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The Astronomy classroom was gone.

Or, rather, it had been drastically redecorated, returning it to looking rather like the dreary, dark place it had been when Tapendra had arrived the year before. Gone were the huge enchanted windows, the alcoves and their merry fires sealed off; the globe, the fixture of the room's center, was gone too.

And so was the roof, though it was obvious it was still there in some capacity; the birds perching in midair far above the platform gave away the fact the tower top's walls and ceiling had been made somehow invisible, as did the ribbons carefully tied to indicate the bases of the archways, lest a student walk into them.

What it meant, in the end, was that the usually warm and enclosed tower was open to the frigid night sky. It was a clear night, and the full moon hung like a pearl over the distant mountain tops. There were few candles, but the area was lit well enough with the light from the moon and from its now most dominant feature.

Upon the wooden floor way a massive device - so large that it filled the entire room, and the stairway now opened through a trapdoor in its base. The object in question was a massive Moondial, of sorts, made from massive pie-shaped slabs of bronze, copper and silver. Upon its surface were etched glyphs, symbols representing the various moon phases, and - oddly - several upright standing clear glass phials. They were empty, but they faced the risen moon, glittering and clearly in wait.

Just off  center a large shaft stood in the middle of a depression, the top of which shone a massive, carved moonstone. The moonlight was reflecting off it, lighting up the phials from both sides.

It was very beautiful, in its own way; from beneath it came the groan and creak of ancient clockwork and magic, and as the moon drifted across the sky the entire massive apparatus readjusted itself to follow it.

On the opposite side of the dial from the moon sat several tables, stocked with quills of glittering silver. Tapendra was making sure these were correctly placed, and that the other vital components were carefully taken care of. The shaft sat in a central depression in the giant moondial, and grooves in its surface ran towards this cauldron-shaped hole. Inside the hole, a clear liquid waited. It smelled vaguely metallic, and had a quality to it that made it seem rather like clear mercury.

Tapendra looked up from the quills at the moonstone, frowning at it.

"Are you sure that's calibrated correctly?" He asked the younger man in the tower with him, one James Lotusorder. The moondial did not, in fact, belong to Hogwarts. As interesting as the giant system was, they were rare - largely due to the sheer bulk and technical know how needed to get the bloody things working, they had never caught on outside of rare enthusiastic astronomers - especially now that simpler, less complex techniques could do their job. But there was one thing that was so far unable to be done without one, which was what they were going to do tonight. Thus this dial was in fact rented, and had come with someone to help Tapendra set it up - which was a life saver.

Footsteps on the stairs below were almost completely muffled by the clank of the dial's moving parts, but Tapendra perked up, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't taught with this many extra people in his classroom since Cambridge, really. It'd be interesting, and probably a bit hectic.

A student popped up through the brass trapdoor, curiously. Tapendra waved them towards the tables. "Leave your books there and sit down, please; we have to introduce this lesson properly before we get started..."

Aileen was a bit late, wasn't she? Tapendra checked his pocketwatch - but found he had an early student instead of a late Runes Professor. That was good, he supposed. The problem with moon-magic at this latitude as that they had very little time to work...

1.	Excused due to the Moon Phase

James had hauled the moondial here. Mr. Pickering had lent his to Tapendra Trishna. He had rushed from the werewolf fights to get here on time. He had just wanted to see a few minutes and get out, but with some complications with Mark Hunter, he was only a few minutes late. He was so glad to be back at Hogwarts, everything about it made him feel young again. He remembered this tower like an old friend. His former Astronomy Teacher retired. Trishna seemed like a very nice fellow.

"It should be fine, let me just see if I should adjust the plates. Fine tuning can be a killer with these things " Jim skittered around the room, rotating the large dishes so the moon would be crystal clear. He pulled a small bottle from his jeans pocket, and added a bit more of the metallic moon essence into the center dent of the contraption. he remembered seeing the moondial for the first time, tucked away in the planetarium Mr. Pickering owned. It was Jim who had advertised the device in the first place, renting it out for amateur  astronomers to watch the moon.

There was nothing better than a full moon. Jim kept adjusting the pole in the center, it was slightly curved. James grabbed the bottom and reached up to the top, trying to get it straight. Once he was satisfied with the angle of the central pole, he climbed down from the contraption and wiped dust off of the lenses and phials. "That aughta do it." James smoothed back his blonde hair. It was freezing on this November night and James was loving it, he sat on his stool to the side of the professors desk.

His sister was in this class, his baby sister, he had jitters as he waited, shaking his leg, looking over the machine and over to the door, where the staircase was now hidden lower for the completely flat surface the moondial needed. His leg shook faster as he heard the pounding footsteps of eleven-year-old wizards.

Paetyn wasn’t a huge fan of Astronomy. First of all, he had the maturity level of someone much younger and quite enjoyed his sleep, plus, by eleven thirty, there was no way he was going to retain anything that went on, no matter how much fun Professor Trishna made it. The Hufflepuff robes were itchy and uncomfortably tight by the end of the evening after being in them all day, but Paetyn was thankful for them when he entered the trapdoor to the Astronomy classroom.

The transformation of the class was so dramatic that the boy looked around and then slowly lowered himself back down the ladder to ensure he was in the right spot. The fact that no students had yet to arrive was another tick mark on his level of uncertainty, but he poked his head back up into the classroom and made his way over to the tables.

He threw his bag upon the surface of the forefront desk on the left and scratched his head, suppressing a yawn. He usually didn’t sit up front, but he figured that if he sat up close he’d be more alert, too afraid the professor would take away points if he drifted off. The professor’s words didn’t even register with his brain until he had already stopped in front of the table, “Oh… Uh… didja want me to leave my books at the door?” He asked, unsure of the man’s meeting.

He then noticed the other dude in the class… He hadn’t met this guy before, but that wasn’t anything unusual, there was always someone at the castle that he hadn’t yet met. “Uh… Hullo sir… er… sirs?” He said, finally allowing the yawn to overtake him, covering his mouth quickly.

Emile was used to being conscience in the late and early hours; he was constantly completing homework assignments the day before they were due, and he was always in a rush to complete them because he had put them off until there was little to no time left.

 He was also a fan of mischeif in the shroud of darkness on a cold evening.  It was like him to enjoy being able to hide easier than in broad daylight, but having so much moonlight wasted to a boring old class like Astronomy irritated him.  He had a five-page essay due for History of Magic tomorrow, and hadn't written a single word - he'd have to stay up extra-late to even start on it.

He had failed to wear his robes, not bothering at such an hour to dress up for a single class.  Emile wore a leather jacket for warmth rather than look like an idiot. 

He was a disgruntled student as he reached his late class.  However, he was surprised that he had actually been one of the first students to reach the Astronomy Tower, the only child in sight being a Hufflepuff sitting at his lonesome.  Seeing a small pile of papers and books on the floor, he haphazardly tossed his own on top of the stack, causing a few papers to scatter across the floor.  He sat beside the boy, recognizing him as Paetyn Harper.  "Hello, mate," he casually said to the Hufflepuff beside him. 

He watched as Professor Trishna - and another man who looked quite familiar - prepared for the lesson.  He stared at the stranger, trying to figure out exactly who he was.  His eyes widened.  James Lotusorder, Annette's older brother (Emile thought he was a great deal more fun than his sister) was working in the classroom.  "James!" He yelled, a bit excited.  "Hi!"

Aileen was late. She'd curled up in one of the armchairs in her office, intending on only resting there with a cup of tea for a moment, but then falling asleep just a few minutes later. If the Sha hadn't nudged her hand, she might have slept through the Astronomy lesson. Embarrassing! Tapendra could never know.

Collecting her bearings (and her heavy cloak), Aileen emerged through the trap door, nodded at the first-years who had already arrived, and looked up. The midnight sky loomed over them, making the bare tower feel tiny and cold. Across from the large moondial that gleamed brilliantly, Tapendra hovered over the silver quills, working with sure, fast movements.

Well, this looked fun! And she wasn't being sarcastic. She almost forgot she'd be helping the first-years tonight. Tapendra owed her.

Aileen moved toward the seated, fidgety young man, too young to have been in school with her. It showed - he was dressed even more casually than the Astronomy professor.

"You must be the assistant," she stretched out her hand for him to shake. "Aileen Reid, Runes professor."

Glancing at Tapendra, she stepped closer to the tables.

"Is there anything I can do?" He seemed quite organized and happily busy.

Yellow robes wandered into the room, not a girl, not tall. "Ello chap" James said casually, he turned around, grabbing his notebook scrawling down the adjustment he had made to the moondial. Mr. Pickering would want a full report when Jim got back. He shoved his pad into his backpack, right next to the empty glass bottles of firewhiskey. He made a face, and zipped it up quickly, taking a second for a breath check.

There was nothing on his breath. He popped a piece of gum into his mouth, just in case.

"James! Hi!"

Jim turned around, a child dressed at a lazy biker called at him, he swallowed his gum. "Emile! Hey kiddo,what's going on Sport?" Jim hopped from his stool and walked around the moondial to sit on the table in front of Emiliano Lawson. "Hey, how's school going for you? Is my sister in this class or what?" Emile was the worst pest in the neighborhood and Jim loved him. He was like the little brother he actually wanted. Wait, he couldn't say that anymore, he was going to start getting closer to her, maybe this was the first step.

He wrapped his arms around the boy, his head only reaching Jim's chest. He released the child and ruffled his hair. "Why aren't you wearing your robes?"

A blonde woman extended her am to him.

"You must be the assistant," ... "Aileen Reid, Runes professor."

"James Lotusorder, I'm only here to set up the moondial, nice to meet you." Jim shuffled nervously. it was weird having adults treat him like an actual adult, even though he wished he was still treated like he was 18.

When Ted crawled up through the trap door, he didn't look like himself. Which was to say that he was "back to basics," as natural as natural could get: mousy brown hair, scrawny face, and watery gray-blue eyes. His 'natural' state. He also looked like he hadn't slept in two days which, to be fair, was mostly true.

He sat next to the trapdoor for a moment, staring bewildered at the open sky. Hadn't there been a roof in here on Friday? Like moths to light, his eyes were drawn to the moon, and he scowled. Blasted thing. Bloody full moon. That was the reason he was so twitchy, the blasted thing played his nerves like a glass harp. And up here, seemingly so close, it was louder than ever.

Annoyed, Ted hoisted himself off the ground unsteadily. He blinked at the table of books and bags and realized that he'd left all his things back in his dorm room. Blast and damn. He'd have to do without. He sulked to a table, sank into the first chair he saw, and laid his chin directly on the desk, letting his arms dangle.

"Bloody night for a class," he grumbled, half to himself. "I hate full moons."

Students were arriving one after the other. Tapendra beamed at all of them, quirking an eyebrow slightly at Emilie - James and the boy knew each other, then. It hardly seemed surprising that James might be related to Miss Lotusorder; after all, it was hardly a common name in either world, and in the wizarding one, sharing a last name usually implied a familial bond.

He looked up from the quills when Aileen arrived, shooting her a brilliantly cheerful smile. He rather liked the first years, and his good mood was easy enough to see. "Oh, other than stand there and look ten times as capable as I am? I think we're more or less set up, actually. When the ink's prepared, could you guide them through writing the Runes? They're just the basic futhorc runes - basic stuff, shouldn't be to hard for them to pick up somewhat."

He looked over at James and Emilie for a moment, and as his spoke his tone was not unkind, but it was firm. "Mister Lawson, please do make a note to turn up for class properly dressed," he said, as Ted slumped over the nearby table.

"Right then," he said, standing up as the rest of the students came in. "Shall we get started, then? Moon isn't going to stay up for long at this time of year."

Rubbing his hands together, he pulled a box from underneath the nearby table, placing it on the tabletop. Inside were rows and rows of phials, each containing a silvery liquid, their corks sealed on with a heavy brass locking top. He picked up one of them, holding it up so that the entire room of people could see it.

"Despite its appearance," he said, "This is ink - ink in the making, that is. Since I had the opportunity, I thought that tonight we'd do something a little bit different than our usual round of star charting. The machine that we're currently standing on is, in essence, a moondial - but one with a very special purpose. Its job is to capture moonlight into potion form."

The dial took that moment to groan loudly as it shifted to keep up with the moving moon. It was a tiny shift, but one that was perceptible.

Tapendra ignored it. "Centuries ago, a fellow by the name of Abrecan the Lune developed this potion, and with it, a writing known as moon-letters[1]. By capturing moonlight, he found he could make ink that was invisible 'til the light of the same moon phase the ink was made with shone upon it. They were used as secret writings for many years, until better methods of concealing writing were developed - namely, ones you didn't need to wait til night to read - and ones that didn't require runes!"

He turned slightly and looked at Aileen and James, with a respectful nod. "Now, you're probably all wondering who these two are, though Mister Lotusorder seems to know some of you already. Mister Lotusorder is here on behalf of Mister Pickering, who was good enough to rent us his moondial for the night." He shot a smile at James. "He's here to help us make the bloody thing work, but should any of you wish to catch up with him a bit, I won't deny you the opportunity...provided you don't disrupt the class too much, eh?"

He gestured to Aileen, with a slightly brighter smile and a glance - an almost imperceptible one - at her waist. Ye gods, did she wear a corset to get and hourglass like that? He cleared his throat. "And this is our very talented Runes professor, who you've no doubt at least seen during meals. She's here to assist you all in writing the actual runes, and if you have any questions about her subject, I'm sure she wouldn't mind answering them for you - again, provided you don't disturb the class."

Tapendra then turned the phial over in his fingers, framing the cap between his thumb and index fingers. The cork was sealed in with a locking mechanism that spun in his hands, clicking away; it was reenforced with brass rings, giving it extra strength. Clearly, the cork was intended to stay in, come what may.

"Now, this could be a little risky if we're not all very careful with the substances involved. This is lunar magic, and - well, who can tell me some of the most common side effects of lunar magics?"[2]

1.	Yes, like the ones from Tolkien's work. No, I don't regret anything.
2.	The correct answer: Lunar magic, in essence, makes one loony - it can bring on insanity, mania, loss of impulse control, a lack of logical thought, delusions and hysteria - so any of these effects is considered a correct answer, in this case.

Annette clomped up the stair to her favorite  class. Her yellow scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and face, it was going to be freezing up in the astronomy tower. Her satchel a disorganized mess that she had to hold closed as she ascended. Opening the door she heard Professor Trishna say her last name. "Here, sorry I'm a little late Professor, I wasn't sure if we were meeting at eleven-thirty or eleven forty-fi-..." Annette looked at the enormous mechanism in the room, a moondial!

They were studying moon magic! Annette plopped herself down in an empty seat, near the tall stranger that Emile Lawson was speaking to. She dug through her bag, looking for a quill and ink well she could use to take notes. "Here we go, she said to herself, placing everything down on the table. The stranger was looking at her. She blinked once...twice. "James?" Anni sat, absolutely starstruck. Completely oblivious to the professor's question.

Alice trudged up the steps, really getting tired of not being able to see. It was also 11:30. She had had a  long day of slipping and tripping. Alice tightened her scarf around her neck, as she entered the tower. Gosh! Wouldn't that'd be nice to see. Oh wait. She can't see. Alice felt discouraged.

She walked in, wandering into someone. She really didn't know who it was, but odds are, they'd be kind and they'd help her. "Sorry." She said, bumping into them. "Would you mind helping me to where the other students are?"

Rico was nudged by a very small hufflepuff. "Op, sorry Alice, here you go." He held her hand and led her up the steps to the desks were the other students sat. "This thing is amazing lassie, there are eight different plates on the floor, and theres a big hole in the middle of the thing and it has a big pole sticking out of it, it has this funny moon-stuff pooring out of it." Rico shrugged, he didn't know what the bloody thing was. "Step up." He said before releasing her hand so she could sit down.

He plopped down in an empty chair, pulling the quill out from behind his ear to write his notes. This thing was insanse Rico couldn't imagine spending crazy amounts of time trying to configure one of these. He ran his fingers through his hair. "This is crazy"

Rico took the word right out of Ted's mouth. 'Crazy' was exactly how he'd put it. Bottled moonlight, bloody hell. That was just what he needed, wasn't it?

Ted eyed the vial in the professor's hand suspiciously. With Hunter being mostly blind and the apparent familiarity with the teacher's assistant, most of the regular answer-providers hadn't jumped on the question just yet.

"It makes you hear things?" he guessed, his eyes not leaving the vial, which rang softly each time its silvery contents moved. The sound was minuscule, almost imperceptible, and Ted got the nagging feeling that no one else could hear it.

But no, that wasn't entirely right. He'd heard about this once, hadn't he? All that stuff that made him paranoid when he was a wee kid. "It'll turn you into a nutter. You know, a lunatic. Brings on insanity mostly, though some lucky jerks get away just losing it a bit like they got into bad gillyweed."

Tapendra almost didn't acknowledge Ted's reply for a few moments, his hand and the phial lowering as Hunter entered, stumbling across the dial. She seemed oddly off, the way she walked not truly guided by any apparent knowledge of her surroundings. This was confirmed when she literally ran into the male Posada.

Somehow, having a student in that state with a somewhat dangerous potion open to the air was not wise. Nor did it seem wise to have her walking about the now open tower - the battlements 'round the tower's rim were not as high as they really should have been, Tapendra felt. It was just enough to make him worried. This was the tallest tower in the castle, and it was a long, long drop to the courtyards below them. And a slightly shorter drop to the peaks of the castle's other buildings, with their spiky architecture...

"Err, correct, Mister Lupin," he said, putting the phial down and leaning on the table, handing gripping the table's corners. "Moon magic does indeed make you loony - it is, in fact, the origin of that term. So, as we work with this potion, we must exercise great care. Its fumes aren't terribly dangerous, but they will cause a slight loss of impulse control and, depending on the individual, fits of giggling." He smiled slightly. "But if it comes in contact with your eyes or mouth, let me know immediately. If ingested it can require a hospital stay, and if in the eyes it causes quite dangerous hallucinations and pain."

He adjusted his glasses. "That said - Miss Hunter, as you quite alright?" He asked the girl, looking down the table row at the small girl.

Bleary-eyed, Dessa heaved herself up over the edge of the trapdoor and, instead of standing up, simply laid on the floor spread eagle for a brief moment, her slippered feet dangling over the edge. It was only when the tie of her fuzzy bathrobe beneath her normal school robes began digging into her side that she saw fit to peel herself off the floor and stumble over to the small cluster of students.

She had been excited for Astronomy at night, had looked forward to being awake when it felt like the rest of the world was asleep. What she had not counted on was the fact that her sleeping patterns weren't really so drastically different from everyone else's and she wasn't nearly as awake as she had hoped. It also didn't help that her fellow Gryffindor redhead was conspicuously absent, locked up in the Shrieking Shack, experiencing the brunt of her furry little problem. The very thought stirred in Dessa an odd mix of sadness and anger, not to mention concern. Why shouldn't she be able to help her friend? Remus Lupin's friends had done it. She just hated the thought of Lexi all alone, going through that...

Perhaps because these thoughts were occupying her mind, Dessa took longer than she normally might have to notice the enormous new addition to the classroom currently occupying center stage, as well as the fact that the ceiling was gone. "Who took the roof?" she asked, rather daftly, glancing around as though someone was going to be crouching in the corner, clutching a miniaturized version of the roof to their chest and giggling maniacally.

Alice was a little out of it, as she was addressed by the professor. It seemed dangerous that she was doing this without her glasses, and so, she wasn't all that confident. "Well, professor, I feel as though I am not in a prime place to be doing such observations, when I can't really, well, observe."

"If it'd be alright, could I be excused? I don't want to lose credit for the class, however. I could make up the observations another night possibly?" Alice replied. She smiled a tired smile. Maybe he'd let her skip. There was nothing else in the world she'd rather want right now.