(DADA) T4: Lesson One: Bloodsuckers

[croll]

Vampires.

Was the only word scrawled onto the board, by hand, in thick yet elegant writing. There was nothing else; no name, no instructions, nada. The kids had been here long enough to know what to do, so there was no point bossing them around. The classroom was as it had been, with a few minor changes due to the new teacher. For one thing, there was more room, but that was for this lesson and perhaps a few others in the near future. Caroline had done this herself, and currently marvelled at her work, waiting for students to file in.

The professor was standing at the front of the room, arms crossed, patiently expecting a varied group. As always, there should be some Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Gryffindors.. And then, there would be Slytherins. None of the other houses knew how hard it was in that house, and Caroline herself could attest to that. Since she didn't want to be completely unfair, she usually kept her bias on the down-low. But any hard feelings towards them, and she'd have to grant them a tad more leniance. Even though it was her first day, she had already decided this. Why, she wasn't even jittery! It wasn't her nature to be afraid, or worrysome. Even hardcore strict. Her awesome reputation would probably make her one of the favorite professors at this school, at least thats what she hoped.

Twirling her wand between her fingers, Caroline wondered how this batch was going to be. She hoped the Slytherins put in as much effort as she had way back when, but that shouldn't be a problem. More than a few conversations had mentioned how the house had stepped up, and apparently was leading by five points. Now that made her proud. The reason behind this lesson was two of the Slytherin students, Joshua Rivas and Erys Grace, had been attacked by a vampire before the holidays. They had fought it back, stayed alive, and headed back to the hospital to be healed. That being the short version, but, Caroline had been extremely impressed after hearing it.

This lesson would seem dangerous when everybody found out what she had planned, but there wasn't. Nobody was going to die, or get hurt. Then again, the prospect of danger might keep them on their toes, and make them attentive to the lesson.[/color]

[Maria Turolia]

Maria walked into the DADA classroom, and her eyes immediately fell upon the new professor. The woman wasn't nervous. In fact she seemed quite confident with herself. Maria walked to the middle of the room and found a seat, preparing herself for class.

She looked up at the board and noticed the solitary word written on it. "This should be an interesting lesson," she muttered to herself as she kept looking at the board. The first lesson of the year was on vampires. This class was bound to be very interesting.

[Alexis Heart]

Alexis was excited finally Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She had dressed at top speed that morning and ate breakfast even faster. Grabbing her books and things she made her way to the class and low and behold she managed to be the second one there. That didn't happen often so it was a bit of a shock. Walking into the room she noticed the professor and Alexis smiled politely saying, 'Good morning professor.'

She made her way to the second row of desks and she placed her bag down on the floor opening it up to take out quill and parchment. Looking at the board so far she noticed only one word written there, Vampires. Thinking that this would be an interesting lesson she wrote the word down and waited patiently for the rest of the class to arrive so class could begin.

[Angelique Juliette]

Well she fiugred it was time to actually to a class or two. DADA she sighed looking down at her schedule. It wasn't a class she was too keen on, she'd much rather learn just the dark arts part but that wasn't an option at Hogwarts. Walking slowly down the hall her bag slung over her shoulder barely containing any books she found the room and walked in not really looking up to see who was there.

Settling for a seat somewhere in back she placed her things gently on the ground, not wanting to ruin her expensive bag. She took nothing out but just decided to see if there were any intructions written for them as of yet. That's when she noticed the new Professor and the word Vampires. For some reason it caused her to smile this class might not be so bad after all. In fact it may be quite interesting.

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie ran it to the DADA. She was really late. "I'm sorry I'm late." She looked around and took the nearest seat. She got out every thing she would need for class.

[croll]

Watching as three students entered and eyed the word on the board, Caroline smiled broadly. They were already figuring it out that this lesson was going to rock beyond comparison, then again they might have different views. The more braver ones will see it as a welcomed challenge, while others will hang back. She'd just have to pick one of the more deserving ones to do the demonstration, her take on things more different than the other teachers. They probably chose someone who wasn't providing much to the lesson, while instead she picked the ones who were paying attention. It awarded their good behavior, and they were more likely to receive points for their house.

Nodding to Miss Heart as she said hello, Caroline smiled, choosing to address everyone, "Good morning, girls. I'll have this lesson up and running when more people get here." She sure sounded excited, but retained a level of calmness that wasn't unusual amongst the professors at Hogwarts. Making a mental note to introduce herself when everyone was settled, she stretched her arms over her head before crossing them again. Waiting.

This lesson was more for the older students, unfortunately. The younger years would be able to watch and take notes if they arrived, but not participate. They might not know the spell to protect themselves against a vampire, nor were they experianced enough for what she had planned. It would disappoint them, yes, but getting hurt would pain them more. No pun intended. And speak of the devil, here came Miss Thimble. "You aren't late, dont worry. I'm afraid you wont be able to participate in the demonstration though, I don't want you getting hurt." Besides that, she didn't want to get sued.[/color]

[Veata Bane]

Veata used her butt to push the classroom door open just after a small Gryffindor girl rushed in. V briefly wondered if she was late, but soon found as she turned to snake through the small gap that she had created that she didn't care. Lately, she had been rather pissed off with all the teachers here, their almighty attitudes and commanding personalities had left V in quite and angry state. Torn between showing them who was boss and keeping Slytherin up there for the House Cup, she had decided that the next teacher to give her the sly eye cause she was a Slytherin would find themselves with the strangest need to dance. And not stop.

Smiling to herself about the incident with Ivan late last term, Veata slid into a seat at the back, concealed nicely in the shadows, and began to unpack things from her bag. Silently she hoped that Narcissus was taking Defense Against the Dark Arts, he would certainly be a fun target to practice on. And if that weren't allowed here, then she would make it happen anyway. As she had nearly stated in Dragonology a few days ago, rules are made to be broken.

Glancing up to the board as she slipped an long feathered quill from her bag, V's smile simply grew. Well, Vampires seemed like a lovely topic to reek havoc with, didn't they?[/font]

[Girty Hubbles]

Girty ran down the corridor and skidded to a halt at the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom door. Her heart was pounding, she didn’t know what to expect – then again it was DADA, so she could really…

Kicking open the door Girty marched in and stared around at the other people in the room, testosterone pounding through her veins for some unknown reason (Might have something to do with the size of the moon). The skinny, blonde professor was sat at her desk, grinning at her own penmanship on the board. Girty glanced at it enthusiastically for a moment before frowning. ‘Wait, but we did this last term with Starsmore, didn’t we? Remember, that vampire Cef – Ced – Cedeus? Cepheus!?’ She looked around at everyone’s blank faces. ‘Oh come on – he ate the Black sisters!’ Girty said irritiably.

Glowering intensely Girty shuffled over to an empty desk and threw herself down, already bored beyond belief. There was nothing this professor could do that could possibly compare to Starsmore.

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie nodded. "Alright." She didn't think she was ready to do any really practical yet any way. But she wanted to learn.

[croll]

Smiling to Miss Bane as she entered, Caroline drummed her fingers against the desk, waiting still. Surprised as a Hufflepuff burst into the room, she narrowed her eyes. "How nice of you to join us." If only she had entered in the same manner as the Slytherin girls. First impressions were everything with this professor, she would do well to remember that. Just because Professor Hubbles praised Hufflepuffs above all else, didn't mean she was about to treat them higher than any other student.

"Allow me to remind you, Miss Hubbles, that there was a vampire attack before the holidays." The professor answered smoothly, locking her eyes with the girl, "Not only that, but there are many more new students this year to protect, who haven't taken that lesson. But if you already have the know-how, theres no need for you to participate." So she could go, if she wished. Caroline much rather preferred her leaving, instead of having her here to put a downer on everyone's moods. Arching an eyebrow at the glare sent her way, she shrugged her shoulders, giving the old whatever. Starsmore wasn't here, she was.

"Dont worry, Miss Thimble. You can be the first volunteer next lesson, okay?" She made sure to be fair, knowing how hard it can be for the younger years. Always getting picked on. Caroline would be picking volunteers soon. One of the olders students, except for Girty. Her behavior wasn't the best at the moment, whether it be her time of the month or something else. She really didn't want to bother her. Placing a gentle hand on the Gryffindor's shoulder, she smiled, gesturing back to her seat.

Well, this should be interesting. A class only of girls? How revolutionary. Croll thought with a small smile, deciding to begin the lesson soon. "My name is Professor Caroline Croll, and I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." She introduced herself confidently, looking around the assembled students but focusing mostly on the Slytherin's. "Can anybody tell me what they know about vampires?" This one was for points.[/color]

[Veata Bane]

Veata slid her wand out of her pocket as she watched the professor, listening, waiting for the first thing that would suggest she thought she was better than her students. But she did nothing but treat them as equals. Slightly upset she wouldn't be able to act out, but happy they had a good teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts, she raised her hand briefly before speaking, not waiting to be acknowledged.

"Vampires drink blood, most oftenly human, but it can be the blood of an animal if that is necessary." Veata flicked her wand in her hand, glancing up at the handwritten Vampires across the board, remembering what she could about the beasts. "Garlic is known to work against them, though how to use it against them varies. Most scholars agree that stuffing it in their mouths burns them, but this works only when they cannot remove it. Other methods such as a wooden stake through the heart or decapitation work as well. Vampires hate light, but the way it affects them depends on the vampire. Some cannot be touched by light at all, and others can stay in the light for periods of time without being bothered too much."

V smiled at her perfect answer, knowing that this would earn Slytherin some well deserved points. Erys would be proud, she was raising them ever higher toward the perfect victory that Slytherin deserved.[/font]

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie raised her hand. "They are immoral. They are weaker in sun light. But the older the they are the less weaker they become. They can do more normal things if they're when they are older instead of younger."
She couldn't do any thing practical but she could quote the text book.

[croll]

Surprised but delighted to see that a Slytherin girl was giving information - the fact that it was correct helped mightily - Caroline nodded her head, smiling appraisingly. "Very good Miss Bane. More easier methods of protection against a vampire would be your wand instead of a stake, but you are correct. There are a few spells you can use, especially if your opponent is a half vampire who still has the use of some magic. Seven points for Slytherin."

Seeing Sarie's hand rise, she nodded gladly, silently urging her to speak. "There are debates whether a vampire can live forever since no one has documented it, but they do live an extremely long time." No witch or wizard lived long enough, unless using dark or intricate means. "There are also arguments whether a vampire is the strongest after their transformation, or when they mature. Afterall, they gain experiance. Does anybody disagree with this, or having anything to add?" Remembering Sarie, she added, "Five points for Gryffindor." Waiting for a few more answers before pausing the question session, Caroline drew her wand out, pointing it at the board. The information given by the pair was written out as a list, with various titles such as weaknesses, eating habits, and strengths.

"They are very pale, and thin. Their eyes often turn red at the smell of blood, and by then its possible for them to be overcome by bloodlust if they are still new to being a vampire. Even experianced ones might be unable to resist it. They are very dangerous during this time, going on rampages and attacking small villages. This doesn't happen much now, but its best to be prepared." Looking around, hoping more people would provide some essence to the lesson, Caroline waited patiently, deciding to write out the latest sentence on the board under the title appearance.[/color]

[Alexis Heart]

Alexis raised her hand to ask a question she had heard this about vampires before but wondered if it were actually true. 'Professor I was wondering, well is it true that some vampires are able to shape shift? I always wondered if this was the truth of just some sort of myth created for the masses.'

The thought of those creatures walking around being able to change their appearance at will was actually kind of scary. There could be one sitting right next to you and you may not even know it. That perhaps was one of the scariest things in Alexis' mind about them. They could walk amongst humans just as easily you please and one may never know. Give them the added power of shape shifting and they might be considered by some to be unstoppable.

[vicky]

Late late late, she must be late by now, but still she held back, always she was pretty nervous about attending a new lesson and today was no exception, though it was a new teacher and not an entirely new lesson Vicky still wanted to be prepared. So she'd scooted straight back up to the Ravenclaw tower to gather the necessary equipment that she would doubtlessly need. A few wrong answers and ghostly troubles later she was have to literally run down the corridor, to the hoots and howls of laughter from a few oddballs who thought it funny to skip lessons and fail their education completely.

Breathing heavier than normal she rapped sharply upon the door, smoothing her clothes before entering. As soon as the teacher looked her way and she could interject without spoiling the flow completely she explained "I'm terribly sorry I'm late, I had to go get my equipment as all my parchment had been spoiled from a spillage earlier," which was the entire truth naturally, as Vicky very rarely lied. Then she noticed the piles of spare parchment dotted about and her heart sank, maybe she should have just borrowed some, was pride at fault for that or had she simply not thought of it? Quickly taking a seat next to her fellow Ravenclaw Vicky smiled warily at the Professor hoping against hope that she wouldn't come down like a ton of bricks upon her, or worse take points.

Absorbing what was happening within the classroom Vicky withdrew her new parchment and instantly began scribbling down her invaluable notes that she took each and every lesson. Only such a method slowed her answering questions, but it was a method that worked well for her so she'd stick with it.