History of Magic: Class 1

[Thornelius Stockholm]

Thornelius entered his new classroom briskly despite knowing there was still plenty of time before the lesson began. He hadn’t been at the school for very long at all before beginning his first lesson, not wanting to hang about while these students were missing out on their education. He had been visibly shocked at first to discover such problems at Hogwarts and had agreed at once to come help. Of course there were other reasons for his coming as well, but all anyone needed to know was that he was here on Ministry orders. Although his own days at Hogwarts had not always been pleasant – the nickname ‘Thornelius the Thorn’ had stuck for most of his years there – he had achieved his aim and been made head boy in his final year. Besides, these children needed protecting from all those creatures said to be lurking in the Forbidden Forest, according to rumour. He had already been told of three Ravenclaws currently missing – two boys and a girl – and planned to investigate, on the Ministry’s orders, that as soon as possible. But for now, it was time for teaching.

With a wave of his wand, the title of today’s lesson appeared on the board in a neat, precise hand – ‘The Magical World In Ancient Egypt’. He had been told that this was the last subject the class had studied before their previous teacher moved on, and thought some degree of continuity might be good for them. He himself always had his routines to stick to.

Rather than standing as he would do later, Thornelius sat with a straight back in the chair at the front of the room, checking once more the papers he had placed on the desk earlier were still there and in order. Since there would probably not be enough of the same book to hand out to the whole class, he had copies made of a chapter translated from an original Egyptian document, along with a smaller pile of the chapter in its original language for any enthusiasts in the class. He had always liked to be pushed, personally. Any extra work and he’d jumped at the chance. Also on the desk was a singular sheet of parchment with the names and information of all who had entered themselves down on the sign-up sheets scattered at strategic places about the school for the last forty eight hours. Glancing at the clock, he saw there were still ten minutes to go and waited for the students to arrive, not expecting it to be too long. And if anyone dared to be late, they would find themselves with even more work on their hands.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Kerridon made his way to the History of Magic class in brighter spirits to his usual, dark disposition. He had been in a relatively good mood since seeing the sheets up two days ago, stating the History of Magic lessons would be starting again, and he had been one of the first to put his name down. The one thing that made him wary was the notice at the top of the sheets of parchment about how these substitute professors were from the Ministry. Apparently Hogwarts was starting to draw attention to itself.

It was only recently that he had begun reading history books for his own pleasure again. It was nice to have something to do that wasn’t at all to do with the Shadow Wars, although he didn’t allow himself to enjoy it for too long. The occasional chapter mixed in with a book on an entirely different subject. And it wasn’t just magical history he was looking at – muggle perspectives were just as interesting, although that fascination had developed recently. He would never have found books with anything like that at his parents’ homes. He just found it remarkable how the wizarding world and muggle world were so intricately entwined, one with no knowledge of the other’s existence.

Entering the classroom a little earlier than was perhaps necessary, he nodded to the Professor, taking in the neat appearance of the older man as he did so and took his customary seat at the back of the room, retrieving some parchment, ink and a quill from his bag and placing them on the desk, waiting for others to arrive.

[Bryan Kelley]

Entering the classroom, Bryan felt tired. He wasn't sure why but he was. He had slept well enough the night before, despite everything that was now going on in the school and hence in his life. Raising a hand to his face, he covered a small yawn as he walked over to his normal seat. He seated himself down, paying little attention to the students already present in the room. Bryan wasn't someone who normally sought out companionship, but he did welcome it when people decided to interact with him. He was perfectly fine being on his own however.

Once seated, Bryan glanced briefly at the board, reading the writing that the Professor had chosen to place up on the board. His eyes trailed back down and away as he pulled out the material he would need for the on coming lesson. Once he was set, he pulled his sketch book out and just started to sketch whatever happened to be in front of him at the moment. He didn't have much of any original idea on things to draw so he decided to go with a still life, well rather, it wasn't so still since there was a fellow student seated a little in front of him, but the concept was similar enough.

He sketched quietly as he waited for the Professor to begin the lesson, trying to ignore his own thoughts on what had been happening in the last few months if only for a little bit.

[Tommy Bryce]

Tommy had never much considered the history of everything magical before, never having seen much use for it. Learning magic, of course, he was going to use that. But looking at the past? What was the point? It wasn’t even a practical subject, they were probably just going to end up reading from a book the whole time or listening to boring lectures. If he had an interest in the topic, then Tommy could read for hours on end. Otherwise, he would be bored stiff and not take any of it in.

He was hoping that this class would be different to how he imagined it as he made his way to the classroom he had yet to visit. He had known where it was, and seen the doorway multiple times while going his way to other subjects, but never been inside. And really, now he wasn’t inside, it wasn’t any different to his other classes. Just a shame that first years had no choice in what was compulsory. Sitting himself down in the classroom, Tommy wasn’t persuaded otherwise in his thoughts about what this class would be like by the professor’s appearance; all neat and tidy and well-presented. He sighed a little under his breath. He would just have to wait and see what it turned out like.

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine walked down the hall toward her History of Magic class, her satchel full of books and parchment and quills. The young Ravenclaw was impeccably groomed as always although she had haunted look in her eyes that ruined the effect. Hogwarts was not a fun place for a girl in Katherine’s school shoes at the moment. Katherine sighed as she opened the door to her next classroom. Things will get better, she thought. It’s just a matter of surviving long enough for them to get that way.

Katherine grabbed a seat up front, sliding into it quietly. She got out her parchment sheets, her inkwell and her quills, arranging them all neatly on the desk surface. Then she looked around, noting that a few students had beaten her to the class. One was known to her only in passing, since they were from the same House. She smiled at Kerridon over her shoulder as she closed her satchel and nodded once. Bryan was sketching away in his ever-present book a row or so back and Katherine wondered what he was drawing. She only knew a little of him, since their only association was through the Lightfighters. Tommy she had seen around, and they were in the same year, if not the same House.

Katherine forced herself to return her mind to the class with an almost visible effort. Gods, she was tired. Sleep had been elusive this past week. Katherine quietly wrote down what was up on the board. She didn’t see any textbooks out so the pile of paper on the Professor’s desk must be some sort of handout. Good! Something new to read. On hieroglyphics, perhaps? Now that would be something interesting to study. Katherine had to really work on learning a new language but once she had it down, she never forgot what she knew. It would be a challenge, something to distract her from all the misery. She cleared her throat and spoke up, trying to dispel the eerie feeling that washed over her. “Good morning Professor Stockholm,” she said, her voice quiet and respectful.

(edited because D'rorah's not in the class!)

[Ivy Halliwell]

A wicked smile played at her lips as she prepared herself for her next class: History of Magic. As she stood in the female bathrooms not far from her next class, she mulled over her thoughts as she applied a thin layer of lip gloss that made her lips look juicy enough to bite into; a subtle shade of light pink. Puckering at herself in the mirror, she smiled contentedly as she reached up with one free hand and undid the hair tie which bound her hair up into a loose ponytail. Her golden locks fell graciously about her shoulders as she shook her head out slowly, freeing any misplaced piece, or tangles. Grabbing her books from the sink and hoisting her green leather back over her shoulder, she exited the lavatory and made her way down the corridor to History of Magic. Her loose curls bounced fully around her shoulders as her heels clicked at the floor. The hem of her skirt was cut curiously high, just above her knees and the top button was undone in her school uniform, her house tie a bit loose.

When she opened the door, time seemed to slow down for her as she slowly walked over toward the professor's desk, her shadowed eyes wandering slowly from the students already in occupation of their desks, to the chiseled looks of the newly appointed professor, batting a seductive lash once as she regarded the new teacher. The left corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile of personal gratitude as she reached up and around with her left hand, and sensually maneuvering her hair over around her neck to dangle over her left shoulder.

"Hello, Professor." It was a simple greeting that could have definitely been construed as sexual harassment, for her tone of voice was sensual, mature, and obviously inviting with a touch of familiarity in there. She reached down with a free hand to procure one of the copies on his desk and then sauntered over to a seat near the windows in the second row, ignoring all of the other students.

[ruby]

Walking down the corridor towards her next class alone, Gabrielle felt nervous. She didn't want to be late on her first day of History of Magic. She loved the subject, it's one of her favorites. She stopped in front of the classroom's door and sighed, hoping she wasn't the first one to get to the classroom and be alone with the Professor. She wasn't one to have all attention centered on her, even if it was a only over a short amount of time. It doesn't stop her from answering or doing a oral report though. "Please let other people be in there already." She mumbled to herself. She looked into the classroom and sighed in relief as she saw the classroom with students already in it.

She entered the classroom and nodded to the Professor. She took her seat near the back and gazed up at the board for today's topic. Today's topic wasn't bad, but she wished she studied more about it. She took out her quill and parchment to get ready for the lesson. She had to wait for a bit before class started, and for more people to enter the classroom. Something that she didn't really like. She wanted to get right into today's lesson.

She started to look around the classroom to see who was already there. One thing she noticed right away was that Gisele wasn't there. Worried, she wondered where her sister was. "I hope she's not hurt." She whispered to herself. She looked up at the clock and thought about her sister being late for class, she grinned and chuckled to herself, maybe her sister would get a detention or even more work for being late. Only time will tell.

[Thornelius Stockholm]

Thornelius had been a little disappointed that not more people had signed up, but at least most of those who had put their names down were here promptly. "Good morning," he replied to Katherine with a smile. That was quickly replaced with a brief frown crossing his forehead accompanied by tightened lips when Ivy approached his desk in her usual manner, but it was barely visible and quickly cleared. ”Sit down with the rest of the class please, Miss Halliwell.” Probably lucky for both of them, he did not notice her taking one of the sheets from his desk. His tone was firm but a slight glare was present in his eyes that would only be seen from close up. It might seem odd that he knew her name straight off, but the rest of the class would soon see that he had done his own homework and knew who all of them were by both name and face. And if he forgot – not that that would ever happen, but just if – he had the names in front of him on the sign-up sheets.

As the last person settled in their seat and the clock came to the beginning of the lesson, he stepped forward and addressed everyone there. ”Good morning class. My name is Professor Stockholm and I am your new History of Magic teacher. I have been sent to the Ministry as a substitute teacher due to the distinct lack of professors currently resident in the school. If you have any queries or worries, do not hesitate to contact me. The ministry has the best interests of all Hogwarts students at heart.” [beige]Oh, the irony...[/beige] the thought went through his mind briefly before he returned to concentrating on his class.

”First off, a few general house rules...” With a wave of his wand more writing appeared on the board, the top of which was larger than the others and more prominent; 1. Arrive on time to class. He left them up there for anyone who did happen to turn up later, and followed straight on with the true content of his lesson. I understand that the last topic you studied was the magical world of Ancient Egypt, so I will be continuing with this today. Take notes as you will be needing them later, and raise your hand if you wish to ask any questions. A slight pause for them to gather any parchment or quills not already on the desks, then he was off again.

“Simply put, the Ancient Egyptians had magic, and it was known of publicly, but it was nowhere near as advanced as what we have today. Their materials and methods were crude therefore their magic was not as effective, and often had undesired side effects. They integrated seamlessly with the muggle world due to the common superstition, as is similar for much of ancient history, although some of those who claimed to have ability would have been muggles earning a living by lies. Their neighbours had no way to distinguish between who were the true magical folk.” Here he paused for a moment, waiting to check that everyone was paying attention and writing notes as they should be. It might be an old fashioned method of teaching, but it had worked well enough for him when he had been at school. It was just tough luck for the students that History of Magic wasn’t a practical subject.

“The Pharoahs hunted out those who were best at magic to work for them – as guards, cursemakers, medics and charmers. There was also a prevalence of more natural talents at this time, such as telepathy and precognition. This is something that had faded over the years as magic became more organised. Back then among the common wizards and witches, basic spells were known and passed down through the generations, along with the much-revered wands. Hieroglyphs were used to communicate knowledge but since a high proportion of them couldn’t read or write, much was passed on by mouth. This inevitably led to mistakes due to miscommunication. Some apprenticeships to renowned wizards were available but practically all were taken up by educated boys from richer families. Muggleborns were sometimes never identified because of their lack of opportunity and knowledge. Typically, if a young boy started showing signs of magic he would be sent to the local temple, but this was much less common in girls.”

Looking around again, he waited for any slower writers to catch up. Dictation might not be a favoured method of teaching young witches and wizards who could bore easily, but it gave them the information. It was their own fault if they chose not to pay attention or take proper notes.

((Feel free to post as being here the whole time if you don't want your character to be late))

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

Cavan made his way through the halls and up the stairs, carefully avoiding falling down them, from the Great Hall where he'd taken a relaxing meal, up to the second floor for his History of Magic class. He stretched and yawned, he'd forgotten how hard it was for him to sleep in the dorm, the sense of impending, lurking shadows was overwhelming and he was tired. He'd thought about ditching and opting out for a nap, but he knew the new teacher wouldn't be very happy about a student missing class for 'no reason'. So, towards the class he strode, his new bright yellow messenger bag contrasting and yet matching his robes, his hot pink Converse looked odd peeking out from beneath the black fabric and he smiled.

Upon reaching the door to the classroom he rolled his eyes at himself and then opening the door, strode in. His long black hair was pulled back in an elaborate braid that now reached his shoulder blades, a quill tucked behind his ear, the bright teal feather contrasted his midnight blue eyes. He had the decency to blush at interrupting the class and after pushing his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose where they belonged, quickly took the empty seat beside Tommy, giving him a slight nod. "Sorry Professor," he spoke softly pulling out his ink and parchment.

In seconds his ink was open, his quill in hand, he'd labeled the top of the page and left space at the top for what he might have missed in the first few minutes, ready to write what ever came next.

(Edit due to D'rorah's edit)

[D'rorah Philosophy]

(ooc: Okay, so I just realized that Dee shouldn't be in this class because of the timing with Cavan being back and all. At this point, she's up in her dorm room after Dylan broke her heart Anywho, sorry if I screw you up, but I'm trying to keep my timelines from being hopelessly tangled. So please, carry on without me

[Tommy Bryce]

Tommy waited for the class to start, glancing up every so often to see who else was entering. A few people he recognised – Katherine from his own year and an older girl from his own house. There was also a Slytherin who seemed very familiar with the professor; something that seemed odd to him. How could you be so friendly with someone who could hand out punishments to you whenever he deemed it necessary? Especially when what he deemed necessary might be totally unreasonable.

He quickly got out parchment, ink and quill to write with and began jotting down notes hurriedly as the professor’s lecture began. Ancient Egypt magic... it sounded so different to now. He supposed it was thousands of years ago, so that did make sense. But even so, having magic and not ever realising it? That would be horrible. The door opened once again and he glanced up to see Cavan walk in, late. He offered half a smile but it wasn’t quite as exuberant as if the other boy had come in on time. He had paid particular notice to the rules the professor had put on the board, and it hadn’t escaped his notice that the ‘being on time to class’ rule was top and larger than the others. He didn’t want his friend to get in trouble, and hoped he had a good reason for not being there on time...

[ruby]

Gabrielle was deep in thought when the Professor started the lesson. At first she didn't hear him, though once she did immediately picked up her quill and quickly started writing. Again I'm taking notes for the both of us. It wasn't the first time and probably not the last time either, though luckily it wasn't often. She didn't mind it, she just wished Gisele was on time this time, especially with this class as she notice, what she believed was the most important rule, Arrive on time to class.

A brief flare of relief entered her as she heard the foot steps of another student arriving. Maybe Gizmo wasn't going to get into trouble because the class just started. At least that is who Gabby thought had entered, and she didn't look up to see. When the student didn't sit next to her and then spoke, she lifted her gaze and realized that it wasn't her twin. A sigh left her mouth as she looked down and continued plotting down notes.

She once again looked up at the door, hoping that her twin would show up. She would go look for her if it was possible, but she knew the Professor wouldn't allow it. Ministry people take their jobs seriously, well at least that's what she had heard, and he looked like he meant business. So, she looked back at her parchment and continued jotting down notes. It was better to stay here because she knew Gizmo wasn't in a dangerous position, she would know if she was, and this way they wouldn't miss anything important.