Hogwarts 2022 - Astronomy Lesson atop the Tower

[Frogger]

Ancient and wise, the Astronomy Tower stood against the vastness of the sky above, almost as if it was holding the infinite possibilities at bay - or, more than likely, from crushing their fragile sense of reality. Navy stretched horizon to horizon, not a sign of sunrise or sunset in sight. No, instead a thousand stars twinkled, big and small, all equally and breathtakingly beautiful. Zachariah studied the constellations put on display high above his head, eyes not unlike the blue of a winter sky a few shades warmer than per usual. Tonight was his first lesson as the Astronomy Professor, and to say he was nervous would be a gross understatement. Every so often Zachariah had to flex his hands, in order to ward off the anxious fidgeting… but he has no reason to be concerned.

Just breathe. I have nothing to worry about. I just have to evaluate what my students know, to see where I need to start.

Of course, that could very well be easier said than done. Zachariah cast his eyes over the students gathered here on this fine night, not in the least bit perturbed at the lack of light, the obscurity brought on with the wandlight. Many have already started conversations, their voices rising and falling… but others are waiting quietly, eyes wide and pointed up or buried deep in some text. It appears some are already feeling pressure from their other classes… Interesting.

“Good evening, everyone,” he spoke at long last, his own voice cutting through, though not unkindly. “Welcome. I hope none of you are too tired.” It does take time to get accustomed to being out this late, especially when there are classes to attend to during the day. Zachariah slipped his hands deep into his pockets. Tonight he chose to wear a dark grey shirt, one of which did little to hide his slender frame under the fabric, and black trousers. Having to wear robes day in and day out was simply… too suffocating. All of his silver hair was left unbound, flowing freely down over his shoulders. “I want you to spend this lesson mapping out the planets and stars, and leaving out what you do not know. Please, do not guess. You will not be graded. I just want to see how much you remember.”

Zachariah waved his hand, having all the telescopes swivel and point up at the sky. “Begin.”

 

[LeaT]

Liz Shah chatted quietly with her fellow Slytherin house members as they waited for the astronomy lesson to begin. It was hardly her favorite subject but her father had taught her much from a young age and she also liked the excuse to be out in the castle after hours. This year, there was the added bonus of a rather dreamy new professor that, though a Revenclaw, Liz and her friends were quite anxious to spend time with in the starlit heights of the tower. She was keeping her gaze down for now, trying to preserve her night vision in the low light, avoiding the stray rays of wand light. As if any artificial light would be anything but a hindrance to their stargazing. Her father had taught her that lesson well, though he had also taught her 'occulus dialatus' which would give her owl eyes to see in the faintest light but she hated the way it made her look.

She smiled as he asked about being too tired, Liz was really just getting her second wind about this time of night. Though most nights she would be sneaking out of the girls dorm in the Slytherin dungeon about now, if she wasn't simply slipping into one of her classmates beds instead. She set to work in somewhat uncharacteristic fashion, though she was hardly the only female student that seemed unusually focused in this early in the term class. Liz started much of her map from memory based upon the season, using the telescope to verify each star was actually visible in tonight's conditions so as to not raise question if she couldn't positively identify it. She then added the planets, the 'wanderers' of the night sky as she didn't have their current locations mapped as well as the more regular stars. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were in fairly close alignment, a rare occurance that would not happen again in her lifetime unless she were able to recreate the Sorcerer's Stone and drink the elixir of life.

She was making good progress, certain Professor Glass would be most impressed with her work. She wanted to stand out in his memory, be the sort of student he would recall fondly and often. Pity he was Ravenclaw, but then no one was perfect. She began to look to see if he was coming her way, as she perfected her map, eager for him to get to her in turn.

 

[TheCorsair]

Stifling a yawn, Alex cracked open a can of Red Bull and spread out his scroll. The late start time wasn’t usually a problem for him, but he’d been up late playing Overwatch with mates from back home, and he hadn’t gotten as much sleep as he should have. Still, that’s what caffeine was for, wasn’t it? “Quill pens. Yech,” he grumbled, dipping the nub in his pot of ink. Maybe hiding a proper ballpoint pen in the feather would be his next project?

Peering through the eyepiece of his telescope, he quickly sketched out Jupiter in it’s current phase. Three of the moons were visible as well - Ganymede, Io, and Callisto - so he added them as well. Then he drew a circle around them and a cone, making it clear that it was an exploded view of a portion of the night sky.

Leaning back and swigging from his can of Red Bull, he let himself be distracted by a few of his fellow students. A cute blonde with the Hufflepuff yellow and black trim on her robe, and a brunette who wore her robe - with the green and silver trim of Slytherin - open to show off some cleavage. Very nice.

It took an effort to get back to work. He liked space, really. He’d binged all of Cosmos: Possible Worlds on Hulu last summer. But he really didn’t have a specific interest in astronomy. He was only in the class because it was essential for his independent study in Alchemy. Stifling another yawn, he sketched in Mars.

He swigged down more Red Bull and leaned his head to one side. The blonde and the brunette? They were the kind of heavenly bodies he’d rather study.

 

[Frogger]

Lights were extinguished one after another, which had many pairs of eyes blinking to adjust to the heavy, inky black. Zachariah is used to it, having endured the assault upon his senses time and time again over the course of… how many years now? Ten? No, it has to have been at least fifteen… give or take a few. Rolling his shoulders did very little to help alleviate his nerves, and yet it served as a distraction for all of… two seconds. Lovely. How is he going to handle the rest of the school year? Zachariah brushed several silver threads back over a shoulder, using this rare opportunity to gather his thoughts -and to wander. It was… refreshing to be among others again after a long, somewhat exhausting summer with his family. Do not get him wrong, he loves Kylie, and Stella, and the others… but they can be quite exasperating at times, too.

“Good evening,” he murmured to his niece, low enough no one else could hear. Stella flashed him a smile, as bright as a ray of moonlight. Zachariah has high hopes for her… but alas, not in the field of Astronomy. Unfortunately creativity is just not her forte… unlike Genesis, who likes to dabble with paint whenever she gets the chance. No, Stella is more the serious sort, and he noticed years ago how she excels in Transfiguration. It seems she has yet to notice this, however. It is not his place to bring it to her attention, though, not as her professor or as her uncle. “Pay close attention to the constellations,” he offered as advice, satisfied when he received a nod in turn. Zachariah moved on, arms tucked behind his back. Stella bent to peer into her telescope, only to groan as she was met with twinkling stars.

Uh oh. Uncle and I just went over this during the summer… I can't seem to remember much of anything, though!

It isn’t altogether surprising, seeing as how she was pouring over every textbook of every subject… and looking after her younger siblings. Stella grimaced, a cute little wrinkle forming between her eyebrows as she did so. Does she dare guess, and risk looking like a complete idiot? Or does she ask someone for help? After just a moment of consideration, Stella let out a soft sigh of defeat, blue eyes glancing to her right. It seems like the boy there knows a thing or two, and was even wasting time looking at some Slytherins. “Excuse me,” Stella whispered, leaning in so he’ll hear her, a single finger gently tapping him on the arm. “Do you mind helping me?” Tonight she’d chosen to wear her hair up instead of down, which exposed the curve of her neck rather nicely. All that silvery-blonde -an inherited trait of the Glass family- shone brightly, only serving to bring out the blue of her eyes. A small tilt of her head had bits and pieces escaping her ponytail, however.

Finally, Zachariah paused to look over the work of a group of Slytherins. It appears two… no, wait, make that three, have retained what they have learned last year, and the years prior… while some have mixed up the constellations. “Miss Shah,” he spoke up at great length, ever so gently placing his hand on her back in an attempt not to startle the young lady. Of course doing so put them in a rather… intimate position, one he failed to notice. Moving in slightly closer had his fingers sliding along her side, the breath forming his words teasing her ear with a heated, sensual caress. “You have mixed up some names on your map here.” Using his other hand, Zachariah traced along one constellation drawn, to emphasize his point.

“I suggest you take a second look and try again… but otherwise, very well done.”

 

[LeaT]

Alex's attention to her cleavage didn't go unnoticed but Liz gave him little more than a haughty look of dismissal. He surely felt his dabbling with muggle technology, and beverages, was endearing in some way, but to her it was just reveling in ignorance and crude behavior. She was passingly familiar with his Indian heritage and as a daughter of Persia she felt superior in every way. He could look as long as he didn't try to touch.

She had looked upon the blonde hufflepuff with a mixture of disdain and jealousy, especially when she seemed to capture the professors attention so readily. But then she remembered the blonde was his niece or some sort. This was confirmed as she called him uncle and though she couldn't hear the professor's soft voice, especially with him turned away from her, she was able to glean enough from the girl's side of the conversation to understand she wasn't doing so well. Perhaps there was an opening there to be exploited, Liz thought to herself even as her eyes lingered on the Professor's long mane of hair and nice ass.

She had quickly turned herself back to her work before he turned around, both not to be caught checking him out and to look fully engaged in her own effort. She looked up slowly, as if in full concentration when she heard her name from his lips. She felt the warmth of his hand on her back, it felt nice in the cool air of the tower. She eagerly presented her work, confident he would find it flawless and perhaps think of her as a favorite student deserving more of his attention this term. She noticed the intimacy of the position right away, but instead of shying away from it, she practically melted into him until they were in contact nearly their full length. But the spell was broken as he corrected her work, she blushed and felt mortified. "Oh yes, of course, I'll fix it right away." She said, feeling humbled, barely hearing his further words of encouragement. She pulled out her wand to lift the ink and swap it between the offending constellations. "Better?" She asked, now confident her work was perfect.

She then wandered over to the blonde, they weren't really supposed to work together, but she could at least introduce herself to the younger girl. "Hello." She said tentatively to the pale blonde, they were quite the contrast of features and complexions. "Your uncle is a brilliant astronomer, I suppose it has rubbed off?" She inquired, though didn't expect to be agreed with on this point.

@Frogger @TheCorsair

 

[Frogger]

Zachariah blinked, rather surprised to find the student not shying away from his touch… but more, melting into him. It did not occur to him beforehand the position he was placing her, and thus, himself… but now it has, and the intimacy was making his body react in ways it should not. An electric… tingling has begun low in his stomach, which only served to spread until he could have sworn magic sparks would erupt out of his fingertips. It would not take long for other evidence to… be noticeable.

“Yes. Perfect,” he replied at great length, his voice an octave or two lower. Oh, Orion’s belt. Is he so deprived that he will get aroused at the smallest of touches-? Then again, when was the last time he was with a woman? Zachariah has to admit, summer proved to be very busy, even with school not in session. Having to look after several children although you are the uncle, not the father, was… stressful, to say the least. Once he had cleared his throat in a somewhat futile attempt to keep his composure, Zachariah chose to stroll between the other students, glancing over their work every now and then. It seems many are doing well. Perhaps he only needs to review a few keypoints before moving on to new material.

Huh? A pair of bright blue eyes blinked at Liz, a little taken aback at the interception. It doesn’t really matter where assistance comes from, as long as she’s receiving some, isn’t that right? Stella used a hand to brush a few rebellious strands of silvery-blond out of her way, the fingers lingering along the curve of her neck. “I, ah… I hate to disappoint you, but unfortunately my talents seem to lay elsewhere. I struggle with Astronomy,” Stella confessed with a small, shy chuckle. “I do pretty well in all my other classes… just not in my Uncle’s.” A shrug followed moments later. “Did you finish the assignment already?” Jealousy sliced her, but it was dissipated under a wave of admiration. If only she could identify the stars so quickly! Stella began to play with some hairs tickling at her jawline, fidgeting in place. Hopefully Uncle Zachariah won’t catch her slacking off during his class…

 

[TheCorsair]

Alex watched the professor correct the blonde, chat with the brunette, and then move off. And he considered his options. The professor hadn't said this was a group project. On the other hand, he hasn't said it wasn't a group project either. With a smile he swigged down the last of his Red Bull, stuck the can in a pocket of his robe, and gathered up his materials. The scroll - and he still couldn't believe he had to use scrolls at this school - went in a nylon tube with his pens, and that slid into the carrying case for the telescope. Satisfied he'd grabbed everything, he rose and moved towards the two women.

Halfway there, the butterflies kicked in. Calm and confident, he told himself. I'm just asking to work with them on this project, right? I can do this. But the butterflies intensified as he drew near. Maybe this was a bad idea? They were awfully hot. They probably had boyfriends, right? Especially the brunette Slytherin. Probably one of those wealthy Purebloods with attitudes as bad as their tempers. Terrible idea. He was about to get Ravenclaw in a honest-to-god war, simply because he was talking to her.

"Did you finish the assignment already?" the blonde asked, sounding concerned

"Not quite yet," he said automatically, before he registered she wasn't asking him. "I mean," he got out, feeling flustered, "I noticed you, uhm, the professor, he told you you, ah, messed up the constellations?" God damn it, his voice spiked up at the end! He sounded like an idiot! "I could, uhm, that is, uh, maybe, maybe I could, uhm... help?"

Oh, god. Now he just wanted to die.