This lesson has a ROLEPLAY assignment.

[img align=left]https://i.imgur.com/fGjezLw.png[/img]

The class is already gathered in the classroom of Defense against the Dark Arts on this day and the usual, curious chatter for class can be heard. Just a few minutes later, Professor Carlos Valdez enters the classroom, an excited expression on his face while walking to his desk, which is particularly tidy. “You can put your books and quills away for today’s lesson.”, he says. This is nothing unusual, but the students seem to be even more curious now. The Professor clears his throat before going on. “You will be pleased to hear that the staff of Hogwarts went far this term concerning your education.” Some students chuckle. “Yes, even more than usual”, Professor Valdez adds with a sharp voice and the chuckling fades. “Some of you might know that it’s been 20 years since the Battle of Hogwarts. With the permission of our Headmistress, I reached out to the Ministry to contact a former student of our school. Fortunately, he’s able to spare some time to visit us today.” He grins and gestures to the door. “Please welcome our very special guest, Mr. Harry James Potter.”

A murmur goes through the whole class when the man enters the classroom. It was no secret that Mr. Potter gave some guest lessons at Hogwarts, but they were quite rare. And as expected, that man never loved to be the center of attention, so he disregards the mumble. Instead, he clears his throat as he stands in front of the class. “Welcome! I’m happy to see all of you gathered here today.”, he says and reaches for his wand. “Well, we shall not waste any time then. The spell I’ll be teaching you today is the Expelliarmus spell. Some might say that this is my signature spell - and some of them are amused by that fact. However, I assume you were attentive in History of Magic class...I rarely was”, he explains and chuckles at the last words. “Forget about that.”, he adds and points his wand to a mantled figure next to the teacher’s desk. The cloth falls off and reveals an old Death Eater puppet which had been used by members of Dumbledore’s Army back then when Harry Potter himself went to Hogwarts.

“Though sometimes overlooked due to other spells unleashing sheer power, the Expelliarmus spell caused the death of Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts and saved my life a couple of times. This spell lies at the heart of a good duelling technique. The great advance is that it causes whatever an opponent is holding at the time - usually a wand - to be released out of their hands. For example, you could snatch a Fanged Frisbee out of someone’s hands...or a very old journal. Or to win a wand's allegiance from another witch or wizard in a duel. Don't worry, all of your wands will be perfectly fine after this lesson.” He seems to ponder over his memories for a short moment before he goes on. “Expelliarmus is also used to intercept or rebound an opponent´s spell back at them, while duelling, hence the life-saving effects of the charm.” The Death Eater puppet is holding a simple stick that symbolizes a wand and at this moment, Mr. Potter makes a firm hand movement that looks a bit like the pattern on a snail shell. A bright jet of scarlet light flashes towards the puppet and its wand flies out of the wooden hands. “The disarming spell is pronounced ex-PELL-ee-ARE-muss and it’s up to you whether you say the incantation or do it nonverbal as long as it’s clear. You do have an advantage over your opponent in battle when she or she doesn’t know what spell they’re expecting. Some of you might wonder about the colour of the spell. Usually, it’s a bright red or even scarlet, but a weak or more moderate one creates a small flash of white light. It depends on your level of magical skill and determination.” He pauses a little and looks over the class. “Another notable effect of the charm is that if multiple charms are used on the same target, the target will be disarmed, but at the same time will be blasted backwards. But please refrain from doing so today as you will partner up with a classmate to practise the spell. If I see anyone attacking a single student as a group, I’ll speak with Professor Valdez to not grant you any house points today as such a behaviour is dishonourable.”, he explains and sounds pretty serious about the last sentence. Then he claps his hands. “Fine then, what are you waiting for? Please find a partner to work together with.”, he says excited, “oh, but wait. A new employee at the Ministry of Magic reached out to me as soon as he knew about me giving a guest lecture here. I followed his suggestion and spoke with said student when I heard she did great at the duel task of the latest Triwizard Tournament at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” He nods over to Elizabeth Covington, who smiles at the introduction and drops a small curtsey.

“Perfect then.”, Mr. Potter goes on, “If you want to or are not able to find a partner, you can practise with me. However, I do encourage you to work with someone of similar strength as this is a lesson, not a competition. You’re here to learn, not to show off. If you have any questions or difficulties with casting the spell, I’m happy to help you! And as a reminder, we’re only practising Expelliarmus!” With these words, he looks at the students, an excited look in his eyes. This situation reminds him a lot of the meetings of Dumbledore's Army back in their school years.

Your roleplay will be graded out of a maximum of 15 House Points. Bonus points may be awarded. Please be aware that in a real situation not everyone will be able to master this spell on their first try. It is possible to not be awarded the full 15 House Points if your entry lacks substance. It is perfectly fine to have your RP going on for a little - you don’t have to finish in one post! Please include your house and your character’s name to receive points!

Aurora Flynn, Hufflepuff Private Outfit

Aurora could not contain her explosion of sheer joy as Mr. Potter entered the room. She had spent several sunny days laying by the beach reading stories of his adventures, and was particularly inspired by his demonstration of compassion to magical creatures - once, he managed to save a hippogriff from execution!

Regretfully, Aurora had not spent much time this semester with her classmates, as whilst she was not one to feel shy, most of her time was spent alone outside exploring and learning about their surrounds and the exciting world of magical creatures. Aurora pulled out her wand and moved to face her peers at the front of the class, hoping someone would choose to partner her. She beamed with the excitement of learning from a legend to defend herself in a non-violent way.

Nicola Stromwing-Hufflepuff

Nicola shuffles uncomfortably. Expelliarmus sounds like the perfect duelling spell but, Harry Potter, the teacher and someone who was in a triwizard tournament... so many nerves.

Her eyes search the room for someone friendly looking. Having your nose in a book all the time does have the draw back of not knowing anyone enough when group projects come around.
Nicola sees a fellow Hufflepuff also looking for someone to partner with. Maybe she would accept an offer to work together?

Hello, I hear your name is Aurora. I really don't want to try to duel near pro and we are both Hufflepuff so I have seen you around and maybe, um, so maybe want to partner up? If not, that's okay. No hard feelings.

Aurora Flynn, Hufflepuff

Aurora's face lit up at the sound of a timid introduction - Nicola Stromwing, yes, a familiar face! Relieved to have found a partner seemingly just as into reading learning as she was, Aurora eagerly accepted.

"Shall we choose the quiet corner by the front? That way we have our own space to concentrate and can keep close to the expert!" Her voice carried as her excitement took over. "Harry BLOODY POTTER!" Her eyes widened and mouth slammed shut as she felt her voice fill the room and gazes fall to her and her new partner "... er... I guess we can start then? ... expelliarmus?" she murmured, struggling to suppress a giggle as Nicola's wand barely twitched in her hand.

"a corner sounds great. Good job on your first try, Aurora. My turn. Expelliarmus!" Aurora's wand wiggled slightly as Nicola's spell shows weak white. Giggles. "Maybe we need more determination, like Mr. Potter said."

Aisling thought for a moment that she might like to practice this spell with Harry freakin Potter himself!?!! But then, she felt a wave of such anxiety that she thought she might throw up.. so instead, she turned to Fade to practice with.

"Do you think that we could practice this together, Fade? I bet you're really good at it, already."

Fade had of course read all about the famous Harry Potter. But not having grown up in the wizarding world, he was a little less starstruck than some of the students in the room. Still, the man was a war hero and deserved respect. That and he had a pretty cool scar... Fade would have to be on his best behavior.

Blushing slightly when Aisling requested to team up with him, he grinned past it. “Yeah, sure.” Quickly waving a dismissive hand at her compliment. “You’re giving me too much credit.” Holding his wand at the ready, he observed a pair of other students attempting the spell before turning to Aisling. “Alright, are you ready?” Taking a few steps back he shifted nervously, trying his best to play it cool. “You can go first, if you want.” He stammered. “Er, or I can. Whatever’s easier.” Truthfully he was feeling a little nervous about practicing in front of everyone AND a famous person.

Aisling really did not want to go first but she turned to face Fade (), and jokingly made a fighting stance with her feet apart and lowering her center of gravity. She was thinking it would look silly, but at the same time, maybe help her not be knocked over should Fade miss the wand and possibly knock her off balance. "If it's alright with you, I will go first, I think." She told him.

She looked around nervously. No one else was paying attention to them. They were all too busy practicing on their own and trying to do well because, well... Harry Potter was looking on! She cleared that from her mind, tried really hard to concentrate, and said "expelliarmus." She didn't say it loudly, not even at a normal volume, and with no forcefulness in her voice at all. Fades wand sort of twitched, and she wasn't even sure if that was her spell or if that was just him wiggling it a little after she said her spell.

Fade wasn’t sure if his wand had moved because of the spell, or if he was just that nervous. Still, it was amusing how serious Aisling’s combative stance was. “OK, my turn.” Assuming the position, Fade held his wand carefully and went over the pronunciation in his head a few times. “Expelliarmus.” He commanded as he flicked his wand.

A small portrait jumped off the wall behind Aisling () and landed hard on the floor. Fade’s face turned bright red, along with the ends of his hair. He should probably aim better next time. “S-sorry, l-let me get that.” He stammered as he hurried over to the painting and attempted to place it back on it’s nail. You would think they would secure these better, but Fade would just have to adjust his positioning for the next try.

Aisling caught herself grinning at the back of Fade's head, while he rehung the frame on the wall. She found it amusing that his hair often reacted to his emotional state as much as his face did. Once he'd returned to his side of the room she tried to make her smile more one of reassurance than one of amusement. "That was a really great try. Better than I did. At least we're sure you were able to move something." She tried to sound encouraging. "I'll try again, if you're ready?" Once Fade looked composed, she tried again.

This time she spoke more clearly and aimed with more intent. "Expelliarmus." She flicked her wrist and pointed her wand more out in front of her. This time, Fade's cloak flew back a bit as though a gust of wind had come from behind Aisling and caught in his cloak. But still, his wand didn't seem to be affected. Aisling looked at the end of her wand, like that would reveal anything more about the situation, and then shrugged looking back at Fade () again.

Millie slid into her seat, still munching on some toast and sipping her tea in her travel mug. She pulled a few pieces of parchment and a quill from her bag and took drink of her tea when she noticed Harry Potter standing in front of the classroom. She took deep breath and started choking on her hot tea, spitting it all over her parchment and her robes. Thankfully, no one noticed, as she cast a charm to remove stains. She could feel her face turning red and she looked around the classroom, hoping for a friend, such as Sauvage, Jona, () or Zoe, or Magnus () or anyone. She didn't doubt her skills with Expelliarmus but she didn't want Harry Potter to think she was friendless and couldn't find a partner. She looked around the room again and wondered if she could sneak out and hide in the prefect bathroom until next class

Magnus looked over and saw Millie's glance. He slipped over to her. "You wanna partner?" he asked.

Magnus Lee, Ravenclaw.

(( Can we do teams of three? If so, then I'd like to invite to join us))

A little late in jumping up to find a partner, Sauvage instead found herself alone watching as all her friends gathered together to test their skills. Fade () had been asked by a girl she had never met (). She was pretty. And Millie () had just joined with Magnus (). And the other two Hufflepuffs that Sauvage recognized had paired with one another and begun as well ( ). So, Sauvage sat and waited, fidgeting with her wand and feeling like a spare dance partner at a Yule Ball.

((OOC: Late to the party D: ))

((OOC : That's fine (: ))

"'Ey Sauvage, come join us," Magnus said happily.

(( cool :D thanks))

((OOC: Thank you DX ))

"Oh, sank goodness!" Sauvage sighed with relief and skipped over to Millie and Magnus, blushing a little of embarrassment "'ow do you two want to do zis? Shall we get in a circle or just take ze turns one-by-one?"

Millie smiled and felt relived when Magnus () asked to be partner. "Absolutely. Shall we? She pointed to the corner where Mr. Potter could see them but they were far enough out of the way. As they started to walk, Sauvage () broke through the large group. She smiled and waved. "Yes, please, join us! Let's go around in a circle.

They formed a circle in the corner and she asked, "who would like to start?" She took a deep breath, and she could feel Mr. Potter look in their direction.

Amelia Tudor, Hufflepuff

"I sink zat is good. I can go first!" Sauvage pointed at spots for Millie and Magnus to stand in. "I can try it on Magnus and 'e can do it to you, Millie, and zen you do it to me. Okay?"

She waited for everyone to get ready before she went in for her first try. Aiming her wand carefully at Magnus, she went through the motions and said, "Expelliarmus!" The wand seemed to twist in his hand, almost like it was being tickled and could not help but wiggle in response. But that was it and Sauvage's turn quickly ended.

"Anytime," Magnus said to Sauvage and Millie. "'Appy not to make a prat outta meself by being alone." He nodded at the plans. "Sounds good."

"Good job," Magnus said, "you nearly got it." Magnus waved his wand as directed. "Expelliasharmus! But instead removing her wand, he gave her a shamrock hat. The boy frowned. "Millie you're go next. Then we can try again, yeah?"

“Hey! I felt that one. Bet you get it on the next try.” Fade smiled at his partner and pushed back his sleeves. Determined this time around to really pay attention and get it right. The blush on his cheeks and in his hair had all but diminished. Squinting slightly at Aisling’s wand, he stated a bit slowly, but very clearly “Expelliarmus.” And flicked his wand. A moment passed, nothing moved. When suddenly ~ ( has the next part n.n)