Lesson 3 All Years

"That's alright, I would have loved if you had gotten it, but not many would have," she told the boy. "Two points for Ravenclaw for admitting you didn't know rather than guessing."

Bethany also had been rather surprised when she'd come across the original story of Cinderella to find that the glass slipper was something that had been added much much later. Going to her desk and sitting on it facing her class, she held the hedgehog and looking at the students gave them a considering look. "Most of the world knows the Cinderella story about the fairy godmother coming and helping out the poor girl and giving her the fancy dress and glass shoes that impressed her prince."

While she had loved that story, she had to admit her favorite parts had nothing at all to do with Cinderella herself but her friendly little mice friends. In the actual story there were no mice and Cinderella wasn't quite that helpless. She took charge and that was the story she preferred.

Pointing the altered slipper she stated, "In the original story, she went to the ball not once, but thrice! And her shoes were like those I transfigured it into. There wasn't a fairy godmother, but a magical tree."

Looking over to Tess she asked, "Do you think that Babbity Rabbity could have actually happened?"

Bethany's lips twitched and her eyes held amusement as soon as the Hufflepuff drew herself up. Focusing her gaze on her she nodded impressed with her logic and reasoning. And it was true. Just like the muggle game 'telephone' each rendition usually got distorted from the original. Memory blurred and sometimes things were changed for the age of the audience as well. It also depended on the translations too of course. Unfortunately some things really did get lost in translation.

"Two points to Hufflepuff for answering about Babbity Rabbity and five points to Hufflepuff for Hans," she stated when the girl had finished her explination.

That was a prime example of some of the changes that stories made. One version left off about the first king and another told about the daughter being cruel. Another version was the first princess had been cursed not shamed. At least the girl knew a version though and she was very happy with her students so far and proud of them.

"As you can see and probably know, stories grow and change. Whether true or false. Folk stories and fairy stories might be flights of fancy to some people. Or..." she smiled secretively. "They could all be true." What was it Alex used to say, something about the most believable lies were those that had a grain of truth to them?

"Often times stories are how we pass information along. The same goes with history. Long before everyone knew how to read and write, it had to be passed down orally."

Picking up the egg, she wondered if she would be going into forbidden territory with the information she was going to pass along to her class. It wasn't as if she was telling them something they wouldn't be covering later when they get the wizards of the twentieth century. Nor was she teaching them the methods or anything else really. Just a story. Possibly it was the story that had started that mess, but one couldn't be sure could they? Or be afraid of it.

"I would have been really impressed if anyone got this one. Since this is just one part of the story I want to tell. Has anyone here ever heard about a story called Koschei the deathless?"

Bethany arched her brow at the tone the girl used all too aware of how fake it was. Most people might have bought it, but she had been raised by a con-artist father and her brothers knew how to lie with the best of them. In fact, it was her brother Alex that had taught Bethany how to spot fake people since he'd perfected being 'happy' by the time he was eight. The whole 'Don't try to con a con,' entered her mind. Maybe this wasn't how the girl always was?

The woman had been surprised at someone even knowing even a butchered version of the story. Firstly because it wasn't well known, and second because it was Russian rather than German like the Brothers Grimm tales that were wide spread here in Europe. She had expected her class to tell her that they didn't know or to make some guess, but that hadn't happened.

"Actually," Bethany stated, "there is very much more to the story that that. He's also a part of The Princess Frog, and very much a man. A man who was afraid of death. When his consuming fear of dying reached its apex, he ended up making mistakes. Casting a spell on him that he believed would make him immortal, but actually made him very vulnerable."

She then went on to tell them about how he removed his soul and put it into a needle. The need then went into the egg. To further safeguard it he'd put the egg in a duck and a rabbit then inside a metal chest which he buried on an island. About how if someone had ever opened the chest he still had a chance because the duck could fly away unless it was killed, then the rabbit could run away. It wasn't until they got to the egg, that he would ever have to worry.

Holding up the simple egg she looked at her class, taking the time to meet each one's eyes. "Can you imagine being that vulnerable? That if you broke the egg, the needle inside would shatter and all the years you'd try to flee from death would come upon you at once?"


ooc: Please don't just copy and paste from wikipedia. Please at least use your own words and describe it as your character word rather than regurgitating word for word what it says on wiki.

Before she could get an answer from her students, Bethany sighed. The class time was up and some days she swore that it seemed to pass by way too quickly for her liking. Smiling at the class, she said, "Well, you were all saved by the bell. Go on and enjoy your summer!"

She knew she would. She also hoped that her students would come back next term.

Elenore Clement = 15 points participation + 7 points for answers = 22 points
Sasha Denver  = 15 points participation
Cammie Danvers-Smith = 15  points participation

Janet Shinings = 15 points participation + 5 points answer = 20 points
Tess Holmes  = 15 points participation + 5 points answer = 20 points

Dimitri Moreau = 15 points participation + 2 points answer = 17 points

Total
Hufflepuff = 52
Slytherin = 40 points
Ravenclaw = 17 points