An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
This class is intended to be read by 2nd years and above only.
Professor Archerose opened the classroom door to greet any waiting students, though blocked their view of the room itself. His grin was wide and mischievous, though was glad to see they'd figured out the directions -- as this certainly wasn't where they'd taken their class last year.
'Welcome, 2nd years, to our brand new History of Magic classroom,' Archerose said, and stepped back with a flourish to reveal it and allow them to take their seats.
Sitting at his desk, Archerose smiled at their reactions and gave them the freedom to wonder around and take in the new look and space. He took in a deep breath, savouring the moment as much as he had that morning with his 4th years. He'd spent all summer working hard on to prepare for them -- once finally convincing the Headmaster to give him a whole new classroom to work with.
Please refer to the Standard Classroom Layout for a visual guide of the classroom -- including full details regarding seating, class expectations, noise level rules, and any changes.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Apr 9, 2023 20:37:21 GMT 10
While not her favourite subject, MJ was still punctual and hurried to pick a seat at the front of the class.
She knew it wasn't a popular choice with her classmates but she didn't care. If she sat alone again, so be it. Taking good notes and being able to see the board mattered more to her. She put her satchel at the middle desk on the left side of the room sat down.
But MJ had had a fun morning, hanging out with Thorne and Orla and then a delicious lunch. Remembering the gift from Thorne, she took it out of her bag for a moment to look at it. She would have to make a stop at her dormitory later to put it into her special keepsake box with her other spoon.
After that small distraction, MJ dug into her satchel and removed anything she would need to take proper notes in class. It had been weird, last year, getting used to ink and a quill but MJ had spent many hours practising so her handwriting would stay neat as always. She was quite satisfied to say she had succeeded in that task.
It was only then she allowed herself to look around the room.
"Wait..." Everything was different! MJ blinked, trying to remember how the classroom had looked last year. While she paid attention in class to whatever Professor Archerose was teaching, she admittedly hadn't taken in much about the classroom. Well, this one seemed relaxing and the lanterns were fascinating.
MJ wondered how much magic went into something like that...
Post by Thorne Perry on Apr 10, 2023 0:25:15 GMT 10
After lunch, Thorne hurried into the History of Magic classroom - and was instantly, before anything else, delighted to see the desks set in rows of three! He quickly sat in the seat to MJ's left, leaving the more accessible right seat open for anyone who might want it. He resisted the urge to plunk his bag there to try and save it for Orla, though the temptation was there.
Once he was situated - pen, ink, and parchment neatly set out - he looked around the room properly. The glass case of newspaper clippings up at the front caught his eye first, but then his eyes were drawn upwards to the glowing lanterns. The whole room had a different atmosphere from last year, and it was quite pleasant!
"I wonder if I could use that-" Meaning whatever spells were working together to keep the lanterns floating and not dripping or burning.
"I wonder if I could use that to make dragons." Articulated like Orla's snake, but lit from within, warm and welcoming and safe for little kids.....though the parchment had originally been for history notes, he swiftly tugged it closer and started sketching, eager to get his ideas down before they flew from his head again.
Last Edit: Apr 10, 2023 3:14:42 GMT 10 by Thorne Perry
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Apr 10, 2023 1:06:31 GMT 10
"Aren't they neat?" MJ said to her friend, glad that he had chosen to sit with her. With the tables arranged as they were, it was easier for them to sit together as a trio if they wanted to. MJ glanced towards the doorway and hoped Orla would be joining them soon.
She gazed back up at the lanterns. Definitely they had some kind of permanent floating spell on them, a bit like wingardium leviosa but perhaps more advanced? The candles in the Great Hall probably had the same spell worked on them.
Listening to Thorne, she smiled and nodded, "A little wooden dragon... Animated that flies around near its owner!"
Did something like that exist? Was it possible? MJ didn't doubt for a second that Thorne would be able to pull it off regardless. She watched as Thorne started to sketch, excited to see what ideas he had.
It was a good way to pass the time while waiting for class to start.
Post by Grace Babineaux on Apr 10, 2023 1:09:58 GMT 10
Grace loved History of Magic, mostly because a lot of it was super-duper cool! Well, when people actually did things. She didn't care as much about the laws or whatever, but she was beginning to think she should, just in case it came in handy when she was running for Minister for Magic.
She gasped in wonder as she entered the classroom, amazed by the new set up. She looked around, tilting her head at times to look at the newspaper clippings. This was a totally awesome classroom!
"This is totally cool!" Grace said out loud, so everyone could hear even though she was pretty sure that everyone was thinking the same thing she was. Then she sat down near the front and got her things out. New classroom, new year, new fun stuff to learn! At least, Grace hoped it would be fun. She had no idea what this lesson was about. Maybe she should've looked at her textbook a little more.
Felix had stuffed himself quite a bit at lunch; he was growing though so you couldn't blame him! Almost by habit Felix felt himself on the way to where the old History of Magic class had been last year -- until he remembered the change. Luckily, there was more than enough time to get to the new location and he gaped in awe as he entered.
The classroom was filled with floating lanterns. It reminded him of the same magic that the Great Hall used, but in such a smaller setting it was so cozy! The room itself had such a chill ambiance and he really liked that. This class might not be the most exciting one at Hogwarts but learning about a history he was so new to was exciting in itself. He had so much to learn.
The class was still filling up slowly so Felix headed over to the front and plopped down in the seat next to Grace. "Heya there Grace." He greeted with a big smile.
"It really is cool," he responded to her earlier exclamation. "What an awesome change!"
Charlotte had hurried on to class after lunch and smiled when she arrived with plenty of time. Without thinking, she became like a magnet towards MJ this time, the food from lunch giving her more energy than she had woken up with. She did yawn a little as she walked, but she would get better sleep tonight, she was sure.
She sat in the only seat next to MJ and gave her a smile before pulling her things out for her to take notes and learn history. She was sure it was important, though not as enchanting or exciting as some other lessons. It was also not as stressful or scary either.
Professor Archerose was visibly pleased with their reactions to the new classroom. Students entered, occupying the seats and getting ready for a lesson. Once everyone was there, and had wonderfully taken in the change, he fixed his glasses and calmed his nerves.
'Good morning.' He cleared his throat to settle idle chatter. 'Welcome to a new term, 2nd years. Today we'll be covering the discovery & disappearance of Lapillia.'
He granted them a moment to get settled in, and retrieve any forgotten writing materials. Archerose glanced at the lanterns, pleased with the enchanted lighting of the room that should make their note-taking far easier to articulate.
'Who here would like to bravely take a guess at what a Lapillia might be?' he asked, seeking raised hands. 'There's a prize for whoever's closest to the answer.'
Archerose enticed them with a wrapped box, yet it distinctively belonging to a chocolate frog. The chances of them guessing it were slim, but he wanted to encourage their interaction as early as possible -- the youngest students had the most promise with benefitting from his teaching style and growing to become far more historically open-minded. It was good to question things.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Apr 10, 2023 16:19:55 GMT 10
When Grace and Felix came into the classroom, MJ waved a greeting to the Gryffindors and then brightened when she saw Charlotte appear. Still no sign of Orla but she was happy to have Charlotte here too.
She smiled as her friend sat down and hid her worry to see Charlotte yawning so much today. Hopefully it was just due to her interrupted sleep the night before and she would get more rest tonight.
MJ settled into her seat, facing the front and listening as their Professor began the lesson.
She took some notes, curious to know what 'Lapillia' was. She craned to see what he was holding and put her hand up. Even though she was unsure of the answer, she didn't think it would hurt to guess.
"Is it a place? Maybe a magical island of some kind?" MJ suggested when she was called upon to answer. She lowered her hand again and waited to hear what her classmates would answer. Did one of them already know the answer?
Her gaze settled on Grace for a moment. MJ felt if anyone here would know something about 'Lapillia' it might have been her fellow Artefact Finder.
Post by Jonathan King on Apr 10, 2023 16:30:52 GMT 10
Against all odds Joe had managed to find his way to the new History of Magic classroom just in time to be let in by their professor.
He was amazed by the lights in it and stood next to the door for a while before heading to sit down on an aisle seat in the middle, trying to subtly block the way in for anyone but his two best friends so that they could all sit together this time.
He had barely even taken out his quill when the lesson started and he stared at Archerose‘s glasses as though the answer to his question was engraved in them.
Lapillar? Why did his mind go to a picture of a ginormous dragon fly that he could ride?
But this was no creatures class. This was history and a lot less exciting.
Wait. ‘Pillar‘?
He had wanted to daydream about dragon fly rides a little longer but he knew he had done well in this class last year and he figured he should try to keep it that way. Ryan would be proud if he tried.
“Perhaps it was a lost city or temple with a lot of twisty architecture, standing on pillars?“, he guessed after raising his hand and considering MJ‘s guess.
Felix noticed MJ waving to him and he smiled with a returned wave. She always seemed so active in every class, perhaps he'd have to try to sit next to her next time. Maybe in a class he struggled with, she seemed helpful!
There wasn't much more time to interact as Professor Archerose started the class soon after. It was nice having a Professor who you could tell was passionate about the subject. That was important for a class like history. He remembered teachers back at his muggle school who were less...enthused. These classes were much more interesting!
Lapillia?
Felix cocked his head to the side. He honestly had no idea what it was. Yet the mention of bravery and a prize urged him to try to guess. Today seemed to be full of prizes!
He knew his guess was probably going to be entirely wrong but it was the first thing that came to mind. He waited for MJ and Jonathan to guess and then raised his hand next.
"Is it some sort of magical caterpillar?"
Lapillia. Caterpillar. Close enough, right?
Last Edit: Apr 10, 2023 16:33:37 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by Thorne Perry on Apr 10, 2023 21:15:14 GMT 10
His thoughts were tooo full of wooden dragons for a moment. A sketch forming under his quill of big, expressive eyes in an otherwise small face, glowing from within by whatever spell powered the lanterns -
But then the professor appeared and he hurriedly set aside his ideas for now. He wasn't the biggest teacher's pet for any class, but that didn't mean he didn't want to be respectful to the professor. Especially one who put so much care into improving and upgrading a classroom for his students.
The box Archerose held up was small, and Thorne rested his chin in his hand as he looked at it. Candy would fit in a box that small, or coins, or little sheets of paper, but Thorne couldn't think of anything world-shaking. Something that small could disappear easily, whether the Lapillia was something contained within, or something merely from the culture...
No guesses in mind, he kept his eyes on the professor as he carefully scrawled Lapilia - discovered and disappeared. on his notes without raising his hand. Once he thought of something that satisfied him he'd offer his input - but for right now, he'd just be a good listener!
'Magical island...' Professor Archerose wrote it on the board, then turned to hear more suggestions. 'Lost city or temple. I like that; sounds like a fun place to visit.'
It was clear they weren't correct answers, but he never faltered in his eagerness to hear what they had to say -- and dutifully wrote each one down on the board.
'Magical caterpillar,' he continued, smiling to himself as he tried to picture these answers. His students had such wonderful imaginations. 'Anything else?'
He wrote down a few more ideas, then stepped back to re-read them with careful consideration. None of them were the correct answer, but he hadn't expected them to be. Upon consideration, Archerose decided that the caterpillar was the closest answer of the options provided.
'It's a creature, capable of wondrous ability,' he said, giving Felix a warm smile as he handed the Gryffindor the prize. Which indeed contained a Chocolate Frog. And its card, of course. 'Well done, everyone. You all have such creative minds, and each of your guesses were a logical possibility.'
He erased the ideas, then began writing the actual lesson content for them to note down.
'In 1872, a wizard made a musical instrument from ancient shells -- which, when played, led to the discovery of sea creatures who loved the sound,' Archerose explained, his tone engaging and clear. 'The creatures were enormous. It frightened the population, so the Ministry for Magic banned the music.'
Sighing, there was disappointment and sadness in his gaze as he turned to face them.
'And the Lapillia have not been seen since,' he said. 'At least, not as far as anyone's reported or was known to witness. Given their sheer size, however, it would be near-impossible that, had one emerged again, no one would know about it.'
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Apr 10, 2023 23:59:00 GMT 10
When the teacher wrote down their answers, MJ grew more excited to see which was closest to being right -- and it was Felix! She clapped politely and gave him a big smile for winning.
And then she turned her attention back to the lesson. She quickly wrote down the date and information that Professor Archerose gave them about the mysterious creatures known as 'Lapillia'.
She rose her hand and, when spotted, went on to ask, "Sir, do any of the ancient shells used to call the creatures exist today, or the whole instrument?"
It would be cool to visit a magical museum, she thinks. She liked to visit old stately homes and local museums whenever she went on holiday during the summer with her guardians. MJ wondered if such a thing existed for them to learn more about the history of the magic of their country...
That would be a question for after class. She didn't want to derail the lesson.
Post by Thorne Perry on Apr 11, 2023 0:00:23 GMT 10
Oh, the box....the box hadn't been a hint; the box had been a prize. Thorne felt his ears flush a bit at his misunderstanding, though at least he hadn't said anything aloud. At least he'd kept his silly guesses to himself! He eyed the list, and since there wasn't a definitive answer yet he didn't copy it down-
And he was glad a moment later when Professor Archerose erased it all! He would have wasted time and parchment if he had! He copied down the facts - 1872, ancient shell instrument, giant sea creature (he sketched a smiling face next to those words), and finally: banned (that one had a frowning face next to it).
A giant sea creature sounded amazing, as did the thought of summoning one with music. He thought back to his earlier idea of the dragons - and now he imagined enchanted whales or something even bigger and more amazing, gamboling playfully above their heads....
And this time his hand shot up.
"What did they look like, professor? I mean....besides big."
Last Edit: Apr 11, 2023 0:01:04 GMT 10 by Thorne Perry
00 | 
22 | 
20
December
