Professor Sutekh
September 25, 2007 9:53 AM
First & Second Years. Lesson One by Professor Sutekh
Sanaa Sutekh surveyed her domain. Her classroom was a decent size with windows running along two walls, as the room was situated in a corner of the building. On the other two walls were large moving pictures of several transfigurations, and hanging from the ceiling were tens of cages, all containing various animals she would be needing for the lessons. There were also a few more animals in cages underneath the windows. Her desk was situated at the farthest end of the classroom from the door, and on it sat her most prized possession: a portrait of her late husband, Sacmis.Sanaa had met her husband on one of her regular journeys to Egypt to a Transfiguration Conference on new developments in her field. Sacmis has been giving a presentation on the process of becoming an Animagus. After his lecture she had approached him, as she was halfway through her Animagus training and wished for his guidance. She had come away with a dinner date and his latest textbook. They had been married for ten years, and he had passed away the previous summer. It had been his final wish for her to take a position at a magic school and teach her favourite subject, which is why she had found herself replying to the ad for a new Transfiguration Professor at Sonora Academy.
Sanaa came out of her thoughts as a scuffling of shoes on flagstones caught her attention. She realised that lessons had been due to start a few minutes previously, so she pulled her wand out of a pocket in her dark blue robes and waved her wand at the door and opened it. She watched the students enter the classroom and sit at the desks she had provided, which were in two rows in a semicircle around her desk. Once she was certain she had every student from the first and second years she waved her wand and shut the classroom door.
“Good morning class. My name is Professor Sutekh and I am your new Transfiguration Professor, hopefully for the next few years.” Professor Sutekh walked around from behind her desk and sat on the front part of it as she tucked her short brown hair behind her left ear. “I know that most Transfiguration Professors start off with the usual set up of turning a matchstick into a needle or a beetle into a button. I am forty-two years old and in the thirty-one years I have been allowed to practise magic I have never used this magic outside of the classroom. I am therefore going to start with something completely different which will also be useful.”
Professor Sutekh picked up a stone from beside her seat on the desk and held it up for the class to see.
“I am going to teach you a basic spell which makes life so much easier and simpler, especially if you find yourself caught out in the wild. The first spell I am going to show you is how to change a basic stone into a cup. I have used this transfiguration thousands of times in my life, as I am very clumsy and am constantly breaking my cups.” Professor Sutekh hoped that showing the students how the transfiguration could be applied to everyday life would make them more interested in learning the spell.
“For this spell you tap the stone with your wand,” Professor Sutekh demonstrated, “and say ‘Aqua Vas’.” The stone in her hand morphed from a simple stone into a large gold drinking cup. “Now everybody’s cup will look different and they will all start off rather small, but the more you practise and the older you get the more likely the cup with become bigger as the spell becomes easier. I remember my first cup was the same grey as the stone I had transfigured it from, and about the same size as a thimble.”
Professor Sutekh waved her wand at a pile of rocks in the corner of the classroom and then made a sweeping motion over the students. The rocks rose up and floated over, one to each desk.
“You can work in pairs although I expect each of you to practise on your own stone. Please begin.”
OOC: Remember to keep to at least two or three paragraphs with three sentences in each. Have fun posting.
Subthreads: Rock cup?! by Rilla White with Holly Greer
Rock of Ages by Talitha Cumni with Lucie Dupree, Talitha
Eh... by Lucas Smythe with Hannah Laurent, Lucas
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Professor Sutekh
First & Second Years. Lesson One
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Professor Sutekh
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Lucas Smythe
October 02, 2007 2:03 PM
Eh... by Lucas Smythe
Lucas stumbled into the classroom, hoping that nobody saw him trip. After he regained his balance, he pushed his fringe from his face and took a seat at the nearest desk. He listened up as the professor introduced herself and explained the lesson.Lucas raised his brow, the lesson sounded fun - he'd never transfigured anything before and he was looking forward to it. He hoped it wouldn't be too difficult though, his brain wasn't a hundred per cent awake yet. Due to this, he cast a worried glance at the professor as she used her wand to distribute rocks around the classroom, though everything was okay - no one was going to end up with a huge headache.
He looked at his rock, it was slightly orange in colour and not very smooth. He pulled out his wand and stuck his tongue out in concentration, pushing his fringe from his eye again. "Aqua vas," he said firmly as he tapped the rock with the tip of his wand.
He blushed and looked on in disappointment as the rock... did nothing. He tried again: "Aqua vas!" This time he managed to create some-sort of cup - or at least, a rock with a deep hole in.
He sighed to himself. How embarrassing. He tried once more, again getting no further. He slammed his wand down on the table and sat back in his chair, pouting in frustration. He pushed his fringe from his face and crossed his arms, glaring at the stone.
"I can't do it." He muttered in a defeatist manner. It had been a long time since he hadn't been able to do something, and a small part of him felt like he somehow letting his family down - but he wasn't sure he cared.
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Lucas Smythe
Eh...
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Lucas Smythe
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Hannah Laurent
October 02, 2007 5:03 PM
It's not that bad by Hannah Laurent
Entering into the classroom, Hannah took one of the last available seats, not bothering to look to see who was next to her, as she was much more focused on who the new Transfiguration professor was. When the professor, she had to agree that she didn’t see how turning a beetle into a button was useful, but she supposed turning a matchstick into a needle could be. What if one needed to sew something and didn’t have a needle, but had a matchstick? Of course, she couldn’t really see herself using the spell, as she didn’t enjoy housework very much.Turning a stone into a cup was way cooler, anyhow. Getting her rock, Hannah placed it closer to her. Tucking some blonde hair behind her ear, she leaned in slightly while she tapped the stone with her wand. “Aqua Vas.” It seemed to go out a little forming maybe what would be construed as the rim of a cup, but did nothing else. After a few more attempts, it looked a bit more like a small bowl than a cup. Oh, well, one could drink as easily from a bowl, but she kept trying, knowing this was probably graded.
She was about to try casting the spell again when the sound of a wand being slammed on a desk made her jump. Looking to see where it had come from, she saw Lucas, one of the boys she had worked with last year in Charms. Then, the words ’I can’t do it’ came from his mouth. She raised an eyebrow at his pessimistic attitude and wondered if she could help somehow.
She lightly tapped him on the shoulder. Giving a shy grin, she said, “Hi, Lucas. How’s it going? This spell sure is difficult, isn’t it?” Maybe, by saying that it would make him feel a bit at ease. Then, she showed him her rock. “I’ve only been able to make it look like a weird bowl.”
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Hannah Laurent
It's not that bad
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Hannah Laurent
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Lucas
October 03, 2007 6:41 AM
You're just saying that by Lucas
Lucas had been glaring at his rock for only a few minutes, wondering why he couldn't do the spell when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see... Hannah? He thought that was her name - he had worked with her in a charms class last year, her and that annoying blonde kid.She smiled at him and spoke, "Hi, Lucas. How’s it going? This spell sure is difficult, isn’t it? I’ve only been able to make it look like a weird bowl."
He glanced at her efforts and smirked a little - at least he wasn't the only one who couldn't really do it, but her attempts were definately better than his. He brushed his fringe from his face and smiled a little. "Yeah, it is hard," he agreed, turning to face her properly, "yours is better than mine though."
He sighed to himself, knowing that it was time to swallow any pride and dignity he had left - if any. "Hey umm..." he blushed, "do you think you could help me?" Lucas knew that it was a strange question considering there wasn't a lot someone could do to help with a transfiguration spell, but he didn't really understand what he was doing wrong. The thing in front of him should be a cup by now, yet it was far from looking like anything you'd want to drink from. He cast his eyes over his rock, then back to... "It's Hannah, right?" better make sure, just in case.
He smiled his usual lopsided half-smile in a friendly fashion, hoping she would agree to sharing any tips she might have on the matter. Lucas hated to be 'left behind' in classes like this.
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Lucas
You're just saying that
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Lucas
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Hannah
October 04, 2007 1:06 AM
I wouldn't do that by Hannah
Hannah returned Lucas’ smile. He had a nice face when he did and she wondered why he didn’t cut the fringe to allow it to show more, but would never say so, as she barely knew him. Therefore, it might seem rude.She shook her head to deny that her endeavors were better than his, giving a slight blush at the subtle compliment. She didn’t really think that she was doing anything all that different and it wasn’t as though hers was actually a cup. She nodded, though, when he asked for help. It wasn’t like her to refuse anyone, which was probably one of the reasons she was in Teppenpaw.
“Yeah,” she answered to his question of her name. Then, thinking for a moment. What was it that she did to make it into the weird bowl? “Well, I try to picture the rock turning into a cup while I tap it.” She bit her lip. “It’s hard, because there are all kinds of other thoughts running around.” She hoped that he didn’t find the idea weird, but her mind tended to race with a million other things – classes, quidditch, her sister, her friends, and so on. It was really enough to distract anyone.
Turning back to her own, taking a bit of her own advice to focus, she tapped the bowl thing again. “Aqua vas!” This time the rim came in and went a little more up, beginning to look like a cup. Excited, she turned to Lucas, “Look, it’s working!”
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Hannah
I wouldn't do that
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Hannah
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Lucas
October 05, 2007 9:35 AM
Well, okay. by Lucas
Lucas smiled again when Hannah, as she confirmed her name to be, agreed to help him. She told him how she worked with the spell, trying to picture the rock turning into a cup. It seemed a difficult thing to think about, Lucas thought, but he was willing to give it a go if it worked.He watched as Hannah performed the incantation again and her rock became more cup shaped. He tilted his head to the side, offering a big grin to her when she turned to him in excitment at her success.
"Hey yeah, it is working," he agreed, before turning back to his own rock. "Yours is looking great. Let's see if I can get anything better than this thing here, huh?" He smirked, it was nice having someone to share his difficulties with, odd as that may seem.
He concentrated hard on picturing a cup in his mind, biting his lip a little as he did so. He really wanted to get it right, he had been looking forward to transfiguartion and knew he wanted to excel in it. When he was younger he'd always thought it would be something he'd be good at since he had a good imagination - would he really settle for letting himself down here? No chance.
With those thoughts set in his mind and the picture of the cup still clear, he cleared his throat and spoke the words firmly as he tapped the rock: "Aqua vas!"
A large proud smile became prominent on his face as the rock tranformed into something that was definitely more cup shaped, even though it wasn't exactly a cup yet. The edges had thinned as it had become a little taller, and it was far smoother than before. He turned to Hannah and grinned happily.
"Hey, I guess it works!" He laughed a little, the girl's words had definitely helped him. "Thanks a lot, Hannah. You really helped me, I'd never have thought of picturing a cup and stuff..." he blushed, trailing off. A part of him wondered if he'd ever really be able to hold a conversation with somebody without being shy about it.
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Lucas
Well, okay.
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Lucas
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Hannah
October 05, 2007 4:16 PM
*grins* by Hannah
’Let’s see if I can get anything better than this thing here, huh?’“I bet you can do it,” Hannah encouraged. After working with him last year, she had determined that he was fairly intelligent, just a bit reserved. She wasn’t reserved at all. Well, maybe a little now, as she had begun to notice boys over the summer, but she had no idea how to make the transition, as she had always been just one of the boys.
While Lucas tried to change his stone into a cup again, she watched with baited breath, hoping her advice worked. It would be a shame for it not to when all she wanted to do was help. When the rock began to form a cup, she gave an excited little squeal of joy. “You did it! I knew it you could!”
She blushed slightly when he thanked her. She really hadn’t done much, but she guessed a little bit of support could go a long way. It certainly did with Addie, who was always so shy to start with. At the thought of her sister, she wondered how she was fairing. So, far, she knew Addie hadn’t made any friends in her dorm, which was slightly distressing, because her sister was a sweetheart and it seemed rather close-minded not to give everyone a chance. Hopefully, things would work themselves out and she would find a niche. Otherwise, she knew Addie would be trying for home schooling.
Giving a sigh, she pushed the thoughts of Addie out of her head, and focused on Lucas. She gave a grin. “You’re welcome.” Then, because she didn’t want the conversation to end and on the fact that he might be able to help her, she asked, “Any chance that you’re a mastermind at Astronomy?”
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Hannah
*grins*
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Hannah
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Lucas
October 07, 2007 9:06 AM
It's your doing, you know by Lucas
Lucas smiled a little when Hannah squealed at his success with the rock to cup thing, he thought she was sweet. They had both been quiet for a minute or two when Hannah sighed before speaking."You're welcome. Any chance that you’re a mastermind at Astronomy?"
Lucas titlted his head at the question - he knew a thing or two, but he definitely wouldn't say he was a mastermind. He guessed that she was referring to the astonomy class they'd had recently and the essay they'd been asked to write.
"Truthfully?" Lucas grimaced, he hadn't really found that work a bunch of roses himself. "Truthfully no, but if we shared ideas then-" he cut himself short, realising that she may not have even been talking about that class. Plus, he didn't want the teacher to hear him - he wasn't sure how often they talked, but he didn't think that 'sharing' essays was really in the rules.
He tried again, in a more hushed tone. "Are you talking about the class we had? 'Cause I guess I didn't find it too hard really."
Lucas pushed his fringe from his face and leant on his elbow, absent-mindedly tapping his rock with his wand in case the teacher looked his way and accused him of not working. Though truth be told, he should probably have another go anyway. He didn't really feel like discussing astronomy or any of his other classes, he'd rather get to Hannah and try to make an actual friendship with her instead.
Of course, he wasn't going to say that - it would seem rude. Plus the girl implied that she needed help, and Lucas wasn't going to deny her his thoughts on it if she really wanted to hear them.
He turned his gaze back to her, furrowing his brow a little as his fringe fell back in his eye. He sighed - he really should get it cut some time.
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Lucas
It's your doing, you know
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Lucas
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Hannah
October 08, 2007 2:21 AM
As long as we're clear :P by Hannah
Hannah’s eyes widened slightly when he stopped mid-sentence. Why was he stopping? Then, her eyes drifted to the professor. Oh, that must be why. She supposed that they were a little loud, but no one else had seemed to notice for the moment. Plus, their rocks were a little better.When Lucas spoke again, she leaned a little closer to hear him better. Her blonde hair spilled forward and she blushed slightly, as she quickly pushed it back. She really ought to begin carrying a rubber band with her so it would stay out of the way during class.
At his question, she answered, “Yes. I’m terrible at Astronomy and didn’t understand half of what the book said about auroras. I tried talking to a girl near me. I think her name is Sarah or Sierra, or something. She wasn’t very nice.” She made a slight face at this. She really had thought it was unnecessary for the girl to have been so offhanded. She had just asked a simple question and a simple answer would have sufficed.
As quickly as the negative thought had come, it was just as quickly gone. Along with it was the topic at hand. Instead, she asked, “Do you like to fly? If you do, maybe you’ll want to come out to the Pitch with me? I want to practice for Quidditch. Do you play? I was on the team last year as a reserve.”
Then, she turned to her stone to attempt the spell again. She didn’t want to do as poorly in this class as she was in Astronomy, but then this wasn’t nearly as difficult for her. She kept glancing at Lucas, though, so that he knew that she was paying attention to him as well. Tapping the stone, a little too quickly, she said, “Aqua vas!”
The briefly formed cup was now certainly a cup sans handle, but the rim was turned out and down. She gave a small frown. It was certainly an interesting drinking device. She gave a shrug and a grin. She probably should have been paying more attention when she said the spell, but there were other interesting things at the moment. Besides, this was the whole point of practice making perfect.
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Hannah
As long as we're clear :P
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Hannah
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