Lesson Four

by **Jadzia Krulle** Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:50 am

Jadzia looked around her classroom with pride. There wasn't a desk in sight. In fact, nothing resembled the usual defense classroom. Instead the room was divided into four types of terrain. In one corner was a dark forest, another a rushing river, across was the side of a mountain, and the final corner was sandy dunes. She was excited for her final lesson of the term. They would be using different terrain as a way to help defend themselves against an attack. One couldn't just rely on hexes and curses for defense, but needed to utilize every option given to them.

A quick tempus charm showed that the class was ready to begin. Jadzia crossed to the classroom door and swung it open, ready for the students to arrive.

by Guest Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:43 am

Alys had yet to be late for Lehrer Krulle's class and she never wanted to either. So the witch was happy to see a group of students already gathered at the closed classroom door and joined them. A few minutes later, the defense teacher opened the door to permit them entry.

And what an entry. Alys couldn't believe this was the classroom she had been studying in all year. It had been transformed into some sort of a nature retreat with trees and rivers and even sand. The girl didn't know of a place that boasted all those at the same time so the teacher hadn't mimicking an existing location. the girl wondered what the lesson would be on as she eyed the rushing river water and stepped carefully over fallen tree branches.

by **Lucian Ciero** Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:48 pm

Lucian entered the classroom and sighed softly, he didn't want to take any of these stupid lessons but the Highmaster had said that he had to, otherwise there was no point in him being here, for that, he really didn't like the man.

Actually bothering to look up Lucian blinked, did he just step into the twilight zone or something? What the heck was wrong with this classroom?

Seeing a girl he hadn't talked to before he merely stood away from the door and looked around him, trying to get a handle on why the teacher had decided on some serious interior decoration.

by **Aquila Wilson** Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:50 pm

Aquila strode along the corridors to where she knew her defence class to be. She wished that she could just go home already, and do whatever she pleased. Maybe hang out with her friends a bit, for at this school she had none, unless you considered Lucian who she wasn't sure if she was friends with or not.

She entered the class and did a double take. The room had turned into some sort of nature retreat, with running rivers and all of it. Aquila was bewildered. She felt that the teacher must be pretty impressive if she could do all of this, and she looked around in amazement. She saw Lucian, and decided to be sociable.

Aquila rather enjoyed their game anyway, he would attempt to make her heart flutter and she would ignore his attempts at flirting. "Hello, Lucian." Aquila greeted, coming up behind him.

by Guest Wed Jan 25, 2012 12:22 am

Tarragon hurried along to the Defence class. He didn't want to miss the start of it for anything. Entering the room, he gaped at what Lehrer Krulle had done to her room, but as soon as he saw the different terrains he realised what it meant. They'd be duelling in the different terrain, and she'd be seeing how well they would do.

He walked over to where Alys stood, smiling at her as she looked around the scenery.

"You could always wait for me once in a while, you know?" He asked cheekily.

by Guest Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:24 am

Terrence was glad he found the room ok again. He was also glad for Alys' notes. Seeing is he read up on them last night before he had gone to bed.

After the other three had left him in the great hall he had made it back to his dorm room, once again with no one to talk to he found it really easy to just study so he was completely ready for all of his classes today.

He had even gotten his wand out and practiced a few spells.

Walking into the defence class he saw what the teacher had done to the room and thought it looked really interesting. Looking around he saw Tarragon and Alys standing over to the side so he thought he would join them.

"Hey guys, what's up" Smiled Terry

by **Jadzia Krulle** Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:47 am

Jadzia closed the room, signaling that it was time for class to begin.

"This is our last lesson for the year. I'm sure many of you were hoping for an easy day but I'm sorry to disappoint you. This will most likely be your hardest lesson yet, and for good reason. When you leave the protective walls of the Institute, you will be vulnerable. You will encounter different environments, people, and situations. You must never let your guard down... ever!"

Jadzia looked around at each student, making sure she had their attention. "There is more to defense then simply casting a spell. You must be able to utilize every advantage that you have. What you see around you today is four different types of environment. Each one has advantages and disadvantages to defending yourself. Who can name me one advantage and one disadvantage to any of the environments here?"

Jadzia's goal was to get her students to start looking at their surroundings wherever they went for potential safeguards and hazards in whatever environment they found themselves.

by **Lucian Ciero** Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:53 am

Lucian was quietly confident, he knew that it was not good to talk in front of the Professor so merely placed a finger on his lips, winking at Aquila in response to her questioning, after all, he didn't want them getting into trouble.

When the Professor asked a question Lucian raised his hand and waited to be called upon to speak, when he was he said:

"The forest has an advantage because it has many places where you can hide and be unseen by your enemy, however, it also provides cover from spells should you need to duck behind things to dodge a curse. On the other hand, it can seriously restrict your movements and may also hinder your own sight by the lack of light and decrease your own accuracy."

by **Jadzia Krulle** Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:32 am

"Excellent, Mr. Ciero. 5 points to Verstand." Jadzia waved her wand and the forest expanded and took over the entire room. They were now standing in a small clearing, completely surrounded by trees. The ground was damp and covered in dead leaves and branches, glimpses of sunlight filtered in through the canopy.

"If you were being attacked in a forest much like this one, your first instinct should be to get cover. Like Mr. Ciero said, the trees will limit your sight and you could easily be ambushed on all sides. It is imperative that you keep moving and keep track of your attacker. Another tactic could be to utilize a simple Incendio charm to ignite the brush where your opponent is. The smoke would also give you additional coverage. However, if you are around a lot of dead brush, the fire could easily get out of hand. This is why you must take careful observations of your surroundings."

Jadzia kept an eye on the class to make sure they were still paying attention. "Another option is a severing charm to topple trees over, hopefully felling them on your attacker."

Jadzia waved her hand and the forest retracted back into the corner. "Anyone else for the three remaining environments?"

by Guest Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:41 am

Alys raised her hand. “The mountains terrain. Uneven ground can be both advantageous and harazardious in a duel depending on your fighting position. If you’re higher up than your opponent, you have a good vintage point but you might also be an easy target for spells. However, if you’re situated lower, then you have good cover but almost no way to know where your opponent is.”

by Guest Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:59 am

Terrence raise his hand and waited to be called on.

"I will take the Sandy Dunes" Said Terry.

"The sandy dunes can make it hard to see things when the wind is blowing. So that can be good for you and bad for you. It can make people hard to see and hard for people to see you."

by Guest Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:56 am

Violeta knew she was late but honestly she did not care why would she it was just a class after all she walked into the the defence classroom and hoped that she was not noticed but honestly she was not in the mood to be in the class.

by Guest Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:57 am

Tarragon considered the final area. The river. He thought carefully about his answer.

"The river could be advantageous to a duel if you used the water to splash it up in the others face as to knock them off balance. You could also use the water with a spell to create a whirlpool and send it towards your opponent. You could use a bubblehead charm to take the duel underwater, which can create both an advantage and a disadvantage. Underwater spells cannot be seen until they have hit the target, unlike on land duels.

Swimming can lead to tiredness, thus tiring the person out and making reactions slower. You also have the flow and the underwater life as disadvantages too."

Tarragon finished, taking a big breath after his speech.

by **Lucian Ciero** Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:21 pm

Lucian raised his eyebrows, weren't all his classmates the know it alls? Sighing lightly he knew that school was going to be even more of a drag than it normally was and he couldn't bring himself to even be excited about the measley five points he had recieved.

Smirking at Violeta when she came in Lucian merely stayed quiet even though he was itching to add more to the incomplete answers of his peers. Eventually he raised his hand again:

"As well as the point that Terrence made, the sandy dunes are also disadvantageous because of the footing, the loose nature of the sand makes it hard to get a firm footing to return spells in an effective manner and hard to escape from your attacker because you can't go anywhere fast."

by **Jadzia Krulle** Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:32 am

Jadzia's lesson was interrupted as the classroom door swung open, admitting a late student. "No note, Ms. Romanov? You're well aware of the rules. 10 points from Verstand. Not the best way to end the year." The students knew the rules and Jadzia had been clear on her stern views regarding tardiness.

Jadzia waved her wand so that the mountain scene expanded. "Now then, Ms. Diedrich, you are correct in that the uneven terrain can be both hazardous and harmful in an attack. Mountainous areas will offer more cover then most terrains. In addition to large rock formations to use as defense, you can often find caves, crevaces, and ravines. This is good from a purely defensive position. Should you consider this terrain for offensive, there would be more cons then pros."

Jadzia waved her wand again and the desert scene replaced the mountains. "You are correct, Mr. Okinawa, that a sandstorm would offer coverage. However, in most cases it would be more to your detriment. In a sandstorm, you would quickly loose the ability to track your attacker, as well as your own position. You could walk straight into an ambush or even find yourself wandering completely lost. However, the best camoflague in a desert is using a simple transfiguration spell to change your clothing to match the color of the sand. This is the same in snow. White would easily make you blend in with your surroundings, enabling you to either get to safety or take your attacker by surprise."

"As well as the point that Terrence made, the sandy dunes are also disadvantageous because of the footing, the loose nature of the sand makes it hard to get a firm footing to return spells in an effective manner and hard to escape from your attacker because you can't go anywhere fast."

"Correct again, Mr. Ciero." Jadzia acknowledge. However, she could tell that his heart wasn't into the lesson. The last lesson of the year was always the hardest. Most of the students had their minds set on the holiday, ready for the term to be finished.

The final river scene replaced the sand, although grains of the dust could still be seen covering the student's uniforms. "A whirlpool is a great defense, Mr. Zeverai. However a bubblehead charm would be quickly canceled with a simple Finite Incatatum. You'd find yourself downing with a mere flick of the wand. You must all remember to never allow yourself to get into a situation where you can easily become the victim. This means thinking strategically and remaining at least one step ahead of your attacker."

Jadzia waved her wand again, restoring the usual defense classroom, no further signs of the different terrains.

"Take your seats," Jadzia instructed, "and let's talk through another scenario. Over the summer holiday all of you will at some point go to Goldenen Straße to purchase your school supplies for next term. Let's say you're about to step into Die am Besten Kleid, when curses start being thrown through the street. What is your first reaction?"

by Guest Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:58 am

Once the classroom had been restored to normal, Alys took a seat in between Terry and Tarragon. Upon the Lehrer's latest question, she raised her hand. The witch had no idea if it would make her sound like a coward or not but she replied honestly anyway.

"Lehrer Krulle, my first reaction would be to duck and take cover behind whichever structure is closest, the clothing racks or the counter. I would stay low and try to crawl to the back area where the keep the bales of material for special tailoring because that place is huge and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. I'd also try and maintain a shield charm while moving."

by Guest Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:01 am

Terrence raised his hand and waited to be called. When Lehrer Krulle finally called on him, he said the first thing he thought of.

"Well Ma'am the first thing I would do is go for cover so I could survey what is going on around me. Especailly since I am still learning how to protect myself. Then after surveying I would try to find a way to safety."

Terry wasn't sure if that was a right answer, but he had no idea right now how to fight so his first thought would always be to hide.

by Guest Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:31 am

Violeta waited until she was called upon she knew what she would do and the other two had gotten part of it but she was not sure if she would be wrong or not. She was also felt a little shame for losing the points that Lucian had earned plus five more their house was in desperate need of those points.

"Well ma'am I agree with what Alys and Terrence said I would find a place to hide and see what could be done in the matterhowever, instead of running away i would actually go into a building or some where when it seemed that the attack had lifted some and it was safe to quickly move away for the ime being. and look for someone who could help with the matter at hand. For if the matter is not solved then others could get hurt or even be killed."

She was very fond of her answer and hoped that the what she thought would be considered correct.

by **Lucian Ciero** Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:04 am

Lucian smiled reassuringly at Violeta as she looked a little dissappointed at the points she had lost, he honestly couldn't care less about the school or the points but if he happened to be right and got some yay, if he got some taken away who cares?

At the answer to the question that the others gave Lucian sighed, although it was probably the answer that the professor wanted to hear, he was more a dueller than a 'Run-Away-And-Hider' so he said nonchanantly:

"I suppose that you should like the others said make a bee line for somewhere safe, however, you should pick somewhere that doesn't limit your feild of vision, and one that allows an escape route, something that a nook or cranny wouldn't do, you could get blocked in there and then where would you be? Most likely dead or dying."

by Guest Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:46 am

Tarragon thought about their Lehrer's question, what would he do? He raised his hand.

"I would find cover behind a table or stand first. Then I would check the situation for others who may not be able to protect themselves, or that had frozen in the situation. Casting a shield spell I would try to help others as much as I could, also looking for help from older and wiser witches and wizards." He paused for a moment. "After all, defence is not just your own, you should try to protect those less able than yourself as much as possible."

He knew this may put himself in danger, but everyone else had been selfish enough to think of only themselves in a situation of terror.

by **Jadzia Krulle** Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:58 am

Jadzia listened to all of the answers silently as each student shared their opinion. They were starting to think strategically. Although none answered in fully, all of their responses combined was spot on.

"Combine all of your answers together and you are spot on. Very good, 5 points to Verstand, Geschick, and Muhe. You must seek for yourself a place from which you have an advantage and that gives you shelter. If you corner yourself into a building then you're in just as much danger as if you were standing in the wide open. Not only should your position protect you, but it must leave you an offensive advantage, as well as a clear escape route. I cannot stress this enough. You must always be aware of what is happening around you. Where is the attack coming from, who is attacking, who is the intended target. From your position, you should be able to identify those key things. During your summer holidays, no matter where you go be looking for these things should some sort of similar situation arise. You can never be too prepared or too cautious. However, you can be overconfident and that will cost you your life and the lives of others. "

Jadzia knew that the lesson was intense, especially for being the final lesson of the year. However, it was her last chance to impart these skills in to keep the students alive during the summer. No one knew what the future held, and all the defense professor could do was prepare them as much as possible in the short time they had together.

by **Lucian Ciero** Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:43 pm

Lucian nodded, they had pretty much all gotten the answer together and it was a good answer he thought, it covered everything that they needed to do and he just hoped that people would be able to remember it once they were in the situation.

Even people he didn't really like didn't deserve to die or be hurt seriously.

He stayed quiet and waited for the next lesson point, or to be dismissed from the lesson and go back to sleep.

by **Jadzia Krulle** Wed Feb 01, 2012 5:17 am

After checking the time, Jadzia was surprised that it was already time to end the class. She was very proud of her students, even though her strict demeanor didn't show it openly. However, if you knew how to read her, you could see the satisfied look in her eyes and Jadzia studied each student. She didn't know what the summer would hold for each of them but they had the beginning foundation to give them the skills in proper defense.

"That's it for the lesson, studentów (OOC: polish for students). Your homework for over the holiday is a research project. Pick a dark creature and do a research essay, meeting at least 3 feet in length. In your essay you should include physical description of the creature, origin, common habits and behavioral traits, and at least three different ways to defend yourself against said creature. This essay will be due the first class next term."

Jadzia crossed the room and opened the classroom door, remaining to the side. "You are dismissed. Should any of you need anything over the holiday, please feel free to owl. I'll see you all next term."

Jadzia watched each student file out of the class. Her holiday would not be a quiet one. She'd be rejoining her team for awhile now that the war was officially declared. The offensive attack on Hogwarts had just been the beginning.