Communication could've been useful too, she'd admit...but not in this situation where people were yelling unhelpfully. All that really did was make it more difficult for proper communication to take place. Hard to hear important things over senseless, overzealous yelling.

While she would concede to the Professor's point that some simply didn't know how to react in stressful situations, she'd stick to hers too; she didn't want to be anywhere NEAR most of these people in a crisis. They were more of a danger to her than the spell casting dummies. The dummies had more structure than they did and if they'd taken only the faintest pause this could've been different.

So yeah, maybe they did need more exercises like this but ONLY after drilling it into their heads that not everything required wands to be immediately blazing and brains to be shut off.

"It'd depend on the situation for me, I guess." She mused aloud. "And on if the materials get fortified with magic like was mentioned or if they'd just suddenly form a pile standing between me and my attacker." Those two made for very different levels of protection and she knew which she'd have chosen. "In the event the spell does fortify whatever it pulls for, then yeah, I'd go for it. Leaves me free to go casting other spells and sorting out the situation. If not then I'll take my chances with "protego maxima"

Olivia loved getting praise from her professors, especially Hirsch. Did he know that he was a huge inspiration in her life? Did he know that she wished to be just as fierce as he was? There was definitely a reason she'd spent all of her last term perfecting his famous fire whip.... Ahem, anyway. Turning her face downward into her lap, the blonde grinned. Honestly, and for however weird it might've been for someone like her, it felt amazing being good in her lessons. After so much personal drama, everything was exactly how she wanted it.

....but she couldn't dwell too much on all that. They were moving on and she refused to miss anything. Cue the Quick Quotes making it's appearance. Finally.

Animating it, she refocused her attention on the professor and class as a whole. You know... because she liked to listen to her peers. They usually said some pretty interesting things. "I'm reminded of the 'glass to sand' shield." Olivia suddenly said, the spell unceremoniously popping into her mind. Huh. "The premise is similar, but in the reverse."..... And that had not a whole lot to do with what they were to be working on now, but she'd wanted to share the nugget of wisdom, anyway. Or well, perhaps they could be used in conjunction with one another. Like... You break whatever needs to be broken down into it's simplest form and than use whatever that is to shield yourself. Maybe?... Heh, she was doing that thing where she gets lost in her thoughts...and that was not good.

"So, basically, it's to do with using your surroundings in a more effective manner. Being mindful and vigilant, as you always like to say. Also.... would this act like camouflage?" Just saying.... "Like, if you were out and about in the world and needed to use your surroundings in this way... Would it cause you to blend in?"

Junia's notes were detailed and she was making good use of her many colored quills, but she did pause to give Hirsch's questions some thought. Why might people prefer Protego Munio? Well, she had a few ideas. "You said only people on your side of the shield can see through it, yeah? That means it'd give you and those with you some time to observe the opponent and look for a weakness. Somewhere to target so that you can take the opponent or opponents down. I actually think it'd probably help to be in a situation with more people, since it's a spell that requires high concentration. One person can keep the shield up while the rest come up with a strategy."

... And just like that, it was over. When the room fell silent and the sounds of spells ceased, Natalie looked up just as the dummies snapped back into their original place and Professor Hirsch appeared out of his hiding spot. So, this was his idea... and not some freak accident of dummies-gone-wild. It was an experiment to see how his students of all ages, talents and states of mental health would react to a full blown attack.

Cool.

Feeling rather stupid, small, untalented and embarrassed by her little outrage of 'make it stop!' five seconds before it stopped, Natalie stood back up as the professor addressed the class like he was addressing his army of battle trainees.

She was pouting. She was legitimately upset and was tempted to leave, but all the focus was towards the front of the class and she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Crossing her arms, hair slightly askew, Natalie eventually began to listen once her heartbeat stopped pounding so loudly in her ears.

Honestly, how RUDE.

Anyway. There was this cool shield that they could have used to protect themselves for real if he had taught them before he set up an attack. Natalie shot her arm up, to her own surprise and commented. "I think it's cooler than Protego, but it would have been cooler if you had taught us that spell before you tried to kill us." Dramatic? Sure. But if someone got the jelly legs curse and tripped over some ropes and landed on their wand wrong then they COULD have DIED, okay?

Also, she was glaring a little bit.

Juniper listened to Hirsch and was taking notes. The spell seemed interesting and made a little bit of sense to her. But at the same time she had a lot of questions for the professor too. Luckly it seemed like most of everyone else did too. She just listened to want was being asked and the answers.

”Like Junia said. It would be useful if you had someone doing the spell and others looking out and making a strategy. But also with just Protego your really only able to shield yourself from one spell at time, I think that’s really a reason why some people would prefer Protego Munio over just protego." She nodded, if for whatever reason she would need to block out more than one spell at a time then she would want to use Protego Munio too then.

Text Cut: You guys <3

Text Cut: Shera

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pucki

Why would they use that instead of Protego?

That was the question that Shera was going to have asked the professor before he asked them instead. Now she actually had to think about it. "Is it easier to cast?" although just based on the notes on the board discussing that spell Shera would've assumed that the answer to that would have been a no.

Shera was going to settle for disappointing her head of house by just not really understanding what was going on.

Easier to cast?

Hirsch.... paused to think about that. It wasn't an easy question to answer because there wasn't a clear cut answer to it. "Not exactly," he started slowly, "It's easier in the sense that you're using something that's in your surroundings whereas Protego is more conjuring and conjuration charms are more difficult to cast." Technically. "But you're also manipulating the surroundings to act as a wall and in that sense it's more difficult."

Text Cut: Abey/Abra/I can't give up the old nickname sorry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

SPOILER!!: i'm sticking the not-catch-up and abey angst in here bc it's absurd & unnecessarily long

After his first successful spell, Abra might have thrown another one or two into the room, to try and help out his classmates a little more, but he honestly couldn't remember. While the situation hadn't been very overwhelming to start off with, it had soon reached that point, though not necessarily in a bad way. Again, Abra felt lucky he was removed from the class in the most literal sense, because it definitely helped him keep his head.

But after a while he'd ended up holding off on the magic, and instead just peeking around the doorframe once in a while at the scene unfolding inside the classroom, finding it somehow more chaotic by the second, even with dummies being put out of action. Whether he decided against throwing a million more spells because he was worried about catching people in the crossfire, or because he was suddenly all too overwhelmed and overstimulated, or for some complete other reason, he wasn't totally sure, but Abra did feel a huge sense of relief when Professor Hirsch suddenly appeared. It made sense that the professor had been there all along, now that he thought about it. Abra knew, deep down, that he wouldn't have left them in a truly dangerous situation all alone, and it was comforting to see the proof.

Even so, he did wait a little bit longer before stepping into the classroom, just in case Hirsch sprung anything else on them as a sort of double surprise - sure, he trusted him, but not ENTIRELY. About as much as a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor could or should be trusted, probably, if that. Eventually, though, Abra sidled in, hoping to draw as little attention to himself as possible (lest he be correctly accused of cowering out of sight) and lingered by the door, seeing as he was already there.

He made sure to look directly at Hirsch, and did not allow his eyes to stray to any certain others he may have already been watching. Nope. Eyes firmly fixed onto the professor. Merlin. It really was cold in here. He pulled his robes tightly around himself and tried to trap his own body heat inside of them.

At Hirsch's question, Abra had half a mind to point out that he'd not really learned, anything, only had his pre-existing thoughts confirmed: that you generally can't (and shouldn't) trust your teachers to make sure the classroom environment is a comfortable one, and that when you spent half your time trying to calm down and relax, certain professors would go out of their way to undo all that. Not that he was bitter or anything. It was just that Hirsch's methods didn't really mesh so well with Abra's........ well... They just didn't mesh well with Abra full stop.

One thing he did learn, mind you, was that he'd had the right idea from the start, that it was best to not walk right into an unfamiliar environment, or one that you were at all suspicious of, as Abra had been. Like, OKAY, SURE, FINE, he'd mostly sort of kinda completely lingered outside the door because of the snow, but what was the reason for the snow in the first place if not to lure everyone in and catch them off their guard? YES OKAY FINE IT WOULD PROBABLY BE REVEALED LATER, but that wasn't the POINT. It had caught people off guard anyway, hadn't it?

The more Abra thought about everything, the more anxious he started to get. It was strange; during the surprise activity his worry had been practically non-existent (though that absolutely wouldn't have been in the case where he fully in the fray). Now, however, when he had time to stop and think and mull over how they really couldn't ever properly trust their surroundings in this classroom for reasons like this, he started to feel strangely panicked and unsettled and also like his school tie and shirt were strangling him. He pulled at them both in an attempt to free up his airways. Could he really take four more years of this? What if Hirsch even one day, in an attempt to stop being predictable, didn't confine this sort of activity just to the classroom and began attacking them in the corridors to try and teach them all this 'constant vigilance' stuff?

Perhaps it would be a good idea to seek him out later and... Abra wasn't really sure. Talk? Look for reassurances that he wouldn't necessarily trust? Ask to drop the actual group lesson portion of DADA? Request some kind of heads-up whenever something like this was planned, so that he could avoid having a heart attack at the grand old age of fourteen? It was a difficult dilemma; Abra was pretty much so constantly vigilant in some respects that it was actually a bit of a problem that he was trying to unlearn, at the same time as being taught to learn it again at school, and it made his head spin. He really didn't want to have to drop this course entirely, and also wasn't even sure that he could do that before sixth year, but it played havoc on his already shot nerves.

Abra shifted uncomfortably where he stood, and tried to pass it off as a shiver (and then actually properly shivered because it really was far too cold). He frequently disagreed with the methods of some of his professors, but never once had he even thought about actually addressing the matter with them. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad with Hirsch; he was reasonable and generally seemed like the kindest staff member, but that didn't necessarily mean he would agree with anything or make a single allowance for him. Abra decided to give himself until the end of the lesson to decide what he was going to do.

His spirits had plunged so very unexpectedly that it was difficult to kick himself back into gear again, but Abra tried his best. He didn't really succeed, but he did at least try. Hirsch went on talking, and Abra did listen, but his heart wasn't in it. Too much introspection, that was his problem. He leaned back against the wall and listened and watched and tried very hard to engage his brain, but his other problem was that he believed he simply didn't have access to the kind of thought process that would allow him to answer the question. He didn't feel smart enough to answer, so it was difficult to convince himself to try.

Why WOULD anyone prefer that kind of shield spell? It was a good question; Abra couldn't think of a single reason he'd choose that one over the regular one. Lucky enough for him, however, the question allowed them to think about cons as well as pros.

"Wouldn't it let things through?" Abra spoke up, though quietly, from his space at the back of the room, his voice growing a touch louder as he went on. "Because it's just made of particles of solid things, I mean. If it's magic that stops anything from getting through, then surely you may as well just do a normal shield one, if it's easier to maintain?" He'd already stopped speaking by the time an idea had occurred to him, but spoke up again (without really thinking) to add his afterthought. "Unless the particle thingies strengthen the way it works as a barrier? Sort of like how you can use certain runes to make certain spells stronger, if you have actual solid things in your shield charm maybe it makes it act a bit more like an actual wall? So it's like it's feeding off the solid parts the same way a spell might feed off the energy of a rune." Honestly though? It didn't seem worth it. A shield charm took less effort and energy which was really only helpful if you planned on shielding yourself (and others) and not relying on much more spellwork. This seemed like it would take a lot out of the one casting it.

Once Abey stopped talking, he might have turned a little bit very red. He didn't really like giving answers in class that he wasn't entirely sure of, in case he was wrong and his professors loudly announced it and everyone stared and laughed at him. But his answer had started off more as a question and evolved from there before he'd given his brain a chance to catch up with his mouth, and so there it was, thrown out into the void without the protection of his silence shielding it - and himself in turn - from being mocked.

When Abraham Botros Jr arrived in the classroom, he didn't know and he wasn't going to question it. As long as the boy wasn't late, he didn't really mind.

His response though? That had earned him a slight eyebrow raise and a hint of a smile. "That's a very smart thought process, I have to say. It's clear that you've really thought this through." Especially since he was talking about solids and walls and things passing through. "It acts more like a wall, so you get the aspect of having a solid object blocking your opponent from hitting you with a spell as well as the magic aspect of, well, a shield. I will explain more shortly," Something he should've done earlier, now that he thought about it. "Excellent comparison to rune magic, by the way."

Text Cut: Patrick

Quote:

Originally Posted by siriusblackliveson

Patrick hadn't been a fan of what had gone on in the classroom before Hirsch literally magically appeared before the classroom. He was hoping that the lesson wouldn't have any more use for the dummies, but knowing his luck, there would be something. He listened intently as the Professor asked the first question, "Well, this taught me that I am a bit braver than I thought," he shrugged, "especially after last term." he mumbled under his breath still scarred from that lesson with the cave.

He continued to listen as the topic of today's lesson came up. Well why would you want a wall in front of you, that seemed like it would only be helpful from one angle the thought. Now he felt that was a good point, "maybe I'm just dense, but uh--" scratching his head he looked back up, "wouldn't the wall only protect you on one side?" he genuinely had no idea why that would be a good idea if that was what occurred when the spell was used.

Patrick's response to his previous question was.... well, it caused something to tug at Hirsch's heart. It was that last part, really, that did it, making him feel slightly uncomfortable in the process.

This was almost as bad as all that drama with Noah.

The Defence professor adjusted his glasses slightly, even if they didn't need adjusting; it simply gave him something to do and not concentrate on this. "All I can say is to keep channeling that bravery. Use it as your strength." Which, now that he thought about it, was gearing towards the profound side so he was going to stop.

"You're not dense, it's good that you're thinking about angles in this case." Because shields and defence: angles were naturally important. "And no, not really. It depends on what you envision and how much you concentrate on the spell itself, just like Protego. Both spells start off as a single shield, one that works from one side, but concentrate enough and with the right intent, you can create a dome of protection around you. It just requires more effort on your part."

Pause. "It's also a waste of magic if you create a dome!shield around you when you only have spells shooting at you from one side."

Text Cut: Finn

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpluvr037

Hmm. So that was interesting. What he was confused on was.. is the shield only made of particles, or is it also a magical shield? Because frankly, in a wizards' duel, he wanted to block out the magic first and foremost. It sounded like Abra had a similar question. And yet, truly accomplished wizards manipulated their surroundings like Hirsch was saying, so there was more to consider here.

And then he remembered one of the seemingly small details Hirsch had thrown in there that, now he thought about it, was really a huge detail. He stuck his hand up in the air, this time a bit more confident that he had a well-reasoned answer. "Sir, I believe you said that I could see through my shield, but my opponent could not. That may give me - or someone else I am shielding - a chance to catch their breath and regroup, or even come up with some sort of sneaky spell my opponent couldn't see ahead of time. Like..." He paused for a moment. "Even if my incantation is said nonverbally," which he wouldn't even learn until next year, "the wand movement still helps to give away what spell you're about to you. That would give my opponent a split second to prepare a counterattack, but only if they could see it ahead of time!"

He had begun his answer still somewhat skeptical; by the time he was done, he was fully convinced. This could be very helpful to have in his arsenal.

Ah! Somebody had picked up on that!

"Exactly!" he said, smiling widely while his eyes sparkled at this response, "The idea is to give you enough time to allow you to come up with a plan, should you need it. It's probably not the first spell you're going to use, especially if you're so used to and are comfortable with Protego, but it's an option. An alternative, if you need one." Which was why most people tended to opt for Protego: it was easy, fast and probably came as second nature to most people.

"Excellent thinking, by the way. I like the fact that you've considered the way your opponent might be able to catch what it is you're about to cast."

Text Cut: Night

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermionegold

Night pondered the professor's first question. What had the lesson taught her? Well, that others students would be helpful, and Hogwarts was...different. She already knew that, of course, but she was thinking it all the same.

But the Protego Munio spell...that sounded interesting. "It would be best if you could do it while having something big in your area. Like, if you were dueling in the mountains--" why would anyone be dueling in the mountains? Oh well, she had better finish what she started to say--"and there were a lot of, um, I don't know, rocks and boulders, or something. So, you could hide behind a boulder, but then use a Protego Munio, and the enemy would think they just have to go around a rock, but then SURPRISE!!! you actually have better protection!"

Wait, did that even make sense? Were people staring at Night wondering who let this squib--she was still uncomfortable with that word--in the class? Did she really understand anything about magic?

Duelling in the mountains?!

That was the part of the first year's answer that took Hirsch by surprise the most. It was good of her to mention an example, just so he could understand her thought process as well, but he didn't understand how she had managed to get to mountains.......

...... until she had mentioned rocks and boulders. And then it started to make a bit more sense.

"That's an interesting way of looking at it and it's certainly one that would work if your opponent didn't know you were there in the first place. For example, if you notice someone coming and they haven't noticed you yet, you could use the spell to create a wall, or a boulder in this case, and be safe. It's a completely different story in a duelling situation, though." Not to mention that the size of the wall would probably determine whether this plan would work or not but it was an interesting plan. "Interesting example, by the way."

Text Cut: Tenacius

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

Tenacius returned the Professor's amused smile with a sheepishly happy grin of his own. The activity brought out a lot of his own natural instincts, but also made him realize he wasnt one to lose his head. Which, as far as Gryffindors go, is a good thing yes?

But oh now theres a new spell to learn, and one which upon the Professor explanation, clicked something inside of this Curly Top's head. This was actually what he wanted to do earlier, but only the Glacius spell was all he could come up with and he knew that was vulnerable to any spell involving heat. But now theres this and Ace was very eager to learn it.

Is it better? Is it worse? Why would anyone want to use this? There was a hundred things going off in his head right now how this could work, but he's definitely one of those that will find this incredibly useful. Up goes the hand "It can be used for both protection and camouflage Professor, specially in situations where the value of blending with your environment is paramount, or not raising suspicion like in the presence of Muggles."

But soon after he said that he raised his other hand, even more eager than the first one "Professor I have a question--" a whole LOT actually but one at a time "Does this spell only work for the caster and whoever is with him in the immediate area or can this work long distance? Like say for example.... if Vi suddenly found herself in the path of stampeding wildebeests, and I'm too far to cross the distance, can I cast this spell on her so that the animals avoid this hulking mountain of rock instead? "

"Camouflage!" he practically exclaimed, "Camouflage is exactly it! It would work even better if your opponent didn't know you were there in the first place but that depends on the situation entirely." But it was definitely something to think about.

That question? Hmm. It was an interesting question and, at the mention of a certain Miss Holden, the man couldn't help but look over at the other Gryffindor before looking back at the Head Boy and smirking slightly, one eyebrow raised. Someone had a protective gene in them, didn't they?

Yeah, professors heard things.

Anyways. "Interesting question, I have to say." Just saying. "In that situation, you can cast this spell to protect Miss Holden from being crushed by stampeding wildebeests but it depends on your intention entirely. When you're casting the spell, concentrate on where you want the spell to go and how big you want it, whether you want a single wall or a dome-like wall and I don't see it why this shouldn't work."

Text Cut: Bel

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

Bel let out a grunt when the dummy hit her and fell back, and she straightened up again, wary of anything else coming her way. She had had harder knocks before, especially falling off her motorcycle, but there was a bit of an ache in her shoulder. Her back was still to the wall. She was okay but this wasn't her idea of fun at all and she wasn't about to start throwing spells everywhere like so many kids were. That was just asking for trouble.



Bel's brows were up a little and she watched the professor uncertainly. Her wand, for the record, was still stuck in her pocket, but now that the chaos had ebbed away, she was able to figure out how to get it free - a splinter was catching the lining and her wand had worked its way into a hole in her pocket.

But she did put her hand up.

"I learned that I was probably in more danger from other kids' wild spells than I was from the dummies. And with dummies flying everywhere, people could have got seriously hurt. What I would do differently is not come in the classroom until I know its safe." Because... honestly? She didn't feel safe now. In this classroom.

And Bel hoped that he learned it was a dumb idea. Creative and out of the box didn't have to be unsafe. It would take a lot of convincing to make her trust him too, let alone actually enjoy the lesson ahead.



Bel looked around the snowy room as the professor explained what they were learning. A spell made from solid particles. But still.... glued together with magic? She might not have been happy about that first 'activity' but she was still determined to do her best and answer questions.

She put her hand up.

"Maybe something that makes it better is that its in your head that its more solid and therefore safer, professor? Like just to feel like there's something stronger between you and whatever you are facing? Peace of mind kind of thing." Which actually.... made her wonder, so she kept her hand up, "Professor, could it be used to defend yourself against the killing curse? I heard that if you are behind a solid barrier, like a rock or something, that it can't get you. But if its just particles.... maybe it would still get through...?"

Being in more danger from other people's spells was understandable and explained the reason why the activity had been so chaotic in the first place. It was natural: with so many people shooting spells in different directions and at different opponents, there were bound to be spells hitting people who were on their 'team' instead of the dummies themselves. It was also down to the accuracy of the spellcasting and whether the person casting the spell was accurate with their spellcasting.

"Understandable. Accidentally hitting your teammates instead of the dummies happens and accidentally being hit by your teammates happens as well. It's inevitable and something you can prepare for, if you find yourself in that kind of situation again." As for her second response, the smile on his face turned into an amused one. Was this a case of constant vigilance? "That's not necessarily a bad thing."

Ah! There was that mention of the spell being safer and, more interestingly, the fact that it gives you a peace of mind. "That's exactly it," he said, nodding enthusiastically, "You have something solid in front of you, protecting you from an oncoming attack, which then gives you a a chance to possibly relax and think about your next point of action." Which was better than letting your stressed, freaked out thought process control your spellcasting.

But that wasn't all there was to that answer. The question about the killing curse was a very interesting one and told Hirsch that the girl knew quite a bit about spells. "It does. It takes away the magical aspect of your shield and causes it to collapse from a wall into just particles, meaning that you're defenceless and vulnerable to attack, but it does. Excellent thinking, by the way."

Text Cut: Daehyun

Quote:

Originally Posted by debpetrisor

Protego Munio was absolutely brilliant. He wasn't sure why they should use it if they were confident enough to cast Protego, but he loved the idea of making use of everything around them if need be.

"Because it also acts as a camouflage?" he asked as he tentatively raised his hand. Since they'd be forming a protective shield out of the particles... he supposed in the snow-filled classroom, it would act as an effective cover, too. Though he wasn't sure if it was easier to break, such a shield. Hmmm.

A camouflage! "Precisely! Which then gives you an advantage over your opponent because you're able to, almost, blend in with your environment. If they don't know that you're there and can't see you, you're likely to get away without being attacked, or even noticed, in the first place." Again, all about tactics.

Text Cut: Hanna

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessiqua

Hanna smiled at the Olivia, who was just SO nice. Hanna nodded. "When I'm a bit more knowledgeable, I'll have more peoples' backs for sure." She wanted to help people too. It was just... difficult for her at that age. "Finite. I'll remember that one." And Protego... and Expelliarmus. "I'll practice those ones."



Hanna could NOT believe her eyes as she peeked through her fingers to see the dummy was not only hit by her spell, but that it was effective! "Wooooooow," Hanna let out, as she watched the dummy do a few flips. But then it landed on someone... although, they had a protective shield it appeared. So, she hadn't really HURT anyone, had she? Hopefully Olivia was okay.



AND THE MAN WAS THERE! He had been watching them the whole time? Just... just testing them? In the midst of her shock, though, she was somewhat relieved to realise that perhaps she COULD survive a surprise attack. Provided and older student was there to help, of course. Her confidence grew slightly in that moment.

She listened to his quesiton and had a quick think about it. Raising her hand she said, "Well I hope next time I'll know a few more spells. Like a shield spell, that looked pretty cool, and very useful. And maybe I can do finite." It was just, in that moment, everything went out of her mind. "I'm not so good with thinking when caught unawares." That was something she'd learned during the exercise.

Listening to all of the other answers, though, had her thinking. Teamwork, communication and using a variety of spells. Working together, communicating with each other and ensuring that you're not just relying on one spell, one signature spell, will make the situation work in your favour. Hanna had to remember all of that.

So when Professor Hirsch announced they'd be learning a shielding spell, she was VERY relieved. Her first shielding spell! And it was a really cool one, apparently. Everything about the spell just sounded amazing.



Hanna had a think about the question. Why? Hanna had no idea, she'd never even used Protego, the normal vanilla protego shield. Raising her Hand, Hanna said "Would it be good if the caster wanted a bit of privacy but to no detriment to what they could see?" Since he'd said only people on the caster's side could see through.

The Ravenclaw's initial response to his first question had earned her a small, sympathetic smile. "You're only a first year, don't stress yourself out about how many spells you know and don't know. There'll be plenty of time to learn spells as you go through more of your education here. Not knowing many spells right now is not a bad thing." In fact, he kind of expected it.

A bit of privacy? Hirsch considered this answer carefully and tried to think of a situation that was a perfect example of this. "Possibly. It would camouflage you enough so that you can get some privacy, if you need it. This depends entirely on if the opponent knows you're there or not in the first place but I don't see why not. Good thinking, by the way."

Text Cut: Vivian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

And there was Professor Pretty Hirsch. Vivian was ultimately relieved to see him show up because she honestly didn't know how much longer she could have handled, if he didn't show up. She noticed that slightly pale blue tinge from the dummy that her Stunning Spell had hit earlier, and it made her curious. She should probably ask Hirschy about that, but maybe later. It looked like the class was about to start.

Yes, definitely an excellent display of magic, sir. Save for the number of students who ended up crying and hiding away from the scene, it was excellent. If excellent was synonymous to chaotic in his dictionary, at least. However, Vivian figured she'd give Hirsch credit for catching them by surprise. He was able to capture the essence of the class after all. And it was true what he said about never knowing what might happen. The prefect then wondered if this was what Auror work felt like, but perhaps even worse since they had to deal with Dark Arts and all.

Text Cut: Catch up answer

It did sound fun though, Auror stuff. It was thrilling, she thought quietly, before raising her hand for the first question. "Maybe the next time, to avoid just randomly throwing spells at the enemy," Vivian shared. "Perhaps figure out first the source or person behind it?" Because, you know, the dummies didn't work by themselves, right? There had to be someone who caused them to do all that, because they were originally inanimate. Yeah, something like that.

As for the second question, Vivian didn't immediately raise her hand as she took time to scribble down the incantation and the spell's properties on a piece of parchment. Yes, it was a struggle. There was snow everywhere, and the snow's wetness would definitely dampen her parchment and who would want that to happen? Once finished, she looked up and pondered on the possibility of having a solid SHIELD in front of her. Hmmm....

That sort of spelled chaotic as well, to be honest.

"It's a nice means of defense, sir, since you get to utilize what's in your surroundings. It's a spell you can use pretty much anywhere, if you're in the proper place," Vivian shared. All about resourcefullness, you see. Wasn't that a Slytherin trait? "But at the same time, I wouldn't... exactly trust just particles, Professor. Especially mud, because that's messy." She wasn't a fan of making a mess. Sometimes.

Figure out the source or the person behind the 'enemy'? Hirsch gave the Prefect an amused smile at that answer. "Is that your way of revealing my secret?" Maybe that was her way of warning him to be careful next time. "But if you do take the magic out at its source, that means you won't have to deal with further attacks and stop the attacks as quickly as possible." Which wasn't a bad thing at all.

The mention about utilising what's in your surroundings was what pleased Hirsch. "That's exactly what the spell is about and the reason behind using it. Sometimes, people forget that utilising what's in your surroundings is an option as well and rely only on magic to get them through." Which was both a good and a bad thing, all things considering. "I definitely wouldn't use mud. The consistency isn't as solid as you'd want it for this type of shield." Pause. "And it would be very messy, like you said. Good thinking, Vivian!"

Text Cut: Diandra

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

Protego munio. Diandra mumbled the incantation as she scribbled the information about the spell on her journal. Creating a shield from solid particles around us? That's just... wow. Although the badger wondered how strong this shield was comparing to regular protego. Well, perhaps it's a little bit stronger since it's made from solid particles. She should ask the professor about this later. Or maybe he would explain about it more after this session, let's see.

Moving on to the next question, the badger thought for a while and listened to her classmates' answers. She agreed on what Abraham had said about the particles would form a wall-like barrier. But obviously she could not say that again so... let's think of something else. "Uh... Professor, I think because using the surroundings as a shield also can be used to distract the opponent?" To be honest, she wasn't sure of her answer but at least she made an effort, right?

Distraction wasn't an answer he was expecting but it was one that he was glad had been mentioned. "Exactly! Who wouldn't be taken by surprise if pieces of the ground suddenly shot up and formed a wall in front of them?" He certainly would be and it would cause him to pause before thinking of an attack. "Which gives them another problem as well: they have to get rid of the shield before trying to attack you. Good thinking, Miss Salim."

Text Cut: Kye

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dokimoto

Kye was a little confused as to how the spells differed, so she pondered the question for a while before answering.

"Sir... when using Protego Munio, wouldn't the particles block your view? Whereas Protego is more of a transparent wall? I'm sure if the particles could form something similar to a one way mirror as far as vision goes, it could be better... And, if the particles hit your opponent for you on their way to your defense, that could be a good advantage."

She could imagine Protego Munio being useful if you were trying to hide, but sometimes you had to be more offensive! She wondered what other shield charms there were, because... well, could you really know too many protective spells?

Hirsch wasn't sure what to make of this answer. He did mention the part about being able to see through it, right? "You can see through it from your side but someone on the other side won't be able to see you." As for hitting the opponent, he was a little unsure about that as well but he understood how that could work. "I.... guess," he started slowly, "These particles are very small: sand grains, bits of ice, the lot. They won't give a lasting damage to your opponent but if they manage to distract them, that'll work in your favour."

Text Cut: Magnolia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davvy_Wavvy

Yeah okay wow, Magnolia was clocking some serious speed on her knees, when, she lost her entire 'footing' and went splat unto her stomach. The fourth year went sliding and crashing into snow.

It was not her most graceful moments, that was for sure.

Luckily..and finally! Hirsch showed up and saved them all from the disaster that was ensuing. Though apparently he had been there all along and this was just some kind of test.

Boy did she fail.

As soon as he asked for the students who had been hit by spells to come forward, Magnolia scrambled to her feet and made her way to him. While some people were fine with spewing gibberish every time they opened their mouths but she wasn't. Nope.

What would she have done different?

For one she'd have been a whole lot more suspicious after entering the classroom and not seeing a professor, that was for sure. Definitely she could have been more vigilant, because then she'd have been able to block that stupid spell instead of being hit.

Hirsch's second question got her thinking..

"Well professor..speaking from a personal standpoint, I think if I have a solid barrier between me and whatever danger lies before me, it would calm me enough to grant me time to think about my next move. I know that if I was face to face with the dangerous i'd panic...even a little bit, which would give the enemy an advantage I guess."

With Miss McLaughlin coming forward, Hirsch took out his wand again and cast a silent 'Finite Incantatem' to eliminate any spells that were still in effect. "Better?"

Ah! Tactics! Funny how many people were thinking of tactics. It was something that made him quite proud, seeing as defence was all about tactics in itself. It meant that the students were thinking ahead. "That is an excellent way of thinking, I have to say." Which was very important in itself. "This sort of strategic thinking is exactly what you need in situations like these. Panicking would definitely not help you and might even hinder your defensive magic. Well done!"

Text Cut: Hattie

Quote:

Originally Posted by RachieRu

After she had answered the first statement, Harriet had made herself comfortable, and gotten herself some parchment out, along with her ink. She was colour coding her notes this year, and so had her two ink colours, and two quills ready to make notes. It was a little more hectic, and time consuming, but she knew it was going to make things easier when she eventually came to study properly next year for her NEWTs. She then began making some notes, a few feelings of how she had felt in the mini battle that had happened. This was so that she would know what to expect, and how she could react better next time. The blonde then noted down a few of her class mates answers. She was hoping to learn lots from this experience, even if she really hoped that she wouldn't be in this situation again.

She then began noting down some of the things the Professor was taking. She didn't write down lots of notes, but just enough to know what had been going on in the lesson, so that she could study from them later. Then she thought about the question, biting her lip before she raised her head into the air. "If it's a solid barrier, would it hinder any spells we might cast? Our spells can already hit off our protego shields and hit something else, so it makes sense that it would happen on a more solid barrier too?" And that would be no good at all.

Even though he was glad that the students were thinking strategically and thinking ahead in situations like these, he was also glad that someone had come up with a hindrance to this spell in itself. "You can cast spells through it in the same way as Protego but your spells would turn out to be much weaker and might not have the intended effect. It might also destroy some of your wall as well, which'll give you away and you'll have to try and repair or reinforce it."

Text Cut: Théo

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh its Erik ok

If anything the activity taught him that DADA was never safe unless you walked in and there were desks there and a note and the board. Anything else it was fair game for them to be stunned or in Théo's case be hit by enough snowballs for one day and it was not even winter yet.

So there was a shield charm that was different from Protego.

Well, now Théo was interested.

It could be better used is something solid is shot at you, Théo guessed. But he kept that all to himself and he just listened to everyone's answers. Still, it could cause you problems it being a solid wall and everything.

Silent answers were to be expected. Not everyone had a response to his questions or wanted to respond and that was fine. Frankly, as long as they were still paying attention and didn't look as though they had fallen asleep, he didn't really mind.

Although, out of every classroom setup he had had, the weirdest one might be a normal setup where the room looked like a classroom for once. Because that's just what his lessons were like.

Text Cut: Skylar

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

And then there was Hirsch and Skylar had to admit she was casually impressed by the display of magic and chaos that had erupted in the classroom. Save for Zita running out of the room ... crying? But she was dramatic enough anyway so honestly, Skylar wasn't even that bothered by that.

What has the activity taught us? Uh, to expect the unexpected and to be vigilant. Honestly, while most of her peers had engaged in snow angels and snowball fights because they thought it was a 'free period', Skylar had remained doubtful about it all and instead observed. Which had proved her well in predicting the dummies actions. Sort of. At least in that she didn't get hit.

But oh, moving on to learning a new variant of the shield charm, Skylar listened and actually that spell made a whole lot of sense for why there was SNOW in the classroom. "It might work to your advantage depending on the situation you're in ... but if you're in a place where you have no solid particles to use to form a shield, then not really. But well, i could see this spell being very useful because you're using your environment to your advantage. You're in a desert? Protect yourself with the sand. You're in a snowstorm? Protect yourself with snow. So really, it's just about using your environment when the odds may not be in your favor in terms of perhaps dueling a stronger opponent. It may even the playing field more."

There was a lot of nodding going on while Miss Diggory gave her answer. "That's precisely it! The environment you're in could just help you in more ways than you think. Why not use it to defend yourself, if you can?" And sometimes, people relied a lot more on their magical capabilities, which wasn't a bad thing but it meant that they didn't realise that help could be sitting a few feet away.

"I like that part about evening the playing field a bit more, especially against a stronger opponent. They'll have to get through a physical wall in the first place and because of that, it'll give you enough time to think and strategise. Excellent thinking!"

Text Cut: Ronan

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty

Honestly? Honestly, Ronan was thankful for this type of practice. It was the type of thing that he'd likely run into as an Auror. So, to have a surprise 'attack' in a more controlled environment would help him figure out what he needed to work on now so that he could hopefully sail through training. If, you know, that's what he ultimately decided to do. Anyway, he silently moved together with his fellow Gryffindors into the Protego Rampart thing, shooting every spell he could think of at the dummies (also, still silently judging Abraham and trying to figure out why, exactly, he had been sorted into Gryffindor).

Something that shocked him through the whole activity? Just how many of the middle years (3rd and 4th) were screaming, borrowing under the snow and even running out of the room. The first and second years he could understand but the others? T'was something that bothered him greatly. If they didn't buck up before they graduated, then the future of the English wizarding world was in sad shape.

Ah, here was Hirsch and with a question. Again, Ronan was reminded of his cousin. He liked to think that he'd passed this particular scenario, but there was always room for improvement. He replayed the whole thing in his mind. What would he have done differently? He'd thought of something, but before he could voice it out loud, they were moving on.

Ooo, particle shield. "It's near impossible to aim at something that you can't see, so it would basically force your opponent to pause while you and your allies regroup or help anyone who's hurt." Someone was using their noggin when they invented that spell, mhmm.

Also, he saw you Botros and was still silently judging, though his face didn't show it.

And here was a response that caused him to smile widely, dimples and all.

"Exactly!" he said, a little too enthusiastically, "Your opponent will know where you are but won't know exactly where behind the wall you are. This then makes their spellcasting accuracy weaker and gives you the advantage of thinking of your next step while your opponent tries to tackle the problem at hand. Excellent thinking, Mr Carter!"

Text Cut: Zoryn

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

SPOILER!!: yeah, we fell behind too. here's our catch up

Zoryn wasn't exactly sure how building a wall of snow was meant to help, but it sure did sound like a good idea. Which is why she continued running away from the dummies and towards an empty area so that she could BUILD UP. Dropping to the ground, the Gryffindor began piling snow up around herself. Thinking: tall. Thinking: protective. Thinking: fortress.

After a few minutes of extreme snow-packing, she was able to get something that maybe somewhat resembled a wall? Maybe? Sort of? Well either way, it was close enough. Eh? She just had to keep going taller!!! Maybe she could grab some recruits, surely Théo would want to help her in the endeav--

Uh oh.

Man down. MAN DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN!

Zoryn face planted in the snow thanks to some stunning spell that she did not see coming. Well, this was a bummer. How was she supposed to build her snow fortress now!?!??

Not that that was the issue here. The issue here was that she couldn't feel her face. Or anything for that matter. Could someone please help?


So Zor couldn't exactly answer the next question (read:stunned). Unfortunately, this also meant that she couldn't exactly come forward to get the effects of the spell taken off of her, nor could she really do anything to render the attention of an older student around her. Well, talk about a bad day.

Man, she was just gonna be laying here until the day she DIED. Which was AWFUL, 'cause she had Quidditch games to play!!!! Cannot believe that she was gonna die her very first season of Quidditch at Hogwarts. This was the WORST thing that could've ever happened to her. Truly the absolute worst way to go.

Zoryn was quite upset.

..... Until she start regaining feeling in her toes and the icy snow she had face-planted in was DEFINITELY giving her a brain-freeze. SHE WAS FREEEEEEEEEE !!!!!! Dang, it's a good thing that the spell wore off just in time, yeah? Dang. Zoryn needed like seventeen more layers and JACKETS for this weather.

The Gryffindor jumped up from where she had been left behind only moments ago and wrapped her arms around her entire body. Brrrrrrr. She was cold. Very, very cold.

It was obvious, wasn't it? That both spells seemed to do the same thing (sort of), but that you needed a very specific circumstance to the new one? Like, Protego was sort of a back-of-your-pocket-whip-it-out anywhere sorta deal, but with the new thing, you had to be in a place where you could USE the MATERIALS around you. What if you were dueling inside of an Azkaban cell??? There wouldn't be any snow there and then you'd lose if you forgot about protego. Very unfortunate.

Zoryn was still SUPER-freezing cold and thus her reflexes were also... lacking. By the time she had gotten her hand in the air to answer Professor Hirsch's next question, Skylar Freaking Diggory stole her answer. WHAT THE HECK??? Zoryn was gonna say that!! That was going to be Zoryn's answer!!!

.....

But her hand was still in the air. This was.... problematic because she was picked next.

"Uh, I was just stretching," yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

That was sad.

Stretching?

An amused smile crossed Hirsch's face at Zoryn's response but he chose not to make a fuss about it or to say anything. If she was just stretching, then he was going to take it as a sign that she was just gearing up for the next part of the lesson. If it was because of something else, then, well, he was going to remain blissfully unaware.

Sometimes that was better.

Text Cut: Zarina

Quote:

Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin

Zarina was surprised the professor didn't skip over her question. She was shocked really. At least she admitted her faults and the Professor was enthusiastic about her failure on accuracy? Well it meant that a lot of people probably had the same issue. Nothing to be ashamed of least she would get brownie points from Hirsch. She nodded about him explaining the knowledge of the layout. I mean it was a good idea right? She kept silent absorbing the information and now he was teaching them a new spell? She saw the Protgeo Munio which made it seem like they were going to become air benders or something. Least she could say to her family back home, she honed in on her particle skills.

Now onto the question Hirsch was asking them, when you come to think of it everyone said he was attractive and they were quite right. She was observing all the details on his face and it made her blush that she kept staring at him. Get it together Carraro! Zae heard the question just in time and thought about it. "Hmm well I guess this spell the Protego Munio or however you pronounce it, it can distract the spell caster and it could create a stronger force field?" Maybe she was right or wrong? Let's see.

Distraction..... distraction....

"Distraction is a key element of the spell, that's certainly true. Anyone who sees some parts of the ground forming a shield would be thrown off guard and would probably be a bit confused about the entire thing, which gives you an advantage." See? Distraction. "It's stronger in the sense that it's a physical shield but overall, it's about the same strength as Protego. This depends on your spellcasting and your intent behind it but generally speaking, it's only strong in the physical sense."

Did that make sense?

Text Cut: Jessa

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Communication could've been useful too, she'd admit...but not in this situation where people were yelling unhelpfully. All that really did was make it more difficult for proper communication to take place. Hard to hear important things over senseless, overzealous yelling.

While she would concede to the Professor's point that some simply didn't know how to react in stressful situations, she'd stick to hers too; she didn't want to be anywhere NEAR most of these people in a crisis. They were more of a danger to her than the spell casting dummies. The dummies had more structure than they did and if they'd taken only the faintest pause this could've been different.

So yeah, maybe they did need more exercises like this but ONLY after drilling it into their heads that not everything required wands to be immediately blazing and brains to be shut off.

"It'd depend on the situation for me, I guess." She mused aloud. "And on if the materials get fortified with magic like was mentioned or if they'd just suddenly form a pile standing between me and my attacker." Those two made for very different levels of protection and she knew which she'd have chosen. "In the event the spell does fortify whatever it pulls for, then yeah, I'd go for it. Leaves me free to go casting other spells and sorting out the situation. If not then I'll take my chances with "protego maxima"

Huh. This answer.

Hirsch tilted his head at her as she answered, letting the words sink in. "The materials do get fortified with magic in the sense that they form a wall in front of you more than a pile of materials." Not to mention that a random pile of materials would be very useless. "I'm glad that you've thought ahead and considered both situations in this case. Well done!"

Text Cut: Liv

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

Olivia loved getting praise from her professors, especially Hirsch. Did he know that he was a huge inspiration in her life? Did he know that she wished to be just as fierce as he was? There was definitely a reason she'd spent all of her last term perfecting his famous fire whip.... Ahem, anyway. Turning her face downward into her lap, the blonde grinned. Honestly, and for however weird it might've been for someone like her, it felt amazing being good in her lessons. After so much personal drama, everything was exactly how she wanted it.

....but she couldn't dwell too much on all that. They were moving on and she refused to miss anything. Cue the Quick Quotes making it's appearance. Finally.

Animating it, she refocused her attention on the professor and class as a whole. You know... because she liked to listen to her peers. They usually said some pretty interesting things. "I'm reminded of the 'glass to sand' shield." Olivia suddenly said, the spell unceremoniously popping into her mind. Huh. "The premise is similar, but in the reverse."..... And that had not a whole lot to do with what they were to be working on now, but she'd wanted to share the nugget of wisdom, anyway. Or well, perhaps they could be used in conjunction with one another. Like... You break whatever needs to be broken down into it's simplest form and than use whatever that is to shield yourself. Maybe?... Heh, she was doing that thing where she gets lost in her thoughts...and that was not good.

"So, basically, it's to do with using your surroundings in a more effective manner. Being mindful and vigilant, as you always like to say. Also.... would this act like camouflage?" Just saying.... "Like, if you were out and about in the world and needed to use your surroundings in this way... Would it cause you to blend in?"

Out of all the answers he had expected, this wasn't one of them. He was pleasantly surprised that it had even been mentioned in the first place, causing him to blink a few times before smiling widely at the Gryffindor. "Maybe that's where the inventor of the spell got the idea from."

'as you always like to say' Hirsch's smile turned into an amused one. He did say that a lot, didn't he? Was it turning into something the students rolled their eyes at whenever he talked about it? Because he wouldn't be surprised if that was true.

Anyways. "It would cause you to blend in, making it a good way to camouflage yourself against your surroundings." Which was exactly what she was saying. "If your opponent hasn't seen you, they won't know that you're there. If they have but you cause a large shield that covers a significant area, they won't know exactly where behind the shield you are." An advantage in that sense. "Excellent thinking, by the way."

Text Cut: Junia

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

Junia's notes were detailed and she was making good use of her many colored quills, but she did pause to give Hirsch's questions some thought. Why might people prefer Protego Munio? Well, she had a few ideas. "You said only people on your side of the shield can see through it, yeah? That means it'd give you and those with you some time to observe the opponent and look for a weakness. Somewhere to target so that you can take the opponent or opponents down. I actually think it'd probably help to be in a situation with more people, since it's a spell that requires high concentration. One person can keep the shield up while the rest come up with a strategy."

Ah! Someone else had picked up on that little piece of information he'd given away. Good! It meant they were listening to what he had to say.

But this answer? Hirsch's eyebrows shot up as he listened to the Slytherin's answer, clearly quite impressed with what he was hearing. "I have to admit that is some very strategic thinking you've got going on, Miss Botros" Just saying. "But you're completely right: the spell would allow you to strategise and think of your next move. Excellent mention of how you can use this as part of a team. Working with more people would work out better and help you work better as a team." Plus, it was harder to take down a team. "Excellent thinking!"

Text Cut: Natalie

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahlooo

... And just like that, it was over. When the room fell silent and the sounds of spells ceased, Natalie looked up just as the dummies snapped back into their original place and Professor Hirsch appeared out of his hiding spot. So, this was his idea... and not some freak accident of dummies-gone-wild. It was an experiment to see how his students of all ages, talents and states of mental health would react to a full blown attack.

Cool.

Feeling rather stupid, small, untalented and embarrassed by her little outrage of 'make it stop!' five seconds before it stopped, Natalie stood back up as the professor addressed the class like he was addressing his army of battle trainees.

She was pouting. She was legitimately upset and was tempted to leave, but all the focus was towards the front of the class and she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Crossing her arms, hair slightly askew, Natalie eventually began to listen once her heartbeat stopped pounding so loudly in her ears.

Honestly, how RUDE.

Anyway. There was this cool shield that they could have used to protect themselves for real if he had taught them before he set up an attack. Natalie shot her arm up, to her own surprise and commented. "I think it's cooler than Protego, but it would have been cooler if you had taught us that spell before you tried to kill us." Dramatic? Sure. But if someone got the jelly legs curse and tripped over some ropes and landed on their wand wrong then they COULD have DIED, okay?

Also, she was glaring a little bit.

Hirsch...... wasn't sure what to make of this response. On the one hand, he was very amused by the dramatics and sass being shown but on the other hand, he was also slightly taken aback by the response as a whole. It wasn't something he expected, especially not from the likes of Miss McKinley.

Was the activity that bad?

"Well," he started, pushing his glasses further up his nose as a means of having something to do, "It wasn't my aim to kill any of you and I was watching the entire time." He questioned his capabilities as a professor as a Head of House when someone, especially someone in his house, was suspended/expelled, how would he react to someone actually being killed in his classroom?

"But, that is an excellent point." He just had a better activity in mind for this spell. Just saying.

Text Cut: Juni

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarcasticStrawberry

Juniper listened to Hirsch and was taking notes. The spell seemed interesting and made a little bit of sense to her. But at the same time she had a lot of questions for the professor too. Luckly it seemed like most of everyone else did too. She just listened to want was being asked and the answers.

”Like Junia said. It would be useful if you had someone doing the spell and others looking out and making a strategy. But also with just Protego your really only able to shield yourself from one spell at time, I think that’s really a reason why some people would prefer Protego Munio over just protego." She nodded, if for whatever reason she would need to block out more than one spell at a time then she would want to use Protego Munio too then.

This response made him smile a bit more.

Why? Strategy.

"That's a very good point you've just made. Well done!" Really. "Constantly putting up a shield is bound to get tiring and will take a lot out of you at the same time. Having something physical in front of you, and blocking the opponent, is less likely to do that. Good thinking, Miss Primeaux."

When it looked like no one else was answering, Hirsch turned to the class in general and clapped his hands once. "Excellent thinking, I have to say. I'm glad that so many of you have thought ahead with this spell and really thought about the ways in which it could both help you and hinder you." It meant that they understood the spell properly which wasn't something he was complaining about.

"Firstly, Protego Munio helps to calm you down. Some people tend to feel safer when they have something physical in front of them that'll obstruct the opponent from attacking them. That's not always the case but for some people. it helps them to feel calmer and more relaxed, which helps them think better in these kind of situations. You don't want to think irrationally when you're under attack." They could end up doing more harm than good. Just saying.

"Secondly: camouflage! If your opponent hasn't seen you yet, you could camouflage yourselves against the background and stop them from noticing that you're there. It's not the same as the Disillusionment Charm but it gives you an advantage. However, if they do know you're there but you have a significant sized wall in front of you, you could be anywhere behind that wall." Which was something to think about. "Not to mention that it acts as a distraction: if you're facing someone in a duel and suddenly, the ground flies up to create a wall in front of you, you are going to be thrown off guard. This gives the caster an advantage because they can think of their next move while their opponent tries to get rid of the wall."

Breathe.

"The spell creates a physical wall in front of you: one that's made of solid particles like sand and ice but one that's fortified and held together by magic. Because it's solid, it means that any spell you cast through it is likely to be weakened and won't have the same effect. Not to mention that it'll also blast a hole the size of your spell through the wall and directly at your opponent." Pause. "It's fairly strong but it also means that a very strong Blasting Curse or something similar could destroy part, or all, of your wall. You can still use Fianto Duri alongside it but the rule still applies." Again, something to think about.

Time was ticking and, glancing down at his watch, he realised that after all that discussion, they were cutting into the time that could've been spent practising the spell. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it just meant that they'd have to put themselves into the main activity straight away instead of spending time practising with nothing coming at them.

Moving on?

"Now, that's enough talking from me. There's no use learning about a spell without putting it into proper practice so let's do just that. For the main activity and the main portion of this lesson, we're not going to be using the dummies." Which might be something that'll make some of them happy, no doubt. "Instead, we're going to utilise the snow we're standing on by...."

Cue dramatic pause and a small smirk.

"...... having a snowball fight!"

"The idea is to throw snowballs at your opponents and to protect yourself from oncoming attacks. No offensive spells can be used unless they aid the snowballs flying around." So he didn't want to see any case of Stupefy. "You are to try and use Protego Munio at least once and as much as you see fit. Be warned that this spell, like with any other spell, won't stick around forever. You can work on your own or in a team for this, I don't mind." Something told him that this was going to, very quickly, turn into a battle. Er.

"For those who don't want to participate, come to the front practice the spell on your own. As for everyone else, I'm going to give you....." He broke off and glanced down at his watch. "..... twenty minutes."

"Ready? GO!"


OOC: EEEEEEEEEE! MAIN ACTIVITY TIME!

The main activity is super simple: use Protego Munio to protect yourself and take part in a SNOWBALL FIGHT! I don't really have any rules for this but please be mindful of each other's charries and play nicely! I will not be a happy unicorn if I find that people are being rude. *scary face?*

Here are the spell details, in case:

Quote:

Protego Munio
A spell that causes solid particles to form a shield around you
Incantation: Protego Munio (pro-TAY-go MOO-nee-oh)
Wand movement: sweeping vertical line upwards followed by a flick at the end
Light: n/a
Difficulty: moderate
Other: need to maintain a high level of concentration

I'm going to give you until 11:59pm GMT+1 on the 25th of January to make as many posts as you want. If you have any questions, I'm just a nudge away <3

Have fun!

Scarlett should have known this whole thing was going to end up as a snowball fight. It had kind of already started, honestly, if you count the beginning of the lesson - snowballs had definitely been thrown in the midst of the chaos. She sort of liked this spell though, and she needed more protection spells in her arsenal since apparently, she had like NONE besides the basics.

She practiced the wand movement a few times - a vertical line with a flick at the end, nice and simple - and then focused on the snow that was directly in front of her. She cleared her throat, did the wand motion and then exclaimed, "Protego Munio!"

She watched in amazement as the snow in front of her seemed to be pulled up by a magnet to the air in front of her, forming a small shield in front of her. She grinned at her new shield, keeping the thought of it at the forefront of her mind as she knelt down, balled up a snowball in her hand, and then tossed it at the first person who ran in front of her.

And it was ONNNNN.

Emmalyn listened intently as the professor explained that here was a possibly better spell than just protego. That sounded lovely, if only she were able to even produce protego. Stepping it up another level seemed completely out of reach. Or, maybe she was just a failure at all things wand related and the average first year should have no trouble performing either spell.

“Professor, I think that Protego could be a great protection, but I don’t know if I’d be able to do it. Isn’t it better to have a not so great protection charm that you can do rather than try one that you can’t do?” The old ‘somethings better than nothing’ approach. At least the others were giving better answers.

Then it was time to use the spell. This was it. Professor Hirsch had given them the option to stay out of the snowball fight. She had no desire to be that student. The one who gave up before even trying. Emmalyn stood her tallest and walked out into the thick of the fight. SMACK! A snowball, apparently thrown by Scarlett, hit her directly on the side of her face, bringing tears to her eyes.

Wiping the tears away, she raised her wand, made a sweeping upward movement with a little flick at the end, and commanded "Protego Munio!" Nothing happened. SMACK! Another snowball, this time to the stomach. A much preferred target over her face. Once again she held out her wand, made a upward vertical motion with a flick “Protego Muino!” And...nothing.

Alessandro was exceedingly pleased with the unreliable, barely visible shield that had been coaxed out of him by his older cousin. He fed off of Callum's compliment and the shaky shield and his confidence grew. Until the professor made his completely unnecessary and dramatic entrance, which caused his shield to waver and then, sadly, putter out.

Al was not sure what was more upsetting: his shield being ruined or the ambush lesson that was enforced on the entire class. There were a lot of things that Alessandro Toussaint wanted to say to the professor when he asked what they had learned but he screwed his mouth shut. It would do him no favours in this state. Besides, Callum stuck up for him well enough.

Really. Since when did Callum become utterly and unequivocally awesome?

Then lesson progressed rather quickly once the professor had decided to show his face. His ambush-the-kids-because-its-funny face. Al was still a little put out about the whole ordeal. And it did not help his mood when it became apparent that they were going to be bombarded again.

He was excited to learn a new spell-- Protego Munio-- but the fact that they were going to be forced into another offensive round so soon was not something Al was pleased about. He liked the idea of fighting. He really liked the idea of fighting. But in the version of reality where he had the tools to properly defend himself. Not this version where he was going to be expected to just pull a spell he had never practiced before as a freshly green wizard out of thin air. He wanted tools, not trials. Not yet.

Not that he, being who he was, could say that.

So he just weighed the wand in his hand and tried to hype himself up with some of that energy Callum had thrown at him earlier. And hunkered down for the next round of attack.

Kye thought about Professor Hirsch's reply, completely unaware of the part where he had mentioned the wall being transparent on the caster's side... Oops. She blamed it on still being startled by his appearance. Yea...

She decided that she didn't mind picking up where they had left off with the snowballs.
"Protego Munio," she muttered... to no avail.

"Protego Munio!" she said again, a little clearer. Ah, there we go! She had made a wall to block her from the front. While she had a moment, she got to work on making a few snowballs, gathering them in her arms and throwing them in fairly quick succession. Before she had a chance to see who they had hit though, she turned to make another wall to her side. How did you make a dome??

"Protego Munio! Protego Moonio! Protego Muneeeo!"

They were having another fight? at least this time dummies weren't going to be firing spells at them this time. She just had to avoid all of the snow balls that her class mates would be throwing around. Snow balls were okay. She might get a bit wet, but she could easily dry herself off. So there as no way that she wasn't going to be taking part in the snow ball fight. She decided to be on her own. Could never fully trust a team, who would know if they'd end up throwing snow balls at her. So she knew she'd be better on her own. That would be fine. So the blonde found herself a little area, and prepared herself. Perfect. Now she could get ready. She practised the spell a few times, just wanting to make sure she could do it before she really needed it.

And now she was ready. She concentrated hard, and said "Protego Munio" and beamed as she watched the little particles of snow coming together, and making the shield. ooh. She liked that. It was so cool. Knowing that it wasn't going to last for too long, she dropped to her knees and made a few snow balls. And then she threw them around. Perfect. Hopefully she would hit someone.

They were going to have a snowball fight? Wicked! Rylee wiggled in her spot on the floor where she was still sat in the snow. She had opted not to answer the second question for a chance to take down notes. Anything that had to do with this new shield spell was written down onto her parchment in a very pretty purple ink as per usual.

Protego Munio.

Definitely another valuable spell she wanted to know. If she was able to accomplish this one AND the one Tenacius had tried to teach her before Hirsch showed up she would be a bit ahead of the game. At least as far as being able to protect herself a bit anyhow. Putting her things away she rose to her feet to begin to practice the spell... only there was one problem.

Snowballs flying everywhere! How was she supposed to learn a spell when snowballs were flying at her from left and right. After getting herself hit by a few snowballs she finally got the idea to move into a corner of the room, wand held firmly in her grasp. Vertical line and a flick at the end. Not to hard.

Rylee gave the wand movement a try a few times. "Protego Munio" she spoke clearly, wand at her side while making sure she was saying it correctly. Oof! A snowball to the side of the head was enough to put her in a slight daze as she blinked a few times. Spinning on her heel so her back was to the snowball fight... sure she wouldn't see the snow coming BUT she would be able to focus a little better and getting hit in the back wasn't as painful as the face.

"Protego Munio!" she cast firmly while making the wand movement. Nothing. No movement in the snow at all. "Protego Munio." Rylee tried again. And again. And again.

Blowing a strand of hair off her face she ran over what she knew she had to do in her head. For a spell to work she needed to know the proper incantation and hand movement. Focus. Intent. Strength. Ace also said to put her heard and soul into it. That meant she had to WANT this.

"Protego Munio!" One more time she tried putting her all into it. Small snow particles began to come together before her forming a very thin shield that dropped away moments later. It was a start. A small start but definitely something and it brought a wide smile to the gingers face.

Snowball fight?

Would Professor Hirsch be upset if Shera bailed? Because she really wasn't feeling this class. It probably showed on her face as well. The first year was pretty sure that she was turning blue, and that was just making her feel sleepy. Why hadn't she worn the clothes that she owned that had been charmed to stay warm?

Oh right, she was in a castle, which usually meant it was warmer than outside and didn't have snow in it!

A snowball to the face didn't make her feel better about it at all. "Protego Munio" she said in practice trying to get it right. She practiced the wand movement without it, ducking out of the way of another snowball. Trying them together, she finally spoke again, "Protego Munio."

The snow shifted slightly but definitely didn't form the shield like she wanted it to. Another snowball to the back of her head left her in a slight daze. That was it! Putting her wand away she grabbed a handful of snow forming a small, shabby snowball and threw it away. Her fingers were numb and hurting from the cold but right now, the best defensive was a good offence right?

Safer, calmer, more relaxed. Camouflage! (of course!) Distracting to the opponent. Physically solid, not just magically THERE. Hanna heard 'Fianto Duri' but had no idea what that WAS. She put it to the back of her mind to look up later. Since she didn't have her writing things out, she'd just have to try and remember it. She could do that.

It was almost like she was sitting on the edge of her seat! Only there was no seat. They wouldn't be using the dummies... and they were having a snowball fight!? That was AWESOME! Hanna didn't have any older siblings to have snowball fights with, and her mother wouldn't let her throw them at her younger siblings, so that left her with her older family members. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc. This would give her a great opportunity to practice her snowball making, and throwing skills.

AND they were going to practice Protego Munio! There was no way Hanna was missing out on the action, but having never cast the spell... well, it would be interesting when it came time to cast it.

She saw Emmalyn being hit by a snowball, and people throwing them already. AWESOME! Hanna scooped down to get some snow in her hands and shaped it into a ball, then ran over to her friend. "Hey!" Hanna said. "How fun is this!?"

Giving up on producing an effective Protego Munio charm, at least for the time being, Emmalyn decided to join in on the attack side. Just as she bent down to scoop up some snow, Hanna came to her side. “This is great!” her smile showed how much fun she was having.

Her hand formed the best snowball the could, making sure to pack it nice and tight, and she hurled it towards the other side of the room. She eyed it, scooping up another mound of snow and packing new snowball, and hoped it would find another unprotected student.

“Have you had any luck with the spell?” she asked Hanna as she launched another assault, this time towards a few of the prefects that appeared to be looking away.

Hanna threw her own snowball somewhere, towards where people were. But she didn't stop to look. No time! She bent down to scoop some more snow into a ball, and threw it in another direction.

"I haven't tried yet... have you?" Hanna asked. She really should try, shouldn't she? After all, that was the point of this class. Once her other snowball was thrown, she pulled out her wand, and tried to remember the spell. "pro-TAY-go MOO-nee-oh," she said a few times, without waving her wand. "pro-TAY-go MOO-nee-oh, pro-TAY-go MOO-nee-oh." She wanted to get the incantation right. No point saying a spell sloppily. She practiced the wand movement next, sweeping her wand upwards in a line, and then giving it a little flick at the end.

Text Cut: Hirsch

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermionesclone

Hirsch...... wasn't sure what to make of this response. On the one hand, he was very amused by the dramatics and sass being shown but on the other hand, he was also slightly taken aback by the response as a whole. It wasn't something he expected, especially not from the likes of Miss McKinley.

Was the activity that bad?

"Well," he started, pushing his glasses further up his nose as a means of having something to do, "It wasn't my aim to kill any of you and I was watching the entire time." He questioned his capabilities as a professor as a Head of House when someone, especially someone in his house, was suspended/expelled, how would he react to someone actually being killed in his classroom?

"But, that is an excellent point." He just had a better activity in mind for this spell. Just saying.


When it looked like no one else was answering, Hirsch turned to the class in general and clapped his hands once. "Excellent thinking, I have to say. I'm glad that so many of you have thought ahead with this spell and really thought about the ways in which it could both help you and hinder you." It meant that they understood the spell properly which wasn't something he was complaining about.

"Firstly, Protego Munio helps to calm you down. Some people tend to feel safer when they have something physical in front of them that'll obstruct the opponent from attacking them. That's not always the case but for some people. it helps them to feel calmer and more relaxed, which helps them think better in these kind of situations. You don't want to think irrationally when you're under attack." They could end up doing more harm than good. Just saying.

"Secondly: camouflage! If your opponent hasn't seen you yet, you could camouflage yourselves against the background and stop them from noticing that you're there. It's not the same as the Disillusionment Charm but it gives you an advantage. However, if they do know you're there but you have a significant sized wall in front of you, you could be anywhere behind that wall." Which was something to think about. "Not to mention that it acts as a distraction: if you're facing someone in a duel and suddenly, the ground flies up to create a wall in front of you, you are going to be thrown off guard. This gives the caster an advantage because they can think of their next move while their opponent tries to get rid of the wall."

Breathe.

"The spell creates a physical wall in front of you: one that's made of solid particles like sand and ice but one that's fortified and held together by magic. Because it's solid, it means that any spell you cast through it is likely to be weakened and won't have the same effect. Not to mention that it'll also blast a hole the size of your spell through the wall and directly at your opponent." Pause. "It's fairly strong but it also means that a very strong Blasting Curse or something similar could destroy part, or all, of your wall. You can still use Fianto Duri alongside it but the rule still applies." Again, something to think about.

Time was ticking and, glancing down at his watch, he realised that after all that discussion, they were cutting into the time that could've been spent practising the spell. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it just meant that they'd have to put themselves into the main activity straight away instead of spending time practising with nothing coming at them.

Moving on?

"Now, that's enough talking from me. There's no use learning about a spell without putting it into proper practice so let's do just that. For the main activity and the main portion of this lesson, we're not going to be using the dummies." Which might be something that'll make some of them happy, no doubt. "Instead, we're going to utilise the snow we're standing on by...."

Cue dramatic pause and a small smirk.

"...... having a snowball fight!"

"The idea is to throw snowballs at your opponents and to protect yourself from oncoming attacks. No offensive spells can be used unless they aid the snowballs flying around." So he didn't want to see any case of Stupefy. "You are to try and use Protego Munio at least once and as much as you see fit. Be warned that this spell, like with any other spell, won't stick around forever. You can work on your own or in a team for this, I don't mind." Something told him that this was going to, very quickly, turn into a battle. Er.

"For those who don't want to participate, come to the front practice the spell on your own. As for everyone else, I'm going to give you....." He broke off and glanced down at his watch. "..... twenty minutes."

"Ready? GO!"


OOC: EEEEEEEEEE! MAIN ACTIVITY TIME!

The main activity is super simple: use Protego Munio to protect yourself and take part in a SNOWBALL FIGHT! I don't really have any rules for this but please be mindful of each other's charries and play nicely! I will not be a happy unicorn if I find that people are being rude. *scary face?*

Here are the spell details, in case:




I'm going to give you until 11:59pm GMT+1 on the 25th of January to make as many posts as you want. If you have any questions, I'm just a nudge away <3

Have fun!

Natalie normally wasn't one to complain about a lesson and she did like Hirsch more than some other professor's, but the activity had sort of... scared her. She wasn't prepared and she sort of never really COULD be prepared for something like that because she wasn't the best at wandwork. She also wasn't good with surprises. And didn't handle pressure well. And was scared like a baby bunny. Sigh.

Someone being killed WAS probably far fetched, Natalie just felt rather small at the moment. So, she didn't respond to Hirsch, but she just listened to this new information about a shield and moped quietly.

As for the snowball activity... Well, she didn't really feel like being attacked again, so she was just gonna practice the spell up front. She was sure some younger students would want to, too. Natalie just didn't have the energy to dodge snowballs. Quickly moving to the front, Natalie got out of the way of the start of the snowball fight before she could get hit. She still had her wand out from earlier, so she took a deep breath and.... sighed.

"Protego Munio," she mumbled pathetically with a limp wave of her wand. Meh.

From the sounds of it, Jessa was less and less sold on using this spell over another version of protego. Your spells would make holes in the shield and it would water down anything you cast? She'd take her chances without a shield, her spells working at full force. Would they have the opportunity to test them side by side before the lesson was over? If not she'd likely test it out on her own up in the Room of Requirement or something.

It was interesting they'd get to go back to the snowball fight that had started earlier, the one she hadn't been much up for because of how locked on the dummies she was. Now, with the knowledge they wouldn't actually be using the dummies, she could fully focus on the task at hand.

....Or on her friend sitting off from everyone.

"Protego Munio." She cast, pulling up the shield. This time she opted for the incantation. Having not had too much practice with this particular spell before now and her focus set on getting across this war zone to her friend, it was just easier than attempting a non-verbal. A few stray snowballs pelted at the shield but the wall of snow she'd created did a good job of keeping them off until she got to Nat. "Not feeling the anarchy today?" Her tone was light as she took in the girl. Was she alright?

A snowball fight? Dont mind if I do. This slytherin preferred to work alone though. Nothing personal to anyone else but if she was ever in a battle she could be alone and won't have anyone to help her. This slytherin needed the skill set to use later on in life in the wizarding world. As she made her way around the room, she saw the snowballs flying around from other classmates. As she was going towards the side of the room she saw a snowball coming towards her. Zae reacted quickly and got her wand out of her robes and pointed and conjured,

"Protego Munio!"

There was nothing there. She was just smacked with the snowball on her stomach. "Welp that didn't work out..." she muttered to herself. Zae wondered what she did wrong. Well the accuracy on her spells have been lousy lately. She frowned and wondered was it something in her wand or her confidence? OH WAIT. She got the wand movement. She did a simple swish and that was wrong. Zae waited till another snowball came her way. She saw one coming right at her face...

She got into position and conjured, "Protego munio!" and did a sweeping vertical line upwards followed by a flick at the end and she saw the snow form into tiny particles not enough to make a big shield but it was something. She smiled with glee and it was better than nothing.

He internally beamed at Hirsch's response to his own response. Finn thought very highly of the Head of Ravenclaw house, and the get that type of respect from the man? Huge.

So.. snowball fight! He wasn't athletic in any sense of the word, so he probably would not be throwing anything with his arm. Levitation was a yes. But first he stepped to the side of the room where he would be out of harm's way to practice. Breathe in, out. "Protego munio," he said. He practiced the pronunciation several times. The spell required concentration, and he didn't want to have to think about the wording. Then finally, with a sweeping vertical line upwards and a flick at the end, he said "Protego munio."

Aaaaand nothing. Back to the drawing board. Good thing he decided to practice first.

Patrick knew that he could win, but first he needed to at least get one use of the spell out so he could stock pile some snowballs. Getting his wand ready he looked around to see if anyone else had been able to get someone hit with a snowball. “Protego Munio” he said confidently with a swish of his wand upward and a flick at the end. He was surprised it worked the first time, but none the less he began to concentrate on being protected and the wall shielding him while he pushed snow into a globe as best he could.

After getting about ten snowballs put together he chucked one into the air hoping he hit someone. He wasn’t sure who he’d hit or if there were even teams yet when he threw a second one. He looked around to see if anyone would be willing to work together with him.

Snowball fight?!

Daehyun had terrible aim, and he'd never really participated in a snowball fight before, but he was kind of excited about the idea. He loved snow, and although the coldness of it all was a bit uncomfortable, he supposed it would be fine for twenty minutes, and hoped he wouldn't catch a cold in the process.

He'd been practicing the spell on his own, repeating the wand movement by sweeping upwards into a vertical line, and finishing off with a flick, uttering the words Protego Munio to get the pronunciation right, when a snowball had come out of nowhere and hit his shoulder, bits of snow flying to his exposed neck as well, making him shiver. Turning to see Shera, he was about to form a snowball to throw back, but then he saw she looked frozen to her core, so instead scurried over, ducking on the way to avoid a couple of flying snowballs, and first concentrated on the snow around them to form a shied. "Protego Munio!" he said, grinning to himself when an incoming snowball had been blocked by his shield, though not a very strong one, as it had cracked slightly under the strength of the snowball.

With just a look towards Shera, the shield falling to pieces as his concentration went down the drain, he put his robe over her shoulders, hoping it would warm her a bit. In his excitement, he was getting warm, anyway, so the sweater he'd draped over his shirt that morning sufficed. "Want to go practice over there?" he asked her, nodding towards the front of the classroom that professor Hirsch had pointed out.

A snowball fight??? Really?! Awesome!! Skyler quickly clumped up a snowball and threw it. Who it went to?? She didn't know. Too much caos, she forgot to defend herself so she dodged most snowballs.


Ooc:whoever wants to claim that snowball, go ahead!!

Vi smirked at the Defense Against Dark Arts Professor's response to her comment. To try and foil his secret plan? She? Oh, always. She chucked a little bit before turning her attention back to Hirsch as he continued the lesson. As the man continued speaking, Vi's quill continued to move, trying to capture every detail in her notebook. Protego Munio. Now that spell sounded cool both in name and in practice.



With her notes written, Vi proceeded to practice said spell. "Protego MOO-nee-oh," she said and then repeated this a couple more times until she comfortably and quickly could say, "Protego Munio." Perfect. Now she needed to practice the wand movement. Sweeping vertical line upwards followed by a flick at the end. Now that was just too easy. She practiced with both her hands--- not that she was showing off to anyone in particular but she wanted to show that she could do this.

Now it was time to put two and two together. Wand motion and incantation. "Protego Munio," she said as she performed her upwards sweeping vertical line followed by the finale of a flick. Wonderful. She nodded her head, proud with her work, and then proceeded to prepare for said activity.

A snowball fight. Heh. Bewitched snowballs paired with Protego Munio would make her life sooooo easy. She was about to cast the charm when a snowball headed her direction. Was that from a younger year? It was almost second nature. She didn't have to think. With a sweeping upward vertical motion followed by a flick, she cast the spell non-verbally and blocked the spell. Nice! She hadn't intended to do it non-verbally but she had to think and act quickly.

Nice... Now.. She needed to send some snowballs. With a flick of her wrist, she cast the bewitched snowball charm at the ground and then sent them soaring towards several parties. Heh.

Okay. Alright. This was it. She was going to cast the spell. Yep, she was. She was going to CAST IT and it was going to work! Because she was HANNA NEWTON and she could do this!

Or, she hoped so anyway.

No, no time to let the doubt sink in, Newton.

Bracing herself, both physically and mentally, Hanna raised her wand to the correct starting position and, as she swept her wand upwards with a flick, she said "Protego Munio."

But of course, nothing happened.