Earth Magic Introduction

[Prof. Sirius Fudge]

Hello, everyone!

*passes some muffins and some glasses of pumpkin juice*

This is the thread where we introduce ourselves to the class. You can tell us your name, year, house, why you join this class and what you expect from it. You can also add more information about yourself.

Once again, I am Sirius. This is my second term as a professor though this is the seventh time I am teaching this class. Several brilliant students have passed this course and I hope to see you as well in graduation. See you around!

[Prof. Will Lestrange]

My name is Prof. Will Lestrange and I am currently the Head of House for Slytherin. I joined HOL in 2013 - two years after Prof. Sirius Fudge (Sirius was actually my First Friend when I started out, back when that was still a thing)... hard to believe I've been here for over ten years! I joined this class because the subject seems interesting - and while earth is not the element I'm the most drawn to, it's important in my life anyway (especially out of character - as out of character my Sun is in Taurus, which is an Earth sign)!

It used to be that I was best known for my experience on the Quidditch pitch, but is that true with only one 'official' Quidditch season having taken place since my graduation? I I know I enjoy Muggle video games and various types of puzzles (though maybe not riddles that don't play nice with the way my brain works), and this term I am teaching a class on Quidditch, a legacy class on Ancient Civilizations - and also courses on the Unforgivable Curses and Parseltongue.

I am interested in seeing how we will end up exploring Earth Magic through this course - should be a fun experience!

[Caius Magnusson]

Hello, everyone! I am Caius Magnusson, a second-year Slytherin who's currently in charge of the Magical Applications of Kanji course.

There are two main reasons why I joined the course - and, to be perfectly honest, none of them are directly related to the content covered. The first thing that appealed to me was the clean visuals to the class website: I am very much a person who's attuned to aesthetics, and appearances count a lot in how I interacted with content, so it was only natural I'd want to join the course! The second, and perhaps the most important, reason why I joined the course was the wide array of assignments provided. I, for one, love to have many creative options available, and Earth Magic certainly seemed to fit the bill.

This does not mean I am not excited for the content, however! Although I wouldn't say that earth is my favourite element, I can still see how reliable earth magic can be, particularly in light of its stability. I hope that by the end of this term I will have enough of a background on how to cast earth-based spells, what traits can be modified with the use of proper concentration (i.e., whether the type or hardness of soil in erecting an earthen wall can be modified and to which degree) and what scientific concepts are altered when we execute most forms of earth magic.

[Adeline Morior]

Hi! Hello, hello! I am Adeline Morior, third year Ravenclaw. I am excited to be a part of this class.

I chose this class, for one, because the name immediately caught my attention. My character is one that has a deep love for nature hence her(me) taking all the classes associated with animals, plants, nature, universe and such. Being able to understand the very places she likes to hang out at such as forests, lakes, mountain sides. The origin and beliefs and accessing Earth magic.

As Caius mentioned, the class page is aesthetically pleasing and have a lovely and interesting homework layout and choice. I also love these types of things. I (and my character ) have always been extremely intrigued with nature and nature spirits.

And deal breaker was when I explored the class page and saw one of my absolute favourite quotes: "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished", I immediately knew this is where I need to be. In this class!

[Emily Spencer]

Hi,everyone! I’m your (mostly) friendly Slytherin Prefect/Head Student. When I started HOL 5 years ago, I never expected to hold either title, that’s for sure! You can also find me lurking in the Book Club as a co-moderator along with the wonderful Professors, Sky and Tarma. Silvana and I run the Library/Art Departments, and I teach Poisons, Astrological Road Trip, and Astronomy. Whew, that’s enough hats for me!

In my life away from HOL, I’m a married mother of a preteen daughter and a full-time paramedic. In the rare moments that I have free time, I love playing Sims, reading, and dabbling in graphic art. My biggest passion though, is cooking. I have two huge bookshelves filled with cooking and love trying out new recipes. My husband says I’m a frustrated chef, and I can’t say he’s wrong!

As others have stated before me, I don’t necessarily consider Earth my strongest element, but it does fascinate me. It’s hard to put into words, but nature has always had a calming/meditative effect on me and (not to sound dramatic), but it’s where I feel closest to any Higher Power that may or may not be out there. I do feel that humans have been tasked with the care and maintenance of the Earth, and sadly we are not doing that great of a job. So, basically, while Earth is not ‘my element’, I am strongly drawn to it anyway.

Also, the class itself looked well-written and the aesthetic was pleasing, so here I am!

[Ereshkigal Csintalan]

My name is Ereshkigal Csintalan and I am a second-year Slytherin student on HOL. I’m always drawn to new classes and I was excited when I saw this one. I say new as it was new to me since I have been on the site, not that this class has never been taught before. I have always been drawn to subjects or discussions on the elements which is why I had to sign up to this class immediately. I would say that some of that interest comes from TV shows like Avatar the Last Airbender where the whole show essentially has elemental magic.As this is a completely different fandom, it’ll be interesting to see if and where there are any overlaps between the two.

I have no real expectations for this class other than it will be an enjoyable experience. There are many avenues Earth Magic could explore so it’ll be interesting to see which ones you have selected to discuss. I did take a sneak peek at the assignments and there seems to be so much choice- I love the variety on offer!