10am, Wednesday morning - your student has arrived unless you PM me to arrange otherwise.

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Peeves could be quite helpful if given enough motivation, Professor Storm had found, and if you played to the poltergeist's favourite things to do. These fell into a narrow band, and generally involved irritating the castle's inhabitants, whether it be by reciting rude limericks, or causing physical destruction.

So when he was busy causing destruction by throwing things in the first floor corridor that Wednesday morning, it had been a stroke of luck that he could persuade the droll little idiot to join them in the classroom. Professor Storm didn't know at the time that the poltergeist would also add his throwing skills to the Tetrawizard task that weekend. The second years didn't know at first if Peeves being let into the classroom was on purpose, but luckily it didn't take long to explain before the mayhem began.

The classroom desks were pushed aside already, and there were a number of tall piles of plates and crockery in horrible pastel colours - one might wonder if they'd been from the same source as Professor Hughes got for his transfiguration lessons, but the students did not have time to consider as Peeves swung round them cackling in delight.

"Arresto Momentum, second years!" He explained, referencing a spell they had studied both with him and also Professor Kesali during the year. He positioned himself behind the line of second years across one end of the classroom before his desk. His height was enough to see over their heads at this age, ready to intervene if the plate slinging got out of hand, and to fish any plates out to replenish the piles by Peeves.

"Slow the momentum of the plates to try and preserve them as best you can." Peeves was already examining the first plate and was looking murderous towards the second years as he began to frisbee it straight towards them as fast as his translucent arms could manage, cackling with glee.

Being one of the shortest in her class, Mairead had long ago learned to use her classmates' height to her advantage.  Whenever they were all gathered and clustered in a group, it didn't take much ducking for Mairead to conceal most any clandestine activity.  Especially if that activity was as subtle as enjoying a quick pre-class snack. 

"Ye fidget again, I'll find ye at lunch," Mairead warned under her breath to the kid directly between her and the prying eyes of authority.  Peeves was somewhere off at the front of class, Professor Storm was behind his desk saying something useless about the day's lesson and the Gryffindor was contently finishing the raspberry and cream cheese danish she'd stashed from breakfast.  She was licking the last crumbs and globs of sweet goodness when something started to happen.

As was par, the class launched into the day's lesson with Mairead not entirely certain what was happening.  A plate came whizzing towards them and, somewhere nearby, one of their classmates was casting a spell.  The spell missed it's intended target and, with a most satisfying crash, the plate hit the wall and shattered. 

"Pog mo thoin[1]  Bloody awesome!" Mairead's voice pipped up over her classmates.  "Do that agin!"

1.	Irish gaelic for 'kiss my "buttocks"'

"I'm not fidgeting," Obderedria hissed. Any combination of Defense lessons, breaking things and now Peeves was enough to give her a complex, given that she never liked the destruction involved. And as, unfortunately, Obderedria provided ample cover that stuck her as the front of their little cluster in the gaggle of students--how would Mairead like to be the one staring down a cracked smiled poultry-polter-geist that looked ready bean your head off with a china dish, instead of munching away back there on her pastry?

Obderedria was also trying to tell herself that the ruff-and-tumble Gryffindor girl's threat didn't mean anything. Of course they could find each other at lunch, they all dined in the Great Hall and it only took a few minutes of looking to find someone. Surely the threat of being beaned with a dish was far worse than whatever Mairead would try in full view of everyone in the castle.

--Speaking of worse things, with scant a second's pause from Professor Storm's reminder of the spell, Peeves immediately hurled a plate at them, causing Obderedria to freeze up and make a small noise of horror a sheep might make being dangled off a cliff--before she could feel the rush of air in her brown and green locks as the plate clattered behind them, while some orange and purple string of spell light was in front of her face.

She had to blink several times to make sure she was still alive.

Heliotrope's default posture grew to emphasis her gangly-ness after yet another end of year growth spurt. Given the average merperson height was longer than humans, that mixed-ancestry probably had something to do with it. Her shoes were pinching again. She favored her left leg with her head tilted the other way, unblinking eyes staring out.

When the plate came flying Heliotrope's first instinct was not the spell specified. But then she didn't have her kelp whip. It took a split second to remember the next best magical equivalent. "Carpe Retractum" she incanted.

The hesitation meant that the orange beam of tethering magic missed the plate and shot along to connect with a wall sconce that held candles for light. And then the spell turned purple, the tension of the tethered object and Heliotrope's strength being tested. After another second, the since gave an inch out of the stone and Heliotrope was pitched forward as the tether snapped, landing on all fours.

"Could we not encourage the castle poltergeist to be more destructive," Philo said, one of the few non-gailec ancestored people in the room that had a clue as to what Mairead had said. Part of Philo's interest into taking Runes as an elective next year was from a childhood like of piking up odd bits of other languages. Expanded Swear Frog vocabulary notwithstanding.

Though it would be funny to see Peeves kiss Mairead on the side of the buttocks. As in kissed with a lime glazed serving platter.

Next from the poltergeist came a water pitcher, lobbed further along the room. Philo decided to take a crack at the spell. "Arresto Momentum!" The pitcher slowed considerably, though kept on its course now deflected to hit the floor several paces in front of the students. For a moment Philo thought it would land unscathed, until it did crack upon impact and split into scattering pieces. All traveling at a speed that would be considered 'hoofing it' for flobberworms.

Well drat.

“Fidgetin’.  Dancing like ye gotta take a piss.  Whatever ye wanna call it,” Mairead grumbled at Pienas as she finally straightened up, feeling satiated. 

At regular intervals around them, plates were flying, second years were casting spells and Ravenclaws were being boring sticks in the grass.  In between attempts to do nothing to impede the poltergeist’s ability to wreck havoc, Mairead glanced towards Falkin with a nasty insult pursing her lips.  But the insult died as Mairead reconsidered the Bird's complaint. 

Could they not encourage the poltergeist to be more destructive?  Or could they?  “Just watch me,” Mairead murmured, with a sly grin.  If one chose the later route, this could prove to be the most satisfying class of the week! 

First step of mischief making: resign oneself to the currently enacted social expectations so as to divert attention to other targets.  Second step: make mischief.  With what she hoped appeared like an adequately resigned sigh, the Gryffindor lifted her wand.  “Arresto Momentum ye rapscallion pottery!” 

Making his way steadily back and forth, the broken plates were nonverbally piecing themselves back together and sliding back across the floor to the poltergeist who had begun making raspberries at the students.

"Precision, second years, anticipate the throw and try to catch it early - good there -" a turkey platter had frozen to a sluggish speed in mid air, teacup saucers whizzing round it.

"Now, one step forward all, let's make this harder." He extended his arms to either side and ushered them forward, and anyone found lagging behind received a sharp hex to the buttocks to make them jump forwards.

Precision.  Persimmons. 

Oh Mairead had every intention of following the latest suggested guidelines.  She would anticipate the throw and try and catch it early.  She just figured it was worth giving ol' Peeves a hand in spicing things up.  After a few initial Arresto Momentum, Mairead let her classmates take over the bulk of the verbosity.  Rather than cast, she waited and watched, keeping an eye out for the perfect opportunity. 

That perfect opportunity came in the form of a powder blue salad bowl.  The poltergeist sent the platter flying in the direction of the far side of the room - a trajectory that, if left undisturbed, would send the bowl careening into the far wall and well away from the crowd of students.  Far enough away that most classmates with disregard it in favor of the plates actually whizzing towards them. 

"Wingardium Leviosa" Mairead murmured under her breath.  As soon as she felt the charm take hold, Mairead gave the plate a little tug, just enough to change it's trajectory last minute and send it flying towards Pienas from the side. 

It had been slow building up her confidence to cast accurately. Obderedria was not having a good score of of getting stuff slowed in time. Some she just froze at and let others to the side target them. Though the last few tries showed some progress at getting the plates and various cutlery to slow correctly.

A brief thought and a positive turn of her lips made her think she could continue to do this. And that's when a blue patterned salad bowl struck the side of her head.

"Arrress-augh!" Obderedria was in the middle of casting a spell and the garbled interrupted result was misaimed as she teetered, before she did fall to the floor.

Several tricky shots later, Philo felt he had gotten the spell to arrest the flung pottery perfectly. Non-shattered bowls sat in midair in front of him before they were whisked to the side by others knocking plates and other decluttering of the space where the students were practicing.

He'd shifted places from where he'd been standing, looking for another target, when he noticed one bowl from the far side take a serving trajectory. It puzzled him as it didn't match the usual blowback of anyone who reversed their plates rather than halted them, plus the average success rate of the room had been steadily improving.

A warning came too late when he noticed it was aimed for Drea's head, though his mouth stayed open for far longer than he anticipated as her misfired spell struck him in the gut like a practice bludger. A practice bludger just like the way his pro quidditch brother Foster like to torment him back in the day.

Although slow may not have been the best description from Philo's vantage point. For the rest of the room, however, his reaction to being hit had him slow considerably, a ripple from the impact of the spell arcing through his body like a jiggle in treacle.

After her initial instincts Heliotrope made proper attempts at the spell practice. Proper as in she cycled through various spells to try on the land dweller eatery surfaces before being reminded and working on the one they were supposed to be practicing. Trying the spell out made her think about how it might slow down fish she was after when fishing back underwater.

She was lost in her own little tunnel vision of firing at the targets flung by Peeves. Up until she heard the outcry of her fellow Hufflepuff roommate. Seeing Obderedria crumple made some pause in her, momentarily freezing in her stance, eyes not focused forwards as they should have been.

Which let Heliotrope join the 'head bonked club' when a table vase smashed off the back of her noggin. Whether from the merperson genetics or wild upbringing or having taken a few similar clonkings in Quidditch, Heliotrope didn't falter as her head turned back towards the poltergeist in a semi-dazed expression.

"Skyrlliphyllx" came a word of shrieked mermish. Which might have come across to the other student's ears as a nasty swear had the moisture levels of the classroom been any different.

The second years were for once making a decent effort with the task in hand. Then Pienas decided to shriek and fall on her backside over a misfired bowl. Peeves shrieked in delight and cackled at her misfortune.

In quick succession Pienas' spell didn't hit crockery target, and LeJean was suitably distracted by her classmate on the floor that she too suffered a table vase from Peeves.

The racket in the classroom of shrieks and chuckles and Peeves singing rude songs about hitting students on the head was almost deafening until the Professor resumed control, both with voice and magical means of the crockery flung at the students by peeves suddenly falling to the floor with a smash.

Well, it wouldn't be a Defence lesson without drawing blood and knocking someone out…



As timeline's moving on, I'm closing up this lesson - but it was fun, particularly considering there's not too many of us, but I did not want to neglect. Thank you all - see you in third year.

Gryffindor

Mairead ó Fearghail +3

Hufflepuff

Heliotrope LeJean + 2
Obderedria Pienas + 2

Ravenclaw

Philo Falkin + 2