| Puffskein
Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pearl of the Orient
Posts: 994
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Sapphire Wulfweardsweorth
Third Year |  ♥ Gryffindor ♥ ★ Ravenclaw ★
SPOILER!!: The Professors and The Giant Squid Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles  "Correct. It was used in the past as the bases for one of the tasks in a previous Triwizard Tournament." He nodded at all the students who mentioned it. "Do YOU want to go ahead and drink the lake water?" Scabior asked the first year. "All good answers, yes." He nodded "Your theory makes sense…" But that's all it was, a theory, and so it was wrong. Or could be wrong. "No. The Muggles are ignorant to Hogwarts because of all the charms and spells that are on it. If anything, building a giant castle next to an important source of water would make Muggles suspicious and probably end up killing a bunch of them because their water source was cut off." He smiled. Happy Miss Stone? Scabior looking to Williamson then shrugged. "That's a good guess, yeah." Dash nodded, catching on to what was being said "…And animals need water, and so the lake supplies that." That's where she was getting at right? Either way, what she said made said. He smiled at her. "Correct, traveling could have been an issue, another means of escape or enter if deemed fit." He nodded. "Yes." He nodded. Like someone before had said right? Dash nodded but gave a skeptical look soon after. "You are correct on most parts, though I doubt the lake was purposely created to help aid the flooding of Hogwarts." Just a little note there, if that was what she meant. "Correct, back when Hogwarts was founded, a large body of water could be deemed dangerous. No one could really know what resisted in it." Scabior raised a brow. "So what you are saying Miss Greingoth and Miss Reed is that the Hogwarts founders included the lake while creating this glorious school to hide and protect students of Salazar's Slytherins house and yet leave all other students unprotected?" He snorted. He liked the idea…sadly, no. "Nice try." He blinked, slightly confused, just as the first year was it seemed. "I'm not sure you understood the question Miss Penta." "Right you two are! The tradition of first years arriving to hogwarts on boats is a major way that the lake has been used in the past and even presently." Good job. "Right, it was used negatively then." He nodded. …This girl was weird. Ravenclaws. Was he actually suppose to answer her? "Right….I'll try to dig those up for you Miss Odessa." Dig up the non-existent transcripts. That, was a whole bunch of information just shot right at him. And Scabior wasn't able to grasp any of it. "Please Miss Potter…learn how to take pauses when you are speaking." But she got a nod too because….something had to be right out of all the things she said. "It was here." He said with a sigh A different spin on things. Scabior smiled. "Makes perfect sense Miss Riddle." Good job. Scabior gave the boy a nod. "That makes sense to me Mr Gert." Which meant that he could have been right. "No. I just said that we were studying the lake." He eyed the Ravenclaw, tempted to take points for her lack of attention. "They didn't make the lake. They included it." Wow. Scabior just looked at the kid and chuckled. "Who wouldn't want a lake indeed." He nodded in agreement, the creatures were important. "Used just like how it is now then you mean?" He nodded. "I doubt the mermaids would want to meet the students." Though he wasn't an expert in Magical Creatures, APPARENTLY that was Williamson, so the man had better say in this. [B]"A real home." He repeated. "I would surely hope that your house does not include a lake inside." "That could keep the Ministry away.." Huh. Interesting. Sadly if that was true, it didn't work now. "Right, as a means of safely, having a lake sounds pretty smart." "So they included a lake to make the Slytherin Common Room look creepy." He repeated the boys words, just so he could hear how ridiculous it actually sounded. "Thats what the enchantments are for." Scabior said shaking his head. "…." Scabior just stared. "Not quite. Not only because of them." "Of course there is life in the lake." He said, slightly annoyed. That didn't even need to be stated. Lake to hold water? Scabior chuckled. "But yes, it was already here when they built Hogwarts." Scabior just stared at the young boy. "You Mr Bellaire. Please do not have any sweets before coming to any of my classes." "It could have been sure." Though, they probably didn't drink right form the lake. "Noonono." Sigh. First years. "They didn't make the lake. They included it." He would explain after. Scabior just nodded his head at the few people who said something about plumbing issues. ----------- "To clear somethings up, the founders did not make the lake." He looked toward a few first years who were asking. "I said they included it. Meaning, that when they set out to find a place to build Hogwarts they, decided early on to build the castle in an area that included a lake."
He nodded. Hopefully they understood now. "So really, your guesses are as good as mine. Could have been for the creatures to study in classes, or for the protection of the students. What is know about the main inclusion of the lake is that the founders did find it important to somehow be supplied to a fresh source of water, and this is why like a handful of you mentioned." He nodded at those people. "All Hogwarts plumping runs through the lake." He paused. "But don't worry, there are charms, set upon the lake to make sure that all the water in it, and all the water that we obtain is clean."
"Over the years the lake has been used for much more than just a source in which the plumbing runs through. It has been used for transportation, recreational, educational purposes and even that one time during the Triwizard Tournament as a task." He nodded. You guys did not have to write any of this down. But you had to REMEMBER. It was easy enough.
"The lake has a general name associated with it, do any one know what this is? For those of you who know what the name is it, any guesses as to why it was giving this name?" They didn't have to answer both questions, only one. Whatever they wanted really. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles "Correct. It is called the Black Lake. Nice guess on why this is, but not exactly right." But good job either way.
"It is called the Black Lake." He nodded. "Though, I am not quite sure if Merpeople and Grinfilow dislike light-William?" He looked toward the big-kid-professor who was sitting now on the ground.
"No. It is actually a pretty old name." A few hundred years old at least. [B]"But first years being scared does have something to do with it. He smiled.
"That would be an understandable reason." He gave a nod toward the Ravenclaw Prefect. "However I believe the lake still encompasses charms which would drive Muggles away, and so they would not even have the chance to see any magical creatures if the lake was not so dark." Scabior was impressed by the answer though.
Oh. Well. "Yes that is an alright answer then." But that was still the previous question."
"Yes it is." And nice guess too. "Usually the deeper a body of water is the bluer it looks due the the reflection of the sky." Not black though.
"Yes, thats exactly why." He gave a small nod to all the students.
"And I don't know if the students named it." He added for Autumn's answer. They probably did. Hm.
"Good guess but not quite."
"Correct."
"Scaring is a reason behind the colour ." Nod.
-------
"As most of you started the lake is known as the black lake." Nod. "And many of your guesses are right. It is known as this because of its dark murky colour when looked at on land. Underneath its more of a dark greenish colour." Though it was still murky if you went low enough.
"The water isn't dark because it's dirty." He looked around, daring anyone to say he was wrong. Like he had said before, there were CHARMS placed on the lake to ensure its cleanliness. "It is dark because, just like the forbidden forrest, the lake can be dangerous. The four founders cast spells on the lake to make it unappealing for younger unknowing children to just jump in, to prevent any attack from creatures." And for the most part that worked over the years. "And the name just....fell into place. Maybe by some students." That wasn't recorded.
"Now, there are things other than creatures that are rumoured to be under the lake. Does anyone have any guess to what these things might be?" NOT creatures. Creatures were certainly not things. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles "Correct. It is called the Black Lake. Nice guess on why this is, but not exactly right." But good job either way.
"It is called the Black Lake." He nodded. "Though, I am not quite sure if Merpeople and Grinfilow dislike light-William?" He looked toward the big-kid-professor who was sitting now on the ground.
"No. It is actually a pretty old name." A few hundred years old at least. [B]"But first years being scared does have something to do with it. He smiled.
"That would be an understandable reason." He gave a nod toward the Ravenclaw Prefect. "However I believe the lake still encompasses charms which would drive Muggles away, and so they would not even have the chance to see any magical creatures if the lake was not so dark." Scabior was impressed by the answer though.
Oh. Well. "Yes that is an alright answer then." But that was still the previous question."
"Yes it is." And nice guess too. "Usually the deeper a body of water is the bluer it looks due the the reflection of the sky." Not black though.
"Yes, thats exactly why." He gave a small nod to all the students.
"And I don't know if the students named it." He added for Autumn's answer. They probably did. Hm.
"Good guess but not quite."
"Correct."
"Scaring is a reason behind the colour ." Nod.
-------
"As most of you started the lake is known as the black lake." Nod. "And many of your guesses are right. It is known as this because of its dark murky colour when looked at on land. Underneath its more of a dark greenish colour." Though it was still murky if you went low enough.
"The water isn't dark because it's dirty." He looked around, daring anyone to say he was wrong. Like he had said before, there were CHARMS placed on the lake to ensure its cleanliness. "It is dark because, just like the forbidden forrest, the lake can be dangerous. The four founders cast spells on the lake to make it unappealing for younger unknowing children to just jump in, to prevent any attack from creatures." And for the most part that worked over the years. "And the name just....fell into place. Maybe by some students." That wasn't recorded.
"Now, there are things other than creatures that are rumoured to be under the lake. Does anyone have any guess to what these things might be?" NOT creatures. Creatures were certainly not things. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles "Well I don't know about hidden cities." He shrugged. "But there are rumours about caverns annd maybe even treasure down there." The real question was treasure for WHO? He looked at William and smirked.
"Right. Really, the simplest things rumoured to be beneath the lake are water plants." Bentley would be so proud.
"Right!" Extreme nod. "The Chamber is rumoured to be underneath the lake."
"...And the Slytherin Common Room." He expected the snakes to know. Though, really the common room was underneath the lake and not in it, but it worked.
Blink. "...Oh yes, I read about that.." And recently too. "There very well could be haunted realms." Good point!
Yeaaaah. Whatever the man had said. Dash just nodded, listening just slightly. It made sense. Merpeople. Not like he would understand them more than that.
What?..."You're correct to a point. The Slytherin common room is located in the dungeons, however it is also underneath the lake." Ergo, the dungeons were underneath the lake as well.
"Right, yes." That was the rumour.
"Shipwrecks? Maybe..interesting.." He hadn't heard of that but it made sense.
"Could be." He doubted it. Largely because people would be attacked before they had the chance to enter.
---------------
"So, plants, rocks, caverns...maybe hidden kingdoms...treasures..and apparently the Slytherin Common Room and the Chamber of Secrets." Yeah. The lake had many rumours associated with it. "Most of these rumours have actually been proven to be true." So, you know. The scary stuff that hid in the lake, could actually be true.
Just a liittle bit more history to go through. Scabior cleared his through before he began talking once more. "Now so far we've been talking about the lake and what's in it." All that good stuff. "But important events have also taken place by and around the lake. Two major events in particular. Does anyone know of these events? And please, only say one per person." And he wasn't talking about little things like campfires either. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles Honestly? THIS many students did not listen? It was a simple question he was sure. It would be fine if they got the question wrong because they named the wrong event that was BY the lake. But they hadn't. "I'd advise you all to clean out your ears. I did not say that the event took place in the lake. I specifically said by and or around and so the second task in the Triwizard Tournment of 1994-which we already spoke about, could not be one of the events, because it took place in the lake." He would have taken points if it hadn't been for the fact that SO MANY of them were wrong
...What history book was this girl reading? "Severus Snape died in the Shrieking Shack." He eyed the girl. "That is no where around here."
Finally! Someone that seemed to be listening! "Correct." He said with a slight smile. This kid seemed to know a thing or two. "Albus Dumbledore's funeral took place right by the lake." He paused. "Two points for you." Since NO ONE ELSE seemed to listen.
"Correct." She was right as well, but the boy had said it first
Scabior just gazed at the Hufflepuff. "While your events are correct Miss Potter, I specifically said to only name one. 5 points from Hufflepuff." He was not in the mood for students who COULD NOT listen.
"It could have been." He nodded. "However that is not known, so I wouldn't list it as one of the two important events." THAT was a valid guess. Not any more triwizard nonsense.
"Correct, good job." He nodded, and then gave the girl a small smile. Because ANY answer other than the WRONG Triwizard one would make him glad at the moment. And Wow. He hadn't even thought of that. "Yes. That was actually a really important event. One of the ones I hadn't thought of. Two points to your house."
"Right, just like Miss Hollingberry said." He nodded.
"Right. And that is one of the important events."
--------
Scabior clearly was not impressed by most of the answers. He frowned as he waited to see if there would be any more answers.
"As I said before, the majority of you need to clean out your ears." His frown deepened. "Around and by the lake does not mean in it." How was he suppose to teach if they did not LISTEN.
"One event was said by a small number of you. Which was, the funeral of Albus Dumbledore. It was held by the lake. And of course, it was important in Hogwarts and wizarding history, since no one can argue that Dumbledore was a great wizard and headmaster." Yes? Good. "The second event was mentioned by one person. Miss Potter. However Miss Potter failed to listen to my instructions as well. As I said name one of the events and she proceeded to name them both." And that was JUST as bad. Either way she wasn't listening.
"The second event is known as the attack at the Black Lake. When over a hundred Dementors swarmed the Lake on 6 June, 1994 ." Pause. Because that was an IMPORTANT date. "To recapture escaped alleged murder Sirius Black. They were defeated by Harry Potter." The chosen one himself. The story was confusing and Dash WOULD have gotten into it if he has not been SO annoyed.
"Miss Hollingberry, also mentioned another event, which took place by the lake. Lord Voldemort, breaking into Dumbledores grave. And that was actually extremely important too, because he did so to steal the elder wand." Elder wand..last term. Cool.
He sighed. "Anyways, The lake is known for more than just being a body of water and having an important to Hogwarts history." He turned to look at William. "It is also know for the creatures that reside in it." His cue.
OOC: Guys there is NO point in "catching up" your posts. It just messes everything up and confuses US when we are replying to YOU so don't do it. From here on out, if you do it, you lose 5 points automatically if you do this. No discussion. Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
"Yes yes," Williamson nodded at everyone who answered grindylows, "there is a healthy population of grindylows in there. We'll come back to discuss them in a moment." As they would DEFINITELY need to discuss those creatures before going anywhere with this lesson.
"Merpeople, yes!" Williamson refrained from clapping his hand at hearing this answer. "There IS a thriving kingdom of merpeople in the lake, and as one of you mentioned," that dark-haired Slytherin girl, "they DID flood Hogwarts and invade the castle about eight years ago."
He nodded and then looked to Kurumi. "And Miss Hollingberry brings up a good point, about Selkies. The Selkies of Scotland and the Murrows of Ireland are not as... aesthetic as their mermish cousins of the Mediterranean, however, they are the ones --- the Selkies, specifically --- who reside in Hogwarts' lake."
They were all in Scotland right now, were they not?
"Magical fish and regular fish there are are, yes, as well as toads and possibly some turtles, though I haven't seen any." He smiled at the girl who suggested 'Puffer Fish' but shook his head. "I've never seen any tetraodontidae in the Black Lake, seeing as they prefer tropical waters, but good guess!"
He winked at the boy who suggested leeches and nodded. "Yes, yes there are some leeches in the lake and even worse, Shrieking Eels.... so be careful you don't swim too deep next time you hit the lake."
"There IS at least one hippocampus rumored to be living in the lake!" William beamed at those who answered. "What are some characteristics of the hippocampus, anyone? Do you know their Ministry rating?"
Plant life was not an answer Wesley had been expecting, but he did not to everyone who had answered that way. "Sure sure, there's plenty of seaweed and algae and even...plankton...." Did plankton count as a plant? He wasn't sure, as he didn't even remember studying them. "...in the lake. Good answers."
Wow, William was IMPRESSED by this Gryffindor! He gape at the student's answers and then nodded several times. "I've never seen one, Miss, but that doesn't mean they're not there, since they DO take different forms! Two points to you for a spectacular guess!" And for even KNOWING what the mythical Taniwha was!
Plimpies! Yes! "Good, good," William nodded at those who answered 'plimpies.' "These are the magical, two-legged fish you all might have been thinking of." He nodded to everyone who had answered 'fish' earlier.
Ah, now that was thinking outside the box! Not exactly the answer William had been looking for, but he did not at the young Puff. "Correct. All the animals in the forest, more or less, rely on the lake as a source of water."
"There is NOT a kelpie in the lake, though good guess." Williamson laughed softly. "For those of you who don't know, a Kelpie is a shape-shifting water demon that usually takes the form of a horse with a bullrush maine. They kill travelers by luring them on to their backs and then dragging them underwater to eat them. All you have to do to tame one is to bridle it though."
So they weren't that bad in Willy's opinion, but still, there wasn't one in Hogwarts' lake.
"Yes!" William answered with a nod. "There's likely to be a few dugbogs in the shallows of the lake. Good answer." And to think, she was the only one who had thought of them!
William just BLINKED at one student's answer. "Er, no, no I don't think so. Muggles can't get to Hogwarts, you see. Nice....try though."
-------------------------------------------------------------- Clearing his throat, William continued on with the lesson. "Let's go back to the topic of Merpeople, briefly. What do you all know about them? What are their physical and behavioral characteristics? What about their society structure, and their weapons of choice?"
He eyed Dash for a moment. "I'm sure you all already know about the controversy surrounding Merpeoples' chosen classification as beasts instead of beings, yes?" If not, perhaps Dash would like to add on to that? Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles Scabior had NOT taken to sitting on the ground like the Care of Magic Professor had when he was going over the history of the lake. Instead he stood off to the side, listening of course, but his attention was turned to the squid, and the lake in general.
"Most of them won't." He said as he caught Willy's glance. So he wanted HIM to explain? Ugh. He did not teach them about Merpeople in his class, they were just as bad as goblins."Unless they have read their textbooks of course."
Dash turned back around to the students. "In the 14th century Burdock Muldoon who was the Chief of the Wizards' Council decided to create classifications of all magical creatures. He deemed Beings as any creature that could walk on two legs. Then held a meeting to discuss laws." Stupid on his part really. "Needless to say Augureys, Trolls and Pixies as well as other creatures, do not get along too well, and that resulted in chaos."
"Elfrida Clagg, replaced Muldoon as Chief eventually and tried to set another definition, her's being that a Beings could speak the Human tongue. Since Merpeople could not talk above water, they were offended by this, as were Centaurs and refused the definition on behalf of the Merpeople"
Were they going to write this down? It would probably be hard, but he hoped they would remember. "In 1811, The Ministry of Magic replaced the Wizards Council and decided that Beings, were any creature that have enough intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws. Which would make Merpeople, Beings" He paused. "However Merpeople along with Centaurs rejected this notion due to the fact that they did not agree with the classification of some of the other creatures who were put in the category such as Vampires and hags." Merpeople were difficult creatures, just like Centaurs. "And so by default, they are known as Beasts." Epic history lesson over. He looked at William. Happy? Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
Ah, this one must be a firstie. William shook his head, a slight smirk appearing on his face at the little Gryffindor's answer.
"You must be thinking of the Muggle version of mermaids, Miss, not of the merPEOPLE of the wizarding worlds. Ours are much, much different, as your classmates are discussing. They CHOSE to be classified as beasts, too." Silly girl.
"Right," William nodded at all who had answered. "Great responses, everyone. As your classmates have mentioned, these are some things about merpeople that you should all commit to memory. After all, you never know when you might use this information...."
He trailed off with a knowing look at Scabior and then flicked his wand, so that a list of notes on merpeople appeared in the air beside him, glowing silver in the sunlight. After a moment's thought, he added the characteristics of the hippocampus as well, since one student had been smart enough to catch that question. The class MIGHT want to copy that down, just as a hint.
"Any other questions about merpeople?"
William looked back at Scabbers and nodded. "Thank you, Professor Scabior, well said." Much more... detailed than he could have explained.
Ah, good question. "It's certainly safe," William drawled toward the student, "but I would recommend you to exercise caution and respect when swimming in someone's home. Do not forget that the lake IS the home for all of these creatures."
He smiled and moved on to his next question.
"Someone mentioned lobalugs, and of course, grindylows earlier. What are the characteristics of these two creatures?" Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
"Yes! Very good." William had managed to tone down his enthusiasm about the magical creatures into more subdued..... enthusiasm about students' correct answers.
"Lobalugs are small creatures, about ten inches long as you all said, usually found at the bottom of the North Sea. But we are north enough here that they're found in Hogwarts lake. They DO have a venom sac and they ARE used as weapons by the merpeople. But this venom is also extremely valuable and useful in potions, so the collecting of it is a strictly regulated activity."
He paused, wondering if Lafay would find him less childish if he brought her a live lobalug? Hmm, food for thought.
And moving on to grindylows! William had some notes for the class on them too, even though he had a feeling the class was starting to find him just as boring as Scabbers with all their notes.
"Note taking is optional," he pointed out awkwardly, "but I assure you, ALL of the information I am sharing with you at present WILL be highly useful before the end of the day."
Just a hint, kiddos, just helpful hint. He flicked his wand where the silver text from earlier was still hovering, adding on two more sections to it.
"You all have covered pretty much everything there is to know about these two creatures..." Williamson glanced at the lists. "But how does one defend oneself against the lobalug or the grindylow? Specifically, what spells would you use against them?"
He looked toward the older students for leadership on this question.
"Very good comparisons about both creatures, you lot," he nodded toward the handful of students who had made ONE remark about BOTH creatures. "They all DO share a connection with the merpeople, a menacing one too."
But then he frowned at the next two students' answers.
William did not like taking points, not even when he HAD to, but if he didn't take them then surely Scabbers would.
"Er... I asked for one answer per person, about ONE of the two creatures," he frowned. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I need to know that everyone here can follow our rules and directions, if not for their own safety, then at least for the safety of their classmates. Five points each from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor."
Williamson sighed heavily and turned to the rest of the class, stumbling forward unexpectedly as a spongy, wet THING slapped the back of his head and drenched his shirt.
Whoa whoa! "Bar--- Mr. Henry!" he exclaimed, half-surprised and half-pleased. Wow. THE SQUID HAD TOUCHED HIM! He had been touched by a squid. He was SO HONORED!
"Yes of course, of course Mr. Henry, I hadn't forgotten you! I was saving the best for last!" he beamed at their friendly visitor and nodded toward the class. "As Mr. Henry, our resident giant squid reminded me, how do merpeople, grindylows, lobalugs, and all the other residents of the lake interact with the Giant Squid?" Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
"He's not a harmful creature, that's right," Williamson agreed with the student who raised his hand. Still didn't know the albino-like kid's name though. "This DOES make him a candidate for the 'being' classification, as Da--- Professor Scabior said, EXCELLENT point!" he nearly applauded for the boy right then and there.
But. "The real question is: Does Bartholomew Henry WANT the classification of 'being,' since both merpeople and centaurs have refused it in the past? And what's more, are the rumors that Mr. Henry is actually Godric Gryffindor in animagus form true?"
He winked at the students and turned toward the Giant Squid, bowing deeply toward him. "What are your thoughts on these questions, Sir Squid?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Giant Squid Bartholomew Henry took it upon himself to directly answer all the students who were addressing him, either directly or indirectly. He would have preferred the former, but did not mind the latter. This was a school of education after all, yes?
"No." The squid flicked a tentacle in annoyance. "They do not have elections down below. They are autocratic."
"They do not attack me because they respect me," he informed the Huffler. "Or they fear me." As they should.
"The food chain is a part of every ecosystem, yes, but I do not have a taste of dark creatures or sentient beings, Miss Slytherin." Bartholomew Henry's tone was stern as he stared at the girl with his giant squiddy eyes.
"We respect each other and our territories. Yes." Ravenclaw. Figured.
The squid let out a low chuckle that sounded like wet feet squishing into soft carpet at this one's answer. "If they are not getting along or are causing problems for the rest of the lake, yes, I do occasionally act as a peacekeeper." If he could smile, he would be smiling right now. "They do listen to me."
"Correct!" Except on one thing. "Merpeople are, according to the Ministry, still beasts. Do not forget."
"I do rule the lake," the Squid allowed a note of pride to color his low, dulcet tones. "But I am not a negotiator." He was far above such a simple human role.
"I am NOT a translator!" How offensive! Barty started creeping back into the depths of the lake upon hearing this rude child's answer.
"Thank you," he murmured softly, halting his retreat.
"I do not want the classification of 'being'," stated Bartholomew Henry. "For I am and never was a being." The Willy Boy got another flick to the head, though the Ravenclaw received a tentacle salute. "Apology accepted."
He moved a tentacle in a motion like a whip and gently cracked the History of Magic man on the rear. "Everett. Pay attention and tell the students how I came to live in this lake."
"I am the oldest and wisest creature in the lake," the squid agreed proudly. "Well said!"
"Yes......yes there is a hierarchy...." The squid's tone reeked of smugness.
"Not a treaty in your human sense of the word, but yes, something like that." A natural understanding of sorts.
"I do...when I see them," Bartholomew admitted, not certain if the students were aware of how deep he liked to stay submerged usually.
"No agreement. There are no creatures with that lake that are a threat to me."
"I am not a spokesperson, a translator, a representative, or anything of the kind." When was Hogwarts going to accept this? "I am me and I live by my own rules."
"Yes. Very good." Good job, young Huffler.
"I am not their leader. We still compete for food sources although in times of trouble...." he flicked a tentacle out dramatically, "I have been looked to for leadership."
Whilst waiting for Everett to tell his story, Barty sank down into the depths of the lake a bit more, though he was still very visible to the class. "Any other questions for me, children?" he threw out. Might as well get those over with. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles Scabior was paying attention. Somewhat. With any questions that were shot his way he simply nudged his head in the direction of William, because the Care of Magical Creatures professor was teaching the lesson at the moment and it would have been rude for him to just steal the show.
What he wasn't paying attention to was, what exactly Bartholomew Henry was doing. And because of that he had no time to react as the Squid's tentacle swiped through the air before coming in contact with his back end. Dash's head whipped around, as he gave the squid a long hard stare.
The back of his pants were now wet. Thank you squid.
"Of course Bartholomew Henry. My mistake. How could I ever expect you to tell your own story of how you ended up in the lake." His voice dripped with sarcasm. Stupid 100 year old beast.
He turned toward the class once again after getting an 'okay' nod from William. "Right, class so." He cleared his throat. "Back in the late 1960's almost 1970's even, rumours began surfacing in the Ministry that Giant Squids were beginning to die out. Nobby Leach, the Mister of Magic at the time, found this to be a big concern because he didn't want it to affect his chances of re-election. So he ordered a baby squid to be sent to Hogwarts lake, just to ensure it's survival. The headmaster at the time Albus Dumbledore agreed to this." He nodded. This was all information he had gathered from reading though. And the re-election part..common sense.
"A squid- that Squid being Bartholomew Henry of course-" He looked at the creature. "-was not chosen and put into the lake until 1977. However, soon after it was was discovered that the rumours of the species dying out was in fact false." Yeah, so the Ministry had messed up. But that was really how he got there. Scabior paused, wondering if he should add a little extra bit of info.
"The 1970's was also around the time when dark wizard Lord Voldemort began to gain power and the first Wizarding War began. And so it was decided that Bartholomew Henry would remain in the lake to protect the students in case of attacks on the castle by Voldemort." He gave a slight nod. It sounded like Bartholomew was a hero. But not quite. "Bartholomew proved to be quite lazy," Which was exactly why he wasn't explaining this himself. "When the Ministry tried to train him for attacks. And so they created the rumor about him being Godric Gryffindor in animagus form in order to intimidate Voldemort." It worked somewhat. Really, the squid could have said ALL of that. Scabior gave a brief nod before turning back to look at his now wet trousers.
Bartholomew could stop being lazy now and answer all the students questions. Quote:
Originally Posted by The Giant Squid
"I am," he answered to the students' questions, "the only Giant Squid in Hogwarts's Lake. I have no family, no 'wife' no anything. I am... forever alone." And he had accepted that. He did not yearn for companionship.
The merpeople of the lake were enough.
Aww this Huffler was...what was that wizard word? Cute. She was cute. Barty seemed to be smiling as he waved a friendly tentacle at the girl
"............."
He had no words. NO WORDS for this student. Just....
"No." The Squid reached out a tentacle and SMACK!ed the silly Slytherin. Hopefully he was smacking some sense into the lad.
Bartholomew started chuckling again with more of that odd squish-squish-squishing sound. "We are of equal importance?"
"Of course I can talk," Bartholomew Henry said. "Thank you." He was cool. And slippery too.
"Good question," Barty answered with a hmm-sound. "Wizards are...all right, but they would be a lot better off if they were not so meddlesome."
"Thank you for asking," said the squid with a touch of affection in his booming voice. "I prefer Mr. Henry, please, and I appreciate manners and fish and shiny things."
"No no no no no," Barty waved a tentancle dismissively. "I do not tap dance. There is no dance floor large enough for me!"
"I smack them around." The Giant Squid let out a gurgley chuckle again.
"It is because I am a MAGICAL Giant Squid living at a school of MAGIC," Barty replied, rather annoyed as he flapped a tentacle against the surface of the lake.
"I could not," Bartholomew Henry sighed. "I do not know Muggle or Wizard forms of measurement, but allow me to assure you that it is deeper than I can swim, deeper than you can see, and deeper than the sunlight can reach."
And his tentacles were aching already, calling him back to the lake's mysterious depths.
"I am turning 100 years old in December," Barty answered the boys proudly. Hogwarts was only 900 years older than him!
"It is an...OK thing." He preferred swimming.
"They were invasive," Bartholomew answered slowly, seeming to glance at the professors suspiciously, "and yet they taught the students participating and observing the event a lot about the culture and climate and creatures of the lake." So in a way, it was a good thing too.
Barty let out another loud, wet chuckle. "I do enjoy...." terrorizing? "greeting the students," he agreed. "But I am not scary and no, I do not really think anyone is startled by me..."
Were they? He had never given it much thought either way.
Another chuckle. "Yes, yes there is plenty of food for me there. And if the wasn't, I am certain the Headmaster would see to it that I still had enough to eat." He was good like that, that Taterman.
The sarcastic professor received another loud, wet SMACK! to the head for his calling Bartholomew lazy. Although it was common knowledge, Everett did not have to persuade the students to see him that way too!
"......." This student also received a smack to the head.
"Would he have?" the squid responded to one of his more favorite students with a deep sigh. "Sometimes, sometimes I yearn for companionship, but as I told your classmates, I have accepted that it is my destiny to be forever alone."
He had gone 100 years without wanting a squid friend; what was a few more years?
"Thank you," he said softly to his other favorite student. With that answer, Bartholomew Henry let out another deep sigh and retreated deeper into the lake. He could feel himself drying out already.
"I will see you later, class, William, Everett." He gave them all another friendly wave and then was gone, sinking deep, deep, deep into the late where neither nosy eyes nor penetrating sunlight could reach.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl Drenching wet as he was with his clothes clinging to him far too tightly, William couldn't help laughing as numerous students and Scabbers got whacked by the giant squid. HA! He was a great discipliner, he was. Maybe Barty could come to ALL of his future lessons?
Shame he was leaving already. Ah, well. "Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Henry!" Williamson called back affectionately to the squid, waving at him cheerfully. "We will see you later!"
He turned back to the class then and beamed as one student FINALLY answered his question from earlier. Well well well. It was ABOUT TIME they moved on to the next segment of class!
"Yes!" he practically cheered for the student who answered his question from earlier. "Two points to you. This is going to come in handy later, class, so listen up.
"If you happen to be swimming under the lake," which they all would be, "and you find a grindylow clamped onto your ankle, for example, you need to remember to use the Revulsion Jinx." William flicked his wand into his hand to demonstrate as he spoke. "The incantation is 'Relashio!' and the wand movement is a sharp jab. You may go ahead and practice that now."
He nodded toward Scabior and then moved over to a bush down by the lake, dragging back to giant burlap sacks.
"While some of you practice the spell, others of you can go ahead and change into your swimsuits, because yes, we are going under the lake. The boys' suits are in the left bag and the girls' are in the right." He smirked proudly and pulled out matching Slytherin wetsuits for Dash and one for himself too. "Go ahead and change behind these screens," William walked over to one and tapped it, revealing the disillusioned changing station that had been there all along, "and TRY not to make your classmates feel awkward in their bathing outfits, all right?"
One more thing: "Any questions?" ooc: okay, so, you have two tasks to do: 1) practice the relashio spell (you can practice on each other, but beware, it hurts! and 2) change into your suits! GET READY, cuz class will resume at around 6:00 pm EST.  Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl
Ah, good question, but William was already shaking his head before the albino boy had even finished.
"No, Mr....?" Albino, "I'm afraid you're going to have to use Relashio, or else something stronger." He frowned. "Trust me, I do not like harming creatures either, but you cannot underestimate the power of a grindylow's grip. It will BREAK you before it starts giggling. Remember that they are called water demons for a reason; they're considered dark creatures by many."
As for HOW they would do the spell underwater.... "Oh, I almost forgot! We'll be using gillyweed, which Professor Bentley has been so kind as to donate!" He smiled over at Scabior, who was keeping the gillyweed for them.
Tayla listened carefully to Professor Scabior, Professor Williamson, and the giant squid, Bartholomew Henry. The questions she wanted to ask were already asked by other students so she remained silent. It was only after Barty left that she thought of something. "Aww...too bad. It would have been nice to talk to the giant squid." she thought to herself. "Oh well...maybe I still can one of these days..." She made a mental note to visit the Black Lake often.
Tayla was both excited and a little scared when Professor Williamson said they were going into the lake and would be using gillyweed. It probably didn't taste good, but to experience breathing underwater - that would be great! "Relashio," Tayla said over and over. She practiced the wand movement as well. "Hmmm...I need to practice that spell." she thought anxiously. She needed to do it well...but even she didn't, the professors wouldn't let anything happen to the students - right? SPOILER!!: Kurumi Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Waving good by to Mr. Henry as he returned to the cool waters of the lake, Kurumi was a bit startled when Professor Williamson spoke up. Oh, right, the professors were still here. hehe. She had been more than a little distracted when the Giant Squid had made his appearance and, well, now that the magical creature had departed the two men had her undivided attention.
Wait...there had been a question asked? Oops. Blame Mr. Henry for that one.
She wrinkled her nose when she saw the wetsuits they were to wear and how...revealing they sort of were, especially in comparison to what the two professors were wearing. They were in full on wetsuits, with insulation, and would be much warmer under the water than they would be in their's. Were they charmed to keep them warm or something? Kurumi really didn't fancy catching a cold even if it was for the sake of knowledge.
Kurumi grabbed one of the icky things and set it by her bag. Her breath caught when nonverbals were mentioned - she hadn't even BEGUN to learn those - but found her breath again when Professor Williamson clarified. Eating gillyweed wouldn't be so bad. It bore an uncanny resemblance to some of the things she ate back home. So, gillyweed. That meant that they would have about an hour under water...assuming everything went well. MEEP!
Opting to practice first and get dressed later, Kurumi jabbed her wand a few times before practicing the incantation. Now....what could she practice on that wasn't another person. It was a jinx for a reason, using one of her classmates as a guinea pig wasn't the best of ideas. However...seeing as there were no chained things around...partnering up with someone seemed like the only option...
DOUBLE MEEP! "Hi Kurumi," Tayla said nervously. "I was wondering if we could practice together. This jinx doesn't hurt too much...does it?"
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