As was quite typical for Ambrose, he was concentrating as much as he could, yet was still rather behind on what was going on with the discussion. No sooner had he remembered he had a pisces moon sign things had moved on yet again.

“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?”

Erin Dark was on about rainy seasons, Zeta mentioned that Muggles always had to find some reason for things.

"Because they were bored?" Ambrose suggested, following up his cousin. "Like we see faces when there aren't any, and we see pictures in clouds... and tealeaves, oops, sorry, I mean we do see them in tealaves for a reason.. err.." He was looking apologetic to Winnie.

"I don't know." He shook his head, blushing.

Tapendra relaxed against the globe as the students considered that question, and when Dark spoke up again he rubbed his chin, considering. She was right, and yet wrong; it was one of those answers that made it difficult not to launch into a fulltime lecture on the history of celestial calendars and constellations. Thankfully, other students piped up and so he diverted his attention to that.

The Peppers – both of them – piped up, and Zeta’s brief answer was probably the most correct. He smiled at her and Erin, and the look he gave Ambrose was a bit more reassuring, as the boy floundered and gave up.

“You’re all more or less correct, actually – though the truth is a bit more complex.” In Astronomy, it almost always was. “I’ll try to be brief - the Zodiac constellations are not strictly tied to seasons, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
“It is important to remember, and Mister Pepper touched on this,” he nodded to Ambrose, “That the Zodiac constellations exist only in our eyes. While their stars appear close together from the Earth, in reality nearly all of them have no relation to each other. Humans have a natural urge to find patterns in the natural world, and assigning images and names to the stars is likely one of the first things we ever did.

“In that sense – Miss Pepper is correct. Astrology is largely an outlet, an urge to make sense of the universe and to assign patterns where none exist…and via that, be able to control some aspect of the universe.”

He crossed his arms, and looked to Erin and then to the class at large. “Fundamentally, the Zodiac constellations are what they are because they lie on the ecliptic[1], and therefore the sun passes through them at regular times per year.” He raised his eyebrows.

“There are 13 constellations in that plane. Can any of you name and describe the last one?”

1.	The plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun.

"Ophiuchus. Located between Aquila, Serpens and Hercules. The southern part lies between Scorpius to the west and Sagittarius to the east" she said while drawing small signs with her fingers in the air, trying to visualize the actual layout. "Its representation depicts a man wrestling a serpent, dividing the snake’s body in two parts. The brightest stars in Ophiuchus include α Ophiuchi -also called Rasalhagues - and η Ophiuchi" she raised an eyebrow, as if asking herself if there was more and then let out a hum, before continuing. "It was formerly known as Serpentarius, the Latin correspondent of its current name. It is best visible in the summer, in the northern hemisphere and is located opposite Orion in the sky"[1] she absentmindedly recited while twisting a lock of hair around her fingers.

She then nodded, to indicate she was done and went back to skim through her family's Maleficium, charmed under an innocuous disguise, hoping the class would pass faster. Out of all her classes, Astronomy was by far the one she was most unimpressed with. Amara considered it practically useless, as she saw no actual practical use for any of the information she had stored inside her mind, but nonetheless it was at least visually pleasing.

1.	Ophiuchus - wikipedia

Why was it everyone in Astronomy answered like a dictionary? Gloria had tried some of the common methods to assimilate knowledge quickly; sleep with the book under her pillow, eat shavings of pages in her morning cereal, etc. But she couldn't rattle off a accurate definition so readily as all the Ravenclaws and Slytherins in the room.

She leaned over her desk, head held in both hands. Forever blowing that lock of hair out her face but feeling too lethargic to reset it under her hair bow.

"That's a funny way of saying it, isn't it?" Gloria asked. "I thought the ecliptic went out from the equator. But you just said, Professor, that constellations are only patterns from perspective so the sun isn't actually passing 'through' them. And why would the sun's passing of the constellation be noted? we can't usually see stars in the daytime."

At Professor Trishna's response to her thought on her sun sign, Addison simply nodded. The Zodiacs were definitely a strange way to determine personalities, having never been a fan of it even as a younger girl. Alvis seemed to have summed up that very thought in a more than articulate way. From that moment, the discussion turned to their Moon Signs. With a simple thought process, she figured out her moon sign to be Gemini. Even this sign was not a totally accurate representation of her personality, since she thought that she had perseverance[1].

Zeta and Cyhirae both contributed to the discussion and .... wait, what was that? Did Professor Trishna just have a rather pained expression at hearing Cyhirae discuss Pisces as her moon sign ... Could it be? Was his sign Pisces? It had to be! Just had to be, by his expression! Yes, yes, it must. Quickly, Addison wrote a quick note to herself on the parchment in front of her that she believed Professor Trishna's sign to be a Pisces. Yes, now she just had to figure out Professor Reid's to see what their signs told about their relationship prospects.

Looking up from her parchment, where she had just scribbled her revelations on the page, Addison was immediately confused with what they were talking about. Alchemy, item crafting, creation of the Zodiac. Merlin, she really should be paying attention. With a short sigh, she attempted to follow the conversation again. She really hated being lost and confused.

“There are 13 constellations in that plane. Can any of you name and describe the last one?”

Amara launched into a dictionary-esque answer, and then Gloria asked a question herself about the sun passing through the constellations. Deciding to speak up again, she didn't bother raising her hand this time.

"I believe the phrase 'the sun passes through the constellations' basically means that we see those constellations on earth based on where the sun is positioned. In relation to earth, the sun is effectively in front of the earth at an angle in its orbit to see the particular constellation[2]. As for why they were documented, I think they would have been best used for time purposes? I mean, the Zodiac signs and the constellations don't exactly align now, but they used to when the signs were first documented[3]," she added. Quickly realizing that she must have been rambling on a bit, she blushed. "Sorry," she muttered and looked down at the parchment in front of her, starting to doodle a fish under her note that she wrote before.

1.	Gemini Moon Sign
2.	Reference
3.	References the Ophiuchus and the Zodiac section

“Thank you, Miss Bathory,” Tapendra said. “5 points to Slytherin.” It was a textbook answer, yes, but at least she didn’t appear to be reading it directly from the textbook – whatever book she had, it certainly didn’t cover Astronomy, from the look of it.

He could not help the slightly bamboozled look he gave Gloria, however, as she spoke up. He had to restrain a sigh, and he was rather grateful when Addison spoke up instead of he. It would have been difficult not to be just a bit sarcastic at Gibbon.

“Miss Rockwell is correct,” he said, however, straightening up. “The term passing through, in this circumstance, implies the constellation’s location in the sky relative to where the sun moves. Were the Sun – and by extension, Earth – literally passing through a constellation, we wouldn’t be able to tell. Or see the other constellations anymore, either...” We’d probably all be dead, too, but that’s a separate issue, he added to himself. The nice thing about their deserted corner of the Milky Way was that very little of interest happened nearby.

Events of astronomical interest were not ones one wanted to be close to, generally speaking.

“And, Miss Gibbon, it is not difficult to determine the position of stars even if you cannot see them – even without mathematics and more modern tools, a knowledgeable familiarity with the night sky will let the mindful observer note star movement and be aware of where constellations are by looking at the others.”

“Now then – as Bathony explained, Ophiuchus, or the serpent-bearer, is certainly in the path of the Zodiac – the sun passes through it from November 29th to December 17th. In some modern zodiac systems, it is included as a 13th sign; but most systems are still based on the classic Vedic system of Astrology, which uses 12.”

He rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “My question to you, then – what do you think is more important to these systems - that the sky is divided into equal, even parts, or that they reflect the reality of the night sky?”

Kelvin had kept quiet during the class so far, he generally did not think much of astrology, or divination in general, which was why he wasn't taking divination.  He understood that there were seers who could foresee the future and that numbers and names had significance.   But a regular wizard divining the future from tea leaves or the stars wasn't something he thought possible.  At least not without the use of actual magic.  The question about what was most important to the zodiac systems made him raise his hand though.

"If the zodiac has any real power over us, then shouldn't it have to reflect what is actually in the night sky?  Otherwise, its meaningless because how does the sign pisces affect you if the sun is actually in the constellation aquarius?" Kelvin answered.

Tapendra turned, looking at Watkins for a moment before he himself had to consider that. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he considered. He was quietly aware that this was really one of the first questions in a year of teaching that he hadn’t really known the answer to when there probably was one.

“I imagine,” he said, finally, looking around the classroom to see if anyone else knew, “That the sign under which you are born is when the magic happens, if indeed it happens at all. You are aligned with that sign, so to speak? So the sign the sun is passing through right now makes little difference, as your birth is what gives it power over you. But by that logic, the magic might increase when your sign is again in the sky…?”

He paused, then spread his hands in a kind of half-shrug. “To tell you the truth, Mister Watkins, I’m really not sure. The machinations of how magic works are difficult to pin down with more conventional phenomena as it is.”

Nearing the end of her fish doodle underneath Professor Trishna's alledged Zodiac sign, Addison looked up and smiled as her rambling answer was deemed correct. She enjoyed being right, rarely admitting when she was in fact wrong. There were still times when she was wrong, but she tried not to voice those too often. For the most part, she stayed quiet in class when she had no idea on what they were talking about.

“My question to you, then – what do you think is more important to these systems - that the sky is divided into equal, even parts, or that they reflect the reality of the night sky?”

The next question was poised to the class. Kelvin, who seemed to be quiet during this class, spoke up. Through his answer, he confirmed that Professor Trishna was indeed a Pisces. Yes, validation! She knew she was right, when she heard him earlier.

Nevertheless, it sounded as if Professor Trishna had no idea on the relationship between magic and one's Zodiac sign. But, it sounded as if, yet again, the class was veering off subject a bit. She figured that now was as good as ever to ask her incredibly off subject question. She just had to frame it correctly, otherwise it would sound too strange.

As the spinning in her mind found a good way to word her question, Addison raised her hand quickly. "Professor Trishna, I noticed a lot at home that some muggles are readily obsessed with their Zodiacs to connect to horoscope readings. But, I have also heard some muggles use their Zodiacs as a way to determine who they should be in a ... romantic relationship with. Could the Zodiacs determine who someone would have the best romantic relationship with?" she asked, as innocently as she could make it sound.

Oooh, a smile from Professor Trishna. She would have to draw him smiling sometime. Zeta wasn't very used to knowing the answers. It wasn't a bad feeling. It all seemed like she was forgetting something as she listened to the questions. Oh, there it was.

She went through the raising her inky, pencil dusty hand raising routine again. "Umm...aren't we seeing the stars from forever ago or something? The picture takes a while to get here? So how can we compare it?" She stopped and looked down. The words had gotten ahead of her thinking again, and she'd gotten lost in them.

And sounded confused in front of everyone. She kept her eyes down, and started to scribble nervously.

There was a flash on Tapendra’s face – for just a moment, as Addison asked her question, he looked terrified. He’d known that question was coming and had rather hoped to avoid it entirely, but he had to answer in the affirmative…and worst of all, explain it. He’d rather not, quite frankly.

“What? Err, yes, Pepper,” he said, as Zeta spoke up, clearing his throat and adjusting his tie. “The speed of light means that the positions we see the stars at are not where they actually are, but where they were however many millions of light-years away they were. Are.” They’d discussed that in class early on, so there was little need for him to go into detail about it.

“And Addison…yes, I suppose one could...do that, if they so wished.” His hesitation was plain, and he quickly worked to get his act together. “Due to the way the Zodiac arranges such elements as personality and birthstones, the idea of the Zodiac being able to predict the success chance of relationships is a fairly obvious leap, I imagine. Certainly it’s probably one of the most common uses of the system…perhaps one of you can give an example of two signs assumed to be compatible?”

Compatible star signs? Ambrose's eyes widened a little more than his usual gullible stare. Did that mean that there were people born in the year that you weren't compatible with, and you'd not have a good relationship with? What did that mean for him and Cyhirae? He swivelled his head round to look at her. She was born in June, he in the September before. Did that make them compatible?

He chewed his lip, wondering if he should have better paid attention to what cousin Eta had been saying over Christmas about that sort of thing. What if he and Cy were not meant to be because of their star sign? Were they doomed?

"So do the muggles go around asking people what their starsign is before they think they're good looking or something? Like, narrowing the market?" Ambrose asked Addison with mild horror.

"Happy birthday," said Alvis. "You should've told me, I would have gotten you something." Casey grimaced slightly. The point hadn't been to have Alvis draw attention to his birthday with pity...or wax eloquently once the Ravenclaw was able to segue into his fondness for metallurgy and craft.

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

Previously, this would have been a point where Casey would start hating Alvis again and looking for some misdirection and insulting rebuttal. Though Casey had worn the (now missing) amulet with a sapphire gemstone for most of his life he wasn't fond of jewelry or that kind of ornamentation. Maybe for the value of something, the amount of money appraised for a piece, but not...wearing jewelry, damn Norling's suggestion of it bettering health. Professor Trishna confirmed Casey's doubts with the effectiveness, if it was substantial at all.

Instead of an outburst Casey did his best to ignore what was just said, the only sign of being affected by it manifesting with a pause of reedy breath. Letting the moment slide past also felt better. It helped that Pepper, the usual type to latch onto any words prone to suggestion between Casey and Alvis, didn't pick up on it either, no doubts frying all brainpower trying to think of the dimensions of space and all the terminology and how little he knew. That was why Casey only dedicated half his mind to this class. If he was ever at a loss for constellation terminology, well, the wizarding fad of naming people after celestial bodies had yet to dwindle significantly. It provided many mnemonics to remember stars as witches or wizards.

Class continued and the professor posed the question of of star signs that suggested compatibility (as Ambrose Pepper struggled to realize that yes, some people still partook in these notions without have an even real clue about divination).

Even with his half paying attention, something came to mind for Casey. "I can think of a potential incompatibility." Though he didn't take stock in astrology or divination at all, some gleamed trivia from the subject was intellectually entertaining. "Immediately sequential signs may not always be compatible. Such as Sagittarius and Capricorn. One will be overly optimistic, the other a realist;" (pessimistic was just the wrong antonym) "one prone to risks while the other being practical.[1] Mostly opposite and thus conflicting personalities but some may consider that complimentary."

1.	paraphrased from Cafe Astrology's Sagittarius compatibilities