Thread: CoMC Lesson 1: The Cockatrice
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Old 01-07-2021, 01:22 AM   #77 (permalink)
kayquilz
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Hogwarts RPG Name:
Roman Gellar
Slytherin
First Year

Hogwarts RPG Name:
Arden Toros
Gryffindor
Sixth Year
x4 x1
Default
A Poop * k8 *
SPOILER!!: all the questions, all the SINISTERNESS
Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl View Post
Text Cut: greetings!
SPOILER!!: Astrocat


This kid.

"Not today, at least," Williamson grunted in reply to the first student to arrive. Ah, Fox, was it? He glanced around and then quickly winked at her so fast that it probably just looked like an eye twitch. "You don't have to consider ME a threat."

It was fine, he could say that. No one was around to hear, were they? Actually, scratch that. He had a job to do here and he couldn't go around encouraging the kids and giving them false hope.

But really, he wasn't a threat.


SPOILER!!: Alicia


"Hi Claudine," Williamson returned the fifth year's greeting. Ah, these kids. They were going to break his heart this year, weren't they? He gave her a half-smile for that comment. It was about all he could muster today.


SPOILER!!: k8


"Morning, Song," Williamson returned the Slytherin's greeting. He felt bad for the kids, all of them, but especially for the ones who had to suffer through their final years under this.... new management of theirs. The firsties might forget the trauma, but the older kids? This could be their last impression of Hogwarts.

He sighed and looked to the next student.... who was, oi oi, sidling up to Aboli, was he?


SPOILER!!: Shan


...actually, this one might be alright. "I wish I'd thought to do that," he mumbled to himself. Shoot. Was it too late to remove one of the gloves from his pocket and make it a portkey?


SPOILER!!: Kat


The not-having-prefects thing was still weird, and Williamson almost greeted Avalon with her old title. But he caught himself in time and gave her a calm nod of greeting. "Hello." He wanted to tell her to cheer up, that there was no wampus inside, but...

Well, these hedge mazes had a tendency to take on a life of their own, didn't they?


SPOILER!!: Bonana


Ah, fresh meat.

Only joking.

This Gryffindor so far seemed calmer than last year's batch of firsties. "Hello," he replied, watching carefully as she scooted away. Yep, she had a healthy fear of the unknown. He could work with that.


SPOILER!!: Taylor


This one, though... just made Willy feel worried. Malachi's kids went here and both of them were super defensive about their pops, as he'd learned on the field trip last year. He understood if Kale could only greet him with a wave. He'd seen what had happened at the feast...

So he waved back to him, just a small, short but friendly wave. It would be alright, Kale Trent. They would make it through.

Hopefully.


SPOILER!!: NiallNIP


Another firstie from the boats; he thought he recognized this one. "Hello." Hopefully, curiosity wouldn't kill the eagle before they got into the maze properly.


SPOILER!!: Lisseh


Ah, this poor kid. William had seen him get hit by some kind of spell from those Neo-Alliance goons... but the kid looked alright, so he quickly turned his face from concerned back to neutral. "Hey, Adam," he greeted him kindly. "Alright there?"


SPOILER!!: Gavin


...what had he said about curiosity killing the Ravenclaws? He let out a low little chuckle at Ingrid's questions.

"This isn't a quidditch bootcamp, kiddo, don't wory," he briefly smiled the smallest of smiles back at her. At least SOME had kept their spirits up. Maybe the Ravenclaws had already brained a way out of this mess. He wouldn't put it past them; they were ALMOST as good at surviving as his old House.


SPOILER!!: Joel


Speaking of...

"Hello, Curtis," he greeted his classmates' son. "Sure miss your dad this year. This wasn't easy to build." He thumbed over his shoulder at the hedges. William had been working ALL SUMMER on these grounds, but did anyone even notice? NOOOOOOoooooooooooooOoOOO, all they could talk about was the stupid takeover.


SPOILER!!: Jaaaaaay


"It WILL be great," he assured the young Slytherin. "Just wait. Just watch and learn." Er, maybe participate and learn. Yes. Do that.

And, "Don't sit on that." He reached down and tugged the boy off the crate by his collar alone, giving him a gentle-ish push toward the other kids. "You never know what's in an unlabeled crate. Don't do that again." Ever.


SPOILER!!: Ern-la


"How did you get ahold of my lesson planning book," Williamson mumbled back at Phoebe, half-smiling at her though his amusement didn't quite reach the laugh lines by his eyes.

Listen, he'd been through a lot in all his years at Hogwarts. This? Just another year of typical shenanigans.

Probably.

But all the same? He really missed Gaellen Tate and his 'don't die' speeches right about now.


SPOILER!!: Kristin!


"Hello," he replied to the Hufflepuff, noticing where she stood. Good. It was good that Kale had some friends here, because he'd be needing them.


SPOILER!!: AriFerrari


Like this one. Actually? She was one of the more sensible second years.

"That's..." he started to say, then paused as a few things clicked in his mind, "...something that would be frowned upon." By their new management, see? But he didn't say no, either. Instead, William did his best to hide the smile that was twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Keep thinking that way, Kinsay James. Maybe she and Nam (who'd suggested a portkey) were onto something.


SPOILER!!: Parcel Mouth


"What's up, stead?" Williamson returned the greeting, knowing full well that he'd probably used that dad joke before and honestly not caring a bit about it.

This one was one to watch, though. Nem had... great self-preservation instincts, so long as their clever mouth didn't land them in hot water first.


SPOILER!!: Josey!


"Hello," he smiled a little to the latest Hufflepuff to join the class. It was good to see some kids had chosen to return to Hogwarts after the, uh, events of the previous year. He wondered if any would be allowed back after this hostage situation (assuming it ever ended...)

Maybe he shouldn't be making such assumptions.


SPOILER!!: Lindseyyyy


"It wasn't that funny," Williamson grumbled quickly, tempted to get Minjae's name wrong on purpose. But he supposed there were enough villains in the school right now, so he didn't need to pile on. Plus Minjae was... glad to be here?

Minjae? Looking forward to Creatures class? And not carrying a goofy little umbrella or something similar? Williamson squinted at him. "Are you sure you're feeling well, Yoon?"


SPOILER!!: Lady of Light


"Hello!" Williamson returned the smile with a much dimmer one. Still, it was good to see the Gryffindor. She always did well in his class. Hopefully, she'd still be enjoying it after she made it through the maze...


SPOILER!!: Kathhhhhh


William almost took a step back into the hedge when he saw one of Airey's boys coming toward him, but thankfully, he wasn't trying to hug him again. "Hello," he returned, listening to the boy and nodding along.

Aha, so this was the twin with the spider. And... the hot er, nice cousin. Actually, he had two nice cousins whom he called aunt. Alrighty. "Well, April would probably love to see another Flamsteed. She likes all of your family for some strange reason." His mouth twitched into an almost-smile at that. "Come to my cabin later if you want to meet her yourself."

April LOVED visitors. It was a wonder she hadn't figured out a way to break out of his hut already.


SPOILER!!: Evaaaaa


Another firstie he recognized from the boat... good, good. He was hoping they wouldn't all get lost on their first day. "Hi there," he replied, his mind a total blank on her first name. Slytherin, though, he liked that Sorting for her.


SPOILER!!: Ashweee


This was unusual for Miss Summers, wasn't it? Williamson would greet her anyway, his brow knitting together as he watched her drift into class. "Hi Cece. Good to see you." And cheer up, there were creatures here! Well, not cuddly ones, but still.


SPOILER!!: Daydreamer11


And a Gryffindor firstie... the Sorting hat had evenly divvied up the kids this year, huh? "Hello," he returned her greeting. He'd get her name shortly.


SPOILER!!: DaniDaeeeemon


Yikes. The older kids looked worse than the terrified younger ones. "Alright there?" he greeted Coby, giving him a man-to-man nod of encouragement. He needed to buck up. They couldn't kick out the Cult in a day, alright? They'd... they'd survive... surely.....


SPOILER!!: Kolyander


This little baby-faced 'Claw had to be related to one of his other students; he was sure of it. He saw a family resemblance. "Hi there," he greeted her. Someone must have told her his name. Maybe they'd said some nice things too, hmm?


SPOILER!!: Einstein?


William always thought that being outside helped too. "Hello," he actually smiled back, just a small smile, to the kid. "Welcome." He might be surprised to learn they weren't studying cuddly creatures today, but... well, they'd see...


SPOILER!!: Lili!


Aww no, more PDA.... but alright. William was usually anti-students-touching-each-other but he supposed these were extenuating circumstances. He cleared his throat softly and pretended not to see the brothers comforting each other.


SPOILER!!: Daniiiii


He had other things to deal with besides PDA, like one Emmerson Cambridge...

William sighed, then glanced up to the sky and back down to the little second year. At least she was easily distracted, right? "Guess you're going to have to stick around to find out, okay?" He wasn't just going to TELL HER what was in the maze. Come on. That would ruin the work he'd spent a month on.

Plus he wanted to avoid attracting Rosier's attention at all costs, so if she could just forget about asking that... that would be grrrrrrrrrreaaaaaaaat.


SPOILER!!: 2111jen


"Hello," William returned the Slytherin's greeting flatly.


SPOILER!!: Stellaaaaaaa


Finally, some appreciation for his hard work! "Hello," he greeted the boy, a little hint of pride in his voice.

Oh, what if it WAS a sphinx, huh? Williamson should have thrown one in there just for the heck of it.


SPOILER!!: Rhi


"Hey Heath," Williamson replied with a nod as well, watching as he took up a spot next to Claudine. Now now... there wasn't going to be any hand-holding in here, was there?


SPOILER!!: Sirius Black LIVES!


Alas, what WAS normal, especially when it came to learning about Creatures? "Hello," he greeted Charlie calmly, nodding to her as she came over by Phoebe.


SPOILER!!: Jujuuuuuuu


And Williamson nodded back, because some things never changed, and he wasn't one to start DEMANDING greetings just to soothe his ego. Lookin' at the new HM on that one.


SPOILER!!: Kim


"Ding ding, we have a winner winner, chicken dinner," he muttered in reply to Blake, though he did also nod to the boy with an almost-smile. "Keep that in mind, Blake." He was, maybe, on the right track.


Right then, time to start with a queston! Only... someone had one for him first.



...could Aboli just chill for a second?! William glanced behind him at the rustling hedge, as though something was in it that could hear her question. He also made a half knock-it-off gesture at his neck, something like a karate chop motion.

"You'll be expected to attend all your lessons and do your best to learn everything a proper wizard should know, Ms. Song," he replied swiftly and loudly, almost coldly, though he didn't exactly make eye contact with her as he said this.

As for her sanity....? Well, he kinda tilted her head at her as though urging her to just... just knock it off. Because why make life more difficult for all of them by asking these things?! She was a Slytherin. Surely she'd understand the need to save herself. He shook her question off and turned to the rest of the class.

"Alright, let's get started." Williamson grunted and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket, where his dragonhide gloves comforted him somewhat. Behind him, the bushes still trembled slightly, and he wondered what else was in there besides what he'd already placed there.

Anyway. He needed to say the right things today to keep the kids on track and in decent spirits, if that were even possible. "I'm Professor..... er, and Groundskeeper Williamson for those of you who don't know me. I've taught here for a few years, worked for the Ministry, and also taught at Hogwarts for a few years before that. Uh, dragons are my specialty and favorite creature, but I really like any animal. The more dangerous, the better."

He offered them a half-hearted smile and continued. "Today we've got an XXXXX rated creature here. You'll probably quickly figure out what it is." He raised a brownish gray eyebrow. "But before you can face this fantastic beast, you need to prepare yourself. So what do you already know about hybrid creatures? What makes a magical creature 'hybrid'? How/why could these creatures be considered more dangerous than a regular creature?"

Williamson pulled one hand out from his pocket to gesture at them. "Feel free to build on each others' answers and if you're a firstie or a transfer student, tell me your name, too. I'm NOT having you fill out any stupid forms, I just want to know what I'm supposed to call you." There, see? They were in this together. He couldn't say much more, but he did have a determined glint in his brown eyes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inquisitorial Squad View Post
There were, in fact, several people listening quite intently from behind the hedges. Without much prompting, three of them emerged from the bushes, one taking up a spot of prominence from beside the professor, and two swooping into the crowd of students. Their faces completely obscured by their hoods, they moved through, sniffing at the children's hair, flicking their wands at an untied shoe, a loosely clasped cloak, or an askew tie.

One hovered just behind the former Slytherin prefect (kayquilz), as though WAITING for her to move or say the wrong thing or ask more stupid questions.

The other stood beside the small Gryffindor (DaniDiNardo) who dared to mention Headmaster Rosier in the same breath with the term half-blood. This observer tapped a long black wand in their free hand as they watched her. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The hooded figure beside the professor unearthed a quill and parchment from their robes, beginning to scribble furiously as the children answered his question.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl View Post
Text Cut: Responses!
SPOILER!!: Bryn


The liger actually would have been a great answer, had Eden decided to share it. But the bit about... unpredictable animals was also good. "Yes and yes," he responded, "Eden. Thanks. Good answer."


SPOILER!!: Nialllll RIP


Woe was this kid, huh? Stuttering already, and he didn't even know what was in the hedge maze yet? "Quinn, no, you're right," he nodded at the Ravenclaw. "Good...."


SPOILER!!: Astrocat, who is she?


Alright, another good Ravenclaw answer. "Excellent, just what I was thinking of." Williamson nodded at Ashley. "They're also fairly rare, which makes them harder to study."


SPOILER!!: Alicia


"That's one way to think of things," he rubbed at his chin and nodded to Claudine. They DID tend to be more dangerous than their parents, really.


SPOILER!!: Josey


Everything was fine, what a great motto. "That is a great example!" he pointed to Mamie. Although... it was a rather, er, basic Muggle science answer. Surely that wouldn't matter, right? Even wizards had to know how the basic subjects worked.


SPOILER!!: Austin TX


No answer from this one? William looked at the kid, waiting for a response, because he LOOKED like he was thinking... but when he didn't say anything, he called on the next hand.


SPOILER!!: Anna Banana


"Good, Delilah. Some people would say that cross-breeding is like opening a box of chocolates... you never know what you're going to get." Though it was considerably less risky in Herbology than in Magizoology.


SPOILER!!: This kills me xD


Oh Merlin, couldn't some of the Muggleborns at least TRY not to give themselves away?! William nearly facepalmed at Moose's answer. "Yes, you can breed them, good job," he replied calmly, pretending that was an answer and not a question, in case anyone was listening.


SPOILER!!: ValenciaOranges


Well there was an original thought, well done. "I agree," he nodded to Valencia. "Though they're also pretty rare, so hybrids in general aren't so common."


SPOILER!!: AriFerrari's Nemesis


Aha, another thoughtful, original answer. "You're right. That's a common problem in pugs, for example, with their flat faces." Mmm, the point about reproducing didn't go unnoticed either, but they would come back to that (perhaps) when they realized what hybrid WWW was specifically talking about in this class.

"Even hybrid creatures have their weaknesses," he acknowledged. And that... was all he would say about that, for now.


SPOILER!!: AriFerrari my dear


What was with these kids and wanting to give out hugs the way Kitrige snapped at things?

"I... don't think you can make a hybrid from ANY creature," he replied, though he was scratching at his stubbly chin and sounding entirely unsure. THis could or could not be possible. He certainly never wanted to see a pugon. They sounded... awful, and like they'd have terrible proportions.


SPOILER!!: Lady of the Light


Okay, yes! A simple answer, but effective! Williamson smiled at the girl a little bit. "That's correct."


SPOILER!!: Lindsey!


William scratched behind his ear. Did he mean now or in general? "Now, I suppose, so, that's great." What in Merlin's beard did peachy mean? He couldn't understand the kids' slang these days.


SPOILER!!: Eva!


There it was, the textbook answer he was looking for! How odd that it was coming from a firstie. "A chimaera is a great example of a hybrid," he acknowledged. "And interestingly enough, hybrids like the chimaera tend to favor the food of whichever animal forms their head portion. So a chimaera, with a head of a lion, likes a nice rare steak."

Wasn't that just the COOLEST?!


SPOILER!!: Flammy 2.0


Atlas, Atlas Flamsteed. Definitely one of Airey's kids. "A hybrid can actually be MORE than two creatures," he stated with a nod. "But yes... technically, you COULD label centaurs as such. However, you would be quite foolish to address a centaur with that lack of respect, so please, I strongly encourage you NOT to do that, and to avoid the forest entirely, Flamsteed."


SPOILER!!: Lil Charlie


"Sorry, Charlie," and everyone else who had to hear that little rhyme, "Centaurs ARE technically a hybrid, a mammalian hybrid, in fact." He cringed a little at having to teach the kids this but, well, these things came in when talking about animals sometimes.


SPOILER!!: Ashley


"Well done," he nodded to sad Cece. "Take two points. New Scamander considered his 1965 ban on experimental breeding his greatest achievement, even if people break it all the time." He paused to see if the kids were absorbing this. "Acromantula, basilisks, blast-ended skrewts, and the creature we're studying today are all examples of bigger, badder, wizard-bred creatures." Just like she'd said.


SPOILER!!: Destiny!


So this was... not even close to being on topic, which made William rub at his temples. But. "Yes, they can kick and punch at the same time, though most would prefer shooting you with their bow first." The bow had the range, see.


SPOILER!!: Daniiiiiiiii


Okay, Cambridge. That was maybe the first sensible thing she'd said in her two years in this class. He gave the girl a small nod, though it quickly turned into a not-so-subtle shaking of the head.

"No-- I, I didn't say that," he clarified, then repeated it louder. "I made no comments about half-bloods of any kind."

He had no tolerance for Rosier or his curriculum, but he knew life would be worse for him if he added that thought out loud. So he defaulted to his standard teacher answer. "I'll... have to review your Headmaster's curriculum to see if... er, that's his intent. Let me get back to you on this one."

Or not. Perhaps she'd forget.


SPOILER!!: Kolyander


Merlin's beard, how many Donovans went to this school?! "Great answer," he nodded to her. "SOMETIMES you can tell what the outcome will be, if you've successfully bred two similar creatures before." But it was... not a great idea nonetheless.


SPOILER!!: Kat


"Well, there's always the chance of mutations when humans mate too," Williamson murmured humorously, mostly to himself. "Right though, the magic... certainly makes things more difficult." Even wizard families had squibs in them sometimes.


SPOILER!!: Joel


"Excellent," Williamson nodded to Curtis for his answer. Some kids were just more suited to his subject than others, mhmm.


SPOILER!!: Daaaaydreamer


"I'm not sure that's how the math works, Cam..." he replied to the first year gently, "but you're right. Cross-breeding can have dangerous and unexpected results."


SPOILER!!: Hey Jude, don't be afraid


No? Was that head shake directed his way or the way of her classmates? Williamson couldn't tell, but he nodded at Catherine anyway and looked to the next student.


SPOILER!!: Apollo Anton Ohno

"That's right," he nodded to... Apollo...Adara-Stark? "No relation to Tancred Adara, are ya?" he grunted at the boy. Tanc had been one of his colleagues from back in the day, stealing a promotion William had wanted, actually. No hard feelings though; the guy was well-qualified.


SPOILER!!: Heath Bar!


Heath had a thoughtful answer, as usual. "Hmm, that's true. I mean, there IS oversight, it's banned, but it does... happen, sometimes." He sighed a little. "Wizards like to tinker with animals, spells, each other. So you're not wrong." Especially about the hidebehind!




There they were. William had had a feeling he was being watched, as this entire lesson the fine hairs on the back of his neck had been standing up. He took a deep breath and nodded to the... the... what were these people called again? The Watchers? He was suddenly feeling awkward and underqualified under their (completely hidden?!) eyes. He chewed at his lip and did his best to conjure up a chalkboard, because once again, he'd forgotten to drag it over. (But to be fair, he HAD built an entire hedge maze for the lesson, so he deserved SOME credit.)

A kiddie-sized play chalkboard appeared and William had to stifle a groan as he tucked his wand away again. Great. So while everyone else was going to possibly be murdered by the Neo-Alliance, he was going to be fired for being an incompetent idiot. Well. At least then he'd get severance pay! Ha! Ha!

No, uh, this was no laughing matter. He rubbed at his forehead, wondering what the hell that bloke was writing down about him, and turned back to the kids. Behind him, a few of their correct answers appeared on the chalkboard. It was unfortunate that no one had guessed the creature(s) in the hedge, because this lesson may come as a shock to them. William took a breath and rubbed his hands together.

"Today you'll be facing a creature that does have a history with the Triwizard Tournament, as Blake Ryan mentioned earlier. What can you tell me about the cockatrice, and how do you survive one?" Please, kids, show their guests that you know a thing or two.


Aboli followed his eyes...and....was apt enough at reading body language that she simply nodded, looking away from him. "Yes sir, I understand." She crossed her arms, realizing...were they ever safe from ears anywhere? What about the common room last night? Or or...at lunch...in the treehouse?

It was only when someone - from the bushes! - came to stand very near her that she seized up. She didn't like people so close to her. Making sure her gloves were on tightly, making sure none of her skin was exposed besides her face, Aboli tried to inch herself just a CENTIMETER away. She was nervous...she did not want to risk touching them. She did not want to inflict herself with their emotions. If they had any. Her cheeks were turning so red, burning, that she found it hard to focus on W's question at hand.

"Doesn't a cockatrice egg come from a rooster? And a frog...is the one to sit atop it?" Aboli thought maybe she was getting that mixed up with a basilisk. Didn't basilisks have something to do with chickens too? "Or is that a basilisk, professor?" she was nervous. Those people...she had one so close to her. She could feel her heart beating so rapidly.
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"You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough."

Roman Gellar ● 1st Year ● Slytherin
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