Level One: Lesson One

[David Pierce]

David took a deep breath to steady himself and rearranged his things on the desk for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes. He’d never thought being a new professor would be so nerve-wracking. It was like being a first year again, only ten times worse because he couldn’t blend into the crowd this time; now he would have numerous pairs of eyes watching his every move, knowing he was new to this. It was uncomfortable. Speaking of uncomfortable, he thought with a grimace as he tugged at the collar of his robes. Maybe he should pitch the idea of a ‘casual Friday’ type deal to the Headmistress. Another grimace. No, that probably wouldn’t go over well.

Standing, he moved out from behind the desk and went to the board, using his wand to scratch out a quick introduction:

Ancient Runes: Level One
Introduction to the Runic Alphabet and Corresponding Powers

Please take your seats.

He cocked his head slightly, appraising the title for a long moment trying to decide if that was too much of an intimidating title on the first day. Nah, he thought, and moved down to write his name:

Professor Pierce
Professor David Pierce
Mr. Pierce

“Oh, for the love of,” he muttered in frustration, erasing all that and quickly scratching out:

David Pierce

That would do. Taking another breath, he moved in front of the desk and sat on top of it, crossing his feet at the ankles. Now he would wait…

[Matilda Wentworth]

Runes. It was a new, yet familiar subject to the Hufflepuff girl. Last year she had managed to pick up the subject as another elective, to fill in time. It may have been a good choice last year, though with Quidditch, her social life, and preparing for O.W.L.S, Matty was starting to regret taking up this extra subject. She had crammed learning the basics after missing the beginning lessons, and had made up for the lost time well enough in her Fourth Year. Though as she had discovered, her usual Runes Professor had been replaced by a new Professor. Matty had no idea whatsoever what he would be like, or his teaching methods. Though she was hoping for a nice teacher, none the less.

The Fifth year made her way up the many staircases to the Seventh floor, messenger bang slung over her right shoulder. Matty's newly-dyed brown hair bobbed on her shoulders as she neared the room. The girl smoothed out any wrinkles that her uniform had, wanting to make a good impression on her new Professor. Matty pushed open the door, and her slender figure slipped through the doorway. The classroom was set up as she expected, her bright green eyes searched about for the Teacher, and they found him in time. Matty closed the door behind her, somewhat surprised to find herself the first one in class. "Hi Professor-," the girl paused to read the board. "Professor Pierce." she smiled, giving the man a small wave. The Hufflepuff could sense, that despite his casual look, that the man was nervous. She could read the look on his face. Matty took a seat in the middle of of the room, a row back from end.

[David Pierce]

David smiled brilliantly at Matty as she entered, forcing himself to stop tapping his fingers on the desk nervously. He may have been anxious, but he was excited to be here and couldn't wait to begin his very first lesson. "Good morning!" he greeted, trying to keep a check on his enthusiasm - it wouldn't do to scare anyone before class had even started. He took a breath and ran a hand through his hair in an effort to expend all this excess energy he had.

Noticing her choice of seating he chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head slightly. "No one ever sits in the front row," he told her with an air of lighthearted discussion. "I don't think I ever sat in the front row when I was in school - kids said it was a bad omen." He gave her a quick smile again and absently fingered the hem of his robe.

[Matilda Wentworth]

Matty bit down on her lower lip, trying to hide the amused grin on her face, when Professor Pierce enthusiastically greeted her. Despite his look of somewhat anxiety, at least the man was making an effort to greet students properly. Her green eyes looked around the classroom once again, as she leaned into the back of her chair, smoothing out the creases in her Runes Bag. The Hufflepuff was soon aware of him chuckling lightly, obviously at something to do with herself. Well, she was the only one in the classroom so far. 'No one ever sits in the front row,' Professor Pierce commented, before adding 'I don't think I ever sat in the front row when I was in school... kids said it was a bad omen.'

The girl cracked him one of her charming smiles, snickering slightly. "A bad omen? I just thought the people who wanted to be cool sat in the back rows," Matty was kidding, and the emotions etched in her eyes and smile showed that to the teacher. Of course she didn't regard herself as 'cool', though nor was she extremely lacking social skills. "Nice to know we have a Professor teaching knowing the tricks of the trade." The fifth year added, dimming down her grin to a genuine smile. This guy looked pleasant enough, hopefully his teaching methods would be similar to his personality trades so far.

[David Pierce]

"A bad omen? I just thought the people who wanted to be cool sat in the back rows."

Ah, a sense of humor! Now there was a trait he related to, and it put him more at ease than he'd been all morning. He didn't know why, but he hadn't expected his students to be... well, to be kids. He expected some sort of stern looking group. Asinine, he knew. He contributed it to first day jitters.

"No, all the cool people are sorted into Hufflepuff," David commented with a grin, noticing her school robes. "I was a Hufflepuff in my day, as you can clearly tell from the coolness I exude." It was mock vanity, of course; David could never say something like that and be serious. His grin turned sheepish, as if to prove he was only playing. He considered himself fair and was making it a point not to play favorites.

[Tianne Webster-Barrett]

Tianne groaned as she reluctanly picked up her bag. This was her first ever Ancient Runes lesson, she had no idea what the professor would be like, nor the people in her class. Yeah, she was slightly regretting choosing this subject, as she knew that she would have done better with just the two electives, but once again, her curiosity got the better of her and she signed up. Tianne hadn't really spoken to Matty Wentworth in a while, in fact, they were purposely not speaking. Long story cut short, Tianne was pretty mad at her fellow 'brunette'.

The young girl walked into the open classroom, grinning as she did so. Her mother always told her to start things on a good note, so she will enjoy it more. Tianne smiled at the Professor. "Good Morning Professor." She said, looking from him to th empty tables. She purposely didn't look at Matty, knowing that she just couldn't. Tianne continued to smile, taking her seat a row behind Matty. The 'regal' took her books out and folded her arms, waiting for the lesson to begin. Hopefully this guy was gonna be nice.

[David Pierce]

David smiled at the newcomer from his perch atop his desk. "And a very good morning to you, young Miss Ravenclaw!" he replied with a smile, mentally running the roster through his head. Two down, six to go. He glanced back at the clock, quickly taking note of the time, and then turned to face his two students again. He may not be socially adept, but he did pick up on the way Tianne almost deliberately ignored Matty and he took a mental note that maybe he should not assign the two of them as partners.

[Matilda Wentworth]

Matty automatically looked down at her school robes when Professor Pierce commented about all the cool people being sorted into Hufflepuff. She wondered if he was simply complimenting her house at first, but the man's next statement shed light on the situation. So he had been a Hufflepuff. Matty grinned in reply to this, excepting the fact that he was only kidding. "I'm sure, Professor." she added, sarcasm dripping through her voice, although the smile remained.

It was not a surprise when Tianne walked through the classroom in somewhat high spirits, and completely ignored the Hufflepuff. They hadn't been talking for a few days now, and there was really only one reason Matty could think of to explain her former best friends actions. The teenager had decided to switch seats for a lesson to sit with Emeric, a boy whom she had recently made friends with, instead of sitting with her usual friends for the umpteenth time that day. After all, how would anyone have liked it, not having friends in their class? Matty's move had been on Emeric's behalf, and she had hoped that her friends would understand. She could understand if Tianne was upset... but Matty hoped that if she had an issue, the girl would have brought it up, rather than avoid it.

[David Pierce]

After waiting a little while longer for students to shuffle in, and greeting them warmly as he had done for Matty and Tianne, David made the announcement that it was time to start class and that personal conversations should be held until said class was finished.

He stood from where he was perched on top of his desk, walking to the podium at the front of the class and resting his elbows on it in a very relaxed manner. "Welcome, again, to Level One Ancient Runes." He began, smiling brightly at the faces looking up at him. "For those who didn't happen to read the board, I am Professor Pierce, and I will be guiding you through this fascinating field of study. Now, I realize that this is not going to be as fascinating for some as it will be to others, that's just reality. However, I'd like to start off by reminding everyone that this is an elective class, so I expect that you all will give this subject a fair chance at capturing your interest. I, in return, will do my very best to keep boring lectures to a minimum and add a little bit of fun into what we do. Fair deal?" It was a rhetorical question, of course, and he continued without waiting for an answer.

"So, what exactly are runes?" he asked, looking from face to face. "First and foremost they are a language, and like any language they have an alphabet. I'll ask that everyone turn to page thirteen of their textbooks, and refer to the chart depicting the runic alphabet. It will look something like this," he said, turning to the board and tapping it with his wand, making the chart he was referring to appear for all to see:

((Click here to see the image))

"So, for instance," he continued, turning back to face the students and pulling out a small rune stone from the black bag on the podium and holding it up to the class. "This stone has the symbol for the letter 'N' carved into it. Based on the chart you're looking at, who can tell me what power the caster is able to channel through this stone?"

((Class has started. Any students entering after this point are asked to act as if they have been in class the entire time. If you post that your character came in late, points will be deducted.))

[Tianne Webster-Barrett]

Tianne impatiently tapped her fingers across her desk, really not knowing that she was doing so. It was just a thing she did subconciously, and it wasn't meant to be interpreted as rude or anything, as it was purely accidental. Tianne wanted to walk up to Matty, as she knew that the two had to be friends, but her confidence and her stubborness stopped her, and the girl leaned back in her chair. The professor so far seemed quite nice, making Tianne think more of the subject. She still had a look of content on her face, trying to make sure that Matty and the new Professor didn't see her weak side, where she was quite unhappy.

The young girl closed her book, just as Professor Pierce began talking. Tianne had seen all the writing on the board, even if she didn't really take any of it in. She was happy to be starting a new subject, but she wished she could have done so with her best friend, or her boyfriend. Tianne nodded, although she knew that the question was rhetorical. As the teacher provided a rock that Tianne found rather odd, she glanced down at her chart. Tianne had already gone over the page in her spare time, and she knew that answer but she just wanted to be sure. Raising her hand into the air, Tianne spoke, "That'd be poison, right?"