Revised Muggle Studies
Mar. 22nd, 2017 10:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wingedbeastThe students filed down the stairs, into the basement. "We've never had a class this far down, before," said Percival de Rolo.
"Really?" said young Dresden, who was a first year. "My uncle told me strange things about the professor."
"I'm sure it'll all be okay," opined Kiki.
"Okay?" asked Nimue. "There've been a few deaths every year. I don't think we can assume anything's-"
"That's enough chit-chat," said Professor Harris in, surprisingly, an American accent. "Class won't always be down here. But, here you are." He motioned to the room.
The room was strangely arranged, especially for a school of witchcraft and wizardry. There was a half-wall blocking the students from the majority of the room, leaving it completely blank between until the end, with a plain curtain blocking something. Even the things that weren't strange for that context were still... strange. For instance, Professor Harris pointed to a skull... without a candle dribbling over it. Instead, it was encased in a strange, transparent pinkish... something.
"This is a skull inside a gel. The gel is made to simulate the viscosity of human flesh. Go ahead, give it a touch if you'd like."
Touching human skulls gave the students a bit of a calm moment. That much was normal for them, the kind of thing that one got familiar with in potions class. While they students lined up to that familiar task, Professor Harris spoke. "While we're doing this, can anybody tell me the first Wizard to step foot on the moon?"
Nobody answered.
"Anybody know?"
"Eh," spoke the second-year Yuri, "I don't believe any wizard has, sir."
Professor Harris looked surprised. "Really. Well, that'll be a bit of research for you, Mr. Geller. The first muggle to step foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong, in 1969."
None of the mixed-year class knew quite how to respond to that.
"Okay, can anybody tell me when the wizarding world mapped the human genetic code?"
A first-year raised her hand. "What is a genetic code?"
This time Professor Harris was silenced for a full ten seconds. The students froze, not knowing what to expect.
"Alright, then. We'll get to that a bit later in the class. That was to give some assessment. For the moment, I will address some things I've been hearing." As he spoke, Professor Harris walked over to pull on a rope. The rope was attached to a pulley which attached to another rope which seemed unnecessary when one could just flick a wand and move the curtain aside.
"Some of you," said Professor Harris, "have asked why you need to take Muggle Studies at all, claiming that there's no reason to be interested in muggles in the slightest. I'll credit that group with honesty. Others have claimed that it's important for us to learn about Muggles in order so we can be nice to them and avoid hurting them."
The curtain pulled fully aside to reveal yet another skull in that gel.
Professor Harris reached behind the wall, farther than any student could reach, and pulled up a device. "This is not as powerful as your wands. But, it can be used accidentally. I'll have you know that Hogwarts can allow this only because of a spell in place that keeps anybody but myself from even touching this. Anybody else touches it and it immediately apparates, alone, to a safe place in separate pieces. That is because this is very dangerous.
"Why do you need to take Muggle Studies at all?" Professor Harris turned, aimed, and fired. The flash of light indicated a sound-muffling spell that protected the ears of the students. They all jumped at the sound. In their own time, they looked over at the gel head, with the hole in its now-cracked skull.
"The reason you have to take Muggle Studies as a class is that you live in the same world as Muggles and they live in the same world as you. You can approach them as equals who live in a different set of conditions to yourself, with classes like this one helping you to get a start on understanding those conditions, or you can risk making grave mistakes."
He punctuated that by firing three more times quickly, then one more, then two more, in quick succession.
"This is a quick introduction. Class will start in earnest tomorrow. For now, get yourselves to Ethics Of Godlike Power. Professor Rosenberg starts off class with a very involved lecture."
"Really?" said young Dresden, who was a first year. "My uncle told me strange things about the professor."
"I'm sure it'll all be okay," opined Kiki.
"Okay?" asked Nimue. "There've been a few deaths every year. I don't think we can assume anything's-"
"That's enough chit-chat," said Professor Harris in, surprisingly, an American accent. "Class won't always be down here. But, here you are." He motioned to the room.
The room was strangely arranged, especially for a school of witchcraft and wizardry. There was a half-wall blocking the students from the majority of the room, leaving it completely blank between until the end, with a plain curtain blocking something. Even the things that weren't strange for that context were still... strange. For instance, Professor Harris pointed to a skull... without a candle dribbling over it. Instead, it was encased in a strange, transparent pinkish... something.
"This is a skull inside a gel. The gel is made to simulate the viscosity of human flesh. Go ahead, give it a touch if you'd like."
Touching human skulls gave the students a bit of a calm moment. That much was normal for them, the kind of thing that one got familiar with in potions class. While they students lined up to that familiar task, Professor Harris spoke. "While we're doing this, can anybody tell me the first Wizard to step foot on the moon?"
Nobody answered.
"Anybody know?"
"Eh," spoke the second-year Yuri, "I don't believe any wizard has, sir."
Professor Harris looked surprised. "Really. Well, that'll be a bit of research for you, Mr. Geller. The first muggle to step foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong, in 1969."
None of the mixed-year class knew quite how to respond to that.
"Okay, can anybody tell me when the wizarding world mapped the human genetic code?"
A first-year raised her hand. "What is a genetic code?"
This time Professor Harris was silenced for a full ten seconds. The students froze, not knowing what to expect.
"Alright, then. We'll get to that a bit later in the class. That was to give some assessment. For the moment, I will address some things I've been hearing." As he spoke, Professor Harris walked over to pull on a rope. The rope was attached to a pulley which attached to another rope which seemed unnecessary when one could just flick a wand and move the curtain aside.
"Some of you," said Professor Harris, "have asked why you need to take Muggle Studies at all, claiming that there's no reason to be interested in muggles in the slightest. I'll credit that group with honesty. Others have claimed that it's important for us to learn about Muggles in order so we can be nice to them and avoid hurting them."
The curtain pulled fully aside to reveal yet another skull in that gel.
Professor Harris reached behind the wall, farther than any student could reach, and pulled up a device. "This is not as powerful as your wands. But, it can be used accidentally. I'll have you know that Hogwarts can allow this only because of a spell in place that keeps anybody but myself from even touching this. Anybody else touches it and it immediately apparates, alone, to a safe place in separate pieces. That is because this is very dangerous.
"Why do you need to take Muggle Studies at all?" Professor Harris turned, aimed, and fired. The flash of light indicated a sound-muffling spell that protected the ears of the students. They all jumped at the sound. In their own time, they looked over at the gel head, with the hole in its now-cracked skull.
"The reason you have to take Muggle Studies as a class is that you live in the same world as Muggles and they live in the same world as you. You can approach them as equals who live in a different set of conditions to yourself, with classes like this one helping you to get a start on understanding those conditions, or you can risk making grave mistakes."
He punctuated that by firing three more times quickly, then one more, then two more, in quick succession.
"This is a quick introduction. Class will start in earnest tomorrow. For now, get yourselves to Ethics Of Godlike Power. Professor Rosenberg starts off class with a very involved lecture."
no subject
Date: 2017-03-23 04:57 am (UTC)Who's Percival de Rolo?
no subject
Date: 2017-03-23 05:05 am (UTC)Generally, it's a youtube show, but it's also live every Thursday at 7 Mountain (therefore 9 central). He's not even a magic user in that game but... well... I was quickly running out of names that wouldn't be readily recognizable from Arthurian Legend.
no subject
Date: 2017-03-23 02:38 pm (UTC)The portrayal of muggles as Lo These Helpless Sheep always bugs me, so it's good to see another perspective.
I like this. Are you planning to write more of it?
no subject
Date: 2017-03-23 05:29 pm (UTC)If you have suggestions on where this could go, feel free to suggest. :)