That's a big critter on Care of Magical Creatures

Professor Donovan Cohen

January 24, 2011 2:59 PM

Let’s see how well you follow directions (Intermediate Years) by Professor Donovan Cohen

Standing alongside the door that led to his cabin-esque classroom, Don Cohen made sure to give a warm greeting to all his students with a variant of ‘hello,’ as well as to let them know that they may leave their things in the classroom if they would like to but to all gather around him when they were ready for the lesson. He flicked his gaze up casually toward the open sky every so often, as if waiting for something to come into view, but he made no verbal indication that he was looking for anything.

Once everyone was assembled, the dark skinned made sure to make eye contact, silently willing everyone to quiet down and give him their attention so he could explain things. “Today we are going to be learning about the proud species of hippogriffs. I had the chance to become acquainted with one a friend of mine domesticated, and she is one of the more levelheaded hippogriffs I have met, so she would do fine in a classroom setting. Unfortunately, my friend took her out to fly around a while ago and they haven’t come back yet.” He shrugged noncommittally and chanced a quick, curious glance up again.
“I’ll just take advantage of this time to explain some important aspects of the creature, then.”

“Hippogriffs, if you’ve never seen one, resemble a combination of a giant eagle and a horse. They have formidable looking beaks and talons on their front legs and their wingspans are impressive. Probably the most important thing to remember about the creature is that they like to be treated with a good amount of respect. You must not – and I mean absolutely must not – make fun of them while they’re in range. If you need to poke fun at them, save it for after class when you’re in the building. I trust you all to be responsible enough to not agitate the creatures by now, but anyone I catch not listening will be dealt with.” He didn’t like having to strictly emphasize this, but it was imperative to get the point across seriously. “This is because hippogriffs like to defend themselves, but they won’t try anything if you don’t.”

Certain he had made his point clear, Don went on to the more pleasant aspects of getting acquainted with the creature. “In order to get on a hippogriffs good side, just follow a simple procedure. First, you slowly take a few steps towards them, keeping a couple of feet between the two of you, and bend over slightly in a bow – it’s alright to look at her, because you’ll have to see what she does next. If she bows, then feel free to walk up and touch her. If she doesn’t bow, then back away, wait awhile, and try your luck later – ah, here she is now.”

Coming down from the sky at lightening speed was a man who looked to be in the middle of his fifties riding on a adult hippogriff. They landed in front of the class and the man gently got off and stroked the hippogriff’s beak appreciatively as he looked apologetically at Don and the class. “Sorry for being late, I lost track of time. Did I miss anything?”

“Only the whole lesson,” Don joked before turning back to everyone. “Class, this is a former colleague of mine named Ray Laurent,” Ray waved slightly, looking slightly embarrassed, “and this is his hippogriff, Flora.” Said hippogriff clapped her beak at her name, almost as if to announce that she was in fact present. “Ray and I are right here so you won’t have to be afraid of anything going wrong so long as you follow directions. So anyone who would like to pet Flora please line up at a reasonable distance and approach her one at a time.” Making sure they did that, Don nodded at the first person in line when it was their turn to go up.

---

OOC: Alright, so feel free to god-mod Flora’s actions (i.e. if she returns your bow or doesn’t, how she reacts to being pet, etc) – I trust you guys to do it realistically. If anything goes awry, know that there are two trained professionals who won’t sit back and watch a student get mauled, so try to resist having your character injured via angry hippogriff. That said, tag Don or Ray with any questions, remember standard posting rules apply, and have fun with it :)
Subthreads:

That's a big critter by Andrew Duell with Jethro Smythe, Jethro

Very well, actually. I'm a Crotalus. by Nicodemus Sawyer, Crotalus

Erm, I'm a California Pierce, but I'll try. by Jose Hernandez, Pecari with Dulce Garcia (Teppenpaw), Jose Hernandez

All things considered, I think I followed them pretty well by Neal Padrig, Pecari with Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw

Very well usually by Autumn Collins, Crotalus with Samantha Hamilton, Samantha

Pretty well, for someone whose bored by Alessa Hinckley, Aladren with Rachel Bauer, Crotalus

0 Professor Donovan Cohen Let’s see how well you follow directions (Intermediate Years) 0 Professor Donovan Cohen 1 5

Andrew Duell
January 24, 2011 10:59 PM

Andrew Duell
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Gami

Age in Post: 15

That's a big critter by Andrew Duell
Andrew sighed, Care of Magical Creatures was not his favorite class. The animals and creatures were neat and all, and it was good information to know. Learning how not to get eaten was valuable, but past that... there just wasn't the application of the knowledge that the other classes had. He'd learn what the teacher wanted him to, but he really couldn't seem himself actually using the information. He sighed again, and listened to Professor Cohen.

Hippogriffs huh? They were interesting creatures at least. And... apparently very nasty when they want to be. He defiantly filed the professor's information under 'important to know if you ever randomly run into a hippogriff' file in his brain. He then watched the creature plummet out of the sky and land gracefully. This creature was something else. As the class lined up to interact, Andrew found himself near the front of the line.

His turn came and he followed Professor Cohen's direction. He stepped up toward the hippogriff, and he nervously bowed toward the creature. He watched carefully for its reaction. There was nothing for a few moments, then the hippogriff let out some sort of snorting noise and looked aside. Andrew sighed again. He probably shouldn't be surprised, it could probably sense his thoughts toward the class. He stepped aside to let the next student try, and wandered to the back of the line.

Was that really it? Was it about attitude, was the rejection meant to trigger some sort of self-reflection? Was it to make him think about himself and his relation to the hippogriff? That seemed really unlikely, how smart were these things? Could they really do stuff like that? Nah... He looked ahead at the magnificent creature, well... maybe? Or maybe....

He reached the end of the line, and asked the students there "Do I smell funny?"

2 Andrew Duell That's a big critter 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Jethro Smythe
January 25, 2011 12:13 PM

Jethro Smythe
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 15

I should stay away by Jethro Smythe
Jethro had long ago learned that if he simply followed a set of strict rules then he was less likely to go wrong. By going wrong, he meant getting into trouble, causing trouble, or looking stupid, all things that his sister had expressly forbidden him to do. The rules were easy to follow, and Jethro had a good memory for facts so he could remember them. He knew things like he wasn't supposed to talk to people unless they spoke directly to him, and he shouldn't volunteer in class or join any extracurricular clubs or activities. He had to make sure his socks matched and to use a spell to tie his shoelaces instead of attempting it by hand. These were the sort of everyday rules that he followed. There were some less usual, but certainyl as important rules, such as the one that applied to this class, that was to stay away from dangerous animals. This rule just sounded like good sense, but apparently the professor didn't think so.

Jethro listened to Professor Cohen talking about the hippogriff, and he was starting to get a sense that it was dangerous. Then the creature landed, and Jethro took in its beak and talons, and its sheer size, and decided that he would be staying away from this one. It was okay - he had refused to go near creatures before, and any professor seemed to agree with Jethro's stance rather than to oppose it. Even if they argued the worse they could do was give him a fail for the class (which had happened lots before) or give him a detention 9which had never happened but it wouldn't be worse than being attacked by a hippogriff, the fifth year was sure of it).

The Crotalus made his way to the back of the line with every intention of staying there and never reaching the hippogriff. The students at the front of the line were already bowing at the huge creature, and making their way - unscathed - back to join the rest of the class. One of his classmates, Andrew Duell, approached Jethro and said, "Do I smell funny?"

"Excuse me?" Jethro replied with an air of mild bewilderment. He had heard the question, or at least he thought he had, but it didn't seem an appropriate thing to ask. It also didn't seem an approrpaite thing to answer, and Jethro didn't usually pick up on things like that, so if he'd noticed it was odd, Andrew must have noticed it, too.

0 Jethro Smythe I should stay away 146 Jethro Smythe 0 5

Nicodemus Sawyer, Crotalus
January 25, 2011 1:32 PM

Nicodemus Sawyer, Crotalus
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 13

Very well, actually. I'm a Crotalus. by Nicodemus Sawyer, Crotalus
Nic dropped off most of his things in the classroom when Professor Cohen invited him to do so, but prudently decided that he should definitely keep his wand with him. It wasn't always - or even usually - needed in this class, but he wasn't going to go into the presence of creatures that most likely either wanted to eat him or his belongings without some kind of defense. Learning that the lesson was about Hippogriffs did very little to convince Nic that today's class would be different.

True, from what he'd seen, read, and heard about Hippogriffs, they were highly respectable creatures, but they had beaks and talons, marking them clearly as predators, and he would not put a desire to eat him or something that belonged to him past them. Granted, he did not think it was interested in eating his wand or his clothes and most of his other stuff was in the classroom or stored securely back in his room, but that still left Nic himself.

The hippogriff, when it landed, was certainly large enough to eat even him, despite that Nic was one of the tallest students in the clearing. Nic just didn't have the mass to be a real threat to something that size. Though, to be fair on that point, the hippogriff probably would consider him far too scrawny to munch on and would far more likely go after one of the other students who had a little more meat on their bones.

So feeling assured that there were far better meals in the clearing, Nic found himself at the front of the line. He stepped forward to separate himself from the rest of the class and gave his very best bow, like the one he would give to his grandparents in Canada when Dad tried to show off the half-blood son he'd sired to the very unimpressed Sawyer family.

Apparently, he'd either gotten better at it since he was nine, or maybe Hippogriffs were just more forgiving than elderly purebloods, but the impressive creature bowed back.

Taking a hippogriff's honor on faith (a trait Nic did not have in great supply), he assumed that the professor was correct and the bow meant he was worthy to approach rather than that she was tricking him into a false sense of security so he would come closer before she ate him. He stepped closer still and held out a careful hand to touch the magnificent beast.

Respect was not going to be a problem. Nic had a great deal of respect for anything higher up the food chain than he was. He admired her the way he would anything or anyone he wished he could be half as good as.

After he felt he had gotten a good look at her and was dangerously close to wearing out his welcome (a time span that was roughly equivalent to how long Nic would tolerate anybody hanging around in his own personal space; so not very long at all), and stepped back and away and gave the creature another respectful bow before retreating to the back of the class where he found a tall bit of hedge to loom next to and watch the rest of the class (and the hippogriff as well, obviously, just in case it decided belatedly to eat him after all).

1 Nicodemus Sawyer, Crotalus Very well, actually. I'm a Crotalus. 165 Nicodemus Sawyer, Crotalus 0 5

Jose Hernandez, Pecari
January 25, 2011 4:35 PM

Jose Hernandez, Pecari
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Erm, I'm a California Pierce, but I'll try. by Jose Hernandez, Pecari
Jose Hernandez was, by and large, a solid E students. As a vegan, potions was a struggle, but for most of his classes, he put in just enough of an effort to look like he was making an effort and no more. He didn't read ahead in his texts, he did not go looking for supplemental materials, and he knew vaguely where the library was but rarely darkened its threshold. On the other hand, he did pay attention in class, completed his homework diligently, and occasionally he even studied for his exams. He was, in short, a competent student if not a brilliant one.

Care of Magical Creatures was no exception.

He dropped off his books and his robe in the classroom and joined the rest of the class in milling about under the open sky. He realized belatedly that his wand was in his robe pocket, but he probably wouldn't need it anyway, so he left it there.

The lesson turned out to be about Hippogriffs. He didn't take any notes (his pen and notebook were in his bag which was in the classroom: unfortunate casualties of circumstances like his wand) but he tried his best to remember all the important parts. The effort probably wouldn't be good enough in the long term, but if he could just remember long enough for the inevitable homework essay, that should be all he needed.

He somehow found himself toward the beginning of the line, not first, but definitely in the front. He watched Andrew get rejected and felt kind of bad for him, especially when the tall but kind of scary kid, Nic, got to go up without any problems.

Jose spent the next few people trying to figure out what Nic did that Andrew hadn't but he was at the front of the line before he could come up with anything. He took a small step forward and gave the hippogriff his full attention for a moment before respectfully bowing to her.

She kind of reminded him of his Aunt Regina. He bet the former California Matriarch might have been a hippogriff in a past life. Regina had the same piercing look that Flora had.

The hippogriff returned his bow, and Jose straightened up again with a grin. Cool. He approached and brushed his fingers over the creature's feathers and fur. "Aren't you a beauty," he commented, figuring a sincere compliment was in order.

He didn't stay long - most of the rest of the class hadn't gone yet - so he bowed like Nic had done as he pulled away and rejoined the rest of the students. "That was awesome. Way better than the salamanders in first year." Or had that been second year?

0 Jose Hernandez, Pecari Erm, I'm a California Pierce, but I'll try. 0 Jose Hernandez, Pecari 0 5

Dulce Garcia (Teppenpaw)
January 25, 2011 6:24 PM

Dulce Garcia (Teppenpaw)
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You did better than me. by Dulce Garcia (Teppenpaw)
Dulce still didn’t know what to feel for the Care of Magical Creatures professor. He seemed nice enough and he seemed to know what he was doing, both were positives in his defense, but Dulce had seen many come and go at this school. He was their temporary Deputy Head, but so had their last Care of Magical Creatures professor. For now, he was listed on the ‘okay’ roster for her as a professor. Okay was better than ‘horrid’ in which some of the professors had been placed on. But it wasn’t quite as good as ‘fair’, which Dulce had placed the competent professors on. These were the professors that didn’t give crap (like false cheerfulness), were straightforward, and had stuck it out at Sonora. They were a rare bunch, but the deserved the title. There may come a time when Dulce will Put Cohen onto the list of ‘Fair’ but he still needed to prove himself to her.

She dropped her bag off and pocketed her wand before returning to where he wanted them to stand. If nothing else about the man, his size was impressive. But, then again, Dulce came from a fairly small frame of family. Her mother and sister were under five feet of height, her father just barely making it to five foot eight. Some of her Tios were over six feet, but most of the females were barely above five foot three. Dulce would be an exception. She was already at five foot three and still had a couple of years to grow. Her brother would also be an exception because at the age of nine he was already hitting the five foot marker. She hoped for his sake, he would be tall.

But Cohen wasn’t just big in height, he was big in mass as well. Her father, brother, and herself were all lanky. Her sister and mother were small, but as they are both dancers, they had muscle. Her Tio Jacob had bulk, but he was a beater on a Professional Quidditch Team. The rest were fit, but none of them had the mass that her Care of Magical Creatures professor did. Then again, if he lived his life chasing dangerous creatures, she could understand the muscle.

He began talking and Dulce focused her attention to his words instead of his physical attributes. Their lesson was regarding Hippogriffs. Dulce had never seen one up close and she was just fine with that. She had read about them though. But that was because she had read all lesson books up until the sixth year. She’ll read those during next summer when Lita had completed the year.

She stood quietly amongst her classmates while Cohen spoke about these respectable creatures. They would be interesting to see up close, but Dulce had no desire to actually test herself out against one. She’ll be happy to stand in the back and watch other people try their hands at it. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that a creature didn’t know when someone had no feelings one way or another about them. In the likelihood that the Hippogriff could understand that Dulce had no feelings towards it, she didn’t doubt there would be no returned bow.

Dulce would rather not put herself in that position.

So, she stood off to the side and watched as others went up and bowed. Some received returned bows while others did not. The Hippogriff, Flora, was beautiful in a creepy sort of way. But then, that could be said for just about anything.

Standing there, Dulce failed to notice Jose approach and settle in beside her until he spoke. She doubted that he actually meant to do that considering she was not one of his Pecari friends. Or really, a friend at all. Not that she hated him. He was just another student in the school. One of the popular ones. “My first year, your second year.” Dulce corrected. She actually thought salamanders were sort of cool considering they were born from flame. But that was just her opinion.

“What did she feel like?” Dulce asked, curious to know what her feathers and fur felt like. After all, it wasn’t as though she saw a hybrid of an animal every day.

0 Dulce Garcia (Teppenpaw) You did better than me. 0 Dulce Garcia (Teppenpaw) 0 5

Andrew Duell
January 25, 2011 7:59 PM

Andrew Duell
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Gami

Age in Post: 15

The best lessons are learned through experience by Andrew Duell
Andrew paused for a moment trying to figure out Jethro's response. After a moment it finally hit him. "Oh... heh. Right, I guess that is a bit of an odd question, isn't it?" He grinned just a little sheepishly at his classmate. "Still," he returned to a more thoughtful expression, "it is a legitimate one nonetheless." Andrew looked back to the front of the line and saw some of them being allowed to touch the animal, while others couldn't.

"I was just trying to figure out what it's criteria were. Logically, it only has sight, hearing, smell, and instinct upon which to base it's decision. Hearing doesn't seem like much of a logical choice to base the decision upon, so I'm just going to eliminate that one." He paused for just a moment before continuing. "That leaves the other three, sight and instinct are probably the majority of the decision basis, but also the most difficult to define. Well, for criteria anyway." His eyes flicked over those who had already met with the creature. "I don't see any obvious common physical characteristics of those that were allowed to approach vs. those that weren't. It may be something with the meeting itself. Perhaps the bowing is analysed, that may make sense... I personally haven't had a lot of practice with respectful bowing, have you?" Andrew continued his ramblings without really waiting for an answer. "The animal's instinct must be processing the information that it receives through it's senses, alerting it for any possible warning signs of someone that shouldn't approach."

He glanced over at the professor, "The professor said that if we weren't allowed to approach, we should try again in a little bit. What would change in a relatively short amount of time, that could cause a different outcome? Perhaps a change in mindset of the individual, maybe improvement from a previous failed attempt, or maybe... just a shift in the wind. Scent may just be a minor factor while processing the sensory input information, but it may pop up a bit warning sign within the instinct's analysis. So, I was just curious, do I smell a little odd?"

2 Andrew Duell The best lessons are learned through experience 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Jose Hernandez
January 26, 2011 2:11 PM

Jose Hernandez
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 15

That's because you didn't try. by Jose Hernandez
Jose looked toward the person replying to his comment and found himself beside Dulce Garcia. He wasn't sure why he'd expected one of his Pecaris to be there - aside from the fact that they usually weren't far off - but he hoped he covered his surprise well enough. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to her or anything. He was sure she was a very fine person and he'd never gone out of his way to avoid her. They just hadn't really had cause to run into one another before.

All he knew about her really was that she was one of the Garcia sisters and she actually did know how to speak Spanish (or so he assumed, possibly unfairly, using the same criteria most people used when they wrongly assumed he could). Oh, and that she was a year younger, in Jude's year, which is probably why he was confused and had thought she was in his until she clarified in which year they had met the salamanders.

"Right," he agreed. Despite what the door of his dorm said, he was in the fifth year. Presumably, he'd internalize that eventually. Probably next year, when he was actually in sixth.

"The feathers were soft and smooth. Pretty much how I'd imagine a standard eagle's feathers feel. The fur on the horse part wasn't as coarse as a normal horse's, though; I guess because it flies and needs to be sleek to reduce air resistance. She was pretty muscular, too. Bet she runs pretty fast even when she isn't flying."

He nodded over to the line, and encouraged, "You should go see for yourself."

1 Jose Hernandez That's because you didn't try. 149 Jose Hernandez 0 5

Neal Padrig, Pecari
January 29, 2011 2:56 PM

Neal Padrig, Pecari
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All things considered, I think I followed them pretty well by Neal Padrig, Pecari
Neal was in the youngest age group of the class, something he sort of forgot would be happening once he hit his third year. He only remembered this little tidbit when he saw a lot of older kids around Professor Cohen, a big contrast to the younger crowd he had been expecting to walk in on. It was a welcomed change though, only for the fact it was a change. It made whatever weight he was lugging around with him a little lighter to know he wasn’t completely surrounded by monotony. Still, it brought him back to the fact that he was a bystander to something different taking place, and that just canceled out any sort of relief he had.

Neal wondered if Professor Cohen was really out of it, because he kept staring off into space the way Neal did sometimes. But then he explained the whole ‘MIA hippogriff and class guest’ situation, and that seemed to make more sense than Neal’s assumption.

Actually, the lesson today seemed really cool. Neal had gotten to see a hippogriff only once before when they visited his grandparents for the holidays and one of his uncles had brought his to show off, but he wasn’t allowed to get close enough to even get a good look. Actually, no one was; that had been one temperamental sonovagun.

Finding himself somewhere in the middle of the line to pet the hippogriff, it took no time at all until it was the third year’s turn to test his luck with her. Though the name Flora reminded Neal of old people with dentures and canes, the hippogriff before him didn’t look as nonthreatening as that. Up close, she looked like a force to be reckoned with, and that alone was all Neal needed to think this was going to be his favorite CoMC class to date. When he bowed, Neal put all the respect he could radiate into it, because so help him he really wanted to get a closer look. After a few moments, he wondered if he should bolt while he had the chance, but peaking up he was relieved to see her returning the gesture.

Never really the cautious type, Neal brazenly walked forward and pointed to her wing, silently asking permission to touch it. He knew he was technically already allowed to do so, but it seemed weird to him to just start patting her down at random. Smiling at the blank look she gave him, he gently felt her feathers, moving his hand up to press along her back and rub at her neck. She didn’t seem to mind, and he would have stayed longer if there weren’t other people waiting for a turn. Patting her on the back one last time, Neal bowed to Flora as he moved away and let the next person take over.

Coming over to stand beside someone who looked like they weren’t making a move to go stand in line, Neal smiled at them. “Did you already get a turn?” he asked, not remembering who was in line ahead of him. For all he knew, this person was just skipping out on the lesson completely. While Neal couldn't understand why they would do that, he wouldn't go off on a tanget or anything - to each his own.

0 Neal Padrig, Pecari All things considered, I think I followed them pretty well 0 Neal Padrig, Pecari 0 5

Autumn Collins, Crotalus
January 29, 2011 6:48 PM

Autumn Collins, Crotalus
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 13

Very well usually by Autumn Collins, Crotalus
Autumn's summer had been pleasant and uneventful. Just the way she liked it. She wasn't one for adventure and she really didn't like change. Change unsettled Autumn and made her very anxious. So a peaceful, predictable summer where she spent time with her family was just what she had been hoping for. The only thing that had happened was Chelsea getting married but Autumn hadn't found out about that until after the fact as her cousin had eloped. Besides, that had more of an effect on Nina, who was just thrilled that the older girl had moved out.

However, she didn't really mind being back at school that much. Autumn knew she had friends here and was more that used to being away from her family. She no longer got homesick. Coming to Sonora had become normal, routine.

Unfortunately, things were different here now. There had been changes at the school. There was a new Headmaster. Autumn, of course, had known about that last year but it took some getting used to and she didn't get used to things quickly. What if the new Headmaster instituted huge changes in the way the school was run? Added huge imposing new rules? Autumn hadn't got much impression of him at the feast, since all he'd done was make the usual announcements for prefects and stuff. You couldn't get much of an opinion about someone off just that.

Which unsettled Autumn. She liked knowing what was going to happen. What to expect from people. It was quite unnerving to her to have a new Headmaster whom she knew nothing about. Having him around would take getting used to, much like new professors took some getting used to. After a year, Autumn was still getting used to Professor Crosby for example. The woman was...still sort of unpredictable and Autumn wasn't sure what to make of that.

Something else was bothering her too. She had not seen Brad at the feast. Autumn had hoped that within the large crowd of people, she had just somehow missed him. Unfortunately, she didn't see him now either. And that worried her. Autumn was pretty attached to the few friends she had and she didn't know what she'd do if one of them left Sonora.

She forced herself to listen to the professor as he talked about hippogriffs. It would never do to not know what one was doing in class. So far, Autumn had gotten excellent grades and she did not want that to change. She was pretty sure that she and Jane were the top two among their year. Not that she liked even thinking about that. For one, it seemed egotistical. For another, Autumn wouldn't want to jinx it.

She approached the hippogriff a bit nervously when it was her turn. Autumn bowed to the animal and was happy when it bowed back. She would have felt rejected otherwise. She petted it and then moved on, in order to give the next person in line a chance. Autumn then sat down on her robe and leaned back against a tree. She took out her sketch pad and began to draw the magnificent creature.

11 Autumn Collins, Crotalus Very well usually 164 Autumn Collins, Crotalus 0 5

Dulce
January 29, 2011 9:23 PM

Dulce
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No argument here on that point. by Dulce
Dulce hid her look of amusement from Jose, which was fairly easy to do considering she pretty much always hid some sort of emotion. She was mainly amused because Jose seemed surprised by whom he was talking to. She supposed that shouldn’t really come as a shock to her that he felt that way. Jose was an enigma as much as he was an open book to Dulce. He seemed simple minded, but he seemed to do alright in classes. He was popular but hung out with students younger than him. Did he even talk to anyone in his own year?

If she were being honest with herself, she would admit that it was very strange that Jose didn’t actually hang out with people his own age. It was like he was refusing to grow up or be apart of people his own age. That was weird, wasn’t it? She didn’t really know of any others who hung around with only people who were younger than they were. Sure, have a few friends from different years because the lessons forced them to mingle, but to only have friends who were younger? Maybe that was a concept she had yet to learn? Maybe that actually was normal? She ought to read up on social behaviors.

She listened quietly as Jose began to tell her about the Hippogriff. Her light eyes slowly rotated towards the creature while he explained. Dulce was somewhat surprised that the hippogriff had smooth feathers. She had never touched a bird before, but she had already imagined that they had a rough feel to them. Outdoors always seemed rough. The horse part of the animal didn’t surprise her. Just looking at it, she could see how smooth the coat was and how muscular the legs were. Horses, in general, were powerful creatures. A hippogriff seemed as thought it would have to be stronger than a horse. No logic behind that, she guessed, but it made sense to her.

She gave a brief snort when he told her to go see for herself. “I have trouble enough trying to give adults respect.” Dulce said, no humor in her voice. She really did have trouble making her seem as though she were being respectful of authority figures. Not her fault, she had a blank face and a monotone voice when she spoke. People automatically assumed she was giving attitude. “I doubt Flora will be able to see any differently than adults do and I’d rather not get mauled today. That would just ruin the rest of the day for me.”

0 Dulce No argument here on that point. 0 Dulce 0 5

Jethro
January 31, 2011 1:55 PM

Jethro
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There are some things I'd rather not experience by Jethro
For a moment, Andrew looked confused as Jethro felt. The Crotalus began to wonder whether he'd misheard his classmate, but then Andrew caught up. It had to be the first time in history that Jethro had to wait for someone else to catch up in a conversation. Eventually, however, he explained the question. Jethro tried to keep up, but Andrew was talking a lot and quickly. He managed to catch words like 'citeria' and 'instinct' whilst Andrew's glancing to the fron of the line indicated he was probably talking about the hippogriff - it seemed unlikely he was referring to professors or fellow students using those terms. Then he was talking about physical characteristics (and this time he was referring to their classmates) and asked a question about bowing that Jethro apparently wasn't supposed to answer because Andrew kept on talking. He'd learned that was called rhetoric and some people used it to help make a point. Jethro didn't understand it himself - why bother asking a question if you didn't want it answered? - and therefore didn't understand why someone would use it to make a point. What point was Andrew trying to make, anyway? Oh, right, about why the hippogriff hadn't let him stroke it. Or, that's what Jethro had gained from the monologue, which didn't necessarily mean it was the case, but then there was no other reason Andrew would be talking about instict and asking if he had a funny smell.

"Do don't smell odd to me," Jethro said, reluctant to lean in and sniff Andrew closely, because he knew that was Not Normal and therefore forbidden. Plus if Andrew did smell funny then Jethro didn't want a whiff. "But then my senses are probably not as finely tuned as the hippogriff's" he added reasonably, and because he'd found this to be factual information with the majority of other creatures they had studied thus far it was easy to extrapolate. If the hippogriff had to sniff out its own food for instance, then the mere fact that it was alive demonstrated it was more attuned to scent than the fifth year. Jethro knew he wouldn't survive one second on his own; he barely survived at Sonora without his sister, and he still had Dana in pecari looking out for him when she could, and Cascade served food pretty much all the time. In any harsher an environment, Jethro wouldn't stand a chance.

"But anyway I think it has more to do with presence," he said, and here he was basically playing it wild and free with his imagination. His theory was this: people could tell if you were nervous or excited or frightened of them. Animals were more sensitive to these imbalances; magical creatures especially so. Hence, if someone saw himself as unworthy or was afraid or just not willing to be there, Jethro thought it reasonable that the hippogriff could pick up on these signals. If Andrew hadn't seemed keen enough to approach the hippogriff, it made sense that the creature hadn't let him. It was without empirical support, so far as Jethro was aware, but more plausible than Andrew's scent theory.

0 Jethro There are some things I'd rather not experience 0 Jethro 0 5

Andrew Duell
January 31, 2011 7:42 PM

Andrew Duell
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Gami

Age in Post: 15

Without the experience, how do you know what to experience? by Andrew Duell
Jethro probably had a good point. He hadn't known that his classmate was so insightful. I guess you learn something new everyday, he thought to himself. He started reasoning out loud, without actually focusing on Jethro. "You're probably right. That does seem to be one of the predominate underlying themes out there." He gestured back toward the hippogriff and the rest of their classmates. Andrew even started pacing a little bit as his mind wandered and his mouth kept running. Long ago he discovered that the thought processes that ran through his head, and made perfect sense, often wouldn't hold together nearly as well once he tried to put words together and convey the information to someone else. So he'd gotten into the habit of forming the words right along with the thoughts, then he could listen to them form and force them to make sense at some level.

"The hippogriff is basing it's decision off of how each person carries themself. It doesn't want to deal with anyone who questions themselves or their own motives. I guess that could potentially lead to compromising situations. Granted, a person that has presence and a set focus, isn't necessarily benign towards the hippogriff. Their motive could be to cause the animal harm, why would the hippogriff let them come close in such a situation?" He looked over the majestic, and deadly creature. "Then again, if the person's intentions were clear in that regard, I guess so would it's response once they got close enough." He finally turned back to Jethro and smiled. "This is all pretty much speculation at this point. We'll have to run an experiment to confirm. I'll go up with the intention of wanting to touch it, and you try being uncertain when you get to the interaction. We'll see if our theory is correct."

2 Andrew Duell Without the experience, how do you know what to experience? 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Alessa Hinckley, Aladren
January 31, 2011 9:13 PM

Alessa Hinckley, Aladren
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 14

Pretty well, for someone whose bored by Alessa Hinckley, Aladren
Over the summer there had been a change in Alessa. Whereas last year, she had been growing up and not really feeling it or wanting it, this year she felt mature, like a woman. This past summer, she had become betrothed to Wally Jacobs. Alessa thought she might grow to actually really like Wally someday, she liked him well enough now. He was very polite and not too bad to look at.

However, one thing that had not changed over the summer was Alessa's feelings about COMC. The Aladren was still pretty bored by it. She'd never had much interest in animals, unless they were stuffed or her dinner. Alessa couldn't wait until CATS just so she could drop this class along with DADA (the worst class in her opinion) and probably potions. The dark-haired girl didn't really have too many issues with Potions but it was generally not considered an appropriate classes for proper young ladies such as Alessa.

Another thing that had went on over the summer was that Alessa's cousin Xavier's wife Brooke was expecting a baby. The Aladren hoped, just like she had when Annabeth was pregnant, that it would be another boy. Alessa liked being the family princess, even though she was no longer the youngest overall. Still, at least it wasn't her parents or even when of her aunts and uncles. She could still be the youngest in her generation on that side of the family. Besides, her aunts and uncles were too old to have any more kids. So were her parents.

Also, Alessa was the only female grandchild and her mother had been the only daughter. Grandmother Ellen had only brothers. Both were the youngest in their family. It was a pattern and Alessa liked patterns. She wanted it to continue. It was irrational and strange but Alessa just had those thoughts sometimes. She thought about lots of weird things that others didn't.

She sighed as she tried to listen. Care of Magical Creatures just seemed so dull to her and was probably the most useless class for Alessa to learn about after flying lessons. The Aladren was proud to say that she had not been on a broom since then and rather never intended to go on one again.

As soon as the professor was talking about hippogriffs, Alessa got in line with the other students. As uninteresting as she found it all, she still had to do well in her classes. Alessa had previously managed an E in this course, despite lack of interest. Her worst grade was an A in Defense, due to lack of any athletic ability.

When it was her turn, Alessa approached the creature and bowed. She wasn't too disappointed when the hippogriff did not bow back. The fourth year stepped aside, to let the next person have their turn.

11 Alessa Hinckley, Aladren Pretty well, for someone whose bored 150 Alessa Hinckley, Aladren 0 5

Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw
February 08, 2011 12:06 AM

Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 13
Birthday: February 2

Theorizing again. by Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw
Kirstenna fairly bounced into COMC. Aside from Potions, she rather liked her classes, unless they became somehow a competition of course. Magic was just so...interesting and Kirstenna was glad every day that she had inherited it from her father. Of course, otherwise she would have just been in the circus like generations of her mother's family before her and that also was fun.

Either way, Kirstenna's life was going to be outside of the norm. Though, she supposed, for magical people, magic was the norm. However, she had been raised in both the magical and muggle worlds-though nobody at the circus knew her dad was a wizard and that she was a witch except for her mother. They just knew that he was a very skilled magician.

Right now, the Teppenpaw waited for the lesson to begin. There didn't seem to be a creature waiting for them. Kirstenna was perplexed. She hoped this didn't mean they would be doing research or some other boring thing. Maybe they were learning about thestrals. Or some other invisible or conditionally invisible creature. Maybe they were studying magical bacterias that could only be seen with special microscope-like devices.

That would be kind of awful and dangerous. If bacterias got out, they could infect the students and start a plague at the school. Kirstenna had no idea why Professor Cohen would want to make them all sick. Unless...he was the Impostor in disguise. The Impostor had, after all, poisoned Headmistress Powell. Why wouldn't she (or he) infect everyone else with something?

That theory was put to rest when Professor Cohen mentioned his guest and a hippogriff.Well, the one about them all being infected with magical bacteria today anyway. Professor Cohen could still be the Impostor. Kirstenna never knew when the Impostor would pop up again and what he or she would do. Or even what identity he or she would assume. The Impostor could be anyone .

It could even be the new Headmaster. Kirstenna's eyes nearly bugged out of her eyes at this thought. If that was the case, they were all in grave danger! The third year would have to watch him-and her other professors-very closely.

So involved in her thoughts was she, that the Teppenpaw nearly missed her turn with the hippogriff. Kirstenna walked up to it and bowed. The creature turned away and the third year stepped back. She wondered briefly if the Impostor would even assume an animal form. After all, the Impostor was probably on to the fact that Kirstenna had figured her out and that would be a reason why the hippogriff wouldn't bow, if it were her nemesis. She usually had good luck with animals

“Did you already get a turn?”

"Huh?" Kirstenna asked as Neal spoke to her. "Oh, yeah. She was apparently unimpressed by me." The Teppenpaw smiled at her classmate. "I guess I could try again a bit later." Though if the hippogriff was really the Impostor, it might not be the safest thing for her.

But that Impostor was out there somewhere, and Kirstenna kind of wanted to take her down. For Brian.

11 Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw Theorizing again. 161 Kirstenna Melcher,Teppenpaw 0 5

Jethro
February 09, 2011 4:43 AM

Jethro
Peripheral
Written by:

Do you want to eat worms? by Jethro
Jethro allowed his mind to tune itself in and out as Andrew debated with himself in a lengthy monologue. The Crotalus used the time to contemplate how plants and grasses were all green but still all different colors. He thoguht about how some plants were edible and some poisonous, and others than were poisonous to humans but other animals could eat them, and found himself wondering if a human had the stomach of a differnt animals whether their diet would remain the same. He tuned back into Andrew's speech just in time to hear, "I'll go up with the intention of wanting to touch it, and you try being uncertain when you get to the interaction. We'll see if our theory is correct."

"No," Jethro said quickly, trying not to panic. "I'm not going up there." He said it as a statement of fact, not a suggestion. Andrew would have to find someone else to use for his experiment - they were in a class full of students, so he shouldn't have any difficulty. "I'm not a good choice for your experiment," he tried to make Andrew see the situation the same way that Jethro saw it. "You, in fact, could do it on your own, seeing as the hippogriff has already rejected you once. If you go again with a different attitude and it accepts you then we'll know, won't we?" He didn't want to have to explain aloud using proper words that he was far too useless to be allowed near creatures such as hippogriffs. Jethro had long since become accustomed to the idea itself, but that didn't mean it was any less humilating having to explain his situation to others.

The fifth year boy knew that people thought he was stupid. His cousins always told him he was stupid, he sometimes heard his parents talking about him and how useless he was, and even Cynthia seemed to think he should avoid talking to anyone if at all possible so he didn't embarrass himself. When he let his mind consider it, Jethro sometimes allowed himself to worry how he was going to manage in life if he was stupid and useless. Even he knew that it was the clever and useful people that got on well in the world. Being stupid and useless had never really presented a problem to him before, but professors kept mentioning these CATS exmas that Jethro would have to take at the end of this year. What if he failed them all? Would they let him finish school normally or would he be stuck in fifth year forever? That would probably be embarrassing to start with, but at least if he never left school then Jethro would always be looked after by the professors.

0 Jethro Do you want to eat worms? 0 Jethro 0 5

Samantha Hamilton
February 09, 2011 5:19 AM

Samantha Hamilton
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 13

It depends who issues them by Samantha Hamilton
Although it occasionally made her nervous, Samantha usually enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures classes. Everything about the magic world was so different from the world she'd known as a child, but these fantastic creatures were just so very different from even things she'd seen at zoos that Samantha was fascinated. A spell could change things, move things, and do other bizarre things to an object, but these creatures were living, moving, and really existed. They could interact (when she wasn't being nervous) and it was phenomenal.

Today it took a short while for the class to get started, but when it did Samantha experien ced one of those moments where she was in complete awe of the creature, and torn between fear and admiration. It was beautiful, no doubt about that, with its majestic head and impressive wings. Though she could see the talons from a way off, and that beak had to be sharp, nevermind the power in those legs. Luckily their assignment for the class was simply enough: queue up and bow to the hippogriff, see if it let you stroke it. Unluckily, the worst that could happen was probably being mauled to death by a hippogriff, which wasn't on Samantha's to-do list for the year. Or ever, in fact.

Anxiously waiting in line with the others, the Aladren did what Aladrens did best and thought about the situation logically. She had no intention of insulting such a beautiful creature, so it probably wouldn't hurt her. Therefore the worst that was likely to happen would be that it didn't bow to her, and she would back off. That was okay, really, because if the creature did return her bow then she would have to approach it and actually touch it, which was a far more terrfying prospect than running away.

Before she was really ready, Samantha found herself at the front of the line. Taking steadying breaths, she walked forward slowly, occasionally making eye contact with the hippogriff but trying not to stare. After a few steps she stopped, and bowed, trying to look trustworthy and unthreatening. It seemed to have worked, because the magnificent creature dipped its own head in what was unmistakably a bow. Smiling in spite of herself, Samantha approached a little further, cautiously, and succeeded in stroking the soft feathers. One second, two seconds, three seconds, and that's about as long as her courage would let her enjoy this particular experience. Satisfied, Samantha carefully retreated back to the safety of her fellow classmates.

Still exhilerated from her hippogriff experience, Samantha wandered without real purpose and found herself looking down at the beginnings of a rather good sketch. The artist was Autumn, a girl Samantha had talked to in classes before. "That's really good," she said, sitting down near her classmate. "I hope you don't mind me looking," she added, considering she hadn't been invited to see the work.

0 Samantha Hamilton It depends who issues them 159 Samantha Hamilton 0 5

Andrew Duell
February 11, 2011 7:36 PM

Andrew Duell
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Gami

Age in Post: 15

Depends I guess, how are they being prepared? by Andrew Duell
Andrew balked a moment at Jethro's staunch refusal. Then after listening to the boy explain his reasoning, he had to admit that Jethro was right. His understanding of the scientific method was quite clear.

"Brilliant! I would have to go again. If we both went we would introduce more variables into the equation. You've got a good eye and keen mind. I'll need you to take notes." With that he walked back toward the hippogriff, this time with more confidence in his step.

This time he'd touch that beautiful creature. He was sure of it. He had to be, or else the experiment as a whole was flawed. He bowed before the hippogriff again, it wasn't any prettier than the first time. This time however, after the creature regarded him for a few moments. It did return his bow.

Andrew cracked a huge smiled across his face and stepped forward. He stroked the feathers, then stepped back, bowed again as he had seen some of the other students do, and returned to Jethro. "So, what do you make of that?"

2 Andrew Duell Depends I guess, how are they being prepared? 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Autumn
February 17, 2011 11:23 PM

Autumn
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 13

I usually take them regardless. by Autumn
Autumn looked up, startled at the voice. She breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out to be Samantha. That wasn't so bad. While she didn't consider herself as close to the Aladren as she did to Jane, Autumn had at least met Samantha before and liked her well enough.

"Thank you." The Crotalus said, blushing. Normally, Autumn was uncomfortable with most people seeing her artwork, because it was usually an expression of her, how she saw things. Plus, it was her passion in life and she would be very upset if she wasn't good at it, if someone criticized it.

Not that Autumn didn't take criticism very hard in general anyway. She took it as herself doing something wrong and the Crotalus hated to do anything wrong. There wasn't any real reason for it, it was just how Autumn was. In fact, she usually was harder on herself than others were on her.

But this wasn't an issue as Samantha had complimented her drawing of the hippogriff. That made Autumn feel good and she smiled at the other third year. "I don't mind at all." Normally, she would have, but as Samantha liked her drawing and had already seen it anyway, Autumn really was okay with it.

And even if she hadn't been, Autumn would not have said anything anyway. She hated to argue, especially with someone she wanted to be friends with and especially in front of a classroom full of people. They might think badly of her. Worse, she might become the class laughingstock and Autumn couldn't have that. She had to carefully maintain her image of having it somewhat together and not freak out about things in public.

Especially as she was a Collins and while Autumn didn't particularly care about blood purity-she had a halfblood half-sister after all-she still did not want to bring any shame to her family. Her grandparents had always said that being a Collins was something to be proud of. In fact, she was a member of more than one upstanding influential pureblood family and Autumn didn't want to be a disgrace to any of them.

Now, she had to continue on with this conversation, as she really did want to be friends with Samantha. "So, um, what did you think of the hippogriff?" Autumn asked. It wasn't the best thing she could have come up with. Or maybe it was, as Autumn wasn't the most social person ever. Either way, it would have to do.

11 Autumn I usually take them regardless. 164 Autumn 0 5

Rachel Bauer, Crotalus
February 19, 2011 5:04 PM

Rachel Bauer, Crotalus
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 14

I do my best, but it's hard. by Rachel Bauer, Crotalus
There were times when Rachel wondered if trying to be a good student and a good not-really-but-pretending-to-be-pureblood girl was really worth it, that she shouldn’t just pick one and stick with that. Not only did it get exhausting, putting forth her best while seeming not to and trying to remember what she’d told people she made on assignments versus what she really did, but the clothes changes were just as ridiculous.

She would be willing to bet there were not ten other girls in the school who knew how tiring it was to have to pick out two outfits – one for classes, which, with Potions and Defense and Care of Magical Creatures usually not having the decency to all happen on the same day and the others having the potential to be just as messy, really did need to be something functional and with pants while still being fashionable and girly enough to pass muster, and the other for meals and the evening – out every day, then run back and forth to the dorm to change depending on the situation, and that was before she even got to her hair. French braids were not exactly quick or easy even with magic, and neither was re-straightening her hair, much less getting it into a precise degree of curl, once she was out of the classes where she had to wear it back. Shoes and bags also had to be matched to all that, and she had to remember to take jewelry off and put it on. And all that was before make-up, and all the shades going together with her coloring and what she was wearing….

Really, it was a wonder she didn’t mismatch more often, if only because of how much time it took to take everything out of one bag and put it in another and still not be late to classes, where she had to put forth her very best while looking like she wasn’t. No matter how often she repeated it to herself, though, it didn’t make her feel any better whenever she glanced down and, with a fresh wince every time, noticed she was wearing brown shoes with a black sweater.

It could, she knew, have been far worse. The sweater had some pink in the line of plaid going down the front, and she was able to keep her robes over most of it, so there was a good chance that a) no one noticed, and b) it wasn’t really that bad, since brown and pink went together. Still, though: she knew they didn’t go together, and she was not looking forward to spending the next hour trying to concentrate on Care of Magical Creatures when she knew she didn’t match properly.

Come on, Cohen, she thought. She knew the worst thing she could possibly do was pay attention to the problem, because that would draw other people’s attention to it, and that was the complete opposite of what she wanted to happen. Show me something interesting.

Shortly after that, a hippogriff landed. Rachel deduced, based on the previous lecture and its presence and him telling them so, that they were supposed to interact with it and blinked, impressed. All right, Cohen. That’s interesting.

She would have gone to the front of the line, but knew that would be bad form in so many different ways that she didn’t even want to count them, so she found herself a spot a bit behind Alessa. Alessa was a good pureblood lady for real, and Momma said she was engaged now, which even Veronica couldn’t also say, which made something she could do permissible for Rachel to do without too much fear of societal disapproval. Flora bowing back to her and not to Alessa was a little less ideal, but Rachel couldn’t help that.

She approached slowly, with her hands clearly visible, in case Flora felt skittish and was poised to run in case Flora felt like changing her mind, but when nothing bad happened, Rachel very cautiously touched the hippogriff’s neck and began stroking her. After another moment, she spoke softly to her, which also didn’t get an especially negative reaction. When she stepped away, it was almost reluctantly. That had been a little scary, but also very cool.

Now, though, came the social aspect of class. Sometimes Rachel wished there was less of it, but wishes didn’t make fishes, so she went over to Alessa. Alessa was a safe person to talk to, and someone Rachel needed to remain friendly with. “Hi,” she said, smiling as she approached. “Different lesson today, huh?”

16 Rachel Bauer, Crotalus I do my best, but it's hard. 154 Rachel Bauer, Crotalus 0 5

Samantha
February 23, 2011 11:10 AM

Samantha
Peripheral
Written by:

Even from me? by Samantha
As Autumn had said it was okay, Samantha made herself comfortable on the ground next to Autumn. She had a really nice name, Samantha considered - it was pretty, and autumn was an excellent time of year. The Aladren didn't especially like her own name. It was probably better than some other usual names, like Claire or Laura, which were both funny-sounding, but Samantha was too long. She had tried going by 'Sam' in first year, but the Other Sam, Sam Bauer, had seemed far more insistent, so Samantha had let him have his way. It was okay - she was Sam and a Muggle at home; she could be Samantha the witch at school.

"I loved the hippogriff," Samantha said in reply to Autumn's question. "I mean, I was sort of scared at first," she admitted, "but I get that way with a lot of animals. I liked how soft the feathers were - are bird feathers like that? I don't think I've actually ever touched one." It seemed odd, considering the sheer number of birds she must have seen in her life, just flying round the place as well as at reserves her Mom had taken them to visit, that she had never touched one. Maybe she had and she was just too young to remember - she remembered feeding a baby lamb once, when she was a lot younger. "Did you get to touch it?" Samantha asked Autumn - she hadn't been watching all of the time and she hadn't noticed either way.

As Autumn was sitting working, Samantha felt she ought to do so, too. She really couldn't draw, though, and wasn't even going to attempt to sketch the hippogriff. Instead she took out her textbook and flipped to the part where it explained about hippogriffs. She would take notes instead, and add in her personal comments about the feathers being soft, which might help her to remember the experience. "Do you draw a lot?" Samantha asked Autumn as she set up her notes page with title and date. "I mean, is it a hobby of yours?"

0 Samantha Even from me? 0 Samantha 0 5

Autumn
February 25, 2011 9:12 PM

Autumn
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 13

Eh, maybe not by Autumn
Autumn nodded. She could relate to being scared. She was scared of a lot of things, though not really animals. The Crotalus was more afraid of things like heights, public speaking and blizzards. And being hated by everyone. The last thing Autumn would ever want is to be considered a loser by her whole class and be that kid that everyone made fun of.

Oh, she knew she would never have an easy time talking to people like Kirstenna Melcher. Sometimes, Autumn felt rather jealous of the Teppenpaw. Everyone seemed to like her. To the Crotalus, it seemed like the other third year was everything she wasn't. Outgoing, popular...relaxed. Autumn never felt like she could relax at all. She was so nervous around people, always afraid she wasn't quite good enough.

It was important for Autumn to be good enough, to please people. She had this need to make her family proud. To be one of the best in class, to maybe be prefect or Head Girl someday. (Though if she wasn't top of her class or Head Girl, she hoped Jane would be. Or maybe one of them would be one thing and the other would be the other. It was important to Autumn but not as important as having Jane remain her best friend and not competing with her.)

But Autumn was sure it would never happen. Kirstenna would probably get Head Girl. Even though she never seemed as organized or intelligent or responsible as Autumn (or Jane).

She smiled at Samantha. "It was pretty amazing." Autumn said of the hippogriff. "I don't know what bird feathers feel like either." She admitted. "I've never touched one myself." Birds would always fly away if someone got too close. Except pigeons in New York City, that was what her aunt Britta had said. Britta was the same age as Lily and had gone to design school in New York. Autumn planned to go to SUM like Lily, only she was going to major in art, while Lily had become an Auror. Autumn could never do that. She was nowhere near as brave as her older sister.

The third year blushed as her classmate asked about drawing being one of her hobbies. "Oh yes, I love to draw." Autumn replied. Half the time when teachers were talking, the Crotalus was dying to cover her notes with sketches, though that never happened. If she was too busy drawing in class, she might miss something and then Autumn's grades would suffer. She had to maintain at least second in the class, though she was only willing to lose out to her best friend really.

However, at moments like this, when Autumn had free time during class, especially COMC, she loved to spend it drawing. She was really excited about the new MARS room with its art studio. "What about you?" Autumn asked Samantha. "Do you have any hobbies?"

11 Autumn Eh, maybe not 164 Autumn 0 5

Samantha
February 28, 2011 3:44 PM

Samantha
Peripheral
Written by:

Fair enough by Samantha
Autumn didn't make fun of Samantha for being afraid, which was nice. Samantha wasn't scared of much. She didn't like big animals because she'd been thrown off a horse and chased by a dog, and didn't wish to relive either incident. She wasn't scared of the dark, or of spiders, or snakes, or anything else that girls her age were usually scared of. She'd once been scared of ghosts but she'd seen glimpses of ghosts at Sonora and now they didn't bother her, either. She was, however, a little wary of her step-dad when he'd been out with his workmates, but that was a different matter and not a problem at school.

Samantha also discovered that she wasn't alone in never having touched a bird. She supposed there weren't that many opportunities in normal life to have stroked feathers. She'd heard about falconry courses where you could get close to birds of prey, and maybe if someone had a pet parrot or something they might have been able to stroke it. Samantha wondered if they would be getting close to birds of some sort in their care of magical creatures classes in the future, as that seemed the only way she would be likely to discover whether hippogriff feathers felt like feathers on any other bird. Of course by that time she might have forgotten what the hippogriff felt like, and perhaps even the experiment she currently had in mind. For now she'd have to content herself with making notes.

Autumn was lucky being able to draw - she could sit and do that wherever. Samantha's hobbies weren't quite so easy to fit into her classes. "I like sports," she replied. "I play a lot with my brothers back home." She was also on the Quidditch team at Sonora. "I like to sing, too, but not on my own." She didn't really liked doing anything on her own. She could work on her own in classes, that was fine, and she could read on her own, too - she liked books. That much was probably a given, though, considering she was in Aladren. Mostly, though, Samantha liked activities that needed interaction of others. If she was having fun she liked to share it.

0 Samantha Fair enough 0 Samantha 0 5

Alessa
February 28, 2011 10:33 PM

Alessa
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 14

It really is. by Alessa
Alessa sighed as she looked around the clearing. She hated to stand up for a whole class period, it sort of bothered her to stand in one place for any length of time. The Aladren could sit, but standing was just...uncomfortable. However, Alessa couldn't sit on the ground either, as she would get dirty. Her mother had always taught her that proper young ladies didn't do so, anyway.

She smiled pleasantly as Rachel approached her. Alessa hadn't been able to find anything on her family in the last few years, so she figured the Bauers were a relatively new pureblood family that weren't in any of the geneology books that Alessa had studied relentlessly. Not that Rachel's blood really mattered that much to her anyway. She was merely curious to find out about a family she didn't know about and who they were related to and how.

Besides, Alessa couldn't fault Rachel at all for wanting to be one of the pureblood elite. It was always what her family told her was important. Though she also knew how exhausting it could be. Always remembering to use the right fork and look her best. What if there was only one fork at the table like it was here? Alessa had to use the same fork for everything then. Which was kind of gross. She didn't especially like using the same one for multiple dishes.

Still, the fourth year was grateful for her upbringing. Without her years of ettiquette lessons, Alessa would be lost. She would never know what to do in social situations. There were still people she felt very uncomfortable interacting with. Like the Pecari girls. They seemed to live by different social norms than the Aladren. They weren't at all what Alessa was used to, though she found Delilah pleasant enough and Nina must have had some proper training, it would be scandulous if she didn't. Still,the fourth was much more comfortable interacting with Rachel and Veronica.

"Yes." Alessa agreed. "Still not really my kind of thing, this subject rarely is but at least hippogriffs aren't disgusting." She hadn't cared too much about it rejecting her bow though she didn't know why it had. It wasn't as if it were a member of proper society, it was just an animal. It was people that her mother told her were important to impress, though Alessa could get away with a little bit more. She was a Hinckley, after all.

11 Alessa It really is. 150 Alessa 0 5

Rachel
March 02, 2011 2:30 PM

Rachel
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 14

But yet, here we are. by Rachel
Alessa’s reply didn’t surprise Rachel, though it did occur to her – uneasily, as such thoughts often did – that it still wasn’t one she would have thought to give herself, if Alessa had been the one to initiate the conversation. It didn’t occur to her, most of the time, to be disgusted by the things she should have been, instead of just accepting them as part of the curriculum and being more interested in what she was doing than what she was doing it with.

Sometimes she wondered if something were wrong with her, something intrinsically wrong that she couldn’t do anything about. If some of the views she’d heard expressed – views which had given her a very unladylike desire to punch someone in the face – were right, and it was because she was a half-blood and that alone was enough to ever keep her from being quite like the people she associated with. Or if other views, which made marginally more sense, were right and she’d just been too old to really change when Alma took her in hand after her mother’s second marriage. Alicia was just as half-blooded as she was, after all, even looked a lot like Daddy, but if she had any problems, she didn’t let on about them. Alicia was perfect.

Well, no one was perfect. Rachel knew that. But Alicia behaved perfectly almost all of the time, and always seemed to know what the right thing to say, that everyone else important would want to hear, was, and she didn’t complain about it even in private, so she might as well have been. It was demoralizing, feeling inferior to someone who wouldn’t even come to school until the year after next.

“They are much more dangerous than the things we usually study, though,” she said. There. That was better. She was on a roll, handling the situation, all that stuff. “I’m really surprised that it’s allowed. Can you imagine what they must have to deal with in the Advanced class?”

16 Rachel But yet, here we are. 154 Rachel 0 5

Autumn
March 08, 2011 2:51 AM

Autumn
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 13

Fair is good by Autumn
Autumn nodded politely. She wasn't into sports at all herself but she didn't want to say that to Samantha who had just mentioned them as her hobby. Quidditch had never really appealed to Autumn. It was too dangerous and she really hated heights. The one time she had tried to fly was during lessons here at Sonora and she had hated it. Autumn had been sure she was going to fall and get killed. Not to mention the heavy metal bludgers involved in Quidditch.

The Crotalus rarely ever even watched the games. Too violent, she'd heard that the recent Teppenpaw-Aladren game was a blood bath where six players got injured. That was about as many as Lily had hit in her entire time at Sonora. Autumn's sister had had quite a reputation for violence on the pitch, and for being generally scary. That wasn't the big sister that Autumn knew though. Towards her, Lily was kind, even protective.

Another reason that the third year didn't often attend games was all the people at them. Autumn was very shy and didn't really like crowds at all. She felt highly uncomfortable in large groups. She actually preferred painting and drawing because she could do them by herself. Besides, though Autumn preferred to be more modest, she'd always been told by most people that she was good at it. The only person who'd ever criticized her work was Clarette. Autumn's mother had said that it was probably because Clarette was jealous of Autumn's abilities, but the Crotalus had felt the need to stop going to art classes and get a private tutor just the same.

Still, Autumn decided not to tell Samantha any of this. She didn't want the other girl to think less of her. Lily had always said that a lot of people who were into sports looked down on those who didn't. The third year was less worried this would happen to her in general because of her 'pureblood girl' status. Society said she wasn't supposed to be athletic at all. However, Samantha was not a pureblood-there was a pureblood Hamilton family, but they were long extinct, so Samantha had to either be an unrelated non-pureblood or a descendant of some disowened relative-and so it was unlikely that she would understand where Autumn was coming from, though it wasn't so much out of propriety as it was genuine fear and disinterest.

Nor was she going to tell the other third year about her general dislike of and discomfort in crowds. Autumn really wanted Samantha to like her and she was afraid the other girl wouldn't if she knew how shy Autumn was. Her cousin had been rejected by his classmates because he was shy and didn't care for Quidditch. Now, though he'd always been nice to her, he seemed to have a massive chip on his shoulder and Autumn didn't want one of her own. "That's cool." She told Samantha. "You were in the choir last year right? And you're on the Aladren Quidditch team? I heard the game against Teppenpaw was pretty intense." Autumn hoped that none of that came out wrong, she really didn't know what else to say.

11 Autumn Fair is good 164 Autumn 0 5

Alessa
March 11, 2011 5:46 AM

Alessa
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 14

Yup by Alessa
"True." Alessa agreed. Hippogriffs were not too horrible really, she just wasn't that interested in animals. She kind of felt conflicted sometime. What kind of Aladren was she not to be interested in absolutely every subject but yet, as a pureblood girl, she wasn't supposed to be interested in certain things either. Most of them fortunately being things Alessa didn't care about anyway, such as Quidditch.

She really did wonder about her Sorting sometimes. Alessa supposed that she was intelligent enough, she had a rather amazing memory for things she was interested in but on the other hand there were some subjects she just didn't care for. Granted, in the case of Defense it was more that she disliked doing anything remotely athletic. And history was a very Aladren-ish subject to like, even though-much to Alessa's annoyance-it was no longer being taught at Sonora. She basically had rather a limited range of interests and tended to be obsessively good at those she did have.

Nor was Alessa as ambitious as some Aladrens seemed to be. Since she was old enough to understand, the fourth year knew what her life held. She would never work, and would automatically be married off to a respectable pureblood man. Alessa would never have to plot and scrape to get anything she wanted. Wally would see to that, as her parents always had.

She wasn't sure what House would have suited her better anyway. Certainly not Pecari. Alessa would have gone crazy in a matter of moments there. She could pretty much understand Tawny's...irritance at the girls in her house and why her cousin was always scowling. Alessa's desire to yell at Demelza Eagle, in particular, to shut up and sit still was probably what had kept her out of Teppenpaw as well.

Then there was Crotalus. Alessa could certainly have seen herself there. She viewed herself as respectable more than she did independent and loving to learn. The fourth year really only cared to learn about stuff that she was interested in. But she was in Aladren and that was that. It wasn't so bad anyway. Alessa had figured out that Aladren tended to have the second best rate of purebloods anyway.

"The things that are allowed at this school sometimes are pretty...unusual. Sometimes, I don't think the professors really think things through very well and somehow, they get away with it. The school board doesn't seem to go through things like they should." Alessa replied. "They probably do something really dangerous like dragons in the advanced classes. I don't really plan to find out as I've never been much of an animal person."

11 Alessa Yup 150 Alessa 0 5

Rachel
March 13, 2011 7:54 PM

Rachel
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 14

And moving along just fine. by Rachel
Rachel grimaced her acceptance of the idea that sometimes, it seemed like the professors did not always think about the potential ramifications of lessons. Kate had been nearly crying after her first Transfiguration class of the year, talking about how they’d been asked to do animate-to-inanimate transfigurations on a creature with an exoskeleton. Rachel had already loathed Crosby, and her opinion of the woman had not been helped by the way Kate seemed to almost like her sometimes since Kate’s tastes had always been a little suspect, but she’d been hard-pressed not to find a way to slip something foul into some personal possession of the Transfiguration professor’s after that. She had a problem with people who upset her little sisters.

She knew that was a little hypocritical, since she and Kate hadn’t done much besides fight since their parents got divorced, but that didn’t change how she felt about it. She was the eldest. It was her responsibility to take care of the younger ones. There were times when she didn’t remotely like Kate or Alicia, but that changed nothing, either. They were her little sisters, which meant she was the only person allowed to be a jerk to them.

“I think I heard they did, once,” she said, referring to the dragons. “With Dakin.” She said that name only slightly more warmly than she would have Crosby’s. It was Dakin who’d gotten her high in class one time. Rachel didn’t like – well, no, that was a lie. She did like the idea of losing control completely, just being whatever it was she was without thinking, without pretending. But she didn’t like the thought of what the consequences of that would be, so she didn’t voluntarily engage in activities that would put her in a pre-rational state. And she certainly did not do drugs, or do things that could, if she turned out to be more allergic than the average guy to something normally only found in Australia, end with her permanently floating in the air. Only stupid people did things like that.

“But I don’t think I’ll be continuing this class, either. Transfiguration and Potions are going to be hard enough if Crosby and Fawcett are still here, and I don’t expect Defense and Charms to be all that easy, either.” Levy took her Defense seriously – not that Rachel disapproved of this, it was just how it was – and while McKindy was nice, that didn’t mean a lot of what they studied with him even now was easy. “Have you decided which subjects to continue yet?”

16 Rachel And moving along just fine. 154 Rachel 0 5