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For once in his life, Tapendra stumbled into the classroom slightly late.  He closed the door behind him as the distant school bell tolled, leaning against it to get his breath back, and fumbled a little desperately to get his tie and waistcoat in order. What had seemed like a routine trip back to the Astronomy tower for his before-dinner class had been rather rudely interrupted when he was literally run down in the hallway by two boys. Harper ought to know better, and Kinsey – well, he had no excuse either!

Merlin, he was going to have bruises.

He ran a hand through his hair, which only made it messier, as he come up the final set of steps into the classroom proper. The flock of 4th year students was already there; he smiled at them all, a bit awkwardly. Usually the tall Professor haunted the Tower like he’d been sealed in it, and so arriving to find the classroom empty would have been slightly disconcerting, he was sure.

“Good evening,” he said, crossing the room to his desk with long stride, smiling at Cyhirae as he passed her. The tall windows were blank, a sheet white; as he walked, he waved his wand, the spell now one he could do wordlessly. The windows darkened, the white turning to a starry night sky with the constellation’s art visible with the stars.

“My apologies, I was – err – delayed.” He wasn’t about to explain, of course, but it still sounded a bit on the lame side, didn’t it?

 He turned to face them, having moved a stack of parchments forward so he could grab them later. His breath more controlled now, he smiled broadly. It wasn’t the first class since break, but it almost felt that way…in the sense he’d be sort of dreading it. He tried not to let his feelings on this subject show on his face.

“We’ll be going a little off topic today,” he said, though by now he knew more or less all his classes got treated as off topic. “And discussing Astrology. Now, while most people think of Astrology as their zodiac sign and horoscope, what it is fundamentally is the belief that the astronomical sphere and events therein has some correlation, or relation, to events on the Earth.”

He walked to the center of the classroom as he said this, so that he stood in the center of the circular ring of desks. It was difficult not to present his own biased view on the subject. Tapendra had never been much for Astrology, and what he saw as the Wizarding world’s tendency to still hang onto some of its tenets annoyed him to no end.

“Until rather recently, Astronomer and Astrologer were more or less one and the same – that’s changed, in both worlds, with the realization that the heavens and earth are not quite connected the way we had imagined. Still, people-“ It was difficult not to look at several of the girls in the class, namely Oliver. “Find their Zodiac sign and their horoscopes meaningful, and it maintains a popular appeal in both worlds.”

He adjusted his tie a moment, leaning against the large globe that took up the center of the room.  That too was white and blank, but he ignored it for now.

“Today will be a little different. Instead of a lecture, we’re going to have a bit of a discussion,” he said, smiling. “Let’s start with-“ His gaze darted about the line of students, and he picked one of them quickly enough. “You,” he said, pointing.

“What sign of the Zodiac were you born under? Do you think it matches your personality, and is a good indicator of your choices in life?”

Ambrose found himself surprisingly sandwiched by girls. He'd only recently noticed how his unofficial posse was made up of ladies, from Cy his now 'official' girlfriend to Winnie his best friend from the start and his cousin Zeta. It wasn't like he didn't have male friends... well, the girls were often better to copy off too.

Trishna looked flustered, and Ambrose hadn't sneakily been hoping that the lesson was cancelled because of the non-appearance of Cy's father, no, not at all.

When the subject today was not on mathematics and atmospheres, his eyes slid left and right at the girls. Didn't they pour over witch weekly and read each other the horoscopes? Thankfully his cousin Eta, a second year, and not yet old enough to take divination, had been brewing an interest in the subject generally at home, and Ambrose had entertained her interest briefly over Christmas.

Seeing Professor Trishna's gaze and nod towards him to speak up, he cleared his throat.

"I'm a virgo, September 19th, Sir. Means I'm trustworthy, loyal, friendly and kind, bit like a Gryffindor is I guess. I'm meant to be organised, but perhaps that'll come when I'm older. I don't really think about it much day to day, I just try to be a good friend, and try not to blow things up. But I know the girls like to read the predictions." He grinned and thumbed either side of him.

Ambrose answered with rather more insight that Tapendra had expected from one of the boys; the young Gryffindor's answer was thoughtful and well thought out. He couldn't help the smile, even if the fact the boy was a Virgo didn't really surprise him.

Not that Virgo really matched Ambrose's demeanor. He nodded, and looked at the girls sandwiched around Ambrose - no doubt the source of his knowledge of his own sign, Tapendra surmised. His own friends had done that to him, once, insisting that his sign matched him perfectly. Poppycock, he'd always thought. Pisces was supposed to be artistic and creative; he couldn't have sketched his way out of a paper bag, much less made poetry.

"Thank you, Mister Pepper. Though Virgo is also supposed to be overly critical of others and somewhat myopic - as well as rather aggressive, as I recall. We'll be thankful you don't have those traits, yes?" He raised an eyebrow - the slightly more cold demeanor rather directed. He knew full well Cyhirae was being rather...cuddly with the boy.

"And you?" He pointed to another student. "What sign were you born under? Do you think it's relevant or use that revelation in any way?"

Sitting at a table in the class with a few of her friends, Addison was originally quite concerned that Professor Trishna wasn't on time to his own class. It was rather commonplace for the students to be half tired and sleepy, especially for their weekly midnight class time. But, never the Professor!

When Professor Trishna finally arrived to his own classroom looking disheveled, Addison couldn't help but to start giggling at his appearance as quietly as she could. "It looks like he just got out of bed," she whispered to her friends while still giggling. Either that, or maybe he was getting it on with Professor Reid. Both of which were clearly fascinating to her, and both would create such juicy gossip!

As her tall head of house was starting the class, Addison hushed herself to give her attention to their Professor. While her absolute love of this subject wasn't as high as it was for other classes like Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, or Herbology, she still loved it that Professor Trishna incorporated math and science into his lessons. She liked his non-traditional approach to the subject, which made it more interesting in her opinion. She believed it made him a more suitable candidate for Professor Reid.

Apparently, they were going to learn about something that dealt with Zodiacs. Even before coming to Hogwarts, she was already more than aware of her own. Her family would occasionally read their horoscopes. But, she saw other people near where she lived take the astrology signs to a much higher extreme. They were apparently going to discuss the Zodiacs a bit.

Ambrose was the first student to share his Zodiac sign and what it meant. He seemed knowledgable about those facts, which was certainly a good thing. Once he was finished, Professor Trishna seemed to agree with it. He then turned around and pointed to her, asking the very same questions. "I'm an Aries, Sir, April 5th. Um, it says that I'm supposed to be optimistic, enthusiastic, independent, and generous. And, I guess it is mostly correct based on my personality. I mean, it does say that I'm supposed to be impulsive, which I don't think I am," Addison responded.

Since she was just recently named the President of the Art Club, some of those apparent leadership qualities that she was supposed to have would come to light eventually. But, that thought wasn't in her mind. She considered asking Professor Trishna what his Zodiac sign was to see he was considered a good match for Professor Reid. Yes, that would be a great way to spend the time in class. Instead, it was probably best to stay relatively on subject ... for now.

If Alvis could have lived in the Astronomy tower while staying at Hogwarts, he would probably never leave. He loved everything about it, the windows, the globe, the view from the observation decks; he loved the star-charts and the lectures and Professor Trishna's muggle-y-science approach to the material, all of it. It was easily his favorite class, and the humble Astronomy club was the closest thing he had to a social life.

So while he was a bit surprised at the topic for the night's discussion, he was eager to get involved. He listened carefully to the first two answers, turning the information and Professor Trishna's answers over in his head as he considered what to add to the conversation.  On the tail end of Addison's answer, he raised his hand.

"It seems to me that sun signs aren't much use on their own," he said once he'd been called upon. "Like Addison said, they usually don't fit all the way. I know mine doesn't -- I'm a Sagitarius, and they're supposed to be all about traveling the world and exploring new horizons. Me, I'm happier with my books. Traveling's all right, but I wouldn't want to get too far from home."

He shrugged. "It makes sense really. Sun-signs standing alone are a massive oversimplification. I mean, the idea that one-twelfth of the population shares your personality doesn't fit if you stop to think about it.  It's never going to be a perfect match because it has to apply to too many people and, as a result, it's too broad and too generalized to do any real good."

Tapendra had to turn slightly as Addison answered the question, tilting his head ever so slightly as he considered. Aries certainly seemed to fit her, no doubt, though he only really knew her from classes and not from outside them. He nodded when she was done, smiling slightly.

“Thank you, Miss Rockwell. You’ll find mostly correct sums up most people’s reactions to their zodiac signs.” There were a few that were definitely misses, of course – there always were, just as there were sometimes 100% matches.

He nodded towards Alvis when the Ravenclaw raised his hand, and smiled at the boy’s words – thoughtfully put, to be sure.

“Ah, but one thing to consider – for all of you – is how the traits are phrased. You’ll find that a lot of publications list the traits in such a way we could all rationalize being any sign – for example, Sagittarius.” He gestured with his hand, idly, indicating Alvis. “To some of us, exploring new horizons would imply physical travel. But what if that refers to intellectual horizons? If we interpret it that way, you can find ways to make it work almost perfectly.”

“But Mister Norling is correct – your Moon Sign will, shall we say, round out the picture…sometimes. Some of you may also be cusps, and have been born on dates when two signs overlap. Supposedly, that gives you traits from each sign.”

He rubbed his beard a moment, looking about. “Do any of you know your Moon Sign, then?[1]”

1.	Moon Sign Calculator

Zeta was bent over a piece of paper, trying to get the lines of Professor Trishna's clothing just how she wanted them. Something about that outline of a shoulder made it look like she was drawing clothes on a scarecrow. The clothes had to look just right for the effect she wanted. Then he mentioned moon signs.

That had been one of Eta's very big things not too long back, which Zeta had let herself go along with for a bit. It had been before their dad had come home all old and possibly dying, though. Ugh fate.

She slid her quill around on the desk, thought about poking Ambrose with it, but nah. One of her better quills. So she raised her hand and waited for Professor bruised-giraffe-like Trishna to call on her. At least she could answer one question. "My moon sign is Virgo. I'm supposed to want to keep everything in order and pay attention to... detail things and none of it fits at all." She smiled and giggled a little. "Well, maybe the part about pets." She glanced down to her desk. The tie was wrong, too.

Cyhirae let out a silent sigh of relief when her father didn’t seem to react to Ambrose’s new status as her boyfriend. For all her complaining, she knew her father wouldn’t be outright nasty to Ambrose, but she had worried about it. She gave Ambrose an encouraging smile when her father picked him to answer first and reached over and squeezed his hand when her father had turned to address Addison and Alivs. Her father may not have reacted, but it still wouldn’t be smart to rub his face in the fact that she was dating someone.

Cyhirae, like her father, didn’t believe in Astrology. It was only because of her friends that she really knew anything about it beyond the basics.  “My moon sign is Pisces, which means I’m supposed to be intuitive, adaptable, imaginative and a romantic. Also I should be a good parent, someday.” She smiled slightly at her father, “I’m also supposed to hate strict rules and discipline and apparently susceptible to using alcohol and cigarettes for emotional comfort.”

“It overlaps somewhat with my sun sign, Gemini. Sun sign Gemini’s are also supposed to be inquisitive, intelligent and can see both sides of an issue, but also very chatty, and can be wishy washy, fickle or restless,” she continued.  Cyhirae felt she only seemed to fit the positive parts of both signs. It wasn’t that she was ignoring her flaws, far from it, but fickle and hating rules were not among hers. Now if either of her signs flaws were ‘having a huge temper ‘or ‘somewhat snobby’ it would be a different story.

Pepper – the other Pepper – piped up about her moon sign, and Tapendra looked over to find her drawing. The girl spent much of her time doing that, to the point where he’d long given up trying to get her to pay attention. So long as she passed muster, it was fine – he just wished she’d be a little more subtle about the drawing.

Then again, it was difficult to hide anything from a professor that could see the top of your desk from the other side of the classroom, he supposed…

“Thank you, Miss Pepper-“ And the Cyhirae piped up, listing the qualities of Pisces. Tapendra’s head whipped around at her mention of emotional crutches in smoking and drinking, his expression one of panic. Did she know? He certain drank more than he should, he knew, and the smoking was a habit he’d taken to trying to hide, but –
He snapped his expression back to normal, but the panic was clear. But she didn’t seem to think of it as a dig against him, or anything, and so he smiled as quickly as he could.  “A fickle sign, Pisces.”

“Is there anyone here who feels their sign is a perfect match for them, out of curiosity?” He asked the floor at large. “How about any of you whose signs don’t fit at all?”

Erin did not know much about astrology.  As she was taken Divination this semseter, she should probably fix that.  Still, Erin did not even know what her star-sign was.  Figuring she should actually try to be useful in the class (and at least try to increase her GPA), she decided to ask a question regarding influences.

"Professor- I apologize for the tangent but can Zodiac signs influence other types of magic?  I seem to recall that spells that produced water seemed to be slightly better when Neptune - or was it Jupiter - was in alignment with the Earth.  Is the same thing true of Zodiac signs?" figuring that a question slightly off topic could be better than admitting the fact she did not know the first thing about horoscopes, sun signs, or moon signs.  She did not mind learning about it, but she had way too many other things to do.  Between her career and school, it seemed like she had absolutely no free time.  Which was kinda the point. 

After she asked her question, she began to fidget.  Though interested in the topic, she oculd not keep still for five minutes if her life depended on it.  She tried to make herself smaller in the chair, even though she had already asked  a direct question of the professor.  She knew she should have just kept her mouth shut, but she was trying to be efficient with her time, seeing if she could work the professors answer into some of her other homework. 

Casey resigned himself to not touching his wand the rest of the night. Sneaking off to summon up the club training space in the Room of Requirement was attractive but Casey had gone there much too recently since the holidays had ended. At one point Dingy had had to wake him up in the Room the next morning before class.

So Casey sat reserved at this evening's Astronomy lesson. Oh bloody joy, now they were getting into divination. Casey never considered planet orbitals to be that important to what happened to him here. And 'Sagittarius' sounded like something that was catching. Casey's immune system already had enough problems.

Though Alvis was, per usual, being two wordy about it, Casey silently agreed on questioning how 1/12th of the population could be like minded. It was like the Houses dividing people by 4 but there was more variation. Casey also doubted the planets would strengthen or hinder magic. Not until they had duels on Jupiter.

He sighed and opened his textbook for reference. As he determined the relevacy of what the class was talking about he half muttered to himself. "Well, as today is my birthday[1] that pegs me as Capricorn."[2] As the sun version. As for Moon...

"Oh honestly," Casey said, louder this time, upon his discovery with a glossary.[3] "So, if I'm to believe this Moon sign business, I can thank having my birth-night being paired with Gemini for," and he quoted, "nervous exhaustion, illnesses of the upper airways, sensitivity about weather changes and environmental pollution, illness from stress, overall sensitive and finely-tuned nervous system, and, to paraphrase, the need to constantly have to remind people of my health problems." Because most people are dolts.

He closed the book. "Wonderful. Has St. Mungo's come out with a cure for Moon sign related complexes?"

1.	wow, character birthday and I have nothing planned!
2.	Hogwarts Astrology if anyone wants another resource
3.	Though Casey IC doesn't appreciate it, he is so a Slytherin Sun Capricorn and a Moon Gemini-well, mostly

The talk turned to Moon signs and Alvis privately rolled his "inner eye." His Moon was in Sagittarius as well, and he no more suited the matching pair than he did the single sign.[1] For as much as he enjoyed divination and astronomy both, he'd never put much stock in personal astrology. Now, the one time they'd had a guest class with "Professor" Firenze from the forest, his sort of astrology -- centaur astrology, looking at the big picture and shifting fates of the world -- made much more sense.

Casey's mention of his own birthday brought Alvis's attention back around to the topic at hand. He smiled. "Happy birthday. You should've told me, I would have gotten you something." Moreover, he could use that in the designs he'd been dabbling with for their little side-project. He ran the arthmantic calculations in his mind and made note of it in the back page of his notebook.

The thought brought his mind back to another factor of astrology. Alvis quietly tapped his quill against the page until he'd gathered his thoughts and once more raised his hand. "I don't know how much good it does in terms of personality analysis, but there's a certain school of item-crafting that uses astrology as a shortcut to a person's material compatibilities. A Sagittarius, for example, is said to be most compatible with azurite, copper, turquoise, topaz, tin, lapus lazuli[2]...that sort of thing." Hence his own preferred Divination tool, a turquoise pendulum on a tin chain.

"And if you're targeting aspects of the moon-sign, then utilizing the corrosponding materials should help with that as well. So, to answer your question..." He shrugged in Casey's direction. "You might try wearing more citrine and agate jewelry. Or a vial of mercury on a silver chain."

1.	This is debatable, obviously -- this moon-sign calculator makes it sound like a good match, where as this one is very much not. Clearly, astrology is an imperfect science.
2.	Info here and here.

“A good question, Miss Dark,” Tapendra said, and he considered before answering. “The answer is no, more or less, but we’ll get back to that later, I promise.” At least he hoped they would; he would rather prefer the student chose to go off on tangents to some extent, but he did have a basic direction planned.

O’Doherty piped up, listing off his Signs – and Tapendra felt the laugh bubbling up. He swallowed it back. Laughing would be unbecoming, as would gently mocking the boy, but it was difficult not to in that moment. Such bad luck for that sign to actually match!

“Congratulations then, Mister O’Doherty,” he said, cheerfully. “On your birthday, at least; perhaps not on your signs.” He rather suspected that if St. Mungos did produce a cure for the ‘Zodiac’ – which was rather, in Tapendra’s view, like procuring a cure for air – that O’Doherty would be allergic to that, too.

He looked to Alvis when the boy spoke up again, tilting his head. “Correct, Mister Norling,” he said, with a smile. “5 points to Ravenclaw! Though given how these things work, Mister O’Doherty, I suspect your medications would be equally, if not more, effective. There is some magic in those combinations, yes, but not enough to combat illness and health to a significant degree. That said – where they do help is subjects in which some small amounts of magic are very useful. The primary one is Alchemy, of course; Divination is the other famous one.” Runes, too, though that was complex as all get out. 

They hadn’t touched on that quite yet; he was rather leaving that to the Seminars and to Aileen.

Tapendra, tired of standing and still a bit sore and bruised from his fall in the hallway, chose that moment to pause and then vault up to sit on top of the central globe. This being Tapendra he was rather quickly and comfortably in the lotus position, bare feet rather more evident now.

“Mister Norling and Miss Dark both touch on something I would like to see your answers for,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Tell me – why do you think early man created the Zodiac? Remember, as we’ve discussed, that the constellations are a purely human construct. Why do you think the Zodiac and Astrology arose, and why do you think we’ve held onto them?”

The skepticism seemed to be overflowing this class.  Erin idly wondered if dinner had been served with a cold dish of cynicism garnished with sarcasm.  Erin doubted that people would keep stuff around for this long if it was not useful, but figured that the exams would probably cover more useful material.

"Because stars do not move much over time.  Most likely, people used them as a calendar instead of the ones we have right now.  The moon stays in a 4-week cycle regardless of the time of year, but the stars change with seasons.  That would make sense especially if there were twelve of them.  Especially if Aquarius corresponded to the rainy season or something along those lines.  As far as why we've kept it - why not?  They are pretty to look at if nothing else," Erin justified, not realizing that the last sentence applied more to her than the stars.

Zeta was feeling fidgety already. No one else was Gemini for their moon sign-though with some of them she was glad of it!

She started adding the globe and the windows to the background of her cartoon, then sort of looked up at the new question. Well, she'd been trying to figure out what made Eta so interested in it. So she lifted an ink and graphite stained hand again. "Umm...they want to think everything makes sense?"

That sounded like an answer. "And that the stars are looking out for them?" That everything was going to be ok despite whatever weird things had happened.

The sort of thing you thought when you were twelve.