Lesson Two

Aurora was very excited that Professor Clark had touched on the topic about wands. She quickly wrote that down, then listened intently to his talk of Hogwarts and the founders. She knew a lot of it already, but found the pictures on the slideshow very interesting. She wished that she could have copies of them for her notebook, but didn't know if they were available or not. She determined to ask the professor if she could look at them more closely later.

James was carefully listening to every word of Professor Clark's explanation about Hogwart's history. Even though he knew most of it from his research about Rowena Ravenclaw, he was glad to hear it another time, as it was hard for him to remember all the new things he had learned about the school over the last few weeks. And the teacher still added some interesting details that weren't present in the books.

Professor Clark then showed them pictures of the four founders. James laid his quill on his desk and watched them successively appear on the white sheet covering the blackboard. He had already seen what Ravenclaw looked like, but he found it very interesting to discover the faces of the other three. Amused, he noticed that their appearance seemed to somewhat reflect the traits that were traditionally associated to their Houses. Salazar Slytherin, a bald man with a very long thin white beard and a look that sparkled with cunning, definitely seemed at bit menacing to James, and this was enhanced by what he knew about Slytherin's despise for wizards coming from Muggle families. Then, it was the turn of Godric Gryffindor, with his long brown hair, bushy beard and his hands rested on the handle of his silver sword, which was gleaming with large rubies. He definitely reminded James of the brave and adventurous muggle kings of the Middle Ages. Finally came Helga Hufflepuff, a somewhat plump woman dressed in a yellow dress, whose wide smile radiated kindness. Once the sheet suddenly became blank again, James glanced at Professor Clark, eagerly waiting to see what was next.

Professor Clark had started the lesson, and as soon as everyone was in their respective groups, he showed them pictures of the Founders of Hogwarts. From the homework, Lucy knew Salazar Slytherin's appearance, but the other three were still unknown to her. Despite coming from a pure-blood family, she never saw pictures of any of the Founders, except Slytherin, as Phoenix and Uncle Draco were not very fond of the other Houses. Her favorite so far, was Godric Gryffindor. He seemed to be...a bit comedic, for someone know for his bravery and loyalty. As the slides ended, and the screen went back to black, Lucy noticed some students were curious as to what Professor Clark was going to teach next, but she hurried to wirte down her last thoughts about the Founders, as she knew Professor Clark would most likely want them to know this for future assesments.

As everyone buzzed after Ashton paused for a brief moment, he continued his discussion. He inserted another slide to the projector and showed a picture of Gryffindor and Slytherin who valued their friendship so much. "It is not well known but Gryffindor and Slytherin were friends before. It was the two of them and on the other hand, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who were always together. But on the first years of establishing it, Slytherin has an idea that brought a division among the four of them.

"Slytherin was attempting to have a revenge against muggles for not being open-minded about magic. For him, muggle-borns are not suppose to be accepted in the school. Of course, as you all know, the other three, especially Gryffindor, didn't tolerate his idea. After approximately nine years, the division grew bigger that lead the two of them into a violent fight that resulted Slytherin into leaving the school. Though, it was proven that Slytherin didn't leave the school entirely since he built the chamber of secrets."

Ashton changed the view and showed a picture of a long, dimly lit chamber. There were towering stone pillars with more serpents on its sides. On the end of the aisle shows a sculptured picture of a man whose hair were all strengthened sidelong. "The chamber of secrets was once a rumor but was proven to be real in the year 1942 by the famous dark wizard, Voldemort." Hearing his name, some students made some buzzing sound again but some of them have no idea on who he is. "For those of you who do not know him will have to wait for further lessons to come. I prepared a lesson specified only for him."

He continued. "And also in the year 1992 by another famous wizard, Harry Potter. The chamber was made to continue Slytherin's unsuccessful idea. How? He trapped a basilisk..." Ashton changed the view again and showed a incredibly huge snake that has its eyes looking through ones soul. "that had a task: to kill the muggle-borns in the campus. Certainly, when Harry Potter opened the chamber, he managed to kill the basilisk and ended the wrong perspective of Slytherin forever. And yes, by the way, ladies, who among you had an encounter with the ghost in your lavatory? I believe her name is Myrtle and is famous for the name
Moaning Myrtle'." As expected, hands stroke the air, indicating that students are on the right course with him. "She was the last known victim of the said basilisk, well, somewhat. On again, 1992, the basilisk went attacking once more but this time, it didn't manage to kill the muggle borns. The farthest thing he ever did was to petrify some students and fortunately, these students were healed by our school nurse using mandrakes."

Another slide appeared on their screen. It showed a little plant who has a shape of a man but roots are coming out of its body. "Mandrakes are used to brew a potion that had been curing them. I will be foggy with the details about it since I know that your Herbology and Potions classes are designed to teach these things for you. Moving on, there is still one question hanging. Who do you think won between the wizarding world and the muggle world?"

Professor Clark moved on and began talking about Voldemort, the Darkest Wizard of all time, and Harry Potter. Keith heard him talking about Moaning Myrtle. He remembered hearing a few girls talking about the ghost and how she was constantly moping. Although she was quite annoying, he felt bad for her. He knew it must be terrible to be a victim of the basilisk, and at such a young age.

Moving onto another slide for the projector, Professor Clark continued. "Mandrakes are used to brew a potion that had been curing them. I will be foggy with the details about it since I know that your Herbology and Potions classes are designed to teach these things for you. Moving on, there is still one question hanging. Who do you think won between the wizarding world and the muggle world?" He said.

Keith thought for a minute. He decided to wait and see who else would decide to answer.

Professor Clark then started telling them about the story of the Chamber of Secrets. The history of Hogwarts seemed full of these fascinating tales and legends, which made James feel even more excited about being a part of this incredible castle. However, it also appeared that Voldemort had left a profound mark on the school, worsening the anxiety he already constantly felt about his last name, especially now that the teacher informed them that there would be an entire lesson dedicated to the dark wizard.

"Moving on, there is still one question hanging. Who do you think won between the wizarding world and the muggle world?" Professor Clark asked. James preferred to remain silent and wait for one of his classmates who knew more about wizarding history to answer.

Lucy was a bit ashamed about Salazar Slytherin, although she had always recognized his good traits. It seemed unfair to punish people for not being "open-minded".
When Professor Clark spoke of Moaning Myrtle, Lucy looked up. She had always been curious about her, as she had heard very much of her from Uncle Draco, but never really met her. She kept listening and writing down important information, until Professor Clark spoke again, this time, with a question in mind, "Moving on, there is still one question hanging. Who do you think won between the wizarding world and the muggle world?" \
She thought about it, and slowly raised her hand and waited for permission to speak. When Professor Clark granted it to her, she said, "Well, considering that us witches and wizards are still technically 'in hiding' I guess Muggles won, despite the fact that, by logic, we are a tiny bit better than them."

OOC: I'll be taking my leave for a while. I deeply apologize for letting all of you down. I do promise that the lesson will continue when I get back.:OOC

Hi students stopped talking for a while, thinking about the question he gave them. Finally, Lucy Malfoy took the courage to answer it. "Well, considering that us witches and wizards are still technically 'in hiding' I guess Muggles won, despite the fact that, by logic, we are a tiny bit better than them," she said.

"Though I think, to clear your statement, muggles and wizards are on equal sides. No one is better than the other but I think you are the only one who analyzed that question carefully. Excellent answer Ms. Malfoy. Ten points for Slytherin." The screen went blank for a moment, turning the students' heads towards him. "I think we finished the lesson earlier than I thought. Now, I know that some of you don't want to be here, wanting more to sleep than to listen to me. I thought of constructing a game for you."

Ashton went in front of them now, knowing that everyone wants to see him while explaining the mechanics of the game. "As you may have noticed, all of you are seated beside you housemates. Your houses will be your own team. I will put different slides on the board. These slides will show pictures of some rooms found in this very castle. Since all of you are first-years and obviously, none of you explored the castle on detail, this task will be harder than you think. I also sorted some pictures out, depending on their difficulty. The harder it is to locate, the higher house points will be given to you. As I have noticed, Ravenclaw is on the lead now in terms of the points. Now, Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, will you let them win that easily?" He noticed some of them getting excited now, talking to their own housemates about the explained game.

"I will give you all five minutes to talk about your strategies before we proceed. Your five minutes starts now."

James paid attention to the professor's explanation of the games's rules. He was excited to participate, especially since the four Houses would be competing against one another. However, when he heard what sort of questions they would be asked, his enthusiasm instantly went away. Even though he enjoyed exploring the Castle, it was so immense that he was certain not to have had the opportunity to visit even half of it yet. However, he regained some confidence when he realized that none of his classmates could have seen all the rooms in the school either.

As the teacher reminded, Ravenclaw was in the lead for the House Cup, but James knew that Slytherin was getting dangerously close, so this would be a good opportunity to widen the gap between the two. "I will give you all five minutes to talk about your strategies before we proceed. Your five minutes starts now." Professor Clark then announced, and the other teams all started talking in low voices. "Any suggestions?" James whispered, turning to Aurora and Chloe.

"Er, I don't really know much about the castle," Aurora admitted. "But we should be able to use some amount of logic to figure out the rooms just by their surroundings. For instance, isn't the Room of Requirement somewhere near a tapestry of dancing trolls? Just figure out landmarks and stuff like that."

James nodded, somewhat reassured by Aurora's answer. Although he had never heard of the Room of Requirement, he thought that this was not the best moment to ask, and figured his housemate would recognize it anyway if it appeared in the game. Turning to Chloe, he waited to see if she had anything to add,

" I do exactly what Aurora does. I look at big things that stand out near the place so you could easily recognise it and know where it is. Or sometimes there can be a clue in the name. Just little things like that can make up the place and its location. " she said, adding on to what Aurora and James said

"As you may have noticed, all of you are seated beside you housemates. Your houses will be your own team. I will put different slides on the board. These slides will show pictures of some rooms found in this very castle. Since all of you are first-years and obviously, none of you explored the castle on detail, this task will be harder than you think. I also sorted some pictures out, depending on their difficulty. The harder it is to locate, the higher house points will be given to you. As I have noticed, Ravenclaw is on the lead now in terms of the points. Now, Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, will you let them win that easily?" Professor Clark told the class.

"I will give you all five minutes to talk about your strategies before we proceed. Your five minutes starts now." He added. Keith smiled lightly and turned to his fellow Gryffindors to discuss their plan.

Wade turned quickly to the other Slytherins.
"So, what do you have in mind?" he asked them, trying to sound cheerful.
"I know for sure that we know the outdoor grounds, but what about the inside of the castle? Any ideas?"

As everyone was busy talking to their housemates, Ashton interrupted them to start the game. "Your five minutes are done. We will now start."

"This slide will be worth five points only since I know that everyone of you is familiar with it." He inserted a new slide.

The current picture shows many passages, wherein students can easily get confused on where to go. Its walls are made up of stone and are lit with torches. "Here is a clue for all of you: this place is colder than any part of the castle. Anyone who will guess first on what place this is will earn the corresponding house points. Those of you who have an answer, just raise your hand for me to recognize you."

Aurora looked at the slide Professor Clark had put up. It displayed a large stone corridor, with damp, slimy-looking walls and torches that glowed with a greenish light. Several doors led out, one of which Aurora instantly recognized as that of the Potions classroom. Without waiting for James and Chloe, Aurora raised her hand, hoping that she was the first with an answer.

Interrupting their discussions, Professor Clark announced the beginning of the game, and displayed the first picture. James immediately recognized the cold stone hallways it depicted, as he had to cross them every week, but before he could seek permission to speak, he saw Aurora's hand bolt into the air. Deciding to let her answer, he glanced at the teacher, hoping that he would designate her since she was the first one to react. After all, they were in the same team.

Wade saw the picture and immediately recognized it, his hand shot up in the air.
He then realized that there were already TWO other hands up, James' and Aurora's. Decided to not let Ravenclaw win this one, he tried to raise it a bit higher, as if that would get Professor Clark's attention, then he tried waving it a little, but felt foolish by doing so, so he stopped. He also thought of just saying the answer, but he stopped himself, he wanted points added to Slytherin, not taken.

After saying the last word on his clue, he immediately saw Ms. Finnigan's hand raised on the air. Then, more hands raised, eager to win some points. "The first one to raise her hand, yes, Ms. Finnigan? Your answer will be?" he asked.

"The dungeons, Professor," Aurora announced clearly. Smiling, she lowered her hand, and grinned apologetically at Wade.

"Five points to Ravenclaw!" Their team shouted with joy but after a few seconds, they immediately stopped, realizing that Ashton is still watching them. For the first time, he smiled at their direction, surprised that he is enjoying to be with some students in just one room. He remembered the feeling he had when he first gained his house points.

"Alright, here's the next picture." The picture appeared in front of them. It showed a hollow structure where people can enter but a statue of a gargoyle was blocking the way. "This picture is worth seven points. Anyone who knows what this is?"

Kim knew where the picture is and knows what its name. She had read it on a book and had been glad that she had a time to visit it. She immediately raised her hand, quite confident of her answer.

"The dungeons, Professor," Aurora announced, smiling at Wade. Lucy felt like Slytherins should have known this, and she knew Wade knew it, but it still felt strangely bad that a Ravenclaw had gotten points for the place where their Common Room is. She could feel the competitive side of her building up.
"Five points to Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaw team shouted with joy, and Lucy noticed Professor Clark smiling, which he didn't do very often.
Hmm, Lucy thought, It's nice to see him happy though.

"Alright, here's the next picture." Professor Clark announced, showing a picture with a hollow structure where people can enter but a statue of a gargoyle was blocking the way. "This picture is worth seven points. Anyone who knows what this is?"

Lucy knew exactly what it was, so she quickly raised her hand and waited for Professor Clark to acknowledge her. After a while, she noticed Kim also had her hand up. Lucy considered lowering hers, but in hopes of catching the professor's attention, this time toward Kim, she kept her hand up motioning towards her housemate.

"Five points to Ravenclaw!" Professor Clark cheerfully announced and the Ravenclaws started rejoicing. James flashed a smile at Aurora, glad that she had given the right answer, but he quickly had to turn his attention back to the blackboard, as the next picture was coming up.

He was certain that he had seen the gargoyle somewhere, but he couldn't remember where or what room it was guarding. The Slytherins didn't seem to have any trouble with this one, as both Kim and Lucy immediately raised their hand. He glanced at his teammates to see if any of them had the answer, but he knew it was in vain since the others had reacted first.