Their age? Not all of them were thirteen or twelve. It'd have been better if everyone said a specific age or said 'teenager'. Evelyn didn't like to be considered in the same group as a thirteen year old. Like what Simon said.

"Well, should appearance or personality really matter?" she asked after raising her hand. "I mean...she could be older than we even think, yet still look young and beautiful and just have a prideful personality. Really, I wouldn't want to be compared to a Hippogriff either." And she'd feel sorry for whoever did. She wasn't very good with memory spells, hehe. Hmmm if that was the case though, most people would be jealous of that Sphinx.

o_O

Raising his hand and looking to the sphinx " Lady Rosamund I did not mean to offend.I am muggle raised and the information we are taught comes from very old carvings but little or no written text,That is why I come to this class to learn more " trying to figuer the differance between experience and knowlge " in human years I would say your between 50-60 "

Chloe listened to the professor as she began to talk about the sphynx in the classroom when all of a suddden the sphynx spoke. Chole was rather startled by this even as a witch. She had no idea even spynxes were real creatures that could speak wow. She listened to the creature and then what the professor talked about the appearance and mannerisms of the sphynx. Chloe raised her hand and responded, "I believe Lady Rasamund is very pideful of herself. She does not smack talk about her standing down. Some may say she is a typical teenager by looks. I am not so sure. I think it may be in the spynxes nature to be prideful and not be fond of humans. It's appearance could be a perserved image on it's face. The spynx may age but it's face does not sort of deal".

Nika raised an eyebrow as she looked over the creature carefully inspecting it. Hmm human huh? She closed her eyes trying to imagine it as one and boy is that one U-G-L-Y human."Maybe a hundred?" She said shrugging. Most of the other students said things a lot younger, but hey why not be an individual.

Kimalia had to blink and rub her eyes just to make sure.. she was.. wrong. Never had she been proven wrong until then. But then again, she hardly gave Rosie more than just a glance to partake her beauty unfortunately. She was right though, there were no wings anymore featured on her. Kimalia quickly scribbled out the wings part in her notes and wrote down what was projected for the class. After mentally giving the Sphinx before her an apology for possibly insulting her, she took a ponder at the next question.

Raising her hand "When I see her, I see someone mature and wise beyond her years." Kimalia bit her lip, "Clearly she's not a child, but not an old fogie but someone with some experience, I can see her being at least equivalent to a human being 17 years old." She hoped she was at least close, even better if she nailed it.

Picture Rosamund as a human? Well... since Helena had a very rich imagination, too rich sometimes, she pictured Rosamund as a beautiful goddess, like the ones from the Greek mythology. She was, after all, a mythological creature as well.

But her age... Helena couldn't tell. Probably a bit older than them? Anyway, the girl didn't say anything, because she didn't want Rosamund to feel... insulted or something. And if she took the behaviour into consideration, that would make the Sphinx-now-human-in-Helena's-mind a twelve year old with the mind of genius.

Also, Helena wrote down everything that was on the blackboard.

Rosamund forgot all her decor and elegance as soon as one of the humans began to inch closer and closer. Startled, the Sphinx retreated so quickly that before she knew anything, she was hiding behind the Care of Magical Professor.

Cautiously, she peered at the girl.

Feeling more safe now, she glared and may have possibly done some minor growling.

"Lola Jones," Lachlan called, his tone sharp. Catching himself, MacFusty continued, this time calmly, "If you take one step closer to Lady Rosamund, I will take so many points from your house that regardless of how much homework you and your house mates do, you will still be on the negatives by the time the End-of-Term feast comes." Pausing, he raised both of his eyebrows to the Slytherin girl, "Now take several steps back and return your seat. And don't ever do that again."

Professor MacFusty allowed Lola Jones to follow instructions and get back to her seat, before directing himself to the entire class. "Anyone cares to explain Miss Jones why is approaching a Sphinx abruptly so ill-advised? The first person who tells me and clearly explains why will earn two points."

Surely someone would pipe up and do it? Seeing how all the houses seemed to be swimming on a pool of negatives, Lachlan didn't think they'd miss the chance. Noticing that Rosie was still behind him, Lachlan gave her a small sympathetic smile over his shoulder and said, "Now, most of you have the right idea. Some of you think she's your age," Which in this case was thirteen, fourteen, sixteen and even seventeen, "While others claim she's old enough that if she were a human, she could be your great, great grandmother." Pausing, he paced a little bit around the same spot, with Rosamund right behind him. Lachlan had the feeling she wouldn't be detaching herself from him anytime soon. "Those of you who said Rosamund was a teenager, were right." He raised a hand, however, as if to stop anyone from saying anything just yet. "But I can see why you'd think so."

Now, that sounded a little bit tricky. "How do I put it?" Without comparing Sphinxes to dogs and offending Rosamund in the process? "You see, while Rosamund appears and may sometimes behave like a human teenager of around thirteen and fifteen years old," And Lachlan was certain the sound coming from behind him was a half-hearted grunt, "Lady Rosie, in fact, only turned three years old last month." He let them process this for a moment, and added. "Now, what does that tell you?" And were they taking notes? "Keep in mind that Sphinxes can live up to two hundred years, without looking their actual age."

OOC: This is when I retire to BED. Now, see those questions? You guys may answer them and even debate among each other while I'm gone. It's not about speed, but about being creative; use your imaginations. I like that and MacFusty does, too. Remember, though, that Lachlan IS very much there, and he's not deaf. Meaning, don't start to chat about things that don't have anything to do with the class going on right now. Not unless, of course, you fancy spending your afternoon cleaning up the stable without magic. :]

"Because she will have to answer a riddle and if she cannot answer there will be dire consequences?" Kurumi asked throwing her hand up in the air.

Riddle Me This
 

''Good Morning, Lachlan MacFusty. Nice to see you near, Rosamund. I am Anasta Lora Riddle, Slytherin House, Third year.
Pleasant sounding names!

I am glad You, Professor Lachlan MacFusty are my new Care of Magical Creatures Professor.
I expect from subject this year MY good points classes and Homework, good points Slytherin House and all this Hogwarts. Good points with paper understanding what to do if in your life often show themselves Magical Creaters to be with Respect. How do make them all worthy difference.

Rosamund is the name I have memorize, she is my Favorite Dear. Rozamund is wondeful Magical Creater Sphinx, creature with the body of a lion, & the face of a lion. There is in truth very an enigmatic Riddle'', - smiles Anasta Riddle for coincidence.

Whaaat!??!

Staring in disbelief at the Professor, Evelyn was seriously considering second thoughts on whether she liked him or not and that...just gave himself negative points. No, she didn't like him. At all. Glancing over to Cookie Girl, the Slytherin raised a brow as she turned her attention to everyone else in the class...and then to the Professor. "If that was the case, it shouldn't have been a huge deal since you're here right?" she said to the Professor in a reply to both his and Cookie Girl's question. The Professor could just...stop the sphinx. RIGHT? "But, a sphinx is rather dangerous and do have violent tendencies as we discussed a few minutes ago sooo...it would be wise to stay away from her." Obviously.

And...that creature was only three months old? SERIOUSLY? "That could mean...a sphinx's brain matures fast?" Eh? Did that make any sense at all? Or they were just naturally like that. For being only three months old, and acting like a teenager, she was pretty...teenager like.

Nika was a bit disappointed when the professor didn't actually take those points away from Slytherin. Not like she had anything against the house it's just that Gryffindor could use anything to get them back into the lead again.

Nika raised her hand to answer the two point question but she was late. "Because it would be highly dangerous." She said just in case maybe someone's answer was wrong.

Nika sighed. Three years old last month, one hundred years old... Same thing... Sort of. Okay so maybe her guess was way off but her professor had just sad that they could live up to two hundred years old without looking there actual age so AHA! Her answer wasn't completely stupid. "Maybe it tells us that she's a master of disguises?" Well because she can fool all of these students into thinking she's WAY older.

Theodore's hand had shot up immediately into the air. This was the chance to bring Ravenclaw back to a smooth, less pitiful house points balance: zero. "Well, Professor, it's ill-advised to approach really any creature with speed. Like you said earlier, all creatures appreciate respect and if you were to rush up to a sphinx, or, erm, a hippogriff, they would see it as a sign of naive disrespect. If I were a sphinx, I would be offended that someone had the gall to run up to me with seemingly no care for the riddles and puzzles I wanted to play. Or, it could be that a rushed approach could seem like an incoming attack." He exhaled slowly after his miniature speech. If that didn't get Ravenclaw out of the hole, who knew what would?

He scribbled down a few notes as the professor began to speak again, chewing on his lower lip as he thought of an answer. "Well, erm," His eyes looked longingly at his closed textbook as he desired to quickly find the answer. "Sphinxes could be like other animals, who age by seven for every one year, but... no, that couldn't be right..."

So many points that regardless of how much homework everyone does, we will STILL be in the negatives by the time the end of term feast comes? HE SAID WHAT?! Ooooh no. That could definitely NOT happen. Helena raised her hand quickly. "A Sphinx is known for asking riddles, and, as I wrote earlier on my piece of parchment, it becomes violent if you don't know the answer. And, well... that could have happened to her," Helena said, slightly tilting her head towards the girl who approached Rosamund.

Only three years old? Wow.

Helena raised her hand again. "I suppose they don't age like we do," she shrugged. Smart one. Of course they don't age like humans. D'oh. "But... professor?" Let's hope he didn't mind that she didn't quite answer his question. "For how long will... let's say Rosamund, look like this?" Like... is she going to look like this when she's going to be thirty years old? The age of a Sphinx was CONFUSING.

Millie scribbled dpown the notes and took some more as Mac-whatever his name was kept talking. Before having a SERIOUS thinking moment. Was there anything like that in Indiana Jones? There was the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But that would never work. Ever. MAYBE THEY WERE TIMELORDS. SO THEY DIDN'T AGE. That made sense to Millie. Better say the more logical answer first though "they're not fully human so their brains could mature much faster than ours." she said after raising her hand of course, then quietly adding "or they could be part timelord" yup, she may be a Huffie but she knew her sci-fi alien type ... things.

This particular subject is the most difficult subject she had so far. Sighing, Aiden takes out a piece of parchment and a quill. Then, she stares at Rosamund before writing down what she sees.

source: high school biology XD
 

Kurumi looked over her shoulder at Cookie Hater as she addressed Kurumi's response by asked a further question of their new professor. He did seem on rather good terms with the SUPERAWESOME Rosamund, but would it be enough to stop her were she to try and pounced on one of them? Kurumi would rather not be mauled into hamburger meat and then carried in a small bowl to the hospital wing for the Healer to attempt to put back together.

Kurumi thought for a moment, more specifically about the longevity of a sphinx's life, and she was reminded of those giant tortoises you see in zoos that are almost 300 years old...or was it 500? Either way, it was a BIG number.

"Perhaps, seeing as sphinxes are native to desert regions, their long lives are connected. In general desert beings live longer due to unpredictable or harsh environment where it's hard to reproduce on a regular basis. Instead of using all of their energy while they are young producing offspring, desert dwelling beings focus their energy on other areas. Also, living in constant fear of something bigger and stronger coming to get you makes one's life much shorter. I would assume that sphinxes do not have many predators, if any. Due to their long lifespan, I think it is safe to say that they have evolved some way to protect themselves from predators." Kurumi leaned a bit forward in her seat to take a look at SUPERAWESOME Rosamund claws. Yep, they certainly had ways to protect themselves.

Well, Kurumi had touched base on why they lived so long, but now there was the question of WHY they looked young. "We have already discussed how intelligent Lady Rosamund and her kin are, and I think that the fact that they remain looking young for so long is connected to this." She wasn't sure how exactly, but it was worth a shot. "Or..." Kurumi peered a little closer looking for any hint of enchantment, knowing full well that she shouldn't be able to see anything. "Because they are magical by nature, there is a charm that they emit naturally that helps maintain the appearance of being young despite them aging. You said that they remain looking young for 200 years without looking their age, so perhaps as they grow older, they have a harder and harder time maintaining the spell and will then begin showing their age?"

Ariadne didn't think much about the Slytherin girl's mistake. If she were a Gryffindor, it would have affected Ari, but as it was, the girl didn't care much. It was a bad idea to take any animal by surprise, anyways. So she focused on the other question, related to the Sphinx's age.

'It demonstrates once again that time is relative, and that every creature, magical and non-, including humans, have their own lifespan and aging process. For example, a fly lives-what-one day? In which it is born, matures, reproduces and dies...Humans live around 70-80 years, wizards somewhat longer, and each age, from childhood to seniority, takes a relatively large amount of time. For Sphinxes, it's in their nature to live hundreds of years, but they don't have the same aging process as humans. Maybe maturity represents the greatest part of a Sphinx's life, in comparison to the other periods of development.' Hopefully, that made sense.

Selina watched as a girl who she had never seen before start to approach the sphinx. What was she doing? Didn't she know that any magical creature calls for respect. Besides they do not like sudden and abrupt movements. Unfortunately most humans curiosity always got the better of them. Selina rose her hand and said, "Sir, it's an issue of respect. Creatures, just like people, call for a certain level of respect. However, in our minds most people put them on a different footing than humans in every category. But they are not lesser than us, just different. So when you first approach a person you do not want to scare them and make them defensive. You approach them slowly and act politely. That way the person likes you. The same thing is true for Magical Creatures."

Then he asked about the age issue and Selina said, "Well they could be similar to dragons in that they start to develop once they are born. When they are born they do not follow in the stages of human development. They instead mature faster so that they can start to live independently. Nature has developed this over centuries." Maybe?

Kimalia rose her hand to give her input. Of course she may have been late with her answer, but all that mattered was participation in this class. "Well, first off it's a little rude and somewhat frightening to run up to someone unannounced," She began to swing her legs whilst sitting in her seat. "While their intentions are good to protect themselves and others who might pose a danger, clearly but unless you have prior knowledge in Sphinxes and were prepared to take their riddle challenge you could end up regretting it.." Hopefully that was enough, she took the rest of the time to jot down more notes.

Sphinxes, okay. And the super obnoxious one that was standing in front of them was around their same age? Ha. Amusing.

Either way, Treyen was about to raise his hand when Kurumi started to answer MacFuzzy's inquiry...and...whaaaat?



The boy blinked, several times. His own answer was forgotten as he tried to acknowledge everything Kurumi just said. His hand was certainly NOT being seen by MacFuzzy, because he never got around to raising it.

Ronnie sighed. "Respect is a two way street." She said thinking that she knew you had to give respect to get it. She really liked this Professor, the way he started the class.

She sat down and wrote up some notes about Sphinxs. She knew they could be violent and kill some one. She knew they spoke in riddles often and that if you answer wrong that's when they attack. What else did she knew about sphinxs? That they were BEAUTIFUL! That was great as well. She sighed and looked up. How old did she think the Sphinx was. "Her Face looks like a twelve year old." She said and then listened to the Professor say she was only 3. "I was way off." She teased.

Why did she look so young? "Most creatures mature faster than humans." She said hoping that she wasn't going to offend the sphinx. She really liked her she was the most beautiful creature that Ronnie had ever seen. "Her mind is far beyond her years though." Ronnie said trying to figure out how that was possible. "Are sphinxs able to speak right away or do they have to learn how?" Ronnie asked wondering how they learned how.

Sierra just casually stared at the sphinx as it chatted away. It was times like this when you could tell the Purebloods from the Half-bloods from the Muggleborns. Since Sierra had been raised in a household full of Purebloods, she wasn't exact phased when it came to the talking animal. She hadn't had many experiences with sphinxes, if any at all, but she at least had an idea of what to expect when she saw them.

With a glance up at the board, she copied down the characteristics of a sphinx anyway. You know, just in case she had to turn them in or something.

When she looked back up, she was studying the sphinx before her, trying to picture it as a human. Okay, so it looked like a human alright, only--it looked like a very hairy human. That characteristic totally threw things off for Sierra when it came to trying to picture the creature as an actual human. With her hand up in the air, she added her input. "Fifteen," she stated. "She's not too mature yet, but she's not too immature either."

...and just as she said that, the lesson was moving on. Merlin! She scribbled down a few more pieces of information before looking back up again.



Sierra rolled her eyes. Of course Kurumi Hollingberry had been the first to answer. Just once she'd love to see the girl fail, to raise her hand and spout out the complete opposite of what the answer was meant to be. It would just make her entire school year. Just once! That's all it would take!

"She's three!?" Sierra questioned, looking at the sphinx as if it'd just grown three heads and nine extra arms. As she said this, her hand slooooowly snaked its way into the air. ...and what does that tell us!? "...that she's going to be really, really smart by the time she reaches her two hundredth birthday." Really moody, too.

Rosemary nodded in answer of her fellow House Mates answer, "To approach a Sphinx too closely can be quite dangerous, if you approach a Sphinx then you therefore challenge it to which it responds with a riddle, if you get it right no harm comes to you, if you don't then..... Generally you're eaten or at least killed." Rosemary stated as she copied the notes.