FOURTH THROUGH SEVENTH ASTRONOMY II

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

THE ROOM WAS quite empty, that is, to say that there were no students in it. The walls were filled with moving charts and globes of the universe beyond them, and Rowena loved every bit of them. There were wood tables and extra parchment and quills lined up on them, as to be sure the small but still important first and second years had their things together. Third years usually knew what they were doing, so Row didn't worry about them too much. There were designated areas for each year, and the classroom was rather large to accommodate the fourth,fifth, six, and seventh years. It had to be, or else they just wouldn't fit. It was rather like a lecture hall, and Row would magnify her voice to see that every student could hear her-- and she had a knack for figuring out the ones that couldn't. There were so many students! But with Rowena duplicating herself, it made it a lot easier.

As the first students began to mill through the classroom door, Row smiled. Finally! The school year was beginning and an interesting year was ahead of them-- an interesting year indeed. Although she hadn't confided in anyone but Helga, Rowena couldn't help but get her child out of her mind. No, you must focus, you must keep your mind on the task ahead of you. Focus, and dedication, will derive to success and learning, she scolded herself. Things must be kept in order, and she was happy to see that the students seemed excited. Astronomy was a wide subject to cover-- mathematics just as the mathematicians of their century were covering, and it was bound to be a largely fascinated subject. Or, at least, Rowena hoped. She'd always taken pride in her own house, it did take her name, after all and she believed firmly that all Ravenclaw students would benefit from every class they took.

"Welcome back old ones! Please, take a seat, four years here, fifth years there, sixth years over here, and seventh years over there," she said, gesturing to the appropriate spot. She could feel her excitement overpower her anxiety at last.

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[Aíne Kildare]

Aíne Kildare stepped into the large, echoing chamber that was her classroom for Astronomy. She remembered walking in here for the first time when she was barely eleven years of age and gawking at all the charts and globes, something her family had never seen since they were on the poorer end of the social spectrum. Now it was completely normal to her and she loved coming in here, despite the fact that astronomy wasn't one of her real interests. It was, however, taught by the head of her house and Aíne couldn't help but share the enthusiasm that Professor Ravenclaw often radiated when talking about her subject.

Potions, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely. While taught by the same woman, Aíne hated Potions with a passion as she was abysmal at the subject. But for now, it was best to focus on Astronomy and all the wonders that stares on the planets had to offer. She walked down the aisle, choosing a seat near the front of the room in the section designated for fifth years such as herself. It was out of habit that she did this, one reason being she enjoyed being at the front of the room, close to the teacher, the second was because she was tiny, and if she sat in the back, she'd never be able to see. A couple Slytherins passed and whispered something about her being some kind of creepy Irish fairy. She huffed, very nearly standing up and telling them that they were referring to a Bean Sídhe and that speaking so lightly of the capricious fae would bring them bad luck, but for now, she held her tongue and instead turned to smile at her Head of House.

"Good day to ye, Professor Ravenclaw," she said warmly, glaring at the Slytherins who laughed under their breaths both at her eagerness to greet a teacher and at her glaringly obvious accent. So it was rather thick right now, who could blame her? Aenghus too, who walked into the room a couple minutes after she had was facing similar abuse. They'd just returned to Hogwarts from Ireland where they hadn't spoken nary a word in English until getting on the boat back to the larger isle. The small fifth year wondered why in the name of Eírinn the English picked on the Irish so much. It made absolutely no sense. They shared similar climates, beliefs, even cultures. Quietly, she pulled out her wand, twirling it absentmindedly in her fingers, wondering when she'd get to go to transfiguration, she'd been practicing all summer and she felt confident that she could surpass even some of the seventh years this school year.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

ROWENA'S EYES FLITTED

to the door, where even more students were arriving. Thrilling, thrilling! Today she was planning on a general lecture of astronomy, astrophysics, and even to question some of the students on their beliefs in parallel universes and galaxies far beyond their own. Rowena firmly believed there was life somewhere besides the earth they inhabited. Surely-- surely, humans were not the most supreme beings of the universe? Or the universes beyond the universes? She could continue with her train of thought for hours, however, she had a class to teach, and Rowena had just heard several distinct Slytherin snickers and looked up to see what was what about the situation.

With her raven's blue-gray eyes swooping the scene, Row found a white-blonde headed girl in dashing robes approaching her desk, with several chunky Slytherin boys gawking and smirking at her. Rowena smiled herself and listened to their whispers, detecting hints of something else in their voice. She was a very pretty young lady, and Ravenclaw remembered when she was younger and boys and snickered at her. And where they now?

"Good day to ye, Professor Ravenclaw," said the white blonde headed girl as she took a seat in the front. A faithful Ravenclaw. Rowena smiled and replied with a quiet but powerful and musical voice. "Delightful to have you back, Miss Kildare! I trust your summer visits and experiences were well," she said and squinted over at the group of Slytherins, who immediately shushed.

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[Aíne Kildare]

With one glance, Professor Ravenclaw silenced the whispers from the Slytherins. Aíne mentally sighed, wishing she could do that, but she had not the presence, nor the ability, nor the beauty to do such a thing, and it bothered the young Irishwoman mightily. It might have been the reason why she looked up to her head of house so much, but she knew in her soul that she'd never have a tenth of the presence that Professor Ravenclaw had.

"Delightful to have you back, Miss Kildare! I trust your summer visits and experiences were well," Aíne nodded, "Aye Professor, they were well, thank ye. Chaotic, but well, there's talk of Mam having another child though, and I worry since I will not be able to help with the others. But i have been practicing my Transfigurations all summer, in hopes that I can wring a compliment from Professor Gryffindor this year," their relationship was... odd... to say the least considering the number of times he'd caught her spending time in his house's common room with her brother. Now with Mori in Hufflepuff, she supposed she'd be found in that common room as well with her sister, though she believed that Professor Hufflepuff would not get as hot and bothered with her presence as Professor Gryffindor seemed to.

She twirled her wand absentmindedly, fingers itching to practice her Transfigurations once more. She'd be ready this year, and she would impress her handsome, proud professor one way or another. She had to.

[Isabella Night]

Isabella rolled her eyes when she saw the Ravenclaw girl talking to the professor only to have one of the dumb Slytherins shushed by a look Isabella had to laugh a bit. Personally Isabella loved astronomy it was a favorite subject of hers. Sighing she looks around the room at various star charts it made her happy that she was surrounded by stars the dreamy old Isabella leaked out a bit a little more every time she was in astronomy the one that Isabella liked before Slytherin changed her.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

SHE COULDN'T HELPbut smile. Godric... such a strong, brave man. Every woman who had laid eyes on him wanted those eyes to be theirs. He was extremely attractive, but Rowena had never felt a flitter of anything substantial besidess sisterly love. He was headstrong, brave, and an excellent source of strength. She felt her smile twist into a frown as she began to wonder what he would say ... when she told about-- about the baby. Would he be upset? Tut, tut, you must begin the class, and, she added to herselfbesides, a duel with him would be easier on her part.

[/color] Row believed she had nothing to worry about seeing as she was a bit more of a witch herself.

"I am pleased to hear of a great summer, and the best to your mother! And," she lowered her voice, "I believe Professor Gryffindor prides his students that work hard. Your work will not go amiss," she said before waving Aine to her seat. She hastily duplicated herself and began her lecture.

"Astronomy at Hogwarts... Britain is one of the hardest places to observe the night sky, the fog can get so dense here. However, a telescope is not necessarily needed to study the cloak of stars that surrounds us. Can anyone tell me what the word astronomy is derived from, and what it means?" she asked, hoping to give out some of the first points of the year to anyone who answered correctly.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Carlisle Pendragon]

Carlisle sat towards the back of the room, his body draped so that he seemed to be at ease and relaxed, very casual. His arms were, as usual, folded across his chest and his eyes gave all appearance of being closed. But they were, in fact not. Carlisle knew that there was a way that people saw him, and a way that he saw himself, and the two personas were drastically different people.

Professor Ravenclaw posed her question and he seemed to look up, opening his eyes all the way though his face didn't lose that brooding aspect (it rarely did, but then, that was how he wanted to be perceived, even though it had given him a fanclub of sorts made up of girls from all years and houses). He lazily raised his hand, knowing that speaking out of turn was never a good thing with this particular professor. "Astronomy," he began, "is derived from the Greek word astro meaning the sky, the heavens, if you will. Fittingly, Astronomy is the study of the stars, the planets, the cosmos, how they move and what possible effects on the earth the changes will cause."

He heard a little tittering in the background, probably some fangirls from Slytherin no doubt, such a bothersome thing. He would really have been much happier without them.

[Isabella Night]

Isabella rolled her eyes at Carlisle's fan girls. 'Honestly have they no self control!' Isabella thought venomsly but payed attention to the class the best she could. Still it was a little distracting when the Ravenclaw she got a fight with and the Slytherin boy who hates her in the very same room a few seats away from her.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

MORE SMILES CAME

as Rowena Ravenclaw (the second one of herself) looked over at the boy with the lazy drawl an a look on his face that told her that he was very determined to ignore the smaller girls who were looked reamy-eyed over at him. She felt the smile cascade down herself and into her belly, where she knew a child was growing. Trying her hardest not to place a hand there, the second Rowena RAvenclaw placed a hand on the boys black-robbed shoulder having just apparated beside him, way at the far back of the Astronomy room.

"Excellent, ten points to Slytherin."

It pleased her to no ends that some of her students were learning, and would go on to do what she was sure that were and would be great things, even if someone in her class coulnd't keep their eyes open. They would learn. Once it was exam time, they would pay the price for their laziness. She walked over to her maps on the left side of the wall of the huge tower and looked at the dots that were moving around that was their solar system. Of course, the sun was in the middle and the eart and all the other planets were moving around them, contrary to popular beliefs. Wizards and witches had their ways. The model of the solar system that was very much more impressive caught most of the students (that were awake) eys as it was a real model.

"And, can anyone tell me the planets of our solar system?"

[OOC]jaz, please pick up the word count ! =) [/OOC]
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