Year Two
Chapter 15: Let's Make Things Interesting
by: Ismira Daugene & QueenoftheSlayers
It was almost Christmas break and no one wanted to be studying or doing homework. However there was a test coming up in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Ciprian had noticed his students' disinterest for the upcoming test and decided to take matters into his own hands. So when his students came to class the day before the test they found not a classroom, but an obstacle course. The Slytherins stood by the door staring at the room that was no longer even recognizable as their Defence Against the Dark Arts class. The desks and everything were still there, but the floor was now glowing a deep reddish color with swirls of black running through it. There was a clear path that led around the perimeter of the room, and along it were chairs that jumped up to block the path at random times, nets that fell from the ceiling to trap the runner, and one particular area involved a pack of pixies that the runner had to get through.
"What is this?" one of the Slytherins asked.
"It's your review for the day before the test tomorrow!" Professor Ciprian answered, his Romanian accent evident and a smile on his goateed face. "The beginning is here," he pointed at a step stool that allowed someone to easily get up on a desk. "And you have to follow the path, using the defence spells we've been learning in order to make it through. If you fall or in any way touch the floor, you have to start over."
"It's The Floor Is Lava! Advanced edition!" Madeline shouted out.
"What?" several Slytherin purebloods looked over at their peer.
"Never mind," she shook her head. "Muggle thing."
With that, Professor Ciprian started the obstacle course to show them the path as well as ideas on what defence spells would allow them to pass through certain areas. When he was finished, he'd made a full circuit of the room and wound up at the front of the class by his desk. "Okay! Who's first?" he shouted back to his class.
One by one, the Slytherins mounted the step stool and began the treacherous path that would lead them to the front of the room. Most of them were able to avoid the chairs, but the nets that fell from above were a bit more difficult. Several students wound up caught in the net and fell to the floor (of which a cushioning charm had been added so no one hurt themselves). Once the Slytherins began to pay more attention to what was above them as well as below they made it a bit farther, but then there were the pixies. The small blue pests managed to knock out every single student the first time through. Isla Desjardins was the first to make it past the pixies shortly followed by Allison Longbottom. Both girls managed to make it to the front of the room on only their third try through.
The rest of the Slytherins slowly joined them, but not without many grumbles about pixie tricksters. Once everyone in the class had made it through the obstacle course, Professor Ciprian had a wide grin on his class. "Excellent work everyone! I don't see why any of you would not pass tomorrow's exam with flying colors! You may go, but I just ask that you don't tell your peers about the obstacle course!"
The Slytherins left to go to lunch, each of them chattering excitedly about how they had done with the course. For some it had taken more than ten tries to get through. Madeline was excited to see how Violet would do. The Ravenclaws had Defence Against the Dark Arts later that afternoon.