Third Years, Lesson Two

SECOND LESSON​

Today was an different lesson than usual. And the way the lesson was gonna be was something which he was curious to how that would turn out to be. Noel sat behind his desk and greeted the first students walking in with an friendly smile. He was usually confident about his qualities but today's subject to the third years, he wondered if he was the right person to do so. But it was something which was part of his job. The subject of werewolves was a tricky one and today's open discussion would no doubt make it even trickier. He could only hope that the third years would be respectful towards each other, though figured that if need be, he could always jump it and take control of the situation. Because respect was something which he thought of as very important. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to be strict. He waited for the last of the students to walk into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom before he closed the door behind him.

''Good morning, everyone. You may remember that I told you that we would be having an open discussion about today's subject in today's class.'' Noel than stood up and walked to the front of his desk, sitting on the edge. And made himself ready to start. ''By now, you should have read the chapter about werewolves. I'm looking forwards to your questions, so I hope that everyone came to class prepared. But before we get into the open respectfull discussion, there are a few things we need to review first.'' He waved his wand at the blackboard to make an image of a werewolf appear along with some notes on them. ''I want to begin by saying that werewolves are people, that they are witches and wizards just like you and me. While I hope that I shouldn't have to tell you this, some in the wizarding community do not recognise this fact.'' He paused.

WEREWOLVES

• Lycanthropy: a condition which causes the transformation of a person into a werewolf during the full moon​
• Lycanthrope: Official term for werewolf. One can be infected with lycanthropy when the saliva of a person in werewolf form enters the bloodstream of another​
• Applying a mixture of powdered silver and dittany to a werewolf bite can help prevent death, however, the person who is bitten will live on with lycanthropy​
• Wolfsbane Potion: Remedy, not a cure for lycanthropy. Contains wolfsbane as the main ingredient (also known as monkshood or aconite)​

Noel glanced behind him towards the blackboard. ''If you have read the chapter on werewolves then you will know by now that there is no cure for lycanthropy. There is a way to alleviate the worst symptoms of this affliction but is it rather expensive.'' He explained, giving them an moment to write along. ''The Wolfsbane Potion helps the werewolf to hold on to their mental faculties after a transformation, meaning that they get to keep their human consciousness while in their animal form. This potion is extremely difficult to brew, however, and needs to be taken for a week prior to the full moon. The combination of difficulty and expensiveness often makes it so that people afflicted with lycanthropy can't take this potion. If there are any aspiring potioneers among us, you'd do well to learn how to brew this particular potion.'' Noel looked around the classroom and could tell in an instant that some students were getting restless.

''Werewolves have been subject to prejudice at all levels of society. Over the years, those with this condition have been subject to Anti-Werewolf Legislation and discrimination in employment. Depending on the school, children with this condition have been prevented from pursuing a magical education. This occurs even today, unfortunately. Thankfully, the treatment of werewolves in the magical community has improved over the past half-century, and opportunities for this group have expanded.'' He took a deep breath. ''But it's not perfect, and depending on who you'd ask, not enough. I encourage all of you to become familiar with this subject, as it will make up a significant portion of your exam. As always, you can always go to the library or come to me for recommendations for further reading on werewolves.'' He than walked through the classroom and looked to the students beside him. ''Now, I would like to give all of you the chance to ask your questions and comments. You may ask anything you wish, but I want it to be respectful.'' Noel than said and was really serious about that fact. But students had different opinions for sure, and they could have. But respect needed to be there. He than saw a hand in front of him and gave the student the opportunity to start off.

---

Roleplay the lesson.
- To receive full credit (O), your character must ask a question or make a comment related to the lesson. If it is out-of-character for your student to speak up in class, you may alternatively roleplay the student dropping off a written question or comment to the professor. I will try my best to respond to all of your posts individually.

 

[Rosalind Montgomery]

Rosalind entered the classroom, feeling a bit intimidated by what she knew the subject matter would be. She took a seat and waited for class to begin. The atmosphere was more sombre than usual as the professor went through some information on werewolves. She took notes, taking the lesson a bit more seriously than she otherwise would. When it was time to add a question or comment, Rosalind had to think quite deeply on it. She raised her hand and asked, "Are there any safety precautions if we run into a werewolf? Should we try and run or try and fight?" Rosalind didn't like the idea of fighting a big werewolf but she also couldn't imagine outrunning the creature.

 

[Magne Kleos]

Magne was settling easily enough back into his schooling. It was easier now than it had been when he had first started, he wasn’t at a massive disadvantage because of the language barrier adding to the disadvantage of being new to the world of magic. But he had the language skills to mostly get by without having to worry too much. Magne still kept his dictionary close, but it was a lot easier. He was getting himself together for the day and then headed out of the dorm room.

Magne walked into the defence against the dark arts classroom. He didn’t know much about what werewolves and was quite keen to learn about them. He took out his notes and books and placed them down in front of him as the professor got started. He wrote down what was on hte board about them, since he needed to have a base of knowledge. He listened to what the professor said about them and began taking notes from that and then it was opened to all of them for questions. ”How come they’ve never tried to look for a cure?” he asked, muggles were able to find cures for things, surely muggles could too.

 

[Cyrus Thorne]

Cyrus enjoyed being back at school quite a bit. He had met up with Rosalind to exchange poetry, which had been nice. He was also happy to have made the Quidditch team, especially as he was in a starting position. Third year was really looking good so far.

The Ravenclaw made his way to the first floor for the Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He took his seat in the classroom and listened as Professor Waldgrave told them they would discuss werewolves this week. It wasn't a big surprise, as he had read the chapter. The professor made clear they would have to have a respectful discussion, which felt obvious to Cyrus. He wondered why the professor had chosen this lesson to make a discussion of if it was a problem that students were disrespectful of werewolves. The professor gave a lecture and Cyrus took notes, writing down the information the professor gave. He felt bad hearing there was prejudice against werewolves and no cure. Though he wasn't sure if Magne was right, people were probably looking for a cure even if they hadn't managed one yet. He decided to ask the question he had written down last week. "Professor, do you become a werewolf if you're attacked by one or does it specifically have to bite you?"