This would have been nice... on Charms

Professor Olivers

June 16, 2013 12:23 AM

Now you see it, now you don't. [VI & VII years] by Professor Olivers

It was an extremely warm day and Florence was sure the students would be feeling the heat, but it was better than summer in Chicago where she had visited her older brother during the summer break. Ever since her husband had passed away, Florence had spent all of her holidays and breaks at the house Maxwell shared with his wife. Their children were grown now which left extra bedrooms for Florence to stay in, but she never wanted to overstay her welcome. She thought she was getting a little old to start crashing on a friend’s couch, but sometimes she did it anyway. Her summer had been especially magnificent despite the pain a second year without Terry brought. She had auditioned for a magical play going on in the Chicago theatre scene, the first since she and Terry had married fifteen years ago, and had made the cut. Playing a character lead instead of the main star was different for Florence, but it was a good introduction back into the theater she had so missed.

The show had kept her busy and she was tired afterwards, but itching to do more. However, she had come to love the environment of Sonora and her cottage in Arizona and so she went back to teach once again. She liked her students and had come to tolerate the younger ones a little more. But, of course, she always had a soft spot for her older students. Today they were going to learn a very helpful little charm that she hoped they wouldn’t abuse. If they did, it would be a good thing to remember not to do a practical lesson for the next year.

It was a few weeks into the new term and Florence assumed that everyone had gotten used to their new schedules. Once everyone had made it in, she shut the doors behind them and stood up from her desk. She gave them a little smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m glad you all could make it on time,” she said. She had been smiling more ever since her sister-in-law had gotten well again and Florence had reacquainted herself with the theatre. “Now let’s get to work. Today we’re going to be learning the Disillusionment Charm. It’s a handy little spell that can make things take on the color and texture of their environment much like a chameleon. It works on insignificant objects like a pebble to more temperamental specimen like human beings. Depending on how well you can execute this charm, you can even become invisible. It is draining, however, and can be exhausting. Turn to page 145 in your textbooks.”

With that said, she turned and wrote down the incantation on the board. “The incantation is Occulo. The wand movements are different for two different reasons. When you are Disillusioning an object, all you need to do is simply tap on your object and focus on having it take the same properties as its surroundings. There are some whispers of Transfiguration in that regard. However, in order to Disillusion yourself, you have to twirl your wand around yourselves as if you are wrapping yourself up with rope. For example—” Florence performed the charm on herself and a blue light wrapped itself around her as she twirled her wand around herself before she disappeared. The back of the classroom was what her students would see, as if they were looking straight through her and there were no obvious outlines or shimmers of her body. There were more powerful wizards who could make themselves completely invisible, but they were few and far in between. She canceled the charm. “Just like that.”

“For this class, we are going to first Disillusion a large object, and then I want you to try and Disillusion yourselves. Remember, this spell takes a lot of concentration when you are Disillusioning yourselves. Be cautious especially in self-Disillusionment. Only when you are completely confident in your ability, you may try to Disillusion the person sitting to your…let’s say to your right. For homework, I want a two-foot essay on your argument concerning the Disillusionment Charm should be used on an object instead of the Vanishing Spell or the Concealing Charm. You must argue why you prefer one over the other two with thorough research to support your claims. I’m sure Professor Skies will have books on the Vanishing Spell for you to use for your research if the library does not. It will be due at the end of next week.

“If you need any help, remember Finite Incantatem and start over. Go ahead and begin.”

OOC: Creativity in realistic boundaries gains more points!

Subthreads:

Becoming reillusioned... by Michael Grosvenor

This would have been nice... by Brianna Japos, Crotalus

0 Professor Olivers Now you see it, now you don't. [VI & VII years] 0 Professor Olivers 1 5

Michael Grosvenor

July 15, 2013 5:18 PM

Becoming reillusioned... by Michael Grosvenor

Michael had been a little bit nervous about moving into the advanced classes. He was a pretty average student and he'd spent the first couple of weeks worrying that he'd be told to get out because he wasn't good enough. Or that he'd just feel stupid the whole time and not be able to do anything. But, so far, he was coping. It had definitely been a step up, but he wasn't drowning. Yet.

He entered Charms, feeling reasonably optimistic. The class was usually interesting and... well, it was probably about third easiest out of his four classes, which didn't exactly put it near the top but it was alright. He could do it. He sat down the front, so as to be able to hear clearly, and was glad that he had. If he hadn't, he might not have believed his ears (and their aids). A spell to make you invisible? That was so cool! When he'd found out that magic was real, the first thing he'd wanted was for someone to make him not hearing impaired any more. When he'd found out that this was impossible, he'd rather scaled down his idea of what these so-called spells might be able to achieve. But stuff like this... It made him think the crazy super-powered ideas he'd had of magic might be somewhat real after all.

He wasn't really sure what use he'd make of being invisible, if he really thought about it. He wasn't amoral enough to use it to rob a bank or mastermind any other kind of criminal activity. Brief thoughts of spying on girls in the locker room crossed his mind but more as a teenage boy reflex than as something he'd really do. He was sure he'd go so red as to un-disillusion himself anyway – he'd blushed slightly just thinking about it. But being invisible was just one of those things that was officially regarded as being cool. So he wanted to do it. Although he probably wouldn't have the nerve to see it through, the main use that would have appealed to him would be to listen in... There was still a part of him that didn't quite trust people, or that wanted to know what they said or did, or how they acted, when they were with other people. If he had been offered the means to know that on a plate, he would readily have taken it. However, connecting the dots to see this as a means of getting that, and actually seeing it through were very different things, and were ones that he was rather less likely to do.

He stared as Professor Olivers tried the spell, determined to spot something... To catch her out. Maybe some flicker of movement as she moved minutely, or like... a ripple where the air was Professor-shaped. He thought he caught a glimmer but he might have been kidding himself, and he did already know exactly where she was standing...

She reappeared, along with a homework assignment, and set them to their task. He glanced around, trying to decide what counted as 'big.' Hopping up, he decided his chair would do.

“Occulo,” he cast. He had always been a very visual person, and mentally blending the chair with its surroundings was pretty easy for him. It seemed to shimmer. He could definitely still tell where it was... the outline of the chair was still visible but it was now blending into the surroundings. It looked transparent, rather than invisible. Or the way television showed invisible things when they wanted you to still be able to tell where they were. Michael perched himself back on the stool, peering down at it. Even though he could still see where it was, it was still a slightly odd sensation. It would be even better if he fully got the spell down. He hopped up, preparing to take another go.

13 Michael Grosvenor Becoming reillusioned... 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Brianna Japos, Crotalus

July 17, 2013 7:55 PM

This would have been nice... by Brianna Japos, Crotalus

Brianna had grown accustomed to the schedule she had set for herself last year when her limitations had been at their worst and her pain at its highest. Her walking was much better now, but she still needed a crutch as her left side was still far too weak to be without assistance and her pain was tolerable. Most days, as long as she had her heating bad, she hardly noticed it. Without the pad, well, those days were a little harder, but still bearable. The only real times when the pain became too much was if she was on her feet for too long and over extended herself. Or, she had an episode. But she hadn’t had one of those in months. Her Healers say that her nerves are likely repairing themselves. Brianna hoped so.

But, because of her limitations, it did take her longer to get places, so she had to leave early to everything. Most of the staff seemed okay with her if she wasn’t exactly on time. If the classes were back to back and she had to go from one wing of the school to the other, she might be a minute or two late due to the stairs. But there were staff members who refused to allow those to be late. Professor Olivers was one of those people. If one was late, they were locked out of the classroom. Brianna didn’t really think this was entirely fair considering her handicap, but she did not complain. Most of the time, she managed to make it in within moments of the door slamming shut.

Settling into her seat, Brianna took out her materials and listened to the Professor start her lesson. The lesson for the day was something Brianna wished she had knowledge of the summer before last. If she had been able to make herself look invisible, they would not have been able to hurt her so much. These days, she dreamed less of those events and thought less of those boys. Some of that could be attributed to being back in school, but she knew most of it had to do with her friends. She didn’t worry so much as she had once done. There were moments, she knew, where her anxieties would take her over the edge and she’d have to find her way back again, but it was no longer consuming her. Maybe it was because she was getting closer to her freedom or maybe it was because her mother had finally found her own strength and that helped Brianna find hers. Who knew? But still… this spell would have been awfully convenient back then.

Brianna wasn’t sure what large object there was for her to charm, so she just enlarged her charms book to be oversized on her desk. Figuring that would work just fine, Brianna took a deep breath and tried to imagine the book as being nothing. She tried to imagine only the desk beneath it. She envisioned that desk and nothing else. Feeling positive about it, Brianna followed the instructions and watched in fascination as the blue light encircled the book as it had the professor. The end result was not the perfect disillusionment charm as it was supposed to be, but Brianna gave herself some credit. What was there seemed like a weird air bubble. The book wasn’t necessarily visible, but there was definitely something still on the desk. It was like the air was bent funny. “A good start.” She said before ending the spell and trying again.

6 Brianna Japos, Crotalus This would have been nice... 0 Brianna Japos, Crotalus 0 5