I selected some grapes, the vegetable salad and strawberry pudding as my test foods for Fonzie. He seemed to like the grapes because after inspecting it for a few seconds, he just wanted more of it. So before he got too full, I switched over to feeding him some lettuce from the salad I had picked out. He definitely loved the dressing on the salad because that was the first thing he licked off. Then he went for the lettuce itself. I can safely say that Fonzie loves eating vegetables, because no sooner had he chewed on one, his tongue was already sticking out, like he was begging for more. I let him eat a little more of the lettuce before introducing him to the strawberry pudding. I initially made the mistake of scooping the pudding and trying to feed him using my finger. His tongue which is very strong by the way, immediately grabbed my finger and tried to slide it into is mouth. I know that Pygmy Puffs don't eat humans but I wasn't going to be it's test subject. Anyway, I fed Fonzie the strawberry pudding and he immediately slurped it all up. From what I have fed him today, I can confidently conclude that Fonzie likes vegetables, fruits and anything that is especially sweet. I haven't tried the boogers but I'm sure that he would have liked that too.

Fonzie looks like a small, fluffy light colored purple ball and seems to love rolling around because the moment I placed it on the ground for just a couple of seconds, it had already rolled to the other side of the barnyard. I have also determined that it has a very strong, long tongue because it gripped my finger really hard and tried to get it into its mouth when I tried to feed it the strawberry pudding. It has been determined that Pygmy Puffs communicate through a series of squeaks, because I couldn't seem to hear anything else coming from it, except for the low humming sound it produced when I rubbed its tummy. When it came to determining its gender, I compared it with the other puffs that were still in the corrall. Mine was a little less fluffier, had a brighter color, but I noticed that it had a lower pitch squeak than some of the others Puffs, that seemed to be larger than mine, were more fluffier and had higher pitch squeaks. I remembered that Nerfball also had a similar lower pitch squeak and he turned out to be a male. So unless I am able to locate the reproductive organs of Fonzie to really confirm his gender (even if I knew where to look), I am going to base my decision on the characteristics I have identified. I believe that Fonzie is a male Pygmy Puff.

2. While I was packing my bags and getting ready for the end of the term, I discovered that I had lost my knife. I remembered the last time I had it was back that the lake at the beginning of the term during CoMC class. I must have dropped it while we were in the lake. Glad that I had some gillyweed, which I had kept in a bottle, I quickly changed into my swim suit and rushed down to the lake. I popped the gillyweed in my mouth, chewed on it and waited for it to take effect. Once I could see that my hands and fingers were webbed, and making sure that I had my wand in my holster, I ran into the lake and swam out to the middle of the lake, before diving down into the depths of the lake. I quickly looked around trying to see locate my knife. I saw it a glint of something metallic from the corner of my eye and turned to see my knife lying on a rock, the rays from the sunlight shining on it. I quickly swam to it, picked it up and holstered it securely in my left leg holster.

I was about to swim back up when I realized that in my determination to find my knife, I had been careless. I had forgotten to keep an eye out for the grindylows that lived in the lake and was now surrounded by them!! I slowly reached down and pulled out my wand, taking great care not to make any sudden moves that the grindylows might mistake as a form of attack. I had already decided that I would not be the first to attack them. It was I who had invaded their territory, and so I had to respect that. For all I knew, they were just curious as to why I was swimming in the lake by myself. Keeping a cautious eye on them, I slowly began swimming towards the surface, keeping an eye on all of them, waiting to see what they would do. I was about to reach the surface when I felt something grab my leg and pull me down. I looked down and to my dismay found that one of the grindylows had grabbed my leg. I really didn’t want to hurt it, so I first struggled to pull my leg loose from its grip, but unfortunately the grindylow’s grip was too strong. Realizing that I had no choice, I jabbed my wand at the hand holding onto my leg I said “RELASHIO”. A beam shot out from my wand and hit the grindylow. It immediately released my hand and swam away. Putting down my wand but keeping it next to my side, I waited for the others to attack but they kept their distance from me. I bowed and nodded at them acknowledging their presence, before quickly swimming up to the surface and back to the shore. I know now that I had made mistakes that almost cost me my life. First, I had entered another creature’s territory alone. Second, I had forgotten to keep a look out for the creatures living in that territory. I should have remembered that when a creature feels threatened or feels that their space has been violated, that they can be more dangerous than normal. I will definitely not make those mistakes again. However, at the same time, I had learned something useful. I was glad that I had remembered not to attack first, that I had not immediately assumed that the creature was going to attack me. Even when attacked, I would first try to escape without causing harm to the creature. Force is only used, when one doesn’t have any other choice. I am glad that I had decided to cautiously wait, while at the same time try to escape without making any sudden moves. Sudden moves might have alarmed the Grindylows even more.

3. This year I learned a lot in CoMC class. I first learned that most creatures are intelligent even though they don’t speak our language. They are very protective over their territory and will fight to keep invaders out. Working and taking care of the creatures in the Sanctuary, I’ve learned that all creatures, whether they be ranked XXXXX or X, should be treated with the same kind of respect and care, that we as human beings expect from each other. As for encountering the creatures that ‘accidentally’ found their way onto the castle grounds or even in the animal sanctuary, I’ve learned that we should not always assume that just because they are classified as dangerous, that they are automatically out to harm or kill us. I’ve learned that we need to be vigilant and cautious and try to get out of their way if we happen to come across them, and that while we are doing that, we should already be planning what we should be doing in the event that they do attack us. Violence or attempting to kill the creature is always the last resort. If there are other ways to subdue the creature, that should be always explored first. Most important of all, we should not panic but instead try to remain calm. The more we panic, the more mistakes are made. In our future lessons, I would like to learn more about how to work with creatures that tend to shy away or hide from humans. But of course I would like to work with the Hippogriffs again or maybe a Dragon. As for working with the Pygmy Puffs, I've learned that they aren't that really hard to take care of. They seem to just enjoy life and given the chance they love to be used as bowling balls. They may not look like it but they are very intelligent creatures and can even sense your emotions. I remember Nerfball knew when I was feeling sad and how he tried to console me. All in all, Care of Magical Creatures class is one of my favorite classes, despite the fact that I pushed you down in the Forest.