SnitchSeeker.com - CoMC #1: Get out of the Garden

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- Term 37: May - August 2014 (https://www.snitchseeker.com/term-37-may-august-2014/)

- - CoMC #1: Get out of the Garden (https://www.snitchseeker.com/term-37-may-august-2014/comc-1-get-out-of-the-garden-97728/)

Gnomes, hmm? Mo didn't find them nearly as intriguing as Class XXXX or higher creatures, but he was always willing to meet a new creature and make friends. He scrubbed at his hair as his classmates shared excellent textbook answers about what they knew about gnomes.

Not much else to say... except maybe theories? Theories were good. "Professor, I think they have some sort of homing signal, like pigeons and owls do. I mean, they always seem to wander back to their own hole, and that's why you have to make 'em dizzy and disorient them to get rid of them. And that usually doesn't even work!"

Gnomes....... yeahhhhhh No he knew nothing about gnomes. In fact this was on of his least favorite classed based on the fact that he had such a small amount of knowledge in his brain of facts about Magical creatures. Unless they were dragons cause Beverly, his best friend, talked about them so much he felt like he could save them if they were a dying species. Gnomes though, he hadn't a clue...Though by the sounds of what everyone was saying he wasn't sure he wanted to know them.

Lookit how happy Cassia was to see her, but of course she was happy to see her, bestfriend reasons and all. So good she could ignore her Herbology question too, 'least she wasn't getting dramatic about it--we all know how Cassia can get sometimes. Ahem. But in a good way. Definitely.

Lex glanced over the fence again. Gnomes. They'd dealt with those back in her first year....the time she wouldn't stop stepping on them til she nearly outted one. Ah, good times though she didn't reckon she'd get away with it in Care of Magical Creatures class so she firmly pushed that thought from her mind. No hurting them, unless they bit her in which case the Professor would either have to turn a blind eye or give her detention. There was only ONE creature who's violence she tolerated and that was her baby kneazle.

"If you wanna get rid of 'em, you gotta make 'em dizzy first, otherwise they'll come right back because they're persistent and can't tell when they're unwanted."

Useful information right there.

SWEET!!

They were going to talk about gnomes. A creature knew quite well. Michael raised his hand in the air. "They make the best wrestling partners." Well they used to, he was too big to wrestle gnomes now but when he had been smaller it had been awesome. "The correct name for a gnome is Gernumbli gardensi." Which was a mouthful.

So they were learning about Garden Gnomes today, she had been correct in her guess. Not the most thrilling topic of discussion, but creatures were creatures and maybe Professor Thompson had a fun activity planned.

Not having experienced these Gnomes first hand - fortunately - she still had some knowlege of them. Raising her hand, she offered something she knew about them. "You can get rid of them by spinning them really fast and letting go so they hurl through the air." She wondered if that hurt them, on top of making them really dizzy.

Were they dealing with gnomes today?? Declan hated gnomes. Maybe it had to do with the fact they took over his backyard back in the days and stole a football from a 7 year-old a.k.a HIM! Not to mention the fact they bit him when he tried to get back.

-______________________-

Never. Forget.

"They're small and they're mean." Declan fumed. Now he's all bothered. Boo.

SPOILER!!: P. Thompson

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter (Post 11609965)

SPOILER!!: All of you arriving

"Morning class. It's good to see you all found your way here." Javy looked at everyone to make sure their attention was fully focused. "For those of you who don't know, Welcome, I'm Professor Thompson and for the rest of you welcome back." Just to bring up from last term. "Since we have our full mobility and youth again we'll be taking advantage of it this year."

Now what were they doing today? "As some of you have already figured out we will be working with the Gnomes today." Now the real intro, "Also known as Garden Gnomes because of others finding them a nuisance in their gardens. Unlike the muggle version which always remains its statue form as a decoration. Can anyone share another fact they know of the Gnomes?"

---
OOC: No more arrival posts from here on, simply pretend they were already there from here on. Make sure to only post one fact if your character knows of them. =)

SPOILER!!: Cutty

GARDEN GNOMES!

Yes, professor sir. This class is going to be a fun one! Ethan nodded enthusiastically and bounced a tad. Were they going to de-gnome today? Yes? YES?

Bit of course, introductions first. Professor Thompson. Noted.

Aaaand what does he know about garden gnomes? Ethan looked around as answers were given from every direction. His attention though, landed on Cutty. Hello, twin. Ethan nodded as Cutty mentioned the creature's appearance. They're not just ugly from the outside.

Hand up.

"They're not just ugly sir." he said as he turned to Cutty and gave him an approving nod. "They laugh too when you don't properly de-gnome them." MEAN. CREATURE.

But then again, he doesn't have to endure humiliation from a gnome, because they were going to be taught how to properly de-gnome a garden. Yes?

Ugh, gnomes.

Pesky little creatures. "I know they're really mischievous and annoying," Bless his parents for not living in the wizarding world. Though either of them couldn't do magic. But bless his magical family for living in the muggle world too. Jun could barely handle annoying family members that reminded him of gnomes.

Gnomes? They're going to learn about Gnomes today?

o_______O

Can anyone share another fact they know of the Gnomes? Beside ugly and small? "They're quick breeders, Professor." That's why they're sooooooo many.

Gnomes, huh? Penelope kinda knew a little about them, but they weren't particularly interesting or cool, so she only remembered the basics, and those had been pretty much covered by now. So she was just gonna sit silently and half-listen to the answers being given. Maybe she'd try to answer the next one.

Marigold smiled at the professor once more at his greeting, then took out her notebook. Gnomes! She had totally called that, people. Gnomes. They didn't have them in her backyard, thank Merlin, imagine how Moo's family would react! Anyway, facts about gnomes.

"I know that they like eating worms, professor." That was from experience. One time when visiting Dec.

What did West know about gnomes? Well, aside from everything already mentioned... he put his hand up. "When my dad was first an Auror, he arrested a man for running an underground gnome-baiting ring for profit and entertainment. They chuck Jarveys in the ring with the gnomes, and take bets on how long the gnomes will last before they get torn apart limb from limb." Pretty harsh really. It was illegal, obviously.

Text Cut: Ethan

Wot? O_O

What did gnome laughter sound like? Cutty was willing to bet his last galleon that it was creepy as hell. If they laughed, did that also meant that they cried?

Text Cut: Westside! Stop givin' him ideas!

Yeah. Yeah, they cried.

A jarvey? Cutty had been meaning to get a pet, or some kind of animal companion for the sake of magic. And Odessa just made jarvey's sound a heckuvalot more interesting than he'd previously imagined they'd be. He couldn't care for a pet. Not properly anyway, but he was starting to think that if all there was to it was feeding it and what and how it ate were an entertainment value to him, why not a jarvey?

This whole thing reminded him of how he never did find the Arabic word for 'bait dog'.

*Blink blink*

Did the professor just say garden gnomes?! As in, those cute little pointy hatted things that people kept in their gardens?

Only no, these weren't the ones Layla was used to, but a magical kind that were butt-ugly. Seriously, where did those things even come from?

So obviously, this seventh year had know idea about magical gnomes and from what her classmates were saying, she didn't want to.

Josette couldn't help but tilt her head a little bit after what she'd believed she just heard what the Professor had said to the class. Garden Gnomes? She couldn't help but feel a bit caught off guard with such a random question, but Professor Thomspon was the the boss & that was something the twelve year old knew she wasn't going to question so.

...Garden gnomes?

She slowly raised her hand, "I-Is it true that Gnome Saliva can give someone the feeling of burgeoning talents such as an urge to sing opera or declaim in Mermish?" Or was that just a myth?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter (Post 11609965)

SPOILER!!: All of you arriving

Angel blinked, once and then twice, okay then how did the Professor know her last name? She had never told the Professor that, nor had she ever seen him until today, this was totally confusing her poor brain, was he physic or something like that? Angel was really scared now about what this place was like.

Angel was too busy trying to figure out about how he knew her last name so she misheard the full question and thought he was talking about the gnomes muggles have in the garden. She raised her hand. "They are made of plastic and normally they have a fishing pole on them, so they stay near a garden pond or something like that." Angel really wanted to know how the Professor knew her last name surely he would tell her right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell (Post 11610124)

SNORT. Ha...hahahahahaha

...hahahaha. Zahra knew she had to BEHAVE and not tell about that time they TOTALLY CAUGHT ONE and put it in a potato sack and had all these plans....

...

BUT SHE WAS THINKING IT LOUD ENOUGH she was sure Mikey could hear her retell the tale, as she always did.

"UHMMMM..... Alls I know is that if you need your barnyard de-gnomed, you have TWO EXPERTS in your presence, Professor T." She flexed her muscles a little and started jumping up and down, getting AMPED UP TO DE-GNOME A BARNYARD FIELD OR WHATEVER.

In fact, yeah. She shed her robe. READY. JUST SAY GO, PROFESSOR.

SPOILER!!: Professor

Leah smiled at the 'have our full mobility and youth again' part but the smile ceased almost immediately and she could not help but groan a little. Gnomes? Why couldn't it be something more pretty? Or less annoying? Though there were no gnomes present at Leah's home, considering that there was no garden at all, the second year knew one fact about it.

"Gnomes are pests. That's why people do de-gnoming and stuff." she shrugged. Leah could not stand the presence of gnomes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter (Post 11609965)

Now what were they doing today? "As some of you have already figured out we will be working with the Gnomes today." Now the real intro, "Also known as Garden Gnomes because of others finding them a nuisance in their gardens. Unlike the muggle version which always remains its statue form as a decoration. Can anyone share another fact they know of the Gnomes?"

"Thanks, sir." Theo said politely. You know, he was really starting to get used to this badge. And all this extra attention.

"My mum has a Garden Gnome." He said automatically. "They're really ugly. The muggle kind." Not exactly an exciting fact, but Theo didn't know much about magical gnomes, just the statue kind. Either way he didn't find the idea of learning about them exciting.

SPOILER!!: Their appearance+ behavior

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustAlice (Post 11609987)

"They bite, sir." Derry volunteered, listening to the other answers. "And they're like... super ugly."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom (Post 11609989)

There wasn't much to know about gnomes, was there? Other than the fact that they were ugly and a pain to deal with. Caleb raised his hand though, because he had first hand experience with this.

"Well if you're not careful, they'll bite you and it HURTS," he explained. They weren't poison or anything but it still stung.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lislchen (Post 11609991)

Leaning against Schuyler's side slightly, Olly just listened. Oh, garden gnomes. That made sense yes. Without raising her hand and not really looking the professor's way, she finally said, "They're quite dumb." Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by feeheeheeny (Post 11609995)

Gnomes. Meh. Pests. She raised an unenthusiastic hand and offered, "They're helpful and eat things like worms," which was okay with her, "but also the roots of plants and stuff underground, which makes 'em pretty pesky to deal with." Digging up yards and all that. They were just nuisances, really, and she eyed the ones in the garden with distaste.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezerz (Post 11610006)

Yes, she had her full mobility and youth again and that made for a very happy Beverly. Thinking the question over, she raised her hand. "They look like large potatoes with legs," she said, with a wrinkle of her nose. She's seen pictures and they were honest to Merlin the ugliest things ever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by magikewe (Post 11610011)

As for the question the professor posed, Bryant raised his hand to offer an idea. "They're one heck of a nuisance, professor, especially if you're trying to grow things."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos.Doodles (Post 11610019)

" No one really likes them at all. I mean, no one ever wants them around." Poor gnomeys. They were just potatoes with legs!

Quote:

Originally Posted by littledhampir (Post 11610031)

Gnomes, huh? Hayden didn't know much about them except that they liked gardens and they were a pest. She didn't know what she could say about them that someone hadn't said already. She raised her hand tentatively. "They're short." She didn't know if that was important, or if someone had already said it, but she didn't want to not say anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissMUDBL00D (Post 11610050)

Heh, Tag. Did annoying count as a fact? Donny shrugged, he might not know a lot about them but he could still participate! He raised his hand, "I know they look funny."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ringo (Post 11610054)

Gnomes. What did Dylan know about gnomes? Hmm. He looked down at the ground in thought. Was there much to know about them? He wasn't so sure. The third year slowly rose his hand when he had a bit of an idea. "They can be a bit of a pain, and bite pretty bad." he said. It wasn't exactly a good answer but he didn't really have anything else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grrr..Meow (Post 11610056)

Bay raised his hand "Professor they bite" he had to deal with these things all the time and he always got bit. Gardening during the summer in the family garden , it was hard work but the food tasted amazing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colley (Post 11610100)

"They certainly look like potatoes, but I don't think they taste like them." Not that she knew for sure, but well, did anyone want to try to prove her wrong? She didn't think so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awarlesta Black (Post 11610145)

"They're small and they're mean." Declan fumed. Now he's all bothered. Boo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordred (Post 11610175)

"They're not just ugly sir." he said as he turned to Cutty and gave him an approving nod. "They laugh too when you don't properly de-gnome them." MEAN. CREATURE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Star-Lord (Post 11610187)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanyjj (Post 11610343)

"Gnomes are pests. That's why people do de-gnoming and stuff." she shrugged. Leah could not stand the presence of gnomes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emzily (Post 11610350)

"My mum has a Garden Gnome." He said automatically. "They're really ugly. The muggle kind." Not exactly an exciting fact, but Theo didn't know much about magical gnomes, just the statue kind. Either way he didn't find the idea of learning about them exciting.

Nodding, "They certainly do have a notorious reputation because of that." Least they covered majority of their 'dangerous' aspects.

SPOILER!!: Habitat

SPOILER!!: Silent ones

Quote:

Originally Posted by Presley Black (Post 11609986)

Those little potatoes were garden gnomes? Weren't garden gnomes like those stupid little things with the hair and the hats and flowers that people put in their gardens? Apparently some of them were really living potatoes.

Did she know anything about gnomes? Nope. Gwen hadn't even known they existed until right this minute. Did they have anything in common with the vegetables they resembled? Were they dangerous? Did they simply eat the flowers and things? Her best option was just to wait until other students started answering and hopefully get a god idea of what it was from their answers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waddles (Post 11610016)

Kate blinked. Gnomes weren't just little garden statues? That was news to her, so she listened carefully to all the answers the other students supplied about gnomes.

Biting… eating plants' roots… so they were basically magical rodents, it sounded like. Kate bit her lip nervously. Hopefully they wouldn't have to actually touch any of these gnome… things. At least she was learning! Though… if gnomes were so pesky, it was surprising that they didn't bother Muggle gardens, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah (Post 11610025)

Cutty thought about the last time he'd seen gnomes in his step-mother's garden. It had felt like ages between then and his first encounters with them when his mum and dad were together and they lived in a place that even had a garden. He'd forgotten how ugly they were. His hand went up as he offered this answer, "They are literally the ugliest things you will ever see in your life."

Quote:

Originally Posted by fanficfanatict (Post 11610042)

They were learning about gnomes? Really? Nasty buggers always bit and looked like potatoes. Ugly, ugly creatures.

If he wasn't excited for the lesson before this had only increased it. Jeez, why couldn't Professors just lecture or do activities that weren't insane? Was that too much to ask? Apparently at Hogwarts, yeah, it was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JennMarie (Post 11610108)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl (Post 11610215)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah (Post 11610278)

A jarvey? Cutty had been meaning to get a pet, or some kind of animal companion for the sake of magic. And Odessa just made jarvey's sound a heckuvalot more interesting than he'd previously imagined they'd be. He couldn't care for a pet. Not properly anyway, but he was starting to think that if all there was to it was feeding it and what and how it ate were an entertainment value to him, why not a jarvey?

This whole thing reminded him of how he never did find the Arabic word for 'bait dog'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty (Post 11610280)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry174 (Post 11610323)

Deep thinkers here, even if some of their thoughts weren't on the subject at hand. According to Javy that was.

SPOILER!!: Jarvey mentions

SPOILER!!: Gnome Saliva

SPOILER!!: Extra info, theories, comments

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 (Post 11609980)

Gnomes! Yes, the Puffer had noticed the little creatures the moment he got there. And Adi had facts! Yesh, multiple facts but unfortunately they could only share one each. He raised his hand. "They may reach a foot in height, Professor.''

"Correct.. Occasionally there are those who exceed that height from the attempts at domesticating them."

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermionesclone (Post 11609984)

As for the question, the boy thought about his answer for a couple of seconds before raising his hand in the air. "They're harmless!" And a little daft too. "I knew someone in my old school who used to keep them at her house. Said they didn't do much apart from digging up holes and biting you on your ankle if you weren't careful." They were daft but MAN would it be funny to see someone almost getting bitten by them.

"While the prospect of them being harmless or not is debatable, there has yet to be a lethal case connected with them." So they weren't in danger of dying from them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by the fastest seeker (Post 11610014)

"Their Ministry classification's Harmless, XX," she offered. Since her classmates said most of the things.

"Correct,"

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixStar (Post 11610020)

Wait. Some garden gnomes were real and weren't a statue? How did she get her hands on those? Her hand shot into the air. "Professor, I think they can be used to scare away birds." Cause birds could wreck havoc on a garden according to her mum. As far as the live ones, she had no idea.

"Do the live ones only come around in gardens that have magical parents?" Because AJ was really starting to feel left of of all things magical. It wasn't her fault that her parents didn't make the cut. She wanted real live gnomes!

"They certainly can." Most birds don't want to be bothered by a creature running around them. As for her question. "It's not necessarily magical parents who attract their appearance but on the magical properties in the garden from their prey that get them to appear." Hence why he wasn't allowed to 'help' out in the garden at his muggle parents anymore when visiting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiara (Post 11610034)

Lucy began to think and she remembered a book about the gnomes that her mother had read when she was a child .. She did not know if it was true all that she remembered but she said: "the gnomes build houses under the roots of trees, they are dedicated to treating the animals of the forest and they know the medicinal uses of herbs .. "

Now didn't this tale sound familiar? Recognising it Javy commented, "Unfortunately, that's not the case with every type of gnome."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crayola (Post 11610038)

Richard usually liked Care of Magical Creatures. They got to be outside and learn about weird animals. But it appeared this lesson was going to be about garden gnomes and that was pretty boring. No unicorns or dragons? Meh! And people seemed to know loads about gnomes already, anyway! He in particular didn't really know anything about them. Except for one thing. Raising his hand, Richard cleared his throat. "The Hogwarts gnomes tried to start a war with Clifford Carden, the Falmouth Falcons Chaser, while he was studying here. He revealed that in an interview with Quidditch World so it has to be true!"

That counted, yeah?

Though Javy was a little behind on the Quidditch news (outside of Hogwarts, of course), this didn't give him any problems in answering, "Gnomes in packs could get rambuctious if not dealt with properly.." The war thing though.. Well, everyone was prone to exagerrate anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waterloo (Post 11610043)

"I don't like gnomes."

"You're certainly not alone with that opinion." Though Javy was looking for an actual fact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin (Post 11610103)

Not much else to say... except maybe theories? Theories were good. "Professor, I think they have some sort of homing signal, like pigeons and owls do. I mean, they always seem to wander back to their own hole, and that's why you have to make 'em dizzy and disorient them to get rid of them. And that usually doesn't even work!"

"That's an interesting theory, Mr. Branxton." Now if only it could be proven.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell (Post 11610124)

They were going to talk about gnomes. A creature knew quite well. Michael raised his hand in the air. "They make the best wrestling partners." Well they used to, he was too big to wrestle gnomes now but when he had been smaller it had been awesome. "The correct name for a gnome is Gernumbli gardensi." Which was a mouthful.

Merlin knew how these students spent their childhood, as Javy had to imagine one wrestling a Gnome. Least he did contribute. "Correct, also occasionally known as Gernumblies." So it wasn't as much of a mouthful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poolicious (Post 11610212)

Can anyone share another fact they know of the Gnomes? Beside ugly and small? "They're quick breeders, Professor." That's why they're sooooooo many.

"Correct, their numbers are in no danger of decreasing."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScarletCharm104 (Post 11610268)

"I know that they like eating worms, professor." That was from experience. One time when visiting Dec.

"Correct."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Eye Touz (Post 11610334)

"UHMMMM..... Alls I know is that if you need your barnyard de-gnomed, you have TWO EXPERTS in your presence, Professor T." She flexed her muscles a little and started jumping up and down, getting AMPED UP TO DE-GNOME A BARNYARD FIELD OR WHATEVER.

In fact, yeah. She shed her robe. READY. JUST SAY GO, PROFESSOR.

Well this one was certainly excited by her jumping. "..Thank you for sharing that." He commended her enthusiasm though.

SPOILER!!: Getting rid of them

"Good, most of you have some knowledge if not experience on them." Well, those who answered anyway.

"Now then, as I'm sure some of you are imagining we will be de-gnoming the garden here." But first off, "For those of you who neglected to bring own your gloves today do not worry, I have brought spare ones for you to use." Gesturing the basket by his feet. They were unfortunately permanently charmed to remain pink and glittery thanks to a certain individual. Ahem. "Once your gloves are on, go on through the gate and wait for further instructions." Unlocking it, they were free to move in now.

---
OOC: As instructed, take/don on a glove and enter into the garden. Next post will be later today. =)

"All right!" Ethan pumped his fists in the air and immediately wore his own gloves. It was a good thing he double checked the noticeboard prior to attending this class. He didn't want to wear the pink glittery ones.

No way.

As soon as he was ready, the third year snake stepped inside the fenced garden, and wore his 'come-at-me-bro' face.

Thinking of a gome fact that had not already been mentioned, Jasmine raised her hand. "Garden gnomes are known to live in Europe and North America." She was glad that she had been able to add something to the discussion.

So they would be de-gnoming the garden. Jasmine felt like she was ready for anything today. She reached into her backpack and dug around the inside in search of her gloves. Grabbing them, she carefully put them on. No gnome bites for her, she didn't care how beneficial their saliva was.

All gloved up and ready to go, Jasmine passed through the gates and entered the garden. Standing around with her classmates, Jasmine waited to hear what they should do next.

De-gnoming...? Toby... wasn't sure. He knew exactly what de-gnoming entailed, and it wasn't something he really saw himself doing. Seemed a bit... cruel.

He had his gloves in his hand, ready to put them on, but didn't move to do so just yet. Instead, he sidled up to Thompson.

"Professor T," Toby said ever-so-casually, with a teeny tiny smile. Thompson. Mr T. My main maaaaaaan. "Is this... will it hurt them? Isn't it kind of... mean?"

Of course, if not, he would do it. But y'know. It helped to ask, right?

That sounded easy enough. Gwen pulled her secondhand gloves out of her bag and set her bag down in the grass. Wait. By de-gnoming...they weren't going to hurt the cute little guys, were they? Because as far as Gwen could tell, they were only a little bit of a nuisance. Nothing that would hurt them, and she didn't believe in hurting things that weren't hurting her first.

She followed the crowd through the gate, looking up at Professor Thompson as she passed him. An older kid was standing there asking the question that was on her mind, so she waited for the answer. It wasn't like setting mouse traps or spraying ant poison? Were they going to be okay? Because Gwen kinda actually wanted one as a pet.

Too bad they could not view what West was talking about. It would have been interesting at least. Though definitely illegal. Oh..gloves. Well that was one thing Nigel forgot to bring to class. Well at least he had extras.

Pink and Glittery extras.

Merlin, he was going to have to wear these. Better than a gnome biting your hand or something. He put them on reluctantly and made his way over to the to the gate and through it.

Hope the de-gnoming is worth it.