Marco stood at the foot of the magical gate. He drew out his wand, just incase something attacked him as he entered. In the other hand he held the parchment. He said the password to the gate, his voice shaking, along with his hands and knees. He watched the gate open. Now was the tough part, getting to the thestrals. Fabian had said to stick to the main path, and that is what he will do.

He noticed the dirt track down the middle, which he used to navigate his way. He kept looking from side to side, incase a unicorn came to spear him or maybe something worse. Fabian had mentioned Erklings. Marco's mother had warned him against those, but they were only found in Germany. But their high pitched cackle drew kids away. He didn't want to be eaten.

He heard a rustling in the bushes. He pointed his wand there. He couldn't see clearly what was there. LUMOS His wand lit, and he saw his wand was pointed at a centaur. "I come in peace. I only wish to travel through here." Quickly he continued down the path. Hearing scufflings and rustlings. This place wasn't safe. He couldn't believe he had volunteered to clean the thestrals. In a park. With trees and open spaces.

He had managed to get to the barn without getting bitten or scratched. Though there was a close encounter with a baby unicorn. They were scary even when they were silver.

He remembered that the thestrals were behind the barn. He didn't want to know what was inside. He found where they were. There was even a little baby one.

Diabolica smiled as she walked toward park 66. Whispering the password to the gate, it swung open and she casually walked in. 'Expecto Patronum,' she muttered. Her Patronus, a silver wolf, lept out of the end of her wand and padded silently next to her. She wondered where she should go first--the professor had not given her specific instructions, so she could pretty much wander the park, helping and caring for the animals.

She was walking along an eerily quiet pathway when the bushes rustled. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned around and began investigating--she wasn't scared in the slightest. A silvery unicorn made it's way out of the bushes. It was still young--she guessed about nine months--though it already looked very strong. "Hey there, little one..." she whispered to it carefully as she moved toward it. It backed up slightly, horn raised, but after a while lowered it and let Diabolica pet it.

Then she moved on to the thestrals. It took a while for her to find them, for she had never been to the park before, but she finally discovered they lived in the barn behind a large tree. She opened the door slowly, not wanting to disturb them. 'People say that these creatures are bad luck?!' she thought to herself as she saw them. She had before, bt not this close. They were beautiful--horse-like bodies, curved dragon like heads--she immediatly walked in and headed for the care center. She sat down on the straw-covered floor, which was a very risky thing to do, and started feeding them scraps of bloody meat to them. CoMC was probably one of her favorite classes...she was surrounded by deadly creatures at feeding time...yet somehow she felt completely calm--at home, really. She thought back on what had happened at the duelling arena...why had Claudian given her such a short response? It couldn't have still been the cockroach thing...he had already said they were friends again! But at least Xana was happy about something. She wasn't sure what, but at least she was happy. She turned back to the thestrals and smiled, abandoning all thoughts of that matter.

Marco was stroking the baby thestral. When he heard a noise behind him. "Diabolica what are you doing here?" he said turning around. He was surprised to see her there. He didn't expect her to come anywhere near him. Unless she didn't know he was there.

Diabolica smiled at Marco. She had seen him when she had entered the barn, though she had been a bit more focused on the thestrals than the Slytherin quidditch captain. "Oh, not much...spending time with the thestrals...they really are fascinating, you know." she tossed one of the larger, more dangerous ones a slab of raw meat. "Of course, the more dangerous creatures are always more interesting in my opinion. What are you doing here?" she tilted her head slightly.

Marco continued to caress the small creature. He preferred the babies to the adults.

"They are fascinating," he smiled at her, "I am here because the prospect of being trampled, shot at, bitten, and killed excites me." He laughed, "Nah I'm kidding. I came to look after the baby. They are cuter then."

He looked back at the thestral, "I nearly did get skewered by a baby unicorn on the way in. And shot at by a centaur."

"Did you now? Strange...I thought that young unicorns were usually less agressive. I mean, when I came across one, it certainly was't happy to see me, but it did back off in time..." Diabolica made a mental note to research a bit more on phycological patterns of unicorns, as they were one of the few creatures she had fully reasearched. "The babies are adorable, though. They're quite calm..." she smiled as she watched the young thestral and wondered who Marco had seen die...

"Well maybe they don't like males. It wasn't as aggressive as an adult would be but it still want to skewer me," he laughed. He had been through worse, just as long as it didn't stop him playing quidditch it was fine.

"I love babies. I mean I love thestrals babies. If only they could be adopted, I would love to take one home," he smiled.

Diabolica smiled. "Yeah, I'd like to keep one as well--though I would also probably take home a hippogriff, too. I'm not sure which one I'd like better. Probably a thestral." she shrugged. "If I could, I'd take a dragon, though."

"Ooo a dragon," Marco smiled, "What is your favourite breed? I love the Opaleye. It is so beautiful. I wish I could fly one." He laughed, "I am not afraid of death. Well ok maybe I am a bit, but was is a little risk."

"I think my favorite would have to be the Liondragon or the Hebridean Black...though I would love to have a Peruvian Vipertooth, possibly even just for shock value." Diabolica laughed. "Avoiding death is rather good....but I'm not outright afraid of it. Part of me--and, I think, part of everyone--is afraid of it."

"There are some Hebrideans just North of here, on the reserve," Marco smiled, "I went there once as a child. But I hope to work up here when I graduate, and I can visit often."

"Oh, are there? I had completely forgotten there was a reserve nearby..." Diabolica smiled. "That would be a very interesting job--though I might take a job at the Romanian reserve."

"Yeah. It is really cool," Marco smiled, "I would love to visit the Romanian one. It sounds really cool."

Diabolica smiled. "Where I used to live, if you climbed up, high into the mountain ranges, there were always these huge, beautiful dragons that would hunt right around dusk. If you were really quiet, and didn't bother them, you could watch them for a while--preforming spectacular swoops and dives just to catch meals...it was truly amazing."

"Where do you come from then?" Marco asked, "I am from Banbury. It is beautiful there. Countryside. Green green grass."

"I'm actually from Albania. The main species of dragons aren't native there, but I guess a few migrated and just decided to stay there." Diabolica smiled. "Ooh, Banbury is amazing..."

"Wow, migrating dragons, sounds cool," Marco laughed, "Have you been to Banbury? I live on the outskirts."

"I've been there once--and that time I was just passing through. I would love to visit it again, though." Diabolica smiled. "I hear it's amazing..."

"It's not that amazing. But it is home. And I love it. Playing quidditch when I want to, what is not to love," Marco smiled, "Maybe you will have to visit. My mother is always interested in meeting my friends."

Cassandra walked to Park 66. Upon entering she noticed two of her fellow house mates... Denver... whom she was back on speaking terms with and Alimentazione... the girl who she foresaw hand in hand with Alex.

"Denver," she called, her eyes on Diabolica, "Is the whole quidditch team here? Or is Kavanaugh not your only interest..." She smirked. Cassandra was in a good mood. She had reconciled with Alex, and Slytherin was in the lead.