Lesson: History of Magic: Hallowed Hogsmeade

[Lottiepot]

That afternoon’s lesson was located in the usual setting of the History of Magic classroom. The seating arrangements were a little different, instead of individual desks they were arranged in a big U shape facing into a large table in the centre covered in a cloth and concealing something bumpy beneath it. A clue to the context of that day’s lesson perhaps?

Professor Fergersnout herself could be found behind her desk at the front of the classroom, sporting some rather plain attire for her usual standards. No reason for it really other than that she forgot to send her brighter robes to the laundry room for cleaning and that was all she could find in the back of her wardrobe.

“Come in and find a seat wherever you like” she informed the students with her usual welcoming grin.

OOC: Welcome to HoM! Remember that this is definitely not the first lesson of the term so please play accordingly. If you need to, please refresh your recollection of the rules and expectations here. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. Most importantly, have fun!

Lesson Progression:

• Question One
• Question Two
• Question Three
• Main Activity
• Presentation
• Class Dismissed

[Kolyander]

Bryony went about taking her things from her bag as those are her gave their answers so that she would be able to take notes. There were many lessons that if she didn't take detailed notes quickly, she was likely to forget things or mix them up. This was one of those lessons at times. She wanted to try to stay ahead of the game as much as possible. Which is why every shop name, year, owner and all other information her classmates gave was written down.

The question was another she was familiar with, Hogsmeade being her home and all since her mama had become a Hogwarts Professor. Her smile was bright as she raised her hand and waited to be called on, hoping she got all her information correct. "The Three Broomsticks is a pub and inn where lots of witches and wizards go for Butterbeers. It was established in uhhh.. ummm..." Bryony paused, chewing at her bottom lip in thought. "I don't remember exactly I think it was in the 1450s.. and it was said to be Hengist Woodcrofts home before it was the Three Broomsticks."

[PhoenixRising]

Emma blinked for a moment at the question Ferger posed back. Hadn't she just said ---- oh wait -- no, she was talking about supporters!! The third year nodded, yes that was true, the supporters themselves didn't hail from that area. Although their families would live in that area while they were actively playing, as while she'd never lived in Appleby, her parents certainly had. She wasn't sure of her eldest brother, since she was fairly sure her dad left professional quidditch before he was born but maybe mum was pregnant with him? It was years before she was born, regardless.

They were going to be focusing on Hogsmeade and the shops within. Three broomsticks and honeydukes were the obvious choices, but already mentioned. Including the secret passage, although hadn't it been sealed off during the second wizarding war?

"There's the Hogs Head, which is another pub although known for its more dodgy clientele. It's likely it served as the human headquarters for the Goblin rebellion in 1612."

[Lottiepot]

Text Cut: Responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Aryan lifted his hand and waited to be called on. “Dervish and Banges is a shop that offers repairs to magical items. At some point in the 1800s, it was owned by someone named Travers.” Other than that, the third year did not know any more about the place.

There was no need to thank her, educating their young minds was exactly what she was here to do. She was just glad that he was paying attention and writing notes.

“That’s right, Thaddeus Travers was proprietor in the late 19th century. Dervish houses quite the array of eccentric products and I can’t imagine its inventory has changed overly that much throughout the years.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl

He raised his hand. "Honeydukes was established back in the early 1640s." He couldn't remember the exact year right now though... 1642? Or 1641? Anyway. "The cellar connects with a secret passage here in Hogwarts." Not that it was much of a secret anymore, which was a real shame. He would've liked to sneak into Honeydukes any time he wanted.

Fergersnout didn’t expect everyone to answer every question that she asked so Mr Hensley’s silence for the first inquiry was a-okay with her. “In 1641 to be exact making it one of the longest continuously running establishments in Hogsmeade. As for housing a not-so-secret passageway to Hogwarts castle, it is not the only location to hide such a tunnel but I’ll let you discover these on your own.” She’d rather not be responsible for students sneaking out but she wouldn’t begrudge them having a little fun.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noodles

The first place, however, that sprung to mind was, “The Post Office. Or as the locals call it, The Owl Office. It has something like three hundred owls waiting to deliver. All colour coded by speed and will be used depending on how fast you want you mail to get to it's destination. It has to be one of the oldest establishements in Hogsmeade.”

It had long since fascinated the Professor that the Wizarding population still relied on such an ancient form of communication as owls. Fascinating creatures but so prone to pooping wherever they fancied.

“Owls have been used as a form of highly reliable communication for centuries due to their natural affinity to the magical world. It’s really quite incredible how easily they are able to find their intended recipient even without an address, don’t you think?”

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

A focus on Hogsmeade sounded delightful and THIS time Anna's mind had no issue focusing on the various shops. She REALLY wanted to mention Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop...and just maybe...well...just maybe something well...she wasn't really too sure what exactly she was thinking. Only thing that held her back was that she knew nothing really about the history of the establishment other than it was a fantastically romantic location. Ezra had already mentioned her other favorite shop and she wasn't sure that she had any more to add to his response sooooooooo her thoughts drifted a bit more but kept swirling back to the darling tea shop and it always was best to go with your instincts so up went her hand once again and this time stayed up until she was called upon. "There's...Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop and...um...many..several...a hand few...some...famous couples in our history went on dates there....and the teas are rather delightful and the cakes too."

Apologies Miss Walles, if Fergersnout had seen that hand raise up she might have called on her for an answer. But as it so happened time was unfortunately not on their side and as much as she would love to discuss every village and town associated with quidditch teams, they would run out of time pretty rapidly.

“Madam Puddifoot’s is one of our newer establishments in comparison to the village’s timeline.” By that she still meant it was over a century old but a lot of the shops had an existence dating back even older than that. “Puddifoot had quite the eccentric taste in decor and loved to cram in as much clutter as she possibly could making it a little uncomfortable for the happy couples who enjoyed her wares. She was also thought to possess a favourite teapot” the Professor chuckled. Not that Apollonia would judge her for that, the woman had a lot of bizarre favourite possessions of her own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Shifting her quill from her right hand to her left, Sydney scribbled a few notes on Hogsmeade's founding. While she stayed quiet for the last question, this time she had something to say. Her hand shot up, and she said, ”There's the Shrieking Shack, an abandoned building that dates back to 1971. Albus Dumbledore commissioned it as a safe place for Remus Lupin's werewolf transformations. People thought it was haunted. It's not, although there was a haunted shop in Hogsmeade back in the 1890s…”

There was one of the answers she was expecting to hear. The Shrieking Shack from its exterior looked as if it should have such an established history with an incredible view of the changing climates of the Wizarding world and yet it was hiding a different history entirely.

“The shrieks, groans and cries that were often heard from within its walls were actually due to Lupin’s werewolf form’s inability to infect anyone with his Lycanthropy and inflicting pain upon himself. The only entrance to the shack was via a secret passageway concealed within the Whomping Willow.” Arguably, despite not being as old as it seemed, the shack had a history as fascinating as its older counterparts. “With that being said, I’m still not sure I’d like to explore the shack late at night.”

Poltergeists however, she was quite used to those.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

The question was another she was familiar with, Hogsmeade being her home and all since her mama had become a Hogwarts Professor. Her smile was bright as she raised her hand and waited to be called on, hoping she got all her information correct. "The Three Broomsticks is a pub and inn where lots of witches and wizards go for Butterbeers. It was established in uhhh.. ummm..." Bryony paused, chewing at her bottom lip in thought. "I don't remember exactly I think it was in the 1450s.. and it was said to be Hengist Woodcrofts home before it was the Three Broomsticks."

Fergersnout had already mentioned that Hengist had used the original Three Broomsticks as his home after he created the village but she was glad to hear of some further clarification.

“As one of the most popular establishments on the high street, it’s not hard to imagine just how many of our greatest witches and wizards have walked through those doors. It’s also rumoured that some of their stock of Butterbeer is centuries old making it a sort of archive for our beloved beverage.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

"There's the Hogs Head, which is another pub although known for its more dodgy clientele. It's likely it served as the human headquarters for the Goblin rebellion in 1612."

And there was the mention of the other public house. “The Hog’s Head might seemingly attract a different sort of crowd but that doesn’t necessarily mean that its history is wholly nefarious. Its most infamous innkeeper after all was Aberforth Dumbledore and he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix.” A bit of an unusual fellow though and that was coming from her.

“It appears that there are quite a few gaps in our knowledge over the past uses for a few of our establishments, understandable considering it has existed for 1200 years. I’d suggest that you all consult Sites of Historical Sorcery as your homework this week.”

“Now we’ve covered quite a few of our favourite establishments in the village but nobody has mentioned the very station that you all arrived here at on the 1st September. Built in the early 1800’s to accommodate the newly acquired Hogwarts Express, a commission by then Minister of Magic Ottaline Gambol to both evade the suspicions of muggles and solve the problem of students not arriving with their Portkeys in time for the start of the school year.” She tapped the scale model as a bright red and very familiar locomotive came chugging into the station.

“Hogsmeade is also home to the headquarters of the Wizarding Wireless Network who have been a source of entertainment and a vital news source for decades. Even this seemingly mundane radio station has dark associations as it was taken over by He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named’s followers during the Second Wizarding War.”

“But as is to be expected, Hogsmeade isn’t just a place for shopping and eating and socialising with friends. With it being the only sole Wizarding village in the UK and with its close proximity to the finest educational establishment for young minds, Hogsmeade’s association with history has been somewhat turbulent.”

“I’d love to know if anyone can recall an event that has happened in the village? Can be anything from a small festival to a full revolution, just something that might have had an effect on the history books.” Many of which she had written herself, she’d have you know. She’d expected that some students would gravitate straight towards the negative but the past didn’t have to be about what had gone wrong but could have had a positive impact on the area too.

OOC: Once again this question is pretty open so feel free to take from HP lore or SS canon events too! After all, past SS terms are still history to the students. You have around 24 hours.

[FearlessLeader19]

Dervish and Banges wasn’t a shop Ary visited in a long time but maybe now he’d have to change that. “I’ll check the place out and let you know, professor.” He flashed her a small grin, making a mental note to update Fergersnout with his findings. And yes, he was going to continue making his notes now. As for that piece of homework, he made a comical face while writing those notes {so his face was in his book and the professor was less likely to see}. His list of homework to complete was growing and he didn't like that.

Aryan watched in fascination as the little Hogwarts Express came into view.It was quite a chore for him to tear his gaze away from the setup to continue writing. His hand went up after that was finished. “There was a Caterwauling Charm set up on the village during the year that Harry Potter was hunting down Horcruxes. That was how the Death Eaters suspected he was there.”

[Weasley174]

Daisy, had been listening to what the other students was saying, being muggle born, she was still coming to terms with everything, like seriously how did they conceal and stop muggles from walking into a village, it was bad enough with a castle like this, but a whole village, now that must be impressive. She continued to listen to what others were saying, she was getting awestruck, this was so interesting.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Oh...well...that was maaaaaybe a little embarrassing to name a more recent business considering the years and years and YEARS the wizarding village had been around. Being quite the fan of clutter and collecting things, Anna rather liked the aesthetic of Puddifoot's and now suddenly felt inspired to find her favorite teapot. She had no teapots, not even broken ones, in her trunk as of yet but maybe she ought to invest in some options soon.

Um...the professor was talking about gaps now and to say this sixth year had gaps in her knowledge was an understatement - not to mention a bit of a touchy subject and one she had now been tasked to journaling under the guidance of Professor Feirgrund when she could remember the flashes in her nightmares and daymares but that was a topic for another day, another time, and somewhere more private - so the curly haired Hufflepuffle was trying her best to pay super close attention to what all was said next. Which...was to say that a few key words stuck with her but the majority did go in one ear and right out the other - HOW had she had not only passed but exceeded expectations on her OWL in this subject was a true academic marvel.

Something else that happened in Hogsmeade...something...else... Anna supposed that incredible amounts of snowfall were not exactly the sort response the professor was looking for but it was where her mind first drifted to. Thankfully it drifted a bit more and Anna was able to recall something else she had come across during her OWL studies. "Um...there was a troll attack...orchestrated by some rather unsavory sorts...and they did so for some higher more malicious purpose...so the troll attack on Hogsmeade was more of a distraction for the authorities," she attempted to explain without any names or dates. Professor Fergersnout was a brilliant woman who seemed to be able to translate Anna-isms with relative ease so...hopefully she could parse through all that and make proper sense of it all.

[Kolyander]

Even though a fair bit of her answer had been spoken about earlier, that didn't upset Bryony at all. Sometimes things needed repeating and she did add more information onto what she has said about The Three Broomsticks so that wasn't too bad. Plus she was taking really great notes so that was something, right? And thank Merlin for that too as Professor Fergersnout was giving out some serious information this afternoon. So no one mind this snakette when she glanced over at Ary's parchment once or twice to ensure what she was writing down was actually correct. She could always count on him for taking fabulous notes too! Bry flashed him the brightest of smiles in silent thanks in case he didn't notice right away that he was helping her, as per usual.

When the next question came around Bry paused for a few moments yet again to think of something that hadn't been said this time. Hand in the air she waited to be called on. "Hogsmeade held the very first magical waterplants festival many years ago."

[PhoenixRising]

Technically speaking while tapping into the nefarious clientele, she hadn't implied it was its sole purpose. After all, serving as headquarters to the Goblin Rebellion she didn't think was a bad thing. The mention of Aberforth though was one she definitely forgot, considering the important role he played in the second wizarding war.

Emma nearly facepalmed when Professor Fergersnout mentioned the hogsmeade station. How had no one bothered to mention that? Sometimes the most obvious things were the ones overlooked. Also she was curious too about the mention of the portkey. Was that how students used to travel to Hogwarts? Did any students still travel that way?

Things that happened in Hogsmeade... "I think ... maybe like thirty years ago or something, I remember my dad telling me about a time thief ... Amarantha or something, who used some sort of book to steal time from people and live for like three hundred years. It wasn't directly tied to Hogsmeade, but I think maybe her capture took place there." She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.

[MadMadamMalfoy]

Sydney wouldn't mind checking out Sites of Historical Sorcery, not because Professor Fergersnout suggested it as homework, but because she thought it might contain information on that haunted shop she briefly referenced. All she knew about it was the owner went to Azkaban, and the poltergeist was forced to sign a contract. What happened to the shop? What happened to the poltergeist?Hmm… 1890s, chaotic being, contracts. Who did that remind her of?

She watched nonchalantly as the Hogwarts Express model chugged into the station, but her ears perked up at the mention of the Wizarding Wireless Network headquarters. Trains may not interest her, but radio stations certainly did! Did anyone die there when the station was taken over? She wondered. More importantly, did their ghost still haunt the building?

Sydney was still pondering that when she heard the next question. Her thoughts immediately went to the 1890 troll attack orchestrated by Victor Rookwood and a goblin named Ranok… but someone else beat her to it. While she could've added on to that answer with names and dates, she preferred to come up with her own. But what? She couldn't think of any other dark chapters in Hogsmeade's history, and she wasn't about to give a lighthearted, mundane answer!

Suddenly she recalled an incident her mums told her about, and her hand shot up. ”In 2094, several shops in Hogsmeade were vandalized… Dervish and Banges, Honeydukes, Madam Puddifoot's, and Simply Stylish Salon, if I remember correctly. A pro-muggleborn cult was behind it. A few of its members were guests at Hogwarts the year before, and they brainwashed some of the students and professors into acting on their behalf. I think their symbol was a hawk.” Interesting incident, though not the way she'd choose to spread a message!

[Lottiepot]

Text Cut: Responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Aryan watched in fascination as the little Hogwarts Express came into view.It was quite a chore for him to tear his gaze away from the setup to continue writing. His hand went up after that was finished. “There was a Caterwauling Charm set up on the village during the year that Harry Potter was hunting down Horcruxes. That was how the Death Eaters suspected he was there.”

It was really quite impressive that the students were able to remember such small details which to some might have sounded insignificant but in the grand scheme of shaping history, they played an important part. Plus they always seemed to make a sneaky appearance in exams..

“That’s correct. The Death Eaters imposed a curfew onto residents and visitors of Hogsmeade with a particular interest in finding Harry Potter who had an obvious link to the village. Thankfully for the golden trio, our previously mentioned friend Aberforth was able to convince the assailants that it was he who had set off the charm by putting his cat outside.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weasley174

Daisy, had been listening to what the other students was saying, being muggle born, she was still coming to terms with everything, like seriously how did they conceal and stop muggles from walking into a village, it was bad enough with a castle like this, but a whole village, now that must be impressive. She continued to listen to what others were saying, she was getting awestruck, this was so interesting.

Once again, saying nothing was absolutely fine just as long as they were actively still paying attention. Thankfully the first year seemed to be engaged and so the Professor merely gave them an encouraging smile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Something else that happened in Hogsmeade...something...else... Anna supposed that incredible amounts of snowfall were not exactly the sort response the professor was looking for but it was where her mind first drifted to. Thankfully it drifted a bit more and Anna was able to recall something else she had come across during her OWL studies. "Um...there was a troll attack...orchestrated by some rather unsavory sorts...and they did so for some higher more malicious purpose...so the troll attack on Hogsmeade was more of a distraction for the authorities," she attempted to explain without any names or dates. Professor Fergersnout was a brilliant woman who seemed to be able to translate Anna-isms with relative ease so...hopefully she could parse through all that and make proper sense of it all.

Translating ‘isms’ of any kind was her forte! Fergersnout often had a whole jumble of thoughts in her head too which she had to assemble into cohesive sentences and not to become too convoluted (and boring) for their younger minds to understand. She would however be utterly flattered to be described as brilliant.

“That’s right. The year was 1890 and Ranrok was leading the Goblin rebellion. In his quest for Goblin superiority, he unleashed two Trolls onto the streets of Hogsmeade to distract from his plan. It was up to students and members of the ministry’s law enforcement to lure the Trolls away and prevent any further chaos from erupting.” Rebellions were littered all over their history and it was easy to see why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

When the next question came around Bry paused for a few moments yet again to think of something that hadn't been said this time. Hand in the air she waited to be called on. "Hogsmeade held the very first magical waterplants festival many years ago."

But it wasn’t all rebellions and fights, Hogsmeade was after all a place of fun and socialisation and the perfect backdrop for a festival away from muggle attention, as Miss Paton had mentioned.

“Hogsmeade certainly makes for the ideal gathering spot and you can see why it was chosen for this purpose. The first festival of its kind was held in 1926. Sadly I was not blessed with the green thumb like our Herbology Professors are but I’m sure it was quite the spectacle to behold.” Although perhaps she would have more luck with the aquatic kind considering it was that she frequently forgot to water her poor Fergus the Fiddle Leaf Fig.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Things that happened in Hogsmeade... "I think ... maybe like thirty years ago or something, I remember my dad telling me about a time thief ... Amarantha or something, who used some sort of book to steal time from people and live for like three hundred years. It wasn't directly tied to Hogsmeade, but I think maybe her capture took place there." She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.

Recent history was still a perfectly valid answer, even if the event happened only 30 (or 35) years ago (and yes, she WAS a Hogwarts student back then, a 14 year old who thankfully evaded any of the shenanigans).

“I believe you are referring to Amarantha De Talone. She laces cups of tea with a potion to freeze her victims and steal time from their present. The rumour is that she was over 324 years old.” How strange, tea seemed to be a running theme in todays lesson. She wondered if she too had a favourite teapot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Suddenly she recalled an incident her mums told her about, and her hand shot up. ”In 2094, several shops in Hogsmeade were vandalized… Dervish and Banges, Honeydukes, Madam Puddifoot's, and Simply Stylish Salon, if I remember correctly. A pro-muggleborn cult was behind it. A few of its members were guests at Hogwarts the year before, and they brainwashed some of the students and professors into acting on their behalf. I think their symbol was a hawk.” Interesting incident, though not the way she'd choose to spread a message!

If Fergersnout was a legilimens, she might have been a little concerned over the young first year’s obsession with dark history. Thankfully for the Professor, she was not and Miss Masters would be exempt from a long rambling discussion in her office later.

“Yes. Although I wouldn’t agree with their particular methods for Hogsmeade was entirely innocent in the circumstances, propaganda is often used as a method for getting a message across. In this instance the shops were vandalised which wouldn’t you agree was more harmful to their cause than good?”

Satisfied that everyone who wanted to suggest an answer had spoken, Fergersnout moved out from behind her desk to sit on the front, excited to announce her own activity even if the students didn’t agree.

“Now we have all the names and dates and events figured out, how about we move onto something a little different? I want you to design your own version of Hogsmeade, an all-Wizarding village or town somewhere of your choosing. But I want you to consider a few things whilst you’re doing so.” She waved her hand as the chalk began writing into the blackboard.



“Location. Why have you decided on a particular place for your village? Is it particularly remote? Does the topography keep away prying muggle eyes? Is it near an important place of work or does it have a particular significance for a favourite moment in history?”

“Facilities. Think about whether it is going to be a shopping hotspot or just contain homes? What are the methods of transport for arriving and departing? What will residents do for fun?”

“History. You can have a little creative freedom here in making a backstory but I’d like you to think about how we can learn from the past to mitigate future problems in your village. Or you can look at it positively in the sense of what you’d actually like to bring with you from the past.”

“You’re free to work by yourself or in small groups. There’s large sheets of parchment paper at the front here as well as a whole assortment of inks, quills and felt tip pens. You may present your village however you see fit - whether it be a map, a poster or an essay, just so long as you remember what I have asked of you.” Extra points for creativity! “Oh and be prepared to present something at the end of the lesson. You have around 45 minutes.” She clapped her hands together rather dramatically to signal that they were free to start.


OOC: Please have fun with this, go as crazy and out there as your heart desires just so long as you stick to within site rules. You don’t need to physically present anything, a description will suffice but bonus points will be given for extra creativity if you’d like to draw/make a graphic. You have about 72 hours for the main activity. Please VM or PM me if you have any questions.

[FearlessLeader19]

Dear Merlin.

Hogsmeade had a far richer history than Ary could have ever imagined. It just went to show that even though he had been brought up in the Wizarding world all his life, he didn’t know that much about its history. He was comforted by the fact that this was why he was at school: to learn as much as his brain would absorb.

The young Slytherin was quite excited about today’s activity. He hadn’t the foggiest about what he wanted to create yet but it didn’t matter. “You guys wanna work with me?” he asked enthusiastically, already knowing that both Bry and Drake would have great ideas. “I mean, I haven’t got any idea about what I’d want the village to be but I wouldn’t mind us creating a poster.” He could grab all the materials they needed shortly.

[Chelliephone]

Thus far for this lesson, Drake had had next to nothing to contribute. He didn't know much about well... any of the establishments down in Hogsmeade. He was aware of the Shrieking Shack which he had been VERY scared of his first year, until he learned that it was called that because it had been a place of refuge for a student werewolf and his friends who'd wanted to accompany him. That had made it look more like a place of beauty to him, something loyal and charming despite it's dilapidated outward appearance. He couldn't have told anyone though if the shack had been erected simply for the students sake however or if it had once been it's own place of business. He might have asked for clarification, except he hadn't been quick enough and they were already moving on. He noted the book suggested by Professor Fergersnout down on his paper. Maybe he would consider peeking at it later.

As for events that had happened in Hogsmeade? Er.... well..... he definitely had nothing for that. Though Bryony's answer caught his attention. Wouldn't THAT have been something fun to have been able to attend? The only thing he could think of, though a very small fact and hardly an 'event', was that someone had been cursed by a necklace smuggled in back in Harry Potter's days at school. What was her name.... Katie something or another perhaps? Though he couldn't remember why she was the one who had been chosen or for what purpose the cursing had happened.

So yes... it was better he remained silent on that one too.

Now, it was on to the main activity of the lesson itself. They were.... creating their own magical village of sorts? There was so many possibilities that Drake was immediately overwhelmed by the instruction. Not to mention the abysmal knowledge he clearly held on the history of the existing villages (including those in close proximity) meant that learning from the past was certainly not going to apply to his little makeshift community. If it wasn't for Aryan the angel, he might have feigned sick right then and there to not truly show how unintelligent he was currently feeling. "Yes please." He answered quietly, but with a smile directed at both of them. "A poster sounds like a good idea too. It's creative and fun but still simple enough we shouldn't have any trouble completing it in the time frame." Especially if they were all three working on it together.

As for ideas.... Drake slunk in his chair a bit as he considered, his face screwing up into quite the look of concentration. "What if.... what if we make our village kind of like the Hogsmeade of Castelobruxo?" And if one existed, he would remind everyone now he was terrible at all of this stuff and he was unaware of it. "That would put the village in the rainforest too. We could have um... plant shops, maybe a few different ones to show the diversity of what's available in that area? And uh... potions shops, including one specific to buying different potions needed for the care of the creatures native to the area?"

[Kolyander]

Bryony smiled at Fergersnout. Not everyone was fantastic with plants but that didn't mean they couldn't appreciate their beauty. Sometimes even the easiest of plants could still be difficult to take care of. She did love Herbology though and knew quite a lot about the subject. Anyhow, that wasn't what she needed to be thinking about right now.. her attention had be stay focused on what she was currently doing and not get herself sidetracked. Too much.

Having the days activity explained and understanding that she was going to her to come up with her own type of little Hogsmeade was rather cool. Almost right away her gaze swung onto Aryan to ask if he wanted to work together, only he bet her to it.. extending the invite to her and Drake. That would make things even easier and a lot of fun. "Do you even need to ask?" she giggled. Bry listened to Drake's idea, nodding along as he spoke. "That's the one in Africa, right? They train to become Animagi really early and learn wandless magic right away too." Did it matter that she really liked both of those things? Probably not since she didn't go to school there. But ummm.. anyhow the rainforest and it's creatures and all the plants worked amazingly well for their group. "Can it have a creature shop too?"

[FearlessLeader19]

Ary easily understood that Drake felt overwhelmed; one look at his face told him as much. He would have reached out to pat him on the arm but not wanting to make Bry feel bad, he resisted. “Exactly what I was thinking.” After determining that Bry too was okay with the group making a poster, Ary scurried off to grab the materials they’d need.

Back at the desk, said materials were spread all across the three desks. “I like that idea! It’s a blend of us three. Nope, Bry. It's in Brazil.” Once more, none of them would be left out. "Tall trees, little plants, creatures like iguanas, lizards, snakes… maybe one of those rope/wooden bridges that allows the villagers to trek through it? Plus the creature shop. How does that sound?" Oh, yes. One important thing. “Who wants to draw? I can, if neither of you wants to?”

[Chelliephone]

Being an animagi and wandless magic weren't really interests to him, so when Bryony mentioned the place in Africa, the name entirely escaped Drake and he was unable to provide anything. But thankfully, Ary had already gently corrected her which meant they were back on track in Brazil. At the question of a creature shop, he nodded quickly in agreement. "Absolutely!" It was a necessary for a little haven the three of them were creating, wasn't it?

Once Aryan was back with all the supplies, Drake reached down into his bag to pull out a sheet of paper and a writing utensil. "I'm not really great at drawing. Do you mind if I make the notes for our presentation?" The question was directed to both of them, as he looked hopefully from one to the other. He certainly didn't want them to think he was trying to do LESS. Quickly jotting down the shop ideas they had come up with so far, he figured they could come back to name them once they'd figured out some of the other details. Thinking about Professor Fergersnouts questions too, he jotted them down below to make sure they had everything answered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notes

Location.

-- Near to Castelobruxo. Good spot for teachers, students and shopping haven for potioneers, herbologists and creature lovers.
-- The dense forest makes it difficult for muggles to get to, leaving it protected.

Facilities.

--Shops
-- ??

With a few notes made, Drake looked over at both of them. "Are we going to also have residences in our little village? And maybe the rope bridges could be the way of coming in? Like... there's a rope course above the village and it's open to muggle and wizarding toursists alike, but in order to get to the village you have to go to a specific spot and jump over the side. And then there will be charm that floats you down to the entrance. Kind of like the ones on the climbing tree?"

[Lottiepot]

The students seemed to be getting on with the task nicely but that didn’t stop Fergersnout from making her way around the inside of the U-shape desks and checking up on progress. “If you have any questions or want to run any ideas by me just let me know” she projected through the chitter chatter during her little walk. Mostly because she hated staying behind her desk whilst the students were taking all the fun for themselves.

Perhaps she should start drawing her own little map up on the blackboard as an example? An encouragement if you will. In fact she would do that right now! Off to the board she popped, scribbling down all the ideas swimming around in her head in various coloured chalks. Of course Fergersnout was going to relate anything she invented back to her love of archaeology but she was careful not to include too much, she didn’t want to influence the students' ideas and well.. they were clearly much more creative than she was.



“You have another twenty minutes or so” she piped up from in front of the blackboard, her tongue almost poking out from between her lips in full concentration mode.

OOC: Thank you for bearing with us. There’s still another 28 hours or so to do the activity if you’d like to join in.

[sweetpinkpixie]

She was trying, promise, to not become overwhelmed by all the facts and infallible information being shared by her peers and elaborated upon by Professor Fergersnout...but her hand simply could not keep up with all the words and therefore her notes were a glorious jumbled mess with one fact blending into another - not too unlike how she still read most works of fiction - and creating one very elaborate and inaccurate narrative.

Truly, an academic marvel she did so well on her History of Magic OWL.

Creating a unique wizarding settlement was something more easily handled than keeping up with notes and Anna immediately turned her parchment over to start brainstorming ... though what she ended up doing was a whole lot closer to daydreaming than brainstorming. She remembered the pact she, Aurora, and Solomon had made many a moon ago to travel to Atlantis and have the most epic of sleepovers there. Odd how she had no remembered that until this moment BUT since she had done well enough on her OWLs (oh, hey, was that the inspiration for the academic marvel?!) it was something she was well within her right to bring up to mum and dad again. Thoughts and intentions fixating on the aquatic, she began with writing the name for her could-be wizarding space: Liquathys. It sounded mythical and wet, didn't it? Since Atlantis was in the ocean, the Hufflepuffle's thoughts went more small scale and she wrote down the first thing to come to mind: Loch Ness. It made SENSE when you thought about it, additions which she wrote beneath the location, seeing as the closer one was to danger and exposure the safer one was! Shrouded in mystery, muggles already believed in the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ thanks to a kelpie spotting sooooooooo any accidental sightings could just fuel the narrative! Unlike other wizarding hubs being for commerce and housing, Anna decided that those two would be the secondary and thirdary purposes for her underwater dwelling. Instead this settlement magizoologists, aquatic herbologists, and their families...and people who were just generally open hearted and environmentally friendly to protect and preserve magical aquatic life AND foster healthy relationships with mermish populations! Which would of course mean that they would have to get permission from any mermish colony already living in Loch Ness. After a bit of scribbling down some facilities, Anna turned her attention to decorating her parchment a bit (and somehow making fish scales and seaweed look like a pineapple) while she hummed a tune she had heard from her now graduated thespian inspiration.

[MadMadamMalfoy]

Sydney nodded in reply to Professor Fergersnout. While she had an affinity for all things dark and macabre, she was a firm believer in free will. If she were leading a cause, she would want people to follow her because they wanted to, not because they were forced; doing otherwise would only invite betrayal. As far as she was concerned, if a leader couldn’t think of a creative way to persuade people to follow of their own accord, it wasn’t a good cause to begin with… which obviously, a cult based on blood status wasn’t, but that was beside the point.

She listened, semi-interested in the activity. Create a Wizarding town… that could be fun! Already envisioning a rough idea, she got up to retrieve her supplies from the front. Absentmindedly flicking her quill back and forth, she stared at the parchment in front of her. Location? That was easy! She chose a place she’d read about and always wanted to visit: New Orleans, Louisiana. She considered how the topography could hide her town, and an idea came to her. What if it wasn’t in the city itself, but somewhere nearby, surrounded by a swamp? That area alone would be difficult for muggles to navigate, not to mention the possibility of wildlife like alligators and rougarous.

Sydney had just finished jotting down her ideas so far when a sudden burst of inspiration struck her. She wanted her town to form the shape of a star - no particular reason, except she liked the shape. Each point of the “star” would be a different sector with similar facilities grouped together for convenience. Now what would those facilities be? There should definitely be shops, restaurants, and houses, of course - Ooh, and a radio station! Everywhere that was anywhere had a radio station!

Switching her quill from her right hand to her left, she began to map out her ideas. She put the houses in the topmost section of the star. As she worked, she decided to include an upscale hotel for visitors in the residential sector as well. The radio tower went in the top left section of the star, a section which Sydney decided would be for entertainment. She added art galleries, a theater, and a jazz club. Given the location, there had to be a jazz club somewhere!

From there, Sydney moved on to the top right section of the star, which she labeled the shopping sector. She thought of all the necessary shops for a community… clothing shops, “junk” shops, book shop, broom shop, sweet shop, pet shop, plant shop, apothecary… As she mapped out the shops, an idea occurred to her! Her town should have a community garden… and the plant shop and apothecary should be adjacent to it for efficiency. She finished off the shopping sector with a fancy restaurant that offered local cuisine and dockside dining.

Three points of the star down, two to go. Sydney added the community garden adjacent to the shopping sector going down the bottom right point of the star. What should that section be? A garden alone seemed underwhelming. Suddenly it came to her: that could be the recreation sector! The garden could be part of a park, which also included a playground, dock for watersports and a field for quidditch, quodpot, and broom racing.

Now there was only one point of the star, and Sydney had no idea what to do with it! She already had areas for housing, shopping, arts, and sports. What else was there? She thought back to her trips to Diagon Alley with her family, and an idea came to her. What if her town had its own equivalent to Knockturn Alley? It was out there, she knew, but it was the only idea she had that wasn’t too similar to the other sectors. She decided that this area would be locked behind a gate to protect the general population, and the gate could only be unlocked by those who knew the password. That way, unsuspecting people wouldn’t wander in accidentally.

Sydney switched her quill from her left hand back to her right as she put the finishing touches on her map. A town square, a fountain, and rougarou statues at the entrance of each sector - and not just any rougarou statues! These statues were bewitched to guard the town and growl at the sign of danger. With the map done, now she just needed the town’s history. She decided her town was founded in the early twentieth century, simply because that was an era she was always drawn to. Hmm, early twentieth century Wizarding America… Rappaport’s Law still existed back then, if she recalled correctly. That gave her an idea! What if Rappaport’s Law had a hand in the town’s creation? Inspired, she jotted down her ideas.

SPOILER!!: Sydney’s notes

Babin Bayou

Location: Near New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; in an area surrounded by swamp to hide from muggles (town forms a star shape, with each point a different sector)

History: Babin Bayou was founded by witch Violette Babin in 1933, after her son was killed by a local muggle who mistook him for a trespasser. Fearful for her community, Mme. Babin reached out to MACUSA for help to stop such accidents from happening again, but she was rebuffed. Not only that, but the MACUSA liaison she spoke with implied that her son had violated Rappaport’s Law, and therefore deserved his death. Enraged by MACUSA’s dismissive response, Mme. Babin took matters into her own hands. She rallied the local wizarding community, and together they established a town where all who lived there would be safe from threats both magical and muggle.

Facilities: 1 dock & Floo Network at each sector for easy transportation; Rougarou guard statues at each sector (statues growl when a threat is detected; central Town Square with fountain/statue of founder Violette Babin and her son

Residential Sector: Houses; upscale hotel for visitors; nearby coffee shop on the Residential/Shopping Sector border

Shopping Sector: Beauvais wand shop; book shop; pet shop; broom shop; candy shop; several clothing & “junk” shops; restaurant with dockside dining; plant shop & apothecary adjacent to community garden

Recreation Sector: Community garden; park; playground; dock for watersports; field for broom racing/quodpot/quidditch; cafe near park entrance

Entertainment Sector: Radio tower; theater; art galleries; jazz club & restaurant on the Entertainment/Residential Sector border

Sinister Sector: town’s equivalent to Knockturn Alley; housing & shops geared toward the Dark Arts (the only place in town where such is allowed); pub near sector entrance; separated by a gate which can only be opened by those who know the password

Map: CLICK HERE!

[Kolyander]

Did Ary think she was that jealous that a pat on the shoulder was going to upset her that much? Had she truly been that much of a mess that he thought he had to look out for this much? Goodness. She really needed to up her game even more if that was the case. Anyhow, that was something for another time when she wasn't sitting in class AND when they weren't all working on a poster together.

Moving on... Bry smiled brightly as she looked at all the art supplies laid out across their desks. Her smile only wavering for a second at the realization that she had very much mixed up the schools. "Oops! The one in Africa is Uganda, isn't it?" the small blonde giggled, not at all minding the correction today. The other school in Brazil was just as great and still for the three of them perfectly.

"Uh-huh! I really like the idea of the rope bridge." Nod nod. Cue some grinning and excited giggles at Drake's suggestion. "I love that idea! That's how it can remain hidden and safe. Umm, maybe maybe there's some homes but not very many? It can be more of a safe place for creatures and all types of plants and trees too?" The more they talked as a group the more she was really liking everything they were coming up with together.

"I'm not the greatest at drawing but I'll help." Ary knew her art skills but he also would know that she would put all her effort into whatever she got to help draw. To prove this she picked up a pencil to start sketching so changes could be easily made of need be.

[FearlessLeader19]

To be honest, yes. Ary was afraid to show Drake too much affection because he really didn’t want Bry going off on either of them. But he really understood her feelings so he wouldn’t do anything to purposely upset her. “Nope,’’ came the patient reply. “Uganda is a country in Africa. The School’s name is Uagadou.”

Ary didn’t mind if Drake wanted to make notes for the presentation; it was still a great way to contribute towards the project. Not to mention, the other guy came up with exceptional ideas. “I like that,’’ he replied, already using coloured markers to get to drawing. “So, this is the front, where the persons first have to go through a canopy of leaves…” Using green markers of various shades, canopies of leaves were drawn so that they were directly in front of each rope bridge. “That leads to the bridges…” Aryan took his time in drawing neat little bridges of yellow rope and brown wooden planks. “Below is the village… question. If the dense forest protects it from Muggles, would it be wise to open the village to Muggles?” Now that he had finished the bridges, Aryan drew some swirly things that resemble clouds. “These little marshmallowy clouds magically takes one down to the village magically.” This setup included Drake’s ideas hopefully. “What do you guys think so far?’’ Combined with Drake’s notes and his drawing, it would make quite the presentation.

“Down in the village, we have homes for residents,’’ Cue him drawing childish square houses of multiple colours. This was sure to be an eye-catching poster. “Then we have a huge sanctuary for our creatures. I think it can be one of the feature attractions, where persons can also visit the creatures and adopt any if they like. Wanna draw that, Bry?”

[Lottiepot]

Unfortunately time was not on their side when having fun and those twenty minutes ticked over to ten and then suddenly they were rapidly approaching the bell. Fergersnout tapped the blackboard for attention. “I’m afraid that that is time up. If you could all put your equipment back and then we’ll move on to our final task.” She waited for the students to do so.

“Now that we have come up with a few ideas for our own villages, I’d like you each to present something to the class about your village that you are most proud of or excited about. In my walk around I’ve seen some very creative ideas I think everyone will enjoy. I’ll go first..” She stepped aside from the blackboard to reveal her very rushed attempt at a village of her own.

“Welcome to Fergerville, named after its founder back in 1322. The village is of particular importance to the Wizard Archaeology community due to its proximity near the most important dig site in the UK, a Mecca for ancient discoveries including an early example of a wand from 372 BC.” A subject on which she could talk about for hours but (fortunately for the students) she didn’t have the time to do so.

“Who’s next?”

OOC: There is still time to catch up if you wish to do so. There is around 36 hours for this task.

[Kolyander]

Ouch. She knew her behavior had been terrible but she was better now. Not entirely perfect, some things were still going to take some time but she was doing the best that she could. Bry didn't believe she was doing that badly. Even when she yet again had to be corrected by Ary. "I'm not doing so great with this today.. but I was closer this time!" she giggled. The two names did sound very similar.

With Drake having come up with a bunch of ideas for their village and agreeing to do all the writing, which was a lot!.. Bry contently watched Ary get started on drawing his part of the poster. "Umms.. maybe the muggles can only get there at certain times? Perhaps for festivals or holidays? Unless it really isn't all that safe, is it?" The muggles wouldn't be able to jump from the bridge and magically float down like magical folk would. "I really like it." Ot was fun and creative and super colorful!

When asked if she wanted to draw the creature sanctuary, Bry beamed and reached for some of the colors to her started. There was what looked like big squares and rectangles that were meant to be enclosures and inside she drew lizards, snakes and other creatures. Not the best looking but they were at least distinguishable from one another. Once she was finished with that she went one to finish adding in the shops for their village with Ary's help. There was a large potions shop and a large Herbology shop as well.

The remainder of the details, mainly what they wanted to name their little village was discussed while they all worked. The minutes ticking away far quicker than this little third year anticipated. Before she knew it Professor Fergersnout was announcing that their time was up and showing them all a poster that she had created!

Being the most talkative and loudest in their group, Bry glanced between the two boys and smiled brightly at them before raising her hand to volunteer. When called upon she got up and took the poster with her to the front and held it up. "This is Aronake, proudly named after it's founders." That would be Ary, Drake and herself obviously. "It's located deep in a rainforest in Brazil and was once a creature reserve for iguanas, snakes and creatures that are from the area. Over time some homes and a few shops, namely a Potions shop and a Herbology shop was opened right near it for the people to live harmoniously among the creatures. The access point is here..." Bry pointed to where Ary had drawn the rope bridge high up in the tree tops. "Anyone can walk across the rope bridge BUT there is a special spot right here where you can jump from and float right on down to the village below." More pointing was done to show the magical clouds that would lower the person's safely down.

Glancing at her partners to ensure she had included everything important, Bry smiled brightly once more before returning to her seat again. That wasn't too bad!

[PhoenixRising]

De Talone. Right, she knew that!! Emma looked curiously over at Fergersnout for a moment as she tried to peg her age and if maybe Fergie was at Hogwarts during Talone's rise. She was a terrible judge though because pretty much everyone over the age of like twenty-five all seemed the same age to the young teenager.

Oh ... they were creating their own villages?? She frowned contemplating this a moment. Was it weird that this actually sounded like a good opportunity to create a good community? Like one where everyone was welcomed and neighborly. Chewing her lip at the communities already in existence, she considered the fact that there was a Godric's Hallow for Godric Gryffindor, but yet there wasn't one for her own house founder? So perhaps a village honouring the late Helga Hufflepuff embodying her core values.

She would maybe sketch a map of her ideas about the village, but for now just taking note of the basics would do.

SPOILER!!: Emma's Notes

Village: Helga's Sanctuary
Location: Wales, as Helga Hufflapuff was Welsh so it would be only fitting for her village to be located here. Knowing Helga, the village would be a welcome safe haven for muggles and witches alike. It would be a place where people can feel comfortable to be who they truly are without fear of retaliation.
Facilities: Both homes and stores. Helga would want her town to be safe for all, in terms of housing and living. There's no hate or prejudices. There's always food available, even to those who can't afford it.
History: Established in the 10th or 11th century, i would think her village would pay homage to the wonderful woman that Helga was and all she represented.

[MadMadamMalfoy]

Sydney had barely finished her map when Professor Fergersnout called time. Gathering up the inks, quills, and pens she’d used, she put the supplies back in their proper place and returned to her seat. She was only half listening to the presentations, using her time to come up with a concise way to word her points for her own presentation. A key detail of one of her housemates’ (Bryony) presentations stood out to her. Aronake… that sounded like a combination of all three of that group’s member’s names. That, along with Professor Fergersnout’s town name, made Sydney think of something

Did she misunderstand the directions? Were they supposed to name their towns after themselves? She hadn’t done so because she thought it historically inaccurate, opting instead to create a historical figure who could’ve existed in that era. She wasn’t alive hundreds of years ago, and she had no idea if her ancestors had ties to her chosen location. It was possible that her ma’s side of the family did if one went back far enough… Anyway, it was too late to completely rewrite her town’s history.

Sydney made her way to the front of the room when her turn came, holding her map up with her left hand while pointing with a quill held in her right. She wished she had a better object to use as a pointer, like a nice fancy staff, but this would have to do! While she wasn’t afraid of speaking in front of crowds, she lacked a flair for the dramatic. Speaking in her usual matter-of-fact tone, she began, “Presenting Babin’s Bayou, located in a swamp near New Orleans, Louisiana. The swampy area and local wildlife provide a natural deterrent for muggles. Founded in 1933 by a witch named Violette Babin, this town is a sort of triumph over tragedy. At the time, Rappaport’s Law, which prohibited interaction between the American wizarding and muggle communities, existed. When Madame Babin’s son died in a chance encounter with a muggle, she turned to MACUSA for help, only to have her concerns dismissed and her son’s memory sullied on the grounds of upholding Rappaport’s Law. So she took matters into her own hands and founded the town as a safe place for wizards of all backgrounds and ideologies.”

“The town is shaped like a star, surrounded by swamp on all sides,” she continued, pointing out areas of the map as she went. “Each point of the star has its own dock and Floo Network for easy transportation. The town is made up of five sectors, each representing a point of the star. The residential sector -” She pointed to the topmost part of the star. “-provides housing and an upscale hotel for visitors. The entertainment sector is home to the local radio station-” She pointed out the radio tower in the top left point of the star. “- as well as several art galleries, a theater, and a jazz club. The shopping sector is opposite the entertainment sector.” She pointed to the top right section. “Here are various stores, a restaurant offering local cuisine, and a plant shop/apothecary adjacent to a community garden.”

Sydney indicated the garden running down the bottom right section of the star. “The garden makes up part of a park in the recreation sector. The park also includes a playground, watersports area, and a field for quodpot, quidditch, and broom racing. Which brings me to the final point of the star…” She paused, bracing herself for a negative reaction to her ideas. “The sinister sector, this town’s equivalent to Knockturn Alley with housing and shops for dark wizards. If such a place exists here in the UK, it stands to reason that similar places would exist elsewhere, and… While some might find the inclusion undesirable, Violette Babin understood that many historical events, like the one that led to Rappaport’s Law, happened because a group of people feared and attacked what they didn't understand. Madame Babin chose to foster understanding by offering dark wizards a place to be themselves without harming the community. This sector is separated by a gate, which can only be opened with a password, to protect the rest of the town. There are also rougarou statues, enchanted to growl at the sign of danger, at each sector’s entrance for extra security. One final statue of Violette Babin and her son is part of a fountain in the town square, located in the center of town here.”

After pointing out the town square, Sydney returned to her seat to make way for the next presentation. Top that, everybody! She thought to herself.

[Lottiepot]

When Fergersnout had specified sharing what they were most proud of in their village, she wasn’t expecting them to give the full lowdown. Not that she didn’t appreciate their enthusiasm, she was rather thrilled by it actually. “Some creative ideas and some excellent thinking. I hope that this exercise allowed you to think of what we can interpret from our past experiences and what to include in our future. You see history isn’t just about delving into the past but rather learning from it.”

As was often the case when having fun, the time went flying by. At least Fergersnout was having fun anyway, she couldn’t speak on behalf of the students as to whether the lesson had been enjoyable for them. It didn’t subscribe to what was stereotypical for a ‘history’ lesson but then that wasn’t her style full stop.

“Sadly that is all we have time for today. I look forward to hearing about how today might’ve influenced your experience when walking around Hogsmeade sometime soon. Class is dismissed.”

With a flick of the wrist, the blackboard was erased.

OOC: Thank you for your participation. The thread will close in a couple of hours to allow for any catch up.