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Kolyander · #1 (**permalink**) 05-25-2025, 09:03 PM

The air was mildly chilly this afternoon and a gentle breeze ruffled any leaves that still clung to the trees. No one need worry about being cold though for as soon as they reached where Professor Paton stood out in the pastures they would notice a nice increase in temperature. Warming charms were evenly spread out across the area ensuring comfort for the students and the creatures behind her.

Plenty of chairs were set up neatly in front of Hadleigh for everyone to sit on should the choose. Beside her was the usual whiteboard with the words "Feel free to have a look inside the enclosure but do not go inside yet" written on it. Behind her was the main attraction however. An overly large enclosure that could be walked right up to and looked into. The walls of the enclosure weren't very high at all, a student could easily step over it to enter inside, though that wouldn't be needed as there is a door.

As for what is inside this enclosure... Nifflers! Take a look or have a seat, that's up to the student.

OOC: Hello hello! Welcome to CoMC! Please remember this may be our first lesson of the term together BUT it's not the students. We are only getting started, students can have a seat OR checkout the Nifflers!
Please label your posts with your students name and house xD

WhittyBitty · 05-25-2025, 09:16 PM

It was slightly chilly out, so Aurora was very pleased when she reached the part of the pastures where the lesson was held. Warming charms were wonderful things and she was very happy to be away from the chill. ”Hello, Professor Paton!” Rory was very fond of her, and had known her for pretty much her entire life seeing as she was close friends with her mother since Hogwarts. She was also the mother of one of Rory’s oldest friends.

Spotting the whiteboard that stated they could either have a seat or look at what was in the enclosure, Aurora immediately knew what she was going to do. Without another thought she wandered over to the enclosure so she could have a peek inside.

Oooooh, Nifflers! How exciting!

FearlessLeader19 · 05-25-2025, 09:31 PM

Id was fully prepared for today’s CoMC lesson - in mind and physically - the latter meaning that he was all dressed as Professor Paton had instructed. This outfit was all set to get dirty, in whatever way that entailed. The chill didn’t even bother him as he happily skipped along beside Paul as they made their way to the pastures. “Hi, Professor!” the Gryffindor chirped, his usual way of greeting. Oh! And it was warm here! Good thing he hadn’t wanted to bundle himself up.

He headed off to take a seat but halfway to sitting, he saw the message on the board. “I’m going to take a look,’’ he said excitedly to his boyfriend. Id dropped his bag on the seat before scampering over to the enclosure, Paul close behind. “Hi, Rory!” he said after stepping through the door and spotting his friend. So… what was stashed in here? It had to be a creature, obv -

Idris grabbed Paul’s closest arm. “OHEMGEE, PAULLY!” he whispered excitedly. “It’s Nifflers!!!” By now, Id was shaking Paul’s arm so hard, it was clear he was having a cute aggression moment. A Niffler was no cat or kneazle but was just as cute.

Charely Potter · 05-26-2025, 01:59 AM

Paul was dressed in an old sweater and overalls, to compensate the chilly weather and he didn't mind that getting dirtied. Especially, compared to his school uniform as he arrived with Idris. "Hello, Professor." He said to Professor Paton, not quite as enthused, but happy enough to be here. He gave his lips tightened together as he tried to smile at his housemate, Aurora, in polite acknowledgement. Sorry, Rory, wasn't personal! He working towards being nice.

Then Paul ~~was pulled~~ walked over to the enclosure as well to see the Nifflers. He fought the urge to smile at the excitement, the Nifflers were pretty cute looking. Even if he wouldn't admit it aloud. "They look happy to be here."

badger_boy_93 · 05-26-2025, 02:56 PM

Xerxes made his way out of the castle and down the sweeping lawn. He made his way over the wide open pasture where Care of Magical Creatures lessons took place. As he entered the outer most boundary of the clearing, a warm mass of air passed over his body. It was kind of like slipping into a warm bath. The feeling was pleasant and very comforting.

Xerxes walked over to the spot within the pasture where other students were already congregating. There were many chairs spread out in a large semi- circle, a quite unusual white board, and an enclosure with a low fence. As he approached the fence, he could just see about dozen or so small black creatures with long snouts and large very flat front paws (like spades). They appeared to be......diving.......into and out from the dirt. This was very strange behavior as far as Xerxes was concerned, for dirt was usually stubbornly solid. Why now then would the dirt suddenly start exhibiting the characteristics of water or some other malleable liquid?

Putting this thought of this unusual occurrence out of his mind, Xerxes strolled over to the chairs. Before sitting down, he greeted his Professor. "Good Morning Professor Paton. I'm look forward to another exciting lesson. What are these delightful creatures?"

Kolyander · 05-26-2025, 08:56 PM

Ah, here they all come! There were the usual bright smiles, fingered waves, happy greetings and.. the not so enthusiastic greetings. They were all welcome to feel how they felt while in her lessons as long as respect for everyone and all creatures was given. Thankfully she had never really had to worry about any of that with her students.

"Hello, Miss Bay." Hadleigh smiled warmly. It was such a pleasure to be teaching the children of her own friends from her younger Hogwarts days as a student. A lot of the kids were certainly younger versions of their parents! Just like her own ambitious children.. speaking of which, there was Bry and of course Ary too!

What a cute pair the next two students were! "Good afternoon gentlemen. Ready for a fun lesson, yes?" The excitement in Idris' tone and the way he was shaking Paul's arm all about definitely told her that at least one of them was happy about the Nifflers being here today.

Hady's warm smile didn't fade in the slightest as more students arrived and gathered about. "Good day, Mister Cadwallader. I'm glad to hear that! There's so many different creatures to learn about .. like the ones here with us today. These special little ones are called Nifflers." And not to worry, they would get into why they look the way they do and how they can dig down into the ground so easily in just a bit.

Once Hady was sure no one else would be joining them, she looked around at those seated and those still with their attention on the Nifflers. "Alright everyone. Welcome to this afternoons Care of Magical Creatures lesson! As you all can see, it's no secret who we will be learning about." Her gaze shifted into the enclosure just in time to see a Niffler scurrying off to a hidey-hole with something shiny in its paws. "For those that do not know what these little fluffy creatures are, they are Nifflers. And we will be starting our lesson off by entering the enclosure either through the door carefully so as not to let any of them run out or by easily stepping right over the side here. Like so." With that said Professor Paton demonstrated this by stepping right over the side of the closure so she was standing inside of it. "Come now everyone. Come inside and join me and our new friends." She moved to stand beside the gate just in case anyone wanted to enter that way.

"Now we will be starting off a little differently today. Please take some time in observing and getting to know the Nifflers. You're all welcome to do this however you like. You may sit and watch them, interact with them nicely, this means you may pet them or hold them gently while sitting and playing with them. You may draw them if you like. Just enjoy being in here for a few minutes." Yes, no questions yet. They were all free to spend some time with the Nifflers.

OOC: Thanks for joining us! We're actually starting off with a mini activity! Get to know the Nifflers however your student is comfortable with doing so! That's it. The lesson will move on in 48 hours or so

FearlessLeader19 · 05-26-2025, 11:09 PM

“I sure am, Professor,’’ Id had confirmed to Paton. And indeed he was ready for this lesson. He just wished there would be another lesson on kneazles of kneazle cats. Anyway... Paul might not be as expressive with his emotions as he was but Id knew him well enough to recognise how significantly the Hufflepuff’s personality had changed. For example, Paul wasn’t glaring at everyone or spewing mean words. See? Progress! Id was so proud of him! “As happy as you are, perhaps,’’ the Gryffindor remarked, smiling widely.

The fourth year sure was pleased that he had made the decision to check out the enclosure, dragging Paul with him. They had to come over to the place anyway. Now they were really getting up close and personal with the Nifflers and Id just wanted to cling to Paul, to sink into more cute aggression but sadly he could do neither. So, Id contained the excess of his emotions but bounced on the soles of his feet continuously.

They got to interact with the Nifflers already? Id let out a little sound that could pass as a squeak of joy as he plopped himself down on the ground. Sitting crossed legged, he propped his chin on his palms and watched as the Nifflers went about their business: some burrowing, some sniffing here and there, some observing his classmates and one… jumping on his wrist trying to get at his silver-faced watch. “Hey! That’s mine!” the Gryffindor remarked laughing as the Niffler attempted to tug the watch off. He prodded it’s little belly gently. “No can’t do, Mister.”

Why was this so much fun?

WhittyBitty · 05-27-2025, 01:58 AM

Aurora beamed at Professor Paton then her attention was turned to Idris and Paul. ”Hey!” she pleasantly greeted the couple. Even though Paul seemed to be struggling to smile at her, she didn’t take it personally. She couldn’t help but be amused by the way Id dragged his boyfriend over to see the Nifflers. Clearly she wasn’t the only one who was excited to spend time with them.

It was slightly surprising that they were jumping right to spending time with the Nifflers. But Aurora was far from complaining. Instead she eagerly got right in the enclosure and sat down waiting eagerly for one of the little creatures to come her way. But in the meantime she was content in watching them.

When one did wander her way, she happily gave it some pets. Honestly she’d be happy just doing this all class. She was having so much fun with the Nifflers.

Spotting Id’s Niffler try to take his watch, she laughed. Yep, she was glad she hadn’t worn any jewelry today. Especially earrings. That would hurt.

Kolyander · 05-27-2025, 08:04 PM

The smallest of chuckles slipped past her lips as she saw Idris almost get his watch taken by one of the Nifflers. Now was as good a time as any for her to let the students know their items would all be safe should a Niffler get their little paws on anything. "Those of you that have chosen to interact with the Nifflers there are shiny toys around if you can manage to get a hold of them, that way you can play with them more effectively. And yes, as some of you may have noticed, they will try to take hold of anything shiny that they see. If they do manage to get anything you don't want them to have go ahead and distract them with something else and make a trade... Or I will get your items back before the lesson ends." Hadleigh wouldn't allow anyone to lose their things, that was never what a lesson was about.

Hady walked around the enclosure, casually stepping around two Nifflers that were darting about underfoot. Silly little creatures they were! "Take a few more minutes to get to know these furry little ones before we move on." They had a few things to go over before the real activity began!

Charely Potter · 05-27-2025, 08:11 PM

Paul was surprised that they'd be going inside so soon, not that he was complaining, cutting the anticipation was always welcome. He set his bag down to the side out of reach from the enclosure entrance. He was even offering an arm out for anyone nearby so he can set their bags down too. Nifflers were very persistent, after all.

Paul slipped in quickly after Idris with Aurora before he settled down at a spot. He watched the Nifflers roam about before one went over to Idris. "Do you want to take that back outside?" He had a feeling that won't be the only Niffler trying to get at Idris' watch. "I can hold onto the Niffler if you're afraid to leave them." He knew all too well how attached they got with the creatures, especially cuddlily looking ones.

Just then Professor Paton acknowledged the chances of them losing their items, but she did promise to return them if a Niffler made off with them. Thankfully, he took out his earrings before attending the lesson. The image of Nifflers yanking them out of his ears conjured a painful thought. "Do they have names, yet, Professor?" He asked just as one came over sniffing for gold on him. Sorry, Niffler, he was fresh out of anything valuable.

badger_boy_93 · 05-27-2025, 09:18 PM

Xerxes stepped over the low fence, into the enclosure. He walked a few steps toward the center and proceeded to sit down. Immediately, several Nifflers scurried up to him and began to sniff every inch of his body they could reach. He stuck out his hand and held it in the air, giving the creatures the opportunity to smell his hand before making contact. Xerxes did not want to startle or frighten them. After a few moments, the Nifflers seemed comfortable, so he risked a gentle pat on one of their backs. The creature made a high pitched mewling noise and rubbed its head into the hand that was petting him.

Then, without warning, one of the Nifflers jumped up and went for one of the buttons on his school robes. Xerxes was momentarily taken aback, but purposefully remained still. The creature played with the button and seemed to be attempting to rip it off. Xerxes simply laughed and gave a weak chuckle.

Xerxes turned and saw another one of the Nifflers put its spade-like paws on his leg and stick its snout into his pocket. There was nothing there so the creature extracted his head, looking disappointed. The Niffler seemed to rally quickly though, for it immediately then crawled up his arm and onto his shoulder. The fur rubbing against his neck ticked a little. Xerxes gave a squirm and laughed.

littledhampir · 05-27-2025, 09:33 PM

As soon as Elena had arrived she had of course taken a peek into the enclosure. And was delighted at what she found inside. The furry little creatures were so cute! She knew that she had seen a picture of them in her textbook before, but she couldn't remember what they were called.

As soon as they were given permission to enter the enclosure, Elena was eager to do so. She chose to go through the gate rather than over the wall, because her legs were rather short and she wasn't extremely confident in her ability to clamber over the wall in her school uniform. She was careful to slip quickly through the gate so that none of the creatures, which she now knew were called nifflers, could escape. Once inside she moved a few feet away from the gate and sat herself down on the ground to get closer to the nifflers. Right away, a couple of them made their way over to her curiously. Elena giggled as they climbed over her and onto her lap. Their little noses nudged at her, sniffing away, but apparently didn't find what they were looking for. Elena glanced up at the professor when she mentioned that the nifflers liked to try to take anything shiny. Luckily Elena didn't have anything like that on her at the moment. She did look around for some of the shiny toys though, so that she could play with them.

FearlessLeader19 · 05-28-2025, 12:50 AM

Despite the persistence of the ‘attacking’ Niffler, Id was somehow having the time of his life. He didn’t even mind that Aurora was laughing at him; he knew she wasn’t doing it in a bad way. In his excitement when he first laid eyes on the Nifflers, he had quite forgotten to remove his watch. But no harm was done! He managed to gently grab his new friend though it kept wriggling in his grasp in its bid for freedom. “Here, Paully. Hang onto him, please. I’ll be right back!” Id didn’t want to put Professor Paton through the trouble of having to track down his watch, using magic or not.

Climbing to his feet, the fourth year hurried out of the enclosure to drop his watch in his bag, which he had left at the seat he had intended on taking. He was back in the enclosure a minute later where he sidled up beside Paul. “Want us to bond with this little guy or do you want to try having one come to you?” Id hoped it was the former but he would be okay with whatever the other guy decided.

Kolyander · 05-28-2025, 11:21 PM

Paton watched as Idris removed his watch and brought it out to his bag while having Paul hold onto one of the Nifflers. An approving smile and nod was given at them both. Better safe than sorry when keeping things safe from little paws. "Wonderful question, Mister Rocker. They do not
and that is because... You lot will be allowed to name them! So think about it and name them what you wish." This may very well have been part of the reason she had asked them all to interact with and get to know the Nifflers.

These students though... Without any information regarding the Nifflers had no hesitation with getting into the enclosure. They all made her heart so proud watching each of them be so careful and understanding of the creatures before them. This is exactly why she loved teaching! As much as she would love to let them continue playing with the Nifflers she did need to continue with her lesson.

"Now I have a couple of questions for you all. No need to get up and stop bonding with your new buddy, you all can remain where you are. What I would like to know simply from over the last few minutes spending time with these nifflers is... What can you tell me about them? How are they different from some of the other creatures that we house in the barn?" These were very simple and completely open-ended questions completely based off of what the students experienced since the start of this lesson.

OOC: We're onto our first questions! There are no wrong answers here! Its all based on the student and what they're interactions are like with the Nifflers! XD

FearlessLeader19 · 05-29-2025, 12:58 AM

They got to name the Nifflers?!

How exciting!!!

He nudged Paul lightly. “Any ideas? I like Squishy. He can be our Squishy!” he said, resisting the urge to squeeze his boyfriend’s hand again. It would be quite lovely if they were actually allowed to keep the Niffler Paul held but Id knew how destructive they could be. Id’s mama Bea would not appreciate it tearing up their house. But since she loved him so much, he doubted she’d be mad at him for long. Or at all.

The Gryffindor’s hand shot up at Professor Paton’s question. “They’re incredibly persistent in trying to get the object they set their minds on.” This can be both an advantage or a disadvantage; he suspected humans look at it as the latter while the nifflers saw it as the former.

WhittyBitty · 05-29-2025, 02:52 AM

Ooooh, they got to name the Nifflers!

This was very exciting, and Aurora would definitely have to give it some thought. She wanted to choose a good name. As she thought about it, she heard Id mention Squishy. She beamed and couldn’t help but say, ”I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy.” She did enjoy her muggle movies and using references.

Professor Paton began talking again, and Aurora listened carefully as she continued to give the niffler some love. She raised the hand that wasn’t petting it and said, ”They can also be very destructive in their search for shiny objects.”

badger_boy_93 · 05-29-2025, 05:59 PM

Xerxes thought for a moment. He tried to compare and contrast these creatures with the other ones he had studied in class. “Well, Nifflers seem very cuddly. They also seem to be virtually fearless. Often, magical beasts are weary of humans, at least at first. But these Nifflers are completely without hesitation. They just come right up to you.”

Xerxes continued to pet and play with the Nifflers as he answered. He then sat and listened to the other students as they gave their answers.

Kolyander · 05-29-2025, 11:15 PM

Indeed they would be able to. All in do time sweet students. They would all get a chance to name the Nifflers they had befriended this afternoon. And speaking of names.. did she just hear the suggestion from Idris that she thought she did? Oh, my! She most certainly had! The only thing cuter was Rory continuing the movie line. How precious these kids all were!

Ahem.. yes. They had moved on and questions had been asked. "They absolutely are extremely persistent in their pursue for shiny things! Nifflers will gather everything and anything shiny and keep it in the pouch on their belly's or hide it away in safe places like their underground tunnels." Hady responded to both Idris and Rory. Smart little creatures Nifflers were!

Nod nod. "They are great for cuddling if they allow it. This is true, many creatures are quite weary of humans but when approached calmly and with respect most do come around. As for the Nifflers here today, they are still rather young which helps with them being more outgoing and curious about everything around them." A warm smile was given to Xerxes.

Not seeing anymore hands in the air, it was time to move on. "What about a Nifflers appearance? How might their appearance help them out? What might their fluffy fur, long flattish snout and webbed paws do for them?" Many magical creatures looked the way they did to help them survive and the Niffler was no exception.

OOC: We're moving on again! The next set of questions is all about how the Nifflers appearance may help them survive! We'll move on in about 24 hours.

FearlessLeader19 · 05-30-2025, 12:58 AM

OHEMGEE!

Rory knew Finding Nemo!!! Idris threw his friend a big grin. “He shall be my Squishy,’’ he echoed, his enthusiasm doubling. He needed to let Rory know that he was all for them having a Finding Nemo movie date sometime soon. How exciting that would be! He bet they could both recite the movie’s line with near perfection.

Id lightly petted the Niffler as he considered Professor Paton’s next question. A minute later, his hand was in the air. “Their webbed paws could be super useful for tunneling.” The Gryffindor made his hands into claws and mimed digging away at imaginary dirt. “They could easily find shinies that way. And quickly too!”

littledhampir · 05-30-2025, 09:16 PM

They got to name the nifflers? That was a big decision. Elena peered closely at the one that was still sniffing around her, trying to find if she had anything shiny on her. She didn't feel confident enough to make a determination on what to name it, but she would keep thinking about it and come up with something before the end of the lesson. In the meantime, she tried to focus at least some of her brainpower on answering the question. She nodded thoughtfully when one of her classmates mentioned that their webbed paws could help for digging. Elena raised her hand to answer. "They look really cute, which makes people want to be around them so that they have more opportunities to steal shiny things."

WhittyBitty · 05-30-2025, 10:28 PM

Laughing, Aurora caught Id’s eyes. She loved his enthusiasm. It matched her own. She nodded happily and wondered if he was thinking what she was thinking. He probably was. She was going to have to talk with him after class and make some arrangements.

Another question was asked and after a moment of thought Rory raised her hand. ”Their black fur would provide them with great camouflage in the dark. Especially when they’re burrowing.”

badger_boy_93 · 05-30-2025, 10:30 PM

Xerxes raised his hand, “Well, their flat paws help them dig underground and move throughout the dirt once they are down there. And their snouts, I imagine, would assist them in sniffing out both food and other shiny objects”.

Kolyander · 05-31-2025, 01:02 PM

"Very good Mister Grunt. A Nifflers webbed feet do exactly that. Once they have their mind set on an item or they think an item is hidden in a certain spot they will dig using their webbed feet to do exactly that." The class would get to see the Nifflers in action very soon.

Hadleigh smiled at Elena and nodded. "They are extremely cute and while some may want to own one for that very reason.." Shinnies could be extremely valuable! "Not everyone wants a Niffler for collecting shiny things. Some want them simply because they are cute and cuddly, they don't realize what a huge responsibility owning one is and how destructive they can be." As with any creature it was always best to know everything possible about them before owning one.

There was a firm nod at Rory's answer. "Absolutely! They are easily hidden in the dark thanks to their black fur. Being able to blend in with their surroundings also keeps them safe from larger creatures." Such great answers the students were giving her.

There was one last hand raised. "They sure can. Those webbed paws are like little shovels attached to their feet making it super easy for them to dig tunnels and burrow underground while searching for shiny items or simply to rest. And like many creatures having a much stronger sense of smell is important for survival. Their snouts are perfect for sniffing out whatever they are looking for." Be that shiny things or something to munch on.

With the warmest of smiles and a gentle clap of her hands to signal that they were moving on, Hady leaned lightly against one of the walls to the closure. "Now that we all have a better understanding of Nifflers and how they use their feet and snouts to their advantage we will be moving swiftly along onto today's activity!" Were they all ready?! "First things first, I would like for you all to come up and choose a collar and quill in which you will write down your Nifflers name before putting the collar on them." From the pocket of her robes Hady pulled out a variety of colored and patterned collars along with several quills. "Once everyone has done this we are all going to play a little game with the Nifflers." By 'us' she meant the students. This was for their entertainment and meant to be not only a learning experience but fun as well.

Hady paused to give them all time to get the items she was holding and complete the task. "Once everyone is finished a game of hide and seek is what we will be playing! You are welcome to work together in small groups with a Niffler or alone with a Niffler, the choice is yours."

OOC: It's time for our main activity! The first step is giving the Nifflers a name and writing it down on a collar which the Niffler will wear

FearlessLeader19 · 05-31-2025, 01:40 PM

It was why he and Rory got along so well, that matching enthusiasm and love for everything. Then again, anyone with a personality like theirs could get along with everyone. Yes, please! That movie date needed to happen! As Professor Paton confirmed his answer, it only helped Id’s good mood along {if that were even possible since it seemed his mood was at its peak at the moments}.

Happily, he went to collect a collar and quill. To his delight, there was a red and yellow patterned one, which perfectly represented him and Paul because of their respective Houses. He took the two items back over to his boyfriend, beaming in the process. “It goes without saying we’re working together,” he chirped. Id wasn’t about to extend a verbal invitation to anyone in case Paul wanted to avoid having further interactions with them. “Let me just write our new buddy’s name and collar him…”

WhittyBitty · 05-31-2025, 10:07 PM

It was activity time!

Playing hide and seek with the Nifflers sounded like a lot of fun. Aurora wasted no time in going to collect a collar and quill. She chose a collar that had different shades of blue on it because she thought it looked pretty. After a moment of thought, she wrote ‘Shiny’ on the collar. She liked it and she thought that it went well with Squishy. Maybe the Nifflers could be friends.

That done, Rory made her way over to where Idris and Paul were. ”Can I team up with you?” She knew that Idris would be happy to since they were friends, but she wasn’t as sure about Paul. He may not be in the mood to work with anyone else. Rory didn’t take it personally though. She knew that he didn’t mean anything bad by it, that was just the way he was. And she was sure there was a reason for it.

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