Mister Weasley's First Flying Lesson (A)
Ron had drafted a handful of house-elves to help him set-up an area near the lake for his class. And he wouldn’t let the SPEW badge abandoned in some corner of his room amongst the other knickknacks and keepsakes from his schooldays make him feel guilty for this fact. Was he supposed to accio a bunch of benches and a full desk!?
The makeshift “classroom,” which wasn’t a room at all, contained a desk which Ron Weasley was standing behind, and four benches facing towards it. He hoped that the caretaker wouldn't bother him for the imprints the furniture was making on the grass, and was grateful that at least today was a sunny, if crisp, morning. Ron was expecting at least a dozen students, but he also encouraged drop-ins as well. In all honestly, the new teacher was hoping to teach some actual kids rather than only grown-ups. The whole thing made him feel a bit like a middle-aged lady’s Shuntbumps instructor.
He dribbled his fingers on his desk as the students began to arrive for their class. He noticed that their ages definitely skewed high, and awkwardly closed the drawer which contained a generous selection of Fizzing Whizbees, Chocolate Frogs, and Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum. Another thing with a younger class was that they were much less intimidating. Also, very bribable with candy.
This probably meant that the arts and craft portion of the lesson (decorate your safety cap with magical glitter and charmed paints!) should be canceled. Mostly because Ron knew that he would be pushing his luck to make children agree on wearing those dorky little hats, let alone grown-ups with proper shame. He would have scoffed at wearing such a thing when he was eleven and taking his first (official) flying lesson. Broken bones came with the territory; it weren’t like they were anything serious. But Madame Hooch hadn’t had to deal with a classroom full of students who not only never flew before, but who did not even understand properly the magic behind the process, or had anyone else to study like older brothers or parents.
Ron gird himself with the knowledge that it was Harry, after all, who was the best flyer of his year, and Harry hadn’t used a broomstick before in his life! Then he thought of Hermione, and winced. Flying was not as easy as some blokes made it out to be, and teaching adults would be a fairly different territory as well. Not to mention gravity. Ron knew his wand was there, but groped for it anyways as reassurance. Gravity would rue the day it tried to mess with one of Ron’s students, after he had spent bloody months preparing for his first class and reading books by Belgians by Godric’s gonads! Belgians!
After the class settled down, Ron cleared his throat. “Hullo! I’m your flying instructor. I don’t think I’m technically a professor, so during class calling me Mister Weasley or Instructor Weasley is fine.” He turned around to write his name, and then widened his eyes when he remembered that this was not a classroom, and thus he did not have an actual board. He turned back to the class and gave a bright, almost frantic smile, before pointing his wand at a long scroll at his desk.
“Accendio scroll!”
The parchment was maneuvered to rest behind Mister Weasley’s head, which the instructor magically charmed to boldly present his name:
MR. R. WEASLEY
The redhead turned back to address the class. “All right. So, you are here for your flying lesson. To be more specific, you are here to learn how to fly broomsticks, an activity which has had a long and fascinating history. Despite this history, flying broomsticks hardly ever results in a wizard or witch’s tragic death anymore! Uh, I just introduced both parts of my main lesson for today. First, I’m going to tell you about the history of flying broomsticks, and why they’re so important to my, and now your culture, and also I’m going to make sure you won’t die!” Mister Weasley nodded, and magicked the parchment above his head to replace his name for an emphasis on the last point.
YOU WON’T DIE!
“Now, for the first part of this class you will need quills, parchment, and a board to write on. All three things are with me at the front of the class. Come up here if you need to grab 'em.” As the students took their materials, Mister Weasley organized his own notes in proper order. After things were settled, he continued. “I’m not sure how much you understand about grades, as this school seems to have gotten a bit topsy-turvy about the whole thing. Well, not me. Unlike most professors nowadays, I’ve finished my sixth year at Hogwarts. With my class, you’ll be experiencing the old system. That means I’ll be grading you, giving you some homework, and house points to boot!” Ron did his best to look stern, which mostly just made his freckles bounce a bit.
“There are a few rules in my class. First is no cursing the other students! There are spells I will teach you later for safety, but otherwise I don’t want to see it. Not only is it bullying, but a lot of you are new enough to magic that you’re going to make someone’s head turn into a chickadee or something. And try to listen to me when I’m instructing you about how to fly, so you…” He pointed up at his parchment again. “That. And if you are ignoring me, try not to be too obvious about it? Oh, and no ramming each other with brooms unless we’re playing Shuntbumps. And…” he paused. “I’ll think up more when we come across it. All right, now for history! This won’t be on a test, but you might find it useful knowledge since - well, since you’re now part of wizarding history too! And also, that way you can learn from other guys’ mistakes and not have to get knocked around for it.” Mister Weasley laughed. “Oh, some of these blokes. ‘Dangerous’ Dai Llewellyn! He got himself eaten by a chimera! Heh heh!” The flying instructor swallowed. “Heh. Um. His biography is on your reading list. Not the required one, but the recommended. Oh! I already posted the reading list. If for whatever reason you haven’t acquired copies on your own, you can borrow anything on that from my office. Just come in during office hours; it will be confidential.”
Mister Weasley pointed his wand at the parchment.
BOOKS AT OFFICE.
“Speaking of the reading list, everything in the history part of our lesson can be found referenced in Quidditch through the Ages.” Mister Weasley cleared his throat again, and began for real this time.
“Flying on broomsticks is probably the main thing you might have expected of witches and wizards before arriving here. That’s because a few of us got clumsy with the whole ‘secret’ thing. Because the first thing you want to do is after you get flying down is to play some flying sports, and flying sports are not something you do lonely in a corner. It’s usually big and loud, and if you don’t cast enough protection charms, Muggles can’t help but catch sight of you even if they can’t see the Snitch. So that’s why you all probably thought about witches and broomsticks before you met a proper witch, or became a witch yourself. It really is our worst kept secret, especially since it was popular years before the official International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1642.” Mister Weasley paused to change the parchment behind him.
ISWS 1642!
“But why use broomsticks? Why not carpets, which were popular with Eastern wizards? Or just apparate all over the place, like some of you might be learning in a few days? Well, about the carpets: broomsticks are less conspicuous, easier to grab in a hurry, and you can play Quidditch with them. And as for apparition, things could go wrong and next think you know you’ve splinched and you’re missing an eyebrow or your soles and you need a visit from the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad which, let me tell you, is bloo- quite embarrassing. Also there are anti-Apparition spells that can make you into a mess, and you only can apparate so far.” Besides, Mister Weasley thought bitterly as he changed his parchment, Homestar Runner was charging extra!
ARE APPARITION CLASSES REALLY WORTH IT?
“Wizards, meanwhile, can’t fly on their own. They can levitate a few inches. In fact, I have some candies in my desk which do just that. But you only go up a few inches, and even when you go higher you don’t go fast. Some animagi can turn into birds and fly that way, but it takes years to become an animagus, and do you really want to lay eggs? Besides, you can’t choose your own animal, so you might end up something without wings. Broomsticks are then the obvious choice!”
Mister Weasley continued. “We’re not really sure who came up with the whole thing, but we’ve been flying on brooms since 962 CE at least.” Mister Weasley cast the image of this date on the parchment. “But the early brooms weren’t like the kind we have today. They were uncomfortable and could only go one speed; and the directions of forward, stop, up, down. Not like the kind you’ll be using. Also, I’ve seen them at the Museum of Quidditch. They were ugly things would have given you splinters in the worst places. Still, wizards got better and made more comfortable and agile brooms. A big breakthrough came in 1820, when Eliot Smethwyck invented a cushioning charm. Now when you’re flying a broom, you might as well be sitting on a bench right here!” He changed the date of the parchment to 1820, and added Smethwyck's name.
“In fact the 19th century is when we really outdid ourselves in making the better broom. Jocunda Sykes was the first witch to cross the whole Atlantic on broomstick in 1935. If she could make it across that, this class will be no trouble, right? Today there are dozens of broomsticks on the market that can go all directions and speeds.” Mister Weasley’s shabbily clad shoulders slumped in relief.
“And that was basically a short history of broomsticks and flying. We’ll get more in depth into Quidditch and other flying sports after a few more lessons. But if you want to ask any more questions in relation to broomsticks through the ages, or to say hullo to your classmates, now is the time to do it as we take a short recess.” His eyes twitch. He wasn’t going to do this. No. It was dorky, and no one would want to, and he would look foolish.
But he bought the materials. It would be... wasting money.
Mister Weasley reached behind his desk and took out what appeared to be a plain, white helmet. “And… if any of you want to wear and decorate your safety cap, I will supervise an optional arts and crafts portion for our class.” His face reddened so it matched the shade of his freckles. “And yes, I bought glitter, okay?”
((Ok! Ron’s first class will likely have three updates; in this first portion your characters can mingle, ask Ron Mister Weasley questions, or decorate their helmets! If your character did not sign up for flying lessons, feel free to have them drop-in anyway. The second portion of the class will be a flying lesson aimed at novices (their brooms will be charmed to prevent them from flying over five feet high unless Ron knows their character has experience), and the third portion will be Ron giving out homework and dismissing class. The second update will occur either tonight or tomorrow morning, though the threads in this post can continue until their natural ends.
ETA: Furthermore, it's not needed for you to tag every session, just the ones that catch your interest.))
The makeshift “classroom,” which wasn’t a room at all, contained a desk which Ron Weasley was standing behind, and four benches facing towards it. He hoped that the caretaker wouldn't bother him for the imprints the furniture was making on the grass, and was grateful that at least today was a sunny, if crisp, morning. Ron was expecting at least a dozen students, but he also encouraged drop-ins as well. In all honestly, the new teacher was hoping to teach some actual kids rather than only grown-ups. The whole thing made him feel a bit like a middle-aged lady’s Shuntbumps instructor.
He dribbled his fingers on his desk as the students began to arrive for their class. He noticed that their ages definitely skewed high, and awkwardly closed the drawer which contained a generous selection of Fizzing Whizbees, Chocolate Frogs, and Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum. Another thing with a younger class was that they were much less intimidating. Also, very bribable with candy.
This probably meant that the arts and craft portion of the lesson (decorate your safety cap with magical glitter and charmed paints!) should be canceled. Mostly because Ron knew that he would be pushing his luck to make children agree on wearing those dorky little hats, let alone grown-ups with proper shame. He would have scoffed at wearing such a thing when he was eleven and taking his first (official) flying lesson. Broken bones came with the territory; it weren’t like they were anything serious. But Madame Hooch hadn’t had to deal with a classroom full of students who not only never flew before, but who did not even understand properly the magic behind the process, or had anyone else to study like older brothers or parents.
Ron gird himself with the knowledge that it was Harry, after all, who was the best flyer of his year, and Harry hadn’t used a broomstick before in his life! Then he thought of Hermione, and winced. Flying was not as easy as some blokes made it out to be, and teaching adults would be a fairly different territory as well. Not to mention gravity. Ron knew his wand was there, but groped for it anyways as reassurance. Gravity would rue the day it tried to mess with one of Ron’s students, after he had spent bloody months preparing for his first class and reading books by Belgians by Godric’s gonads! Belgians!
After the class settled down, Ron cleared his throat. “Hullo! I’m your flying instructor. I don’t think I’m technically a professor, so during class calling me Mister Weasley or Instructor Weasley is fine.” He turned around to write his name, and then widened his eyes when he remembered that this was not a classroom, and thus he did not have an actual board. He turned back to the class and gave a bright, almost frantic smile, before pointing his wand at a long scroll at his desk.
“Accendio scroll!”
The parchment was maneuvered to rest behind Mister Weasley’s head, which the instructor magically charmed to boldly present his name:
MR. R. WEASLEY
The redhead turned back to address the class. “All right. So, you are here for your flying lesson. To be more specific, you are here to learn how to fly broomsticks, an activity which has had a long and fascinating history. Despite this history, flying broomsticks hardly ever results in a wizard or witch’s tragic death anymore! Uh, I just introduced both parts of my main lesson for today. First, I’m going to tell you about the history of flying broomsticks, and why they’re so important to my, and now your culture, and also I’m going to make sure you won’t die!” Mister Weasley nodded, and magicked the parchment above his head to replace his name for an emphasis on the last point.
YOU WON’T DIE!
“Now, for the first part of this class you will need quills, parchment, and a board to write on. All three things are with me at the front of the class. Come up here if you need to grab 'em.” As the students took their materials, Mister Weasley organized his own notes in proper order. After things were settled, he continued. “I’m not sure how much you understand about grades, as this school seems to have gotten a bit topsy-turvy about the whole thing. Well, not me. Unlike most professors nowadays, I’ve finished my sixth year at Hogwarts. With my class, you’ll be experiencing the old system. That means I’ll be grading you, giving you some homework, and house points to boot!” Ron did his best to look stern, which mostly just made his freckles bounce a bit.
“There are a few rules in my class. First is no cursing the other students! There are spells I will teach you later for safety, but otherwise I don’t want to see it. Not only is it bullying, but a lot of you are new enough to magic that you’re going to make someone’s head turn into a chickadee or something. And try to listen to me when I’m instructing you about how to fly, so you…” He pointed up at his parchment again. “That. And if you are ignoring me, try not to be too obvious about it? Oh, and no ramming each other with brooms unless we’re playing Shuntbumps. And…” he paused. “I’ll think up more when we come across it. All right, now for history! This won’t be on a test, but you might find it useful knowledge since - well, since you’re now part of wizarding history too! And also, that way you can learn from other guys’ mistakes and not have to get knocked around for it.” Mister Weasley laughed. “Oh, some of these blokes. ‘Dangerous’ Dai Llewellyn! He got himself eaten by a chimera! Heh heh!” The flying instructor swallowed. “Heh. Um. His biography is on your reading list. Not the required one, but the recommended. Oh! I already posted the reading list. If for whatever reason you haven’t acquired copies on your own, you can borrow anything on that from my office. Just come in during office hours; it will be confidential.”
Mister Weasley pointed his wand at the parchment.
BOOKS AT OFFICE.
“Speaking of the reading list, everything in the history part of our lesson can be found referenced in Quidditch through the Ages.” Mister Weasley cleared his throat again, and began for real this time.
“Flying on broomsticks is probably the main thing you might have expected of witches and wizards before arriving here. That’s because a few of us got clumsy with the whole ‘secret’ thing. Because the first thing you want to do is after you get flying down is to play some flying sports, and flying sports are not something you do lonely in a corner. It’s usually big and loud, and if you don’t cast enough protection charms, Muggles can’t help but catch sight of you even if they can’t see the Snitch. So that’s why you all probably thought about witches and broomsticks before you met a proper witch, or became a witch yourself. It really is our worst kept secret, especially since it was popular years before the official International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1642.” Mister Weasley paused to change the parchment behind him.
ISWS 1642!
“But why use broomsticks? Why not carpets, which were popular with Eastern wizards? Or just apparate all over the place, like some of you might be learning in a few days? Well, about the carpets: broomsticks are less conspicuous, easier to grab in a hurry, and you can play Quidditch with them. And as for apparition, things could go wrong and next think you know you’ve splinched and you’re missing an eyebrow or your soles and you need a visit from the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad which, let me tell you, is bloo- quite embarrassing. Also there are anti-Apparition spells that can make you into a mess, and you only can apparate so far.” Besides, Mister Weasley thought bitterly as he changed his parchment, Homestar Runner was charging extra!
ARE APPARITION CLASSES REALLY WORTH IT?
“Wizards, meanwhile, can’t fly on their own. They can levitate a few inches. In fact, I have some candies in my desk which do just that. But you only go up a few inches, and even when you go higher you don’t go fast. Some animagi can turn into birds and fly that way, but it takes years to become an animagus, and do you really want to lay eggs? Besides, you can’t choose your own animal, so you might end up something without wings. Broomsticks are then the obvious choice!”
Mister Weasley continued. “We’re not really sure who came up with the whole thing, but we’ve been flying on brooms since 962 CE at least.” Mister Weasley cast the image of this date on the parchment. “But the early brooms weren’t like the kind we have today. They were uncomfortable and could only go one speed; and the directions of forward, stop, up, down. Not like the kind you’ll be using. Also, I’ve seen them at the Museum of Quidditch. They were ugly things would have given you splinters in the worst places. Still, wizards got better and made more comfortable and agile brooms. A big breakthrough came in 1820, when Eliot Smethwyck invented a cushioning charm. Now when you’re flying a broom, you might as well be sitting on a bench right here!” He changed the date of the parchment to 1820, and added Smethwyck's name.
“In fact the 19th century is when we really outdid ourselves in making the better broom. Jocunda Sykes was the first witch to cross the whole Atlantic on broomstick in 1935. If she could make it across that, this class will be no trouble, right? Today there are dozens of broomsticks on the market that can go all directions and speeds.” Mister Weasley’s shabbily clad shoulders slumped in relief.
“And that was basically a short history of broomsticks and flying. We’ll get more in depth into Quidditch and other flying sports after a few more lessons. But if you want to ask any more questions in relation to broomsticks through the ages, or to say hullo to your classmates, now is the time to do it as we take a short recess.” His eyes twitch. He wasn’t going to do this. No. It was dorky, and no one would want to, and he would look foolish.
But he bought the materials. It would be... wasting money.
Mister Weasley reached behind his desk and took out what appeared to be a plain, white helmet. “And… if any of you want to wear and decorate your safety cap, I will supervise an optional arts and crafts portion for our class.” His face reddened so it matched the shade of his freckles. “And yes, I bought glitter, okay?”
((Ok! Ron’s first class will likely have three updates; in this first portion your characters can mingle, ask Ron Mister Weasley questions, or decorate their helmets! If your character did not sign up for flying lessons, feel free to have them drop-in anyway. The second portion of the class will be a flying lesson aimed at novices (their brooms will be charmed to prevent them from flying over five feet high unless Ron knows their character has experience), and the third portion will be Ron giving out homework and dismissing class. The second update will occur either tonight or tomorrow morning, though the threads in this post can continue until their natural ends.
ETA: Furthermore, it's not needed for you to tag every session, just the ones that catch your interest.))