Charms Class - Lesson Two

[finnian]

((You and half the school apparently, welcome back))

“Very well,” the Professor said not entirely impressed, “But that will be another five points from Ravenclaw for lacking a sense of adventure,” he said, knowing this would probably not seem to the student a good enough reason to take points from her house, but knowing as a Professor he could utilise whatever reason he felt appropriate. He was starting to become very disappointed in the Ravenclaw house; he had expected much better behaviour from them through and through.

He was not the kind of man that would suffer immaturity, he knew now that this would set back his class just that little bit more and he had so much to be getting on with that waiting for another volunteer was not something on his agenda.

Deciding he would give the third Ravenclaw in the class a chance to redeem her house, Professor Ruberagon looked at Annika, “Miss Nox, perhaps you would find it prudent to volunteer yourself for the next section of this class,” it wasn’t a question, it was more a command, it had certainly meant to sound like it anyway.

[Krutika Gehi]

Krutika looked at Professor; frowning. Another five points from Ravenclaw - why? - Because a student dared to ask him what she has to do instead of just blindly following his commands she thought angrily, that was really unfair! What does he think? He is a professor so he will do anything he please - deduct points if he wants without a good reason? He has now asked Annika to volunteer, but Krutika didnot care what would be her answer. She was just glaring at Professor Ruberagon angrily.

[adelaide]

Adelaide opened her mouth in protest and despite trying to bite back a remark, it slipped through. "I'm sorry, Professor, but lacking a sense of adventure seems a rather poor use of deduction of points. I could understand if it was for my tone, because I'll admit, it wasn't one of my nicest ones. Ravenclaws are not known for their sense of adventure...quite the opposite, really. We're known to be the quiet ones who, though we could combat evil with spells, choose not to because of the danger. And, quite honestly, I only asked to know what I was getting myself into before I volunteered for the task. Or rather, was forced into completing. Volunteering is just that...voluntary. But there's not really anything voluntary about your class, is it? You know, I was actually looking forward to Charms this year. I thought it would be a fun and challenging class, where I would learn quite a bit. My, how wrong I was."

Adelaide heard her tone rise as she continued...but at this point she no longer cared. She knew she was in way over her head and figured that she may as well express all her problems while she was at it. "Furthermore, in regards to your earlier comment, I find it extremely insulting of you to call muggle paintings uninteresting. I happen to have grown up in a muggle home, and those paintings are just as interesting as Wizard's paintings, if not more. We have to rely on enchantments to make ours interesting while the muggle world uses sheer creativity and expression. We choose what we want those who look at the piece to experience, while they leave their paintings up for interpretation."

"Speaking of interpretation, I find it prudent to point out that you seem to be rather stingy on allowing us to form our own opinions. How are we ever supposed to respond in the real world if all we learn are your opinions. Practicals seems to be the best way about them...verbalizing the levitation charm and showing us the difference between an enchantment and a charm hardly seems appropriate. Now, while you may disagree and say I'm completely out of line, allow me to point out that I am of age as well, and am entitled to my own opinions. As is everyone else in this classroom. Voicing them in such a way, may not be the best utilization of my time in class...or anyone else's for that matter...but I feel that you, not I, have stepped out of place. Power-hungry people may go far in this world, but they aren't admired for it." Adelaide looked around, expecting to see stricken and angry faces on her fellow Ravenclaws...but she was having difficulty reading their expressions, perhaps blinded by her fury.

"I implore you not to take any points away from my house, as they have done nothing to add to this disruption. Give me detention if you will, but at least supply a sufficient reason." She took a deep breath. ~Calm down, Adelaide!~ But, once again, her anger had gotten the best of her and wasn't going to release its hold until it had run the course quite extensively. "I have half a mind to walk out of the classroom at this very minute, but perhaps part of your lesson shan't be review. Perhaps I'll learn something useful. Unless I won't, and then, why should I waste my time?"

((Sorry to be such a pain...but it keeps life interesting, doesn't it?))

[Krutika Gehi]

Krutika was glaring angrily at Professor, when Adelaide protested of his injustice. Krutika looked at her, amazed and appreciative. As Adelaide continued with her lecture of how unfair he have been, Krutika's hand ached to clap - though she kept control on herself. Adelaide continued to argue - Krutika had a feeling that now that she has started to protest, she is going to protest against every singal point she have found wrong. She nodded slowly and thoughtfully as she heard her comments about Muggle paintings. Adelaide continued - she was now commenting on his way of teaching. After that she looked at her fellow Ravenclaws - and Krutika was sure this was for she wanted to know what they were thinking. Krutika gave her an appreciative nod, though she wasn't sure Adelaide had noticed her or not. Adelaide continued to Argue - she has asked for no more points to be deducted from Ravenclaw. Krutika was more impressed - she had a sudden urge to to cheer for her - she quickly looked at Professor to see his reaction.

[finnian]

((This is what I live for darling XD ))

“Very well, as you wish, Ravenclaw will lose ten points for your tone, further more, you shall be attending detention on Saturday evening at eight o’clock for this little outburst, come to the Quidditch pitch, and wear some protective gloves,” he said to the Ravenclaw with a perfectly straight face. Of age or not, he did not suffer students who thought they were above their Professor’s. She was a student, and it was a little disappointing that for the moment she seemed to have forgotten that. “Furthermore, I urge you not to be late, I would hate to have to deduct more points from your house for tardiness,”

“Now,” he said turning back to the rest of the class without a smile on his face the whole time, “Unless anyone else would like to add something, could we please have a volunteer so that we can get on with this lesson?”

[Krutika Gehi]

Krutika clenched her fists in order to keep a control on her anger - Deducted points for the fair reason, fine! What about those points which he have deducted unfairly?, she thought angrily, But his reaction was obvious, wasn't it? I wasn't expecting anything better from him, was I? she thought bitterly. "That's not fair!" she muttered angrily. He has again asked for someone to volunteer him for the next task - whatever it was. She didnot look around class to see if anybody has raised hand - or do Annika wants to volunteer, as Professor has asked her so. She was just glaring at him, with a 'what-do-you-think-of-yourself' expression on her face. She was less liking Professor with every minute.

[adelaide]

Adelaide's temper had run its course and she complacently nodded as the professor gave her a detention...it wasn't as if she had expected anything less. She smiled a bit to herself. ~Hmm. Funny he didn't repute any of the remarks I made...at least I know I was partially correct, though, publicly announcing my disapproval probably wasn't the best way about it. Regardless, he didn't take very many points from the house. Perhaps this class will be interesting after all...~

She looked around as he asked for another volunteer. Her eyes stopped on Krutika and, remarkably, she didn't seem angry with her at all....overjoyed rather. ~How odd...at least I'm not the only one who thinks the way I do!~ She wondered if anyone would volunteer...

((Glad I wasn't too much of a bother. It's just fun to write characters with a temper...dunno why. But it is.))

[estelle]

Estelle looked around. Nobody had volunteered. She didn't mean to make the others, especially Cabery look bad, she just wanted them to get on with the lesson. To much time had been wasted on angst and ego, and she found herself getting more annoyed by the minute. The tension in the class could be cut with a knife, for goodness sake!

Estelle sat up straight and raised her hand.

"I'd like to volunteer, professor," she said, ignoring the glares she got from the Ravenclaws. Glares or not, she'd rather have them than pass up the chance to help her house.

[finnian]

((Not at all, as you say, these things can be fun providing they dont get in the way too much,))

“Very well Miss Gasson, if you would like to stand in the centre of your rug, you will very likely find this difficult, but try it anyway,” he said to her as he flicked his wand at the blackboard and a chalk drawing of a witch standing on a rug with magic waves emanating to the rug.

“This will definitely test your ability to balance yourself, though if you feel you might fall off try to maintain your attention on the spell cast or your will indeed fall over and I daresay the floor is not that well adjusted for impact,” he said as he stood in the centre of his own rug bringing his wand up, “This is a different wand movement to your standard swish and flick, this is used because you are not casting in a forward direction but downwards and in line with your own level of balance,”

He demonstrated by raising his wand in a straight motion upwards turning it in the air and bringing it directly down as close to the centre of the rug as he could “Wingardium Leviosa” he chanted and the rug lifted in the centre where he was standing, he was getting quite good at this by now as he had taught this particular lesson several times before at this and other schools.

After a moment of raising in the middle, the rug rippled out around him, he came very close to falling over at one point but eventually the rug smoothed off and he was balancing.

“Please, Miss Gasson, if you would attempt the same,” he doubted very much she’d be able to maintain her balance, though he also envisioned the possibility of it working.

[estelle]

Estelle stood up and smoothened her clothes as she listened closely to what the professor was telling her. Hmm, a challenge, huh? Well, she'd be up for it. Or at least would try to.

Standing in the middle of her rug, she mimicked the professor's actions. She pointed her wand to her rug and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The rug levitated a few centrimetres off the ground at first, but as Estelle focused her full attention to the charm, she could feel herself rising a few inches more.

"Yes!" she said under her breath, her face breaking into a wide, triumphant grin. Then suddenly, she felt the support the charm gave her weaken, and the next second she was on the floor.

She had failed.

Estelle got up and dusted herself, avoiding any of her friends' stares. How incredibly embarrassing.

[Krutika Gehi]

Krutika had finally stopped glaring angrily at Professor and was trying to concentrate on the lesson more. She watched as Estelle tried to perform the task, following Professor's instructions. For a second, Krutika thought Estelle had done it - but then she fell down. Krutika realized that she was avoiding everyone's eyes. 'Well, atleast she did a good try,' thought Krutika. She thought there was no wrong in not being able to complete the task perfectly - afterall, they were all here to learn. And then, even Professor has said that she might find it difficult.

[Heather Granger]

Heather raised her hand, " Professor may I try please?" Heather said as she felt bad for Estelle, but as she said it would help out our house.

[adelaide]

Adelaide wasn't thrilled about the detention she had received, nor the points she had lost Ravenclaw, but inwardly, she was happy to tell herself she had made the right decision. Deathly afraid of heights, she certainly wouldn't have faired well in the task. Her fear of heights, in fact, had led her to never learn to ride a broom, and was part of the reason she was uneasy in Astronomy classes. Granted, fears were meant to be conquered, but not in front of a full classroom. No, she had definitely made the right decision...though, the outburst she was beginning to feel a bit foolish for.

Adelaide believed Estelle had done an admirable job, regardless of if she had completed the task or not. It was more than she could have done herself. Concentration was a key element of charms and since her concentration would have been completely broken...Regardless, she did wish a Ravenclaw would try, though she couldn't be picky considering she certainly wouldn't volunteer herself.

Studying the drawing upon the board, Adelaide's brow furrowed. If a charm was able to be focused below a person, thus lifting the person up, shouldn't it be able to be focused on not the object beneath, but the air as well? And, assuming the air could be charmed, wouldn't it be logical that the air behind or in front of a person could be propelled as well? If that was possible, it would allow a person to actually fly, would it not? Her brow furrowed deeper, creating deep crease marks on her forehead. She decided the best way to solve this dilliema would be to ask...that is, if the Professor would answer...What had she to lose though?

Adelaide's hand slowly raised, to draw attention to herself before she began speaking hesitantly. "Professor Ruberagon, I have a question. Given the knowledge that an object can be charmed enough to lift a person, wouldn't it stand to reason that if the air was concentrated enough below them, it could too? And, if this aforementioned ability is true, wouldn't it also be logical that the air around a person could be charmed as well? If that were true, it would make sense by association, that a person could fly. It stands to reason that this could be considered as appearing to fly...but isn't flying defined as an instance of travelling by air? We know this is considered impossible in our world, but why is that? Even if at this present moment, charming the air around us isn't seen as possible, why isn't it? It seems that if you could concentrate the air...it could lift a person's weight. And if concentrating the air is impossible, why should it be? With what we know about spells in our day and time, reasonably, it shouldn't be..." She trailed off, wondering how the professor would answer.

[finnian]

“A good attempt Miss Gasson,” Professor Ruberagon said, though he did not award her any points, he thought it would take something more then volunteering to be worthy of achieving points in his class, “A very good attempt, I admit you lasted a little longer then I would have expected so well done to that,” he ignored the request of the other Gryffindor as he was planning to have the whole class try it next, though before he had a chance to instruct the class to do so, the student he was finding less and less beneficial to his class asked something he actually thought was a well constructed question. Not that he would admit it.

He listened to her question with apparent meagre interest, though he was quite pleased that someone would ask so soon, though she was a seventh year… had it taken her seven years to ask it. “I wonder,” he started, watching her as he spoke, he had every intention on answering the question, but felt he would make it seem stupid first, he still owed her for interrupting his lesson, detention aside. “I wonder, could you, Miss Tewkesbury, give me a description of the physical attributes to oxygen?” he said to her not actually expecting her to answer.

“Atoms excluding, there is not a physical attribute to air,” he said moving his fingers through the air in front of him as if he were playing a piano, “There for you cannot bewitch it. A physical object -” he said holding out his hand, a vase popped into existence in his open palm, “- while also made up of atoms, is constructed from a more concentrated amount of atoms, I wonder Miss Tewkesbury, are you familiar then with what makes up the essence of magic?” he said tossing the vase into the air, it disintegrated in the air turning to a stream of red energy which danced around the ends of his fingers like an unsettled mist.

Again he did not expect her to know the answer to this and so continued speaking without giving her the chance to reply, “What are the measurements our world is ruled by.” He said, again it sounded like a question but was not, “Mass, is the answer, something rather large-” He waved his hand and a heavy cannon ball appeared floating in the air, “-runs through something smaller-” he waved his other hand and a panel of hard wood appeared just beyond it, “-and you get this reaction” he clapped both hands together and the cannon ball blasted through the board of wood shattering it to splinters. Both teaching aids fell to the floor and disappeared.

“Mass times the trajectory and speed allows more concentrated items to penetrate less concentrated items,” he said as he flicked his wand a glowing ball of red energy appeared for the whole class to see, “Magic – raw magic - is so concentrated we wizards require wands to control it, as it is and can be quite unstable, it is very dense, the atoms that infuse it are concentrated far more then anything else in this world, the charms and spells we use control and move the construction of the atoms in magic, allowing them to do particular things,” he said watching to see that everyone was paying attention, this was not something he told them all lightly, “Being so dense, it needs something dense to aim at, which is why the answer to your question is no, it is very difficult to cast upon mere oxygen,”

He flicked his wand again and the ball of magic he was showing them vanished, and he returned to the front of the class again, “Even the ceiling in the Great Hall,” he started, “it might interest you to know that it is not the air below the ceiling that is enchanted by the ceiling itself which projects the image,”

“Now I think, if you has sated your question, I would now like everyone to have a go, remember stand in the middle of your rug, point down to the very centre, and try to keep your balance, if you feel you need more room you are welcome to spread out,” he said as he started patrolling the front of the class again in case anyone needed more instuction.

[estelle]

Estelle pursed her lips as she sat down to hear the professor's explanation to Cabery's question. She nodded her head slightly as the professor concluded his answer. So, that was why it wouldn't work, huh?

Estelle followed Professor Ruberagon's instruction. She once again positioned herself on the rug, and proceeded to use the levitating charm.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" she said, her concentration unwavering as she pointed to the rug. The blast of white light that came from her wand hit the rug, and slowly she was lifted. Again, one inch...two inches...four...five...

"Mmh," she said, as she slowly lowered to the floor. Maybe her concentration wasn't as tip-top as she thought. Then again, it might be the pounding headache she was having right now.

It was the best she could do at the moment, and not falling down again was good enough for her; at least as a second attempt. She hoped it was enough for the professor, however.