Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 20:18:54 GMT -7
The thing about Divination was that, as a rarely researched, esoteric, and largely interpretation-based pseudo-magic, very few people ever gave it much credit. Unlike in courses like Study of Charms or Transfiguration, the products gained from Divination are never concrete and immediately obvious- there is very little, if any, wandwork involved, as no swishing of a magical twig would lead to the complete deciphering of one's future. It was a reasonable conclusion, then, that the common opinion of Divination among certain individuals was that, between examining oddly shaped clumps of dried and wet tea leaves, awkwardly traced palm lines, and bizarre, needlessly complicated rituals, Divination was complete and utter rubbish and a waste of time for all parties involved.
Matilda Appleton was one of those individuals.
Of course, as much as she would like to ignore her prodigious talent in reading the future, this witch could never completely dismiss the art of Divination- the second she did, an ugly vision reared its ass in her mind in the form of an obscure prophetic vision, and so her opinion was staid for another day. Still, considering this, it was a question why she had even accepted the position at Hogwarts. The place of being the Divination Professor was an arbitrary one which garnered little-to-no respect; not by students, not by colleagues, and certainly not by fellow divining contemporaries who always seemed to have a different opinion as to how to interpret a certain reading. In reality, Matilda Appleton's presence at Hogwarts in this turbulent time was a complete formality for three reasons: one, because she wanted little to do with that which reminded her of her 'weirdness'; two, because there was a vacancy to be filled and she was the most accessible person at the point in time; and three, because she was only being paid a very modest salary of coin. With the reputation of the class already dragged down to the grimy, ignored place where it was, it was the decision of the headmaster that, as a replacement was needed, the best fit would be in filling it with someone who could provide additional security to the school. Matilda, being the classy and flexible woman that she was, took her drafting, what would otherwise be an embarrassment, in stride; she'd simply just make the best of the experience while it lasted.
In order to do so, the once and previous screen actress had to make her new living space and classroom comfortable. Making hasty and immediate redecorations to what was, in her professional opinion, an otherwise a "drab and mind-constraining" space, the interior of the Divination classroom was changed and metamorphosed completely. What was once the dusty remains of nearly a century and a half of dust, worn stone brick, and astonishing disappointments was now seemingly layered in classical antiquity: slick white marble formed the floors and the walls while Roman pillars, aesthetic or otherwise, now dotted the amphitheater-like shape of the classroom. Arches scraped the edges of the room to bring structure and beauty to an otherwise ugly scene, while classical Renaissance paintings and several historical busts and statues from Matilda's own personal collection framed the outermost and highest rung of the round center stage. The room's old musky lounge chairs and drab wooden tables were replaced with red velvet chaise lounge chairs and gold-embroidered white cushions, apparently straight from Julius Caesar's therapist's office, which circled fine mahogany end tables. Upon each shared table sat Egyptian waterpipes, empty crystal ash trays, metal basins which were filled of shallow water, small antique bronze braziers, and ever-quintessential crystal balls. From the center of the room, where no reclining couches were sat, the distinct and calming aroma of incense burning in a bronze boats wafted throughout the room. Each element of the room came together to form a chamber straight from a Roman palace; truly, it was a room fit for serving an empress.
All was right and well in its proper place in the world... except, of course, for the absence of the teacher in the room. Of course, nobody knew Matilda Appleton, mother of none, former award-winning actress and two-time covergirl of "Witch Weekly", and more-than-occasional consumer of needlessly expensive wine, but she couldn't be too far off. The door to the first class was open, after all, and with actively burning incense and a coat hung over the red leather rolling chair at the teacher's desk at the center of the room, there wasn't a doubt she would be in soon enough. Upon further observation, one would note the eloquently written note scribed in white chalk on the freestanding chalkboard just behind the professor's desk:
WORD COUNT: 862
TAGS: cordelia regan smith @ethanjohnson @alice @remy @emrys @james @desirae @raoul samuel leonhard vector @whitby3
NOTES: hey guys! please respond to this thread whenever you can before the date of January 28th, 2015 at the absolute latest in order for us to establish posting order and get through this at a timely pace. if you would prefer to not participate in this thread, please let me know via PM as soon as possible so we know to not wait out on/worry over you (and instead nag you to join us in the future). otherwise, we'll know not to wait on you and continue onto the next round of posting. hope you guys are excited! this'll certainly be... interesting.
Matilda Appleton was one of those individuals.
Of course, as much as she would like to ignore her prodigious talent in reading the future, this witch could never completely dismiss the art of Divination- the second she did, an ugly vision reared its ass in her mind in the form of an obscure prophetic vision, and so her opinion was staid for another day. Still, considering this, it was a question why she had even accepted the position at Hogwarts. The place of being the Divination Professor was an arbitrary one which garnered little-to-no respect; not by students, not by colleagues, and certainly not by fellow divining contemporaries who always seemed to have a different opinion as to how to interpret a certain reading. In reality, Matilda Appleton's presence at Hogwarts in this turbulent time was a complete formality for three reasons: one, because she wanted little to do with that which reminded her of her 'weirdness'; two, because there was a vacancy to be filled and she was the most accessible person at the point in time; and three, because she was only being paid a very modest salary of coin. With the reputation of the class already dragged down to the grimy, ignored place where it was, it was the decision of the headmaster that, as a replacement was needed, the best fit would be in filling it with someone who could provide additional security to the school. Matilda, being the classy and flexible woman that she was, took her drafting, what would otherwise be an embarrassment, in stride; she'd simply just make the best of the experience while it lasted.
In order to do so, the once and previous screen actress had to make her new living space and classroom comfortable. Making hasty and immediate redecorations to what was, in her professional opinion, an otherwise a "drab and mind-constraining" space, the interior of the Divination classroom was changed and metamorphosed completely. What was once the dusty remains of nearly a century and a half of dust, worn stone brick, and astonishing disappointments was now seemingly layered in classical antiquity: slick white marble formed the floors and the walls while Roman pillars, aesthetic or otherwise, now dotted the amphitheater-like shape of the classroom. Arches scraped the edges of the room to bring structure and beauty to an otherwise ugly scene, while classical Renaissance paintings and several historical busts and statues from Matilda's own personal collection framed the outermost and highest rung of the round center stage. The room's old musky lounge chairs and drab wooden tables were replaced with red velvet chaise lounge chairs and gold-embroidered white cushions, apparently straight from Julius Caesar's therapist's office, which circled fine mahogany end tables. Upon each shared table sat Egyptian waterpipes, empty crystal ash trays, metal basins which were filled of shallow water, small antique bronze braziers, and ever-quintessential crystal balls. From the center of the room, where no reclining couches were sat, the distinct and calming aroma of incense burning in a bronze boats wafted throughout the room. Each element of the room came together to form a chamber straight from a Roman palace; truly, it was a room fit for serving an empress.
All was right and well in its proper place in the world... except, of course, for the absence of the teacher in the room. Of course, nobody knew Matilda Appleton, mother of none, former award-winning actress and two-time covergirl of "Witch Weekly", and more-than-occasional consumer of needlessly expensive wine, but she couldn't be too far off. The door to the first class was open, after all, and with actively burning incense and a coat hung over the red leather rolling chair at the teacher's desk at the center of the room, there wasn't a doubt she would be in soon enough. Upon further observation, one would note the eloquently written note scribed in white chalk on the freestanding chalkboard just behind the professor's desk:
"Professor Matilda Appleton
7th Year N.E.W.T.-Level Divination
I will be back back shortly.
Feel free to seat yourself wherever you'd like.
Have all your supplies ready when class begins.
Absolutely no food or drink in this classroom at this time.
Please refrain from touching the art.
To be completed before the start of the block:
Write down any three qualities about yourself on a half-sheet of parchment.
For this activity, work alone; do not spoil your paper to anyone until told."
Absolutely no food or drink in this classroom at this time.
Please refrain from touching the art.
To be completed before the start of the block:
Write down any three qualities about yourself on a half-sheet of parchment.
For this activity, work alone; do not spoil your paper to anyone until told."
WORD COUNT: 862
TAGS: cordelia regan smith @ethanjohnson @alice @remy @emrys @james @desirae @raoul samuel leonhard vector @whitby3
NOTES: hey guys! please respond to this thread whenever you can before the date of January 28th, 2015 at the absolute latest in order for us to establish posting order and get through this at a timely pace. if you would prefer to not participate in this thread, please let me know via PM as soon as possible so we know to not wait out on/worry over you (and instead nag you to join us in the future). otherwise, we'll know not to wait on you and continue onto the next round of posting. hope you guys are excited! this'll certainly be... interesting.
