Class #4: G&S / 6&7

[Professor Albus Dumbledore]

INTRODUCTION

Group #1: Gryffindor Sixth and Seventh Years
Group #2: Slytherin Sixth and Seventh Years
Discussion: Inferi

Discussing Inferi was something that had not been on the curriculum for NEWT-level students in decades. For a while, they were merely mentioned in passing, but as they had not been seen for centuries, it was decided that extensive learning did not need to be done. However, Professor Dumbledore was making a change to this year’s curriculum, and had decided that it was best that the students learn exactly what Inferi were and what they could do. He had heard rumours, terrible whispers, about sightings near a certain orphanage where, years ago, Dumbledore himself had gone to see a certain boy… They were just rumours, of course, but Dumbledore had decided that it was best for students to know of them anyhow. “Which of you,” he said quietly, looking out at the students in the classroom, hoping none of them ever needed to use this lesson in their lifetime, “can tell me which spell would be most effective against an Inferius?”

[Indigo Grace]

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Indigo rapped her fingers on the desk until class started. She would continue into class time had her professor been anyone else but the Headmaster himself, Dumbledore. Indi had respect for Dumbledore. Certainly he was a bit of a fluff, talking about excelling and the “sky is the limit” and things like that, but she did not only believe that he was the greatest wizard alive, he also showed glimpses of it. This wizarding version of Santa Claus could become serious and grave in all but an instant and the students had seen it before. When students died in the recent attack, for example, and Indigo had all but swallowed her own tongue to find a way out of going to the memorial, he had been a firm and solid voice. Even if going was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, it was better with Headmaster Dumbledore there as the steady, unshakeable rod. She sat in one of the seats and caused little trouble. We all know what a drama queen Indigo was but she’d had enough of it for the school year, thank you. “Can tell me which spell would be most effective against an Inferius?” Indigo fought to hide her blank stare and instead, straightened up a bit in her seat with an attentive, if somewhat lost, gaze. She hadn’t a clue what an “Inferius” was, and she blamed that on her relatively few years in the wizarding world. It couldn’t be something they talked about very much or she’d remember, and as she had to admit, Defense Against the Dark Arts was not her strong point. Oh the irony of choosing it as a NEWT class. Indi put a smug look on her face, pretending to not only know what an Inferius was, but also to believe the answer was ridiculously simple and that it would be a display of shame if no one else in the class could hurry up and figure it out already. Hah, Inferius. Who didn’t know what That was? It’s a….self-igniting flubberworm of course….or, something. Indigo swept her hair out of her eyes and sighed a little. Hah, this was so...not obvious. She eyed a couple of other students to gauge their reactions before coming to another muffled sigh. So it was going to be one of those lessons was it?

[Alice Prewett]

They were talking about Inferi? Alice shuddered in her seat. She'd read about them when she'd read ahead for this class - because of course she would read the book cover-to-cover for this particular class, especially since she wanted to be an Auror. Dementors and Inferi were probably up at the top of the list of "things she did not want to meet ever". As soon as Professor Dumbledore asked the question about the best spell against them, Alice's arm immediately shot upwards, smiling when Professor Dumbledore picked her. "Inferi dislike light and heat of any kind, so I would probably use a spell that produces both, like firestorm or incendio," she told him confidently, lowering her hand while she spoke. When he smiled and nodded before moving on with his explanation, Alice felt a swell of pride that told her why the sorting hat had considered putting her in Ravenclaw. But she was only this nerdy when it came to classes she was incredibly interested in. She practically slept through most of her History of Magic classes when she took it.

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[Wendy Palmer]

Inferius.

To be honest, Wendy didn’t really know what they were, though the name still gave her chills. Whatever creature it was, it seemed to like fire about as much as she did, according to Alice Prewett. She smiled as Dumbledore gave five points to Gryffindor. That was always nice. Sighing a little, Wendy leaned to her right, pressing her shoulder slightly against Ian’s and twirling her quill between her fingers. Dumbledore was a good professor, and this class was generally interesting, but Wendy didn’t really like taking notes. Hopefully there could be some sort of discussion instead. Raising her hand, Wendy spoke up when Dumbledore called on her. “Sorry, but… What exactly is an Inferius? Or Inferi, or whatever.” When Dumbledore looked expectantly to the class, she sighed again, waiting for her answer.

[Lucy Murphy]

Defense Against the Dark Arts was, naturally, one of Lucy's favorite classes. She hung on every word Dumbledore said (and all of the other Professors before him), knowing that all of it would be useful someday. Well. When she first started out she figured it was just a cool class that taught you useful things in case you ever got in a brawl with some dickhead at the Quidditch World Cup final and needed to whip out some super intense spell, but in about her fourth year it occurred to her that things were slowly taking a turn for the worse. That was when her interest in the class became more about her own safety and the safety of her friends than some sort of morbid curiosity. Lucy had heard of Inferi before, only briefly, mentionings of it on an underground radio station she tuned into occasionally, although Will suggested she stopped listening because it stressed her out. She agreed it was for the best. Lucy raised her hand tentatively when Professor Dumbledore asked his question, but Alice beat her to it; a grin curled across her face. Alice would do well as an Auror. "It's a dead body," she mumbled to Wendy who sat on her right, although everyone turned and looked at her so she continued louder. "It's... a dead body that's under a spell. They're like puppets for dark wizards." She looked at Dumbledore and grimaced. "...Right?"

[Noah Orchard]

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It was at that time when Noah decided to waltz in. He had his book tucked under his arm, draped by his school robes, with dark sunglasses on in a not entirely well lit room. Who knows what Noah was smiling about but he sat in the middle of the room, because right now pretty much anywhere he sat would be next to a friend. He pulled his sunglasses off only because the Headmaster would do it for him if he didn’t and opened his book to an entirely random page. ”I’m late,” he announced obviously, pulling out his quill that Noah was never going to take actual notes with. Picking up on the subject material for the day, Noah made a face, mumbling a “I wish I was later” for good measure. He caught Indigo’s lip curl up disgustedly and he could take a guess that it wasn’t about the subject of dead bodies. Noah smiled tauntingly at her before turning part of his attention to Headmaster Dumbledore. ”Zombies,” he added, feeling satisfied he contributed to the conversation. His tone of voice mimicked what you would hear when boys showed off their really cool scars – grossed out and excited at the same time. There are a lot of zombie movies in the muggle world, imagine what they would do if they find out they existed? It’d be the next apocalypse.

[Professor Albus Dumbledore]

Dumbledore smiled at his students, his blue eyes twinkling in delight as they actively joined in on the discussion. Noah Orchard walked into the class just as Lucy Murphy finished her explanation of Inferi; Dumbledore merely motioned for him to take a seat. “Very close, Miss Murphy,” he said, nodding his head. “And not quite, Mr. Orchard. They are a dead body, and yes, they have been described as 'puppets' for the witch or wizard controlling them. But they are not simply 'under a spell', for no simple spell can reawaken the dead.” He looked around at his class, sadness creeping up on him for a moment, but he put a smile on and focused once more. “There is a particular branch of Dark Magic used to create Inferi,” he said pointedly with a raise of his feathery eyebrows. He was referring to Necromancy, of course, but he'd hoped one of the students would pipe up with the answer before he said it. He really did enjoy giving points to houses, and would use any available opportunity.

[cissy]

She missed Lucius.

Narcissa raised her hand and Professor Dumbledore called on her. "Necromancy, Professor," she said just loud enough for the room to hear, almost bored sounding. She had to admit, today's lesson was just that: a lesson. Being a well-learned young woman from one of the longest pureblood lines in all of Great Britain, of course she knew most of the course material. Today's lesson was not the case: she had only ever briefly heard of Inferi, and even then, she didn't ask questions. Just the thought of the dead being reanimated sent a chill down her spine, but she took comfort knowing she was never going to run into any sort of problem with an Inferi. She was a Black, and that held much meaning (then again, the same could not be said of that dreadful cousin of hers); she knew no Death Eater in their right mind would set an Inferi on her. Besides, she had Lucius to protect her. The same couldn't be said about everyone in the room, abound with blood traitors and mudbloods... the corners of her lips pulled up into a small smirk. She knew she would be safe. The others were a different story.

[Ian Fleming]

“Necromancy.”

Ian said the answer aloud almost without realizing it. Another voice, Narcissa Black’s, was offering the same answer layered over his at just about the same time. Pausing graciously to see whether the other student had anything else to say, Ian then raised his hand and waited to be called upon. After making eye contact with Professor Dumbledore, he lowered his hand. Nodding toward Noah Orchard, he said, “Zombies are different from Inferi in that they aren’t created by necromancy. Hmm.” He paused. “Zombies are found mainly in America, and they’re considered part of the ‘living dead,’ like vampires, so… can they be said to live there?”

[Indigo Grace]

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She could do without Narcissa Black. On a matter of principle, Indigo hated Narcissa. She didn’t have to know her well to not like her – since when did Indigo ever have much of a foundation for anything she did? The Graces and the Blacks did Not get along. Indi really shouldn’t care about that as she had nothing to do with her family anymore but she couldn’t say it hadn’t already been ingrained in her. Maybe it was because….well, it was probably because the Graces were a hair away from falling completely off the pureblood pedestal and the Blacks on the other hand were practically untouchable. Her father had all but smacked the life out of her when he found out she briefly, very briefly dated Regulus. More importantly, Indigo didn’t like Narcissa because Sirius was one of Indi’s best friends and well, did she need to say more? It wasn’t surprising then, that as Narcissa so coyly said, “Necromancy, professor”, Indigo snorted ever-so-loudly. Don’t forget the added eye-roll. Indigo did, however, give Wendy an actual smile. She was the only one so far who hadn’t tried to show off to the Headmaster. Necromancy. Indigo shifted in her seat a little bit. Necromancy gave her the wiggles.

[Professor Albus Dumbledore]

The Black family, Dumbledore had decided, were decidedly difficult to predict. For centuries, they had been one of the most outspoken families supporting pureblood supremacy. In recent generations, however, there had been a definite change. Young Sirius Black was now a member of Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix; Andromeda Black seemed to be struggling with her identity; and young Miss Narcissa Black was quite something as well. She could still go either way, he believed, though he hoped for the best from her - as he did with all students. Nodding at her, he awarded Slytherin house five points before being distracted by Sebastian Fleming - or Ian, as friends seemed to call him. Dumbledore smiled as Ian described the differences between Inferi and zombies. “They inhabit America, yes, though they do not live there,” he confirmed. “Inferi are created with Dark Magic solely for the purpose of serving the master who created them. Zombies are cannibalistic undead created by a virus contracted in the moments before death - such as when a living person is attacked by one. If you would turn to page 263 in Confronting the Faceless, I believe you'll find a passage on Inferi. Once you've read through, feel free to ask questions - and if any of your fellow students know the answer, you're welcome to answer them. All I ask is that you raise your hand.” Smiling, he sat down at his desk, leaned back in his chair, and watched his students as they took out their books.

[Professor Albus Dumbledore]

POINT COUNT

TALLY	Gryffindor	Ravenclaw	Hufflepuff	Slytherin
Attendance	35	00	00	05
Earned	00	00	00	05
Total	35	00	00	10