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Watching the last of the seventh years leave his classroom, Isaac smiled slightly as a few familiar faces of the fifth years filed in and took their seats.  A few seemed to have grown quite a bit over the summer, loosing a bit more of the awkwardness one acquires during their early teenage years.  Others it seemed hadn’t changed at all in the few short months they had been gone.  A few murmured friendly hellos as they drew near the desk where he sat in the front of the room, while others seemed to busy sharing all their summertime stories with their friends to even take notice of him.

“Class, please take your seats quickly so we can begin,” he called, noting that his voice seemed to draw the attention of most of the students.  He stood, taking his wand from its place on his desk and turned towards the chalk board.  He gave a slight flick and the notes from the other class disappeared and in its place appeared the words, ‘An Introduction to Uncontacted Tribes.’

“Welcome back to Muggle Studies,” he began.  “I trust everyone enjoyed their summer vacations.  This year we will be studying uncontacted tribes with a focus on South America which today has the largest population of isolated tribes in the world.  Please take out your quills and parchment.”

He waited a moment as he heard the rustling of papers as the students gathered their supplies for note taking.  It gave Isaac a moment to look over his class roster and take a quick attendance before continuing.  It wasn’t long before the rustling died down and he had finishing his attendance.  Moving around the desk to stand before it, he shifted his weight slightly so he was leaning back against.  Having spent so much time research the topic previously he had no need for the lecture notes he had prepared.

“Today it is believed that the only remaining uncontact tribes are found in South America and Asia.  In North America it is believed that the last isolated Native American in the United States left the home of his ancestors in August of 1911.  His name was Ishi and upon being discovered and taken into custody he was sent to live and be studied at the University of California.  During the five years before his death from tuberculosis he was able to help researchers discover more about his tribe’s way of life, and record some of their dialect.”

Isaac paused for a moment allowing the students to finish their notes before switching gears a bit, “Now, until just last year it was believed that New Guinea had the largest number of uncontacted tribes.  We will be talking in detail about Brazil, which now holds the record, next time.  In New Guinea there are very few studies as it is not completely safe for researchers, both Muggle and Magical.  If that ever changed, do you think contact should be made with these tribes?”

Looking to the students he waited to see who might raise their hand and begin the discussion.

(Alright folks, you will have until 12pm EST September 27th to role-play entering the class, taking notes and joining or observing the discussion.  After that I will post the conclusion and homework.  If you have any questions please see the class guidelines or PM me.  I will be chiming in if there’s a need during the discussion, but you may role-play me calling on you.)

UPDATE:  You will actually have until October 3rd at 12pm.

Figaro had a hard time in the sit and listen classes.  But on the other hand, there was less of a chance he'd get in trouble for using his wand improperly, or nicking his thumb with a knife, or burning his hand on hot glass, or hollering at his group-mates.  But sitting still was a problem.  He'd somehow arranged himself in his desk so that his rump was in his seat, but both of his legs were up on the desk, his notes between his feet. 

Professor Frasier was a smart guy, and lots of information from this class went over Figaro's head.  He had muggles in his family, but mostly he knew more about wizarding culture - especially after four years at Hogwarts.

"I think researchers should mind their own business," he piped up once the floor was open for discussion.  He didn't raise his hand, just shouted it out.  "Not like the jungle people have amazing inventions or anything right? They're just camping and dancing and minding their own business.  And then folk barge in and mess that stuff up? Leave them alone, I say."

He turned his head around, looking at his classmates, eager for someone to disagree with him.  Discussions were way better than lectures.

It had to be a coincidence but Sasha couldn't help casting Neely a curious and questioning glance as the professor mentioned Brazil before turning his attention back to his own paper.  Introduction to Uncontacted Tribes, Sasha wrote in smooth, small script as he bent over his parchment.  It seemed strangely ironic - the one class he was taking to prepare himself for his time with his family and the subject was one his family would highly disapprove of.  He could hear his step-father's criticism in the back of  his head already but that only proved to heighten his curiosity.  At least, for once, the class would be covering a subject Sasha wasn't already thoroughly familiar with. 

He was scribbling when he heard the Hufflepuff speak up and had started to scribble the young man's perspective when he realized - halfway through the sentence - he didn't quite agree.  He looked up and hesitated a moment but, finally, lifted his hand and straightened up, subconsciously smoothing the front of his robes as he spoke.

"We - well, they ... muggles owe quite a bit of their technology to things they found in indigenous populations," Sasha said.  The summer spent with family prompted him to stumble slightly over his own identification.  "Weaponry, medicine - like throwing sticks or anesthetics - there are lots of things that we - they know of because of discoveries made in these places." 

But, Figaro was correct about one thing.  "But, it is hard for us to enter these uncontacted tribes and not ... mess that stuff up.  Diseases and ... missionaries,"  he added, shrugging his shoulders, tapping the tip of his pen against the page.

Isaac quirked an eyebrow, although he was not completely surprised when Figaro Sellaphix answered first without raising his hand.  He was the sort of boy who never seemed to be able to truly sit still and he never seemed to truly think things out before speaking.  Diplomacy was certainly not going to be one of his talents as he got older, especially not without a lot of practice.  However, Isaac was glad to have someone start off the discussion with a strong opinion.

When Figaro had finished speaking, he noticed another raise his hand almost unsure if he should join the conversation.  Opposition was always difficult, Isaac understood that better then most.  He often envied those who could simply speak their opinions plainly without worrying about the consequences.  With an encouraging smile he said, "Yes, Mr. Schlagenweit?  Thank you for raising your hand."

"We - well, they ... muggles owe quite a bit of their technology to things they found in indigenous populations.  Weaponry, medicine - like throwing sticks or anesthetics - there are lots of things that we - they know of because of discoveries made in these places.  But, it is hard for us to enter these uncontacted tribes and not ... mess that stuff up.  Diseases and ... missionaries."

"Indeed Muggle history does tend to show a pattern," Isaac said when he had finished.  "As the desire to explore grew so did the level of technology used for travel, and with it the regions that were explored became more and more exotic.  Many civilizations have been lost forever and we have almost no way of knowing what could have been learned from these people."

Changing the topic slightly he asked, "Now, what of using Wizarding techniques to research groups who have had little contact with the modernized world?"

Figaro's face burst into a grin and he slapped his desk in excitement.

"Invisibility!" he crowed. "Muggles can't do that - Invisibility would let us sneak in and watch without bothering, or scaring or otherwise mucking up a perfectly good human sacrifice.  I mean, you could watch everything! And if you could use a potion or spell to catch one of them, you could pull out Memories, like for a Pensieve and all the scientists could just dive on in."

He paused with a glance at Sasha, considering what the brainy, hard-thought boy might think of Fig's answer. "Well, I mean, it could be... um... immoral, I guess to catch one."

He shifted around in his seat, and looked around to his classmates, many of them looking very sleepy.  He furrowed his brow. Did they have something better to do? This crud was bloody interesting! Frasier wasn't a boring talky professor - he actually let them talk most of the time.  How could they be all boring?  At least Sasha spoke up in class.

Outfit

Ah the first day of school and one of her favorite classes right off the bat, Muggle Studies. Frasier was a knowledgeable teacher who let his students debate and discuss rather then just drone on listing facts. That, combined with the fact that she knew quite a bit about Muggle stuff since both her parents were muggleborn, made it both an easy class and an enjoyable one. The only thing that could make it better was if Ferris had been there to share it with her. Ah well, can't have everything you want. A reoccurring theme in their relationship it seemed.

Strolling into class, Maddie was surprised to see only two students there, chatting with the professor. Figaro and Sasha. Okay guys, though she didn't know much about either of them. No better time to learn then in class. Setting her bag down in an empty seat, she settled in just as Figaro said "Well, I mean, it could be... um... immoral, I guess to catch one."

"Immoral to catch what?" She said, his comment peaking her interest.

It was an interesting question - magic did give wizards an advantage over muggles in the area of exploration.  Such as invisibility, like Figaro had said.  Though, there was a big potential problem if the wizard wasn't careful.  "You'd have to be extremely careful," Sasha pointed out.  "Many of these cultures are highly superstitious and believe in ... well - forms of ... not magic like us.  But not entirely mundane things.  If a wizard who's invisible watching them, you know, accidentally ... sneezes.  That could ..." He wasn't sure.  So, he finished with a vague.  "...be bad." 

But, with things so separated between the two worlds...  Sasha raised his hand, tentatively, again but spoke up before being, officially called upon.  "But, that doesn't help muggles much, though.  Since we don't - They wouldn't have that information.  Unless the wizard was working for a muggle school or something.  Which, I understand, doesn't happen much." 

While it wasn't, exactly, his favorite subject, he couldn't help recognizing how divination might have a purpose.  "What about ... well, things like scrying.  Or - other things.  That let you see them.  Without being there at all.  That'd really be ..." 

His voice trailed off as he heard Figaro's last option.  He stared, blankly, at Figaro before Maddie's sudden question lurched his mind out of it's stagnation.  He shook his head.  "You ... you can't catch muggles.  That's ... that's ab-"  A thought blossomed, without warning in his head and he chewed his lower lip a moment.  "Muggles have done enough catching and ... studying ... one another in the past."  Shifting uneasily in his seat, Sasha turned back to his notes and began writing - nothing in particular.  Just whatever came to mind to appear busy.

He remained quiet for a few moments, allowing the students to discuss the current topic.  He would never make a student feel their opinion was wrong, even if he did not agree with what they were saying.  It was a fine balance he had managed to start perfecting after five years of teaching, and sometimes it wasn't easy.

"Indeed, the point is to observe those who have had little or no contact with the modernized world without destroying their way of life," he said.  "What do you think would happen if someone was to 'catch' a member of an uncontacted tribe and take them away from their homes for the sake of study?  Would you consider that moral if it's done in the name of research?"

He intended to get into the mundane 'magic' used by the tribes as well, but he was willing to move in whatever direction the students chose to go with the conversation.  After all, they had an entire semester and this was one of his favorite topics.  The subject matter for third and forth years consisted of the topics of daily Muggle life and Muggle history.  However, the upper levels were the ones he preferred.

Sasha sat, quietly, considering the professor's question a few moments.  Of course, the implications of removing an individual from their culture for 'research' was far reaching - far beyond the concepts of morality.  "It's the age old 'do the ends justify the means' debate," Sasha answered, quietly, shrugging his shoulders.  It wasn't an easy question to answer.  And, in some ways, it was a question that hit a little close to home for him. 

"Muggles have used that argument frequently in the past to justify doing things that aren't moral.  In some cases, what they learned was really - truly - useful.  Even saved lives but ... in this case, it doesn't seem-" 

Sasha grew quiet, struggling to put words to the thoughts that were bouncing around in his head.  It was a common occurrence - his thoughts often worked faster, abstractly, than he could put words to.  "In the instance you're describing, it'd wouldn't really matter.  It wouldn't be effective.  I mean - aren't we ... we can't really study what we want to in a member of an uncontacted tribe if we remove them and put them some place foreign.  There are too many novel stimuli to study.  It isn't, really, viable research anyway - so, it's just amoral."  At least, so it seemed.

Freya wasn't precisely listening: she was used to not speaking up and letting others battle out the House points.  Instead, she was scribbling little hearts onto her parchment: nothing specific or incriminating, no names or initials, just puffy, black hearts dripping blood or something from their lower points, with glistening, shiny spots on the upper humps.

For some odd reason, of late, she'd had the uncontrollable urge to run up, lick Figaro on the bridge of the nose, and run away again.  It should disturb her, this urge, but instead she let her attention roam to the sound of his voice whilst she drew even more disturbing hearts onto her parchment in an attempt to seem as if she were copying lecture to notes.

Unfortunately, the discussion impinged on her euphoria and she actually listened.  Frowning, she said to her parchment, "If they were wise, Wizards would use polyjuice, impersonate a fellow tribesman and endear himself to the tribe."  In her head, she pictured the "soothsayer" who helped the tribe know when to plant and such.  Calling rain.  Traveling prophets.  That sort of thing.

But she was still impressed with Figaro's suggestion of invisibility... yes, they might at that.  But Wizards were known to be more meddling than that.  Look at What'sisname in History of Magic who insisted on teaching Mountain Trolls to dance the ballet... When Sasha agreed that it would be unethical to kidnap a Muggle from an uncontacted culture, she smiled, adding a little lace fringe around her black-ink hearts.