Professor O'Leary
April 24, 2008 9:40 PM
Lesson I: First and Second Years by Professor O'Leary
After spending his second summer in Montana, Drake felt a renewed sense of vigor. The first had been spent doing all the home improvements and upgrades that had needed to be done on the cabin. Granted, having magic helped, but as he had learned early in life, performing magic for everything was not the answer. Often, magic could be quite dangerous when used either improperly or with ill intent. That ill intent was the very reason he had opted to become a professor. It was a reason that he had nearly forgotten. He shook his head. How could he have ever forgotten?He supposed that part of the reason came from the fact that he had been shaping young minds for a half decade. It was a relatively short amount of time, but seemed so much longer. He had become lax in his teaching methods, something that would just not do. He had a duty to fulfill, a purpose to ensure that they reached their full potential and would have the tools to which to protect themselves if the need ever arose, not that it always did much good, but at least, he would have taught them to the best of his ability.
With this thought in mind, he placed a sheet of paper on each student’s desk. On each paper was one of four colors – red, blue, yellow, and green. Once all the papers were handed out, he brandished his wands, causing the word to vanish from each paper. As the students began to trickle into the class, Drake announced, “Do not touch the parchment on your desk, as it is part of today’s lesson.” With this, he strode to the front of the room, his black robes flowing out causing his form to look more impressive than it actually was. Underneath, he was a rather thin man.
Once at the front, he turned suddenly to face the students, his robes whipping around him, his expression intent. “Before we begin the lesson, allow me to introduce myself to those who have not met me yet. I am Professor O’Leary and this class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. To start with, we will go over the rules. For the second years, this will be a good review for you. Rule one, there will be absolutely no talking when I am talking, especially when I am giving instructions. Rule two, there will be no fooling around in this classroom. These rules are to ensure that none of you become injured. Am I clear?”
After a few students nodded in agreement, Drake clapped his hands together. “Excellent. Now, the lesson. This is actually a two-part lesson. You must finish the first part in order to move onto the second part. On each of your desks, you should have a blank piece of parchment, which I stated not to touch earlier. On this paper, there is a word, which states a color. To reveal the ink, we use the spell Aparecium. To perform this spell, flick your wand, like so,” Drake lectured with a flick of the wrist,” while stating firmly Aparecio. When performed correctly, one of four colors will appear on the parchment. Once you have done this, please find the other students who have the same color. This will be your group for the next part of the lesson.”
He waited for students to finish taking notes, before continuing, “Now, the Aparecium spell serves as the basis for the next spell you will learn, because it gives you an idea of how to make something appear from an item. The next spell that you will be learning is the Specialis Revelio spell, which is a bit more advanced. If an item contains anything hidden by magical means, this spell will cause it to be revealed. This is important, as magic hidden within items can be that of dark magic, which is very dangerous and can lead to injury, or worse, death.” Drake allowed his dark eyes to drift around the room to make sure the students were paying attention. “Now, for those of you with some semblance of intelligence may wonder, why not just use Finite Incantatem? Finite Incantatem removes the effects of any spells currently cast, however, this is not always the best option. For example, if you do not want to end the spell, but rather determine which spell was used. Another example is if you receive an item that is supposed to be charmed, however, you do not wish to remove this charm, but rather reveal any harmful spells and remove those. To end one spell, however, you can use the Finite spell, instead of Finite Incantatem, which ends all spells.”
Allowing the students to catch up once more, Drake paused. After a moment, his deep baritone sounded with the rest of the lesson. “Now, once you reach this spell, I have a couple boxes of items on my desk,” he gestured to two large boxes on his massive oak desk. “All of the items are charmed and a few contain multiple charms. I would like each group to identify what charms were used on each object. This is where your group and book will be particularly useful. However, if you need help, do not hesitate to raise your hand and I will be right over.”
With this said, he brought out his wand once more, allowing it to slide out of his sleeve and into his hand, as though by magic. “To perform the Specialis Revelio spell, “ Drake waved his wand with flourish, “move your wand like so, and state firmly Specialis Revelio!” Finished, his eyes drifting over the students, he said, “You may begin. The spells are on the board for your reference.”
OOC: The items and spells reveals are your choice, as long as neither would be considered harmful and obviously, the item would fit in a box. Remember, posts should be a minimum of ten sentences. Have fun and be creative!
Subthreads: Going where the sea is BLUE by Jera Valson with Kyler Kent, Jera
The sky is blue and the sea is green.and that's my color too by Seamus McFarlan with Krisalyn Koli, Alexis Ashwood
Mellow Yellow by Holly Greer with Cecily Smythe, Cecily
Red again by Amelia Smythe with Chelsea Brockert, Amelia
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Professor O'Leary
Lesson I: First and Second Years
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Professor O'Leary
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Jera Valson
April 27, 2008 1:48 PM
Going where the sea is BLUE by Jera Valson
After getting lost a couple of times, Jera arrived on time for her first Defense lesson, silently pleased that she had left especially early. She settled at a desk, and was careful not to disturb the paper laid upon it as she prepared her books and quills ready for the lesson. As the professor began talking, Jera diligently took notes, hoping she’s managed to write down all of the important parts. The professor was a little creepy, the way he mentioned curses and death, but Jera knew better than to let it bother her – they were a class of young students in a school, and were perfectly safe from any harm.Bolstered by this knowledge, Jera felt an exhilarating confidence in herself. The class sounded interesting, and she was rapidly beginning to appreciate the benefits of working in small groups. Ordinarily she would hate it, being so shy and keenly independent, but the advantages of having such different opinions and points of view to work with could certainly not be ignored.
Brandishing her most unusual wand, Jera attempted the first spell. The paper rippled a bit, but no ink was apparent. Never one to give up easily, Jera tried again, this time producing a faint alteration, but nothing that proved to be conclusive. On her third attempt, a bright hue and the corresponding letters BLU appeared. Deciding that a final letter could be ignored on this occasion, in favor of starting the next part of the lesson, Jera stood abruptly from her chair, sending it crashing to the ground. Somewhat embarrassed, she turned picked it up immediately, only to find someone else already assisting her.
“Oh, thanks,” she said, refraining from giving into her introvert tendencies. “Less speed, more haste, right?”
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Jera Valson
Going where the sea is BLUE
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Jera Valson
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Kyler Kent
April 27, 2008 7:55 PM
And everybody knows your name... *hums* by Kyler Kent
Defense was going to be... Wow. It was going to require effort. And it didn't seem like it was going to be fun. Kyler Kent sincerely hoped that he was going to be proved wrong with this class. Maybe, by some random beam of shining hope from some blessed far away place, this class will come easily to him and the teacher will be cool. Kyler walked into the room, taking a seat near a girl he might talk to later in case this proved boring. Speaking of boring, here came the lecture. The same one he got in every last class: Don't talk and behave. At this point, Kyler had to refrain from sighing in disappointment at yet another typical teacher. Kyler ran a hand through his dark hair and tried to tune it. He took out some paper in the hopes of looking like he was doing something useful. Maybe that would give him the motivation to try.He wasn't a very smart kid. Dad always said that he wasn't as smart as the kids of people he worked with. Okay, that sucks. If he isn't smart enough anyway, at least he can try to pull off the I-think-I'm-cool-so-I-don't-study thing. What was weird though, Kyler got the stuff he learned back in elementary school. At the same time though, all his teachers told his Dad, "Your son doesn't seem to understand the criteria..." and he was listening in the hall like, "Dude! It's divison! I get it!" He just didn't pay attention during class. If he understood, why sit through more boring lectures? That was what made his teachers think he didn't get it. 'Well, he doesn't seem to want to accnowledge that he doesn't understand...' Umm... Nope, just don't care to listen to you yammer about stuff I know. Then Dad thought he was stupid, so he told him he was stupid, and eventually Kyler just accepted it. Maybe he really didn't get this stuff. There was probably more to it and he thought he had been doing it right, but was actually completely wrong. Whatever. . .
Oh, time for class? Right, Specialis Revelio. He got that much. Kyler pointed his wand at the paper in front of him.
"Specialis Revelio," he stated clearly, waving his wand. Yeah, nothing. As expected-- Kyler looked over at the girl he had sat next to and saw her chair topple to the ground. Kyler stood up quickly and picked up the chair, sending a grin at her. Kyler was a semi-tall kid, so unless you were Hannah Cooper-Forrester, Kyler would probably be a little taller than you. When he stood up, the girl was speaking.
“Oh, thanks.”
"Don't worry about it," Kyler said, keeping a smile on his face.
"Less speed, more haste, right?" Kyler let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, and then maybe gravity won't hate us so much, or at least you," he said with a playful grin. Kyler looked over at his piece of parchment, still laying blank.
"Do you get this? I kind of tuned out O'Leary for the important part of the lecture." He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Kyler Kent, Pecari. You a first year too?"
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Kyler Kent
And everybody knows your name... *hums*
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Kyler Kent
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Jera
May 04, 2008 7:37 AM
*dances* by Jera
The boy picked the chair back up, and returned Jera's joke with one of his own. She smiled shyly at him, pleased he hadn't decided to berate her for her clumsiness."Do you get this? I kind of tuned out O'Leary for the important part of the lecture," the boy said. Jera tilted her head to one side as she consiered him, her short, dark pontytail falling over her shoulder as she did so. It seemed a little foolish to not pay attention at the start of a class, particularly not one like DADA, where you really could get yourself into some trouble for not paying attention, and not just with your professor. This boy didn't seem to mind, though, and Jera knew it wasn't her place to lecture him, especially as he'd helped her already.
"Jera Valson," she returned his introduction. "First year, yes, and I'm in Aladren." Deciding to help him, Jera sat back down in her righted chair and showed him her piece of parchment. "You have to do the spell aparecio on your paper," she said, holding her own up for demonstration, "and then you join up in groups according to color." Jera didn't want to be the last person in her group, so she hoped Kyler didn't take too long to get to grips with the spell. "You want to give it a go?"\r\n\r\n
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Jera
*dances*
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Jera
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Kyler
May 12, 2008 9:40 PM
Do you know the macarana? by Kyler
Kyler flashed a smile at the girl as she gave him her name. Aladrens were usually very smart, right? He thought that was what they were known for. She instructed him on the way the spell was done. Kyler picked up his wand and glanced down at his paper, and then back to Jera (which was a very cool name, by the way). He let out a breath and made a Here-goes-nothing face and waved his wand, saying the incantation, to no avail. He grimaced, but waved his wand again. A bold letter B and a quarter of the letter L appeared on his page. Looking over at Jera's he offered an excited smile. Kyler looked down at the parchment once more and waved his wand, concentration on the page. The remaining letters appeared so the word BLUE was evinced on the paper."Cool!" He said, holding his hand up for a high five. "Great teaching! So it looks like we're in the same group."
Kyler stood up, remembering that they were suppose to grab some of those boxes at the Professor's desk. "I'll grab us some of those boxes then, shall I?" Kyler looked around for any last members of the group that may happen to wander in. He wanted to meet some new people, make some new friends, the whole deal that comes along wit the whole New School thing. Kyler went up to the desk and took two of the boxes. He held them up to Jera as he returned, flashing her another grin. She was pretty. He liked dark hair. Well, his hair was dark, but that was besides the point. He couldn't remember talking to a girl who liked his boring brown on guys, just for them. Man, how confidence crushing is that? Anyway, his opinion that girls didn't like his hair color didn't stop him from liking hers.
"There you are," he said, holding the box up to her. "So, partner, who wants to go first?"
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Kyler
Do you know the macarana?
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Kyler
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Jera
May 18, 2008 2:27 PM
I sure do. Dance with me? by Jera
(OOC: I think we have to take objects in the boxes, not boxes themselves, so I've chosen one of the items and you can pick the other, if that's okay.)Kyler tried out the spell until he managed to successfully reveal the word. "Nice job," Jera told him. "You got that one down." Kyler pointed out that they were in the same group, which Jera ad noticd, too. "Looks like it," she replied. She was pleased to be in a group with Kyler; he seemed friendly enough, and he even went to the front of the class to get their objects. He returned and placed a small cauldron in front of Jera, the sort her father used to brew up a quick single-dose potion. Except this cauldron was in better condition thn her father's - it looked almost new; the pewter still had a glossy shine.
"So, partner, who wants to go first?" Kyler asked.
Jera looked at her item with an expression of uncertainty. She wasn't really sure how this spell would work - the professor hadn't even given a demonstration so the studnts would know what to expect. On the other hand, she could probably do the spell with a small amount of practise, and Kyler might not even have paid enough attention to know how to do the spell. In that case, it would be best if Jera went first. Still indecisive, she left the choice to her partner. "I don't mind," Jera told him. "You choose."
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Jera
I sure do. Dance with me?
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Jera
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Kyler
May 23, 2008 7:37 PM
I would be <i>honored!</i> by Kyler
"I'll do it."Kyler decided to take the dive. Why not? Instead of giving Jera the awkward responsibility of going first, he decided he would do it. So he wasn't the best magician-- Wait, the term was wizard wasn't it? He wasn't the best wizarad, but he remembered the Specialis Revelio spell from the lecture well enough. He hoped. Kyler picked up the old Hotwheels car and examined it, eyebrows narrowed at it.
"I will know your secrets..." he whispered with a serious expression before breaking into another grin at Jera. "Okay, here it goes." Kyler took a deep breath and looked down at the little red sports car. He made the picture in his mind, imagining himself drawing the real car outside of the spell. He waved his wand and said, "Specialis Revlio!" Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he saw something flicker, but it was soon gone. "Hold on, let me try one more time," Kyler said. He focused on the car again, blocking out the noise in the room and conentrating on bring the real car into appearance.
"Specialis Revelio!" Kyler said again, waving his wand. The front of the red car faded, the paint phasing into blue. The whole car didn't really change like he had hoped, but hey, he had gotten something!
"That's something," he said. Kyler held a hand up to Jera, gesturing for her to go ahead. She was smart, so he was pretty sure she would get it before him.
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Kyler
I would be <i>honored!</i>
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Kyler
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Jera
May 26, 2008 3:26 PM
Excellent! *dances* by Jera
Jera sat back and watched while Kyler attempted the spell first. He was almost successful, in that his spell did yield some observable results, but there was probably more work still to be done. "You did really well," Jera told him. Kyler seemed like he needed lots of encouragement, s though he didn't yet have any confidence in his own abilities. Jera suspected that he was from a Muggle family, one of those who didn't know any magi...il they started school. She didn't want to ask though, because it seemed rude. Instead she said, "Magic can take some getting used to. I see my parents doing magic all the time at home, but it takes practise to get good."It was Jera's turn to try the spell now, so she held her wand tight and aimed it at the cauldron. "Specialis Revelio," she cast. She thought her bject glowed a little, but nothing seemed to ave changed. "Let me try again," she said, determination starting to set in, and hardening her features ever so slighty. Jera cast the spell again, and this time some of the shine on the petwer faded, and patches of dark tarnish became visible on its surface. "Ah," she said, as if some secret had just been revealled to her. "Not quite so new as it first looks, then," she said, smiling at Kyler. "I never seen a cauldron that shiny before." Of course all the cauldrons Jera ad seen were older than her, so that was hardly surprising.
"Come on," she said to Kyler, spurred on by her success, "I bet you can finish it off," she nodded towards his two-tone car. "Have another go."
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Jera
Excellent! *dances*
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Jera
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Kyler
May 26, 2008 8:43 PM
You're a very good dancer by Kyler
Kyler had hoped that he would be a great wizard when he got to Sonora. He had hoped that he would shock-and-awe the teachers with his magical skills, especially being a Muggleborn. Too bad it didn't seem to be turning out that way. All of the subjects he had tried so far were just too intense for him. Flying, though, that was cool! It didn't have the pressure that the other lessons seemed to have. It was so much easier to work when he didn't feel like he had to focus so much. From what he had heard about Charms it sounded cool and Potions seemed like it was just throwing some stuff together. The other classes though... DADA, History of Magic, Transfiguration, they were too much for him. Comec (that's how Saul had said it) wasn't too hard, but he didn't have the attention span for it. Andy was cool to talk to there, but they hadn't really talked about that little Crab thing as much. Cool class, but Kyler just couldn't really listen as well when he was outside and distracted.In response to her comment on the Jera's parents doing magic at home, Kyler replied,
"I don't see magic at home. I'm muggleborn. I grew up seeing cinema-magic rather than this stuff. My mom is a movie producer and my dad is stunt man. I like this magic way more though!" He smiled at Jera before continuing on, "You're lucky you get to see this stuff all the time. I wish I knew I was a wizard before. Then I might be a little better at this stuff." He made a face at his wand, which he twirled around his fingers once.
Now it was Jera's turn to try out the spell. Her first try did the same thing that Kyler's first attempt had done. He saw a flicker of change, but it faded before it could reveal itself. She tried again, looking determined to get it right. Sure enough, the next time she muttered the spell the mini-cauldron revealed a less-than-shiney surface rather than the polished varnish it appeared to have. "Not quite so new as it first looks, then. I've never seen a cauldron that shiny before." Kyler grinned back at her and said with a small laugh,
"Yeah, me neither."
Jera turned to him and nodded towards his car, encouraging him to give it another go. Her encouragement made him a little more comfortable with the whole 'pressured to focus' thing. He ran a hand through his brown hair and took out his wand again,
"No laughing if I get wrong, okay? Not all of us can be as smart as you," he said with a playful (maybe flirtatious) smile, directing his brown eyes to the car. He waved his wand and said the incantation for the fourth time in the lesson. The paint on the car faded completely to blue and Kyler couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself.
"All right! I think this is the first spell I've gotten really down!" He held up his hand to her for a high-five. "Now, do you think that cauldron has any more secrets you can reveal?"
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Kyler
You're a very good dancer
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Kyler
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Jera
June 01, 2008 3:02 PM
Thanks! by Jera
Jera guessed right - Kyler was Muggleborn. Well she was now sure that once he'd gotten used to magic his confidence would improve, and then so would his performance. He didn't have anything to worry about. "You'll be fine with practise," she told him."Oh, cool," she replied to his parents' jobs - Jera knew about Muggle movies and thought it must be fun to be involved with making them. "My Pa researchers herbal remedies and writes books about them," she said. "My Ma teaches here," Jera smiled shyly. She hadn't told anyone else yet, though she suspected some of the older students probably knew who she was. She was proud of her mother, but she didn't want the other kids to treat her any differently, so she just hadn't mentioned it.
Kyler was successful in finishing the transformation of his object. "Well done," Jera congratulated him, smiling. "See, you're really good already!" Of course she still had to take another turn. Redirecting her attention back to the tarnished cauldron, Jera raised her wand one more time. It was unique, not just because it was hers, but because the druids had made it specially for her, and her parents had carved runes into its length to strengthen its magic.
"Spcialis Revelio!" Jera cast one more time. The cauldron remained the same - a small, tarnished pewter pot. "Well, either it's not got any more secrets to reveal, or I didn't cast the spell right," she considered. Turning to Kyler, she said, "Do you want a go? Or shall we call it a day?"
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Jera
Thanks!
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Jera
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Kyler
June 01, 2008 5:53 PM
You're very welcome by Kyler
Sometimes growing up in the Business was tough. Mom never really helped Kyler with his homework because that wasn't her area of expertise. Dad told him to figure it out. What always helped was Mom's fanastic ability to cheer him up after report cards came back home. She'd glance down, raise her eyebrows, give him a look that said "You can do better. Your conduct grade is atrocious, but I don't really blame you for having fun," and then said, "Go get your gear on. We're climbing." Jera, however, had a father in herbal remedies (Potions help), and a mother who worked here! That could kind of suck though... Kyler liked the whole boarding school thing. One, because it allowed him time to grow in a, you know, social way without being under constant suveilance. Mom and Dad never really had to know, unless he really screwed up. Jera didn't have that option. She also had to be perfect in her mother's class or she would hear about it later."Well that has its pros and cons. You get tons of homework help, but you have to be an academic angel," he said, watching Jera as she raised her wand. No real effect happened.
"Well, either it's not got any more secrets to reveal, or I didn't cast the spell right." Kyler gave a shrug.
"You probably did it right," he said. "I think we're done." Kyler didn't doubt that Jera had done the spell right. Something about her attitude made him assume she could do no wrong with magic. Or maybe he was just biased or something. It wasn't like her appearance was helping any. Or maybe Kyler was just being a guy. But Jera had this infectious personality that made him want to keep talking to her.
"Okay, let's play a game," Kyler said, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him. "Ask any question, and the other has to answer truthfully. Wanna give it a go?" He raised his eyebrows and gave a light, hopeful smile.
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Kyler
You're very welcome
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Kyler
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5