JT left the snake den with his backpack ready with his comc textbook and writing materials. It was nice to go outside after having several classes indoors. Fresh air always cheered him up so it was with a spring in his step that, the tall fifth year boy some minutes later arrived and ducked under the canopy. "Good day Professor Menon!" JT greeted with a smile, and a wave before going over to stand behind one of the vacant desks. Hopefully this class was going to be about some interesting creature like dragons or merpeople.

What a nice day to be outside for a lesson. Aurora enjoyed the petrichor in the air after yesterday’s rain as she made her way over to where the Care of Magical Creatures lesson was taking place. This was one of the classes she enjoyed most, and while she had been sad about Professor Paton leaving, she did like Professor Menon.

Entering under the canopy she smiled. ”Hello, Professor.” Aurora was curious about what the lesson was going to be about. She was always looking forward to spending time with the different creatures. ”Hey, JT.” He got a smile as well as she made her way over to one of the desks, standing behind it.

The feelings that he was in the homestretch of his final ever CoMC lessons had finally caught up with Ary. But rather than dwelling on sadness, he chose to remind himself that he’d simply make the best of what was left of the subject’s - and all the others he took - curriculum. Which was why he flamboyantly made his way in the direction of the Sanctuary, with Jan beside him. Just two besties about to soak in all the knowledge together for the zillionth time!

Menon got a finger wiggle-wave, sure the man was going to be bombarded with kneazle-cat questions once Idris arrived. In fact, Ary wouldn’t be surprised if Jan’s brother asked to pet the creatures before the lesson started. Acknowledging the other students there with another one of his usual greetings, he went to stand at a desk beside Rory’s. He poked her in the process on the arm before looking around for signs of today’s topic.

She had been spending more time out at the Sanctuary than anywhere else lately, aside from the usual lessons. In her mind, it was preparation for once she took over at the Groves, plus she just loved being around the creatures. Arienne had even been bringing her NEWT study materials out to study amongst the creatures, especially the winged horses. However, it had been one of the rare instances of her not having been there, as she had been seen making her way over from the castle, quickly tying her hair up so it would be out of the way of whichever creatures they’d be learning about this lesson.

Upon arrival, the seventh year had given the professor a smile as she selected a desk on the opposite side of Aurora from Aryan. “Good day Professor”, she greeted him, before turning to give her housemate and her fellow seventh year a smile in greeting as well, although otherwise staying quiet. NO need to startle anyone, after all. Even if it wasn’t outwardly obvious what the topic for the lesson was going to be.

It was TIME for her most FAVORTIST class!

"Heya, hiya, professor!" Bria practically bounced into the area, ponytail springing with every enthusiastic step and her satchel swinging dangerously close to whacking her knee or another person. A does of Elixir to Induce Euphoria? Nah, this was just how she always attended Care of Magical Creatures classes. Her gaze flitted eagerly around the room, searching for signs of nests, feathers, or even a single speckled egg that might give away today's topic - she was manifesting here, okay?.

Sliding into her seat, Bria couldn't quite sit still. Her quill was already poised over a blank sheet of parchment, though she naturally hadn’t the faintest idea what to write yet and if her fingers and eagerness were left idle for too much longer she was probably going to start doodle and then she would be out of parchment because this was one of her last pieces and she was rationing it. Starting with the date would be practical, but doing so had entirely slipped her mind at the moment. "Come oooooon something with feathers today…" she murmured to herself, as though her whispered hope might somehow coax a crate of baby hippogriffs or phoenix chicks into existence - it was a big bummer she was missing the arrival of baby creatures on the sanctuary so she had her fingers AND toes crossed for this lesson. Manifesting.

Adrian was in a mood. A mood that had him dragging his feet through the loud castle and to class - all the while ignoring everyone as he made it to a corner desk to stand by. He would have liked to stay in bed today but he was rarely getting anything he wanted these days. The spring air outside didn’t help much. It was too bright, too warm, too… cheerful. All it did was make the ache in his chest worse, the kind that smelled like wet pavement after rain and home-cooked food from a place he wasn’t going back to anytime soon.

He’d told himself he didn’t miss home, just the silence that came with it. But that was a lie, and he was tired of pretending he didn’t know it. Leaning against one of the desks under the canopy, he picked at a loose thread on his sleeve and tried not to think about the way things had blown up with Minerva over winter break. The shouting. The slammed doors. But as he failed miserably to do so, he exhaled sharply and glanced toward the edge of the Sanctuary to distract himself. The smell of damp grass and animal pens was not exactly inviting. “Great,” he muttered under his breath, voice dry. “Exactly what I need. A lesson with extra manure.”

Text Cut: Greetings

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

JT left the snake den with his backpack ready with his comc textbook and writing materials. It was nice to go outside after having several classes indoors. Fresh air always cheered him up so it was with a spring in his step that, the tall fifth year boy some minutes later arrived and ducked under the canopy. "Good day Professor Menon!" JT greeted with a smile, and a wave before going over to stand behind one of the vacant desks. Hopefully this class was going to be about some interesting creature like dragons or merpeople.

"Good day, Mr. Forsfelle." Kraetos said. Cheerful lad, he was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhittyBitty

What a nice day to be outside for a lesson. Aurora enjoyed the petrichor in the air after yesterday’s rain as she made her way over to where the Care of Magical Creatures lesson was taking place. This was one of the classes she enjoyed most, and while she had been sad about Professor Paton leaving, she did like Professor Menon.

Entering under the canopy she smiled. ”Hello, Professor.” Aurora was curious about what the lesson was going to be about. She was always looking forward to spending time with the different creatures. ”Hey, JT.” He got a smile as well as she made her way over to one of the desks, standing behind it.

"Hello, Miss Bay." He said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

The feelings that he was in the homestretch of his final ever CoMC lessons had finally caught up with Ary. But rather than dwelling on sadness, he chose to remind himself that he’d simply make the best of what was left of the subject’s - and all the others he took - curriculum. Which was why he flamboyantly made his way in the direction of the Sanctuary, with Jan beside him. Just two besties about to soak in all the knowledge together for the zillionth time!

Menon got a finger wiggle-wave, sure the man was going to be bombarded with kneazle-cat questions once Idris arrived. In fact, Ary wouldn’t be surprised if Jan’s brother asked to pet the creatures before the lesson started. Acknowledging the other students there with another one of his usual greetings, he went to stand at a desk beside Rory’s. He poked her in the process on the arm before looking around for signs of today’s topic.

He nodded, acknowledging the Slytherin lad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

She had been spending more time out at the Sanctuary than anywhere else lately, aside from the usual lessons. In her mind, it was preparation for once she took over at the Groves, plus she just loved being around the creatures. Arienne had even been bringing her NEWT study materials out to study amongst the creatures, especially the winged horses. However, it had been one of the rare instances of her not having been there, as she had been seen making her way over from the castle, quickly tying her hair up so it would be out of the way of whichever creatures they’d be learning about this lesson.

Upon arrival, the seventh year had given the professor a smile as she selected a desk on the opposite side of Aurora from Aryan. “Good day Professor”, she greeted him, before turning to give her housemate and her fellow seventh year a smile in greeting as well, although otherwise staying quiet. NO need to startle anyone, after all. Even if it wasn’t outwardly obvious what the topic for the lesson was going to be.

"Good day, Miss Morgenstern." He said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

It was TIME for her most FAVORTIST class!

"Heya, hiya, professor!" Bria practically bounced into the area, ponytail springing with every enthusiastic step and her satchel swinging dangerously close to whacking her knee or another person. A does of Elixir to Induce Euphoria? Nah, this was just how she always attended Care of Magical Creatures classes. Her gaze flitted eagerly around the room, searching for signs of nests, feathers, or even a single speckled egg that might give away today's topic - she was manifesting here, okay?.

Sliding into her seat, Bria couldn't quite sit still. Her quill was already poised over a blank sheet of parchment, though she naturally hadn’t the faintest idea what to write yet and if her fingers and eagerness were left idle for too much longer she was probably going to start doodle and then she would be out of parchment because this was one of her last pieces and she was rationing it. Starting with the date would be practical, but doing so had entirely slipped her mind at the moment. "Come oooooon something with feathers today…" she murmured to herself, as though her whispered hope might somehow coax a crate of baby hippogriffs or phoenix chicks into existence - it was a big bummer she was missing the arrival of baby creatures on the sanctuary so she had her fingers AND toes crossed for this lesson. Manifesting.

"Hello, Miss Ashburry-Hawthorne." He said. Not fazed by their bounciness, reminded him of another specific Gryffindor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

Adrian was in a mood. A mood that had him dragging his feet through the loud castle and to class - all the while ignoring everyone as he made it to a corner desk to stand by. He would have liked to stay in bed today, but he was rarely getting anything he wanted these days. The spring air outside didn’t help much. It was too bright, too warm, too… cheerful. All it did was make the ache in his chest worse, the kind that smelled like wet pavement after rain and home-cooked food from a place he wasn’t going back to anytime soon.

He’d told himself he didn’t miss home, just the silence that came with it. But that was a lie, and he was tired of pretending he didn’t know it. Leaning against one of the desks under the canopy, he picked at a loose thread on his sleeve and tried not to think about the way things had blown up with Minerva over winter break. The shouting. The slammed doors. But as he failed miserably to do so, he exhaled sharply and glanced toward the edge of the Sanctuary to distract himself. The smell of damp grass and animal pens was not exactly inviting. “Great,” he muttered under his breath, voice dry. “Exactly what I need. A lesson with extra manure.”

Whether he looked in his direction or not, he got a nod of acknowledgement. Judging by his posture and dragging feet, this lad could use a bit of a pick-me-up.

"Welcome back, everyone." Menon said. "Per usual, if you managed to step in something on the way, you can use the cleaning spell on your shoes now." Giving them time to do so or ask a neighbor for help. "Right. Today we'll be playing a little game with today's set of creatures. Before we get to that though, can anyone share an animal they know to be extinct or close to? This can be either magical or non-magical."

---
OOC: Welcome, everyone! Class has officially started, so new posters can join in as if they’ve been here to avoid IC late arrival consequences. The next post will be around 24 hours from now.

Once Ary spotted his fellow seventh year - Arienne - moving to take a seat not far from him, he gave her a smile. It then occurred to him just how much he’d miss seeing a lot of these faces after he graduated. Anyway. He had perhaps developed a knack for mostly evading animal poop thanks to life on the family Reserve. Thankfully, today was also one of those days that the habit worked in his favour.

The Slytherin thought carefully on the question, mentally checking off animals that he thought or knew were sadly extinct or sadly about to be. Only then did he raise a hand and waited to be called on. “The Diricawl, a bird native to Mauritius, is not exactly extinct but Muggles, who know them as ‘Dodos’, believe them to be. That's most likely because the birds can Apparate at will and possibly. They most likely did so to avoid danger and well... were never to be seen again by the Muggles.”

With the professor's encouragement, Ember muttered a discreet, quiet "Scourgify" on her shoe, and now it was clean of animal poo. Hopefully no one had seen her accidentally step in it when she had arrived before class began. There was just...so much going on in her head these days, things that had become harder to ignore, that she'd forgotten to be more careful about where she stepped. Her face was warm with embarrassment, even if nobody had noticed.

The lesson beginning was a good distraction though. She was determined to focus.

"Um, there's the woolly mammoth," she said after raising her hand. "They've been extinct for thousands of years, unfortunately." And it was a shame because she would've liked to see one herself.

Mary-Lou had been sitting in silence. She was still finding everything strange and felt nervous. She was trying her best to come out of her shell a little, but she still couldn’t get used to all these unusual lessons. Now they were talking about animals close to extinction. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but she raised her hand.

“Aren’t the Galápagos tortoises nearly extinct? When the Europeans found them on an island, they kept trying to take them back with them—but they discovered the tortoises were delicious and ended up eating them instead of returning with them.”

With that, she waited for the next person to speak. She didn’t want to add anything else—she was far too nervous for that.

And there was her annoying older brother. Aurora rolled her eyes and playfully poked him back. Arienne got a friendly smile when she took her place on the opposite side of her from Ary. She was happy to spend this class time with them both, since they would be graduating after this term. It was sad to think of, so it was something that she didn’t like to dwell on.

As Adrian took his place, Aurora saw how clearly unhappy he was. It made her frown wifh concern. She hoped that whatever was wrong, he would be okay soon. Hopefully the lesson would cheer his spirits. In her opinion it was hard to be unhappy when surrounded by creatures.

Since she hadn’t stepped in anything on her way to class, Aurora didn’t need to clean her shoes. Instead she listened as the lesson began and raised her hand to answer the first question. ”The golden snidget was almost hunted to extinction. At one point it was believed by some that they were extinct, but they aren’t. They’re just really rare now and are a protected species.” It was horrible what people could do to creatures.

FAVORTIST class, LEAST favorite topic.

Some of the pep in her (seated) step was lost as the lesson began. Extinct or nearly extinct creatures was not just a tragic topic on a global scale, but it was a very sensitive one to the blonde considering the sanctuary her parents started and the same one she had grown up in and called home, surrounded by magical creatures in need of care, refuge, and protection. While the majority of the time mum and dad were not taking in endangered creatures, the poor things had found their way temporarily to the sanctuary before mum and dad passed them along to the institutions and people better equipped to handle those needs. The scariest of those had been a Romanian Longhorn hatchling - scary not because it was a dragon but because of what people had been capable of doing to the poor thing. Humans, non-magical AND wizarding, were the absolute worst curse on the planet capable of being physical manifestations of Dark magic. Sometimes, everyday was a reminder of humanity's WORST instincts and her joy in being surrounded by creatures sometimes had her forgetting this. The sanctuary had been a lifeline for these special hearts, but that didn't make the stories of harm they'd endured any easier to swallow.

But… Bria refused to let the sadness swallow her up and took her time reflecting on stories dad and grampy had shared with her. She thought of grampy, still working tirelessly with grannie to protect the Stubby Purple Coral colonies - something Bria didn’t know nearly as much about as she did creatures but understood to be incredibly important. If the corals went extinct, entire ecosystems would collapse. Just like extinct creatures impacted their ecosystems.

So uuuuuuuuuuuup went her hand and ramble did she do once it was her turn to speak. "There were these flightless birds called the Moa once..." Bria started, her voice filled with enthusiasm, and her eyes wide as she leaned forward in her seat. "...they were native to New Zealand and they were absolutely crucial when it came to the vegetation. They grazed on a wide range of plants...kept everything balanced, you know? So without them grazing, there was an overgrowth of some and I think maybe some plant species were even lost because the Moa were gone," her hands were waving now, by the way, and her words were coming fast, "because of humans, by the way, who hunted them into extinction. Because the Moa were gone, other animal species ALSO went extinct...like the Haast’s eagle."

Birds! She had things to say about Golden Snidgets and Diricawl TOO, but since those were already mentioned it was for the best she show some restraint. Though she was hoping to go help on the Colchester Golden Snidget Sanctuary next break and see how some of the broken winged ones mum and her had brought over were doing - and hopefully they would remember her too!

And, no, she wasn't quite done speaking - though someone may want to get her a soap box for this next bit. Surely her eagerness wouldn't bother anyone, right?

"It is really awful, extinction and near extinction," Bria said, her voice turning a little more serious but not lower in volume. "Birds, in particular, are CRUCIAL for spreading seeds around. Without them, plants could struggle to even grow and that means there's less plant diversity and then it ripples out! Fewer plants means fewer creatures, and it all goes downhill from there, doesn't it?" Her hands were in the air again - though they hadn't been down for very long either. "But it’s not just that because birds are also predators and prey. Take them out of the food chain and suddenly eeeeeeeeeeeverything is out of whack. AND their poop is also super important too! Essential for nutrient cycling!"

So, really, people ought to be grateful when a bird pooped on them! And all that dung and manure you smelled or stepped in a blessing! Inspiring, even!

While the rest of the class was still arriving, Adrian had busied himself nudging a bit of dirt off his boot with the tip of his wand. Just needing something to keep himself distracted. It was ... annoying, really. Muttering the cleaning charm under his breath more out of habit than care, Adrian tried to listen in -- and surely the mention of “extinct creatures” tugged his attention just enough to make him glance up.

“Thestrals,” he said after a pause, voice steady but low. “Not extinct, exactly. But rare enough people forget they exist unless they’ve got a reason to see one.” His dark eyes flicked toward the edge of the clearing, as if expecting one to appear just to prove him right.

Text Cut: Responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Once Ary spotted his fellow seventh year - Arienne - moving to take a seat not far from him, he gave her a smile. It then occurred to him just how much he’d miss seeing a lot of these faces after he graduated. Anyway. He had perhaps developed a knack for mostly evading animal poop thanks to life on the family Reserve. Thankfully, today was also one of those days that the habit worked in his favour.

The Slytherin thought carefully on the question, mentally checking off animals that he thought or knew were sadly extinct or sadly about to be. Only then did he raise a hand and waited to be called on. “The Diricawl, a bird native to Mauritius, is not exactly extinct but Muggles, who know them as ‘Dodos’, believe them to be. That's most likely because the birds can Apparate at will and possibly. They most likely did so to avoid danger and well... were never to be seen again by the Muggles.”

"That's right." Kraetos said, a hint of a smirk. It was like the student read his mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl

With the professor's encouragement, Ember muttered a discreet, quiet "Scourgify" on her shoe, and now it was clean of animal poo. Hopefully no one had seen her accidentally step in it when she had arrived before class began. There was just...so much going on in her head these days, things that had become harder to ignore, that she'd forgotten to be more careful about where she stepped. Her face was warm with embarrassment, even if nobody had noticed.

The lesson beginning was a good distraction though. She was determined to focus.

"Um, there's the woolly mammoth," she said after raising her hand. "They've been extinct for thousands of years, unfortunately." And it was a shame because she would've liked to see one herself.

"Yes." Kraetos said. "I believe some Muggles are still working on reviving them."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weasley174

Mary-Lou had been sitting in silence. She was still finding everything strange and felt nervous. She was trying her best to come out of her shell a little, but she still couldn’t get used to all these unusual lessons. Now they were talking about animals close to extinction. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but she raised her hand.

“Aren’t the Galápagos tortoises nearly extinct? When the Europeans found them on an island, they kept trying to take them back with them—but they discovered the tortoises were delicious and ended up eating them instead of returning with them.”

With that, she waited for the next person to speak. She didn’t want to add anything else—she was far too nervous for that.

"Correct, though there are projects still active in keeping them around as long as possible." He said. "The tricky thing is even with magical help, cloning DNA is among the top advanced set of magic, making it controversial to even attempt."

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhittyBitty

And there was her annoying older brother. Aurora rolled her eyes and playfully poked him back. Arienne got a friendly smile when she took her place on the opposite side of her from Ary. She was happy to spend this class time with them both, since they would be graduating after this term. It was sad to think of, so it was something that she didn’t like to dwell on.

As Adrian took his place, Aurora saw how clearly unhappy he was. It made her frown wifh concern. She hoped that whatever was wrong, he would be okay soon. Hopefully the lesson would cheer his spirits. In her opinion it was hard to be unhappy when surrounded by creatures.

Since she hadn’t stepped in anything on her way to class, Aurora didn’t need to clean her shoes. Instead she listened as the lesson began and raised her hand to answer the first question. ”The golden snidget was almost hunted to extinction. At one point it was believed by some that they were extinct, but they aren’t. They’re just really rare now and are a protected species.” It was horrible what people could do to creatures.

"That's correct." He said. "Reservations currently are in the process of protecting them, but their rarity seems to entice poachers." He was generally a realist, but cute ones like Snidgets have him thinking more optimistic on their future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

FAVORTIST class, LEAST favorite topic.

Some of the pep in her (seated) step was lost as the lesson began. Extinct or nearly extinct creatures was not just a tragic topic on a global scale, but it was a very sensitive one to the blonde considering the sanctuary her parents started and the same one she had grown up in and called home, surrounded by magical creatures in need of care, refuge, and protection. While the majority of the time mum and dad were not taking in endangered creatures, the poor things had found their way temporarily to the sanctuary before mum and dad passed them along to the institutions and people better equipped to handle those needs. The scariest of those had been a Romanian Longhorn hatchling - scary not because it was a dragon but because of what people had been capable of doing to the poor thing. Humans, non-magical AND wizarding, were the absolute worst curse on the planet capable of being physical manifestations of Dark magic. Sometimes, everyday was a reminder of humanity's WORST instincts and her joy in being surrounded by creatures sometimes had her forgetting this. The sanctuary had been a lifeline for these special hearts, but that didn't make the stories of harm they'd endured any easier to swallow.

But… Bria refused to let the sadness swallow her up and took her time reflecting on stories dad and grampy had shared with her. She thought of grampy, still working tirelessly with grannie to protect the Stubby Purple Coral colonies - something Bria didn’t know nearly as much about as she did creatures but understood to be incredibly important. If the corals went extinct, entire ecosystems would collapse. Just like extinct creatures impacted their ecosystems.

So uuuuuuuuuuuup went her hand and ramble did she do once it was her turn to speak. "There were these flightless birds called the Moa once..." Bria started, her voice filled with enthusiasm, and her eyes wide as she leaned forward in her seat. "...they were native to New Zealand and they were absolutely crucial when it came to the vegetation. They grazed on a wide range of plants...kept everything balanced, you know? So without them grazing, there was an overgrowth of some and I think maybe some plant species were even lost because the Moa were gone," her hands were waving now, by the way, and her words were coming fast, "because of humans, by the way, who hunted them into extinction. Because the Moa were gone, other animal species ALSO went extinct...like the Haast’s eagle."

Birds! She had things to say about Golden Snidgets and Diricawl TOO, but since those were already mentioned it was for the best she show some restraint. Though she was hoping to go help on the Colchester Golden Snidget Sanctuary next break and see how some of the broken winged ones mum and her had brought over were doing - and hopefully they would remember her too!

And, no, she wasn't quite done speaking - though someone may want to get her a soap box for this next bit. Surely her eagerness wouldn't bother anyone, right?

"It is really awful, extinction and near extinction," Bria said, her voice turning a little more serious but not lower in volume. "Birds, in particular, are CRUCIAL for spreading seeds around. Without them, plants could struggle to even grow and that means there's less plant diversity and then it ripples out! Fewer plants means fewer creatures, and it all goes downhill from there, doesn't it?" Her hands were in the air again - though they hadn't been down for very long either. "But it’s not just that because birds are also predators and prey. Take them out of the food chain and suddenly eeeeeeeeeeeverything is out of whack. AND their poop is also super important too! Essential for nutrient cycling!"

So, really, people ought to be grateful when a bird pooped on them! And all that dung and manure you smelled or stepped in a blessing! Inspiring, even!

Kraetos nodded at her mentioning Moas. "I agree." Mankind can be cruel and selfish enough to ruin the status of marvelous creatures. And yes, he agreed about the poop, as well. It was a healthy and natural function. "If only they could share your sentiments." And he meant it..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

While the rest of the class was still arriving, Adrian had busied himself nudging a bit of dirt off his boot with the tip of his wand. Just needing something to keep himself distracted. It was ... annoying, really. Muttering the cleaning charm under his breath more out of habit than care, Adrian tried to listen in -- and surely the mention of “extinct creatures” tugged his attention just enough to make him glance up.

“Thestrals,” he said after a pause, voice steady but low. “Not extinct, exactly. But rare enough people forget they exist unless they’ve got a reason to see one.” His dark eyes flicked toward the edge of the clearing, as if expecting one to appear just to prove him right.

Kraetos paused for a moment to think. "Hm.. quite a unique thought process, Mr. Massey." It was definitely not a traditional view of near extinction. "Well reasoned."

"Now then..." Menon said. "Today's creatures we'll be playing a game with are the Diricawls in the Sanctuary." Adding, "As Mister Atreyu-Rehman shared, they are referred to by non-magical folk as the Dodo bird, declared extinct in the 19th century in their world. However, they remain well and living within our domain. It just so happens part of their evolution is realizing they were safer within our world instead of non-magical folk with poachers. For muggles, the closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon." But enough on the facts.

"Let's consider for a moment that you had the abilities of a Diricawl to vanish. If given the chance to teleport at will, where would you aim to disappear to, and what would have caused you to want to vanish?" Menon could imagine the type of responses he'll get, but he was always up for a surprise.

---
OOC: Thank you for waiting! Feel free to be creative with your answers. The first part of the activity will begin around 30 hours from now.

Bria blinked at Professor Menon, head tilting just slightly like a puzzled songbird. They? Her eyes darted around the room, scanning faces as though waiting for someone to raise their hand and confess to being the mysterious 'they' the professor was speaking of. Her eyes fell on the grumpy but insightful older Slytherin who had not been very poop positive earlier and wondered if they were the subject in the sentence.

But then Professor Menon shifted the class along and Bria straightened in her seat, brightening instantly at the mention of Diricawls (again!), as though she had drank an entire cauldron full of Pepperup Potion. Her hand shot halfway up, then she remembered this was more a personal reflection and lowered it slightly only to conclude that her knee-jerk response was precisely what the question called for and rolled with it. "If I had vanishing-teleporting powers like a Diricawl, I’d disappear when I was crying or about to cry - like the overwhelmed sorts of tears where it is hard to breathe and I just need to sort of exist on my own for a little and not be interrupted," she nodded, lightly rocking back and forth in her seat. "Or if I saw someone being mean to a creature. I'd vanish straight to go get help. Like POP! GONE! Off to fetch the authorities and a creature healer before the mean person even notices. Which is why I really want to get my Apparition as soon as I can," she beamed, "so I can do just that. Disappear and reappear at will!"

Ohh.

So the topic was actually Diricawls? Ary couldn’t help but be pleased that he had chosen these particular birds to speak of. He knew most of these facts which Menon was informing the class about but the Slytherin still wrote diligent notes. You know… in case he was engulfed in panic during NEWT season and he forgot every bit of knowledge his brain was supposed to retain.

As for where he’d teleport? The first place that came to mind was… “My family Reserve, professor,’’ he said, happiness surging through him when he thought of the vast, hidden-from-view place in Norfolk. “That way I’d get to visit all the dragons and hippogriffs! Not to mention my mooncalf, and of course, my dads.” His three siblings, sure, but as they had their own lives, they weren’t necessarily always at the Reserve.

Text Cut: Responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Bria blinked at Professor Menon, head tilting just slightly like a puzzled songbird. They? Her eyes darted around the room, scanning faces as though waiting for someone to raise their hand and confess to being the mysterious 'they' the professor was speaking of. Her eyes fell on the grumpy but insightful older Slytherin who had not been very poop positive earlier and wondered if they were the subject in the sentence.

But then Professor Menon shifted the class along and Bria straightened in her seat, brightening instantly at the mention of Diricawls (again!), as though she had drank an entire cauldron full of Pepperup Potion. Her hand shot halfway up, then she remembered this was more a personal reflection and lowered it slightly only to conclude that her knee-jerk response was precisely what the question called for and rolled with it. "If I had vanishing-teleporting powers like a Diricawl, I’d disappear when I was crying or about to cry - like the overwhelmed sorts of tears where it is hard to breathe and I just need to sort of exist on my own for a little and not be interrupted," she nodded, lightly rocking back and forth in her seat. "Or if I saw someone being mean to a creature. I'd vanish straight to go get help. Like POP! GONE! Off to fetch the authorities and a creature healer before the mean person even notices. Which is why I really want to get my Apparition as soon as I can," she beamed, "so I can do just that. Disappear and reappear at will!"

If Menon had any inkling on the confusion from the student, he'd assure that his comment was not towards any specific student but humankind in general. He nodded understandingly, "Thank you for sharing that reason, take a point." It was a vulnerable moment to disclose to the class, worth rewarding. As for her other half of the reason.. "I sincerely hope you never have to use Apparition in the face of evil, but it's a very noble and helpful trait of the skill."

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Ohh.

So the topic was actually Diricawls? Ary couldn’t help but be pleased that he had chosen these particular birds to speak of. He knew most of these facts which Menon was informing the class about but the Slytherin still wrote diligent notes. You know… in case he was engulfed in panic during NEWT season and he forgot every bit of knowledge his brain was supposed to retain.

As for where he’d teleport? The first place that came to mind was… “My family Reserve, professor,’’ he said, happiness surging through him when he thought of the vast, hidden-from-view place in Norfolk. “That way I’d get to visit all the dragons and hippogriffs! Not to mention my mooncalf, and of course, my dads.” His three siblings, sure, but as they had their own lives, they weren’t necessarily always at the Reserve.

"Lovely." Menon said. It would've been a dream for his younger self to get the live experience of working at a Reserve so young. "I'm sure your parents would be as enthused with the surprise visit."

"Right.. let's get started." Menon said. He gave the board behind him a few taps with his wand to make the diagram of the spell and wand movement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackboard

Levitation Spell
~
Levioso

leh-vee-OH-so

Wand Movement: a tap motion within proximity of target

"Now, I'm sure you're all familiar with the Levitation Charm, Wingardium Leviosa. While they are similar, the major difference is the Levitation Charm can be used to move the levitated object around, whilst the Levitation Spell, Levioso, simply moves them up and down. " Now, why was this spell being used? "It is among the many spells Magizoologists use to maintain the care of Diricawls safely. In a few moments, we'll be going into the Diricawl pen in the Sanctuary, but first, let's practice using Levioso. It is again safe to use on creatures as they'll be lowered down like a feather descending on a pillowcase."

How will they practice beforehand? "Underneath your table are some pebbles on the ground that you can practice with and try to use it on the table. With your wand, you simply tap over the object while saying Levioso. NEWT students, can practice it wordlessly once successful, like so." Menon took one of the pebbles setting it on the table before doing a simple tap motion over it, "Leh-vee-OH-so." Instantly, the pebble hovered and followed the motion of Menon's wand as he raised it up and down, watching it descend gently back on the table. "Now, you try. Don't fret if you accidentally lift the table or somebody's bag. Finite does the job with canceling out the spell's effects.. Do the best you can, and try not to fret if you aren't successful immediately." Ahem. "You may begin."

---
OOC: Thank you for waiting! Now you may begin using the Levitation Spell by practicing on a pebble. We will continue the activity in at least 48 hours from now.

A few more students trickled in before class started. JT gave waves and nods to all who looked his way. He still wanted to ask Adrian about that gossip that Adriand had a liking for his Iris too. His Iris. Maybe JT should ask if she wanted to be his official girlfriend...Right..hmm. Class started. Raising his hand JT waited to be called on, and then said "I believe the graphorns were nearly extinct at one time before they were helped by Mr Newt Scamander."

Several minutes later it was revealed that this classes focus was on diricawls and not on merpeople sadly. Where and why would JT feel the need teleport away from from a situation. Thoughtfully he raised his hand "I'd teleport away if I was in a dangerous situation on my own with no other way out like if your badly injured, and need a healer or extremly embrassed. At hogwarts I'd teleport back to the snake den because there someone will always be around to lend a hand. Outside of Hogwarts I'd teleport home to my house where my big family will keep me safe and secure."

Next up they were going to start practicing the levitation spell on pebbles. JT listened and closely watched the wand movement. Ah, so this version of levitation only moved an object up and down. Righto. Extracting his wand from his holster JT picked up a pebble from underneath his desk and got started. "Leh-vee-Oh-so!" he chanted repeatedly to himself before executing the tap motion over his chosen pebble. It flutted up in the air on the first attempt before falling down right away on his desk again.

Based on the little that Ary knew of Professor Menon and from what Idris recounted from his constant interactions with the man, the seventh year knew better than to think that the man was being sarcastic. So, he grinned at the response while at the same time bobbing his head briefly. Yes, his dads would love to impromptu visits, especially when he was away on his university and possibly professional Gobstones journey with Jan. Ary hadn’t wanted to divulge all his plans, for reasons, which was why he hadn’t launched into all that detail earlier.

The Levitation spell… Ary was curious how this would tie into today’s topic of Diricawls. Rather than dwell on it, he added more notes to his book. Needless to say that he felt a pang of excitement when Menon mentioned that they’d be working in the Diricawl pen in a bit. The instructions safely tucked away in his mind, the Slytherin got started, but of course, he did so with practice.

“Leh-vee-OH-so… leh-vee-OH-so… Levioso… Levioso… Levioso.” While muttering the incantation, he scooped up a handful of pebbles, some white and black coloured, others in various shades of brown. They were set on the table. All Ary needed was his wand now.

Beth had been sitting uncharacteristically quiet for most of the lesson, hands folded neatly on the table as she listened to Professor Menon explain the differences between the levitation spells. It wasn’t that she wasn’t excited, she was, intensely, and every so often her foot bounced under the table despite her best effort to keep still. She couldn't wait to see the diricawls. They were going to see them, right? She tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear as she scribbled a few notes down, even though she knew she wouldn’t need them; creatures were the one thing she never forgot about.

At the instruction to practice, she bent to reach under the table for the pebbles. Her hand brushed over several before she picked out a smooth grey one, bringing it back up and setting it neatly in front of her. She took a quiet breath, steadying her excitement.

Raising her wand, she copied Menon’s motion.

“Leh-vee-OH-so,” she tried eagerly.

The pebble trembled on the table first, lifting a fraction of an inch, then landing back down on the table with a plop. Beth’s brows drew together, concentration etched across her face. She tried again.

Aurora nodded along with what the professor said. Reservations were wonderful things, and she was so glad that the snidgets were protected. As long as poachers couldn’t access them, and she was being optimistic on that matter.

So Ary guessed the topic of today’s lesson with his answer. Diricawls were one of the creatures she wasn’t as familiar with, though she had read up on them as part of her OWL studying. So Aurora was definitely looking forward to the class activity. As it was, she listened to what her classmates had to say in response to the second question. She did have similar thoughts to JT. And Ary’s answer spoke to her too. She would love to be able to go to the reservation whenever she wanted. To see the dragons and hippocriffs, spend time with Uncle Adi, and to give Artax some love. Really there were so many places that she would want to go, it was hard for Aurora to answer. She wanted to be able to go everywhere. Not sure how to articulate that, she remained silent until it was time to move on.

The Levitation spell? She was curious to see how that would tie in to what they were going to be doing with the diricawls. Her interest was further piqued. As usual Aurora took notes before moving on to the practice. It did seem rather simple. ”Leh-vee-OH-so… leh-vee-OH-so… leh-vee-OH-so…” She repeated it until she felt that she had the hang of it. Levioso.”

Reaching under her desk, Aurora grabbed one of the pebbles and set it down in front of her.

Wand in hand, she tapped over her pebble. ”Levioso.” Aurora smiled and made the pebble move up and down repeatedly.

Bria’s cheeks flushed and she giggled shrilly for a couple of beats at the point reward. She wasn't sure that she truly deserved it, but she also knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth - mostly because, well, horses had very big teeth and absolutely terrible table manners when it came to vegetables.

Her fingers twitched toward her wand the moment Professor Menon finished speaking. She'd seen Levioso used more times than she could count around creatures... just never by her own wand being underaged and all. So she'd watched, wide-eyed and absorbing everything like a sponge that very much wanted to be wrung out. Her mind flicked through memories as she reached under the table for one of the pebbles. Mum had used Levioso to lift a stubbornly immobile Fwooper chick whose tail feathers had gotten tangled in its own bedding - gently, carefully, rocking it upward juuuuuuuust enough for the creature to untwist itself before mum lowered her like she was made of spun sugar. Dad, meanwhile, once used a coordinated series of Levioso charms to elevate a cart whose wheel had sunk into mud so thick it threatened to eat the whole thing. Dad held one end of the cart while mum held the other, the two of them lifting in perfect sync while the creature they were transporting (an irritable but injured Runespoor) watched them with three unimpressed heads. And then there was the time both her dad had used Levioso to help relocate an injured hippogriff who refused to touched let alone picked up... but considering he had a broken wing AND leg... Sooooo up he floated, proud and slightly offended, until a cart was pushed under him. The same thing had to be done to safely deposit in front of his enclosure.

She wanted - oooooooooooh, she wanted - to finally do what they did. To feel that warm, controlled magic lift something on her command and make a difference.

Bria straightened, rolled her shoulders, and planted her feet flat like she was about to duel the pebble instead of levitate it. Her wand came up - waaaaaaaay over eagerly, by the way - and lowered it just as quickly...missing the pebble and table entirely. With a dull thunk, Bria tapped her seat. "Levioso!"

The pebble did not rise.

The table didn't either.

Her seat, however...

With a jolt, the seat beneath her leapt a full Bria length off the ground and the blonde released a sound akin to someone startling a sleeping troll. "Oh! Oh ooooooooOh -" she squeaked, fingers scrambling to readjust her hold on her wand to cast Finite when she dropped it to the ground...because of course she did. "Ooooooooooh!" Between the series little panicked hoots and her arms flapping, one could almost mistake her in-class flight for something the Gryffindor was doing herself and not by magical mishap.

Wand in hand, Ary squinted down at the pebbles. He decided to get started on the gray-brown one. “Levioso!” he said quietly but with a small degree of enthusiasm. Tap! He focused with all his might as though willing to make the pebble levitate telepathically. But not enough to bust a vein! His dedication was rewarded when the object rose slowly up but Ary didn’t celebrate just yet. Nope! Not when half the task was completed. The unicorn tail hair wand was moved vertically and in return, the pebble matched the movements. Only then did the Slytherin allow himself to grin.

He opted for a black pebble now, this time to get started nonverbally. “Levioso!” Tap! Nothing happened which meant… “Levioso!” Tap! This time the object rose a bit, allowing Ary to manipulate its up and down movements. But after a couple of ups, it clattered onto the table. Pebble down! Oh well. The important thing was that he was successful on both counts.

As for Rory… this is why she needed to ensure she passed her Apparition exams so that she could visit the Reserve any time she wanted! She was lucky he was going to take over all the operations there one day; he might even let her stay over more often.

Text Cut: Responses

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

A few more students trickled in before class started. JT gave waves and nods to all who looked his way. He still wanted to ask Adrian about that gossip that Adriand had a liking for his Iris too. His Iris. Maybe JT should ask if she wanted to be his official girlfriend...Right..hmm. Class started. Raising his hand JT waited to be called on, and then said "I believe the graphorns were nearly extinct at one time before they were helped by Mr Newt Scamander."

Several minutes later it was revealed that this classes focus was on diricawls and not on merpeople sadly. Where and why would JT feel the need teleport away from from a situation. Thoughtfully he raised his hand "I'd teleport away if I was in a dangerous situation on my own with no other way out like if your badly injured, and need a healer or extremly embrassed. At hogwarts I'd teleport back to the snake den because there someone will always be around to lend a hand. Outside of Hogwarts I'd teleport home to my house where my big family will keep me safe and secure."

Next up they were going to start practicing the levitation spell on pebbles. JT listened and closely watched the wand movement. Ah, so this version of levitation only moved an object up and down. Righto. Extracting his wand from his holster JT picked up a pebble from underneath his desk and got started. "Leh-vee-Oh-so!" he chanted repeatedly to himself before executing the tap motion over his chosen pebble. It flutted up in the air on the first attempt before falling down right away on his desk again.

It was clear that young Forsfelle was very meticulous, in part with his earlier responses. What was the muggle saying? The type that kick his tires before he leaves. Once he was able to get started with the spell, Kraetos gave him an approving nod. "Good start." He'll get the hang of it soon at this rate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thatonepottergirl

Beth had been sitting uncharacteristically quiet for most of the lesson, hands folded neatly on the table as she listened to Professor Menon explain the differences between the levitation spells. It wasn’t that she wasn’t excited, she was, intensely, and every so often her foot bounced under the table despite her best effort to keep still. She couldn't wait to see the diricawls. They were going to see them, right? She tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear as she scribbled a few notes down, even though she knew she wouldn’t need them; creatures were the one thing she never forgot about.

At the instruction to practice, she bent to reach under the table for the pebbles. Her hand brushed over several before she picked out a smooth grey one, bringing it back up and setting it neatly in front of her. She took a quiet breath, steadying her excitement.

Raising her wand, she copied Menon’s motion.

“Leh-vee-OH-so,” she tried eagerly.

The pebble trembled on the table first, lifting a fraction of an inch, then landing back down on the table with a plop. Beth’s brows drew together, concentration etched across her face. She tried again.

"Excellent technique." He said. She had replicated his work splendidly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhittyBitty

Aurora nodded along with what the professor said. Reservations were wonderful things, and she was so glad that the snidgets were protected. As long as poachers couldn’t access them, and she was being optimistic on that matter.

So Ary guessed the topic of today’s lesson with his answer. Diricawls were one of the creatures she wasn’t as familiar with, though she had read up on them as part of her OWL studying. So Aurora was definitely looking forward to the class activity. As it was, she listened to what her classmates had to say in response to the second question. She did have similar thoughts to JT. And Ary’s answer spoke to her too. She would love to be able to go to the reservation whenever she wanted. To see the dragons and hippocriffs, spend time with Uncle Adi, and to give Artax some love. Really there were so many places that she would want to go, it was hard for Aurora to answer. She wanted to be able to go everywhere. Not sure how to articulate that, she remained silent until it was time to move on.

The Levitation spell? She was curious to see how that would tie in to what they were going to be doing with the diricawls. Her interest was further piqued. As usual Aurora took notes before moving on to the practice. It did seem rather simple. ”Leh-vee-OH-so… leh-vee-OH-so… leh-vee-OH-so…” She repeated it until she felt that she had the hang of it. Levioso.”

Reaching under her desk, Aurora grabbed one of the pebbles and set it down in front of her.

Wand in hand, she tapped over her pebble. ”Levioso.” Aurora smiled and made the pebble move up and down repeatedly.

"Great beat, Miss Bay." Menon said. The pebble's speed was rapping off the table nicely and rhythmically.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Bria’s cheeks flushed and she giggled shrilly for a couple of beats at the point reward. She wasn't sure that she truly deserved it, but she also knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth - mostly because, well, horses had very big teeth and absolutely terrible table manners when it came to vegetables.

Her fingers twitched toward her wand the moment Professor Menon finished speaking. She'd seen Levioso used more times than she could count around creatures... just never by her own wand being underaged and all. So she'd watched, wide-eyed and absorbing everything like a sponge that very much wanted to be wrung out. Her mind flicked through memories as she reached under the table for one of the pebbles. Mum had used Levioso to lift a stubbornly immobile Fwooper chick whose tail feathers had gotten tangled in its own bedding - gently, carefully, rocking it upward juuuuuuuust enough for the creature to untwist itself before mum lowered her like she was made of spun sugar. Dad, meanwhile, once used a coordinated series of Levioso charms to elevate a cart whose wheel had sunk into mud so thick it threatened to eat the whole thing. Dad held one end of the cart while mum held the other, the two of them lifting in perfect sync while the creature they were transporting (an irritable but injured Runespoor) watched them with three unimpressed heads. And then there was the time both her dad had used Levioso to help relocate an injured hippogriff who refused to touched let alone picked up... but considering he had a broken wing AND leg... Sooooo up he floated, proud and slightly offended, until a cart was pushed under him. The same thing had to be done to safely deposit in front of his enclosure.

She wanted - oooooooooooh, she wanted - to finally do what they did. To feel that warm, controlled magic lift something on her command and make a difference.

Bria straightened, rolled her shoulders, and planted her feet flat like she was about to duel the pebble instead of levitate it. Her wand came up - waaaaaaaay over eagerly, by the way - and lowered it just as quickly...missing the pebble and table entirely. With a dull thunk, Bria tapped her seat. "Levioso!"

The pebble did not rise.

The table didn't either.

Her seat, however...

With a jolt, the seat beneath her leapt a full Bria length off the ground and the blonde released a sound akin to someone startling a sleeping troll. "Oh! Oh ooooooooOh -" she squeaked, fingers scrambling to readjust her hold on her wand to cast Finite when she dropped it to the ground...because of course she did. "Ooooooooooh!" Between the series little panicked hoots and her arms flapping, one could almost mistake her in-class flight for something the Gryffindor was doing herself and not by magical mishap.

Well, this was not a surprise. Not so much it being this student, but some mishap happenining in the lesson. One knew the best thing over one panicking is to not point out their mistakes. "Marvelous ascension, Miss Ashburry-Hawthorne." With the seat heading towards the top of the canopy, Menon waved his wand to hold it in place. "Alright, hang on to your seat, so you won't fall off." Allowing her to do so before he gently lowered the seat back down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Based on the little that Ary knew of Professor Menon and from what Idris recounted from his constant interactions with the man, the seventh year knew better than to think that the man was being sarcastic. So, he grinned at the response while at the same time bobbing his head briefly. Yes, his dads would love to impromptu visits, especially when he was away on his university and possibly professional Gobstones journey with Jan. Ary hadn’t wanted to divulge all his plans, for reasons, which was why he hadn’t launched into all that detail earlier.

The Levitation spell… Ary was curious how this would tie into today’s topic of Diricawls. Rather than dwell on it, he added more notes to his book. Needless to say that he felt a pang of excitement when Menon mentioned that they’d be working in the Diricawl pen in a bit. The instructions safely tucked away in his mind, the Slytherin got started, but of course, he did so with practice.

“Leh-vee-OH-so… leh-vee-OH-so… Levioso… Levioso… Levioso.” While muttering the incantation, he scooped up a handful of pebbles, some white and black coloured, others in various shades of brown. They were set on the table. All Ary needed was his wand now.

Wand in hand, Ary squinted down at the pebbles. He decided to get started on the gray-brown one. “Levioso!” he said quietly but with a small degree of enthusiasm. Tap! He focused with all his might as though willing to make the pebble levitate telepathically. But not enough to bust a vein! His dedication was rewarded when the object rose slowly up but Ary didn’t celebrate just yet. Nope! Not when half the task was completed. The unicorn tail hair wand was moved vertically and in return, the pebble matched the movements. Only then did the Slytherin allow himself to grin.

He opted for a black pebble now, this time to get started nonverbally. “Levioso!” Tap! Nothing happened which meant… “Levioso!” Tap! This time the object rose a bit, allowing Ary to manipulate its up and down movements. But after a couple of ups, it clattered onto the table. Pebble down! Oh well. The important thing was that he was successful on both counts.

As for Rory… this is why she needed to ensure she passed her Apparition exams so that she could visit the Reserve any time she wanted! She was lucky he was going to take over all the operations there one day; he might even let her stay over more often.

"Good." Kraetos nodded at their concentration. "Remember to space out your attempts a bit more once you start." Sometimes spells repeated too frequent end up sparking a new one of their own, ahem.

Once they had gotten to using their wand, they managed to successfully use the spell and made a fine attempt with wordless wand magic. He nodded in approval before walking on. "Keep at it."

"Excellent start, everyone. Now follow me as we head into one of the pens." Menon said before walking over to the Sanctuary which was just behind them. Now that they've been teased enough about getting to interact with the Diricawl, it was time for the real fun.


At the gate, students could see the handpainted image of the Diricawl on the gated door. Some clucks and feather fluffing could be heard through the door, with a small window showcasing how huge the inside is. "Like Kneazles, they come in different colours, but are perhaps even more tricky to catch." Adding. "As mentioned, Magizoologists use the Levitation Spell to lift them in place. Since they are among the bird family, lift off is one of their comforting aspects. As you noticed, the spell slows the ascending object in motion slightly, allowing them to be easily captured. In the wild though, they require the Animal Friendly charm in addition to other spells to keep them in place." Adding, "Since these Diricawls were bred in captivity, they're already trusting to humans and won't disappear as frequent. There's been a charm in place to prevent them from escaping into the wild. So we'll be playing a friendly game of hide and seek with them. Except without the counting, it'll be all stealth and wands in use."

How do we play? "As soon as I open the gate, you'll go inside and see which of the Diricawls you're willing to tag. You'll likely have to sneak up on them before tapping within proximity of them the Levitation spell. That will be the only spell you use today, if you use anything else, especially a harmful one, you will lose house points." So they've been officially warned. "Once you have them floating up in place, it will be okay to pet and talk with them. They've been used to the spell's effects for grooming and feeding. You'll have to be quick of course, since they may just pop away before you get too close, just simply try again until successful. It's also okay if you still haven't mastered the spell, your efforts won't be discounted." Now that was all said, unless any had questions. "When you're ready, go ahead in." Menon unlocked the gate, letting the students head inside before he followed after. "Best of luck!"


---
OOC: Thank you for waiting! Now you may enter into the Diricawl's pen and use the Levitation spell when in proximity of one. You will have around 72 hours of being with the Diricawls.