Lecture and Discussion One

First topic message reminder :

(this will be a role play style classroom lecture. Students will post in this interactive lecture and discussion. It's like going to a rpg ball in the great hall, only in the classroom. You will get up to 50 house points for participating. This lecture will be open for around two weeks, depending.)



::Lifey walked to the front of her class room, surveyed her students, then picked up the dry erase board pen and began to write on the board.::

::She wrote: ::

-Unit One Lecture/Discussion One - Transfiguration at Work
~worth 60 housepoints for participation~

-why
-uses
-practicality

::She then turned to face the class.::

"Welcome to Transfiguration class. While we will be using spells in class, i ask you to refrain from hexing each other, talking to each other, or being disruptive in anyway to the class."

::she paused and glared significantly at certain students::

"First we must ask ourselves; what sort of jobs would require the use of Transfiguration? Why would you use Transfiguration instead of doing something the muggle way, aside from saving time. Any ideas?"

::She raised an eyebrow and looked for raised hands::

"Yay! a quiz!" Dancing cheered. "How's that going to work?"

Why are you saying yay? asked Katie in digust.

::Lifey winked at her now worried class::

"i'll handle more questions about the class in the office hours thread, but i will say i don't t hink you have to worry that much about the quizz...after all you'll be able to use google and review this discussion. Also the quiz will be sort of like the 'homework' format.

So class! lets focus...can someone please point out the impracticalitiies of using transfiguration while working/at work?"

"Well obviuosly ot could go wrong," Katie stated, "but it could also make a bad wizard confused or make work harder in the long run."

"You may confuse people who you are working with. They look at you and you are you, then they turn around to grab a paper and when they turn to look at you again, you are a teapot. Just not practical!"

"Or miss aiming a spell or saying the wrong incantation, where as you were trying to turn a tea cup into a hedgehog but it became a turtle instead. Or aiming it at a tea cosy and accidentally turning your boss into a snowman." Dancing added to the already great awnsers

"OOHH I like the Snowman/boss thing. That would be a great spell to learn!" Snapes_girl said laughing!

.:Katie laughed:.

"I think that only experts should be using it at work, based upon these suggestions," Katie chuckled.

::Lifey laughed at the creative and amusing answers she was getting::

"yeah i mean i wouldn't fancy turning my boss' office into a giant strawberry because i misspronounced something, or had a lisp."

Dancing blushed she hadn't thought her ideas were that good, "Professior are there anyother jobs that use Trasfiguration, All I can think of is an Auror.

::Lifey had been waiting for this question.::

"there are quite a few...auror is certainly one that would use transfiguration frequently, the job of a healer, a wizarding gardener, a teacher could use transfiguration,a shop owner, a dragon keeper..."

"Wow that's alot," Dancing said shuffling her feet, feeling immensly stupid that she hadn't thought of some of those.

.: Katie was glad that Dancing had asked that question:.

"Well, that should broaden our discussion, we've all been talking about arurors!" Katie said trying to cheer Dancing up

::Lifey nodded::

"actually your question made me have to go on hp lexicon for ideas dancing" ::Lifey smiled:: "Don't feel silly! i'm glad you asked it! I was hoping someone would so it WOULD broden the discussion,as katie said.

So any initial thoughts?"

::Lifey was thrilled at the participation this class was receiving.::

.: Katie still had a quesiton though:.

"what would a shop keeper use transfiguration for?" she asked puzzled.

"I know they could use it to turn something boring into something interesting to attarct people." Stephy shouted oput her thought. "They could turn a boring old room into a room people would actually want to enter." She added

"true.." Katie said, "We know a dragon kepper would use it as a distracion.."

"Or" Stephy thought "They could use it to change something like a bolder or something huge into a cage or something to capture a dragon in.or lure them in to cave and turn something into something that would trap the dragon in for a while"

"O0o0o Thats a really good point!" Katie said, now the other career was a healer... What would they use it for?"

"They could use it to heal badly cut wounds or injuries that were caused by magic. They could also use it to summon things to them so that they dont have to walk away from thier patians." Oddie guessed

but thats charms isn't it? not transfiguration

"Oh yea right. Sorry i get those mixed up. Well they could turn some garbage into banages or something to wrap around a wound." Oddie said a little embarressed

"yea that makes more sense," Katie said, "So you mean recycling old thing into new, but that would bevery hygenical would it?" she reasoned

"If someone wrapped trash around my arm I'd be a little nervous...But they could just trasform a curtain into a knife or something like that."

"Would you want a curtain digging into you?" asked Katie appaled at the thought.

"That would be a little scary!" Snapes_girl said to the class. "How about turning a snarling dragon into a cute little mouse when he got out of hand, teach him a lesson."

"True," Katie laughed, "Sort of like Malfoy the boucing ferret!"

"In that case you use it on annoying people or like Snape_girl said pests as Malfoy is" Stephy joked

it could be used to teach the snarling dragon into a mouse because, now he isnt so big and bad, he has to walk in another creatures shoes for a day, and see how it is. He wont have so many things going for him anymore, he wont be able to do things as a mouse as opposed to a dragon.

Well dragons are protected agianst magic b/c of thier hid. thats why in the 4th book that had to use magic in other things and not the dragons themselves

"Right" Katie agreed, "it wouldnt work on some animals, but it would work on people."

Nancy smiled. "So if you come across a raging dragon, just turn yourself into a giant and stomp on his, or transfigure yourself into an owl so you can fly away and escape danger."

"Yup!" Katie laughed, "but thats more complicated you should have someone else do it for you."

"but Nancy and Daman brings up an interesting point of one creature seeing life from another's point of view, however the practicality of such transfiguration may prevent it from being used often.

i suposed there are some proffessions in which transfiguration isn't particularly practical. for example a proffesional quidditch player."

Nancy smiled. "Well, if transfiguration was allowed in quidditch, I am sure that the players would use it. You could turn the nasty on coming bludger into a soft marshmallow, or a pillow. That smashing against you would hurt a lot less than a hard bludger!"
She laughed. "You could also make the snitch bigger, enabling you to be able to see and catch it easier."

"yes for the bludger thing, but wouldnt you use a charm to enlarge the snitch?" Katie asked

::Lifey stared, shocked at the imagination of her students.::


"I hadn'te even thought about transfiguring a bludger...although wands are not allowed in the matches...as for the snitch that would be a charm...but the bludger is a good idea! but it would certainly take a powerful witch or wizard to manage such advanced magic on an object so heavily protected."

"But then again, if wands aren't allowed in the game, then really it shouldn't be protected," Dancing said. "But that's beside the point, I's just transform the opposing team into something random, and win."

"But about that dragon, wouldn't it just be simpler to distract it, than try to trasfigure something that has a magical ward against magic? such as turning a stone into a dog, like Cedric did during the first task at the Triwizard trunament."

"About not having wands..." Katie started,"then why did Harry have his wand in the match in 3rd year for the patronous, and he didn't get into trouble."

Nancy looked over at Katie. "You are allowed to have your wands on you at all times, but you are not supposed to use them during a quidditch match. If you needed to save your life during a game, like from a Dementor attack, I believe that is legal."

"O okay, thanks, now what was the question?"

"Im not sure, first we were talking about things that we could use Transfiguration on or something like that and then we started talking about qudditch." Stephy said

"yea, I know, it was weird, especially because there's a whole other class for that!" Katie laughed

"I agree, what should we talk about now that involves Transfiguration. How about in situation in when we could use it to save our lives" Stephy ahouted

"OKay," Katie agreed, "well, we already discussed dragons, so mountaian climbing, you could transfigure some of the rocks if you fall into pilows and the ground into a tramp." She suggeseted.

"Or make the snow form a wall around you to keep out the wind or to help dig yourself out by turning the snow into hot water or making a hot tub out of the snow just to list a few" Oddie said jumping up and down

"OOh. that's really good...If little kids ever got a hold of a wand they would make rain turn into ice cream," Katie laughed

"Or blow up the house" stephy joked

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Katie said, waiting for the quiz to come or for someone else to join and her and stephy's discussion.

"Lets just say that we should keep wands away from kids" Stephy joked

(Where is everyone)