Professor Marlowe
June 27, 2006 12:58 PM
Lesson One, First Years by Professor Marlowe
Selina didn't go in for grand entrances to a classroom, both because of general impatience with the dramatic gesture and fear of tripping over her own robes or dropping something she was attempting to carry or otherwise making a foolish move in front of the class. She'd noticed, through trial and error, that she often did something of the like whenever trying to make a half-decent first impression, and had come to the conclusion the previous year that she'd do best to be sitting whenever a class entered. It had worked in the beginning, become habit, and was being adhered to as year two as a teacher began with the entrance of a new set of first years.This set, like their predecessors, looked much smaller than they ought to have. Her own height, already considerable for a woman, left her feeling vaguely like a stork in comparison, but she had learned the previous year to shake it off. They'd look normal by midterm. "Welcome to Transfiguration," she said, ignoring also any odd reactions to her accent. "I am Professor Marlowe, and I teach this class. It's one of the more difficult, not to mention dangerous, ones you'll have here at Sonora - some would even say the most difficult. Transfiguration is complicated magic, and fooling around can lead to painful end results. I doubt any of you want to go around with razorblades for eyebrows." There was a giggle from somewhere, but Selina didn't call it. She'd made the example up off the top of her head.
"You'll be starting very simply," she informed them, picking up a small wooden container from the desk behind her. "Matches to needles. The matches have been charmed not to ignite, but be careful with your spell pronunciation just the same, because, as the current second years can attest to, other things are still flammable. I don't expect any of you to do it perfectly on your first try or the like, but I do expect you to keep trying until it is right." She pointed to the blackboard, half-covered in a series of notes. "All of you copy that down, it's very important, and then get out your wands."
When they had all done so and most were looking at her again, she continued. "The incantation you'll be using is pronounced Myxanti Nere," she informed them, being careful to keep it as clear as possible. "I'll perform it now, so watch carefully." Sliding back the carved top of her little box, result of one of the better idle transfigurations she had done in her teens and so having some sentimental value, she withdrew what appeared to be a plain wooden match. Holding it up so it would be more easily seen, she pointed her wand at it and pronounced the incantation, moving the wand point downwards at a diagonal and finishing with a flick of her wrist that brought the wand tip back to its original position.
"Incantation pronunciation, focus, and correct wand movement are all essential to this spell's successful completion," she said, carefully placing the resulting needle on her desk and using her wand to send the box of matches around the room. It returned to her emptier than she'd expected and slid shut once more. "Homework is to read the introduction and first fifteen pages of your textbook by our next lesson. Ask questions if you have them, and begin." \n\n
Subthreads: The aspects of speach by Nikki Ramirez
We get to do spells! by Elly Eriksson with Caedence redoak, Elly
Sitting up front by Echo Elms
Finally, a <i>real</i> class... by Leonardo Idoya with Nikki
Watch me make something explode! by Eavan Valentine with Helena Layne, Eavan
Matchstick Men by Matt and Josh Santoro (Pecari & Crotalus)
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Professor Marlowe
Lesson One, First Years
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Professor Marlowe
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Nikki Ramirez
June 27, 2006 2:37 PM
The aspects of speach by Nikki Ramirez
Nikki entered the classroom first. She chose a seat in the second row. Not one many would have, had they been the first in, but she had found that it was best to sit close to the front, but not in the front row.She listened intently as the teacher greeted the class. Nikki loved her accent; actually she loved all the accents she heard in this country. There were Mexican accents, such as the one that she possesed, Brittish accents, steriotypical southern accents, Californian surfer accents, and so many others.
When Professor Marlowe, that was what the teacher had said her name was, spoke of razors for eyebrows, Nikki thought of her brother Benito. He had started shaving a few years ago and the first time he came out of the bathroom after shaving, he appeared to have lost a battle with one of those Muggle lawnmowers like Grandad used. She supressed a laugh but someone else failed to do so.
She took out a quill pen copied the notes on the board onto a piece of parchment when instructed to do so, finishing before most people. When everyone else was done as well, Professor Marlowe instructed them on the proper way to transform a match into a needle, performing said tranformation as she spoke.
Just before the class began to attempt the transfiguration themselves, the professor emphasized the importance of proper spellcasting technique. Including pronunciation. Nikki was glad that Professor Marlowe had told them how to pronounce the spell. Otherwise Nikki would have probably pronounced it the Spanish way. She hoped her other professors would do the same.
Nikki picked up her wand, which was ten inches long, made of hickory with a unicorn tail hair core, and began to practice the spell.\n\n
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Nikki Ramirez
The aspects of speach
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Nikki Ramirez
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Elly Eriksson
June 28, 2006 3:39 AM
We get to do spells! by Elly Eriksson
When she arrived at Transfiguration, Elly picked a seat near the middle of the class. This was where she preferred to be – close enough to see the lesson properly, but far back enough that she could chat or doodle if the class didn’t hold her attention too well. While the rest of the first year students found seats, Elly inspected the teacher. She didn’t look much fun. She introduced herself as Professor Marlowe, then went on a bit about how difficult her subject was. Elly rolled her eyes. Great, she thought, a difficult subject with a teacher who’s no fun. Elly dismissed the eyebrow/razorblade comment as a feeble attempt at a joke (though Elly smiled to herself thinking that she had met some people who practically had razorblades for eyebrows anyway).Their first transfiguration would be matches to needles. Despite the obvious pointlessness of this task, Elly couldn’t help being a little excited at the prospect of doing her first spell. First, though, she had to copy notes from the board. Elly reached to her bag at the side of her desk and withdrew her quill – a very large and very pink feather. Elly had been disappointed to learn that a quill wouldn’t fit in her favourite fluffy pink pencil case, so instead she had found a fluffy pink quill to compensate.
When she had copied down the notes (which didn’t really make much sense), Elly dove into her bag once again and returned holding her wand: 11 inches cherry wood with a dragon’s heart string core.
Elly listened carefully to the incantation, eager not to make a complete fool of herself in her first attempt at magic. When the box of matches came round (all by itself), Elly took two matches – she anticipated her clumsiness would necessitate a replacement.
At the signal to begin, Elly laid one match in the centre of her desk, placing the other carefully to the side. Concentrating more than she ever had in a lesson, Elly pointed her wand, which felt both alien and ridiculous in her hand, at the match. She said “Myxanti Nere!” as clearly as she could, and imitated Professor Marlowe’s wand movements. Nothing. She tried again; still nothing. Elly sighed and turned to the student next to her.
“Makes you feel inadequate, huh?”
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Elly Eriksson
We get to do spells!
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Elly Eriksson
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Echo Elms
June 28, 2006 9:58 AM
Sitting up front by Echo Elms
Echo was a little disappointed to see Elly sitting a few rows back. He would have joined her, but he wanted to sit up front so he could read the board and have some chance at paying attention. Anyway, Meredith would probably sit next to Elly so it wasn't like he was abandoning her. He took the chair second from the side and all the way up. He made sure he waved to her before class started, just to be sure.A second glance around the room was for Leonardo. After their encounter in Care of Magical Creatures, Echo had decided that the best way to avoid Leonardo in the future was to know where Leonardo was at all times. He seemed to be safe so far. He pulled out his notebook and quill.
Professor Marlowe began the class. Echo tried to take notes on her speech, but he couldn't get the stupid feather to write. Finally, after he heard someone laugh, he gave up and pulled a trusty ballpoint pen out of an oversized pocket.
He missed part of the introduction. Did she say they were going to be changing things into other things? That wasn't even possible, even for magic, was it? Feeling rather disoriented, he copied down the notes on the board. The notes, at least, tried to explain things. He was done early and read them over twice before everyone else was finished copying them down. They seemed to make more sense with multiple readings. He was just taking out his text book to look up some words when the professor started talking again.
And then she changed a match into a needle. She really did it. It was a match. Then it was a needle. Match. Needle. Needle. Match. Crazy.
He was so enthralled by that, that when the matchbook appeared in front of him, he had to glance around to see what was going on. The person next to him had taken one match, so he did the same and passed it along.
He still didn't believe it. Match. Needle.
The professor continued, "Homework is to read the introduction and first fifteen pages of your textbook by our next lesson. Ask questions if you have them, and begin."
Echo flipped through his textbook before even taking out his wand. This looked like dangerous stuff and he didn't understand it at all. Not to mention, the first (and last) time he had held his wand and flicked it around as though to use it--long story--his room had filled up with light and smoke and some guy had appeared and told him his wand was not a toy. That was three days and another lifetime ago.
The textbook had diagrams of wand movement, and some basic information and theory about transfiguration. It looked useful. Echo began reading.\n\n
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Echo Elms
Sitting up front
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Echo Elms
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Caedence redoak
June 28, 2006 1:04 PM
why yes, witches and wizards do that! by Caedence redoak
Caedence sighed boredly while the teacher talked. Blah blah blah...I'm profeser Marlow...must be careful...razorblades for eyebrows, she laughed a bit, yea right!...Matches to needles...wait! Caedence did a double take. Matches to needles! wow! Magic could be great. And then came boredom again . We've gotta take notes. Taking out her favorite quill, a peacock feather, she took notes. Then came the cool part. Teh demonstration. Before she had time to blink, the match changed! WOW! "Myxanti Nere...what a difficult word! Max..mex..myxun..Myxanti...yes, Mixanti Nere!" she whispered.She took three matches. Two were for changing, one for...well she didn't know but she was sure Proffeser Marlowe wouldn't mind! Alright! She took out her wand. Ten inches. Apple wood. Unicorn horn core. Not just the tail hair! The powdered up horn! Caedence felt special for getting this one! Her mom got dumb old tailhair. Just as she was about to practice she heard someone next to her say “Makes you feel inadequate, huh?” She spun to face her. "Why if it isn't Elly! How nice to sit by you. Did you read my books?"she said, without the smile. Elly got on her good side yesterday(ooc:yes, i know it said that classes were over, but lets have fuzzy time make this the next day, shall we?) but today she wasn't going to be quiteas fortunate. After all, we couldn't be touchy feely all teh time! \n\n
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Caedence redoak
why yes, witches and wizards do that!
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Caedence redoak
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Leonardo Idoya
June 28, 2006 3:57 PM
Finally, a <i>real</i> class... by Leonardo Idoya
So far, Leo's experiences at Sonora had been quite... interesting. He seemed to frighten most people away (including, at times, his own twin), his first class had barely qualified as such (crups... honestly!), he'd run into the granddaughter of his abuelo's old friend and she actually hadn't run away from him, and he'd been forced into a very awkward conversation with that girl and another, neither of whom seemed to have an excess of self-confidence. But now, as he entered the Transfiguration classroom, he felt his universe realigning. This was what he excelled at.He stopped a few paces into the room, and looked around. There were very few people here so far. Nikki Ramirez, the girl he'd met in Care of Magical Creatures, was one of them, and for a moment he considered sitting next to her--but then he pushed the thought out of his mind. Surely her amiability yesterday had just been a matter of politesse; she would have her own friends to sit with. Add to this the fact that sitting near her but one row up was the boy Leo had frightened away yesterday--Echo, or some such nonsensical name--and he began to seriously rethink this impulse.
Realizing that he had been standing there staring at the two students in question for almost a full minute now, Leo once again became the picture of nonchalance; he chose a seat that was also in the front row, but on the opposite end from where Echo was sitting.
When the professor began to speak, he had his quill and parchment at the ready, and copied the lecture down in the shorthand he had learned over the previous summer. He finished early and contented himself with looking back at Nikki to see how she was doing. She looked to be just finishing, as well, and he flashed her a shy smile before turning around, not waiting to see if she'd caught the gesture.
He wouldn't have time to anyway, he realized, as the next moment Professor Marlowe had finally uttered the words he'd been waiting for: "...and, begin."
One corner of his lips quirked upward as he pointed his wand at the match. "Myxanti Nere!" he pronounced firmly, while drawing a diagonal in the air with his wand-tip as the professor had done.
Nothing happened.
He tried again. "Myxanti Nere!" he said more forcefully, making the diagonal a little longer. Again, the match didn't so much as roll over.
He gritted his teeth and growled deep in his throat, a sound barely audible even to himself, but didn't allow himself to express his frustration further. Instead, he considered the steps. He reviewed his notes. Then he thought: had the professor pronounced the last word with the 'r' attached to the first syllable, or the second? He couldn't recall, but as he'd been attaching it to the first with no luck, he decided to try the second option.
"Myxanti Nere!"
Well. That was better. Much better. So what if it wasn't sharp enough to draw even a drop of blood, and had no eyehole? It was very much silver, the sulfurous end was completely gone, and it tapered down to a rounded point.
This, he could work with.\n\n
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Leonardo Idoya
Finally, a <i>real</i> class...
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Leonardo Idoya
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Elly
June 29, 2006 4:07 AM
wicked! by Elly
Elly turned, and noticed for the first time that the seat next to her had been occupied by none other than her room mate, Caedence Redoak. "Why if it isn't Elly! How nice to sit by you. Did you read my books?" Caedence said, and she definitly wasn't smiling today."Hi, Caedence," Elly said. Her tone was still friendly, but had a touch of weariness in it, just to let Caedence know that she could be as cold with Elly as she liked and it wouldn't make a difference to how she treated her. "Haven't read the books yet, I've been doing other things. I had a look at the pictures, though, and I'm getting a pretty good idea of why you like to play beater." Elly smiled mischievously at Caedence. It wasn't an insult as such, but by glancing at the books Caedence had lent her, Elly could understand why the feisty halfblood would want to play the position of beater. In fact, Elly thought that Caedence would be a lot happier if she were allowed to carry a bat and hit bludgers at other people in everyday life, too. "I'll read them soon," she shrugged.
"So how are you doing?" Elly said, indicating the matches on Caedence's desk. Any needle yet?" She smiled again as she sat back in her seat, not wanting to get in too much trouble for talking.\n\n
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Elly
wicked!
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Elly
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Nikki
June 29, 2006 5:23 PM
Needles are hard, making them isn't by Nikki
Nikki saw Leo turn and flash her a small smile. To be honest, she had been puzzled at his behavior when he entered the classroom and just stood there, looking from her to a boy in the front row, then took a seat by neither of them. Before she could return the smile, Leo had turned back around and the professor had told them to start.Okay, time to live up to the Aladren reputation. She waved her wand in a diagonal motion, cncentrating on the proper pronunciation. On the first try, all that happened was that her match rolled a little. However, she wasn't sure if that was a result of the spell or not. She tried again, and the match became silver.
She looked around. Some girls behind her were whispering to each other. That boy in the front row, who Nikki now realized was the same guy that Leo had been intimidating in Care of Magical Creatures, was reading over his notes. Speaking of Leo, he looked smug, and she could see a gleam of silver sitting on his desk. She found herself thinking again that he should be in her house.
She tried the spell a few more times and it transformed into a needle. She picked it up and examined it. She thought the eye was a little too small, but thread fit through it. She tapped the pointed end with her index finger. It was sharp but didn't draw blood, just like the ones Abuela used. Now that wasn't so hard. She took out her book and started her homework. \n\n
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Nikki
Needles are hard, making them isn't
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Nikki
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Caedence
June 29, 2006 5:55 PM
no, wicked is a musical. XP by Caedence
Caedence let out a little laugh. "Well, let me guess, because I have a big temper. Or is it that I just like causing strife?" with a little smile to match th elittle laugh she sighed.So how are you doing? Any needle yet? Well of course there isn't any needle yet! She hadn't gotten the chance yet! She was being busy making polite company. "no, not yet." she said, "But I'm only half-way raised by people with magic. Allowances must be made." it wasn't the best joke, but at least she was trying.
Muttering the spell she pointed her wand at the match. It... turned grey. "close..."she muttered irritably. "You try it! It isn't too easy. At least its grey, though." \n\n
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Caedence
no, wicked is a musical. XP
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Elly
June 29, 2006 6:13 PM
I do love a good musical! by Elly
Caedence seemed to be in a good mood after all, and she definitely didn’t take offence at Elly’s beater dig. In fact, she laughed. Elly wondered again why Caedence felt she had to act so cold and unfriendly when she was really quite an agreeable person. Elly relaxed a little as Caedence continued chatting and had a go at transfiguring her own match. While it still looked resolutely like a match, it had at least turned grey.“You try it!” Caedence said to Elly. Elly took a breath and returned her attention to her match. Trying to focus, she said the incantation again with the diagonal flick of her wand.
“Myxanti Nere!” she exclaimed. Nothing happened. Trying not to feel too disappointed, Elly tried again. Still nothing happened. She was getting a little bit upset, to tell the truth. This was Elly’s first ever attempt at magic since she had discovered she was a witch, and she didn’t seem capable of what was obviously a simple spell. She might as well have been using a rubber chicken in place of her wand for all the good it was doing. Elly frowned at Caedence. “Am I doing something wrong?” she asked, inwardly worrying that perhaps someone had made a mistake and she wasn’t magical after all.
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Elly
I do love a good musical!
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Elly
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Caedence
June 30, 2006 6:49 PM
Oooh, have you seen 'CATS'? by Caedence
Caedence laughed at Elly. It wan't a nice laugh either. I guess a person cant be fully cured. While Caedence made no concious effort to be a better person, this muggleborn, without any magic in her to begin with, somehow magically is starting to get rid of 10 hard years of being cold. There were some snags, though. Such as her laughing at Elly's folly."Well, Elly, you are too tense. That's my guess. You're scared. Relax. Breathe deeply. It's probably like riding a horse. It'll know you dont want to, and it wont work. Myxanti Nere" she said, this time the match turned black. "Heh, guess it charred, huh? Well, still I'm not so tense about it. It isn't the end of the world if I mess up. It is for you. You cant feel like that. You could end up blowing up the school. Relax and ununciate. And if all else fails, get out a magic marker, color it grey and hope the teacher doesn't notice." There she goes again! Making jokes! 'I really have to stop that' Caedence thought.
ooc:Many people ask, how do you say that name. if you want to know, it is Cay-dense. People keep asking, so I figure i'll tell ya. \n\n
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Caedence
Oooh, have you seen 'CATS'?
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Caedence
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Elly
July 01, 2006 3:51 AM
Yes, but I prefer Phantom! by Elly
Caedence laughed at Elly. It wasn’t a friendly laugh like Elly’s, but nonetheless it reminded Elly that getting upset over not being able to do one spell was probably pointless. The teacher had said it would be hard, after all. Elly decided that perhaps if she hadn’t mastered any magic in two weeks then maybe that was a sign she shouldn’t be here. As it was, Elly listened to Caedence’s suggestions for improved magic – the analogy of riding a horse didn’t help too much, as Elly had never so much as petted a horse, let alone ridden one.“If all else fails, get out a magic marker, color it grey and hope the teacher doesn't notice” Caedence said. Elly grinned at her; she could be funny after all. Perhaps Caedence was more comfortable in a regimented lesson environment that an open and uncontrolled environment like when Elly had met her in the dormitory. Right, relax, Elly thought. Not the end of the world…
“Myxanti Nere!” Elly said one more time. When she looked back at her match, Elly was both astonished and delighted to see that, although it was still closer to a match than a needle, it now had a dull sheen to it and a blunt point at the end. “Hey!” she exclaimed, probably far too loudly as she got the impression that a few other students had turned to look at her, “I did something!” She grinned manically at Caedence. “Thanks,” she said to her new friend, “that’s the first magic I’ve ever done!”
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Elly
Yes, but I prefer Phantom!
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Elly
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Caedence
July 01, 2006 2:22 PM
Ahh yes. Phantom is awesome by Caedence
Caedence backed her chair away. So Elly was a crazy lady! Well, that was just peachy! Make friends with someone as much of a maniac as that. Well 'friends' is a bit strong a word. More like 'tolerance'. Or 'truce' would work too."You have some serious issues that need to be worked out." she said backing away a little more. "myxanti nere" she said. The match....dissapeared! WOW! reaching down to touch where it was last seen she gasped in pain. A pinprick of blood showed on her fingertip. Great, she turned it into a needle, and no one could see. "Guess I have more of mum in me than I though."she muttered.
OOC: have you noticed that the thread in our dorm has been updated? \n\n
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Caedence
Ahh yes. Phantom is awesome
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Caedence
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Elly
July 02, 2006 3:59 PM
I saw Blood Brothers last month... by Elly
OOC: yes, I did notice the girls’ dorm thread has been updated, I just thought it was more appropriate for Meredith to reply. *shrugs* If she doesn’t add anything soon, though, I’ll probably add something :DBIC:
Elly smiled still wider as Caedence backed her chair away. She was funny! Especially compared to how she had been before. Elly seemed to have that effect on people though… it was the same with Echo. He had been really quiet for the first few minutes of their conversation, but soon enough he was cracking jokes along with Meredith and Elly herself. Elly peered around the class to see if she could spot Echo – he was sitting on the front row. She understood that, he seemed more like a front-row person than a sit-further-back-so-you-don’t-get-caught-talking person. She sought out Meredith, too, and flashed her a smile.
Her attention was distracted, however, when Caedence said, "You have some serious issues that need to be worked out." Elly laughed out loud but stifled it quickly, having forgotten for a moment that she was in a lesson. You’re one to talk, she thought.
Elly watched as Caedence tried again to transfigure her match, but seemed to vanish it by accident. Elly felt distinctly more comfortable now. So her match still wasn’t a needle, but at last she hadn’t burnt it then made it disappear like Caedence did. In fact, Elly was beginning to enjoy herself. As a result, when she tried the spell yet another time, the match in front of her became much more needle-like, still too fat and blunt, but it even had a little hole in one end! This magic stuff was cool.
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Elly
I saw Blood Brothers last month...
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Elly
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Eavan Valentine
July 14, 2006 12:34 AM
Watch me make something explode! by Eavan Valentine
Eavan sat dully in the third row of transfiguration. She really didn't want to be in class. She had glanced out her window that moring to see a beautiful day and fully resented the fact that she had to be inside doing what? Turning matches into needles? Not fair.She gazed listlessly at the match that had been passed to her wondering if it was worth it. In the long run it probably was. This was just the first step to becoming an animagus or doing something else really cool. She looked up to see what everyone else was doing. They were copying the notes off the board. She followed suit and scribbled the notes down in handwriting that only she could actually decifer.
When she had finished, she picked up her wand in one hand and the match in the other and stated the incantaion. A flash of light came out of the tip of her wand.
"Ouch!" she cried out as the shock hit her fingers. She dropped the match (which was still undeniably a match)and sucked on her hurt fingers. Eavan left the match on the table and tried again.
"Myxanti Nere!" Another flash of light, but this time her fingers stayed unharmed. Other than that, nothing changed.
"Stupid match!" She groaned a little louder than originally intended.\n\n
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Eavan Valentine
Watch me make something explode!
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Eavan Valentine
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Helena Layne
July 15, 2006 12:32 AM
I'd really rather not... by Helena Layne
"Watch out for Marlowe, Len. She might take against you because of me - ""Good-bye, Geoffrey."
When Helena had first realized she wasn't in the same House as her brother, she had felt as if she'd gone into a mild shock. It had taken less than twenty-four hours for her to instead thank Merlin for her escape. Geoff was stalking her, Anne was helping him do it, and if she'd had to put up with them around-the-clock, she was sure she would have gone mad before midterm. They meant well - she would have tried out some of the hexes she'd read about if they hadn't - but they were not an old married couple yet and she certainly wasn't their newborn eldest son. She felt every inch the baby sister, moreso than she had at any other point in her life, and it was bloody annoying.
Transfiguration, thankfully, was a first-years-only class. Neither of her self-appointed guardians would be present. She immediately took a liking to the class just for that, though it being taught by her Head of House helped, too. Professor Marlowe hadn't been exactly warm and fuzzy in the welcoming speech, but she seemed to have some notion of decorum without being a complete pureblooded drone. At least, Helena thought she was a pureblood. She spoke like she had some British blood in her, and the Marlowes were a pureblood family of some influence in England. Being Head of Crotalus, the House reputed to be the most blood-oriented of them all, also nodded in that general direction. Helena found herself not caring either way, because she didn't dislike what she had seen of the woman and it was just good policy to put an effort into liking her Head of House's subject.
Ignoring the disinterested-looking girl beside her, she began copying down the notes on the board. Geoff had complained at length in his letters about how obscenely difficult the subject was, but the notes, at least, seemed to make sense. Maybe it was just that the spell required a significant amount of magic behind it, and it took time to acquire the strength to do it...of course, if that was just the problem, her stubborn brother should have been able to do it by willpower alone...when she received her match, she twirled it between her fingers, observing wood, sulfer, and no obvious metal components. Size must have been the resemblance factor, because it seemed ridiculous to start first years who'd never held wands before out with higher-level material. Shrugging, she adjusted her grip on her wand and began.
"Myxanti Nere," she said, quietly so the girl next to her wouldn't make fun if she got it wrong. The wand emitted a few harmless sparks, and her match remained a match in all visible respects. If the exclamation from her neighbor was anything to go by, she needn't have worried about being made fun of. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the other girl - a Teppenpaw, she thought - tried again, then remembered herself and began back to work on her own match. "Myxanti Nere," she said, a little louder and more boldly this time. It felt as if the edges of the match-shaft grew a little less sharp, but that could have been her imagination. Her neighbor grabbed her attention again with another exclamation, this one of frustration rather than pain.
"My brother says this is the hardest class they have here," she offered, just loud enough for the other girl to hear, twirling her match between her thumb and first finger once more. "Anne - a friend of ours - says it's Care of Magical Creatures, but then, she's afraid of animals." \n\n
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Helena Layne
I'd really rather not...
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Eavan
July 16, 2006 12:35 AM
You may not have a choice in the matter by Eavan
Eavan looked over at the girl sitting next to her who had just spoken. She didn't know her, but maybe she could help Eavan with the stupid match. Then the girl's words registered and Eavan smiled."My brother says the hardest class is astronomy, but that's because he didn't like the teacher. I think she left, though. And I loved Care of Magical Creatures. Being outside with animals was awesome!"
Eavan stopped and glanced back own at her discarded match and her wand, staring at them as though they had just insulted her. "But so far, I think your brother might be right. I can't get this stupid match to do anything besides help burn my fingers. Have you had any luck?"
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Eavan
You may not have a choice in the matter
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Eavan
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Helena
July 18, 2006 11:40 AM
Hopefully, there won't be an explosion for me to watch. by Helena
"Geoffrey - my brother - loves Astronomy," Helena said, tucking a piece of pale brown hair behind one ear as it fell forward to obscure her view of her match, which she was still examining for any positive proof of a change. "Geek that he is. I thought Care of Magical Creatures was all right, too." She'd been neutral towards it more than anything, but neutrality worked best when phrased as mild agreement. "I'm Helena, by the way. Helena Layne." Her parents had tried - largely in vain - to teach her that she was always supposed to introduce herself at the beginning and then get chatty. When she was playing dress-up and pretending to be a society lady, it worked. When she wasn't, she generally forgot."Myxanti Nere," she tried again when the other girl asked her question, then shrugged. "I can't say," she admitted. "It felt a little smoother after the last time I did it, and - " She held it up to the light, squinting hard, as if nearsighted. If there was the slightest improvement, she meant to catch it. Lowering the match a bit, she realized she was smiling. "I think it's getting grayish, now, too."
She might be good at this. She might be good at something Geoffrey didn't excel in already. It was an odd, but distinctly good, feeling. There was almost as much rivalry in their relationship as there was affection, and while she had some advantage in the latter - she was a girl, showing emotion was permissable - Geoff had always dominated the former. She wasn't going to tell him about this, of course, but she would know it the next time he started acting like he knew everything. She looked at her newest acquaintance's work.
"What part of it do you think you're having trouble with?" Helena's own inner nerd, never more than half-buried, surfaced quickly. "The theory stuff or concentration or something like that? I don't think - " she looked around to make absolutely sure Marlowe wasn't nearby - "that the theory matters so much, really. Just following the directions and something to do with magic." She smiled again, apologetically this time, the vague semblance of professionalism melting away. "I'm not much of a theory person, obviously." \n\n
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Helena
Hopefully, there won't be an explosion for me to watch.
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Helena
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Eavan
July 19, 2006 3:25 PM
You never know... by Eavan
Eavan listened attentively and was jolted when she suddenly stopped to say her name. They hadn't done that? Eavan thought back. They hadn't. She gave a mental shrug. "Eavan Valentine," she said simply. None of those fancy introductions her aunts made her practice every time she saw them. If Helena wanted to know where she was from and what house she was in, she would ask.She saw Helena try her match again and thought she should as well. Eavan picked up her wand, but set it down to answer Helena's question. She looked at her new friend with thankful brown eyes.
"I don't know...it's everything. Like, I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything right, but nothing's happening."\n\n
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Eavan
You never know...
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Eavan
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Helena
July 21, 2006 8:01 PM
Yeah, Divination's not really my thing. by Helena
"Eavan," Helena repeated, getting the feel of the name. "I like that. Can't imagine having Valentine for a surname, though - I get enough Superman jokes to last me a lifetime just because my friends and cousins call me Lena." Her grin held a hint of michief, heightening her already strong resemblance to her brother when he was in one of his better moods. "Maybe we should start a club - the Stupid-Joke-Inspiring Names Society."Lena heard herself laugh aloud when Eavan stated her problem. "Just that?" she said, then blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound - snippy. I'm still trying to figure out if you're supposed to set yourself to forcing the change - you know, sort of pushing the magic through the wand - or just letting it happen. I've sort of been doing something in the middle..." She pinked up again. "Am I rambling? Feel free to tell me to shut up if I am."
She frowned reflectively at her "maedle", as she had decided to call it. "I don't know if there even is a right way to do it," she said, half to herself and half to Eavan. "Magic's just...weird, sometimes." Though she personally lacked much aptitude for them, she could understand Geoff's affinity for potions. All one needed to do them was a steady hand, an eye for detail, and the ability to work with proportions - not this mess of understanding how to channel magical ability into a magical affect.\n\n
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Helena
Yeah, Divination's not really my thing.
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Matt and Josh Santoro (Pecari & Crotalus)
August 02, 2006 9:46 PM
Matchstick Men by Matt and Josh Santoro (Pecari & Crotalus)
Josh and Matt had met up with one another while on the way to class. Matt was talking non-stop about what was going on in his house and all the cool people and events that he had been a witness to since stepping through the doors of the school while Josh walked along side him silently, but genuinely intrigued by what his brother was telling him. Their motto was, ‘if it happened to one, it happened to the other.’ It was just how they ran things.Once Matt stopped long enough to catch his breath, Josh went straight into his own one-sided conversations of all the things he had encountered and learned that would some how be resourceful to them in the future. He spoke of his need to find the library to do a bit of researching about the school as well as ‘bump’ into their older siblings to ask for help with finding passageways and the best spots for doing some ‘work’. Of course, Matt simply laughed or slapped his brother on the back with a ‘good thinking’ or, ‘you’ve always got the ideas, Jose’ in their usual brotherly way.
Once they reached the classroom, both brothers seemingly ignored the Professor sitting at her desk and walked to the first pair of open seats they could find, still talking as though they were at home sitting down to dinner. Though, Josh did look at her out of respect as she was his Head of House. Sitting down and settling into their chairs, Josh pulled out his wand and some parchment while Matt sat there waving about his wand as though it was a baton. Josh rolled his eyes and gave his brother a sheet of parchment to write on. Leave it to Matt to not be completely prepared for class.
When Professor Marlowe began to speak, both boys settled into quiet respect. Being raised by Lupe Santoro, the boys knew never to cross a woman while in mid-sentence. Their mother absolutely hated being interrupted; the boys assumed that all women were like this. Sofia certainly didn’t like to be talked over and Julia would hex them if they ignored what she said. Bella and Hannah had the habit of smacking anyone who seeming had no respect for the words they spoke. So, the Santoro men decided it best to remain quiet until they were absolutely positive the ladies of the household had finished opening their mouths.
At the mention of the second years and fire, Matt’s eyebrows shot up while his twin jotted down lines of notes that would help them pass written exams as well as help them with any future projects. Matt and Josh finished writing down their notes before getting to work on the matches in front of them. Josh had a habit of practicing things out. It was what made him the practical thinker of the two, while Matt simply seemed to like to wing things. The results were as followed:
Josh’s match, though it wasn’t necessary a pin, certainly had a gray tinge to it and seemed a bit more pointy. Matt’s match…was still just a match.
“Rats.” Josh said quietly as he looked at his results. A frown formed at the corners of his mouth. He hated failure. It was the main reason why he thought things out so thoroughly. Matt, however, simply shrugged his shoulders and tried again. Even with all this anal ways of thinking, Josh was never as good with his wand work as his twin was. By the end of the lesson, Matt’s match looked very much like a needle. Josh’s, though was silver and slightly pointy, still had the look of a match. Still, neither brother ever held the other one in contempt for their shortcomings. Josh had the brain power while Matt had the wand power. It was the sole reason why the boys were so good at everything they did together.\n\n
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Matt and Josh Santoro (Pecari & Crotalus)
Matchstick Men
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Matt and Josh Santoro (Pecari & Crotalus)
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