Plotter
March 21, 2014 12:59 AM
Intermediate DADA by Plotter
A strange stillness hung over the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom on the first Monday morning of term. It was that peculiar atmosphere created by the arrival of the students preceding that of the teacher, and settling uneasily in, unsure how much noise would be tolerated upon their professor's arrival. It was very strange, for the Professors of Sonora were normally punctual to a tee. However, the professor for this class was new (a new professor had been introduced at the feast, had they not? Or was it going to be Professor Valson?) and perhaps that accounted for their tardiness. Another possibility that could never be ruled out with this subject was that some sort of surprise was going to be sprung upon on them to test their reflexes. The room gave no other clues as to the lesson for that day, and that would certainly make a strong first impression... There were possible reasons, definitely, for the absence of a teacher. Although the longer that elapsed, the less likely any of these really seemed.The minutes ticked by, threatening to veer out of merely late and into rude or, worse still, the class having bee forgotten. How long any class would bear up under this was very much determined by the individuals. One thing, however, was certain and that was that the longer any such absence of a professor continued, the more likely it was that the delicate atmosphere would fracture and that dissent and disorder would spill out, anything from outbreaks of louder-than-usual chatter to declaring the class to be clearly over and leaving the room. Paper aeroplanes could very quickly become involved.
Whatever course the students chose, whether allowing their behaviour to slide or waiting dutifully for the lesson to begin, there came a point when even the most devoted academic or strictest observer of rules would probably have to concede that no-one seemed to be coming.
Subthreads: Approaching Mr. Carey (prefect) by Effie Arbon with Anthony Carey VIII and a bit of Henry, Leo Princeton, Crotalus
Waiting around... by Virginia Bellrose, Crotalus
Perturbed. by Rupert Princeton, Pecari with Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw, Rupert , Ava Fletcher, Aladren, Rupert & Leo Princeton, Ava Fletcher
Not the Professor, but here to help by Clara Abernathy, Pecari
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Plotter
Intermediate DADA
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Plotter
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Rupert Princeton, Pecari
March 24, 2014 1:35 PM
Perturbed. by Rupert Princeton, Pecari
Classes for Rupert this year needed to be taken seriously. He wanted to do well on his CATS and could not slack off as he might have done some years prior. He'd received decent marks, an E at the lowest, but there was more at stake than his marks this year. He was preparing for his future as well; he wanted to be a professional Quidditch player and play the sport for the rest of his life. His CATS could be instrumental in that, he didn't know. Walking to class was pleasant as he looked around the familiar path to the classroom, though there were more prairie elves than usual. Rup had marked that off as unimportant; prairie elves were free to roam if they wished, and perhaps they needed to take walks. In groups. Looking slightly frantic.Rupert entered the DADA classroom with no idea of anything going awry and took his seat. The professor wasn't in yet and Rup was expecting Professor Valson to enter at any moment. It was almost at the hour for class to begin, and Rup, not wanting to look unprepared, brought out a piece of parchment along with a quill, ready to take notes. Note-taking had not been on Rupert's list of skills of late, mostly because he never looked at them after he wrote them down, but he was determined to change that. Professional Quidditch teams wouldn't accept dunces no matter how talented the students were.
The clock hand moved passed the hour a professor of some sort was supposed to be here and Rupert leant his head against his hand, growing bored. He began to doodle aimlessly, waiting for anyone to come in and tell them what to do. Stick figures, clouds, lightening, dogs, cats and flowers had been doodled by his untalented hand before Rup looked up at the clock again. They had been waiting for almost ten minutes. No professor that he could remember had ever been anything less than five minutes late. Rupert looked around at his classmates, wondering if they were perturbed as well at the absence of authority.
"What do you suppose is going on?" he asked his neighbour. "Do you think the professor's playing a big joke on us? Maybe this is a test." Rup raised his eyebrows dramatically. "What do you think the professor expects us to do? Cause havoc or stay in our seats for the duration of the class?"
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Rupert Princeton, Pecari
Perturbed.
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Rupert Princeton, Pecari
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Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw
March 24, 2014 7:45 PM
Hello perturbed...I'm disturbed by Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw
Dimitri awoke the morning of his first official class back at school and sighed lightly. It was a little disorienting being back at Sonora, but he knew he would be able to get back into the swing of things. He took a quick shower and dressed quickly. He had woken up a tad late and was afraid that he might not make it to class on time. He was coming down the stairs to the common room when he heard a peculiar sound. He stepped into the room and caught sight of what appeared to be house elves rummaging through the room as though they were looking for something. He was about to ask what they were looking for, but missed his chance when they disappeared.That was weird he thought to himself as he turned to leave the common room. I've never seen house elves act like that before. He shrugged off their behavior and headed out of the room to class. He arrived to class a few moments later, but was surprised to see that while there were students present to class there was no sign of any professor. "Maybe the professor is tardy for a change," he mused to himself as he headed for his desk. Dimitri put his bag down on the floor by the desk and took a seat. He pulled his sketchbook out of the bag and one of his drawing pencils. He placed them both on top of his desk and began to silently draw as he waited for their professor to arrive.
He glanced up from his sketching a few moments later to discover that their teacher still had not arrived. Dimitri frowned to himself as he put down the sketching pencil. What the deuce? he wondered to himself as he glanced towards the door to their classroom. Did we get a new teacher who got lost or something? he wondered silently. Not really aware of what he was doing, Dimitri got up from his desk and walked over towards the door. He peaked out of it into the empty hallway and shivered a little at the eerie silence that stared back at him from the empty hallway.
He walked back to his desk and sat down silently contemplating what it all meant. It wasn't like the professor not to be on time let alone not show up at all. Dimitri made his way back to his desk and sat down again frowning slightly. He was about to ask one of his neighbors what they thought might be going on when Rupert beat him to it. He heard Rupert's initial question and found himself shrugging. "I have no idea," he replied honestly. "I've been trying to figure that one out myself." He regarded Rupert's next questions with a little thought. "If it is a big joke, its not a very funny one." He considered Rupert's final question and again found himself shrugging. "At the risk of sounding momentarily ignorant I really have no idea," he again replied honestly. "I would almost recommend sending someone to scout around for any of the other professors, but given the eerie silence coming from the hall outside my guess is that would end up being a fruitless endeavor." His thoughts trailed back to the elves in the dorm area and a thought found its way past his lips.
"Is it just me or does something screwy seem to be going on around here?" He asked wondering if Rupert got the same impression.
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Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw
Hello perturbed...I'm disturbed
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Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw
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Rupert
March 27, 2014 3:51 PM
Confusion loves company. by Rupert
Rupert didn't know Dimitri Porter very well; he hardly knew him at all, really, except on the pitch, but making small talk in class did not require a strong knowledge of the other's background. Not to him, anyway. Other pure-bloods were a different story.Dimitri also had no idea what was going on. That made two of them. Rupert shrugged his broad shoulders and sat up in his seat, staying alert for any sort of professor. Effie (he thought briefly of her sister) and Anthony, two of the Prefects, gathered and were talking about it all. In the silence of the room, it was easy enough to hear what they were saying if one purposefully eavesdropped. “I thought that was obvious,” he replied to Dimitri’s observation, keeping his ears open to what the Prefects were saying.
Carter soon joined them as well as Wendy—ah, Wendy—, but not before Anthony’s head was suddenly encased by a pumpkin and exploded. The explosion was shocking and Rup’s mouth dropped open before he had to press his lips together to keep from chuckling. He quickly turned around to hide his traitorous face, but the image of the startled classroom and the head of a pumpkin on Anthony’s body was at least a little funny. There was the sound of inkwells breaking behind him and more voices. All the Prefects had gathered and Rup kept his ears open again even if his back was to them.
Once Rup calmed down and tried not to think of everyone’s face at the sound of an exploding pumpkin, he turned back to Dimitri. “What do you think happened?” he asked. “It seemed like a well-aimed hex.” His words rang in his head suddenly and Rupert’s first thought was his brother. He didn’t dare do anything to give any indication that he was suspicious of Leo; he couldn’t get his brother into trouble like that, especially when there would hardly be any mercy shown at this hour. He wasn't even certain, anyhow; Leo was not a very handy wizard when it came to spells. “It sounds like Effie and Anthony are going out, but I agree with you. I don’t think there will be much going on in the corridors except for frantic prairie elves running to and fro. Though…I do suppose someone ought to check on the beginner classes. You don’t suppose they’re running amuck, do you? I hope not.”
Rup turned back to look at the Prefects again, this time only Carter and Wendy there. He was tempted to get their attention by calling out to them, but he held back. “What would you do if you were a Prefect, Dimitri?” he asked, keeping his eyes on Wendy. “Would you be willing to take charge even if it meant getting your head encased in a pumpkin?” The image of Effie’s horrified face and pumpkin bits everywhere returned and Rupert let a little smile show on his face now that those two Prefects had gone. Those two were a little stuffy, he had to admit, and much of the tension he’d felt at the uncertainty of the situation had dissipated with the distraction.
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Rupert
Confusion loves company.
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Rupert
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Ava Fletcher, Aladren
March 29, 2014 3:18 AM
Good thing too, it seems as though we're all in this boat by Ava Fletcher, Aladren
When it became evident that Medic Eir was not coming, Ava sighed and left the Hospital Wing, dejected but slightly reassured that she wouldn't be marked as late for her first Intermediate class. If Medic Eir wasn't in then the teachers probably wouldn't be either. Nevertheless, she shouldered her bag and ran down the hall towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom just in case. As she arrived, she saw two prefects hurrying away from the room and lots of talking coming from inside. It was strange, it seemed as though it was going to get chaotic without the teachers there and Ava almost didn't want to enter the classroom and instead head to the library to hole up in her room or a nice couch and read some books. Get ahead in the healing books and self-educate. However, she decided it would be best to at least pop her head in and see what was going it. Perhaps the teacher had sent the prefects to fetch something though they certainly didn't look as though they were on a mission for a teacher.When she entered, she found the room in a state of disarray. There seemed to have been an exploding pumpkin- which explained the two prefects she'd seen earlier. Ava cast her eyes around the room wondering what she had missed and searching for a familiar face to bother. Her eyes fell on Dimitri who was talking to an older student, a Pecari if she wasn't mistaken. Ava quickly smoothed out her robes and hair before making her way over to Dimitri's table. "Hey, she said as she sat down. "Sorry I'm late, what'd I miss?"
As she waited for the boys to respond, Ava combed out the tangles her hair had gotten from rushing down the hall to the Hospital Wing from Cascade Hall and also from the Hospital Wing to the classroom. She unwrapped the ribbon she'd put around her wrist so that she wouldn't loose it and tied her hair back. Her prediction, it would seem, was right. Everyone was gone and it didn't seem to be a joke at all. "You know, Medic Eir is gone too- the new medic who's filling in for Medic Bailey," she explained in case the other two didn't remember her introduction at the opening feast. "I was really disapointed too as I was quite looking forward to asking her a few questions about some medical texts I read over the summer."
Perhaps her interest in the medical field bordered on obsession, but that's how Ava was with many things- she threw herself into everything that she did, be it her friendship with Dimitri, or her painting which oftentimes resulted in creating a large painting mess in her hair, clothes, and the surrounding area. "What do you suppose we're to do about lessons?" She didn't care if it was a stereotypical Aladren thing to ask but it did matter. She had to get top marks if she wanted to continue on to become a Healer like her mother.
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Ava Fletcher, Aladren
Good thing too, it seems as though we're all in this boat
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Ava Fletcher, Aladren
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Dimitri Porter
April 07, 2014 7:36 PM
I'd rather be drifting in a boat with friends than drifting by Dimitri Porter
Dimitri had been contemplating Rupert's questions briefly and was about to respond when another voice joined their conversation. He knew that voice anywhere and grinned when he noticed that Ava had joined them. He found his grin falter however when she mentioned that the new Medic appeared to be missing on top of all the other staff members. "Not entirely surprising considering the fact that all the other staff members appear to be missing," he commented. He coughed briefly into his closed fist as he thought about the best way to answer her other question. He glanced towards Rupert slightly amused before he told her just what she had missed."Well...let's see," he began, trying not to grin. "Carter's arm appears to be swelling up like a grapefruit for some reason. Anthony Carey appeared to be growing a pumpkin for a head until it exploded all over him and Effie. And ink wells around the room began exploding, one of which did so all over the back of Effie's head," he concluded fighting back the urge to laugh at Effie and Anthony's expense. "Other than that not much it would appear," he told her. He turned his attention to Rupert and answered his question, having gave it some serious thought.
"I'd like to think I would be brave enough to take charge," he tried to sound confident with his answer. "I can't say it would be all that great to have a pumpkin for a head, but I'd be willing to risk it I think." He nodded to himself at his insistence that he could lead if he had to, but he was glad that for the moment their wellbeing didn't require for him to do so. He was sure that if it ever came down to it though he'd at least be willing to try. "What about you Rupert?" he asked the slightly older boy. "Would you be willing to take charge if it meant having an exploding pumpkin head?" he inquired. He still had to fight back the smile that found its way to his face whenever he pictured poor Anthony's head.
"I have to agree that it was one heck of a hex," he agreed with Rupert. "But who do you suppose did it and why?" he inquired lightly. He really couldn't see who would dislike Anthony enough to encase his entire head with an exploding vegetable.
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Dimitri Porter
I'd rather be drifting in a boat with friends than drifting
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Dimitri Porter
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Rupert & Leo Princeton
April 12, 2014 5:51 PM
I never really liked boats by Rupert & Leo Princeton
Leo was feeling pleased with himself, having cast two spells without getting caught and having put his wand away before the pumpkin had swelled up over Anthony’s head. It was extremely entertaining seeing the pumpkin explode and the anger evident on Carey’s face. All three of those students looked taken aback by what had happened, the quieter Carey in particular, and the explosion of inkwells was just the icing on the cake. Leo tried his best to stifle his laughter and put his head to his arms to hide his amusement. When his head rose, Leo strove to pick up a quill to begin doodling, a favourite pastime of his, and found it impossible to hold onto his quill. He tried twice before realising he’d been had and it irritated him again. Why couldn’t he have his fun?Though he had been subject to a spell of someone else’s, Leo found that it made it easier to play the victim. “What is going on in this classroom?” he exclaimed, his voice half-fearful. He made to grab his book bag and it felt to the floor with a clumsy but loud thump. Leo looked over at Rupert who usually strived to keep the peace when he began to get out of hand, but he hardly thought his brother was paying any attention. Instead Rup was chatting with other students and staring at a muggle-born. Perhaps there really was something wrong at this school that was addling his brother’s brain. It was time to save his brother from doing anything idiotic like getting up and talking to the muggle-born.
Ever the little brother, Leo walked over to Rupert, leaving his things at his desk because of his unfortunate hands, glad that he had put his wand away beforehand. "Rupert, look what happened! Someone’s casting all these nasty spells and they got me too."
Rupert had been chatting with Ava and Dimitri, enjoying the two younger students. They seemed to be mates and Rup nodded as Dimitri filled Ava in with the news of what had happened. “Dramatic stuff,” he added with a little smile, “but nothing detrimental. I’m Rupert, by the way. Rupert Princeton.” Though Rup came from a very prestigious pure-blood family, he had never liked adding his origin. He liked being a normal person to everyone else and not sounding so pretentious.
Dimitri was brave, wanting to still take on a Prefect position despite what they had just seen. “I wouldn’t be afraid either,” replied Rup, “but I suppose I won’t get the chance this year. Wendy earned the Prefectship, but there’s still hope for Head Boy.” Rup smiled, half-hoping nothing happened to Wendy or Effie. Effie didn’t do very well with ink in her hair; he couldn’t imagine what an exploding pumpkin would look like on her and her reaction to it. Rup didn’t want to think of how Wendy would take it or how he would react seeing that happen to her.
Ava’s question about class went unanswered by Dimitri; she was clearly addressing the wrong audience. Rup smiled and endeavoured to give some sort of comfort to the Aladren by saying, “I’m sure the Head students will work something out.” Dimitri seemed interested in who the perpetrator was, but before Rup could reply Leo came running up, surprising him. Generally in public Leo didn’t go to him unless there was something wrong. Rup’s attention shifted to his brother, looking for any noticeable injuries. “What happened?”
“My hands are useless in picking anything up,” pouted Leo. “Anthony’s head was encased by a pumpkin and now I can’t pick anything up." Leo stamped his foot. "Who do you think would be mean enough to do these things?"
Rup was less inclined to believe Leo was guilty now that his brother had clearly been jinxed. Leo would never subject himself under his own hex, that much he knew, which meant there was someone other than Leo in the room who certainly knew interesting hexes and wasn't afraid to use them. That was a scary thought. “I don’t know,” replied Rupert, slightly confused. Who else in the room would be vindictive enough to want to torture Anthony and Effie and apparently Carter? Rup looked over to see Wendy tending Carter’s wound and Rup felt slightly jealous. He turned his attention back to Ava and Dimitri. “I’ve really no idea who’s behind these tricks,” he said honestly. “Here Leo, sit here. The jinx will wear off after a few minutes.”
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Rupert & Leo Princeton
I never really liked boats
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Rupert & Leo Princeton
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Ava Fletcher
April 14, 2014 1:29 AM
Really? I love 'em! by Ava Fletcher
Ava grinned rather childishly at the thought of inkwells exploding over the prefects. She supposed that it was rude of her to think that funny but when she routinely spilled paint on herself she found the idea of other people being covered in color for a change appealing. "It sounds like things are getting out of hand with the professors gone," Ava frowned. "This is so weird, like something out of the Black Lagoon..." She shook her head fondly thinking of the weird picture books she had read as a child. Even though the situation regarding the teachers was different the situation still had this weird, eerie vibe to it. "I'm glad it's nothing permenant though, it would be horrible to have injured or ill students without a proper Medic. Nice to meet you too, Rupert, I'm Ava Fletcher." She knew the last name Princeton, but as Rupert and Dimitri were chatting casually and he had introduced himself to her in just a casual manner Ava felt at ease using his first name. She had always thought some of the the pureblood ideas were weird and was glad that her mother had left that side of the family enough ago that Ava herself didn't have to deal with any of that nonsense.It was kind of admirable the way Dimitri was talking about taking charge. The thought hadn't particularly crossed Ava's mind. Though she had started considering career options and studying for them already, she also was still enjoying being a child and not having to delegate her time to different responsibilities. If she wanted to paint or study medical books that was all her choice and if she didn't feel like doing it at that moment then she didn't have to. Being in charge was something that one always had to do, it was something that had to come first before other things because it was something that would put others well-beings into your hands. Ava knew she wasn't ready for something like that- at least not yet, and she felt bad for the Head Boy and Alicia as they probably hadn't been prepared for this when they got the positions. After both Rupert and DImitri said they would be in charge if they had to, Ava felt a little selfish for not feeling the same way so she just nodded and opted not to declare what her nod meant. As far as she knew, nods were non-comittal. She could be agreeing with their opinion or simply showing that she was listening. She liked neutral gestures like that. "Mmmhmm," she said in a low tone.
Hearing that homework and schoolwork would be up to the Heads made Ava feel a little bit better. Both the Heads were from Aladren, which (she decided) could only mean that they would prioritize the mind. This was good, though she hoped it wouldn't just be practical stuff. She liked the hands-on lessons as they helped her be able to put gestures and results to mind which in turn helped her to remember what spell did what. "I'm glad," she said. "I would hate to fall behind, it would mean that the next semester would be full of extra greuling schoolwork and then the Seventh Years mightn't graduate on time and everything would be thrown off!" And there was that, too.
Her and Dimitri's classmate, Leo, came up to them and Ava linked his last name together with Rupert's in her head. She listened to Leo whine and stamp his foot and tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes. What kind of thirteen-year-old* behaved that way? She followed Rupert's gaze to Carter and noted his arm and winced (in excitement and also pity for Carter). "What I wouldn't give to be Wendy right now!" She exclaimed. "That looks so interesting and fun to do!" Perhaps the jinxer would do more while she was here so that she might have a chance to inspect. Not that she could do anything, she was only a third-year but it was still interesting to look at and she could make notes in her medical journal.
*OOC: Guessing Leo's 13 since he's in third year... Apologies if I'm wrong!
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Ava Fletcher
Really? I love 'em!
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Ava Fletcher
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