As the students began raising their hands (and some shouting out) answers, Everett walked over to the board and tapped his wand against the chalkboard. Each time a new answer was called out it appeared neatly written in a list, some even with little side comments that were crossed out right after

-Merlin
-The Founding of Hogwarts
-Salazar Slytherin
-The creation of the Statute of Secrecy
-Bowman Wright
-Wolfsbane Potion
-Albus Dumbledore
-The creation of the first wand
-The Grey Lady
-Harry Potter
-Godric Gryffindor
-The discovering of the Philosopher's Stone
-Goblin rebellions so boring
-Gertie Keddle
-Harry Potter defeating Lord Voldemort
-The First Wizarding War
-Regulus Arcturus Black
-The founding of the Ministry of Magic
-Voldemort
-The meanings of the ancient runes boring
-The Wizard's Council
-The creation of the Order of the Phoenix
-The end of Grindelwald's reign
-Gwenog Jones
-Rowena Ravenclaw
-Severus Snape
-The Triwizard Tournament
-The death of The Dark Lord
-Andros the Invincible
-House elf rights hippie
-Dobby the house elf
-Invention of Horcruxes
-The first Quidditch match
-Elizabeth I muggle history?
-Ollivander
-Peter Pettigrew
-The establishment of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy
-The Deathly Hollows
-Helga Hufflepuff
-Gellert Grindlewald
-Oswald Beamish
-Bathilda Bagshot
-Hermione Granger
-When the Chamber of Secrets was opened
-The Establishment of Gringott's the Wizarding Bank
-Sybil Trelawney
-The opening of Wizarding schools (Durmstrang, Beauxbaton, and Hogwarts)
-Nicholas Flamel
-The mass breakout from Azkaban in the 1990
-The Salem witch trials
-Kingsley Shacklebolt
-Minerva McGonagall
-Nicholas Flamel
-Elladora Ketteridge
-The Death of Sirius Black
-The Battle at Hogwarts
-Quidditch League Formation
-Order of the Phoenix
-Gringotts Break In not much is known about this
-Ronald Weasley


"Alright, so up on the board-" He pointed behind him. "I have written out all the answers you have given me. Except one that Mr. Bennett has given me. But that doesn't deserve to be put on the board. Instead that will result in two more points off Slytherin house." If the Slytherin's wanted to be cheeky they could be. He would just keep taking more and more points away. "And not the one that Mr. Broadmoor gave. Because Gandalf is a fictional character." He eyed the boy. Not sure if he was trying to cause trouble or not.

"So, good job to everyone who answered." He looked at the board. A lot of people actually did answer. "And excellent job to Miss Stone, Miss Greenwell, Miss Wilson, Miss Odessa, Mr. Goldstein, Miss Fanster, Mr. Fitzgerald, and Miss Ashwin. I've made their answers more noticeable." He pointed to the board. If they wanted to write this down they were free too. Could probably help them. "Now you might wonder, what makes their answers different than most of these ones. Theres not that much of a difference. But I want you all to look at the board again. Notice, may of the events there are ones that most people in the wizarding world know of. Many of the people, are people who some of you have heard about since you could talk. There is Voldemort. Clearly one of the biggest dark wizards of all time. Yet so was say Herpo the Foul but I do not see his name up there. Merlin was mentioned, but not Merwyn the Malucious who is just as great.Harry Potter? That's nice. I rather see Norvel Twonk. And the great Albus Dumbledore. Fantastic headmaster. But so was Ambrose Swott. And of course everyone knows the history of the second Wizarding War. But does anyone know the history of the house elves working in the kitchens?" Everett paused. Trying to allow the students to soak everything in. Hopefully they weren't already lost.

"Chances are, many of the people I have mentioned, none of you have heard of. Which is a bad thing. When learning history we need to look beyond even 70 or 80 years ago, because the events that took place 70 or 80 years ago are repeats of things that happened centuries ago. The great wizards of 70 or 80 years ago model their success from learning from the ancient wizards that were great or even the every day ones, so we need to look even further back and sometimes we even need to look at the smaller people. Everett cleared his throat. Did everyone understand? He wouldn't ask. It was common sense. "On top of that, you lot have said a lot of big events and big names. Things don't have to be big to make an impact or be important in history."

"So today we will look at something pretty ordinary. But really they date back centuries ago and are important to Wizard History and Culture. And that is Wizard expressions or sayings." He looked around the class. Were people lost? "In your own words give me the definition or...point, of an expression or saying. Don't give any examples. I don't need any at the moment"

EDIT: No examples please!!! should have said this before

Watching the professor attentively, Tori raised her hand. "An expression or saying, or an idiom," she quite liked that word, "is just a colloquial or casual way of expressing a bit of wisdom passed down through the ages." She paused a moment to consider how incredibly... Ravenclaw-ish she had just sounded there. Eww.

"So anyway, sayings are dead useful and can be kind of cryptic but cool." She shrugged. "I think they're a great way to diversify one's speech."

Sage listened to her classmate's answers as she carefully wrote out her name on her name card...

Sage Walker
First Year
Gryffindor

Then she thought about the next question the Proffeser had asked, before hesitantly raising her hand...

"Um... a expression is a particular phrase used to express something?"

Slytherins...

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, staring at the name plate on her desk as she listened to the Professor. Look at the smaller people? What? Did he mean the goblins? She'd rather not if that was the case. The elves she could. They were small.

Now, what was an expression or saying. Heck, even she couldn't really put that in her own words but she was going to try anyways! First, raise her hand. "It's a type of phrase that a lot people say that has some piece of wisdom or advice in it." Or something like that.

At least Professor Scabior hadn't entirely discounted her answer. Stella had looked sideways at the Slytherin who had lost points, though. Apparently not everyone had believed the statement that the professor liked taking points away. She probably should have elaborated on her suggestion, though, in case he'd thought she'd only meant the recent tournaments. She was more interested in the first ones, actually, but they'd moved on anyhow.

Raising her hand again, she spoke. "An expression or saying is a phrase or sentence that is commonly heard or known by more than one person. Also, like the head girl said, it tends to be considered as something that gives advice or passes on some sort of wisdom." Technically, even a cliché was an expression, but she wasn't going to add that into her answer. That risked a bit too much for her comfort.

"Ellie." She corrected him. It was just 'Ellie'. And just because he called her answer 'excellent' didn't mean he couldn't be corrected as to her name. No 'miss' nonsense.

An expression? "They're usually easy to remember, too. And something everyone would understand." Little lessons, even, as others had said, but in only a sentence. With nice, friendly words, rather than long, hard words.

Violet had raised her hand, too. "An expression is a particular word or phrase--it's not just a way of communicating something, but doing so in a certain way, usually a particularly good or funny way. And a saying is similar, but I think they tend to be older, expressions that have been around a long time. They're both like idioms."

This question caused Kennedy to think of all the sayings he's heard through out his life. Mostly from his mom and now from his newfound godfather. He raised his hand and voice what he thought was part of the definition. "A saying is a statement about what often happens in life." That was easy to understand, right?

Nika grinned rather widely. At this rate Gryffindor could probably catch up to Slytherin before the class ends! She looked at the professor and decided that she actually liked him.

She silently cheered in her head, "Go Professor Scabior go! Take them points away from Slytherin! Go, go, go!" Hehe.

Well it may seem like something Sierra would want, points getting taken away from another house, but Gryffindors need points and fast! They're even losing to hufflepuff and they're a great house and all, but all the years Nika's been at Hogwarts they've been in last. Gryffindor of course came in first, then second to slytherin (which is absolutely not acceptable). Hmph. Gryffindor will come back. They always do.

Right what was he saying again...? Oh yeah sayings? "Well a saying is something you say..." Well her first answer to his first question was a bit blunt so maybe this time she'd elaborate? "To you know show your opinions and stuff?"

Kimalia raised her hand once again, she had to think about this one, she normally felt comfortable explaining her thoughts with examples."Expressions are more than just a saying, they could be words that are thought to be worth remembering and repeating, typically referencing the past."

Louisa almost giggled when he mentioned history of house elves... or something like that. Was he serious there, by the way? About knowing the history of house elves? It sounded so.. not convenient to her. No offense to the working lads and ladies.

Moving on. She raised her hand, "Sayings are mostly said in fewer words with bigger meanings." That was her view on that stuff.

Muggle history? A MUGGLE!? Eino's jaw dropped. Was this person even qualified to teach History of Magic? Eino's heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He couldn't believe this. Elizabeth I was one of the most influential magical figures in the muggle world. She was the pioneer of a whole new age of magic! She was one of the first most powerful figures in the muggle world to bring peace to both muggles and magical beings. The professor must have made a mistake. Eino shook his head as he tried to gather his thoughts then raised his hand and answered the question. "It's a saying used to express an emotion." Was that a trick question? He listened around and it didn't seem like it. Easy questions were good, unless they were tricky.

Vashti positively beamed when her answer was among those the professor had emphasized on the board and called excellent. AND he took points from Slytherin. She liked this professor already.

A definition of expressions and sayings? Hmm... Vashti considered for a moment before raising her hand again. "Certain sayings and expressions can help you describe something or someone. Like..." Oh wait, she couldn't give an example. Hmm... "Like you could describe someone's personality and the way they behave in just a few words with an expression, but if that particular saying didn't exist, you'd have to describe them in another, probably more lengthy way." Hopefully that made sense.

Pixxi tried to listen closely to everything the Professor had said while scribbling down every important dates that had been written on the blackboard. Her ink splashed around a bit, but she didn't have time to wipe it up when she had to focus on both listening to one thing and writing down something completely different.

With her tongue sticking out in a concentrated way, she finished writing down all the important names and places from the blackboard and she could finally give her full attention to the subject Professor Scabior had asked them to think about. The first thing that popped into Pixxi's mind when hearing the word 'wizard sayings' was the expression 'Merlin's Beard!' which her siblings used all the time. She wasn't quite sure if this was what Professor Scabior wanted them to think about so she flipped through her book and wiped away the spoiled ink while waiting for other students to reply.

Adam couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself when the Professor pointed out his name amongst a couple of other students. Go Adam for having a random fascination with the less noticeable people in history...Adam scribbled down in his notes a couple of the other emphasized names that the Professor had highlighted before contemplating the next question.

"I think expressions or sayings can sometimes be useful in teaching morals or lessons to young children. By constantly being exposed to simple expressions or sayings, they're kind of naturally instilled in the child, and those children will remember them later on in life." Adam hoped that explanation was clear enough since the professor didn't really want any specific examples.

Wizard expressions ? Alright. Beezus hand shot in the air and when it was her time to speak she stood up, "Expressions are conveyed opinions of someone about something which is stated in a short and mystical manner rather than giving a very long explanation about it." That might be it. She was not sure, but maybe.

Kurumi's hand shot up in the air. She had been doing lots of research recently on house elves, trying to figure out what was wrong with them and what would cause them to not meet their own standards. After all, house elves were immensely loyal creatures, so it was odd that they would be behaving in such a fashion. "Excuse me, professor," Kurumi said, knowing that she would be backing up the discussion just a bit. "House elves were first brought to Hogwarts by Helga Hufflepuff. She did so due to the horrible abuse they were receiving from witches and wizards. In bringing them to Hogwarts, Helga Hufflepuff ensured that at least a small number of the house elves would not be living and working in abusive conditions." She paused for a few moments to collect her thoughts. "You could say that this gesture contributed to the house elves fighting back during the Battle of Hogwarts centuries later. Granted, this was probably also connected to them being loyal by nature." And now her hand was going down.
She thought for a moment about how best to answer this one. Defining expression by using express seemed to be a little...redundant? Such airy and complex words were often hard to describe anyway. "I have always thought of an expression or saying as a set phrase that communicates an idea. Sometimes this idea has moral standards and sometimes it is a set of rules that should be followed. Or...sometimes it is just silly." Which she sometimes thought about the Hogwarts' motto.

The teacher was right... Of course. Jonathan listened as the professor began to explain and site helpful examples, and comparison of answers. For the most part, Jonathan knew some of the people he mentioned but not too much in great detail like the ones they have given to him.

Expression? Saying? Hmmm... Jonathan raised his hands. Own words right? He's good at that at least "An expression or a saying is used by people to be able to express what they are deeply feeling." well it does to him. "Also, it's a way of communicating with the listener, for the listener to understand your certain mood." whether it may be sad, happy, angry or crazy.

Josephine raised her hand and said "A saying is a phrase you use to say something that is usually common or uncommon, or to teach someone a lesson"

Everett wanted to sign but instead he gave a stiff nod to her raised hand. He didn't know what was going to come out of the Bunbury's mouth-OH. It was actually something good. "Correct Miss Bunbury. Idioms are another term, and they do diversify one's speech. As long as the expression is used sparingly"


"Correct! Good description Miss Walker." He nodded, a bit proud that the first years didn't seem too lost.

"That's correct. But it doesn't always have to have wisdom or advice in it. Sometimes it could just be someone exclaiming something." Nod nod. Good job otherwise. Everett lowered his tone a bit. "And Miss Flores, please try to control your housemates. It does not make me happy to take so many points from my old house." He loved Slytherin. And these children...so un disciplined.

Everett nodded. "Yes! It is commonly heard and usually commonly recognized."

"Miss Stone." He repeated strongly. It was an indication that no. He was NOT going to call the girl by her first name. "That is also correct! The are easy enough phrases for people to understand so that they can be used frequently. "



Had he said that they were around for a long time? He couldn't remember. Either way! "Yes, you are right Blackthorne. They have been around for a while, and sometimes they can be quite funny."

Hmmm. "Uhh you're getting there. They're not necessarily about something that happens in life but they can be reactions to general things that happen in life." Yes. That was more...fitting.

"Sort of..but at the same time..no." He didn't really feel like just shutting her down. "You see, usually when you use an expression or a saying, you don't really think about it, therefore you aren't trying to show your opinions. But nice try!"

"Yes! Except generally you would call them phrases and not words. Just to avoid confusion."

Everett blinked. Yes! That was in fact correct in a different..wording! "Absolutely! Expressions do tend to use far less words than the actual meaning behind them but because they are so universal one is able to understand right away."


"You alright there Mr. Uronen?" He looked shocked. Or appalled. "And yes, correct. They can always be used as an emotion. A lot of expressions are actually used for pain." Pain was an emotion right? He wouldn't get into that debate.

Everett nodded his head. "Yes. In fact some people think that using expressions are sort of the lazy way to do stuff. But it doesn't matter. As long as your point gets across."

"It can be, yes. Although not all expressions are made for children." Some were quite crude.
Nice wording..but again..."Watch out for the word opinions. Some expressions aren't used to convey opinions." But other than that, good!

Everett hadn't expected the cookie girl to answer his question. That was not the point he was trying to make. Was she sure that she was a Gryffindor and not a Ravenclaw. Clearly, she was trying to make him look stupid or upstage him. "Two points from Gryffindor for telling me useless information. I know why house elves are here. I was merely making a point." Which now meant nothing because of her.

"And yes. You are right." Too right. it seemed.

"Correct! Good job." Expression and express. Yes they shouldn't have been used together in the same sentence but he explained well.

That could work? Hmm. "They can be used to teach someone a lesson but not always." Keep that in mind.

---------

"If you don't know what an expression is then you should have been paying attention to your classmates answers." He looked around the class. Yeah. Because most of the students understood. "But to be brief, expressions are phrases that are used to express a thought or a feel ing that a person is having...." He waved his hand lazily as he trailed off. He wasn't about to explain any further. Students had answered the question already so clearly they understood.

"Now, what are some examples of wizard expressions. The more creative your example is, the more I'll like you." Yeah. He was being serious.



EDIT: After this we'll take a small break, BUT WILL CONTINUE LATER TONIGHT!

Eino raised his hand. "One sad phoenix is better than ten happy ones." Pheonix tears were extremely valuable, so it was always better to have one phoenix that could produce them than ten that couldn't. The meaning of the expression was something along the lines of "less is more."

Well, since she had used him for her original answer, she figured she'd use him again. With a raise of her hand, Kourtney spoke up. "Merlin's Beard! is one...Also, In the name of Merlin! could be another....maybe also galloping gargoyles!" She knew she had heard one of the shopkeepers use that when she was shopping in Diagon Alley.

OKAY TORI HAD THIS ONE. Her hand shot in the air like she was on a contest for 'Who Wants to be the Next Hermione Granger' and she almost bounced in her seat.

"Ooooh, my favorite wizarding expression is Hogwarts' motto, which is 'Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus' or 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon.' It's the wizard equivalent to 'let sleeping dogs lie' which means you shouldn't stick your nose in things that aren't your business. It's also like saying, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"

Tori put her hand down and positively BEAMED at Professor Scabior, absolutely certain that she had just cemented her status as All-Time FAVORITE student.

Kurumi's jaw dropped. S-S-She had just lost points?! For answering his question?! She had never heard of anything so ridiculous. Not to mention that she assumed that he knew how house elves came to Hogwarts, but hadn't he been asking the entire class? When no one had answered she figured that she ought to since it was clear that no one did.

Kurumi bit her lower lip and tried not to look too upset about the whole situation. No sense in talking back, right?

Kurumi didn't even feel like answering his next question, but she couldn't not. It wasn't in her nature. Slowly, she raised her hand. "Cat's among the pixies...."

Hopefully her voice was neutral enough. She didn't want this man to think that he had affected her BY TAKING POINTS FROM HER FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

...

Well then...that was also...true. Now that she thought about it that is. Just about to look down to her notebook, her gaze snapped back to the Professor as he said her name, and raised a brow promptly after his request. If she had it her way, the next person who spoke out of turn or got cheeky would have been hexed, but apparently, that wasn't the best choice for a Head student.

"Of course, Professor." she nodded, before looking around and STARING at all the students in Slytherin uniforms.

Yea. She STARED at all the SLYTHERINS! To the point where she completely missed the fact that a certain Gryffindor prefect had lost her house points. Surprisingly.

Now that she was sure she glared stared a hole in each Slytherin in class, Evelyn turned her attention back to the Professor. Seriously, did they not know how to behave in class? Perhaps she should've gone over behavior in the meeting during a lesson besides just for them following the rules.

She was NOT holding another meeting.

Tapping her quill quietly on her desk, she tried to think of an expression before raising her hand. "Hold your hippogriffs?" Meep?