Divination Class One, & Well Begun!

[Bridget O'Neill]

Professor Bridget O’Neill looked around the Divinations Classroom with a sense of satisfaction. She’d cleaned the room until the stones glistened and the carpets came alive with color. The house elves had been aghast when she’d rolled up her sleeves and jumped in to help, but she had insisted. “We don’t have house elves in the States, Noddy,” she’d told the Hogwarts elf assigned to her and the cleaning team’s leader. “I think you’ll find I’m a very undemanding person to take care of. But I do appreciate the help.”

What in was the previous Professor thinking?! Bridget wondered yet again. The classroom had looked like some person’s weird fantasy of what the inside of a gypsy wagon looked like. The old wildly patterned table linens had been put into use as rags, the lacy curtains and beaded hangings removed, and tucked into storage along with the piles of cushions that had once covered the floor. Bridget had replaced all the tables with a dozen sturdy oak desks and matching chairs with green cushions. Each desk was solid and large, with plenty of space for note taking and doing spreads with various divination tools at the same time

Now this place looks like a classroom! Bridget grinned as she started writing on the newly hung chalkboard. Her script was almost military in its precision, a habit gained from her years briefing recruits in the Magical Guardians of America. I’ll bet that some of these students are taking this thinking they’re going to get a ‘fluff’ class. Oh, they’re in for a rude shock. Especially when they see my ‘required texts’ list. Bridget chuckled and kept writing. She put her full name up on the board and then her degrees under it.

Captain Bridget Airmedd O’Neill, MGA, Retired
Doctorate of Magical Arts in Divinatory Studies
Doctorate of Magical Sciences in Defensive Magics

Bridget carefully put the required texts for the class in a pile on her desk. One was on Muggle divination use in various cultures, one was an overview of Wizarding divination, one a book on everyday uses for divination, and the final three were books of less than one hundred pages on specific divination systems. First an overview to see what everyone knows, then Tarot, Ogham, and Runes, and finally tea leaf reading, bibliomancy, and everyday omens. That should keep us busy for a while. She had already gotten a dozen sets of Elder Futhark runes, a dozen Wizarding Tarot decks, and a dozen bags of Ogham staves. Each desk had a trio of tools resting there. Bridget had also laid in a stock of tea-making supplies and a set of student texts from all seven years of study for the bibliomancy lessons.

Bridget checked her Muggle scuba diver’s watch, a Christmas gift from her eldest sibling, William. With only fifteen minutes to go was almost time for class to start. The new Professor sat down in her chair at her desk and let herself relax marginally. She had dressed comfortably for class, not in her formal robes. She wore black Muggle cargo pants very similar to her old uniform’s, a tank top in the same color, and a jumper in a soft emerald green over the tank. Her black combat boots were so shiny it was almost painful. She had her main wand – nine inches, rowan, phoenix feather – up her right sleeve and her backup wand of the same materials up the left. She’d tucked her hair up into a bun, keeping it out of the way for the day.

Professor O’Neill looked up as the door to the classroom opened and a student walked in. She smiled at her first student, and stood up, holding out a hand in greeting. “Good Wednesday morning to you, and welcome to Divination,” she said in her musical voice. “I’m Professor O’Neill.”

[Alessandro Darko]

He had been staring out the window in the Ravenclaw tower stairwell for quite some time. He was en route to his Divinations class, but couldn't help but stop and glance out a window on his way down from the common room. It was hard for him to become plunged into a world that had been moving progressively, while he had let his own world deteriorate into a fragile state. It was winter, and the snow outside blanketed the grounds in a velvety white splendor, the tree tops reminding him somewhat of being glazed with Gingerbread icing. Snapping out of it as he heard the common room door open a couple steps above him, he continued down the tower stairwell, and headed off for the divinations room.

It was awkward for him to remember everything that had happened to him since he had returned from his unwarranted hiatus, courtesy of his parents. He remembered the very day his step father had come to collect him and his things, transporting them in a flash of light. Then he remembered the Obliviate spell that was used against him. A hot feeling took over his body as he felt his fists clench tight at his sides. He would never forgive his parents for this. Subsequently, he had been thrust into the hands of evil, being sadistically tortured by an ex-teacher, and presumed to be dead, ex-classmate. He was thankful for Keaira and Zane for rescuing him, but had not had the chance to properly thank them, or really speak with anyone after D'rorah had helped him regain his memories, and control over his other personalities. He was now Alessandro Orion Darko, not Alessandro, Orion, and Darko.

Shaking off the memories and trying to live in the "now", he pushed through the Divinations room door and stopped short as he was greeted by a very authoritative figure. Such an atypical appearance from a professor. Especially for Divinations. Alessandro was used to those that favored the flowing frocks, heavy cloaks, and bangles, and knick-knacks dangling from any place that jewelry could be worn. Instead, he saw someone that looked like a dominatrix, complete with combat boots. In addition to seeing his new professor, the room had changed since he'd last been in it, practicing on his own. His jaw dropped as he noted its change to a more practical classroom feel. He much rather preferred the classroom to exist as it had before, cushions, table clothes, draperies, it was all so very comfortable and relaxing. Paramount in tapping into divinatory prowess.

Replacing his jaw back to the closed position, he straightened himself up, and continued on into the room, responding to the teacher. "Hullo, Professor O'Neill. Good morning to you too. I'm Alessandro Darko." He said as he took a seat at the front of the class. He took a deep breath, and removed his Ravenclaw robe, revealing his dark grey uniform underneath, and draped his robe over the back of the chair. Once situated, he began to make himself more comfortable by rolling up his sleeves as he eyes the stack of books on the professor's desk.

[Bridget O'Neill]

“Ah, pleased to meet you, Mr. Darko. I’m sure we’ll have time to talk later, as the Headmistress informed me this morning that I’m Ravenclaw’s new Head of House.” Bridget smiled warmly, her eyes merry. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your Housemates. And to helping you all however I can.” Bridget kept back a laugh at the surprise on Alessandro’s face. I knew they weren’t going to expect a formal set up! Oh, this will shake them up and get them thinking . . .

Bridget caught Alessandro’s glance at the pile of texts on her desk. “It’s not as bad as it looks, I promise you.” Bridget’s voice was reassuring. “Most of those books are thin, and none of them are very complex. Should be a cakewalk for the Ravenclaws, honest.” She noted that the young man was rolling up his sleeves and nodded to herself. This young man was going to be a good solid student once he adjusted to her way of teaching the class.

She walked back to her desk and sat down, reaching into a green leather pouch in her uppermost desk drawer. Her fingers searched among the rounded and smoothed bloodstone pieces inside, each marked with a rune. Even before she drew one for this student, she could tell which one it was. Kenaz. The fire within, the spark that drives one to create. She drew it out and placed it on the desk in front of her. The two sharp lines that came to a point stood out clearly in gold against the deep green and warm red of the stone. “Mr. Darko, I’ve drawn a rune for you, and I’d like you to note it down if you will.” Bridget smiled. “This is Kenaz, the Germanic rune for fire, the kind that inspires us to create and that transforms us.’

[Alessandro Darko]

As he prepared himself for class, Professor O'Neill took the liberty of engaging Alessandro in small talk. It turns out that she was the new Head of Ravenclaw House, a fact that Alessandro found curious. He wondered how one got appointed to take on such a role. Didn't they have to have matriculated from each respective House? Or was staffing that bad that any professor who applied got the position? She must have noticed him looking at the stacks of books on her desk because she mentioned that the work wouldn't be all that bad and should be a cakewalk for a Ravenclaw. Perhaps she did come from Ravenclaw house? Alessandro didn't really think twice about the books, but was merely trying to spy the titles on the spines that were facing him. Any book that he had read would shorten the work for this particular class, and that was what he was trying to deduce. He merely nodded at her as she made her comment, and watched her move behind her desk and sit down.

The next thing that the professor did startled Alessandro internally. He had gotten ready a quill and a piece of parchment quickly as she had instructed him to note down the rune she was about to give him, but when she revealed the rune to him, his quill did not move, and neither did he. Kenaz. The rune belonging to the element of fire. Alessandro couldn't help but think it was a very appropriate rune for her to pull out of her sack, for it pertained greatly to his life. A torch shedding light, revealing unknown, or unacknowledged aspects of the self, and in health, it signifies strong recuperative powers. Alessandro twisted his head slightly in the fashion of going to look behind oneself, but kept his eyes transfixed on the rune that was laying atop her desk.

"Yes...Kenaz, the sixth rune in the Elder Futhark set...also, when reversed, can signify loss, or information being withheld from the querent..." Alessandro quipped shrilly, and began to jot down the runic symbol and the information that Professor O'Neill had said, although he knew quite well what Kenaz stood for and that which it represented; the element of fire. Wondering whether or not Professor O'Neill had a reason for presenting him with such a rune, he prepared his throat for an inquiry.

"Professor...is there any particular reason that you have chosen this rune for me to write down? Is this in conjunction with the lesson plan? For I think we may have covered these lessons in Ancient Runes..." He said with disconcerted arrogance.

[Bridget O'Neill]

Bridget had turned back to the chalkboard when she heard Alessandro’s remarks on the Rune she’d drawn for him. He sounded almost . . . upset? No, more unsettled. What was going on? Perhaps she’d better explain. “I’m sorry,” she said reassuringly, turning back to him. “I do this for all the classes I’ve ever taught. I draw a unique Rune for each student, just to give me some idea of what they might be bringing to my class. I even did this back when I was training Guardian cadets across the Pond in the States. It’s an old habit.”

Bridget's face was serious, but the ghost of a smile lingered in her eyes. “Mr. Darko, I suspect that you are going to be a quick mind, an occasional outburst, and the fire under the other student’s backsides.” She tilted her head, letting her amusement show. “But only time will tell if that bit of Divination is accurate or not.” She got her green pouch of Runes out of her desk and tucked it in a side pocket. Bridget walked around the desk to the front of it, and hefted herself up onto the desk’s surface, where she sat cross-legged.

“And actually, yes, this part of the course will actually dovetail with the Ancient Runes class. I’ll be trying to keep pace with Professor D’Angelo’s material so we cover different aspects of the same runes. Runes were not only used for divinatory purposes, but for magical ones as well.” Bridget raised an eyebrow. “Although I assume I’m telling you nothing new on that. You seem to be fairly knowledgeable.”

Bridget sat up on the desk and waited for the next student to arrive. Things sure were odd around here. First the unsettling dreams of last night, then meeting Professor Archer at breakfast, now this not-quite confrontation with a senior student. Something strange was going on. She’d have to try something to get more information later. Bridget had picked up some techniques over the years involving water scrying and invoking Sight that were not common usage. Maybe one of them would shed some light on matters for her. Gods, she hated walking into Situations blind.

[kairava]

Divinations. This was the class that Kai feared the most. Not due to any lack of ability, quite the contrary; his ability was what spurred the instinctual feeling. Most of his life he had been forced to see things he wished he never had; forced to know things about people he wished he did not. It was a relentless curse that forced him to wear gloves during every moment of his life if he wished to escape it. As he walked, one of those gloved hands held his book bag at his side while the other held his stomach. The fear twisted his insides causing a nauseous feeling that churned his stomach as if a chaos of waves but curiosity, and good grades, forced him to continue in the direction of the room. Reluctantly he trudged onward.

As he arrived he noticed the door was open and took a deep, slow breath and adjusted his Hufflepuff over-robe, leaving his hands in a more natural resting place before continuing on through. His brow was a little damp from perspiration and he hoped that the professor would think it was from running and not an inner battle. Looking around the room he noticed it was fairly empty; there was only a Ravenclaw boy and the professor. At seeing the board behind her, he caught her name; a long one including all her titles. “My she has a demand for respect,” he noted mentally. Moving his eyes back to the professor he introduced himself to the women, “Good morning Professor O’Neill. I am Kai.”

Noticing that the boy already sitting did not have any of the plethora of books that surrounded the professor and covered her desk, Kai assumed that the professor would be passing them out during class and so decided to find a seat. His fear affected his decision and so Kai walked to the back of the classroom and sat down on the opposite side of the other boy. If he had known the other boy was the Elemental Master of Fire and he was the Elemental Master of Water he would have found the situation quite fitting. Instead, he just set his book bag next to his desk, pulled his over-robe up slightly as he sat so it would not become uncomfortable and buttoned the long sleeves up to his shoulders where they would remain out of the way while writing. After pulling out a few pieces of parchment and his quill and ink, he waited for class to begin.

[Bryan Kelley]

Part of Bryan was not certain why he had chosen to take Divinations. He had never shown much of an interest in the topic, thinking it more of a vague form of magic. However, when looking at the electives, he had chosen to take it to see if there was more than just vagueness to the subject. He had heard many people refer to it as a wishy-washy subject, but he knew that was also set for people's opinions. Bryan had refrained from forming an opinion on the subject, and needing an elective he had opted to take the course. Even after taking it, he was still uncertain how to take the course but instead went with the flow.

As it was, Bryan was unaware of the fact the course selection had been a good one, at least for him. His unique skill in drawing had chosen to manifest itself with another unique direction to it, being an outlet for his own strange seer ability, an ability the Gryffindor was unaware of it. The times he had drawn something in result he had chalked down to just having the urge to draw and nothing more than that. It did not occur to him to think his hobby and passion had something more underlying it at times. No. It was safer for him to just see it at face value, especially after the upheaval his life had taken of recently.

Coming into the classroom, Bryan paused at the door as he stared around the room. He was surprised. It seemed the new Professor had chosen to redecorate. Sleeping's going to be difficult now,

[/color] he thought with amusement, recalling how some of the other students had use the classrooms former relaxed decor to sleep when they were suppose to be attending the lesson. His gaze moved away from the decor to look at the board and the name there. A brow arched before the other one joined it to note the stack of books over the Professor's desk. It was clear that Divination was no longer going to be a bird class as some people view it to be.

His gaze finished its inventory of the room before noting the three occupants, two boys and the Professor. Even as he stepped inside, he was aware of the ties he had to the two boys. But he turned his attention to the Professor. "Hello Professor,"[/color] he greeted her with a smile. "Bryan Kelley,"[/color] he then introduced himself with a nod of his head before he moved to take a seat, pulling out his belongings and with them the sketchbook which was soon opened on on his lap with the pencil from behind his left ear now in his left hand and onto the sketch book page and doodling a random design that popped into his mind.[/size][/blockquote]

[Bridget O'Neill]

Bridget smiled as another student entered the room. He introduced himself, and she smiled back in welcome. “Good morning, Kai, and welcome.” She watched with interest as the young man brushed past her to go take a seat. One eyebrow quirked up in curiosity. Was that a sheen of sweat on his face? Odd, he wasn’t breathing heavily. Bridget also noted, with her Guardian’s eye, that even after Kai settled he kept his gloves on. Curious and curiouser, as the old saying goes. She made a mental note to ask about it later. The only time she’d seen people in the Guardians wearing gloves, they were Touch-readers, and she knew it could problematic, especially for someone young. Her old boss, Commander Griffin, had been Gifted that way, and it gave him a rather odd sense of humor about things. Then again, Bridget figured she’d have a strange sense of humor too, if everything she laid a finger on overloaded her brain with its history. Bridget noted his choice of seats, as far away from Alessandro as the room allowed. Oh dear, I hope there’s not a problem I don’t know about there . . .

Bridget consulted her roster, wanting to be a bit formal for a moment and to address Kai by his last name. “Mister Jahnavi, I startled our other student with something I normally do for all my classes. Since I’m a Seer and Diviner, I like to draw a Rune for each student, to get some idea of what they might bring to class.” Bridget held up the green bag, and then reached into it. Once again, a rune all but leapt into her searching fingers, and she drew it out. She knew without looking what it was. “If you would please note down on your parchment that the rune I drew for you is Laguz, I would appreciate it.” She put the bloodstone rune with its gleaming gold lines on the desk next to Alessandro’s. “That is the rune for water and vitality. I have a feeling you are going to be another energetic student.”

Bridget turned as another student entered. It seemed that all her male students were showing up a bit early today. She caught his start of surprise, and hid a smile. My goodness, this is a serious class! Why is everyone so surprised that I set it up this way? She watched him eye first the blackboard and then the pile of textbooks. His raised eyebrow spoke volumes. Why, I think he might actually be pleased! She smiled and nodded back as he introduced himself. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kelley. Welcome, and have a seat.”

Once Bryan was in his chair, Bridget saw him whip out a sketchbook and start doodling. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she sat up a little straighter on her desktop perch. Hello, there! What on Earth?! Bridget got down off the desk and got the book lists together, all the while keeping part of her mind focused on Bryan. Oh my, that's Sight he's employing. That makes it at least two possible Seer-gifted kids in here. I knew this job was going to be important, I just knew it! Young Seers could have all sorts of problems, especially if their Gifts were strong ones. She’d helped several recruits in her units over the years, having been in their boots more than once when she was a teenager dealing with her Gift. “Mr. Kelley, I’m drawing a Rune for each student.” Bridget reached into the pouch again. She drew out the stone, trying not to laugh. “Yours is Gebo, the rune of gifts and magic. If you would put that down in your notes, I’d appreciate it. I’m going to note it down as well.” She put the third rune beside the other two, and wrote all three runes next to the appropriate names on her class roster. “I dare say this is going to be a fascinating class this term . . .”

[Zane Lucifer Bishop]

Curiosity. Nothing else could really account for Zee's impromptu plan to attend the first Divination class. He had after all never had the least bit respect for the subject, abjectly refusing to believe anyone could absolutely predict what he was going to do or how his endeavors would turn out. He'd never believed in fate, destiny, 'meant to be,' or any other such nonsense. He was in control of his own life and whatever transpired was a simple result of effort, talent, skill, and occasionally luck. And yet here he was, sitting atop the astronomy tower and seriously considering dropping into the first lesson. He hadn't signed up for the class obviously, and figured there might be an outside chance he would be ejected from the room. But if that were the case it was no real loss, was it?

Rising languidly to his feet, Zee made his way down the stairs towards the classroom entrance. The door was open, leading him to believe students had already arrived. Shrugging once to himself, he walked casually through the door. What greeted him was not at all what he'd imagined, never having actually entered the Divination classroom. Everything seemed well ordered and practical, something that appealed very much to an aspect of his mind. Turning his attention from the decor of the room to its occupants, he noted the students were in their uniforms, while the professor was not. This boded well for him since he was also casually dressed: simple black slacks and a green v-neck shirt that ironically matched the cushions to near perfection. He recognized Bryan, noted the presence of a Hufflepuff he didn't know, and paused as he regarded the student sitting in the front row, predictable Ravenclaw territory. Looking away from the despised boy to the professor, Zee kept his face calm despite the bile that was welling up in his throat.

"Morning Professor. I'm Zane Lucifer Bishop and no, I'm not registered for your class. Thought I might pop in and see what all the talk is about and whether it's actually worth anyone's time."

He stood nonchalantly at the entrance, thinking it best to see if he would be asked to leave before he found a seat. Catching Bryan's eye, he gave him a slight nod. If either of the other students looked his way, they were ignored.

[kairava]

At hearing his name, he perked his attention back towards Professor O’Neill as she spoke. As she stated that she startled the other boy by drawing a rune, he began to wonder why; it was a divinations class after all. Kai assumed as much from the professor and so it did not shock him in the slightest. With a flowing but barely legible handwriting for anyone else, he wrote down the name of the rune and the characteristics that the women said was associated with it. “Water and vitality… huh,” he thought with curiosity. He liked water and enjoyed swimming but he did not understand the relevance of the rune drawn for him; if indeed it was meant for him. With her last comment he replied with a jovial tone and a slight hint of nervousness, "We shall see," adding a small smile, that turned out to be easier than he thought, at the idea of 'seeing' what was to come.

As Kai remained sitting in his desk another boy walked in and greeted the professor. She drew another rune for him as well and he decided that he would write down each rune with the corresponding person it was drawn for along with a description so that he could learn all their names. That was not the only reason though. He wanted to distract himself from his worries and fear. He was about finished jotting down the information when another boy walked in wearing casual clothes and a green shirt that caused Kai to believe he was a Slytherin. Other than wondering where the disdain in his tone came from, Kai ignored Zane just as he was ignored.

[fallensiren]

Siren, her book leather messenger bag flung over her shoulder, her light brown hair in casual disarray around her shoulders, made her way nimbly into the Divination classroom. It was the first class she'd really involved herself in this term, which was outright absurd, truthfully; if there was a branch of magic she didn't really prefer, it was Divination. So unbalanced, so unsure, guesswork at every turn; what kind of magic was that? She tossed her chestnut hair irritably over her shoulder and made her way into the room, smiling at the professor. Just because she taught a subject that wasn't Siren's favorite didn't mean that they couldn't get along.

"Hello, Professor," she said, her musical voice pleasant. "My name is Siren. It's so good to meet you." She cast an appreciative eye over the textbooks on the desk, and glanced around, impressed, at the layout of the classroom. Not mystical and willy-nilly at all; much more businesslike, much like O'Neill appeared. "Well, this looks like a reasonable approach to Divination," she enthused, finding a seat.

She took a moment to put down her bag and glance around at the other students in the classroom. Not surprisingly, she knew very few of them. In fact, only one - she shot a brief smile at Kai before turning back to her messenger bag. From within, she drew out parchment, quill, and ink, and despite herself, continued to survey the room in interest. It didn't look like a load of waffle, as she'd always imagined any Divination enthusiast would prefer it; this looked like a very businesslike, fast-paced environment. She revealed in the atmosphere of the place.

[scarlettcooper]

Scarlett was pleased that she'd finally found a methodical approach to finding her classes. She simply began from either her common room on the top floor or the Great Hall on the ground floor. She realized there was a floor below ground-level, but she hoped the only class down there was Potions. Today, Scarlett began from her common room. She'd learned to leave early for her classes to have enough time to find them.

Scarlett swept through the corridor, examining each door carefully as she'd become accustomed to. She was surprised when she stumbled across an open door with voices coming from inside. She was absolutely stunned when she realized it was the Divination classroom she'd been searching for. Quickly, she composed herself and walked inside.

As another girl introduced herself to the professor, Scarlett did a quick scan of the people already in the room. There was a boy who looked to be about her age sitting in the front row. The girl who had just been speaking to the professor was now taking a seat as well. Her eyes fell on another boy who seemed to be intently drawing something. She had vague recollections of seeing him around the common room. Finally, her gaze fell on an older looking boy in the back of the room.

She turned to introduce herself to the professor. As she did so, she realized there was another student standing beside her. She nearly jumped, but caught herself in time, though she was sure the surprise must've shown on her face. Scarlett chided herself for being so utterly unobservant, but smiled as she addressed the professor. "Good morning, Professor..." she trailed off as her eyes flicked to the board. They widened at the professor's list of credentials, but quickly Scarlett added, "O'Neill."

"I'm Scarlett Cooper," she continued. Suddenly, she noticed something off about the room around her. Her eyes widened yet again as she finally took in the fact that the Divination classroom had desks in rows. Was she in the right place? In her previous school, it was a wonder that Divination had even counted as a class. Scarlett took in the professor's atypical Divination professor outfit. Her eyes trailed to the large stack of book on Professor O'Neill's desk. The titles seemed Divination related...but why were there so many?

She frowned, thinking her good luck must've been too good. Certainly she was in the wrong room. "I'm sorry, Professor," she apologized quickly. "I'm new to the school. I-" Scarlett hesitated. Perhaps this was the correct room. She'd been so certain but...this looked nothing like a Divination classroom. "Is this the Divination class?" she asked, the doubt lacing her voice.

Her eyes scanned the room yet again. It couldn't be. She looked at each of the students, hoping perhaps that one of their appearances would give her insight as to where she was. Though she wasn't sure she was staying, nervousness suddenly washed through her. She didn't know anyone in the class. Though she hardly expected to, it still made her nervous. Where would she sit? The students did all seem rather spaced out, but who would she hang out with during class? The realization that she wouldn't be doing any hanging out during class if this truly was Divination didn't occur to her.

She turned her eyes back to the professor, her nerves not completely faded. How embarrassing to walk so confidently into the wrong room! Once again, she noticed the boy who was also standing at the front of the room. Perhaps he was confused too. She took some comfort in that thought and was able to rid her expression of her nerves as she prepared to focus on Professor O'Neill's directions to the proper Divination classroom.

[parisnowan]

She'd spent a good amount of time preparing for Divination, and now she was finally about to see if her expectations of this newly organized class were placed correctly. Paris walked confidently on her way to the Divinations room, her long blonde hair getting a little caught up in the wind she created by walking swiftly. She carried her trademark narcissistic grin and cool aurora. Taking time to recollect her thoughts, she began to think about how most people prior to the change of teacher had found this class very easy. Paris was one of them, but that didn't stop her interest in the class. The fact that some were able to see into the future was fascinating, and almost seemed impossible. Even if the work was easy, it sounded like a fascinating subject to take.

Paris was notably not the best student in the school, in fact, she found some people's attempts to be placed number one ridiculous. But she did put her effort into most classes, and had her strengths. The typically did best in classes where wands weren't really used, hence her strong preference of Potions and History of Magic. Divination seemed like another class that would be of her preference, it sounded quite fascinating and easy or not, would be beneficial if she used it right.

And she always enjoyed the feeling of starting fresh and anew, it made her think better. She typically tended to do better in academics towards the beginning of the school year anyways; once she'd settled into classes, she started to slack off a little. She was also intrigued by who else would take the class, as she hadn't talked to anyone else who would be here at this time. That in itself was an odd feeling, it seemed like she was walking down the hallways more and more by herself these days. She wasn't insecure about it, for she didn't need a posse of followers like some girls did to feel secure about themselves, but it was quite weird going such a long distance without talking to anyone...

She had quickly reached the Divinations classroom door, walking in swiftly, when she realized that there were two students standing in front of her; not so much that she couldn't get around them, but still largely blocking her path. Her narcissistic smile stayed firmly in tact, but curiosity also took hold of her. She quickly realized that she'd come late enough that she'd missed most of their statements. She then realized that one of the characters was none other than Zane Bishop, a fellow Slytherin and prefect of her age.

Ha, how interesting... She thought to herself. Well, that was one student she knew that perhaps was attending this class. So the count was one to one so far... Maneuvering her body around them, and her eyes going from side-to-side to express some form of awkwardness, Paris finally got a good look at the rest of the students. She recognized Kai Jahnavi, a Hufflepuff from Quidditch, and two other boys who looked familiar but she couldn't place their names. She'd probably seen them around. Then she laid eyes on Siren Allaway, a fellow sixth year, but quickly looked away. Paris ignored the girl, not paying her furthermore attention. Other than that, she recognized no one.

Her narcissistic smile still on, Paris spoke softly, in a cool, breezy voice, "Good morning." She said simply to the Professor before making her way towards a seat located dead center in the room.

[Bridget O'Neill]

Bridget eyed the young man standing in her door with relaxed amusement. “Well, Mr. Bishop, if that’s the case, make sure to grab a seat by the door. That way if you discover you are wasting your time, you won’t waste mine by asking to leave. You can just slip out and go about your business.” She kept her tone polite to take any sting out of her words. She kept her amusement to herself. She’d had cadets like this youngster, convinced that Divination studies were a waste of time. Well, if he gave her the chance, she’d show him otherwise.

“But just in case you do find class worthwhile and decide to stay,” she said with a slight hint of mockery, “every student gets a rune drawn for them. Let’s see what yours will be . . .” Bridget reached into the green pouch and drew out a stone. “Ah, Thurisaz, the thorn.” Now Bridget did let some of her amusement show. “You would appear to be a rose with well hidden thorns, Mr. Bishop, as well as a rather forceful personality. But be welcome and feel free to pick a seat.”

Professor O’Neill turned to see a young lady at her door. She vaguely recognized the girl from the Ravenclaw Common Room, although she hadn’t the chance to speak with her directly yet. The young woman had gorgeous curly chestnut hair, and eyes that sparkled in a mix of cool greens and blues and grays. "Hello, Professor," she said. "My name is Siren. It's so good to meet you." Bridget smiled as the young lady looked over at the pile of class texts, and then looked around the room. "Well, this looks like a reasonable approach to Divination," Siren said as she took her seat.

”Good to meet you as well, Miss Allaway. I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to speak with you as the new Head of Ravenclaw House.” Bridget reached into her rune bag once again. “I’m drawing a rune for each student before class begins officially. Would you be kind enough to note down that your rune is . . .” Bridget drew the scrap of bloodstone out of the pouch. “Ah, yes.” The angular lines of the M-shaped rune lay elegantly on the stone. “Ehwaz, the rune of the horse, and of relationships is yours for now, Ms. Allaway.” Bridget smiled at the young lady. “You may have quite a bit to teach others about teamwork as well.

Another young lady came into the room right after Siren. She seemed taken off guard by the student in her way, and after a glance at the blackboard. “Good morning Professor . . .O’Neill,” she said. “I’m Scarlett Cooper.” Bridget smiled at her encouragingly. Bridget raised an eyebrow as the young lady’s face clouded over with uncertainty. "I'm sorry, Professor," The young lady said. "I'm new to the school. I-" There was an awkward pause, but Bridget waited politely for the question she knew was coming. "Is this the Divination class?" Scarlett asked.

“Indeed it is, Ms. Cooper. Welcome to the new term of Divinations.” Bridget gestured to the room. “Find a comfortable seat that fits you. And while you do that, I’ll draw a rune for you as well. Everyone gets one before class starts.” Bridget went digging in the bag of runes again, and wasn’t surprised when she drew out Perthro. “Ms. Cooper, you have the rune of good fortune and a good lot in life, Perthro. When you get settled, please jot that down in your notes. And once again, welcome to class.”

As she was finishing up with Scarlett’s rune, another young woman came into class. Both of Bridget’s eyebrows went up for a moment at the attitude that practically oozed from the girl’s pores. Well, well, well. This should be interesting! The girl’s voice was calculatedly cool, and a simple, “Good morning,” was all she said. Bridget hid a grin as the young woman took a seat in the center of the room. No introduction, hmmm? Well, that might be a calculated snub on the girl’s part. But then again, perhaps not.

“Good morning, miss. Now that you have gotten comfortable, I will tell you what rune has been drawn for you . . .” Bridget plucked another stone form the depth of the pouch. “Ah, no surprise. Fehu, the rune of wealth. However, that wealth is often squandered.” Bridget laid the stone down, and picked up her quill. “If you would be so kind as to introduce yourself, young lady, I would like to make sure your rune gets noted down properly on my roster.” Bridget gave the young student a look that was part curiosity and part disapproval. It had been rather rude of the youngster not to give her name. Well, this certainly is going to be an interesting class. All sorts of tensions here . . .

[Zane Lucifer Bishop]

Folding his arms and letting a hint of a smile cross his features, Zee replied in a reassuring voice.

"Oh don't worry Captain. Regardless of where I choose to sit, I won't be asking permission when I leave."

His smirk only grew as she revealed the rune she'd drawn for him. The thorn, hmm? She seemed as amused by the selection as he, elaborating very slightly on it. Zee remained standing as he thought back to all he'd learned of runes both in the Ancient Runes class and prior to his stay at Hogwarts. Before he could recall anything however several other students entered. Shaking his head at the first girl's comment about this seeming a reasonable approach to divination, he muttered a response, not caring who overheard.

"As if there were such a thing."

Glancing at the other two girls, Zee recognized one as belonging to his house. The other he'd not seen before. Maintaining his crooked, amused grin as he considered them, he lightly tapped two fingers against his temple in a casual mix between a salute and wave before moving toward the unknown Hufflepuff student. He wasn't about to sit anywhere near Alessandro, and so sank lazily into a seat in the back row, leaving a single empty desk between himself and the Hufflepuff, to whom he gave a slight nod once settled.

Turning his attention to his memory about Thurisaz, he leaned back in his seat and absently ran his thumb across his lower lip, eyes on the ceiling. Thorn didn't seem quite right to him, and then he realized why. Thorn was the Anglo-Saxon name for the rune, but the Norse had called it Thurs. The simple translation from the Nordic had been Frost Giant, but it was also often taken to mean demon or devil, something that simultaneously made Zee want to grin and throw up. Was his dark nature impossible to escape?

Continuing to search his memory, he recalled some basics of the various meanings of the rune in divinations, having touched on that aspect during his study of the runes. If memory served, some of the possible meanings were pain, war, and hostility, the rune often representing destructive force or conflict, and occasionally male sexuality. Any pride Zee may have felt at that last implication was badly overshadowed by the obvious and unpleasant correlations he could draw between himself and Thurisaz. He knew there were a myriad of other meanings, but he couldn't seem to remember them at the moment and after all that his memory had uncovered, he wasn't sure he particularly wanted to. For the time being, Zee in silence, wallowing in the self loathing and hopelessness that had suddenly come upon him. His face had gone blank.