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Was James impressed by his colleague? Absolutely. Would he admit that he was impressed by his colleague? Absolutely not.
But he did wonder how the heck she did it. All that thought she put in seemed entirely effortless. James had a harder time translating everything into words simply because he externalized before internalizing. That stupid quality of speaking without thinking that most Gryffindors possessed, yeah that, he had that. It's why he had to take extra effort to think about what he'd say to the class and then only spoke such few, precise words. If he had to say extra, who'd know what he'd end up with.
So yes. Impressed. Also jealous. Also would never admit such a thing out loud. Or with his facial expressions. Which he was able to get in control of before Nana was able to turn to give him another look. Right well, anyways, it was his turn now yeah?
SPOILER!!: the quiet ones Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19  She bent her head, making as much notes as possible as the Professor continued. She found it all rather interesting information but she had no answer to the next question being asked. Try as she might to rack her brain for one, she could not come up with any. It was for this reason, Rachel opted to sit out of providing one this time around. Quote:
Originally Posted by Squishy
She beamed though the expression faltered somewhat at what Professor Ichihara had to say next. There was a lot of words and some of them made sense though she had never heard of an Echinokarp before. It sounded rather... interesting. Yeah, she would stay away from them as much as possible if she could help it. This lesson wasn't going to be very much fun if there was the all too real possibility of falling into a deep sleep. This wasn't a Disney movie and there would be no Prince Charming waking her up. Esme didn't NEED a man to rescue her from danger unless it was her father.
No examples were coming to mind besides Chameleon Ghouls - which had already been mentioned by Olivia. She was just going to stay silent on this one and listen to what the others had to say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hera Was he interested yet? ... Maybe.
It sounded as if the Echinokarp thing had promise, but he was a little confused about the 'quill' thing initially... before he had his lightbulb moment, of course. Sense, it was make sense. Doing as he'd been instructed by Draper, Zeke took some short notes as Ichihara did her own little Transfiguration spiel.
He even went as far as to write down the other transfiguration examples, and the whole evolution transfiguration thing.
Alchemy and changing cells did interest him to some extent, but it wasn't enough to entertain him beyond a few casual thoughts.
Did he have a response to offer? Other, similar defensive techniques? ... Nah, he's let the others answer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ameh He knew that creatures could do some kind of magic... it was just very different from their kind of magic, and he didn't think it was strong enough to turn an animal into a dragon. He watched Professor Ichihara as she spoke, nodding his head slowly. They didn't have something like that already, but that didn't make it not possible! Magic did lots of weird things. They'd probably be in a bit of trouble if there were a spell for a field that could turn things going through it into dragons.
As for creatures that had transformative defensive things... the talk of quills had him touching his pocket, because Sniffler did a sort of non-magic transformation if he got really scared. He was one of the breeds that didn't curl up unless it was a last ditch attempt to protect himself, so Jaemin hadn't really seen it very often, but... the small creature turned himself into a very small ball of spines. He always had the spines, of course, but they weren't ouchy on a regular basis. But... they wanted to hear about magical creatures, and all the ones Jaemin was aware of had already been named off so he kept silent.
James acknowledged the diligent notetakers, glad to see they were following instructions. Which was something you'd think most of them would have gotten very good at by now... Which was incorrect. Following instructions and Hogwart's students didn't always go hand-in-hand. Something James Draper had been a part of as a student and something he had come to expect as a Professor. Anyways. Notetakers were appreciated. Though if they thought they could get through the entire lesson without any participation, then they were wrong.
SPOILER!!: Azura Quote:
Originally Posted by MunchyBubbles Ohh Fwoopers!
Azura was sitting there.. Wracking her brain trying to come up with a creature that did all that when threatened! She could come up with a few non magical creatures, such as porcupines cause.. Quills obviously, ostriches, who bury their head in the sand, Even opossums who literally get scared to death when they got threatened and so they pass out!
But Magical creatures??
She raised her hand I can think of many non magical creatures who do things like that, but the only magical one I can think of right now is the Bundinum, they spit acid at anyone who bothers them."
Let's hope that worked.. She didn't want to stay fully silent this class! "There are quite a few of them," the nonmagical creatures. "Though without magic, they change their form naturally without the use of transfiguration." That much was self explanatory, yes? "For example, chameleons change their color and a puffer fish, that puff up in face of danger, increasing it's size." Hopefully those two examples were enough to get her thinking.
So a lot of creatures do it, change their form in order to ward of potential threats. That much made sense, yeah? He hoped so because he wasn't about to go over it again just yet. "Correct, the Bundimun does excrete acid," he nodded encouragingly. It was true, but also... "however for the purposes of this lesson, we want to focus on the creatures that may not possess such qualities in their original forms. The Bundimun doesn't need to change anything about it's appearance in order to spit the acid." He did like her outside thinking, though. SPOILER!!: Ariadne Quote:
Originally Posted by Anna Banana A fearsome, quilled creature that is impossibly dangerous?! MERLIN.
Then there was a question. What other creature used something similar? Hmm... She raised her hand. "Definitely the Blast-Ended Skrewt!" she said, remembering those stories she'd heard about them on the school's bridge. "They use their blasts of sparks to throw themselves at their enemies." "Good," he nodded. "In a manner of defense the use their blasts," which was similar to the way the Echinokarps used their quills.... Sort of. Not quite, but it was apparent that she tried. "But the skrewts don't necessarily change their form in order to do so, and in that sense their defense is different than our creature." Or well, the one they were focusing on today.
Did that make sense? Good. SPOILER!!: olivia Quote:
Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline
“Definitely possible,” she remarked agreeing with the general consensus. And transfiguration, transformation or transspecies transformation to be precise, seemed right. A thought that was confirmed as Professor Ichihara spoke up and further spoke on the matter. Her quill busily writing down notes as she listened to the woman. Dodos and kelpies and Echinokarp oh my! As for the latest question being posed to the group, she raised her hand to answer.
“A chameleon ghoul.”
This next answer got a good hum in agreement. Yes. "Excellent!" Okay, he hadn't shown that much excitement all month. Need to tone it down before he turned into Airey Flamsteed resident Astronut. "The chameleon goul," he was addressing the class here, "Has the ability to disguise itself as an every day object." Were they starting to get it? The chameleon goul could change shape, not necessarily in the same way that the Echinokarp did, but they both changed appearance as a defense. SPOILER!!: Henric Quote:
Originally Posted by Symphora Henric was captivated hearing Professor Ichihara explained in further details about the wonders of the magical creatures esepcially one called the Echinokarp. He had never heard of them before and wished he could see one up close! Kelpie! Didn't they travelled to the lochness lake to see them before?! It was quite an adventure as he remembered fondly.
He raised his hand once again,"A demiguise, professor, it becomes invisible when threatened? Is that a form of transformation?" "Good," he nodded. "Invisibility is a different form of changing appearance, but it is still a change nevertheless." After the first few lessons, Draper wasn't expecting a stroke of genius from this kid anytime soon, but he hadn't completely floundered. So it was an improvement.
SPOILER!!: Yoongi Quote:
Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi Yoongi knew that his answer hadn't been right but it gave him great satisfaction to hear that his theory was a CLEVER one and he certainly had not missed the Professor's rare smile either. His eyes glanced towards Professor Jerkface Draper for a split second because he wanted to see the look on his face before he began to write down more notes.
The talking took long and the Head Boy had trouble writing everything down. He had missed a few things but he got the main idea. He just hoped that the things he hadn't written down weren't coming up in the exams. He placed his quill down and raised his hand after some thinking. "A bowtruckle, Professor?"
..... Was that meant to be a joke?
"No."
James considered the kid for a few moments before continuing, "Although the Bowtruckles can camouflage well with trees, they don't change form to do so." Meaning the question was completely negated in his answer and James was having serious doubts about this Head Kid once again. He was sure he was a seventh year, right? Because that was a first year answer. James was not impressed. SPOILER!!: Jace Quote:
Originally Posted by Stefan When the second question was asked, Jace had to look around first…and listened to his classmates’ answers. He nodded once, as soon as the Chameleon Ghoul was mentioned. He would’ve said the same thing, but since Draper was around, he did not dare repeat the same answer.
The Ravenclaw slowly raised his hand, and answered when it was his turn. “Demiguise, professor.” He said, lowering his hand as he continued to speak, “They go invisible when threatened.” Now that…was some cool stuff. He’d love to have that ability. This one was tiny. And incredibly amusing. Everything from the way he had walked in to the way he sat oogling Nana. He wasn't about to look at James like that, right? Because no offense kid, but you're not his type. "Exactly," he gave the boy a nod in confirmation before moving on. SPOILER!!: Ava Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomRaven
People already mentioned demiguise and since Draper didn't approve the students repeating the same answer, the young lioness tried to find another answer. "How about.... Thestrals, Professor? I mean, they are invisible and only some people can see them." She raised her hand and tried to answer.
He had been expecting this answer, actually. Just a matter of time until someone said it. "Not exactly," he shook his head. "The creatures we want to focus on change their form, but the Thestrals stay the same, it is just the human ability to see them that changes." Because those that witness death would be able to and the others won't. It wasn't anything the creature had to do to change it. SPOILER!!: Hady Quote:
Originally Posted by SpiritWolfe Malfoy Answers were given and Hady quickly jotted down everything that was being said. When Professor Ichihara took over for Draper she made sure to listen just as closely or almost more so. A lot of important was being said. A small mention of animgi which peaked her attention a bit more.
Hmm. This was an interesting question. It caused her to take pause and seriously think about it a minute or two. Nana was correct of course in saying that there was quite a few creatures that used tactics like changing appearance or using something to defend itself. Most of what she taught of was already being said. Except one.
"How about the Moke, Professor? They have the ability to shrink themselves whenever they like." Rather useful honestly. He had high expectations for this one. It was hardly fair to hold each student to a different standard, yes, but she had very specific intentions with her future in the field of Magical Creatures. Therefore, he had high standards. And she didn't disappoint yet. "Excellent!" he nodded pridefully. "Their ability to change their size is a good example for our purposes."
SPOILER!!: Kitty Quote:
Originally Posted by Goblinfrog Kitty felt that Professor Ichihara disliked her answer, and that made her upset but she tried to hide it. Hopefully the professor would forget her lapse of knowledge about transfiguration when the class was over. For a moment she considered not answering the next question so she wouldn't make another mistake, but in the end she changed her mind.
"I don't know about magical creatures, but porcupines also shoot quills at you. I read about them in a wildlife book in my mom's book collection."
"Yes, similar," he nodded, noting the connection she made. "Though the porcupines cannot shoot their quills exactly. That's a very common misconception. They can, however, release them upon contact." But all the same, very good.
SPOILER!!: Haddie Quote:
Originally Posted by Callie "I know this isn't the same thing...but an octopus is able to change able to completely change their shape, the texture of their skin as well as the color of their skin to seamlessly into any setting. I'm kinda curious, though. Why did some creatures develop magical abilities while others didn't?" It seemed to Haddie that magical ability was an evolutionary boon to any creature. And all life evolved from the same simple, single cell... so why did some creatures evolve until the entire species was magical, and others didn't?
This one looked entirely too happy. Hope she wouldn't mind that James would have to intercept her question here. Sorry, but the lesson structure was already planed. And James could care less that she had some silly sort of problem with him. "Interesting," he commented. "Many of them can," he nodded noting her-- for once-- USEFUL contribution to the class.
As for her question, "It's the same with humans. Some of us developed magical abilities and some didn't." But there were better answers out there, he supposed. "But that question casts a wide net. A common, widely accepted thought is that genetic mutations developed over time and those changes that helped survival stuck after hundreds of generations." In summary, anyways. "It also depends on the niche a species fills and whether or not they are better equipped to fill that niche with certain characteristics." He paused before adding an afterthought, "In other words, some creatures don't need to possess magical abilities in order to be equally as successful."
And that's how you do it. ----------------------
If they thought they'd get a break from James Draper anytime soon, they were wrong. It was just how things worked out that he'd be stepping up again after having just spoken about the myth. Fortunately for them, however, it wouldn't be long until the apparent collective favorite Professor stepped up to take his own turn. But for now, they got Draper.
You're welcome.
"Alright, so now that we know a little about the Echinokarps already, there are a few more points I would like to stress for the purposes of my subject." Not that the rest of it wasn't important, it was all connected, but James had to look at the Echinokarps with the lens of Creatures, whereas Nana and Hirsch had a different viewpoint from their own subjects. "The name Echinokarp derives from the prefix Echino- which means spiny or pointed, while the root of the word is Karp- which derives from a family of deep-bodied, freshwater fish known as Carps." Made sense, right? Pointy for it's quills and Carp for being a type of fish. Yes?
"Their native range is in Chinese waters, which reinforces the idea of the muggle myth." So the muggles weren't all that off. They were all taking notes, yes? This was rather dense material here. "As Professor Ichihara just explained," and she did a beautiful job of that, by the way. Not that he cared. Or noticed. Or was jealous of. Or-- Y'know what, forget it. "These creatures are harmless pre-transformation, as they resemble their closely related cousins the Mundane Carps. Gray and rather dim-looking." He waited for them to jot this all down. "However, it is in the details where they differ from their nonmagical cousins. Our unprovoked Echinokarps have the potential to grow up to 200 centimeters which is much larger than even the largest subset of mundane carps. And to the trained eye they give off a shiny, almost holographic glint so that wizards can tell the difference."
This was a lot of information. Even James was growing tired of talking. "After they have transfigured into their more threatening form, they take on the form of a sea-dragon. Because of their nature in the transfigured form, we classify them under the same classification as very dangerous creatures, such as the kelpies with a XXXX rating." Okay, he was done with this. "Because these creatures pose such a dangerous threat, we can't bring one here to show you, but I have a picture that you can all pass around." And he had MULTIPLE COPIES. Call him Mr. Preparation. Ha! He walked over to the ends of the benches to hand them over.
And almost ready to pass the baton on. "And while you're taking turns looking at it, what practical application do you think these creatures could provide in the magical world?" In other words, what can we use them for?
And Hirsch, tag you're it. OOC: Hiii y'all! I know that was a lot, but just hang in there because we're about to get started with the activity REAL soon!
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