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

[sweetpinkpixie]

For someone with as dodgey a memory as Anna, no one had been more surprised and positively elated by her History of Magic OWL score than Anna herself. So much so that she had been immediately inspired to write to her professor about it ... only she did not know her address and the gentleman who ran the Owl Post seemed to have been humoring her when he accepted her letter with the thrown together address of Professor Fergersnout, History of Magic Classroom, Hogwarts. Or maybe he just had faith in his owls to know where to go? In any case, there had been a scribbled note sent and by the time term had begun the Hufflepuffle had sort of forgotten the whole jovial escapades - save for the lingering sentiment of pride with which she strolled into every History of Magic class. The same light and modestly confident stride with which she carried herself today, actually!

"Hello, Professor Fergersnout!" she chirped with a wave as she approached the U shape of desks and did a little eeny, meeny, miny, moe to decide where she would sit today (which ended up being somewhere in the middle of the straighter looking line that made up the right side of the U shape. Something lumpy under a cloth? Anna could not even begin to fathom what it may be - the possibilities were literally endless! - she she may just not guess but she did have a thought that it was an elaborate dollhouse of some sort...like a castle like she used to have before passing it on to her younger sisters! Some of the more pointy parts of the draped cloth kind of looked like Hogwarts pointed turrets!

[Chelliephone]

There was not much enthusiasm in this third year as he made his way inside the History of Magic classroom. He really liked Professor Fergersnout, her eclectic colors and general charism made this class as fun as it could be, but the matter remained that he could never make it through his readings without falling asleep which meant as a whole he was generally unprepared for class time.

Like today. And the small bit of despair only grew in the pit of his stomach when he saw the set up. It looked similar to when they had a debate, which he had NOT enjoyed taking part in. Slinking a little bit into himself as he walked further into the room, Drake mustered up a small smile as he looked over at the Professor and offered a greeting. "G'day, Professor."

Glancing at the seats again, he spotted the older Hufflepuff and remembering how wise she was, he made to sit on the same side as her though not exactly next to. If they WERE going to debate again, he did NOT want to be on the opposite side from her again.

[Kolyander]

Unlike the past several weeks how little Miss Bryony had arrived to all her lessons less than thrilled, Professor Fergersnout might be pleased to see that wasn't the case any longer. There was a clear spring in her step once again and a bright smile on her face as she stepped into the classroom and immediately took in the set-up.

"Hello, Professor. It's a really lovely morning, isn't it?" Bryony chipped happily, giving her usual finger wiggle wave in greeting. Cue wiggly fingers at Anna and Drake too as she dropped down into a seat near Drake leaving the one between them empty for Ary when he arrived. Did they need to be taking their textbooks or anything out yet?

[FearlessLeader19]

Needless to say that the unusual setup of the classroom that afternoon grabbed Ary’s attention first. The covered object on the table did so next. But did he ponder what this meant? Nope, he simply sought out Professor Fergersnout to give his usual greeting. His curiosity soared as he noted her plainer outfit today. Perhaps she needed a change for a bit? Whatever the reason, Ary gave her the finger wiggle-wave.

That out of the way, the Slytherin trudged further into the classroom, He needed to figure out where he was gonna sit. However, that question seemed to have already been solved for him. “Hi,’’ Ary said softly, slipping into the seat between Bry and Drake. They both got nudges too, and he was smiling as he did so. Things were going much smoother than he had anticipated. This was something the boy was very grateful for.

[Felixir]

"Afternoon, Madam Snout," Charlie greeted the professor as he entered, hands in his pockets and schoolbag hanging off of one shoulder. He gave the seating arrangements barely a moment of consideration before planting himself smack bang in the middle of the lower 'rung' of the U-shape, like a king holding court.

Sliding his back off his shoulder, Charlie nudged it under the desk with his foot, and lounged back coolly in his seat, waiting for class to start. In the meantime, he cast an appraising glance at those who were already here, and kept one eye on the door, to keep track of who was coming in, who looked where first, any smiles or discomfort, who sat with whom, and so on.

[SilverTiger]

The classroom setup wasn’t that unusual, or at least that was Giselle’s opinion as she had arrived to the latest History of Magic lesson. The fifth year remembered other lessons that had been kind of like this, and she showed little curiosity toward the covered object other than a brief glance before she chose a seat near the curve of the U-shape.

“Good morning, Professor”, she said as she settled into her seat, nudging her schoolbag underneath with a foot and giving the professor a smile. “Have you listened to any good music lately?” She remembered catching her humming opera in previous years and it seemed like a better question that the obvious. Either the answer to what was in the center of the room or the less-than-dramatic attire of the professor at the moment. Unless one considered plainness dramatic. She imagined it could be.

[astrocat]

Brandon was Observant. Or maybe Alert was a better word for it. He always noticed when something was out-of-the-ordinary. In this case, it was the U-shaped desk formation in his history class. That wasn't a weird desk formation for a school, BUT it wasn't usually the formation for this class and Brandon didn't like it when the desks moved. He liked to sit in the exact same spot in the classroom in the same chair every time, okay.

Ignoring his feeling of discomfort, he headed in and took a seat right next to Giselle. She was basically his family by now, so... it was the most comfortable place. He nodded at her with a smile, then waved at Anna a few desks away. "Giselle. Anna. Professor. Hey." It wasn't an entirely 'enthusiastic' or 'bright' greeting, but Brandon had never been like that, not really. His smiles and polite head nods were friendly for him.

[noodles]

Honestly, it was a bit of a relief to Ezra that History of Magic was taking place in the classroom today. He enjoyed the lessons and Professor Fergersnout drew your attention with her excentric and dynamic personality; but Ezra, who usually had an energetic disposition, had been tired of late.

Growing up was exhaaaaausting and growth spurts were a current thing. He was glad to be able to shuffle into the classroom and take a seat, seemingly without the need to run around recreating a battle or something along those lines. “Good morning—er—afternoon, Professor.” He greeted Fergersnout, correcting himself. It sure still felt like morning. It sure felt like he should still be sleeping.

He sat near Brandon the Nervous Hufflepuff, giving him and the others in the room nods of acknowledgement.

[PhoenixRising]

Emma was hereeeee !!!!!! While she definitely was feeling DeVries absence as Puffer Head, Fergersnout was filling his shoes quite nicely. As far as History of Magic, she was indifferent towards the subject. It was neither a favorite, nor her worst, but it was a mandatory subject even if it seemed to require more memorizations and less 'doing'. But Professor F generally made things exciting.

Only thing was that when she entered the History of Magic, Emma did a double take and wondered if she perchance was in the wrong classroom? The lack of individual desks, not to mention Fergersnouts lack of brightly coloured robes. But people seemed to be seated so perhaps just changing things up?

"Good morning, Professor F!" she chirped. "Everything okay?" Emma added on, worriedly. She hoped Fergersnout wasn't sick or anything. Or worse, that she got reprimanded for her eccentric wardrobe.

Taking a seat beside Ezra, mostly cause she felt like it's been awhile since she sat near him, she gave casual waves and smiles at her fellow third years first, then some of the others she recognized.

[Lottiepot]

Text Cut: Greetings & Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

"Hello, Professor Fergersnout!" she chirped with a wave as she approached the U shape of desks and did a little eeny, meeny, miny, moe to decide where she would sit today (which ended up being somewhere in the middle of the straighter looking line that made up the right side of the U shape. Something lumpy under a cloth? Anna could not even begin to fathom what it may be - the possibilities were literally endless! - she she may just not guess but she did have a thought that it was an elaborate dollhouse of some sort...like a castle like she used to have before passing it on to her younger sisters! Some of the more pointy parts of the draped cloth kind of looked like Hogwarts pointed turrets!

Apollonia was always appreciative when a student took the time to message her. It added an extra layer of amusement when the owl seemingly found their way to her with ease despite the questionable address on the front. It was very ‘cupboard under the stairs’-esque. She wasn’t completely oblivious that history was unlikely to be at the top of the list of favourite subjects but the sense of pride she felt when students did achieve top grades was immeasurable.

Enthusiasm upon entering the classroom was ALSO greatly appreciated, so much so that it was one of her classroom rules. “Always so eager Miss Walles. You DO bring a smile to my face” the Hufflepuff Head of House chirped back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

Like today. And the small bit of despair only grew in the pit of his stomach when he saw the set up. It looked similar to when they had a debate, which he had NOT enjoyed taking part in. Slinking a little bit into himself as he walked further into the room, Drake mustered up a small smile as he looked over at the Professor and offered a greeting. "G'day, Professor."

Unfortunately not every student entered with the level of bounciness as the previous Hufflepuff and that was okay.. until it disrupted the general mood of the classroom. “Chin up, Mr Beery. History isn’t that bad” she smiled in the Slytherin’s direction.

And no need to be concerned, there was no intention of another debate this lesson. Unless it got out of hand that was, she couldn’t exactly guarantee the attitudes of his fellow students.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

"Hello, Professor. It's a really lovely morning, isn't it?" Bryony chipped happily, giving her usual finger wiggle wave in greeting. Cue wiggly fingers at Anna and Drake too as she dropped down into a seat near Drake leaving the one between them empty for Ary when he arrived. Did they need to be taking their textbooks or anything out yet?

Another petite and bouncy individual to join the affray. Fergersnout didn’t make it a habit to involve herself in the personal lives of her students but she was aware when their attitudes seemed to have changed overnight. She was more than pleased to see that Bryony had returned to normal.

“Oh dear Miss Paton, it seems that the morning must have slipped away from you” she chortled, eyes turning to the classroom clock as it ticked over to 1:59pm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Needless to say that the unusual setup of the classroom that afternoon grabbed Ary’s attention first. The covered object on the table did so next. But did he ponder what this meant? Nope, he simply sought out Professor Fergersnout to give his usual greeting. His curiosity soared as he noted her plainer outfit today. Perhaps she needed a change for a bit? Whatever the reason, Ary gave her the finger wiggle-wave.

Silent greetings were acceptable, they couldn’t all be as talkative as the Professor was or else no one would be able to be heard over the constant babbling and that wouldn’t be constructive to a pleasant learning experience.

“Good afternoon Mr Atreyu-Rehman.” She knew that rearranging the seating would still result in certain students sitting amongst their favourite peers, Aryan was no exception.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

"Afternoon, Madam Snout," Charlie greeted the professor as he entered, hands in his pockets and schoolbag hanging off of one shoulder. He gave the seating arrangements barely a moment of consideration before planting himself smack bang in the middle of the lower 'rung' of the U-shape, like a king holding court.

Fergersnout was not a common surname by any means and she was aware of the close proximity of her own surname to a certain former Herbology professor but it wasn’t often that her name was altered by a student.

Her eyebrow raised, or at least it would have should she have the ability to raise each of her eyebrows independently. Instead they both knitted together in a sort of confused expression that was supposed to have been an independant brow. “Afternoon Master Stead.” she replied, copying his chosen greeting. She knew there would be someone who fancied themselves as the head of the table.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

“Good morning, Professor”, she said as she settled into her seat, nudging her schoolbag underneath with a foot and giving the professor a smile. “Have you listened to any good music lately?” She remembered catching her humming opera in previous years and it seemed like a better question that the obvious. Either the answer to what was in the center of the room or the less-than-dramatic attire of the professor at the moment. Unless one considered plainness dramatic. She imagined it could be.

What Fergersnout perceived as ‘good’ music might not have been particularly popular amongst the younger generation. “I’m always fond of the classics, Miss Barrington” she answered the Slytherin. “I find that my tastes and that of you youngin’s don’t always align.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrocat

Ignoring his feeling of discomfort, he headed in and took a seat right next to Giselle. She was basically his family by now, so... it was the most comfortable place. He nodded at her with a smile, then waved at Anna a few desks away. "Giselle. Anna. Professor. Hey." It wasn't an entirely 'enthusiastic' or 'bright' greeting, but Brandon had never been like that, not really. His smiles and polite head nods were friendly for him.

Fergersnout couldn’t blame Brandon for putting her bottom of the priority list when it came to greetings, she likely WAS the least exciting of the three although she tried not to be. “Mr Fox” she greeted him back with her own nod of the head.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noodles

Growing up was exhaaaaausting and growth spurts were a current thing. He was glad to be able to shuffle into the classroom and take a seat, seemingly without the need to run around recreating a battle or something along those lines. “Good morning—er—afternoon, Professor.” He greeted Fergersnout, correcting himself. It sure still felt like morning. It sure felt like he should still be sleeping.

Oh Merlin, another student who couldn’t tell the time. Either they must’ve had a really dull morning so much so that they spent the lessons napping and therefore when they awoke they felt it was still morning or their morning was just THAT exciting that it went by so quickly and felt like less time than it was. There would preferably be no napping in this particular lesson, Fergersnout wasn’t afraid of taking points when necessary.

“Do you not remember eating your lunch, Mr Greenwood?” she chuckled. She certainly remembered hers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

"Good morning, Professor F!" she chirped. "Everything okay?" Emma added on, worriedly. She hoped Fergersnout wasn't sick or anything. Or worse, that she got reprimanded for her eccentric wardrobe.

Just in time came the little Hufflepuff, moments before Fergersnout was ready to wandlessly close the classroom door. She was ready to make a comment that it was in fact the middle of the afternoon but the student swiftly moved on to asking how she was. “I’m tickety-boo, Miss Montmorency. Thank you for your concern.” How kind of her to ask.

The students needn’t look into the differing desk formation too much, it was merely a ploy from the Professor to switch things up a bit. There’d be no battle recreations or dramatic displays today but she liked to pique their interest somehow. Besides, it was much more pleasant to face each other than to sit staring at a blackboard and her face all lesson was it not? That and she was fully aware that history could be conceived as a ‘boring’ subject full of dates and names and she couldn’t have the students thinking that now could she?

With one quick check that there were no stragglers racing to enter the room, Fergersnout closed the door from her position at the front of the classroom. “Thank you all for arriving promptly” Fergsnout smiled warmly after tapping her wand on her desk to settle down the inevitable pre-class conversations. “Do not fret over the seating arrangements, I am not going to force you into another debate” she chortled. Not unless they wanted to but debate club existed for a reason and she would gladly direct them over there.

“Now let’s start the lesson by checking whose noggin’s are awake this afternoon. I’m sure you are all aware that you and your fellow students hail from a vast area across the UK and some of you from beyond which means that the magical population is not restricted to a particular location. But what do we know of areas that do have a denser population of Wizarding folk? Can you each give me an example of somewhere that fits this criteria? It does not need to be exclusive to us magical beings and let’s think broadly shall we and cover further afield too.”

OOC: Thank you for joining us! A nice simple question to start with, name a location where there is a bigger population of magical folk. Just one answer per student please. You have around 24 hours.

[Felixir]

When Madam Snout returned his greeting in kind, Charlie only met her with a broad grin. Like, yeah. Sure. Master Stead. Why not?

Soon enough it was down to business - although, Charlie had to take a second look at the faces of those around him when Snout commented on the seating arrangements. Maybe it was just that he could imagine fretting about a bunch of desks; he'd just figured that any uncomfortable faces were more to do with the subject itself, or maybe just indigestion.

Well. Whatever. To business.

"There's Godric's Hollow." The obvious choice, as Charlie lived there, though he didn't advertise that fact here in the classroom. "Technically, it's a small village, and muggles share it, but there's a lot of us mixed in. So it does have a dense wizarding population, in a way. The graveyard is like a who's who of famous families." Famous wizarding families, obviously. "So there's been loads of us there over a long period of time, too."

[Chelliephone]

Drake smiled widely back at Bryony when she arrived, pleased it seemed they were still in a good place as well, before his attention shifted to Ary's arrival. He returned the gentle nudge, whispering a quick "hello" before he also sent smiles to the other familiar faces that had followed into the room after them. With a little bit of renewed optimism for the upcoming lesson (which only grew exponentially later as well when Professor Snout assured there was no debate for the day), Drake didn't even sink in his seat at the Professor's comment post his arrival, which usually he would have done so.

All was well though. History of magic or not, at least there was no personal issues to contend with today.

So... The current topic was smaller populations of individuals was it? Geography was also something Drake would not lost as his strong suits, but when it was confirmed it didn't have to be limited to wizards, he found he did have an answer and raised his hand. "There's a population of mermish folk in the Great Lake. And even with it having 'great' in the name, I imagine it can't house a huge number of one type of it's inhabitants considering how many different species call it home." He wasn't sure if that's exactly what she was looking for, but... He was trying to participate!

[Kolyander]

Huh? What was this? The morning had gotten away from her. What in the name of dancing moonclaves was Professor Fergersnout talking about? Bright blue eyes shifted towards the clock on the wall and the widened slightly in surprise. Oops! "Oooh! Well it seems that it has, I really must've been having the best time down in the barns with the creatures," she giggled. How she had even managed to make it here on time at all was beyond her!

That wide smile from Drake, she saw it and it may have just got her smiling right back at him. This girl was in a great mood! The arrival of Ary sitting in the seat between them only made things even better. "Heyyyy," she whispered, nudging him lightly with her shoulder in return, her hand closest to his reaching out to give his a very quick squeeze. He was happy too, yeah?

Bry was immediately relieved in finding out that the current seating arrangement has nothing to do with debates. She hadn't done all that well with that last term. Nor was she all that great in remembering lots of names and dates and places. But this was a question she thought she could answer! Where did populations of magical beings live. Was it wrong to go with a completely obvious one? She didn't think so. Raising her hand she wanted to be called on before giving her answer. "Hogsmeade is an all wizard village. It's on the Highlands of Britain and students from Hogwarts get to go there on certain weekends to go shopping or visit the shops there."

[FearlessLeader19]

Ary was grateful that the professor was so considerate in adjusting the seating arrangements. It did help to have the comfort of those he liked most close to him. Yes Bry, he was very happy. So happy that he couldn’t stop smiling as he arranged all his materials for the lesson before him.

The third year was sort of disappointed that there was no debate today. He had rather enjoyed that particular activity. But whatever it was that was planned for today’s lesson, Ary was sure he would enjoy it too. “There’s Ottery St. Catchpole,” was the answer when he was called upon. “It’s somewhere in Devon and has a Magical and a Muggle community.” It was very nice that the two could live together even if the Muggles were clueless about their neighbours being witches and wizards.

[PhoenixRising]

Not to fret, it seemed scheduling wasn't the only thing that was off today ... Morning ... afternoon ... night. Everything was just a blur in time and space. But what was important was that Fergersnout was doing alright and hadn't been reprimanded for eccentric clothing choices. It was just an off-day with the plain attire.

At least no debates. While that had been fun, Emma wasn't really the debating type. Huh, so they were going to be talking about villages. She listened as some of her peers listed of the more common ones - Godric's Hollow, Hogsmeade, Ottery St Catchpole. Drake bringing up the Great Lake with the mermish population was interesting. She thought back to her father's pro quidditch days - even though they were before she was born. Appleby Arrows, which had an interesting point. "There's Appleby in North Lincolnshire. Affiliated specifically with the Appleby Arrows, but actually many locations across the United Kingdom play host to the professional quidditch teams." Which would offer a window for others to name about a dozen other villages.

[SilverTiger]

Had she known the thoughts going through Brandon’s head as he had joined her in the seat next to her, Giselle would have been pleased. Mainly because she thought of him as family as well, but she’d merely returned his greeting with a smile as the lesson had begun soon after the last few students had filtered in. No need to court trouble this early, or at least trouble with lessons. The fifth year knew there were plenty other ways she could get into trouble outside of lessons.

Nor was she particularly fretting over the seating arrangements, although she’d been tempted to prove Professor Fergersnout wrong on the topic of music. She liked opera just as much as she liked current music. Classical music was a thing at home when mum was playing her violin, after all. When mum wasn’t adapting the music from Game of Thrones for her own purposes.

She did, however, raise her hand in response to the question, having listened to some of the other answers given. “What about places like Diagon Alley, or Place Cachée in Paris? They obviously have pretty dense populations of Wizarding folk, even if people don’t necessarily live there all of the time.” Although people did live in Diagon Alley now. She saw the flyers and stuff. And no, she didn't feel guilty about mentioning two places.

[noodles]

Well.. to be honest, Professor, Ezra had eaten lunch in a daze today having struggled through the mornings classes after skipping breakfast because he had slept in. Not good for a growing teen. He wasn't his best on an empty stomach, so anything educational that morning had gone in one ear and out the other.

Despite his current tired affliction, the lad gave Emma a bright smile as she joined him. Fergersnout's question was also met with a smile that he tried his best to hide, but failed. The only thing he could currently think of was his own humongous family. Greenwoods here, Greenwoods there, Greenwoods everywhere!

Uh.

Think, Ezra, THINK.

“Upper Flagley?" Right? He really felt he had to contribute after the silly smile.

[MadMadamMalfoy]

Sydney enjoyed History of Magic for the most part. History was full of dark secrets to uncover! Speaking of secrets, the first thing she noticed upon entering the room was the large covered object in the middle of the room. What was that? She tilted her head to one side, trying to see under the cover. Whatever it was, she hoped it was something dark and creepy… although that seemed unlikely, given who taught this class.

She'd greeted the professor with her usual polite nod upon arrival and taken a seat in the middle of the U- shape to give her the best view of the covered object. She arranged her supplies neatly on the desk as the lesson began. Areas with a dense population of wizarding folk? Her thoughts immediately turned to the Isle of Drear. If the legend held true, that place was once home to two clans of wizarding folks, one of which turned the other into quintapeds.

Sydney didn't voice that answer for three reasons. One, she wasn't 100% sure that legend was true. Two, even if it was, neither of the two clans still lived there. One was dead and the other transfigured into creatures. And three, she thought The answer the professor was looking for was probably Godric's Hollow or Hogsmeade, and she didn't want to be wrong in front of everyone.

Staying quiet for now, she listed her classmates’ answers in her notes, along with a quick drawing to represent each place.

[Lottiepot]

Text Cut: Responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

"There's Godric's Hollow." The obvious choice, as Charlie lived there, though he didn't advertise that fact here in the classroom. "Technically, it's a small village, and muggles share it, but there's a lot of us mixed in. So it does have a dense wizarding population, in a way. The graveyard is like a who's who of famous families." Famous wizarding families, obviously. "So there's been loads of us there over a long period of time, too."

Fergersnout would much prefer the thought that it was the change in seating arrangements that was causing such commotion rather than that HER subject was just that awful. Indigestion after lunch would make sense although she’d question what on earth the house elves had made to cause it throughout the masses.

“Wonderful answer.” Full of much more detail than she had initially asked but that wasn’t anything new. Some students liked to show off just how intelligent they were. “Godric’s Hollow has a long history associated with the Wizarding community. Most notably it is famed as the birthplace of your founder” She nodded at Charlie’s Gryffindor tie. It did make one question what the village was called before Godric’s birth however. “As well as the location for numerous important events. The Ministry must’ve kept a close eye on the village’s muggle population.” What with the battle of the Dumbledores and the death of the Potters, there must’ve been memory charms thrown out left, right and centre.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

So... The current topic was smaller populations of individuals was it? Geography was also something Drake would not lost as his strong suits, but when it was confirmed it didn't have to be limited to wizards, he found he did have an answer and raised his hand. "There's a population of mermish folk in the Great Lake. And even with it having 'great' in the name, I imagine it can't house a huge number of one type of it's inhabitants considering how many different species call it home." He wasn't sure if that's exactly what she was looking for, but... He was trying to participate!

The Professor hadn’t specified what type of magical population nor had she stated it must be a settlement like a village so what Drake had suggested was a perfectly valid response.

“Yes, that’s brilliant out of the box thinking,” she smiled reassuringly. “The Great Lake is a hodgepodge of magical creatures and mundane animals although no memory charms are required on their behalf” she chortled. Not unless a muggle had developed the ability to speak to animals in which case they likely deserved to have knowledge of their community.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

The third year was sort of disappointed that there was no debate today. He had rather enjoyed that particular activity. But whatever it was that was planned for today’s lesson, Ary was sure he would enjoy it too. “There’s Ottery St. Catchpole,” was the answer when he was called upon. “It’s somewhere in Devon and has a Magical and a Muggle community.” It was very nice that the two could live together even if the Muggles were clueless about their neighbours being witches and wizards.

Such wonderful names these villages did have and so densely populated in the West Country, the reason for which she could only assume was because of the region's long association with what the muggles called ‘Witchcraft’ and its connection to Merlin. Besides, it was such a beautiful and rural area, who wouldn’t want to live there?

“It is also infamous for its association with a number of well-known Wizarding families. The Weasleys, Lovegoods and Diggorys have all called the village home at some point. Such is the topography of the area that it was easy to conceal both Wizarding homes and even a portkey to the 1994 Quidditch World Cup.” She herself wouldn’t fancy the trek up Stoatshead Hill, not in her aging years anyway. The old knees probably couldn’t take it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

At least no debates. While that had been fun, Emma wasn't really the debating type. Huh, so they were going to be talking about villages. She listened as some of her peers listed of the more common ones - Godric's Hollow, Hogsmeade, Ottery St Catchpole. Drake bringing up the Great Lake with the mermish population was interesting. She thought back to her father's pro quidditch days - even though they were before she was born. Appleby Arrows, which had an interesting point. "There's Appleby in North Lincolnshire. Affiliated specifically with the Appleby Arrows, but actually many locations across the United Kingdom play host to the professional quidditch teams." Which would offer a window for others to name about a dozen other villages.

It didn’t surprise her that someone would mention locations with associations to Quidditch teams. She admittedly was not overly familiar with the sport, nor had she often attended matches unless they had some historical significance that meant she would be foolish to miss it.

“It is to my knowledge that supporters of Quidditch teams do not necessarily hail from that area, yes? It must be quite alarming for the muggles when their village's population exponentially grows during match days” she chuckled.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

She did, however, raise her hand in response to the question, having listened to some of the other answers given. “What about places like Diagon Alley, or Place Cachée in Paris? They obviously have pretty dense populations of Wizarding folk, even if people don’t necessarily live there all of the time.” Although people did live in Diagon Alley now. She saw the flyers and stuff. And no, she didn't feel guilty about mentioning two places.

Once again, Fergersnout didn’t mention that the population had to live there and therefore shopping precincts was a perfectly reasonable answer. Bonus points for choosing somewhere outside of Britain as well.

“Due to the ease of transportation we have, it isn’t always the case that the locations we live in are near our places of work. Take for example Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic, both located within muggle London and MACUSA in New York.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by noodles

Uh.

Think, Ezra, THINK.

“Upper Flagley?" Right? He really felt he had to contribute after the silly smile.

It wasn’t a rare sight that a student found something funny but as far as Fergersnout could recall, there wasn’t anything particularly amusing said. In which case this student was just chuckling to his own thoughts. Well at least he was entertaining himself and not falling asleep on his desk.

“That’s right. Another village found in the north of England, only this one is also home to St Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards.” She could think of worse places to spend her retirement. “I’ve heard the residents are rather partial to a practical joke on their carers.” Imagine the scenes of super speed zimmer frames!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Sydney didn't voice that answer for three reasons. One, she wasn't 100% sure that legend was true. Two, even if it was, neither of the two clans still lived there. One was dead and the other transfigured into creatures. And three, she thought The answer the professor was looking for was probably Godric's Hollow or Hogsmeade, and she didn't want to be wrong in front of everyone.

Staying quiet for now, she listed her classmates’ answers in her notes, along with a quick drawing to represent each place.

Staying quiet was absolutely acceptable just so long that the student was paying attention. It seemed as if the first year was as she was scribbling notes on her parchment, or at least she hoped that it was notes and not pointless doodling.

Nevermind.. onto the next student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

Bry was immediately relieved in finding out that the current seating arrangement has nothing to do with debates. She hadn't done all that well with that last term. Nor was she all that great in remembering lots of names and dates and places. But this was a question she thought she could answer! Where did populations of magical beings live. Was it wrong to go with a completely obvious one? She didn't think so. Raising her hand she wanted to be called on before giving her answer. "Hogsmeade is an all wizard village. It's on the Highlands of Britain and students from Hogwarts get to go there on certain weekends to go shopping or visit the shops there."

Apollonia was not a creature person, she preferred to admire them from a safe distance, but she could understand how being around them could make one lose concept of the time. Not that it mattered, Bryony had arrived with time to spare.

It was no surprise that someone would mention Hogsmeade as their answer considering it was their next door neighbour and there was always excitement over their visiting weekends. “That’s correct.” Which handily moved them onto the next part of the lesson.

“Some fabulous answers. The majority of these pockets of communities were established after the creation of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1689. After the persecution of the community, the people felt safety in numbers and moved into rural villages throughout the UK. This allowed them to attract less attention from muggles by working together to conceal their existence.”

“Today we are going to be concentrating on just one..” She waved her hand to reveal the scale model of Hogsmeade that had been concealed under the cloth. Enchanted to function just as the real village did with miniature people wandering its streets and smoke billowing out of the public houses chimneys, she was really quite proud of it. “Hogsmeade was established in 914 and its creation is mostly associated with Hengist of Woodcroft. Born in Woodcroft, Gloucestershire, Hengist attended Hogwarts and was sorted into Hufflepuff house, taught by Helga herself. Unfortunately at the time magic was misconstrued as being an ‘evil’ and Hengist was persecuted and driven away from his ancestral home by the local muggle population. Searching for safety lead him to develop a settlement near to the school, the first and only all Wizarding village on our dear island. Hengist used the Three Broomsticks as his base whilst he lived there.”

“Now obviously Hogsmeade has changed a little since its foundation but the buildings remain largely the same. In fact, some of the establishments have existed since its conception. Can each of you name an establishment and tell me a little about their history? Who founded it, what it was before it became that particular shop etc.” She wasn’t looking for an essay, just a few key facts they could recall. Nor did that particular building have to be a shop for there were numerous other locations in and around the area they could mention.

OOC: There’s plenty of establishments to go around but just one each please. Both HP and SS canon is encouraged. You have around 24 hours again for this question.

[FearlessLeader19]

True, true.

Ary had heard that a few famous Wizarding families resided there at Ottery St. Catchpole. It was nice to have the names now, which he jotted down. Thank you, Professor Fergersnout! In addition to notes on his own answer, notes on his classmates' answers. Needless to say this Slytherin was learning a lot and being reminded of facts he may have forgotten.

Hogsmeade, then, was their focus. Bry must know quite a bit more than Ary did about the place since it was her home. With regard to Heingst, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. It was probably much more dangerous to live as a wizarding folk back then than now. Probably. On a positive note, he had founded that wonderful village after that tribulation.

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.

[AlwaysSnapesGirl]

Ezra had remained quiet for the first question since the answers that came to his mind immediately, such as Hogsmeade and Godric's Hollow, had already been given. Hogsmeade in particular had stood out, not only because of its proximity to Hogwarts but also the Headmaster's speech at the start of term feast. So he wasn't too surprised when it turned out that the topic of the lesson was, in fact, Hogsmeade. It actually piqued his interest even more.

Now as for the shops and buildings specifically...he thought he had an answer for this one.

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.

[noodles]

No, nope. No falling asleep yet for Ezra, Professor Snout. Just a bit of a drowsy expression on his face as the class progressed some.

Hogsmeade was one of the teenager's favourite places. Hogwarts was huge, but even the castle and grounds could get dull when being stuck there for the months before they were able to escape into the wilds. The wilds of Hogsmeade.

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.”

Ezra's love of creatures always drew him there whenever he visited the village, but he had no idea who founded it, or when it was established. It must have been eons ago.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Well, if Anna's cheeks were not already rosey from one reason or another then they certainly were when the professor offered one of the most delightful and touching compliments one could receive - you bring a smile to my face. A smile is a curve that sets everything straight AND was the shortest distance between two people! So the sixth year was wiggling a bit in her seat and playing with her hair trying not to giggle as the rest of her peers entered and class began. Thoughts of debate had no even crossed her might - she would have been delighted by how clever her peers were would she aware of these foresight and thoughts - and was too busy tapping her freckled cheeks trying to remember names of wizarding villages. Of COURSE she knew some, but when put on the spot suddenly every single name was flittering out of her noggin like delicate butterflies on the breeze. Godric's Hollow...the Great Lake...Hogsmeade (oh goodness how has she not thought of Hogsmeade?!)...Ottery St. Catchpole...so many fabulous answers from her classmates that had her and her mind playing catch up at a glacial pace. Weren't all the quidditch teams based on cities and locations with large wizarding communities? Quidditch AND gobstones and for SOME reason she could think of none of them...


OH! OH OH OH OH OH! OH! KENMARE?!

Unfortunately, by the time Anna had finally come up with an answer, and her hand even shot up in the air to answer, Professor Fergersnout had moved along and Anna's hand went riiiiiiiiiight back down into her lap with additional saturation to her cheeks.

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."

[MadMadamMalfoy]

Sydney wouldn't call her doodling pointless exactly. Her doodles were relevant to the lesson, and having an image to put with each place helped her focus. She'd just finished drawing the Sword of Gryffindor to represent Godric's Hollow when Professor Fergersnout spoke again.

She looked up, tilting her head to one side to closely examine the Hogsmeade model. Hmm, nice craftsmanship, she thought… but was smoking chimneys all it did? There were so many dark chapters in Hogsmeade's history, like the Goblin Rebellion - ooh, or that haunted shop from the 1890s! It would be fun to see those things reenacted in miniature form!

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…”

Haunted by a poltergeist named Fastidio, if she recalled correctly. Hmm, she wondered what happened to that shop!