First Years, Lesson One

Noel sat down behind his desk, one that once had been from the person who had teached him this subject. But now it was his. As he had made things all ready to start he watched around the classroom, still empty seats who would be soon filled with first years. But as he heard some voices outside of the classroom he opened the door with an movement with his hand. And saw the classroom filling with students, the youngest ones. He went standing up and welcomed them with an friendly smile. Making sure he had an good look of the different faces. Who he would be teaching the upcoming four years. Some seemed excited, others less. But if there was one subject that they could get excited about it was this. And one that was very important. It had been Noel’s favorite back when he was an student here too. So he was excited to bring that to his students.

As he waited for everyone to sat down, and it seemed like everyone was inside he closed the door with an simple wave of his wand. And let his friendly brown eyes scan the room through the room. " Welcome first years, to Defence Against the Dark Arts.'' he than started, speaking loud and clear. '' My name is Noel Waldgrave, and I will be your professor for this class, for the next four years.'' He than paused for an moment and continued with an smile. '' You can address me as Noel or Professor Waldgrave. Choose what you are comfortable with.'' He than directly made clear. He had no problem with students using his first name, it was more personal and he wanted to be someone that students could turn to and build up an relationship. Since they would have to continue for an long time with eachother. As he noticed he got the attention, he continued. Looking an bit more strict and making sure this was clear. " I want you to remember well, that this is an subject which you should not be taken lightly. I will not tolerate any fooling around in this class. In this world, the dark arts are mostly used to cause harm to others, so I want you to pay attention to everything you are taught.'' He than paused to let that sink in. "If you won’t follow this and fail to do so, you will find yourself in this classroom writing lines until the messenge is very clear.'' He than looked around to see if there was anyone who would want to try that out.

With an flick of his wand the rules appeared behind him on the blackboard and he went standing aside so they could read them for themselves. If it was necessary he would remember them to it. But he was sure they would have an great time together. Being strict was necessary in this important parts. But he would do his best to make sure the lessons were enjoyable too. As he had given some time to read them over he than let the rules disappear. And walked through the classroom. '' Now, who can give me a brief description of the Dark Arts?'' he than asked and looked at people raising their hands. And would see who would have done some reading before the year would begin. He than pointed at an student and smiled and gave an approving nod as they answered the question right. '' That’s right. Good job.'' He said with an smile. And walked back to the front of the class. '' We will spend the majority of this semester on theory as it will prove useful for your future studies.'' He than said, and figured it was perhaps not what the eager first years were wanting to hear. But you needed to know the basics before moving on. And some seemed to understand that better than others in the room. " But don’t worry, we will also practice wandwork this semester.'' He than added, and seeing some smile and sighing out of relief. He than sat down at his desk and continued. '' We will practice curses, hexes, jinxes and counter-spells for each of these as you advance through the years.'' Noel would tell them what they could expect. '' Magic is something beautiful. But not all magic is good and not all magic is used to do good in this world unfortunately... Therefore it’s very important to learn how to defend yourself from it. It is a fundamental part of any witch or wizards education.'' He than spoke, and felt confident about how it went so far. He would not want to talk too fast, for the people who took notes.

He than went standing again and would finish his talk. '' To succeed in my class. I recommend that you turn in your assignments on time, and participate in the exercices. Put in some serious effort and that will be noticed.'' Noel than wanted to motivated his students. And watched different faces. He than looked at the time and figured it was well timed. ''We have twenty minutes left. For homework I want you to write down one question that you may have about this class, within reason. I will do my best to answer them. When you are done with this, you can turn it in on my desk and you may leave.'' When he finished he walked back to his desk and sat down on the chair.

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- Please review the DADA Class Policy for first through fourth years.
- Roleplay the lesson and do the homework assignment for extra credit. I will do my best to answer your character's question before the next class!
- The first student to give a somewhat accurate description of the Dark Arts will also receive extra credit!

 

[Christa Langley]

Christa slowly entered the classroom, clutching her new scrapbook she'd made to her chest. She was going to write everything she could into it, everything she learned about spells and the magical world in general - because she was making it for Sabrina. She was terribly excited. It was a labour of love, filled with bits of parchment she'd salvaged, taped in diagrams she'd drawn of wands, and an even a page dedicated to "Spells I Hope to Learn." Her heart thudded in her chest as she glanced around at the other students, some chatting excitedly, others nervously. This was it - her first real magic lesson. She took deep breaths as she slid into a seat near the front, carefully opening her scrapbook to a fresh page, she would have to write in both this scrapbook and a book to study out of. She wasn't yet used to calling the teachers Professor, but then, she wasn't particularly used to having teachers in general since she was mostly homeschooled until now. The moment Professor Waldgrave - or Noel? Can I really call him that?- started speaking, she focused intently, committing his words to memory.

When the rules appeared on the board, Christa diligently copied them down, murmuring softly to herself as she wrote: ​

• Pay attention to everything you are taught.​
• Do not fool around in class.​
• Respect the subject and its importance.​

He asked questions, but she refrained from answering anything because she didn't think she really understood anything enough to even try to start understanding the nuances of it all. She listened to the other students answering and she wrote those notes into her scrapbook, wondering if this would be at all helpful for Sabrina. She felt like it would be, like a "how to" survival guide for her when she arrived. She quickly jotted down his explanation about the curriculum, making sure to underline "wandwork" three times with little stars next to it. As he dismissed them to write their question for homework, Christa tapped her quill against her chin, deep in thought. After a moment, she began scribbling on a small piece of parchment:​

Mr Waldgrave,
How do witches and wizards defend themselves without wands if they're caught unprepared?​

It seemed the most pertinent question to ask because she was probably going to forget her wand she was pretty sure. As they were allowed to leave, she ripped the parchment out of the book and placed it on his desk eager to head out and tell talk to her roommates about the class they'd all just had.​

 

[Hachiro Kaster]

Chiro slouched into the classroom, muttering a sarcastic "What an exciting day to learn how not to die, am I right?" to no one in particular as he dropped into one of the seats at the back. He was annoyed this class wasn't with Daisy but he supposed it could have been worse. He made a show of pulling out his textbook and opening it to a random page. When Noel Waldgrave - Professor Waldgrave, as he made it a point to emphasise - began his speech, Hachiro folded his arms and leaned back, smirking faintly. When he began to welcome them to the class, Hachiro turned to Lincoln and whispered under his breath, "Bet we won't learn how to defend against essays, though." As the rules materialised on the blackboard, Hachiro scanned them quickly and let out a quiet, dramatic sigh. They were always the same rules and yet the professors always wanted to think they were the only ones with the rule. It was so dumb. He raised his hand when there was a question, though his smug expression suggested he wasn't planning to give the standard textbook answer so it probably made sense when he wasn't called to answer. When it came time to write a question for homework, Hachiro scribbled on his parchment:​

If the Dark Arts are so bad, why do we need to know how to use them in order to defend against them? Isn't that like saying you have to punch someone in the face to know how to block a punch? Asking for a friend.​

 

[Miles Flynn]

Miles bounced his way into his first class of the year, eager to see what Hogwarts was going to have in store for him. After years of begging his parents for information, he could finally find out everything for himself. And defence against the dark arts was one of the lessons he did have to say he was more looking forward to. "Mind if I sit here?" He asked someone, not waiting for a response as he threw himself into the empty seat, turning his attention towards the front of the classroom as Professor Waldgrave began the lesson. While he had been hoping for something interesting, it seemed as though this was just going to be an introduction. Which, he supposed, made sense. But that was still boring. At the question, however, he did raise his hand, a little surprised when he was actually picked to answer. "Oh, um," he was unprepared even though he knew what he wanted to say. He'd only raised his hand because he thought it would make him look good. "It's like, the study of how to protect yourself against dark magic and stuff? And, er, how to duel? Or something..." He was pretty sure that was a good enough answer, sinking back in his seat as his ears started to turn a little red. That was the last time he was raising his hand to answer a question.

The lesson was pretty boring, if he was being perfectly honest. He'd been hoping to at least learn some magic, but it appeared that was going to come later on. What was even worse was they were given homework. Who gave homework in the first ever lesson? Miles groaned, jotting it down all the same before gathering all his things together and leaving the classroom once they had been dismissed.

What's the most dangerous thing we learn how to defend ourselves from?

 

[Peregrine Piper]

Peregrine was keen to start lessons, especially for Defence Against the Dark Arts. She knew she had to wait a couple of years for Care of Magical Creatures, but she was sure she could find enjoyment in her studies in the meantime. She took a seat in the classroom and set out her nice new stationery, a gift from her uncle. It was perhaps a little bit cheeky to have her own self-inking quill but Peregrine certainly wasn't about to complain. She felt like it would be a bit rude to call the professor by his first name so she would stick to Professor Waldgrave, she thought. He seemed a little strict, but that was for the best since it was a dangerous subject. Peregrine wasn't too worried, as long as she paid attention and listened to instructions she knew she'd be totally fine. Peregrine was a sensible sort of girl, even with her adoration of the terrifying. She noted down the homework and thought of a question to ask, not wanting to ask anything too silly and waste Professor Waldgrave's time.

Hi Professor, I was just wanting to know if the spells we learn in this class help in case we come up against something like a dragon? Thank you!

 

[Finley Mackintosh Baros]

Finley practically bounded into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, his bright hazel eyes scanning every inch of the room with awe. As Professor Waldgrave welcomed the class and introduced the subject, Finley couldn't help but lean forward, his energy barely contained. The moment the professor asked for a definition of the Dark Arts, Finley's hand shot into the air like a firework. He wasn't called, but that was okay and he just continued to listen to the lecture. He had a lot of enthusiasm, and that was probably one of the things that usually helped him with all of this. The dark arts were like, the really bad stuff, the curses and jinxes used to hurt people. It wasn't something he was too interested in learning about because he cared more about animals, but he'd get there in the end he was pretty sure. Later, as the class wound down, he scrawled his homework with bold strokes, and then dropped the parchment on the desk with a grin. He was already excited about what else he could do before his next class.
​

What’s the coolest counter-curse we’ll get to learn this year?​

 

[Lincoln Cade]

Lincoln had a fairly good idea of what to expect from Defence against the dark arts, his father had a long history of working in magical law enforcement and took a keen interest in the department when he had been deputy minister. When he walked into the classroom for his first lesson he was immediately disappointed, he couldn’t put his finger on it but there was something about Professor Waldgrave that felt off, the way he held himself, the way he talked about dark magic and the things he would be teaching them. It felt like he was reading prepared remarks he’d got from a textbook. He’d give the man the benefit of the doubt of course, he was his professor and he’d be learning from him for four years, but he didn’t feel confident in the knowledge the man was going to impart on him.

After a brief introduction of himself, mostly giving them permission to call him by his first name, which Lincoln would not be doing, they finally began to discuss the dangers of dark magic and why the content of their lessons would be so serious. Lincoln took a few notes but it was mostly Professor Waldgrave trying to scare them into not thinking defence against the dark arts was cool. At least thats how it came across. When it was time for him to ask a question he wrote it quickly on a piece of parchment and turned it in on his way out after packing up his bag.

What's the most dangerous thing or person you've encountered?

 

[Ryder Chase]

Ryder had been looking forward to defence against the dark as he had heard it was one of the coolest classes at Hogwarts, they would be learning about dark magic after all and what was cooler than that? Ryder made his way into the classroom, he walked past the professor and took his seat, waiting for the man to wow him as he began. He was a little underwhelmed at first because Professor Waldgrave (after introducing himself) spent a lot of time warning them about the dangers of the dark arts, emphasising how serious the lessons would be and that they shouldn’t take what they learned lightly. What a buzzkill.

One of his fellow Gryffindors answered the question on what the dark arts was and afterward Professor Waldgrave started listing the kind of things they would be learning, curses, hexes, jinxes and counter-spells, it sounded like a lot but he was looking forward to doing spell work in the classroom. Once the lesson was over he quickly wrote down a question and then made his way out of the classroom.

Does the ministry do anything to protect muggles from dark magic?

 

[Sage Misaki]

Sage wasn't sure what she thought about this school, its classes, but she was determined she was going to do well at this. She walked to class, also determined that she would keep to herself and stay out of the way. Thankfully this class didn't have any idiots in it- at least, none that were any more idiotic than your regular person. She took a seat in the back. She listened to the Professor, but didn't bother with notes or answering any questions. Sage decided against doing the homework and instead just left to head back to her dorm as they were dismissed.