offer protection from opinions, accusations, suggestions or nothing of the sort.”
SPOILER!!: Vera! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by Chelliephone Sure Professor, thoughts on the lesson it was. If only so as to not draw more attention to herself as she nodded at Khanna's words and slunk back towards her seat - though she had not yet actually sat again. She was very content to not say anything further in the lesson, but Mercer's words (which were still very confusing!!) Also got a frown from her. Why didn't he like Hufflepuff's? And despite the negative emotions she currently felt, that wasn't Anna's fault. She was quite confident the third year didn't have a mean bone in her body. It was merely bad luck that the contents of her note happened to coincide with a lot of.... Thoughts she'd been avoiding since certain study time naps.
But anyways.
She would have said something in response to him, but remembering Khanna's request she remained silently - simply staring at him for a moment before turning her attention to class only to once again be detailed by Anna looking so sad. Ve wanted to hug the young girl but she was also hesitant to get herself in even further trouble so... Instead she looked back and forth between Khanna, Anna and Mercer before the building tears in the Hufflepuff's eyes caused her to say something - the girl reminded her far too much of baby sister. "Anna's not untrustworthy, nor are most Hufflepuff's I've met. It's not to say that individuals can't be but... I think you're wrong about present company. And it's not really right to categorize an entire group based on...." Well... Honestly she didn't even know WHAT he was basing it on.
Quieting again, she reached into her bag and pulled out her notebook to write down what Anna had said on the incantation. She didn't really know anything about it herself, outside of the wand movement and pronunciation now of course, but she was hesitant to stay silent and risk seemingly not paying attention again so she rose her hand. "Professor, what makes this shield charm different than Protego?" Was it like another stronger version?? Or just another alternative?
It seemed this episode could be put behind them all now. Hopefully, Vera would use this as a learning opportunity to better conduct herself in stressful situations. Still, perhaps they’d have a chat with her after the lesson, to ensure her proper wellbeing. Yes. This would be done.
Clearly this Gryffindor was a loyal friend by the way she staunchly defended her friend. Dhruv allowed her to express her opinion, giving her a nod when she was done. They were certain Anna would appreciate the defense.
“The Shield Charm and Salvio Hexia differ in the way that the first protects you in the form of an invisible barrier from physical objects or attacks and reflect spells - back to the caster. The latter does neither, instead it would simply deflect hexes.”
SPOILER!!: Daniel! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi "Sure" he said to the professor as they passed by. He had to acknowledge that to anybody else, he appeared to be taking a nap in the middle of class, but he was actually concentrating on the spell.
He attempted to ignore his surroundings and keep his attention on one goal, but the voices of Anna and Vera began to irritated him. He scowled; he hadn't heard what Mercer had said about his House, but he could understand what Anna and Vera were saying. Personally, he didn't care what a 13-year-old kid thought about his House (we know, Mercer is a fifth-year lol), and his displeasure was the result of the two girls interrupting the professor's talk and breaking his concentration.
He considered using a short and nonverbal tongue tying curse, but he didn't want a detention.
"Can you both shut it, please? I'm trying to concentrate here" he asked this quietly but he definitely looked annoyed. Great... Now the lesson was continueing and he hadn't felt like he had practiced enough. The Hufflepuff cast them all an annoyed look before he raised his hand.
"The spell would be useful if Hogwarts was under attack from the outside." It was a standard response, but it was something.
When Dhruv had thought about ‘most, if not all Hufflepuffs’ would be offended about Mercer’s words, they had thought about Daniel. But… “Perhaps ‘shut it’ isn't the best choice of words; it does not sound polite." Just another teaching moment there. "However, you are correct: this particular spell would work wonders against hexes should Hogwartians ever need to defend ourselves from them.” No doubt it would have played an integral role during the Third Wizarding World.
SPOILER!!: Brandon! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by astrocat Um... this lesson seemed to be going in a rather downhill direction. He was just taking his notes and practicing his spells and suddenly people were Upset! Brandon hated people being Upset, particularly girls being Upset, particularly Anna being Upset (she was so nice to him all the time). Quietly, he reached for her hand, thinking she might feel a little better because she was always trying to hold hands with him so maybe she'd want to now that she was Upset. Also, he tugged her a little bit towards the purple personal-space box around his stump. That was the safest place he could think of.
He, too, did not like his house being insulted, but he had been insulted many times before for other things so it barely registered as hurtful to him. "Salvio Hexia is an area charm. So... you could use it if you were occupied doing something else, like sleeping, and couldn't actively defend yourself." He side-eyed Anna, nudging her a little. "Don't you think it makes sense that the hand movement is just like a stop sign?"
Dhruv appreciated the fact that Brandon was attempting to comfort Anna. For that reason, they said nothing to dissuade the younger Hufflepuff from attempting to hold her hand. “Correct. Keep in mind that as with some spells, you will need to reinforce the Charm periodically. How often depends on how strongly you would have casted it in the first place. For example, a weaker Charm would need to be reinforced more often, and it is up to the caster to know how strong or weak their abilities with the particular spell is.”
SPOILER!!: Desiree! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy So far, Desiree had done a pretty good job at ignoring her classmates’ antics until… that comment about her house. Excuse her? Mercer say what? Really?! So you shouldn’t accept notes from Hufflepuffs, but it’s perfectly okay to invite them to dinner? She thought, recalling that awkward Herbology lesson. If that was what he thought of Hufflepuffs, she was glad she’d backed out of that dinner! She didn’t know whether to feel insulted or burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness, but she did neither, instead settling for an annoyed glare in the Ravenclaw’s direction.
Honestly, that boy confused her to no end! Even more confusing? The fact that Professor Khanna not only didn’t tell Mercer off, but they actually thanked him for his comments. Weird… maybe they thought ignoring it would be less likely to cause a disruption. Ordinarily Desiree could go along with that. She didn’t know what was going on - frankly, she didn’t care - and she didn’t fancy losing house points for voicing her thoughts on the matter.
Then she saw how upset Anna looked, and something tugged at her heart. She didn’t like seeing people sad! That was it; she couldn’t stay quiet anymore! Granted, she hadn’t had much interaction with Anna. She didn’t know how much weight her words would carry, but no self-respecting child of Gaston Marchand would sit back and not even try to offer comfort! “Vera’s right,” Desiree whispered, nodding in agreement. “Hufflepuffs are not untrustworthy; don’t let anybody tell you differently!”
With everything else going on, Desiree was having trouble concentrating on the question. Salvio Hexia… that was a protective spell that covered a specific area, like others had said. What could she add? Her thoughts turned to uses, and one immediately jumped out at her. Say you say something stupid and hurtful, and someone hexes you in retaliation, she thought, Salvio Hexia could protect you from the incoming spells. No way in Merlin’s beard was she going to voice that thought, though! Instead she went for something a little less on the nose.
“This is more of a historical example of use,” she said after raising her hand, “but Hermione Granger used Salvio Hexia on the Horcrux hunt in the Second Wizarding War to protect the campsites where she and her friends stayed.”
Desiree was right. Dhruv had intended to keep the lesson moving along without any hitch while at the end of it, they would pull Mercer aside to discuss the words the Ravenclaw had uttered. Many times plans did not go accordingly and this was one of those times. Desiree’s outrage too was valid.
“Correct. The Charm was pivotal in protecting Hermione and her friends to continue on their important journey.” Naturally there still was calamity with Snatchers and so forth, but the spell played an integral role.
SPOILER!!: Dennis! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixRising The thing was ... by fifth year, Dennis should have been more adept at warming spells. Somehow he preferred the warmth of body heat and warm hugs to a spell, which made it a challenge when hugs were inappropriate such as during lesson time. So he was quite grateful that Professor Khanna had provided the warming spells.
Salvio Hexia. He had heard of that spell and he really ought to know more about it because it definitely sounded familiar. "Salveeeeoooo Hekseeuh..." the hufflepuff said quietly, hoping his pronunciation was okay. He would have combined it with the wand movement but somehow not knowing what a spell did before casting it put him uneasy (even if he was sure Khanna wouldn't do anything to put the class in danger). He glanced up when people were talking about his cousin being untrustworthy ... having missed the majority of the conversation, Dennis was majorly confused, but quickly realized it wasn't about Anna but about Hufflepuff?? He stared in confusion over at Mercer. Which hufflepuff did him wrong because didn't he know that hufflepuffs were known for their honesty? LIKE ... they were the most trustworthy of all... "I don't poison people." he said through gritted teeth,
A question was raised about this charm was useful for... a protection charm? "Could it shield an area from terrible weather?"
The DADA professor was quite sure that Dennis would do no such thing to anyone. As they stated earlier, the track record of Hufflepuffs spoke for itself. “No. Simply because Salvio Hexia protects against hexes. Weather Modification spells are classified as Charms, while Salvio Hexia does not defend against physical attacks such as tornadoes. Therefore products such as Tiny Tornadoes from Weasley Wizards Wheezes cannot be blocked.”
SPOILER!!: Milo! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir There would be no need to relay suspicious activities. Angelo Milano - the Milo in question - had witnessed them for himself from the rear of the lesson area. It was part of the reason he'd quiet and as close to unnoticed as he could, even though these days it was getting harder and harder to keep small and keep his head down. Literally. His body was determined to force his head above the parapet. Figuratively.
"Salvio Hexia," he mumbled to himself a few times, barely moving his lips. But, though his wand was drawn, he made no motions with it, and kept it held ready instead, waiting for the moment to act.
And it soon came, but the action was not, it turned out, to cast. As other students began turning on Mercer for speaking wise words of caution, Milo moved to his side, keeping low as he moved through the tree stump seating and squeezing silently onto the very edge of the same stump within the same (suspicious) purple lined square as his friend, though it defied his own preference for personal space. He did not say or do anything else, and he hadn't moved to this spot entirely happily. He did not like being in their midst, away from the back, but now was a time in which the steadfastness of his friendship was possibly more important than his personal safety.
Particularly given the fact he knew why Mercer had said what he did, though not why he had put himself at risk with the manner in which he had said it.
Milo could have answered Khanna's question, but was too preoccupied by the fact that they were now sat right in the middle of one such situation, and by the hope that that would be enough for his relocation to Mercer's tree stump go unremarked upon. Keeping his voice low, and the movements of his hands as surreptitious as possible, he cast the spell before himself and Mercer, becoming more aware than ever in the process of how unprotected their backs were. Bouncing one knee and flexing his fingers around the handle of his wand, Milo blinked hard and glanced back over his shoulder, then forward again, pretending he was not acutely aware of the danger of the situation.
Regardless of the situation one found themselves in, a friendly face was always appreciated. It was why Dhruv said nothing of Milo’s appearance beside Mercer though they fully intended to shepherd Milo back to his own stump eventually. They were rather preoccupied with ensuring everyone remained calm that they missed Mercer casting the charm and creating that protective boundary. It wasn’t needed Dhruv would not let a full on duel take place. Not during this particular lesson, anyway.
Since the lesson was moving forward, however… “Mr. Evans, if you would be so kind so as to return to the initial tree stump.”
SPOILER!!: Mercer! <3 Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin "Sorry, Professor. I'm not trying to be disruptive," Mercer clasped his wand between both hands and caught the wand-hand sandwich between his knees. He wasn't trying to be disruptive, but he was disruptive by nature. You couldn't accept and eat notes in class and not draw the attention of his very curious Ravenclaw brain.
He was puzzled by the look of hurt on faces around him, specifically those big wet eyes of Anna's and the look of murderous death on Vera's face and the BeTrayAL on Desiree's. Saying that Hufflepuffs were untrustworthy was one of those things that was now built into Mercer's psyche. It was like teasing his sisters or making fun of his brother, or about Ravenclaws self-identifying as nerds. Just the playful banter of siblings... except that these siblings didn't appear to be in on the banter. (And also, it wasn't really banter, it just didn't occur to this particular Ravenclaw that he was in tension with himself over a very personal opinion while also being friends with Hufflepuffs).
"Ah, don't cry, please. Vera's not dead. No poison this time!" Mercer offered a wrinkled-but-clean handkerchief from his pocket to Anna. Milo got a jostle of 'hey-I-see-you-in-public-spaces' jostle of the arm. Was... did he... did he cast a spell on them?
"I think... Professor... sorry, I was being disruptive again. But I think that protego is a shield that you have to maintain, but Salvio Hexia is more like a lasting charm that you can put up and then go about your business."
As suspected by them, Mercer hadn’t meant the words. Perhaps the boy did make up for it partially by offering Anna his handkerchief. “It’s alright, Mr. Branxton. I’m sure you’ll see to it that disruptions do not happen again.” Though at this point, an apology was still missing to the Hufflepuffs and others who felt the sting earlier. Don’t forget about that, young Ravenclaw!
“That’s quite correct. This is exactly why the Charm should be recast at intervals; to ensure a strong one remains in place.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was now time for the lesson to move on to the aspect that Dhruv was quite looking forward to. They pointed to the ground. “This marked off square within which you and your tree stump sits, represents your designated area.” It might have been obvious but they always chose to be thorough with their explanations. “For this activity, you are to cast Salvio Hexia on yours, then it will be up to me to attempt to shatter that protection with hexes. Oh, not to worry. The hexes will be non-lethal ones: The Confusion Hex, The Stickfast Hex, The Tickling Hex, The Toe Nail Growing Hex and the Twitch Ears Hex.” These would be the only five to be used by them. “You will have five minutes maximum to do your spell casting.” In this way, it would give those who were not too adept with the Charm a good chance of doing their best. “Remember, you will see no light upon casting; just a haze or shimmer of the air over the area. Should you feel satisfied with oyur work before the five minutes are over, you may raise your hand to indicate that you’re ready to test your spellwork. Should a hex of mine break your barrier, you will be given a minute to reinforce. This can be done by casting Salvio Hexia again; there is no need to cancel out the previous and start again.” Was the class ready? “Your five minutes start now.” OOC:  I heart you guys so much for your responses! Truly had a blast with them :3 This activity will run until Tuesday 20th June at 11PM EST. I will be posting Dhruv periodically sending hexes to your brain bby. Only you will determine the outcomes of those hexes. |