★ Rowena Knight ★ Michael Labell ★ Ted Lupin ★ Lucy Matthews ★ Alexandra McGee ★ Noah Pratt ★ Dessa Share ★ Gwenna Trevelyan§ ★ Emile Lawson ★ Yadira Sparrowhawk ★ Kella Carmody ★ Roland Dylanis ★ Paetyn Harper ★ Alice Hunter ★ Annette Lotusorder ★ Aoife Moffett ★ John Windell ★ Margita Gajos ★ Chaya Weismann ★ Sophia Knight ★ Violet Ostrander ★ Thales Rivers ★ Frank Sellaphix ★ Lucas Trumble ★ Noah Archer ★ Antonia Carbonell ★ Sybil Lee ★ Wynter Frost ★ Eilionoir McEachern ★ Dione Sayer ★ Mercedes Posada ★ Rico Posada ★ Lillia Devlin MONDAY, FEB 1ST - 11:30PM - 12:30PM Since this is a charting class, students are largely free to mingle/chat among themselves. Feel free to do so! Class takes place outside on the battlements.

---

It was dark, although with the northern latitude on which Hogwarts at, even at this late hour the faint light of the sun wasn't fully gone. A waning gibbous moon sat in the sky, now, its light bright against the backdrop of snow that still blanketed the school and grounds. It was only a brief break in the cloud cover, but it was quite a pretty sight, he'd admit. The light in the sky didn't make charting ideal today, but the fact you could see stars at all was an improvement.

Not that he had a lot of time to look at the scenery. The winter months at Hogwarts made stargazing and charting sessions a rarity - something he as a professor (and past Astronomy student) was rather keenly aware the students didn't mind too much. He'd finally settled for projecting sections of the night sky as best he could, but it was no substitute for the real thing.

So when the cloud cover broke this night, and looked to stay that way for awhile, he'd rushed to the battlement viewing platform and hurriedly de-iced the thing, blasting away the day's snowfall. It was still incredibly cold but they'd have to deal with it, he supposed. 

As the first groups of students made their way up the stairwell and into the tower classroom, Tapendra was already wrapped in a warm cloak, and rethinking this a bit. But he didn't really have time to worry about it, did he?

"Good evening," he said, with his usual broad smile. "We're actually outside tonight - if you didn't bring a cloak-" he gestured towards the pile of loaner telescopes, which today had a pile of warm cloaks next to it, too. Thank Merlin for house elves. "I'd recommend wearing one. It's cold."

An understatement, to be sure. "If you've any questions, let me know. Try to keep moving a bit, it'll help with the cold." Not the most encouraging thing to say, he was aware. He frowned slightly as he gestured them outside onto the battlement, telescopes at the ready.

Violet ascended to the Astronomy classroom, not before everyone else, but certainly in the first group.  Earlier in the year she'd often come early - Professor Trishna was one of the few people she'd found at Hogwarts both willing and able to talk to her about real science at something approaching her own level.  But she'd found that most other students - even some Ravenclaws - considered the only possible explanation for such behaviour to be an attempt at currying favour with the professor...not as if she needed it in this class, at least.

The Ravenclaw wasn't making any great efforts to befriend her classmates, but as pleasant as the conversations had been for her, it didn't seem worth antagonizing the entire class, and she'd convinced herself that there were undoubtedly better uses for the Professor's time than discussing astrophysics with an eleven-year-old witch.  She still looked forward to his classes, though.

"Hello, Professor," she said brightly, as she entered.  She was carrying her own telescope - not that it was of any real use in star charting, but occasionally they observed specific bodies, and even if it was a charting night she generally finished early and could spend the rest of the time choosing her own targets.  She was also wearing her cloak - she'd noted that whether classes were indoors or outdoors wasn't entirely predictable, so sensibly always prepared for cold weather and simply removed her cloak and gloves if it turned out they weren't needed.

At his explanations, she nodded and continued outside, withdrawing her self-inking quill and a grid paper from her bag and setting the latter on one of the crenellations, carefully pinning the corners with paperweights - ever since losing one chart to one of the errant gusts of wind over Hogwarts' heights, she'd come prepared.  Finally, she withdrew her wand and whispered calefax a few times, until the spell finally activated and a gentle stream of warm air began to emit from her wand.  She transferred the wand to her left hand and held it pointing up, near her chest, so it filled the hood of her cloak with a constant supply of warm air, then set about doing the evening's chart with the quill in her right hand.  As she occasionally tipped her head back to look up at the sky, stray wisps of her hair flipped skyward as well, wafted by the spell from her wand.

Dessa stopped halfway into the Astronomy room to yawn widely, stretching like a cat and feeling none the better for it. Despite having had weeks to get used to it, she could never seem to reconcile her normal sleep schedule with the late-night Astronomy classes. Groggily she shuffled the rest of the way into the room, just in time to hear Professor Trishna inform Violet that class would be outside.

"Oh nooo..." she groaned under her breath, thinking of the drifts of snow, the icicles and the bite of the February midnight air. Predictably, she'd forgotten a cloak. Dessa wrapped her arms around herself and began to sort through the assortment of spare cloaks, stifling another yawn as she searched for one that might keep her from becoming a human popsicle. Most of them were too big for her tiny frame, but she didn't particularly mind--perhaps the extra fabric would stand between her and hypothermia.

"Hullo, professor," she greeted the teacher on her way outside, trying to sound cheerful and alert instead of half-asleep and slightly grumpy, and failing miserably. She wanted to be awake and interested. She liked the stars...but she liked sleep more.

Jack was almost fall asleep when it was time for class...great. Since he was tired  and near unconsciousness, he slapped himself awake and groggily walked to the tower.  He saw a few students already gathering, but the majority were still absent. Jack was able to meander over to the professor to inform him of his arrival until hearing, "We're actually outside tonight"

Outside...sweet! Jack forgot a cloak to bring or anything besides his usual clothes so he grabbed on of the nicer cloaks provided. Withing a few seconds he was ready to leave,  nearly running to the professor. "I'm ready!" was all he could manage to say before gluing himself to one of the windows, looking out into the night sky.

Rowena had worn of her heavy fur cloaks, and so was all bundled up inside inside with her hands clasped together. The cold she could handle, especially given clothing with heating charms, but being up this late always made her tired. She wasn't used to it, and was pretty bad at getting to sleep afterwards.

Stars were interesting, though. Mum had gotten both of them books on Astronomy (and a bunch of other subjects), the summer before school, and the Muggle books had the best pictures of stars. Even if they weren't something you could touch, which was hard. But who'd want to touch giant things of fire?

"Evening, Professor." She gave him a little curtsey and a smile before heading out to the balcony.

With the weather and everything, she was very glad to have a little self-sticking paper. There weren't many people out on the balcony yet, but people meant warmth and someone to talk to and Rowena didn't like quiet all that much. So she leaned on the battlement close to Violet, the Ravenclaw hadn't seem too bad when they'd run into each other before. And she liked kittens.

She stuck the paper on a flat surface and got her quill out before saying anything, then she turned and looked over at Violet. "Do you have a favorite star?" Stars seemed a very Ravenclaw thing to like.

Violet gave Rowena's question some consideration. "Well,"  she began slowly, "that depends.  In a practical sense, Sol has arguably provided the most direct benefit, unless you count the unnamed supernovae that originally produced the heavier elements on Earth.  And if collapsars still count as stars, then Cygnus X-1 is what first made me really curious about astrophysics.  For viewing, I'd have to say Mizar though...binaries are interesting.  Though I can't say I'd considered it before you asked.  Do you have a favourite star?"

As much as she loved Astronomy, Alexandra wasn’t in the mood for a late night class. She’d just returned to Hogwarts literally about two or three hours ago. She was still achy, her bones were sore, her skin was sore; just about her entire body was all creaky and recovering. She’d done her best to cover up her fresh cuts on her face, and had put on long pants and a long sleeved shirt under her cloak to keep her warm. She guessed her little brothers had thought it funny to give her a red cloak for Christmas, along with a collection of all the different retellings of Little Red Riding hood. At least they were moving on, and currently felt comfortable enough to again harass their now-werewolf sister.

When she walked into the classroom, she realized it was a really good idea that she had worn her cloak, seeing that her classmates were picking up telescopes and heading outside. She pulled her gloves out of her bag, slipping them on as she headed to grab a telescope. Bleary-eyed, she gave the professor a tired nod and a forced smile. “Good evening, professor,” she said. Why couldn’t she just have stuck to common sense and realized she just needed a good night’s sleep right now? But no, she forced herself to come all the way up to the Astronomy tower so that she could work on catching up on the night classes, seeing as she sometimes missed them when they were on the day of the full moon. With a yawn, her feet carried her outside and she set up a little ways away from everyone else, not quite sure she was ready to carry a conversation.

After setting up her telescope, or really as she was setting it up, she decided that it was pretty cold out here. She shivered and bounced from foot to foot as she pulled out her parchment to start charting the stars. How very exciting. The only real problem was the moon was so bright in the sky. The moon was so bright… her eyes drifted up towards it and she found herself momentarily lost in its brilliance. Last night, she had decided she hated the moon, but every time she could look at it (without the urge to howl) she fell in love with the brightness all over again. You could stare at the moon forever and it wouldn’t hurt, whereas a glimpse of the sun would most likely start searing your eyes. She allowed herself a smile, this time not forced, as she dragged her eyes away from the moon and back to the work at hand. Quill in hand, paper secured so that it didn’t fly away, she looked into the telescope to start her chart. 

Sophia was a little over school, already in the winter term did she feel her will-power to slip, and struggled to keep her thoughts on the subject--especially astronomy. It wasn't that she didn't have a great love and understanding of the night sky, she just didn't see what purpose it would serve her later in life. She was not an adventuring sort, nor the kind to likely get lost. She had a very deep understanding of the world around her, and knew little ways to manipulate her surroundings to better serve her needs. (Plus, with a telescope of her own at home, she spent much of her early years studying the sky) Normally she at least took to the class in appreciation of the man teaching it. Her cousin, Professor Reid, was the subject of Sophia's absolute inspiration, and in doing so she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her idol. No, she did not find Professor Trishna dreamy, (not that she knew Aileen did) but she did admire him for his studios ways--his dedication--his professional mannerism. It pleased her greatly to think of maybe someday welcoming him into the family, but the moment she stepped outside she remembered why this class wasn't her favorite.


The always prepared, Ravenclaw, wore her best cloak, a pale blue wool with a fine fur trim, pockets to keep her hands warm, and extra lining that she could charm to serve as warmth. Her tall fine italian leather boots laced all the way up to the top to keep out the snow, and even her skirts had an extra layer or two to better protect from the night. With every hair in it's place, her dark hair fell perfectly down her back, tied back from her face in a perfectly pressed ribbon that was nearly as big as her face. 


"Good Evening, Professor," Her tone was of her normal, though sounded down--especially for her, who hid her emotions rather well, but on nights like this, when the wind was at it's coldest, and the stars burning bright, Sophia missed being home. Storm colored eyes slipped from classmate to the next, regarding each one before finding her place beside Violet, and she looked at the other Ravenclaw's charts with a judgmental arch of her brow. However, she said nothing, and opened her own.

 

"I like binaries." Rowena grinned, glad she'd found something to talk about. "Alpha Centauri, since it's so close. Oh, have you read Professor Trishna's books? Mum bought a bunch of them last year." If she ever stopped buying books then Rowena would really worry.

She'd just turned back to her star charts when Sophia appeared. It was always good to see her sister, they weren't around each other that much at all at Hogwarts compared to home. So she gave Sophia one of her widest smiles.

Which fell immediately as her sister didn't seem to notice her. Her expression then morphed into a bit of worry. It was a bit past when Sophia'd been so upset over school, or maybe it was over things with Lucas, but she had to keep an eye out for her little sister. "Everything alright, Sophia?"

Kella had fallen asleep before Astronomy class.

Again.

She went through this approximately every two to three weeks, almost without fail. It didn't seem to matter how many times during the day she talked about having a late night class, or how many plans she made to stay awake and alert. As soon as her eyes started feeling heavy she always seemed to forget all about that and go about her nightly routine, only to get woken up by housemates leaving for the Astronomy Tower. It was like a tradition! She's fallen asleep right on top of her fluffy hot water bottle, and had woken up to find a dark pink splotch on her cheek that was warm to the touch. Her hair was down with her fringe in her face, and she was in her pajamas rather than her uniform. Kella was an easygoing kid, however, and rather than panic or cry she just... woke up and got dressed. Sometimes she was groggy when she got up, and today she felt a little bit of that telltale fuzzy-headedness, but overall she was actually feeling well rested. Maybe her trespass hadn't been the worst possible thing!

She didn't fuss over her appearance. There really wasn't time to, even if she was the sort to panic over that sort of thing. When she arrived at class – not first, but definitely not late – it was with her splotchy face and loose hair, things crammed into her school bag in their typical sloppy fashion, and her uniform looking as though she'd found it crumpled up on the floor... which she had. She was smiling, though! She was smiling and blinking and shivering, because how was she supposed to think to bring her coat when she hadn't even remembered she was supposed to come to class in the first place?

Sleepily, the slightly dopey, thoroughly shivery first year made her way over to the pile of cloaks. While she was far from traditionally vain, she'd lived amongst muggles for too long to look at wizarding fashion with anything but mild amusement. She loomed over the pile of outerwear garments, her skeptical eyebrows darting up and hiding behind her fringe. She didn't want to freeze, but she didn't want to get laughed at either! She wasn't in a rush, especially if they were charting! 

Alice bounced up the stairs, on a rush of pure, unfiltered energy. "Evening!" She said to each of her classmates that she passed by, realizing that most of them were tired. They needed to wake up! It was time for astronomy! Alice loved Astronomy, partly because some of it was book reading. She truly excelled when it came to reading, and the other side of it was looking at stars! Observing things! She loved that kind of stuff!

It was her second favorite class, right behind History of Magic. Everyone hated that class, and she didn't really understand why. It was a brilliant class, full of amazing history, and knowledge just waiting to be learned. She absolutely adored it. But Astronomy was a close second! She loved Astronomy as well. Sure, she was afraid she'd be the only student to see an alien or something, but she still loved it. She tossed her fears to the side, that's what she had been trying to do for a while.

She bounced over to Lexi, and set her telescope up with brilliant precision quickly. Psh, she didn't practice it in her room or anything. Definitely not for hours on end when she was bored. That didn't happen. Alice wasn't like that. Okay, maybe she was like that a little bit. "Evening!" She said, trying to calm down. She lowered her voice. "How you feeling? Was the night rough?" She asked. The girl's red cloak gave her a little shiver up her spine. There was something about the color. Something... Something not right.

Annette wanted to be the first student in the Astronomy classroom, but was beat by at least eight other people, darn. She frowned a bit and wrapped her cloak tighter around her. Her face lightened when Professor Trishna told them they'd be star charting. She rushed up to the  the highest point of the viewing platform and set up her telescope. She quickly focused the lenses and peered through the eyepiece. She smiled. Just as bright and wonderful as home.

She was brought back to many cold nights trudging up the stargazing hill with James, carrying small parts of the telescope so they could set up and watch the night sky. Annette looked down at her star chart and began plotting stars quickly and accurately, so she could have as much time as she wanted on just looking through the telescope. She even ignored Alice and Lexi, this was her favorite class and no one was going to bug her if she didn't look away from the stars.

She connected a few winter constellations and sighed, it never got old. She remembered climbing up her parent's bedroom balcony and setting up her own telescope when Jim was away. Nette had witnessed many a meteor shower and seen several comets streak by in her early years. No wonder her brother was so enamored with it, somethings always changed, while others stayed the same.

"So beautiful" She sighed, plotting a few more stars on her chart.

Ascending the staircase to the Astronomy classroom took a little longer for Michael this time around. He was incredibly tired for tonight's class. As it was, he didn't get enough sleep the night before. He even tried to take a nap before this class, but it didn't really help much. The only thing that would help would be a good night's rest. It looked as if he wasn't going to get his wish on that accord tonight.

Despite how tired he felt, Mike was actually prepared for the day's class with his cloak. If in doors, he still managed to find the Astronomy classes to be a bit colder temperature than the other classes. Of course, it could have always been just him feeling that way. Nevertheless, he typically brought his cloak so he wouldn't be too cold in class.

"Good Evening," he greeted Professor Trishna groggily. Astronomy wasn't a bad class or anything. On the contrary, he found himself more willing to pay attention more in this class rather than the other classes. But, these late night sessions were terribly hard to adjust to.

After walking out on to the balcony, Mike noticed several of his classmates were already out there. They were charting that night. Setting up a telescope, he arranged the chart paper next to him with his quill and inkwell while suppressing yawns. As he was starting to complete his star chart, he felt himself yawning even more. Before he could stop himself, he started to doze off with a few stars already plotted on the star chart.

Of course their late-night lesson came the day after the full moon. Heaven forbid Teddy be allowed a measure of sleep sometime in forty-eight hours.

As he stepped onto the tower's battlements, Ted glared up at the newly-waning moon with blurry, silvery-gray eyes. He'd gone subtle in his appearance today out of sheer laziness, adding only highlights of blue to his hair and a sheen of silver to his eyes to match the Moon as a sort of challenge. Said celestial body shown on them, bright as all, with only the faintest shimmer in its beams as a remnant of the sound that had kept him up all the night before.

Ted stuck his tongue out at the mocking orb and snagged a spot within easy conversation distance of Lexi and her bright red cloak. It felt right, keeping tabs on her when she got back. Ted'd been fighting monthly insomnia and singing moonlight his whole life, but Lex had the full moons so much worse and -- though he had no doubt that she could take care of herself just fine -- he wouldn't have felt right not lending an ear or a shoulder if she needed one.

He kept quiet as he set up his telescope and Hunter bounded over, trying not to think about his godfather's none-too-subtle threats to background check his school friends,[1] or his worries over the explosion at Godric's Hollow three days before. This was class, he should focus on class and on the stars. Keeping one ear on the conversations going on around him, he smoothed out the parchment for his chart, muffled a yawn, started the basic notations.

1.	Oh, Harry.

Dessa, who had fallen asleep draped over her telescope almost immediately upon setting it up, was jolted awake abruptly. She glanced around covertly, trying to discern whether anyone had observed her little nap--particularly Professor Trishna. Discovering nothing that might have jarred her awaKe, she went to return to her star chart, reluctantly, when she caught a flash of red out the corner of her eye.

Right! The full moon! That explained the faint feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach--she had gone to sleep worried about Lexi. It was all she could do not to bound over and start force feeding her friend chocolate. She knew such behavior likely wouldn not be appreciated, so she instead wandered over to where Lexi stood surrounded by Alice and Nette.

"Hey Lex. Nice cloak." She said softly, resisting the urge to wrap her arms around her friend because she knew it would just exacerbate her aches and pains.