Welcome to first year flying lessons. on Quidditch Pitch

Professor Wright

September 08, 2017 11:58 AM

Welcome to first year flying lessons. by Professor Wright

The first year class was quite small, but also quite interesting. The names alone brought to mind the sort of things Gray had written when he was a student here – forms he now usually thought of as implausible, a theory these children challenged. There were two Brockerts, two Russian first names, two French last names, two students who were not (he had gathered, anyway, from their first Charms lesson) entirely comfortable with English, and four rich girls. Of course, one of those rich girls was a Brockert, which was to be expected in most years, and Jasmine was Daniel’s niece, but the Russian girl’s appearance suggested financial parity with her peers and kept his numbers all multiples of two, which pleased him even as he considered it a bit weird.

None of that was particularly relevant, however, as he looked them over before their first flying lesson and hoped against hope he wasn’t going to have to do verbal battle just to get the girls on brooms or try to tactfully-yet-clearly explain to Tatiana or Ruby, who seemed the…sparkliest…of the girls, that wearing things that could fly off their persons and take out someone’s eye was not appropriate for flying class.

“Hello everyone,” he said cheerfully to the students, hiding these reservations. “No, you’re not in the wrong place – I cover your Charms and your flying lessons, too. If anyone’s forgotten, I’m still Professor Wright.” Gray knew he had been sufficiently inattentive in a few of his first days at Sonora that a few teachers’ names had slipped his mind the second or third times he’d seen them, so he didn’t think it hurt to remind them who he was now that they were in a second class altogether, one without the additional distraction of second years.

“This class will probably be the easiest you will take at Sonora,” he informed them. “By the end of the year, I need each of you to fly from one end of this Pitch to the other at a medium speed. That’s all you have to do for top marks. Do it slowly and you’ll still pass. If you all master that before the end of the year, then we all just get to enjoy flying around and taking the exercise for the remainder of these classes and you still get good marks at the end. Sound good?”

He didn’t really wait for an answer. “First lesson is making sure you can all get on and grip a broom correctly,” he informed them. “If you don’t have a broom with you, get one off that pile and let’s get started.”

He led them all through the initial exercises – putting the broom on the ground, putting their hands out over the broom, and saying ‘Up.’ This was not a skill they were ever likely to use outside of this class, as controlling whether a broom was hovering or inanimate was something most people did instinctually after a year of lessons or less, but it was a standard part of the curriculum and Gray, who had never intended to be a teacher, was very fond of sticking to the standards so he could defend what he did easily if questioned on it. Once everyone had the brooms in the air, he demonstrated how to get on one, then went along the line to check everyone’s grip. Then came the part of the lesson he had been dreading.

“To get into the air,” he informed them all, “you bend your knees a bit and use your feet to push yourself into the air. Do this – gently, so you don’t go too fast right away. If you aren’t experienced with flying, then hover after that. If you are, then you can start flying together, but no diving or speeding, please – we don’t want any accidents with the less experienced fliers. Everyone ready? One-two-three – kick off.”

OOC: Welcome to flying lessons! All site rules apply – posts should be at least 200 words long, no controlling other players’ characters, and use good spelling and grammar (except, of course, in dialogue if perfect grammar isn’t realistic or in character for your character). You may fall from your brooms, but remember that Professor Wright would magically catch you before you hit the ground and suffered horrible injuries if your fall is from high in the air. Tag him if you need him and have fun!

16 Professor Wright Welcome to first year flying lessons. 113 Professor Wright 1 5

Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari

September 10, 2017 10:33 PM

Brooms like apples by Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari

Parker came out to what looked like a big soccer field with the rest of the first years. He hadn't really talked to any of the other guys yet, which was a bit odd to him, but maybe if he joined the Quidditch he'd meet some other guys. To do that though, he had to learn how to fly.

Even thinking that made Parker shake his head in disbelief. Flying. Not in a plane, but on a broom. Parker had a brief thought that this might fairly dangerous. What if they fell to the ground? Then he realized that surely this was something someone had been thought of and planned for. Besides, he had fallen out of trees before without magic and survived.

As the professor from Charms, a class that seemed a bit boring to him, stood in front of them all, Parker pulled an apple out of his robes.He had taken from the table this morning. He had made a promise that first day, and was not going to let the opportunity go. Plus, it seemed like it might be entertaining to have.

Professor Right...right Parker thought. He tried to create an association with his professors names so he could remember them. So far he had walking Professor X, Professor Right, Professor Oh My O'Malley, and Professor "Welcome Back" Carter.

Remembering the student names was a bit easier because he could just ask a few times. Teachers, though, always assumed that you would remember their names and everything else after one or two times of saying it.

Parker followed other students over the pile of brooms. These didn't look like brooms he'd used before, but cartoon witch brooms with sticks at the end. They didn't look like they'd do well for cleaning. Parker picked one up at random and walked to the field.

Parker liked Professor Right's comment about this being the easiest class. A class that was outdoors, and from the description seemed easy enough in theory was good for Parker.

Parker had learned from experience though that everything worked in theory. Magic seemed to throw a bunch of stuff into the mix that turned theories on their head, so maybe it wouldn't be as easy.

Parker put his hand not holding an apple over the broom like instructed and said, "UP". The broom twitched a bit but otherwise didn't move.

Parker looked around to see if he had done it correctly. It appeared so, so he tried again. Again just a brief twitch on the ground.

Parker stood and looked down at his broom. It looked a little worse for wear sure, but seemed to still be broom-esq. Parker scrunched up his face trying to figure out what he was doing wrong and then looked at his right hand.

Worth a shot.

Parker put his left hand over the broom and in his right hand he held out the apple, like he had before with horses.

"Up", he said, in a voice similar to one he would have used with animals back home. Suddenly the broom rose to his hand with ease.
Now for the mounting. Parker looked at the broom and climbed on it like a bicycle. The robes making it a bit difficult to do so.
Like I said, just like a bicycle.

As he sat there, he put the apple back in his robe for a bit to hold on with both hands, so his teacher wouldn't get angry at him. Once his teacher walked by though, Parker took the apple back out in his right hand, holding on with his left.

With Professor Right saying kick off, Parker pushed down a bit on his broom and jumped up. The broom ridding with him. He looked around in amazement. His feet hung two or so feet off the ground and he sat on the broom.

Apparently all those cut outs and cartoons from Halloween activities as a kid were real. This was a real thing!

He looked at the person next to him and held out his apple. "Apparently brooms like apples," Parker said while trying to make sure he stayed steady on top of the broom. "Also, it's similar to riding a bike... just higher."

41 Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari Brooms like apples 1402 Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari 0 5

Ruby Brockert,Teppenpaw

September 30, 2017 9:15 PM

I'm more concerned about them liking Rubies. by Ruby Brockert,Teppenpaw

Ruby was generally a positive person who tried to see the best in everything, but when it came to flying lessons, she was a good deal less enthusiastic than usual. For one thing, she'd had to take off her earrings, as she'd made the mistake of wearing a dangly set of green garnets accented by alexandrites. They were beautiful and sparkly and at least somewhat matched her robes. Then there was her-well technically Emerald's-bracelet of emeralds set in silver. Her necklace was a green garnet with diamond accents. At least Ruby had her lovely hand embroidered purse to keep them in while flying.

And then, with nobody to do her hair, the Teppenpaw had had to put it in a boring ponytail to keep it out of her eyes. At least she had a sparkly green barrette with green ribbons that had star shaped charms at the end of them for it though so that was be pretty and Ruby had curled her ponytail.

She listened politely as Professor Wright began to speak. The first year wouldn't dream of not paying attention. It would be so rude.Everyone deserved to have people listen when they talked. Plus, she felt rather bad for him. As the granddaughter of the Headmaster, Ruby was privvy to things she might not otherwise know. The school had had a Quidditch Coach hired but she seemed to have gone on a very extended break. Then they'd hired a specific substitute for the position but that didn't work out either. And Professor Carter was rather busy. Or had been. Now it seemed Professor Nash was doing all the DADA lessons and Professor Wright was doing Charms which had been the places they'd been lacking in staff. Why Professor Carter was not doing Flying Lessons, Ruby was unsure, other than perhaps Professor Wright being the newest professor and thus the low man on the totem pole. After all, she certainly wouldn't want to have to fill in for the Quidditch Coach position if she were a professor.

In fact, Ruby would honestly rather not be there as student either. While Father had started teaching Jasper how to fly, she and her sisters were not interested. Emerald thought sport was boring, Topaz thought it was beneath her-thankfully, because if she'd been interested in playing Quidditch, she would have made an absolutely merciless beater whose house team would likely be glad to have her, someone could end up really hurt and that would be just awful! Amethyst, though she was still deemed too young to get on a broom, was every bit as girly as Ruby was. As for Sapphire, she seemed to....go completely blank at times. Emerald thought it was her way of blocking out some Topaz-related trauma.

Anyway, because of this tendency, Father didn't think it was a good idea for Sapphire to get on a broom. Ruby wondered how that was going to work when the seven year old got to Sonora and had to take this class. Asthma didn't qualify one from a medical exemption from flying lessons so she wondered what would.

Ruby, though, was perfectly healthy and didn't have any medical conditions. So it was a moot point.

Try to find a silver lining and don't forget to smile! The first year reminded herself. Luckily Professor Wright provided her with one by telling them what exactly they would have to do to pass his class. It didn't sound too hard. Not really.

Oddly enough, Ruby actually had a broom of her own. Well, actually it was her father's old one from when he was younger, the same one Emerald had used for her flying lesson. Topaz and, if she were capable of taking the class, Sapphire would likely use the same one. Jasper would probably get his own though and Amethyst might borrow that one.

She laid it on the ground and placed her hand over it. The Teppenpaw tried to think of the positive aspects of flying, which basically amounted to wanting to pass this class and not look stupid in front of her classmates. "Up!" Ruby commanded it. It took a few tries but eventually the broom flew up into her hand.

Next she successfully mounted the broom the way she was shown. She had just gotten into the air when the boy next to her spoke. She looked at him confused, as if he were speaking Portuguese or something. "What? They do? And what's a bike?"

11 Ruby Brockert,Teppenpaw I'm more concerned about them liking Rubies. 1405 Ruby Brockert,Teppenpaw 0 5

Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari

October 10, 2017 6:39 AM

They like many things by Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari

Parker felt good floating. It seemed really odd, but he could float. When the girl next to him answered he remembered that he'd need to be more conscious of what he said to people going forward.

He tried to think of how to explain a bike for a few seconds then shook his head. No that would be too complicated.

He laughed a bit, he hoped in an inviting way. "No no. Sorry. Was just a joke," he said holding out the apple for her to see.

"And don't worry about bicycles. Think of it like a..." he tried to think of something most kids might know.
"Do tou know what a banister is?" He thought of sliding down banisters in the houses his father designed and built. This was the girl all the teachers seemed to know so Parker assumed she'd had double story house.

"My names Parker by the way," he said holding out his hand. Doing so caused a few things to happen simultaneously. First he leaned a bit forward which started his broom moving. Second with the apple in one hand and his other stretched out he couldn't balance as well. The combination of which caused him to slip of the back of his broom as it moved forward causing Parker to land on his tail bone with a loud oof.

As he got up off the ground rubbing his butt he turned to the girl next to him, "Maybe don't follow my lead."

41 Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari They like many things 1402 Parker Fitzgerald - Pecari 0 5