Prejudice

[Arithmos Manteia]

It was one week to the day before the beginning of the new school year. It would be a day of reckoning, but also Professor Manteia hoped, one of awakening for the two students that had been summoned before him. The Great Hall with its high, vaulted ceiling would serve as their classroom; the myriad of textbooks, newspaper articles, letters and journal entries from the library's archives scattered over the tables would be their course material; and he would serve as their taskmaster.

Professor Manteia's gaze fell to the wall behind Headmistress Barker's chair where the two children had foolishly spread their words of hate. His eyes lingered for a moment on the cold stone and solidified his decision that this was the right location for them to confront the matter. The Great Hall was a place where the houses came together to eat, to be tested, and ultimately, to celebrate their similarities and differences. It was where Professor Manteia wished to see Slytherin's students achieve greatness and have their colors fly, but these two members of his house were not ready yet and would not be until they could overcome their ignorance of what power in the modern world required.

Prejudice, in all of its forms, was like a chain forged by ignorance, a chain that had ensnared the two Slytherin girls and would prevent them from achieving the greatness they were capable of. Professor Manteia was determined to do everything in his power to help Athene and Bellatrix break these chains, but had resigned to cast them aside like dead weight if they refused to do so. Professor Manteia glanced at his watch, the golden serpent arms moving precisely over the blackened face. It was time... <i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

Bellatrix arrived promptly and with a harsh stride, stormed into the Great Hall, throwing back the great double oak doors with a loud bang. She kept her cold harsh eyes trained on Manteia as she continued her fast angry pace directly to him. Stopping a few feet away, she then looked at him directly in the eyes, making her blackened eyes seem like daggers. She did not say anything but waited for the Head of House to begin this way of torture.

 

[Athene Perthro]

Athene stood outside, looking up at the Great Hall doors for a full minute before laying her hands on them. She had watched from afar as Bellatrix had entered, confidently and quickly, and had been intending to do the same. Now that she was here, however, it didn't seem so easy.

What would they have to do? What kind of punishment would they have to undergo, that would take a whole week? She could imagine herself locked in the dungeons, shackled to the wall, with only her screams for company. She shuddered, remembering the horrible experience Loki had put them through over the Summer holidays. It had to be better than that, right?

She put all her weight against on of the doors, and it pushed open enough to let herself through. It wasn't a dramatic entrance like Bella's, and she slunk into the Great Hall as though she were a house elf - silently, like a shadow, with her head hung low. She stopped at the foot of the tables, and she could see Bella and Manteia at the other end. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat and began to walk towards them.<i></i>

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

Professor Manteia stood stone-faced as Bellatrix burst into the room and stormed toward him. It appeared as though a summer away from the school had not changed her demeanor. It was regrettable that they had to spend so much time at odds to each other, her raging against authority and him trying in vain to help her develop some common sense and mastery of her emotions.

As Professor Manteia was readying to address Bellatrix the doors to the Great Hall opened again and Athene entered, stopping tentatively at the the far end of table. The contrast between the two was unmistakable and he wondered how different their response to the task before them would be. Time would tell, he supposed.

"Welcome back ladies. I am pleased to see that you have both chosen to accept the consequences for your actions before the break and have returned as requested. I was unsure whether you valued the opportunities that the school provides sufficiently to do so.", Professor Manteia opened with quiet resolve. "Please, have a seat and I can explain more completely what my expectations are for the next few days.", he stated with authority as he gestured to the bench at the table before them. <i></i>

 

[Athene Perthro]

Athene tried to smile at Bella as she sat down, but it was weak and feeble. She quickly looked down at her hands, and bit her lower lip. Her hair was plaited into two braids on either side of her head, and hung over her shoulders. She toyed with one of them in the fingers on her left hand, curling the end.<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

Bellatrix did not sit, for she did not want to submit to Manteia's orders, not yet at least.

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

Professor Manteia took a seat opposite Athene and Bellatrix, noting that the older of the two refused to sit despite having been asked politely to do so. He thought about forcing his will upon her and binding her to the bench, but knew that it was her choices from this point on that would determine her fate. If she chose to try standing for the entire day then it would be she who would suffer the torturous physical pain of the lactic acid building up within her postural muscles, essentially burning her from the inside out until the fatigue became so overwhelming that she would be compelled to sit or collapse. The thought of this occurring almost brought a smile to his face.

Professor Manteia glanced from one girl to the other to ensure that he had their attention. "As I indicated before break, the two of you will be required to complete a series of lessons on prejudice before you will be able to resume your studies here at Hogwarts New Zealand. The focus of today's lesson will be on arriving at a shared definition of the term prejudice itself. Once the three of us have come to agreement on what it means, then we will be able to proceed to more focused discussions." Professor Manteia paused to gauge their response to his opening remarks, the silence of the Great Hall was deafening.

"My expectations of you are simple. Speak respectfully at all times, act respectfully at all times, and treat the subject matter we are to discuss respectfully at all times. Failing to do so will result in you and all of your belonging being removed immediately and permanently from the premises. There will be no second chances to complete this course, so please think carefully before you speak or act. I believe that if you follow these rules that you have a great opportunity this week to move forward in your understanding of both yourself and the world around us. One of the great muggle minds of recent history, a scientist named Albert Einstein, once said In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. It is in the middle where we will begin."

With a flourish of his wand, a piece of parchment and writing supplies appeared on the table in front of each girl. The instructions for their first task was written in his own precise writing across the top of each sheet.<i></i>

Write one paragraph that clearly provides your definition of the term "Prejudice".  Please ensure that you include an example that illustrates your understanding of the term.  You may use any of the resources provided to assist you in this task.<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

Bellatrix begrudgingly sat down and began to write, in her harsh slanted script.

Write one paragraph that clearly provides your definition of the term "Prejudice". Please ensure that you include an example that illustrates your understanding of the term. You may use any of the resources provided to assist you in this task.

Prejudice - the dislike of lesser creatures. I believe that being prejudice as many call it is not wrong. For when being prejudice you are only voicing your opinion against something or someone you do not agree with or believe in. This is a free world, thus I think that we should be able to voice our opinions, no matter how harsh they are. All can voice their opinions, and should not be ostracized for what they believe in. Many mud bloods, and blood traitors voiced their opinion against the Dark Lord and his followers, yet when people from the other side such as my self, voice our own opinion you end up in a place of a detention. Thus in conclusion prejudices is not wrong, and only expressing your self freely. 

 

[Athene Perthro]

Athene watched as Bella turned away and began to write, but didn't make a move to write herself. She looked at Manteia and stopped toying with her hair. "Sir," she said, not impolitely. "It says we may use provided resources, but I see none. May I go to the library-" She paused. "Please?"<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

Bellatrix cackled sharply, once. "He won't let you go." she said not looking up from her paper. "He means the writing utensils and his, all knowledgeable mind as a resource...nothing literal...or worth our time. He wants you to 'think on what you have done'" she said mocking him in a sharp tone. "Just sit and write the effing paper."

 

[Athene Perthro]

"So, our example doesn't have to be a direct quote from history, then?" Athene asked, frowning hard. She had no idea what example she might use. Her fathers lectures on Mudbloods? Her Uncles way of handling impurity? She sat and thought in silence.
<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Athene, I know your family, you shouldn't have a hard time with this...not at all!" Bellatrix said sharply to her friend, rather annoyed at this girls actual want to attempt this punishment. Bellatrix was there for one thing. To stay at Hogwarts. She was determined to keep her old mind set, and not break down to Manteia. She then slid the 'finished' parchment over to Manteia awaiting to see if he would give any response.

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

the myriad of textbooks, newspaper articles, letters and journal entries from the library's archives scattered over the tables would be their course material<i></i>

[Out of character - I had included this in my first post, basically hoping that you would RP looking through them and use whatever you "discovered" amongst the resources as you saw fit. My apologies if that wasn't obvious.]

 

[Bellatrix Green]

ooc: I am surprised Manteia staid quite for all Bellatrix's bickering.

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

Professor Manteia remained silent as the two girls squabbled, evidently oblivious to the vast amount of resources that he had provided for them. He was beginning to wonder how the Sorting Hat could have forecast greatness and power for either of the two, although the Perthro girl was perhaps a victim of nerves at the moment. He began to read Bellatrix's initial ramblings and was disheartened by her failure to grasp the task at hand.</FONT><i></i>

Prejudice - the dislike of lesser creatures. I believe that being prejudice as many call it is not wrong. For when being prejudice you are only voicing your opinion against something or someone you do not agree with or believe in. This is a free world, thus I think that we should be able to voice our opinions, no matter how harsh they are. All can voice their opinions, and should not be ostracized for what they believe in. Many mud bloods, and blood traitors voiced their opinion against the Dark Lord and his followers, yet when people from the other side such as my self, voice our own opinion you end up in a place of a detention. Thus in conclusion prejudices is not wrong, and only expressing your self freely. 

You are correct that it is a free world, but it is free for those who do not violate society's laws or accepted practices.  If you are to have an opinion or act in a manner that is contrary to those accepted by wider society than it is incumbent upon you to be more knowledgable than those whom with you disagree.  This ignorance is where your difficulties begin and if you continue to act this way than it is right for you to be ostracized by society because you are unworthy of being a part of it. 

Prejudice is not a dislike of lesser creatures, rather it is an opinion or judgment formed without due examination, just grounds, or before acquiring sufficient knowledge.  I have never suggested that you should not have an opinion, but it is beneath a Slytherin to offer a misinformed or ignorant one.  By definition, all prejudices are inherently ignorant which is something that I do not wish you to be.

<FONT font="Times">Professor Manteia slid the parchment with his comments written on them back to Bellatrix. He wondered how she might respond.<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

A sneer etched across Bellatrix's stone face when she saw the first three words, 'you are correct'. Though when continuing on this sneer slowly began to fade. "You don't wish me to be ignorant...." she said slowly actually thinking on what Manteia had said. "I am more knowledgeable than any of those mudbloods about true blood history of our kind. What is there to examine about mudblood background, other than their filthy parents chose the wrong thing?!" Bellatrix snapped both confused and annoyed at what Manteia had said. Clearly still not getting the point.

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

Professor Manteia was impressed by Bellatrix grasping perhaps the most important words that he had written, those about not wanting her to be ignorant. He was pleased to see that she also started by speaking slowly and calmly, despite his harsh criticism. Perhaps this was progress, he wondered prematurely. Bellatrix's next words were delivered in a tone that was perilously close to disrespect and she would need to gather her composure if she was to remain at the school. He attempted to model control for her in his reply, taking a short pause and speaking with a low and careful precision to his words.

"I do not challenge your knowledge or understanding of blood history, but being an expert in one area often leaves you with more information than judgment.", he replied as he deftly selected an ancient looking book titled simply, The Art of War.

"This text is a translation of the earliest and most revered military treatise ever written. The original is approximately 2500 years old and is credited to Sun Tzu, a military advisor who provided his King with an unprecedented string of military victories based upon simple principles. The most famous of these is that If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. Knowing only yourself and making assumptions about those you perceive as adversaries is a weakness, one that will be exposed by an enemy regardless of their blood status. Is this what you wish?"

Professor Manteia's gaze turned to Athene who was still sitting there looking confused. "You may use any of the materials here or personal experience to support your definition Miss Perthro, but you will not leave until you have completed the task."<i></i>

 

[Athene Perthro]

Write one paragraph that clearly provides your definition of the term "Prejudice".  Please ensure that you include an example that illustrates your understanding of the term.  You may use any of the resources provided to assist you in this task.<i></i>


To be prejudice is to have an opinion on something without taking the time to find out more about it. For example, one might be prejudice in saying that they hate Mudbloods Muggle Borns without any reason. Stereotyping people and judging them on anything other than their personality can be seen as prejudice. Opinions of people should be based on facts and knowledge, rather than blood status, looks, gender, house or any other factor that doesn't influence their personality.

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Athene bit her lip as she handed it to Manetia. She didn't exactly believe in what she had written, but she thought at least that her answer was relatively close to what Maneteia wanted to hear. She was keen to finish.<i></i>

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

Professor Manteia took the parchment that Athen offered him and scanned it. It was simple and to the point, but it appeared that the girl was at least smart enough to play the game.

"Alright Miss Perthro, you are free to go for the day. Please take at least one book or newspaper article from those on the table before you. Tomorrow, you will be required to make a short presentation to Miss Green and I on one historical incident of racism or religious persecution that you have learned about. It need not be long, but it should provide information and insight from the perspective of both groups involved." Professor Manteia stated firmly as he gestured to the table before them.

Professor Manteia looked somewhat gratified in the progress made so far, but would not offer these two girls an easy path to redemption. They would need to challenge the way they thought about the world if they were to grow into the witches that they were capable of becoming and ultimately, he knew that he could not judge this day by the harvest he reaped, but instead would need to take stock in the seeds he had planted.<i></i>

 

[Athene Perthro]

"Thank you, Sir," said Athene, standing up. She took the first book that came to hand and turned away. Her feet echoed loudly in the great hall as they hit the floor, and the door sounded as she pulled it open. She looked back, hoping that Bella would have the common sense not to get herself in more trouble, before disappearing into the Entrance Hall, shutting the door behind her.<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

Bellatrix listened to Manteia's words, absorbing them. "Interesting..." she murmured softly hoping Manteia didn't actually see her being 'respectful' to some sense to him, and interested in what he had to say. Though upon seeing Athene released she looked at him with a sudden sharp annoyed look. "Am I not allowed to leave after I did your stupid punishment?!" she snapped.

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

Professor Manteia glared at Bellatrix for several moments before responding. "You will leave when you have completed the task at hand to my satisfaction and learned to speak to me more respectfully.", he replied coldly. "You have not demonstrated an adequate understanding of the meaning of prejudice as yet and your failure to realize that learning is never stupid nor a punishment is regrettable. Perhaps you would be smart to observe how Miss Perthro is conducting herself if you feel that I am not treating you equitably. Would you like to try again at offering a definition of what Prejudice is?"<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

"So by wanting me to follow Mrs. Perthro's example, you want me to lie once more?" she snapped mimicking his tone.

 

[Arithmos Manteia]

Professor Manteia took a deep breath before responding. "I had hoped that you would have learned by now that I expect the truth and to be spoken to with respect. What I wished for you to observe about Miss Perthro's behavior is that she has not treated us being here together as a punishment, rather she has listened and indicated through her words and actions that she is willing to attempt the tasks put before her without complaint and at least entertain the idea that she might benefit from doing so."

Professor Manteia rose from his chair and stood, looking down upon the girl from his impressive height. "If you do not wish to learn, then no one can teach you and you are destined to be nothing more than you already are. If this is the case, then please feel free to leave and never return. If, however, you decide that you wish to remain here at school then you will return tomorrow with a short presentation similar to the one I requested of Miss Perthro." Professor Manteia began to walk away, he would not endure any more of the girl's snapping. As he reached the door, he stopped. "I do hope to see you tomorrow.", he stated sincerely as he left Bellatrix alone in the Great Hall with numerous resources about prejudice to choose from.<i></i>

 

[Bellatrix Green]

Bellatrix sat there. Motionless, struck by Manteia's remarks. She was both shocked that he wanted her return, but also that he had implied that she could, or might as well, should leave. She at there, for at least an hour, in silence, then she slowly reached up. Not changing her gaze to look, but felt around, fining a leather bound book. One of Manteia's resources. And without hesitation began to read...them all.