When it came to places to easily bring large creatures, the Great Hall at Hogwarts wasn't really on the list for Chloe Ashburry-Hawthorne. Knowing that made it easier on her conscience that she'd had to leave behind all of the bigger flying horses today... they would have been miserable here. And would have made a mess. But mostly their misery. Still, a girl couldn't show up for a job fair empty handed, not if she wanted to entice students into the greatest career there was - protecting and caring for magical creatures.

So no big creatures, but she did have one wobbly half grown Granian foal, wings tucked against his gray flanks and attention fully consumed on finding the apple slices Chloe had hidden in his pen. And she had a patchy looking jarvey scowling fiercely at the crup making circles around it, tail whipping wildly. Plus Derf's bowtruckles, who were minding their own business.

Oh, and she had a four-month old infant strapped to her chest in a sling so her oldest could have an extra special day by herself with her maternal grandparents. The baby wasn't for petting or grooming, but she kept him on the list of things that might interest students enough to stop by.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Come on over and learn about working with creatures, mmk?

Maria headed into the great hall, all dressed up in a light purple dress with her badger pin stuck to her chest as a sort of protection and her big curly dark hair pulled back with a pink ribbon. She didn't know why, but she was as nervous as when she had talked to Professor Khanna about career advice. All wired up she was as she ventured over to the creature booth getting enthused by the sight of a granian foal, jarvey, crup and bowtruckles. Stopping near the granian foal pen Maria asked the woman standing nearby nervously "Hi, can i pet the foal? He looks very pretty."

Let’s be honest, little twelve year old Aurora was absolutely here to talk to everyone and anyone at the job fair despite the fact that she wasn’t truly thinking about what direction her life would be heading it yet. Theoretically it would be a good idea to think about which elective subjects she would need to take in order to achieve her goals but that would require thinking ahead and Rora entirely lived in the here and now. What she lacked in preparedness she entirely made up for in enthusiasm.

Dressed in a pale pink skater dress, her hair expertly braided by his sister that morning (who she had seemingly managed to lose in the distance between the Ravenclaw Common Room and where she was presently stood) in two Dutch pigtails and with a pair of black ballet flats finishing off the look, Aurora at least appeared neat and professional. That professionalism completely went out the window the MINUTE she spotted the petite sized Winged Horse halfway across the Great Hall. The SQUEAL that escaped her lips was surely audible enough for anyone in the immediate vicinity to hear. The excited trot that she performed bee-lining for the creatures booth perfectly represented how she was feeling as the two pigtails bounced up and down in time with her steps.

“Oh my Merlin that is the CUTEST thing I’ve ever seen!” The horse that was, not the baby. Not that the baby wasn’t cute but unfortunately Aurora didn’t have as much experience with smaller children seeing as she was the baby of the Ackerly family. “What is their name? Can I touch them? How old are they? Have they learned to fly yet?” Came the absolute bombardment of questions. No introductions necessary, the Ravenclaw was here for the horse.

"You sure can," Derf chimed in, his voice seeming disembodied for a moment before his trusty bowtruckle, Picketta, jumped off from the top of his head and on to the table top triumphantly holding a button with her long tendril fingers. Which may have given off the impression that it had been the creature to speak, but such confusion came to a rest quickly as the blond stood up proper and brushed off his beige trousers from kneeling on the floor. "Just make sure to take it slowly and not make too many sudden or grand movements around her eyes. Cobweb is a sweetheart, bit of a fascination and adoration for nipping at buttons and zips so be mindful of that as well, and does not spook particularly easy but still does have her shy quirks seeing as she is just a foal. Lowering your stature a bit, standing at a squat, will help too. She'll be comfortable enough to toddle right on up to you for a nuzzle." Smiling at the girl, he took notice of her badger pin and found himself reluctantly relieved they had not brought the twin nifflers they had taken in recently.

Kneeling down one more time to grab a trio of grooming buckets to place on the table, Derf noticed Picketta running off with his button towards the large toddler sized bell jar where the branch of her kin were content playing on the sapling they had brought with them. The smaller bowtruckles were particularly fond of using the leaves like trampolines. "Picketta," he scolded as he shuffled his feet and passed behind his wife (with a kiss on the cheek for her) and son (and one on top of the head for you, Emrys). "Now give that back. It's not yours and my shirt would very much like to have it back." To which his faithful companion blew a bowtruckle's version of a raspberry at him before scampering off again.

So, while he negotiated with the bowtruckle, Chloe could address this very inquisitive young girl's remaining questions.

"You can both touch her, but take turns, please," Chloe slipped around Derf and approached the two girls who had been attracted by the sight of a young flying horse. That had been her entry to creatures as well, really. From as soon as she could walk, Chloe was riding horses, and then on to flying horses. Didn't all youngsters have a soft spot for horses? Secretly, at least?

Chloe squatted easily next to the enclosure and invited both the young Hufflepuffs forward. "As Derf said, her name is Cobweb. She was orphaned before she was weaned, and the man who found her knew that we have a knack with flying horses. He brought her to us, and look at her now! Cobweb is six months old and already so tall." Was she tearing up a little bit? Cobweb was only a month older than Emrys, so they were linked in her mind. "Her wings are still developing, although she sometimes flaps them open and catches a little wind. We've never taught a foal to fly before, so that'll be a really interesting adventure."

The foal had already taken an interest in them, likely because Chloe was the one who fed her and brought her apples, but also because she was a curious little girl. "Feel free to give her a pet. Slow hands, and stay in her line of sight so you don't startle her."

Can she go first?!

Can she?

CAN SHE?!

Yes she knew that the Maria was there just before her but quite frankly Aurora wasn’t sure she’d be able to contain her excitement any longer and although she’d never intentionally want to startle the horse, it was very hard to conceal a squeal in a tiny four foot five body of pure energy. No one could fault Aurora for not being enthusiastic about anything, if anything it was the opposite. If her older sister hadn’t disappeared somewhere in the crowd then Rora might have calmed down a smidge but here she was alone and therefore she had all the freedom that a twelve year old girl shouldn’t be allowed.

She did however know how to listen and as the lady explained the foal’s name and where she came from and how to approach her. Luckily with her petite size the Ravenclaw didn’t have to squat down too much. She slowly reached out her hand and waited for Cobweb to approach her whilst listening to what the lady said about her flying ability. “How do you teach a Winged Horse to fly?” she asked curiously. She figured it would usually be down to the mumma horse to show them but unfortunately humans hadn’t mastered the ability to grow wings yet.

“I love magical creatures! I think I want to be a Creature Healer when I’m older. Or maybe a Winged Horse Jockey? Or maybe a Creature Groomer? Or I could rescue them.” Something to do with creatures anyway. At that moment in time she hadn’t entirely made up her mind and it was likely to change throughout her educational years anyway.

It had been a long time since Pippa had been at Hogwarts or in Hogsmeade. And frankly, a lot of that time she'd in in one sort of trouble or another--not that she meant to, mind you, but she just seemed to always been doing or saying things that she oughtn't. Good thing she was now on her own, living on her own terms. But it was rather funny to be back here advising students--maybe her advice ought to be, don't do what I did. But what she intended to tell them was, find what you love and go after it!

She'd brought along Bo, her monkey, and Barnaby, her parrot, for company (and moral support) and she had arrived at the booth with one perched on each shoulder. She also had a name badge, to prove she was here legitimately--Pippa Weatherbee, Magizoologist, which certainly sounded official enough (so much so that it made her laugh every time she looked at it). There were already some consulations in progress nearby, so she just said a quick "hi" to the gathered groups and took her place. Bring it on, Hogwarts!"

"Luckily, it's her nature to want to fly, and she can learn a lot just by spending time with other flying horses. Our biggest hurdle is keeping her from trying before her wings are strong enough, and making sure she doesn't over extend herself while she's learning." Chloe watched as Cobweb pushed her muzzle against the girl's hand and gave her a slobbery hello. Well, that was charming... hopefully the Hufflepuff agreed.

"Here, feed her some apple slices. She'll love you forever." Chloe passed them over. "I think working with creatures is the best job in the whole world. I'm a creature healer myself, and my husband and I own an animal sanctuary where we help out creatures that need medical help or care. I have some curry combs in that basket there, if you want to try grooming her after her snack."

Chloe greeted the other booth host with a polite nod and a wiggle of her fingers. "Hello, there! Your parrot is quite beautiful."

Juniper didn't want to think about how long it had been since she'd last been in the Hogwarts Great Hall. She remembered the exact date, of course, of her last end of year feast before transferring to Castelobruxo, but she wasn't about to share that date with any of these extremely young people.

After arranging her armful of plants that she had brought along for display purposes, the woman tucked her hands into her pockets and nodded a greeting toward those near the booth. She had thought she was overdoing it with so many mundane and magical plants, but was that woman holding a baby? Juniper tried not to gawk. It had almost been since her own children were babies that she'd held a baby. And she was not about to share that date, either.

Keeping one eye on the animals her booth-mates had brought along (she'd definitely ask to pet them once the children moved on), Juniper tried her best to look inviting.

Pippa had been setting out a number of brochures and maps in messy piles in front of her and was just setting up a large board covered with magical photos of various creatures, both exotic and ordinary, when she heard Chloe's voice. Hooray, someone was talking to her! She turned, smiling, to the other woman and held out her hand. "Pippa Weatherbee, glad to meet you. Oh thanks, that's Barnaby, he loves being admired." And indeed, the parrot was preening and clucking to itself now that it noticed it was the object of someone's attention. "The other one is Bo," she added, jerking her head toward the monkey, which was now looking a bit disgruntled to see Barnaby getting all the attention. "Bo is quite invaluable." Pippa gazed fondly at Bo until his features cheered up again and he hopped down onto the table using Pippa's arm as a sort of slide.

"I used to own the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley, but I sold it a few years ago so I could go travelling again. So now I'm just a free-lance Magizoologist. How about you?" Pippa was chattering away to Chloe, while also keeping an eye out for anyone who might be waiting to ask her a question. Bo sat in dignified silence and began straightening up some of the piles of brochures.

From what his son had described to him, it seemed like things at Hogwarts hadn't changed a ton from when he was a student there. Behind back in the Great Hall confirmed as much, and it certainly was bringing back memories that Jonah Scamander had forgotten about because it had been a while since he roamed these hallowed halls and tried sneaking in various critters.

Today though there was no discretion with his creature counterparts. Iggy the demiguise was tagging along via piggyback, his silver arms slung around the man and black eyes looking left and right. Hopping on the floor of the hall was a jackalope named Hester, which did pause for a moment when she caught sight of the crup making circles before she quickly scooted closer to the zoo director.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted everyone when he arrived at the booth. He glanced down at his chest to make sure he had stuck the sticker that read his name and title onto his person. It was at that moment he realized the last of his beastly pals was MIA.

Where in the name of Merlin was that diricawl?

ASDFGHJKL!

Containing the absolute excitement on the blondes face was getting even more difficult the more creatures that were arriving with the other booth holders. In fact that excitement was now radiating through her entire body as she bounced from foot to foot watching each animal with interpretation. Of course the horses would remain her favourite but that didn’t mean she wasn’t fascinated by the Demiguise and the Monkey and the Bowtruckles. “It’s like a petting zoo!” she beamed at all the stall holders.

Ooooh.. Plants too!

Plants weren’t quite as exciting as the creatures because they didn’t do anything but she was fond of Herbology anyway. She’d speak to the plant lady when she could drag herself away from Cobweb which could take quite some time.

Speaking of, the horse was currently nuzzling into her hand as she patted it gently. She didn’t mind the slobber at all, perhaps if it was the baby drooling on her she might have made a little more of a fuss but the horse was perfectly acceptable. “You’re going to be the best Winged Horse ever” she spoke softly. “Just you wait you’ll be flying faster than them all.” Words of encouragement helped too right? The Ravenclaw accepted the apple slices and offered them to Cobweb.

As much as she was absolutely loving petting all the animals, the point of the job fair was to ask questions to all these adults as she supposed she should probably say something remotely intelligent to impress her elders. “What subjects did you all have to study for your careers? Other than Care of Magical Creatures, I know that one!” The question was directed at anyone who dared to listen.

No Hogwarts event was complete without a lunch break--the House Elves insisted on showing off to visitors, and the guests rather expected it and certainly looked forward to it. But coming back from a delicious repast, what a sight met everyone's eyes! Nearly every booth was in some sort of disarray--a pile of brochures scattered on the floor here, a poster torn off the display board there. But the Creatures and Environment booth had been singled out for particular attention--every single brochure, leaflet, and poster had been torn down and some of the pictures of creatures had been slashed through with something sharp. The creature booth itself had been nearly knocked over and stood lopsided, sagging at one end, with all the contents on top of the table spilling down onto the floor beneath. Someone, or something very strange had happened here.

Returning to their creatures table after the lunch break, Juniper gasped at the state of things. Her plants!! The woman immediately began attempting to straighten the table so that everyone could put their displays back onto it.

Tsssking to herself as she struggled to adjust the table legs to let it stand properly, Juniper shook her head. "Who would do such a thing?" she asked no one in particular.

Pippa wasn't sure who the girl was directing that particular question to, but, being far from shy, decided to answer it herself. "Well, for Magizoology, it's useful to have advanced work in Defense Against the Dark Arts--because some of the creatures you run across can be a little dangerous, or at least tricky to work with. Potions and Herbology, too, if you're going to be doing any creature healing or general care, in order to prepare home remedies. And advanced Charms is rather useful, too."

Pippa had felt she'd done rather well at her booth--answered all the questions put to her and hadn't gotten in any (real) trouble so far (and neither had Bo or Barnaby). So she took off for a very enjoyable lunch--good food, good company, and wonderful to see the rooms of Hogwarts once again.

But when she came back, she was shocked and angry to see that all the Creature and Environment booths were--well, trashed, really. And Pippa had gone to a deal of work with hers, and some of those magical photos couldn't be replaced! "All right, what's the big idea?!" she said indignantly, hands on hips as she looked around at the damage (and for signs of any lurking culprits in the vicinity). "Is this someone's idea of a joke?"

Barnaby was squawking in alarm from his place on Pippa's shoulder, and Bo had climbed over to the booth and was cautiously turning over the debris.

No matter how hard you looked you would not be able to spot a single clue about the culprit. They had been careful even that hadn’t fully been their intention. Whatever the motive or motives were, this eyesore hadn’t been anyone’s idea of a joke.

There was nothing left to do but to mend the pieces, rearrange all pamphlets and books. The job fair must carry on.

It would be best to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity from this point onwards.

Pippa calmed down very quickly--she never stayed angry or upset for long. Besides, she needed to be calm for Bo and Barnaby--they couldn't all be upset. She put her transfiguration skills to good use and soon had her booth propped up again and a new poster-board set up, and she was able to rescue almost all her photos with Reparo (though there was one of her particular favorites that was damaged beyond even magical repair). Fortunately, Pippa always carried plenty of photos of her favorite creatures with her, so she was able to fill in the missing spaces with little trouble. Now she was ready for business again!

Poor Bo kept turning the remaining torn pieces over and over with his little monkey paws, as if by doing so they would somehow come back together again. Pippa gently patted him on the head and offered him a piece of a cookie that she found in the bottom of one of her pockets. "Give it up, Bo--there'll be other creatures and other photos. Still gotta greet our public, y'know."

Pippa shook off the incident and turned her attention back to meeting new people and telling anyone who came in her vicinity about the delights of working with magical creatures. And she couldn't deny feeling just a teensy bit of satisfaction at not being the one responsible for troublemaking at Hogwarts (for a change).