First Years, Lesson Four

Gabrielle had let her students know to dress more casually for this lesson - muggle clothes if they had them, or at least no robes. She was a little hesitant about taking such young students on a field trip, especially into the muggle world, but given the amount of lecturing they'd been subjected to this semester she figured they deserved a break. She knew she needed a break from the classroom as much as any of them. "I'm sure you're all clever enough to have figured out we're going on a trip today. Even I get sick of lecturing. So, since you can't apparate as yet, we need a way to get out of the school. Can anyone tell me what this might be?" she asked, gesturing to her sphynx statuette and nodding when a student gave the correct answer. "That's right, a portkey. If you've never taken one before, I'm so sorry, hope you haven't eaten recently. We're going to Te Papa Tongarewa, the museum of Aotearoa. It's in Wellington, and yes, it's a muggle museum. I expect you all to be on your best behaviour and blend in. No magic discussion until we're safely back. You must keep your wands away." Gabrielle was stern, but it wasn't out of malice. She did just want the trip to be a safe one. "And do not, under any circumstance, wander out of my sight once we arrive." She gave a very pointed look to a certain Hufflepuff boy at that comment. Surely the son of the Minister would know well enough to obey the rules when it came to protecting magical secrecy.

"But you've been working hard this semester, and you deserve a break that I can at least write off as vaguely educational. You might hopefully learn a little more about this country, but at the very least you'll be getting out of the castle for a couple of hours." Gabrielle smirked, gesturing to the students to gather around. "Alright, I want you all to make sure you're touching the portkey, get at least a fingertip on it, and brace yourselves. Do not move your hand from it until we land. You'll need to wait for my okay to move once we land. Stick together." Within a couple of moments, once they were all ready, they were sucked through space and ended up in a clear spot nearby to the museum but private enough that they were not easily spotted. Which had been hard to find, but she'd looked around for a while to manage it. Gabrielle gave them a few moments to recover, especially the students who had never used a portkey before. Once they were ready to go, she made sure they were all together and led them through the museum. She thought better of letting them go off on their own while they were still only eleven and twelve and instead they went through as a tour group of sorts, letting the students stop to play with some of the interactive exhibits, marvel at the dinosaurs and megafauna, and making a point of stopping at the giant squid. They stopped to have some water and sit around in the harbour for a little while, enjoying the sunshine, before it was time to return to the school. Gabrielle hoped that the students could all at least find something interesting about the day out, even if it was just that they'd gotten the opportunity to go somewhere else and not worry about studying for a bit. She did probably bring the mood down in dismissing them reminding them to make sure they were studying, but it was her job, she supposed. What was a history professor if not a complete killjoy? At least she was a step up from Binns.

Homework
RP the lesson. The site for the museum is here: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/
First poster to answer the question can get a bonus point.

 

[Henri Fontaine]

Henri had not been interested in going to class, but when Apolline had found him, he knew he didn’t have a choice. She had dragged him back to his common room and then forced him in to put on his uniform. He knew she’d send someone after him if he took too long in getting ready, so he had been quick about it, throwing on the first uniform that he could grab and then heading back out to her. She had dragged him to class and waited till he was inside before leaving. He rolled his eyes at her, the moment she was gone.

Henri had been dragged to class by Apolline, but he hadn’t remembered that they were supposed to dress in muggle clothes. He just had to leave his robe at the school then. He took the portkey when they were supposed to, eager to go to the museum, since he liked not having to be in class when it didn’t interest him, and it was a museum he knew well. He broke off immediately when they got to the place, visiting all of his favourites. Spending every once of time with them, and then heading back to the class at the last possible moment. He certainly hadn’t learnt anything new but he had had fun.

 

[Angelo Dela Cruz]

Angelo had been curious when Miss Moncrieffe told them to dress in casual clothes. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he wore a comfortable pair of jeans and a simple shirt, his trusty sneakers ready for whatever this mysterious field trip would involve. As he joined the group, he noticed the unusual sphynx statuette on display and listened closely to her explanation. A portkey? Angelo had never heard of one before. His eyebrows raised at the warning about nausea but felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. When the teacher gestured for the students to gather around and place a hand on the portkey, Angelo hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out. The moment the portkey activated, Angelo felt like he was being yanked forward by an invisible hook behind his navel. His stomach flipped, and his feet seemed to leave the ground entirely. The world around him spun in a blur of color, and he clung to the portkey for dear life. When they landed with a thud, Angelo stumbled and lost his balance, his face pale as he dry heaved on the ground. "What was that?" he gasped out, clutching the grass underneath him. Wait what? Grass?! They were out of school! His stomach eventually settled and he hoped to avoid using that porter whenever he could. Angelo's awe grew as they entered the muggle museum. He'd never been to one as big as this. He was immediately captivated by the interactive exhibits, giant skeletons, and towering dinosaurs. It felt strange but thrilling to be among muggles who had no idea magic existed, he'd been like that just a little while ago. Life was different now.​

 

[Daisuke Kaster]

Daisuke wasn't exactly sure how to feel about today's class. After the professor told them to dress casually, he was already apprehensive. He wasn't used as used to being out in the muggle world as his mum was, but he was at least familiar. What he was most apprehensive about however was the fact that Hachiro would totally see this as an opportunity. He'd managed to escape his twin so far since the professor had made sure to seat them as far away from each other within the classroom. "A portkey?" he said hesitantly once called to answer. At the mention of keeping wands tucked away and avoiding magic discussions, Daisuke nodded earnestly. Being in the muggle world wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, but he was constantly worried about slipping up. As everyone gathered around the portkey, Daisuke made sure to secure a spot, touching the statuette with his fingertips and bracing himself as instructed. The sudden jerk behind his navel was disorienting, and when they landed, he stumbled slightly but managed to steady himself without too much embarrassment. Inside Te Papa Tongarewa, Daisuke felt his apprehension slowly melt away. The museum was enormous, with exhibits and displays that felt larger than life. He tentatively engaged with one of the exhibits about earthquakes, pressing buttons and watching lights and sounds simulate seismic activity. It was surprisingly fun, and he found himself smiling despite his earlier nerves. The only damper was when Hachiro had found him and proceeded to cling to him like a leech for the rest of the trip.​