alt_savitha

So, my dears. I thought that first session of Salazar's Rules went rather well. I'd like each of you to think about your performance today, and the performance of your friends and classmates, and share an observation or two.

What could you have done better?
What could those around you have done better?
What mistakes did you see?

You may share your observations by journal, or by scroll if you must (turned into my office sometime before our next meeting on Friday).

Speaking of Friday -- sixth years, on Friday you'll have your first session with Salazar's Rules. I would encourage you to read what the seventh years have to say about their experience and LEARN from it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_sally_anne

I heard some odd rumours from another class about what exactly it was that ~~Megan~~ Jones did. So for Order members who are wondering, she tried to hex Moon, who wasn't fair game. She actually muffed the hex and got HERSELF -- but of course Desai spotted it and wanted to know what she was about.

She told Desai that Moon had TRIED to hex her and hadn't gotten his spell off. Which -- I mean, as if an Auror wouldn't have noticed? So Desai was furious at her, and she made Jones get up and stand in the middle of the classroom while she told everyone what an idiot she was, and then she had ~~someone~~ ~~Ron~~ ~~a student~~ she had Ron hex her because she was impressed with how he'd done in class and this was supposed to be his 'reward' I think. She had him use that spell Luna cast on Mr Shacklebolt that time, that makes you wet yourself, only this one was a bit stronger and she had to go to the hospital wing because otherwise she'd just keep on -- yeah.

So. I think if Jones had owned up to hexing Linus, Desai would've punished her but it wouldn't have been so bad. If she'd told a lie that was less insulting, like if she'd said she was aiming for Ron and had muffed it, Desai might have let it slide.

Anyway I heard someone from fifth year who thought Jones got in trouble for going after Patil because how dare a little half-blood try to hex a Councilwitch, and that wasn't it at all. (Though Patil wasn't fair game either -- which was a shame, I'd have tried for her if she had been!)

From:

alt_sally_anne

I hope you don't mind that I told people she had you do it.

I also overheard a rumour from some firsties that Desai had you cast cruciatus on Megan. I told them that was ridiculous, you wouldn't be allowed even under the direction of a teacher because you're neither Head Boy nor a Councilwizard.

I THINK I'm right, that if she decides she wants someone cruciated she'll either do it herself or have Moon do it. (Which, ha, I wonder if he'll be able?) Or Daphne. Ugh.

From:

alt_ron

Ugh. Yeah, okay.

Worst that'll happen, Bill will try talking to me again about what it was like for him, learning the cardinals. And then he'll make Lamont write me, which is fine. I like her, but I don't see what good talking about it does, just to y'know, talk about it.

I reckon it makes them feel like they're doing something for us.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Maybe we should think of it as something we do for them. Making them feel better about the things we have to do.

I don't know, another year and we'll be out of school, how long until we're acting like proper grownups, do you think?

From:

alt_ron

What, and fussing over Evelyn and Artie, telling them what they should be doing and don't get into anything dangerous, whatever they do?

From:

alt_sally_anne

We'll be able to restrain ourselves with Ev and Artie, surely.

But you know some day I'm hoping we'll be able to recruit Gemma. It's going to be hard NOT fussing over her. (She'll be a firstie next year.)

From:

alt_ron

No way. Gemma at Hogwarts already?

From:

alt_sally_anne

Well not until next year, actually.

But yeah, next year. Arista would've started next year, too, except she's at Moddey.

From:

alt_ron

Yeah, Arista. Well, if she could come to school next year, she'd be way ahead, wouldn't she? I expect that for basic stuff, they're really getting a better start out there than we do here. Mind you, they don't have all the coverage we get, but I'd put Colin up against anybody in his year for core subjects, don't you think? I mean, maybe they don't cover things the way they turn up on the written OWLs, but the practical side's solid.

Arista's going to be sad, though, when next autumn comes and she's not starting here. She really wanted to come to Hogwarts.

I expect I should write her. Before she forgets who I am and decides it's really Malfoy who hung the moon.

From:

alt_sally_anne

That would certainly get your attention!

Anyway, yeah. Actually it probably varies by subject. I think Hogwarts is a bit better for Transfiguration (now that Brutka's teaching it and not Carrow) but it's pretty slight. We definitely do better with Creatures, just because Professor Grubbly-Plank can arrange for us to see and even handle some rather rare beasts that Moddey wouldn't have access to. If you want to learn Divination, there's no one at Moddey who can cover that, but why would you ever bother, Divination's rubbish. Arithmancy -- Professor Vector's better at Arithmancy than anyone at Moddey but I expect the Moddey teachers are better at explaining things. Runes -- Moddey wins, because it has people who've relied on Runes as their main form of magic for years at a time, all those people like Terry and my Mum who were denied wands. Charms, Moddey wins. Defence, Moddey probably wins. Dark Arts, well, they don't teach that there, officially anyway, so Hogwarts wins there. Potions, Moddey wins. I can't even imagine getting to learn Potions from Mr Snape all the time, it makes me too jealous. Professor Slughorn was fine, but in terms of teaching you how to do things by feel so you can make the really complicated potions without muffing them, if you lack the natural ability that Pansy and Draco have -- there's no way I'd have gotten the O on my Potions OWL without Mr Snape. Herbology -- I'd say Moddey, in part because no one's peering over their shoulder and they can talk about things like how to grow fluxweed.

Astronomy, it's Hogwarts because there's no one quite like Professor Sinistra at Moddey. History, it's Moddey because there's no one quite like Binns ANYWHERE ELSE for which we can all be thankful (and I'm sure the new professor is teaching nothing but official lies.)

Anyway one way or another if Colin could come take OWLs -- okay from what I've seen he'd get Os on Charms and Defence for sure, and O or E in Herbology, Transfiguration, and Potions. I expect he could even manage an E or A in Dark Arts.

Hermione, on the other hand, could've gotten an O in absolutely everything. If they'd let her take OWLs. She could probably get an O in every NEWT right now.

From:

alt_ron

Defence? You think so, really? I'm not saying they're not getting good training. Only, you think we're behind them? No way. I can totally take any of them.

And I dunno about Mr Snape. I mean, he's not very good with those of us who aren't already brilliant at Potions. I don't think I'd've gone on if he'd been the one to say who could go for the NEWT. I mean, he sort of has favourites and only really cares about them. And, well, he may be brilliant with just the three or four of you in his lab, but when we were having those OWL reviews, he was sort of tense with all of us at once. Imagine if he had two Houses worth of firsties to teach at a time. And then two Houses of second years... Yeah, I'm not seeing it.

Say what you will about old Sluggy, he was good at explaining things and calm about pretty much everything, even the surprises.

D'you remember the time the Boil Cure potion went up? And Patil got splattered? And Brockelhurst told her it looked like she had a map of Poland on her cheek! That was a great day in Potions!

From:

alt_sally_anne

Oh yeah you and Justin between you could probably put the lot of them on the ground, blindfolded and with your wand hand hexed.

But here's the thing neither of you has had just Defence classes in school, you've had those, AND CCF, AND you had your summer programme with the Aurors and Justin trained with Dolohov, AND you've had the chance to work with the Order adults.

In terms of comparing first years, a first year at Moddey is probably a little better than a first year at Hogwarts -- well, although I wonder if Mrs Longbottom is stricter about people hexing each other, honestly we learn more here by breaking the rules than we ever do in class. Hexing people in the corridors like we're not supposed to.

From:

alt_sally_anne

Oh, and I reckon you're right about Mr Snape! It's hard to know what he'd actually be like in a classroom. And he likes me -- I mean, I'm not HERMIONE, but I'm the sort of student he likes to teach.

I don't even want to think about how he'd react to something like that boil cure explosion. It wouldn't have been pretty.