-no comfort, no escape-

[bobthewizard]

There's something strange about the atmosphere this evening. One doesn't often see Albus Dumbledore looking... twitchy....

Ah well, no matter. If it's significant, no doubt I'll hear about it in due time.


[[Filtered to Ancient Runes students]]

The balance of you have been progressing at a satisfactory pace this term, despite the constant interruptions for which this school is well known. However, straining as you are to be gone, we cannot neglect the opportunity to find out how much you have learned so far.

That's right; I'm talking about an exam. Don't all applaud at once.~

From Wednesday to Friday, I will be administering practical exams in the usual classroom. They will touch upon every subject we've covered this term, so bring your complete notes to class on Tuesday and see that there are no treacherous spots of ignorance in your knowledge. There will be a bonus question on the most recent chapter of The Polyglot Peril; read it with attention on the changeability of language and the importance of actual and perceived intent in crafting a verbal spell. There will, of course, be House points given for the practical portion of the test. Ravenclaw's recent win gives their House a significant lead for the House Cup, so you should all welcome the chance for some friendly academic competition.

You'll find a list of supplies tacked to the door of my office. Come armed with everything you need, ignoring any items that Peeves may have added in crayon.

[[/filtered]]


Supplies:
Second year: full set of quills and inks of different colors, consistencies, and compositions*
Third-year: chisel, holly oil, #2 brush; other supplies will be provided
Fourth-year through seventh-year: dragon-hide gloves, wand, full sets of brushes, solvents, and inks; other supplies will be provided

Exam topics:
Second-years: Elder Futhark; pronunciation and translation; drawing simple wards on parchment.
Third-years: other Norse rune systems; use of drafting tools to draw and letter more complex wards on parchment and wood.
Fourth-years: runes at spellcrafting level; syllabic interpretation; acid etching of runes on stone.
Fifth-years: OWL-level, so it will be hard. Translating spells into Elder, Younger, and Anglo-Saxon runes and back again; creating multilinguistic ward stones; use of materials to imbue words with different magical effects than they would normally have.
Sixth-years: working with their chosen NEWTs language track (Semitic abjads, Egyptian hieroglyphics, or Chinese scripts); translating freely between English letters, ancient runes, and their new language characters; art as a supplement to lettering when symbology is uncertain.
Seventh-years: NEWT-level; translating simple spells into and out of their chosen language; use of all standard materials for runework and wardcrafting; imbuing written words with trigger-spells; preserving written material without destroying its magical components.


[[That's right, it's a HOMEWORK POST! \o/ Exams will be graded on the usual sliding scale of D(readful) to O(utstanding), and the points range will be 0-5 points (second and third years), 0-10 points (fourth and fifth), and 0-15 points (sixth and seventh), with up to five extra points for putting theory into practice. Leave a brief comment with your character's name, house, and how well they do on the test -- continuity-wise, the testing will occur a day or so after the fear event.

If you're not sure if you're in this class, check the sign-up list here.]]

Comments

[bobthewizard.livejournal.com]

That'll be three extra points for preparedness and the characters that do work, as well as an A(cceptable) and 10 points overall. Chinese characters are difficult, but there's a distinctive set that NEWT students get, so Bob is able to point him in the direction of which ones he should concentrate on reviewing at this point.