Muggle Studies Lesson 2: Toasters

Celeste stood at the back of the classroom waiting for everyone to arrive. She did not have many people in the class, but that was the way she liked it. Small groups where everybody can have a say. She smiled as the first students entered, "Take a seat toward the front, please." She walked between the desks until she was at the front and looked at the students. She nodded and said, "This class is one where we will not use your wands. In fact, they can stay in your bags. Because this class is about muggles, and it will be like you are in a muggle school for the period."

She wore muggle clothes under her robes and her wand was in her hands. "Everyone here, in this castle uses this little piece of wood ever single day. To do your lessons, to do your hair, to try and make illicit liquids. Muggles, they live without them. They make these things themselves. Now, taking your wand away from you guys for the summer would not be so shocking, seeing as you cannot use it anyway. But take it away from, say me, it would be rather shocking. I use this to do my hair, and make my food. So I would need to do all of this myself."

She put a toaster on her own desk, "Now I bet most of you have heard of these. But the first thing you do when you wake up is have breakfast, right? Toast? Well while I would point my wand and use a heating charm to toast the bread. Muggles invented these. They use electricity, which you will learn about later, to generate heat and toast the bread. No magic."

She eyed her class and said, "Now each of you move to your own toaster, and I will ask a few questions. Remember that none of them are active yet.. Alright. One at a time, please answer at least three of these questions, writing the answers on a piece of parchment. You can use your books for reference.

1. What is used to make the toaster work?
2. What is it that makes toasters unable to work in Hogwarts? (Apart from in this room)
3. Briefly describe the process of toasting bread.
4. When was the toaster invented?
5. How does a toaster differ from a heating charm?

After you have finished, we will try and toast some bread the muggle way."

Taylor smiled at the teacher waiting at the door before making her way to one of the nearest desks and resting her bag on it. She was about to sit down when she heard the teacher ask them to sit towards the front. She bit her lip, and looked at the seat she had already chosen before picking her bag up again and moving to the second row from the front. She had considered rebelling and remaining in that perfect spot, but decided it wasn't worth it, seeings she had missed the first class.

She grumbled as Professor Walker informed that they would not require their wands, but sat it on the bench beside her anyway. She tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently as the Professor rambled on at the front of the room before looking at the toasters. With a sigh, she opened her text book and flipped through it randomly until it landed on the required page.

Scarlett took a seat in the second row, close to the front as Professor Walker had instructed. She hadn't wanted to take Muggle Studies as she thought she was well enough informed about Muggles already. Considering she lived in the Muggle world and used the appliances on a daily basis, but the requirements for Auror had changed last minute and there was nothing she could do.

1. Electricity is used to make the toaster when it is plugged into an outlet.
2. A toaster can't work in Hogwarts, accept for in this room, because there is too much magic and it interferes with the electricity. It causes it to go haywire, which is one of the reasons that the wizarding world continues to see by candle light and from their wands.
5. The toaster was invented in 1893.

Scarlett looked over her answers briefly before setting the parchment aside and waited for their next instructions. She looked at the toaster and wondered how the Professor was planning on making them work. You couldn't just magically create an outlet the runs on electricity, it was too complex. If it was even possible.

Jack went to sit at the very front row, albeit reluctantly and rolled his eyes upon seeing the toaster. He hadn't really wanted to take Muggle Sutdies, but it was needed to be an Auror... What I do to become an Auror... He sighed and began writing his answers.

1. Electricity
2. There is far too much magic in Hogwarts, which interferes with Electricity - the very thing that powers toasters.
5. A heating charm maybe used on other objects - not just bread - while the toaster is limited to heating bread.

After jotting down his answers, he looked at the toaster with mild interest, briefly wondering if the Professor had slices of bread and some butter with her.