Arithmancy Lesson 2: The Challenges
 

Professor Shackleton unlocked the doors to her classroom and entered to see the plain white walls that had been present since the beginning of term. But she smirked to herself because she knew what lied underneath that illusion of pristine cleanliness - walls covered in painted numbers and calculations in an assortment of colors and sizes. And just as soon as all the students had entered and the lesson was ready to begin, Shackleton would lock the door and remove the spell for the illusion so that the students could enjoy their numerical masterpiece!

In the meantime, Shackleton arranged herself behind the podium, setting out her lesson plan and an open textbook, and waited for the students to take their seats.

Allie walked into the classroom and took a seat upfront.
"Hello, Professor." she said.

Hello again Professor Crystal said as she entered, giving the Professor a friendly smile and taking her seat

Astrid walked in and immediately spotted her best friend Allie. She quickly took the seat next to her and placed her bag on the back of her chair. "Good afternoon, Professor." she said. "How are you today?"

Tommy dragged herself to class. She was trying to make the best of the choice to stay at Belle's. She didn't like being here, and she might as well dissolve into the carpet for all the attention anyone paid her around her. She walked into the class and went for a seat in the back. She grabbed the last one in the row closest to the wall. If one is going to be ignore might as well choose a seat so that you aren't blocking someone's view of someone else. She put her books on her desk and sat down.

Astrid saw one of the Slytherin girls come into the class with a very unhappy look on her face. She had never talked to her before but she thought that her name might be Tomasina. She hated to see anyone feel so badly and so she shot her a quick smile before turning to face the front of the class. She hoped that it made her feel a little better, though she doubted it. Why would anyone want a perfect stranger smiling at them?

Tommy glanced up from the very interesting top of her desk, she saw a girl looking at her a smiling. She looked around her to see if she was blocking her view of someone else. She was sitting in the back in the last seat, surely the girl was smiling at someone else. She put her head back down so she wouldn't make a fool of herself by smiling back at the girl.

Professor Shackleton greeted each student who entered the classroom and when the room appeared full enough, she removed her wand from her pocket, locked the door to the classroom and with a flourish of her wand, removed the illusion she had cast over the walls of the classroom. The calculations of the students' Pinnacles shone on the walls, clear for everyone in the room to see.

She spoke softly, "There. That's much better! And now to begin the lesson! Today we are going to study the Challenges, a counterpart of the Pinnacles that we studied last class. Everyone please open to chapter 17 in the textbook. Now, someone please elaborate on what the Challenges are and what they tell us."

"The Challenges are a set of numbers that guide us through reaching the highest points of our Pinnacles," Gwen replied, raising her hand. "They're like goals to reach throughout our lives."

Savannah's hand raised before she spoke, "The Challenges are a predictive indicator, a set of numbers which outline for you what it is that you must face to reach the highest peak of your Pinnacle." and finished getting digging her quill and Arithmancy journal out of her bag.

Astrid was ready with an answer as soon as she heard the 1st question. She raised her hand and said, "Challenges are weak points in our Life Path. They are weak links in the chain of life which must be overcome for us to grow and develop properly. We learn by meeting the challenges and mastering them. The nature of challenges are shown in the Life Path."

Allie opened her book, the raised her hand to answer.
"The Challenges are a predictive indicator. They are a set of numbers that outline for you what it is that you must face to reach the highest peak of your Pinnacle. Challenge Numbers are not meant to be overcome, they indicate what you must become." she said.

She raised her hand slowly not knowing if she was going acknowledge or not, but at least she was an attempt to get some points. "They are the doors through which you must advance in order to ascend the spiral staircase of your personal development. Challenge Numbers aren't hurdles that you have to jump over, they tell you what you have to become." She said.

"Very good. Three points to you."

"Correct. Three points for you, as well."

"Partly correct. But the Challenges aren't meant to be overcome, as much as they signify what we must become. One point for you."

"Exactly what I was just referring to! Three points!"

"Eloquently stated! Three points to you!"

Professor Shackleton was quite impressed that the students seemed to have either done the appropriate preparations before class or at least were able to locate the information in the textbook. She asked another question, "And how does finding the Challenges compare and contrast to finding the Pinnacles? I'm not asking how we find each individual Challenge. I want similarities and differences between the Challenges' and Pinnacles' calculations."

Allie raised her hand again.
"Well with the pinnacles you add the day, month, or years, but with challenges you subtract them." said Allie.
"I actually have a question about that. When you add the pinnacles you do the 'reducing first, then adding together' method. DO you do the same witht he challenges, but with subtracting?" she asked.

Crystal put her hand in the air, Professor when making the Pinnacles you add the parts of your date of birth when working out the challanges you subtract them

Astrid was happy to get some credit for her answer. She knew that she had messed up the wording somehow. She raised her hand again, hoping to do a little better with this answer.

"Your four Challenge Numbers go right along with your Pinnacle Numbers and cover the same years. They are found in your date of birth just like the Pinnacles, but instead of adding the numbers in your date of birth, the Challenges are found by subtracting them."