Gemma shook her head at each answer. "Wow, ya'll came up with answers that I hadn't even thought of! From pixies to talking parrots to sirens to the kracken to a magical sword....great thinking...one point for each of your answers!" she said excitedly.

"Now let's link these pirates a little closer to home. Have any of you had the opportunity to see or ever heard about the pirate ship that the Durmstrong students travel in?" she said more as statement and not a question. "It is a magnificent sight to see and it is very historical. I once had the opportunity to come aboard the ship and investigate some old historical documents found in a floorboard panel...excellent workmanship. There is a legend that it has been at Durmstrong since it was founded and that it was once captained by none other than Davvy Jones, which someone mentioned earlier. This ship is said to be the cousin ship to the mysterious Flying Dutchman that is in many of the muggle stories." she paused and then continued, "It was said to be crewed by a scary crew that would ship souls to the devil....No one really knows if that is truly the story behind the Durmstrong ship, but it does make a great legend to go along with it."

She paused and then continued, "Pirates have even been linked to our lake in the past. There is a legend of a ship captained by Barnabus the Bloody that was last seen entering the area just on the other side of our lake where muggles used to dwell. Not much is known about the ship, but it does make you wonder where the ship went and why it was so close to our lake and if certain legends surrounding the ship were true." she paused thinking about this too and then went on, "I'll have to go investigate that further in the library actually....surely there must be something in all of those books..."

Realizing that she was rambling again she smiled, "Now being in a crew on a pirate ship was much like being in your individual houses. There was lots of loyalty among the crew and many crews would band together at times to create vast pirate fleets to conquer different trials or tribulations." she nodded slightly up and down, "It is believed that most pirates were magical, or had magical crew members, and so that was what made it very difficult for them to lose in battle."

"Each pirate ship and crew flew a special flag that represented their ship. This flag was flown at all times to show their pride of their ship and to warn others of impending doom if they were to cross the so-called magical beings." she flicked her wand and the Jolly Roger flag appeared on the board. It was almost an animated drawing because the flag looked to be flapping in the wind. "This is the Jolly Roger, the most notorious flag, that is most well-known for being linked to the pirates." she flicked her wand and flags dropped from the ceiling above them hanging from the rafters and dangling down towards the students flapping in the imaginery wind as well, "These (OOC: look under Jolly Roger gallery) are an example of some of the other flags linked to pirate vessels and crews. "

She let the students look at the flags for a while, "What are some of the common characteristics of the flags? Please remember to only give one answer so that others may have a chance."