Care of Magical creatures
Care of Magical Creatures Professor (and Groundskeeper) Williamson had a large hedge maze prepared for the first lesson of the term. As students entered what used to be the classroom area and asked about the curious setup, he chose to ignore them for the time being and began the class with some questions of his own: about hybrid creatures. Some students brought up good points about what makes a magical creature “hybrid” and why they could be dangerous, while others mentioned interesting but incorrect answers. Just then, several members of the Inquisitorial Squad emerged from the bushes and began to inspect the lesson. It was very unnerving, but class resumed as if everything were normal. Professor Williamson revealed that the students would be facing the cockatrice, a creature that can kill by making direct eye contact. In the middle of another round of discussion, one of the hooded figures attacked fifth year Gryffindor Phoebe James! Turns out that smiling and talking to the inspectors was a crime. Chaos ensued, and the professor had to summon Healer Recard for help before moving on. Students armed themselves in paddings, sunglasses, mirrors and other magical defensive outfits as well as a weasel or jarvey each, since these creatures are immune to the cockatrice’s glance. Then they entered the maze in pairs. Most students defended themselves against the cockatrices wisely. For example, Hufflepuff Mamie Turov successfully knocked a cockatrice back with Flipendo. But in a different area of the maze, things were turning much more catastrophic. The hooded figures killed a jarvey by the name of Mollywobbles. Witnessing the killing curse triggered a distraught response from Atlas Flamsteed, Pretzel and Ferret Bueller, while Aboli Song calmly sent red sparks to alert Professor Williamson. Thus, the first lesson of the term ended on a tragic note. A funeral for Mollywobbles was held after class at the Groundskeeper’s hut.
Another memorable lesson this term took place on a gloomy morning in January. Little piles of rubbish, later revealed to be portkeys, were scattered over the classroom area and students were told to stand beside a portkey (Muggle-borns beside pitchforks stuck in a pile of mud). Professor Williamson began the lesson by announcing that they would be going on a field trip to see dragons. This was followed by a quick discussion about the well-known magical creature. The professor acted awfully strange, repeating some variants of “DRAGONS SHOULD BE FREE” and being especially mean to the Muggle-born students. The portkeys lit up just as the discussion ended, and everyone was transported away from Hogwarts for the first time in a long while … to the Welsh dragon reserve.
Professor Williamson emphasised that all students were to stay with their group at all times, and instructed them to observe the dragons and their living environments. That seemed like a pretty dangerous thing to do. Sure enough, dragons flew down threateningly when they noticed the newly appeared human beings. The group of Muggle-born students were saved by a strong magical shield conjured by Georgia Templeton, head of the dragon reserve. Templeton sent for reinforcements and stunned Professor William Williamson after he communicated in a hurried whisper the chaotic state that Hogwarts was in. Ministry employees arrived at the scene and helped to protect the students. Or, well, they tried to. The Inquisitorial Squad was also there to ensure that everything went according to plan - their plan. While the students were exploring, they had removed all protective wards around the reserve and released the dragons, based on the Neo-Alliance belief that everything magical deserved freedom. The hooded figures were unafraid to attack all adults who attempted to sabotage their plan. On their way to freedom, a few dragons scooped up the students Dahlia Donovan and Louise Bones, but thankfully released them soon afterwards. In the midst of all the chaos, fifth year Slytherin Nemesis Upstead disillusioned themselves and tried to escape, but was recaptured due to stunning spells sent in their direction. Professor Williamson was finally revived by Magical Creatures department head Aurora Bagnold. He created portkeys to take everyone safely back to school, and brought the catastrophic field trip to an end.
Another memorable lesson this term took place on a gloomy morning in January. Little piles of rubbish, later revealed to be portkeys, were scattered over the classroom area and students were told to stand beside a portkey (Muggle-borns beside pitchforks stuck in a pile of mud). Professor Williamson began the lesson by announcing that they would be going on a field trip to see dragons. This was followed by a quick discussion about the well-known magical creature. The professor acted awfully strange, repeating some variants of “DRAGONS SHOULD BE FREE” and being especially mean to the Muggle-born students. The portkeys lit up just as the discussion ended, and everyone was transported away from Hogwarts for the first time in a long while … to the Welsh dragon reserve.
Professor Williamson emphasised that all students were to stay with their group at all times, and instructed them to observe the dragons and their living environments. That seemed like a pretty dangerous thing to do. Sure enough, dragons flew down threateningly when they noticed the newly appeared human beings. The group of Muggle-born students were saved by a strong magical shield conjured by Georgia Templeton, head of the dragon reserve. Templeton sent for reinforcements and stunned Professor William Williamson after he communicated in a hurried whisper the chaotic state that Hogwarts was in. Ministry employees arrived at the scene and helped to protect the students. Or, well, they tried to. The Inquisitorial Squad was also there to ensure that everything went according to plan - their plan. While the students were exploring, they had removed all protective wards around the reserve and released the dragons, based on the Neo-Alliance belief that everything magical deserved freedom. The hooded figures were unafraid to attack all adults who attempted to sabotage their plan. On their way to freedom, a few dragons scooped up the students Dahlia Donovan and Louise Bones, but thankfully released them soon afterwards. In the midst of all the chaos, fifth year Slytherin Nemesis Upstead disillusioned themselves and tried to escape, but was recaptured due to stunning spells sent in their direction. Professor Williamson was finally revived by Magical Creatures department head Aurora Bagnold. He created portkeys to take everyone safely back to school, and brought the catastrophic field trip to an end.
charms
I think we were all a bit worried after we said goodbye to the legendary Professor Fuller-Thompson last term. But thankfully, the Charms post was in good new hands with Professor Neva Peralta, who brought some fresh energy to the subject with exciting lessons on practical spells like the Bubble-Head Charm and the Freezing Charm. I got to sit down with the spirited and spunky (Seriously, have you seen her office? She has a real flair for stylish décor) professor to chat about her first term at Hogwarts.
Hi Professor Peralta! Thanks so much for chatting with me today. Since you’re a relatively new face around here, could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Not a problem. I learned to love charms when I attended Durmstrang and I continued to follow my passion, first as a spell researcher, and now, as a professor. I'm also a big fan of salsa dancing, my cat, and a strong cup of coffee.
What made you want to become a Charms professor and teach and Hogwarts?
To be quite honest, I never pictured myself teaching. I was looking for a fresh start when the opportunity to teach here came up and I decided not to pass it up. It's been challenging, but also really rewarding.
If you could only use one charm for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
The mending charm has saved me a lot of time and energy over the years. I think I'd stick with that one.
This was certainly a…..different year at Hogwarts, to say the least. What was it like to start here during such a challenging time?
It was incredibly difficult. My first year teaching children and I'm thrown into this environment where a wrong move could put us all in danger. I didn't know how to be someone the students trusted because I was a stranger to them. Why should they trust me or the fact that I was doing what I thought was best for them? It was hard.
What do you hope students take away from this term?
I just hope they've learned to lean on their friends, and I hope they know that they can lean on us—the staff—if they need to.
Hi Professor Peralta! Thanks so much for chatting with me today. Since you’re a relatively new face around here, could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Not a problem. I learned to love charms when I attended Durmstrang and I continued to follow my passion, first as a spell researcher, and now, as a professor. I'm also a big fan of salsa dancing, my cat, and a strong cup of coffee.
What made you want to become a Charms professor and teach and Hogwarts?
To be quite honest, I never pictured myself teaching. I was looking for a fresh start when the opportunity to teach here came up and I decided not to pass it up. It's been challenging, but also really rewarding.
If you could only use one charm for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
The mending charm has saved me a lot of time and energy over the years. I think I'd stick with that one.
This was certainly a…..different year at Hogwarts, to say the least. What was it like to start here during such a challenging time?
It was incredibly difficult. My first year teaching children and I'm thrown into this environment where a wrong move could put us all in danger. I didn't know how to be someone the students trusted because I was a stranger to them. Why should they trust me or the fact that I was doing what I thought was best for them? It was hard.
What do you hope students take away from this term?
I just hope they've learned to lean on their friends, and I hope they know that they can lean on us—the staff—if they need to.
"defense against the dark arts"
Defense Against the Dark Arts certainly is not what students remember it to be. With the Headmaster Trent gone and Rosier taking his place, one has to question what type of lessons the Hogwarts will see this term. It didn’t take long to find out. The first lesson of the term and right out of the gate brought the muggle bashing to the front. Question 1: Why should we not tolerate muggles? Many students were afraid to answer and some who did, answered with gusto, much to the anger of Headmaster Rosier. Things only got worse from there, with threats for harm and punishment lingering the lesson continued with work on the exploding charm, "Bombarda, and some rather antimating dummies. However, the true lesson was one of obedience and to quote Rosier himself “No matter how unpleasant the activity, [he expected] them to comply and do what they were told if they knew what was good for them.” After discussion on destroying muggle technology, the lesson concluded with using the spell they had practiced to blow up the technology lounge…. Oh what fun???
The next lesson took place out on the Hogwarts grounds, a little change of location. A chalkboard at the front singled a few students for their previous misbehaviors. This class seemed to be moving into an even darker scene with questions like “How do you get someone to do what you want?” Which then prompted the rat race/maze activity. Rosier made it clear the rats would not survive if they students were unable to keep it away from the cheese, and a hefty assignment was handed out to those who were unsuccessful or slower than the average. Afterwards, muggles were once again brought into the lesson and how wizards can make them stay away from certain places or things. And the spell to be cast for the day was “Repello Muggletum” for which REAL muggles were brought into Hogwarts to practice. What in the name of Merlin? And the Headmaster also insinuated that other means could or should be used to keep the muggles out of ‘trouble’.
It was during this lesson that Rosier found more cause to drive home his lessons, the expectation of obedience and the consequences of non-compliance. When fifth year Gryffindor, Kale Trent, boldly spoke out against these inhumane practices - using muggles as lab rats - Rosier opted for a practical demonstration. He sent a Killing Curse after one of the fleeing muggles, snuffing out Edward Smith’s life as half the class watched, ultimately punctuating his lesson and strong-arming the students into obedience.
Though spells that can be useful were taught at the lessons, one must think about the consequences behind them, and the true meaning behind the casting, this class is after all called Defense Against the Dark Arts.
The next lesson took place out on the Hogwarts grounds, a little change of location. A chalkboard at the front singled a few students for their previous misbehaviors. This class seemed to be moving into an even darker scene with questions like “How do you get someone to do what you want?” Which then prompted the rat race/maze activity. Rosier made it clear the rats would not survive if they students were unable to keep it away from the cheese, and a hefty assignment was handed out to those who were unsuccessful or slower than the average. Afterwards, muggles were once again brought into the lesson and how wizards can make them stay away from certain places or things. And the spell to be cast for the day was “Repello Muggletum” for which REAL muggles were brought into Hogwarts to practice. What in the name of Merlin? And the Headmaster also insinuated that other means could or should be used to keep the muggles out of ‘trouble’.
It was during this lesson that Rosier found more cause to drive home his lessons, the expectation of obedience and the consequences of non-compliance. When fifth year Gryffindor, Kale Trent, boldly spoke out against these inhumane practices - using muggles as lab rats - Rosier opted for a practical demonstration. He sent a Killing Curse after one of the fleeing muggles, snuffing out Edward Smith’s life as half the class watched, ultimately punctuating his lesson and strong-arming the students into obedience.
Though spells that can be useful were taught at the lessons, one must think about the consequences behind them, and the true meaning behind the casting, this class is after all called Defense Against the Dark Arts.
divination
With the terrible events that occurred during the Battle of Hogwarts, remembering the fallen is one way in which they truly never leave us and, with this in mind, it is more important than even to acknowledge the truly inspiring job that Professor Cassiopeia Kitridge did as the Divination teacher at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Any Divination lesson with Professor Kitridge is of course interesting but usually she has something up her sleeve to keep the lesson extra interesting. This term was no different and Professor Kitridge started off the year with something that isn’t usually associated with divination. Whilst some may have been initially confused when walking into the classroom only to find a pile of rocks on their table, the students were quickly brought into the light when they discovered that their lesson was indeed on nature readings and in particular, Zygomancy. Despite some disruption from some unfriendly visitors initially, Professor Kitridge bravely faced this head on, brushing past it to keep her lesson on track. With the children initially putting their names on five rocks that spoke to them, they then discussed the meaning of the word ‘Omen’ and any reasons why one might want to know about them and it didn’t take them long to come up with some interesting answers with some such as Ashley Fox mentioning how omens can be used to predict the future! What muggle doesn’t want to know the winning lottery ticket numbers?
With the children quickly moving on to the weighing of the rocks as a means to judge if they’re a good or a bad omen, a mixed reaction occurred throughout the class, which could have led to some serious brooding if it weren’t for the professor and her positive outlook. The same could not be said for some of the children however, with some of them, such as Kinsay James, predicting the imminent death of everyone in the class! That however did not occur. Instead, the lesson simply ended with the professor having to speak to the now former Headmaster Rosier.
As the year went on and things started to become increasingly difficult for all who lived under roof of Hogwarts, the Professor ploughed dutifully on with another lesson which started with a discussion about the universe and how it related to their Divination lessons. This led to a delightful discussion amongst the children about the role of the universe and the people in it with some such as Gryffindor Morgan McCarthy suggesting that people simply hear and read what they want to from the universe. The point was, however, to highlight the need to check from a variety of different sources on offer in order to interpret the many sights that are on offer from the universe to get a better idea. Speaking of better ideas, the students then had to discuss if they were feeling itchy and how that could relate to their sixth sense. This eventually led to many theories, such as one from Avalon Sinclair about how itches might be ode from karma letting us know something is going to happen. With the students then being required to write down their latest itch and where it occurred, they were then asked to have a balloon battle but with one difference…the balloons had been filled with itching power! Balloon throwing ensued, as did itching amongst all who took part.
Despite various signs being read from the itchiness caused from the balloons, fun was had and lessons were learned. Despite Professor Kitridge no longer taking Divination, the subject will indeed go on and the students of Hogwarts will continue to prosper from it.
Any Divination lesson with Professor Kitridge is of course interesting but usually she has something up her sleeve to keep the lesson extra interesting. This term was no different and Professor Kitridge started off the year with something that isn’t usually associated with divination. Whilst some may have been initially confused when walking into the classroom only to find a pile of rocks on their table, the students were quickly brought into the light when they discovered that their lesson was indeed on nature readings and in particular, Zygomancy. Despite some disruption from some unfriendly visitors initially, Professor Kitridge bravely faced this head on, brushing past it to keep her lesson on track. With the children initially putting their names on five rocks that spoke to them, they then discussed the meaning of the word ‘Omen’ and any reasons why one might want to know about them and it didn’t take them long to come up with some interesting answers with some such as Ashley Fox mentioning how omens can be used to predict the future! What muggle doesn’t want to know the winning lottery ticket numbers?
With the children quickly moving on to the weighing of the rocks as a means to judge if they’re a good or a bad omen, a mixed reaction occurred throughout the class, which could have led to some serious brooding if it weren’t for the professor and her positive outlook. The same could not be said for some of the children however, with some of them, such as Kinsay James, predicting the imminent death of everyone in the class! That however did not occur. Instead, the lesson simply ended with the professor having to speak to the now former Headmaster Rosier.
As the year went on and things started to become increasingly difficult for all who lived under roof of Hogwarts, the Professor ploughed dutifully on with another lesson which started with a discussion about the universe and how it related to their Divination lessons. This led to a delightful discussion amongst the children about the role of the universe and the people in it with some such as Gryffindor Morgan McCarthy suggesting that people simply hear and read what they want to from the universe. The point was, however, to highlight the need to check from a variety of different sources on offer in order to interpret the many sights that are on offer from the universe to get a better idea. Speaking of better ideas, the students then had to discuss if they were feeling itchy and how that could relate to their sixth sense. This eventually led to many theories, such as one from Avalon Sinclair about how itches might be ode from karma letting us know something is going to happen. With the students then being required to write down their latest itch and where it occurred, they were then asked to have a balloon battle but with one difference…the balloons had been filled with itching power! Balloon throwing ensued, as did itching amongst all who took part.
Despite various signs being read from the itchiness caused from the balloons, fun was had and lessons were learned. Despite Professor Kitridge no longer taking Divination, the subject will indeed go on and the students of Hogwarts will continue to prosper from it.
flying
Professor José Aguilar was new to the crew this term and Merlin, what a term to kick off your teaching career at Hogwarts. Not only did the newest flying professor have to worry about falling from brooms and broken bones, he also had to deal with Rosier and his band of hooded henchmen and women. It was no easy time to be a teacher, but by some miracle, Aguilar still managed to get some tips and tricks in among the chaos. From diving and pulling up, to sweeping and surfing, he tried his best to make sure the kids kept calm and flew on. Well, most of the kids.
One beautiful afternoon, you might've found yourself standing in front of a scene more common with a water park than a flying lesson. A big inflatable pool greets you along with a number of diving boards, some way higher than you might be ready to climb. If the setup wasn't clue enough, Professor A has helpfully written the word 'Diving' on the blackboard to help you make sense of things. For the theoretical portion of class, the students shared some thoughts on when diving might be necessary, and what some of the risks might be while performing the classic 'Dive and Pull Up' maneuver. As always, the answers were unique and amusing. Students decided dives would be great to help escape birds and bludgers, among other things. As for the risks of pulling it off, there was no shortage of imagination here. Whiplash, crashing, broken noses, and even tossing one's cookies were all great examples of what could go wrong, though whether students were speaking from experience or not remained to be seen. For practice, the students were meant to dive from one of the diving boards and move towards the pool, trying to secure a ping pong ball from the water's surface without going under. This didn't quite work out for some members of class, but it certainly wasn't the biggest thing to worry about. The Inquisitorial Squad, not down with the muggleborns participating, not only stung their hands so they'd drop their brooms, but caused said brooms to explode. Professor Aguilar tried stop any further damage by making the muggleborn students literally dive off the boards for the remainder of the lesson, which involved going after quidditch balls, but the damage had been done and morale was down. Hopefully the next class would be a bit less explosive.
As term went on, classes only got worse for the muggleborn students. One afternoon students came to flying to find the oldest, most splintered brooms waiting for those who didn't meet Rosier's standards. Even Professor A was handling one as the children arrived. And the brooms weren't even the worse part. Class started with a bit of a reminder about how magical people were superior beings, just as magical brooms were superior to their mundane counterparts. This lead into a discussion about the differences between the two. While magical brooms were constructed differently, and used for the purpose of flying, muggle brooms were thought to be for cleaning, and sometimes maybe for hitting (and that answer didn't even come from a Gryffindor, go figure). The main goal in all this was to show that muggles and their brooms were boring, dirty things, and that muggle born students did not deserve to use magical brooms any longer. While the students who were from "desirable" bloodlines practiced broom surfing over the cushioned ground, the rest were left to sweep the training grounds. While some like Bernadette Grantham took to the chore without complaints, others like Quinn Kingsley and Minjae Yoon pointed out the pointlessness of the task. A task that was apparently just a warmup for sweeping trash while their classmates got to race across the pitch while broom surfing and trying to put a quaffle through the hoops. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that flying might not be a favorite class for students anymore.
One beautiful afternoon, you might've found yourself standing in front of a scene more common with a water park than a flying lesson. A big inflatable pool greets you along with a number of diving boards, some way higher than you might be ready to climb. If the setup wasn't clue enough, Professor A has helpfully written the word 'Diving' on the blackboard to help you make sense of things. For the theoretical portion of class, the students shared some thoughts on when diving might be necessary, and what some of the risks might be while performing the classic 'Dive and Pull Up' maneuver. As always, the answers were unique and amusing. Students decided dives would be great to help escape birds and bludgers, among other things. As for the risks of pulling it off, there was no shortage of imagination here. Whiplash, crashing, broken noses, and even tossing one's cookies were all great examples of what could go wrong, though whether students were speaking from experience or not remained to be seen. For practice, the students were meant to dive from one of the diving boards and move towards the pool, trying to secure a ping pong ball from the water's surface without going under. This didn't quite work out for some members of class, but it certainly wasn't the biggest thing to worry about. The Inquisitorial Squad, not down with the muggleborns participating, not only stung their hands so they'd drop their brooms, but caused said brooms to explode. Professor Aguilar tried stop any further damage by making the muggleborn students literally dive off the boards for the remainder of the lesson, which involved going after quidditch balls, but the damage had been done and morale was down. Hopefully the next class would be a bit less explosive.
As term went on, classes only got worse for the muggleborn students. One afternoon students came to flying to find the oldest, most splintered brooms waiting for those who didn't meet Rosier's standards. Even Professor A was handling one as the children arrived. And the brooms weren't even the worse part. Class started with a bit of a reminder about how magical people were superior beings, just as magical brooms were superior to their mundane counterparts. This lead into a discussion about the differences between the two. While magical brooms were constructed differently, and used for the purpose of flying, muggle brooms were thought to be for cleaning, and sometimes maybe for hitting (and that answer didn't even come from a Gryffindor, go figure). The main goal in all this was to show that muggles and their brooms were boring, dirty things, and that muggle born students did not deserve to use magical brooms any longer. While the students who were from "desirable" bloodlines practiced broom surfing over the cushioned ground, the rest were left to sweep the training grounds. While some like Bernadette Grantham took to the chore without complaints, others like Quinn Kingsley and Minjae Yoon pointed out the pointlessness of the task. A task that was apparently just a warmup for sweeping trash while their classmates got to race across the pitch while broom surfing and trying to put a quaffle through the hoops. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that flying might not be a favorite class for students anymore.