"proffessor." said luna "i heard that ramoras are so strong that there was a muggle swimming in the sea and a shark was about to bite him and a ramora scared it off. the muggle police were baffled about why the shark had gone away"said luna smiling "i dont know if its true, but i heard it somewhere"

Jessica slowly raised her hand. "Professor, my uncle told me when I was young, but I don't know if it's true," she began. "He said he once owned a Ramora. He went for fishing to dangerous parts and once when he went fishing, he was nearly drowned due to the deadly waves. There was a group of sword-fishes nearby that tried to finish him off, but his Ramora's powers protected him and they were driven off. Everyone was baffled at first, but when he told them he took his Ramora with them, they understood better. After that, my uncle used to breed them for fun, but they came useful a lot of times and he said he really respected their powers. He told me once that a friend of his got stuck in a sticky spot. He was surrounded by a group of sharks, and at the last moment, something clicked in his mind, and he transfigured into a Ramora - all the sharks scampered at once. A lot of wizards use this method for their safety." Jessica had totally forgotten herself. She was swept in the stories as she related them keenly and could just imagine the scene.

Even as she paused for breath, more stories related to her by her beloved father came to her mind. "And Professor," she said, "My father knew a muggle sailor when he was alive. The sailor told him this story which happened on one of his voyages. It was night time, and the weather was extremely dark and cold. The winds were so strong, and soon there was a gale. They were left helpless; their ship struck a huge stone and started to sink. Everybody started to clamber in the life boats but a huge Octopus found its way there. It looked so fierce that the men were scared to death, but as it closed upon them, they saw a strange silver light not very far away, and several fishes swimming towards them swiftly. The Octopus backed away at once and swam away hurriedly, but they couldn't get a closer look at the fishes. Of course, the muggle police was very puzzled at this all and investigations were made, but no one found out the truth, and the sailor still considers it a great mystery. He used to say, "It was an angel from heaven, I just know it was," and we just couldn't help laughing, which made him rather angry. Ramoras have also been said to be so friendly that they usually save people in trouble whenever they see one. They can easily sense danger." She stopped here, afraid that Professor Dainsie might think she had said too much, and looked at her.

when i was small i was in a ship going to America. but then everything went dark and lightning hit our boat, we were far away from land. but, we saw something silver in the sea, and then, out of nowhere, an island appeared.

"My grandfather say the Ramoras are responsible for the discovery of the new world. Seems the muggle exporlor Chrisotpher Columbus was floundering on the seas with no sight of land. A group of Ramoras in the area realized this and pushed Columbus boats to an near by Island that the muggles did not know were there. Grandfather says the Ramoras saved the men in the boats because they were short on food and fresh water. From that island the Americas were found. " Patrick replied.

Pacilla listened and took careful notes, and finished her sketch of the silver fish "ramoras". She thought for a moment, pondering the question, trying to remember that story her dad had told her. When she remembered, she got real excited and put up her hand. "Professor, my dad told me this story that he heard from my aunt who is married to a muggle... so anyways, his name is Tom Pogile - or at least I think that's him... my dad's only told me this story twice...

"Anyways, Tom was out sailing - this was before he married my aunt - with some other muggles. They were trying out a new boat that had just been manufactured. Then my uncle noticed something shiny and thought it was a really shiny muggle coin.. but it moved so quick that when he made to look again, he didn't see it. Of course being my uncle he didn't think to hard on it, but then he saw a shiny fish slither, this time for longer so he could make out it was a fish, and his friends saw it too... but when they returned home my dad said that my aunt said that my uncle wasn't even sure what he saw was real... do you think my uncle Tom and his friends could have seen a ramora?"

After that, Pacilla sat down, sighed, and looked nervously around at the students beside her for a few seconds before looking down at her paper, scribbling down a couple more notes.

Heshasa stared at the ramora, she skeched a picture of them and wrote down everything being said. facinated by them she reluctantly tore her gaze away from the take to look at the professor.

Kalaya was facinated by the stories and listened intently. Meanwhile she sketched the ramora carefully and took notes on some key things.

Fantastic stories everyone! 3 points each!

So as you can see, Ramora are an extremely important member of the magic and muggle communities. Without them we would have lost alot more people at sea I'm sure. There are countless confirmed stories and even more unconfirmed ones of their life-saving prowess.

As such, they are in dire need of protection. We know for a fact that Ramora numbers a dwindling. They are now a high priority protected species. Does anyone know who set the resrictions and protections on them?

Nadia raised her hand, "The International Confederation of Wizards, professor."

Correct! 2 points.

What sort of regulations do you think could be in place?

Nadia considered it for a moment, "Well, I would guess it is protected from hunting and poaching."

"I would think there would be a close restriction on them, on who they go to at least. Although they are helpful, setting them lose in a muggle port could cause havoc, preventing ships for leaving port and such."

Terry raises her hand. "I would assume the International Confederation of Wizards have put restrictions on their living and breeding habitats. As is the case with so many endangered species, man has chosen the invade these places for their own uses making it difficult for creatures such as the Ramora to survive and reproduce."

Excellent! 2 points each!

There is indeed huge penalties for hunting and catching Ramora. Illegal fishing of them has been a big problem, as has collecting them for private tanks. They tend not to anchor ships unless it is in trouble, but you do get those strange ones in the bunch...

So for their continued existence, witches and wzards from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures have set up special breeding areas, both in the sea and in captivity, to try and boost Ramora numbers. The penalty for taking Ramora eggs is even higher than the fish itself. You will find yourself with a hefty fine, and maybe even a jail sentance! The heart, blood and tail of the Ramora are all classed A - Non tradeable goods, and anyone found in possession of such items will also incur a fine. So it's best to leave them alone...

Where are Ramora most commonly found?

Flipping through her text, Erica found the correct page and raised her hand to answer the question.

"Ramora can be found in the Indian Ocean, Professor."

"Yes, ramoras are found in the Indian Ocean."

ali raised his hand and was about to say The indian ocean but he was beaten to it by a gryffindor and a hufflepuff

Are Ramoras really so rare, Drusilla thought. She was being slow as usual; everyone else seemed to have the answer almost before they were asked. The Indian Ocean part she remembered, but the Hufflepuff she´d seen before said the answer first. Drusilla grimaced quickly.

Athena listened closely to what everyone was saying, looking down occasionally to make a note on a piece of her parchment. She waited patiently for a question she could answer.

Pacilla listened very carefully and jotted down notes on everything talked about. She kept facing the teacher, but occasionally she glanced at the silvery ramoras, as if checking to see they were still there, and very intrigued by them.

Correct! 2 points.

Now if everyone has finished sketching, we can move onto the next animal. If you haven't it's ok, just come and visit me in my office after the lesson. So!

She moved to the tank and replaced the cover. Waiting a few seconds and muttering something, she jerked the cover off again, revealing totally different creatures inside. There were about a dozen little round things, swimming and walking along the bottom of the tank.

Ok, anyone?

Xavier raises his hand, so happy he knew what it was. "They're plimpys, Professor," he said.

At least that's what it looked like. You never could be sure.

Dainsie: Please wait until asked.

That's right, 2 points.

As you can see they have strange little legs much like a frogs that allow them to both walk along the bottom, and swim quite efficiently. They are known for being harmlessly pesky to humans, and another particular group. Who are they?