Trying not to shiver too much, Natalie just held STILL and waited for class to begin. She saw a figure stop next to her and saw Sylvie join her. She gave her a welcoming smile, but dared not to speak.

Thankfully, the urge to make conversation subdued when the Headmaster began class as ominous as ever. Oh, and even more dangerous because APPARENTLY they were going into the Forbidden Forest today. You know, the FOREST that was FORBIDDEN. Natalie hid her disapproval behind her scarf and continued to listen to his... instruction. Which basically sounded like "don't be stupid or you'll die". Awesome.

Now they were talking about all the things that could kill them in the forest. COOL. Natalie wracked her brain for a creature, knowing that she had to find a good answer because sometimes silence was taken for stupidity.

She raised her hand. "There are centaurs, sir. While they're not naturally dark creatures, they have had a tense history with us and they can prove to be dangerous, especially if you challenge them." So, she would be... not.. challenging them.

Nettie perked up just a bit when the Headmaster said they'd be headed into the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly, this lesson didn't seem all that bad. Nettie was always up for a little adventure, even if it was with the Headmaster who was definitely one of her least favorite people right now.

Raising her hand, Nettie chimed in to the conversation. "The acromantulas that live in the forest have been known to attack students here in the castle," she told him. In fact, one student had even been EATEN by them. But she didn't need to go in to all that grisly detail. That had been a long time ago...

Just so that everyone was clear on this, Zoryn Spinnet was planning on behaving today. She was growing tired of push-ups and laps. Today just wasn't the day. Most days, she loved pushing to the limit. Today she wanted a break.

Now that we've made that clear. "I'll take the lap," which was fine as she hadn't been showing up to run them the last couple of weeks anyways. So tbh that extra lap probably wouldn't ever get done. Just saying. But also, since he had technically given her a decision to make AND she had already spoken anyways she'd continue."But for the record, if I don't greet Professor Fletcher in divinations, he takes five points. So I greeted you and you ALSO took five points. No offense, Headmaster, but that sounds pretty inconsistent to me. It's confusing."

Remember that part about being good and quiet this time?

Yeah, that was BEFORE her blood had reached boiling temperatures.

Anyways, if anything he ought to agree and then they can move on and Zoryn Spinnet would stay quiet for the rest of the lesson. She wanted a break as much as he did, okay? But you can't do something this dumb and expect her to stay quiet. Who'd he think she was?!? Abra (no offense)??

As for the question, of course she chose not to answer. If he didn't want her to speak, then she wouldn't speak at all.

One dark creature? Their current Headmaster.
One thing she knew about him? He was inconsistent. And bonus fact, he was also UGLY.

Indigo was a bit relieved when Lucas showed up and came to stand by him. It made him feel less anxious about, well, everything, to have his best friend by him. Except then he felt really bad when the headmaster punished him. They couldn't even greet him? Fortunately for Indigo, he wouldn't have done that anyway and was actually a little bit glad of an excuse to not have to talk unnecessarily. But his friend had gotten in trouble, so he was indignant on his behalf. Not that he verbalized anything, of course. No use both of them getting in trouble.

The news that they were going into the forbidden forest was a little surprising, though, honestly it really shouldn't have been. They were in Defense Against the Dark Arts, outside instead of the usual classroom. So really it did kind of make sense. Did the thought scare him? Indigo did feel a bit anxious, but then again when didn't he? It wasn't that he was scared of the forest? If he could ever feel safe in the forest it would be with a large group with a capable wizard leading them. So he really was not frightened by the prospect of what they were about to do.

Indigo considered the question, not offering any answers for himself yet. He wasn't really one to speak in class unless absolutely necessary. He could, if he found the information provided by his classmates lacking, but they seemed to have covered it. If he had answered he probably would have said acromantulas. The giant spiders were probably one of the darkest creatures he could think of. But plenty of his classmates had already mentioned them, so there was no use repeating. Unicorns and centaurs were good answers too, though he wouldn't necessarily consider them dark creatures. One boy said giants, which... Indigo was fairly certain no giants lived in the Forbidden Forest but he didn't offer his opinion. It really wasn't important. He had just decided to stay silent when he wondered if he could get in trouble for not talking? It seemed kind of unlikely, but who knew what Scrimgeour would punish? As he mentally debated whether or not to say something, his anxiety also rose to a point where he didn't think he could manage to force himself to say anything. So, silence it was.

Natasha nervously raised her hand. "I don't know if they live in the forest, but Hippogriffs are known to be around the school. They are very proud and should never be insulted." she explained, hoping no part of her answer would earn her punishment.

Whelp this lesson so far was duly noted. As much as she thought that the best way to show respect for a professor was to greet them, not stand up by a desk. But it was whatever now. Lesson learnt. They could move on now. Or not. Points had been taken and she could either do 20 push ups or run an extra lap in the morning. ’I’ll take the extra lap in the morning, Sir.”

Now she was just going to stand in her corner over here and be quiet the rest of the lesson. Or until she was asked a question.

Sidenote it literally took all Juni everything she had to don’t laugh or applause Zoryn’s speech. Nothing else had been more the truth than those words that her gryffindor friend spoke. YASS girl.

They were going into the forbidden forest. Awesome. Alright… She did of course know to follow the professors instructions especially going into such a dangerous place. As for the dark creatures. ”Centaurs. Though they are only dangerous when provoked.” That was right, right? She could go into more details but this wasn’t a care of magical creatures lesson was it.

Zarina liked the idea of going into the Forbidden Forest. Sounded like an awesome adventure in her book. She respected the professor because he was exposing them to what creatures they would have to face if one was to wander in there. I mean this Slytherin already had but she wasn't gonna tell. She saw other students doing laps and snorted at them.

She thought of an answer to his question. She gave credit to the lion girl doing the lap. She would not do the push-ups though. Do you know how long it takes to do her nails? She pondered and said, "Professor I heard rumors that there could be blast ended skrewts.." she nodded toward her fellow classmates who said it, "or I know there could be fire salamanders in the forest." They were very rare but they could pop out now and again.

Mostly it was sheer dumb luck he didn't greet the Headmaster or say hi to Zoryn or even say anything other than stay where he was. Five points here and five points there. It was a points losing party. He waited til Zoryn actually said something and well it could have been worse.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

He did chuckle a bit at that since it was true. Riiight, now creatures did he know in the forest. Well ok, that one was just said, and that one.......AND even that one.

Ok, how did they even think of these so fast?

Well Théo tried Headmaster but he is out of creatures

Vita averted her gaze as classmate after classmate received punishment in various forms. It was uncomfortable to watch, if only because the veteran professors of Hogwarts and the newly appointed headmaster didn't seem to be on the same page with how things should run. It was because of this that she understood how, particularly for the youngest students, it could get confusing.

She did return her gaze to the others when an older girl, Spinnet, talked back. Her point was valid, though the fifth year would never have the nerve or stupidity to question the man in charge like that. Not here. Not with all the points he'd taken already. She wondered what his response would be and waited, curious, as she considered the dark creatures that inhabited the forbidden forest.

Hand raised, Vita waited until called on before offering a bit more about trolls, being that forest trolls were mentioned by a few other classmates already. "The trolls, like other creatures mentioned, enjoy feasting on human flesh." If they were going to search for them tonight, she wanted to be at the back of the group...

.........

...... Uh...........

Lucas was confused. More confused than usual. Wasn't greeting someone just being polite? When was THAT against the rules? Sure, he said no talking but..... that meant when the lesson had started, right? Not, you know, saying a hello to the Headmaster when he arrived.

To make it worse, he'd lost POINTS - only five but STILL - and was also being told to do some more pushups? This was just like Divination all over again. The option of running an extra lap didn't really help because he didn't want to do that either. It was like choosing between a rock and a hard place when all he wanted to do was take a nap.

Lucas bit his lip and tried not to look at anyone near him from the shame but his eyes went to Stella when she started doing the pushups. That...... made the decision for him. Yeah. He dropped down to his knees and then to the floor to start doing the pushups. It was going to be hard and he knew it already but..... ...... no, he couldn't do anything about it.

One pushup....... two pushups......... three........

Maybe he could think about something better. Like the muscles he might get from this.

..... seven..... eight..... nine.......

This..... was hard. Like, really hard.

...... twelve..... thirteen....... fourteen.......

He was never going to get those muscles, was he? Look at his spaghetti arms!

....... eighteen..... nineteen....... twenty!

And....... DONE!

Breathing heavily, the boy slowly pushed himself up into a standing position again. His arms were starting to feel weird and his legs were...... well, they didn't feel like jelly this time. Maybe this was a good sign? That he was going to getting fitter and was going to get some toned muscles there (?) and-

..........

Uh, did he just say that they were going to go into the FOREST?!

Lucas's eyes widened and he looked around to see if anyone else looked as scared as he did. Because they were going to be going into the FOREST. And it might be a nice little adventure but he'd heard STORIES, okay? And there were meant to be a lot of very dangerous, human-eating creatures in there, right? Which had to be true because look at how many creatures everyone was listing off!

They were going to die, weren't they? This was all part of the Headmaster's plan, it had to be.

And no, he wasn't going to answer. Not now.

Chase had been silent during Professor Venomous Tentacula's lesson today. First of all: he had introduced the SORE exercises (which honestly he didn't mind- he just didn't like the idea of his fellow students getting injured or something form them) and second of all: he had fired Professor Stewart who Chase liked very much. Sure, she was quirky and all but she was NICE. And Hogwarts needed nice Professors these days....

So the boy remained silent and took notes, trying his best to keep his composure and not have an outburst. Civil he had to be... Perhaps civil but then again perhaps he could work their new Headmaster.... That seemed like an intriguing concept. Work the new Headmaster to understand why the man felt so compelled to rule Hogwarts with an Iron Fist and send them back to the Iron Ages itself....

Zoryn's comment was pretty funny. He admired her spunkiness and had to force himself not to clap at her remark. He had to behave that was the feedback he had received...

Behave for now... Now.. .for the question at hand..

Centaur. "You can find centaurs in the forbidden forest, Headmaster." And as for their abilities or a fun fact... "I remember reading that centaurs burn sage and marsh-- pardon me - mallowsweet to help enhance their stargazing findings." If they were going to meet a centaur, then perhaps Chase would change his mind about the prickly Headmaster.

............... Well.

For a moment, Abra couldn't quite process what he was hearing. He always made the utmost effort to be respectful and follow rules in classes and now... this. He supposed that he had got Scrimgeour's rules mixed up with Fletcher's, which were in the forefront of his mind today, for whatever reason. Fletcher also had the 'do not speak unless spoken to' rule but also the unspoken expectation that students were supposed to greet him, and meted out punishments when they did not. Abra supposed it had only been a matter of time before he started mixing up all the different expectations in his head, and today was apparently that day.

"Sorry, Headmaster. I'll... do the extra lap," he said quietly, before quickly averting his eyes. No way was he going to embarrass himself by attempting the push-ups, even if it would warm him up; Abra did not have the upper body strength required to do even a few in a row, and he'd rather run an extra lap the next day than attempt and fail a set of push-ups and then have to run anyway.

At least he hadn't been the only one to mess up. Small mercies, right?

Once the lesson started, it didn't take long for Abra's anxiety levels to soar. They were going into the forest? WHY? In what way was that POSSIBLY a good idea? Abra's eyes immediately sought out Derf, who was stood nearby, as though seeking some kind of answer or maybe just comfort, though he didn't dare say anything to him. Before he could dwell for too long on that, however, Abra was faced with a new and more immediate dilemma: did he answer, and risk saying something wrong and getting himself into more trouble, or did he stay quiet, and risk getting into trouble for that? The only foolproof way of getting through this, he was sure, was by answering... but answering correctly. Easier said than done.

It took him a while, but Abra eventually raised his hand and, while attempting to fight the shivering and teeth-chattering, gave his answer. "The Acromantula... they joined in during the Battle of Hogwarts." Or, at least, the ones that had been alive a hundred years ago had. Were Acromantulas Dark? Well, not really, but that was basically the only idea that had occurred to Abra, so... he was just going to have to hope it would do.

Points from Slytherin that was a shock for Bettie, not really she knew what ever does or does not do or say or not say would get her in trouble. So just go with comes to you first. As for twenty push-ups or run an additional lap. She will run the additional lap because she could use another lap.
As for the question Bettie raised her hand “Forest Trolls live in the forbidden forest and
The average height for an adult is less then 12’ tall. They have pale green skin and green or brown straggly hair. And I will do the extra lap sir.”

Twenty what? PUSHUPS? In her uniform skirt? Chloe looked at the Headmaster as if he'd lost his mind, but she did as he said, dropping down to the hard stones and working her way through twenty pushups. Quickly, without complaint, and perfectly executed in spite of the fact that her hands stung from the gravel and she wasn't dressed for it. Captain Kirk had trained her well.

At least she hadn't lost any points.

Headmaster had dementia. He'd lost his gourd. It wasn't his fault, but he was absolutely bonkers, so she'd do what he asked, but it probably wasn't safe to let him escort them into the forest. And as for his question and the answers her classmates were giving...? "Red caps, sir. They have burrows, although probably pretty deep in the forest. But, sir... unicorns and centaurs and blast-ended skrewts aren't dark creatures. Dangerous doesn't equate to dark. If you kill for food or defense, it isn't because you're evil." Maybe he'd take points for arguing with each other?

Was this man insane???

Docking points, making students do push ups, requiring them to do extra laps? All because they had GREETED him? This was one of the dumbest things that she had EVER heard in her fifteen years of life. And now she was glad that she hadn't said anything to him once joining the lesson, because she hadn't wanted to talk to him anyway. She REALLY hated that man.

Despite her annoyance, Madison couldn't help but perk up at the mention of the Forbidden Forest. Were they really going to venture in there? She had no idea if she should feel excited because of the prospect of an adventure, or terrified because of all the dark creatures that she heard about living there. The ones that her fellow classmates were mentioning... And she didn't really see the need in saying anything herself, partly because she had no other answers to give, and partly because she didn't want to risk getting into trouble for saying the wrong thing or something.

Which was possible knowing him.

So instead of saying anything, she kept her mouth shut and waited for things to move along.

Gobsmacked, Derf simply GAPED at the Headmaster when points AND physical punishment was dished out upon greeting the man. Wait...what? WHAT?! Seeing how far into the term it was, this was NOT something the 16-year-old would have ever forgotten. Especially not after how his term had begun and his altercation with Professor Fletcher. The Divination professor had left a very big impression on the Hufflepuff, one that he honestly had not found too terribly unreasonable save for accusing him of being entitled. While not exactly falling in line and asking the man how high to jump...Derf wasn't exactly the rebel-rouser either. So his face wore an expression of nothing but sheer unfiltered confusion when he was given the option of push-ups now or an extra lap tomorrow.

Needless to say, he was aggravated right now and it showed slightly by the flare in his nostrils.

It could be very confusing when one set of rules meant one thing but the exact same wording meant something else for another. Subjective discipline and meaning was rather counterproductive to the message the Headmaster and his new colleagues were trying to drill into the student body of Hogwarts. The lack of consistency and a so-called unified front between the man and his right hand man...made the Hufflepuff keen to believe that there were cracks in the foundation.

Then again...subjective discipline was kinda a thing, yeah? In that, you know, physical exertion was a lot more painful for others. Not him though, he saw each misstep as a little extra dose of training and REFUSED to let them taint exercise for him.

Tempted to speak out as Zoryn had, what prevented him from doing such had been the simple glance of Abey in his direction - an urge there to reach out and take his hand causing his fingers to twitch, but soon he balled that hand into a fist and offered a small nod in acknowledgement instead. Perhaps more to comfort himself than Abey, or perhaps in hopes of accomplishing both. In any case, it was a look that he caused the Hufflepuff to swallow and save this battle for another day. "I apologize, sir," he said, not entirely masking his annoyance though his tone came out a pleasant neutral. "I'll take both to properly ingrain it into my muscles the difference between yourself and Professor Fletcher on the matter."

Okay, so perhaps there was a little bit of innocent sass there. No one was perfect.

So in the next moment, the blonde had dropped to the ground to dutifully begin his set of twenty and, thankfully, the topic at hand being distracting enough to keep his mind from dwelling too much on things. Dark creatures in the Forbidden Forest...there was A LOT the Hufflepuff could share on this, but seeing as he was currently occupied with his push ups he would have to settle for thinking about it all since he could not raise his hand to speak. Well, technically he could...but somehow he did not think the man would appreciate that and would likely call him cocky for trying to do two things at once.

And he was visibly wincing at some of his classmates mentioning creatures that were NOT Dark in nature. He could hear the man's spitfire now and he feared how it would reflect poorly on Professor Hirsch and Professor Wayland for not properly educating them on the difference. Which could be no further from the truth, honesty.

Though the talk of Dark creatures made him think about the inferi...and that was something he did NOT want to do one bit and he quickly pressed on to finish his push ups and bring himself back to standing when...heard Jessa arrive late.

.......oh no.

All thoughts of expanding upon the mention of acromantula and how the colony in the forest had attacked and attempted to take down Hogwarts while his mum had been a professor her but now lived in peaceful coexistence thanks to the diplomacy shown between the Headmistress at that time and Alatag, the Acromantula and still current alpha of the colony as far as Derf knew, was long gone. As was the inclination to mention lethifolds which...well...if they were going to face off against THOSE he was doomed because he still could not produce even a wisp for a Patronus Charm.

Silent, Derf simply watched Jessa and then sloooooooooooowly moved his eyes back towards the Headmaster.

........yikes.

Septimus had remained silent in the presence if the strict and fierce headmaster and defense professor, too worried about annoying him unintentionally. And as the man started taking away handfuls of house points and dolling out physical punishment, the third year Ravenclaw knew for certain he had made the right move. No greetings for the man. Got it in case he had missed it earlier in the term. He certainly missed Professor Hirsch right about now, especially at the mention of constant vigilance.

Yeah…Septimus was watching. Watching his steps and tongue.

But wait…Forbidden FOREST!? At darkest night?!

Outside so late was bad enough but the forest? The Ravenclaw swallowed, doing his best not to shiver in cold or fear, or a mixture of both. It didn’t matter that they would be careful…and under the eye of a defense professor. Septimus didn’t trust Scrimgeour to not throw the nearest student at the creatures he was asking about for either protection or entertainment.
Acromantulas…werewolves…inferi just to name the DARK creatures. Not to mention the non-dark but still dangerous creatures being mentioned.

He raised his hand to answer, awaiting permission before giving his choice of dark creature. “There could be pogrebins in the forest,” Septimus said, “They eat people after trailing and sinking them into despair.”

Text Cut: Individual Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginevra

At Headmaster Scrimgeour's question, Daisy raised her hand and spoke when allowed to. "The Acromantula reside in the Forbidden Forest. They're gigantic spiders with the capability of human speech."

After giving Swann permission to speak, the man grunted. It was a grunt of approval, granted he expected a more advanced answer about the Acromantula from a fifth year who would be taking OWLs this year. Regardless, his grunting was accompanied with two words, "Very good."

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2111jen

Skyler mentally sighed and got to the ground and did her twenty push ups with out complaining. Rather to do twenty push ups then another lap in the freezing cold tomorrow. She lost points all over this year for everything. Why not now?? When she was done, she stood up and didn't say anything, trying her best to not cry. She was being respectful by greeting the headmaster. What ever what ever. She gets in trouble for being on the verge of crying. What ever. At this point, she did not care, she did not care at all and ahe meant that, Skyler felt numb at this point of the year. She debated wether or not coming to Hogwarts next year or not. She stood there after her push ups not giving an answer to the question but was silent. She stood and was silent.

The old man noticed that the girl had done her push-ups. He was rather pleased that Queen had done so without complaint. There were enough rebel-rousers around that he had to keep tabs on.

But no response to his question? Fine then. There was nothing wrong with being seen and not heard, so long as she was paying attention to the others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Optimist.Prime

Well, the dropping cake everything was comical now right? Even the point loss. It was a pity really that politeness was deemed so reproachful by the new absolutely robotic Headmaster. What did he think that their greetings were done in spite of his rules – well, they likely were. He was a tyrant after all.

Standing there Beth just nodded. As he doled out punishment after punishment – the points were, of course the only one that truly stung. For now Beth simply raised her hand ”Headmaster, there is a rather large pack of wolves in the forest that if legend is to be believed were born of two werewolves” she spoke and then slowly, carefully lowered herself to the ground and began doing the pushups.

Seeeeee she was going to prove that she could do this….and really who wanted another lap in the morning? ONE….two…three – she glanced around at everyone and gave her comrades in arms a wink before continuing on with the exercise. Seven – eight…and on and on and on she went her arms were beginning to ache as she kept going. Twenty.

… twenty one – she kept going, and going. Her arm shook from the cold and she was done. She’d done it. With a slight air of defiance she stood up and continued to look the headmaster straight in the eyes.

Wolves? The girl's response caused the man to stare blankly at Greyvson. Had he not asked about Dark creatures? There was nothing Dark about a pack of wolves. Werewolves, on the other hand, a case could be made for...

Scrimgeour didn't respond to her. He just looked away and let her go about her push-ups. He still was not happy about the cake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no!

She'd lost track of time, an action that wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't also forgotten the change in location of the lesson. In her mind, it was a simple skip down to the defense classroom, and based on the time she thought she had left, it could've worked. Now, she was running for what might as well had been dear life, trying to get there before it was too late. Jessa Cambridge was not a runner. She didn't engage in unnecessary physical activity, but there was nothing unnecessary about this. The man was very clear about punctuality and this badge on her chest somehow made her actions more reprehensible than if anyone else had done them.

Her first mistake was losing track of time to the potion she'd been tending. It was a crucial one for the next step of her experiment--but Merlin. The second mistake was running down to the defense classroom when she should've headed straight for the clocktower. It'd eaten up valuable time. The third mistake was not swallowing a potion then heading to the Healer with the excuse she was sick to avoid the man's ire.

In her hurry, she forgot all about appropriate charms to keep this cold air to a minimum near her lungs and appropriate pacing while running. Sometimes there were more important things.

The Ravenclaw groaned at the sound of the chiming clock, the surest indication that despite her best effort, she hadn't made it in time--but she didn't stop running. At the entrance she skidded to a stop inside and remained by the back to avoid drawing too much attention to herself. Her chest heaved forcefully and her eyes immediately darted to the man. Her heart now thumping both from the sudden exercise and the anxiety of the man's reaction didn't help the breathing along any bit. Did she apologize now? He'd already begun talking. Would interrupting really help her case? Was it better to wait?

Not able to think entirely straight, Jessa reached into her pocket, fumbling around for her inhaler while he explained what would be happening this lesson. Two puffs and she was somewhat better equipped to handle things. Now she could be STOKED about them entering the forest....y'know, if she wasn't suddenly worried this man was about to go off on her.

The moment he asked his question, her hand shot up. The logic here was simple. He wanted people to contribute to the lesson. Being late AND quiet would likely not go over well. First, another deep breath, then "Hinkypunks are dark creatures, Sir. They don't live in the forbidden forest," probably, "but they've got the classification." ALSO. "I'm sorry for..." Her hands moved about, gesturing back through the exit as if this helped the explanation. "I didn't....the time.....I ran as fast as I could." Only at the end of this did she realize she hadn't actually SAID what she was sorry about. Another breath. Calm down, Cambridge. Circe. "I'm sorry for being late. Won't happen again." She hoped. This was nerve wracking enough even without his reaction.

Looking away from Greyvson rather abruptly allowed Scrimgeour the opportunity to see the Head Girl show up to class late, very late. The chiming had ceased, and he had already begun the lesson.

Though she was correct about the Hinkypunk being a Dark creature, the man was not impressed. He just could not look past her tardiness. It was setting such a poor example for the others if the Head Girl couldn't even abide by the simplest of rules.

"Your lack of time management and tardiness have costed Ravenclaw thirty points, Cambridge," the headmaster stated, neither sympathetic nor empathetic. She, just like the rest of them, had been notified of when the lesson would be and where. There was no room at all for excuses. "And you will also be serving detention, starting tomorrow evening."

He would give her the details later. She was lucky he didn't take that badge from her right then and there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty

Wait…so his ‘don’t speak unless spoken to’ rule, unlike his lapdog’s, did include greetings? And, were they supposed to answer with their choice? Deciding to just do the push-ups now instead of trying to figure that out, Archer dropped into the proper stance (not the modified with her knees on the ground) and did the twenty, not counting them out loud. Because, shut up, that would count as speaking without being spoken to. Of course, this caused the back of her coat, and the phoenix charmed there, to be revealed to everyone. Oh well.

Okay, so the Headmaster, who was supposedly hired to make the school safer, was taking them into the Forbidden Forest, a forest that was notorious worldwide for having all kinds of dangerous things in it. She couldn’t be the only one who saw the irony in that. In fact, Archer had to bite back a chuckle. So much for safety.

”Dark wizards’ souls or whatever tend to hide out in there. Definitely don’t want to get possessed by one of those, lest you end up like poor Professor Quirrell…” She was unable to keep the amusement out of her voice.

It was a smart choice to not say anything. He didn't need an answer. In this case, actions spoke louder than words. But so did the phoenix on the back of the coat that the girl was wearing. Scrimgeour's brow furrowed at the sight of it and didn't hesitate to give his wand a wave, making it as if the bird had never been there at all.

The look on his face remained when Calrissian gave her answer. "Souls are not Dark creatures," he said flatly, wasting no time to move on to the next student with their hand raised.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi

.........5 points...he lost 5 points....

5 POINTS!!! His PERFECT record was gone!! T___T

Dorian spend his time controlling his breathing even when the Headmaster continued on by saying he could do twenty push ups now or run an extra lap tomorrow.

Like he was in a state to do push ups now! HE JUST LOST HIS PREFECT RECORD. What he needed was to sit down and breaaaathe. But then he'd lose more points or possibly even get a detention and the thought of both was panicking him even further.

´Calm down, Breathe....' he told himself and successfully calmed himself down. Phew. Instead of choosing an punishment out loud, the Ravenclaw kept standing which meant he would run an extra lap tomorrow. This was the correct way right? Merlin's Beard this was so confusing.

FORBIDDEN FOREST??!

Nope. Nope nope nope nope NOPE. He was not going in there! He didn't care if he was with an ex-Auror or not. He'd rather stay here and write an essay about every creature that lived in the forest but he was NOT going in there.

Holding up a visibly shaking hand, Dorian waited until he was given permission to speak "Werewolves...Sir" was the only thing he could manage to speak out.

Opting out of the push-ups? That was fine with him, and Scrimgeour would make sure that the Ravenclaw ran his extra lap in the morning.

He was tempted to tell the boy that he'd be running another for his one-word answer. The man expected a lot more from a fourth year. He had first years giving better, more thoughtful answers than that.

"Werewolves," he repeated, a slight undertone in his voice. And nasty beasts they were too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2111jen

Skyler had finally found an answer after racking her brain. She raised her hand silently and waited to be called on.

"Trolls sir live in the forbidden forest. They grow to be around three meters tall." She says not saying anything more.

So now Queen had an answer? Very well then. The man listened, more like half-listened while she spoke.

"Fair enough," he grunted before moving on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

The point loss probably should have bothered Stasya but by now she’d pretty much already figured that someone was going to lose points. Of course, she’d rather it not have been her, just because she did actually feel like she ought to be a role model since she was a prefect, but that was where it all hit a snag. Because she’d basically lost points for being polite, and after literally half or more of the students had lost points in Divination for exactly the opposite reason, she was starting to wonder if the headmaster and his followers weren’t actually aware of how their policies were actually very confusing in their discrepancies. However, she chose to keep her thoughts to herself, while also deciding that this was the end of her being polite to the headmaster. He had really strange ideas as to what showed respect for someone, obviously.

Either way, simply because she knew certain others would likely choose to stay with her if she had to do an extra lap the next morning, she immediately and silently dropped to the floor to do the twenty pushups that had been ordered. It wasn’t a request, and she wasn’t going to pretend that it had been. By now, she suspected that the headmaster didn’t know what a request was. Possibly, he didn’t know what respect was either, but she wasn’t going to allow herself to feel sorry for him.

eighteen, nineteen…twenty. As she completed the last pushup, she got to her feet again just as silently, considering if it was worth bothering to speak to offer a suggestion as to the question that had been posed. Once again, not asked, even if she figured it counted as a direction to speak. “I don’t know if they necessarily count as Dark, but there have been rumours that there are Forest Trolls living in the Forbidden Forest. They’re pale green and very strong and violent, but not very intelligent,” she finally offered, dusting any remaining dirt from the ground and having one the pushups off her hands and back to the floor. Odds were the rule about being presentable still stood. It was getting a little confusing.

And then the Gryffindor Prefect continued to go on about Trolls after doing her push-ups. The man was about to rebuke her for repeated what Queen had said, but luckily the girl gave a little more insight about them.

"Their strength and violent nature is certainly a reason why we study them in this class," Scrimgeour commented gruffly. "Not necessarily Dark, but a case could be made for it since they are known for making snacks out of humans," he repeated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daemon

Sylvie bit her lip but otherwise stayed silent as most of her friends lost points. Sometimes being stubborn worked in her favour. Shoutout to Tayo though! Mentally high fiving her bestie, she would make sure to laugh about this with him later. The sixteen year old stuck her hands inside her pockets and listened to Scrimmy speak, her eyes widening at the reveal of where they were going. She did not trust him, and she was sure not many of them did, so today’s lesson location was… an interesting choice for a class. Then again, Sylvie’s a sixth year now and all, it’s about time she had some nice lessons in the Forbidden Forest.

Well, at least it wouldn’t be boring right?

Her hand went up after a few moments. "Uh, thestrals? I think?" were they dark creatures? They weren’t really cheerful creatures, but Sylvie didn’t take CoMC anymore so it had been a while since she’s looked at a textbook. "They, uh, you can’t see them unless you’ve seen someone die."

Oh, oh wait. "Sir." There. See? She’s learning. She’s gonna have Scrimmy all figured out before Christmas break. Not that she’s going to like him or anything, she’s mad about all these rules as much as the next person, but it’s nice to lose points and get detention at every turn.

He permitted Norcott to speak the moment he saw her hand go up ... only be be disappointed that he had done so. Did the girl think she was in the middle of a Care of Magical Creatures lesson? If the girl thought that as a sixth year, then there really was no hope.

"Thestrals are not Dark creatures." The statement was rather cold.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

Zac couldn't tell if this class was going to be a mess or not. But it was definitely a mess he wanted to witness, even if this school was going to ruin one of his favourite subjects for him.

And just when he thought the headmaster was running out of tricks (taking points, and ordering pushups was getting old), his eyes widened as he announced they would be entering the dark forbidden forest. Could he slow clap? Because it was decided; THIS WAS GOING TO BE A PERFECT MESS.

Forgetting all about his mother's awful letter, which had pretty much sucked the living energy out of him, Zac found himself unconsciously grinning a little - because yes, this was very exciting.

Upon hearing the question, his hand shot up even before he had decided on an answer, but when his turn came, he said, "Blast-Ended Skrewt, sir? They are considered to be quiet dangerous, since they are half breeds," He definitely wouldn't want to come cross one. "They are known to be very ill tempered and show no mercy when they use their blasts against an enemy" Or so he had read.

He had noticed the hand shooting up right away, but there was a feeling in his gut about this one. But he eventually allowed Lowe to speak, even if the answer that the boy gave wasn't exactly what he was asking for.

"Dangerous doesn't equate to Dark, Lowe. But, again, defence against the abominations is observed in this class, as with other dangerous, but not Dark, creatures."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessiqua

Hanna tried not to move a muscle in her face as Professor Scrimgeour announced where they were going to be having their lesson. The Forbidden Forest. Gulp. Also source for a big gulp was his declaration of potential severe consequences, potentially by his hand. Yikes.

Hanna was about to go for the creature on the top of her list, but Daisy managed to get there first. Acromantulas. Hanna raised her hand, waiting for Professor Scrimgeour to give her permission to speak, before saying "Th-the acromantulas have a taste for human flesh," she said, slightly worried they might be facing these creatures. Please Merlin, no.

Scrimgeour's focus then turned to Newton, who mentioned the Acromantulas. Again, there was a brief moment when he was going to show disproval of mentioning the same creature as another student, but a fact was provided about them that he found to be a bit more on topic in regards to the subject.

He grunted. Answer approved.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

Given she'd greeted every professor every single time for every lesson she'd ever been to without being punished before, Bel was caught off guard by the double punishment - points and push ups, though, truth be told, she wasn't too upset with either. The push ups she welcomed, and quite simply dropped where she was and quickly hit twenty in quick succession. Which WAS a nice little way to warm up, and no struggle for her whatsoever. As for the points..... it didn't upset her exactly, though she'd never lost any before that she could recollect, it was more that.... she knew some people worked really hard to earn them, and she didn't want anyone to feel like their hard work wasn't worthwhile on her account.

She got back to her feet in time for the lesson to properly begin. A dark creature that might live in the forest? Bel didn't know all of what was there, given her background was Australian things rather than what could be found here in the UK, but she half wondered if it was a trick question. She could hear a few kids give answers that were.... well they were just creatures. Not dark creatures, necessarily. Would they get in trouble for saying creatures that lived there that weren't dark in nature?

Bel thought about it, and keeping in mind the whole.... be vigilant thing, she put her hand up, waited to be called on, and then spoke, "Professor, while I'm not familiar with what is specifically in the forest.... I reckon that last term's situation with there being Inferi under the lake proves that there could be absolutely any kind of dark creature hidden in the forest that we don't even know about, so we need to learn about all of them, just in case, and maybe even learn how to recognize any sign of them being around. I think... if we went into the forest just with some list of what we think is there for sure, it might make us less likely to be vigilant about something unexpected or dangerous that we aren't prepared for." And honestly? After the previous term? Bel never wanted to be unprepared like that ever again.

The old man paid no attention to the Captain while she did her push-ups. He figured she would have selected that option, since he assumed any sort of physical punishment wasn't much of a bother unless it was on the extreme end of the spectrum.

But Macindoe's response was ... on the verge of being annoying. He had ask a simple pair of questions, which asked for simple answers. The girl's answer though caused the man to narrow his eyes.

"Macindoe, you have obviously forgotten what class we are in." That was the whole point of this class: to learn about all of those Dark creatures. "And you aren't being sent into the forest with just a list. If I wanted you all to be killed, I would've tossed you all in there already without any information at all."

She honestly could and should have just mentioned Inferi, which would have been a satisfactory answer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waterloo

Max grit his teeth and tried his hardest not to glare at the Headmaster. He reminded Max of the bad guys he often read about in his comics. If only he had the power of ferrokinesis because right now he had a number of brilliantly twisted ideas that involved Scrimgeour and that metal arm of his.

He wasn’t entirely bothered by the point loss. Sure it sucked but it wasn’t exactly the end of the world and he was kind of used to it by now. Push ups though? The others made them look like a piece of cake…… especially Bel. He knew there was no way his matchstick arms were about to manage twenty push ups though. Nor was he about to let the Headmaster see him struggle. Or anyone else for that matter. Absolutely no way. Not a chance.

Which meant he was stuck with the alternative.

“I’ll take the extra lap… Sir.” Even if it meant he had to walk it and skip breakfast.

As for dark magical creatures that lived in the forest?

The few he knew off the top of his head had already been mentioned and he wasn’t really in the mood to contribute so he stayed quiet.

Was the headmaster surprised by Carden's choice of the extra lap? Not really. Was he surprised by his lack of not answering a question that, for a sixth year, was meant to be a simple one? Again, not really.

His icy eyes made contact with the boy's, hesitated for a moment, and them carried on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GD2204

With a small grimace, Ewan couldn’t help but imagine all of the creatures that lay await in the forest. Did they really have to go in? I mean, it’s not like he was afraid, it just seemed like a bit of an unnecessary risk. But, what would be the point in bringing this up? His protest would only be shot down and then he’d lose points and get detention.

With a small nod at the headmaster’s instructions, he waited patiently with his hand up in the air until he was called upon, “Sir, I believe in the past there may have been a giants in the forest although I do not believe they are native to the forest”. Pausing for a second, he continued, “Giants tend to live in tribes and are led by the strongest giant, also known as the Gurg”. With a small shiver, he pulled his cloak around himself tighter. For once, he was glad he was wearing his uniform. It was certainly helping him stay warm.

The old man listened to Jones' answer, taking a moment to respond back to him. Giants, in spite of his thoughts otherwise about them, were beings and not creatures.

"I would say that Giants are not Dark creatures, given their Being status," Scrimgeour stated. "However, they do pose a threat. I highly doubt there are any in the forest at the present time though. They aren't exactly easy to miss."

Quote:

Originally Posted by HOPEendures

She was in the clear. He said nothing to her which meant she was doing right. Another yawn was forcing its way through her body and she suppressed it the best she could. Maybe she should just let the next one out and they would hopefully stop coming.

The clock tower chimed and Merlin was it loud. Six O'clock on the dot. Kaitlynn struggled to hear as Headmaster Professor Scrimgeour spoke about what they would be dong tonight because there was a ringing in her ears left over from the clock tower. She could've sworn she heard something about the Forbidden Forest and Dark Creatures, but she wasn't entirely sure.

Classmates around her began either doing pushups or raising hand and the ones who were given the permission to speak mentioned creature that were in the Forbidden Forest. So they were going into the forest and he obviously sked a question about creatures in the forest. So she raised her hand and once called upon, "Unicorns, sir, live in the forbidden forest. They have a Ministry Classification of XXXX and have multiple magical properties." She wasn't going to elaborate much further.

The next Ravenclaw's answer made him seriously question what exactly Wayland and the former Defence professor were spoon-feeding into the minds of these children. Unicorns ... Dark creatures ... what in Merlin's beard?

"Unicorns are not Dark creatures, Hopsisk." He grunted. It was not a good grunt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Granger Danger

She lost points and she was only a first year!

Stella felt like crying right there and then but she put on a brave face, he wasn't going to see her cry! Although she thought it was stupid that she had to do push ups for being nice! Where was the kindess of greeting someone went? Oh...wait, this was the Headmaster they were talking about he was as soulless as a dementor. Yup...she definitely felt like she was in military school now.

Without saying a word, Stella started doing her push ups on the ground making sure was straight and perfect. She didn't want to do anymore push ups and the S.O.R.E. exercises already makes her sick she didn't need another lap. Yeah...she was going to make sure she had everything perfect for this Mr. Beady Eyes Stone Face Dementor and not speak to him again.

Eighteen... Nineteen.... and Twenty!

Standing up she made sure everything was straightened out on her and she wasn't dirty before she stood firm with her hands beside her looking straight ahead not saying a word. She wasn't in the mood to answer any of his stupid questions and she was trying to catch her breath but not make it so obvious that she was. Not only was half the answers already answered anyways so she didn't know what to say.

Scrimgeour paid no attention to Starson. A quickly glance was casted her way as she did her push-ups, but that was all. She had been seen and not heard, which was total bliss for him. Especially if there were any other non-Dark creatures that were bound to be mentioned...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahlooo

Trying not to shiver too much, Natalie just held STILL and waited for class to begin. She saw a figure stop next to her and saw Sylvie join her. She gave her a welcoming smile, but dared not to speak.

Thankfully, the urge to make conversation subdued when the Headmaster began class as ominous as ever. Oh, and even more dangerous because APPARENTLY they were going into the Forbidden Forest today. You know, the FOREST that was FORBIDDEN. Natalie hid her disapproval behind her scarf and continued to listen to his... instruction. Which basically sounded like "don't be stupid or you'll die". Awesome.

Now they were talking about all the things that could kill them in the forest. COOL. Natalie wracked her brain for a creature, knowing that she had to find a good answer because sometimes silence was taken for stupidity.

She raised her hand. "There are centaurs, sir. While they're not naturally dark creatures, they have had a tense history with us and they can prove to be dangerous, especially if you challenge them." So, she would be... not.. challenging them.

McKinley's answer, like some of the answers that can before her, warranted a blank look from Scrimgeour. The fact that she was mentioning the half-breeds and stating that they weren't Dark creatures was a waste of time. He had asked for Dark creatures specifically. Truth be told, he had no care in the world for the neighing half-breeds.

Before she was even finished with her answer, he was already looking elsewhere for a response.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom

Nettie perked up just a bit when the Headmaster said they'd be headed into the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly, this lesson didn't seem all that bad. Nettie was always up for a little adventure, even if it was with the Headmaster who was definitely one of her least favorite people right now.

Raising her hand, Nettie chimed in to the conversation. "The acromantulas that live in the forest have been known to attack students here in the castle," she told him. In fact, one student had even been EATEN by them. But she didn't need to go in to all that grisly detail. That had been a long time ago...

And back to the Acromantulas they went. Was that really all the children knew about? Well, they were in for a treat because they would be expanding their knowledge today on a Dark creature that WASN'T an acromantula.

The man grunted, though, after Gladin's response and moved on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Just so that everyone was clear on this, Zoryn Spinnet was planning on behaving today. She was growing tired of push-ups and laps. Today just wasn't the day. Most days, she loved pushing to the limit. Today she wanted a break.

Now that we've made that clear. "I'll take the lap," which was fine as she hadn't been showing up to run them the last couple of weeks anyways. So tbh that extra lap probably wouldn't ever get done. Just saying. But also, since he had technically given her a decision to make AND she had already spoken anyways she'd continue."But for the record, if I don't greet Professor Fletcher in divinations, he takes five points. So I greeted you and you ALSO took five points. No offense, Headmaster, but that sounds pretty inconsistent to me. It's confusing."

Remember that part about being good and quiet this time?

Yeah, that was BEFORE her blood had reached boiling temperatures.

Anyways, if anything he ought to agree and then they can move on and Zoryn Spinnet would stay quiet for the rest of the lesson. She wanted a break as much as he did, okay? But you can't do something this dumb and expect her to stay quiet. Who'd he think she was?!? Abra (no offense)??

As for the question, of course she chose not to answer. If he didn't want her to speak, then she wouldn't speak at all.

One dark creature? Their current Headmaster.
One thing she knew about him? He was inconsistent. And bonus fact, he was also UGLY.

"Make it five extra laps, actually," he added, noticing the lovely boils on her forehead. "And if you don't show up, you will be serving detention to make up those laps you've been skipping out on. Otherwise, you might as well start packing up your bags if you don't plan on making an appearance like the rest of your peers." There was no room in this school for insubordinate children under his command.

Scrimgeour opened his mouth, more than ready to kick the girl out of class for her sass. However, he did close his mouth and processed her words. So Fletcher was making them greet him all this time? He could have sworn that the Divination professor had the same 'do not speak unless spoken to rule' he did. Well, well...

"I will be taking care of that soon enough," he said, not just to Spinnet but to the others who had points taken from them as well. "Regardless, MY classroom rules are quite clear. Arrive to class on time and stay quietly standing until class begins, and do not speak unless you have been permitted to do so. End of discussion."

The man also had no problem with Spinnet not speaking. That was more than welcome if all she had to contribute was more sass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Indigo was a bit relieved when Lucas showed up and came to stand by him. It made him feel less anxious about, well, everything, to have his best friend by him. Except then he felt really bad when the headmaster punished him. They couldn't even greet him? Fortunately for Indigo, he wouldn't have done that anyway and was actually a little bit glad of an excuse to not have to talk unnecessarily. But his friend had gotten in trouble, so he was indignant on his behalf. Not that he verbalized anything, of course. No use both of them getting in trouble.

The news that they were going into the forbidden forest was a little surprising, though, honestly it really shouldn't have been. They were in Defense Against the Dark Arts, outside instead of the usual classroom. So really it did kind of make sense. Did the thought scare him? Indigo did feel a bit anxious, but then again when didn't he? It wasn't that he was scared of the forest? If he could ever feel safe in the forest it would be with a large group with a capable wizard leading them. So he really was not frightened by the prospect of what they were about to do.

Indigo considered the question, not offering any answers for himself yet. He wasn't really one to speak in class unless absolutely necessary. He could, if he found the information provided by his classmates lacking, but they seemed to have covered it. If he had answered he probably would have said acromantulas. The giant spiders were probably one of the darkest creatures he could think of. But plenty of his classmates had already mentioned them, so there was no use repeating. Unicorns and centaurs were good answers too, though he wouldn't necessarily consider them dark creatures. One boy said giants, which... Indigo was fairly certain no giants lived in the Forbidden Forest but he didn't offer his opinion. It really wasn't important. He had just decided to stay silent when he wondered if he could get in trouble for not talking? It seemed kind of unlikely, but who knew what Scrimgeour would punish? As he mentally debated whether or not to say something, his anxiety also rose to a point where he didn't think he could manage to force himself to say anything. So, silence it was.

The Ravenclaw that had shown promise before was silent. The man's eyes lingered on Rousseau, hoping that he would have something intelligent to say. So far, the class was struggling with identifying basic Dark creatures. But the fifth year was remaining quiet. What a pity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angel of Music

Natasha nervously raised her hand. "I don't know if they live in the forest, but Hippogriffs are known to be around the school. They are very proud and should never be insulted." she explained, hoping no part of her answer would earn her punishment.

Destler was lucky that she was a first year and didn't know any better. Even so, if she knew facts about hippogriffs, then she should have been aware that the half-eagle, half-horse creatures were not Dark. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

"Hippogriffs are not Dark creatures."

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarcasticStrawberry

Whelp this lesson so far was duly noted. As much as she thought that the best way to show respect for a professor was to greet them, not stand up by a desk. But it was whatever now. Lesson learnt. They could move on now. Or not. Points had been taken and she could either do 20 push ups or run an extra lap in the morning. ’I’ll take the extra lap in the morning, Sir.”

Now she was just going to stand in her corner over here and be quiet the rest of the lesson. Or until she was asked a question.

Sidenote it literally took all Juni everything she had to don’t laugh or applause Zoryn’s speech. Nothing else had been more the truth than those words that her gryffindor friend spoke. YASS girl.

They were going into the forbidden forest. Awesome. Alright… She did of course know to follow the professors instructions especially going into such a dangerous place. As for the dark creatures. ”Centaurs. Though they are only dangerous when provoked.” That was right, right? She could go into more details but this wasn’t a care of magical creatures lesson was it.

Again the half-breeds were mentioned. Why were these sixth years thinking that half-breeds were Dark creatures? Were they just that unintelligent, or had they not been listening when he posed his question? Either way, the man was going to this time state that mentioning centaurs right now was wrong.

"Centaurs are not Dark creatures."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin

Zarina liked the idea of going into the Forbidden Forest. Sounded like an awesome adventure in her book. She respected the professor because he was exposing them to what creatures they would have to face if one was to wander in there. I mean this Slytherin already had but she wasn't gonna tell. She saw other students doing laps and snorted at them.

She thought of an answer to his question. She gave credit to the lion girl doing the lap. She would not do the push-ups though. Do you know how long it takes to do her nails? She pondered and said, "Professor I heard rumors that there could be blast ended skrewts.." she nodded toward her fellow classmates who said it, "or I know there could be fire salamanders in the forest." They were very rare but they could pop out now and again.

Carraro received a blank stare from Scrimgeour. Again with the Blast-Ended Skrewts? He wasn't going to repeat himself about those. They weren't exactly Dark, but were surprisingly valuable in learning defence technique. As for the Fire Salamanders...

"Depends on who you ask," he replied. "I personally view them as more of a menace than Dark."

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh its Erik ok

Mostly it was sheer dumb luck he didn't greet the Headmaster or say hi to Zoryn or even say anything other than stay where he was. Five points here and five points there. It was a points losing party. He waited til Zoryn actually said something and well it could have been worse.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

He did chuckle a bit at that since it was true. Riiight, now creatures did he know in the forest. Well ok, that one was just said, and that one.......AND even that one.

Ok, how did they even think of these so fast?

Well Théo tried Headmaster but he is out of creatures

More silence from Montmorency? That was fine with him. But the chuckling did not go unheard.

"Think something's funny, boy?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

Vita averted her gaze as classmate after classmate received punishment in various forms. It was uncomfortable to watch, if only because the veteran professors of Hogwarts and the newly appointed headmaster didn't seem to be on the same page with how things should run. It was because of this that she understood how, particularly for the youngest students, it could get confusing.

She did return her gaze to the others when an older girl, Spinnet, talked back. Her point was valid, though the fifth year would never have the nerve or stupidity to question the man in charge like that. Not here. Not with all the points he'd taken already. She wondered what his response would be and waited, curious, as she considered the dark creatures that inhabited the forbidden forest.

Hand raised, Vita waited until called on before offering a bit more about trolls, being that forest trolls were mentioned by a few other classmates already. "The trolls, like other creatures mentioned, enjoy feasting on human flesh." If they were going to search for them tonight, she wanted to be at the back of the group...

Trolls were brought up once again. Having nothing to say or add to Mallari's answer, the man simply grunted and was thankful that she didn't mention the half-breeds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermionesclone

.........

...... Uh...........

Lucas was confused. More confused than usual. Wasn't greeting someone just being polite? When was THAT against the rules? Sure, he said no talking but..... that meant when the lesson had started, right? Not, you know, saying a hello to the Headmaster when he arrived.

To make it worse, he'd lost POINTS - only five but STILL - and was also being told to do some more pushups? This was just like Divination all over again. The option of running an extra lap didn't really help because he didn't want to do that either. It was like choosing between a rock and a hard place when all he wanted to do was take a nap.

Lucas bit his lip and tried not to look at anyone near him from the shame but his eyes went to Stella when she started doing the pushups. That...... made the decision for him. Yeah. He dropped down to his knees and then to the floor to start doing the pushups. It was going to be hard and he knew it already but..... ...... no, he couldn't do anything about it.

One pushup....... two pushups......... three........

Maybe he could think about something better. Like the muscles he might get from this.

..... seven..... eight..... nine.......

This..... was hard. Like, really hard.

...... twelve..... thirteen....... fourteen.......

He was never going to get those muscles, was he? Look at his spaghetti arms!

....... eighteen..... nineteen....... twenty!

And....... DONE!

Breathing heavily, the boy slowly pushed himself up into a standing position again. His arms were starting to feel weird and his legs were...... well, they didn't feel like jelly this time. Maybe this was a good sign? That he was going to getting fitter and was going to get some toned muscles there (?) and-

..........

Uh, did he just say that they were going to go into the FOREST?!

Lucas's eyes widened and he looked around to see if anyone else looked as scared as he did. Because they were going to be going into the FOREST. And it might be a nice little adventure but he'd heard STORIES, okay? And there were meant to be a lot of very dangerous, human-eating creatures in there, right? Which had to be true because look at how many creatures everyone was listing off!

They were going to die, weren't they? This was all part of the Headmaster's plan, it had to be.

And no, he wasn't going to answer. Not now.

With the push-ups said and done, the headmaster hoped that Dakest, along with the others, had learned his lesson. His rules had been precise, even if there was inconsistency from one subject to another.

A small smirk did manage to play on the man's lips when he noticed the Gryffindor's eyes widen. Was someone afraid? For a moment Scrimgeour considered saying that the name of the forest was just a name and that there really was nothing to be afraid of if one knew how to defend themselves.

But now he just hoped the odds were in the favour of those who couldn't accurately share a Dark creature to the class.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watson

Chase had been silent during Professor Venomous Tentacula's lesson today. First of all: he had introduced the SORE exercises (which honestly he didn't mind- he just didn't like the idea of his fellow students getting injured or something form them) and second of all: he had fired Professor Stewart who Chase liked very much. Sure, she was quirky and all but she was NICE. And Hogwarts needed nice Professors these days....

So the boy remained silent and took notes, trying his best to keep his composure and not have an outburst. Civil he had to be... Perhaps civil but then again perhaps he could work their new Headmaster.... That seemed like an intriguing concept. Work the new Headmaster to understand why the man felt so compelled to rule Hogwarts with an Iron Fist and send them back to the Iron Ages itself....

Zoryn's comment was pretty funny. He admired her spunkiness and had to force himself not to clap at her remark. He had to behave that was the feedback he had received...

Behave for now... Now.. .for the question at hand..

Centaur. "You can find centaurs in the forbidden forest, Headmaster." And as for their abilities or a fun fact... "I remember reading that centaurs burn sage and marsh-- pardon me - mallowsweet to help enhance their stargazing findings." If they were going to meet a centaur, then perhaps Chase would change his mind about the prickly Headmaster.

Was this some sort of joke? The man was beginning to think that the mentioning of the half-breeds and suggesting that they were Dark creatures was their way of being defiant or just displaying how nonsense had been poured into their impressionable minds.

"Centaurs are NOT Dark creatures, however," he said, his tone more forceful. He had asked for DARK creatures. "And anyone else that mentions them again will be writing that phrase over and over in detention until it sinks in."

For. Merlin's. Sake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

............... Well.

For a moment, Abra couldn't quite process what he was hearing. He always made the utmost effort to be respectful and follow rules in classes and now... this. He supposed that he had got Scrimgeour's rules mixed up with Fletcher's, which were in the forefront of his mind today, for whatever reason. Fletcher also had the 'do not speak unless spoken to' rule but also the unspoken expectation that students were supposed to greet him, and meted out punishments when they did not. Abra supposed it had only been a matter of time before he started mixing up all the different expectations in his head, and today was apparently that day.

"Sorry, Headmaster. I'll... do the extra lap," he said quietly, before quickly averting his eyes. No way was he going to embarrass himself by attempting the push-ups, even if it would warm him up; Abra did not have the upper body strength required to do even a few in a row, and he'd rather run an extra lap the next day than attempt and fail a set of push-ups and then have to run anyway.

At least he hadn't been the only one to mess up. Small mercies, right?

Once the lesson started, it didn't take long for Abra's anxiety levels to soar. They were going into the forest? WHY? In what way was that POSSIBLY a good idea? Abra's eyes immediately sought out Derf, who was stood nearby, as though seeking some kind of answer or maybe just comfort, though he didn't dare say anything to him. Before he could dwell for too long on that, however, Abra was faced with a new and more immediate dilemma: did he answer, and risk saying something wrong and getting himself into more trouble, or did he stay quiet, and risk getting into trouble for that? The only foolproof way of getting through this, he was sure, was by answering... but answering correctly. Easier said than done.

It took him a while, but Abra eventually raised his hand and, while attempting to fight the shivering and teeth-chattering, gave his answer. "The Acromantula... they joined in during the Battle of Hogwarts." Or, at least, the ones that had been alive a hundred years ago had. Were Acromantulas Dark? Well, not really, but that was basically the only idea that had occurred to Abra, so... he was just going to have to hope it would do.

An extra lap? So be it.

Truth be told, he had been hoping for a different Dark creature since so many had mentioned the Acromantula already. But, alas, it seemed that the group of sixth years had serious gaps in their education. Like the others, though, the headmaster grunted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindajean

Points from Slytherin that was a shock for Bettie, not really she knew what ever does or does not do or say or not say would get her in trouble. So just go with comes to you first. As for twenty push-ups or run an additional lap. She will run the additional lap because she could use another lap.
As for the question Bettie raised her hand “Forest Trolls live in the forbidden forest and
The average height for an adult is less then 12’ tall. They have pale green skin and green or brown straggly hair. And I will do the extra lap sir.”

Another mention of Trolls, another grunt from Scrimgeour. Again, there was some grey area with Trolls, since some could be tamed whereas others were blood-thirsty monsters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Twenty what? PUSHUPS? In her uniform skirt? Chloe looked at the Headmaster as if he'd lost his mind, but she did as he said, dropping down to the hard stones and working her way through twenty pushups. Quickly, without complaint, and perfectly executed in spite of the fact that her hands stung from the gravel and she wasn't dressed for it. Captain Kirk had trained her well.

At least she hadn't lost any points.

Headmaster had dementia. He'd lost his gourd. It wasn't his fault, but he was absolutely bonkers, so she'd do what he asked, but it probably wasn't safe to let him escort them into the forest. And as for his question and the answers her classmates were giving...? "Red caps, sir. They have burrows, although probably pretty deep in the forest. But, sir... unicorns and centaurs and blast-ended skrewts aren't dark creatures. Dangerous doesn't equate to dark. If you kill for food or defense, it isn't because you're evil." Maybe he'd take points for arguing with each other?

The look Kettleburn was not encouraging, but there was no need for him to say anything else to her. The push-ups were made without complaint. He had even noticed the precise execution of them. It was somewhat impressive, to say the least. The things the children were capable of if they put their minds to it.

FINALLY something different was said after the long tirade of Acromantulas, Trolls, Centaurs, and silence. The Red Cap was an ugly little thing, but incredibly violent if one wasn't being wary.

"Yes, Red Caps," he said, saying nothing more about them for the moment. "And thank you, Kettleburn, for stating the obvious to people who aren't thinking straight." He was eyeing up those that mentioned Unicorns, Centaurs, Skrewts, and the like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhittyBitty

Was this man insane???

Docking points, making students do push ups, requiring them to do extra laps? All because they had GREETED him? This was one of the dumbest things that she had EVER heard in her fifteen years of life. And now she was glad that she hadn't said anything to him once joining the lesson, because she hadn't wanted to talk to him anyway. She REALLY hated that man.

Despite her annoyance, Madison couldn't help but perk up at the mention of the Forbidden Forest. Were they really going to venture in there? She had no idea if she should feel excited because of the prospect of an adventure, or terrified because of all the dark creatures that she heard about living there. The ones that her fellow classmates were mentioning... And she didn't really see the need in saying anything herself, partly because she had no other answers to give, and partly because she didn't want to risk getting into trouble for saying the wrong thing or something.

Which was possible knowing him.

So instead of saying anything, she kept her mouth shut and waited for things to move along.

Nothing to say, Valentine? Scrimgeour did cast a look at her, but quickly moved on since it seemed like she had decided to keep her mouth closed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Gobsmacked, Derf simply GAPED at the Headmaster when points AND physical punishment was dished out upon greeting the man. Wait...what? WHAT?! Seeing how far into the term it was, this was NOT something the 16-year-old would have ever forgotten. Especially not after how his term had begun and his altercation with Professor Fletcher. The Divination professor had left a very big impression on the Hufflepuff, one that he honestly had not found too terribly unreasonable save for accusing him of being entitled. While not exactly falling in line and asking the man how high to jump...Derf wasn't exactly the rebel-rouser either. So his face wore an expression of nothing but sheer unfiltered confusion when he was given the option of push-ups now or an extra lap tomorrow.

Needless to say, he was aggravated right now and it showed slightly by the flare in his nostrils.

It could be very confusing when one set of rules meant one thing but the exact same wording meant something else for another. Subjective discipline and meaning was rather counterproductive to the message the Headmaster and his new colleagues were trying to drill into the student body of Hogwarts. The lack of consistency and a so-called unified front between the man and his right hand man...made the Hufflepuff keen to believe that there were cracks in the foundation.

Then again...subjective discipline was kinda a thing, yeah? In that, you know, physical exertion was a lot more painful for others. Not him though, he saw each misstep as a little extra dose of training and REFUSED to let them taint exercise for him.

Tempted to speak out as Zoryn had, what prevented him from doing such had been the simple glance of Abey in his direction - an urge there to reach out and take his hand causing his fingers to twitch, but soon he balled that hand into a fist and offered a small nod in acknowledgement instead. Perhaps more to comfort himself than Abey, or perhaps in hopes of accomplishing both. In any case, it was a look that he caused the Hufflepuff to swallow and save this battle for another day. "I apologize, sir," he said, not entirely masking his annoyance though his tone came out a pleasant neutral. "I'll take both to properly ingrain it into my muscles the difference between yourself and Professor Fletcher on the matter."

Okay, so perhaps there was a little bit of innocent sass there. No one was perfect.

So in the next moment, the blonde had dropped to the ground to dutifully begin his set of twenty and, thankfully, the topic at hand being distracting enough to keep his mind from dwelling too much on things. Dark creatures in the Forbidden Forest...there was A LOT the Hufflepuff could share on this, but seeing as he was currently occupied with his push ups he would have to settle for thinking about it all since he could not raise his hand to speak. Well, technically he could...but somehow he did not think the man would appreciate that and would likely call him cocky for trying to do two things at once.

And he was visibly wincing at some of his classmates mentioning creatures that were NOT Dark in nature. He could hear the man's spitfire now and he feared how it would reflect poorly on Professor Hirsch and Professor Wayland for not properly educating them on the difference. Which could be no further from the truth, honesty.

Though the talk of Dark creatures made him think about the inferi...and that was something he did NOT want to do one bit and he quickly pressed on to finish his push ups and bring himself back to standing when...heard Jessa arrive late.

.......oh no.

All thoughts of expanding upon the mention of acromantula and how the colony in the forest had attacked and attempted to take down Hogwarts while his mum had been a professor her but now lived in peaceful coexistence thanks to the diplomacy shown between the Headmistress at that time and Alatag, the Acromantula and still current alpha of the colony as far as Derf knew, was long gone. As was the inclination to mention lethifolds which...well...if they were going to face off against THOSE he was doomed because he still could not produce even a wisp for a Patronus Charm.

Silent, Derf simply watched Jessa and then sloooooooooooowly moved his eyes back towards the Headmaster.

........yikes.

The male Hufflepuff Prefect's response to his consequence caused the old man to cast a look that was anything put pleasant. He wanted to do push-ups and run an extra lap? No. That was NOT what he had asked the child.

"You were told to choose between doing push-ups OR running an extra lap, Ashburry-Hawthorne," the headmaster sneered. "Ten points from Hufflepuff. I recommend you start listening and follow the instructions that are given to you."

Scrimgeour left it at that. If the boy wanted to complain or give sass about that, he was more than welcome to test his fate. His power overided that of his Head of House, so the badge could be gone permanently in a flash or even worse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

Septimus had remained silent in the presence if the strict and fierce headmaster and defense professor, too worried about annoying him unintentionally. And as the man started taking away handfuls of house points and dolling out physical punishment, the third year Ravenclaw knew for certain he had made the right move. No greetings for the man. Got it in case he had missed it earlier in the term. He certainly missed Professor Hirsch right about now, especially at the mention of constant vigilance.

Yeah…Septimus was watching. Watching his steps and tongue.

But wait…Forbidden FOREST!? At darkest night?!

Outside so late was bad enough but the forest? The Ravenclaw swallowed, doing his best not to shiver in cold or fear, or a mixture of both. It didn’t matter that they would be careful…and under the eye of a defense professor. Septimus didn’t trust Scrimgeour to not throw the nearest student at the creatures he was asking about for either protection or entertainment.
Acromantulas…werewolves…inferi just to name the DARK creatures. Not to mention the non-dark but still dangerous creatures being mentioned.

He raised his hand to answer, awaiting permission before giving his choice of dark creature. “There could be pogrebins in the forest,” Septimus said, “They eat people after trailing and sinking them into despair.”

Seeing Hadley-Nairne's hand go up, the headmaster gave him permission to speak. He was relieved when the boy gave a totally different answers from the others. Even better, it was an answer that actually fit the Dark creature classification. Maybe there was hope...

"Yes, the Pogrebin," the man said with a stiff nod of his head. "Russia is their native range, but it is possible for them to reside in the Forbidden Forest."

The man remained silent and still, waiting to see if more hands would be rising into the air. While he waited, he thought about the few Dark creatures that were mentioned: Acromantulas, Werewolves, Trolls, Hinkypunks, Inferi, Red Caps, and Pogrebins.

Seven. They had only mentioned SEVEN potential Dark creatures that were or could be residing in the forest among NUMEROUS creatures that weren't Dark at all. That was ... unacceptable.

As no hands were going up, Scrimgeour resumed his lecturing. "Well, I have to admit that I am quite disappointed in the lack of accuracy at naming Dark creatures that could be encountered in the Forbidden Forest. It seems like your education in this area has been ... severely lacking." He paused to let those final words echo throughout the tower as the pendulum continued to swing overhead. He then glanced over to the large window he was facing, collecting his thoughts while taking note that the sun had set.

"I will be filling you in on the other Dark creatures that should have been mentioned and will be posing another question to prepare us for what we will be facing inside the forest," the old man informed everyone. "But first you all need to form two single-file lines so we can march to the forest's edge. You have thirty seconds to get in formation."

Thirty ... twenty-nine ... twenty-eight ... twenty-seven...

Once the time limit was up and the lines formed, he motioned for the first to students to lead the way out into the courtyard, across the bridge, and toward the forest. Scrimgeour walked amongst the students near the middle. As they passed the fountain, he loudly cleared his voice. It was time for them to walk and listen. Hopefully the neurons that were being activated by their sudden movement would be doing them some good.

"Now many magical creatures and beings alike may be considered Dark, primarily because they are deeply feared. But Dark creatures are truly set apart because they are inherently evil and have lasting impacts that are deadly or incredibly harmful."

Would he be repeating that? He most certainly was not.

"For example: Acromantulas, as do Pogrebins and most Trolls by nature, have a taste for human flesh and thus are incredibly dangerous," the man continued as they arrived at the wooden bridge. "Werewolves also fit under this definition because, if they bite someone during the full moon, they thus inflict their victim with lycanthropy or worse. As for Inferi and Red Caps, it is in their nature to attack and kill."

Was that as clear as gillywater? Scrimgeour hoped so.

"Other creatures that are considered Dark and might potentially reside in the Forbidden Forest are Banshees, Dementors, Erklings, Hags, Vampires, and Lethifolds." Just so they were aware of that and couldn't say he didn't tell them.

Now they would be starting their decent down the hill. He paused for a few moments to let all of that information sink in before he carried onward. "I do not anticipate on coming across many of these Dark creatures this evening. The only creature I intend for us to come in contact with are Red Caps. They are about three or four feet tall, live where blood has been shed, and have a habit of bludgeoning the unwary to death. Though they are vicious little creatures, they shouldn't cause too much trouble for the competent wizard. So, enlighten me: What are some defensive spells that could be used against them? Why do you think using that spell will be successful?"

OOC: Sorry for the delay, everyone. Real life happened, and then it took me a little while to type up this response. With that said, on with the show!

Right now Scrimgeour has everyone forming two single-file lines so they can march down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. While they are making their way downtown, he took the liberty to do some lecturing and has asked which spell would be useful against a Red Cap and why. Please limit yourself to one spell so we can get a variety of answers.

The lesson will continue between roughly 24-36 hours.

So far, her opinions on the DADA lessons were mixed, even if Stasya still was planning on giving Professor Hirsch a rather detailed account of things once she was able to. On the one hand, everything about Hogwarts lately had been rather terrifying as of late, or at least frustrating beyond belief, but at least learning useful defense tactics was happening. Or, she was hoping it was going to, as she inwardly cringed every time another student had named thestrals, unicorns, centaurs and the like in response to the question about Dark creatures. She’d established that her own answer hadn’t necessarily been completely Dark, noting the fact it appeared a younger Slytherin had offered the same answer minus the explanation of a fact about them before her as well but not reacting as such. If anything, she’d had her pushups that delayed her answer and she hadn’t initially been silent for a longtime before answering. And another inward cringe had happened when Zoryn had happened, followed by Chloe’s having vocally protested the detail of the creatures being named not having been Dark. Apparently there was no chance of sliding by without irritating the headmaster.

Although, Chloe had hit on the answer being looked for. Sort of. The obvious disdain for both Professor Wayland as well as her beloved Professor Hirsch has smarted a little, and she most definitely did not want to encounter any lethifolds on their walk through the forest, considering her Patronus was still barely more than a faint wisp. Just the fact he expected them to find Red Caps was terrifying enough, and it took everything she had not to freeze, to go back into the scary place in her mind when she didn’t have her trust in the professor to pull her out of it.

Instead, she’d raised her hand. “Impiriano would work as a physical shield against their attack,” she offered simply, after going through her memory for everything she’d learned from duelling club. The extra spells she’d worked on for that, and the headmaster had asked specifically for defensive spells. The distinction seemed to be an important part to navigating through his lessons.

Kaitlynn bit her tongue, metaphorically of course, but literally bit down on her lip to keep from pointing out that, yes, while unicorns weren't necessarily dark they did possess magical abilities that dark wizards are drawn to. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to fall into line to march down to the Forbidden Forrest anymore. However, she did because she wanted to learn even if it was from hit. After all that's why they were sent to school. She listened as they marched on and she was tempted to just leave the question be, but she wanted to prove that she wasn't as stupid as she seemed.

Hand in the air, permission to speak given, "A good defensive spell to be used against them would be a stunning spell to stop their attack and give you time to leave the area." See, she wasn't that incompetent.

Daisy made her descent towards the Forbidden Forest's edge with Headmaster Scrimgeour and the rest of her classmates, she was trying to think of an answer to the Headmaster's question regarding Red Caps without showing signs of nervousness/fear. Within moments, Daisy had raised her hand to answer. "Protego Totalum could aid in ceasing any attacks from Red Caps since very little can break this spell."

Well. To be completely honest with you Headman, I've only been here for two whole years, Hanna thought. But Merlin, that didn't seem to matter. Eating textbooks didn't give the brain knowledge. No Sir.

His continued pauses left her feeling almost constantly nervous. A pit opening in her stomach. It wasn't hunger, she'd had supper. It was like butterflies. But also a feeling of... dread. Yes. Although the next thing she knew, she was moving like a robot, finding a place in one of the two lines. That brief moment of moving had distracted her enough to relax, until he started speaking again as they walked towards the forest.

Hanna took everything the Headmaster said into her mind. A small shiver went through her and she felt goosebumps, even through her uniform. So many dark creatures that were potentially in the forest. Which was where they were headed. There was little relief that he didn't believe they would come across any of them, though. But then they were dark creatures, weren't they?

Red caps, though. Well, Hanna had never seen one, and didn't know much about them. Hanna's eyes widened with every fact the Headmaster rattled off. They would be seeing those little beasts!? Merlin. Her palms felt sweaty from fear. His next question got her thinking of all the things she'd have available. All the spells, really. As long as they did damage to them if the Red Caps attacked. But what spell would SHE be capable of? She raised her hand, even through the walking. Did he have eyes enough to see them all? "Immobulus, Professor," she suggested. She could freeze them before they had a chance to get near her.

Jessa gaped at the man, blue eyes widening to the size of saucers while the blood drained from her face. This reaction, of course, had nothing to do with the 30 points Ravenclaw had lost and everything to do with...well...detention. The 17 year old had never gotten detention in her entire life. She wasn't the sort that got dragged down to the dungeons for poor behaviour. Merlin knew what happened down in those dark cells but she didn't want to kno--did he say they would begin tomorrow? Implying more than one?

Detention. Her. Detention? The word kept replaying in her mind, being replaced only when the man implied that Professor Hirsch hadn't educated them well enough.

A dull flame of indignation lit inside her, detention aside, Professor Hirsch was the best. It wasn't his fault most of her classmates didn't pay attention or simply couldn't grasp concepts well enough to come up with answers he wanted. Her answer hadn't been wrong, she knew that much. She'd learned so much from her former Head of House. Now he was gone and she had detention and by now like 60 points lost and the term was going so terribly!

His 30 second warning saw the Head Girl scrambling into position, not wanting to him to tack anything else onto his punishment. When she arrived, some were doing push ups. She...would very much like to pass on that.

Jessa moved along in the line, only half listening to everything the man was saying. Between him insulting her former professor and the fact she now had DETENTION, Jessa's mind could focus on nothing else. His question went right over her head as she considered several scenarios. Would it be locked down in the dungeons? Writing lines? Blood quills like Umbridge used??--To be honest.......she probably wouldn't mind the blood quill....if it was outside--OH MERLIN DON'T LET IT BE RUNNING. No running, no laps, no push ups, no sit ups. That was it, wasn't it? He'd have her do her own S.O.R.E. Oh Merlin oh Merlin oh Merlin. Each idea she thought of was worse than the last and soon, she forgot where they were even headed, just absentmindedly following the person in front of her while her imagination ran wild.

Answering the question? What question?

Ok, maybe he should have hid the laugh better. Or you know not laughed at all but he couldn't help it. He was already way quiet than he normally was, so oops. And now he had to say something.

"Nothing, nothing at all, just was agreeing with Zoryn on it being inconsistent and confusing"

Which guess he made less confusing but Merlin it was easy to forget which professor to stay quiet for and who they could greet. Guess just staying quiet was easier. smart thinking right there. Shivering, Théo quickly got into the back of one of the lines was closest to him. Potentially having a lethifold in the forest was a frightening thought also as frightening has having a nundu in the forest.

"Impediment Jinx, knocks it back and gives you time to think"

Last he remembered it worked in red caps. Tho defensive it can be left up to interpretation

Cal was quick to line up behind another student. If there was one thing he'd learned about the man, t was that he was not one to play games or wait for the slow..

He may not have had a chance to think on the first question, but the second was easier and his hand shot up and he waited to be called upon before sharing his answer, " I'd use diffindo and slash it to bits, Professor. Or stupefy.. To knock it back a bit and stun it so I could use diffindo on it.. "