Class #3: R&H / 4&5

[Professor Albus Dumbledore]

INTRODUCTION

Group #1: Ravenclaw Fourth and Fifth Years
Group #2: Hufflepuff Fourth and Fifth Years
Discussion: Stunning Spell

The younger students had been coming along over the course of the year, though Professor Dumbledore had a nagging worry that perhaps they should be taking Defense Against the Dark Arts more seriously. With the recent attacks outside of Hogwarts, it was apparent that defensive spells should be practiced and learned in case they did need to be used. However, Dumbledore knew that he couldn’t push them, nor did he have a desire to frighten them. They were children… but Tom Riddle would not show mercy for children. It didn’t do to have a sombre mood whilst teaching, however; a smile came over his face as the students piled in, some of them laughing at a joke one had told, and it did make him happy to see them worry-free. “Good morning,” he said. “Today we will be learning the Stunning Spell. I trust you all studied the incantation and proper wand movement since our last class.” Despite some of the students determinedly avoiding his gaze, Dumbledore continued to smile. “If I could get this side to stand on the left” – he indicated one half of the class – “and this on the right, we can begin.” The pillows and mats were leaning against the walls, ready to be put into place as soon as students lined up properly.

[Imogen Sauveterre]

Imogen was tired. She hadn’t slept much last night, because for some reason, she kept having strange, bad dreams that constantly awoke her. She didn’t really know why, since she hadn’t had nightmares since she was small, and they weren’t really dreams about anything in particular. She just knew that they were bad, because good dreams didn’t wake her up. Still, she managed to drag herself into Defense Against the Dark Arts, puffy-eyed and yawning, and almost raised her hand to answer Professor Dumbledore’s question before realising that he hadn’t actually asked one. She had practiced the incantation and wrist movement for the Stunning Spell, of course, but she was having a tough time remembering it right about now. Obediently, she lined up with half of the class on the left side of the room, watching as Dumbledore easily cleared the desks out of the way and put pillows and mats in their place. To be honest, Imogen would have loved it if her partner, whoever was across the room from her, successfully managed to Stun her. Then maybe she could get some sleep.

[Gideon Prewett]

Finally, Gideon felt like he was in his element.

He loved this class. Gideon wasn’t the brightest student, so school wasn’t his strong point, but he loved this class. He wanted to be an Auror when he graduated, just like his dad and now, just like his brother, and so he figured that this was the most important class to get there. Dumbledore seemed to like him all right, too, which was great. It was always good news for your future to have Albus Dumbledore rooting for you. He bounced his leg anxiously while he waited, then all but flew over to the right side of the room, eager to get started. He’d practiced the Stunning Spell last night – not just the movements, but the actual spell – on a couple spiders in the dormitory, and thought he might’ve managed to Stun one of them successfully. “Hope you’re ready,” he said to his partner, stepping forward and raising his wand.

[Gabriella Rivera]

Oh God, Defense Against the Dark Arts was always her worst class, and now they had to do something advanced like stunning spells and practice them on each other? It was fine when it was just her and Gideon, but what if she accidentally hurt the person? Or what if she completely sucked? What if, what if. There wasn't anything she could do about it, though. When Professor Dumbledore told her to go side by the wall, Gabby did as she was told, her hands sweating so much she was worried she'd drop her wand. Discreetly, she wiped them against her skirt and then turned to the person she'd been partnered in, feeling her heart dropped when she recognised the person and shooting Imogen a nervous smile. "I'll try not to hurt you," she promised which, she realised after she said it, was probably not very comforting at all and she frowned and then smiled again, hoping to reassure the Ravenclaw. She held out her wand and swallowed, trying to remember exactly what she was supposed to say and do with the spell. "Okay. Are you ready?"

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[Imogen Sauveterre]

“I’ll try not to hurt you.”

Imogen snapped to alertness, looking down at Gabby Rivera and breathing a sigh of relief when she realised they were partners. Gabby wasn’t incompetent, Imogen believed, so it wouldn’t be bad at all. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Imogen assured her, making sure she was ready to fall on the mat when Gabby cast her spell. She held her wand in her hand, then decided to tuck it back inside her pocket. It would be bad if she decided to use a Shield Charm when Gabby cast, just in case it rebounded and caused some damage. “I trust you,” she said, hoping she was being reassuring, since Gabby looked a bit nervous. “I’m ready. Go on.”

Besides, chances were high that no one would get it the very first time.

… Right?

[Lilah Jackson]

To say that she was often afraid of her Defense Against the Dark Arts class actually might be, well, a bit of an understatement. They didn't practice dangerous things or deal with horrific creatures with razor sharp fangs every class period, but it was certainly more often than not. This was something most students didn't have a problem with - in fact, maybe they even looked forward to learning how to defend themselves against blood-thirsty humans and animals alike, but Lilah was not one of those people. She wished she were. But her inability to feel pain was something she had to live with - something she had lived with for all her life - and there was no point in imagining how it would be if she were different, no amount of praying and wishing would take it away. She sighed and glanced at Emmeline as Professor Dumbledore began class, a little pout on her face. Lilah felt guilty asking Emme to be her partner because Emme would probably hold back; that is, blasting Lilah forcefully up against a wall probably wasn't the best idea. Professor Dumbledore had already assured her it wasn't likely for a student to get a serious injury practicing the first time in class, and that... well, she supposed that did make her feel a little better. She glanced up at him and he nodded at her, as if to remind her she would be fine. Professor Dumbledore had known about her congenital analgesia from the very beginning and saw to it that Madame Pomfrey checked up on her weekly. "Should we go over here?" she asked Emmeline, tilting her head toward an empty space in the room. Emme began to head over and Lilah followed, and Lilah positioned herself across from Emmeline, and right next to her best friend, Cody Montague. She approached him and leaned her forehead against his chest, taking his hand in hers. He squeezed it and told her everything would be alright. She let out a quiet sigh; hearing him say that did make her feel better, didn't it? "You can start," she said after she returned to her spot across from Emmeline, bracing herself. This was certainly going to be interesting.

[Emmeline Vance]

Emme had all of her materials neatly laid out in front of her when Professor Dumbledore addressed the class, and she smiled a little in return, sitting up straighter as he explained what they were going to do. She, of course, had already done the reading on Stunning Spells, and what wand movement they were supposed to be practicing. It didn't seem too complicated; but then again, magic was often much harder than it looked. Leaning in to Gabby to ask her to be her partner, Emme stopped when Dumbledore said they'd be separating the class in half, left and right, which would leave her and Gabby in the same side, and she sighed. "Guess not, then." Instead, she glanced up while they all stood, moving to line up in the row with the rest of the 'right' side of the class, and found Lilah pouting at her from across the classroom. Offering her a smile in return, Emme shrugged at Gabby and moved over to her. "Shouldn't be too hard, right?

[/color]" she whispered to the other girl, walking over to the empty space on the side of the classroom where Lilah had indicated. Taking her stance, Emme bit her lip, watching as Lilah talked to that Ravenclaw boy she wasn't very sure what his name was before turning to face her. "Do you want to start?[/color]" she offered, shrugging her shoulders a little and reaching down to adjust her skirt, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. After all, she didn't want to be the first one to do it incorrectly.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]

[Stefan Capper]

Stefan sighed as Dumbledore announced today's assignment. To be honest, the last thing he wanted to do right now was knock somebody unconscious, let alone have somebody knock him unconscious. It didn't help that he practiced Charms on his spare time, and though offensive spells weren't his forte, he was pretty sure he could nail it if he wanted to. Picking up his wand, Stefan kept his eyes on the floor, stepping away from his seat next to Imogen to go stand on the row and look up to find a partner from the other side of the class.

Jareth, another boy from his house and year, was standing around, and Stefan lifted his hand up a little, offering him a small smile and a nod. "Do we partner up, then?" he asked him in a quiet voice. Jareth was fine; he seemed like he was more than not lost in his own world, and that, right now, was something Stefan kind of appreciated. "Have you done this before?

[/color]" he asked him, backing away to stand in front of him like he saw the rest of the students doing, and lifted his hand.[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Jareth Stardust]

As always, Jareth had arrived to class earlier and was sitting front row center by the time everyone filed in and Dumbledore walked to the front to give out instructions for today's lesson. He particularly enjoyed Defense Against the Dark Arts, not only for the fascinating subject matter, but because Jareth found Dumbledore to be just as intriguing. He sat at his desk and assumed his learning position: hands folded on the table top, head tilted to the side, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. The way the very tip of Dumbledore beard bobbed when he talked cause a small laugh to bubble past Jareth's lips. He also enjoyed how Professor Dumbledore wore his half moon spectacles on the very tip of his nose, but they never seemed to fall off! Jareth was always having issues with his glasses sliding off his head and dropping into the lake whenever he was looking for salamanders. Maybe he used some sort of sticking charm. Jareth was about to raise his hand and ask just that when they were instructed to move to opposite sides of the room and practice the Stunning Spell. Drats. He would need to ask the Headmaster later.

Now, he needed to find a partner, which sometimes proved to be a bit difficult. But, much to his surprise, Stefan caught his attention and offered to join him. "Thank you, that would be fantastic!" he said, with more enthusiasm than normal. "Last time we had to partner up, Professor Dumbledore had to be my partner,"

[/b] he said matter-of-factly. He paused for a moment and stared at his wand handle before looking back up to Stefan. "He let me touch his hat."[/b] A wide smile brightened his face as he pulled out his own wand and moved to stand across from the older Ravenclaw. "Oh yes, I've done a Stunning Spell before. It's the only way to keep Venucians from cutting your hair... Go ahead and go first!"[/b] Jareth said with a smile, readying himself for Stefan's spell.
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[Stefan Capper]

Nodding along to what the other boy was saying--something about a hat?--Stefan assumed his position and raised his eyebrows a little when Jareth said he had performed the spell before. Stefan opened his mouth to ask when, exactly, and on what, since it was used either on people--and he highly doubted Jareth had attacked anybody--or on objects moving at you.

He shut his mouth a couple seconds later. Right. He decided not to ask what Venucians were, and instead licked his lips, separating his feet. "Alright...get ready," he said, and waited for the other boy to nod before swiping his wand forward, in a diagonal motion. "Stupefy!

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He just hoped he didn't cause any damage.[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Jareth Stardust]

Jareth prepared himself for Stefan's cast. He knew enough about the older Ravenclaw to be aware that he was pretty good at Charms, so chances were, he would be effective, even with his first try. He planted his feet firmly and gave Stefan a nod. When he cast the spell, it hit him in the shoulder and while it didn't the full force of a season Stunning spell, it was enough to knock Jareth over onto his side and toppling into one of the cushions. His wand, that he had the very bad habit of not holding onto tight enough, went flying out of his hand as well. Flopped over onto a couple of large pillows, Jareth sat up, his already tousled hair and absolute mess. "Ow,"

[/b] he said through a bout of laughter. He was a little bit sore but the exhilaration of getting hit with a Stunning spell tickled him. "That was good! Just need to focus on your aim a bit."[/b] He crawled across the stone floor to find his wand. Standing up, the left side of his shirt had come untucked and was sticking out under his sweater. Dusting off his pants, he smiled at Stefan. "Ready?"[/b] When he was given the okay, he aimed his wand and said, "Stupefy!"
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[Stefan Capper]

Stefan watched the ray of red light shoot from his wand and hit Jareth on the shoulder--as it knocked him off his feet and onto the mattress, not nearly hard enough to cause any real damage, but knocked him down nonetheless, and he gasped a little, biting down on his lip and hurrying over. "Merlin, you alright? I'm sorry, Jare, I didn't mean to..." he trailed off a little, rubbing at the back of his neck before he reached down to help him up, a little relieved to find that he'd laughed.

He nodded and backed away again as Jareth grabbed his wand, and took his previous stance, readying himself for the stun. "Alright,

[/color]" he muttered, figuring he couldn't be spared from this. For all he knew, it might even be a distraction. He could use being unconscious for a couple moments. Jareth lifted his hand and performed the spell, and Stefan sucked in a breath before it hit him, right in the stomach, and knocked him backwards, his back hitting the mattress with a thud and getting the wind knocked out of him as he blanked out for a couple seconds, blinking around, gathering his bearings. "Shit,[/color]" he cursed quietly, rubbing at his face.[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Jareth Stardust]

For a moment after his spell hit Stefan and knocked him over, Jareth stood there with a smile on his face, quite pleased with his performance. Then he realized Stefan was still down and maybe he needed some assistance. ""Whoopsie,"

[/b] he said before scampering across the room to Stefan's side. Seeing he was at least conscious, Jareth helped pull him into a sitting position. "Oh dear, I probably should have told you I'm pretty good at Stunning Spells,"[/b] he said with a squeaky laugh. "I'm used to only using it on doxies and nargles, but you're much bigger than them. I think I over did is a bit. But you looked quite gallant taking the hit. You have a nice flourish when you get knocked over,"[/b] he told him with a smile as he clapped Stefan on the shoulder.
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[Professor Albus Dumbledore]

Class was going swimmingly, actually, which Dumbledore had hoped for but not entirely expected. It occurred to him partially through the lesson that perhaps he should have taught them Ennervate first, but he supposed that, if anyone advanced enough to perform a full Stunning Spell that knocked their partner out cold properly, he could cast the spell himself. Besides, it was the very first day of this lesson. He knew he had several talented students and he believed in their abilities, but no one was perfect.

“Very good, Mr. Stardust!” Dumbledore praised, passing by the two Ravenclaw boys as he walked around the room. “Wonderful start. You as well, Mr. Capper. Next time, try to focus on exactly where you want the spell to land before you cast it. And don't be frightened of your own abilities; I assure you, the floor is well-padded, and no one has been knocked out the window in three-hundred and fifty years.” Smiling, he moved onto the next group, correcting the girl's casting movement and feeling a sense of pride when he saw improvement. It was classes such as these that made him miss teaching, really.

[Lilah Jackson]

"Alright, I can if you want me to!" She said, smiling, trying to shake out some of her jitters. She'd be just fine. People didn't normally get hurt doing this anyway. And there were nice cushions behind them to break the fall. "I'm really sorry in advance if I hurt you," she said, looking down at the floor. "I'll try hard not too!" she added hopefully, glancing at Emme. "Okay," Lilah breathed out a low sigh and planted her feet firmly on the ground, wand at the ready. "Stupefy," she said halfheartedly, but the spell barely nudged Emmeline back. She huffed. She hadn't been concentrating hard enough. "I'm sorry, let me try that again," Lilah apologized, extending her wand out and swishing it diagonally. "Stupefy!" she repeated, confident this time the spell would be more effective.

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