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The 7th years. In many was they were the most annoying group and not just because his sister was in them with Cuween, and enjoyed distracting him. He wasn't really sure what to do with them other than to help trhem study for the NEWTs; but now he had an idea, one that could give him information on the students as well as their views on the universe. And hey - it might be fun for them too.

He'd set the windows to the Ant Nebula, and coffee'd himself up before the older students arrived.  When the voices echoed up the stairs he stood up with Kepler clinging to his shoulder and marched over to the globe, adjusting his suit and tie.

"Good evening, class," he said, smiling broadly. "We're going tobe discussing your term homework and studies for these last few month of your school time here today - so shall we get started?"

When the small group had taken their seats, he addressed them fully.

"Since we've been discussing some of the differences between Muggle and Wizard astronomy as we've been reviewing for the NEWTs," he said, resting his hand on the deactivated globe. "So, since many of us have differing opinions on the subject, your final from me - which is seperate from the NEWTs - will be a group project, and I would like you to consider the different approaches as you research the subject."

He leaned fully on the globe. "Now, there are several things to get out of the way with this - first, it will be presentation based. Second, it does not have to be a comparison - but if it is, it must be researched from an unbiased view point. If you as a group choose to pronouce one standpoint superiour, you must have research and a fully formed arguement to support that claim."

"But most importantly of all - this is astronomy based and not culturally based. When you pick a topic, you need to be focussing on the science of the subject at hand. Now then - your groups."

He pointed his wand at the board. "Groups of 3, students. Get with your groups; I want you to discuss what topic you'd like to cover."

Toko had listened to Professor Trishna blearily, though a haze of half-sleep. So yeah, maybe laying down to read an hour before Astronomy wasn’t a good idea. Anne Rice usually did such a good job at keeping him awake, too...but all the same, he’d passed out on top of Blood and Gold somewhere around page 129.

He was conscious enough to squeak in alarm when he saw he was in a group with Fir, though. Something that might have been a noise of alarm or protest sprang into his mouth, but it transfigured into a kittenish yawn half way through. Toko curled down into against his desk, and buried his face in his elbow.

And he sorta wished Dax was there, to keep Fir from trying to eat him.

“Um, Professor Trishna?” Toko piped up. “Can I...can I group with Ruby?”

It was worth a shot. Kind of.

The small, quiet, androgynous boy spoke up and, not the first time, Tappy wondered when being masculine had become unpopular.

"Uh - well, Mister Toko, I'd rather not switch the groups if I don't have to," he said, hesitantly - mostly because he'd been trying to make sure Georgiana and Fir didn't pair up. "Um, if Mister Fayette doesn't mind switching with you -"

The larger boy shifted at his desk, out of the corner of Tappy's eye. "I'd rather not, Professor - if that's alright. I will do so if you insist, however."

Tappy frowned at him, suspecting the lot of them were pulling his leg. "Fine, fine, Mister Fayette. Um, I can - how about if Miss Carter and Miss Flickwick switch? Would that work?"

Somehow, despite Grace's efforts to slim down her schedule during her seventh year so that she could focus all her energies on the classes she needed to become a healer, she had still attended several classes anyway since the year had begun. Mostly, it was because when she had nothing else to do, she often allowed herself to be convinced to join some of her other classmates. During the fall, it had been Bethan dragging her to the evening Astronomy sessions when Woolfolk still taught it. But with the start of the new year and with her lack of "work" for Herbology, Grace had needed very little encouragement from the likes of Emily, Addie or Ruby to tag along to the class now that it had a new professor -- and a progressive one at that. She could see how others might be confused by it or how the administration for the school might be aprehensive about him teaching it. He spoke of things that Grace knew from her studies of muggle science courses during her summers with her father.

"Just in case..." She remembered him saying of his requirement that she still learn about muggle academics subjects. And she knew how that ended. Just in case this magical stuff doesn't work out.

Grace was excited by what Trishna taught, and it made her think that if it wasn't any extra work than what she was doing already and it was interesting, then she might as well continue going to the class and attempt the NEWT.

When the professor posed his assignment to the class, Grace immediately thougth back to a book that her father had added to one of her summer reading lists. It had been a book about cosmology based physics as a means to exposing her to the sciences but it had been written in a way that wasn't gibberish.

By the time Trishna told them to get into their groups to brainstorm, Grace had an idea to pitch to Thatcher and Adelia. She hoped that it might be of interest to them as well.

"So....I was thinking..." she began, as she sat down with them. "How about something having to do with time? I know in the magical world, we have time turners, and it kind of allows us to manipulate time...and in muggle science, they talk about what is called parallel universes and that all involves the stars." Grace bit her lip, realizing that what she said could definitely come out as gibberish. She raised her brows in a questioning manner. "What do you guys think? Any ideas?"

Zack regretted signing up for Astronomy class sometimes. He always had to finish his homework early so he could nap before it, for one. It didn't work well with his sleep schedule at all. But the subject was getting more and more interesting as the years went on, especially now that they were discussing some of the newer theories. Still, a guy needed his sleep.

He quickly took a sip from the travel mug of coffee he'd brought with him so he didn't accidentally fall asleep in the comfortable, fireplace-heated classroom. He yawned. 11:30 was a rather bad time for a class if the class didn't even have to use the real night sky anymore. Oh, goodness, group projects meant he would have to talk to people.  People he didn't know. Well, at least they were all in the same situation, so it wouldn't be too bad. Hopefully no one would try to make him do the whole thing.

He decided it'd be best if he replied to Grace to try to get some clarity out of all the stuff about time and parallel universes she'd just said. He fidgeted with his shirt collar and the bottom edge of his sweater, trying to form a clear sentence at a time when he would be sound asleep any other night. "It sounds interesting, um, Grace. But can you, um, think of a way you'd link that back to astronomy concretely? I'm trying to puzzle it out, but you're a little, er, unclear. Does anybody else have any ideas, or should we try to come up with a structure for Grace's?"

It wasn't that Grace didn't expect her ideas to be questioned. She just wasn't ready to respond right away to explaining it. As such, she fumbled to make sense of her own jumbled mish-mosh of thoughts.

"Okay," she started, nibbling a bit on her lower lip before running her tongue over it thoughtfully. She offered her shyer classmate a smile. "Well, in muggle science or to some, in theory, there is a branch called Cosmology. It's the study of the universe. And much of that is all about the stars. Same for what we study here in Astronomy. With the time turner....and the parallel universes....." Grace trailed off. Her idea was sounding less exciting now that she was talking about it. Or, maybe she just didn't know how to present it to her classmates in a way that made sense. She scrunched up her face a bit helplessly and offered, "Well....I guess....maybe what I've always been amazed with is that because of Magic, we can actually manipulate the science. And muggle science is stuck with dabbling in theory."

She shrugged and sank down into her seat. "We should just go with something else."

Usually, her brother’s class was frought with scowls, eyerolls, and mostly just ignoring Tappy completely in favor of reading The Witching Hour:  A Quarterly Collection of Feminist Essays & Poetry (the back was emblazoned with the words CURSE PURITY! CURSE PATRIARCHY! in glistening red letters too much like blood). At the moment, she was skimming an article on the commercialization of the Candlemas and Ostara festivals when she lazily glanced up at the board for their imbecilic ‘teams’ –

Dion Fayette
Ruby Flickwick

Well. One of those two names certainly grabbed her attention. Gigi gave Dion a cat-like smile and a wink…and a hair toss just for a little extra oomph, why not? She didn’t show the same enthusiasm for Ruby being in her group, because she didn’t acknowledge Ruby at all.

She gestured him over with a grin, and leaned forward at her desk with one elbow keeping the periodical open. Open to the Ostara article, with a smiling painting of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre. The golden woman was all buxom and nude, save for the warren of rabbits cradled in her arms and the flowers crowning her hair.

Georgiana glanced down at the picture and cocked her head, as if seeing it for the first time. "It's a fertility thing," she explained with a shrug, as if it were the simplest and least naked concept in the world.

Well, this could have been worse. By a long shot. Of course, knowing his luck, Ruby was going to cockblock him or something; seemed like something she'd do. Still, that might be fun too.

Fir and Gigi would have been awesome, though.

Aware the professor was watching him warily out a corner of his eye, Dion returned Georgiana's wink with an easy - but knowing - smile. Easing into the desk next to Gigi, he glanced at the article and magazine, and couldn't help the snort of amusement. It looked like the same stuff his mum read after she'd been fighting with his dad.

"Looks it," he said after looking at the picture, and shrugged with a grunt. The rabbits certainly made sense if it was. Though he doubted the rabbit-bra would be in fashion anytime soon.

Still, a guy could hope, right?

"So what do you want to do for this?" he asked, finding himself ready to slouch in the desk. He avoided this urge and sat ramrod-straight. For some reason girls like Trishna brought out that part of him he didn't like but couldn't ignore; the lazy, flirty and sleazily eager bit that Dax did so well and Dion did so badly.