Third Years, Lesson Two

Last week Percival had let the students come in, sit down, and take out all their belongings before starting the lesson, and this week was no different. He let the students settle before announcing, “Right everyone, stand up and gather around this portkey. Today, we're going to the South Pole! It's cold down there so I advice all of you to wear one of these suits to keep warm. They will be very large, but once you close them, they shrink to your size. Don't mind the smell, that's only because they haven't been washed since the last group wore them, and possibly even the group before that.” Percival said casually, his sense of humour evading some. He pulled one on as well, which seemed to expand rather than shrink to accommodate around his middle. There were suits in red, blue, green, and yellow. Students didn't have to choose their house colour, but he expected they probably would. “We are going to be visiting with the Lapp Shamans, one of the societies responsible for maintaining the magical flow of energy that enters the atmosphere,” Percival said as the students gathered around.

After everyone successfully used the portkey to travel to the icy cold polar desert, he gestured for everyone to stop talking. Some were more excited than others to be at the South Pole. "Right, shut up everyone. Does anyone know where magic stems from?” Percival asked, expecting the class to have been taught this previously. “The Sun,” a student answered. “Correct - er, I suppose you can have 2 points to your house. The sun sends out rays of magic, and these reach the earth, hanging in the atmosphere before slowly settling into the earth. When hit with the Aurora spell, the sky lights up because of an interaction of the magic from the sun with the upper atmosphere and the magic from the spell.”

A Lapp Shaman appeared nearby and waved Percival over. He beckoned the students to follow. They arrived over a small hill, and there were seats made of snow and ice forming a circle in the ground with backs that leaned farther back than most chairs normally would. The chairs were smaller than normal chairs, fit for the stature of the Lapp Shaman tribe. Percival barely fit in his seat.

“Now, the tradition of the Auroras is a very special one, and to see the spell cast so close is a rare privilege. Be respectful during the presentation or I'll leave you behind when it's time to return to the castle. I'm not even joking.” Percival's expression was serious when he spoke to the students while a group of Lapp Shaman began their ceremony of the Southern Aurora. The group was too far away to hear the words being spoken, and the darkness of the night hid most of the movements. Beautiful colours began to dance in the sky - green was always a very prominent colour, and on the lower edges of the curtain-like light were blue and purple. At certain times, it was easy to see red as well, although the colour was much rarer that night.

As time went on, Professor Zephyrmoon knew it was getting much later and the time to leave was approaching. He slowly stood and got the student’s attention to make their way back to the portkey. Once they had arrived at the castle, Percival collected the suits that had kept the students warm during their trip and sent them off to their dorms with no homework for the next week.

--
For full credit, RP the lesson.
First poster to answer the question will earn 2 house points.

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy tried hard not to think too much about the professor, or the suit, as he slipped one on for their visit to the South Pole. He held on tightly to the portkey and was in awe at what they saw on the other side. It was so interesting and cool watching the Lapp Shamanse light up the sky with beautiful colours. He didn't talk through the entire trip, then once they were back at the castle he headed to bed, still thinking about all the colours that he had seen.

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie walked into the astronomy classroom and took her spot in the room. She had taken out all of her books and notes just as the professor then told them they were going on a school trip. She put all of her things away and then put on the snow suit, feeling pretty excited about what this trip would bring. The teen then took the portkey with everyone else and was transported to the lesson location, which being the south pole was just incredible. She listened eagerly, watched eagerly, unable to help how amazing it was. She loved this. This magic which allowed her to witness these things. The hufflepuff was very disappointed when they returned to the school. Since she could’ve easily spent hours there.

 

[Enoch Goldewyn]

Enoch managed to get himself to the astronomy classroom, and took a seat in the room, he hadn’t started to take things out of his bag, and this was apparently the right thing to do, because the professor was soon telling them they’d be going on a field trip and that wouldn’t need him to write anything down. He took one of the snowsuits and put it on before taking a hold of the portkey. He wasn’t that interested in what they were learning. Mostly just lost in his own thoughts, staring up at the sky. He didn’t think this was really worth his time, though he didn’t think that of a lot of things these days. Eventually they were taken back to class and enoch was able to leave.

 

[Marley Owens-Lee]

Marley entered the astronomy classroom and took a seat in her usual spot. Just as she was taking out her things, the professor announced that they would be going on a field trip which made Marley excited for this lesson. She quickly put her things away and listened carefully to the professor's instructions. The Hufflepuff tried her best to ignore the smell of the suit as she put it on for their trip.

It wasn't long before they held onto the portkey and they were off. Marley made sure to bring her small notebook to keep note of everything the professor was saying. The Hufflepuff quickly put her hand up at the professor's question and smiled appreciatively when she was picked. "The Sun" Marley responds to the professor's question, glad that she had gotten the answer right and was able to get her house a couple of points. Marley continued listening to what the professor was saying, making sure to continue to write notes throughout their trip. The Hufflepuff was amazed at the presentation of the beautiful lights.

It wasn't long before the lesson and presentation had come to an end and they were headed back to the castle. While Marley was glad that there wasn't any homework, she was a little sad that the trip had to come to an end. Marley quickly packed up her things, and said a quick thanks and goodbye to the professor before heading to her dorm to head to sleep.

 

[Audrey Beauchamp]

Audrey wondered if Professor Zephyrmoon just had a weird enjoyment of toying with the students. If he did, that was kind of creepy in a way. At least it was a benign form of irritation, letting them sit down and get ready before telling them they wouldn't be sitting at their desks. Audrey would have to just not fully unpack next time, perhaps. She suspected he was joking about the suits - surely the school wouldn't allow the suits not to be cleaned - but still wrinkled her nose as she delicately put hers on over her uniform. She had picked a blue suit, which was probably the obvious choice but it was the colour she liked best of the four regardless of any sort of house pride. Even if she did look pretty good in red, if she said so herself.

Audrey had never loved the feeling of portkey travel, even if she was mostly used to it by now it still gave her that momentary feeling of queasiness. Professor Zephyrmoon seemed crankier than normal - perhaps it was the cold - but Audrey was too busy shuffling on the spot to warm herself up. She watched in awe as the sky lit up, though, impressed by the sight. She wondered why they did it, she knew sometimes the atmosphere meant the spell could be seen further and further away, as far north as Australia and for the northern lights, even in parts of England. It didn't seem to have an obvious purpose to Audrey beyond looking pretty and while that was worthwhile, she suspected it must have had some kind of spiritual purpose she just didn't really get. She felt almost hypnotised by the lights, combined with it being late she worried she might drift off in the cold, but thankfully managed to stay awake long enough to get back to the castle, out of the probably-not-that-gross suit, and off to bed.

 

[Millie Walden-Cade]

Millie struggled to see why they had to go on a field trip for Astronomy when in previous lessons of the subject professors had used a projection on the ceiling to display accurate displays of stars from different locations and times. Unhappily, Millie changed into a snowsuit and did her best to ignore the smell. She touched the portkey along with everyone else and was transported to the south pole. It was going to be cold and she was going to hate but Millie had little choice in the matter so she went along with it.

Once they landed at the pole they gathered round and listened to Professor Zephyrmoon as he explained what they were doing there and he gave them a stern warning not to be disrespectful during the presentation. Though she suspected he would get in a lot of trouble if he left a student behind in the south pole so she didn’t take his threat too seriously, not that she would do anything to cause trouble. Once the ceremony was over it was time to head back to the castle so Millie grabbed the portkey with the others and were transported back to the classroom where she grabbed her bag and left.

 

[Veronica Walden-Cade]

Veronica entered the classroom along with her classmates, preparing for another intriguing lesson with Professor Zephyrmoon. She settled into her seat and listened as the professor began explaining the day's adventure: a trip to the South Pole using a portkey. Veronica wasn’t sure she liked the idea of visiting the south pole or having to do so in unwashed snow suits, she reluctantly pulled one on in preparation for making the journey.

Once everyone was suited up and ready, they used the portkey and arrived at the icy South Pole. Veronica looked around in awe at the barren landscape, feeling a mix of excitement and cold. When Professor Zephyrmoon asked about the origin of magic, she vaguely recalled something about the sun and was pleased when another student answered correctly.

Following the professor and a Lapp Shaman, Veronica and her classmates were led to a seating area made of snow and ice. She found herself a seat that, while small, was surprisingly comfortable. Percival's warning to be respectful during the Aurora ceremony was duly noted, and Veronica eagerly awaited the spectacle.

As the Lapp Shaman began their ritual, Veronica gazed up at the sky, mesmerized by the dancing colours of the Southern Aurora. Green hues dominated the display, with hints of blue, purple, and occasional flashes of red. It was a breath-taking sight, and Veronica felt a sense of reverence for the ancient tradition unfolding before her.

When Percival signalled it was time to return, Veronica reluctantly tore her gaze away from the sky and followed her classmates back to the portkey. As they returned to Hogwarts, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the unique experience even if she wouldn’t be able to feel her hands for weeks.

 

[Dante Styx]

Dante Styx couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and skepticism as Professor Zephyrmoon announced their destination for today's lesson: the South Pole. It was certainly not what he expected from a Hogwarts class, but then again, this wasn't an ordinary school. As he stood up with the rest of the class and gathered around the portkey, Dante eyed the oversized, unwashed suits with a bit of hesitation. He wrinkled his nose, and put it on, and hoped that it wouldn't smell too bad. Once they arrived at the South Pole, Dante immediately felt the biting cold pierce through the fabric of his suit, despite its supposed magical insulation. He huddled closer to some classmates for warmth, listening intently as Professor Zephyrmoon began his lecture about magical energy and the Aurora spell. It was fascinating to hear about the connection between the sun's rays and the magic that illuminated the polar sky.

Following the professor and the Lapp Shaman to their ceremonial area, Dante took a seat on one of the icy chairs. He noticed Percival barely fitting into his seat, which elicited a quiet chuckle from Dante. The seriousness in Percival's voice when he warned them to be respectful during the Shaman's presentation made Dante straighten up, realizing the significance of witnessing such a rare magical phenomenon. As the Shamans began their ritual and the Aurora lights danced across the sky in vibrant hues of green, blue, purple, and occasionally red, Dante found himself spellbound. He liked the colors. He went back to the classroom once they were supposed to. Dante shed the suit gratefully, handing it back to Percival before heading back to the Slytherin dormitories.​