While Ronan's bad mood from earlier in the week had passed, he still wondered why they had to have a class in the middle of such a bad storm. Honestly, it shouldn't be this dark at this time of the morning! He had to wonder if they were about to experience one of those 'twister' things he had heard about as a strike of lightning streaked across the sky, closely followed by a floor-shaking clap of thunder.

It was his watching of the storm outside that had caused him to miss breakfast so that he'd had to stop by the kitchen to grab a donut and a cup of coffee before heading to class.

"Hello, Professor," he greeted before sitting at a desk and taking a bite of his donut. And yes, those are his pajamas and bathrobe he is wearing.

Daisy entered the classroom and greeted the teacher with a "Good morning, Professor!" She sat down in the back of the classroom but not before noticing that a certain Gryffindor was wearing his night clothes instead of his uniform. Daisy took out her quill, parchment and textbook and waited for the lesson to begin.

It didn't matter that is was pitch black outside and storming, Rylee was in very high spirits like always. On her face was that typical bright smile. "Good morning, Professor!" she greeted warmly waving in the man's direction. Eager blue eyes scanned the room taking notice of only two others in attendance. Either she was early today or everyone else was running late.

"Morning, Ronan," she smiled at her older fellow Gryffindor. Was he in his pajamas? Had she missed the memo that had said to wear pajamas to today's lesson? No, she didn't think so. "Hello, Daisy." Rylee waved at her before selecting a seat near the front of the room.

Sitting down she pulled out the things she would need for the lesson and set them on her desk, feet swinging back and forth with uncontained energy.

Storms, not her favorite. She never slept well when it was storming and that mornings storms had shook her up a bit. Storm muffling earmuffs would be something she would have to figure out how to make.

With an exhausted look upon her face, she entered the classroom. "Good day, sir." She greeted Professor Curtains with a little nod and made her way towards her seat. "Hi Rylee! Hi Daisy!" she said just as she was about to sit near her friends. Then she saw HIM. "Ronan." She simply stated his name, making sure to use to most unwelcoming tone she could muster and shaking her head at his classroom attire.

She hoped this class would pass without incident. She wasn't sure how much more her nerves could take after the past weeks events and the storm. Either way, she knew she would do her best.

Kye was nervous. Like, beyond nervous. She could still back out of course, and no one would even know! But... was she really that cowardly at this point? She shouldn't be, right?! She fiddled with folded parchment, and put it in her pocket. Kye entered the classroom dressed in comfortable dark pants and a turtleneck. It was the perfect weather for it! This was Kye's kind of weather. She loved the thunder, the sound of rain, and being able to bundle up. "Good morning, Professor!" she greeted with a smile, before turning to find a seat. It was then of course that her heart seemed to drop as she faced the few that had already arrived. Suddenly she wanted to hide in her turtleneck. Grumble grumble... She quietly took a seat behind Ronan, sinking a little bit before quietly and carefully putting the folded parchment into his bag. Rather do it now when no one would see and before he went and got kicked out again or something... Hopefully he was in a better mood today?

Storms called for a nice cup of warm jasmine tea, and a good book. However, the plan had to be reconsidered since he had to attend History class that morning. After carefully stuffing all his needed books and writing implements in his bag, Jace strolled towards the classroom, breathing in the smell of rain letting it fill his lungs, and his mind wandering back to Japan. In a couple of months, he'd be sitting his NEWTs, and a few weeks after that, he will be coming home...for good.

The thought left a bittersweet feeling inside him, and the weather did not help his emotions. Upon entering the classroom, Jace gave the professor a slight bow of his head, and a polite, "Good morning, Professor." Oh, how he will miss using the English language. Taking his seat at the very back, the senior Ravenclaw took a good look in front of him, giving the younger Gryffindor a good look from head to foot...and then to his wristwatch checking the time. The positioning of the planets told him it was morning already. Had he sleep-walked all the way to his seat? Given that his friend, Matt, was likely to do the same thing, he thought it to be normal among the Lions. Filing away the thought, Jace eased in his seat, his gaze wandering outside where he watched the rest of Scotland get drenched in the cold, sad rain.

What Skylar could really use right now is a cup of hot tea or hot cocoa. There was actually something enchanting about the Slytherin Common Room during a storm, because you didn't get to see the violent rains coming down and yet you still got to experience it from the swirly patterns made in the Black Lake. It was almost soothing, being curled up on the couch with a hot beverage, just watching the currents of the lake. But no, instead there were other plans this morning, which included History of Magic and Skylar only hoped the lesson wouldn't be dry as a summer day. No, let it be wet and refreshing and hydrating like dancing in the rain on this stormy day.

"Morning, Professor," she greeted, finding a seat somewhere near the window. Because maybe changing views to watch the storm wouldn't be a bad thing. Seeing it from above sea level, instead of below. She was just missing that hot beverage.

Scarlett LOVED this stormy weather. She had always been a fan of thunderstorms ever since she was little, so she was extra...energetic as she entered the classroom. "Hello Professor Curtains!" she said happily as she walked in. She took her usual seat near the middle of the classroom, looking around. Hmm, nothing seemed super out of the ordinary - so it was hard for her to possibly guess what they could be learning about.

The weather had made nights seemingly boring for Kirk, who quite enjoyed night time stargazing, but he found alternative ways to cope. Day time however, it was just another day of lessons as Kirk walked into History of Magic class.

"Hello Professor." He greeted shortly. Seeing how engrossed Professor Curtains was in writing Kirk went on ahead to his seat to take.

Charles did not start the class until he was finished filling out his form. He did look up as students entered and greeted them as cheerfully as he could muster. "Good morning...good morning...ah, good morning to you too. Please find a seat. Lesson will begin shortly." Was Mr. Carter wearing a bathrobe? Oh well, that did not bother Charles. Some professors had strict outfit guidelines but he usually could not care less. He was all for self-expression and all that.

Finishing his form, the professor took out his wand and flicked it towards the ceiling. Immediately the ceiling took on the qualities of the dark stormy sky outside. It was an illusion of course, so there was no rain or cold - just darkness and occasional flashes of wind.

"Good morning class! If you consider this a good morning, that is, and I do. I think this stormy sky will serve nicely as a backdrop to today's topic," he said mildly, still seated behind his desk. "But I'll be happy to vanquish it bothers anyone. Just say the word!" Not trying to bother anyone with too much realism, of course.

Let's get this lesson started! "Today we will be discussing a particularly dark period in the history of Professor Hirsch's subject: Defense Against the Dark Arts. It is a period that lasted decades. Can anyone guess what I am referring to?"

OOC: Thank you all for coming! I decided to postpone this reply to give more people a chance to show up. Lesson will commence in 24 hours.

She sank a bit lower in her seat. She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Her knowledge of magical history was very lacking. She had only been aware of the magical world for less than a year and her parents hadn't known of it either. She hoped one of the magical born students in the class would offer up what they knew on the subject before Professor Curtains could call on her.

Fiddling with her notebook and keeping her pencil at the ready, Emmalyn focused her eyes on her paper with laser intensity. Eye contact was a sure way to get noticed and that was not what she wanted to happen.

Waittt......... Wait......... Professor Curtains had the power to vanquish the stormy sky? He could change weather patterns?? And if so, did that mean he purposefully set them up with a stormy sky weather for this morning? Or was the weather outside an illusion on the window similar to the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall? Was Curtains responsible for that???

It was these thoughts that had the sixth year's attention and she barely registered that the lesson was starting. Dark period during Professor Hirsch's subject could only mean one thing.... because it spanned multiple generations. Popping her hand into the air, "Are you referring to the era of when Voldemort was alive?" Because fearing his name was definitely a thing of the past. Actually, he was a thing of the past too, given it was nearly a century ago when he died....

"Morning Rylee!" he chirped out in response to his fellow Gryffindor's greeting. Who was quickly was followed by Emmalyn, at whom he opened his mouth to offer a belated apology but at her greeting swallowed said apology instead. If she wanted to be sour grapes about the whole thing, that was her problem.

He did notice Valkyrie sit behind him and gave her a smile as she did, but he didn't notice the note being snuck into his bag (though he would later).

Ronan didn't so much as bat an eye as Professor Curtains waved his wand and made the ceiling match the sky outside. It was, after all the same spell that was on the ceiling of the Great Hall. "Voldemort War I and II?" Which had both been ended by Harry Potter (whom he had been compared to before, though he preferred the Batman comparisons)? And actually, he had to agree with the professor there. Perfect weather to talk about it. Also, some rock music would set the mood, too.

DADA huh? There was a lot a lot of stuff! Skyler bit her lip though trying to think of something. "Perhaps the time when everyone was running scared because of Grunwald?" She asked.

Kye didn't mind the sky at all, they saw the same effect in the Great Hall hundreds of times by now. She hoped he would keep it up, but she didn't care enough to open her mouth about it. Instead she added her two cents to his question. "Sir, are you referring to the rise and fall of Voldemort, and the era of Harry Potter?" It was true that there were a few different things he could be referring to, but this would be the most obvious answer. It was the most life-altering, and Kye didn't care to think about how life would be if Voldemort had won the war and reigned over all. How crazy thinking that some weird tiny piece of a soul would be all that was left of someone, yet they could still wreak so much havoc and terror to the world.

The professor's voice pulled Jace back to his present, and carefully eyed the forming "storm" above their heads. The Ravenclaw had to admit that it was a bit disorienting to see the outside phenomenon inside the classroom. The scene would've been more forgiving if it was done in the Great Hall where the ceiling was high...but to see the storm clouds so close made the Ravenclaw a bit uncomfortable.

Perfectly concealing his emotions, the senior Ravenclaw pulled himself up to sit straighter in his chair, looking at each of his classmates who offered up their answers. Voldemort still reigned supreme even after almost a century has passed. However, Jace thought otherwise if they'd all look way before Tom Riddle's time. In fact, he thought of Albus Dumbledore's time...the famous, brilliant wizard's time of youth to be exact. After the last student had spoken, the Ravenclaw raised his hand and offered his answer, "Or maybe it's about Gellert Grindelwald's rise to power? He was a notorious practitioner of dark magic, and he was feared not only in Europe but in the United States as well..." Just his two cents.

Patrick had noticed the dark sky, it wasn’t off putting to him. Living in the mid-west of the United States most of his life, rain was more soothing than annoying. He heard that they were going to be talking about something that had to do with DADA. Trying to think about anything and everything he might know about the subject from his limited knowledge was hard. He thought for a second and then her figured he might as well give it a good guess. “I’m not terribly sure, but is it something to do with the great battle?” He really needed to brush up on his history regarding the subject he hated most. He avoided that like the plague...

Zita was sitting there, she had been there the entire time and right now she was filing her nails and bored out of her mind already. She decided to sit near Ronan and just look at his cuteness and the other boy cuteness going on in the room. Her eyes lifting only for the professor when he spoke and she couldn't help the small eye roll when Ronan said about Voldermort. Wasn't there anything else in this class they could talk about then the Harry Potter Era?

She showed some interested in the others when they brought up other things, in all honesty, she didn't know and didn't really care. Past was past and she didn't see why talking about it did any good. They could read about it and move on, why have a full class on it?

Dark moment regarding to Defense Against the Dark Arts? Kirk wasn't too sure which moment the Professor was going to be focusing on today. Lasting for decades.. Hmm. The most obvious was regarding the Potter family, which others already mentioned. He didn't feel the need to repeat it.

As more mentioned their own thoughts, one finally came to Kirk's mind. "There was.. that Lord Voldemortist bloke who had actually taught the subject before killing others in the school." He wasn't even born then to know the full details but remembered his parents mentioning something about it.

Katy tapped her fingers against the top of her desk. Not impatient, perhaps, but not patient either. Ready to get started, even if the subject seemed like it might be one all too familiar to those of the common wizarding era. Her gaze drifted to the storm outside the window, the rain streaming down the panes and making the world a smudge.

"The world before eyeliner was invented, sir. Very dark period. Granted, it was several millenia ago, but those were ugly days. And I mean literally ugly." She smiled just slightly for his benefit.

Skyler snorted at the answer.
"Wouldn't eyeliner make the world darker?" She said an amused smile on her face.

Rylee smiled brightly at everyone that greeted her, her fingers wiggling at them in the form of a cute little wave. As per usual the lesson began rather quickly and she was more than happy to turn her attention onto Professor Curtains. The storm outside wasn't much of a distraction for her unless you counted the fact that every time lightening stuck or thunder clapped loudly her gaze would shift towards the nearest window. Only briefly. There was all day outside of the lesson to sit in the common room and watch the rain.

A dark period in history that dealt with the dark arts. That's what they would be talking about today. Right away the eleven year old's thoughts shifted to Voldemort and Grindelwald. Both of those battles had been long and very dark. Both of those battles had also been said by several others. Picking up her quill she quickly jotted down her thoughts onto her parchment instead of speaking them out loud. It had to be one or the other.

No requests to turn the ceiling charm off? Okay, great. Now they could all discuss metaphorical darkness within a background of literal darkness.

He listened as all the students gave their answers, one at a time so their words wouldn't get lost in a jumble. That was one of the things that impressed him most about Hogwarts students. They didn't need a teacher to point one by one at raised hands to know when they had an opening. Rarely did he ever have to chide a student for speaking out of turn. It really showed them to be a distinguished, respectable, mature student body.

"Yes, Voldemort's reign of power was certainly a dark period for defense against the dark arts, indeed it was a dark period for all subjects and all people from every walk of life. Now the same can also be said for Gellert Grindleward's reign, though perhaps to a lesser extent." He was echoing their answers. The answer he had been looking for had not been provided by anyone, but these were still good answers. "And though I have never used eyeliner, I suppose a time where it had not been invented would be inconvenient for the millions who do use it," he said, smiling at Ms. Toussaint's answer. Did Professor Hirsch ever use eyeliner? Hmmm.

"The answer I am thinking of today, and the one we will be studying, is more narrow in scope. Kirk touched on it." Kirk mentioned Voldemort killing several teachers. "I would like to know how many of you know about Voldemort's curse against any teacher who would attempt to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. You may describe why he cursed the job, when this happened, how it worked, and when it ended. Just say what you know."

Skylar was trying super hard to keep from laughing with a certain Toussaint's answer. Katy wasn't serious, right? Because while it was TRUE, she highly doubted their male teacher would be talking about the days before eyeliner, or makeup in general. Also, that younger Snake who stole her name, clearly had never worn makeup if she didn't understand how the world was darker before eyeliner.

But moving on though; Kirk touched on? Kirk talked about Lord Voldemortist, not Lord Voldemort. In other words, Duskurk or something; it was well before her time and even her parents time, but she had at least read her history book. Restraining from correcting Curtains, because some things were really not worth the battle, she instead focused on the next question on hand.

"It ended in like 1998 with the second battle of Hogwarts. But had to do with the fact that Voldemort wouldn't get hired for the post, so he supposedly took vengeance on it. Noone would be able to keep the position for more than one year." Really, it kind of didn't make sense, considering just because no one could keep the position for beyond a year, didn't make you more hirable....