This autumn so far
Nov. 22nd, 2011 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alt_sally_anneI realised the other day I've hardly written in my journal this year. It's because I've been so busy, of course. But I thought I should set down what I've been up to, because I quite like looking back at old entries.
I'm taking all my required courses this year plus Ancient Runes, Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures. There've been a number of changes, though, because the teachers got a bit moved around after Mr Professor Carrow left. Miss Professor Carrow still teaches Dark Arts, of course, but Professor Brutka (who used to teach Creatures) is teaching Transfiguration, and Professor Grubbly-Plank (who is Susan Bones' aunt, I think!) is teaching Care of Magical Creatures.
I already liked Professor Brutka. He's a foreigner who moved here a few years ago -- I think Draco met him on his trip to France. His English is quite good, though (thank goodness, I had no idea until all the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students came here just how difficult it could be to understand a heavy accent!) Anyway, I thought I'd miss having him teaching Creatures but I quite like having him teaching Transfiguration and I like Professor Grubbly-Plank quite a lot and she's also an excellent teacher.
I like Ancient Runes in part because we've gotten into quite a bit of historical information. And history really is interesting, when it's not Binns teaching it. Learning about how ancient wizards lived and the earliest developments in magic is really quite interesting, and runes sometimes come in handy even now. (For instance, there's a rune against losing things that I tried inscribing on my book bag and I don't think it's just my imagination that I've had an easier time keeping track of my quills.)
Getting to know students from the other wizarding schools has also been quite interesting. The Durmstrang students are staying in Slytherin, so our common room has been quite full in the evenings. I played some cards with one of the young men from Beauxbatons, Justin Finch-Fletchley -- no language barrier there, fortunately!
The First Task for the Triwizard Tournament was over the weekend. Each of the challengers had to steal an egg out of a dragon's nest. I knew the tasks would be difficult but I didn't know they would be quite so dangerous. Harry was brilliant! The others, well, everyone got their egg but I thought Harry's way was the most impressive (he used his broom. BRILLIANTLY.) I can't wait to see the second task! (Though I imagine the challengers are glad enough for the gap between tasks, to prepare.)
I'm taking all my required courses this year plus Ancient Runes, Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures. There've been a number of changes, though, because the teachers got a bit moved around after Mr Professor Carrow left. Miss Professor Carrow still teaches Dark Arts, of course, but Professor Brutka (who used to teach Creatures) is teaching Transfiguration, and Professor Grubbly-Plank (who is Susan Bones' aunt, I think!) is teaching Care of Magical Creatures.
I already liked Professor Brutka. He's a foreigner who moved here a few years ago -- I think Draco met him on his trip to France. His English is quite good, though (thank goodness, I had no idea until all the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students came here just how difficult it could be to understand a heavy accent!) Anyway, I thought I'd miss having him teaching Creatures but I quite like having him teaching Transfiguration and I like Professor Grubbly-Plank quite a lot and she's also an excellent teacher.
I like Ancient Runes in part because we've gotten into quite a bit of historical information. And history really is interesting, when it's not Binns teaching it. Learning about how ancient wizards lived and the earliest developments in magic is really quite interesting, and runes sometimes come in handy even now. (For instance, there's a rune against losing things that I tried inscribing on my book bag and I don't think it's just my imagination that I've had an easier time keeping track of my quills.)
Getting to know students from the other wizarding schools has also been quite interesting. The Durmstrang students are staying in Slytherin, so our common room has been quite full in the evenings. I played some cards with one of the young men from Beauxbatons, Justin Finch-Fletchley -- no language barrier there, fortunately!
The First Task for the Triwizard Tournament was over the weekend. Each of the challengers had to steal an egg out of a dragon's nest. I knew the tasks would be difficult but I didn't know they would be quite so dangerous. Harry was brilliant! The others, well, everyone got their egg but I thought Harry's way was the most impressive (he used his broom. BRILLIANTLY.) I can't wait to see the second task! (Though I imagine the challengers are glad enough for the gap between tasks, to prepare.)
I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2011-11-22 09:04 pm (UTC)Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2011-11-22 09:59 pm (UTC)Grubbly-Plank is good, isn't she? I thought it was going to be naff to have a witch teaching Creatures because I figured we wouldn't get to study anything very big or interesting, but Fire-crabs are wiznift and dangerous, too! And it was great how she talked about the difference between crabs' fire and dragons'. Awesome, yeah?
Gotta say, though, I'm thinking I should have dropped Runes. I mean, it's all right, but I don't really see why I need to know this stuff. I thought there'd be more useful ones for protection or for getting back at people or whatever. I mean, after we used that insect Rune on Patil, I thought Runes would be ace. Guess I'm not as interested in that sort of history: how they used Runes for planting and harvesting and attracting mammoths and whatever. Doesn't seem very, I dunno, connected to stuff that's useful to me.
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2011-11-23 03:17 am (UTC)I don't know why you don't like Runes. There are all sorts of interesting applications, even for the stuff like repelling mammoths. The most interesting part for me is thinking of ways people without wands could use them. I wonder if people in the mudblood camps pass information about runes around? I mean obviously you can't use a big obvious one but for simple things, I tried the healing one when I had a headache last week just by tracing it on my forehead and it worked. It wouldn't do much if you'd had a limb hacked off but it worked well for headache.
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2011-11-23 03:32 am (UTC)Was it for repelling mammoths? I thought it was attracting, so they could hunt them. Huh. Guess I got that wrong in my essay, then. Probably got most of it wrong.
I got really good marks on my essay for Brutka, though. And I didn't even ask Bundy to look it over. She's not better than me at Transfig, but she always tells me when I say stuff wrong.
So I heard the Durmstrang side were cross about something they said the dragon handlers did with Krum's Fireball. Have you heard them talking about it? Oh. And did you see their Headmaster up in the stands with the Malfoys and all the school governors and Ministry people? During the task. Looked like he was chatting up Mrs Malfoy. Wonder if that'll turn up in the gossip mags?
Re: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good
Date: 2011-11-23 04:10 am (UTC)I didn't notice their Headmaster during the tasks, I was much more interested in the dragons!
Oh and there were two charms, one for attracting animals you want to hunt, one for repelling animals that might cause problems, and mammoths would be both, wouldn't you think? I'm sure your essay was fine, at least if you remembered to mention the cave paintings, did you remember to mention the cave paintings? She went on about them for most of an entire class last week.