Classroom & Curriculum

OOC Reminders:
>>Assume your character is on time and present. If you have story reasons for a character being late, tell me via PM.

>>If you are a new member/student, assume your character has been present in the seminar if you wish. Don't be afraid to post!

>>There are NPC students but YOU are the stars of the show!

>>Be courteous to everyone's availability. Allow at least three posts between yours, at minimum. If the scene advances too quickly others may have difficulty catching up.

>>Above all, FUN!! (and don't destroy the classroom)

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5 PM

An emergency consultation had required Gerard to delay the seminar for one day. It turned out that this Friday out of all the Fridays there had ever been was quite the day to have a seminar rescheduled because of an incident in the Great Hall at breakfast. Gerard had been unaffected but a large portion of the castle's population had been struck with some kind of swapped consciousness magic administered through a powder. The chaotic jumble of students switched with professors, young switched with old and the occasional male vs female made tracking attendance a challenge. At tonight's seminar there could be any mix students that did not look like the NEWT pupils but actually were so Gerard was going to have to adapt for that.

It was an intriguing issue, the nature of the swapped consciousness plaguing the castle. Something he could look into later but for now it would readily service the next topic in the seminar.

"As you are aware, there are plenty of people who are not quite themselves, their Mind being temporarily placed in the body of another. While I cannot say if skilled use of Occlumency could have prevented the altercation, I can tell you that being someone else will have minimal dampening of your training with Occlumency. As this is magic that is fought in the Mind it is your Mind, more than your physical being, which channels your strength to block and peer. The anonymity of appearing as someone else might help for today's demonstration."

There were trays filled with measured portions of Weasley's Logorrhea on a table at the bottom of the hall. The amount of amber liquid in each glass was no more than a swallow. The trays began to rise in midair, along with spare parchment and quills as needed.

"On scraps of parchment, write down one to three things about you, the real you. Let it be something you won't mind being shared with everyone else in the seminar. Then once you have a secret note ready, find a partner. You will trade slips but before reading them take of drink of Logorrhea. I've found this local party beverage will do well to demonstrate the skill an Occlumens needs to suppress something they want to be kept secret. After you drink the beverage will prompt you to say the first thing that comes to mind, which will your partner's secret as you read it. Try to resist saying the words on the parchment. If you are comfortable and have more secrets to share you may try again with a fresh secret to better your adaptability. One drink per attempt."

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((I will be gone for about two weeks from the date of this posting so do not worry about a lack of involvement from Gerard. Use the Logorrhea experiment however you wish. If your character has been under the effects of the Body Swap, be sure to indicate who they look like in their first post.

Even if you have never posted in a Mind Seminar before, feel free to do so.

And yes, given the Body Swap that means younger students might have been able to pass as upperclassmen as well!))

Heinrich was still inside the body of Noah Archer, the first year Ravenclaw.  He rubbed his chin and grimaced because it didn't feel right.  He hoped the body swap would be undone soon.  He wasn't looking forward to going through the beginnings of puberty again.

He looked at the parchment in front of him, wondering what to write.  Then he smiled and wrote in handwriting that was almost his:


That one was a no brainer.


That one was also fairly simple.  For the third one, he wanted  something less generic, something with a deeper meaning. 


"Who needs a partner?" he asked, in a voice that wasn't his.  "I'm ready."

Casey was not of the age that was allowed to attend the seminar but blazing bollocks to that! He was learning Occlumency from Professor Storm and the topic was all the more important for him to learn, to grasp every nuance of protecting his mind. Especially with this swapped day and the increased experience of just what was up with Alvis Norling.

The French, it appeared, did not deviate from schedule even if randomized body possessions skewed the appearance of the Seminar attendees. Thus Casey could easily slip in despite still being a fourth year, unless another upperclassman had recognized that Casey and Alvis were switched.

Given his previous experience with the skill, the demonstration explained did not sound all that exciting compared to resisting probes from Storm, though Casey could appreciate the subtlety of the experiment. However he was momentarily baffled with what to write as a secret that didn't give away his identity...or the host of other secrets he strived to keep hidden.

Finally he had something: My family is in the top 5 of the wealthiest in magical Europe. This worked nicely because students related to those families were either already upperclassmen in this seminar or visiting students for the tournament.

Though Casey was by far not the 'youngest' in appearance given the first year readied with his slips. "I'm ready as well," Casey gestured that they should trade slips as the doses of Logorrhea passed on a tray. Casey eyed his shot. There was something vaguely significant about Logorrhea that reminded him of ginger...