Finally, This Day . . .
Date: September 2, 2025 | Time: 13:55
Reducio
Disclaimer: All actions and dialogues by the professor are kept vague or unmentioned to the best of my abilities, but if they are described, they are directly referencing the first lesson and this reference was permitted by Professor Orion Lécuyer via an Owl.
It's time. Robin's heart is pounding like stampede. A huge part of his personality is based on the fact that he holds passion in the Dark Arts. Like he had to explain before, no, he doesn't plan on turning to the Dark Arts, he just wants to study them and understand how and why once neutral spells can be used in such malign ways. Robin had just finished Herbology and attended a nearly full morning of classes, Transfiguration and Charms, but nothing he heard before this moment can be compared to his current excitement. Robin learned some new things in the other classes, and honestly he feels like he may not even learn that much from his first DADA class due to his years of previewing, but it's nonetheless exciting.
He wonders who the professor may be, a researcher? Or maybe leaning more towards the practical side . . . a former Auror, perhaps?
Robin came to the classroom five minutes earlier. He would've done ten if Herbology didn't require some cleaning afterwards. He sat on the very left of the front row, that was the seat nearest to the professor's stand. It's a miracle it hadn't been taken yet! What Robin forgot to consider was that not everybody's a nerd or teacher's pet who liked to sit in the front, and not everybody walking in this classroom carries the same enthusiasm as him, considering the topic being "Dark Arts".
Some more students started flowing in, and nobody had sat next to him yet. He felt a bit nervous as he thought of the possibility that someone would sit down before Corrine gets here - he just assumed she would want to sit next to him, well, they said to meet at this class - he would either have to forfeit the comfort of a familiar face being the one he turns to today, or muster up the courage to tell the kid that the seat's reserved.
Robin rubs his knuckles in his seat. Hope she comes soon.
Reducio
@Corrine Aelina
Last edited by Robin Lockett on 7 Apr 2026, 17:08, edited 3 times in total.
Finally, This Day . . .
Location: Defense Against the Dark Arts
Tag: PV @Robin Lockett
Date: September 2nd, 2025
Time: 13:58pm
Corrine stifles a yawn as she walks through the bridge leading to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, still feeling the remnants of exhaustion even after she had replaced her lunch time with a nap. Herbology, Transfiguration, and History of Magic actually went fine; she had even enjoyed herself there.
It isn’t exhaustion from the first day of class, but rather, her mind is still in a jumble after this morning’s disastrous breakfast incident regarding Alexander, who she can’t help but worry about even during lessons. I hope he’s okay, she thinks, already feeling another wave of anxiety wash over her. Though the nap she took helped greatly, it didn’t exactly solve the problem, leaving a lingering sense of shame.
Deciding to try and not dwell on her feelings, Corrine pushes open the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Immediately, she’s greeted with a classroom decently filled with other students, making her freeze. She doesn’t know what she expected; all her other classes have been filled with students too, but it doesn’t really get any better every time she moves on to a new classroom.
Her hazel eyes trail forward to the front of the classroom, spotting familiar black hair. Robin, her mind helpfully supplies, feeling herself relax slightly at a familiar presence. He’s here already.
However, something else she notices is that the seats around him are particularly empty. Seeing as most students probably didn’t know him, Corrine thinks that it’s probably not because of him.. but rather, it’s because he’s sitting at the very front, closest to the teacher’s desk.
Corrine feels her heart drop slightly. Sitting next to Robin means sitting at the very front.. but I also really want to sit next to Robin instead of a stranger. What should I do?
For a hesitant beat, she stays in the doorway, frozen. Robin over stranger, Robin over stranger, she internally chants to herself as she mechanically walks over to the empty seat beside Robin.
The smile she flashes at him is clearly filled with anxiety, and she can feel her nails digging into her palm in an attempt to keep herself calm.
"In every life, through every door. . . I hope to meet y0u again."
Finally, This Day . . .
Robin is usually pretty good at observing people, but he might've been a bit too preoccupied with his combined nervousness and excitement - mainly excitement - to realize that Corrine had doubts about sitting up front. He turned around as he heard some movement next to him, relieved to find that it was his new friend. Robin nodded slightly, "Hallo, Corrine. Hope you liked the Hogwarts classes up until now." He can't sense her anxiety of being in the front row, but he still distinctly remembers the breakfast incident. Robin hoped the classes could take her mind off that for a while, but he'd not be surprised if they didn't help that much.Date: September 2, 2025 | Time: 13:59
The class started soon after the two greeted each other, with Professor Lécuyer confirming Robin's guess of him having been an Auror prior to teaching at Hogwarts. The class went by pretty quickly for him, as he'd read most of the material years before. However, it felt different learning them officially, from a professional in the field, no less. Robin raised his hand quite a few times, but was only called upon the first time since there were others who haven't spoken yet. Robin cleared his throat to ensure that nothing embarrassing would happen: "The Dark Arts are not inherently evil, the true evil is the twisted mind of the caster. Therefore, the purpose of this class in my opinion is to understand how wizards or witches turn a spell dark, how to identify turned spells in dangerous situations, and how to reduce the danger in said situations."
They later learned about charms that could alert nearby adults - whether muggle or magical - that they were in danger. This was something new for Robin, as he usually focused on the theories and histories and never performed an actual spell. Well, he couldn't, seeing as he had no wand and was underage. With the mention of the Red and Green Spark Charms having a use in duels to blind one's target, Robin raised his eyebrows. At Ollivander's he was sold a wand that was "intended for accomplished duelists". Robin still hadn't signed up to be in Ravenclaw's dueling team since he was pretty busy these couple of days, but he does plan on trying it out. Just like how he believed that the Sorting Hat is never wrong, he also thought that his wand chose him for a reason. Robin highlighted the Charm's other use in his mental notes, and physical notes, of course. He looked forward to learning more spells with additional uses aside from their intended one.
After their homework was announced, the class was free to practice the two charms. Robin stood up and turned to look at Corrine, "How'd you like . . . or not like it?"
He then looked at his notes again, making sure he knows the correct enunciation. Robin adjusted his glasses before his first attempt at a DADA spell as comfort and reassurance.
"Periculum!" Robin emphasized the "ric" while he pointed his wand towards the sky, or rather the ceiling in this case. Red sparks shot upward and showered down in the form of what seemed like hundreds if not thousands of tiny sparkles. It was not as grand as the professor's demonstration which illuminated the whole classroom, but that was to be expected of a first attempt. Not bad, Robin thought. He wasn't discouraged at all, it was an objectively outstanding try at something he'd never done before. One might say he's a prodigal learner.
The corner of Robin's mouth bent upward. It became flat, unlike the usual, slightly downward bridge shape. A flat face was honestly Robin's most natural smile, his mouth only bends upward when he hears a joke based on a pun or wordplay. Yes his humor is dad jokes. Don't ask.
Reducio
@Corrine Aelina
Last edited by Robin Lockett on 6 Apr 2026, 18:40, edited 2 times in total.
Finally, This Day . . .
Location: Defense Against the Dark Arts
Tag: PV @Robin Lockett
Date: September 2nd, 2025
Time: 13:58pm
Corrine sits next to Robin, sighing shakily. “Hi,” she greets, still obviously tired despite her nap. She ignores the dull ache of her stomach, knowing that skipping lunch for the sake of rest had been her own choice. Instead, she focuses on bringing out her parchment, quill, and ink.
The rest of the class passes quickly, especially since both Corrine and Robin were focused on the lecture itself. The girl figured that her friend would want to focus anyway, so she didn’t make a move to bother him outside of the occasional mumbled question regarding what had been said by their professor.
As their professor talked, Corrine found herself thinking. If she remembers correctly, both Alexander and Robin are very interested in learning about the Dark Arts. Initially, Corrine had been confused, but now that she thinks about it?
The spells and magic themselves aren’t inherently evil, she hums, glancing around the classroom. It’s ultimately up to the witch and wizard how to use the power they’ve been blessed with, right?
At the margins of her parchment, Corrine writes herself a note in her neat handwriting, small as can be. It reads: “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.”
A very, very familiar muggle quote, and one that makes her grin slightly. I guess it applies here too.
Glancing to the side at a very focused Robin, she finds her grin softening into a smile. He looks interested, she realizes, even despite the lack of expression that others would likely pay more attention to. But Corrine likes to think she knows her friend a bit better now, considering he’s looking straight ahead at the professor with intense focus.
Not long after the lecture fully concludes, homework is quickly announced, which Corrine made sure to write another note for herself to remember. Seeing as they’re being given time to practice, the girl turns to Robin just in time for the boy to cast the spell with ease.
The red sparks that shout out onto the ceiling shower them both, and Corrine can’t help but stare at them in awe. She reaches out a hand to catch a few sparkles that had fallen in front of her, smiling as they land without causing pain.
“You did great,” Corrine compliments her friend.
"In every life, through every door. . . I hope to meet y0u again."
Finally, This Day . . .
Robin was so caught up in his success, he didn't notice Corrine's congratulations at first. It was only after a few seconds when the sentence was logged into his mind, he then replied with a thanks.Date: September 2, 2025 | Time: 15:30
"You should try too," Robin gestured for her to stand up with him, "It's very different listening to the professor versus casting the spell yourself. Did you cast any spells in your previous classes? I did, Charms class was pretty interesting."
The boy gathered his notes and held them up closer, reading the content intently. The classroom was filled with voiced incantations and flowing wand movements, it was pretty chaotic. Thankfully the spells they were taught today weren't anything dangerous nor could it affect a big area. If they were practicing the Smokescreen Spell, these eleven-year-olds would be blindly choking in a smoking room right now.
After reviewing his notes once again to ensure perfection, Robin tried the Green Spark Charm: "Verdimillious!" He slashed his wand forward, another success. Once he made sure he could perform both spells flawlessly, he turned back to Corrine. Now he was ready to help if she needed any, at least he had confidence in his skills and wouldn't be so nervous if she hoped for another demonstration.
"The enunciation is very important in spells. Wand movement too . . . well, every component is, come to think of it. Basically spells require a lot of concentration, and it might yield some unexpected results if you're not focused on your intended outcomes enough. Especially transfiguration, but that's off the topic."
Their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class was nearing an end, other students were getting more and more familiar with the charms after some practice. Robin was reading about imps, the subject of their homework, after giving Corrine some tips like which syllables to emphasize. There were only a few more minutes of class left, and he wouldn't want to waste them.
Reducio
@Corrine Aelina I think this thread is nearing an end, like maybe one more post from Corrine and then I finish it off, if no objections:)
Finally, This Day . . .
Location: Defense Against the Dark Arts
Tag: PV @Robin Lockett
Date: September 2nd, 2025
Time: 13:58pm
Corrine hesitates when she sees Robin motion for her to stand up, but she slowly does as asked, not wanting to disappoint him. She’ll have to try regardless anyway, and she hopes Robin doesn’t get too annoyed if she gets it wrong or something. “..I didn’t get to do any spells yet,” the girl quietly says. “The classes I’ve had were mostly focused on history and safety regarding equipment.”
Her hand tightens on her wand, and she’s clearly hesitant. Not wanting to do it quite yet, she turns to her friend, who had just cast a very successful Green Spark Charm, sending green sparks into the air.
She smiles, proud of him despite the nervousness bubbling up within her. Not wanting to fall too much behind, she raises her wand to the sky, breathing out to calm her nerves. In a surprisingly firm manner (although not quite shouting, though that isn’t unsurprising), she says, “Periculum.”
Although slightly fainter than Robin’s sparks had been, the red sparks do still appear, and she perks up. She feels considerably a bit more confident now, so she steps forward and slashes the air with her wand as she speaks again, “Verdimillious!”
This time, green sparks came, and she could feel herself perk up at the success. With a bright grin, she turns to her friend, excited. “Robin, look! I did it!”
For once, she feels proud of herself too.. and she could only hope Robin shares a little bit of that feeling.
Reducio
No complaints! It's definitely coming to an end lol, but I'm glad they got around to sharing a class for the first time or so
"In every life, through every door. . . I hope to meet y0u again."
Finally, This Day . . .
If Corrine hadn't cast any spells this morning, then is this her first spell ever? Robin quickly made the connection, a bit more nervous than before. It's be extra satisfying if she succeeds, but if she fails, will her doubts of belonging in Hogwarts run even more rampant? He made sure to give the tips before she raised her wand, not because he doesn't believe in her, Robin just thought she had doubted herself enough today.Date: September 2, 2025 | Time: 15:35
When Corrine successfully casted the Red Spark Charm, Robin was more or less relieved, "That's a good start." He saw on her face a rising level of confidence and excitement. Eager to try out the next spell.
Robin's glad that the class didn't scare her off, as he observed that some students were more reluctant to listen to the Professor's discussion on how dangerous the Dark Arts can be and the brutality of dark creatures. Corrine seemed to take the information more seriously than some of these other kids, because if one truly believes the danger of it all, they would want to learn everything about it to prevent getting themselves, or the people they care about hurt.
A few seconds later, green sparks marked the air in front of them. Corrine had yet again made a successful attempt. She was visibly overjoyed, turning around to face her desk mate: "Robin, look! I did it!"
"Congratulations." Robin nodded in approval: "Honestly you're pretty good at this. Most first years need a few tries to get their first spell right." He refrained from saying "especially for muggle-borns since they haven't had any contact with magic apart from their FIOM prior to Hogwarts". Despite it being statistically true, the way he says it might again come off as offensive, thought that is not his intention.
After having a few more minutes of reading his homework material, the professor announced that their first class had ended and were free to leave. Defense Against the Dark Arts was Robin's last class today, so he stretched his back and began thinking of where to go next. Do all his homework? Or go check out the library first? He then remembered that he could literally do both at the same time, so he stood up and packed up his book bag.
He and Corrine promised to see each other again sometime - or rather a few hours later at dinner - and split up to go do their own things. Robin gripped the strip of his bag, thinking ahead to all the wonders he'll experience at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Starting with studying in the library, of course.
Reducio
@Corrine Aelina fin.