Magical Creature Reservations
 

Further down the Great Hall is the Magical Creature Reservations table, though it's a little hard to tell it's a table at this point in time. The whole surface has been charmed, transfigured, grown, and otherwise made to look like a miniature landscape: mountains form the backdrop, and the actual surface is separated into deciduous forest, fields, desert, and rainforest. There's a river, a lake, and the beginnings of a miniature ocean with an island!

Look a little closer, and you can see why all of this is here. Miniature versions of magical creatures are roaming around their natural habitat, from Niffler to Norwegian Ridgeback. On a side table sits a stack of clipboards and magnifying glasses, along with a well-used copy of Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts + Where To Find Them. On each clipboard is the following:

The two people running this booth, Ivan Rushton and Denise Marilan, are ready to answer any questions you may have about working on a reserve with magical creatures. Both of them are holding several pamphlets, and if you'd like one all you have to do is ask.

OOC: The miniature creatures are like moving toys, not pets. They don't need to be fed, etc., and they have been charmed to stay in the display until removed by either Ivan or Denise. HAVE FUN!

Ivan blinked at the young girl who skipped over to the table. Skipped. Wow, she must love animals a ton and a half. He smiled at her question and shrugged his shoulders, "Whichever you like! I recommend setting the book on its spine and letting it drop open. Or you can just watch them for a while and choose one you like the look of. No rush!"

Ellie skipped into the Great Hall. STOP. Woooaaahhhooohhooo! What is this all about?!? Then she remembered. Oh, job fair. She shrugged. What did she need to think about jobs now for? But then she saw an amazing...is that a table??...! AMINALS!!! She ran over.

"What is this all about?" she asked, catching her breath and grinning.

Chris had walked into the Great Hall and his mouth dropped. This was exactly what he needed! Chris was still pretty unsure of what he wanted to do in the future after he graduated Hogwarts this term, and he needed something like this to show him all the types of Wizarding careers.

He had been walking down the rows of tables for a good 25 minutes before he came across the Magical Creatures Reserve Table. It had taken him so long becuase he had to stop and check out each one as he went and make a mental note of which ones to come back to on his second scan of the place. The Head Bay had come to a complete stop at the this booth, because one, it was his favorite subject and two it was just plain awesome!!! All the ecosystems and their inhabitants all in a miniature; he wanted one!!!

Chris had hurried up to the 'table' like a little kid in a candy store and immediatley looked to the two running it. "Oh hello you all Im Chris Potter, Head Boy." he shook their hands excitedly and then took to examining the miniture with excited eyes not knowing where to start. "Sorry guys I'm just so excited I am not sure where to start. Over here I guess?" he said walking towards the old copy of Fantastic Beasts and where to find them.

He dropped the book on it's spine like the table workers had suggested to another eager student and he looked down excitedly to see what creature he had chosen.

There written on the top of the page was one word in Dark letters:

Quote:

Kappa

Another excited kid! Ivan grinned and waved a hand at the table behind him, "This is the display for working with magical creatures on a reserve. We couldn't exactly show you what our jobs are like in person, so we decided it'd be fun to let you see how all the critters act on a daily basis. Do you have a favourite beastie?"

"Hello Chris Potter, Head Boy," Ivan shook his hand firmly, though there was an excited twinkle in his eye. Kids got excited, he got excited. That was pretty much how it worked. "Start wherever you like. If you have any questions about working on a reserve just ask me or Denise." He grinned when the big ol' book thudded open; it had been through a lot since he went to school. Not one to pry, but eager to see what critter Chris-Potter-Head-Boy was going for, he glanced over the boy's shoulder. Oooh, a Kappa. That was a fun one.

"That sounds like a good idea," Vashti agreed with a smile. Taking one of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them books carefully from its pile, she balanced the spine on the edge of the side table, held the cover and back of the book, and let the pages fall to either side. Quickly looking for the first one that appeared on the left page, her eyes widened at what she read. "GAH! Oh no no no no no, I am not doing a Basilisk! They aren't even on here, are they? No? Didn't think so," she said without for the other guy to answer for her and without really looking at the animal/wildlife table to check. She didn't think she would need to - surely they weren't crazy enough to have a mini-Basilisk on this table!

After closing the book again and repeating the procedure, she scanned the open pages for the first one: Fwooper. "Alright, that's better," she said, turning to her clipboard and writing it down for the first question.

SPOILER!!: Vashti's Clipboard

1. The creature I observed was: Fwooper
2. I found it in this environment:
3. Three things it did while I watched were:
4. Something new that I learned while observing was:
5. I think I'll name my new mini-critter:

Now...to find the fwooper. Hmm...

Ellie shook her head.

"No, I like them all, really... They're all so interesting!" she said.

Oh, wait.

"EXCEPT spiders!" she added, in a loud voice.

Then, quieter, "Anything but spiders..." she gave a large, involuntary shiver/shudder.

"I thought so," Ivan grinned, watching as she hunted for a creature in the book. His eyes widened a little at her reaction, and he was on the point of telling her that yes, the mini-Basilisk would probably be in one of the caves near the base of the mountains, but she didn't seem like she wanted to know. She seemed happy enough with the fwooper, but still, he thought he'd better clarify something.

"These are just toys, kiddo. They can't hurt you. Look," he reached out and coaxed a mini-Welsh Green dragon out of its hiding place in the mountains. It closed its mouth around his pinkie finger and chewed, but nothing happened. When he felt the point was made, he let the dragon go again. "Perfectly safe."

"So... no acromantulas or quintapeds. Gotcha," Ivan glanced over the ecosystems. "How about an erumpent? They're very un-spidery."

Chris liked the man's enthusiasm, for it match his and he likde when other people shared his interests. He nodded as the man told him he could start wherever he liked and that if he ahd any questions abou working on an Animal Reserve. Firstly the Head Boy took a clip board and begna to fill out the info he had so far:



Ok now that he had that he asked a question to the man as he began to search for the mini-Kappa. "Well I have always had an interest in Magical Creatures and I have been to the Chinese Fireball Reserve in China. But I was wondering are there any Magical Creature reserves for aquatic creatures?" he said as he looked towards the ocean and rivers and other bodies of water for the kappa. He knew they lived in water, he just had to remember which type it was.

"The Chinese Fireball Reserve? That must have been an experience and a half." Ivan nodded at Chris-Potter-Head-Boy's question and leaned his hip against the table, careful not to get in the way of the other students, "Sure! All kinds. I'd say the fire crab gets the most reserves for it, what with its shell and all, but there are reserves for kelpies, kappas... if it's dangerous to humans or has a black-market for its parts or offspring, there's a reserve for it. Why, is there one in particular you're thinking of?"

More students were arriving, and Ivan smiled. Even if they were only here to snag a toy (something he would have done at their age, no questions asked!), he was glad the booth was getting attention. As much as he'd love to take all the toys home with him, he was sure the kids would like them just as much.

Well as long as Rae was here she might as well ask some questions. This was a job fair right, and those were meant for questions. "Uh, excuse me. What kind of jobs are there withing the uhh.." She paused to read the sign.. "Magical Creature Reservations? I uh.. Never thought about a job after school yet." And she really hadn't either.

"Well," Ivan held out one of the pamphlets for her, "there's a pretty big variety of jobs on each reserve. I'm a vet, and my partner works as a ranger. It really depends on what your personal interests are; if you like Charms you could work on maintenance of reserve borders, if Herbology and Potions are more your thing you can focus on mixing medicines for the creatures... it all depends. And of course you have to like animals and get good grades in Care of Magical Creatures." He shrugged and smiled, "What courses do you like at Hogwarts?"

Rhea walked over to the Magical Creatures booth. She always loved animals and magical creatures were especially interesting. She smiled brightly at the overseers and took up and magnifying glass and clip board. This ought to be very interesting. She remembered the world cup and the niffler invasion they had and decided that her creature of choice would definitely be nifflers. She so began scouting.

As the Gryffindor continued to search the bodies of water on the miniture lanscapes he nodded escitedly about the fun experience he had had at the Chinese Fireball Reserve. "It was actually the best trip I have ever taken. My father likes to travel and get into all sorts of things. We got really close to the female dragon area where they kept the eggs." he said rememebering how careful they had to be when entering.

He then remembered that Kappas lived in pond-like envirnoments so he turned his head to the foothills of the large mountainous portion of the map and found a tiny pond. After looking closely at the pond he saw something swimming in the shallow water, just below the surface. "Look I found the Kappa!" the head boy jumped up excitedly and reached for a magnifine glass and watched as it was swimming back and forth. He then quickly scribbled some stuff on his clipboard and then went back to watching the mini-Kappa.

Ellie laughed shiftily.

"Creatures that destroy each other? Maybe something cuter..." There was that one animal.... Uhhh..... It was.... Ah, she couldn't think of the name! What was it...

Ivan smiled back at the newcomer and offered her a wave. If she had any questions, he was sure she'd ask.



"It'd be hard to take a better trip than that," Ivan agreed. "Did she flame at you, or did the handlers keep her pretty calm?"

He chuckled when the boy was so excited about finding the Kappa, and felt obliged to clap a little, "Good for you!"



"Hello, Ella," Ivan let the Head Boy get back to observing his Kappa and watched while Ella got to work on her critter. An Imp? That was certainly an interesting choice.

When she asked him about skills and qualifications, Ivan replied, "It really depends on how you'd like to work with them. If you want to be a handler or a ranger, you need to be proficient with defensive spells and in good physical shape. And, you know, have an Outstanding in Care of Magical Creatures." But that was kind of obvious, wasn't it? "If you'd prefer something like veterinary work, you'll need to train at a Wizarding University and have at least an Exceeds Expectations in both Herbology and Potions. What kind of work were you thinking of?"

"Something cuter?" Ivan scratched his cheek, "How about a jarvey? They're cute." At least he thought they were. The one that lived in his garden was fluffier than most, and he couldn't tell if it came that way naturally or kept chewing on the wire for his outdoor lights and electrocuting itself.

With her eyes still on the Imp, she noticed it was eating something off the floor. Hmm. She looked closer through her magnifying glass and watched as it ate tiny bugs. She nodded then wrote it down, that counted as something right?

Looking back up at the man, she nodded again, that made sense. "Well if I ever got into the Magical Creatures business, then I would probably want to go into veterinary work. But... Exceeds Expectations? Wow, I was expecting it to involve lots of Outstandings for Wizarding University." She shrugged. That was a good thought then. "How long would that take to train for?"

SPOILER!!: clipboard so far

1. The creature I observed was: Imp
2. I found it in this environment: Marshland
3. Three things it did while I watched were:
- Mainly eats bugs
- Looks like a Pixie but cannot fly
-
4. Something new that I learned while observing was:
5. I think I'll name my new mini-critter:

Vashti looked up from searching for a fwooper as he demonstrated how the toy dragon couldn't hurt him, which of course made sense because these two would definitely be asking for trouble if the mini-creatures could hurt people. She smiled a little nervously. "Yes, but, well... A basilisk is a snake, right? Snakes and I...well, we aren't the best of friends," she explained. "It's not that I'm afraid of them," she added quickly, "I just don't...like them, and they don't like me, you see?"

Turning back to the wildlife table, she searched for the fwooper again, finally finding it on the edge of the forest after half a minute of searching.

SPOILER!!: Vashti's clipboard

1. The creature I observed was: Fwooper
2. I found it in this environment: Forest
3. Three things it did while I watched were:
4. Something new that I learned while observing was:
5. I think I'll name my new mini-critter:

Jarvey! That was it.. But..ehhh. She became uninterested in that. She looked around the great hall at the other booths and saw a quidditch one. Quidditch...

"What about a snidget?!" she asked. "Are there any of those in here?" she glanced at the little habitat then back to look the guy in the eyes. Hers were shining with delight. How could she not have thought of one of those in the first place? Or.. you know what would be another good one.... She had a backup creature in case they didn't have a snidget.

Rae took the pamphlet, kind of surprised that he didn't mention anything about office jobs. thank merlin! "So er.. There isn't office jobs i could get stuck with right? I'd most likely be sacked in the first week if i got something cooped up in an office with a whole bunch of paperwork... Er.. Maintenance of reserve borders? What does that job require?" Then hearing that she needed good grades in Care of Magical Creatures she frowned a bit, she wasn't terrible, but along with all her other classes, she was only average. "Well my best subject is Transfiguration and for the rest of my classes i'm pretty average. Though i do take an interest in Charms and Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology, i'm just not that great." Rae admitted.

"Veterinary work is clearly the best there is," Ivan grinned widely, hoping his bias wasn't showing too much. "And you're right, a lot of universities expect Outstandings for their courses, some more than others. But if you want to be a vet you've got to have a pretty impressive extracurricular list. Volunteering at magical and regular animal clinics, proof of extensive work with magical creatures in your spare time... I'd ask your Care of Magical Creatures prof if you could do any extra assisting in class or out. It's all well and good to present stellar marks, but most jobs want to see that you're willing to put in the extra time. Get your hands dirty, as it were."

As for her second question, Ivan did some mental math, "Depends? Four years for a general vet degree, and then if you start getting into field placements and specializations it'll take longer. I did both--thought I'd be epic and work with dragons. Took me ten years before I was done school, but in my opinion it was worth it."

"Ah, I see," Ivan nodded his head sympathetically. "For me, it's gnomes. Those ugly heads of theirs..." he shuddered, "creeps me right out. That's why I own a jarvey."

"A snidget?" He nodded, "Sure, but you'll need a fast eye and a strong magnifying glass to spot it. Here." Ivan picked up one of the magnifying glasses and cast a non-verbal charm on it, increasing the magnification. Then he held it out for her, "Just don't look through it and then away from it real fast, or you'll get dizzy."

"Mmmm..." Ivan considered this, "not in the typical 9-5 sense. Sometimes you have paperwork to do, like if a charm fails on a border or whenever a new addition to the reserve comes along, but most of the time we ship it to the Ministry and they have people there who take care of it." This last statement was accompanied by a sheepish grin. Only the other day his co-worker had received a howler about messy handwriting, accompanied by five brochures for calligraphy courses.

"Maintenance of reserve borders... I'm not an expert on that one, but I do know that you need an Outstanding in Charms. Transfiguration would help, but it's not essential. And you'd have to have thorough knowledge of defensive spells, because some critters don't like when you try to pen them in."He considered the strengths she'd pointed to and suggested, "If Transfiguration's really your thing... I'd go for more interior maintenance if I were you. Some reserves can get pretty demolished if their inhabitants get rowdy. You'd have to focus on your Herbology to know which trees and plants to transfigure back though." He smiled, "I hope that helps."

Ellie took the magnifying glass and looked through at the little model. She just glanced through it, really. Woah. Yeah, this was not going to work.. Time for plan B.

"That's... That's..." Ellie said shaking her head. She giggled.

"Would a phoenix be easier? I wonder what they're like in their natural environment... Or something bigger... like an Aethonon or an Abraxan...?" This was in case the phoenix was still too small that she'd have to use the dizzy-ing magnifying glass or if she just couldn't find it at all.