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Care of Magical Creatures Lesson 1: The Cockatrice
As you make your way down to the usual area where your Creatures class is held, you'll start to notice a large row of hedges running around the usual classroom space. In fact, the hedges are so high that you can't see where the classroom area used to be fenced in. Where does it start? Where does it end? Heck, you can't even see the edge of the Forbidden Forest behind these hedgerows, which have to be at least eight, nine, maybe ten feet tall.
You can see Professor (and Groundskeeper) Williamson, however, who is standing in front of the entrance to the hedge maze. Yes, it's a maze, and yes, there's a creature inside. "Come on, don't dwadle now," he says and beckons you to join him beside the entrance to the maze. There are a few wooden shipping crates beside him and every so often, the hedges give a bushy little shake like something inside the maze is eager to get out.
But don't worry. You trust Williamson to make sure nothing happens to you, right?
Class Progression:
Q1. What do you already know about hybrid creatures? What makes a magical creature 'hybrid'? How/why could these creatures be considered more dangerous than a regular creature?
Q2. Today you'll be facing a creature that does have a history with the Triwizard Tournament. What can you tell me about the cockatrice, and how do you survive one?
Mini-Activity. Suit up to go into the maze. There's padding and helmets, sunglasses, broken mirrors, and weasels on leashes for you to use. Good luck.
Main Activity. Into the maze! Don't RP for the jarveys or cockatrice(s). Just try to get to the end of the maze!
Just so you know, it's not too late to jump in! This lesson will close at/around 11:59 PM EST on 13 January 2021!
Nobody had taken her up on her offer to partner up with them, but she didn't take it personally. Not having a partner was seriously the least of her worries right now. It would have been nice to have one, but... Just as she was thinking that, she happened to spot an older Ravenclaw girl who didn't have a partner. "Want to partner up?" she asked, walking over to the girl. "I'm Delilah." She picked up a few of the mirror fragments, making a mental note to ask the girl how to stick them to her like she'd just seen her do.
Delilah overheard what the professor said to Cece, and not wanting the hooded figures to come after her, too, she headed toward the maze. Hopefully the Ravenclaw girl would follow her. Delilah had no idea why she was acting so brave right now. She literally had no desire to come face to face with this creature. Why were they even learning about such a dangerous creature anyway?! Wasn't the school in general dangerous enough?!
She didn't know how to send up red sparks, but hopefully her new partner did. And if the girl didn't follow Delilah into the maze and stick by her, the first year assumed a blood-curdling yell would also suffice. Anyway, the next step forward put her into the maze.
If Professor Williamson would have said out loud that a baby cockatrice was no more harmless than a baby wampus, Avalon probably would have laughed out loud. At least they wouldn't be responsible for keeping these cockatrices on a leash. Just the weasels this time.
Avalon glanced up, having just finished sticking the mirror fragment on her arm, to see a younger student asking to partner up. She must be a first year, because Avalon didn't recognize her at first. Grateful that the girl introduced herself by name, Avalon gave her a smile. "Sure! Nice you meet you. I'm Avalon." She watched impressively as the girl made her way into the way first. Gryffindors. Always up for an adventure.
Letting her weasel guide the way, Avalon followed Delilah into the maze, taking long steps to catch up with her until they were walking side-by-side. "Just remember....use your mirror around any of the corners." She wasn't sure if the first year needed reminding, but looking those things in the eye might be the worst thing to do. Avalon kept her wand at the ready, just in case anything decided to jump out at her, as she made her way further into the maze.
Mamie shrugged. She thought the softening charm might make her padding more...padded. She was a little unclear how the padding would help anyway. At least this way, if the scary Inquisitorial Squad people threw her on the ground, she'd have extra padding.
She noticed Pprofessor Recard arrive to help Phoebe, and apparently she was going to stick around. That made her feel better, with the bad adults having gone into the maze too. She listened intently as Williamson explained the maze. She was very relieved that it was just some baby cockatrices. At this point, she was more afraid of the Neo...something people.
She nodded to Quinn, then looked down at her weasel to make sure it was ready, too. Oh. Hers was hiding between her feet. She nudged it slightly, and cooed gently down at it to try to reassure it. "Lead the way," she told the weasel, holding up the possibly slightly larger mirror fragment in her leash hand and adjusting her sunglasses.
Following/urging the weasel into the maze, she glanced back at Quinn. "Let's go!" she said. "We can use the mirror for corners, so we don't accidentally look at the babies."
Quinn tried to follow along behind Mamie, but his weasel stayed asleep on his foot. Well, how very useful this one was. Quinn decided to just pick up the weasel again. It squeaked a bit with unhappiness. Quinn frowned. "Well, that's your own fault for being a lazy bones." Quinn placed the weasel on his shoulder for now and took out his own mirror piece. "Coming!"
Quinn caught up to Mamie, falling in step with her. "That sounds alright to me." After a bit of walking they made it to an intersection. "Which way does your weasel say?" Ha, that rhymed.
This lesson was turning out to be a lot scarier than she’d imagined. All she wanted to do was to go back to her dorm and CRY. Even though the older girl seemed fine now, why would those hooded people even do such a thing?? Hurting a student? And now they were threatening the Professor too!! She watched wide eyed as one of them held a wand to his throat. Oh, noooo. Trying not to cry, the gryffindor quickly moved to the crates and grabbed all the essentials, put them on ( which took a lot longer than necessary ) before picking up a cute little weasel.
Wait, what. THREE baby cockatrices?? Three? She set her weasel down, mirror held in her other hand and simply stood near the entrance for a moment or two. This was scary but.. she could do it. Hopefully. If not, she was definitely going to send up some red sparks. She hesitated for another few seconds before taking a deep breath and walking into the maze.
To be honest, there was a bit of a reminder of Auntie Daphne in how the older girl carried herself...and Auntie Daphne was indestructible so it only made sense that he would be lulled towards that same energy. So there was great relief when she accepted his puppy dog eyed plea. At least at first.
"Atlas," he corrected with a bit of a twitch at his name being mentioned SECOND. Always second. Always. He was fine. "I---" he began but got cut off as the seventh year carried on with her agenda of getting ready WITHOUT introducing herself, by the way. He was feeling entirely too nervous about her changing her mind and abandoning him to The Hoods™ or the eventual cockatrice they encountered in the hedge maze to say anything though - because that is precisely what Auntie Daphne would do. It was also why he didn't point out that he already had his helmet on...and had sunglasses on...and had his mirror shard as she collected things for both of them. His stomach knotted a bit in agitation as well at some of the babying going on, he was 11 not 5, but it bode well that she was trying to take care of him. Doubly so.
...even if now he was concerned about her eyesight.
Atlas had some regrets. Some.
Putting the helmet back while she looked elsewhere but tucking the extra shard and glasses into the pocket of his robes juuuuuuust in case, he jumped to attention at the instruction to grab a weasel and...well...they were already looking rather ornery ... which posed a few problems. Namely that they were likely to bite and, well, Atlas kind of wished the older Slytherin had collected one since she had those gloves on. But...fear of abandonment kept his mouth shut and he moved over to survey the options. The remaining weasels looked like they wanted no part in any of this...so he sort of just stuck his hand in and waited to see which of them approached and gave his hand a sniff.
"...congratulations. You volunteered."
Grabbing the weasel by the scruff of the neck, which elicited some VERY displeased noises at first, Atlas cuddled it against his chest before moving to catch up with Not-Auntie-Daphne. And staying close was something he could do now...and so could the weasel who now had its head buried into his armpit. "...I am not sure there is much to control..." Atlas admitted while showing her the balled up creature in his arms. "...I don't think they want to walk." Let alone leave the crate. "...we're better off finding a jarvey once we're inside."
And he kind of just wanted to put this weasel BACK .. but ... he instead stroked along its spine. It could be a comfort weasel.
Aboli had been so engrossed in being TOUGH and all MATERNAL to the first year that she had QUIIIIITE missed a lot of what Atlas had already done. And it was Atlas, cool. Aboli was trying to find some defining feature so she wouldn't get him mixed up with his brother in the future. She could only imagine how irritating it was to be called the wrong name all the time; Aboli loathed how often people butchered her own name enough. "Hey...is there a way for me to know it's you without me having to ask, Atlas?" she asked as she herself geared up, etc.
She eyed the weasel Atlas had chosen as it made a...noise, and she scoffed at it a little. "I guess so. Just leave it, then. Unless you like holding it..." She whispered, since Williams had started speaking again. And she was eyeing the way he was petting the weasel. "We'll find a jarvey in there." Holding the mirror shard aloft in one hand, her wand in the other, she shot Atlas a look. "Get your wand out at the ready...I know...you might not think you can help much, but you'd be surprised how much braver holding a wand up will make you. Not sure how many spells you know yet." She didn't want to assumed 0, but she was sure, ON THE FIRST DAY, many first years didn't a single one.
Right, though. The Maze. Aboli could feel her stomach roll in anxiety. Hopefully she didn't let this kid down or anything...it was clouding her judgment, making her less focused, the pressure she had inflicted upon herself. She couldn't let him down.
Without much more to say, Aboli nodded for Atlas to follow her along. His original PUPPY EYES had proven a ploy, for he seemed very capable of at least following directions, which Aboli was glad to see from a young Gryffindor person.
Also, those hooded guys had made her nervous a second ago, so she was glad to see they were now in the maze. It was a shame there were no adult cockatrices in there...they could have off'd some of the hooded fellows. Pity.
__________________
"You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough."
Roman Gellar ● 1st Year ● Slytherin
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Cece J U M P E D when she felt the hand on her shoulder, only to realize who'd given her a shake and why. Right. Class. Danger. She needed to move. "I'm sorry, Professor," She managed quietly, glanced at Phoebe and the healer as she moved over to suit up. At least her best was getting some help. She'd be okay... She would be okay, wouldn't she?
Padding went on first, then her helmet was secured, then the sunglasses. She was behind so she hurried, not bothering with any magical modifications. After selecting a piece of broken mirror that she was confident wouldn't cut her hand, the blonde hurried over to pick out one of the last remaining weasels. Reddish-brown fur, beady eyes, and a little pointed nose greeted her as she set the creature down and tried to soothe it. "Alright, let's get going."
And somehow Feebs was already moving past, still participating, still going after all that and Cece was impressed. Also now she was REALLY behind. Yoyo was still around too though, right? She gestured for her to hurry and headed off into the unknown.
Ash was not sure if she wanted to go in. But she didn't have a choice. SHe wished her friend was here, so that he could give her a big hug and hold her hand. But her best friend was a muggle, and nobody here was going to hold her hand. She took a deep breath, turning to Tadhg. "You ready?" She stepped forward into the maze. "We ought to leave a trail, so we know where we've been. We could do this methodically."
Looking at the maze for a second nodding at what Professor Williamson said, he took a deep breath calming his nerves. Setting Dash is weasel down, he turned to Ash and nodded his head. "Ready, lets get going and remember don't look at anything." Taking her advice he nodded. "That's a good idea, animals and creatures do the same thing."
Letting her weasel guide the way, Avalon followed Delilah into the maze, taking long steps to catch up with her until they were walking side-by-side. "Just remember....use your mirror around any of the corners." She wasn't sure if the first year needed reminding, but looking those things in the eye might be the worst thing to do. Avalon kept her wand at the ready, just in case anything decided to jump out at her, as she made her way further into the maze.
Okay, nobody had taken her up on her attempts to partner up--figures, Violet thought, she'd been on her own all her life, that was the way it was always going to be, she guessed (which was unfair, because she was totally forgetting about her governess who had patiently put up with her for 7 yrs or so). Violet had transfigured the front of her padding into a grid of shiny, interlocking mirror-like squares and was quite pleased with the effect. But suddenly, the thought of going into the maze alone scared her, so she ran to catch up with the nearest group, which turned out to be Avalon and a first year she didn't recognize. "Hi guys, can I come with you?" she gasped, out of breath. Whether they liked it or not, though, she was behind them.
• HuffleStud • Knight of The Zodiac • Manly Beard-Grower • Cicatrice de Harry •
SPOILER!!: you three
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nordic Witch
Bella watched how one of the Gryffindor girls got attacked by the hooded figures. The pain was clear. She really felt for the elder student, but since she was already taken care of by another student and Professor W it was best to do as instructed and keep a low profile. Stepping up to the first crate Bella suited herself up in protective padding from head to toe which very much resembled quidditch gear. In the next crate Bella chose a mirror shard that she pushed down in her left robe pocket and also a pair of pink coloured sunglasses that she slid on over her eyes on test. The pink outlook on the world was cool.
In the last crate Bella studied the weasels before she chose to pick one up. Cradling it against her chest she whispered to it for a moment. "I shall name you Pearl." Now she needed to find a partner. Looking around at the others who were suiting up Bella wanted a senior student for a partner. She was a first year and her knowledge of spells was limited so she quickly made her way over to the boy she had chosen to ask before anyone else snagged him. "Hi Curtis, can we be partners?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Moose
with half the conversation and discussion having had been about this Cockatrice thing creature being. Moose expected that he had sat on a crate full of them or something and was genuinely grateful to Professor Williamson for then shoving him off it to no doubt save his life. After all the chaos that happened and once Moose felt he was a safe distance from Kinsay and Emmerson his jaw dropped as what came out of the crate were Weasels. SERIOUSLY!? Weasels...They weren't dangerous in the slightest. Moose could easily take on like..maybe twenty of them and win handily. Appreciation rescinded Professor Williamson though uh....please don't die. Seeing him with a wand to his throat only reminded him of Ashley's predicament during Defense Against the Dark Arts. They clearly asserted their dominance.
He hurried over to the first crate and started to pick out some of this Quidditch Gear. He knew this stuff. He'd seen the pictures in Matty's book about the Keepers, and read about them too obviously. Though he was still unsure why they would stick with leather and not wear harder material? Couldn't a bludger kill you if it hit you hard enough...ah no matter this was Quidditch, and any protection would do. So Moose strapped on the helmet as as well as the shin guards and arm guards, then finally the chest piece. The next piece of equipment. Those glasses. It didn't matter which one so long as they didn't slip off his face so he nabbed a pink pair and tucked the ear pieces under the earflaps of the helmet. So they fit snuggly.
He looked ridiculous, but at leas the helmet and the glasses hide the LIAR on his forehead just barely. So there was that.
Right, next was a Weasel. A harmless totally not dangerous weasel. Moose went to the crate he had previously planted his rear on and knelt down to the nearest weasel. "You'll do." He reached out and take it but the weasel had different ideas. As it bit this thumb! "Agh hey! Stupid Jerk!" He glared at he weasel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadAlice
Violet was getting a little desparate for a partner--she did NOT want to go into that maze alone, but she also didn't want to stay out here with the creepy intruders, either. She saw one of the seventh years, Curtis, looking like he was ready to go and called out to him, "Curtis? Go with me? Please?!"
As she moved closer to the older boy, trying to get her attention, she passed one of the first years struggling with his weasel. Poor kid, one of the older kids should help him. Oh, wait, I guess that's me, now.
"Not like that, you'll just scare or annoy him. You have to talk gently to him and reach for him slowly, so he knows you don't mean to hurt him." There had been too much hurting going on around here already, so Violet couldn't blame the weasels for being jumpy. "Look at my weasel, Jeremy, he's right at home now." And she looked fondly down at her mellow weasel. "Try again, but nicer this time. You can go with us, or me, I guess, when you get ready." And she looked over at Curtis again while the new kid got his weasel. She hoped the older boy didn't mind going with them, she wasn't sure she was ready to be the kid in charge yet.
Hmm, first Bella and then Violet came over to him for help. Geez, it really took armor to make me look like a bodyguard, Curtis thought privately. There was also that younger kid who threw up no so long ago that Violet also ran to for help. Geez, she's practically begging now. His face didn't contort to annoyance or disgust or anything. He didn't feel anything in particular so he was going to let things roll.... Plus, he had a feeling Aboli would hex him later when she found out that he brushed off the Slytherin kids away. He smirked at the thought. Tempting, but they were all in danger either way. "Sure, you're welcome too as well Moose." He added, in case you know they were all going as a group. Though it didn't take long before Violet ran off ahead.
"Right, let's go." Curtis said to Bella and anyone else nearby. He bent down to set Toby the weasel, "Lead us to victory," He added. Now he could go into the maze. Anything to get away from those creepy hooded figures.
Quinn tried to follow along behind Mamie, but his weasel stayed asleep on his foot. Well, how very useful this one was. Quinn decided to just pick up the weasel again. It squeaked a bit with unhappiness. Quinn frowned. "Well, that's your own fault for being a lazy bones." Quinn placed the weasel on his shoulder for now and took out his own mirror piece. "Coming!"
Quinn caught up to Mamie, falling in step with her. "That sounds alright to me." After a bit of walking they made it to an intersection. "Which way does your weasel say?" Ha, that rhymed.
Were all weasels this lazy? Mamie was a little worried about Quinn lagging behind. She was glad when he caught up...she didn't really want to be wandering this maze alone with just her weasel.
Luckily once they were inside the maze, her weasel seemed to perk up a bit and was sniffing around. "Which way, little weasel?" she asked the rodent near her feet. It sniffed around a little bit more towards the left path, then made a beeline towards their right. "It says turn right..." she said. She held up her mirror, slightly excited about getting able to check around the corner. They were like sleuths, sneaking around the maze. So exciting.
"Do you want to check for baby cockatrices?" And the hooded creepy people. Check for them, too.
Were all weasels this lazy? Mamie was a little worried about Quinn lagging behind. She was glad when he caught up...she didn't really want to be wandering this maze alone with just her weasel.
Luckily once they were inside the maze, her weasel seemed to perk up a bit and was sniffing around. "Which way, little weasel?" she asked the rodent near her feet. It sniffed around a little bit more towards the left path, then made a beeline towards their right. "It says turn right..." she said. She held up her mirror, slightly excited about getting able to check around the corner. They were like sleuths, sneaking around the maze. So exciting.
"Do you want to check for baby cockatrices?" And the hooded creepy people. Check for them, too.
Quinn was a little nervous, but he nodded. He walked as close as he could up to the corner of the hedge, then reached his arm out as far as possible. He turned his hand this way and that, trying to see if he could spot anything. Or anyone.
"Okay... I think the coast is clear." The weasel on his shoulder squeaked in agreement.
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
She looked at the professor weirdly for a moment to see if he was trying to not bring attention to her mum or if he really didn't know about her weird animal seer thing. "She can sense their thoughts and emotions, I mean she can with all animals, it's some weird seer thing or something."
She shrugged it off and went and got her supplies. Putting the glasses on and grabbing a weasel she headed into the maze. The weasel was acting a bit crazy, but she couldn't blame it. The noises had her on edge so why wouldn't it have the little creature on edge as well. "it's okay, we are just going to go play a little."
Rhibear ~ Madam Solo ~ Dark Brooding Girl ~ Accio Jedi ~ Gryffinclaw ~ Just a doll
SPOILER!!: Q2 & mini activity
Heath listened intently as Williamson went on, growing more intrigued by the minute. Oh, the cockatrice? Not where he initially thought this lesson was going, but still interesting. He thought back to what he’d read about the creature, trying to come up with a plan to survive one. He’d seen conflicting information regarding the cockatrice’s stare, whether it kills its victims or simply turns them to stone. Either way, he would not want to look one in the eye, so he’d need something to deflect its gaze, like a mirror or sunglasses. Either that or use a spell to take out its eyes so it couldn’t look at him. Most likely the former if he ever actually faced a cockatrice. Creatures behaved aggressively out of instinct, not malice, and unlike some in this school, it wasn’t in him to hurt an innocent. Speaking of which…
All thoughts of cockatrices or a strategy vanished from Heath’s mind the moment he saw those hooded goons attack Phoebe. No, they disfigured her for tapping and smiling at them! Then there was Coby screaming and the two little Gryffindors (Kizzy & Emmerson)... tackling each other? The scene was too chaotic for him to process all that was happening, but it had him trembling with fear and rage. Thank Merlin for Professor Williamson and Professor Recard!
He took several deep breaths to calm himself and refocus his attention on the task at hand. So they were essentially building their own armor, right? Despite his worry, he couldn’t help but feel a little excited at that idea. A design was already forming in his mind as his dark eyes scrutinized the crates’ offerings. He took some padding and attached mirror shards to the chest with a quick sticking charm. He should probably add mirrors to the arm guards too; that way he could hold up his arm to shield his eyes if he had to. Once he had mirrors attached to the arms, he put on the padding and turned his attention to the helmet. He wished there was something he could attach to it to make a sort of visor. Maybe if he tried sticking a bunch of mirrors to each other, he could fashion a visor that way. He tried it and eventually came up with a crude mirror visor to attach to his helmet.
Now he had to find a weasel. He nearly smiled at the words Claudine whispered to him but stopped himself just in time, remembering what had happened to Phoebe. Instead he replied with a barely perceptible nod before peering into the crate. His eyes were instantly drawn to a small female weasel cowering at the back. “Hey, girl,” he whispered. He held a hand out to her, giving her a moment to two to acclimate to his presence before petting her. “It’s okay…” He nearly said, They scare me too, but worried that it would draw the hooded figures’ wrath. Instead, he said, “You’re safe with me.”
As Heath gently lifted the weasel out of the crate, he noticed she’d stopped trembling under his touch. That must be a good sign, right? Now he needed a name for her! At first he thought about giving her a Star Wars name, but overhearing Claudine call her weasel Charlie gave him another idea. “I’m going to name you Lucie, okay?” he said, and Lucie nudged his hand. He’d take that as a yes!
Still holding Lucie, he listened to Professor Williamson’s next instructions. He wasn’t the slightest bit surprised to learn there were cockatrices in the maze - why else would they have gone through all this trouble? What did surprise him was that there were baby cockatrices, and jarveys too! Maybe he’d see Mollywobbles in the maze… No matter what creature he found in there, he was sure it couldn’t possibly be as dangerous as those hooded guys!
He set Lucie on the ground in front of him, holding firmly to her leash. After donning a pair of sunglasses, he was ready to go into the maze. “Ready to go?” he asked Lucie. She darted forward, and he followed along, keeping his grip tight on her leash. Soon he and Lucie caught up to Claudine and Charlie. “Mind if we tag along?” he asked.
__________________
Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true...
Slytherindor ♛ The Crazytastic Besties ♛ Shan Watson ♛
He nodded his head, actively listening to WWW. Right cockatrices in the maze. Great. Just greeeeeat. At least they weren't fully grown ones... However, the noises coming from that direction were unnerving...
However, Noah froze when he saw the Squad take further action ... and they even threatened WWW! WHAAAT. No. He stopped himself from reacting and bit his lip harshly- so harshly that he could taste iron in his mouth. They had to comply.... for now. He would just grumble about this later back in the Lion's Den with his fellow Lions.
So he focused on suiting up and then grabbing a mirror. Gear on? Check. Mirror in one hand? Check. Wand? Check. It was always good to check for the wand. Ah. Weasel. He was missing a weasel. He approached the crate and found one who was nervously eying him. "Hey. It's okay," he said, offering it a small smile and slowly approaching him or her.... He couldn't quite tell. "Let's stick together."
With the weasel beside him, he walked towards the maze and then stopped when he realized students were pairing up or forming small groups. He spotted a younger student (Bazinga) with her weasel and decided to approach her. "Hey! Do you want to be partners?" he offered the younger year. It would be good to have someone to watch his back in there.
Looking at the maze for a second nodding at what Professor Williamson said, he took a deep breath calming his nerves. Setting Dash is weasel down, he turned to Ash and nodded his head. "Ready, lets get going and remember don't look at anything." Taking her advice he nodded. "That's a good idea, animals and creatures do the same thing."
"We can use our mirrors around corners. Wanna go left? I like that direction." She stuck the mirror out to her left, and turned slowly in that direction. She put a pink mark on the ground. Direction 1, here we come?
There were two jarveys huddled just around the first corner of the maze, if you chose to turn left, that is.
One was young Ferret Bueller, who was wincing and squeaking under the paw of his mum, Mollywobbles. Mollywobbles was holding Ferret Bueller down while she cleaned inside and around his ears with her tongue and paw. Both let out a loud but joyful squeak upon seeing the students, and Ferret Bueller took this opportunity to escape his mother jarvey and do a backflip.
"HOW? WHO? COCKLEDOODLEDO!" Ferret Bueller says, eagerly approaching to sniff at your robes.
Mollywobbles stays behind, rubbing her two paws together. "Dear dear dear." At the last second, she turns to scamper off in the correct direction of the exit, whipping around a corner so fast you just barely see the edge of her tail.
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SPOILER!!: Abalone ^_____^
Quote:
Originally Posted by kayquilz
Aboli had been so engrossed in being TOUGH and all MATERNAL to the first year that she had QUIIIIITE missed a lot of what Atlas had already done. And it was Atlas, cool. Aboli was trying to find some defining feature so she wouldn't get him mixed up with his brother in the future. She could only imagine how irritating it was to be called the wrong name all the time; Aboli loathed how often people butchered her own name enough. "Hey...is there a way for me to know it's you without me having to ask, Atlas?" she asked as she herself geared up, etc.
She eyed the weasel Atlas had chosen as it made a...noise, and she scoffed at it a little. "I guess so. Just leave it, then. Unless you like holding it..." She whispered, since Williams had started speaking again. And she was eyeing the way he was petting the weasel. "We'll find a jarvey in there." Holding the mirror shard aloft in one hand, her wand in the other, she shot Atlas a look. "Get your wand out at the ready...I know...you might not think you can help much, but you'd be surprised how much braver holding a wand up will make you. Not sure how many spells you know yet." She didn't want to assumed 0, but she was sure, ON THE FIRST DAY, many first years didn't a single one.
Right, though. The Maze. Aboli could feel her stomach roll in anxiety. Hopefully she didn't let this kid down or anything...it was clouding her judgment, making her less focused, the pressure she had inflicted upon herself. She couldn't let him down.
Without much more to say, Aboli nodded for Atlas to follow her along. His original PUPPY EYES had proven a ploy, for he seemed very capable of at least following directions, which Aboli was glad to see from a young Gryffindor person.
Also, those hooded guys had made her nervous a second ago, so she was glad to see they were now in the maze. It was a shame there were no adult cockatrices in there...they could have off'd some of the hooded fellows. Pity.
The only real defining feature would come in the form of Atlas wearing more of a resting scowl on his face than Aries, who tended to have the more cheerful disposition between the two of them. But seeing as he was not akin to her thought process at the moment, and he was busy with the ferret and trying to get it to walk - to no avail - her question took him back a bit, requiring pause to process. "You mean...between myself and Aries?" he asked. "Asking how my pet tarantula may work. Aries didn't come to school with a familiar like I did." In fact, Aries kept teasing him about stepping on Araneus.
He liked holding it, which was why he was relieved when she suggested he could keep it. Otherwise he would have felt inclined to return it to the crate and then he wasn't quite sure what he would do with all of his nervous energy. "...you told me my job was handling the weasel," he carefully reminded her, eyes a bit panicked as he quickly when through the incredibly short list of spells he knew anything about. "I...can maybe Scourgify and Tergeo ... " Two spells he had seen performed most often at home. Along with a Hot Air Charm dad did to press his suits, but Atlas hadn't given that one much practice. Tergeo he had a very urgent need to perfect. "...or Bombarda...but Professor Williamson probably wouldn't like that. Nor any cockatrice." Unless he was blasting holes in the hedges for them to escape through. Which...didn't seem like the worst idea if things came to it.
Adjusting his hold on the ferret, who he really should name something, the first year followed clooooooooooose beside the seventh year. "I...um...pardon me but...I don't actually know your name..." he finally admitted as they turned the corner, LEFT, and came upon the scene of two jarveys. "Ohsweetsolsticetheyaresocute!" And Atlas was positively blushing as the one came up to sniff his robes, which meant his attention was solely on this jarvey and not the other that had already vanished from sight.
__________________
When you’re stuck in a moment and your spark has been stolen .................................................. ........... this is our time to own it, so own it..................................... baby we were born withfire and gold in our eyes
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Watson
He nodded his head, actively listening to WWW. Right cockatrices in the maze. Great. Just greeeeeat. At least they weren't fully grown ones... However, the noises coming from that direction were unnerving...
However, Noah froze when he saw the Squad take further action ... and they even threatened WWW! WHAAAT. No. He stopped himself from reacting and bit his lip harshly- so harshly that he could taste iron in his mouth. They had to comply.... for now. He would just grumble about this later back in the Lion's Den with his fellow Lions.
So he focused on suiting up and then grabbing a mirror. Gear on? Check. Mirror in one hand? Check. Wand? Check. It was always good to check for the wand. Ah. Weasel. He was missing a weasel. He approached the crate and found one who was nervously eying him. "Hey. It's okay," he said, offering it a small smile and slowly approaching him or her.... He couldn't quite tell. "Let's stick together."
With the weasel beside him, he walked towards the maze and then stopped when he realized students were pairing up or forming small groups. He spotted a younger student (Bazinga) with her weasel and decided to approach her. "Hey! Do you want to be partners?" he offered the younger year. It would be good to have someone to watch his back in there.
Gemma was starting to relax a bit now that she was in the maze and enjoying the weasel she had on a leash, "Wonder what your name is." She cooed at the creature right before she heard someone speak. Turning she realized the seventh year was talking to her and she gave a nervous smile. Not many older students really gave her the time a day so this was exciting and made her really nervous.
"Yes, I would love to pair up if you don't mind being with me." She was shocked he might not have went ahead with other seventh years, but she was grateful to have an older student near her with these hooded weirdos walking around.
Just as she went to turn towards the maze again she noticed the animals up ahead, "Look I think those are Jarveys."
ya'll went in at roughly the same time, cool? cool cool; interact w/each other!
Professor Pink | Mrs. Bruce Wayne | I'm on a Goat | Glitterpuff | Dumbledore's Defense Squad | BHB
SPOILER!!: James-Cambridge-James Sammich w/Summers for Dessert
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArianaBlack
Hearing Moose’s plea and Professor Williamson address Emm, Kizzy knew they had to get up. But how were they meant to move forward with the lesson when HER SISTER was hurt?!?! Kizzy’s lips wibbled even more and more as her eyes continued to well up with tears that she was so desperately trying to blink back.
She didn't want to go into a maze! She wanted to give her sister a big hug and for her parents to come get them and for this whole horrible nightmare to end.
Kizzy looked up at Emm pathetically, rising to her feet when yanked. Even as Emmerson made her demands, Kinsay couldn't draw her eyes away from her older sister. She would have run over to the Healer and to Phoebe if it weren't for the fact that she could tell Emm was getting angry. Kinsay could feel it in her bones... and in Emm's voice. Making the best friend angry was a cardinal sin and it freaked Kizzy out a little bit, so she sniffled and scurried over to the crates with weasels to grab one.
Poor things looked just as scared and upset as Kinsay felt. She scooped up the cutest and littlest one she could see and held it (very tightly) (maybe too tightly) to her chest with one hand and held onto its leash with her other hand before quietly making her way back over to Emmerson. She didn't dare utter another word either, incase the hooded people were nearby. That and she couldn't think about anything other than the image of a bloodied Fifi laying on the ground. Emmerson would definitely have to be the one leading them into the maze. And around the maze. Probably.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo
Three cockatrices sounded like three too many if you asked her, especially when she had to be on babysitting duty for Kizzy until her friend regained her senses.
Emm nodded along to the Professor's warnings and instructions, already...sorta...planning to shoot red sparks at the first sign of danger. There was too much in the castle this term that was trying to kill them. At the first sign that the Professor's lesson was trying to make that list, her wand would be up.
The Second Year popped her glasses on then nodded toward the maze. "C'mon. Maybe we'll get lucky and take a turn that leads all the way through cockatrice free." Wishful thinking but she would cling to it for as long as she could.
Soooo...into the maze then.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArianaBlack
Three cockatrices sounded too many to Kizzy too, but she was slightly glazed over and maybe not paying as much attention to instructions as she ought to have been. Especially considering they were dealing with a creature that had a lot of X's
Finally she set the poor little weasel that she may have almost suffocated on the ground and then slid on her sunglasses too.
"Yeah, maybe," she nodded (still feeling numb) and followed into the maze. Their weasel just as reluctant as Kizzy to go inside. "Is it supposed to be like this? Maybe he's broken." Tug. Tug. Tug.
C'moooon weasel! Come ooooonnnn!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin
Phoebe smiled gratefully (if wobbly) at Healer Professor Lady Herself and gave her fingers a tentative wave to show they were really much better. Much much. "I'll see you after class," she agreed, shadowing the Healer's footsteps as she joined Professor Jawline entering the maze.
"I'm sorry I sassed them, sir. I won't do it again. I overestimated my wit and underestimated their seriousness." And she appreciated that he hadn't taken points and thrown her out of class for putting everyone else into danger. Whiiiiich she really had deserved. Not one to press her luck, she limped off to grab protective gear before following the rest of the class into the maze.
And since she'd missed the opportunity to grab a partner... look at those two little walnuts in need of some love and protection. "I'm just going to follow you and let you do the work. I brought my own mirror, but you have to share your weasel."
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow
Cece J U M P E D when she felt the hand on her shoulder, only to realize who'd given her a shake and why. Right. Class. Danger. She needed to move. "I'm sorry, Professor," She managed quietly, glanced at Phoebe and the healer as she moved over to suit up. At least her best was getting some help. She'd be okay... She would be okay, wouldn't she?
Padding went on first, then her helmet was secured, then the sunglasses. She was behind so she hurried, not bothering with any magical modifications. After selecting a piece of broken mirror that she was confident wouldn't cut her hand, the blonde hurried over to pick out one of the last remaining weasels. Reddish-brown fur, beady eyes, and a little pointed nose greeted her as she set the creature down and tried to soothe it. "Alright, let's get going."
And somehow Feebs was already moving past, still participating, still going after all that and Cece was impressed. Also now she was REALLY behind. Yoyo was still around too though, right? She gestured for her to hurry and headed off into the unknown.
The girls who entered were the first group to come across a cockatrice, or more specifically, eveidence of a cockatrice.
There were some... rather liquid droppings all over the path in front of them, the droppings seeming to lead around a corner and to the right.
It was up to the group if they should follow them. One of their weasels was undisturbed by them, but its whiskers did twitch in the same direction as the droppings. The other weasel manned by Cecelia went ahead to sniff them out directly.
Hmmmmm.
This was the way, the weasel decided. They had to follow the droppings.
SPOILER!!: Quinn & Mamie, sittin' in a tree
Quote:
Originally Posted by NiallNIP
Quinn let out a sigh of relief. This whole time he thought it would be a full-grown murderous cockatrice. He was glad that it was just baby cockatrices, but he still wasn't so eager to go in the maze. He just wasn't as afraid of death as he was before.
Quinn set his weasel down in the grown. It yawned and crawled over to his foot, laying down on it. "Ah, no, you can't go to sleep right now, lil' buddy," he said, shaking his foot lightly, "we've got a maze to go through. And cockatrices to avoid."
Quinn looked over at Mamie. "So... are you ready to go in?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Waddles
Mamie shrugged. She thought the softening charm might make her padding more...padded. She was a little unclear how the padding would help anyway. At least this way, if the scary Inquisitorial Squad people threw her on the ground, she'd have extra padding.
She noticed Pprofessor Recard arrive to help Phoebe, and apparently she was going to stick around. That made her feel better, with the bad adults having gone into the maze too. She listened intently as Williamson explained the maze. She was very relieved that it was just some baby cockatrices. At this point, she was more afraid of the Neo...something people.
She nodded to Quinn, then looked down at her weasel to make sure it was ready, too. Oh. Hers was hiding between her feet. She nudged it slightly, and cooed gently down at it to try to reassure it. "Lead the way," she told the weasel, holding up the possibly slightly larger mirror fragment in her leash hand and adjusting her sunglasses.
Following/urging the weasel into the maze, she glanced back at Quinn. "Let's go!" she said. "We can use the mirror for corners, so we don't accidentally look at the babies."
Quote:
Originally Posted by NiallNIP
Quinn tried to follow along behind Mamie, but his weasel stayed asleep on his foot. Well, how very useful this one was. Quinn decided to just pick up the weasel again. It squeaked a bit with unhappiness. Quinn frowned. "Well, that's your own fault for being a lazy bones." Quinn placed the weasel on his shoulder for now and took out his own mirror piece. "Coming!"
Quinn caught up to Mamie, falling in step with her. "That sounds alright to me." After a bit of walking they made it to an intersection. "Which way does your weasel say?" Ha, that rhymed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Waddles
Were all weasels this lazy? Mamie was a little worried about Quinn lagging behind. She was glad when he caught up...she didn't really want to be wandering this maze alone with just her weasel.
Luckily once they were inside the maze, her weasel seemed to perk up a bit and was sniffing around. "Which way, little weasel?" she asked the rodent near her feet. It sniffed around a little bit more towards the left path, then made a beeline towards their right. "It says turn right..." she said. She held up her mirror, slightly excited about getting able to check around the corner. They were like sleuths, sneaking around the maze. So exciting.
"Do you want to check for baby cockatrices?" And the hooded creepy people. Check for them, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NiallNIP
Quinn was a little nervous, but he nodded. He walked as close as he could up to the corner of the hedge, then reached his arm out as far as possible. He turned his hand this way and that, trying to see if he could spot anything. Or anyone.
"Okay... I think the coast is clear." The weasel on his shoulder squeaked in agreement.
The way WAS clear, but only because the cockatrice hadn't come into view yet.
Slowly, it did, the thing a clearly odd mix between a rooster and a dragon, with orangeish feathers on its back and thick green scales on its underside. It was closer to the size of a rooster at this point, and it behaved like one too, flapping its wings and making a soft clucking sound as it pecked at the ground for something to eat. Slowly, the cockatrice seemed to become aware of the scent of something in the air... weasel? Was that weasel?!
The cockatrice let out a loud squawk, a bit of smoke coming out of its mouth as it flapped it wings and suddenly charged toward the pair with the weasel, wings flapping, legs RUNNING toward them.
SPOILER!!: Claudine & Heath
Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19
Claudine really did fear for Williamson when two of The Hoods pointed their wands at him. She had gripped her wand tightly without even realising it but what would she even do if Williamson had been attacked? Make an attack of her own? Maybe. Anyway, a crisis averted, they were going to be moving on.
Oh! Baby cockatrices! Despite the impending danger, this creature lover couldn’t help but be somewhat excited. This would mean that the class wasn’t in as much danger as could be. Still, it helped that her Head of House was around.
Shades on? Yes. Mirror and wand at the ready? Uh huh. Weasel eager as she was? “Ready, Charlie?’’ Charlie tugged on his leash urging Claudine forward. Yes, he seemed eager. Into the maze they went. With any luck, maybe the cockatrices would attack The Hoods. A girl could dream, right? The fifth year took cautious steps forward, urging Charlie to not be hasty. “Don’t want a cockatrice jumping you,’’ she told him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy
SPOILER!!: Q2 & mini activity
Heath listened intently as Williamson went on, growing more intrigued by the minute. Oh, the cockatrice? Not where he initially thought this lesson was going, but still interesting. He thought back to what he’d read about the creature, trying to come up with a plan to survive one. He’d seen conflicting information regarding the cockatrice’s stare, whether it kills its victims or simply turns them to stone. Either way, he would not want to look one in the eye, so he’d need something to deflect its gaze, like a mirror or sunglasses. Either that or use a spell to take out its eyes so it couldn’t look at him. Most likely the former if he ever actually faced a cockatrice. Creatures behaved aggressively out of instinct, not malice, and unlike some in this school, it wasn’t in him to hurt an innocent. Speaking of which…
All thoughts of cockatrices or a strategy vanished from Heath’s mind the moment he saw those hooded goons attack Phoebe. No, they disfigured her for tapping and smiling at them! Then there was Coby screaming and the two little Gryffindors (Kizzy & Emmerson)... tackling each other? The scene was too chaotic for him to process all that was happening, but it had him trembling with fear and rage. Thank Merlin for Professor Williamson and Professor Recard!
He took several deep breaths to calm himself and refocus his attention on the task at hand. So they were essentially building their own armor, right? Despite his worry, he couldn’t help but feel a little excited at that idea. A design was already forming in his mind as his dark eyes scrutinized the crates’ offerings. He took some padding and attached mirror shards to the chest with a quick sticking charm. He should probably add mirrors to the arm guards too; that way he could hold up his arm to shield his eyes if he had to. Once he had mirrors attached to the arms, he put on the padding and turned his attention to the helmet. He wished there was something he could attach to it to make a sort of visor. Maybe if he tried sticking a bunch of mirrors to each other, he could fashion a visor that way. He tried it and eventually came up with a crude mirror visor to attach to his helmet.
Now he had to find a weasel. He nearly smiled at the words Claudine whispered to him but stopped himself just in time, remembering what had happened to Phoebe. Instead he replied with a barely perceptible nod before peering into the crate. His eyes were instantly drawn to a small female weasel cowering at the back. “Hey, girl,” he whispered. He held a hand out to her, giving her a moment to two to acclimate to his presence before petting her. “It’s okay…” He nearly said, They scare me too, but worried that it would draw the hooded figures’ wrath. Instead, he said, “You’re safe with me.”
As Heath gently lifted the weasel out of the crate, he noticed she’d stopped trembling under his touch. That must be a good sign, right? Now he needed a name for her! At first he thought about giving her a Star Wars name, but overhearing Claudine call her weasel Charlie gave him another idea. “I’m going to name you Lucie, okay?” he said, and Lucie nudged his hand. He’d take that as a yes!
Still holding Lucie, he listened to Professor Williamson’s next instructions. He wasn’t the slightest bit surprised to learn there were cockatrices in the maze - why else would they have gone through all this trouble? What did surprise him was that there were baby cockatrices, and jarveys too! Maybe he’d see Mollywobbles in the maze… No matter what creature he found in there, he was sure it couldn’t possibly be as dangerous as those hooded guys!
He set Lucie on the ground in front of him, holding firmly to her leash. After donning a pair of sunglasses, he was ready to go into the maze. “Ready to go?” he asked Lucie. She darted forward, and he followed along, keeping his grip tight on her leash. Soon he and Lucie caught up to Claudine and Charlie. “Mind if we tag along?” he asked.
All was quiet on the maze front for this pair, no sign of anything in their pathways... yet.
Perhaps if they continued in, the weasel now known as Charlie might show them The Way?
SPOILER!!: Delilah & Avalon
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anna Banana
Nobody had taken her up on her offer to partner up with them, but she didn't take it personally. Not having a partner was seriously the least of her worries right now. It would have been nice to have one, but... Just as she was thinking that, she happened to spot an older Ravenclaw girl who didn't have a partner. "Want to partner up?" she asked, walking over to the girl. "I'm Delilah." She picked up a few of the mirror fragments, making a mental note to ask the girl how to stick them to her like she'd just seen her do.
Delilah overheard what the professor said to Cece, and not wanting the hooded figures to come after her, too, she headed toward the maze. Hopefully the Ravenclaw girl would follow her. Delilah had no idea why she was acting so brave right now. She literally had no desire to come face to face with this creature. Why were they even learning about such a dangerous creature anyway?! Wasn't the school in general dangerous enough?!
She didn't know how to send up red sparks, but hopefully her new partner did. And if the girl didn't follow Delilah into the maze and stick by her, the first year assumed a blood-curdling yell would also suffice. Anyway, the next step forward put her into the maze.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireheart
If Professor Williamson would have said out loud that a baby cockatrice was no more harmless than a baby wampus, Avalon probably would have laughed out loud. At least they wouldn't be responsible for keeping these cockatrices on a leash. Just the weasels this time.
Avalon glanced up, having just finished sticking the mirror fragment on her arm, to see a younger student asking to partner up. She must be a first year, because Avalon didn't recognize her at first. Grateful that the girl introduced herself by name, Avalon gave her a smile. "Sure! Nice you meet you. I'm Avalon." She watched impressively as the girl made her way into the way first. Gryffindors. Always up for an adventure.
Letting her weasel guide the way, Avalon followed Delilah into the maze, taking long steps to catch up with her until they were walking side-by-side. "Just remember....use your mirror around any of the corners." She wasn't sure if the first year needed reminding, but looking those things in the eye might be the worst thing to do. Avalon kept her wand at the ready, just in case anything decided to jump out at her, as she made her way further into the maze.
There was nothing jumping out at them yet, just a faint burrowing noise from ahead; the sound coming from perhaps a JARVEY! in the way?
There was certainly something ferret-like digging a little hole under one of the hedges. Just its hindquarters were visible to the girls as they checked around the corner.
SPOILER!!: MJ McCarthy
Quote:
Originally Posted by emjay
Morgan had not only been horrified by what those hooded hooligans did to Phoebe, but he was incensed. There were plenty of hexes he was just itching to send their way, all of them, and then something extra special to the one who purposely hurt her. But... realistically, what could he do? Nothing. That's what he did and he felt like a coward for it, even if he knew it would be reckless to try and take them on. What would they do if a bunch of students banded together though?
It wasn't a thought that he entertained very long, though he would be sure to revisit later, because the healer showed up and class was apparently moving on. He hadn't even had proper time to be excited about playing with a cockatrice today!
Morgan hadn't quite been paying attention to Williamson and any crucial directions or helpful tips he might have been giving them, so hopefully he wasn't about to meet his untimely demise for being careless. He started gathering the supplies, following the lead of everyone else, when he heard Williamson mention jarveys.
"Will Ferret Bueller be in there?" His buddy! He blurted that out just in time to see the hooded menaces threaten his teacher with a wand. Wow.. just... could they leave now? But great, they'd apparently be hanging out in the maze with them. Maybe they could be eaten by a cockatrice.
Morgan grabbed a weasel just in case, but he secretly hoped his favorite jarvey was available once he got inside. Mirror shard and wand at the ready, he followed the class into the maze. He didn't immediately grab a partner, but he maybe he'd catch up to a friend.
OF COURSE Ferret Bueller would be in the maze! Did Morgan spot the hyperactive ferret yet, or did he go the wrong way once he was inside? He might be on the same path as an odd Gryffindor-Slytherin duo just ahead of him...
SPOILER!!: Granger!DANGER!Astrocats!
Quote:
Originally Posted by astrocat
Ash was not sure if she wanted to go in. But she didn't have a choice. SHe wished her friend was here, so that he could give her a big hug and hold her hand. But her best friend was a muggle, and nobody here was going to hold her hand. She took a deep breath, turning to Tadhg. "You ready?" She stepped forward into the maze. "We ought to leave a trail, so we know where we've been. We could do this methodically."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Granger Danger
Looking at the maze for a second nodding at what Professor Williamson said, he took a deep breath calming his nerves. Setting Dash is weasel down, he turned to Ash and nodded his head. "Ready, lets get going and remember don't look at anything." Taking her advice he nodded. "That's a good idea, animals and creatures do the same thing."
Quote:
Originally Posted by astrocat
"We can use our mirrors around corners. Wanna go left? I like that direction." She stuck the mirror out to her left, and turned slowly in that direction. She put a pink mark on the ground. Direction 1, here we come?
To the left was where the Hufflepuff Mamie and Ravenclaw Quinn were just ahead, currently being rundown by a cockatrice.
Could Ashley and Tadhg help out just in time?
SPOILER!!: Lady of Light
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady of Light
This lesson was turning out to be a lot scarier than she’d imagined. All she wanted to do was to go back to her dorm and CRY. Even though the older girl seemed fine now, why would those hooded people even do such a thing?? Hurting a student? And now they were threatening the Professor too!! She watched wide eyed as one of them held a wand to his throat. Oh, noooo. Trying not to cry, the gryffindor quickly moved to the crates and grabbed all the essentials, put them on ( which took a lot longer than necessary ) before picking up a cute little weasel.
Wait, what. THREE baby cockatrices?? Three? She set her weasel down, mirror held in her other hand and simply stood near the entrance for a moment or two. This was scary but.. she could do it. Hopefully. If not, she was definitely going to send up some red sparks. She hesitated for another few seconds before taking a deep breath and walking into the maze.
There was nothing to fear for this Gryffindor; all was well and calm... for now.
SPOILER!!: Aboli & Atlas
Quote:
Originally Posted by kayquilz
Aboli had been so engrossed in being TOUGH and all MATERNAL to the first year that she had QUIIIIITE missed a lot of what Atlas had already done. And it was Atlas, cool. Aboli was trying to find some defining feature so she wouldn't get him mixed up with his brother in the future. She could only imagine how irritating it was to be called the wrong name all the time; Aboli loathed how often people butchered her own name enough. "Hey...is there a way for me to know it's you without me having to ask, Atlas?" she asked as she herself geared up, etc.
She eyed the weasel Atlas had chosen as it made a...noise, and she scoffed at it a little. "I guess so. Just leave it, then. Unless you like holding it..." She whispered, since Williams had started speaking again. And she was eyeing the way he was petting the weasel. "We'll find a jarvey in there." Holding the mirror shard aloft in one hand, her wand in the other, she shot Atlas a look. "Get your wand out at the ready...I know...you might not think you can help much, but you'd be surprised how much braver holding a wand up will make you. Not sure how many spells you know yet." She didn't want to assumed 0, but she was sure, ON THE FIRST DAY, many first years didn't a single one.
Right, though. The Maze. Aboli could feel her stomach roll in anxiety. Hopefully she didn't let this kid down or anything...it was clouding her judgment, making her less focused, the pressure she had inflicted upon herself. She couldn't let him down.
Without much more to say, Aboli nodded for Atlas to follow her along. His original PUPPY EYES had proven a ploy, for he seemed very capable of at least following directions, which Aboli was glad to see from a young Gryffindor person.
Also, those hooded guys had made her nervous a second ago, so she was glad to see they were now in the maze. It was a shame there were no adult cockatrices in there...they could have off'd some of the hooded fellows. Pity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie
The only real defining feature would come in the form of Atlas wearing more of a resting scowl on his face than Aries, who tended to have the more cheerful disposition between the two of them. But seeing as he was not akin to her thought process at the moment, and he was busy with the ferret and trying to get it to walk - to no avail - her question took him back a bit, requiring pause to process. "You mean...between myself and Aries?" he asked. "Asking how my pet tarantula may work. Aries didn't come to school with a familiar like I did." In fact, Aries kept teasing him about stepping on Araneus.
He liked holding it, which was why he was relieved when she suggested he could keep it. Otherwise he would have felt inclined to return it to the crate and then he wasn't quite sure what he would do with all of his nervous energy. "...you told me my job was handling the weasel," he carefully reminded her, eyes a bit panicked as he quickly when through the incredibly short list of spells he knew anything about. "I...can maybe Scourgify and Tergeo ... " Two spells he had seen performed most often at home. Along with a Hot Air Charm dad did to press his suits, but Atlas hadn't given that one much practice. Tergeo he had a very urgent need to perfect. "...or Bombarda...but Professor Williamson probably wouldn't like that. Nor any cockatrice." Unless he was blasting holes in the hedges for them to escape through. Which...didn't seem like the worst idea if things came to it.
Adjusting his hold on the ferret, who he really should name something, the first year followed clooooooooooose beside the seventh year. "I...um...pardon me but...I don't actually know your name..." he finally admitted as they turned the corner, LEFT, and came upon the scene of two jarveys. "Ohsweetsolsticetheyaresocute!" And Atlas was positively blushing as the one came up to sniff his robes, which meant his attention was solely on this jarvey and not the other that had already vanished from sight.
There was a loud SQUEAK! up ahead from Mollywobbles, and if either of these two had sharp eyes, they might just notice some chicken-like droppings leading the way she'd run.
Hmmmmmmmmm. Wonder what the jarvey got into.
SPOILER!!: Curtis & Violet & Co.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charely Potter
Hmm, first Bella and then Violet came over to him for help. Geez, it really took armor to make me look like a bodyguard, Curtis thought privately. There was also that younger kid who threw up no so long ago that Violet also ran to for help. Geez, she's practically begging now. His face didn't contort to annoyance or disgust or anything. He didn't feel anything in particular so he was going to let things roll.... Plus, he had a feeling Aboli would hex him later when she found out that he brushed off the Slytherin kids away. He smirked at the thought. Tempting, but they were all in danger either way. "Sure, you're welcome too as well Moose." He added, in case you know they were all going as a group. Though it didn't take long before Violet ran off ahead.
"Right, let's go." Curtis said to Bella and anyone else nearby. He bent down to set Toby the weasel, "Lead us to victory," He added. Now he could go into the maze. Anything to get away from those creepy hooded figures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadAlice
Okay, nobody had taken her up on her attempts to partner up--figures, Violet thought, she'd been on her own all her life, that was the way it was always going to be, she guessed (which was unfair, because she was totally forgetting about her governess who had patiently put up with her for 7 yrs or so). Violet had transfigured the front of her padding into a grid of shiny, interlocking mirror-like squares and was quite pleased with the effect. But suddenly, the thought of going into the maze alone scared her, so she ran to catch up with the nearest group, which turned out to be Avalon and a first year she didn't recognize. "Hi guys, can I come with you?" she gasped, out of breath. Whether they liked it or not, though, she was behind them.
Regardless of group, all of these students would enter the maze around the same time and see the same thing:
Nothing, yet.
They needed to turn a corner or decide which direction to go first.
SPOILER!!: Bazinga! and Watson!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga
She looked at the professor weirdly for a moment to see if he was trying to not bring attention to her mum or if he really didn't know about her weird animal seer thing. "She can sense their thoughts and emotions, I mean she can with all animals, it's some weird seer thing or something."
She shrugged it off and went and got her supplies. Putting the glasses on and grabbing a weasel she headed into the maze. The weasel was acting a bit crazy, but she couldn't blame it. The noises had her on edge so why wouldn't it have the little creature on edge as well. "it's okay, we are just going to go play a little."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Watson
He nodded his head, actively listening to WWW. Right cockatrices in the maze. Great. Just greeeeeat. At least they weren't fully grown ones... However, the noises coming from that direction were unnerving...
However, Noah froze when he saw the Squad take further action ... and they even threatened WWW! WHAAAT. No. He stopped himself from reacting and bit his lip harshly- so harshly that he could taste iron in his mouth. They had to comply.... for now. He would just grumble about this later back in the Lion's Den with his fellow Lions.
So he focused on suiting up and then grabbing a mirror. Gear on? Check. Mirror in one hand? Check. Wand? Check. It was always good to check for the wand. Ah. Weasel. He was missing a weasel. He approached the crate and found one who was nervously eying him. "Hey. It's okay," he said, offering it a small smile and slowly approaching him or her.... He couldn't quite tell. "Let's stick together."
With the weasel beside him, he walked towards the maze and then stopped when he realized students were pairing up or forming small groups. He spotted a younger student (Bazinga) with her weasel and decided to approach her. "Hey! Do you want to be partners?" he offered the younger year. It would be good to have someone to watch his back in there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga
Gemma was starting to relax a bit now that she was in the maze and enjoying the weasel she had on a leash, "Wonder what your name is." She cooed at the creature right before she heard someone speak. Turning she realized the seventh year was talking to her and she gave a nervous smile. Not many older students really gave her the time a day so this was exciting and made her really nervous.
"Yes, I would love to pair up if you don't mind being with me." She was shocked he might not have went ahead with other seventh years, but she was grateful to have an older student near her with these hooded weirdos walking around.
Just as she went to turn towards the maze again she noticed the animals up ahead, "Look I think those are Jarveys."
The branches on the hedge maze seemed to sway gently in an unseen breeze, beckoning these two to hurry on through.
There were, indeed, jarveys ahead of them. Would they follow Mollywobbles too, or forget their own path without her?
Ferret Bueller was still preoccupied with entertaining one Atlas Flamsteed ahead of them.
Professor Williamson, in the meanwhile, had climbed up a wooden stand he'd built at the end of the maze. He wanted to keep a close eye on his kids and the jarveys, and... those stupid hooded figures, who he could hardly see in the shadows cast by the tall hedges.
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yeah, there's one thing about me that you should know________________________________ __________________________________________that I can't help from speaking my mind
The way WAS clear, but only because the cockatrice hadn't come into view yet.
Slowly, it did, the thing a clearly odd mix between a rooster and a dragon, with orangeish feathers on its back and thick green scales on its underside. It was closer to the size of a rooster at this point, and it behaved like one too, flapping its wings and making a soft clucking sound as it pecked at the ground for something to eat. Slowly, the cockatrice seemed to become aware of the scent of something in the air... weasel? Was that weasel?!
The cockatrice let out a loud squawk, a bit of smoke coming out of its mouth as it flapped it wings and suddenly charged toward the pair with the weasel, wings flapping, legs RUNNING toward them.
Quinn had spoken too soon. He watched as the cockatrice came into view in the mirror. His weasel squeaked in surprise.
"Oh, jeez, wait, not clear," Quinn whispered heatedly.
In the mirror, Quinn watched as the cockatrice sniffed around, let out a squawk and started running towards them. Quinn pulled in his mirror quickly. "Not clear!" he said, bolting in the opposite direction. "Not clear, not clear, not clear!"
Quinn was a little nervous, but he nodded. He walked as close as he could up to the corner of the hedge, then reached his arm out as far as possible. He turned his hand this way and that, trying to see if he could spot anything. Or anyone.
"Okay... I think the coast is clear." The weasel on his shoulder squeaked in agreement.
Quote:
The way WAS clear, but only because the cockatrice hadn't come into view yet.
Slowly, it did, the thing a clearly odd mix between a rooster and a dragon, with orangeish feathers on its back and thick green scales on its underside. It was closer to the size of a rooster at this point, and it behaved like one too, flapping its wings and making a soft clucking sound as it pecked at the ground for something to eat. Slowly, the cockatrice seemed to become aware of the scent of something in the air... weasel? Was that weasel?!
The cockatrice let out a loud squawk, a bit of smoke coming out of its mouth as it flapped it wings and suddenly charged toward the pair with the weasel, wings flapping, legs RUNNING toward them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NiallNIP
Quinn had spoken too soon. He watched as the cockatrice came into view in the mirror. His weasel squeaked in surprise.
"Oh, jeez, wait, not clear," Quinn whispered heatedly.
In the mirror, Quinn watched as the cockatrice sniffed around, let out a squawk and started running towards them. Quinn pulled in his mirror quickly. "Not clear!" he said, bolting in the opposite direction. "Not clear, not clear, not clear!"
Mamie had already turned the corner when Quinn changed his answer. Face to face with a charging cockatrice was not how she'd wanted to spend today, but she supposed it was still better than Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The cockatrice seriously looked like somebody chopped a lizard and a chicken in half and sewed them together. Like a minotaur, but...two different kinds of dinosaur instead of whatever two things a minotaur was. She tried to not to look at the cockatrice, which was difficult as she wanted to keep tabs on how close it was getting.
"Quinn, wait! Come back!" she yelled after Quinn. She didn't want to face this thing alone. Though...she suddenly shared Quinn's earlier fears about the usefulness of their protective padding. And how much help would a first year really be? They still had to go through the maze, so she had to figure out how they could get around it without it attacking them. Hadn't she learned any useful spells last year? "Flipendo!" she brandished her wand at the cockatrice as it got closer, still trying not to look directly at it.
Well. There was a first year running full speed in her direction. "Woah woah woah. Wait up. We can do this. We must be going in the right direction if we see one of these, right?" She ran towards Mamie, and cast a basic shield charm that she had been practicing. Did it work on creatures? Hope so. She squinted and showed her mirror out in front of her. Maybe the cockatrice would look into it. Self-preservation stood bravely in front of her. Good weasel. She stepped slightly to the side, so that even if the spell failed she would be safe.
Suited, booted, and armed with a broken mirror (the edges dulled with a charm so as to not slice their fingers to bits) and a frantically scrabbling weasel (which they had not named), as well as the sunglasses they'd already grabbed, Nem had been standing by, waiting for the go-ahead to enter. The weasel would probably be better at seeking out its prey foe than outright navigating the maze, which was maybe what Weasley had meant regarding using them as guides. So, whatever, Nem would just follow where the creature went, as opposed to the simple 'stick to the left hedge' method they might have otherwise employed. Completing the maze first - or even at all - was not a priority, they were just interested in seeing a cockatrice.
Baby cockatrice. Ugh. Fine.
When it was time to enter, Nem hung back, for a little more of that sweet, sweet distance from the rest of the class. In the meantime, they stood in quiet thought, while the weasel strained against its lead. Weaselby had also mentioned using the mirrors to look at the cockatrices, but it might work to just hold the mirror facing forwards and slightly down as they walked, and then towards any sound. If they encountered one of the babies, and it looked instinctively towards them, it would likely see the mirror, and possibly knock itself out, if the angle was right. Nem could do the same for going around corners: hold it out and angle it towards the ground, maybe move it around a little and see if the cockatrice saw its reflection, rather than theirs. Then, if it passed out, might be they'd get a good look at it before moving on. If it didn't, the weasel seemed like it could take on several adult cockatrices if they threatened it, and Nem was plenty skilled with magic, so they weren't concerned.
It was probably too much to hope for a chance to silence and swipe a jarvey, right? What with Rent-a-Snitch lurking around every corner and all. Whatever.
Anyway.
After a minute or so had passed, Nem deemed it time. "Oi," they said to the weasel, giving the lead a tug in the direction of the entrance. "In here." The creature started scurrying in that direction, and Nem stalked along behind it.
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Mention of Kale BUUUUUUT headed in on her own with Rusty the weasel xD
Otter This World ♡ Catpurrccino ♡ Slotherin ♡ Pandamonium
There was no time to waste in waiting on a reply for the older boy with the really nice hair. Professor Williamson was giving out more instructions and they needed to get moving. Fast. Somewhere inside this overgrown super large hedge maze was not one, not two... but THREE very young Cockatrice. That wasn't as super excitingly terrifying as a full grown one but she wouldn't die. Right?
Casting a quick glance over her shoulder at Gorgeous Hair BoyKale, she flashed him a small grin. "If you don't mind working with a first year, Rusty and I," she had finally come up with a name for the weasel in her arms, "we'll be heading inside now. It's okay if you want to." Lia wouldn't be upset by that. Maybe. Either way it was time to move.
So with a very frightened Rusty tucked tightly in her arm, held against her chest, Dahlia entered the maze. Right away she pulled the broken shard of mirror from her pocket to hold in her hand, her other hand now occupied by her wand. Whatever was going to happen, she had to be as ready as possible.
"Okay Rusty, I won't put you down... put you have to help me. Move in my arms or a squeak or something to tell me which way to go." It would be really helpful if she could put him down but something was telling her he was still to scared for that. Slow footsteps were taken until she came to the first crossing. Left or right. Which way did she go?
"Now is when I need your assistance.." she whispered quietly, trying to aim the broken mirror first around the right corner but only showed her other students up head. Did that mean it was safe? "There's others this way... maybe we sh-" Rusty leaped from her arms onto the ground, swiftly pulling her in the direction of the left path. "Hey! Easy, you'll hurt yourself!" Lia yelped in surprise, stumbling forward a little at the sudden tugging on her wrist, which the lead that held Rusty was wrapped around.
"Okay, okay, left it is.." she nearly laughed at the insistent tugging. "You're the leader. Go ahead." To the left they walk. Her strides at a more relaxed pace as she kept her wand held firmly in her grasp.
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Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Bread!
Seeing Quinn running towards them Dash his weasel let out a squeak. "Woah... Woah... Quinn slow down and take it easy before you get hurt. " Taking his mirror he looked around the corners looking at Ash as she casted the spell. "Okay... we should definitely mark not to go left!" Oh... Merlin was it running after them now? good grief, now they were dead.
As Dash was tugging him to go right Tadhg looked around corners with his mirror. "Quinn... right! Go right!" Was it too late for that? Probably so when the cockatrice was heading towards them. " Flipendo!" Was it going to work he didn't know but he had to help a friend. Avoiding eye contact, his blue eyes looked down at his mirror and then from Dash to Ash. "If we're going right we better go, we got more company then we bargained for."
With her newest friend cradled in her arms, Dahlia glanced around once again. Now what were they supposed to do? Were they on their on once they went inside the hedge maze? No, no that didn't seem right. Williamson wouldn't expect a first year that didn't know many spells yet to take on a Cockatrice all alone, did he?
Chewing at her bottom lip, she watched as a few others started to pair off into groups. Slowly she took in each classmate to see who was alone. Before she could even think about what she was doing, her small feet had her wander over to stand before the older boy with the really nice hair. "Hi, I'm Dahlia and this is.. uhhh... well I haven't come up with a name for him yet... " she wrinkled her nose up a little bit, giving a small nod at the weasel in her arms she had mentioned.
"Would it be okay if I tagged along with you? We don't have to actually be partners or anything if you don't want to... I just don't want to be by myself in there..." Great she was rambling like a little child. Way to prove yourself there, Lia. She was gonna shut up now before she said something really silly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyander
There was no time to waste in waiting on a reply for the older boy with the really nice hair. Professor Williamson was giving out more instructions and they needed to get moving. Fast. Somewhere inside this overgrown super large hedge maze was not one, not two... but THREE very young Cockatrice. That wasn't as super excitingly terrifying as a full grown one but she wouldn't die. Right?
Casting a quick glance over her shoulder at Gorgeous Hair BoyKale, she flashed him a small grin. "If you don't mind working with a first year, Rusty and I," she had finally come up with a name for the weasel in her arms, "we'll be heading inside now. It's okay if you want to." Lia wouldn't be upset by that. Maybe. Either way it was time to move.
So with a very frightened Rusty tucked tightly in her arm, held against her chest, Dahlia entered the maze. Right away she pulled the broken shard of mirror from her pocket to hold in her hand, her other hand now occupied by her wand. Whatever was going to happen, she had to be as ready as possible.
"Okay Rusty, I won't put you down... put you have to help me. Move in my arms or a squeak or something to tell me which way to go." It would be really helpful if she could put him down but something was telling her he was still to scared for that. Slow footsteps were taken until she came to the first crossing. Left or right. Which way did she go?
"Now is when I need your assistance.." she whispered quietly, trying to aim the broken mirror first around the right corner but only showed her other students up head. Did that mean it was safe? "There's others this way... maybe we sh-" Rusty leaped from her arms onto the ground, swiftly pulling her in the direction of the left path. "Hey! Easy, you'll hurt yourself!" Lia yelped in surprise, stumbling forward a little at the sudden tugging on her wrist, which the lead that held Rusty was wrapped around.
"Okay, okay, left it is.." she nearly laughed at the insistent tugging. "You're the leader. Go ahead." To the left they walk. Her strides at a more relaxed pace as she kept her wand held firmly in her grasp.
Admittedly, Kale hadn't really heard what Dahlia had first said when she meandered over looking for a partner. The fifth year was still looking back at Phoebe as she was attended to by adults. Gosh. He hated these masked dudes.
Pain wasn't instructive, bro. It just hurt.
He nodded along to Dahlia, blindingly agreeing with whatever she suggested, as he suited up, but only when she took off did the fifth year belated register all of her words. OH YEAH. Class. Their task. Oof. He had to stop getting distracted. It was going to get him hurt. Or, uh, more hurt.
Tumbling after Dahlia and her weasel, Kale called, "Hey! Wait up!"
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CoMC Lesson 1: The Cockatrice 
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