Defense Against the Dark Arts Lesson 2
 

"Hi, Professor Romanos." Cutty's voice was all oldman-like as he entered the Dueling Arena. He took note, no mats, no desks, in fact hardly anything of obstruction was present in the room. Were they going to duel? In class? He worked hard to keep a broad smile from appearing upon his face, but what he ended up with were twitching mouth corners.

He took a deep breath to try and calm himself and found somewhere to sit near the stands as he waited for his classmates to show up. Then he started to plot dueling strategies. Going over favourites and considering variations on existing ones that never quite worked for him.

Not being able to practically bolt into DADA class was going to move her closer to her early grave. Like legit. This was her favourite class and she had to be worrying that too much excitement would give her a stroke. Someone remind her when they said they'd be getting them fixed up again because quite frankly, she was ready to start being young again and not having to dread yoga for fear she'd leave with every bone broken.

"Hello Professor." Despite the multiple aches she still opted to give the woman a smile. Why? Because one did not complain in DADA class. It was like an unspoken rule...one she religiously lived by. A subject that could teach you to hex the face off someone deserved your full respect.

There was a curious look around as she noted the lack of mats and tables but you know what? This was a good thing. Not to be questioned in case the Professor had forgotten and asking would bring it back to mind.

Cutty too ^_^
 

Every lesson was a drag lately, DADA included. It put Beverly in an even worse mood when she entered the classroom to see no mats or desks. It was even chilly to boot. Old lady status here. The least the professor could do was light a fire or something. The floor wasn't slippery, so that was a MILDLY good thing.

Making her way toward Cutty, she nudged him with her elbow as part of greeting. "Mordaunt."

And of course, there was the professor. Beverly hadn't forgotten about her. Romanos got a greeting nod from the third year.

Caelen loved the spring. The cool but warming air and the wind that isn't cold enough to chill but just cold enough to ruffle your air and cool your body. This was her favorite time of the year. After her birthday, when all of the excitement in the world seemed to be gathering and ebbing again into a rush of feeling. The redhead wanted to be outside every moment at this time of year. The kid wanted to kick off her shoes and touch the grass with her bare feet and run around the path. This time of the year meant that classes for the redhead usually ended up being outside.

Defense against the Dark Arts? The firstie really had no preference either way. It wasn't her favorite like potions and it wasn't her least like Transfiguration. It was cool, of course, transfiguring things. But it lit no fire in the blue eyed girls veins. No offense to the professor or anything. It just wasn't the best.

"Hello, professor. Fine day, isn't it?" The Ravenclaw went to a spot n the arena and waited.

Alex walked into the Dueling Arena and noted.......emptiness. No mats, no desks. A few of her classmates were already there, as was Professor Romanos. "Hello Professor", Alex said as she neared the stands. For the first time ever, she was not really feeling like being in class. However, no complaining from her today. Even though she didn't feel like it, Alex would not miss her favorite class. Now, should they sit or stand? Alex chose the latter for now and propped herself against the wall waiting for class to start.

Now that's a lesson you came excited about since it was very hard to expect what would the topic be. Like for CoMC you knew it had to be a creature and for Herbology a certain deadly plant. Even History, there was a good collection of things that happened but one could sometimes venture a guess. Not here, though. Or was it just the snake's imagination that failed to make a prediction. Oh, well, predictions weren't all that important anyway! She wasn't gonna talk about it aloud just in case.

Entering the classroom, Cassia felt a chill going through her bones and she was grateful for the extra shirt she thought to add under her robes. She liked her brain when it provided such ideas. Might not have found the importance of such a decision right away.

"Good day, Professor Romanos," she greeted the woman as she passed her then climbed up the stands. Since there were not desks or mats they were to sit up there, right? Obviously.

Class time! Jeremiah walked in with a hop in his step, he was in a good mood today for reasons no one else needed to know. With his book in hand he nodded to the professor and greeted her "hello professor." he said shyly, he still didnt like talking to people even f he did love learning. teachers we're still strangers and he didn't like speaking to them much. so he went to an area of the room where no one seemed to accommodate to and he stood there, and waited.

She probably shouldn't be here given her physical fitness as of late but she liked the subject and she liked Romanos. Besides, NEWTs were fast approaching and Ella needed all the practice she could get, right? Right. And so she slowly but surely made her way into the arena and gave the woman a tired smile. "Hello Professor!" Good to see her and all. Too bad she couldn't ask about Airey because the eighteen year old thought they were just the sweetest couple but gossiping with your professor about her love life was probably frowned upon. Probably.

...Maybe one of the younger kids would ask? Fern seemed to catch on to this stuff. Heh. And hey, no mats? Did that mean no yoga?

Ian shuffled into dueling arena. Hopefully, this class would be less physically taxing than the last time he was here. Greetings, professor he said as he passed by. He drew his cloak closer around him to protect against the chill. He found a seat on the lower level of the stands so he wouldn't need to climb any stairs.

"Hello, Professor,'' Adi said as he came hobbling into the classroom. He flashed her a cheery grin and looked around, noticing the missing mats and desks. Hmmm. Why were they not there?

Oh, well. Guess they would find out sooner or later. The Puffer hobbled off to join his fellow Puffer, though he remained standing. "Hey, Ian. What's up?''

Ian smiled as his friend Adi walked up. Not much. Just trying to finish out the year and hoping to feel better before I go home. Sure don't want my mum to see me like this. He waved in the general direction of his face and gave a half smile.

Defense Against the Dark Arts. This class was always interesting. He wondered what the professor had in store for them for their second lesson. As he made his way into the classroom, he noticed other students made it there before him. He never got here to be the first one. Maybe he needed to walk faster? He would work on it next time.

He saw the professor in the front of the room and said, "Hello Professor!" with a big smile and wondered if he should stand near his desk or sit. He saw Alec standing and he figured he would stand as well.

Lux
 

Alex saw Lux as she entered the arena and came over looking very enthusiastic. She hoped that Lux's enthusiasm was contagious considering she barely made it to class. "Hi Lux", Alex said. Not wanting to be a downer, she answered truthfully. "Defense Against the Dark Arts is my favorite class so it should be fun." At least she hoped it would be so.

There was already a whole bunch of people in the classroom by the time Toby got there. The fourteen-slash-elderly-man did a quick scan of the classroom, squinting around to see who was already there. Soon spotting a familiar blur, Tobias carried on in and went to stand by Ella. He figured, seeing as she wasn't going to be in his classes for much longer, he wanted to hang around her until she got bored of him. Younger Hufflepuff stopped beside older, and gave her a smile in greeting.

As for Professor Romanos.................. well, Tobias couldn't see her at all. But, not wanting to be unintentionally rude, he gave a cheery wave in the direction he hoped she was in. And smiled. 'Cause happy.

Bay walked into the class room… he was really excited, he loved defence against the dark arts… the professor was amazing and she's always so nice to him, spotting his friends he made his way over to them "Hey Alex hey Lux how are you guys today" then he spotted the Professor… smiling at her he went to say hello "Hello Professor Romanos… how are you doing today" he was practically bouncing on his feet.. she cheered up his day that was for sure..

No mats.

This was definitely a weird year for DADA. There were always mats here because of yoga reasons. So Nigel was just getting more confused with every class. Now Romanos looked to be in a good mood.

So.....where do they sit now that there is no mats? Those stands look pretty uncomfortable. Nigel will just stand right now until instructed to do something.

All right. Yay. Lessons. Here we go!

Tag made his way into the DADA room and the first thing he realized, probably alongside his classmates, was the lack of yoga mats. So Tag assumed no yoga. Hmm. Weird. Suspicious? No. But weird. Shame, yoga could really relax his soul right now.

He wouldn't be sitting anywhere or anything. Romanos was no Fuller with that whole 'let me try and be cool and surprise you with something you weren't supposed to be doing' act. But Tag wasn't taking any chances you know. Maybe he wasn't meant to go on those stands. Nope. The boy just stood off centered in the classroom.

Yay... Defense? Mo glanced around the room, feeling pleased for the first time EVER that they weren't doing yoga or something stretchy today. Unless the mats were hidden or something, but Mo had high hopes. He couldn't get up and down and his knees made an alarming sound when he tried.

"Good day, Professor," Mo tipped an imaginary hat at the professor as he slipped into the classroom. Erm... why'd he do that, hmm? That was super dorky, and Mo didn't need to pile super dorky on top of 'incredibly old'.

Sander peeked into the arena and was glad to see that the Defense Against the Dark Arts hadn't started yet. He walked in and immediately headed over to where Professor Romanos was standing. Smiling Sander greeted her.

"Hello Professor Romanos. It's good to be back here in the arena. I hope that you're doing well."

Then he turned and noticed that most of his friends had arrived. Walking over to them, he smiled and stood next to them.

"Hey there Lux, Alex, Bay, Adi. Are you all looking forward to this lesson like I am? I know I'm going to miss this when I leave." Sander told his friends.

I sees you all hai :3 class has begun!
 

Hearing the first question, Alex raised her hand to respond. "One difference is that Rictusempra is considered a tickling charm. Titillando is a tickling hex. Rictusempra causes a person to double over with uncontrollable laughter while Titillando tickles them and possibly weakens them."

Not usually one to be the first to answer, Alex hoped that she had gotten it right. Well, the term was almost over so it was now or never, right?

Caelen...had no clue what the difference was. But she took out her notebook and a pencil to write down notes. Them dark arts... they needed defending against. And the redhead needed to know how to defend against those arts. Even if just to learn for the OWLS and NEWTS. Yes, her mom started thinking of those exams already. Because "it's never too early."

Anyway, someone answered! The kid wrote down the answer, getting ready for when other people talked. It was tradition for the five foot tall girl, to write down everything that was said and then cross out the wrong stuff. Scientific method, except not at all because that's not how the scientific method worked. Deductive reasoning? That sounded pretty good. Yeah, deductive reasoning was what she was doing.

But still, any answer would do, wouldn't it? The kid racked her brain for some kind of answer. Anything that made sense and wouldn't be TOO wisecracking. There needed to be a balance. That's what her brother told her.

Flipping her braid over her shoulder, she brought it back forward and played with it as she thought. New habit? Interesting development in the life of Caelen. Okay, focus. Focus. Focus. Okay, saying focus is less likely to make you focus and that was really unfair! But as the firstie scratched her scalp, she finally remembered something she read.

"I'm not sure which one is which, professor, but one of the things is a charm and the other one's a hex." Yeah! That was a long awaited conclusion. But the eleven year old finally got there. Or mostly. Somewhere around there. As long as she HAD an answer nothing could go wrong.

Class had begun...and they was the first question. The difference between Rictumsempra and Titillando.

Sander waited patiently as Alex gave the answer before raising his hand to share his.

"I agree with Alex. Rictumsempra is charm which tickles and weakens the target. It is commonly used in duels and the spell's light when it is cast is silver in color. Titillando on the other hand is a hex with the similar effects but the light the wand emits when the spell is cast is purple in color."

A lighter note?! Sophie was 856,000 years old, and Romanos thought her class might be a lighter note?! BAHHH.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't that old, but she sure felt it. She settled into a comfortable position then looked forward. Ohh, a question. Sophie raised her hand, even as some of the others were already chiming in. "Rictusempra's used when you just want to tickle somebody but not necessarily hurt them. Maybe you just need to use it for a distraction...or for fun," she said with a grin. "Titillando's used to also tickle, but you use this one when you really intend to hurt somebody."

"Well, rictusempra is a charm and although they call it the tickling charm it is not said that the charm actually tickles the victim, it s only said that it cases them to laugh uncontrollably. Titillando on the other hand is a hex that has a spell which wraps around the victim causing them to be tickled to the point that it weakens them in combat, its not involuntary laughter persay", Oichi responded with her hand raised high ending on a smirk.

Toby KNEW what those spells were. They were the stuff of NIGHTMARES. Sure, his memory was a little poor these days, but Tobias Tempus was not likely to forget the spells he dreaded someone using on him. Nobody, nobody apart from Soph, could know that Toby was extremely ticklish.

So the Hufflepuff tried hard not to show any signs of fear, and instead listened to the others, before raising his hand to point out the obvious. "They have different incantations, and probably different wand movements."

At Marigold's question, Tobias thought he might be able to answer her, so he looked in her general direction (hopefully) and spoke again. "I think all magic that's done with a wand is a spell, and sometimes it's without a wand. And then charms and hexes and jinxes and curses are all different kinds of spells."

Or at least, that was what Tobias had gathered from his reading. Worth a shot, right?

Oh right off the bat, they were doing so well. As usual. Proud professor was proud. Although it was kinda worrisome that they knew their textbooks so well already. They were getting enough fun and sunshine, right?

"Right." she nodded, not taking the time to loose her accent for the lesson. "One of the biggest differences vhich summarizes them both up pretty vell if you know the effects of Rictusempra, is one's a charm and the other a hex; the latter being Titillando. Although, keep in mind, some areas of the vorld also consider Titillando a curse, due to it's extreme nature a vitch or vizard can push it to."

"Good question....and thank you, Mister Tempus." she smiled towards the Hufflepuff, whether he could see her or not. Beat her to it. "He's right, Miss McAlistor. A spell is a broad, general term, for vot ve know as charms, jinxes, hexes, and the like. They all fall under the category as 'spell'."



"Spell category, effects, coloring, and...I don't believe anyone's mentioned incantation or vand movement yet." Usually there was one or two people who always stated the obvious. "But you are all correct. Ve can accurately say that they are indeed two different spells."

"Both of these spells tickle and veaken the target, but naturally, Titillando is a bit stronger in it's effects. You'll be able to tell the difference first hand becaaaaaause.... ve vill be practicing them. Today. Now, actually. So......" She stopped twirling her wand, mentally counting just how many were present in class. "If you are unable to participate in this activity, you may sit on the stands. I'll haff another assignment for you."

"Everyone else, pair up. Preferably vith someone in or close to your year."

OOC: Go ahead and pair up! Or sit on the stands. Although, Professor Romanos will stick your character right back in the activity if she thinks your character is well enough to participate. Participation points will be at risk if they refuse. Dun dun duuuuuun! We'll continue the lesson in about 9 - 10 hours more or less, depending on who still needs to be paired up.

At all the talk of offensive and defensive versions of a semi-shared effect pair of spells Cutty actually wanted to see this in action. Could he see this in action? Also, could someone laugh themselves to death? Was that even possible? Would they still be happy even as they were shuffling off this mortal coil?

This was about where Romanos announced her plan to have them practice on one another. The little old Slytherin boy looked perhaps too happy at this and he at once began looking for someone strong who wasn't in his own house.

Alex?
 

Sander took down notes as Professor Romanos explained the differences between the Rictumsempra spell and the Titillando hex. Was he well enough to try them out?

Heck yeah. Old or not, Sander wasn't going to be sitting in the stands. He'd rather be carried out because of an accidental injury

Partners? Partners? Someone preferably closer to his age. Sander smiled at looked over at Alex before walking up to her.

"Hey Alex. Want to partner up?" Sander asked his best friend and name twin.

Say yes...pretty please.

Partner?
 

Oh no. Oh no.

THIS WAS A DISASTER.

Toby didn't want to be tickled. Nope. No no no no no. But he didn't want to sit out either, because practicing these spells was going to be really useful, because who KNEW if they'd come up in final exams, or OWLs, which he'd be taking in just a couple of years. Maybe... maybe he'd have a partner who wouldn't be too harsh. Maybe the spell wouldn't be too bad.

Tobias informed his legs that it was time to start walking about and find a partner, but his legs... didn't comply. He just stood there.

Watching.

Waiting.

Partner?
 

Partner anyone? =Y Alec?
 

hehe Partner?
 

they needed to pair up and Jeremiah could feel his social anxiety going through the roof already. He didn't like strange new people, he especially didnt like strange new people tossing ticking spells at him. He looked around the room and at first didnt really see anyone he really knew.. maybe if he stood there all cool like someone would just walk up and offer to partner with him. He surely wasn't going to go talk to anyone he didn't know. he might pass out or something if he did. his stomach did flips as he thought of the possibility of him having to go find someone but he was tall, people could see him here, yeah?

It didn't take long to find a partner. Or for a partner to find him. Glad that he didn't have to wait long and that someone did want to partner with him in the first place, the boy turned to look over at...

... Sophs! Awesome. They hardly worked together on anything -- right? -- so maybe this was a good chance to--

... ... Wait... it was Sophs! Alec glanced past her and over towards the Head Girl. Ells was going to KILL HIM if he hurt the girl's best friend. Elephant stampede.

He shook these thoughts out of his mind as he looked over at Sophs again, a grin playing across his face. "Yeah, sure! 'Sounds great! Erm... how good are you with the Tickling Charm?" The question had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop and think about who exactly he was asking this question to. Charms Queen, Sophs was. And this wasn't Charms but this was a charm they'd be using...

... He was done for.

Claim! TWD reference ;)
 

Ok. So now they were supposed to pair up with someone. Tag looked around the room and some and some more. Boy, people were sure quick to find someone weren't they. Honestly Tag didn't care about this whole 'find someone in your year' thing. They'd all be performing the same thing, right? Right. So it made no difference.

"Jere. I'll work with you." Tag said, walking up to him. They knew each other so it would be easier that way.

Cutty
 

Charm and hex. Cool. Adi would remember that. Right now, he needed a partner. Who to snag? Hmmm... He began looking around and spied...Cutty, the crazy Slytherin. Hehe.

"Yo, Cutty! Want to be partners?'' Adi asked as he approached the other boy. The had never worked much together so this was an opportunity to change that, yes?

CLAIMED! *loves*
 

So he might of totally been freaking out still. Completely. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his robes and he as rocking on the balls of his feet a bit just watching everyone in the room be quick to cliam others, until he heard someone say his name..

Oh it was Tag!

Thank Merlin! he might of had a heart attack if it was someone else. "Oh, Tag, Yes Hi Awesome." awesome. yes, he could breath a bit more now. Thanks Tag.

Partnerrr?
 

She would have raised her hand to participate in the discussion about hexes and charms, but the others had already said most everything that needed to be said, so Alice saved her breath. Instead, she soon began channeling those efforts into finding a partner.

.... but none of her friends were in sight. At least, it didn't seem like it thanks to poor old lady vision.

Anyone would do, then? Someone?

Sophie looked over her shoulder at whom Alec was looking at and turned back to face the boy with a small smile. "You can partner up with her if you want." She should have known better, shouldn't she? Although... it didn't make sense because Alec himself asked for a partner? Weeeirddd! Then he was saying he'd work with Sophie and huh? Haha, Alec was funny!

How good she was with the Tickling Charm? "Well, it's not something I use very often on people, but..." The brunette shrugged, half-smile in place. "I've never used the hex one, though. That's going to be new." Once again, she had never had the need to hex anyone using a tickling spell. That sounded a bit odd to her, but oh well. DADA lesson, so se'd go for it. "What about you? Do you want to go first?" She offered, spreading out her arms a bit. Maybe it would be better if he went first, because he looked extremely more fragile than her at the moment. Being old and all. Merlin, she'd need to be careful.

The eighteen year-old turned to look at professor Romanos and wait for further instructions.

Had West been there all along? Who knew? Probably. He'd been quiet and not answered anything apparently, and didn't speak up until he saw his girlfriend looking for a partner.

Which would be him, even if someone else tried to volunteer. No. Him.

He moved to stand next to her and reached out to squeeze her hand. Hi. Partner.

The crazy Slytherin looked up when he'd heard his name being called. He studied the Hufflepuff for a moment or two and decided that he'd met the criteria perfectly. "Alright, you'll do, I suppose." He joshingly said to the other secundo.

"Do you want to have the fist go, or should Rictusempra!", he began without even a warning. It was go time, baby. He never got to work with Addi.

It was lucky that someone who knew how much Alice HATED to be tickled was now her partner. Meant this could go her way, yes? Yes.

"So I'm gonna practice on you when Romanos gives the word, and you can pretend you cast on me, yeah?" Merlin knew if anyone in the room didn't need to work on their spell performance, it was West Odessa.

And she wasn't quite keen on turning into a giggling fit in front of the whole class, thanks.

For Errrrnnnn~~
 

There were going on about tickling...or well that's what she heard anyway but she couldn't be too sure and she couldn't be sure what the differences had been either but felt somehow that maybe she should know? Yeah, seriously, this was DADA she wasn't meant to feel this clueless in here and needed to start throwing hexes around before she forgot how those were done as well.

Lex made a face at the whole finding a partner thing. It wasn't usually the easiest thing to do and she could see most everyone already partnered up. Welp, this would be interesting.

Could she just get a dummy, explode it a few times and use the excuse that she'd forgotten what spells they were meant to be practising? How would the Professor know she was lying when memory loss was getting to be common place among the student population? It was a legit question but perhaps the more legit question would be...

"Anyone need a partner?" Please? She didn't wanna sit this one out...but would if it came to that.

What? No. He eyed her.

.... and was about to protest but stopped short because he was pretty sure if he disagreed then there were ways that she could punish him.

...And he could hear in his head a sound that very much resembled Ascanius making whipping noises....

"Fine. You better make a good show of acting though."

Her gaze had stayed trained upon the back of Toby's head as Romanos went on to explain the task at hand. So they WOULD be using the spells, AND they had the option of sitting it out. TOO GOOD. She was game for some rest time, until... Tobes wasn't moving. Did he really WANT to do this? Or maybe he had gone completely deaf and hadn't heard anything Romanos had said anymore. Hm.

Approaching him cautiously from behind, Sophie slipped her hand into Toby's and gave it an encouraging squeeze before pulling away. "Partner? I'll promise to go easy on you. Probably won't even be nearly as awful as Culloden's potion. Whaddya say?"

Partner?
 

Ugh, no This was a horrible idea and Adrienne didn't want to be tickled. She made a disgusted face, and after a moment reasoned that the only way that this would work out in her favour was to find someone who would be too intimidated to try a spell on her, or someone that she could keep helpless and under her control so that they didn't have a chance. However, all the first years seemed to be taken, so she had to look around for someone she didn't know.

This Gryffindor boy looked younger than her, which almost definitely meant she'd manage to scare him into submission. Adrienne approached him and poked the kid in the shoulder with the back of her wand. "You. Partner," she said, leaving the request as simple as that.

Tobias was still staring wide-eyed and straight ahead, trying to think of what to do, when he felt someone's hand slip into his. That was all it took for Tobias to turn and see who it was, and when he did, his expression relaxed into a relieved smile. Sophie. Yes, perfect. Not only was Tobias grateful that she would know to go easy on him so he didn't end up falling and breaking a hip, but he actually really wanted to partner with her anyway. The Hufflepuff beamed and nodded his head.

"Sounds perfect," he agreed, visibly relaxing. Thoughts of that potion Culloden had taught them sent a shiver down Toby's spine, and he silently hoped that Sophie was right. But, out loud, he said, "And I'll go easy on you, too," and gave a little wink.

Just banter. Y'know.

Roomie Lux! XD
 

"MEEEE!" Fern cried, scrambling across the room to be the first to claim her dorm-mate. "Lux! I'll be your partner!"

The two of them needed to stick together, and Fern knew she could trust Lux. Her fellow second year wouldn't be deceived by the likes of Cuthbert, unlike Adi some people Fern knew.

Partner? :3
 

So...Ella had sort of missed the discussion as she was too busy being sad about things beyond her control. She'd spotted Tobias and given him a small smile and then started thinking about how she'd have to leave her favorite younger badger soon and it sort of spiraled from there. Needless to say, the eighteen year old was a little surprised when people starting pairing off. Whoops... She should probably find a partner for...whatever they were doing. Yeah.

"Anyone still need a partner?" No one would mind working with the aged eighteen year old right? RIGHT? Puppy dog eyes were being used. Pick us!

Why was no one choosing her? Lux wondered if there was something wrong with her.

Everyone was flocking to their friends or whatever, and she was stuck looking like a partner-less loser.

Oooh, hello dorm-mate! Lux smiled at Fern, she was cool and seemed really friendly too. "Yeah, I would love to work with you!" They would be an awesome team! Hopefully these spells would not cause Fern any discomfort, because she did not want to be mean!

Bart had been there yes he had, but he was day dreaming about days when he didn't have a bald issues, or wrinkles, or now a blown knee. He wasn't even sure what was going on in the classroom. Just talking of the professor and talking of the students, so his mind kept drifting away. Far far away to a place where there was quidditch and no old, possibly a place where people never got old.

His mind came back to the present when he saw movement. People were moving, why were they moving? He looked until he noticed students getting partners. Oh they had to get up and get a partner for something. Well alright he could do that. Standing he heard a voice say about a partner and he turned. "Head Girl Ella, I'll be your partner."


Grinning he headed towards her.

We needz a partner :3
 

Beverly had been mildly distracted when the lesson began - for reasons - but managed to hear the basics of what was being discussed. The Tickling charm and hex. Well, that was interesting, wasn't it? She was familiar with their similarity, but the effects varied to an extent.

WAIT.

Were they going to practice it on each other? An image of a little ninety-something-year-old lady rolling on the ground laughing uncontrollably crossed her mind. Said little lady being her. MERLIN. That was going to be embarrassing.

With a wrinkle of her nose, she raised her hand in order to get noticed. "I need a partner--" NOW "--please."

Burt. ...No, that wasn't right. It was something with a B though, wasn't it? Wait, she knew this. She totally knew this. UH. Ben? Nope. Bill? Not even close. Bart? YES. Bart. He had to be Bart. Well, hopefully he was. She'd feel really awful if she got his name wrong...again. Yeah, someone had totally called her on it after the Quidditch game she commentated. Sorry, kiddo.

"Hey Bart, thanks." The eighteen year old met him half way and gave the second year a small smile. "Ready for..." Wait, she honestly still didn't even know what they were supposed to be doing. THIS was embarrassing. UM..."Ready for this?" Yes, this. She'd elaborate after she observed the others unless he'd been paying attention. Hopeful looks for you, Gryffindor. Do you know what we're meant to do?

Bay looked around to see that everyone was already partnered up.. but then yay… he heard someone say if they still needed a partner.. and it was a girl he didn't know moving his way over to her "Howdy Partner…" he said with a western drawl…

"i don't have a partner…. " hoping she was picking up that he wanted to partner with her…. hopefully..

Benny was still looking when he felt a poke in his shoulder. "Hey!" he said turning around to respond, his other reaching up to rub the spot. "Me...be your partner?" The Gryffindor mused looking at the Ravenclaw girl who belonged to the offensive wand. Her own words didn't exactly sound like she was asking him but more like telling him he would be.

"I guess I could," he replied with a shrug and then trying to hide the discomfort of the movement. "My name's Ben," he introduced. Might as well be polite if they were to work together. As long as she didn't poke him again.

Sander
 

Alex had gotten her answer right. Well that was a relief. Now they were actually going to try out the spells. She wasn't particularly ticklish, but when a charm or hex was being used, anything was possible. When the Professor instructed the class to find partners of similar age, Alex scanned the room. Fortunately, her buddy was there to save the day as always.

Sander came over to ask Alex to be his partner. "Well, I don't know........I have so many choices" she said with a mischievous grin while looking around the room. "But since you said pretty please.......yes, I will be your partner." Alex could barely contain her giggles, but she couldn't help teasing her friend. Having the giggles already was probably not a good sign on the day they were practicing tickling spells. Seriously, Alex just hoped she had the energy to make it through the class and finish with all her bones intact.

Lost cowboy ALERT!

Not really, but...who says 'howdy' nowadays? It didn't matter. She wasn't going to end up a total loser seeing as she caught on to what the boy was hinting at. He wanted to be her partner. Okay, yeah. Even if he did look older and might pack up a punch with magic, Bev felt she could take him on. Not that she'd attack him. She's done enough attacking to last her a while.

The thought of said attack scene ALMOST had her smiling. But no. No smiling. It was DADA. House points were on the line.

"You can be mine," she said, though she still wasn't so pleased with the idea of being tickled. He could go first.

When Alex took her time to answer, Sander began to worry.

'Oh no she'd better not say no,' Sander thought to himself as he looked worriedly around. The others were partnering up fast.

Then she put him out of his misery by saying that. Sander grinned.

"Don't scare me like that. My young...okay old heart...can't handle that much suspense," he teased her as he laughed along with her.

Alright. All partnered up. Now let's hope I don't make a fool of myself.

Partner, anyone? ^_^
 

Sophie just kind of nodded along as the professor detailed the two spells. Whoa, whoa, whoa--they were going to practice the spells? As in...even the one that intentionally hurt you?! ...COOL! Not that Sophie wanted to be hurt, but it was nice to get some REAL experience once in a while. It kind of made her more prepared for that Nundu she was going to battle and defeat one of these days.

"Does anybody still need a partner?" she called out. Hello? Hello? Attention all smart people in the room!

"If you want to be partners with an old man who is liable to wet himself if tickled too hard, then I AM that man," Mo hobbled in Lex's direction, his face lighting up in a pleased grin. Yes, it was probably one of those activities that Mo should willingly opt out of, but he wasn't willing to show that much weakness.

If old!Lex and old!Alice and all them could participate, so could he. "Lex. You've been missing me, right? Right."

Kace was dazing in the class as normal. But he heard the professor ask a question and knew the answer but the students already had it. He copied down the information in his notebook and now he needed to look for a partner. He looked around someone close to his age and noticed a slytherin that looked close. He tapped her on her shoulder and said,

"Hey i need a partner." with a warm smile.

No one was answering. She would have to sit on the sidelines and WATCH wouldn't she? Ugh, it'd be the first time EVER in a DADA lesson and the Gryffindor didn't think she'd be able to live with herself so when Mo offered an old man liable to wet himself when tickled, she was sold. Her grin mirrored his. Did he know he was saving her from feeling restless while sitting this whole thing out? Maybe. Maybe that's why he was grinning. "No problem at all. Even old I'd prefer you to half these people." Mostly because she didn't know half of them and wasn't willing to chance their level of stupidity but for the most part that was a compliment, yup.

"Funny enough, I have." She admitted, a little taken aback by the answer. How long had it been since she proper talked to Mo. Start of term when they snuck down to the kitchen? Some random classes scattered around the term? Sounded about right.

"Er...did the Professor say we could get started?" She might not have been paying attention. Sue her.

Adrienne flinched as the boy turned, and then cursed herself for doing so. She'd gotten so jumpy recently, it was like she was afraid of trouble around every corner. Usually she was the one who instigated the trouble, but now it hurt when she moved too quickly, so she spent a lot of time reading or grumbling about her housemates to Tora. "Yeah, you be my partner," she repeated. Isn't that what she had just said? Honestly, kids these days, always talking unnecessarily.

"Adrienne," she said shortly in response to the greeting. She knew it wasn't the most polite way to introduce herself, but she'd never been one for pleasantries anyway, and her bones were aching too much for her to care at all. There weren't very many signs of age externally, save for the odd grey hair, but inside she was definitely not her regular fourteen year old self.

Ohh, haii! This boy right there needed a partner! Sophie grinned as he approached her. Cool. Finding a partner was easy. It didn't take any time at all. "Oh, cool," she said to him. "Partners it is, then." Had she met this boy before? "Did I work with you in another class? Or...am I thinking about somebody else?"

Soo...

"Are we supposed to get started?" she asked. She hadn't heard the professor say. Maybe he had, and she just missed it.

Kace smiled and was glad she could work with her. He also cleared the water with his name. "The name is Kace." he nodded towards her. Oh? Had she? She could have. "Ermm i think you could have but my memory is horrible sometimes. You do look familiar." he told her honestly.

"Erm i do not think we started yet..." he looked around the room and noticed people were still looking for partner. "I think people are still looking for partners but i know we need to practice Rictusempra on one another." he remember the professor saying that.

Kace? No. Sophie didn't think she's worked with him after all. "Your name doesn't sound familiar, so I guess not. Anyway, I'm Sophie," she said. They should at least know each other's names if they were going to start tickling one another any second now.

Okay, Rictusempra. Yeah, they should start with the one that wouldn't hurt them. Sophie nodded and moved a few feet away from him. That was when she started to glance around her. "Nobody else is casting yet," she said. "Maybe we should wait?"

partners?
 

Rictusempra
 

.......

Her eyes sought out where the spell had come from. "Mister Mordaunt!" she called over to the youngster while keeping an eye on those who were looking or now had partners. "I had not said to start yet."

Did she need to undo Mister Rehman now?

"Good question, Mister Yarborough. I can answer this question fully ...ven ve start on practicing Titillando." Which would be in a short while. "Alright?"



It looooooooked like they were going to have an even number. Maybe.

Surprisingly, she hadn't seen anyone sit down yet so, gold stars for everyone. On the other hand, one pair of students had her raising an eyebrow in...amusement. "Miss Bishop. Mister Maroon." she called over to them. Who else was near them? "And...Mister Bay and Miss Wayne. Vould you four be so kind as to svitch partners vith one another? Miss Bishop vith Mister Bay and Mister Maroon vith Miss Wayne?"

Would even out the years a bit.



"Hmkaaaay, it looks like most of you haff a partner. If you don't, start drifting tovards the stands so I can see who doesn't." But for the most part, it looked good. "Ve're going to start vith Rictusempra for the time being. The incantation is rather known by now. It's rictusempra."

Ahem.........yes.

"And the vand movement is a narrow arrow pointing to the right. There is a second vand movement that leads this spell to haff a couple extra undesired effects, but ve vill only be focusing on the tickling part of it today. You may practice the vand movement and incantation first if you please, othervise....feel free to go ahead and start. And please, do be careful." Bunch of 'mature' for their age students in here. Goodness.

"A simple 'Finite' vill lift the spell. Shout out for me if you're haffing trouble."

OOC: Feel free to start now! Effects of Rictusempra are usually the sensation of being tickled and mild weakness throughout the body. Deaths are a no-no. Please no deaths. *mellow* Also, it's OKAY to not get the spell right on the first try if your character is new to this.

Seeing the look on her face kind of scared him a little.. "what did i just get myself into??" he thought and then the dreaded "you can be mine" maybe he took it the wrong way but he held his smile.. "great.. we will be awesome" he hobbled over to an open area to give them plenty of room.

"so now we wait eh… and ohhh.. I'm Bay by the way..Gryffindor" he said.. almost forgetting where he was..putting his hands in his pockets he started to move his knee to give it a work out before they started anything.

Ella, Bay, and new Partner Beverly
 

Bart turned and looked towards the professor. Oh he was changing partners, allrighty then. "Hey Bay, Hey Beverly guess you are my tickling partner." He smirked. It would have been fun tickling Head Girl, but Bev would be fun as well. "Thanks for going to be my partner Ella." He gave a grin before moving closer to Beverly.

Now the spell was Rictusempra, he could do that easy, but just in case he figured he better practice. Rictusempra Rictusempra Rictusempra Rictusempra. Yep easy. Now practicing the wand movement a bit he did it over and over again. Browns eyes looking towards Beverly. "So you want to go first or shall I?" He didn't care who went first, but he didn't want to laugh too much. "If I start laughing a lot you're going to stop the spell, right?" Too much and he might hurt his old bones more then they already were.

Alex
 

Rictumsempra. That was the spell they were supposed to start casting first. Even though Sander knew how to perform the spell having done so during his dueling practices and back home....yes Elin was the willing victim of his tickling from a distance...he still watched as Professor Romanos demonstrated the wand movements to every one in the class. With his state of occasional memory loss, he couldn't trust his memory right now.

So watch and learn like the rest were doing. The wand movement was a narrow arrow pointing to the right. Right...I mean got it.

Sander waved his wand a couple of times adopting those wand movements...first to warm up and second to practice before actually saying the incantations. Then he turned to face Alex.

"Rictumsempra...Rictumsempra....Rictumsempra" he first practiced saying the incantation. Next was the wand movements.

"Let's take a couple of steps back from each other to give ourselves enough room to work with," Sander suggested to his name twin as he did what he suggested.

"I'm ready if you are," Sander called out to Alex.

"Rictumsempra," Sander called out the incantation as he waved his wand simulating an arrow pointing right and waited to see the familiar silver beam of light stream out of his wand and head towards Alex. At the same time he braced himself expecting Alex's spell to hit him.

Tickle me silly...please.

Cutty ^_^
 

Adi knew Cutty would agree to be his partner. He also knew the Slytherin might try to act smart and he was ready. "Protego!'' Adi smirked at Cutty as the spell was blocked, mentally thanking Alec for being such a good teacher and helping him master the Shield Charm last year. "I knew you'd do that.'' Though he wasn't sure if his friend's attempt at the spell would work because they had not been given the wand movement as yet.

.................
Wand movement and incantation practicing first. Keeping an eye on Cutty in case he decided to be sneaky again, Adi began his practice. "Rictusempra, Rictusempra, Rictusempra, Rictusempra.''

And now for the wand movement. Narrow arrow to the right? Okaaaay. Adi traced out a few of those. Meh. He thought he got it.

Right. Time to get back at Cutty. Without any hesitation, the Puffer raised his wand and made the movement. "Rictusempra!''

Yes, they'd be awesome as long as he lifted whichever of the spells they were using at the count of three seconds. But no need to scare the guy, her face probably did that already. When he introduced himself, she sent him a curt nod. "I'm Beverly Wayne from Slytherin." When were they going to start already?

There was the professor. Thinking the woman was going to start the activity, Beverly drew out her wand and...

Bart.

Okay. New partner. No problem. "Looks like a change of plans, Bay from Gryffindor." She waved at him and met the smaller Gryffindor half way. What was that look on his face? Change of tactics was needed. This Gryffindor wasn't just ANY Gryffindor.

Beverly thought his proposition over. She wasn't new to this, both the hex and charm; her old tutors could attest to that. The only difference back then was that they weren't allowed to touch a single hair on her head.

"Only if you do," she said. "So I go, ladies first I suppose," she sighed, but mentally patted herself in the back for good decision making.

It was going to be extremely weird to let a wizard hit her with a spell, but house points were house points. Holding her wand tight, facing down, she nodded the go at Bart. "Ready?"

Tag! (Lex!)
 

.................................................. ...........................

What was the motion? Jeremiah tilted his head a bit and tried to imagine what the heck that would be before turning to Tag, "what was the motion?" either he missed something or he just didn't understand the professor but either way all he got was the spell name Rictusempra which he said quietly to himself a few times

"Ric-tus-emp-ra, Ric-tus-emp-ra, Ric-tus-em-pra," he got all the symbols in there and his diction seemed on key enough for him "Rictusempra?" he said a bit louder in a questioning tone, Right tag was he doing it correctly? He had this thing where he questioned everything when learning it just made him remember stuff beter.

Sander
 

OK, it was showtime. Alex felt the need to go over the spell a few times before unleashing it on Sander. So while he practiced, so did she. Alex repeated the incantation aloud several times. "Rictusempra, Rictusempra, Rictusempra.". Next she practiced the wand movement. "Narrow arrow to the right", she thought as she moved her wand to match her mental image.

Alex turned toward Sander and moved back a few steps as he suggested. After giving it some thought, Alex said, "Maybe we should do this one at a time first". That way, we can end the spell on each other. If we're both tickled and weakened at the same time, it might not be good. You go first." Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm ready now."

Alex readied herself and waited for Sander to cast his spell. When he did, she resisted the urge to shout Protego. When the spell hit her, it felt like a hundred little fingers tickling her all over. Usually Alex wasn't ticklish, but this was not the usual situation. Since she was already borderline giggly, she couldn't help it when she started to laugh and laugh and laugh. "Well twin.......I guess you......did it......right", she gasped between giggles. When the spell was ended. Alex took a few moments to recover from her laughing fit. Since her old lady tank was only half full to begin with, she was feeling a little winded and fatigued.

After Alex felt better, she faced Sander again. "It's my turn now. Are you ready twin?" Moving her wand in the arrow motion, she shouted, "Rictusempra". Standing back, Alex watched to see Sander's reaction to the spell. Hopefully she had done it correctly.

Alex
 

...and that made total sense. If both of them cast the spell at the same time and were laughing hysterically, under the throes of the Tickling spell, who then would cast the spell to end their spells? Professor Romanos? Sanders suspected she would if she was asked to help out, but that would be more expected from the younger students not from the older ones.

Hence. the reason why Alex stood still and allowed his spell to hit her. Sander suspected she must have fought against her instincts to raise her shield and admired her for resisting the urge.

He watched as she began to laugh uncontrollably and even though he wasn't under the spell, he began to laugh along with her. He couldn't help it. Her laugh was infectious. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Sander pointed his wand at her and ended the spell.

"Finite" Sander said the incantation and waited for Alex to recover before stoically...and bravely...standing still in front of her. Hey if she could do it, he would do it too.

"Okay it's your turn, Alex. Give it your best shot," he grinned over at his best friend as he raised both his arms up in surrender.

He was smiling at her and Sophie offered him a big ol' grin back, pleased that he seemed genuinely happy to pair up with her. Well, why wouldn't he be? "Excellent." But she laughed a little, then, when Toby said he'd go easy on her.

...

Until that moment, it hadn't crossed her mind that he would be practicing the spells on her, too - she had just been concerned with him not being tortured to death and wanted him to be paired with someone who would look after him properly - and her expression paled. But, the more she thought about it, she was grateful that she did pick Tobes as her partner, then, because they had a sort of understanding that tickling was serious business and not good in excess. She trusted him to be kind to her, and she hoped he trusted her just as easily. He should. She certainly didn't want to be his cause of death.

Text Cut: Romanos

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roselyn (Post 11578072) "Hmkaaaay, it looks like most of you haff a partner. If you don't, start drifting tovards the stands so I can see who doesn't." But for the most part, it looked good. "Ve're going to start vith Rictusempra for the time being. The incantation is rather known by now. It's rictusempra." Ahem.........yes. "And the vand movement is a narrow arrow pointing to the right. There is a second vand movement that leads this spell to haff a couple extra undesired effects, but ve vill only be focusing on the tickling part of it today. You may practice the vand movement and incantation first if you please, othervise....feel free to go ahead and start. And please, do be careful." Bunch of 'mature' for their age students in here. Goodness. "A simple 'Finite' vill lift the spell. Shout out for me if you're haffing trouble." OOC: Feel free to start now! Effects of Rictusempra are usually the sensation of being tickled and mild weakness throughout the body. Deaths are a no-no. Please no deaths. *mellow* Also, it's OKAY to not get the spell right on the first try if your character is new to this.

Instructions. Right. Good. There were butterflies in her stomach now as she listened intently to the professor's directions and followed the wand movement with her eyes. Her wand still in its holster, Sophie practiced the wand movement with her hand. "Rictusempra. Riiictusempraaaa." Simple enough, the incantation was, and she figured this would be a pretty hard charm to mess up.

...Then why was she so nervous?

Turning to Tobes, Sophie gave him a sheepish smile and took a few steps back. "Y'wanna go first in casting? You're older, so you should be less likely to mess it up. I'll learn from the pro." She wasn't entirely lying, but she moreso wanted to see how the spell affected her, as her body hadn't aged as far as Toby's had yet, so she could take notes and try to reduce the severity of the spell accordingly for him, if she could manage it.

Sander
 

Clearly Alex was a little rusty because her first attempt at the spell either missed or was not effective. If at first you don't succeed........

Looking at Sander with his arms raised in surrender was a little disturbing. "Put your arms down. I don't want to feel like I'm attacking a completely defenseless man even though I am.

Standing directly across from Sander, Alex raised her wand and tried to visualize the spell doing it's job. Getting a mental picture of Sander laughing uncontrollably made her smile. Ooops, momentary lack of concentration-not good. Trying hard to focus, she repeated her right narrow arrow movement. "Rectusempra", Alex said while concentrating with all her might. The spell was going to work this time, or else. Seeing a silver stream of light burst from her wand, Alex was hopeful that it would reach it's target.

Alex...Will acknowledge first try...sorry I missed that xD
 

Even as Sander ended the tickling spell on Alex, he saw a silver stream of light fly by him barely missing his shoulder. Sander did a double take. Had that spell come from Alex or someone else? Wishing good luck to the person who happened to be standing in its way, Sander turned his attention on Alex. When she told him to his arms down, he smiled apologetically and held them behind his back.

Now wasn't that better. An open target....and then he heard her cast the spell and a second later, felt a little weak and then...wham!! the sensation of a million fingers tinkling him all over.

Oh Merlin!! they found all his funny spots. His sides, the spot right under his right ear, the back of his thighs...everywhere he didn't know he was ticklish, the spell found it.

Sander began squirming all over....and then the laughter spilled out. It didn't matter that he sounded like a hyena or a mule, Sander just couldn't stop laughing. He laughed until he was bent over, holding onto his sides, his eyes filled with tears.

"Good..heehee...hahahaha....job...Alex...heehawheee hawhhhhheeehaw...I surrender," Sander looked up at Alex raising both his hands up.

Okay it was time for Alex to end the spell before he started to hiccup.

HIC....HIC...HIC....too late.

Sander
 

Bullseye. Alex's second attempt did not miss and Sander was soon doubled over with laughter. Alex was amused, at first. It was funny to see Sander wiggling and "dancing" as the spell did its thing. So funny, that it was kind of hard to keep a straight face. Laughter was like yawning, when you saw another person doing it, you couldn't help but join in.

Alex laughed along with Sander until tears came to his eyes and he started to hiccup. It was then that it stopped being fun and began to seem a little like torture. Alex raised her wand and said, "Finite Incantatem". Ending the spell, Alex called out to Sander. "Are you OK?, she asked.

Alex began to prepare herself for more tickling because she knew that once Sander recovered, a new spell would be coming her way. "Your turn twin. Whenever you're ready."

Fern grinned, gap-toothed and all, right back at Lux and raised her hand for a high-five, "Let's do this! Let's show 'em how it's done!" Then after class, they could celebrate their genius in the kitchen. Freshly baked cookies and the latest house-elf gossip!!



This was shaping up to be a pretty decent class, despite Adi partnering with Cutty and Fern's future BFF, the fashion knowledgeable Ravenclaw, partnering up with Toby. She had Lux for her partner, Cuthbert was publicly called out by the professor for being the loser that he was, and Bart wasn't allowed to practice with Ella. Fern's grin just grew wider and wider.

After Professor Romanos had finished talking, Fern turned back to Lux, "Let's practice! Rictusempererrr...Rictusempra! Rict-u-semp-ra! Rictupsempra!" Yep. That sounded correct. The Hufflepuff drew out her wand and worked on forming a couple of arrows. The first arrow went to the left, and she shot a quick glance at Lux to see if her partner had seen her mistake. But the second, third, and fourth arrows went the right way.

"Okay! I'm ready!"

So she was going to go first, Bart smirked a bit, this was going to be interesting. He hadn't paired up with Beverly in awhile, but he trusted her enough. Shuffling his slippers a bit further away from her he turned and crossed his arms.


This was going to be fun and easy and he couldn't wait to make the girl fall to the floor laughing, not that his spell would probably be that strong, but a boy could hope. He gripped his wand with his hands still crossed, and waited for dramatic effect. Looking around at the others.

Turning his brown eyes back to Beverly, "You sure you can handle tickling me?" he chuckled jokingly, but it was fun to try and get into her head. Why not make practice a little more fun. "Give me your best shot! I'm ready."

Bring it on!

Switching partners :3 Hai Bay
 

Partner switch? Ella smiled at Romanos and nodded her head, not really concerned by the switch. If anything, it'd make more sense for her to work with Bay so that was fine. The eighteen year old smiled at B...Bart and waved as he moved over to the younger girl, "Anytime." Now to go talk to Mr. Cowboy.

"Hey Bay." Was he ready to be tickled? Ella smiled a little and made a slow circle around him, observing him curiously. "Ready to start?" She was...mostly. Although if she went down during this, he'd totally have to help her back up. Just saying.