Breathtaking creatures, really on Mirage Chamber

Professor Fawcett

August 12, 2008 10:12 PM

Lesson Two for Sixth and Seventh Years by Professor Fawcett

After a quick look-around to make sure the tiny group of upperclassmen was still intact, John closed the room off and cleared his throat to get the group's attention. The room was fascinating, but looking at its current setting without listening to the lecture was like staring at the pages of Heart of Darkness without a good grip on English: both were pointless, and both would leave those who tried them looking foolish. As he lacked anything to point at, he used his pointer to gesture as he spoke.

"Today," he informed the sixth and seventh years, "we are beginning a unit on dragons. They are among the Wizarding World's most dangerous creatures, so while those you view here cannot harm you, I would advise any of you who don't plan to work with them for a living to avoid them outside this room." That remark was punctuated with an especially violent movement of his pointer. "In the normal course of things, there's ten different breeds of dragon. To permit you to absorb all the information, I've broken the ten up into smaller groups. Your grade will come from tests over each group, a paper on each pure breed, and a final paper over either dragon reservations or dragon cross-breeds. I will distribute more detailed handouts after class."

Fairly sure he'd have a reputation for sadism before dinner time - giving students a taste of what post-primary studies were really like tended to earn a wizard that - John turned his pointer toward the Chamber. "And now, we enter and meet three of my favorites - the Antipodean Opaleye, the Chinese Fireball, and the Romanian Longhorn."

John lead them to the first display, where a medium-sized dragon sparkled under an imaginary sun. "This an Opaleye. Many people consider them the most beautiful dragons." He was inclined to agree with those people. "They originated in New Zealand, but some migrate to Australia if they run short on land at home. The name comes from the eyes." The things did not have pupils, which John, at least, found a bit disturbing to look at. "Their favorite food is sheep, though they will sometimes attack larger animals."

Deciding to leave questions until after all three of the day's breeds had been shown, he moved them along. "These are Chinese Fireballs. The Fireball is the only dragon from the Orient, and - ah, there we go!" A Fireball had thrown its head back in annoyance and sent mushroom-topped streams of fire into the air. "Now you see where Magizoologists got that name from. Beautiful eggs - you can see a clutch just over there - and highly prized for use in certain areas of Chinese magic. They're unusually tolerant of other dragons, and it's not unknown for them to share territory with up to two others. They're also happy to have pigs and humans enter their territory, as those are their favorite foods."

Leaving the Fireballs to roar in time with the Opaleye, he steered the group toward the Longhorn, whose scales almost matched their robes. He quite liked the way the long horns contrasted with the hide. "And the Romanian Longhorn. This is one of the more endangered breeds of dragon, and that's in large part because of its horns. The dragon uses them to gore its prey, and wizards use them, ground into a powder, as a potion ingredient. It's legal for the moment, and the experts at the reservation on their territory work to keep Longhorn levels acceptable. The reservation is one of the most important in the world and houses a variety of breeds."

Lowering his pointer at last, John pushed his glasses a bit further up his nose and looked around at the upperclassmen. There were some kinks to work out - it had been too long to simply expect to step back into his 'professor shoes' as if he'd just taken them off - but he thought he might actually end up enjoying this stint. "You may observe the exhibit as you wish for the remainder of class," he told them. "Do any of you have any questions for me now?"

OOC: Remember, come in at about ten sentences to a post, use good spelling and grammar, and - most importantly - have fun!

Subthreads:

Lost in thought. by Dalila Bastet with Dillon Welsh, Dalila

Breathtaking creatures, really by Nicoletta Dupree with Bella Santoro, Nicoletta

Puff the Magic Dragon? by Earl Valentine with Mia Kerova, Earl

0 Professor Fawcett Lesson Two for Sixth and Seventh Years 0 Professor Fawcett 1 5

Dalila Bastet

August 15, 2008 5:59 PM

Lost in thought. by Dalila Bastet

As Dalila waited for the class to begin, she fiddled with the hem of her sleeve and wondered why she was even here. She had spent the last week or so, wondering a lot of things about herself. Most of what she had done or decided on doing had been directly related to her mother. She had wanted to go into researching astronomy because that's what her mother did. Or maybe Magizoology because part of her research had been related to it. But now she looked at her notebook for Care of Magical Creatures and wondered if she really was interested in them or if she was just doing it because her mother had wanted her to.

She entered the Mirage Chamber clouded with doubts about who she was and what she wanted which was not conducive to listening to the temp professor's lecture, though she vaguely pondered where Professor K could be.

The only thing that could've drawn Dalila from the inner workings of her brain was some giant monster attacking the class. Luckily, there happened to be several, though they weren't actually attacking. Dalila gasped at the first dragon. It shimmered in the fake sunlight, and after a brief gaping stare, she hurried to write down what the pretty dragon looked liked, wishing profusely that she had a camera on her. Suddenly her brain was fully on the professor (she never had gotten his name).

The next two dragon's were equally as beautiful, though in different ways. She took as many notes as she could while still staring openly at the dragons. Halfway through trying to figure out how to describe the Opaleyes's strange eyes, she made her decision: she did like Care of Magical Creatures. And she probably still liked Astronomy too. Dalila grinned. She may not be doing research alongside her mother anymore, but that doesn't mean she has to rethink everything.

Dalila stopped writing for a moment and chose to look up at her classmates. Normally she didn't like doing this because when she did, her gaze magically landed on either Adam or his new girlfriend...sometimes both. And Dalila found it easier to be happy for them if she didn't have to see them. Luckily, when she looked up, she saw normal people. Nic was apparently out of her view at the moment. Someone grumbled a homework assignment. Did she miss that?

Now officially angry at herself, Dalila turned to the person closest to her.

"Did you happen to hear the homework assignment?"

0 Dalila Bastet Lost in thought. 60 Dalila Bastet 0 5

Nicoletta Dupree

August 16, 2008 11:38 PM

Breathtaking creatures, really by Nicoletta Dupree

Nicoletta found it a little disappointing to have someone other than Professor Kijewski teaching Care of Magical Creatures, especially now that she was past the CATS level, but life went on, and regardless of who was teaching, she was determined to learn all that she could. She hadn’t paid nearly the attention that she should have in previous years. She did all right, but it wasn’t nearly up to her potential. Now, that she had figured out an idea of what she wanted to do, she was resolute in filling that potential.

Following into the Mirage Chamber, she wondered what they would be learning. They had been in here before for creatures that they couldn’t actually be around, and as the professor lectured, it was apparent that this would be no exception, but it didn’t make the material any less exciting. Her interest was completely perked on the thought of learning about dragons and she almost squealed in delight. She had seen models of some of the dragons. Even though, they were much smaller than the real thing, they demanded no less respect. She found them to be rather magnificent and couldn’t wait to begin viewing them here.

Unfortunately, they would only be learning about three at the moment, but on the bright side, it meant they could pay more attention to them, which she supposed was the idea. First up was the Opaleye. It was absolutely gorgeous with the way its scales appeared to sparkle. Right now, if she were a dragon, she would definitely pick that one. Next up was the Chinese Fireball, which she didn’t think was as beautiful, but the details about them were fascinating and she was surprised to learn about how tolerant they could be – towards dragons, not people. Then, they got to see the Romanian Longhorn. She frowned at the mention of it being endangered due to its horns. She understood the importance of using them as an ingredient in potions, but she also knew that due to the limited supply, it opened it up for the Black Market and she hated the idea of such amazing creatures being used that way.

When they were allowed to observe the rest of the exhibit, Nicoletta immediately gravitated towards the Opaleye. It wasn’t that she found the other two any less exciting, but she wanted to get a closer look at the first one that they were shown. On further inspection, she got a better look at the eyes. Not caring if anyone was around since she was mostly talking to herself, she breathed out, “Aren’t they simply amazing?” She couldn’t wait to tell Adam all about what they had learned today and she wished he could have seen them. Oh, well, talking his ear off would have to do.

It also made her think of Earl. She missed him since they didn’t really hang out anymore, which was probably for the best. Well, best in the short-term. She had wanted to give him a chance to deal with however he felt without making it harder. If he no longer thought of her as more than maybe they could be friends. Not to mention, if they were friends, maybe he would consider drawing the Opaleye dragon for her to hang up in her room since his drawings were amazing. Actually, maybe that would be a good way to talk to him again? She had meant it when she said that she wanted to be friends.

0 Nicoletta Dupree Breathtaking creatures, really 64 Nicoletta Dupree 0 5

Bella Santoro

August 17, 2008 10:01 PM

They are quite lovely...and terrifying by Bella Santoro

Bella was an animal lover. Anyone who knew her well enough knew that about her. Not that she actually had any animals. Her twin brothers had their puff skeins that they received back in their second year, but those were the only animals they had around their house. It wasn't that they didn't have plenty of room for a dog or something, but her mom knew that if they get animals, she would be the one taking care of them and not her kids. And Bella's mom already had nine kids to look after as well as three grandkids and who knew how many more to come. The puff skeins were plenty for them anyway, considering the twins left them in the care of their mom as it was.

She took in the appearance of their sub. He seemed like the sort of man who became nervous around crowds, or worked late at the office making his wife and family worry about whether or not he was flooing home for the night. Not that Bella was right with any of her thoughts. She didn't necessarily consider herself the best judgment of character. Although, thus far, she seemed to do alright by her instincts.

Today's lesson would be about Dragons. Much like she had done when they were at the Ranch last year, Bella ooh'ed at the dragons when the professor began the lecture. Bella had no plans on doing anything with animals after school. She was going to pursue her music and hope that took her somewhere big. But animals were a side passion for her and, although Dragons were scary and dangerous, they were also amazing creatures. She still couldn't believe that muggles thought they were nothing more than fairytale stories. How could they miss them?

She wasn't going to deny that their mere presence was commanding. Even thought they were fake, Bella still felt a shiver of fear run down her spine when she looked up into the features of the Opaleye, watched the burst of fire emit from the Chinese Fireball, or saw the sheer size of the horns on the Romanian Longhorn . They were an amazing creatures. Everything about them was powerful. Demanding. Intoxicating. She could understand why there were people out there that risked their lives to care for these creatures. And, if she had a spine, she might have thought about such a career. But, alas, her spine was weak.

Not having any questions for the Professor, Bella moved off from the group to have closer looks at the dragons. The Opaleye definitely had this hypnotizing way about it with the color of the scales and the way the eyes looked. Bella stared hard at the eyes, trying to figure out what it might have been looking at, like a game, when a voice spoke not that far away from her. Turning to look, she found Nicoletta Dupree standing there looking at the dragon.

For a moment, Bella was confused and merely blinked at the Crotalus girl. Bella was best friends with Nicoletta's twin brother, but the two of them had never spoken. Mainly because Nicoletta and her friends used to act like the world owed them some sort of gratitude that they existed. Though they all seemed to have mellowed out since that day (although, Jordanna still seemed to need a good kick in the rear), Bella still had long ago dismissed the girls as people she never wanted to get to know.

But, so many things had happened since their first year that Bella actually considered talking to the girl next to her. If only to be polite for Chris's sake. "Yeah, they're pretty cool." Bella answered finally. "Didn't think you were the type to like giant lizards." Bella's voice was light to show that she meant nothing mean by her words.

0 Bella Santoro They are quite lovely...and terrifying 0 Bella Santoro 0 5

Dillon Welsh

August 17, 2008 10:02 PM

I hope they're good thoughts by Dillon Welsh

Considering the fact that Dillon planned on becoming a veterinarian after college, it was needless to say that he was quite excited to begin his last term of his Sonora career with Care of Magical Creatures. He frowned slightly at the sight of the substitute before remembering that Professor Kijewski had told them that they would be getting a substitute this half of term. Interesting. The guy seemed to have the look of someone who knew what he was doing. The sort that screamed 'Professor' or 'Accountant'. Whichever. He actually reminded him much of Dillon's father when it came to the outfit. But, his dad was a Math Professor, so looking stiff seemed to be a requirement.

But, all thoughts of the professor were lost when they entered the mirage and the source of their lesson became evident. Dragons. Dillon felt like a little kid in a candy shop. With his notebook out, Dillon immediately began to write down everything the professor said as well as adding in all of his own observations. Over the course of the seven years that Dillon had been a student at Sonora, his notebook on animals had grown tremendously and most of it was from his own observations and time spent in the library. He was careful to learn everything that he could for his entrance exams into college.

Dillon quietly wrote down everything that his hand could handle while they walked, being careful to take interest in the dragons' movements, their eggs, and the habitats. He enjoyed the way the color of the Opaleye shined off from the sun or how the eyes looked rather creepy when one noticed that it had no pupil. He also enjoyed the beauty in which the Chinese Fireball flame shot forth or the color of the eggs. And, although the Longhorn seemed rather plain compared to other dragons, but offered more with their horns.

Halfway through his personal notes, the Substitute ended the lecture part of their lesson and asked if anyone had any other questions. Thus far, Dillon didn't have any, but that could change after he sat down and read up on these specific dragons. Dillon didn't actually like to ask things openly in front of others because some of his questions could have been common sense to those who had always been raised in the magical society. Last thing he needed was people to laugh at him for his lack of experience.

"Did you happen to hear the homework assignment?"

A disembodied voice asked Dillon. Looking up from his notebook, Dillon looked around to find the Teppenpaw Chaser, Dalila, standing next to him. Homework? "No, he said that we'll be receiving our grades tests over each group of dragon, a paper on the pure breeds, and a final paper over either dragon reservations or dragon cross-breeds." Dillon advised the younger girl. It was a lot of work for him to do with the R.A.T.S. exam looming ever closer, but since his classes were limited, Dillon had faith that he could get it all done.

6 Dillon Welsh I hope they're good thoughts 44 Dillon Welsh 0 5

Dalila

August 18, 2008 4:34 PM

If they were I'd be flying by Dalila

No? Dalila could've sworn she heard someone grumbling over the homework assignment. But then Dillon, continued his explanation and Dalila's frown of confusion turned into one of worry. For some reason it took till that very moment to realize just how much she had to do this year. being a sixth year was somehow worse than being a fifth year, even though there were no exams this year.

"Merlin," she said to herself, but loud enough for Dillon to hear. "That's a lot of work." She scrambled to write it all down before she forgot everything and then stared at the assignments she had written down. "This guy's insane. How am I supposed to do all that AND everything for Charms and Transfiguration? And the newspaper! And Quidditch!" Dalila sighed in exasperation. She sorely regretted joining the newspaper and decided that she wasn't going to do it next year. It was just too much. She turned back to Dillon.

"You don't seem nearly as freaked out as me and you have RATS coming up soon. How do you do it?"

0 Dalila If they were I'd be flying 0 Dalila 0 5

Dillon

August 19, 2008 9:46 PM

Without a broom? by Dillon

Dillon had paused in his note taking once again when Dalila reacted to what he had informed her of. Although he could understand where she was coming from with the workload that they had been given, he couldn’t actually hide the smile that appeared on his face while she ranted on about how hectic her schedule seemed to be.

And, he would admit, her schedule really did seem rather full.

His own schedule was going to be tight, but he had created a table of what he needed to do everyday in order to make it all work for him. Granted, he certainly didn’t have the extracurricular activities that she seemed to have, but Dillon was involved in quite a bit of classes in order to ensure that he was prepared for his next level of education of Veterinary school. He knew that school after Sonora would be a hard trek (especially if it were anything like Muggle Veterinary school) and Dillon wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking anything else.

Dillon laughed when Dalila posed her question to him. “Time management. But, I’m not necessarily what you would call a ‘social’ creature.” Dillon informed her. “I don’t have any extracurricular activities to keep me busy like I used to when I was on the Quidditch team. I have plenty of time to workout what needs to be done.” His freckled face remained open with an amused look.

“You should really start a chart of your lessons and work out what your priorities are. I find it’s the most efficient way of keeping track of what needs to be done. You seem like the sort of girl who has enough energy to last a lifetime. I’m sure you can handle it just fine.”

6 Dillon Without a broom? 44 Dillon 0 5

Dalila

August 21, 2008 2:35 AM

All you need is faith and trust...and pixie dust by Dalila

Dalila was expecting more of a generic answer than time management. In her experience, most people answered with things like "I don't know" and "It's not that hard". So when Dillon said "Time management" Dalila's looked up expectantly, her notes on dragons completely forgotten.

Like Dillon said, it probably helped that he was social and had quit Quidditch, but his idea of a chart seemed feasible. That is if she could follow it. She laughed out loud at Dillon's assertion of her energy level. "Well, energy means nothing if I don't put it to good use. And I can't put it to good use if I'm buried under my workload. I like your chart idea, Dillon." She grinned at him while ripping out a piece of notebook paper and proceeded to try and draw a schedule. What she ended up with was a sloppy interpretation of a Tic-Tac-Toe board. Dalila sighed and crumpled the paper into a ball.

"This would be so much easier if I had my computer," she said, thinking of that wonderful table tool in Word. "I wonder if there's a spell that makes tables..."

0 Dalila All you need is faith and trust...and pixie dust 0 Dalila 0 5

Dillon

August 22, 2008 10:43 PM

And a happy memory. by Dillon

Dillon felt as though he had said something that most people wouldn’t usually say by the look on Dalila’s face. He knew he was pretty inept when it came to casual conversation and that his mouth may say things that other people didn’t necessarily pick up on, but he was fairly certain how he manages things wasn’t completely out of the ordinary. Then again, maybe it was for a 17 year old. It was hard to say. Dillon was his father’s son and liked to do things on time and diligently. He supposed his mother was quite like that as well. Made one wonder how in the world Les ended up being such an artist when neither parents had a flare for it.

Okay, she seemed to get the idea of the chart, and was eager to begin making one (Dillon had meant to do it after class, but to each their own), but her response to his energy compliment seemed to suggest that she didn’t get all of his meaning. While she worked on her chart, Dillon elaborated. “What I meant with her energy was that you can put it to use with doing your homework and doing your extracurricular activities.”

She finished with her chart, but it wasn’t nearly as immaculate looking as his seemed to be…although, he actually had a table back in his dorm that he used. He chuckled lightly behind his hand when he looked at it. It was clearly not something that she was used to doing. Most people just went with the flow of things and procrastinated with their lives. Dillon just couldn’t handle living life like that. “Here, let me.” Dillon took out a piece of his notebook paper (there were some things in the muggle world that Dillon would never part with. Notebook paper and a pen were only just two of them) and laid it flat against the hard surface of his book.

Proving, once again, that he was his parents’ son, Dillon made near perfect straight lines before blocking off a column for every day of the week and then sections for an hour of each day. Beginning at eight in the morning and ending at ten at night. “I don’t know how many classes you have or how often you practice or have your meetings. You can work that out later. What I usually do is block off an hour or two after lessons for just homework. It really depends on the lessons and how long the essays are.”

Dillon handed her the chart he had made. “If you need any help with anything, I usually have free time or whatever. I’m sure we have a couple other classes together.”

6 Dillon And a happy memory. 44 Dillon 0 5

Dalila

August 24, 2008 10:21 PM

But which to choose? by Dalila

"Yeah, I guess all this energy is useful for getting things done. I think it's the only reason I haven't collapsed from everything yet. Then again, things are bound to get worse as the year goes on. Thanks!" Dalila said, watching Dillon draw her a basic table and taking it from his hands and scrutinizing it when he turned it over to her. "I apparently can't draw a straight line if my life depended on it."

Dalila immediately grabbed her pen and wrote in each of her classes and Quidditch practice and then stared at the empty spots. "Some of the classes are crazy. Did you hear about the essay the fifth years have to do in History of Magic? It's supposed to be 20 feet or something. I'm really glad I didn't sign up for that." Dalila grinned at Dillon. No matter how nerdy someone was, a 20 foot essay wasn't fun.

"I'd love some help. Potions is killing me. I mean, how do you study for it??

0 Dalila But which to choose? 0 Dalila 0 5

Earl Valentine

September 01, 2008 5:15 PM

Puff the Magic Dragon? by Earl Valentine

Dragons. Earl grinned enthusiastically. He was never one for animals. Sure, thy had their uses, and some were pretty cool, but he was in this class still only because it gave him interesting things to draw and it had always been the easiest class for him. Maybe it was just easier overall to study animals than to learn how to mix potions or change chairs into cats. Earl certainly thought so.

Even though the dragons caught his interest more so than any other animal they had studied as far, Earl couldn't help but ignore the sub. It wasn't the guy's fault; Earl just tended to block out the voices of his elders. Instead, he stared at the different breeds of dragon for a few minutes before getting out his sketch book and proceeding to draw the nearest dragon: the green one with long gold horns. It took him quite a bit of time to get a decent sketch in, especially since it kept moving.

He finally glanced up when he felt he had gotten it right. Everyone seemed to have broken up into small conversations, only some of which happened to be about the dragons. He had been so engrossed, he had pretty much ignored everyone there. He decided that his drawing looked too much like he was ignoring the class entirely and got out his book to look up the dragon he had sketched. If he wrote down a bunch of notes around the dragon, it would look like he had been paying attention. He wrote 'Romanian Longhorn' at the top of the page and copied down a few facts on the outer edges of the page before looking up to see where the professor was. If Professor Fawcett happen to look at his paper now, it would seem as though he were an excellent student.

Earl stood up from his spot on the floor and moved closer to the red dragon, who as he looked at it shot a mushroom cloud into the air. He let out a low whistle, excited to get started on drawing this one. The spikes alone would be a challenge. He glanced around again to make sure he wasn't in anyone's way and noticed Nic from the corner of his eye. He stared at her for a full second before turning quickly back to his work. He was over her. That still didn't make him indifferent to her. He concentrated a bit too hard on drawing the Chinese fireball, the sound of Nic's voice rising above the dull murmur of the surrounding conversations. After a few minutes, Earl slammed his sketchbook closed furiously. Maybe he didn't need to take this class next year. He gathered his things in his arms, not bothering to shove anything into his bag and tried to make an early escape. This failed miserably when he collided with some one, sending his sketchbook, textbook, and assorted writing utensils cascading to the floor. Earl let out a swear word and bent to pick up his things. He grabbed his textbook, now covered in black ink and swore again before looking up at whoever he had hit, with an automatic apology.

"Sorry," he grumbled, his mood not improving in the slightest.

0 Earl Valentine Puff the Magic Dragon? 67 Earl Valentine 0 5

Nicoletta

September 01, 2008 6:01 PM

At least, it's an image by Nicoletta

A voice nearby had Nicoletta turning her head to find out where it had come from since it was an apparent answer to her fairly rhetoric question. Turning her head slightly, she was a little stunned to find out that it had come from Bella Santoro, but given any other female in the class, it wasn’t that shocking. If it had been Dalila, or even Lexi, then it probably would have been with good reason. As it stood, she raised her eyebrow slightly in surprise, before replying with a ton of amusement, “You would be surprised.”

Of course, when she answered she was thinking of one of the dates that she and Adam had over midterm. They had opted to go on one of the boat rides that were available. The particular one chosen had involved going to see alligators and actually feeding them. How many people could say that they actually did that? She certainly would never have thought that she would have been able to say that. It had been a bit scary, but it had also been a bit thrilling. She offered a grin to the other girl, before continuing, “Over midterm, Adam and I fed alligators. It was amazing.”

Her gaze remained on Bella, as she mentioned the date, gauging the brunette’s reaction. She wasn’t really sure what to think of her. She knew that Bella was Chris’ best friend, an Aladren, and dating Ben Stafford, but that was about it, which was rather sad, really, given that they had been classmates for the last six years. She supposed it was just due to the fact that they ran in different circles, completely different, and it wasn’t until recently that Nicoletta had begun to move outside her circle at all. This wasn’t to say that Catherine and Jordanna weren’t still her best friends, because they were and always would be as far as she was concerned, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t expand her social circle by one more.

Continuing on the conversation, she added, “Seeing them is sort of like seeing dragons. You never really think about just how powerful and stunning they are until you do. Ever think you might see dragons in person?” She had no idea what Bella planned on doing after they graduated, but most people took Care of Magical Creatures after fifth year, because they planned on doing something in regards to magical creatures. Nicoletta was a prime example of this. She hadn’t really known where she was going last year and it was actually Dillon that had gotten her thinking about what she might want to do. The only thing that made her leery of the future was Adam. She believed his words.

0 Nicoletta At least, it's an image 0 Nicoletta 0 5

Bella

September 03, 2008 10:23 PM

An image is good, very good. by Bella

Bella faced her body away from the dragon and gave her full attention to Nicoletta. "Quite possibly." Bella mumbled. Nicoletta was not the girl Bella remembered her to be. But then, Bella wasn't the girl she had been in their earlier years either. She was sure that with all the rumors having buzzed around of Nicoletta the last couple of years that the girl in front of her had changed quite a bit as well.

Much to her surprise, Nicoletta had divulged information of her midterm activities with her boyfriend. Perhaps it was because Bella was Chris's best friend that Nicoletta felt more comfortable talking to her, or perhaps because with the rumors, Bella was one of the few girls outside of Crotalus that wasn't thinking terrible things of Nicoletta that was telling her things, Bella wasn't quite sure why the brunette was currently chatting with her, but she didn't find herself wanting to walk away from the conversation either.

That was a good thing, right? Ben would be proud. Chris would probably be proud too.

"You and Whitney, huh? Have some cozy time then?" Bella asked, relatively amused by the idea of the class Princess spending time with the class Loner. "I spent a couple of weeks with Ben last summer. It's always fun being able to have fun together outside of school." Bella mused. Normally she would have kept her relationship with Ben between the two of them, only letting Chris know specifics, but Nicoletta shared something with her about her relationship so it was only right to share her own experiences.

"Can't say that feeding alligators would have ever been on our list of things to do, but I suppose it could be fun. Maybe." Bella commented, though highly doubted it. Bella could put up a decent fight if she wanted to, but she wasn't someone who put herself into dangerous situations. "And, on that note, no, I definitely hope that I never see an actual dragon in person. I think I'd seriously crap my pants if I did." Bella confided with a bit of a giggle.

"I love animals, but I have my limits. You seem to enjoy this though, are you the sort who secrets like a good adrenaline rush?"

0 Bella An image is good, very good. 0 Bella 0 5

Dillon

September 03, 2008 10:27 PM

Do you have many? by Dillon

Dalila, although full of energy, also seemed to have this pessimistic side of her too. That surprised Dillon slightly. From everything he knew of the girl (granted, that wasn't much), he had always assumed her to be the sort of girl who saw the silver lining all the time. Not one to let a few bumps in the road get her down. But, the more he conversed with her, the more it seemed the Dalila was the sort who became weighed down and frantic at the first sign of something negative.

Of course, he was only basis all of this on their current conversation. For all he knew, Dalila could just be having a bad day and really was the optimistic girl he had always labeled her as. "My Dad's a science professor and my mom's a math professor at a local university. I used to help them with charts and graphs when I was growing up." Dillon explained.

He watched her as she took the chart from him and proceeded to fill in her schedule. This girl simply couldn't wait until after class to do all of this. Perhaps she was as overwhelmed with trying to figure out her schedule as she was coming off as being. Dillon tilted his head as he watched her, torn between being amused by her or feeling sympathetic. He could certainly understand where she was coming from as he could remember feeling overloaded with everything, but eventually he had learned how to cope with it all.

"20 feet? That seems impossible for anyone to be able to do." Dillon stated, surprised that any professor would suggest such an assignment. History of Magic came around after Dillon became old enough not to have to take it. He had toyed with the idea of making it part of his daily schedule simply because he was curious to know the magical history as he already knew the muggle one, but it just hadn't worked out for him. And now, hearing this, Dillon was rather grateful for that.

"Well, it's hard to actually be able to recreate the potion when we aren't in class. Really, the only way to study is to mimic the movements while going over your notes and the book. Is potions your worst class? I'm usually pretty good at memorizing things, so I can help you get the feel of certain potions. Once you know the rhythm, everything else just falls into place."

6 Dillon Do you have many? 44 Dillon 0 5

Dalila

September 08, 2008 11:52 PM

Plenty. Don't you? by Dalila

"Oh wow, cool," Dalila exclaimed. "My mom does, or did, research in astronomy. But the only charts she ever filled out were star charts," she gave Dillon a fleeting grin, but her mouth refused to stay that way, falling into a hard line. Layla was awful at organizing. It was why she had hired an assistant. Dalila just wished Layla had hired a female assistant. If she had, her mother might not be trying to find an apartment with her Brazilian boyfriend now.

"Well, did you ever meet the History professor? He's a total grouch. And I think it was supposed to be a year long project. At least that's what I heard," Dalila said nonchalantly. Maybe she had it wrong and the person she overheard the news from had been exaggerating.

A huge grin broke away from the frown. Dalila desperately needed help in potions. Layla had told her to try it because Dalila needed another class to fill in her schedule. It was a decision she deeply regrets now.

"Yeah, it's my worst class. And that's my problem; I can't just make potions in the commonroom. But I've been helping my grandmother with her potions since I could reach the counter. I'm great with measuring and everything, but it's the memorizing that's got me. If I could have a book during the CAT then I'd be golden." Dalila slipped her new schedule into the pocket of her notebook.

"You have no idea how grateful I'd be if you helped."

0 Dalila Plenty. Don't you? 0 Dalila 0 5

Nic

September 16, 2008 12:46 AM

I tend to like them by Nic

“Um, yeah,” Nicoletta said, blushing slightly over the mention of cozy time with Adam. After midterm, she felt closer to him than ever before and felt that their relationship was on solid ground, which was a far stretch from what it had been the first time around. “Adam’s really wonderful.” Her voice sounded slightly gushy to her ears. Was she really that gushy about their relationship? Well, if she was, she really couldn’t help it. She had never thought that they would be at the point that they had reached. But at the mention of Ben, she guessed that Bella probably understood where she was coming from.

After all, those two had been a couple for quite awhile, hadn’t they? “How long have you and Ben been together? Adam and I haven’t been together for very long,” she admitted. Though, in a way they had since their feelings started in the fourth year, but the actual relationship had only been official for a few months. She hoped that they would make it to summer and beyond, but sometimes she couldn’t help feeling a little nervous that things would stop going so well since nothing could last forever. She supposed that it would just depend on their ability to work through whatever, which seemed to have improved immensely.

Nicoletta laughed at Bella’s comment about seeing a real dragon. Truth was, she wasn’t sure if she would do much better if she saw one up close and personal. Though, she guessed that it wouldn’t be so bad in the right circumstances. There would be trained wizards to keep the dragons from hurting anyone. At least, hurting anyone badly. Okay, that didn’t sound really all that much better, but then, were muggles trying to control alligators really all that much better? They didn’t have anything, but other muggles and the tools they had used to rely on. The more she thought about it, the safer she felt with the idea of trained wizards than trained muggles, but the trip had still been fun and given a chance, she would do it again.

“Hardly,” Nicoletta said with a grin. “I’m more the type to enjoy curling up with a good book, but I couldn’t pass up on seeing the animals. So, it was that or the zoo. It was much better seeing them out in the wild. There were the alligators, but there were also minx, deer, and all sorts of birds. I took loads of pictures.” She had also taken lots of pictures of her and Adam. She had framed two of them. One was a picture of just Adam on the boat. The other was a picture of the two of them; one arm had been around his waist while she took the picture. That one was her favorite.

0 Nic I tend to like them 0 Nic 0 5

Bella

September 21, 2008 1:09 AM

Most people do. by Bella

Bella smiled coyly at Nicoletta when the girl replied with a blush. Bella's wording had only meant to imply that the two of them had spent time together, but the reaction seemed to suggest what exactly they were doing during that time. Although Bella had never given Nicoletta and her friends much thought over the years, she certainly would have pegged Nicoletta as someone who would have wanted gold over bronze and marriage before fun. Oh well, she learned something new about the Crotalus girl in front of her.

And, by the way she spoke of Whitney; they must be having a grand old time together. Bella was a little bit jealous of the two of them. She loved Ben and she knew that Ben loved her, but they rarely were able to spend any time together. Their schedules were so hectic with all of their classes plus his Quidditch, there just wasn't enough time in the day for everything.

"Just over two years." Bella admitted. "We started dating, finally, after Christmas break in our fourth year. I got him going when I told him I had a crush on Chris." Bella giggled at the memory of Ben's face after she toyed with him like that. Glancing at Nicoletta, Bella continued. "I didn't, of course. But, I figured, if I could get Ben jealous, then maybe he'd actually step it up and ask me out. Totally worked." The smile on Bella's face dimmed slightly as she turned back to look at the dragon. "I miss having him around."

Nicoletta's time with Adam seemed fun. They went out and did something, which was saying something. "Sounds like a lot of fun. When I went out to New York, we went around the city, which is sort of like watching animals in their natural habitat." Bella mused. "And we recorded a song together, which was crazy fun – did you know that Ben learned to play the guitar for me? - and when we weren't in the City, we were in the Hamptons swimming in their pool or hanging out on the beach. I can't get enough of water. I dragged him there." He didn't seem to mind though. Of course, that could have been because he got his playtime too.

0 Bella Most people do. 0 Bella 0 5

Dillon

September 21, 2008 1:11 AM

I have a couple. by Dillon

Dillon wasn't really sure that there was anything cool about what his parents did for a living. Most people he knew that their careers were rather banal. Not that he could blame them. Saying 'Math Teacher' wasn't something like saying 'Firefighter,' so someone thinking his parents were sort of dull wouldn't be all that surprising or offensive. Dillon certainly took after their analytical mindset, but he could still see why everyone would think that.

But, to have someone actually say that she thought their professions were cool was not something that Dillon was all that used to hearing, or prepared for. But, without having time to respond, Dillon merely raised an eyebrow while Dalila spoke about her mother's profession. Astronomy wasn't his strong suite, but Zoey really seemed to like it. Though, she was the dreamer of the two, couldn't get her head out of a book when they were growing up.

Watching Dalila, Dillon didn't miss the change of her facial features. She was quite an open book. Either her mother was no longer of the living and the grief was still present for Dalila, or the relationship between the two of them had been altered greatly so that grief of some sort was the end result. If Dillon was more of a friend to Dalila, he might have questioned the look on her face, but, as it were, they were merely acquaintances and former teammates.

"I've seen him around, but never met him personally." Dillon admitted and not for the first time glad that he was never given the chance to do so. The man looked old. Too old to still be teaching and, if he were anything like Dillon's grandfather, he could completely understand why the students thought so poorly of him. Dillon hoped that if he ever got to be that age, he never became a grump like most of the senior citizens he seemed to know.

Dillon smiled at Dalila's delight with his gesture of help. "It's no problem. I don't mind helping if I can. And it'll help that you're in the same house as me. Less hectic to try to locate each other."

6 Dillon I have a couple. 44 Dillon 0 5

Mia Kerova

September 25, 2008 8:48 PM

But we're not by the sea. by Mia Kerova

Care of Magical Creatures was one of the few classes that didn't make Mia feel ill even at RATS level and this close to the dawning of those dreadful tests. It was a class she was taking as something of an extracurricular lesson. She already knew her career wouldn't guide her to caring for magical animals, but she found them very interesting nonetheless.

She was also intrigued by who the new professor would be. With Professor K on maternity leave, something Mia thought was incredibly exciting and sweet and she wished her all the best, someone had to replace her. It was a bit unsettling considering RATS were so close. It couldn't be good to switch professors. It was the same for Muggle Studies. But the new man, Professor Fawcett, seemed nice enough and had taught before. Mia wasn't worried. If push came to shove, surely allowances would be made for the students doing testing. It was another point for the man that his lesson was in the Mirage Chamber. That usually meant an interesting lesson.

And interesting it was bound to be. Dragons. Seeing live dragons would officially give proof to everything ever read in any childhood fairytale books. Professor Fawcett began his speech while swinging his pointer stick. She flinched slightly at the sharp movement that came with his warning about seeing dragons beyond the Mirage Chamber. He also seemed much more partial to actual written work. Well, laid back teachers like Professor K didn't come around too often so she could hardly expect another one so soon.

Mia was keen to simply watch the dragons while Professor Fawcett spoke, but if he was planning to test them on just about everything, then she figured notes were in order. She took out a pencil and notebook and began jotting down what the man said. Many times her loopy notation crossed over the line segments of the paper because she was watching the animals more than her pencil that was scrawling simultaneously.

As Mia was finishing the last few bullets of notes on the Chinese Fireballs, someone knocked into her making her mark a heavy line through her notes before dropping her pencil along with her notebook to the ground. She was about to tell off whoever bumped her until she pushed her hair back from in front of her face and saw who it was. Moody Earl was once again in a sour mood.

Mia quickly scooped up her belongings, shaking her head to kindly brush off Earl's apology. It would be one thing if he were moody and rude, but that wasn't quite the case so Mia happily helped him gather his things. It was also one more excuse to sneak peaks at the ring that glittered on her finger without being so obvious that she was still admiring it so long after New Years Eve. She picked up a few drawing tools and a sketchbook that had opened upon hitting the floor. A drawing of one of the dragons, the Romanian Longhorn according to the heading, lay on the page like a doodle that took precedence over the notes.

"This is amazing." Mia eyed the picture. In the background, the dragon depicted let out a powerful roar as if knowing it was being admired. She handed the sketchbook back to Earl along with everything else of his that she scrounged up. "You're really good. I wish my class doodles were half as nice." She then noticed his book covered in ink. She took her wand from her pocket where it never failed to be and gave it a quick flick while speaking, "Evanesco" under her breath. The ink wavered for a moment and then vanished. "There you go."

0 Mia Kerova But we're not by the sea. 0 Mia Kerova 0 5

Earl

October 06, 2008 7:19 PM

We have magic. Anything is possible! by Earl

Earl looked up, his hardened face relaxing into a chagrined smile. Mia had always been been nice to him and here he was taking all his frustrations out on other people. It didn't make him feel any less peeved off at his life, however. It still pretty much sucked, but at least he hadn't run into someone he hated...or worse.

He was gathering up the last of his ink-soaked things and wondering how he was ever going to use his book again, when something glittery flashed by. It wasn't uncommon for girls to wear sparkly jewelery, but something about the flash caused him to double-take. The ring he had noticed was on the ring finger. He looked at Mia's face expecting some sort of explanation, but she seemed to be ignoring the fact that her jewelery was oddly conspicuous. Earl took one last look and just decided that girls were as weird as ever.

"Uh thanks," Earl said after Mia's praise. He never knew what to say when complimented about his drawings. He rarely showed them to anyone and his biggest fan, Eavan, was also the quietest on the matter. She critiqued his drawings, said they were wonderful when they were and asked for some as gifts, which he happily obliged. But she never really gushed over them like most people do.

"They're not really doodles. I mean, I guess they are, but calling them doodles sounds like I just happen to draw this way. Honestly, I spent the majority of class drawing that. My notes suck." Earl shrugged sheepishly, but gave Mia a happy grin. The grin widened after Mia magicked the ink off his belongings.

"Thanks. I'm a terrible wizard. I keep forgetting I can do magic." He took back the notebook and pencils that Mia had picked up for him, once again noticing the glitter of her ring. He really wanted to ask her about it, but it seemed rude somehow. He just wanted to know if it stood for what he thought it did. Who got married this young? It seemed weird. Earl tore his eyes away from Mia's left hand as he tried to stuff his things back into his bag.

So, what's going on with you?" Earl asked, trying to make pleasant conversation with an acquaintance. She would be graduating in a few months and he'd probably never see her again. He might as well try to be friends before she leaves forever.

0 Earl We have magic. Anything is possible! 0 Earl 0 5

Nic

October 09, 2008 7:21 PM

I usually don't fit the category of most people. by Nic

“Wow,” Nicoletta breathed softly. In terms of relationships, two years wasn’t much. Her parents had been together for a fair bit longer than that. But in terms of adolescent relationships, it was rather significant and she felt a bit envious over it. If her relationship made it to the two year mark and it was a big if, because of so many factors – his health, graduating next year, and the like. None of which she really wanted to think about at the moment since it would only spoil what was held in the present.

Nicoletta shook her dark head in amusement over Bella’s antics to get Ben. She could only imagine what Chris’ reaction would have been to having been the bait. It also showed just how different guys were in responses. If she had tried that with Adam, it would have probably started an argument. Actually, a lot of things had started arguments like when she had tried to find out if there were other girls. It had ended whatever their current relationship had been at the time. It had also been the first time she had been jealous over him and it had been the start of realizing just how strongly she felt for him. Maybe Ben had been sort of the same way, realizing his feelings for Bella and following through on them.

Her brow wrinkled at Bella’s words. “You miss him?” Nicoletta asked before she could stop herself. With a wave of the hand, she apologized, “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. It’s none of my business.” It seemed a little odd to miss having someone around when they were in the same school, might have similar classes, and shared a house. When she had a thing with Earl, she had seen him quite often, so much so that she had needed the break she had taken at the ranch. As if on cue, the sound of someone dropping his things was heard nearby. Glancing over, Nicoletta saw the familiarity of Earl and bit her lip, feeling a bit guilty for the way things had ended.

At the end of summer, Nicoletta had told Earl that she had just wanted to be friends until she figured things out. In figuring things out, she had determined that she needed to stop with boys, Adam, in particular, and take the time to herself to get over everything. If anything were to happen with anyone in the future, it had to be without strings from the past. Sometimes, though, those strings had a way of keeping you. She had tried to remove herself from Adam. When she had arrived back at school, she had every intention of cutting off ties with him. But when she had finally ended up alone with him, everything that they had been holding back had come to the surface, unable to be denied and she found she didn’t want to.

Nicoletta’s blue eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up, obviously impressed that Ben would learn how to play the guitar for his girlfriend. It was like one something out of a fairytale romance, something that she thought that she would have for herself one day, but she wasn’t jealous over what Bella had. She was happy for her. The relationship seemed to suite her just as Nicoletta’s completely unexpected relationship suited her. “That’s really amazing. I can’t sing at all. It sounds like a cat clawing at a chalkboard. But it’s really cool that you could do a song with him, something special,” Nicoletta told her sincerely. It was wonderful to be able to have those shared memories.

“So, what did you think of New York? That’s where I’m from,” Nicoletta informed the other girl. “Oh, you probably knew that already cause of Chris.” She paused for a moment in thought before continuing on with the conversation, “I know what you mean though about how it’s like watching animals in their natural habitat. Being in New Orleans is nothing like New York.” A small frown tinged her features. She missed the winters. It had seemed wrong to have Christmas without snow. And more importantly, she just missed being home.

0 Nic I usually don't fit the category of most people. 0 Nic 0 5

Mia

October 17, 2008 8:26 PM

Then to the sea we go! by Mia

"You can borrow my notes if you want," Mia offered. "This guy looks serious about all the tests and papers he mentioned so I just wrote down whatever he said in case it might be useful. I hope he's not serious though." Mia eyed the professor at the front of the class for a brief moment. She didn't need the extra stress for getting good grades in that class as well as on the RATS exam for the class.

"No problem," she said after being thanked. She laughed good-naturedly when Earl said he was a terrible wizard. "Sometimes I have the opposite problem. I get a little wand-waving happy, but some things are just best done without magic." She shrugged as well. It was more prominent in her early years at Sonora. She wanted to do everything she could with her wand because she was good at it. But sometimes things were much simpler to do without magic because she wasn't perfect at it. It was a bizarre concept to the younger Mia, but it grew on her after a few unnecessary mishaps.

Once all of Earl's things had been returned, Mia opened her notebook to the page it had been on and started erasing the heavy graphite mark through her notes. She rewrote anything she hadn't meant to erase. She noticed Earl staring at her hand before addressing her again. She followed where his gaze had been and guessed the ring drew his attention.

Okay, so most rings students wore weren't quite as conspicuous. She had been taken aback too when Dino gave it to her. Assumptions could be made; she had made an instant assumption that was immediately disbanded. It was only a promise ring. A really nice promise ring. It wasn't even a promise to get married or anything so serious. Just a promise to go back to him when she got out of school. Similar, maybe, but different. Dino had his gushy moments.

"Not a whole lot," Mia answered. "Just freaking out over RATS and having no idea what to do with myself once I graduate. The usual." She spoke nonchalantly and smiled. The uncertainty of what came afterwards made graduating both exciting and daunting for her. She didn't need or like to outwardly show her panic though. "What about you? Oh, and it's just a Christmas present, by the way." She lifted her hand to clarify what she meant. "I'm not getting married or anything. Not any time soon, anyway."

0 Mia Then to the sea we go! 0 Mia 0 5